//------------------------------// // The Trouble Center (part 1) // Story: Metroid: A Hunter in Equestria // by Cusi //------------------------------// Chapter 19: The Trouble Center (Part 1) Samus reached the town hall. There, she was greeted by the mayor and Time Turner. Seeing him only served to make Samus’s day even better. She was led to the mayor’s office, where she would discuss her proposal in greater detail to the two earth ponies. “The basic premise of your proposal is quite interesting, but I would like it if you would tell more about it. More details. I don’t want to sound rude, but the papers you gave us don’t really convey the idea too well,” Mayor Mare said as she looked at the human woman before her. She seemed to still be a little shaken, but Samus couldn’t tell why. “Yeah...” Samus scratched the side of her face with a finger. “I’m not exactly good at writing reports.” “Fair enough. So tell us!” “What I want to do is open a little ‘business’. Not sure if I can call it that. This is something I picked up from one of my many travels, and I liked the idea. It’s called the ‘Trouble Center’. The idea is to open a small place where people with problems come to ask for help. They would write down their request and offer a reward for completing it. Not necessarily money; it could be anything. We would then do the job. Or any volunteer that wants to help or collect any specific reward,” Samus explained. “Hmm. I did get that general idea. Mind giving us an example to better grasp the concept?” Mayor Mare asked. Time Turner nodded enthusiastically. Samus thought for a moment. “Imagine a miner. The mine he usually goes to is blocked by some rocks after an accident or something. Now, he would make a request, a ‘trouble’, to ask for help with the mine’s entrance, and he could offer some jewel he found as a reward. Either I or someone who likes the reward will accept the job and help. I don’t know if your get the picture.” The mayor’s eyes lit with delight at the prospect. “I do, dear. It sounds like a magnificent idea, now that I understand a little better how it would work!” “But what about troubles that you can’t do? There’s bound to be some things you can’t do, no matter how good you are.” Time Turner’s question was pure curiosity. “Ah, that’s why I want to include the option of hiring volunteers. Imagine I don’t know a thing about demolition. So how would I help? I couldn’t. But then comes a demolition pony, and he likes the reward offered. He could take the trouble and solve it. Of course, I would have control over who takes what job. I want to make this accessible to everyone. Foals and adults alike will be able to submit their troubles, as well as offer to solve them. Also, there will be the option of anonymity for troubles, though given their nature, only I would attend those. You know, in case you don’t want everybody knowing about your trouble.” “Marvelous, dear! I love it! I fully approve your proposal. There’s just some details we have to work before I grant you permission. Mainly where you will be located and if there’s going to be more ponies other than yourself manning this center,” the mayor said. “I was thinking of putting a billboard here, given that this is in the center of the town. There’s also going to be one by my ship, where I will mostly be. As for personnel, I’m going to start by myself. Then, if things go well, I could expand and take a helping hand, er, hoof from someone.” “Very well,“ Mayor Mare said as she took out some papers. “I will start working on the paperwork. I’ll probably have it all ready for tomorrow, so please come at your earliest disposition.” “Thank you very much, miss Mayor,” Samus said as she stood up. “Oh, and Time Turner?” “Yes?” asked the stallion in question. “Meet me at my ship this afternoon at 6. I finally finished it.” Time Turner took a second to realize what Samus said. His face lit up in excitement. “Really?!” “Yup. I told you would be the first to see it.” “YESSSS!” Time Turner practically screamed. Mayor Mare shook her head amusedly. “Well, gotta go. Later,” Samus left the building. “Good bye, Samus,” Mayor Mare said. She turned to the brown pony beside her. “Oh, Time Turner, you can be such a dork sometimes.” Time Turner simply giggled sheepishly. Samus made her way to the usual café to have some breakfast. Today she was craving something sweet, so she ordered some pancakes and a cup of coffee. A few minutes later, her food arrived and she dug in. After eating half of her food, she was joined by Rarity, who was passing by and decided to say hello. This worked for the huntress, as the boutique was one of the stops she planned to make. “Good morning, darling. How are you doing today?” Rarity asked. “Doing good. Want something to eat?” “Oh, no thank you. I already had breakfast.” “Ok. I was actually going to stop by the boutique later today. There’s something I need your help with.” “Oh? And what could that be?” “Well, there’s this thing I want to start. And I was wondering if you could pitch in some ideas.” “I’m listening...” “I’m going to open a trouble center and I plan on having some volunteers. I need some way to identify them. I was thinking on having some sort of uniform or something. Something that lets people know they are taking a trouble.” “Hmm... Well, I don’t know exactly what it is you’re going to do, but if what you’re looking for is some accessory or apparel to distinguish them, then you’ve come to the right mare.” “Nothing too gaudy or fancy, please. Just something simple and practical.” “Aww... I understand,” Rarity said a little disappointed. “Thanks. I’ll drop by later to see your ideas and share mine if I come up with something. We can work out a price later.” “Very well, darling. I’ll see you later with some drafts.” “Later.” Samus paid for her food and left. The next stop was the library. It’s been a while since Samus visited her favorite dragon, and she had a little research to do. So without further ado, she headed to Golden Oaks Library, where she was received by Spike, who was happy to see her. “Hello, Samus! What brings you here?” Spike asked enthusiastically. “Hey there, Spike. I was wondering if you had an archive for newspaper here. There’s a little something I want to look up.” “Sure. Let me just check the basement for it. They should be around somewhere,” Spike said as he let Samus enter and headed for the basement. A few minutes later, he returned with a big stack of newspapers. Samus went over and helped the little guy with them. “Here you go! Anything else I can do for you?” “Now that you mention it, do you mind making some tea? I heard Rarity say you make the best tea.” Spike blushed heavily at the comment. “Uhh... sure. I-I’ll be right back.” Samus couldn’t help but laugh at the baby dragon’s reaction while she started look through the papers, looking for any promising pictures. A while later, both Spike and Samus had their cup of tea and were reading in silence; Samus was reading the old news and Spike was reading one of his comic books. “Where is Twilight, by the way?” Samus asked, breaking the silence. “She went to visit Zecora, so I don’t think she’ll be back soon,” Spike answered. “I see. Oh, here it is!” Samus exclaimed out loud when she finally found the paper she was looking for, a paper depicting Trixie and a giant bear. “Found what you were looking for?” “Yeah. Thanks for the help.” “No problem!” Spike replied happily. “Oh, I forgot to go pick up something at the market. I’ll be right back, so make yourself at home.” “Alright.” Spike left in a hurry, leaving Samus alone in the library. She read the paper a couple of times, but there wasn’t much that Trixie hadn’t already said. Still, she could see how the performer’s reputation had been destroyed. Despite the size of the bear in the picture, the article still called it a cub. Putting the paper away, Samus was left wondering what to do while Spike returned. All of a sudden, a wicked grin plastered itself in Samus’s face. She was in a library, so of course she was going to read a little about recent history. Knowing Twilight, she would have just the right book. OXOXO It was past noon. Samus was laying on a couch reading a book. Spike had returned a while ago and was joining Samus with his comic books. The huntress then began snickering at what she was reading. The snickering quickly evolved into laughter. “Oh, man. That’s rich!” she said as she turned the page. This obviously caught the dragon’s attention. “That book must be pretty funny. What are you reading anyway?” “It’s the story of a socially awkward pony that moves to a small town to learn about the wonders of friendship.” “Heh, sounds familiar,” Spike commented. “Oh, you have no idea,” Samus replied as she turned over one of the last pages. Twilight Sparkle chose that moment to enter the library. “Spike, I’m home!” She saw both dragon and human enjoying the act of reading and she couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, Twilight! How did it go?” the baby dragon asked. “It went well. We had a lot to talk about, Zecora and I. And I see Samus is here!” “Hello,” the bounty hunter greeted. “Well, it’s always nice seeing someone enjoying the wonders of books. It always brings a smile...to...” Twilight then gave a closer look at the ‘book’ that Samus was reading. “Samus?” “Yes?” “Is that my dairy?” There was a twitch in the mare’s left eye. Spike gulped and fled the scene as quickly as he could. “Oh! Yeah. I figured you wouldn’t mind since this is a library and books are supposed to be available to the public.” “It was HIDDEN!” “Under the mattress is hardly a good hiding spo-“ “Get out. Get out! GET OUT!!!” Twilight all but screamed. “And give me back my dairy!” Samus was levitated and promptly thrown out the library. She picked herself up and dusted the dirt on her. She casually headed back to her ship. It would probably be a good idea to avoid Twilight for some time. Oh, well. She found the information she was looking for, plus some pretty good blackmail material, should the need arise. Then she chuckled as she remembered some of the content. OXOXO Samus checked the cable that connected the computer with the robot’s head. As the A.I. program uploaded, she checked the progress on the screen. In a few minutes, the robot would be completely operational. Samus grinned at the prospect. A few minutes later, Time Turner showed up. “Welcome, Doctor,” Samus welcomed him into her ship, where the tinbot awaited. The stallion couldn’t help looking like a kid in a candy story. He looked here and there with extreme fascination while she explained the many parts and functions of her vehicle/home. At long last, the uploading finally finished. A few seconds later, the lights in the robot’s body began lighting up. Soon after, the tinbot raised its body and stood up. It looked between Samus and Time Turner in what seemed like curiosity. The stallion let out a rather high squeal as he saw the little metal robot look at him. The design was based on the Elysian security robots, but with a few modification. The kinetic pistol was removed, and instead was mounted on its left arm for self-defense purposes. The right arm was equipped with several common tools and looked a little wider, given that Samus planned to use the tinbot as a helper. Finally, the robot itself was smaller in size, slightly shorter than the stallion before it. The next couple of hours were spent teaching the little robot some tricks and chores. Given that the A.I. of the robot was pretty basic, it was like teaching a child. Some things it got on its first try, others took more effort. Time Turner even went as far as to try and teach how to build a clock, which the robot did decently. “Well, that was certainly very fun! I can’t believe robots actually exist!” Time Turner exclaimed excitedly. “Well, I have to get going. Drop by Town Hall or my shop sometime! I’ll see you later.” “Yeah, and I have to meet with Rarity. Take care.” Samus replied when the stallion went to the elevator to exit. Once he was gone, Samus gave a couple of steps toward the exit, but stopped and gave a look to her newly constructed helper. Deciding it was well worth a shot, she called for the robot to come with her to the boutique. Aside from a few reactions and weird looks from the passersby, the trek to the boutique was a peaceful one. Samus knocked on the door and Rarity opened it to welcome the human inside. “And what might this be?” Rarity asked while looking at the small robot. It saluted in greeting. “This would be my tinbot. I just finished building it today,” Samus said with some pride. “I plan to use it as my helper.” “My, that sounds like a convenient little pet project. But little Spikey Wikey is all the help I need. He’s such a gentlecolt!” At the mention of his nickname, the baby dragon in question reared his head from the adjacent room. “You called, Rarity? Oh! Hello, Samus! What brings you here? And what is that thing?” “Hey there, kiddo. Just have some business with Rarity. And this is my tinbot. It’ll be helping me from now on.” “Wow! A real robot! That’s so cool!” Spike exclaimed. “Does it have a name?” “You know, I haven’t really thought about it...” Samus pondered for a while. “Hmm... I think I’ll call it ‘Tim’. Nice and simple. Say hello, Tim!” The little robot made some beeping sounds and greeted Spike with a wave of its hand. “Hello!” Spike greeted back. “Why don’t you take Tim for a tour while I talk with Rarity? He still has much to learn, and who better to teach him than Twilight’s number one assistant?” Spike beamed at Samus’s praise. “Please help him be a great assistant like you.” The young dragon saluted. “Leave it to me! Come on, Tim! Let’s start right away!” He returned to the back room. The tinbot beeped once before following Spike. “My, my. You never struck me as the kind to be good with kids, darling. I guess I was wrong,” Rarity commented. “Nah. I don’t really like kids. But Spike just kind of grew on me. He’s a very special little guy,” Samus said with fondness. “That he is, darling.” “Anyways, I trust Tim will be in good hands, so let’s get back to business.” “Very well. I made some sketches of various accessories and garments that may suit your needs. Tell me what you think,” Rarity said as she levitated some papers to Samus’s hands. The paper were several sketches the fashionista drew. They included scarves and pins, and even a couple of hats. Samus gave them all a detailed look before dismissing them and going on to the next. Until she found the one. It was rather simple, but quite charming. Samus’s face lit up at the sketch of two small scarves, each with a pin. One scarf was light blue, the same as her Zero Suit, and had an orange pin in the shape of her sharp ‘S’ insignia. The other scarf was orange in color, mimicking her Power Suit, with a green S-shaped pin. “I love these! They’re perfect! Just what I had in mind!” Samus said, giving Rarity a smile. “Yes, I had a feeling you were going to like those,” Rarity said with pride, but sparing a longing gaze at her more elaborate designs. “A short scarf to go around the neck, easy to see but not distracting. The pins will serve to distinguish the wearer as part of your little group. I got the idea from a symbol I saw on you some time ago, and I thought it would look good. It’s rather unique. Now, we can settle on a price after you tell me how many scarves you would like to order.” “Just two of each color for the moment. If business picks up, I’ll order more. And maybe even ask for different colors.” “Very well,” Rarity said in a pleasant businenessmare tone. “That’ll be 48 bits to cover materials and services. You can come pick them up tomorrow by noon.” “We have a deal, then,” Samus said as she stood up. “I’ll bring the money tomorrow.” “Marvelous,” chimed Rarity. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” After giving her goodbyes to Rarity and Spike, Samus and her tinbot returned to the gunship. OXOXO Morning came, and with it, another bunch of things for Samus to do. First thing was finding a way to quickly promote the Trouble Center. She was starting to get low on money and she would rather not be broke. As always, her day stared with breakfast at the café. When she and Tim arrived at the café, the owner had offered her a free meal, given the success the fried potato sticks had gained since she gave the idea. Business was booming and it was all thanks to her. Samus gladly accepted the offer and ordered the biggest waffle plate she had ever seen. Coupled with some fruit jelly, the dish was nothing short of heavenly for the huntress. Samus really, really liked that café. After her divine experience regarding food was over, Samus headed for the hospital. Her azure almost-but-not-quite-friend was still recovering, and she wanted to see how fast the magician recovered. She walked over to her room and was about to open the door when a booming voice coming from the other side of it almost scared her. “COME ON! DO IT! JUST... DO IT! YOU HAVE THE POWER! JUST DO IT!” Samus opened the door and found quite an amusing scene. Nurse Redheart was watching intently as Trixie’s horn shined pink and her face contorted in strain. Besides her was the bulkiest pony the Hunter had ever seen. He was shredded. Almost every inch of his white body was ripped with gigantic muscles, the exception being the minute wings he sported. He was yelling all sorts of encouraging phrases to the magician as she struggled to lift a 20 pound dumbbell with her magic. “What’s happening here?” Samus asked the nurse. “Who’s that?” “That’s Bulk Biceps, my brother, but we all call him ‘Snowflake’. He often comes to the hospital as a volunteer to cheer the sick ponies up,” Nurse Redheart answered between the motivational shouts of the white stallion. “He’s such a sweetheart!” Trixie gave a loud scream of effort as the dumbbell rose another feet in the air and then fell to the floor. “That was great! A little more exercises and your magic will be good as new!” Bulk Biceps, or Snowflake, said to the unicorn. Trixie managed a smile between of the panting. “What’s wrong with her magic?” Samus asked. “She’s suffering from magic abstinence. Basically, her horn stopped using her own magic, and used the amulet’s magic instead. Now it is unfamiliar with her body’s magic, so it takes a lot more effort to use.” “Like when you take away alcohol from an alcoholic.” “Exactly. It is very rare, given the lack of magical artifacts like the cursed amulet, but there have been several recorded cases in the past. But it usually just requires some magic practice and therapy to overcome. Once her horn gets used to her body’s magic again, she’ll be good as new.” “I see. What about her injuries?” “They are healing nicely. She can move around, but still needs a lot of rest and to avoid strain.” “Already? It’s surprising how fast you heal. You ponies are sturdier than you look.” “You think so?” “Yeah. Anyways, thank you, nurse.” “My pleasure.” “Samus!” Trixie exclaimed when she noticed the unexpected guest. “What brings you here?” “Heya! You’re that Samus gal, aren’tcha? I’m Bulk Biceps,” the stallion introduced himself. “But you can call me Snowflake. Nice to finally meet you!” “Nice meeting you, too,” Samus greeted back, giving a firm handshake to the muscular stallion. “Ya here to pick up Trixie?” he asked. “Just checking up on her. Once she’s clear, we’re going out for some bonding time.” Trixie raised an eyebrow at Samus’s choice of words. “She’s going to be helping me with some things.” “She is going to be released tomorrow, if no complications arise, but her body still needs plenty of rest,” Nurse Redheart said. “And she also needs to keep doing her magic exercises.” “What are ya gonna do, anyhoo?” ‘Snowflake’ asked. “Mainly, she’s going to be making it up to me for almost destroying my suit’s main weapon.” “I’m really sorry about that,” Trixie said while she lowered her eyes. “I’ll make it up to you. It’s the least I could do.” “Oh, you will. But not today. You make sure to rest and heal. It’d be best if you were at top shape.” “And what do you have in mind?” the unicorn asked. “I’ll tell you later, Miss Great and Powerful. First, you need to heal.” Trixie groaned at the title. “Meet me tomorrow at Town Hall. I’ll fill you in when you get there.” “Figures. And what is that thing?” Trixie asked, referring to the small tinbot that just entered the room. “This is Tim, my own personal robot assistant.” The robot beeped its greetings. “Still showing him around, though. Which reminds me I was going to ask for a favor, nurse.” “What may I help you with?” Nurse Redheart asked. “If you’re not too busy, can you teach him some first aid? He is still learning, but I promise he won’t be trouble.” “Well, it looks like a slow day and this seems fun. Alright! I’ll teach him some first aid and maybe even a little more,” Nurse Redheart said with a wink. “Come on, Snowflake. We have a robot to teach!” “YEAAAAAH!” “See you later, everyone.” Samus said as she left the room. Samus was about to exit the hospital when she spotted Ponyville’s shyest pegasus. Fluttershy was a nervous wreck, barely trying to keep herself from fainting as she headed for the exit. It was there that she spotted Samus. “Oh, Samus! Thank goodness! What a nice surprise!” Fluttershy almost screamed, which sounded like a little-louder-than-usual whisper to the Hunter. “Is something wrong?” Samus asked. “Oh, it was awful. Rainbow Dash had to be hospitalized after running into a wasp hive. I just got brought her here. The doctor said she would treat her immediately. I was so scared. She almost died!” At the last word, Fluttershy began hyperventilating. A somewhat strong slap from Samus kept her from having an anxiety attack. “Ouch. Umm, thank you.” “Don’t mention it,” Samus said. Her face quickly darkened. “Though I didn’t expect to find wasps in this sector of the galaxy. My beam weapons aren’t operational yet, but I still have ammo weaponry. Quickly, take me to the wasp hive.” “But they’re not-“ “NOW!” The winged pony clamped her mouth shut, nodded, and darted to the exit, quickly followed by the Hunter. It only took them a few minutes to reach Fluttershy’s cottage. Samus materialized her suit and scanned her surroundings. Soon, she found her targets. And she had to take a second look. “These are the wasps?” Samus asked, referring to the miniscule insects that swarmed a very tiny hive hanging from a tree. “Umm, yes. Is there something wrong?” “These things aren’t even half the size of my thumb.” “Oh. I’m sorry if you expected something different, but wasps are that size.” “Could you please explain how something this small could hospitalize Rainbow Dash? Are they venomous?” “Oh, no. Wasps barely have any venom. And it’s not dangerous to most ponies.” “So what happened?” “She had an allergic reaction. It seems that Rainbow Dash is allergic to wasp stings.” Samus struck her face with her palm. “I thought she had been mauled by war wasps.” “Oh, no. They are just regular wasps. Um, what is a war wasp?” Samus deactivated her Power Suit. “War wasps are wasps the size of a pony. Their stingers can puncture steel sheets. They are a plague in most places, and very aggressive. Glad to see these wasps are nowhere near as dangerous.” “Oh my! That sounds scary. Good there aren’t any war wasps in Equestria. They sound awful. But still, wasps can be dangerous in large numbers.” “How dangerous can they be?” A wasp decided to prove a point by stinging the Hunter’s palm. “Son of a-“ OXOXO “I hate wasps,” Samus complained as she walked beside a butter-colored pegasus. “They can be a little difficult to deal with sometimes,” Fluttershy said. “Thank you again for helping me relocate their hive. As much as I would love to have them in my garden, they just don’t get along with all the other animals.” “And we couldn’t just burn them because...?” “Samus!” Fluttershy gasped in shock. “How could you say that? There’s no need for such violence.” “Right. Right. Sorry.” Samus found Fluttershy to be quite frustrating at times. It was probably the fact that she only seemed to have courage in the less convenient of times. Like when stopping Samus from burning down a hive of wasps. “Next time ask someone with more patience with animals.” “I’m sorry. I asked Rainbow Dash to help me, but she got stung.” “Oh, yeah! I forgot about her.” “Well, I think I’ll see you later. I’m going to the hospital to check up on her.” “I’m also going to the hospital to pick up Tim.” “Who?” “My robot assistant.” “Oh.” They reached the hospital in silence. Once there, Fluttershy went to Rainbow Dash’s room while Samus went to look for Nurse Redheart and Tim. From the look of things, the nurse had taken a liking to the small robot. Samus assumed things had gone well. OXOXO Samus and Tim headed to Carousel Boutique. With a smile, Rarity had invited them inside. Samus’s order was ready to go, and so was Rarity’s payment. After business were done, Samus accepted the mare’s offer for a cup of tea and cookies. They spoke about this and that, and Samus actually found it surprising how much she was actually speaking. She attributed it to actually having someone to talk to. Whatever the reason, the huntress found it quite refreshing. A couple of hours later, Samus gave Tim the purchased accessories and ordered him to take them to the ship. Samus still had an appointment at Town Hall to ‘seal the deal’ with the Trouble Center and she didn’t want to postpone it for tomorrow. Once there, Mayor Mare was kind enough to show her a more detailed version of her proposal. There would be a billboard in Town Hall dedicated to the Trouble Center. Clients would write down their request and offered reward, as well as other details regarding their trouble. Samus would come by a few times a day to check on it and pick up any jobs. She would then meet up with the pony to discuss the trouble in greater detail. After solving the trouble, it would be removed from the billboard and she would collect the reward. Alternately, ponies could look for her at her ship or ask for help if they encountered her. The whole thing was basically mercenary work, only put in nicer words. Once the procedure for the center was finished, Samus opted to return to the ship. The kinetic weapon mounted on Tim’s arm wasn’t just for show, after all, and a little combat practice would serve to pass the rest of the day. So after a quick trip to the junkyard to look for targets, Samus returned to her gunship. Tim had completed his task successfully, and was now waiting for Samus. As soon as she entered his visual receptors’ range, he stood up and saluted in a manner similar to how she had seen Spike do. The sight brought a small smile to her face. “Alright, little guy. I know this place is peaceful for the most part, but a little combat training should do us both good. And I did spend some time working on your kinetic blaster, so I don’t want it to go to waste.” Tim beeped in response. “Let’s get started, then. I’ll set up some targets and you will shoot them. After that, we will practice some maneuvers.” Tim saluted again. The rest of the day was spent teaching Tim self-defense. Samus would set up targets, equip her suit, make a demonstration shot, and Tim would follow. Then the robot would learn some basic evasive maneuvers and a couple of combat techniques. As it had demonstrated before, the tinbot was a fast learner, and it made Samus feel proud of her creation. OXOXO The Lunar Secret Service was having one of its meetings. In it, matters of great importance were discussed by its members. Princess Luna, royal sister in command of the night sky, was at the head of the organization. It was her who had the final say in every matter the group discussed. “You were found out by the guards. You are to be sentenced to a lifetime in the dungeons,” the lunar diarchy dictated. “What are you going to do?” The stallion before her seemed to ponder for a short while. “I try to convince them I was framed. I roll for charisma.” Before he could roll the die, the heavy door protecting the room opened. From the entrance, a very light blue mare entered the room. She was carrying a saddlebag, and looked somewhat weary. “Misty Breeze,” Luna greeted. “We were beginning to think you weren’t coming tonight.” “Sorry I’m late,” Misty Breeze apologized. “Had to stop to get some snacks.” The present ponies cheered at the prospect of more food. “Oh, and we have a situation. Outside the dice.” “A situation, you say? Is it serious?” Luna asked. “Well, I don’t really know. There’re reports of something. It attacks ponies if approached, but it otherwise leaves them alone. We don’t know what it is; we’ve never seen something like it. Here,” the pale blue pegasus took out some pictures from her saddlebag, “This is what we’re dealing with.” “Hmm...” the lunar alicorn mused, “It is indeed nothing like we’ve ever seen. Does anyone have any idea on what this is? Or know anyone who might have an idea?” The pictures were passed by each member of the Lunar Secret Service. “I might have an idea of who might know what this is,” a gray unicorn stallion said. He was dressed in a purple cape with star patterns. “It might be a long shot, but she was as unknown to us as this thing is now. “Good idea, Boomer. No harm in asking anyway. By the way...” Misty Breeze said, “Why must you wear that?” Boomer laughed. “Well, my character is just a little tribute to a friend of mine. Speaking of which, I volunteer for this mission. I hear she’s in Ponyville and I’d like to pay a visit before she goes away again.” Princess Luna smiled. “Very well, you may carry out your mission. But let’s wait until tomorrow. This night’s game is getting interesting!” OXOXO For reasons this story won’t mention, a certain pink clone floated through the vastness of space. She was counting stars to pass the time. She was counting her 145862th cosmic body when a sound caught the space-dwelling pony’s attention. BZZZZZZ. “Wazzzzpinator izz lozzt. Wazzzpinator not know where Cybertron izz. Why universe hate Wazzzpinator?” Flying by, a gigantic wasp entered clone-Pinkie’s vision. “Hi!” She greeted with enthusiasm. “I’m Pinkie Pie. Who are you?” “Ooh! Wazzpinator did not expect to find pink fleshy-bot in space. Wazzpinator looking for Cybertron. It’s Wazzzpinator’s home.” “Ooh! Ooh! Is it like a giant robotic planet with lots of robots living in it?” “Yezz. Has fleshy-bot visited home?” “Nope! It just sounds like the name of a giant robotic planet with lots of robots living it.” “Fleshy-bot zeemz nizze. Wazzpinator try to be nizze, too. Wazzzpinator quit being evil.” “You were evil?” “Yezz, but after Wazzpinator tired of being evil, friends destroy Wazzpinator.” The gigantic bio-robotic wasp lowered its head. “Aww, don’t be sad. I’ll be your friend! Just tell auntie Pinkie what’s wrong and she’ll put a smile on your face! Well, the closest thing to a smile you can get! I don’t know if wasps can smile, but if they can, I will-“ “It all began when Wazzpinator help steal dizc. Wazzpinator was...”