Chapter 16: The Origin of Sweetie Bot Part 1
Dear Sweetie Belle,
I’m sending you this letter to inform you that my research into that particular matter we discussed is now concluded. Unfortunately, I can not say the results are satisfactory. I considered inviting you to speak about it face to face, but I figured I’d just send everything in this letter to avoid getting your hopes too high.
Despite my best efforts, I must admit I have nothing to show for it. The samples I took yielded no results, other than the fact that the material in question is nearly identical to a pony’s natural coat. My attempts at cross-referencing also proved ineffective. There are simply too many variants to consider for me to identify any single relevant source as a definitive guideline we could use.
Though I did find this one story I’d recommend about a pony’s brain that... on second thought, that book is probably inappropriate for someone your age. Forget I said anything.
I even tried expanding my resources and contacted the most skilled engineering ponies in Equestria I could find. I did so discreetly, of course, under the guise of researching for a realistic short story I was writing. I was able to gleam that what we’re dealing with is certainly possible in theory, but not likely for several centuries. And that’s to say nothing about that one special anomaly. I was simply laughed at when I brought it up.
The Princesses’ own research has also proven fruitless. Princess Luna has been unable to gleam anything from your dreams that we did not already know, nor any hints hidden in the dreams of other ponies. She did, however, want me to mention that she was amused by your “secret identity” in “that one dream with the box of scraps.” I’ll admit my curiosity is piqued, but I shall not press the matter.
Princess Celestia also regrets to declare that she couldn’t find any answers in the royal archives either. She did, however, want me to pass on some words of wisdom: “secrets such as these rarely remain secrets forever. The answers shall undoubtedly reveal themselves in due time.”
I can not help but agree with this sentiment. I suspect that, sooner or later, we are likely to face some incident or end up going on some grand adventure that will reveal everything. I've already prepared a travel pack for this, and I recommend you do the same. I predict it will happen shortly after we run completely out of possible leads, and I’ve just exhausted mine.
I understand this probably wasn’t the news you were hoping for, but we both knew my research was unlikely to uncover anything. However, I want to reassure you that whatever happens and whenever it does, Rarity, the girls, and I will be here to help you every step of the way. You may even end up pleasantly surprised by what you learn.
Until then, keep your head up high.
-Twilight Sparkle
“Are you OK, Sweetie Belle?” asked Button Mash.
Sweetie Belle looked up from her ice cream. She’d gone out for a pick-me-up with her newest friend to try and clear her head. She was trying to be discreet about it, but apparently her resignation was painted on her face.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that I got a letter in the mail this morning. A project I was working on with Twilight Sparkle sort of… fell apart,” she answered.
Button let out sympathetic wince.
“Oh. It must have been a really big project too, huh?” asked Button Mash.
“Yeah, though if I was honest with myself, it probably wasn’t going to work in the first place,” Sweetie Belle confessed with a sigh.
Twilight admitted that she had no idea what to make of me. This really shouldn’t bother me so much, but it does, Sweetie Belle thought to herself.
I see... “ said Button, not sure how to respond.
The two ate in silence for a moment.
“So… you wanna go to the arcade? Let some of your frustration out on some mooks in The Simpletons? I got some bits to burn, and you look like you’d get more out of them than me,” suggested Button.
Sweetie Belle shook her head.
“Thanks for the offer, but no. It’s just… Well, this whole point of the project was something personal. It’s not the sort of thing you can get over by beating up waves of yellow bad guys, you know?” explained Sweetie Belle.
Button thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
“Ah. So it’s a lady thing. My mom told me I should never ask a filly about personal lady things, so yeah, I get it... I think,” said Button with an awkward smile.
Sweetie Belle found herself giggling. Button’s obliviousness was just so darn cute sometimes.
“Yeah, you should listen to your mom, Button. But thanks for trying to cheer me up all the same,” said Sweetie Belle as she leaned over and gave Button a hug.
…
“Oh, sorry! I’m just so used to hugging my friends when they try to make me feel better so…” said Sweetie Belle as she quickly pulled away with a blush.
“It’s… uh… OK. I mean, I don’t believe in cooties or... anything…” mumbled Button through his own blush.
Sweetie Belle turned away, trying very hard to avoid eye contact.
I really hope nopony saw that, or Scootaloo’s never going to stop calling him my coltfriend, thought Sweetie Belle.
The thought of Scootaloo, thankfully, provided Sweetie Belle with a much needed distraction.
Oh, right. Twilight and the Princesses weren’t the only ones helping me try to figure this out. The changelings are looking too. I bet I’ll just walk into the clubhouse and Scootaloo will tell me that they’ve found some secret robot factory or something, thought Sweetie Belle with rising confidence.
Dear Sweetie Belle:
I have some important news for you: the changeling hives have finished their investigations regarding your little secret. Unfortunately, I cannot say we had much luck. Our sweeping spells, calibrated to your own perception filter, came up with nothing across the entirety of Equestria. While we found this somewhat confusing, considering your high serial number, the simple fact remains: you are the only r… I mean, that kind of being in the nation.
We all knew it was unlikely that a hidden civilization or something of that nature could exist without us knowing about it, but we still failed you. The queens from all seven hives wish to send you their apologies. Still, the fact that you are the only one might be important. I’m not sure how this fits into the big picture, but I hope this new detail will help you find the answers you’re looking for.
Anyway, good luck solving this mystery. I’m certain that you, your friends, and my little firefly will figure it all out in due time.
-Blue Monarch.
Sweetie Belle looked up from the letter in her hooves to glare at Scootaloo.
“Yeah, I probably should have given you this a few days ago when my mom wrote it, but between the ghouls, us becoming citizens, and saying goodbye to Thorax, it kind of slipped my mind,” admitted Scootaloo, nervously rubbing the back of her neck.
“Yeah. I kind of figured,” deadpanned Sweetie Belle.
“Well, it’s not like we were the only ones trying to find something. Maybe Twilight’s research is going better?” suggested Scootaloo with an apologetic tone.
Sweetie Belle replied by pulling out the other letter she got that morning.
“Oh. OK, yeah, I definitely should have told you about this sooner. And if you got that letter first today then you probably already went out for ice cream with your coltfriend so…” continued Scootaloo.
“He’s not my coltfriend,” growled Sweetie Belle as her blush returned.
That hug was totally non-romantic, she thought.
“Fine, you already went out for ice cream with your not-coltfriend, so we can’t just get you some comfort food. Too much ice cream at once ruins its ability to wash away your problems,” finished Scootaloo with a roll of her eyes.
Sweetie Belle let out a yet another sigh.
“So, now what? Everypony we asked for help couldn’t find anything, and we’re no closer to finding answers ourselves then we were months ago,” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Well, we know you’ve got a built in hose, a targeting system, night vision, a breath-underwater mode…” recited Scootaloo.
“And a bunch of other neat tricks I can do, yes. But nothing whatsoever on why I’m a robot in the first place,” finished Sweetie Belle as she flopped back onto her bean bag.
Scootaloo was silent for a moment while she tried to find something to say. A moment later, the front door opened.
“Sorry we’re late. One of the cows got loose and decided to play a game of “run all the way to the other side of the farm for no reason,” said Apple Bloom as she entered the clubhouse.
“Yeah. Apparently it’s a big deal to bovids. Never thought I’d see a cow doin’ an awkward victory dance when she made it all the way to end. Anyway, what’d we miss?” asked Babs Seed.
“Nopony in Equestria knows why I’m a robot,” answered Sweetie Belle.
Babs Seed raised an eyebrow.
“Uh… You don’t know why you’re a robot?” asked Babs.
Sweetie Belle blinked in surprise as she realized she’d forgotten to share that detail with Apple Bloom’s cousin. How the hay had they forgot to mention that?
Oh right. Because they’d spilled the beans while on a moving parade float and hadn’t brought it up since. Not exactly an ideal time to share details about secrets.
“...so, yeah. At this point all we have are a bunch of fancy codenames, a creepy voice I heard once, and the fact that I’m the only robot in Equestria,” finished Sweetie Belle.
Babs looked at her in disbelief.
“Uh… Babs?” asked Apple Bloom.
Babs Seed sighed and ran a hoof down her face.
“Sorry, Ah just forgot what town Ah was in for a moment there. Anyway, ya said ya took notes on everythin’, right?” asked Babs.
The other fillies nodded.
“Mind if Ah take a look? Maybe Ah can spot somethin’ you three missed,” asked Babs.
With a shrug, Sweetie Belle passed her the notes in question. Her hopes really weren’t that high. They’d reviewed the notes themselves countless times and nothing had stood out to them. Still, it wasn’t like they had any other ideas.
A few minutes passed as Babs looked over the notes. Suddenly, Babs tapped one of the pages.
“This bit right here, when ya were checkin’ if she had a taser, did ya bother lookin’ for this… A.P.P. specialist she mentioned?” asked Babs.
“That was one of the things we changelings were looking for during our search, and we didn’t find anything. We swept the whole nation for anything behind a disguise spell, and nothing. I’m pretty sure Twilight Sparkle looked for something like that as well and got the same results,” answered Scootaloo.
“Yeah, but did ya have Sweetie Bot try to look for it?” asked Babs.
“Well… no, I guess. Why would we if the Princess’s prized student and an entire nation of changelings were looking for one?” said Sweetie Belle.
“Because if there is an A.P.P specialist somewhere, that deals with robots that supposedly don’t exist aside from you, don’t ya think they’d put a little effort into making sure they wouldn’t be found by anyone that ain’t a robot? There’s more ways to hide than just putting up a magic disguise, ya know. And if Sweetie Bot has some built in radar or somethin’, Ah bet she could find it,” explained Babs.
…
Smack! Smack! Clang!
Three hooves met three faces, one more metallic than the others.
“How the hay did we miss that? How the hay did we never think of checking if Sweetie Belle has some kind of radar? And how in Tartarus were you able to spot that in, like, five minutes?” demanded Scootaloo.
“Because Ah was just lookin’ for details you girls didn’t mention when ya were explainin’. When ya have the whole story laid out in front of ya, it's easier to spot the holes. Wasn’t that impressive, really,” replied Babs with a shrug.
After taking a moment to finish beating herself up for missing that detail, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and went full Sweetie Bot.
“ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE. SWEETIE BOT READY FOR INPUT,” declared Sweetie Belle.
“Whoa. That’s kinda awesome. And creepy,” said Babs Seed with wide eyes.
She quickly ran a check for a radar system. Sure enough, one of her ears opened up to reveal a small metal dish that quickly rose above her head and began spinning.
“ADVANCED SCANNING SYSTEM ONLINE,” declared Sweetie Belle.
Alright. Let’s hope this works, though Sweetie Belle.
“BEGINNING SCAN FOR: LOCAL A.P.P. SPECIALIST,” she announced.
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
If Sweetie Belle could have described the experience of searching with radar with words, it’d be something like: shouting loudly and seeing far away with the echos, while being completely blind to what she was seeing. Everything she “saw” that wasn’t what she was searching for was quickly discarded and forgotten, leaving only the knowledge that she’d already searched a given area.
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
“Any idea how long this is going to take?” asked Scootaloo.
“No idea. Ya wanna head back to the house and grab some snacks?” suggested Apple Bloom.
“Nah. You can if you want to, though,” replied Scootaloo.
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
“SCAN COMPLETE,” declared Sweetie Bot.
Wait, it’s over? But nothing happened… thought Sweetie Belle.
“RESULTS: 0 A.P.P. SPECIALISTS IN CURRENT AREA,” announced Sweetie Bot.
There were several disappointed sighs around the clubhouse.
“WARNING; NO A.P.P SPECIALISTS IN SCANNING RANGE. INSUFFICIENT EMERGENCY SERVICES IN LOCAL AREA. EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 911D ACTIVATED. DETERMINING CURRENT LOCATION,” continued Sweetie Bot.
Wait, what?! Thought Sweetie Belle as her robotic body immediately started processing something she had not entered herself.
Her radar started spinning again, but it only took a second for it to finish.
“ANALYSIS COMPLETE. CURRENT LOCATION: PONYVILLE. ERROR: AREA TOO POPULATED FOR INSUFFICIENT EMERGENCY SERVICES. SEARCHING FOR POSSIBLE DISASTER ALERTS,” continued Sweetie Bot.
“Uh… Sweetie Belle? What are you doing?” asked Scootaloo in a concerned tone.
“Well, it said somethin’ about an emergency protocol. Ah think she tripped some kind of automatic process or somethin’. We should probably just wait until it’s done,” said Babs.
Apple Bloom was quiet. She was too busy franticly taking notes.
“NO DISASTER ALERTS DETECTED. SEARCHING FOR POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS,” continued Sweetie Bot.
With a click, Sweetie Belle’s radar slipped back into her ear. A moment later, her other ear opened up as a long metal pole proceeded to pop out and point toward the sky.
“CONNECTING… ERROR: NETWORK SERVICES UNAVAILABLE. SEARCHING FOR POSSIBLE CAUSES… ERROR: UNABLE TO LOCATE LOCAL NETWORK TOWER. SEARCHING INTERNAL SYSTEMS FOR APPROPRIATE PROTOCOL,” declared Sweetie Bot.
How much longer is this going to take?! thought Sweetie Belle in a steadily increasing panic as her body continued to do stuff without her say-so.
“PROTOCOL FOUND: CODE 1985: CURRENT SITUATION RESULTING FROM T.I.M.E. ACTIVITY. SITUATION NORMAL. PLEASE CONSULT LOCAL T.I.M.E. OPERATIVE FOR MORE DETAILS,” finished Sweetie Bot.
The clubhouse was silent for a few moments, then everyone let out a breath of relief as Sweetie Bot finally stopped. What it had just said, however, made the fillies looked at each other in surprise.
“T.I.M.E.? Well, that’s clearly a shortened version of something, but…” said Scootaloo.
“We probably shouldn’t jump to any conclusions. It might stand for Take Ice Machines Everywhere for all we know. Can ya make a quick search for that, Sweetie?” asked Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle, grateful to be in control of her own processing power again, quickly ran a search.
She found nothing.
“NEGATIVE,” she announced.
“What the hay? How does Sweetie Bot know this T.I.M.E. thing exists, but nothing about it? That makes no sense!” cried Scootaloo.
“Unless it does know, but it’s just not telling us,” suggested Babs.
That gave them all pause.
“OK, that’s a disturbin’ thought. Still, searchin’ for A.P.P. got us this far. Maybe we can try searchin’ for this time guy?” suggested Apple Bloom.
“Well, it’s worth a shot at least,” added Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle agreed. Her metal rod thing slipped back into her ear as her radar reemerged.
“BEGINNING SCAN FOR: LOCAL T.I.M.E OPERATIVE,” she announced.
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
“SCAN COMPLETE,” declared Sweetie Bot.
“That was fast,” mumbled Scootaloo.
“RESULTS: 1 T.I.M.E OPERATIVE LOCATED,” reported Sweetie Bot.
…
“WHAT?!” cried three of the fillies.
Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, was too busy staring at the information in front of her. According to the data, The T.I.M.E. Operative was in Ponyville. What’s more, she recognized the address, and who lived there.
Knock! Knock!
“Are ya sure he’s here? Ah thought ya said he was a clockmaker, and I’m pretty sure Ah saw a clock shop a few blocks back,” said Babs.
“Hey, you said it yourself how weird ponies are in this town. Is it really so crazy to believe that there’s a pony who only opens his store when he knows he’s about to have a customer?” argued Scootaloo.
“Yes, actually. How the hay does he make a livin’ if he’s...” started Babs but she stopped when the front door opened.
“Oh! Well isn’t this an unexpected surprise. Hello, girls. Can I help you with anything?” asked Dr. Whooves.
Dr. Whooves had always been a friendly stallion, but if he was hiding something, this could get scary. Nevertheless, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Well, yes, actually. Does T.I.M.E. mean anything to you?” she asked.
Dr. Whooves chuckled.
“Well, I should hope so! I am a clockmaker after all. It’d be quiet embarrassing if I made clocks and didn’t know a thing or two about time, wouldn’t it? And please don’t bother asking about that certain science fiction series. I know I resemble the main character, but I can assure you that I am not a time traveler,” said Dr. Whooves with a smile.
“I meant the acronym,” corrected Sweetie Belle.
Dr. Whooves blinked.
“Pardon me, but… oh my, is it that time already?” he asked with a confused expression.
The crusaders and Babs shared an awkward look, unsure how to respond, but then Dr. Whooves shook his head.
“Oh, of course it is. You wouldn’t have known about T.I.M.E otherwise. Come in, come in. I suspect we have an important conversation to start,” said Dr. Whooves as he turned and headed inside.
The fillies shared another uncertain look.
“Well, it would be rude to turn down an invitation…” said Apple Bloom.
“Into the house of a guy who might be part of some big secret conspiracy?” added Babs.
“Hey!” objected Scootaloo.
“Ah said conspiracy, not civilization,” countered Babs.
“Well, it is Dr. Whooves. If anypony in town was part of some crazy conspiracy…” said Apple Bloom.
“It’d probably be Lyra,” said Sweetie Belle.
There were some giggles at that, and it pushed away their fears enough for them to step inside.
“So, T.I.M.E.. How much you already know about it?” asked Dr. Whooves as he sat down with a few cups of tea.
Dr. Whooves’ living room was fairly unremarkable. This was, by itself, surprising considering the state of the rest of his house. Dr. Whooves might have been a clock maker, but most of his free time was spent doing SCIENCE, which tended to spread into every other room in the building. Today’s flavor of SCIENCE was a strange sticky blue slime.
“Gak!” cried Apple Bloom as she realized she had stepped on some of it, which she quickly wiped off with a napkin.
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and turned back towards Dr. Whooves.
“Well, to be honest, not much. All we know is that it exists, you have something to do with it, and that it’s connected to… something else we’re trying to learn about,” said Sweetie Belle as she took a cup.
“That’s about typical, to be honest. Most ponies, and non-ponies, who contact me about it rarely know more than that. And I’m afraid my understanding is rather limited as well,” admitted Dr. Whooves as his sipped his tea.
“But, aren’t you an agent of this… whatever it is?” asked Scootaloo.
“Well, technically, I suppose I am. I’m not sure why, but my family has had a long history with T.I.M.E. for as far back up the family tree as I could trace. As soon as I was old enough, my father passed the responsibilities of T.I.M.E. upon me, just as his father had passed them onto him. I know what my role in the organization is, but little more,” explained Dr. Whooves.
“So T.I.M.E. is an organization?” asked Apple Bloom.
Dr. Whooves nodded.
“Yes, but I’m afraid the only thing about the organization itself I can tell you what the acronym is. It stands for Temporal Investigations, Maintenance, and Exploration,” said Dr. Whooves.
Sweetie Belle felt her robotic heart leap in her chest. This could be a vital clue.
“Temporal? As in time related? Then this really does involve time travel?” asked Sweetie Belle in an excited tone.
“Well, I can’t say either way. As I said, I’m not a time traveler myself. For all I know it’s just a fancy way of saying that they’ve been around for a very long time. You know how these big underground groups can get. Always so eager to use flashy names even if they’re trying to stay out of the public’s eye,” said Dr. Whooves with a chuckle.
Sweetie Belle let out a mumble of disappointment, hidden behind a sip of her tea.
“Right. So, what exactly is your role with these guys?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Dr. Whooves got up and walked over to a nearby cabinet while answering.
“To be quiet blunt, I am simply an off-the-record delivery pony. I get letters and packages in the mail from T.I.M.E., and then a few days later whoever they're addressed to arrives at my door. I pass it on to them, and get a payment in the mail the next day. I always personally thought it a bit redundant to send letters in the mail for someone else to deliver, but I suppose that’s just how it is with these secret society things,” replied Dr. Whooves as he opened the cabinet and started digging.
The girls shared another uncomfortable look.
“Before you say it, yes, I have considered the possibility that I am unwittingly helping some criminal organization or something to that effect. I took the matter to the Princess herself, and she assured me that while she is not directly involved with T.I.M.E., she is aware of it and is convinced that its goals are benevolent. With that reassurance, I’ve since taken my duties responsibly. And I really can’t complain. The extra bits have always been crucial for my experiments and... Ah ha! There you are!” said Dr. Whooves as he pulled an envelope out of the cabinet.
The fillies let out sighs of relief as Dr. Whooves made his way to Sweetie Belle.
“So, without further ado, I believe this is what you are here for. I was surprised to see you today because I only received this letter in the mail this morning,” said Dr. Whooves as he offered Sweetie Belle the envelope.
Sweetie Belle took it. Sure enough, there was her name on the front: SWEETIE BELLE, in large unnaturally straight letters. There was no return address, and where there should have been stamps there was instead simply T.I.M.E. in the same weird font as her name.
“Now, I don’t know what’s inside that, and part of the arrangement is that I am not supposed to see you open it either. I understand you girls are likely eager to open it right away, so I shall simply step outside for a moment. Feel free to let me know when you’re done,” said Dr. Whooves as he turned and left.
Sweetie Belle stared at the envelope. This was it. It wasn’t just some random fact that was dug up out of her robot brain. This was clear, tangible proof that whatever the deal was with her being a robot, there were answers somewhere, just waiting for her to find them. And this might very well be the thing that tells her where...
“Sweetie Belle?” asked Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle jumped. She realized that her thoughts had begun to drift. She also noticed that her hooves were shaking.
“Look, if you’re scared, we can just go home, and let your sister look at it first. There’s no hurry. It’s been months since we started looking for answers. A few more hours or even days won’t make that big a difference,” reassured Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and let it out.
“Well, Rarity is in Canterlot on a business trip, and I really do want to know what’s in here but…” She started to say but then trailed off.
“Ah think Ah understand how ya feel, Sweetie Belle,” said Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle looked at her friend in surprise.
“Ah remember when Ah first started learnin’ about ghouls. Ah was terrified of even opening the books because Ah didn’t want to learn that Ah’d become some kind of pony-eatin’ monster. It seems kind of silly lookin’ back, but Ah know how scary it is to hold somethin’ in your hooves that might tell ya somethin’ ya wish ya never knew, but ya still need to learn about all the same,” explained Apple Bloom in a reassuring tone.
Sweetie Belle nodded. She realized that her undead friend knew what she was going through all too well. And look at Apple Bloom now. She had become downright comfortable with what she was in the past few days. Sweetie Belle wanted to be like that. And the only way she could get there was going forward.
Her mind made up, Sweetie Belle opened the envelope.
Follow this map when you are ready for the truth. You will find the answers you seek.
-T.I.M.E.
P.S. Yes, right now is perfectly fine. I’m just saying there’s no hurry. Honestly, I’ll never understand why we have to send such cryptic letters. The map’s right there! It’s not like keeping things vague makes it less likely someone stumbling upon this letter will try and follow it! The mystery will only make them more curious! Whatever. Just come and see us when you’re up for it, Miss Belle. And if it’s someone else reading this, kindly buck off. There’s no treasure waiting for you at the X.
Sweetie Belle looked at her friends with a raised eyebrow after she finished reading it out loud.
“Well… I guess T.I.M.E. doesn’t bother checking their letters before sending them…” she mumbled.
“Yeah… someone’s probably goin’ tah get fired for that,” added Babs.
Shaking her head, Sweetie Belle turned the letter over to look at the map on the other side. There was a long red line leading to somewhere, but it was of a smaller scale than Sweetie Belle had expected. In fact, the X marking where to go was barely half an hour trot out of town.
Sweetie Belle looked up at her friends.
“Well, I don’t know about you girls, but I’m definitely following this map,” she announced.
After a quick stop home, of course. She wasn’t about to recklessly journey into what might be an alien civilization or secret cult unsupervised without taking necessary precautions.
She’d put a note on the fridge telling Rarity where they were going first, and then they could head out. After all, one can never be too careful.
“Are you sure you want to come with us, Babs? We might be getting into something really weird or dangerous,” asked Sweetie Belle as they made their way to the edge of town.
“Of course Ah’m sure. If ya needed me to spot what got us this far, then Ah’m definitely supposed to be a part of this. The way Ah see, Ah’m less likely to get inta trouble if Ah play along with whoever’s behind all this than go against them, especially if the Princess thinks they're an alright bunch. Besides, Ah’m from Manehattan. Ah can handle a little adventure and rough stuff,” replied Babs.
“Good point. Though now that you mention it, if the Princess knew about T.I.M.E., why didn’t she say anything to us when we asked her if she knew anything about me?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“She probably just thought they weren’t connected. I bet she’s got a ton of secret groups to keep track of and…” Scootaloo started to say but trailed off.
She’d noticed a very unwelcome pair of fillies coming towards them. The CMC made nervous glances at Babs, but surprisingly Babs didn’t seem worried.
“Don’t worry, Ah’ve learned a thing or two about bullies these last few months. Ah know how to handle these kinds of ponies now,” said Babs with a reassuring smile.
“Well, look who’s in town again. Your mom still not want to bother with a lost cause like you?” teased Diamond Tiara as she reached them.
“Nope. She figured that after that last fight Ah got into at school, Ah should go somewhere were ponies don’t bully me,” said Babs with a glare.
Diamond Tiara took a step back in shock. Everypony else’s jaw dropped, including Silver Spoon’s.
“Yep. Ah took some fightin’ lessons since the last time Ah was in town. Ah didn’t mean to put that colt in the hospital for callin’ me a loser, but let me tell ya, that punk got what was comin’ to him,” said Babs.
Everypony around Babs could only look at her in disbelief.
“What? Are… are you threatening me?!” demanded Diamond Tiara.
“Depends. Are ya callin’ me a loser?” challenged Babs as she leaned in close to Diamond Tiara.
Diamond Tiara rapidly shook her head. Babs waited a moment, then backed away with a nod.
“Good. Ah’d hate tah do somethin’ horrible like that again,” said Babs as she turned and walked away.
Her friends and cousin could only stare in awe. Where the hay had that confidence come from?
Diamond Tiara shook her head before she turned back towards the other fillies.
“Well, I guess that pony finally started acting like the city filly she is. Now you three on the other hoof...” she started to say.
This snapped the three of them out of their stunned silence, and they responded by simply turning away from Diamond Tiara and going after Babs.
“Hey! Where do you think you're going?!” Diamond Tiara angrly snapped.
The CMC ignored her.
“Stop it! Stop ignoring me! Get back here and let me finish mocking you!” demanded Diamond.
The girls caught up with Babs, and the four of them started making their way into the woods.
“GRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” Diamond screamed in frustration before angrily stomping the ground and walking off.
Silver Spoon just looked around awkwardly before following after her friend.
“Uh, Babs? Did ya actually…” started Apple Bloom.
“Nah, that was a load of horse apples. But Ah found out that most bullies tend to back down when they think you’re tougher than them. Ain’t it amazin’ what somepony’ll believe if ya use the right tone and glare at ‘em enough?” asked Babs with a smirk.
She got three grins in response.
“Well, this is it, girls,” said Sweetie Belle as she looked up from the map.
The X had lead them to this: a small and thankfully empty bear cave in the middle of the woods. It was unremarkable, but then again that was kind of the point, right?
“Ya nervous, Sweetie?” asked Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle let out a sigh.
“Yeah. I’m nervous. Really nervous. But… I have to know. I have to know what I am, and why. And the only way I’m going to find out is by taking a deep breath and moving forward,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Good attitude. Now let’s go get some answers,” said Scootaloo as she took the lead and trotted into the cave.
There was nothing inside.
“Well, of course they wouldn’t leave the entrance to some secret place in plain sight. Check the walls. There’s probably some kind of button or switch or something’,” said Babs as she started knocking on the cave wall.
Everypony else quickly joined her.
Knock, Knock.
Knock, Knock.
Click.
Sweetie Belle jumped back in surprise as a small rectangle of the cave wall rotated, revealing a glowing blue square just large enough to put a hoof against.
“I uh… think I found it,” said Sweetie Belle.
Her friends quickly joined her. It was surreal to see something so futuristic looking, especially in a cave in the middle of nowhere.
“Is that a hoof reader?” asked Scootaloo.
“I think so. It’s looks like it came right out of Star Trot or somethin’,” answered Babs.
Sweetie Belle gulped, then raised a shaking hoof up to the blue square. The moment she touched it, a large line of light quickly flowed down the square.
“HOOFPRINT IDENTIFIED. WELCOME, SWEETIE BELLE,” said a mechanical voice from the square.
There was a loud hiss, and then a large section of the cave wall slid down, revealing a small hidden tunnel with walls made of flat metal. A bright blue glow flowed into the cave from within.
The fillies could only stare in awe.
“Well… uh... Ah guess this is a sign that the whole thing ain’t just a prank. We’re really dealing with… something else,” commented Apple Bloom.
“Ah think you’re right, Apple Bloom. It’s almost like we’re going to run into a robot or something,” snarked Scootaloo.
“Oh, right,” admitted Apple Bloom with a blush.
Still, the tension had been broken. Determined not to lose her nerve entirely, Sweetie Belle shook her head and then made her way into the tunnel.
She found the source of the light very quickly: a small glowing blue cube sitting on a pedestal. She also found that the cube was the only thing in the tunnel. It just ended in a small room big enough for all four of them to squeeze into.
Squeeze they did, then they waited for something to happen. But no second door opened, nopony appeared to greet them, and no time travel or anything else unusual occurred.
“Uh… we didn’t come all this way for a just glowin’ ice cube, right? Ah was just jokin’ about the whole Take Ice Machines Everywhere thing,” said Apple Bloom.
“Maybe this thing’s got something inside it?” suggested Scootaloo.
“Probably, Ah just hope it ain’t another map,” added Babs.
Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. I think this has been stupidly complicated already. There’s got to be something important right here,” said Sweetie Belle as she reached out and touched the cube.
There was a loud beep, then the cube split apart. It didn’t open up, rather the sides drifted apart and floated in midair, revealing a glowing ball of energy in its center.
“M.O.R.P.H. ACTIVATED,” announced the cube in a monotone voice.
“Uh, What?” asked Sweetie Belle.
What the hay was this?
“CALIBRATIONS COMPLETE. ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS DETECTED. INITIALIZING PROCESS. HAVE A PLEASANT SUSPENSION,” declared the cube.
“Suspension? What does…” started Babs.
Then the cube unleashed a wave of green magical energy that encased the four fillies.
Sweetie Belle’s vision began to blur. Her body suddenly felt like it was made of water. Her thoughts started to slip and spin as her eyelids started growing heavy.
“Wa…” she managed to moan, but her ears barely registered it.
She dimly noticed that she seemed to be floating.
But I’m not... a bird pony... I can’t float… But... maybe I’m... a boat? She thought as her mind slipped further and further.
She was getting so tired...
Funny, that blue thingy seemed to be getting closer…
With a loud whooshing sound, the magic field pulled back into the glowing sphere of energy, pulling the fillies in with it. Their bodies stretched and thinned as if they were mere wisps of smoke being sucked into a vacuum, somehow being pulled into the tiny sphere. Once they were fully inside, the cube walls closed back down upon it, and the whole thing stopped glowing.
With a hiss, the wall behind the tunnel slid shut, leaving no evidence that this place was anything other than a normal cave.
100 years later…
A squirrel hopped into the cave, sniffing for food.
It couldn’t smell anything, so it turned around and left.
And nothing else of of significance occurred.
900 years later…
Sweetie Belle woke up. Funny, she couldn’t remember falling asleep. What had she been doing again?
She had been in a cave, looking for something right?
But, didn’t she find something?
Something… blue and…
Sweetie Belle suddenly realized that she couldn’t feel her body.
What the hay just happened?! She exclaimed, only she had no mouth.
That was unfortunate, as she really needed to scream at that moment.
Did that cube thing suck us up?! Into that tiny thing?! Why would it do that?! She thought with rapidly rising panic.
Suddenly, there was a loud beep, followed by a tugging sensation that seemed to be pulling Sweetie Belle backwards. A moment later, her senses returned, showing her and her friends spiraling out of a familiar sphere of energy before they found themselves floating in a green energy field, completely back to normal.
“SUSPENSION PROCESS COMPLETE,” declared the cube.
The energy flowed back into the sphere, dropping the fillies onto the floor. The cube quickly closed once again.
“THANK YOU FOR USING THIS PRODUCT FROM ANDLE LIGHT INC. YOU HAVE BEEN IN SUSPENSION FOR 1000 YEARS. IF THIS IS NOT THE CORRECT TIME FRAME, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEEK YOUR LOCAL T.I.M.E. FACILITY FOR ASSISTANCE. ANDLE LIGHT INC. IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CREATION OF THIS M.O.R.P.H. DEVICE. IN THE EVENT OF A MALFUNCTION, PLEASE DIRECT ALL LAWSUITS TO WHY EERK INDUSTRIES. HAVE A PLEASANT DAY,” said the cube before going silent.
The four fillies sat still for several minutes, struggling to understand what had just happened.
“Did… did that thing say a thousand years?” asked Babs
“In suspension... for a thousand years. So… that means…” stuttered Apple Bloom.
“We’re… a thousand years in the future?” finished Scootaloo.
The four of them just sat there in shocked silence, unable to comprehend how something so drastic could have happened so fast. One minute they’re looking for some secret society and then… whatever the hay that had been. Panic began to rise up in all four of them. They started looking around, desperate for something they could focus on.
Suddenly, there was loud a hiss.
“Ahhh!!” The fillies cried as they pulled themselves together in a tight grip.
The wall they had entered the secret room from a thousand years ago opened up, and a stallion walked in.
“Ah ha! Right on time! Hello girls. Not too disoriented from your trip, I hope?” asked the stallion.
The fillies just stared at him in shock. The brown coat and mane, the hourglass cutie mark on his flanks and the saddlebags he was wearing, even the bowtie were an exact match.
“Dr. Whooves?” asked Sweetie Belle in disbelief.
The stallion laughed, then shook his head.
“Not quite. Dr. Whooves was my distant ancestor. My name is Dr. Brown. I am an agent of T.I.M.E., and I’m here to welcome you four to the future,” declared Dr. Brown.
The four of them continued to stare. This was the cherry on top of the weirdness that was currently overwhelming them, and it was just too much for the fillies. They just froze, still holding each other tight, unable to process what the hay was happening.
“Ah, still recovering from your first trip in magic suspension are we? Nothing to worry about, it’s perfectly natural. Being turned into energy and squeezed into a small space is rarely pleasant, and M.O.R.P.H.’s aren’t exactly designed for regular use. That reminds me,” said Dr. Brown as he plucked the cube off the pedestal and put it in his saddlebag.
Despite how slow her mind was working at the moment, Sweetie Belle found the strength to press for more information.
“M… M.O.R.P.H.?” she asked.
“Multiple Operative Rudimentary Preservation Hexagon. An advanced magic suspension device designed to enable several ponies to safely pass a large amount of time in a relative instant. Not the most pleasant or safest method of traveling to the future, but relatively affordable and easy to hide in a cave a thousand years in the past,” explained Dr. Brown.
“But it’s a cube, not a hexagon,” Sweetie Belle corrected instinctively.
“Yes, but the M.O.R.P.C. was invented first, and even a thousand years into your future, lawyers still refuse to play nice,” said Dr. Brown with a chuckle.
The fillies could only continue to stare.
“I understand you’re all still a little overwhelmed, but don’t worry. This wasn’t a one way trip. After we’re done here, we’ll arrange for you all to go back to your own time. I apologize that we had to go to such lengths for a simple explanation, but time travel is always a fickle business even at the best of times. And this particular scenario is hardly the best of times,” explained Dr. Brown.
The knowledge that they would be able to go home finally snapped the fillies out of their stupor. Unfortunately, this developed right into anger.
“This scenario? An explanation? What the hay is going on!?” demanded Scootaloo.
“Yeah! Why the hay couldn’t you just send what you wanted to say in the mail?” challenged Babs.
Dr. Brown raised a hoof, asked them to quiet down.
“I told you, time travel is complicated. We can only be so accurate when we send things to the past. It’s why we send our letters to our ancestors to deliver instead of to where they’re intended to go. It helps prevent time paradoxes and, let me tell you, the last thing we want to do is cause one. As for why we went through the trouble of bringing you here, it’s rather simple. You’re here to learn the truth about her,” said Dr. Brown as he pointed towards Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle blinked in surprise.
“You… you brought us a thousand years into the future to tell us why I’m a robot?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Even better. We brought you a thousand years into the future to see it happen for yourself,” announced Dr. Brown.
To Be Continued...
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COOL!
That section! Lol. ... OH... Their non-discovery is a clue that everything is okay! 'Cause otherwise Rarity and the others would be searching!
...
Hmm... Yeah, the serial numbers, with her being the only one, make it seem like they're sequentially released, instead of in parallel.
Time Travel. ... What with the Starswirl Spell, and the Starlight Enhanced Version, I really shouldn't be surprised that's possible and possiblly commonplace-ish, with enough magical innovation.
What does APP mean? I'll go through the comments and see! :)
Typos:
you(r) trip, I hope?
suspencion
M.O.R.P.C. was invented first, and even a thousand year(s) into your future(,) lawyers
And it would amuse me greatly. Also, thoughT.
Probably yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Worth a shot.
... You're good at this.
She has a point.
Oh boy.
Ooh...
Well, T.I.M.E is TIME, so...
Note the capitalization of SCIENCE.
Quite.
Smart guy.
GOOD! Good, I like this, this is funny.
Roll bluff.
Nat 20 it is.
RadidLY.
Nah.
The power of bullshit. It's a wonderful thing.
I think.
Morph Ball? We go from Star Trek to Metroid?
I, um, huh. Not sure how to take this.
I get it!
Oh, they actually are in the future. Also, alwayS.
Oooh!
Is that a motherfucking Jojo's reference?
i see that refrence and you have my approval
thanks for the update!
A.P.P.= Advanced Party Planner?
M.P.S.= Multiple Parallel Sweeties
Okay, my initial theory of how Sweetie is a robot has been blown out of the water. I'll just read on what you have planned.
Wut?
Here you go <3
Alright, we're finally having an arc about Sweetie Belle's revelation and it's bringing into time travel territory. Don't forget your aspirin if quantum physics gives you headaches.
Dr. Whooves => Dr Who, Dr. Brown => Return to the Future. I got the reference and it was clever.
Mistakes found:
through
thought
an
it's
weird
shock
rapidly / then
either turning back or she turned back
stomping
Suddenly, there was a loud hiss.
they
a
Hello Animorphs references. My childhood is calling...
One: Awesome!
Two: While I understand this is only possible in my headspace, I kinda want to have the Crusaders hear the following line.
"Stitch by stitch, spell by spell, a dash of voice, just the right pitch, I'm making Sweetie Belle!"
8633159
You missed one.
piqued.
Animorphs AND Back to the Future references?
I'm conflicted. Both are pretty good by themselves...I hope there are no lingering plot points kicked off by them though aside from the time travel itself.
Interesting....... Welp just gotta wait for the next update to see where (or when
) this this story goes
Good story so far!
ANDLE LIGHT INC. IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CREATION OF THIS M.O.R.P.H. DEVICE. IN THE EVENT OF A MALFUNCTION, PLEASE DIRECT ALL LAWSUITS TO WHY EERK INDUSTRIES.
That reference was as subtle as a brick through a window. Still, it made me laugh.
Don't scare me like that! I thought we were going to have deal with Yeerks for a second. And I wouldn't really call the end of Animorphs a victory.
A.P.P.
Hmm...
A Pinkie Pie?
A Party Pony?
A Peppermint Pastry?
glad your back keep up the great work
--shocked.
Wooo time travel.
MPS? Manehatten police squad.
Starring... Leslie Nickerson as Frank Drebbon.....
The H could stand for "hexahedron", which is a 3-dimensional 6-sided shape (A.K.A. a cube).
8633308
I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw that. A glowing blue cube could have been a coincidence, since blue glowing objects tend to be futuristic, and cubes tend to be a common shape. Then it said M.O.R.P.H., which would be a stretch of the imagination to call that coincidental, but not impossible. But I'd still call it a nail in the coffin. But then there was the Why Eerk Industries. That's too close to "Yeerk" to be a coincidence.
8633419
I'm glad I'm not the only one who caught that Back to the Future reference. I already commented about the Animorphs reference, so just take what I said and consider it as a response to your comment as well.
After seeing this story on the front page, I’ve spent the last 12 hours of my life reading the last 2 1/2 years of your work... just for a BUCKING CLIFFHANGER!!!! I HATE THOSE!!!
(but don’t let this detour you from writing... i’m just expressing how I don’t like cliffhangers)
8634394
Is what sealed it for me, the Yeerk reference just brought it home. Andle Light. Andalite.
Fuck, I was a member of the Resistance and everything as a kid, had the membership card with callsign and all, hah.
...in the later chapters
Aaaarrrrh!!! Why didn't you four tell me you were going to see the future?!
DAMN YOU AND YOUR ROUNDABOUT
Impatiently but patiently awaiting the next chapter
Alondro goes back in time to Primitive Ponyville... and steps on a butterfly... "Uh-oh..."
It turns out that without this one crucial load-carrying butterfly, the rest were unable to support Fluttershy as she plunged to the ground and she ended up splattered all over... the animals which she would have befriended instead devoured her remains and developed a taste for pony flesh. When NMM returns, I dunno... 10-15 years later, she finds the ruins of Pony civilization and the world populated by all manner of crazed, bloodthirsty animals... complete with glowing red eyes for dramatic effect!
And this is why playing with time is dumb.
Monitoring Pony Simulation?
Monitor Pony-oid System?
Multiple Periods Specialist?
My mind..... It is gone.... You blew it up.
Well... This actually got even crazier than it already was. How is that even possible?
8635377
Oh Faust, I hope that third one isn't right.
8636196
As in "medieval period" or "important periods of history". Given the time travel stuff.
8634572
I didn't even catch that reference.
My guess is Metallic Pony Sentry.
8636281
Ah, okay.
derpicdn.net/img/2013/12/17/499181/full.gif
So when we getting part 2?
Hi ho ADVENTUREEEE!
Discovers time travel antics in the story with a sharp left turn...
AAAANND the story breaks...
But seriously, enjoying it so far. just got to be careful not to pull too much of a "because time travel" deus ex machina in the writing of this bit.
8633419
Nah, they're just references. Because in the future, there are only memes...
8634394
*face-palm* crap... I completely forgot about the hex prefix. Well, at least I got a lawyer jab out of ignorance.
8635767
Don't tempt me. I can go far crazier than this. *cough, dream where everyone has a secret, cough*
8636914
Some time next year.
8633139
8633307
8633406
8633159
8634266
Fixed. Thanks again for the post-editing, everyone.
Time travel is fun
Well, this is cool. I personally was with RD in this one when she said it outloud...
The one thing that irks me is how ponies can still look alike their ancestors after more than 5 generations. It beat me out of the rythm unless there will be some reasonable explanation later on.
Also: Why CMC snowflake stories always have some greater time travel segment abaut them???
THE DOCTOR :D
More screentime than Sombra, apparently.
OH NO.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Gosh I missed this fic, glad to see another chapter.
They should have called it a Multiple Operative Rudimentary Preservation Hexahedron. A cube is a kind of hexahedron.
The Equestrian Time-Space Administration Bureau can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an alleged Equestrian Time-Space Administration Bureau at this time.
In any case, it certainly makes sense why the research fell through; the data didn't exist yet! (That said, I love Twilight's genre savvy assurance.) Eagerly looking forward to seeing Sweetie's first birthday firsthand.
8638919
Gotta love the free post release editing fans provide... provided they do it in good spirit...
Well this is totally bananas!! O.O
Mobile Power Suit? I’m pretty sure we could make guesses all day.
8655859
It was a “We’re all doomed” joke.
8656163
She doesn't NEED weapon systems. Unicorns can easily master the Ancient and Moste Arcane Art of Blowing Shit Up with magic.
A targeting system just makes the magic more accurate.