Prometheusby Word WorthyChaptersPrologue: The Prometheus ProjectChapter One: A New DayChapter Two: The Audio Logs of Twilight SparkleChapter Three: The Tesla ConnectionPrologue: The Prometheus ProjectThunder roared across the skies, adding to an already charged atmosphere as lightning illuminated the large, dim room where my colleagues and I began the final preparations for our...grand...experiment that one fateful night. With a contented sigh, I took a moment to put our latest creation under my academic scrutiny. Standing before me now, was undoubtedly the pinnacle of Equestrian arcane technology. Built with the miracle combination of earth pony engineering and unicorn magic, the lighting from the raging storm served to bring out the machine's robust, delicate components. Electrified blue light bounced off of the gleaming metal forms of pipes, plating, duct work, and the mesh work of gears and cogs. The machine–a generator, was shaped like a cylinder. Situated in the center of the gathering hall of Ponyville Town Hall, we could observe each and every corner of its marvelous construction simply by pacing the entirety of the room. Arrayed around the main construct, was a series of electric coils graciously provided by the scientific genius Neighkola Tesla. Connected to the generator by thick bundles of black electrical cable, his revolutionary coils allowed for our creation to send out power to anywhere via the very air itself, without the need for long distance wiring of any kind. I once stuck a hoof into a coil's electrical field out of curiosity when I first observed them, and had instantly regretted it. The coil had been actively connected to a coal-burning steam generator. It had taken us days to work the hairs of my mane and coat back into their proper places after that. And that wasn't even considering the work required getting the ashes of my previous lab coat out of the fur as well. Octavia had been furious as she had seen my appearance upon returning home, fussing over me like there was no tomorrow. Regardless of all the trouble from my little...mishap, my admiration of Tesla's creations only grew. With that admiration in mind, I managed to convince my fellow project lead, Twilight Sparkle, to install them instead of the unwieldy, brutish Edison electric poles initially planned to provide wiring for our machine. "Hey, sleeping beauty! Wake up!" I heard a voice rudely command. I look away from the machine, to the area behind me. Speaking of brutish... Right in front of me, was Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was hovering in the air glaring down at me, her wings furiously undulating. We were almost muzzle to muzzle as she angrily poked at my chest with her foreleg. "We have a very, very tight schedule to keep, Hooves! Equestria can't afford to have her top brains idly daydreaming while there's an energy crisis afoot! Time's a wasting egghead, and you not realizing that, is just uncool." She courteously withdrew her hoof from my chest, and folded her forelegs across her own chest, still hovering in the air. "Get the Prometheus Engine thingamajig running and prove to me that it works, or I'm gonna submit a very nasty report to the Princess!" She warned. Why Celestia ever appointed a hot head like Rainbow as the Overseer of this grand project when we already had Twilight Sparkle here still, to this very aching day, confounds me. "Ugh..right, I'm on it." I hastily replied back. As the rain pelted against the thick glass panes like hordes of angered beetles, while Rainbow Dash's voice rung in my ears, I broke out of my musing, and set about turning the technological marvel online. Manipulating a series of levers and buttons with my hooves, our creation thundered to life. Cogs meshed together and turned gears, lights blinked on and off on the various panels and display screens, and steam hissed and spat from the pipes, venting the generator's excess heat safely outside into the storm-dominated sky. "All systems appear to be functioning as normal." I shouted over the loud din of the machinery. I trotted away from the controls, and took my place beside my fellow scientists. Watching the machine shake and roar left me with such an odd mixture of anticipation, excitement, and perhaps even a little...dread. Oh pardon me! You must be wondering what the generator machine is for, aren't you? Well, I can only describe it briefly right now, given my present-day circumstances. Suffice to say, Equestria was suffering from some very, very serious issues, and our creation, the Prometheus Engine–was intended to solve them permanently. It was our hope that we could be make things better for all ponykind with our work... but we were so, so very naïve. Forgive me, I'm going on a tangent again, my...my mind tends to do that from time to time. Anyways, my emotions were indeed mixed as I observed Prometheus roaring to life in the middle of Town Hall that night. Twilight Sparkle, standing next to me, took a moment to glance away from her clipboard and the machine itself to stare at me with her head tilted in curiosity. "Are you alright Doctor Hooves" Twilight asked me, leaning in closer so I could hear her. Nodding my head, I chuckled. "You bet! We're making history today, Doctor Sparkle." Twilight grinned at me. The Prometheus Engine, now building up current within the guts of its large generator, began creating a vortex-like current of air towards the ceiling. All our manes billowed in the wind, and even Rainbow Dash was forced to land from the force of the gales. In spite of the wind gust issuing from the machine, Twilight's grin did not falter. Looking around, I saw the others were the same, a few evening cheering and stamping their hooves into the ground in applause. I remember how comical they looked, their lab jackets and neck ties billowing around like drunken parasprites in a hurricane. Come to think of it, the vortex was a bit like a miniature hurricane. A massive chorus of thunder boomed outside. We had mounted additional coils and a massive lightning rod to the roof of the Town Hall, to draw secondary energy necessary to kick start the Engine's internal processes. The lightning struck home, and the vortex reached its peak power. With a loud electrical buzzing noise, the lights of Town Hall lit up like Celestia's sun itself, causing us to be temporarily blinded by the brightness. All around Ponyville, the rest of the structures and streetlights followed suit. In spite of our temporary blindness, and the recurring wind vortex, we all cheered and stamped in unison. The Prometheus Engine Project was a success! "Holy smokes! That is the most awesome thing, I've yet seen in all my career, and that's something!" Rainbow Dash declared. Forced to stand on the ground like the rest of us, she trotted over to where we were all clustered, and shared a triumphant smirk with Twilight and myself. "Congratulations egg heads, I see it works! Looks like Princess Celestia will be getting a good report after all. Maybe I've been too harsh on you brainy types." Rainbow Dash followed up her assessment with a playful punch of my shoulder. Playful or not, I did have to rub the soreness away as she trotted off to a nearby table full of refreshments. While the storm continued to rage outside, the artificial mini-typhoon our Engine had created quickly dissipated. The machine itself had now gone from its initial loud operation, to a more friendly purring noise. Electricity arced and crackled from both the Tesla coils as well as the innards of the Prometheus Engine. With our initial amazement at our creation functioning as intended fading, we all decided to celebrate, lounging about. Many of my fellow intellectuals were chatting about all the new scientific and economic opportunities we had just opened up with our success. Others whispered about the military and political benefits the technology might provide for the throne. In the air above me, I saw Rainbow Dash pop open a bottle of fine Canterlot champagne, and watched as the foam and cork lazily spilled over on the manes of the scientists below her, including myself. So caught up in the moment were we all, that none of us really cared all that much. Another scientist, a pegasus, even flew up and joined her, popping the cork off a bottle of vintage hard apple cider. Grinning, I and a few others caught the falling liquid with our glasses and goblets. Rainbow and the other pegasus clinked their bottles together, and simultaneously downed the contents of both, whilst still hovering in the air. Finishing my drink, I started digging into one of my saddlebags. I managed to fish out a copy of Octavia's latest symphony on a data disc, and inserted it into the first computer I could find. Being a scientist, I'm quite good with computers as you would imagine, and in no time at all I'd managed to not only get the music running on the media player, but also programmed it to play from the Town Hall PA system. With another cheer at the sudden appearance of exquisite music to highlight our festivities, my fellow researchers broke into dance. Some of them did the tango, others the waltz, and, for a few of the more inebriated ones... sloppy break dancing. Twilight stared at her intoxicated compatriots, as well as her airborne friend, with her brow raised inquisitively. While the other pegasus harmlessly crashed into a lounge chair, Rainbow Dash drunkenly flew towards her. "C'mon Twi... Live a little! You all just shaved the world, after all!" I heard her slur. She ended her statement with a loud hiccup. Twilight stared up at her friend with skepticism, not at the worthiness of her declaration, but rather at the pegasus' conduct I guessed. "I know, Rainbow. But there is a limit to how much a professional should... Let loose like this." "Soott your shelf then." With a lazy shrug, Rainbow Dash rejoined the festivities, practically flying backwards at this point. Twilight looked at me helplessly, and I merely shrugged at her, grinning back sheepishly. As the science mare went to another, quiet corner of the room to peer over some data, I heard Octavia's masterpiece continue to play in the background around me. By Celestia, could that mare write some masterful music, and play a mean cello as well! Never had any night been so alive for me as this had been, nor had any other night been so tragic either. I only wished Octavia could have been there with me to see the looks of joy on our faces, how we had thought we had just saved our country and became heroes. As I started 'living a little,' as RD had put it, my faculties began to leave me. Sure... Professionals we are. But what was to be expected of us? We're still just ordinary ponies when you come down to it. Besides, we were all waiting out the storm, before heading home. I had plenty of time to kill, so a few more drinks didn't seem like a bad idea, at the time. I'm sure Octavia would have understood, given how we scientists could often be stuck at work for days at a time... Eventually, I passed out for an indeterminate amount of time. I was jolted awake however, to a rather frightening occurrence. A powerful boom of thunder rumbled in the air above the Town Hall, lightning evidently striking the roof rod. Going straight to the Prometheus Engine, the great machine began arcing electricity between itself and the coils violently, providing scant, but unusable illumination. Without warning, the music died, and all the lights went out at once. Somepony screamed in shock, and I flailed about in the darkness, trying to find Twilight so we could determine the situation. All around me everypony murmured in confusion and unease. I accidentally step on some of the other scientists' hooves, and I murmured my apologies as I nearly stumbled several times, making my way ever so slowly towards where I had last seen Twilight. Poking a hoof around to guide my way as my eyes adjusted, the lightning flash outside revealed to me Twilight's form. She was frantically moving from console to console muttering to herself, trying to get the status monitors and other technology responsive again. "Doctor Sparkle...?" I called out worryingly. "Twilight, is something going wrong with one of the ArcTech systems?" At first, she didn't say anything back, simply continuing to pace around the banks of computers, mumbling, with the occasional curse word that could make even Celestia, Luna, or even Discord blush. I could feel a spike of fear beginning to form in my gut. "Twi... Can, can any of us help? What's going on?" My voice began to falter as the fear turned to anxiety. With a sudden surprise turn towards me that almost made me jump out of my lab coat and fur, she finally responded. "Celestia damn it! Neighkola said it would continue to work! This wasn't supposed to happen..." The desperation in her voice was definitely not helping my unease. "Time Turner... I'm sorry. Apparently the Prometheus Engine isn't what we thought it truly was, its going to...its gonna..." Her voice cracked, and I thought I could hear sobbing begin to start. Another lighting strike nearby flashed and lit up Ponyville, now electrically dark, and for just a split second, I could make out my colleagues' facial expression amidst the chaos and blackness of the room. The lavender unicorn's mane was in absolute disarray, her eyelids were ragged, her lab coat completely ruffled... But it was mainly her eyes, her desperate, pleading eyes, that I'll never forget. Every cell in my body screamed at me that something was going horribly...horribly wrong. My main instinct was to rush up to the unicorn and tell her it was okay... that, oh Celestia help me! That it was okay, and whatever calamity we may have just caused could be... fixed. Acting on my instincts, I flung my forelegs around my colleagues neck, and we just stood there. She continued to sob into my shoulder as the other scientists continued to stumble around trying to find each other in the confusion. This continued on for several more seconds, as she look back up at me. I could tell, because my eyes had finally adjusted. Slowly, ever so slowly, she whispered her reply between sobs. "I am so...so very sorry." Before I could respond, another thunderclap, the loudest any of us had heard yet that night, practically shook the Town Hall to its foundations. The energy channeled to Prometheus, and its electrical currents began to flash blood-red. It would seem as if a spell were about to cast. "I'm sorry..." Twilight murmured again, just before the machine released its pent-up magical energy. The event that followed, is what made the night so unbearably tragic, and is responsible for my current situation, here today. Still holding onto Twilight, I felt the energy sweep through the room. The hairs of my mane stood up on end, the air... the air smelled of copper and ozone, and seemed to swirl as if a colorful gas leak had occurred. Suddenly, I felt the weight of Twilight's body simply... vanish. She, she hadn't moved though. Another second later, the lights came on, the power restored. And I, well I was completely dumbfounded. None of the objects were missing. Bottles lay empty on the floor, Octavia's music started playing again, and the Engine calmed down, resuming its normal mechanical purring noise. But as for my colleagues... Everypony was just... They were just, all gone. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, not a single pony was present in the room still but me. There is no way in Celestia's name that they all could have left the room so quickly, and Twilight... She, she never teleported out. I would know, there was no wink of light. Outside, the thunderstorm continued to rage. And meanwhile, another raged within my mind. All of my objectivity, all my reason and logic, my education, it all screamed at me one solid, tangible fact despite my profound, dreadful confusion. I was completely, inescapably, alone. Chapter One: A New DayChapter One: A New Day One Year Later Stirred by the near magic-like precision of tiny, delicate cogs, gears, and other movable parts, a mechanism is set in motion. Creating a cascade of further mechanical movement throughout the device, more mechanisms still are forced into action. This entire process occurs at such a fast, detailed pace, that only a pony with a focused, efficient eye could detect it and truly appreciate the device for the level of technological accomplishment it truly represented. The only thing that forcefully deterred one's attention away from the device being a marvel of what earth pony engineering was capable of, was the raucous, obnoxious noise it produced when the mechanisms finished their motions within it. "Mmm, please your majesty you flatter me too much! No, your majesty, I actually didn't invent the toaster on my own... That was the automatic garment washer you must be thinking of, that I... invented. Why yes, Princess! I would adore another cup of tea..." Snore. "Oh, she is indeed the finest musician and cellist in all the kingdom, that's why she's my dearest..." Muffled chuckle, snore. "No, no, If I may...politely contradict you, your majesty... Neighkola Tesla's vision for Equestria's futuristic utopia far outshines those of Trotmas Edison, the Apple Family, and those slippery robber barons, the Flim Flam brothers! I'd even venture to say it's more plausible than even Doctor Twilight Sparkle's plans." Gasp. Snore. "Wha...? No, please Princess, not the Royal Voice! I meant no disrespect!" "Guuuh!..." Oblivious to the world around me, I moaned dreamily in between loud snores, locked in my own personal dream wonderland. It was complete with scientific achievements, meetings with the royalty, and... Ringing bells? RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! I awoke with a startled swiftness quite unlike my usual modus operandi. In my haste to shake off the effects of sleep and investigate the source of the disturbance, I hit my head on my headboard, the pillows completely failing to dull the impact. Groaning, I half slid, half crawled out of the four-poster bed and onto all fours. Shafts of sunlight beamed through the partially drawn curtains, granting a little beauty to an otherwise purely chaotic environment. Rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes with a hoof, I spotted the fiend responsible for awakening me from my wonderful slumber. It was my alarm clock of course. One of my own inventions? I scoffed. "Marvel of earth pony engineering my hind quarters!" I shook my head. "Never, ever draft your ideas for invention designs after a rough evening hitting the pub, it is a piss poor combination." I said aloud to nopony in particular. I swiftly picked up the loud chiming clock and gave it a good, loud thunk. Ahh... peace and quiet. The scant sunlight of the room blaring in my still drowsy eyes, I wearily trotted my way over to the vanity. Exquisitely carved out of marble enamel, and rimmed with gold filigree, the large mirror sat atop a handsome chest of drawers. Both bits of furniture were flanked on the right by a tall, imposing armoire of mahogany with ebony trimming. Peering into the mirror's smooth glass, my reflection greeted me. My gaze was returned by a rather disheveled looking stallion of average height and build. His mane was a tousled brown mess, and his deep blue eyes bore into mine with haunting intensity. A cutie mark, an hourglass symbol that denotes my original occupation as Timekeeper and caretaker of the Ponyville clock tower, completed the image that now reflected back at me. I clicked my tongue and wolf-whistled, jokingly waving a hoof at the mirror like one of those Applewood movie stars that used to grace the silver screens. "Looking goooood...old boy!" By Celestia's mane, it's been only around a year, yet it felt like an eternity ago. Just like... No, no. I shan't let my wind wander like that, I think. I've got responsibilities to keep, and places to be. With a sigh, I looked away from the mirror and at the room around me. It was a little messy and chaotic, but it was controlled chaos mind you. Nearly every little thing was in a certain place, for a certain reason. I only got near Octavia's possessions to wage my endless war against dust bunnies and the occasional spider. This was true for much of my...our...house. Most things were just left the same as the day that everypony... Ugh, you know. Anyways, I set about preparing for my daily routine. Last I checked, the nearest Canterlot pumping station still had proper power going to it, so running water should be as it always is. A bit of advice, never take for granted the value of a hot shower for a pony's mind, body, and mood! After giving myself a thorough washing and a minute amount of personal grooming, I reemerged into the master bedroom. Settling for a business vest and simple necktie... a white one with smiling parasprites ingrained on it, I donned my fedora, and trotted downstairs. The spacious kitchen, dining room, sitting room, library, and living room greeted me with the usual quiet serenity they had for so long now. If I would but stand there and close my eyes, I could almost smell the aroma of the fresh jam, toast, and coffee wafting in from the kitchen. The sound of eggs sizzling on the griddle, and the angelic humming of a one mare symphony. Memories, from brighter days, some would say. I snatched at a locket dangling around my neck, and opened it. A mare with intense magenta eyes, a mane of brilliant black locks, and a silvery-gray coat smiled lovingly back at me. My ears fell flat, and my muzzle quivered as I ran my hoof across the image longingly. My eyes grew misty, and were like a dam threatening to break. "Octavia.." I whispered. With a deep sigh, I shut my eyes slowly, closed the locket, and let it fall back to my chest under the tie and vest. "AHEM! C'mon Hooves, now's not the time for melancholy! The Sun's shining, and you have a bright new day ahead of you, get to work!" I told myself, trying to emulate a certain pegasus' haughty, insistent voice. I strode into the kitchen, and opened up the fridge. "Hmm, let's see here. Gotta get some more orange juice...got plenty of jam, lettuce, spinach, other vegetables...check, check, and check!" I put my hoof to my muzzle, feeling like I was forgetting something. "NO EGGS?!" I exclaimed, finally noticing what was amiss. "I'll have to fix that soon. Hmm, need some more garlic and vinegar too, goes great with salad." Mumbling and taking mental notes, I snatched up my saddle bag, and stepped out into the pleasant sunshine of the Canterlot suburb. The spires of the capital city and the castle themselves stood further up the mountain in the distance, looming over the land like some kind of titanic, silent sentinel of all ponykind. Almost ironically, it was a guardian figure for likely only one pony today. I kept that in mind as I made my way down the expansive, empty driveway. I have yet to find out what happened to our automobile, it's nowhere to be found at the moment. Just before crossing the threshold of the manor gates, I looked back at my house. Ah, Sunset Manor, such a fine work of architecture I had ever had the honor of living in! A personal gift from Princess Celestia herself for our contributions to Equestria, it was one of the largest dwellings in the neighborhood. Its graceful white marble walls were accented by posh Prench wooden doors and tall platinum-framed windows. Imposing columns in the swirling pegasi style lined the main entry colonnade, a large garden, terrace, and a vibrant purple tile terra cotta roof quite literally topped off the mansion. In spite of all the decorum and extravagance, I must confide that it's a relief to get out and away from the place as much as I can. Any rational mind could probably deduce as to why that is so. Whistling a tune matching one of Sapphire Shore's hit songs, now one year outdated, I trotted down the boulevard, making my way out of the neighborhood and slightly towards Canterlot. The street, as always, was a complete mess. Motor cars had been left abandoned everywhere and a few even crashed when their drivers suddenly... took a vacation to parts unknown. Several lawns on other various properties had been left to grow wild. Already, after just a single year without pony intervention, the forces of nature were already beginning to creep in with their efficient little ways, subverting the solid tangible aspects of Pony civilization. Vines covered some parts of a few cars, and many yards had become jungles of weeds and overgrown shrubbery. Due to the obvious absence of the Pegasi to manage the weather, the forces of last winter and the unregulated spring torrents were already taking their toll on things. Some of the buildings were even beginning to show signs of peeling paint. Turning my scrutiny away from such depressing thoughts, I set my sights on a large structure just down the road. As I got closer, a massive panel sign, almost cartoon like, came into detail. It was an advertisement. AppleMart We Sell Just 'Bout Everything n' Here! Accompanying the words was an image of Applejack, a prominent member of the Apple family and friend of Twilight Sparkle. She was standing with a proud grin and a wink on her face, a barrel of apples on her right, and a tipped over barrel on her left dropping random goods–quills, pens, mane brushes, horseshoes, data discs, instruments, clothing, you name it. In the backdrop of it all was a circle with a golden russet apple dominating its center. I raised an eyebrow at the large display of corporate power. After having beaten the Flim Flam Brothers in a competition over the apple cider market, the Apple Clan, finding itself with new momentum, had begun its fast track into founding a burgeoning commercial empire. Flim and Flam, never to be discouraged by a few setbacks, and ever greedy in their never ending quest for the almighty Bit, instead began investing in the emerging railroad and steel industry. The big cities like Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Los Pegasus began to expand evermore, and seek better connections with the rest of the country. In the face of our new Industrial Revolution, Princess Celestia had been all too eager to take all the investment money she could to modernize Equestria. I suppose it was all pointless now, seeing as how they've all up and disappeared. With a massive shrug, I pushed my way into the large department store, immediately greeted by a bizarre mix of smooth jazz and country bumpkin music. You know, with the acoustic guitars and all that. I winced, regretting having left the automated PA system on when I had routed power to the place. "Note to self, turn that crap off when I get to the registers to check out." I muttered to myself. When I had first entered here just after the Disappearances, it, like most other places, had become messy. Ponies had been carrying things when they vanished. Lots of things. It took me at least until fall of last year to clean it all up to a reasonable state of orderliness. It had been summer when everything went...weird, you see. Perusing the large store, I quickly found the orange juice I had sought, as well as some fresh garlic cloves and vials of vinegar. Feeling a wee bit contentious with myself today, I decided to 'buy' some extra sets of spices, a couple packs of mushrooms, and a generous amount of canned tomatoes and packs of noodles. With all of my groceries in a cute little shopping basket you could find near the front entrances, I set off for the checkout aisles. Other customers stood around browsing goods, and I nodded at them politely as I trotted. "Good day misses Fleur de Lis! Pleasant morning we're having huh?' "..." "Ah, and hello to you as well, Mister Nandermane!" I said jovially, smiling like a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve. "..." Since I had moved most of the shopping carts out of the way, maneuvering around the large supermarket section of the store had become a breeze. Approaching the aisle, I was greeted by the clerk, or rather, a ponyquin, representing the clerk. "That'll be all my good man." I said as I put the goods onto the conveyor. "........." Pulling out my bit purse, I glanced back up at him. "So, how much we talkin' here?" The clerk ponyquin, with a crude smiley face painted on its front, and a cap on its head, stared at me mutely, unmoving. "..........................." "Alrighty." I reached over the counter, put in the bits and rung myself up, all with an expression one would expect from any average, normal customer waiting in line. I then turned off the speakers all around the store, silencing the dreadful musical combo, and whistled a little victory tune of my own. Following that, I reared up and pumped my hooves in the air like an over enthusiastic fan at a DJ PON3 performance. "Score one for tasteful, decent music everywhere!" With goods in hoof, I made my way back out into the parking lot. Checking the time, I discovered it was just a quarter past nine. I still had plenty of time left in the day. The cool Summer morning air whipped through my fur, and I tipped my fedora lower, to shield myself from the wind. It would seem this gleaming sunshine is being deceitful, a rainstorm is coming. Scientist though I may have been, I'm no meteorologist. But, judging by the color of the clouds composing the front moving in, I can safely bet it was going to be a significant downpour. It was coming in from around the mountainside to the East, likely a storm from the Ocean coming inland to throw a 'hurray for not having to fear the pegasi weather teams and we can flood and rain on whatever we want' party. Expect strong winds, heavy rains, and a chance of a quick death via hale bombardment, electrocution, or drowning in rogue mudslides. With this under consideration, I made it my main point to get to Ponyville as quickly as possible, where the storm likely will not hit, assuming its heading Westward anyways. 'Borrowing' a random pegasi sky carriage–their fancy-schmancy versions of earth pony automobiles, that looked to be in good condition, I quickly made a beeline for Sunset Manor. Since the storms had oddly become ever stronger since the Disappearances, I had to go to extreme measures to weatherproof the mansion, much like how some ponies use to have to batten down for typhoons down in the Southeast coast of Equestria. That said, once I dropped off my groceries into the pantry, I checked on the chicken coops I kept near the garden, as the wind continued to pick up and the sky grew gray and darker. The hens were largely calm, but that would change once the rain started, I mused. Taking a few of their eggs for my kitchen stock, I then sealed up the windows of the greenhouse I had built around them and the terrace, and surveyed the area. The windows were solid, sturdy plate glass designed to resist strong gale force winds, and could even stop a bullet from an Equestrian Army fifty caliber sniper rifle, or so the manufacturer, Iron Will Industries had so boldly proclaimed in the catalog I had read. 'This glass is absolutely guaranteed to be assertive against ANY type of storm, NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE WIND! How? BECAUSE IRON WILL PERSONALLY PEP TALKS EVERY PANE THAT COMES OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE, THAT'S HOW!' It had said. Confident my house was 'nature-proof', I quickly galloped back to the two-door sky carriage, and then flew my way down to Ponyville, with my main goals still pending on my to-do list. The storm slowly shrunk in size in my viewing angle in the rear mirror. As I flew down the mountain slope, the large network of streets, parks, and buildings that were the medium-sized town of Ponyville beckoned towards me. Like a maniac, I began singing the opera portion of Octavia's fifth symphony from memory, in the deepest voice I could manage. The wind whipped through the rolled down windows "Oh Princesse Luna, notre monarque de nuit plus belle!" They gales threatened to nearly blow my hat straight off my head and out of the cabin, as I searched for an appropriate spot to land. "Chantez pour nous, une berceuse, si tranquille et le plus beau!" The lyrics were in straight Prench, but no matter. "Cher Luna, comment nous, vous et votre nuit adorons!" When I landed and got out, approaching Ponyville Town Hall...and the Prometheus Engine within, the strangest, most amazing thing happened. Still singing the Prench opera of the symphony Octavia had written aloud to myself, I caught a glimpse of something moving. It was fast too. Something... That looked... It, it was pony shaped for sure, but... I have to be just hallucinating here! But I swear on Celestia's name, it looked like Princess Luna herself! Chapter Two: The Audio Logs of Twilight SparkleChapter Two Taking a moment to focus in on the shape, my opera singing ended abruptly. There was no doubt in my mind at all, it was Princess Luna. As sure as the Sun rises every morning. On a...side note, I find that strange considering Celestia isn't ever around to raise it anymore–or so I've been assuming with a grain of confidence these past dozen months. The Princess was flying straight over town hall towards the Everfree Forest at top speed, which for an alicorn, was quite fast indeed. No Royal Guards were accompanying her, she wasn't carrying anything with her that I could see, and it appeared as if she had been coming from somewhere here in Ponyville. After another quick second of careful scanning, I was just able to make out her moon cutie mark that irrefutably denoted her as the Princess of the Night. With this realization that I indeed was not alone in the world, as you could imagine, I went completely bonkers with mixed emotions. "Princess Luna! Hey, hey PRINCESS LUNA!" I tore the fedora off my head and waved it at her like a whistling constable in Trottingham would twirl their truncheon while patrolling the streets at dusk in the movies. "HEY, PLEASE WAIT!" Galloping as fast as I could down the street, I fruitlessly attempted to follow her flight path, It was a desperate bid to catch her attention. "DON'T GO, I'M RIGHT HERE...PLEASE!" That's when an evil piece of automobile debris laying on the street pavement caused me to trip over my own legs, sending me sprawling into a murky puddle. I pulled myself up and shook my poor mane dry of the muddy water. Sitting on my haunches, I watched as the speeding alicorn vanished over the horizon, past Ponyville city limits. Frustrated like a foal whose' cutie mark refused to appear, I held up a hoof longingly at the sky, gasping to catch my breath. "Please..." I whispered. "Dammit, come back you stupid royal... I'm right here, turn around!" In the interests of posterity, I would never–ever insult the Princesses under any normal circumstances. But ever since last year, what in Tartarus is normal anymore? "I'm...right...here." In the midst of my melancholic episode, a small piece of parchment billowed towards me, moving almost with all the serene grace of a butterfly. Of course though, it was merely parchment. But that's all beside the point. What was on it, rekindled my spirit just enough for me to get back up onto my hooves as I held the document in my forehoof. Stamped on it was the official royal seal of authority, and beneath it, was the message, scrawled in a form of calligraphy far too graceful to belong to anypony but a princess. I have seen you, Doctor. You are not alone. While I regret that I cannot currently make direct contact with you for personal reasons all my own, you should expect to see more of me in the near future. A dire fate may have befallen our world's inhabitants, and I intend to divine what. We have much to discuss, Doctor Hooves. In due time. Until next we meet, -L "She's seen me. Oh Celestia bless it, she saw me!" Never had I felt so happy at such a simple string of words in years! Blast it, I almost felt like kissing the paper, I was so ecstatic. It took twelve grueling months, twelve! But at least for my sanity's sake, I know now for sure that I'm not secretly trapped alone in some bloody limbo that resembles my home country down to every last blade of Celestia-forsaken grass. Wiping a tear of mirth from my eye I trotted over to the town hall entrance. The oddest thing, possibly more odd even than the Disappearances themselves–In spite of everything that has transpired, I strangely find Town Hall and the area around it to be rather, well, kind of comforting. Approaching the front door, I noticed a disturbance from the norm. Everyday just as part of an idiosyncracy of mine, I would always make it my point to secure the doors with a solid titanium padlock. The padlock and chain were laying on the floor of the stoop, the locking mechanism picked almost effortlessly, likely done so by magic. I would know, the lock was designed to only be opened via a key–a key whose only copy I possessed and so stingily safeguarded. "Well I'll be... Most have been Luna then. If not her, than maybe it could have been the ponyquins...NO, no!" I chuckled to myself, rubbing at my dark mane then retrieving my fedora. "That would be insane." Perhaps I should have become a court jester instead of a scientist. In the heart of the building's main room, I was greeted by the quiet purring of Prometheus as it performed its mechanical motions like it always did. Ever since...things had been set in motion, the Prometheus Engine had ceased any sort of spontaneous malfunctions such thatcaused the catastrophe that likely depopulated our civilization. I was content in my assumption that whatever...or whomever...caused the Engine to go haywire that night was now long gone, and wouldn't rear its ugly head again. That's all have to go on these days it seems, assumptions I mean. All industrial and ArcTech systems not controlled and maintained by me would shut down or malfunction within about two months of neglect? Assumption, if a rather explosive one. Half of the Ponyville Industrial Park had been taken out of commission after I forgot to put the dynamo reactor core in the VioletScale LLC Gem Smelting Facility on emergency standby last fall. The CEO Spike would have killed me on the spot, had I been an engineer working there. The explosion had rained amethysts across town that entire day. Ha, ha Oops... Princess Celestia has vanished? Assumption. Because she's gone, the Sun still rising implies that our planet's star can actually move without the aid of an alicorn? Big assumption. Odd weather is the result of the Prometheus Engine? Assumption. Ponyquins are in fact not alive, and I merely interact with them and give them personas as part of a running gag and not for any other reason but whimsical humour? Very safe assumption regarding the Ponyquins. No, wait, scratch that! That is a bloody proven fact. Setting my musings aside, I approach the familiar form of my old work station. All the other banks of computers and controls were coated in thin layers of dust. The damn wood spiders always start to settle in as soon as you leave something unattended for more than a week. Crafty elusive, dastardly things, those arachnids. My computer awoke in my presence, casting me in a pale aura of blue amidst the dimness of the room. Hitting the light switch on the pillar next to the desk, I caused the gloom to dissipate in an instant, putting my fears of the dark at rest. I hung my fedora on the coatrack next to the wooden desk and took a seat. It was time for me to begin the second major task of my daily agenda: combing through the ever-expansive banks of research notes and random data Dr. Sparkle had compiled over the course of our work on the Prometheus Project. All of this was my effort to figure out what happened that night. By Celestia, was that mare ever so obsessed with recording every little thing that occurred on a daily basis! Everything from transcripts of conversations between colleagues, day to day reports and diary entries, findings, and even things like what she had eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all could be found in her audio logs. Even though we had been co-directors of the whole project, there were many noteworthy things she kept from the rest of us. Almost every time I would inquire her about all the excessive secrecy, Twilight always said that it was a matter of national security, and only Celestia and highest members of her court and Parliament were allowed discourse. Whenever I would press on, she would rebuff me then return to working at her computer terminal, muttering and refusing to talk to anyone. On really bad days when I would try to pry further still, she usually stopped me in my tracks with threats of dismissal from the project, which would likely have disgraced my career in the eyes of my countrymen, given my important role as co-director. Such was my misfortune at not being a higher ranking government scientist, and not having Celestia herself as a mentor like Twilight had. However, I mustn't let my few petty negative memories of her ruin the image of Twilight. The Twilight Sparkle we all knew and loved was far, far more caring, kind, and accommodating of a pony then that. It's just that the vitalness of our project was so great, that we had to be prepared to sacrifice anything to ensure its success, if we wanted to retain our modern way of life and keep Equestria intact. The stress was mounting on everyone to get it done, and nerves were very frayed. With all this in mind, I dove into the digital labyrinth that was the records of Doctor Sparkle. Estimating that I had covered approximately only forty-five percent of it all, I scrolled up to the most recent group of documents I could access at the moment. Finding a pair of daily audio logs dated to approximately two weeks before the Disappearances labeled: 'Political situation worsening 7-1-10' and 'Odd occurrences 7-2-10' respectively, I opened up the first. Twilight's voice cut into the dominant noise of the engine in the room, making it seem for a fleeting moment as if everything had returned to normal...almost. This is the personal audio log of Doctor Twilight Sparkle, dated the first of July, year ten of the Diarchy. (Sigh) More bad news from Celestia today. It would seem Equestria's political situation has worsened, and by extent, the urgency of the project. They've finally done it. The Zebra Caesar has ordered a full out military invasion of the Gryphon kingdoms for access to their carefully kept schematics for atomic fusion power. As a result, our supply of new coal and oil is being cut off; Roam needs them to fuel the Caesar's legions. (Cough) Equestria's royal geologists estimate that the amount of coal in our emergency reserves will only last another two years at the most, and our oil fields of course went dry almost three years earlier. Celestia fears that we may end up seeing the full scale deployment of megaspells if either side gets too desperate. On our end, the Princesses are trying relentlessly to play the role of neutral negotiators, but we have our own arsenal of balefire bombs–the largest in the world, at our disposal, as well as one of the most technologically advanced armies, just in case. (Thud) It's times like these that remind me why I decided not to accept the role as a Princess. Lets hope the Prometheus Engine settles all of this once and for all, before we end up turning our beautiful world into a desolate wasteland from our squabbles over land, prestige and resources. Narrowing my eyes and flattening my ears at the memory of how tense things had actually been then, I played the second and last audio log. Audio log of Doctor Twilight Sparkle, dated the second of July, year ten of the Diarchy. (Clears throat) Weird incident while making my way back home to my loft at the Golden Oak Library last night. I was stopped by two earth pony mares and a pegasus stallion, all belonging to one of those crackpot anti-technology Luddite groups. They chewed me out with a couple of ignorant one-liners about how we are corrupting the earth, poisoning the air, and that industrial technology and arcane technology are the source of all evil in the world today. They met my attempts to pass by and ignore them with a derogatory slur against unicorns, the bastards! Had Rainbow Dash or Applejack been around, it almost certainly would have come down to blows. (Sigh) That's not the worst of it though. This morning's activation of the Engine triggered a mass disappearance of everyone's potted plants throughout the town. We also received follow-up reports from Cloudsdale of rogue storm systems popping up outside of Pegasi control, like how the systems do over the Everfree. Fortunately the plants eventually reappeared into existence around lunchtime (daisies with light jam on pumpernickel bread), which make sense. Star Swirl's Law of Equivalent Matter dictates that which is made of physical particles simply cannot be 'destroyed' or created from nothing–only transported back forth between point 'A' and 'B', or have its physical, chemical, or atomic makeup altered in someway. In regards to the Prometheus Engine itself, I had theorized that the amount of energy the engine channeled could be cause for a few small scale trans-dimensional anomalies such as this. But it's nothing that would hinder the Engine's continued use as an infinite source of renewable energy, of that I am certain. And fortunately for all of us here, Neighkola Tesla promises me that he and his corporation will continue to provide all the necessary equipment for the maintenance of the Engine. I shall make the necessary calibrations to the ArcTech Systems with my magic, record the health status of the teleported plants, log them and then join Rarity for a session at the Spa this evening. I think this mare has earned it, wouldn't you say? Upon hearing Twilight's description of the Law of Equivalent Matter, I felt like slamming my head into the desk. How in harmony's name could I have been so stupid these past several months?! I'm a scientist, and completely forgot to even consider that Law in all my time trying to discover what had gone wrong. Again, should have just been a court jester! That was it all along! Prometheus had been producing and channeling so much energy...that it must have torn a hole in reality itself. Then that would have to mean two definitive things, as well as one uncertainty. One, nopony was killed then when they were hit by the Engine's discharge. Two, they were either teleported or transfigured into some other exotic state of being. Based on my current observations over the past year, I have yet to encounter actual talking plants, puddles, clouds, objects, or yes–even ponyquins, so I contend that in all likelihood, it was the former rather than the latter fate that had befallen everyone I know. And now begs the uncertainty: where were the citizens of Equestria teleported to, and what has happened to them since? It seems as if today, around exactly a year since all of this started, I finally discover that not only am I not alone, but I may have just found the partial answer to what happened to them. Vexation turned to a sort of semi-genuine joy within my mind in an instant. "Eureka! Eureka, eureka, eureka I say!" I shouted to nobody in particular. As if in response, the Prometheus Engine coughed up a cloud of steam from one of its pipes overhead. Sometimes I swear, that machine has a personality of its own. On one side, it's the superhero for solving our energy crisis. On the other hoof, it's a supervillain for teleporting the vast majority of us to only Luna knows where. (Reminder to self, find out what she knows when she tries to contact you!) Finally wearing my moment of triumph thin, I mentally crossed off the second of my three tasks, then exited the main room. I went up a flight of stairs, past the second story balcony, past the third floor and finally, out onto the rooftop belfry tower flanked by the roof-mounted Tesla coils. Normally this position would have been manned by a firepony or two, but now it instead serves as my sort of impromptu broadcasting tower. I have yet to actually receive a response, but sometimes it helps to just sit up here everyday at noon when its nice and sunny. To look out and be able to appreciate the beauty of Ponyville and the region as it spreads out before you with Canterlot and the snow capped mountains looming in the distance, it's just something else! The storm I barely evaded had past by to the East now, breaking up as it went. Something tells me that it was from this very spot that Princess Luna was able to spot me as she traveled back and forth from parts unknown. Picking up the microphone and holding it to my muzzle, I decided upon the usual broadcast message. Clearing my throat, I spoke in a confident but urgent tone of voice. "If anypony hear me... I am broadcasting this message to you on international frequencies. If you are out there, I beg you..." I raised my voice, increasing the urgency. "Please respond. My name is Time Turner Hooves, and I am an Equestrian scientist who was partly in charge of the formerly state-secret program, dubbed the Prometheus Project. If you are within the central Equestrian region, look for me in Ponyville. I can be found at noon, on top of the Ponyville Town Hall, when the Sun is the highest in sky." I briefly paused, holding the mic to my chest and the receiver close to my right ear. My efforts were met with nothing but monotonous static. I swore and put the microphone back to my face. "I have discovered the likely cause of the Disappearances, but I need someone to collaborate with to ensure we can finally solve this in full and get everypony back into our world. I'm now going to leave a beacon and play this broadcast on a loop indefinitely. Now hear this: If you are a citizen of Equestria, then as a royal scientist serving the throne I declare that it is your duty to your nation and all ponykind to report to me at once. This is Doctor Time Turner Hooves, signing off." Removing the headset and microphone from my head, I took one last gander at Ponyville under the warmth and light of the summer afternoon. With my responsibilities met early for the day, I decided upon spending the afternoon wandering the town park and admiring nature, and spending time perusing and 'shopping' around the various business in town. I was unable to hear what was being transmitted from the radio atop Town Hall in my absence. A raspy feminine and rather arrogant voice, echoing and distorted as if coming from another dimension, emitted from the receiver. "Ti... Turner? I ca...barely...r you, ya damn egghead! H..llo? W...'re all..." And then the message ceased abruptly. Chapter Three: The Tesla ConnectionIt would seem I was wrong about the storms today. Approximately two hours after I had sent out a new radio beacon and spent some time wandering the deserted streets and parks of Ponyville, a massive system, almost as large as the one that had been over Canterlot, struck Ponyville from the South. The storm was likely a ‘gift’ from the Everfree Forest, I’d wager. Ponykind and that creepy forest always have been the best of friends, haven’t we? So there I was, stuck in Town Hall for the duration of the downpour. I had definitely not been looking forward to being in here near the Engine under such conditions, they mirrored the storm from last year almost to the letter. I had no other choice though, Town Hall contained the only such things where I could productively wait for the storm to pass. Fortunately for my nerves however, the Tesla coils were their normal blue and not an angry red when they roared to life from the lightning channeling into them. The blue crackling light of the electricity mixed with that of my desk lamp and computer screen to cast the room into a crazy show of shadows and rainbows from all the reflective metal surfaces. Eight months ago, I had conceived of the idea to place a few ponyquins with labcoats in here to ‘keep watch’ in my absence during the morning and evening. Imagining how the scene would look now with the silhouettes of pony-shaped figures looming in the dark corners of the room with the crazy lighting reminded me just how idiotic the idea truly had been. For a supposed inventor and intellectual, not necessarily all my ideas have been fool proof. With nothing else to do as the thunderstorm raged outside, I decided it was the perfect time to continue pouring through my colleagues’ records. Within moments of passing over the most recent two of Twilight Sparkle’s audio logs, I discovered much to my extreme frustration, that the vast majority following them–some two hundred or so audio logs–had been either corrupted or sealed with a magical encryption spell only Twilight herself could possibly break. With that in mind, I also recalled how in the days leading up to the Disappearances, the unicorn had been making more logs in a single average day than in all previous weeks combined. Most of us had simply chalked it all up to the stress of our work, a perfectly reasonable theory I too, had subscribed to, until recently. But after hearing and reading what I have, and given Luna’s sudden apparent re-emergence, I have since concluded that something far more cloak-and-dagger had been going on with Sparkle and the Diarchs than we had been allowed to know publicly. “Just what was it the Princesses were up to? And how does bloody Tesla play into all of this?” I half-muttered, half grumbled to myself, still scouring for one of Twilight’s logs I could actually investigate. Only one more audio log remained that I could access by normal means. I’m not sure why, but I decided to save it for tomorrow and find some other way to keep occupied instead while I wait out the storm. Peering around in the dim room, I figured now was a decent time to snoop through the personal effects my other fellow scientists had left behind. Believe it or not, when I had set about cleaning this place out right after the Disappearances, much like the other places I keep under careful management, food and other perishables were really the only things I had bothered to mess with. Best to clean them up before things got ‘fragrant’. All other miscellaneous items have more or less remained untouched for a year, much like a museum exhibit. Dusting off and analyzing work tables, desks, and break areas yielded dozens of diverse, if rather mundane findings. Stray labcoats some had not been wearing when the anomaly occurred, some dropped PDA’s full of private daily information, a gold watch, two bottles of wine, a couple of dusty saddlebags, hats, and bonnets left on their racks. All in all, fairly unremarkable. That was, except for one specific thing I had managed to overlook all this time: Rainbow Dash’s own Personal Data Assistant. As far as we all knew, Rainbow had been arguably as close with the Princesses as Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony had been. If anyone would have had something to hide from the common eggheads such as myself, it would have been that mare. I picked up the device gently with my mouth, tossing it dexterously into one of my hooves. It was one of the less common ‘limited edition’ models of the company that made them. By design, it was a large touch-screen interface on a flat onyx surface, a ‘tablet’ if you will. The device was quick to react, the battery inside it fully charged from the Tesla coil’s power broadcasts. The dull white and blue of its lit screen added to the already chaotic lights show of the room. Town Hall was starting to look as if some pony were throwing a rave party...or two. In normal times, the lights probably would have attracted Vinyl Scratch and those darn turntables of hers. Accessing the files on Dash’s device, I found mostly video recordings of some of her stunts, both successful, and some rather less so. While entertaining, they definitely were not the type of thing I was looking for. I was nearly about to give up my search, when I finally stumbled across something noteworthy, a video file labeled, ‘Edison/Tesla Dispute’. The video was dated to Autumn of year nine of the Diarchy, the rule of Celestia and Luna, which makes this file almost two years old. Intrigued that its title contained the name of our scientific benefactor for the entire Prometheus project, I quickly opened the video. First thing I saw was the surface of a cloud I think, the entire viewing angle was shaky, Dash must have been recording this while in flight perhaps. Quickly the angle flipped around, and I could make out the face of Rainbow Dash herself with a silly grin on her face. It was raining slightly in the video, but not nearly as much as it was now, outside. This was merely a gentle drizzle, not the fierce meteorological monstrosities of today. A few raindrops hit the camera lens, but were quickly brushed off by a cyan wing. Rainbow held a hoof to her mouth, as if telling someone to quiet down or be silent. I could have sworn I heard another feminine voice just off screen, accompanied by a flash of something pink. “Do they see us?” I heard the other say in a hushed but highly enthusiastic voice. Rainbow Dash shook her head, then pointed the camera down, and I could see that they were actually sitting on top of a rather large cloud. A new thing, something gold or buttery-colored flashed on the opposite side of where the pink had for just a brief second. “Umm, girls? I’m not sure this is exactly the most polite thing to do...” I heard a third voice, far softer than the others say. The camera was now inching along the surface of the cloud, Rainbow Dash must have been crawling towards the edge. “C’mon Fluttershy, this is just too rich not to get recorded.” Finally, the camera was raised again, and I could make out the scene almost in its entirety. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy apparently, and someone else were looking down at two stallions, who were in the middle of a heated debate in front of the Equestrian Electric Headquarters, which would mean this was filmed in the suburbs of Manehattan. I recognized the earth pony instantly, his fine black moustache, mane style, lightning rod cutie mark, and handsome suit positively screamed ‘Tesla’. The older one, the unicorn with the black mane just starting to gray, lightbulb cutie mark, and elaborate bow tie must have been Edison then. The unknown pink mare stifled a giggle and Fluttershy squeaked nervously as Rainbow Dash held the camera steady and zoomed in on the bickering pair. “How many times must I say it, Alternating Current and wireless transmission are the way of the future! Why must you insist on staying in the past?” Tesla said in his rich accent, almost on the verge of shouting. I took note that his mane and coat appeared rather disheveled in addition to being rain-soaked, and his ears were pressed flat against his head. Trotmas Edison raised an eyebrow at Tesla, and nonchalantly messed with his bow tie, as the rain fell harmlessly away from his levitating black umbrella. He replied in a suave, confident tone that made me both want to hate, and admire him at the same time. “Because young sir, the ‘past’ as you call it, is where the money is. What you propose would make a lot of good industrialist ponies, dear patrons of mine, go bankrupt! Bits make the world go around, Mister Tesla.” Not unlike a steamed vegetable, Tesla’s face fumed red beneath his grey coat. “Bits? Bits! Look around you, it’s not about wealth anymore, it’s energy! We’ve been tapping into the Earth to extract oil for nigh ten years, and even longer for coal. But now we’re running out!” Edison was unrelenting. The older unicorn merely shook his head, unconvinced. “Ah yes, the ‘Energy Crisis’ as they call it. Tesla, that’s nothing more than an old mare’s tale spun up by those Luddite lunatics in order to convince Her Majesty Celestia to force us back into the damn Middle Ages.” He then telekinetically shook his walking cane at Tesla. “Either you get with the status quo, or Equestrian Electric will no longer have need of your services, sir.” At that, Tesla’s face darkened considerably, and based on his tensing body language, I would say it looked as if he were about go physical with the older stallion. “Dashie, I think this is getting a bit too serious, they’re not playing around. Maybe we should go find something else to do...” The third enthusiastic voice said, although I was starting to notice that the playful enthusiasm had quickly left her voice. Off screen, I heard Rainbow Dash groan irritably. “Pinkie Pie, not you too! Listen, funny or not, this could be journalism gold, we could sell this to the Ponyville Confidential and make a wagon-load of bits! Maybe then I can afford one of those new cool-looking sky chariots!” Pinkie Pie laughed quietly. “Ooh! I’ve always wanted to fly one of those things!” I rolled my eyes; nothing was special about those funny flying contraptions. Wings and automobiles were perfectly fine separate from one another, and I barely survived the trip down here on one in the first place. Looking back to the tablet in my hooves, I noticed the angle had changed again. “Hey look, somepony else is coming towards them.” Fluttershy said in a whisper, which I guessed was probably her normal speaking voice. Dash muttered something under her breath, and moved the camera away from both Tesla and Edison, who were glaring daggers at each other, and towards the newcomer. I could tell it was a mare, based on they elegant way that they walked. She had a silvery-gray coat similar to Tesla’s, but I couldn't make out her facial features on account of the tall-necked raincoat and over sized hat that she wore. “Ah man, she better not be breaking this up or something, I was looking forward to Edison getting a good whooping.” Dash said. The viewing angle, much to my frustration, got shaky again. “What the hay? He would be asking for it!” Too my absolute shock, Fluttershy replied off screen in a very firm and stern tone. “Never glorify violence, it only creates more problems!” The admonishment ended almost in what sounded like a hiss. “Look, Fluttershy, I know what happened between Angel and that giant dragon was tragic, but it was just....” “Were in not for you antagonizing Angel, everyone could have walked away unhurt. But no! Now my sweet little bunny will forever be remembered as a mean dragonslayer!” “But Flutters, I didn’t mean to...” Rainbow and Flutteshy’s exchange was cut off by Pinkie Pie’s urgent whisper. “Dashie, Fluttershy, the mystery mare just approached the guys...do you think she’s gonna prank them or something? That would certainly make this funny again!” After the camera stabilized again in Dash’ grip, the view returned to the scene below. The ‘Mystery Mare’ as Pinkie Pie had referred to her as had finally partially caught Tesla and Edison’s attention. “...then I’ll just have to take things into my own hands, Mister Edison. If Equestrian Electric is unwilling to see the worthiness of my vision, then I will petition the Princesses myself of making it a reality. My corporation will actually work to better ponykind and the world, rather than grow fat and lazy off the piles of bits from its monopolies like your ‘good industrialists’ do on a daily basis!” His face as dark as Tesla’s, and his muzzle pulled back in a sneer, Edison replied. “Neighkola Tesla, I must warn you those are some very, very dangerous words. Your naivete will only...” “Gentlestallions, please! Bickering will only get you nowhere.” The newcomer interjected in a beautiful, strangely...familiar voice. “That...can’t be. Impossible!” I said, gawking at the screen in my hooves. When the mare turned her head from Edison to Tesla, I could finally make out her appearance in detail. A pair of mulberry-magenta eyes peered at the still fuming inventors through a few wet strands of black mane. I paused the video, uncomprehending who it was I was seeing on the screen. “Oct...Octavia?” I murmured in disbelief. For a moment I looked up from the tablet and stared off into space. Shaking my head clear again, I hit play. “Miss Melody?! What brings a virtuoso such as yourself around here under such nasty weather?” Edison inquired, seeming to me genuinely surprised by her sudden appearance. Octavia only partially looked at him as she replied back. “I am here to deliver a summons for Mister Neighkola Tesla, from Celestia herself.” She turned her gaze to Tesla, who to me appeared positively befuddled, the poor chap. Gracefully, Octavia produced a wrapped parcel from her rain-proof saddlebag and placed it in Tesla’s hesitant hooves. “A summons for me, Octavia? Is Her Majesty a mind-reading telepath?” Tesla stammered out in shock. Narrowing her eyes in her own distinctive way she did when in a professionally-oriented mood, Octavia shook her head. “No, Neighkola. Princess Celestia has been aware of your work for quite some time now. Her Majesty...has ways, if you will, of finding out important things Parliament and the others can’t. I shan’t divulge any further than that.” Edison’s sneer deepened, and his suave voice broke and stammered as his rage left him almost too flustered to speak. “Wha...why, this is an outrage Miss Melody! Since when did you become a courier or agent of the Crown? And what use would one of the Diarchs have for a young upstart such as this, he’s accomplished nothing more than creating a few simple lightning rods. Their just foalish parlor tricks, NOTHING MORE!” He ended his tirade with stomps of his hoof on the slick pavement, all of which the camera had caught at a dramatic angle. To my extreme pride for her, Octavia’s sharp gaze was unwavering as Edison uncivilly voiced his dissent. While she listened to Edison rant like a young colt in the midst of a temper tantrum, Tesla had rushed underneath the nearest dry awning of the building. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie murmured something to each other that I couldn’t make out. It was then that Dash made it her point to zoom in on Neighkola’s face as he read the royal summons aloud. His face switched from astonishment, to apprehension at Edison’s tirade, then finally to extreme joy as he reached the document’s end. “Look at that smile, its magnificent!” Pinkie Pie remarked. “I thank you most sincerely, Miss Melody for bringing this to me at such short notice. I shall report to Her Majesty as soon as I can!” Tesla proclaimed, folding the letter in his hoof quickly and putting it in his breast pocket, where it was safe from the rain. Octavia nodded to him, and Tesla galloped away from her and the still fuming Edison, disappearing from the sight of Dash’s camera. “Ah, dammit!” Rainbow Dash groaned. She must have been irritated that no hooves were thrown, knowing her like I do. Edison glared at Octavia, who was moving to leave. “This is nonsense, that stallion’s ideas are going to run Equestria into the ground Miss Melody. I will be sure to make this fact vocal in Parliament, and to Princess Luna, very soon!” From the camera angle, I could tell Octavia was not looking at him as she trotted off around the street corner. “Your grievances will fall on deaf ears, Mister Edison.” She replied, leaving him standing in front of his own building with a priceless expression of sheer outrage. After getting a good shot of Edison’s face, Rainbow Dash followed Octavia. “Fluttershy, move this darn cloud for me!” The seemingly soft-spoken mare, despite her previous anger, must have obeyed, as the position of the camera seemed to have moved instead of just changing angles. I saw Octavia approach the familiar sight of the automobile she usually drove around in back in the day. Before she got in, she paused abruptly and gazed up almost directly at the camera. Almost directly at me, I also thought. “Uh oh, I think we better scram, Rainbow!” Pinkie Pie said urgently. “I’m pretty sure she knows we’re up here, we may be in some deeeeepy deep trouble!” “Oh no, I...I don’t want to go to prison for spying!” I heard Fluttershy squeak. Rainbow Dash let out a chuckle of exasperation. “Guys, there’s no way we could be in trouble for this, I work for the Princesses. We can report this to Princess Celestia as Edison questioning her judgement or something!” “Well...I...I suppose that’s not too far from the truth.” Fluttershy agreed. “I told ya guys we should have brought Applejack with us!” Pinkie Pie said in a sing-song voice that slightly creeped me out, leaving the back of my mane standing on end. “Oh c’mon Pinkie, there’s no way she would have went along with this! Let’s beat it, your wing spell is about to wear off Pinkie Pie, and Twilight will be dead furious if she finds out that we used it for spying.” Rainbow replied, before the video feed abruptly cut out. I just sat there on my haunches, completely flabbergasted from the whole thing. I had opened it, hoping to find some more answers that could help me in my tasks, but instead it just left more questions than it had even answered. “What the hay did Tesla have to do with all of this besides providing equipment for the project, what is his relationships with the Princesses? What is Octavia’s involvement in the government? She never said anything about being an agent, er courier, or whatever!” I paced back and forth near the Prometheus Engine, rambling off questions to myself like a maniac. “Argh, bloody hell! This whole situation is a cumbersome, complicated mess!” I absentmindedly hit a side of the engine, and it coughed up steam from a vent high above me. I chuckled. “He, he. Sorry about that old chap, just a tugging of the nerves is all.” With a sigh, I dropped down onto my desk chair, setting Dash’s PDA tablet next to my terminal. The storm had started to die down. I didn’t hear any thunder, but the rain was still hammering the place; I could have sworn I heard hale as well. Running the scenes of the video through my mind, I kept thinking of what Edison had said, the warning he had given to Octavia. I had no proof, but I was beginning to have suspicions that Trotmas Edison had just as much of a role in the Disappearances as Neighkola Tesla and Twilight did. With that bitter possibility through my mind, my thoughts shifted focus now to Octavia. Oh Celestia, do I miss her. Call me whatever colorful name in the book you so well please, but if it were to turn out tragically that only one Equestrian could be brought back to this world, it would be her. Not my colleagues, or even Celestia, if she is indeed missing too. But on second thought, perhaps either her or Twilight I would consider. Octavia is brilliant true, but only Twilight would have the technical know-how like me to modify the engine and reverse its effects on Equestria. That has to amount to something. Huh, look at me, deciding which of my own people I get to theoretically save, isn't that a hoot? For some odd twist of fate, I was the only one, besides Luna apparently, to not vanish. But, thinking about such deep esoteric things, that made my mind become scrambled. And given the circumstances, a clear mind is needed twenty-four seven. I chuckled again as I leaned back in my chair, laying my hind legs on the desk and putting my forelegs behind my head like a pillow. It was a posture I had learned about from a mare by the name of Lyra Heartstrings. A strange girl, that one, always rambling about fingers. “Well, Doctor Hooves, you said you need to keep a clear mind. So I suppose that’s why those two bottles of wine are still sitting over unattended, eh?” I said aloud to myself. “Why of course, those aren’t mine. Er...I mean to say, I am saving them for a special occasion.” I replied back with a snicker. The little version of me in the back of my mind chuckled far more cheerfully then I had. Why don’t you just drink one now? Today is a special occasion, you learned somepony else actually still exists in our world! Hurray for Luna! Luna, Luna, hurray for Woona! “Alright, alright! If it’ll just shut you up. Luna have mercy!” Looking at the wine on the table nearby, I snatched the bottle by the curve of my foreleg and cracked it open with my teeth, downing a quarter of it in under a minute. So, there I was, sitting with my legs propped up casually on my desk, sipping fine Canterlot wine. I got on my terminal and played another one of Octavia’s symphonies, a perfect way to stave off the boredom of storm-waiting. Her exquisite melodies mixed very well with the pitter-patter of the rain outside, and the gentle din of Prometheus. Not being much of a true drinker myself, the wine was exceedingly powerful, and before I knew it, I was beginning to doze off into dreamland, said to be one of Luna’s own realms. “Prinshess Woona, oh where art thou?” My voice slurred. “Ansher all ma questiunns, ivv you’d be sho kind yer majestii...” Now passed out at my desk, I had failed to notice that it had since turned to late evening, and the bright sky was quickly dimming with the retreating storm system. What I also was unable to register in my fermented grape-induced inebriation, were the strange looking pony-shaped forms of energy that had been peering in through the large windows and watching me the entire time. Having sized me up, the strange creatures then galloped silently away to parts unknown.
Prologue: The Prometheus ProjectThunder roared across the skies, adding to an already charged atmosphere as lightning illuminated the large, dim room where my colleagues and I began the final preparations for our...grand...experiment that one fateful night. With a contented sigh, I took a moment to put our latest creation under my academic scrutiny. Standing before me now, was undoubtedly the pinnacle of Equestrian arcane technology. Built with the miracle combination of earth pony engineering and unicorn magic, the lighting from the raging storm served to bring out the machine's robust, delicate components. Electrified blue light bounced off of the gleaming metal forms of pipes, plating, duct work, and the mesh work of gears and cogs. The machine–a generator, was shaped like a cylinder. Situated in the center of the gathering hall of Ponyville Town Hall, we could observe each and every corner of its marvelous construction simply by pacing the entirety of the room. Arrayed around the main construct, was a series of electric coils graciously provided by the scientific genius Neighkola Tesla. Connected to the generator by thick bundles of black electrical cable, his revolutionary coils allowed for our creation to send out power to anywhere via the very air itself, without the need for long distance wiring of any kind. I once stuck a hoof into a coil's electrical field out of curiosity when I first observed them, and had instantly regretted it. The coil had been actively connected to a coal-burning steam generator. It had taken us days to work the hairs of my mane and coat back into their proper places after that. And that wasn't even considering the work required getting the ashes of my previous lab coat out of the fur as well. Octavia had been furious as she had seen my appearance upon returning home, fussing over me like there was no tomorrow. Regardless of all the trouble from my little...mishap, my admiration of Tesla's creations only grew. With that admiration in mind, I managed to convince my fellow project lead, Twilight Sparkle, to install them instead of the unwieldy, brutish Edison electric poles initially planned to provide wiring for our machine. "Hey, sleeping beauty! Wake up!" I heard a voice rudely command. I look away from the machine, to the area behind me. Speaking of brutish... Right in front of me, was Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was hovering in the air glaring down at me, her wings furiously undulating. We were almost muzzle to muzzle as she angrily poked at my chest with her foreleg. "We have a very, very tight schedule to keep, Hooves! Equestria can't afford to have her top brains idly daydreaming while there's an energy crisis afoot! Time's a wasting egghead, and you not realizing that, is just uncool." She courteously withdrew her hoof from my chest, and folded her forelegs across her own chest, still hovering in the air. "Get the Prometheus Engine thingamajig running and prove to me that it works, or I'm gonna submit a very nasty report to the Princess!" She warned. Why Celestia ever appointed a hot head like Rainbow as the Overseer of this grand project when we already had Twilight Sparkle here still, to this very aching day, confounds me. "Ugh..right, I'm on it." I hastily replied back. As the rain pelted against the thick glass panes like hordes of angered beetles, while Rainbow Dash's voice rung in my ears, I broke out of my musing, and set about turning the technological marvel online. Manipulating a series of levers and buttons with my hooves, our creation thundered to life. Cogs meshed together and turned gears, lights blinked on and off on the various panels and display screens, and steam hissed and spat from the pipes, venting the generator's excess heat safely outside into the storm-dominated sky. "All systems appear to be functioning as normal." I shouted over the loud din of the machinery. I trotted away from the controls, and took my place beside my fellow scientists. Watching the machine shake and roar left me with such an odd mixture of anticipation, excitement, and perhaps even a little...dread. Oh pardon me! You must be wondering what the generator machine is for, aren't you? Well, I can only describe it briefly right now, given my present-day circumstances. Suffice to say, Equestria was suffering from some very, very serious issues, and our creation, the Prometheus Engine–was intended to solve them permanently. It was our hope that we could be make things better for all ponykind with our work... but we were so, so very naïve. Forgive me, I'm going on a tangent again, my...my mind tends to do that from time to time. Anyways, my emotions were indeed mixed as I observed Prometheus roaring to life in the middle of Town Hall that night. Twilight Sparkle, standing next to me, took a moment to glance away from her clipboard and the machine itself to stare at me with her head tilted in curiosity. "Are you alright Doctor Hooves" Twilight asked me, leaning in closer so I could hear her. Nodding my head, I chuckled. "You bet! We're making history today, Doctor Sparkle." Twilight grinned at me. The Prometheus Engine, now building up current within the guts of its large generator, began creating a vortex-like current of air towards the ceiling. All our manes billowed in the wind, and even Rainbow Dash was forced to land from the force of the gales. In spite of the wind gust issuing from the machine, Twilight's grin did not falter. Looking around, I saw the others were the same, a few evening cheering and stamping their hooves into the ground in applause. I remember how comical they looked, their lab jackets and neck ties billowing around like drunken parasprites in a hurricane. Come to think of it, the vortex was a bit like a miniature hurricane. A massive chorus of thunder boomed outside. We had mounted additional coils and a massive lightning rod to the roof of the Town Hall, to draw secondary energy necessary to kick start the Engine's internal processes. The lightning struck home, and the vortex reached its peak power. With a loud electrical buzzing noise, the lights of Town Hall lit up like Celestia's sun itself, causing us to be temporarily blinded by the brightness. All around Ponyville, the rest of the structures and streetlights followed suit. In spite of our temporary blindness, and the recurring wind vortex, we all cheered and stamped in unison. The Prometheus Engine Project was a success! "Holy smokes! That is the most awesome thing, I've yet seen in all my career, and that's something!" Rainbow Dash declared. Forced to stand on the ground like the rest of us, she trotted over to where we were all clustered, and shared a triumphant smirk with Twilight and myself. "Congratulations egg heads, I see it works! Looks like Princess Celestia will be getting a good report after all. Maybe I've been too harsh on you brainy types." Rainbow Dash followed up her assessment with a playful punch of my shoulder. Playful or not, I did have to rub the soreness away as she trotted off to a nearby table full of refreshments. While the storm continued to rage outside, the artificial mini-typhoon our Engine had created quickly dissipated. The machine itself had now gone from its initial loud operation, to a more friendly purring noise. Electricity arced and crackled from both the Tesla coils as well as the innards of the Prometheus Engine. With our initial amazement at our creation functioning as intended fading, we all decided to celebrate, lounging about. Many of my fellow intellectuals were chatting about all the new scientific and economic opportunities we had just opened up with our success. Others whispered about the military and political benefits the technology might provide for the throne. In the air above me, I saw Rainbow Dash pop open a bottle of fine Canterlot champagne, and watched as the foam and cork lazily spilled over on the manes of the scientists below her, including myself. So caught up in the moment were we all, that none of us really cared all that much. Another scientist, a pegasus, even flew up and joined her, popping the cork off a bottle of vintage hard apple cider. Grinning, I and a few others caught the falling liquid with our glasses and goblets. Rainbow and the other pegasus clinked their bottles together, and simultaneously downed the contents of both, whilst still hovering in the air. Finishing my drink, I started digging into one of my saddlebags. I managed to fish out a copy of Octavia's latest symphony on a data disc, and inserted it into the first computer I could find. Being a scientist, I'm quite good with computers as you would imagine, and in no time at all I'd managed to not only get the music running on the media player, but also programmed it to play from the Town Hall PA system. With another cheer at the sudden appearance of exquisite music to highlight our festivities, my fellow researchers broke into dance. Some of them did the tango, others the waltz, and, for a few of the more inebriated ones... sloppy break dancing. Twilight stared at her intoxicated compatriots, as well as her airborne friend, with her brow raised inquisitively. While the other pegasus harmlessly crashed into a lounge chair, Rainbow Dash drunkenly flew towards her. "C'mon Twi... Live a little! You all just shaved the world, after all!" I heard her slur. She ended her statement with a loud hiccup. Twilight stared up at her friend with skepticism, not at the worthiness of her declaration, but rather at the pegasus' conduct I guessed. "I know, Rainbow. But there is a limit to how much a professional should... Let loose like this." "Soott your shelf then." With a lazy shrug, Rainbow Dash rejoined the festivities, practically flying backwards at this point. Twilight looked at me helplessly, and I merely shrugged at her, grinning back sheepishly. As the science mare went to another, quiet corner of the room to peer over some data, I heard Octavia's masterpiece continue to play in the background around me. By Celestia, could that mare write some masterful music, and play a mean cello as well! Never had any night been so alive for me as this had been, nor had any other night been so tragic either. I only wished Octavia could have been there with me to see the looks of joy on our faces, how we had thought we had just saved our country and became heroes. As I started 'living a little,' as RD had put it, my faculties began to leave me. Sure... Professionals we are. But what was to be expected of us? We're still just ordinary ponies when you come down to it. Besides, we were all waiting out the storm, before heading home. I had plenty of time to kill, so a few more drinks didn't seem like a bad idea, at the time. I'm sure Octavia would have understood, given how we scientists could often be stuck at work for days at a time... Eventually, I passed out for an indeterminate amount of time. I was jolted awake however, to a rather frightening occurrence. A powerful boom of thunder rumbled in the air above the Town Hall, lightning evidently striking the roof rod. Going straight to the Prometheus Engine, the great machine began arcing electricity between itself and the coils violently, providing scant, but unusable illumination. Without warning, the music died, and all the lights went out at once. Somepony screamed in shock, and I flailed about in the darkness, trying to find Twilight so we could determine the situation. All around me everypony murmured in confusion and unease. I accidentally step on some of the other scientists' hooves, and I murmured my apologies as I nearly stumbled several times, making my way ever so slowly towards where I had last seen Twilight. Poking a hoof around to guide my way as my eyes adjusted, the lightning flash outside revealed to me Twilight's form. She was frantically moving from console to console muttering to herself, trying to get the status monitors and other technology responsive again. "Doctor Sparkle...?" I called out worryingly. "Twilight, is something going wrong with one of the ArcTech systems?" At first, she didn't say anything back, simply continuing to pace around the banks of computers, mumbling, with the occasional curse word that could make even Celestia, Luna, or even Discord blush. I could feel a spike of fear beginning to form in my gut. "Twi... Can, can any of us help? What's going on?" My voice began to falter as the fear turned to anxiety. With a sudden surprise turn towards me that almost made me jump out of my lab coat and fur, she finally responded. "Celestia damn it! Neighkola said it would continue to work! This wasn't supposed to happen..." The desperation in her voice was definitely not helping my unease. "Time Turner... I'm sorry. Apparently the Prometheus Engine isn't what we thought it truly was, its going to...its gonna..." Her voice cracked, and I thought I could hear sobbing begin to start. Another lighting strike nearby flashed and lit up Ponyville, now electrically dark, and for just a split second, I could make out my colleagues' facial expression amidst the chaos and blackness of the room. The lavender unicorn's mane was in absolute disarray, her eyelids were ragged, her lab coat completely ruffled... But it was mainly her eyes, her desperate, pleading eyes, that I'll never forget. Every cell in my body screamed at me that something was going horribly...horribly wrong. My main instinct was to rush up to the unicorn and tell her it was okay... that, oh Celestia help me! That it was okay, and whatever calamity we may have just caused could be... fixed. Acting on my instincts, I flung my forelegs around my colleagues neck, and we just stood there. She continued to sob into my shoulder as the other scientists continued to stumble around trying to find each other in the confusion. This continued on for several more seconds, as she look back up at me. I could tell, because my eyes had finally adjusted. Slowly, ever so slowly, she whispered her reply between sobs. "I am so...so very sorry." Before I could respond, another thunderclap, the loudest any of us had heard yet that night, practically shook the Town Hall to its foundations. The energy channeled to Prometheus, and its electrical currents began to flash blood-red. It would seem as if a spell were about to cast. "I'm sorry..." Twilight murmured again, just before the machine released its pent-up magical energy. The event that followed, is what made the night so unbearably tragic, and is responsible for my current situation, here today. Still holding onto Twilight, I felt the energy sweep through the room. The hairs of my mane stood up on end, the air... the air smelled of copper and ozone, and seemed to swirl as if a colorful gas leak had occurred. Suddenly, I felt the weight of Twilight's body simply... vanish. She, she hadn't moved though. Another second later, the lights came on, the power restored. And I, well I was completely dumbfounded. None of the objects were missing. Bottles lay empty on the floor, Octavia's music started playing again, and the Engine calmed down, resuming its normal mechanical purring noise. But as for my colleagues... Everypony was just... They were just, all gone. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, not a single pony was present in the room still but me. There is no way in Celestia's name that they all could have left the room so quickly, and Twilight... She, she never teleported out. I would know, there was no wink of light. Outside, the thunderstorm continued to rage. And meanwhile, another raged within my mind. All of my objectivity, all my reason and logic, my education, it all screamed at me one solid, tangible fact despite my profound, dreadful confusion. I was completely, inescapably, alone.
Chapter One: A New DayChapter One: A New Day One Year Later Stirred by the near magic-like precision of tiny, delicate cogs, gears, and other movable parts, a mechanism is set in motion. Creating a cascade of further mechanical movement throughout the device, more mechanisms still are forced into action. This entire process occurs at such a fast, detailed pace, that only a pony with a focused, efficient eye could detect it and truly appreciate the device for the level of technological accomplishment it truly represented. The only thing that forcefully deterred one's attention away from the device being a marvel of what earth pony engineering was capable of, was the raucous, obnoxious noise it produced when the mechanisms finished their motions within it. "Mmm, please your majesty you flatter me too much! No, your majesty, I actually didn't invent the toaster on my own... That was the automatic garment washer you must be thinking of, that I... invented. Why yes, Princess! I would adore another cup of tea..." Snore. "Oh, she is indeed the finest musician and cellist in all the kingdom, that's why she's my dearest..." Muffled chuckle, snore. "No, no, If I may...politely contradict you, your majesty... Neighkola Tesla's vision for Equestria's futuristic utopia far outshines those of Trotmas Edison, the Apple Family, and those slippery robber barons, the Flim Flam brothers! I'd even venture to say it's more plausible than even Doctor Twilight Sparkle's plans." Gasp. Snore. "Wha...? No, please Princess, not the Royal Voice! I meant no disrespect!" "Guuuh!..." Oblivious to the world around me, I moaned dreamily in between loud snores, locked in my own personal dream wonderland. It was complete with scientific achievements, meetings with the royalty, and... Ringing bells? RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! I awoke with a startled swiftness quite unlike my usual modus operandi. In my haste to shake off the effects of sleep and investigate the source of the disturbance, I hit my head on my headboard, the pillows completely failing to dull the impact. Groaning, I half slid, half crawled out of the four-poster bed and onto all fours. Shafts of sunlight beamed through the partially drawn curtains, granting a little beauty to an otherwise purely chaotic environment. Rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes with a hoof, I spotted the fiend responsible for awakening me from my wonderful slumber. It was my alarm clock of course. One of my own inventions? I scoffed. "Marvel of earth pony engineering my hind quarters!" I shook my head. "Never, ever draft your ideas for invention designs after a rough evening hitting the pub, it is a piss poor combination." I said aloud to nopony in particular. I swiftly picked up the loud chiming clock and gave it a good, loud thunk. Ahh... peace and quiet. The scant sunlight of the room blaring in my still drowsy eyes, I wearily trotted my way over to the vanity. Exquisitely carved out of marble enamel, and rimmed with gold filigree, the large mirror sat atop a handsome chest of drawers. Both bits of furniture were flanked on the right by a tall, imposing armoire of mahogany with ebony trimming. Peering into the mirror's smooth glass, my reflection greeted me. My gaze was returned by a rather disheveled looking stallion of average height and build. His mane was a tousled brown mess, and his deep blue eyes bore into mine with haunting intensity. A cutie mark, an hourglass symbol that denotes my original occupation as Timekeeper and caretaker of the Ponyville clock tower, completed the image that now reflected back at me. I clicked my tongue and wolf-whistled, jokingly waving a hoof at the mirror like one of those Applewood movie stars that used to grace the silver screens. "Looking goooood...old boy!" By Celestia's mane, it's been only around a year, yet it felt like an eternity ago. Just like... No, no. I shan't let my wind wander like that, I think. I've got responsibilities to keep, and places to be. With a sigh, I looked away from the mirror and at the room around me. It was a little messy and chaotic, but it was controlled chaos mind you. Nearly every little thing was in a certain place, for a certain reason. I only got near Octavia's possessions to wage my endless war against dust bunnies and the occasional spider. This was true for much of my...our...house. Most things were just left the same as the day that everypony... Ugh, you know. Anyways, I set about preparing for my daily routine. Last I checked, the nearest Canterlot pumping station still had proper power going to it, so running water should be as it always is. A bit of advice, never take for granted the value of a hot shower for a pony's mind, body, and mood! After giving myself a thorough washing and a minute amount of personal grooming, I reemerged into the master bedroom. Settling for a business vest and simple necktie... a white one with smiling parasprites ingrained on it, I donned my fedora, and trotted downstairs. The spacious kitchen, dining room, sitting room, library, and living room greeted me with the usual quiet serenity they had for so long now. If I would but stand there and close my eyes, I could almost smell the aroma of the fresh jam, toast, and coffee wafting in from the kitchen. The sound of eggs sizzling on the griddle, and the angelic humming of a one mare symphony. Memories, from brighter days, some would say. I snatched at a locket dangling around my neck, and opened it. A mare with intense magenta eyes, a mane of brilliant black locks, and a silvery-gray coat smiled lovingly back at me. My ears fell flat, and my muzzle quivered as I ran my hoof across the image longingly. My eyes grew misty, and were like a dam threatening to break. "Octavia.." I whispered. With a deep sigh, I shut my eyes slowly, closed the locket, and let it fall back to my chest under the tie and vest. "AHEM! C'mon Hooves, now's not the time for melancholy! The Sun's shining, and you have a bright new day ahead of you, get to work!" I told myself, trying to emulate a certain pegasus' haughty, insistent voice. I strode into the kitchen, and opened up the fridge. "Hmm, let's see here. Gotta get some more orange juice...got plenty of jam, lettuce, spinach, other vegetables...check, check, and check!" I put my hoof to my muzzle, feeling like I was forgetting something. "NO EGGS?!" I exclaimed, finally noticing what was amiss. "I'll have to fix that soon. Hmm, need some more garlic and vinegar too, goes great with salad." Mumbling and taking mental notes, I snatched up my saddle bag, and stepped out into the pleasant sunshine of the Canterlot suburb. The spires of the capital city and the castle themselves stood further up the mountain in the distance, looming over the land like some kind of titanic, silent sentinel of all ponykind. Almost ironically, it was a guardian figure for likely only one pony today. I kept that in mind as I made my way down the expansive, empty driveway. I have yet to find out what happened to our automobile, it's nowhere to be found at the moment. Just before crossing the threshold of the manor gates, I looked back at my house. Ah, Sunset Manor, such a fine work of architecture I had ever had the honor of living in! A personal gift from Princess Celestia herself for our contributions to Equestria, it was one of the largest dwellings in the neighborhood. Its graceful white marble walls were accented by posh Prench wooden doors and tall platinum-framed windows. Imposing columns in the swirling pegasi style lined the main entry colonnade, a large garden, terrace, and a vibrant purple tile terra cotta roof quite literally topped off the mansion. In spite of all the decorum and extravagance, I must confide that it's a relief to get out and away from the place as much as I can. Any rational mind could probably deduce as to why that is so. Whistling a tune matching one of Sapphire Shore's hit songs, now one year outdated, I trotted down the boulevard, making my way out of the neighborhood and slightly towards Canterlot. The street, as always, was a complete mess. Motor cars had been left abandoned everywhere and a few even crashed when their drivers suddenly... took a vacation to parts unknown. Several lawns on other various properties had been left to grow wild. Already, after just a single year without pony intervention, the forces of nature were already beginning to creep in with their efficient little ways, subverting the solid tangible aspects of Pony civilization. Vines covered some parts of a few cars, and many yards had become jungles of weeds and overgrown shrubbery. Due to the obvious absence of the Pegasi to manage the weather, the forces of last winter and the unregulated spring torrents were already taking their toll on things. Some of the buildings were even beginning to show signs of peeling paint. Turning my scrutiny away from such depressing thoughts, I set my sights on a large structure just down the road. As I got closer, a massive panel sign, almost cartoon like, came into detail. It was an advertisement. AppleMart We Sell Just 'Bout Everything n' Here! Accompanying the words was an image of Applejack, a prominent member of the Apple family and friend of Twilight Sparkle. She was standing with a proud grin and a wink on her face, a barrel of apples on her right, and a tipped over barrel on her left dropping random goods–quills, pens, mane brushes, horseshoes, data discs, instruments, clothing, you name it. In the backdrop of it all was a circle with a golden russet apple dominating its center. I raised an eyebrow at the large display of corporate power. After having beaten the Flim Flam Brothers in a competition over the apple cider market, the Apple Clan, finding itself with new momentum, had begun its fast track into founding a burgeoning commercial empire. Flim and Flam, never to be discouraged by a few setbacks, and ever greedy in their never ending quest for the almighty Bit, instead began investing in the emerging railroad and steel industry. The big cities like Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Los Pegasus began to expand evermore, and seek better connections with the rest of the country. In the face of our new Industrial Revolution, Princess Celestia had been all too eager to take all the investment money she could to modernize Equestria. I suppose it was all pointless now, seeing as how they've all up and disappeared. With a massive shrug, I pushed my way into the large department store, immediately greeted by a bizarre mix of smooth jazz and country bumpkin music. You know, with the acoustic guitars and all that. I winced, regretting having left the automated PA system on when I had routed power to the place. "Note to self, turn that crap off when I get to the registers to check out." I muttered to myself. When I had first entered here just after the Disappearances, it, like most other places, had become messy. Ponies had been carrying things when they vanished. Lots of things. It took me at least until fall of last year to clean it all up to a reasonable state of orderliness. It had been summer when everything went...weird, you see. Perusing the large store, I quickly found the orange juice I had sought, as well as some fresh garlic cloves and vials of vinegar. Feeling a wee bit contentious with myself today, I decided to 'buy' some extra sets of spices, a couple packs of mushrooms, and a generous amount of canned tomatoes and packs of noodles. With all of my groceries in a cute little shopping basket you could find near the front entrances, I set off for the checkout aisles. Other customers stood around browsing goods, and I nodded at them politely as I trotted. "Good day misses Fleur de Lis! Pleasant morning we're having huh?' "..." "Ah, and hello to you as well, Mister Nandermane!" I said jovially, smiling like a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve. "..." Since I had moved most of the shopping carts out of the way, maneuvering around the large supermarket section of the store had become a breeze. Approaching the aisle, I was greeted by the clerk, or rather, a ponyquin, representing the clerk. "That'll be all my good man." I said as I put the goods onto the conveyor. "........." Pulling out my bit purse, I glanced back up at him. "So, how much we talkin' here?" The clerk ponyquin, with a crude smiley face painted on its front, and a cap on its head, stared at me mutely, unmoving. "..........................." "Alrighty." I reached over the counter, put in the bits and rung myself up, all with an expression one would expect from any average, normal customer waiting in line. I then turned off the speakers all around the store, silencing the dreadful musical combo, and whistled a little victory tune of my own. Following that, I reared up and pumped my hooves in the air like an over enthusiastic fan at a DJ PON3 performance. "Score one for tasteful, decent music everywhere!" With goods in hoof, I made my way back out into the parking lot. Checking the time, I discovered it was just a quarter past nine. I still had plenty of time left in the day. The cool Summer morning air whipped through my fur, and I tipped my fedora lower, to shield myself from the wind. It would seem this gleaming sunshine is being deceitful, a rainstorm is coming. Scientist though I may have been, I'm no meteorologist. But, judging by the color of the clouds composing the front moving in, I can safely bet it was going to be a significant downpour. It was coming in from around the mountainside to the East, likely a storm from the Ocean coming inland to throw a 'hurray for not having to fear the pegasi weather teams and we can flood and rain on whatever we want' party. Expect strong winds, heavy rains, and a chance of a quick death via hale bombardment, electrocution, or drowning in rogue mudslides. With this under consideration, I made it my main point to get to Ponyville as quickly as possible, where the storm likely will not hit, assuming its heading Westward anyways. 'Borrowing' a random pegasi sky carriage–their fancy-schmancy versions of earth pony automobiles, that looked to be in good condition, I quickly made a beeline for Sunset Manor. Since the storms had oddly become ever stronger since the Disappearances, I had to go to extreme measures to weatherproof the mansion, much like how some ponies use to have to batten down for typhoons down in the Southeast coast of Equestria. That said, once I dropped off my groceries into the pantry, I checked on the chicken coops I kept near the garden, as the wind continued to pick up and the sky grew gray and darker. The hens were largely calm, but that would change once the rain started, I mused. Taking a few of their eggs for my kitchen stock, I then sealed up the windows of the greenhouse I had built around them and the terrace, and surveyed the area. The windows were solid, sturdy plate glass designed to resist strong gale force winds, and could even stop a bullet from an Equestrian Army fifty caliber sniper rifle, or so the manufacturer, Iron Will Industries had so boldly proclaimed in the catalog I had read. 'This glass is absolutely guaranteed to be assertive against ANY type of storm, NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE WIND! How? BECAUSE IRON WILL PERSONALLY PEP TALKS EVERY PANE THAT COMES OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE, THAT'S HOW!' It had said. Confident my house was 'nature-proof', I quickly galloped back to the two-door sky carriage, and then flew my way down to Ponyville, with my main goals still pending on my to-do list. The storm slowly shrunk in size in my viewing angle in the rear mirror. As I flew down the mountain slope, the large network of streets, parks, and buildings that were the medium-sized town of Ponyville beckoned towards me. Like a maniac, I began singing the opera portion of Octavia's fifth symphony from memory, in the deepest voice I could manage. The wind whipped through the rolled down windows "Oh Princesse Luna, notre monarque de nuit plus belle!" They gales threatened to nearly blow my hat straight off my head and out of the cabin, as I searched for an appropriate spot to land. "Chantez pour nous, une berceuse, si tranquille et le plus beau!" The lyrics were in straight Prench, but no matter. "Cher Luna, comment nous, vous et votre nuit adorons!" When I landed and got out, approaching Ponyville Town Hall...and the Prometheus Engine within, the strangest, most amazing thing happened. Still singing the Prench opera of the symphony Octavia had written aloud to myself, I caught a glimpse of something moving. It was fast too. Something... That looked... It, it was pony shaped for sure, but... I have to be just hallucinating here! But I swear on Celestia's name, it looked like Princess Luna herself!
Chapter Two: The Audio Logs of Twilight SparkleChapter Two Taking a moment to focus in on the shape, my opera singing ended abruptly. There was no doubt in my mind at all, it was Princess Luna. As sure as the Sun rises every morning. On a...side note, I find that strange considering Celestia isn't ever around to raise it anymore–or so I've been assuming with a grain of confidence these past dozen months. The Princess was flying straight over town hall towards the Everfree Forest at top speed, which for an alicorn, was quite fast indeed. No Royal Guards were accompanying her, she wasn't carrying anything with her that I could see, and it appeared as if she had been coming from somewhere here in Ponyville. After another quick second of careful scanning, I was just able to make out her moon cutie mark that irrefutably denoted her as the Princess of the Night. With this realization that I indeed was not alone in the world, as you could imagine, I went completely bonkers with mixed emotions. "Princess Luna! Hey, hey PRINCESS LUNA!" I tore the fedora off my head and waved it at her like a whistling constable in Trottingham would twirl their truncheon while patrolling the streets at dusk in the movies. "HEY, PLEASE WAIT!" Galloping as fast as I could down the street, I fruitlessly attempted to follow her flight path, It was a desperate bid to catch her attention. "DON'T GO, I'M RIGHT HERE...PLEASE!" That's when an evil piece of automobile debris laying on the street pavement caused me to trip over my own legs, sending me sprawling into a murky puddle. I pulled myself up and shook my poor mane dry of the muddy water. Sitting on my haunches, I watched as the speeding alicorn vanished over the horizon, past Ponyville city limits. Frustrated like a foal whose' cutie mark refused to appear, I held up a hoof longingly at the sky, gasping to catch my breath. "Please..." I whispered. "Dammit, come back you stupid royal... I'm right here, turn around!" In the interests of posterity, I would never–ever insult the Princesses under any normal circumstances. But ever since last year, what in Tartarus is normal anymore? "I'm...right...here." In the midst of my melancholic episode, a small piece of parchment billowed towards me, moving almost with all the serene grace of a butterfly. Of course though, it was merely parchment. But that's all beside the point. What was on it, rekindled my spirit just enough for me to get back up onto my hooves as I held the document in my forehoof. Stamped on it was the official royal seal of authority, and beneath it, was the message, scrawled in a form of calligraphy far too graceful to belong to anypony but a princess. I have seen you, Doctor. You are not alone. While I regret that I cannot currently make direct contact with you for personal reasons all my own, you should expect to see more of me in the near future. A dire fate may have befallen our world's inhabitants, and I intend to divine what. We have much to discuss, Doctor Hooves. In due time. Until next we meet, -L "She's seen me. Oh Celestia bless it, she saw me!" Never had I felt so happy at such a simple string of words in years! Blast it, I almost felt like kissing the paper, I was so ecstatic. It took twelve grueling months, twelve! But at least for my sanity's sake, I know now for sure that I'm not secretly trapped alone in some bloody limbo that resembles my home country down to every last blade of Celestia-forsaken grass. Wiping a tear of mirth from my eye I trotted over to the town hall entrance. The oddest thing, possibly more odd even than the Disappearances themselves–In spite of everything that has transpired, I strangely find Town Hall and the area around it to be rather, well, kind of comforting. Approaching the front door, I noticed a disturbance from the norm. Everyday just as part of an idiosyncracy of mine, I would always make it my point to secure the doors with a solid titanium padlock. The padlock and chain were laying on the floor of the stoop, the locking mechanism picked almost effortlessly, likely done so by magic. I would know, the lock was designed to only be opened via a key–a key whose only copy I possessed and so stingily safeguarded. "Well I'll be... Most have been Luna then. If not her, than maybe it could have been the ponyquins...NO, no!" I chuckled to myself, rubbing at my dark mane then retrieving my fedora. "That would be insane." Perhaps I should have become a court jester instead of a scientist. In the heart of the building's main room, I was greeted by the quiet purring of Prometheus as it performed its mechanical motions like it always did. Ever since...things had been set in motion, the Prometheus Engine had ceased any sort of spontaneous malfunctions such thatcaused the catastrophe that likely depopulated our civilization. I was content in my assumption that whatever...or whomever...caused the Engine to go haywire that night was now long gone, and wouldn't rear its ugly head again. That's all have to go on these days it seems, assumptions I mean. All industrial and ArcTech systems not controlled and maintained by me would shut down or malfunction within about two months of neglect? Assumption, if a rather explosive one. Half of the Ponyville Industrial Park had been taken out of commission after I forgot to put the dynamo reactor core in the VioletScale LLC Gem Smelting Facility on emergency standby last fall. The CEO Spike would have killed me on the spot, had I been an engineer working there. The explosion had rained amethysts across town that entire day. Ha, ha Oops... Princess Celestia has vanished? Assumption. Because she's gone, the Sun still rising implies that our planet's star can actually move without the aid of an alicorn? Big assumption. Odd weather is the result of the Prometheus Engine? Assumption. Ponyquins are in fact not alive, and I merely interact with them and give them personas as part of a running gag and not for any other reason but whimsical humour? Very safe assumption regarding the Ponyquins. No, wait, scratch that! That is a bloody proven fact. Setting my musings aside, I approach the familiar form of my old work station. All the other banks of computers and controls were coated in thin layers of dust. The damn wood spiders always start to settle in as soon as you leave something unattended for more than a week. Crafty elusive, dastardly things, those arachnids. My computer awoke in my presence, casting me in a pale aura of blue amidst the dimness of the room. Hitting the light switch on the pillar next to the desk, I caused the gloom to dissipate in an instant, putting my fears of the dark at rest. I hung my fedora on the coatrack next to the wooden desk and took a seat. It was time for me to begin the second major task of my daily agenda: combing through the ever-expansive banks of research notes and random data Dr. Sparkle had compiled over the course of our work on the Prometheus Project. All of this was my effort to figure out what happened that night. By Celestia, was that mare ever so obsessed with recording every little thing that occurred on a daily basis! Everything from transcripts of conversations between colleagues, day to day reports and diary entries, findings, and even things like what she had eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all could be found in her audio logs. Even though we had been co-directors of the whole project, there were many noteworthy things she kept from the rest of us. Almost every time I would inquire her about all the excessive secrecy, Twilight always said that it was a matter of national security, and only Celestia and highest members of her court and Parliament were allowed discourse. Whenever I would press on, she would rebuff me then return to working at her computer terminal, muttering and refusing to talk to anyone. On really bad days when I would try to pry further still, she usually stopped me in my tracks with threats of dismissal from the project, which would likely have disgraced my career in the eyes of my countrymen, given my important role as co-director. Such was my misfortune at not being a higher ranking government scientist, and not having Celestia herself as a mentor like Twilight had. However, I mustn't let my few petty negative memories of her ruin the image of Twilight. The Twilight Sparkle we all knew and loved was far, far more caring, kind, and accommodating of a pony then that. It's just that the vitalness of our project was so great, that we had to be prepared to sacrifice anything to ensure its success, if we wanted to retain our modern way of life and keep Equestria intact. The stress was mounting on everyone to get it done, and nerves were very frayed. With all this in mind, I dove into the digital labyrinth that was the records of Doctor Sparkle. Estimating that I had covered approximately only forty-five percent of it all, I scrolled up to the most recent group of documents I could access at the moment. Finding a pair of daily audio logs dated to approximately two weeks before the Disappearances labeled: 'Political situation worsening 7-1-10' and 'Odd occurrences 7-2-10' respectively, I opened up the first. Twilight's voice cut into the dominant noise of the engine in the room, making it seem for a fleeting moment as if everything had returned to normal...almost. This is the personal audio log of Doctor Twilight Sparkle, dated the first of July, year ten of the Diarchy. (Sigh) More bad news from Celestia today. It would seem Equestria's political situation has worsened, and by extent, the urgency of the project. They've finally done it. The Zebra Caesar has ordered a full out military invasion of the Gryphon kingdoms for access to their carefully kept schematics for atomic fusion power. As a result, our supply of new coal and oil is being cut off; Roam needs them to fuel the Caesar's legions. (Cough) Equestria's royal geologists estimate that the amount of coal in our emergency reserves will only last another two years at the most, and our oil fields of course went dry almost three years earlier. Celestia fears that we may end up seeing the full scale deployment of megaspells if either side gets too desperate. On our end, the Princesses are trying relentlessly to play the role of neutral negotiators, but we have our own arsenal of balefire bombs–the largest in the world, at our disposal, as well as one of the most technologically advanced armies, just in case. (Thud) It's times like these that remind me why I decided not to accept the role as a Princess. Lets hope the Prometheus Engine settles all of this once and for all, before we end up turning our beautiful world into a desolate wasteland from our squabbles over land, prestige and resources. Narrowing my eyes and flattening my ears at the memory of how tense things had actually been then, I played the second and last audio log. Audio log of Doctor Twilight Sparkle, dated the second of July, year ten of the Diarchy. (Clears throat) Weird incident while making my way back home to my loft at the Golden Oak Library last night. I was stopped by two earth pony mares and a pegasus stallion, all belonging to one of those crackpot anti-technology Luddite groups. They chewed me out with a couple of ignorant one-liners about how we are corrupting the earth, poisoning the air, and that industrial technology and arcane technology are the source of all evil in the world today. They met my attempts to pass by and ignore them with a derogatory slur against unicorns, the bastards! Had Rainbow Dash or Applejack been around, it almost certainly would have come down to blows. (Sigh) That's not the worst of it though. This morning's activation of the Engine triggered a mass disappearance of everyone's potted plants throughout the town. We also received follow-up reports from Cloudsdale of rogue storm systems popping up outside of Pegasi control, like how the systems do over the Everfree. Fortunately the plants eventually reappeared into existence around lunchtime (daisies with light jam on pumpernickel bread), which make sense. Star Swirl's Law of Equivalent Matter dictates that which is made of physical particles simply cannot be 'destroyed' or created from nothing–only transported back forth between point 'A' and 'B', or have its physical, chemical, or atomic makeup altered in someway. In regards to the Prometheus Engine itself, I had theorized that the amount of energy the engine channeled could be cause for a few small scale trans-dimensional anomalies such as this. But it's nothing that would hinder the Engine's continued use as an infinite source of renewable energy, of that I am certain. And fortunately for all of us here, Neighkola Tesla promises me that he and his corporation will continue to provide all the necessary equipment for the maintenance of the Engine. I shall make the necessary calibrations to the ArcTech Systems with my magic, record the health status of the teleported plants, log them and then join Rarity for a session at the Spa this evening. I think this mare has earned it, wouldn't you say? Upon hearing Twilight's description of the Law of Equivalent Matter, I felt like slamming my head into the desk. How in harmony's name could I have been so stupid these past several months?! I'm a scientist, and completely forgot to even consider that Law in all my time trying to discover what had gone wrong. Again, should have just been a court jester! That was it all along! Prometheus had been producing and channeling so much energy...that it must have torn a hole in reality itself. Then that would have to mean two definitive things, as well as one uncertainty. One, nopony was killed then when they were hit by the Engine's discharge. Two, they were either teleported or transfigured into some other exotic state of being. Based on my current observations over the past year, I have yet to encounter actual talking plants, puddles, clouds, objects, or yes–even ponyquins, so I contend that in all likelihood, it was the former rather than the latter fate that had befallen everyone I know. And now begs the uncertainty: where were the citizens of Equestria teleported to, and what has happened to them since? It seems as if today, around exactly a year since all of this started, I finally discover that not only am I not alone, but I may have just found the partial answer to what happened to them. Vexation turned to a sort of semi-genuine joy within my mind in an instant. "Eureka! Eureka, eureka, eureka I say!" I shouted to nobody in particular. As if in response, the Prometheus Engine coughed up a cloud of steam from one of its pipes overhead. Sometimes I swear, that machine has a personality of its own. On one side, it's the superhero for solving our energy crisis. On the other hoof, it's a supervillain for teleporting the vast majority of us to only Luna knows where. (Reminder to self, find out what she knows when she tries to contact you!) Finally wearing my moment of triumph thin, I mentally crossed off the second of my three tasks, then exited the main room. I went up a flight of stairs, past the second story balcony, past the third floor and finally, out onto the rooftop belfry tower flanked by the roof-mounted Tesla coils. Normally this position would have been manned by a firepony or two, but now it instead serves as my sort of impromptu broadcasting tower. I have yet to actually receive a response, but sometimes it helps to just sit up here everyday at noon when its nice and sunny. To look out and be able to appreciate the beauty of Ponyville and the region as it spreads out before you with Canterlot and the snow capped mountains looming in the distance, it's just something else! The storm I barely evaded had past by to the East now, breaking up as it went. Something tells me that it was from this very spot that Princess Luna was able to spot me as she traveled back and forth from parts unknown. Picking up the microphone and holding it to my muzzle, I decided upon the usual broadcast message. Clearing my throat, I spoke in a confident but urgent tone of voice. "If anypony hear me... I am broadcasting this message to you on international frequencies. If you are out there, I beg you..." I raised my voice, increasing the urgency. "Please respond. My name is Time Turner Hooves, and I am an Equestrian scientist who was partly in charge of the formerly state-secret program, dubbed the Prometheus Project. If you are within the central Equestrian region, look for me in Ponyville. I can be found at noon, on top of the Ponyville Town Hall, when the Sun is the highest in sky." I briefly paused, holding the mic to my chest and the receiver close to my right ear. My efforts were met with nothing but monotonous static. I swore and put the microphone back to my face. "I have discovered the likely cause of the Disappearances, but I need someone to collaborate with to ensure we can finally solve this in full and get everypony back into our world. I'm now going to leave a beacon and play this broadcast on a loop indefinitely. Now hear this: If you are a citizen of Equestria, then as a royal scientist serving the throne I declare that it is your duty to your nation and all ponykind to report to me at once. This is Doctor Time Turner Hooves, signing off." Removing the headset and microphone from my head, I took one last gander at Ponyville under the warmth and light of the summer afternoon. With my responsibilities met early for the day, I decided upon spending the afternoon wandering the town park and admiring nature, and spending time perusing and 'shopping' around the various business in town. I was unable to hear what was being transmitted from the radio atop Town Hall in my absence. A raspy feminine and rather arrogant voice, echoing and distorted as if coming from another dimension, emitted from the receiver. "Ti... Turner? I ca...barely...r you, ya damn egghead! H..llo? W...'re all..." And then the message ceased abruptly.
Chapter Three: The Tesla ConnectionIt would seem I was wrong about the storms today. Approximately two hours after I had sent out a new radio beacon and spent some time wandering the deserted streets and parks of Ponyville, a massive system, almost as large as the one that had been over Canterlot, struck Ponyville from the South. The storm was likely a ‘gift’ from the Everfree Forest, I’d wager. Ponykind and that creepy forest always have been the best of friends, haven’t we? So there I was, stuck in Town Hall for the duration of the downpour. I had definitely not been looking forward to being in here near the Engine under such conditions, they mirrored the storm from last year almost to the letter. I had no other choice though, Town Hall contained the only such things where I could productively wait for the storm to pass. Fortunately for my nerves however, the Tesla coils were their normal blue and not an angry red when they roared to life from the lightning channeling into them. The blue crackling light of the electricity mixed with that of my desk lamp and computer screen to cast the room into a crazy show of shadows and rainbows from all the reflective metal surfaces. Eight months ago, I had conceived of the idea to place a few ponyquins with labcoats in here to ‘keep watch’ in my absence during the morning and evening. Imagining how the scene would look now with the silhouettes of pony-shaped figures looming in the dark corners of the room with the crazy lighting reminded me just how idiotic the idea truly had been. For a supposed inventor and intellectual, not necessarily all my ideas have been fool proof. With nothing else to do as the thunderstorm raged outside, I decided it was the perfect time to continue pouring through my colleagues’ records. Within moments of passing over the most recent two of Twilight Sparkle’s audio logs, I discovered much to my extreme frustration, that the vast majority following them–some two hundred or so audio logs–had been either corrupted or sealed with a magical encryption spell only Twilight herself could possibly break. With that in mind, I also recalled how in the days leading up to the Disappearances, the unicorn had been making more logs in a single average day than in all previous weeks combined. Most of us had simply chalked it all up to the stress of our work, a perfectly reasonable theory I too, had subscribed to, until recently. But after hearing and reading what I have, and given Luna’s sudden apparent re-emergence, I have since concluded that something far more cloak-and-dagger had been going on with Sparkle and the Diarchs than we had been allowed to know publicly. “Just what was it the Princesses were up to? And how does bloody Tesla play into all of this?” I half-muttered, half grumbled to myself, still scouring for one of Twilight’s logs I could actually investigate. Only one more audio log remained that I could access by normal means. I’m not sure why, but I decided to save it for tomorrow and find some other way to keep occupied instead while I wait out the storm. Peering around in the dim room, I figured now was a decent time to snoop through the personal effects my other fellow scientists had left behind. Believe it or not, when I had set about cleaning this place out right after the Disappearances, much like the other places I keep under careful management, food and other perishables were really the only things I had bothered to mess with. Best to clean them up before things got ‘fragrant’. All other miscellaneous items have more or less remained untouched for a year, much like a museum exhibit. Dusting off and analyzing work tables, desks, and break areas yielded dozens of diverse, if rather mundane findings. Stray labcoats some had not been wearing when the anomaly occurred, some dropped PDA’s full of private daily information, a gold watch, two bottles of wine, a couple of dusty saddlebags, hats, and bonnets left on their racks. All in all, fairly unremarkable. That was, except for one specific thing I had managed to overlook all this time: Rainbow Dash’s own Personal Data Assistant. As far as we all knew, Rainbow had been arguably as close with the Princesses as Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony had been. If anyone would have had something to hide from the common eggheads such as myself, it would have been that mare. I picked up the device gently with my mouth, tossing it dexterously into one of my hooves. It was one of the less common ‘limited edition’ models of the company that made them. By design, it was a large touch-screen interface on a flat onyx surface, a ‘tablet’ if you will. The device was quick to react, the battery inside it fully charged from the Tesla coil’s power broadcasts. The dull white and blue of its lit screen added to the already chaotic lights show of the room. Town Hall was starting to look as if some pony were throwing a rave party...or two. In normal times, the lights probably would have attracted Vinyl Scratch and those darn turntables of hers. Accessing the files on Dash’s device, I found mostly video recordings of some of her stunts, both successful, and some rather less so. While entertaining, they definitely were not the type of thing I was looking for. I was nearly about to give up my search, when I finally stumbled across something noteworthy, a video file labeled, ‘Edison/Tesla Dispute’. The video was dated to Autumn of year nine of the Diarchy, the rule of Celestia and Luna, which makes this file almost two years old. Intrigued that its title contained the name of our scientific benefactor for the entire Prometheus project, I quickly opened the video. First thing I saw was the surface of a cloud I think, the entire viewing angle was shaky, Dash must have been recording this while in flight perhaps. Quickly the angle flipped around, and I could make out the face of Rainbow Dash herself with a silly grin on her face. It was raining slightly in the video, but not nearly as much as it was now, outside. This was merely a gentle drizzle, not the fierce meteorological monstrosities of today. A few raindrops hit the camera lens, but were quickly brushed off by a cyan wing. Rainbow held a hoof to her mouth, as if telling someone to quiet down or be silent. I could have sworn I heard another feminine voice just off screen, accompanied by a flash of something pink. “Do they see us?” I heard the other say in a hushed but highly enthusiastic voice. Rainbow Dash shook her head, then pointed the camera down, and I could see that they were actually sitting on top of a rather large cloud. A new thing, something gold or buttery-colored flashed on the opposite side of where the pink had for just a brief second. “Umm, girls? I’m not sure this is exactly the most polite thing to do...” I heard a third voice, far softer than the others say. The camera was now inching along the surface of the cloud, Rainbow Dash must have been crawling towards the edge. “C’mon Fluttershy, this is just too rich not to get recorded.” Finally, the camera was raised again, and I could make out the scene almost in its entirety. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy apparently, and someone else were looking down at two stallions, who were in the middle of a heated debate in front of the Equestrian Electric Headquarters, which would mean this was filmed in the suburbs of Manehattan. I recognized the earth pony instantly, his fine black moustache, mane style, lightning rod cutie mark, and handsome suit positively screamed ‘Tesla’. The older one, the unicorn with the black mane just starting to gray, lightbulb cutie mark, and elaborate bow tie must have been Edison then. The unknown pink mare stifled a giggle and Fluttershy squeaked nervously as Rainbow Dash held the camera steady and zoomed in on the bickering pair. “How many times must I say it, Alternating Current and wireless transmission are the way of the future! Why must you insist on staying in the past?” Tesla said in his rich accent, almost on the verge of shouting. I took note that his mane and coat appeared rather disheveled in addition to being rain-soaked, and his ears were pressed flat against his head. Trotmas Edison raised an eyebrow at Tesla, and nonchalantly messed with his bow tie, as the rain fell harmlessly away from his levitating black umbrella. He replied in a suave, confident tone that made me both want to hate, and admire him at the same time. “Because young sir, the ‘past’ as you call it, is where the money is. What you propose would make a lot of good industrialist ponies, dear patrons of mine, go bankrupt! Bits make the world go around, Mister Tesla.” Not unlike a steamed vegetable, Tesla’s face fumed red beneath his grey coat. “Bits? Bits! Look around you, it’s not about wealth anymore, it’s energy! We’ve been tapping into the Earth to extract oil for nigh ten years, and even longer for coal. But now we’re running out!” Edison was unrelenting. The older unicorn merely shook his head, unconvinced. “Ah yes, the ‘Energy Crisis’ as they call it. Tesla, that’s nothing more than an old mare’s tale spun up by those Luddite lunatics in order to convince Her Majesty Celestia to force us back into the damn Middle Ages.” He then telekinetically shook his walking cane at Tesla. “Either you get with the status quo, or Equestrian Electric will no longer have need of your services, sir.” At that, Tesla’s face darkened considerably, and based on his tensing body language, I would say it looked as if he were about go physical with the older stallion. “Dashie, I think this is getting a bit too serious, they’re not playing around. Maybe we should go find something else to do...” The third enthusiastic voice said, although I was starting to notice that the playful enthusiasm had quickly left her voice. Off screen, I heard Rainbow Dash groan irritably. “Pinkie Pie, not you too! Listen, funny or not, this could be journalism gold, we could sell this to the Ponyville Confidential and make a wagon-load of bits! Maybe then I can afford one of those new cool-looking sky chariots!” Pinkie Pie laughed quietly. “Ooh! I’ve always wanted to fly one of those things!” I rolled my eyes; nothing was special about those funny flying contraptions. Wings and automobiles were perfectly fine separate from one another, and I barely survived the trip down here on one in the first place. Looking back to the tablet in my hooves, I noticed the angle had changed again. “Hey look, somepony else is coming towards them.” Fluttershy said in a whisper, which I guessed was probably her normal speaking voice. Dash muttered something under her breath, and moved the camera away from both Tesla and Edison, who were glaring daggers at each other, and towards the newcomer. I could tell it was a mare, based on they elegant way that they walked. She had a silvery-gray coat similar to Tesla’s, but I couldn't make out her facial features on account of the tall-necked raincoat and over sized hat that she wore. “Ah man, she better not be breaking this up or something, I was looking forward to Edison getting a good whooping.” Dash said. The viewing angle, much to my frustration, got shaky again. “What the hay? He would be asking for it!” Too my absolute shock, Fluttershy replied off screen in a very firm and stern tone. “Never glorify violence, it only creates more problems!” The admonishment ended almost in what sounded like a hiss. “Look, Fluttershy, I know what happened between Angel and that giant dragon was tragic, but it was just....” “Were in not for you antagonizing Angel, everyone could have walked away unhurt. But no! Now my sweet little bunny will forever be remembered as a mean dragonslayer!” “But Flutters, I didn’t mean to...” Rainbow and Flutteshy’s exchange was cut off by Pinkie Pie’s urgent whisper. “Dashie, Fluttershy, the mystery mare just approached the guys...do you think she’s gonna prank them or something? That would certainly make this funny again!” After the camera stabilized again in Dash’ grip, the view returned to the scene below. The ‘Mystery Mare’ as Pinkie Pie had referred to her as had finally partially caught Tesla and Edison’s attention. “...then I’ll just have to take things into my own hands, Mister Edison. If Equestrian Electric is unwilling to see the worthiness of my vision, then I will petition the Princesses myself of making it a reality. My corporation will actually work to better ponykind and the world, rather than grow fat and lazy off the piles of bits from its monopolies like your ‘good industrialists’ do on a daily basis!” His face as dark as Tesla’s, and his muzzle pulled back in a sneer, Edison replied. “Neighkola Tesla, I must warn you those are some very, very dangerous words. Your naivete will only...” “Gentlestallions, please! Bickering will only get you nowhere.” The newcomer interjected in a beautiful, strangely...familiar voice. “That...can’t be. Impossible!” I said, gawking at the screen in my hooves. When the mare turned her head from Edison to Tesla, I could finally make out her appearance in detail. A pair of mulberry-magenta eyes peered at the still fuming inventors through a few wet strands of black mane. I paused the video, uncomprehending who it was I was seeing on the screen. “Oct...Octavia?” I murmured in disbelief. For a moment I looked up from the tablet and stared off into space. Shaking my head clear again, I hit play. “Miss Melody?! What brings a virtuoso such as yourself around here under such nasty weather?” Edison inquired, seeming to me genuinely surprised by her sudden appearance. Octavia only partially looked at him as she replied back. “I am here to deliver a summons for Mister Neighkola Tesla, from Celestia herself.” She turned her gaze to Tesla, who to me appeared positively befuddled, the poor chap. Gracefully, Octavia produced a wrapped parcel from her rain-proof saddlebag and placed it in Tesla’s hesitant hooves. “A summons for me, Octavia? Is Her Majesty a mind-reading telepath?” Tesla stammered out in shock. Narrowing her eyes in her own distinctive way she did when in a professionally-oriented mood, Octavia shook her head. “No, Neighkola. Princess Celestia has been aware of your work for quite some time now. Her Majesty...has ways, if you will, of finding out important things Parliament and the others can’t. I shan’t divulge any further than that.” Edison’s sneer deepened, and his suave voice broke and stammered as his rage left him almost too flustered to speak. “Wha...why, this is an outrage Miss Melody! Since when did you become a courier or agent of the Crown? And what use would one of the Diarchs have for a young upstart such as this, he’s accomplished nothing more than creating a few simple lightning rods. Their just foalish parlor tricks, NOTHING MORE!” He ended his tirade with stomps of his hoof on the slick pavement, all of which the camera had caught at a dramatic angle. To my extreme pride for her, Octavia’s sharp gaze was unwavering as Edison uncivilly voiced his dissent. While she listened to Edison rant like a young colt in the midst of a temper tantrum, Tesla had rushed underneath the nearest dry awning of the building. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie murmured something to each other that I couldn’t make out. It was then that Dash made it her point to zoom in on Neighkola’s face as he read the royal summons aloud. His face switched from astonishment, to apprehension at Edison’s tirade, then finally to extreme joy as he reached the document’s end. “Look at that smile, its magnificent!” Pinkie Pie remarked. “I thank you most sincerely, Miss Melody for bringing this to me at such short notice. I shall report to Her Majesty as soon as I can!” Tesla proclaimed, folding the letter in his hoof quickly and putting it in his breast pocket, where it was safe from the rain. Octavia nodded to him, and Tesla galloped away from her and the still fuming Edison, disappearing from the sight of Dash’s camera. “Ah, dammit!” Rainbow Dash groaned. She must have been irritated that no hooves were thrown, knowing her like I do. Edison glared at Octavia, who was moving to leave. “This is nonsense, that stallion’s ideas are going to run Equestria into the ground Miss Melody. I will be sure to make this fact vocal in Parliament, and to Princess Luna, very soon!” From the camera angle, I could tell Octavia was not looking at him as she trotted off around the street corner. “Your grievances will fall on deaf ears, Mister Edison.” She replied, leaving him standing in front of his own building with a priceless expression of sheer outrage. After getting a good shot of Edison’s face, Rainbow Dash followed Octavia. “Fluttershy, move this darn cloud for me!” The seemingly soft-spoken mare, despite her previous anger, must have obeyed, as the position of the camera seemed to have moved instead of just changing angles. I saw Octavia approach the familiar sight of the automobile she usually drove around in back in the day. Before she got in, she paused abruptly and gazed up almost directly at the camera. Almost directly at me, I also thought. “Uh oh, I think we better scram, Rainbow!” Pinkie Pie said urgently. “I’m pretty sure she knows we’re up here, we may be in some deeeeepy deep trouble!” “Oh no, I...I don’t want to go to prison for spying!” I heard Fluttershy squeak. Rainbow Dash let out a chuckle of exasperation. “Guys, there’s no way we could be in trouble for this, I work for the Princesses. We can report this to Princess Celestia as Edison questioning her judgement or something!” “Well...I...I suppose that’s not too far from the truth.” Fluttershy agreed. “I told ya guys we should have brought Applejack with us!” Pinkie Pie said in a sing-song voice that slightly creeped me out, leaving the back of my mane standing on end. “Oh c’mon Pinkie, there’s no way she would have went along with this! Let’s beat it, your wing spell is about to wear off Pinkie Pie, and Twilight will be dead furious if she finds out that we used it for spying.” Rainbow replied, before the video feed abruptly cut out. I just sat there on my haunches, completely flabbergasted from the whole thing. I had opened it, hoping to find some more answers that could help me in my tasks, but instead it just left more questions than it had even answered. “What the hay did Tesla have to do with all of this besides providing equipment for the project, what is his relationships with the Princesses? What is Octavia’s involvement in the government? She never said anything about being an agent, er courier, or whatever!” I paced back and forth near the Prometheus Engine, rambling off questions to myself like a maniac. “Argh, bloody hell! This whole situation is a cumbersome, complicated mess!” I absentmindedly hit a side of the engine, and it coughed up steam from a vent high above me. I chuckled. “He, he. Sorry about that old chap, just a tugging of the nerves is all.” With a sigh, I dropped down onto my desk chair, setting Dash’s PDA tablet next to my terminal. The storm had started to die down. I didn’t hear any thunder, but the rain was still hammering the place; I could have sworn I heard hale as well. Running the scenes of the video through my mind, I kept thinking of what Edison had said, the warning he had given to Octavia. I had no proof, but I was beginning to have suspicions that Trotmas Edison had just as much of a role in the Disappearances as Neighkola Tesla and Twilight did. With that bitter possibility through my mind, my thoughts shifted focus now to Octavia. Oh Celestia, do I miss her. Call me whatever colorful name in the book you so well please, but if it were to turn out tragically that only one Equestrian could be brought back to this world, it would be her. Not my colleagues, or even Celestia, if she is indeed missing too. But on second thought, perhaps either her or Twilight I would consider. Octavia is brilliant true, but only Twilight would have the technical know-how like me to modify the engine and reverse its effects on Equestria. That has to amount to something. Huh, look at me, deciding which of my own people I get to theoretically save, isn't that a hoot? For some odd twist of fate, I was the only one, besides Luna apparently, to not vanish. But, thinking about such deep esoteric things, that made my mind become scrambled. And given the circumstances, a clear mind is needed twenty-four seven. I chuckled again as I leaned back in my chair, laying my hind legs on the desk and putting my forelegs behind my head like a pillow. It was a posture I had learned about from a mare by the name of Lyra Heartstrings. A strange girl, that one, always rambling about fingers. “Well, Doctor Hooves, you said you need to keep a clear mind. So I suppose that’s why those two bottles of wine are still sitting over unattended, eh?” I said aloud to myself. “Why of course, those aren’t mine. Er...I mean to say, I am saving them for a special occasion.” I replied back with a snicker. The little version of me in the back of my mind chuckled far more cheerfully then I had. Why don’t you just drink one now? Today is a special occasion, you learned somepony else actually still exists in our world! Hurray for Luna! Luna, Luna, hurray for Woona! “Alright, alright! If it’ll just shut you up. Luna have mercy!” Looking at the wine on the table nearby, I snatched the bottle by the curve of my foreleg and cracked it open with my teeth, downing a quarter of it in under a minute. So, there I was, sitting with my legs propped up casually on my desk, sipping fine Canterlot wine. I got on my terminal and played another one of Octavia’s symphonies, a perfect way to stave off the boredom of storm-waiting. Her exquisite melodies mixed very well with the pitter-patter of the rain outside, and the gentle din of Prometheus. Not being much of a true drinker myself, the wine was exceedingly powerful, and before I knew it, I was beginning to doze off into dreamland, said to be one of Luna’s own realms. “Prinshess Woona, oh where art thou?” My voice slurred. “Ansher all ma questiunns, ivv you’d be sho kind yer majestii...” Now passed out at my desk, I had failed to notice that it had since turned to late evening, and the bright sky was quickly dimming with the retreating storm system. What I also was unable to register in my fermented grape-induced inebriation, were the strange looking pony-shaped forms of energy that had been peering in through the large windows and watching me the entire time. Having sized me up, the strange creatures then galloped silently away to parts unknown.
