Sprout's Wall

by Illinois Mapping

8. The Purple Bricks

Sunny's messages did not go unanswered.

Not long after the presentation ended, Hitch went to have a talk with Sunny about what happened. I thought he was finally going to punish her for what happened, but because of their friendship, once again, Sunny got away with it. For a minute, it sounded like we finally broke her. For a minute.

Not much time passed before we saw the first pony fleeing. They were followed by another. And before long, everyone was running in the same direction, away from something I couldn't make out. However, a shadow began to appear on the road, and then, I saw it. I saw all of my fears, all of my anxiety, all of my anger, all of my hatred appear right in front of me. It was a purple unicorn. She didn't look too threatening at first, but what if it's a ruse? Remembering how easily a unicorn can blow you to bits, my fear took hold, and I turned back toward the police station, nearly concussing myself by slamming against the door. As I recovered, Maretime Bay erupted into complete mayhem. Ponies were screaming, running in every direction (including into the ocean), and sometimes just standing still in shock. The unicorn, however, didn't seem to get the hint, but Sunny did, and she took off through the streets with her. Immediately, Hitch begins to assist the terrified populace. My mom activates the city's defense system, and metal traps rise up from beneath the tiled ground. The weapons we demonstrated earlier today were already under use, and they began to fire at Sunny and the unicorn, but it was no use, and they successfully managed to squeeze their way around everything we threw at them. At least until the unicorn mindlessly wandered into one of the metal traps. Hitch then grins in triumph and assures everyone that everything is under control. For a split second, everyone begins to cheer, and I become a bit less fearful of what was happening around me. Except for one problem. Almost immediately, Sunny was right beside the metal prison, and there was nothing to stop her from freeing the unicorn. Within seconds, the peril was back on, and the unicorn had the same manipulating smile she had before. Sunny then takes Izzy in the direction of her home, a lighthouse on the point about half of a mile from the town. Hitch ordered me to follow him there, but at this point, all of my mom's lessons and my past experiences have caught up to me, and in the end, I just refused. I stepped onto one of those metal traps. Hitch gave me a "You gotta be kidding me." and quickly let me out, but in the small amount of time I was encaged in my prison, the unicorn appears in front of me again, and again, and again, each time with the same smile that causes me to shudder, as if she was secretly planning something. What if she was just the scout, or what if she wanted to cause everyone to hide for when the real army arrives. Heck, maybe the pegasi are friends with them, and we just don't know it. If they both show up, we would fall quickly. We failed to capture two ponies. We can't take on thousands. All of these thoughts pass by me, and in the darkness, I feel... comfortable. I'm all alone, and no one could touch me. Not Sunny. Not the unicorn. Not the problems I have to deal with in my life. Just me and my thoughts. Could I perhaps, stay in here a bit longer?

Unfortunately, the answer to that was no. The walls around me collapsed back into the ground, and Hitch then dragged me towards the lighthouse. As we arrived, Hitch grabbed a megaphone and began to call out to Sunny.

"Sunny Starscout, I know you're in there with that unicorn! Come out with your hooves up and surrender!"
I quickly chime in: "Yeah! You're completely surrounded!"

Hitch looks at me disapprovingly, and says "Will you let me do my job?" before shouting out orders to Sunny again. A few seconds of this go by before the door opens. The unicorn then walks out.

"Hi, guys! Now, I know what you're thinking!"

What she said is used by earth ponies pretty normally during conversation, but to hear a unicorn say it hit me somewhere deep inside, as if she already shot a laser beam directly at my heart. I develop a strange aching feeling in my stomach, and I ran. Hitch asks where I'm going, and I quickly reply with "To get reinforcements". Hitch doesn't seem to question my actions, and I'm free. I run back into town. The streets are empty. I approach the police station, bust open the door, and hide in the corner of the room. I start to sweat. My ears start ringing. I begin to shake. I begin to lose my vision. As this all happens, I find that the empty holes in my wall were beginning to be filled with new bricks, only these bricks were purple. The same shade of purple as the unicorn that attacked us earlier. The wall looks a bit intimidating, it has grown to a substantial height, but I then recall what I felt inside the metal trap earlier. The warmth and the comfort of isolation. Never having to fear what others would do to you. As the minutes go by, I become more stable, and I'm able to clear my mind. I'm able to return to my desk and sit there. Everything that happened left me a bit hungry, so I grabbed onto a slice of pizza and began to eat it. Even though I've regained my composure, however, my morals become more and more cemented into my brain. It's time to complete the wall. It would only take one more hurtful experience to finish it.

That experience would come in the next few hours, when Hitch arrives back at the station.

Comments

[PuzzleMaster98]

I look forward to the next chapters. I can't wait to see how you portray him. Sprout is one of my favorite characters from the series, followed by Izzy