BACK TO EQUESTRIA!

by The PatioHeater

PART III

Rainbow Dash and Lyra dived behind Doc’s truck as he pushed down on the plunger, causing the sealed entrance of old mines to blow up in an elaborate explosion. As they heard the final clatters of rock hit the ground Rainbow Dash stood up, helping Lyra to her hooves as she did so. She looked around for Doc, he was nowhere to be seen. She looked around worriedly for a few seconds before she heard a loud coughing coming from by the wheel of the truck. Doc stood up and dusted himself off, his face blackened by soot.
He spat the dirt out of his mouth. “Whoa, maybe I should have used less dynamite.”
“What was the point of that?!” Rainbow Dash shouted angrily.
“I use this old abandoned mine shaft to store some of my more elaborate and dangerous contraptions.”
“So why did you have to blow it up the entrance if you still use it?”
“I can’t just leave it open for anypony to come and steal it now, could I?”
“What?! That’s so stupid!” she shouted angrily.
Lyra stumbled around to the other two. “What’s wrong Rainbow?”
“This guy is crazy! He just blew up that mine entrance.”
“Err, I also had some spare dynamite that needed using up,” Doc interjected.
Lyra smiled. “Oh you,” she chuckled. “What are you like?” She rolled her happily and shook her head.
“Wha-?” Rainbow said while looking confusedly between Doc and Lyra.
“So what’s the plan here Doc?” Lyra asked to get the plot moving.
“Now we go down the mines.” Doc went to the back of his truck and collected a few lanterns and hard hats. “Don’t worry, it’s completely safe, I assure you,” he said unreassuringly as her adorned a hard hat and lit a lantern. He started to trot down the mine shaft, barely waiting for Lyra and Rainbow to follow with their hard hats and lanterns.

“So what is this place Doc?” Lyra asked, she was amazed at the deep tunnel they were walking down.
“It’s the old abandoned coal mines. I used to come down here often as a kid. Ah… that’s takes me back,” he said in nostalgic voice. “I remember when I was a foal, I used to come down here and try to make my way to the centre of the planet, just like in my favourite book by Hooves Verne. Although I never did get very far.”
“But why are we here now?” Rainbow Dash said, growing impatient.
“This is where I used to work on my more secretive experiments, the ones which could have me banished and put me in dungeon in the place where I was banished.”
“I… see… but what’s down here that so important?”
“One of my greatest inventions.”
“What is it?” Lyra said in awe.
“A device that can store phenomenal amounts of magic and then release it all in one go. I had the idea many years ago when I was hanging a picture in my bathroom and slipped on the wet floor, knocking my head on the sink. And that’s when it came to me, in a sudden revelation.”
“What?” Rainbow said with great intrigue.
“A Flux Capacitor!”
“A what?”
“A Flux Capacitor.”
“Hang on minute!” Lyra boomed, her voice echoing in the mine shaft. “Are you telling me you had the most useful magical device ever and kept it to yourself?!” For reasons unknown to Lyra she was incredibly angered by this.
“Calm down Lyra. Besides, I would have shared it but I found no particular use for it. Until now.” Doc stopped as he arrived at a section of wall that seemed to be rebuilt badly and had “DB” scratched into it. “A-ha! Here it is!” he shouted triumphantly.
“What?” Lyra said, still with some anger in her voice.
“My store room.” Doc turned around and kicked the wooden wall with his hind legs. It shuddered and nothing more. He kicked it again and still nothing.
Rainbow Dash coolly and calmly trotted over to the wall, turned her back to it, and kicked it with one leg, seemingly effortlessly. It shattered open.
Doc walked past her and into the store room, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Thank you,” he stated flatly.

Rainbow followed him closely, and as Doc switched on the lights, her mouth fell open in awe. There was so much amazing equipment in there she didn’t know where to look. Lyra shared her sentiment.
“Wow Doc. This is awesome!” Lyra said in an airy voice.
“Yes, yes, I know,” Doc said in an exhausted fashion, as if he didn’t want the praise. “Now where is it?” Doc scratched his head with thought and apparent itchiness. He walked around the rather large store, moving scraps of paper and bits of machinery aside to get to the safe. He walked up to it and unlocked it. As he saw the contents of the safe he paled and his eyes went wide with sheer fear and disbelief. “Great Scott!”
“What is it?” the other Ponies said in unison.
Doc raised a hoof and pointed to the empty safe. “It… it’s gone!”
“What is?” Rainbow said with worry.
“The Flux Capacitor! I left it right here!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course I am! In her I put all my schematics and diagrams and the device itself in here, just in case. And know… it’s GONE!”
Lyra walked up to the safe. “Come on now, maybe it just fell down the back.” Lyra stuck her head inside and lit up her horn. “Hey, there’s something in here,” Lyra said with her voice echoed by the metal box. She withdrew her head with a small scroll in her mouth. She levitated it up and looked at it, I had the Royal Seal on it. She opened it and read it out loud.

Dear Doctor Doctorate Brown,

U mad?

Signed Princess Celestia.

“What in Equestria does that mean?” Lyra was greatly confused by this letter.
“Give me that!” Doc ripped the note out Lyra’s magical grip to read it for himself. “Did Celestia still my Flux Capacitor?”
“I think so,” Rainbow Dash said in a voice that should have been more considerate.
Doc’s face contorted with rage, an inexorable wrath that made his eyes appear to glow. He ripped the letter in twain as he roared with anger.
“What are we gonna do Doc?”
“We are going to get back my device,” his voice was surprisingly calm.
“How? We can’t just waltz in there and take it now can we?” Lyra laughed nervously.
Doc perked up. “Of course! It’s so simple!”
“What is?”
“We can just waltz right in there. The Grand Galloping Gala is only one week away!”
Rainbow brightened up as well. “That’s brilliant Doc, it will provide the perfect cover!”
“Come on, we have to get back to the lab. This is going to take some serious planning.” Doc bolted out of the store room, barely giving Rainbow Dash and Lyra a chance to catch up before he left in his truck.

“Alright Ponies, are you ready?” Doc said eagerly as the Lyra and Rainbow Dash walked into his lab the next morning.
“Ready for what?” Lyra asked through a yawn.
“My ingenious plan.” Doc whipped the cover off an impressive looking model of Canterlot Castle. “Sorry about the crudity of this model, I didn’t have time to build it to scale or paint it.”
“Don’t worry, it’s good Doc,” Rainbow said as she patted Doc on the shoulder in a congratulatory way. “So what’s the plan?”
“Well, you two will start over here.” Doc moved two little wooden Ponies representing Rainbow and Lyra to the entrance of the castle. “I can get you into the Gala as guests, no problem at all.”
“What about you?” Rainbow asked.
“Why, I will be here building your machine, of course!” he scoffed.
“Oh, okay. Of course… continue,” Rainbow said embarrassedly.
“Once inside, one of you will need to cause a distraction to let the other one sneak through the guards unnoticed and head deeper into the castle. After that, you must find the vault, break into it, steal the Flux Capacitor and get out again without anypony noticing.”
“Doc, do you seriously expect us to be able to break into Canterlot Castle so easily?” doubt rose in Rainbow’s voice.
“Yes.”
“Whoa, Doc. This is heavy.”
“Actually the Flux Capacitor is a very small device, not heavy at all.”
Rainbow facehoofed.

Comments

[Chill Mists(Chilly)]

This is very good. Will we see a bit from Twilight's pov? Anyway, I look forward to reading more!