A Very Bad Day
I crouched at the edge of the forest, just beyond one of the major thoroughfares and eyed the town. With dawn had come a new kind of surprise, a huge shield covered the entire town, its energy stretched thin.
“Could that actually knock out your illusion spell?”
It could certainly try. Want me to suck down the energy? If whatever sorcerer doing this is just handing out a free meal I say why not?
“No, this is a bad plan.”
Free food is never a bad plan.
“I mean this shield.” I waved a hoof at it. “It's not nearly strong enough to reliably shut you down. What are they planning?” I paced along its edge glaring at it.
Something caught my eye. I backed up slowly until I found what I was looking for, a small break in the shield. “There is a break here, maybe a quarter inch wide.” I tilted my head back and forth, looking up and down. “It looks like the break goes all the way to the top of the dome.”
I have a bad feeling about this.
I walked the shield a dozen paces and found another break. “It's an alarm. Not one shield but dozens. We cross and if you suck up the power or it neutralizes your abilities, somepony will know exactly where we are.”
There is a high probability that there are guards nearby, either stationed ready to respond or patrolling. It would be a good idea to cross the shield or leave before they show up.
I huffed and moved back into the woods. “How much power would a full body hologram consume?”
At current rates, power supplies will be depleted in eighteen hours. In addition you will have to walk carefully, or crawl on your hands and knees. I would not recommend it for long periods of time.
“There's no helping it then. Ok, D will stop all his spells, you activate the hologram. Once we cross the shield, D can re-cast.”
That is going to take a bit of time and power on both of our parts Sarah. Isn't there another way?
I looked the shield over, even lying flat on my belly to look at the bottom. “It looks like the shield doesn't go all the way to the ground. I see maybe a quarter to a half inch here.”
We aren't going to fit into a half inch gap. No diet in the world could make that happen.
“No, but if it doesn't touch the ground here, then it might have larger gaps elsewhere.”
Movement to your left, probably guards.
I slunk back into the forest, just far enough to watch the trio of guards march past.
“Did you hear something?” My heart nearly stopped as the last guard paused only a couple dozen feet from me.
“Probably timber wolves, the shield seems to attract them for some reason.” The other guard seemed bored with the routine.
“Come on, I don't want to fight those things if they are out here. Plants should not have claws and teeth, its just not right.” The guards moved on, and I remembered to breathe.
Local geography suggests there is a small ravine nearby.
“Lead on.” Machina projected a blue arrow onto my vision, and I followed it on around the shield, dodging two more sets of guards. The ravine was blocked almost entirely by the shields, save for a one foot section on one side.
That is still going to be a tight squeeze.
“D, give me a good claw. If we can add another six inches to this opening, I think I can get through.” Once more my left hoof shifted, becoming a wicked black implement. I clawed at the earth and stone, wincing at the clack and crack of shifting rock. In the course of a few minutes I was dirty and sweaty, but the curving gap between the shield and earth was nearly two feet wide.
“Go ahead and drop the illusion D, and the translation. I want to squeeze through and I don't want to risk your energy setting the shield off.”
Do you want me to fire up the hologram?
“Not yet, but keep it ready.” My body shifted and flowed, becoming human again. I flexed my hands and shifted awkwardly. Pony form dictated a lack of clothing, and I blushed to my chest realizing that I was only wearing a backpack.
“Remind me next time to pack my pants and shirt.”
So you can spend five minutes getting into them and five more getting out just to cross the town border?
“Never-mind.” I crawled through the tunnel, careful to keep my left arm pressed into the dirt as far from the shield as possible. On the far side I brushed as much of the dirt off as possible. “OK, D fire the illusion back up.”
I'm having some difficulty, must be interference within the shield.
“D, so help me if I am caught naked by the guards I am going to swear up and down that your possession is the cause of any bad thing they think I've done. I'll beg for holy water.”
Alright alright, you don't have to be so pushy
My body shifted and I was once again a mare, this time green with blue hair and a violin shaped mark.
“Better make my mark construction based, we are buying electrical stuff if we can.” The mark shifted to one of a wheelbarrow. “Better, now let's see what we can see.”
A spool of copper wire was easy to obtain, as was a basic rain barrel and filter. The electrical generator was a bit harder to come by.
“OK, you have lights, they aren't candles, they aren't magic, how are they powered?” I was getting very frustrated with the hardware salespony. Mr. Claw Hammer was about as knowledgeable as one could expect when it came to building a house. When it came to actually generating power though.
“What do you mean how? Its connected to the grid! Plug and go. You DIYers are making things overly difficult for those hard working contractors.”
Hardly working is more like it. How can this guy be that dense about where the power comes from?
“What if I wanted to do something big and didn't want to stress the grid?”
“Then I guess there is only one pony to talk to.”
“Yes?”
“Twilight Sparkle is the resident librarian and scientist and she would know all about your power making thingie.”
“Thank you sir, I shall inquire of her at once.” I left the hardware store, dragging a small cart of items. I was down to fifteen bits and I wanted to spend them wisely. “Where to next? The library?”
You should get some seeds, grow a small garden at the castle.
“That's a bit of an odd idea. Especially coming from you Machina.
I just think that not having to trade in more coins or risk town too often would be good. D can accelerate the growth so we can get fresh fruit and veggies quickly.
I shrugged and headed for the market. “Why not?”
I spent my last bits there, picking up seeds for corn, carrots, potatoes, beans, and oranges. I even got some apple seeds, though it was in the more traditional way.
“Hear ya are,” Applejack handed me a bag of six bright red apples, “An remember, an apple a daie keeps tha doctor away.”
“Thank you.” I put the apples in my cart and handed over my last three bits.
“Ah HA!!” someone cried from behind me. The blue mare to my right was lifted off the ground in a halo of purple energy. There was a pulse of power, before she dropped back down, dazed.
That was the illusion cancellation spell!
I spun round to spot Twilight Sparkle, and she was in ragged shape. Her hair stuck out in odd directions, her eyes seemed unfocussed, and she had the kind of smile that was making most of the ponies around her back away slowly. Fluttershy and Rarity were with her, trying to calm her down.
“Twilight, whut in tarnation are ya doin?!?” Applejack left her cart to check on her troubled friend, and I worked on leaving calmly.
“Its here! I know it's here. It has to be!!”
“Twilight?” Applejack asked, concern heavy in her voice.
“It's dangerous! It attacked me in the hospital. It chased down Scootaloo and attacked her. It left a threatening note and poisoned herbs at the spa-”
“Twilight, darling, Aloe only said she thought they were poisoned.” Rarity interjected, “Lotus wasn't so sure.”
“They threw them out, just to be safe!” Twilight countered.
Threw them out? It took us hours to get all of that!
“It was draining the power from the hospital, putting dozens of ponies at risk. It attacked Fluttershy-”
“Actually, the guard attacked me because your shield failed as I was running through it.” Fluttershy said softly.
“It must have cursed you when you interrupted it poisoning the spa. And worst of all, WORST OF ALL-”
What could be worse than poisoning ponies?
“IT STOLE BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY!!!”
....what?
“It probably took them off and- And Burned Them! And now those guards found that carved out section of a hill near the edge of town. Its obviously in here, and I am going to zap every pony I see until I find it!”
“Twi, Ah think you need to rest.”
“How can I rest when that- that Book Thief is out there, plotting more terrible deeds!”
I was around the corner and slowly making my way to the edge of town by the main road.
Our way out is going to be blocked by guards, and we are going to have difficulty getting this cart all the way back to the castle.
“D, what do you need to teleport us back to the castle?”
Five minutes and a clear space. Try the alley over there.
The alley itself was too small and cluttered with junk, but it lead to a disused communal area between houses. As I approached, I could hear somepony crying softly. I came around the corner to find a strange pegasus, grey with purple markings and blonde hair, crying in a corner.
“Hello?” I called. She flinched away as if struck and turned to look at me with a fearful expression.
Oh dear god it's Ditzy. Why is she polka dotted?
Those look like bruises.
“I am going to burn this town to the ground.” I silently vowed.
“Please,” she begged, “Please stay away. I swear I didn't know that creature and I didn't have anything to do with anything. Please don't hurt me anymore.” She was sobbing now, her right eye swollen almost shut.
I pulled the bag of apples from my cart and put them on the ground. Ditzy watched me with a mix of fear and defeat. I slowly backed away, leaving her with the food.
I could heal her, just touch her and all that damage would be gone.
No. Such an act would appear miraculous and tie her to us even more than before.
I was quiet as I left. “I hate this, having so much power and still able to do so little.” I turned towards the right and caught a glimpse of a yellow wing as it vanished around the corner. “Shit.”
There are other yellow pegasi in town, there is no way to know that that was Fluttershy.
Or that she suspects us of anything.
Or that she is running off to tell her suspicions to that sleep deprived, paranoid Twilight.
I counted to ten, slowly, in my head. Then I heard a shrill whistle in the distance. “Run?”
RUN!
I took off as fast as I could, the cart bouncing along behind me. The road was clear in the late afternoon sun, and I was making a bee line for the forest. I got four blocks before I heard guards yelling at me to halt. A moment later a series of small blasts plinked off the cart and its contents.
They are going to put a hole in the rain barrel.
I think we have other things to worry about!
Up ahead two patrols were converging on the town line, exactly where I was headed. An arrow plinked off the cobblestones to my right as I ran.
I gritted my teeth, making the tough decisions. “M, lose the cart. D, speed, all you can spare.” There was a soft sound of blade on rope and the cart dropped free of me as I sped ahead of it. I took a quick glance back and marveled at the sight. My poor purchases had caught over a dozen arrows, and twice as many guards were now surging over and around it to pursue me.
I passed through the barrier and watched the purple wall turn bright red. My form began to flow back to human, but I was still running for all I was worth. “Hologram.” I called as I hit the tree line. I must have looked like a heat wave running into the woods. Arrows and magic followed my flight, but luckily nothing touched me. A few hundred yards in I swung up into a tree and worked to quiet my breathing.
We should continue to put as much distance between our pursuers and ourselves as possible.
“Until D gets his powers back,” I whispered, gasping for air, “This is as far as I can go.”
I'll have illusion back in a minute, but not speed or endurance. That shield packs a surprising punch.
“Shift over to your illusion when you can, Machina needs to conserve power.” A few minutes later my body felt like it merged with the tree as the shift flowed over me.
The guards ran by under me a moment later, followed by pegasi doing their best to navigate the thick tangle of branches and vines. I sat still, breathing slowly and watching as best I could from my limited vantage point as the guards trampled the forest floor for two hours.
Finally, one guard called the rest in. “It could have doubled back a dozen times by now, or even be hiding as one of us. We need to get back to town before nightfall or the timber wolves will have our hides for dinner.”
An hour later, I crawled out of the tree and sulked towards the castle, longing for the relative safety of my sleeping bag. “Well, that was an utter clusterfuck.” I grumbled as I stormed into my campsite at the royal bedroom. The unpredictable weather of the Everfree threatened rain, and I had to set up the tent. Nightmare sat quietly nearby.
I'm sorry Sarah, I was really hoping we could get those seeds and that power supply
“Thats alright Machina, we can try again in a day or two. Maybe we will even be able to reclaim some of the cart.”
Sarah, I- we need to talk.
“What is it?”
Its been over three days since I was activated, and only a day after you landed, correct?
“Yeah." I said, fitting tent poles together. "Standard rescue time is estimated to be about two weeks.” I shrugged, setting the tent poles in place and using lose stones to hold the ropes down. “Its only been done in training so far but everything should be fine.”
Sarah, that training is all done on the assumption that the landing area has been verified by drones.
“So?”
In all the time I have been active, I have been passively scanning the local dimensional fabric. I have detected no intrusion.
I felt a cold fear start to crawl up my back. “Machina what are you telling me.”
A successful recovery requires drones to start pinging the area within seventy-two hours of losing signal from the conversion pod for any reason. In the time since my full activation, no ping has been found despite the local area being dimensionally sound.
Sarah, no one is coming.
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Aaand... now I am not sure if I can continue reading this fic.
See, if Derpy had not been beaten to a pulp just for KNOWING her, then there would be the possibility for reconciliation once they find out she is NOT an evil demon-thing.
But with the abuse of Derpy, this is now impossible without some incredibly contrived coincidence.
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Ditzy had been bullied before, mostly by other pegasi. The bullies were embarrassed in public, so they are using this as an excuse for revenge.
Also, this is only a day or two after Sarah initially was revealed and fled the town. There is a level of panic that has settled over town, and Twilight's neurotic nature really isn't helping.
I have something ... planed.... for them, but it won't come for a little while. There are also a few other things going on that will get revealed later on.
First off, I am enjoying this story. I do hope there will be more chapters soon. this reminds me of when Twilight forgot to send her friendship report to Princess Celestia that she went a bit crazy. Evin twilight friends think she going to far in her indevers to catch Sarah. It looks like princess Celestia will need to cum to straiten things out. Whit will Princess Celestia do when she knows about Derpys batter state. Most ponys do not hit and beat up ponys. Maybe Sarah can git help from Zecora? She knows what it is like to be feared by the ponys of Ponyville before she made friend with Twilight friends. It look like Sarah is trapped on this world for the time being. She will need help to fine her way back to her home. You have a lot of elements in this story and I can't wait to see how the story plays out so keep up the good work.
PS, It wood be fun to see Twilight and friends point of view, It wood give a better ideal whit is going on in town and why there is so much misinformation on Sarah doings. I know that the unknown can be scary. That why Zecora had so much trouble in town when she was new to Ponyville. Will Pinkie Pie make a party for Sarah? She like to know all ponys and people. Time well tell.
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I thank you for your feedback. In truth, I have roughly a dozen chapters mostly written, but each is tweaked a lot before publishing (plus I'm having difficulty getting the colors right all the time and constantly have to go back and correct them).
A chapter is coming where we will get the views of the Elements, as well as a general sorting out of the misconceptions. As for Zeccora, Sarah is not intentionally avoiding her, but the Everfree is large and the castle is far from Zeccora's hut.
Also, and I hate to ask, but if you like my story could you give me a thumb up? It will help to attract more viewers.
I can't remember if I commented on it when I saw it, but you have some 'your's where they should be 'you're's.
Ow. .. that got dark quite quickly. And here I was, thinking about the first chapter painting a way too easy introduction between Sarah and ponyville. I wonder what Sarah's involvement with the nightmare might cause.
:(
Well, thanks a lot redtau, you make me crack my mouse
, I'm lucky that still works.
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6967697 no!!!!!!!!!!
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You do not hurt the Derpy one
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She's not hurt