The race between the two participants had ended with Steamlord standing without a sweat, even though Rainbow Dash had won the race. She was absolutely tired. It was surprising to her that such a being could keep up with her using that weird contraption. Even those shiny things ran a high speeds. The pegasus would need to train more in flying if she wanted to stay number one. Stretching a bit as Rainbow Dash panted, Steamlord opened a conversation:
"You are pretty fast.And I got excellent information here."
"I told you...I was the fastest...in all of Equestria..."
"Ha! I can see that. Anything planned later on? I'm planning on visiting Twilight." Steamlord said as his Mobility Pack detransformed, allowing him to put his jacket back on.
"Well...I've already finished with the sky patrol, and I need to catch up on the next part of Daring Do...sure, why not! And I'll be able to talk to your buds there. They wouldn't answer me earlier."
"Oh...well that's because they don't have voice-boxes."
"Huh?
Steamlord sighed.
" They don't talk."
"How come?"
"I just said why."
"I'm not following."
"Just know that they don't talk and let's get going already."
"Whatever."
The trip went relatively calmly, besides the occasional pony who would jump out of the way of the frightening Steamlord and his bodyguards. Apparently, the denizens of Ponyville were starting to get used to his presence, but they were still scared by his appearance. Arriving at the front door, Steamlord meant to knock, but Rainbow Dash smashed the door wide open and walked in casually, much to the annoyance of the creator.
"Hey Twi-Where's Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"She's right under that blanket there." responded Applejack.
"Honestly, I don't know why you're staying under there, dear. Did something happen at the school?" said Rarity.
"No! I want to stay under here. It's less embarrassing!" muffled Twilight.
Rainbow Dash was keeping a giggle from letting loose as the four giants were finally inside the building. Rarity spun her head twice once she recognized him.
"Well, well. I don't congratulate you on your still repugnant cloth-oh my."
"Hm?" moaned Steamlord.
"What ARE they wearing?!"
"Here we go again." complained Applejack.
Apparently, Spike was entranced by Rarity again as he was just staring at her like an idiot while thet white mare walked around the bodyguards who made no movements and barely paid any attention to her.
"They look simply stunning! This unique color design blends in perfectly with the shapes formed by these creases."
"Segments."
"And their shape is perfectly in synch. Not one looks more different than the other!"
"Yes...externally."
"Spike, be a dear and fetch me some paper, a quill, and some ink."
"Sure thing Rarity." Spike said before scampering off and bringing the material back.
Rarity picked them up with her magic and started to draw the three bodyguards on the papers. She had an idea and was planning on making it real.
"Rarity's craziness aside, what's wrong with you Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Nothing!"
"Oh come on! It can't be that bad that you have to hide underneath your blanket?"
"Yes it is!"
"Oh, I see what's wrong." said Steamlord. He walked towards the blanket and tried to pull it off Twilight, but it was held down by magic."Pff. Is this because of what that little colt said earlier?"
"N-no."
"A stutter. Yes it is."
"No it's not! Stop hearing things when they aren't spoken!"
"Now denial." Steamlord was smiling now. He even had a tone of humor coming from his voice.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Now refusal. Ooo. You're going through all the paces at a tremendous speed."
"I'm not bothered by anything the colt said!"
"Even anger and an attempt at avoiding the double negative."
"Grrr."
"What's goin' on here?" asked AJ.
"Hm? Well, when I got to the school to give Sunrise her lunch, I saw that Twilight was there. So on and so forth, boring side story. When we were about to leave, one of the colts sa-" Steamlord was cut off by a purple aura surrounding his lips and Twilight jumping out of her cover.
She was really red. So red, in fact, that even that brightest of paints would look pale and grey.
"Nothing happened. It's okay! You can both go back home now."
"Pfff. Yeah right. You came in embarrassed about something with m-HMPH!" Spike went under the same spell.
"Nope. Nothing." Twilight gave a nervous smile.
"Ya can't hide nothin' from us Twi. We know that there's somethin' wrong with ya. Why're ya all red?"
"I just ate something too spicy is a-....AH! CREEPY THOUGHTS!"
Steamlord started to laugh loudly, although it just sounded like muffled exhaling. Twilight gave him a pouting glare.
"What did you mean by "what the colt said?" asked Rainbow Dash, while being at "eye distance from Twilight's face.
"N-nothing."
"Come on Twi. Tell us."
"Tell you what?"
The spell Twilight cast on Steamlord and Spike was weakening. The purple dragon was still too small to have the proper strength to break it off, but the creator simply tore the magic off with his mechanical arm.
"One of the colts there thought that since Sunrise was my adoptive daughter, and that Twilight brought her to the school before I arrived, that she was her mother as well."
Twilight suddenly grew tense as her ears flopped down and she started to lower herself. AJ and Rainbow Dash just stared at each other and fell on the floor, laughing. This made Twilight angry and embarrassed at the same time. The unicorn stomped towards the man and tried her best to stand as tall as she could while staring at him in the eyes and whispering furiously at him:
"Why did you say that?!"
"What?"
"I didn't want them to know!"
"So? It was just the thought pattern of an infant. He didn't know any better."
"That's still not a rea-..."
"Something wrong?"
"AHHH!" Twilight yelled while clutching her head. "More creepy thoughts!"
Steamlord lift an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. He felt insulted but didn't know why. The two laughing mares had just gotten back up, their eyes all watery from tears of laughter. Rarity, on the other hoof, was still too caught-up in her tracing to listen to anything happening around her.
"Hey Applejack, the first fight between the loving couple."
"Yeah. Ah didn't know you two were tagether already."
Twilight started to become even more enraged, however, she had a sudden realization. Steamlord was here, and she could ask him the questions that had been bothering her.
"Ahem. IF YOU TWO ARE DONE, I have something to ask you Steam."
"Yes?"
"Several questions, in fact."
"What are these enigmas passing through your mind?"
"Well, firstly, what is your species? What kind of creature are you? I know there is nothing like you in Equestria. I mean, sure, the changelings had appeared awhile ago, but they were more hidden than seen."
"Well, if you must know, I'm a human being. Supposedly evolved from monkeys, which is why I have opposable thumbs."
"Haha! You're a monkey?" mocked RD.
"Yeah. Who knows what YOU derive from? Perhaps a snail at best." RD looked pissed at this comment.
"Where do you come from anyways? Is it somewhere outside of Equestria? And how come your technology is so advanced?"
"I don't know how far your world spans, but I am not from it."
"Equestria isn't a world."
"I'm well aware of that."
"Wait, so yah say ya come from outer-space?"
"Pfff. No. I come from an entirely other dimension. It was quite hard to break that dimensional barrier."
"But, how did you get here then? My books say nothing about dimensional traveling. Well, there is time-travel, but that is still limited."
"Interesting. I used my ship and a quantum flux generator. By destabilizing the walls, I managed to break through them. And by fluctuating the waves used to break the barriers I managed to create a portal to a specific dimension. Unfortunately for me, this dimension was a wrong turn. After entering it, the camoflauge system short-circuited, along with the engines, and I ended up crashing into the forest."
Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chin as concern started to flood her face.
"As for my technology, I will not say anything more than that the base technology of my dimension is pretty elevated."
"Was your ship a huge golden thing that looked like a bird's head?" asked RD.
"Not exactly like a bird's head, but yes. Why?"
"So it was you who crashed through Cloudsdale."
"What?"
Even Rarity turned her head in shock as she heard what Steamlord had just said.
"I don't think I was low enough in altitude to plow through an entire city or whatnot. Besides, I couldn't see anything and I couldn't control the ship anymore. The only thing I'm sure I destroyed was a portion of the forest."
"Cloudsdale is a city in the clouds, Steam. It's where the pegasi near Ponyville live." said Twilight in worry.
"Wait, a city made of clouds? You must be pulling my leg."
"NO! Because of you, Half of Cloudsdale was completely destroyed, and many pegasi were wounded in the process."
Rainbow Dash was floating directly in front of Steamlord, who suddenly took a step back in horror. The robots suddenly moved their heads, catching the attention of Rarity, who hadn't finished with her sketching.
"I...I need some time to think." said Steamlord before leaving with his bodyguards.
"Yeah? Well don't come back!"
"Rainbow Dash, that ain't a way ta treat him!" exclamated Applejack.
"What are you talking about? He destroyed half of Cloudsdale!"
"Yes, well, I recall him saying that his ship was uncontrollable. I also don't think that he is an evil...whatever he's supposed to be. He looks sincerely distraught by what had happened. *sigh* I didn't even get to finish the sketches."
"But you can't just let him get away with this!"
"Rainbow, if I remember right, that portion he tore through was already damaged by a storm that YOU didn't steer properly. Sure, he went through undamaged parts, but I don't recall anypony dying, and he DID say that entering our world damaged his ship beyond control."
"I-"
"Just wait that he calms down, then you'll ask him if he can do something about what happened."
Rainbow Dash started to ponder on the subject, and a good flight outside would help her. However, Twilight was still confused about Steamlord. If that ship really was his, then it should have been in the forest, albeit heavily damaged. He did say the cloaking was damaged.
"Somethin' else botherin' ya Twi?"
"Yeah. Where is his ship? I mean, I went with Sunrise into the Eeverfree forest, and she seemed to know where it was. Yet, I couldn't find anything besides the devastated line that it certainly crashed through. I don't know how advanced his technology is, but he certainly doesn't want to be found nor does he want to share it."
"I wonder what happened in his world to want to come here?"
"Ah'm not sure he wanted ta come here. He said that he took a "wrong" turn in whatever that quanty thingamajig was and ended up here."
"I just hope he doesn't go into depression. Sunrise is happy to have him as her new father after all."
"Yeah, about that, when did he adopt her?" asked AJ.
It was the afternoon now, and the only thing there to welcome Sunrise outside of school were the Crusader Knights. Sunrise ran towards Hospitaller, who welcomed her with open arms. Templar waved hello to the Cutie Mark Crusaders who waved back at him. Teutonic was the only one to display absolutely no emotions whatsoever, and it's creepy empty sockets disturbed the CMC, who preferred to circle around it. After the hugging session was over, Sunrise was put back onto the floor.
"Woah. They look awesome!" yelled Scootaloo.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure my sister would love to sketch them and make some sort of dress."
"She would do that, wouldn't she?"
"Mhmm."
"So Sunrise, they're yer "uncles"?" Teutonic turned it's head unnoticeably.
"Well, somewhat, but I do consider them like my uncles."
Teutonic suddenly gave out the sound of winding gears followed by a loud "clank" sound. The other two Knights knew what the problem was, so they didn't react, but the other four seemed disturbed.
"That was...wierd." said Apple Bloom while looking at Teutonic.
"He always reacts like that when I say..." Sunrise leaned closer to the three fillies and whispered: "...uncle."
Teutonic still let out one of its strong steam currents, but remained the same nonetheless. Sweetie Belle had noticed something though.
"Where's your dad?"
"I don't know. Lemme ask Hospitaller. Hey Hospitaller? Where's dad?"
The robot made hand movements indicating that there was something wrong with Steamlord's heart and that he was at home.
"Oh. He's at home. I'm not sure if I can stay outside without talking to him first."
Hospitaller then made more movements indicating that it and the other two Knights were going to watch over her.
"That's great!"
The other three fillies were confused.
"Ya understand what he's doin'?"
"Yup! It took awhile, but I figured out a bit of what they mean when they do their body-signs."
"That'd kinda neat. So...do they do anything besides scare Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?" asked Scootaloo.
"Yes."
"Then what should can we do with them?"
"I dunno. Hey, Knights, anything you could do with the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
The three fillies gave puppy dog eyes, but it was the "crusader" in their group's name that caused a powerful reaction amongst the three robots. They unsheathed their claymores and slammed them into the ground, scaring everypony still around the school.
"W-w-what?" stuttered Sweetie Belle.
"I think they want to teach you three how to fight with swords."
"But we can't! It's too dangerous. Plus, Rarity wouldn't like it."
"Well, they are responsible, and I doubt we would be able to carry their weapons."
Templar ran off quickly with his claymore before coming back with four very long, uneven sticks. Staring at it, the four watched as Hospitaller carved the sticks into four distinct, rather small, wooden swords. It gave one to Sunrise, but modified the hilts to attach to the three fillies' hooves.
"Wow. Ah didn't know he could do that. Maybe our special talent is bein' sword fighters?"
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SWORDSMARES!"
The group followed the three Knights eagerly until arriving at the hill where Steamlord and the Knights had spied the school from awhile back, and started the "training". This certainly wouldn't have any repercussions whatsoever.