The students at the School of Friendship sneak out on an adventure, and discover some interesting items.
After hearing about a rumour of portals briefly opening into Equestria with items travelling through them, the Student Six skip gym class to try and discover the objects before they are confiscated for research purposes.
Cover art (c) me and Nathan @bookcovermall Artwork in cover (c) Cmaggot and CloudyGlow
“And that’s it for class, dear students! I hope you enjoyed our lesson, and will enjoy a good lunch! See you again later in the afternoon!” Starlight Glimmer announced.
In a flash, the students skedaddled out of the classroom, almost tripping over their own feet - hooves, paws, and claws alike. Eager for a well-deserved meal of lunch, they ran down the hall towards the cafeteria, earning quite the look from staff members as the doors burst open.
“Yak want some ice cream!” Yona demanded, tapping her hoof on the counter five times.
“Is… is that ten scoops?” the waitress inquired.
“Yes! Yak want lots!”
“Alrighty!”
With her meal ready, Yona balanced her bowl on her head and trotted over to her friends at a table on the far end.
“That… sure is a lot of ice cream,” Sandbar commented. “You sure you can finish that? A single hay sandwich is good enough for me.”
Yona simply nodded and tucked into her ice cream, devouring every single scoop. Gallus had three scones, while Silverstream ate a kelp wrap.
In no time all six friends had finished their meals and it was time for recess. However, in the gymnasium, Ocellus asked a quick question that changed everything.
“I’ve heard of a rumor that there are some unique artifacts that have stumbled into Equestria, laying around just waiting to be discovered. Many have said that they’ve spotted them in the woods behind the Castle of Friendship.”
“Really?!” Silverstream squealed.
Ocellus nodded.
“If I remember correctly, Twilight Sparkle announced that last weekend a loud tremor shook the ground, and after testing she discovered that it could only have been caused by a portal! She also mentioned there’d be a team who’d be investigating it on her behalf later in the evening,” Smolder added.
“Nice one, fire-breather,” Gallus remarked. “Shame that we get to miss out on such cool stuff.”
“Hey, who said we have to?” Yona added, licking away the last of her ice cream. “Let’s go find out about this mystery!”
“But… we still have class after recess…” Sandbar noted. “The consequences could be serious if…”
“Oh, hush you,” Smolder scoffed, putting a finger to the worried colt’s mouth. “The castle’s quite close anyways. We’ll be back before anyone even notices. Besides, next classes are mostly reviews. We can catch up by pulling a few hours from sleeptime.”
Sandbar sighed. “Fine. But if anything happens, you’re getting reported by me. And how exactly do we get out of here unnoticed?”
“It’s simple,” Gallus remarked. “Follow me.”
Shrugging, Ocellus followed the snarky griffon as he simply got up and left the room. Prancing down the hall and bounding around a corner, he looked up at a clock - and slammed straight into Rainbow Dash.
“Hey, slow down there Gallus!” she remarked, rather disappointed in the griffon’s hastiness.
“Sorry, Dash,” Gallus replied. “We all just need the bathroom before we start playing.”
As soon as Rainbow Dash was out of sight, Gallus opened the bathroom door and gestured to himself and the bathroom’s open window. Then he motioned to another hall which led to a back exit.
“Nice one, Gallus!” Silverstream exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash set down a couple of balls and began performing a couple quick stretches before starting a couple practice rounds with some of the other pony students, completely unaware that those who were due to start the next game had vanished - and would be gone for the next whole school period.
Silverstream and Yona find a BMX Bike and a Football
“So where do we start?” Sandbar muttered. “All I see is just rows of plants on a large hill and trees here and there.”
“Well, let’s split up and see what we can find,” Smolder suggested. “We can all meet in the field in front of the school, which is not too far away.”
Sandbar glanced over his shoulder. Not far.
After a quick discussion, the six friends came to a definite decision. Silverstream and Yona would explore the hilly areas on the lower slopes of the mountains behind the school, while Ocellus and Sandbar would explore the woodlands beyond. Smolder and Gallus would explore the grassy meadows to find anything small.
Silverstream spread her glorious wings and flew up the mountainside, looking for anything interesting or sticking out unusually. The mountainside was enormous, and even spotting something as small as a squirrel was damn near impossible. To her right, the spires of the school towered into the sky, their windows a silvering reminder of the classes that still awaited them after this short adventure.
“Where would I hide if I was a little foreign object?” she wondered, diving in for a closer look at the trees and the grass-covered rocky areas around them.
After ten minutes of scanning, Silverstream had enough, and settled down on a large rock that jutted out from the mountainside. Pondering, she thought back to one of Twilight Sparkle’s seminars on how magic was used to warp sections of time, matter, and space to open portals between dimensions. They usually opened on ground level, but also could open from an angle through the sky, much like when Nightmare Moon returned.
“So… it would go without saying that if such a portal would open from the sky, the items that travelled through it would tumble down the mountain and end up in a broken pile at the bottom,” she quickly theorized. “Oh well, guess I’m finding a broken object today. But hey, it might be good for a show and tell session.”
Peering over the edge of the rock she was stationed on, Silverstream shuddered at the sudden drop to the rocks below. Yeah, climbing down was not a wise option. Instead she took to the air, flying down to the forested area at the mountain’s base.
In a tree, Silverstream scanned the ground below for any movement or damage to the underbrush. Nothing.
“Ugh!” she groaned in frustration. “I’m going to have to get down on the ground and scan the whole forest for anything. What was the point of this? Silly yak!”
Navigating the forest wasn’t too difficult, as the Harmonizing Heights back home on Mount Aris was not much different, only without the same levels of relaxing natural sounds. There were quite a few birds, squirrels, and other creatures, but the environment didn’t feel the same. While she was no tracker, Silverstream was good at detecting differences and changes in a setting.
A rustle and a hard thump came from the bottom of a gully, alerting her. She didn’t know exactly where the gulley was located, but knew it had to be nearby. Quickly, she glanced around, trying to notice any signal or movement that could help her detect where it had come from. Eventually, it came to her. A bird had just flown out from the eastern part of the mountain, just above from where she’d left Yona. Immediately Silverstream rushed towards the location in haste, running through the undergrowth down paths and through trees. Skidding around a bend, a tree branch whacked her wing.
“Ow!” Silverstream squealed, sliding to a stop to rub her sore wing, before continuing up a slight gradient. At the top were a few rocks surrounded by a few bushes, and in the distance more trees just about hid the school’s tallest spire. Looking down, Silverstream realized she was at the top of the gully, which was rather deep. Hidden among the tossed-about dead branches and leaf litter was a rather interesting frame of sorts. Parts of it shone in the bright sunlight of the noon.
Intrigued, Silverstream flew down into the gulley and observed the object close-up. It had no eyes or other “creature features”, so she assumed it to be inanimate. But what was it exactly? Carefully reaching out, she tapped it, thus confirming her thoughts. Eager to discover more, she brushed away all the leaf litter and dead branches, revealing the whole object.
It had two large wheels - they looked almost as large as the ones on the wagons she’d seen on the carts that the ponies of Ponyville pulled. Was it a strange cart of sorts?
One end had a large Y-shaped piece that spread outwards, while the other end had a low-lying piece that was somewhat triangular in shape. Upon touching it, she noticed it was soft in texture, almost like a couch.
“Hmmm, I wonder what these do,” she thought, holding a short, rough-textured piece that connected to an L-shaped metal bracket. With a little push, she noticed the back wheel turned.
“Ah, these are gears and a chain!” she exclaimed, remembering Applejack’s class on physical mechanics. “I don’t have a name for this, so I’ll call it…”
Silverstream thought for a moment.
“Spinner. I’ll call you Spinner,” she told the object, which she had no idea was a BMX bicycle.
After some fiddling, she soon figured out that the “soft triangle” was a seat, and the Y-shape held bars for her hands (er, front feet) to grasp onto.
“Now if I put one leg over the other side… yes! Feels right.”
Grasping the handlebars with her talons, she pushed with the pedals, and fell over almost instantly.
“I need balance. But wow is thing cool!”
Yona trudged through the lowest slopes, hopping over rocks and knocking over small trees as she looked around for anything interesting or unique. The ground was just rocky. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks.
“Why did yak think this was good idea? Now yak feel stupid!” she muttered, kicking a pebble down the slope. Her answer came moments after, when something hard bounced off her head.
“Ay! What was that?” she snapped, spinning around and looking up, ready to face the assailant who’d hurt her. But nothing came. Instead, she caught sight of a brown, oval-shaped figure bounding down the hillside. Instinctively she chased after it, bounding over the rocks and into a row of bushes, before tripping and rolling down a hill.
Dazed, Yona caught back her vision and took in the sight of what had hit her in the first place. It wasn’t a creature or some pony. It was a ball - an oval-shaped one with a line of thick white stitching. She’d played quidditch before, and knew how to hit and track a ball.
Excitedly, she ran towards the football and pushed it into the air with her hoof, then tossed it by hitting it hard with her horn. The ball soared and Yona ran after it, catching it just in time, throwing it high once again with an excited giggle as she ran down into a field near the school.
Meanwhile, Smolder and Gallus were busy scouring the grassy meadows, which looked very similar to the ones at Sweet Apple Acres. At least that’s how Smolder saw it.
“How do we even begin?” she groaned. “There’s just grass everywhere!”
“And a couple trees,” Gallus pointed out bluntly. “Why is your vision so narrow? Need some glasses?”
“I do NOT need glasses!” Smolder protested, punching him in the shoulder. “I just see things differently. You have no idea how it is in a home environment where everything is just basalt rock with caves and little to no plants.”
“Fair enough,” Gallus huffed, shrugging with his arms crossed. “Well, I’m off.”
“But where - ” Smolder began, but Gallus had already took off in one direction. With a sigh, the little dragon sulked and trekked through the grass, further and further from the school grounds. The grass wasn’t a trouble at all; it was loose, instead of dense or overly tall. However, an effort of peering over and into the foliage was needed to spot anything low-lying.
Smolder kept walking, eventually coming upon the top of the hill. Gazing down, she spotted a small path at the bottom, which forked into two separate directions. One snaked into the forest beyond, while the other lead west towards other mountains in the distance.
“Hmmm,” she thought for a moment. Which path to take? In most situations, she’d just fly over and pick a place to land that looked interesting. But for this excursion, she’d chosen to walk. Then it came to her. In the school library, there was a large, beautifully framed painting of a forked path leading through a field. Above it a poem was written:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
Ocellus had mentioned that it was one of her favorite poems, and knew of its deep meaning relating to life itself.
Smolder sat down and pondered. The westward path looked less worn-down, and also meant less of a chance of being stalked or captured by any would-be dangers - be they mysterious beasts or criminal ponies. Yet both looked equally as inviting to explore and investigate.
“Westward I go,” she announced, and ran down the hill, tumbling a bit at the bottom before hopping back up onto her feet and taking off down the path leading to the mountains, hoping to find something before Gallus did. In between the hills there lay many small fields of beautiful flowers, their petals dancing in the wind, along with a few trees. A quick flashback to botany class reminded her that things that fall from trees end up at their base, so she began checking each tree for boards, baskets, bags - anything out of the ordinary, big or small.
Smolder then spotted it in the fifth tree that she investigated. It was high up, stuck amongst the leafy branches, a thin rectangular wooden board with wheels hanging at an angle. Her eyes widened with excitement. No one else knew of it - or had ever seen it before! Quietly she hoped that Gallus hadn’t been here before and was just waiting to pounce on the chance to “steal” it.
Still staring up at the tree, Smolder quickly tried to think of a way to get the object out of its prison of branches and twigs. Burning down the tree was totally out of the question, as she’d most likely end up burning the object itself. Fire was awesome, but was also very destructive. Many times Twilight Sparkle and her friends had advised her not to use it unless absolutely necessary, given how she’d torched a dress on her first sewing lesson.
The only option left was to climb and pull it out of the branches, it seemed. After a quick check for any sign of Gallus, Smolder flew up and grabbed the nearest thick branch. Pushing herself up into the thicket of branches, she reached out and gripped one end of the board, then pulled and pulled. After some turning and more pulling, a couple smaller branches snapped and the board came free, loose - but still within the branches. Smolder pulled so hard that she lost her footing and fell down to the ground with a thump.
“Ow!” she winced, rubbing her back. “Dragons are tougher than a tree,” she added proudly, flying back up into the tree. With a quick grab, the board slid free of the branches.
Back on the ground, Smolder set the object on the ground and sat back.
“Huh?” she mumbled, gazing at it in bewilderment, unsure what to make of it. It had rounded corners, hard shiny brackets on each end, and four small white wheels attached to them. Rubbing them with her claw, she discovered they spun fast. “Cool.”
One side was black and grey, with the large words “Almost” spread across it, while the other was black-colored, with flakes that glistened in the sunlight. Smolder rubbed the back of her fingers on it. It felt rough, strong, and gritty - a surface that you wouldn’t ever slip or lose your footing on.
Placing it on the grass, she then placed her hands on the top and tried to move them about - and realized that the wheeled board could move from side to side - both ends together. A moment of realization hit her.
“What if I stand on this and push? By the law of movement, pushing should cause me to move, right?”
The brave dragon got to her feet and stepped onto the board… and found herself rocking and tipping. With some quick wing-flapping, she righted herself. It was a completely new feeling. Every little movement or repositioning she made with her feet caused the board to wiggle or tilt ever so slightly. After a few minutes, she realized she could control it in a way, if she regulated the movements of her feet. Letting one foot lean over, she set it down and pushed. The board moved a little, before stopping abruptly and jolting, causing a disappointed Smolder to fall flat on her face.
Elsewhere, Gallus was scouring trees and looking over cliffs and down holes for anything valuable he could find. After almost an hour, nothing was to be found, until he found a thin black cylinder lying buried by moss at the base of a tree a minute’s walk into the forest beyond the meadow. Picking it up, he noticed it had a pressable tip on one end, which caused a thin shiny tip to come out a tiny hole on the other end.
“Uh, I guess this is pretty cool. I mean, you have something which can retract with just a press. But what’s with the black tip?”
Curious, Gallus prodded his talon with it, only to leave a dark spot.
“What?” he yelped in a low voice. “How did that happen?” Disappointed, he tried to rub it off with some mud. It took several tries, but it finally came off. A moment of realization hit him during a detention period, and he gazed inquisitively at the object.
“This is a… pen, isn’t it? If so it’s unlike any other I’ve seen. It’s ink is somehow built into it and you can retract the top when you don’t need to use it. Twilight’s gonna love this.”
Feeling content with his find, Gallus held onto the pen tightly and flew straight back to the school.
Ocellus flew further than anyone else, beyond the pathways that Smolder and Gallus had taken, deep into the forest beyond. Her rationale was that the most valuable objects would be hidden furthest from civilization. Whoever sent mysterious objects from another world could be wanting to keep them secret from others in their world. If so, it would only stand by reason that they’d hide it in the depths of the woods.
Sticking to the western edge of the forest, she scanned the trees below, looking for any signs of damage or disruption. It wasn’t long before she noticed a row of broken trees and a pointed corner of… something.
Right away, Ocellus dove down and slipped through a gap in the branches, landing neatly in a patch of leaf litter.
Peering around a birch tree, she took in the sight of the object she’d noticed earlier from above. It lurked in between the bushes and trees just a few meters away, its large, box-like bulk towering over six feet high. Unsure if it was alive or not, Ocellus pressed herself up against the tree and waited, listening attentively for the slightest sound or jolt. After five excruciating minutes, nothing came.
Peering around again, she noticed nothing had changed from her first glance at it minutes earlier. Whatever this object was, it was rock steady and wouldn’t budge. Feeling a little bolder, Ocellus crept closer and examined it, though still from a distance. Bit by bit, she took note of details she could recognize from the various classes she was enrolled in.
Wheels - six of them, four at the rear, two at the front. Bright lights all around, though no apparent way of operating them externally. Doors. Handles. And bright white paint with blue striping, along with…
“A health symbol?” Ocellus wondered aloud, observing the snake-wrapped-around-a-staff. “Is… is this a miniature hospital?”
Curious and braver than before, she rubbed a hoof along its sides, leaving a dark mark of dirt and soil on her hoof, right before it hit a rough spot that emitted a crinkle sound.
“What the?” Surprised and inquisitive, Ocellus peered down at the uneven part of the surface. It was a clear bag containing a set of keys, taped onto the bodywork.
So that’s how to enter, she thought. With a quick rip from her teeth, she tore the bag open, causing the keychain to fall to the ground with a loud jingle. Smirking at the realization of her powers, Ocellus morphed into the form of a dragon, similar to Smolder, but taller and slightly leaner. Now she had hands with fingers and feet. Reaching down, she picked up the set of keys and examined them. There were five, each looking different from the other, with the largest being black and thick, with some fancy silver letters that spelt out a word.
“F… I think, O, is that R? And… D.”
“Ford. Interesting name. Might want to look into it later when I get back to the school.”
It didn’t take more than a minute for Ocellus to notice the door’s keyhole. She pushed the key in and turned it. The door unlocked with a click. Grasping the door handle, she pulled it open and stepped inside.
“Whoa,” she breathed, taking in all the sights. Before her lay a steering wheel, pedals, and a lever of sorts. Spread across the top of the steering wheel lay an assortment of gauges with different numbers and symbols on them. And to the right, neatly arranged in rows, were a load of switches and buttons. In a compartment beside the seat lay a book and some papers. Always an eager and studious reader, she pulled out the book. On its front was an image of the object and a title in big bold letters:
2008 FORD E450 DIESEL HORTON TYPE III AMBULANCE
OWNERS MANUAL
With a pleasure-filled smile, Ocellus shut the door, slouched back in the driver’s seat and began to read.
Further west, Sandbar was prancing happily through a field, having somehow been caught up in chasing butterflies. It wasn’t the most masculine of antics for a colt like him, but it was enjoyable anyways. Soon he got very close and pounced on the little yellow insect - only to find his leg at the edge of a steep muddy bank.
“Oh! Whoa - oh no!” he yelped, slipping and tumbling down the bank, landing in a hard bed of mud-caked rocks.
“Ungh, do… not… shace, butterflies again,” Sandbar groaned, his head spinning from the impact of the fall. His hooves stung from the impact and shook a little. After regaining his bearings, a long, slender frame caught his eye.
“Huh? What’s a kayak doing here, all alone? I’ve heard about these little boats but… I’ve never seen one. Cool.”
Brushing the mud off his beach-colored coat, Sandbar limped forward and examined the boat, stroking its hull and gently turning it over to observe its design. The seat had an enclosed fabric stretching over it with an elastic.
Wonder what that’s for, he pondered. Fiddling with it, he soon discovered how to loosen and tighten it. Sitting amongst the wave-washed rocks, nearer to the river, lay a thin black stick with two white rounded ends. The beaming sun gave the little colt a firm reminder that it was almost lunch time, and that school was still in session.
“I’ve got to get back before Twilight finds out!” he thought worriedly, turning towards the bank. But a brief glance at the river gave him an idea. If this river runs all the way back to the school, why not just simply travel down the river instead? With luck, it may even be faster.
Eager smiles all around, Sandbar pushed the kayak to the river’s edge, wriggled into the seat, tightened the skirt, and grabbed the double-paddled stick. Pushing off with a hoof, he began rowing, starting the long-overdue journey back to school.
Back in the mountains, Silverstream was pedaling for what was probably the twentieth time, as she struggled to maintain balance while holding a little T-shaped handle connected to a red cylinder in her mouth - which she had found next to the BMX bike. Her feathers were full of twigs and dead leaves from repeated falls, but she kept on going, using her wings to minimize toppling.
“This is actually quite… fun!” she squealed, gaining speed down a gradient on the trail she was following.
On the meadow, Smolder sauntered over the grass, carrying the skateboard with both hands. After five unsuccessful tries, she’d ruled out the possibility of riding it on grass or bumpy ground, though managing to balance in a nose-up position, and push the board behind her with some experimenting. However, she knew the floor in the school’s gymnasium was smooth as silk, which would be perfect for the board’s hard little wheels. Smolder may have not realized it, but in her short time of experimenting, she’d just grasped the basis for many more tricks to come.
Gallus soared high over the land, with an awesome thin cylinder firmly in his grasp. It may not seem like much to many, but for the feisty, proud gryphon, it was everything. For once, he’d be able to show that he was worthy and awesome, and Smolder would have to step down from the throne of coolness. Heck, the others probably hadn’t found anything. He’d found a pen with a built-in inkwell underneath moss in a forest! Where else could anything amazing and extraordinary be found?
Little did the proud gryphon know, his fellow students had found objects of measure beyond what he could even comprehend.
“Yak love ball! Yak want to play with others!” Yona proclaimed happily, bounding across a marshy field before leaping over a small strip of water, heading back towards the school, where she could already see some staff members heading towards Twilight’s castle.
“Yak hopes they not reporting students missing, because students returning now!”
Out on the river, somewhere west, Sandbar’s arms were dead as a brittle branch in a desert, but he knew the importance of returning, so he kept rowing and rowing. The current wasn’t very strong, but it had considerable push. Muscle soreness aside, paddling down the river was actually quite fun. The water moved and rocked the kayak, providing a boating experience unlike any other. With a little leaning and body-shifting, Sandbar soon learnt how to control the kayak, especially through turns. Coming around a curve, he could just make out the school’s roof up ahead through the tall grass and cattails. With enough effort, he might make it back in time before gym class and lunch break were both over.
Back in the woods, Ocellus hopped back into the driver’s seat for the tenth time, having gone through as much of the manual and other papers as she could. However, so much reading had wracked her little changeling mind, that she had trouble remembering the proper startup sequence.
“Lock doors, insert key in… door? No, ignition, and turn.”
A little frustration quickly revealed she had to turn the key to the right instead. The ambulance started up with a chug and a rumble, idling at a rather loud noise level.
“D was for… yes, drive. With the gas pedal. Even if this paper says it runs on spirits and vegetable oil. Hard to believe, but let’s go.”
With a pleased grin, Ocellus gently pushed down on the accelerator and gripped the steering wheel. The ambulance began to roll forward, turning left when she turned the wheel left, and vice versa for the right. A tap of the other pedal caused it to stop. Now understanding the basics of driving, Ocellus pushed the accelerator again, slowly making her way towards the edge of the woods - towards grass where she could get a better view of where she was.
The foot of the mountain wasn’t that far off, and Yona was the first to arrive at the students’ pre-arranged meeting point - the school’s front entrance. With a sigh, she flopped onto the hard stone pathway, tired from her exuberant run. Her prized football was still intact, with plenty of air and oomph to spare for many more fun-filled games.
“Yak… feel tired now, yak need some water and a nice rest. But yak also wonder… where’s her friends?”
Her answer came moments later, as Gallus soon came flying around the mountain into view, looking very pleased with himself. Yona, on the other hand, was unfazed.
“You didn’t find anything?!” she sputtered, then noticed the short stick in his hand. “Just a stick?”
“Trust me Yona, this isn’t no ‘stick’ as you call it. This is something extraordinary,” Gallus boasted. “It’s got a thin shaft inside that can slide in and out, with a little button on the other end to extend and retract it when not in use. And you can use the little extension on the side to clip it onto paper, and it writes! I mean, look at you, you’ve just found another ball!”
“Yak have ball, but, ball is really nice and can be thrown far! All balls at school circular, remember?” Yona huffed.
Gallus bluntly nodded.
“Well this ball is oval, so it’s unique and special. Yak will keep ball, since yak love ball!” Yona declared proudly.
Then Silverstream turned up, looking rather worn and not her usual super-raving self as she rode down the stone path to the school’s entrance. She was still enthusiastic, but not as much.
“Made it!” she proclaimed happily, albeit with a wince as she folded her wings.
“Oh dear,” Gallus sighed sadly. “Looks like you hurt your right wing. Fell?”
Silverstream nodded. “Too many times. I think I hit it against a tree when I fell coming around a corner, but I’ve learned to balance properly on Spinner. She is awesome, I love her!”
Yona and Gallus shot her an inquisitive look. “Who’s Spinner?”
“This, of course!” Silverstream replied, dismounting her BMX bike and pointing to it.
Yona grinned and Gallus rolled his eyes and sighed again, this time in defeat. All this time and effort, and he’d found just a pen. Sure it had a couple neat features, but it was nothing like the shiny two-wheeler that Silverstream had. He felt humiliated standing next to Yona. Spinner had a chain connected to gears, cranks, a thin little wire connected to a lever - all things cooler than a crummy pen. But Silverstream was just as interested in his object as he originally was.
“What is that?!” she squealed, pointing.
“Oh, this is a pen, a unique pen,” he stated bluntly. “It has a built-in ink holder, a retractable tip, and a little button on one end for you to retract the tip when you’re not writing. I tried it on my hand - just a little, and that ink really sticks. Took me forever to wash it off.”
“Wow! And it even has a little clip on the side for you to attach it to the paper you write with!” she exclaimed. “But, I still love Spinner.”
“Yak see red thing beside bike…” Yona noted.
“Oh, that’s…” Silverstream paused. “I have no idea what exactly is, but it lets out air that’s ticklish!”
She then sat down to rest her hurt wing, while Gallus inspected the little red cylinder. It had a long thin tube sticking out of one end and a T-shaped plastic piece on the other, which could be pushed up and down, causing air to come out of the tube. At the tip of the tube was a little applicator tip, which looked similar to the tip of his pen.
“Interesting,” he thought. “Twilight might like this one too.”
“And it’s one you actually fit into!” Silverstream added excitedly, looking like she was ready to ask a million questions. Sandbar knew of this, so he sided up to the stone pathway and explained everything - the skirt, the skirt’s drawstring, the paddles, how he fit into the kayak and how its shape allowed him to glide across the surface with ease.
“I’m surprised you didn’t flip over,” Gallus remarked.
“Oh, the water’s not turbulent or anything, so the journey back was mostly calm,” Sandbar reassured him. He then spotted Yona’s ball and the pen in Gallus’s hand, as well as Silverstream’s bike.
“I see you’ve found some nice items too,” he added. “But we really should get back to class before - ”
“No way! Yak not leaving her ball behind!” Yona declared firmly, stomping a foot in confirmation.
“I can’t leave Spinner alone, what if she gets taken?” Silverstream added worriedly.
“At least I have something that can be taken inside without many noticing,” Gallus bragged.
“Where’s Ocellus and Smolder?” Sandbar then asked, only to be met with shrugs.
“How can they take so long?” Silverstream wondered, glancing back at the way they’d come.
“Well, maybe they went further than we did,” Yona reasoned. “But for now, yak thinks we should help pony friend out of kayak.”
With some help from his friends, Sandbar undid the skirt’s drawstring and wriggled out of the kayak, placing the paddle stick on the stone pathway beside him. Then he simply flopped down in exhaustion.
“So much paddling, I’ve never done that much leg exercise before,” he groaned. “Sore, sore sore.”
“Do you hear that?” Yona suddenly piped up. The others listened too, and picked it up right away.
Loud sirens and a horn. And it was getting closer and closer.
Yona, Gallus, Sandbar, and Silverstream all stood in shock, unable to believe or comprehend what their eyes were seeing.
Driving down the grassy field behind Twilight’s castle was a cart unlike anything they’d ever seen before, with Smolder sitting on top, holding a board with wheels. In the driver’s seat, another dragon was at the wheel. Lights all over the weird-looking cart flashed and loud sounds were heard from it, then they ceased.
The other dragon drove right up to the stone pathway and came to a gentle stop, its loud engine shutting off. Out stepped the slender dragon, who shut the door and locked it, before morphing back into a cute little green changeling with a key on a ring in its mouth. Smolder flew off the top and onto the stone pathway, carrying her board.
“I, I… what…” Gallus and Silverstream were lost for words while Ocellus simply strode up to them with a proud smile behind her little teeth holding onto her key. Smolder also wore a proud smile.
“Hey, we all made it back - and let’s admit, Ocellus is the clear winner here. Even my board is nothing compared to her big 'ambulance' - as she states its name is. Now let’s get inside before we fall behind any more classes.”
“I second that,” Sandbar added, setting down his paddle on top of his kayak and walking over.
Yona tossed her football onto her back, Silverstream took hold of her BMX bike, and they all headed towards the big double doors. Gallus pushed them open and everyone stepped inside, only to be met with several sets of administrative eyes that read shock, disappointment, and anger.
“Guess this actually wasn’t worth it,” Sandbar muttered. “I should’ve listened to my internal instincts.”
“Where were you all? This is the second time you’ve skipped a class in the past three weeks,” Twilight hissed in anger.
“It’s only gym,” Gallus mused, trying to shrug it off. “Besides, we got plenty of physical exercise while we were out on an adventure.”
“I guess that explains all these interesting items you have with you,” Starlight Glimmer concluded. “But we can examine them later after the final class.”
“You missed biology,” Fluttershy added, causing Ocellus’s mouth to droop in sadness.
Not wanting to be left out of the authoritative reprimanding circle, Applejack pitched in. “And you had us worried. We looked all over the school for you.”
“But let’s not get bogged down with the misdeeds you’ve done,” Rainbow Dash cut in. “To class, NOW! Leave your items in the front hall here. I’ll make sure no one takes them.”
“Promise?” Silverstream cooed.
“Promise. Now go!”
In class, Gallus whipped out his pen and began to take down notes at an astonishingly fast rate, while many of the other students were using their third quill pen. Right away, questions fired away from other students, completely ignoring Applejack’s instructions and explanatory sentences.
“How do you never run out of ink?”
“What is that?”
“Can I use it?”
For a change, Gallus raised his hand.
“Yes, Gallus?”
“Can I do a brief demonstration? Everyone won’t keep quiet about my pen.”
Applejack’s eyes widened. “It looks cool. But hold yer excitement, dear class. We will be holding a seminar in the gym for all the students where Gallus can explain about his pen.”
Gallus sighed but managed a smile. He knew Applejack liked new topics as much as everyone else, but Twilight Sparkle would be infatuated with his pen. Struggling to keep composure while taking notes and listening, he couldn’t wait to explain it all.
After a good two hours the school bell finally rang and Twilight’s voice rang loud and clear from the halls.
“All students, please proceed to the gym. We will be hosting an important ‘New Objects in Equestria’ event.”
Rainbow Dash rounded up Gallus, Yona, and their fellow students and led them down a back hall, while Twilight and the others set up a small stage in the gymnasium.
“Welcome to the ‘New Objects in Equestria’ Event,” Twilight Sparkle announced. “I’m sure some you may be aware that there was an incident last night where several portals opened up into Equestria and brought several objects in. It appears that while our most prized students were gone, they have found said objects and would like to show them to our school. Silverstream, come on out!”
“Hi everypony!” Silverstream said, trying to maintain her smile as she unfolded her wings to help keep her balance as she pedaled into view from behind a curtain. The treaded wheels gripped fairly well on the hard gymnasium floor. In spite of the crowd, Silverstream upheld her joy, and feeling a little bolder, leaned a little as she rode around in a little circle, before popping a wheelie… and almost falling over. It was only a tiny wheelie, but for her it was one of the biggest accomplishments ever.
“This is Spinner my…”
“Bike,” Twilight added. “It’s called a bike.”
Silverstream smiled back at the headmare. “This is Spinner, my bike. I found it in the mountains behind the school, and I enjoy riding it, even if I’m not the best at balancing on it.” She then explained as best she could the different components of the bike and how they worked - the handlebars, the pedals, the gears and chain, and the seat.
Next up was Yona, who immediately tossed her ball up in the air, using her horn as a sort of ‘hook’ to catch it. “Yak show you football, which you kick and toss for fun!” She held it up. “Unique oval shape, so easy to kick and flies well!”
“Not exactly the best for quidditch but may work for buckball,” Rainbow Dash noted. “Care to give it a try tomorrow?”
“Is pony serious? Yak can’t wait to play with ponies using new ball!”
Then it was Gallus’s turn. He strode forward, smiling at the audience.
“This is a ballpoint pen,” he announced proudly, holding it up like a scepter. “At this school we use quills as pens and dip them in ink as needed. They’re weak and their thin wooden tips break easily. Not a ballpoint pen. This one stores its ink in a thin tube, which feeds it down to a tiny ball on the end - can you see it?”
He held the pen close to those in the front row, and they all peered closely. One soon noticed. “Yeah I see it! Neat!”
“Good,” Gallus continued, pointing to different parts of the pen. “Now, as the ball rolls, the ink comes out - smooth as butter - onto the paper. The shiny tip as you can see, is very hard and virtually unbendable. It’s encased in a shiny metal cone-shaped tip, and behind it is a softer section for comfortable writing. Next comes the little clip, which can be used to hold the pen onto a thin surface - like the paper itself. Finally at the end, there is a little button, which you press to extend the tip out for writing. Pressing it again retracts the tip into its housing.”
“I mean, seriously, this is ground-breaking,” he concluded, shooting a grin at Twilight Sparkle. “Just think if we could produce more like these, how quick and consistent note-taking could be in class.”
Right on cue, Twilight Sparkle squealed, looking like she was ready to just swipe the pen out of Gallus’s hand. “This really is groundbreaking! I have so many parameters to analyze!”
Gallus sighed and half-rolled his eyes, handing over the pen. “By all means, Miss Twilight. Just don’t damage it.”
“Thank you, thank you thank you!” Twilight squealed again, already bounding off to her office.
“Okay, who’s next?” Rainbow Dash announced.
Smolder dropped her skateboard and pushed off, sliding into view with a smug smile across her face, before replacing it with a smile.
“The dragon Smolder presents to you: the board! A board with four wheels that you can ride on and play around with using just your feet and imagination. I don’t know much since like you all, I’ve never seen or used something like this before, but I’ve tried a few moves. Let’s see what I can come up with on the spot. Rainbow, can you turn off some of the lights please?”
“Gotcha.”
Rainbow Dash closed off some of the skylights above and switched off some of the light fixtures, so there was only two lights lighting the audience and one big skylight together with another light fixture beaming down on the area where Applejack, Rarity, and the others stood.
Smolder couldn’t lift the board into the air while jumping, but she could scoop it, flip it, and ride on it. It would take all the knowledge she learned from fiddling with it back near the tree to put on a good show.
Smolder dropped the board, letting it land on its side with a sound that no one had heard before. She sat for a moment, then walked up to the board, reached out with her back foot, and tapped it hard, causing it to spin longitudinally. Her eyes watched it rotate intensively, looking for the right moment to make her next move. As soon as the board had spun twice and was the right way up, she hopped on, adjusting the tension in her legs to allow her to stay on and smoothly roll away. Leaning to turn, she came around in a circle, before pushing the board’s tail sideways a little. Her front foot missed though, and she stumbled off the board, catching herself before a fall, earning a little gasp from Twilight and the audience of students simultaneously.
“It’s okay. Mistakes happen. I’ll continue,” she whispered.
Hopping on and pushing off again, Smolder pulled the tail again, a little less harder this time, and caught it with her foot, allowing her to quickly change direction as opposed to leaning in a wide circle as before. Next she stood with the board upside down over her toes, and hopped up, flipping the board right side up and resting her feet on top simultaneously, using her wings and arms to quickly regain her balance before she lost it. Finally, she pushed down on the tail, lifting the nose into the air and fought as hard as she could to keep her balance. Spreading her wings, Smolder then used them like a pull string to pull herself into a centralized rotation, all while keeping her feet balanced on the board and tucking in her arms to keep her speed up. A little screech rang out as the tip of the board’s tail ground against the floor a little. With a quick, precise move, Smolder released the tension after about fifteen turns, letting the board drop down level with that same distinctive sound, before folding her wings and hopping off.
A moment of silence stood before the audience of students cheered and gasped in awe, many still unable to comprehend what they had just seen. Even Rainbow Dash was amazed at the little dragon’s incredible feats, taking a moment to realize that she needed to reset the lighting in the room.
“How did you do that?” Twilight Sparkle inquired (having teleported back into the room), as soon as all the lights were switched back on and the crowd’s excitement died down.
Smolder simply shrugged before replying, “I practiced for a good half hour in the grass near a tree where I found it. I learned how to flip the board with my feet and simply balance in a few positions.” She then turned to the audience. “And that is just the tip of the rock. I’m sure I can do more but I need some alone time to experiment more and practice.”
Gazing pleadingly into Twilight’s eyes, Smolder let out a quiet whisper so the audience wouldn’t hear her. “Can I keep the board, please?”
Instead of directly answering, Twilight then went over to Ocellus and Sandbar and asked a quick question, then walked up to the center of her makeshift stage and gave an announcement.
“And that wraps up phase one of the ‘New Objects in Equestria’ event,” she declared. “Each of our talented students here will get to keep the objects they found. I expect all of you to respect their usage of their prized possessions, and inform me at once if they get hurt or use them in any way that violates the school’s rulebook. After I finish my research project on Gallus’s pen, he can have it back, and will be sharing it between classes. Whoever gets the best mark in each class’s classwork will get to use it for their next class.”
“Yeah!” many of the students cheered loudly.
“Now onto the second half of the event, which, due to the type of objects Ocellus and Sandbar have, cannot be brought inside. Please follow Guidance Counsellor Starlight and other staff members to the front entrance, please.”
As everyone prepared to head off, Silverstream prepared to mount on her bike, but Applejack stopped her.
“It’s too dangerous for you to be ridin’ somethin’ like that with a hurt wing,” she advised. “Let’s head to the school nurse’s office so ah can get ya all healed up.”
“Aw! But I’ll miss the big event with Ocellus!” Silverstream pouted.
“You won’t miss much,” Applejack consoled. “It’ll only be a few minutes. Besides, everypony’s still taking time to file out of the gym.”
Silverstream sighed and slowly walked beside Applejack down a hall towards the office. Meanwhile, Smolder was still staring at her board, trying to figure something out. It took a little tap from Rarity to knock her out of her trance.
“Darling, we need to get going now, the crowd’s almost left.”
Smolder just turned and looked at Rarity, then stood up, slapped the board’s tail, and grabbed it by the front truck. “I think… I may have figured out a way to flip the board over with both feet - and while staying on top of it.”
“What kind of a tangle did you get yourself into?” Nurse Redheart asked as she pulled the twentieth wood shard and leaf litter fragment out of Silverstream’s soft feathery fur.
“I was trying to balance on Spinner, my bike,” Silverstream replied flatly. “My wings… I tried using them to assist my central position but once I got moving well it was so much fun! Getting around corners was a bit of a challenge, but with my wings I was able to balance while turning fairly well. But I forgot about those big trees that often grow on trail corners and… whack! Hit ‘em hard. It’s one of those moments where you’re so caught up in having fun that you only feel the pain afterwards.”
Nurse Redheart nodded and applied some antiseptic, then pulled out a roll of gauze with some padding. With some careful looping she wrapped it around the hippogriff’s right wing and secured it with an applicator liquid. Finally, she handed her some pills and a glass of water.
“These will help with the soreness, as well as help you relax. You may feel a little drowsy, but it’ll be worth it.”
Silverstream sighed and popped them into her mouth, swirling them down with a few swigs of water. As she let the pills slide down her throat, a little smile played across her lips.
“Would you like to come to watch Ocellus? I’m sure you’d be interested in what she found.”
In front of the school’s front path, Twilight Sparkle and her friends stood in awe at the tall, light-covered machine that towered before them, while Ocellus and Smolder took the stage together.
“Thanks for taking the time to come out here,” Ocellus thanked everyone, morphing into a dragon similar to Smolder. “Sorry about the sudden physical change, I need hands and fingers to operate practically everything.”
Pinkie bit back a snigger. It was rather awkward hearing the soft, upbeat voice of a young changeling through the mouth of a bipedal dragon. Having left her skateboard just inside the front entrance, Smolder began first, now able to use both hands to gesture.
“For a long time, ponies have had to be exposed on a flat-top cart when they get hurt. But those days are over. Meet Ocellus’s find. This is a Ford E-450 Horton Type Three Ambulance. Complicated name, I know. Its features are literally endless, though Ocellus and I will walk you through some of the major components.”
Holding the key in her hand, Ocellus unlocked the driver door and pulled it open. “This is where the driver sits. Like on a parade float, there’s a steering wheel and also some gauges that read out several bits of information. A passenger can also sit on the other side.”
“Cool!” Twilight Sparkle beamed, standing up to look inside. “And so many buttons and switches!”
“Indeed, Twilight. Even I do not know all of their functions, but I know some. This one turns on the sirens, this one the horns, and several others control the lights you saw on the exterior. You can set the lights to be on, or make them flash and control how fast and how long they flash.”
“This is amazing! Can I sit on the other side?”
“Sure, Twilight!” Ocellus smiled down at Twilight, who was looking more like an eager filly than a formal school headmare. Stepping out, she tossed another set of keys to Smolder, who perfectly caught it in mid-air. Walking around to the other side, Ocellus unlocked the passenger door. Twilight eagerly opened it and hopped into the seat, her eyes all tense with joy and excitement as Ocellus returned to the driver’s side.
While the two chatted, Smolder showcased the exterior of the ambulance to the others, who also were showing keen interest - especially Fluttershy and Nurse Redheart (who had come out to join the group on Silverstream’s suggestion).
“This is where you store extra items - like refills or grab bags,” she explained, opening up a side compartment. “All the lights are clear - get out of the way!”
“Coming around the back, we have a set of double doors, which open straight away, though for now they’re locked.” Smolder turned a key and pulled them open.
“And voila! Tucked in the back is a little miniature hospital, with everything you need to assist a seriously injured patient. The stretcher folds out, and there’s also a heart monitor and an IV stand. You’ve got benches with straps to hold everyone down and there’s straps on the stretcher too. All the cabinets you need for storing medicines, and there’s even a blood pressure monitor and a quick-access defibrillator.”
Smolder pointed to the ceiling. “And don’t forget the bright LED lights so you can clearly see everything!”
“I… I just don’t know what to say,” Fluttershy smiled, almost in tears. “This would be perfect for all the animals at Dr. Fauna’s clinic!”
“And the ponies that need attention before they arrive at the Ponyville hospital,” Nurse Redheart added, also beaming with joy.
“So that’s the gist of it, fillies and gentlecolts,” Smolder casually shrugged, smiling. “Has Ocellus found the best foreign object in Equestria or what?”
Just then a loud chugging sound could be heard and a metal pipe under the chassis shook a little, causing many to jump back a little in shock.
“What was that?” Rarity shrieked.
“Oh calm your nerves, Rares,” Smolder chuckled. “That’s the engine that powers this thing. It’s a turbo diesel - no idea what that means, but it does run on refined vegetable oil, according to what Ocellus said she read. So yeah, when it runs low, we have plenty of that available around here.”
“All those restaurants in Canterlot - imagine how much they could save from all that oil they throw away!” Rarity gasped, realizing what the little dragon meant.
“How fast does it go?” Rainbow Dash inquired.
“Ocellus said it can go about 85 miles per hour, but typically is driven around 50,” Smolder replied, sitting down on the back bumper step. She caught Fluttershy’s eye, then Rarity’s and Nurse Redheart’s. “Why don’t you three come up inside here and explore? I’ll see if I can coax those two eggheads out of their seats so we can have a quick formal discussion about what to do with this ambulance and how to use it, ‘cause we all know it has great benefits for everyone.”
Fluttershy and Nurse Redheart stepped up into the back of the ambulance and began investigating the various items, while Smolder flew around to the front and glared through the windscreen.
“Hello? You done in there yet?” she hollered, tapping on the windscreen with her claw.
Twilight’s head jolted up from looking at a book. “Oh, yes, Smolder. We’ll be out in a minute to talk.”
Smolder nodded and sat down to let the two finish. A good ten minutes later, Twilight teleported out, and returned from her office with a paper and Gallus’s pen. Ocellus stepped out of the ambulance and morphed back into her changeling form. The others gathered around and all sat down before Twilight.
“It is very clear that Ocellus has found the largest and most valuable object out of all of you students. Given its abilities and purpose, it should not remain at the school but rather be used by other ponies across Equestria. I will be developing a systematic method of rotational usage, so that Ponyville can use it, as well as Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, Baltimare, and so on. However, Ocellus remains its original owner. If she wishes to, she can be an ambulance driver on the weekends, and also during important events.”
“Like if a threat were to attack Canterlot and members of the Royal Guard were to be severely injured, she’d be there with nurses in ten seconds flat!” Gallus remarked.
“Exactly,” Twilight replied, handing over the paper to Ocellus, who wrote up a quick signature, then handed back the paper.
“By the law of Equestria, the ambulance now officially and legally belongs to Ocellus!”
Twilight’s friends, Nurse Redheart, and the students all cheered.
“If yah wish, I can get a barn built by the school here to store it in,” Applejack offered.
“Thanks, Applejack,” Ocellus replied, giving her a comforting hug. “I really appreciate it.”
With the ambulance tour over, Ocellus morphed back into a dragon form, hopped into her ambulance, and set off to park. Applejack and her had agreed on a location for the barn garage - the right-hand side of the school’s right entrance. There, the ambulance would stay sheltered, safe, and secure.
Back near the school’s front entrance, Sandbar presented his object.
“Now I’m sure some of you may have seen this before - it’s a kayak, but not just any kayak. This one is pretty unique in a couple ways. It’s got a skirt, and…” He stopped, glancing at Rarity, before blushing slightly.
“It’s a length of waterproof fabric that goes around you and keeps water out was you paddle along. In the rear you have a storage compartment, and a mesh cover up front. Seat’s pretty comfy and quite roomy. The hull is sleek and well-refined, so you can glide through waves and currents easily - big or small.”
“Now that you mention it, this boat does sound quite cool,” Rainbow Dash said. “I think you’ll have a good advantage during a would-be field trip to Mount Aris.”
“It’s good on open water too, though it’s at home in rivers,” Sandbar admitted. He turned to Twilight. “Where should I keep it?”
“In the gym storage area,” she replied. “There’s lots of room in there and with my cleverly designed sections, it’ll be a breeze to take it in and out.”
“And I’d be glad to help with that anytime,” Rainbow Dash added with a proud smile.
Together, Sandbar and Rainbow lifted the kayak up onto the pathway, then holding it together, walked down towards the door. Silverstream held the paddles, Gallus pushed the doors open, and everyone filed inside, with Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie herding the other students together. Smolder picked up her skateboard and followed.
“I think you should store all of your possessions in the gym storage area,” Fluttershy suggested. “That way, you’ll always know where to find them.”
“I...guess I can leave Spinner there,” Silverstream said slowly. “She’ll be safe, right?”
“Absolutely, darling,” Rarity replied. “No one’s going to take anything without consent.”
“I ride whereever and whenever, so I’d prefer to keep my board under my bed upstairs,” Smolder declared firmly.
“Whoa, keeping it under your bed? You really like that board,” Starlight Glimmer noted, siding up next to Smolder, who simply nodded.
“There’s nothing like pushing off and gliding across smooth ground,” she mused. “I love it and will continue to ride, as well as experiment and try whatever I can do with this board - flipping it, hopping on it, jumping with it, whatever.”
As the students filed into their sleeping quarters, Silverstream swooped down in front of Smolder’s bed, which was the last one in the row.
“Hey, um, I need to get to bed,” Smolder huffed, looking unfazed and cross.
“I just wanted to ask - how was it trying to stand on that board?”
“I couldn’t do it at all first, but with some patience I gained balance. Turns out dragons are naturally quite good at balancing on their legs. For you with Spinner, it’s probably less of a challenge because you can balance your whole body while you sit, while I have to do so while standing and not holding onto anything - you got handlebars.”
“Lateral balance and footwork.”
“Exactly. Now let’s get some sleep.”
Silverstream flew off onto her bed, while Smolder slid her board under her bed and dozed off. It’d been a long day of excitement and fascinating discoveries, resulting in beloved treasures that six prized students at the School of Friendship now proudly owned and enjoyed.
