Sapphire and Steel: Assignment Equestria

by Bemused Fox

Chapter 3

With a trail of flapping books in her wake, Rainbow Dash hurtled through the library, barrelling into Applejack and knocking her to the floor. Spitting the book from her mouth, she spluttered, ‘She’s….Fluttershy….in…..story…Daring Do…cannibal zebras…’ Rainbow stammered. She shook her head and took a deep breath. ‘Is this a prank? Did Twilight magic the book? Because if you did, I didn’t fall for…it…’ It was then that she noticed Applejack’s tear-stained face. ‘Rarity’s gone. And Twi won’t wake up. I’ve been waiting hours, Rainbow. Where were you? I sent Pinkie to get help, but nopony came.’
‘What do you mean, gone? And what’s happened to Twilight? And…hours? What?’
‘Fluttershy’s where? Are you and Pinkie pulling another joke?’
The two ponies stared at each other in confusion.
‘I…..’
‘Uh…’
‘What the hay is going on here?’

Rainbow roughly shoved past toward Twilight’s bed. The unicorn lay on her side, her eyes closed. The blanket gently rose and fell in time with her slow, steady breathing. She laid a hoof on Twi’s forehead, feeling the warmth of her friend’s fur. ‘She’s just sleeping, isn’t she? Twi? Twi! Wake up!’ She made to shake the sleeping pony’s shoulder, but an orange hoof gently restrained her.
‘It’s no good, sugarcube, I’ve tried. I tried to make her comfortable as best I could. She just pitched over without a sound, right in front of me, and when I looked round for help, Rarity just faded and went. Pinkie and I moved her here and-‘ Applejack paused, and looked curiously at the pegasus. ‘Just what did you say about Fluttershy? Where is she?’

Wordlessly, Rainbow trotted to the discarded book and picked it up. ‘Thapther Thor’ she mumbled, her words muffled by the pages. She set it down on the bed,it’s cover falling shut. ‘Chapter four. I was reading it and then she was….she was in it.’ Applejack gave her friend a disbelieving look. ‘It’s true AJ, it really is! Look!’

‘I wouldn’t open that book if I were you.’

The two friends turned in surprise at the voice. An unfamiliar unicorn, with blue fur and piercing blue eyes, regarded them with a friendly smile. Beside her, a grey earth stallion glanced at them indifferently, his smoky grey eyes seeming to take in every detail of the library.

‘Who the hay are you two?

Steel glanced sideways at his companion, sending her his thoughts. Are they real?
Yes, they’re corporeal. Three ponies, one unconscious. All young adults, female…and frightened. She frowned. Steel…there are three other ponies. They’re…they’re not here, but they should be. I can feel their specific absence.
Two separate timelines?
No, it’s not like that. I’ve not felt this before, Steel. Something’s very wrong here.

‘I said, who are you? Did you do this to our our friends?’ The two ponies stood protectively in front of the bed, eyeing the pair with suspicion.
‘My name is Sapphire. My colleague is called Steel. We’re here to help. And you are?’
‘Don’t tell them, Applejack!’ Applejack rolled her eyes in exasperation. ‘Real smooth, Rainbow.’ The orange mare clapped her hoof over her mouth, her face flushing.

‘Applejack and Rainbow? What delightful names. I assure you, we’ve done nothing to your friends. But something has, and we’re here to help. We’re…experts, you could say.’
Steel glanced around the library, before fixing his gaze on Applejack. ‘Where is it, then?’
‘Uhh…where’s what?’
‘The time machine!’
Applejack frowned, nonplussed. ‘Thyme machine? You mean the herb grinder? In the kitchen, I guess, but….’

He waved a hoof dismissively and turned back to the unicorn. 'See if you can get anything relevant from these fools. I’m going to look around. Don’t let any of them leave.’

Applejack glared after him. ‘Friendly sort, ain’t he? Just who the hay are you two, anyhow? Did the Princess send you?’
‘A princess? No. We work for a…higher power. Your authorities could do nothing here anyway. Now, please do tell me what-‘
‘Do nothing?’ Rainbow Dash echoed incredulously, her hackles rising. ‘I don’t think so! The Princess needs to know! Twi’s her student –I’m going to tell her, now! You’ll see if she can do nothing!'
‘I don’t think that will be necessary. Please, just tell me what- ’

Rainbow flapped into the air, scowling at the newcomers. ‘I don’t give a flying feather what you think! I’m going to fetch Celestia and you can’t stop me!’ Hooves outstretched, she launched herself at the nearest window.

Sapphire closed her eyes and concentrated. As Applejack looked on in confusion, the library seemed to blur momentarily and-

Rainbow flapped into the air, scowling at the newcomers. ‘I don’t (huh?) give a flying feather what you (what’s) think! I’m going to fetch (happening?) Celestia and you can’t stop me!’ Hooves outstretched, she launched herself at the nearest window and-

-flapped into the air, scowling at the newcomers. ‘I (this is) don’t give a flying feather what you (wrong!) think! I’m going to fetch Celestia and you (help me) can’t stop me!’ Hooves outstretched, she launched herself at the nearest-

‘What the hay are you doing to her?’Applejack snarled, squaring up to the newcomer.

Sapphire smiled at her. ‘She’s in a closed time loop. A little talent of mine. I can manipulate Time to a limited extent, as your friend has just found out.’ She blinked, and behind her Rainbow dropped to the floor.

‘I can keep that up all day, if I have to. And I’m sure our time would be better spend helping us get your friends back, don’t you think? Now, please tell me everything that’s happened. And don’t miss out a single detail.’

Steel stalked round the library floor. Kitchen. Basement. Shelves. Desk. Books and busts, astronomical equipment, scientific glassware. Fresh paint half-covering the faded hoofprints of long-dead library patrons. Dust comprising decades-old pony hair and skin cells. The forgotten bones of a foal, buried under the floorboards. Sandpaper made from millenia-old sea creatures. The psychic echoes of a thousand personal dramas. Rage, joy, love and despair, all stained in the very fabric of the building. So many potential triggers, he thought. So many relics of accumulated Time, yet none seemed relevant. His attention drifted to the conversation upstairs. Sapphire was performing her role well, he considered.

‘…and when I looked down again, she was in the book. Part of the story, I mean – they were going to cook her in their cauldron!’

‘Well, yeah, we were just sharing nursery rhymes, most of us. You know? Just talking about when were were fillies, nothing weird.’

He sighed. Children. It nearly always involved children.

‘Twi’s was about a mare on the stair that wasn’t there – she said it used to frighten her, but she’s a bit of a nerd, you know? I’m not scared by anything like that, it’s just words, isn’t it?’

Just words. If he were given to laughter, Steel would have been laughing heartily at that. ‘Just’ words…such naïvity.

‘She frets about stuff, you know? Like that time-travelling spell – she spent days worrying about absolutely nothing because of it.’

A spell. That would make more sense that a physical machine, given the nature of this world. It would not, he considered, make their job any easier.

‘You can wake her up, can’t you? I…we want her back. Her and the others. Rarity, Fluttershy – you’ll bring them back? You can do that, can’t you?’

Steel shook his head in irritation and stalked back up toward the bedroom. The winged pony was hovering over the bed, the orange one standing by the slumbering unicorn. Both looked more relaxed than their original near-hysteria –Sapphire’s calming aura had performed as expected.
All three turned to him as he approached. ‘Bah.! So, your friend poked a hole through Time, in a building full of old books and old objects then you all decided to sit around reliving old memories.’ Steel shook his head in disgust. ‘Did you consider gift-wrapping it as well?’
Steel! They weren’t to know.
They never do, Sapphire.
Ho spoke out loud. ‘There are…creatures. Things that live outside of Time as you know it. Sometimes, they escape into the present. Sometimes,’ he looked meaningfully at the sleeping Twilight, ‘blundering fools practically send them an invitation to come and ravage their world.’

Sapphire shot him a glare. Not helpful, Steel. She turned back to the ponies and said brightly, ‘Whatever it is, it’s taken your three friends. And we’ll need your help to bring them back. You want that, don’t you?

Taken or killed, Sapphire?
We need these two lucid and functioning, Steel. They’ll be no help to us if they’re busy grieving. Besides, I told you. Three ponies who should be here. I might be wrong, but don’t think I’d sense that if they were dead.

Applejack spoke up. ‘Now hang on, Pinkie Pie went to get help, nothing took her. She should be back any moment, just you wait!’
‘Really. Did either of you actually see her leave?’ He looked questioningly at his companion. Sapphire closed her eyes for a moment then said ‘No. Nopony’s left the library since it happened.’

Steel regarded the two ponies thoughtfully. ‘So…was your friend Pinkie Pie reminiscing about being a filly too?’
The two friends glanced at each other briefly, then Applejack said carefully, ‘I don’t think Pinkie had much of a childhood worth remembering, if you take my meaning.’
‘Her parents were abusive?’
Applejack looked shocked. ‘No! Nothing like that, they’re decent folks in their own way, just…you know.’ She glared at them. ‘It ain’t my secret to tell, okay?’
‘That’s quite all right Applejack,’ Sapphire smiled pleasantly. ‘You’ve both been very helpful.’ She opened her thoughts to her companion. What did you find downstairs?
He responded silently. Little of relevance. There are hundreds of potential physical triggers, but I don’t believe any of them were responsible. Your assessment?
There’s a lot of damage here, Steel. The main fissure was on the library staircase, but…
‘Was’? It’s not there now?
Not now, no. That’s where it came in, where Time cracked, but it’s focussed on the purple one on the bed, I can tell that much. The time travel weakened Time enough to let it in, and all these old books might have been a catalyst, but it’s definitely tethered to the pony and not the place. And it’s getting stronger, Steel.
Hmm. Where are it’s weaknesses?
Hard to say. Whatever we’re dealing with, it’s creating localised Time distortions around the library. I can sense them – small, specific, but definitely still connected to that unicorn on the bed.
The book?
That’s one of them, yes. But I can feel others. I believe I can find them. If I can, we might - might – be able to recover the missing ponies.
You say the purple one is it’s anchor , if we were to-
Sapphire looked at him sharply. As a last resort, Steel. We’re operatives, not executioners – sometimes I think you forget that.
He matched her gaze. We do what needs to be done, Sapphire. Remember the railway station. Remember the pier. A few short lives for the good of the many.
Innocent lives, Steel.
Irrelevant. If they, or you, or I, need to be sacrificed, I shan’t hesitate. And I fully expect the same from you.

‘Uh, I’m sure y’all can swap loving looks later…?’

Sapphire said nothing, but stepped carefully around the bedroom,regarding each object carefully before shaking her head. At the top of the stairs she paused , head tilted, as if listening for something. The grey stallion looked up sharply. ‘Have you found something?’

The blue unicorn nodded, standing by Pinkie’s gramophone. ‘Another Time distortion, concentrated here.’
Steel regarded the brass horn dubiously. ‘Hmm. A music box, I surmise?’ Sapphire nodded. ‘Close. It’s a gramophone – a device for replaying captured sounds on engraved discs.’ Her horn glowed briefly. ‘Made around twenty years ago in a place called….Canterlot? The wood in its construction is older – around forty years. Nothing unsual. The disc is pressed resin, also twenty years old. Played several hundred times, slightly worn. The Pony Pokey on one side, The Pony Polka on the other, both sung by Max Haygraze.’

Applejack raised an eyebrow. ‘Y’all needed magic to tell you the singer?’

‘No, I read the label. Is there any significance to this record in particular?’ Sapphire gingerly placed the needle at the edge of the record and released the brake. The turntable began to revolve as the clockwork whirred.

Rainbow shrugged. ‘Pinkie brought it. I’d told her I liked it as a filly, you know?’ The pegasus looked down at her hooves, blinking back unexpected tears. ‘She remembers little things like that about everypony. It’s important to her.’

As the cheerful strains of the song began, Applejack and Rainbow exchanged an incredulous look. ‘Is that...is that Pinkie singing?’

Please place your pony partner in the pony polka pose
Don’t stop the song, just sing along and this is how it goes.
I’ll be doing the pony polka from my hooves up to my nose,
If there’s one thing that I’m good at it’s the pony polka pose!

The two friends turned pale – there was no mistaking the pink party pony’s singing coming from the gramophone. As they watched, the needle lifted, returning to the start of the record. As it did so, it dropped a little, scoring a scratch across the disc.

Please place your….Don’t stop….how it goes, I’ll be doing…hooves…thing that…..good

Please place….stop….how it….I’ll be…that…good

Please…stop…I’ll be….good

Please stop…I’ll be good

Please stop…I’ll be good

Please, stop….

Comments

[ProfCharles]

Well, this looks good. Not sure what its a crossover with, but sounds intersting.

One point I would like to make, is that you keep bunching up your paragraphs. Seperate them out, makes it a easier to read.

Apart from that, very good.

[Bemused Fox]

1473681

Thanks! Yeah, I guess I do need to sort out the paragraphs a bit, will crack on with that! I'm too used to writing admin reports with walls of text! (The first draft of this fic actually had the sentence 'The purple unicorn proactively utilised her magical resource...' which probably says it all!)

And if you've never watched Sapphire and Steel (or listened to the audio adventures by Big Finish), I thoroughly recommend you give it a go! I think most of it's on Youtube now.

[ProfCharles]

1473736

Yeah, I can understand that to an extent- I myself went from geology essays to creative writing.

I think I will check the show out once I have found the time (pun totaly unintentional), you've certainly sold it to me.

[Tanglemane]

There was no way I was the first to think of this crossover, was there? Aw, well.

I'm intrigued so far, and greatly impressed that you've got the dichotomy between Sapphire and Steel's approaches (and personalities) as well as their references to the show's superbly woolly metaphysics.

And you haven't even busted out the "Imagine a corridor.." speech yet!

The only criticism I have so far is the dialogue in the first chapter is laid out oddly and was quite hard to navigate. I managed to power through, but it could rob the sections of quite a lot of impact and could put a reader off.

Two last things; nice creepy end to this chapter (3) and have you considered using a guest appearance from Silver?

[Bemused Fox]

1590803

Eek - the record for latest reply to a comment goes to me, lol! Thanks for reading and really appreciate your comments - yep, no idea what's going on with the dialogue formatting but I'll get it sorted! Would be really intrigued to read your version of the crossover - not often I encounter another S+S fan! Silver could well be making an appearance...he's by far the best character! Have you heard the Big Finish audio stories? Really worth listening to, and the original actor for Silver reprises his role in them!

PS: I'm sorely tempted to go down the route of 'Imagine a cupcake...'

[Tanglemane]

1815855 Eh, time, as they say, is relative.

Yes, I've heard a few of the Big Finish productions and liked several of them. I think I recall one were "Time" or some personification of time turned up and started monologing. That didn't really work, but they are pretty well produced. Silver is fabulously droll and troll-y in them, so that's good.

Definitely use the cupcake analogy. I can see Pinky's expression even now...

[Winter Quill]

Sad that I just found this story now, open can hope that it will someday be revived.