The New Generation

by Autobot Lancewing

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bright Eyes wiped the sweat off her forehead as she poured the contents in the bowl. She was at a critical point where one mistake could cause something to go horribly wrong. She had to do this correctly, even if her arms fall off. She stopped when the appropriate amount was in, and placed the half-empty container back on the table. She stirred the concoction gently. “You are doing well, Bright Eyes, but remember to not let the heat rise.”

Bright Eyes noded as she kept an eye on the fire underneath the bowl. It seemed to be normal, but just to be safe. She put the spoon down and took a handful of flower petals. She let the petals soak in before blowing it a kiss. The potion changed from green, to pink from the kiss. It was ready for use. “It’s ready Ms. Zecora.”

“Thank you, young one, I believe our lesson today is done.”

“And this one allows us both to share a dream?”

Zecora nodded.

“It makes the other potions sound unnecessary, but they’re nice to have.”

“Mmm…”

Bright Eyes put her pencil back in her ear and slipped the notebook in her bag. “I had better get going, my dad might be getting worried.”

“I understand, thank you for lending a hand.”

Bright Eyes smiled and waved before leaving the tree cottage. She began her trek through the Everfree Forest. She had to admit, the forest was rather creepy; it was as if she were in the middle of a horror movie. She tried to keep her eyes on the worn path, but the constant noises from both sides weren’t helping. When she heard the howl of a timberwolf, she darted out of the forest with her eyes sealed shut. Only after the next time she opened her eyes did she learn that she was out of the Everfree Forest. She gave a sigh of relief and smiled before she made her way home.

******

Lancer, walked into the mansion. He looked in the living room, hoping to see the familiar faces of his parents. He glanced over and, no surprise, he stared at an empty couch. He sighed, plopped down on the empty couch, and groaned. He inhaled, the scent of the couch filled his nostrils. 'Maybe I'll play a game...' He walked up to his room and stared at his small library of video games. He mostly preferred reading, but he thought that it would be good to explore a different territory.

He finally pulled out his game of choice, Speed Hunter: Flaming Pursuit. He opened the case and took the disc out before inserting it into the computer. He put on his headset and inserted the jack. The game opened before he logged in as NovaPrime321. He was immediately taken to a screen which displayed a CGI version of his Corvette Stingray. It wasn’t as beautiful as his actual car, but what what could you do for a video game?

He selected the option for a one-on-one match. He laid back and waited for another player. His mind began to wander off. Sure, he was the richest among his friends, but it didn’t make him feel any better, not with his parents constantly away. Yes, the need to be able to provide for him, but still, if they could only attend one of his events, with the exception of his birthday since they already make time for that.

Lancer snapped out of his thoughts when a noise notified him that a player was ready to challenge him. He looked at the gamer tag that read "KillerPrincess95." He clicked “Accept” before his screen changed to a menu showing the different tracks where the race could take place. He picked a track that started out with long straights and wide turns, but halfway through, it changed to narrow, sharp corners, almost making it feel like another track.

Lancer smirked. ‘Okay KillerPrincess95, let’s see what you can do.’

Next came the option to choose his car, he eventually came upon his blue Corvette and selected it. When he noticed on the next screen that KillerPrincess95 had chosen an old, stock, black BMW M3, he snickered, ‘Seriously? Out of all the cars? That thing?’

He pressed the ‘A’ button to show he was ready, and his opponent did likewise.

The game then pulled up a loading screen, which previewed the track and gave some hints on how to play the game and some random car trivia.

When it finally came to the racing screen, the two cars were driving (courtesy of the computer) down a big highway. “Nice car,” A female voice said into the headset.

Lancer nearly jolted out of his seat. “Uh...thanks?”

“First time using a headset?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Yeah, I used to instant message, but I figured that talking would be easier, so I got the headset.”
“Yeah, ‘specially on Haylo, hard to kick Bond butt while typing.”

“Haylo?”

“Yeah, shooter, aliens, pretty sights. You’ve never heard of it?”

“No, I prefer to read.”

“Still, heck, they even make Haylo books. I don’t read ‘em much, though, I’d rather play it.”

“Okay…” The countdown for the two to start the race appears. Lancer slammed his finger on the accelerator. 3...

“You ready, Mister?”

2..

“Oh yeah.”

1.

“See ya at the end.”

GO!

Both vehicles speed through the starting line. Lancer began to edge out over the BMW, thinking ‘People find this stuff hard?’. He continued to charge ahead, dodging car after car thinking that he would have an easy win when a he almost gets hit by a beam of light. “What the-?!” Lancer swerved to avoid it, but hit a black and white Lamborghini’s door.

“Dude! Seriously?!”

Suddenly, the car’s roof began flashing red and blue.

“What just happened?!”

“Cops!”

The Lamborghini charged alongside Lancer’s Corvette and slammed into it.

“Hey! Watch the paint!”

“Ah, you’re one of those.”

“One of those… what?”

“One of those guys who cares about digital paint jobs.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, so what should I do to avoid those cops?”

“You’ll just have to dodge the EMP blasts and the cars themselves.”

“Wait, they generate electromagnetic pulses?”

“And fire them right at you.”

Lancer looked at the road ahead. ‘I think this might be very interesting.’

The BMW continued to lag behind Lancer's Corvette...

******

Bright Eyes, finally makes it to her apartment. She had to admit, it wasn’t the best apartment in Ponyville, but it was still pretty decent. She reached into her bag and pulled out her key before inserting it into the lock. She turned it before turning the knob and pushing on the door. She closed the door behind her and slipped her shoes off. “Dad, I’m home,” she announced.

"I'm in the kitchen!"

She made her way to the kitchen. The smell of food got stronger as she got closer to the kitchen. "How was your day?"

“It was good. I’m very excited right now.”

"Oh, how come?"

“Don’t you remember? School starts back in a few days.”

"Oh that's right, how could I forget?”

“Forget? Come on, you know how I enjoy learning.” She made it to the kitchen and saw her father pulling something out of the oven.

Circuit’s fur was the same color as Bright Eyes’s, but his hair was yellow. He is currently wearing a black shorts, a white T-shirt, and a blue apron with a newspaper, his cutie mark, printed on it. Even during his elementary school years, Circuit knew that his future was editing for the paper. He even turned the pages of his scrapbooks into articles. His only tragedy was his wife’s loss to cancer when Bright Eyes was sixteen years old, leaving Circuit to raise Bright Eyes on his own. As of right now, he isn’t interested in a relationship. "I remember. Have you decided what school you want to go to when you graduate?"

“I have a few that I want to look at.”

“Such as?”

“Well..there was Marevard. It looks nice, but I later learned of an incident with the police, so that’s out. There’s also Bale, University of Horseton, and Foalkner. Oh! And there’s Princesston and Ponyvania and-”

“Wow, that’s a lot of choices.” Circuit noted.

“I know. A lot of them are pretty good.”

“Well, don’t rush to a decision, it’s pretty important.”

“I know. I mean, what if I choose the wrong school? That would be pretty bad. What if I find myself in a school with bad cops. That’s even worse. What if-”

“Bright Eyes, calm down.”

“But-”

“Bright Eyes, you’re an incredibly intelligent and wonderful girl, I know you’ll make the right choice.”

“Thanks.” Bright Eyes blushed.

“Hey, you’re my little girl. If I can’t help you out, who will?”

“Yeah, thanks, Dad.”

“Now, are you hungry?”

“A bit, I guess, what are we having?”

Circuit grinned, “Your favorite.”

Her eyes lit up. “Peas and Carrots?”

“Bingo,” Circuit grinned.

“Thank you.” Bright Eyes smiled.

“You’re welcome, sweetie.”

******

Lancer was on his final lap. He was a few only a few feet ahead of KillerPrincess95, but she was gaining on him. Lancer had managed to dodge the police and their rays, but he still lost some ground. The finish line was within view. Victory was at his fingertips, but suddenly, a car out of nowhere clipped the left front, and it sent the car into the wall. "Noo!!!"

The black BMW roared past the wrecked form of Lancer's car. Lancer tried to get back on the track, but it was already too late. his opponent’s car crossed the finish line. "I win,” KillerPrincess announced through the headset.

"Took you a while," Lancer shot back.

"That's my strategy: wait for the rookies to slip up, then strike."

“And if the player isn’t a rookie?”

"It works on pros too, especially when they're cocky boys."

“HEY!”

"Well, you're not too bad for a boy, or a rookie."

“Thank you.”

"You're welcome. I need to go, though, my little brother wants the TV, and Mom's nagging me to clean my room, see ya Nova Prime."

“See ya Killer Princess.”

Both players logged off. Lancer turned off his computer and laid down on his bed. ‘That was just what I needed.’