Aperture Science Otherworldly Exploration Initiative

by Swordoath

The Preparations

Five Uneventful Days Later, Canterlot Library...

"Core Corruption at eighty Perc-c-c-centipedes have over nineteen thousand legs." Garbled the Fact Sphere.

"He ain't no better than when we started, Twi." AppleJack noted with a hint of disappointment.

"I know, I know. I'm just too unfamiliar with the technology. It's not like anything Ponykind has reached." Twilight closed the panel on the sphere's backside. She levitated the mechanics books she was using as reference back to their respective shelves.

"I keep tellin' ya, all he needs is a good smack across the case! Maybe then he'll make some sense."

"Rick, we talked about this. If you have nothing nice to say-" FlutterShy started.

"Don't say anything at all, yeah yeah."

"Next Page!" Yelled the orange-eyed sphere. Twilight complied.

"What should we even call him, any way?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I dunno, why you asking me?" Rick tried to shrug, then remembered he had no shoulders.

"Oh! How about we give him an Equestrian name? Y'know, help him blend in with the natives."

"This plan will fail."

"Your such a downer."

"I don't see why not. What're you good at?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Magic, Spells, Unicorns. Ba."

"Sounds like you, Twi." AppleJack joked. Rick snickered from the table next to her.

"What else?" Twilight continued, ignoring the comment.

"Mmmm-Don't know. Hate Space. Bam! Bam bam bam! Take that space."

"I bet once you've got a body you'll be good at all sorts of stuff!" Pinkie said encouragingly. "We can give you a name then!"

"That does seem like a reasonable course of action." Rarity admitted.

"The Fact Sphere concurs."

"Oh, so now he's got opinions?" Rick said, mocking surprise.

"The Adventure Sphere is the least handsome Sphere. The Fact Sphere is the most handsome Sphere."

"Why you little-!"

"Aw, c'mon... Guys, you've gotta get along better than that. We're trying to make a good impression!" Wheatley interrupted.

"You do realize you said that in front of the ponies we're trying to impress, right?"

There was an indisputably awkward silence that followed. Wheatley absentmindedly tapped a metal hoof on the floor. You could almost hear the electronic hiss of the blinking Rick did while he looked at his commanding officer.

"Uh..." Wheatley started.

Suddenly the door burst open. Titanium Hammer stood in it, panting heavily. "The robotic... The robotic bodies are finished."

"Brilliant! Let's go then!" Wheatley said, pushing rudely past the mechanic, who followed after with a grunt.

"Hey lug nuts!" Take a guess at what you forgot!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Wheatley called back. "Twilight, d'you mind-"

"Don't worry," Twilight said, levitating the Not-Space Core along side her. AppleJack gripped the Fact Sphere in between her teeth, tossing it over head and catching it in her saddle bag. Rick was being held in FlutterShy's hooves as she gently glided out the door, followed by Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.

---

"Yesyesyesyesyes!" Shouted the orange-eyed core. He was the last to receive a body, a unicorn's, like Fact Sphere. Rick was already outside testing out his new wings, as he was a mechanical pegasus now. The last recipient gave a short "Ah!" as he snapped into place. He blinked rapidly as his processors became accustomed to the new facilities and extensions. A spark of orange spat out of the horn. "Ooooh..."

The Core levitated up a wrench from the workbench. He swung it in a rapid circle. "Magic. Ba. Ba, ba ba ba!"

"He's surpisingly cautious about it," Rarity noted. "I half expected him to try and tear the roof off, or something like that."

The Not-Space Core's lower eye-plate slowly crept up in delight. "Oh! Oh oh oh oh oh! Guess what? Guess! Guess! Guess!"

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The Not-Space Core did just that, removing the entire roof without a sound, where it sparkled with a nimbus of orange energy. After a moment, he placed it back down. Anypony who looked later (and there would be a few) wouldn't see the slightest difference in the structure.The Core had done so with no visible signs of fatigue.

"The Fact Sphere is not amused."

"Ba ba." replied the core simply.

"That was... Impressive." Twilight said, surprised.

Rick glided in and slid to a halt next to the Fact Sphere in a daredevil fashion, wings flaring. Through the use of magic, they lessened the weight of the metal to less than featherlight levels so as to allow the robotic pegasus to take flight. "That. Was. Amazing. I've flown planes out of ash clouds before, but that is nothing compared to this."

"Oh, really?" Wheatley said. "Never would've guessed flying would be fun."

"Oh, well, uh, sorry guys. Guess you all picked the wrong kinda pony."

"The Fact Sphere is incapable of feeling jealousy."

"Don't care. Nnnno more space. Magic."

"Okay. But you're missing out on the sweet kiss of the wind on your face as you glide through a cloud softer than a goose-feather pillow."

"Hypocrite..." Wheatley muttered sullenly.

"So what now?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Now," Said the Mechanic. "We test these babies out."

Author's Note:

Hope giving them bodies didn't kill the story for you guys.

Comments

[Shadowking58]

Space Space, wanna go to space, yes please, space.

[alarajrogers]

4589173

Magic, magic, wanna do more magic. Hate space. MAGIC!

... I think his new name is kinda obvious...

[TheHoleyCheese]

Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba...

[Shadowking58]

4589862 SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!