Error 404 - Pony Not Found

by Suke

Part 4C - Closing the Loop

Part 4C: Closing the Loop

Day 7 began late, as per usual at that time of year. Berry had not slept.Instead, she had explored the area around the Beer Store. It hadn’t been hard avoiding the night shift agents keeping an eye on the store. At one point she’d even managed to enter the shop through a vent on the roof. This had lead to an encounter with this ‘Cerman Sendiago’ Berry had heard about.

The woman, drugged out of her mind, had assumed Berry was a hallucination and started talking to the supposed figment of imagination. The one sided conversation turned into a confession. Apparently, this woman was once a world renowned thief, but had retired after one too many close calls. Cerman didn’t look old enough, but what did Berry care? She’d spent the entire time taking in the shop’s dimensions.

Once satisfied with what she’d found, Berry left Cerman alone and retreated to a shadowy alleyway. Sat there, she eavesdropped on the agents. The morning shift had started, the newly arrived suits sipping on cups of coffee.

“You heard about the chick who’s all scared about us?”

“The thief? Heh, yeah.”

“If she only knew we’ve always known where she was.”

The two agents began to laugh amongst themselves.

An hour or so later, they were talking about something unimportant, Berry having phased them out. Lorraine showed up, her nerves getting the better of her, ruining her attempts to seem casual. It didn’t seem to matter though, as the agents just glanced over her and went back to their chat. Berry presumed the suits had not actually known who’s bag they’d taken yesterday.

Then came the sneeze. Berry drew her rifle. The filly wiped her nose. The agents took aim. Berry unloaded her rifle into the air, causing their aims to go askew out of shock. Only one enemy bullet made their mark. Satisfied with this end result, the spent rifle was swung over the pony’s back. Upon seeing the gas canister be launched into the shop, Berry took off.

Charging forward, she knocked over a woman who tried to block the way. Inside, she saw Lorraine step through to the other side. Cerman was going crazy, screaming for help as the tear gas approached. Sighing, Berry grabbed the poor woman.

“Come on, Screwy!”

The portal flickered, collapsing after receiving its creator. Just before it was gone for good, Berry dragged a gibbering Cerman through it.

---

The next thing Berry and Cerman knew, they were sent flying away from RD’s first ever Sonic Rainboom. Crashing through trees and bushes, they came to a forced stop when they gently collided with a faulty human teleportation device.

Without missing a beat, Berry jumped to her hooves and checked the machine’s insides. There was Sweetie Belle, dazed as ever in her mentally suggestive state. Berry retrieved the Harkness from the filly’s leg. While doing that, something else caught her eye. Tucked away beside the filly was the file Cliff had found. This made Berry genuinely smile.

“Definitely a clever mare.”

Opening it up, she found the code word for wiping what had already been said during her time in this state.

“Bish.”

Next came the ‘listen to me’ word.

“Bash.”

Berry told Sweetie what she was to believe happened when she escaped. Before saying the final code word that would bring Sweetie back to her senses, Berry hefted the newly ponified Cerman onto her back. Then she went and messed with the teleporter controls.

Preparing to run, Berry finally said, “Bosh.”

She galloped away. The teleporter exploded. Then came the loud crush and scream of Rarity. Arriving on the scene, there was a flash of orange in the corner of Berry’s eye. She wanted to pursue, but Cerman was heavy, and had started barking like a dog. With Sweetie Belle likely to spot them leaving, thanks to a lack of natural cover around the gem filled rock, there was no other choice but to use the Harkness.

---

Berry and ‘Screwy’ (with the barking, the sane one had decided the name fitted) came back into existence in Ponyville. The date entry had been rushed, and it turned out they’d arrived about a half year before Berry had moved in.

It was hard for the mare to think with the crazy mare on her back, so the first thing she did was ditch the load outside the hospital with a note:

‘Hello, my name is Screwy. I like to play fetch and eat grass. Please give me a good home.’

Free of that burden, Berry felt exhaustion sweeping over her. She dragged herself to Sugarcube Corner.

“Oooooooo, a new pony!” Glitchie Pi exclaimed. “Hey I’m Pi- No, wait, you already know me, don’t you? But nopony else would know so. What do I do?”

“Get me an Irish Coffee.”

“That’s a great idea! All that hard work deserves a pick me up!”

Berry just let herself snooze at a random table. Moments later, Glitchie returned with the order. The soldier downed it, feeling the effects immediately.

“Ah, caffeine and dutch courage rolled into one. Always hits the spot.”

Another pony entered the store. A mare with a familiar voice.

“Hey, Pinkster! I need my usual starter pack!”

Cliff couldn’t see Berry staring at her with such longing. The mare had a large set of saddlebags, as well as a traveller’s rucksack. Today must have been the day Cliff left on her last trip before meeting Berry. Eventually, she left with a large box of assorted sweets. Glitchie returned to Berry’s side, thrusting a bottle at her.

“Here! I know how much you miss Cliff Jumper! This should help you!”

With that, the vibrant robot pony vanished, the bottle wobbling on the table. Berry examined the label; ‘Applejack Daniels’. The mare thought about what she was probably going to have to do next. She tried to get motivated for it, but everything just seemed pointless.

“Y’know, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet,” said a familiar drawling voice.

Looking around the store, Berry couldn’t find the source.

“Down here, you great lummox!”

The Applejack on the bottle label waved. Upon getting Berry’s attention, the miniature, black and white version of AJ climbed out of the label and hopped down to the table.

“No way have I drunk enough to be hallucinating.”

Mini AJ shrugged, suggesting, “At a guess, Pinkie put a considerably stronger substance in your coffee than whiskey.”

“Oh…”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, sugarcube. Now, back on the subject of killing me.”

“You’re awfully determined on dying, aren’t you?”

“I’m just a drug induced hallucination. I’m not exactly alive to begin with.”

While Berry came to terms with this, Mini AJ began absentmindedly trick roping.

“So, we clear on who I really mean when I say ‘kill me’?”

“I think so.”

“Right! Back on track! Let’s go over some of the things you’ve learned!”

The hallucination pulled out a little Chapple seed which suddenly grew to the size of a real apple.

“The Chapple Seed!” Berry exclaimed. “... What does it have to do with killing you?”

‘AJ’ took the hat off of her head a pulled on it with her teeth. After having expressed her frustration, the hat went back on her head.

“Oh my Celestia! Apples, consarnit! APPLES!”

“... oooooooohhhhhhhh.”

“Alrighty then! Next!”

Berry watched as AJ made a big thing of spinning her little lasso around. She began to bounce and point excitedly.

“Oo oo oo!”

“Yes?”

“Rope! Fluttershy!”

“Now we’re getting somewhere!”

Without any more actions from Mini AJ, Berry continued, “Rainbow mentioned eating an apple before the race! Ponyvillian! And I saw something orange near Rarity!”

Having done her job, the hallucination jumped back into her place on the label. With one last wink, she froze in the usual pose. Berry responded to this by blacking out. When she eventually came to, somepony had moved her to a secluded spot elsewhere in town. Taking the hint, Berry tapped in her next destination.

---

And so, Berry appeared in her deserted house. As she took in the familiar scent of home, the Harkness flashed red. A message displayed itself:

‘Warning! Low Power! Recharge required for next use.’

To Berry, that translated as:

‘End of the Road’

This didn’t stop her though. From a secret compartment, Berry fetched a breaching charge and an ankle pistol, then marched out of the house on her hind legs. Ponies stopped and stared at the mare. She didn’t care. ‘Let them stare,’ she thought, drinking a the odd bit of her whiskey now and then.

The Library came closer and closer. Images flitted through the mind’s eye; ghosts walking with her. Cliff Jumper, who, when they first met, had been so nervous introducing herself. The other mares had told her that it was unusual for Cliff to act like that around new ponies. Then came Ash, the poor woman who just ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

After Ash were the others she’d met on her journey through alternate futures. The true Cakes, the Twilight that lead a doomed resistance, Colonel Michael O’Neil, Bruce; Even the less welcome humans, who’d hurt her in some way, showed up.

Lastly, there were the four fillies she hadn’t been allowed to save. They looked at her with such heart rending disappointment. Berry tried to ignore them as she stepped up to the Library door. She failed.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But I can’t change what has and will happen. And besides-” Berry slammed the explosive in place and slid to the side, readying the detonator. “You never even met her.”

The door was blown, another swig was taken, and Berry stomped in. Thus, the loop was closed.

Author's Note:

That's all folks!

My thanks to Rainbow87dash for his assistance with Berry's last line.

Comments

[JazzyWaffles]

The portal flickered, collapsing after receiving its creator. Just before it was gone for good, Berry dragged a gibbering Cerman through it.

...what?

She galloped away. The teleporter exploded. Then came the loud crush and scream of Rarity. Arriving on the scene, there was a flash of orange in the corner of Berry’s eye. She wanted to pursue, but Cerman was heavy, and had started barking like a dog. With Sweetie Belle likely to spot them leaving, thanks to a lack of natural cover around the gem filled rock, there was no other choice but to use the Harkness.

...Cerman is Screwball?
huh