CIRCUIT

PROTOCOLS RUNNING

RUNNING ‘WAKE UP’ CHECKS

CHECKS...ERROR CODE 51647

H.E.A.R.T....OK!

‘SYNCROS’....OK!

POWER ON...

Geez...Did somepony get the name of that chariot? And since when was the sun so damn bright? If you wanted to tone it down Celestia, that’d be great.

I opened my eyes halfway to see that I was stuck in an apple tree. Quite literally stuck. My hooves were somehow tangled amongst the branches. I struggled to get myself free from the terrible entanglement but it was no use. My head was throbbing with one of Equestria’s worst headaches. I had no idea what had happened, but I wanted it to stop.

So, within only minutes of waking up, I have a headache from something I know nothing about, stuck in an apple tree in Celestia knows where, and can’t remember what the buck happened to me.

Great... just great

While I was stewing in my own pain, my ears twitched to the sound of somepony in the distance.

“Ah just got this one here and we should be good to go!”, the unfamiliar voice yelled

The voice sounded pretty close to me and I could hear hoofsteps coming closer. I wanted to struggle harder in the tree hoping that maybe with enough force I would just fall out. Or maybe this pony would cut me loose. Before I could yell for help, the tree was violently shaken, like somepony was taking a sledgehammer to its trunk.

“Hey!”, I yelled.

“Who’s up there?!”, the voice yelled.

“The names’ C-”

My reply was cut off by another loud thump and the shaking of the tree. This shake was strong enough to shake me and the rest of the apples loose. This was the good news. I landed right on my back, rolled backwards, and banged my already throbbing head against the trunk of the tree. The bad news- I would find that out when I woke up, because everything suddenly went black.

***

A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER

All the ponies in Mission Control cheered. The port-out sequence had been successful after their first and only test. Even the Commander was able to crack a smile, small as it was.

Looking up at The Commander behind her Motherboard murmured, “Transport was successful, Sir. I am pulling up his data on my screen right now.”

The Commander nodded and trotted to the other ponies, congratulating them on what he called a ‘successful first step’. Motherboard glanced at Circuit’s diagnostics on her screen and her heart nearly stopped as she saw the error message. She knew she had to clear the message before The Commander got back.

“Error 51647? What was that one again?”, Motherboard searched through Circuit’s database on her computer and found the error. “...51646, 51647! Found it.”

Motherboard read through the lines of blinking text and cursed to herself.

Dammit! I thought I had taken care of that. I’ll have to log this in for later. But then he will ask about it... Dammit!

Still at her terminal, she opened Circuit’s system files and found the corrupt folder.

Ok. I just have to restore the old files and all of his checks should clear. Then...

“...to Motherboard!”, The Commander finished his little speech and surprised Motherboard. She shot her head up and her hooves slammed against the keyboard in shock at hearing her name. Garbled code scrolled across the screen, and Motherboard just shut off her terminal without giving it a second look.

“Sir!?”, Motherboard stammered to The Commander.

“I was just saying that this project was all thanks to you. It was a sign of appreciation. Pay attention, Motherboard.”

“...yes, Sir.”

Motherboard turned her terminal back to just in time to see the words ‘PROCESS COMPLETE’ blinking on her screen.

Process? What process?

She didn’t have time to look it up. The Commander was returning to his position at the podium.

“Once more, good job everypony! Now, the next phase of our plan can start. I want a location on it now. Timing is key and I don’t want to miss anything.”, The Commander barked.

***

CIRCUIT WAVE

I woke up again and at least this time I wasn't in a tree. I was in somepony’s room, in somepony’s bed with an ice pack on my head. At least my head wasn’t killing me anymore. I took off the ice pack and trotted over to the window, wondering where in Equestria I could possibly be.

Lots of apple trees...So I’m on a farm?

On the other side of the door, I could hear two voices raised in some sort of argument. I put my ear to the door and listened in.

“Awww, come on! I just wanna see if he’s ok.”, a high, childish voice whined.

“Nope.”, a deep voice replied.

“Why not?”

“‘Cause he restin’.”

“I won’t be too loud. I promise!”

“You know AJ already said no.”

“Pleeeease.”

“Nope.”

So if there aren’t any other mysterious ponies roaming about the place, they must be talking about me.

As the voices quieted, I decided to make my entrance. There were two ponies on the other side of the door. A little filly with a pink bow in her red mane and a huge red stallion.

“See, he ain’t restin’ anymore.”, the filly said

“Umm no.”, I said, “Anypony know where...”

Before I could finish my statement. I was being bombarded with questions from the little one. It was as if she hadn’t seen a pony before. She was circling, pointing and staring at me like I was some sort of science experiement.

“Hey! What your name? Where are ya from? What’s that thing around yer neck? Why were ya up in our tree? How old are ya? Where’s yer cutie mark? How did ya -?”

Seriously, does she ever turn off?

I was really getting annoyed now. I didn’t want my headache to come back but this yellow bundle of “joy” could easily be the catalyst for a new one.

“It’s Circuit Wave, ummm...”

“Her name‘s Applebloom.”

I turned to the huge draft horse of a stallion. I was surprised he even spoke. Somehow I had thought he was just going to stand there, staring. Not curiously like the little one, mind you. His stare was more of a ‘beat you in a dark alley’ stare.

I raised my eyebrow. “And you are?”

“Big Macintosh.”

Stallion of many words, this one.

“Ok then. Well, where am I?”

The little one piped up again. “Ya don’t know where ya are?”

That would be the reason I asked the question...

“No, I don’t.”

“This here is Sweet Apple Acres; our home. That’s mah brother, Big Mac. Mah sister Applejack is downstairs fixin’ supper with Granny Smith. And...”

The little one began to enthusiastically tell me the whole Apple family tree, and each members’ life story. I think she would have if I had given her the chance. As the history lesson continued, I was escorted to the dining room with Applebloom smiling and chattering away in front of me and Big Macintosh glowering ominously behind me. I was getting the distinct impression that he didn’t like me, didn’t trust me, or both.

At the table, there were two other ponies sitting and waiting; an old green mare just about as rickety as the chair she was rocking in and an orange filly wearing a stetson. I looked around at all of them when we got to the table and just waited.

The orange pony, Applejack, I assumed, was the first to speak up to me. “Well, ain’t ya hungry?”

When I actually thought about it, I hadn’t eaten since...Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. Wierd. I mean, I wasn’t starving or anything but I just couldn’t remember when I ate or what I had eaten.

I chuckled and joked, “I just expected another game of 20 questions before I could eat.”

“First ya eat, then ya can tell me how ya got so caught up in one of our trees that I had to buck ya out of it.”

“Gotcha...”

So after first, second, and third helpings of food, I was stuffed. I don’t think I ever had that many apples in one sitting but I wasn’t about to turn down a free meal. One by one, the other ponies left the table until it was just Applejack and I. But before I could let the food coma set in, I knew that I had some explaining to do. She must have seen my eyes drooping, because the questions began right as I was contemplating escape.

“So? Circuit, was it?”, I nodded, “How in the hay did ya end up in one of our apple trees?”

All I could really do was shrug. “I wish I knew.”

“Come again?”

I wasn’t kidding with her on this one. I did wish I knew I why. Not remembering when the last time I ate was bad enough, but not remembering why I was tangled in an apple tree was a rather disturbing prospect.

“I’m being serious. I really don’t know why I was in your tree. And when you bucked me out of it, I didn’t exactly get a chance to explain myself.”

“Sorry ‘bout that. Can ya at least tell me where you’re from?”, Applejack asked calmly.

Now I was getting annoyed again, but not by Applejack and her questions. I was annoyed by my lack of memory.

Why the buck can’t I remember anything?!

“I..don’t know where. I really don’t. The earliest memory I can come up with is waking up with a headache from Nightmare Moon herself, tangled in your tree. Before that, my mind is literally a blank. At least I know my name.”

“Yeah, I guess. Well, I suppose we can’t just have ya roaming Ponyville not knowin’ who ya are.”

That would be less than optimal.

“So we’ll put ya up in the guest room fer now, and see what we can do about yer memory tomorrow.”

“Thanks. So what do I owe you?”

“Not a bit. Now git up them stairs and git some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow.”

Bossy, but... “All right. Thanks AppleJack.”

I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by ‘big day’ but she had fed me and given me a room, so she couldn’t be that bad. On the plus side, she did look kinda cute but that could have been my busted head.

Back in the guest room, I laid down, just staring at the ceiling.

What in Luna’s name happened to me?

Author's Note

I wish I could have gotten this chapter out earlier. Much earlier. But sometimes life shits on you, but I won't let you down.

I own the characters Circuit Wave, Motherboard, and The Commander