//------------------------------// // Chapter 30: The Mysterious Box // Story: Zaps Apple // by Electuroo //------------------------------// Zaps Apple Chapter 30: The Mysterious Box Scootaloo “Scootaloo, I don't know if this is a good idea.” Zaps said as he and the others lifted the jackhammer over the crystal cases. “What even is this thing?” I adjusted myself over the large tool, gripping it firmly with my front hooves on it. All I had to do was push one button and the box would be open. “A jackhammer, we found near our clubhouse a few months ago.” Sweetie Belle - who was using her magic to help hold the jackhammer in place - rubbed her head. “I still wonder how it ended up in that tree in the first place.” “Ah’m still confused by that as well.” Applebloom replied, keeping the box steady. “Just be careful Scoots.” I smirked. “It’s fine, one push and the box is open!” I pushed the button and the jackhammer jumped to life. KACRACK! The jack bounced off the little box it like it was rubber and threw us flying from Applebloom and the box. Landing in the mud, Zaps, Sweetie Belle looked dejectedly at the bent up jackhammer. Springs, wires and bits of metal lay scattered around the tool now reduced to a hunk of garbage. Zaps sat up, staring at it and then at the box Applebloom still held in her hooves. “Was that supposed to happen?” “No...” I grumbled. “Another failed attempt, this thing impossible! We tried a crowbar! Jackhammer! Fireworks! Can opener! Even dropping a bolder on it! Nothing works!” I pulled myself out of the mud and kicked it as hard as I could with both of my hind hooves. The box did not move. “Gah! What’s up with this stupid box!” Sweetie Belle shook the mud from her fur and stepped up to it. “Think Pink did say he’d tried all sort of things to try and open it, didn't he?” “Yeah, but I really thought we’d be able to do it.” I sighed, hanging my head down in defeat. “Sorry Zaps.” “It’s ok.” Zaps got up, shaking the mud off too. “At least none of us got hurt.” “Only our pride…” Applebloom groaned. “Ah thought it would work. What type of crystal is this?” Applebloom asked, rubbing her hoof over the top of it. “Not even a dent from the jackhammer.” Zaps picked up a piece of the destroyed jackhammer. “I think it came out worse than the box.” “What in the hay is going on out here?” We all turned to see Twilight Sparkle with Spike rushing over to us. “Hey, Twilight.” I greeted her, still unhappy from the failure. “We were trying to open this box with a jackhammer but when we tried the jackhammer just broke.” Twilight's eyes widened with shock. “Say what!?” She exclaimed. “How in Equestria did you crusaders get a hoof on that?” Applebloom shrugged. “It was in one of the apple trees near the clubhouse. Ah’m not really sure where it came from. It was months ago and today we tried usin' it and well...” Applebloom showed Twilight the box, still in one piece and perfectly undamaged. “As ya can see it somehow destroyed the jackhammer.” Spike picked up a hunk of the warped metal. “It did this?” We just nodded together and looked to the ground in disappointment. “Wow...” “Wow indeed.” Twilight took a good look at the box. “Hey, this has Harmony Rose's cutie mark on it.” “That’s why we got it at the trade exchange fair.” I replied. “We’ve tried everything we could think of to open it but all we’ve ended up with are broken tools and a still locked box!” I yelled out the last part throwing my forelegs up in annoyance. Twilight stared at me for a second or two then began to speak with a disappointed look in her eyes. “You four shouldn't be using something like a jackhammer to try this; even it fell from Cloudsdale because of Rarity.” “Because of Rarity?” Sweetie Belle placed her hoof on her snout. “Yeah it was during the Young Flyers Contest, Twilight gave Rarity butterfly wings and a lot of attention from the local stallions.” Spike answered. “SPIKE!” “What?” “Butterfly wings? Oh can you do it on me!” Sweetie Belle begged, excitedly and her horn began to glow with magic. “Please!” Twilight shook her head. “No, and I think for your own safety I should take the box off your-” “NO!” Zaps yelled out quickly jumping on top of it holding it with his forelegs. “It’s the only thing I’ve got to prove that my mum was real and not a dream! There could be more about me inside! I won't give it up!” “Ah agree! We worked too hard to get this box and we need answers. You can’t take it away now, Twilight!” Applebloom argued, standing right next to Zaps with a hoof on his back and glaring at Twilight. “Yeah! We worked together to get this and we’re staying together to figure it out too!” Sweetie Belle backed up Applebloom. “Please Twilight, you can’t take it now. Not when we’re so close and it means so much to Zaps,” I added. Twilight lowered her head with her eyes closed. “Yes, you’re right children.” “What!?” “I said you are right. I can’t take away something that’s so important to you.” She smiled. “You three put aside everything to help Zaps.” Then the smile was gone. “But I won't let you try anything else dangerous to try and open this crystal box.” We hung our heads down in defeat. “But...” We raised them looking at Twilight again. “Come to the library right now and I’ll see what I can do to help you four out without breaking anything.” Spike gulped, holding his tail. “Why do I get a bad feeling this is just going to explode in our faces...?” “Spike seriously what can-” Twilight picked up the box with her magic and as soon her magic gripped around the latch she was sent flying into the air. “Waaaa!” She quickly opened her wings and stopped herself. “Whoa! What in wide world of Equestria was that!? It felt as if the box created a force beyond my levitation spells!” Sweetie Belle rubbed her foreleg with her other front hoof. “Yeah, I should have warned you Twilight, it did the same to me at first.” Then she picked it up with her magic. Twilight gasped. “H-how!?” “I learned that if you just pick it up from the bottom then it doesn't react. The seal and lid are another story.” Sweetie Belle explained. I giggled at Twilight's reaction. We don’t often teach her things about magic. “Incredible. A defence spell over the lid and seal. I’ve never felt a form of magic like this in my life.” “Maybe it’s because of Harmony Rose?” I suggested. Twilight carefully took the box from Sweetie Belle, holding it on the bottom this time. “Yes that could be the case. Now I know what I am dealing with, maybe I can help you four open it.” “But Think Pink couldn't Twi! Ah don't know if even an Alicorn can open this box.” Applebloom was unsure but I guess I was too, she had a point. Twilight turned towards her home. “He didn't have knowledge of who cast the spell, I do. It may be limited but at least I have some advantages that he never had.” Twilight started to walk away but stopped and looked back at us. “Are you five coming or what?” When we arrived at the library Twilight took us down to the basement and set up a table to sit the box on. “Twilight what do you think is inside it?” Spike asked, tapping the edge with a claw tip. Twilight looked closely at all the markings scratched onto the side of the box, trying to understand what it meant, I guess. “No idea Spike, the marks on the side are very strange. I can just about make out three words though. One says Friendship, another says Family and this one says Harmony.” Twilight pointed to each one as she told them. “Each of them has Harmony Rose's cutie mark in the middle.” “It almost looks like she believed in the magic of the Tree of Harmony.” Spike said, pointing to a fourth marking on the box, an image scratched into the side depicting the Tree of Harmony. Twilight formed magic on each of those points. “Maybe if I summon my magic on those four areas it might unlock it.” “Twi ah don-” BOOM! A huge blast of light followed by an explosion knocked us back. As the smoke cleared I suddenly felt as though everything was just a little bit… smaller. I took a good look around. Everything certainly seemed normal, until I saw the earth pony stallion standing in the middle of the room. I gasped. He had the exact same colours as Zaps. “Z-Zaps...” He turned to me and gasped. “S-Scootaloo is that you!?” His even sounded like a stallion. “You’re an adult!” “So are you!” Sweetie Belle screamed. “What has happened to us!?” We saw she was grown up too. Applebloom was the only one who seemed relatively calm. She was looking over at herself. “Wow, is that what ah'm gonna look like when ah'm grown up?” “What do you mean!? We are all grown up!” I yelled at her. “Not everypony.” Spike said in a deep voice. Even he had got bigger. He was pointing at a small purple alicorn filly. “Twilight you’re a filly...” Twilight looked over at herself and screamed. “How can this happen!? What happened!?” She yelled, running around in a panic. Zaps turned to me. He didn’t exactly look pleased. “Does she usually panic like this?” “Yeah...” I sighed, flapping my wings once with annoyance. “Whoa...” I turned my head and looked back at my now fully developed wings. Could I? I had to try. I flapped my new wings as hard as I could and, slowly, I felt myself lift off the ground. My eyes were practically overflowing with tears of joy. “I can fly! Girls I can fly!” Sweetie Belle smiled a little. “That’s great, but we’re still blank flanks.” “Huh?” I turn to each of them and saw it, or rather, didn’t see it. I landed on the ground, muttering under my breath. “Horseapples...” “Twilight I saw the explosion is ev-” Rainbow Dash opened the door, running in and stopped in an instant, looking at each of us. “Wh-what in the hay!?” Zaps raised a hoof. “It’s us Rainbow Dash. We somehow became adults and Twilight became a filly...” Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, trying her best not to laugh. “Just laugh it up Rainbow!” Twilight snapped at her and with that Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, collapsing onto the floor in a fit of hysterics. “I think the box countered my magic.” “You think?” Rainbow chuckled and then turned directly to me. “Looking good squirt, and nice wings, I bet you can fly real good with them. I nodded with a grin. “Sure can Rainbow Dash!” “But...” Zaps spoke and stepped up to me. He was almost half a head taller than me now and strong too, maybe not quite as strong as big Mac, but definitely up there. His fur was the same shade of lightning gold, but softer and longer. It suited him really well… “Scoots? Wh-why are you looking at me like that?” I blinked as I realized I had zoned out. “Huh? I erm... Well... Y-you...” I hid my face with my wings, turning red in the cheeks. “Gah! This is sappy! What is wrong with me!? Why can't I look him in the eyes? I’m acting like an idiot!” “Zaps and Scootaloo in a-” Zaps quickly put his hoof over Applebloom's mouth, glaring at her as she giggled, seeing how red he had turned. Rainbow Dash put her hoof to her head. “Twilight, reverse this...” Twilight shrugged. “I don't know how too! I just-” She looked at the box. “I know! I will do the same thing I did and-” Her horn glowed and she reached out with her magic towards the box, but a green barrier blocked the path. We looked at Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, what’s the big idea?” “If you do that with Rainbow here you will turn her into a filly when we turn back to normal!” Sweetie Belle yelled at her. Twilight gulped as the realisation of what she was about to do flooded across her face. “S-Sorry... I wasn't thinking...” Twilight lower her head. “Rainbow wait outside please. “Sure...” Rainbow Dash answered and left through the door, closing it. “Now you can do it!” Sweetie Belle undid the bubble and allowed Twilight to cast her magic on the symbols. BOOM! The light and dust faded and I looked over at myself with happiness, I was back to normal. “Yes!” I leaped up buzzing my wings happily. “Rainbow Dash, we’re back to normal!” Rainbow Dash entered, looking at every one of us. “That’s great, but how did it happen in the first place?” “Twilight must have entered the code wrong on the box.” Spike suggested. “I think you have to do it a certain way to open it.” Twilight looked again at the markings. “You’re right Spike; if I enter it differently we might open it.” “But what if you get it wrong Twi?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Don't worry, what’s the worse that can happen?” Twilight replied and cast her magic on the chest. We all gulped as it started to glow again. “Not again...” I muttered. BOOM! After the light died and the dust settled I apprehensively opened my eyes and looked around at the others in the room. Twilight stood where she was in front of me, but something was very different about her. She was slightly bigger with a longer, flatter snout and a much shorter mane. “Twilight I think it-” I heard a stallion say behind me. I turned to see where it had come from. “Wh-what the hay!?” Rainbow Dash said. “I'm a stallion!” “What happened to us?” I turned again, this time at Zaps. She was a little filly. “Scootaloo your...” “Yeah I know...” I grumbled. Sweetie Belle looked into a mirror and tilted his head. “I look weird. Is this what colt me would look like?” “Ah don't get it. What’s so different about being a colt rather than a filly?” Applebloom said, looking over himself. “Whatever it is, it feels weird.” “Turn me back!” Spike yelled out. “I look really stupid as a girl!” We burst out laughing at the reaction of the little dragon. Twilight stepped up to the mirror. “Wow this is weird, so this is how my brother feels?” “Well I look awesome! This is sweet! Look at these really strong wings! I look even more awesome like this. I bet I could pull a really great prank on Pinkie Pie with this!” Rainbow smirked. Twilight quickly pulled Rainbow’s tail back into the library before he could get far. “Not a chance, we’re turning back right now!” “Ah, come on Twi!” Rainbow protested “No. Now sit!” Twilight put him back on the ground. “Now to reverse this...” He cast the same combination of magic on the markings. BOOM! We were back to normal again. I sighed. “Twilight I don't think you should mess around with it anymore.” Rainbow Dash said with concern. Zaps nodded in agreement. “Mother must have done something to protect whatever’s inside from other ponies; we got too close I think.” “That is exactly why I am going to try again.” Twilight aimed her magic at the box. “There ya’ll are Zaps, Applebloom, ah’ve been lookin-” Big Macintosh stepped inside to see Twilight using her magic on the box. “What’s goin-” “NOOOOOOO!” We all yelled out, trying to stop her but it was too late. BOOM!