Twilight was staring at the wall when she came to her senses. There was a dark feeling in her heart. She knew what she had just witnessed. It was a murder. One hadn't been performed in Equestria for over a century! It was unthinkable. Were the walkers really such a violent race that they would kill each other for items? And yet, underneath these mysteries, there lied more. Twilight knew that the building Cee and Beta lived in was extremely advanced, but that couldn't be. It was thousands of years ago, and ponies were the most advanced, and therefore superior race, on the planet! Equus was even named after them! Celestia had guided them to this conclusion, and it was what had led ponies to conquer most of the continent, from the frozen north, to the scorched south. There were even talks of expeditions across the ocean to the Griffin Homelands. It was, frankly, impossible! Then why were the walkers so advanced? Twilight shook her head, and ruffled her feathers. She would have to just come back, tomorrow. Whe looked at the row of orbs, and realized she was just a half of the way through. Twilight was unsure if she could finish them within a few days. She had information at the back of her head, telling her there was a way to get more time, but she couldn't quite remember it. Twilight exited the secret room, and the Orb chamber all together, and began the long trip out of the palace.
~-~
The sky was slowly growing dimmer in Ponyville, as the last colors from the sunset bled under the horizon. A brown stallion trotted down the street, saddlebags across his back. He was walking home when he noticed a small orange filly saying goodbye to her friends. He stood off to the side, in a more shadowy corner, and observed the event. The so-called Cutie Mark Crusaders said their goodbyes, and one filly dashed off down the road, in the direction of the Boutique. The other ran down towards the apple farm. Scootaloo was left all alone, and started walking down the street. She scanned the area around her to make sure nobody was looking. Bay looked away, and when the filly was sure she was unnoticed, she walked into the alley. Bay continued down the street, passing the alley to see what Scootaloo was doing, but it took a sharp turn. Bay shrugged and continued.
The pegasi brought in storm clouds. Before long, the rain was coming down in torrents.
Bay thoroughly soaked, and was not happy about being caught in the storm, until he thought about the orange filly. He had a bad feeling about her. Bay decided to go back the way he had come.
Ponyville was a haphazardly planned town, and it took a little bit to find the correct alley. After locating it, Bay cautiously crept inside. The edges of the roofs offered a meager shelter from the rain, but it managed its way in. Bay turned the corner, and was surprised at what he saw.
Scootaloo was laying down inside a damp cardboard box, a thin blanket wrapped around her. She was shivering, with her eyes shut tight.
Bay walked over, and sat down next to her. When his rump hit the ground, Scootaloo's ears perked up, and her eyes flew open. She nearly screamed at the sight of Bay, but he put his hoof over her mouth.
"Shhhhhh, Scootaloo. Please don't scream. Bad things would happen. I'm not gonna hurt ya." Scootaloo relaxed. This pony didn't seem threatening. He slowly removed his hoof.
"Who are you?"
"Cuttin right to the chase, huh? Okay, then. I'm Bay.'
"Bay? You're that pony that Rainbow Dash was talking about! She said you got up onto a cloud, scared her, and fell down. You weren't even hurt, and she couldn't find you. I think she's been following you."
"Pfff. That's ridiculous. I'm an earth pony, I cant fly!" He paused to giggle. "Anyway, I uh, noticed your predicament, and that you're, y'know..." He trailed off. Scootaloo's ears dropped.
"Promise not to tell anyone? It'd be really embarrassing. You know, that I sleep in a cardboard box."
"Hey, kid. I was homeless too, once. Don't worry, I know all about it."
"When were you homeless?"
"That's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is that you looked a little cold. You could get pneumonia or a different nasty disease. It't not safe out here."
"I don't really have a choice, now do I?" Scootaloo commented, bitterly.
"I know. I was going to offer if you wanted to come back to my home? I won't force ya. It's your choice."
"Where do you live?"
"A hole in the ground." This stallion really wasn't too keen on giving straight answers, was he, thought Scootaloo. She considered her options. Freeze, or take a chance with the mystery stallion. Scootaloo's sneeze made her decision for her.
"I was always told to not trust strangers, but I really don't want to freeze. A hole in the ground is better than nothing."
"Oh, don't worry. It's a shiny hole in the ground." Scootaloo smirked at this. She got up, her knees sore from a long day of crusading, and followed Bay.
~
Right as the pair left the alley, a certain rainbow-maned mare was putting the finishing touches on the storm she had helped create. Her eye wandered, and she spied a familiar orange pegasus filly. Following a familiar brown stallion. Rainbow's heart nearly stopped. She was so not comfortable having Scoots with a stallion like Bay. A thousand horrible images flashed though her mind. She shook her head to clear it, but upon finishing so, saw that Bay was all the way down the street. He turned around the corner, Scootaloo close behind. Dash flew as fast as she could towards the corner, but all the saw was a purple tail disappearing into an alley. She flew over to it as fast as she could manage.
It was empty. A dead end. Not even a trash can for her to sniff, this time. Dash nearly screamed in frustration, fear, and anger. Bay had escaped her once again. And no less, with Scootaloo! This was foalnapping! Rainbow pivoted on a bit and flew straight back the way she came. She needed help.
~
"Cooooooool!" Scootaloo was staring in awe at the shiny, metallic room she was in. She heard the nicest stallion in the world behind her.
"It is. I like it. I'm very familiar with this room. You have no idea." Scootaloo looked around. The room was shaped like a large egg on its side. At the narrower end, there was a chair, with a desk-like thing with that had all sorts of buttons and switches that were just screaming to be pressed. near the other end, there were four beds in the walls, near a door. There were shelves, too, everywhere. They were covered with small bits and pieces on the shelves. Scootaloo walked over, and looked at them, with a warning of "Don't touch." from Bay.
She saw many things that she had never seen before, like liquids and old books, and even a small skull. She didn't want to know what from.
"Listen, kid," came a voice from behind her. She turned around. "You must be pretty tired." He said. At this, Scootaloo let out a yawn, giggling.
"I thought so. You can look at these in the morning, but I suggest you go to bed."
"But I'm all wet!" Suddenly, an amazingly soft towel wrapped around her. She looked up at Bay, who smiled. It was an understanding, comforting smile.
"There. Dry off, and get into the bed. You've got a long day ahead of you. My sister's coming to visit tomorrow, you know." Bay showed no signs of fatigue. "I think you'll like it. I have to go for a while, but I should be back by the time you wake up. But before you fall asleep on that bed, listen to me." Scootaloo looked at his emotionless face. "You must never, ever tell anyone where this is. You have to promise." Scootaloo began to mime a pinkie promise.
"Don't worry, mister! I know how to keep a Pinkie Promise!"
"No", he sternly said. "Not a Pinkie Promise. Repeat after me. 'Cross my heat, and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.'" Scootaloo nervously repeated the grim phrase. When she was finished, he lost the stern look, and it was replaced by a much kinder, comforting look.
"I'm sorry, Scootaloo. I didn't mean to scare you. Honest. G'night."
"You can call me Scoots, mister."
"Alright, then."
With that, he walked through the door at the near end of the room. Scootaloo was feeling awfully tired. She shuffled over to a bed, and, after a good rub-down, she shed the towel and climbed into the bed.
It was the most soft thing she had ever felt. It nearly swallowed her up, shifting to fit her body. She was asleep within minutes.
~-~
"Right there! They walked into that gravelly alley right there!" A flustered Rainbow Dash waved her hoof at the spot where Scootaloo had been foalnapped. Luna's Moon shown brightly, casting deep shadows across the road. Applejack and Pinkie Pie exchanged glances, the latter giggling.
"Rainbow Dash, silly! There's nothing there!"
"Dash, are ya sure they disapeared here? That ya ahren't just imagining it?"
"No!" Rainbow yelled. "Arrrgh! Can't you see? They're underground! Why do you think I had you bring shovels?" Applejack and Pinkie exchanged another glance.
"Ohhhh..." Applejack yawned.
"Listen, sugarcube I'm sure that whatever's down there isn't gonna move 'till mornin''" She gestured with her hoof at the ground. "So hows' about we go home and get some rest."
"I agree with AJ. I still haven't finished preparing parties for that family!" Rainbow dash glared daggers at the two."
"Fine! See if I care! I'm sure a foalnapping is no big deal!" She spun around and turned her back on the two, picking up her shovel. She started to dig. Applejack just shrugged, and headed back to the farm. Pinkie Pie shivered.
"Brrr! I don't like this place! It seems so..." Her mane deflated, just a little bit. "Unpredictable." She trotted off. Rainbow continued to dig into the ground, each shovelful making her more and more tired.
Thunk
Rainbow's Shovel hit something hard. Her eyes shot open. AS she looked into the hull, she saw a glimpse of metal. She grinned. She had done it! Her sense of accomplishment made her feel really, really tired.
"I'll just," *yawn* "take a little nap." She murmured to herself, as her eyes droopily closed.
~-~
Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open. She was looking up an a bright pink sky, with streaks of yellow. She contemplated on how beautiful it was. Then she remembered. Rainbow rolled over, looking at the ground.
A face full of dirt stared back at her.
Dash started to hyperventilate. "No, no no! No, Squirt! How could I let him take you! I should have known better! Nooooo! Why-y-y!"
"Why what? Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow looked over, and standing next to her was a small orange filly.
"Scoots! I thought I had lost you! Oh, I'm so glad you're safe!" She pulled the purple-maned filly into a hug.
"Why would you have lost me?"
"Well, that horrible stallion took you!" Suddenly, Rainbow got a very stern look on her face.
"Scootaloo, where did he take you?"
"Uh, Dash, I don't think he would like it if I told you! I promised not to!" Dash pressed her snout against Scootaloo's, staring into her eyes with a look of anger.
"Scootaloo. Tell. Me. Where. He. Lives." Scootaloo's eyes started to tear up.
"Dash, don't make me do this!" Scootaloo started to cry.
"Tell me!" Rainbow yelled. "Tell me right now!" Scootaloo was crying openly now.
"His house moves! It moves! It's under the alley next to Sugarcube Corner!" Rainbow's face gained a look of triumph, and she grabbed Scootaloo.
"Come on, Scootaloo. We have to find the others."
~-~
Rainbow Dash faced five of her friends, with Scootaloo cowering behind Fluttershy. It hurt to see Scoots afraid, but she knew it was for her own good. The six ponies stood in front of an alleyway, cutting it off. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all had looks of anger on their faces, brought about by the prospect of a foal getting tricked into staying the night with a stranger, one that, by Dash's account was sinister and biding his time. Pinkie Pie's hair was disturbingly straight.
"Friends, I have brought us here today to take down the evil Bay," she sneered "to protect the foals of Ponyville! He will come out of his magic house soon, and then we will bring him to the police!"
"Um, Rainbow Dash, if you don't mind, that is..." She trailed off.
"Yeah, Flutters? Speak up!"
"What if he doesn't want to come with us?" She squeaked. Rainbow Dash snorted.
"He cant resist us! We're the Elements of Harmony! Well, Twi isn't here, but I'm sure she would support us if she was!"
"Um, okay, if you say so..." The yellow pegasus hid behind her pink mane.
"Don't worry, 'shy. It'll be fine once we stop this guy!" it only took a few minutes longer for the ground to groan, and a hats open. Two brown hooves appeared, and a familiar brown earth pony hoisted himself up onto the ground. He stood up, dusted himself off, and looked straight at Scootaloo.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Scootaloo." Scootaloo began to bawl.
"I don't wanna die! Please, Bay! I'm so sorry!" Bay walked up to Scootaloo, shoving past some very surprised ponies.
"Dont worry, kid. It'll be fine. It's just an old saying. I'm sorry I scared you."
"You didn't scare me," Scootaloo sniffled. "She did." She pointed a shaky hoof at Rainbow.
"It was for your own good!" Rainbow Dash growled, while Fluttershy flew over to Scootaloo, and picked her up, hovering over Bay.
"You won't hurt Scootaloo and lie to her again, mister, scaring her like that! You're mean!" Bay gave her a soft smile.
"Thanks, miss. I don't want her to get hurt. Your friends are very stubborn, you know." He kept calm. Rainbow flew up to Bay, pressing their snouts together. Bay gave her an amused smile.
"You keep your trap shut, you!" Bay smiled some more and casually pushed Rainbow away from himself.
'Don't touch me!" Rainbow yelled, slapping his hoof away. "I'm an Element of harmony! It's time you learned your place!"
Suddenly, Bay's eyes lost their casual look. They flew open, and his pupils shrunk to pinpricks. He started to shake, then opened his mouth and screamed.
It was bloodcurdling, causing every one of the ponies to cringe and cover their ears. Some passing ponies stopped to watch the spectacle.
Bay was standing on his hind legs and flinging his hooves around, now, yelling "Get away form me!" over and over. Dash backed up, putting up a hoof.
"Whoa, take it eas-" Bay grabbed the lifted hoof and twisted it around, causing a grisly crack to come from Dash's shoulder. She hollered, causing Applejack to jump into the fray. Bay dropped Dash, who rolled shakily on the ground in pain, causing Fluttershy to give Scootaloo to Rarity and rush forward. Rainbow's foreleg was turned nearly all the way around.
"Stop right there, mister! Yall better stand down!" Bay spun around to face her, and lifted her up with a hoof, throwing her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her. He slowly turned back to Dash, only to find a pair of teal eyes staring into his own, barely an inch away.
"You are going to stop, and apologize to everyone here, then turn your self in! Do you hear me? " Bay stopped, relaxing, Then, tensing up again, he softly whispered a dark warning to her.
"You have to get away from me." He then hefted up Fluttershy with two hooves, and threw her down the street, causing a collective gasp from everyone around.
"Nopony hurts Fluttershy. Nopony."
Bay turned on a bit to face Rainbow, hovering in the air and favoring her foreleg. "Nopony!" She yelled, Flying towards his head with her good hoof as fast as she could. Bay growled and lifted a hoof. It slid open, revealing a shiny interior. Two small metal cylinders extended, an orange glow behind him. Rainbow Dash flew faster.
Boom.
The mysterious stallion's hoof shot forward, at an unnatural speed, creating a sonic rainboom that rattled the town, into the oncoming gut of Rainbow Dash. Everyone cringed as the sickening crunch rang out, accompanied by a fountain of blood. The sight caused Bay to flinch, and visibly relax.
"No, no, no, shit, shit, shit shit!" He swore. "Crap!" he turned to face the ponies staring at him in awe and anger, the latter quickly growing.
"He killed Rainbow Dash! Get him!" an unnamed voice shouted from the crowd. A roar arose from the equines, who thundered toward Bay, and the near-corpse on the ground struggling for breath. He scooped her up, and grabbed the speechless Scootaloo on the way to the still open hatch in the ground.
"Sorry, kid." He tossed the filly down to the bottom of the hatch, and climbed down, employing strange metal claws in his forehoof to assist him, he climbed down just for enough for the hatch to close, and with a rattling clang they were sealed inside. Angry hooves beat on the top of the dwelling, angry shouts filtering down through the dirt. Scootaloo ran over to Rainbow, who had passed out, shallow breathing getting weaker by the second. She stayed her distance. The stallion hoisted Dash up onto a free metal table, and shook his hooves, easily standing on his hind legs, and began the grisly work of saving a life he himself had nearly ended. The near silence stretched on for what felt like hours, Scootaloo sitting numbly on one of the beds, the sound of Bay's "work" and the thumps of hooves from above being replaced my metal clangs as they tried to work their way in. Eventually, Bay sighed, and fell back onto his forehooves, the strange devices gone. Dash was laying on the table, her breaths getting stronger. She was covered from head to hoof in her own blood, a good amount of which stayed on Bay's forehooves. He then scooped her up, and laid her on the cot opposite Scootaloo. Bay slumped down to the floor.
"I'm sorry you had to see that."
"Me too." The trio remained in silence, the clangs dominating the air.
"Will they ever get in?"
"Unless they have mini thermonuclear explosives, no."
"Can't they just teleport in?"
"Nah, its got a MaEMS sheild."
"Whats a mems?"
"M-a-E-M-S. Stands for Material and Energetic Manipulation System. It's an acronym."
"Sounds like a fancy name for magic."
"Its not magic. At least, by my definition."
"Oh." She sat on the bed,listening to Dash's steady breathing.
"Why'd you bring her in here?"
"She would have been dead by the time she got to a hospital."
"Why'd you bring me?"
"You could have been trampled by the mob." A faint boom sounded and the room shook.
"Great, now they're trying to blow it open." They sat some more.
"Hey, Bay, how did you not come under the control of the stare?"
"A long, mathematical equation, I'm sure. Let's just say I'm not from around here."
"Where are you from?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that." He gave her a weak smile. More awkward silence.
"Listen, kid. I'm going to go to bed, but I'm gonna move the ship. Be careful, you might fall. I'll see you in the morning. And again, I'm sorry." He disappeared through the doorway, and before long, the room shook, and started to shift. Surprised shouts came from outside, as it left the alley. They faded to silence. In a short while, it came to a stop, and the light flickered to a low glow. Scootaloo laid down on the bed, which didn't seem nearly as soft, and closed her eyes.