Chapter 21 - The Usual
Wiping down the bar, Bar Service watched as Sunbeam wiped down the last two tables simultaneously with levitated cloths.
“Cheater.”
A tongue stuck out at him was the response to his remark.
Finishing the tables, Sunbeam sat down by the bar and looked around the empty room. The empty bar seemed strangely melancholic to her. Wordlessly, Bar Service placed a glass of Jackie D next to her.
“Thanks.”
“So, what’s been up with you?”
Looking up from her glass at him, she raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
“The last three days you’ve been nice, pleasant and respectful. It’s downright terrifying. You’ve even been calling my brother by his proper name.”
Ever since Sunbeam had found out Quick Service’s nickname of ‘Quickie’, she’d gleefully refused to call him anything else.
“He’s sure you’re up to something. I keep coming in expecting to find he’s barricaded himself into the stallions room or something.”
Lowering her head, Sunbeam let out a snigger. “Now I’ve reached the conclusion that I am actually staying in Ponyville, I’m trying to…” She waved a hoof in front of her in a vague manner. “...you know, make an effort, be a normal, nice, pony kinda thing. ” Rubbing her eyes she let out a sigh of frustration. “Argh, two days I’ve been trying to think of a better answer, but that’s still the best I’ve got.”
Reaching over the bar, Bar Service placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“I think you’re doing great. Do you want me to put Quick out of his misery and tell him?”
She shook her head. “Oh Tartarus no! Watching him get paranoid while I do nothing is funny as buck.” Pausing she considered her last remark. “For the record, I’m trying to be a good little…” A slight wince crossed her face before she corrected herself. "I’m trying to be a better pony, not a saint.”
“If you’re trying to be a better pony, perhaps you could come in tomorrow and help out on your day off.”
“I said a better pony, not a stupid pony.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waiting for Bar to finish locking up, Sunbeam sat just outside the Swift, looking up at the night sky. Even in the middle of Ponyville with all the street lights, the night sky was magnificent.
Bar came out the door, switching the last of the lights out, before locking the side door. Noticing Sunbeam staring up at the sky, he felt he had to comment about the faint smile on her face.
“I hope you’re not going to start waxing poetic about the night. If you burst into verse, I’m running.”
Sunbeam continued to look up at the night sky. “I’ve always liked the night... feels like home these days.”
‘Also makes me a harder target to hit.’
Bar tried the door handle, making sure it didn’t move. “You should join the Luna Guard then if you like the night that much.”
Sunbeams head snapped round. “Excuse me? I am way too nice a pony to do that!” Bringing a hoof up to her chest, she did her best to look mortally insulted.
With a shake of his head, Bar starting walking away. “Well, enjoy your day off tomorrow.”
“Today you mean, it's two-thirty in the morning.”
“Well enjoy the rest of your day off then. And as always, be careful on your walk home, you never know who is about.”
Sunbeam nodded and started on her way home. Any pools of light cast by street lamps were carefully walked around.
Almost home, a quiet noise from an alleyway gave her pause. Walking up to the wall next to the entrance, she carefully peered around the wall into the alleyway, making sure as much of her stayed hidden as possible. She could see a small pony, that looked to be crying, sat next to a wagon. She relaxed.
Closing her eyes, she leaned on the wall. ‘Ugh, I just want to go home. Seeing as I’m doing the whole ‘better pony’ thing suppose I should find out if I could help.’
Plastering on her best fake smile, Sunbeam trotted around the wall into the alleyway and towards the pony. An adolescent stallion she was able to make out, as she got closer.
“Hi there, you’re up late. Is there a problem.”
Not responding, the pony kept crying.
With a slight grunt, Sunbeam took a step closer.
“Are you okay?”
Still no response, so she walked up to the young stallion and tapped him on the shoulder.
“I said…”
In one fluid motion, the pony turned to face her, bringing up a hoof up to his muzzle and blew a fine powder into her face.
Pulling her head back, half lifting a foreleg in surprise, she was too late to avoid inhaling most of the powder blow into her face.
Blinking twice at the pony, her foreleg that was raised fell limply. Her eyes half closing and her ears falling flat to the sides, she stood there swaying unsteadily. Her other foreleg giving out, she pitched forward while rolling sideways, resulting in her shoulder taking the brunt on her impact on the ground. Laying on her side, Sunbeam found herself just wanting to go to sleep.
‘Get up you... stupid mare! Get up. Get up… you…... stu……... pid……...... bitc...’ Her eyes fluttered, and closed.
He watched as Sunbeam lost her battle to stay awake. ‘I got her! I got her! Now to get her into the cart and away from here.’
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunbeam slowly came round, laying on her side she opened her eyes and tried to focus on the grey blur that greeted her. Trying to bring up a hoof to rub them, she found the hoof was only able to move an inch, causing a jolt to her shoulder as she tried to move it. A hiss escaped her lips as she curled up, her face scrunched up in agony, as the shoulder that had hit the ground screamed in pain.
After a few minutes, and now fully awake, the pain had subsided enough for Sunbeam to be able to think clearly. Along certain lines anyway.
“Somepony… is going… to die.”
Opening her eyes again, she lifted her head up and around, wincing at the spike of pain from her shoulder as she moved her head.
‘Think I’m starting to make things out. Thirsty! Ugh, a headache as well. I hate pain!’
Looking down at herself she could see all four of her legs were gathered together below her. Trying to move one of her back legs, while letting the others go limp, she found the others moved with it. Sunbeam was able to make out the rope wrapped around her ankles.
“So not into bondage.” Slowly letting her head fall back onto the ground, she contemplated her next course of action. ‘Too much to hope that I haven't got an inhibitor ring on, but I need to try, it would be so embarrassing otherwise.’ Sunbeam grimaced. ‘Of course getting captured like that is embarrassing. You let your guard down you stupid mare. If I get out… When, when I get out, I’m not doing that again. Well, time to try some magic, oh, this is going to hurt methinks.’
She started powering up her horn with the tiniest amount of magic possible. The ‘Ice Cream Headache’ as she would have called it, lasted five minutes.
Through clenched teeth, she snarled. “Okay, enough pain for this year, Somepony...”
She froze, her eyes opening in shock. ‘Somepony could be watching me right now!’
Lifting her head again, pushing through the burst of pain from her shoulder, she looked around the cave.
‘Cave, I’m in a cave. Finally! I can focus. Can’t see anypony... Annnd this place is a dump.’
Looking around the cave walls were lined with bits of wood, torn boxes and other debris she couldn’t identify. Most of it looking like it had been pushed to the edges to make room for her. The cave had a low ceiling, she would not have been able to stand upright on her hind legs. The wagon from the alleyway pushed deeper into the cave.
‘Once I am out of here, gonna need some immunisation shots. Focus! Escape first, bloody vengeance, later. There could be more that one, and with me without magic… First off, need to get free of ropes.’
This time, she curled back up again, trying to get a good look at the ropes without lifting her head.
‘Inch thick rope, good for securing small boats, lousy for knots. Amateur stuff, thinking the thickest rope is best. For ponies you need thinner rope that can have a tight knot, wrapped around multiple times for strength…’
Another lift of the head and another wince later, she stared at the knot. She could see the end of rope sticking out past the knot.
Reaching down, her mind a careful blank, she placed her teeth on the other side of the knot where the rope ended and bit down hard. With a grimace from the feel of the rope on her teeth and her protesting shoulder, she tugged on it. It moved...
Her expression became impassive as she stared at it for a few seconds. 'Somepony is in for a world of hurt.' She reached back down to the rope with her teeth.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sitting there, the rope thrown to one side, she twisted her head, trying to free any kinks out of her neck. Her shoulder still ached and the limp was atrocious, but she was mobile.
‘Time to leave, who knows what time our friend gets back. Could be others so can't stay and ‘say thank you’. Have to come back later and… Screw it, let’s just get the Tartarus outta here.’
Reaching down she picked up a length of wood between her teeth and took an experimental swipe with it. The bite marks in the wood became deeper when her shoulder flared in pain and she sat back down.
‘Okay, can't fight, can’t run. Can’t use magic. Buck!’
It was at this point the adolescent yellow earth pony from the alleyway trotted in, head held high. A basket of flowers in his mouth. Stopping dead he stared at Sunbeam as she sat there, the strongest rope he could find just laying contemptuously discarded on the floor next to her. A club in her mouth, glaring back at him.
Dropping the basket, he took a step back. A low growl filled the cave.
The two stared at one another, then Sunbeam slowly lifted her hoof and tapped her horn.
“Oh, you want me to take the ring off.”
A slow nod.
“Well, I can’t do that, see…” The growl was lower and harsher this time.
He took several steps towards Sunbeam until she raised a hoof, indicating he should stop. Lowering her head, but her eyes never leaving him, she pointed her horn at him.
Reaching out, he placed a hoof under the ring, noting a slight tremble when he touched her. With one swift flick, the ring sailed off her horn and bounced on the ground.
Watching her, he could see her wince again before spitting the club out of her mouth.
‘Must be the magic returning to her horn, hear that can be painfu...’
He never saw the glow develop around the horn, or around him. He did feel it when he was thrown upwards into the ceiling. The glow faded and he fell to the floor along with a shower of rock dust.
Laying winded on the floor, he was rolled over and a hoof placed onto his throat.
She looked down at him.
“I am upset.”
The pressure on the hoof increased, making it hard for him to breathe.
The pressure let off, but only enough not to choke him.
“How many of you are there here?”
“J-Just me.”
She nodded. 'He looks too scared to lie convincingly right now.'
“Now, you drug me, tie me up without even inquiring if I swing that way.” Her voice became lower. “And your sleeping dust, or whatever, I trust you worked out my mass, weight, and metabolism first to ensure I got a correct dose.”
“Umm.”
“How long was I supposed to be out?”
“F-Four hours.”
“How long was I out?”
“Twenty, twenty-one hours, I was getting concern…” The rest of the sentence was lost as the pressure on his throat increased drastically.
“Drugged, sorry, drugged badly, put into bondage, no idea where I am, and worst of all, my day off is shot. Still, my day is nowhere near as bad as yours is about to be.”
His eyes widened. “P-Please… Icefang.”
The pressure on his throat increased again, Sunbeam leaned in close to him.
“And believe it or not, your day just got worse.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunbeam sat at the entrance to the cave, looking out over the forest canopy while sipping a glass of levitated water. The cave was on the side of a mountain, not too far up, but high enough to look over the forest canopy below. Turning to face the moping stallion, she set her face in stone before addressing him.
“So, you know who I am… Who I was. This is not a good thing for you by the way. Why did you try…” ‘He succeeded.’ She mentally added. “...In trying to capture me?”
The young stallion looked glumly up at her. “I wanted to take you home.”
“Ponyville is my home.”
Glaring at her, he continued, spitting the words out. “Your home is not with these ponies, you are a Snake.”
The glass Sunbeam was sipping from shattered against the wall near to the stallion, causing him to wince. Standing up, she limped towards him.
“I am not a Snake.”
“You completed the Rite, you killed someone close. You are a Snake.”
His words stopped Sunbeam in her tracks. Sitting down, closing her eyes tight, she mumbled. “I didn’t have a choice, I never had a choice.”
“You didn’t have to do it, you could have failed.”
Opening her eyes, her glare could have chilled the sun. “Then I would have been handed over to… him.”
“So you chose to live, see still a choice. See…”
His sentence was never finished as a white glow encompassed him and he was flung against the wall, bouncing off it.
“I never had a choice! I killed him because I never had a choice! Remember that!”
Before he could pick himself up, she grabbed him with her magic again, this time pinning him against the wall.
“Remember! No choice!” Standing there, panting, Sunbeam looked around with a surprised look on her face.
Lifting up a hoof up to examine it, she was shocked to see the entire lower limb trembling. The glow around the stallion faded and he fell to the floor. ‘I lost control… Oh, buck, if I did that 'round friends... I’d hurt them.’
Picking himself up off the floor after a few seconds, the stallion jabbed a hoof at her. “Do your friends in Ponyville know how dangerous you are? They must be very accepting to allow you to stay.”
Sunbeam’s head swung up to face the stallion.
“Surely you’ve told them, being friends and all. They must be very accepting to allow a monster like you to stay. I mean, look how long it took you to attack me.”
To his surprise, Sunbeam took a step backwards, her eyes darting around the cave.
“I’m not a mon..." She started to whisper.
“You have told them, haven’t you?” He cut in. “What am I saying, of course, you have. Wouldn’t be friendly of you if you didn’t, would it.”
Flinching, Sunbeam shook her head. “Haven’t got round to it.” She mumbled. Her mind was still buzzing from her loss of control earlier.
“But these ponies are your friends, you’re not worried about it, are you? Of course, you're not, you’re not worried at all about their reaction at what you are… are you.” Feeling emboldened he took a step towards Sunbeam. To his gratification, she took another step back.
“No! No. I mean....” Sunbeam shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
“You trust them, so I’m sure they wouldn’t turn you over to the Day Princess the second you told them what you are. Nope, I’m sure they would all accept you with open hooves. Even Princess Twilight, the Day Princess’s personal protege. Oh yes, I’m sure Twilight would pick you over her duty to the Princess every time.”
Trying to suppress his glee at Sunbeam’s widening eyes, he pressed home his attack.
“I mean, you are sure she would pick you over her duty. Aren't you? You’re not worried about losing control and ending up hurting a somepony, are you. Oh no, you have perfect control don’t you, I can see that.” He sneered the last words. “Twilight would understand, wouldn't she, if you ended hurting sompony? Tell me, just how much more does Twilight like you over the Day Princess?”
He watched Sunbeam’s gaze become distant.
“Well? She does like you more, doesn’t she?”
“She... She... She adores her! I barely spend time with her, with anypony.” Sunbeam’s head fell. “She’d turn me over, and sleep well, as the Princess tortured me.”
“Like she does with any Snake. See you are a snake, you even admit that the Day Princess would think you are one. You should be around others of the Clan, others that won't turn on you.”
Sunbeam backed into the wall of the cave. Her head snapping round in surprise to stare at the sudden contact. Looking back round, she found the stallion had taken another step towards her.
“You need to be somewhere safe.”
‘Please stop, stop! I don't want to go back. I don't want to go.’ She didn’t notice her right hoof come up and tap her chest, just in the ideal spot for a dagger to thrust upwards into her heart.
“You don’t belong here, you’re in danger here. You don’t want the Day Princess to find you, to torture you. You want to feel safe don’t you?”
Not getting an answer he took a step forward and gently placed a hoof on her shoulder. He could feel it trembling under it. Her eyes shot open and stared at him.
Giving her his best smile and keeping his voice soft he repeated the question.
“You want to feel safe don’t you?”
Her body stopped trembling, her front hooves slipped forward into a more natural sitting position, her head falling forward so it almost touched the floor.
Closing her eyes, she whispered. “Yes.”
“Staying here isn’t safe, is it?”
“No.” Her voice had become strained.
“Being with your family, with ponies that care about you, with ponies you don’t have to hide who you are from. That is safe, isn’t it.”
Her voice had become almost inaudible. Her eyes closed as tight as she could. 'I'm sorry Mr Sable, I'm sorry...'
“Yes.”
“Please, let me take you home, Sunbeam.”
She couldn’t say the word, just mouthed as it stuck in her throat.
Yes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunbeam sat the entrance to the cave, staring out, as the young stallion bounced around behind her in the cave, getting ‘things’ and supplies. Soon they would set off, he needed to do something first though. She sat there, feeling numb and her mind a blank, just gazing out into space.
Finally, a thought entered her head. Turning her head, she looked at him.
“Why are you here? In the first place?”
The stallion stopped his rummaging and with sad eyes looked up at her.
“I ran away like yourself. Found my talent even while doing it.” Twisting round he showed off his flank. A bird flying from a broken cage. “My talent is escaping. Went home to begin with.” A flash of anger sparked in his eyes. “My family rejected me. My blood family, so it was no longer my home or my family. Been trying to return, but I need an offering.”
Sunbeam gave him a wan smile. “And I’m it.”
“Oh no. You see I ran away during the Rite of Passage.”
A look of confusion spread on Sunbeam’s face. “You only get one try at the Rite, if you fail…”
“That’s why I need an offering, not you.” He smiled. “But with you and the head of the Element of Kindness, they will have to let me back in. Just to prove I can do it.”
Sunbeam expression became neutral.
“Fluttershy, you want the head of…”
“Of course, the whole body would be too heavy to cart around. So Just the head. And the Element Bearer of Kindness I would have the best chance with.” He turned back to going through the piles of junk in the cave, as Sunbeam just sat there staring at him.
“How?”
“Same way I got you… no offence. And while she’s out I would cut her head off” He replied, not looking up.
Sunbeam turned her head and looked back out over the forest canopy, not that she was seeing the magnificent view at this point.
‘Yes, the plan would work. Why do I feel nauseous? I want to go home. Fluttershy.’
Sunbeam stood up and turned back into the cave. “You know as you got me, you don’t need her.”
“Oh no, I need the Element’s head. I need to prove I can do it. Was planning on doing it earlier, but it was my duty to bring you back. So getting you was the first priority.”
“We could not go back. Go somewhere else.”
Lifting his head, he gave Sunbeam a puzzled expression before smiling.
“Oh good one, Icefang.”
“But what if you get caught?”
“Been caught before, you forget my talent.” He turned to show off his cutie mark.
“How long have you been here, thinking about this?”
The stallion stopped and looked up in thought. “Left a little over two years ago, been here a year and a half. Been scavenging and living off garbage ever since. All part of the plan, all part of the plan.” He turned to face her, an unsettling smile adorned his face, even by Sunbeam's standards, before returning to his searching.
‘He’s going to do it. I can’t turn him over to the guards, he’ll just escape and… and… Even if I did, they’ll all find out about me, the Princess would find me out. I can’t let him do it. He’s young, he’s too young. He's just an adolescent...’
Turning round, he held up a wood saw in his mouth. “This will do.” He mumbled.
Sunbeam stared at the saw. ‘...He’s too dangerous. I can’t let you do it. I won't let you do it.’ Her head fell forwards. ‘I like Fluttershy, she helped with my injuries…’ Lifting her head up again, she looked at the stallion. ‘You stupid bucker! I'm trying to let you go!' She let out a deep breath as her shoulders fell. 'I... I was trying to let you go.’
Sunbeam raised a hoof and pointed. “Hey! I think I saw something out there, can you come and have a look. You know this place better than me.”
Spitting the saw into the back of the wagon, he trotted over the entrance.
Sunbeam sat pointing to the tree line. “Think I saw something move in there, Diamond Dog possibly. Can you watch it? I need to cast a spell to detect such things.”
Nodding the stallion sat down, staring at the tree line while Sunbeam retreated behind him.
“Keep watching, now this spell is going to generate some cold, so don’t worry.”
Sitting there, watching the tree line, he was finding it hard to sit still with all the excitement he was feeling.
'No Diamond Dogs around here, but I suppose better to be safe than sorry. Oh, this is going to be great. I’m am actually going to be going back with Icefang and the head of the Element of Kindness, they’ll have to… Oh, she was right, whatever she’s doing back there is generating a lot of cold. Oh when I get back, what a day it that will be. It will be my. Best! Day! Ev…’
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunbeam trotted along the track. The shoulder had loosened up, although the odd jolt of pain was still there even after she’d numbed it with a cold spell.
‘Same damn shoulder as the timberwolf got.’ Stopping for a moment, Sunbeam looked around before setting off again. ‘Right, think I know where I am now. Back to Ponyville, and settle back in. Just like nothing happened. Should be back with plenty of time left before I've got to go to work. When I get in, I’ll need to clean up a bit, Bar always leaves a mess in the sink. Then I’ll need to make sure that I have spares for bottles behind the bar, then I need to...’
‘You killed him.’
Sunbeam to slowed down to a stop.
“I had no choice. He gave me no choice.”
‘Just like Mr Sable.’
“No! He was going to kill Fluttershy. I had to stop him”
‘You could have stopped him another way. You could have found a way, without killing him.’
“Not enough time, there wasn’t enough time. If I had time maybe, but in the time frame, it was the only option available.”
Sunbeam tilted her head. After a moment of silence, she relaxed.
‘You never even knew his name.’
Her back legs collapsed beneath her. She sat there, opening and closing her mouth.
“I- I- I-...”
‘How young was he? Not even an adult. You don’t know any other way, do you? Well, you’ve crossed the line this time, now you’re no different to any other Snake, you just took longer. Congratulations, you are now the usual monster they produce... Killing is what you usually do. Killing is what you always do. Killing is all you’re good for.’
Sunbeam fell to the ground. "Stop, please stop."
‘A monster, doing what it usually does. A monster, doing what it usually does. A monster...’
Pushing her hooves into her ears as hard as possible, she scrunched her eyes shut.
‘...doing what it usually does. A monster, doing what it usually does. A monster...’
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Sunbeam!”
Sunbeam jumped and stared at Bar Service.
“Damn filly, you’re jumpy tonight. How much coffee you had?”
“Coffee, oh yeah, right coffee. Guess I had a little too much.” Sunbeam looked around the empty bar. It would be opening for the night soon.
“You okay?”
“Been better, thank you Bar.”
Judging she didn’t want to talk about it, Bar decided on another topic.
“So, how was your day off, get up to anything much?”
Sunbeam looked at Bar for a moment, then looked away. As if she was looking for customers in the empty bar. Her voice became distant.
“Oh you know, the usual. I just did what I usually do.”
‘What I always do...’