Under the autumn moonlight, through the sprawling alleyways of the darkened streets of Canterlot, the city winds down to sleep. Shops close as patrons and employees alike file out from the doors and out into the night. Years ago, this would have been a safe routine, but recently everyone has been on edge. Ever since the return and subsequent defeat of Nightmare Moon, it was as if Equestria was cursed to endure resurfaced long forgotten terrors and increases in crime and civil unrest. But life goes on, even under the moon's pale shine, and no one in their right mind would connect Luna's return with such wickedness. Even some of the more sour individuals believed in forgiveness in the long run. As far as they were concerned, life was mostly normal with a new spice added.
"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home, Mr. Measure?" a young brown unicorn colt asked his boss, locking up the tailor shop behind him. "I mean, you've read about what's been going on lately, right?"
"Dear boy, I'll be fine," replied Dapper Measure, whom was a withered blue pudge of a unicorn stallion that had seen better years. "I've walked these streets as long as I can remember, and I'm no pushover. I used to place second at kickboxing at my university, and I still know a few moves."
The young employee rolled his eyes as he pocketed the shop keys. "If you're sure. I don't want to end up reading that you went missing in tomorrow's paper. I mean, how am I gonna get paid if you don't come back?" The two laughed at the off-color joke at the older stallion's expense before they parted ways.
Up the street, moving closer towards Canterlot's middle district, Mr. Measure began humming a tune in the night air as he followed a simple path home he had known for years. To be honest, Dapper was actually quite disturbed by the recent yet random disappearances going on in the city, and under any other circumstance, he would have taken his young employee's offer. However, aside from knowing the streets he normally took so well, the route in question was guaranteed secure. Some shops were still open nearby, and the abundance of street lamps gave him comfort in knowing he could easily be seen by his fellow citizens. He knew he was safe.
"Help..."
The voice of a weak and frightened child fluttered out of the alley he began to pass. It caused him to take a full stop and swivel his ears in the alley's direction. Sure enough, he heard it again.
"Please... help..."
Mr. Measure took a slight step back, and looked out into the street, searching for a guard on night patrol. To his dismay, not a soul was on duty nearby, leaving only him and his conscience to answer. Being a decent citizen, he made the decision to help the voice in need, despite everything inside him screaming that he stay in the light of the street. Stepping forth into the alley, he called out to the child.
"Hello? Are you alright?"
"Help... please..."
"It's alright. I'm coming to get you. We'll get you the help you need. Just tell me where you are." He stayed quiet, waiting for a response as he crept deeper into the shadows between the buildings. "Hello?"
Within a few moments, his eyes finally adjusted to the dark, allowing him to see a bundle of fabric at the back end of alley. Upon noticing it move slightly, his mind immediately assumed where the voice was coming from, and began approaching the pile of rags. With his natural unicorn magic, he picked it up, only to find something was pulling back. Squinting hard, he began to notice something shimmering in the air above it. Thin laces of wire which tugged at the fabric and forced it to drop a small recorder which played something upon landing on the ground.
"Help..." it said.
Dapper's face flushed white as he dropped the rags and snapped around, only to run into two imposing figures before him and fell backward. Kicking himself back upright to regain his balance, the little old unicorn took in their features. They were two impossibly large earth ponies with identical hazy green coats, dirty blond manes, and piercing red eyes barely obscured by black masks that did nothing to hide their identities. The old tailor swallowed hard.
"Wh-what can I d-do for you two?" he asked in a vain hope he wasn't in the situation he believed he was in.
They grinned manically, and slowly approached the unicorn, intent on capturing him. Dapper, despite his boasts, knew for a fact that he was entirely outmatched, and there was no hope of escape. Backing up into the dead end of the alley, he closed his eyes, trying to tell himself this was all just a bad dream.
The sound of a large falling body kicked him out of his murmured mantra, which dared him to open one eye to peek. And there before him was a strange, if welcoming, sight. A figure clad in darkened colors, complete with a flowing cape with a large collar, a large rimmed hat, and fabric that covered every inch of the individual stood atop one of the green coated ponies. Clearly stunned by the new intruder, the other super-sized earth pony took a few steps back, before snarling and charging forward in an attack. The caped clad rescuer easily jumped over the pony before delivering a punishing kick to the back of the his skull that sounded like it could shatter wood. Instead, it merely staggered him lightly before he turned around to attack again. Before anything could be done though, the hero swung an uppercut at the pony, causing his head to snap back hard and his body to collapse. The darkened pony then jumped over the unconscious bodies of Dapper's attackers and landed before the poor old unicorn.
"Go, now." It was then that Dapper realized his hero was in fact a heroine, with a gentle voice that could rival Celestia's own. Nodding, only out of speechlessness, Dapper took off out of the alley and ran home as fast as his legs could take him, leaving his rescuer and the downed thugs behind.
Alone now with the unusually sized earth ponies, the darkened heroine slowly cantered up to them, lifted her leg, and gave each of them a violent stomp.
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At the far end of Canterlot sat the newly developed industrial district, complete with warehouses. Within one of them sat the temporary operations of a rather nefarious group. Tables with individuals strapped down to their surfaces lined up neatly beside computer terminals and other strange devices. At another side, a lone monitor and system stood unattended next a large shelved trolley full of vials, before the system itself began to ring as if someone were calling. Sheepishly, a light brown earth pony colt with a black mane stepped forward and hit a button, causing a picture of a shadowed out pony to appear on the screen. All his silhouette showed was that he was a very thin unicorn.
"Uhm, h-hello Dr. Freudlos. I trust you've been in a good mood?" the sheepish colt asked.
"Cut the idle chit-chat. My time is very important, and you know this. Progress report, now." His voice was slimy and venomous, and sharp enough to demand harsh command.
"Y-yes sir," he stuttered, "The operation has been going smoothly. Over the last two weeks, we've been able to capture eight unicorns to siphon magic from for phase two. Another three days, and we should have enough to proceed."
"Excellent."
The colt shuddered, and looked off to the side in nervousness for what he was about to say. "B-but..."
"But?" the silhouette parroted in rising irritation.
"Uhm... one of our targets got away. When we checked on the capture point, we found the two Fixed Ideas sent there were... deactivated. Only their clothes and the two spare vials they carried were left behind... empty."
"WHAT?!"
The colt winced, flinching away from the computer. For the short time he worked for Dr. Sieg von Freudlos, he learned very quickly that getting him upset was a bad idea, and failure was even worse.
"I-I'm sorry, sir! We're at a loss for what happened. This should be impossible, since nothing is stronger than a Fixed Idea."
There was an ominous lull of silence as the colt began to sweat under the unseen gaze of his boss. Then, something interesting happened.
"Hmmm... Tell me. If I were to send an extra asset to you to solve our little 'impossible' problem, will you focus on finishing the magic collection within the three days?"
"I..." he hesitated. Fear of the consequences of answering no, and afraid of what would happen if they didn't meet the quota stunted his answer. However, he swallowed his fear and finally gave the only answer he was allowed. "Y-yes."
"Good. I shall send José, then. I suggest you supply him with any leads you may have."
"Of course. Th-thank you, herr Doktor." A beep sounded off as the screen switched to black instantly, leaving the colt to buckle under the weight of his own anxiety. "Leads," he muttered, "We need to get some leads..." He turned to the tray of vials that sat nearby, and grabbed a hoof full of them. "Hopefully Fixed Ideas can deal with that."
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"Hello, class. My name is Arie Saddlemore, and I will be your literature teacher this year."
Deep within the heart of Canterlot's vast cityscape, within a modest three storied school on the west end, sat a class of twenty-six young ponies of all shapes, sizes, and walks of life. It was the beginning of their high school year, and the boys and girls at their seats couldn't be any more miserable. At least the first day was all about orientation and getting to know their new teachers, so they grinned and bared it for the time being. Before the class, however, was a rather odd looking stallion, wearing a wrinkled dress shirt. His black mane sat permanently flicked upwards in a deliberate, but properly kept cow-lick. His large, thin glasses sat upon his fairly small and more curved muzzle as his eyes looked towards the children before him with practiced focus. He had an average, medium pitched voice that wasn't easily pegged as masculine or feminine, but sat comfortably as somewhere in between. One could be forgiven in mistaking him for a mare at first glance, but he was used to such errs from others.
"I hope we can get along well these coming semesters," Arie said. He looked about the room, where fifty-two eyes stared back at him silently. He rubbed the back of his head lightly with his hoof. "So... does anyone have any questions for me before I hand out orientation papers on what's to come?"
"Yeah," a deep tan filly with a short red mane said from the back corner of the class, "Can we skip the song and dance and maybe cut to recess? This is boring." The smug remark earned the laughter of her class, and cocky smiles from the nearest three colts.
Arie frowned, only for a moment, before asking, "Does anyone else have a serious question they want to ask me?" A young white and spotted brown colt rose his hoof above his dark brown maned head, wavering slightly as he reached to gain his new teacher's attention. With no other hooves in the air, it wasn't hard for Arie to see the little colt. "You, in the middle row. What's you're name?"
"My name 's Pip, sir!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Ah yes, Pip Squeak. I take it you're from Trottingham, correct?"
"Yes sir! Well, we were, but me mum n' dad moved us to Ponyville for a few years, before movin' up here a month ago."
"Laaaaame," bellowed another colt from the back, eliciting a glare from the deep tan filly nearby.
Arie frowned again, but decided to let it go... this time. "Well, you and I have something in common it seems. I'm also new to Canterlot. Anyway, what was it you wanted to ask?"
"Well, why did you come to teach here?" Pip asked.
"Well, because it's always been a dumb little dream of mine ever since I was a little foal to move here, and after I got my degree at the Manehattan Institute to teach literature, that's exactly what I did."
"Why literature?"
"Well, because that's my favorite subject. I just love stories and what they can teach us about ourselves, and society, no matter how real or fantastic the story is in the first place. The adventures of the poor orphan Olive Twist, the harsh struggle between stranded children on an island in Lord of the Parasprites. The fantastic treks across great lands, seeking adventure in unknown places from the reluctant Hermit and his companions. Even comic books have their merit in telling tales of modern day gods and goddesses preforming feats of honor, duty, justice, and harmony."
A small handful of the children in the back quietly booed and hissed at the declaration, while others were a little more attentive now, willing to give the new teacher a chance.
"And, all I want is to simply share my love for reading with as many of you young minds as I can. Help you understand the contexts and meanings within, so you may one day take away insight, knowledge, and a little more understanding of the world around you." Arie smiled, "I won't lie, though. It won't be an easy thing for me to teach you guys or for you to learn. So, I want you to do your best and study as hard as you can, and I'll be sure to do my best to teach you. Sound fair to you?"
A majority of the class agreed, though some still were on the fence about their new instructor upon realizing that the routine will still never change as long as there is school. Never-the-less, those individuals decided to go with the flow and see how Mr. Saddlemore would do. However, despite the enthusiasm and most of the class cutting their new instructor a little bit of slack, a few had decided to do what they've always done: Make their new teacher's life a difficult one for the year.
"And since this is new blood," the tan filly quietly said to herself, "We might as well show no mercy." As Arie Saddlemore handed out his orientation papers to everyone in the class, the tan filly quickly scribbled a note and passed it off to one of the other students nearby that flashed a wicked grin, before passing it to one more receptive student.
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The bell rang vigorously, signalling the end of the day. The young ponies filed out of their classrooms, eager to get their evenings started. As the students exited, the teachers reshuffled their lesson plans and homework assignments, getting ready to head home themselves. Save for one teacher, situated in the second floor biology lab. Mr. Lock Amato, a large, well built and tan coated earth pony, sporting a short, unkept mane of golden blonde, whom could have easily entered the world of contact sports, heavy lifting, or even run a thousand acre farm on his own. However, before he earned his mark, a tomato with a double helix at the center, and ever since his hiring to this school years ago, the faculty had all learned that behind his massive frame was the mind of a scientist, relentlessly intrigued by the studies of life itself. The only quality to match his thirst for knowledge was his passion and desire to teach children. For why he never divulged, save for the compassionate, if cliched, statement, "because kids deserve a good teacher." And so he sat in his empty classroom, already looking through the year's lesson plans, research material for later lessons, and miscellaneous study. With the warm red evening glow seeped in through the half closed blinds, he couldn't have been any more at home.
He sighed with a smile, declaring in a lower baritone voice, "What a day," while his eyes were fixated on the texts before his hooves.
His ear flicked and swiveled toward the nearby window, picking up the sound of mischievous chatter. They were voices he knew well, and with a sigh, he placed his homework and reading material into a bag, stood up from his seat, and looked out the window. His suspicions were founded upon seeing a trio of stocky, held back first years who sat at the steps, talking among themselves, waiting for "the new loser teacher to trot by". Not a moment later, the identified teacher walked by, wearing a heavy dark olive overcoat, trailed by the three hooligans. Lock's eyes narrowed with a heavier sigh, "Every year, like clockwork." With that, he slung his own coat on, grabbed his bag, and left the classroom, hoping he'd find the troublemakers quickly.
It didn't take him too long to enter the city proper and catch sight of the new teacher alone, walking peacefully in the distance, muzzle deep in a book, blissfully nigh-unaware of his surroundings. Lock chuckled at the reassuring sight, but knew that the peace wouldn't last. As troublesome as the kids were, they were very street smart, and knew Canterlot like the back of their heels. The large teacher watched on, remaining at a fair distance on the off chance he was entirely wrong about his hypothesis, keeping an eye out for the trio. He didn't need to look around for long, as the literature teacher bumped into one of the kids, whom suddenly appeared from the closest alley. The teacher dropped the book suddenly, probably from the surprise of the situation, and attempted to pick it up, but was halted almost instantly before being shoved into the alley. Lock clicked his tongue, and picked up his pace, weaving through the crowd of blissfully ignorant citizens, hoping to catch up before things turned ugly. The biology teacher wouldn't normally be this concerned, because most anypony he knew and met were capable enough to stand their own ground well enough against unruly punks when it was needed. Present circumstances however, such as the unusually slender and possibly weak frame of the new teacher, made it hard to simply keep watch like other encounters.
Within a few moments, he reached the alley, and found the three surrounding their target, closing in on him and spouting threats he couldn't quite discern from what sounded like the latest street lingo. He also heard the smallish teacher attempt to diffuse the situation with pleas of rationale. It seemed to work, but only for a moment, before the trio started up again. Lock decided he was done observing, and approached the four, kicking over a can to get everyone's attention. Sure enough, everyone with their backs turned to him spun around first in defense, and all three expressions dropped in worry. Lock stopped before them, his imposing build casting a shadow over them, giving a smirk and knowing look, gesturing to the outside of the alley. The three troublemakers glanced to each other, before hightailing it out of the area, leaving the two teachers alone.
"Uh, thanks," he said, "How did you find me?"
"I followed the foals, figured you might need some help," Lock replied, "Ehree Saddlemore, the latest addition to the faculty, right?"
"It's pronounced 'Ah-ree'. Arie Saddlemore," he corrected indignantly with a slight huff, "And you're Mr...?"
Lock just gave a laugh. "The name's Lock Amato. Just testing to see if you're a pacifist, or a wimp. Glad you're the former, not the latter. I'm sure they won't bother you again like this, now that they think I have your back."
"Uh, thanks, again," he replied sheepishly, "So, what should we do about those three?"
"I'll give them some detention time for stalking and harassing a fellow teacher. Maybe they'll have a good opportunity to actually catch up on their studies for once." He paused with a laugh for a moment, "They're good kids, deep down, but somewhere along the line, they just kind of... stopped caring."
Arie gave a downcast look. "Well, if it's any reassurance, I'll be sure to push them to care a little more while I teach them."
"Oh yeah, you're taking over as the Literary teacher, eh? The previous instructor was good, but he was a bit... stuffy. Maybe some youthful energy will get them engaged a bit more." He laughed for a moment, before giving his own solemn look, "Poor Dusty..." Arie was about to ask about the aforementioned teacher, but Lock interrupted. "We should probably get out of this alley. Mind if I buy you a coffee?"
"Oh," Arie gave a small smile at the offer. "Sure. Thank you."
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Within one of Canterlot's sprawling districts sat a quaint, beautifully maintained cafe. Its furniture and seating arrangement had a last century style, but the decor of the rest of the building well accented its old fashioned look. Crimson, velvet drapes edged the tall, polished windows. Tables were dressed in marble white cloths with nary a splotch nor stain on them. Lush, healthy potted plants stood tall and proud in their corners, giving the room a little extra splash of color where it was needed. To the back corner sat a well organized bar, lined with expertly polished glasses and the finest vintages of alcohol for one half, and all sorts of flavors and types of coffee beans, most of them likely imported from around the known world. The bar's counter was made with the finest mahogany, coated with an unmarred, surprisingly scratch-less finish. At the wall end of the counter-top a stylized radio and record player pair, with the former broadcasting the latest hoof-ball match. The food was good, the atmosphere was better, and the coffee was excellent. One's initial impression of the place would label it as more of a high class, fine dining restaurant, when the reality was closer to a comfy, inviting diner.
"You said you come here every day after school?" Arie asked.
"Well, I guess it was a bit hyperbolic of me to say, but yeah, generally. They usually serve great coffee for the long evenings that usually come with the job." He gave a hearty laugh as they removed their overcoats, Arie placed his books on the spare seat, and the two sat down at a table beside one of the grand sized windows. "Trust me, you'll need it."
"Was never much for coffee," he replied with a smile, "but I'll take a chance this time."
"That's the spirit!" Not a moment later, a lime green waitress unicorn approached them with a pen and notepad held aloft from her magic. "Just in time. Can we both get a coffee? Cream and sugar for me, please. Oh, and is today's paper in?"
"Hot off the presses from this morning," she replied with a bubbly tone, "I'll bring it to you soon. Will that be everything?"
"Is the game on this evening?"
"Should be starting in a few minutes, Mr. Amato. Boss'll turn the radio on then." She then left for a moment, picking up the latest paper from the back and handed it to Lock. "Here ya go, sir." With that, she left to fetch the two teachers their coffee.
Lock opened the news paper and began giving it a once over, stopping on a rather distressing article. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Another foalnapping," he grumbled, "Jeez, you'd think a few years after the Elements of Harmony were found and proven to not be just a legend, and Princess Luna coming back to take her throne at her sister's side, that things would have gotten better than ever."
Arie's brow furrowed a bit at the mention of the disappearance. "Who was foalnapped?" he asked.
"Some apprentice tailor named Lucky Seam, an employee of Dapper Measure's." He kept reading for a moment, before continuing his answer, "Looks like Dapper Measure was almost taken as well, but the 'Mysterious Mare-Do-Well' struck again in putting a stop to that. Shame she couldn't do anything about Lucky."
Arie frowned at the news. "That is a shame," he said.
"Hopefully the authorities will be able to step up."
The new literature teacher stood up from his chair, put his coat back on, and gathered up the books he had. "I just remembered, there's something I need to go and finish up." He then reached into the pocket of his jacket and placed a few bits onto the table
"Wait, but you just got here. You're going to miss the game... and your first cup of joe!"
"I know, but all the excitement that happened recently kinda threw off my schedule. Next time, I promise."
Lock slumped in his seat, before folding the rather depressing paper back up and setting it off to the side. "Alright. I'll hold you to that, then." He held out his hoof to Arie for a hoof bump. "It was nice to meet you, though. I'll see you at school tomorrow."
Arie looked at his hoof, then to him, and returned the gesture, "Yeah, see you then, Mr. Amato."
"Just Lock is fine. We're friends, after all."
Arie smiled warmly, "Yeah, I guess so."
Just as the radio in the back was switched on and the patrons of the diner became more lively, Arie Saddlemore left without another word as Lock Amato watched for a moment, before turning to the arriving waitress to receive the two cups. At the very least, he thought while taking a sip of his own coffee, I can still enjoy the game.
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On the outskirts of Canterlot, at an abandoned mansion rife with overgrowth invading its decadent outer walls, the colt under Dr. Freudlos' employment had arrived, flanked by several "Fixed Ideas"; humongous hazy green earth ponies with dirty blond manes and piercing red eyes barely obscured by black masks. After they traveled through the halls, the small group entered and waited at their destination: The core of the mansion. Within the room was a large desk that sat at one end, walls lined with full bookshelves, and the far wall behind the desk was adorned by an impossibly large painting of a thin, light tan unicorn with a black mane, lengthy snout, and donned a monocle and an armband with the symbol of the New Lunar Republic. On the painting, at the very bottom, the name the former owner of the once silent building was written in gold: Dr. Sieg von Freudlos. The colt was told this would be the rendezvous point, but the one named José was ten minutes late.
I can't stay here for much longer, the colt thought, I need to get back to my investigation. If not-. His thought was cut short as he heard loud, stomping noises enter the building, wander through the halls, and stop at the closed double doors that were across from them. Not a moment later, the doors slammed open, and a ridiculously large figure ducked under the archway of the doors and stepped inside. It was possibly the biggest Fixed Idea he's ever seen. Easily twice as large as any others. "José?" the colt asked.
The mammoth of an earth pony sneered, before slowly turning around, revealing a small chair with a grade school sized colt strapped to the creature's back. He was a thin, light tan unicorn with a black mane, orange glasses, and donned the arm band of the New Lunar Republic. The colt unbuckled himself, jumped off his seat, and marched up to the colt and small group of Fixed Ideas with with the confidence and arrogance of an angry noble. "I am José," the lad announced in his young voice, "and you will do EXACTLY as I say, as per Father's orders!"
Author's Note
I am not familiar with how getting a teaching job works, nor am I familiar with what credentials are required. Considering that Arie is talking to a minor that may not know what goes into it either, I kept it relatively simple to get around the lack of knowledge.
Teaching is a very noble, and tough, profession. I deeply respect any teacher that gives it their all and actually believes in the work they do, no matter the hurdles.
As always, if you thumb down, please leave a comment.
As the night aged, ponies left the shops and restaurants to return to their homes with bellies and satchels full. Streets filled and thinned as the minutes melted to hours, up until only the light of lamps of the districts remained. It was a cool, placid night, promising sweet dreams and peace. At least, that's what Lock Amato assumed, as he leisurely made his way down the empty walkways of the city, heading home after a night of coffee, good food, and listening to his favorite sport on the radio. It was only a shame the night turned out so average.
"Wish he stuck around, though," he bemoaned to himself, "Night's not as fun without a friend." He gave a light sigh, as the chilled air swirled before him, before he bit the side of his overcoat and pulled it tighter against his body. "Maybe next time..."
However, before long, he found his verbal thoughts were bombarded as a loud crash erupted from a nearby alleyway. Following this, a very large, very muscular green earth pony with a dirty blond mane and a black mask galloped across the somewhat startled teacher in a panic. The fleeing individual sped right across the street, directly to a stairway, and leaped over the railing. Lock was stunned at the display, but soon the reason for the fleeing stallion presented itself to Lock.
Bounding high into the night sky, silhouetted against the light of the moon, a slender, clearly feminine form complete in dark tights, cape, and hat descended to the rooftops nearby. As the mysterious mare landed, she then gave chase to the burly, masked earth pony. easily clearing the gaps between the buildings in effortless jumps to catch up.
Intrigued and brimming with adrenaline from this peculiar sight, Lock Amato swiftly followed the two, heading down the stairs that the other earth pony took as quick as he could, watching the mare clear more roofs along the way. Noticing that he was being left in the dust, and that the stairs themselves were slowing him down, he paused himself, and looked below the stairwell for a safe landing spot. He spied a wooden shed below, and felt it would be a good enough platform to land on to make headway in his pursuit. Upon vaulting over the railing, however, he completely misjudged the weight of his frame and the sturdiness of the wood, as he crashed right through the top, and ended up inside what seemed to be a chicken coop. Struggling with the angry poultry, Lock Amato scrambled out of the now ruined coop, and began running down the hill he was now upon, spying that the two mystery ponies had stopped at an arched suspension bridge nearby.
It took him several minutes of hard running, hooves clacking furiously against the hard road, pushing the limit of his speed so hindered by his stacked body, before he finally ended up at the opening of the bridge. He stopped to catch his breath, but the shock caused it to become lost again. There before him was the rumored Mare-do-Well, clad in her described jumpsuit, full-faced mask, lengthy and obscuring cape, and the large rimmed hat that completed her ensemble. Below her, lying deathly still, face twisted in pain and terror, was the large green earth pony she had been chasing. What in the name of Celestia was going on? Lock asked himself.
Before he could take a step forward, Mare-do-Well turned back to him, as if to sense he was here, or at least had heard his hefty breathing from his exertion.
"You?" she questioned in disbelief, throwing Lock's already frazzled mind into further confusion. As he took a step forward, almost unconsciously, she took a step back, before barking, "STAY AWAY!"
Lock, however, was far too curious to just back down, despite the authority in her voice. As he continued to take tentative steps forth, she lightly crouched for a moment, before leaping impossibly high into the air, landing at the very highest tip of the arching suspension bridge and seemingly disappearing from sight. He gazed into the darkness, trying to find if he could spot her once again, but it was no use. She was gone as quickly as she revealed herself to him. With one mystery eluded, he turned his gaze downward to the massive pony that was still on the ground. He approached him gingerly, and gently touched his neck, checking for a pulse. Within mere moments, the body of the pony began to shine a brilliant green light and became hot to the touch, causing Lock to pull his hoof away and shield his eyes. Soon, as vapors began to appear, the form of the body began to deflate and disappear, leaving behind only the clothes the former pony wore.
"What the-" was all he managed to mutter. Slowly, he pulled his forelegs away from his face as he began to approach the remains of the mysteriously vanishing pony. He picked up the sleeves of the garb gently, inspecting the fabric for any clues or abnormalities within them that could make sense of what just happened, or what Mare-do-Well was trying to stop him from seeing. As luck would have it, however, from inside the shirt, a small glowing green vial dropped out and clinked against the hard ground. Lock's eyes immediately fixated upon it as he picked up the mystery vial, and inspected it closely. Considering his options, his talent as a chemist and biologist, his curiosity, and the fact he was the only one around at the moment, he pocketed the vial.
As he raised back to his full height, he took one last look around the immediate area, one last look up the overhead heights of the bridge's arches, and satisfied no one was there, began to turn away and head home.
High on one of Canterlot's many buildings that overlooked the bridge, shrouded in darkness that the moon couldn't reveal yet, the mysterious lady of the night watched her impromptu stalker. With a scowl under her mask, she noticed yet another of her prey skulk the alleyways, now intent on following the curious pony. With that, she began her pursuit, following the teacher so oblivious to the danger he was in.
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Comfortably inside of his top floor apartment of a five floor building, especially after removing his weighty overcoat and locking the door, he retrieved the vial from his coat pocket and sat upon the chair at his work-desk. From there, with squinted eyes, he once again slowly inspecting the vial. It was a simple thing: A small glass tube with a rather tight twist top to it, and a viscous, glowing green liquid filling the inside. He looked off to his side and noticed he still had some chemistry lab equipment and a microscope set up from one of the lessons he was designing for the first quarter of the school year. With a shrug, he decided it wouldn't hurt to use them in an effort to find out what exactly was in the little glass tube.
It proved to be both more difficult than he realized, while simultaneously much more simple than he thought it would be, as the tough and tight top of the vial remained stuck for a while, before suddenly opening and causing him to spill a small drop upon his hardwood floor. It singed the surface with an audible hiss, leaving behind a black mark and small vapor cloud that very quickly dispersed.
"Is this... an acid?" he asked himself aloud. Even for an industrial strength acid, this seems WAY too powerful. And I certainly don't remember reading about an acid that does THAT. He quickly resealed the vial, and considered how safe it would be to try and run experiments on it now, leaning more towards "no" after the accidental demonstration. At least not now. He'd need to be in a much more controlled environment, hopefully with a colleague that could help him out if things get dicey. "It's just too dangerous right now," he said, screwing the lid back on as tight as possible and slipping it into the drawer of his filing cabinet.
As if on cue, his window swung open, causing the curtains to flutter against the nightly wind, as a darkened, slender figure stepped through the frame. Lock couldn't believe it. She had followed him to his home.
"How did-" he started, before realizing how foolish it would be to ask, considering how effortlessly she had managed to traverse the city rooftops during her all too recent pursuit. "N-nevermind, what do you want?"
"The vial," she stated simply, scowling beneath the mask.
"What vial?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
"The one you took. It's mine. Give it back to me."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied, slowly side-stepping towards the other end of the room to keep her attention away from his desk and cabinets.
"You must have it," she insisted, pointing her right hoof at Lock. "Please, just give it to me."
Lock looked her over, and noticed a few distinct attributes: The first was that the pony before him sported wings, though well hidden with the way the suit fit her, as well as the cape that draped against her. It made sense now as to how easily she had been able to go from roof to roof and jump with such ease. However, what threw him off was what he caught a glimpse of on her head under her hat. For a brief moment, as she turned her head, as if to check something outside the window, he noticed what seemed to be the curve of a unicorn's horn, covered by the mask and hidden by the large rimmed hat. An Alicorn? What's going on here?!
"What ARE you?" he blurted.
"I don't have time for this," she seethed, "Give me the-" was all she was able to say before a jolt of green electrical energies sparked from her left foreleg, causing her to falter and drop to the ground with a grunt and a heavy, painful sigh. She rapped her right foreleg around the left, trying to ease the discomfort.
Lock rushed up and knelt down before her, concerned with the sudden change of circumstance. "Are you alright? Is there anything I can get you?"
She gave a stern glare through her mask, but upon seeing the genuine, worried expression upon his face so close to hers, she couldn't help but soften her own. With a pain-tweaked sigh, she finally responded with, "You're in great danger. Please, just give me the vial, Lock."
"Wait, how do you know my-" was all he managed to say before he heard a loud bang against his door, causing them both to relinquish attention to the noise. Their gazes were then punished as the door gave way to a deafening crash, with the perpetrator tumbling into the apartment. It was another huge, green coated, dirty blond stallion, face twisted in anger underneath the black mask. Upon regaining its composure, as Lock rose back up from the floor, the massive thug charged forward, making a bee-line for the still downed maiden. Lock coiled himself back, ready to give a heavy forward buck in defense of himself and his costumed guest. However, just as easily as the door was completely destroyed, so too was Lock tossed off to the side like a sack of potatoes as he slammed against the wall and landed upon the couch with a groan. Right in tandem with that action, the burly, aggressive pony took a swing at the dark maiden, whom swiftly dodged the attack by leaping up into the air. Once at head level, she flipped back, and kicked her back hooves out, striking the pony in the face and forcing him to stagger back a good distance away from the two.
The green thug recoiled for a moment, before grabbing the work desk with his teeth and began to swing it at his target, missing once, twice, three times before slamming it against the floor in an overhead swing; only to obliterate his impromptu weapon with the force he put into it. It was then the darkly maiden took her opportune counterattack, uppercutting the pony, before giving a quick combo to the exposed barrel, and then a final buck to push away the aggressive stallion. However, upon the final attack, pain surged up her foreleg, stalling her enough for the green giant to rise from the floor and retaliate. Swinging his massive hoof, he struck her square in the face, and kept pushing until her head hit the wall with a bone chilling crack.
"YOU KILLED BROTHER!" the stallion screamed at the top of his lungs, eyes glowing a deep blood red as he kept pressing his hoof against her head, aiming to crush her against the cracking wall.
Lock, upon finally shaking the stars from his eyes, noticed things were starting to look grim. In his infinite wisdom and for the sake of others, he quickly scrambled back to his hooves, ducked himself low as if to coil like a spring, and then shot forth as fast as his body could take him, slamming into the violent attacker. Unfortunately, he overshot his attack, as the green pony's hoof slipped upon a loose rug, and sent both he and the green giant out the window, crashing through glass and wall, where the two were now doomed to plummet. Lock's life flashed before his eyes for the seconds that went by as the ground below grew swiftly and dangerously close. It was only when he noticed that Mare-do-Well, whom he thought was still in his apartment, had shot down past him like an arrow, coiled under his large frame, and effortlessly kicked him back up to the opening of where his window used to be. After he managed to pull himself up from the ledge, Lock took a look back down, only to catch the green attacker slam against a guard rail and fall into a stairwell leading to a lower section of the city. Said attacker was almost immediately followed by the maiden, whom managed to miss the now bent guardrail by inches.
As a moment of crushing silence passed, Lock watched as yet another brilliant green glow shined from the spot where the pony had seemingly landed, before the light and vapor dissipated, leaving only the dark shadows. He backed away from the gaping hole in his wall, and staggered out of his apartment, intending on inspecting the location of what he just saw more closely.
Heading down the building and out the door, he made a straight shot towards the landing spot, only to find that the maiden was gone, and only the clothing from the big green pony remained, along with an empty vial. Lock's face scrunched in curiosity and from the light pain he was still experiencing, as he walked back up the stairwell, only to be greeted by a small troop of Royal Guards.
"Evening gents... what brings you here at this hour?" Lock said with a strained, wry smile.
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"And so, they searched the entire apartment complex and asked all of us a bunch of questions about the incident," Lock continued, taking a drink of his third cup of coffee of the evening.
"I hope you managed to finish your school work, regardless of the excitement," Arie stated, taking a small sip from his cup, "So, did they find anything out?"
"Nope. Not a coat or mane hair could be found of either of them. Just the strange clothes that were left behind, but aside from some dirt, it was as if no one was wearing them in the first place. Freaky, eh?"
"Indeed. Freaky." Arie took another sip with a nonchalant look on his face.
Lock paused for a moment as he watched his new friend's reaction to the news. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"
"What? Oh, no no no," he denied, "It's just, well, a little hard to believe. I mean, come on, big green monster ponies that evaporate? It sounds like something out of a comic book. Wouldn't you be skeptical too?"
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, yeah, I probably would be." Lock sighed again, taking another sip of his coffee. Taking a moment to savor the flavor, he recalled the other thing he wanted to discuss. "But what's really weird was Mare-do-Well."
Arie paused for a moment, before he said, "What do you mean?"
"Well, I never got around to describing her."
"Actually, you did: Dark tights, cape, large-rimmed hat, strange but beautiful."
"Did I say that last bit?" he asked with a blush of embarrassment, as Arie raised an eyebrow for a moment and took another sip of his own coffee, "Heh, maybe I did. But, no, that's not what I meant. What I mean is that I saw she had wings-"
"Considering how you said she could leap buildings in a single bound-"
"-AND a horn."
Arie paused. "What?"
"Yeah. It was quick, but I managed to actually see a horn under that hat of hers."
"Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you."
"Oh no, I'd never forget something like that. Even stranger, her bone structure suggested that she SHOULD be an earth pony... albeit a slender one."
"Come on. Are you telling me she's-"
"An Alicorn?"
Silence drifted through the air for a moment as Lock said those words and took another sip of coffee.
"You must have been dreaming, 'cause that's a silly idea right there. The only known alicorns in Equestria are the princesses: Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Twilight, and Flurry. Are you suggesting that one of them is this mysterious 'Mare-do-Well'?"
"Dunno, really. She didn't look like any of them. Too short to be Celestia or Luna. Too tall to be Twilight... Too old to be Flurry."
"And Cadence?"
"She rules the Crystal Empire, remember? She's probably far too busy to be hopping around the roofs of Canterlot like that." He took another sip. "Besides, I can't really see someone like Princess Cadence playing the part of a vigilante."
"Then, what do you suppose?"
"I don't know, really. All I know is that was probably an Alicorn after what I saw." Lock sipped his coffee one more time, before he realized he had run out. Calling out to the waitress, he asked for a refill, before he picked up his jacket and fished out a few extra bits. "Oh, and there was one other thing..." he said, as he slowly reached into his pocked, and gingerly pulled out the vial.
Arie's eyes widened upon seeing the strange, glowing object, before he put his own coffee cup down and looked around the dining area to see if anyone else had noticed. "Put that thing away!" he demanded with a hushed voice.
"Sorry, but I had to show you. I was thinking that maybe I could get this looked at and conduct a few experiments back at the school, and I need someone I can trust to help me with that. Figured you might be able to-"
"That isn't right, Lock. You don't even know what it is!" he snapped, still trying to stay as hushed as possible.
"I know, but that's why we need to find out-"
"You should have just given it to her..."
Lock paused for a moment. "Pardon?"
Arie sighed for a moment, before he looked to Lock. "Look, I'm not much of a chemist. I don't know HOW I'd even be able to help you, even if I wanted to." As he said this, he rose from his seat, tossed some bits on the table, and gathered his coat. Lock watched with a gobsmacked expression, until Arie ended his end of the conversation with, "Be careful, Lock."
As he began to leave the restaurant, Lock shook his head for a second to process what he meant, before fishing out his own bits, quickly putting his own coat on, and began to rush out the door after his friend. "Arie!"
"Wait, Mr. Lock! You forgot your coffee!" the waitress called after the two exiting teachers, before giving a dejected sigh, collected the dishes, and wandered back to the till with the left behind refuse and money.
Outside of the restaurant, Lock looked about, trying to see where his friend had gone off to, before he spied him cross the street and head towards the steps that lead to a lower street of the city. Lock picked up his pace and chased after him. It wasn't hard to keep up, but Lock was a little surprised Arie seemed to move faster than he appeared
"Arie! Wait up!" Lock called out as he caught up to his fellow teacher, whom was already down the flight of steps. As soon as he got beside him, he took a short breath as they walked in tandem, side by side, in total silence. In an effort to break the silence, the biology teacher spoke again. "What's wrong?"
Arie sighed for a moment, but kept his gaze forward. "Still plan on conducting your experiments on that vial?"
Lock grimaced. "I was hoping you'd help. But seeing that you're not up for it, I'm not so sure anymore." He looked to the literary teacher, and noticed the sullen look upon his face. "I can't exactly just give it to the Guard now, can I? Not without knowing what it is, and why she found it so important."
"She could be dangerous, Lock."
He huffed, "Yeah, I doubt that."
"How can you be so sure?"
"She could have easily beat me to a pulp if what she did to that big guy was anything to go by." He then rubbed his shoulder a bit with his hoof, as if massaging a sore spot. "That THING was no joke."
"All the more reason to be worried."
It didn't take very long for Lock to reach his apartment building, at the foot of the incident, with Arie at his side. As they stepped before the front doors, the sun set behind the horizon and the moon began to peek through the inky ocean of stars and clouds. It was yet another lovely night, but also yet another that hid more mysteries than wonders.
As the two teachers ascended the stairwell of the building, figures of a nefarious origin scrambled out of Lock Amato's apartment, headed for the elevator, and made their way to the ground floor. With the ping of the lift signalling the phantom departure, the two finally reached the top of the stairs. Lock was first to notice his door adjar and his lights still on, causing him to flatten himself against the wall. Arie followed suite behind him, sensing Lock's own caution. The biologist swiveled his ears for a moment or two, listening closely for sounds to see if there was anyone else nearby. Aside from the hum of the elevator and the normal chatter of the random tenants, he and Arie were oblivious to the previous invaders' long distant presence. Feeling it was safe to go in, they approached the door swiftly, whereupon Lock only found ruin. All of his furniture was totally destroyed now, along with his papers having been scattered about and torn, and his clothing tossed every which way and obviously searched. It was a fitting, albeit depressing addition to the haphazard and impromptu boards that covered the giant hole in the wall that used to be his window, and the plastered cracks and craters from the brawl.
Lock began to gather up the scattered papers with a darkly expression, moving slow and sombre to the revelation that his choice had yielded more grief and vandalism in such a short time. Whoever was here was very intent on finding something important.
"Next time," Arie said with an angry, yet pained tone, "give her the vial!" With that ringing through the room, Arie bolted out of the apartment, down the stairs, and out of the building, making his way to his own apartment building streets away.
Lock simply looked back to the door-frame Arie had stood at in silence for a moment or two, before returning to his futile attempt at tidying up his ransacked room. "Yeah, maybe I should..."
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In the upper echelons of Canterlot's more well respected neighborhoods, hosting buildings of the highest pedigree and historical significance, also stood a set of high rise buildings made for the privileged. High, gothic walls and intricate designs decorated its moon-bathed side, as tired businessponies, professors, artists, politicians, and nobles were all sound asleep under the silvery gaze of Luna's gift. All but one, as Arie, having discarded the jacket but stayed in uniform for the time being, watched the sky with brief moments of meditation.
"It's my fault."
The light was off, the sky was clear, and only shadows stirred within the room that belonged to Arie Saddlemore, whom continued to watch the still city through the window.
"If I hadn't come here..."
Hooves clapped against Arie's face, before glasses were torn away from the eyes and tossed to the side.
"Hooves, tail, a heart... but, I'm not like them." Arie's voice grew softer, dipped with a hint of sadness, as thoughts and secrets began to slowly inch their way in. "I don't need a friend... do I?" Silence lingered for a second, until the wind gently whispered through the cracks of the window, as if to cast a warning. "He's in danger."
With that said, Arie Saddlemore, literary teacher of a modest school within the heart of this fair city, had slowly melted away as clothing was discarded, mane was let down, and wings were allowed to stretch and breathe, revealing the true form. There she stood, naked in the moonlight, as the silver shine danced across her fair coat for the moment, and gently smiled in the night, before she took up the darkly tights, hoof covers, mask, hat, and cape. Swiftly, she pulled the ensemble together, zipped up the costume, and tied the hoof covers up tight, before finally placing on the hat to cover her horn. Once ready, she opened the window before her, letting the silky translucent drapes dance in the wind along with her cape, breathed in the nightly air, before leaping from her windowsill and bounded from roof to roof on her way to Lock's apartment.
"I hope I'm not too late."
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Far below the broken and boarded up window, tired, crimson eyes slowly blinked for a moment before a yawn escaped the lips of the unnaturally large and burly earth pony. As soon as it ended, a small, light tan hoof reached out and struck the head of the large stallion, causing him to shrink away for a second.
"Wake up, you idiot!" José barked, as he swiftly pointed to the former window with the same hoof he struck the Fixed Idea with. "Pay attention, and watch!"
"Watch what?" the pony like creature asked, groggy and partially confused.
The little colt growled and gritted his teeth for a moment, wanting nothing more than to kill the simpleton, before he finally exclaimed, "The APARTMENT, you fool! We observed that stupid earth pony all day, remember? He DEFINITELY has the vial, but I'm sure he isn't the one to kill the two of you idiots. Whoever did it will probably come back very soon. If not tonight, then tomorrow. We're to stay here, and keep an eye on the situation."
The large pony shrugged, and turned his gaze back to the boarded up window. José huffed as he climbed back down the head of the Fixed Idea he rode, only to sit and relax on his back, lightly kicking the air and waiting for something to happen. In all honesty, while he did want to fulfill his father's request, all he really wanted to do right now was just kick back and rest. The young colt of the New Lunar Republic had been scheming for months on how to utilize his position and pedigree, not to mention the variable armies of Fixed Ideas he had at his disposal, to make things more interesting to him, and he was all too keen on taking a break from the plans and footwork. Once the job is done, he thought, Father can shove it. I'll be doing things MY way from then on.
"Boss, Boss!"
"What is it?" José responded bitterly.
"See something!"
José scrambled back up the neck and head of his carrier Fixed Idea just quick enough to see a dark, slender figure fly through the air and crash right through the boards of the former window. The young colt and his cohorts stared for a moment, almost in disbelief at how brazen the entrance was, not to mention how prompt their supposed interloper had decided to show up.
José turned back to the young stallion that had accompanied them, and barked orders for him to return to the warehouse and put everyone there at high alert. The pony in question then departed without hesitation, leaving his boss and Fixed Ideas behind.
"To the apartment, you clods! Don't let her escape!"
The clumsy but obedient mutant ponies did as they were told and headed directly for the front entrance, as José clung to the back of his ride for dear life.
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Lock rummaged through his belongings, finally able to sort out the rest of his papers, and finally get his night sorted. It was a downtrodden turn of events, to be sure. He wasn't quite clear as to what he should do now, especially with the unknown vial. He figured that maybe his friend was right, and that he should just hand it over to Mare-do-Well. While his intellectual curiosity begged him to continue holding onto it, his heart told him the right thing to do would be to relinquish it and forget his desires of scientific discovery.
Just as those thoughts flowed through his mind, a sudden crash was heard, as he whipped around and found Mare-do-Well, standing where the boarded up hole in the wall used to be, with bits of wood scattered about. Her stature seemed serious, as she marched up to Lock with determination ebbed in each pace she made.
"You have to get out of here, now." She ordered, "It won't be long before they come for me. Give me the vial, while there's still time."
Lock wanted to protest, but the sudden bash against his door and the give of the locks convinced him otherwise. He then nodded, and produced the vial from his jacket, which was suddenly enveloped by a light mulberry aura and brought to her. Lock gasped lightly, before he gave a smirk. "So, you ARE an Alicorn, aren't you?"
"What?"
Before further questions could be asked or proper answers could be given, the door suddenly crashed open once again, scattering wood and broken locks about, as several Fixed Ideas ran into the room. Lock got into a defensive stance, which wavered as a small colt then strutted in front of the big green monster ponies, marching up to the center of the group of intruders, and halted before them. The little colt before them gave a wicked smile, as if he had won the game.
Mare-do-Well took a step back, raised her left foreleg, and gripped the tight sleeve with her magic. With confidence, she asked the intruders, "Am I who you want?!" before she pulled the sleeve back, and revealed a mark embedded into her coat. The label was clear as day:
CYBER-006
José took a step back in shock and disbelief, as he muttered, "A Cyber?" to himself. Recollections of his father talking about his experiments suddenly flooded his mind, with the Cyber Project being on of the main creations. It was equally unnerving as, for all intents and purposes, the scientist in charge had shut down the Cyber Project years ago, with all living Cybers having supposedly been dismantled and destroyed as a result. Regardless, if she truly was a Cyber, she was equally extremely valuable, and extremely dangerous.
"GET HER, YOU STUPID MUTANTS!"
"Catch!" Mare-do-Well shouted, as she picked up the large desk lamp, and threw it with great force at the small colt, whom quickly dodged the incoming object. The Fixed Ideas, more focused on their master's distress, backed away to let José get to relative safety. Distraction set, she then leaped into the air, raised her right hoof, and slammed it against one of the Fixed Ideas before vaulting over and landing behind him with grace. The group of intruders spread out, now aware of how dangerous she was, and kept a safe distance before they were willing to take a shot at any opening presented.
One charged forth like the dolt he was, swung for a crushing forward stomp, which only prompted Mare-do-Well to hop back and lunge forward with a quick combo to the neck, before back flipping with a kick to the jaw, knocking the pony away. Before she could continue or even react, another fixed idea jumped her and pinned her to the wall, getting ready to pound his hoof into her head with all his might.
It was then that Lock decided to join the fray, leaping forward to strike the barrel of the imposing Fixed Idea that had the Mare pinned. Hitting a rather sensitive spot, the mutant coiled away in pain, releasing the Cyber from his powerful hold. While Lock was successful in that moment, the Fixed Idea wasn't completely out of the game, and just as quickly whirled around and bucked the biology teacher in the face, sending him flying. He crashed hard against the wall, before sliding to the floor, dazed and throbbing in pain.
"HEY!" Mare-do-Well called out, attracting the attention of the boy and his mutant henchponies. With all eyes on her, she reached into her costume with her magic, and produced the glowing vial. "If you want your vial so bad, you're going to have to catch me first, Little Boy!". With that said, she jumped out of the hole in the wall and onto a rooftop across the street.
"CATCH HER, YOU OAFS!" José commanded, as most of his accompanying Fixed Ideas took off running and leaping, intending to follow their nuisance. "Not you," he said as he grabbed the pant leg of one of his subordinates, "Take me to the warehouse. We need to wrap up the procedure while she's busy."
"But-"
"Father will understand when we tell him. Now, HURRY UP!" He barked. Having no choice in the matter, he scooped up the small colt and placed him on his back. "To Sunset Wharves!"
As the two made a swift exit, Lock slowly returned to the waking world, able to catch what the small brat had said. Once he was alone, the burly scientist rubbed his head vigorously, and slowly rose to his hooves.
"The Wharves, eh?" he muttered while giving a low grunt in his sore state, "Can't be up to anything good there." He gazed about his entirely trashed apartment, and out the gaping hole that used to be the window wall. Probably never getting the deposit back, he chuckled. Grabbing his coat with his teeth, he threw it back on himself swiftly, and made his way outside the building.
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At the other end of the city, within the forsaken warehouse at Sunset Wharves, several Fixed Ideas monitored equipment as muffled screams of pain petered out of the unfortunate unicorns that were tied down and hooked up the devices. It was only when the power was cut from the machine that the victim had a moment of respite, and that the one of many tanks nearby stopped filling with concentrated magic.
"He's got a little more in 'im. Turn on the juice for another minute," said the black maned colt.
The mutant nodded, as he turned the power back on once again, reigniting the painful screaming for those precious few minutes. The tank filled up a little more for another thirty seconds before fizzling to a stop, and the pony "dulled".
"Eh, not as much as I thought. Alright, get him back in the pen, and load the next one up. I'll go check on number 3 and number 4." With that, he wandered over to other devices with other screaming ponies, being extracted for every last ounce of their magic.
The many Fixed Ideas that patrolled the warehouse kept their red eyes peeled for intruders, all while maintaining the horrible machines that harvested the magic right from their victims, unless they were guarding the cages of “fresh” and “spent” ponies. Frantic and exhausted cries for help were hushed by the angry bucking and snarling of the mutant ponies.
High above in the rafters slunk a slender shadow, avoiding the moon’s prying light and maneuvering around the wooden support beams, the phantom heroine gazed at the scene below. As sorry as the circumstances were, she had no time to feel much disgust or empathy for the poor souls being used up like batteries. Instead, she used what little time she had to spy a lone Fixed Idea, leap down from her rail, and nail the monstrous stallion in the back of the head with a lethal stomp. The sound was muted, but it was enough for another to become curious.
“Brother?” it muttered, before walking up the stairs to check on its sibling. Upon reaching where the fellow Fixed Idea was supposed to be, no one was present but shadows. “Brother, where you go?”
There was a small clack, before a slender hoof struck the base of the neck, severing a vital and silently taking out the brute. She would have to toss the body into the same spot she put the last one, only to darkly muse that if she kept doing that, she’d end up with an inconspicuous pile of clothes and empty vials.
But, she wasn’t here to harvest sustenance. Tonight, she was going to shut down this strange kidnapping operation to make the city safe enough for another night of peace and quiet. For her sake and Lock’s. With that goal resolute, she slipped back into the darkness, and wandered closer to the cages of the ponies, only to be shocked at the drained and grayed out heaps of magically deficient mares and colts barely able to move. She swallowed her shock, and approached the cage full of the livelier victims. Upon reaching the bars, she tapped the metal gently to gain their attention.
“It’s Mare-do-Well!” one of the mares said with rising hope, as others began to murmur.
“Shhh,” she hushed. Upon their silence, she flared her horn, and slowly bent the bars of both cages. Remaining as quiet as possible she instructed the still capable ponies to, “Take the others, and get out of here as fast as possible. I’ll keep them busy.”
“But, what about the others in the machines?” a stallion asked in worry.
“I’ll try to get them out, but there’s no more time for questions. Now, go!”
The scared but still very up to snuff civilians did as they were told, each taking one or two of the drained victims each, and proceeded quietly out the nearby exit that she managed to clear a path to prior. With all of that out of the way, she crept up behind the guard that remained so blissfully ignorant of the escape, and swiftly dispatched the oaf without a sound. Before the body could begin to evaporate, she decided it was time to use it to introduce herself properly and draw attention.
With a flair of her horn, she lifted the dead weight into the air and sprinted towards the main operating area, which was full of machines and mutants. Leaping into the air, high above the workers, she cast a stark shadow over the villains just before she spiked the carried body into some pretty sensitive equipment. As she landed, the crackling of electricity echoed about the room just as the devices shut down for the last time.
They stood stunned for a moment or two, just staring shocked daggers at their darkened intruder, before the spindly stallion that was managing the show finally spoke up. “GET HER, YOU LUMPS!”
With that, the Fixed Ideas in the area all charged at her with clumsy, murderous intent, only for her to effortlessly leap over the crowd in an attempt to dive bomb the current leader of this façade. Despite her efforts, the worm of a young stallion evaded her attack and took off running. Mare-do-Well had more pressing matters, despite wanting to catch that cockroach, as she evaded a sudden lunge from a Fixed Idea that managed to break away from his brothers in the previous all out attack. She danced away, making her movements look easy, but every near hit was a close one. Never the less, as the other Fixed Ideas began to join their brother in this tango, she started going on the offensive, blocking and tossing away one, uppercutting another, right before leaping up and spiking one in the top of the head, and using the momentum and force to front flip off and jump on another one.
As the fight continued, the warehouse’s front gate slid open as a carriage pulled by a pair of Fixed Ideas rolled in and parked near the commotion. For a moment, the action stopped for all eyes to direct attention the new arrival. As the drivers unbuckled themselves from their harness, the passenger door was violently kicked open by a small hoof. Out trotted José, with perhaps the angriest expression on his face. Before he could say anything, the carriage suddenly busted open from the back as an impossibly massive Fixed Idea exited its confinement and joined the side of his master.
“Cybersix,” José sneered, “I had a feeling you’d be here, and I’m so sorry I arrived so late to greet you properly. It’s quite difficult dealing with IDIOTS WHO DON’T KNOW HOW TO READ A MAP!” His angry shouting didn’t go unnoticed by the two drivers that had just previously pulled his carriage, only to shift in shame over their blunder. “I hope you were well entertained. If not, I’ve certainly got the remedy.” He clacked his hoof against the ground as he straightened up, before pointing to the interloper. “AFI, apprehend Cybersix. Even if you need to use a body bag. Please try to leave her in one piece, though. I’m sure father would appreciate such a gift.”
The massive Fixed Idea stepped forward as all other opponents backed away from the Cyber. She glanced to the cowering Fixed Ideas, only to snap into a defensive stance as the mammoth bruiser rushed forward like greased lightning, already trying to stomp on the slender alicorn. Surprised to learn how quick the burly monster was, she narrowly avoided being crushed with a quick jump backward following a backflip, only to charge forward herself in an effort to counter. Throwing a spinning back kick, she aimed for the creatures face, only for the blow to be blocked by one of its hooves, before the other hoof shot up and grabbed hold of her leg. Unable to pull away from the iron clad grip, the goliath of a pony swiftly raised her up and swung her against the ground, causing her to crack the hard floor beneath her upon impact. The collision and shock was enough to knock the wind out of her, before she was violently tossed into a support beam with a horrible crunching sound. She fell to the ground for a moment, only to get up with a slight shake in her step.
However, there was no time to lick her wounds, as the other braver Fixed Ideas began to rush her in an attempt to land a hit now that their bigger brother tossed her about like a rag-doll. Their first mistake was assuming her injuries would do anything to hinder her actions against such fodder, as she easily dodged a swing, only to grab the foreleg and use the momentum of the attack to throw it at the approaching “AFI”, as José called it.
Despite the size of the living projectile, and the fact that it considers the bigger monster a brother, AFI simply stomped down and crushed the flying Fixed Idea as if stamping a tiny gnat out of the air, before rushing forward like a freight train in pure, primal rage. Avoiding the incoming monster, she leaped off to the side and ran up the metal stairs and onto the walkway, trying to get a height advantage. AFI simply jumped up to the walkway itself to greet her, landing with a heavy crunch as some of the metal bent under the monster’s massive size.
As that confrontation was going on, while everyone was very well busy and distracted, Lock Amato had finally reached the warhouse where everything was going down. Creeping through the back, he stuck to the shadows and kept his eyes peeled at the mutant henchponies that were either trying to fight Mare-do-Well or help José load up a bunch of barrels with seemingly unknown contents. A few poor, faded out ponies were still bound to the failed and broken machines, but were otherwise unhurt and relatively unguarded. He quietly sneaked up to the machines and approached to victims. Upon seeing Lock, they managed to give a smile as he assured that he’ll have them out in a jiffy.
His efforts were swift, but not enough to remain undetected, as upon reaching the last pony, a Fixed Idea approached with a menacing grin, ready to break his bones for trespassing. Lock, having been in a face to face encounter with one of these mutants already, got into a defensive stance with a sly grin, before motioning with his hoof to step closer. The Fixed Idea was confused for a moment, wondering why this pony wasn’t backing down or running away, before the gesture he made finally registered in its head as a taunt and caused the mutant to rush the teacher. With a sly duck to the side, he gave a hefty barrel punch to his foe, before giving a hook to the side of the head to back the monster off. Nearly tripping over its own legs in a daze, the Fixed Idea fought to shake the stars from its eyes and pain in its gut, before facing Lock, whom had knocked over a barrel and kicked it hard enough to launch it at the burly pony. The force was enough to knock out the Fixed Idea instantly and cause it and the barrel to crash into more of the offending and unknown containers.
With the face-off over, Lock turned to the final prisoner and finished what he started. As the victim weakly fled, Lock noticed something shimmering and leaking out of one of the barrels.
“Is that,” he started, taking a sniff, “liquid magic?” The color then drained from his face upon realizing what was going on here and how much danger they were all in if a catalyst struck any leaks. He turned back to the exit the victims all filed out through, and found that they had all fled. It would only be a matter of time before the Guard was called to take over the situation, and hopefully deal out justice to these monsters.
Before he could make his next move he looked back towards the brawl between Mare-Do-Well and the mutant pony monsters. The heroine was having trouble from time to time, but ultimately held her own against the dangerous foes. Lock then looked a bit beyond them and noticed that the boy and a few of his burly lackeys were beginning to collect a few of the barrels that contained the extracted liquid magic.
He clicked his tongue. “Don’t think we have time to wait for the authorities. Whatever their ultimate goal is, letting them have this much magic only spells out disaster.” He then looked to one of the broken machines that seemed to still have power running through it, and noticed the exposed, broken wires, still sparking with electrical energy. With a well placed kick, he thought, I might be able to stop them. He then galloped up to the machine in question, turned around to position himself for a mighty buck, only to call out to the villains proceeding to load their cargo.
“Hey KID! Don’t forget to pick up your TOYS!” he shouted, punctuating it with the hardest back kick he could muster, sending the machine flying at the working Fixed Ideas and barrels. There was no time to even yell in surprise, as the now lump of scrap bowled over one of the mutants and opened up a few of the barrels, which were now dangerously leaking contents close to broken machine.
“You FOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!” He panicked, before turning to his last subordinate, “GET ME OUT OF HERE, NOW!” The Fixed Idea then dropped the barrel, ran to his boss, picked him up, and began running for the carriage. By then, time was up, as the electrical fire that had started finally made contact with the leaking magic, and began to ignite a blue flame rather quickly.
Lock then began to run, knowing full well what was going to happen next.
Meanwhile, as the AFI squared off against its nimble foe, both he and Mare-Do-Well heard the commotion and stopped their fight to hazard a glance. The blue fire that began to rise, and the first explosion that followed, caused the mammoth sized pony to stagger while still transfixed upon the foreboding sight. However, while his attention was still drawn, the heroine was more determined than ever to finish the fight. Taking a running start, she leaped into the air, tilted back, and landed a flying two-hoof dropkick on the monster pony’s face. The force was enough to launch the pony close to the fire, dazed and confused.
She then grabbed on of the barrels, punctured a hole, and lifted it above her head before throwing it at the mutant. Before it could react, the liquid magic that sprayed freely from the hole caught fire. Upon impact, the barrel erupted with a hefty explosion, casting blue fire everywhere and vaporizing the creature.
Mare-Do-Well watched for a moment, making sure her foe was dead and gone, before looking towards the open warehouse gate, noticing the carriage was missing. She clicked her tongue before thinking, Damn, he got away.
She then looked about the warehouse that was slowly becoming an inferno, and would soon become a blast zone, looking for the last remaining trapped ponies. However, she soon noticed that not a soul remained, as if somepony had already shown up to rescue the last few prisoners and just as quickly disappeared.
With nothing further to do and no one left in danger, she knelt down briefly and sprung straight up, crashing through the roof, and bounded away from the scene.
The following explosion leveled the warehouse, leaving nothing but blue and orange fire to smolder the remains, and severely damaged the neighboring buildings.
=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=
“- all in all, damages were kept to a surprising minimum and the magically induced fire was able to be put out quite effectively, police said. All missing ponies over the last several weeks are accounted for, but many of them will have to undergo extensive magical therapy to recoup the stolen magic.” Lock read, as he glanced across the table to Arie, whom joined him for an early morning coffee. “The victims involved claim that Mare-Do-Well and a handsome blond stallion rescued them moments before the fire started.” He then gave a smile. “Ya know, I was that handsome blond stallion.”
“Right, and I’m an Alicorn Princess. Like I’d believe you’d do something so dumb as get into a scrap with a gang of thugs, let alone whatever happened over there,” Arie said with a coy smile.
“Eh, I’ve been known to do a few stupid things,” he said, grinning ear to ear in pride.
Arie just laughed, “Seriously, Lock.”
“I am being serious.”
The teacher stared for a moment before giving a sigh, “Whatever you say. If you were involved somehow, why didn’t the Guard question you?”
“Oh, they did actually. They weren’t exactly happy that I was involved in another strange case. I was going to be treated as a suspect and arrested, but some of victims spoke up for me. They let me off with a warning.”
“Why are you acting so casual about this?” Arie asked in concern, “If what was in the paper was true, you could have been seriously hurt, or killed.”
“Because,” he replied, “while Mare-Do-Well is AMAZING at what she does, she was in serious trouble at the time juggling those monsters and rescuing those captives, and there was no way I was going to let her save my bacon and NOT have some backup,”
“Oh, so your a fanboy?”
“Yup,”
“Don’t you have any shame?”
“Apparently not.”
Lock then began to laugh. As it carried on, Arie laughed in kind, before giving another sigh followed by a sip from the cup in hoof.
“By the way,” Lock started, “It sounds like Dusty Tome was among the victims present. Glad he’s safe and sound, though I doubt he’s going to be coming back to teach any time soon. Hope his insurance compensates him for this. Ah well, you’ll fill the void in his absence as intended well enough, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll certainly do my best,” Arie said with a smile, glad things were seemingly coming back to a proper normal. At least you’re ok, Lock.
=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=
Back at the abandoned mansion, where José and his crew had all gathered into the study, standing in attention but clearly distressed, an angry voice rang out. Said voice belonged to Dr. Sieg von Freudlos, and his patience was wearing thin.
“You LOST the CARGO!? AND YOU LOST YOUR ADVANCED FIXED IDEA?!?”
“I-I’m sorry, Father. Things were going well. We even had enough magic to proceed to the next phase, but-”
“Buuuut?”
“The interloper. The one you asked me to take care of? Well, she proved to be... far more resilient than we anticipated.”
The air grew cold as the shadowy, slender figure in the now moving portrait remained silent. The Doctor then clacked his hooves together in contemplation for a moment, before he asked, “And what, pray tell, did you find out about our interloper?”
“You aren’t going to like this, father.”
“Spit it out already, boy. I don’t have the time or patience to dance around the subject.”
José swallowed hard, only hoping that the wrath that was sure to follow would be as painless as possible. “It’s a Cyber. Model code Cyber-006.”
“Cyber... six?”
“I’m so sorry, Father! Please don’t punish me! I promise to capture her by any means necessary!”
“Cybersix is... alive?”
José, slightly flabberghasted by the reaction, just stared up at the shadowy figure in the portrait that had proceeded to get up from his chair and walk away from view. “Father?”
“My most profound failure... alive?!”
Lightning from within the portrait crackled, briefly illuminating the shadowy doctor, whom now stood far behind his chair, as he looked up into the darkening, ominous sky. His past has come back to haunt him and any plans he had for Equestria was now to be put on hold. As long as she lived, as long as she remained, there would be no respite from her meddling.
