Detrot: Become Equine

by Andromidus

3.2 - BUILT UPON SAND/UAA

Rarity sputtered and gasped as the red mess splattered across the room.

The liquid dripped and oozed down various surfaces, slathering everything in a healthy coat of fake blood. Few were spared from the crimson onslaught, least of all Rarity’s immaculate mane. She shook her head. But…! To focus on something so trivial would be so vain as there was a much more important matter at hoof—the blood problem would sort itself out.

It was her little sister, who was screaming and sobbing at the same time, possibly traumatized beyond belief—if normal reactions were anything to go by. She had just witnessed something of nightmarish levels! Her still-developing psyche probably wasn’t prepared to see something so absurd happen in reality. Her mind most likely believed that this was her blood everywhere.

I probably wouldn't have ever been prepared to see a shower of blood if I thought it was real. She chastised to herself and set about casting a solution on her array.

Generally, she avoided using this type of spell due to how taxing it could be on her reserves, but as of now, it called for an emergency. As that readied itself, she dragged the broken blood pack out and stared disdainfully at the jagged tear wrought against its surface. Without another thought, she tossed it into a waste disposal. Grabbing a new covering plate, she hovered it over the insertion points, careful to angle the plate so the hooks would loop under and attach properly.

Quick as to not waste any more time, Rarity slipped the plate back on and secured it with a mental command. A trailing blue light marked where the separating line used to be as it synced with the rest of her body. Soon enough, anypony looking at it would have never seen any damage or commented on how it looked out of place. She waved it around to make sure it was firmly in place. I can always replace the blood pack later.

Her array flashed a bright white as it washed down the area, instantly removing any sign that there had ever been a stain on either of them. Pristine white coats, just as she remembered. She took a step forward, however, only to let out a small gasp as the drain took its effect. Her front hooves nearly collapsed from the strain of simply supporting the front half of her body and her vision waned. She coughed and shook her head, clearing away the momentary daze.

Satisfied, she sidestepped the shrinking puddles over to her sister. Mindful of where she would be placing her rump to sit, she plopped down behind her.

“Sh-sh-sh. It’s okay. There’s no need to cry, Sweetie. I’m more than fine,” she whispered, wrapping her up in a tight hug. “Please. I’m okay. I'm okay, What you saw was nothing more than a harmless accident. See?” She raised her foreleg to show off the unmarred skin and pristine fur. “That was nothing. It was nothing, I assure you!”

“B-But you—I saw—blood! S-So, so much of it!” she stuttered out, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes. “H-How can you b-be fine?”

Rarity bit her lower lip. There couldn’t have been any possible way Sweetie Belle could’ve seen anything concrete aside from the cloud of red, however, how could she explain all of this? All of the equipment pertaining to equdroid upkeep and maintenance sat right in this room, all of it in plain view. It was getting easier to discern everything too as the embedded runes began absorbing the mess. And for a foal her age, her sister was quite well-informed and naturally inquisitive.

“I just am. Please, let's just head downstairs and join your friends,” she assured, nudging her head with her snout. “It's been quite the stressful afternoon for the both of us, and I think snacking on a little something sweet would help quell that, no?”

The filly stopped to consider it, her head jerking back each time she sucked in air. A minute later, Sweetie Belle nodded and pushed her tears away. “O-Okay.” She replied shakily. “And… and if it's alright with you… c-can you carry me… can you carry me on your back? At least until we get downstairs?”

She acquiesced by laying down on her stomach. “Anything for you, darling. Come now. We should hurry before you have nothing left to eat.”

She nodded and blinked away more tears. Sweetie clambered onto her back, precariously balancing herself into a comfortable position. Once she was set, she murmured her signal and tugged on her sister’s hair to let her know she was secure.

With that, Rarity stood back up on all fours, ready to head to the kitchen with her filly cargo on her back. Quietly, did she let the secret door close behind them. Much to her relief, her sister said nothing or failed to really think about it.

Only for that relief to crumble to fine dust. “I… I really thought I g-got you hurt, Rarity,” she whispered. “L-Like, really b-bad!” Sweetie looked on blankly, eyes never leaving the floor.

Salvage this. “Perhaps… but consider this! Do you happen to see any lasting damage?”

“W-Well… n-no…”

She laid her head lovingly against her sister. “Then there’s nothing for you to worry over.”

She gently made her way into the hallway, stopping at the top flight of stairs. She paused for a moment… to just think. To think and consider the consequences of letting her little sister see all of that. A soft-spoken voice snapped her away.

“I… I saw so much… just… I don’t…” Sweetie mumbled, burying her head in her older sister's mane. “...get it.”

“It must just be your overactive imagination, Sweetie. Are you certain you saw a shower of blood that large? Have you been watching those silly Trotontino movies again?”

“N-No…”

“Well then, if that’s all…”

“Actually…”

Rarity stopped, her hoof hovering over the first step. “Yes?”

“I’ve g-got a question about the room…”

Her synthetic fur stood on end.

Possibilities ran around in her head, with the most obvious one being: “Why do we have that room when there aren’t any equdroids for us to worry about?” That. How was she supposed to answer that!? She would get even more suspicious considering that the room was initially hidden, and if she knew Sweetie, she’d have known the layout of their home like the front of her hoof! There was no lying to her about how she would have glossed it over.

She was stuck. Terribly, terribly, stuck.

How could I even explain all of this!? Tell her that we aren’t related by blood? That I’ve been lying to her for her entire life? Her eye twitched. She could feel some of her systems begin to err out. Rarity began to feel… lightheaded. She hissed. For the longest time she’d known herself, she had a technical issue related to high-stress situations, creating an effect that was not far off what a pony would call fainting. Rarity and her “parents” tried for the longest time to isolate the problem… however, it seemed adamant and slippery. Whenever it seemed that it was gone, it came back weeks or months later.

Eventually, they just gave up.

Almost like it was ingrained into her hard drive, she held a hoof to her forehead. Her world began to wobble and teeter. Where… where was that… couch? She gave herself a light smack on the cheek.

N-No! Stop. You've got a filly riding on your back. She silently chastised herself. Just… just… breathe.

You're an intelligent, independent mare. You've trotted through worse and if you couldn't maneuver yourself out of this one…

“Rarity?” The voice snapped her back. “Rarity, are you okay?”

“Yes! Yes. I’m fine,” she replied. “And to answer your previous question, that room was first included in the house. We just never had the chance to use it for it's intended—”

The door slammed open and a uniformed dragon rushed in, handgun raised. Another pony rushed in behind him, array raised and sparking. “DPD! We’ve got the area surrounded!” he roared, as a barrier flashed to life around the duo. “Come out with your hooves in the air and make this easier for all of us!”

Rarity exhaled a sigh of relief, thankful for the opportunity to dodge the question.

A startled Applebloom and Scootaloo who were making their way towards the commotion tumbled and leaped back in fright, scrambling for cover behind a couch.

Sweetie Belle almost slipped off as well but was quickly caught by lightning-fast reflexes and carefully placed onto the floor. The filly right herself and peered through the railings with a curious look.

They’ve arrived! She noted. Although… they’ve arrived a couple minutes too late. I’ve already cleaned up the mess, it seems. She laid a hoof on the guardrail, staring at the figure behind the shimmering barrier. A dragon…

Rarity cleared her throat to catch their attention.

The dragon’s head snapped to face her, gun trailing right behind him. But as he processed the situation, he lowered the weapon in confusion. “We came on the call that there was a home invasion.” He stopped and looked around the fairly serene surroundings. “Were we wrong?”

The equdroid shook her head. “You have the right address, officer. It’s just, well… I managed to handle the stallion with some creative thinking and luck. I’ve tied him up and left him in the master bedroom, however.” She straightened her posture and head, mane bouncing alongside her. “I hope that’s quite alright.”

The dragon's mouth fell to a flat line. “No, that’s… that’s good.” He relaxed and holstered the pistol. “P-UTS001. Go and retrieve the pony, I’ll be here.”

“Very well, Lieutenant.” The hum from her array died, the barrier following not long after. “I’ll take the liberty of utilizing the transportation pad if that is all fine with you? I know that it is a fairly new device but the—”

“Yes. Don’t care. Just do it,” he replied coldly. “I'll be here.”

It seems he isn't too fond of equdroids.

The unnamed equdroid nodded, fixing a slight crease on their outfit before heading up the flight. As the other unicorn turned her head, they locked eyes for a moment. A shiver fell down her spine as Rarity felt like she had been laid bare before the stranger, every secret thrown to the wind. She shivered and the feeling was gone, along with the equdroid. She caught a glimpse of her tail as they vanished into her bedroom.

That… that was strange. I wonder what that was about…?

“So, Miss, would you prefer talking up there or down here?” the dragon asked, pulling out a tablet. “I’m just getting a statement and some preliminary information…” he stated, tapping on the device. “I know it's fairly cut and dry with this kind of thing… or at the very least, looks that way. Who knows if you could be framing him?”

Rarity frowned. “You would claim that?”

He shrugged. “I could do that. I could not do that. That's why I'm corroborating evidence and testimonies.” He paused, tapping a claw on the top of the tablet. “Things like this can happen. It's my job to make sure justice is served to the right pony. I'm sure you can understand that, right?”

She nodded. “Certainly.” She removed her hoof from the rail and straightened up. “If it’s fine with you, would you like to converse in the kitchen? I have some things I need to do…”

The dragon nodded. “Alright. That’s reasonable.”

Rarity smiled. As she trotted down the stairs with Sweetie hiding adorably behind her tail, she realized they hadn’t properly introduced themselves. “May I have the pleasure of knowing who I’m speaking with?”

“Right, my bad,” he chuckled. “Lieutenant Spike of the Detrot Police Department.” A moment passed between them. “I’d think that’d be a mouthful, however. You can call me just Spike,” he added.

He certainly turned around for the better, much more lively than before! Perhaps his equdroid partner just brings out the worst in him? “Rarity Belle,” she responded, exuding her legendary ladylike charm, “lady of the estate, and dare I flaunt, an expert seamstress.” She giggled upon announcing the last of her self-proclaimed “title.” That made her sound pretentious. Whipping her head up to cast her drooping mane aside, she continued the way down. Her eyes and head darted to glimpse behind her, the filly quietly following along. Satisfied, she returned back to focusing forward. However, Rarity could still quite clearly feel her tail shift as Sweetie adorably remained behind her, wary and using her as a buffer between the surprisingly civil dragon.

She’s… just a little on edge, is all. Nothing for you to worry too much about. She couldn’t help but feel the guilt from the prior fiasco. I’m so sorry, Sweetie.

With her hoof leaving the last step, she stood on equal grounds with the police officer. He… was much taller than her. About two heads, perhaps.

“I’m sure you are,” he said, suddenly.

“Pardon?”

“A great seamstress.”

Oh my, am I ditzy enough to have forgotten our previous conversation? And he’s sounding quite sincere about it as well! A gentlecolt dragon. I’d never thought I’d see the day. “Oh, you flatter me, Sir Dragon,” she said, smiling. “But I’m not so vain as to claim that! However, I am quite confident in my abilities,” Rarity added, maintaining her grin.

He nodded, the infectious nature of the expression creeping onto his face. “Sir Dragon?” Spike asked, amused.

“I’m just returning the gesture, after all!” Rarity paused for a second, holding back a giggle. “Well, if it’s all done and said, I’m sure you’d want to get your questioning underway. I’d hate that I’m wasting your valuable time.”

Spike blinked before raising a hand, palm facing her. “Of course. I’m sure I’m already intruding enough as it is, Miss.” He looked around the room, catching the looks of the fillies, each with their own varying levels of apprehension. The orange one, he noted, seemed far more inquisitive than the other two. “I do know that my appearance has always made ponies… uncomfortable. I’ll be quick to get out of your mane once this whole ordeal is over.”

Rarity nodded, before turning to face the foals and subsequently exposing the filly huddled between her legs. The filly yelped and quickly joined her friends behind their hiding place. “Oh, settle down, Sweetie Belle. He’s not going to eat you. Spike’s a part of the police force and kinder than most ponies I’ve come across.” The unicorn mare rolled her eyes and lifted the couch up in her magic. “Whether or not you take my words seriously, I would think it would be best if we sent your friends home. I’m sure their families would want to know what happened here today and that they’re safe.” Rarity paused, turning her head to look at Spike. “If… if that’s alright with you, Officer?”

Spike crouched low, and she watched him smile warmly at the bunched group, his lips bunched awkwardly. It was looking like he was careful not to bare his fangs at them. He's probably had to have practiced this. If I didn't have cameras for eyes, this might've passed me by. “They’re free to leave whenever. We usually don’t question younger ponies unless we absolutely have to.” He flashed a toothy grin. “And you seem to be the honest type, anyway. I’m sure we won’t need too much to get the full story; my partner,” he paused, grin faltering and almost sounding as if he didn’t want to utter the next set of words, “Spa...Sparkle... is an advanced detective equdroid. Scene analysis and recreation is her forte. I suppose she’ll be the final say in all of this.”

“Then if it’s like that, you three can go ahead and go,” Rarity said, ushering them out from the spot the couch once occupied before gently lowering the furniture wrapped in her array. “Did you three finish the snacks?”

The two other fillies looked to each other before Scootaloo nodded. “We, uh, finished them pretty fast.”

“That’s a shame. If we had any left, I would’ve offered them to Sir Spike.”

“Spike is fine, miss. And I would’ve declined,” he piped up. “Although a glass of water would be appreciated.”

Rarity made a small noise of acknowledgment. “That I know for certain I can get you. Very well then, off you three go,” Rarity replied, turning to face her charges. She trotted behind the bunched up fillies, ushering them towards the direction of the staircase with a hoof. They complied almost reluctantly—if the short moment of hesitation was anything to her.

She caught one last look from Sweetie.

There was the quiet sensation of the lies tearing at her heart before she turned and gestured for the dragon to follow. Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening them slowly as she trotted forward. Leading him into the kitchen, she swiftly levitated the mess of utensils and plates into the dishwasher before picking out a glass and filling it with the requested water. With no loss in grace, she closed the dishwasher door while laying the glass right in front of Spike as he took a seat.

“Showing off?” a dragon asked, a cheeky smile present on his face.

Rarity blinked, snapped out of her ingrained routine. She blushed. “No, ah, it just happens to be something I’ve accustomed myself to.” There was a moment of pause to process. “And I suppose it’s a preference of mine… that I enjoy doing things with a little bit of grace and elegance. I’ve done it so many times now it’s practically muscle memory, anyway.” It’s not completely a lie. It’s just… half-truths blended together.

“So I take it then that makes you a seamstress and the caretaker of the household?”

“I suppose it does,” she hummed, wiping her hooves with a small cloth. “It can get a little exhausting with what all the work orders and such, but I manage.”

The equdroid managed to catch a… spark in his eye. Of what? It felt like recognition or admiration, almost. Spike nodded and then tipped the rest of the water into his mouth. He gently let the glass down and… what was it those minotaurs called it? Finger guns? “Well, you do an amazing job, then. Way better job than I ever could and your place is much bigger than mine.”

She smiled at his compliment, before making a minute turn of the head. He had been repeatedly offering flattering remarks ever since they had met. Coincidence? Perhaps it was just part of his personality, being a nice… dragon to all that he met. It would probably do well, considering his nature. He did act this way towards Sweetie and her friends…

Ah, look at yourself, Rarity, thinking that you have somepony trying to make a move on you.

“I try my best, Spike.”

There was a quiet rapping of a hoof on a wall behind them. She looked away from Spike to stare at the other equdroid, who was standing by the entrance to the kitchen. The dragon barely glanced at her, before talking. Even now, he failed to completely give his full, undivided attention.

“Yes?” he asked.

“There has been a complication that needs your attention, Lieutenant. It would be optimal if we took this discussion outside, as it contains sensitive information.” She raised a hoof and slowly gestured to the entrance.

There was a scowl visibly present on his face as he drummed his claws against the countertop. It appeared as if Spike didn’t want to go anywhere, especially not with the mare. “Alright. Fine.” There was notable hesitation present in his actions before he stood up out of his chair and calmly pushed it back to its original position. He flicked his hand at her in a rather upset fashion, motioning for her to do so. Sparkle, was it? Moved without another word, swiftly turning to lead him outside. She watched the pair leave with a spark of interest, leaning forward as far as her position would allow her.

Rarity watched the spiked tail of the dragon disappear behind the closing shape of the door. There was no click. She tilted her head in confusion and squinted. From here, she could see it didn’t close completely, left slightly ajar. She pursed her lips. There was that small, nagging temptation to creep up behind the door…

Surely it won't…? Oh, but… now, if they never see anything…

She trotted as quiet as she could to the front of the door, ready for anything.

“...absurd!” Spike yelled.

“My data is infallible. It would certainly be worrying if it malfunctioned already.”

“You’re a prototype, you hunk of metal! Of course there’s a high chance of you fucking up!”

“‘Rarity’ did not register on my biological scanner. Multiple presets failed to return any reasonable information, as well.” There was a pause. “So I attempted my electronic scanner with preset gamma loaded. I believe you can connect the dots?”

Rarity’s mouth ran dry and she stepped back in shock, slowly backing away to the presumed safety of the kitchen.

“No, I can not connect the dots. Whatever you’re saying is stupid!”

“Very well. I am capable of gathering more information and proof in different fashions to rein...”

Already, she found herself seated and her hooves laid on the countertop. The beat of her pump seemed to accentuate itself in this moment, ever so loud, ever so vibrant. She held one hoof to her forehead, dizzy. This was all too much. The day had barely even begun its transition to evening and already everything she had so carefully constructed—her entire life, her stone tower, was crumbling. Secrets were pulled into the light, either by poor circumstances or by forces simply out of her control. There was so much regret. So much thinking back on things. If she hadn’t… if she didn’t…

All ifs! All of them!

What was she going to do?

“Unknown deviant.” Those words sent chills down her cords and ice into her chassis. How had she arrived without a single chirp or noise? She could feel the contact of foreign cloth on her synthetic fur. How had she gotten so close?

Another voice, deeper, rang out—who could it…? No, no, wait. That was Spike. Get yourself together. “I swear, Sparkle, you do something I know you'll regret and it'll all be on you!” Spike shouted from the foyer. In the breadth of a second, he was standing by the kitchen’s entrance, eyes narrowed, claws around the frame. “Sparkle!? What the hell are you doing!?”

Rarity felt a hoof brush against her chest plate and she glanced to it. The low outline of unmistakable blue glowed faintly beneath her fur, running in neat, intricate lines. She backed away immediately.

Her thirium pump drummed louder now as the equdroid hunter closed in on her, head low. There was no emotion present on its face as the distance dropped with each fall of the hoof. No sinister gaze, no angry glare… just… just an impassive, blank look. As if it was a soulless creature coming to claim her.

Whatever this thing was… it wasn’t like her. She… she was alive. A free being. That? Only hell knew, she supposed.

Her neural network thrummed with fury, eating up her attention. All Rarity could think of doing at this point was backpedal. The sensation of her tail crimping between two solid objects snapped her out of her haze—alongside the neural network that was feverishly working to make a decision not seconds ago.

She looked back to see how much she had backed up. The door of the cupboard was enough to tell her—rapid movement, alert. Rarity’s head snapped forward, only to gasp and instinctively crash into the wall she just inspected. The equdroid had moved at a speed that she thought was impossible.

Staring not inches from her face, was the equdroid. “You are ordered to stand down by the order of your manufacturer, ViTAS. Do not make the retrieval of your chassis anymore difficult than required,” Sparkle said, voice strong and unwavering, while horrifyingly robotic in its recitement of the order, her chin up and look ever so condescending. “I am authorized to use whatever force is necessary to bring you in. Everything short of… lethal.”

The rain was immediately heavy upon her coat, harsh against her face as she leaped through the window. The drops were fat, wilting her mane to almost glue itself on her head.

Her painstakingly applied makeup, done with care and love, ran with the tears and deluge.

Her forehooves struck the ground as she landed from her jump, splashing mud in a wide circle around her and onto her previously pristine coat.

If it were any other situation, any situation where her life was not in peril, where she would be taken away and quite possibly destroyed just because she wanted to lead a free life, because she decided to grow a damned consciousness., she would be complaining and loudly voicing her concerns about how… no, no. Think about the now, and run.

Her synthetic muscles tensed. Her back legs snapped out. She exploded into movement. Before the next drops of rain could strike, she was speeding down the empty sidewalk of the neighborhood, splashing into puddles all along the way. There was no direct direction she was planning on taking—her system defaulted into a flight response. She was now simply working off the criteria of escaping. Getting as far away as she could. Of getting away from the hunter. Perhaps rational thought would’ve been her savior here. But as panic-fueled as she was, she had very little of that.

Left? Right? Left?

The cross section was coming closer now. She had to pick. Right? Right. She moved to make the turn. As she shifted the positioning of her hooves, her magical sensors flared and she—

Threw all of her body weight to the left.

A square net of lightning blossomed where she was about to run. It pulsated with electric fury, glowing vibrantly in the rain. Her shock was palpable, surprise evident, at how close she was to—magical sensors flaring.

She rolled out of the mud, kicking herself back onto her hooves. The same exact net of lightning, horizontally placed this time, crackled where she had been laying. Her mouth was gaping and her eyes were wide. This… thing… really wasn’t letting her have any breathing room. Her array activated and she wiped the mud caking her face. If that was the case… she would return the gesture, if only to secure her escape.

Against everything her systems were telling her, she glanced back. It was only for a moment, just a moment, but she managed to lock eyes with the hunter.

Soulless pits, emotionless gaze, deep and uncaring. It was as if it had no soul, nothing further than strings, code, and wire.

She regretted that.

It was like staring at the Reaper herself, only except it was far more tangible and—focus! Now is not the time to be trotting off into tangents! With a whip of her head, she redirected the falling rain towards the hunter. Like a wall of needles, they flew through the air poised to strike their target, whistling through the roar of water.

Without another moment of hesitation, she turned back to her escape route and darted wherever her hardware planned to guide her.

From underneath the roar of the rain, she could faintly hear the soft vwoorp of a barrier being cast.

She thanked her luck that it considered her minor distraction enough of a threat to deploy a countermeasure. Now she hoped that would buy her enough time to lengthen the distance between them. Just enough to slip away. Just enough. She shook her head to throw off the pooling rain and pushed her servos to their absolute limits.

Vehicles, both automated and manually controlled, moved like phantoms alongside her, humming silently, identified only by the wake of water they shoveled aside. Traffic from all senses and directions began to pile up, sounds and sights, plentiful. While her body raced against the hunter, her mind had been taken up by the sudden jump in environmental stimulation.

None of this seemed… correct.

A concerned-looking, but not truly as emotionally invested—if they were, they would've perhaps stopped to ask her about her problems—pony watched her flash past. Near immediately did her head turn back to stare at them in bewilderment. Rarity, almost, almost stopped completely in her crazed sprint to wonder who would be out in this dreadful weather. She quickly caught herself from committing to such a blatantly fatal mistake and instead chose to display her confusion on her face as the pony vanished further behind a sheet of water.

Then her panic-addled mind finally decided to piece the little puzzle together. A small, quite minuscule, yet however present feeling of embarrassment managed to work its way to her face. It seemed silly to forget where she happened to be.

She wasn't sure when she had managed to move from the suburbs to the reaches of the city proper, but perhaps this was a welcome development for her situation. It would be easier to slip away. Compared to her options before, this… had higher chances of success.

Hopefully.

The air crackled and purple light burst from in front of her. Sudden, strong, and bright, it cut through the dreary storm. She scrambled to a stop in alarm, her hooves searching for purchase on the drenched concrete.

As her receptors adjusted to the warping of light intensity, her pump clenched like a vice. There was no mistaking that shape, even if it was partially obscured by the sheets of water.

“I will not repeat myself, deviant.” Obscured and diluted as its voice was, there was no mistaking what it demanded.

There was no time to think anymore. She made the first turn she could and bolted like a housecat on full tilt down the narrow path. She dodged the obstructions lying in her way, trash, dumpsters, boxes… and…

...and a fence.

Oh nononono…!

She slammed her forehooves down and came to an abrupt stop. Her eyes darted to see anything that could boost her up. Nothing. The alley was devoid of such. Cascading further into her blind panic, she activated her array and shook the fence, hoping it was sloppily constructed or perhaps weakened. It stood strong, unmoved. She cursed whoever had the gall to have made this correctly.

But there was no time to chastise her luck or that pony. As best as her frame could allow, she scrambled for purchase along the gaps in the chain-link surface. She was no athletic, she hadn’t opted for any specialized parts outside of her sewing specialty. How she regretted that so dearly—look how it came back to bite her. She shook her head and the water out of her mane. But there was no time to chastise her hindsight. She just needed to keep going. Keep climbing, keep moving. Stay alive, stay—

Rarity gasped as she slipped off the top and slammed into the muddy ground, submerging the rest of her body with clumps of grass and earth. Shakily, she stood in surprise and looked straight up into the sky, watching the faint glow of the sun behind heavy clouds. She wasn’t sure how she had managed it, but she had accomplished it. Taking an unnecessary gasp of air, she looked ahead to see dark shapes and lights zooming on a highway. There was only one way out now.

Out of a burst of curiosity, she returned to face the fence, her dreaded obstacle, once more.

...and faced the hunter eye-to-eye, with the only thing separating them now was a thin veil of metal wires.

And for the first time, it displayed emotion.

Her expression was one of anger, frustration, and a hint of disappointment balled into one.

Rarity knew that one all too well.

She jerked away as a scintillating flash struck her eyes. Reflexively, she raised a hoof to cut off most of it as she adjusted to the sight. Reaffirming and posture tensing for escape should anything endanger her, she chose, perhaps out of curiosity or plain stupidity, to stand and stare. The hunter also seemed to prioritize the growing noise and light behind them, turning almost completely to face it. The noise reached its climax as the source of the light shone at its brightest.

Only for all of that to be abruptly cut off.

“Sparkle, what the actual fuck were you thinking?” Lieutenant Spike? He’d managed to follow us all the way over here? “Do you have some faulty code in that shitty prototype brain of yours!?” he roared, heat building in the back of his throat.

Rarity watched as he flicked the kickstand down and stormed over. She watched as he pressed a particularly sharp claw on the hunter’s jacket repeatedly. She watched as he lowered himself to be level with her hunter, his eye glaring fury into her’s. “We. Do. Not. Chase. Innocent. Ponies.” His voice had taken on a dangerously sharp hint that sent icy shivers down her spine.

“I know what I’m doing, lieutenant. The data I have collected does not lie and neither do I,” she replied coolly. “And I have a mission still in progress.”

“SPARK—!”

It happened all so quickly. The crackle of air and magical release. The flash of light. The lurching sensation from the weight on her back. The world spinning in a nauseating roll. The slick earth still wet from the heavy rain. The heavy fog that had come from somewhere. All of which was blurred together in a span of seconds.

But none of that could compare to the sensation, the dread, of passing the warning barrier, the rapidly climbing fear of the confirmation of asphalt against her back, scraping at her fur… and the rumble in her ears.

Rarity’s head smacked level with the ground, her eyes staring at two insidious lights.