Why Sassy Saddles

Time had drawn on and Anon was thinking about finishing for the day. His project had progressed well in his opinion. Testing had gone well, and he now had a working prototype. An ugly metal box and a tangled mess of wires lay before him. Not fit for sale yet, but good for a test.

He loaded an uneaten piece of muffin from his lunch into the machine, and closed the door.

He tentatively stepped back as he turned on the machine. It made a strong whirring sound as it came to life, and soon the leftover muffin fragment started to hiss and sizzle as it was heated.

The timer had almost counted down to zero when suddenly there was a flash of bright blue light. One of the capacitors on top of the machine had failed and exploded across the room with a bright zap.

Anon jumped back, before cursing under his breath. He was so sure it was going to work that time. From what he could see it was only a small failure though, it should be easily fixable. Even so, Anon was a little angry.

He frowned and then yawned. A lot had been accomplished today, but he was tired and looking forward to his bed. The dusty white plastic clock on the wall said it was 7:30. He ran around the shop tidying up. Quite a mess had been made over the course of the day, and Anon knew it would be best if he did not have to wake up to it tomorrow.

He went over to pick up a screwdriver that had rolled over to the mouth of the shop door. Before bending down to grab it he paused, and looked out into the yard. It was not like the scene from the afternoon. Black clouds were silhouetted against the recently arrived night, creating an inky darkness with no moon or stars. It had been drizzling for about half an hour and was slowly increasing in intensity. A faint rumble of thunder could be heard. A storm had arrived. More lights flashed from the lightning somewhere behind him. Shadows danced across the now deserted courtyard giving it a foreboding atmosphere. Then just as quickly, darkness resumed followed by a crack of thunder. Something was unnerving about the scene. It was dark and foreboding, like there were all manners of hideous creatures waiting for him outside the barn. ‘Strange’ he thought. Anon wasn’t normally afraid of storms. He went back inside and continued to tidy up. It suddenly seemed like a good thing to do, compared to facing the weather outside. He got to clearing the table, his eyes immediately falling upon the invitation Amp had given him for the upcoming party. Anon picked up the card. It felt thick and crisp, like it would be a sin to fold it.

On it read:

Night of March Ball

Saturday 31st March

Address:

Mavic Garden House

North district

Canterlot

Drinks Supplied

Plus One Welcome

Theme: 80s

Wow, free drinks. He didn't know what kind of party this was, but to have a free bar it must be a special event. The kind one gets invited too, rather than buying a ticket. The kind where invites are written out and given to the person in question, on high quality card.

It went in a stack at the back of the table, along with a few other items as he prepared to leave.

Then he heard a shuffle from behind him. Anon jumped around hoping to catch a rat out in the open. Instead he saw a mare standing in the doorway. She was soaked through from the storm and would have looked quite beautiful had she not looked like she had just gone through a washing machine. Her hooves were caked in mud, her mane and tail long and stringy from the wet, and her purple eye shadow had run all over her face.

Speaking of her face, the expression she wore on it was one of nervousness and fear. There was also a pleading look in her eyes. One of desperation. A second passed as a mini staring contest played out between them.

“Can I help you?” Anon said, intrigued at the unexpected visitor.

“I think so. My name is Sassy saddles.”

~~~~

Sassy quickened her pace as the low sun was blocked by a dark cloud which was rolling in over Canterlot. It sucked the colour from the city and obscured what must have been a lovely sunset.

She cursed as a tremendous weight shifted on her back. She was carrying the broken sewing machine, which was strapped to her saddle in an ungainly fashion. She remembered the difficulty her and Rarity had trying to secure it to her. Sassy grumbled. She knew Rarity would be cozy in bed right about now. Their plan was simple. After they left the bar, they both headed back to the boutique. Rarity would then get some rest for what would be a marathon sewing session the next day, whist Sassy would go and get the machine repaired.

Sassy levitated the note in front of her. She really hoped the steel merchant in the bar was truthful, and there was a creature that could do this kind of work. He wouldn't say what creature though, which gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It could be a dragon, or a wolf that wouldn't think twice about eating her.

Sassy took a deep breath. She knew none of those animals existed in Canterlot. Her mind was just running away with her. She looked down at the note Victor Steel had written. An address was inked onto it in a pretty cursive font. ‘For Celestia’s sake’ Sassy thought. The place was right across town! It would take her at least 30 minutes to get there. She sighed as her pace slowed. She had a long way to go with a heavy machine, and needed to pace herself.

Just then a large drop of water whistled its way down, out of the sky and landed right in the middle of the note she was levitating. ‘Damn and blast’ Sassy thought. How did she get into situations like this? Merely seconds later the heavens opened. The raindrops tore at the note, soaking into it and allowing the ink to run. Sassy's eyes went wide. She read the note and repeated it over and over again, trying to memorize it as the meaning of the note disappeared before her eyes.

Sassy suddenly realised she was about to get very very wet. The sewing machine would be ok in its custom made box, but she had no protection apart from the sewing machine, and a woefully inadequate black dress. Sassy went into a kind of trance as she made her way across town. The rain slowly got heavier, and night quickly drew in. The mare got colder as she closed in on her target.

She was having second thoughts about whether this was the right place as she wandered into the Trader’s district. Her mind was suddenly unsure the address she remembered was correct. She wanted more than anything to turn around and go home, but she didn't. She couldn’t. She had to help Rarity, and would not let her down.

Sassy stopped in a low archway. Getting out of the rain immediately made her feel better, and she took this moment to rest and collect herself. The place should not be far from here, and she wanted to go into the encounter with a sound mindset. Although dry, it was incredibly dark under the arch. No streetlights or lights from buildings were to be found, and the moon was definitely not making an appearance. Sassy's eyes struggled to adjust to the light. The arch was long and cavernous on the inside. A bell hung above her, but it obviously hadn’t been used in ages. She could see a sign hung on the wall next to it. Sassy strained her eyes to read it. It couldn’t be could it? The sign said Lower Whiting Yard. This was the place.

Sassy went through to the opposite side of the arched corridor. A burst of lightning bolted across the sky, allowing Sassy to view her surroundings for but a brief second. She appeared to be in a large courtyard of some kind. Many large doors lined the courtyard, but only one was open. Sassy did a double take at the doors. They were wide open, and the lights were bright inside. In fact, it was the only light source around. She wondered how she had not noticed it before. It was the only reason she could read the sign or make sense of anything at all. The sound of muttering and the grinding of metal on metal could be heard from inside the workshop, even over the sound of pouring rain.

Sassy felt nervous but she had to do this. She once more stepped out into the rain. Sassy started off towards door, but nerves quickly got the best of her. ‘Maybe I should just watch from afar, for a moment, you know, to make sure he isn't dangerous’ she thought. The mare gingerly made her way around the outside of the yard, hoping to get a better view into the workshop. She must have shuffled 20 feet before the human came into view.

Sassy's breath caught in her throat. He was much larger than she had expected. He was a bipedal creature that was solid and at home on two feet. He was mostly hairless, and this showed the definition in his arm and leg muscles. All of his body was likely like that, but his torso was obscured by some obscenely dirty clothing. A pair of cargo shorts and a white T-shirt. The hair that did exist on him was gathered on his head, and was a dark brown colour. It was about an inch long and gave him a tough look.

The human reached out and grabbed a large steel box he had been working on. Sassy could tell the box was heavy by the way his arms tensed and his centre of gravity shifted. He handled it easily though, with great strength. His strange claws gripped the box securely, allowing zero chance of dropping it. Sassy realised that if he was to grab her she would have no chance of getting away. It scared her since they were alone, and she did not know his species. He was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Her curiosity pushed through her fear and she decided to keep watching, completely forgetting that it was still raining. He placed the box down, and turned his back to do something that Sassy couldn’t see. The man went back to the box opened it, and went over to a switchboard. Sassy had not been focused on what this man had been doing. Now though his invention had peaked her interest. He looked skilled and sophisticated as he worked. She thought to herself that she had found who she needed. Now all she had to do was work up the courage to walk in there and talk to him.

Just then, she saw a bright flash from the metal box. A blue light, like lightning but dimmer, lit up the room, before vanishing. The man looked slightly annoyed, and then started packing away. ‘No!’ Sassy thought. He's going to be leaving in a second. I have to go and speak to him now. Sassy put a foreleg forward, but instantly realised that the human was coming to the door. She gave a terrified ‘eep’ and ran to the dark shadow of the archway. The sewing machine she still carried bounced violently on her back, most likely giving her bruises. Once in the shadow she stopped dead still, hoping that she could not be seen. She watched the man come to the doorway and look out. It's like he could tell something was amiss. Sassy’s heart beat in her chest. Did he have super sharp senses?

A flash of lightning again illuminated the yard. Sassy shrank back but she was certain the human was staring right at her. But then he just picked something up and went inside. Sassy let out a sigh of relief. Why did she run? She knew that it wasn't a rational thing to do. He lived and worked here in Canterlot right? He couldn't be that bad. There was also the nagging thought in the back of her mind that he might have triggered some sort of primal fear response in her.

She shoved the thought aside and went back out into the open. She needed to meet him. ‘No memories of past experiences are going to get in my way’ she thought. ‘Where had the strong mare that could handle anything gone?’ She walked towards the double doors with more speed now. She would meet the imposing, strong, handsome creature.

Handsome? The word got stuck in her head as she entered the doorway, and came face to face with Anon the human.

She couldn't think of anything to say. She had been so preoccupied with entering the shed she had forgotten she'd have to talk.

A deathly silent second past where Sassy opened her mouth multiple times, but nothing came out.

“Can I help you?” said the man, not in a rude way. The kind of way she would expect actually if a random pony just walked into his property. She had to say something, anything. ‘Let's try telling him your name. Yes, introductions’, Sassy thought.

“I think so, my name is Sassy Saddles.”