Synch

by sunnypack

20 - Indentured Servitude

Solid looked at me, I looked at Twilight, Twilight looked at Iron, Iron stared at Pinkie and Pinkie looked back at me. The guards looked bored. We were all in chains. I hated life.

Chains rattling, I turned to Twilight and poked her muzzle.

“This is all your fault you know”, I said smugly.

Twilight fumed but said nothing, opting not to tempt fate into repeating the same sequence of events that had lead to this particular scenario. I felt a distinct sense of satisfaction that I had bested Twilight, even though we had both ended up in the same situation.

I addressed my more stimulating companions.

“So”, I drawled. “What do you believe our chances of surviving this are?”

Pinkie decided to answer.

“It’s going to be absolutely fantastic! Nothing could go wrong. We haven't run out of options yet. At least the weather is fine. What’s the worst that could happen?” she gabbled in quick succession.

I grinned at Pinkie, picking up on the dark humour.

“How could this day be anymore perfect?” I proclaimed, sweeping my arms up in a grandiose gesture.

Solid giggled until a sharp glance from Iron and the two guards quieted the mare down.

“What?” she asked plaintively.

Iron pointed a hoof at her.

“This is all your fault you know”, he growled.

“I- Yo- Y-yeah”, she admitted, bowing her head in shame.

“Help will come”, one of the guards said stoically, breaking the awkward silence that had followed the interplay between Iron and Solid.

Let’s back up a bit.

-----

I was rushing down the beaten path, letting my instincts guide my feet. I would have looked back but I didn't want a heart attack. Besides, the overwhelming presence was enough motivation to redouble my efforts to get away. Ahead, I heard the delicious river but I shot past it, giving it a regretful glimpse as I tore down the path.

Behind me I heard the steady hoof beats of Twilight and Pinkie (who shall henceforth in my mind be called 'Twinkie' for the convenience of any instant that they act as a single unit). From the sound of it, I could hear their hoof-steps gradually increasing in volume, becoming louder and louder.

I swallowed, seems like I couldn't outrun Twinkie that easily.

It was then I had a brilliant idea and I mentally patted myself on the back.

-----

Twilight glared at the figure she was gaining on. She could almost feel the quarry’s fear and it excited her. When she got her hoofs on him, she’ll make him do all of Spike’s chores and any errands she thought would be appropriate for a day, no a week! Maybe it should be a month. Her flank still smarted from the slap. Her expression darkened. Yes, a year would be more appropriate.

She laughed maniacally as Pinkie shot her friend a concerned glance.

-----

I spotted it in the distance and sighing in relief I bee-lined towards it, determined to escape from the purple menace. I spared a glance back but her terrifying countenance forced my vision back on track, quick smart.

Leaping to my favourite safety tree, I clambered onto the first branch and skilfully swung up onto the branch above. It sagged from my weight but held. I eventually made it to my original resting spot, noting off to the side that things have come full circle since I had woken up in this strange new land.

I looked down below and caught bits of conversation. I heard something about wishing they had a ‘rainbow’ or ‘wings’. I laughed. Everybody wants to have wings, who wouldn’t? I goaded Twilight by doing an impromptu dance that nearly made me fall. She steadily grew redder and redder as I made a few more taunting gestures.

Suddenly, with a flash she disappeared from the ground and reappeared next to me.

Gasping I could feel my subconscious snigger at me. No fair, you can't just defy physics just to get back at me. I shrugged. At least Twilight didn't look quite so nearly at home in a tree as I did.

-----

Twilight saw that creature shrug and grin conceitedly at her. Her hooves shakily tried to maintain a precarious balance on the relatively thin branch. The branch itself was merely a hoof and a half wide and the drop was disconcertingly high.

Twilight gulped, she had felt so clever when she decided to teleport up to the branch but now she didn't feel so smart.

The creature was beginning a new taunting display, which set Twilight’s teeth on edge.

Okay then, she thought nastily. He-She Ugh! It asked for it.

Twilight had the luxury of spotting the expression of horror that stuck to the creature’s face as she tackled him full on and activated her teleportation spell.

She grinned for a second, before feeling a nauseating rip. It was not the kind you feel when Rarity’s dress rips and you know you will be in for a long lecture. It was more the kind of rip you feel when your lungs, liver or other vital organ failed. The kind of rip that you hear from a rope that secured you to a cliff and prevented a fall into a never-ending abyss. The kind of rip that sundered space and time. That kind of rip.

Pinkie desperately leapt at the expanding black space without a second thought, which was rare for her because she actually thought quite deeply before she tried anything. She guessed it was that kind of life or death situation.

-----

Solid Evidence peered out at the moving darkness around her. She wasn't chained like a prisoner but they kept a firm eye on her as she sat at the back of the chariot, looking glum. Iron had a bored expression and she could almost feel the palatable ‘I told you so’ emanate from his royally peeved posture.

Solid sighed and picked at a loose nail holding one of the floorboards of the chariot together. Why did everything bad have to happen to her? She was an outstanding citizen of Equestria.

If not legally at least ethically, if not ethically at least maturely, if not maturely, responsibly... and so on.

The nail came loose with a small plink. At least there was one small victory to be had tonight.

The chariot gave a sharp groan.

Or not.

Screaming, both Iron and Solid tried grabbing anything solid as the chariot literally fell apart around them. Panicking, the guards had unexpectedly shot forward over the lost weight and wheeled around to try and catch the two falling and flailing ponies.

Solid managed to get a couple of good unintentional hits in before the grey pegasus guard could wrap his hooves around her. He quickly calculated their velocity, they were losing altitude, despite the strain of his wings.

This mare could stand to lose a few, he thought snarkily.

His companion had managed to catch Iron but at near terminal velocity, they were both going to crash into the ground quite hard. Below them were hard packed dirt and rocks and the guard groaned as he quickly calculated the likelihood of their survival. The numbers were not good at all.

Fortunately for them a tree materialised in front of them and they crashed into two occupants on one of the higher branches. The group crashed through a thinner branch and fell the remaining three metres before rolling to a stop next to a grey boulder.

“Ooh, remind me not to slap pony flanks”, an unknown voice groaned from the tangle of pony and human bodies.

The rest of the other ponies were too bruised and battered and decided not to speak.

A bouncing pink mare with fluffy pink hair greeted them.

“That looked like fun! Can I try next?” she beamed, bouncing on the spot in excitement.

“No”, replied a gravelly voice from behind them.

Pinkie turned around to find herself face to face with the snarling visage of a diamond dog. The ground behind him shifted until mounds could clearly be seen, the other diamond dogs joining into a pack and facing down the six ponies and human.

“Ah, pony feathers”, Iron cursed.

The others nodded in silent agreement.

Author's Note:

...And you thought they were going to end up in Ponyville! Okay I'll be honest even I thought so too until recently when I worked out a better route for our heroes to take. One that encompasses more adventure and less static dialogue.

Celestia and Luna are probably getting anxious for some screen- err page time?

Next chapter a startling series of coincidences or a malignant plot?

Only one way to find out!

P.S. I'm so sorry if I haven't been responsive to comment recently a lot of work has been piling on and I thought you would appreciate me spending time releasing chapters rather than responding, I promise to release something soon but statistical thermodynamics won't work itself out. The next chapter might be a day or two incoming so keep your eyes peeled. As always though...

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[sunnypack]

Hello everyone! I am so sorry I haven't had the time to keep up with comments, I thought you might enjoy rapid fire chapter releases instead! Thanks for reading and your honest comments, more chapters coming soon if I don't explode from IRL work.

[nighters]

Ponyville? bah! to much time is spent in that town for most human hero's no take it father see the lands shenanigans plus misfiring magic's!!

[Smoker]

Ugh, thus is just confusing. I keen we go straight from him falling from the tree to a cart filed with bad OCs. Wtf.

[LordBucket]

And here I thought the first magic he'd interacted with was the zap berries.