Chapter 3 Reactions and Pinkie Promises... Oh, and The Fourth Wall
TW1L7.SPRKL
TW1L7.SPRKL
"...and that's how I became Princess Celestia's student."
"No wonder you succeeded where I failed."
As the voices of her friend and Trixie filtered through the fog of unconsciousness that clouded her mind, Pinkie groaned, catching the attention of the only dragon in the room.
"Twilight, she's waking up."
The pink party pony slowly opened her eyes, half expecting to see Spike using a pair of unicorn skulls as puppets. She was quite happy to spot the two most magical non-princess ponies in Equestria in one piece.
Still, the pinkest mare in the Pie family couldn't stay quiet (without reason) for long. "What happened? the last thing I remember was something from my worst nightmares, except in stead of Dashie it was you, and instead of me it was Spike. But that's just silly. I mean, why would he be making cu-" it was at this point that a rather large stack of cookies wrapped in a pale blue glow silenced the hyper earth pony.
Floating a glass of milk to aid the now chewing mare, Trixie turned to the purple pair, "I must admit, I find myself curious about just what we walked in on earlier."
"Well... er.... that is.... Spike?"
The baby dragon started waving his arms in front of himself in a warding gesture, "Uh uh! No way Twilight! You said that when the time came, you would tell them, not me."
"You're right," the librarian sighed, "I just wish I had more time to think about how to explain it."
Twilight took a deep breath, "It all started 20 years ago. Mom and Dad want to have a filly, but there was a problem. You see, most unicorns need to have their horns filed down a little when they're born to keep them from hurting themselves or others. Unfortunately, that means there's some... damage when they're born. So, when my brother was born, the doctor had to deliver the bad news.
"At first, they were fine with it, after all, they had a happy and healthy colt, each other, and a roof over their heads. But, as time moved on, they wanted more...
"At first, it started with the prosthetics they had been making for ponies that had lost a leg or an eye. Then, they started imagining what my brother, Shining Armor, might look like if he had been born a filly. One day, they combined the two with an AI, TW1L7.SPRKL, they had been programming in their spare time. That's how I was built..."
Silence flooded the room as the artificial pony trailed off.
Trixie recovered first, "I... I never would have guessed..."
All eyes turned to the disconcertingly silent Pinkie, despite- no, because of her silence.
Realizing that she was the center of attention, the earth pony echoed Twilight's earlier deep breath. "I... I..."
T o Be Continued...
Ain't I evil?
Chapter 4 Revelations and Broken Legs
Reactions and Pinkie Promises... Oh, and The Fourth Wall
Reactions and Pinkie Promises... Oh, and The Fourth wall
"Sooo..." Spike began as he placed the last of the tools he and Trixie, his new apprentice (much as the blue unicorn hated the title), would need for Twilight's monthly Maintenance on the table next to the lavender construct, "what now?"
The mechanical mare simply glanced at the spread with a nod for her favorite dragon before answering, "That's an easy one. We do a flashback so everyone's on the same page."
"Finally going to break The Fourth Wall?" The purple hatchling questioned, scratching his spines, "I don't know... It seems a little late to do that..."
"It wouldn't have fit if we tried sooner," the mare sighed.
The drake gave her a flat look. "It's Maintenance Day, Twilight," he deadpanned. "How could it have not fit in a month?"
"Time skip," was the simple response.
Trixie rolled her grey-violet eyes. "The Mechanical Genius Trixie still doesn't understand all this talk of 'flashbacks,' 'fourth walls' and 'time skips'..."
The draconic mechanic and the six million bit mare both jumped at the reminder that they weren't alone in the basement-lab, getting another eye-roll and a muttered "I'm not THAT forgettable," from the azure mare.
"Sorry, Trixie," Twilight responded. "It's just that, well..." she trailed off.
Spike picked up the slack, "The only way to understand what we're talking about is to experience it yourself, and you've seen what that's done to Screw Loose."
The lavender machine shot a dark look as best she could at the pint-sized drake unscrewing her head. However, before she could admonish him for his lack of tact, a familiar bubbly pink voice cut in from the door to the basement-lab they were in.
"Twilight, I brought the girls so you could tell them your secret like you promised you would. I also brought strawberry shortcakes for everypony. Ooooohhhhhh, that sounds like a good idea for a cartoon! Maybe it could be a slice-of-life comedy about a filly that lives in a ginormous shortcake and..."
As Pinkie went off on a tangent, Trixie started to worry. Sure, Twilight's friends had, reluctantly, accepted that the ex-showmare was staying at the library, but if they saw her now, with the purple unicorn already being taken apart, things would most likely end very badly.
Twilight's state of mind wasn't much better. Yes, she had everything she needed already prepared, including diagrams and a ten-page speech/rant/lecture, but she had left it all up in her room, thinking she wouldn't need it until later in the day. Needless to say, an unprepared equidroid was a very nervous equidroid.
Now, Spike's reaction was the most interesting. Normally in this situation, he would be panicking even worse than the two nearby mares. However, when he saw both unicorns start to freak out, a little used part of his mind kicked into overdrive. In Canterlot, it was well known that a calm Spike and a panicky unicorn normally meant trouble, usually from or for the unicorn in question. It was equally well known that such matters were better left to said dragon. Thus, Spike took charge.
"Trixie, get over here and help me hook up Twilight. Twilight, focus. You need to use that new system we've been installing in the table upstairs. Can you do that for me?" At the lavender mage's hesitant almost-nod (as a real nod was difficult without a body), the wyrmling continued, "Good, I'll get the stuff for your presentation as soon as we're done hooking you up."
As soon as they were done, the young drake went upstairs only to find the party pony still rambling in the doorway, "...and I said 'Oatmeal? Are you cra-'"
It was amazing just how quickly a serious dragon, even one as young as Spike, could get even Pinkie to shut up with but a glance, probably had something to do with the fact they could breathe fire. "Go take a seat around the table while I get Twilight's notes," he told the group.
He took a step or two and paused for just a moment before turning back to the stairs, "Trixie, could you start a pot of tea? And grab me a piece of pumice while you're at it." With that, he continued on his way, mumbling about how it was a good the requested rock worked like aspirin for dragons.
Rarity was the first to break out of the stunned silence. "Well, I never knew Spike could take charge like that," she blushed, "Perhaps we should do as he asked?"
With various murmurs of agreement, they took their seats as Trixie made her way from the lab to the kitchen in a daze.
Once everypony was seated with a cup of tea close at hoof, Trixie went back down stairs to begin the monthly maintenance Twilight need. Spike followed soon after, leaving the notes and diagrams with Pinkie.
Just as the silence became unbearable, a slightly transparent, and much smaller, copy of a purple mare they all knew appeared before the wooden replica of the famous Bust of the Unknown Pony.
The Mini-Sparkle looked up at the gathered ponies, muttered something about adjusting the scale, shook her head as if clearing her thoughts, and began to speak, "You're all probably wondering why I asked you to come here..."
---Magi-Tech---
"...So, any questions?" At some point during the explanation, the micro-pony had faded and been replaced by the real deal.
Applejack stood up and marched out the door.
"Yer lucky I Pinkie Promised not ta tell anypony," she spat without looking back.
With those parting words, the farmer slammed the door with enough force to knock some books off the nearby shelves.
The silence that followed was deafening... for all of ten seconds before Rainbow Dash, somewhat subdued, spoke up, "I... I need some time to think about this..." Unlike the mare before her, the weather pony walked out, not even bothering to close the door, and took flight.
Fluttershy was torn, unsure whether or not she should stay to comfort the artificial pony. The soft-spoken pegasus was startled by a gentle hoof on her shoulder.
"Go on, Fluttershy," the faux unicorn urged, "she needs you more than I do."
Needing no further goading, the pastel maned pegasus smiled a small smile, and floated after her more colorful friend.
Rarity got up, and gave Twilight a brief, but comforting, hug. "Don't worry darling, I'll talk to Applejack in the morning. I'm sure she'll come around." she reluctantly left, she still had to take care of Sweetie Bell, after all.
When Spike and Trixie returned from cleaning the lab and kitchen, respectively, they saw Twilight with her head on the table, silentiy crying, and Pinkie patting her on the back in an awkward attempt to comfort her. Their collective thoughts could be summed up in eight words: "There's not enough ice cream in the world..."
To Be Continued...
Chapters 1 and 2 Pinkie Pie Discovers TW1L7.SPRKL
Pinkie Pie's Discovery
Magi-Tech
Pinkie Pie's Discovery
This was the ONE thing Spike hated most about life with Twilight. He could handle cleaning up after her late night studying. He did no more than sigh when she asked him to get a book he couldn't reach. Hay, he'd rather be reorganizing the library, blindfolded with both hands tied behind his back, than what he was doing.
From behind him, a somewhat mechanical voice broke him from his musings. “Spike, we both know you could do this in your sleep, but would you please pay attention to what your doing when your elbow-deep in my barrel? Please?”
“Sorry, Twilight. Kinda forgot how nervous you get whenever maintenance time rolls round,” the hatchling replied sheepishly. Turning back to his work, he asked, “How did you get this banged up, anyway? Last time you got this bad was when you tried...to...” As he trailed off, the gears in his mind started turning. Whirling in place, he placed a fist on a hip and waved a monkey-wrench menacingly at the head on the table behind him and bellowed, “TWILIGHT SPARKLE! WERE YOU TRYING TO UNDERSTAND PINKIE AGAIN? WE WENT THROUGH A MONTH'S SUPPLY OF SPARE PARTS THAT WEEK! I HAD TO MAKE EXTRAS FROM THE SCRAP TO KEEP YOU GOING UNTIL THE NEXT SHIPMENT CAME IN FROM CANTERLOT! YOU SHOULD ONLY NEED PARTS REPLACED DURING THESE MONTHLY MAINTENANCE SESSIONS!” Spike paused for a second to think before continuing at a more normal volume, arms now crossed, “Or if something like the Ursa Minor incident happens. Overheated mana generators aren't cheap, you know. Especially yours.”
The head of the normally purple unicorn glared back, the look made all the more effective by the lack of her faceplate, the silvery insides of her head on display, “I learned my lesson with Pinkie the first time. This time it was some dragon that decided to take a nap a little to close to Equestria for anypony's comfort.”
The purple and green reptile arched an eyebrow, “I take naps around town all the time.”
“Yes, but you don't snore enough smoke to plunge Equestria in to darkness for 100 years,” Twilight snarked.
“touche.”
Spike missed the eye-roll as he turned around. “Well, I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is you got enough soot in here to need a week-long cleaning before you can go anywhere without the risk of overheating and possibly exploding.”
“So... What's the good news?”
“Your new hardware upgrade came in while you were out,” spike grinned smugly, “I can have you up and running in 5 to 10 minutes.”
Trying to look at the stack of pony-sized boxes to her left, made difficult by being no more that a head on a table, she asked, “Then why didn't you just install and upload me when I got back?”
“Wanted to see how much of your old hardware I could add now instead of after you got used to the new stuff,” he shrugged.
Before Twilight could respond, the door to the basement lab was slammed open by a certain pink pony who was shortly followed by a grumbling blue unicorn with a silvery-white mane.
“Twilight! Twilight! You won't guess who I found on the way back from Fluttershy's cottage!” the hyperactive mare chirped with her eyes closed, “I found Trixie and thought 'Gee, it looks like she could use a place to stay,' but The Cakes don't have any room since they're expecting a new foal soon, she can't stay with Rainbow Dash since she can't walk on clouds, Applejack is still a little mad about being tied up with her own rope, Fluttershy lives too close to Everfree Forest for Trixie's comfort, and Rarity still hasn't gotten over having a green mane, so I thought 'Well Twilight didn't seem to have problem with her,' so I brought her here to see if... you...” Pinkie trailed off as she noticed why Trixie had stopped muttering.
Seeing Spike spattered with a reddish fluid hovering over what looked like the remains of a headless purple pony with a terrifyingly familiar Cutie Mark, what seemed to be guts scattered like macabre confetti upon the table that bore the apparent evidence of her magical friends demise, she did what most lesser ponies (and Fluttershy) would do in her horseshoes. *THUD* She fainted.
“This will be awkward to explain,” Twilight deadpanned.
Spike sighed, "I knew the red coolant was a bad idea..."
To Be Continued...
