//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Old World Blues // by Wheller //------------------------------// Chapter 3 Vinyl Scratch eyed the computer terminal before them suspiciously for a moment before speaking. ‘You’re a computer...’ ‘I can see why you would think that, but I assure you that I am just as much flesh and blood as you are’, Emerald Sparkle said simply. ‘My body is just somewhere else at the moment’. ‘And where would that be?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. ‘You’ll forgive me if I’m hesitant to tell that information to the pony who brought my murderer into my home’, Emerald Sparkle said plainly. Vinyl Scratch looked over to Surprise and grimaced slightly, she had forgotten about that little titbit of information. Surprise, however did not respond, she sat several metres to Vinyl’s left and was staring off blankly into space. ‘Yes, I do remember, you are speaking to the creator of the both the Missile and the Artefact after all’, Emerald Sparkle said simply. It was rather disconcerting speaking with Emerald Sparkle, because even though the image on the screen remained static and unmoving. It felt as if she was constantly staring at each of them at all times. ‘I have a question’, Twilight asked stepping forward and looking up directly at the computer screen. ‘If you’ve been watching us the entire time, why didn’t we notice until recently?’ ‘The spritebots wings? They weren’t necessary until recently, I’m still a unicorn, and my magic is just as strong now as it was a thousand years ago, the spritebots are use a combination of arcane magic and technology, the invisibility spell to hide them from sight, and a mass cancelling spell to keep them aloft without needing their wings... until recently Ponyville has become saturated with the artefact’s radiation... and it interferes with the spell matrix, damn thing crashes, kicks over to wings automatically’, Emerald Sparkle said, her tone had shifted slightly, she was becoming annoyed at the questions coming her way. ‘Radiation? But... how?’ Twilight began but was quickly interrupted. ‘Listen’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘I do not have the time, the energy, or the resources to answer all of your questions! You’re supposed to be clever, FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN, if I let you, you will be here for the next year, asking question upon question, I don’t have time to...! Damn it! The spell matrix crashed again; have to hide before Carrot Top notices’. Emerald Sparkle was silent for a moment and then returned to speaking. ‘I am not impressed with any of you, all of you are supposed to be special. So far, Rainbow Dash is the only one of you that came close; her first sonic rainboom was more of an annoyance than anything else. I can’t tell you how many spritebots I lost to that event... oh great, somepony’s noticed the hole you made in the cave entrance... hopefully he’ll fall for the old; it’s an Ursa’s den gag... another thing... that dynamite, I do declare, that had to have been the shoddiest workmanship possible when you made them Pinkie Pie... dynamite should be far more stable than that and...’ ‘HEY!’ cried a voice that they were not familiar with. Everypony in the room, even Surprise turned to look and discovered that Fluttershy was in the air, gritting her teeth and looking angrily. She floated towards Emerald Sparkle’s monitor and got up ‘in her face’, pressing her forehead against the glass monitor of the terminal and continued to speak. ‘I don’t care if you’re smart, but it DOES NOT give you the right to talk down to my friends like you’re better than they are, because you’re NOT. So how about you start being POLITE, you big, dumb MEANIE!’ Emerald Sparkle remained silent of a moment. It was impossible to determine her reaction to Fluttershy’s new found assertiveness, as the image on the screen did not change. ‘You’re right, I’m sorry... I... I don’t talk to ponies very often anymore, and sometimes I forget myself, please forgive me, things have been... stressful. I’ve been losing spritebots left and right, too many, too close together to be simple mechanical failure, someone, or something is destroying them, and I don’t have the resources to make more here... trying to tap into the network at the old Fillydelphia Ironworks has been unsuccessful, assuming it still exists...’ Emerald Sparkle said, her voice beginning to trail off. Fluttershy landed on the metal plating and began to clutch her head. ‘I don’t feel so good’, she said as she trotted back. The group was somewhat surprised at Fluttershy. Moments of bravery and assertiveness were rare from the meek, canary yellow Pegasus. Fluttershy stumbled around the missile control room haphazardly, prompting Rarity to go over and help her get it under control. ‘So... I guess now the question to ask is where do we go from here?’ Vinyl asked. Emerald Sparkle was quiet for a time, but then began to address the group. ‘Go home, all of you, and don’t come back here for a while, the last thing I need you doing is drawing attention to this place. A weekly spritebot to Canterlot is already pushing it... if Princess Celestia finds out this place; she will come down here, kill me, and personally rip EPMB to pieces’. ‘Weekly spritebot, huh?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. ‘So you’re how Princess Luna knows everything, huh?’ ‘Perceptive’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘Princess Luna and I... have an arrangement, yes, I do supply her with information, though she has not returned the favour for anything useful as of late, something of a problem, I shall have to speak to her about it the next time I see her’. Vinyl opened her mouth for another question, but Emerald Sparkle beat her to it. ‘Go home, I will contact you when I need to’, she said plainly. With that, the image of Emerald Sparkle faded from the screen, replacing itself with the words ‘connection lost...’ Clearly, they would be getting nothing else out of the omnipresent pony. ... Octavia was at her wits end. If she had to put up with Applejack’s questioning any longer, she was going to get violent. No, that was not how a lady acted, she needed to remain calm and stay focused on the matter at hand. They had just crossed the south-eastern bridge into Ponyville proper. Calm, however, did not last for Octavia, for the reason that she had come out to this backwater burg in the middle of nowhere was not 10 metres in front of her, walking in the opposite direction towards her. ‘VINYL SCRATCH!’ Octavia screamed at the top of her lungs, not only getting the off-white unicorn mare’s attention, but the entire town’s as well, random ponies in the street had stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. Octavia didn’t care. ‘Oh... hey! Octavia what’s...’ Vinyl Scratch began to say as Octavia approached her, she did not finish her sentence as Octavia backhoofed her across the face. ‘Hey! O... what are...?’ ‘You come to me’, Octavia seethed. ‘You tell me you’re sick, you tell me you’re DYING, you’ve got a month to live. I make love to you! I grieve, I make peace with myself, knowing that you’re going to be going to a better place, you never come back, I grieve some more! And then, two days ago, I’m in my flat, watching television, and who do I see on an international newsreel?! You! Not only are you alive and well, but you’ve also caused 4000 pounds of property damage in Trotterdam!’ Vinyl Scratch grinned widely. ‘That was a fun night,’ she said, prompting another smack across her face. Octavia’s scowl turned to a sadistic smile. ‘I am so happy that you’re alive... SO I CAN KILL YOU MYSELF!’ Octavia bit down hard on Vinyl’s tail, causing her to yelp in surprise as Octavia began to drag her away. ‘Somepony help me!’ Vinyl called out. Twilight and Co. glanced at each other momentarily, making their decision quickly. ‘Yeah we think we’re going to sit this one out, good luck Vinyl!’ Rainbow Dash proclaimed. Vinyl looked to each of them, bitting her lip as Octavia dragged her towards the Library. ‘Et tu Surprise?’ she asked, looking directly at the white Pegasus mare. ‘The mean bowtie lady is scary...’ Surprise said quietly. The door to the Library flung open and then quickly shut behind again, clearly, there would be no escape for Vinyl Scratch. The library door flung open again, Spike was running as fast as he could away from the tree and stopped just short of Twilight and the group. ‘Spike?’ Twilight asked. ‘Dude... I have no idea who that was... but she’s scary!’ Spike said, panting heavily. From the other end of the street, they heard a small coughing noise. Twilight looked up to see that Applejack was standing at the end of the street, with Big McIntosh and Braeburn. Applejack slowly approached the group, and swallowed heavily. ‘H... hi everypony. Listen, Ah wanted ta say Ah’m sorry fer the way Ah acted at tha bridge, Ah was big headed and stupid, and I hope ya’ll can forgive me fer the way Ah acted’. Twilight glanced to Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash glanced to Fluttershy, Fluttershy glanced to Rarity, Rarity glanced to Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie glanced to Surprise, and Surprise glanced at Pinkie Pie, leaning in and making silly noises, causing Pinkie Pie to start doing it as well. Twilight facehoofed at the two, causing Applejack to smile. Rainbow Dash trotted up to Applejack and put a foreleg around her for a hug. ‘We’re glad to have you back AJ’. ‘Indeed darling! We missed you terribly!’ Rarity said. ‘Ah’m glad ta be back!’ Applejack proclaimed with a bright smile. ‘Ya don’t actually think that Miss Octavia’s gonna hurt her do ya?’ Rainbow Dash smirked slightly. ‘Oh I think she will... and I think that Vinyl is going to actually enjoy it’.