File 01: Oreintation
Under the autumn moonlight, through the sprawling alleyways of the darkened streets of Canterlot, the city winds down to sleep. Shops close as patrons and employees alike file out from the doors and out into the night. Years ago, this would have been a safe routine, but recently everyone has been on edge. Ever since the return and subsequent defeat of Nightmare Moon, it was as if Equestria was cursed to endure resurfaced long forgotten terrors and increases in crime and civil unrest. But life goes on, even under the moon's pale shine, and no one in their right mind would connect Luna's return with such wickedness. Even some of the more sour individuals believed in forgiveness in the long run. As far as they were concerned, life was mostly normal with a new spice added.
"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home, Mr. Measure?" a young brown unicorn colt asked his boss, locking up the tailor shop behind him. "I mean, you've read about what's been going on lately, right?"
"Dear boy, I'll be fine," replied Dapper Measure, whom was a withered blue pudge of a unicorn stallion that had seen better years. "I've walked these streets as long as I can remember, and I'm no pushover. I used to place second at kickboxing at my university, and I still know a few moves."
The young employee rolled his eyes as he pocketed the shop keys. "If you're sure. I don't want to end up reading that you went missing in tomorrow's paper. I mean, how am I gonna get paid if you don't come back?" The two laughed at the off-color joke at the older stallion's expense before they parted ways.
Up the street, moving closer towards Canterlot's middle district, Mr. Measure began humming a tune in the night air as he followed a simple path home he had known for years. To be honest, Dapper was actually quite disturbed by the recent yet random disappearances going on in the city, and under any other circumstance, he would have taken his young employee's offer. However, aside from knowing the streets he normally took so well, the route in question was guaranteed secure. Some shops were still open nearby, and the abundance of street lamps gave him comfort in knowing he could easily be seen by his fellow citizens. He knew he was safe.
"Help..."
The voice of a weak and frightened child fluttered out of the alley he began to pass. It caused him to take a full stop and swivel his ears in the alley's direction. Sure enough, he heard it again.
"Please... help..."
Mr. Measure took a slight step back, and looked out into the street, searching for a guard on night patrol. To his dismay, not a soul was on duty nearby, leaving only him and his conscience to answer. Being a decent citizen, he made the decision to help the voice in need, despite everything inside him screaming that he stay in the light of the street. Stepping forth into the alley, he called out to the child.
"Hello? Are you alright?"
"Help... please..."
"It's alright. I'm coming to get you. We'll get you the help you need. Just tell me where you are." He stayed quiet, waiting for a response as he crept deeper into the shadows between the buildings. "Hello?"
Within a few moments, his eyes finally adjusted to the dark, allowing him to see a bundle of fabric at the back end of alley. Upon noticing it move slightly, his mind immediately assumed where the voice was coming from, and began approaching the pile of rags. With his natural unicorn magic, he picked it up, only to find something was pulling back. Squinting hard, he began to notice something shimmering in the air above it. Thin laces of wire which tugged at the fabric and forced it to drop a small recorder which played something upon landing on the ground.
"Help..." it said.
Dapper's face flushed white as he dropped the rags and snapped around, only to run into two imposing figures before him and fell backward. Kicking himself back upright to regain his balance, the little old unicorn took in their features. They were two impossibly large earth ponies with identical hazy green coats, dirty blond manes, and piercing red eyes barely obscured by black masks that did nothing to hide their identities. The old tailor swallowed hard.
"Wh-what can I d-do for you two?" he asked in a vain hope he wasn't in the situation he believed he was in.
They grinned manically, and slowly approached the unicorn, intent on capturing him. Dapper, despite his boasts, knew for a fact that he was entirely outmatched, and there was no hope of escape. Backing up into the dead end of the alley, he closed his eyes, trying to tell himself this was all just a bad dream.
The sound of a large falling body kicked him out of his murmured mantra, which dared him to open one eye to peek. And there before him was a strange, if welcoming, sight. A figure clad in darkened colors, complete with a flowing cape with a large collar, a large rimmed hat, and fabric that covered every inch of the individual stood atop one of the green coated ponies. Clearly stunned by the new intruder, the other super-sized earth pony took a few steps back, before snarling and charging forward in an attack. The caped clad rescuer easily jumped over the pony before delivering a punishing kick to the back of the his skull that sounded like it could shatter wood. Instead, it merely staggered him lightly before he turned around to attack again. Before anything could be done though, the hero swung an uppercut at the pony, causing his head to snap back hard and his body to collapse. The darkened pony then jumped over the unconscious bodies of Dapper's attackers and landed before the poor old unicorn.
"Go, now." It was then that Dapper realized his hero was in fact a heroine, with a gentle voice that could rival Celestia's own. Nodding, only out of speechlessness, Dapper took off out of the alley and ran home as fast as his legs could take him, leaving his rescuer and the downed thugs behind.
Alone now with the unusually sized earth ponies, the darkened heroine slowly cantered up to them, lifted her leg, and gave each of them a violent stomp.
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At the far end of Canterlot sat the newly developed industrial district, complete with warehouses. Within one of them sat the temporary operations of a rather nefarious group. Tables with individuals strapped down to their surfaces lined up neatly beside computer terminals and other strange devices. At another side, a lone monitor and system stood unattended next a large shelved trolley full of vials, before the system itself began to ring as if someone were calling. Sheepishly, a light brown earth pony colt with a black mane stepped forward and hit a button, causing a picture of a shadowed out pony to appear on the screen. All his silhouette showed was that he was a very thin unicorn.
"Uhm, h-hello Dr. Freudlos. I trust you've been in a good mood?" the sheepish colt asked.
"Cut the idle chit-chat. My time is very important, and you know this. Progress report, now." His voice was slimy and venomous, and sharp enough to demand harsh command.
"Y-yes sir," he stuttered, "The operation has been going smoothly. Over the last two weeks, we've been able to capture eight unicorns to siphon magic from for phase two. Another three days, and we should have enough to proceed."
"Excellent."
The colt shuddered, and looked off to the side in nervousness for what he was about to say. "B-but..."
"But?" the silhouette parroted in rising irritation.
"Uhm... one of our targets got away. When we checked on the capture point, we found the two Fixed Ideas sent there were... deactivated. Only their clothes and the two spare vials they carried were left behind... empty."
"WHAT?!"
The colt winced, flinching away from the computer. For the short time he worked for Dr. Sieg von Freudlos, he learned very quickly that getting him upset was a bad idea, and failure was even worse.
"I-I'm sorry, sir! We're at a loss for what happened. This should be impossible, since nothing is stronger than a Fixed Idea."
There was an ominous lull of silence as the colt began to sweat under the unseen gaze of his boss. Then, something interesting happened.
"Hmmm... Tell me. If I were to send an extra asset to you to solve our little 'impossible' problem, will you focus on finishing the magic collection within the three days?"
"I..." he hesitated. Fear of the consequences of answering no, and afraid of what would happen if they didn't meet the quota stunted his answer. However, he swallowed his fear and finally gave the only answer he was allowed. "Y-yes."
"Good. I shall send José, then. I suggest you supply him with any leads you may have."
"Of course. Th-thank you, herr Doktor." A beep sounded off as the screen switched to black instantly, leaving the colt to buckle under the weight of his own anxiety. "Leads," he muttered, "We need to get some leads..." He turned to the tray of vials that sat nearby, and grabbed a hoof full of them. "Hopefully Fixed Ideas can deal with that."
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"Hello, class. My name is Arie Saddlemore, and I will be your literature teacher this year."
Deep within the heart of Canterlot's vast cityscape, within a modest three storied school on the west end, sat a class of twenty-six young ponies of all shapes, sizes, and walks of life. It was the beginning of their high school year, and the boys and girls at their seats couldn't be any more miserable. At least the first day was all about orientation and getting to know their new teachers, so they grinned and bared it for the time being. Before the class, however, was a rather odd looking stallion, wearing a wrinkled dress shirt. His black mane sat permanently flicked upwards in a deliberate, but properly kept cow-lick. His large, thin glasses sat upon his fairly small and more curved muzzle as his eyes looked towards the children before him with practiced focus. He had an average, medium pitched voice that wasn't easily pegged as masculine or feminine, but sat comfortably as somewhere in between. One could be forgiven in mistaking him for a mare at first glance, but he was used to such errs from others.
"I hope we can get along well these coming semesters," Arie said. He looked about the room, where fifty-two eyes stared back at him silently. He rubbed the back of his head lightly with his hoof. "So... does anyone have any questions for me before I hand out orientation papers on what's to come?"
"Yeah," a deep tan filly with a short red mane said from the back corner of the class, "Can we skip the song and dance and maybe cut to recess? This is boring." The smug remark earned the laughter of her class, and cocky smiles from the nearest three colts.
Arie frowned, only for a moment, before asking, "Does anyone else have a serious question they want to ask me?" A young white and spotted brown colt rose his hoof above his dark brown maned head, wavering slightly as he reached to gain his new teacher's attention. With no other hooves in the air, it wasn't hard for Arie to see the little colt. "You, in the middle row. What's you're name?"
"My name 's Pip, sir!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Ah yes, Pip Squeak. I take it you're from Trottingham, correct?"
"Yes sir! Well, we were, but me mum n' dad moved us to Ponyville for a few years, before movin' up here a month ago."
"Laaaaame," bellowed another colt from the back, eliciting a glare from the deep tan filly nearby.
Arie frowned again, but decided to let it go... this time. "Well, you and I have something in common it seems. I'm also new to Canterlot. Anyway, what was it you wanted to ask?"
"Well, why did you come to teach here?" Pip asked.
"Well, because it's always been a dumb little dream of mine ever since I was a little foal to move here, and after I got my degree at the Manehattan Institute to teach literature, that's exactly what I did."
"Why literature?"
"Well, because that's my favorite subject. I just love stories and what they can teach us about ourselves, and society, no matter how real or fantastic the story is in the first place. The adventures of the poor orphan Olive Twist, the harsh struggle between stranded children on an island in Lord of the Parasprites. The fantastic treks across great lands, seeking adventure in unknown places from the reluctant Hermit and his companions. Even comic books have their merit in telling tales of modern day gods and goddesses preforming feats of honor, duty, justice, and harmony."
A small handful of the children in the back quietly booed and hissed at the declaration, while others were a little more attentive now, willing to give the new teacher a chance.
"And, all I want is to simply share my love for reading with as many of you young minds as I can. Help you understand the contexts and meanings within, so you may one day take away insight, knowledge, and a little more understanding of the world around you." Arie smiled, "I won't lie, though. It won't be an easy thing for me to teach you guys or for you to learn. So, I want you to do your best and study as hard as you can, and I'll be sure to do my best to teach you. Sound fair to you?"
A majority of the class agreed, though some still were on the fence about their new instructor upon realizing that the routine will still never change as long as there is school. Never-the-less, those individuals decided to go with the flow and see how Mr. Saddlemore would do. However, despite the enthusiasm and most of the class cutting their new instructor a little bit of slack, a few had decided to do what they've always done: Make their new teacher's life a difficult one for the year.
"And since this is new blood," the tan filly quietly said to herself, "We might as well show no mercy." As Arie Saddlemore handed out his orientation papers to everyone in the class, the tan filly quickly scribbled a note and passed it off to one of the other students nearby that flashed a wicked grin, before passing it to one more receptive student.
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The bell rang vigorously, signalling the end of the day. The young ponies filed out of their classrooms, eager to get their evenings started. As the students exited, the teachers reshuffled their lesson plans and homework assignments, getting ready to head home themselves. Save for one teacher, situated in the second floor biology lab. Mr. Lock Amato, a large, well built and tan coated earth pony, sporting a short, unkept mane of golden blonde, whom could have easily entered the world of contact sports, heavy lifting, or even run a thousand acre farm on his own. However, before he earned his mark, a tomato with a double helix at the center, and ever since his hiring to this school years ago, the faculty had all learned that behind his massive frame was the mind of a scientist, relentlessly intrigued by the studies of life itself. The only quality to match his thirst for knowledge was his passion and desire to teach children. For why he never divulged, save for the compassionate, if cliched, statement, "because kids deserve a good teacher." And so he sat in his empty classroom, already looking through the year's lesson plans, research material for later lessons, and miscellaneous study. With the warm red evening glow seeped in through the half closed blinds, he couldn't have been any more at home.
He sighed with a smile, declaring in a lower baritone voice, "What a day," while his eyes were fixated on the texts before his hooves.
His ear flicked and swiveled toward the nearby window, picking up the sound of mischievous chatter. They were voices he knew well, and with a sigh, he placed his homework and reading material into a bag, stood up from his seat, and looked out the window. His suspicions were founded upon seeing a trio of stocky, held back first years who sat at the steps, talking among themselves, waiting for "the new loser teacher to trot by". Not a moment later, the identified teacher walked by, wearing a heavy dark olive overcoat, trailed by the three hooligans. Lock's eyes narrowed with a heavier sigh, "Every year, like clockwork." With that, he slung his own coat on, grabbed his bag, and left the classroom, hoping he'd find the troublemakers quickly.
It didn't take him too long to enter the city proper and catch sight of the new teacher alone, walking peacefully in the distance, muzzle deep in a book, blissfully nigh-unaware of his surroundings. Lock chuckled at the reassuring sight, but knew that the peace wouldn't last. As troublesome as the kids were, they were very street smart, and knew Canterlot like the back of their heels. The large teacher watched on, remaining at a fair distance on the off chance he was entirely wrong about his hypothesis, keeping an eye out for the trio. He didn't need to look around for long, as the literature teacher bumped into one of the kids, whom suddenly appeared from the closest alley. The teacher dropped the book suddenly, probably from the surprise of the situation, and attempted to pick it up, but was halted almost instantly before being shoved into the alley. Lock clicked his tongue, and picked up his pace, weaving through the crowd of blissfully ignorant citizens, hoping to catch up before things turned ugly. The biology teacher wouldn't normally be this concerned, because most anypony he knew and met were capable enough to stand their own ground well enough against unruly punks when it was needed. Present circumstances however, such as the unusually slender and possibly weak frame of the new teacher, made it hard to simply keep watch like other encounters.
Within a few moments, he reached the alley, and found the three surrounding their target, closing in on him and spouting threats he couldn't quite discern from what sounded like the latest street lingo. He also heard the smallish teacher attempt to diffuse the situation with pleas of rationale. It seemed to work, but only for a moment, before the trio started up again. Lock decided he was done observing, and approached the four, kicking over a can to get everyone's attention. Sure enough, everyone with their backs turned to him spun around first in defense, and all three expressions dropped in worry. Lock stopped before them, his imposing build casting a shadow over them, giving a smirk and knowing look, gesturing to the outside of the alley. The three troublemakers glanced to each other, before hightailing it out of the area, leaving the two teachers alone.
"Uh, thanks," he said, "How did you find me?"
"I followed the foals, figured you might need some help," Lock replied, "Ehree Saddlemore, the latest addition to the faculty, right?"
"It's pronounced 'Ah-ree'. Arie Saddlemore," he corrected indignantly with a slight huff, "And you're Mr...?"
Lock just gave a laugh. "The name's Lock Amato. Just testing to see if you're a pacifist, or a wimp. Glad you're the former, not the latter. I'm sure they won't bother you again like this, now that they think I have your back."
"Uh, thanks, again," he replied sheepishly, "So, what should we do about those three?"
"I'll give them some detention time for stalking and harassing a fellow teacher. Maybe they'll have a good opportunity to actually catch up on their studies for once." He paused with a laugh for a moment, "They're good kids, deep down, but somewhere along the line, they just kind of... stopped caring."
Arie gave a downcast look. "Well, if it's any reassurance, I'll be sure to push them to care a little more while I teach them."
"Oh yeah, you're taking over as the Literary teacher, eh? The previous instructor was good, but he was a bit... stuffy. Maybe some youthful energy will get them engaged a bit more." He laughed for a moment, before giving his own solemn look, "Poor Dusty..." Arie was about to ask about the aforementioned teacher, but Lock interrupted. "We should probably get out of this alley. Mind if I buy you a coffee?"
"Oh," Arie gave a small smile at the offer. "Sure. Thank you."
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Within one of Canterlot's sprawling districts sat a quaint, beautifully maintained cafe. Its furniture and seating arrangement had a last century style, but the decor of the rest of the building well accented its old fashioned look. Crimson, velvet drapes edged the tall, polished windows. Tables were dressed in marble white cloths with nary a splotch nor stain on them. Lush, healthy potted plants stood tall and proud in their corners, giving the room a little extra splash of color where it was needed. To the back corner sat a well organized bar, lined with expertly polished glasses and the finest vintages of alcohol for one half, and all sorts of flavors and types of coffee beans, most of them likely imported from around the known world. The bar's counter was made with the finest mahogany, coated with an unmarred, surprisingly scratch-less finish. At the wall end of the counter-top a stylized radio and record player pair, with the former broadcasting the latest hoof-ball match. The food was good, the atmosphere was better, and the coffee was excellent. One's initial impression of the place would label it as more of a high class, fine dining restaurant, when the reality was closer to a comfy, inviting diner.
"You said you come here every day after school?" Arie asked.
"Well, I guess it was a bit hyperbolic of me to say, but yeah, generally. They usually serve great coffee for the long evenings that usually come with the job." He gave a hearty laugh as they removed their overcoats, Arie placed his books on the spare seat, and the two sat down at a table beside one of the grand sized windows. "Trust me, you'll need it."
"Was never much for coffee," he replied with a smile, "but I'll take a chance this time."
"That's the spirit!" Not a moment later, a lime green waitress unicorn approached them with a pen and notepad held aloft from her magic. "Just in time. Can we both get a coffee? Cream and sugar for me, please. Oh, and is today's paper in?"
"Hot off the presses from this morning," she replied with a bubbly tone, "I'll bring it to you soon. Will that be everything?"
"Is the game on this evening?"
"Should be starting in a few minutes, Mr. Amato. Boss'll turn the radio on then." She then left for a moment, picking up the latest paper from the back and handed it to Lock. "Here ya go, sir." With that, she left to fetch the two teachers their coffee.
Lock opened the news paper and began giving it a once over, stopping on a rather distressing article. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Another foalnapping," he grumbled, "Jeez, you'd think a few years after the Elements of Harmony were found and proven to not be just a legend, and Princess Luna coming back to take her throne at her sister's side, that things would have gotten better than ever."
Arie's brow furrowed a bit at the mention of the disappearance. "Who was foalnapped?" he asked.
"Some apprentice tailor named Lucky Seam, an employee of Dapper Measure's." He kept reading for a moment, before continuing his answer, "Looks like Dapper Measure was almost taken as well, but the 'Mysterious Mare-Do-Well' struck again in putting a stop to that. Shame she couldn't do anything about Lucky."
Arie frowned at the news. "That is a shame," he said.
"Hopefully the authorities will be able to step up."
The new literature teacher stood up from his chair, put his coat back on, and gathered up the books he had. "I just remembered, there's something I need to go and finish up." He then reached into the pocket of his jacket and placed a few bits onto the table
"Wait, but you just got here. You're going to miss the game... and your first cup of joe!"
"I know, but all the excitement that happened recently kinda threw off my schedule. Next time, I promise."
Lock slumped in his seat, before folding the rather depressing paper back up and setting it off to the side. "Alright. I'll hold you to that, then." He held out his hoof to Arie for a hoof bump. "It was nice to meet you, though. I'll see you at school tomorrow."
Arie looked at his hoof, then to him, and returned the gesture, "Yeah, see you then, Mr. Amato."
"Just Lock is fine. We're friends, after all."
Arie smiled warmly, "Yeah, I guess so."
Just as the radio in the back was switched on and the patrons of the diner became more lively, Arie Saddlemore left without another word as Lock Amato watched for a moment, before turning to the arriving waitress to receive the two cups. At the very least, he thought while taking a sip of his own coffee, I can still enjoy the game.
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On the outskirts of Canterlot, at an abandoned mansion rife with overgrowth invading its decadent outer walls, the colt under Dr. Freudlos' employment had arrived, flanked by several "Fixed Ideas"; humongous hazy green earth ponies with dirty blond manes and piercing red eyes barely obscured by black masks. After they traveled through the halls, the small group entered and waited at their destination: The core of the mansion. Within the room was a large desk that sat at one end, walls lined with full bookshelves, and the far wall behind the desk was adorned by an impossibly large painting of a thin, light tan unicorn with a black mane, lengthy snout, and donned a monocle and an armband with the symbol of the New Lunar Republic. On the painting, at the very bottom, the name the former owner of the once silent building was written in gold: Dr. Sieg von Freudlos. The colt was told this would be the rendezvous point, but the one named José was ten minutes late.
I can't stay here for much longer, the colt thought, I need to get back to my investigation. If not-. His thought was cut short as he heard loud, stomping noises enter the building, wander through the halls, and stop at the closed double doors that were across from them. Not a moment later, the doors slammed open, and a ridiculously large figure ducked under the archway of the doors and stepped inside. It was possibly the biggest Fixed Idea he's ever seen. Easily twice as large as any others. "José?" the colt asked.
The mammoth of an earth pony sneered, before slowly turning around, revealing a small chair with a grade school sized colt strapped to the creature's back. He was a thin, light tan unicorn with a black mane, orange glasses, and donned the arm band of the New Lunar Republic. The colt unbuckled himself, jumped off his seat, and marched up to the colt and small group of Fixed Ideas with with the confidence and arrogance of an angry noble. "I am José," the lad announced in his young voice, "and you will do EXACTLY as I say, as per Father's orders!"
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8456083
Thank my editor Joey. He helped me out greatly in snipping the loose threads out nice and cleanly.
8456495
Well, you can send your regards to him directly. I did link his profile in my previous comment. : 3
8457294
'tis alright. Also, go ahead and check out his work too. I think it's great.
8457348
Oh, good on ya! Hope it turns out well.
8457448
That's excellent to hear.
Seems interesting. Glad to see someone else remembers Cybersix, though I’m surprised you didn’t make the connection with Spike for this story.
Nevertheless, I hope to see more of this.
8544914
Yeah, I know the voice-actress played both C6 and Spike (which gave me the inspiration to work on this fic, along with episode "Mysterious Mare-Do-Well") but yeah, I'm keeping them separate in favor of story.
Hope you enjoy later chapters, when I get around to them.