//------------------------------// // Putting Your Foot Down // Story: Surge // by Zvn //------------------------------// Chapter Five Putting Your Foot Down Recent discoveries of dragon remains within the Blank Expanse have led scientists to believe the beasts’ territorial reach was much larger than originally predicted. There are plans for a return to the site... ...the curious doe fell into a crawl, inching closer to the scene. She lift a hoof to splay the grass in front of her, but stopped when a third set of hoofsteps sounded from... ...zeph•yr n. a gentle, mild breeze: The newsmare warned of a hurricane, and yet a zephyr was the only thing the village was met with... In frustration, I thrust the books away from the desk and out of my sight. My attempt to relax before bed would be in vain, it appeared. Nor should you be relaxed; you should be getting the bottom of your friend’s murder. I gently corrected my frazzled mane and checked the clock. Celestia would be waking in a few hours, but I found it hard to believe even a conscious Celestia would be willing to take the necessary steps to find resolution. Under normal circumstances, neither would I. But these circumstances were far from normal. I quietly left the room. During this hour, the castle was at its stillest. There were several guards patrolling the halls outside my chamber, and not one of them flinched at my surprise presence. I pushed through the set of doors at the end of the hall, then exited the building onto a nearby balcony. Outside, I was greeted by a vast obsidian expanse. The stars shone brightly through the darkness, and for a moment, I thought of simply flying towards their light, and leaving everything else behind. Then my eyes drifted down from the heavens, and combed the quiet streets for one building in particular… CANTERLOT POLICE HEADQUARTERS I spread my wings and flew off into the night, keeping my gaze firmly on the ground. * * * “I’m sick of all this human shit. Hasn’t done anything good for us.” “What, can’t find anything to spend all these extra bits on?” “Bits mean bullshit when criminals suddenly have access to Hoof Cannons.” “Ya know I heard they have plans to drop us some guns... prob’ly sitting on the Sisters’ desk right now.” “Don’t you mean Spatium Sororum?” “Come on. Twilight hasn’t made any sort of effort since she ascended. She’d be more use to us back as ringleader of the Elements.”   I tipped my head back as I finished off the water in the small plastic cup, deciding that eavesdropping wasn’t getting me anywhere. I crumpled the cup and dropped in the trash bin, before making my way to the door. Only a fourth voice stopped me. “We got her: ’Honeysuckle’, West Ponyville. They think it was a contract.” “Sure, but why Pinkie?” “No fucking clue, but you can ask her yourself when our team gets back.” “Damn, I wish I was on assault.” I cantered out of the building and back on to the streets. The cold air stung against my disguised coat. I murmured several curses before checking around the back of the HQ; I could see a chariot, and several pegasi grabbing their equipment. Again, I swore as I trot back onto the street. One count of murder… political assassination...  My heart began to throb as I finished the prediction. Council goes for answers, maybe offer a shorter sentence, but there’s no way she’ll talk. If someone’s aiming as high as the Elements, the pay has to be equally ridiculous… I looked up to the chamber of my mentor. “I’m sorry.” I left for Ponyville. * * * Morning had come. Few ponies were up at this time, fewer were on the streets. I’d spoken shortly with an elderly earth pony, and he was able to locate Honeysuckle’s house for me. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for a Ponyville residence; cream cottage with pink highlights, and a thatched roof. It was, however, the only house on the street with all of the blinds down. I found it difficult to doubt the old stallion’s claim. I approached the door and knocked. “This is the police; I’m going to need a few words with you.” ...No answer. “This’ll be a lot easier if you come out now. Resist, and I’ll be back with a warrant.” ...Nothing. I turned from the door and stepped down off of the porch. There was a foreign impulse telling me to do otherwise, but too much rode on this. And so I waited. The sun began to creep further and further above the earth, as more ponies gathered in the streets. I recalled seeing the police chariot being prepped for attack, and small arcane arcs occasionally striking against my fabricated coat reminded me of my magic’s finite nature. Time was of the essence here, and so far I had done a pretty good job of wasting it. I should have changed my guise before I got here—it probably doesn’t look inviting to Honeysuckle with a cop posted around her house. Who’s to say she’ll even arrive before the real police do, or that she’s even outside of her house at all… I cautiously observed my surroundings. I noticed a few passersby sending me confused glances. I can do this. I stepped back up to the door and knocked one last time. “This is the Police, I have a warrant and I’m entering the premises.” Sweat began to outline my brow as I telekinetically groped the inside of the lock. I lifted the pins as quickly as possible, while applying as much torque my remaining energy would allow. After a few moments, the handle clicked, and the door pushed forward a full ten centimeters, before a chain lock grew taught. Those aren’t standard in Ponyville— It only took me a moment to realize the pin was crafted from, or enhanced with some sort of anti-magic material. I risked a glance over my shoulder; several ponies were now looking my way, mumbling between each other. I turned back to the door and shut my eyes. My legs were shaking. I can’t back out… Dropping my head to conceal the magic, I shot a small beam of intense energy onto the chain itself, until it glowed a bright orange. I then backed up from the door, pulling it nearly shut as I did so. Finally, with as much force as I could muster, I slammed against the door. Its metallic leash stretched unnaturally at the apex of the door’s swing, but held none the less. Behind me, many of the citizens were now gasping at the scene, some cantering away in fear. Tears edged my eyes as I went back to charging the door, each push further stretching the resilient chain. Finally, I fell through the entrance, as near molten metal scattered across the room before me. Immediately after regaining balance, I pushed the door shut and took the time to regain my composure. Cadence’s voice sounded throughout my head. Stepping forward off of the door, I lifted my right hoof to my chest, while embracing a deep inhale. After a moment of holding my breath, I released it, and my anxieties seemed to dissipate as well. Now the real work began. The front door fell straight into the living room. There were a few pieces of tearing furniture, and a stained coffee table in the center of the room. A fan spun slowly overhead, and the off-white blinds in the windows projected bars of dim light upon the entire scene. Appropriately, the house didn’t feel very inviting. I moved on to the kitchen, treading softly on the linoleum floor. The room was in a condition similar to the last, with the additional scent of rotting food emanating from the sink. I didn’t stay long, instead maneuvering into the hallway. Immediately, I was forced to step over a mess spilling out of the closet on my right. I took a second to comb the pile—shirts, hats, a couple jackets—mundane apparel. I was looking for answers, and right now the place seemed pretty devoid of them. The bathroom was next. It was a crowded space, with a shower in the back, and a sink up front. I reached up above the sink and pressed the mirror in, finding fairly standard household medicine behind it—except for the small plastic bag shoved behind several bottles. I lifted it from its hiding spot and read its label closely. Diazepam Tablets          10mg A human drug; how could she have even obtained this? I shelved the thought as I remembered my limited time frame. After placing the tablets back in the cabinet, and closing the mirror, I stared quietly at my reflection. My pupils appeared to be their original violet color. Before I had time to even worry about my magic, I could hear the front door open. I stood, paralyzed with fear, as I heard hoofsteps tread the living room carpet. It wasn’t until I realized they were headed for the bedroom that I snapped out of my trance. Quietly, I backpedaled to the kitchen. I rested gently against the pantry as my heart rate began to climb. I noticed the hoofsteps stop—and feared that even my breathing might have been too loud. After several painful seconds, the steps continued into what I imagined was the bedroom. The pony soon became too difficult to hear, and I took that as an opportunity to shakily exhale my breath. Keeping low, I slunk into the living room again, eyeing the door left partially open. I could hear Honeysuckle rummaging around in her room, and found myself locked between getting closer to her, and moving towards the door. My forelegs were violently shaking as I made up my mind. I stepped towards the door, lifting up a hoof to pull it open. But before I could do so, a voice stung me from behind. “Don’t move.” I froze with my hoof on the door, cringing as a steel barrel prodded the back of my neck. “Close the door.” I addressed the pony with a faltering voice. “Honeysuckle, we know what you’ve—” “Close the door.” I nearly choked as I swallowed. Daylight bled into the room from the door, carrying the scent of comfort and nostalgia; and I snuffed it all out with the push of my hoof. “Now slowly walk into the hall.” I didn’t waste time obeying, and kept my movements as slow and predictable as possible. After our walk across the living room, I stopped at the edge of the hall, and gave my head a barely noticeable cock to the right. “Second room.” Walking down the hall, I desperately eyed my surroundings for an escape. “Go in.” I stood a moment, looking at the open bathroom before me. Honeysuckle again prodded me with the long gun. “Walk.” I slowly moved to the edge of the room, before stopping against the shower curtain. A pale yellow telekinetic field grabbed the curtains and pulled them back, exposing the shower behind. My heart dropped. “Get in.” I gently turned my head to see the hallway. I had never used a silent cast in practice before. “Y-you don’t have to do this…” Honeysuckle’s expression was cold and painted with spite. “Canterlot obviously has more on me than I’d like. This is the only thing I can do.” Fighting back the urge to sob, I focused my attention on a painting of a sailboat. “Now get in there before I drag this out.” I turned back towards the wall, and lifted my foreleg to step over the edge of the bathtub. Then I heard Honeysuckle sniff, and I held my hoof over the ledge. “What—” BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP I swung my hovering hoof back over my shoulder in an attempt to knock the barrel of the shotgun out of the way. Shortly after hitting it, there was a deafening explosion, and a shot of pain sprouted at the edge of my other hoof. Disregarding my health, my arm’s spin carried the rest of my body with it, allowing me to come face-to-face with the shooter. I could see the shock, and more predominantly, the malice in her eyes as she attempted to use her magic to pump the forearm of her gun back. The empty shell never released. I was able to land a clean strike with my hoof into Honeysuckle’s eye, blinding her. The attack made her stumble back, landing next to the sink. Her gun dropped from her magic, and fell into the doorway. I was enraged. It was without thought when I lifted the shotgun into my telekinesis, and brought the stock down several times onto her face. After she no longer exhibited an ability to retaliate, I stood above her, and stumbled to the doorway. The pile of clothes in the hall was now burning alarmingly bright. I extinguished the flames, and dropped the batteries out of the smoke alarm. Only after its chirping had ceased was I made aware of the ringing in my ears. I slumped against the doorway, and stared down at Honeysuckle. I held my breath as the mare writhed in pain, a short strand of blood dangling from her mouth. Her left eye was forced shut by the bruising surrounding it, and several teeth lay just beneath her head. The gun dropped from my telekinetic grasp. I stumbled back, colliding with the wall behind me. I began to lift my hoof, its ascent punctuated with violent shakes. The sprinkling of blood still felt warm against my face. Losing the battle for my body’s control, I shambled to the island in the kitchen, leaning on its cool surface for support. I buried my head in my arm, hoping to suppress the panic. Wisdom from a friend echoed faintly in the distance. Breath in... My spinning vision focused on my arm, violet in hue. Breathe in... Violet—which meant my cloak was faltering. With my free hoof, I shakily grasped the counter opposite the island, hanging my head between the two of them. Breath in... It felt as if I was gravity’s highest priority. Breath— Darkness.