Mechanical Angel

Chapter 06: Intrusion Detection System

The first thing Twilight planned when she stepped into her Castle for the night was to send Celestia a letter. She made progress today and wanted her former mentor to know about it immediately.

Sure, Clearhead would be sending her a letter of her own, but Twilight wanted to send a personal account of her experience, not just some professional “mumbo-jumbo.”

As Twilight wrote her letter, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was…. Off. The castle… it was quiet. Too quiet…

“Starlight! Are you here?” Twilight said as she leaned out of the doorway.

No response. She was probably still stuck at that school doing…. School stuff or something

Wait, Spike would still be here. Now she wondered if he ever cleaned up the… bathroom. Hmm. That was the mess she left in there, she'll make it up to him later. Take him out for the movies or get him rare gems to snack on or… just something.

She sighed and continued writing her letter. Yet, she still couldn't shake off that feeling. Maybe she should go check on her scaly friend, talk with him for a few minutes at least.

She glanced over at the clock. It was getting late, what if she woke him up? She sighed, still trying to shake that feeling as she continued on with her letter.

Then, something crashed and shattered far off in the castle. The letter can wait! What if Spike was hurt? She would never forgive herself!

She flew out of the chair and down the hall as fast as her wings could carry her.

“Spike!” Twilight yelled.

“Twilight Help!” Spike yelled.

Twilight found Spike bound and gagged against a bedpost, blood dripping from his mouth, his face bruised. She ran into the room, clambering over him and started to untie him as the door slammed shut behind her.

“Wha-?” Twilight turned, trying to find the source of the disturbance. Whoever did this to her little baby Drake was still here!

“Where are you!” Twilight yelled, anger rising inside her as the ropes around Spike snapped and fused to form a long whip as she snapped, and popped it with her magic.

A chuckle filled the air. “Oh, you thought this was going to be easy, did you?” An indistinguishable, unnatural voice said in a somehow singsong like fashion.

“Who are you, come out here so I can tear you limb from Fucking limb!” Twilight yelled as she looked out the window.

The silent alarms wouldn't activate for maybe another hour or two. Good. That gave her time to make whoever this was, suffer, and uh, oh! Suffer they will!

“Show yourself!” Twilight yelled, snapping the whip to and fro.

“I want answers.” The voice demanded.

“I won't answer shit! You child attacking monster!”

“I didn't hurt him…. That much!” The voice hissed, cackling.

“Liar!” She screamed, her horn discharging on account of her rage flaring. The door shattered to splinters as she flew into the hallway, looking to and fro, trying to find her assailant.

“Stupid mare! Just answer my questions and I'll leave you be.”

“I don't want your questions! I want you in fucking pieces!” Twilight roared, stomping her hoof.

“Huh. You don't even know where I am.” The voice responded childishly.

“Hmm. Let's play extreme hide and seek. It's like hide and seek, but where I tear your fucking head off if I find you!”

“What if I win?” The voice said playfully as Spike uttered a scream from behind her.

She whipped her head around to see a silhouetted pony pressing a knife against Spike’s throat, drawing blood.

“Answers, Sparkle! Now!” The unknown pony demanded.

“No!” Twilight roared, her magic flaring.

Her eyes widened and she shrieked as the knife was pressed harder against the softer flesh underneath, cutting into her poor dragon.

“J-just give her what she wants!” Spike sobbed.

“D- did you just assume my gender?” The pony demanded, making the winged baby dragon flinch as a hoof went up to punch him in the face....again.

Anger welled up in the Alicorn Princess to a degree that the very air was charged with magenta colored magic.

“Now your fucking DEAD!” Twilight screamed, her magic flaring. Suddenly, the rope Twilight was holding disappeared and the attacking pony gagged and choked. He/She/They gargled and gasped as their body squirmed.

Twilight’s face was coated in sweat, a look of fierce determination on her face as she used her magic to tie knots into the rope, tying an end of it to the ceiling and the other end, slipped around their neck with decreasing length.

Suddenly He/She/They dropped the knife and the pony instantly became stiff, cold, and motionless as strength failed the attacking pony.

Spike shivered as he fell to the floor, fear-stricken. Spike did the only sensible thing he thought he could, he got up and ran. Out of the room, down the hall, out of her sight, out of the house. Twilight, no longer caring about the intruding pony, ran after Spike, yelling his name as she scrambled after him.

Just as Twilight ran out of the house and down the street, she haphazardly bumped into a group of Ponyville folk and continued on her way, not even caring to look behind her as she yelled an apology and quickly took to the skies.

“Captain. Was that was the target?”

“No. That was the owner of the estate. The target is inside, in the far east corner of the building. Let's grab it and go before they get back.” The leader stated, charging into the house as his team followed suit.