Last Lap
Zero stood stock still as Celestia circled him, taking note of his improvements and the various changes that Impulse had made to his initial design. He was much sturdier now, a corrected design flaw that had resulted in his first malfunction. He could now handle the rough impact from landing after reaching the impressive speeds required to win.
“Well, is he to your liking?” Impulse asked smugly.
“He certainly seems different,” Celestia replied. “How do I know it’s not simply under your control.”
“I’m here of my own will, Princess.” Zero spoke up, having remained silent for most of his visit in the castle.
Celestia took a few startled steps back from Zero. The alicorn hadn’t expected a response from the creation in front of her, let alone an intelligent one. She stared into his blue, artificial eyes for quite some time before turning to Impulse.
“Impulse, how did you do this?” Celestia asked.
“I had to find a way to keep energy flowing through an artificial body,” Impulse replied nonchalantly. “So, is he good to go?”
Celestia looked at Zero once more, remembering her judgement call as well as her friend’s words. Daniel’s warning continued to run through her mind, but she had given her word to the stallion, and her word was final. There was only one loop hole, one she hoped Impulse’s toy couldn’t measure up to.
“Tell me about yourself Zero.” Celestia said.
Zero looked down, averting his gaze momentarily. He hadn’t planned on talking about himself at all; in fact, there wasn’t much to talk about. He didn’t exactly have a history of his own to recall, save for the time he had spent cooped up inside Impulse’s home. Still, he had to give the princess something. He couldn’t simply ignore her request.
Celestia could sense hesitation from the artificial pony, and felt the smallest tinge of pity for him. She knew he couldn’t help what he was.
“Have you already flown?” the sun princess asked. “Own your own, of course.”
“Yes, I have princess.” Zero replied neutrally.
Celestia raised her eyebrow suspiciously at the lack of emotion in his response. While some ponies naturally had a mono tone voice, she couldn’t judge Zero’s feelings as well due to the lack of several facial features most ponies had.
“Tell me what you felt the first time you were in the air.” Celestia pressed.
“I felt free,” Zero said. “I had only seen the world through glass, but the sound of rain against my body, accompanied by the air around me was amazing. I may not be able to experience things as you do, but I feel it none the less.”
Celestia was impressed by his answer, as Zero made it clear that she was speaking with an intelligent being. Whatever Impulse had walked out of her throne room with had evolved into something else entirely. While a part of her was still apprehensive about the stallion before her, there was no going back on her word.
“Zero,” Celestia said, gaining his attention. “You are without a doubt one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in a long time…I’m eager to see how you’ll interact with other racers.”
Zero visibly perked up, his ears shifting as any normal stallion’s would. He had followed Impulse assuming he would be rejected by the alicorn. His creator had made it quite clear from idle conversations that Celestia was less than indifferent about him.
“Thank you, princess,” Zero said with a small bow.
“Impulse,” Celestia’s voice now shifted from the kind motherly tone to a much more serious one. “I’m aware you wanted to push forward with your plans, but I would prefer you wait until after the racing season before you start on anything else, understand?”
Impulse Spark bit his tongue before it could get the better of him; Celestia was still princess after all. Little did Celestia know, however, was that Impulse had already started work on four other projects. The stallion reasoned that he technically wasn’t breaking this new condition she had set down, and simply smiled at her.
“I understand perfectly, your majesty,” Impulse bowed. “Zero was built for racing, after all.”
“I know it’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but let’s see how Zero preforms before moving on to whatever else you had planned.” Celestia said.
Zero turned to look at Impulse slowly. Though his face couldn’t show it, his heart was troubled by what he heard between the two beings. Both Impulse and Celestia, spoke of other projects, as if he were some experiment that would eventually be forgotten and buried beneath the sands of time. In reality, neither Impulse nor Zero knew for sure how long he would function; perhaps only a few years, maybe for eternity.
Impulse and Celestia’s eventually drew to a close, after minor details had been settled over the unicorn’s future projects. Zero followed the stallion out of the castle, trying his best to dismiss what he had heard as mere paranoia. Despite his best efforts to do so, he couldn’t shake his desire for answers from his “father”.
“Impulse,” Zero spoke up, as they neared the gate which would lead them back down to the busy streets of Canterlot. “What did she mean by “other projects?”
Impulse chuckled at the stallion’s question. “Don’t worry about that, Zero. Before you were able to think and move, I had already started to design your…siblings, if you will.”
“Siblings?” Zero mumbled quietly. “Do you mean to replace me?”
“Nothing in this world could replace you Zero,” Impulse replied. “You are one of a kind, on a completely different plain of existence than anything else I could hope to make.”
Impulse’s words of praise soothed Zero’s uneasy spirit slightly. Whether they were true or not remained to be seen, but the fact that he had received such compliments from the one who made him was a great boost to his confidence. There was still the lingering matter of Daniel, and when he would eventually be up against him.
Something odd pulled Zero from his thoughts as they waited for the gate to open. On the other side was an odd pony that had bizarre fleshy wings. Her ears were fluffier in comparison to Impulse’s, as was her coat and tail. The one thing Zero couldn’t see was her eyes.
What looked like a diving mask covered her eyes, the difference between the underwater visor being a tinted lens instead of a normal clear one. Even though it’s dark shade made it impossible for Zero to see her eyes, he knew she was staring at him.
“It’s a little early for you to be out, isn’t it?” one of the gate guards chuckled as the mare drew closer.
“I have my reasons,” the mare shrugged in response.
Zero watched the mare walk by inquisitively, fascinated by her appearance. He had yet to see a pony like her, and he felt the strange desire to pet her well up inside him; especially her ears, since they seemed to be the fluffiest part of her.
“Zero, Equestria to Zero,” Impulse tapped on the stallion’s metallic head. “Did you short out?”
“Such a strange genetic mutation…” Zero mumbled.
“What, a bat pony?” Impulse asked. “They’re the common nightlife of Equestria.”
“She seems fluffy,” Zero commented. “Why do I have the strange urge to pet her?”
“I don’t recommend trying it, for your own wellbeing.” Impulse waved his hoof dismissively.
Zero stored the unicorn’s warning away in the back of his mind as he watched Noctra disappear around the corner. Even after he had his answer as to what she truly was, his artificial mind still seemed to be obsessing over her.
---
Noctra yawned as she slowly walked towards her post, a letter for Celestia herself tucked neatly in a saddle bag. While it had still been a long, drawn out process, the mare had received permission to review a covered piece of Summer Star’s past much easier than Isabella could ever hope to on her own.
“Ah Miss Noctra,” Night Quill said, briefly looking up to see who it was that had entered the archives at this hour. “I see you’ve returned to provide me some company.”
“I’m afraid that’s not all I came to provide you with,” Noctra said fishing out the letter from Celestia and placing it on the table.
The ink pen that had been scratching against an open book in front of the unicorn came to a sudden halt, as it slowly lowered itself to the table. Night Quill looked the letter over before opening it, checking for any signs of forgery. Satisfied that it was indeed from the princess, he opened it and began to read its contents to himself silently.
“Hmm…well, if Celestia says so,” Night Quill said, standing up from the table.
Noctra watched him curiously as a book levitated from one of the many shelves that lined the walls of the sizeable room. She followed him to a secluded corner of the archives, where an oddly decorated desk was set up. Upon dropping the book on the desk, a cloud of dust rose up, causing both ponies to fall into a brief coughing fit.
“Sorry, it’s been a while since we’ve been asked to do this sort of thing,” Night Quill laughed nervously.
The unicorn closed his eyes as a light gathered around his horn. The book flew open of its own accord, turning to the page that held Summer Star’s name. The mare’s name was glowing slightly, as was the scratched out area beside it.
Slowly but surely, a name and a series of numbers began to appear beneath Summer Star’s entry in the archive. Noctra smiled as she watched the name materialize in front of her, as if she had just uncovered a long lost treasure.
“Hmm…odd,” Night Quill said as he trotted over to one of the bookcases.
“What’s odd?” Noctra asked, staring at the name Bright Shield.
“If I remember correctly, and my memory is rarely off, that should be...the late younger brother of Flicker,” Night Quill replied, as the book stopped on a family page belonging to unicorns.
“Flicker, I know that name,” Noctra flew over to investigate the stallion’s find. “He’s one of Canterlot’s racers.”
“Was,” Night Quill corrected. “Word on the vine is that he’s sitting out this season, possibly for good.”
“Doesn’t he have a family?” Noctra asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Night Quill shook his head. “Shocking really, you’d think every mare in Canterlot would jump at the chance to be with a well set stallion like that.”
Something was bugging Noctra, especially now that she knew who Summer Star’s had been betrothed to. If Bright Shield had been the younger brother, why was he the one betrothed to Summer Stars? Shouldn’t it have been Flicker?
“Why would their parents arrange for Bright Shield to get married before their eldest son?” Noctra asked.
“There could be several reasons,” Night Quill shrugged. “It was mostly likely based on Flicker’s anatomy. Since he was a pegasus in a predominantly noble unicorn family, they could have given the right to his younger brother.”
“That just seems…cruel,” Noctra said.
“Well, he ended up better off in the long run,” Night Quill spoke as he returned the book to its rightful place. “It wasn’t uncommon back then for families like that to favor one foal over the other to the point it would be called mental abuse by today’s standards.”
“As interesting as that sounds, I’ve reached the end of the line again,” Noctra sighed. “I know very little about Summer Stars.”
“I know it’s none of my business, but maybe you could try talking to Flicker?” Night Quill offered. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you asked sometime.”
“I’ll consider it,” Noctra nodded. “Thanks for your help Night Quill.”
---
It was sunny in Manehatten today, and would be for the rest of the week, the perfect forecast for a race. Despite being one of the more modern cities in Equestria, it had a certain charm to it. It didn’t seem as cold as Las Pegasus had been when I lived there temporarily, and I had actually considered moving here after an offer had been made, before Filthy Rich stepped in.
Scootaloo had stayed behind this time, wanting to spend time with her friends. I didn’t blame her, once you had seen one race you knew what was going to happen. A bunch of stallions would try to go faster than the others. Despite its simplicity, it was still a job, and one I enjoyed despite the strain it put on my body.
“You ready to take the title back?” Mike asked, slapping me on the back.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, following the earth pony to the track. “Are Ike and Lean Streak already at the track?”
“They left earlier this morning, you know the old stallion,” Mike chuckled. “My brother follows him like a puppy dog.”
“Because that’s healthy practice,” I laughed, well aware of Lean Streak’s habits.
The rest of the walk to the track was uneventful until we reached the side entrance, which lacked the crowd of ponies trying to push tier way through the lines before the even started. After we were given the green light to go through, we made our way towards the track, skipping the pre locker room pep talk since it we were already late by Lean Streak’s standards.
We soon found ourselves outside once more, this time surrounded on all sides by ponies sitting in rows upon rows of seats, looking down at us. They had come for a show, they were certainly about to get one.
“Sleep well, sunshine?” Lean Streak snorted from behind me.
“I was until Mike dumped ice on me, not ice water, just ice,” I replied.
“It got you out of bed though, right?” Mike laughed.
“At least you got him here before the race started, I wouldn’t have wanted to be the one to explain that one to Filthy Rich,” Ike said.
I couldn’t help but notice something was off about Lean Streak today. Yesterday he had seemed fine, but I could tell something was weighing on him. When I was late he usually grilled me a lot harder than he was today. Now, he was unusually quiet.
“Lean Streak,” I said pulling him to the side a slightly. “You feeling okay?”
“Right as rain, why?” the gruff stallion asked.
“Just worried about you,” I shrugged.
“Worry about winning, I’m fine,” Lean Streak huffed.
I didn’t have time to argue with the stallion, as the countdown began to start for the race. The thrill of starting a new season over took my concern for the moment. While I still had lingering concerns for Lean Streak, I also wanted to do well, and I need to focus in order to do so.
---
Lean Streak watched as the stallion he had trained took his place on the track. Like so many times before, his failing vision blurred, becoming clearer a few seconds later as the sights around him shifted until the pegasus saw himself in Daniel’s place; coat and mane full of color and feathers preened to perfection.
A loud bang signaled the start of the race, causing the volume of the crowd to rise. The racers became little more than blurs as they picked up speed into the first turn. Lean Streak kept a close eye on Daniel as he sped ahead of the first four stallions with ease with ease.
Lean Streak could feel his heart pounding in his chest as the left the second turn, with Daniel in second now. He had quickly turned it into a match race, and now they had a show on their hooves. Much to Lean Streak’s surprise, the other stallion was keeping up with his racer; he would have to bring that up with him later.
Try as he might, the older stallion couldn’t help but see himself, his dreams shining through the one he’d been guiding. Lean Streak never would have expected such a stallion to come this far, but he had gone so far above his expectations.
His thoughts were cut short, as a sharp pain began to surge through his chest; slowly at first, before reaching the point it forced him to double over. Mike and Ike were instantly by his side when they noticed something was wrong with Lean Streak.
“Hey, help!” Mike shouted as loud as he could, which caught the attention of a nearby guard.
Lean Streak found it difficult to breath, as the pain in his chest intensified. He soon felt an aura encase him, which cause the world around him to shift. The stallion managed to piece together that he was being moved by somepony, presumably to a hospital.
With fading strength, Lean Streak looked up one more time to watch Daniel cross the finish line. The muscles in his neck relaxed, the only sight now being the occasional light breaking the darkness in what he assumed was the exit from the track.
---
I smiled as the familiar sensation of victory washed over me. It had been a thrill I missed, and one that breifly made me forget about Impulse, Zero, and everything else that life had thrown at me. For a few brief moments, I felt unstopable.
I began looking around for my team, which was oddly no where to be seen. They were usually by my side shortly after the race was finished. I didn't immediately think anything was too amiss, assuming that perhaps they had moved to the stands for some reason.
It was when Mike approached me with a solum look on his face, without Ike or Lean Streak, that I knew something had to be up. A part of me clung to the hope that it might be something simple, like they were held up, or perhaps Lean Streak had been a little ill and needed to rest a bit.
"Hey, where are the others?" I asked as casually as I could.
"...Ike left with Lean Streak," Mike hesitated a few agonizing seconds before finally answering me.
"What, did the old timer eat something bad?" my nervous chuckles slowly died when Mike's expression didn't change.
"It's bad, Daniel," Mike said in a voice that seemed injured.
No more words were needed as we both sprinted past press ponies and others want a brief word. They were the least of my concerns right now; the stallion that I saw as a father figure had been taken out of the stadium. Despite my best effort to remain positive, I couldn't stop fear from getting the better of my imagination.
"Don't die on me..."
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... So Mr. 'I Hate Daniel' is the uncle of his Hated's adopted child... You just had to throw in a weird twist to complicate things, didn't you?
Bah! I was hoping Zero would let it slip that he's powered by a mysterious and potentially ill-got magic gem. Just to have it floating in the back of Celestia's mind to be brought up some time later around Twilight or Daniel as an incidental fact. Oh well.
I'm pretty sure I just still happen to have my shipping googles on, but Zero and Noctra? I don't have any objections. Him petting her would be hilarious though. As would the grievous bodily damage what would have likely followed.
6608771
Uncle? I'm thinking they may have had an affair and flicker's the one who torched the place.
I'm sure that when zero turns bad they'll find the necklace, but imma slap Tia if she tries to charge impulse with anything other than theft of the gem. Impulse already advertised zero as a combat chassis with limbs that could be used on disabled ponies and Tia reponded with yes you may take your weapon to a public place so long as you make it more powerful. After all if she was sold on the prosphetics idea she'd have said sorry but the chassis is too dangerous, I will however personally fund further work on the limbs as they are clearly ready for live trials.
I think someone has a crush.
😍 😘