“Come on… Sid, don’t make this difficult. You need vitamin D. Stop nesting in the pile of pillows and come on. I’m giving you a chance to come along quietly, otherwise, I’ll just have to drag you,” Stout said in a patient voice, speaking to the very silly alicorn nesting in the pillow pit.

“No.” Sideralis peered up from his pillows with a look of brazen defiance, he puffed out his barrel and his wings fluffed out. He let out a warbling whistle that was more whooshy than whistle. “I’m minding my eggs.”

“Sideralis… first off, you’re a stallion. Second… ponies don’t lay eggs.” Stout closed her eye and heaved a sigh. “Fluttershy… you got any advice for getting him out of there?”

“Can you be a good pony and go with Stout?” Fluttershy asked from the kitchen. “I know it’s going to be hard on you, but you need to try some of your occupational therapy in the sun. Please? Pretty please? Do it for me?”

“Okay.” Sideralis looked up at Stout. “Help me out.”

“You… jerk.” Stout opened her eye and gave Sideralis a hard stare. “You’ll do it for her but not for me?”

Averting his gaze, Sideralis allowed his head to fall down upon a purple floral printed pillow. “She preened my wings. And she’s always so nice and kind. And she—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Stout said in huffy voice. She fired up her telekinesis projector and hauled Sideralis out of the pillow pit. She lifted him, gave him a bit of a shake, and then set him down upon his hooves. She watched, waiting as he wobbled, saw that he flicked his tail, and then he steadied. She heard him make a sound that was somewhere between a wicker and laugh, which caused her ears to perk. As much as she tried to resist, she could not help herself. She smiled at him.

“What are we doing?” Sideralis asked.

“Today, we are going to the Cyclops Science and Research Center and we’re going to get you oriented,” Stout replied. “Now we need to hurry or we’ll miss our train.”

“We get to ride a train?” Sideralis’ grin spread from ear to ear.

“Yes, now hurry up and move!” Stout made a gesture at the front door.

Feeling dizzy and faint, Sideralis waited on the monorail, held in Stout’s telekinesis field. He had done rather well, managing to walk outside for a bit, but then had become quite wobbly. Stout had summoned a cab and they rode to the station together.

Now, Sideralis waited with great anticipation to see the monorail, which excited him. He had no idea what it would be like. His mind pictured some fantastical contraption beyond description. Other ponies stood on the platform, and Sideralis felt eyes staring at him. He didn’t know why other ponies stared at him, but figured it had something to do with how tall he was. Or maybe it was his distinctive shade of blue. Perhaps it was because he had a super bright orange glow around him. Whatever the reason, it made him feel self conscious about himself.

The sun was warm against his skin, and while it made him feel weak, it also felt good. He needed the sun. Basking in the warm glow, he thought about Princess Celestia. Was she his aunt? He didn’t know. Twilight got to talk to her, but Sideralis hadn’t had the chance just yet. He didn’t understand astral-whatever.

Hearing a whistle, his ears perked. He had trouble seeing, but he tried so very hard to bring his world into focus. He desperately wanted to see the monorail. It was too bright though, and his eyes were too dazzled. He could hear the screech of metal on metal.

And then, little by little, as the train pulled into the station, Sideralis saw the monorail. It was like a long silver tube, smooth, sleek, it had what appeared to be a teardrop shaped smokestack in the front. It rode on the single rail and its wheels were all diagonal, angled towards the lower half of the center rail, resting on a lip that protruded from the bottom. It was too fuzzy to make out better details. His nostrils filled with the tang of burning coal and he felt like sneezing.

“Mjölna, you made it!” Stout said as a pony that looked a bit like her approached.

“Creamy Stout… who is this handsome fellow you are with?” Mjölna grinned as she approached Sideralis. “How are you feeling? We need to get you some sunglasses. Is Stout treating you well?”

“I can’t complain,” Sideralis replied as the train let out a whistle. He watched as Mjölna studied him, looking him over with her eye. She looked a lot like Stout, had similar colouration, and even the same bulky build. He supposed that they had a lot of the same hardware under their skin.

Giddy, Sideralis shook all over from an almost colt-like enthusiasm. He couldn’t wait to ride the monorail. Turning his head, he saw Stout lean over and whisper something into Mjölna’s ear and then both mares began giggling.

“All aboard!” a voice cried as doors opened.

After riding in silence for quite some time, staring out the window, and trying to focus on the world going by, Sideralis decided it was time for a few questions. Still staring out the window, he watched as the monorail passed by some short, squat buildings. They were outside of the city now, racing along over farmland.

“You didn’t need a train ticket,” Sideralis said in a low voice. “Why? Don’t ponies pay for things?” He blinked and then managed to turn his head enough to look at Mjölna, who was sitting beside him.

“Ponies pay for things, but we don’t pay for things. We just say our names and we get whatever we need. Certain ponies who contribute much to the war effort get whatever it is they ask for. They have enough to worry about without having to worry about if they have enough bits or coins,” Mjölna replied.

“Seems fair.” Sideralis studied the mare beside him, not even knowing why he was doing so. She was fascinating to him, just like Stout was. She was mechanical, but still living. He wondered if a roll in the grass would make her happy. He wondered if she was happy. The only thing he knew about her was that she liked to rivet things and that she was considered one of the greatest mechanical engineers alive, if Fluttershy and Stout were to be believed.

There were suddenly a million questions that he wanted to ask her, but he didn’t even know where to start. He turned and looked at Stout, sitting on his other side. She was staring out the window, her chin was resting on the sill.

“So what is this Cyclops place like?” Sideralis asked.

“Cyclops: We keep one eye on the future,” Mjölna replied. The older mare began to titter and then gave Sideralis a nudge. “Actual corporate slogan. Hilarious, eh?”

Sideralis chuckled, more out of a sense of social obligation than anything else.

“When this place became our refuge, Cyclops became our beacon of hope. Twilight Sparkle, Queen Chrysalis, Doctor Gizmo Gears, Queen Acherontia, King Stag, and many others all pooled their resources together, bringing together the most brilliant… and some might even say insane, minds together… the goal was simple. Find a way to free Equestria, heal ponies, and win the war. Any and all options are explored. I’ve even heard rumours of studies into time travel, trying to go back in time and preventing this from happening.”

Sideralis felt a strange pain inside and then he blurted out, “But then I wouldn’t exist.”

“A lot of things wouldn’t exist, but at least the war might be prevented,” Mjölna said to Sideralis in a low, soft voice. “Don’t worry, I think the time travel idea is a bunch of bunk. I mean, really… sending a cybernetically enhanced equine like myself back in time to assassinate Queen Mariposa before she becomes a threat… what a silly idea. I mean, that’s so dumb… it’s so far fetched. It wouldn’t even make for a good movie.”

“Can we talk about something else?” Stout snapped.

“What’s gotten into you?” Mjölna asked.

Stout chewed her lip for a moment, staring at Mjölna, and then turned away to look out the window once more. “Nothing.”

“Don’t tell me ‘nothing’ young lady.” Mjölna reached around Sideralis and gave Stout a hard poke with her hoof. There was a loud clanking sound, like two heavy bits of metal smashing into one another. “Talk. Or else.”

Sideralis, caught in the middle of two metal mares, looked at one and then the other.

“I just don’t want to think about ponies not existing, that’s all,” Stout said in a low voice.

“I see.” Mjölna gave Sideralis a nudge in the ribs once more, then leaned over and whispered into Sideralis’ ear, “I think she fancies you.”

The Cyclops Science and Research Center was enormous. Sideralis realised that most of the ponies on the monorail were actually going to this place. It stretched on further than Sideralis’ daytime vision allowed him to see. It was a structure made out of pale brown stone that Sideralis did not recognise. It was only five stories tall at the most, but it seemed to stretch from one horizon to the other, at least in Sideralis’ blurry vision. An airship floated overhead, something massive, but Sideralis had trouble making it out.

He saw crates and large boxes being unloaded off of the monorail and hauled into the large building, the crates being moved with telekinesis projectors like Stout’s. He heard a whirring sound, turned around, and then saw an autowagon filled with something he could not make out.

“Ain’t this place amazing?” Mjölna said as she looked up at Sideralis.

“Come on Sid, let’s go inside. I don’t like how shaky you’re getting. I think you’ve had enough vitamin D for the day.” Stout headed for the door, tugging Sideralis alongside of her in a bright orange telekinesis field.

“Doctor Gizmo… hello.” Sideralis looked down at the unicorn peering up at him, glad to see somepony he knew. The little unicorn was thin, delicate looking, and had a look of intense curiousity on his face.

“Greetings, Sideralis,” Gizmo replied. “Did you have a nice trip?”

“Yes.” Sideralis managed to nod his head with some effort, his tail flicking as he did so.

“Well, this is good. You are capable of making the long trip out here. That was the purpose of today’s activity. The sooner we can get you out here and start examining a few things, the better.” The doctor paused. “That is if you are serious about helping us. Queen Chrysalis might want your eye, I just want a chance to study an alicorn… the princesses are shy about such things and Twilight Sparkle… she… she is—”

“Not the same,” Sideralis finished, cutting in.

“Yes.” Doctor Gizmo sounded uncomfortable. “She is here, actually. She would like to meet with you, but right now, she is busy. She’s been away for a while and there is an old friend that she needs to check on. While we are waiting… I could think of ways to fill the time.”

“I’m up for anything,” Sideralis said with cheerful enthusiasm.

“Ah, good… good.” Gizmo looked at Stout. “At some point, there are some upgrades that need to be done, dear. Today, I’d like to fix your projector, if possible.” Gizmo took a deep breath. “Actually, I think it would be best if I fixed your projector now. Mjölna, can you look after Sideralis for a while? Maybe give him a demonstration of what project Rainbow Revival has done for you?”

The older earth pony mare looked at Stout and then at Sideralis. “Think you can survive for a while without Stout?” Mjölna smiled and then looked at Stout once more. “Think you can survive for a while without him?”

“Mjölna…” Stout’s voice was almost a whine.

“Look doctor, she’s blushing… certain processes have survived!” Mjölna lifted up her hoof and pointed.

“Fascinating… hmm, yes!” Doctor Gizmo leaned over and began to examine Stout’s face. “Hmm, increased respiratory function and blood flow to the face… she is in fact blushing!”

Sideralis began to giggle as he watched Stout squirm. When he saw her give him a dirty look, her single orange eye threatening to burn a hole through him, his giggles turned into a chuckle.

“Sid, you gonna be okay for a bit without me?” Stout asked, now ignoring Mjölna.

“I think I’ll be okay,” Sideralis replied.

Moving sidewalks. Sideralis turned a wary eye to the moving sidewalk he had just been lifted off of. This was a big building, so he supposed that moving sidewalks were necessary, but he had to wonder, who thought of this stuff? This whole building had been nothing but technological wonder after technological wonder.

“Weapons testing and development,” Mjölna said to Sideralis. “By the way, if you start to feel panicky or out of sorts, you need to let me know. Don’t wait and don’t think the feeling will just go away. Ponies who have slept for a long time who are pulled away from their companion can sometimes have adverse reactions to being separated.”

Sideralis nodded.

“Can you walk for a bit? There is no sunlight here, you feeling strong enough?” Mjölna looked up at the stallion beside her. She saw him nod after giving her words a moment of thought. She released her golden telekinesis field and watched Sideralis wobble.

After a moment, Sideralis flicked his tail and steadied himself.

“Follow me,” Mjölna said as she gave Sideralis an enticing wave. “Follow the nice pony… come on… walk for me…” She blinked. “Am I doing this right? Is this how Stout gets you moving?”

“Usually, the promise of root beer will get me to do almost anything.” Sideralis grinned, flicked his tail again, and then took off, wobbling after the stocky earth pony mare.

“This is the firing range,” Mjölna explained as she gestured all around her and then pointed at a long narrow hallway. “When I was rebuilt, I designed some of my own modifications. I work with a lot of different tools.”

The earth pony held up her hoof and waved it in front of Sideralis. As she did so, several fingers came wiggling out of the end. “These allow me to do precision work just as good as any unicorn. I also have telekinesis projectors, as you have seen.”

Sideralis lowered his head and checked out Mjölna’s wiggling fingers. They were neat.

Smiling, the mare banged on a button on a short table that blocked the long hallway. At the end of the long corridor, a target popped up. “Doctor Gizmo’s telekinesis projectors do a lot more than just make telekinetic fields… they can also do this.”

Mjölna fired off several rapid fire bursts from her hoof after pointing at the distant target. The telekinetic bullets ripped holes through the target and the earth pony mare grinned. “But that’s not all. We also have beam weapons… focused intense beams of telekinetic energy that constantly apply force over a pinpoint sized area.”

A beam of golden light shot from her hoof and with a wave, Mjölna cut the target in half. She banged the button once more and a fresh target appeared. “I can also do this.” Mjölna lifted up her hoof, squinted her surviving eye, and then said, “Targeting system, engage.”

Sideralis watched in interest. A faint glowing red bullseye appeared on the target. When Mjölna moved her head, the red bullseye moved, and her leg followed. Everywhere she looked, the red bullseye followed. After a moment, she focused her red bullseye on the center of the target. There was a faint hissing sound from within Mjölna’s leg, then a clunk, there was a loud bang that made Sideralis’ ears ring, and then he saw that the target had a neat little hole bored through it.

“That was a rivet being shot through the air at two thousand five hundred feet per second, give or take a few hundred feet per second. I can also heat the rivets to extreme temperatures. Works like a treat for taking out threats, but it is also great for making new doors after somepony puts dents in them with their head.” Mjölna shook her hoof to wave away a thin trail of smoke. “Targeting system, disengage.” The red bullseye vanished.

Sideralis mouth fell open.

“I also have a torch, but I’m out of fuel for it at the moment. It can be turned into a flamethrower. Then there is the electrical arc welder, which I can use to zap stuff. Works beautifully on enemy changelings, boils them on the inside.” Mjölna pointed to her cutie mark, a hammer and a lightning bolt. “I am a living tool… and I have never been more useful and awesome. After the war is over, I’ll be able to build airships, autowagons, anything. I’ll still have a purpose. I keep trying to get Stout interested in machines…” Mjölna let out a wistful sniff. “I have become everything my cutie mark ever wanted me to be. I am the hammer and the thunderbolt. I can be used for creation or to smite down my enemies.”

“That’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen or heard,” Sideralis said.

“I think Chrysalis has plans to upgrade you.” Mjölna’s face became serious and solemn. “Think about it long and hard before you do. I know you think it looks awesome, but once this is done, there is no going back. I am going to live for several hundred years… maybe even a thousand years or more. I’m not going to age like other ponies. I am not going to suffer frailty and weakness. I might live even longer, if I recondition my organics. They didn’t tell me this before I was upgraded. They told me after the fact. Everypony I know and love… most of them are going to die of old age while I keep soldiering on.”

Sideralis stared at Mjölna and saw sadness in her surviving golden eye.

“Small price to pay. I have to save my home… and then I have to rebuild everything that has been broken, ruined, or destroyed. That might take me a thousand years to set everything right.” Mjölna’s face broke into a sad smile. “I get to kick ass and then I get to set everything right. It’s gonna be wonderful.”

“Are you going to get wings and a horn?” Sideralis asked.

“Eventually. Stout will be first. She has the cutie mark for it. Nopony knows what to call us. I’ve heard the arguments and the debates about us being alicorns. Some ponies want to call us electrocorns, which is stupid.” Mjölna scowled. “Electrocorns… pfah!”

“I don’t understand… why remake you in the image of alicorns?” Sideralis asked.

“It’s the ultimate combat chassis. Flight and magic. Devastating attacks while airborne, done at a distance. It is how the enemy changelings utterly obliterated us. They have wings and stubby little horns. To take the fight back to them, we have to adopt their tactics, their abilities, we have to be able to fight them on their own turf,” Mjölna replied.

“So Stout will become a unicorn first?” Sideralis looked at Mjölna with a quizzical expression on his face. He noticed for the first time that his voice echoed off of the steel walls. “She’ll have magic?”

“She’ll have telekinesis and she’ll be able to use a few weak spells. The horn will interface directly with her brain, giving her a level of control with her telekinesis that will be unmatched, possibly even better than some natural unicorns. Doctor Gizmo Gears really knows his stuff. Twilight Sparkle will burn several spell matrices into the synthetic horn. Simple, basic spells. Nothing too fancy. Practical magic, like the ability to make a shield and stuff like that.”

“That’s a lot to take in… has anypony stopped to think about how Stout will adapt to the changes? Her feelings? All these changes, all this adaptation, all of this… but has anypony stopped to think about the consequences?” Sideralis shook his head, feeling overwhelmed. “I mean, they only told you that you’d be living for hundreds of years after you were upgraded… that seems wrong.”

“I’m okay with it,” Mjölna replied.

“Yeah, but what if somepony else wasn’t?” Sideralis felt sad without knowing why. He thought about living for hundreds of years, each year losing touch with what it felt like to be a pony. Becoming numb, as Stout had mentioned. He found himself unable to say anything about his thoughts however, and he looked at Mjölna. “Is there some place I can get a root beer? I… I feel peculiar. I need time to think.”

“Come with me to the cafeteria. I’ll get you a root beer… and one for myself. I fancy them. I am the root beeriest drinking pony you ever did see. I drink root beer like Rainbow Dash drank cider.” Mjölna gave Sideralis a little smile, hoping to cheer him up.

“You knew Rainbow Dash?” Sideralis asked. “What was she like?”

“I can tell you all about her…”

Author's Notes:

Next chapter: Apple Bloom.