//------------------------------// // 6 - Of Pipbucks and mice // Story: Enter the Dragon // by alfonso_rd_33 //------------------------------// “Ohhh I like this one… this one is smart… and is a Dragon like you, Boss…! Can we keep it...? Can we…? Can we…? Pweeeasseee?” Chirped in MOS-Tan as she skipped on her place while Twilight Sparkle and Applejack looked at her with different expressions… Twilight with pure, unadulterated rage and AJ, while angry, was more shocked than anything else. Spike in the meantime was… Spike… this meaning that he was shocked, confused, and many other emotions that let him looking like a fish out of the water, all of this as the Alicorn in the room sweat dropped in embarrassment for his AI… “Now listen you over glorified spell...” Started to bellow Twilight Sparkle when a ping sounded from the device now identified as a Pipbuck was heard and MOS-Tan said happily ignoring the beginnings of Twilight’s raging rant... “Oh Nice…! I found an audio archive in the Pipbuck… Generating Video projection based on the Audio data found and samples found in the collective Memory, Boss...” This cut through Twilight’s rage as an electric Shaver cuts through hair and mane… not that MOS-Tan was actually aware of said rage, as she sat on its rump and started humming a certain tune… only to get up moments later as she changed to humming as she moved wildly, not properly dancing but more like shadow fighting in a windy quick fighting style, on which she spent most her time on her hind legs… or spoon in the air, twisting as she hit her invisible opponents with all 4 hooves… only to stop moments later as she chirped happily… “Video created… should I play it…?” This of course caused the mares to look at the construct curiously, even Twilight cautious yet, MOS-Tan was asking them if she could show them something that might explain the device on the new Alicorn’s foreleg… which on itself was intriguing and seemed important… so He said, almost absentmindedly… “Sure Why not…? Knock yourself out…” To which the OS-Tan offered merrily a happy “One Moment please”, and after said moment three mares replaced the one that had been talking… said mares were line the OS-Tan rendered in green tones, yet once Applejack saw them, she was instantly curious, as, despite the lack of color, the bow was a dead giveaway as the sound started playing... “Is this on…? Hello, testing 1, 2, 3… beginning last recording test for PipBuck 0.1 Prototype…” Of course upon hearing the voice… or at least the last voice of the recording made AJ get tenser, as she immediately recognized the voice of her youngest sister as she whispered... “A… Applebloom…?” Still, AJ had little time for her musings as the recording continued... “Howdy! Now, if you’re hearing this recording test a couple things could have happened: either this prototype somehow made it to whomever it was built for, or somepony somehow found it and is using it in this very same moment, in which case Shame on you buster…! Now, Ah won’t pretend Ah have all the answers, but Ah still remember when I first dreamed about the PipBuck…” The Apple signature accent was thinned, but it was still there… that grown mare was Applebloom, still using her bow, and seemingly still hopeful, yet AJ could hear a tinge of sadness in the voice, as both Spike and Twilight were transfixed by the moving images before them… still the recording continued “But what is a Pipbuck you might ask…? Now, if you ask somepony he’ll tell you a PipBuck is an Stable-Tec invention of Arcanotech, first developed by Applebloom under orders of the Ministry of Wartime Technologies… but that’s not entirely true…” This was said by another of the mares… this one sporting a curled mane and a horn on her forehead, as she was a unicorn, and in AJ’s head questions were swimming… who were those mares with Apple bloom…? Why were they so old…? And in general what were they talking about… “And that is because, despite apple bloom having the blueprints for the PipBucks, She didn’t actually thought them on her own…” After this both AJ and Twilight looked at each other, confused yet Still the message kept going, noticing how the one giving that part of the speech was a Pegasus, that seemed to have her wings a bit too short for her age… “Anyways… What is a PipBuck?  It is a device, worn on a foreleg just above the hoof.  A blending of unicorn pony magic and earth pony science, your PipBuck will keep a constant measure of your health and even help administer healing poultices and other medicine, track and organize everything in your saddle packs, assist in repairs, and keep all manner of notes and maps available at a hoof tap…” Carried on Applebloom as Twilight looked at the unicorn, hoping to find something similar to her, hoping to see if she could recognize the unicorn, only to sadly fall as the unicorn started talking again… “Plus, it allows you to listen to a special broadcast whenever you would like as it can tune into and decrypt just about any radio frequency.  And that’s not all.  A pony’s PipBuck generates an E.F.S. (Eyes-Forward Sparkle) that will indicate direction and help gauge whether the ponies or creatures around you are hostile.  And, perhaps most impressively, a PipBuck can magically aid you in a fight for brief periods of time through use of the S.A.T.S. (Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell).“ “Oh, and a feature not to be forgotten: it can keep track of the location of tagged objects or people, including the wearers of other PipBucks.  So if a pony somehow got lost, then anypony who knew the lost pony’s tag could find them instantly.  It can even be made to glow like a lamp! So yes, PipBucks really are a testament to unicorn pony arcane science.  And yes, having a PipBuck is a big advantage.” Finished the Pegasus again… completing the exposition of the features of the PipBuck, as Apple bloom said again... “Of course those are the standard issue PipBuck capabilities… the one you’re wearin’ can do much, much more… it has an APAS, Arcane Projected Assistant Soul, whom will handle all the PipBuck functions, as far as Ah can understand, it connects with the user’s mind t’ do it… of course the APAS has an output, in the form of an Ethereal Projector, so you don’t need to raise your hoof to watch at the screen… and it can hold at least 30 times the information a Stable-Tec PipBuck can…” Then the Pegasus started talking again as Applebloom finished the next explanation… “Now, since this message is already too big, I only want to thank whomever who helped Applebloom to come up with the design of the PipBuck… this thanks is from Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Myself, Thank you for helping us Help Equestria in her darkest hours…” “I’m not sure if Applebloom will add a recording about how she came up with the PipBuck, but if she does, I hope you hear it… and as Scootaloo said, Thank you for everything, provided you are the Pony it was meant for…” Finished the Unicorn mare, now identified as Sweetie Belle, as all in the barn were solemnly silent, the only thing heard was MOS-Tan saying as it appeared back “Message Finished…”