open Building the Future

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Rocket took Nano off of his back. "Well, here we are, the finest natural medicine shop in town." Rocket stated as he walked forward and into the shop. He held the door for Nano. While holding the door, he could smell all of the different herbs and natural remedies.  

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Mr. Critical,

 

"M-My eye...?" Ariel repeated questioningly, tilting her head slightly. She realized that most ponies had eyes of the same color and that her mismatched eyes were unique... but how did that make her a freak? Were the other ponies indeed jealous of her special eyes? Was that truly why they said the things they said, and did what they did to her? She looked down, the gears in her mind turning.

 

Meanwhile, Galatea felt a slight pang in her heart, and she lowered her gaze to the ground. She knew all too well about the Ice Eye; she knew that that was the real reason that others saw young Ariel as a freak. That bright blue eye was the mark of a disease, a defect... an imperfection. Galatea knew, and yet she hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Ariel about it. Somehow, the mare hoped that she would someday be able to find some sort of cure that could reverse the effects of the Ice Eye, somehow undo the damage it does...

 

@,

 

Nano followed Rocket into the shop, looking around curiously. His optic sensors took in the sights of the various herbs, storing the images away in his memory, and his scent sensors identified the unique smells of the herbs before also storing that knowledge.

 

"Fascinating," Nano said simply, showing curiosity as he wondered what exactly all these herbs were, what purpose they served, how they benefited the body, among several other questions.

[Mr. Critical 434]

@@Miss Reaper,

Critic caught a look at Galatea's expression. There was something behind this strange eye. A mutation probably.

"Yeah, youre eye. I don't really know what their problem is it. But I don't really see the point in judging others by their physical traits. But if you don't like your eye being a different color, I can always change it if you want. But it is your choice to make."

[Anneal 2,197]

Little did the yellow pegasus and robot "pony" know, the herb shop cashiers were not as they seem. In fact, the two were what ponies least expected in this place; Three-Eyed Fuselage and her second in command, Bowsprit Thibault, the notorious captains of the ESS Reminiscence.

 

Fuselage, a twenty-nine year old mare, was observing the two ponies with great curiosity, secretly taking some money out of the cashier. In order to throw off suspicion, she began a casual talk with her partner. "So, fifty bits, is it?" she asked, giving Bowsprit the stack of money. "Be sure to hand it back by the end of the day. Don't want you wasting your money on your marefriend again."

 

Bowsprit nodded, receiving the bit stack. "Thanks, ma'am. You're a generous one." He tipped his boater hat, and Fuselage already knew what he was hiding. It was another surprising fact about one of the crew members of the Reminiscence: Bowsprit was a unicorn. He was thirty-four years old as of now, formerly having a wife and a filly child until their divorce. Both Fuselage and Bowsprit can consider their first meeting as a lucky coincidence.

 

But their story lay longer than that. Fuselage stared at the two idly, remembering what happened several years before.

 

The war.

 

It started when she had gained her first officer rank of second lieutenant. Fuselage was an adept and experienced technician and tactician in the Equestrian Royal Army; in fact, the Reminiscence was created by her own hooves, with the assistance of her father. It was his final masterpiece; he died at fifty-four when he was killed in a battle as a civilian.

 

But it wasn't only her tragic loss that brought her here. After a promotion to first lieutenant and quickly the captain of Company B, 1st Battalion, 133rd Armed Regiment. While the promotions have certainly been pleasing and comforting, it was a piece of paper that sent all her work crashing down.

 

With the Treaty of Canterlot, the Equestrian Royal Army was officially dissolved, and every soldier in the Army were left jobless and abandoned. That's why she gave up the army life, and restored to her new career, filled with liberty and adventure, free from rule of tyrants, the corrupt, and the theocracy.

 

And with this new life, Fuselage was liberated. She could do anything she want, for what she knew, she was not a subject to the Princesses, but to the Reminiscence. Fuselage met with Bowsprit later on the Cannon Docks, realizing he was formerly a pony for the enemy side who had experienced the same fate as her.

 

As aforementioned, the crew of the ESS Reminiscence did not consider themselves subjects of the unicorns or the Equestrians. On the airship, there were only one species, not multiple, upon the Reminiscence, and their intention is to keep their free state intact.

 

Fuselage immediately snapped out of her thoughts, slowly emptying the cashier. She then stood up, and said to the two, "I'm going to take a break. If you have any questions, ask my friend Foresail. He would be glad to answer any questions for you."

Edited January 28, 2014 by Suri the Superior

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Mr. Critical,

 

Young Ariel's eyes went wide as she looked up at Critic. "You can do that?" she asked, clearly considering the option. All she knew was that her eyes were different, and different was looked down upon; if changing them to something more normal, than the other ponies would possibly stop hating her, right?

 

But before either she or Critic could say anything else, Galatea abruptly stood up, her gaze fixed on the stallion. "Mr. Critical, may I speak with you outside, please?" she said, nodding towards the door. Her tone was polite enough, but her demeanor had suddenly turned quite serious.

 

Ariel simply looked at Galatea with curiosity, wondering about this interruption from the mare. The filly knew enough to know that there was probably some "grown-up" talk to be had, since Galatea didn't seem willing to discuss while in the room with her; but what about, Ariel could only guess.

 

@, @,

 

Nano was perusing the broad selection of herbs, seemingly intent on studying each individual one. So many different plants, each with unique properties... He wanted to learn more about them all! By a simple glance, any pony would be able to tell that the robot was utterly fascinated by the variety of herbs. Only the mare's voice pulled him from his intent observation.

 

He turned his head to look at the cashiers at once. The curiosity in his expression remained, but his eyes turned calculating as his sensors scanned both ponies. It wasn't necessarily a conscious operation; it was something he did upon meeting a new pony, an action dictated by his programming to ensure that there was nothing suspicious about any pony that crossed his path.

 

Nothing unusual came up in his scan. He was able to determine that the stallion was a unicorn, as he was finely tuned to sense the subtle differences in the physiology among the pony races, but that alone failed to raise any suspicion for the robot. Nano had not been programmed or taught that unicorns were to be mistrusted - all he did was notice the differences between races.

 

As such, Nano noticed nothing out of the ordinary. While he was observant, he was also naive in his lack of social experience. He merely nodded once in acknowledgement to the mare before returning his attention to the herbs he was so keenly studying.

[Mr. Critical 434]

@@Miss Reaper,

Critcal looked to the manre and got up from his seat. Followed Galatea out of the room. Leaving Ariel in her room.

"Okay, Galatea. What's up?"

Critical could tell that she was getting serious. Meaning he wasn't going to enjoy this little conversation of their's

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Rocket walked up the the cashier. "Good day mam, would you happen to have any natural remedies that cure sick young ponies from pain and any other alignment?" Rocket asked. "Certainly, right this way." The cashier pony stated as she got off her chair and led the way. Rocket followed behind. "Oh, and we do have them in sweet flavors so they won't be bitter." The cashier pony added. "Oh that's great!" Rocket stated.  

[Anneal 2,197]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Rocket walked up the the cashier. "Good day mam, would you happen to have any natural remedies that cure sick young ponies from pain and any other alignment?" Rocket asked. "Certainly, right this way." The cashier pony stated as she got off her chair and led the way. Rocket followed behind. "Oh, and we do have them in sweet flavors so they won't be bitter." The cashier pony added. "Oh that's great!" Rocket stated.

 

((That's god-modding, Thunder. Are you referring to Bowsprit or me? Because the former is a male, and the latter is my OC, and you're obviously referring to a female, so...))

 

@@Miss Reaper, @

 

Fuselage stopped for a second in front of a door leading to the employee office, listening to Bowsprit. She was getting a bit nervous; Bowsprit was a former naval captain, not a botanist. Noticing the risk of staying here longer, Fuselage wanted to take the money and leave.

 

She entered the employee office, carefully shutting and locking the door behind her. The office was small and filled with curious decorations and wallpaper style that seemed to be from the last several decades. It appeared quite aged, the colors of the room a faded brown. Little sunlight entered the room. Fuselage proceeded on into a closet room, which she opened up.

 

Inside, there were two ponies, a mare and a stallion in their forties. Both were tied up by the hooves and gagged with a cloth and towel. Muffling could be heard from the frightened couple, which eventually started to annoy Fuselage. "Shut up," she said, pulling out her pistol and untying the stallion.

 

Fuselage pointed her pistol at the stallion. The pistol was an unusual Pegasus model, having a small ring latch on the chamber to allow users to manually pull to eject spent bullets. In short, it was a single action pistol, along with a longer length trigger and a hoof grip to keep stability. Fuselage moved her pistol at the safe. "Thirty seconds. Open it," she demanded.

 

Without delay, the stallion pressed the buttons for the four-digit code password, and the safe opened up. Fuselage pushed the stallion to one side, keeping her gun pointed at him. She took out a box filled with paper bits and smiled. "Twenty thousand bits," she muttered, closing the box.

 

Fuselage pushed the stallion back inside the closet with his mare. "As I promised, give me the money, nopony gets hurt. Thank you for your cooperation."

 

And with a slam, the closet door was locked again. Of course, she wasn't hoping on suffocating them two. She wanted them to know that the Three-Eyed Fuselage had robbed them. Let the guards know, let them fear her. She would take them down.

 

Now, the only problem left was getting out. The two pesky customers were still there. If they prolong, Fuselage considered taking them down.

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Mr. Critical,

 

Galatea glanced left and right, as if making certain that there was no one else in the halls - although the subject she was about to discuss was mostly common knowledge to most ponies of this time, something that was unknown only for young Ariel.

 

"Look, that eye of hers is more than just heterochromia," she said, keeping a hushed tone to her voice. "It's a condition known as the Ice Eye. It's a rare type of birth defect, and it's known to cause various... mental deficiencies." Her ears slowly drooped, thinking of what that meant for poor Ariel. "Foals born with the Ice Eye are, more often than not, doomed to retardation, or psychological illnesses such as schizophrenia... And as such, those foals are almost always regarded as freaks. It doesn't help in Ariel's case that she's, well... a unicorn."

 

Galatea lowered her gaze to the floor, letting out a long sigh. She felt terrible for the poor young filly, and she desperately wished that there were some cure, even though there was none that she knew of.

 

@, @,

 

Nano was looking at Bowsprit, but one of his mechanical ears automatically swiveled towards the office as his keen senses picked up some noise in that general direction. But his processor couldn't identify the exact source of the noise, or what the noise even was. So he disregarded it as something unimportant, and returned his attention to the stallion.

 

He glanced at the herbs given to him and Rocket, scanning them thoroughly before he looked back at Bowsprit. "And... you are absolutely certain that these would be safe to give to a foal?" he asked. Even though the robot knew that he should probably trust the judgement of the salespony, but being thoroughly unfamiliar with herbs and botany, he wanted to be one hundred percent positive about what they would be giving to young Ariel.

[Mr. Critical 434]

@@Miss Reaper,

Critical looked to Galatea in sadness. Still. Genetic modification and correction was not new to him. It would take time for him to do this correctly, but her eye will stay the same shape and color. So regardless, she would still be ridiculed. But what caught his attention the most was that unicorn bit.

"Galatea. Why are unicorns hated?"

 Critical had determination in his eyes. He wanted to fix this.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@@Miss Reaper,@,

 

(OOC: I really didn't know that Bowspirit was the cashier at the herb store. Sorry)

 

"Yes, they are safe to give to a foal. They are picked from leaves deep in the Everfree Forest." Rocket stated. He then saw Nano looking in a direction where something was coming from. "Hey, is something wrong? Are you hearing something Nano?" Rocket asked.  

[Anneal 2,197]

@@Miss Reaper, @

 

Fuselage walked out casually from the employee's office, hiding her money stash inside a backpack. She noticed Bowsprit talking with the two customers. She had overheard the robot pony ask if the herb was good for a foal. Crap, we're dealing with foals now? Fuselage thought. She didn't want little ponies to get involved in this.

 

Quickly, she cut in. "Ahem, Mr. Foresail, can I speak to you for a minute?" Without warning, she pulled Bowsprit away.

 

"What is it now?" he muttered to Fuselage.

 

"That's the wrong herb. We're 'out' of stock, you idiot," Fuselage snapped, placing emphasis on the word "out".

 

"Well, what do we do?" Bowsprit asked.

 

"Tell them you're out. Didn't you take medical classes? Make sure I don't relieve you. Go tell the two. I expect no delays."

 

Fuselage, however, just walked toward the two, taking the herb and pretending to observe it. "I'm sorry, but it seems we have a misunderstanding with my worker here. That's for memory recalling and dealing with chronic coughing," she lied. "And usually our herbs isn't for ponies under twelve. For the ones for children...I think we're out. We apologize for the inconvenience, and will restock as soon as possible."

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Mr. Critical,

 

Galatea looked at Critical, her own eyes filled with a hopeless sadness. "It started a long time ago... Back when I was a filly. Some of the unicorns were resentful of the advancements in technology, thinking that it made their magic useless. A group of them tried to protest... and let's just say that they were not peaceful. They attacked, and so we struck back in defense, she explained.

 

She lowered her gaze to the floor once more. "And that had sparked a civil war... The unicorns against the Earth ponies and pegasi. Things have never been the same since. The unicorns are mistrusted, and most of them feel the same way of us. Since the unicorns were the ones that started it all, they're generally looked down upon by others..."

 

A few painful thoughts flickered through her mind as she thought on the misdeeds of certain unicorns, but she quickly clamped down on those thoughts. This wasn't the time nor place for that.

 

@, @,

 

Nano looked from Fuselage to Rocket, then back to the mare. Each had just told him two different things about the herbs, both of which contradicted one another - and he had no way to be certain of which was the truth. On the one hoof, Rocket was the one that knew about this store in the first place, and likely had some idea of what he was talking about. But on the other, this mare was presumably very knowledgeable about herbs, at least as far as he knew.

 

The puzzling contradiction was causing logical processing errors within his main processor. Were his system a less stable one, he might have actually shorted himself out. As it was, however, his circuits maintained proper function, and he merely acted as if he had a headache, holding a hoof to his forehead.

 

After a few moments, he was able to shake it off, his processor having selected what appeared to be the most logical choice - that is, believing that the mare was more knowledgeable and taking her word for truth. "I-Is that so?" he said, his ears drooping slightly. "Well... I suppose we could always return later..." He now gazed down at the floor, thinking of how he and Rocket would have to return to Galatea and Ariel now with empty hooves.

[Mr. Critical 434]

@@Miss Reaper,

Critic was thinking of the words that escaped her mouth. How could they do such a thing. Unicorns violently rebelling because their magic was replace with technological advancement. A bit petty, but it is understandable.

"Galatea, I need you to answer one last question."
He brought her head up to make sure she was in eye contact.

"What year is it, right now?"

[Anneal 2,197]

@@Miss Reaper, @

 

Fuselage felt a wave of relief. They seemed to be leaving soon, and then they could finally make their escape with no witnesses. The slight electrical current coming out of the robot pony's head, however, frightened her. The robot pony simply massaged his head as if it was tensed, and Fuselage soon relaxed when she realized it was nothing. She did acknowledge the fact that the pony was a robot. Technology has its wonders, after all...

 

Suddenly, she heard banging and knocking coming from the employee office. Fuselage froze in place when she, along with every pony in the herbal shop, heard loud muffling sounds. They were short and sharp, possibly calling for help.

 

Fuselage stood there, knowing her cover was going to be blown. Her hospitable smile disappeared, and she felt her pistol, which was concealed in her uniform. There was a magazine loaded in it, and within a split second, Fuselage knew what to do.

 

Before any pony could react, Fuselage drew out her pistol and pulled the straight pull bolt slide on the chamber, pointing it at the yellow pegasus. "Hooves down on the ground! Do as we say and all of you will remain unharmed!" Fuselage commanded, readying her hoof in the firing position. Bowsprit, now realizing the situation, drew his throwing knives and stood to the side wall as additional backup. "You, the robot colt! Stand down!"

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@,@@Miss Reaper,

 

Rocket looked at Nano. "Uh-oh...I think Nano's a bit confused here. Let's get get the herb we came for and head on out." Rocket stated still making sure that Nano was ok. He knew about full robot ponies and how they can get confused easily when told several things. 

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Mr. Critical,

 

Galatea looked into Critic's eyes, her ears folding back slightly as her expression formed a look of confusion. What sort of question was that? Was it not common knowledge among the residents? Unless... he wasn't a regular resident? A time-traveler, even?

 

Stop giving yourself silly ideas, Galatea, she scolded herself. Time machines and time travelers are just a thing of fiction! At least, to my knowledge... Hah, I think I'd know if time machines had been invented.

 

But regardless, she answered his question. She might as well play along, even if the idea of him being a time traveler was absurd from a realistic viewpoint. "It's year 270, eighth era." She paused, and then, letting the curiosity get the best of her, asked, "Why do you ask...?"

 

@, @,

 

"I am fine," Nano told Rocket. "It was merely a momentary processing error or two."

 

Then he heard the noises from the office. His pupils shrank in surprise as his ears turned towards the sound, his head immediately following suit as he looked in the direction of the room in question. He was again confused, albeit in a much milder degree compared to his attempt to process contradictions just moments ago. He realized that something - or somepony - must have been making the noises.

 

By the time he returned his gaze to the so-called cashiers, he noticed the sudden change in the mare's apparent disposition. It was a wonder that he hadn't detected the weapon on her when he had initially scanned her - but that may have been simply an oversight on the robot's part. Once she drew the pistol, however, his sensors immediately analyzed it. While intimidating to most ponies, guns and knives were not a threat to the robot pony and his metal skin; although, he did recognize them as dangerous objects. And the ponies wielding said objects were also dangerous.

 

When told to stand down, Nano met Fuselage's gaze with a defiant glare. "Only one pony may order me to stand down, and you are not her!" he declared. His gentle blue eyes shifted into a bright red hue as his processor loaded the protocols for shifting into his battle mode. If necessary, he would shift within a moment's notice, and protect Rocket to the best of his ability, using his solid metal body as a shield.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Rocket had learned how to defend hinself. He unfolded his metal wings into battle mode. Two small guns were revealed this time. "So I guess this was a trap..." Rocket thought to himself. "Nopony's gonna order my friend around like that." He said as he went into a battle stance. 

[Mr. Critical 434]

@@Miss Reaper,

Critical became pale. His hooves were like jello and could barely stand. He knew what had happened. He knew why the world was like this. He was 1500 years in his future. And because of what he will do. He fell to the floor, brain focusing on what was happening.

"Galatea... I-I know where Princess Celestia is."

[Anneal 2,197]

@,@@Miss Reaper,

 

Fuselage was surprised herself from the fact that they were armed as well, with pistols pointed at her as well. A typical civilian wouldn't be carrying firearms off their home; that left the only logical explanation she could think of. "So...you have firepower as well?" Fuselage said. "No wonder. It's not every day you see an armed cyborg and robot on the streets. And since you can't possibly be regular civilians...you're either government agents or bounty hunters. Think you can kill me and sell my body for money, right?"

 

She took off her disguise, showing her true colors. Fuselage was fully clad in military clothing, with one difference; the flag on her shoulder was the black flag. Her mane became messy, and her rough hooves showed. Her trademark curved cutlass revealed that she was no other than the famed "Demolisher of the Sky", Three-Eyed Fuselage. She had been notorious for her stealthy and quick plunders and raids, and for three years, have been the target of capture for the Equestrian military.

 

"We're not going to hurt anypiny here, unless you follow what I say. We can solve things without bloodshed, and we can act civilized here. Just let us leave, you get to safely untie your fellow herb sellers here, get the herbs you want for your little foal, and we'll be on our way. Meanwhile, I can give you a portion of the bits we took to help your friend. Does ten thousand bits sound reasonable?"

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@,

 

"We weren't even doing no harm. All we came here for was to get some herbs, for a sick little foal we're tending and haul out. We're not government agents, nor bounty hunters. We're just regular civilians." Rocket stated withdrawing all of his weapons and returning to normal mode.  

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Mr. Critical,

 

Galatea's eyes widened when Critical collapsed before her. She reached towards him to try and help him up, and was about to ask if he was alright when he spoke, interrupting her just as she opened her mouth. But it didn't matter, for the words he uttered suddenly seemed far more important. The shock hit her nearly as bad as it had stricken Critical. Her own legs started quivering, as if they would give out at any moment.

 

"How... W-What..." she stammered, trying to get a grasp on her scrambled thoughts. And then the questions came all at once, like a swarm buzzing inside her brain. "How do you know? Where is she? Why didn't you mention this sooner?!"

 

@, @,

 

"We have no intentions on harming you," Nano said, though he remained in a defensive posture. "As my friend stated, we merely wanted to obtain some herbs in order to help a young foal that is in pain. I am armed, indeed - but for defensive purposes only."

 

The robot failed to recognize Fuselage as the notorious "Demolisher of the Sky," but again that was credited to his own lack of knowledge and naivete about the world outside the lab in which he had been created. Not to mention that Galatea had given him only minimal knowledge about the goings-on in general, as if she were a mother shielding her child from the dangerous world. All he knew was that this mare and her accomplice were armed, and dangerous.

 

He listened to Fuselage speak, carefully processing her words. "Civilized is good," he said slowly, "but I am not interested in your currency." That was strange. He knew that bits were Equestrian currency, and such an amount was considerable. It was a very valuable offer. And yet, he didn't feel right even thinking about accepting it. He would have been unable to describe the feeling, although it was very distinct to him. All the same, he glanced back at Rocket, who presumably would have the better judgement, for affirmation or contradiction to what he'd just said to Fuselage.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@@Miss Reaper, 

 

"Well then..." Rocket stated as he opened a small compartment and a couple of bits dropped onto the floor. "I guess we should pay for these herbs." Rocket stated. He wanted to get back to Ariel, who was back at the hospital. He was also surprised that military personel worked at the natural herb store. 

[Mr. Critical 434]

@@Miss Reaper,

Critical got to his hooves and walked to the closet next to him. Opening it and stepping inside. The tardis felt his sorrow and came to the closest door to him. He shut the door behind him and walked to the couch. His future had caught up to him and he was living in the fruits of his deeds. Was it worth it, or would letting his friend live have been better.

[Anneal 2,197]

@,@@Miss Reaper,

 

Fuselage lowered her weapon, pointing it down on the ground. She stayed alert, however, for any cheap tricks they had on their hooves. Bowsprit followed suit. "Then our problem is solved, thankfully without iron and blood," Fuselage responded, opening the door. Out came two ponies, still tied up, but the stallion's gag was untied. That explains all the damn shouting, Fuselage thought. 

 

"Hey, you," Fuselage pulled up the stallion on his hooves and pushed him to the shelves. "Find a herb for your companions here. Don't play any games with me. I don't like being tricked."

 

The stallion followed her orders, and surprisingly without any threats. Fuselage dropped hoof-ful of bits onto the counter. "I will be paying," she added, moving towards the exit. "Now, all of you just stand still, while we leave. Like I said, no tricks or games. Don't move."