scritch-scratch
A sound floated through the cramped confines of Trixie's cart. The rising morning sun was just beginning to peek through the open window, coaxing Trixie back to waking world. She twitched as another round of scratching reached her ears. Rolling over in bed, she pushed herself into a half sitting position and scanned the interior of her cart.
The racks of costumes, and chests of props were partially obscured in shadow and sat unmoving in the partial morning light. There didn't seem to be any other pony or creature poking around the inside of her traveling home.
scritch-scratch
Trixie sat up completely now. There was definitely something in here with her. Then came the sound of a high pitched whirring noise, followed by the sound of something sawing into wood. And it was coming from directly under her bed.
She crept to the edge of her mattress and hung over the side. Taking a deep breath, she carefully pulled the edge of her blankets back.
Her grandpapa, Quartermoon, was one of the greatest monster and artifact hunters on Equis. And as old as he was before he had finally died, he had traveled the breadth of the world and seen almost everything. And he had taught Trixie everything that he knew when she was growing up.
She had no idea what the creature she was staring at was.
The creature was mechanical, almost clockwork, seemingly made out of copper. Glowing runes were inscribed in a straight line down the middle of it's abdomen. It was shaped like a spider, but with four legs instead of the usual eight and about the size of a small dog. The whirring noise was coming from a small saw on the end of one of two small arms that were set just behind the head. And it was currently slicing into her money box.
“Hey!”
The creature ignored her, pushing the lid open and pulling out coins with it's free grabbing arm. Moving with frightening speed, it shoved the coins into Trixie's hat, having procured it as well.
Trixie, already pushed to the point of sheer exasperation from all that had been happening so far, lashed out with her magic. Her horn glowing bright she dragged the struggling creature out from under the bed. It twisted in her aura's grip, lashing out ineffectively with it's buzz saw.
“Gotcha, you little...” She smiled.
An arc of electricity jumped from it's other arm, shocking Trixie's snout. Grabbing at her nose with her hooves, her grip slipped, the creature clattering loudly to the floor. It scuttled across the boards, springing up onto one of Trixie's trunks and then running right up the wall towards the window.
“Oh no you don't!”
She grabbed it again, this time taking great care to aim the pain causing end away from her.
“Vicious little thing, aren't you?” She muttered, even as it fought and kicked against her magic.
Tilting it to get a better look at the runes on it's abdomen, she frowned. The first instinct that ran through her mind was that it was some kind of griffin creation. The art of runecasting was their unique magic discipline. But the runes were the wrong shape, looking completely alien compared to anything she had seen or read about as far as Equestria was concerned.
“Completely alien...” She frowned, “Just like Skitch-Sketch.”
Pinning the creature against the wall, she mulled over the possibility that the ex-human had somehow sicked this creature after her. It was dismissed just as quickly. If she was actually dangerous, Trixie doubted that Celestia would let her live in the same town as the element bearers.
But perhaps she'd know what this thing was. She had conjured up an illusion of some other beast not known to Trixie, after all. Besides there was the other issue, that was coming to mind in the harsh light of morning.
She needed to apologize and get back in the good graces of Skitch and her friends. Twilight Sparkle still had her evidence locked up in her hidden...
What's burning? Trixie blinked, looking around the room.
The answer to that turned out to be the fuse on one of her larger fireworks, sparked by the shocking arm of the creature.
“No, no, no, no!” Trixie shrieked, letting go of metallic not spider. She dove for the firework, snuffing out the fuse with a flurry of hoof beats while it made it's escape through the open window.
Her home saved, Trixie charged out of her cart, not bothering to grab her hat and cape. The creature had almost destroyed everything she had left with that trick. It was personal now. Quickly scanning the square, she picked up a blur of copper as it disappeared around a corner.
“You are mine, you sorry, overgrown excuse for a windup toy!” She roared, bolting after the monster.
- - - -
“So, wait, you mean to tell me that you're both changelings?” Applejack asked, the disbelief clear in her voice.
The question hung in the air of the cramped hospital room like a smothering blanket. Cherry Berry was resting in her bed, a series of bandages wrapped around her head. The rest of the room was full of ponies.
Roseluck, who had quickly caught up with Applejack, Skitch and Twilight the night before, was sitting next to the bed. Resting a hoof on her partner's foreleg, she hadn't left her side all night. Her normal form was laid bare for all to see; she had come clean as to her true nature at the hospital last night.
Twilight was nervously stroking her tail while she sat in the corner, a total wreck. Her mane and tail were frayed, everyone could see the bags under her eyes, even through her coat. She hadn't even been able to sleep in her own house last night, as it was still an active crime scene and had crashed with Fluttershy instead.
Said yellow pegasus was sitting next to her, foreleg around her withers in an attempt to bolster her friend's resolve. Applejack paced, wanting to attack the problem head on, but lacking any idea where to start. Skitch remained locked in a mental feedback loop as she stood by the bed, trying to reconcile the two changelings before her with the out and out shape shifting monsters that she had seen play out on the screen.
The last pony crammed into the room was the oversized earth pony stallion known as Bullwark. Big Mac's only rival in town in the raw strength department and member of the town guard, he was here to collect statements from both Twilight Sparkle, and Roseluck.
“All of our lives.” Roseluck answered Applejack's question, “We worked for Queen Magnolia's intelligence wing.”
“You're spies?” Bulwark asked.
“Ex-spies.” Roseluck corrected, “And before you ask Bulwark, Princess Celestia is aware that we're living here. I believe she gave captain Quick Cuts a file on us.”
“Why did ya hide it from us though?” Applejack asked, “Ain't illegal ta be a changelin'.”
Roseluck's smile was slightly sad as she gave her response. “Venexia has only existed for fifty years Applejack. That's not much compared to the thousands of years where our people have been boogeymen. Cherry and I just wanted to live quiet, normal lives.”
“I think I can understand that,” Bulwark interrupted, “So, these two ponies that Cherry was following?”
“Slate gray pegasus, short brown mane and tail, with a storm cloud cutie-mark. The other was a tan coated earth pony with a dark brown puddle cutie-mark and light green mane and tail.”
More notes were scribbled down.
“And you thought they were suspicious because?”
“Because they were new in town, and showed up right when I began to sense the presence of another changeling. I assumed that they were either the changelings I sensed or working with said changeling.”
“And what happened with your partner?”
“Well, we were looking at Trixie as a possible target. They arrived immediately after her in town. But then they broke off, so I had Cherry follow while I kept eyes on Trixie to make sure she wasn't attacked during her show.”
“Papers!” Twilight shouted, clapping her hooves together, “Trixie visited me right before the show and gave me a bunch of papers. Said that they were evidence against some kind of crime lord from her home city. I put them in the hidden compartment in the library.”
Eyes wild, she glanced from pony to pony in the room. “Cherry and Spike must have walked in on them searching. She was beaten up and he was kidnapped!”
Bulwark frowned. “Site's still cordoned off. Miss Sparkle, if you'd accompany me, please. I would like to take the evidence to a more secure location. Then we can coordinate with the Neigh Orleans guard...”
“Actually,” Twilight interrupted, licking her lips, “I don't think that's a good idea. The way Trixie talked when she gave me those documents...she didn't trust the Neigh Orleans guard.”
Bulwarks frown grew as a deep as Ghastly Gorge. “She's making accusations of dirty watch members?”
“Well, I think she believes that to be the case at least. The way she talked to me...she really was afraid of them...”
“Well, I'd still like to move them to a more secure location. And we do need to do something with it.”
Skitch's eyes hadn't left Cherry's unconscious form during the conversation, but now she turned her gaze to Twilight rubbing her chin with the back of a hoof. “What about your brother, Twilight? He's the head of the royal guard, right?”
Twilight nodded. “He is.”
“I don't claim to have a great deal of intimate knowledge about the Equestrian legal system...but Shining and the royal guard work directly for Princess Celestia, right?”
“Right.” Twilight nodded, “The royal guard are the direct extension of Celestia's will, much like the lunar guard are the direct extension of Luna's.”
“Well, back on earth, my government had law enforcement agencies by state, but it also had another layer on the national level. And if Shining works directly for Celestia, they kind of fill that role here. We could bring them in on this. If there's anypony I'd trust with this information, Shining Armor would be it. We could even get some extra pony power to search for Spike.”
“Of course!” Twilight beamed, rushing for the door, “Come on Bulwark! If we hurry maybe my brother can get here by tonight! I just have to get Spike...”
The regained enthusiasm died as she reached the door, her head drooping and ears slicking back. “And Rainbow Dash is still out of town and she's the fastest flier we have...”
“Don't fret Miss Sparkle.” Bulwark smiled, “The guard post has an emergency telegraph line back to Canterlot. We'll get your bother here right quick.”
With Twilight's confidence once again buoyed up, Bulwark turned his attention to Roseluck. “If you could follow us please? If there's another changeling in town, you're the best chance I have to chase it down.”
Roseluck looked to her partner, a frown crossing her muzzle. “I don't want to leave Cherry alone...”
“Uhh...I can stay with her.” Fluttershy's voice rose from her seat in the corner, “She should wake up to a friendly face.”
“Ah reckon that's a smart idea Fluttershy.” Applejack nodded, “Skitch and I will see about roundin' up a search group.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Skitch agreed, rubbing at the back of her head, “We should probably tell Trixie what's happening. As...angry as I am with her, she still deserves to know...”
“Ah agree.” Applejack nodded, “She shouldn't be to hard ta find. I imagine she's still holed up in her cart.”
- - - -
“Happy Anniversary Bonnie!” Lyra beamed, as she stepped from Sugarcube Corner. A freshly baked cupcake, sporting intricate cascading waves of icing- one half blue and pink to match Bon Bon's mane, the other cyan and white- was held in her magic. With a dramatic flourish, she presented it to her significant other with a slight bow.
Bon Bon blushed, a smile crossing her muzzle even as she tried to keep her cool. “You're going to have to do more for our one year anniversary than just give me a colorful cupcake, Lyra.”
“Oh, but this is just the start...”
“Look out!”
Lyra turned, a shriek slipping out as a thing of brass and gears skittered up her back. She reared, flailing her forelegs in a panic. The cupcake forgotten, she turned her magic upon the thing on her back, trying to shove it away.
Apparently not looking for a fight, the copper spider rushed onwards, leaping from Lyra's back and scuttling between two other buildings. Trixie was right on the spider's tail, pausing for just a moment to mutter out a quick apology.
“Sorry! Sorry! I'll catch it, don't worry!”
Lyra blinked a few times, as her brain worked out exactly what had just happened. She screamed in anger, bolting after Trixie and the clockwork spider.
“You ruined my present, you stupid spider!”
Shaking the cupcake from her mane, Bon Bon joined the chase before her mare-friend did something really foolish.
- - - -
Her horn aglow in magic, Trixie lashed out again, her aura springing up around the creature's legs. With a sharp tug, she flipped it onto it's back and pinned it to the ground.
“You aren't getting away this time!”
It waved it's legs about in a form of response, firing off sparks of electricity from it's non saw tipped arm. Smiling in triumph, she lifted the clockwork creation into the air, this time pointing the dangerous end at the ground.
The sound of hoof-beats on the ground and a warbled battle-cry echoed through the alleyway, Trixie turning to see what the source was. The aquamarine form of Lyra collided with her a moment later, the clockwork creation once again finding freedom as it clambered up the side of a building and dove down a chimney.
“What was that?” Trixie demanded, “I HAD the thing!”
Lyra frowned. “It wasn't intentional! That...thing, ruined a perfectly good romantic moment!”
“And so you just chase after it?” Bon Bon snapped, concern still clear in her voice, “Lyra, you could have gotten hurt...”
A scream from the building interrupted the conversation. The three ponies exchanged a glance, before rushing for the front door. The building in question was Ponyville's jewelry shop, run by Amethyst Star, and upon entering, they could see that she was the source of the scream.
The clockwork creature was astride one of the jewelry cases, having sliced through the glass with it's saw. A few golden necklaces were looped over it's shocking arm. Amethyst Star was bravely attempting to fight it off with a broom.
“Put! The merchandise! Back!” The purple unicorn snarled, thwacking it firmly with the broom again.
The spider angrily clicked back, its saw blade arm rapidly jabbing back. It caught the edge of the broomstick, just below the bristle head, slicing it away in one smooth motion.
“Grab its legs!” Trixie shouted, the tip of her horn lighting up. She grabbed the creatures right side, Lyra joining in and pinning the left side of it down. Trixie turned her gaze to the shocked Amethyst Star. “Do you have a lock box or something? Something large and metal. I watched this thing slice right through a wood chest.”
Amethyst blinked, but then rapidly nodded. Rushing into the back, the others could hear the sounds of things being moved about. “I should have a large lock box that I use to help safely transport gems around here somewhere....Ah ha!”
Charging back, she slammed the box down on the wooden part of the counter and wrenched it open. Trixie and Lyra wrestled the twitching creature into the box, shoving it into place and pinning its legs to its side. Slamming the lid shut, Amethyst quickly locked it before it could try and escape again.
The lock box twitched and shifted as it sat on the counter, the monster struggling to break loose. Amethyst looked from the box, to the others, back to the box, and then back to the others.
“What in Celestia's name is that thing?”
A bang echoed through the room, ponies jumping backwards as the box twitched, sparks of electricity arcing off it's surface. A few more bangs followed, causing another round of twitches and sparks before finally falling silent.
A round of glances were exchanged before attempts were made to answer Amethyst's question.
“Toy gone bad?” Bon Bon suggested.
“Anniversary ruining menace!” Lyra declared.
“Not a clue.” Trixie deadpanned.
Amethyst looked to each of the ponies before groaning and throwing her forelegs into the air. “Can you just...return the lock box when you're done with it?”
“Of course.” Trixie nodded.
“Good. Now please get out of my shop!”
- - - -
Twilight sighed as she sat by the telegraph station, waiting for the response from Canterlot. Trixie's papers were safely locked away in an evidence box and Roseluck was sitting with Bulwark, who was operating in his other role as the Ponyville guard sketch artist.
She wanted to be out and looking for Spike. She wanted to make sure that he was okay. Perhaps more importantly, she wanted to hurt the two ponies and whatever changeling was pulling their strings. Badly.
Taking a few calming breaths, she turned her attention back to the telegraph as it began to tap out a message. The machine, like all of the emergency guard lines, was enchanted to automatically type out the message.
Eagerly pulling the page over to her, Twilight read.
Twily,
Got the information on the case. Will be taking the next train out. Should be there by tonight.
P.S. Cadance has insisted on coming too.
“Cadance?” Twilight blinked, “As in Princess Cadance?”
She wasn't really sure why one of Equestria's princesses would be coming along with her older brother. How well did those two know each other? Though, Twilight was quite sure that if Cadance had gotten word of what happened to Spike, she would have wanted to help. She sighed again.
“Please Spike...be okay.”
The door to the guard station was thrown open, one of Bulwark's colleagues rushing in with a note clutched in this teeth. Quickly rushing over to where Bulwark and Roseluck were sitting, he slapped it down on the desk.
Bulwark picked it up, his frown growing very deep.
“Well...this just got a bit more interesting.”
“What? Why?” Twilight asked as she ran over to the desk, “What is that?”
“It's the ransom demand.”
“What do they want?” Roseluck asked.
Bulkwark slid the page across the table.
“Trixie's evidence. Delivered by the pair of you.' He sighed, rubbing his forehead before turning his attention back to the guard who delivered the note, “Go collect Trixie. And Applejack and Skitch-Sketch, since those two were seeing about rounding up a search party. They can't head out now.”
- - - -
Applejack knocked on the door to Trixie's cart again, frowning when there was no response. “Ah guess we missed her.”
“Great,” Skitch frowned, rubbing at the throbbing pain that was beginning to move through the back of her head, “Maybe we should just give up and start pulling together that search party?”
“Ah dunno Skitch. If some ponies are really after her...”
“Yeah. I know.” Skitch sighed, “It's just...”
“THERE YOU ARE!”
Turning their heads, Skitch and Applejack focused their attention on the approaching forms of Trixie, Lyra and Bon Bon, the former two carrying along a large metal box. Dropping the box to the ground with a loud thud, Trixie pointed an accusatory hoof at Skitch.
“I require you to identify some manner of creature.”
“...I'm an artist, not a zoologist Trixie.”
“But you are from out of this world originally. And I have a feeling this is too.”
Skitch rolled her eyes. “Look, just because I'm from another world originally...”
“Look, I know you're still angry with her.” Lyra interrupted, “But could you take a look? Please?”
Skitch sighed, nodding to the box. “All right.”
The lid was pulled open revealing...nothing. The box was devoid of creature or other contents, and only sported a small scorch mark on the right wall.
“Well, looks like an air monster to me.”
“It was right here!” Trixie shouted, flipping the box over and shaking it as if it would make the creature appear.
“Sure Trixie, whatever you say.”
“Skitch, Lyra and I saw it too.” Bon Bon added, gently nuzzling her marefriend’s cheek, “It scuttled right up her back.”
Sighing, Skitch looked from Lyra and Bon Bon to Trixie.
“All right,” She sighed, motioning with her hoof, “Describe it to me. What did it look like? What did it do?”
“Well...it looked like this.” Trixie explained, her horn lighting up as she wove a spell and called an image of the creature forth.
Skitch gasped, taking a few instinctive steps back from it. “No...no way. Are you sure that's what you saw?”
“Positive!” Lyra nodded, “I can still feel it's legs on my back and just...ugh...”
“It's been trying to steal gold.” Trixie elaborated, “Coins from me. Jewelry from the store.”
“What in tarnation is it Skitch?”
“It's called a clockwork horror,” Skitch sighed, “They're kind of the last out of control experiment of a long dead wizard. They travel from world to world, trying to kill all organic life on it. Not that I actually think that's what happening here!” She quickly amended at the horrified expressions on the others faces.
“Then, what do you think is happening here?” Trixie asked.
“Well...I'm not entirely sure. But clockwork horrors are predictable. Every bit of the swarm has a set role that does what it's commanded to do. Coppers,” She motioned to the illusion, “Are workers. They work in small groups, not alone. And stealing gold? I mean...that's not really something they do.”
She paused, tapping her chin with a hoof. “You only ever get one gold horror per planet. They run and oversee the whole invasion of the planet. So, if we have one worker scuttling around, grabbing gold, maybe it's trying to reestablish the command structure? That would hint that it was kind of lost and separated.”
“Of course,” Her eyes turned towards the empty box, “They can't teleport, last time I checked, so I'm really not sure what could have happened there. Maybe it wasn't real?”
“Nothing like an extra bout of confusion in my life.” Trixie huffed.
“Well, ah hate to pile more on your back Trixie but whoever's been chasin' ya across Equestria followed ya here.” Applejack commented, “They broke into the library, beat one of our neighbors into unconsciousness, and kidnapped Spike.”
“What?” Bon Bon gaped, “Oh my. I saw the guard stationed out front, but I had no idea...”
“Yeah, and we're gonna be roundin' up a search party.”
“No you're not.”
The assembled ponies looked towards the approaching guard member. He raised a hoof, cutting off the questions before they could begin.
“We'll fill you in down at the station.”
- - - -
Spike fumed from his position in the corner of the cave, not that he could do much else with how thoroughly he had been tied up. For the part of his kidnappers, the earth pony named Muddy Waters was glaring right back, still rubbing at the seared patch of fur on the back of his neck.
“Stop glaring at the dragon, Waters.” Storm front chided, “Your fur will grow back.”
“Easy for you to say. He wasn't latched onto you, burning your fur away!” He snarled, grinding his hoof into the ground in frustration, “I'd break his neck right now if Thorn wasn't so insistent about not letting us 'add another body to this op'.”
“And who's the spy here?” She commented from her own seat, “I still have to figure out how to take out Trixie since she didn't take the necklace and that other pony was wearing it during the show. So, as we will already have an extra dead pony, you will not hurt that dragon.”
“So, run over the plan again.” Storm Front commented, motioning with a hoof, “You actually think that they'll make the exchange?”
“Of course they will. Twilight won't let anything happen to her assistant and friend. She'll either bring the documents herself, or talk the others into going along with it.”
- - - -
“You want to WHAT?!” Trixie thundered, “I will not have what I worked for just get handed over for your secretary!”
The mood in the guard post was tense, with Trixe and Twilight locked in a face off, over the nature of Spike and the demand made.
“Spike is more than just my assistant!” Twilight shot back, “He's family!”
“You think that you're the only pony who's lost family members? If they get this evidence, than Bayou Runner won't be able to go be arrested and he'll just keep going!”
“We aren't going to let them actually take your evidence.” Bullwark interrupted, a commanding edge in his voice, “But I am not going to allow a citizen of Ponyville to be held hostage, either.”
Trixie clenched her teeth, squeezing her eyes closed as dark thoughts danced through her brain. After a few moments, she hissed through her teeth. “Tell me your plan then.”
“They want you and I to make the hand off.” Roseluck explained, “They have a location in mind east of town, early in the morning, no guards or they kill Spike.”
“You? Why do they want you involved?”
“I have my theories.” Roseluck frowned, “But nothing that I can confirm right now.”
“The plan right now is for you two to be the face. The guard and our volunteers,” Bullwark motioned to Twilight and her friends, “Will hang back. You two will make the exchange and then we'll all swoop in and restrain the targets. Nice and straight forward.”
Trixie shook her head. “Unacceptable. They could destroy the documents as soon as they're exchanged.”
“Why not play to our strengths?” Skitch commented, “Twilight can teleport, I'm another illusionist. Can't we use that somehow?”
Bulwark rubbed his chin, mulling over Skitch's suggestion. Then he cast his gaze towards Twilight Sparkle. “Think that you could grab Spike with a quick teleporation?”
“YES!” Twilight quickly snapped out, “I can totally do that!”
“Skitch? Can you hide the rest of us?”
“Heck, give me a stack of papers the same size as the documents and I'll give Trixie a set of fakes to hand over.”
Trixie shook her head. “And maintain the cover at the same time? Forget it. It's another point of failure anyway. Just stick with what we have.”
“And we have a plan.” Bulwark nodded.