Chapter 21
Author's Note: I am back from the dead, everyone! I am back to grant you all one mini arc for being so patient for Visitors of Equestria! Now, before we begin this arc, I have some thoughts I need to get off my chest. From where I've been, to the current situation, I want to talk to you all about what's been going on. If you really don't care about this note, then skip to the chapter down below. But, for those who do care, then here's what I have to say.
First of all, I'm SO, SO sorry for leaving you all in the dark. I want to start things off by saying that I haven't suffered from writer's block the past few weeks. Instead, I've been slowly, but surely writing this arc into how it is today. The reason why it took so long was all because of life. From having to catch up with school, towards helping my family out, to, finally, staying healthy and safe from COVID-19. I have to be honest; this year has been very crazy. But, despite what I have to go through, I've still had time to type out these chapters for you all to read. Luckily, I still have ideas towards how I'll advance the story, so stay tuned for that!
Now, if you skipped over my third life problem from the previous paragraph, I'll just restate it anyways. I know of the coronavirus, or for its disease name, COVID-19. I understand how much panic has been going around for this, and how everyone's trying to stay safe. I just want to say we should not lose ourselves over this situation humanity's facing right now. I may not panic, but I know how much I have to be safe from the virus. So far, with how much I've finished for this story, I want to give people a way to relax. From enjoying this tale, to talking trash about it, I just want people to escape the reality we're in with this arc. Humanity will find a cure for this virus, and we will prevail to live another day. All we need to do is simply wait.
With all that mentioned above, I'll just simply get straight towards the chapter. So, I would love to introduce you all with the Chained Defiance arc! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you at the end.
Bootstrapped Protocol
Looking around the streets on Fluttershy's back, I could see the lights blaring out from each building, signifying the availability of the citizens. This makes sense as, to my upmost surprise, the sun's about ready to be tucked in and the moon ready to rise up, thanks to Luna. This moment, for right now, was peaceful, with Fluttershy's fur rubbing against mine for warmth from the chilly wind. I snuggled a bit closer into Fluttershy's back, wanting to keep her warm as well without using fire magic for risk of charring her fur and mane.
As I was busy gazing around and resting, I noticed on how the ponies that were outside right now seemed to be a bit on edge. I don't know what happened while I was gone, but I'm sure that whatever occurred was either minor or was spread by a gossip. Seeing the citizens like this, Fluttershy looks over to me and says, "Oh, dear. I never expected them to be on such edge before."
Intrigued over this bit of information, I asked her, "Huh? What do you mean, Fluttershy?"
Looking a bit worried, she explains, "Well, normally the ponies here are so cheerful and forgiving. I've never seen them this tense, even when some meanie tries to attack Ponyville."
Thinking on their behavior, I mentioned a thought on my mind, which was, "Maybe they're still shooked up by Fendra?"
Shaking her head against this, Fluttershy tells me, "I don't think so, Pika. Sure, Fendra was a mean old wolf, but me and my friends fought villains who caused some damage towards this town. Despite what they did, the citizens were never scared of what would have happened if it weren't for us. Once the threat passes, they immediately turn back to their normal lives."
Staring up at the sky, I ask myself, 'Who caused these ponies to be this tensed up...'
Looking over the pink-maned pegasus, I saw the crystallized castle, signifying that we made it toward the Castle of Friendship. Going over towards the entrance, me and Fluttershy noticed Twilight and Spike talking to a frantic brown-furred pony. Seeing his mouth move, what I heard him say was, "Thank you, Twilight. I swear, whoever finds that pony first better find me. I'm gonna show that culprit why they should respect their adults and..."
Rambling on threats he planned on doing, he walks past us as we head on over to the duo. Seeing us, Twilight immediately smiles and waves to us, greeting with, "Fluttershy! Pika! Thank goodness you two came!"
Noticing her gladdened voice, me and Fluttershy look at each other as she asks, "It's good to see you too, Twilight. But, um, did something happen?"
Frowning, Spike tells us, "You bet. Me and Twilight were speaking to countless ponies about a certain issue that seemed all too similar to each other. I don know what's going on, but it's ticking me off a bit."
Taking a note on that similar case, I ask them, "What's this issue that's apparently 'too similar' for each pony?"
Looking at me with worry, Twilight explains to me, "Pika, me and Spike were getting info over somepony..." Before she finishes her sentence, she gulps in fear as she finishes, "...stealing precious items from other ponies."
Both me and Fluttershy gasp from this situation, eyes growing wide and our mouths agape from what we were told. A thief roaming Ponyville, stealing the citizens' precious items. I couldn't help but get intrigued over this situation, having been trained to investigate cases like this. I know that Mander is the thief of our team, but he doesn't steal from innocent citizens. Plus, I doubt the fact that he's in Ponyville, 'cause if he was, then the ponies here would be even more tense as of now.
Ready to help the citizens of Ponyville as part of my role, I hop down Fluttershy's back as I ask Twilight in a calm, detective-like voice, "Did you get info for what the culprit looked like?"
Everypony looks at me in shock as I explain, "I've handled cases of this as a detective back in my world. My fellow partner took immense care in teaching me how to handle these type of incidents. I have enough training to handle this robbery, so I'll repeat myself. Did you get info for what the culprit looked like?"
Shaking off her shock, Twilight mentions to me, "Well, I haven't heard much, but one pony told me on how the culprit was wearing some sort of brown cloak."
Nodding my head, I tell them, "If that's the case, then I'll head off into Ponyville for more witnesses."
With that, I set off towards the town, but before I could, I heard Twilight's voice ask, "Wait, Pika! Can I ask you something?" Looking over to her, she grabs a deerstalker cap from somewhere, before placing it on her head. Glancing at me, she questions, "May I assist you with this case?"
Shocked at what she had, I asked her, "Do you happen to be a detective as well, Twi?"
Rubbing the back of her head, she explains to me, "Well, I'm not really a detective per say, but I did solve a case with Pinkie Pie once, so I have some sort of experience. Would that help you out?"
Smiling, I tell her, "Any cooperation would be greatly appreciated, Twilight."
Grinning, she levitates me towards her back with magic, as she says, "Thank you, Pika! I promise you wouldn't regret this!" Looking over at Spike, she asks him, "Could you..."
Saluting towards his friend, Spikes tells her, "Say no more, Twilight. I'll take care of the castle while you solve this case."
Fluttershy mentions to us, "I may not be able to help, but I'll try to be safe, ok? I can take care of my animal friends, and I'll make sure the culprit doesn't steal them."
Sensing her fear, I reassure Fluttershy, "As long as you keep yourself and your friends safe, you wouldn't cause us trouble, Fluttershy." Looking over at Twilight, I ask her, "So, are you ready to head out, Twi?"
Nodding her head, me and Twilight head off towards Ponyville, prepared to search for the culprit of this robbery. Once we head towards the streets, me and Twilight head off the left path, ready to see who had their belongings stolen.
As we explored the street, I take note of the ponies shut tight within their homes, scared to come out in fear of being mugged their precious items. I sadly thought to myself, 'I feel bad for whomever get robbed of their possessions. Maybe the importance of that item was small, but I bet that one pony lost a memento of something invaluable. I swear, whoever is causing the robberies of these innocent ponies will be punished by my paw.' To emphasize my point, I grip them into tightened fists, feeling a sense of determination surge through me.
As I look up from my thoughts, I see a unicorn stallion standing at the front of a building, gripping a frying pan with their magic. Noticing his tense expression, I had the thought that he was a victim of these series of robberies. Nudging to Twilight, I point towards the stallion and ask her, "He sure looks like a victim, Twilight. Maybe he has some information he can tell us."
Looking at his armed weapon, she warns me, "Ok, sweetie. But we need to be careful. Who knows what that unicorn will do with his pan."
Nodding my head to her warning, we walk up towards the building, to which I gaze at for its structure. It seems to look like the walls are colored tan, with the timber frames being colored black. The frames themselves are shaped like a capitalized U, connecting with each other and surrounding the building. The overall shape seems to be that of a tent, albeit very huge. Above the stallion was a sign that read 'Peekin' Pub', which I assumed to be some sort of bar or hub. Glancing at the unicorn colt, I saw that he had dark red fur color with a dull yellow mane. What's interesting about his mane was how he had white streaks as well, signifying his age. Further proof I had was the wrinkles that showed underneath his dark teal eyes. Also, he had a beard going down to his chest, same color as his mane. His magic aura around the pan was colored a light red orange, and his flank showed a Cutie Mark as well. His symbol represents a purple tie wrapped around a clear white glass, suggesting that he's related to this facility.
At first, he looked angry upon looking at us. However, after taking a moment to analyze who we were, his gaze softens immensely as he gently lays the frying pan down to the ground. Waving his hoof, he greets with a deep, mature voice, "Hello there, Miss Twilight. Same to you, Young Pika."
Waving back as well, I reply back, "It's nice to meet you too, Mr..."
Chuckling, he reveals, "Barrel Boss. Don't have to call me Mr., kiddo. Just Barrel Boss will do."
Nodding my head, I restate, "Nice to meet you, Barrel Boss. Do you happen to own the building behind you?"
Looking back, he explains, "Yep. I'm the manager of the Peekin' Pub, but it's not a bad place overall." Looking at me with sheepish eyes, he tells me, "We do have the word pub, but we don't serve any alcoholic beverages. In fact, it's just a area where ponies can check and hang out with each other. Despite not having beverages like that, we have been striving well, and I'm okay with it."
I smile and say, "As long as you're handling good business, then this hub is in good hooves." After saying that, I turn back into detective mode as I inquire, "I'll just cut to the chase then. What were you doing outside the Peekin' Pub with a frying pan?"
Reclaiming that spiteful gaze, Barrel Boss tells us, "Well, I was just about to close up shop, when I suddenly heard a giggle behind me. I looked back, only to see nopony within my sight. I turned back, and saw a mysteriously cloaked pony rush out the pub, a sack of my items on his back. I was outraged by that lunatic, and I tried to catch them, but they were too fast for me." Glancing at the ground in fury, he looks back at us with expectation as he explains, "I decided to go and grab my frying pan out of the kitchen, and I had been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes before you two showed up."
Looking at each other with worry, Twilight asked him, "Well, Barrel, me and Pika here are searching for the culprit right now, so any info you can tell us about them will help. May we ask you some questions regarding the time of the incident?"
Scratching the back of his head, Barrel answers, "I may not be the best witness, Princess, but I'll answer whatever questions you and Young Pika have."
Smiling at his cooperation, I start off with, "In that case, I'll go first. What items did you notice were gone when you went into the kitchen?"
Frowning, his response was, "I don't remember everything that was stolen from me, but I did recall losing some glassware and juice bottles."
Nodding her head and writing his words down on a scroll, Twilight asks, "Interesting. What do you remember about the cloaked pony?"
Stroking his beard, Barrel Boss replies with, "That pony was wearing a cloak, so I couldn't see much about them. However, I did see a bright sky blue tail poking out from underneath the cloak."
Wanting to ask one more question, I ask the unicorn, "Which direction did you see the culprit go towards?"
Pointing to his left side, he finishes the questioning with, "I saw them run left, presumably towards the Bookshop."
Upon hearing the Bookshop, Twilight gasps sharply and exclaims, "Oh no! I swear to Celestia that if this pony steals one book, I'll personally punish them with every tool I have! Even if it means I have to use the Royal Canterlot Voice!"
Barrel looks at her with fear, which gave me a thought over what the Royal Canterlot Voice sounded like. However, I shook it off and told him, "Well, judging by how much Twilight is angry at the culprit, we'll be moving along. I promise you that we will find and return your stolen goods for you, Barrel Boss." Hopping on Twilight's back, I wave and say, "Goodbye!"
Waving back, he replies with, "See you two soon! Good luck with retrieving my inventory!" Finishing up our conversation, me and a very angry Twilight rush off towards the Bookshop, with me praying that we can at least get closer to the thief. Rushing past other shops and ponies, I soon detect a shop with a sign above the door. It seemed to look like that of a book closed, with its horizontal spine being hung. Gesturing to Twilight towards that shop, she runs towards it, only for us to get a suspenseful surprise.
I saw a light orange-furred pegasus point at a distant figure, already running away. Glancing towards the figure, I wasn't surprised to see the brown cloak embracing the culprit as they run from the Bookshop. Remembering what Barrel Boss told us, I glanced at their tail and briefly catch the sky-blue color from underneath the cloak. Also upon their back was a big bag which, to my understanding, has Barrel's equipment and the stolen goods from both the Bookshop and the other ponies as well. Ready to give chase and catch the thief, I hop off Twilight's back and shout to her, "Twilight! Go check the owner for any injuries! I'll give chase towards the thief!"
Looking at me in fear, Twilight cries out, "Wait, Pika! You don't know what the culprit has in terms of weaponry!"
Oblivious to her pleas, I proceed with my chase towards the cloaked pony. Despite the fact that they could be armed, I'll be prepared to dodge their attacks with my visions and dexterity. As I start to rush towards them, I saw the culprit look behind their back and notice me catching up to them. Seeing me, I could tell their retreat was being formed strategically, as they turned a harsh right towards an alley. Smiling to myself towards the intelligence of this pony, I turn right and continue my pursuit within the small bit of darkness.
Seeing them turn different directions in and out of alleys, I kept pursuing their hot trail, only to slightly notice the mysterious pony jump on some crates and elevate towards the roof. Readying myself for a slanted run, I use a bit of my aura to boost my legs, making me run faster by a little bit. I could have used my moves and spells to make this easier, but I would be risking the chance of harming ponies and/or buildings. Besides, I do love making situations like these go longer, giving the enemy a sense of hope for winning and escaping from our paws. However, since it's about to turn into early night, I better end this case on a caught culprit.
Planting my feet onto the ground, I jump and elevate at double the height of my regular jumps. Thanking a certain red plumber with a M on his cap, I land on the roof and follow the thief, who's not that far from me, but not as close. Running on a thatched surface and jumping roof after roof makes me a little tired, but I'm slowing gaining up on them.
Eventually, the culprit, to my luck, reaches a roof and jumps down, only to reach a dead end. Jumping down as well, I find the culprit pulled towards the wall, seeing their predicament in the worst way. Smiling a bit, I place a paw on my hip and declare to them, "Well, well. It seems that you've reached a dead end there, buddy." Pushing a finger out and pointing at them, I question out loud, "Now, tell me why you're going around and stealing other ponies' items. Doesn't that seem like the perfect way to assemble a mob and hunt you down?"
To my boredom, the caught thief doesn't speak back, and instead lowers their head to the ground. Seeing what they're going to do, I push my arms out and cast Mirror Coat, just as the cloaked pony shoots out fire magic. Seeing that this pony is using magic, I presume the fact that their species must be that of a unicorn. I watch as the beam hits my reflective body, reflecting itself back towards its castor. Too slow to move out of the way, the cloaked figure gets hit by the countered spell. I stand firm as the smoke blows from the impact. Eventually, I can see the pony uncloaked, but what I saw make my mind go blank in shock.
I haven't took notice of this until now, but I just saw how small this pony was. They seemed to look like an adult, but didn't seem to have pure masculine and/or feminine qualities on their face. Their sky-blue mane was a bit spiked up, with the top looking like that of a boy and the bottom like that of a girl. Their fur color looked like that of a pale smoke, with the rest of their body being shrouded by that cloak. Their eyes had the color of a dullish gray, with a thin white border around the edges. However, there were two major features about this pony that gave me a blank mind. First, I saw that, instead of having ears, they had two purple circles sticking out, with red-tipped antennas sticking behind them from the front. Second, their eyes seemed to look artificial, with lines going vertical and around the iris. Seeing them like this, I thought to myself, 'With eyes like this and with antennas behind them, does that mean...'
As if to prove my speculation, the revealed pony speaks in a synthetic voice, "IDENTITY: DISCOVERED. MISSION OBJECTIVE: IMPOSSIBLE. MISSION FAILED - REPORTING BACK TO LAB BASE. LEAVING STOLEN GOODS BEHIND."
Finishing their speech, the robotic pony breaks the side of their cloak with, to my upmost surprise, wings that seemed to be artificially developed. Seeing on how they had wings, a horn, and their now-revealed status, this pony was a robot alicorn. Flying above and beyond me, I watched as they flied away, leaving behind a engineered feather, to which I pick up. The feather seemed to be made of high-quality material, making it look and feel like an actual feather. However, seeing how this feather was a bit heavy than any other feather, I could tell how automatic this was made to be.
Turning my head, I saw the goods that pony left behind. Looking behind me, I saw Twilight catch up to me, panting a bit before asking me, "Hah. Hah. D-Did you catch the culprit, Pika?"
Shaking my head, but showing her the feather, I explain to her, "Twilight. We need to go back to the Castle of Friendship. What I discovered was something very shocking to me and what will be a huge surprise towards the ponies." Looking at me in confusion, I tell her, "If I tell you my foundings immediately, you wouldn't believe me, so I'm going to show you through research on what I found."
Still confused by my sayings, but nodding her head regardless, she places me on her back, and we set off towards the castle...
Author's Note: And that's the first part of the Chained Defiance arc. I'm not going to repeat what I mentioned above, but all I want to say is thank you. Thank you for being patient with me, and I promise to continue writing this tale in these desperate times. I hope you all have a good day, and I'll see you all in Part Two of this mini arc. Stay safe and healthy with good hygiene washing!
