An Exceptional Discovery On The Nature Of Pony Names

by L Pondera

Canterlot Dangerous

Geiger woke in the morning, thankful for a bed. Anything beat a steel container. Unfortunately for Geiger, when he checked the time, he found he had slept in. And not just an hour or two, no, three hours. It was ten in the morning, and Geiger only had a third of his false report!

“Oh… my.” Geiger said as he tried to quell the rising panic growing in him.

He shook his head, and tried to gather all his bearings. He would have to organize all the information in such a way as to lead to some slightly less profound conclusion, if he could call his discovery that. He also had to find a way to buy even more time, since he owed Berry that favor. Not to mention having the chance to learn the methods of Scribe, and her ability to be anywhere at any time.

Taking a deep breath, he went downstairs and ate what Berry had left out for him, along with a note demanding he lock the door on his way out. To which he rolled his eyes. The cold pancakes would have tasted better had he eaten them sooner, though he had survived thanks only to Berry’s homemade syrup. With a bottle of afore mentioned syrup in his bag, Geiger locked the door and closed it behind him.

“No more bed…” Geiger sighed, unsure when he would next feel the soft embrace of a mattress.

He set off trying to find a place he could attempt to fake an important discovery. Which was going to be the easy part right? Dead wrong, Geiger preceded to waste a precious hour, just to get into an abandoned warehouse on the edge of Canterlot. Now all he had to do, was make something up! Uh, but how? Geiger was creative when it came to making a discovery, but when it came to anything else, he was as creative as a… See, he couldn’t even come up with a comparison!

“Calm down… I got this, I can do this. I just need to take the safest parts of what I learned, and compile them into a near useless spell or something. Just need to be convincing!” Geiger said, his own voice incapable of convincing himself.

He proceeded to sort through mental notes, and compile his thoughts, thankfully one of his friends had taught him a memory spell, how they knew it certainly didn’t matter. Or did it? No, he was getting off track, he needed to focus and sort through his memories. As he did so, he was once more filled with a mixture of wonder and a sense that he was peering into the forbidden. It was an odd mix of joy and fear, pure adrenaline. He was feeling like he was getting close to something, that sense of epiphany once more nagging him to process his thoughts for the answer. He had no time for that, he had to arrange what he knew into a guise of important scientific nature.

He tried for the remaining hour, attempting to bundle and rearrange the chain of events, instead, when he opened his eyes, he discovered that the warehouse around him had changed drastically. It had gone from worn out and falling apart, to… well new looking. What had he done? He was focusing on the sensation and energy of the surge, replaying the whole 0.042 seconds of it over and over. In doing so, he apparently caused some sort of time rift, or maybe he had unconsciously cast a time spell.

“This is certainly interesting… it actually seems like I found my fake research!” As soon as he had a smile on his face, it vanished. “But it used my discovery… and I don’t know how I did this… that wont work. And quite frankly I am certain there are serious consequences for altering time.” Geiger mused to himself, watching cautiously the warehouse he was in.

As the minutes ticked by and nothing else happened, Geiger let a sense of confidence build up in him, a certainty that the surrounding building was not about to explode, or a portal into another dimension was about to rip open. With a slight smile at the first implication of “Life Magic” as Geiger saw fit to call it, he began to assess what actually happened. After all, if it was just a time spell, then surely everything would be as it was long ago, yet here he was in a still empty warehouse. It looked just as good as it did when it was built, of that he was sure. But it wasn’t quite the same as if had been reversed through time.

Remembering that he in fact had the acute ability to detect magic, he decided to test it out. Now, he knew what time spells felt like, and this wasn’t one of them, the building was still as old as when he got there, only now, it was restored.

“Given new life…” Geiger thought to himself. Which entirely explains the name of the magic he believed he had just used.

It was an amazing breakthrough, and truly a good use of what he learned. But if there was a positive magic that could be done with his discovery, what was a negative? With nothing happening yet, he could only guess that for now, the spell he used without being aware of it, had no negative side effects. Though, that was good news, he felt a bit bad, if this was the most he got out of his discovery, then he had made a huge assumption, and caused a gigantic mess over nothing.

Of course, it was far too early to decide if he had made a mistake, and with this piece of the pie on his plate, he had to find the whip cream. And that meant trying it again, and again, until he knew for certain what exactly he was doing.

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Rooftop, three blocks south of warehouse.
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Spyglass and Wind Sock watched with their mouths open. Did that rusty and musty warehouse just transform into a freshly built warehouse?

“That did not just happen…” Spyglass said as she continued to stare.

“Did… did that warehouse… How?” Sock said as hovered in place.

“I think I understand why we’re after this guy now…” Spyglass said as she switched from her binoculars to the scope fitted over some mysterious device with a long barrel sticking out of it. Using her earth pony frame to brace herself for it.

“That thing?” Sock said, as he eyed the device.

Sock had seen spyglass with that thing only once more before, and that was when a diamond dog had taken a loan, and failed to pay back on it. That diamond dog had a bad day when Spyglass showed up to back-up the other collectors who had gone it to collect. He had watched it from the air, and still didn’t know what happened. All he knew was that Spyglass treasured the device, and she preferred not to talk about it. Though once he managed to get Spyglass to tell him that she got it while deep down south in zebra lands most far. She earned it after she did something, though honestly she had been vague about it, and Wind Sock never listened to expositions much, he only liked quick and to the point answers.

“Yeah, if this guy doesn’t go down peacefully, he is going to get a nasty surprise.” Spyglass said, determined to do whatever it took.

“Last time you used that thing, the target got really messed up, still can’t keep his eyes straight.” Sock said as he hovered clear of the barrel.

“Well, all the more reason for the Doctor to come in nice and quiet. Why don’t you make yourself useful and get over that warehouse? Frack and Fracture are nearly in position, unless you lose sight of a brightly colored stallion again.” Spyglass said as she swept her scope over the two earth ponies approaching the warehouse.

“Right…” Sock said, knowing it was going to come sooner or later. No matter how hard he tried to explain it, they just laughed at him. “He was huge, you would’ve been- ok maybe you wouldn’t have been distracted, but I know Frack would’ve been at a complete loss.” Sock said as he flew over to the warehouse.

Frack Miner was an explosive proficient earth pony stallion who just lived to blow stuff up. It would’ve been a problem had he not saved lives on more than five separate occasions. As for his back-up, Bone Fracture, another earth pony, his name was quite obvious, Fracture was a competent engineer, but he also had a natural talent for taking ponies down with his bare hooves. They made for a pair of the best infiltrators, Frack blowing a hole in the wall, and Fracture leaping in and taking down the target.

Captain Razor Wire was approaching from the other side of the warehouse with Thunder Clap, a rather timid pegasus who liked to keep out of the way, she had a knack for keeping quite, odd given how her natural talent was shock and awe. She had been transferred from the weather team over in Manehatten, after she stunned a pair of robbers with a crack of thunder. The transfer report said she had apologized before and after she smacked her storm cloud creating the loudest thunder report in Manehatten history. Since then, she had been armed to the wing tips with thunder flashes and a large magical non-lethal cannon, which oddly enough she carried with one hoof with relative ease. One squeeze of the trigger, and a mighty gust of air would barrage everything before it.

This is why Razor Wire liked having her around, nice complimentary explosions, and the power to blast everything away. Though Razor Wire was a gifted guard unicorn, he had a dislike of dirt and physical contact, though he was far from shy when it came time to tackle a threat to the ground, he always had to wash afterwards. He much rather preferred to set up traps and ambushes, which is how he earned his rank, generating with his magic a wall of razor wire in the path of criminals. Few ever got away from him, though the use of razor wire was prohibited, so instead of punishing him, he was transferred to collections where rules… could be stretched. He didn’t mind when they told him he didn’t have to tackle and touch anymore.

They approached with caution, ready to launch a two pronged attack. With Sock overhead providing a clear view should Geiger try and give them the slip, they were certain to snag and bag him, and even if they failed, Scribe would have the Doctor in her sights within minutes. So long as she wasn’t busy tailing that pair of brothers as they continued to drive around selling their barely palatable cider.

“On three” Razor Wire said as he checked his stopwatch.

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Inside
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Geiger had been using the new spell on a number of old and crumbling objects he had been able to scrounge up. He turned a broken hammer into a brand new one, he had turned a pile of glass into a few bottles, and even restored a dead plant. Odd thing finding a dead blue berry bush in a place like this. But a tasty find non-the-less! He was now apt at using Life Magic to restore all manner of things. Well, as far as he was aware.

He wondered what else he could do, and using his magic to bring over a piece of paper off a large steel table, instead he was effortlessly lifting the whole table and bringing it over.

“Uh, well then. It also bolsters your overall magic ability.” Geiger said to himself as he excitedly danced in place. He had never been able to lift more than a few pounds, but now he had a steel table in his grasp!

He was filled with foal like wonder as he pondered the infinite possibilities. He was barely able to contain his desire to squeal like a filly. He twirled the table around a bit, watching it spin with a smile. He was wondering about a great number of things, when he felt a disturbance in the force. He looked around and began the reach out with his magic, half expecting Scribe to pop up behind him.

“Three!” Razor wire announced to Clap who pulled the trigger on her wind cannon.

At the same time, Frack yanked on the pull cord detonator on the charges he had planted on the wall. With two loud blast, and the sound of metal being torn asunder, Fracture jumped in one breach, and Razor jumped in the other. The cloud of smoke and dust being blasted away with another smaller blast from Claps wind cannon.

Within five seconds, they had surrounded a very surprised Geiger, a wall of razor wire covering his escape.

“Put down the table nice and slow Doctor!” Razor ordered.

“Table? What? Oh… OH! That table.” Geiger said as he just remembered he had been spinning around a rather large and heavy table like a top.

With a loud bang, the steel table smacked into the ground. Without further hesitation Fracture leapt on Geiger and pinned him to the ground. Clap kept her eyes and cannon on Geiger. Razor giving a sigh, dropped his magic that created the razor wire wall, and levitated a magic suppressor over to be fitted over Geiger’s horn. This was a bad idea. Geiger was surprised, but he was also certain he could use what he had now to bluff his way out of life in the dungeons. But the second he saw that device being floated over, he lost it.

“No… NO! YOU AREN’T GOING TO MELT MY BRAIN!” Geiger shouted as he threw Fracture off his back with a levitation spell, letting him drop anywhere but near him.

“Melt your brain?” Razor said as he dropped the suppressor in shock as he watched Fracture go flying. “Stop him!” Was all he could say as Geiger went running.

Though Razor was fast enough to throw up a wall of razor wire in Geiger’s path, he wasn’t fast enough to enforce and restore it as Geiger blasted it with some odd magic. He had seen Geiger’s aura of beige as he was wielding that table, but this was different, the aura of this magic was more like a platinum flash.

“What the… Now Clap!” Razor shouted as he tried to kill the sense of embarrassment at how he should have seen this coming. Although Scribe’s reports had lead him to believe that the Doctor wouldn’t actually be a problem.

Taking her queue Clap fired her wind cannon blowing Geiger away, unfortunately she also blew apart the warehouse doors, and Geiger right out of them.

“Sorry.” Clap said, her voice extra quiet and small compared to the torrent her cannon was making.

With the hip fired wind cannon’s aid, Geiger found himself out of one bad situation, and into another. Though he had been able to wrap himself in levitation magic to right himself and keep from knocking into something, he had also made himself an easy target for Spyglass. And with a sharp intake of breath and an unmoving aim, she fired her magic rifle. Its red beam flying faster than any pegasus, besides the famous Rainbow Dash, ever could. And even though the beam was set to its lowest power, it was still enough to leave a mark.

And a mark it did leave, as it hit Geiger in the flank, he let out a yelp and dropped like a stone. Some hairs on his side hade been burnt into nothingness and the stinging pain followed by numbness was near blinding to the scientist.

“What the blazing sun was that!” Geiger said louder than he wanted to.

He got up and tried to orient himself, only to get struck by another beam in nearly the exact same spot. And as he tried once more, another. He was getting hammered by a sniper, and with the other Collectors now turning to focus on him after helping Fracture back up, he was certainly in for it now.

“The spell… lets hope it works on ponies too, or this is going to be short.” Geiger said as he used the restoration spell on himself.

Work it did, and with that, he gave a smile and set off again. Though he had to keep using the spell, as Spyglass kept pumping shots into him when she had the chance. More of this, and he’d faint from the pain. Deciding he wasn’t about to pass out like some wimpy scientist, he tried something new, using his magic to levitate himself, he threw himself away from the enclosing Collectors. Only to land in front of a pack of inbound guards.

“Ah, the Calvary!” Geiger said as he got up and nonchalantly trotted in the opposite direction.

His trot didn’t last long as Wind Sock shouted to the guards to stop him. His gallop at full speed wasn’t going to cut it, so, why not use this chance to see if he could use the Life Magic to move faster, though he did not have a single clue on how to do that. He tried just imagining himself being faster, and that didn’t work, he tried imagining the guards being slower, that also failed. With the guards getting closer, and Geiger approaching yet another dead end (He wasn’t very good at running away), Geiger could only think of defending himself. With a sharp twist Geiger turned himself around, and dug in with his hooves dragging him to a full stop.

“Enough!” He shouted as he focused his magic on sending the guards away.

He wanted to lift them up with a levitation spell and toss them the other way, much like he tossed himself, only, he wasn’t using that spell. What Geiger did do, was blast the guards with a wall of platinum magic, sending them sprawling violently in all directions, the lead guard just vanished all together.

“The…” Sock mouthed as he was buffeted by a gust of air from the spell. The others couldn’t doubt him this time.

With a sign from the tax the spell he had just used, Geiger stumbled in place a bit before running back, his hooves kicking up ashes that hadn’t been there before. Not looking back he ran as fast as he could weaving around buildings, using his magic to check for any pursuers, even the sky was void of chase. He carefully slowed to a stop, certain he was well away from any pony. He stood there panting heavily as he stared at the ground.

“What was that?” Geiger asked himself as he fought to catch his breath.

He didn’t have much time to do so, as he sensed a pegasus approaching, and he wasn’t alone. Those Collectors weren’t about to let him catch a break, not after that stunt. Looks like he found a negative of the magic, it could just be used raw, and with deadly effect. He hoped those guards were ok.

“Lets see what else this magic can do.” Geiger said to himself as he focused his magic into another spell.

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Treasury Department, Collections Agency: Mr. D. Pewter.
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“You wanted to see me Mister Pewter?” Scribe said as she stepped into his office.

“Earlier today, Captain Razor Wire and his team launched their raid on a warehouse they had tracked Doctor Geiger to, the plan went off without a hitch, they breached the warehouse, and had Geiger in their custody.” Mr. Pewter said, his chair turned to face out the window.

“What happened then?” Scribe said as she fought the urge to shiver at Pewter’s voice.

“Using previously unencountered magic, he was able to escape. In the process, he injured twelve guards, with another missing. He then injured two Collectors as they attempted to bring him down, once more using magic unseen and unheard of. They were caught off guard by this unfamiliar magic, but you know as well as I do, that they would have adapted, used more force, had they not expected little resistance from the Doctor. In your reports, you had mentioned how docile and passive the Doctor was, so why is it that we have a total of fourteen injured, and one missing?” Mr. Pewter said as he turned around in his chair to face her.

She resisted the urge to shake and shiver as he spoke, but when it became clear what he was going to say next, her focus changed on not flinching or cowering.

“He was sir, every time I saw him. They must have done something to frighten him terribly so, either that or he has flipped. Something must have snapped in his head or something.” Scribe said letting herself shiver from the deathly cold of Pewter’s very existence.

“Must have snapped… You don’t say? Look Miss Scribe, after this display of power, your orders have been changed. Doctor Geiger is now a priority threat, and is to be brought in alive, in any condition, at all cost. You are now cleared to arrest him, and use deadly force if necessary to subdue him. Am I clear Scribe?” Mr. Pewter said, ignoring the shiver, as all his subordinates were chilled to the core by his mere presence. Must be the nature of his work.

“It will be done sir.” Scribe said, her hoof half raised, ready to salute before she stopped herself.

“Then go.” Pewter said as he turned his chair around.

With a very quiet sigh of relief, Scribe about faced and quickly trotted out of the office. She now had a scientist to beat up, one who owed her an explanation.

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Back In The Streets Of Canterlot
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Geiger limped away, the cuts and bruises covered in ash and debris from the battle he just got out of. A whole block of buildings had been torn apart with an array of magic. He had been ready this time, right when the sniper took a shot at him, had had been able to learn the nature of the spell, and duplicated it. Along with a deflection spell and a barrier spell, though they held up against force, they had weaknesses he couldn’t account for. All in all, he just made a mess of everything around him, throwing what he could, and blasting beams at the oncoming Collectors. It hadn’t been that clean of an escape, they were good, and they struck harder this time. The wood splinters in his side and the deep cuts were from the wind cannon and explosives alone. The Broken leg he was keeping off of was thanks to that martial arts pony, and the burns from the sniper. His more painful cuts, all thanks to the razor wire whip that had slashed him.

“Come on.” Geiger pleaded as he tried to use the restoration spell once more.

As the battle drew to its close, Geiger found he no longer had the aid of the Life Magic. In the action, he had lost his focus on it, and it gradually slipped away, fortunately for him, he had managed to injure the martial arts pony and that pegasus that had been following him. Which was enough for the whip pony to order them back. He had managed to escape this time. Though for how long, he was uncertain.

He managed to limp his way over to the train station, only to find it filled with guards, and night guards. He wasn’t getting out this way. Why he thought he could, he had no idea. The pain must have been getting to him. He limped more until he found a nice shop patio to crawl under. He laid down and tried to rest without falling asleep. It was a futile effort, as he passed out within seconds.

To his fortune, he was able to regain consciousness within an hour. Using that brief reprieve from pain, he was able to think up a plan. He knew he had to get out of Canterlot, just like he had to leave all the other cities. Only this time, he needed an alternate means of transport. He spotted a carriage and went for it. Wrapping himself in the loose ropes meant for a spare wheel in the underside of the carriage, Geiger tucked himself in and hoped for the best. And as the carriage passed through the checkpoint to leave Canterlot, Geiger let himself close his eyes.

Today had been a fiasco, not only had Geiger used his discovery, he used it for the precise reasons he didn’t want his discovery known. And he knew it. Thus began a feeling of guilt that in time would prove fatal. Though for whom it would be the undoing, at this time is uncertain. Geiger let himself slumber, stuck to the bottom of a carriage, all in the hopes that he might be able to figure things out. Though he knew one thing at that time, turning himself in was no longer an option.

Comments

[Iroh Legoman]

Wow this has come a long way.
I read this when it first came out. The i refound it on a WoT forum. All i can say is WOW

[L Pondera]

4064901

Well thanks. Been sick for the past couple of days, so new chapter is still in the making. But yeah, thanks. Stay tuned for more.

[L Pondera]

Sorry for the long delay between chapters, this one has alot to get worked out. And stuff. Yeah. Ok. Not sure what else to say. Oh wait I got it!

PONIES RULE!

:End:

[Iroh Legoman]

Any news?

[Yoater]

Pondera told me to paste this here for him.

I cannot at this time edit or upload chapters, until I figure out why I'm getting sytax errors.