My Little Robot Unicorn: Running Is Magicby TheBackgroundBronyChaptersHemlockDanger ArrivesWhat is backwards?Learning the DirectionsHemlockRunner did not know this strange purple pony who called herself Twilight, but she felt a need to tell her everything about her life and her world. "I don't remember much of where I was only born," began Runner, "Only that it was in a factory." "A factory?" asked Twilight. "Yes," she replied, "A factory. I remember being let free into the world which I now call home. At first it seemed wonderful, with its pixies and dolphins and things. Then I remember a sort of... fiery version of me - his name is Hemlock - decided that I had enacted some great wrong on him and tried to destroy me." "He tried to destroy you?!" gasped Twilight. "He's succeeded multiple times," continued Runner, a shiver going down Twilight's spine, "But every time I get destroyed by a rock or a pit or Hemlock, I just reappear at the factory gates, ready to run again." "So what do you do all day?" asked Twilight nervously. "I just run," said the unicorn, "Just run and run." "That sounds boring," replied Twilight. "It is," sighed Runner, "In fact, I had pretty much decided to give up and go mad before that portal appeared." "Why didn't you just stop running?" "Stop? What is 'stop'?" "Ah, this is another of your don't-know-any-directions things again." "I do know directions! There are three; forwards, up and down." "You... need to learn the others." "Wait, there are other directions?!" "In this world, yes!" "Wow!" "Come on," said Twilight, leading Runner through the door, "I'll take you to Rainbow Dash. She's the best at directions." As they left, none of them noticed the shadowy portal open in the library or the flaming metal figure that streaked from it, looking for vengeance. Danger ArrivesRunner was chatting to Pinkie Pie. "So the unicorns can move things with their horns? Is that really true?" she asked inquiringly. "Yes indeed-ally!" Pinkie Pie replied happily, bouncing up and down. "Now that I think about it," she carried on, randomly popping out from behind Runner, "Can't you do magic?" "Well, no, I suppose, but-" Then Hemlock descended. "VENGEANCE!" he roared, as he crashed into the ground and stared straight at Runner. "What the-" said Rainbow Dash in surprise. "Hemlock!" Runner screamed and turned tail, sprinting as fast as her hooves would carry her. "What's up with her?" asked Pinkie looking at her rapidly fading silhouette. Hemlock narrowed his eyes at the ponies. "MOVE!" he shouted. "Why?" asked Twilight quizzically. "I MUST ENACT VENGEANCE UPON HER!" Hemlock cried melodramatically. "Wow, this guy's such a ham, he puts Nightmare Moon to shame!" gasped Pinkie. "A HAM?" he growled angrily, "I AM NOT A HAM!" "Well," said Rarity, "I think that that flaming mane totally clashes with your black eye sockets!" "CLASHES?" roared Hemlock, "I'LL SHOW YOU CLASHING!" He charged at Rarity and she only just managed to leap aside. Hemlock's fiery shape rushed past all of them and raced after Runner. *** Running. Running. Once again, despite having escaped her torturous world, she was running. Running. Running. "VENGEANCE!" cried Hemlock as he dashed towards her, far faster than she had ever seen him go. She tripped on a rock and fell, rolling a few meters before coming to a stop. I guess this is it then, she thought, No more reappearing at the factory. Hemlock loomed over her, a mad glint in his red eyes. "NOW I HAVE VENGEANCE!" he shrieked. Runner closed her eyes and felt his hot breath on her neck. His claw rested on her face. And suddenly it was gone. She could no longer feel his breath on her neck. Not daring to open her eyes, she listened. "Somepony need a little help with a fiery unicorn?" asked a southern-accented voice. What is backwards?Running. Running. The unicorn felt the wind through her mane, the hardness of the ground under her metal hooves. Running. Running as she had done a thousand times before, trying to escape a fate she knew was inescapable. She had no idea that this time it would be different. Running. "VENGEANCE!" roared the flaming figure behind her. She ran faster, her mane flying wildly. Suddenly a star loomed in front of her. With no time to jump, she charged straight at it, her boosters sending out a rainbow behind her. The star shattered and a dolphin appeared in front of her. "You can do it, Runner!" squeaked the dolphin, keeping pace with her perfectly. Runner sighed, shaking her head. She had long ago stopped listening to the dolphins. They never helped her, not really. "NOW I HAVE YOU!" came the metallic bellow. She surged forward, fear giving her metaphorical wings. Forward. The only direction she had ever known. As she missed her jump and plummeted towards the sugary ground below, she thought, not just forward- down. She fell towards a rainbow-coloured patch that had just appeared, hanging in the sky. That's new, she thought. Then she fell through it. *** Twilight Sparkle was enjoying a morning read when the unicorn landed on her. She was just settling down to read '101 Things You Always Wanted To Know About Teapots But Were Too Afraid To Ask' when the portal appeared. Twilight stared at it incredulously for a few seconds before Runner fell through, screaming, and crashed into her. "Ow!" came Twilight's muffled voice from under the robot, "Can you get off?" "How?" came a slightly sheepish answer from Runner. "Move back!" "Back?!" "Backwards!!" "What is backwards?" "What do you mean, what is backwards?" "Um, well, what I said." "Oh forget it," huffed Twilight, "I'll move." Twilight untangled herself from Runner. "Twi!" called Spike from the upper section of the library, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine!" replied Twilight. "Oh, so could you explain the... uh... metal unicorn then?" asked Spike, peering over and noticing Runner. "Spike," said Twilight, "This is, um..." "Runner," said Runner. "...Runner," finished Twilight lamely. "Okay!" Spike shouted back and ducked out of sight. "Where did you come from?" asked Twilight, turning to Runner, "And why don't you understand backwards?" "Well," said Runner, "I guess I should tell you..." And Runner told her story. Learning the Directions"Backwards is like this," said Rainbow Dash. She stepped backwards. "Cool!" gasped Runner in awe. "Now you try," said Dash. Runner stepped backwards. "Yay! I went backwards!" she cried joyfully. Dash turned to Twilight and said, "Are you sure that she isn't completely insane?" "Of course!" said Twilight. "If you say so." Dash turned back to Runner. "So, you've mastered left, right and backwards," she said. "Personally, I think she's simply darling!" said Rarity who had come to watch, while Runner happily shouted "Now I know all the directions!" "She sounds like an overexcited schoolfilly," groaned Dash to Twilight. "Be patient, Rainbow!" Twilight huffed, "Imagine if you found that there were three new directions you didn't even know existed!" "Fine!" muttered Dash. *** The flaming figure soared through the sky, searching for his target. "Runner..." he growled, the red lamplights from his eyes scanning the ground. "There!" he cried triumphantly, spotting the shiny figure of his joyful nemesis next to some pastel-coloured... ponies. Impossible, he thought to himself, how could there be ponies that aren't made of metal? Ignoring the feeling that his quest for vengeance had taken him too far out of his depth, the fiery justice-seeker descended, aiming straight at Runner.
HemlockRunner did not know this strange purple pony who called herself Twilight, but she felt a need to tell her everything about her life and her world. "I don't remember much of where I was only born," began Runner, "Only that it was in a factory." "A factory?" asked Twilight. "Yes," she replied, "A factory. I remember being let free into the world which I now call home. At first it seemed wonderful, with its pixies and dolphins and things. Then I remember a sort of... fiery version of me - his name is Hemlock - decided that I had enacted some great wrong on him and tried to destroy me." "He tried to destroy you?!" gasped Twilight. "He's succeeded multiple times," continued Runner, a shiver going down Twilight's spine, "But every time I get destroyed by a rock or a pit or Hemlock, I just reappear at the factory gates, ready to run again." "So what do you do all day?" asked Twilight nervously. "I just run," said the unicorn, "Just run and run." "That sounds boring," replied Twilight. "It is," sighed Runner, "In fact, I had pretty much decided to give up and go mad before that portal appeared." "Why didn't you just stop running?" "Stop? What is 'stop'?" "Ah, this is another of your don't-know-any-directions things again." "I do know directions! There are three; forwards, up and down." "You... need to learn the others." "Wait, there are other directions?!" "In this world, yes!" "Wow!" "Come on," said Twilight, leading Runner through the door, "I'll take you to Rainbow Dash. She's the best at directions." As they left, none of them noticed the shadowy portal open in the library or the flaming metal figure that streaked from it, looking for vengeance.
Danger ArrivesRunner was chatting to Pinkie Pie. "So the unicorns can move things with their horns? Is that really true?" she asked inquiringly. "Yes indeed-ally!" Pinkie Pie replied happily, bouncing up and down. "Now that I think about it," she carried on, randomly popping out from behind Runner, "Can't you do magic?" "Well, no, I suppose, but-" Then Hemlock descended. "VENGEANCE!" he roared, as he crashed into the ground and stared straight at Runner. "What the-" said Rainbow Dash in surprise. "Hemlock!" Runner screamed and turned tail, sprinting as fast as her hooves would carry her. "What's up with her?" asked Pinkie looking at her rapidly fading silhouette. Hemlock narrowed his eyes at the ponies. "MOVE!" he shouted. "Why?" asked Twilight quizzically. "I MUST ENACT VENGEANCE UPON HER!" Hemlock cried melodramatically. "Wow, this guy's such a ham, he puts Nightmare Moon to shame!" gasped Pinkie. "A HAM?" he growled angrily, "I AM NOT A HAM!" "Well," said Rarity, "I think that that flaming mane totally clashes with your black eye sockets!" "CLASHES?" roared Hemlock, "I'LL SHOW YOU CLASHING!" He charged at Rarity and she only just managed to leap aside. Hemlock's fiery shape rushed past all of them and raced after Runner. *** Running. Running. Once again, despite having escaped her torturous world, she was running. Running. Running. "VENGEANCE!" cried Hemlock as he dashed towards her, far faster than she had ever seen him go. She tripped on a rock and fell, rolling a few meters before coming to a stop. I guess this is it then, she thought, No more reappearing at the factory. Hemlock loomed over her, a mad glint in his red eyes. "NOW I HAVE VENGEANCE!" he shrieked. Runner closed her eyes and felt his hot breath on her neck. His claw rested on her face. And suddenly it was gone. She could no longer feel his breath on her neck. Not daring to open her eyes, she listened. "Somepony need a little help with a fiery unicorn?" asked a southern-accented voice.
What is backwards?Running. Running. The unicorn felt the wind through her mane, the hardness of the ground under her metal hooves. Running. Running as she had done a thousand times before, trying to escape a fate she knew was inescapable. She had no idea that this time it would be different. Running. "VENGEANCE!" roared the flaming figure behind her. She ran faster, her mane flying wildly. Suddenly a star loomed in front of her. With no time to jump, she charged straight at it, her boosters sending out a rainbow behind her. The star shattered and a dolphin appeared in front of her. "You can do it, Runner!" squeaked the dolphin, keeping pace with her perfectly. Runner sighed, shaking her head. She had long ago stopped listening to the dolphins. They never helped her, not really. "NOW I HAVE YOU!" came the metallic bellow. She surged forward, fear giving her metaphorical wings. Forward. The only direction she had ever known. As she missed her jump and plummeted towards the sugary ground below, she thought, not just forward- down. She fell towards a rainbow-coloured patch that had just appeared, hanging in the sky. That's new, she thought. Then she fell through it. *** Twilight Sparkle was enjoying a morning read when the unicorn landed on her. She was just settling down to read '101 Things You Always Wanted To Know About Teapots But Were Too Afraid To Ask' when the portal appeared. Twilight stared at it incredulously for a few seconds before Runner fell through, screaming, and crashed into her. "Ow!" came Twilight's muffled voice from under the robot, "Can you get off?" "How?" came a slightly sheepish answer from Runner. "Move back!" "Back?!" "Backwards!!" "What is backwards?" "What do you mean, what is backwards?" "Um, well, what I said." "Oh forget it," huffed Twilight, "I'll move." Twilight untangled herself from Runner. "Twi!" called Spike from the upper section of the library, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine!" replied Twilight. "Oh, so could you explain the... uh... metal unicorn then?" asked Spike, peering over and noticing Runner. "Spike," said Twilight, "This is, um..." "Runner," said Runner. "...Runner," finished Twilight lamely. "Okay!" Spike shouted back and ducked out of sight. "Where did you come from?" asked Twilight, turning to Runner, "And why don't you understand backwards?" "Well," said Runner, "I guess I should tell you..." And Runner told her story.
Learning the Directions"Backwards is like this," said Rainbow Dash. She stepped backwards. "Cool!" gasped Runner in awe. "Now you try," said Dash. Runner stepped backwards. "Yay! I went backwards!" she cried joyfully. Dash turned to Twilight and said, "Are you sure that she isn't completely insane?" "Of course!" said Twilight. "If you say so." Dash turned back to Runner. "So, you've mastered left, right and backwards," she said. "Personally, I think she's simply darling!" said Rarity who had come to watch, while Runner happily shouted "Now I know all the directions!" "She sounds like an overexcited schoolfilly," groaned Dash to Twilight. "Be patient, Rainbow!" Twilight huffed, "Imagine if you found that there were three new directions you didn't even know existed!" "Fine!" muttered Dash. *** The flaming figure soared through the sky, searching for his target. "Runner..." he growled, the red lamplights from his eyes scanning the ground. "There!" he cried triumphantly, spotting the shiny figure of his joyful nemesis next to some pastel-coloured... ponies. Impossible, he thought to himself, how could there be ponies that aren't made of metal? Ignoring the feeling that his quest for vengeance had taken him too far out of his depth, the fiery justice-seeker descended, aiming straight at Runner.
