Best Number: A Wreath of Oopsie-Daisies
Entry Two, Lapis wrote, taking a few pre-emptive steps away from his most recent work of artifice.
- Objective: Observe the strength of mana’s tendency to attract itself by forming free-flowing mana into a ring, then testing how resistant it is to collapsing into a sphere.
- Hypothesis: Regardless of initial input strength, the initial ring formation will always collapse into a sphere.
- Method: Eight mana siphons were arranged in a ring within a copper framework, angled so their outputs form an octagon (which should roughly approximate a ring). For finer control than a raw mana siphon, the mana output of each pump was “pressurized” via the application of refractory crystals - in this case, further quartz - inside a focusing cone of reinforced aluminum plates.
- Results:
“…Let’s get some,” Lapis muttered, then he looked up at his work.
It was a six-foot-tall ring of tangled iron struts held upright by a large, flattish wooden stand, and while it didn’t look too spectacular, it definitely showed improvement. That wasn’t just a cliche, either - as Lapis traced the circumference of the ring, he could see the lumps and pits growing less frequent in the metal he’d shaped, as his skill at shaping it improved. The chunky, quartz-tipped mana siphons - all eight of them - were connected to each other by snaking bands of copper, all tracing to a large, gleaming nub of runed iron at the top of the ring.
The point of the device was to siphon mana from the telekinetic field of any unicorn that grabbed it, and concentrate mana into its center. Lapis knew full well that what he’d just made was not, under any definition of the word, a portal - but as he looked through the center of the structure, he had to admit it would be easy to pretend otherwise.
Slowly, gingerly, Lapis ignited his horn and began to exert a telekinetic grip on the iron nub at the top of the ring. Nothing happened, for one second, then three, then five. Then, after exactly seven seconds, the quartz crystals began to glow with the color of candlelight.
Lapis took a slow, deep breath as the glow intensified, then began to stream from each of the eight quartz crystals in narrow, steady lines. The lines pulsed as they met each other, then slowly, the angles began to fade, until in the center of the frame there was a stable ring of luminous, butter-yellow magic, rippling like a stream of water. To Lapis’ surprise, the ring didn’t collapse as it grew thicker, easily seeming to maintain its shape inside the support structure.
Then, from the wooden base of the structure, there was a snap. Lapis’ eyes widened, and he instantly relinquished his telekinetic grip on the iron nub at the top of the ring, but the magic still left in the device continued to flow. There was another snap, and Lapis yelped as a nail shot past his head in a dark blur, impacting the stone wall behind him with a sharp metallic ping.
And slowly, the metal support structure rolled right off its base, turning in an arc and accelerating toward Lapis, its struts clattering against the floor like a twisted drumbeat. Lapis dove to one side, the device continuing to accelerate as it thundered past him, bounced off the wall, and arced back around the room toward him-
Then, finally, the last of Lapis’ magic faded from the conduits of the device and the mana siphons fell dark, Lapis rolling to the side as the device crashed to the ground in the space he’d been laying only a second before. Lapis felt his ears flatten themselves against the back of his head as the device slid a few more feet across the floorboards, the corners of the metal struts loosing a hideous, crackling groan as they scraped deep ruts into the floor of the workshop.
I’ve gotta stop using wood for these things, Lapis thought, and a brief, hysterical chuckle shuddered free of his throat.
He got up, briefly inspected the base of the structure, and once again began to write:
- Results: Hypothesis was not supported - the free-flowing mana rapidly formed and maintained a ring until the shutdown of the testing device. However, roughly 3.5 seconds following siphon ignition, thrust was observed along multiple undesired vectors. The resulting multidirectional stress caused both of the stand’s two mounting points to fail, which allowed the pump ring to complete a self-propelled lap around the workshop via rotary locomotion before the last of the mana was drained from its conduits.
- Discussion: Mana’s tendency to attract itself does not seem to be nearly as important for its overall direction of motion as its momentum. Additionally, in light of the damage sustained to the workshop floor, and his own near-crushing, this researcher finds himself newly impressed by the importance of creating scaled-down designs for initial testing purposes. The only potential use for the siphon-ring design may well be in the entertainment industry, just in case Pinkie ever needs a six-foot-wide, several-hundred-pound Catherine wheel-
Lapis sighed, then crossed out the final line. Underneath it, he wrote: Further research required.
He looked up to stare at the device, a faint headache of magical exertion already building in his forehead. For a second, Lapis was half-tempted to pick it up and throw it against the wall. Better not - it’d probably break the wall, even assuming the damn thing doesn’t start back up again.
Lapis hadn’t been expecting the mana concentrator to do anything useful - maybe demonstrate the potential “stickiness” of mana, but that was it. Still, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed, to a degree that approached dread. Clearly, the quartz-based mana pumps were a bigger danger than he thought. Makes me wonder why the writer of that book thought it would be a good idea to let new artificiers make the damn things.
“I don’t know what I was expecting,” Lapis muttered.
Lapis stepped out of the closet and into his main storefront, glancing at the corner of his counter to see what his workload for the day would look like. To his surprise, there were only a few slips there, and he knew for a fact that his request board was clean.
I’m finally through the backlog, he thought, staring down at the trio of requests. A doorjamb, the stem of a wineglass, and a fence-post… that’s, what, two minutes’ work each?
That’s nothing. I… might actually end up with nothing to do for six hours.
“Huh,” he muttered. “…What am I gonna do?”
No answer was immediately forthcoming, so Lapis made his way outside. It was another perfect summer morning in Ponyville, with a chill breeze lazily washing over the streets, and the sun only just climbing into the sky. It wasn’t early, but Lapis still found himself struck by how empty the streets of Ponyville were during the early morning-
Lapis spotted a large, purple blotch of fabric rising into the sky, a bundle of familiar faces packed into the basket beneath it, and dove into a nearby alleyway. Shit. I don’t think they saw me, but I’ll still need to wait a minute-
…Wait a minute.
Lapis groaned, facehoofed, then stepped out of the alleyway and proceeded down the street as normal, glancing only briefly at the hot air balloon as it continued to rise into the sky. Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were all packed into the wicker basket beneath the balloon, which looked a little cramped, but didn’t seem to impede the balloon’s ascent. Rarity was alongside them, and she seemed to be flying.
What’s going on there, anyway? Lapis wondered, spotting the enormous, translucent butterfly wings on Rarity’s back. Is there a magic contest up in Pegasus-land, or… Oh, wait, it’s the episode about Rainbow Dash’s competition thing. Right.
Lapis kept his eyes forward as he continued down the streets of Ponyville, making his way toward the fence-post he needed to fix. So that means the whole gang should be out of town for… at least most of the day, if not all of today. If I do come up with anything I need to test in an open environment, then today’s the day to do it.
Lapis still wasn’t used to the idea that he didn’t need to hide anymore - or at least, to hide as much anymore. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what worried him more about his present situation - the very real possibility that he’d already upset the timeline somehow, or the fact that he could apparently hide from Pinkie and Twilight through sheer force of reflex alone.
For now, he decided to focus on the more immediate problem - he had a light workload today, and the Element Bearers would be out of town, meaning that Lapis was a fencepost, a wine glass, and a doorjamb away from having an unexpected day off. And he had no idea what he was supposed to do with that time.
I think Bon Bon’s making lemon drops today, he thought. Lyra’s probably helping her, and you can only have so many folks in a kitchen before it starts getting crowded. Besides, if the gumdrops were any indication, me and confectionery don’t mix.
Lapis reached the fence post, carefully jammed the ends back together, and one flash of light and flare of heat later, he was a third of the way done with the day’s requests. Who else do I know… well, there’s the Mayor, but if I go talk to her, she might wind up dumping another job on me. That leaves Zecora, maybe, and Big Mac, probably.
…Big Mac, Lapis thought, starting toward the address listed for the doorjamb. Huh. Well, Applejack is out for the day, so there’s no risk I’ll run into her over there. And Big Mac does keep mentioning that he could use the help.
Lapis nodded, fixing the decision in his head. Alright. Guess I’m getting some artifice done, and then I’m checking in on Big Mac.
“Hey, Big Mac!” Lapis called, stepping into the barn at the center of the Apple family property. “You in here?”
It had been about two hours since Lapis had resolved to help the other stallion. In those two hours, he’d taken what he had learned from his… earlier incident, to construct what he hoped would be a more useful device. Once he’d wrapped up, though, he’d headed over to Sweet Apple Acres.
There were only a few brief seconds of scuffling in a corner of the barn, then- “E-yup.”
“Good,” Lapis said, grinning and heading over toward the corner. “Thought I might need to go into the orchard looking for you, Big Mac.”
“Don’t try it,” Big Mac said, standing up. “Ponies have gotten lost in there before, and they’ll keep gettin’ lost yet. What brings y’all over here, Lapis?”
“You know how you’re always saying that you could use a little help?” Lapis asked. “Well, this is it. I’ve got a light load today, and something tells me you don’t.”
Big Mac snorted, walking over toward Lapis. “Nope. Ah’d say you called it right - Applejack’s out an’ about today, an’ she left me an’ Apple Bloom to make the last sweep of the Cosmic Crisp orchards.”
“Lot of trees?” Lapis asked.
“E-yup. Ah expect y’all won’t be much for buckin’ the apples down, but if you’re willin’ to help me keep an eye out, an’ use your horn to finish off the trees what only have a few apples left in ‘em, Ah’d appreciate it greatly.”
“Least I can do,” Lapis said, grinning. “So which way to the Cosmic Crisp?”
Big Mac chuckled, turning back to the corner of the room. “Well, hold on, now, Ah ain’t got the cart out yet!” He began to dig though a small pile of assorted tools, and slowly, a smallish wagon began to emerge.
Lapis walked over, then started levitating the smaller tools out of the way. “So Apple Bloom isn’t much help?”
“E-yup,” Big Mac said. “She tries her hardest, but she’s only a small filly yet. Right now, though, she’s out with her friends somewhere, probably gettin’ into some mess.”
“Reminds me of my little sister,” Lapis muttered, pulling the last of the tools off the wagon, then helping Big Mac to tug it free of the pile and into open floorspace. The yoke dug into Lapis’ back in a way he wasn’t expecting, but he tried to tune it out.
Big Mac chuckled. “Ah thought y’all might have family. Where you from, anyhow? Your folks still there?”
Lapis grimaced, taking a second to get his story straight as he and Big Mac guided the cart out of the barn. “I’m from… pretty far out. I don’t know if Bon Bon’s told you yet, but I come from a spot called A-mare-ica, and I’m honestly not sure how I wound up getting to here from there.”
“Got lost?” Big Mac asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Lapis shook his head. “As far as I know, it was a magical accident. One second I was… well, not too far from home, and then the next I was right in the middle of the Everfree. …Hey, are these the Cosmic Crisp trees?” he asked, as he and Big Mac reached the bottom of the hill and started though a patch of apple trees.
Big Mac briefly glanced around, then shook his head. “Nope. Ah’ll say something when we get there. But Ah gotta admit, that’s quite the magical accident.”
“You’re telling me,” Lapis muttered.
“You ever miss your folks?”
“Every day,” Lapis said. “So, what exactly goes into cider-making, anyway? I’ve heard you mention sorting, juicing, and a couple other steps, but I’ve never heard you put them in order.”
“Well, Ah can’t tell y’all too much,” Big Mac said, grinning and shaking his head. “Family secrets an’ all. But the short version is somethin’ like this:
“First of all, there’s growin’ the apples. That takes half of spring, all of summer, and a fair bite of the fall, too. There’s a lot of little parts to it, managin’ frosts and bugs and drought, but at the end of it, you’ve got barrels and barrels of apples. Usually, we keep an eye on the market through growin’ season, to make sure we can get whatever spices we want ta try mixin’ in this year.
“Then, we gotta sort the barrels o’ apples through the first round, make sure everythin’ that should be together is together, and what should be apart is apart. Any bad apples we find, we toss, but we don’t take the extra-good ones out just yet.
“Then we take care of the leftover apples, what’re still in the orchard,” Big Mac said. “Speakin’ of which, these are the Cosmic Crisp now, so keep an eye out.”
Lapis nodded, training his eyes on the canopy as Big Mac continued to speak. “We get the leftovers, we sort those out, and the extra-good ones of those, we hold back and keep. Either for seeds, or for aging, to make the real good stuff with.
“After that’s done, and only after that’s done, comes the big day,” Big Mac said. “Cider-makin’ day. Get the barrels full o’ apples, this much of this sort and that much of that, toss out the bad ones, then cut up the good ones and juice ‘em in the press. Take the juice, add the spices and do a little bit more work, and just like that, it’s cider.”
“And that whole process happens for what we’re grabbing now, too?” Lapis asked, levitating a trio of apples down from their perch at the top of a tree. “For the ‘real good stuff?’”
“E-yup,” Big Mac said, nodding. “Day after this cart’s full up, Applejack and Ah’ll be whippin’ up a smaller cider barrel. Fresh as we can get it, for the Princess’ personal store.” Big Mac straightened as he said it, and Lapis could hear the glow of pride in his voice.
Lapis cocked an eyebrow, grinning. “Wait, really? Wow, that’s… actually awesome! You sure you want a non-expert grabbing these things down?” he added, gesturing to one of the apples with a hoof. “I’d feel terrible if I ruined a perfectly good royal-cider-apple.”
“E-yup,” Big Mar repeated, turning to deliver a resounding two-hoofed kick to one of the fuller apple trees. “Between your magic, and my buckin’ these trees, Ah’d say Ah’m the one more likely to bruise an apple. …Not that Ah will, mind you.”
“Well, yeah,” Lapis said. “Years of practice, right?”
“E-yup,” Big Mac said. “But that’s enough of me, anyhow. Are those Mend-All spells y’all use as easy as they look, or is there a little more to ‘em?”
Lapis paused, considering. “…They’re not too tough for me, but that’s just thanks to my Cutie Mark. Still, if I do a big one, or a lot of them in one day, then it starts getting a little rough.”
“And is that why y’all… y’know…” Big Mac waved a hoof back and forth. “Had that whole mess after them Parasprites came to town?”
“What? No, that was…” Lapis sighed. “So, I’ve got this workshop in my house, and the Parasprites ate through some important stuff in there. Some tools, some books, that sort of thing. I freaked out a bit, and it turns out that magic and freaking out don’t mix so well.”
“A workshop?” Big Mac asked. “Is that for whatever’s bein’ too stubborn to fix normally?”
“No, it’s for my artifice. Actually, here, hang on a second,” Lapis said, and then he began to dig through his saddlebags. “So basically, it turns out that you can get machines to do magic, too. It’s not easy work, but if you do it right…”
Lapis withdrew his hoof, and clasped around it was his latest project - another copper hoof-band, like the one Firefly had worn. The difference was that it only had four “gems,” one of which was another nub of iron, arranged in a rough diamond - iron, then two smoke-ambers, and finally, another quartz. “…It can pay off.”
“So you’re a jeweler?” Big Mac asked.
Lapis hesitated. “…Uh, maybe? I guess I’d need some gem-cutting equipment. This does a little bit more than look shiny, though. Hang on… actually, maybe take a couple steps back.”
Big Mac obliged, eying Lapis’ bracelet warily. Lapis took a deep breath, then trained his gaze to a spot on the ground a few dozen feet away. Then, slowly and deliberately, he wrapped his telekinetic grip around the iron nub of the bracelet. He felt the familiar jerk-and-weight sensation in his horn as the bracelet pulled magic from his reservoir, and the smoke-ambers flashed out-of-sync as Lapis’ magic flowed through each in turn, first the top, then the bottom. Finally, the quartz crystal blazed with sudden, candle-colored light, and the spell of the bracelet took effect.
“Whoa,” Lapis muttered, wobbling a little as a coat of his own magic wrapped over his body, lifting him about a foot off the ground. It felt bizarre - like he was swimming in a river of warm liquid a little denser than water, with a current too strong to fight. Then, with a speed that briefly blurred his vision, he lurched through the air until he was just above the spot of ground he’d been staring at when he activated the spell - and the coat of magic vanished with a pop like a bubble, Lapis yelping in surprise as he fell back to the ground.
“Huh,” Big Mac muttered. “Well, I’ll be! The bracelet do that all by itself?”
Lapis got up from the dirt, his hooves shaking a little as he brushed the dust off of them. “Whoa… Uh, not exactly. I had to feed it some of my magic, but once it had that, the whole thing with the floating was the bracelet. Same telekinesis we use to pick stuff up.”
“Huh,” Big Mac said. “So, what’s the point of makin’ it, then? Couldn’t y’all’ve floated yourself over there, no jewelry required?”
“Not so much, no,” Lapis said, Big Mac raising an eyebrow as Lapis walked back to the cart. “Unicorns usually have a hard time levitating other ponies. Our magic fields… argue with all the mana inside the other pony, and the other pony’s mana usually wins.”
Big Mac nodded slowly. “Well, Ah guess that’s why unicorn guards tend to go with swords an’ whatnot, instead of just pickin’ the troublemakers up and floatin’ them to the dungeons. But how come the bracelet stops your magic from arguin’ with itself?”
Lapis grinned. “That’s the thing - the only mana that a unicorn’s magic won’t argue with, is itself. No, the problem with trying to levitate yourself is… well, you’ve gotta concentrate, and it’s pretty hard to concentrate on anything when you’re floating, so what the bracelet does is concentrate for you. On top of that, the weight of whatever you’re moving has to go somewhere - normally, that’s either you or the ground you’re standing on, but since you’re the thing that’s floating, you have to pick something else. The bracelet does that, too - your weight is on the spot you’re trying to get to, even before you get there.”
Big Mac frowned, nodding slowly. “So… it ain’t good for flying?”
“Yeah, not so much,” Lapis said, his eyes widening as he suddenly imagined what would happen if you activated the bracelet while looking at the sky. This… is definitely an indoors-only item from now on, he thought, slipping it off his hoof and back into his saddlebag. “Think of it more like a… a bridge, or a ladder. It’ll take you from one spot on the floor, wall, ceiling, whatever, and then drag you over to another spot, regardless of whether there’s a way to walk between them normally.” It wasn’t exactly a grappling hook, but it was close enough for Lapis’ needs.
“Oh,” Big Mac said, his eyes widening. “Ah gotcha. So, is it only unicorns what can use it, or…”
Lapis paused, the weight of Big Mac’s question suddenly slamming into him. “You know…” he muttered, “I think I… could rig this thing up for an Earth-pony. It would have to charge from free-flowing mana between uses, and I’d need to add on a distance limit for safety’s sake, but… yeah, Big Mac. A couple tweaks, some training, and you could use something like this if you wanted.”
Big Mac raised a hoof and shook his head. “Nope. Ah got mah own hooves for walkin, and most ground around here ain’t got gaps big enough to need floatin’ over. ‘Sides, all that copper and whatnot don’t look cheap.”
“Cheaper than you think,” Lapis said, grinning. “And if you’re testing a prototype, I’m sure as hel- heck not gonna make you pay for it, but I hear you. Maybe… something a little less intense? Just some gizmo to grab whatever you’re looking at, and float it over to you?”
Big Mac shook his head again. “Nope. Ah ain’t got enough to grab ‘round here. But Ah appreciate the thought, Lapis, and Ah ‘spect somepony out there’ll be mighty glad if you decide to work in that direction.”
“Yeah,” Lapis said, the gears in his head already turning as he started pulling the cart again. “Huh.”
And as Lapis was preoccupied, he failed to notice four things: first, he didn’t see Big Mac briefly fixing him with that same careful, evaluating eye. The second, third, and fourth things he didn’t notice, however, wasted no time making themselves known.
“Hey, mister!”
Lapis blinked, a more fanciful design suddenly vanishing from his head. He looked around, then down, and saw a trio of small, smiling faces staring up at him.
“There y’all are,” Big Mac said, from next to Lapis. “Just in time, Apple Bloom.”
One of the three fillies, a meringue-yellow Earth-pony with a large red bow on her head, cocked her head in confusion. “Just in time for what?” she asked, with an accent identical to Big Mac’s.
“Ah need somepony to follow behind the cart, and make sure none of the apples fall off,” Big Mac replied. “Think you’re up to it?”
Apple Bloom opened her mouth to reply, but another of the three fillies - a bright-orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail - cut her off. “We hear you’re looking for somepony to test out some awesome magic gadgets?”
“…Uh, hi to you too,” Lapis said. “Also, what?”
The third of the three newcomers, an equally-tiny unicorn with a white coat and a swirly mane, was next to speak, her high-pitched, slightly-squeaky voice at odds with the formality of her tone. “Nice to meet you! I’m Sweetie Belle. This is Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. We were trying to get our Cutie Marks in tree-climbing, and we just happened to overhear that you were looking for some volunteers.”
“I’m Lapis Print,” Lapis said, utterly baffled. He already knew exactly who these three were - his little sister had loved them even more than the Element Bearers. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. “And…”
The image of Lapis’ first artificiary project played back in his head, and suddenly he could almost hear the sound of a shard of wood shattering into splinters, only a few feet away from his head. “…Yeah, I’ll have to turn you down on that one. Artifice is no joke - stuff can explode, or catch fire, or even both. It’s really, really not safe for you, sorry.”
“Oh, don’t fret about that, we know all about fire safety!” Apple Bloom said, smiling and raising a hoof. “Miss Cheerilee told us all about it, after we tried to get our Cutie Marks in arrangin’ fireworks shows.”
“Yeah, she did,” Scootaloo muttered. Sweetie Belle briefly jostled Scootaloo with her shoulder, shaking her head - then she realized that Lapis was watching, and both fillies quickly copped wide-eyed, innocent smiles.
“What Apple Bloom ain’t filled you in on yet,” Big Mac said, grinning, “is that after that little near-miss, none o’ these three are allowed anywhere near Town Hall’s firework supplies, or any sort of hay-barn, ‘till about five years from now.”
Lapis had a sudden, horrifying mental image of every thatch roof in Ponyville wreathed in multicolored flames, the cheerful whistles of Catherine wheels doing their very best to drown out the screaming of terrified ponies. “So, yeah, no artifice-testing for any of you. Definitely not until you’re allowed near fireworks again, and at least not until you’re grown up.”
“Aww,” all three fillies chorused.
“Now, Apple Bloom,” Big Mac added. “You about ready to help with this cart?”
“Yes, Big Macintosh,” Apple Bloom said. “…Hey, Ah wonder if my Cutie Mark might be in cart-keeping?”
Lapis returned to his shop about an hour after that, and wasted no time heading back into the workshop, tucking away the grappling bracelet, and scribbling down a brief reminder to try modifying it for Earth-pony use. Then, he went back upstairs and started fixing himself an early dinner, pausing only briefly when he thought he’d heard his front door closing.
He had just finished when a knock came at his door. “Hey, Lapis! You in here?”
“Yep,” Lapis replied, pulling the door open with his magic. “Hey, Bon Bon. What’s going on?”
“Well, ponies have stopped buying citrus candies,” Bon Bon said, stepping inside. “And you know what that means, don’t you?”
“…Not so much, no,” Lapis said.
Bon Bon narrowed her eyes, grinning. “It means, fall is coming. I’ll need to start making cinnamon twists and caramel for candy apples… well, assuming the Apple family hasn’t juiced all their produce yet.”
“They haven’t,” Lapis said, sitting down at his dining table. “I was just over there, helping Big Mac get the last apples out of the Cosmic Crisp orchards-”
Bon Bon cocked an eyebrow, the beginnings of a scowl creasing the corners of her mouth. “Oh, were you?”
“Whoa, I definitely wasn’t overworking again” Lapis said, raising his hooves defensively. “Promise. I actually had a light day today, and I figured he could probably use a helping horn, so I went on over. We talked a little, I grabbed whatever apples weren’t worth kicking a tree over, and then I came home and made some chili. You want a bowl?”
Bon Bon looked down at the chili in front of Lapis, and her eyes widened as she spotted the faint rainbow-colored sheen across its surface. “…Not if you mixed the Happy Sauce into it. Honestly, I don’t know how you tolerate the stuff.”
“Mostly practice,” Lapis said. And also not being able to find actual chili peppers anywhere. “It’s a pretty bland kind of spicy, but you get used to it. How’s Lyra doing?”
“Peppy as ever,” Bon Bon said, grinning. “She’s landed herself another big performance, and she’s been practicing every chance she gets. How about Big Mac, is he holding up alright?”
“E-yup,” Lapis said, and Bon Bon snorted, rolling her eyes. “Seems like he’s getting ready for cider season in earnest, now. Apparently the leftovers I helped him grab today are getting held back for Princess Celestia’s personal cider stores.”
Bon Bon took a seat, her eyes glazing over as she stared into the distance. “Not just Apple family cider, but royal-quality Apple family cider…”
“Careful, you’ll start drooling,” Lapis said.
Bon Bon nodded, still gazing dreamily into the distance. “Most likely.”
“Speaking of drooling,” Lapis said, “it’s been a couple of days since we’ve gotten brunch. You think we could invite Big Mac along, this time?”
“Wait, what?” Bon Bon said, snapping out of her reverie. “…Well, look who’s finally getting over the Elements! I don’t know when he’ll be free, but as long as the Corner Cafe can feed him-”
Bon Bon cut herself off. “Actually, I just remembered something. I saw Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the Corner Cafe yesterday.”
“Oh, alright,” Lapis said. “I didn’t think they knew it existed.”
“You mean besides the time Pinkie chased you inside?” Bon Bon asked, raising an eyebrow. “But yes, it seemed like they were newcomers. Pinkie was acting a little stranger than usual, though.”
“How do you mean?” Lapis asked, a faint tingle beginning to rise in his gut.
“Well, first, she ate her whole stack of pancakes in one bite,” Bon Bon muttered. “But then she started zipping around the place with a measuring tape and a notepad. Then she started rambling about confetti, and… plates, I think? Palaces-? No, palates. Fluttershy somehow managed to calm her down a little after that, but-”
The floor shook, and Lapis’ bowl jumped at least an inch above the table, splattering his face with rainbow-tinged chili. Bon Bon got up from her chair, looking out the window. “What the hay! Was that an earthquake?”
Lapis was just standing up when the floor shook again, and this time, the vibrations were strong enough that both he and Bon Bon stumbled. One of the floorboards, Lapis saw, had come loose from the rest of the floor at the end, and a faint noise was coming from the gap underneath. A dull, rattling series of thumps, and a high-pitched noise like…
“Is somepony screaming?!” Bon Bon asked, her eyes widening.
Then, with a dry, crackling crunch, a vast blur of tangled black metal erupted through Lapis’ floor. It rolled past Bon Bon and through Lapis’ front door, trailing gray-green light like a comet, then hung a left and rolled out of sight.
“Uh-oh,” Lapis muttered.
“Lapis?” Bon Bon asked, her tone perfectly calm. “What the buck was that?”
“A failed project, and I’ve got three guesses who might have switched it on,” Lapis said, reaching for the closet door. It wouldn’t budge, and Lapis shook the door in frustration for a second or two, then rolled his eyes and shut the secret door through the wall, then hurried downstairs as he normally would. His suspicions were confirmed even before he reached the bottom of the stairs, as a trio of high-pitched voices started speaking all at once-
“…I just grabbed the shiny part, I didn’t think it would move!”
“…We were just looking around, and all of a sudden…”
“…Ah was the one who put us up to it, Ah swear!”
“Stay here,” Lapis said, ignoring the three fillies as he grabbed the grappling gauntlet off of his workbench. He glanced up through the hole in his workshop ceiling, briefly considering the idea of using the bracelet to levitate up through the hole, then decided against it and hurried back up the stairs.
“Which way did it go?” Lapis asked Bon Bon, as he rushed back into the room.
“It was heading toward Cantering Boulevard,” Bon Bon said. “Was it the Cutie Mark-”
“Yes,” Lapis said, heading for the door. “Later. Right now, we’ve got a runaway metal wheel to catch.”
“Right,” Bon Bon sighed. “Anything I should know, before we start chasing after it?”
“Uh, don’t let any unicorns grab it with magic?” Lapis said.
“Uh-huh. Alright, let’s stop this thing.”
Lapis had almost been hoping he wouldn’t be able to tell which way his creation had gone. To his dismay, its path of destruction was clearly visible - he could see exactly where the struts of the rolling device had dug into the dirt road, carving up a smattering of small ruts at odd angles. Lapis followed after them at a gallop, Bon Bon close behind.
He rounded a corner at speed, and finally managed to catch sight of the thing as it rolled right past the open door to Twilight’s library. Lapis’ heart almost stopped for a few seconds, but the device kept rolling right past Twilight’s house. As Lapis galloped past the door, somepony stepped out of it and began to gallop alongside him.
“Well, Ah was goin’ ta ask whether you’d seen Apple Bloom,” a familiar voice said. “Somehow, Ah don’t think Ah need to.”
“Oh, hey, Big Mac,” Bon Bon said. “So, how’s your day been?”
“Howdy,” Big Mac replied, giving Bon Bon a confused look for a second or two. “Uh, a little surpisin’ so far.”
“Oh, really? Mine, too!”
“The thing we’re chasing, it’s a little like the bracelet,” Lapis said, trying to ignore the stitch that was building up in his side. “It runs off the magic of whatever unicorn grabs the device. If you see a unicorn trying to pick it up, don’t let them, or it’ll just keep going.”
“What even is this thing?” Bon Bon asked, Lapis wincing as the device collided with a house with enough force to gouge a few trails in its siding, then bounced and hung another turn.
“Mana compressor,” Lapis said. “Experimental design, not working out great so far. Can we not talk so much? Kinda getting out of breath here.”
Bon Bon didn’t reply as they rounded another corner, and Lapis was relieved to see that the mana compressor had finally exhausted the magic inside its system, and now appeared to be rolling by the power of momentum alone. Unfortunately, it was now trying to roll uphill at an angle, and despite Lapis’ fervent hopes that it would just fall on its side and be done, the compressor just turned in a slow, smooth arc before beginning to roll downhill again, right toward-
“Big Mac, look out!” Lapis yelled, but Big Mac was already moving, taking a few careful steps that put him just out of the compressor’s path. Then, Big Mac snorted and set his jaw, his eyes narrowing in focus - and as the compressor rolled past him, he reared onto his front legs and kicked the top of the compressor like an apple tree. His hooves struck the iron with an echoing thock. The compressor clanged, wobbled, then fell to one side, kicking up a cloud of dust as it skidded across the soft earth.
That was at least a couple hundred pounds of iron, Lapis thought, and he just… kicked it over.
“Wait, Bon Bon?” someone asked, and Lapis turned just in time to see Lyra trotting up the hill. “Lapis? …Big Mac? What the hay was that big noise?”
“Us. Catching Lapis’ runaway experiment,” Bon Bon said, gingerly tapping the side of her hoof against the compressor. “Nice kick, Big Mac.”
“Thank you kindly.”
“Yeah,” Lapis said, his lungs still burning a little. “Good work, Big Mac. Can I ask you to watch this thing while I get back to my shop and get the tools to dismantle it?”
“E-yup.”
“Make it quick,” Bon Bon said. Lapis nodded, then turned back toward his shop-
“Uh, hang on a second,” Lyra said. “You think maybe there’s an easier way?”
Lapis glanced back. “What do you mean- WAIT, LYRA, PUT THAT DOWN!”
“I haven’t even picked it up yet,” Lyra said, as the orange glow of her magic wrapped around the surface of the compressor. “You gonna lend me a horn, or- ow!”
Bon Bon bopped Lyra on the tip of her horn, and the glow of magic faded from Lyra’s horn at once, but the damage was already done - the pumps of the compressor flared to life with Lyra’s fire-colored magic, and the ring of iron lurched in the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust as Lyra, Bon Bon and Big Mac took a few quick steps back. Then, with a motion like a coin spin in reverse, the compressor shuddered upright and began to roll back into town, looking for all the world like some kind of flaming war machine as it crashed and clattered its way through Ponyville.
“Oh, wow,” Lyra said, as the screaming began. “Uh, you didn’t make that, right, Lapis?”
Lapis didn’t bother to answer, taking off down the hill at a gallop, Big Mac close behind. Ahead of them both, the compressor rattled through the market street of Ponyville, crashing through empty stalls and crates, ponies gaping wide-eyed as it rolled by or else yelling as they ran away, Lapis turning his head to dodge a spray of splinters and mustard from a newly-shattered food cart. The device thundered toward Twilight’s house again, just as the door opened and Spike walked out, dusting off his claws-
“LOOK OUT!” Lapis yelled-
Spike paused in place, turning to look, his eyes widening as the jagged wheel of black iron and flaming magic bore down on him-
Lapis ignited his horn-
“GAH-HA!” Spike yelped, as a coat of brown magic wrapped around him for just a second, just long enough to toss him back into the library and out of the compressor’s path. The snap of Lapis’ telekinetic field carried back into Lapis’ horn with a brief jolt of pain, and his hoof slipped in the dirt. The whole world lurched, and the next thing Lapis knew, he was looking up at the sky, his momentum grinding him against the dirt road on his back for two of the slowest seconds he’d ever experienced.
“Ow,” Lapis wheezed.
Big Mac thundered to a halt at his side. “Lapis, you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Lapis said, and he tried to sit up - instead, his back remained firmly on the ground, and he only raised his hind legs into the air. Right, I guess I don’t have as much weight in my legs anymore, huh?
“Well, y’all better get movin’, then,” Big Mac said, lowering his head and rolling Lapis upright. “That doohickey’s gettin’ away fast.”
“Right,” Lapis said, gingerly shaking his limbs as he turned in the direction he’d originally been running. As he turned, he glanced through the open door of Twilight’s library, and saw Spike sitting up out of a pile of books, looking a little dazed but unharmed.
“Sorry!” Lapis called, and then he took off again.
Spike watched him go, confused. Then he looked down, saw what he’d landed in, and groaned.
“Aw man, not again,” he muttered.
Lapis rounded a corner and began galloping out of town, Big Mac thundering along beside him. He shortly managed to catch sight of the compressor - some other unicorns must’ve tried to stop it with magic, because the flames trailing from the mana pumps were now an eye-catching mixture of lime-green and magenta as it rumbled its way through the grassy fields outside of town. Haven’t seen any picnickers so far, but that won’t last forever - gotta stop this thing, fast.
“Another hill comin’ up,” Big Mac said. “Same as last time?”
Lapis nodded, too focused on breathing to speak, and together they began to gallop up the slope. Slowly, the magic in the compressor began to flicker and die, and the compressor’s pace lessened as it crested the first crest of the hill, crossed a small plateau, and began to turn as it started up the second peak.
“Here?” Lapis said, panting for breath as he stopped at the far edge of the plateau. “Kick from here?”
“E-yup,” Big Mac said, narrowing his eyes and getting into position. “Together, on three. One!”
The compressor finished turning, and began to rumble back down the hill.
“Two!”
-Lean onto my front hooves, push off the ground with my back hooves, and then snap them up and kick out-
“Three!”
Lapis and Big Mac leaned forward and kicked out, and Lapis felt a jolt of pain spike up his shins as his hooves hit the iron - then, he hit the ground on his belly, having forgotten to pull his legs back after he kicked.
The compressor wobbled, slowing down even further, but it was still rolling toward the edge of the plateau, toward the start of the next downhill. Lapis froze as he realized what was about to happen, that they hadn’t stopped it-
And then he blinked, and the compressor thunked against something solid - then fell, slowly, to the side, and hit the ground with an echoing crash.
“Ah think we got it,” Big Mac said. “…Y’all don’t kick things much, do you?”
“…Honestly?” Lapis sighed. “First time.”
Big Mac’s eyebrows shot up, then he nodded. “Well, for a first time, Ah’d say that was mighty fine work.”
Slowly, Lapis grinned, shaking his head in bewilderment. “Thanks, Big Mac. I tried.”
Lapis got up, then turned and walked over to his creation. The device’s rampage had bent its support structure almost entirely out of shape, and as he watched, one of the more mangled struts fell off, clattering against its fellows for a moment before hitting the ground. Lapis picked up the strut and looked over the compressor’s side until he found the iron activation nub. Then, angling the spare strut like a crowbar, he pried the nub from the device.
“Makin’ sure it doesn’t get back up?” Big Mac asked, walking over.
“Yep,” Lapis said, and then he ripped out the copper strips, just in case. “That should do it.”
Then, slowly, he looked up at Ponyville to survey the damage.
Bon Bon and Lyra were coming up the hill, which was good. There was also a visible path of destruction through town, which was less good. Even from here, Lapis could see dozens of broken stalls in the market street, splintered boards jutting through torn tarps at sharp, unpleasant angles. There were long, narrow chunks carved from the walls of four houses that Lapis could see, and at least one fenced porch had been made to resemble a mouth full of broken, jagged teeth. Even now, Lapis could just make out a few ponies emerging from their houses, their ears flopping back and their eyes growing wide as they surveyed the wreckage.
“Well, it could be worse,” Lyra said, and Lapis turned to look at her. “I mean, nopony was hurt, nothing’s on fire… honestly, I bet everything will be back to normal in just a couple days!”
“Lyra,” Bon Bon said, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re talking to the pony who’s got to make things normal again.”
“Ooh,” Lyra said, her ears flopping back on her head. “Right, yeah. Um, sorry, Lapis.”
“Uh-huh,” Lapis said, his eyes tracing the length of the market street again. At one hour to a stand, that’s… at least a week’s work. Maybe two.
Or none, if I get fired. Oh, I’m so getting fired.
I don’t know what I’m gonna do. What the hell am I gonna do?!
“So, um, Big Mac,” Lyra said, scuffing her hoof in the grass. “Were you the one who kicked over the, um, thingy here?”
“Nope,” Big Mac said, and Lapis was jolted back to reality by the weight of a hoof patting him on the back. “It was me and Lapis here - Ah couldn’t have done it without him.”
“Yeah, I saw,” Bon Bon said, and Lapis paused - something about her tone sounded off. “Still, it’s a lucky thing that park bench was here.”
“…What park bench,” Lapis said, looking up. Bon Bon was staring right at him, and as Lapis watched, she nodded toward the side of the compressor closest to the hill. Lapis looked - and sitting there, crushed to splinters where the compressor had rolled into it, was a short, squat park bench made from dark, familiar, and faintly reddish wood.
Lapis felt a creeping chill prickle up his spine, and he took a pre-emptive step away from the mimic. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lyra frown as she glanced between Lapis and the bench, then her eyes widened in comprehension.
Big Mac noticed too, looking over at Lapis with concern. “Hey, what’s the matter?”
“Get away from that bench,” Lapis said, not taking his eyes off the mimic, his heart beginning to pound in his chest.
“Whoa, slow down,” Lyra said. “I think it’s a good thing! It stopped the… thingy from going downhill, right?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Lapis said. “I don’t know.”
“Either way, it’s broken,” Bon Bon added. “Lapis, I think we’re safe.”
“I don’t know,” Lapis repeated, and something in his chest began to grow hot.
“Alright, what in tarnation is goin’ on here-”
“I don’t know!” Lapis snapped, and Big Mac’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I… A lot, Big Mac. There’s a lot going on. I’m sorry for yelling, I’ll explain as soon as I can, but-”
Somewhere behind Lapis, something exploded, loud enough that Lyra jumped and Lapis gasped - and all of a sudden, Lapis couldn’t breathe. The heat in his chest surged, building to a throbbing, charring wave, and as it began to rise up Lapis’ chest and toward his neck, he felt his hooves leave the ground.
“Lapis!” Lyra yelped, but the mana continued to rise in Lapis’ neck. His lungs burned, and his vision began to go white, a rainbow-colored arc sweeping across the sky. No. No, have to get it under control, come on-
As Lyra turned to Big Mac and Bon Bon, saying something about waves and magic, Lapis tried to stop the magic from rising up his head, but it didn’t work, it didn’t even slow his mana down. No, no, no, not again no no it’s-
“Lapis, do something!” Lyra yelled, as a knot of magma began to shudder behind the base of Lapis’ horn.
-all broken it’s all wrong it’s my fault and I can’t make it right-
“Anything! Tell the magic what to do-”
-can’t I just fix something, anything, please!
-And suddenly, Lapis could see, and breathe, and he screamed as a wave of candlelight-colored magic ripped itself free of his horn. Lyra and Big Mac yelped as it washed over them, then dissipated after a few yards. Lapis fell to the ground, his head throbbing with heat, bracing himself for the next wave…
And it never came.
“…Did it work?” Bon Bon asked.
“I think so,” Lyra said. “Hey. Lapis, you alright?”
…Am I alright? His horn still hurt, an awful sharp-throbbing pain like a dentist’s hook catching on a cavity, and his knees felt weak as he climbed to his hooves. “I… think so. Man, I've really gotta stop doing this- whoa!”
Lapis almost fell as one of his knees gave out, and suddenly Lyra was there, wedging him upright with her shoulder. “Whoa, easy. That was… kind of a lot, you should probably take it slow. Maybe get some bed rest?”
“No kiddin’,” Big Mac said. “Was that the whole Cascade thing you mentioned, Bon Bon?”
Bon Bon shook her head. “I don’t think so. That had more than one wave, and… well, I can’t spot any unusual organization.”
“It definitely wasn’t,” Lyra said, and Lapis thought he heard a faint tinge of excitement in her voice. “He channeled it.”
Lapis frowned, wincing at the pain in his horn. “I did… what?”
“Okay,” Lyra began. “So the reason that Cascades are bad is that they’re given super-vague instructions, right? They have access to your whole reservoir, and they’re basically intent on doing whatever they can do. So they try to do anything, and they keep doing that until they eat every drop of magic in your body. But, if you can give the Cascade some better instructions before it gets started…”
“…Then it’ll complete those instructions, without burning through all my mana,” Lapis finished. “Lyra, that’s… incredible. I owe you, big-time.”
“Oh,” Big Mac said. “Well, that explains how that bench got fixed. …Ah’m still wonderin’ what’s the matter with that, by the way.”
Lapis froze, and he felt Lyra tense against his foreleg - then, he sighed. That’s what I fixed? Really?
I… guess this is the best chance it’s had to get me, and it didn’t take it.
“You know what?” Lapis said, pointedly not looking back at the bench. “Honestly, it’s probably okay. Can I tell you on the way back to my shop?”
“Works for me,” Big Mac said.
“Alright,” Lapis began, as he, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Big Mac started down the hill. “So, when I went on vacation to Amberhoof…”
Big Mac listened through the whole tale, and by the time Lapis had finished, they were just about to reach his shop again.
“So this ‘mimic’ critter,” Big Mac said. “It’s always made of that same kind of-”
“There you are! Oh, thank goodness,” a new voice said, cutting Big Mac off mid-sentence. Lapis looked up and saw Mayor Mare walking toward them, a curler still in her mane. “Lapis, I don’t know if you’ve seen what’s happened, but the whole town’s a mess! Ponies have been rambling to me about some kind of big, metal wheel, but I haven’t seen it yet, and the Elements are out of town!”
“…Yeah,” Lapis said, stopping in front of his door as Bon Bon stepped inside. “About that whole ‘metal wheel’ thing? Big Mac and I stopped it, it’s in the fields over that way.”
Mayor Mare heaved a deep, relieved breath. “Oh, thank goodness,” she repeated. “And, well, thank the two of you, too, of course. Lapis, I don’t suppose you have any idea what happened, or how it happened?”
Lapis opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, Bon Bon pushed his door open again. “We do. But let’s start with these three, first.”
Slowly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders emerged from Lapis’ house, their ears flopped back and their gazes low. Mayor Mare looked down at their remorseful faces and sighed, pushing her glasses back up her face. “Oh. Say no more, Lapis, I understand completely. Now, young fillies, what did I tell you about breaking into places?”
“That it’s not safe,” Scootaloo said, looking off to the side.
“Exactly,” Mayor Mare said, nodding. “And how about messing with other ponies’ tools, especially when you don’t know how they work?”
“But how else are we gonna figure out whether they’re our talent or not?” Applebloom asked.
“By waiting,” Mayor Mare said, “until the ponies who do know how to use those tools agree to give you a guided lesson. Because if you don’t, then ponies might not be willing to give you any guided lessons at all. Now, what do you three have to say for yourselves?”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders sighed, then turned to face Lapis. “We’re sorry,” they chorused.
“Good,” Mayor Mare said. “Now. Let’s get you back to your homes, so you can explain yourselves to your family.”
“Ah can take Apple Bloom,” Big Mac said. “Ah’ve got a few words we need to share.”
Apple Bloom swallowed, scuffing the ground nervously with her hoof, and suddenly, Lapis couldn't remain silent. "Wait," he said.
Everypony involved turned to look at Lapis. “What’s up?” Lyra asked.
“…Listen,” Lapis began, making an effort to keep his ears upright. “I’m the one who built that mana compressor in the first place, and I’m the one who set it up to run off the mana of any unicorn that grabbed it. Honestly, this whole mess is more my fault than theirs. I’m not thrilled they broke into my house, but honestly, I’d been neglecting safety standards in my workshop for a while now. It had to come back to bite me at some point.”
“Oh. Well, I appreciate your honesty, Lapis,” said Mayor Mare. “However, I would argue that it’s very much not your fault. These three fillies seem to have a knack for finding the quickest way to get into the most trouble, and today that meant they went through you.”
Lapis shook his head. “I still should’ve been more careful with my work. Just… go easy on them if you can, alright?”
Lapis heard Bon Bon sighing over his shoulder as Mayor Mare met his eyes. “…I suppose,” Mayor Mare eventually said, “you do make a fair point. I’ll be sure to fill in these fillies’ famililies-”
Mayor Mare paused, then chuckled. “‘Fami-lilies?’ Goodness. Sorry, I’ll try again: I will make sure that these fillies’, families, are filled in on the whole situation. But if any angry relatives show up on your doorstep, I’m afraid you’ll have to deal with it yourself.”
“Then I guess I will,” Lapis said. “…Assuming I’m home when they come knocking. It looks like I’ll have a lot to do.”
“Then I guess I’ll help them schedule an appointment,” Mayor Mare said, a grin flashing across her face. “That is, assuming they ask. Big Mac, since you’re here, do you think Granny Smith will need to book a date and time?”
“Nope.”
“Well, if you’re sure, then I’d better be on my way. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo still need to get back to their homes,” Mayor Mare said. “I’ll speak with you about repairing the damage tomorrow morning, Lapis, so don’t get started until I do.”
“I guess I’ll see you then,” Lapis said, as Mayor Mare turned and walked away.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Lapis let out a relieved sigh. “Well, I don’t think I’m fired. That’s good.”
“E-yup.”
“I have to say,” Bon Bon said. “I wasn’t expecting you to own up to the compressor in front of the Mayor. Especially not if you were concerned about your job security.”
“Yeah!” Applebloom chimed. “Thanks, mister!”
“Don’t thank him yet,” Big Mac said, cocking an eyebrow. “Ah’ll let you get off easy, but that sure don’t mean you’re gettin’ off free.”
“Look, if it’s between my job security and the safety of others, it barely counts as a choice,” Lapis said to Bon Bon, turning toward the door of his house. “But yeah, that probably wasn’t the smartest move. Hey, I wonder if all that chili’s cold…”
As Lapis turned his back on Big Mac and began to head inside, something odd happened. Once again, that same careful, evaluating look appeared on Big Mac’s face. But this time, whatever had been shifting inside of that look finally seemed to click into place, as Big Mac concluded his calculations and sealed the results with a slow, careful nod.
“E-yup,” Big Mac muttered, so quietly that nopony but Lyra heard.
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About time the CMC somehow mess things up. Honestly surprised Lapis lasted this long without encountering them or their... "work," considering he's the one that has to fix it.
Go go highly composite numbers!
Aka Anti-primes
Big Mac, your thoughts are an opaque wall. What are you thinking?!
Anyway, Great chapter. An artifice bracelet that lets Earth Ponies levitate small objects would be pretty useful, I wonder why nopony's thought of that before.
Also, Chester, nice choice.
Edit: How did the CMC know how to get into his workshop? I don't think he ever mentioned how to open it in their presence, or even where the entrance is.
Thanks for the update
Pretty sure BonBon would love an artifact like his glove for 'candy making'. Might be a hard sell getting her to test it after seeing all that though.
I wonder what's up with bigmac
Groovy story. I like it.
New chapter? Let's fucking goooooooooooooo
if Lapis put some work into it he could make a magic powered Monowheel
What a lovely chapter. It's not everyday that a rampant magical danger goes out of control and threatens to destroy the town. It's every other day (in Ponyville).
I'm really surprised Lapis tried to take all the blame here, instead of owning up to not dismantling the wheel immediately– but then yelling his voice hoarse at the three intruders who came closer to death than anyone knows.
On another note, Big Mac definitely thinks that Lapis has a crush on Applejack. I know you said no canon love interests, but I could see it work. It would take a couple hundred thousand words, but it would work!
Lapis is even a farmboy, for corn's sake!**I was thinking of a different fic, I'm pretty sure... Still, I ship them.
Imperial is better for small scales, but metric is easier to work with. Honestly, I think we should scrap it all and start over. After all, both imperial and metric are base 10, which sucks. Return to base 60! Or, at the very least, base 12. Excellent chapter as always, can't wait for more.
This story is all together too enjoyable. Its been years since I was actually excited to see a story I'm watching get updated like I do with this one.
Least if something clicked that means we might finally find out what Big Mac has been thinking.
Objection!
your argument is flawed, and my day is ruined! you have like no idea how the metric system works, the system is based off the fact that you could just multiply/divide any amount of cm,m,km etc and get the amount back in cm,m,km etc! for example 70 m multiplied by 100 is 7000 centimeters and 70 m dived by 1000 is 0.07 kilometers and if you need whole numbers to figure out something out, then good for your buddy.
anyway i don't want this comment to be negative so let me sing these stories praises loud!
Lapis is an excellent protagonist who has flaws, and makes mistakes and yet is still fun to watch. For example in this episode yeah he could have just let the cmc take the fall and if this was an edgier story he would have, but instead he takes the fall and takes accountability. There is also Lyra, bon-bon and big mac who are also really fun and inst resting takes on the characters.
So overall a pretty good story (you still have pretty bad taste in measuring systems.)
Well that was a proper Ponyville disaster and no mistake, one should never doubt the CMC's ability to get into trouble.
Honestly, how did they even find that workshop?
nice
It's also the biggest number that has only a single syllable! I think that's pretty neat.
11346881
Really the best of both worlds would be if we used Base 12, and metric was designed around that. You get clean divisions and you get to just add or remove decimal places (or I guess duodecimal places) to convert between units.
Wonder what hes thinkin
Y'know what? You're right. The fact that the metric can't break a meter into three (I'm gonna ignore 4, because anyone who can't halve a centimetre doesn't know how to use a ruler) without resorting to decimals can be inconvenient. But out of curiosity: how do Americans measure anything smaller than an inch?
11346914
Oh yeah, no doubt. in truth i wouldn't be surprised if like Denmark or whatever starts using base 12. I wonder how it would go?
who wants to bet lapis become a mentor figure to those three disaster magnets? cause they so gonna keep dragging him into their messes to clean up and save them from a bigger mess...
I missed something there are some cultural differences and missing context happening here at the end
poor lapis having to get the bird and bees talk of Equestria will be hilarious!
11346815
It was stated in a previous chapter that ponies haven't developed artifice a lot.
It's implied that all the good enchanters are changelings in disguise.
Poor Spike.
So it's basically a magic computer. That's pretty neat.
11346881
And if our numbers were base 12 instead of base 10, the metric system (based on powers of 12) would be even better. As it stands, even with base 10 I'd rather have metric than customary units.
Though, I actually prefer 6 to 12.
Interestingly enough assuming magically attracting is simmilar to gravity a torus would be a stable geometry for it to be in
Somepony get two big crates - I'm starting to suspect that Big Mac might consider trying his hooves in the shipping business.
11346931
Fractions, in the form of 1/(2^n), (so half, quarter, so on), up to about 1/16th, then decimal thousandths, which is the worst of both worlds.
Lapis telling Mayor Mare that he is at fault and not the CMC just pisses me off. If they're let off they'll just do something just as catastrophic again and again.
Also the fact that Pinkie is STILL planning to force a party on Lapis just proves she's terrible.
I’m incredibly curious over what Big Mac is thinking
Methinks Big Mac is shipping Lapis and Applejack
Well I hope he gets that wheel fixed and re-installed.
11346931 fractional units I think...
It reminds me of that guy who raised a hippo from a calf. Over time he got really bonded with it, hippo responded to its name, let the guy ride on its back, they played and swam together. Hippo was so friendly with him, that owner said it was "like a son".
And then hippo ripped the guy apart.
Edit: actually I found an article about this if you guys are interested: https://www.foxnews.com/world/man-mauled-death-pet-hippo
Long story short: don't trust wild creatures. They can be unpredictable. I think the same could be said about Mimics.
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11347170
Exactly. It's downright obscene.
11347154
"Ya'll must continue the Apple Family bloodline, Lapis!"
The thing about metric vs imperial is that metric is almost always better for any kind of scientific measurement. The definitions for the second, meter, kilogram, kelvin, candela, mole, and coulomb are all exact and based on universal constants, and once those are there you can derive any other unit, since it's a coherent system. One liter is one cubic decimeter. One newton is one kilogram-meter-per-second-squared. One joule is one newton-meter. One watt is one joule-per-second. One amp is one coulomb-per-second. One volt is one joule-per-coulomb. And so on.
Meanwhile, in imperial, the gallon is 231 cubic inches.
Big Mac has finally realized Lapis is an AAAAAAAALIEN!!! In Pony form!
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11346983
True, but Lapis himself is at the level of Basement/Garage Tinkerer/Enthusiest. Trixie got that book from somewhere, so there has to be some ponies around who tinker on the side. Levitation bracelet seems like a simple idea, in concept anyway.
To be fair, it may not be simple in execution and Lapis' engineering background (and the crash-course he got from "Firefly") is giving him a leg-up compared to other ametuer artificers.
No pigeon mafia this time...
12 is the second best number
The best numbers are any multiples of 7
11347248
As a long time Skaven player, the best number is 13.
Lapis stares at cart-> invents moving wheele-> lapis invents cars.
11347274
Lapis: "I've invented a self-moving cart. For the next version I'm working on a way of getting it to stop."
11346898
Um... You do know you answered your question before you even asked it?
OUC, if you like the dozen so much, don't forget the next chapter would be "A Baker's Dozen".
I must be particularly dense today. I don't quite get what Big Mac is suspecting.
So... Changeling or mimic? Honestly, just try to understand that unequine reaction
11346983
Central air was invented by a changeling
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Murphy's Law
Another great chapter :)
Next the Crusaders try to fix your computer...
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