A Massive Equine Environment

Chapter 4 – One plus two equals two

A.M.E.E. sat in a chair at Twilights kitchen table, the feat itself took half an hour but each pony used this time to wake up and better prepare for the oncoming explanation. Twilight looked around to see if everypony was present before beginning.

“Okay, A.M.E.E. everypony is here, what would you like to know first?” asked Twilight.

“First off, how the hell am I a PONY!?” she yelled, hurting her throat a little but the expression was required.

Twilight flinched, “When your bad side began to tear up the Night Guard, Luna captured you and we were able to use the Elements of Harmony to separate you both, the bad one is being locked away as we speak.”

A.M.E.E. nodded, “Right, okay, question two: What the heck are the Elements of Harmony, I have no rec- memory of such items.”

Twilight nodded, “We are, well, we have the power to use them and each of us represents an Element. I’m Magic, Rarity’s Generosity, Fluttershy is Kindness, Rainbow Dash is Loyalty, Pinkie Pie is Laughter, and Applejack is Honesty. Each of us use a piece of ancient magical jewelry, the actual Elements themselves, and can use or power of friendship to power them and cast away ANY evil that threatens Equestria or the world.”

A.M.E.E. sat there for a second, “Okay, not having a sequence in which I commit things to permanent memory, a little odd, but I think I can handle it. So, I’m organic now, I demonstrated I can feel pain earlier when I tried to get my HUD working, only to find it was gone altogether. Third question: what does it feel like to go to the bathroom?”

Twilight stared at her for a moment, “Ar-are you serious?”

A.M.E.E. nodded, “Affirmative, I have no recollection of any feeling that may be important to my new body. As such, I will need to be taught what these things feel like lest I leave little traces of feces on your floor like an untrained puppy.”

Twilight groaned, “This is going to be a long night…”

[0]{I}[0] A long night later [0]{I}[0]

A.M.E.E. woke suddenly, feeling extremely tired. She must not have slept long enough. She lay back down, trying and failing to sleep longer. Once that did not work, she tried getting up, finding that after a prolonged period of not moving, her ligaments had begun to seize, thusly causing stiffness. She stretched out, suddenly feeling and hearing numerous pops. She stopped instantly, thinking she had broken something. But after a wave of relief was released from the popped joints, she continued, listing that this was the sound of lubricants to her muscles and plentiful sinew.

She looked outside to see that the sun was just over the horizon and set her mental clock to around eight since her previous one had been deleted. She used her apparently versatile hooves to open the door out of Twilights room and shut it behind her. Instantly smells attacked her nostrils, hundreds of tiny receptors catching and identifying the smell. She didn’t know what it was, but it smelled delicious.

She shakily walked down the steps, in her previous state she had observed how a pony walked and did her best to copy the action, but still it felt alien and so she had trouble doing basic walking, stairs only gave her more trouble.

The fact was exemplified as she fell the next ten steps or so down the stairs. Once at the bottom she sighed, waited for the pain to recede and in five… four… three… two… one… bingo.

“A.M.E.E., are you alright?” called Twilight, dashing out of the kitchen.

“I am within the parameters of fine, Twilight.” she replied, attempting to stand.

Twilight assisted her with a hoof, making sure she was not injured even though she answered the query.

“Spike’s just finished cooking a batch of pancakes and hay fries, hungry?” she asked another question.

A.M.E.E. took a moment to see if she was, “I think so, that the one where you feel almost empty, and low on energy?”

Twilight nodded, “Yep, now come on, time for breakfast.”

A.M.E.E. followed Twilight to the table, carefully seating herself at a chair and joining for a meal. The white porcelain platters of food were given out by Twilight’s ‘assistant’ Spike. A.M.E.E. had once mistaken him for a slave last night and attempted to free him, only to have herself scolded by the small reptile that he lived here.

Once the food was served, A.M.E.E. used her proper manners taught to her by Rarity to use a fork with a hoof, since she had NO idea how to work her magic. She received a knife and began to delicately cut the food into a perfect eight by eight grid pattern. Twilight looked kind of funny at her since she herself had simply began to cut away in random sized servings. While A.M.E.E. took petit bites of each part, Twilight took entire mouthfuls of the enchanting food.

A.M.E.E. felt lied to.

Once the syrup hit though, she held no quarter and began to devour the cooked batter mix.

Twilight giggled as she watched the onslaught, “Giving up on Rarity’s lessons?”

A.M.E.E.’s head rose from the massacre, “Yes, while they may be proper etiquette, they disallow for proper consummation and ability to taste edible substances in a pleasant manner.”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah, she’s about the only pony I know that can hold back on Pinkies cake. And that is some really good cake.”

A.M.E.E. gave no response as she returned to the matter at hoof. After finishing her meal, A.M.E.E. removed the remaining food residue from her lip using her tongue and thanked Spike for the meal.

A.M.E.E. looked down to her empty plate realising she wanted more. She considered asking Spike but she simply felt… bad about doing so. She also realised that she had no pony currency, or even American dollars to exchange for the meal. Upon noticing she sighed, knowing that she would be in charge of cleaning up.

She waited until the two remaining diners finished before relocating the utensils and plates to the sink and began to run hot water.

“Okay, so first you call me a slave and now you’re doing my job, what’s going on?” Spike asked, more than a little annoyed that his title of best assistant ever might be under fire again.

“I am repaying you for the meal as I currently have absolutely no currency to trade for the food.”

Spike huffed, “Fine, whatever, just don’t start sweeping up the house or anything because that’s MY job.”

“Confirmed.”

With that, Spike gave her one last look before moving onto other chores while Twilight was out. A.M.E.E. stopped the water when it seemed to be adequately full for its incoming load. She dropped the plates and forks into the basin before retrieving dish soap from a…. glass container… odd. She ignored the occurrence and poured some into the water and placed it back on a shelf. She tested the water, adding some colder fluid once it began to sting. Upon making sure it was a bearable temperature, she set to work, scrubbing at the foods leftovers with a nearby dishcloth.

Upon completion she stored them on a metal rack for drying then drained the sink and left the kitchen to see Spike dusting the shelves. She watched him do so because she had nothing else to do. He caught her doing so and sent her off to do something outside, fearing that she was trying to figure out how to do more of his work.

A.M.E.E. stumbled out the door, closing the home behind her and began to practice walking. She trotted around the unmapped parts of town, finding that there was a school on a hill. She paid it a visit during what appeared to be the young offspring’s recess. As she approached, another older pony approached, her coat was a cherry purple and her mane lined with cream.

“Hello, I don’t believe we are acquainted, I’m Miss Cheerilee. What’s your name?”

A.M.E.E. stopped for a moment, she couldn’t say Autonomous Mapping Evasion and Exploration anymore, she was no longer autonomous. She would have to settle for a new name, this was going to happen sooner or later.

“Amy, my name is Amy.”

Cheerilee put on the warmest smile Amy had seen in all of her existence, “Nice to meet you Amy, now, is there anything I can help you with?”

Amy looked about, this was obviously the teacher, but she already knew everything she could ever need to know, “No, your services are not required, I am merely practising walking.”

Cheerilee gave her an odd look before smiling again, “Out for a walk? Alright then, been nice meeting you Amy.”

Amy nodded her response before leaving the school yard and continuing to the gates, having ‘mapped’ the area. But before she could exit, she was stopped by three little fillies, three very familiar fillies.

“Hello there Miss Amy, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or CMC. We were wondering how you got your Cutie Mark so that we might be able to earn our own.” announced Sweetie Belle.

Amy sighed, “It’s me Sweetie Belle, A.M.E.E., or Autonomous Mapping Evasion and Exploration.”

Sweetie Belle looked at her funny, “What? You can’t be A.M.E.E., your name is different and you’re not a robot.”

“Yeah,” added Scootaloo, “A.M.E.E.’s this really cool robot that fights off mean monsters and saves ponies!” she tried continuing to explain using movements and hoof postures.

Amy sighed, “I ended up like this yesterday, last night in fact. The Elements of Harmony turned me and my counterpart into ponies.”

Apple Bloom nodded, “Told ya so, see ‘er Cutie Mark, it’s a gear behind a map!”

Scootaloo turned to face her, “Since when were you the expert on Cutie Marks?”

“Since now.” confessed Apple Bloom.

“Well I say-” Scootaloo never finished as a rather snobbish voice took its place.

“-That you are a blank flank and know nothing about Cutie Marks. Obviously.”

All three of them turned to see their nemeses, two other fillies, both plain colors while one wore a tiara that looked a little too expensive and the other with well fashioned silver hair.

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle.” greeted Diamond Tiara.

“What’da you two want?” snarled Apple Bloom.

Silver Spoon smirked, “Just to see how you’re failing at getting Cutie Marks is all.”

“We aren’t failing,” snapped Scootaloo, turning back to Amy, “Amy here was just going to show us how to get some, right Amy?”

Amy blinked, “No. I was returning to my walk when you three stopped me and mistook me for someone else.”

Scootaloo face hoofed, “Amy, you were supposed to help us here!”

Amy blinked, “Oh… I’m sorry I’ve only been a pony for less than a day now.”

Before Diamond Tiara could speak again she froze, “What do you mean, ‘Pony for less than a day’?”

Amy looked back at her, “I changed-”

“CHANGELING!” she screamed, running away with Silver Spoon in tow, yelling to all the other kids in that the silver pony was not to be trusted.

Amy watched her go, “Changeling?”

Scootaloo laughed as she ran away, “They’re a bunch of meanies who attacked Canterlot a few months ago. This place is Changeling free but that’s Diamond Tiara’s number one fear.”

“Changelings?” she asked again.

Scootaloo looked up at her, “Oh right, they attacked Canterlot a little while ago, we were flower girls at Shining Armor’s and Princess Cadence’s wedding, then the Changelings attacked. They’re these weird bug things that can change their appearance and they eat love or something. Anyway, Diamond Tiara’s really scared of ‘em so we tease her a little about it, serves her right for teasing and bullying us daily.”

Amy nodded, anything could be real in this messed up place, “Right, also, why don’t you take this to a teacher, like Miss Cheerilee?”

“We do,” replied Sweetie Belle, “It’s just that she is really good at acting, her dad is rich, and we don’t exactly have a clean record ourselves.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes but Amy nodded, “Okay then, you probably have no chance in winning, so a contest of wit is at hand. Good luck with that.”

With those wise words, Amy finally left, eager to continue her walk.

The CMC looked at one another, “What just happened?”

Amy trot back into the town limits and proceeded to look around for any other place she hadn’t been yet. There was someplace that intrigued her, and that was the odd building made out of ginger bread. Or painted like ginger bread, or used magic to make a giant witches house to scoop up little fillies and cook them like Hansel and Gretel. (Is that really what HUB went for?)

She didn’t care as she marched up to the front door and opened it with practiced unease. Once inside, she found that a new smell wafted into her nose, the smell of something oh so sweet. She took a good look around the room until Pinkie bounced up from behind the counter.

“Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner! Oh, hey A.M.E.E.!” she proclaimed ecstatically.

“Hello Pinkie, also, I have changed it to just Amy because the name no longer suits me. I assume this is your occupation?” she replied, looking around the candy coated room.

Pinkie bounced from behind the counter, “Yep, this is the best, and only, sweet shop in town! What can I get ya? Cake, cupcake, candy, milkshake, cake, ooh ooh, what about cupcakes?”

Amy waved a hoof, nearly knocking her on her rump, “No thanks Pinkie, I was just out for a stroll and happened by. Besides, this entire place screams unneeded calories and I have no money.”

Pinkie smiled, “That’s okay, besides, I have to throw you a ‘Hooray for becoming a pony’ party. You don’t need any bits for that.”

Amy sighed, “I couldn’t possibly have a party over simply transmuting species. Also, as I said before, calories are only needed to such an extent or else excess body weight begins to build up and hinders everyday activity.”

Pinkie’s smile was unbeatable, “Okay then, I’ll throw you a ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party.”

“No, but thank you.”

“My newest friend party?”

“No thank you.”

“My new name party?”

“No thanks.”

“Woke up as a pony party?”

“No.”

“Separated from my evil side party?”

“Negative.”

“I need money party.”

“Already planning a remedy for that.”

“A party at all?!”

“Nope.”

Pinkie stood huffing, her options exhausted. She sighed depressingly, hair deflating slightly before she bounced back up and smiled again, “I know! I’ll throw Twilight a party because you live at Twilight’s place and then you’ll HAVE to be at a party!”

Amy sighed, “Fine, I’ll have a party about my arrival here, but only one and don’t expect me to consume any sweets.”

Pinkie nodded, bouncing with joy before retreating into the rear of the shop to plan. Amy groaned at the misfortune that had befallen her, a party? Of all things, wastes of money, food, sugar, and energy. Yes, they were VERY enjoyable during their lifespan of a few hours, but after that, your exhausted, full, have a longing for more and are that many ‘bits’ shorter on cash. Amy retreated out of the shop and began to make headway for another part of town, partly to continue her mental map, partly to escape the copious amount of sugar in the shops air.

She found herself standing in front of a large white and purple building that nearly looked like a miniature town hall. She let herself in upon seeing it was another shop and was suddenly assaulted by color. Colors from the weakest pink to the most powerful yellows she had seen yet, all standing for whatever eyes wished to see on what seemed to be a pony’s version of a manikin. Still just as creepy.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, is ther- Oh, why hello A.M.E.E., come to see little old me? Or was there a dress that you needed to be made, let me say darling that you coat is absolutely stunning!”

Amy felt a little heat go to her face but ignored it, “No thank you Rarity, I was just out mapping the town when I saw this place. I had no idea that you ran a dress shop.”

Rarity sighed, but only for a second, “Oh well, I suppose there’s no helping it, but darling you MUST let me at least get your portions so that I may fabricate you a dress, with that shining coat and that beautiful mane I do believe that white goes well with it, what about you darling?”

Before Amy really had any time to react, Rarity already had a dressmakers measuring tape out and was taking her height, “Thank you for the offer Rarity, but I have no need for a dress nor have the ‘bits’ to pay for it.”

Rarity giggled a little but continued her work, “Oh think nothing of it darling, I simply must make you one, even if it goes a little underused it never hurts to have one ready when you need it. Also, it would be a crime to take bits away from you just to make a dress for somepony with the most perfect coat and mane that just screams: ‘beauty’.”

Again Amy felt the heat again but dismissed it, “I really can’t look that great right off the bat, in fact, I find that babies look a little repulsive on day one.”

Rarity giggled again, “Perhaps they do darling but this is the work of the Elements and I do say, they did a gorgeous job

with your figure as well, I dare say that you seem a little like me.”

Amy was beginning to be annoyed with the amount of heated blood that was rushing to her face, “No really Rarity, I have no need for anything you may offer, in fact, I best be going now, good day Miss Rarity.”

With that Amy left the building and Rarity to her own handiwork, who was writing down the measurements she had barely enough time to get. She was going to make that pony a dress even if she didn’t want it, though she hoped she did, Element of Generosity she may be but that doesn’t mean that she enjoys seeing her work flung away.

Amy continued to map the town, so far she had met Pinkie, Rarity, knew where Twilight lived and had been pointed in the direction of Fluttershy’s home. She still had to find Rainbow Dash’s place and Applejack’s homestead. Instead she found herself in some sort of market area, ponies of all shapes and sizes milling about talking with one another and buying and selling goods of all shapes and sizes. Was that… a store that sold quills and mattresses? Odd.

A familiar voice rang out and caught her attention. She followed it and found herself in front of an apple stand, “Get yer fresh Sweet Apple Acre apples ‘ere, we just got a brand new crop of Golden Delicious grown, so get ‘em while ‘er’ good.”

Amy trotted up to the stall, intent on starting the greeting this time, “Hello Applejack, I was unaware that you had a stall in town.”

Applejack looked her way, “Oh, hey there A.M.E.E., good ta see ya up and movin’ like a normal pony, now, can I get ya anything? Did ya hear, just got a fresh crop of Golden delicious ready for eatin’.”

Amy nodded, “Why yes I did, though I am afraid that I have no bits so there will be no transaction. I need to remedy that VERY soon. Too many times in my first day have been caught without them.”

Applejack chuckled, “Well that’s a darn shame, these ones turned out real good, not many left. Oh, and if ya need some work we could always do with a friendly farm hoof, if yer interested.”

Amy waved a hoof, a bit more successfully than before, “I’m afraid not, so far as I’ve seen this town lacks electricity,

perhaps I can fix that. Anyway, I noticed the small cloud above you is leaking rainbows, you might want to watch out.”

Applejack turned her head up to see that the small white fluffy cloud above them was in fact leaking rainbows, “Rainbow Dash, that you?”

A grumble was heard before the Pegasus’s head broke through the side, “Eh, oh, hehe, must have drifted into town. Oh, hey A.M.E.E.!”

“Hello Rainbow Dash, pray tell, how are you in a cloud; a gathering of water vapor and NO solid material?”

Rainbow poked the cloud, “Oh right, you’re new here, Pegasi can control the weather, so we can touch and use clouds. Yep, we are the only ones, except for the princesses, that can control the weather, we make sure that rain gets to where it needs to be and nothing floods anywhere else.”

Amy stood silent for a moment, “Excuse me, but isn’t that impossible?”

Rainbow laughed and jumped on top of the cloud, “Nope, we Pegasus are the only ones who can touch cloud, which why are capital, Cloudsdale, Is made of ‘em. Not very good for tourists but lets us be where we want.”

Amy nodded a silent reply.

Rainbow Dash fell over laughing, “You should see you face! Oh ho ho, that’s rich, come on now A.M.E.E., you have to have some sort of weather control were you come from?”

“Well, the humans built and launched satellites into the lower atmosphere that allow them to track and predict weather patterns, but they are no where’s near making a device that controls the weather. They’ve saved millions of lives though, being able to see a hurricane when it’s still hundreds of miles out at sea has tendency to do that.”

Rainbow wowed, “Huh, well that’s neat and all but Imma go back to sleep now.”

Rainbow kept to her word and dove back into the fluffy goodness that was the cloud. Amy went back to exploring after saying her goodbye to Applejack. She ventured into the final part of town that had eluded her mapping and found a train station there, it was powered by coal and so sealed her hypothesis that electricity was not a wide spread feature. She would collaborate with Twilight on how to give Ponyville power, well, she had the designs for an old coal powered generator that wasn’t too far ahead of pony’s time and would work adequately with their society since they already had coal mines.

She returned to the library and began to empty her mind on the nearest piece of parchment using – to her chagrin – a quill and inkwell. As she was doing so Twilight returned home.

“Oh, hey A.M.E.E., what are you doing?” she asked after she slipped a saddlebag full of paper to the floor.

“Making a map of Ponyville.” came her monotone response.

“Oh, so that’s where you’ve been. Okay then, I’m going to have a bath, me and a mud puddle became acquainted today.”

Amy gave her silent response and focused on the matter at hoof, map making was a lot harder than some thought, and some thought it was tough. She had just finished making the eastern end of town when Twilight returned.

“Oh hey, that’s really good A.M.E.E., I suppose that the Cutie Mark doesn’t lie.” Twilight said as she studied the map.

Amy stopped for a moment, “Twilight, do you have electricity here?”

Twilight stopped for a moment, “Um, no we don’t. It’s really expensive stuff, only Manehattan, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot have electricity, each of them is powered with state of the art Hydroelectric Generators.”

Amy nodded, “Very well, once I have finished making the map then I shall draw the blueprints for a coal powered generators, landlines, and batteries. Nothing too advanced mind you, it would be a bit much too just go and give you guys a nuclear reactor.”

Twilight stood there for a second, “A.M.E.E., how advanced are the humans?”

“They have begun to terra form Mars, which was also a reason that the A.M.E.E.’s were designed, to go places not fit for humans to explore. My most recent logs say that there is a breathable atmosphere about ten feet high off the ground there.”

Twilight sat suddenly, “Terra… terra forming other planets? That’s… that’s incredible! A.M.E.E. we’re nowhere near that stage yet, do you have any idea what it’s like?”

“Sadly, no. Most A.M.E.E.’s were reformed to be more militant after the incident on Mars. We’re now used less for exploring unknown worlds and more for fighting the human’s wars for them. The reason they began to terra form Mars is because Earth, their home planet, was ravaged by war and their staggering population of 9 billion or so. Earth was dying, and so a solution was conceived, terra form other worlds and escape to space. Believe me Twilight, you do NOT want this civilization to end up like the humans. They hate one another, hundreds, if not thousands, die daily in war, street fights, and famine. Yes, they have very advanced technology compared to this society, but they have paid a heavy price for it. Knowledge is power, and power corrupts.”

Amy continued her map, leaving Twilight to decide a judgement for the humans.

“And how much good have they accomplished?”

Amy stopped, recollecting the large amount, “Plenty, in fact. There are hundreds of medical cures, child saving formulas, miracle devices, clean mass produced energy, global market, robotics, a massive atom smasher known as the Hadron Collider, even space technologies. Unfortunately, each year they do more bad than good it seems, even their news stations avoid topics that include something great happening and focus on flooding here, or civil war there. Yes then came what I once was, a robot. Originally, we were very stiff and simple devices. But as the decades passed, newer, much more reliable devices were conjured and then came the thirty million dollar A.M.E.E. project. We’re the best of the best.”

“Thir- Thirty million!?” gasped Twilight, all of Equestria combined didn’t have that much!

“Yes, but when your designers are in twenty trillion dollars of debt, thirty million is the blink of an eye. Americans, such great yet dumb people. Every person is rich yet not. Same with Canadians. Oh they may say they have the best border laws, or greatest oil reserves, but they’re just as guilty in some respects.”

Twilight gulped, is that what await Equestria? To be twenty TRILLION bits in debt? To have a great population but civil war expected daily? No. She would not let it! If she ever got the chance…

Amy finished the southern end of town, just as Twilight began to trot towards the kitchen, “Oh and Twilight? Call me Amy from now on, okay? I am no longer autonomous and it is a lot easier to type instead of having to either press the caps lock or hold shift and full stop key for every letter.”

Amy blinked and Twilight followed suit, “What…?”

Amy shrugged, “I have no idea, anyway, the point is that I made an unofficial change to my name and so if you ever write it you would need to know that.”

Twilight nodded, “Uh huh… well, I’m just going to go in here and do stuff. Yep, stuff.”

Amy heeded her no attention as she moved onto the western edge, where the park was.

(

(ஜ۩۞۩ஜ) Canterlot Dungeon (ஜ۩۞۩ஜ)

A.M.E.E. sat upon a cold stone floor, enchanted metal bars holding her from the rest of the word and a cot stuffed with old hay acted as her bed. Her crimson eyes scanned the surrounding area as she paced in a circle, practising her walking. A single Pegasus guard stood watch as he leaned against his spear for support; so far, A.M.E.E. had only seen white coated stallions or mares. Was this a racist country? Or did the colors not count for the race? It mattered not.

She had made sure to drink in as much of the floor plan as possible as she was guided down the halls. She knew where the entrance was and where an armory was if she needed weapons, as soon as she figured out how her hooves worked. She had seen many a pony use their hooves as if they had fingers, picking up things with a single hoof and holding handles with invisible hands.

Once she had figured that out, then she could put her plan in motion. She fussed with a straw of hay, fiddling with it between her hooves. She hated this form; it was fragile, slow, had too many requirements as well as no permanent memory. Sure, it came with wings, but she had no idea how to fly and even if she did, she did not have speed and so the guards would be on her in seconds.

Pulling away one hoof, the straw stuck to her hoof. She stared dumbfounded and let it go, watching it fall to the floor. A smile covered her face and she approached the bars.

“Sir… sir… can you help me…?” she whimpered pretending to limp.

The guard took notice, approaching the bars, “What is it Miss?”

“I have a large piece of wood stuck in my hoof, it won’t come out, can you get it or do you need a doctor?” she replied, waving her hoof.

He sighed, “I really should not be helping you since you’re a convict, but how bad could you be?”

As he reached the bars she raised a hoof, “They didn’t tell you what I’m in for?”

He examined the hoof, “No, where’s the spli-hrgh!”

He soon found her hooved wrapped around his neck, “I am under arrest for attempted murder and assault on the Royal Princess Luna, idiot.”

She gave a firm twist, a satisfying crunch sounded and she dropped the new corpse. Reaching out she stole the key loop at his torso, running through and testing a series of the ancient metal sticks before the lock clicked, and the door swung open.

She looked down at the body, deciding to scavenge his armor in so her sneaking out would be easier. She removed the helmet, finding it to fit snugly, and then unstrapped his armor. As soon as the metal was no longer in contact with him, his coat faded slowly into a deep black.

She blinked, and then slipped the armor onto herself, watching her fur brighten from the steel grey to an ivory white. Did these ponies want her to break out; the armor even covered her odd mark! She finished strapping on the armor before flinging the body into the cage and locking it again. She left the pole arm and began to make her incognito escape. Marching up the large spiral staircase, she made her way out the top, being spotted by two guards.

“Oh, I thought that Steel Shard was on duty, sorry, your relief is on the way.” said one of the guards as he saw her.

She nodded, “Very well, sheesh this armor is stiff.”

The opposite guard chuckled, “You must be new, don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

Nodding and continuing her escape, A.M.E.E. broke into a laughing fit once she was alone around the corner.

“This is too easy, I mean really? ‘I thought Steel Shard was on duty’, he was an imbecile, I was his… relief. Plus, these guards are very chatty; too kind as well, gets them killed.”

She marched on in as much a guard like fashion she could, watching another guard pass her by, “Oh, you must be Steel Shard, odd, I thought he was a stallion. Oh well, I’m your relief, a little uncouth of you to be resigning early, but I’ll take over form here.”

“Of course, sorry, I’m new, civilian life still clinging to me.” A.M.E.E. lied.

They gave one another a brief salute before trotting off in opposite directions. A.M.E.E. hurried her pace, knowing that they would find the body soon enough. As she trotted down the hall, she turned a corner to come face to face with a tall, pearl white Alicorn wearing golden regalia and adorning a sun mark.

Princess Celestia of Equestria.

“Oh, why hello there, I don’t believe that I have met you yet, though I am sure you know who I am.”

A.M.E.E. nodded, gulped then continued, “I’m… Silver Cast, I was just swapping guard for the captive A.M.E.E.”

Celestia’s everlasting smile faltered, “Yes, how is she? I do hope we can help her, she seems to be in so much pain…”

A.M.E.E. flinched, “She’s fine, sleeping on the cot. I would love to stay and chat, Majesty, but I am to return to the barracks.”

Celestia nodded, “Very well, have a nice day.”

A.M.E.E. scarcely remembered to salute before proceeding to the main doors. That little conversation could have blown her cover and it had taken precious time. She finally reached the main doors, shoving them open and dashing out. The guards gave her funny looks, but otherwise retained their static positions.

As soon as she was in the nearest alleyway, she shed the armor and merged with a small group of ponies passing by.

Celestia was on her way to the throne room to settle down as a guard ran past her in a panic, stopping only on her say-so.

“What is it Star Beam?” she asked, looking over the rugged guard.

“Th- The prisoner, A.M.E.E., she’s escaped and killed her guard!”

Celestia felt her heart slow, that guard mare… no wonder she hadn’t seen her before!

“Sound the alarm, I want every gate into and out of the city closed. Also, make sure that all air traffic is stopped so she does not escape by wing. Have Shining Armor make a shield and keep her inside, list her as highly dangerous and unstable, most likely posing as a Royal Guard.”

The guard saluted, running off to deliver her orders. She sighed; hastening her pace to the throne room, perhaps a cup of hot tea would do her very good right now.

A.M.E.E. on the other ha-hoof was approaching a train station, bound for away. So long as she was gone, then she could begin to construct her revenge. What would it be? A bomb, a gun, a bow and arrows? She had designs for more A.M.E.E.’s, but they required advanced PBC wiring and a miniature nuclear core, neither of which she had possession of.

She was approaching the station when a massive dome of purple energy enveloped the city, restricting exit. She cursed under her breath as the ponies around her began to shuffle nervously. Obviously the last time this thing had been used, it didn’t end well as some even screamed and ran away in a seemably random direction.

She joined them as Pegasi in golden armor began to escort flying balloons and other Pegasi to the ground. She ran inside a Inn before asking for a place to stay.

“Actually, we have a room available for tonight, but just tonight. You must be gone by ten ‘o’ clock tomorrow.” responded the clerk.

She nodded, “I’ll take it, can you trust me to pay tomorrow morning?”

He looked at the ceiling, deep in thought. His gaze returned to her crimson eyes, “I suppose so, not as if one night is very expensive anyway.”

He floated her the key, though she neglected to thank him before calling an elevator to pick her up. She had to admit, an elevator was an impressive change for once. Once at the floor embedded on the key, she exited and guided the small golden key into the appropriate door and entered her room.

Once inside she took a moment to snicker, seeing the rather lavish room. If that idiot Inn keeper thought she was going to pay him a single shiny coin, then he had another thing coming. She planned to wait out the guards search in here; of course she had to leave tomorrow morning, but that didn’t mean that she had a few hours until night.

She found a desk with a few scraps of paper and a quill with ink. She used the quill to begin a plan for revenge. She would need information though, where she was, where she had to go, how to obtain supplies. As she wrote down a list of things to do, her wing unfurled involuntarily.

She looked back at the cursed appendage, before smiling, realizing that there was no better time to try and fly, or hover at least. She moved away from the writing desk, taking mind of the chandelier in the middle of the roof. Spreading her wings, she began to flap in steady, even strokes. Her efforts were rewarded by floating up in the air and slamming into the nearest wall. She shook it off, trying again only this time she leaned back and floated into the air. She smiled at the small victory until she did a half backflip and landed on her head, falling to her side.

She growled, standing to her feet and trying again, and again, and again. Soon, she had a few new bruises, and so decided to stop for the day. After returning to her desk, a rasp on the door beckoned her. She grumbled over to it, finding it to be another pony in a tuxedo.

“I do say, can you please stop goofing about in there, some of us are trying to relax!” he barked at her, pruned mane and eyepiece bouncing as his voice escalated.

She glowered at him; “Of course, but in the meantime…” she reached around the corner and brought an umbrella down over his head, splitting the waterproof device in two, “Why don’t YOU shut up!”

He gave a final whimper before falling to his left, landing with an audible whump. A.M.E.E. rubbed her temples, “You can’t kill this one quite yet, A.M.E.E., just gag him and then before you leave, toss him out a window or something.”

She dragged the white maned unicorn into her room, tethering him to a chair with his coat and then shoving him in the closet when she had stuffed his collar into his mouth with a little tape for extra assurance. Noting he was a Unicorn, she proceeded to swing a shard of umbrella at his horn, and then repeated the process until a visible crack was showing.

“Perfect, now just sit around a while and I’ll get some work done, ‘k’ sweetie?”

She giggled manically and trotted back to her desk. This one had given her an idea; the damnable surveyor form had once scanned a Unicorn’s horn and had made makeshift blueprints on how to make her own. All she needed was some sinew, bone and fat, and she would be able to make her own. Now, surgery was out of the question, no she would need to make a device that could artificially connect it to her mind. She was always better at making technological things…

Suddenly, A.M.E.E. had a headache, her vision blurred as grey particles raced into her field of view. As soon as it had come, it disappeared, leaving her very confused.

“What was that…? Wait a moment…”

A.M.E.E. reached up, taking a swipe beneath her nose. She moved her hoof in front of her eyes to see it was tipped with blood now. She wiped the substance on her captive’s jacket before returning to work. That was really weird. Really… really weird.

She returned to her list, first, obtain bone. She could try the sophisticated prick, but he would probably scream and holler and bleed everywhere. She could knock him out permanently, as in kill him; or she could find a unicorn and kill it for a fresh horn. This one was cracked, and on second thought, breaking it wasn’t a good idea. Next, she would need something to merge it with her skull, or at least her mind. It was obvious that this ‘magic’ was an extension of the obviously superior Unicorns mind, simply allowing it to conduct its thoughts into the world. For a telepathic conjoiner, she would need at least three pounds of metal, preferably iron. Next, a diamond, after that she would need some copper and rubber or another alternative insulator. Finally, something hot enough that she could bend metal with.

She wrote down the list and read it aloud, “First, target a unicorn, next, steal some iron appliances, next, acquire a diamond, next, find copper and rubber, finally, visit nearest forgery. Perfect, now all I need is to wait for the guard to lower, and I can get to work.”

She heard a knock on a nearby door, “Open up please, this is the Equestrian Royal Guard.”

She stopped, then grabbed the list and the nearest bag, strapping it on and storing the bag.

“Sorry ma’am, I read the paper wrong. *slam* 321, not 322.”

She opened the window closest to the building across from them, jumping out and carefully gliding to the open window next door, into a dark room. Just as she did so, she heard the guard begin to speak. She ducked inside, pressing herself against the wall as he broke down the door. She snickered as he found the unconscious Unicorn, and then raced back out of the room, yelling that she had ran.

She stood up, and as she did so, the lights flicked on. There was a gasp, and then a Unicorn in a white dress stared at her.

“What are you doing here? Trying to sneak in a free night, eh? I’m sorry, as happy as I am right now, I can’t let you do that.” She said, not even noticing the small amount of blood under A.M.E.E.’s nostrils.

A.M.E.E. smirked, “Sorry, I’ll be going then.”

The pony smiled, “Great, ooh I can’t wait! Did I mention that my wedding is in an hour?”

A.M.E.E. stopped approaching the pony, Sheesh, a she’s getting married? That’s a little harsh, even for me… She stepped next to the pony before bursting up an snapping her neck, causing the body to crumble without even a gasp, “I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

She dragged the lifeless body to a large oak table, finding a sharp knife and approached the corpse again. She placed it directly beneath the pony’s horn, and then began to saw away. It was a long process without a proper tool, but she was able to sever the appendage from the lifeless body after a half hour of sawing. Twirling it in one of her dexterous hooves, she looked to the dead pony.

“Well, I just ruined two people day with one neck snap, I must say, I’m getting better at this. I wonder how lonely that fiancé of hers is going to be tonight…?” she sighed, opening her bag and storing the horn.

Now all she needed was some metal, a diamond, copper, and then rubber before she could make her conjoiner. As she trotted out of the room, she decided that it was best not to try and rip the cords out of the walls, but instead find the nearest store room. As A.M.E.E. made her way to a stairwell, a certain earth pony in a suit suddenly felt as if life had no meaning for some reason.