Lifesparks

by Sythax

In with the Bandits

The first thing Sweetie Bot noticed as she awoke was the swaying. It was a gentle, side to side motion, accompanied by the squeaking of wooden wheels. Sweetie Bot didn't move, instead allowing herself to collect herself. She watched as her HUD displayed itself on the inside of her eyelids, reporting her condition.

Everything seemed to be in order: her batteries were charging, so she must be out in the daylight somewhere, and all systems were nominal except for a sensor in her lower right leg; it seemed the force from the bandit's axe had dislodged it. It was relatively small, however, and posed no problems to her.

With her systems all working correctly, she set about mapping her surroundings. She could feel a thick metal grating beneath her, the 97% iron bars at least 6 millimetres in diameter. She could sense somepony next to her, their breathing slow and calm. She couldn't tell whether her company posed any threat.

With apprehension, she slowly opened her eyes, the apertures behind her lenses constricting to focus on her surroundings. She saw the metal bars rise up in front of her, forming the side of a sturdy cage. Green hilly plains rolled past under cloudy blue skies as she trundled along.

"Oh good, you're awake," came a familiar voice. "I was worried they'd damaged you."

She groaned as she pushed herself to her haunches, turning to face Bolts beside her.

"I thought I told you to run," she said.

"I did," he replied. "These guys are fast."

'These guys' referred to the twenty or so ponies walking just below them. Two of them were attached to a large caravan, its wooden walls painted an inconspicuous green. The rest walked in groups, chatting and laughing. The cage in which they sat was fixed to the front of the carriage, dangling preciously.

"Where are we?" she asked as she examined the landscape.

"I'm not sure," said Bolts. "From what I can tell, we're heading north."

"Oh look, Scar: the metal one's awake," said one of the trailer ponies.

"Hey Sparky! What the view like from up there?" the one named Scar said. The two ponies laughed at their own joke.

"Ignore them," said Bolts. "They've been taunting me since they put me in here."

"How long have I been out?"

"About seven hours or so. The sun will be setting soon."

Sure enough, the sky was beginning to bleed red to the west. Before long, the light would be completely gone.

"I can get us out of here. I'll just melt the bars and-"

"Don't even bother," he interrupted. "This cage is enchanted—high level indestructibility spell, must have cost them a fortune."

"So what do they plan to do with us?" she asked, an edge of fear in her voice.

"I don't know. They are out to make a profit, so they wouldn't have kept us alive if they didn't think we were worth something."

The fact that they probably weren't going to be bumped off any time soon was of small comfort. How in Equestria were they going to get out of this one?

"At least they want us alive. They fed and watered me earlier," said Bolts. "It wasn't exactly gourmet, but I'm not complaining."

She smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. His eyes shimmered as he smiled back. When he realised he was staring, he looked away quickly, blush flooding his cheeks.

"So where is the key to this cage?" she asked, trying to ward off the awkward silence that had been descending on them.

"It's there," he said pointing to the front of the caravan where a small nail stuck out of the wood, a fancy key hanging from it. It was way too far for her to reach.

"So we're stuck here, aren't we?" she said in defeat, slumping to the metal floor.

"Yes, yes we are," replied Bolts as they watched the sun set slowly. The bandits, aware of the receding light, began to ignite torches that were stored in the side of the carriage. The warm glow of fire licked at the bottom of the cage, casting flickering shadows on their faces. The group of bandits walked on into the coming night, their two unwilling hostages in tow.

---

The bandits set up camp shortly after the sun had descended below the horizon. They lay around a blazing fire, laughing and drinking some sort of mead they had stored in the trailer. One of them even had a small ukulele and began strumming some cheerful tunes that sailed into the night, mingling with the smell of soup.

The two foals watched the bandits enjoy their evening meal, Bolts pushing himself against the metal bars to be closer to the warmth of the fire. The cage had been placed on the ground next to the carriage in sight of the relaxing bandits. Sweetie Bot observed them; if she didn't know better, they could have passed for ordinary ponies. She watched as one of them detached from the group, carrying two chunks of bread towards them. He was noticeably older than the rest of the group, his face obscured by a thick beard. His mustard yellow coat was covered with a pair of dirty overalls that trailed slightly behind him.

He paused as Sweetie Bot glared at him. Realising that the cage would protect him, he chuckled, advancing once more.

"You gave our boys quite the challenge, Missy," he said as he dropped the bread through the bars. Bolts caught his, biting into it furiously. Sweetie Bot continued to stare at the bandit.

"Now why ya lookin' at me like that?" he said. "We ain't doin' anything to hurt ya."

"You holding us in a cage," she replied.

"It's for ya own protection," he said. "If this here cage wasn't here, would ya stay here with us?"

She shook her head. Of course she wouldn't; they had attacked her and taken everything they had.

"Didn't think so, and if ya ain't with us, how can we turn ya over to the proper authorities?"

“So that's your plan: hand us over to the police and get a nice fat reward for your troubles?"

"Yup, pretty much."

She sighed. It always came down to money.

"And what about you Missy? What, may I ask, are ya?"

"That is none of your concern."

He chuckled at her defiance.

"There ain't no reason to be so hostile. I'm just a curious old pony who got down on his luck."

"What do you mean?" asked Bolts, looking up from his meal.

"Well, why do ya think any of us are here? We didn't choose this life, you know. Not everypony can get a job in some fancy bank!"

"But why thievery? Surely there was some other way?"

"Not that pays well enough to live on," he said sadly. "This life ain't no picnic, but it puts food in ma belly."

He shook his head, turning back to Sweetie Bot. "Anyway, as I was askin', who and what are ya and how in the hay did ya end up in the mountains?"

She didn't think there was a threat in telling this mild-mannered pony their story; he seemed nice enough—for a bandit that is. Even so, she thought it best to leave out some details.

“I'm Sweetie Bot, this is Bolts."

"Scrubs’s the name," said the elderly pony, pointing proudly to his chest "Best wagon mechanic in all Equestria. Man, I can fix a cart soon as look at it."

"So that's what you do with this lot? Fix the wagon?"

"Yup," he responded. "So Sweetie Bot you say, strange name for a filly, or are you a filly?"

"I'm actually a robot," she said. It still sounded stupid.

"A robot, you say? I've seen some fancy contraptions in my time, but never a fully workin' robot. Would ya mind satin' an old ponies curiosity?"

With a pop, she detached the shell off her leg, presenting the whirling motors and electronics to Scrubs. His eyes widened in fascination, observing every detail.

"Well I'll be damned—a fetch more complex than a wagon, I bet," he chuckled. "So how does a robot like you and a colt with a bag full o' gizmos end up where we found ya?"

"Well we were on the train to Manehatten..." started Sweetie Bot, launching into the story of their unfortunate train crash. She decided to leave out the black uniformed ponies who had attacked. No need to give the bandits any ideas about handing them in to the wrong people. Whoever the ponies were working for, they certainly weren't a nice bunch.

Scrubs listened intently, interrupting every now and again to ask a question. Bolts listened, too, not mentioning her omitted details. The entire ordeal sound more overwhelming now being told back than when it actually happened. She wondered what Rarity and her friends would make of it. What were they doing right now? Was Rarity scrambling on the next train to Manehatten as she was speaking? Had she realised how much this journey meant to Sweetie Bot? She did miss her sister dearly.

She was just getting to the point about finding the cave when the camp went silent. Sweetie Bot stopped her story, watching as a pony ran towards the bandits around the fire. He had obviously been keeping a lookout as a large pair of binoculars hung around his neck.

"There's a trail of caravans," he gasped, "over the hill, barely half a mile away"

The bandits looked at each other, not sure whether they were up for a raid this late at night.

"How many guards?" asked one pony.

"None, from what I can see," said the lookout. "Mostly travelers and a couple of saleponies"

The bandits pondered the thought. Most looked tempted by the idea of such an easy raid. No guards and saleponies probably filled with goods? It sounded too good to be true.

"Salesponies you say? They could be carrying quite the stock."

"But what about the travellers? I've heard they can be vicious."

"Ah ponyfeathers, just stories. They ain't gonna hurt us."

"All those in favour of a bit of late night plundering, say aye!" called the lookout.

A huge cry went up from the bandits as they scrambled to their hooves. With military efficiency, they packed away everything, the fire was extinguished, and their meals were packed back into the wagon. Within minutes, the entire camp was packed and ready to go.

"So how do you think we should do it? The old sneaky ambush?" said one pony.

"Nah, I say we go in hard and fast," said another. "Charge 'em with the carriage and scatter 'em, then we can pick 'em off." This suggestion was met with murmurs of agreement.

"What about those two?" said the pony named Scar. "We can't leave 'em here."

"Stick them back on the wagon. Even if the cage falls off, they ain't going anywhere."

The two carriage ponies walked towards their cage, lifting it with some difficulty. With a heave, they latched it back onto the wagon, swaying gently.

"All right? Then let’s do this!" cried the lookout, his words met with an uproar from the gathered bandits.

The cage shook as they took off, the trailer bouncing over the grass as they climbed a nearby hill. Sweetie Bot orientated her internal compass, figuring they were going North-East. They came over the peak of the hill, peering off into the distance. Sure enough, they could see a long trail of glowing light, the glimmer flicking as the unsuspecting ponies walked around.

With a bone-chilling, or in Sweetie Bot's case, circuit-chilling battle cry, the bandits charged for the camp, the noise echoing through the quiet night for miles around.

Author's Note:

For those of you who use the imperial system, 6 millimetres is about 0.2 inches.

Comments

[Jphyper]

I just finished the first chapter, and I have to say it needs some work. There are too many grammar errors to ignore. Most of it is small stuff, such as incorrect or missing punctuation. If you'd like, I can send you a proofread version of each chapter through a personal message. I'm already involved in a much larger story, but I think I can handle this, too. It'll be nice to correct a smaller story in between the other story's big chapters.

[Pyriel]

Is it a bad thing I like the bandits?

[Sythax]

4348997 Hmm, English never was my favourite subject. If you're will and able to proofread it then be my guest, I would certainly appreciate it! I don't mind this being at the bottom of your priorities so just read it when you can, its better than no proofreader at all.
Is it just grammar then? They never really taught us the finer points of English Grammar when I did English.
Thanks for offering by the way, its nice to know that somepony thinks my story if worthwhile of being corrected.

[Sythax]

4349040 Not at all, they are quite a happy bunch despite their profession.

[Jphyper]

4349158 I already took the liberty of fixing the first chapter right away in case you said that. I couldn't send it right away because I had to go to work. I'll send it over in a moment.

It's mostly grammar. There were a few missing words, too. Also, I made some stylistic fixes as well. From what I've seen, most of your story is written in British English, which uses a few different spellings and word choices than American English, which is what I (and my computer's spell check) normally use. I changed a few American spellings so they all match British English to the extent of my knowledge. This will be good practice practise for me, and I might even learn a thing or two.

I will, however, be changing British spellings and terms back to American if I spot any in what the characters say. The show is partially made in the U.S., so the ponies use American English, at least in the original English-language version. Haven't seen any so far, though.

One error that stands out the most, and one of the most common mistakes in the fandom, is that "Sweetie Belle" and "Apple Bloom" are each spelled as two words, not one. It does get rather confusing, since Applejack's name is spelled as one word.

Wow, I say a lot in my comments. Why can't I type like this when I'm writing my own stories?!

[MidnightRain]

4349040 maybe.but they could be undercover.how cool would that be!?

[Pyriel]

4353517 I suppose. I just plainly like the guys who go against the law but are still good people.

[MidnightRain]

4353625 Good/Evil is subjective.there is no true Good or Evil.its all up in your head.

[Pyriel]

4353633 eeyup. Only grey.

[Sythax]

4354727 Sorry, Equestria limited edition :)

[Kenshinryuu]

I honestly applaud the bandits for thinking of returning a pair of lost fillies to the authorities, even if they are doing it in hopes of an award. Very clever way of making some easy cash.

[Pyriel]

4307442 I called it. Totally. Eeyup.

[justintym4fun]

I hope the caravan doesn't turn out to be a trap. Eagerly waiting for more!

[Sythax]

4435422 I'm trying to get around to writing more, unfortunately my AS exams have just started so I find my self somewhat lacking in time and motivation. I could force myself to write it but I wouldn't enjoy it and therefore it would be below par. I'd rather have people annoyed I made them wait than annoyed because the chapter wasn't very good.

[justintym4fun]

That's understandable. Not much you can do about exams. Good luck, and hope you pass!

[Kaiser change name]

4435422 it's gotta be a trap if there are no guards