Neuron Probe scowled as a fresh surge of pain pulsed from his horn. His magic had never been especially powerful, a deficit that had been offset by his high precision. Unfortunately, when you need to conjure stable objects, specifically metal pony restraints, you needed a decent amount of power to get the process started. If you didn't put enough magic into the constructs, then they had an unfortunate tendency to disappear at critical moments. He had managed it in the end, although not without gaining a significant headache as his reserves ran low. It would be all worth it in the end though. Yes, he would capture Pinkamena Pie, and finally complete his life's work.
It had become clear to him that he would not be able to construct any useful sort of golem any time soon. He had managed to animate some rock golems, but they were infuriatingly slow. Their heads had essentially come to form their entire torso, large as that may be, and their arms and legs were little more than useless stubs. Perhaps four arms had been a mistake after all; there was a limit to the amount of mass he could animate at once, and this was clearly pushing it. Really, if it wasn't for the boulder-like creatures' tendency to curl up and throw themselves at a perceived threat, he wouldn't have kept them around. A sentient boulder would provide some distraction for any guards that came sniffing. And they had at least spared him the pain of moving that rock slab around himself. Their intelligence was rather lacking, but at least they could follow basic instructions.
His magical reserves had been severely taxed from doing all this, however, leading to his current foul mood and splitting headache. A lesser, though still significant, irritation was the lack of certain facilities. He hadn't had a proper wash in days, and the less said about his makeshift toilet the better. The cave stunk, and he was sure a large part of it was his own scent. Oh, he knew it would be all worth it in the end, but the interim was proving to be very unpleasant. At least he was enjoying some peace now- slowly pacing, with a limp. His stiff leg, still bound with vines and leaves, hurt less with each passing day, a sure sign that nature was doing its work.
The plan was advancing. Yes, the cogs were moving, slowly grinding towards the recovery of the subject. And beyond that, the completion of his work. Yes, all he needed to do was to follow her movements, and identify the ideal moment to obtain her. The bakery would be a good place to start- The papers said she was a baker, living with the owners of the bakery where she worked. He couldn't remember the names, but they were irrelevent anyway. As if there would be more than one bakery in a place like Ponyville. An earth pony village grown from an apple farm would have little in the way of true sophistication. They probably didn't even have a proper hospital. To say nothing of the level of intelligence. Unicorns were the scholars of Equestria, everypony knew that. The only real threat to him would be those who were from Canterlot- the guards, and the Princess. And in the dead of night, both parties would be easily avoided.
He would have to be cautious, but he could be patient for now. She would grow complacent, relax, as would the guards that were sure to be still running around like headless chickens. She would be vulnerable soon enough, and then he would strike. The foolish guards wouldn't even know until it was too late. He would spirit his errant test subject away into his laboratory, and resume the experiments. The lack of a proper electricity supply was irritating, but his magic would likely be able to replicate the process well enough. It wasn't as if he wouldn't have time to practice. And the golems would keep interruptions away. They may need a little training, but it seemed instinct was doing some of the work for him.
Yes, that sounded perfect. He would practice the necessary spell-work in the mornings. Afternoons could be devoted to foraging, and training the various golems now under his command. Evenings would give him the darkness needed to get close to town unnoticed. As he learnt the patrols, he would be able to move further into town undetected. Once he could make it undetected to the bakery and back....that would be when he was ready. A few more nights to assertain the perfect moment, and that would be that. All that would be left would be to execute the retrieval. He would need to conjure some rope for that part, and practice a knock-out spell. Those would be simple enough. Yes, that was the plan. And what a masterful plan it was! It was simple, inventive and, naturally from one such as he, foolproof! The work of a true genius!
A low cackle echoed in the cave. It grew louder, faster, the maddened laugh drifting outside and through the trees of the Everfree Forest. The golems and Timberwolf shrunk away from their master, sensing the danger he represented. The Wolf whined in fear. What few prey animals there were around the cave bolted. Some ways off, a pair of orange furred ears perked up. A pack of Timberwolves bounded through the undergrowth, their howls adding to the dreadful sound. They too kept their distance- the scents of magic and sickness had been on the air all day, and a mad creature such as the one they heard now was surely one best avoided. Around the forest's edge, too far away to hear, oblivious guards and their dogs patrolled the border. And in the heart of Ponyville, under the watchful eye of a pair of guards, a smiling pink pony bounded around the tables of the local bakery, seemingly oblivious to the danger brewing.
The Everfree was infested with monsters, and now one more lurked in the dark forest.
It's happeningggggggg
Suddenly, alliteration.
of it was his own scent..
1. Just an extra full stop.
Huh... Didn't think the golem would look like that but hey, they rock.
Ps. I think I'm the only one hoping to see a side story/sequel to Pinkamena confessing/trying to Twilight.
6714896 Thanks for spotting that!
Ps. Believe me, judging by the comments section you're not the only one! It's probably going to be a future project.
I hope Pinkie go cupcakes with this asshole.
I can tell the location just from the spelling! :D
Can't wait!!!
Heh. "Programme". ...France ?
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Nope , you aren't the only one.
I was here just for this reason to begin with...but stayed for everything else.
This guy's about to get slam dunked by his own hubris, and it's gonna be beautiful.
6714906 Awesome to see you again.
So, wait! Pinkanema confessing isn't in the original project plan? You traitor! Still love your work though.
romance back please?
Wait, I just noticed that the romance tag is gone. When did that happen? It's pretty much the reason I was reading this.
A bunch of Gravlers, eh?
Still waiting for the Romance & Comedy to come back! @.@
This guy has absolutely no comprehension of the obstacles he face. Dozens of guards, an alicorns i think (forgot if twilight is an alicorn in this story), a supersonic pegasus, an incredibly strong earth pony, a fashionista who is not afraid to get her hooves dirty for her friends, and a pegasus that can make dragons recoil jsut by glaring at em who also could command the beasts to hunt him down.
And if he gets his hooves on her, he will then have to deal with ponyville itself, rising up in a multicolored lynch mob as they go to rescue their party pony.
And if her sisters get involved...... Oooooh lordy, there wouldn't be atoms left of his being at that point.
You mess wit pinkie pie, you mess with all of equestria XD
Do like that this story acknowledges that though. Once read one of those shitty grimdark stories. A killer kills not only pinkie pie, but rainbow dash and applejack (rainbow dash even attacks him and somehow does not beat him to death in a rage), and somehow gets away. Not even luna to celestia gets involved cause....... Bullshit mostly.
In this story, the more realistic circumstances arise. Someone realizes the threat immediately, the REgal Sisters learn of it, and they immediately mobilize to protect her. And if probe gets her, they will have a full on manhunt after that bastard in hours, maybe even minutes.
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You'll notice that the romance tag was removed. Drebom didn't feel capable of doing justice to the topic, and so the Twi/mena subplot was shelved.
6715096
Or, y'know, English. Program(me) is one of many words that is spelled differently on each side of the Atlantic.
Neuron, you do realize that you're not gonna reach Pinkie that easily, right? Unless you got something reeeeeeeeeally clever planned out, you're gonna have to find a way to get past all of Pinkie's friends, and they're very close to each other.
Nopony is gonna get me!
I sure hope so.
(This is Surprise) That meanie does not know what he's dealing with!
A Wild Gravler Appeared!
Probe is a big fat meanie head!
...I'm wondering how close to Sugarcube Corner he can get without triggering Pinkie Sense.
He'll probably kidnap Pinkie in her Pinkamena stage when she doesn't have as powerful a Pinkie sense to operate off of.
Of course, if he drags Pinkie back into the forest, it'll most likely be Pinkamena he deals with anyways, unless regular Pinkie is strong enough to fight of her trauma and memories of Neuron Probe.
That said, you've set yourself up a little bit. If the guards and Princesses haven't ALREADY preemptively gone into the forest to hunt down Neuron Probe before he has a chance to kidnap Pinkie, then the same issues (ie. it's the bloody Everfree) that prevent them from going in now should be a hurdle for if/when they do have to go in.
The end is near! The end is—
*gibberish*
What?
*angry gibberish*
I don't mean that, Pinkie!
*sigh then gibberish*
Shut up.
I love it when the villains completely underestimate their opponents
He's underestimating pinkie pie......the way she can stretch and not to mention her "pinkie sense"
Endgame is such a beautiful word...
Aaaaawwwsww! I caught up. You have me riveted my dear author!
6805274 I think I've mentioned this somewhere in the comments, but it's probably lost in amongst everything else. Basically, mirror pool clones clearly have their own personalities, whether they're perfect replicas of the original or not. To juggle the personalities around would either compound the problem, with multiple bodies with multiple personalities, or else the clone's original personalities would need to be erased beforehand. The former makes the problem worse, the latter would be unacceptable to all involved in the hypothetical procedure.
As for souls, well, at the end of the day Pinkamena and Surprise are the results of a wacky brain structure and psycological issues. The body only has one soul, no matter how many minds/personalities may be attached to it.
Not sure who said it, but looking forward to seeing it proven in-universe. Also, is it just me, or has Probe gotten a bit more... unstable this chapter? Don't get me wrong, he wasn't anyone's idea of sanity, but before I'd have called him a sociopath: someone who cannot empathize with others, and thus has no moral reasoning. Or perhaps he just didn't care enough. But he was always... meticulous. He seemed demented, but sane. Evil, but not incomprehensible. Logical. Uncaring. Now he's sliding towards psychopath. Unstable, insane, and unreasonable. Totally different forms of madness. Also, does anyone else find it hilarious that the evil psychologist has gone mad?
Sure, your leg stopped hurting. It might be that it's healing, it might be that it's gangrenous. Explains the smell and the slow descent into fever-madness too. Too bad you weren't a medical doctor, eh Probe?
ohh right he dosnt know about luna
Oh ho ho ho ho Probe. Racists are so adorable. He's building Pinkie Pie some shackles for her to use, how nice of him!
Probe always makes me think of Hyde
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You are one that I like. You are good.
Um. I have already said this in one of my earlier comments, but... ... ... for being a psychologist that managed to escape a prison similar to Alcatraz, he really is a Dumb***.
The guards, the mane six, spike, all of Ponyville, the PRINCESSES, Discord (for crying out loud!), not to mention Pinkie Pie herself will all be charging at him. Probe is a flipping idiot. (You know what I mean. I just don't like cursing... ... ... a lot)
Signing out, VShuffler42
Hmmm a knockout spell to be used on someone with three fully cognitive minds...nope not seeing a potential problem
7575334
Except that Mister Hyde was incredibly intelligent. Probe... eh. IDK why I'm saying this to a comment this old, meh.
Somehow, I think the watchers want her to use her powers from beyond the fourth wall this time. I wonder what happens to a psychologist who is exposed to the True nature of reality? Does he go further insane, or does it snap him out of it?
He made some Graveler golems. I see what you did there, very clever.
Christ, so he's RACIST too?
No, the Everfree is infested with animals. It houses only one monster.
Hah! The crud bucket IS the only monster there!