2482 = LOVE

“Look at the thing… it’s covered in ice! I say it’s a metal flavored Popsicle!”

“That’s silly! Anyone can see… it’s a whatsmathingey doey!”

“A Whatsma… whatever you said. No! It’s a metal flavored Popsicle!”

“No! A whatsmathingey doey!”

“POPSICLE!”

“DOEY!”

“Girls! Girls! Enough!” Twilight Sparkle shouted. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were arguing back and forth about the heap that had landed in the middle of the apple orchard. It was certainly something that no pony had ever seen before.

“I hope all of that drippin’ icy water ain’t contaminated! It will hurt our apple trees!” Applejack said with concern.

“That’s just it… I don’t know what it is?! This is something that goes far beyond all the books I’ve read.” Twilight said in bewilderment.

“Cool! That looks just like the mechaoid in Pony Raiders issue #14! Awesome!” Spike exclaimed with excitement as he appeared in the orchard.

“I hardly think we can find our answers… in comic books!” Twilight said rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know… this looks awful alien spooky crazy gonzo to me! I’m with Spike on this one!” Pinkie Pie said. She quickly grabbed Spike from behind, and pushed him in front of her.

As the Equestrian sun continued to beat down, the ice started to fall off of the heap in large chunks.

“Oh… this is gonna’ hurt my trees! I just know it!” Applejack said almost to the point of crying.

Suddenly, everyone ran in fright as its thrusters fired with intensity.

“MY TREES!” Applejack shouted. Twilight quickly used her magic to uproot and move the trees away from the probe. She moved them just in time before they became roasted apple kindling.

“Nice save… Twilight!” Spike said, slapping her on the flank.

“Whew! I’m much obliged to ya Twilight.” Applejack said in relief.

All at once, everyone was again filled with fright as the thrusters stopped firing.

“Emergency Alpha Stat Alpha 4545 Completed.” The robot said.

“Wh… wha… what did it say?!” Pinkie Pie said stammering in fear. Spike quickly jumped behind Pinkie in terror. Twilight could only gaze in wonder as the mystery spoke yet again.

“Freeze warning. Deicing sequence malfunction… malfunction. Anomaly detected… 12485.667 kilowatts. Overload detected. Emergency shutdown. Rebooting…” The robot relayed. It seemed as if it were giving a recap of events.

“I’m gonna buck this thing back to where it came from!” Applejack said in a panic, as she started to run towards the metal probe.

“Applejack… NO! STOP RIGHT THERE!” Twilight demanded with authority.

“But… But…” Applejack stammered as she stopped running.

“NO! That’s an order of the Princess! Let’s see what it wants!” Twilight said pulling rank.

“AW Shucks!” Applejack said kicking the dirt.

The probe clicked and whirred louder and louder. With a puff of smoke, it suddenly split into two parts.

“Ground explorer detachment… completed.” the robot said. It revealed a set of moving treds that scurried across the ground. “Collection sequence… initiate.” The robot sounded as it seemingly began to explore the orchard.

“Hel… Hello. Hi.” Twilight nervously said. The droid stopped its motion and quickly turned into the direction of Twilight’s voice.

“Voice pattern detected… Life form detected… scanning…” The probe called as a greenish beam surrounded Twilight.

“Hey! What is this?” Twilight said in fear.

“Life form known… Class Mammalia… Genus Equus… species unknown… threat... negative.” The mechanized thing said as the light disappeared.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle… I am a pony.” Twilight slowly said, trying to make contact with the strange object.

“Po knee? Copy?” The robot said as it sat motionless.

“These are my friends and you are at Sweet Apple acres, outside of Ponyville. Who are you? How did you get here?” Twilight said in wonder.

“Po knee? Copy?” The robot again said.

“I don’t understand what it wants?” Twilight said in frustration.

“Maybe it wants some cupcakes?” Pinkie Pie said.

“I hardly think this thing eats cupcakes!” Twilight said in agitation.

“Well… this ‘Po Knee’ wants a cupcake!” Pinkie Pie said bouncing up and down as usual.

“Why don’t you pipe down your stomach, before it meets my po… knee! Ya’ dig!” Applejack said to Pinkie with a glare of anger. Pinkie suddenly stopped being “Pinkie” with a whimper.

“Po knee? Copy?” The robot suddenly said yet again. Twilight could only shake her head in frustration.

“Twilight… let me give it a try.” Spike said as he approached the probe.

“Sure Spike… I’m sure that your ‘Pony Raiders’ and other goofy comics you read can solve this one!” Twilight said sarcastically.

“Twilight… please.” Spike said.

“Fine. Have at it. Be my guest.” Twilight said as she sidestepped out of the way.

“Po knee? Copy?” the probe said again.

“Um… Pony. Roger… over and out.” Spike said as he cleared his throat.

“I’m sure that helped Spike.” Twilight said as she rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, the robot turned into Spike’s direction.

“Life form… species Po-ny Twilight Sparkle. Noted.” The robot said. Then it beamed its light at Spike, Pinkie, and Applejack.

“Two lifeforms… species Po-ny Twilight Sparkle. Life form… Spike… species unknown.” The probe echoed.

“Naw now… my name is Applejack and this here is Pinkie Pie. We’re ponies and all, but there’s only one Twilight Sparkle… thankfully.” Applejack stated with a grin.

“Hey!” Twilight huffed at her statement.

“Lifeforms… Species pony Applejack… Species pony Pinkie Pie… noted.” The robot said.

“Amazing! Whatever this is… it has the ability to learn!” Twilight said in excitement.

“Just like the Mechaoid in Pony Raiders…” Spike said with a hint of I-told-you-so.

“You were right… I’m sorry Spike.” Twilight said in consolation.

Spike suddenly got even closer to the robot. “Hi… my name is Spike! I am… er…. species dragon. I live in Ponyville. This however is an apple farm. Over and out and stuff.” Spike said awkwardly.

The robot paused for several minutes without a motion or sound.

“Did you uh… break it…? Spike” Twilight said with a bit of nervousness.

“I didn’t even touch it!” Spike said trying to make his defense.

“Spike broke the whatsmathingey!” Pinkie Pie said as she started bouncing again.

“IT’S A POPSICLE!” Applejack shouted, reclaiming their argument.

All of a sudden, the robot turned and started traveling away from the group.

“Radar terrain scan completed. Exploring Apple Farm… exploring Sweat Apple acres… exploring Ponyville.” The probe said as picked up speed.

“It said ‘Sweat’ Apple Acres! HA HA HA!” Pinkie Pie said rolling on the ground.

“I’m gonna show you ‘Sweat acres’ with my hoof upside your head, if we don’t catch that thing!” Applejack yelled as she quickly ran trying to stop the robot.

“Come on! We have to stop it before it causes every pony in Ponyville to panic!” Twilight said as she too ran after. Spike quickly grabbed Applejack’s lasso that was sitting beneath one of the apple trees.

“Applejack… here!” Spike yelled. Suddenly, she turned aside and grabbed it from Spike’s claw.

“Got it! Yee Haw!” Applejack exclaimed. She twirled it in the air, as she ran faster and faster to catch up to the runaway. Suddenly, with great skill she flung the lasso in the air and looped the robot.

“HELP! I can’t hold this thing!” Applejack cried. Twilight caught up to her, and she too grabbed the rope. The robot’s pace began to slow. Pinkie also made it to hold the rope. All of a sudden the robot stopped its forward motion.

“Movement malfunction… anti-trac alert… Life forms pony Twilight sparkle… Applejack… Pinkie Pie… stop progress. Dilemma… need logic. copy?” The probe said.

“What was all that clunky gibberish for?” Applejack said trying to re-catch her breath.

“I think… I think it’s trying to understand… why we stopped it.” Twilight said as she too was out of breath from all the running around.

“I still think it wants some cupcakes.” Pinkie said as she strangely was not tired from the ordeal.

“PINKIE!” Applejack and Twilight shouted in unison. After a few moments of hard breathing, Twilight thought hard about everything. Suddenly, she had a radical idea.

“I’ve been going about this the wrong way. Whatever this is… it is all about exploring and logic…” Twilight said.

“So… whaddya getting at Twilight?” Applejack said with a puzzled look.

“Where’s the best place that it can explore and get logic… without tearing up stuff or scaring every pony?” Twilight said with a smile.

“Um… a dark, lonely cave?”

“No… Spike.”

“Oooh! Oooh! Sugar Cube Corner?”

“No… Pinkie.”

“I love Sugar Cube Corner!”

“I know Pinkie!”

“They have only the best cakes and pies!”

“I KNOW PINKIE!”

“Um… at your castle library?” Applejack said.

“Finally! Yes… the library!” Twilight said with a huff.

“And just how do you expect we get this bucket of bolts through town and to the library, without scarin’ half the town, half to death? There’s ponies in the streets all day and night!” Applejack said with sarcastic doubt.

“Through logic and organization!” Twilight said enthusiastically.

“Oh this is gonna’ be great…”  Applejack said covering her face with her hat.

“But first we need some help…” Twilight said.