The First Steps of the Rest of Your Life

by Rhino

Chapter 60: New Groups

***Monday, Day 64***
**Morning**

The familiar feeling of Celestia’s sun on my face stirs me back into the world of the conscious. I crack open my eyes as I glance at the clock to make sure I didn’t oversleep. A quick glance confirms both the time, and the still present pink filly in my bed. I smile fondly at her sleeping form as I gently make my way out of the bed, Specter planting himself on my head as I do so.

He points dramatically to the door and says quietly, “To breakfast!”

I chuckle and start heading out of the room-

-only to run into a solid sheet of clear tape with my face.

What the hay?

I pull away, yanking out some fur off my muzzle as I do so, and look at my doorway with a small glare.

“Hey, a little help?”

I look up to see Specter stuck upside down by his back to the wall of tape. Momentum must have gotten him.

He looks at me from his awkward position as I use my magic to try and unstick him. “Somehow I think I have something against spiders now...”

As I continue to unstick him, I hear a shout from down the hall, “Ah! What’s with the tape?!”

I raise my voice as I finally free Specter, “Looks like they got us both!” I concentrate for a moment to grab the edges of the sheet and rip it off the door so I can get out.

There is a grumble behind me as a certain filly wakes up. “Rhino? What’s with the shouting?”

I flinch as I realize I forgot to keep my voice down, “Sorry Pinchy, just dealing with a prank, you can go back to sleep if you want.”

She looks at the sheet of tape, giggling softly. “Vinyl got you?” She stands up, stretching a little bit. “If that’s the case, you’ll want to watch your step in the hallway.”

“Noted.” I look towards said hall warily. “Well, simple enough to avoid I suppose. Specter, why don’t you hang out with Pinchy until I clear the way?” He nods as Res powers up on my hooves and I walk up the walls to the ceiling before stepping out of my room.

And face first into another sheet of tape hung from the ceiling.

I huff and instinctively back away from the sheet, only to feel my hooves stick to something else on the ceiling before they detach and send me crashing to the carpet with a squelch.

Wait, why did the carpet go ‘squelch?’

I groan as I pick myself up and realize the half of my body that made contact with the carpet is now covered in paint the same color beige as the carpet.

I hear a series of squelches approaching as I look up to see Hydro looking at me with an unamused face. He says simply, “A bit more trouble than you thought they’d be?”

I flick a drop of paint off myself as I respond, “Indeed.”

There’s the sound of hooves approaching causing me to turn again, seeing Pinchy walking on the wall. “...I tried to warn you...the walls are the only safe spot in the hall...”

“Well, thanks for trying. At least you’ve been getting good use out of Res since I taught it to you.” I see Specter hopping from the pictures on the wall to avoid the traps. “How about I help us skip any other surprises?” I Blink all four of us directly to the kitchen.

The filly then promptly falls to the floor due to a lack of wall. “...ow.” She stands up and shakes herself, looking towards the table. “Oh, hi Vinyl!”

I hear the clatter of a glass on the tile. “...oh, that’s just not fair.”

My eyes roll in her direction. “My house, my rules. If you can turn me into a pinto pony, I can cheat by Blinking.”

“...touche.” She stands up, glancing around. “So, whatcha got planned for today? Because Tavi’s being a bore and refusing to get up from that couch of yours.”

“Heheheh, knew it.” I go over to the sink and wash some of the paint off my face. “Well, Hydro and I have to work today.” Bread floats over to the toaster encased in my aura and the fridge opens and the milk floats out. “He may not have to go in for an hour or two, but I actually need to get cleaned up and head out here in a second.” I offer a glass of milk to Pinchy and she accepts eagerly. “I’ll be off at noon though.”

“Gotcha.” She moves over next to me. “I have some green paint, if that’ll help.”

The toast pops up as I answer, “Is the beige paint water soluble?”

“No, it’s actually quick-drying latex paint.” She taps my side, pulling away with a clean hoof. “See?”

“Joy.” I sarcastically mutter as I put a slice of cheese on the toast and take a bite. After a moment I sigh and concede. “Alright, where’s this green paint?”

“Right here.” She pulls out a can of green paint, the exact same shade as my fur, and a paintbrush. “Let’s get started!”

She immediate slaps a streak of green across my side with the brush, causing the fur along my spine to stand straight up and me to jump away with wide eyes. “Careful! I’m ticklish!”

“Oh, really?” She steps closer, a coy smile on her face as she pulls out another brush. “Better to get this over with, hmm?”

I gulp nervously as the DJ prowls toward me.

***

As Specter and I approach the clinic, we both look back at our extra tagalong riding on my back as I comment, “You know, as much time as you spend up there, I think it’s going to be strange when there comes a time I look and you aren’t there.”

She looks up at me, tilting her head a little to the side. “Is that a good thing?”

I think about my statement. “I suppose it’s a good thing if you are there, and a bad thing if you are not.”

“Okay!” She giggles, turning her attention to my side. “Vinyl did a good job. She even recreated your cutie mark accurately.”

I look down at my half with the replica mark, “Frankly I’m more surprised I managed to stay still the whole time.”

She shrugs. “You probably shouldn’t have told her you were ticklish.”

We walk through the clinic doors as I answer. “Well, curses to reflex admissions.” I set my bags down behind the front desk as Specter goes to turn on the lights and open the blinds. “It looks like we’re the only ones here right now, but Manila and Fluttershy usually arrive in a little bit. Feel free to do what you want while I get settled up here ok?”

“Okay, Rhino.” She looks around, wondering what she can do. She looks at the ceiling and smiles, her hooves gaining a definitive glow. “Practice makes perfect, right?”

I respond reflexively, only half paying attention as I put my white coat on, “Just be careful.”

“I will!” She starts to climb the wall, smiling the whole time. “I wonder if I can surprise anypony.”

Nothing particularly interesting happens and before long I hear the doors open as Manila and Fluttershy walk in chatting.

I grin at the two, “Good morning, ladies.”

They respond simultaneously, “Good morning, Rhino.” Manila contiues, “Anything happen this morning?”

I shake my head, “No, we’ve all just been hanging around.”

There’s a snickering from somewhere above us. I look up, but I can’t see anypony. In spite of that, a familiar voice comes from the ceiling. “Hello!”

The butter yellow pegasus looks up at the ceiling, confused, “Umm, hello?”

“Oh, right, still invisible.” The shape of the ceiling warps, slowly revealing the fuchsia filly hanging upside down by her hooves. “Hi! You’re Rhino’s marefriend, right?”

Way to be subtle, Pinchy.

Manila doesn’t react much other than to look at me, even more confused than she was. “Rhino, how is there a filly on the ceiling?”

Fluttershy however, instantly switches to worried mode. “Oh my goodness!” She quickly flies up to the ceiling and starts trying to pull Pinchy off it. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you down safely!”

She lets herself be removed, staring at her rescuer. "I can see why he likes you. You're very pretty."

The mare blinks silently, not expecting that response. “O-oh, umm, thank you.” I gesture Fluttershy over to me as I give Manila her seat. The gentle mare wings over and sets the filly down next to me, where she promptly climbs up and onto my back.

She looks at Manila, curious. "Hello. I'm Berry Pinch!" She extends a hoof to her, smiling brightly. "What's your name, Miss?"

The earth pony mare smiles and laughs and she shakes the filly’s hoof. “So polite! Well, Berry, my name is Manila Goodall.” Her smile becomes cheeky as she turns to me. “You’re a bit early you know, ‘Bring Your Daughter to Work Day’ isn’t for another few months.”

Fluttershy’s confusion returns full force, accompanied now by its friend worry as she looks between the filly and me. “D-daughter?"

"Oh, I'm not his daughter. I'm just a friend!" She gestures to the room around us. "I wanted to see where he works, and meet this universe's Fluttershy!"

I groan and facehoof as I mutter, “Way to drop that particular bombshell, Pinchy...”

The pegasus in the room seems to only be getting more confused. “Rhino, exactly who is this filly? And what does she mean by ‘this universe’s’ me?”

One could practically see the single sweatdrop on my head as I begin the explanation.

***Vinyl and Hydro***

The odd pair of ponies approach the town dam. The red earth pony having not said a word as the DJ had spent the entire trip ‘stalking’ him. Stalking being loose in this context as he knew she was there the whole time.

Finally, he speaks up as he hears a bush rustle close by, “So, mind explaining why you’ve been following me?”

There's a groan from the vegetation, followed by a white mare, who is currently wearing what appears to be a gray leotard. "Honestly? I want to know more about you. And not in that way, you perverted stallion." She walks up to him, smirking playfully.

He rolls his eyes, “Didn’t even cross my mind. Though, I think you aren’t telling me everything. You’re bored aren’t you?”

"Unbelievably so, dude." Vinyl sighs, shaking her head. "Usually when I'm bored, I just work on my next Bass Cannon. I've yet to see any mythril here, though."

Hydro raises an eyebrow at her, “Never heard of that material, I mostly work with steel or aluminum. A Bass Cannon though? You invent things?”

"Yep! In fact, I made this harness I'm wearing!" She tapped the gray material. "Mythril weave. Capable of absorbing most physical damage. And I'd show you one of my Dubstep Guns, but they're currently in E's saddlebags."

The engineer hums thoughtfully to himself as he lets them into the dam. “Sounds like magic-technology hybrid equipment. Rhino and I occasionally contribute to the other’s projects, but usually we stick to our areas of expertise. Reminds me of that pegasus gauntlet suit he and the other unicorns made for Blue a while back...”

"Gauntlet suit? That sounds cumbersome to me. It'd probably restrict movement quite a bit, too." Vinyl glances around the area, wandering around until her gaze eventually lands on a spot of green in what looks like a control room. She points at it, curious. "What's that, dude?"

Hydro looks up from where he was taking Schmoopy out of his traveling tank and putting him into the work tank. “That’s the control room.” He registers exactly what button she is looking at and quickly walks over to lead her away. “And that would be the emergency water venting button, don’t touch that.”

She stops halfway towards the room, frowning at him. "You're no fun, you know that?" She spots his pet, her eyes wide in surprise. "Woah, how did I not see that before?"

The earth pony remarks dryly as he unlocks the small elevator that leads down into the depths of the dam, “Probably because you were too busy painting my roommate this morning.” A loud ‘Clang’ echoes as he lets the gate blocking the door upwards. “I think that’s everything for now...” He turns to the eel, “I forget anything Schmoopy?”

The blue eel shakes his head before going back to patrolling his tank.

She stares at him for a moment, bemused. "Schmoopy? Seriously?" She shakes her head, smirking a bit. "And here I thought E calling that female fox he'd adopted 'Vixen' was silly."

The ‘silly-named’ pet decides to voice his opinion by rearing his head out of his tank and squirting the mare in the face with a stream a water.

Hydro just laughs. “He seems to like it.”

She sits there quietly for a moment before raising a hoof up to remove her iconic shades, magenta eyes glaring at the owner of the eel. "He's lucky that I don't harm animals. You, on the other hoof..." She puts a hoof to her chin, shaking her head. "Nah, still couldn't do it. You're too much like a child."

He narrows his eyes at her while raising an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

"Yes, really. At least, compared to Tavi. Then again, everypony is childish compared to Tavi. Even Celestia's childish compared to Tavi." She stops, thinking about what she just said. "...I need to stop ragging on about Tavi. So, Mister Pump, what inventions do you have to your name?"

The red pony thinks for a moment before smirking, “You show me yours,” he then gestures to the elevator, “and I’ll show you mine.”

She stares blankly at him, her tail tucking protectively between her legs. "Dude, you realize how creepy that sounds, right? I mean, I have a coltfriend."

He rubs the back of his head with a hoof while chuckling at her. “Well, that’s good, because I have a marefriend. Sorry if it came out too creepy, but consider it payback for your little tail-grazing last night.”

"I may tease, but I'd never cheat on E." She shakes her head, making her way towards the elevator. "Sure, you can show me your project. I'll show you one of mine." She glances at the object in a hidden sheath on her back, smirking slightly. "I call it the Smooth Rhythm."

Hydro closes the door and punches the down button as they both step inside the elevator. She hoofs him the sheathed item and he appraises it as they descend. He slips the blade partially out and taps it in a few spots as he notes the glowing runes on it before sheathing it again and giving it back to the mare.

“Well, like I said earlier, runic stuff is more Rhino’s thing, but I’ve been around him long enough to appreciate a good use of them. Plus, as an engineer, I can always appreciate a sturdily built device.” He nods half to himself and half to Vinyl. “Definitely quality you have there.” The elevator enters a section where a large room filled with parts and machines can be seen below.

She shrugs, giggling slightly. "I try. So, which of these is the one you wanted to show me?" The mare glances around at all the items.

The earth pony tinkers with a large construct in the middle of the room for a moment before a brief geyser of steam comes out. He looks back at her, “The biggest one of course.”

***Enigma***

The burgundy pegasus walks through town, glancing at all the buildings around him. "...so much for memorizing the street layout of Ponyville...everything's different, here..." He shakes his head, thinking a bit. "Maybe I should just ask someone for directions. Maybe that pony over there?"

A black pegasus stallion with two-toned green mane is across the street talking earnestly to a unicorn mare with a clipboard. The mare keeps shaking her head after the pegasus speaks and after a moment he nods and mutters something to her before she goes on her way. Enigma walks up to the stallion as he slips a notepad into one of his green vest’s pockets and uses a hoof to take off his shades as he sighs.

The black-coated pony mutters to himself as the feminine stallion approaches, “Another dead end... surely somepony saw something? It doesn’t help when everypony I talk to is distracted. Regardless, I need to get this case solved and quickly.”

At this point, Enigma is close enough to hear what is being said. He stops a reasonable distance from the other pegasus, confused. "...case? Did something happen?" Any notion of getting directions has gone straight out the window.

The stallion straightens up and puts his shades back on before turning to Enigma. He says reassuringly, “Ah, nothing to be concerned about maam. I’m just looking into something.”

The feminine stallion facehoofs, groaning. Thankfully, there isn’t a table nearby for him to flip. “First off, not a mare.” He sighs, shaking his head. “And while your tone is calm, your body is clearly tense. Such a discrepancy clearly means something’s bothering you.” He tilts his head thinking for a moment. “That makes me think the issue is more pressing than you want me to think. Am I right?”

The shade-wearing pony is stunned. “Umm, yes...” He coughs lightly. “And, sorry for the mixup with your gender.”

Enigma shrugs. “I get how you’re confused. You wouldn’t expect a stallion to have a mare’s appearance. But enough about that.” He smiles kindly, holding out a hoof. “You look like you could use some help. May I help you with your case?”

The pegasus takes his notepad out of his pocket and flips through a few pages before slipping it back in. He thinks for a moment. “Well, I am running out of time and options... Sure. I would really appreciate the help.” He flares his wings, “Mind if we fly and talk?”

He stretches his own wings, nodding genially. “Sure.” He thought for a moment, apparently remembering something. “Oh, right. My name’s Enigma. What’s yours?”

The stallion hovers as he answers, “Atomic Vortex. Call me Atom though.”

“Gotcha, Atom.” He lifts off the ground, looking to the stallion next to him. “So, what’s this case about?”

The two pegasi head off as Atom explains. “A friend of mine is acting as a bodyguard for one of the musicians at the festival. He asked me to locate a record for their performance that went missing. The mare you saw me talking with was the staff manager who told me which stagehooves were around the record’s usual spot, but she didn’t see anything herself. That record is the key to the musician’s performance, but they don’t want rumors that it’s missing getting around, which is why I, and now we, are trying to get it back as quickly as possible.”

Enigma blinks, surprised at the long-windedness of the explanation. “Wow. So who do we ask next?” He glances around, confused.

Atom points to a pony in the catwalks above one of the stages. “That one, lighting technicians have a view of almost everything.”

Comments

[Atomic Vortex]

PI Vortex and Enigma to the rescue! No music festivals need to fear when we're around!

[Procket12]

That thing where Enigma looks like lady reminds me of two things One:

And two: That bit from Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius where he brings Thomas Edison to the present and he ends up falling for their teacher and Jimmy uses and an electronic voicebox to say, " Can I call you "Man-Lady?" Hey "Man-Lady", can I have some fries with that shake?"

[Rhino]

2604661 That song always made me laugh. Wonder how Enigma would like it...

[Somethingnotdumb]

What story are the alternate dimension ponies from?