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Blaze | Chapter 14.) Faded Ivory | The ballroom is only right up ahead. Pass this turn here, and it's right there. Now, to get into a hiding spot...
I floated around the room, pondering upon where I should settle down for the moment. There are many satisfactory locations, but I need a good one; one where Ivory would never think to look. At that thought, I looked up and saw the beams going across the ceiling. I started to formulate an idea.
I could probably suspend myself from those beams by placing my hooves in distinct shapes etched through them. If need be, I can always use my wings to stay locked in position. A twinkle developed in my eyes as I began to carry out this plan.
"Heheheh..." I mutter to myself. "Up where she can't go is the last place she'd think to search."
As I make final adjustments to my stealthy position, a few other ponies enter the room. One of them was my mommy, Luna, and another pink filly that looks a little older than me. That was my cousin, Cadence. Nopony seems aware that I'm even in here! Heheh, I'm a ninja...
The group then began to discuss some issues and whatnot that I could care less for. They always talk about what they plan to do with gold bits, relationships, career planning, blah blah blah.
"Blaze?"
I perked my ears up. That voice was really far away, somewhere in the castle. Closing in. It's possible it was Faded Ivory, I mean, it sounded a bit like her. But it was really muffled, due to both the castle's walls and the indistinct talking from the others directly below me.
"Blaze!!"
It WAS Faded Ivory! She was getting closer and closer to the ballroom. I hid a smirk of challenge as I tensed up to make absolutely sure I didn't slip now.
There she is. Here we go!
"Blaze? Where'd you run off to now?"
I did my best from cracking up with laughter. Ivory is completely priceless! The look on her face, her impatient trotting pace through the others looking for me, how her head constantly bobbed from side to side causing her white mane to fly in her face...
"Blaze, are you even in here!?"
I started to break a sweat. This is rich! This is too perfect! She is completely baffled as to my whereabouts.
"Come on, Blaze! The Princess Celestia wants to talk to you!"
I gulped. Did she really!? I mean, I just ran into her! Literally! I remained motionless, praying that Sunnie didn't really want to see me, and that it's just another one of Ivory's ploys to draw me out. As I lay in suspense, a drop of sweat trickled down my face and now dangled from my nose. This isn't good. There are ponies below me whom, if it lands on one of them or if they notice it, could bust me for being here right now. But Ivory is almost immediately below me, so maybe I'll get away with it. But that means I'll lose, and I hate losing...
There it goes.
And sure enough, it finds its landing pad as Faded Ivory's flank. Her reaction was a high-pitched squeal, along with flailing hooves and a 180-degree turn. She had one foreleg up to protect herself, it seemed. That was too much for me. I tried to hold it in, but the ensueing laughter burst its way through my practically interlocked lips, causing me to laugh out loud and lose focus of my grip on the beams, therefore falling directly into the crowd.
By the time I opened my eyes to notice I was falling, it was too late to flap my wings. I landed square in the middle of the crowd, causing everypony to flail a 180. It only made my case of laughter worse. Why, even mommy had a look of shock on her face!
"Blaze!!" Ivory's voice cracked, "That was NOT funny!!"
I rolled over, stood up, and threw my right foreleg around Ivory's back, all the while laughing. I just couldn't stop! It was all too perfect! And to make things even funnier, she slapped me!!
I choke out in between laughing, "Ivory, you shoulda seen the look on your face! You were like, 'Waaahh!!' " I imitated her earlier reaction.
"It wasn't funny, Blaze! You embarressed me!"
"Well, you shouldn't've been standing there!" I fall back onto the floor, utterly unable to cease the hilarity of it all. But I was eventually picked up by mother and taken somewhere, but I was too busy laughing to care right now.
That night, I had woken up due to an abrupt noise. It sounded like it came from the forest. It was a growl of some sort, like some kind of angry, hungry animal. I opened my window to glance outside.
Following another roar was a screech from another pony. The creature was probably chasing the poor soul to who knows where. Being the energetic filly I am, I instantly leaped out the window and started to fly to see if I could help. I had a nagging feeling it was somepony I knew. Somepony that I cared for. Somepony who cared for me back. Somepony like Faded Ivory.
The roars and the yelling were approaching rapidly. Stomping through the forest was now audible. The squealing did sound a bit like Ivory, but the wind whistling in my ear prevented me from hearing it clearly.
"Hang on, Ivory! I'm coming!!"
I've never flown so fast before. I felt as if the wind was cutting me. The trees brushed by my figure with such speed that a crash would be fatal. Faded Ivory can't die! Don't die! I'm coming! Tears wanted to form in my eyes, but the velocity at which I was traveling just tore them away, and I was only getting faster and faster.
Then I heard a snap, and then a boom, and I was racing against sound.
I've never traveled this fast before... I had to duck my head so that my face wouldn't peel off. My hooves were stretched straight out in front of me, making an odd whistling sound as they tore through the air. The creature threatening Ivory was getting much closer... I'm not going to be able to slow down fast enough... Which means...
Make it count, Blaze. Make it count...
Aiming at the faint noises I could make out, I flew like an arrow into my enemy's side. I remember hitting it, then being blinded by red for a minute, then tearing through something else and flying in the forest again. The cry that escaped the monster's mouth was only audible for a second, but it was drowned out, followed by a huge thump. The creature must've fell from the collision immediately following.
But I kept going. I couldn't stop. At the moment, it was difficult to see due to the blood in my face. When I cleaned up enough to see, however, all I saw was this fat tree. It was headed straight for me -- No, I was headed straight for it.
WHAM!!! |
Blaze | Chapter 15.) Royal Duty Calls | I woke up in a log cabin. My head is almost completely wrapped in gauze, except over my eyes and horn. I can barely turn my neck enough to see the whole room. And I've got such a headache... And I don't remember exactly how I got it.
I try to lift my hoof to feel my forehead, but it was clamped down onto the bed-like structure. This made me panic a bit, which only made my headache worse. I attempt to take another glance around the building to see if I had company. Nopony was there. So I gave up and laid back. I now ponder upon how I got in this predicament. How did I hit my head? Why am I here? Where is this? Why am I fixed down on this bed? Why can't I remember? I'm only inducing more pain on my head.
And even more questions dawn on me as an old stallion slowly walks into the house. Something about his movements suggests that he doesn't want to cause any harm to me, but he's probably expecting me to be cautious.
"Where am I?"
The old stallion chuckled, "Son, you are safe, that's where you are. And the sooner you rest some more, the sooner you can return to your duties around here."
"What?" So I lived here? That seems kind of unbelievable, but I can't remember anything before... whatever hit me, so I guess I'll go along. "I live here?"
"Yes sir, you do."
"Who are you?" I say without hostility, but rather curiousity.
"You don't remember me? Aww, that's a bummer. Well, I'm the village's elder."
"Elder?" I reply weakly. "Where is this?"
"Ahh, I see you really don't remember anything, huh? Okay. Well, you're in my village. You were born and raised here by your parents, who are over in the next cabin. They're worried sick about you."
"Can I see them? Can you bring them... here?"
"Yes, that can be done. I'll be right back."
With that, the elder turned and exited the doorway. When he was gone, I lay my head back and take a deep breath. Whew. I forgot all about my home village, my parents, my elder, my friends -- My life, pretty much. Remembering by having an old stallion tell you is more painful than you can think, both mentally and physically.
When he returns, he has not two but three other ponies following suit behind him. One of them was a dark blue unicorn stallion, the other a lavender-colored pegasus. The sea green filly below them caught my eye the most, however, for reasons unknown: probably because she's kind of cute. They all have worried expressions on their faces, which melt away to happiness when their eyes met mine. Apparently I had a vacant expression on mine, for my two parents had again dropped their previous gesture and replaced once more with worry.
I don't recognize any of them! Maybe that little girl, I've met before, but those two grown-ups... Who are they!? I can honestly say that I don't know them.
"Mom? Dad?"
They nodded, struggling to hold back what I could only conceive to be fake tears. "Son... ... ... you look horrible." Is all they had to say.
The filly, on the other hand, has walked up to the bedside and stepped up to talk inches away from my broken face. Gazing into her large pupils had me mesmerized for a moment, until she said something.
"Blaze... are you okay?"
My name is Blaze. I am the son of a blue stallion and a purple mare. This youngling here appears to be either a very dear friend or my sister. I live in a village. I don't remember how I hit my head, how long I've been here, or what I do here. I can only hope that I can unravel my past with the help of these four ponies.
"I hit my head," I say sarcastically.
Princess Celstia brakes the connection between her horn and mine, and I snap back to reality. I began to breathe heavy at the new perspective of my story. This all made sense, every bit of it. Even the old lies I have listened to my whole life I still have difficulty believing to be false. The only problem is, neither side has any solid proof.
"So..." I doubted the princess, and I thought something crucial was missing, "if you knew about all this, then why didn't you take me back?"
"Well, the Guards and I never found you until ten years following."
"But you didn't answer my question. Why didn't you reclaim me?"
"At the moment, we hadn't sensed any hostility from the villagers. They appeared to be taking good care of you, and they were enjoying your company. Granted, Luna did NOT like the fact that you were lied to about your family... She wanted to see you so badly, I thought she was serious when she said she'd kill them all to get to you."
"And did she?"
Celestia stepped back, "Uhh, no, she tired herself out from struggling against the Guards."
At that, my blood began to boil. "Well, if I were your son, you'd wanna see me too, wouldn't you?"
"Listen, Blaze. It was for her own good --"
"You listen, Celestia." I was now walking toward her, head slightly low out of anger. "Explain to me exactly how seeing me would be more harm than help. She hasn't seen me for TEN YEARS! If you found out where your son was suddenly being held, you'd be kind of ecstatic, wouldn't you!?"
The princess was backing away from me. "No, please, Blaze, listen --"
"YOU LISTEN!!" I was furious. They had a chance to clean it all up, and none of this tragedy would've ever happened. And Faded Ivory would still be alive. "You had it all under control! It would've been the end of it! But you DIDN'T, did you? NO!! And thanks to you, Faded Ivory is dead! My best friend, my special somepony, GONE! And you're to blame!!"
Celestia was crying now. "No, please don't say that... Faded Ivory is --"
"DON'T YOU SAY A SINGLE WORD ABOUT IVORY!!!" I had erupted inside. Celestia had pushed my fire to the limit. She had no good reason to keep Mother and I separated. She had no good reason to walk away from me in my moment of need. She is responsible for Ivory's death.
"Just let me speak, please!!" Celestia threw her head forward.
I only stared at her.
She stood up straight. "Blaze, Faded Ivory is still alive."
I grit my teeth in response, taking it as a threat. But after looking into her eyes for a moment reveals to me that she's dead serious.
I lower my head. "Then... how do you explain the graphic murder I witnessed of her?"
"Probably just another lie, then. She's safe at..." She paused.
"Safe at... Where?"
She looked in the direction of her throne. At the monster.
"At Canterlot..." |
Blaze | Chapter 16.) Blaze, The Alicorn With Clashing Memories | My heart shattered. If Celestia's words are true, then Ivory could be in any one of three conditions; alive, dying, or dead. I want to fly, fly to her, save her like I did when I was younger, but I haven't the slightest clue of her whereabouts. And Canterlot is huge... I just discovered my lifelong marefriend was out there, only to learn she's waiting for me to save her life.
Celestia notices the water on my face sooner than I do, as she puts out a hoof for comfort. I deflected it gently with my own, unsure whether these tears are of sadness or happiness.
"If she's out there," AppleJack had crept up behind me, put a hoof on my back, and smiled, "we'll find er. I promise."
I step away to face the other five ponies, "You guys'd do that... for me?"
"Absolutely!" Pinkie Pie bounced. "It's like 'Find the Ivory in the rubble!' "
"Heheh." Twilight Sparkle nodded. "You have my word, Blaze."
"She's as good as found when I'm around!" Rainbow Dash stood up on her hind legs, holding her forehooves slightly gracefully in front of her.
"Umm, I... don't... ... ... know..." Fluttershy backed up a couple steps. "It's so... ... big... Are you sure she's here?"
"Nope!" Rarity spoke. "And that's half why we're helping him, the other half..." AppleJack walked back over to the other four (yes four; Fluttershy was confused, therefore excluded), who all then turned toward me and said in harmony,
"Because Blaze is our friend!"
I tensed my cheeks, trying to keep from welling up with more tears. My heart formed back again, fortified ever stronger with the power of pure friendship. The short week that I have spent with these five ponies has been the best seven days of my lied life. Because it wasn't a lie.
"Thank you..." I bowed slowly, then turned to the princess. She nodded, smiling.
"Ready to go, Blaze?" She flapped her wings once.
My face dried instantly as I said, "Whenever you are, Sunnie."
Now it was Celestia's turn to fight tears. Her mane floated in front of her as she turned and charged a jump into her limbs. After a flick of my wings, I followed suit, closely traced by the loyal Rainbow Dash. The others who couldn't fly (or refused to) took off in different directions.
"Mind the Ursa!" I remember abruptly.
Celestia stopped, all ponies catching sight of this and turn their attention. "Wait, Blaze. Maybe we should take care of that first."
It was all I could do to say no, but I knew she was right. Taking out the Ursa would give us all more safety. But there's that chance that Faded Ivory has a clock, an alarm clock, waiting to go off when she dies. Focus, Blaze, I thought. Do you wanna deal with the shadow and risk less time for Ivory, or search now and risk the lives of eight, maybe nine ponies?
"Sounds like we have a date with a monster." I say with confidence. "Let's go, everypony!"
I expected Twilight to sigh from the pun, but she kept a straight face. We regroup and, almost on three, start galloping toward the nonexistent throne.
This is it. The ruined castle walls are only a hundred meters away, we standing united. The monster unleashed a roar at us so strong, Rarity's elegant mane and tail unfurled for a moment. Our hooves dug into the ground during the deafening shock wave. I open my eyes to see the creature walking a very leisure pace toward our beings, a print forming in the rubble as it stomps.
It then grunts and begins to stand on its hind legs, drawing back its right arm. The sight unfreezes me and I shout, "Get back!!"
Everypony snaps back to it and backed up as fast as they dared. The shadow, thankfully, hits a huge dummy of air. Frustrated, it quickly braces its other claw for a one-two haymaker combo.
Expecting this, we all take effective evasive manuvers; Rainbow, AJ, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Celestia, and I dashing out and away, Fluttershy however ditching the scene altogether and retreating for a somewhat-still-standing building. The Ursa demonstrates a very sloppy fighting style. I know if I were more his size, I could kick his flank. But obviously...
The shadow threw his head up and growled a growl that shook all of Equestria. It then jumps back, seemingly preparing to ram us all in one swift shot. Giving a huge tell, we all again successfully dodge it. After I get a good hoofhold, I turn my head to see that the monster kept going.
Then I realized that the beast tricked us. It wanted to divert our attention, so it could get a straight shot for Fluttershy.
"FLUTTERSHY!!" I bolt out my body.
The Ursa was preparing a hammer smash down on the foundation, but I managed to jet in between it and the elegant mare. I then turn a sharp left, kick off the ground, and dive horn first into the creature's chest. To my surprise, the beast fell back, landing on the blocks of buildings below with his back with a gigantic thud. That had to hurt. I jerk myself out of the shadow and onto the ground in front of the building containing Fluttershy.
The beast had recovered quick, however. It had taken him a couple seconds to roll over and be on all fours again. After it roared again, he lunged directly at me. Petrified by the shock wave, I couldn't move. I was frozen stiff. I panicked, while I watched the monster slowly raise his two arms again. I closed my eyes, ready to die...
But nothing happened.
I opened them, seeing the beast's claws a few feet away, frozen in place. Its facial expression was holding a look that suggested it were fighting against himself. It then started to make sounds that were almost understandable.
"MMBUUUUUUHHH -- MMMMBUUUUUUUHHH -- BLLLLLEEEEEEEEE --"
What's going on? What is it trying to say?
"BLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZEEEEE!!!! --"
My jaw dropped. How in the hell does this thing know my name? And why is it hesitating to kill me?
"BLLLAAAAAZZZZEE, HHHHHHEEEEE -- HHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLLLPP MMMMMMMMMMEEEEEE!!!"
Do I know this creature? Help it? How? Why!? It was responsible for the destruction of my - well, the elder's - village and the deaths of all the ponies in it! It may have been a lie, but it was still my home!
"NNGGEEEEEEEEEEETT MMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE OOOOOOOOUUUUUTTTT!!!"
That was the trigger. That was the variable I needed to understand. Flashbacks began to flood my mind...
"Don't worry about what's out there. You have what you need here."
"I went out looking for you early that morning."
"I'm just a little jittery to get cleaned up."
"I can trust these ponies?"
"So these are your 'friends?' "
"If he knows where it is, then I don't really need anypony else."
"The sooner you rest, the sooner you can get back to your duties around here."
"I don't know whether it was from the cough, or the tension -- I don't know."
"Lately, the streams have run dry of water and replaced with blood..."
"Well, it's nice to know you still call me 'sir,' Blaze."
"Elder?" |
Blaze | Chapter 17.) The End Of My Lie | "BLLLLLAAAAAAAAZZZZZEEEEE....." the monster growled again.
I shook my head slowly, and attempted to collect my jaw. "How could you?"
"BLLLAAAAZZZEEEE, PUUUHHHHHH... PUUHHHLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSSEEEE!!"
"Elder, what were you thinking? You murdered all of your village! You nearly killed me in a hallucination! AND I TRUSTED YOU!!"
"NNNNNNOOOOOOO, PLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEE!!"
The elder still had his claws above me, clenched tightly against each other, ready to smash the guts out of an unfortunate pony. I caught a glimpse of Twilight Sparkle and the others walking slowly up behind the Ursa, wearing their respective jewelry. Knowing that giving any obvious sign will make the elder suspicious, I wink my left eye, then shortly after several times as if something had flown in it. I then turned my attention back to the monster that is my lie.
"Sir! I'm not just gonna let you make amends with us after you've revealed the truth to me! If you think I am, then you got another thing coming!"
"I DON'T WANNA HURT YOU..." his voice has cleared up since he started to experiment with his new voice box.
"So you go killing the whole village I thought was my real life, and make me think Faded Ivory was dead!? Yeah, that makes a shit-ton of sense!"
"BLAZE, LISTEN --"
"YOU listen!!" This was obviously a moment where the fire within me had spiked. "It makes absolutely no sense to abduct me, coax me into a lie that I have a place in your village, have my special somepony living in the same house, and then have it all erased. What were you thinking!? Were you waiting for this moment for so long? Or did you just happen to lose sanity after twelve years!?" My blood had begun to boil with anger. I felt the flame illuminate in my eyes, and I found my hooves moving to the left around the shadow without my command; around to where the Element Bearers were charging their magical finishing blast.
"IT WASN'T LIKE THAT..."
"The fact of the matter is," I was slowly walking toward the other seven ponies, "that you made me feel like I had nothing left in this world. To me, it would be less lonely if you just killed me then and there!" I turned to face him again once I was directly in front of my friends. Based on how the ponies were in formation, they were ready to fire and seal the monster away, but I had my own little treat in store for him. "I don't know how that was supposed to help me in your wicked way of thinking, but at the time, I believed all my REAL family was gone! All dead! Every fucking one of them! And it's ALL YOUR FAULT!! You destroyed all I was manipulated to care for and more! How am I supposed to just... forgive you... and make everything better!?"
At this point, the elder had demonstrated notice of the other ponies behind me, and had started to prepare for an attack of sorts. Little did he know, I felt like I was going to erupt again. The monster roared, attempting to throw us off focus, but my focus wasn't in my mind; it was its own. Knowing he was trying to divert our attention was the extra fuel that I needed to make the fire explode.
So I did just that.
I dug my hooves into the paved ground as best as I could, then shot the inferno into the shadow's stomach. I didn't see what happened, but I visualized what went on due to the noises I could hear; the blast had obviously hit his gut hard and went around his figure, enveloping it in a brilliant yellow-white flame. The elder rampaged on spot, fighting to throw the fires off his midnight-blue coat. The magical blast came from my system for about ten seconds, then ceased so I could note what was happening with my eyes. The flames weren't yellow-white anymore; they were bright blue, a hue it took after charring the shadow from the elder's murderous form. With another monstrous swipe, he successfully threw the majority off of him and into the sky, where it fizzled away to nothing.
I turned my head to the Element Bearers.
"Go for it!!"
When I said this, Twilight's eyes opened, closely followed by everypony elses. Their eyes were illuminated white to the point that their pupils were nonexistent. In sync, they all shot up a different color of the rainbow into the sky, fusing in the stratosphere into a brilliant white beam. It then struck down like lightning onto the elder, creating a cracking sound that could make you go deaf, followed my several more little crackles off of the tainted fur. The monster was impaled by the celestial magic, rendering it immobile; forced to suffer and agonize through the torment the pain must've caused. After a few seconds, the light dispersed completely around the creature, preventing me from seeing whatever was happening inside.
Several seconds passed, then the beam completely exploded off of the monster, blinding my eyes for a brief moment. When I can see again, I note a huge fissure in the ground caused by the thunderous light, and directly above it, the elder's pony form, encased in stone. Finally, my nightmare has ended... But something about the elder's expression makes me feel like he didn't deserve it. I walk up to the sideways-laying statue, observing the cuts, scars, burns, and other imperfections that made him seem ugly, when I start to wonder about his true intentions.
I feel like I'm about to faint; not only from giving up the rest of the lie, but also from the blast. The fact that I'm still standing seems like a miracle to me. At that point, Princess Celestia had walked up to my side and wrapped her left foreleg around me. Her doing so makes me lean up to her, for I fear I may be on the verge of crying. It may be a lie, but I still respected the elder. I hate him, but at the same time still want his company...
"I'm sorry, Blaze..."
I dig my face into Celestia's other foreleg. She understands that while this may be for the better of everything, it won't be a simple matter to recover from the damage caused today. Not only is the majority of Canterlot collapsed on itself, but now, the old Blaze is no more. Nothing now exists from my previous life, except the pain and suffering the monster left in its wake. I'm now forced to restart, again, as a son of the Princess Luna, which may mean that I have to leave behind my new best friends...
"...Let's go find Faded Ivory..." I say.
The princess nods, and gives a gentle nudge to help me focus. I then slowly pull myself away from her and look among the other six ponies, who were also slightly fatigued. When they see me look toward them, they all straighten up, seemingly ready to help this injured soul further. Oh, how much they've sacrificed for me already...
I walk up to them. Once I get directly in front of them, there was only silence; so much so that you could hear a butterfly's wing beat. Twilight Sparkle is the first to speak;
"Blaze..."
I shook my head.
"I'm so sorry..."
We both walk toward each other. She was the first to put her left hoof around the back of my neck, and after a short moment I return the embrace. |
Blaze | Chapter 18.) What Friendship Can And Can't Be | After a short moment, I backed away from Twilight. I needed to get started searching for Ivory, just in case she really did had a time bomb ticking away at her life. I sighed, partially out of exhaustion, the other half due to the large landmass we have to cover...
"Everypony... I'm sorry I had to drag you all into this..." I dropped my ears, feeling guilty perhaps that I've not returned their favors, and knowing possibly that being royalty I may never get the chance later.
"Blaze," Rainbow Dash was the first to reply, "why are you making such a big deal out of it? We told you we were gonna help you, and that's what we're doing!"
Twilight was next, "Hey, what are friends for?"
Hearing that only makes me lower my head further. "Yeah, but you have to agree; there are things that simple friendship can and can't do. I fear I won't be able to repay you."
"Oh, c'mon, Blaze," AppleJack stepped up, "We weren't worried bout you repayin' us. Otherwise, we probly wouldn'ta bothered ta follow you when you left for your village. We don't expect nothin'."
"Yeah! What she said!" Rainbow spoke again.
"The way I see it, Blaze," Twilight continued, "right now I'm helping you for three reasons. One is the fact that you had nothing before you met us; two is because you're in the royal blood line; and three..." she faded out before she finished. She had also dropped her smile and turned slightly to the left, away from the other six ponies. I've heard this before...
"But I don't have you, Blaze. Not truly. Not the way... I want..."
"Twilight!" I said, slightly louder than I intended to.
She makes eye contact with me again, pupils unnoticably shrunken. "Yes, Blaze?"
I give her a serious look. "Finish."
She blushed. "Because... Because you're a good friend!"
I immediately return a sinister smile. Yeah, and she said she wasn't very good at keeping secrets... and she isn't. "Thank you."
But Rarity picked up on the shy romance. "Ooh, I see how it is, Twilight! Feeling a little tongue-tied around our little Blaze here?"
Twilight tried her best to brush off, but to no avail. "No! Rarity, stop it!"
"It's okay, Twilight... You're not the only victim of love, dear. You don't have to be such a drama queen... because that's my job! Trust me, it's easier in the long run to just admit it before you stop seeing him."
"Rarity, please knock it off --"
"Hey, ladies!" I make them brake up, because we still have work to do. "We gotta start searching for Ivory now! Every second we waste could be another second that she's suffering through!"
"Yes, sir!" Twilight snapped back into her cheery tone.
"Okay." I nod. I then turn my attention to the princess, who so patiently observed us. "Princess, do you remember where Ivory was at when the elder attacked?"
She gazed to the left, then to the right. "I can't find it from here, but maybe we can check her reserved house in the eastern part of the city. Or rather, where it would be..."
"The East..." I follow her eyes with mine.
"Let's go," Celestia continued, flapping her wings once. Within a second, she was already at full gallop and 'in front' of the other six ponies, beginning to get a head start before I got into full speed myself. Everypony needed to register the sudden event before they followed.
Finally on the look for Faded Ivory, several thoughts are reeling through my mind. Where is she? How is she? Is she even alive? Will she remember me? Intolerable anxiety tears away at my heart. Keeping a steady pace with the princess, I glance back to find my friends also at full speed; five of them are back several meters, one of them keeping up with us on her wings. Feeling guilty further about not repaying them, I quickly exhale and refocus in front of me. I told myself I'd be able to indirectly help them out later... somehow...
Suddenly, Celestia stops. Unprepared, I slide across the cobblestone into a boulder of rubble about half my size, trip over it, and slam my face into a half-still-standing building. Now, you'd expect me to stop when I hit the wall, right? Nope. The wall went with me, and I continued into a main room of the structure.
But my landing on the ground didn't hurt all that much. Maybe it was because I landed on something soft?
"AHH!! THE MONSTER'S BACK!!"
The high-pitched voice was right next to my ear, so I instantly jumped back in my dizziness. Then once I put two and two together, I knew I landed on another pony! I attempt to focus on the scared Equestrian, but for some reason I can't.
"Wait... Do I know you?"
I tilt my head. I still can't see straight, but her voice seemed familiar.
"Where have I seen you before?"
I clear my throat. "Uhh, I don't know. I can't see you."
"Oh, hang on," the pony went in the back of the room, grabbed what I assumed to be a towel or rag, and returned and wiped my face. The amount of force she put into it made me snicker, and I made several different facial gestures in the process. If I can get her to laugh, I'll know if she's Ivory or not.
And as I expected, she began to giggle. The pitch was slightly lower, but it's her. I found her.
"Ivory!"
"What? What do you want?"
I grabbed the towel and dropped it on the floor. "Ivory, it's me! It's Blaze!"
"Oh, you mean the lost heir to the throne? Don't make me laugh, dear. Everypony in Canterlot knows he died a long time ago."
I gasp. Somehow, Faded Ivory also lived a lie. One different than mine.
"No, Ivory! It really is me!!"
She just looked at me, confused.
I couldn't believe it. Everything was only now falling together and making sense. We were BOTH lied to. Our lives in our prime never existed. We were kept separated, most likely by the elder, and he manipulated our minds further so we thought our lives fell apart. The emotions between us were never real. Faded Ivory never said those thirteen words that drove the majority of my search.
I step back, while I process it all in my mind. The truth. I know I've been lied to, but Celestia may not have healed her yet, or maybe the elder got to her a second time. With this new information, I sew together the ripped strands of my version of the lie:
First of all, to the best of my knowledge the village was real, because I went back to the ruins. Everything that happened there must've been real, except for what involved Ivory, which in my case was pretty much each day.
Then I remember; Princess Celestia hadn't used her heal spell on me at that point. So that means EVERYTHING that happened there... might not have. But if that's true, then where was I all my life? Where did I grow up? Better yet, who the hell am I? Am I Blaze? Am I really Luna's son? I have to be, right? Because that was what I saw during the heal spell...
The more I think about it, the more I notice more and more of my past has been really fucked up. This whole week so far could've been all just a ploy. All this time I've spent with the doctors, the town of Ponyville, the Element Bearers - Was it really fake? Braking my wing? That night with Twilight? Helping with the party? Bumping into Rarity? Going back to the village? Meeting the elder again? Exploding at the train station? Did any of that really happen!?
It had to have, because Celestia and I were in the exact same spot when I learned the truth. Damn it! I can't make sense of it still! Why did the elder have to make it so complicated!?
Then it hit me. What if the elder was also lied to? What if there's a bigger force at work here than I realize? What if the elder was only a pawn of a more monstrous plan?
If so, then we're in some deep shit. |
Blaze | Chapter 19.) 'What If?' | "Uhh... Are you okay?"
I snap back to reality. The new look at the whole plot provides a lot of information, but how much of it is useful? Oh wait, Ivory asked me a seemingly simple question. "Uhh... No, I'm not."
"What's the matter, dear?"
That word isn't very familiar to me. "I, uhh..." I know not all hope is lost for her, but the fact she doesn't even recognize has me on the verge of tears.
"Yes? What is it?"
I threw my hooves on my head and laid on the floor, "Please stop asking me that damn question!!"
Ivory stepped back, "Well, excuse me, sir! Just trying to help some guy who crashed in on --"
"Faded Ivory, it's ME!! BLAZE!! Don't you recognize me!?"
"No, sir. No matter how much you want to believe it, you are not Blaze. And I'm not gonna keeping repeating myself either, so stop saying it. Blaze died when he was much younger."
"IVORY!!"
"I'm not going to tell you again, sir! Blaze is dead! He's been dead for a long time! And he was a very dear friend, so I'm taking a LOT of insult from your little game! So why don't you just go away!"
"But Ivory --"
"I SAID GOOO!!"
"Is everything okay in here?" Princess Celestia couldn't have picked a better time to interupt our conversation.
"No, Princess, it isn't." Ivory continued. "This imposter claims he's your dead nephew!"
Celestia looked at me with a face that said 'let me take care of this.' She sighed, "Oh, really? And what does he have to say for himself?"
I tilted my head. "Who, me?"
"Who do you think you are, trying to fool this heartbroken mare into thinking you're my sister's heir!?"
I stepped back and lowered my jaw simultaneously. "But Princess!! --"
Celestia turned her head toward Ivory now. "I know who he is, young lady," she said in her calm voice, but I noticed a very faint anger, "and I don't approve of how you treated him. Now, it is you who must be punished."
I stood up. "Wait, what?"
Celestia turned her head to me again. "Blaze, you tried your hoof at this issue already. Please allow me to play mine."
I shook my head. What kind of game is Celestia trying to play on us? Who's side is she on? Whatever it is, she's doing a good job confusing me.
"Wait, you BELIEVE HIM?" Faded Ivory backed up further, but she was getting furious. "Celestia, you know Blaze died over ten years ago! How dare you trust this imposter!?"
"First of all," the goddess was slowly approaching the sea green mare, standing straight up at an intimidating height, "you do not question me. Second, his name is Blaze, and he is my nephew; the rumor about his death just spread when we couldn't find him."
Ivory wasn't very quick to accept it, but her eyes shrunk just a little. "Yeah, okay. And why didn't you tell me about this before I cried my heart out!? Celestia, you knew I cared for him! You knew it killed me inside! And you SAW me get rid of all of the emotions forever!! Ten years of being locked up inside... ten years of being mentally sick... for NOTHING!?"
We both cringed from Ivory's confession. I can't speak for the princess, but I got a little emotional myself. She's opening up gradually, but she doesn't want to accept it, not yet. I wish I had some proof to show her to - well obviously, prove - that I truly am that energetic little colt from twelve years ago... And I realize I only have one thing.
Her diary.
I try to recall the words that the few pages I read contained. While Celestia and Ivory continued at it, I attempt to focus on last night, back at Twilight's... Unfortunately, it seems too cloudy. I fight, struggling to remember something, anything, that only we knew...
Then I got an idea. "You shoulda seen the look on your face! You were like, 'Waaahhh!' "
Both girls turn their head toward me, Celestia having a surprised face while Ivory had more of a 'wait, what?' expression.
"What did you just say?"
I begin to laugh, remembering the incident like it was yesterday. "Face it, you were in just the PERFECT spot! It was priceless!"
"It wasn't FUNNY! You embarressed the heck out of me!"
I chuckle even harder in between saying, "Well, you shouldn't've been standing there!!"
"Blaze, shut up. You're not help--"
She cut off, with her jaw slightly ajar. I look up, see the face she's wearing, and laugh just a little more before I serious up.
"Faded Ivory."
She didn't look up at me, probably because she was finally forcing out the lies.
"Ivory, look at me."
She was hesitant, but she lifted her head and stared into my eyes with a moist pair of her own. "...Blaze?"
I sigh. "...Hi."
She was taking baby steps toward me, cautious steps, every other second or so. "... ...Is... is that... you?"
I pick up the towel I threw on the ground earlier with my flame-colored magic, and levitate it in front of her. "Here, maybe you'll see me better if your eyes weren't so wet."
I wait until she grabs it before I drop the spell. She only looked at it, though. Her eyes were shifting between me and the little rag several times...
Then she tossed it across the room, then jumped forward and clamped her hooves together around my neck.
I was slow to return the embrace, but I did. The moisture from her tears brushed against my face as she ran into me, and had left me in a state of shock for a second. Faded Ivory... She's back...
"I've missed you, Ivory." I whisper.
She backed her head away just a bit, so we could make eye contact. She was hesitant to respond, but she eventually said, "I really thought you were dead..."
"Me, too."
"Where have you been all this time? And why didn't you come back?"
I bit my lip. Should I tell her about my twisted past? What will she think? Will she share her own? In the end, I succumbed and confessed;
"Back on that day, twelve years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night to a roar of a big monster thing. Shortly after, I thought I heard you, so I dashed out the window and flew after you. While I was catching up to you, I built up so much speed that I crashed through the monster and kept going. But, I didn't stop, and I slammed into this big tree. A long time later, I woke up in a village, and the elder of this village told me that I was born and raised there. I was manipulated into thinking that I lived a healthy villager's life. But the thing is, you were there, and I spent nearly every day with you. So if you weren't there, then it was nearly all a lie. Hell, I'm still trying to figure out what was true and what was false.
"But anyway, ten years later, we went fishing one night. And when we came back, the village was under attack by a huge shadow monster. All the houses but one fell, everypony I found was already dead, even our fake parents... I ended up braking my wing, and you were... ..."
She backed up a bit, but still held the embrace. "I was what?"
I closed my eyes and lowered my head a bit. "You were ripped apart..."
"Oh, my..." she shivered and drew closer. "Well, I can assure you I'm right here. I'm not gonna get ripped up by any monster any time soon, I promise." Ivory then laid her head on the side of my neck and let out a heavy sigh.
Reflexively, I extend my free foreleg onto her back to comfort her. |
Blaze | Chapter 20.) The Opposite Side | "Princess Celestia?"
I turn my head toward the voice, and Celestia did as well. It came from outside. From a friend in a circle of six that I nearly forgot they were here in the first place. I gasp out of fear.
Twilight! How is she going to take this!?
"Oh, hello, my little ponies. What took you so long?" Celestia replied with her gentle voice.
"Sorry, Princess," the student replied as the six made their way through the crumbled entrance I made earlier. Everypony but AppleJack and Rainbow Dash was out of breath. We didn't run for that long, did we?
Faded Ivory shifted a bit in my foreleg and looked at me, "Who are these ponies?"
"Just some very close friends of mine. They took me in when I ran away from the village."
"Heheh, they're pretty cute, Blaze."
That caught me off guard. Was she just saying that to compliment them? "...Did I hear some... 'jealousy' there, Ivory?"
When I said 'jealousy,' Twilight Sparkle turned her head toward us. Her overall posture suggested I hit the nail on the head; she gasped while she shifted, raised a forehoof, and her eyes shrunk a bit as well. Her doing so made Ivory uncomfortable, and she broke the embrace.
I look at Twilight. When we make eye contact, she gulps and puts her forehoof down. Jealousy... I lower my eyes to look at the floor. Did she like me, too? Was she trying to tell me that all along? If she did, it would explain several things...
'Easy, Twilight! What's gotten into you? That's the second time you freaked out when I said something that suggested my death.'
'You weren't going to do... What I thought you were going to do with that boulder, were you?'
'Will you... ... come back?'
'Don't talk like that!'
'No, wait! Please, stay here.'
I put it all together. And all this time, I've been selfish in my search for Faded Ivory that I didn't even notice her feelings for me! I've been putting her aside, like she was just some other pony... And with Ivory here now, who knows what she'll do...?
"Blaze?"
I pick my head up. During my flashbacks, Twilight had walked up and sat about three feet away from me. There were tears beginning to form in her eyes, which made me look away for a second. But I quickly focused on the pony again as I prepared to say... something...
"Twilight... I..." I was tongue-tied. She was gonna have to start the conversation.
"Now that you got what you were looking for," she said, "will you have to leave Ponyville? I mean, you're part of the royal bloodline. You have to stay in Canterlot..."
I suddenly got an idea. "What 'Canterlot?' "
Twilight rose a brow. "Uhh, here? In the general area we're in for a couple miles?"
"Pssst, Twilight. In case you hadn't noticed, the majority of Canterlot is destroyed. Including the royal castle."
She blushed. "Actually, I did notice, but thanks anyway."
"So, naturally with my home in ruins again," I raise my voice slightly in a sarcastic, yet serious tone, "I'm gonna need a place to stay for a while."
Twilight's ears perked up, and a half-smile formed on her face. "Well, you're always welcome in Ponyville!"
"So, uhh... Think you can fix up a bed at your place?"
Her eyes grew at the sound of those words, but she gasped and glanced back at Ivory, who was busy learning the names of the other ponies. She then looked back to me and said, "What about Faded Ivory?"
I think about that for a moment. I'm sure Ivory would be welcomed into Ponyville without a second thought, but she was homeless as well. Plus, with her out of my supervision, she could get into several kinds of trouble. I wonder if she'll even go to Ponyville with me?
Faded Ivory obviously has feelings for me as well. To have me staying over another possible competitor's home could make her throw her hoof in. Heheh, that's exactly what I'd do. If I know her, she may even try to sleep with somepony else to get me jealous for her. After all, that's what it looks like I'm doing...
Then it hit me. I do love Faded Ivory. She loves me, too, as a lover. And that's the problem. Having grown up with her, it wouldn't exactly make me comfortable to live with the girl forever. She's like a sister to me, and for that reason, I can't be her special somepony.
I respond to Twilight's question, "What about her?"
Twilight tilted her head. "What do you mean 'what about her?' She doesn't have a home, either! And based on how you two were snuggling earlier, I'd say she's gonna have some objections..."
I blow a raspberry. "Don't worry about her. She's stronger than you give her credit for."
She tensed up. "That's kind of harsh, Blaze."
"Why? I trust her enough. I mean, I practically grew up with the girl."
"You don't understand." Twilight stepped one hoof forward. "If you just start sleeping at my place, then she's bound to get suspicious of me. She loves you, Blaze. You can't leave her in the dark about these kind of things."
"I know, I know! And I don't intend to. I'm gonna tell her what I think... set her straight... "
She sighed. "No, Blaze. She's gonna get heartbroken again. I can't let you do that to her..."
When she said that, I shot my eyes over to Faded Ivory, who was walking up on Twilight Sparkle. She raised a forehoof to tap her back and said, "And what's your name?"
I gulped as Twilight replied, "Ivory, I am Twilight Sparkle. Pleasure to meet you!"
"A pleasure indeed, Ms. Sparkle."
They shook hooves. During so, Ivory shot me a look that I took as hostile. Maybe Twilight's right. I probably shouldn't shut her out yet, or at least appear to. There's no doubt from her confession that she waited for me her whole life, and then some. I should probably just tell her flat out that it just won't work between us...
And after all that time searching for her, to find out that I can't be her special one... |
Blaze | Chapter 21.) Ivory's Diary | "C'mon, guys! Train leaves any minute!"
Rainbow Dash was at the front of the group of nine ponies, urging us to move faster so we'd catch the train. Everypony was exhausted. Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia were especially sluggish. I couldn't help but laugh as I pictured what they looked like to Faded Ivory.
"Chill out, Rainbow. We're here." I say.
Rainbow stops flying backward and observes. She was just about to slam into the side of the train, but she panicked and shot herself back from it. Man, I should've kept my mouth shut! That would've been so funny!
"Whoa! Thanks, Blaze!" She replied.
"No problem."
Everypony stepped onto the train. Ivory, Twilight, and I looked back to say good-bye to Princess Celestia, and to wish her good luck with Canterlot. Remembering that the majority of the Royal Guard are dead, I should probably stay and help with reconstruction...
"Oh, it's all right, Blaze. Luna and I can take care of this. Go play with your friends!" Celestia said.
"All right, Sunnie. See you and mom after a while," I say, head held high.
"Okay, good-bye!" The princess waved to us.
"Bye!" I wave back as the train engine fires up.
The wheels start rolling. As we ride downhill, I watch as what's left of Canterlot disappears from my vision. The events that took place there has left me very tired, and it's all I could do to keep my eyes open. Amongst the drowsiness, I wonder what I'll do, now that my adventure is over...
I would really like to meet my mother again. After living a twisted past for ten years, it would be nice to see my real parents. My real friends. I quickly begin to think about the six ponies that came here with me; of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie... and of Twilight Sparkle. Thank God for them. If it weren't for them, I'd well be dead already.
The thought again occurs to me that I have no immediate way to repay them. Being royalty, however, I'm sure I can think of something later...
"Blaze, get your head in the window, already." Ivory's voice was barely audible in the wind.
I snap back to reality and jerk my head into the train. "Guess I spaced out for a second there. Sorry." I itch the back of my mane with my right forehoof.
Applejack looked back from her seat and smiled. "You've had a long day, Blaze. Why don't cha get some shut-eye?"
"I think I will. Thanks," I nod.
Ivory looks at me with a concerned face as I get up to go to the last car. I smile as I pass her, then open a door to the back, shutting it behind me.
"Blaze? Wake up!"
My ears perk up, but only for a moment. I am, or at least I was, having a good dream. I itch my nose on the covers, then roll over into a more comfortable position.
"Oh, come on, Blaze. It's nice to know you're still lazy to wake up after ten years."
I throw myself upright in the bed. Groggy, my voice cracked, "That's because waking up sucks."
Ivory gave me a hug. "I understand. Sometimes, I wish I didn't have to wake up, either. But, if I hadn't woken you, you'd probably miss your stop in Ponyville..."
I gasp. "I MISSED IT!?"
She giggled. "I didn't say that, Blaze. Actually, we're going to pull in soon. Just thought I'd give you three minutes grace, that's all."
I patted her back, then nudged her away so I could get out of bed. "Well, thank you, Ivory."
She nodded and left the room. As the door closed behind her, I yawned. At this point, I considered laying back down, because I'm still tired... and I may not get much sleep while giving Faded Ivory the 'grand tour' of Ponyville. I thought about it for a moment, then stretched and hopped out of the covers. I can get all the sleep I wanted once I was settled in to a proper dwelling.
Now functioning regularly, I ponder upon how I will spend the next three - maybe two by now - minutes I have before we arrive at our destination. With nothing better to do, I guess I could hang out with the girls... Or I could just watch out the window and simply look as everything passes us without a second thought. Mmm... Ehh, I've had enough of those ponies for one day. I walk up to the closed window and pull up the shade with my magic.
"...Ponyville..." I think out loud. Why? Ponyville has suffered from the monster elder as well. I mean, not nearly as bad as Canterlot, but they did lose a hospital. Plus, I'm sure there were wounded, so that just makes the whole thing worse on the 'no hospital' situation. AND, they lost the majority of their doctors and nurses. Jeez, I really need to stop thinking about the immediate and start planning things out. I'm no doctor, but I can definitely help with reconstruction.
Now that I have nothing else on my mind, wanting to help seems like the best thing I could ever do for myself. I've been selfish for the past week, and now I have a chance to make up for some of it. I smile. I have found a way to repay the six ponies that helped me through this sooner than I thought!
For some reason, however, the elder slips back into my mind. He was trying to tell me something before I threw it in his face... I wonder what he wanted to say? I probably wouldn't've listened to him, but still, it would be nice to know.
There was a knock at my door. "Hey Blaze, are you decent? Can I come in?"
'Decent?' Who would ask that question? "Yeah, come on in."
The door opened, and revealed a purple coat and mane. I only know one pony with those colors. She continued, "Sorry to intrude, Blaze. I just thought you might want to hang on to this in case Ivory happened across it..."
I frown in confusion. "Find what?"
"You left her diary on the train last time."
"Oh, whoops. Yeah, who knows how she'll react if she found it? Heheh..." I shrug and grab the brown book.
She smiled. "Do be a good friend, though, and don't read it. Diaries are personal lives. You don't wanna invade Ivory's personal life, do you?"
"Hey, don't give me that. You said yourself you also skimmed through it."
"Yeah, but I only read the first couple pages."
"Uh-huh. Come on, I know how you are when it comes to books, Twilight."
She shrugged. "Ehh... Maybe you do, maybe you don't."
"Whatever you say, Twilight." I smile.
She nods and leaves the room. Without a second thought, I toss the diary onto the bed. As it flew through the air, several pages opened up, and the book landed cover-down. So it was just sitting there, wide open... Kind of tempting, actually.
And the temptation got the better of me. I found my legs walking toward the book involuntarily. There was a picture on the page; a picture of Ivory and me -- No, wait, that's the elder. The elder? What was she doing with the elder!? I run over to it and sit down, scrolling through the text on the page. My jaw gapes further and further the more I read...
'The elder of Blaze's 'village.' He's such a paranoid coot, really. I was kinda surprised that he didn't fight when I left him that... gift... This concoction I've brewed will make the plan I've held for so long finally fall in line. Now, all the elder has to do is spoon-feed Blaze the fake memories and carry out the destruction of the village... And in his search for me, Blaze will fall for me... It's perfect. It's foolproof. I just gotta make sure Luna doesn't get to him...' |
Blaze | Chapter 22.) Innocent Smile, Unknown Intentions | I gulped. And all that time, Ivory truly did want me, but she also wanted to manipulate me into it... She probably thought that I never loved her. Whatever the reason, she lied to me. I shut the book in anger.
All she had to do was ASK! I take some deep breaths. I'm losing my temper... I just couldn't accept it all at once. And now my insides are on fire...
"All because she couldn't just pony up and ask!" I stomped.
The train was stopping. I turn my head quickly toward the window. Once I saw the colorful buildings of Ponyville, the heat began to subside. I smiled. This cheery place is the best place in Equestria, in my opinion.
It's also a pretty good weapon.
Knock knock. "Good morning, sleepyhead. We've arrived at Ponyville!" Ivory said.
I frown, but I keep a cheery tone, "All right, thank you."
"And that's Carousel Boutique." I point at the decorated building.
It's been half an hour since we arrived here. I've already shown Ivory around everywhere else, and Rarity's locale was the only place she hadn't been introduced to. Everypony was following us, but when we arrived at their respective homes, they stayed there, lowering the party of eight to seven, then six, up to where we are now; three. Since Faded Ivory isn't a pegasus, Rainbow Dash pretty much just left without a second thought.
Ivory jumped. "Oh my gosh! I never knew such colors ever existed!"
"Yeah, Rarity does a rediculously great job at fashion design. Ya gotta give her credit." I look back at Rarity, who was following us somewhat closely, and wink at her. In response, she raised a forehoof to her chest and laughed quietly.
"Absolutely! Awesome job, Rarity!" Ivory also congratulated the white pony.
"Well, thank you both! It is rather stressful at times, but it always pays off in the end, which is one of the many things I love about it!"
"Well," I turn back to Faded Ivory, "that's pretty much it. Since you don't have wings, I can't show you Clouds Dale, so... Yeah, that's the 'grand tour' of Ponyville. I'm sure anypony here wouldn't care to have you as a guest until you can get your own dwelling. You got a preference?"
"Mmm..." she looked to the side while she thought, "I think I wanna stay with Applejack. After living in a village my whole life, a farm is probably the next closest scenario."
"All right. Sounds reasonable. "
She smiled. During so, my thoughts wander back to her diary. I return a nervous smile of my own. Who knows what that innocent smile is concealing? She probably thinks that she still has things under control...
"Well, uhh, you remember how to get there, right? You go on ahead. I'm... gonna stop by the hospital, see if I can't help with anything." I shrug. Time to make her suspect she's only now losing control of the 'game.'
She frowned. "Uhh... No, I don't, really..."
Just as I expected. "Oh, come on, Faded Ivory. It's a farm. How hard could it be to miss? Just go that way," I point down one of the crossroads, "you should see it eventually."
"No, don't go! It's scary!" She grabbed ahold of me.
'Scary?' I raise my eyebrow at her. "Scary? Ponyville? Pffft! It's not scary at all; you just need to break into it." I nudge her away.
She sniffled. "Uhh... I guess you're right... I guess I'm just scared for you, that's all. After not having you for ten years, I must not really wanna let you out of my sight."
"Heheh... Well, you're gonna have to let me go now. I wanna check on the hospital's reconstruction, and you have a bed to set up. Look. Sunnie's already setting the sun. You gotta hurry, before it gets really cold out here." I poke her chest lightly with my left forehoof.
She smiled. "Oh, Blaze. You're just as concerned for me as you were ten years ago."
I smile and shrug. "Common courtesy, I guess. Plus common sense..."
"Pffft! All right, I'm going. But what about you? Where are you gonna stay for the night?"
I look off in thought. "Mmm, I dunno. I'll see what I can do with the building first. I'll worry about that once I get to it, I promise. Go, hurry. You're gonna get caught traveling in the moonlight."
"...As much as I dislike your tendency to put things off until the last second, I trust you. Okay, I'm gonna go now..." She turns around and starts to walk.
I wave. "Hey, Ivory, you make it sound as if you're going into a haunted mansion. Relax. You're gonna be fine."
"Okay, Blaze, bye-bye," she calls back.
I turn to walk away as well. But I stopped. I suddenly had this idea... If Ivory's ultimate goal is just to make me fall for her, then maybe I can tease her by actually playing along. I grin to myself and chuckle very quietly. I then turn to face her direction again and call out to her, "I love you!"
She stopped moving for a moment. I could barely see her lower her head in what I could only assume to be happiness. She then picked it up and continued walking.
I watch as she disappears from my line of vision without looking back. I wish I didn't have to lie to her about that... I turn to face down a different crossroad, and begin to run. The road to Twilight's house. I wanna read more of the diary I gave back to her earlier.
knock knock.
"Who's there?"
"It's Blaze. Can I come in?"
The door knob begins to glow with a magenta aura. It opens to reveal a very colorful library, and the proud owner of the residence; Twilight Sparkle. I slowly enter the house.
"Thanks, Twilight. Just stopped by to pick up the diary."
She had a testing look on her face. "...And why do you want it back so bad, you little goofball?"
"Excuse me?" I say, confused.
"Oh, never mind. Hang on, I got it." She turned to look up at the second floor. "Spike?"
The baby dragon materialized at the top of the ladder. "Yes, Twilight?"
"Ivory's diary --"
"I'm on it," Spike began searching without letting her finish.
I chuckle. "Does he always do that?"
"Ehh, not always," she said while finding the package that contained the queen-sized bed.
I laugh slightly louder, but I cut the humor with a serious question. "Hey, did you read through the rest of the diary?"
"No, why?"
I stare at her for a moment before continuing. "Twilight, Faded Ivory is the mastermind behind it all..."
A couple seconds passed, and she broke up laughing. "Mastermind behind what?"
"Twilight!" I catch her attention, offended. "She was responsible for the destruction of my village! She poisoned the elder so he would transform into the Ursa, and the elder manipulated me into thinking she was innocent!"
She snorted.
"It's all in that diary. You don't believe me, take a look for yourself!"
Twilight must've noticed that I was growing impatient with her. "Okay, okay, if it'll make you feel better. Personally, I think it's wrong to go barging into somepony else's personal life, but if you say so..."
"Here it is!" Spike announced from the second floor.
"Thanks, Spike. Hang on, I'm coming right up." She finished getting the bed ready for me, teleported up to her assistant, accepted the diary from the little dragon, and laid on the bed and opened to the first page of the book.
Twenty minutes passed, and she had finished reading Ivory's diary. By then, I was already in the bed, waiting to fall asleep, when she hopped down from the second floor.
"What are you doing?" I ask her as she approaches the bedside.
"Oh! I thought you were asleep! Well, I was gonna wake you up so we can go to Canterlot."
Canterlot? "Okay... and why do you wanna go back to Canterlot so late at night?"
"Blaze, get up," she said quickly. She then picked up a saddlebag and began to put several things in it.
I unwillingly get out of the bed. "I mean, I don't have a problem going with you... Could you at least tell me why you're - well, we're - going?"
She looked at me with a stern face. "Get ready quick.
"We're going to save the elder." |
Blaze | Chapter 23.) Reunion | "Hurry and get out of bed, Blaze. We're gonna go free the elder."
I sat up in the bed. "Are you crazy!? By now, Princess Celestia could've set it under guard, for... ... ...some reason --"
"Blaze, there's a lot of 'what if' possibilities about this matter. What actually matters is, the elder isn't completely guilty. His side of the story will be invaluable to bust Ivory."
Confused, I ask, "Okay, and why can't we just try Ivory for dubious intentions against royalty as it is? As I see it, we already have all the 'evidence' we need."
Twilight looked at the diary, which was hovering above the saddlebag on her back. She then dropped her view to the floor and snickered. "...And here I am, about to hatch some insane plan --"
"No, you're right," I jump out of the covers in front of her, and put a hoof on her 'shoulder.' "The elder's opinion does matter, in this case."
The whole time, she just looked at my hoof. "But you just said --"
"That doesn't mean the elder's opinion isn't useful. He could know some serious shit we never even considered!"
She finally looked up at me, so her purple eyes could meet with a colorless pair of my own. I recall this moment at several different times with me and Faded Ivory, back when. The other pair of eyes used to be blue, not purple. Now that I'm thinking about it, Twilight doesn't resemble Ivory as much as I previously thought. I guess I couldn't stop thinking enough about Ivory to make an actual comparison. Plus who knows what Ivory really is inside? ... ...I mean, her true nature; her actual intentions. With Twilight, it's almost as if I know her in and out already...
I trust her.
Twilight finally said something. "So you wanna go through with this?"
I nod, nearly tapping her horn with mine. "Absolutely."
She backed her head away for a moment. Guess I pulled it just a bit too close with that nod... I step away from her as well. I begin to turn, but stop as I hear sudden movement from the other end of the room. Before I can see, Twilight already had her hooves interlocked around me. Unable to process the incident fast enough, I took a quick breath and held it for a second. Once I pieced together what just happened, I let it out and lifted a forehoof of my own.
I backed up just enough so we could see each other eye to eye again. "And what's this all about, Twilight Sparkle?"
Guess she had to think about it, because she didn't respond right away. "... ...I don't know."
I lifted my eyebrow, figuring she was trying to hide something.
She repeated herself. "Wow... I really don't know!" The odd part is, she was smiling when she said that.
"Pffft," I say as my other forehoof also finds its way around Twilight's neck.
Thinking back on it, this is the first 'official' time I've actually returned an embrace from Twilight. Sure, I may have lifted one forehoof, but something about this time made it seem necessary for me to return it completely.
For a moment, we just stood there, captured in the other's embrace. I slowly remove my right forehoof, place it on her chest, and lightly push her away. "All right, let's go." I head for the door.
Twilight laughed. "You wanna walk? Hey, I guess you can if you want to. I'm not going that way, though."
I tilt my head.
In response, her horn begins to glow. It grew brighter... Brighter...
I finally got it. "Mmm... And why didn't you do this earlier today?"
Twilight grunted, "Load too big.., Two ponies... Much easier..."
"Aha," I raise my head in comprehension, then walk over and place my left forehoof on her back. Slightly nervous, I sigh as I close my eyes, ready to enter the wormhole.
POOF!
I open my eyes to see the ruins of Canterlot in the dusk of night.
My mother does very well in making the night beautiful. Regardless of the scenery, there's something about the dark that makes you wanna sigh and relax. I can't wait to see my mother again.
I was too busy looking at the sky to observe the ruins of Canterlot. Once I looked down, I barely saw the few members of the Royal Guard left alive, along with the princess of the sun. There were also a bunch of other ponies there. Mostly unicorns, since that is the majority of Canterlot's population. They all look to be picking up pieces of large rubble with their magic, attempting to restore the city buildings of Canterlot to their original beauty.
Thinking of magic finally made me look over to find Twilight Sparkle. If I'm not mistaken, she should be right beside me. I glance over my shoulder, but do not immediately find the lavender unicorn.
"Twilight?" I sort of shout in confusion.
"Mmm?"
In response to my call, there was a mumble at my hooves. I look down to find the apparently-weak purple pony and say, "What are you doing on the ground?"
She winced, and tried to pick herself up, but only failed and stumbled back to hit the dirt. Defeated, she slowly tapped her horn.
I tried to interpret what this message meant for exactly .5 seconds. The spell. The spell was too difficult. Not the teleportation part - she does that all the time - the distance must've been enough to make any other pony pass out from exhaustion.
But then again, what normal unicorn could teleport you from Ponyville to Canterlot, a distance of several miles?
I lowered my head to nearly eye level. "Do you need help?"
She turns her head for a moment to think, then looks back up into my eyes and nods.
At that very moment, I grabbed Twilight's left forehoof with my magic and draped it across my neck, so that Twilight would at least be able to stand. Then, I asked, "So where do we go?" In my mind, it seemed like a pretty stupid question, but who's to know for sure, right?
Twilight mumbled, "Let's talk to the princess..."
For reasons unknown to me, the word 'princess' instantly let fear creep out of my conscience. I'm not sure exactly what scares me right now, but "Something tells me that talking to the princess would be a bad idea. Maybe we should go back to where we faught the elder first? See if he had been moved?"
I knew by the way Twilight shifted in place that she wanted to facehoof. "We don't need to tell her that we want to free him, Blaze. We could just ask if we could..." She trailed off.
I perked my ears up completely, just in case I might've missed something. "We could what?"
"Oh, be quiet for a minute, would ya? I'm thinking!"
The sudden hostility, as I call it, made me jerk my head away. "Well, excuse me. I'm just a little uncomfortable being out here in the open like this."
"What, you don't like my company?"
That quickly brought a smile to my face. I exhale in an attempt not to laugh, then catch my breath. "No, I could care less about my company. I mean, Celestia's right there! She sent us home not too long ago! Don't you think she's gonna be kinda suspicious if she finds... us... out here... like, this... ... ..."
Now it was Twilight's turn to laugh. "She should understand. I know the princess."
Again, I try harder to keep from bursting with laughter. "Uhh, Twilight, I don't think you get it--"
"Of course I do! It would seem odd to see an enemy you defeated in it's stone-encased prison," she said sarcastically.
I have to lift my left forehoof to my mouth to keep from laughing now. Twilight has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about! We're conversing about two completely different topics, and making a bit of sense in the process!
She finally noticed that I was holding back from laughter. Though she didn't say anything; she did sigh, however. But I don't think that's hint enough to assume that she finally gets it.
"Can we go now?"
Her question snaps me back to the situation at hand. "Uhh, yea. Sure."
On my foreright, Twilight and I slowly each took one step forward. Toward Canterlot. Toward the Elder.
Toward Celestia. |
Blaze | Chapter 24.) Revelations | Slowly and quietly, I lead Twilight around the ruins as to not disturb the ponies that have congregated toward the center. It's still a little ground to cover before we can actually say we're in Canterlot at all, so it's gonna take a while at this pace. I could care less, though; as long as I don't have to talk to Celestia.
I'm still not sure why I'm scared of talking with Celestia at this time. Maybe it's because I think I'm not a good lier and she may be able to break me easily. Thank Cel -- Umm... uhh... I'm so grateful that Twilight is here for that. But, seeing the condition she's in from the teleportation, the princess would've definitely asked of how she got in such. She'd have to be pretty good to get out of that one...
Thinking again upon the word 'princess' makes me look up to the stars for a brief moment. I wonder if Luna is up there somewhere, commandeering the moon as it travels around Equestria? Man, would it be great to see her again.
Then I fix my eyes back in front of me. We've worked our way up to the back of a wall. A wall that would be a building, had it not been for the Elder. We're temporarily out of vision of everypony in the street area, but Twilight and I have to keep moving.
Suddenly feeling extra cautious about getting caught, I look over to Twilight and motion for her to shh. Then, slowly, I removed her forehoof from my neck and set it steadily on the ground. For the moment, Twilight looked to be hanging on. She had her eyes fixed on me ever since I let her down, so it's obvious that she also doesn't wanna get caught anymore.
I nod to her. Then, I peer off the side of the building to look at the group of ponies. It appears as though we have still gone unnoticed as of yet. Satisfied, I bring my head back into the cover.
"Did they see us?" Twilight asked, in a tone barely above a whisper.
I shake my head. "Nah. It looks as though we're still ghosts here."
"Maybe we should keep it that way."
What? I let my jaw open slightly and raise my eyebrow. "Well, duh."
All she could do was make a face. But her expression quickly went from smug to pain as she let out a somewhat quiet groan.
Acting on reflex, I gasp, and quickly catch my breath AND the unicorn, before she fell to the ground with a thud that may bust us. I caught her well before she hit the ground, but still...
"Guess you aren't ready to stand yet, huh..." I say in a matter-of-fact, yet gentle tone.
She sighs. "No, I put it up as an act, and you fell for it."
"Really?"
"No! Now please, help me back up..."
I smile, and grab her foreleg so that she may use me for a balance once more. Obviously I've got no problem with it. For one; she's not all that heavy. Two; she's helped me a lot more than I've helped her thus far, and it actually feels good to help her this way.
Heheheh, I worded that funny.
Then I stop for a GOOD reason. I think about it, and it makes sense to me. "So, Twilight, please tell me why we're not using magic? It could make this mission a lot quicker."
She grunted. "Because... two reasons. One; I'm obviously not up for the task. Two; the energy explosion from the magic could possibly alert the audience."
"...Hmm. Yeah, makes sense. But who said you were the only one that knew how to teleport?"
"Don't play me for a foal, Blaze. If you knew, then why would you come to my library all those days, asking me to take you places with my magic?"
"Because..." I needed a little bit of time to think of an excuse, "because I needed help with making plans for the day, and you were the pony that organized it for me." I see her post a face of extreme doubt on hers, so I continue, "I'm actually pretty decent with teleportation. I just needed YOUR help to organize my plans for the day. I suck at that."
"Well," Twilight raised an eyebrow, "if you're so good with it, then why don't you use it more often?"
I have to think on that one. Now that I do, she's got a very good point. I did have many opportunities to teleport since my appearance at Ponyville. Such as from the train to the village, or from the cross section in the streets to Golden Oaks Library. I may not be very dependent on magic, but I know for a fact that that doesn't mean that I can't use it at all. "Okay, so I'm more of a physical pony. What's your point?"
"Whatever you say, Blaze."
This rubbed me the wrong way. Quickly, my horn began to glow with my flame aura. I felt Twilight stir in my forehooves as I focused on the scenery that I saw just yesterday.
POOF!
I open my eyes to see the front of Canterlot castle. Or at least, what WOULD be the front of it. Nearly all the walls were either destroyed or toppled over, and the stone pillars that supported the overhang gave way, bringing the top down in front of the entrance. I'm not in the castle, no; Twilight and I are right outside. And if I remember correctly, the Elder should be back toward the building where Fluttershy hid from him during the attack.
The scenery makes me look back down to Twilight. She's still a little weak, but her eyes are open at least. Once we make eye contact, she raises her forehoof to slap me. Being a gentlecolt, I let her.
"Are you crazy!? You want us to get caught!?"
Slowly bringing my face back into her view from the recoil, I chukcle and smile. "Relax, Twilight. They probably didn't hear it. If anything, it was a good distraction, so we have more time to act."
"The Royal Guard can trace magic! Didn't you know that already!?"
I gasp. "Oh shit. We gotta go!"
Practically picking Twilight completely up with my magic, I dash over to the building from yesterday. Good thing it wasn't that very far away. What's better, even, it that the Elder's statue is still there, unfazed. Slightly winded, I set Twilight down gently on the flattest surface nearby.
"Well, we're here," I say steadily. "Now what?"
Twilight has seemed to have obtained a proper hoofhold on the ground below her now. "Well, now, I reverse the spell."
"Wait, you? You sure you can do it?"
"I, uhh... I think so..."
"You are aware, that he was sealed by the Elements of Harmony--"
"I'm fully aware, but I'm the sixth element! It shouldn't be that difficult."
I'll let Twilight win this time. I still don't think it's gonna be as simple as she makes it sounds, but hey, let her do what she wants for now, I guess.
After a moment of observing the statue, Twilight's horn bagan to glow with her magenta-colored aura, dimly at first, then getting brighter and brighter by the second. You could tell from the size and luminous output that her magic was drained from the start, which only heightened my doubt that Twilight could set him free.
A couple minutes passed, and still nothing was happening. Twilight was definitely suffering through the summoning. She looked like her strength was going to give out any second.
Seeing her pain, I stepped in to support her. With my magic stirring, I made the connection between our powers, and quickly began to distribute my stamina to hers. She opened her eyes to look at me for a very brief moment to find me smiling back to her. She then returned a weak smile of her own, then went back to focusing on the statue. After a moment, her horn no longer glew with her magenta aura. It contained my aura instead.
Every second that passed by, the light from the magic grew stronger and stronger, until finally, there was a thunderous crash. The noise - whatever it was - startled both Twilight and I out of the spell, launching us backward a short ways. Having given up the majority of my stamina up for the spell, I was dazed when I hit the ground, but not as long as Twilight was, I'm sure. I need to get up and find her.
Panting heavily, I got up slowly and found where Twilight was launched. On reflex, I hurried over to her side to help her up once more. "You alright?"
Once I turned her over, she let out a soft sigh and her eyes opened gradually. "...Blaze..."
I just continued to look unto her eyes, while I continued to catch my breath.
"...Did it... did it work?"
I look over to the statue, which only had a small crack going down his belly. "I'm not sure."
Her smile turned upside-down as she observed for herself from the ground. Satisfied, she laid her head back down and closed the windows to her soul so that she may rest for air. For some reason, however, her frown once again turned into a smile. Confused, I ask, "What's so funny?"
She opened her eyes again. "Funny? No."
"What?"
Her right forehoof found her way up my left, and motioned for me to come closer. Slowly, I did so, and as I did, her other hoof found the first and linked together. She drew her head up so that she could nuzzle into my neck. "Thank you."
For a short moment, I just stared off into the distance, unsure of how I should react to her embrace this time. I held a vacant expression for the second or so, then let out all my fatigue in one fluent sigh and relaxed. If it weren't for her laying on the ground, I'd hug her back, but hey.
For the moment, the environment was quiet and peaceful. However, the crash we heard not too long ago continued, pulling us both out of our states of trance and back into reality. The crash was coming from the statue. It was braking.
Slowly, more and more cracks formed along his outer stone shell, until finally, it all exploded off of him in a violent burst of light. I had to raise my foreleg to blot out the light, it was pretty intense.
Out of the light, I could barely see the Elder's long foreleg extend, followed by his nose, and his horn, and finally his face. His light brown coat and old white hair materialize from the illumination. Excited, I step up to greet him. Twilight wouldn't let go, however, so I was pinned for now. Not that I couldn't break free, of course; I didn't wanna be rude.
So, the Elder was the first to speak, "I'm... I'm free..."
"Elder sir!"
At my call, the Elder shifted his vision. At the sight of his gentle eyes, Twilight finally willingly let me go, and I dashed over to meet him. Once I was there, he said, "Blaze! Are you the one that got me out of there?"
"Well, uhh... I helped, but it was Twilight Sparkle that actually set you free."
The Elder walked over to Twilight's side. "Is that so? Well thank you, young one. As thanks, please let me help you..." His horn began to glow, enveloping both Twilight and I in his white aura.
After a moment, the fatigue literally left my system completely. When he set us down, I dashed over to the Elder again, who already had Twilight next to him. Once I got to him again, I quickly say, "Thank you, Elder sir!"
"Oh, it's the least I could do. You set me free. You must've had a very good reason why you did, or else you wouldn't've."
"But of course, Elder!"
"Just relax, my son. Take a breather..."
Acknowledging his words, I sat down on the ground. Twilight was reluctant, however, as she seemed to have a question on her mind. My suspicions were confirmed when she asked;
"Wait. Did you just say 'son?'" |
Blaze | Chapter 25.) All You Had To Do Was Ask | "Did you just say 'son?'"
I quickly answered for the Elder, "No, Twilight. I'm sure it was just a form of endearment." I was planning to finish my sentence with a cheery attitude, but the information I suddenly wanted to share quickly brought me down. "I've never met my father..."
For a moment, both ponies had their mouths shut in thought, but I could tell that they both felt sorry for me. Especially the Elder. "...Well, uhh," he said slowly, "I didn't mean anything by it..."
"Oh, no. You're fine. Don't worry about it. I got over it way back then."
Even though I did my best to lighten the mood, the Elder still looked a little dumped on. In fact, he looked more so than he did before I said anything. Back in my fabricated past, seeing the Elder in a bad mood also got me in a bad mood. Not sure why; maybe his attitude is contagious.
"Halt!"
All three of us gasp in unison and look into the distance where the deepish voice came from. But not one of us moved from our spots. We knew running from the Royal Guard would be pointless, anyway.
Behind the three guards came the radiant princess of the sun, Celestia. I did my best to keep my poker face, but my ears just wouldn't perk themselves up. Eventually, my vacant smile followed their lead.
The first pony Celestia stopped to look at was her academic perfectionist of a student, Twilight Sparkle. I'm sure, at that moment, she wanted to explain to the princess what was happening, but Celestia's facial expression prevented her from doing so.
Then she set her sights to the Elder. It was then and there that I realized the Elder had no poker face on at all. He wasn't even trying to resist the evil stare he was exchanging with Celestia. And the princess fared no better.
And finally, her eyes glared unto mine. I couldn't help but lower my head as she looked at me. Her expression was just too scary to make eye contact for too long. As I listened to her steps get closer and closer, I feared for what she may do.
"Blaze."
I couldn't help but raise my head slowly. "Y-yes?"
"What is the meaning of this?"
before I could answer, Twilight bounded up. "Princess Celestia!" She used her magic to fish Ivory's diary out of the saddlepack she wore. "THIS is what's why."
Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia grabbed it with her own magic, as the magenta aura around the book faded into a bright gold. Slowly, she brought the book in front of her and opened it. I dared watch as Celestia flipped page after page of the diary.
"This book is what drove you two to free this monster!?"
I inhaled quickly. I needed to, because there was some kind of snap in my mind and it couldn't process it fast enough. Instantly, I stood up on all fours. "Did you even read through it, Celestia!? It contains critical information that claims Faded Ivory was behind all this! Source seems legit enough to me; after all, it IS her diary. Who would lie in their diary?"
Celestia didn't seem to take very kindly to my attitude. "You think this flimsy pile of paper is enough evidence to support such a horrendous scheme!? Have you ever thought that this diary may be... oh, I don't know... Counterfeit? FAKE!?"
"Well, whoever put the diary together did one hell of a job depicting what Ivory looked like when she was younger, then."
The princess only returned a frown. A rather large frown. It took her a couple seconds to reply, "It doesn't take close observation to note what Ivory looked like in the past. All it would take is merely a little tinkering with the mind. A mental picture. And they only had to imagine the picture there for it TO be. Such spells today are rather complex, and only those with high-level magic known only to the best of unicorns can conjure it correctly..."
Upon hearing the word 'magic,' Twilight's eyes shrunk, and she audibly gasped as if she was scared. I didn't pay much attention to it, until I understood what Celestia meant. But I still didn't play along. "You honestly think Twilight would do such a thing!?"
"Who said a thing about Twilight?" Celestia asked. "I was gonna say this evil stallion here, but now that you mention it, Twilight has been trying to keep a close eye on you, hasn't she? And she IS pretty skilled with magic, so..."
"No, princess! I would never do that, or anything like that!" Twilight had her hooves pressed together in front of her, begging before the princess.
Celestia looked to her out of the corner of her eye. "...Would you?"
Upon hearing those words, Twilight slowly looked down from the princess, and tears began to form in her eyes. As painful as it was to watch, I tried to comfort her. "...Twilight...?"
She sniffled, and gradually made eye contact with me. Her eyes were already red from the tears. "Yes, Blaze?"
To think she was the guilty party was too much for me. So it took me a while to smile and say, "Twilight... You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide. Please."
At that, she turned away again. "I'm so sorry, Blaze!"
I gasped. I'll honestly say, I did not expect to hear those words come from Twilight's mouth. At least not right now. Noticing my fear, Celestia continued, "Are you okay, Blaze?"
I ducked my head as well, and closed my eyes as tight as I could; whether out of pain or of anger, I wasn't sure. Whatever it was, I answered, "Whose side are you on, princess?"
"Hmm," she grunted as she walked around to my left. "Rather, whose side are you on? You trying to be a nice pony? Or are you following in your evil parents' shadows?"
I gasped once again. "Wait... Luna --"
"That's right, Blaze," She said as she continued to walk around me. "Princss Luna. Whatever happened to her? Wherever did she go? Why wasn't she with me when you first arrived here in Canterlot? Well, that's because... Well, let's just put it nicely. She was a bad girl, and she needed to be punished."
All the sudden realization has left me speechless. I could barely ventilate at the steady pace I was. Celestia, taking my silence for a reply, kept on, "Guards. Send these two to the undergrund caves. Now."
Instantly, two of the Royal Guard rushed behind me and each grabbed one of my forehooves. Two others gathered behind the Elder and repeated the process. "Yes, your Majesty."
But Celestia didn't seem satisfied. "Not him, sirs. It's her that I was referring to." She nudged her head to where Twilight lay motionless on the ground, shocked out of all response. "Simply putting the 'Elder' in the crystal dungeon would be too... 'nice' of me. No, he needs special treatment."
Once more for the fourth time, I gasped in shock. "No! Elder!" I managed to break free from the Royal Guard's grasp and dashed over to him.
"Be strong, Blaze," he said, and nudged me away. "I'm sure we'll meet again." That was all he had to say.
While I processed the meaning of his words, the Guards came back up to pin me down. By this time, the other two Guards had already got hold of Twilight, too, and I was dragged over to her side. I took this short moment to observe that her eyes were still red with tears. The way she looked back at me suggested that she never wanted me to get in trouble, either. I would've made more observations, but one of the forehooves of the Guards found its way into my face.
Blaze
To Be Continued... |
Born of Sin: Descent to Madness | pre | She and his daughters were truly the only good things he had left; he'd be crushed if anything ever happened to either of them. He shook his head to rid himself of the frightful thought and turned his attention to the reports.
"Stedson?" Candy called out to him in a sleepy voice. He glanced up from the monitor to greet a bleary-eyed Candy, she had been woken up by the bright light from the monitor. "Is it morning already?" she asked before letting out a yawn.
"Nope, sorry if I woke you up, I just had to go through these reports before I send them-" he suddenly felt his muzzle being clamped shut as it was covered with Candy's grey aura.
"You. Sleep. Now." She demanded before releasing him from her magical grip, he smiled at her grumpy expression and relented to her demand. He sorted away the reports and turned off the monitor before joining Candy back in bed.
Candy was pleasantly surprised when Stedson planted a deep kiss on her lips. "Mmm... Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for," she cooed softly. Stedson became quiet, he didn't dare tell her of his nightmare but Candy saw the worried look on his face and asked, "Stedson...is something wrong?"
"N-no-nothing is wrong," he stammered out. Candy remained unconvinced by his act. He could lie to the guards and staff like a professional con artist, but to her he was an open book.
"Stedson..." she warned him, "What aren't you telling me?" the stallion squirmed under her scrutinizing gaze, he'd almost prefer Steel Gaze's glares. Almost.
Knowing that it was a losing battle, he sighed in defeat. "I... I had another nightmare. It was 522..." Candy's hard stare softened at the mention of the dead filly. She knew that he still felt a lot of guilt over the filly's death.
"Oh honey..." she said softly as she held out her hooves to him, hoping to comfort him with a hug but he shied away from her, "Stedson?" she asked worriedly.
"There's more, you... you were in it too." Stedson muttered. He paused as he recalled the sight of Candy being burned alive, crying out to him. "There was a fire... and... you were..." his body started shaking as the flashback came to its climax. "I couldn't save you...you were... gone."
His body stiffened up when he felt Candy's hooves embrace him, pulling his head to her bare chest "Shhh... It's alright Stedson, it was just a nightmare. I'm still here," she whispered soothingly as she ran her hoof down his brown mane. He was calmed down by the rhythmic beating of her heart.
"Thank you..." whispered Stedson before he laid his head down on the pillow.
"What for?" asked Candy as her magic pulled the covers over them.
"For being the light in my life," Stedson said, giving her one more kiss.
Candy rolled her eyes at him, "That's really corny you know."
"Sorry..." Stedson mumbled out sheepishly.
"Don't be..." the mare whispered as she snuggled next to him. "...because that's just the way I like you..." she drifted off to sleep before she could finish the sentence. Stedson joined her in slumber soon after.
For the first time in a long time, he was able to sleep peacefully.
Candy waved goodbye to an Iron Feather as she left the medical bay for training, "Bye Mommy!" the little filly called out before the door closed shut. Once the filly left, she started packing up the materials she was using earlier for the filly's study.
Due to the filly's voracious appetite for knowledge on anatomy, the unicorn had to bring out some of the more advanced books to supplement her lessons. She wondered if she needed to teach her how to perform surgeries in the future. She shook her head at the silly idea.
It was amazing how fast the filly had learned in just one year. Candy wondered if Stedson's genetic manipulation gave the clones an increased capacity for learning, she might need to ask her lover about it when she gets the chance.
After putting the books safely back on the shelves, she returned to her seat and took out some of the medical reports to review while waiting for her next patient. She's been receiving more patients lately after the second generation clones started their combat training.
Just like their older sisters, some of the foals from the second generation have taken to calling her 'mommy' as well, though Stedson had cautioned the fillies about calling them 'mommy' and 'daddy' in front of others.
Candy thought he was just being paranoid but said nothing of it. Everyone had secrets that they wished to keep, she just wished Stedson would tell her some of his.
Just as she finished reviewing the last of the reports, the door opened up as a number of groaning fillies filed into the room. They all had varying degree of injuries; nothing life threatening, but still serious enough to warrant a visit to her medbay.
They were all second-generation clones, and judging by their tired expressions, they all had a rough day on the endurance course. The fillies gave her tired smiles as she greeted them. "Hello my little ponies, how did you do in training today?" With that said, she was bombarded with answers from the suddenly energetic fillies.
"Alright, alright, one at a time." She said with a laugh as she started treating the fillies. While she treated their injuries, they told her of their exploits on the obstacle course.
One unit got lost when she took a wrong turn in the maze, she dislocated one of her legs when she fell into one of the traps set inside. Candy shook her head slightly as she injected said filly with some painkillers before popping the limb back in place.
While treating the next filly, the door opened up as another Iron Feather walked in. The filly walked up to Candy and tugged at the end of her lab coat. "Just a minute, I'll be with you soon." said the unicorn as she cleaned and bandaged up the lacerations on her patient's back. It was a miracle her wings weren't shredded. She wanted to know whose idea it was to include giant swinging razor blades for an obstacle meant for young foals, just so she could make them to run the course themselves.
Candy felt the filly tug at her coat again. "Mommy. I got something to give you," said the filly.
She turned to the filly and instantly recognized 36. She was able to tell it was 36, since she's smaller when compared to her sisters from the prototype series. Stedson became worried when the filly didn't develop as well as the others. Candy told him that 36 was probably a late bloomer, but her words did little to quell his fears.
"36? What are you doing here?...Wait, where's Stedson?" Candy asked curiously. The filly rarely came to the medical bay without Stedson at her side.
"Daddy told me to give this to you." The filly pulled out a folded up piece of paper from her suit and hoofed it over to her. She levitated the piece of paper over to her face and unfolded it, curious about its contents. She raised her brows when she saw the words: "Hide Her!" hastily written on it.
The facility wide intercom suddenly turned on as Stedson's voice came through the speakers, "All personnel, I've been informed that the inspectors are coming to the facility. Please prepare for a possible inspection. I repeat: Please prepare for a possible inspection." The intercom then turned off.
Realizing what the message meant, Candy looked down at 36 and said, "36, I think it's time for your medicine now." The filly obediently followed the doctor who levitated out a syringe from her coat.
Stedson sighed after he turned off the intercom. He hoped Candy would know what to do when she got his message. He got up from his seat in the observation room, then left to greet the inspectors.
As he walked along the walkways over the training grounds, he watched as some of the 01 series clones run one of the obstacle course. The course itself was a long path filled with several obstacles that reminded him of the traps from a few Daring Do novels. The path led the runners to a part of the course where a large rock formation jutted from the asteroid the facility was built into.
Some of the data logs he recently recovered on his 'excursions' told him that this was where the zerg had breached the terran defenses and overran the defenders. He was thankful that the only zerg left on the asteroid were locked away in containment.
The rock formation was filled with multiple tunnels dug out by the past zerg, which the fillies had to navigate to find the correct exits. The next part of the course was a simple hundred meter dash to the finish line. He smiled proudly as he watched one filly after another complete the course.
He quickly left before the fillies saw him; he needed to keep his interactions with them to a minimum right now. He grumbled to himself and wondered why the inspectors would come without any warning. They always sent a transmission at least a day prior to their inspections. At least up until now that is.
Stedson pressed his hoof into the communicator attached to his coat, the call connected with a blip. A technician on the other end responded, "What is it sir?"
"How long till the inspector's shuttle arrives?" asked Stedson. He heard typing something on the other end before he got a reply.
"ETA 20 minutes until shuttle arrival sir. Is there-" Stedson turned off the communicator before he took off running down the halls.
Stedson was breathing heavily when he finally reached the entrance to the docking station. It was at that moment that the gates hissed open revealing the inspectors, or rather one of them, as Spend Thrift walked through the gates.
"Inspector Thrift... where are... the others?" Stedson asked in between wheezes.
Spend Thrift looked at him and cleared his throat. "They're not with me today. You don't look so good Cog." The white earth pony said in a bemused tone of voice. Stedson shot him a glare, which the inspector ignored as he looked around the facility curiously.
"Inspector Thrift? Is something the matter?" Stedson asked curiously.
Spend Thrift shook his head. "Nothing at all Cog. What's with the third degree? I thought I was the inspector here." The inspector retorted with some hostility. Stedson immediately backed away from the earth pony, not wanting to offend the inspector any further.
"My apologies Inspector Thrift. I'm just curious why you're here so soon and alone for that matter. Are Inspector Peace Keeper and Inspector Steel Gaze alright?" the pegasus asked in a meekly.
Spend Thrift chuckled darkly, which made Stedson nervous for some reason. "They're tied up with other matters at the moment. As for me, I'm here on unofficial business," said Spend Thrift.
"Unofficial business?" asked Stedson. He did not like the sound of that one bit.
The inspector noticed this and chuckled. "It just means that my visit here won't be in the records. Not even Day knows I'm here. As for what my business is..." he paused as he moved in closer to Stedson's face and whispered, "I simply noticed a few inconsistencies in your reports and wanted to verify a few things with you, in private."
Stedson's eyes widened in fear. Did the inspectors find out about the conditioning somehow? Or worse, 36's stunted growth! "Of...c-course In-Inspector Thrift. Right this way." he stammered out before leading the inspector to his private quarters.
Stedson neared the door that led to his quarters. He'd never felt more dread walking into his own room than right now. He had offered the inspector an impromptu tour of the facility's newer additions to delay coming here, but the stallion declined his offer. He reasoned that he'd be brought up to speed during the official inspection in four months time.
"Well, here we are," said Stedson before unlocking the door to his room as it opened up with a beep. Spend Thrift remained silent as he followed him into the room. The pegasus had expected some rude quip about the state of his room from the normally brash stallion. He found the inspector's sudden silence unnerving.
"You're sure no one will disturb us in here Cog?" asked Spend Thrift.
"I value my privacy very highly Inspector Thrift..." Stedson answered before turning around to face the inspector. "Now that we're alone, mind telling me what are the problems you found in my reports?"
The stallion let out a chuckle, "I'm afraid that I wasn't being completely truthful with you, Doctor Cog." The earth pony pulled at the collar of his shirt, revealing a metal band with a small button, which he pressed.
"Ah, that's much better." 'Spend Thrift' exclaimed in a voice much too light and cheery to be the earth pony inspector. He was an imposter!
Alarmed by the fake inspector, Stedson went for the button on his desk that would trigger the station wide alarm. Before he could reach it, a small throwing knife embedded itself into the circuitry, cutting off any call for help as the imposter stood between him and the door.
"Come now Doctor Cog, just relax and let's talk," said the imposter calmly.
Stedson ignored him and dived behind his desk, rummaging frantically through the drawers for anything to defend himself with. He found a pistol in the one of them, but he realized he didn't have his precision gloves with him.
Feeling desperate, he clamped his mouth down on the gun's metallic grip and aimed the weapon at the imposter who had a bored expression on his face. Stedson's moved his tongue around until he felt the trigger. "Stop or I'll shoot!" Stedson tried to say, but all that came out was a bunch of gibberish and spit.
'Spend Thrift' rolled his eyes at him. "Really now Doctor Cog? Don't you think firing a weapon of that caliber with your mouth is a tad foolish?" cautioned 'Spend Thrift'.
Stedson tried to fire the weapon anyway, only to find that he couldn't. His tongue wasn't strong enough to pull the trigger! He cursed himself as he reared his head back and threw the firearm as hard as he could at the approaching stallion.
'Spend Thrift' caught the weapon in his precision gloves, pulled out the clip, then tossed both it and the gun aside. The pegasus backed away as far as he could from the imposter. "Who are you? What do you want!?" Stedson shouted angrily.
'Spend Thrift' gave him a cool smile and answered, "I'm Mr. Penny Pincher, El Contador for the Diamond Dog Security Firm. As for what I want... I just want to talk to you Doctor Cog."
Stedson sat there at his desk as he watched Penny Pincher effortlessly pull his knife from the disabled panic button and slide it back into sheath hidden in the folds of his business suit. Penny Pincher noticed the angry look he was getting from the pegasus and rolled his eyes.
"I assure you Doctor Cog, I'm just here to talk. No harm will come to you," promised Penny Pincher.
"Then talk," Stedson retorted.
Penny Pincher snorted at the pegasus' sudden bravado. "Very well... Do you know what I hate most, Doctor Cog?" asked Penny Pincher.
Stedson shook his head and replied, "No, I don't."
Penny Pincher shook his head in slight disappointment, "I'll tell you what I hate most: Wasting time and money. Do you know why?" he asked.
"Because...Time is money?" asked Stedson.
"Very good Doctor Cog!" Penny Pincher said as he congratulated him with a metallic clap of his gloves. "I knew there was some intelligence somewhere in that head of yours." Stedson scowled at the condescending tone in his voice.
"That's good and all Mr. Pincher... but how the hell did you find this station?" asked Stedson.
"An associate of mine from Dominion Intelligence, Miss Sparkle, asked me to investigate Happy Day and his backroom dealings. Suffice to say, we were failing miserably. Day covered up his tracks very well. We spent nearly 6 years on this money pit of an investigation." Penny Pincher said with some disdain.
"What does this have to do with how you found the station?" Stedson asked impatiently.
"I'm getting to that...Just as we were about to wash our hooves of the investigation, Miss Sparkle came through a year ago and obtained for me an annual budget report from Day's personal archives," Penny Pincher said with a smile.
Stedson quirked his brows at him "That's it? Your associate went through all that trouble just to get you a budget report?" Stedson asked.
Penny Pincher smiled as he leaned in closer to his face and said in a low voice, "Never underestimate the power of an annual budget portfolio, Doctor Cog." Stedson gulped and nodded his head vigorously. "Anyways, it took me several months to discover the discrepancies in the portfolio. Did you know what they were Doctor Cog ?" he asked.
Stedson shook his head.
"Debts! Gambling debts and sizable ones at that. But Day wasn't a gambling pony. No, it had to be one of his subordinates. Care to guess who it was?" Penny Pincher asked playfully
It took Stedson moments to figure out who it was, "Spend Thrift...it was Spend Thrift wasn't it?" Stedson answered.
"Indeed it was. Mr Thrift has a problem with gambling and as you can imagine, his penchant for such activities eventually landed him into many debts. He was about to be lynched by debt collectors when Happy Day came in and paid off everything in exchange for his services and loyalty." He chuckled while shaking his head, "However, old habits die hard as they say. We tracked Mr. Thrift down to a gambling den on a backwater world in Consortium space." Penny Pincher explained. "We were hoping to obtain information on Day's illegal activities from him, but were quite surprised to find out about this station of his, including the coordinates." He said with a knowing smile.
"And how did you obtain the coordinates from the inspector? Did you..." Stedson gulped audibly.
"Did we what, kill him?" Penny Pincher asked nonchalantly. "No, killing him would alert Day to our activities. We simply bought his loyalty; apparently Dominion Intelligence doesn't pay him well enough for his services."
"What makes you certain he won't just betray you to Happy Day?" Stedson asked.
The earth pony chuckled in response; it was starting to grate on Stedson's nerves, "I highly doubt he'd do that. He's a greedy pony Doctor Cog, and greedy ponies only acknowledge a few things in life. Power and money are chief among them, the Diamond Dogs have both. Mr Thrift would be a fool to make an enemy of the Diamond Dogs." He added darkly.
"If you got Inspector Thrift on your payroll... Why did you come here yourself? You could've just sent him as your representative." Stedson stated in a 'matter-of-fact' tone of voice.
"Indeed, I could have used him as a messenger boy, but he's hardly a wordsmith..." he pressed the button on the band and spoke in Spend Thrift's voice, "...Don't ya think so Cog ?" he asked before turning the device off again. "Aside from Mr. Thrift's... questionable diplomatic skills, I came here personally to make you an offer."
"An offer? What kind of offer?" Stedson asked curiously
"To have your revenge for 522's death," answered Penny Pincher.
Stedson's eyes widened in surprise and asked, "H-how did you-?"
"Find out about the unit's death?" Penny Pincher finished, "Quite easy really. Mr. Thrift was very forthcoming with the information he had, once he received his first payment."
Stedson sat there silently as he contemplated the possibility of getting revenge on Day. It was a very tempting offer, but his when his thoughts drifted to Candy and his daughters. He worried about the repercussions of killing Happy Day. The guards would probably retaliate and slaughter everyone in the facility... especially Candy and his daughters. He couldn't risk it.
"Why should I even betray Day? If anything ever happens to him, it will end badly for Candy and my daughters." Stedson exclaimed.
"At least Mr Thrift's evaluation of your attachment to the clones proves true. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this..." Penny Pincher paused as he reached into his suit, Stedson's heart started pumping wildly as he worried the white stallion was about to pull a gun on him. Instead, he pulled out a data pad and tossed it to him.
"W-What is this?" Stedson asked.
"My associate also grabbed this on her last trip into Day's archives. It's a full copy of the plans for the Iron Feather Project you're running. I believe it will convince you to change your mind on the matter at hoof." Penny Pincher explained
Stedson gave the stallion a suspicious look before opening up the data pad's single folder. The words 'Iron Feather Project' was typed on the folder. He turned to the next page and started reading. The first few pages contained details on the project he already knew about. So he only skimmed through them briefly before moving on to the next page. This went on until he came to a file he didn't recognize. It was titled: Short Leash Protocol. He turned the page and started reading, his eyes became wide as he read the details of the project before he threw the data pad away in anger and disgust.
Penny Pincher walked over to the fallen device and saw what made Stedson so angry. The file revealed that once the Iron Feathers have completed their training, they'd go through a surgical procedure where a failsafe device would be implanted next to the unit's heart before they are put up for sale to potential buyers. The failsafe device had a kill switch that would send a lethal shock to the heart, killing the unit should they become hostile or insubordinate.
Penny Pincher sighed as he picked up the data pad and selected a new file before turning it over to Stedson who refused to look at the data pad, let alone take it. "I know this upsets you Doctor Cog, but there's more you need to know about the project." The angry pegasus gave him a distrustful look before taking the datapad in his hooves.
There was a different file titled: Clean Slate Protocol. Stedson didn't like the sound of that one bit, but Penny Pincher gestured for him to read it. Stedson did so begrudgingly.
The file explained that once the cloning process became more streamlined and autonomous, Day plans to 'officially' introduce the Iron Feather Program to his peers in the Dominion Military. This act will boost his chances on becoming Lord Admiral when the current one dies in a premeditated 'accident'.
To ensure that no one will be able to implicate him in the abduction of hundreds of ponies, as well as the embezzlement of funds from Dominion Intelligence, Day will forcefully resocialize everyone aboard the station and kill those resistant to the process.
Stedson couldn't read anymore as he became sick to his stomach. He tossed the data pad aside and threw up in the trash bin next to his desk. He felt Penny Pincher's metallic hands rub his back gently as he emptied his stomach of its contents.
Penny Pincher watched as Stedson wiped off the mess from his muzzle and looked up at him with bloodshot eyes, "Well Doctor Cog, what's your answer?" Penny Pincher asked expectantly.
"Tell me what you need me to do." |
Born of Sin: Descent to Madness | Staring into the Darkness | A familiar song played in the background as 588 looked through the scopes of her rifle at Whiplash, who was flying in the air as he fired potshots at her with his gauss pistols. She stood there as the shots missed her completely. Whiplash let out an angry battle cry before going into a dive.
Whiplash's wild shots steadily got closer and closer to its intended target but the filly remained calm as she locked on her target and fired. The shot pierced through the base of his left wing, tearing through the tender muscles and nerves, crippling him on the spot as he plummeted to the ground below.
She slowly walked towards the crippled pegasus who lifted up his remaining gauss pistol in a surprise attack but the Iron Feather had a faster reaction as she fire another shot. The precision glove gave off a series of sparks before it blew up, wounding the pegasus even further.
As the filly stood before him, Whiplash defiantly shouted out profanities and insults at her. She ignored them as she fired round after round from her weapon; not to kill, but to maim. The stallion cried out as the shots cripple his forelegs followed by one of his hind legs, another shot turned his right wing into a bloody stump. The formerly proud stallion had been reduced to a quivering mess.
588 lifted her rifle and aimed it at his head. The stallion cried for mercy before she pulled the trigger.
The pegasus fell dead before his body broke apart into a series of pixilated light that faded away. Two ponies in power armor replaced the hologram, one was in the standard Dominion Red armor while the other wore a customized blue power armor that had an insignia of a canine with its jaws clamping down on a diamond. The two aimed their weapons at each other, ordering her to fire on the other.
Stedson watched the Iron Feather aim her rifle at the Dominion Marine before firing on him, killing the marine as he too faded away. He nodded in approval at her choice.
He had been reconditioning the prototype series for the past three months so they'll be ready to assist the mercenaries in capturing the facilities when they get here in two years time. He doubted his daughters will be caught in the fighting but it was better to be safe than sorry. Aside from that, he had another reason for the reconditioning...
Another holographic pony fell dead before it was replaced by somepony that 588 did not expect: Candy Striper.
Stedson was silent as he waited for 588's next move.
His eyes widened in disbelief and disappointment as 588 lifted her rifle and aimed at the unicorn mare who was smiling as she waved at the filly. She fired her rifle as the shot shattered Candy's horn.
Stedson knew it was just a hologram but the sight of Candy screaming as she held the jagged and bloody stump where her horn had been still horrified him. He blocked out as he could before another shot silenced the screaming hologram as it fell to the ground in a heap, a stream of blood flowing from the hole in her head.
Stedson looked sadly at the hologram before it faded away. 588 was the latest in a long line of Iron Feather to willingly kill the hologram, he thought her being close to Candy would at least make her hesitate to pull the trigger but he was proven wrong. Another failure.
Still, he took a small comfort in the fact that a number of Iron Feathers only wounded the holographic copy, leaving her alive. He'll need to adjust their conditioning until they completely recognized Candy as an untouchable like he and the other Iron Feathers were.
As for those who killed the unicorn outright, the shock collars will have to be brought out again. He didn't like it but it had to be done.
The song ended as the last hologram fell dead, terminating the simulation. 588 beamed a smile at Stedson, "Did I do good daddy?" she asked, hoping for some form of praise.
Stedson wanted to yell at her for killing the holographic image of Candy so casually but he knew he was the one at fault since he had conditioned them that way.
Instead, he smiled at her, "You performed...splendidly." he answered half-heartedly. "Let's end the session for the night; I think I need to rest for a bit." He muttered before letting out a yawn.
The filly then let out a giggle, "It's not night time anymore daddy. It's morning now." She said before pointing out the time on the digital clock. It was four in the morning! No wonder he felt so tired.
"So it is my child, so it is..." he said with a weary smile, "Let's get back to bed, we might be able to squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep before everyone else wakes up." He got up from his chair but the moment he did, he fell down on his belly, he was more tired than he thought.
"Daddy!" 588 exclaimed before rushing to his side, "Are you alright? Do you need me to get mommy?" she asked worriedly.
"No!" Stedson shouted out at the mention of the mare. He realized he had overreacted when he saw 588 cowering from him as tears welled up in her eyes, "I... I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just a little tired, that's all." Stedson apologized as he struggled to get to his hooves but failed miserably as he fell to the floor again.
588 sniffed a little before asking in a soft voice, "Do you need any help daddy?"
Stedson nodded weakly after his second attempt to get up failed miserably, "I'd appreciate it a lot 588. I don't think I can make it to my room on my own."
The filly carefully lifted up the tired pegasus with her precision gloves and helped him to his hooves. She leaned against his side to support him. He visibly winced when she pushed into his crippled wing. "Does it hurt daddy?" 588 asked.
"I-I'm alright little one...the pain will go away in a bit. Now, let's be on our way shall we?" Stedson said, changing the subject. Though somewhat unconvinced, the filly led him out of the chamber and into the darkened hallways of the facility.
As they traversed the darkened hallway, Stedson looked over to 588 as she kept her eyes out for any guards that may be patrolling the area. 'Like Father, like daughter...'Stedson thought as he smiled to himself.
After he accepted Penny Pincher's offer, he thought about bring Candy and his daughters into the fold but thought better of it. It was too early for them to know about it. Still, he wanted to tell 588 at least one secret he's been keeping from her all these years.
"588..." he said softly.
The filly's ears perked up at the mention of her name, "Yes daddy?" she asked curiously.
"It's..." he began, wishing so badly to tell her the truth "It's nothing, let's keep going."
'Coward!' he thought as he chastised himself. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her.
The filly nodded silently as she led him around the next turn and down the next hallway back to his room.
Candy grumbled under her breath as she made her way to Stedson's room. She was very upset with him and for good reason. Stedson had invited her to his room last night to discuss something important. The staff had different ideas of what the 'discussion' really was.
She didn't mind the gossip as much since it was partly true. It also made for a good alibi for her visits to his room and his to her med bay, but what she did mind was that he stood her up!
She had spent a better part of the evening outside his door, waiting for him to open it as he normally would but an hour went by before one of the staff members informed her that he never returned to his quarters and was last seen talking to one of the Iron Feathers somewhere in the barracks.
At first, she thought he would return with that Iron Feather for the discussion but she waited there for a few more hours before she gave up and returned to her own quarters. On her way there, she heard a few members of the staff made comments that made her pink fur bright red with indignity.
She saw some of the researchers talking amongst themselves, they snickered to each other when she passed by. She ignored them for the most part until one them approached her.
"Hey Doctor Striper! How was it waiting all night for Cog to-" the researcher stopped when Candy gave him a death glare that was made deadlier by the glow coming from her horn.
"Care to finish that sentence?" Candy asked him in a warning tone.
"Nevermind!" the pony yelped before running off.
She gave a satisfied huff before continuing on her way to Stedson's quarters, her mood now worse than before. She had a few choice words for Stedson when she sees him. She quickened her pace when she saw the familiar door to Stedson's quarters in the distance.
Once she reached her destination, she noticed the door was unlocked which was odd since Stedson never left his door unlocked. She shook her head and reminded herself why she was here in the first place and stomped angrily through the door which slid aside in her presence.
"Stedson! I want to have a word with...you?" the anger in her voice diminished when saw Stedson curled up in bed, asleep but what really made her calm down was the orange filly sleeping by his side. She instantly regretted shouting so loudly when the filly stirred awake.
The filly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked at her; she became wide-awake when she recognized her, "Mommy!" 588 called out excitedly. Candy acknowledged the filly with a smile and made her way to the bed.
"Hello my little pony, where have you and daddy been last night?" Candy asked to see if she could get the information out of the filly, children were often too honest for their own good.
"I've been helping daddy with an experiment all night long." The filly answered. Guess some of her lover's ability to cover secrets up rubbed off on the fillies.
"What sort of experiment would need you two to stay awake up so long?" she inquired, hoping to coax some more details of Stedson's activities out of the filly.
"Daddy made me shoot a bunch of holographic ponies and zerglings." 588 replied, her answer just made the mare even more confused. "I had so much fun that we both forgot the time."
Candy looked over at Stedson and noticed he had bags under his eyes and his mane was even more unkempt than usual, he was moving about fitfully as he mumbled in his sleep. Another nightmare.
She shook her head softly at him; she wished she could help and take on some of his burdens for him. But whenever she asked about it, he'd always changed the subject. "Oh honey, what am I going to do with you?" she asked herself, knowing that there is no straight answer.
Lighting up her horn, she pulled the covers over her lover's body and kissed him on the cheek, he let out a contented sigh before a smile crept onto his face. Hopefully, the nightmare was over now. She looked over to 588 who had a big grin on her face. Fillies will be fillies.
"Alright little one, nothing to see here. Now let's leave daddy alone so he can sleep. You on the other hoof have training to go to." The filly let out a groan as she followed her mommy out of the door. Candy looked one more time at Stedson's sleeping form before she closed the door.
It was the end of another inspection as Stedson led the inspectors through the facility's latest addition, a simulation chamber similar to the one Stedson utilized for his conditioning of the IF units but on a much larger scale.
The inspectors stood on a suspended platform overhead as small squads of Iron Feathers from the first generation fought in a simulated urban setting against holographic Confederate Guardsmen supported by a large number of zerg. Their objective was to hold their position until their transport arrived or rather until the timer ran out.
Despite their smaller numbers, the Iron Feathers were doing remarkably well as they decimated the first wave of zerglings with a series of headshots from their rifles. The Guardsmen on the other hoof was a different story as they opened fire with their massive gauss rifles, the Iron Feathers ducked behind cover as their virtual cover was chipped away by the constant gunfire.
"Hmph! The units appear to be having trouble with targets that actually shoot back." Steel Gaze said with a sneer.
Stedson ignored the pegasus and smiled to himself, "Don't be so quick to count my girls out just yet Inspector Gaze." He said as he pointed his hoof back to the simulated battlefield below.
The Iron Feathers had seemingly pulled back a distance into the structures, the zerg quickly swarmed the abandoned position followed by the Guardsmen. Suppressive fire from the Iron Feathers kept the Guardsmen entrenched in their newly captured position, which soon exploded into digital dust as the Iron Feathers detonated the mines they planted earlier.
With the majority of the Royal Guard neutralized, the Iron Feathers started picking off the zerg and any surviving Guardsmen. Peace Keeper nodded in approval while Steel Gaze muttered something under his breath. Spend Thrift grinned when he decided to have a bit of fun with his fellow inspector.
"I'm sorry Gaze but what was that?" the earth pony asked. The pegasus gave him one of his signature glares to which he smirked in response.
"Hmph! I was saying that it was decent tactic they employed..." Steel Gaze admitted with some reluctance.
"Indeed it was Inspector Gaze." Peace Keeper added before turning to Stedson, "We're very pleased with your progress Doctor Cog, I'll be sure to add this in my report."
"Thank you Inspector Peace Keeper, I'm sure that Upper Rear Admiral Day will be just as pleased."
"It's Vice Admiral Day now, doctor." Steel Gaze corrected him.
For a moment, Stedson face had a scowl on it when he heard this. 'One step closer to the Clean Slate Protocol' he thought to himself before he quickly put his fake smile back on. "Oh, my apologies Inspector Gaze. Please congratulate Vice Admiral Day on his promotion for me."
Steel Gaze snorted and nodded his head begrudgingly.
"With that concluded, I do believe the inspection has come to a close. We will be on our way now." Peace Keeper announced as he and his associates were escorted back to the shuttle by the guards. Stedson noticed that Steel Gaze stayed behind as he was looking down at the Iron Feathers with great interest, his eyes followed the inspector's line of sight to one Iron Feather in particular.
This unit was significantly smaller than the others were.
'36!? Why is she here? She's supposed to be with Candy...' he thought before he remembered who was in charge of the simulation today, 'Damn you Whiplash! Damn you to hell!'
Stedson quickly moved towards the inspector, hoping to distract him long enough for 36 to disappear among her sisters. "Inspector Gaze, the others are waiting for you."
Steel Gaze kept his eyes on 36 and asked, "Tell me doctor, why is that clone smaller than the others?"
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about sir. Maybe it's your eyes playing tricks on you?" Stedson suggested lamely. Unfortunately, he had inadvertently insulted Steel Gaze's pride as the pegasus' temper suddenly flared up.
"Don't you lie to me!" Steel Gaze shouted before swinging his metallic fist at Stedson, who was knocked back a few feet by the blow before collapsing to the floor of the walkway. Peace Keeper and Spend Thrift came back when they heard the commotion.
"What's going on here Inspector Gaze?" Peace Keeper inquired.
Steel Gaze grunted as he readjusted his suit, "I believe the doctor here has been keeping secrets from us." He turned to Stedson who was still recovering from the force of the blow. "Stop the simulation and get those clones lined up... " one of the guards saluted before he left the group to carry out the order.
"What are you trying to do Gaze?" Spend Thrift asked.
The pegasus looked at his partners and smiled darkly, "We're going to root out the runt of the litter." He tried to move but found that Stedson, had latched onto his hind legs in an effort to stop him. Steel Gaze's smile became bigger before stomping his hoof down on where his crippled wing was, making Stedson cry out in agony.
"That's enough Inspector Gaze!" Peace Keeper ordered before chastising the suddenly sadistic pegasus, "I expect you to maintain some semblance of professionalism at all times! Is that understood?" Stedson breathed in deeply when Steel Gaze removed his hoof from his wing.
"Learn your place doctor..." he heard Steel Gaze say before he met with his fist one more time, knocking him unconscious. "...before I put you in it."
Stedson woke up with a groan and a throbbing migraine as he pressed a hoof to his temple to sooth the aching in his head. "Ugh...What hit me?" he asked no one in particular.
"I did." Steel Gaze answered before the lights in the testing chamber turned on, blinding Stedson as he tried to block out the bright light with his hoof.
"What's going on?" he asked, looking over to Steel Gaze who stood next to a table with a holo communicator on it.
"That's what I would like to know as well, Stedson." A familiar voice said from the communicator as it turned on, a holographic projection of Happy Day's head appeared before him.
"H-Happy Day?" Stedson stammered out.
"That's Vice Admiral Day to you!" Steel Gaze corrected him with a shout.
"Now, now Inspector Gaze, control yourself. I expect all those under my command to behave accordingly." Stedson heard Steel Gaze mumble out a quick apology to Day. "As for you Stedson, I've been informed that you've been wasting valuable resources on a defective unit. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Stedson slowly got up and concocted a believable story that'd hopefully save 36. He opened his mouth and said, "Yes, I used up some of the facilities' limited medical supplies to help 36 with her heart condition." He gasped as he covered his mouth with his hooves. 'What's going on!? Why did I say that?' he thought to himself as the throbbing in his head persisted.
He heard Happy Day chuckle to himself, "Don't bother lying, I had one of my boys inject you with a truth serum. There are some side effects so you should be having one heck of a migraine right now." The stallion explained cheerfully before his expression suddenly darkened. "Now tell me Stedson...what's this about 36's condition?"
Stedson wanted to give Happy Day the silent treatment but the throbbing in his head became worse the longer he kept quiet. He groaned out in pain when it started to become unbearable.
"Like it? The boys said that anyone injected with the serum has to talk or else the migraine will get worse until...well, let's just say nobody lasted long enough to find out." Happy Day said coolly. Steel Gaze smiled to himself knowingly as he and Day waited for Stedson to break.
He tried to hold out as long as he could but the serum-induced migraine became too much to handle, "I'm sorry 36..." he whispered before he revealed everything about 36's heart condition. Happy Day's expression became deadly serious as he was told how much of his resources Stedson had wasted to keep the secret of 36's condition from everyone.
Steel Gaze watched with satisfaction as Stedson finished explaining himself and collapse when the migraine returned. Happy Day let the pegasus suffer a while longer before he asked, "Tell me Stedson, is there any way we can salvage this unit?"
Stedson looked up at Happy Day as if it was a trick but the serum forced his to speak regardless, "She needs surgery for her heart but we don't have the proper equipment for the complex procedure."
The holographic head hummed in thought before answering, "Very well, she'll get this procedure." Stedson couldn't believe it! Happy Day was actually being nice for once.
"Thank you sir! I promise you 36 will be put to good use. She'll make an excellent pilot." Stedson said before Happy Day gave him an odd look.
"Who said anything about her staying here?" Happy Day said flatly
"But...but you said that-" Stedson argued but was cut off by Steel Gaze's glare.
"What and let my resources be wasted on a product with an early expiration date? You said so yourself, she'll be lucky to live past thirty." He shot back before turning to Steel Gaze, "Steel Gaze, please prepare 36 for the Short Leash Protocol when she's aboard your ship. I need to give Mr Shears another call." Stedson's eyes bugged out at the mention of the Short Leash Protocol.
"By your command Vice Admiral." the pegasus saluted before he flew off to carry out the order.
"No!" Stedson cried out as he tried desperately to spread his crippled wings to fly after Steel Gaze but it was all for nothing as he remained grounded so he tried chasing him on hoof but was stopped when Spend Thrift tackled him to the ground.
"As for you Stedson, I'm having you confined to your room until the unit is safely off the station. I'd hate a repeat of what happened to the last one." He looked over to the earth pony inspector, "I want you to keep an eye on him during his confinement. Is that clear Spend Thrift?"
"Sure thing boss." Spend Thrift answered casually before dragging the struggling pegasus away...
Spend Thrift made a show of Stedson to the guards as he tossed the pegasus through the door of his room. When the door closed, the earth pony sighed as he pulled out a syringe from his suit and injected the contents into Stedson's neck.
"There ya go Cog, that should get rid of the serum." He said with a sigh of relief, "I thought you'd spill the beans when Gaze-oof!" he was cut off when Stedson suddenly bucked him in the chest as he was sent flying into the wall. The earth pony gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, the pegasus was stronger than he looked.
"Why didn't you do anything?" Stedson yelled out angrily.
Spend Thrift quickly recovered as he stood back up on his hind legs "I'm sorry for your loss Cog, but you need to calm down..." Spend Thrift said as he reasoned with the distraught pegasus.
"Why did you let them take her!" Spend Thrift ducked when Stedson slammed his hooves into the wall behind him. He was aiming for his head!
Seeing that there was no reasoning with him, Spend Thrift tackled Stedson to the ground and held him down like he did with him earlier. He struggled under the earth pony's weight but stopped when he became too tired to carry on anymore.
"What was I supposed to do, huh? Blow my cover?" Spend Thrift shot back at Stedson, who just glared at him accusingly. "Don't you dare give me that look Cog..." he warned the pegasus but he continued glaring at him anyway, "...you know as well as I do that there wasn't anything I could've done to stop Gaze from seeing what he did."
Stedson became quiet as he thought about what Spend Thrift said. It was true, Steel Gaze was always looking for flaws in the Iron Feather. It was a miracle they were able to hide 36's condition for so long.
Seeing that Stedson had calmed down, Spend Thrift got off him but stood ready in case he threw another 'tantrum'. He watched as the pegasus sat up and slid his hoof into his lab coat, wary of his next move but was confused when he pulled out an orange feather.
Stedson looked at 522's feather sadly, as he remembered her death and his hoof in it. A single tear rolled down his cheek before he asked the feather, "What do I do 522...?"
"I don't know what a dead filly would say..." Spend Thrift answered, which earned him a glare from Stedson. "...but I think she'd want you to say goodbye to 36 before she leaves." He finished before handing him a small disc-shaped device, it was a holo-recorder.
"Isn't there anything you or Mr Pincher do for her?" Stedson asked. "Can't the Diamond Dogs just buy her and keep her safe for me?"
Spend Thrift shook his head, "Sorry but no. From what I know about the guy, Mr Shears doesn't deal with the Diamond Dogs. Bad blood." The earth pony explained before he became quiet. He didn't want to mention that Mr Shears was also involved in several disreputable businesses like prostitution and slave trading. It'd be a mercy to just put a bullet into her head right now.
The earth pony left Stedson to his thoughts as he leaned into the wall at the far end of the room.
Stedson looked at 522's feather in one hoof and the recorder in the other. He held back his tears as he carefully placed the feather back into his coat and switched on the recorder; a beam of light came from the device and scanned his face. A beep from the recorder told him it was now recording.
"Hello 36...I don't know if you'll get this or not. If you do, be sure to thank Mr Thrift for me." He sighed as he thought of what to say next. "Don't be scared of the ponies with you right now, they're...taking you somewhere safe so please listen to what they tell you to do. So be a good little filly okay?" He hated lying to his daughter but he wanted his last words to her to be comforting.
"Know this my child, wherever you may go. Your mother and I, along with all your sisters love you very much and..." he choked back another sob before continuing, "...I'll miss you my little angel." The device finished recording before he broke down in tears.
"I tried my best Cog, I really did..." the earth pony said in a slightly regretful tone as he watched the filly floating inside the resocialization tank aboard their cruiser. He tried to pass the recorder to the filly like he had intended but she was already under the knife when he got onboard, Steel Gaze had been in a rush to carry out Day's orders.
He thought he'd be able to pass the recorder to the filly when she woke up but was surprised when the filly was immediately put into the resoc tank when she became stable enough. He sensed that Steel Gaze had a hoof in this as well.
He let out another sigh as he walked towards 36's tank, the filly appeared to be sleeping fitfully as her memories were slowly altered and replaced with new ones. He guessed that the new memories would make her more docile for Mr Shear's clients.
He gritted his teeth at the terrible thought of the filly suffering. He wasn't a saint by any meaning of the word but he still had his standards, no matter how low they were. Still, he had a promise to keep.
"I don't know if ya can hear me or not kid..." Spend Thrift said, hoping for some kind reaction from the comatose filly, "Cog-your dad sent you a message." He reached into the folds of his suit and pulled out the holo-recorder and turned it on, Stedson's holographic head appeared before he delivered his farewell to the unresponsive filly.
"...I'll miss you my little angel." The hologram finished before Spend Thrift turned it off and placed it back into his suit.
He gave the filly one more look "For what it's worth kid...Good Luck." he said before walking out the door. |
Born of Sin: Descent to Madness | Letting go of the Light | Candy felt nervous as she walked along the empty hallway, she wasn't afraid of the dimly lit corridors by any means, she got used to them long ago. What really made her nervous was that Stedson wanted to see her after not talking to each other in months.
When 36 was taken away, Stedson had become distant with everyone except for the Iron Feathers and herself. This isolated her from her colleagues but she couldn't care less about them. She knew that Stedson really needed her to be there for him, and she gladly stayed by his side.
After some time passed, he had seemingly moved on, but she could tell that he was still bothered by 36's 'adoption and was simply distracting himself with work. She tried asking him about it, to see if she could be any help, but as usual, he avoided the subject altogether. Even the Iron Feathers wouldn't say anything about the matter to her.
Then things started changing after the last inspection, she saw him talking to one of the inspectors, she didn't know what they talked about but after that, Stedson started drifting away from her. They didn't have their late night 'dates' as often as they used to. They saw each other less and less until they just stopped.
He explained to her that he needed to concentrate on his work since Happy Day would be here at the end of the year and that their dates were getting in the way. She knew that there must be another reason for this but forgot about it in the ensuing argument, which ended on a sour note...and a slap to the face.
They still saw each other on occasion during work; he was very professional with her during these encounters, she would sometimes try to start a conversation with him in an effort to be friendly but his obvious act of indifference made it difficult for her.
Over time, she noticed that he had been slowly wasting away as he ran himself ragged, working on something late into the night. She advised him to stop whatever he was doing and rest but he insisted that he was fine and carried on as usual despite her protests.
She wasn't too surprised when he was brought to her medbay on a stretcher one day, but it still didn't stop her from worrying about him. The guards had apparently found him collapsed from exhaustion in one of the hallways, covered in soot and grease. She immediately put him under her care, watching over him while he recovered.
When he finally woke up, she took the opportunity to question him about the his activities during his recovery but he suddenly had a fearful look in his eyes and bolted out of the medbay before she had a chance to say anything else. They haven't seen or spoken to each other ever since...that is until now; he had sent one of the Iron Feathers with a note asking for her to see him in his room tonight.
The unicorn mare soon arrived herself at her destination; she lifted her hoof to access the intercom but stopped when the door opened up on its own. It was unlocked. This made her even more nervous since Stedson never leaves the door unlocked, even when he was in it. A number of reasons as to why he would leave the door unlocked crossed her mind
"Candy? Is that you?" she heard someone call out to her from behind, she let out an uncharacteristic squeak and jumped up in fright. She turned around to see Stedson giving her an apologetic grin.
"Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Candy said, scolding the stallion like one would a child.
"Sorry! I saw that you were a bit late so I stepped out to look for you..." the stallion said sheepishly.
Candy's glare softened when she saw how sorry he was. "Alright Stedson, I forgive you. Now mind telling me why you wanted to see me?" she asked, hoping to get straight to the point.
"Right, there's something I want to tell you...but first, would you care to join me in my room?" he asked, gesturing to the open door. Candy nodded and followed him inside. She stopped in the doorway when she saw that the room was completely dark.
"Stedson... why are the lights off?"
"Ah, you're right, let me fix that." She watched him as he walked further into the darkened room, and lit up some candles; lighting up part of the room, revealing the cloth-covered table the candleholder was on. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light before she realized what it was.
It was a candle-lit dinner.
"Come, let's sit down." he offered, pulling a chair out for her.
Candy sat down before Stedson took his own seat and looked at the food; it consisted mainly of sugary foods such as muffins, pies, and all other manner of baked goods she could think of...and probably a few she couldn't.
She looked up from the dishes and asked, "Did you make all this by yourself?"
"Nope, the girls made this for us. You really should try this peach cobbler they made, it's delicious." He said as he hoofed her said pastry. She grasped it with her magic but placed it down on her plate instead of eating it.
"Is something wrong, Candy?"
"Stedson...what is all this?" she asked, gesturing to the food-laden table.
"Whatever do you mean?" he asked, playing dumb.
"The note you sent me, telling me to secretly meet you tonight, and this dinner you set up...you're hiding something aren't you?" she said accusingly as she watched him turn away, "What aren't you telling me, Stedson?"
"It's an apology." He admitted.
"An apology?" she echoed as she quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes, I want to apologize for the way I've been treating you lately. I've been busy with...my work and I didn't want to burden you with my problems. I -" Candy had cut him off midsentence with a hard slap to the face. Stedson pressed his hoof to his stinging cheek as turned his head back and saw the angry look on her face.
"You idiot! Do you seriously think that this is going to make up for what what you put me through?!" Stedson looked away guiltily, as she vented out her anger and frustration at him. "Have you heard what the rumors they spread about us, have you? It's humiliating!"
Stedson flinched when she suddenly slammed a hoof down on the table.
"Do you know how worried I was when I saw you being brought into my medbay that day? Do you?! What could be so important that'd you couldn't even bother to take care of yourself?"
"I-I can't tell you..." The mare scowled at his words.
"It's always secrets with you isn't it Stedson?" she scoffed.
He didn't answer her.
"I was worried when you suddenly ran out on me! Why did you run away from me..." she sighed and slumped back down into her seat. "I thought that you..."
"That I what?" he asked curiously as he turned his head up to look at her.
"That you hated me...that you didn't love me anymore." She said in admission, tears of frustration flowing down her cheek.
Stedson didn't say anything at first as he watched her as she sniffled quietly in her seat. He then got up and went to her side. She looked at him before turning away but was surprised when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. He felt her body tense up at the unexpected display of affection.
"Let me go!" she demanded weakly, as she tried pulling away from him but he refused to let her go.
Holding her close, he said to her, "I'm sorry for what I've put you through and for the secrets I've kept from you... but I still love you and I always will no matter what and that's the truth." The tension in her body slowly melted away when she heard him say those words and leaned into his chest. He let out a small sigh of relief, before he felt a hoof prod him sharply in the chest.
"You know that you're not getting off the easy." she said sternly. Stedson gulped a little and nodded.
"I-I know... but I promise that I will always stay by your side and do whatever it takes to make it up to you." He said as he kissed the top of her head and whispered, "After all, you are my precious light in the dark." hoping those words would appease the mare.
This drew a giggle from Candy.
"That was really corny you know." she stated, poking him in the ribs.
"Sorry..." he muttered. Candy smiled before grabbing a hold of his head and pulled him closer.
"Don't be..." she whispered, before kissing him on the lips, "...cause that's just the way I like you..." she giggled at the dumbstruck expression he had before she turned around and flicked her tail suggestively at his face, bringing him out of his stupor. " And as for making it up to me..." she then lit up her horn; Stedson suddenly felt a tug on his neck.
He looked down and saw that Candy had wrapped his tie in her magic, and she was pulling him along like a leash as she led him to the bed. Seeing where this was going, he offered no resistance whatsoever as he obediently followed her to the bed.
The food lay forgotten on the table and articles of clothing casually discarded on the floor, one after the other as the two ponies climbed into the bed and rekindled their love for each other.
Long after the candles had burned themselves out and the food turned cold, the two lovers basked in the afterglow of their love as they slept peacefully in each other's embrace.
That is until one of them opened their eyes.
Stedson moved his hoof towards Candy's face and caressed her cheek, she moaned as her lips curled up into a contented smile. He let out a sad sigh before he slipped out of her arms, taking care not to wake her up, and reached for the nightstand where he had hidden a pair of precision gloves and a syringe filled with sedatives. He had them prepared in case Candy didn't eat the drugged pastry he had given her.
Putting on the gloves, he brushed aside her mane and held the syringe close to her neck. His felt his arm shake as he started having second thoughts about he was about to do but he knew the consequences if he didn't go through with this, so he took a deep breath and stuck the needle into her neck. She gasped in shock before falling limp when the sedatives took hold.
"I'm sorry Candy...but this is for your own good."
Candy slowly opened her eyes as she woke up with a moan, she smiled when she remembered the night she had spent with Stedson, and it had been so long since they've been together. She yawned as she got up from the bed and stretched her back but then she realized something.
She wasn't in Stedson's bedroom anymore...and she was dressed.
She wondered if everything that happened last night had just been a wishful dream but she could remember everything quite clearly; the candle-lit dinner, the things she said to him and the kiss that led them to his bed. It was too vivid to have been a dream and a certain part of her body definitely felt sore from last night.
She gave her surroundings a quick look over; she was inside a basic sleeping quarter similar to the ones she and the others slept in but the room itself was larger than what she was used to and the ceiling was evidently higher as if the room had been designed for someone bigger.
Hoping to get her bearings straight, she got out of bed and went out the door but instead of entering the hallways of the facility, she found herself in an unfamiliar location. Thinking that she must have ended up in a recently 'reclaimed' section of the station, she walked down the hallway, hoping to find a section of the station she was familiar with or to run into someone who could help her.
Her eyes widened when the door slid aside and saw the sea of stars moving outside a nearby window. She then realized that she was standing in the enclosed deck of a moving ship. She pinched herself with her magic, thinking that she would wake up in Stedson's bed cuddling him while he slept.
She yelped at the unexpectedly real pain but still saw the stars moving outside
When the reality of where she was, sank in, her breathing became erratic as she started to panic but the rational side of her mind kicked in before she did anything stupid like running around screaming like a headless chicken.
"Alright...calm down...calm down." She said to herself before taking a deep breath, "Let's think... If I'm aboard a moving ship so someone must be piloting it!" she said to herself. Now calmed down and with a plan in mind, she set off to look for her abductor.
After stumbling upon the room she slept in twice, she eventually came across a door which she she hasn't been through before. She hoped that it would lead her to the cockpit and to whoever was piloting the ship. Getting lost had allowed her time to come up with a few choice words for her abductor when she meets them and pressed the button to open the door.
Unfortunately, her courage left her when the door slid aside with a hiss; revealing the cockpit interior which was unlit save for the glow from the monitors and instruments lining the sides, humming away as they performed their functions in the dark.
At the end was the pilot's seat, its back turned to her. She gulped as she slowly approached it. When she was just a few steps away from the seat, she heard a beeping noise before a voice called out to her.
"Hello Candy." It was Stedson! She used her magic to turn the chair, expecting him to be sitting in it, but was confused when she saw nopony in it, only a small metal block the size of her hoof.
"Stedson? Where are you?" she asked worriedly. She got a good scare when the block suddenly opened up and a wave of light came out of it as it scanned her from head to hoof. When the light did it's duty, it let out a beep before a holographic projection of Stedson appeared before her.
"If you're hearing this Candy, it means that I was able to get you away from the station undetected. Don't be alarmed, the ship you're on is equipped with a cloaking device so you should be safe from the long range scanners until you're out of their range." Stedson then let out a deep sigh, "I know it's really not the best time for this, but there is something you must know..."
The hologram then told her everything, all the secrets that Stedson has ever kept from her, the Iron Feather's conditioning, and the details of Happy Day's plans: the Short Leash Protocol and the Clean Slate Protocol as well as the deal he had made with Penny Pincher and the Diamond Dogs.
Candy fell to her haunches, unable to handle the gravity of what she just been told.
"I know it's a lot to take in right now but you have to understand...I did this to protect you and the Iron Feathers. I had originally intended for you and 36 to take this ship and go somewhere safe to hide and wait for me to find you after the Diamond Dogs did their 'work'. But with her gone..." he paused briefly before changing the subject.
"I've stocked the ship with enough supplies that should last you a year so you don't have to worry about starving for a while. The ship is equipped with a warp engine so you are free to go wherever you wish; just set the coordinates and the ship's auto-pilot will take you there..."
Hearing this, Candy immediately accessed the navigation computer as the monitor showed her a list of locations she could go to: Agria, Aiur, Braxis, Chau Sara, Dylar IV, Haven, Korhal IV, Mar Sara, Meinhoff, followed by the names of other worlds. She recognized some of the names but she didn't care about them as she scrolled down the list of coordinates for the one she wanted.
"Come on! Where is it, where's the station?" Candy muttered to herself as she looked through the list for the station's coordinates but couldn't find it no matter how long she tried. She slammed her hooves down on the console in frustration, which caused the block to beep in response before the hologram reappeared, this time it came with a different message.
"I thought that you might want to come back to the station but I can't allow you to do that. That's why I've erased the station's coordinates from the computer. I know you must be angry with me and I'm sorry but it's for your own good." The hologram then looked at her, smiling sadly.
"So please, forget about me, move on, and live a happy life." Tears streamed down the mare's face when she heard this, "I love you... my light in the dark." The hologram lingered on after it finished its message.
"Why?!" Candy cried angrily at the hologram, "You selfish bastard! You promised that you would stay by my side! How could you do this to me! I would've stayed with you! I would have stayed!" she screamed at the unresponsive hologram, which kept smiling sadly at her before it faded away.
Stedson had been sitting in the derelict hangar bay for some time now, staring past the asteroid field and into the stars where Candy's ship had disappeared an hour ago. He hoped that she would find somewhere safe to settle down and live a happy life, far away from here.
A smile crept onto his face as he entertained the thought of her joining the Khalai. As a unicorn, she would almost be guaranteed a place in their society. And from what he understood, the unicorns of the Khalai lived forever, hopefully she'll forget about him after he's long gone.
On the other hoof, she might go to one of the fringe worlds, and settle down. She had confided in him once that one of her dreams when she started her training was to open up a clinic and put her talents to good use. He wondered if she'll find a good stallion to settle down with there.
He shook his head of the countless possible futures Candy might have and let out a depressed sigh as he knew that he wasn't in any of them. He truly wished he could have gone with her but he needed to stay to keep her and his daughters safe from Day...and from each other.
Despite his best efforts, only a small number of the Iron Feathers had been successfully reconditioned to not kill Candy. He just couldn't take the risk that one of his daughters might kill Candy during the Diamond Dog's attack or get caught in the crossfire of a firefight during the assault. There was no other choice but to send her away .
At least with her gone, he won't have to worry about that anymore.
The stallion eventually got up and made his way for the exit, passing by several ancient Terran spacecraft in various states of disrepair and disassembly. He briefly considered repairing them as well so he and his daughters could join Candy but shook his head at the absurd idea. It took him over two years just to repair the one ship and the date of Happy Day's arrival was fast approaching. There wasn't enough time or working parts to make that plan a reality.
Once he was out of the door, he sealed it shut and started his way down one of the hallways but stopped when he heard the heavy footsteps of power armor. He pressed himself against the wall as far as possible, hoping the guards wouldn't come this way.
His heart started beating wildly as heard the footsteps coming closer and closer to his position, his eyes grew wide when he saw a beam of light flash near his face. He saw the light growing brighter as he heard the footsteps coming closer.
"What are you going down there for Grim?" he heard one of the guards ask, the light shifted as 'Grim' turned to his fellow guard.
"I thought I heard something down here." Stedson clamped his muzzle shut and held his breath, not wanting to give 'Grim' any more reason to come closer.
"Forget about it, there's nothing down there but a dead end and a bunch of scrap metal. Come on, let's go." the unnamed guard said before he moved on with his patrol. 'Grim' grumbled to himself before he joined his partner, the sound of his footsteps soon grew faint until they were gone.
After making sure that the guards were no longer around, Stedson decided to take another path through the facility's maze-like halls back to his quarters.
The detour he took later brought him to the walkways above the currently unoccupied testing chambers; at least he thought it was unoccupied until he heard the familiar shrieks of a zergling. He moved cautiously on the walkways as he followed the angry shrieks to its source; he peeked down at one of the testing chambers below to see an unusual sight.
He saw a prototype generation Iron Feather cutting into the zergling's flesh with a scalpel and then stitching it back up before repeating the process again. And judging by the amount of stitches covering the creature's body, she has been at this for a while. It took him just a moment to recognize the filly.
"588?" the Iron Feather stopped what she was doing and looked up.
"Daddy?"
"What are you doing here?" he asked while taking a closer look at the zergling, as it struggled against the makeshift restraints made from its own severed limbs which had been stabbed through parts of its body and into the ground beneath. The only thing the creature was capable of right now was to lay there and snarl at the filly as she cut into its flesh.
"Just practicing for when Mr Day gets here..." she replied casually as she made another incision on the zergling's exposed flesh before stitching it back up afterwards. Stedson then heard her mutter both 36 and 522's names as she worked, reminding him of how he had told her the truth about 522's 'adoption'. He remembered the tears they both shed when he told her the truth...
Stedson pursed his lips as he watched a number of the young clones from the second generation crying their eyes out while their sisters did their best to console them; he had just informed another group of Iron Feathers of 36's 'adoption' a month ago.They did not take the news very well.
Due to her stunted growth, 36 had been considered a middle child of sorts by many of the first and second generation Iron Feathers; this made lying to them even worse. He hated himself for keeping the truth from them, but it was for the best, telling them the truth would devastate them even further.
He gave the fillies a few words of comfort before leaving the barracks to continue the daunting task of informing the others of the 'adoption'. He slumped against the wall as he let out a tired sigh, he then felt someone nuzzling his cheek. He smiled softly and nuzzled Candy in return. At least he wasn't alone.
"How are you holding up?" she asked softly.
"Horribly..." he muttered back, "I'm getting sick of lying to them."
"Then tell them the truth." Candy suggested. He gave Candy a questioning look.
"What? I can't possibly tell them that! You know I can't...it'd crush them." The mare simply shook her head at his excuses.
"You have to tell them the truth..." Stedson turned his head away from her, unable to face her with all the other secrets he's been keeping from her and his daughters. "...tell them before the guilt eats away at your sanity."
"Heh, so you're my psychologist now are you?" Stedson replied jokingly, trying to change the subject.
She rolled her eyes at this, "Don't change the subject Stedson..." His ears wilted at being caught so easily, "...if you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me." She placed a hoof on his shoulders and looked into his eyes pleadingly, "Please?"
"You...know that I...I can't, I..." he sputtered out but he couldn't resist her charms. He soon relented and said, "Fine, I'll...think about it." Candy then kissed him on the cheeks.
"That's all I ask." she said before going down the hall to the next barracks, he followed closely behind her, mulling over what she said to him. Maybe he could do it...maybe he could tell them the truth for once.
He couldn't do it.
They had just informed the last of the Iron Feathers and Stedson couldn't do it, he fed them all the same lie about 36's 'adoption'. He didn't dare look at Candy and the disappointment he expected to see in her eyes as she comforted the fillies so he decided to quietly slip outside and wait for her.
He let out a sigh when the door closed but was disturbed from his self-loathing when he felt a tug on his coat; he turned his head and saw 588, standing there on her hind legs as she shuffled her hooves nervously.
"What's wrong 588?"
"Mommy told me to check up on you...are you okay?"
Stedson looked at the door, he saw glimpse of Candy looking at him before the door closed itself. He then turned his attention back to the filly.
"I...I'm alright 588. I just-!" he was surprised when 588 suddenly wrapped her arms around his chest.
"I miss her daddy."
Stedson's eyes softened as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, "I miss her too, 588." He then remembered Candy's words and realized she had just given him an opportunity to tell the truth to at least one of his daughters.
He looked around to see if anyone else in the hallway; it would be a problem if one of the other Iron Feathers eavesdropped on them in the middle of their 'talk'. Seeing that the hallway was completely empty, he pulled away from the embrace.
"588..." he began
"Yes daddy?"
He looked her directly in the eyes, placed a hoof on her shoulders, and said, "There's something I need to tell you, but...you must promise me that you won't tell anyone else, even your sisters, alright?"
She nodded her head, "I promise daddy."
"Good...Do you remember when I told you and the others about 522?" She nodded her head sadly as old memories resurfaced.
"Yes...she was adopted by another mommy and daddy, right?" He shook his head.
"No my child, she wasn't adopted." She cocked her head curiously at the contradiction.
"But you told me that 522 was-"
"I lied, 588...," he said, cutting her off, "...I lied to you, all of you."
Her eyes widened as she took a step back, away from him, "Wh-what? Why?"
"To protect you from the truth, one that I've kept from you and your sisters for five long years...I think it's time for you to know the truth..."
He then told 588 of how 522 had been maimed at the end of her test, how Happy Day had intended to sell her off as a guinea pig for experimentation in Consortium Space and finally the part where he ended her life with his own hoof.
When he was finished, he stepped away, and braced himself for whatever punishment 588 might deliver to him for what he had done. Her conditioning would stop her from killing him but it didn't mean she couldn't give him a sound beating. At the very least, he wanted the filly to yell at him, curse him, or even spit at him for his lies.
Either way, he felt that he deserved them all and much more.
However, instead of doing any of those things, she simply asked him, "What about 36? Is she going to the same place..." the words died in her mouth, unable to repeat the horrific fate 522 would have suffered had she lived.
"I-I don't know 588, I don't know..." he admitted.
The filly started shaking uncontrollably as she fought off her tears and losing badly. Despite all their training and conditioning, the Iron Feathers were still just children. His children.
Stedson quietly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close and just like that night all those years ago, the filly buried her face into his chest and cried. He stroked her mane gently, just as he did before. Tears streamed down his own face as he held her, wishing he could do more for her...
He shook his head to rid himself of the sad memory; he was already depressed enough as it is.
"How long have you been here?" he asked curiously.
588 turned to the watch in her bag of scalpels and sutures, "It's been nine hours now." She answered back before letting out a long drawn out yawn.
"Nine hours?" Stedson exclaimed, "I think it's time for you to turn in for the night young lady."
"Ok daddy, just let me finish up." She answered back before grabbing her rifle and shot a round into zergling's head, it let out a death shriek before falling limp. She then gathered up her surgical tools and flew up to where Stedson was. The filly landed unsteadily and fell flat on her belly.
"Daddy...can you take me back to bed, I'm tired." She said with a groan. He couldn't help but chuckle at her antics.
"Alright, climb onto my back and I'll take you back to the barracks." The filly clambered up onto his back, and settled to lie down belly first, letting her legs dangle by her sides. Once he was sure his passenger was secured on his back, he made his way out of the chamber.
While walking down another hallway, Stedson felt 588 moving about fitfully on his back, "Is something wrong 588?" he asked softly.
"Is mommy safe now?" she suddenly asked. Stedson stopped when he heard this.
Unlike the other Iron Feathers, 588 had been privy to his plans, including the one to send Candy away. It was hard for the filly at first to willingly send Candy away since she had been very close to her but she knew what would happen to her 'mommy' had she stayed during the coming assault.
"Yes...mommy is safe." He answered. He then heard the filly sniff, trying her hardest to hold back her tears. "It's alright 588, just let it out." he kept on walking as he felt his clothes getting wet from her tears as she quietly sobbed into his back.
By the time they reached the Iron Feather's barracks, 588 had stopped crying. Stedson turned his head to see that she had cried herself to sleep. He smiled to himself and entered the barracks where he saw the other Iron Feathers fast asleep in their beds. He quietly walked past them to the empty bed that belonged to the filly on his back.
He gently lifted the filly off his back and placed her back in her bed. He bit down on the covers and pulled them over her body, tucking her in for the night. He turned to leave but felt a tug at his lab coat; he turned to see the filly holding on the end of his coat with her precision gloves. He knew he forgot something.
"Daddy..." 588 called out to him sleepily.
"Yes my child?" he asked while taking off the precision gloves off the filly's hooves.
"After Mr Day is gone...can we go look for mommy and 36?" caught off guard by the filly's request, Stedson didn't immediately answer her, "Daddy?" she asked again.
"O-of course 588, we'll look for them together. Now go to sleep, you need your rest." the filly nodded and pulled the covers over herself, her purple eyes peeking over the sheets.
"Good night daddy, I love you." she whispered before falling asleep.
Stedson nuzzled the filly, "Good night my child, I love you too." he said and walked out the door. He took one last look at the sleeping fillies before closing the door.
"Excellent work Doctor Cog, I do believe this concludes our inspection of the facility. It is good to see that you've learned from your 'mistakes'." Peace Keeper said, turning to Stedson but saw that the pegasus wasn't answering him, his head was bobbing up and down slowly as he struggled to stay awake.
"Doctor Cog are you alright?" Peace Keeper asked but Stedson didn't answer, "Doctor Cog!" he shouted. Stedson's eyes shot wide open and looked around in brief panic before calming down when he remembered where he was.
"Huh? Oh, my apologies inspectors ..." Stedson answered before letting out a long drawn out yawn. "...I guess my mind was elsewhere."
"Not enough sleep I take it?" the unicorn inquired. Stedson simply nodded in reply.
After sending Candy away, he started having nightmares again. Sometimes he would dream of Candy dying due to some critical flaw he made in repairing the ship. Watching her suffocate in his dream as she called out to him with her dying breath was the latest in the long line of nightmares that woke him up last night; it's been ages since he had a good night's sleep.
"You must take better care of yourself..." Stedson arched his eyebrow at the unexpected advice from the normally aloof inspector, "...I've read the report on Doctor Striper's unfortunate accident and I heard that you were close...you have my condolences, but it's no reason to waste away like this." He cautioned.
Stedson lowered his head, hiding the scowl on his face, 'Where was your sympathy when 36 was taken from me!' he mentally grumbled. He was surprised when he felt the unicorn's hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the gentle smile on the unicorn's face.
"I understand what it's like to lose a loved one, Doctor Cog... I've been there myself." The unicorn added sadly before he left, leaving Stedson with a newfound inkling of respect for the unicorn inspector.
Still, it won't change his fate in the end.
"I'm keeping an eye on you, doctor. So watch yourself!" Steel Gaze said sternly before following his colleague down the walkway.
As for Steel Gaze, he wanted the inspector to suffer before he dies.
He turned around to face Spend Thrift. "Sorry to hear of what happened to your girl Cog, she was one mighty fine looking mare." He said before a smile grew on his face, "What I wouldn't give to have a-"
Stedson cleared his throat harshly while giving the earth pony a withering glare that could have rivaled Steel Gaze's own, "-er right, sorry. Got a bit off topic didn't I?"
"Yes you did... was there anything else?" he asked with a disgruntled snort.
"Yeah, I got a message for ya: Boss says that they'll ready for when Day arrives. All ya need to do is keep your head low when the attack starts. You and the IF units have been cleared as friendlies so the grunts will leave ya alone, everyone else is fair game."
"How am I supposed to know when the attack starts?"
"Oh you'll know when it does, boss said they're gonna start with a bang. So how are things on your end?"
"As smooth as can be Mr Thrift, my daughters will be ready when the time comes but I do have two requests for Penny Pincher."
"Sure Cog, what is it?" Stedson hoofed him a small data drive.
"Tell him to play the file on it when he starts the assault."
Spend Thrift looked at the drive curiously, trying to figure out the vague request, "Okay...sure, so what's the second thing ya wanted?"
"Tell Mr Pincher to leave Happy Day alive. He's mine, is that clear?"
"I'll make sure the boss gets the message." He assured as he placed the data drive into his suit, "So, I guess this is the last time we'll see each other huh, Cog?"
Stedson nodded to him, "Yes, I guess it is. Can't say I'll miss you..."
"Ouch Cog, you wound me." Spend Thrift mocked while placing a metal hand over his chest in dramatic fashion.
Stedson rolled his eyes at the earth pony's behavior, "...though I am bit curious." He continued "What will you do after Day is dealt with, stay with Dominion Intelligence?"
Spend Thrift chuckled and shook his head, "Nah, I go where the money is, and right now the Diamond Dogs got that in spades. Might become a freelancer again after that... what about you, Cog?"
"What about me?"
"Your future, like what's the first thing ya want to do after all this?"
Stedson grew quiet as he scratched his chin and thought about it.
He knew he had promised 588 that they would go look for Candy and 36 but it was a daunting task in and of itself. He doubted he could ever find Candy, let alone face her again after what he did to her but 36 was another matter altogether.
From what Spend Thrift had told him half a year ago, he had learned that 36 had been enslaved by a crooked space trader named Fed Ex in the Consortium so locating her would only be a matter of time.
However, he remembered that Spend Thrift had also told him that 36 had been resocialized so even if they did see each other again, she probably wouldn't even recognize him at all. Still, this would give her a chance to lead a normal life once he freed her from her captors. It was the very least he could do for her.
As for the rest of his daughters however, he highly doubted that they would be able to 'disappear' and live normal lives. The Iron Feathers had trained from 'birth' to be merciless killers. No matter what they did, his daughters would never be able to live normally with other ponies.
There was only one option left for them now, but before he could think about it any further, he was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Spend Thrift calling out to him.
"Hey Cog, ya alright?" the earth pony asked. Stedson blinked his eyes and saw the earth pony waving a hand in his face, "You kind of spaced out on me for a while there."
"Er...yes, my apologies Mr Thrift...so where was I?" Spend Thrift gave him an odd look.
"Ya were going to tell me about your plans for the future, remember?" Stedson let out a soft sigh before answering.
"All I want is to do is take care of my girls and get them ready."
"Ready? Ready for what?" the earth pony asked.
"Ready for their life as soldiers, it's the only thing they know and understand." Stedson explained "Penny Pincher has promised me that the Diamond Dogs are willing take them on after their training is done."
"And what about after that?"
"I...I don't know." Stedson admitted after some thought.
An uncomfortable silence settled between the two, a silence that was broken when Spend Thrift's communicator went off.
"Yeah?" Spend Thrift said, answering the call.
"Inspector Thrift, you're late! Get back to the shuttle or we're leaving without you!" Steel Gaze voice said impatiently before he ended the call.
"Well Cog, guess this is goodbye..." Stedson nodded in agreement.
"I do believe it is, I do suggest not keeping Inspector Gaze waiting lest he carries out his threat. Now if you'll excuse me..." he said before turning away to leave.
"Wait." Stedson stopped and faced him.
"What is it Mr Thrift, was there something else?"
"Hey look, if you're ever in Consortium Space, look me up. I know a great little bar where we can have a drink, my treat." He said, offering his hand to Stedson. He hadn't expected such a gesture from him but after some hesitation, he accepted the hand and shook it.
"Yes, I'd like that...Take care of yourself, Mr Thrift." he said, genuinely smiling.
"You too Cog." The earth pony answered back before turning to leave. Stedson soon left as well. He still had some preparations to make for Day's arrival. |
Born of Sin: Descent to Madness | Taking the Plunge | Inside the central observation room, Stedson was busy going over some of the proposed changes to the Iron Feather's training program that the instructors had submitted to him for his approval. He tossed one of these proposals into the reject pile when he saw Whiplash's name on it and was about to check on the next one when one of the technicians on duty interrupted him.
"Doctor Cog, sensors just detected a battlecruiser warping into the station's outer perimeter." the technician stated while typing away at his terminal. "ID match confirmed, it's the Hydra. Vice Admiral Day is here."
"Open a channel to them." Stedson ordered. The technician nodded as he typed the commands into the system. One of the monitors in the observation room flickered before Steel Gaze's face appeared on screen.
"Inspector Gaze? I wasn't aware that you were joining the Vice Admiral for his visit." Stedson said in faked astonishment.
Steel Gaze glared at him before answering, "If you must know, Vice Admiral Day requested that we accompany him for the inspection after Inspector Thrift insisted on it."
"I take it that the others are with you as well?"
"Indeed, Inspector Keeper and Thrift will be joining us. You don't have a problem with that do you, doctor?" the pegasus asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
"None whatsoever. Shall I come and personally greet the vice admiral upon your arrival?" Stedson offered, trying to change the subject.
"Fine, just make sure that you show him the utmost respect he deserves, or you'll have me to answer to. Is that clear?" Steel Gaze said threateningly.
Stedson nodded calmly in response, "Crystal clear..."
The inspector let out an audible growl of annoyance before cutting off the video feed.
Stedson then got up and walked out the door, he looked forward to his last meeting with Day. He was so eager that he found himself humming a catchy tune as he walked down the hallway. It's going to be a happy day, a happy day indeed.
Due to the Hydra's size, it was unable to pass through the asteroid field that surrounded the hidden station so Happy Day and his entourage of inspectors took a shuttle, which was much smaller and far more maneuverable than the bulky battlecruiser, to the space station.
Steel Gaze was in his seat aboard the shuttle, drumming his metal fingers impatiently on the armrest while he and his fellow inspectors waited for the shuttle to arrive at the station. Unfortunately, his constant drumming was wearing on Peace Keeper's nerves.
"Must you make such a racket?" the unicorn complained.
Steel Gaze stopped his drumming, "What did just say?" he asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.
"I said: Must you make such a racket? Honestly, some of us have important matters to attend to and I certainly can't do that with all that noise you're making. Why can't you do something more useful than glaring at others?" Steel Gaze suddenly got up and grabbed the collar of Peace Keeper's suit, pulling him out of his seat.
"I don't want to hear this from someone like you so why don't you take your stupid lectures and shove it up your-" he stopped when he felt Spend Thrift's hand on his shoulder. He glared at the earth pony, "What do you want!" he growled.
"Whoa...easy there Gaze, the boss wouldn't be happy if he saw you two fighting like a couple of schoolcolts in the playground. Now would he?" Spend Thrift said as he gestured to Happy Day, who was sitting at the front of the shuttle, busy reading a report on his datapad.
His words had the desired effect when Steel Gaze let go of the unicorn, they glared at each other for a few seconds before the pegasus stomped off to the front of the shuttle, muttering something about having a word with the pilot.
"You have my thanks Inspector Thrift..." Peace Keeper said as he straightened out the creases in his suit, "...though I have been meaning to ask, why are you out of uniform?" pointing at his colleague's attire.
Unlike the other two inspectors who had decided to wear the black uniforms of Dominion Intelligence for the inspection, Spend Thrift wore a brown business suit instead.
"Oh, I was planning to go gambling in Consortium Space after this and I thought the uniform would draw too much unwanted attention." He explained.
"Couldn't you just change after the inspection?" the unicorn suggested.
"What, and waste all the time I put into my good looks?" he said as he ran a hand through his mane before flashing a smile at the unicorn.
Unable to find an appropriate response, Peace Keeper nodded and quietly sat back down. Steel Gaze soon returned and the two inspectors noticed that his sour mood had improved; as he now had a smug look on his face as he walked back to his own seat. He didn't even glare at Peace Keeper
"What's gotten you in such a good mood?" Spend Thrift asked.
"Oh, the pilot and I just had a nice little chat about flight schedules." he answered, chuckling darkly. He smiled when the shuttle's PA system turned on, the pilot voice sounded nervous as he shakily made his announcement.
"M-m-may I have your attention please. We will be arriving at Ca-Castanar Station mo-momentarily so please re-return to your seats and prepare for do-docking."
When the announcement was over, Peace Keeper gave his colleague a disapproving look, "Really Inspector Gaze, strong-arming the pilot? The poor stallion sounded like he was about to cry his eyes out. Could you be any more crass?"
Steel Gaze didn't react to the remark and merely shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to give a proper answer before settling back into his seat. The rhythmic drumming of his fingers soon resumed, annoying the unicorn to no end.
Spend Thrift smirked as he watch Peace Keeper grumbling in his seat, sulking like a young colt who didn't get his way. He excused himself before returning to his own seat as well. He smiled when he saw the station coming into view through the porthole.
"Right on schedule..."
After his less than enthusiastic greeting to Happy Day, he had the guards escort the stallion to the observation room. Stedson then went over to the trio of inspectors and greeted them as well, but with a bit more emotion.
"Good to have you here on Castanar Station again, inspectors. I take it that you'll be joining Vice Admiral Day and I for the inspection as well?" Stedson inquired.
"It is good to see you again Doctor Cog, but no, we won't be accompanying the Vice Admiral on his visit." Peace Keeper stated.
"You...You're not?" Stedson stammered, clearly not expecting this at all.
"No. We're here to carry out a separate inspection of the facility while you show Vice Admiral Day the Iron Feathers." Peace Keeper explained, "He's been looking forward to seeing their progress with his own eyes."
"Shall I have one of my assistants guide you around while I attend to the Vice Admiral?" Stedson offered.
"No." Steel Gaze said, interrupting Peace Keeper own response, "That won't be necessary doctor, we'll carry out the investigation on our own..." he leaned down to Stedson's height, "...unless you have a problem with that, do you doctor?"
Stedson quickly recovered and replied, "None at all Inspector Gaze." and stared right back at Steel Gaze, who didn't expect the normally cowed pegasus to challenge him so openly. So he intensified his glare but Stedson didn't back down one inch, which infuriated the pegasus inspector. He balled his hand into a fist, ready to put Stedson back in his place but stopped when Spend Thrift intervened.
"We're kind of running kind of late already Gaze, so mind leaving it for later?"
"This isn't over doctor...count on it." the pegasus inspector promised before stomping off angrily down one of the hallways. Peace Keeper sighed at his colleague's behavior before he turned to Spend Thrift.
"Shall we be on our way then?" the unicorn asked.
"Nah, you go on ahead, Keeper. I'll join ya in a bit after I have a little chat with Cog here." Peace Keeper let out a frustrated sigh at the improper form of address before leaving to join the disgruntled pegasus.
Once he was sure they were alone, Spend Thrift turned to Stedson and frowned, "You do realize that little staring contest of yours with Mr Gaze was a waste of time don't you, Doctor Cog? After all, time -"
"-is money." Stedson finished for him "I know that Mr Pincher, I just wanted to have a little bit of fun with Inspector Gaze before I see him among the dead." The disguised mercenary cocked his eyebrow, giving him a strange look.
"Very well Doctor Cog, I'll allow that...'slight delay' in the schedule. However, I suggest that you be on your way before Day starts getting suspicious."
Stedson frowned at the mentioned of the stallion's name and nodded, "Of course, Mr Pincher." he then trotted off to the observation room where Happy Day awaited him.
"Hmm, guess I better set the stage before the main event starts." Penny Pincher said to himself before making his own way down the hallway to join the two inspectors.
While Vice Admiral Day and his entourage were away at the station, the Hydra maintained its position outside the asteroid field. The Hydra was an old Behemoth-class battlecruiser, which while still in use by the majority of the Dominion Armada, were slowly being retired to make way for its more modern successor, the Minotaur-class.
The Hydra itself was a survivor of a border dispute with the Confederates decades ago in which the Dominion lost control of the world. Due to the higher ups wanting to forget the humiliating defeat they suffered, compounded by the high cost of repairs, the damaged cruiser was left to rust away in a disused dry-dock on Dylar IV. So nobody complained when the Vice Admiral paid the shipyards a visit and restored the decommissioned vessel for his own personal use. Especially when he bribed the dock workers and officials to look the other way.
Aboard the ship, its crew was tense as they had been ordered to be on the lookout for anything amiss. Though the ship was in a relatively remote location and far from prying eyes, it was still outside the fringes of Dominion-controlled space so the captain had ordered the crew to be on high alert and the shield to be active at all times in case of a surprise attack.
Some of the crew-members thought the captain was just being paranoid due to the Vice Admiral being involved, but orders were orders, even if they thought it was a bit much.
However, the captain's precautions paid off when a volley of missiles came out of nowhere struck the Hydra's shields, which flared from the impact, stopping the missiles from damaging the hull. More missiles impacted the shields before alarms went off throughout the ship, the crew mobilized as they reported to their battle stations.
"Will someone turn off that blasted noise and tell me what the hell hit us!" the captain demanded.
"Sir! Scanners just picked up an unidentified capital class cruiser with multiple fighters moving in on our position from the portside." The crewman then put the image of the enemy vessel on screen.
"Damn pirates, of all times for them to show up." he muttered.
"What are your orders, captain?"
"Helmsman, turn the ship around so we can bring our forward guns to bear."
"Yes sir." The helmsman called out as he carried out the command.
"Scramble our fighters to intercept the first attack wave. Charge up the laser batteries and tell the crew to prepare for ship-to-ship combat. And contact the garrison on Castanar Station, alert them of the situation, we're going to need their help if things get out of hoof..." he paused for a moment as he considered his next order, "...and start charging the main cannon."
"Captain, are you sure? It's just one ship." a crewman spoke up.
The captain narrowed his eyes at the crewman."Are you trying to give me an order, lieutenant?" The crewman quickly shook his head. "Then carry out the orders I've given!"
The crewman gulped and nodded before relaying the orders to the rest of the ship.
Inside the station's command centre, Penny Pincher was busy typing in several commands at one of the many consoles as he went about disabling the station's automated defenses and sensors.He had just finished shutting down the last of the sensors when one of the other terminals starting beeping.
Someone was trying to contact the station.
Having an idea of who it was, he accepted the transmission. A few seconds passed before he heard the voice of what he assumed to be the Hydra's communications officer coming from the monitor. It was an audio-only transmission.
"Castanar Station! This is the Hydra requesting immediate reinforcements! We are under attack by multiple unknown hostiles! I repeat we are-"
"Brace for impact!" someone shouted, before something exploded in the background, breaking the signal into static before it reestablished itself.
"I repeat! This is the Hydra requesting immediate reinforce-" Penny Pincher then cut the transmission, he had heard all he needed to know. He then pulled out a pocket watch from his suit and looked at the time.
"Hmm, right on time. Things should get interesting very soon." He said to himself before he brought one of the sensors back online. It showed him a view of the Hydra and its squadron of fighters as they fought against the first wave of the Diamond Dog's attack fighters.
"Very interesting indeed..."
Laser bolts and missiles blanketed the area around the Hydra as its laser turrets fired on the enemy fighters, trying to shoot down the high-speed fighters, but they kept cloaking themselves before the gun crews could get a proper lock on them, making them miss their targets nine times out of ten. One of these cloaked fighters fired a salvo of missiles, some of which made it past the point defense system and struck the battlecruiser's shields, causing it to fail and fade away.
"Captain! The shields are down!" a crewman shouted.
"Then get them back online!" the captain ordered as he slammed his fist down on the armrest, "Damn it! How the hell did they get their hooves on our cloaking tech!" the captain growled before his console lit up, giving him the latest damage report.
Although the shields had kept the ship itself safe from the brunt of the attacks, they still suffered heavy losses. Three of their fighters were shot down in the enemy's last attack and four more had been crippled, leaving the ship with less than half their fighters still operational. Though he'd hate to admit it, the pirates were extremely skilled.
"Where the hell is my reinforcements!" the captain shouted impatiently.
"They're not responding any of our hails, sir." The comms officer replied, "Something must have happened at the station."
"Damn it, so we're on our own then. What's the status on the main cannon?"
"The Yamato Cannon is at 78 percent charge and rising."
"Good, tell all fighters to disengage and return to the ship to rearm. We're going to finish them in one -" he was interrupted when the alarms suddenly went off again, "Oh, what's going wrong now?" the captain muttered under his breath.
"Sensors are picking up multiple energy signatures near the enemy vessel."
"Put it on screen!" the captain ordered.
A holographic screen projected itself before the crew, showing them a view of the enemy ship. He saw the space behind the enemy capital ship becoming distorted as it twisted in on itself before exploding out in a brilliant flash of light, blinding him and the rest of the bridge crew as they tried to shield themselves from the light.
When the captain was able to see again, his eyes widened when he saw that a fleet of ships had appeared out of nowhere, form up around the capital ship. The enemy fleet consisted of the one capital ship, accompanied by three cruisers, two frigates, and a troop carrier, all of them bearing the distinct logo of the Diamond Dogs on their hulls.
Many of the Hydra's crew though that it was the end for them and scrambled to prepare themselves for the oncoming onslaught, but minutes passed by and nothing happened. Confused by the lack of alarms and explosions, they cautiously looked back at the screen, and saw that the enemy fleet hasn't opened fire on them. The mercenary fleet was silently holding its position, as if they were waiting for something.
This made everybody aboard the battlecruiser very uneasy.
"What are they waiting for...?" the captain muttered to himself as he and the crew anxiously waited for the enemy's next move. The tense silence was broken when one of the consoles started beeping.
"Sir, someone is hailing us."
"Is it the enemy fleet?"
"Negative sir, it's from Castanar Station. Should I respond?"
"From the station? Could be the garrison commander." he muttered before he turned to the communications officer, "Very well, make it so."
Another holo-screen appeared next to the one with the enemy fleet on it. The screen flickered as the transmission was established. The captain raised his brow in confusion when he saw one of the inspectors on screen instead of the garrison commander.
"Inspector Thrift, what are you doing there? And where the buck is the garrison commander? We have an emergency situation here!"
"Now, now captain, there's no need for such language." The captain became wary when he noticed that the inspector's voice was off. "And as for the commander, he's right over there." He said before standing aside, showing the garrison commander on the floor along with the rest of his command staff.
"Though I doubt he's in a talkative mood at the moment."
"What did you do to them?"
"They're not dead if that's what you're thinking. Not yet at least." He added threateningly, "Putting that aside, allow me to properly introduce myself..." the fake inspector then closed his eyes and reached for the metal band around his neck, and pressed a button.
The captain and his crew became wide eyed when they saw the color in the 'inspector's fur and mane change as splotches of brown appeared on them, making him briefly resemble a pinto pony. The color spread out over his body until his fur and mane was completely brown. He opened his eyes just as the last of the blue in them darkened to brown as well. He smiled when he saw the crew's reaction at his 'transformation'.
"I am Mr Penny Pincher, El Contador for the Diamond Dog Security Firm. And I'm here to ask you for your surrender." The captain quickly recovered when he heard the mercenary's demands.
"Do you expect me to surrender just because you asked?" The captain shot back.
"No. I expect you to surrender because it's the only way for you and your crew to make it out this alive...Or would you rather face total annihilation at our hooves?" Penny Pincher asked coolly. The captain grew quiet when he heard this.
"You have five minutes to decide before I order my men to open fire." The screen then went dark, the transmission now ended.
Knowing that such a decision shouldn't be made alone, the captain turned to his crew for an answer. Unfortunately a significant number of the bridge crew were were resocs, mindlessly waiting for his next order, whatever it may be. More than half of the handful of officers under his command shook their heads at him, silently voicing their opinion on the matter while the rest stayed silent. He had his answer.
"Open a channel to the garrison." A few seconds passed before Penny Pincher's face reappeared on the screen.
"Ah captain, you're a little earlier than I predicted, but I take it that you have come to a decision?" the mercenary asked expectantly.
"Yeah...Buck off!" he swore, "Everyone back to your battle stations!" he ordered, the bridge crew immediately returned to their duties as they prepared themselves for the fight of their lives. He then turned to one of the crew and asked. "What's the status on the cannon?"
"The Yamato Cannon is approaching maximum charge, captain."
"Good, target the capital ship and fire on my command." the captain then turned his head back to the screen; Penny Pincher had an unnervingly calm expression on his face.
"I highly recommend that you reconsider your decision captain. The Diamond Dogs could use you and your men among our ranks." Penny Pincher offered, hoping to defuse the situation.
"Buck you! The Dominion doesn't make deals with mercenaries and we're not going to start now!"
"Captain, the Yamato Cannon is locked on target." One of the crew called out. The captain then stood up, swept his arm out in a dramatic flourish and gave out what could very well be his final order.
"Fire!"
The bow of ship hummed with power as the Yamato Cannon focused the energy for its attack but the the cannon unexpectedly went silent. Before they could wonder why the cannon didn't fire, a violent explosion rocked the ship, sending the captain tumbling to the ship floor.
A moment passed before the alarms suddenly went off , "What the buck was that?" the captain swore as he got back into his seat, "Did the enemy fleet open fire?"
"Negative captain, the enemy fleet is still maintaining its position. Most of the damage seems to be concentrated in one of the engine rooms." The crewman answered before another series of explosions were set off, sending tremors through the Hydra.
The bridge was soon flooded with damage reports and distress calls from all over the ship as it continued to rumble from the explosions. The captain instantly regretted his decision when he looked at his console and saw the growing list of damages throughout the ship.
Over a half of the hangar bays had been lost to the explosions while the rest had been set on fire, all their fighters, now reduced to burning wrecks. Half the forward gun batteries had been lost in explosions, along with the gun crews operating them. Fire control teams were calling for backup as they struggled to put out the fires spreading all over the ship.
More reports kept pouring in as more of the Hydra's systems started to fail one after the other, only a few of the more critical systems still remained operational as the ship was slowly being torn apart. One of these was the communication system, which received one last transmission. The captain looked up at the flickering screen to see Penny Pincher shaking his head disappointedly at him.
"I tried to be civil with you...even offered you and your crew a place in our organization." The mercenary sighed, "We would have rewarded you generously too, but you threw it away. And now, you've forced my hoof." He then raised his closed hand to the screen, showing the captain what he held.
His eyes widened when he realized what it was. It was a detonator, and it was armed! His ears perked up when he heard a distinct beeping noise coming from under his seat.
"Goodbye captain." He said, and pulled the trigger.
The captain let out one more defiant shout, before the bomb detonated and engulfed the bridge in an explosive inferno.
Penny Pincher watched the column of smoke spewing from what remained of the Hydra's bridge as the rest of the explosives tore the battlecruiser apart. It wasn't long before the reactors overloaded from the fire damage, causing a chain reaction which created a powerful blast, turning the battlecruiser into a massive fireball.
Once the fire dissipated into the vacuum of space, all that was left of the Hydra were pieces of its scorched hull that the Diamond Dog fleet passed over as they moved in to establish a perimeter around the asteroid field as planned. The troop carrier then deployed several dropships that made their way to the station.
He then switched the video feed to the facility's interior and smiled when he saw that everyone didn't seem to have noticed the Hydra's destruction, most probably due to them being too focused on the Vice Admiral's visit and the inspection. He looked back at his pocket watch and saw that they were ahead of schedule, which pleased him quite a bit.
"Hmm, now to see if Doctor Cog's 'daughters' are all that they're cracked up to be..." he said before pulling something out from his suit. It was the data drive Spend Thrift had delivered to him a few months ago. He plugged it into the console and accessed the device; It contained only one audio file.
He programmed the computer to play the file throughout the facility after a while, more than enough time for his men to reach the station and secure the docking bay for reinforcements. He smiled when he heard gunfire outside the command centre, indicating that the insertion teams had finally arrived.
He stepped outside and saw his power armored subordinates finishing off one of the station's guards. They instinctively pointed their weapons at him but lowered them when they realized who he was.
"Ah, you're right on time, secure the command centre for me but don't kill the prisoners unless I say so, got it?" he said as he eyed the squad of mercenaries who acknowledged the order with a series of nods and salutes. "Good, I need two of you to come with me. I have an appointment with the good doctor to keep."
Inside the main training hall, 588 was honing her skills in hoof-to-hoof combat alongside her sisters as they practiced their punches and kicks on the punching bags before them. The instructors passed them by, silently nodding at the progress they made.
She stopped when she saw Stedson on the walkways above them. He was leading Happy Day down to the chamber where she and her sisters disposed of their 'beloved' pets.
"You there! Who said you could stop!" one of the instructors barked, it was Whiplash, one of the stallions that were responsible for 36's 'adoption'. 588 gritted her teeth as she felt the urge to break the stallion's neck right there and then but she knew she had to wait for the signal.
"Sorry sir! I was just a bit tired." She lied, faking a wheeze. Whiplash frowned at her weakness.
"Well suck it up soldier and get back to it!" he barked.
"Sir!" she saluted before turning back to the punching bag. She then imagined Whiplash's face on it before delivering a forceful punch into the bag of sand, the next face was Happy Day's which received a similar treatment. She soon fell into a rhythm as she continued punching the imaginary faces on punching bag over and over again, eagerly waiting for the chance to take on the real thing.
Whiplash nodded approvingly at 588's sudden improvement in her performance before he turned around and spread his wings. He was about to take off when the facility's intercom turned on and started filling the training hall, and the rest of the facility, with music.
"What's going on? This better not be someone's idea of a joke." Whiplash growled as the music was already grating on his nerves. "If I find out whoever did this I'll..." his voice trailed off when he and his fellow instructors noticed that all the Iron Feathers had stopped training and were just standing there, all of them with big smiles on their faces.
"Hey! Who said you could slack off?" Whiplash demanded, and approached one of the Iron Feathers but she ignored him. He glared at the insubordinate filly and grabbed her by the shoulders, "I'm talking to you, soldier!" He shouted and was about to turn the filly around to face him, when he heard somone scream.
He turned and saw an instructor under attack by the Iron Feathers. The stallion managed to fight off some of the Iron Feathers before their sheer numbers overwhelmed him. The fillies started pummeling him mercilessly with their precision gloves, which were soon splattered with his blood. The other instructors rushed to save him but immediately found themselves fighting for their own lives when the rest of the Iron Feathers turned on them as well.
Whiplash pulled out his gauss pistols and aimed at a nearby Iron Feather, but just as he was about pull the trigger, an Iron Feather jumped onto his back and plunged a scalpel into his left shoulder, causing him to drop one of his guns as he cried out in pain.
He grabbed a fistful of her mane with his free hand and pulled her and the scalpel she held onto, off his back before slamming her hard into the ground, "Time for you to die!" he growled, and fired his pistol. 588 rolled out of the way, dodging the shot just as it hit the spot where her head had been seconds ago. She threw the bloody scalpel right into the instructor's face.
"Arghh! My eye!" Whiplash screamed before he pulled the scalpel from what was left of his left eye; he threw the bloody blade away and glared at the smiling filly with his one good eye. "You! You'll pay for this!" he swore before taking off into the air, dodging a second scalpel as it flew past him.
He fired at her with his one pistol but with the loss of one eye, his accuracy suffered as his shots went wide off their mark. His pistol soon ran out of bullets, forcing him to reload in the air. 588 simply stood there, watching him with the ever-present smile on her face, as if she was taunting him to make his next move.
Crying out in frustration, Whiplash suddenly went into a dive, firing potshots at the Iron Feather. A wicked smile crept onto his face when he saw his shots were steadily getting closer and closer to his target but his smile vanished when he saw the filly holding his other gauss pistol in her hands. She raised the gun and fired a single shot. He gasped when he felt the round tear through one of his wings, followed by the sensation of falling before he met the ground with a bone breaking crash.
588 lowered Whiplash's pistol and walked toward the instructor as he laid there on the floor in a heap. He tried to defend himself with his pistol but the Iron Feather simply kicked the weapon out of his grasp, disarming him.
Whiplash glared at her, "Well, what are you waiting for?" he shouted in between labored breaths, "Finish me!"
588 was more than willing to oblige him and raised her pistol, but changed her mind and said, "No, you're not getting off that easy..." and fired at his legs. He cried out in agony when the rounds tore through his flesh and shattered the bones underneath, crippling him even further.
She threw the gun away and pulled out another scalpel. Realizing what she was about to do to him, Whiplash tried to crawl away, but with his crippled limbs, he didn't make it very far before the filly plunged the scalpel into his back.
The filly hummed along with the music, which drowned out the instructor's screams as she took her time cutting into him. She needed to warm up before she gets to Happy Day. After all, it would be a shame if he died on the operating table before she was done with him.
Just go and listen
It'll start with a smile
It won't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try...
The Diamond Dogs' assault was well underway when 588 finally stepped out of the training hall; her sisters were still busy dealing with the remaining instructors. Their former instructors may have been more experienced but it was only a matter of time before her sisters overwhelms them.
588 hummed along to the music as she made her way through the facility, making sure that she avoided any fighting along the way to the disposal chamber. She didn't want to waste any more time than she already had. She just couldn't wait to 'operate' on the stallion that cause her and her daddy so much suffering.
The smile on her face grew even wider as she imagined all the ways she would cut into Happy Day as she vivisects him, and how he would scream from the agony. She wondered if he would scream as loud as Whiplash did before he passed out. Who knew a stallion could scream like that.
The music started to fade as she went deeper into the facility where the disposal chamber was located, but the smile remained on her face. She almost broke out into a run when she saw her destination so close but resisted the urge to do so when she heard Stedson talking to someone. She stopped just outside the doorway and listened in.
"Stedson, when the Dominion finds out mercenaries captured a top secret facility, they'll come after you. I can get you out of this." She heard Happy Day say as he tried to bargain for his life.
"This station doesn't exist," Stedson replied. "You can't get me out of this, you killed me twelve years ago remember? I'm just waiting for a certain someone to show." 588 decided to make her entrance and walked into the chamber. "Speak of the devil, there she is!" she smiled as Stedson introduced her to Happy.
"This is 588. She was a very close friend of 522. I told her what really happened to her sister." The filly's smile faltered for a brief moment at the mention of her late sister. Seeing this, Stedson changed the subject. "Fun fact, she also holds that nine hour record I mentioned earlier. She's been looking forward to this for a while."
"I plan to break that record today." She said with a smile that grew wider when she set her sights on Happy Day. Her smile made the stallion's blood run cold when he saw the predatory look in her eyes.
"Stedson don't do this!" Happy Day shouted desperately but Stedson ignored him and turned to the mercenaries.
"Guards, do us a favor and break his remaining legs. Then take him to medical. 588 needs to practice her first aid," requested Stedson. 588 became ecstatic at this since she'll get to use everything she needs for a proper procedure but held in her excitement as she watched Stedson lean in closer to Happy Day and said.
"You broke my wings Happy. But you also let me live out my dream, so I can let that go. But what you forced me to do to 522... I'm afraid I just can't look the other way on that one."
With an affirmative nod from Penny Pincher, the guards broke both of Happy's legs with a kick from their power-armored legs. The stallion screamed in pain, his screaming soon turned to whimpers as the guards lifted him up by his bleeding forelegs and dragged him out into the hallway, with 588 following behind.
The fighting in the facility had more or less stopped by now, with the Diamond Dogs victorious so the trek to the medical bay was relatively uneventful save for Happy Day's occasional pleas for mercy, which were mostly ignored by the guards and the single Iron Feather following them.
"Please...I promise that you'll never see me again...just let me go." Happy begged again when they entered the medical bay. The guards tossed him onto one of the operating tables and locked him in place. The guards turned to leave until 588 stopped them.
"Wanna stay and watch?" the filly offered, the guards shrugged to each other before they took a seat on the other tables.
The guards watched on curiously as the filly went about collecting various surgical tools for Happy Day's 'operation', the majority of which were scalpels and sutures. They wondered what she would do with so many tools.
"Wha-what are you going to do to me?" Happy Day asked fearfully as he watched the filly approach him, she had a needle in one hand and some sutures in the other.
She ignored him as she stuck the needle into one of his bleeding forelegs and started stitching up the wound, before doing the same to the other foreleg. Her actions confused Happy Day but made him slightly hopeful of his survival.
"Are...are you letting me go?" he asked.
"Nope..." she replied, before exchanging the needle and sutures for a scalpel and forceps, "...I just didn't want you to bleed to death before I broke my record. Can't have that, now can we?" the stallion merely gulped at her words as he made another plea for his freedom.
"Please...I'll do anything you want...just let me go!" he begged, any shred of dignity he may have left, long gone as he started crying his eyes out. 588 stopped just as she was about to cut into his flank.
"Anything huh...?" The filly asked as she playfully tapped the forceps against her chin, pondering on what she would want from him.
"Yes! Anything you want!" Happy cried out hysterically as tears started to flow down his cheeks. The guards almost pitied for the poor stallion. Almost.
Her smile returned when she thought of a good response, "What I want, is for you to scream for Mercy!" she declared before stabbing him in the shoulder. He screamed as she made the first of many incisions.
While the Diamond Dogs were busy securing the facility and rooting out any remaining pockets of resistance, one of their soldiers was making his way to the docking bay. He stopped when the gates opened up and a fresh squad of Diamond Dogs entered the station. The soldier quickly checked the ammo count on his gauss rifle and saw that he had only 15 rounds left, hardly enough to take on a whole squad.
He tensed up when the mercenaries got closer to him; one of them gave him a hard look. He started to sweat under the mercenary's scrutinizing gaze and was about to make a run for it when the mercenary pulled away and said, "I see that you got a little roughed up in there huh?" the mercenary commented, pointing at the soldier's power armor.
The soldier blinked under the tinted visor and looked at his power armor. The suit was badly damaged, parts of the armored plating was either missing or riddled with bullet holes, the worst of the damage was the left shoulder where the pauldron appeared to have been blown off, exposing the servos underneath, which were giving off sparks and smoke.
"Y-yeah...one of those damn resocs got lucky. I was going to get this fixed back at the transport." The soldier replied, gesturing to the smoking servo.
"Better grab a replacement suit then, faster that way." He said before turning to his squad, "You guys go on ahead, I'm gonna help this guy with his suit, don't want somebody to jump him while he's like this." his team nodded to him before moving on.
"You don't have to do this. I'll be fine on my own." The soldier protested.
"Nah, its fine. Come on." The mercenary insisted as he led the soldier to the docking bay.
The gates slid aside as the soldier followed his self-appointed guide to one of the dropships docked next to the Hydra's shuttle, he noticed the trails of blood near the shuttle, indicating what had happened to the crew.
They went up to one of the dropships and entered through the open bay doors. Inside, he saw that the dropship carried a small armory's worth of equipment as a number of spare suits of power armor lined one side of the walls while weapons and spare cases of ammo lined the other.
"Here." The mercenary said as he gestured to the empty suits of power armor, "You can get changed and-" the rest of the words died in his mouth when he suddenly found himself looking down the barrel of the soldier's gauss rifle being held close to the his helmet.
"What the buck are you do-" the soldier cut him off midsentence when he pulled the trigger and fired all 15 armor piercing rounds straight into the helmet, killing the Diamond Dog as he fell in a heap on the floor.
"That was for Peace Keeper, you buckers..." Steel Gaze said as he raised his visor. He opened up the power armor and fell out onto the floor of the with a thud. His DI uniform was torn and bloody from the injuries he had accumulated during the Diamond Dog's assault. He struggled to his hooves before dragging himself past the dead mercenary and up the ladder to the cockpit. He was thankful that there was no one inside as he didn't have the energy left to fight let alone subdue anyone else at this point.
Once he got into the pilot's seat, he closed the troop bay doors and started the ship's engines, which got the attention of some Diamond Dogs who were escorting Penny Pincher to his ship.
"What the hell? Who authorized that transport for launch?" the squad leader yelled into his comlink.
"No one sir. The pilot is not responding to us."
At that moment, the dropship fired off its thrusters and lifted off the hangar floor.
"What the, someone's hijacking one of our ships! Shoot it down!" the mercenary ordered as he and the rest of his squad opened fire on the ship but it fled into the asteroid field before their weapons could do any significant damage to it.
"Damn it! Tell all ships to target that dropship and blast it to pieces!" the squad leader yelled into his comlink.
"Roger that."
"That won't be necessary sargeant." Penny Pincher said as he opened his communicator. "All ships, cancel that last order. Let that ship go."
"But sir!" the squad leader protested, he was silenced when Penny Pincher raised his hoof.
"Not to worry sargent, my associates and I will handle this..." Penny Pincher looked at the retreating dropship and smiled. "...It appears that Miss Sparkle will have her scapegoat after all." |
Born of Sin: Descent to Madness | Lost in the Dark and the Forgotten Light | Stedson laughed as he flew through the open skies and felt the wind blowing through his fur. There was no other feeling like it. He looked down at the town below and waved to the ponies as he passed them by overhead. He picked up his speed when he saw a farmhouse in the distance. His home.
So peaceful...
He stopped flapping his wings when he got closer to the farmhouse, but kept them extended as he gently glide his way down. Unfortunately, his landing wasn't as graceful as his descent when his hoof got caught in a stone jutting out of the ground just as he was about to land, causing him to tumble forward several feet before skidding to a halt with his muzzle deep in the mound of dirt he dug up.
Stedson groaned as he pulled himself out of the dirt and rubbed his sore snout with a hoof. He coughed up some dirt and even a couple of his feathers. That was not one of his better landings. He then heard someone giggling at him. His face broke out into a smile when he saw the pink unicorn mare stepping out onto the front porch.
So beautiful...
"Candy!" he exclaimed before letting out a nervous laugh, "Er...You didn't see that just now...did you?" he asked her in a hopeful tone of voice but was disappointed and embarrassed when she nodded her head while trying to keep her laughter under control.
"I give that landing a 4.5 out of 10." Candy said as she trotted up to him, "Here, let me give you a hoof...or a horn." She said with a laugh as she lit up her horn and lifted the pegasus up to his hooves.
"Thanks..." He stopped and coughed some more feathers, "...also, a 4.5? That rock came out of nowhere."
Candy rolled her eyes at him, "Fine, you get a 5 out 10. Happy now?" Stedson surprised her when he gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"Very." He replied while grinning at the stunned look on her face, "So how was your day at the clinic?"
She recovered from her stupor and recounted her day to him, "Oh, nothing much really. It was really slow today, the only real patient I had was our own son."
Son...?
His brows furrowed when he heard this, "Did something happen to him? Is he all right?" he asked worriedly.
"He's alright, just cut himself a little when he fell into a patch of thorns while playing hoofball with his friends." Candy explained.
Stedson sighed in relief at the news,"So where is he right now?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" she said, gesturing to their home.
"Dad?" a voice called out to him.
Stedson turned his head and saw a young colt standing by the doorway; the colt had some bandages covering his cream white coat. He had his father's brown mane which was just as, if not more unkempt as his father's as it covered up his forehead completely. He saw that the colt was wearing Candy's coat over his tiny frame.
Pegasus?...Unicorn?... Earth Pony?
"Hey son, what are you standing way over there for? Come and give your old man a hug!" He said but the colt shook his head and said something about cooties.He shrugged before pulling Candy into his arms, "Then I guess I'll just settle for kissing your... mother in front of you." he smirked when he saw Candy rolling her eyes at him.
"What?" the colt cried out in a mix of surprise and disgust, "Alright I'll hug you! Just don't kiss mom in front of me." He said before he trotted up to his parents and hugged them both. Stedson then kissed his wife right on the lips, in full view of their son, much to his disgust. Candy on the other hoof, didn't mind as much.
"Ewww! You tricked me!" the colt exclaimed while trying to pry himself out of his father's hooves.
Stedson gave his son a smirk, "Well, I didn't say anything about not kissing your mother, now did I?"
"Now dear, you know he doesn't like it when you tease him." Candy gently scolded him.
"Yeah dad, that's my job!" a familiar voice suddenly called out from the house.
"Sis! You're back!" his son cried out excitedly.
No, that's not possible...
He turned his head and saw an orange pegasus mare walking towards them. She stopped in front of his son and gave him a hug. "Good to see you again squirt, what's with the bandages?" she said to the colt
"522...Is that you?" he blurted out.
The mare stopped dead in her tracks and cocked her head curiously to the side. "What are you talking about dad? It's me..." Stedson just looked at her blankly "...your daughter? I just got back from my camping trip. Have I really been away that long?"
Stedson blinked at the mare before him and shook his head, "Sorry...my mistake, I thought you were someone else for second." he smiled weakly at his daughter, "...Oh and welcome home." He added.
"Thanks dad, it's good to be home." She said before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "I miss you guys so much...but I gotta tell you something."
"And what's that?"
"Wake up."
"What?" he opened his eyes and his family had vanished. He turned around and saw that everything else was gone too; the town in the distance had disappeared, consumed by a sea of shadows that was getting closer by the second.
"Stedson!" He turned to his house, and saw Candy with their children standing inside the doorway of their home, beckoning to him with outstretched hooves.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" he shouted back and broke out into a run, but the encroaching shadow was faster as it swallowed the ground underneath and fell to the darkness below. He instinctively opened his wings and flapped them, confident that he'd make it to his family but realized that he was still falling.
"Wake up..." He looked up, saw his home, slowly becoming a small speck of light as he fell further, and further away from it and into the darkness below. He stretched his hoof out to the light and reached for it, only for the darkness to take him.
"Wake up..."
Stedson's eyes shot wide open as he jolted awake in his bed. He turned his head from side to side, frantically searching for any sign of his family but reality soon dawned on him when he saw the familiar gray metal walls of his room on the station. He moved a hoof to his head and sighed.
"That never happened before..." He murmured to himself before getting out of bed. He shrugged off his clothes as he shuffled his way to the shower room. With a twist of a knob, he sighed as he felt the cascade of warm water wash over his body.
Much to his dismay however, his troubles didn't melt away as he kept thinking about the dream he has. He's been having these dreams for years now. The dreams usually showed him living with Candy and occasionally raising a child or two in an idyllic settlement. They made life aboard the station more bearable as they gave him hope of a better future for him, and his daughters.
However, years passed by and nothing changed. The dreams now made him feel only sadness and regret. He wondered if they were some sort of 'punishment' cooked up by his guilty conscious for what he has done. He would have welcomed the nightmares he used to have but they refused to haunt him for a long time...that is until now.
'Why was that one different...?' he thought as he contemplated the meaning behind his dream before he shook his head, 'It doesn't matter. It was just a dream, nothing more. Wasn't it?' but before he could ponder more on the meaning behind his dreams, his desk terminal came online.
"Incoming transmission for you, Doctor Cog." an electronic voice called out.
He grumbled incoherently as he turned off the shower and got out, "Who the hell could be calling me at this hour?" he complained as he toweled himself off while going over to his desk and accepted the call. "This better be important or else I'm going to be-" he blinked when he saw the face of an orange pegasus mare on the screen.
"Hi dad."
After the awkwardness had passed and he was dressed in something besides a towel, Stedson spent some time catching up with 588 as they talked about things that had happened since their last talk. He did his best not to show his discomfort when she briefly talked about her latest bedroom partner. Poor guy. He was thankful when she finally changed the topic to something else.
"Anything new with you, dad?" she asked.
"Nope, everything is still the same on this hunk of rock." He and 588 shared a laugh at the inside joke. "So, how are you and the others holding up?" he asked. "Getting bored with guard duty yet?" he added jokingly.
When 588 and the other Iron Feathers joined up with the Diamond Dogs, they had expected to go on missions and see some combat but were disappointed when they were assigned to guard duty and nothing else. While Stedson was more than happy with the arrangement, the Iron Feathers thought otherwise as many of them considered it waste of their skills but orders were orders, and good soldiers followed them.
The mare on the screen rolled her eyes, a habit she picked up a long time ago from her mother and former teacher, "Very funny dad. Me and the girls are doing fine and just so you know, we got a major operation coming up soon."
"You do?" he asked, his voice suddenly filled with dread.
"Yep, Mr Pincher says that The Prophet wants everyone in on this operation, and that includes us!" she shouted excitedly. After being stuck on guard duty for so long, the Iron Feathers were very eager for a chance to prove themselves in battle.
Stedson on the other hoof was not as enthusiastic about his daughters going into battle as Mercy was. The Iron Feathers may have been trained to be the perfect soldiers but it didn't mean they were immortal. There were bound to be casualties.
"Where is this big operation supposed to happen?" he asked curiously, thinking that it would give him some peace of mind if he knew where they were going.
"Oh, the operation is going to..." she paused for a moment, "umm...we're not supposed to talk about it with anyone. Sorry dad, orders are orders."
"It's alright 588, I understand that much at least." He assured her.
"Dad! How many times do I gotta tell you, it's Mercy now!" She corrected him.
Stedson chuckled, "Sorry about that, Mercy. It's still kind of hard getting used to calling you by something other than 588...you sure you don't want to change it to something else, like Archer?" he suggested.
Mercy gave him a flat look and told him her opinion on the matter in just one word.
"No."
'Definitely her mother's daughter alright.' he thought, "Alright, forget I asked..." he said before saw the time and realized how long they've been talking, "...I think it's time that we end it here, I've got to go to work soon."
"Okay dad." She said as she reached towards the monitor to cut off the transmission.
"Oh, there's one more thing I want to you to pass to the others."
"Yeah, what is it dad?"
"Tell them to be careful on that operation...and good luck."
"You worry too much dad. We're Iron Feathers!" she boasted, "But thanks." She added softly before ending the transmission.
He sat back into his chair and let out a weary sigh. Despite Mercy's 'assuring' words, he couldn't help but feel the opposite. It was the fact that they were Iron Feathers that made him so worried about them in the first place, especially the ones outside the Diamond Dogs.
A few years ago, a number of Iron Feathers came forward and told him that they did not want to join the Diamond Dogs anymore. They felt that their destinies laid elsewhere and wanted to seek them out on their own in the sector.
He was worried they wouldn't be able to adjust to a normal life, so he did everything he could to convince them to reconsider and join the Diamond Dogs, or to stay with him on the station as an alternative, but being the stubborn lot that they were, they refused. In the end, he prepared a number of ships for them loaded with supplies and bid them farewell.
Even though he had promised them that he wouldn't interfere with their lives, he couldn't help but worry, so he decided to at least watch out for his daughters. And with the Diamond Dog's resources at his disposal, he was able to learn their whereabouts and the new life they lead outside the Diamond Dogs.
Unfortunately, from what he learned from one of the earliest 'reports', a few of the Iron Feathers had turned to a life of crime and became pirates or mercenaries, terrorizing merchant and civilian ships all over the sector. He felt horrible whenever he learned of the atrocities they committed in their raids.
However, it wasn't all bad news. The reports also stated the rest of the Iron Feathers had found a life of their own across the five sub-sectors and were leading perfectly normal lives in society. He couldn't be any happier for them...or at least he was until they started to vanish.
Over the past few years, the Iron Feathers were disappearing one after the other with no trace of what happened to them. He didn't take the matter seriously at first since the ones who vanished were those who had turned to piracy, he reasoned that they could be just hiding from the law or rival pirates and let it be.
But he couldn't ignore the disappearances any further when one of the Iron Feathers, who had been working as a baker on Agria, turned up missing, which was followed by more of his daughters dropping off the radar throughout the sector.
Worried for their safety, he immediately contacted Penny Pincher and asked him to put the remaining Iron Feathers under his protection and investigate the cause of the disappearances. The mercenary refused his request and said that saving a bunch of weaklings who had refused to join the Diamond Dogs was a waste of his time.
When Stedson heard those words, he got into a heated argument with Penny Pincher. He didn't remember many of the things he said but he did make the mercenary lose his temper, which was a rare occurrence. He lost the argument when Penny Pincher threatened to take away his communications privileges, and without that, he wouldn't be able to contact Mercy or the rest of her sisters.
In the end, all he could do was to keep an eye out for any sign of the missing Iron Feathers while observing those that remained. While the disappearances had stopped, it had been nearly two years since the last disappearance and he was losing hope of ever finding his missing daughters again.
He sat back into his chair and stared up at the ceiling, wondering. Wondering about the things he did that brought him to this point, and if he could have done them differently. Maybe then, that dream would be a reality...
"Candy..." he whispered his lover's name longingly and thought of looking for her and 36. He had the means at his disposal to do so, but ever since his 'disagreement' with Penny Pincher, the Diamond Dogs have been watching him like a hawk and he'd hate to put them in any danger due to his carelessness. It was as if Happy Day had never left.
Stedson grunted as he got out the chair, and put on his labcoat. An orange feather fell from one of the pockets. He picked up the frayed feather and smiled sadly at it before putting it safely back into his coat before walking out the door. He needed to bury all these depressing thoughts with work.
Lots of it
Somewhere out in the desert wastelands of Meinhoff, a single pony was driving an uncovered buggy across the scorched landscape. He was protected from the sun's ultraviolet rays by a large hooded cloak, which covered him from head to hoof as he drove across the desert. He was listening to some music on the radio before on an urgent news broadcast interrupted his tunes.
Terrorism! It has been a week now since the devastating psychic attack against our fair capital, and the citizens still ask the question, "Who is responsible?!" Fortunately the mares and stallions of Dominion Intelligence have found the stallion behind the heinous attack against Imperial civilians. Would you like to know more?
The pony turned off the radio and stopped the buggy when he neared his destination. He then got out of the vehicle and opened up the trunk, pulling out the big metal case inside. He strapped it to his back and started walking up to the top of a nearby hill, which gave him a good view of the domed farmstead in the distance.
Steel Gaze pulled back his hood, revealing the ocular implant in place of his right eye, which he had lost early on in his one-stallion crusade against the Diamond Dogs. The implant whirred as he zoomed in on the dome. He smiled when he saw his target, a unicorn mare tending to the fields all on her own.
"So this is who they have been hiding all this time. A mare...typical." Steel Gaze snorted derisively before pulling back his cloak, revealing his old DI combat uniform. The dark suit of armor was old and battered in places, but it was one of the few things he had left of his old life in the Dominion before he was framed for the murder of Vice Admiral Day.
"Wonder why you're so important." he muttered to himself before he lifted the heavy case off his back and opened it up. Inside were the dissembled pieces of a rifle, along with a pair of precision gloves, which he put on. "No matter, I'll find out after you're dead." He said as he started assembling the rifle.
Even with the heat and the dust, it only took him mere minutes to put the rifle together. It was massive gun by anypony's standard and it appeared unwieldy, but he handled the rifle with practiced ease as he gave it one last inspection before setting it down on the ground.
He then lay down beside the rifle and pulled out a length of cable from his cybernetic eye which he connected to the rifle. His implant whirred as it gave him the measurements on the wind, elevation, and distance along with other factors that he needed to adjust to for the shot.
With the final calibrations set, he pulled the cable out and zoomed in on his target. He smiled when he saw his target still there, completely unaware of her imminent demise. He released the weapon's safety lock and took aim. He breathed in as he moved his hand to the trigger and was about to open fire when he heard someone cocking a gun behind him.
"Step away from the gun, or I'll splatter your brain all over the sand." the pony threatened. The former DI agent mentally cursed himself for his carelessness as he got up and moved away from the rifle.
"Good. Now turn around nice, and easy." he did as he was told and turned around. He eyed the HFB strapped to his front, ready to be used at a moment's notice, but all thoughts of killing whoever had sneaked up on him were gone when he saw a face that he hasn't seen in a long time.
"Well, well, well...if it ain't my old buddy, Gaze." Spend Thrift said as he looked at the ex-DI agent's implant, "Looks like the past eight years haven't been very kind to you, have they? " he quipped as he waved his revolver around playfully. "I've heard that a rogue agent from Dominion Intelligence has been hunting down Diamond Dogs across the sector but I never expected it to be you of all people."
"I...I thought I was the only one that got away." Steel Gaze muttered as he looked at his former comrade. "How... How are you still alive?" he asked as he approached Spend Thrift and stretched his hand out to him, thinking it was some kind of mirage and his hand would pass through him. He was proven wrong when the earth pony swatted his hand away.
"Not so fast, Gaze. Now, step away or I'll shoot." Spend Thrift threatened, reminding him of the gun still pointed at his head.
"Inspector Thrift... what are you doing?" he asked, backing away warily.
"That's Deputy Thrift to you, Gaze. I don't work for the Dominion anymore." Spend Thrift corrected him and pulled back his vest, showing him the gleaming badge underneath. "I've also been hired to keep that mare that you were about to shoot, safe. And my boss told me to be on the lookout for the guy that's been taking out our boys. Figure I'd take down two birds with one stone."
"What do you mean, your boys? The only ones I've killed were...the Diamond Dogs." his eyes then lit up with realization, "You! You were the one that betrayed us back at Castanar!" he shouted before pulling out his HFB and swung it at Spend Thrift.
The earth pony ducked under the spinning blade and swept his leg under the pegasus' legs, knocking him down. He then tried to fire his weapon, wanting to end this quickly, but was caught off guard when Steel bucked him in the chest, knocking him back and onto the ground.
"What is with pegasi and them bucking me in the chest!" the earth pony complained before he jumped back up on his hind legs and pulled up his gun, but he had lost it. He didn't have the chance to look for his missing revolver when Gaze came charging at him with his HFB in hand. Spend Thrift quickly rolled out of the way, barely dodging the blade as it sliced off a few strands of his tail. He scooped up a handful of sand, and threw it in his opponent's face.
"Aaargh!" Steel Gaze cried out angrily as he tried to get the sand out of his eye. Spend Thrift took the opportunity to buck him into a nearby boulder, knocking the breath out of him. With his opponent down for the moment, Spend Thrift looked around for his revolver to get the upperhoof but Gaze had already recovered and tackled him to the ground.
The two traded blows with each other as they rolled around in the sand as they wrestled desperately for the HFB, but Steel Gaze, literally, came out on top and pinned his opponent beneath him. He raised the HFB triumphantly over his head and pulled the trigger, making the blade spin.
"Die Traitor!" he declared before plunging the blade down into the earth pony's chest. "What?" but instead of penetrating flesh, he felt the blade hit something more solid. He looked down and saw it had punctured into one of Spend Thrift's precision gloves. The pegasus growled and turned the blade back on as it started to cut through the metal hand.
Spend Thrift gritted his teeth and looked into the pegasus' cybernetic eye which glowed an angry red as he struggled to hold back the spinning blade which was quickly tearing through what was left of his mechanical hand. Steel growled impatiently and drove the HFB even further into the glove, fully intent on ending the earth pony's life. He smiled when he saw the blade finally penetrate through the glove but became confused when he saw Spend Thrift smiling.
"What the hell are you smiling about?" he demanded.
"Ya know what I like about the Diamond Dogs, Gaze?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"What?" he shouted back.
"They always have the best toys." He answered before grabbing hold of Steel Gaze's arm with his other precision glove, which started glowing as it crackled with power.
"What are you-Aaaaah!" Steel screamed when the glove sent a powerful surge of electricity into his body. He let go of the HFB's trigger when the muscles in his body painfully contracted from the electric shock. Spend Thrift then let go of the pegasus before pushing him aside.
"Damn...that was a close one." Spend Thrift coughed as he got back up on his hooves. He looked at the HFB still stuck in his mangled precision glove. He pulled it out and took a closer look at it and noticed that the weapon was old as the internal mechanism was worn out, explaining why it had taken so long to tear through his precision glove. Something he was very thankful for.
He tried to operate the damaged glove but it gave off a spark and delivered a mild but painful shock into his arm. "Ow! Son of a bitch!" he swore before he took off the damaged glove and threw it away. He then he reached into his vest and pulled out a phone, dialed a number. He eventually got a response when heard Penny Pincher's voice on the other end.
"What is it Mr Thrift? I'm very busy planning a planetary assault here, so make it quick." He snapped impatiently.
"Geez boss, relax a bit will ya. Just thought that I should let you know that I caught someone trying to off our girl just now...and it's the same guy that's been taking out our boys across the sector." He then walked up to Steel's rifle and let out a low whistle.
"Mr Thrift, is something the matter?"
"Whoa, is that an antique Terran BOSUN rifle!? I've never seen one outside of museums and private collections before...Can I have it?" He grinned when he heard Penny Pincher sigh on the other end of the line.
"Please focus on the matter at hoof, Mr Thrift. Can you confirm that it's actually him?" he asked.
"Eeyup, even got a confession out of him saying so but you won't believe who it is."
"Well...who is it then?" he asked impatiently.
"Dominion Intelligence Special Operative: Steel Gaze." He answered, "Well, former operative really, but you already know all about that, don't ya boss?"
"Mr Gaze? I thought he died while hiding on some backwater world."
"Apparently not, he's still alive and kicking...in a manner of speaking." He said as he looked at Gaze's still twitching body. "So what do you want me to do with him? Bring him in for questioning?" he suggested.
"No. I hired you to keep that mare safe until I say otherwise and you coming to us would jeopardize your mission. Besides, bringing Mr Gaze here would only be a waste of time and resources. He's a loose end, just take care of it however you see fit."
"Alright boss, you got it." He then ended the call but instead of putting the phone away, he dialed in another number. He didn't wait very long before someone picked up the phone.
"Gallows City Sheriff's Office, this is Golden Sea speaking. How may I help you?" the receptionist enquired.
"Hey Goldy, is the boss in right now?"
"Oh D-Deputy Thrift, it's you." Spend smiled at the way the mare was acting when she realized whom she was talking to.
'Heh, I still got it.' He thought with a smirk.
"I'm sorry but the sheriff is out at the moment." She said when she calmed down. "Do you want to leave a message for him when he comes back?" she offered.
"Sure Goldy. Tell him that I caught a suspicious looking fella sneaking around one of the farms while I was out on my break. Bastard pulled a HFB on me when he saw me coming."
"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" she exclaimed worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but he wrecked one of my gloves before I could take him down. Anyways, I checked out the database to see who the guy was; says he's wanted by the Dominion."
"By the Dominion? Sounds serious. I'll be sure to let the sheriff know about this as soon as possible."
"Much obliged darlin' and by the way, are ya free tonight?"
"Yes, why?" she asked curiously.
Spend let out a chuckle and spoke in the smoothest voice possible. "Cause I'm getting a reward for bringing this guy in and I'm asking ya out to dinner at that fancy new restaurant ya like so much, to celebrate." He explained.
"W-what?" she stuttered.
"Think about it Goldy. You, me, a candle-lit dinner, and maybe something a little bit more." He added suggestively. He smirked when he heard the mare squeak, probably at the images he just put in her head. "So Goldy, can I take that as a yes?"
The mare squeaked out a quick "Yes!" before cutting the call short. Spend Thrift chuckled at the mare's reaction before putting his phone away. He turned to Steel Gaze, who was still recovering from the electric shock.
"Ya hear that Gaze? I got a hot date tonight and its all thanks you." He said as he retrieved his fallen revolver. He then slowly walked towards the pegasus who was breathing heavily as his body continued to twitch about uncontrollably.
"Nothing personal Gaze, but I gotta kill ya now." He said as he aimed the gun at his head and fingered the trigger.
"W-wait!" Steel exclaimed, his voice still strained from the shock. Spend Thrift decided to humor him and lowered his gun, confident that there wasn't anything the pegasus could do stop him in his condition.
"Oh, are ya gonna start begging for ya life now, Gaze? That's hardly fitting for a professional soldier like you, now is it?" he said in mock disappointment.
"No...I want to know...Why?"
"Why?" the earth pony repeated. "Why what?"
"Why...did you...betray us?" he asked between ragged breaths.
Spend Thrift' scratched his chin with his ungloved hoof while deep in thought. He smirked when he came up with a response. "Easy, the Diamond Dogs paid me to do it; it was an offer I'd never refuse." He answered before raising his revolver back up and pulled back the hammer. "Anymore stupid questions?"
"That's all it took for you to betray us? Money!?" the pegasus shouted angrily, ignoring the numbness in his body as he tried to get back up onto his hooves.
Feeling a little bored and in need of some entertainment, he watched the pegasus slowly get back up on his hind legs and started stumbling his way to him, nearly falling over himself several times as he struggled to put one hoof in front of the other, like a drunken sailor. He even cursed like one too, shouting all manner of profanities at him.
The earth pony would have found this sight funny, if he didn't already find it sad and pathetic.
"You greedy son of a-" he was cut off mid-swear when Spend Thrift punched him square in the jaw with his ungloved hoof, sending the pegasus reeling before he tripped and fell flat on his back.
"That's enough cussin' out of ya." Spend Thrift said sternly before he aimed his revolver at the pegasus for the umpteenth time and asked calmly. "Any last words?"
"-Bitch." Steel finished spitefully, giving him one last glare. Spend Thrift pulled the trigger and the revolver let out an explosive roar as he ended the pegasus' miserable life. He watched the glow from Steel's implant slowly grow dark and sighed deeply.
"Goodbye Gaze."
Inside the greenhouse dome of the Cog Family Farm, Candy was tending to the fields by herself, pulling out weeds by hoof and she was having a tough time doing it too. Normally she'd be at the hospital right now, working as a part time nurse, but circumstances forced her to take the day off to do some farm work.
"Of all the days for all the machines to break down... they had to do it today!" Candy grumbled as she tried to pull out a particularly stubborn weed from one of the carrot beds. But no matter how hard she pulled at it, the weed refused to budge an inch.
"That's it! The gloves are coming off now!" she declared as she fired up her horn, and wrapped the offending weed in her magic, and pulled. However, the weed remained firmly rooted in the ground. This only made the mare even more determined to uproot it as she poured more of her magic into her spell.
"Come on you stupid! Little! Weed!" she growled as the strain was starting to give her a headache. She then heard a loud bang in the distance, startling her as she let out an uncharacteristic "Eeep!" and fell flat on her back. She then felt something fall on her head; it was the weed, root and all.
Instead of feeling triumphant however, she let out an annoyed snort as she picked up the weed in her magic and tossed it into the compost bin. She then narrowed her eyes at the house, or rather, someone inside the house.
"Esper! You better not be messing around in Tinker's workshop again!" she yelled out warningly.
Some noise came from inside the house before a colt's voice shouted in return."No mom! I'm just watching TV in the living room with Claire!"
Her worries alleviated, she turned back to the carrot bed and stared at the rest of the overgrown weeds. She sighed as she lit up her horn but stopped when she saw a familiar APT driving up to the dome.
"Mom! Uncle Rook is here!" Esper and Claire cried out excitedly. Candy giggled at their excitement before trotting back into her house. She can deal with the weeds later.
She walked into the old house from the back door and saw a yellow pegasus in a dusty coat coming in through the front door. Sheriff Rook, or Uncle Rook as her children liked to call him, waved to her before her children greeted him themselves.
"Hey, how are my favorite twins doing?" he said as he ruffled Esper's brown mane, taking care not to get caught in the cream white unicorn's horn while doing so. The colt laughed as he playfully batted the hoof away.
"Kind of bored, mom's too busy with the farm to take us to the playground today so we're stuck watching old reruns of Doctor Whooves on the TV." Esper explained.
"Then how about I give you a little something to make it less boring." he reached into his coat and pulled out a box wrapped in a bow and hoofed it to the colt. Esper looked at the box curiously before he took it.
"It's a little something me and the boys from the office got for you. Thought they'd might come in handy until you get the hang of your magic." He explained. The colt carefully untied the ribbon and unfolded the wrapping before he opened it; he smiled when he saw what was inside.
A pair of precision gloves, just his size.
"Whoa! This is for me, really?" he asked excitedly. Rook smiled and nodded. "Cool! Now I can be just like Tinker!"
"Go ahead and give them a try." He suggested and watched Esper as he put the mech hands on by inserting his hoof into the socket like he had seen others do before and lifted the gloves up, only for them to fall off and onto the floor with a dull thud. It was clear that he would need a few lessons before he could use them properly.
"Here, let me help you with-oof!" Rook coughed when he felt something, or someone land on his back. He turned his head around to see a pink pegasus filly giggling at him.
"Do you bring something for me too, Uncle Rook?" the filly asked as she bounced on his back, her little wings buzzing with anticipation.
"Take it easy back there will ya? These old bones of mine aren't as strong as they used to be." Claire only giggled before she settled down, curled up her pink and purple tail around her body, and stuck her tongue out at him mischievously.
"Uncle Rook is getting old." The filly sang out teasingly, "Maybe we should call you Grandpa Rook from now on."
Even though he became an actual grandfather a few months ago, Rook didn't take too kindly to that remark. "So that's how you're gonna play it huh, kiddo? Guess that means I'll just give your present away to my own granddaughter then." His words had the desired effect when a look of horror appeared on Claire's face.
"What!?" she exclaimed before hopping off his back in a hurry. "Sorry Grand-er Uncle Rook!" she quickly apologized. Rook chuckled as he took out another gift box from his coat and hoofed it over to the filly. Unlike her brother, Claire tore off the wrappings in a hurry to which her mother could only shake her head.
"Heh, and here I thought I had to make up a reason what a foal would want with an-"
"An autographed picture of Soarin!!" the filly yelled out excitedly as she pulled out a picture frame holding said photo. It showed the famous Wonderbolt flashing a toothy grin with his signature at the bottom. The filly immediately tackled the sheriff into a hug before shouting "Thank you!" repeatedly.
Candy chuckled at the adorable sight before deciding that Rook had enough. "Alright Claire, you can get off him now. I think he knows how much you appreciate your gift." The filly grinned sheepishly before letting go of the stallion and helped him up.
"I gotta show this to Esper! He's going to be so jealous!" she squealed before galloping off to find her brother, who had apparently slipped away during the commotion.
"Honestly Sheriff, you're going to spoil my kids rotten with all these gifts." Candy said while shaking her head at him. Rook chuckled at the statement as he followed Candy to the living room.
"Heh, you should see some of the stuff I got for my own grandkid..."he said before making himself comfortable on the sofa. " Speaking of kids, how has Tinker been doing lately? Does she remember anything new?" he asked.
"No, I'm afraid not but she's doing just fine, Doctor Bernard says she's getting better with her prosthetics too." She said as she down in the armchair opposite him.
"It won't be long before she can go around town on her own, huh?" he asked.
"I wouldn't go that far but she could stand to get out of that workshop of hers more often. She's been cooped up in there working on some kind of project in there for a while now."
"At least she's keeping herself busy." He said before a thought occurred to him. "It's almost hard to believe it's been two years since she came crashing into our lives, literally... just like you did seven years ago." He said as he remembered the day when a strange ship crash-landed outside the city and how he found a very pregnant Candy inside.
"Now sheriff, you make it sound like we crashed here on purpose." She said, giving him a flat look.
"Heh, sorry, didn't mean anything by that." He quickly explained, waving his hooves in front of him. He didn't want to get on her bad side. "Still, Tinker nearly gave me a heart attack when her ship crashed outside the city. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the next one that crashes here is your husband." He added with a laugh.
Unfortunately, his joke had the opposite effect on his host, as she became sad at the mention of her 'missing' husband. Rook mentally facehooved at his blunder and wondered if his wife was right when she said Jeff's tactlessness was rubbing off on him.
"Oh geez, me and my big mouth... I'm so sorry!" He quickly apologized, "Is there's anything I could do to make it up to you?" He offered sincerely.
"It's alright sheriff, I'm fine." She said, shaking her head, "Now where did we left-" she stopped when she saw an orange pegasus in a wheelchair, wheeling herself into the room.
"Mom, I heard Claire screaming just now. Is everything..." she then noticed that there was someone else in the living room besides her mother.
"Hey Tinker, how are you doing?" Rook greeted her cheerfully but Candy noticed that her daughter was quivering while giving the sheriff an uneasy look.
"It's alright Tinker," she spoke up, drawing her daughter's attention to herself. "It's just Uncle Rook, remember?"
"Uncle...Rook?" she repeated softly before looking over Candy's shoulders and stared at the stallion in question, now more curious than anxious.
"Yes, he's the one that gave you that multi tool for your birthday last year, remember?" Candy assured her and stepped aside. Tinker looked at Rook a bit more closely before her face flushed red with embarrassment when she remembered who he was.
"I-I'm s-sorry I didn't recognize you, Un-Uncle Rook!" she stuttered apologetically.
"It's alright Tinker, you don't need to apologize." He said, waving off the slight misunderstanding. "Besides, it's my fault for not coming to visit your home more often."
"If y-you say so, Uncle Rook." Tinker answered timidly. Rook saw that she was still quite shy around him, so he decided to try something different.
"I've heard from your mother that you've been working on something in that workshop of yours for a while now..." he smiled when Tinker's ears perked up, "...and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind telling us about it."
"Would I!" she exclaimed excitedly, startling the sheriff, but calmed down when Candy cleared her throat, "Umm, I mean...No, I don't mind at all." She answered sheepishly.
"Great, so what is this 'secret' project of yours?" he asked curiously. Tinker obliged him and started telling him about it.
Candy decided to head for the kitchen before she got dragged into the 'lecture' as well. Her head was still spinning from all the techno-babble from the last time someone got Tinker talking about her projects. She almost felt sorry for the sheriff.
While getting out the extra large jug for the lemonade she was making, she heard laughter coming from outside in the fields and looked out the window. She saw Esper chasing after Claire, who had one of his precision gloves in her mouth.
"Oh Stedson, if only you could be here to see our children..." she sighed wistfully before she went back to making the drinks.
Levitating the tray of refreshments to the living room, she saw that Rook and Tinker were still talking, and it appeared that she had underestimated the sheriff's knowledge on machinery since he was able to keep up with Tinker as they talked about 'hydraulics' this, 'motion control' that. She couldn't make heads or tails out of the conversation.
"Here you go, some ice-cold lemonade." she said as she gave Rook and Tinker some lemonade.
"Thanks mom, I was getting really thirsty." Tinker said before taking a big gulp from her glass.
"Much obliged Mrs Cog."
"So did I miss anything?" she asked.
"Well...Do you remember when you said that we couldn't get me a pair of cybernetic legs?" Candy nodded slowly, a little ashamed that all she could afford for Tinker's disability were a pair of cumbersome metal prosthetics. "I was telling Uncle Rook about the modifications I made to my prosthetics."
"Modifications? What sort of modifications?" Candy asked curiously.
"Let me show you." she said, reaching for the blanket covering her legs and pulled it off, revealing her prosthetic legs, which were bound to her thighs by a series of straps and buckles. Candy noticed that all sorts of mechanical parts and electronics had been added to the metal legs.
"Homemade cybernetics...very impressive." Rook spoke up when he saw all the hardware on the metal legs. Tinker beamed at the praise, "Did you make all the internal workings by yourself?" he asked.
"Yup, I made them from spare parts I found lying around the house." She boasted.
"Spare parts huh?" Candy questioned as she eyed the prosthetic limb, noticing that more than a few of the 'additions' looked very familiar. "You wouldn't have any idea why all of the farming machines are on the fritz, would you?"
Tinker let out a nervous laugh, "Er...maybe?"
Candy then let out a groan as she facehooved herself, trying not to think about all the work she had to do in the fields this morning thanks to Tinker's...tinkering. She sighed as she massaged her temples, trying to rid herself of the growing migraine in her head.
"So does it work?" Rook asked, trying to steer the conversation away from an unpleasant outcome.
"Yes, does it actually work?" Candy echoed, pointing a hoof at the metallic legs. She reasoned to herself that the cost to repair the cannibalized farming machines would be a small price to pay if her crippled daughter could walk normally again.
"Actually, it does work. Here, let me show you." She said as she tightened the straps around her thighs before flipping a switch on each leg. The legs whirred to life as they powered up.
They watched Tinker as she lifted a leg off the hoof pedals and onto the wooden floor, followed by the other. The wood creaked as it took the heavy weight of the metal limbs. She held onto the armrest, using it to support herself and rose from her wheelchair.
"Take it nice and easy, alright?" Candy said worriedly.
"Oh come on mom, I'll be fine." She began, "It's not like this is my first time walking with these." She finished before letting go of the wheelchair and dropping to all four legs. She had some trouble balancing herself at first when she nearly fell over a couple of times before she finally steadied herself.
She then took a few steps forward, expecting her movement to be slow and awkward, just like when she first learned to walk again with her prosthetics, but was surprised when she found herself still moving at a steady pace. She looked back and saw her new hind legs were moving in synch with her forelegs.
"See mom, no problem!" She said as she sped up to a slow trot, before tripping over herself when she forgot to compensate for the added weight. She didn't fall very far before Candy enveloped the young mare in the grey aura of her magic, holding her in place, mid-fall.
"No problem, huh?" Candy asked wryly before releasing the spell. Tinker gave her mother an awkward smile as she righted herself, to which the older mare rolled her eyes in return.
"Okay...so I might need some more practice before I get the hang of them." She admitted, grinning while scratching the back of her head. They were interrupted by the sound of galloping hooves in the house.
"Tinker! Check out what Uncle Rook got us!" Esper called out excitedly when he and Claire came barging into the room. They skidded to a halt when they saw Tinker and her modified prosthetics.
"Whoa!" the twins exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes wide as they stared at Tinker's cyber legs in awe.
"Hey guys! Want to see a trick?" she asked sweetly, hoping to get a reaction out of them. The twins nodded their heads numbly, all while keeping an eye on her back legs.
Tinker used her wings to flip a toggle hidden on each leg before she lifted her forelegs off the floor, and looked at her cyberlegs as they clicked and whirled, shifting her quadruped stance to bipedal. She smiled when she saw the wide-eyed expressions on her siblings' faces.
"Whoa! That's so cool! You're just like Uncle Rook and his robot suit!" Esper exclaimed, drawing a few chuckles from the adults and teen. Tinker was about to correct her little brother when Claire thumped him over the head, much to Candy's disapproval.
"They're called power armor, you dummy!" Esper's ears flattened against his head.
"Oh yeah...Hehe, I knew that." He said, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
"No you didn't!" Claire shouted.
"Yes I did!" Esper shouted back.
"Nuh uh!"
"Ya huh!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Ya huh!"
The twins kept arguing with each other but their voices slowly became distant and muffled to Tinker when she suddenly felt dizzy. She clutched her head in her hooves; the headache suddenly grew worse when an image appeared in her mind.
The image started moving, like a movie. She saw herself, as a filly and another filly who looked just like her, and it looked like they were arguing with each other, but no sounds came out of their mouths. Even though she couldn't hear them, she felt like she knew what they were saying.
They kept arguing until a yellow stallion in a white lab coat stepped forward and told them to stop. She didn't know why, but she felt so happy in his presence. She tried to concentrate on him, to see if she could figure out who he was, but the throbbing in her head suddenly grew worse. It soon became so unbearable that she fell to the floor and passed out.
"Hey guys! I think she's waking up...Tinker...Tinker!" her eyelids flew open at Claire's shouting and saw her family crowding around her, all of them had expressions of relief on their faces when they saw her finally awake.
"What happened...and why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious with so many ponies looking at her.
"You fainted when mom was scolding us for arguing." Esper explained, Claire nodded in agreement with her twin.
"Yeah, you scared the living daylights out of mom when you dropped to the floor. She was ordering Uncle Rook around like she was his boss." Claire said, giggling at what happened. Tinker looked at her mother, who cleared her throat while trying to hide the blush on her face.
"Never mind that, I'm just glad you're alright." She said before pulling the pegasus mare into a hug. The touching moment was interrupted when Rook came back into the room, looking out of breath as he carried some blankets and a first-aid kit with him.
"Okay, I got what you asked for. Where do you want them?" he asked before he saw that Tinker was awake. "Hey, you're up! You had us worried for a while back there, little lady." He said before remembering the blankets still in his arms, "Er...I guess I'll just put these back where I found them.
"No need for that, sheriff." Candy said as she levitated the items off his hands, "I'm really sorry for the way I yelled at you earlier. I don't know what came over me."
"Nah, it's alright. I've been a father long enough to know how worked up folks get when they're worried about their kids." he said before sitting back down, "In fact, I knew a guy who was actually willing to take on a bunch of guys in power armor all on his own to keep his kid safe, and all he had was just a-" his phone went off, interrupting his story.
"Sorry, I gotta take this." He said before answering his phone, "Hello, Sheriff Rook here."
"Did I call at a bad time sheriff?" Golden Sea asked.
"No, it's fine. Did something happen?"
"Deputy Thrift called in earlier. He wanted you to know that he caught someone sneaking around one of the greenhouse farms with a rifle. Suspect was killed when he resisted arrest." Rook sighed when he thought of the extra paperwork he'll need to do tomorrow morning because of this.
"Did the deputy ID the guy at least?"
"Not by name, but he says the suspect's wanted by the Dominion." Rook cocked an eyebrow. The Dominion rarely posted bounties to the public since they normally took care of any problems themselves, which meant that whoever this guy was, he's dangerous.
"Can you tell me where the incident took place?" he asked.
"Let me check the data log...It says Deputy Thrift called from somewhere around the area near the Cog Family Farm." Rook nearly dropped his phone. "Shall I send one of the deputies on duty to cordon off the area for investigation?"
"Just send the coordinates to my APT and I'll go there myself. No need to cause a scene."
"Of course sheriff. Will you need me for anything else?"
"No. Feel free to clock out for the day after you're done filing away the reports." He then heard the receptionist let out a cheer. "What was that?"
"Nothing!" she quickly answered before cutting the call short, leaving Rook mildly confused.
"That...was weird." He muttered before putting the phone away.
"Is something wrong, sheriff?" Candy asked. Rook gave her a reassuring smile and shook his head.
"Nothing big, some of the locals got into a bar fight and Jeff needs some backup breaking them up." he lied as he got up and made his way to the door. "Sorry about this but I gotta go." Candy and the twins decided to see him off while Candy confined Tinker to the sofa. She didn't want to risk her passing out again.
"Bye Uncle Rook!" the twins said, giving him one last hug.
"Bye kiddos. Remind me to tell you that story another time. It's a good one, I promise." He winked to the kids and reached for the door "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He said before he reached into his coat and pulled out another box, "It's something one of the boys found while going through the warehouse, it was inside her ship. Thought it might help her remember her past." he said as he handed the box over to Candy.
"Thank you sheriff, I'm sure she'll appreciate it." He smiled and left the farm. His APT soon drove off into the distance, leaving her with the twins as they crowded around her, trying to get a closer look at Tinker's present.
"What is it? What did Tinker get?" Esper asked excitedly.
"Yeah, lemme see!" Claire said as she flew by, trying to grab the box but Candy pulled it out of the filly's reach before grounding her with her magic.
"You should know better than to take something that isn't yours, young lady." Claire opened her mouth to argue but the stern look in her mother's eyes made her reconsider.
"Sorry mom..."
"That's better. Now why don't you two take this to Tinker while I clean up this mess, okay?" Claire offered her a sheepish grin before she took the present in her mouth and scampered off to the living room.
"Do you want me to stay and help you clean up?" Esper asked as he looked at the confetti that used to be wrapping paper.
"That's sweet of you but it's alright, I got this. Just go and make sure Claire doesn't make another mess for me to clean up." Esper nodded before joining his siblings in the living room. Candy chuckled to herself, thinking how nice it would be if Claire was more considerate like her brother before grabbing the broom from the closet.
She just about finished with the sweeping when she heard a strange humming noise coming from the living room. Thinking that it was probably Tinker's 'gift' making that noise, she kept on sweeping until she heard her children screaming.
"Aaaah! Ghost!" Candy quickly ran into the living room to see what was going on, her broom floating beside her, just in case. She dropped it when she saw someone she thought she'd never see again.
"Stedson?" she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her former lover standing right in her living room, or rather, a hologram of him when she noticed it flickering. He had changed very little from when she saw him over eight years ago. Aside from the overgrown stubble and the streaks of gray in his mane, he looked just as she remembered him.
She saw Stedson's mouth was moving but no sound came out. She moved closer to get a better look, until she saw her children on the sofa, cowering from the holographic projection. Well, the twins were the ones cowering while Tinker was trying to pry her shivering siblings off her but they clung to her like a security blanket.
"Mom, get away from the g-g-ghost!" Claire squeaked.
"I keep telling you, it's not a ghost!" Tinker said in frustration as she tried to get Claire off her back but the filly only tightened her grip.
"Ghost?" she looked back at the transparent hologram and saw why they thought it was a ghost. She shook her head and laughed at the absurd idea, "Tinker's right, it's not a ghost, it's just a hologram of your father." She said as she passed her hoof through the hologram. "See?"
"Our daddy is a hellogram?" Esper asked as he let go of Tinker's foreleg, which she shook as she tried to get the blood circulating again. "Is that why you never talk about him?"
"No sweetie, a hologram is a...er...um it's like a picture or movie but you can see it in 3D without the glasses." She said, pointing her hoof at the hologram. Esper formed his mouth into an 'O' and nodded.
"That's our dad?" Tinker said as she took a closer look at the hologram, "He kinda looks like the stallion I saw in my head before I passed out." She muttered to herself as she took a closer look at her supposed father, to see if she could remember anything else about him but drew up a blank.
"Is something the matter, Tinker?" Candy asked when she saw the sad look on her face.
Tinker looked up at her mother and asked, "Can you tell me what dad was like?" Candy blinked at the odd request, a request that was seconded by the twins.
"Oh! Oh! We want to know about daddy too!" Claire said while jumping excitedly on the sofa with Esper, who nodded in agreement.
Candy knew she would have to tell the children about their absent father one day, she just wished that day wasn't today but between the twin's eager expressions and Tinker's pleading eyes, she couldn't possibly tell them no.
"Alright my little ponies, settle down and I'll tell you about your father, deal?" she asked gently. Her words had an instant effect on the twins as they immediately stopped bouncing and sat down beside Tinker.
"Deal!" they said together as they gave her their most innocent smiles, Tinker decided to play along and forced an awkward smile. Candy smiled wearily at their silly antics before clearing her throat.
"Alright, what do you want to know?" she was instantly bombarded with questions about their father. She raised her hoof and gestured for them to stop.
"How about we start with his name?" the children and teen looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Good...His name is Stedson Cog."
"Hey! That's the same name as our farm!" Esper said. Candy nodded patiently.
"Yes it is. Now where was I?...Oh yes, your father was a smart pony but he would do very silly things at times. He was also a kind and caring stallion who loved spending his time with his family. In fact, I remember the happy smile he had on his face whenever he played with you." She said, touching Tinker's nose with her hoof.
"Really?" Tinker asked, and received a nod. "...but I can't remember any of it..." she said as she turned her head down and sniffed a little, but was startled when the twins hugged her.
"Aww, don't cry big sis. Even if you don't remember anything else, you still got me and mommy!"
"Hey! What am I, chopped liver?" Esper complained. Claire simply stuck her tongue out at him, making him even more upset.
"Now, now you two, behave yourselves..." Candy gently scolded them before turning to Tinker, "...but Claire is right, we're here for you, no matter what."
"Promise?" she asked.
"I promise. Now how about I tell you more about the times you spent with your father, huh?" Tinker smiled and nodded. Candy made herself comfortable and started the story, glancing at Stedson's hologram every so often, imagining how nice it would be if he was actually here with them.
One could only dream and hope for the best. |
Lore of the Sea of Legends | pre | Merchantman
Merchantmen are cargo ships with large cargo space with plenty of room for crew and passengers and decent maneuverability, making them favored merchant ships. Though designed as cargo ships, the Outcast and several pirate gang have used these ships as potent combat ships with great success. Their three masts have large square-rigging on the foremast and mainmast while the mizzenmast (rear mast) has a small lateen (triangular) sail. The standard Merchantman's armament is 20 cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern and two Heavy Mortars while the pirate/warship version has 10 extra cannons on the main deck, several Swivel and Puckle Guns and a forward Ram.
Merchant Galleon
Large three masted square-rigged cargo ships originally built by the Panish that spead out among the various factions in the SOL, Merchant Galleons carry things of great value and most often serve as treasure ship, which makes them prized prey for pirates. However, these ships are not like most other merchants, these ships have heavy armor and a massive complement of creatures and weaponry. Their maneuverability is is poor and are painfully slowly to accelerate however, but once they get going they have a remarkable top speed. Although widely considered to be mediocre combat vessels with their poor maneuverability and slow acceleration, the Outcasts and a small number of pirates have found that with the right crew Merchant Galleons make incredibly effective combat ships to be respected with its heavy armor and armament. The standard Merchant Galleon's armament is 40 cannons in two gun decks, four cannons on the forecastle, six cannons on the quarterdeck, four cannons on the bow and stern, and four Heavy Mortars. The pirate/warship version have a third gun deck with 10 more cannons, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns and a forward Ram.
During the Rise of the Outcasts the then young Outcasts of the Abyss made heavy use of converted Merchantmen and Merchant Galleons as something close to Frigates and Ships-of-the-line respectively.
Bulk Merchant
Bulk Merchants are the largest cargo ship and easily among the largest ships in the known world at around 458.45 meters in length and able to carry over 500,000 tons of deadweight in cargo but are unarmed, through very few pirates ever attack these as they're just too big and are far more often than not very heavily escorted. The Outcasts have two known variants; one that is just a massive Tender, and one that works like a mobile shipyard.
Factory Ship *
An Outcast exclusive ship, the Factory Ship is a heavily modified Bulk Merchant with equipment added to make a mobile factory. One of the Outcasts biggest problems is the lack of proper industry, as most islands don't have the room and those that do already have something built on them, so the Outcasts turned to the Bulk Merchants. Factory Ship provide the industry the faction needs with the mobility of a ship, making it difficult of enemies to target them. Each Factory Ship is heavily escorted by a large fleet to protect it should one be attacked.
Submersible
Submarine
The newest vessel in the Outcast's Navy, Submarines are one of the projects the Dragon brothers Gold Fire and Shadow Fire have been working on for the passed three years. In appearance they are shaped like a cylinder with the front shaped into a dome which has four hatches on it, the back has two rudders with a propeller each and on top is a structure about ten feet high, with a pipe sticking up on top of that. After trying to create a breathable atmosphere several times through a wide variety of different devices with... limited success, this problem was solved by having the crews be Seapoines, Merponies, and Mermares due to their ability to breath both in and out of water. Subs are armed with a 110-pounder cannon on the top forward of the top structure, two tubes in the back that deploy Keg Mines, and six tubes on the front dome that fire the Outcast's newest weapon; the torpedo (see Naval Weapons for details). While they have yet to have their first field test, the subs have show potential and Razor has asked the two brothers to brainstorm some variants and see what they can make.
Warships
War Canoe
The War Canoe is the smallest ship in the Sea of Legends and is extremely fast, extremely agile, can turn on a dime and can gain speed very quickly. These fore-and-aft-rigged ships with triangular sails are able to easily dodge cannonballs and outmaneuver any ships larger than it, but this comes at the cost of it's cannons with two Rocket Launchers and a small amount of Swivel and Puckle Guns as it's only weapons. For this reason the Outcasts use War Canoes solely as scouting ships.
Gunboat
Gunboats are tiny but very maneuverable vessels mainly used to swarm enemy ships, provide screening for allied ships, and guard the shallows and reefs around inhabited islands. Gunboats have two masts with fore-and-aft-rigging and is armed with eight cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Rocket Launchers, and a few Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Torpedo Boat
A Sloop with it's weapons swapped out for two sets of torpedo tubes mounted on the sides, this ship is still in the concept stage as the Torpedo hasn't been field tested yet.
Pinnace
Similar in appearance to the War Canoe but larger, the Pinnace is the smallest true combat ship in the SOL and is very fast and agile. Due too their light armament and inability to stand long term combat they serve in similar roles to Gunboats but some pirates and smugglers use them. Their armament is 12 cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Rocket Launchers, and a few Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Cutter
Cutters are two masted, square-rigged ships that are generally the first ships to enter combat in naval engagements, leading the rest of the fleet behind them. They are armed with sixteen cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Rocket Launchers, several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Assault Cutter
Cutters that are fitted with a second gun deck and heavier cannons.
Sloop
Sloops are small, seek ships with a short, narrow hull dwarfed by their large sails. Sloops have one mast with a large square sail, a smaller square topsail above it, three triangular stay-sails stretched between the mast and bowsprit and a large spanker sail at the aft. Sloops and their larger counterpart the Sloop of War are employed in the SOL as long-range artillery ships. The Sloop is armed with 14 cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, and several Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Sloop of War
Larger then the Sloops, the Sloop of War is more heavily armed and is able to hold its own in ship-to-ship combat, even though they are still used as long-range artillery ships. It's sail plan is similar to the standard Sloop but with the large square sail and one of the stay-sail removed, it is armed with 26 cannons in two gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Howitzers(Outcast), two Heavy Mortars(Non-Outcast), several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Lugger
Luggers are are fast and agile Sloop of War-sized ships with the same armament, just with a square-rigged sail-plan, two masts, two more cannons and the Heavy Mortars/Howitzers swapped for Rocket Launchers. A Lugger's role is that of a hit-and-run attacker and raider, moving in between larger ships, firing rounds and rockets into enemy ships, then slipping away from any retaliation.
Schooner
Schooners are med-sized ship with what many would say a prefect balance of speed, agilely, and firepower. Schooners are the ship-of-choice for a large number of pirates, big-time smugglers, Privateers, and Pirate Hunters. Outcast Schooners, very ironically, are sometimes used in Anti-Pirate Hunter roles, they are armed with 32 cannons in two gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars or Rocket Launchers, several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Brigantine
Brigantines are general-purpose combat vessels, capable of handling a wide variety of tasks. They combine modest-but-significant firepower with ample handling and speed, which allows them to adapt easily to different kinds of opponents. Not surprisingly, Brigantines are the most common choice of pirate ship in the Sea of Legends for these reasons. It is armed with 36 cannons in two gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars or Rocket Launchers, several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Barque
Barques are three masted square-rigged moderately speedy ship, Barques are one of two ships that originated from pirate gangs. As true Frigates are somewhat hard to come by, larger pirate gangs that wanted more power but couldn't get Frigates had to build something close to it. The Barque was one of these results that was successful, while not quite equivalent to true Frigates, it is a bit faster and can use that speed to get out of any situations it can't handle. The Barque is armed with 62 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram. Barques are the more common of the two.
Carrack
The second successful ship that originated from pirate gangs, Carracks are almost equal to true Frigates just lack some firepower and durability which it makes up for increased speed. Carracks are powerful ships, designed to go cannon-to-cannon with all but the largest ships. Carracks are armed with 70 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram. The Carrack is the rarer of the two but still more come than the Frigate.
During the Rise of the Outcasts several pirate gangs were almost destroyed by rivals, the NTU and the Royals. These pirates, with no where else to go through their lot in with the Outcasts, bringing their own surviving Barques and Carracks with them and giving the than young Outcasts of the Abyss ships close to that of true warships.
Frigate
A powerful brawler and dedicated warships, Frigates are large and fast combat vessels with sufficient maneuverability with plenty of cannons and a large crew. While most commonly seen in use by the Outcasts, the Colonial Empires and the NTU, Frigates can be seen in use by a number of pirates either as personal vessels or flagships and are considered prizes by them, however these ships can be somewhat rare and hard to find in the SOL. The Frigates is armed with 76 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Galleon
First developed and brought to the SOL by the Panish, Galleons are the roughly comparable to Frigates. While not as maneuverable, quick-to-accelerate or as heavily armed, it is a bit faster, more durable and more common with about four Galleons to every one Frigate. Unsurprisingly, these ships are more often used in pirate gangs in place of the Frigate which only a small number of gangs have. The Galleon is armed with 72 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
War Galleon
A larger variant of the Galleon, War Galleons are comparable to the Man 'O War with about three War Galleons to every one Man 'O War. It is armed with 80 cannons in three gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Flag Galleon
The third and largest variant, Flag Galleons are widely considered to be the Panish answer to the Ship-of-the-line. A huge, extremely durable ship with massive firepower and a huge complement of creatures but slow speed and maneuverability. There is about 2 Flag Galleons to every one Ship-of-the-line. It is armed with 84 cannons in four gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
During the Rise of the Outcasts the young faction needed dedicated warships which the three Galleon variants provided and even today they are more common in the Outcasts then their respective counterparts.
Man 'O War
Huge and powerful ships, Men 'O War possess enough firepower to destroy anything around it's size and smaller on one broadside, but is slow and awkward to maneuver, handling like a beached whale(the crew's words not mine). Only a few pirate gangs have the wealth to operate a Man 'O War, which are used as flagships. It is armed with 86 Cannons in four gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, four Heavy Mortars, four Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Ship of the Line
One of the most powerful ships in the Sea of Legends, the Ship-of-the-line exist solely to pummel other warships into splinters in naval combat. Even in the Outcasts Ships-of-the-line are rare with only about nine dozen while the other major factions have fewer. For pirate gangs very, very few are able to get and hold onto them, if pirates are able to steal one they can fully expect that the faction that owned it will be bent on getting it back or, failing that, sink it. Only nine pirate gangs have been able to steal and hold onto Ships-of-the-lines, making them among the most powerful in the SOL. A Ship-of-the-line is armed with 90 cannons in four gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, four Heavy Mortars, four Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Juggernaut
The most powerful conventional ship in the known world, Juggernauts are huge, extremely durable vessels with enough firepower to turn a whole Armada into flotsam, but are extremely rare. To date only the Outcasts, Equestia, the Caribou, the four Colonial Empires, and the Northern Trade Union are able to build and deploy Juggernauts, and even then in very limited numbers, with only the Outcasts have the most at around thirdly ships. No pirate gang other then the Outcasts have Juggernauts. It is armed with 100 cannons in five gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, four Heavy Mortars, four Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Titan
A ship that only the Outcasts and Caribou have, Titans are a true monster of naval combat. Titans visually look like three Juggernauts attached end-to-end and were designed to counter Juggernauts the Titan is armed with 300 cannons in five gun decks, six cannons on the bow and stern, 12 Heavy Mortars, 12 Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram. Note that the above armament is Outcast, not Caribou, who's choice of armament isn't as much with the mortars and launchers and missing the Swivel and Puckle guns and Ram. Only twenty five Titans have been built due to their very high cost, fifteenth "liberated" by the Outcast, five lost to the deeps, and six still under Caribou control.
Carrier
Carriers are very unusual ships and are massive, roughly half the size of a Bulk Merchant. Originally built in very small numbers by the Equestian Navy as a concept for the flying Ponies, the idea never really launched and the project was shelved and forgotten. Somehow the idea made it to the Sea of Legends were it found new life in the ownership of the three richest pirate gangs as a mobile haven of sorts.
Carriers are structured far differently then other ships, for this guide they will be split into three sections; The first section is largest and shaped like a stretched pentagon with three large masts and two smaller ones, all with triangular sails with a total of three very large ones and three medium ones. This section holds the Crew Quarters, Tavern, shops, and everything else that one would expect to find in a Pirate Haven. This sections weapons are a shocking 700 cannons in five gun decks on 3 of the 5 sides, 20 cannons on the bow, Several Howitzers(Outcast), Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a massive forward Ram.
Behind this is a section close to the same size with a flat deck set at a 10 degree angle, resembling a runway like the one at the Wonderbolt Academy. A ship castle-like structure that runs from the first section to the back section at the left of the runway, a smaller ship castle-like structure on the right, and 4 masts on the larger side with square-rigging. This section had multiple cargo bays and a "hanger bay" under the runway. This sections weapons are 150 cannons in five gun decks , 100 cannon, 10 Howitzers(Outcast), 20 Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, and numerous of Swivel and Puckle Guns on the starboard side. The weapons are 100 cannons in five gun decks, 5 Howitzers(Outcast), 10 Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, and numerous of Swivel and Puckle Guns on the port side.
The last section has a large sterncastle at the back end of the runway. This is where the Helm, Officer Quarters, and other important areas are, Behind this is an open space with a tall, large mast with large square sails. This section has to enclosed side structures with a tall mast with square sails on each. This sections weapons are 20 cannons on the stern, 10 Howitzers(Outcast), 20 Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, and several Swivel and Puckle Guns.
As mentioned above, only the three richest pirate gangs were able to build Carriers, one of which was taken by the Outcasts early in the Rise of the Outcasts, granting them a mobile base of sorts.
Other ship types
Besides the standard Sailing ships the Sea of Legends is also home to other types as well.
Junks *
Junks are sailing ships originating from the Eastern Reaches, Junks stand out from other sailing ships due to their unique battened sails, which are a type of sail rig with rigid supports spanning the full width of the sail and extend it forward of the mast.
Junks are quite common in the SOL due to being considered one of the most efficient designs for carrying personal and cargo on both the high and stormy seas and the inland waterways, their interior compartments or bulkheads, strengthen the ship and slow flooding in case of holes. Other ships in the SOL would copy this feature to some extent over the years. There are variants of Junks based on the above ships.
Armored Ships
These ships are most of the above warships with special armor added to them. This armor renders the ship, or the hull at least, invulnerable to cannonballs but at the cost of one gun deck, lowering the ship's firepower by that much. Only the Outcasts, due to their vast wealth, have these in small numbers where they are deployed along with Outcast Ships-of-the-line and Juggernauts in Home Guard and Anti-Slaver duties. The only other factions to deploy them is the Equestian Navy NTU, but in very limited numbers.
Paddlewheeler Ships *
Considered a dying breed of ships after the introduction of the propeller, Paddlewheeler ships in the distant past were once the standard ship in the Sea of Legends but have been largely replaced by steam propeller ships or even just the standard sail. However, the Paddlewheeler can still be found throughout the SOL. Many pirate gangs grabbed them as they were close to Armored ships, while the Outcasts used them in certain area for their unique advantages. The greatest number of Paddlewheelers are found in Pirate Lord Blood Fang's War Pirates, where a few variants unique to the faction have appeared, some of these variant were later given to the Outcasts in a trade for rare metals.
These variants are the Airship Carrier, the Steam Battleship, and the Steam Juggernaut. (See the War Pirates in Factions of the SOL for more details)
Ironclads
The ultimate armored ships to sail the known world, Ironclads are all but invulnerable to enemy fire, with only shells being able to damage them. Only the Outcasts, the Equestian Navy, the NTU, and the Caribou are able to deploy Ironclads, and even then only in single digits. No two Ironclads are the same so their armament widely varies between ships.
Airships *
A type that's been around for a long time, Airships are believed to have originated from Equestria and have spread out from there. The Equestrians have two variants, cruise liners and troop transports. In the SOL airships are used by the several factions, such as the Outcasts and the War Pirates, while a few pirate gangs operate solely on airships. These airships, known as Air Warships or War/Battle Airships, roam the skies above the waters, crew by default by (though not always) flyers like Pegasi and Griffins.
War Airships are any of the above sailing ships with their masts and sail removed and replaced with large bags or balloons filled with an unnamed lighter-then-air gas to keep them aloft. The bags are attached to the hull by chains and heavy rope, the shroud that would hold a ship's masts in place allow travel up to the bags. The bags are generally, though not always, oval-shaped and made from thick, durable materials with metal bracing reinforcement. Beyond that the bags' appearance matches the ship's with some sails and other extra additions. (A/N: Similar the the Warcraft II Goblin Zepplins)
Smaller ships have one bag while larger have two and ones like the Ship-of-the-Line variant have three.
The hull is more or less the same as its sailing counterpart, but with several changes. Besides the masts being removed, the keel has also been removed and redesigned to fit weapon mounts, like the ship's artillery which is now mounted in turrets to aim and attack ground targets. Along with the ship's normal armament a section called the "Bomb Bay" has be installed (More on that in Naval Weapons) and the bags have platforms on top and gangways between each bag allowing the crew to attack any flying targets.
Airships in the SOL are propelled by steam powered turboprop engines at the back under the quarterdeck and at the front just behind the prow, each engine is able to run independently of each other allowing the ship to turn on a dime. Sometimes the bags will have engines but this isn't very common for several reasons, one of each is the fact that trying to run hot pipes from the hull to the bags isn't easy and the crew don't what possible burns.
Although Air Warships are powerful and have the major advantage of being able to travel anywhere, they have a number of flaws that keeps them from becoming the norm. The bags' gas is very flammable and if lit can very easily bring the ship down, the bags themselves, while durable, will leak or tear open if damaged enough and its generally the rule that if the Airship's crew see the ship's repair team bailing after they sound alarm, its time to get off.
Air Warships also have, as a rule of thumb to save weight, light and thinner hulls, making the ship more vulnerable to cannon fire. This flaw is the reason they try to stay out of range of cannons on the ground and engage with only their underside artillery and bombs, and some bolt launching weapons have been modified to fire long range bolts, often tip with fire and/or explosive tips. The last major flaw is they are very vulnerable to the random storms the plague the SOL, even with equipment designed to help them avoid those.
Leviathans
A type of ship only seen in the Sea of Legends, the Leviathan is essentially the hull of a Bulk Merchant with the top half of a Cruise ship combined together. As far as it is known only four Leviathans have ever sailed the SOL; one by the Pirate Lord Black Marrow 500 years ago, the Blood Fang's ship The Beast(though it didn't start as one), and the two Outcasts of the Abyss flagships the Black Dragon and the Dragon of the Depths. There is a rumored fifth one sailed by the Caribou, but this is unconfirmed as of now.
It should be noted that no two Outcast ships look alike, with only their type being the same.
You, Rose, Shadow, and Moon looked up from the book and at each other.
"Quite the roster for the Outcasts, and we known what the various factions in the Sea of Legends sail as well." Shadow said.
"What Infantry Unit would you guys be?" Rose asked.
"I'd probably be a Gunner, I'm a good shot with a crossbow so a rifle shouldn't be that different." Shadow said.
"I'd most likely be a Marauder, I do enjoy getting up close and personal in a fight." Moon said.
"For me, I would be a Deck Smasher, I'm quite strong for a Pegasus." You say flexing your forelegs and wings.
"Yet you can't beat me in a fight." Rose said with a smirk, you glare at her.
"Rose, one; you're my Marefriend, I'd never hurt you. Two; you know just where to hit. And three; you are quite strong for a Unicorn so you are able to match me with both your own strength and magic."
She laughed and lightly punched you.
"And don't you forget it."
Shadow and Moon watched the exchange with amused looks.
"What would you be Rose?" Moon asked.
"A Healer, I learned healing spells long ago as a... just-in-case thing back in school." She said looking at the table, you reach over and lay a foreleg across her back. After a minute Rose looked back up.
"So what next?"
"Well... how about the Naval Weapons" Shadow asked.
"I though you wanted to look at the Dragon of the Depths." You say.
"I think that should be saved for last."
The four of you talk for a few minutes when Moon sujests looking at infantry weapons then naval weapons, so the four of you turned to the section marked "Infantry Weapons" and started reading.
Infantry Weapons *
Melee Weapons
The Outcasts and others in the SOL have melee weapons from all over the world, ranging from daggers to clubs to polearms. The general belief is if its a melee weapon, it can be found in the Sea of Legends, no matter of how rare it is.
Firearms
Firearms are a common sight in the SOL, most commonly match, wheel, and flintlock weapons. The following firearms are used only by the Outcasts.
Caplock Revolver
The standard pistol of the Outcasts, this weapon holds up to six shots before having to reload though some used by the larger and stronger members like Yetis are modified to hold more. The ability to hold at least five more shots, much better accuracy, armor-piercing, faster reload, and reliability made this weapon the favorite of the Outcast pirates and a very rude shock to their enemies.
As the years since the Outcasts became the dominant power in the SOL they have be very slowly replacing the Caplock with pistols that use Pinfire cartridges.
Lever-action Blunderbuss
A modified Blunderbuss, this weapon uses the action to cycle percussion caps from an internal tube, with the wielder placing the shot into the barrel and letting it slide down to the firing chamber. How this works in unknown but it works like a normal blunderbuss, just with a faster reload.
G82 Bolt-action Rifle
This rifle has a long history with the Outcasts, soon after the faction formed Razor and the other Officers wanted better equipment as taking the Sea of Legends with match, wheel, and flintlock weapons would not work. After the coves were created the Outcasts got word of the weaponry of the Pony country of Germaney, a country known its advanced military technology from the many wars they fought with their neighbors. Getting the weapons needed however proved to be quite the challenge, as Germaney's borders were always on lock-down to keep those weapons from leaving the country. It took a lot of time but eventually the Outcasts managed to bring parts of what would become the G82 rifle to the SOL, and once this rifle started being used it very quickly replaced the muskets.
The G82 is well loved by its wielders and was considered one of the worst shocks to the enemies of the Outcasts during and after the Rise of the Outcasts war, this rifle has served as the base for other two-handed (or Hooved) firearms. The G82 uses Centerfire rounds and is fitted with two magazines, one mounted on the left side and an internal tube under the barrel, each holding eight rounds, with a round in the chamber the rifle holds a total of nineteen rounds before needing to be reloaded.
After the Outcast took the SOL there have been efforts to eventually replace the caplock and pinfire rounds with the centerfire ammo, but its a very slow process as the Outcast currently lack the both industry and skilled makers to mass produce it.
Lever-action Repeater Rifle
A recent variant of the G82, this rifle had its action changed from bolt-action to lever-action for faster rate-of-fire but is so far otherwise the same as the standard G82.
Sniper Rifle
A lever-action Long rifle variant of the G82 combined with a Zebra Jezail, this rifle uses a Ring Lever-Action to cycle rounds from the internal tube magazine and is fitted with a small, long spyglass to help the Sniper to hit targets at long range.
Bulldog Gatling gun
the Bulldog is a multi-barreled, rapid-firing spring-loaded, spring-loaded, hand cranked weapon usually mounted on a wheeled stand but a modified version is carried by Deck Swabbers as their main weapon.
Hand Cannon
A miniature cannon that uses percussion caps, it can fire any of the same shots that cannons are able to fire and is reloaded by sliding the shot into the barrel and placing the percussion cap on the back after pulling the hammer back.
Hand Mortar
A variant of the hand cannon, it is basically the same weapon but modified to allow it to work like a small mortar.
Flamethrower
A weapon consisting of a nozzle with a handle and lever with a tube attached to a fuel tank, this simple but effective weapon shoots a stream of burning liquid at short-range. Not used on ship of obvious reasons.
Bo-hiya
The Bo-hiya is a fire arrow launcher though Outcast ones are able to launch other projectiles like rockets.
The four of you then turned to Naval Weapons.
Naval Weapons
Ram *
The Forward Ram, also called the Battering Ram, is a simple but powerful weapon that is something of a standard on most ships in the SOL. Protruding out of the reinforced bow under the figurehead, while it takes many forms it has the same use, breaking open the hulls of enemy ships. Even large ships like Men O' War and Ships-of-the-Line make use of Rams, despite not using them in combat to often. Rams also are used to allow ships to safely travel in area with dangerous obstacles, like the ice in the Frost Zones. The larger the ship the bigger and longer the Ram.
Ironclads don't have Rams as their hulls are strong enough to be used as such.
Small Weapons
Harpoon Cannon
Harpoon Cannons are used for fishing but pirates found that harpoons work well for pulling targeted ships to their own for easier boarding, some cannons are modified to fire explosive harpoons.
Fire Cannon
Fire Cannons are ship-mounted versions of flamethrowers, surprisingly these are almost unheard of in the SOL despite their power against wooden ships. Very, very view ships have these mounded, mostly in pairs fixed on the bow.
Swivel Gun
Swivel Guns are small cannons mounded on swiveling stand or fork which allows them a very wide arc of movement, there are two types in the SOL; a muzzleloading smoothbore variant and a breech-loading rifled variant, the latter of which has a fast rate-of-fire since multiple chambers can be loaded in advance and quickly fired in succession. These weapons are very common, to the point that even the smallest ships have as many as crew and space allow.
Puckle Gun
Puckle Guns are a crew-served, manually-operated percussion cap(outcast) or flintlock(Non-Outcast) revolver-type weapons usually mounted on ships but sometimes found on land battles, the cylinder holds 6 to 11 shots depending on the configuration and are loaded with powder and shot while detached from the weapon.
Thunder Gun
Thunder Guns are a modified variant of the Puckle Gun with much more powerful shots.
Short Range
Carronade
Carronades are short, smoothbore cannons used as powerful short-ranged, anti-ship and anti-crew weapons, there are three types in the SOL; a 12-Pounder, 32-Pounder, and a 68-Pounder.
Cannons and Heavy Cannons
The standard weapons on the ships and forts in and out of the SOL, the standard cannons are the 12-Pounder Long Gun, 18-Pounder Long Gun, and 24-Pounder Long Gun while the Heavy Cannons are the 32-Pounder Cannon, 36-Pounder Long Gun, and 68-Pounder Cannon. The types of the cannons greatly depend on the crews preference.
110-Pounder Rifled 7-Inch Gun
A heavy cannon, the 110-Pounder cannon is quite rare with only the Outcasts, the Equestian Navy, the NTU and the Caribou having the ability to build them in bulk, most in the other pirate gangs are either bought or stolen from forts belonging to the latter two, and even then in small numbers. What separates this cannon from the others is the fact that it is one of the only two cannons that is rifled and fires shells, it is also the only one to be breechloading rather than muzzleloading. It has the best range out of the normal cannons and are most commonly found as the main weapons of an Ironclad.
There is a variant called a long gun, which is any of the normal cannons fitted with a longer barrel, allowing the cannon to have more powder charges placed within and giving the cannon longer range. The long gun modification is very common on lighter cannons like the 12-pounder and 18-pounder, while larger cannons like the 36 and 68-pounders only have it on special mounts on a ship's main deck that allow them to turn, as muzzle loaders with longer barrels take longer to reload. *
Super Heavy Cannons
100-Ton Gun
The largest of the cannons known to exist, the 100-Ton Gun is used as island and coastal defense gun. With a range of four miles and able to fire a 818-pound shell this cannon can split even a Caribou Titan in a single hit, making them highly feared. But only the largest forts and ports have them and only in very small numbers due to their high cost and crew requirements, though there are rumors that the Outcasts may be designing an Ironclad that had these these as it's main weapons but the Outcasts deny it, saying the only ship they have that carries the 100-Ton Gun is the Cannon Ship.
Artillery
Heavy Mortar
Large cast iron cannons with wide, short barrels, Heavy Mortars fire a large cannonball at very long range able to deal a lot of damage to enemy ships, outright destroying small-to-medium ships in a single hit while severely damaging larger ships.
Howitzer
Jokingly called the "Love child of a Heavy Mortar and 110-Pounder cannon", the Howitzer is an Outcast-exclusive weapon that is basically a 110-Pounder cannon up-sized til the body is the same size of the Heavy Mortar with the barrel also bigger to match. Howitzers have a greater range them Heavy Mortars and are able to fire at multiple degrees unlike the Heavy Mortar which can only fire at a few degrees, though at the cost of a longer reload time and lower rate-of-fire.
Rocket Launcher
While not as powerful or as long ranged as the Heavy Mortar and Howitzer, the Rocket Launcher is cheaper to build, can fire up to 50 rockets before reloading, and much faster to reload. All this makes the Rocket Launcher quite popular among both the poorer pirate gangs and lone pirates. Even the richer factions make heavy, widespread use of this weapon. Besides the normal rockets, a wide variety of rockets are available with different effects depending on the warhead.
Other
Keg Mine
A nasty weapon, the Keg Mine is a sealed powder keg with a set of rings covering it from top to bottom, a cone bolted on the top and bottom, and a small canister filled with a powder that creates powerful shock waves, adding to the damage the mine can deal. The rings have several contact-sensitive spikes on them that when a ship touches a spike it explodes at best crippling the ship or at worst sinking it. The mines are held in place by a small anchor with a thin chain attached to the tip of the bottom cone. Only those from the SOL know how to build Keg Mines(E.g. the Outcasts and pirates), everyone else has no idea how to build them without them exploding in their faces. Keg Mines are used to defend areas and paths that ships wouldn't be able to, Pirate Havens are know to be surround by them.
Bombs *
A weapon only found on Air Warships, bombs are generally a full gunpowder keg enclosed in a wood shell with a domed front and four fins on the back. Dropped from an Air Warship "Bomb Bay", these weapon are able to deal huge amounts of damage to sea and land born targets, though their accuracy gets worse the higher up the ship is. To counter this they either fly lower to get good accuracy but that leaves them vulnerable to anti-air weapons or in large squadrons to carpet bomb an area.
Cannon Ammo
Langrage
Bags of any junk - scrap metal, bolts, rocks, gravel, old musket balls, etc., fired to injure enemy crews.
Grape Shot
Canvas-wrapped stacks of smaller round shot which fitted in the barrel, typically three or more layers of three. Some grape shot is made with thin metal or wood disks between the layers, held together by a central bolt. The packages break open when fired and the balls scatter with deadly effect. Grape is often used against the enemy quarterdeck to kill or injure the officers, or against enemy boarding parties.
Canister Shot
Cans filled with dozens of musket balls. The cans break open on firing, turning the gun into a giant blunderbuss for use against enemy personnel.
Round Shot
Solid spherical cast-iron shot, the standard fare in naval battles.
Chain Shot
Two iron balls joined together with a chain. This type of shot is particularly effective against rigging, boarding netting, and sails, since the balls and chain whirl like bolas when fired.
Bar Shot
Two balls or hemispheres joined by a solid bar. Their effect is similar to that of Chain Shot.
Expanding Bar Shot
Bar shot connected by a telescoping bar which extends upon firing.
Swivel Shot
Round shot cut in half horizontally in the middle of a set of blades that spin in flight, tearing through sails, rigging, and crew.
Shell
A special round used in 110-Pounder Cannons, 100-Ton Guns, and Howitzers, Shells have a thin lead coating which made them fractionally larger than the gun's bore, and which engage with the gun's rifling grooves to impart spin to the shell. This spin, together with the elimination ofwindage as a result of the tight fit, enabled the gun to achieve greater range and accuracy than existing smoothbore muzzle-loaders with a smaller powder charge.
On top of each powder cartridge was a "lubricator" consisting of tallow and linseed oil between two tin plates, backed by a felt wad coated with beeswax and finally by millboard. The lubricator followed the shell down the bore, the lubricant was squeezed out between the tin plates and the wad behind it cleaned out any lead deposits left from the shell coating, leaving the bore clean for the next round.
Special Shots
Link Shot
A series of long chain links which unfold and extend upon firing.
Fire Arrows
A thick dart-like incendiary projectile with a barbed point, wrapped with pitch-soaked canvas which catch on fire when the gun was fired. The point sticks into sails, hulls, or spars and detonate after half a second, setting fire to the enemy ship.
Heated Shot
Shore forts sometimes heated iron shot red-hot in a special furnace before loading it (with water-soaked wads to prevent it from setting off the powder charge prematurely). The hot shot lodges into a ship's dry timbers, setting the ship afire. Because of the danger of fire aboard, heated shot are seldom used aboard ships.
Molten Iron Shot
A variation on heated shot, where molten metal from a furnace is poured into a hollowed out shell and then allowed to cool briefly to seal the molten metal in before firing. Only Armored Ships are outfitted to fire molten shells.
Exploding Shot
Ammunition that works like a grenade, exploding and sends shrapnel everywhere, either by a burning fuse which was cut to a calculated length depending on the range, or on contact with the target (rarer). Shells were often used in mortars for shore bombardment.
Enchanted Shot and Warheads
Originally used by Skeletons, the Outcasts eventually found the secret to forge these. Enchanted Shot and Warheads has a wide variety of effects of ships and/or crew, either effecting the whole ship or those in the blast radius. Each effect has a different color mixed with black and are as follows;
Red: Locks the target's cannons and other weapons in glowing chains temporarily preventing their use, doesn't effect small arms.
Blue: Knocks the target's crew out for a while allowing easy capture, rare as they are the most difficult to craft.
Green: Closes the target's sails and temporarily encases them in glowing chains colors.
Purple: Drops and temporarily locks the target's anchor in glowing chains.
Pink: Temporarily slows the target's crew's movement to a crawl.
Torpedo
The Torpedo is a new device designed along side the submarine. It was fitted with a small steam, magic boosted engine and one of two different warheads, the first was the standard high-explosive made from a gun powder barrel stuffed with as much powder as it could fit, the second was similar to the enchanted ammo the Outcasts use to disable and capture ships, and fitted with a modified tracking spell. The modified spell uses the same basic principle in that it would track its target, but in this case the spell allowed the torpedo to home in on a target.
The four of you had just finished the Naval Weapons section when the bell for supper rang, startled that the day had passed faster then the four of you thought you close the book and walk to the Main Tavern.
"So what would you guys like to study next?" You ask.
"Not sure, Shadow? Moon?" Rose asked looking at the two Thestrals.
Both just shrugged, Shadow speaking up.
"Let's just get some supper and worry about that tomorrow." Mon grunted his agreement. You and Rose agree, entering the Main Tavern and taking a seat. After supper the four of you play some card game with some of the crew before returning to your rooms. You set the book on the desk and stretch your wings, before being pounced by Rose.
And she was giving you those eyes.
"Really Rose? We just had some last night."
"Like you didn't enjoy it." She said nuzzling your neck, touching a spot that was like you nipping her ear. You let of your own eep at the feeling of her nose on that spot.
"That was for the ear nips."
She nuzzles that spot harder, making you eep with increasing volume.
(1) A Pony's hooves are pressed together for Rock, one facing up and held flat for Paper, and both are held like a horizontal V for Scissors.
(2) Or Regiments of Renown if you prefer. |
Lore of the Sea of Legends | Imperator's Grave | Day 2
You, Rose, Lance, and Moon met the next morning in the Main Tavern for breakfast. After that the four of you headed to the library again and sat at a table with the book in the center.
"So What's next?" Rose asks.
You rubbed your jaw while Lance tapped his chin.
"How about Imperator's Grave, the place where we are now." You say.
"Sounds good." Shadow said, Moon agreed.
You open the book to the marked section, finding several subsections, and started reading.
Imperator's Grave is a haven for pirates, privateers, smugglers, and all manner of sailors that the tides seem to sweep up. For those fleeing corrupt justice, debt, or persecution, it is a place of new beginnings, a place where one can start anew without the baggage of their past. It's a melting pot of cultures, races, and creeds, alive with activity at all hours. If one have the coin, almost anything can be purchased in Imperator's Grave, from items outlawed anywhere else to the favor of local pirate lords. The only trade that is forbidden here is slavery, for good reason as many of the individuals that call this place home were former slaves, and slavers are unwelcome here.
Lore
Imperator's Grave is a port city like no other - home to monster hunters, pirate crews, smuggler gangs, indigenous peoples, and traders from all across the known world. Over time becoming anchor of all trade routes traveling around the world. Almost anything can be purchased here, from items outlawed anywhere else to the favor of local pirates lords. There is no better place to seek fame and fortune, though one must be careful not to anger the locals, as they do not like those who think they own the place.
Short History
While no one knows the exact date and time, it is know that long ago, long before the first Hearts Warming at around a thousand years, an individual know simply as the "Imperator" traveled the than uncharted Sea of Legends with his crew, seeking fame and fortune. One dark, still night, the Imperator had a dream, one of a place where where he would find what he sought. He searched for weeks before he found that place: a massive archipelago of towering cliffs, rock formations of all types, shapes and sizes, several inlets, many long abandoned structures of a lost civilization, and vast cave networks with many islands both large and small. The Imperator realized that this place could become something grand so he and his crew began to build what would be the very first port in the Sea of Legends peacefully co-exiting with the native Zebra Tribe after he freed them from the leviathan that had enslaved them. As the years pasted the Imperator would eventually past on, with a proud and happy smile on his face and surround by the vast wealth he had gathered over his long life, the archipelago, which would become known as "Imperator's Grave", would grow into what it is today; a towering and sprawling city built of rock, shipwrecks, and bones of sea creatures where those swept up by the tides would find a safe haven and a place to start over.
Many years would would pass as Imperator's Grave would become the most important port in the Sea of Legends as the place were all trade routes around the seas of the world started and ended, it would see many rulers rise and fall as many outside empires tried to take the place for their own only to be beaten back every time as each ruler wold add more and more to the archipelago to secure their own hold and as every single independent merchant and sailor would fight to their very last breath and shot to keep their haven free.
The current ruler of Imperator's Grave is the Western Kirin Archduke Razor Tail, Pirate Lord of the Sea of Legends and the leader of the pirate faction named "The Outcasts of the Abyss".
A common saying by the inhabitants in current times is "If the Imperator could see the place now."
Locations
The Maw
The entrance into Imperator's Grave, The Maw is a giant inlet and natural harbor surrounded by treacherous straits and towering cliffs. It is here where ships enter port, load/unload their cargo, and sail back out into open waters. The numerous, twisting and sprawling rows of docks that line the bottom of the cliffs holding ships of all sizes with cargo and passengers flowing through every hour of the day. Visitors are often seduced by the seemingly limitless opportunity Imperator's Grave offers, and become permanent residents - realizing that the longer they stay, the greater the chance they can gain power and wealth beyond their wildest dreams. It is through this that Imperator's Grave went from an uninhabited archipelago to the city it is today.
Market Grottoes
Situated in the lowest parts of Imperator's Grave and separated from The Maw by fortress walls made of rock, shipwrecks, and bones like ribs that reach up to at least twenty stories in height and are forty feet thick, with an incredible amount of cannons, rockets and other weapons to protect those within, these locations are the primary location of Imperator's Grave's vast market. Imperator's Grave's lowliest inhabitants dwell in a labyrinth of meandering canals and hidden inlets, with no separation between the homes they build and the sea where they ply their trade. It is here where one can find many items for sail, they just need the coin and they can buy almost anything for everyday items like tools to bedding to even things like weapons.
At each entrance through the walls is a giant reptilian-esque skull easily big enough to swallow a ship-of-the-line whole with many giant rib bones, some reaching as high as a ten story building, dotting about all over the docks with many smaller but still large skulls of leviathans forming a sort of town of huts closer to the wall.
The Quarters
Market Grottoes is the main entrance to the largest settlement of Imperator's Grave, The Quarters, where the inhabitants of Imperator's Grace live. Because of the cities' mixed cultural heritage, the area boasts a wide variety of architectural designs, from inverted Frozen Reach logships against the carved cliff-faces to Eastern Reaches Junks to the structures and carvings of the indigenous Zebra population to the temples of the long lost civilization. Admiral Street has various pubs and taverns and boasts the island's finest rum. (They say that patrons of the Sea Oasis can be heard all the way to the Airships that hover far above the archipelago!)
Besides housing The Quarters holds everything one would expect a city to have from taverns to hospitals and everything in between.
Bridge of Bones
Looming over the entrance of the main harbor is the Bridge of Bones, an ancient stone archway that between the two cliffs on either side of the entrance to The Maw, connecting the two towering rocks clusters known as "The Fangs" and their city sections the Bridge of Bones acts as a large and imposing gate to The Maw of Imperator's Grave as well as the bridge to the Temple of the Matriarch of the Gem Leviathans, one of the largest and most important structures of Imperator's Graves native Zebra Tribe. The Bridge of Bones gets its name from the series of leviathan bones ranging from small to massive that cover the arch to the point were the rock is hard to see even up close and the various sized skulls that hang via chains with lanterns of various colors both in the mouths and hanging from the teeth. Along the outer edge facing the sea is a wall made of the strongest bones reinforced with steel supports armed with various sizes of cannons both along the wall and in turret mounts on the underside of the arch to fire at any enemy ship that gets too close.
Temple of The Matriarch of the Gem Leviathans
Imperator's Grave's temple for the deity known as Edelsteine, the mother of all Gem Leviathans. It is here where the native Zebra Tribe tell the tale of the union of land and sea that was formed when the Imperator made a pact with Edelsteine, where if her offspring protected the waters where the free sailors roamed from those that sought to enslave them, her offspring would be gifted a place where they would be able to breed and hatch their young in safety from the predators of the Sea of Legends.
The Jaw
Named as such because when seen at a certain angle it resembles a giant jaw bone, The Jaw is a massive Military Fortress and the primary base of Imperator's Grave Guard Force. Located close to the left Fang, this fort's most eye-catching feature is the set of five lighthouses of various heights that help guide ships into The Maw.
Kraken's Pits
A series of nine large open-air pits that reach below sea level, some up to a mile deep, surrounded by roaring waterfalls along the edges of each pit. These are where those with little to no coin live in small homes made of the Captain's Quarters from small ships like Sloops, Pinnaces and Cutters and medium-sized skulls of various sea creatures suspended above the white waters at the bottom of the pits by thick chains and ropes which are checked and maintained by dedicated Maintenance Crews. Despite being essentially the "Slums and Shanty Towns" of Imperator's Grave those who live here find that the housing is free-of-charge, large enough for one creature to a small family of five to live comfortably, and thanks to special sound blocking spells and enchantments, rather peaceful. The white waters below, despite the churning, also makes for excellent fishing as thousands of fish of many types fall into the pits where they are gathered by large nets allowing those who live in the Kraken's Pits to make a decent living.
Built into the walls behind the waterfalls are massive waterwheels which help to provide Imperator's Grave with power.
The Coves
The heart of Imperator's Grave and the "middle class" area were the vast majority of the inhabitants live, this area of twisting waterways, docks and buildings is filled to the brim with homes and business ranging from small family owned shops to the large pubs and taverns and everything in between with winding streets traveling all over the place.
The most well known place here is the tavern known as the "Sea Oasis", a place large enough to be a hotel or beached cruise ship in its own right. This place has been the favorite hangout for every ruler of Imperator's Grave all the from The Imperator himself to Archduke Razor Tail during the times he is at the archipelago in between his adventures. The interior of the structure is rather open with only a small amount of walls with pillars of wood, bone, and metal everywhere holding the fifteen-story building up, giving the Sea Oasis a Library sort of feel only with the shelves of books replaced with rows of platforms where the customers sit, eat and drink, one of these customers being none other than the retired Pirate Lord Blackmane himself. The Sea Oasis is also quite famous for its rum, see the Rum section under Culture for more details.
The Underdepths
The gigantic network of natural and artificial caves, tunnels, mines, and waterways below The Coves known for being the breeding grounds of otherwise hard to find creatures of the SOL including the ever famous and tasty though dangerous Salt Lobsters, every day creatures take weapons alongside various fishing equipment done to the deep water-logged areas to hunt these dangerous sea creatures for their armored carapace and delicious meat.
Upper Royals
Named after the Royal Sail used on square rigged sailing ships, this area consists of buildings close to or on top of the rock formations and cliffs around Imperator's Grave and where the rich folk, highly successful pirates and "Nobles" live. Besides the highly decorated housing there are several businesses created to... "liberate" that same wealth, businesses such as casinos, resorts, and other such places made for the wealth to spend their coin on.
Spire of Lore
Located close to the area where The Coves and the Upper Royals met, the Spire of Lore is a massive 154 story Library with more underground tower easily visible everywhere in Imperator's Grave and up to a few miles away on the open waters. This tower is built similar to the Sea Oasis Tavern in that it is a rather open structure only in the case it consists of three closed sections and the open Library in the center. The three closed sections hold hallways, staff areas, class rooms, and other areas a normal Library would hold while the heart of the structure is the Knowledge Core. Seen from above the Knowledge Core looks like a giant spider web (Orb web) with the center pillar, three lines one each of the eight sides, and eight walkways/bridges. Each of the lines are wide enough for two walls of bookshelves to fit with walkways wide enough for four fully grown Yaks to pass side-by-side with a few inches between them and sets of small tables and chairs next to the railing, the lines have a twenty foot gap in between them filled with ropes and chains holding banners, lanterns and other hanging objects. This places holds hundreds of thousands of books on its towering shelves, being everything from child's books all the way up to still untranslated tomes and absolutely everything in between, it is commonly said that if it is a book that was ever written throughout history, it can be found here, one just needs to know where to look.
At the very top of the spire is a glass dome and walls each a meter thick supported by steel braces that cover three stories known as "Lookout Point", this place is a popular reading area as it gives a truly breath-taking view of Imperator's Grave and during attacks lookouts take position here as being one of the tallest points of Impertor's Grave it gives them a perfect of the surrounding sea for miles. The glass of Lookout Point is specially made and enchanted to protect those within from the glare of the sun.
The Spire of Lore is the home and workplace of the Cult of Lore, a faction dedicated to keeping all knowledge within from ever being forgotten. (See Imperator's Grave Factions for more details.)
Guard Fleet Docks
In addition to the deadly currents, hidden reefs and the constant threat of sea monsters of all sizes that call Imperator's Grave home, there is the massive armada that protects the waters around Imperator's Grave. Ships patrol the waters every hour of the day from sunset to sundown, keeping watch for any threats that dare to attack. The Guard Fleet Docks are located in a shadowy corner of The Maw inside a large inlet cavern easily large enough to fit the entire fleet of two hundred ships with several craved out docks for those ships to repair and resupply.
Sub-Locations include;
Shipwright Bays
Located towards the back of the area the Guard Fleet Docks are, the Shipwright Bays are a series of inlet caves holding drydocks used to build, refit, and upgrade the various ships used by Imperator's Grave's Guard Fleet. Ships that have been "acquired" from other factions are brought here to be converted for Outcast use.
Loot Warehouses
A warehouse as large as a shopping mall and situated at the end of a pier, guarded on three sides by sharks and razoreel-infested waters, and on the fourth by large and loyal Guards. Whenever the Outcasts' Raider Fleets bring in treasure from their voyages the loot and spoils are stored here, here the treasure is sorted into various crates, barrels and other containers by type and value.
Arms' Dump
The Arms' Dump is a large area above the Guard Fleet Docks and hold what could be called a small city of blacksmiths and other weapon and armor builders and the depots used to store their various items for both Imperator's Grave's Military and to sell in The Coves.
The Sub Dens
The last Sub-Location of the Guard Fleet Docks and the newest addition, while the Submarines haven't (at the time of this writing) been field tested yet the crews of the Guard Fleet ships hope that if successful the subs will add a new layer of defense to Imperator's Grave. Should the subs fail than at least the space can be used as extra docking but the crews think the subs will be successful.
The Dragon's Rest
Located in a cluster of three large, connecting inlets on the back right of Imperator's Grave from The Maw, underneath an open ceiling that shows the sky above, is the exclusive docking area of the Dragon of the Depths, when Razor is not out sailing the Sea of Legends with his crew this is where his ship is kept. The dock itself, due to the size of the Dragon, could be considered a small town in its own right filled with warehouses, cargo terminals, crew terminals, military structures, a large shipyard, and small craft facilities. Directly above the site rests a series of winches and cranes hanging over the ledges.
The Dead's Rest
Located near the Guard Docks, the Dead's Rest earned its name thanks to the Large rock formation shaped like that of a Pony skull that faces the open sea and the unnerving rooms of morgues and furnaces. On Imperator's Grave, the dead are not buried, but are cremated and the ashes are given back to the ocean and the Abyss, and this is where it all happens. A grave of the sunken urns filled with the ashes of the dead hangs suspended in the cold depths, marked by hundreds of bobbing grave-buoys. The graves of the normal residents have name posts and their specially treated metal burial urns tied en masse to old anchors beneath waterlogged barrels. The wealthy have lavish bobbing tombstones with carvings resembling rearing Krakens and Sea Dragons or beautiful Merponies, and are interred within expensive urns below the surface. The Caretakers that work this grim area ferry the cremated ashes of the departed to the various graveyards scattered about the straits surrounding this area. Flowers and gifts left by the still living friends and family of the departed litter the top of this floating graveyard, these are also silently tended to by the Caretakers who do it without any complaining what-so-ever.
The Lair
The name for Imperator's Grave's "Royal Palace", The Lair started out as the humble home of the Imperator as a simple four-wall shack. Over the years after his passing each ruler of Imperator's Grave has added new sections causing the building to grow bigger and bigger to what it is today; a palace of shipwrecks, rock and sea creature bones that some would stay puts the Royal Palace of Canterlot to shame and a heavily-armed fortress in its own right. The current ruler, Archduke Razor Tail, is the latest to add his own addition: a steam-powered Pipe Organ of absolutely gigantic size containing seven manuals, 1347 ranks, 1011 registers, and 99,342 pipes weighing approximately 450 tons* spread throughout the building. The Console seat for the Pipe Organ also doubles as the throne, to play the organ one would only have to sit on the throne and turn it around so the back was facing the Throne Room.
*(A/N: This would make it three times size as the real-life Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ in Atlantic City, New Jersey. the largest pipe organ ever built based on number of pipes.)
Outer Areas
Surrounding Imperator's Grave are many islands both large and small, small archipelagos, and islet dotted all over the place. These serve as outposts for the Military of Imperator's Grave and each one has fortresses, weapon towers, and other defense throughout the clusters. Under the water are many Keg Mines ready to blow an invader's ship from right under them, though the mines are attached to chains and pulleys that lower the mine down so non-invader ships can safety travel to and from the place.
This area is always patrolled by the Guard Fleet with the smaller ships like Gunboats and Sloops weaving around the land and larger ships like ants around trees while the large ships generally stay in place until they are needed.
Wildlife
Imperator's Grave is home to a small amount of wildlife but each is unique in its own right.
Shallowfin
The "Rabbits" of the Sea of Legends, Shallowfins are around the size of a Rainbow Trout and can be anywhere between one or five pounds and sixteen-twenty four inches to forty eight pounds and 42 inches is size. These fish makeup the bulk of the food not just in Imperator's Grave but throughout the Sea of Legends as well, and considered very tasty. There are many ways Shallowfins can be made into a meal, from boiled, deep fried, smoked, and even raw just to name a few.
Diver Bag
A unique creature only seen in the Sea of Legends, they resemble a long and very thin jellyfish-like creature without any tentacles and are white in color with a brown stripe at one end. What makes these creatures is that they feed off of carbon dioxide though they cal still draw in oxygen through gills on the brown band if none of the former is available, if a creature was to enter the water and let a Diver Bag come to them, it would expand and move over the head like a helmet, latching onto the neck. Diver Bags do not harm their "host" however, rather they drain water from "inside" the formerly white now transparent "bubble" and out through the gills. Once the Diver Bag is over the creature's neck they would find that they could now breath underwater, the Diver Bag draws in oxygen like before which is then pumped into the bubble allowing the host to breath, while the Diver Bag get its food from the carbon dioxide when the host exhales.
Essentially Diver Bags are living re-breathers and as long as the host wears one they can stay underwater for as long as they want, they can't go too deep though. To remove a Diver Bag the host simply grabs hold of the brown band and gently pull, the Diver Bag releases its grip and the host takes it off and puts it back in the water.
Blue-Water Chicken
Essentially just regular Chickens with blue feathers, larger size and the ability to lay eggs like it's going out of style.
Salt Hog
Very large Pigs weighing up to 2,552 pounds, these hogs are breed on Imperator's Grave for their meat and their incredible truffle-sniffing noses. Salt Hogs are especially useful for finding the otherwise rare truffle species used in medicine.
Sea Snake
Not to be confused with another species of the same name, Imperator's Grave Sea Snakes are large snakes as long as a Python with a large hood like a Cobra and tail rattle of Rattlesnake prized for their dangerous venom. While the venom is fatal of not treated (thankfully since the anti-venom was created the death rates from these snakes have dropped to zero) it is highly valued for its uses in medicine.
Birds
Common pets, the Birds found around Imperator's Grave include the large and bright Macaws (A sharp-clawed parrot with an equally sharp mind.), the small and vivid Parakeets (A cheeky, nimble parrot that likes to preen), and the proud Cockatoos (A large, proud breed of parrot that really stands out, even from afar.). Besides these common pets other birds including Seagulls (no surprise there), Hawks, Owls, Ravens, Falcons, and Eagles to name a few can be found all over the place.
Monkey
Found climbing around the ropes and beams of ships and buildings, common Monkeys include the short-haired Capuchins (A small and nimble monkey that has a deceptively cute face.), the agile Marmosets (Light and agile monkeys that are full of surprises and charm.), and the long-haired Barbarys (Proud, strong monkeys said eat more than a Sloop's crew combined.). These domesticated Monkeys have long been companions to sailors and island dwellers alike and are often trained to help their owners and crews with various tasks, from carrying powder during battle to simply grooming their owners hair, fur, feathers and the like. Cat
Well liked for their hunting abilities when it comes to rats and mice, many a sailor in the Sea of Legends consider Cats to be good luck and it is common to find them aboard ships. Common breeds include the rugged Wildcats (A rugged cat that adapts well to both island and Outpost life on the Sea of Legends.), the lean Maus (Nimble, lean cats that take well to life aboard a ship.), and the long-haired Ragamuffins (This stocky breed is well known for its soft fur and make warm cuddling on cold nights.). Larger cats like Tigers, Leopards, and and lions can also be found.
Dogs
Named a Creature's best friend, Dogs are loyal companions and excellent trackers prefect for snuffing out prey and finding buried loot. Common breeds include The shepherd Alsatians (Alsatians bred for the Sea of Legends are loyal, clever and barely get seasick at all.), the skinny Whippets (This quick and playful breed is perfect for a pirate who never stops.), and the fluffy Inus (Inus are big, bouncy bundles of fun, but take days to dry out after a swim.). Other breeds like Pit Bulls and huskies are also found thorughout the Sea of Legends.
Razoreel
A nasty combination of a Moray Eel and a Barracuda with fins sharp enough to cut clean through oak wood, Razoreels are ferocious and fearsome Eels that lurk in the darker areas of water around Imperator's Grave with maws hull of razor-sharp teeth and tempers as foul as a storm these sea creatures are rightly feared by those who live in the Sea of Legends.
Silver Phoenix
Considered extinct outside of the Sea of Legends, this rare breed of Phoenix is named for their gorgeous plume of metallic silver feathers complemented by red and black feathers. Silver Phoenixes were known for their tears which had much more powerful healing powers than their common counterparts, unfortunately this is way they were almost hunted to extinction, that and their beautiful feathers. The story for Silver Phoenixes around is that the Imperator had a pet Silver Phoenix which brought the surviving ones to Imperator's Grave where they could live in safety from those who had hunted them.
Klabautermann
Traditionally a type of kobold, called a Klabautermann, lives aboard ships and helps sailors and fishermen on the Sea of Legends in their duties. Merry and diligent creatures of the Sea of Legends which resemble bipedal fish with Pony-like faces, with an expert understanding of most watercraft and an irrepressible musical talent. They also rescues sailors washed overboard. The name comes from the Low Germane verb klabastern meaning "rumble" or "make a noise". An etymology deriving the name from the verb kalfatern ("to caulk") has also been suggested. SOL Klabautermann, unlike their sprite counterparts, are living creatures and not spirits. Klabautermann are often hired by crews for their knowledge of ships, their music talent which helps morale on long voyages, and as extra help for every job on board which the Klabautermann preform with their well known and loved diligence. Klabautermann are also believed to bring good luck to the ship their are employed on.
Giant Crab
Giant Crabs are native to the seas around Imperator's Grave. One of their key characteristics is their rough outer shell with many spikes as well as their large oval eyes. Domesticated giant crabs are used by merchants to carry heavy goods on their backs and by the Outcasts as Beasts of War.
Salt Lobster
A creature resembling a large hybrid of lobster and shrimp with grey plates covering their six eyed heads and backs and large crab claws with really bad attitudes, Salt Lobsters are often called "Ugly as sin, but very good eating, especially with rum." These large and aggressive creatures are as dangerous as they are delicious and while their chitin hides are as tough as hardened steel hunters have found that a spear or harpoon in the right spots will take one down quickly. The meat of Salt Lobsters is in high demand around the Sea of Legends but hunting them is a dangerous job and more than a few would-be hunters have met their end at the claws of a Salt Lobster. Their durable chitin is often used as personal and ship armor.
Sea Serpents
One of the more nasty predators in the Sea of Legends with mouths full of teeth, nasty tempers, and really bad attitudes, Sea Serpents travel in packs to bring down larger prey. Sea Serpents are light blue in color, dark yellow eyes, ten feet long from nose to tail tip, as thick as a 68-pounder cannon, and has several small fins traveling down it's body. Sea Serpent packs are led by a larger variant called a "Crested Sea Serpent" which is at least twenty feet long and as thick as one of Sweet Apple Acres apple tree trunks, is light dark blue in color, has a large five-arm head crest with red stripes on the arms, and thick scales and plates covering it's body, which the smaller ones lack. Crested Sea Serpents are known for having even worse tempers and attitudes the their normal brethren. In battle these serpents are just as likely to attack from behind as they are from the front and have a bite that is far worse then their bark will ever be.
Sea Wyvern
Another dangerous predator, Sea Wyverns live in deep waters hunting large masses of fish and large crabs and lobsters. These super predators attack their prey with their razor sharp teeth and claws, their sheer body mass, powerful tails, and their feared poison breath attack. When not hunting they are surprisingly peaceful if not attacked and can be found sleeping perched on the towering rooftops of Imperator's Grave. Sea Wyverns mate for life and raise their young until they are young adults, at which point the young leave the nest and go out on their own. The Sea Wyverns around Imperator's Grave consider it their nesting grounds and are fiercely protective of it, so any invaders not only find themselves fighting the regular inhabitants but also swarms of enraged Sea Wyverns.
Sea Dragon
One of the apex predators of the SOL, these twenty story tall Dragon-like beasts are highly feared for their rampages able to destroy large areas and ability to tear even the largest ships to splinters. Armed with powerful crushing jaws, thick limbs able to help it move on land as well as through water, a terrifying breath attack of scaling water and blazing steam, and its long tail able to crush even small islets with ease. Sea Dragons are completely solitary and while they are fine with other creatures, such as Sea Wyverns, roaming and hunting in their territory, should another Sea Dragon enter all bets are off and the two will immediately fight each other, often to the death. During mating season Sea Dragons move to deeper waters to find a mate and lay their eggs, during this time their territorial aggression is lowered to the point where they wouldn't attack each other but if anything else gets to close it will be attack by several angry males and protective females at once.
The Sea Dragons found roaming the waters around Imperator's Grave are ones taken as eggs and raised by the Outcasts as guards against enemy fleets and keeping other wild predators away, while these are not as powerful as their wild counterparts they are far safer to be around. Most notably, these Sea Dragons are not territorial towards each other and work very well in small packs to make up for their weakened power, arguably making them actually more dangerous than their wild counterparts. Getting the eggs however is very dangerous as mentioned above, the eggs only appear during egg-laying season and Sea Dragons do not like company, even worst then usual.
Gem Leviathan Juvenile
The largest of the creatures found around Imperator's Grave, these beautiful Leviathan-Class creatures are the offspring of Edelsteine, the mother of all Gem Leviathans. Resembling the Imperator Leviathan in appearance it was once thought that Gem Leviathans were the female of the species thought this was later proven false, these creatures use Imperator's Grave as their only known safe breeding ground thanks to the deal made between the Imperator and Edelsteine. Gem Leviathans are sapient and are capable of telepathic speech, which it uses to communicate with others. According to those who have communicated with one, the edges of their vision becomes distorted while a distorted picture of the Gem Leviathan's face appears in the middle. In Appearance they share the Imperator Leviathan's body but are white in color and are covered in scales that resemble various gems, hence their name.
Once a Gem Leviathan reaches a certain size they leave Imperator's Grave and later return as adults to lay their eggs, swimming with the young Gem Leviathans is a popular past-time on Imperator's Grave as the young are very playful but gentle.
Plant Life
Besides standard fruits like blood oranges, coconuts, Pomegranates, Mangoes (keep hidden from the Thestrals, they go crazy for them), and Pineapples, Imperator's Grave is home to a select few but special plants only found in the Sea of Legends.
Cannon Orange
The largest oranges ever found, around the size of 68-pounder cannonballs. These massive citrus fruit have a very hard outer shell and fibrous insides, while the fiber makes the red flesh very hard to eat these fruits are extremely juicy and that juice is very rich as a source of several vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C, thiamine, folate, and potassium.
Sea Salt Banana
The Sea of Legends' counterpart to Equestria's Zap Apples, Sea Salt Bananas are massive fruits reaching a length of one meter with a perfect blend of salt and sweet taste. Sea Salt Bananas are extremely rich in vitamins and minerals and easily keep for a long time when stored properly in barrels, some even say the longer the bananas are stored and aged, the better they taste.
All-Flavor Tree
A very rare tree found only on Imperator's Grave, All-Flavor Trees get their name from their sap which is as clear as crystal and has a nice shine to it, every taste one take of the sap is a flavor that the taster likes, which makes this sap very popular and kept in high demand. The trees leak the sap once a year for a day, which the inhabitants of Imperator's Grave collect. The sap is most commonly eaten out of a jar with thin breadsticks, as demonstrated by Archduke Razor Tail below;
"First take a thin breadstick, open the jar, stick the very tip of the breadstick in and and let it soak for a few seconds, you don't want too much as this stuff is extremely sticky. Just me, I've glued my jaw shut a few times though unsticking is easy, just splash some warm water on your teeth. Once the breadstick fully changes color to a dark brown you take the stick out and enjoy!"
Culture
Imperator's Grave is well known for its wide variety of inhabitants of virtually every known sapient species on the planet, as a result the culture of each one can be found all over the place. Imperator's Grave is a stable and relatively safe nation of its own, though there are still dangers from Salt Lobsters and other wildlife plus the possibly of invasion from hostile powers. The majority of the island's denizens carry a variety of weapons, which range from cutlasses to pistols, in order to protect themselves at all times, the only ones not to carry a weapon of some sort are those that are too young. The native Zebra inhabitants of Imperator's Grave are rugged seafaring folk and many, naturally, are also pirates. While vessels are kept protected within safe waters, they has little jurisdiction over what occurs in the open seas. Sailors intrepid enough to venture out there are free to decide their own fate and fortune. Many pirates also sail to other nations and are known for their raids on enemy settlements, especially one belonging to the Northern Trade Union.
Speaking of the NTU, inhabitants who were at one time slaves to the faction often chose to wear the outfits they wore as slaves as a show of defiance to their ,often dead. former masters. Most commonly these outfits are leotard-like garment that leave only the head and limbs, including the tail, exposed with a belt around the waist.
Architecture
Imperator's Grave for the most part lacks natural building resources, forcing its inhabitants to adapt. Much of Imperator's Grave has been built up with whatever creatures over the years could bring, find, or steal--be it re-purposed masonry, or even the broken hulls of the ships they traveled in. It's common to see remnants of ships from as far as Equestria, Mount Aris, and even the Frost Reaches incorporated into the architecture. Various settlements within the greater city have been built upon the remains of a far older civilization. Long abandoned temples have been converted into homes and places of business, with scaffold walkways leading from one establishment to another.
Clothes
Due to the vast variety of creatures that call Imperator's Grave home, it is general accepted that if its an article of clothing, it can be found on Imperator's Grave, even things like swimsuits and thin gowns. In the wider world clothing is only really worn in certain situations like formal settings, in the Sea of Legends creatures wear clothes to protect themselves from the cold and salt and carry items around with them. Using a Pony for example, when one moves to Imperator's Grave they only have their saddle bags, first their own starts with a vest and belt, then a long coat, than a hat, and it just keeps growing from there.
Tattoos
A Common type of body marking found on Imperator's Grave. Due to the melding pot nature of Imperator's Grave, there are slew of different tattoo designs that can be obtained from the shops found throughout The Coves. However the most common designs are those of sea monsters, where sailors and pirates make their bodies with the images of these powerful creatures as a sign of respect as well as pride. Most commonly these tattoos are found on the face.
Currency
Wile the nation takes and uses all kinds of currency from all corners of the world, it also mints its own currency. Two known currencies on Imperator's Grave are called Golden Imperator Leviathans and Silver Gems. The former coinage is favored by mercenaries. Rum
The relative peace that has kept over the Sea of Legends after the Outcasts of the Abyss took over has led to an increase in trade and the desire for worldly imports. The demand for Imperator's Grave's famous rums is especially high. Former Pirate Lord Blackmane gives a few samples;
Ghost Rum: If you've got a bit of jink to spare and don't mind paying for a bit of celebrity, you can buy the exotic Ghost Rum. Ghost Rum is named as it is as clear as diamonds, with a pleasantly clean aroma of cut cane. To shake things up, a hint of pepper and hot cinnamon is added to the drink to keep you warm on deck during stormy days at sea. To be enjoyed with your favorite tropical fruit on the side!
Dark Rum: A rum dark in color with the aroma of woody molasses, this infamous spirit is a veritable staple of Imperator's Grave sailors on the high seas. Richer than its lighter relatives, this dark beauty finishes with an uncanny sweetness that's just perfect for taking the edge off. Enjoy with hot water, or even straight from the bottle. Either way, Dark Rum will keep you warmer than a pea coat on a blustery day.
Eclipse Rum: This rum is light amber in color and will assail your senses with the aroma of sweet grass, molasses, nutmeg, and just a hint of citrus. A bit dry on its own, your typical dose comes served with tonic and a lime, so after a glass or two you're well on your way to warding off both scurvy and malaria.
Black Pearl Rum: Let me ask you a question, sailor. Have you ever chewed rum? No?! Well then you've probably never run afoul of Imperator's Grave fabled Black Pearl Rum. Created by the Imperator himself, aged in charred oak casks and infused with some of the richest spices that the Sea of Legends has to offer, this rum comes out blacker than pitch and about as thick. The Imperator's Black Pearl Rum is for the true rum enthusiast, only. The rest of you blokes are just going to wind up feeling barmy and running for the deck rails. So be careful! I've seen a bit of the black stuff lay out even the roughest blighter with nary a hint of warning.
Apple Supreme Rum: For the apple lover among us, this rum is light brown in color and is like an apple pie in a bottle. Apple juice mixed with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a dash of lemon juice, and apple pulp filling. This sweet rum will send your sweet tooth a'run, just be sure you catch them.
Iceberg Rum: The coldest rum in the world, this ice blue drink comes in a bottle covered with frost and the fog of dry ice coming out of the top. This rum is perfect for those hot days when you are to overheated to move and risin' the sea levels with sweat. Just be careful, or you might get your tongue stuck to the bottle.
The Devil's Rum: A rum for those days when you're freezing your tail off, this red/orange colored drink boils like lava and has an faint glow to it. Its hot enough that you need blacksmith tongs to pick it up, but one sip and I guarantee you well be nice and toasty for a good while. Just don't drink too much at once, or the lanterns wouldn't be the only things lighting up the Poop Deck.
Flamin' Dragon Rum: The rum created by Archduke Razor Tail himself, this drink is red and black in color and comes with a burning piece of mint candy cane. Drop the piece in through the top and watch as a jet of purple fire shoot out of it like a flamethrower, after which the top turns into a torch. With a pleasant scent of mint chocolate and a hint of the richest grounded down sweets to add flavor, your typical dose comes served with a bottle of soda of your choice and a side of ice cream of your choice along with the option of having a saucer of chocolate-covered beacon and/or a large milkshake of your choice. Drink up me hearties, just remember to drink the fire-resistant potion it comes with if you don't have a fireproof inside before drinking the rum.
Government
Imperator's Grave has a rather simple power structure: The current Pirate Lord, Archduke Razor Tail, rules the place with a Unicorn named Regal Stance doing the same while the former is away. Below the two is the "Inner Circle" of Captains that oversee the various areas of Imperator's Grave with the different Officers of each Captain watching over their own sections.
Factions
Imperator's Grave is home to several factions besides the Outcasts of the Abyss.
Caretakers
The Caretakers are a small group of grim sailors that ferry the ash-filled urns of the dead out to their final resting place, they are identified by their Plague Doctor-like outfits and skull masks.
Native Zebra Tribe
Zebras that have lived on Imperator's Grave since long before the Imperator even came, these Zebras' knowledge of the ocean and its denizens is second to none; no ship is able to navigate the perilous straits around Imperator's Grave without their guidance. Those of indigenous descent often hold key roles in Imperator's Grave fleets and are regarded with almost mystical reverence, as are the rare few embraced by their community. Their ancient culture is highly respected by the inhabitants of Imperator's Grave and aspects of it have been incorporated into daily life--including traditional medicine, and hunting techniques.
The attire of the Zebras' include the neck and leg rings worn by all Zebras but also include long dreadlocked manes and tails that sway long the floors of their home like waves on the water, long brown robes adorned with scales, teeth and gems, and a pendent in the shape of Edelsteine, the mother of all Gem Leviathans.
Cult of Lore
A faction that makes its home in the Spire of Lore, they are tasked with keeping the knowledge within from ever being forgotten, constantly and very carefully making copies of each and every book held within. While described as a cult they are not a religious group at all, rather just focused on the task the Imperator gave the first members long ago. Their attire consists of rich red robes with hoods that cover all but their faces, tails, and the tips of their limbs. The robes are adorned with gold, silver, and blue threading and studded with gems.
While heavily focused on their task, they do have a sense of humor; they nicknamed Twilight Sparkle as the "Princess of Books".
Imperator's Guard
Said to be the descendants of the Imperator's personal guard, these military creatures are tasked with protecting Imperator's Grave from all threats both without and within. Their skills on war and battle are among the best and they are often found on Outcast ships serving as both fighters and advisors. Their attire consists of uniforms similar to the soldiers of NTU and the Four Empires with the addition of armor like that of the Equestrain Royal Guard.
Relations
Imperator's Grave is a sailor haven, a home to a wide variety of denizens seeking adventure, fortune or freedom. While the pirate-friendly town only respects their own laws and not the laws of other nations, they have their ports open for creatures from all the world's corners.
Most of their relations are limited to those within the Sea of Legends to to most thinking the SOL is just myth and Archduke Razor Tail's "Staying Hidden" policy, though that might change in the future.
Frozen Reaches
An area to the north of the Sea of Legends, the hardened inhabitants of those harsh lands, known as "Frozen Fangs", often come to Imperator's Grave to trade in their giant, metal plated longships, bringing with them tons of furs, meat and weapons from their home islands. At least some inhabitants Imperator's Grave are of Frozen Fang descent, and occasionally one finds inverted Frozen Fang longships against the carved cliff faces.
Northern Trade Union
One of the most hated factions in the Sea of Legends, the NTU held many of the SOL inhabitants in slavery and ruled with a pure iron hoof, until the Outcasts came and freed them from that iron hoof. As the only free area during those dark times, Imperator's Grave has a long standing and deeply burning hatred of the NTU and for years after the Outcasts took power the pirates of Imperator's Grave have ruthlessly pillaged the NTUs settlements and fought naval battles with NTU vessels when engaged. It should be noted that a number of inhabitants on Imperator's Grave are in fact former NTU who hate the faction just as much and want to see it burn.
The Four Empires
The Four Empires are hostile towards Imperator's Grave but know full well that they don't have the power to actually threaten it, that and the facts that if one makes a move the other three will capitalize on it and if Imperator's Grave is attack they would face an armada that would outnumber and outgun their own.
Independent Merchants
Independent Merchants have long been coming to Imperator's Grave ever since it was first formed long ago, making their profit through fair trade and without the taxes other ports charge. Items from all over the world are brought here by these Merchants and should Imperator's Grave be attacked the invaders should expect every single Merchant in range to rush to the place's defense.
The Outcasts of the Abyss
Since the Outcasts of the Abyss had freed the Sea of Legends from the iron rule of the NTU, Imperator's Grave has served as their main base and home alongside Ironclad's Rest. The native inhabitants welcomed the Outcasts with open arms and the two factions get along like wings on a Griffin, there is a rumor that the native Zebra Tribe have seen Arcduke Razor Tail and the Outcasts in a vision for the future but little is known on this front.
You, Rose, Lance, and Moon looked up from the book, amazed at the sheer about of information on Imperator's Grave. After taking it all in the four of you had a break and a snack before going back to it. |
Armored Core: Failure | pre | "My kind is somewhat of a myth to you, so I'll just put this out there. I am a human, and my name, is Liam."
A few startled gasps could be heard from the crowd, a mare or two fainted, he heard one or two scream 'YES!'. Most stared with a blank expression, or confusion. Skylight started to shake slightly, which worried him more than anything. Her reaction cut off whatever finishing line he had hastily prepared, and he gave one final wave and a forced smile before ducking back into the palace and making his way to his and Skylight's quarters.
Once inside the room, he set Sky gently on the bed. She backed away slowly, huddling down into a frightened, yet adorable, ball of feathers and fur.
Liam sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out a hand to her. She flinched away, but he didn't stop. Gently, he stroked her mane, and scratched a little behind her ears. She visibly relaxed, but Liam had to know.
"Sky, what's the matter?" he cooed to the filly, toning his voice to be kind and gentle.
Sky sniffed, peeking at his face from behind her hooves. "M-my daddy used to tell me stories about how hu-humans would come to get little fillies if they didn't behave," she squeaked.
Liam let out a silent chuckle, smiling warmly at the child. "If that were true, don't you think I'd have 'gotten' you by now, instead of taking care of you?"
She relaxed a little more, forgetting her fear and now looking confused, "But if that's true, then why did daddy lie to me?"
Liam sighed, lying down on the bed and pulling the filly into a hug. "He didn't lie, Sky. Everyone has stories about mean things that will hurt others, after a while, the story becomes more than just a story, and people believe that it's true because they don't know otherwise."
Sky nodded, not quite understanding, but no longer terrified of the human that had been so kind to her. Liam figured now was probably a good time to speak to her about the future.
"So Skylight," he began, his different tone causing the filly to look up at him. "In a few days, I'll be leaving for Equestria, and probably to see the rest of the world. I was thinking that you could come with me, and we could have some fun along the way. You know, see the sights."
She tilted her head, "You mean you're gonna adopt me?"
If Liam had been drinking, he would've choked right then, "W-well, yeah. I don't want you to have to-"
"Go to an orphanage," Sky sighed, interrupting him. "I know my mommy and daddy aren't coming back, the King's guards wouldn't let me forget that for a second before. But I know that they'd want me to be happy, no matter what."
Liam was taken aback by her sudden maturity, he wiped a single tear from her cheek, hugging her tighter and petting her mane to comfort her. So much for subtlety he thought. He noticed her yawn a bit, even though it was barely after noon, she was exhausted.
"You want to take a nap?" he asked, Sky just nodded, snuggling up close to him and closing her eyes. After a few minutes, she was fast asleep, and so was Liam.
Liam stirred slowly, realizing that he'd fallen asleep. With a quick glance at the clock, he heaved a sigh of relief as he realized that he'd only been out for about 30 minutes. Quietly, Liam disentangled himself from the sleeping filly's grip, heading to the washroom and turning the water on before splashing the icy liquid over his face.
He glanced at himself in the mirror, getting a good look for the first time since he'd shown up in the Empire. He wasn't displeased with his looks, although the stubble around his jaw was growing in uneven patches. He cursed his luck a bit, wishing he had a razor to shave with before shrugging it off and heading to his door.
Outside the door was a single guard, clad in crystalline armor. Liam was about to ask for his attention, but Shining Armor came barreling up the hallway as he inhaled to speak.
"Liam, we need you in the throne room, please," he panted.
Liam tilted his head, "Me? Why?"
"There's a lot of ponies here. . . they're not exactly taking your introduction as well as we'd hoped."
"Ah," he sighed, "Well I'd best go talk to them then. Guard, can you wait inside the room and escort Skylight to the throne room if she wakes up before I get back?"
The guard grunted an affirmative, turning to stand just inside the door before Liam jogged after an already moving Shining Armor.
"Can you tell me more about their complaints?" he asked, hoping to get some kind of response prepared for them.
"Eh," Shining shrugged, "They mostly heard the same bedtime stories I did. About how humans were monsters that would foal nap bad children and such."
"That's all? I figured they'd have more. . . realistic concerns."
"Some do, although the majority are things like: 'Is he going to eat us?'"
Liam chuckled as they made it to the door to the main hall, taking a moment to catch his breath before motioning to Shining to remain outside while he went in. He'd formulated something of a plan, though it was little more than a dramatic entrance. With a sigh he realized that he'd forgotten his sword back in his room, beside the bed.
He shook his head once, before stepping forward. He pushed the massive double doors aside easily, stalking forward with large strides. He had every intention to come off as dangerous, a being that was not to be fucked with. Cadence caught his entrance, as for the forty or so ponies crowded around her throne nagging, however, they did not.
He deflated a bit when he realized that none of the ponies had caught his dramatic entrance. . . but quickly ignored it when he caught what was being said. A particularly scrawny looking stallion toward the rear of the group was speaking.
"- filly that he had earlier? How do we not know that she was his lunch?!" he shouted, murmured agreements were thrown about as Liam crept up behind the snob.
Cadence glanced at him, he simply put a finger to his lips to silence her. She looked back to the group, "I'm aware of your concerns, but you simply must put aside your unfounded fears and get to know the real thing before you judge him." She shot Liam a sly smile as he got into position.
Twig, as Liam designated him, was quick to scoff at the idea. "Why I'll never even- Princess do you even know what he's capable of? Why if I ever saw him near my children I'd waste no time in slaying that monster!"
Liam idly scratched at his chin, mulling things over. A wide grin grew on his face as he decided what to do, although in contrast, Cadence's eyes slowly widened. She was silently pleading with him to be calm, although the audience apparently took it as shock at his words. More nods could be seen as Liam decided to play along with the crowd.
"How do we know that his plan is not to slay the royal family and take over all of Equestria!?" he shouted, using his best panicked tone. None of the group looked back at him, all too busy fawning over the idea of a bloodthirsty alien in their lands.
"You know, you're not helping at all," Cadence deadpanned, getting a few of the congregation to turn around in confusion, which quickly turned to shocked horror.
Liam widened his stance a little, still planning to unleash all kinds of fuck upon the sniveling brat in front of him. "But Cadi~," he whined, making up a pet name on the spot, "It's so much fun to mess with the short ones!"
The panic began. Ponies ran every which way except toward the human, who simply sighed and facepalmed.
"Enough!" Cadence shouted, causing most of the ponies to stop where they were. Liam calmly walked up to her throne, taking a seat on the third step like he had the day before. "If you could all stop being such foals about this, and actually listen, we might actually get something accomplished!"
A few ponies left, visibly upset, but the majority gathered around again, although much further away from the throne than before. Cadence nodded at Liam, giving him the spotlight.
"Alright, you all already know my name and what I am, so I'll just start taking questions." Every hoof in the room shot straight up, "Well, I can see we might be here for a bit." He chuckled, pointing to a pony in the far left corner of the front row.
"Are you here to eat us?" She asked, cowering a bit.
Liam sighed, "Really? Well, no. What I said earlier is true, I had some kind of vision or dream before waking up here, so I am to act as a protector."
"B-but you could eat us if you wanted?"
"That question is a trap," Liam sighed, "Let me put it this way. Throughout human history, there's only been two or three recorded occasions of humans eating equines, and as far as I know, those were horses. Before you freak out about that, know that those were only in extremely dire situations. Situations where it was either eat the horse, or eat your friend. Keep in mind also, that where I'm from, horses and ponies don't have any form of sapience. They can't talk, they don't have higher thought processes, just instinct and habit."
The ponies didn't look too convinced, some looked as if they were about to be sick. Liam pointed to the next pony in line, "Um, yes. What about the foal you had with you earlier?"
"Ah, her name's Skylight. She was abducted by slavers under Sombra, as were her parents. They both died during their enslavement, so I'm watching over her. Hopefully, the paperwork will go through and I'll be able to call her my daughter before too long," Liam smiled, "I've seen kids back home that go to the orphanages on the cradles, I don't want her to have to do that."
Most of the congregation relaxed, though not totally at ease. More hooves shot up in the air.
Liam sighed, "Let me try to answer a few questions before they're asked. I was told of a few children's stories involving my race, and I don't know what they are exactly. I do know that every society has stories intended to frighten their children into behaving. I know that back home, there's and old religious text that describes four horsemen that would herald the apocalypse.
"We don't eat ponies, in fact, they're rare now, though before I read that they were kept as pets. I also read that horses and ponies were used as a form of therapy for the mentally handicapped. They were seen as loveable, and were most often very well taken care of and prized by their handlers for their appearances and peaceful disposition." Liam looked around, seeing a few confused faces, but he didn't expect perfect results. Most of them were still suspicious, and a few even looked disgusted. "Alright, the moral of the story is, I'm a nice guy. If the Crystal Empire is ever in trouble, I'll head back here to assist in whatever capacity I can. Just please drop your prejudices and allow me a chance to prove myself."
With that, the throne room doors opened, revealing a sleepy looking Skylight, and the guard from his room. She yawned, making an adorable squeak. Liam smiled, standing and stepping through the crowd, which parted to make room for him as if he were going to lash out at any moment. Sky's face bore a smile as she trotted over to him, squealing happily as he scooped her up into his arms.
Most of the other ponies were apparently appeased with this display, and began to head out. A group of three in particular remained though, looking expectantly at the human.
"Can I help you?" He asked, scratching behind Sky's ears as she snuggled into his chest.
An older mare stepped forward, "Yes actually. We represent a group here in the Crystal Empire that studies old folklore and legends. Namely, humans. It's an obscure group, founded by a mare from the royal city in Canterlot over one thousand years ago. I don't know if it still exists outside of the Crystal Empire, but we were wondering if we could interview you. Perhaps record some of your knowledge of human history for study?"
Liam smiled, "Well sure, it's said that those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so I don't see the harm in teaching about my race. Maybe we can avoid some problems before they have to happen here."
The mare giggled. . . hungrily? "Oh this is fantastic! I'll get some supplies and we'll meet you here in an hour!"
"Actually, Ma'am. Hold on one moment," Liam said, turning to Cadence, "Would it be alright if we were to use the dining hall? I know I'm starving, and I think Sky here could use some food too." Sky's response was a deep growl from her belly, causing her to worm around to hide her face for a moment. Liam raised an eyebrow at the change in behavior from earlier, she was being much more clingy than she had been before her nap.
Cadence smiled, "I think that sounds like a good idea. I think myself and Shining would like to join you as well. We haven't eaten in a while either." |
Armored Core: Failure | Chapter 6: Exhibition--Evening of Day 2 | *****Chapter 6: Exhibition--Evening of day 2*****
Cadence sighed as she stood on the balcony of the royal suite, staring over the Crystal Empire, more importantly, staring at the NEXT that Liam called his own. She reflected on the lunch they had shared earlier in the day, remaining rather unimpressed with his assessment of his species.
It seemed to her that working as a mercenary had made him rather jaded toward his people, with the exception of two that he had mentioned in passing. One of them being his mother, and the other remaining unnamed. She had seen it, though. The pain and sorrow of losing a lover. What had surprised her more was the surge of love that flowed from him in the seconds after, it was pure, more pure than most married ponies, even.
The pink Alicorn sighed again, for what had to be the tenth time in the past ten minutes. She focused on the machine currently kneeling before the Crystal Palace. It was, in a way, alien. Completely foreign to the Crystal Empire, with its harsh and utilitarian design clashing against the organic and crystalline architecture around it.
And yet. . .
Her eyes drifted toward the sword at the NEXT's hip, a nauseating wave of nostalgia sweeping over her.
That blade. . .
She turned back to her room, the one she shared with her husband. Stepping inside and turning to a stack of paperwork that she had seen to during the afternoon. With a flick of her magic, the papers hung in front of her, the discouraging assessment written by some clerk in the newly established foal services department glaring at her from the parchment. The interview over lunch had been no mere coincidence, although the Human research group had made a good cover for one of the members of foal services. It had taken almost no convincing on her part to get the group to the castle.
The report itself urged caution, if it was not outright distrustful of Liam. If Cadence was basing the outcome of the adoption on that report alone, she wouldn't have hesitated to reject his candidacy for the adoption of Skylight. Being who he was, or what he was, though, she was hardly in a position to deny him this.
With that thought firmly in mind, she brought her seal down beside her signature of approval.
Liam lie flat on his back, the soft, downy form of Skylight tucked under his left arm. Her little barrel rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm as she slept. The only light in the room was a dim bedside lamp, made of some form of crystal that illuminated when touched. In his right hand was one of his last personal possessions, the gold watch that he had gotten from Catherine.
On the watch's face was a beautiful embossed moon. Where the rest of the case was what appeared to be gold plate, the silver façade of the lunar surface gleamed at him in the cool light.
Liam rested on his back in the cool grass of the cradle greenhouse, watching the moon pass overhead through the thick glass.
Catherine, or Kat, as he so often called her, spoke softly next to him, "You know," she mused, "I think tonight's the winter solstice."
He glanced over, grunting a quick 'huh?' as he noticed her cyan eyes locked on the silver orb overhead.
"The winter solstice," she repeated, "The longest night of the year. It's amazing that the moon is full tonight, it's beautiful."
"Yeah, it is," Liam agreed, taking in the sight of Kat for what seemed like the first time. The two were only seventeen, but had known each other for what felt like forever. His eyes roamed her features, from her silky onyx hair, to her heavily tanned skin. She had an athletic build, and her eyes were something of an anomaly among the cradle. The doctors had told her it was benign, kojima exposure in the womb having mutated the already blue pigment in her eyes to a captivating turquoise.
Her waist length hair shifted as she turned to look back, seemingly unsure of herself. Liam rolled his head back to stare at the moon again, pressing his lips into a thin line as he felt his ears heat up a little. He felt a foreign presence in his hand, but didn't dare look as he felt fingers interlock with his own.
He wanted to say something, anything, to her.
She shifted closer, now laying shoulder to shoulder with him, and sighed contentedly.
He opened his mouth to speak-
And the greenhouse's flood lights snapped on, blinding them both.
A single tear rolled down Liam's cheek, unnoticed. That moment was one he had come to regret in the years since. It had been their last substantial time together until his fateful mission. He could've sought her out, but he had convinced himself the next morning that she just wanted to be his friend. Convinced himself that, in the hell they were living in, where the extent of their travels could never take them beyond the cold, steel walls of the cradle, there was no chance.
"Oh well," he thought, "I hope she finds someone worthwhile."
Still staring at the watch, tears in his eyes, Liam almost jumped when a tiny, smooth hoof reached up from Skylight. She gently wiped away the tears that she could reach, inching up onto his chest so she could reach the right side of his face.
Her antics brought forth a smile from the Lynx, as he glanced down at the filly. Her worried pout lifting into a hopeful, yet sad smile of her own.
A soft knock at the door broke the calm. Liam, placing Sky back on the bed as he stood and strode over to the door. On the floor, just inside the room, was a slim folder containing an intricate wax seal. He picked up the package, breaking the seal and pulling the few papers from within, among which was a letter of congratulations from the foal services department. He didn't grant the letter much credit, seeing as the first line read, "Congratulations, lady or gentlecolt!"
What did catch his eye, though, was the documentation beneath it. A gold-embossed seal on an official adoption certificate, as well as a birth certificate (presumably brought up to date to be concurrent with the rest of the world) with the name "Skylight" clearly written in an intricate scrawl.
Liam smiled wide, his heart warming as he glanced from the paperwork to the now sleeping filly on his bed. He glanced at the clock, which read 11:30pm. Much too late to wake Sky to tell her the good news. The Lynx slid the papers back into the folder, placing it on the bedside table with the watch and the strange locket he had found. He slid back onto the bed, Sky curling into his side in her sleep with a small sigh.
That sigh rekindled the fire in his chest. To Liam, that sigh was one of safety. That sigh was his whole world as of that moment.
He lifted his head, planting a soft kiss between the filly's ears, and swearing a silent vow that he would tear apart the demons of Hell with his bare hands if it meant seeing her safe and happy.
*****Morning of Day 3*****
Dear Princess Celestia;
I wanted to give you some notice in advance. Within the next week to ten days, a guest here at the Crystal Palace will be arriving in Canterlot. His appearance may be frightening at first, but as Shining and I have found out, he is a good pony. He will be bringing a heavy piece of equipment with him, and will need space to store it. It would be best if that space was out of the public view, as it is most definitely not a toy.
Best wishes;
Princess Cadence
Cadence grinned as she sealed the scroll and engulfed it in a teleportation field. That's for all the vague letters you've sent me throughout the years, auntie.
Liam woke slowly, noticing first the sun peeking through the curtains, and then the soft snoring of a certain turquoise filly at his side. He smiled again, rolling on his side and running his fingers through her silky, auburn mane.
He got up before he accidentally woke her, replacing himself with a plush pillow, which was quickly snuggled, and headed to the washroom to prepare for the day. He took his piloting gear with him, as he had a special treat in mind for the day.
Stepping out of the steamy bathroom, Liam secured his helmet to his belt just in time to catch a speeding fur ball to the chest. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around the giggling filly, bringing her into a fierce hug.
"Good morning, you," he said, scratching her ears, "Sleep well?"
Sky looked up at him warmly, "Mmhm!" She nodded, bobbing her head. Her mane, somehow, was still in perfect condition. Her bangs bouncing with the rest of her head.
"Good," Liam smiled, "I have a treat for you today." He paused for dramatic effect, Sky's eyes growing wide, "First, the paperwork went through, so you're stuck with me now."
Sky smiled, tightening her hug a little. There was a little sadness behind it, but that was why he had told her about the adoption's success first.
"Second," he grinned, holding up two fingers, "How would you like to go flying today?"
"What?" Sky asked, tilting her head to the side and flicking an ear back. She craned her neck around, "But you don't have wings, how are we supposed to fly?"
Liam laughed at her confusion, "I'll show you. Just trust me, okay?"
Her face brightened back up, nodding again even as a knock was heard from the door. Liam set the excited Pegasus on the bed, walking to the door and pulling it open. Cadence was on the other side, and appeared surprised to see them both up and Liam in his full piloting kit.
"Oh," she chirped, "Good morning, Liam." She tilted her head to look around him, "And good morning to you, Skylight!" Said filly waved a cyan hoof at the princess.
"I'll be right back, Sky," Liam called over his shoulder. He motioned for the princess to follow him out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him and turning to face Cadence. "So what's up?"
Cadence smiled at his casual attitude, quite tired of all the formality between the Empire and Canterlot. "Actually, I wanted to let you know that I've sent off a letter to Canterlot, telling Princess Celestia to expect your arrival within the next ten days."
Liam nodded, "Good, hopefully that will limit the panic from the civilians when a giant robot flies overhead."
Cadence's face grew confused, "Flies?" She paused for a second, the gears turning in her head, "THAT THING CAN FLY!?" Her scream almost blasted Liam off his feet, he rocked back on his heels, laughing.
"Of course! I flew the other day, remember?" He managed through his chuckles.
"I - I can't, what. . ." Cadence stuttered, words failing her for the first time in what felt like an eternity. After a few seconds, she recovered. "I thought it could just jump really high. . . but flight," she trailed off.
"How about I show you," Liam offered, still chuckling. "I wanted to take her up for a test flight today, to make sure all the systems are running clean for the trip. You'd be welcome to watch, of course. Skylight is going to be in the cockpit with me so I can familiarize her with what she'll need to know during the trip."
Cadence nodded, sighing, before turning and heading back toward her room with a subdued goodbye. Liam shook his head in amusement as he headed back into his room, finding an energetic filly surrounded by pillows on all sides, wearing a pillow case for a cape.
"Fire!" She shouted, launching a pillow from behind her with all the force she could muster. The pillow itself bounced off of Liam's knees.
He glanced down at the pillow, then back at Skylight with a raised eyebrow. The filly's response was a very theatrical gulp as she readied another pillow. Liam picked the one that had hit him up from the floor.
"You," he growled, smirking, "Have no idea what you've started."
And thus the fourth great pillow war began, lasting for a total of 45 minutes, and resulting in ten destroyed pillows, and four scarred maids. The war ended with a decisive victory for the Pegasus filly, or so she said, and she could not be convinced otherwise.
They will be remembered for their brave sacrifice.
Liam hauled himself and Skylight up the rope ladder to the cockpit, punching the entry code in and strapping Skylight into the jump seat at the back of the control pod.
"Remember," Liam reminded her as he pulled on his helmet, "Don't touch anything unless I tell you to. There are some very sensitive electronics in here, and I don't want either of us getting hurt. Okay?"
"Yes, Sir!" Sky chirped, scrunching her muzzle up into a 'serious' face and throwing a hoof to her forehead in a mock salute.
Liam smiled, hauling himself into the pilot's chair and strapping in his own restraints. His fingers danced across the controls, bringing the metal behemoth to life. The sun was high in the sky at this point, and to his displeasure he'd found that his NEXT had become quite the center of attention. The crowd around taking pictures with what appeared to be old Polaroid cameras, and occasionally sitting their kids or family members on the hands and feet to take pictures with the 'giant'.
He'd shooed them off when he arrived, warning them that the NEXT was about to go active, not that it mattered to them. They crowded right back to the machine, pushing and shoving to get the best shots. He supposed it was to be expected, and grinned as he tapped an auxiliary screen, accessing one of the files within the several petabyte hard drives.
He keyed up the external speakers, before blasting a sound file over them. The effect was immediate, ponies pinned their ears to their heads as they ran for cover. Within a minute, Liam had the street all to himself, the ponies having backed off to a safe distance.
"You ready, Sky?" He asked, glancing back at the filly as he hit play on another file.
She nodded, staring forward at the displays in awe as they came to life to the chanting of a choir, granting her a full view of what the NEXT was looking at.
Cadence unpinned her ears from her skull, that horn had been LOUD, and she had heard Celestia use the Royal Canterlot Voice before. Her husband stood beside her, his ears still flat as he recovered from the shock.
Her ears perked up as music began emanating from the giant machine, the chanting of a choir. It sounded deep, almost ominous, as the machine rolled its shoulders. She watched in awe as small pops were heard from the back, clouds of dust being kicked up behind the machine as it stood to full height, easily looking down on the royal balcony. Most rooftops were about at its waist.
Liam grinned, slowly throttling up the thrusters as the song reached a crescendo. The NEXT rose off the ground as the music grew more intense, thrusters making minute adjustments in the form of tiny pops that resounded through the hull. His grin grew, the best part still to come, as he focused his optics on Cadence and Shining Armor, both trying in vain to keep their jaws off the floor.
And then the heavy guitar kicked in.
With an echoing WHUMP, the NEXT shot straight into the air. Gaining an easy hundred meters of altitude in a couple short seconds, before kicking the left leg forward, throwing the whole mech into a backflip and plummeting to thirty meters.
Flexing in harmony with the machine, the NEXT shot to the right, before shooting twice as far left. All of these actions taking place within a second, probably giving the observing ponies whiplash as they tried to keep up. Liam was fully immersed in the flow, now. He spun around, leveling his chest with the buildings as he kicked the thrusters into high gear.
Cadence's eyes somehow widened even more as the massive machine came straight at her. Liam had already shown that it was capable of maneuverability that would put all but the most elite of Pegasi to shame, and now it hurtled straight at her at speeds she doubted anypony but Rainbow Dash could pull off. Just as she threw a shield around herself and Shining Armor, it stopped. They felt the hot blast of air, along with the resounding whump that came with several panels on the front opening, blasting blue and orange flame from them to halt the behemoth's flight.
Liam kicked the machine to the side, skirting around the palace in a single burst of speed before leveling off and heading for the outskirts. Cadence tore her eyes away to check on Shining Armor, who despite his tough façade, was physically shaking next to his wife. She couldn't tell if it was fear or anger, though, as she didn't know which of those two she felt herself.
Skylight was not a complicated filly. She liked food, fun, laughing, and being impulsive every bit as much as the next filly.
But this. This was something entirely new. The first few seconds were spent in stunned silence, as her dad flipped and turned the giant machine with hardly any effort.
Then, they turned toward the outskirts and he floored it.
"WOOHOOOOO!" The little Pegasus screamed, throwing her forelegs in the air as she was pinned to the back of her seat.
Liam grinned, the inertial dampeners of the NEXT operating flawlessly. They couldn't eliminate the force entirely, but they did reduce it by a substantial amount. The piece of technology made it possible to pull off extreme-G maneuvers without getting pasted across the inside of the cockpit.
Reaching the edge of the city, Liam's mood brightened even further as he noticed the Kojima conduits throughout the LYNX were reading full. Even though the reactor was reading offline, which confused him for a moment before he decided to experiment, lost in the moment as he was.
He took off on standard thrust, flying a few meters off the ground. As he watched the scattered farm lands fly by, he made a critical error. He slammed his body forward, kicking the NEXT another fifty meters off the ground.
Igniting the NEXT's Over-Boost thrusters.
Before he could stop it, Kojima particles flooded the oversized boosters on the mech's back. Pillars of Kojima radiation combined with normal thrust plumes to slam the NEXT forward. He shattered the sound barrier immediately, the sound of the thrusters, and the music, vanishing as the behemoth simply outran them.
Corporal Broad Shield sighed, smoke coming from his mouth as he held a cigarette in his hoof. Border patrol was the worst, there was literally nothing that could get through the frozen wastes around the Crystal Empire, let alone threaten their borders. A low rumble in the distance made the tired guard glance back toward the city, before shrugging and looking up at the clouds.
As he did so, a huge shadow shot over him, and was gone in an instant.
KRA-BOOOOM
The Corporal's cigarette was flung from his hoof, the long grasses of the farmland around him bending almost to the ground. He looked back up in shock, seeing the thing that had made that shadow spewing enormous plumes of green magic out of its back.
The Corporal's mouth hung open, his eyes staring at the sky, as his hoof retrieved his cigarette. Still staring, he took another drag, coughed a bit, and sat down. . . where he would remain for the foreseeable future.
Cadence watched through binoculars as two panels on the back of Liam's NEXT split open, revealing two huge boosters. She gasped slightly as energy erupted from them, the metal giant being thrown forward by pure magic.
She gritted her teeth, feeling the pressure of raw magic from so far away. It could be extremely harmful if not managed properly, but even as she made ready to move in and rectify the rogue energy, she felt it dissipate.
The magic around the NEXT was re-routing the raw magic particles, sending them back to the conduits they came from. Cadence sighed in relief, sensing no raw magic contaminating the area around the NEXT's flight path even as the giant thrusters cut off a few seconds later. The machine flew in a lazy arc over the city proper, coming back to rest on the street. Cadence noted that the Crystal Heart's magic had worn off during the flight, leaving a proud, tan and black figure standing before her. She was captivated by it, her eyes drifting over the flawless armor, the robust hydraulics and joints.
Her eyes were drawn to the side of the torso, where they stopped. What she saw chilled her blood, and her heart plummeted through the floor.
The insignia.
Familiar. |
Gary Catched His Own Pony | pre | "HI! FRED RODGERS HERE! WITH MY NEW PRODUCT TOLLY CLEAN!
"What was that noise?" asked Green as he awoke from his slumber, "Her? Applejack, what was that noise?"
He looked over to see where Applejack was, only to see a blue glob in her place.
"What?" asked the Blue Glob.
"WHERE IS APPLEJACK AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!" screamed Blue as he put his fists in a position to punch it.
"Gary?" asked the blue blob, "Is that you?" asked the blob.
"WHERE'S APPLEJACK!" he screamed again.
"I am Applejack." said the blob.
"No," said Gary Oak, "You are a shiny ditto."
"No I'm no..." the blob then looked at itself.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!" it screamed.
"I have no idea." said Blue, "But use transform."
"How do I do that?" it asked.
"Think." replied Bleeny.
The blue blob then transformed into a sparkling gold Applejack.
"Why am I gold?" asked Applejack.
"Because you were a shiny ditto, so now you are a shiny Applejack." replied Green.
"Ok." she said, "Now what?"
"I head a noise outside the tent,' replied Gary Oak, "Let's go investigate."
They then went outside to see what was going on.
"Hello?" asked Green, "Is anyone here?"
"HI!" screamed a guy with a black beard, black mustache, and black hair, "FRED RODGERS HERE! AND TODAY I WANT TO YOU MY NEW PRODUCT TROLLEY CLEAN!"
"Billy Mays?" asked Blue.
"Isn't he dead?" asked Applejack the Victini.
"Yes." he replied.
"FROM THE CREATORS OF ONIX CLEAN COMES MY NEW PRODUCT! TROLLEY CLEAN! CLEAN YOUR TROLLEY IN ONLY 15 MINUTES!" screamed Billy Rodgers.
"Is that you Mr. Rodgers?" asked Green.
"FOR ONLY 299.99 YOU TOO COULD HAVE THIS AMAZING PRODUCT!" he screamed in reply.
"Nope," replied Gary, "Still sounds like Billy Mays to me."
"AND THATS NOT ALL!" he screamed, "EVERYTHING IN THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN WHILE THE AUTHOR WAS IN SCHOOL! IF YOU CAN CALL BEFORE HE GETS HOME TROLLEY CLEAN WILL BE YOURS FOR ONLY 298.59!"
"What?" asked Blue from the author's house.
"I'M SORRY! YOU HAD 4 HOURS TO CALL BEFORE THIS CHAPTER WAS DONE AND UPLOADED! GET YOU TROLLEY CLEAN NOW!"
"I took a picture of him." said Applejack.
"Can I see it?" asked Gary Oak.
"Yes." said Applejack as she showed the picture to Green.
"I still say it's billy Mays." said Green.
"Now what?" asked Applejack.
"I have to use the bathroom." said Blue.
"Why are you on your tiptoes?" asked Applejack.
"No idea." he responded.
He then went to go to the bathroom.
"WHY DON'T YOU USE THIS TROLLY AS YOUR BATHROOM!" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"Why?" asked Gary.
"I WILL DEMONSTRATE HOW THIS PRODUCT WORKS!"
"Ok." said Blue as he took a crap on the trolley.
"Why do you have a cutie mark?" asked Applejack?
"What?" he asked as he looked at his butt.
"AAGHGHGFHDGWUDSWYDGSWDGUYABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!" he screamed.
"DON'T WORRY!" screamed Fred Rodgers, "WITH MY NEW PRODUCT TTROLLEY CLEAN YOU CAN BURN OFF ANY TATTOO! IT IS 99.99% ACID!"
"WHERE DID THIS COME FROM!" screamed Blue.
"I have no idea," said Applejack, "And why is your hair getting longer and changing color?"
"WHY ME!" screamed Green.
"YOU CAN BURN OFF YOUR HAIR WITH MY NEW PRODUCT! TROLLEY CLEAN!"
"SHUT UP ABOUT THAT!"
"Hey." said Applejack, "Look what I can do."
Applejack then turned into a Green colour Trainer Red.
"What?" asked Gary.
"I can change forms." she said as she was now herself again, but gold and a unicorn.
"Of course you can," replied Blue, "You are a Ditto. They can do that."
"YAY!" screamed Applejack.
"I still have to pee," replied Green, "I'll be behind that tree if you need me."
"TROLLEY CLEAN WILL RESTORE YOUR TROLLEY TO IT'S FORMER GLORY!"
"That's nice to know Mr. Rodgers." replied Applejack.
"AAAGGHGHGGHGHHHGGGGGGGGGABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!" came a scream from behind the tree.
"Come on Mr Rodgers," said Applejack, "We should go see what that was about."
"AND FOR JUST $299.99 YOU COULD HAVE THIS PACK OF TROLLEY CLEAN!"
"SHUT UP!" screamed Applejack as she took Mr. Rodgers up with her magic, "Wow, being a unicorn comes in handy."
"IF YOU PUT ME DOWN TROLLEY CLEAN COULD BE YOURS FOR ONLY 289.98!"
"SHUT UP!" she screamed.
"What is it green?" asked Applejack.
"No." he said.
"No what?"
"NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO!!!!!" he started to scream. Applejack then hit him across his face.
"SNAP OUT OF IT!" she screamed.
"I'm sorry." he said, sounding more femanin.
"Now what's wrong?" Applejack asked.
"I'm a girl." He said.
"What was that?" asked Applejack.
I'm a girl." He said again.
"One more time?" asked Applejack.
"I'M A GIRL!" he screamed.
"What?" she asked sounding confused.
"FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY ANY MAN THAT TURNED INTO A FEMALE CAN GET TROLLEY CLEAN FOR ONLY 199.99!"
"SHUT UP!" screamed Green.
"I'm sorry Green." said Applejack.
"Might as well call me Leaf now." Leaf replied.
"Ok Leaf." said Applejack.
"Great." replied Leaf, "Even the author is calling me Leaf now."
"Yes I am." I replied. "I am the one who wrote you as a girl."
"I HATE YOU!" she yelled.
"I know." I replied.
"So now what?" asked Applejack.
"I'm going to take a nap." replied Leaf.
"Ok." said Applejack.
Leaf then went off to sleep.
2 HOURS LATER
"I'm up." said Leaf.
"Um, Leaf?" said Applejack.
"Yes?" she replied.
"You're a pony now."
"What?" asked Leaf as she Looked down at her hooves.
"I told you." replied Applejack.
"AAAGAHGHGHGHGGHGHGABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!"
TO BE CONTINUED! |
Gary Catched His Own Pony | 420 Blaze It 4 Life | When we last saw our heroes, they were fepping stripping dancing. well, I'm out of ideas soooooooooo, ON WITH THE STORY
mR. RODGERS began strolling down DOWN the street solemnly when he caught a glimpse of something peculiar. "Oh my, what is that?" He blinked with the force of ten Machamps to clear his sight. The figure jumps out of the bush.
"Hiyah! The name's Bill!"
"Eeh, hi?"
"So the chapter is over because the author wants this to end in a cliffhanger!"
"Okay?"
Bill the PokeManiac waves at Mr. Rodgers.
I lied.
Suddenly Mr. Rodgers in his super mecha unicorn form juped out from the bushes that randomly grew in the mall they were in. Suddenly flames engulfed the entire mall as the support beams exploded and the floor above them colapeasbrd onto them and exploded into fire and explosions and fire and explosions and fire and explosions and fire and explosions and fire and explosions and fire and explosions and fire and explosions. The floor crashed down and hit Glue and set him on fire. Super Mecha Mr. Rodgers squirted his emergency special juices out of his tube to save Bleen from the super cyborg fire of death. Suddenly they were teleported by Applechak into space where they could not breathe. They were about to die and then suddenly out of suddenly of the somewhere Professor Doctor Mr. Mecha Super Duper Cyborg Rodgers saved the day and everything turned back to normal expect for Mr. Rodgers who remained in his Professor Doctor Mr. Super Mecha Rodgers form. <3 |
Gary Catched His Own Pony | HAPPY BIRTHDAY! | "I have a very short time here." I said to all of them, "Team Rocket made me go 5 minutes over schedule."
"We are back to normal." they said, exept Mr Rodgers, who was still his same old self.
"Yes, "I said, "I wrote you like that for this chapter."
"Why?" they asked.
"TROLLEY CLEAN FOR ONLY $299.99!"
"You better not make me go over schedule." I said to him.
"BUY IT NOW!"
"OH!" I screamed, "HERE HE COMES! HIDE!"
"Ok." they then went to hide.
"Hello?" asked FunnyK111, "Where am I and how'd I get here?"
"SURPRISE!" we all yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"YOU CAN GET ONE FREE CASE OF TROLLEY CLEAN FOR FREE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY!" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"I LOVE TROLLEY CLEAN!" screamed FunnyK111.
"We didn't really get any gifts." said Gary Oak, "The author here didn't tell us this was going to happen."
"Couldn't he just wright in presents?" asked FunnyK111.
"I just wright," I said, "You know about the plot."
"So wright in some presents." he said.
"Ok." I said.
"We got you presents." said Gary Oak, "Here's mine."
"It says from Fart on here." replied FunnyK111.
"That's because his name is fart," I said, "You can name your rivals."
"I hate you." said Fart.
"I know." I replied.
"This is just a rock." said FunnyK111.
"A pet rock." I read off of the package.
"Ok then." said FunnyK111.
"Here is my present next." said Applejack. She handed him her present.
"It is a bottle of mouthwash." he said unenthusiastcally.
"APPLEJACK! WHY WOULD YOU GET HIM THAT!" I scolded.
"You are the one that wrote it into existance so I could give it to him." she replied flatly.
"Mr. Rodgers allready gave me his present," said FunnyK111, "Now all you have to do is give me your's"
He was looking right at me.
"I am wrighting this chapter with you in it." I said, "I think that is good enough a present."
"Can we sing then?" He asked.
"I have 5 minutes." I said, "Sure."
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR FUNNYK111
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"
"BLUE CAKE!" he screamed.
"Yep," I said, "Blue cake.
"Now what." he asked.
"I have 4 more minutes," I said, "Let's talk about what will happen in the future."
"Like what?" he asked.
"Celestia will make an apearence in this fanfic." I said.
"Anything else?" he asked.
"Red and Fart will meet too." I said.
"Is that it?" he asked.
"No," I said, "There will also be, OH! LOOK AT THE TIME! WE HAVE TO GO!"
"Why?" he asked.
"IN 1 MINUTE WE WILL BE STUCK IN THIS STORY FOREVER BECAUSE IT WON'T BE YOUR BIRTHDAY ANYMORE!"
"THEN LET'S GO!" He screamed.
"Bye!" we called out back to them.
"BYE!" they called back.
We then left the fanfic with 30 seconds to spare, or less. |
Gary Catched His Own Pony | Chapter ??? | "Which way should we go and look?" asked Leaf.
"YOU CAN BUY TROLLEY CLEAN™ NOW!" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"That's nice," said Leaf, "Any ideas Applejack?"
"..."
"That's right," remembered leaf, "You turned into a skeleton."
"YOU CAN BUY TROLLEY CLEAN™ NOW!" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"Who do you think has the cure for Poison Joke?" asked Leaf.
"TROLLEY CLEAN!™" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"No thank you," said Leaf, "I need the cure for poison joke right now, not Trolley Clean™."
"Hello you stupid folk, I guess you've encounterd some poison joke?" asked some Zebra that no one knows the name of because she is evil..
"TROLLEY CLEAN!™" screamed Mr. Rodger.
Then all of a sudden, Leaf's phone started to ring.
"Sorry," she said, "I gotta take this."
She then picked up the phone.
"N'yello?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SON!" screamed the voice through the phone.
"Ah, WTF? How did your dad get my number?" Leaf asked to Mr. Rodgers.
"NO! My dad is DEAD!" said Mr. Rodgers.
"THEN WHO WAS PHONE!" screamed Leaf.
Then a skeleton popped out, but not before they noticed a person fall into a lake.
"WE HAVE TO HELP THAT GUY!" screamed Leaf.
"That guy can not be helped," said the Zebra, "For his fate has been kelped."
"Kelped?" asked Leaf.
"TROLLEY CLEAN!™" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"Kelped means you've eaten beans." said the Zebra.
"Ok then." said Leaf, "I'm going to go help that guy now."
But leaf was too late, the boy had drowned.
"He drowned." said Leaf.
"It was a shame we didn't know his name." said the Zebra.
"His name was Ben." said Leaf.
""How do you know this bro.?" asked the Zebra.
"It was written on his copy of Majora's Mask he had with him," replied Leaf, "On the better side of things, I GOT A FREE COPY OF MAJORA'S MASK! :D"
Just then a smiling dog jumped up and grabbed the cart from Leaf.
"HEY!" screamed leaf as she ran after the smiling dog.
"DO NOT CHASE THAT PUP OR IT WILL THROW UP!" screamed the Zebra as she started to chase Leaf.
"TROLLEY CLEAN!™" screamed Mr. Rodgers as he too, started to run after them.
8 HOURS LATER!
"I guess we won't catch that smileing dog," said Leaf, "And I am getting tired."
"Me too, enough to sue." said the Zebra.
"Trolley *pant* clean?™" asked Mr. Rodgers, sounding tired.
"GO TO SLEEP!" said Jeff.
"I think I will." said Leaf.
"I will go to sleep, like a sheep." said the Zebra.
"Trolley clean?™" asked Mr. Rodgers tiredly.
"Don't mind if I do." said Jeff.
He then took the trolley clean™ and poured it all over his face.
"AAAAGGGHGHGHGHGGHHABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!!!!!" screamed Jeff, "WHAT KIND OF TROLLEY CLEAN™ IS THIS!"
"It's Jellybean flavored Trolley Clean™." replied Mr. Rodgers.
"YOU HAVE FOUND MY WEAKNESS!" screamed Jeff right before running off into a black area. Then the people went to sleep.
Several song filled hours later...
It was now night time.
"That was a nice dream." said Leaf.
"You must choke on poison joke." said the Zebra.
"TROLLEY CLEAN!™" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"We have to go out into the night." said Leaf.
"What is this note I found in a coat." asked the Zebra.
Leaf read it outloud.
The cure for poison joke is...
"We need to find more notes." said Leaf.
They went outside, and wanted to look for more notes when the noticed they were in a forest.
"What's happening?" asked Leaf.
"TROLLEY CLEAN!™" screamed Mr. Rodgers.
"Let's go farther into the forest." said Leaf.
They then went farther into the forest, not seeing a tall and slender man in a suit looking at them.
3 DAYS LATER...
Dear Diary,
I have found some notes, but none of them are helpful. I have learned to write with my mouth, and be a pony. I got separated from my friends when a tall and slender man started to chase after us. I still have Applejack's skeleton, but Mr. Rodgers has my revive. I have given up on trying to find the cure for poison joke, and will live the rest of my life as a pony. I am writing this with some of my own blood and a feather I found. I started to bleed after I cut myself on some sharp rocks. I just hope that I can live the rest of my life as a pony peacefully.
Until next time,
Leaf Oak.
Liking what she wrote, Leaf went to sleep in her shelter she made in a old car. She was in the back seat, and had found a heater to stay warm during the nights. It was solar powered.
"I can live here for the rest of my life." she thought outloud.
""Maybe we can open up this car with a crowbar." said a voice from outside the car.
'Could it be?' Leaf thought.
Just then something ripped through the roof of the car, letting the light shine in.
"TROLLEY CLEAN!™" screamed a voice.
"MR RODGERS‽" screamed Leaf.
"Let's get out of here, for I fear that the end in near." said the Zebra.
"TROLLEY CLEAN™ IS SAFE TO DRINK!" Mr. Rodgers screamed as he drank a bottle of Trolley Clean that was 99.99% acid.
After the entire bottle was gone, he spoke again.
"Why hello neighbor," he said, "What are we doing here on such a beutiful day?"
"IS THAT THE CURE!" screamed Leaf as she grabbed the Trolley Clean™ and started to drink the entire bottle.
"AAAAAAAGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGGHHGHGHHHGHABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!!!" screamed Lean as (s)he suddenly had his/her body change from pony to human and from female to male in the period of 3.141592 seconds.
"That was not the cure, for you have had four." said the Zebra.
""SMELL YOU LATER!" Green screamed as he ran to the trolley.
"You don't know how to drive my trolley neighbor." said Mr. Rodgers.
"Can you show me how?" asked Blue.
"You can not drive an orange," said the Zebra, "For it has no..."
The zebra paused. Then it fell over and dies because there is no rime for orange.
"Press that button." said Mr. Rodgers.
"DOOR HINGE!" screamed green as he pressed the button. "SMELL YOU LATER!"
The trolley then went speeding off into the distance.
HERE!
IMAGES APPEAR IN ORDER THEY WERE IN STORY! |
Gary Catched His Own Pony | Chapter 5 | "When we last saw our heros, I have no idea what happened, because I forget the last normal update, so go back and read it if you want to. What will happen this week on Gary Oak finds a date? STAY TOONED TO FIND OUT!"
"I'm board." said Green.
"You could always try to use that revive on our Neighbor again." said Mr. Rodgers.
"GREAT IDEA!" screamed Blue as he, GARY MOTHERF*CKING OAK, used the revive on Applejack.
"What happened?" asked Applejack.
"I killed you." said Gary Oak.
"WHY!" screamed Applejack.
"You annoyed me and pissed me off." replied Blue.
"Now what?" asked Applejack.
"I could help." said Bobanook the green duck."
What will you do?" asked Green.
"Today is friday the 13th, so you have to be caureful." said Bobanook.
"F*** THAT!" screamed Blue, "I DON'T BELIEVE IN THAT CRAP!"
"Your loss." said Bobanook.
Gary then went over and punched a mirror. His hand started to bleed badly when the mirror broked.
"AAAAAAGGGGHGHGHHGHGHGHHABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!" screamed Green.
Bobanook then walked under a ladder.
"That's bad luck too." said Green as he wrapped his hand in some band-aids.
"Oh, a four leaf clover." said Bobanook as he picked it up and pinned it to him.
"Why is that so good?" asked Applejack.
"Because it brings good luck." said Bobanook.
"But 4 leaf clovers can't actually be brining luck, 'cause if they did finding them would be luck, wich'd cause a positive feedback loop, and given that luck must be a conserved property due to the commonality of zero-sum games, that'd quickly concentrate all luck into a few individuals who started out slightly above average, wich'd be lucky enough to realize this causing them to compete until all luck in the world belonged to a single individual. A good individual being the only one with any luck would not feel very lucky over it, and a bad individual would quickly just remove any other sapient and is thus excluded from reasoning due to antropic reasons. Given this, the initial assumption is inconsistent, QED. Realize this reasoning can be generalized to any luck bringer which can be found using mainly luck." said Gary Oak.
"I FOUND ANOTHER ONE!" screamed Bobanook.
"It isn't lucky," said Blue as he walked under a ladder, "It won't bring you any good luck."
Just then, Green got hit by a train, because, like harold, he wasn't paying attention."
"That reminds me of a poem." said Mr. Rodgers, "Want to hear it neighbor?"
"No." said Applejack.
"It would be called out for copywright." said Bobanook."
"I could just link to it then." said Mr. Rodgers.
"Yes," said Bobanook, "Feel free to do that."
"Here is the link." said Mr. Rodgers.
"I found another 4 leaf clover." said Bobanook, "But I have to go now. Toontown Rewritten is not coming out anytime soon, and I am holding it back by not being there to force them to release it."
"How would you do that?" asked Applejack.
"With this gun." said Bobanook.
"Here Neighbor," said Mr. Rodgers, "Take some exploding bullets that kill anything in a 100 yard radius."
"Thank you," sadi Bobanook as he threw a black hole on the floor, and jumpped in it.
"I hate you." said a Green in a bunch of casts and other things. He then threw another bottle of Trolley Clean on applejack, and she turned back into an item skeleton.
"Now let's go forward." said Blue as he and Mr. Rodgers went on to their next adventure. |
Gary Catched His Own Pony | Chapter 6 / Chapter 15 | "When we last saw our group of travelers, they had some bad luck. They had also seen a Green duck that they may or may not have known. The duck found a 4 leaf clover, to which Green said if they were lucky, then the person that found one will find more, getting all the luck. That was his quote from Pokemon. They had all kinds of luck, and Blue may even be getting tired of Applejack again. What will happen in this weeks episode of The Ledgend of Korra? Stay tuned to find out!
Continues from here.
"What are we doing now?" asked Applejack.
"We are looking for the way back to the trolley," said B=Gary, "I have told you this 42 times now."
"But what are we doing?" Applejack asked again.
"You know what?" asked Green, "Have some of this."
He then poured more Trolley Clean all over her.
BLUE AQUIRED PLASTIC PONY SKELETON!
"Thank you," said Mr. Rodgers, "She was starting to get annoying."
Just then, a portal opened up.
"Where are we?" asked Trainer Red.
"Red?" asked Gary Oak.
"Green?" asked Red.
"I hate to break up this reunion," I said, "But we have more important stuff to..."
I paused when I looked at what Gary was holding.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" I screamed and asked.
"Do to who?" asked Twilight.
"That isn't important right now," I said, "We need to find a place to hide."
"Why?" asked Blue.
"Listen to me," I said, "There are a bunch of crazy people trying to find us, and if we don't do something fast, they will..."
"Too late." I was cut off by a voice that had appeared.
"CRAP!" I screamed.
Just then, I, TwilightSparkleLover666, took over the story again.
"I love BRONIES!" screamed the author.
"Why WOULDN'T you love Bronies?" asked Blue, "Wait. WHY wouldn't I SAY THAT!"
"Because Bronies ARE AWESOME AND have NOT taken over the story." replied the author.
"That's just great." said Blue.
"Make the author do something he hates." suggested PonyFanBoy35.
"Why do that?" asked FunnyK111, "He is fat, but not really that bad."
"He made this story," I replied, "Let's make him do stuff that he hates."
"Ok." replied FunnyK111.
"I am a f****." said the author.
Hmm, I thought to myself, He didn't seem to hesitate when he said that. Almost like it wasn't forced. Let's try something else.
"I hate POKEMON!" screamed the author.
Just then, his computer screen cracked. It turned all red, as if this was a creepy pasta.
"NEVER INSULT POKEMON!" I screamed at him as I took control over the story again, "I WILL KILL YOU WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS! I PROMISE THAT! NEVER SAY THAT!"
"WHAT IS HAPPENING!" screamed TwilightSparkleLover666, as he couldn't breath.
"I WILL FINISH THIS!" I screamed as I threw a portal onto the wall and made everyone go through it.
"Follow me if you dare..."
"He's gone," I, TwilightSparkleLover666, said as I regained control of the story.
"What happened?" asked FunnyK111.
"He left this link with a message saying the password is password." I said.
"Should we follow him?" asked FunnyK111.
"Yes," I said, "It is the only way..."
WEB ARCHIVE USERS MUST CLICK HERE!
TO BE CONTINUED... |
Royal Guards in Training | pre | The mare and her husband laughed at this as she cooed, "Of course, I wouldn't want to bring anything illegal," She lowered the foal to the ground, and laid the bag at his hooves.
Bucket Bridle sniffed it, waddled in, and took out something soft and crinkly with his hooves. As he crawled out with a diaper in his mouth, he spat it out and asked, "Why ya bringing diapees?"
The mare's husband smirked, "My dear Fleur, did you bring your diaper bag to the party? You know your cousins are not visiting for a few days still."
"Oh, my mistake, Fancy Pants, darling," Fleur chuckled. "When we left the house I must've grabbed the wrong bag," But she instantly took the foal and the diaper in her magic. "Now, I don't think foals should be running around without proper padding." She then slipped it through Bucket Bridle's legs as he fought back!
"Let me go, I potty trained!" Bucket Bridle protested.
Fleur ignored him, then plopped Bucket Bridle onto her back as she cooed, "Now, how about we find your parents? They must be worried sick!"
Suddenly, the chestnut colored adult unicorn stallion came up and asked Fleur, "Madam, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm most certainly fine." Fleur smilied, as Bucket Bridle scrunched his cute white diaper.
"I was just trying ta check for contraband!" Bucket Bridle complained.
The guard sighed as he spotted the foal, "I apologize, madam. This little guy just popped up and he's been assigned under me."
Fleur picked up her diaper bag and asked, "But where are his parents? I'm sure that they're worried."
"I don't need parents I a royal guard!" Bucket Bridle shouted, making the ponies laugh again, and causing Fleur to coo, "Oh look, he wants to play royal guard."
"Maybe, but I fear that I've been put in charge of him for the time being," The guard replied. "Now please put him down."
Fleur cooed as she took him, nuzzled him, and kissed him on the cheek, making him groan and rub his face. "Alright." She then drifted him to the ground.
Bucket Bridle turned and asked, "Can ya take the diapee off?"
"Are you sure you're potty trained? You look a bit young for that." Fleur commented.
"For the last time, yes!" Bucket Bridal growled.
Fleur untaped the diaper and slipped it off. "Alright dear, take care." She called. She and her husband then continued through the party.
The guard turned and looked down at the glaring foal in front of him, "Now Bucket Bridle all the guests have arrived. So we are to go to the party and make sure ponies have their tickets." He told Bucket Bridal.
"Really?! Ya want me going around the party with ya?!" Bucket Bridle asked.
The guard sighed, "Yes, now come along. And try not to embarass me anymore if possible."
Bucket Bridle giggled and ran through the entrance to the garden, as the guard sighed and followed along. "Can't believe the captain's stuck me with foalsitting," He thought to himself. "If this is his idea of a joke, it's not funny."
Bright Wing found Princess Cadence talking to some other mares at a table in the garden. She was wearing a pink party dress, and laughing at a joke, when he ran up and nudged her leg.
Cadence looked down and dawwed," "Oh, I didn't know foals would be at this party. What's your name, little one?"
Bright Wing giggled and replied, "I Bright Wing, I a royal guard."
The mares dawwed, as Cadence lit up her horn, and placed him on her lap as she nuzzled him and cooed, "Are you playing royal guard?"
"Well no, I was sent hewe by Captain Shining Aromor to watch ya." Bright Wing told Cadence.
"Oh really?" Cadence smirked, "Sounds like Shining is trying to get out of foalsitting, again. You'd think the Captain of the Royal Guard would be willing to change a diaper or two once in awhile." That prompted the mares to giggle, and then Cadence asked Bright Wing. "How about you join in on the conversation?"
Bright Wing nodded, "Okay, as long as I with ya." He snuggled into her lap.
One mare, a pale yellow coated unicorn with a brown, curly mane and tail, bright red eyes, and a cutie mark depicting what looked like a box of chocolates in the shape of a heart asked, "So, how did you join the royal guard at such a young age?"
"Well, I was twasnfowmed to a fowl by the eviw Nightmawe Moon!" Bright Wing shouted with excitement, bouncing up and down.
The mares laughed as a unicorn with a pure white coat, a light blue mane and tail with pink highlights, emerald eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a gemstone asked, "And were you trying to save a princess?"
"Yeah, we were twying to save Celestia!" Bright Wing babbled.
The mares laughed as the pale yellow coated one from earlier asked, "Oh, he has a wonderful imagination, don't you think?"
Bright Wing gasped, realizing that the mares were making fun of him. He got mad and shouted, "But I did, I was a big Royal Guard!" The mares laughed again as he got flustered, jumped off of Cadence's lap and said to them, "I'll prove I a royal guard!" He ran off, making Cadence sigh.
"I should go after him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble. Excuse me for a moment." Cadence said to her guests, as she reluctantly got up from the table and went after the foal.
Blueblood couldn't help but feel embarrassed with a toddler at his side, babbling on and on, "Well I didn't have a great foalhood before, so this time I want to go to an amusement park! I never gots a chance to go to one and I weally want ta go on a carousel, eat cotton candy, and play games! I always wanted to ride a roller coaster!"
Blueblood groaned, then he turned in time to see a young white coated unicorn mare with a lovely gold mane, blue eyes, and a lovely blue dress that covered her cutie mark approach to him as he smirked, "My dear, I'm Prince Bluebloo-"
But the mare ignored him and went straight to the foal, "Oh, he's so cute!" She hugged him, making him giggle as she asked. "Did I hear right that you wanted to go to an amusement park?"
"Well yeah, but after I watch Blueblood," Cannon Feather replied. "I still a royal guard after all."
That made the mare giggle, "Oh really? Watching the prince like a big pony?"
Cannon Feather giggled and nodded, "Yeah, I want to prove I still a great royal guard."
Blueblood growled, "Excuse me, but aren't you intre-"
The mare looked up and asked Blueblood, "Is this foal yours?"
Blueblood blushed, "No, he's a cousin of mine."
"Really, and what's his name?!" The mare exclaimed.
"I Cwannon Featha!" The foal answered, as the mare smiled and ruffled his mane, "Oh, that's a lovely name," She turned to Blueblood and asked, "Well, I just love foals. Is it okay if I hang with you two for a while?"
Blueblood gave a sly grin. "That's fine, now come along Cannon weather."
"Is Cannon Feather!" Cannon Feather protested, but Blueblood ignored him, taking the mare in hoof as Cannon Feather followed them.
The mare suddenly used her magic and placed Cannon Feather on her shoulders, "There. That's better, huh?" She asked.
"Yeah, if ya say so." Cannon Feather hugged the mare's mane as she followed Blueblood through the garden.
Blueblood turned to the mare with a charming smile and asked, "Now, how about you get me something to eat?"
"What?!" The mare asked, astonished at the prince's rudeness!
Blueblood turned to her with a glare "You heard me, I would like something to eat or didn't I specifically say that?"
Cannon Feather tugged at the mare's mane and babbled politely, "I can go get him someting ta eat, I watching him anyways."
The mare dawwed as Blueblood rolled his eyes. She nuzzled the foal and whispered, "Okay, dear," She looked back at Blueblood. "Um, we'll go get you some food."
Blueblood rolled his eyes as he muttered, "Okay, just don't take forever. I'm famished!"
The mare trotted along to the buffet table. Cannon Feather eyed the food on the platters and stuck his tongue out! "Ya eat that stuff?! It looks gross!"
The mare nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid they usually serve this bland food at parties like this. But Blueblood probably won't mind if we stray from his usual preferences. What do you suppose we should get for him?"
Cannon Feather turned to a small stand where Donut Joe was shouting "Donuts! Get your donuts here! Finest donuts in all of Canterlot!"
Cannon Feather bounced "lets get Bluebwood some doughnuts!"
The mare smiled,"Sure, I'll tell him it was your idea. And if he doesn't like them, well it serves him right for using me as a delivery girl." She hugged him as Cannon Feather babbled, "Than ya, missy."
Bucket Bridle was looking around as he tugged at mares and stallions asking for their tickets while the guard escorting him just smiled and chuckled. "Hey, mista!" He tugged at a stallion wearing a suit. As the disgruntled noble looked down at the foal, the foal looked up and said to him, "Ya gots ta show me ya ticket."
The noble stallion scoffed, unlike the previous stallion he no eye glass and his coat was a dark blue in color. The only thing that made him similar to the previous stallion, was that he was also a unicorn. "How outrageous, a foal giving orders!" He remarked.
The escort guard shouted, "Hey, that royal guard just gave you an order!"
The stallion gulped and quickly produced a ticket, making the foal nod. "Ya good, enjoy the party." And he waddled away with the guard chuckling.
They turned to see a mare with a foal on her back ordering doughnuts. The foal looked quite similar to Bucket Bridle and his older companion asked, "Hey, Bucket Bridle, do you know that foal?"
Bucket Bridle looked up and shouted with excitement while bouncing up and down, "Yeah, that's Cannon Feaather! What's he doing with that mare?" He ran at her and tugged at her dress, until she looked down at the foal who shouted, "Hey, missy!"
The mare looked down at the foal and cooed, "Oh, another foal?" She asked.
"Yeah I a fowl, mowe impowtant why ya gots Cannon Feather?" Bucket Bridle asked in return.
Cannon Feather looked down, "Bucket Bridle? I thought ya was watching the front gate?"
"I was but we done now and we checking ticwets!" Bucket Bridle shouted. This made the guard and the mare laugh.
The guard came up to the mare and blushed, "I apologize ma'am, I've been ordered to watch him and-"
The mare placed Bucket Bridle onto her back as well as she said with a big smile. "-It's quite alright, I adore foals." She sighed, looking across the grass to the impatient Prince Blueblood walking back and forth with his head in the air. She then turned to the guard, "I believe I was lied to by our prince. He told me Cannon Feather was his cousin, but I'm not seeing the resemblance."
The guard smirked, "Well, that's Prince Blueblood for you. He hasn't changed a bit."
The mare rolled her eyes as she replied, "Well, I'll give him these donuts to him, then play with these foals. I'd rather do that then stay one more minute at this boring party."
"Ma'am, could I assist you?" The guard asked.
She turned, "Can you hold the donuts?"
The guard turned to Donut Joe and a box filled with donuts, and he smiled, "Sure thing ma'am." He took them in his teeth and the two went towards the grumpy Blueblood.
Blueblood growled, turned to see the mare, and shouted, "It's about time!"
The mare eyed Blueblood and grumbled, "Here's your doughnuts.""
The royal guard gave Blueblood a box of doughnuts who threw them aside with disgust, "Doughnuts?! You dumb mare, you think I'm an uncivilized swine?!"
The mare became enraged, clencing her teeth! "Cannon Feather got those doughnuts for you, jerk! And for the record, I think you're lying about him being your cousin, no way a spoiled brat like you is related to a little gentlecolt like him."
Blueblood turned to Cannon Feather, "Well, should've expected a little brat to have such disgusting tastes. Never send a foal to do a stallion's job."
This made Cannon Feather bawl and, then the small group heard. "Ya hurt, Cannon Feathear's feelings! Ya big meanie!" Blueblood turned to see Bright Wing throwing doughnuts at him.
Bucket Bridle crawled over and shouted, "Yeah, ya big jerk, take this!" He threw a doughnut into Blueblood's eyes.
Blueblood retreated, and fled into the crowd of ponies knocking several guests aide, until he fell into the middle of the grass field, with Cadence flying up and putting a hoof to her mouth!
Bright Wing came up shouted, "There, now ya believe me?! I stopped ta meanie from bullying my comrade!"
The crowd laughed, as Blueblood got up, seething in rage! The foal crawled away as he roared, "You are in big trouble you little brat! Nopony makes a fool of me and gets away with it!"
But before Blueblood could do anything, he was pulled into the magical grasp of his adopted sister, Cadence. And she was anything but pleased. "How dare you yell at a foal like that!" She scolded. "Picking on a defenseless foal, have you no shame?!"
Blueblood turned with a "humpf" as he walked away.
Cadence picked up Bright Wing,and cooed, "What happened?"
"Well, I thought that stallion was picking on my friend ,Cannon Feather." Bright Wing explained. He buried himself into Cadence who hushed him as she patted his rump. She kissed him and turned to the other foals who were crawling up to her asking "Is Bright Wing okay?"
"He's fine, but let the adults have their party," Cadence kindly told them, "I''ll get you three somthing to eat."
She levitated them onto her back and carried them away as Bright Wing whimpered, "I am so gonna gets a spankie."
Canon Feather hugged him and said in reply, "Don worry, I'll tell Celestia is my fault."
Bucket Bridle joined in the hug as they got carried away, all shivering at what celestia's spanks would feel like. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 3: New Adjustments | Celestia and Luna were sitting in a library, going over hundreds of books on age regression and dark spells. When Luna opened one book, she gazed through the book as she gulped and shouted "Sister, look!"
Celestia came over and asked. "Sister, what is it?"
Luna looked up with a worried look on her face as she explained. "We.. I mean...I...performed the Flash Regression Spell."
Celestia took the book (which was dark blue in color), looked at it and read outloud: "The Flash Regression Spell is a high powered curse created by a unknown unicorn. Notes from Starswirl the Bearded: The curse will turn its victims into foals, usually between the ages of two and three. It has mixed results. As there is little knowledge of the spell, it was only used once, and from the test results it seems the spell will regress its victim and they must restart their life from that age. Since a cure could not be found and seeing the dangerous affects of this spell, it is recommend not using this spell under any circumstances."
Luna groaned as she loudly exclaimed. "Oh no I hast turned your royal guards into foals forever."
Celestia looked up from the book and reassured her sister as she replied. "Maybe not. There is a chance we could still undo it Starswirl's notes say he never had time to find a cure."
Luna nervously asked. "So thy believes a cure may still be possible?"
Celestia nodded as she placed the book down. "Maybe, from my research the spell is at the moment irreversible. That means we must make the guards time as foals comfortable."
Luna smiled, she had always wanted children. "So what doest you have in mind?" She inquired of her sister.
Celestia thought for a moment, tapping a hoof to her chin. "There's a spare room here from when Blueblood visited as a colt. I can spruce it up and get some things for them," She then turned to see the sun was high in the sky, indicating around noon. She sighed as she added. "We've left those foals with Captain Shining for some time. I think we should go see how they're doing."
Luna nodded and added with a smirk, "The book also said they are foals currently between the ages of two and three. I trust thy knows what that means?"
Celestia turned as a blush grew on her face. "Dear sister, I don't think they would like being back in diapers."
Luna giggled and replied. "Surely thou knows that foals their age may not be fully toilet trained. They will need something to keep them from leaving messes all over the castle."
Celestia pondered this fact as she turned to her sister and suggested. "Well, toddlers their age could use training pants."
"What are training pants?" Luna asked, having never heard of the term before.
Celestia laughed as she realized, "Oh right, those weren't invented a thousand years ago," She the explained. "They're kind of like diapers except they can be pulled down easily. They're specifically designed to help foals in toilet training."
Luna happily replied. "What a wonderful invention! Foals a thousand years ago could've used those. Especially during the night."
Celestia nodded. "Yes, but I believe that nighttime diapers are designed for foals that wet the bed, not for foals in the midst of potty training. Training pants and pull-ups were specifically designed for that. And there are even these things called training potties, which are plastic bowl shaped objects in foal size. They often have bright colors."
Luna was amazed! "Wow, so much innovation for foals has occurred in my absence! I'll go and search for these 'training pants' thou speakest of. I must see them for myself."
"If that is what you want," Celestia replied. "You should find them at any foal care store, just mention you need something for foals two to three years old."
Luna nodded, as she quickly went out of the room, excited like a little filly!
Two of the foal guards waited outside a bathroom in the castle hallways, with Cannon Feather whispering to Bright Wing. "Ya think he made it to ta potty?"
"I hope he did," Bright Wing whispered back. "Remember what Cewestia said. If we make too many accidents she'ww put diapees on us."
Cannon Feather nodded nervously as he whimpered, "Yeah, I remember. I gonna cross my hooves."
The bathroom door swung open. Cadence trotted out, helping Bucket Bridle, who waddled from the bathroom as the other foals asked together. "Did ya make it?!"
He looked up and nervously said. "Um...I um..."
Cadence quickly replied with a concern look. "Darlings, he doesn't want to talk about it. Let's go eat."
They all continued down the hall, with the other two foals looking back at Bucket Bridle, who was looking at the ground, sniffling. Cannon Feather whispered "I dun think he made it."
Bright Wing, knowing how Bucket Bridle felt, went back to him and hugged him making him grumble. "Wha? Nothing happened." He insisted
"It's okay," Bright Wing insisted. "Ya know I made wetties in my diapee coming here?"
Bucket Bridle softened his expression. "Really?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's okay. I think we forgot how ta use the potty." Bright Wing whispered.
Bucket Bridle then looked up and pleaded, "Bu I was so close when I peed on the floor. But I got most of it in ta potty."
Bright Wing replied with a shrug. "So, I guess we half potty trained?"
"Maybe, bu I dun want to wear diapees!" Bucket Bridle grumbled.
Before they could do anything else, Cadence shouted, "Alright you three, time for lunch!"
Cadence had lead the three royal guards to the dining room, as she helped them get settled around the dining table. They jumped up and down in front of their plates of steamed vegetables. They were all groaning as they looked down, as Cadence stared at them. "Now, you better eat all your vegetables or no dessert." She told them politely.
They all mumbled, "Yes Cady," They took up their plastic forks and began eating. Cadence then placed three sippy cups full of juice in front of them. Bright Wing giggled and said to Cadence, "Ya know we Royal Guards, right Cady?"
She smiled and nuzzled him. "Even if you were a royal guard I can't give you a real cup, you'll spill your juice all over yourself."
She kissed him on the cheek, and he just smiled, "She really thinks we're just foals pretending to be royal guards." He thought, as he took the sippy cup and began to suckle on the tip.
Cannon Feather was having fun munching on his food, he giggled in delight. Bucket Bridle was eating his steamed carrots, but was avoiding his peas as Cadence turned and asked "Bucket Bridle, are you avoiding your greens?"
"They yucky, Cady! Can't I just eat my carrots?!" He whined. Cadence gave him the glare. "You eat those greens right now, little one! Otherwise, no dessert!"
Bright Wing turned and taunted Bucket Bridle, "Yeah, ya have to eat evewyting."
Bucket Bridle groaned and whimpered, as he sat back down with a humph and started to eat his greens, as Cadence came over and hugged him, "Well there's always a picky eater. But it's nice to know no dessert is still a valid threat these days."
The other two guards giggled as Bucket Bridle blushed.
Shining Armor came upon the scene just a short time later, but when he saw Cadence he blushed and backed up, "Cadence?" He asked nervously.
The foals turned and shouted in horror, "Captain Shining! They all ran behind Cadence.
Cadence giggled, looked up at her colt friend, and asked him,"Shining, what is it?"
Shining slowly regained his composure and replied, "I was told those three made quite a show at the garden party. I just wanted to know if they were alright."
They all looked up at him as Bright Wing asked, "Wait we not in twouble?
Shining gazed at them with a downtrodden look as he mumbled "We'll have to see. I will have to tell Princess Celestia what happened though. And I'm sure I'll be in more trouble," The guards all groaned and looked down. But Cadence looked up, and pointed her head towards them. Shining gulped and smiled, "But um...you three did a swell job at making Prince Blueblood look like the fool he is."
The guards all giggled and ran up to Shining, who blushed as they hugged him. He looked up at Cadence, who smiled and shrugged as she said to the guards,"Alright you three, get back to eating your food."
"Okay Cady." They all said in unison, climbed back into their high chairs, and resumed their meals.
Shining came up to Cadence and whispered, "I'm so sorry for leaving them with you. I didn't know..."
She eyed him and kissed him, "It's okay. I know how uncomfortable you are with foals," She turned to the guards before looking back at Shining Armor as she asked. "Are they really royal guards?"
Shining and Cadence both looked at them as he whispered. "Yeah, surprisingly they are. I didn't think that something like this would happen."
Cadence turned to her colt friend with concern and asked. "So, how long will they be like this?"
Shining shrugged as he responded. "Who knows? I've heard that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are working on a cure as we speak."
Cadence looked back at three foals, eating their food with little grins and bouncing up and down. She giggled. "Well I don't mind watching them, they're so well behaved for foals their age."
Shining scoffed slightly. "Well behaved?! They threw doughnuts at Blueblood, not that I think he didn't deserve to be made a fool of.."
Cadence turned back to her colt friend and growled slightly. "I saw the whole thing, Blueblood was picking on Cannon Feather for giving him doughnuts."
Shining gasped, he hadn't heard the full story just the basic details from the complaining Blueblood covered in jelly and powder. "Really?!" He turned to Cannon Feather, who was currently sucking on his sippy cup. Shining came up to Cannon Feather and said to him. "Hey, Cannon Feather."
Cannon Feather looked up. "Hey Captain Shining. Whas wrong?"
Shining hugged Cannon Feather and profusely apologized. "I'm so sorry for leaving you with Blueblood, I would never think he would've stooped so low as to bully foals."
Cannon Feather smiled and hugged Shining. "Is okay, I'm a royal guard."
Shining looked at him with concern. "You sure you're okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I sure....I went through worse." He looked up at his captain's giant blue eyes as Shining ruffled his mane. "Well, I promise I'll never leave you with Blueblood again." Shining told him.
Cannon Feather hugged him, as Shining held him close. Cadence dawwed at the scene, as Celestia and Luna came in. Celestia looked up at the foals as they all shouted "Cewestia!"
The guards all ran up to her! She eyed them, making them all quiver as she said seriously, "I heard that you three made quite a mess at the party."
"We're really sorry." They all whimpered. Celestia bent down and nudged them as she told them, "But, I won't spank any of you."
"You won't?!" The three all asked in surprise.
Celestia nodded, "Indeed I won't. In fact the only one who's getting punished is Shining," She turned to the captain, and as he backed up she replied, "I specifically asked you to watch the foals, not pawn them off onto others."
Shining bowed his head, "Yes, Princess Celestia. I understand. Guess I'm going on probation, huh?"
But Celestia replied, "I won't put you on probation, seeing as I don't feel like it. Besides I might need you to watch the foals later on. However, I think cleaning up the mess hall in the barracks after dinner time tonight should be punishment enough."
Shining bowed his head and nodded. "I accept your punishment."
Celestia smiled, "Good." She then went to Cadence and they talked in hushed whispers.
The three foals trembled even more, especially Bucket Bridle who whimpered, "Oh, Cewestia is gonna put me back in diapees."
Cadence went to the foals as she hugged the three of them and whispered, "I'll see you three later. I'm going to get some stuff and then I'll bring you dessert, okay?"
"Okay!" The three shouted together.
Shining then walked off with his mare friend as Celestia turned to the foals, and they all cowered before her gaze as she said to them., "Now, I know that you three were trying to help at the party. And I heard how Prince Blueblood was rude to you three."
Cannon Feather whimpered. "Yeah, I got him doughnuts and he yewwed at me. Bwight Wing just twied to hewp, is aww my fault."
Celestia dawwed and hugged Cannon Feather. "It's okay, it's not your fault," He smiled as she added. "Now that we've got that out of the way, I want to tell you that my sister and I didn't find a cure just yet."
The foals all groaned as Bright Wing asked. "Bu wha tuwned us into foals?"
Celestia continued. "The curse used on you was very powerful and complicated, it could take some more time before Luna and I can turn you three back to normal," She then turned to Bucket Bridle who gulped as she said to him. "Now, I heard that you missed the potty," Bucket Bridle blushed, as Celestia smiled and told him. "But, I don't think that you'll have to wear diapers."
Bucket Bridle eyed her and asked. "So if we not going to wear diapees, wha are we wearing?"
Celestia gave a motherly smile. "Follow me. Luna should be back soon with my little surprise."
The guards were now in Celestia's room, where Luna laid out a package of unopened training pants. They all gasped "Training pants!" They exclaimed.
Celestia nodded. "Yes, dears. I figured out that you three are around three years old. And we don't need anymore accidents, especially not on the castle floors."
They all sighed and grumbled, as Luna took up the package and opened it. She took out three pairs that were bright blue in color and made of a padded plastic material. She blushed as she asked. "Now, will thou turn thy rumps towards me?"
They all reluctantly turned, and felt the plastic pants be pulled up around their rumps, and their tails threaded through the tail holes. Luna smiled. "Thouest are now protected from accidents."
They all turned and grumbled at their new blue padding now tied around their chubby waists. Bucket Bridle cried a bit. "Tia, I really sowwy for making a mess earlier? Can we not wear the training pants, pwease?"
Celestia cooed. "This isn't a punishment. These are just to assist in your potty training. Once you start getting better at making it to the potty on time, then we can talk about taking them off," They all still looked at their new little blue plastic pants in embarrassment. Celestia bent down and nuzzled them tenderly as she continued. "Also, I put training potties in every bathroom. So just ask an adult if you need to go, okay?"
The guards all looked at each other, unsure about the new rule. At last, Bright Wing asked. "So, we can't go potty by ourselves?"
Celestia continued with her tender tone, "You're really young, Bright Wing. And for us to see how you're doing, we need to have an adult assist you. I'm sorry, but this will help you three in potty training."
They all sighed, as Luna replied and offered. "Now that that's done how about I show thee to thy's new room?"
"New room?!" Bright Wing exclaimed. They were led down the hall across from Celestia's room. Luna opened the door, revealing a room painted blue with clouds covering the walls, making it look like the sky. In the back of it was a large bed with three small white pillows, and a giant blue comforter. There was also a toy chest near the bed brimming with stuff, with some plastic objects poking out. And on the right side of the room, was a closet filled with stuffy suits and foal clothes made for young colts.
Bright Wing asked. "So, we going to live here?"
Celestia happily replied with a smile. "Of course. The cure may take some time so I thought we could get you settled in here for a while."
The guards all perked up a bit upon seeing the room, and then Cannon Feather squealed "Tis is awesome!" He climbed onto the bed and started to jump up and down!
Bright Wing got onto the middle of the bed, and just snuggled on the sheets and began rolling around.
Bucket Bridle growled. "But we ya royal guards we not wittwe cowts."
Celestia replied while trying to suppress a smile. "Yes, I know that. But from the fiasco at the party, I think it's safe to assume you can't perform your duties at the moment."
Bucket Bridle lowered his head. "I guess not. But you will get us back to normal, right?"
Celestia sighed, but she didn't dare reply truthfully. "I promise I'll do whatever i can to find a cure," She lied, knowing full well that there was a good possibility no cure existed. She then hugged him and asked. "What did you like doing as a colt?"
Bucket Bridle looked up. "Weww...I did wike pretending I was a royal guard when I was wittle." He mumbled.
Celestia went over to the toy chest and they all turned to see three sets of plastic gold colored armor come out. "Di you get us armor?!" The foals exclaimed to her! Celestia giggled. "Well, it's not real armor," She then helped the foals put on the plastic armor. Bucket Bridle even smiled upon seeing himself in the gold armor, even if it was made of plastic gave him a sense of pride. Celestia dawwed. "Ohm now you are my cute little guards," She took out three plastic helmets and set them on their little heads. Then they ran to a small mirror and looked at themselves in their toy armor.
Celestia then cleared her throat as she announced. "Now that you're colts, I have a few more rules that you must follow," They all looked up at her as she said to them. "Now I'm going to be your caretaker for the most part, which means you're going to have to follow my rules. That includes going to bed when asked and eating what I put on your plates." They all nod their heads in agreement.
They then all came up to her as Bright Wing asked. "Wait, now that we're cowts, do we have to go to school?"
Celestia smiled even as she shook her head. "No, I think you three are too young for that. You'll stay in the palace, and I'll find some ponies to keep you company and play with you. And I'll sometimes have to get somepony to else to watch you while I attend to my royal duties."
They all nodded, as Cannon Feather blushed, rubbing his hoof on the ground "Umm...can...can we go to a amusement park?" He asked.
"Maybe," Celestia told him. "Tell you what? If you're a good little foal, then I'll see if we can."
Cannon Feather giggled and squealed happily! "Yes!"
Celestia turned to the guards and she said to them. "Now, I have a lot to catch up on with my royal duties. Cadence will be by soon, but can you behave and play nicely by yourselves for a bit?" They all nodded, so she replied. "Good. I'll be back to tuck you in tonight."
Celestia left, and the guards all sighed. Bright Wing pouted. "Now, we'll never prove we're royal guards."
Canon Feather happily replied! "So, didn't ya hear her?! We get to go to an amusement park if we behave ourselves!"
Bucket Bridle growled at him. "Ya kiddin me, wight? Why ya acting wike such a foal?"
Cannon Feather stuck his tongue out and muttered back. "Because we awe foals, we might as well enjoy ourselves."
Bright Wing replied. "I dun know, I think we can at least help out, even if Celestia thinks we can't."
Cannon Feather mumbled. "Wike what?" Bright Wing shrugged.
Cannon Feather groaned as he held his plastic blue training pants and babbled "Howd that thought, I gots ta go to ta potty," He waddled out the door and bumped into Cadence as he exclaimed. "Cady, ya back!"
Cadence smiled. "I told you I would be, didn't I?" Then she noticed his training pants growing a little green as she asked. "Cannon Feather, do you need to use the potty?" He nodded, kicking his legs and bouncing up and down. Cadence quickly lead him to a bathroom across the room."Come on, dear. You can make it." She encouraged him. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 4: A Nighttime full of trouble | Shining Armor was wondering the halls of Canterlot palace mumbling, "'Cadance has been gone all day. I hope those foals didn't knock her out." He opened the door to their new room and peeked in seeing Cannon Feather, Bucket Bridle and Bright Wing climbing all over Cadence and laughing while doing it. Cannon Feather shouted, "We got the pink monster!"
"Yeah I got her wings!" Bucket Bridle replied.
Cadance playfully growled, "No, you can't defeat the pink monster from the crystal empire!"
"Na uh." Bright Wing taunted as he held onto her neck making her fall on the ground with fits of laughter. They all clambered on top of her hugging her and shouting! "Yeah, we beat the monster!"
She laughed and hugged them. "Oh, you three did it! You're still so great at protecting royalty."
Cannon Feather nuzzled her. "Tanks Cady, ya the best foal sitta ever!"
She laughed and nuzzled him back, "And you three are the best little colts I've ever foalsat."
Cannon Feather's smile turned to a frown as he whimpered, "No, I made wetties in my twaining pants. I the wowse colt ever."
Cadence gave him a tender smile and cooed, "Sweetie, you're still in potty training. I told you that accidents happen."
Cannon Feather cried some more as he ran off. Bright Wing and Bucket Bridle shrugged as she took them into her embrace and she kissed them. "Alright you two, I need to talk to Cannon Feather and see if he's okay."
She came over to him sulking in a corner, and she called, "Hey, Cannon Feather?" Cannon Feather grunted and lowered his helmet she came over and hugged him. "Hey, what's the matter?"
"I hate potty twaining!" He grumbled. "Is so stupid, woyal guards dun wet themseves!"
She replied in a motherly tone, "It's not that bad, you're doing rather well, actually."
He looked up with a pout. "How do ya know?"
Cadence explained, "I've helped potty train a lot of foals. and I have to say from my personal experience, you may have trouble holding your bladder. But you realize when you have to go. That's the first step of potty training."
He turned and said, "Okay, ya got ta teach me to be potty twained fast! I got to show Cewestia I good colt, so I can go to the amusement park!"
She laughed now realizing why he was so worried and replied, "Sweetie, even if you're not potty trained, I'm sure Celestia will take you to the amusement park."
Cannon Feather eyed her as he asked, "How do ya know so much?"
She laughed and ruffled his mane. "Celestia's my aunt, silly. Besides you got potty trained before, right? I'm sure you will be able to do it again in time."
He smiled and chirped, "Yeah, okay. Bu I stiww wanna be potty twained fast!"
Cadence then heard Shining shout. "Princess Celestia!"
"Captain Shining!" Celestia replied in a warm and motherly tone.
Cadence turned and asked her coltfriend. "Um Shining, what's going on?"
Shining Armor entered the room with Celestia as the sun princess replied, "He was outside the door, probably scared by the pink monster and her heroes."
They all giggled as Shining grumbled. Cadence came up and said with a giggle, "Oh Shining, if you wanted to play, you could've just asked."
"Oh come on you two, you're setting a bad example," Shining mumbled. "They may be foals but they're still technically royal guards. The only reason they're not still on duty is because royal guards can't take potty breaks every few minutes."
The mares laughed as Celestia then instructed, "Alright, you two can leave. I'll care for the foals tonight."
Before they left Cadence whispered to Celestia, who nodded as Cannon Feather cried and went under the blanket as Bucket Bridle mumbled, "Ya think we in trouble? We aw made wetties in owa diapees."
Bright Wing blushed. "I made a witte messy, potty twaining is tough."
Celestia just smiled as she turned to her foals who were now all looking at her as she told them, "Now that I've got a full report from Cadance, you three seem to be making progress in potty training."
"Weawwy, bu we all made wetties ow messies." They said in confusion.
Celestia replied in a motherly, "You forget that you all noticed you felt the urge to use the potty, which means we're making progress. Knowing when you have to go is a good start," They all smiled at this as she continued, "Now, how about I tuck you in?"
They all squealed and raced to go under the blankets. Soon, they all snuggled under their blanket, as Celestia came over, put the sheets up to their chins, and snuggled them with her muzzle, "I'm so proud of you three." She motherly cooed.
Cannon Feather looked up. "Weawwy?"
"Yes really," She said, and kissed him on the forehead as she continued, "Besides, I will never forget how you three risked your very lives to save me. This is the least I can do to make up for it.."
They all blushed as she continued, "How about a story then?" She took a book with a white cover in her magic. "Now I have a wonderful story about guards. It's called 'The Guard from Whiterun'."
"Whitewun? Whas tat?" They all asked together.
"A far away place, one that you've probably never heard of," Celestia told them. "Now, do you want to hear the story?"
Cannon Feather happily shouted, "Yeah, wet's hewe it!"
Celestia nodded and obliged, "Alright you three, now lay down and relax as I tell you the tale." She began to read the story, as the foals all snuggled in, listening.
"Then he fought the falmers with his long sword, keeping them at bay as he rushed along the dark tunnels," Celestia narrated. The foals were all shivering underneath their blanket when she added, "At last, he escaped, went up the elevator to the mountain, and sighed in content. 'Yes, I made it!' He said proudly!"
The foals all shouted! "Yeah, he made it!"
Celestia nodded and narrated. "Yes, the brave adventurer had finally made it, but now he knew he must prove himself to the champions," She then closed the book as she asked. "So, what do you think?"
Cannon Feather replied, "He wowkin hawd and vewy bwave by goin in that scawy pwace aw awone."
Bright Wing nodded, "Yeah, he weally bwave. But I thought ya said he's gwad not a adventurer?"
Celestia giggled. "Oh, he will be eventually, but for now we'll stop the story there," She then bent down and kissed their heads, as she nuzzled each of them and whispered. "Now get some sleep my little guards," She then began leaving the room, but when she had shut the light off she turned her head and added, "I'll post a guard outside the room. If you need to go potty ask him, okay?"
"Okay." They all mumbled, as she gently closed the door behind her.
In the darkness Bucket Bridle whispered, "Hey Bwight Wing, ya the smartest. Aw fawmas real?"
Bright Wing shook his head. "I dun tink so, they fake."
Cannon Feather turned his head to Bright Wing and asked, "Bwight Wing, is evewyting in books weal?"
Bucket Bridle retorted. "Na uh, have ya wead Dawing Do? Those books couwdn't be weal."
Bright Wing whispered, "There's wumors that Dawing Do is weal."
The foals gasped as Cannon Feather replied, "No way, ya mean thewe is weally monstews, twaps and aww tat stuff?!"
Bright Wing shrugged, "Tey wumors, but some ponies say Dawing Do is a weal pony and wha happened in her books actuawwy happen."
"How many did ya wead?" Cannon Feather asked.
Bright Wing blushed a bit as he explained, "Weww, I wead every Dawing Do book when I knew how to wead."
"Ten, awe fawmas weal?" Bucket Bridle asked in a worried tone.
Bright Wing shook his head, "Tey not weal!"
Cannon Feather laid back and babbled, "Bu you said Dawing Do might be weal. If fawmas are weal, then Cewestia is in trouble!"
Bucket Bridle agreed and asked, "Wight bu if they weal, why wouwd tey attack?"
"Cause tey hate the sunwight and Cewestia contwols the sun! So if tey foawnap her the sun wiww be gone!" Cannon Feather squealed anxiously!
Bucket Bridle nodded, "We got ta pwotect her!"
But Bright Wing retorted. "I dun tink so! Fawmas awen't weaw!" Unfortunately, neither Bucket Bridle or Feather Cannon listened.
The two buried themselves under the blanket, shivering as Bucket Bridle asked. "Wha if fawmas attack the caswel whiwe we sweepin?!"
Cannon Feather nodded. "As woyal guawds, we gots to protect the pwincess no matter what!"
Bright Wing sighed and protested, "Bu, we gonna get in big twoube! She wans us in bed!"
But Bucket Bridle firmly replied, "It doesn't matta! If monstas awe out thewe, we have to pwotect Tia!"
The others giggled as Cannon Feather asked, "Why ya call Cewestia, Tia?"
Bucket Bridle blushed and whispered, "Is noting, now wet's go!" He jumped out of bed, went to the toy closet, and began putting on his plastic armor. Cannon Feather also jumped out and began putting on his plastic armor.
Bright Wing mumbled, "Weww, didn ya two hear? Thewe's a guard outside. He won wet you two go."
Cannon Feather turned and said with a smile, "Weww, if ya dun want to get in trouble, then you go distwact the guawd by saying you got to go potty."
Bright Wing got up and grumbled, "Fine, bu I stiww tink this is a dumb idea." He waddled out the bedroom door, and found the guard from the party that had escorted Bucket Bridle.
The guard turned with a grin. "Hey little guy, need to use the potty?" He asked.
Bright Wing smiled, "Yeah I do..was ya name?"
The guard blushed and bowed, "I'm Battleheart, at you service young hero."
"Hewo? I no hewo." Bright Wing babbled, humbly rubbing his hooves off the carpet.
Battleheart shook his head. "Captain Shining Armor explained how the three of you risked your lives to save Princess Celestia's life and got changed into foals as a result," He bent down and nuzzled Bright Wing as he added, "Helping you to the potty is the least I can do."
Bright Wing hugged him and said, "Ya weally nice."
Battleheart ruffled his mane and smirked, "Always did have a soft spot for children. Now then, kid, let's get you to the potty."
Bright Wing turned to see his training pants turning a bit green, and blushing he nodded, "Yeah, wet's go." They rushed off to the bathroom as Bucket Bridle and Cannon Feather snuck out the door and headed to Celestia's bedroom.
The two foals were now outside of Celestia's room standing alert, pumping out their chubby chests and looking around for suspicious activity. Bucket Bridle turned and asked, "So the pwincess said they wook wike big, ugwy monkeys. Is tat twue?"
"Yeah, tey sound scawy" Cannon Feather whimpered, "I bwave, bu I hope they dun come."
Bucket Bridle turned and said confidently. "Dun wowwy, we can hoof it Cannon Feathew, we woyal guards."
"Okay," Cannon Feather whimpered as he rubbed his eyes trying to stay. They look around some more as Cannon Feather then replied, "I dun get one ting though, whewe is Skywim anyway? I neva heawd of it."
Bucket Bridle shrugged, "I dun know, bu it sounds wike the Fwozen Nowth. But it might be a pwace we haven't found yet."
Canon Feather replied, "Weww I dun want go there, they got dwagons, twolls and scawy wolves."
Bucket Bridle pufffed out his chest! "I not scawed of them!" He boasted!" I wiww go ta Skywim and defeat those meanie dwagons."
Cannon Feather laughed, "Well, we gots ta get back ta nowmal before tat, because no pony will take ya seriously in pwastic awmor and twaining pants."
Bucket Bridle growled, "Take tat back, piddwe pants!" He slammed into Cannon Feather! As they rolled around, they heard clopping comong from down the hall, and both stopped fighting and looked up in alarm.
Cannon Feather whimpered, "Bucket Bwidle, sompony is coming down the hall."
Bucket Bridle whispered, "I'ww go check it out." He slowly got off Cannon feather and waddled down the hall. As he turned the corner he saw a shadow reflecting on the wall by the light of moon.
"Who waks awound the caswle wate at night?" Cannon Feather asked in a whisper.
Bucket Bridle whispered in reply. "Onwy te woyal guard, and I dun think tey have wings and howns."
"Wha about Woona?" Cannon Feather asked with concern.
Bucket Bridled shrugged, "I dun know." He replied as the shadow came closer.
"It couwd be a monstew!" Cannon Feather exclaimed!
"If it is, we bewwer get it before it eats Tia!" Bucket Bridle shouted!
Cannon Feather began to shiver and felt his bladder leaking as the creature came closer. But Bucket Bridle fixed his helmet on his head and shouted, "Alwight we'll tackwe tis monster!"
Cannon Feather whimpered, "I dun know, I scawed Bucket Bwidle." He was going to cry, when Bucket Bridle hugged him. "Is okay, now I need your hewp."
They both nodded as they looked back at the createur and Bucket Bridle whispered, "On thwee we chawge, weady?"
Cannon Feather whimpered as he nodded in agreement. Bucket Bridle whispered, "One..." Cannon Feather felt more urine leak and his legs shaking as he nodded again. Bucket Bridle continued "Two..." Cannon Feather was now shaking all over, he felt his training pants leaking as Bucket Bridle shouted, "Thwee! Charge!"
Bucket Bridle ran forward, as Cannon Feather waddled behind but felt his sagging training pants. They caught the monster's forelegs and it came tumbling down! Then Bucket Bridle smiling, turned to Cannon Feather as he happily shouted! "We did it! We got ta monstew!"
Cannon Feather waddled over, grumbling, "I made wetties in my twaining pants again."
That was when Bucket Bridle heard. "What be the meaning of this?" Bucket Bridle and Cannon Feather turned, gasping as they realized who they'd attacked "Woona!"
Luna got up and eyed the two foals, "And why arest you two up?!" She demanded of them.
Bucket Bridle gulped. "Um, we're um just..."
But before he could reply, another voice asked, "Yes, why are you two up?" The two guards turned and saw Celestia standing over them as Bucket Bridle groaned. "Oh tis isn good."
All three foals were now sitting on the bed in their room, as Cannon Feather and Bucket Bridle were crying with sore rumps (in clean training pants).
"Now what in Equestria are you three doing up?!" Celestia demanded, sounding very serious and angry. "And why did you tackle Luna?!"
Bucket Bridle cried. "We wewe wowwied about you, Tia. We scawed abou the monstews fwom the stowy."
"Yeah, we wew wowwied they wewe going ta eat you." Cannon Feather cried.
Luna came in and asked, "Wait, thouest were trying to pull night shifts?"
Bucket Bridle nodded and whimpered, "Yeah, kind of."
Celestia sighed. "It's my fault," She told her sister. "I read them an adventure book I came across, I think their overactive imaginations took hold."
But Luna replied. "It's okay, I am quite amazed that these foals still see themselves as royal guards," Celestia subtly glared at her sister who began to sweat and added "But thy should be still ashamed of thyselves for getting out of bed! Such an act would be punished severly one thousand years ago! A few spankings is mild compared to what parents used to use for dolling out punishment!"
The guards all looked down in shame as Celestia told them in a gentler tone, "It's okay you three, nopony got hurt. But now I want you all in bed, and no more getting up except if you have to use the potty," They all nodded and sulked as they climbed back under the covers. Celestia came over to them and re-tucked them under the sheets as she added,, "Now i'd rather not catch you three up again until I raise the sun...do you understand?" They all nodded and Celestia told them, "Good, now get some sleep."
Luna turned and winked at the guards, making the foals all smile. She closed the door as Celestia commented with a sigh, "I should've known taking care of foals would be hard."
Battleheart looked up and bowed his head as he said, "Princess Celestia, I apologize. It's my fault the foals were able to escape."
Celestia smiled, "It's alright, you were just escorting Bright Wing to the bathroom, you couldn't have known or done anything. I'll assign another guard to help with keeping our foals safe. That way if they try this again, it will be much harder."
The guard nodded. "Yes, Princess Celestia."
Celestia walked off with her sister as Luna spoke up, "Well, you have to admit, they were just trying to protect thee."
"Yes, it seems they still truly believe they are royal guards despite their age regression," Celestia commented, and a frown formed upon her face as with a reluctant sigh she added., "I must tell them that there is no cure, or find a cure rather quickly. Their confusion of what's going on could cause trouble later on."
"What will happen if there is no cure?" Luna whispered in concern.
Celestia continued, "If that is the case, I would...I would consider adopting them. But I don't know how I could be their mother and support Equestria at the same time. Also, if their parents are around, they deserve to know what happened to them."
Luna bowed her head, "I see..."
Celestia then continued with a smile,"Luna, I know you've grown quite attached to them. If you wish, you could play with the foals as much as you want. Just as long as it doesn't interfere with your royal duties."
Luna sighed, "It will be quite difficult, being The Princess of The Night and all." She dropped her head in dissapointment as Celestia continued, "Luna.." But Luna just walked off.
Celestia wanted to comfort her sister but couldn't think of anything that she could suggest.
As the two sisters were walking away, Cannon Feather opened the door. Battleheart looked down and said to him, "Cannon Feather, unless you need to go potty, I don't think you should be up."
Cannon Feather whimpered, "I know...but I fowgot to say sorry to Woona."
Battleheart smiled and sighed, "Alright, but let's be quick about it."
Cannon Feather giggled, as Battleheart escorted him down the hall.
Luna was laying in her bed in her room on the top floor of the palace. Looking at the night sky she wondered to herself, "Why, why did Nightmare Moon turn those guards to foals?!" She then heard something and turned her head to see Cannon Feather crawl up as she shouted, "Cannon Feather! What arest thou doing-" But then she saw that he had tears in his eyes as he ran to her hooves crying, "I'm sowwie... I'm sowwie for tacklwng you."
Luna hugged him close as she hushed him, "Hush now it's alright," She cooed, delighting in feeling how soft he was."
Cannon Feather looked up and whimpered, as she picked him up and hugged him back. "It should be we...I mean I... should be saying sorry for turning you and your friends into foals."
He looked up and asked, "So um..ya okay?" He then got off the bed and slowly crawled away as Luna replied, "Um, Cannon Feather?"
He turned as she smiled and asked, "Would thou..would you like to stay up with me for a bit longer tonight?"
Cannon Feather smiled, "I wouwd wove that!" He happily exclaimed, but then whimpered as he realized, "Bu Cewestia, wiww give me spankies if I don get back to bed."
Luna bent her head down and nuzzled him with her muzzle, "Not if i'm here with you." She told him.
He smiled and thought for a second before nodding his head "Otay." He ran up to her and hugged her. And she let him nuzzle her chest making her laugh. She then laid him down in her lap, letting him nuzzle deep into her chest as she whispered, "There there." He slowly put his hooves around her, making her tear up a bit as she looked down at him, and he drifted to sleep.
Battleheart smiled as he turned and walked away. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 5: who's protecting who? | Luna was watching Cannon Feather sleep peacefully in her lap. as she saw Celestia raise the sun. She sighed as she thought, "Dear sister that was beautiful, I'm also shocked that it's morning already." She looked down at Cannon Feather and gently brushed his skin and fur, touching it ever so slightly, feeling how soft and gentle it felt on her hoof, and realising how fragile the little foal was. The princess of the night still couldn't believe she would ever hold a foal in her life, despite having the little guard sleep in her lap all night. He eventually started winking his eyes and he turned to her with a smile, "Hey Wuna. Is it mownin?"
Luna giggled as she peered back at him, "Yes it is little one, you waking up?"
He rubbed his eyes with his hooves as he smacked his lips and looked up at Luna. "Hey whew am I?"
She giggled and continued, "Well you fell asleep in my lap last night, dear."
He gasped and cried! "Oh no, I gonna get spankies!"
Luna hushed him and whispered, "It's completely fine, I'll explain to Celestia that I let you sleep with me."
He garbled while smacking his lips, "Ok Wuna, bu stiw seweepie."
Luna lowered her head and nuzzled him, making him groan as she cooed, "It's time to wake up sleepy head."
He giggled as he kicked about, she couldn't help but smile down at him some more. He then mumbled, "Okay Wuna I'ww get up."
She then gently laid him on the ground while patting his training pants with a hoof as she replied, "Looks like they're dry."
He giggled and blushed as he looked back up at her, "Weally, they weally dwy?"
Luna giggled and nodded with a smile "Yes, they're dry."
He squealed, "Yeah!" He then jumped up and hugged Luna, making her smirk, "I changed him twice last night, but there's no reason to tell him about that." When he finally let go he asked excitedly, "So Wuna, what da ya wan ta do?"
Luna thought for a few minutes tapping a hoof on her chin, she replied, "So how about you and I go play in the garden for a bit? Does that sound like fun?"
He nodded and chirped, "Yeah that sounds wike awot of fun!" He squealed and ran off shouting "I'w wace ya!"
Luna laughed and galloped after him! "Oh no, thouest won't beat me!"
The two eventually arrived at the garden after running through the palace. Cannon Feather was trying to catch his breathe, as Luna came up to him still full of energy and asked "You okay?"
He nodded and said. "I guess I not used to my new body, besides I beat ya!"
Luna smirked. "Oh, did you? Well I guess I shall have to beat you next time."
He giggled. "Okay, do ya want ta pway hide and go seek now?"
She gave him a gentle smile, "Yes, let's play hide and go seek, little one." Luna then went to a tree and placed her hooves over her eyes as she counted, "One...two...three..."
Cannon Feather quickly scurried into a bush and watched as Luna finished counting. "Eight...nine...ten! Thou is coming!"
She looked around the garden and wandered about, while Cannon Feather, in his bush stifled his giggling by putting his hooves over his mouth.
Luna peered over a few flower beds as she asked, "Where oh where is little Cannon Feather?" She came up to a random bush and was looking through it, when she heard Cannon Feather's giggles. Trotting over to the bush the giggles were coming from, she shifted through it until she found him. But when she got close to him, he squealed and ran off, prompting Luna to shout, "Hey, get back here!"
He nagged back, "Na uh! Ya can't catch me!"
Luna giggled and ran after him while shouting, "Oh, thouest can't escape from the Princess of the Night!" She flapped her wings as she chased after him. Cannon Feather tried flying himself, but his wings just flapped rapidly while his plump little body stayed where it was. Luna picked him up in her hooves and kissed the crock of his neck, making him squeal in laughter. She then turned over and complimented the little royal guard. "You're such a good hider!" She told
"Yeah and I guess ya a good seeka." He babbled.
She smiled, "Yes I arest a great seeker."
Cannon Feather gave her puppy dog eyes as he asked. "Wuna? Can we pway again?"
Luna couldn't help but let a daww slip when she replied, "Maybe, but does thouest need to use the potty first?"
Cannon Feather looked at his training pants to make sure they were dry and mumbled, "Yeah, wet's go! I don wan ta make anotha wettie."
Luna held him close with her right wing as she cooed. "Alright dear, I'll escort you to the potty."
He nuzzled her fur and followed along. Luna just blushed and continued to walk back into the palace.
Celestia came down onto the town square where a few ponies were watching her. But she ignored them and flew back towards the palace, for some reason she just wanted to get back to the foals and see how they were doing. She quickly flew back to the palace, went up through the halls and slowly came through the door where the foals were sleeping. She looked up at Bright Wing who was already starting to wake up in the bed next to Bucket Bridle (who was sucking on his hoof with drool pouring down his chin). Celestia couldn't help but daww at the two with a small smile forming on her face. Upon seeing her Bring Wing gave her a giant, loving smile, making Celestia's heart stop. She whispered, "Morning you two."
Bright Wing ran out of bed and shouted, "Mownin Cewestia!" He ran into her and hugged her forelegs. She couldn't help but hug him back and nuzzle him as she cooed, "How are you doing, Bright Wing?"
Bright Wing giggled, "Gweat! I had a gweat sweep wast night!"
Celestia replied with a smile, "That sounds wonderful," Then she asked. "Did you wet the bed?"
He blushed as she patted his rump, felt that it was quite damp, and cooed, "It's alright, a child's bladder can be unpredictable. How about I get you cleaned up?"
Bucket Bridle mumbled "Wha's goin on?" He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Celestia, he also smiled at her, making the princess's heart flutter with maternal love. He then saw Bright Wing hugging Celestia and jumped off shouting, "Hey ,I wove ya too, Tia!" And ran up to hug her legs as she laughed. "Oh Bucket Bridle, I love you too."
He just nuzzled her leg making her laugh. "Alright, now I'm betting you're wet too." She patted his damp training pants, as he blushed and turned his head in shame. She just smiled and said, "It's alright, it's quite natural for foals your age to wet themselves overnight. Now let's get you two cleaned up," She then escorted the two to the bathroom as she turned her head and asked, "Wait, where's Cannon Feather?"
Bright Wing turned and explained, "Oh, I saw him weave, saying someting about saying sowwy to Wuna."
"Oh, did he?" Celestia asked, as she thought. "I was wondering where Luna was, I guess she has our missing foal."
Just then, Cannon Feather smiled, as he saw his friends being escorted by Celestia. He shouted. "Bucket Bwidwe! Bwight Wing!"
They turned their heads as he ran into them, giving both of his fellow guards a hug as they giggled together. Bucket Bridle asked. "Whewe have ya been?"
Celestia looked up at Luna who blushed and turned her head down. The princess of the sun came up to her sister and nuzzled her as Luna explained, "I'm sorry I was going to take Cann-" Celestia hugged her, interrupting her sister as she whispered. "It's alright, I'm glad you spent time with Cannon Feather."
They both turn their heads to the foals all laughing and talking to each other. Celestia then whispered and asked, "Luna, do you feel something weird when you're around them?"
Luna blushed. "Yes, dear sister. Thy can't help but nurture them."
Celestia nodded her head. "I feel exactly the same. I almost have half a mind of taking today off and spending it with them."
Luna smiled, even though she was surprised. "Thou is a princess, can't she do just that?" She questioned.
Celestia sighed. "There's a few matters I need to take care of. As much I would love to spend time with them all day long, but I can't."
Luna gave a yawn as she responded. "Yes thou feels the same. And I must rest soon."
Celestia continued, "Did he keep you busy last night?"
Luna shook her head. "He wet himself twice but didn't wake up."
Celestia laughed a bit. "Looks like all three of our foals have zero bladder control at night. Bucket Bridle and Bright Wing soaked their training pants and the sheets."
The two laughed together, while Bucket Bridle was the first to ask. "Cannon Feather, whew have ya been?"
Cannon Feather blushed, "Oh I just swept in Wuna's wap tat's all."
Bucket Bridle hugged him while shouting. "Why di ya do that?! Tia is gonna spank ya now!"
Cannon Feather with a pout shouted, "Na uh! Wuna said, as wong as I with hew I get no spankies!"
Bright Wing shouted back, "Na uh, she wying!"
Celestia came over and said to the guards, "Alright you three stop fighting, no pony is going to get spanked," She then bent down and whispered, "In fact I think all three of you should spend more time with my sister," They all perked up as she asked, "Luna, would you like to feed them breakfast?"
"Of course!" Luna immediately replied. She scooted them with her muzzle as she said theom. "Come on you three, time for some num nums!"
Luna was now watching the three as they climbed onto the royal dining table, where three bowls of steaming porridge waited for them sprinkled with sugar and strawberries. Luna bowed her head and encouraged. "Go on, dig in."
They all began digging their spoons into the porridge, and ate their food happily. Bright Wing suddenly turned and asked. "Hey, Wuna, afta bweakfast, can we go pway with you?"
But Bucket Bridle protested. "We can't, we gots mownin dwill."
Luna just laughed. "Bucket Bridle, thouest no longer has to worry about morning drill," Bucket Bridle grumbled and went back to his food, as Luna turned to Bright Wing and told him. "Yes dear, I would love to play with you three before I retire for the day. But you must eat all of your breakfast first."
Bright Wing and Cannon Feather started eating their porridge as fast as they could while Bucket Bridle reluctantly picked up his spoon and resumed his meal. Before long he looked up and asked. "Hey, Wuna, um... wha happen on the Summa Sun Cewebwation? How di ya tuwn good?"
Luna smiled at him and replied. "Well that's a long story and to tell you the truth I don't remember much."
"Bu wha about those six ponies? The ones that Cewestia was talkin too? Who wewe they?" Bright Wing asked.
Luna smiled as she continued. "Well, from what Celestia told me, they used the Elements of Harmony to purge the evil Nightmare Moon from me."
Bucket Bridled groaned. "Ya mean tose six mawes saved ya and Cewsta's wife?"
Luna nodded. "I believe so. It is likely that those six did indeed use the Elements of Harmony."
"Wha awe those?" Cannon Feather asked out of curiosity.
Luna laughed. "Oh, such curious foals you are," She then replied, "I don't know exactly. But my sister and I used to use them to keep Equestria safe from monsters. Unfortunately, my sister and I lost our connection to them when I became evil."
Bright Wing babbled. "So if the Ewememts of Hawmony awe back, does that mean we can't be woyal guawds?"
Luna laughed again. "Oh no, dears. We still need royal guards to help keep the peace and maintain law within Equestria."
Bucket bridle sighed in relief. "Okay, at weast we stiw got a job when we get back ta nowmal."
Luna nodded, as Shining Armor came into the dining room, prompting the foals to all shout, "Mownin Shing Awmoa!"
Shining blushed as he coughed and greeted. "Morning to you as well," He then turned to Cannon Feather and asked. "Cannon Feather, can you come with me please?"
His friends turned as Bright Wing asked. "Whas happenin? Is Cannon Fetah in twouble?"
Shining shook his head and continued, "No, but from what Princess Celestia told me it's a private matter."
Cannon Feather reluctantly got off his chair and waddled up to Shining as he shouted, "Wait, I gots to pway with Wuna though!"
Luna dawwed as she came up to Cannon Feather and told him. "It's okay, thouset must go and see what my sister needs of you, we shall play when you return."
Cannon Feather ran up and gave her a hug then he scampered off with Shining, following him down the hall.
As the two walked together Cannon Feather looked up and asked, "So, um, Shining. Can ya tew me why Cewestia wants me?"
Shining shrugged,"I don't know," He replied. "She just sent for you and that was it. She wouldn't tell me anything else."
Cannon Feather nodded and mumbled. "Okay."
He started to shake a bit as Shining replied to him, "Hey, it's okay, I don't think you're in any trouble."
Cannon Feather gulped, "Ya suwe?" He asked.
Shining smiled, "I'm sure, now come on, we don't want to keep the princess waiting." He continued on as he looked back at Cannon Feather. Perking up a bit Shining thought, "Cadance talked non stop about those three, I haven't seen her so happy in a long time. I'd actually feel kind of sad if Celestia found a cure already."
The two finally came upon the throne room, where two pegasi stood before Princess Celestia. One was a blue coated pegasus stallion with gold eyes and a curly black mane. On the left was a pegasus mare in a simple blue dress. She had a white coat with a swirly blue mane, and blue eyes, Cannon Feather gasped, he recognized those two! "Auntie?! Uncwe?!"
The two pegasi turned and smiled. "Hello Cannon Feather." They greeted warmly.
His aunt smiled at him as Cannon Feather shouted, "Why ya two hewe?!"
His uncle growled a bit. "Well now, that's not how you greet family." He lightly scolded.
Celestia, sitting on her throne, responded and asked. "So Cannon Feather are these two your uncle and aunt?"
Cannon Feather nodded and stared at the ground as he growled. "Yeah, they my auntie and uncwe."
The stallion turned to Princess Celestia, "Thank you for caring for our nephew."
Celestia smiled and bowed her head, "It's my pleasure," She then continued, "Now, what can I do for you two?"
The uncle continued, "Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Gold Feather, the uncle of Cannon Feather. Due to Cannon Father's age regression and your inability to find a cure I oblige that we take Cannon Feather back under our wing."
Cannon Feather immediately shouted in protest, "No, I neva goin back with ya!" They both turned as Cannon Feather ran behind Shining, "I woyal guwad! Ya going to twy to make me into a noblw pony again!"
Celestia cleared her throat and replied, "Gold Feather and..."
The mare bowed, "Silver Wing." She answered.
Celestia smiled, "Gold Feather and Silver Wing, I do see that you are Cannon Father's family. But until I find a cure, he is still technically a stallion and can therefore make his own decisions."
Cannon Feather shouted happily, "Weally, Cewestia?!" He asked, to which she nodded.
Gold Feather growled, "Clearly the royal guard didn't teach you any manners."
Celestia lost her patience and shouted, "Enough! As long as you're in my presence, I won't hear such insolent remarks to the royal guard."
The noble stallion and mare bowed again as Celestia continued, "Now Cannon Feather do you want to stay with your aunt and uncle, or here in the palace?"
"The pawace! I neva goin back with my auntie and uncle agwain!" He shouted. His uncle growled as his aunt gave a humpf.
Celestia smiled, "It seems Cannon Feather made his decision, good day you two."
They both gave Cannon Feather angry looks as his uncle growled and warned, "When we do get you under our custody, you will be punished severely." Cannon Feather stuck his tongue out at them.
When they left Celestia, turned to Cannon Feather who ran up to her and hugged her making all the royal guards blush. Celestia tried not to smirk. "Cannon Feather, thank you for that."
Cannon Feather immediately asked, "Cewestia, can ya pwomice to neva give me back to my aunt and uncle?"
Celestia grew a bit concerned. "Why? Did they abuse you as a foal?" She asked. Such incidents were rare but not unheard of.
He looked down as he mumbled, "No, not weally, but they wanted to tuwn me into a noblw pony and I wantad be a woyal guwad."
Celestia cooed, "I see, well you don't have to worry about them right now." She then asked, "So you gave up being noble for being a royal guard. Why?"
He smiled at her as he whispered, "Weww...um...becaswse of ya," Celestia eyed him curiously as he continued, "Well it was a wong time ago..I was a colt and bein waised wike a noble, and I hated it." He paused for a bit, before turning back and continuing his story, "It was a duwing a pawade, and I saw ya in ya chaiowt with ta woyal guawds all wined up. Ya told the ponies how greatful you awe and all that. But I wiked the pawt when ya named the woyal guawds that did the best. Ya towld us that they pwotect ya and help ya. And if somepony foawnapped ya, that would be awful. So I decided that I wanted to become a woyal guwad, and pwotect ya and Equestwia fwom monstas." He giggled.
Celestia cooed, "Oh, wow, that was a lot! You sure are a fast talker. But that was a good story, did you get your cutie mark that day?" She asked.
Cannon Feather giggled and added, "Well ya! I got a cannon shooting feathers as a cutie mark," He smirked, before turned to his blank rump and said, "Hopefuwwy I get it back one day."
Caelestia couldn't help but smile, before she turned to the long line of ponies lining up and reluctantly sighed, "Alright, I have work to do. Captain Armor, can you escort him back to Luna please?"
"Oh...alwight." Cannon Feather moaned, he really didn't want to leave the princess.
Shining smiled up at Cannon Feather, seeing him hugging Celestia as he thought to himself. "I always wondered what motivated him to become a royal guard? Now I see he just wanted to protect Celestia, and made that his goal in life." Cannon Feather waddled away as Shining replied, "Cannon Feather, that was pretty brave of you."
Cannon Feather giggled. "Thanks, besides I gotta keep my pwomice ta Wuna befowe she goes ta bed!" He then ran off as Shining laughed. "Hey, wait up!"
Luna was tiredly playing hide and go seek with the other two foals in the palace gardens. She lazily was looking around and yawning. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." Suddenly she heard, "Wuna!" She turned to Cannon Feather rushing into her hooves. She smiled down at him and yawned, "Cannon Feather, it's nice to see you. Is everything alright?"
Cannon Feather looked up and said, "Yeah, evewythin is fine but ya wook tiwed."
Luna nodded as she mumbled, "Yes, I am a little. But I can still play a game of hide and seek."
"Otay! I'ww go hide!" Cannon Feather replied and rushed off!
Luna she turned to Shining, and as he came up she asked, "Shining Armor that is thy's name, correct?"
Shining Armor nodded and replied, "Yes it is...you seem a bit tired. You should go get some sleep. I can watch the foals until Cadence arrives."
Luna yawned again, "I guess I am tired, but I promised Cannon Feather a game of hide and go seek, and I my keep thy's promise."
Shining bowed, "Alright, princess, if that is what you wish."
Luna continued to the tree and yawned. "One...two...three...four...five.." She then swayed a bit and collapsed into the bushes, causing Shining and the foals to all gasp and rush to her side!
"Don't worry, I'll get her to bed," Shining offered, as he strained himself but still managed to pick her up in his magic, "How about you three play together while I tuck in the Princess of the Night?" He offered. "And if you have to go potty, well try to make it to a bathroom, but if you really can't hold it in that long just go in one of the bushes. I don't think anypony will notice, just be careful not to use any strange leaves for wiping."
The three foals all shouted together. "Otay, Captain Shining." They gave their clumsy salutes. Shining saluted back to them and then he walked of with the snoring Luna, now having propped her upright
. Bright Wing immediately asked once Shining Armor had left, "Cannon Featha, wha happen with ya and Cewestia?"
Cannon Feather turned his head and said, "Wong stowie showt, my famiwy twied to take me, but I not weaving, I staying."
Bright Wing whispered, "Weally?"
Bucket Bridle groaned. "Ya mean, they told owa families we tuwned ta fowls?!" He asked.
Cannon Feather shrugged. "I guess so, but Cewestia said we can stay hewe untiw she finds a cuwe, and we can decide who to stay with."
Bucket Bridle blushed and whispered, "Weww, I hope my famiwy doesn come."
Bright Wing sighed, "My dad wouldn't cawe, I'm not too wowwied about him."
Changing the subject Cannon Feather asked, "So how about we pway tag ow somthin?"
Bucket Bridle growled, "I onwy pwayed with Wuna becawse she's a pwincess. I not gonna not twy be a foal all the time."
Cannon Feather poked Bucket Bridle's chubby side and shouted. "Ya it!"
He ran off as Bucket Bridle groaned, "I'm not gonna pway tag!"
Bright Wing stuck his tongue out and shouted, "I bet ya can't catch me!"
Bucket Bridle shouted back, "Hey, come back hewe! No faiw getting a head stawt!" And he chased after Bright Wing with fierce determination. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 6: Shocking truths | Shining was walking back down the halls of the palace. He was panting a bit, as he was exhausted from carrying Luna. He eventually made it to the garden where he found the foals splashing each other in the fountain. Bright Wing was shouting "Mawco!" while Bucket Bridle and Cannon Feather were both shouting "Powo!" as he got closer to them. Bucket Bridle was getting cornered as he waded through the water close to the edge. Bright Wing could hear Bucket Bridle's breathing and smiled, knowing he was getting closer to Bucket Bridle. He then shouted "Got ya!" and crashed into Bucket Bridle sending the both of them into the water, making Cannon Feather laugh out loud as Bucket Bridle shouted, "Ya cheated, I saw ya open ya eyes!"
Bright Wing nagged, "Na uh I won faiw and squea."
Cannon Feather splashed Bright Wing and shouted, "Ya fowgot about me, Bwight Wing, guess I win!" Bright Wing and Bucket Bridle glared at Cannon Feather who stepped back as they both started splashing him with water, as he laughed "Stop it!"
Shining sighed and came upon the foals. "That's enough you three, looks like you made quite the mess," They all gasped upon seeing Shining and got out of the fountain, their training pants swelling around their rumps, making them all giggle. Shining burst out laughing making all the foals laugh before he said seriously, "Alright, let's get you three inside and cleaned. Besides, I've got a surprise for you three."
A few minutes later, Shining was getting the foals dried up in one of the castle bathrooms, fluffing them up in a towel while he slipped new training pants over their rumps. He struggled a bit as he continued with Bright Wing's rump.
Bright Wing pondered to himself, "I haven't really thought of my family since the transformation. If my dad did find out, he'll probably only take me back if I promise to not go back into the royal guard. As for my mare friend, she's probably on her way to give me a piece of her mind."
"Um Bright Wing, is something wrong?" Shining asked.
Bright Wing, having been snapped out of his thoughts replied, "Um Shining, di ya tew owa famiwies we got tuwend ta foals?"
All the foals looked up at Shining and he sweated a bit before he answered, "Well, yeah. Celestia gave the order this morning, and I had guards tell only those closest to you. We told them specifically that you will be cared for here until a cure be found."
Bright Wing sighed as he turned his head, "Oh boy, my mare friend is going to be ecstatic. She's probably laughing her rump off at the fact that I'm practically back in diapers."
Bucket Bridle groaned, "Oh, my mommy is gonna rush over here and make me weaw diapees even if I dun wanna. Untiw I was thwee and a hawf years owd she awways made me wear them."
"Wait, are you guys worried about your parents?" Shining asked the trio.
Cannon Feather bowed his head as Bright Wing shrugged, while Bucket Bridle whimpered, "A wittle, mostwy out of embewasment."
Shining smiled as best he could, "Hey, don't worry, i'm sure things with your parents won't be that bad. Now how about we go see your surprise?" He asked. They all perked up a bit as Shining lead them out of the bathroom and back to their room. They found foam swords on the bed, gasped, ran up to them, and started playing with them! Shining laughed, "Alright, don't go crazy with them." But all the same he saw how estatic they were in grabbing their foam swords, as they began walking at each other, shouting and laughing. Shining smiled as he thought to himself, "See Cadence, I can foalsit too. How hard can this be?"
Hours later after Celestia her buisness in court. She decided to go back to her library to look over books on age regression in her library mumbling to herself, "This could be the cure, but it's very difficult and a long shot. How can I test it?" A knocking disrupted her train of thought as she turned and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's Sergeant Battleheart." A royal guard answered.
Celestia marked the spell book and closed it as she said, "You can come in, Sergeant."
Sergeant Battleheart walked into the room and replied, "Sorry to disturb you, Princess Celestia, but Bucket Bridle's family has arrived."
Celestia smiled, "Have they? Well, hopefully they're nicer than Cannon Feather's." She got up and asked, "Can you get Bucket Bridle? I think he should be playing with Shining Armor right now."
"Yes Princess Celestia." Battleheart bowed and ran off.
Celestia got up with a yawn and giggled, "I can't believe Luna collapsed while playing, hopefully I won't do the same." She came out of the library and continued to the throne room, where she saw a pudgy white coated unicorn mare with giant blue eyes, and a pink puffy mane that swirled around her face. On her side was a saddle bag bursting with foal supplies. But what made Celestia's eyes grow even wider was the mare's cutie mark, it was a teddy bear! Still Celestia could only smile, "Don't tell me this is Bucket Bridle's mom." She thought. She came up to the mare, who squealed with excitement and bowed, "Princess Celestia! It's a pleasure."
Celestia continued to smile, "Yes, it's a pleasure to see you as well," The mare was still bowing when Celestia whispered. "Um...you can stand."
The mare stood up as she apologized, "Sorry about that, um.." She took out her hoof and said formally, "My name is Nanny Comfy Rump."
It took all of Celestia's will power not to burst out laughing, as she bowed her head. "It's good to meet you, Comfy Rump. Are you Bucket Bridle's mother?"
Comfy laughed. "Surprised? Most ponies are when I tell them I'm Bucket Bridle's mother. His name was Padded Rump, but he didn't like it."
Celestia snicked, "I can see why." She thought, but outloud she replied, "Well he should be here soon."
Bucket Bridle came down the stairs with Battleheart. He groaned as his mother rushed up and hugged him! "Oh, I can't believe you're a foal!"
"Yeah yeah, is gweat ta see ya too, Mom." Bucket Bridle mumbled. His mom kissed him and checked his training pants, making him shout, "Mom, I not a baby!"
But Comfy only laughed, "From what Celestia has told me, you practically are dear."
He groaned, looking at his mother's saddlebag and shouting. "Ya bwought youw fowl stuff, Mom?!"
She smiled and cooed. "Of course I did, cutie, besides I did just get off work. I had so many foals to care for today."
Bucket Bridle then nervously whispered, "So wha about Dad, di he come?"
"Oh no," Comfy replied. "I'm sorry he's-"
But then they turned to the door as it opened, and a tall white coated earth pony stallion with yellow eyes came through the door. His saddle bags were full of balloons, his face was painted, and he wore a multi colored wig. The stallion immediately shouted, "Bucket Bridle!" As he ran through the hall, but since he was wearing his long clown shoes, he tripped and slid on the ground towards the group as Bucket Bridle groaned. "Oh Dad, why did ya not dwop off ya cwon stuff befowe ya came?"
Celestia couldn't hold it back anymore and started to laugh out loud. Bucket Bridle's dad got up and smiled, "Sorry about not coming earlier, I had three birthday parties to go to."
Celestia shook her head still giggling. "It's alright."
The stallion came over and hugged his son. "Oh wow, you're so small now! I've almost forgotten when you weren't so tall! My, how long ago that seems!"
Bucket Bridle sighed and hugged his dad back, "Hey dad, I gwad ya hewe now, bu I stiw can't bewive ya came hewe dwess wike that! Ya embawassin me."
His dad just laughed, "Sorry, I would of but after my last birthday party, I came straight here to see you and I didn't even realise i was still wearing my clown costume until I tripped on my shoes."
Bucket Bridle was placed on the ground as he mumbled. "So whas going on? ya gonna take me home with ya?"
His dad laughed and continued. "Well, only if you want to."
His mom nodded and added, "We'll be fine if you decide you want to stay here at the palace though. With your father always so busy I'd have to take you with me to work every day."
Bucket Bridle looked up at his parents and said to them (after thinking for a moment), "Okay, well I tink I gonna stay. Hopefully Cewestia tuwns me back to a adwlt soon, and meanewhile I wana pway with Cannon Feather and Bright Wing a bit longer."
His mother ruffled his mane as she replied, "Very well, sweetie." She then took out a purple stuffed rabbit which made Bucket Bridle blush. "Ya cawy tha awound?!" He asked.
Comfy slipped it into his hooves as she cooed, "Of course, I wouldn't forget your Mr. Hopsy. You used to be unable to nap without him," She then turned to Celestia and said, "I know you're the princess and all, but here's a list of things you should know about my little Bucket Bridle when he was a foal." She took out a scroll that quickly rolled down to the edge of the hall just revealing how long it was. She smiled and quickly rolled it back up as Bucket Bridle's eyes went wide. "No Mom! She doesn't need to know aww of tat!"
Comfy only replied. "Of course she does, sweetie. She needs to know how you like your baths, and what your favorites foods are, and what gives you diarrhea."
Celestia burst out laughing again as she replied, "Okay, Mrs.Comfy Rump, I'll be sure to read the list thoroughly."
Comfy then whispered, "I trust you will, but I'm serious about the diarrhea, don't ever give him too much milk, or any prune juice or raisins."
Celestia chuckled. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."
Bucket Bridle was just staring at the floor, beyond humiliated now, as his dad gave him a hug and a kiss, "We should be back tomorrow. Both your mom and I are doing a party for a newborn foal tonight. Be a good little foal for the princess, okay?"
Bucket Bridle reluctantly mumbled, "Okay."
The parents waved goodbye as Celestia put the list away and asked Bucket Birdle. "You sure you don't want to go with them?"
Bucket Bridle smiled and looked up. "I'm suwe, as at weast fow now. They seem to wove embawassing me."
Celestia bowed her head, "Okay then," Bucket Bridle squeezed his bunny and was placed on Celestia's back as she then told him, "Bucket Bridle I ...I might have actually found a cure."
Bucket Bridle looked up with a happy expression. "Weally?! Why didn't ya sawy so?!" He bounced around, shouting happily! "Yes! I gonna be a stawion again! Gonna be a stawion again!"
Celestia continued, "Now hold on, I said I think I might have found a cure. That doesn't mean I did for sure."
Bucket Bridle stopped as he whispered, "Oh."
Celestia then explained, "Now, I'm going to try to use a reversal spell I found, on you. But I must tell you, that I've never used this spell before, and it might not work."
Bucket Bridle nodded, "Otay, I'w test ya spew."
Celestia escorted Bucket Brilde to the library, where she placed him on the ground and instructed, "Now, hold still."
He closed his eyes, hugging his stuffed rabbit tightly! Celestia shot a energy beam from her horn her and tendrils swirled around Bucket Bridle!
Shining was now running down the halls. He looked behind him with a smile, "Good, I think I lost them." He came around a corner and pressed himself against the wall. making him chuckle a bit as he turned to see to see if the foals were nearby. He looked down at the empty hall as he whispered, "Where did they go?" He felt foam hit his rump, making him turn to see the two foals with their foam swords in their mouths. "Hey, how did you two get here?!" He asked them. But he fell to the ground anyway, and they began crawling over him making him laugh as Bright Wing shouted, "We got ya!"
Shining, still laughing, asked, "How do you two get here so fast?"
Bright Wing replied with a smile, "We just wan awound and waited fow ya!"
Cannon Feather just shrugged and smiled, before a guard approached them shouting, "Hey, Cannon Feather! Bright Wing!"
The two foals looked up to see Bucket Bridle, but he was a stallion now grinning at them (also revealing his cutie mark a helmet with a sun on it). They both gasped, "Di Cewestia find a cuwe?!" Bucket Bridle nodded as they both shouted with glee and hugged him.
Shining sighed as he got up and said, "Well, Sergent Bridle, you're looking good."
Bucket Bridle saluted Shining Armor and replied, "Thank you, Captain Armor!"
Shining saluted back as Cannon Feather sighed, "Wooks wike Bwight Wing and I should go see Pwincess Cewestia."
The two foals both looked back at Shining who told them, "Yes, come on, let's not keep the princess waiting." He lead the two back down the halls, as Bucket Bridle followed close behind.
Celestia waited in the library, looking down deep in thought, with a small smile on her lips, "It was fun having those three as foals. But i'm more scared about this spell I used, if it doesn't work. Then I don't think there is a cure." She turned to Shining and the now stallion Bucket Bridle escorting the two foals, with him. She smiled and said, "That will be all Captain Shining, you are dismissed."
Shining bowed and replied, "As you wish Princess Celestia."
He then left the room and left Celestia with the two foals and Bucket Bridle as she continued, "Now, I have to admit something to all three of you," They all looked up at her as Celestia explained, "I don't think there is a cure to your curse. I've been researching about your ailment over the greatest spell books I know, and found that this curse may not be curable."
Bucket Bridle eyed her and replied, "But I'm curious, I'm back to being a stallion."
Celestia smiled and continued, "Yes, for now."
Bucket Bridle eyed her suspiciously, "For now?" He asked.
Celestia sighed, "Yes, for now. The spell I cast was the only reversal spell to the curse, but it could backfire and send you back to being foals again."
They all groaned as Cannon Feather asked, "So wha awe we gonna do afta ya cast ta spew?"
Celestia replied and told them. "I want you three to remain in the castle until I can verify if the spell works for at least twenty four hours."
Bright Wing nodded, "Otay sounds goo."
Cannon Feather shrugged, "It dun sound bad ta me."
Celestia came over and pulled off their training pants, then she lit her horn as she instructed, "Now hold still while I cast the spell." Tendrils of magic swirled around them and enveloped them in a bright burst of light.
After the light died down, Bright Wing and Cannon Feather blinked as they looked upon their fully grown stallion bodies with smiles. Bright Wing laughed, "I didn't think that I would miss seeing my old body again so much." He turned to his rump showing two wings glowing over a spear.
Cannon Feather looking back at his wings unfurling as he snickered ."Yeah it's almost too good to be true."
Celestia looked at them with a smile as they both bowed and said together. "Thank you, Princess Celestia."
She cooed, "It was no problem at all."
They then heard the door open, and they turned to see a pegasus mare with a unkempt black mane that fell around her eyes, a light grey, coat, blue eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a rain cloud, enter. Bright Wing's eyes went wide "Rain?"
Bright Wing came up with a small smile, as she came up, slapped him across the face, and shouted, "Is this a joke?! I thought you were a foal!"
Bright Wing turned with a smirk, "I was until a few moments ago, Celestia just turned me back into a stallion."
Celestia cleared her throat. "Um Bright Wing, who is this?"
Bright Wing turned and said, "This is Rain, my special somepony."
Both Bucket Bridle and Cannon Feather laughed and dawwed making Bright Wing growl, "Shut up you two!"
They both snickered as Bright Wing turned and said, "Princess Celestia, with your permission, I would like to go out with Rain."
Celestia bowed her head, "Of course, go right ahead. But don't be too long."
Bright Wing turned with a smile and asked, "So, Rain, want to go out with me?"
Rain sighed and twirled her mane from her eyes, "Sure, let's go."
A short time later, the couple was now sitting outside a restaurant. Bright Wing spoke up, "Rain, you're looking good."
"Shut up!" Rain shouted, "You left for a whole week without telling me where you were!" She growled.
Bright Wing rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, I told you, I was going to do guard duty in Ponyville, and i'm sure Celestia didn't want to alert everypony to the fact that I got turned into a foal."
The waiter came out with a pad and pencil and smiled at the two. "May I take your order?" He asked.
Rain turned and mumbled, "Just get me a salad."
The waiter blinked and asked, "Um...what kind of salad?"
Rain shrugged. "Whatever you think is good."
The waiter shrugged, wrote something down, and turned to Bright Wing, "And what can I get for you, sir?"
Bright Wing sighed and mumbled, "Carrot sticks and a sippy cup of apple juice."
The waiter blinked a few times and asked, "um..."
Bright Wing sighed. "You heard me."
The waiter reluctantly wrote the order down and walked away as fast as he could. Rain turned her head and asked Bright Wing. "Still got foalish urges or something?"
Bright Wing replied, "Kind of. The truth is, I have a feeling I'm going to turn back into a foal very soon. And I wanted to tell you that there is no cure."
Rain blinked a few times before she replied, "Wait, what?! But, you're a stallion here and now!"
Bright Wing continued, "I want to explain to you I'm doing this in spite of that fact, just listen for a second," Rain paused as Bright Wing explained, "I want to tell you before I turn back into a foal for a long time that I love you, but don't wait for me. Find another stallion."
Rain threw back her head and laughed. "Oh come on, Bright Wing. You think I'll just abandon you if you turn into a foal?"
But Bright Wing responded, "Trust me, Rain, I'm not messing around. The curse placed on me and my friends is very powerful and mysterious. Even Princess Celestia doesn't know anything about it."
"So you're just giving up?" Rain asked, glaring at Bright Wing.
Bright Wing firmly replied, "Rain, this isn't how I wanted things to go, you know that."
Rain turned her head and asked, "So you turned back into a stallion knowing Celestia's cure wouldn't work, just so you can go on this date with me?"
Bright Wing laughed, "You guessed it."
Rain tried to smile as she replied, "This is going to be the strangest dinner ever," Bright Wing nodded as she then continued, "Look if you're going to turn back into a foal, then let me be your caretaker. I wouldn't mind."
Bright Wing looked up and said firmly, "No! I don't want you caring for me, I won't be a burden to you!"
Rain cried, "Oh come on, I came all the way here from Cloudsdale to see you and now you're just going to tell me I can't care for you?!"
Bright Wing replied, "How do you expect to support me and yourself alone? I won't let you end up like my father."
Rain looked to the ground and grumbled. "I'll think of something, I can find a good paying job. But if you turn back into a foal, how will we stay together?"
Bright Wing looked at her and whispered, "I don't know, but let's take this slow and easy."
Rain reluctantly replied, "Fine, then..." But she was cut off by what she witnessed happening to Bright Wing.
A bright light enveloped him as he shrank in his chair. Rain could only smile seeing her coltfriend now a toddler standing on his back legs ,trying to reach the table for support
Rain dawwed as the waiter came back and gasped, seeing that the stallion from earlier had been replaced by a foal and asked, "Where..where did the stallion go? Who's the foal?"
Rain turned and said to the waiter, "What do you mean? He's my son."
Bright Wing giggled and shouted, "Ya, I a a fowl, and ya got my sippy cup and food!"
The waiter blinked a few times, as he placed a salad bowl by Rain and a plate of carrot sticks and a sippy cup of juice near the foal as he replied," I swear you were a stallion."
Bright Wing looked at himself and gave his porky belly a few pats, "No, I suwe I a fowl. I not even potty twained yet."
This made Rain laugh out loud, as the waiter smiled, "Yes, it must've been a trick of the eyes...should I get you a foal seat?"
Rain turned to the waiter, "Yes, that would be lovely. And if you can, bring a bib too, my son is such a messy eater."
Bright Wing bounced on his chair shouting, "Yeah, and huwwy! I weawwy hungwy!"
The waiter bowed and ran off making Bright Wing and Rain laugh out loud.
Cannon feather was walking back and forth in their room while Bucket Bridle was sitting on his end as Cannon Feather commented, "So we could turn back into foals at anytime?"
Bucket Bridle sighed, "Yeah, it seems so."
Canon Feather laughed, "So how about we go get a beer before we can't drink anymore?"
Bucket Bridle rolled his eyes, "I would but..."
Cannon Feather eyed him, "But?" He asked, hoping for more details.
Bucket Bridle turned and replied, "I have to do something before I turn back," He ran out of the room and down the halls to the dining hall where Princess Celestia was eating by herself. Bucket Bridle came up and asked, "Princess Celestia?"
She turned and smiled, "Bucket Bridle, what brings you here?"
Bucket Bridle sat down across from her as he said firmly, "Princess Celestia...I...I have to confess something," Celestia stared at him as he cleared his throat and continued, "One day, while on guard duty a few years ago. I snuck into your room curious to see...um..."
"Curious about what?" Celestia asked.
Bucket Bridle gulped and confessed, "You see rumors were, that you had a list of guards you had a crush on. So me being young and stupid, me and my fellow royal guards rolled dice to see who would sneak into your room and to find the list."
Celestia eyed him, "So you snuck into my room and invaded my privacy?"
Bucket Bridle continued with bearing, "Yes I did and I..um...instead found your diary opened, and I read some of it, about how you and Luna played together as foals and ruled together as sisters," She bowed her head as he sighed, "That's where I learned the nickname Tia. I never told anypony about what I saw and told the other guards that the list was a myth."
Celestia smiled as she stared at the ground, "That's why you called me Tia as a foal." She realized.
Bucket Bridle closed his eyes and started to shake all over as he continued, "Yes and I'm truly sorry. If you wish to banish me then you can. I know I deserve it for disrespecting your privacy." He cringed waiting for what Celestia's punishment would be.
But Celestia only laughed and said in a soothing tone, "Bucket Bridle, it's quite alright,..just don't tell anypony about what you read."
Bucket Bridle nodded, "Of course, I would never do something like that."
Celestia winked at him, making him blush. She then cleared her throat and asked, "So, how about some dinner? Hopefully you like your greens now."
Bucket Bridle gave a rapid nod as he replied,"I have to use the bathroom, I'll be right back."
Bucket Bridle quickly left the table as Celestia smirked thinking. "He must've looked into my diary from the day before he said Tia to me on the chariot here. But it's nice to see him speak up. He is loyal, and strong. It's actually a bit surprising seeing his parents." She smiled at the thought of Bucket Bridle as a clown, then she heard a toddler shout, "Tia...I...I missed the potty!" Celestia sighed, realizing her spell had failed as she shouted, "Don't worry, Bucket Bridle, Tia is coming!" She then rushed to the bathroom to help little Bucket Bridle.
Cannon Feather knocked on the door to Luna's room until he heard a grumble, "Who dares wake the Princess of the Night?"
Cannon Feather replied, "It's me, Cannon Feather."
He then heard the door open and Luna stood over him with a smile, "Cannon Feather, you're a stallion again." She observed.
Cannon Feather bowed his head as he explained, "Yes, Princess Luna, it seems that your sister found a cure."
Luna waved him in. "Come in, tell thy everything."
Cannon Feather entered the room and gasped at its size, with the circular bed and the room decorated with a dark blue color.
Luna sat on her bed and instructed, "Cannon Feather, come and sit," Cannon Feather came over and sat down next to her as she apologized, "Sorry for not being able to finish our game of hide and seek."
Cannon Feather shook his head as he turned towards her, "No, it's fine. Playing with you, even for the short time I was a foal, was one of the best times of my life."
Luna then asked, "Did my sister really found a cure?"
Cannon Feather reluctantly explained, "I don't know. She said it could backfire and I can become a foal again at anytime."
Luna looked down again with a downtrodden look in her eyes as she explained, "Cannon Feather, I have to admit, I think I know why Nightmare Moon turned you and your friends into foals," He looked over as she continued, "Before Nightmare Moon took control of me and turned me eviI, looked over foals dreams for years and I wished to have one of my own," She paused with tears forming in her eyes. Cannon Feather waited patiently as she then continued, "If Nightmare Moon is a manifestation of my jealousy from years ago, I must've also had a dark want to have foals of my own, so I cursed you and your friends to become my foals."
She burst into tears as Cannon Feather hushed her and whispered, "Luna, can I tell you something private?" She looked at him as he replied, "Luna, you gave me something nopony ever could've given me. You gave me a foal hood that my aunt and uncle took from me."
Luna smiled, before Cannon Feather's body shuddered as he felt light envelop him, and he collapsed onto the bed seeing the room grow bigger around him. Luna gasped, "Cannon Feather?"
He gazed back up at her with a grin, "I gwess I a fowl again, Wuna."
Luna teared up a bit as she whispered, "I'm so sorry C-" Before she could finish she felt Cannon Feather crawl into her lap and nuzzle into her fur. Luna choked up a bit more and held him close as he mumbled, "Is not ya fawlt, and I wove ya."
Luna whispered, "I love you too." She then kissed him on the forehead and let him lay there for a bit. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 7: Jumping over the moon | Rain was now enjoying her salad, watching Bright Wing now strapped in his booster seat, with a blue bib tied around his chubby waist, while chewing on his carrot sticks. Rain cooed, "You are so adorable."
Bright Wing blushed, "Oh this so embewassin." He put his hooves over his face making Rain smile, "If you don't stop, you're going to kill me with your cuteness."
Bright Wing laughed, "I didn think ya would wike me bein a fowl."
Rain laughed back, "I don't mind at all, it's just..." She looked at the ground as Bright Wing asked, "How about ya stay hewe fow a while? We can have awot of fun stiw."
Rain replied, "Sure, after all I did take off a week from the weather factory." She looked down with her mane falling over her eyes again. Bright Wing. not sure what else to do. just took up his sippy cup and began to suckle it loudly making Rain chuckle a bit. Then a waitress came out with a bright smile. "Aww, does our little guest like his food?" She asked.
He giggled and shouted, "Yeah, ya cawot sticks awe weally yummy, and ta apple juice is yummy ta!"
The waitress couldn't help but daww, "Oh thank you." She began clearing the plates as she continued. "And for eating all of your food and being so well behaved, we thought that we would give you a cake."
"Thank ya, bu is not my biwthday, is it?" Bright Wing replied with a confused look.
She smiled back at him, "Oh it's alright, we don't get a lot of foals around here and it's also an apology from that waiter for mistaking you as a big stallion earlier."
He giggled at the remark as Rain also smirked. He then babbled with a smile, "Is fine, what kind of cake is it?"
"It's vanilla, with a creamy frosting, and strawberries on top of it." The waitress replied. She then took it out and slid it onto his tray with Bright Wing squealing, "Thank ya, missy!" She then took out the bill and laid it in front of Rain as she added, "You have an adorable son."
Rain replied, "Thanks." as the waitress left. Bright Wing then turned to Rain and said, "I stiw got my savings I ca wepay y-"
But Rain laughed, "It's fine, I got it. You stop worrying about big pony stuff and enjoy your cake," She took out a bag of bits, while Bright Wing chowed down on his cake giggling happily all the while. Rain looked up to see the cake gone and his face smeared with frosting while sucking his hoof. She laughed, "Oh, you got it all over you."
Bright Wing looked up and tried wiping his face, only succeeding in getting frosting all over his hooves. Rain came over, took up a napkin and wiped off his face and hooves as he whimpered, "I sowie I got all messy."
"Don't worry, it's quite alright," Rain reassured him as she finished cleaning him up. She then picked him up and placed him on her back. He hugged her mane as she whispered, "Want to go back to the palace?"
He nodded his head, and as she flew off into the sky Bright Wing asked her, "So whew ya goin to stay?"
Rain shrugged, "I guess I'll find a hotel around here."
Bright Wing replied, "Di ya bwing any wuggage?"
Rain shook her head, "When I was told you were turned imto a foal I flew as fast as I could to get here."
Bright Wing then asked, "How many bits do ya got weft?"
She blushed, "I think I just spent the rest I had on me."
Bright Wing groaned, "Wew, wets go to ta bank and get more."
She reluctantly flew to the bank, and while they were waiting in line Rain asked, "Do you think you can get your bits as a foal?"
Bright Wing growled. "They betta."
They came up to the teller, a unicorn mare with a snow white coat, a soft pink mane and tail cut short, and blue eyes, who smiled, "Oh hello, how may I help you today?" She asked.
Bright Wing babled, "I hewe fow money, pwease."
The crowd around them laughed as the teller cooed," "Oh that's adorable," She then asked Rain. "Are you teaching your son about how a bank works?"
Bright Wing shook his head, "I Bwight Wing and I gonna take some bits out."
The mare smiled and teased, "Oh, is your name Bright Wing?"
Bright Wing nodded, "Ya my pin is um...one," Then he whispered in Rain's ear "Wha comes afta one?"
Rain whispered in reply, "Two." and Bright Wing then shouted, "Two!" Then he whispered, "Whas ta next ta numbas?"
Rain whispered again, "Three and four." And Bright Wing shouted, "Tats it, my pin is one ta thwee fow!"
Rain laughed out loud. "Oh, that's adorable!"
Bright Wing giggled, "Well it's easy ta wememba."
The teller laughed as well. "Okay, Mr. Bright Wing, how many bits do you need?"
"Wew acuatuawy can ya give my accownt ova to my mawefwiend Wain?" Bright Wing asked.
"You sure that's what you want?" The teller asked.
Bright Wing nodded, "Wew if thewe's no cuwe fow this, I can't weawy use my money anymowe." He babbled.
Rain protested, "But Bright Wing..I only need a few bits for a hotel."
Bright shook his head and hugged her mane tighter, "Is okay, ya can use my money fow whateva ya want."
The teller smiled, before she cleared her throat and replied, "Um, Mr. Bright Wing, as much as I would love to do this for you, this does require some paperwork. And considering your age regression, can you still write?"
Bright Wing nervously laughed "I don think so, when I wgwessed I fowgot awot of things wike that."
Rain laughed as she scooped up Bright Wing and said to the teller, "I could help him fill out the paperwork."
The teller blushed and nodded, "Um I guess that will be fine." She then took out some papers and a quill and pot of ink.
Rain took hold of the pen in her teeth and began signing some papers as Bright Wing told her what to write. After it was all done she turned to Bright Wing and asked, "So, I guess you're not twenty one anymore?"
Bright Wing laughed, "If I wememba cowectwy, I pwobabwy about two and a hawf."
The teller took the papers and said to Rain, "Alright, Rain, all the money from Bright Wing's account has been transferred to yours."
Rain nodded as she whispered, "Thanks," She then took a sack of bits and as she left the bank she whispered, "Thank you Bright Wing...I...I don't think you should of done that."
Bright Wing shook his head, "Is otay, ya need ta bits and I wove ya." He hugged her even more as she giggled and said to him, "Okay. Now how about I get you back to the palace before you mess all over my back?"
He blushed realising he wasn't wearing anything around his rump. "Yeah, good idea." Rain then flew across the sky to the palace, with him hugging her back and nuzzling deep into her mane.
Celestia was now looking over Bucket Bridle and Cannon Feather in the their room as Bucket Bridle growled, "Whew di Bwight Wing go? Is alweady dawk."
Cannon Feather turned and said, "He's with his mawe fwiend, pwoaby making out."
Bucket Bridle laughed. "Yeah, could ya imagine if he kissed hew when he twansfoms?!"
Celestia giggled and said to the foals, "Alright you two, I'm sure he'll be back soon, but you two need to go to bed."
The two groaned as they climbed into bed. As Celestia pulled the blanket up to their chins, Bucket Bridle looked around and began to wail, "Whew's my Hopsey?!"
Celestia cooed, "I have him right here." She took it out with her magic as she slipped it into Bucket Bridle's hooves who snuggle his bunny as he whispered, "Hopsey."
Celestia then told the foals, "Now, I need you two to get some rest. Now that we know you'll be foals for good, we're going to have to go to the doctors to make sure the age regression didn't cause any health issues. Then we have to take care of some paper work tomorrow."
"Aww!" The two foals groaned, as Cannon Feather grumbled, "It sownds bowing."
Celestia smiled at the two and told them, "Yes, it'll be a bit tedious but it's very important that we get that stuff done."
Cannon Feather nervously asked, "So um.." But then he threw the covers over his head in embarrassment. Luna herself was coming down the hall hoping to help tuck the foals to bed when she heard, "Awe you going to adopt us?"
Celestia paused, "I think we'll discuss that later, don't you worry Canon Feather, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you won't fall in your aunt and uncle's hooves again."
Cannon Feather smiled and shouted, "Thank ya, Cewestia!"
Luna stood outside with a smile, before she peeped in and asked, "So does thouest need any help from the Princess of the Night?"
Celestia turned towards her sister and replied, "Yes. And Luna, you don't have to tell ponies, you're the Princess of the Night all the time."
Luna blushed. "Right, still learning those new Equestrian customs." She came up to the foals as Cannon Feather shouted, "Wuna, ya gonna tuck us in?!"
She smiled as she came over. "Yes, thy will tuck you in." She came over and kissed them on the foreheads, just as Rain flew into the room. She smiled at the two princesses and the foals all tucked in bed as she asked, "So, um ,I guess Bright Wing has to go to bed too?"
Celestia turned to see Bright Wing snuggling into Rain then took him over to the bed, where she helped slip a pair of blue training pants over his rump, and helped him get him tucked in on the right side of Bucket Bridle who was still snuggling his bunny. She then whispered. "I'll see you tomorrow"
Bright Wing hugged her face and kissed her on the muzzle as she nuzzled him. She then looked at him one more time when he babbled, "Wuv ya, Wain." Rain gave a solemn smile and nodded. "I love you too." She then left the room.
Luna came over to the bed, helped tuck the foals in underneath the sheets and kissed each of them on the forehead as Cannon Feather asked, "Can ya wead us a bedtime stowie?"
Luna took a book down from a nearby shelf and said, "Yes, thy shall read you a story. This one's called: The Little Cow Jumps Over The Moon."
They all groaned as Cannon Feather babled, "Wha about the coow one abou the aventuawa?"
Celestia gave them an eye as she explained, "We'll get back to that story once I know you won't get out of bed." The foals all blushed remembering the previous night. Celestia then left the room she looked back at her sister who continued with the story and thought, "Have fun, Luna, you deserve it." While the foals listened with peaked interest.
Luna continued with her soft tone. "Once upon a time, there was a little cow all alone in a field."
Cannon Feather asked. "Whas the cow big?"
Luna smiled as she replied. "No, the cow was small. He was a baby cow."
"Oh." The foals all said together, as Luna continued with the story. "Now the cow was a very scared and nervous cow The cow looked up at the moon every night, happy that its glow kept the dark night at bay."
Wai, is ta cow weal? Di ya see ta cow?" Bright Wing asked.
Bucket Bridle shook his head and babbled. "No way, tat cow gots ta be fake."
Luna laughed. "Of course the cow is fake, it's only a story."
Cannon Feather then asked. "Bu can cows weally jump ova moons?"
Luna laughed out loud as as she shook her head. "No, nothing can jump over moons," She then continued the story, narrating: "The cow loved the moon so much because of its light. And so it was that he asked himself: 'What if I could jump over it?'"
Bucket Bridle babbled. "He betta be caweful, ow he gonna faw and huwt himsewf."
Luna snickered as she turned the page. "The cow's mom did tell him: 'Dear, you can't jump over the moon. Now come over here, it's time for bed.'"
Bright Wing whispered. "I bet my candy stash he gonna get in big twouble with his mommy."
Cannon Feather turned and babbled. "I bet my cookie stash his mommy is gonna wove him jumpin ova moons."
Luna then continued (while trying to maintain her patience). "The cow then decided to try and jump over the moon before he went to bed. He jumped, but didn't get really far."
"Awwww." The foals moaned together. Then Luna turned the page. "But the cow was determined. He turned to a puddle reflecting the moon, and tried to jump over one more time. He jumped and..." The foals all gasped, and Luna smiled as she read: "...He made it! He jumped over the puddle!"
The foals all giggled as Luna continued the story. The cow ran back to his mom shouting: 'Mommy, I jumped over the moon!' The mother cow hugged her son and helped him nuzzle into her as she whispered: 'I'm proud of you.' And they both said: 'I love you.' The end." Luna proceeded to close the book. The foals all groaned and Cannon Feather laughed "He didn jump ova ta moon though."
Luna replied with a smile. "Well he kind of did, didn't he?" She then went over to each foal, kissed them goodnight, and said to them. "Now go to bed. It's late." She then went to the door and closed it as she whispered. "Goodnight." The foals all babbled in unison "Night Wuna."She then closed the door as they all snuggled in their blanket.
Cannon Feather whispered, "Bwight Wing, ya owe me some candy."
Bright Wing grumbled. "Ta cow didn even jump ova ta moon." That made all the foals laugh.
Later the next day, the three foals were now in a doctor's office, where they were kicking their legs and waiting patiently. The doctor himself was old, he was a white coated unicorn with a flimsy red mane that starting to turn gray, and faded green eyes. With a cutie mark of a stethoscope on his rump. He began their checkup, while Celestia sat patiently waiting to hear the results. The doctor listen to the foals hearts, making them shiver as he placed his stethoscope on each colt's chest. He then had them open their mouths, and he looked around. After the check ups he wrote something down on a pad with his magic, went back to Princess Celestia and told her, "I can tell you that all three foals are perfectly healthy.
Celestia sighed but smiled. "That's good, anything else?"
The doctor replied, "As far as I can tell, as you said they were..um regressed. I believe without a doubt that all three are 2 years and 6 months old."
Celestia nodded, "Well I think I guessed that, but that's still good to know for sure."
He continued, "I'm also quite surprised at how they've lost all signs of puberty, and that their adult teeth are now all back to developing baby teeth. I suggest that they only eat soft foods that have been boiled or steamed, nothing raw, and have them teeth on something once in awhile."
"Very well, I'll keep that in mind." Celestia agreed.
The doctor added. "Also, even for foals they are quite overweight, I don't know why but it's quite unhealthy. So I suggest you cut down on their snacks and fatty foods for awhile."
The foals all growled and mumbled under their breath as Celestia laughed, "Yes, I'll make sure to feed them healthy foods."
The doctor smiled, and came back to the foals as he helped them off the bench. Then Bright Wing asked, "Um, docta?"
"Yes child, what is it?" The doctor asked.
Bright Wing whispered, "Can...can I tawk ta ya pwivatwy about somthin?"
"Is it somthing related to your private parts?" The doctor asked Bright Wing.
Bright Wing nodded as he turned to Celestia who simply said, "Alright Bucket Bridle, Cannon Feather, let's grant Bright Wing his privacy."
Cannon Feather and Bucket Bridle were both escorted away as Bright Wing turned back to the doctor and asked, "Docta, I hawe a mawefwiend ya see, and I gots ta ask..." He paused, now a little embarrassed. The doctor eyed him as he continued, "Wiw I be able to hawe fowls of my own stiw, when I get bigga?"
The doctor smiled, "Well, do you remember how foals are made?"
Bright Wing blushed as he replied, "A wittle, I wememba when a mawe and stawion wove each otha and all tat."
The doctor smiled, "Well your age regression did turn you into only a two and a half year old, which makes it almost impossible to see if you can make foals at the moment. So I won't know if that affected your ability to have foals until you become an adult again."
Bright Wing nodded and mumbled, "Okay, thank ya anyways." The doctor lead him back out to his friends as Celestia bowed her head, "Thank you for doing a check up on my foal guards." She said to him.
The doctor bowed, "It was no trouble, Princess. They were quite well behaved."
Cannon Feather asked, "So we got nothing wong with us, nothing weiwd wight?"
"Nope, you're all perfectly healthy, except for your weight, so you better eat your greens, have plenty of exercise, and don't each too much cake." The doctor adivised, and he turned to Celestia with a smile as the princess blushed. "I should keep my cravings in check around the foals." She thought.
Bucket Bridle waddled up to the doctor and asked, "So wha about my tummy, do I stiw gots the achies?"
The doctor blinked a few, times confused on what Bucket Bridle had said. Then Celestia politely explained, "Um his mother told me that as a foal he had issues with digestion. Is that still true?"
The doctor came up to Bucket Bridle, poked his stomach, and felt about, making Bucket Bridle giggle as he grew a smile on his face, "Hmmm. I can't really tell, but if you had issues with digestion as a foal, I have no doubt you have those problems now." The doctor answered.
Bucket Bridle groaned, "Okay, wew at weast I know not ta have any pwunes ow waisins."
The doctor ruffled his mane as he got up and said with a laugh, "Yes, I would suggest the same thing to all of you. Only old ponies like me need prunes."
Celestia bowed her head, "Thank you for the advice."
The doctor chuckled. "No problem, have fun you three."
They all shouted "We will!" And ran off with Celestia.
The foals were now in a bland legal office, sitting on Celestia's lap before a mare in a chair typing stuff on a typewriter. The three were poking each other while giggling, "You're it! No, you're it!" over and over. The brown coated boring looking earth pony mare with thick glasses over her big yellow eyes, sat behind the desk and gave them a mean look. This made the foals stop as she then looked up with a look of disdain as she asked, "So Princess Celestia, are you going to be their legal guardian?"
Celestia blushed as she replied, "No, I just want to change their legal age, and have the bits in their bank accounts stored until they become adults again."
The mare nodded as Bright Wing replied, "Uh, Cewestia, I um...gave my accownt ta Wain."
Celestia smiled and said, "Oh, how generous of you."
Bright Wing nodded and babbled, "Thank ya."
The mare grumbled, "Wery well, now do any of you remember how to write?"
They all shook their heads as they babbled in unison, "No." making Celestia laugh. The princess then cooed, "Don't worry, I'll help you out." So as the mare explained the paperwork Celestia took the foal's hooves with her own and helped write their signatures.
Bright Wing gasped, "So, we weally goin ta be officawy two and a hawf?!" He asked the mare with the glasses.
The mare replied, "Yes, from this day forth you will be officially foals. Your money will be transferred into safe accounts until you become of legal age."
Cannon Feather whispered "Bu who's going ta cawe fow us?"
The mare sighed, as she pointed to a paper on the table. "This explains that you are to be under Princess Celestia's care until you're officially adopted."
They all gasped, "Weally?!" They then all looked up at Celestia, who said happily, "Yes, of course. Now let's get it signed." As she helped each of the foals write their names again on the parchment. The mare in the glasses took the papers and scrutinized them as she nodded her head. The foals began to poke each other again until Celestia gave them a glare. The mare muttered, "Well it looks like everything is good," She then replied in a bored tone, "Princess Celestia, until further notice, you're the legal guardian of Cannon Feather, Bright Wing, and Bucket Bridle."
Celestia hugged the three foals with her hooves, nuzzling each of them as she took the papers into her magic and bowed to the baffled clerk, "Thank you so much," She then took her foals and chirped. "Come on you three, let's go home!" She lead them out of the office and down a long hall when Cannon Feather shouted, "Finawwy, is ova! Can we go do somthin fun?"
Celestia pondered for a second, "Well how about we go get some ice cream?"
"Ice cweam!" The foals all squealed and began jumping up and down in excitement as Celestia laughed, "Now calm down, we'll only get ice cream if you behave."
They all stood still and shouted, "Otay, Cewestia!" She then lead them to the chariot parked outside where they climbed in with her.
At the ice cream parlor, Celestia helped them get seat at a table and she then said, "Now, you three stay here. What flavors do you want?"
Cannon Feather pondered and then babbled, "I wan Vaniwa!"
Bucket Bridle blushed looking up. "Can I get chocowate?"
Bright Wing giggled and shouted," Stwabeawy!"
Celestia nodded and kissed Cannon Father's forehead, "I'll get a vanilla for you," She kissed Bright Wing on the forehead next, "Strawberry for you," She then came over and kissed Bucket Bridle as she cooed, "And chocolate for you."
She then went off to get them their ice cream, as the foals all looked at each other. Bucket Bridle sighed, "Wew, wooks wike we officawy fowls."
Cannon Feather nodded, "So now tat we fowls foa good, wha ya goin to miss ta most about bein a adwlt?"
Bright Wing got sullen as he sunk in his seat, "I gonna miss weading, is going to be a whiwe befowe I can wead ta next Dawin Do book," He then began to whimper as tears formed in his eyes, "I gonna miss Wain ta most though." He began to wail as Cannon Feather asked, "Bu, isn she gonna staw hewe fow a whiwe?"
Bright Wing Looked up and nodded as he babbled, "Yeah, I gwess so." He rubbed his tears from his face.
Bucket Bridle looked up. "Goin out wate at night dwinking wit my otha fwiends, bein abwe to tawk ta mawes without being dawwed at." The other two foals giggled.
Cannon Feather babled, "I tink I gonna miss being able to choose wha foods we get ta eat."
Celestia came over a short time later with their ice cream cones. The three foals squealed in delight as they began to lick their ice creams. Celestia turned to the three as they looked at her and she replied, "Now, I know this will be hard for you three coping with the idea that you're not adults anymore. So that's why I delayed the adoption proceedings, because once we figure who will adopt you there won't be any going back," They all nodded as she continued, "So, that's why i'm leaving the decision to you three. We won't discuss it now, just think it over and I want you three to think about who you want to be raised by, okay?"
They all nodded again as she smiled and said to them, "Now go on, eat your ice cream. You deserve it for being such well behaved foals."
The foals all went back to eating their ice cream cones with sullen faces, unsure of what else to do. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 8: New Discoveries | Cannon Feather was groaning as he put his legs together, scrunching his training pants. He felt the pressure of wanting to go potty, as he got up from the bed and looked around. Frantically he shouted, "Wuna, I gots ta go potty!"
Luna was in their room already and replied, "Come thou, lets get you to the potty." She got up and rushed over to him, as she took him from the bed, helped him go through the door and towards the bathroom across the hall. While he waddled off with her he felt his pressure ease, and felt his urine soak into his training pants. As he began to waddle, he felt them sag around his legs. Luna quickly slipped them off from his rump. She then placed him on the training toilet and let him pee the rest into the bowl. After tinkling for a while, he looked up and mumbled,"I sowie..I..didn't...I...I"
Luna hugged him as she cooed, "There there, it's alright." She then lifted him off the training toilet, and with a glow of her horn another pair of training pants appeared. She then slowly slipped them up over his rump and cooed, "That wasn't so bad, huh?"
He whimpered, "Is fine, thank ya fow hewpin me get to ta potty."
Luna ruffled his mane and cooed, "It's alright little one, I'm happy to help." As she used her magic to lift up the training toilet and empty its contents in the big toilet, then flush it away. After setting the training toilet back down, she helped Cannon Feather onto a stool and helped wash his hooves in the sink. "Now, I saw in your dreams that you're scared of your aunt and uncle, is that true?" She asked him.
He nodded and turned to Luna with a worried look, "Yeah, I am. I scawed tat they gonna take me now becawse wegawy I a fowl."
Luna hushed him and held him close, "It's alright, you heard what thy sister said, we will never let them take you."
He looked up and babbled, "I beweive ya. Bu I gots ta ask."
Luna looked down and asked, "What is it?"
Cannon Feather paused as he whispered, "Wuna, can ya be my mommy?"
Luna paused for a long time, looking down at the foal while stroking his fur. At last she told him. "Yes, I would love to be your mommy."
"Weally?! Does that me I a pwince of ta night?!" Cannon Feather squealed.
Luna laughed, "Somewhat. Thouest will have to sleep during the night. But I will play with you and teach you how to be a good prince."
Cannon Feather babbled, "I'ww do my best to be ya son." He hugged her and snuggled her fur as Luna nuzzled him back and replied, "Alright, you need to get back to bed." He nodded as she escorted him back to his room. There the other foals got up from the bed and Bright Wing asked, "Di ya make it!?"
Cannon Feather shook his head, "I soaked my twinain pants."
The two other foals groaned, "Dawn."
Cannon Feather giggled as Luna ruffled his mane and added, "But you did get some of it in the potty, so I think you did a pretty good job."
Cannon Feather chirped, "Tanks Mommy Wuna, ya ta best!"
Luna smiled, then turned to them and said, "Now, you three all should be going to sleep. it's the middle of the night."
Cannon Feather waddled into his bed as her horn lit up. Suddenly small silver stars and moons appeared all over Cannon Feather's training pants. He gasped, "Wow, what awe these fow?!"
Luna replied, "They are special wetness indicators, they'll light up if you have to use the potty. Hopefully they'll wake you up."
Bright Wing and Bucket Bridle looked underneath their blanket, seeing the same indicators, and then they (along with Cannon Feather) shouted together, "Tanks Wuna, ya ta best!"
Luna bowed, "Thank you," They all snuggled under the bed but they all looked nervous, prompting Luna to ask, "What are you foals worried about?"
Bright Wing sighed,"I gots ta go see my daddy tomowow, is scawy."
Bucket Bridle shivered, "I gots to go see my pawnets and see if they want ta adopt me."
Luna asked, "So, Bucket Bridle, you sure about what you want?"
Bucket Bridle nodded and mumbled, "I sure, I made up my mind."
Luna nodded, "Okay, well I wish for each of you to have a good night's sleep." And they all shouted in reply, "Night, Wuna!" She smiled at all three foals, as she gave Cannon Feather a look of longing. He just looked back at her with his big blue eyes as she slowly walked out of the door.
Bright Wing turned and asked, "Hey, Cannon Feathew, wha di Wuna ask ya about eariwer?"
Cannon Feather whispered, "Nothin weally, she jus wana know if I was otay afer I had a nightmawe." He whimpered a bit as he wiped his eyes.
Bright Wing asked, "Awe ya otay?"
Cannon Feather nodded as he buried himself in the sheets. "I fine, I jus wana go ni nis."
The other foals looked at each other with worried looks as they reluctantly buried themselves under the sheets as well.
The next morning Celestia came back into the palace after raising the sun, and saw all three of the foals dressed in tiny suits with Luna fussing over their ties. Celestia smirked slightly, "So, you all ready to be adopted?" She asked them.
Cannon Feather shouted. "Yeah, I gonna hawe Wuna be my mommy!"
Luna blushed as she looked up at Celestia, who had tears form in her eyes as she laughed, "Well Luna, you sure?"
Luna nodded, "Yes sister, I am sure."
Celestia smiled as she turned to the other foals. "Bucket Bridle, do you still wish to live with your parents?"
He nodded and babbled, "Yeah, they fine, fow the most pawt."
Celestia turned to Bright Wing who shrugged, "I don know. I gots ta tawk to my pawents befowe I'w decide."
Celestia nodded and replied, "Ok. Just remember Bright Wing, you can still make the decision to stay with whoever you want. You don't have to go back with your parents if you don't want to."
He nodded as he replied, "Yeah, I'w wememba."
She looked down and asked, "Now, did you all eat breakfast?"'
"Yes!" The foals shouted.
"Did you go potty?" She asked them..
"Yeah, bu not in the twaining potties." The foals mumbled, knowing that they had been changed earlier.
Celestia smiled, "It's alright, you're still learning," She came over and nudged them as she then said, "Now, give me a hug before you go," The foals all ran up to her, and she hugged them close to her chest as she kissed each of them on the forehead. "You all be good and behave,", She told them. "We will!" They all shouted, as Shining Armor and Battleheart came into the room with a foal carriage. Celestia looked up and asked, "Shining, Battleheart, you ready?"
Battleheart nodded, "Yes, Princess Celestia."
Celestia laughed. "Oh, Shining, why are you wearing your armor?"
Shining firmly replied, "I'm the captain of the guard, I might as well look the part when I'm on duty."
Celestia just smiled, "Alright, did you pack the snacks and extra training pants?"
Shining blushed and nodded, "Yes the foal supplies are all stored in the carriage."
The foals all giggle as Luna replied, "Oh, don't you worry, Shining, I'll tag along. I myself have to formally adopt Cannon Feather."
He giggled as he looked up at Luna. "Tat means I can caw ya Mommy, wight?" He asked.
Luna laughed. "Yes, you can call me Mommy."
Cannon Feather hugged her legs, Luna lifted him up and hugged him close to her chest, as Celestia turned to Bucket Bridle and nuzzled him, "So you ready to be a Rump again?"
He groaned," Di my mommy tew ya my owd name?"
Celestia laughed as she hugged Bucket Bridle close, "Yes she did, but to me you'll always be Bucekt Bridle. I'm going to miss you."
He hugged her close as she nuzzled his fur, "I gonna miss ya too." He told her, then kissed her on the cheek and waved goodbye to her as he ran back to his friends. They all waved to Celestia, and she waved back, while they walked out of the the palace. Celestia watched them leave until the doors closed behind them. She sadly walked to her throne with her eyes growing wet. She brushed her tears aside as she settled herself on her throne and looked forwards as she prepared for the day court to begin.
Later that morning after Luna and Cannon Feather went back to the legal office, and Bright Wing was dropped off at his father's, Shining Armor was escorting young Bucket Bridle through the streets up to a small house down the road. Bucket Bridle grumbled as he came up to the door, a bit amazed at how little the house has changed. Shining knocked on the door.
Comfy Rump open the door with her saddle bags bursting with foal stuff as she squealed, "Bucket Bridle!" She picked him up and squeezed him with all her strength.
Shining smiled, "So you're madam Comfy Rump?"
She smiled at Shining, "Yes I am! Thank you for bringing my son back to me."
Then they heard a honk and a crash as a clown came bursting through the doorway shouting, "Bucket Bridle!"
The foal smiled, "Hey dad." He was hugged by the clown who whispered, "Good to see you too, pal. Feels like it's been forever since I saw you in diapers."
Comfy Rump looked back at Shining and asked, "Want to come inside? I made breakfast earlier."
Shining shrugged and replied, "Sure, I don't mind." He trotted into a decent looking living room with nice looking furniture, with a stray diaper lying on the floor next to a balloon animal.
Comfy Rump carried Bucket Bridle straight into a high chair where she already had a bowl of foal food on the tray with a rubber spoon. Bucket Bridle groaned, "I'm not a baby, Mama."
Comfy Rump cooed as she helped take off his suit and threw it aside. She then placed a blue bib around his neck. "Now Bucket Bridle, you eat your num nums and don't make a fuss. Or do you want me to start calling you by your birth name again?"
Bucket Bridle giggled as he babbled. "Alwight, Mama," He took up the spoon and started to eat the foal food and his eyes lit up, "Pancakes and syrup?! Whew di ya find this stuff?!"
Comfy Rump laughed, "Sweetie, I'm a nanny. I have every flavor of foal food stocked."
Her husband laughed. "Yeah, Id say she overstocked."
Comfy Rump was already seating Shining into a seat and sliding a plate of pancakes in front of him as she cooed, "Thank you for escorting my son here. He's always been the little adventurer, he used to wander all over the place if I didn't keep an eye on him."
Shining laughed nervously, "It's fine, but this is too much."
She laughed. "Oh no, it's fine. Now eat your food too. Big stallions need their nourishment."
Shining eyed her as he thought, "Does she treat everypony she meets like a foal?"
Her husband came up and raised a hoof. "Well let me introduce myself, I'm Laughing Rump. Laugh for short."
Shining burst out laughing as he said, "Well, it's good to meet you. I think I remember you from one of my sister's birthday parties, you were so silly," He turned to Comfy Rump who sat down across from her husband, as they all began to dig into their pancakes. Shining cleared his throat and asked, "So, did you two sign the adoption papers yet?"
Comfy Rump turned to her son, "Actually, we've been holding off on that."
Bucket Bridle looked up, "Why mama?" He asked.
She sighed and turned to her husband who nodded. She turned back to Bucket Bridle and said, "Sweetie , there's something your father and I need to tell you," Bucket Bridle looked up as she explained, "Bucket Bridle... you were adopted."
Bucket Bridle's spoon dropped from his mouth as he replied, "Wait, ya sayin ya not my mommy and daddy?!"
Comfy Rump shook her head, prompting Bucket Bridle to ask, "Wai, who's my weal pawents? And why di ya wait untiw now ta tew me?"
She replied, "We found you on our doorstep years ago. Your father and I looked and inquired about you for months, but to no avail."
Laughing Rump explained, "We never told you, because we don't want to give you false hope. If your parents lived in Canterlot or were just visiting, we don't know. There was always the possibility that they might come back for you."
His wife added, "Quite right, darling. I know this is a lot take in but it's the truth. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner."
Bucket Bridle paused for a few moments and said, "It doesn' matta, ya both my pawents and I fine stayin hewe with ya."
Comfy Rump smiled, "That's wonderful, dear, but are you sure?"
Bucket Bridle nodded as he looked up with a big smile and his face covered in foal food, "Yeah ya two may be embewassin, bu ya awe my pawents and I wove ya both."
Comfy Rump dawwed as she came up and wiped his mouth with a rag, "Oh I love you too sweetheart." She then hugged him, making him squeel, as Shining finished eating his pancakes with a smirk. He looked up at a clock mounted on the kitchen wall and sighed, "I've stayed here way too long, I best get going."
Comfy Rump nodded, "Right, I better get going too. In fact Bucket Bridle will have to accompany me while I do my rounds. Maybe you'll get to meet some new friends, they'll probably be in actual diapers instead of training pants."
Bucket Bridle grumbled, "Otay Mama."
She laughed as he picked him up and placed him on her back, "Alright, come on. We'll sign the adoption papers when we get back," She and her husband then led Shining out of the house. She turned to Shining Armor and said to her, "Thank you so much for helping our son."
Shining scratched the back of his head, "It was no problem Mr. and Mrs. Rump."
Bucket Bridle waved bye to Shining as he waved bye back with a tear trailing down the captain's face.
Bright Wing sat across from his dad, sitting at a small round table. The house they were in was small and a mess, with dirty dishes piled up in the sink and the table covered with trash and moldy food. Bright Wing looked up at his dad who looked identical to him with a stern look, "So you got turned into a foal. Can't believe it." His father remarked.
Bright Wing mumbled, "So what?"
His father grumbled, "I expected more from you. I thought you were going to become a scholar that would rival those stuck up unicorns."
Bright Wing muttered, "I wanted ta become a woyal guawd, ya know that."
His father responded with a sneer, "Yes, ever since you read about them you haven't stopped talking about them."
Bucket Bridle cried, "So I gwess ya don wan ta waise me again?"
His father scoffed. "As if. I love you, but it seems both of us will just be fooling ourselves into thinking that we'll be happy if you live here."
"Yeah I gwess so. I'll go find my mom." Bright Wing babbled as he jumped down from his seat..
His father paused for a moment as he mumbled, "Funny you would say that, because she's right here."
Bright Wing eyed his dad. "Wha ya tawkin about, I thought ya two got a devoice?" He then turned to see a familiar mare walk into the room and he mumbled, "Mama?"
Luna was at the table of the office, sitting in front of the clerk typing away the final form Cannon Feather had to sign. When the clerk took it off, she laid it in front of them. Cannon Feather took the feathered quill and with Luna's help he signed the paper. She then signed it as well and she asked, "So, does this parchment make me Cannon Feather's mother?"
The clerk nodded and replied, "Yes, Princess Luna. Cannon Feather is now your adopted son. I guess that makes you Prince Cannon Feather."
Cannon Feather happily shouted, "Mommy!" He jumped into Luna's hooves, who hugged him close, "Yes darling, you're my little prince of the night." And she kissed him on the forehead.
The clerk smiled, "That's wonderful, now two foals have been officially adopted."
Confused by the statement Luna asked, "Another foal was adopted today?"
The clerk nodded, "Yes a mare came by with one of the foals to be adopted, I believe she went by the name Silver Wing and the foal was named Bright Wing."
"Wait my auntie adopted one of my fwiends?" Cannon Feather shouted!
The mare nodded as she replied, "Yes, I was quite surprised myself. But it seems she had a son with another stallion and had the paperwork to confirm it."
Luna replied with concern, "Is there a way to stop the adoption?"
The mare shook her head as she explained, "It can't be done, the adoption papers are signed and sealed. The only way to undo it, is if you can figure out that Silver Wing was lying."
Luna turned to Cannon Feather and asked him, "Did you know that Bright Wing was your cousin?"
"No, I didn't tink I was weltated to one of my fwiends," Cannon Feather replied. "Bu we gots ta find a way to stop ta adoption, my famiwy is pwobaby jus usin him."
Luna nodded, "Right, this is most strange. But we should head back to the palace and inform my sister, she knows more about Equestrian law then I do."
Cannon Feather nodded, "Wight, wets go!" He jumped on Luna's back as she rushed out of the office. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 9: Crashing the Party | Silver Wing was riding with Bright Wing in a fancy carriage, with him sitting across from his mom. He asked, "So Mommy, who di ya mawy now?"
She smiled as she looked up, "His name is Gold Feather and he's a very smart and rich stallion. He'll make a wonderful father."
Bright Wing eyed her and asked, "So how wich awe ya?"
Silver Wing laughed, "Very rich, you're going to be so happy now that I have more then enough bits to make your foalhood so much better than it was before."
Bright Wing looked down, still a bit unsure as he mumbled, "Otay, wew that's fine and all."
Silver Wing looked at his suit and training pants a bit as she asked, "Darling, what are those?"
He looked up with puppy dog eyes and mumbled, "They twaining pants, why do ya ask?"
She blushed as she continued in a hushed tone, "Well, I'm sorry, swettie, but foals your age must be potty trained. I can't have you wearing such garments."
Bright Wing scrunched his training pants and whined, "Bu I gots ta weaw my twaining pants, I stiww in potty twaining."
She sighed and grumbled, "Well, I'll hire a qualified nanny and make sure we get that bit squared away as fast as possible. Until then we'll get you something more...acceptable..." She looked over his small suit as well and added, "Such a horrible suit, I'll have to get you new, presentable clothes for the party."
They stopped at a clothing store as he grumbled, "Pawty?"
Silver Wing nodded. "Yes, darling. It's not a foal's party though, it's a grown up party, and I need you looking your best. Now come on." She helped him out of the carriage and carried him into the store as he looked up with a pout.
Nanny Comfy Rump was walking down the street as she asked, "So Bucket Bridle, how did you like playing with other foals for a change?"
He mumbled, "Is otay, they nice and happy bu I can't tawk to them fow some weason. Pwobably a wesult of the speww."
Comfy Rump laughed, "Oh, I'm just happy that you're at least trying, I promise that i'll find some foals your age to play with eventually." Then all of a sudden a carriage came up to them and she looked at it with an odd look. The doors opened and a smug looking pegaus stallion came out with a grin, "Madam Comfy Rump I presume?" He asked her.
"What do you want?" Comfy Rump asked. "In case you haven't noticed, I have my little one to attend to at the moment, so please make it quick."
The stallion smirked and explained, "I wish of your services. I need you to help care for my newly required foal."
Nanny Comfy Rump sighed as she explained, "My schedule is quite full at the moment, but I'll see about it. What is your foal's name?"
The stallion smirked, "Bright Wing, he's two years old and we just adopted him. It's just that I heard you're one of the best nannies in Canterlot, and I'd love to have you care for him," He wrote down his address on a piece of paper and hoofed it to her. As he continued, "If you're interested, here's my address."
She took it and bowed, "I'll come by if I have time, I promise."
He smiled, "Alright, if you're interested, then come by tomorrow, We're throwing a party to show off our new heir to our family." He laughed out loud as he closed the carriage door and rode off.
Comfy Rump shook her head, "I can't stand pompous fools like that. I feel sorry for the child he adopted."
Bucket Bridle spoke up, "Wait, di he just say tey adopted Wright Wing?"
Comfy Rump gasped as she replied, "I thought that name sounded familiar! You don't think he adopted one of your friends, do you?!"
Bucket Bridle replied, "Yeah, I tink he di. And it gets wowse, he's Cannon Feathew's mean uncwe!"
"Then we must do somthing about it!" Comfy Rump concluded. "Bright Wing deserves a much better family than some stuffy uppercrusts, Prince Blueblood is the perfect example of what an upbringing like that will yield!"
Bucket Bridle suggested, "Wets go see Pwincess Cewestia, she wiw know wha ta do!"
Comfy Rump nodded in approval as she shouted, "Good idea, we'd better go right now! Hold on tight!" As she ran off at full speed down the road.
Silver Wing was now sitting on a bench in a dressing room with Bright Wing in her lap, while combing his mane and humming to herself. Bright Wing whispered, "So Mama, wheew wewe ya aw this time?"
She whispered back to him, "Darling, when I divorced your dad all those years ago, you have to understand that I couldn't take you with me at the time."
He looked up and asked her, "Bu why, Mama?"
She replied and explained, "At the time, I was getting remarried and I couldn't have anything that would make me look unfavorable. I know it sounds selfish, but it's true."
Bright Wing muttered, "I'm sowie, Mama. I didn mean ta make ya feew bad." He hugged her close as she kissed him and said to him. "No, it's my fault. I put my ambitions in front of your well being as a foal. And I promise I'll never do it again."
Bright Wing then asked, "So, wha about this pwaty? Ya thowing it fow me ow ya sewf 'cause you wan to spoil yasewf?"
Silver Wing gasped, "Bright Wing, hold that tongue of yours! And of course O'm throwing it for you!" She then finished combing his mane and placed him down on the ground, he was in a small tuxedo made for foals with a bow tie, was and wearing a golden pair of training pants. She looked him over as he grumbled, "Is itchy."
"I'm sorry darling, but this is the most formal wear I could find for toddlers. But despite the itchiness, do they fit?" She asked him.
He grumbled as he waddled about, "Kind of, but it's at west comfy," He then nervously commented. "Bu if I have a accident, they may weak."
"You better not wet them, I don't want to start punishing you." She grumbled, prompting Bright Wing to whimper, "Mama."
She sighed and tried to adopt a sweeter tone as she said, "Honey, just don't try to drink anything, please. I'd rather you not have an accident, these clothes are quite expensive," She hugged him and whispered, "Please stay with me, alright?"
Bright Wing sighed as he mumbled, "Otay Mama, I'w do my best."
Silver Wing kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. Now let's get, going the party starts soon and you don't want to miss it, do you?" He nodded humbly as she led him out of the changing room.
Luna and Celestia were both looking over books on family records in the palace library, while Cannon Feather was busy trying to read one of the books on the floor. All of a sudden, Celestia gasped, "Wait, I think I found something!"
"What is it, sister?" Luna asked. She came over to Celestia's side as they poured over a genealogy map, She then commented, "This is most odd. It seems all three of our foalafied guards were related in some way."
"Weally?!" Cannon Feather exclaimed.
Celestia nodded, "The three of you are apparnetly part of a scared family sworn to the royal guard, the Feathers and the Wings. They were some of the oldest families in Canterlot, they boast a remarkable resemeblance of mostly white coated and blue eyed pegasi, and their genealogy dates back all the way to the founding of Equestria."
Cannon Feather gasped, "So, ya mean that evwy woyal guwad is a wealtive of mine?!"
Celestia smiled, "Not every royal guard, but probably most of them. There are some that come from Ponyville, Cloudsdale, and other locations though, and only a hoofful of those are tied to the Feathers or the Wings."
Luna then asked, "But what about Cannon Feather's family? What do they want with Bright Wing?"
"They want to combine the families and make an heir to their fortune, that's what I'm thinking," Celestia realized and turned the page. When she examined it, something caught her eye. "Hm, this is strange."
"Wha is?" Cannon Feather asked.
Celestia replied, "There's a pony missing from the family tree. It says here that a mare and a stallion in the Wing family had a foal. But the three went missing years ago, and their names were not recorded."
"Weird, so what about Bucket Bridle?" Luna asked. "It strikes me odd with his...parents."
Celestia was going to say something, when Comfy Rump suddenly burst into the room shouting, "Princess Celestia! A foal has been foal napped by royal fools!"
Bucket Bridle shouted, "Ya cwazy Mama! Do you got any wespect fow thw pwincess of Equestwia?!"
Celestia laughed, "Well it looks like you two are getting along just fine. And Bucket Bridle, you needen't worry. I've had ponies interrupt me for far crazier reasons."
Comfy Rump looked back at the sun princess and blushed as she apologized, "I'm sorry, Princess Celestia, but I just learned from my son that a mean stallion has adopted one of his foal friends. I will not stand by while a helpless foal is adopted by such horrible parents!"
Celestia nodded in agreement as she explained, "I'm aware of that, but from what I've learned I'm afraid that they are his family and the adoption is now legal. Unless we can prove they're abusing or neglecting him, or get them to relinquish custody, there's nothing wecan do."
"Wait...I tink I gots an idea!" Cannon Feather shouted! Everypony looked down at him, while he closed a book and got up as he explained, "I was wowking at pictuas and if we were dwess up wike nobwe fowls, we can sneak in and get him out! Ten he can stay at the pawace untiw we figuwe out how to get him away fwom his mean pawnets!"
"I can't just have you sneak back in your Aunt and Uncle's house, Cannon Feather," Celestia protested. "They won't just let you into the party. You'll need a thorough disguise, something that'll ensure they don't suspect it's you. Otherwise, they could take you and challenge Luna for custody of you in court."
Luna smiled as she replied, "I think I have an idea." She lit up her horn, Cannon Feather's fur turned black and his irises purple, as his mane became a light purple. He giggled and shouted, "Wow, now I weally am a pwince of ta night!"
Celestia eyed Luna as she said, "I'll turn him back, I promise! But for now it should be sufficent enough to foold Cannon Feather's Aunt and Uncle."
Comfy Rump asked, "So, who will get them inside? And more importantly, who's going to get them out?"
But Celestia spoke up in protest as she said. "Woah, hold it! I can't just have foals pull escapades like this!"
"But we not fowls, we woyal guwads!" The two foals shouted together. Celestia sighed, sensing that Cannon Feather and Bucket Bridle were not going to take no for an answer. She reluctantly said to them. "Alright, but you're going to have to dress like noble toddlers."
Cannon Feather nodded, "Wight, we gots to dwess in fancy cwothing."
Luna laughed, "That's right, my little prince. And I think I have the perfect outfit in mind for you."
Battleheart was now riding in a carriage, with the two foal guards sitting with him. "Your mission is infiltrate the party, figure out the conspiracy of Silver Wing and Golden Feather, and get Bright Wing out of there. Is that correct?" He asked them.
"Pwetty much!" The two foal guards shouted. They were dressed in poofy blue prince suits, with little golden shoulder pads and doubly thick white diapers that had little sun wetness indicators decorating the outside. Battleheart asked them. "So, why are you two wearing diapers?"
Bucket Bridle grumbled, "Cannon Feather is sayin, since wew goin to be so busy twying ta save Bwight Wing, tat we won't have time ta go potty."
Cannon Feather giggled, "Cewestia designed them just fow us. They so comfy." He bounced in his padding with a giggle.
Battleheart then asked, "So, um...why was I chosen to be the escort? And where are we going?"
Bucket Bridle explained, "Ya goin ta be owa dada, and we gots ta have a mama."
That was when the carriage stopped, and a familiar mare from the summer sun celebration entered the carriage, with her blue dress, white mane, blue eyes, and golden mane and tail. She looked into the carriage and gasped, "Battleheart?"
"Ma'am, you're beautiful." Battleheart replied in awe.
The mare blushed, "Stop it, you're making me blush," She walked into the carriage and dawwed upon seeing Bucket Bridle and Cannon Feather, "Oh, it's those foals from the garden party. How are you two little ones doing?"
The two shouted together, "Gweat!"
"Well, it's nice to see you two again," She looked down at their diapered rumps and giggled, "Oh, you're not potty trained yet, huh?"
They both shook their heads as Cannon Feather asked, "Wait wha ya name?"
Battleheart turned as the mare said, "I'm Morning Dew, pleased to meet you."
Battleheart whispered, "Morning Dew, what a lovely name."
Morning Dew blushed again, "Thanks," She turned back to the foals, "I was told that you three need me to fake being your caretaker."
Cannon Feather shouted, "Weally?! How ya gonna do tat?!"
Morning Dew laughed, "Well. it will be more difficult more than I thought, but I was thinking you two could pass as my cousins."
Cannon Feather was delighred with the arrangement, "Otay, that's gweat! We can go to ta pawty and save my fwiend!"
The mare giggled as she continued, "Alright. And Battleheart is here to be my escort."
Battleheart gasped, "Really?! I mean..I knew I was going to be an escort, but I had no idea I would be escorting you. I didn't expect to see you again so soon after what happened at the garden party."
She blushed as she cooed, "What, you missed me?"
The foals all laughed as Battleheart turned in embarrassment.
Their carriage soon arrived at a mansion. Bucket Bridle shouted to Cannon Feather, "Ya mean ya wived hewe?!" Cannon Feather turned his head as he mumbled, "Yeah, bu is no wha it seams."
Battleheart replied, "Yeah, this place seems dangerous, even from here."
Morning Dew sighed, "It's just a mansion, not Sombra's castle." She got out and lead the foals down the line of noble stallions and mares all dressed nicely and talking amongst themselves. One fancy mare turned and gasped, "Morning Dew, is that you?"
Morning Dew blushed as she replied, "Yes Fleur, it's so good to see you again."
Fleur cooed as she turned her attention to Cannon Feather and Bucket Bridle, "Oh are these the big royal guards from the party?" She chuckled. Cannon Feather giggled as Bucket Bridle scrunched his diaper, trying to hide it. Fleur smirked, "Oh, don't be ashamed, I had a feeling you weren't potty trained," She winked at him as he stepped back. Fleur then asked Morning Dew, "So, are you their mother?"
Morning Dew blushed and shook her head, "No, they're my cousins. I'm looking after them while their parents are on a trip."
Fleur dawwed, "Oh, how thoughtful of you. Ironically, I'm also caring for my younger cousins. But this party from what heard will rival that of the Grand Galloping Gala. So I had Fancy Pants stay behind to watch the little ones in my place."
Morning Dew laughed, "Oh wow, I never imagined Fancy Pants would be the one to care for foals."
Fleur smiled, "Well, I'll have to see how he does when I get back. Hopefully Fancy Pants can change a few diapers.," She turned to Battleheart and asked, "So is this your coltfriend?"
Morning Dew and Battleheart both shouted, "No!" They both looked back at each other then back at Fleur, as Battleheart got stern and said firmly. "I'm her escort for the evening, to keep her safe."
Fleur smiled with a smirk, "Right." But she said nothing more.
The group came upon the front doors, and butler with a guest list rolled out in front of him he looked over and asked, "Morning Dew is it? You're on the list...but..." He looked down at the foals, who started to shak. An audible hiss could be heard and their diapers began to turn yellow as the butler grimaced, "Um, your foals are not on the list."
Morning Dew winked at him "Really? But their my cousins, and I couldn't find a nanny, and I'll have to tell everypony in the kingdom why I missed this wonderful party."
The butler sighed, "Fine, but keep those foals in line. I'd better not have any messes to clean up from the likes of them."
Morning Dew nodded as she pushed the foals inside, "Of course, I'll keep an eye on them." She lead them inside the main hall where ponies stood about talking and laughing, with a large buffet table in the back, and some ponies dancing in the middle of the floor. Morning Dew looked around, suddenly she spotted Bright Wing standing next to Silver Wing and Golden Feather, who were talking to other noble ponies. Morning Dew whispered to the foals, "Alright, I'll go talk to Silver Wing and her husband, and distract them. You two get to Bright Wing and try to talk some sense into him."
The foals both nodded, as Morning Dew came up to Silver Wing who smiled, "Morning Dew, it so good to see you. I was hoping you could make it."
Morning Dew blushed, "Silver Wing, it's a pleasure to meet you." Silver Wing turned to Braveheart and asked, "Is that a member of the royal guard?"
Morning Dew turned towards her escort, "Yes he is, I paid him a fortune to keep me and my foals safe," He blushed as she turned and continued, "So, while we're talking, why not have our foals play?"
Silver Wing scoffed, "They can converse, but no playing. I'd rather they not knock anything over or make a mess."
Bright Wing crawled towards his friends as they crawled away together. They all hugged each other, as Bright Wing nuzzled them both, until he heard audible squishing sounds. He looked down at their padded crotches (that were now yellow and sagging around their rumps) and gasped, "Cannon Feather, you wook weiwd! And you and Bucket Bwidle awe both awe weawing diapees! Why?!"
They both giggled as Cannon Feather explained. "Wuna tuwned me wike this to sneak in. Bwight Wing, we wowe diapees becawse we dun gots time to go ta potty, we gots ta get ya out of hewe!" Bucket Bridle continued, "Yeah, we come hewe ta wescue ya!"
Bright Wing shook his head, "Ya wasin ya time, Sivaw Wing is my mommy."
Cannon Feather cried, "Even if she is, she's howibwe! She jus using ya to hawe an heiw to this money, she'ww take ya fowlhood away! She'ww twy to make suwe you neva become a woyal guawd!"
Bright Wing looked down as he replied, "I dun know, I..I can't jus weave hew, without me she wun have an heiw to hew money."
Cannon Feather shouted, "So what?! She cawes mowe abou money then ya! Surewy ya not happy bein' with hew, wight?"
Bright Wing replied, "Weww, I do hate some tings. This suit is itchy, the food tastes bad, and..and...." He blushed as he held his golden training pants, "These twianing pants awe vewy thin. I scawed If I hawe an accident, I'ww make a wetties on the fwoor."
Cannon Feather looked at the golden training pants and shuddered, "Twust me, ya dun want ta wet those, ow mess in tem. They pawt of the weason why I was in diapees untiw I was fuwwy potty twained at the age of five."
Bright Wing looked up, "Bu Cannon Feathaw, she...she's my mommy. If she don adopt me, who wiw?"
Cannon Feather replied, "Wuna adopted me..maybe one of ta pwincesses wiw adopt ya? Wike Cewestia ow Cadence?"
Bright Wing sighed, as he turned to Silver Wing who was laughing, "Oh I know, we were so lucky to find him." She boasted
Bright Wing scowled, "Bu, she aweady signed the adoption papas."
Cannon Feather rolled his eyes, "Come on, ya tink Cewestia is jus gonna wet that cwazy mawe go, now tat we know she jus usin ya? She'ww see to it that she can't keep ya."
Bright Wing grumbled, "Fine, bu how do we get of hewe? Ta pwace is cwaing with noble ponies who awe wowkin fow hew. They'ww be suwe to stop you if you twy to weave with me."
Cannon Feather shouted. "We cwash ta pawty of cowuse!" He crawled off, laughing manically, as Bucket Bridle and Bright Wing shrugged and followed Cannon Feather.
Silver Wing laughed again, "Yes, I still can't believe that we adopted the brat. I thought that my first husband would've given him away. Luckily after the other brat, Cannon Feather, shouted at us in front of Princess Celestia, there was no way we could adopt him, so we had no choice, I hope you're never cursed with foals. They cry all day and night, make messes all over your floors and furnitures, slobber on your belongings or flush them down the toilet, and they're awfully stinky! Dear Celestia, their dirty diapers stink worse than sewer rats!"
Morning Dew was disgusted by Silver Wing's comments, but knew she couldn't draw attention to herself, so she reluctantly coughed, "Well...um..ok."
That was when they heard a crash, and they all turned to Cannon Feather smashing the platters of food onto the ground shouting, "Cwush the nasty food! Thwow it aw away!" He giggled, about throwing the food to the ground, and at the noble stallions and mares who began to run away in terror. Then a loud crash echoed throughout the room, as the guests turned in horror to see Bucket Bridle smashing a violin shouting, "Wowk, I pwaying ta viowin!" Octavia (who had been invited to perform) grabbed her cello and sprinted down the hall in concern! Bucket Bridle chased after her shouting, "I wana pway ya cewwo too!" Strings and smashed wood trailing behind him.
Bright Wing was giggling and dancing around, until Silver Wing shouted, "Bright Wing!" Bright Wing looked up as she came over, "You ungrateful wretched little brat!" Bright Wing in fear looked up at her as she came over, "After everything I did! After I took you in and gave you a life of luxury! This is how you repay me?!" Bright Wing was scared out of his mind as urine leaked through his golden training plants and poured onto the ground, Silver Wing shouted, "Now, you're pissing on my nice clean floor!" She came up to slap him, and when Morning Dew stood in front of her, she shouted, "Get out of the way!"
But Morning Dew furiously replied, "You won't lay a hoof on him! Can't you see how terrified he is?! You just told me that you have no care for foals, and you also told me you're just using him! In fact, I'd say I have every reason to get him out of your clutches! If this how you treat him, I shudder to imagine what an actual child of yours would have to suffer!"
Silver Wing stared at Morning Dew and the other foals coming over to Bright Wing. Furiously, she shouted, "Fine! I'll tear up those adoption papers and Bright Wing can become an orphan for all I care! My good friend Spoiled Rich was right, foals are nothing but trouble!" She then left with a humpf.
Morning Dew picked up the three foals and placed them on her back. She grimaced a bit, feeling their soaked garments on her back as she sighed, "Alright you three, let's get you home."
Bright Wing looked to Golden Feather and Silver Wing, both of whom eyeing him angrily, as he turned his head, unsure of who would raise him now. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 10: Royal adoptions | The three guards were lead back to their room in the castle by Morning Dew, waddling in their sagging diapers swaying between their legs, with pee leaking all over. Morning Dew giggled a bit each time she heard a squishing sound from the diapers. They eventually made it to their room where Comfy Rump stood with a smile "Oh, hello you three!" She came over and hugged each of them kissing and nuzzling them. She then patted their rumps and gasped! "Oh dear, you three are soaked! Come on, let's get those diapers changed." They waddled to their bed and laid down, grumbling all the while. Morning Dew whispered, "Well I best get going, I just wanted to make sure these three got home all right."
Comfy Rump hugged her, "Thank you for escorting the foals." She then kissed Morning Dew on the cheek as Comfy Rump turned to the toddlers and began stripping off their soaked diapers. Morning Dew asked, "So I guess you do this often?"
Comfy Rump laughed. "Yes, I've changed hundreds of diapers before. Trust me I've seen and smelled worse, especially from my own son when he was in diapers. For a while I actually didn't think he'd ever be potty trained," She then came across the golden training pants around Bright Wing's rump and mumbled, "I hate when nobles dress their foals in these, they're extremly prone to leaking and not very comfortable. You'd have to have a tiny bladder not to soak it through." As she took them off Bucket Bridle asked, "Ya not gonna put us back in diapees?"
Comfy Rump cooed as she replied, "Oh, don't you worry. I'm going to get you all cleaned and back in regular training pants." She then began wiping down their crotches and rumps with foal wipes. Morning Dew smiled at them as Battleheart entered the room. He asked, "So is everyone doing okay?"
Morning Dew nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, everything seems to be fine now."
Battleheart held her close as he whispered, "You were very brave back at the mansion, standing up a noble like that."
Morning Dew blushed as she replied, "It...it was nothing."
Battleheart shook his head, "No you're one of the bravest ponies I've ever met. Believe me, not a lot of ponies would've done what you did. Most would've been silent."
Comfy Rump finished pulling up the training pants on Bright Wing, who looked at them as they crinkled. They had little stars and moons on them and he whispered, "I didn't tink I would miss my twainin pwants so much." He began walking around in them as Comfy Rump smiled down at them and cooed, "Oh those training pants fit perfectly, and I love those wetness indicators, very creative."
"I'm so happy their nanny has approved of them, I created them," Luna cooed and explained as she entered the room. The ponies all gasped and bowed as Luna replied, "It's alright," As the ponies rose she heard, "Mommy!" and watched as Cannon Feather rushed into her legs. She blushed as he hugged her legs and Luna held him close. She kissed him on the forehead and snuggled him, "My little prince of the night, are you doing alright?" She asked him.
Cannon Feather bounced up and down in excitement as he shouted, "I doin gweat, Mama! We went ta the pawty, ten we thewe ta nasty food away, and ten I saved Bwight Wing fwom my eviw Uncwe and Auntie!"
Luna nuzzled him again as she whispered, "Sounds like one great adventure, you'll have to tell me everything later. But for now, let's get you and your friends to bed."
Bucket Bridle was going to go to the bed when he turned to Comfy Rump and asked, "Can I sweep hewe fow ta night?"
Comfy Rump came over and kissed him, "Of course you can, sweetie. I think after what you three did, you deserve it." He smiled at her and waddled away, as Luna helped them back onto the bed and pulled the covers over them. She kissed each foal on the forehead as Bright Wing babbled, "Wuna, di ya weally adopt Cannon Feather?"
Luna smiled, "Yes I did, he's officially my son now."
Bright Wing then asked, "Does ta mean ya ow Cewetsia can adopt me too?"
Luna smiled once again, "Of course, but we can discuss that later. You just get some sleep, okay?"
"Otay," He babbled. He laid back down on his pillow and curled up under the sheets, but then he suddenly cried, "Whews my Hopsey?!"
Luna poofed the purple bunny with her magic and placed it into Bucket Bridle's hooves. He snuggled his rabbit, as Comfy Rump smiled down at him and left with Morning Dew and Battleheart. Luna stood by as she watched the foals drift to sleep, curling up and feeling comforted and safe.
Bright Wing woke up to the sun's rays streaming through the window. He looked at the other foals still deep asleep underneath their blankets, as he looked out at the sun rising up through the window. Bright Wing slowly got out of bed and slowly fell to the ground. He checked his training pants, smiling supn eeing that they were only slightly wet. He whispered to himself, "Tanks Wuna, tese twaining pants awe ta best," He then slowly walked out of the room and saw that no guard was posted, he looked around suspiciously but shrugged it off when he figured Celestia and Luna had forgotten to post one in the excitement of last evening's rescue mission. He waddled down the hall with the crinkling sound echoing everywhere. Looking back at the training pants, Bright Wing whispered, "Oh I neva goin to eva take these off." He then looked up and saw Shining Armor walking down the hall. Bright Wing ran after him as Shining turned and smiled, "Oh hello, Bright Wing. What are you doing out of bed so early?"
Bright Wing giggled, "I was twying ta sneak up on ya."
Shining eyed him, "Oh really, crinklebutt? I heard those crinkles from a mile away."
Bright Wing squealed, "Bu I wove tem, and I went ta the potty awot wast night and I made onwy a wittwe accident."
Shining ruffled his mane and said with a smile, "That's wonderful, I'm so happy for you, champ. Looks like you're making good progress with your potty training."
Bright Wing smiled, before he then asked. "Shining, can I tawk to ya abowt somthin?"
Shining nodded and with an assuring smile he whispered, "Sure, what is it?"
Bright Wing explained, "I...I don know who I want ta be my famiwy. In fac...I...I don know if anypony wants me. I know I can't go back to Cannon Feathew's Aunt and Uncwe though, tey once fwushed him down the toiwet fow fwushing an expensive piece of jewewry. Fow months aftewawd he says he couwdn't go neaw ta bathwoom fow feaw he'd get fwushed again," He shivered, as he added. "I don wanna end up in anothew bad famiwy. I wucky Bucket Bwide and Cannon Feathew wescued me when tey did, I'd have pwobaby gotten a ton of spankies fow weaking on the fwoor."
Shining asked Bright Wing, "What about Morning Dew, she seemed nice."
"She is, she weawwy nice...bu...bu I awso do want ta weave my fwiends," Bright Wing added. "And Cannon Featha has awweady adopwted by Wuna." He babbled.
Shining scratched his chin, "That is a problem. You want to be adopted by a loving family, but you also don't want to be seperated from your friends. But why are you telling me this?"
Bright Wing asked Shining, "Can ya hewp me, pwease? I pwomice to awways use ta potty if you foawsit me."
Shining pondered, before he said to Bright Wing. "Well, that's very sweet of you to offer...but I don't know if I can help you. This is something you have to figure out for yourself."
Bright Wing sighed, "Wew Shiny, I weawwy wikwed it when ya pwayed with us, and I awso wiked pwaying with Cady...and...and I weawwy wove Cady."
Shining asked, "So you love me and Cadence?" "
Yeah, I do. Ya both weawwy nice." Bright Wing replied with a blush.
Shining whispered, "Well..to be honest, I've grown attached to you as well. You and your little friends may be troublemakers, but I can't deny I see a little of myself in you all."
Bright Wing looked up and asked, "So um.." Shining blushed and turned his head as Bright Wing asked, "Shiny...can..can ya adopt me?"
Shining Armor paused for a few moments, before he turned back towards Bright Wing and said, "I would love to, and I'm sure Cadence will agree. She's got plenty of foalsitting experience and I'm sure she'd love a chance to get back in touch with her skills." He came up and hugged Bright Wing who snuggled into Shining's fur as he whispered, "Does tat mean ya my daddy now?"
Shining ruffled his mane and cooed, "Yes it does, my little royal guard," And hugged Bright Wing close to his chest as he asked, "Now do you need to go potty?" Bright Wing nodded as he scrunched his training pants and ran off with Shining following close behind. "Hey, wait for me, champ."
Celestia stepped onto the castle balcony, having finished raising the sun. As she entered the throne room and came close to her throne, she was surprised to see Comfy Rump was there, waiting for her. "Comfy Rump, you're here early?" Celestia asked her.
Comfy Rump turned to Celestia and said to the princess, "Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to come by to talk to you about..some..things."
Celestia eyed Comfy and asked her, "What things?"
Comfy Rump looked up and said, "Bucket Bridle has always admired you, even as a colt he talked about you all the time."
Celestia blushed and hoped Comfy wouldn't notice too much. "Really?" She commented.
Comfy Rump nodded continued, "Not only that, I fear I may be.well..embarrassing at times, and with my busy schedule I never really gave notice to his desire to become part of the royal guard," Celestia stood by as she took a breathe and said to Celestia, I think you should adopt Bucket Bridle."
Celestia nervously replied, "Um..Comfy Rump..."
But Comfy Rump interrupted and said. "I know it sounds crazy, but he loves you, and it'll mean the world to him if he could live with you. I promise I'll come by anytime you need and watch him and his friends." She offered.
Celestia smiled, "Comfy Rump, you're a wonderful nanny and a loving mother, and I'm sure you'd do a fine job raising your son again. As much as I'm touched that you would give him to me, I think that this is a decision that should be left to Bucket Bridle to decide."
Comfy Rump wiped the tears from her eyes, "Yes, that sounds fine to me." She then walked out of the throne room with Celestia staring at her, wondering what could prompt Comfy Rump to reconsider raising her son by herself again (she suspected Laughing Rump's job prevented him from having a lot of time to devote to taking care of a foal).
Celestia then looked over, as Bucket Bridle waddled into the throne room and he looked up at Celestia with a bright smile. "Good morning Bucket Bridle." She greeted
"Mownin Tia!" Bucket Bridle replied, as he ran up to her and jumped into her lap. She checked his training pants and felt them with her hoof, feeling that their were only a little damp she asked, "So, did you make it to the potty?"
"Yeah, I did! I tink I onwy made a wittwe accident." Bucket Bridle babbled. Celestia giggled and smiled, "That's nice, and I'm so happy that you made it all by yourself."
Bucket Bridle snuggled her as he said, "Tank ya, Tia."
Celestia then looked down at him as she asked him, "So, has your mother told you that you can decide who you wish to be raised by?"
Bucket Bridle looked down as he nodded, "I wovve my mama, bu I neva had any sibwings ow fwiends when I was a fowl," He said to Celestia. "I scawed tat if I weave, I'w neva see Bwight Wing ow Cannon Featha again, tey alweady been adopted."
Celestia smiled and asked, "So, who did Bright Wing get adopted by?"
Bucket Bridle mumbled, "By Shiny."
Celestia gasped, "Really?!"
"Yeah I tink Shining's going to adopt him today." Bucket Bridle explained. Celestia bowed her head as he whispered to her, "Tia, I wove my fosta mama awot..bu...I wove my fwiends and I wove ya...so..c..can ya be my mommy?"
Celestia kissed him on the forehead, "I thought you would never ask. Of course I'll adopt you."
Bucket Bridle giggled and asked, "So wha, does tat make me a pwince too?"
Celestia smiled and cooed. "After I sign the adoption papers, you'll be officially be known as Prince Bucket Bridle." He smiled and hugged her fur. Celestia hugged him back with tears streaming down her face.
A short time later, Celestia had all three foals with her in her bedroom. They were sitting on her bed as she smiled at them, while they talked amongst each other. Bright Wing shouted, "Shining adopted me! Can ya bewieve it?! And since Cady's his mawefwiend, she gonna pway with me evewy day!"
Bucket Bridle was bouncing on the bed, "Wew Tia jus adopted me, and now I a pwince!"
Celestia giggled, "Alright you three, calm down," They all looked up at her as she continued, "Now, I know that last few days have been rough and you've already been through a lot. But I want you all to know something," They all looked up as she explained, "Years ago, a scroll was taken from this palace. A scroll that contained unfinished spells from many powerful unicorns, all of which had been collected by Starswirl the Bearded. I sent a few of my most trusted royal guards at the time to go find the scroll, but I lost contact with them," The foals looked at her, as she looked right back at Bright Wing, "Your mother was a part of the first group I sent. After I lost all contact with her, your father left the royal guard after that, he blamed himself and eventually he disappeared to parts unknown," Next she turned to Cannon Feather and added, "Both of your parents were involved as well I'm afraid," And then she turned to Bucket Bridle,"So were your parents," She sighed as her eyes grew wet, "I am the reason for all of your misfortunes. I am truly sorry. I felt you all deserved to know now that you've decided who you'll be living with."
The foals all looked each other and whispered amongst themselves. Then they looked back and Cannon Feather smiled and said, "Is not ya fawlt, Cewestia!" She looked up as Cannon Feather continued, "Ya see we wew wiwwing to give owa wives fow ya and so whew owa pawents. We woyal guawds, is what we do. And fow aww we know, they might be stiw awive, wookin fow ya scwoll! Tey just might have gone undewcovew ow someting."
Celestia smiled back at them and whispered, "Perhaps, we never got any sort of ransom demands or found anything to suggest they were killed or had died. But how could you forgive me so quickly? Because of me, two of you had terrible childhoods. One of you had to be raised by an abusive aunt and uncle, and another spent it raised by a father that was barely there for him. Even Bucket Bridle grew up not knowing what had happened to the family he was born into, and raised by a foster family that loved him but couldn't spend much time with him."
Bucket Bridle then shouted, "Because we wove ya, Mommy tia!" he ran up to her and hugged her fore leg as Bright wing got up and hugged her leg too, Cannon Father got up and joined the hug as well.
Celestia nuzzled all three of the foals, kissing them on the foreheads, "You all are so amazing! So how about, now that you're all officially adopted, we throw you a big party?!"
Cannon Feather asked, "Actuwway, can we go to ta cawnival?"
Celestia laughed, "How about we bring the carnival here instead?"
"Yeah!" Cannon Feather squealed, prompting Celestia to giggle. "Alright."
(One week later...)
Pinkie Pie shouted in excitement! "Oh wow, this is the Palace of Canterlot?! It looks so cool, and there's so much room for the best party ever!"
Rarity with her eyes all aglow exclaimed, "The palace is even more beautiful than I had imagined! And better yet, Prince Blueblood is sure to be here!"
Fluttershy looked around nervously as she whimpered, "I..i just want to go see the gardens."
Rainbow Dash looked around shouting, "Where are the Wonderbolts! I thought they would be here by now!" She flew all over the throne, room eyeing the royal guards.
Twilight followed a short time later, and Applejack was the last of the ponies to enter, dragging a wagon packed full of apple pies and fritters. Twilight sighed and shook her head as she said, "We're all here, willing to help you know. Remember what happened last time?"
Applejack grunted, "I told ya, I'm fine! This ain't Applebuck Season and this time I know what I'm doin'!" She dropped the wagon and looked around and asked, "Where are the little ones, shouldn't they be here for their own party?"
Twilight looked around and added, "Yeah, they should be. In fact Luna, and Celestia, Cadance and Shining, shouldn't they all should be here?"
Just then Shining laughed, "Well if isn't my little sister! Long time no see, Twily!"
Twilight smiled, seeing her big brother coming down the stairs with her new nephew, Cannon Feather, with him.
Meanwhile, up in her bedroom, Celestia was sitting on her bed combing Bucket Bridle's mane as she cooed, "Your mane is so soft, did you know that?" Bucket Bridle giggled and babbled, "Wha does soft, mean Tia?" She smiled, seeing how much of a toddler her adopted son had become. He was kicking his legs, making slight crinkling noises with his training pants, and looking around the room with childlike curiosity. She finished combing out his tangles as she cooed, "Well it just means that it feels nice, like the carpet or your fur."
She brushed his hoof along his fur as he asked, "So my fuw is soft?"
Celestia kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Yes, it's perfect and soft, like a cloud," She then checked his training pants and asked, "Do you need to go potty?"
Bucket Bridle shook his head. "No, I fine. You just took me ta potty a few minutes ago," He replied honestly.
Celestia giggled, "Oh, right, I'm just making sure." She let him slide off her lap as he asked, "So, can I weaw my awmomw?"
Celestia nodded, "Of course, come on," She helped Bucket Bridle into his plastic armor. As he put on his helmet she asked him, "Now, what's your mission for tonight?"
Bucket Bridle shouted, "Pway! Have fun! And go to ta potty when I need to!"
Celestia laughed and ruffled his mane, "That's right, now come on. The rest of your friends should be downstairs already." She lead him through the halls and down the steps where the rest of his friends were wearing the their plastic armor too.
Shining hugged Bright Wing closed while Twilight was nuzzling him, "So, you're my nephew, huh?" She asked him. "Funny, I feel like I should know you from somewhere, but for the life of me I can't figure out where.
Bright Wing wasn't sure if Twilight would believe him if he told her about who he used to be, so he just shrugged and said. "I must wemind ya of somepony ewse. Bu awe ya otay with a pegasus in youw famiwy? Evewypony in youw famiwy twee's a unicown."
Twilight laughed, "Of course I'm okay with it. I've always wondered what it would be like to be a pegasus and have wings"
"Yeah! Totally! Having wings is like the best thing ever!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she slammed to the ground. The other foals gathered around her as she picked herself up and commented, "Looks like you three need some help learning how to fly again."
Bucket Bridle gasped and ran down to Rainbow Dash shouting, "You ca teach us how to fwy?!"
Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash and whispered, "Rainbow Dash they're only foals. I don thin-"
Rainbow Dash laughed interrupting Twilight and boasted, "Twilight, you don't know anything about flying! The younger the better, I say!"
Bucket Bridle shouted, "Yeah, tat sounds gweat Miss... uh... wha ya name?!"
Rainbow Dash shouted with a smug grin,"I'm Rainbow Dash, little guy!"
"I Buckewt Bwidle." The foal guard babbled back.
Rainbow Dash threw him on his back and shouted, "Alright little Bucket Bridle, I'll get you flying or my name isn't Rainbow Dash, which it is!"
Celestia laughed as she came down from the stairs, "Now Rainbow Dash, be careful. I don't want Bucket Bridle hurting himself," The mane six and Shining all bowed as she shook her head and explained, "Please you don't have to bow every time I come into a room."
As everypony rose Rainbow Dash asked, "Um... Princess Celestia, is it alright if I to teach Bucket Bridle how to fly for a bit? I promise I'll be with him the whole time."
Bucket Bridle pleaded with his best pair of puppet dog eyes. "Pwetty pwease, Mommy?"
Celestia gave him a motherly smile, "Alright, but only because you called me 'Mommy'."
Bucket Bridle squeeled shouting happily, "I gonna weawn how ta fwy!"
Rarity then asked, "Um... Princess Celestia, will Prince Blueblood be around tonight?"
Celestia shook her head as she explained, "My nephew will not be attending, I'm sorry. He's not exactly good with foals, or children for that matter."
Rarity sighed, "It's alright, I suppose not everypony has what it takes to put up with the demands a foal brings. Goodness knows how much I ran myself ragged caring for Sweetie Belle as a foal."
Cannon Feather, upon seeing Pinkie Pie, went over to her and shouted, "Hey, ya the funny pink mawe fwom ta Summa Sun cewebwation!"
Pinkie Pie shouted, "Yepiree, I'm Pinkie Pie!"
"Nice ta meet ya, I Cannon Feathaw." Cannon Feather babbled.
Pinkie squeeled, "What a cute little name! I guess you're one of the royal guards who's turned super cute!" She then pinched his cheeks and kissed him on the forehead.
Cannon Feather asked, "Yeah, but now tat we know each othas names, does tat make us fwiends?"
Pinkie shouted back, "Of course! Now how about you and I go have some fun?!"
Cannon Feather responded with a smile, "Yeah, wets go to ta cawniva." Pinkie Pie picked him up by the waistband of his training pants, threw him onto her back and ran off happily.
Bright Wing turned to Shining and asked, "So Daddy, can I go pway with Auntie Twily?"
Shining set Bringht Wing on the ground, nuzzled him, and said, "Of course, I still have to do my rounds anyway. But you have to promise to listen to her, and stay out of trouble. And you have to make sure to tell her if you have to go potty."
"Otay Daddy, I'w wisten to hew, I'w be a good colt," Bring Wing promised, he hugged Shining's legs as the captain of the guard bent down and kissed him on the forehead. Bright Wing kissed him back as waddled over to Twilight as he shouted, "Bye Daddy!" Shining blushed and waved his hoof, "Bye son, be a good little colt for your Auntie Twilight." Twilight couldn't help but daww, as Bright Wing asked, "Auntie Twily, can ya pway with me at ta cawnivaw?"
Twilight nuzzled him and even checked his training pants as she cooed, "Of course, come on." She then lead him outside to the palace gardens where tents and games had been set up. Cannon Feather and Pinkie Pie were already playing games as Rainbow Dash went over to a flying competition shouting, "Come on, Bucket Bridle! I'm gonna get you flying in no time!"
Fluttershy, and Rarity both groaned a bit, seeing that only stallions, mares, and their foals were playing among the games. For Fluttershy she was looking around and saw that all the animals were gone due to the amount of ponies playing. Applejack had already set up her stand. She was sorting her assorted apple products and shouting, "Get your apple pies, apple fritters, and all things apples, right here! Made from Sweet Apple Acres apples."
Rarity sighed, she didn't particularly mind foals but she was firmly in the belief that she would much prefer to spoil them, rather than raise them. "Well, I'll just go talk to the noble ladies. Maybe they'll know some things about Prince Blueblood." She thought, and left Fluttershy who began looking around for the animals. As much as the pegasus liked children and foals, she was always more comfortable with animals. Animals made less noise and were easier to keep track of. |
Royal Guards in Training | Chapter 11: An Arrow in the knee | Rainbow Dash was looking over her new student puffing out his chest as she shouted, "You ready to fly?!"
Yeah, I weady!" The little foal got into a stance and shouted.
Rainbow Dash looked him over one more time before shouting, "Alright, spread those wings!" He stretched his tiny wings to their fullest extent as Rainbow Dash added, "Now flap those wings!" Bucket Bridle flapped his wings as hard as he could, grunting and sweating. Rainbow Dash shouted, "Harder!"
His wings flapped a lot more, until they became a blur. He levitated an inch off the ground as he shouted, "Wook, Wainbow Dashie, I fwying!"
Rainbow Dash with a smile encouraged him, "I knew you could do it, champ!"
He dropped to the ground with a plop on his training pants as he grumbled, "Aww, I didn fwy."
Rainbow Dash came over and hugged him and said, "Hey, you did a good job for your first try."
"Naw I didn, I bewy got off the gwound." Bucket Bridle whined. Rainbow Dash came up to the foal, scooped him into her hooves, and hugged him close. "Hey, that was pretty good for a two year old."
Bucket Bridle grumbled, "I two and a hawf."
Rainbow Dash continued, "Okay, but still you did...um...pretty good. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."
Bucket Bridle looked back at his small stubby wings and grumbled, "My wings awe so small tough."
Rainbow Dash laughed and nuzzled him, "It doesn't matter ,all pegasi eventually learn how to fly."
Bucket Bridle gasped and babbled, "Ya weawwy tink so?"
Rainbow Dash scoffed, "Think so? I know so," She then got up on all fours and said to him "How about, when your wings are a bit bigger, I teach you how to fly properly?"
Bucket Bridle sucked on his right front hoof, thinking over the proposal and then he shouted, "Otay, that sownds fine!" Bucket Bridle grumbled as he got up. Rainbow Dash helped brush the dust of his training pants and patted his rump a bit making him giggle. Rainbow Dash sighed, "Well don't tell anypony about this, but I think you look super adorable in those training pants. I wish they'd had stuff like that when I was your age, but all I got were those annoying and uncomfortable plastic pants."
He blushed as he looked at them, "Wew I gwess so....I wike tem to keep me fwom makin acciwents, bu they stiw embewassin."
Rainbow Dash placed him onto her back, "Alright crinkle butt, want to see me race?" Bucket Bridle squealed, "Yeah, I can't wait!" As she flew back into the air.
Bright Wing and Twilight were walking together through the rows of games and booths, when Bright Wing whinnied at the sight off a book booth filled with Daring Do books. He waddled down the booth and started to jump up and down shouting while pointing the book on the far right end, "Wow, is tat the newest one?!"
The mare behind the booth smiled and said, "Yes it is, are you a fan?"
He sighed as he opened one book and realised that the words no longer made sense and mumbled, "I was." Twilight came by as she asked, "Bright Wing, you can read?"
He looked down and whimpered, "Not anymowe."
Twilight came to the mare and placed a sack of bits on the counter, as she picked up a stack of Daring Do books, and placed them in a saddle bag on her back. Bright Wing looked up with amazement and whispered, "Twilie, it's otay. I can't wead."
Twilight smiled, "That's fine, my brother or I can read to you." She picked up the foal with the book in his hooves and trotted out of the booth. He giggled and asked, "Ya wike Dawin Do too?"
Twilight nodded and said to her nephew, "Of course, I'm not a huge fan, but I do read them from time to time."
"That's gweat!" Bright Wing exclaimed. "I wove Dawin Do! I wove it when she goes into ta pyawmids and ta tempwes, an she gots ta sowve ta puzzwes ta get ta awtifacts."
Twilight laughed, "You like the puzzles?"
"Yeah, ta puzzwes awe ta best pawts!" Bright Wing shouted.
Twilight laughed, "I'm glad you like them, I think those are my favorite parts too."
Bright Wing asked, "So Auntie Twilie, do ya got wots of books?"
Twilight replied by saying, "Well I do live in and run a library, so of course I have a lot of books."
Bright Wing gasped and babbled. "Weawwy? Ya weawwy gots a wot of books?"
Twilight nodded and said to him, "Yeah, I'd say I do."
"Can I go and see it someday?" Bright Wing pondered, before he suggested. "Maybe Daddy can take me?"
Twilight laughed, "Yes it would be nice for Shining to visit Ponyville once in awhile. And I would love you to visit too. I'd especially love for you to meet your Uncle Spike."
"Otay, wew I wiw twy ta get Daddy ta visit ya." Bright Wing promised.
Twilight giggled and whispered, "Alright, Bright Wing, I hope you succeed."
Cannon Feather was stuffing his face with fried doughnuts and drinking a sippy cup full of chocolate milk, while Pinkie Pie sat across from him asking, "So, how do you like the food?"
" "
It's gweat! Ta food tastes so good!" Cannon Feather chirped.
Pinkie ruffled his mane and cooed, "I'm so happy for you."
Cannon Feather smirked with a big grin on his face, "Tank ya Pinkie Pie, ya gweat."
Pinkie Pie dawwed, "Oh, no problem, you're just too cute," Cannon Feather giggled as she then asked, "So, what do you want to do next?"
He pondered and then asked, "Can we go thwow baws at one of ta booths? I want anotha stuffed animaw."
Pinkie laughed and said, "Yeah, but don't you think you're doing great so far? Do you really need yet another stuffed animal when you've already got so many?"
He turned to a pile of stuffed animals near them he shouted, "Yeah, I tink I got awot of stuffed animaws, bu I wants a wabbit wike Bucket Bwidwe!"
Pinkie laughed, "Well, come on then. Let's win you a stuffed rabbit."
Cannon Feather shouted, "Yeah, otay!" He quickly gobbled up his food, and let Pinkie grab him and his stuffed animals. She came to a booth where there was a bunch of bottles and baseballs. Cannon Feather shouted, "I want ta twy tat game!"
Pinkie smiled, "Sure, let's play." She set him down, and he took up the baseballs and began throwing them, but they only plopped a few feet in front of him as he groaned, "Oh, so cwose."
Pinkie then came up, helped pick up one of the baseballs and threw it, the ball hitting its mark! Cannon Feather leaped up in joy, "We got one!"
Pinkie Pie nuzzled him cooing, "Yeah we did, good job."
Bright Wing looked up at the stallion running the booth, who hoofed him a stuffed rabbit. He hugged it close as he looked up at Pinkie Pie, "Tank ya!"
"No problem, kiddo." Pinkie Pie replied, as she ruffled his mane.
Celestia was sitting on her throne, when she saw Rain slowly walking up to the throne, shaking all over. Celestia became concerned and asked, "Rain, is something wrong?"
Rain looked up with a small smile and shook her head, "No...I just came by to ask about Bright Wing. That's okay with you, right?"
Celestia smiled and replied, "Of course," She turned to the gathered nobles and said to them, "Can you all please leave? The court is now close for the day," She then got up and lead Rain down the hall and asked, "So, what's on your mind?"
Rain sighed and asked under her breath, "Did Bright Wing get adopted?"
Celestia nodded and replied, "Yes he did, by Captain Shining Armor."
Rain smiled at this news and whispered, "That's wonderful."
Celestia nodded and responded cheerfully, "It is, I am more then happy for him and his well being. Now, is there anything I can do for you?"
Rain shook her head and said, "No, not at the moment anyway."
Celestia eyed the pegasus mare and asked her, "Not at the moment?"
Rain responded with a reluctant sigh, "Look, I'm not rich, and neither should I ask favors of you."
Celestia smiled and said, "Rain, I don't care if you're rich or poor. You're a citizen of Equestria. Speak, what do you request of me?"
Rain looked up and said to Celestia, "I...I want to be turned back to a foal."
Celestia eyes went wide, "Really?!"
Rain continued, "Yeah, I don't know if it's a good idea. But, he and I were very close."
Celestia became solemn and replied, "Rain, I could do this, but the spell performed on Bright Wing is highly advanced and dangerous. If it works there will be no going back."
Rain continued, "Princess Celestia, if I go through with this I don't wish to be turned back to normal. I want to grow up with Bright Wing so we can reunite later on in life."
Celestia reluctantly nodded and said, "Well, I think you should talk to Bright Wing and see if he still has feelings. Also consider the fact if you do turn into a foal, it could be hard on your family."
Rain sighed, "I know, I guess I'm just angry and frustrated that my colt friend's a foal. I mean we're going to get married soon and now..I ..I don't know what to do."
Celestia looked at the distraught pegasus and whispered, "Just talk to him and see how he feels. If you still wish to be turned into a foal after that, then I'll do it."
Rain turned with a smile, "Okay, thank you Princess Celestia." She bowed her head and left the hall in haste.
The day went by as all the girls and foal meet up back at the palace, eating dinner. The foals laughing and discussing about their day as Rarity grumbled under her breathe, being somewhat moody (not finding Prince Blueblood and learning he had a very bad reputation was some of the worst news she could've ever received) while Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. Twilight looked around and asked. "Where's Fluttershy?"
Pinkie Pie replied, "Oh, I think she's still looking for animals, I'm sure she'll be back soon."
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash boasted, "Well, I won the flying competition in front of The Wonderbolts!"
Bucket Bridle babbled, "Yeah, it's aw twue! Wainbow Dashie won! And watwa we gots ice cweam, and she even taught me a bit on fwying!" He rose off his chair while flapping his wings as fast as possible, but he just plopped back down making every pony laugh.
Pinkie Pie then boasted, "Well me and Cannon Feather beat every game in the carnival, and won a ton of stuffed animals!"
Cannon Feather shouted proudly, "I got a wabbit now, and I named him poofy!"
Bright Wing blushed and added, "Auntie Twile and I wead aw day."
Twilight cooed, and hugged him, "Yes we did and I loved every second of it."
Shining Armor came up to the table, smiling at Twilight and hugging his adopted son as he asked, "So Twilight, did Bright Wing behave himself?"
Twilight turned and nodded. "Yes he did, he even went potty with zero accidents."
"Yeawh, I didn even make a wittwe wettie, and I maded poopies in my potty."
Everypony dawwed, even Shining Armor who cooed, "Come here, champ," Bright Wing ran across the room and Shining Armor hugged the toddler close to his chest. Shining asked, "So, did you had fun?"
Bright Wing nodded and babbled, "Yeah I had wots of fun, we pwayed games, ate candy and cake, and we wead fow the west of the day."
Rain then entered the dining room as Bright Wing shouted in excitement, "Wain, yeah hewe too?!" He got up and waddled over to her, as she scooped him into her embrace and she whispered, "Bright Wing, are you doing okay?"
He looked up and babbled, "Yeah, I doin fine." She brushed his mane and she grew distant and with a solemn expression she asked, "Bright Wing can we talk?"
Bright Wing turned his head towards Shining Armor who nudged him, "Go ahead. This is between you and her."
Bright Wing nodded slowly and waddled off with Rain. They walked side by side through the halls of the palace, with only the crinkles of Bright Wing's training pants. At last, Rain finally spoke up, "Bright Wing, I have a question."
"Yeah?" Bright Wing whispered.
Rain paused for a second as she looked down and asked, "Do...do you still love me?"
Bright Wing with a giggle replied, "Tat's a funny qwestion, of course I do."
Rain then asked, "So if I was turned into a foal would you still love me when we became adults again?"
Bright Wing hugged her fore legs he then looked up and said, "Wain, I know that I got tuwned to a fowl, and we wove each otha. Bu if ya tuwn to a fowl fow me, you wose awot. Ya wiw wose ya job, ya famiwy, and ya otha fwiends. You'ww be in diapees and make wetties and poopies in tem untiw you weady to use a pwastic potty. You wun be able to enjoy aww the gweat aduwt tings, and you won be abwe to wead. I got tuwned into a fowl against my wiw. I dun want ya to be a foal, I dun want ya to deaw with these things."
Rain looked away in tears as she whispered, "I would turn back to a foal for you...you know that."
Bright Wing hugged her leg hard as he whimpered, "I wove you awot too.. Tink about it and tawk with ya fwiends and famiwy befowe ya do anythin, otay?"
Rain nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Even if I don't become a foal...you'll always be in my heart." She bent down, kissed him on the forehead, and ruffled his mane. As she ran down the hall in tears Bright Wing turned to Shining coming up to him, and his new dad asked, "Hey, you doing okay?" Bright Wing's eyes flooded with tears as he waddled into Shining's embrace. Shining hugged him close, while his adopted son cried into his chest.
The six mares were now at the train station with Fluttershy being held by Rainbow Dash and Applejack while shouting, "Let me go! Those animals are going to come out eventually!"
Applejack grumbled, "Fluttershy come on, they're just animals!"
Pinkie Pie continued, "Yeah, we got a ton at home!"
"I didn't get to see them! I wanted to see a monkey!" Fluttershy shouted.
All the while Rarity was crying dramatically, "I came to Canterlot in hopes of marrying my true love, but alas, I didn't even get a chance to see my Prince Blueblood!"
Cannon Feather watched in wonder and asked, "Awe they goin' to be fine?"
Twilight nodded and mumbled, "I'm sure they'll be fine eventually." She ruffled his mane as she turned to see Shining came down with a whimpering Bright Wing on his back. The foal jumped off and ran to Twilight and hugged her. He hugged her close and whimpered, "Wiw ya be back, Twilie?"
Twilight smiled and hugged him back, "We will, I promise."
Shining then replied, "We could come to visit you in Ponyville, if you're not too busy saving Equestria that is."
Twilight smirked, "Okay, well good luck potty training Bright Wing. Sounds like he's already getting the hang of it though, just be careful not to let him near the toilet, or you know what will happen." Bright Wing giggled as Shining blushed. Twilight then walked into the train car with the rest of her friends, all waving goodbye to the foals.
As the foals watched the train puff down the rails, Cannon Feather babbled, "I goin ta miss them."
Shining sighed, "Yeah me too. Now come on, let's get you all ready for bed." The foals groaned and reluctantly followed Shining down the road.
Celestia was busy looking over notes and maps in her study when Luna walked in and asked, "Sister?"
Celestia sighed and looked over as she mumbled, "You may come in, Luna."
Luna looked over the stuff on her sister's desk, "Are these about the mission on the missing scroll?" She asked.
Celestia continued, "Yes, but I can't find out where the foals families are."
Luna looked down at the maps and asked, "Any leads?"
Celestia frustratingly replied, "No, I sent them years ago and I haven't received word of where they've gone. The last I heard they were in Saddle Arabia, but they went undercover and the Saddle Arabians have no clue where they went from there."
Luna whispered, "The scroll was that powerful?"
"Yes it was, it could alter things in the past and change the future. In fact, I'm surprised the thief hasn't used the scroll yet." Celestia mumbled.
Luna whispered, "There must be clues."
But Celestia shook her head, "Not really, if I had any clues I would be rescuing them myself."
Luna realized her sister was stressed and whispered, "Come on, Shining has the foals and is getting them ready for bed. We should probably check on our sons."
Celestia nodded, "Indeed, stressing myself over the past won't do any good, as much as it did,"
Luna watched her sister get up from her desk and asked, "I have one question, why didn't you tell the foals about their parents earlier?"
Celestia sighed and explained, "I didn't want them to think they were dead, Luna. I'm still lingering on the hope that they're fine, but the thief, whoever it was, was incredibly powerful. And it seems like because of me, those three foals lost their parents forever," She burst into tears again as Luna hushed her, "It's okay...I'm sure that things will be fine."
Celestia smiled and whispered, "I'm not a foal, Luna."
Luna smirked, "You do sure act like one sometimes, Tia." Celestia nuzzled her sister, thinking of all the fun times they'd had as foals. How long ago those memories seemed, yet they could remember them as if they were yesterday. As they continued down the hall towards the two came upon the foals running down the hallway. Celestia scooped them into her hooves and hugged them close as she asked, "You all ready for bed?" "Yeah!" They all shouted together. She looked up at Shining who replied, "I gave them baths, had them brush their teeth, changed their training pants, and got them to use the potty. No accidents to report."
They all laughed again as Celestia cooed, "Looks like Shiny's a foalsitter, just like Cadence."
Cannon Feather then went over, hugged Luna, and asked her, "Mama, can ya tuck me in?"
Luna bent down and kissed him, "Of course, now get your crinkle butt moving." He squealed and waddled off.
Bright Wing came over and nuzzled Shining Armor's legs who hugged him as Bright Wing asked, "Daddy, can ya tuck me in?"
Shining nuzzled him and whispered, "Sure, come on." They all laughed as the three adults herded the foals to their, room where Celestia saw the back of the room had a tower of stuffed animals.
Cannon Feather looked up at Luna and asked , "Mama, can I sweep with aw of them?"
Luna shook her head and said, "You can sleep with only one."
Cannon Feather giggled, "Otay mama." He picked up his white bunny as Bright Wing asked, "Can I have one of ya stuffed animaws?"
Cannon Feather laughed, "Of cowse." Bright Wing took a purple dragon plushie from the stack, then the three crawled into their bed and got comfortable under the sheets. After getting goodnight kisses from the adult ponies Bright Wing asked, "Can ya finish ta stowie about ta guawd?"
Celestia smirked, "Sure, but nopony better get out of bed tonight." She then continued her story of the hero while Shining and Luna left the room.
Luna asked, "So Shining... are you planning to have Bright Wing live with you soon?"
Shining nodded, "Yeah, now that Cadence and I are going steady, Cadence is getting a room ready for him right now. She would be here now if it weren't for her making sure the room was perfect. She's gonna be a big help in keeping Bright Wing in line."
Luna then asked, "Did you talk to him yet?"
Shining shook his head, "Not yet, but I'm planning to talk to him later. He was really shaken up about his marefriend Rain."
Luna nodded and replied, "Yes, I heard about that. I hope things turn out well for the two."
Shining nodded and whispered, "Me too."
They both turned when they heard Cannon Feather shout. "Wow! He got mawied?!"
Celestia replied, "Yes he did."
"Bu wha abou his advntuaws?" Bright Wing asked.
Bucket Bridle added, "An wha abow his pwomice to ta thane?"
Celestia replied with a smile, "He fufilled his promise and got his axe back, he's done. And that's why when he finished his story. he ended the tale with: 'I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow in the knee.'" The foals all shouted, "Ohhh!"
Bright Wing whispered, "I don wan a awwo in ta knee though."
Celestia laughed, "It's a figure of speech," And she kissed Bright Wing on the forehead. Then she gently cooed, "Now get some sleep," She crept out of the room, shut the lights off, and headed out into the hallway. As the royal parents all left together Celestia spoke, "Luna, Shining, I have a favor to ask of you," The two looked at her as she continued, "I'm going to tell you some things, but you must stay quiet." They both nodded as she continued, "I believe that these royal guards were turned imto foals by whoever has the scroll."
They both gasped as Luna replied, "But it was Nightmare Moon who turned them into foals!"
Celestia responded, "It may have seemed that way, but I don't think she would've turn them into foals without a reason. A scroll with the power to control time could've altered things to make that happen."
Shining (who was confused) asked ,"But with that power, why would a mage turn ponies into foals?"
Celestia shook her head still bewildered as well and continued, "I don't know, but we must stay alert, as I fear they may not be the only victims."
Shining saluted and said firmly, "I will stay on high alert for any suspicious activity, I won't let you down."
Luna nodded and agreed, "Right, we must stay vigilant with this danger still out there. Hopefully if this is true, there also could be a chance to reverse the spell."
Celestia nodded and concluded, "Right. As for now this stays between the three of us. But I'll tell Twilight about what I've discovered as well. I fear she and her friends could also be targets."
Shining asked, "Should I send guards to keep her safe? We've got some fine new recruits waiting for their first assignment."
Celestia shook her head and said, "Twilight is very capable, and I trust her judgment. Besides, I think if we have any more royal guards trying to fight powerful evil mages, we'll have more foals in potty training."
Then as if right on cue they all heard Cannon Feather run down the hallway babbling, "Mama, I gots to go poopies!"
Luna dawwed and ran up to her foal. "Okay dear, come on." She quickly came over and helped him towards the bathroom as he heard Bright Wing shout, "Daddy, I gots to go potty too!"
Shining smirked and said, "Better go check on Bright wing and make sure he's okay."
Then Celestia laughed when she heard Bucket Bridle shout, "Mommy I gots ta go pee!" Celestia quickly followed suit into the foals room. Soon the three adult ponies were escorting their foals to the bathroom across the hall. |
Huntress of the night | pre | Blueblood sighs, standing in the doorway "Why do I even try to befriend mares? Stallions are so much easier..."
Rarity gasps "I... I didn't mean anything by it!"
Blueblood grins weakly "I know, who knew that she was right about the importance of a good first impression."
Luna nods to him "Would you like to join us Blueblood? We are going out to eat as soon as Ms. Belle completes her remedial world history."
Rarity sighs "I'm reading it... but it's all about a decade of nothing but marriage, death, and birth certificates. Crop growth, intensity of weather, and other trivial facts that won't have any use!"
Luna rolls her eyes "I know, I slipped in a random copy of the farmer's almanac when you spaced out. Just two more pages Ms. Belle, that's all."
That's all she says, I have to use a loupe to read this tiny writing! Rarity thinks to herself, then groans I need to ask Twilight how she can sit and read all this... oh hello!
Rarity mouths a passage, a blush forming "P-Princess Luna? I seem to have found an entry about an... interspecies... 'cabal'"
Luna raises an eye brow and squints at the passage, a blush blooming across her face "Oh! Oh wow... I had no idea sister used the history book for this purpose... this is a bonus for keeping their descendants' pride in check. Let's cut the reading short, and I'll just read the actual reading while we eat lunch... and she said I was the wild one."
Midnight wipes her eyes "... Why am I awake in the middle of the day? I need my sleep."
Luna rolls her eyes "You were stuffing your face with dried fruit."
"I eat in my sleep! It's a condition!"
Blueblood shudders "At least you aren't biting ponies."
Midnight shakes her head "Nah, I just do that to you to annoy the heck out of you. And 'cause you smell like fruit."
Blueblood sighs "Why must my favorite shampoo be fruit scented? Why can't I just enjoy the feeling of being submerged in delicious berries without having to jump at shadows expecting a batpony to jump out at me?"
Midnight licks his ear "I can taste it... you should use durian scented though, that would have you covered in thestrals like bees to honey."
Rarity shivers "Princess-"
Luna plucks an immaculate hair from Rarity's mane "I have told you drop the title. Each time you fail to do so, I will pluck a strand from your mane. Soon the idea of addressing me formally will have a negative association akin to Pavlov's wolves. Now, in the twentieth year after the great unification, an outbreak of the malevolent species of insects known in Line Airium's binomial classification as Parasitus Rapax, or the common name 'parasprites'."
Rarity shivers "Oh... I remember those disgusting little vermin! They... they..." she turns green at the memory.
Luna frowns "Yes, disgusting, they were a creation made by Discord. We adapted by growing tubers and other subterranean vegetables. It was Chancellor Puddinghead that discovered the way of driving them away, and created the unique musical style of 'Pudding's Killing' which was shortened to 'Polka'. So after teaching a number of ponies how to preform this, he threw himself into a ravine screaming "I sense my future is bri-'"
Rarity cocks her head "'Bri'?"
"That was all he said before disappearing. We searched for a whole year, trying to find any sign of his body but all we found was his clothing, as if his whole body disintegrated, leaving his clothes behind. We never saw him again."
Midnight nods "Yeah, but there were notes found in his mud mansion talking about something called 'Party Crashing'. Scholars are still poring over those notes, something about going back in time to become immortal or something. He seemed immune to disease, had beyond bestial senses, and most impressive, his physical abilities were so beyond normal that it was rumored that he was an alicorn in disguise."
Luna shook her head "No, he was just a powerful earth pony who unfortunately was gifted with intuition. And before you ask, your friend Pinkie is related. After that, we had stopped looking, and had begun to truly unify against a world set on killing us. We grew wise and strong, learning from the other species but having no idea what was over the horizon, Tia acted as a beacon of hope while I stayed in the background, trying to discover something that would allow us to live better, something to give them peace of mind. I found something better. I found a slumbering, near dead stallion."
"How exactly is that better?"
Luna grins "That stallion brought with him a legend. A legend that united everypony. His name was Ice Heart, the first crystal pony."
Rarity pauses "C-crystal... pony?"
Luna nods "Yes, he spoke of a mad god of chaos who had turned him into a living lump of cryosite, rendering him near-indestructible but also without his prized wings to fly, nor warmth in his body. Many ponies thought that he was lying but I saw his terror, his abject fear of that god, so I told the others about his complete honesty and... they accepted it. We now had a common enemy that would unite all but one of us... the name of this creature was Discord."
Rarity shivers "You mean that hideously garish and horrible statue in the center of the statue garden at the castle?"
Luna nods "That is Discord himself, entrapped in stone by the elements to harmony. Where he has stood petrified for nearly a thousand years. That about covers the basics of this lesson. now onto building up your stamina. To the torture house!"
Rarity blanches, Midnight picking her up with ease and carrying her out of the restaurant "T-torture?"
Rarity sighs with relief, the 'Torture house' was just a spa house "Why would you call this a 'Torture house'? It looks positively relaxing."
Midnight grins "We never said you were going to be a customer. You're going to have to break in, gather information on a certain individual within, leave, and never blow your cover. The target is this stallion."
Rarity takes the picture in question and blushes "H- him? But that's Shining Armour! He's engaged to princess Cadenza, and if I get caught-"
Luna waves a hoof dismissively "Worry not, we will be watching from afar, I am royalty so unless I do something like kill a small village of innocents or something I'm immune to rules and laws, and as my guard escort, that immunity extends to Midnight. If need be, you can have Blueblood take the blame, I know for a fact that he cuts the rope off his soap-on-a-rope for good reason."
Blueblood blushes "Sh-shut up..."
Rarity cocks her head "I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about. Is there anything in particular that you need me to find out?"
Luna nods "Yes, you are to learn how it is that she ascended. And her favorite color, which I hope isn't pink. Seriously, she's a perky pretty pink pony princess. That much cutesiness gives me dry heaves."
Midnight shrugs "I don't mind, she always smells like lemonade and tangelos."
Blueblood rolls his eyes "Do you live your life through your sense of smell and taste?"
Midnight shrugs "Does it matter?"
Rarity nods slowly "Are there any... restrictions I need to follow?"
"Don't get caught."
Okay, it's just like... like... hmmm... Rarity thinks to herself, entering the spa.
Rarity looks around the waiting area of the spa, taking stock of everything Silk/cotton upholstery on the chairs, the skeletons of which are 65% iron, 25% nickel and 10% steel. The counter is across from the chair, an unpolished schist island, how drab... there is a perky looking mare at the counter who hasn't seen me yet and judging from the warped vinyl flooring in front of the doors, those lead to the spa itself...
Rarity smirks Good thing I still practice gymnastics. With a silent leap courtesy of her filed hooves, Rarity sticks to the lower part of the island, holding her tail against her barrel. Extending one leg at a time, she stays flat on the ground and slinks silently under the mare at the counter unaware of the intruder.
Having passed the first obstacle with ease, Rarity starts to use her magic to open the door No! Magic makes a noise and I'm to enter undetected... she places her hoof on the doorknob and slowly opens the door wide enough to slip through.
Maybe I was a ninja in a past life. Oh! I could make some nylon outfits with sound dampening stockings! Ooh! And a warm jacket with some weather and temperature proofing spells... and a hood, to hide my mane... Rarity muses, imagining the result of her inspiration before refocusing on the task Focus Rarity! Get the mission done and then make clothing.
"Can I help you?" someone asks, startling Rarity.
She turns and standing behind her is a large grey pegasus "Well?"
Rarity clears her throat "Yes, I was looking for the manager of this establishment in order to file a complaint on behalf of an injured friend of mine."
The pegasus grins "That so happens to be me. Why don't we speak of this someplace where other clients might not hear?"
Oh that's completely innocent. "No, I believe that right here where EVERYPONY CAN HEAR is perfectly fine for our talks." Rarity shouts, drawing attention to herself.
The stallion shuffles nervously "D-don't be ridiculous... come on, let's go to my office and talk, okay?"
Rarity grins internally "Oh no, you SHOULDN'T have to PUT yourself OUT for me, I'm fine RIGHT HERE."
He starts to sweat a bit "Please... I'm begging you..."
"You needn't BEG. I WON'T LET YOU, so I'll wait for you to FINISH."
He starts to look around him, sweating profusely "I'll give you anything! Money, free spa days, ANYTHING!! Just please stop with your innuendo!"
Rarity smirks "Get me a private sauna with Captain Shining Armour, I have a number of questions for the Canterlot inquirer about his mysterious relationship with Princess Celestia."
He nods fervently and gallops towards a mud-covered stallion and drags him towards an open door.
"... I can't believe that worked. Who knew that reading some of Fluttershy's rough drafts would help..." Rarity mutters, following the flustered stallion and his mud covered captive.
"... What just happened?" the white unicorn asks aloud, mud sliding off his coat.
Rarity shuts the door and bats her eyelashes, her makeup wiped off and mane and tail straightened and tied back "Ahem, ah am with th' Canterlot Inquirer..." I seriously hope practicing my Applejack impression worked...
"Really? I never knew that they interviewed somepony in the middle of a spa day. Wait! Don't write that I was at a spa! It's bad enough Cadence makes fun of my fashion sense!"
Note: he is possibly as insecure about his image as Blueblood is... "Dont'cha worry none. This interview ain't 'bout you, it's 'bout yer... royal fiance. Now, how do ya know her in th' first place? Ah mean, she's a princess an' yer a guard captain..."
Shining Armour blushes "W-well she was the foalsitter for my younger sister and I... we started to hang out and... as the years went by I fell in love with her... even though she was already an alicorn when we met."
Oh dear, if she had ascended before they met, he might not know! "About that... how exactly did she ascend? 'Cause she ain't like princesses Luna or Celestia."
Shining grins "That's a state secret miss...?"
"Core, Apple Core." I'll have to ask Applejack if that's a good Apple family name... later.
He nods "You look like an Apple, built like a house and twice as strong. Hey, do you know Apple Crisp from Manehatten?"
"Manehatten? Ya sure? There ain't no Apples there 'cept mah second aunt, but she's an Orange." Rarity replies confidently Nice try, I listen to Applejack when she groans about 'fancy ponies'
Shining chuckles "Yeah, I guess I was wrong about where she came from..."
"So ya can't tell me how she ascended? That's a load of rotten fritters in summer!" Note to self: start writing Applejacks countryisms down.
He recoils "What? I can't tell you, it's a secret!"
Rarity smirks "Meanin' ya don't know. 'State secret' my left hoof."
"... Fine, you caught me. I don't know... I never thought to ask and she never brought it up... I'm such a bad fiance..." he sighs, staring at the floor.
"Now that ain't true. Ah'm sure yall're a good fiance, not knowin' somethin' ain't worth beatin' yerself over. 'Sides, ah already got it from th' princess a while ago, she jus' asked me to see if'n ya knew or not. Congrats on gettin' a princess Shinin' Armor."
He grins weakly and Rarity exits the sauna, smiling confidently Mission half-way accomplished.
"... I raise you two" Luna says, sliding two bits forward.
Midnight nods "I'll call and raise you three"
Blueblood sighs "I fold."
He flips over two cards and Luna glares at them "I raise by two."
Midnight does the same and Luna sets her hand down "Three jacks over four."
Midnight grins "Straight flush. I win."
Luna groans, the last of her bits taken "Ugh... why can't I ever beat you?"
Midnight grins "Mind reading is banned and I'm the best in the guard poker tournament. Both night and day regiments."
Blueblood slides the few bits he had left into his bag "And I suck at reading bluffs... or remembering what to do..."
Luna's ears perk "I think she's leaving..."
Rarity walks over, sans styled mane and makeup "Hello Luna, Midnight, Blueblood."
Midnight smiles "Did you succeed?"
Rarity holds a hoof up and makes the universal "So-so" motion "Almost, he didn't know it but I didn't get caught. Luna, can you get a small article in the inquirer?"
Luna cocks her head "Why?"
"I told him I was a reporter from there and I was writing a short piece about her, maybe just a small one with a few paragraphs. Maybe bigger if we get the answer from your sister."
Luna grins "I already asked her, she said it was a 'State secret' meaning she didn't know. I dug a little and it turns out it was from a ritual cast by a small cult and she was a hostage who sacrificed herself to be the test subject for the spell. Apparently it used some of Tia's own blood to transform her, she also got a cutie mark because the surge of energy started pulling the long distant Crystal empire back to this world. But that's a lesson for another day. congratulations Rarity, you passed the espionage test. I suggest you go home to your sister and friends, I know you worry."
Rarity gapes "You're... just letting me go?"
Midnight rolls her eyes "You act as if she kidnapped you. You need to rest and we need to rework the teaching strategies. So go unless you want to get more lectures"
Before they can blink, Rarity is gone, all of her luggage lagging behind her as she boards the train home FREEDOM!!!
Luna blinks "Huh... Want to go to the castle and play guard chess?"
Midnight grins "I call white!" |
Huntress of the night | Chapter 4: a fissure forms | Rarity moans in satisfaction, the warmth of the spa's pool soothing her aching body and mind "This... I needed this..."
Fluttershy nodded "It looks like it, what happened in Canterlot... if you don't mind sharing that is?"
Rarity groaned "I had nearly every part of my physique worked over by an instructor who, for lack of a better phrase, cracked wise for the entirety of my time there. I had no idea that I could bend in such a way..."
Fluttershy blushed red "Wh-what?"
Rarity rolled her eyes "I am grateful for how much my stamina increased, but at the cost of using up all my conditioner and shampoos to get the sweat and sticky grime off my coat wasn't worth it. But I did have a very understanding companion who kept my spirits up whenever I got tired."
Fluttershy submerged herself into the water "O-oh?"
She nods "The parkour was quite destructive to my hooficure though..."
Fluttershy paused, her blush subsiding "Parkour?"
"Mmhmm... like how Pinkie Pie can run up walls, except I had to climb up walls... and sometimes, I wanted to do it just to get away from my employer..."
Fluttershy sighs "Oh, good, I thought you'd gotten involved in something dangerous..."
Rarity grins wickedly "I would elucidate on it but... rules #1 & #2."
Fluttershy stares at her "What?! You're part of a... a... a... fight club?!"
Rarity giggles "No, nothing of the sort, It's more like a... professional secret, like how to iron taffeta. Speaking of professions... how did Spike do at the boutique? I came right here after getting off the train."
Fluttershy grins "He did wonderfully. He even had a few ideas for a new line of minimalist clothing."
Rarity blinks "Oh? Would you happen to have any pictures?"
Fluttershy nods and steps out of the bath and walks towards her saddlebags. After looking through them, she pulls out a small pad of waterproof paper "He said he knew that you'd probably go to the spa when you got back and did them on this."
Rarity stares at the pad "He really must know me well... may I?"
Fluttershy nods and Rarity levitates the pad over, careful to avoid getting steam and water on it "Hmm... oh my..." she gasps "This- this is..."
Fluttershy looks at it "Oh! Spike said he found it underneath a pile of clothing and said it looked incomplete... he drew a copy and completed it, he didn't want to ruin the original..."
Rarity nods obliviously, on the paper was the completed version of her ill-fated attempt at functioning apparel. In fact, it looked just like what Rarity could imagine herself wearing as Luna's mercenary "You... you're telling me that Spike did this? It's... perfect..."
Fluttershy grins "He told me that it was a bit odd for what you usually do, but he spent most of of day working on it... I think it looks too much like a thing from Angel's comics but..."
Rarity grins and flips the page, grinning "It's perfect... just like him..."
Fluttershy squeaks "Wh-what?!"
Rarity blinks and blushes herself "Did... did I just say that?"
Fluttershy nods silently, a hoof covering her mouth.
Rarity shakes her head "I must be more exhausted than I thought..."
Feeling refreshed, Rarity walks towards the boutique and pushes open the door "Hello?"
Spike, wearing a suit and small glasses looked up from the sewing machine "Rarity! I hope you don't mind that I helped with the shop."
Rarity looks around the room's interior and gasps "I... oh my... what happened to all of the rolls of fabric?"
Spike points to the back room "Clients kept on tripping on them, I moved the shelves and ponyquins into the back storage room after cleaning it out. I replaced them with a series of bookshelves and plush, chaise lounges, plush couches, and a bookshelf full of fashion books and magazines and romance novels that Twilight would've given to you anyways. I also filed some subscriptions to the magazines and put the sketches that were everywhere in a series of folders and binders in order of date completed and season. So! How do I look?"
Rarity blushed as he posed "P-perfect..."
Spike pauses "Really?! I mean, I was sure I should've made some dress slacks but the ratio of my tail to the length of my legs seemed too close so I just decided to forgo them entirely... but you don't want to listen to me babble about something trivial like that. How was Canterlot?"
Rarity snaps to attention "Ah! It was tiring to say the least. I had no idea how different Princess Luna was from Princess Celestia..."
Spike quirks an eyebrow and grins "Oh? Do tell..."
Rarity grins and regales Spike with facts and Spike laughed when appropriate and at the end, he was dabbing his cheeks with a pocket tissue "Oh wow, who would've thought that Princess Celestia was homophobic?"
Rarity laughs as well "Yes, considering most of Equestria is female, you'd think it'd be unavoidable."
Spike nods "Yes, and if Twilight were here, she'd probably quote an obscure report or study..."
"Ugh, I care for her, but even Pinkie Pie knows when to stop babbling." Rarity sighs, rolling her eyes.
Spike nods and yawns behind his hand "I would love to keep gossiping with you, but it's time for me to go make Twilight and myself dinner. I hope that you don't mind."
Rarity shakes her head "Not at all. You've done so much in my absence that I don't think I'll ever repay you..."
"Oh I might think of something..." Spike says, winking at her before leaving.
Rarity blushes and flutters her eyelashes out of habit He'd be a perfect stallion if he wasn't so obviously gay.
Spike opens the door to Golden Oaks library and saunters inside "I have returned from my work."
Twilight looks up from her book "Welcome back." she blinks "Did you become a dignitary or something?"
Spike shakes his head, pulling out his intricate fob watch "Well, I'll make dinner now and then I must get to bed. I have an early day if I am to implement my ingenious plan to win Rarity's heart. I shall make Smurfberry pancakes tomorrow provided you do not lecture me in the art of anything preceding my mission."
Twilight grins, images of golden brown pancakes with addictively tart berries within fill her head "Twily shut up, get Smurfberries. Got it."
Spike politely chuckles at the mare's behavior and walks into the kitchen.
Spike carries a large platter up the stairs to Rarity, having stocked her kitchen beforehand. He knocks on the door, rousing Rarity from a dreamless sleep "Mwuh? Who's there?"
"Spike, I thought that since you're back and you looked positively haggard when you came to the store, I thought I'd make you a breakfast to replenish you." Spike says, walking through the door.
Rarity sniffs the air and smiles "Oh my... breakfast in bed sounds divine. Thank you Spike, you truly are a gem."
Spike sets the tray on the bed, grabbing a brush and to run through her mane "No, you are the true gem. And I am awed by your brilliance constantly."
Rarity blushes "M-my! When did you become so suave?"
Spike shrugs "I've read a number of books on manners and how to act around a lady such as yourself. One of poise and elegance, yet unafraid to show her weaknesses to those you trust. You could be critiquing a dress one minute, digging a hole to help a friend the next. That kind of duality would raise many an eyebrow, but not mine."
Rarity nods, levitating a forkful of pancakes to her lips, and hums in satisfaction "Spike! Where did you learn to cook?! This is simply divine!"
Spike blushes, working through a knot "I was taught by Chef Ram Seas. He's the best sous chef in Equestria, neigh, the world. He has more culinary awards than anypony else. Although... he is one of the most short tempered and perfectionist ponies I've ever met. He swears in five or more languages at whomever screwed something up. Or any alarms or the Princesses. Trust me, even Celestia is scared stiff by him. I honestly expected half the castle to be decimated when he and Luna met but... according to him, she's as good as I am."
Rarity pauses "Wait, is he a short, cream-colored earth pony with a red trident and a blue steak knife as a cutie mark?"
Spike nods "That's the one. But once you earn his respect, a near impossible feat I might add, he will expect nothing less than the best of what you can do. He's a real softy when he's drunk off his hooves. Of course, his Scoltish accent makes it hard to understand him even when he's sober... the other chefs are writing a book of quotes of the things he's said to them and inanimate objects."
Rarity chuckles "Inanimate objects?"
"Yes, anything that gets on his nerves, he'll let it and everypony else in the kitchen know it. But besides him, I was also tutored by Pinkie Pie last month so I know my way around a bakery."
Rarity smiles, enjoying the feeling of Spike's claws running through her hair along with the brush "Spike?"
"Hm?"
"Why did you watch the boutique while I was gone?"
Spike smiles "I knew that you must have been in a terrible rush not only to forget to lock up, but also forgot about the orders from Hoity Toity. So I stepped in, and completed it to the best of my abilities. He was taken aback at first but I acted professional and he left saying something about how it was such an oddity, a dragon working amongst ponies."
Rarity shakes her head, levitating the glass of orange juice to her lips "That's a Reason, not Why."
Spike sighs, steeling his resolve "Truthfully?"
Rarity nods "I wish to know."
"I..." Spike inhales "I love you. I have loved you since we first met when Twilight came to town. At first, it was because you were so gorgeous, then I got to know you. You are beautiful and brilliant. You give of what you are without forethought or thanks; and I'm a dragon, who probably gets stronger from taking and stealing. Yet I fell in love with you for you, not what you could do. I'm not a selfish drake, I just want a chance to show you that I'm worth possibly trying to love. But if that disgusts you, I'll understand. We'll go back to being friends and I won't bring it again."
Rarity's mind screeches to a halt Wh-what?! Sp-Spike loves me?! Me, a mare who has seen him only as a friend and whom is training to be a mercenary? I... I suppose that is a nice sentiment- no! He's too young! He could be an adult by dragon standards. I... but can I love the younger brother- er... son? Whatever, a relative of one of my best friends? I don't think that'll go too well. Oh he's still waiting for an answer!
Spike sighs "I'm going to take your silence as a negative affirmation. Ah well, Nothing ventured, nothing... gained?" Rarity turns to him, eyes welling with tears "I-I'd be honored. To give you a chance I mean."
Spike's jaw opens, but no sound comes out.
"Rarity nods, trying to hide her blush by drinking the offered glass of milk "If you are half the gentledrake as you are a chef, I might need to work harder to maintain my figure... to be perfectly honest, I thought you were gay."
Spike groans "Why does EVERYPONY think that?! Just because I've been around mares all my life doesn't mean I'm gay! Gosh!"
Rarity laughs "I'm sure it doesn't help that you've been assisting me for the better part of a year... and read fashion magazines... and know your way around make up... and can make an entire outfit out of stained burlap that could go to the clothing fair... okay, I see why they think that. I'm sorry Spike, I'm rambling."
Spike huffs then grins wide "I'm just happy to be given a chance. So... how about the night after tomorrow? I have to make reservations and the like."
Rarity nods and Spike bows, taking the empty platter of food down the stairs "Anything else you need ?"
Rarity nods "Yes, let me do some work, I don't feel right with you doing so much."
Rarity expected Spike to disagree but he nods and leaves, "Okay, I'll be around if you need me."
She steps out of bed and towards the shower "Spike... what a gentledrake... I wonder how Twilight will feel about it?"
"I don't believe you." Twilight says, shutting her book.
Spike grins "That's cool, because whether you believe me or not doesn't matter. Now I need to alter my casual suit a bit, I do believe that I've grown a bit thinner as of late."
Twilight rolls her eyes "No you haven't. You're still as pudgy as you were when we got-"
"2.3 kilos." Spike says, stepping on the kitchen scale "I've lost 2.3 kilograms since we got here."
Twilight stares at him "The scale must be wrong. You look the same to me."
Spike rolls his eyes "The longer I waste time arguing is time I could spend preparing for my date."
Twilight gasps "You... you've got a date?! Seriously? You? You're younger than I am! You're my little brother, and you have a date with the most sought after mare in town? What type of potion did you use?"
Spike grins "Something called 'Being a good friend and natural charm'. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to tailor my suit."
Twilight watches Spike walk away, her mind reeling "... I need to talk to Rarity."
Rarity hums, affixing a bow tie to a stallion's neck "How do you like that color?"
The stallion grins "It's cool. Now, I was wondering if you sold a vest or preferably a jacket to hold my fob watch in, I can't stand the thought of being without it or having it dangle from my neck and on the ground."
Rarity grins "Perhaps a blazer? Or a cardigan? Possibly a cuffed shirt to highlight the bowtie and cardigan?"
The door to the Boutique slams open, and Twilight charges in "Rarity!"
The stallion shrugs at the intrusion "I can wait. This looks more important."
Rarity nods to him and turns to Twilight "Twilight! I thought you had more sense than to charge into the boutique! What if I had been doing something delicate?!"
Twilight mutters out a quick apology and looks Rarity in the eyes "Are you really going on a date with Spike?"
Rarity blinks and nods "He's more than deserved the chance. I had absolutely no idea he felt that way about me. I need to be less focused on myself if I missed such obvious clues."
Twilight's jaw drops "You had no idea?"
Rarity shakes her head "Not a one."
Twilight groans "Wonderful. I was hoping that you'd reject him."
Rarity gasps "Why would you want that?!"
"Because think about it. What if you decide that you love him as much as he loves you? What then? Everypony would call you a pedophile, a freak, or worse. Dragons and ponies may be able to work together, but not love. Trust me Rarity, entire villages have been eradicated for that type of thinking. Both you and Spike are very dear to my heart, so let him down easy, okay?"
Rarity grits her teeth "Get out."
Twilight blinks, furrowing her brow "What?"
"Get. Out. Get out of my Boutique. Get out of my sight. Get. The buck. Out."
Twilight stares at Rarity incredulously "What? Why? I'm trying to protect you! You and Spike! Why are you acting like I'm insulting you?"
Rarity fights back the urge to throttle her friend, but just barely "Twilight. I will say this only once more. Get out. NOW."
Twilight backs away then turns "I think you need time to process this infor- eek!" Rarity's horn flares to life, picking up Twilight and throwing her out of the door.
The stallion returns looking nonplussed "I suppose I'll wait then. Have a nice day."
Rarity tries to smile at him "Why thank you darling... please do come again."
Rarity locks the door after him and flips her sign to "Closed" with a sigh "I lost my temper... what gives her the right to dictate how I feel about Spike? No right..." Opal walks over and meows.
"What? I know that she's known him all his life, but that doesn't justify her actions."
"Mreow."
"I... I'm not saying she's a bad pony, but what she did was inexcusable!"
Opal frowns "Meow?"
Rarity sighs "Yes, I do value her friendship. However, I don't think she should control Spike's life like he's some foal."
"Merow..."
"Okay, technically he's a few years my junior, but that doesn't matter! I enjoy his company and he always has a solution and doesn't hold me to any standards and accepts my many faults! I-"
Opal grins "Mrooow..."
Rarity pauses "I... do I like him? Of course, he's my dearest friend!"
"Merr?"
"Y'yes, dearest. He's so... youthful and mature and yet... he still has that spark of innocence that... that I once had... oh Opalescence! I... I think I'm in love!"
Opal shrugs and walks away "Mrow."
Rarity nods "Yes... Tuna sounds like a decent 'Thank you'." Rarity pauses "Did... did I just have a deep conversation with a cat?"
Spike holds a gem up to the light "Imperfect."
He pulls another from a bag "... Too many impurities."
Twilight slowly trots up behind Spike "... Hey Spike?"
Spike turns, worried "What's the matter Twilight?"
She sighs and drops her butt onto the floor "I... spoke to Rarity."
Spike pushes aside his indignation "What happened?"
"I... I said some things that made me look like a complete heel."
Twilight explained the entire conversation and the indignation Spike felt came back with reinforcements of rage and disgust.
Spike glared at Twilight "How could you... how could you say those things?! And to one of your best friends at that?! Yeah, I know I'm young, but I love her. I have spent entire nights speaking to Princess Luna about it, I have correspondence with Cadence, the freaking Alicorn of love! I have done what you would do in my position, research, consultation, and deep thinking. And you still believe it's just infatuation?! What kind of friend- no... what type of SISTER does that? You're... you're the one who would eradicate the town because you." he pokes Twilight's chest "Don't." poke "Understand." Shove.
Twilight recoils from the pushing and the words "Spike... I was only trying to protect you..."
Spike snorts "No, you were looking out for yourself. Because you can't distill love in your lab, because you're married to your studies and your need to be in control... your mind has become subjective to the truth."
Twilight shakes her head "No! I regret saying those things... I'm just..."
"Clueless."
Twilight gasps, taken aback "What?"
Spike glares down his nose at her "You are clueless. Unless you can quantify it, you don't believe in it. When did you become so... cynical? So... close-minded? I think it happened after you graduated from the school for gifted unicorns, when Shining joined the guard, when Cadence had to become a diplomat... whenever it was, you've been changing Twilight. I thought that it was because of moving to Ponyville... but the problem is that even your friendships can't change who you are inside."
Twilight stares, jaw agape.
Spike chuckles "Maybe we should use the elements on you to get back the good Twilight. You've obviously lost your way."
Spike picks a gem from his bag and passes it to Twilight "Look at that and tell me what's wrong with it."
Twilight levitates it in front of the light and cocks her head "I... nothing as far as I can tell. Why?"
Spike shakes his head "No, It's nothing more than an aggregate. A mix, a hodgepodge of bits of pieces that looks fine to most, but to the trained eye..." he pokes it and it shatters, turning into dust "Isn't even worth half a bit. It looks fine, and maybe it is, but none the less, it's still worthless."
He nods "That aggregate was you, Twilight. Full of impurities, deformed, but looks fine to those who can't tell. I can tell Twilight, but I thought I was wrong."
Twilight opens her mouth to say something but Spike stops her "You need to take a long look in the mirror Twilight. And tell me that the pony in the mirror is you. I'm going to Sweet Apple Acres, maybe when you're better, I'll come back. Maybe."
Twilight sits still, her mind empty of thought, even hours after Spike left.
She shakes her head and levitates a full body mirror in front of herself.
Staring back at her is a slightly-disheveled and exhausted looking violet unicorn with dull, shallow pools for eyes.
Where... did I go so wrong? What... happened to me? Twilight thinks to herself, her horn sparking as she casts a spell.
Celestia yawns in front of her fireplace AKA: Philomena eating some charcoal. Clean-burning pyro-avian heating has been denied several times by the Equestrian patents office every time she sent it.
That was fine, she figured that she had the cleanest fireplace without a flue or a chimney.
As she pours some tea into her cup when her ears twitch "Oh? We seem to have a familiar guest coming Philomena."
Philomena, still a roaring fire, said nothing.
A flash of violet light explodes onto the pillow levitating in a golden glow "Hello Twilight, what's the matter?"
Twilight, as still as she was back in the tree house, stares blankly into space "Where did I go wrong?"
Celestia's eyes widen and she sighs "Spike told you his... 'Observations', didn't he?"
Twilight doesn't act as if she registered Celestia's words and mouths her question again.
Celestia shakes her head in empathy "I had hoped that Spike was wrong... but then I thought about it... and found he was correct."
Twilight's eyes regain a spark of comprehension, her ears twitching subtly.
The solar alicorn sighs and levitates Twilight and the pillow off the floor and onto her back "I know you can barely hear me, and I hoped that Spike would hold his tongue, but I suppose I was wrong. I had a student before you, you know; Sunset Shimmer. I failed her just I have you.
"She was a brilliant unicorn who had a knack for magic, but she refused to accept unconditional friendship and took to using manipulation to her own ends. I was disappointed and chose to banish her to a new world, one without magic, and hoped that she would discover friendship instead of becoming arrogant due to her superiority.
"I failed you, because I thought that if I tried again, and kept a closer eye on you, you might fare better... but only slightly. You rejected friendship but learned how strong it is. I thought to myself 'I've succeeded, I didn't destroy another life.' I was wrong, I was blinded by my own arrogance. I thought myself brilliant, but that brilliance blinded me to the turmoil underneath your skin and behind your smile. I should have realized that after the parasprite incident, and the incident with the 'Want it, need it' spell..." Celestia swallows "Twilight... I asked you to send me reports so that I could learn the magic of friendship as well. I... closed my heart to the thing I believed in most after I banished Luna to the moon. But her jealousy is from the very audacity and pride I held in my heart."
Twilight's eyes regain their lustre and she looks at her mentor "But..."
Celestia shakes her head "No, I wasn't perfect, I thought I was, and that is what led me to become my own most reviled enemy. I banished my sister, I ignored her, thinking that she didn't understand what it was like to rule a kingdom alone."
"Alone?"
Celestia nods "I was a foolish filly who fancied herself a perfect being. I rejected her and her ideas on the principal that she was inferior. I regret that still to this day. It was when Spike told me what he observed I knew... that it was all my fault. I made you think that I was perfect, somepony to never disappoint, to be revered. I decided that night to try and tell you the truth but like the cowardly child I still am, I was afraid to. Luna knows this and though she's forgiven me, I feel as if I still owe her a millennia of apologies. And banishing Luna and Sunset weren't the only atrocities my audacity led me to commit."
Twilight blinks and stares up at the smiling statue made of an amalgam of animal parts "Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony. My sister and I used the elements of harmony to seal him in stone a year before I banished her. He ruled over the world, changing it at his unpredictable whim. We thought he was a monster, to spread chaos and disharmony... but then I realized that he was an integral part of nature. You see Twilight..." she inhales "Harmony is unnatural."
Twilight gasps and shakes her head "What? That's not possible, harmony is what holds everything together. A perfect system."
Celestia sighs "I knew you'd say that. Discord may seem to be a monster, but the fact is... I am the monster. He never banished anypony, he never purposely hurt anyone, he never killed anyone... I have, and on numerous occasions. He was a good and mad king who saw the world as it should be, one of balance between order and chaos. He renewed this world every time he acted, leaving it stranger, yet stronger than it was before.
"He inspired or rather made ponies put aside their differences in order to combat a common enemy. Whether that be the creatures he made, or other ponies who did injustice to the weak. He made ponies, griffons, and even lesser monsters work together to adapt and overcome his tricks and actions. He made us strong, wise, intuitive, courageous, brave, and blind to how different we were. I... I think that he needs to be freed. To repair the damage I've done... like I should have so long ago."
Twilight shakes her head "No! I refuse to believe that chaos is the answer!"
Celestia chuckles weakly "Twilight, I am afraid. I am very afraid...
"I've been afraid my whole life. I have been afraid but Luna was brave. She spurred me to act when I wanted to just roll over and give in. She led charges into battle, she taught magic, she sparred and ate and lived with the soldiers, the villagers, the warriors. She didn't think she was superior... even though Starswirl had made us alicorns. I did... and that's because I was afraid. Luna led us to the elements of harmony, to the safety of what would become Canterlot. She even tried to descend, return to being a Pegasus. But the spell was hard to break. Discord... she tried to befriend him several times, and believed that he was a misunderstood god of nature, and that he was afraid too."
Twilight starts to shiver in fear "Princess... stop..."
"I'm sorry Twilight, but I have to tell you this. Luna... we would've perished several times if Luna hadn't been so... brave, though I thought her clueless to the world, but she knew how it truly was. Twilight..." she lowers her head "I should be the one in stone. The one banished to a magicless world, to a barren satelite. I deserved the punishments I meted out in fear. I know this is hard for you to accept, but it's true."
Twilight shakes her head "No! I refuse to accept that! You are the monarch of the day, the rising sun, Princess Celestia! You're the perfect pony, and nothing you say will change that."
Celestia sighs "I am none of those things, I am a monster, and the fact I am not punished or hunted is a sign I must pay my penance. Tomorrow, I will have your friends use the elements to shatter the spell that keeps Discord stone..."
"Why?"
"Because for the first time in my life, I want to do the right thing." |
Huntress of the night | Chapter 5: Reformation | Rarity and co. walk towards the castle "Why do ya think Celestia wants to see us?"
Rainbow shrugs "I dunno, maybe she wants us to go on an adventure or something."
Rarity groans "I hope that isn't what this is about" I'm still on vacation from... 'Training'...
Luna stands at the gate, eyes shut and as still as a statue.
One guard, Silver Bolt, leans to his partner, Iron Forge "Why is the princess just... standing there... menacingly?"
Iron shrugs "She's been rooted in that spot since the shift change. Maybe she's reading the winds of fate or something."
Everyone stares as well, except the usual suspects.
Pinkie plonks up to Luna and stares up in silence, her usual smile not faltering.
Luna breathes lightly, and Rarity sighs "Luna, you've fallen asleep standing up again."
Luna snorts and opens her eyes slowly "Whuzzah? Oh, good, you're here... the sooner we get whatever Tia's got planned, the sooner I can sleep."
Rarity rolls her eyes and leads her friends after Luna
Everyone stares up at the odd statue, Luna yawning into her sister's wing "Why are we looking at Discord?"
Celestia gives Luna a weak smile "I know he was your friend, and now I'm going to do one of the hardest things I've ever done." her horn glows and the elements of harmony, held in Spike's bag, start to glow intensely, the lights washing over the statue's mismatched features.
Luna gasps and turns to her sister, tears in her eyes "Celestia... you're... freeing him?"
She nods and the light from the elements fade.
Discord moves slowly, as if moving through syrup "I have... awoken."
Luna smiles wide and rushes to give him a hug "Oh Discord! I've missed you so!"
Discord smiles weakly "And I you, my dear."
Luna shivers "You... you've lost your power?"
Discord frowns "Yes... it was sealed somewhere else... I don't know where."
Luna ponders this and Celestia walks towards the pedestal and smashes the name plate, pulling out a prismatic ball of energy "I... believe this is yours."
Discord winces and takes it, the ball exploding in a flurry of colors as his body regains definition and vibrant coloration.
He drops from the now ruined pedestal and stretches, easily dwarfing the ponies around him "I'm alive once more! Now... to give you my... gratitude"
Her pulls everyone, save Celestia, into a crushing hug of his own "Thank you thank you thank you..."
Luna smiles "It's good to see you alive old friend. I'm sorry I couldn't stop your... imprisonment."
Discord tuts "I know, and I don't blame you..." he sets them all down and approaches Celestia "Why did you free me?"
Celestia, her face impassive, looks up at him "I did it because it is right. I... I was an arrogant foal when I wronged you. I wish that whatever punishment you wreak upon me... is fair."
Discord snarls in disgust "Fair? FAIR?! You imprisoned me in stone for a thousand years! A millennium of isolation, petrified! The only thing keeping me half-way lucid being my own imagination! I spent most of that time devising ways to violate, humiliate, and expose you."
He cups her chin in his eagle talon "I should break your physical, mental and spiritual bodies, have you screaming, pleading for me to give you mercy and end your life. But I won't. I'll have your flayed skin nailed between two posts, stretched like rubber on top of your castle, immobile and exposed to the elements." he grins wickedly "Like a statue. The rain will wash away your tears of regret and anguish, your cries for death and mercy will be swallowed by the wind, your blood vessels cauterized but still dripping blood, staining the pristine façade of your home, where everyone will see you for the monster you truly are. Birds will peck at and eat out your lying, malicious eyes, maggots will worm into your exposed organs and buzz around you endlessly."
He lowers her chin "That should work for the first century."
Celestia shivers, fear choking her heart "That... sounds fair..." she lays on her chest, shaking like a leaf "Do as you want..."
Discord stares down at her, and sighs "I said should. I won't. You've punished yourself worse than the most horrendous punishments I could come up with. I still don't trust you, and I may never, but I wouldn't dare hurt the sister of my best and only friend. Now get up. I have to get something eat, I haven't eaten in forever!"
Celestia looks up in confusion "You... aren't going to... enact your revenge?"
Discord shakes his head "No, like I said, you've done that for me, and far better than I could ever manage. Lulu! Which way is the mutton hall?!"
Luna, who had dozed off after Discord started his rant, snaps awake "Wha- Discord, you're vegetarian!"
Discord smiles "I know, but seriously, the last thing I ate was a few handfuls of seeds."
Rarity watches her friends over her tea cup.
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were obviously curious about the now free spirit of chaos and nature.
Applejack and Rainbow were having an eating contest, more food ending up on their chests than their mouths.
Twilight was still missing though. I wish I could talk to her about what happened... and with Spike too... we did act rather aggressively.
"Psst! Huntress! Boss wants you." Midnight Rose says from under the table.
Rarity nearly spits out her tea but recognizes the voice instantly "Midnight?!" she whispers "What are you doing under the table?!"
"Eating table scraps your friends dropped. And like I just said, Boss Mare wants you. There's a secret tunnel under the table that'll take you to her."
Rarity slides off the chair and ducks under the tablecloth. As advertised, Midnight was munching on half of a mango, something from Rainbow's plate "C'mon, the door's there."
A square of the carpeting was off to the side, the several layers of mortar and cobbles removed "How did you lift that?!"
Midnight points to a dimly lit symbol on the carpet "Gravity null charm, lowers the weight of the block. Trust me, it's something that only Luna's been able to figure out."
Rarity marvels at how talented Luna is before dropping down and onto a slide that twists past several others before depositing her on a cushion several feet from Luna herself, her eyes shut in sleep "Luna?"
Luna snorts awake and smiles "Ah, I see Midnight fulfilled her job. Good. I suppose you want me to..." she sighs, sorrow in her eyes "Tell you why Discord was petrified."
Rarity shakes her head "If he wants to tell me, he'll tell me himself. But I do have a question... he called you his oldest and only friend. How did you two meet?"
Luna sighs in relief "That's why I like you Rarity, straight to the point and gentle with your forwardness.
"We met one day when Tia and I had a fight and I was never so scared and lonely in my life. I was lost in what you know as the Everfree forest, and when I had almost given up hope... a bit of cotton candy fell from the sky."
"We had talked... well he did most of it, and I listened to him and I found that we were both outsiders... he had no idea what he was, or why he had the powers he did. I trusted him and when it was night, he helped me find my way home and..." she smiles, reminiscing "And from then on we met nearly every day. But one day, Tia had followed me, and admonished Discord for being a monster.
"Discord ignored her, as he had heard it before, but I... I was enraged by what she was saying. I knew she was wrong and when she had finished, I told her to leave. She didn't and kept her eye on me, making sure I never saw him again... but to no avail, Discord was too clever and created a pocket world that let us hang out for hours, and time passed slowly outside of it. He was and still is my best friend."
Rarity blinks "That... sounds like Spike, Twilight and I... almost."
Luna nods "I know, I believe that you are in the right to give him a chance, like I did with Discord; but admonished by our sisters. Spike and Twilight are siblings... I think."
Rarity nods "Yes... but I haven't seen her, where is she?"
"She is in my sister's room, reading. Reading about such similar situations to try to make sense of where she..." Luna bites her lip slightly, searching for the right phrase "Where she lost her way."
Rarity cocks her head and Luna smiles "She has... an interesting mind. Powerful, but as fragile as ancient spider silk."
Rarity couldn't stifle her chuckle and Luna laughed as well "We are not too different, you and I." Luna remarks, a glimmer of mirth in her eyes.
Rarity nods "Yes... but tell me... why did you imprison him if you were friends?"
Luna sighs "I did it so that Tia would respect me... it was Discord's idea, actually. I thought that I'd free him when she forgot about him but... our plan went awry. She didn't respect me any more than she did before."
Rarity walks over and pats Luna's back "But she does now, doesn't she?"
Luna nods "Yes... but at what cost? Most ponies are afraid of me, Discord and I both had to be imprisoned for a millennia... and while I forgave my sister, I don't think Discord ever will. He made attempts to befriend her, but she refused him each time. I know my sister is trying to reform... but how long will that take? Another millennia?"
Rarity shakes her head "She has you, and now possibly Discord. And don't forget about my friends and I. And maybe Twilight... if Spike and I can learn to forgive her that is."
Luna smiles "If I can forgive my sister for being impetuous and hard-headed, then you can forgive your friend for being stupid and blind. It's up to you how you lead her back onto the path."
"You're very wise Luna. You should be a therapist." Rarity says jokingly.
Luna rolls her eyes "Why do you think they call them 'Luna-tics'?"
Rarity looks up in shock "You're serious?"
Luna nods, smirking "Yes, and then some, but they are silly things, and I shall avoid talking about them."
Twilight closes her last book, dark bags under her eyes "I... I am a fool. How could I have been so foolish?!"
"You wouldn't be the first researcher blinded by their studies, Sparkles."
Twilight jerks her head up "Nopony calls me that except... Moondancer?"
The palomino-coated mare walks out from the shadows, her mane and tail long and dragging on the ground "Yup. Hey, hold still for a second."
Twilight cocks her head and Moondancer slaps her across the face "That's for not coming to my party."
"Part- ow!" another slap on the other side of her face "That's for not giving me the key to the library on the hill."
Twilight whimpers, clutching her face "What? What party?"
Moondancer looks down at her, her mane dulled from poor care "And this..."
She leans down and kisses Twilight on the mouth, stunning the violet unicorn "Is for leaving without taking me with you and ignoring the letters I sent you."
Twilight shakes her head a blush blooming across her face "Wh-what? I never received any..."
"Twilight! You've got mail!"
"Is it from the princess or my family?" Twilight shouts from the piles of books she was looking through.
Spike looks at the address "'Moondancer'? I can't believe we forgot about the party today..."
"WELL?!"
"No, not from them, but-"
"Then throw it away, I need to find that book on the elements of harmony!"
Spike shrugged and set the letter in the drawer he put things that Twilight didn't want but would need at some point and walks towards Twilight frantically searching the piles of books.
"Twilight! Mail!!"
Twilight looked up from her book "Is it from the princess or my family?"
Spike reads the sender's name "Uh... no, not somepony who falls into those categories. But I think-"
"Then throw it away. Come on, we need to get ready to deal with that dragon on the mountain."
Spike sighs and puts the letter in the new DHPTTDWPNASP (Drawer he put things that Twilight didn't want but would need at some point) and walks towards Twilight's frantic book skimming and packing.
"Mail!"
"Is it-"
"No! Just read it! It's perfumed!" Spike says, barely holding back the urge to name the exact fragrance (Trot Lauren No. 3, "longing lust")
"... Who would send me a perfumed letter? Probably Pinkie or Rainbow trying to trick me, toss it."
Spike sighs and sets it in the drawer, brushing snow from his claws "How much longer until you fix winter wrap-up?"
Spike sighs and pulls out the pile of letters, including the ones that arrived during Twilight's hospital stay during the "Pinkie sense" fiasco and Pinkie's birthday "Princess Celestia? Could you give these letters to Moondancer? I think she's interested in Twilight, and... you've seen how... she's changed, and not for the better. And you should've used No. 13: 'Sunrise', rather than No. 10: 'Fresh'."
Princess Celestia sniffs her dress and nods "Luna was right, I should've chosen that scent instead. And Spike would make somepony... or whatever it is he's into, a happy husband if he wasn't so obviously gay."
Twilight blushes brighter "Eheheheh... oops?"
Moondancer moves her bangs out of her face, her eyes glittering "No hard feelings on that front. I'm still cross that I never got word back until a few days ago, but then the Princess asked me to tutor you in the abstract science of love..." she lifts Twilight's head up with ease.
"Intimacy~" she huskily blows into Twilight's ear, making the latter's hair stand on end.
"And... acceptance..." She telekinetically slaps Twilight's cutie mark, eliciting a squeal.
Moondancer watches Twilight's flesh disperse the force of the slap "And get those extra 5.83 pounds off your barrel. I like plushness in the rear rather than the middle, personally..."
Twilight whips around "I am not fat!"
Moondancer smiles "I know, you're just a little pudgy. Don't worry, a few laps around the castle or some base jumping should knock them right off."
Twilight shivers "But I don't wanna~"
Moondancer puts a hoof around Twilight's neck "I never said you had a choice." her horn glows and in a burst of gold light, a violet saddle and harness are on Twilight's body, Moondancer already mounted with a riding crop in one hoof and reigns held in her magic "Well? Go!"
The crop slaps Twilight's rear and she shoots out of the room, her baser instincts overriding her higher thinking.
Moondancer's mane flies up, pushed back by the air, her tail streaming like a red and violet contrail "Best! Reunion! Ever!!"
Rarity stares at the mirror in front of her "So... this is a mirror to a different world?"
Luna nods "Yes. I wanted to tell you about this much later, but I think it best if you know of its existence. This is something that appeared shortly after I was banished. It is capable of being a door to different worlds, one of which is a reverse world where our 'evil doers' are heroes and vice-versa. Unfortunately, whilst I was banished, the Luna of the other world was a defected princess opposing her tyrannical sister whom... is actually too similar to my own sister for my... sanity." Luna shivers "But after I returned, it would stand to reason that 'Luna' would go to her sister's side, and wreak terror and destruction. In opposition is the benevolent King Sombra, and his kingdom. But even now, our Sombra, a scholar twisted by the very thing that changed me, slumbers in a hole in space-time, a tyrant of a kingdom of crystal and hatred. I wish to see him cleansed by the elements as well... but I'm afraid that he was consumed by the Nightmare, and is gaining strength from the part that once terrorized me. I can feel him stirring, the empire is coming back... and soon. Discord is immune to the Nightmare..." Luna sighs "I... haven't told you about that, have I?"
Rarity shakes her head "No, but you spoke of it a few times."
Luna nods and takes the mirror and several scrolls with her "I will explain in the Hunter's Brig... it's actually a Brig Sloop, but the former sounds better."
".. Oh my..." Rarity looks down from under the base of mount Canterlot.
Luna grins "Yes, I thought it the perfect place from which to launch a ship."
The large ship, hidden by a glamour, watches the land below, wood shining with strength and enchantment.
Three large sails on two masts are held far above the heads of the two current occupants. The figurehead is an imposing eight winged alicorn with three horns, one in the center and one on each side, giving it the look of a trident.
The interior is vast and Luna explains that it's alien in construction and Equestrian in the majority of its parts. Rarity held her tongue at the "Alien" bit and followed.
In the captain's quarters, Luna set the mirror on a hook and a number of clamps designed to hold it "Here the power of the moon's abilities are at your control, even if I'm not here to adjust it. A number of mirror portals are reactive to time and celestial alignments. Here in the ship, you can alter them within the space it occupies. Are you with me?"
Rarity nods, understanding "So it's akin to... a closed space?"
Luna beam "Exactly. The ship itself has a multitude of conditional engines, not just air and sea faring. The manual is in the desk and it explains what you need to know... when you need to know it, otherwise it's blank. As for weapons, it has twenty air cannons capable of blasting apart a cubic mile of thick storm cloud at maximum... or more. Four plasma cannons that can knock out most conventional vessel's machinery and also act as a tractor beam among other things when the frequency is altered. There are enough accoutrements for about twelve ponies or what have you. The navigation is currently on the default automatic piloting with voice commands and other means of navigational input."
Rarity holds up a hoof "When was this made? And how does all of this technology exist?"
Luna smiles "To answer your questions in order: Several hundred years from now, and alien plus future technology."
"Y-you mean time travel is possible?!"
Luna nods "Yes, but the means are too high above your current clearance. As is piloting the ship. I brought you here to give you an incentive. To strive to complete the tasks I give you or that you take upon yourself to do of your own volition."
Rarity pouts "Fine... 'Carrot and stick' me..."
Luna laughs and ushers Rarity out of the ship and back into the castle "Worry not, you will get the chance some time very soon. Now, I think it's time you made up with your friend."
Rarity swallows and follows, giving the ship a wistful glance "What's her name?"
"Trishula Blazing Heart. The first and last seraphim alicorn and the adopted name of the Mother Mare, the first pony who created our world. Come, I shall tell you the story when... well, hopefully not too soon."
Rarity and Luna walk towards the clustering of friends looking out of a window and into the statue garden, Discord included "What's going on?"
"The most surreal thing I've ever seen, and I look in a mirror from time to time." Discord says, chuckling at his joke.
Rarity and Luna look over the lip of the window and their mental functions cease due to the sight before them.
Twilight pants, sweat streaking her coat and mane, her tongue hanging out from under a bit. The bridle on her head limiting her neck movement and the saddle matching her colour palette, Rarity remarks to herself.
On her back, reigns held in her hooves and leaning forward with a grin on her face is Moondancer, giving instructions to Twilight while the latter grunts in affirmation.
Applejack breaks the stunned silence "Ah... ah want ta look away... but ah can't..."
"Y-yeah... hey, how many calories do you think she's burning? Looks like pretty good cardio and leg training..." Rainbow says, blushing "N-not that I think it's hot! It's just I don't burn a lot of energy bucking! CLOUDS! I meant bucking clouds."
Nobody listened and Pinkie, a look of confusion on her face, cocks her head "Well, when you've seen one pony riding another with a saddle and bridle in broad daylight, there isn't much else to see in the world."
Fluttershy, stunned silent, turns to Pinkie "Coming from you... that says something..."
Rarity nods "I had no idea that Twilight was so..."
"Athletic?" Spike supplies, the shock having worn off.
"Yes, thanks dear..."
Luna shakes her head "I was told that having personal transportation ponies was outlawed after the great warming. Ah well, times change. I'm going back to bed."
Slowly, the others depart.
Celestia walks through the hall and the sound of collapse grabs her attention "Hm? What's going- oh, I rember Luna doing that to help me prep for battle..." she looks at herself "... Never hurts to be prepared." |
Huntress of the night | Chapter 6: Perfection | Rarity stares at the rapier held against her neck, the edge digging into her jugular "I... yield..."
The blade is withdrawn and Midnight smiles at her, her mane in a ponytail "That's better than last time! You learn fast."
Rarity nods weakly, lightheaded "It would... help if you didn't move faster than I could see..."
She frowns "Hey, you could see me when we were doing hoof-to-hoof"
"I can't see your coat at night, yet you can see mine because it's white. I'm at a... physical disadvantage... including night vision, acute senses, and obviously, wings."
She ponders this and claps her hooves "I know! I'll just change color!"
"I thought you couldn't-"
"Not during the day, when my magic is weak, but at night..." she closes her eyes and green fire erupts around her, and dissipates just as fast. Midnight had changed her coat from dark mauve and into ice-blue, her wings fused to her sides and eyes no longer slitted "There! How's that?"
"I'm going to pack you up in my suitcase and you'll be my model/slave..."
They stare at each other and Midnight raises a hoof and points to Rarity "So... 'good'? We're even now."
"Yes." she replies and before she can get her wits, Midnight's shot forward, her sword barely missing Rarity, and she parries, making Midnight to laugh "This is more fun when it's fair!"
Not... for... me!! Rarity thinks to herself but an idea occurs to her, Her ears hadn't changed shape so her hearing was possibly just as sharp.
She lights her horn and it emits a shrill noise that causes Midnight to flinch and cover her ears "AUGH! MAKITSTOP! MAKITSTOP!!"
Rarity dims her horn and jump forward and hold the point to Midnight's chest "Do you yield?"
Midnight grins through her tears and raises her sword, nearly knocking Rarity's rapier out of her hooves "No!"
She's on Rarity with thrusts and jabs, and Rarity spins out of the way, her own sword reflecting the light of the moon.
Luna watches, her eyes watching their every move, a notepad held in her magic. Both knew she was writing down her observations but Rarity couldn't take her eyes off Midnight Fair physically, not in skill....
Midnight grins still, enjoying herself "None of the other guards like to spar for some reason, or fight at all. Weirdos."
Rarity grins back "Maybe they just don't think your enthusiasm has merit."
"Maybe, but then again, I make them nervous because I can go chameleon and all."
Rarity thrusts but Midnight shifts out of the way, attacking her other side "Oh? You can change texture as well?"
Rarity throws up a small shield where Midnight had aimed and sliced the air in a rising arc, a feint for a shoulder blow. Watching the Crusaders plus Rainbow Dash and Applejack wrestle is paying off.
Midnight parries the swipe and Rarity tackles her with her shoulder, landing in her chest.
Victory.
Midnight hits the ground with a whoosh of air, the flames erupting again and she's returned to normal, though dazed "Ooogh... not cool..."
Rarity extend her hoof and she takes it, wincing "Dang, you don't weigh a whole lot, but boy can you hit..."
Rarity smiles "Why thank you. What's the verdict Luna?"
Luna walks over to us, the notebook in hoof "I have a few observations, but very few. Rarity, your use of a small barrier to disrupt the force of the strike is a very complex tactical spell that very few can use, but unfortunately, it takes a bit of focus, so maybe hold that in reserve like you did just now. Midnight, your transformative abilities are improving, in fact, the heat was nonexistent and the light was on a level that is visible only from right next to you. But your moves are too closed, while Rarity's are wide enough to make a good stance, but narrow enough to not leave her open to most conventional counterattacks."
They both bow to her and then each other, as is how Luna told them to.
Luna smiles, lights her horn, and Rarity's joints suddenly feel heavy "Wh-what?"
Midnight winces, her wings spread with the tips on the ground, shivering "St-stop it..."
Luna grins "Now you must work in increased gravity, this is two g's, double the usual gravity. This will be a test of your skeletal, muscular, and neurological abilities as well as allowing you to escape from any surfaces or situations where you would be held by accelerational forces, metal shoes and magnetic surfaces. The doors into the castle and my room are unlocked and open, all you need to do is get inside without being seen." she walks away and turns back to them with a smile "And both of your stamina levels are average at best."
Rarity groans, trying to move her hoof "Why... is... this... so hard?!"
Midnight shoves one hoof forward "She's... good at... altering... stuff. Like... tides and... gravity too..."
Rarity inhales and focuses her magic through her hooves, enveloping them in blue magic "Stop moving... please..."
Midnight stops mid-step and strains her eyes to look at Rarity "Why? Do you... want to... race?"
Rarity snorts and moves her forehoof to Midnight's wings, the bat pony's hooves glowing blue as well "What the-"
She grins, weakly "A little... flight magic... please..."
Midnight blinks and her wings twitch, dark lavender magic rippling with the blue and slowly the two mares float off the ground.
"Whoa! We're flying!" Midnight whoops, making Rarity grunt "No... I'm levitating us... you're helping us... move..."
Midnight thinks about this and nods "Sounds... logical..."
Slowly the two floating mares hover over the ground and towards the castle doors "You know... this is kinda neat..."
Rarity nods "Yes, but it's... draining my magic..."
"You don't have a lot of magic inside of you?" Midnight asks, sweat running down her face.
Rarity shakes her head "No, not really..."
"Huh. Why don't you just use some from the environment? I mean, this place is set on a ley line and all..."
"... Is this the type of thing they teach you in warrior school? Because I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."
"I'll tell you when we're in Luna's room and get vengeance..."
Rarity gasps, dispersing her magic when she shot up upon reaching Luna's room "Whuh-"
Luna's horn glows, catching her and Midnight "Congratulations, I had thought you'd go it alone. Yet you saw the best route, and cooperated. I swear you must be from a lineage of knights, Rarity."
Rarity groans "Ugh, patronize me when I can move my joints again..."
Midnight nods wordlessly, trying to burrow into Luna's bed, her limbs and wings limp.
Luna smiles and walks towards a steamer trunk "I believe I have a small cache of... aha!" she grabs a small cloth pouch.
She hums and sets the pouch on a table, pulling out a dried black-green cube "Ah, still potent... though, Aconite is quite rare in Canterlot... ah well, I know where some grows."
Rarity tries to move but her body is unresponsive, and she watches in horror as Luna cuts a small piece off the block and grinds it down, pouring the powder into a glass of water "Here, drink it all."
Rarity shakes her head "No, I'm fine thank- glrp!" Luna's magic pours the mixture into Rarity's throat, magically squeezing her nostrils closed "You have to swallow to breath. Now swallow."
Rarity complies, though an indescribable taste lingers in her mouth "What was that?!"
"Aconite, a material that is found in is created by Monk's Hood or Wolf's Bane. Hard to find in Canterlot but easy to find in Trottingham."
Midnight taps her chin "Isn't Aconite... poison?"
Luna nods "Usually when fresh, but to equines like ourselves, dried it's mostly harmless... eat a whole died root, then you'll have problems, but I had an anti-toxin and that should- what's the matter Rarity?"
Rarity swoons, falling off of the bed with a loud thud, frothing at the mouth and twitching.
Midnight yawns "Sheesh, what a wimp. Acts as if poison being medicine is news to her."
The crash of cymbals shatter Rarity's sleep, causing her to fall out of bed in a tangle of blankets "Urgh... if that was you Pinkie Pie, I swear by all that is radiant and fabulous, I will make you swallow those cymbals. If it's Rainbow Dash, I'll tell Twilight about your secret. Or one of them."
"What if it's Twilight?" Twilight asks.
Rarity pauses "I'll tell the whole town about your psychological studies."
"Then it's a good idea it is neither of them, wake up Rarity Belle." someone says, obviously smirking.
Rarity groans and frees herself with a flash of magic, the bed now immaculately made "And who are you?" she asks, removing her sleeping mask
"Luna." Luna says, the cymbals floating above her head.
Rarity blinks and standing before her is a slim light blue pegasus a few inches taller than her with a dark blue hoodie that has the words "Blame the sun, because the night is right" on it.
"Wha- no, you aren't Lu-" Rarity sighs "Disguise?"
"Compression too. And I was born a pegasus anyways so it's more akin to descending down to the ground rather than a lofty castle, blegh." Luna sticks her tongue out in mock-disgust.
Rarity rolls her eyes "A princess shouldn't act like that. It's... uncouth."
"It'd be uncouth for my sister, but not for me, I'm too... she'd say 'Wild' but I like to think 'Adventurous'. Speaking of which, do you mind that I'm going to hang with you and your friends today?"
Rarity nods "I don't think they'll have a- wait, you asked if I minded that you're going to, not that you want to."
Luna grins and walks out "Duh, I'm going whether or not you minded, I just wanted to know. Now come on, I know a great coffee shoppe in the Renter's District. Well, one among many..."
Rarity rubs her head "Ugh, I'm not going to survive this..."
Luna slams the mug of Irish coffee on the table "Your turn Apple mare."
Applejack grins and drains her mug of spiced cider in one gulp, slamming it only to see that Luna has finished another "Go again."
Rainbow is unconscious, spread eagle on the floor of the cafe, Pinkie drinking her juice box, and doodling on her face.
Fluttershy sips her tonic water and Twilight sits next to Moondancer, chatting about arcane theory.
Rarity sits next to Spike, who had opted for water, saying that he had coffee when he'd awoken.
Rarity sighs "Must they compete?"
Spike shrugs "I actually have a theory as to why they do it, if you'd like to listen."
Rarity grins "Yes, I would. And... did you polish your scales?"
Spike blushes "Uhh... yeah... I was trying to look good for you... cause our trial date is tonight and.. wanted to score some 'Suave' points... ugh, I'm so superficial..."
"No, I'm the one who's superficial. I mean, I refused to leave until I had put on some eye shadow and brushed my mane..." Rarity laughs into her hoof "It feels so nice to finally open up to somepony- er-"
Spike laughs "Nah, you know I raised by ponies and if I didn't look in a mirror, I'd forget I was a dragon... again." he blushes and sips his water "Don't ask..."
Rarity smiles and kisses his cheek "I suppose that if I didn't look in a mirror I'd-"
"Still look as breathtaking?" Spike supplies before covering his mouth "Did... I just say that out loud?"
I'm a fool for not realizing how often he's complimented me... "If you keep blowing smoke up my dress, I'm liable to float away with a big head."
Spike chuckles "Nah, you're one of the most grounded ponies I know. But back to my theory, I figure that the reason why Applejack and Rainbow love to turn everything into a competition is that the primitive parts of their brains with the 'Herd leader' instinct makes them need to 'Butt horns' to see who the leader is. That or their dominant-type personalities and hormones make them have to fight it out so that they just don't have passionate-hate/exhaustion sex every time they're alone if they don't already." he sips his water "Either one or both, I'm not sure."
Rarity nods, sipping her tea "Sounds logical... my theory was along the idea that they really can't rationalize a different way to resolve their rivalry. Less chemical and more... psychological, I suppose."
Spike laughs "Yeah, but I think we can agree why Rainbow sleeps in Applejack's trees."
"Marking her territory?"
"Yup. Only thing I can think of." Spike admits and Applejack falls off her chair, Luna pumping her hooves shakily "Whoo! Th' challenger wins! Whoo!!"
Twilight looks up from her notes and groans "Ugh... why are they so noisy?"
"Well judging by how they act, I'd say that Applejack and Rainbow just need to be locked in a heated barn and wait for them to come out smelling of shame." Moondancer says, making a notation "So I think that Hay Cart's method is better used as a means of infiltration considering that you can exit from the book whenever."
Twilight turns "What was that first thing?"
"Hm?" Moondancer moves one side of her bangs out of her face "About your friends? They just need to be locked in a warm place with some privacy and their constant head locking should lessen. Now as I was saying, say you used it on a letter and you had somepony mail it to somepony else, and you leave the letter; Not only have you travelled a great distance for the price of postage, but think about how you could get around embargoes or weather that would stop trains? Unfortunately... there's the fact that should the letter get lost... you've basically left your friend for dead..."
Twilight scoffs "Applejack and Rainbow aren't- are they making out?"
"Yes, I think Princess Luna is manipulating their subconscious movements so that they think they're embracing their ideal partner. Wouldn't surprise me, she did that to Minnuette and Lemon Drops when they visited us during our overnight attempts to use an old astrolabe." Moondancer groans "Ugh, read this, 'B. Work's newest thesis is as always, blunt and brusque.' Seriously, that competitive hack writes entire books, not papers. She was always trying to one-up you before we became friends..."
Twilight stares at her friend "Who?"
"Ah some annoying perfectionist with dreams of exceeding everypony in everything, your basic egomaniac and nothing more. But back to important topics, how did you like the book I lent you?"
Twilight claps her hooves and levitates a worn book from her bags "It was a bit dry, but it was engaging nonetheless. Though... 'Courting rituals of the last two millennium and what we can expect in the future' was a bit..."
"Odd of a first recommendation? Come on, it's sociology and economics projecting on the slightly unpredictable future. And page 234, paragraph 3 'Taking another pony to get a non-alcoholic beverage, most often tea or coffee, is a modern courting ritual' and the next paragraph 'If in the company of others of platonic relationship, isolating the other pony with something like a shared interest is an indicator of desire on the isolator's side.' So..." Moondancer slides closer to Twilight, levitating her coffee near her lips "What conclusions can we draw from that text and this scenario?"
Twilight blushes "Ah... you planned this?"
"Among other plans, yes. I thought you admired thorough preparedness for all eventualities. I also had one for a bar but that mostly involved one of us carrying the other back to the castle..." she shrugs "Anyways, this shouldn't come as a shock, you knew that I desired to teach you about relationships and that meant that I'd take advantage of any learning opportunities that came along. It's the best way I've found to help others learn is to make connections to the moment we're in. Probably why CSGU wants me as a teacher, but I have better things to do."
"What could be better than teaching at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?!"
"You, my dear Sparky." Moondancer replies flatly, grinning behind her mug.
Luna hefts Applejack and Rainbow onto her back, her hoodie wrapped around her neck "I suppose I'll carry them until they wake up. Rarity, Twilight, would you two please hurry it up, I have a wonderful idea on how to spend the remainder of our day."
Rarity sighs and finishes her tea I suppose she wants to do one of her quizzes again... at least my friends are here to help.
Rarity sighs in contentment, her body limp "Spa day... perfect."
Luna trots over to her, her mane cut short "Not my usual idea of a relaxing retreat, but you deserve it. Quiz time."
Rarity groans to herself "Fine... what is it?"
Luna grins "You heard the conversation between Twilight and Moondancer, yes?"
Rarity nods "I couldn't help it, I had a feeling that's why you sat between our tables with Rainbow and Applejack being raucous. What about it?"
"Both groups spoke of the underlying reasons to why they are the way they are. Both conclusions were good, but it was also to see how you prioritize your attention, you multitasked."
"You mean listening to their conversation and carrying one with Spike?"
"No, you were capable of honing your hearing onto two different sources of noise and filter out a third and the din of the shop itself. That is admirable, though common. But you showed that you can handle and compartmentalize your facilities. That is something that is universally useful."
Rarity rolls her eyes "That's something gained from years of work. I know that you have another task for me, so please stop keeping me in suspense."
Luna grins "No task, I figure you'll need your wits about you tonight."
Rarity blinks in surprise "Then why did you-"
"Because I get bored sitting around the castle and besting every single active guard at once in every discipline. So I thought that spending the day with you and your friends would alleviate my boredom. And Discord's a bit preoccupied with his job restoring the balance of chaos and order. Nature can't flourish without the counter balance."
Rarity shrugs "Well good to know that you have... wait, how do you know about my date with Spike?"
"He dreamt of it going badly last night. I helped him a little... not out of favoritism, but because it's my vocation." Luna replies, her face neutral "He really loves you, you know. If you break his heart-"
"I know what will happen if I break his heart. I'm just not sure how it'll go. I'm excited to finally go out with a stallion that shares my values and likes... but how much of that is Spike, and how much is it him trying to impress me?"
Luna sighs "I don't get involved outside of dreams with the lives of my sister and I's subjects, but I suppose this is warranted." she rubs her forehead "Rarity, stop trying to sabotage your life with doubts. Doubt is essential to life, but for once, sew the voice in your head's mouth shut and keep your eyes open. Enjoy the view and fly away before you get hurt, and always accept the welcoming arms open to catch you. Take it from me Rarity, it's lonely at the top, and being alone is no way to live."
Rarity nods "Thank you..."
Luna shrugs "It's my job I suppose. But you're welcome. But after the date, we're getting you a magic teacher, you suck griffon balls in magic."
Rarity sighs in contentment, her mane and tail are even more immaculate than usual and one of Luna's dresses tailored to her body glistened in the light of the room "Thanks again for the dress Luna."
Luna looks up from her lexicon "Hm? Oh, sure, sure, better you use it than I just paying the designer, disassembling it stitch by stitch and making a pair of drapes or something out of it and melting the plastic into model figurines or something... like most dresses and junk I get every so often. Well, unless I can modify it to hide some knives, weapons, or maybe a few flasks of mead. Either way, it serves a better purpose."
Rarity groans "Are you sure you're a mare? You'd give Rainbow Dash a run for her bits in utter boorish-ness."
Luna blinks and rolls her body onto her side "I'm a bit busy talking and reading but if you want, you could check out my equipment to sate your curio- mph!" Luna looks up from her book "Why did you throw a pillow at me?"
"Because you don't just flash your 'equipment' around like that!"
Luna blinks "Is that one of those silly taboos? If that were so, we would wear under garments and pants like Homo sapiens sapiens. So full of themselves, they called them selves smart twice."
Rarity shakes her head "How is it that you don't just masquerade as a stallion?"
Luna blushes "H-how did you know?! I use the most airtight disguises! How did you see through them?!"
Rarity steps back "I... I was making a joke, what did you mean by... you crossdress?!"
Luna grits her teeth "I am glad I sound-proofed my room. Yes, I am a casual transvestite, okay? I always preferred the masculine half of society and thus I make it a habit of... making a new identity whenever nothing is happening at the castle. I don't sleep because I slept for a millennium, so I thought I might as well be princess by night, average stallion by day. If you tell another soul, I swear-"
Rarity holds up her hooves "I wouldn't. Lo should I be one to cast a stone, for I am about to embark on a date with a dragon suitor."
Luna nods "You have no IDEA how long I've wanted to tell somepony, not even my sister knows about it. Ugh... it feels good to get that off my chest. Maybe Silk would like to know too... nah, with her nervous nature she'd slip into a coma... but what an adorable little comatose doll she would make... eheheheh..."
Rarity stealthily leaves Luna's room, slightly disturbed Well... Luna is a bit of an odd ball.
Spike knocks on Rarity's door and the knob turns with a flash of indigo light "Spike? You're early!"
He nods "I thought that it'd be good to get the night started a little earlier. But if you want, I can wait."
Rarity shakes her head "No no, I'm ready, what is the venue again?"
"Well, It was to The Rose, but unfortunately, the owner had a death in the family and is in mourning, so he gave our reservation to another restaurant that's just as chic, but a little easier on the pocket. It's Saffron Petals."
Rarity gasps "That's one of the top restaurants in Equestria! Second only to The Rose! How did you even manage to convince the owners?"
"Well, I know them from my life in Canterlot and I learned a bit from both of them in how to cook. That and I helped them out of some bad situations that I can't say."
Connections, intellect, modesty, and chivalry. This is going better than most of my previous dates. rarity thinks to herself, grinning.
Spike pulls a chair out for Rarity and walks to his own, smiling calmly "Thanks for giving me this chance Rarity."
Rarity smiles "I'm just so sorry it took so long for me to do it."
"Oh don't worry, I'm patient. And you had other more important things to attend to. I'm just happy to be around you."
Rarity blushes "Spike, please stop... you're making me blush..."
Spike nods and scans his menu "... May I make a suggestion?"
Rarity nods "Yes, you've been here before."
"I'd suggest the Prench sauteed stir-fry and a watercress salad to finish."
Rarity scans her menu and finds the description in fluent Prench "Erm... my Prench is a little... under-par for this. But I'll take your word for it." Who has a restaurant that has Prench menus?!
Spike makes a turning motion "The menus are two sided, they put them down Prench-side up."
Rarity blinks and flips her menu over "Oh... well, now I feel silly."
"You shouldn't, I forgot to mention it. But who could remember something when a living incarnation of beauty is so close?"
Rarity's face flushes to a bright pink "Sp-spike... my word, you are a flirtatious drake."
"Augh... I have no filter... I'm sorry if I'm laying on too thick."
Rarity shakes her head "No need, though could you perhaps tone it down a little?"
Spike nods and a waiter approaches the table "'Allo Spike."
"Sous! Oh man, did you get my letter about Pinkie?"
The stallion nods, his orange-peach coat flushing for a few seconds "Oui, but... spontaneity to get her attention? I am too... reserved for such a thing."
Rarity smiles "Hello Sous."
Sous turns and smiles at Rarity "Allo, you are the one who caught the heart of my little cold-blooded friend? It is a pleasure to meet you, Spike never sent pictures, though I do not think that... non, flirtation at work is not a thing I do. So, what is your decision on entrees?"
Spike nods "I'll have the dandelion, black forest toadstool, and clover casserole with an iceberg and tomato salad."
"I'll have the Prench sauteed stir-fry and a watercress salad, please." Rarity replies and Sous writes it down and takes their menus "It should take about... 'alf an hour, and the usual house wine as well?"
Spike smiles and shakes his , speaking in Prench "Noir 900 Dread Serf if you have it."
Sous raises an eyebrow "Is that not the one you said was a gift from the princess? Is she 'The one'?"
Spike turns to Rarity and nods, smiling "I know she is."
The stallion smiles in a similar manner and nods "You are a true gentlestallion Spike the Dragon."
Rarity looks from Sous and back to Spike "What was that about?"
"Well... I have had my eye on a certain bottle of great vintage for a while. I gave it to the owner of The Rose to hold onto, so that I knew where it was. And... I think it's time to break the seal."
Rarity blinks in confusion "Oh? What might that be?"
"You'll see, it's a surprise."
Sous returns from the kitchen two plates on his back "Here is your dinner Sir Spike and Lady Rarity"
Spike rolls his eyes "Still a stickler for your native habits?"
Sous grins "Nah, Ah jus' like talkin' fancy-like. Y'all're th' last two customer anyhows. Made m'self some food too if ya don't tell th' boss on me."
Rarity jumps in her seat "Wha- you're accent..."
Sous shakes out his mane, the slicked back mane falling in layers over his face, opens his vest and removes his shirt "Faker'n a snake's word, no 'fense, right Spike?"
"Hey, I'm not to keen on other reptiles, so none taken. Rarity, this is an old school friend of mine from Canterlot University. Crisp 'Sous' Crunch, an actor, chef, and proud Apple after hours."
Rarity blinks in realization "So... you're related to-"
Sous places a plate of sauteed vegetables on another table "First cousin, my pa's her pa's brother. Have ya met my half-brother Breaburn? Both of us got our pa's good looks but his accent too. Nopony'd hire a thick jawed yokel no matter how many other star chefs he can beat in contests or how many mares and stallions he draws like flies an' ants ta honey. So ah went ta CU an' met Spike, he helped me learn how ta do accents and not looks so... yokel-ish. Ma, my mother, not Breaburn's; rest her soul, said ah should stop slingin' fancy food ta gruff workers an' make a name fer m'self in th' big city. Her dyin' wish; an' buck me where Celestia's sun don't shine, Pa kicked me out faster'n a Pegasus on pure Zap an' told me to write." he laughs, eating voraciously "Anyways, ta sum'rize, ya got a good one in Spike there. Never met a nicer pony in mah life."
Rarity smiles "I know, he's a darling, isn't he?"
Spike grins and lifts the bottle of wine "To the most beautiful mare in history."
Rarity blushes and takes the bottle in her magic "Thank you Spike, may I see what type of wine it is?"
Spike shrugs and she winks, at him reading the label and nearly drops it "D-D-Dread Serf?! Where did you get this Spike?! This is said to be a secret, limited quantity wine sought after by enthusiasts!"
Spike nods "I know, so I thought that I should mark the best day of my life with it. Shall we?"
He wants to open an ultra-rare fifty year vintage for me! I... this is possibly the most generous thing anypony has done for me! And... Oh Celestia he's so... so... too good for me! I can't... I just can't... "I... hold off on that darling, I must go powder my nose."
Spike nods and sets the bottle back on the table and waits, grinning She's so gorgeous... even if I never get a second date, this will be the highlight of my life.
Crisp's brow furrows Ah know that look anywhere, she's gonna bolt on Spike. Ain't gonna let that happen to ya little Sir, tain't right.
Crisp follows Rarity and circles around the outside of the building and waits. As expected, Rarity pulls herself onto the ledge of the bathroom window and stops "Erm... there's nothing I can say to prove that I'm not doing what you think I'm doing?"
He shakes his head "Not a one."
"... Well this is awkward."
Crisp shrugs "Personally, ah don't get involved in this kinda trouble, but fer Spike's case, ah can't let ya just leave him."
Rarity sighs "I know, I know... but he's too perfect. I mean, sure, the only thing that would improve it would be me. I'm not the perfect pony he thinks I am, I'm all too imperfect."
"I know you're imperfect Rarity, but the fact that you can admit it is proof that you're perfect to me." Spike says, rounding the corner.
"Rarity, I know that I may seem to be too kind and perfect, but I have my own personal demons deep inside of me. Take Dragon Greed for instance. I have the natural, instinctual urge to take whatever I want, whenever I want. I don't, and that's why I'm so small. When Twilight and I left Canterlot, I knew that Celestia's counter-measure of letting me have whatever I want, without greed, would make the transition as hard as it was for Twilight to make some more friends. But on that same day, I saw you, and knew that I could never have you, and that put me on the edge of succumbing. But you were so generous and beautiful, that I knew that I'd found the perfect pony who could keep my greed tamed when I couldn't. As I got to know you, I saw that beauty was within and without, and that made you that much more important to me. It started out as a primal, base need, but it turned into selfless love, a thing that most ponies and dragons would say is impossible for me. But I knew that I was a rare individual, just like the mare who succeeded in taking something from a dragon. You stole my heart, and I don't want it back."
Rarity blinks away tears "Y-you really mean that?"
"I can't lie to you Rarity, you know that."
Rarity sits on the window ledge "You're too kind."
Spike crawls up the wall, and sits next to her "And you, my dear, are beautiful."
Crisp wipes his eyes "Aw consarn it, yall're makin' me cry... how 'bout ah get yer dinner an' wine an' ya go have a picnic, it's a nice night out anyways."
They nod, and Spike jumps from the ledge and opens his arms "I'll catch you."
Rarity giggles and eases herself from the ledge.
Enjoy the view and fly away before you get hurt, and always accept the welcoming arms open to catch you.
Rarity watches with a smile as Spike catches her with ease, his arms under her knees and back I do wonder if Luna knew how it would go...? No, she's not that powerful.
She kisses Spike on the lips "Thank you... Spike, why is your face... longer?"
Spike blinks and sets her down "What do you- Sweet Sassafras! I'm taller!"
It was true, Spike had suddenly grown to the height of a pony, and his features looked more like an adult Dragon's. "Whoa... I'm a juvenile... this is only supposed to happen when a dragon finds the most precious thing to... them... whoa."
Rarity blinks "What do you... oh my..."
Spike rubs the back of his neck "Eheheh... I guess what I really wanted was a real kiss from you..."
Crisp rounds the corner, bottle and food on his back "Ah brought ya'll t'go boxes. Ah'm gonna close up- Celestia's flares! Spike! Ya dun grown on me! Well, ya already did back at CU, but ya know what ah mean!" he sets the food and bottle down and stands on his back legs "Shee-oot! Yall're taller'n me on two legs! Ya didn't even come up to ma shoulder five minutes ago. Gotta say Spike, ya look real regal-like. Woo-wee; wish ah had ma camera, cause this is somethin' else!"
Spike laughs "I can hardly follow what you're saying Crisp, calm down."
"'Calm down'?! How in Cadance's shapely flanks am ah supposed ta do that?" Crisp asks, dropping to all fours.
Rarity clears her throat and levitates the food off of the ground "Thank you for being so generous Crisp Crunch. I'll be sure to suggest to many of my close friends of you and this fabulous establishment."
Crisp bows, smiling "Mighty nice of ya miss Rarity. But ah think that ya'll should get a move on if ya want ta eat your food warm. Ah'm gonna go close up shop an' see ya'll when ah see ya."
Spike flexes his longer fingers "... I'm definitely not going to fit in my basket anymore..."
Rarity sighs in happiness, relaxing on a bench near a small lake "Spike?"
Spike turns "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Spike raises an eye-ridge "What for? I should be thanking you. You gave me my greatest desire and let me treat you to a date. This, truly is, the best day of my life."
Rarity shakes her head "No, for not... getting angry when I tried to run away. I... I have a habit of putting others on high pedestals and they never measure up and... I built yours up the highest of all. You're so generous and humble that... I felt greedy and audacious in comparison. And... I'm scared."
"Of ponies judging you?"" Spike asks "Hey, if you don't want anypony to know about it, I'll keep my mouth-"
Rarity shakes her head "No, nothing foolish like that. I'm afraid of being... content. I don't want to stop moving forward, to stop and... settle for 'Good enough'. I'm afraid of waking up one day and realize I've done nothing to show that I even existed... or accomplished anything. Romance was a means to a selfish end, to take the fame that others have and use it as my own. To scale the social ladder by stepping on the heads of others, rather than grabbing the rungs and taking it one step at a time. I want to be famous, coveted, and sought after."
Spike takes her hoof in his hand and Rarity is shocked by its warmth "You've already left many signs that you lived. You're not only a national heroine, but you've also designed several ensembles that models and artists clamour for in droves! If that isn't significant enough, then I guess that means that history is too blind to marvel at your radiance and majesty."
Rarity blushes and averts her eyes, stumbling over her words "Sp-Spike... I... I don't know what to say... you keep leaving me speechless darling."
Spike smiles "Well, I love the sound of your voice, so I guess I should be quiet?"
Rarity shakes her head vehemently "N-no! I mean... I like..." she meets Spike's eyes and notices that he's blushing as hard as she is "I... love the... the..." Rarity's words fade in her throat and a sudden wave of happiness and peace washes over her mind Why do I... why can't I look away? I'm... I want him to kiss me...
Spike's forehead furrows in concern "What's the matt- mmm... Mph..." Rarity meets his lips, relishing the feel of his scaly lips on hers and the warmth radiating from his entire being.
Rarity leans a back a bit, her eyes glowing like sapphires in the moonlight "You, that's the end of my sentence."
Spike blinks, his mind replaying her words "I love the... the... you." Wait, "I love the you."? That doesn't- Oh sweet sassafras... did she just- "Wh-what? did you just say-"
"I love you, Spike the dragon. You're my true knight in shining armor, and the dragon too."
Spike rolls his eyes "I can't stand those stories, true or no- wait... WHAT?! Y-y-y-you love me?! As in... more than platonically?!"
Rarity nods, her face ripe as an apple "Mm-hm... is- is that ba- MMMPH!" Spike pounces, pining her to the ground and he eagerly kisses her. The shock passes and Rarity leans into the kiss, wrapping a hoof around his neck.
She parts her lips, granting him access to her mouth and he pauses, as if asking permission. Rarity whimpers an affirmative and shivers as Spike's long, slender tongue snakes past her lips and around her tongue, massaging it in a way that Rarity never thought was possible. Her lips brush his sharp teeth and a shiver of fear and excitement passes through her mind; her hind-brain instinct telling her to run from the dangerous predator. Willing the feeling of fear away, she succumbs to the euphoric bliss that flowed into her from the gentle ministrations.
Spike's mind is less turbulent, but his will is holding back his urges, he bends to his knees and brushes Rarity's mane to the side, cupping her cheek in his claw. She jerks away, startled, but lets herself be held, nuzzling the smooth palm. Spike traces her face with his thumb, placing his other hand behind her head and lifting her from the ground, still massaging Rarity's tongue before snaking back into his own mouth and breaking contact "Rarity..."
Rarity opens her eyes, still enjoying the feeling of Spike's claws on her face "Yes?"
"I... would... uhh..." Spike stutters, unsure how to phrase his question "Would you... like to head back to the castle? I mean, grass in your mane can't be good..."
Rarity looks into Spike's eyes and shakes her head "I have nopony to impress, besides, the night is beautiful."
Spike blushes "It's nothing compared to you..."
She blushes and giggles "Don't let Luna catch you saying that."
Spike grins "Let her, it's true."
Rarity playfully rolls her eyes "Are you going to continue or...?"
Spike pauses, thinking before realizing what she meant "But of course my dear." he lowers his lips to hers, still holding her head and Rarity arches her back, a whimper of relief emanating from her chest. Spike growls from deep within his own, his desire mixing with base urges, but still unable to break his will's barrier.
Rarity isn't as in control, and pulls Spike's chest closer to her own, wrapping her other hoof around his neck and falls limp in his grasp, her composure fading.
Rarity breaks contact "I know I said no a few minutes ago, but... how about we go back to the castle?"
Rarity smiles at Spike and enters her room "I had a lovely evening Rarity, well, 'Lovely' doesn't cover it. This has truly been the best day ever."
Rarity blushes "As did I, my sweet prince."
Spike blushes and bows before turning to leave.
"Spike? Where are you going?" Rarity asks, grabbing his tail in her magic.
"What do you mean? I've done my gentlecoltly duty of seeing you back to your room. I'm going to go sleep or wait for Twilight to wake up so I can scare the cutie mark off her. Whichever comes first."
Rarity rolls her eyes "No darling, you are going to break tradition with me once more... and accompany me to sleep, mayhaps even more."
Spike cocks his head "What are you talking abou-" a cloud of steam rises from his face "Ah-er-uhh... is this a test?"
Rarity bites her lip with a smile and turns, flicking her tail to the side "I'm not that type of mare Spike, you know that."
Spike swallows and follows after Rarity, closing the door with his tail.
A solitary scrub jay sings on the windowsill of Rarity's room, rousing the slightly disheveled mare and her dragonic suitor "Mmmph? Morning already?"
Spike blinks several times and sits up, stretching "Another day, another advent... oh... it wasn't a dream?"
Rarity shakes her head, her mane covering half of her face "No my dear, it wasn't. And... I must say, for a ferocious dragon, you're very tender."
Spike blushes "Ah... was I that bad?"
Rarity titters "No. I meant that as a complement... though we might need to change the sheets, my blood's set..."
"Bl-blood?! Oh my Celestia, I'm so sorry if I hurt you!"
Rarity rolls her eyes "Spike, the blood's from my... you know..."
Spike blanches "I... I was... I... Oh crud..."
"Is it that surprising? I've had a job for most of my-"
Spike shakes his head vehemently "That's not what I meant! I meant... you seemed to know what to do so I thought..."
Rarity blushes "W-well... you did ask what to do... and from what I've heard, that's an uncommon trait." she leans up and nuzzles his cheek "Good morning love."
Spike blushes brighter but returns the nuzzle "Good morning... love."
Rarity beams and hops out of bed, levitating the sheets and blankets off "I suppose we'll have an announcement to make to everypony this morning."
Spike nods, and takes the bundle of cloth into his arms "I'll carry these, if you don't mind."
Rarity nods "Such a gentlestallion. Be sure not to spoil me too much dear."
Spike shrugs "I'll try not to, how about we go get breakfast first? Or do you want to wash first?"
"Wash first. And I think you should too, you are a bit... fresh."
Spike sniffs the air and nods "Meet back in the dining hall?"
Rarity nods and they part ways, both wondering how to breach the subject of their relationship.
Rarity sighs as the warm water cascades over her form when something in the back of her head tells her that she's being watched "Come out Princess Luna, I can feel you watching me."
Luna fades into visibility and grins "Good, never doubt the sense of being stared at, for herd animals such as our kind, that's an invaluable trait to use to our advantage, but enough about the extended mind. I take that your date went very well?"
Rarity nods "That it did, but you were probably spying on us, weren't you?"
Luna shakes her head "No. I know that doing that would not only be a violation of your privacy, but also of the basic tenants of decency. I am not that type of pony, and I hope to never be. I just wanted to tell you that dating and loving Spike back will further complicate your life. I just wanted to ask you if he's worth it."
Rarity pauses "What do you mean?"
"I mean, is it worth being ridiculed and reviled by the very ponies you wish to supply your clothes? Is it worth straining yourself to accept another into your heart, to have all of your faults and weaknesses exposed to another? I cannot begin to comprehend the strain of love, for I have loved none. Love... I still think it a weakness in the mind and heart of ponies, but I also know that it can be a great strength... Will you be consumed by love, and suffer from what you fear? Or will you keep him at a distance, fear holding your heart in a cage? I won't tell you what to do, but once you choose, you cannot change that." Luna sighs "Rarity, can I expect your all in your actions as The Huntress? If I can, come to my chambers the night after today, and know that... the real tests begin."
Rarity turns to respond but Luna has disappeared without a trace of magic or hoofsteps "... She's hurting."
Spike sits down at his table and raises an eyeridge at everypony staring at him "What? Do I have drool on my face or something?"
Rainbow rises from her seat and grabs Spike's head "Spike? What the hay has Twilight been feeding you?"
Spike shakes her off "Nothing out of the usual. And I'm the one who cooks, not her." he bites into his toast "Why?"
Applejack shakes off her shock and walks over to Spike "What she means is, how did ya grow overnight like that?"
Spike grins "I got a kiss from the most beautiful mare in Equestria. I guess all of those things Cadence said about love being powerful were true."
Twilight steps into the room and gasps "HOLY DOCK!! Spike! You're huge!!"
"That's what- mmph!" Spike covers Rainbow's mouth "No."
Twilight rolls her eyes and looks Spike over "Wow, you almost look like a pony, and your body mass has at least quadrupled."
"Are you calling me fat?"
Applejack laughs "Ah gotta say, ya ain't th' shrimpy fella ah met at th' summer sun celebration."
Spike smiles "We've all grown since that day. Maybe... maybe it's time for all of us to seek our own destinies. I have practically the same intellect as Twilight and now... now I have no more reason to be left behind if you guys go on an adventure. Look at me, I can probably protect you guys now." he laughs "I'm a beast now. Wonder if that means I should start a hoard?"
Twilight shakes her head "Let's... not get carried away. So how did you grow so much, tell me every detail."
Spike shrugs "I kissed Rarity, she kissed me back, I felt hot, and then I was big. Nothing really to say, we both had our eyes closed. Now, I'm hungry, and there's a piece of margarine toast that needs masticating."
Rainbow snorts "I think you're supposed to eat toast Spike."
Twilight rolls her eyes "'Masticate' means to eat, Rainbow. For friend's day, I'm getting you a word a day calendar."
Rainbow's smile drops "Feathers."
Rarity enters the dining hall and kisses Spike on the cheek "Hello lover."
Spike smiles back "Hello, my elusive treasure."
Applejack extends a hoof to Rainbow "Pay up."
Rainbow grumbles and drops a bag of bits into Applejack's hoof "Double feathers..."
Pinkie plonks in and gasps "Oh wow! I knew that cutie itch, wobbly knees, and a burpsnart meant that one of my bestest friends was getting laid!"
Spike and Rarity blush "So... uncouth..."
One of Spike's ear frills is enveloped in magenta magic "Come with me 'Lover' we have a long, LOOONG lesson on proper mating protocols and rituals to cover. You know how I feel about skipping ahead in the curriculum."
"Ow! Twili- Ow! Stoppit! I need these to- Ow!!"
Rarity steps in front of Twilight "I'm afraid that his... 'deviance' is my fault Twilight, if anypony should be punished, it should be I."
Twilight nods and envelopes Rarity's ear in her magic "Okay, I'm the type of pony who believes in free agency. So both of you will be punished. Come on, I have slides and a new laser pointer."
Pinkie shrugs and Rainbow grins "Immanent education coming."
"How do ya know that word, but don't know what masticatin' means?"
"I read a lot of comics." |
Huntress of the night | Chapter 7: A return to "Normalcy" | Rarity yawned to herself, waiting for Luna to appear "She said be in the southern corridors at midnight on the dot, and I've been here for ages. Where is she?"
"... So you're the newest Huntress? I should've guessed." someone says from behind Rarity.
She turns and standing in the hallway is a thin palomino unicorn mare, her horn radiating dandelion magic "Hello Rarity. For the following few hours, you are my student in tactical magics and unlocking your magical potential. From now on, you will refer to me as 'Miss', and that title alone. Unlike Luna's application-learning style, you will learn and then be tested after each lesson until you get it right."
"Miss, I have a question." Rarity says, wiping away her tiredness "What would these lessons be in aside from allowing me to access outside magic?"
Moon Dancer adjusts her glasses "At the very base of this, I'm going to teach you how to recognize and utilize elemental magics, such as wind, earth, fire, et cetera. As well as turn your opponent's magic against them by reversal and counteracting. Basically, I am the foremost living authority on combat magic and Luna, while very well-practiced, is not prone to utilizing magic as a tool, but as a secondary skill, as you may already have noticed. Midnight Rose will still be your partner, but she is currently already passed this point in her combat education." she sighs "Tell me, would you consider me, as I am, a threat to yourself in combat?"
Rarity looks Moon Dancer over Thin frame congruent with unicorn lifestyle with less than 10% body fat. Disheveled mane and tail, most likely from poor hygiene considering vibrancy of colors, thick glasses though they are more than likely aesthetic than anything. Overall, bookish, bordering on hermit. Considerable magical ability as a result? "Without magic, no. With magic, you might easily best me."
Moon Dancer's eyes widen and she claps in surprise "Wow, you are a quick study. You're right, I'm not a physical fighter, I'm a magi supreme. Like Twilight, I went to the school for gifted unicorns and focused on magical theory and application, whereas Twilight focused on history." she wipes her glasses on her coat "And yes, you could easily overwhelm me in close combat. But that isn't what I'm going to teach you. Luna said that you utilized Midnight's Thestral magic to levitate yourself and her through the castle while under the effects of Luna's gravity spell. Obviously you know that the horn isn't the sole magical output for Unicorns."
rarity nods "Yes, Pegasi and Thestrals focus magic out through their wings to fly and maneuver through the air, and Earth ponies have their whole body. Anypony can see that."
Moon Dancer nods "You'd be wrong. But nobility aside; Earth ponies are the best at utilizing natural magic because of their richer history and traditions." she smiles and extends a hoof "Observe."
A ball of light forms in Moon Dancer's hoof "This is basic magic, telekinesis, levitation, teleportation, basic non-elemental. Now..." the ball goes from dandelion to white-yellow "This is light magic, illumination and the like. Try it."
Rarity nods and exhales, clearing her mind "Illumination... Rhinestone cut." a ball of white light forms in her hoof "Easy as making a bouquet."
"'Rhinestone cut'? What's that mean?"
"Hm? I have associative memory I suppose. I remembered making a large number of cuts in a dress a few months ago, and a power outage would've set me back a long while if Twilight hadn't taught me an illumination spell." Rarity replies "Is that bad?"
"Not at all. I usually just cast through magical memory, but to each their own style. Now, shift the magic from light to wind or fire."
"... Shift?"
Moondancer pauses "Shift its nature from light to another type. It's easy."
Rarity rolls her eyes "Easy for you, because you're a scholar. Difficult because I'm a seamstress. But I shan't back down from a challenge."
The ball glows brighter and starts to pulse and spin "Fire... 'Fire is the spark of life each soul is made of, and thus changes while constant' that's Hay Cart, yes?"
"Clover the Clever, but doesn't matter." Moondancer corrects.
Rarity grins and the heat in the hall jumps a few degrees, the ball of light radiating heat "So... do you want me to turn it into wind or something?"
Moon Dancer grins "No. Now you run." The mare's forehooves erupt into flames "And hope you don't get burnt in the process."
Rarity blinks slowly and tosses the ball of fire at Moon Dancer's forehead, stunning the mare and dispelling the magic "Or I can just knock you down with magic."
Moon Dancer looks up and rubs her head "Okay, I didn't think you'd actually attack me... impressive. Now, think fast."
Moon Dancer disappears and Rarity pricks her ears, listening She said that she can't fight without magic for that long, so she should be light on her hooves, reserving her energy for mag- there! Rarity blasts a shadowy corner, but all that she hit was the wall itself "What? But she was just- ungh!" Somepony kicks her in the side and a flash of dandelion magic announces whom attacked her.
Rarity summons shields to her blind spots and listens to the air, trying to pinpoint the palomino mare How is- there! she looses a volley of blasts to her side, but they miss and sail into the wall.
A kick shatters her shields, followed by another kick to her side, launching her into the wall. "You're fast, no doubt about it, but you've got a lot to learn about spell casting." Moon Dancer says, reappearing in front of Rarity.
Rarity grins and she swipes at Moon Dancer, missing "What was that supposed to- AUGH!" a ball of fire sails into Moon Dancer's side, launching her several feet down the hall "What was that?!"
Rarity cocks her head and raises her hoof, flicking it again and something glints in the moonlight "A yoyo. I found it whilst waiting for you. I just put a little fire on it and you know the rest."
Moon Dancer gasps in surprise "You didn't light your horn of use any dweomers! I would've seen you cast the spell!"
Rarity giggles "I didn't cast a spell recently. I casted it after your first attack. I was considered the fasted at casting simple spells at college. Helped... persuade some stallions to think with their upper heads. Now, how did you move so fast?"
"An answer for an answer, fair enough. I partially teleported in between two points in space. It's much less draining than a full teleport, but much harder and subtle. Only works on one target though."
"Interesting. What else is on the itinerary?"
The palomino mare grins wickedly "Next we try explosive magic."
Rarity groans, her whole body rigid and sore "Spike~ Spikey-wikey... help me..."
The door to her room opens and Rainbow walks in, a toothbrush in her hoof "What's the sitch?"
Rarity sighs "I had gone to a chiropractor for some work, and I think he was drunk or half-asleep. Could you be a dear and get Spike to give me a massage?"
"Oh, I'll tell him alright... Spike! Your pet Mare wants a good rub down! Brink your hot tube of oil!!"
Rarity groans "Why am I friends with you?"
"Because awesome."
"That's not even proper grammar!"
Rainbow shrugs and leaves, brushing her teeth. Spike steps inside and sits next to Rarity "So... whole body massage or..."
Rarity rolls her eyes "Whole body. And don't be afraid to work out some knots, I'm not fragile."
Spike shrugs and blows on his hands, producing a large bag from Rarity's closet "A relaxing bath is recommended M'lady." he wraps his tail around her barrel and walks towards the large bathroom within the castle.
Rarity slowly dips into the filled tub of water, and quirks an eyebrow at the temperature "It's room temp."
Spike grins and lifts her out and points to a pile of logs underneath the bath "I shall now use my fire to make it the perfect temperature for you. Just tell when it's hot enough."
Rarity blushes and the water slowly rises in temperature "Spike? You're going to make me a very helpless pony at the rate you keep doting on me."
"It's my pleasure, that and I don't have anything else to do for the next few hours. Moon Dancer took Twilight out to the museum to look at fossils or something."
Sounds like the workaholics we know and love... She hums to herself in pleasure "Perfect darling... perfect..."
Spike smiles and sets out a towel and a bathrobe "Call me when you're ready."
Rarity titters to herself, hiding her crimson face "Dear stars above he is perfect! Ugh, it makes me feel so... evil to use him.
"It ain't that bad. You've got your looks and he likes your personality."
"..." A vein in rarity's forehead throbs and she levitates the towel, twisting it into a rat tail "Midnight Rose... why are you in my bath?"
"Huh? I'm here to relax too." the magenta Thestral replies, stretching her sinewy wings "You wouldn't believe the work Luna made me go through last night."
Rarity pauses and lowers the towel "Oh? What happened?"
Midnight groans, rubbing the base of her wings "Wing-ups for two hours straight. You know what those are, right?"
"It's like a push-up, but you use wings instead of your forelegs?"
"Exactly. Pegasi have more stretching and lifting muscles, Thestrals like me have thinner bones and muscles in our wings. And we can't regulate heat there very well because... you know, skin instead of feathers. Then she had me practice a training gauntlet with my ears pinned down! I can't do squat without my ears! My eyes aren't good in the bright lights she had on!"
Rarity nods, rubbing her shoulders "I can relate, Moon Dancer taught me things rapid-fire and she's obviously smart, no denying that. But she kept firing spells like a... what do you call those big barrel-like guns Griffons use? The ones in the north that-"
"Machine guns. Yeah, I had to train with her last month. She gets her message across, but sometimes she... you know."
"Gets as excited as Pinkie Pie?"
"Exactly. She's got even the current captain of the guards scared, and he's Twilight's brother! You'd think he's be used to mares with more magic than they know what to do with!"
Rarity nods "Preach sister, preach!"
Midnight guffaws "Ah goddess I needed this. So, you don't have to answer this but-"
"Just one dear." Rarity replies, sinking into the water.
"... Huh, my cousin lied. Dang. What about that thingy-"
"Cloaca, and yes, that's there too."
Midnight shrugs "Cool. So, how far did she get with you? She start on 'Phasing' yet?"
Rarity groans, rubbing her horn "Yes! I nearly broke my horn in half before she called it a night! And that was after she pulled off Germane supplexes!"
Midnight winces, sinking deeper and sighing "Sounds about right. Yeesh, Luna is a strict teacher, but Moon Dancer? That mare is crazy."
A knock on the door silences their revelry "Rarity? Are you finished yet? If you stay in their too long the water will leech all your body's oils!"
Midnight shrugs and hops out of the tub and opens a window above the bath "You heard him. Just remember, you aren't alone in this."
Rarity leaves the bath, drying with the towel "I'm just dry off now, Darling!"
Spike rubs his hands together and spits some oil from his mouth "... Okay, that was less disgusting in my head..."
"What was that?" Rarity asks, delighting in the warm oils.
"Nothing. I was just muttering about some comic characters I like."
Rarity quirks an eyebrow "Oh? Care to explain it to me? I may not be an avid reader, but Sweetie's friends enjoy the printed adventures of heroes and heroines."
Spike grins "Well, the most popular characters are 'The Power Ponies'. Though very commonly read, I prefer the more indie scenes. 'Chronomalies', 'Elemental heroes', 'D.D.', and 'Genex' are the ones off the top of my head. But 'The Power Ponies' are a lot like you and the girls. They even have a... less than useful sidekick... like me."
Rarity whips her head around "Two things. One, you are very important to us. And two, massagie now."
Spike nods "Well, there's the leader 'Masked Matterhorn', who is a lot like Twilight and is a master magician. Then there's Zapp, the 'Self-proclaimed' queen of the storm. Mistress Marevelous, super strength and immunity to magic and an unbreakable lasso. Filli-second, living energy and speedster, like Pinkie Pie. Saddle Rager, demure so long as an animal isn't in danger, then becomes a living juggernaut covered in spikes. Then there's Radiance, who reminds me of you."
"Mmhm... what's her pow- oh that's nice..." Rarity coos, biting her lips as Spike massages her neck.
"She can manipulate anything reflective from mirrors to gems to glass, or even puddles. If it can hold an image or reflect light, she can use it to blast her enemies. Like if you fired a bit of magic into a mirror angled towards a burglar, you could stun them without turning a corner."
That sounds like... something I could do... maybe comics aren't as... silly as I thought. Spike likes them, so I should try it... it's only fair.
Fluttershy sat in the Canterlot garden, sharing lunch with Green Sleeves, the gardener "Thank you so much Fluttershy."
"Oh it's no problem Green, I enjoy your company."
Green turns to her "I'm a married stallion Fluttershy."
Fluttershy reddens "I know, I mean, I enjoy spending time with- I mean... you were kidding, weren't you?"
Green nods "Sorry, Fresh says I joke too often. Whelp, I have to go stop my daughter from wandering around the castle."
Fluttershy's ears twitch in excitement "Oh? Tree Hugger's here?"
"Yup, she's here to see about the wilting Persimmons. I think you two'd get along. Come on, she should be at the gate talking to a rosebush."
Fluttershy nods but cocks her head Talking to a rosebush? I suppose that makes sense if she's a botanist... I think.
"Thanks for coming to the museum with me Sparky."
"Stop calling me that. I'm not a dog." Twilight sighs, munching on a pretzel.
Moon Dancer grins "I could turn you into a dog. Transmutation isn't that hard."
Twilight rolls her eyes "And illegal without the target's consent."
Moon Dancer shrugs "Semantics. Anyways, about your friend Rarity... what is her deepest desire?"
Twilight pauses "Where'd that come from?"
"She just strikes me as a bit superficial. She carries herself like she's a noble heiress, but she makes clothes in a town full of ponies who rarely wear clothing. It's just a bit counter-intuitive, especially if she's an entrepreneur. So what's the end of which she has gone through such strange means?"
Twilight pauses "That sounds like you want to know what drives her. Why would you want to know that?"
Moon Dancer turns to Twilight "I can either lie to you, or tell you the truth. Tell me which you want to hear, and it'll be up to you to decide whether or not I'm lying."
Twilight glares at he friend "Tell me the truth."
Moon Dancer nods "I want to know so that I can better motivate somepony whom I've been charged with teaching arcane combat. If I can know what she desires most, I can dangle it in front of her, just out of her reach to make her keep moving forward."
Twilight sighs "You don't need to lie, Moon Dancer, but I'm afraid I can't tell you."
She shrugs "Okay, just thought I'd ask you first before I go the unethical route."
"'Unethical'? What do you mean?"
"I mean using mind control and getting her to tell me herself, for example."
Twilight grits he teeth and unconsciously charges her horn "I won't let you."
Moon Dancer frowns slightly "I'm afraid that you couldn't even if you used the power of the element of magic. I'm simply a better magi than you. It's not that I have better breeding or anything, I just have more knowledge, skill, and understanding of magic. You are a scholar and I'm a mage, while often synonymous they are nonetheless different types of magi. You work best in the classroom or a library, I work better in silent contemplation in the middle of a battlefield, tearing out the spines of any enemy that comes close and disintegrating weapons. It's not that I'm better, I just have several advantages that you cannot easily overcome."
Twilight grits her teeth "You can't know that. And besides, why would you train to fight?!"
"Because unlike you, I have a reason to fight. I was chosen to be a killer, you were chosen to be a hero. I just lack empathy, mercy, morality, no concept of the value of life, I killed my parents by accident when I was a filly and I have nothing better to do." she smiles weakly "You have what I lack, but a very unstable world view. That's why you're going to be immortalized in history, and I'm just going to fade away, knowing the secrets of the kingdom until I'm killed and replaced. It's my life, and I enjoy it to a degree."
"How can you enjoy killing?" Twilight asks, lowering her voice as a result of several ponies staring.
"... Well besides the rush of adrenaline and endorphins after overcoming an enemy, I enjoy it because I know that by doing so, I become better. And when I'm the best, it'll be time for me to disappear and be replaced by a brand new assassin." Which turns out to be all too soon. Moon Dancer thinks to herself.
Twilight shudders "Who... who do you work for?"
Moon Dancer sighs "I thought you were smart, you already know. I work for the crown. And besides, in a month I'll be erased. That's what was in my letters. I kept trying to tell you that I was going to be terminated. You never read them, so my message has to be said now, after discovering the answer to a question I've had since I began; 'Do I have a heart?'"
Twilight holds out a hoof "Why are you telling me all of this?"
"Because you were my last chance at escaping the dangerous life I live. Even now, I'm resigned to my fate. I've finished my bucket list of one item: 'Spend a whole day with a true, true friend.'" she sighs and walks around Twilight "Now that that's done, I have my answer to the question of whether or not I have a heart."
Twilight stops her "And the answer?"
"... I don't. I saw this whole outing as tedious and boring. I no longer have any desire to do anything except teach my replacement and be erased from memory and record. I will have never existed." Moondancer answers flatly before teleporting away, leaving Twilight dazed "I... what am I doing here?"
Moon Dancer lands in her house, and sighs, wiping her eyes "I... I don't have a heart, this tightness is from my... synthetic organ... nothing more... not heartbreak... just need... painkillers..." she shuffles to a box filled with several different colored bottles, and tears the top off one, swallowing two pills "Ugh... just need to make it through the month..."
She shuffles to her sparse room and flops onto the flattened futon "At least I said it... and erased her memories. I should feel relieved, but I can't stop shaking... must be a vitamin deficiency or something." Not heartache, that's psychosomatic and I have complete control over my emotions and pain centers. Just need some rest and a multi-vitamin... and I'll be adequately prepared for the train ride to Ponyville.
Rarity closes he bags and levitates them into the baggage compartment of the Train "Has anypony seen Twili-"
Twilight appears in a flash of light "Girls! I'm so sorry! I lost track of time and-"
"It's all right Darling, the train doesn't leave for another five minutes. Settle down."
Twilight sighs "I don't even know how I got to the middle of the other side of town. I was talking to... to..." she pauses "Huh, I can't remember."
Rarity smiles "Well I'm sure it'll come to you."
Twilight nods "Yeah..." But... I can't help but feel it was important... very important...
Rarity unlocks the Boutique and starts unpacking "What a week..."
"I know, can you believe that we got banned from the trains?" Sweetie Belle asks, reading a comic book.
"... How long have you been alone in the house?!" Rarity gasps, picking up her sister.
"About three hours. Why?"
Rarity blinks "Right, you were with mother and Father... where are they, by the way?"
"Looking for Spike. I told them you two are dating now."
"H-how did-" Rarity stutters out, blushing bright red.
"Princess Luna's my pen pal." Sweetie answers, dangling by her forehooves "You may be able to catch them before they get to the library."
Rarity's eye twitches "I'm going to get you for this... but not now!"
She drops Sweetie and gallops out of the boutique, hoping that her parents hadn't met Spike yet. They must never meet! They aren't normal!!
But her worst fears were confirmed.
"-An' I told her not ta mess wit' my briskets an' don'cha know it? She goes an' does it again!" her mother says, and Rarity's stomach drops.
"But enough about Tapioca, tell me, how did you meet my darling lil' Rarity?"
Twilight giggles "I keep telling you that I'm-"
"No need to be shy lil' miss. Knew from the day she got her cutie mark she ain't a straight kickin' wing pony." her father says, bellowing in his thin Trottney accent.
"But you see mister-"
"Just call me 'Magnum', now back to my wife's question, 'ow did you meet Rarity?"
Rarity enters and ducks, avoiding the tackle her father always attempted whenever she entered a room. Some dads always know when their children are entering a room. It's uncanny.
She walks away from her father who laughs "Quicker this time little Gem!"
Rarity rolls her eyes and looks around the library for her mother's trademark beehive hairdo "Ah, Mother! Please allow Twilight to get a word in edgewise."
Pearl Belle rolls her eyes "Fine, but this one ain't nothin' but skin an' bones! She needs a good home cooked meal if she's gonna be the birther in th' herd ya makin'!"
Rarity blushes "I am not making a herd. Twilight is just a dear friend, and I am straight."
Pearl cocks her head "But she's the only one in th' library dear."
"What about-" Rarity pauses "My 'Sister' senses are telling me Sweetie's coming through the door... now!"
The door slams open, a purple blur rolls into the Library and swerves to a stop "I'm telling you tacky-dressed muscle head, I LIVE here!"
Magnum grins, his horn glowing and hooves pinning Spike's down "Dragons don't live in Equestria, ya lyin' snake!"
"Hey! If anything, I'm related to a Gila or a Komodo! Not a- Ah-choo!" Spike sneezes, spitting green flames.
Magnum rolls off Spike and points his horn at Spike "Nice try ya git!"
Spike rubs his nose and looks for what made him sneeze "Oh, hello Rarity. You know this rough stallion?"
Rarity smiles weakly, and nods "Yes... he's my father."
Spike blinks "So... you mind calling him off? I'm not sure how to fight at my size."
Rarity nods and kisses him "Father, Mother, This is Spike. He is the love of my life. And a dragon, but that doesn't matter."
Spike rests his chin on Rarity's head, careful not to ruin her coiffure "... And so that brings us up to speed on what's happened."
Pearl whistles "An' here we thought she was strange, she's just got an odd taste in stallions."
Rarity blushes and moves to say something but Spike wraps her in a hug, silencing her "It'll be okay Rarity."
Rarity pouts but melts from the warmth Spike radiated Why must you be so warm and firm? It's not fair...
Twilight smiles awkwardly "It is a bit odd to see a pony in love with a dragon... but I can verify most of what Rarity said. Spike is a gentledrake-"
Pearl chuckles "That ain't what I meant Twilight, I meant that it's just interestin' ta see. Always thought that she'd marry a snob or something, ain't that right Magnum?"
He rubs the back of his neck nervously "Yeah, sorry about tacklin' ya Spike."
Spike shrugs "Wouldn't be the first time, and definitely won't be the last. Though... Ms. Belle?"
"Please, call me Pearl."
"Pearl... you didn't happen to be an ambassador in Canterlot a few years ago?"
She blinks and nods "Sure was! Best in Zebrican relations don'cha know. How'd you know that? I ain't shaken hooves with any diplomats in a good... How long do you guess Magnum?"
"About a decade."
"Yes, a good ten years. You can't be more than fifteen accordin' to ya story."
Spike smiles "I saw a picture of you with a chief in Celestia's bedroom growing up, always thought that the mare in the picture must've hidden some type of state secrets in that mane of hers."
Rarity snorts "Trust me Darling, she only keeps photos, pens, and inkwells in that mane of hers."
Pearl blushes "She's right. But I don't got no secrets except for my recipes."
Spike laughs "'Never share the secret, less it's family or bond-friend.' Isn't that the saying of the great-"
"A La Mode Pie! You cook?" Pearl gasps.
"Well, considering Twilight burns tea-"
"One time!" Twilight yells.
"-I had to pick-up culinary skills at the castle. Otherwise Twilight would eat out or just slurp ramen."
Pearl laughs "I know th' feelin' dear. Magnum can't cook to save his life."
Magnum shrugs "I can't follow directions very well. Probably why I became a private detective."
Rarity smiles "Yes, Spike is the whole package."
"I had a lazy sister to pick up after, it isn't a big deal."
Twilight grumbles something under her breath.
"So, not I'm not happy to meet Rarity's parents, but why are you visiting?"
"Well... we're going on a cruise I won in a lottery and it's... adult. So we need-"
Spike nods, releasing Rarity from her hug "You need somepony to look after Sweetie Belle. I can understand. I'm sure, knowing her, she's made herself comfortable in the boutique. You don't need to worry about her, the girls and I can watch her."
Pearl smiles and Magnum shakes Spike's claw "Thank you so much Spike. Now we need to get goin' if we're to get to the ship in time."
Twilight and Spike wave them off and Spike grins "I think they like me."
Rarity rolls her eyes, using her magic to make Spike hug her again "Why wouldn't they?"
Spike shrugs "Dragon, taller than anypony else, you're their daughter..."
Rarity chuckles "Yes, well, they aren't the types to be overly protective."
Twilight gasps "Spike! According to 'Courting rituals of the last two millennium and what we can expect in the future', you have to introduce Rarity to Mom and Dad!"
Spike laughs "Twilight, legally I'm your and Celestia's son. She's technically my guardian, but Rarity's met both you and Celestia. So there's no need to."
"But... my parents raised you! Fed you! Housed you! They're your parents, regardless of the law!"
Rarity blinks incredulously "Twilight, did you just denounce the law? How... out of character for you."
Twilight frowns "I may be a stickler for rules, but I think that social norms should still be followed. Spike, how about you take Rarity to Mom's villa? Take a vacation from everything and maybe spar with Shiny?"
Rarity cocks her head "'Shiny'?"
"Twilight's older brother." Spike replies "Are you sure Twilight? Are you sure-"
"As of now, you're too big for your basket, so I'm going to get you a room to call your own. And I don't need a juvenile dragon hanging around the renovations. Go."
Spike tilts Rarity's head up "Do you want me to wait until-"
"I haven't even unpacked, I'll just take some materials for my orders with me. And Sweetie Belle of course. She'd love the fresh air."
Twilight grins "It's settled! Now shoo! Shoo!"
"Uh... okay." Spike mutters, walking out "Did Twilight seem a bit... abrasive to you?"
Rarity nods "Yes... uhm, if it's not too much trouble, could you place me on the ground? It's not that I don't like the gesture, but ponies might see..."
Spike nods and places Rarity on the ground gently, brushing errant strands of her mane and tail back into place.
Rarity blushes "I'm sure I'm fine Spike, honestly, you must want to spoil me with all of this attention."
Spike blushes "I... message received."
"It's not that I don't like the attention, but you seem to be... doting on me too much."
Spike nods "Got it. I'll wait for you at the station."
Rarity sighs "For all of his foolish ways, he's a true gentledrake. I wonder if his parents will like me as mine like him? Well, if they raised a dragon, I'm sure they're open minded."
And with that thought in mind, Rarity made her way home, little realizing the events to unfold. |
Huntress of the night | Chapter 8: Designs of fate | Rarity yawns, shifting closer to Spike's chest "I'm going to take a nap... make sure Sweetie behaves..."
Spike nods, making sure to keep the rambunctious filly in sight.
Sweetie looks up from her comic book "Spike, if you and Rarity get married, does that make Princess Celestia my auntie?"
Spike taps his chin in thought "Technically it'd make you a duchess and Rarity a princess... so yes, in a way. Just don't become a female Blueblood."
Sweetie salutes and returns to her book.
Spike chuckles and strokes the filly's mane, earning a purr "Did you just purr?"
Sweetie blushes "... Maybe?"
Rarity snorts and burrows into the fabric of the seat she's on, muttering in her sleep.
Sweetie taps her chin and scoots closer to Spike "... You're warm."
Spike grins "I know. Comes with being a dragon. Twilight would save on buying fire wood and just strap me to her back during winter. It... wasn't as fun as it sounds."
Sweetie rolls her eyes "That's nothing, Rarity used to wrap me in yarn just to keep me warm when we were little, she thought that if I wanted a real sweater, I should learn how to knit."
Spike snorts "No way. Rarity isn't like that."
"Maybe not now, but she used to practice ballroom dancing with me before I wised up that she was dropping me on purpose."
"Mmmph not..." Rarity mutters.
Sweetie giggles "She totally did."
Spike rolls his eyes "Whatever, so what have you and the other Crusaders been doing? Blowing up town hall?"
Sweetie growls and sparks her horn menacingly at Spike "I can't help it!"
Spike picks up Sweetie by the horn, extinguishing the sparks "I know, how about you take a nap? I'm just going to sleep anyways."
Sweetie shrugs and Spike carries her and Rarity to the sleeping car.
Spike stretches, carrying Sweetie and Rarity on his tail and back respectively. "Welcome to Trottingham, home of the limey ponies and my mother's home away from home."
Sweetie cocks her head "'Limey'? What are those?"
"Salutations Sweetie!" a familiar voice says and Sweetie looks down from her perch "Pipsqueak?!"
The tiny colt nods, saluting "Yep! Why are you here though? Dragged by this vile drake to his mountainous hovel?"
Spike rolls his eyes "I can hear you Pip. Why don't you go get stuffed in some haggis? It might make you smell better."
Rarity smacks Spike on the back of the head "Spike! How dare you!"
Pip laughs "Aye, prob'ly right on that regard mate. Anyways, how about I show you the sights lil' miss?"
Sweetie scrunches her face "I'm bigger than you Pip. You're the 'lil' one."
Pip rolls his hoof "Tech'calities, and I'm guessing you don't want to hang with these two ol' ponies, an' help wit' their knitting."
Rarity opens her mouth to say something but Spike stops her "Yeah, hang with ponies your own age Sweetie, who knows, you may get your cutie mark here. Or do you want my mother pinching your cheeks when she meets you?"
Sweetie hops off of Spike "I don't like pinching! Pip! Lead the way!"
Both scamper off and Rarity taps Spike's head "You sent for him, didn't you?"
Spike nods "Yup, figured that being on a train would be boring for her, so I figured I should send for Pip, considering he lives here when school's out. And I was serious, my mother is one of those types of mothers."
Rarity giggles "Are you sure you haven't been a parent before?"
"No, and I probably won't be soon. Considering you've got a career ahead of you, and I can't adopt any foals, being a dragon and all."
Rarity blushes "Are... you proposing we-"
Spike shakes his head "What?! No! I meant- that is-" he bites his lip, trying to hide his blush "Maybe?"
Rarity chuckles "How about we wait until we're married... maybe."
Spike pauses "Does that mean-"
Rarity grins impishly and points Spike's eyes forward "Maybe? Onwards to your parents, my noble mount!" I've always wanted to do that.
Spike rolls his eyes and nickers, galloping towards a very idyllic villa.
(Back in Ponyville)
Twilight closes her book and sighs "Moon Dancer, stop hiding, I know you're there."
The slim palomino mare steps out from the shadows, her coat and mane unkempt "How did you know I was here?"
"A simple five-sense illusion won't work on somepony who's studied illusions, nor would a memory block spell, at least not permanently." Twilight replies, offering a cup of tea to her friend "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be training Rarity?"
"I would like to, but she is under the protection of the princess of love, and such a mare would ruin my plans. So I'll wait here, and teach when she returns."
Twilight sips her tea "Why?"
"Because it is my birthright. Do you know the reason behind my name?"
"I'd suspect something to do with magic?"
Moon Dancer shakes her head "No, it's literal, 'One who dances with the moon.' I am to be led in the grand dance of the moon's desires and that is my fate. My family was one of the ones who attempted to help Princess Luna escape from her sister's own guards. We swore an oath to her, as did another other family that unfortunately lost their way" she sips the offered tea "The clan of Luna's moon, or as they have become known, 'Lulamoon'."
Twilight nearly drops her cup "Trixie's family?"
"Yes, they were originally the magical arm of her majesty's forces. The ponies with the strongest understanding of magic and legendary magi. Much like the Sparkle family that has served Princess Celestia. The Dancer's were the more physical half of the two, but that never mattered to us, we just served and gained favor with the other clans. My mother, Glass Dancer, married Artorius Lulamoon, brother to Artemis Lulamoon. I was given the power of the Lulamoon's arcane history and the Dancer's lethality. But there was a... complication, from the mixed bloodlines."
She sips her tea "It resulted in a number of deadly and debilitating conditions. I was born without a complete heart, infertile, and cataracts to name a few. You see, I wasn't supposed to live beyond a week, but my uncle created a prosthetic heart that extended my life, but even now, it is breaking. Look." Moondancer pulls off her sweater and a clock face sits imbedded in her chest.
"Wh-what is that?"
"A death clock. It counts down the last month of my life, until then, it remains inactive. It's counting down, and there's nothing anypony can do to stop it. I have about a month left until my time is up. That's why I'm telling you everything. Once I finish her last lesson by my estimates, will give me roughly twenty four hours to live."
Twilight's eyes widen "You went out with me to see if you had a heart... you were being literal."
"Yes. You see, I thought that if I could find somepony to love, I might not have to die alone and anonymous. It turns out what I felt for you was nothing more than platonic affection." she shrugs "And before you ask, I'm not upset about my fate. I knew it the moment I was old enough to notice I had this in my chest. I thought that as my closest friend, you had a right to know. It doesn't change the fact that I'm going to die, but it feels right."
Twilight stands, shattering the teacup in her magic "I refuse to believe that! You shouldn't just give up like that!"
Moon Dancer sighs and sets her cup on the table "That's easy for you to say, you aren't the one who has a literal egg timer for your last breath. I'm resigned to my fate, and that's all there is to it. I'm surprised you aren't taking notes on everything I'm telling you."
Twilight shakes her head, banishing her surprise "I figured that you already had everything written down somewhere and citated. Is there any way to make it stop breaking?"
She rolls her eyes "Unless you can get a Lithium/Tellurium cylinder and perform open heart surgery in the next three weeks, no. And before you ask, I've tried to get one, but the alchemy to fuse the two elements together is a Lulamoon family secret that unfortunately, only the last living member of the family knows."
"Trixie? Trixie Lulamoon has the secret to save you?"
"Yes. But there's no way to catch her, she never goes on a predictable path, and after what happened in Ponyville, she might never return. So there's nothing anypony can do. Now, do you have any more tea?"
Rarity bites her lip "I'm not sure how to feel..."
Spike rolls his eyes and cups Rarity's chin "It's just meeting my parents, they'll love you." he pecks her on the nose "Trust me."
Before she can respond, he knocks on the door and the knob is enveloped in a light blue field "Hello? Who is- DRAGON!"
Spike rolls his eyes "C'mon mom, that joke isn't funny."
The door opens and a white mare with a white and lavender mane grins sheepishly "Sorry Spike, I can't- Celestia's plot!! You've grown!"
Spike nods "So I noticed, may I come in? I brought company."
The mare back away, her eyes fixed on Spike's body "My word, what have you been feeding yourself?"
"The usual gourmet meals and a few extra gems here and there. How're you?"
The mare smiles "Well, I've hit a bit of a problem with one of my novels but otherwise I've been perfect. You said something about company?"
Spike nods and scoops Rarity up in his tail "Yes, this is Rarity Belle, Element of generosity and my marefriend."
Rarity nods and levitates her luggage into the large foyer "Hello, you must be Twilight and Spike's mother."
The mare nods and shakes Rarity's hoof "Yes, Twilight Velvet Sparkle Sr. Novelist."
Rarity gasps "Spike! You never told me your mother was a famous writer!"
Spike cocks his head in thought "Really? Coulda sworn I did..."
"Well no wonder you and Twilight are so well read! You were raised among literary royalty!"
Velvet blushes "Oh stop, I'm just lucky to have a great editor and a few books on some lists. I'm nothing compared to a national heroine and fashion designer."
Spike clears his throat "Can we get to the living room? I want to introduce Rarity to Dad."
Rarity grins "Oh that can wait Spike, I've got to ask you Ms.-"
"Just Velvet, I'm still too young for 'Miss'."
Spike sighs and carries both to the living room, setting them down on a large, plush couch "I'm going to go find Dad."
After Spike's out of earshot, Velvet smiles "He's a well-mannered dragon, isn't he?"
Rarity nods "He truly is. He never told me about you, though."
"That sounds like Spike, he never enjoyed my stories, calling them too 'Girly' or 'Mushy.' But enough about how he's a bad son, how did he steal your heart?"
Rarity blushes "It wasn't that he stole my heart, I stole his. I entranced him when we first met, and soon he had become such a monumental help to my work that I couldn't imagine working without him... I realized that after a while, I loved him too. I was so caught up in my work that it took getting my dreams of a prince charming shattered by reality to see that I had the perfect gentlecolt standing right next to me. After the first date we had... I felt like I wasn't good enough for him, and sometimes... I still do. He has such a freely given sense of generosity and always keeps the girls and I in line if he can. I trust him, and that isn't some illusion."
Velvet smiles, dabbing her eyes "That was beautiful."
Rarity smiles "It's true though, he is the one who deserves praise for everything he's done. Why, I cannot fathom what our lives would be if he hadn't been in it."
Velvet smiles wistfully "He is an invaluable member of our family, and I feel as though I have two sons."
Rarity nods "Yes, 'Shiny' I believe he's called. Who might he be?"
"He's-"
"Surrender reptile spawn!!" A somewhat familiar voice yells, followed by the door opening.
"Hah! As if I would surrender to a pathetic whelp of a stallion like you!" Spike roars, his voice getting closer.
Velvet sighs "Boys! No rough housing!"
A bedraggled stallion with a dark cobalt mane walks in, his coat ruffled "Yes Mom..."
Spike follows, his scales dulled rather than their usual polished sheen "Yes Mom..."
I know that stallion from somewhe- oh dear. Rarity reels in shock I sincerely hope he doesn't remember what I look like. Why didn't Spike tell me that his brother was captain of the royal guard?! That's something that should've come up at some point!!
Velvet shakes her head in exasperation "Shining, I can understand his need to rough house, but you, Spike? I thought I had a gentle, non-violent son..."
Spike smiles weakly "I learned how to fight because of all of the adventures the girls have gone on, and I just wanted a sparring partner seeing as how I'm taller now."
Shining puffs out his chest in pride "And being the eldest brother, it was my duty to knock my baby brother down a few notches."
"'Baby'? I'm twice your mass and at least two and a half times your volume! I could crush you if I sat on you!" Spike replies, standing on two legs.
Velvet grabs both of their ears in her magic "You two will stop with this pointless posturing and be quiet."
Both nod feverishly, trying to free their ears.
Velvet drops them and turns back to Rarity "To answer your question, this is Shining Armour, Captain of Celestia's royal guard and my eldest son."
Mothers are not to be crossed, especially one who gave birth to the element of magic and the Captain of the royal guard... Rarity thinks to herself, smiling on the outside "My, Spike never told me that Twilight had such a grand pedigree. The sister to the youngest captain in history, the daughter of the esteemed novelist Twilight Velvet Sparkle... oh my, why didn't I realize you two might be related? I feel like such a blind old mare."
Velvet chuckles "I got that from Twilight's old school friends a bit. It's not her fault that we look so different."
Rarity nods and smiles down at Spike but the drake knew she was miffed about the failure to communicate about his family, so he bit his lip and cowered slightly. "I cannot begin to imagine who Twilight's father might be... a famous scientist perhaps?"
Velvet smirks "Close, but the word you're looking for is 'Infamous'."
"Velvet... I think we need a new spare typewriter..." a dark blue stallion with thick goggles says, his navy mane and tail burnt "Oh, and could somepony help me locate my eyes, they appear to be someplace wooden..."
Velvet sighs "Of course Nighty. Shining, Spike, help your father." Both salute and follow the stumbling stallion "That was my husband, Night Light. He's the one pony who had accidentally discovered the lost wing of Starswirl's library, devised a way to kill an alicorn, and blew up a candle 'To see if wax diminished explosions'. And that was just this month. He's the love of my life, but the bane of my bank account's existence."
Rarity nods, dumbfounded "Well... I suppose that explains Twilight's... quirks."
Velvet sighs "Yes, would you believe that when I had given birth to either one of them, I had wished for an unremarkable child?"
"Not at all." Rarity replies flatly.
"Well, you're right, I had wished for children who would change the world for the better. Lo and behold, I have my wish granted."
Rarity chuckles "So, what are Shining's prospects?"
Velvet slides closer, looking both ways "Well, I have it on good authority he's been seeing a certain princess that he was assigned to... Cadence, Celestia's niece."
Rarity grins Already knew that. Need to get deeper... "Oho? Is that all? No... repeat flings? No... 'initiations' to the 'Privates' in his squad?"
Velvet giggles "Oh no... he's not that type of stallion... though he did have a unique marefriend a little while back. Twilight's old friend Lyra Heartstrings, but I think she was just stringing him along for information on how to infiltrate than anything."
"Infiltrate what?"
"Canterlot castle, she's always been an odd one, always borrowing books on mythology and history. Nice enough, but she was always a bit... out of synch with the rest of the world, almost like she was alien to it. I don't know, she inspired a story of mine though."
"Really? What might it be?"
"'Nomare: the tale of a mare out of space and time.'" Spike says, returning "We found dad's eyes."
Rarity cocks her head "I... don't think I've read that."
Spike nods "That's because it's never been published. Mom can't finish it, and she's able to turn out a story a week. The manuscript is in a locked box somewhere."
Velvet sighs "He's right, for eight years I've tried to finish it but I... I can't bring myself to. No ending ever seems to fit. I've spent hours trying to finish it but... nothing."
Rarity nods in understanding "I can relate, I have a few designs that I've never been able to finish, it drives me mad to see the blank spaces where something should go."
Velvet smiles "Hm, dressmaking and writing are quite similar, one is weaving art with fabric, the other is weaving art with words. Maybe you could help?"
Rarity turns to Spike who shrugs "I'd be honored."
Rarity sighs, halfway through the manuscript "This is..."
"Flat as a day old soda?" Spike asks, brushing Rarity's mane.
"Exactly, no offense to your mother-"
"Trust me, one out of three are decent. The problem is that she has no idea which of the three is decent. She usually sends them to Twilight or me to read and tell her what we thought. I usually end up reading all three because Twilight can't stand to be critical of her mother."
Rarity rubs her forehead "And it's not the subject that's bad it's... the execution."
Spike nods "Sounds about right. Dinner should be soon, what do you want to do?"
"I suppose I'll be blunt with her." Rarity replies, levitating the manuscript "Do you know if Cadence is visiting?"
"Nah, she's supposed to be at a conference in Detrot. I do not envy her." Spike says, lifting Rarity onto his back.
"I feel like we've forgotten something..." Rarity mutters.
"Sweetie Belle."
Rarity gasps "Oh dear! That's right! She could be-"
"I sent a letter to Pip a few minutes ago with the address to bring her back for dinner. Trust me Rarity, I got this. I've been looking after fillies since I was a hatchling. Albeit just one, but Twilight counts as multiple references."
Rarity chuckles, hugging Spike's neck "Where would I be without you?"
"At home with Sweetie Belle and working on an insane amount of orders?" Spike replies, kissing Rarity "But that's just because I dragged you out here."
Rarity rolls her eyes "I'm not holding that against you."
Dinner is a simple affair, and passes with nothing amazing happening.
At least, until Rarity leaves to get some fresh air "Hello Huntress." Princess Luna greets from underneath the balcony Rarity stood on.
"Hello Princess Luna."
"Have you learned anything?"
Rarity sighs "Besides the fact that Spike's family is more impressive than I could've imagined, no."
Luna tutts "There's something you've been pondering, I can tell from your voice."
"... One of Twilight's old friends had been trying to get security information from Shining Armour. Lyra Heartstrings."
Luna pauses "I am familiar with the mare in question. She is a brilliant scientist, but a breed of threat that Equestria hasn't seen for a very long time. She's without fear, like a child, but with intuition and intellect beyond most living ponies. She is obsessed with the past, and so far, she hasn't crossed my path."
"How is she a danger?" Rarity asks, concerned.
"... She is too intelligent for my sister's own good. Personally, I wish for the truth to be free to be known, but my sister has controlled history for a long time, as is evident by your minimal knowledge on foreign history. If Lyra were to succeed in her plans and disseminate the truth, my sister's actions would be called into question. My sister cannot withstand critical scrutiny, and so, Ms. Heartstrings is neither a friend nor foe. I wish I knew more, but her mind is guarded by ancient mental barriers and charms. Her mind is an impenetrable fortress, and whatever is within, is too dangerous to free at this time."
Rarity sighs "Are there any other ponies I should be concerned about?"
"You will know when you find them. On the table behind you is a tome of classic, pre-discordian designs and fabrics, consider it a gift. The contents are of the most powerful cloth enchanting spells and charms in history, but not all of them are... safe. One is of a cloak that renders the wearer intangible, but at the cost of your sight however long you wear it. Another is of a dress that is so beautiful, wars have been fought over it. Be warned, the designs are as dangerous as they are beautiful. Whether you make for yourself or others, it is not my concern. Just know should you use it for Ill, I will not hesitate to burn it and any you've made to ashes. Until we speak again, Rarity." a dim spark of magic flashes and Luna is gone.
Rarity turns and sitting on the table is a book in a burlap sack, the cover obscured by age "Well, I suppose this will help... but does she have to be so dramatic?"
Rarity pores over the book, a quill writing down notations and page numbers "... This seems to be enough, but I think it lacks something... something integral."
Spike looks up from his own book "Something the matter?"
Rarity nods "Suppose that one had to create an outfit to protect somepony from a number of environmental factors and the like, what enchantments would you use to make it?"
Spike taps his chin in thought "I'd make it water, fire, and electricity proof for starters. Regulate body temperature against cold and heat, breathability, and freedom of movement. I think that a rubberized nylon would work, but then again, it'd constrict in colder areas and is prone to being brittle."
Rarity taps her chin and shudders when an idea pops into her head "What... what makes up your scales, dear?"
Spike smiles "30% iron, 25% silicon-oxide, 12% carbon and copper, and 9% calcium. Why?"
She turns "How did you know all of that?"
"Twilight used to use my shed scales for her experiments when I was little. It was either that or she pluck them when she needed them. But that was before she got some grants." he scratches his back and check his claws "Some fell off when I was sparring with Shining earlier. I usually just collect them to use for Nightmare Night or something. Twilight says that they're magic-infused or something because I've lived with her for so long."
Rarity flips back several pages "Spike... another personal question..."
Spike shrugs, pulling a jar full of scales from his bag "Shoot."
"What... species of dragon are you?"
"Cantatis Flamma Draco, sub species; Spinosis."
Rarity scans the pages and stops on one
Spinosis: Cantatis Flamma Draco:
Very rare sub-species of the elusive magic-wielding dragon. Immunity to most physical trauma and never cease scale molts. Highly intelligent and capable of peace with ponies. Their scales have the ability to store magic in the form of carved, enchanted runes while on or off the body. Resistant against: Fire, water, electricity, blunt and a majority of collision/ sharp force. Magical resistances: Elemental. Weaknesses: Concussive magics, gravity.
Rarity sighs How lucky... Spike's the perfect type. I think that Luna knew that all this time...
Spike shrugs and returns to his book, deciding that Rarity looked like she needed time to think. |
Huntress of the night | Chapter 9: Calm before the storm | Rarity hums to herself, finishing a dress "Fini!"
She sets the dress down and folds it with her magic, placing it into one of her bags and sighing in pride "That's the last of my orders. Now I'm free!"
Velvet walks in and smiles "Hello Rarity."
"Hello Velvet, how are you?"
Velvet sighs, her mane frayed "I'm tired, I'm going to town, want to come?"
Rarity nods, locking the cases of clothing behind her.
Rarity sighs, levitating a croissant in her magic "This is what vacation should be. I'm definitely returning here again."
Velvet nods and sighs into her tea "How's Twilight, has anypony caught her eye?"
"Not that I know of, for all intents and purposes I assumed she was asexual. Why?"
"I worry about her, she's so bright and might make somepony happy that isn't a professor or Princess Celestia. I'm proud of my daughter, I really am, but... a mother worries. I just hope that she finds her soul mate outside of a book. Or worse, makes one."
Rarity nods "You can trust me, our friends would put a stop to that before it even started. She has been spending a bit of time with Moondancer, but I think that the relations is either mutual interest, or one sided." she takes a bite out of her croissant and sighs "Then again, most of my friends are too busy to look for a relationship."
"How so?"
"Applejack is married to her job, Rainbow is dense as a stone and too busy trying to get into the Wonderbolts, Fluttershy is too shy and busy with taking care of animals, and Pinkie Pie's... Pinkie Pie. There are no words to convey the enigma that is that hot pink mess."
Spike swipes a claw, digging into the brush and blinding Shining before slapping him with his tail "Ha!"
Nightlight claps and jots down a note "Nice use of the terrain, son!"
Shining spits out a leaf "Lucky shot. It won't happen again!" He teleports and reappears in mid-air and teleports again, avoiding Spike's claw and reappears on his back and touches his horn to the back of Spike's neck and sends an arc of magic into it, but the magic bounces back, knocking Shining onto his back, a scorch mark on his chest "You put a defensive ward on your neck?!"
Spike nods, pinning his brother to the ground, a grin on his face "You can't expect someone who reads comic books not to put some precautions on the universal blind spots. It took some time to carve it, but it worked."
Shining sighs and taps Spike's arm "I give."
Spike releases him, bowing "You're a great defensive fighter Shining, but offense isn't your forte."
Shining rolls his eyes "Yeah yeah. But the best offense is a good defense."
Spike leaps forward, his claws inches from Shining's throat "Unless your opponent is faster than you. Then all the shields in the world won't help you."
Shining backpedals and snorts angrily "Shut up, who's the guard captain here?"
Spike rolls his eyes "You."
"That's right, I don't know how you got so good at fighting, but it's concerning."
Spike sits on his haunches, confused "How is that bad? I can defend myself and my friends. That's why you became a guard, right?"
Shining nods "Yes, but you aren't defending, you're attacking. There's a difference."
"Okay, so I fight on the offensive. How is that bad?"
Shining shakes his head "It isn't bad. It's just something I'd never expect from you, is all."
"What does that mean?" Spike growls.
"You've always waited until something happens and then retaliate. You don't take initiative."
Spike snorts "I've learned that waiting for things to happen isn't as great a strategy as I thought. If I wait to strike, I might keep waiting for the perfect moment, and that means being afraid of failing."
"Spike, that's not what it means."
Spike grits his teeth "I waited, staying behind when Nightmare Moon appeared. I held my tongue when I saw Snips and Snails leave to get the Ursa, I waited to tell Twilight I didn't fight back against those Diamond Dogs that took Rarity, and I waited and held myself back from telling Rarity how I felt for a whole year! I'm tired of being the coward, afraid of being hurt." he growls "I'm not going to stand by and let others get hurt because I'm afraid. I'm going to fight to end it as fast as I can."
Shining sighs, sitting on his haunches "I know, I know how that feels, but you're throwing your life away that way. You could be blindsided by somepony who's smarter and faster and beat you when you show a moment of recklessness. I've seen it happen before, and I'll see it again. But not with you, I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because I didn't teach you how to defend. Now let's try this again. This time, just counter."
Rarity levitates a bolt of fabric in her magic "This is such a deep Persimmon! Why it must be dyed from actual plants."
Velvet shrugs "Looks orange to me."
Rarity chuckles "It would to most, but I have an eye for color gradation. I think this is enough for now, where do you want to go next?"
"Hmm... I'd like to go to the bird sanctuary."
Rarity smiles and walks up to the cashier "I'd like this, please."
"15 bits ma'am."
Rarity reaches into her saddlebags and pulls out several bits "15 bits my good clerk."
Rarity levitates the bolts into her bag, a flash of emerald magic spiriting them out of her magic.
Velvet blinks "Teleportation ward?"
"Why yes! I did it last night. I'm happy it worked."
She smiles "Twilight could never get symbols or wards, that was more Shining's thing. Come on, I know a shortcut."
Rarity watches several colorful birds fly overhead "Fluttershy would love this..."
Velvet sleeps under a tall tree, her face hidden by her mane.
a shadow of a large bat passes over Rarity.
A... large bat?
Rarity sighs "Hello Midnight."
The burgundy mare lands, shades on her eyes "Yo."
"Why are you following me?"
"To make sure that you don't tell anypony about the job. And to ensure that you don't get hurt before you can start it soon."
Rarity turns to Velvet and Midnight waves her hoof "She's asleep, small amount of a suppressant, she'll wake up when I'm done.
"Your training is almost done, but it's at the end of this month." she shrugs "Don't know why Luna's being so specific, but she's got her reasons."
"So you want me to get my affairs in order?"
Midnight chuckles "No, that's not what I meant. I mean that you need to get ready for the first mission, all I know is that it's a recovery. You know, get in, grab a thing, and get out."
Rarity smiles "Thank you Midnight."
The thestral mare nods and takes flight, gliding out through an open window.
Rarity yawns and sits on the opposite side of the tree from Velvet "It's such a nice day..."
"Aaagh!" Twilight yells, sailing through the air.
Moon Dancer sighs "I told you I was better at combat than you."
"Whoooo! Go everypony!" Minuette cheers, waving flags with both Twilight and Moon Dancer's cutie marks on them.
Lyra holds her hoof out to Lemon Hearts "Pay up. I win."
Lemon sighs and passes a bag of bits to Lyra "Come on Twilight! I'm losing bits on this!!"
Twilight grumbles something and falls out of the tree she'd landed in with an awkward squawk "I'm okay!"
Moon Dancer sighs and adjusts her glasses "I told you I was superior in combat."
Twilight rolls onto her hooves "I know, but I still wanted to try."
"I suppose that makes sense."
"Let me try." Lyra says, walking over to them "I think I can land a few on you, Moon Dancer."
Moon Dancer nods and Lyra bows to her, lighting her horn "Ready."
She lights her horn "Ready."
Lyra's horn sparks, blinding everypony.
Moon Dancer wipes her eyes and looks around "Where did she teleport to...?"
Twilight gallops to the rest of her friends and squints "I... I don't see her..."
Lyra reappears behind Moon Dancer and whistles before teleporting again, avoiding a blast of pale yellow magic "Wha- Nopony can teleport that fast!"
Lyra reappears "I'm more than a musician." she disappears, avoiding a wave of magic projectiles "I'm something of... a specialist."
Moon Dancer furrows her brow "How are you teleporting so fast?!"
Lyra appears on top of her and grabs Moon Dancer's hair tie, blinding her before disappearing and reappearing next to her, polishing her hoof on her chest "I know some... esoteric things. Like instantaneous transportation."
Twilight shudders "Is everypony better at magic than me?"
Lemon Hearts and Minnuette shake their heads "No, I'm about average, and Minnuette can do telekinesis on a few dozen things at once."
So the strangest of my two friends are better than me... that's reassuring. Twilight thinks to herself.
Moon Dancer stomps her hooves, the ground around her cracking and glowing with pale yellow magic "Stop that!!"
Lyra appears in front of her, her horn dimmed "Okay. You lose."
The ground that Moon Dancer broke glows bright gold, a circle forming around her hooves. Several golden lines shoot like bullets on the ground, drawing a large geometric figure and dozens of complex symbols "Wh- a magic circle!? How can-"
Lyra grins "I thought that chalk was too hard and noticeable, it takes some doing, but you can't break it."
The circle completes and fades away "... That didn't do anything."
Lyra rolls her eyes "You're my friend, besides, I'm tired." she slumps slightly, her horn darkened.
Moon Dancer smirks "You had me the- ow!" she rubs her nose "... Invisible barrier?"
Lyra nods "I'm no Shining armor, but it can be broken from the inside"
Moon Dancer lights her horn and shatters the shield "That wasn't funny."
"It kind of was!" Minnuette says, still waving her flags.
Twilight rolls her eyes "Are you two okay?"
Both nod and Moon Dancer turns to Lyra "How did you do that teleportation?"
"Hm? Oh! It's a little trick, you just teleport once and focus on where you want to go, but if you weaken the flow of magic, you can move halfway between points. It's easy if you can do it, but if you raise it for a second, you can reappear and disappear when you lower it again, like several small, instantaneous teleportations. But without the flash of light." Lyra replies, pantomiming a diagram.
Twilight cocks her head in confusion "How can you do that? Teleportation is instantaneous."
"Actually, there's a lag depending on how far apart the points are." Moon Dancer replies, rubbing her nose "That hurt."
Lyra shrugs "Sorry, if it makes you feel better, we can go get hay smoothies if you want."
Everypony nods and Twilight lags behind I wonder if I hadn't been tutored by Celestia, would I be as skilled as my friends? Or worse? Would I be several times more dangerous?
Rarity levitates a book onto the shelf, Velvet somewhere in the bookstore What intriguing books on fabric...
"Rarity?"
Rarity turns toward the voice and gasps "Suri?"
The light lavender mare nods, her mane in tight purple curls "Oh my Celestia! It's been so long!"
Rarity embraces the mare "How's Manehatten?"
"Cut throat, ruthless... it's a bit of a pain, but I'm doing good."
"How about we go someplace to eat? I'm just here with a friend, she won't mind."
Suri gasps "You're an element of harmony?!"
Rarity nods, blushing slightly "Yes, and Velvet's daughter is the element of magic."
Velvet nods, her nose in a book "Yeah, uh-huh..."
Rarity leans over to Suri "Like mother, like daughter." Suri giggles but pales, freezing in place "Duh-duh-dra..."
"What's the matter Darling?"
"Delicious pony..." someone growls into Rarity's ear, familiar claws lifting her up "Spike! Put me down this instant!!" Rarity shrieks through her giggles.
Spike tosses her into the air and catches her in his arms, holding her like one would a cat "No. I've missed you."
Suri nearly falls out of her chair but Velvet holds it and her steady, still engrossed in her book "What in Celestia's name?!"
Spike looks up from Rarity, sitting down on the chair she was in "Hi, I'm Spike, Rarity's coltfriend."
Rarity rolls her eyes and levitates herself out of Spike's grasp "And still a child sometimes."
"What? I've been serious all day, I don't know how Twilight does it without it sticking that way." Spike says, smoothing Rarity's mussed mane unconsciously.
Rarity pouts but leans into his grip, levitating herself into his lap "Mmmph... claws aren't fair..."
Spike grins, blushing "I know, but you're not too mad, right?"
"No... keep it up and I might though..."
Suri chuckles "Oh my gosh, I can't believe that Rarity, the class princess, is dating a dragon. No offense."
Spike shrugs "I know it's weird, but how can you not fall in love with an enchanting face like mine?"
Rarity rolls her eyes and fires a small bolt of magic at his chest "Stop flirting, darling. I'm liable to get jealous."
Spike winces and nods "Yes'm."
Suri outright guffaws, struggling to stay in her chair, much to Velvet's annoyance "I'm trying to read!"
She gets her laughter under control and wipes her eyes "Oh gosh, I haven't laughed like that in ages. You two are perfect for each other... I just wish that most of the stallions in Manehatten weren't designers too, who'd steal my designs, or flamboyantly gay."
"If it makes you feel any better, I was convinced that Spike was gay." Velvet says, still reading.
Spike blushes "M-mom!"
Rarity snickers "You did learn about fashion to impress me... and let that one filly down gently."
"How did you know about what happened with Truffle Shuffle?"
"Sweetie Belle." Rarity says, smiling "She is a little gossip hound."
"And that has nothing to do with your influence?" Spike replies, grinning.
"None at all! I'm shocked to hear you say that!!" Rarity gasps.
Suri smiles "But weren't you gossiping with me before he came by?"
Rarity pouts, her nostrils flaring "Thank you... Suri."
Suri sighs "You don't happen to know any decent stallions from Ponyville, would you?"
Spike and Rarity pause "... Not... really. Unless it's a 'Hit-it-and-quit-it' type guy, than Thunderlane."
Rarity groans "No, but there must be..." she frowns "Oh dear, I don't think there are any that aren't married or insane."
"Caramel?"
"Pre-op." Rarity answers.
"... Steven?" Spike suggests.
Rarity looks up at him "Who?"
"The lake monster you and the girls met on your way to face Nightmare moon?"
Rarity gasps "Yes! But... he's a sea monster... and she's a pony."
Spike cocks his head "And you're a pony, and I'm a dragon. Your point?"
"Well there's a difference between a charming metrosexual sea serpent and a charming metrosexual dragon..." Rarity pauses "I see your point, Darling. But the problem is would he want to date a pony?"
Suri clears her throat "Erm... did you say 'sea monster'? As in, giant snake creature?"
Spike nods "He's more of an alligator and a snake with hands and feet."
"And a grand head of hair and an impressive mustache."
Suri rolls her eyes "Heck, if he's straight and not some misogynistic plot hole, I'm willing to try it..."
Rarity scratches her head "... Steven's straight, right?"
Steven Magnet sneezes, nearly flooring Aloe "Oh terribly sorry, Aloe."
Aloe shrugs "Vere I come from, sneezing is a sign zat somepony is talking about you."
Steven rolls his eyes "Like somepony would talk about lil' ol' me. I just hope I'm not getting a cold!"
Aloe quirks an eyebrow "You can get a cold?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You live in freezing cold vater, how do you catch a cold?"
Steven shrugs "Fair point."
Aloe grins "How is your relationship vith Ms. Gertrude?"
Steven sighs "She said that I shouldn't enjoy spending time with ponies and helping them. She says that a grown monster shouldn't be social, we should be angry, mean, and vicious! Can you believe that?!"
Aloe shakes her head, clicking her tongue "Some mares have no idea how good some stallions are. Vhy, if I vasn't a mare of comfortable horseshoes, I'd date you in a heartbeat."
Steven grins "Thanks Aloe, you know just what to say, And you're the only pony who likes pampering me."
Aloe smiles "Vell, some ponies are just so judgmental. Zo... vord on ze street is zat Cranky is vith Matilda, has she wormed into zat old mule's heart?"
Steven looks both ways before leaning down to Aloe's level "Yes, it's true! She was the one he was looking for! It's almost too sweet to stand!"
Aloe giggles, releasing Steven's thumb, the nail and knuckle shined and claw dulled "Now, how about ve see vhat can be done vith you're hair... I'm zinking... 'Artistic ponytail'..."
"Probably." Spike replies "I'd show you a picture, but I left my album at home."
Suri smirks "You do photography?"
"No, I scrapbook. It was something that I picked up from Granny Smith."
Velvet looks up from her book "Quueeeeeer..."
Spike blushes "Mom! I'm straight for the umpteenth time!!"
"Then you're the most effeminate stallion I've met, and I've met Hoity Toity." Suri interjects, grinning.
Spike rolls his eyes "As have I, but that's another story. Anyways, Suri, tell me about those stallions who were nothing but plot holes."
Suri grins "And you gossip? Goodness, I'm liable to take him from you Rarity!"
Rarity smirks with a fierce look in her eyes "I wouldn't try it, I may be the element of generosity, but that doesn't mean I won't fight for my coltfriend."
Spike coughs into his hand "Don't I get a say in this?"
"No." all three mares reply in unison.
Misandry is alive and well... Spike thinks to himself.
Suri hugs Spike and Rarity "It is such a joy to see you again Rarity, I'll write. I'd like to go on an inspirational search with you any time. And Spike, you are by far, the most wonderful stallion I've met, if things don't work out..." she looks both ways and whispers into his ear "I'm liable to be free..."
Spike blushes "I-I'm flattered Suri, really, but my heart belongs to Rarity. But I'll give your mailing information to Steven, trust me, he's a great guy, and has several connections, or so I'm told."
Suri mock sighs and smiles at the both of them "Until we meet again."
Rarity shakes her head, chuckling "Suri Polomare, the one filly who loved fashion as much as I did, and that's a grand feat. It's nice to meet with ponies you'd lost track of."
Spike nods "Yeah... hey, a bit out of the blue, but what do you think of Dash's old friend Gilda?"
Rarity taps her chin in thought "You know, I had wanted to meet a griffon, they have a rich history, though they have a... very brusque nature, apparently."
Spike nods "I just think that's she's... afraid of getting hurt, so she lashes out so that nopony can get close. "
Rarity smiles and bumps his leg "Do you have a degree in psychology or something, Love?"
"No, but I've been living with a head case for a few years."
Moondancer sips her smoothie "Thank you for buying me this."
Lyra shrugs "It's nothing. Anyways, what's the situation you needed me for? I'm not going to go infiltrate any organizations."
"I wanted to see you, because time is running short." she takes another sip "You are the only one of us that has the power to dream walk."
Lyra grimaces "I'm not teaching you that spell. I couldn't even if I wanted to."
Moondancer nods "But I need you to find somepony as soon as possible. If you can't by the end of the month, don't bother."
Lyra nods, leaning closer "Who is it?"
"Trixie Lulamoon, the traveling illusionist."
Lyra frowns "I know her, but she won't know me, I just watched her shows. I could find her by reconnaissance, but knowing her type, she's either only appearing when her funds are low, or has changed her face and identity, but still preforming. That's why you need me to dream walk, she can change her habits and everything else, but it'd take longer to rewrite her personality and subconscious." she sips her shake loudly "That's going to be hard without knowing her rough location. I'm not Princess Luna, I can't select areas, I need to be within a single city's limits for it to work."
Moondancer nods "I've located a rough route that she went through in the past, along with the last year's. That leaves three places, including wooded areas and outside Equestria. I'd do it myself, but I have duties here in Ponyville."
"I'll do it, but... why her?"
"She knows something that may save me... I want to live." Moondancer shudders "I don't know why... I was resigned to my death... but for some reason, I want to fight it..."
Lyra smiles "That what happens when you find a friend who understands you, you want to do illogical things, just to spend more time with them."
Moondancer sighs "I was afraid you were going to say that." |
Huntress of the night | Chapter 10: Domino setting | Luna wipes her forehead and sheathes her broadsword "Okay, one thousand vertical slashes. Now for one thousand horizontal."
She draws her sword and started slashing the air, counting in her head.
Celestia sighed and watched her sister work out "I get exhausted just looking at her..."
Luna walks towards Celestia's balcony and flew up to it, still swinging her sword "You get used to repetition if you think about other things. Like how much force is required to remain stationary while in flight and with a sword."
Celestia rolls her eyes "How is it that you can do all of that and not get tired?"
"Better stamina, mental training, lesser gravity, and an understanding of physics." Luna replies, levitating a green ball of dough from her pocket "And good, nutritious food."
Celestia sniffs the air "That's... please don't tell me that's one of those strange buns you made when we were younger."
"Then I won't tell you." Luna replies, taking a bite out of it "I just don't see why you don't keep in top form, sister."
She sighs "I stress ate while you were banished. And I was never one who enjoyed exercise."
Luna shrugs "Have you seen Discord?"
Celestia shook her head "No, not recently."
Luna sheathes her sword again "Neither have I... where is he?"
A bearded pony in a brown hooded tunic sighs into his cup of tea "Hmm..."
"Dizzy!"
Dizzy looks up from the tea and waves to the pony who'd called his name "Crop, nice to see you."
Crop, a brown Pegasus with white spots on his muzzle and hooves walks over to Dizzy "How've you been Dizzy Spell?"
"I've been doing well and good whenever I can." Dizzy replies, sipping his tea "How goes the market? I haven't seen your name in any of the agricultural rags."
Crop snorts "You talk like an old pony Dizzy, 'Rags'..." he sighs "Market's been steady, in all seriousness. Though there've been eddies in the water too."
Dizzy raises and eyebrow and sets the cup of tea onto the stained cafe table "Do tell..."
Crop inhales, readying himself to tell the story "Well, there's been a number of Parasprite sightings near a series of empty grain silos to the west, and what with how Parasprites multiply, storage is going to be near impossible until they get a proper band to draw 'em out."
Dizzy nods "Ah, so you're going to swoop in before they take residence, buy stock in the grain milling company, and sell it to get a maximum payback for stock that will lose a large amount of worth?"
"That's the plan, but I'm not some business pony who thrives on the misfortunes of others, I'm also going to suggest that they store it in the next town over, and charge half price to have my company deliver the grain."
"Half?" Dizzy asks, confused.
"Well, I know what it's like to deal with that kind of situation, so I think that they could use a break, but I still need to make money. I'll do more than break even, Dizzy. But it all hinges on Mother Nature."
Dizzy smiles, draining the last of his cup "That sounds like a pretty good gamble to me, Crop Duster. I have a friend waiting for me in the next town over, see you in the rags next week."
Crop snorts, watching his friend trot away "Again with the 'Rags'... swear he must've been living in a cave somewhere..."
Dizzy Spell fades into the crowd and looks up, pausing to marvel at the view of Canterlot "Soon, my friend, I shall return."
On a rock farm, bland and dull, a single bright blue object toils, mane and tail tied and sheared off crudely "... Three thousand!"
A dark purple-grey mare walks over to her, a pick in her hoof "That fast? You must be using your magic too."
The blue mare shakes her head "No, only when my hooves are too numb."
The other mare, obviously of a more positive temperament, hugs the blue unicorn "You don't have to be so monotone around me, Trix."
Trixie sighs, lightly hugging her friend "I know... but whenever I start thinking about saying something... I see their faces."
A solid grey mare with a mane that shined like spilled ink, walked over to the two "What's going on, Trixie break her hoof or something?"
"Marble! I thought you said you would more caring!"
"You do the caring for the both of us, sis." she sits on Trixie's other side, hugging the monotone unicorn "You want to take off? Get some sleep, kill a formation or two, get smashed like an outhouse in a mudslide?"
"Maaaarble!! Violence and drinking aren't the right solutions for emotional trauma, right Trixie?"
Trixie blinks and smiles at both of them faintly "S-sorry, I was... thinking... why do you both care so much, for a washed up magician like me?"
Marble smiles, brushing a lock of Trixie's silver mane away from her face "Because we love you, Trix. Why else do you think we like to get you all alone out here? Right Blinks?"
Blinkie rolls her eyes "Yes, we love you, but no, I'm not trying to ambush you. You've got two someponies vying to make you happy, and nothing will change that."
Trixie smiles, blushing slightly "Thanks... both of you, I needed that."
"Hey, what are marefriends for?" they ask in unison, kissing both of Trixie's cheeks.
It wasn't an uncommon sight to see the three of them working, talking, or relaxing together, the Pie twins and the new worker/tenant Trixie. Very few ponies were aware of how deep their friendship and affections went.
They were a herd with three members, all mares and closed to anypony who might want in.
Trixie was technically the head, but she was so shy and usually only talked for periods where one or both Pies were present. She was likable, even though she dodged questions about her past.
Limestone was the happiest of the three, and had a pretty optimistic point of view on life. She was, of course, a rock farmer, but also a rather famous fashions model, mostly for work wear fashions.
Her twin, and older by seven minutes sister, Marble, was the grounded, practical of the three, usually suggesting ways to solve problems with a pretty predictable pattern; ignore it, get drunk, fight it, and stakeouts. A private investigator by trade as well as rock farmer, she's not a pony you mess with, and you're asking for it if you try to mess with her family or Trixie.
The few ponies who knew about the relationship were Maud Pie, the eldest of all the Pie sisters, Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz, the twins' parents, and Green Sleeves, an old adventurer who claims to have met Daring Doo, and the barkeep of the only bar in Boulder, Clouderado.
Maud Pie trundles by, her pet rock, Boulder, on her head "... You seem to have completed your share of today's work Trixie..." she pauses, as if thinking, but the twins could tell she was just pausing to make sure that Trixie hadn't hurt herself "... Mount says that you are going to be needed in a town called Ponyville soon. A mare's life is in danger, and only you have the knowledge to save her."
Trixie nods to Maud but does a double take "Po-Ponyville?! As in, the town your other sister lives in?"
Maud nods slowly "I'm sorry to cut your working hours here short, I know you enjoy the limited contact, but I feel that you need to cultivate some good faith there. Marble, Limestone, you two can come... if you want."
Both mares nod and lift Trixie off the ground and onto their shoulders "We're ready if you are, sis." Limestone chirps.
Maud pauses "She'll need her cart too. And..." she lifts Boulder off her head "Tellurium and lithium ore."
Trixie tried to protest, but a look from both of her marefriends meant that they wouldn't be swayed by anything she said, so she sighed and rested on their shoulders, dozing off.
Trixie yawned, the sound of hushed conversation rousing her sleeping mind to alertness "Marble? Limestone?"
"About time you woke up." Marble jeers, earning a glare from her sister.
Trixie yawns again, wiping her eyes and popping her joints "What's going on?"
Maud, silent for the whole trip, speaks "We're here."
Down hill Ponyville waits, and Trixie's heart drops "Oh... right."
Marble grins "Yup, Pinkie must live here, and I'm guessing... that giant gingerbread house over there is hers."
Trixie looks around her cart, and finds two bags "Are these the ores?"
Limestone nods "Yeah, don't know what they're supposed to do to help somepony, but whatever."
As if on cue, the sound of screaming fillies splits the air.
Trixie leaps off the cart, galloping towards the source of the voices.
Marble and Maud nod to each other, quickly removing the harnesses and following after Trixie.
Limestone, however, removes her harness and enters the wagon, looking for the medical kit she'd stashed before leaving the farm, following after the three other mares "And they said we might not need an aid kit..."
Trixie dives into a clearing and finds a terrifying sight, three fillies stuck to a tree by sap, the wreck of a glider strewn around the clearing's center. Crushing the ruins of the glider is something that Trixie had never thought she'd see.
"T-T-Timberwolf Alpha!!" she yells back where she came, charging her horn.
The hulking wooden beast turns to Trixie and howls at her, snapping it's pony-sized teeth at her.
It is times like this I regret looking after I jump, and not before... Trixie thought to herself "Agh, how do you kill a timberwolf agai- Aha!" she dims her horn and blows a raspberry at it "Hey, stink-breath! Your made of nothing more than rotten driftwood!!"
It roars at her and she takes off "Let's see, upper area of the Everfree, so the closest lake is-whoa!" she leaps, her tail nearly bitten off.
"Hey! If anyone is biting Trixie's tail, it's going to be me!" Marble yells, darting out of the trees to kick one of the wolf's joints into the other, knocking it's head into the ground.
Maud appears next to her, her hooves glowing white "... Break." she leaps onto the Timberwolf's back and punches at the base of its neck, separating the body from the head.
Maud simply trundles off the rapidly crumbling body, each piece no longer held by the wolf's magic "That was fun."
Trixie smiles, hugging the two mares "Thank you! Now let's finish it off." her horn lights and she throws the yowling, panicked head through the air and into a pond, the green flames extinguished instantly.
Limestone enters the path, sweaty "Huff... huff... why don't I have your stamina?"
Maud shrugs and takes the kit, walking back towards the struggling fillies "Come on... we need to get them to town."
Marble salutes and kisses Trixie on the cheek "I meant what I said wand-booty, your tail is mine."
Trixie flushes and follows, Limestone's attention on reprimanding her sister.
Scootaloo hisses in pain when Trixie removes her helmet that had somehow filled with tree sap "So... what are your names?"
"Sweetie Belle." Sweetie replied, bowing her head and trying to fix her mohawked mane and tail.
Scootaloo rubs her mane, her hooves sticking to it "Scootaloo... ow!!"
"An' ah'm Applebloom." Applebloom says, her signature bow stuck to her flank.
"Well, the mare with the dark mane is Marble, the one with the grey is Limestone, and the last one in the frock is Maud." Trixie says "And I'm Bellatrix, we're rock farmers."
Scootaloo pauses, her hooves now stuck to her cheeks "Whaiph, ithn't Plinkie a rock farmerth?"
Sweetie nods, the spikes of her mane left alone "Yes, though I doubt that they're related to her."
"Yeah, an' besides, Pinkie said that she her whole family were Earth Ponies." she points at Trixie "An Bellatrix is a unicorn."
Maud pauses and reaches into her pocket, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper "We're here."
Trixie looks up and recognizes Sugarcube Corner, one of the places she hadn't been to "Well, I suppose if we ask arou-"
The door opens loudly, cutting Trixie off as a blur of pink shoots out from within. Reacting on instinct, she throws up a barrier around the cart that the blur slams into, baby blue eyes staring at her "Hiiiiiii..." the pink monster whispers, licking the barrier like it was a lollipop.
Trixie raises an eyebrow "What in the name of Luna is that?"
"Our sister." all three Pies say in unison and Trixie lowers the barrier "Seriously? You said your sister was different, but I didn't think special different."
Pinkie thrusts her hoof into Trixie's face "Hi!I'mPinkiePie!WelcomeToPonyville!IfeellikeI'vemetyoubefore-" Trixie casts a slowing spell on Pinkie "Come again?"
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville! I feel like I've met you before but that's okay, I'll still throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' Party! Oh my gosh! Maud! Marble and Limestone too! What happened, is somepony getting married, are dad and mom okay, are you okay? Hi Crusaders!"
Trixie dispels the magic and Pinkie rubs her lips "Weird..."
Maud smiles at Pinkie "We're here to help somepony, or rather, help Bellatrix help somepony."
Pinkie gasps "Then it must be super-duper important! But I can't think of anypony who might need help!"
Maud nods and reaches back into her pocket, pulling out Boulder "Boulder knows the way."
Scootaloo scratches her head with Sweetie's spikes "Definitely Pinkie's sisters."
Twilight looked up from her book on heart defects "I wonder who'd knock to get in a library?"
Moondancer shrugs, sketching.
She opens the door and comes face-to-face with Maud, who blinks "Is there a pony who needs a rock farmer along with Tellurium and Lithium?"
Twilight blinks several times replaying the flat question in her head "Y-yes... why?"
Maud nods "Boulder was right. Where is the pony?"
Moondancer walks out of the Library, nudging Twilight aside "I'm her, how can you help me?"
Maud shrugs "I don not know. Bellatrix is the pony who can do something about whatever your problem is."
"'Bellatrix'?" Twilight asks.
Moondancer quirks her eyebrow "Bellatrix Lulamoon?"
Trixie hops out of the cart, levitating the crusaders "Do you know who these- ah!!" she darts behind Marble and Limestone, cowering "That's Twilight Sparkle! She must hate me for what happened, I know she does!!"
Marble lifts her leg to look at Trixie "As much as I want you beneath me Trix, I'm pretty sure right now isn't the time or place."
Limestone nods "She's a nice pony, I can tell."
Moondancer rips Trixie out from her hiding place and sets her in front of her "You're Bellatrix Lulamoon, only daughter of Artemis Lulamoon, the missing magician next in line for Magus Supreme?"
Trixie winces "Y-yes... I am she."
Moondancer blinks "Huh, thought you'd be... impressive. Can you forge a magical heart engine?"
Trixie pauses "That... depends. What type of heart engine are you talking about? I can make one for a small auton, yes, but nothing like a dreadnaught-class golem."
Moondancer smirks "Let's talk inside."
Trixie follows her, then Maud and finally Marble and Limestone.
Twilight rubs her head "I'll... make tea, I guess."
Trixie sets her tea down and rubs her eyes, "You... what?"
"I'm your cousin, consequently, the only living member of the Dancer clan, like you are of the Lulamoon clan."
Marble grins her teeth "Hey, she may be a unicorn, but she's ours. I don't care what kind of money you may have to put her in some kind of harem so that your bloodline doesn't die, I will make you the late last of your clan, you get me?!"
Limestone gasps and slaps her sister on the back of the head "You just sat down, and drew that conclusion?!"
"What? You've read the same papers I do! 'Heiress buys local mare/stallion for name'."
Moondancer smirks "That isn't what I want at all."
"Okay then, use some kind of wicked dark arts to steal her family's power through her bloodline, or drain her life to prolong yours. I've seen that type of evil too many times first hoof, and let me tell you, Moondancer, I will put you out of your misery for trying to hurt Trixie or anypony else that you have on your list of victims." Marble says, her hoof glowing with magic.
"No, you misunderstand!" Twilight says "Moondancer does need Trixie's help to live, yes, but-"
"You're the one my father made the metal heart for, aren't you?" Trixie asks, walking out of the library "I have the plans for the replacement, but I haven't done it before. The plans are all in my head, but I need a foundry, lathe, a clockmaker's tools, a jeweler's tools as well, a forge and all of the ore we brought."
Maud quirks an eyebrow "I can help."
Trixie shakes her head "Thanks, but the plans require strictly unicorn magic, if it was for an Earth pony, that'd be a different story, but it will take at least two weeks to make."
Twilight hops from her seat but Trixie turns, holding up her hoof "I'm... sorry, but I swore to my father the night before he disappeared that I'd never show or teach anyone not related by blood what he taught me."
Moondancer hums in thought What a radical change in attitude, what I heard about her from ponies said that she was boisterous and spoke in the third pony. But she looked like she was afraid of Twilight and me... and now she's dead serious. How... interesting, I suppose she might suffer from a shattered ego or splintered personalities. This bears research. "Thank you Bellatrix, it means so much to me."
Trixie grins weakly, her meekness bleeding through again "I've never done anything like it before, but I'll try my best."
Celestia taps Luna's shoulder "What are you staring at?"
Luna looks up from her telescope "Progress. I have many social experiments and dominos. Soon, something amazing or horrible will awaken Equestria for the first time in a millennium." she sighs "To be honest, I am not too sure which one sounds the most entertaining."
"'Which one' what?"
"The horrible or amazing outcomes, the fruit of my experiments." Luna replies.
Celestia frowns "Luna, you're not manipulating ponies' minds, are you?"
"No, I am just manipulating what minor choices they decide, a little coercion, but the rest is out of my control. I set the dominos up, but it is up to them how they fall or if they fall at all. All I can do is hope that it doesn't kill me before the final outcome."
The white alicorn sighs "Luna, you're going to become a hermit at the rate you're going."
"I could go out and date somepony, I suppose, but there aren't that many free mares in Canterlot, less of whom I could relate to."
Celestia sighs "Will you drop this 'I'm homosexual' act? I know that you are straight, like me."
Luna frowns "Oh? And what evidence to you have to prove your point?"
Celestia sighs "One, I've seen you stare at the guards as they work and train. Two, you have a large amount of interest in love, and what it means. And three, most of your male guards are what some would call handsome."
Luna snorts "Sister, you are wrong. Counter evidence: one, I stare at them, but I am also appraising them, learning how they fight and train in case they are needed for combat, there is nothing sexual or romantic in my appraisals. Two, I have a vested interest in the emotions of others, but only to understand why they act the way they do, I am not interested in love for its' own sake, but rather as a tool and a variable. And three, the guards that you speak of are the ones that are left of your night guard."
"... Ah." Celestia replies "I suppose I was wrong-"
"And I had a pet manticore when we lived in the old castle, I wore stallion's clothing whenever we went out, talked animatedly with the travelling theatre troupes, and the mornings when I'd return drunk? I had also enjoyed the company of mares whilst in disguise." Luna says, giving her sister a flat look "The only one it wasn't apparent to was you, Celestia."
Celestia backpedals slightly "I..." she sighs, her shoulders slumping "You're right, I was-"
"Too busy inspecting your own dock to the things happening around you?" Luna interjects, adjusting her telescope "You know, I never judged you for your homophobia, never assume that, I still believe that you consider it to be a choice over the truth, that I have no control over it."
"You're always so... so... right."
"Only in the sciences and the like, I still have trouble understanding ponies without the use of telepathy. Now, Ms. Raven is looking for you, you have an appointment with a dignitary from the Griffon Kingdom to the north."
Celestia nods and exits Luna's room, closing the door after her.
Luna taps her hooves on the floor twice and Midnight Rose descends from her hiding place on the ceiling "I delivered the message to Rarity, Luna. I also have the artifact you've chosen to 'Donate' to the museum."
Luna turns, nodding to the saluting Thestral "Good, Do you have it here?"
She nods and reaches into her armor, retrieving a golden eye "The eye of Maredas?"
Luna takes it and reaches into her torc and retrieves a wooden bit "Let's see if it still works."
Her horn sparks and the eye glows for a split instant, turning the bit to gold "Ahhh... I knew that plucking this from that mule-king was a grand idea. Thank you, and give them this letter."
Midnight salutes again and takes flight, gliding towards a large building.
Luna sighs, summoning a book "Soon, the 'virtues' of this gilded society will be shown the light, and revealed as the comfortable lies they are."
"Or you could just tell them yourself, Lulu."
Luna whips around, a sword in her magic "Who-"
Discord raises his hands in surrender "It's just me, Lulu."
Luna smiles and lowers her sword "Discord... hello."
Discord shrinks to her height and hugs her around the neck "Hello my dearest friend. How are you?"
"I'm fine, but where have you been? I've been looking for you through the ley lines, but you never show up."
Discord smiles "I don't, because you were using the harmonic network." he sits, coiling up to cross his arms "I was in a small, out-of-the-way town to the south of Canterlot, befriending ponies and the like there. You know I like the unpredictable, mathematical nature of commerce."
Luna nods slowly "Ah, so you were making friends?"
He nods.
"But there's something else, isn't there? I can tell." Luna asks, but it was more of a statement.
"... Yes, I have seen that while Ponies do have a great amount of empathy and compassion, they also have a great deal of obliviousness to their natures as well."
"And you find that surprising?"
"No, I just.. thought that ponies would be more inquisitive and curious. Ponies used to be afraid of the unknown, but now they don't even think about it or bat an eye. Luna, your plan may be doomed to fizzle out like a microscopic bomb." he sighs "I'm all for changing the status quo, I am, but there's a line between trying to evoke change, and just kicking up dust."
Luna nods "I am aware, but if I am afraid of failure, then there's no point in anything. I accept that possibility, but that doesn't mean I like it. I am going to see something change, something that will start a change to stop this stagnation ponies have gotten to believe is right." she grinds her teeth "I'm not going to let something like a false sense of peace turn ponies into a joke of the world."
"Even if it costs the lives of those very ponies?" Discord asks.
"..." Luna sighs under her breath "I will try my hardest to avoid casualties, you know that. I will fight such an outcome, but death is something that has to happen sooner or later, and I accept that risk too, even if it makes my heart ache."
Discord nods and stands to his full height "Luna, you play a dangerous game, and it doesn't take a god to see that whatever happens in the future might be your fault. Maybe not entirely, but an amount that you'll be burdened with for the rest of your life."
"I know that. I carried the burden of failing you as a friend for a long time, but I still haven't forgiven myself, that is something that I may never be able to do, but I will accept what comes." her face calms "I am a warrior with a cause, and though war may break my body, it will not wound my spirit, that I promise you, Discord."
Discord smiles and sits down again "That's all I needed to hear."
Rarity watches Spike and Shining spar, deeply entranced "Fighting is much like dancing, it seems."
Night Light sits next to her, a whirring contraption to his side "That it is, I can't fight or dance, so that must make it true."
Rarity giggles "Yes, I've seen Twilight's 'Dancing', and at first I thought she was having an attack of sorts."
He laughs "Yeah, I can see that." he taps the contraption and scribbles something down "I can tell that you're a fighter and a dancer."
Rarity turns to him "How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Simple, you carry yourself with measured grace and no movement is wasted, like a dancer conserving their stamina. You're a fighter because your hooves have wear inconsistent with just sewing, that and you don't have heavy muscle meant for long-combat like my sons have, yours are lithe and limber, which denotes fast, short amounts of combat. And your mane, while immaculate, is styled to act like a shield for your eyes from debris." he smiles knowingly and Rarity suppresses a shiver "And I'm also in Princess Luna's employ."
So he works for Luna as well, how peculiar. Rarity thinks to herself "Well, that explains a few things about you, Mr. Light, but how are you contributing to the Princess' considerable plans?"
"I am the head of her Research and Development group." he replies simply, wincing when Shining lands a blow to Spike's collar bone.
Rarity nods slowly, processing the information This is a very unique collection of individuals she has. Midnight Rose is her direct guard and close-combat specialist. Moondancer is her battle magician as well as possibly the most well-read pony in the country. And now there's Night Light, a mad scientist who is also Twilight's father as her technical expert as well as possibly her weapons maker. Then there's me, her infiltration specialist... who else is working for her? And... what is she holding over their heads?
Shining flies through the air, thrown by Spike "That's good! You're getting faster!"
Spike grunts, rolling his jaw.
Night smiles "Good works son!"
Shining leaps and Spike tries to grab him but he teleports away.
Rarity's ear twitches and she whirls around, jabbing a hoof where Shining reappeared, hitting him in the chest.
"Whoa! Sheesh, that was faster than anypony I've seen!" Night says, clapping.
Shining, however, stares in equal parts amazement and apprehension "How could you-"
"I've been watching you teleport around for the past few minutes, Sir Armor." she retracts her hoof "And you always leave a sort of after image before you reappear."
Spike snaps his talons "Oh yeah, I wasn't sure if I was just seeing things or not."
Shining coughs "That's... really?"
Night nods and presses a button on his machine and it whirs to life "This is a compact, transportable recording projector. Watch."
A beam of gold light the same color as his magic flows from the projector and a miniature version of Spike and Shining fighting appears to float above the ground.
Rarity and Shining watch intensely and a split second before Shining reappears after teleporting, he shows up where he'll appear "Wow, but I could barely see that." he mutters.
"Yes, I'm afraid I haven't figured out how to slow it down yet, it records in real time."
"But this is still a great invention. It must take quite a bit of time to set up though."
He shakes his head, grinning "Not really, it's gyroscopic, it can start recording once it warms up."
"What are you going to call this contraption dad?" Shining asks, running a hoof through the image.
He shrugs "I'll leave that to other ponies, I'm not all that creative with names."
Spike shrugs and turns to Shining, "Shall we pick up where we left off, captain?" |
Talunion's Life | pre | "I know where my brother should be at this time." I whisper. "Just follow me."
"Okay I follow you." she says, giggling.
We both walk quietly to the living room, and I see Sleepin' resting on the couch. I then sign Starlight to stay here for a moment, as I walk closely to the couch. And finally, I yield:
"HELLO BIG BROTHER!"
"Wake up!" he says randomly with surprise.
"Indeed, I didn't think about that." Starlight says as she's approaching me.
"Why did you do that?" Sleepin' says, a bit angry.
"Do you remember the many times you woke me up like this? I wanted to take my revenge."
He sighs after I said this.
"So, what makes you come here?"
"Well, as you can see, me and Starlight are finally together!" I say as I share a hug with her.
"Oh really?" he says, happily surprised.
"Exactly!" Starlight intervenes. "And that's the happiest day of my life. And I guess Tal would say the same for him."
I nod at this, as Sleepin' says: "Sorry for repeating myself, but that's really adorable."
"By the way Starlight, I have something I want to show you. Follow me, it's upstairs."
"Okay I follow you." she responds.
We both go upstairs until we arrive to my room's door.
"Starlight! Welcome to my museum!" I announce as I open the door.
Indeed, I know it's a mess, but that's not what I wanted to show her. In fact, I wanted to show the drawings. And indeed, it is the first thing she sees when she enters to my room.
"Oh wait. Is that Manehattan? And Vanhoover? And the Crystal Empire?" she asks as she's watching the drawings.
"Yeah, I did many trips to do that. And I'm proud of what I did. But I didn't visit everything, and that's something I really want to do, whatever happens."
"Maybe we can do those trips together." she suggests.
"Oh really? Do you insist?"
"Yes I do."
"Well, if you say so." I reply happily. "In fact, I didn't visit the cities that aren't even in Equestria, like Klugetown or the Mount Aris."
"Yeah, I would be up to visit the Mount Aris when you're ready."
"If you want. But first, there's one place in Equestria I didn't visit yet. I will talk about it when we'll be at home."
"Okay, if you want." she answers, smiling.
"What about we go home now?"
"Let's do this."
Before following Starlight downstairs, I take my backpack. And before exiting the house, I make an announcement to Sleepin'.
"Okay big bro, I'm gonna go with Starlight. Seeya!"
"Okay, have a good time." he says, blinking.
And so, Starlight and I exit the house, using the door this time. We are about to go home, and I don't think I will continue to consider my brother's house as my home. In fact, I'm happy with Starlight. And then again, I see Blue Night's house[2], so I consider it as a landmark to Starlight's house and my soon-to-be house. And finally we are in front of it. I don't know why, but it was pretty quick. And as we enter in it, I finally say something I wanted to share her.
"By the way, I don't remember when I told you my nickname, but... are you up to know my real name?"
"Yeah but... Doesn't your brother already know you real name? Because I always heard him calling you by your nickname."
"Yeah I know. It's because he gets in the habit of calling me like this, thus calling me by my name really disrupt him."
"Oh okay, that makes more sense."
And I'm about to say it: "My real name is Paintbrush Spot."
[1] For the moment I am still outside, entering in his house would be a loss of time.
[2] In fact, there's something I ask myself: is Blue Night's house the true and only landmark to Starlight's house? |
Talunion's Life | Chapter 9 | So now, my real name is revealed to Starlight. And as I'm thinking about it, I realize it was not the fact that somepony knows my name that made me stubborn, but the fact that I hear it. Now this sensation is gone. Maybe thanks to Starlight? I think so. Anyway, we were both on the comfy couch for sometimes now, before I say something.
"By the way, I don't remember, did I tell you the place I wanted to visit? I noted to tell you that when we're home."
"Yeah, you told me there's one place in Equestria you didn't visit." she answers. "So what is it?"
"Okay. So it's the Neighagra Falls. I really wanted to visit them for so long."
At that moment, I see Starlight a bit surprised about my answer.
"Really? You didn't go to the Neighagra Falls? You should indeed really visit it."
So, am I the only traveler who didn't go to the Neighagra Falls yet? That's such a shame for me, I should indeed go make a visit here.
"Okay so, I am wondering." I say. "Are you up for visiting the Neighagra Falls with me? Of course, if you don't want, that's okay. I can still do the trip like I did previously."
"No, I don't want to let you alone." Starlight replies. "I promised I'll do those trips with you, and I will not drop that promise."
Yeah, she is definitely sincere about what she's just said. And after all, that's what I would say too.
"If you say so." I say, smiling. "So, what about we go now? By air balloon."
"You mean, right now?" She asks, surprised.
"Well, of course if you're ready."
"Oh thanks." she gasps at her relief. "Because I'm not yet."
"Okay, so we can still order tickets for the trip."
"We can, but... Do you know how many weeks we have to wait?"
I'm surprised about what she's just said. Do we really have to wait weeks for the trip?
"Wait... Is that the first time you'll take a trip by air balloon?" she asks, surprised.
"Um... Yeah[1]." I reply.
"Oh... Well, so we have to find that air balloon station, command the two tickets, and then wait for two weeks before going to the air balloon."
Wait... Two weeks? Is the waiting that long? I wanted to do the trip to Neighagra Falls as quickly as possible, but now I think we have to do a change of plan. So I guess we don't have the choice.
"Well... I suppose we can still do the trip to Mount Aris before going to the Neighagra Falls." I propose.
"Yeah, we can at least do that." she replies.
We exit our home to go to the air balloon station. And as I don't know where it is[2], I let Starlight taking the lead. Wait... Does that mean she knows EVERYTHING about Ponyville? That's a shame for me again. We finally walked about two minutes before arriving to the hot air balloon station. We are welcomed by a mare, probably the conductor of this balloon.
"Hello!" Starlight exclaims. "Two tickets for the Neighagra Falls, please."
The mare accepts the request, opens her backpack and takes two tickets. And before giving them to us, she first makes sure she took the right tickets. And she did, so she gives them to us. And as I have my backpack, Starlight asks me if she can put those tickets to my pack. I nod at this, as she opens my pack, puts the tickets in there, before closing it. At this moment, we are going to the train station. And this time, I know where it is. And it's not too far from the hot air balloon station, so we arrive pretty quickly.
"Hello!" I exclaim. "Two tickets for Mount Aris, please."
"Okay, coming right up." the stallion says.
He then goes out of our vision, before searching in a drawer the right tickets. And he finds them quickly, before giving them to us.
"Your train will arrive in less than five minutes."
"Okay thanks." Starlight says.
We both keep our ticket with us, before sitting on a bench, waiting for the next train.
"You know?" Starlight starts the conversation. "As we're going to Mount Aris, there's something in particular I am willing to do."
"To become a seapony and explore the vast world of Seaquestria?" I answer randomly.
"Wait... How did you know that?"
"Well, I didn't. It was just because I read all about the Mount Aris when I was younger. And just that makes me want to explore it."
Starlight giggles as I was saying that.
"Oh, interesting. Well, as for me, I heard when I was a filly that Mount Aris is a vast city inhabited by hippogriffs and seaponies. And I wanted to be like them for so long. Well, not forever obviously, I'd like to stay a unicorn."
This time, it's my turn to giggle at this.
"You know I will always love you, whatever happens."
"Oh stop." Starlight says, smiling. "You'll make me blush."
Then we share a huggle before the train arrives. At this moment, we're presenting our two tickets before entering in the train and taking a seat.
Next stop, Mount Aris.
[1] More precisely, all my previous trips were done by train.
[2] Mainly because I never took hot air balloon journeys. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | pre | "Might as well give up, Kid. ｢Sweet Thing Reprise｣ was designed to stop anything you could throw at me. None of your fireworks are gonna land today. And I'll be sure to reveal all the gory details about who's paying for them to your girl here, if you don't pick up your game." He finally moves to step closer to you, and it's just to leer. "But that's only half of what my Stand can do, now. Betcha thought the world hated you before."
With that, there are a dozen synchronized rumbles.
All of the cars dented by your shredded light rev to life, and each one begins pulling out of its space, utterly driverless.
Shit.
You scramble to get into your car. Derpy follows your lead, jumping in and slamming the door behind her. The enemy Stand user shakes his head and steps forward towards you, leaning in to bring the ring closer.
You burn for a shield, and then a bigger second shield to block the rebound from the first. Neither last for more than a couple of seconds, but it's enough time to start the--
You're not in the driver's seat!
Derpy grabs the keys from you and jams them in.
You notice the ring around his Stand's head turn a fluorescent blue with accreted light. It barely registers, though.
Derpy sits frozen, hands on the wheel, as she sees it too. There are cars in front of yours, and backing out is impossible.
Your voice comes to you, past shock and calculation. "Alright, on my mark, floor it."
She nods without looking at you. You don't want to know if she's thinking about what this douchebag just said to taunt you.
You have to burn something bigger to make the curves fit your wheels, but you cover all four in hard light.
"Now!" You lift, and she stomps the pedal. The world shifts under you, and direction gets slightly confused as you're thrown, in a wheelie, over the obstacle. The impact nearly throws you out of your seat, and your headrest punches you hard enough to leave a bruise, but you're alive.
A wild shot of light flies out of the ring, missing your car and smashing into three others. They hum to life.
Without any prompting, Derpy peals out down the aisle, racing for the open road. Good. You need to get -- Wait.
"Where are we going?" You hope you're not distracting her.
"My house, Ludus Avenue. It's not far, so if we lose him it's a safe hideout."
You imagine this guy following you into Derpy's home, and then imagine what would happen if that spinning ring brushed against her. Or you, for that matter.
"If." Then you hold on as you're nearly thrown again. One last hard turn, but now you're on the street proper.
You check the rearview in the center, even though it's not angled for you. The bastard's sitting on the hood of one of the cars.
As you roll down a window, you realize there's some good news here: he might be protected from your attacks somehow, but they aren't. You lean out the window to get a better shot, and feel grateful the roads are so empty right now.
A concentrated burst at the gas tank of the car to his right, and it screeches to a halt immediately, cutting back three others. Another, and most of his backup's gone. He throws more light at you, but you deflect it and aim for his tires. If you can keep him back, even for just a little while, you know you can get away.
His car swerves around your first shots, so you decide to stop being so predictable. A hard edge appears, hanging in the air, less than a foot off the ground. It connects before he can even react, slicing through the rubber and leaving him skidding on his previous momentum.
After a couple seconds, Derpy's the only one breaking the speed limit.
You turn to her. She's driving with one eye closed, staring unyieldingly at the route ahead.
"How long until we get there?"
"We're about to reach the neighborhoods, and then Ludus should only be a few minutes."
You nod, and double-check behind your car.
He's still here! Pushed along, skidding and sparking, by a small conga line of other sliced-up cars, all of them shaking with the speed. They're about to give out, but they're getting him within range to touch your car!
He flexes a bit, reaches out, and the ring widens a little. You throw up a shield, and it breaks automatically. Then his power connects, clipping your trunk, and Derpy cries out as the wheel stops responding.
Your car has a mind of its own, now, and it races independently for the nearest turn. The doors auto-lock, the brakes stop responding, and you only pick up speed. If you'd been wearing a seatbelt, you're sure it'd be crushing your ribs, but instead you're both pressed into your seats. A laser in here would go bouncing in all directions, and anything more forceful would just hasten the crash heading your way.
He's still behind you, still slowing, while you're trapped inside an environment he controls.
You turn in your seat, fighting the speed, and lunge for Derpy. You grip her shoulders, and she breaks her stare at the road to turn to you.
After a moment, you're off-road, and your ride goes tumbling end over end.
｢Timbuk Three｣...!
The world spins as you build up hard light around the both of you, and then you're careening through the windshield. There's a judder, a shatter and you're free, the car tumbling away as you sail above it, upside-down and pressed together.
The other cars grind to a stop, and your opponent dismounts and watches you.
There's just the fall to deal with now. Derpy squirms in your arms, and you rub her shoulders as reassuringly as you can, but she doesn't stop. You turn closer, trying to think of something comforting to-
Oh. She's fishing in her trenchcoat.
"Hold on, Care! My Stand gave me this!" With a flourish, she pulls out a... popsicle stick?
As the air rushes by you, she grips the stick at both ends and pushes them inward. It bends like plastic, folding in on itself. She grunts with effort, expression obscured by the sun hanging low in the sky. You're too transfixed to ask why.
"Come ooooon..."
The ground rights itself beneath you, rushing up to snap your bones. Then, finally, with a long creak, the stick snaps. And you both stop falling.
You can feel yourself being held, and see the long porcelain arms nesting you both.
Above you, a long face like a helmet, with just two circles set far apart, and long fins dragging down its cheeks like exaggerated sideburns. It doesn't have legs, just a mess of crisscrossed bars like accordioned scaffolding that shift to gold and end in a long, mermaidlike tail. It's strong, and as it lowers you to the ground you can tell that it's only slightly larger than you.
Standing in its shadow, it feels much larger.
"H-how..."
Derpy finishes taking deep breaths and smiles at you, blushing slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mention all of how ｢Spinal Tap｣ works. When someone breaks something it delivers, it appears for a little while like other Stands do."
You feel a response bubbling up. An acceptance that she forgot to mention that, no big deal, and you just so happened to forget to mention something about yours, too...
"Shouldn't leave details out like that, kid."
Oh, right. It's him. Again.
The cars are totaled on the side of the road, but he's unscathed. You're a little ways off of it now, with some townhouse backyards and winding streets at your backs.
"I know you can filch just about anything with that Stand. Shame you used it to take repossessed property."
You remember the watch she was carrying when he first attacked her. Even when you returned it to the kid this guy had stolen from in the first place, you never thought to ask how she actually got a hold of it. How much about Derpy do you really know?
He snarls. "I also know it's gone as soon as it comes. How many other items do you have to break, hm? On you, I mean. I know you get two every day, but you've gotta be using them. And since this was supposed to be a quiet trip out, I bet there were only one or two, just in case. Otherwise, you'd have just fought me with your boyfriend."
Derpy doesn't break eye contact with him. Her face is a mask.
"Well, there's one way to find out, isn't there? I'll just wait for you to run out of juice and see what else you can pull out of your snatch. And after you run out, I'll let you choose which one of you dies first. How's that sound?"
"｢SPINAL TAP｣!" Her Stand moves like it's been jump-cut, and then it's upon him.
"｢SWEET THING REPRISE｣!"
｢Spinal Tap｣ lashes out and hits his Stand, fist colliding with it in a staticky, distorted mess. It spins and unleashes a loose kind of kick on the user, but the ring blocks it. He doesn't even flinch.
Derpy takes your hand and runs.
He calls after you. "Looks like that answers my question!"
You're terrified, but you match pace with her around a corner, through a cul-de-sac, past a backyard.
"Can we beat him to your house?"
She nods, but doesn't say anything. You're both completely out of breath by now.
The evening casts long shadows, and the next few minutes are a blur of them. A hopped fence, a few turns, and you emerge onto a street lined with white fences and two-story houses. All the lawns are trimmed and gardened neatly, except the one Derpy leads you to.
There's a large tree on the property, sidled up to the frontmost part of the land. Deep up in it, you see hints of yellow, and beneath it, a fence complete with its own little gate.
"Yoohoo." Across the street, leaning on a mailbox, it's him. Whatever he sees in your expressions, his reaction is immediate. "Did you think they wouldn't tell me your address when I was sent to take care of you?"
He stands up and walks closer, stopping in the street. Then he turns his attention to you.
"You've been letting your bitch do all the talking, Wiz Kid. What's up? Starting to decide between yourself and her yet?"
"I'm not--"
"Don't lie, kid, I've got an inside line on how your Stand works. You're fine with sticking with this girl and burning up all of your happy moments. That's no different than a drowning man taking his girlfriend down with him for a few more breaths of air!" He turns to Derpy, sneering. "Isn't that sweet, kid? He only knows you exist because his magic needs you, and when he's finished burning up all of those little moments of happiness, he's gonna throw you away like yesterday's garbage. You're only holding onto him while he eats you."
You can't see her face, but her fists are shaking at her sides.
He continues. "That's why he's suddenly trying to jump in your pants. No one in this world gets so close so quickly unless they're trying to get something, and only the suckers think otherwise. Now: if you hand him over, or kill him with your Stand, I won't go into that house and end your family."
Your hands clench too, as silence permeates the street. You have to say something to that.
"Derpy, I-"
She steps away from you, and towards the giant.
Dernier Piege
You raise a finger high above your head, and Fido follows it to the tree above you.
"Do you know the meaning of this tree?"
He doesn't answer you, but stares without interrupting.
"My parents met in France under a lemon tree on my grandpa's farm. Neither of them knew what they were doing with their lives, and they only had enough money for one passport, but they ran away together and they faced the consequences when they came."
A lemon falls from one of the branches, and you catch it without looking.
"This is the daughter of that tree. It's the tallest in the state, and it wouldn't exist if they hadn't depended on each other. Just like I wouldn't."
He doesn't look impressed.
"So I'm willing to give Care a chance! We both might be drowning on our own, but together we can push our way to shore, and face what happens when it comes! Human beings latch onto circumstance and they never let go! That's how a world unfolds! That's the meaning of this tree!" With the last word you hurl the lemon at Fido.
His Stand's defenses eviscerate it on impact, bits of fencepost-metal and concrete shredding the skin and draining away the juice. A mass of pulp lands at his feet, and he steps on it and grinds in with his heel for emphasis.
"That's what I think of your sappy romantic bullshit. Was that supposed to be an attack?" He seems less amused now.
You point right at him. "It's sunset right now. And that means my Stand has one more delivery to make before this is over."
He grits his teeth. "You really want to play this one to the hilt, don't you? We both know your Stand can't get through my defenses, and it couldn't scratch me if it gave you a bazooka," his expression turns neutral as he steps closer, and the air fills with the sound of cracking knuckles, "In fact, I think I'll just finish you before you can get that delivery. Time limit could keep things interesting."
You smirk. "Oh, but it's already been made."
｢Spinal Tap｣ vanishes from the tree, and appears, fully-sized, from inside the pulped lemon.
Fido realizes what's happening just too late. His body turns as he tries to reorient his shield, but it can't get close enough to matter.
"You bitch!"
Your Stand grabs his head and slams it into the pavement a few times. He's not even fast enough to cower correctly. Then it lifts him off the ground, until his feet aren't touching it, and unleashes a month of punches.
"ADADADADADADADADADADADADADADAD!" You can't tell if the noise is coming from you or your Stand, or if there's a difference.
Time seems to slow down. He hangs in the air for a moment, pummeled and half-aware as you nod at his departure.
"Adieu."
With that, ｢Spinal Tap｣ lands its final blow to his chest, and he goes sailing above the houses and backyards, out of view.
That's that.
You turn around to Care, and he's staring at you like you can fly. It's kind of cute.
"Come on, we should get inside. I don't want the Neighborhood Watch finding us." He blinks a few times, unmoving, and you take his arm and head to your front door.
Care Root
...What just happened?
Did she really just brush off what you're doing? You... didn't realize that she felt that way.
In hindsight, you feel foolish, about the whole thing, about this battle, about, about everything! And now, before you can settle into feeling properly idiotic, she's dragging you to her front door. Is she going to turn around and say goodbye on the stoop specifically?
No. No, she's reaching in her pocket for the key.
"Come on in, I want you to meet my mom."
You freeze up. You just raced a high school crime lord, totaled your car and entered the radar of three freaky singing supervillains, but it's now that you freeze up.
She doesn't notice, the key works perfectly, and the door swings open.
Oh shit oh shit oh shit.
"Hey, mom! I'm back!"
The inside of the house looks lived-in, in a cozy way. There's a staircase disappearing up into a long hallway, a living room through an arch to the left, a kitchen straight past the stairs, and what you guess must be the garage on the right.
The entryway's hardwood, and it looks polished. Little knick-knack signs are hanging from nails in every wall, tidy, well-dusted and evenly spaced. The closest one you can make out says "Deliver us from evil!" under a little graphic of an envelope. Coming from the left, you can hear some kind of commercial playing, and make out the back of Golden's head on the arm of a couch.
The air smells like banana bread. It almost makes you let your guard down.
But this is still enemy territory, you're sure.
If you looked too stupid around here, you could throw the whole relationship off. You think. Your Stand doesn't seem to sense any immediate danger.
A woman comes to the doorway of the kitchen, yellow-skinned with poofy blue hair. "How was your day, honey?"
"Oh, it was great! Mind if I bring Care in?"
And that's how you meet Lemon Hearts, Catcher Pouch, and the rest of Derpy's family. ???
You're the taller of the two figures in the distance, watching calmly.
"We're chipping away at him without making him reckless. We need to keep him on the defensive." Your Freshman friend pipes up. "She's going to make that harder for you, if she gets any better."
It's a thinly-veiled suggestion. You can't tell her so, but she's right; this fight was supposed to cost him a lot more. Not unlike a casino, you wanted him to spend as recklessly as possible before he understood how to play the game. It would've been better for everyone that way.
Oh, well. You shake your head. "Without her, none of this could happen. We have to preserve her for now."
She sighs, and puts her shoulders into it. She's such a little scrapper, you can't help but smile. "I'll tell the others to leave her alone, then."
"Good. But we still need a way to keep him off-guard... A-ha!" You can see her through their window, standing with her arms folded. You'd recognize that grey anywhere.
Silver Spoon. No Stand. Low willpower.
In a flash of inspiration, a plan sprouts. "Looks like we can trip him up after all."
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Sweet Thing Reprise｣
User: Fido
Ability: Anything damaged by ｢STR｣ will be "hostile" to those fighting or working against the user; books will fall off of their shelves, ground will become slippery, machinery will fail to operate. Additionally, debris and damaged pieces collect in a spinning ring around the user at a two-foot radius, which draws in and shreds incoming attacks. When attacks are shredded, the largest remaining portion becomes "hostile" and smaller ones are added to the ring.
Stand: ｢Spinal Tap｣
User: Dernier "Derpy" Piege
Ability: Remote Stand; brings the user an 'offering' at sunrise and sunset of an object it's obtained. Specific items or kinds of item can be requested, but if they can't be obtained or no requests have been made, ｢Spinal Tap｣ will simply offer the user something helpful. The Stand cannot attack in its Remote form, but when an offering is destroyed in the user's presence, it can manifest for two minutes from the remains of the item, displaying incredible strength and speed. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Destiny's Child | Silver Spoon
You're Silver Spoon, walking to lunch with your very best friend, Diamond Tiara. Who's in a huff.
"Civics is such a snoozefest!"
You giggle. She's only saying that because Ms. Harshwhinny caught her whispering to you and held her fifteen minutes after for a second offense. You hid and waited outside for her, of course.
She doesn't notice your laughing, or pretends. "I bet I could get her removed from her position if I wanted to."
"Yeah." You can't help but smile when you're around Diamond. She's so... honest.
Not in front of anyone who could hurt her over it, of course. But there's no nonsense to her, she does what she likes and gets what she wants. She's even carrying a handbag instead of a backpack, which is totally off-code.
Sometimes you wish you were like her. Or... were her. You're so ratchet, and not in a cool way.
When you bring up rappers, your Mom still talks about Soulja Boi. She even does the dance. You know it's just to make you uncomfortable!
Once at a slumber party, Diamond left because the butler didn't bring food to her room. For a little while you were all alone, and it felt like it was your room. You jumped on her bed, but it was a waterbed so it wasn't very exciting.
That's your secret! You, Silver Spoon, are the CHS student who wanted to be another student! You wonder how other teens would feel if they had to go through that.
The hallway's nearly empty already, so you better hurry. Then something brushes up against you and
cuts
cuts like a big splinter and you turn to see it's like rock
then it stops hurting but it's swimming up your shoulder like a worm!
You shriek, turn to catch a face and
Diamond's handbag explodes.
Care Root
Lunch just finished, and now you're walking back to class, standing in the back of the throng. There's no rush; you've had a hell of a weekend.
With your car totaled, you're going to bleeding money for insurance soon. Plus you're taking the schoolbus, which only reminds you of your pain. But you guess that driving to school got sacrificed somewhere along the way. Not knowing where you're paying for all of this makes it even more insidious.
You could only really be sure that everything was happening normally if you didn't use your Stand. Which you're trying to, this time.
First, you have to learn to spend wisely instead of overpowering opponents with attacks. Second, you have to learn how to stop having opponents. Which may be working out, for now.
Derpy asked at lunch if anyone else had been lurking or following you, but they weren't. Not even Trixie, who you were sure you'd have to refuse soon. You wonder if there's something going on - is there a regional test coming up you forgot about, or a big backroom deal thing?
You realize Derpy hasn't said anything, and steal a glance at her.
She's not there. She's twenty feet back, bent over and listening to a Freshman waving her arms. It's the kid whose watch you returned, in fact. Whatever Derpy hears, she looks grave.
It's exactly the sort of face you dreaded she'd make when she learned how your Stand worked.
In seconds she breaks into a run, grabbing your hand on the way past. Stumbling, you almost trip her, but you right yourself. There's nowhere to run, though, except into the sea of jostling students ahead.
"What's-"
"Silver's in trouble! She's being attacked by a Stand in front of the side-entrance!"
"Which-"
"The auditorium one! There's some kind of commotion over it, they'll do something to her if I don't get there!"
With that, your goals crystallize. You're trying to reach the other side of this floor of the school, through a crowd of high-schoolers. Groovy.
You head up to the first corner when a pair of grey-skinned thugs step out. They look like the deformed cousins of the last guy you fought - one's built like a trashcan and the other's Quasimodo with eye contact. They speak before you can react, like they rehearsed.
"Where do you two lovebirds think you're going?"
"Think you can slap one of us around and get away with it?"
You both slide to a halt, still connected at the wrists. It's not something you want to do, but you break contact and bring your fists up.
"｢Timbuk-"
"｢Spinal Tap!｣" Derpy smashes a tiny china teacup on the floor. Then she turns to you as her Stand appears and put hers hands on your shoulders.
"You can do more than I can. Do whatever you need to."
You gulp, then nod. And her Stand grabs you by the arm and darts you past the two. There's a split second of wind in your ears and your arms cracks a little, but you're on solid ground on the other side.
By the time they've blinked the dust out of their eyes, it's back. You round the corner at a run and see the crowd ahead, but behind, you hear her shouting, "This is what you get for standing between me and my SISTER!"
You didn't spend much time around Silver last night. She stayed in her room the whole time you were at her house. You knew her, of course, mostly Diamond Tiara's toadie. Not that you'd say that to Derpy, of course.
You're sure she's a great kid! Or she'll grow up and turn out to be one. You just don't know anything about this scenario, and the crowd isn't helping!
It's more like a concert crowd than a bunch of students. Everyone's trying to get a better look in the distance. It's a long hallway, stretching the length of the school. If Silver Spoon's in trouble, it's on the direct other end of these people.
Your Stand's already out, so you make a platform under your feet. Effortlessly, it sails you over the sea of heads, although you have to duck not to hit the ceiling or the lights. It's not stylish, but it's cheap.
The crowd becomes more defined with height, and it's taking up every tile of the floor. There are little pockets where a teacher stands, making placating gestures and saying things you can't make out.
From your vantage, you can definitely see her down the hallway. The crowd stops mingling before they reach her, though. A good deal before, in fact.
You become aware that your fellow students are pointing you out to each other. There are the clicks of pictures being taken. And shouting. The crowd's rambunctious, but it's not violent; you scan the crowd for the source.
"Let me through, you cattle! You're all going to share an ER if you don't move!" There she is, pushed up against a locker on the outskirts of this headless moshpit.
Golden Harvest.
You make another platform underneath of her, and she wobbles as she notices you. Everyone sees her rise into the air, and they all stare up at you.
She doesn't pay attention except to catch her balance. "Silver's in trouble!"
"I know, she's been attacked by a Stand."
"No, she's got a Stand of her own!"
...What?
"What?"
"She's not strong enough to have a Stand! It's going to overpower her!"
You'd never heard of that before. How'd you get a Stand this strong, then?
She looks around wildly. "Where's Dernier? She's always been able to calm Silver down."
"She stayed behind so one of us would make it-"
Golden swears. "Fine, we'll improvise for her! Move!"
You nod, and the pair of you zoom over the remaining students, heading straight for Silver. And... there's something next to her, on the ground. You really hope that's not a body, but before you can get a closer look, Golden's platform gives out.
That doesn't make sense, there was still time left--
So does yours. You tumble to the floor, in front of a sea of onlookers.
Carrot lands on her feet, and sounds relieved. "Thank goodness you're here. Silver's my sister. If we can get through to her we can take care of-"
A Southern accent cuts in. "I'm sorry, but no can do." It's one of the Rainbooms, the rural one. Looking up, you see Rainbow Dash next to her, wearing a big overcoat.
Then you pick yourself up, ignoring the smudges and dirt all over you while Golden frets. "What's going on?"
"It's too dangerous for anyone to go in there right now. We're here to manage everyone to keep anything reckless from happening."
"But if you break up these people and let my little sister through, she can-"
"I'm afraid we can't try something that risky. We don't know what could happen, and we don't want anyone else hurt."
You can see past them easily, and yeah, there's a body. Diamond Tiara, scourge of the lowerclassmen.
The Southern one pulls a quarter out of her pocket, turns and tosses it into the hallway. Hanging in the air, it tumbles end over end longer than it ought to, oxidizing in front of you with layers and layers of rust. You check Diamond to make sure she's not rusting away too, and by the time you look back the last bits of the coin are crumbling away into dust. Then a small explosion, bursting outwards just enough to startle you and let you feel the wind on your face.
Golden keeps talking. "I know she isn't trying to do whatever's happening. She's just afraid. I have to be there for my sister!"
Rainbow, silent until now, steps forward. "Look. We're the experts on this kind of stuff, we've got it handled. Until the others get here, we can't let anyone through."
"Says who?"
They all realize you're here.
Rainbow's face darkens. With the coat's help, she looks like a hitman for a moment. "Says Principal Celestia."
Whose office is just past them.
She turns back to Golden. "Is he also related?"
Golden's getting frustrated. "No, but he can help! His powers are good for-"
"I think they know what my powers are."
Rainbow looks at you. It's like she's challenging you to make a scene.
Then there comes a flash of movement behind her, another shade of blue. You break eye contact for a moment and make out several more. Trixie, paused in a creeping motion, half-crouched and exiting the Principal's Office. A flash of red disappears up her sleeve, or maybe your eyes moved too quickly and you imagined it, and hers turn wide as she realizes the hallway's completely full.
No one makes a move from the crowd to point her out, and you realize that she's behind the two Rainbooms, and all eyes are on you. The Principal's not in at lunch, and whatever she was doing, she looks like she really doesn't want to get caught.
Rainbow's eyes move to follow yours.
You return your glance to her, hard-set. "You've been following me, haven't you?"
She humphs, but her attention's back to you. "Why would I do that?"
Trixie looks down the hallway at Silver, realizes that something's up, and turns back to you, looking for some code or gesture. Unfortunately for her, you never learned any hand-signs, and using your Stand here would only draw attention to whatever message you were sending.
"You tell me. You're the one who's blocking my way right now." A week ago, those words would never have come out of your mouth.
Rainbow snorts. "You think you can get past me?"
You sense her power. It's like the potential to summon a Stand, and something else... Something under the coat...
Southern steps in. "Hey, now, no need for violence." She puts a hand on Rainbow's shoulder and turns to you. "We had to keep an eye on you to make sure you didn't go around punching people through walls, that's all. We didn't mean to upset you by it."
You're almost certain that's not true, but you don't have time to rebut it. Derpy's little sister needs you, and that means all three of the sisters need you, and there's just not time for this.
"Fine. No promises, no threats." You stare ahead, and ｢Timbuk Three｣ appears beside you, making the two tense up. "I just need to get to Silver Spoon! Just make me a path! Make me a way through!"
All eyes are on you, and none at all are on Trixie.
The smokebomb hits, and at the same time Rainbow and her friend disappear. No, that's not right, they shift! They're both on opposite sides of the hall now!
You run into the smoke before they can register what's happened, Golden following behind you. The hallways passes by you, and you're relieved to find that your body doesn't start to rust away into nothing. No one's rushed to follow you, which is also the best you can hope for. By the time the smoke's cleared, you're most of the way through! Plus Trixie's gone, but you were expecting that.
And there's Silver, sitting with her head in her hands and shaking, oblivious to most of this. There's not enough noise in the hallway for words to reach her.
Suddenly, a coin sails through the air next to you, layers of brown growing over its surface. You turn your head, but despite the commotion behind you no one's close enough to have thrown it. In fact, as it comes closer it looks like... the same coin from before!
｢Timbuk Three｣ bats it away with a single, decisive chop, and it explodes against a locker. The metal surface isn't damaged, and there's no heat, but the shockwave manhandles you.
Then the element of surprise runs out Rainbooms are running after you. Behind them, the crowd's wondering whether it can inch forward or not.
"｢Fineshrine｣!" Golden summons her tree, and a dozen creatures flap off of it. Then she's slowed down and wheeled around, directing black birds with serrated wings. She looks at you and shouts, "Help her!"
You're about to say "I don't know how!" But all she would say is, "Figure something out!" or, "I can't hold them off for much longer!"
Up ahead, there are only the two girls. The air distorts around Diamond for a moment, and then a pink purse appears. It hangs there, in mid-air, like some sort of guardian.
You approach the pained Freshman.
Silver Spoon
One minute you were waiting outside Ms. Harshwhinny's door for Diamond. The next you're in the middle of the hall alone, and she's not moving. You can't remember anything before that, there's just an extra pain draped on top of your mind, and the harder you try to think about it the harder it gets.
You did something wrong, and you don't know what. Or you know what, but not how, why. Why did you hurt her? Were you trying to take her place in a moment of weakness? Would you really go that far...?
"Silver! You need to calm down, something's going on and it's not your fault!"
It's your sister's boyfriend. You can't see him, your eyes are closed, and he's miles away. The police are going to come for you, aren't they?
"I need you to talk to me, Silver. Tell me you can hear me!"
"Wh-h," you sniffle, and when his voice doesn't return, "Where's Der-erpy?" The gross sob-hiccup halfway through her name only plunges more shame on you. You'd die of embarrassment if you had to look at yourself right now.
"She's... she's on her way," he lies.
"I-I want to go home."
There's another explosion, and you cower. So much is happening in the distance, and it's all you, isn't it?
"S-Silver, you have to calm down."
You want to go home. This isn't a freak accident, you know this is one of those powers, but you feel like you could just get away from it. Was it waiting in you, all this time...?
You try to take a deep breath, and your heart hammers at you with your own guilt. There's nothing you can do about it, you deserve to feel this way. Derpy would know what to say to stop you feeling like that, at least with time, or to make you feel like the whole world didn't feel the same way. What would she say here?
...Nothing comes to you. You lower your head back down to your knees and keep crying.
The hallway fills with a brief whooshing sound as he talks again, "Your sister will be here in just a minute, you just have to-" Another explosion cuts him off, the same as the one that hurt Diamond.
No, who are you kidding? It is the one that hurt Diamond.
...Is he dead, too?
"Silver, I need you to stay calm. Do anything that will make you feel calm."
"St-stay away. I'll just h-hurt you if you don't run away from me." There's a pause where he hesitates, and all you need to do is push him a little further. "If you stay here, there'll be another explosion. It'll kill you. I know it will." It's the truth.
"Open your eyes, Silver."
You shake your head. "If she's not there, I don't- I don't know what could..." Don't even look.
"Open your eyes and I can guarantee everything will be fine. 100%."
The explosion's coming any second now.
You lift your head slightly and open them.
It's brighter than when you closed them, a lot brighter, but shapes fall into place automatically. This is your living room. And in the middle of it, standing and smiling, Derpy.
Was this just a dream? Is everything really okay? You stand up and stagger toward her.
She smiles. You're okay. Everything's okay...
Care Root
Silver drops to a knee and slumps, exhausted, into unconsciousness. The purse, hovering in the air a couple feet from you, doesn't detonate again. After a moment, the life leaves it, and it drops limply to the tile.
The pounding in your head lightens. You take a look at Derpy, the living room, and Silver in the middle of it, admiring your own handiwork for the next few seconds. Then another future moment burns out, and the hologram disintegrates.
Then noise comes back to the world. Golden rushes up to you, with the Rainbooms in tow, and jumps straight past you to pick her sister up.
"We need to get them both to a hospital, now!" Rainbow zips past you and grabs Diamond. She doesn't even look at you.
Maybe she's not an awful person after all.
"Care!" Derpy's voice comes as she shoves her way through the congestion of the crowd. She sees Golden and Rainbow carrying the girls outside, while the other Rainboom holds the door open. "Is she okay?!"
You throw her a thumbs up. "She passed out from exhaustion. I think she'll be okay now that you're here."
She processes the words while she's still en route, and bridges the distance at doubletime. You take a step out of the center strip of tile so she can blow past you, and moves like a homing missile to match you. Before you can respond, her arms are around you, squeezing almost painfully, and her eyes are closed.
Everything in the world feels right again.
It takes a couple hours to get word from the hospital: Silver's already up. Not happy, but... functional. Derpy leaves early to be with her.
You wonder how all of this happened so suddenly. It was too bizarre to be an accident, wasn't it? Maybe you're being paranoid, but... why did it all happen this way? ???
"It didn't work." Defeat.
"It wasn't supposed to work, you dunderhead! We were only supposed to slow him down." Annoyance, unrest in the ranks.
The other two keep going at it.
"Don't call me a dunderhead! We didn't slow him down at all! Something got in the way!"
"What could get in the way? We made sure the entire hallway was packed!"
"Someone broke up Applejack and Rainbow. They got right through!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know that would happen?"
"Did you check?"
"Did you?!"
"Girls! That's enough! ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣ won't work if we aren't in sync with each other!" You have to raise your voice to maintain order, but you at least calm them down.
"Sorry."
"...Yeah. Sorry."
Both of them turn to you, and you think out loud, "The important thing is that we still have the element of surprise. We can prepare better next time without worrying about him responding to us. So long as we keep up our defenses, it won't be possible for him to come after us."
They get very serious. "Okay."
"Let's get to work."
Filthy Rich
Her friend was discharged from the hospital almost as soon as she entered, but Diamond's still not awake.
She's breathing, her blood's pumping, but she's not awake. Nobody home.
You thought you were a normal father, at least in the ways that mattered. Diamond had some problems, but she was never going to be hurt on school grounds, and nothing would be able to touch her with anyone in your employ around, and that was more than most parents could say about their children.
You would cry, but you're not a crying man. Since your youth you've taken to closing your eyes and rubbing your temples. This time, when you open them, there's a get-well card on the table next to her.
You step closer and pick it up, to make sure you're not seeing things. It's generic, and not a gift from the nurses. Inside, there's no writing, just... an arrowhead, pushing out of the paper. It glows gold and extends outward, wriggling like a living thing, and the only thing that you can think about is that you really haven't had enough sleep lately.
You reach out to touch it, not knowing why, and it breaks free, flying into your arm. There's something like pain, like listening to a hurricane through a bunker door or hearing about a crash in a market you've put only a little inside, but a sweeping feeling heads upwards from it until it cracks against your spine.
Something new courses inside you.
"You can use it." The voice comes from the doorway, but your eyes are glued to this card. "They have powers. You can get back at them for doing this to her, and then maybe she'll wake up."
It solidifies. You understand what your daughter must have felt.
"She's the most precious thing in your life and you didn't protect her, Mr. Rich. Can you make up for that?"
"Yes! Yes!" You shout to the ceiling, not exhilarated but burning energy. Something takes root inside of you, and as you feel its name impress itself into your mind, you call it out.
"｢Johnny Cash｣!"
The voice goes silent, and you're alone again. And for a moment, in the light and madness, you think you see worry flicker over your daughter's face.
But it's just your imagination.
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣
User: Silver Spoon
Ability: Exists only in half of one hallway of Canterlot High School. Inside this hallway, large objects, and items which aren't directly touching a person's skin, quickly degrade into nothing and reassemble themselves like new, creating shockwaves of psychic energy that explode outward and pull inward again during each cycle. This power is magnified by the user's fear or willpower, and they can un-target any item in range at will. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | The Man Comes Around | Care
Another early morning, earlier than normal. You're walking onto campus far ahead of the rest of the student body, while the world's still waking up. You had no problem going to sleep early, especially on request.
Not having a car only makes the distance more noticeable. It still beats taking the bus, but you have to resist the urge to make a new ride out of light and save yourself the trip.
You checked over your future last night, and more's missing than you took. It terrified you at first, because of the creeping dread that it might be dissipating whether you use it or not. But after a lot of staring at it, you think it's more that removing some happy moments stops others from happening; you can't enjoy a marriage if you never get to the wedding. Already, you have less than you were planning on.
But at least you can get out of bed in the pre-morning. The whole city has a gloom cast over it, and you feel odd seeing the parking lot empty even of faculty cars. Derpy said this was important, and it takes a lot of glancing around to find her, even though the grounds are modest.
She's standing in the front of the school, waving at you, and beside her is her sister. Silver, not Golden.
It's been a couple of days since you rescued her, but you haven't seen her around. When you cut across the grass and walk closer, you notice that she's smiling, thinly.
"What's u-" you start, and then Derpy's close enough to hug you. You're no major connoisseur (yet) but it's warm and gentle compared to her general tackles and hand-holds, something that buries a seed of warmth deep in you. In the moment, you realize that her hugging you in general, and not because you've escaped certain death, is rare.
She's been in too many life-threatening situations already. For a moment, you see Golden's face in your mind's eye, and remember your promise.
Before you can ruminate, Derpy turns a half-step and pulls you with her. You're cheek to cheek now, and facing the horizon with your backs to the school.
"What's going on?"
"Silver wanted to thank you for keeping her Stand from destroying her."
"Oh. Uh." You turn your head toward Silver. "You're welcome."
She smiles broadly, expression static, and finally speaks, "Just watch."
The sky's already turned a lavish pink, and in the distance, the sun starts rising. Are they showing you the beauty of nature...?
No, something's moving in the air, in the distance. It's not a clean shape, so the silhouette doesn't offer you any clues, but it gets substantially bigger the closer it comes. Derpy smiles at its arrival, and you can feel her teeth move inside of her cheek.
It takes far too long for you to realize that it's the wreckage of your car. You stare dumbly as ｢Spinal Tap｣ hauls it across the sky and to your school. Silver waves a hand in your peripheral vision, and the front of the school opens up. Then Derpy and you turn, and watch ｢Spinal Tap｣ dump your totaled ride into the first-floor hallway.
Through the hole, it rusts and falls in on itself even more.
"｢Tin Cup Chalice｣!" Silver shouts, and it collapses entirely into a pile of rusted simple machines, and explodes. You give a weak flinch, hampered by Derpy's hold on you, but the shockwave doesn't leave the hallway. She's still smiling, but you don't know why.
And then it hits you.
The shockwave reverses, pulling itself inward, and starts to knit itself into a more solid form. Before your eyes, it assumes its original shape. In fact, it looks a little better than when your parents bought it for you. Derpy snaps something while you stare at it, and ｢Spinal Tap｣ carries it back out of the school.
You're dumbstruck.
Silver sees your expression and smiles. "Thank you."
Golden
Later in the schoolday, math class continues to be insufferable. That said, the only class you actually like is Language Arts, when you get to do the readings. Unfortunately, that's your first period, and now it's close to lunchtime, so the day's got no chance of recovering.
｢Fineshrine｣'s on a right angle, jutting off of the side of the building. The last bird you caught was a few minutes ago; the area's been running low. It's been your one distraction, for as long as none of the teachers have Stands.
Why is that, anyway?
A little buzzer rings, and everyone re-sorts their backpacks. Lunchtime. Even the teacher goes, you don't remember his name even though it's on the door but he looks a lot like Bill Nye, he's a chaperone. You smile apologetically at him and pretend to have trouble with your backpack, and he leaves ahead of you.
Then you take a deep breath and count to ten.
...No one else comes in.
Canterlot High has a surprisingly strong sense of security - which is to say, a regular student can't leave if they don't want them to. Most Stand users could manage, if they absolutely had to, but most of them aren't that smart. The smart ones are more likely to help other people, and expect to make some kind of money for their trouble. Screw them all.
You've already done a daily check-in with your sisters, and they're just fine. So you open the nearest window and vault out. Your feet touch your Stand almost immediately, and you try to avoid crushing the birds; they'll be fine.
Then you grab one of its branches, and it leans to lower you most of the way. The impact on the ground still jars your heels, but you'll live. Now at the side of the school, you sojourn back home.
Silver Spoon
The other kids have finally stopped avoiding your hallway, mostly because they've got to. You've seen them opening their lockers and looking relieved that nothing exploded. Then at lunch, more of them are willing to walk through than go upstairs and take the long way. Derpy tells you people forget embarrassing things really fast, but you don't really believe her.
Diamond would've embarrassed them back.
But if she were here, people wouldn't be avoiding you in the first place. She was like the ocean, she made sure all the fish knew where to swim.
You wanted to go visit her, but you're not allowed. No one seems to want to tell you what'll happen to you if she doesn't wake up, or she only does it ten years from now.
But since you've got nothing to lose now, you might as well eat lunch with your sister in public. What worse could happen?
"-seen her in the last few days?"
"Not since she helped out. She was carrying something red, and she looked like she'd been sneaking..."
"Oh, hey sis!" Derpy turns away from Care to wave you over. Her smile is contagious, but he looks lost in thought.
You take a seat. "What's the matter?"
Filthy Rich
You could have hired someone to do this, but you didn't. Especially now, you could hire anybody. But some things are more important.
Your favorite novel is The Count of Monte Cristo, but you aren't a man for fantasies; this is for your daughter. Which is why the backdoor collapses under your touch, clattering into a small pile of gold coins, and you step inside of the home of your daughter's friend's family.
You're wearing streetclothes, which you had to purchase from a thriftstore and will burn as soon as this errand's over. It's noon, long before the buses come back from the school, and it should reasonably be empty. Still, you proceed quietly. As you stand in the doorway, you listen for sounds of footsteps or running water.
Nothing. None of the lights are on, but even in the daylight the place is immaculately designed. Not that it matters now.
There's a saying that goes "There are some things money can't buy." It's true, but not in the way people usually mean it. People often like to deride currency, saying "The paper's not worth anything!" or "It's all arbitrary!" They tell themselves they're smarter than the corporate fatcats, because they don't chase after slips of paper with big numbers on them.
What they miss is that money is the ultimate equalizer. It's the middleman that gives everyone a perfect standard. Money will tell you exactly how many candybars a paperback is worth, or how many cups of coffee you'd have to sell to buy a private jet. It's a symbol of nearly ultimate freedom, to have anything you can imagine.
Nearly.
Because there are some things money can't buy, only make promises about: happiness, safety, love, the future. When those things are threatened, there's no point appealing to money, no matter who you are. You don't know how, but you have to remove the Stands of everyone in this family.
Then the only diamond that matters to you will be awake again.
Golden
You're making excellent time, especially on foot. Canterlot's a pretty decently-sized city, but it's not a full-on grungy metropolis. It's like a compromise between crime-free suburbia and multi-level shopping malls.
You're glad your mom left you with a housekey. And also that she doesn't really care when you come home, as long as you mumble something about being excused. There won't be much to do at home, but you can at least get through some reading.
When you reach your house, only your dad's car's in the driveway. He uses a post office vehicle for work. You wonder why your mom isn't there.
Oh, right, she said she'd be going to the store. Whatever. You unlock the door and let yourself in.
Which is when you see a shadow dart out of the end of the hallway. Your breath catches in your throat as the questions pelt you. Are you seeing things? Is there someone in your house? Has something happened to your parents?!
Throwing off your backpack, you tear down the hallway. As soon as you turn into the dining room, someone's there. A man in black. He's familiar, although his clothes are dark and ratty, and he's pointing a gun at you.
You recognize him from all the sleepovers you had to drive Silver to. That same face was always waiting out on the porch when you turned into his community.
"Diamond's dad?"
His eyes are steady and level with yours. "If you want to live, tell me how I can remove your powers."
You barely register his words. "Where's my mom? What did you do to her?"
His expression doesn't change. "She left to go to the store, without seeing me. She doesn't need to see me, if you'll tell me how to destroy a Stand."
What? "Who cares? What does-"
His voice becomes a bellow. "I care! My daughter's life depends on it! Tell me how!" The ferocity radiating from him makes you step back - it's a protectiveness, something you feel too.
"Y-you can't destroy a Stand! It's a part of someone! It would be like taking someone's heart away!"
His expression sours a little. "I was... afraid you'd say that."
Then, he fires.
Derpy
"What's the matter?" Silver takes a seat and puts down her tray.
Care answers her. "We don't know where Trixie is."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"She was very interested in pulling me into her little group. Then she seriously helped me out and I haven't seen her since. As far as we know, no one has."
"You're worried about her?"
"A little. I don't know if she's just being secretive on purpose or if she's really in trouble."
You worry that he's getting paranoid, but you don't tell him that. People have left vague, threatening notes in his locker, apparently. He's stopped getting perfect grades, although he doesn't seem to mind.
You're worried you might be paranoid, too. You knew a lot of people in this school, and did a lot of vigilante stuff on your own, but it's all dried up lately. Not much random bullying. Maybe everyone's just happy with their Stands.
Silver hmms for a moment. "I bet the Crusaders would know."
Care leans forward and thinks about it, or maybe just tries to place the name. "The Crusaders..."
"Freshman girls. They're connected to everybody, kind of like the Rainbooms."
You nod. "And just as hard to learn about, sometimes. I met Applejack's little sister a few times while I was reclaiming things, and she's got a lot of attitude."
Care considers that. "Do they have any Stands?"
Silver shrugs. "Diam- uh, we used to make fun of them a lot, so we never really asked them anything."
You think on it, yourself. "I haven't seen them using any. But I haven't seen the Rainbooms using them either."
He nods and sits back. "I think I saw one of them use their Stand, actually. When I was with Rainbow Dash and Applejack in the hallway, my Stand's power stopped working too soon. Maybe one of them shattered it somehow..."
Your phone vibrates. Golden's calling you.
Filthy Rich
The last two minutes have been very unpleasant.
Your shot was perfect, but it didn't hit. The girl's Stand appeared in an instant, some kind of macabre tree, and took the shot. It startled you enough that she had time to run back the way she came.
Then, just as quick, it disappeared.
When you reached the hallway for another shot, she was already dialing a number on her phone. She was too far away, and it might have been an emergency number, so you activated your Stand.
"｢Johnny Cash｣!"
The hardwood flooring was pretty expensive, but it turned into a couple bills just the same. She fell into the basement below, and you took another shot, this time for the phone.
The tree blocked again, and you heard her cry out. Pushing the sound out of your mind, you fired again.
But before you unloaded the rest of the clip, a couple of the indistinct shapes on the tree came unattached. They were birds, maybe pigeons, but grotesque and bloated.
Their wings were massive to compensate, and one flew its girth right for your face, clawed toes kicking. You emptied another three shots into it before it stopped spiraling and squawking.
By which time the other one had already latched onto her shoulders and lifted her up toward the front door. You took aim again, with her back to you it was almost difficult to pull the trigger, but she was wounded already and you had to follow through.
Another squeeze of the trigger, and... nothing. Your clip was cheap, and you'd used it up.
She threw open the door and paused to look at you while her bird flew your way. You tossed the gun and created another one from a hundred-dollar-bill in your pocket, pulling it into the world like a magic trick. Her eyes widened, and she ran.
The bird was short work, but she and her Stand are outside now. Things are getting complicated exactly when they shouldn't be.
You turn a wall into coins and jump through, only to see her climbing into the car in the driveway. She's shouting into her phone.
"-to the hospital! I'll distract him until-" She sees you and shuts the door.
She couldn't have had time to grab the keys, wherever they are, and the car was already in the driveway before you entered the house. You walk up in time to hear it start up and puff out some exhaust.
You swear. The keys must've been inside! She peals out, heading into the neighborhood.
You rip a small stack of large bills out of your pocket and let ｢Johnny Cash｣ do the rest. A monster truck materializes in the driveway, sheer shiny black. You climb in without wasting any time.
You're not letting them get to her.
Care
Right now, you're driving yourself, your girlfriend and her little sister toward the hospital.
As soon as Derpy got the call, you all headed out. The doors are usually locked during the school day for your protection, and the few that open are one-way, but no one monitors the halls. Silver took you out through her Stand in no time flat.
You just hope that you don't total your car again.
Silver's tapping away at a phone, giving directions from the back. "Next left!"
You hit it. Most people are out to lunch, but the lights are favorable this time of day.
You're not clear what you're going to do at the hospital. Derpy's nursing her phone and frowning.
...This probably all ties back to you somehow, doesn't it?
"Right, then straight!"
You were worried about that before, but worry implies doubt. It's pretty obvious that you brought the hand of destiny down on yourself somehow. Probably by eating up too much of your own future too soon...
Is it just going to get worse from here?
"You should be able to see it in a few blocks..."
You have enough worries in the here and now. What's Golden planning to do?
Golden
Phone's in the passenger seat, on speaker. You're not talking, and Mr. Rich is bearing down on you. He doesn't care if people see or not, but your dad's going to kill you if you crash this thing.
You summon ｢Fineshrine｣ on your trunk as you turn off into the back-alleys. You really aren't good enough at driving for this. What do you have?
A couple squirrels, three more birds... You wish your deer-catching project would pay off already. They're all communing with each other slightly, trading traits; if you left them on there for a few months, they might meld into one organism. That would be messy, though.
You need to get to the hospital before he does, and then you can negotiate. Once you can threaten her, you can get him to stand down. Afterward... you'll think of something. Or Derpy will, she's coming. Even if you don't make it, they probably will.
You switch into the oncoming lane to get around a line of cars and- fuck, fuck, there's someone coming! This car's nearly had enough of you, and both of you are moving too quickly to turn away.
A thought and ｢Fineshrine｣ disappears. You call it back into existence underneath your car, propelling the whole thing upwards as it blooms from the pavement. It feels like you're holding up the car and you're about to crash all at once, and then you let go.
They pass straight beneath you, and your car hits the ground shuddering. You wrestle with the wheel and get back into your lane.
Everyone's hung back for you now. They have no idea what you just did, probably, besides making your car levitate. You expect to hear Filthy's new truck crush the car behind you, but you don't.
Your heart skips, and then you glance in the mirror. He's gone.
The hospital's straight ahead, and so is he, further along. He took a different path.
He's going to beat you to it.
Derpy
Mr. Rich has snapped, and he's coming after your family to save his daughter.
You've got one way to summon your Stand right now. Normally you'd have at least two, but you used one up helping Care with his car. You're pulling into the hospital now, and so are a couple others. Golden's been quiet, but there was a lot of bumping on her end. No crashes, though, so she's probably, hopefully still okay.
From the far entrance you see a monster truck entering. That's definitely him. Care sees it at the same time you do, and he tenses.
You put a hand on his shoulder, and he softens again. "He won't recognize you. Just don't look suspicious..."
The monster truck slows as it entered the parking lot, and then disappears in an instant. Mr. Rich drops out and hit the ground normally.
He looks so... different. Part of you wonders if he's been drinking. Then your dad's car pulls in, and he's turning to face it.
Something giant, green and boxy appears in his hands. He staggers with its weight for a second, almost kneeling, and then he levels it right at the driver's side of the car.
It's a rocket launcher!
"Care!" you shout, but he's way ahead of you. ｢Timbuk Three｣'s already floating outside the car, and it points a finger at Mr. Rich. A beam of light slices through the underside, and the box part clatters onto the pavement.
He's left holding the trigger, looking confused, then angry. He turns to look at the source, straight at you, and then Golden speeds up.
She's going too fast to stop, and you think to yourself that she's trying to run him down. But she can't really be trying to do that, you know her too well. Except she doesn't swerve, or make any move to take her foot off of the pedal!
Mr. Rich throws out a hand and slaps the hood of the car, and it disintegrates on the spot into a cloud of glinting silver.
Golden tumbles in the air, her momentum rocketing her past him. Care turns to her and starts to do something with his Stand, but a shot whizzes into the windshield and it breaks his concentration.
Your big sister hits the parking lot on her side, rolling.
Care
You don't feel as freaked out about being shot at as you would've expected. It helps that you can throw up a field around the car.
You don't know what you're doing now, though. Even if you made it inside, you'd have to get past the front desk, up several flights of stairs, find the right room...
Derpy talks. "Silver, do you know which floor Diamond was on?"
"Uh..."
Another shot glances off of your shield. Where is he getting these things? Is it his Stand?
"The same floor I was on! Fifth!"
Derpy's hand's on your shoulder again, damn it you wish you could enjoy that right now. "Get to Golden. I'll take care of the rest." As your wheels swivel and you head between Rich and Golden, she turns to the back. "Silver, open the other back door!"
You move fast enough to unlock the car doors, and she throws it open. Another shot bounces off, and Derpy snaps a twig.｢Spinal Tap｣ flies out of the door.
You have to let down the shield for it, but it scoops up Golden and throws her in. She makes it, but now you're moving too slow, Mr. Rich is rushing for you so he can touch the car. Another shield comes up and he slaps his hand on it, turning it into a wafting mess of paper money.
Then he levels the gun at Derpy. Time shrinks, and you know you'll have to fire another laser at his head to stop him, or blow up the gun, or...
The car rises off the ground.
...You're still surprised how strong her Stand is.
Silver
You try to ignore your fear of heights as the car lurches and rises up.
Golden's beaten up pretty bad. She's got road rash up one arm and on one of her cheeks, and she looks like she's been running a marathon. She's still kicking, though, just loudly catching her breath.
The car's at the fifth floor now, and it's moving in a circle around the building. They're looking for her room. You remember it was right next to yours, and there were a lot of tall buildings outside the window...
Yeah, that's right! "It's around this next corner!"
Derpy nods. Below, you hear a faint, choppy rumbling while ｢Spinal Tap｣ zooms you around the corner.
"I think it's the middle one!"
Care grimaces and holds out a hand. A giant circle of wall shines brightly for a moment and then disappears. You can make out rows of flowers, a single chair next to the bed, and inside it, something pink.
You're here!
Golden sits up straight. "There's no way a car's going to sit on that floor. We have to leave the car."
Derpy nods, and her Stand brings you all up to the hole. Care and Golden climb out, and you get over and join them, head spinning at the feeling of not being lifted up any more.
Then you look for Derpy. She's trying to get past the divider in the front seat, and it's not working. The ceiling's too low.
And behind her, rising into the air to meet all of you, is a helicopter. Mr. Rich stands at the controls, staring you down. She sees him, and immediately brings the car out of the way.
She's running out of time, and you don't see her Stand raise her back up again. And it's only when the car's gone that you see the gun. This one's long, powerful, and aimed at all three of you.
Golden unleashes everything on her tree, all of it black and covered in scales. Care throws up a shield and holds it. Mr. Rich only flies closer.
Then, like the cars, the helicopter stops existing, and he's just floating in the air toward you. Everything feels like it's in slow-motion as he falls, his face exactly the same.
He hits the force field and it shuts off. Care throws up another, and it breaks. Another. Another. They don't even block him, they just turn into money.
The birds swoop, but when they hit him they vanish. So do the squirrels.
As soon as he steps through those, he grabs Care by the shirt and spins, throwing him through the hole in the wall. There's no noise in the room as he does it, only the actions, like getting trounced in a game you've never played before.
And then he's in the room with you, and you're staring down the long barrel of a weapon.
You try not to cry or flinch, to not look directly at it. The only other option at this distance is his face, and it's just as awful. Not because it's dirty or scary, but because you can see he doesn't want to do this. Maybe even he doesn't know it, but he doesn't want to hurt anyone.
That's what Derpy would say...
"Hey, bastard!" Golden shouts.
You both move your eyes and nothing else, and Golden is standing over the bed, holding onto Diamond. Her Stand's sticking out of the wall, one of its branches touching your comatose friend.
"One false move and she's part of my Stand."
He stares at her, and in a single moment the indecision's left his eyes for good.
She doesn't notice, if she knew it was there to begin with. "Don't think I won't! And I can just switch off her brain, too! If she's gone, you don't have a reason to do anything to us!"
The staring contest continues, and the gun doesn't move. You realize, with terror, that your big sister isn't bluffing. She's really going to use her Stand on Diamond.
This is a situation that nobody wants, but you don't have any powers to stop it. You try to think of some hidden use for your ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣, but it's pointless. Even if you could wish the bed into your hallway, you still wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Mr. Rich. You're not Golden, or Derpy, or Care, you're just Silver Spoon, and without Diamond you feel like you're even less than that.
Wait.
No, that's it! It's stupid, but it might be her only chance! With newfound energy, the room shrinks down in your vision, and you leap across it. Mr. Rich isn't ready for the movement, calculating something, and the world doesn't cut to black.
Both of them start shouting, and you can't make out the words, so you don't listen. He swivels the gun, and Golden pulls Diamond onto the tree. On impulse, he shoots for your sister.
More of ｢Fineshrine｣ comes out of the wall, and it splinters as she cries out. You bound onto the bed, in front of Diamond, and he doesn't shoot you.
Golden shouts at you through her pain, biting it back to get her words through. "Get under the bed, Silver!" It hurts that you can't consult her, but there's no time, so you ignore her and leap the rest of the way.
And then the tree grabs you too.
Diamond Tiara
You're alone with yourself.
There's no real beginning or end, you just find yourself in the entryway from time to time. The mansion is large enough that you could wander the rooms for a day and not repeat one, so long as you took your time. Each circuit you think to yourself that there must be someone besides you in them. Other people must exist somewhere, in some ring of the world just outside of yourself, but no matter how much you expect them when you fling a door open, the other side is always empty.
The pink of the wallpaper and the furniture and the floors and ceilings and light fixtures gets muted with each lap you make. Most rooms have windows, which you have to keep shut, and curtains you make sure are drawn. You can't allow yourself many glances outside, for your own health.
Now that you're in the entryway again, you can see them, through uncurtained glass. Copies of you, outside there are nothing but bad copies of you, all of them broken or disgusting. They bang on the ground floor of the building over and over, reminding you of themselves.
You don't remember why this happened, how you came to be here, except that it hurt. As far as memory takes you, you've never even been outside. If you had been, they would've taken you.
"But you have to step outside, Diamond!" Wh-
You look around your entryway. Who said that?
"It's the... only way!" The voice comes from all around you, changing in focus halfway through. So does your world, like a draft of air coming into a room.
You've always wanted to be someone else, and so have the people you've hurt. You grew up in luxury and style, you had all of the power you could want, but no one wanted to be Diamond Tiara.
"That's not true! I've always..." It trails off.
Always what?
"Always wanted to be you! You're the strongest person I know!"
The door starts cracking, and this time it might actually start to buckle. They're coming again.
"Even when people don't like you, you still make them do what you want, because you don't care!"
The walls shake a little, too. They don't do that.
"I wish every day that I was more like you, Diamond! You're unbreakable!"
The walls crack, and the hands and faces of other selves get in. The people you don't wish you could be. Longer teeth, greasier hair, skin conditions, eyepatches, giant sores and burn scars, all of them, reaching.
"You have to let them in, Diamond! And I know you can!"
You find yourself partly agreeing with the voice. It's like some kind of wound has healed over.
...What are you doing here, anyway?
"Dreaming! Now wake up!"
You step up to your buckling front door, take a breath that puffs out your cheeks... and throw it open!
Bad copies swarm you. Where they touch you, there's no pain, but you can hardly look. They sink into you, bubbling into your skin, diving. An army of them fall into you.
Something hums to life, and you wake up falling.
Face-first, you hit a hospital bed.
What you see on the way down, a frenzy of color, is enough to frighten you. There are real sounds here, technological clicks and buzzing lights, and you know you're back in the land of the living.
But when you look up, you see that you were just imagining the gun. And by the time your mind's resurfaced completely, you realize you're in a hospital gown.
...This is a hospital!
Your dad hugs you like he hasn't seen you in years.
You have too many questions. "Wh... what happened?"
Next to you, Silver bites her lip and then breaks into a small grin.
Derpy
By the time you and Care get up the stairs, it's already resolved.
Which is, you have to admit, a nice change. Mr. Rich replaced the car without any trouble, and repaired the damage to the hospital. Some people will probably tell stories of strange things happening on the roads and in front of the building, but it all happened too fast for anyone to make the news believe them.
Still, Care's troubled. It took a lot of work for him to break his fall, ramps and platforms and successive crashes. He's replaying being thrown in his head right now, probably. You wish you could take that kind of worry away from him.
Besides that, there's only one thing that keeps this from being a truly happy ending: it's around fifth period now.
If Golden's lucky, your mom won't be back yet and chewing her out for taking the car. The rest of you, who don't have the stamina to skip classes right now, pile back in Care's car and get going.
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Johnny Cash｣
User: Filthy Rich
Ability: Converts items touched by the user into a currency of their choosing, equal to the market price of the item; this effect wears off outside range. When used on items the user owns, the currency is pooled, and the user can convert some or all of it into any object of equal or lower market price. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Magical Mystery Tour | The Great and Powerful Trixie
The alleyway's dark, but your eyes have almost adjusted.
It's been a week since you last attended CHS. Keeping your head down around cops is enough work without being chased. None of them have their paws on you yet, though.
Unfortunately, it's also been a week since you last saw Wiz Kid. He was going to be the ultimate addition to your little army. When you had one.
Turns out the higher-ups in this wargame could've disbanded you all at any time, and you just hadn't made them angry enough yet. Now they were out for blood.
The only thing that made day marginally safe was that they had to keep going to school. They mostly had parents who gave them attention, who wouldn't take kindly to hunting other students off-grounds. Not to mention that what you've stolen gives you a powerful bargaining chip, so long as you can get it to a safe area. You tried hiding it at your house, and someone broke in during the night to take it.
You're presently certain of two things: your Stand is the only thing keeping you alive right now, and this stone needs to stay out of everyone's hands.
The coast looks clear. Midmorning with no cars, only half a city to go. You make a break for it.
Canterlot is a city in a loose sense. It's got a few tall buildings and looks imposing on a skyline, yes, but there's very little bustle, especially at the right hours. No one's chased you for the last few blocks, and you're starving.
Actual food might not hurt you, but vending machine fare is livable. At least until you get to that place...
You walk into the nearest businessy-looking building, one of those that get rented out by a bunch of tiny companies. It's in the closest stairwell, that tall friendly box.
Vending machines are the great comfort of modern civilization. In WWII, some were invented which dispensed paperbacks instead of food. On the other side of the world, there are machines which solely vend illegal goods. No risks, no one to impress, just crackers and water for loose change. Civilization is wonderful.
You make your selection, shove your food into your jacket pockets and go. You'd wear a bag or a backpack, but it would make you much more noticeable, unless you wanted to pretend to be a hitchhiker. Not that anyone would hitchhike here...
It's only when you make it back out to the front that you see the motorcycle.
A girl's sitting on it, wearing a helmet, running it on the street just outside the door. Just... waiting there. There's another girl sitting behind her, and her face is in view. Her skin's almost the same shade as yours, and she glances down at some sort of watch, or locket, before snapping it shut and pocketing it.
She turns to look at you, and mouths words through the glass. You activate your Stand immediately.
"｢Abracadabra｣!"
The helmeted one turns the wheels of the motorcycle as soon as you summon your Stand. Its wavy star-speckled form dances over your head like an amoeba as the motornoise rattles the ground. Then she accelerates directly into the glass of the door.
A high-pitched voice enters your hearing.
"-ot that waaaay!"
The rider screams, pressing her face into the driver's back. Shards fly everywhere, but the vehicle lands in the entryway, and she doesn't stop for anything. She's right on top of you!
...And then she isn't.
You're over at the stairwell, and she's back at the door. Hoping that you've tripped her up, you run up the stairs and out of sight.
"Goddammit Indigo, we're supposed to rendezvous with the others!" The voice comes from below as you climb singlemindedly. They'll be following you on foot now. How many exits are there? How far do you have to get to lose them?
The second floor's a good start.
You wait outside the door, but they aren't coming up.
"Look, I know what I'm doing, alright! We've got code set up. Thumbs is a victory, middle finger is danger."
"That's a seriously underthought code."
"Look, if we can just tire her out, we can take her. You ever hunt rabbits?"
"Murdering animals is a filthy hick activity, and you're wasting our time."
"You wouldn't say that if you ate the stew, Sugar."
"I would and you know it."
Chuckling. "Yeah." Pause. "She's still here, right?"
"The stone hasn't left the building. It's above us. They're probably calling security on us by now."
"Good. Most of it. You take over and get nearby, I'll go after her."
You get away from the door. This looks like it's a three-story building, but there's only one set of stairs. If you kept climbing, she would see you now.
Looking around, you see a handful of doors leading to podunk offices, some bathrooms, bad carpet... and an elevator! You hit the call button, and it dings politely. Then, in a show of ultimate luck, the doors open without a wait! You dash inside and jab the button for the third floor.
It lights up, but the doors don't respond. You stand in one corner and keep hitting the button, as it fails to do anything, feeling the blood pounding in your ears.
Your power isn't meant for fighting. You're just good at putting distance between yourself and others.
Finally, they react, and slide shut. You let go of a breath you didn't know you were holding.
"A-ha!" A light tan hand slaps between the closing doors in a karate chop. Attached to it is a blue-haired girl with goggles on her head, grinning like the Cheshire Cat in that small slit. "Gotcha, lady."
You activate your Stand. The doors haven't been stopped just yet, so you separate them a little more. Then you let out your best attempt at a yell, and smack her wrist.
She doesn't retract it. In fact, she doesn't act like it hurt at all. With a sudden twist, her hand's gripping yours.
You can see in her face that she's having a spectacular time.
You call up your Stand and separate her from you, but she's still smiling outside as the doors close the rest of the way.
That look unsettles you. Wasn't it a victory to make it to the third floor?
When the elevator opens, you can already hear her jogging up the stairwell. You bolt out, looking around: offices, more offices, and a long hallway with a plain door. Over it, the words "Fire Exit". That has to be it, the next step toward getting to that place.
Your Stand creates more space between you and the elevator, propelling you down the hallway. She bounds after you tirelessly as you throw open the door and run up the stairs beyond.
Almost all buildings are required to have a set of stairs that grants access to all areas. This includes tricky places like roofs, basements, subbasements and back-areas, where the average person might get lost. However, most businesses and owners wish to keep regular people from trespassing in these places.
For the average company, fire exits fulfill both of these needs, but proper alarms are often expensive, and wiring them in is tedious. Especially in cheap buildings, if you can't see a mechanism affixed directly to the door, you should take the alarm warnings with a grain of salt. Especially especially in a building without alarms on its glass front doors.
You've made it up to the roof safely, and from this vantage you have a pretty good view of the nearby city. There are some rooftops close-by, but the further out they get the taller and shorter they become. A long way away, you can even see the park through a few of them.
You know that these people are tracking you by range, or else the stone. And you know that they have extra trouble finding it if you're in a crowd. Once, one of them muttered about there being "too many living things nearby" when you slipped away. These facts are the basis of your plan.
Indigo makes it up to the roof and stops. "You gonna run?"
You don't respond, backing up to a far corner.
She goes on. "It doesn't matter if you do or don't. You've already lost. ｢Nails for Breakfast｣!" You flinch and prepare for battle, but nothing happens.
Then she pulls out a little pill bottle and pops the cap. With pinching fingers she grabs a few... tablets? And swallows them.
"This is ALD-52. It's called a prodrug, because it gets turned into LSD by the body. You can buy it online if you shell out a little cash." She says, and then stands there like you're going to say something in response.
Then you start to feel lightheaded.
"Since LSD takes time, I made sure to mix it with everything else nasty I could get my hands on, of course."
It comes in a wave, like the feeling of being about to vomit, the thought that your body's just... too loose. You resist that line of thought, and start to feel your legs heating up instead. How is this happening...?
Indigo walks over, cracking her fists. One of her thumbs shimmers like a mirage, and then it's longer, and a darker orange.
"A-｢Abracadabra｣!" You jump backwards, and suddenly you're on the next roof over. The distance is too long to jump without a Stand, but increasing your range doesn't seem to change what she's doing to you.
Indigo frowns at you over the distance, and cups her hands around her mouth. "Fine! We'll do this the hard way!"
You feel your left leg go numb, and you realize, dimly, it's hers. You look down, past your dress, and the leg is the same color as hers, the same everything. A foreign object. You wonder if you're starting to hallucinate.
While you head for the exit, she's jumping in your peripheral vision. It's like she's bodyslamming an invisible man, or ragdolling. Then, on her fourth or fifth attempt, she cries out.
You ignore her and make your way into the building - and then your leg comes back.
It flares up with pain, collapsing underneath of you, and you cry out. Stumbling with the pain, you fall down the first flight of stairs outright, and only with your Stand do you land on your back, leg up in the air. The successive impacts leave ripples of hurt around your lumbar, and you hold onto those hard-edged sensations as your vision jerks and threatens to swim.
You test your leg on the floor, leaning on it a little. Then you seethe and retract it to your chest again. Sprained ankle.
Obviously she did this somehow, but figuring out her Stand and its limits isn't in your power right now. She's going to come over here, or call over the others. They're going to find you in a stairwell unable to walk, and they're going to take the stone.
Until you learn why people wanted it so badly, you can't relinquish that rock. Especially not given what they'll probably do to you after they get it. Your fear and pain keep you grounded enough to summon up your Stand, and then the rest is fast measurements and hope.
You scoot on your back to the nearest flight of stairs and create some space between you and the nearest wall. In a diagonal shot, you're halfway down the stairs. Another, and you're on level ground again.
You repeat this process as quickly as you can, ignoring the pain. Sometimes you fall anyway, and the stairs buffet your spine like a bad massage, but you make it to the ground floor. You need to get to a doctor.
But first you have to make it. You have to get to that place!
Outside, you're in the lobby of a closed business. All the lights are out. The architecture's the same as the last building, but it's cleaner, dimmer. You prop yourself up on a wall and lean as you hop toward the entrance.
The blue girl, Sugar, is already outside on the motorcycle. She's staring at you, expressionless, unmoving. You grit your teeth as your Stand unlocks the door, and then lean on it as it swings open.
You want to puke. No one ever said that Trixie Lulamoon wasn't a lightweight.
But you've already seen your objective close by. The pain hasn't cleared your mind, but it's forced you into a single mode of action, and you know what to do now.
Sugar gets off the motorcycle and waves in the direction of the building you just escaped. Indigo emerges on ground level. In the distance, you see a couple more motorcycles. And then there's you, hopping determinedly like a woman on a mission. You look ridiculous, and you don't care.
Sugar sees where you're heading, and stands between you and the motorcycle.
"Is the stone on your person?" She stares at you, undaunted.
You hop closer to the back end of the bike and balance yourself. She turns a few degrees to keep eye contact, holding out her arms to block you. Between you and a ticket out of here, her full wingspan.
The others approach. You turn to them, but look only at Indigo. Even though you're sweating and there's a buzzing in your head that won't go away, the thespian in you can't resist the moment.
You raise your voice so all of them will hear you. "Trixie isn't just a showstopper, she's a patron of the classics. And two-thousand years ago, a man in China wrote The Art of War. He said 'Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across'."
Indigo blinks.
"Desperate people take chances. The more desperate, the more bizarre their tactics get. And if you leave anyone with only one way out, you're adding pressure to the barrel of a gun in that one direction!" Your Stand appears over your shoulder as your voice climbs, finally shouting, "That is why you lost on this day to the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
You create space between the road and the motorcycle.
Before Sugar can turn around, the vehicle crashes into her from behind. As she pratfalls, you reach out for the seat. Your hand makes contact, and from there your Stand helps you up the rest of the way. As soon as you're not about to fall off, you create more space, put yourself back on the road, and you peal out. All in all, it takes less than ten seconds.
They're right behind you, of course. Buildings rush by as your Stand pushes you along; you're moving too fast to stop or turn now. Then the buildings thin out a little, long roads leading into neighborhoods as you race past. You never stop hearing them.
Even if you had unlimited fuel, you wouldn't outrace them in your state. You only barely understand how you're not crashing right now.
Your right hand shimmers and goes numb. Over your shoulder, you see Indigo wave at you with your own hand and reach out for the side of the road. No.
You swerve, still zooming forwards, and swing her hand at a parked car's side mirror. She yelps over the turbulence, and in a flash, your hands switch back, just in time for your Stand to stop the collision.
"Agh!" It still hits your ring finger and pinky, and they snap backwards. You wobble in your seat and groan the pain into the wind, but the motorcycle keeps running along underneath you.
It's the only thing with energy here, now. You've only got enough strength to use your Stand one more time.
The stoplight ahead's green, and you can see your goal. You grip the accelerator with your three good fingers and reach into your jacket with your good hand. Everyone sees the glint of the red stone in the daylight.
You've almost made it.
You spent endless summers in Canterlot Park. It was huge, and almost entirely wooded. It was also out of the way enough that not too many people came there - that is, it was populated, but not popular. Now, as you barrel toward it, you tense your body. Straight onto the green!
The motorcycle jerks onto the sidewalk, past the gates, and off the stone path. When your front wheel hits the grass, it starts tearing into the turf, digging ferociously in a spot it's destined never to leave. Its momentum bucks you off, and you go sprawling end over end into the grass.
Part of your impact gets your ankle screaming again, and you lay there. You're not getting up.
The others stop. There are five of them, on four motorcycles. Sugar and someone else got left behind so Indigo could make the trip. She dismounts first, letting her motorcycle thump against the ground, and scrambles over to you.
Clenching your good fist tighter, you summon your Stand one more time. "｢ABRACADABRA｣!" The word comes out loud enough to echo, exactly as it should.
Indigo braces herself, but no space appears between you. As soon as she sees that, she rushes over and grabs your wrist.
"Hand it over!" She places a knee on your ankle, and you cry out, your hand spasming and opening involuntarily as she leans in. Then her eyes turn to yours, more lost than anything, "...Where is it?"
You smile through the pain, if only because the lightheaded feeling is getting worse. A wiggle of gripped fingers, a wink.
"Presto."
She's losing it now. "Where is it?! I saw it, you had it!" She reaches into your pockets, crushing the crackers, but finds nothing.
You cough and speak. "I threw it underneath of the wheel when I went over. I-into the hole."
A female voice you've never heard before calls over. "It's not in here!"
"｢Abracadabra｣ put distance between it and the motorcycle. It's one foot underground somewhere in this park, and only I, Trixie, know where."
Indigo grabs you by the collar. "Where?! Where is it?!"
Your good hand comes up and smacks her across the face, throwing her off of you. As she recoils, you fall limp to the ground.
Before she can react, you turn your head to the others. "I don't know how her Stand works, or why you want the stone, but if I die of an overdose you'll never get to it. You'd better call Trixie an ambulance."
They're silent for a moment. Indigo glances back at the one standing closest, and something passes between them before he nods, once.
She turns to you. "This isn't over!" Then she rips the bike from the earth and sets it back on the path.
A few minutes later, paramedics arrive. You're the only one still there, and by the time they load you into the car, even that's questionable.
But you're alive, and the stone's safe.
For now...
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Abracadabra｣
User: Trixie
Ability: Creates space between a pair of objects or surfaces.
Stand: ｢Nails for Breakfast｣
User: Indigo Zap
Ability: Switches body parts with any person the user's touched hands with. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Trouble | Silver
The hallways are just about empty around lunchtime, so getting to the auditorium is child's play. Its doors are large and black, without handles or windows, and a little grimy. You glance over your shoulder at Diamond, who's a foot behind, and a little nervous.
"Sure you want to join?"
Her reaction's muted, considered. "Yeah."
Diamond's not how you remember her. Not in a bad way, either. It's like she's... more than she used to be.
Anyway, it's seconds before you find them in the auditorium, sitting together onstage. The lights are off, but you can't miss their silhouettes. They didn't used to stand together constantly, but they grew into it. Now that you're a Stand user, you can feel the bond between them even more strongly. Maybe their Stands work together?
Either way, the musty dusty crusty mess of the auditorium lets out a creaking echo when you push open the doors. They don't react. In fact, they don't acknowledge you at all until you're close enough to make out which of them is which.
Scootaloo speaks first, around an egg salad sandwich. "Look who it is." She's not quite looking at you.
Bloom pipes up. "Glad you healed up so quick."
Diamond doesn't answer.
Sweetie doesn't turn her head, just staring out into the empty seats. "What are you here for?"
You clear your throat. "We're looking for answers."
Sweetie smiles a little. "Does Care know you're running around for him?"
You pause, shrug off their creepy ability to know these things, and then shake your head.
Scootaloo picks up from there. "What are the questions?" And with that invitation, the next few minutes are awash with exposition.
"What happened to Trixie Lulamoon?"
"She stole something and ran off school grounds."
"What?"
"A magical artifact. It's the only complete one in the set."
You're about to ask how many others there are, but Diamond pipes up.
"Why was it here?"
"Safekeeping. Anywhere else would be putting it at risk."
"Is she in danger?"
Scootaloo shrugs. "Aren't all of us?"
Then Belle speaks up again. "There's a battle, a real one, and whoever gets their hands on all three stones wins."
Diamond asks another sensible question, even though she's hovering around your shoulder. "Who's fighting?"
Silence, looks among the three, then Apple Bloom: "We don't know. It's about all we can do to keep our class in order. Not that you two were keen on helping us out with that." Inside, you wince a little, and decide not to press them.
For her part, Diamond hmmms. "You are working for the Rainbooms, right?"
Apple Bloom answers. "Of course! They're our sisters, after all."
Before you can ask another question, Belle speaks. "If you want to help, there's a house we were supposed to investigate. Maybe you'll find a clue there."
"Or else I'll find something dangerous?" You ask.
All three nod, once. The way they move gets creepier the longer you have to look at them, and you have to resist the urge to shudder - but that's how you get the address for an abandoned house. The bell rings as soon as you get the information, and carries you off into the rest of your day. Toward the end, the plan solidifies between you and Diamond, wordlessly.
Derpy's not going to be in tonight, and Golden's already skipped half the day to go home. Calls to your parents asking to sleep over at each-others' houses go off without a hitch. Diamond's been spending a lot of time at your house anyway. Growing up with her hasn't just taught you about lying, but the finer art of steering lies. Navigating through the web, never being caught without a ready response, and padding out enough to make people want them to be true.
You feel downright Machiavellian.
"Silver..."
You turned to her. "Yeah?"
"Did they have their Stand out?" Right, she can't see those. It was really hard to look away for the first couple hours you had yours.
You shake your head. "I don't think so."
"I don't trust them. I never liked them in the first place, but..."
"Yeah. I know. They seem too... together."
You only barely hear her mutter a response. "Maybe because I'm not."
You frown. Neither of you say anything else on the way to class.
Care
It's been a little while since anything big happened at school. Derpy's been busy for a few days: lots of homework, spending time with Silver and Diamond, and so on. You both know it's really your fault, but she never mentions it.
Things have been cooling off recently, like the focus has shifted somewhere else. Every day that you don't need to use your Stand is a victory. You almost dropped a few grades in some of your classes, for once. And today, you're on a date to the movies! It's at one of the rich people theaters, too, with the five hours of before-previews commercials and its own radio station.
The tickets are going to cost you, but you don't really spend money on anything else. At least, besides gas and groceries.
The point is, you're due at her house in an hour, and then you'll be on your way. And, more because you have time than out of any real need, you make a detour. Candy always tastes better when it's bought in a chintzy dollar store and snuck into the theater, and Canterlot Mall's dollar store is the absolute chintziest.
Diamond Tiara
The last few days have been a whirlwind.
You were in a coma for no time at all, but you feel like it should've changed you. Your dad's actually paying attention to you now, and it's almost creepy. No, not creepy, but, y'know, uncomfortable. Ish. He used to always react to you instead of trying to start conversations. You guess that's what everyone else's dads do.
You don't even know what you're thinking now.
A lot was involved in bringing you back to the land of the living, though. And oh, what a land it is. All of the other kids are ignoring you now - they're on the Crusaders' side, of course. You can't really blame them, either.
Silver's tougher, too. You hadn't noticed she was weaker before until you saw the way she stands now. Stands. Hah.
It seems like everyone's changed except you. That's a big part of why you're in favor of going to the creepazoid shack on the edge of town. Even if you're stuck, the only reason you're not having some unending nightmare is because of Silver, and her sisters, and Care Root. The thought that they saved your life and didn't want something from you for it makes you feel...guilty?
No, it's simpler than that. It's a debt, and you can't stand being on the wrong side of those. Today, you're going to save them the trouble and the cost. Even it means riding a public bus, Diamond Tiara always gets even.
Silver's with you all the way, still wearing her backpack. You hope that her Stand gives her some kind of protection this far out, but you're a little afraid to ask in case it doesn't. She doesn't act like she's vulnerable, but maybe that's just because she's aware of the threats.
For the whole trip, the two of you laugh about the lightweightiest person in your class, Featherweight.
"Yeah, and then he did the, the-!" You mime the face he made when he tried to do a pull-up in PE. She points at your impression and covers her mouth to snicker. Some things never change.
But eventually the bus lurches, and the door jerks open. You glance out the window for the street signs, and Silver nods. Then quickly, you dispatch yourselves into the afternoon air.
Care Root
You're hunched over a display of movie-theater candy, planning. Do you dare go with something that could make noise when you walk, let alone melt? Or do you gravitate towards more varied but non-chocolatey fare? It's hard to ignore how stained the carpeting of this store is.
You'll also have to buy some zipper bags to put these in, and then stuff them into your pockets.
The sign above you says that cameras are watching you. You wonder idly, after a moment, whether you could steal this candy if you wanted to. No matter how much you spend, your Stand's only ever changed your sum total happiness once. Are your decisions your own?
Probably. You mean, Derpy has free will. It's not like you could tell, but maybe your Stand only highlights the important things you'll do anyway. It's not limited by computing power or anything.
Even if it's dictating your path to you, you could probably throw off the path by leaving. Jump in your car, head in a random direction until you'd never see her again.
Not that you ever would, of course. You have a core feeling that you could spend your whole life looking and never find a girl who would make your Stand change again. That day was the start of an incredibly happy moment in your life. But... why didn't ｢Timbuk Three｣ predict the switch in the first place? Even if you could have two destinies, one miserable and one bright, shouldn't it have known?
"Hey, Kid." You turn your head.
There are two students whose names you never knew to begin with. Lowerclassmen, orange and blue, tall and lumpy, ten feet away.
The blue one's got a nasty bruise on his forehead, and he does the talking. "Where is she?"
You want to knock their skulls together for bothering you right now. But you just stare at them, quiet. Then you point, surreptitiously, to the cameras-are-watching-you sign.
Blue sours. "We'll talk more in the parking lot."
Then they fall back a few feet, and go mill around outside of the store. And you go back to choosing your candy.
Silver
You get off the sidewalk once you see your destination. The house hasn't been touched by anyone in years, one of those that isn't brought down because no one can muster up a good reason to trash it. The grass is up to ridiculous heights, and the structure itself is all wood. Darker splotches decorate it, some of the stairs are splintered, but everything's locked and closed.
All in all, it's the yard you don't want to lose your frisbee in. With Diamond behind you, you duck into another empty backyard and survey the house from another angle. Still two stories, but on the back of the second floor there's one of those weird doors that goes nowhere. The front had a porch of some kind, but here's it's just a backdoor and the grass, staved off from where you're standing by a sturdy fence.
You try to get a look in through the windows, but it's all dust, curtains and darkness. There's a sudden creaking.
"Get down!" Diamond hisses at you, pulling you into the grass.
Through the slats of the fence, you see the backdoor open. Someone blue lingers in the doorway. Trixie?!
...No. No, Trixie doesn't have hair like that, you're just getting excited. She giggles, and it's the wrong register, too. Then she leans in, into the door, and kisses someone. When she comes closer, she has something hovering over her shoulder like a ghost. Except... you've seen Stands, and it really is like a ghost. Translucent, grey, wispy.
You turn your head slightly to Diamond and mouth words. Do you see that? She doesn't answer.
The ghost turns and surveys the area. You can see her better as she walks up to the front yard. Blue-raspberry hair against dull clothes. You saw this girl when you competed in the Battle of the Bands, everyone did.
Diamond's looking at you now, eyes serious. You remember the name from the tournament list: Sonata, one of three.
You whisper, half to Diamond and half to yourself. "Why here...?"
Sonata abruptly stops walking.
You shut your mouth.
Care
When you leave, bags in tow, they're still waiting for you. They're both almost solemn. They don't even speak, and you walk past them towards the parking lot.
You could definitely get away from them if you were willing to shell out the price. But you don't even try to run. Their footsteps pad after you on the linoleum, and soon the parking lot's upon you.
You wait until you're a good distance from the door. Closer to the horizon, cars drift in and out of view against the sunlight. You stand between it and them.
"We know you're going to meet her. Where and when?"
You say nothing.
"Fine. Be that way." A sudden headache affects you, and Orange darts forward, his Stand hovering out of his arm.
It's purple, bumpy, ogrelike. You throw up a hand-sized barrier, and it simply passes through it. He's holding a tiny vial of something, and suddenly it passes through your skin and into your arm. It's not even painful, surreally.
｢Timbuk Three｣ appears and roundhouse kicks him. Those purple arms appear again, crossed now, and he grunts as he's pushed back.
Your migraine subsides as Blue talks. "That's poison. Real bad stuff. I've got the antidote, but it's unmarked and there's a lot of nasty stuff on me, too. If you want to live, you have to earn it."
Your heart rate and breathing start increasing. It's like there's something on the verge of your senses... The headache returns, but it was there before, so it wasn't caused by the poison... Something in your stomach does a flip. Where the hell are these kids getting poison from?!
Blue takes your silence for an answer. "Tch. Tell us or don't. But you don't have very long to make up your mind."
Okay, that's enough of that. You've been pushed around more than enough by now, and you're not going to take it from a couple of half-pint kids looking to interrogate you. You focus on your arm, and your Stand shines a powerful light through it. It's like holding a flashlight to your fingers to see the bones.
"Don't die for her, Kid," Blue says, and you ignore him alongside the vomit-sweatiness breaking out on your forehead.
A thought, and then a tiny glowing casket envelops the vial. Another, and it's completely annihilated. It singes your muscles a little, but you've never been one for working out.
Blue sees this, and the look in your eye. "Snails, get him!"
Orange comes towards you again, his Stand's arm apparent. You throw up another shield, and the Stand goes straight through it. He smiles viciously - you realize he really thinks it's fun to do this to you.
You smile back, and push the shield past his Stand and onto his arm. His fist gets jerked backwards, and its knobby counterpart never reaches you. While he's stunned, ｢Timbuk Three｣ smashes a foot into his face.
Man, your Stand's pretty good at kicking, isn't it?
He hits the ground, and he's out. Without a second glance at him, you turn to Blue, who suddenly looks a lot less dangerous.
Diamond Tiara
Sonata Dusk, the finalist in the Battle of the Bands, is only a few feet away, listening. You cover your mouth, trying not to hyperventilate. Silver, next to you, is staring out through the fence, and you have to resist the urge to take her shoulder and wrench her backwards for fear of the noise it would make in the grass.
You see sweat on her face. Both of you are wondering whether it'd be best to run away right now. Could you pretend to be kids who lived in the neighborhood? Would she know if you were lying? Damn it, you should've been ready for this!
Without any change in volume at all, Silver speaks again. "I mean, there's not even a pool back here." You slice a finger across your throat, but she goes on without reacting to you, "And it's next to a freaky Goosebumps house. What kind of party could some dork like Rumble throw here anyway?" Then she nods at you, eyes like dinnerplates.
You realize it's your cue. "Y-yeah, what a loser. ...I bet his parents aren't even leaving."
"Yeah."
Behind the fence, Sonata shrugs and keeps walking. Your face trembles as you hold in a sigh of relief.
She walks across the street, gets into a sleek blue car in their driveway, and drives off. Only when you can't hear the sound of it any longer do either of you move.
Once you have a handle on your heartbeat, you turn back to the house. "Okay. What's our plan from here?"
Silver looks surprised. She was probably expecting you to tell her.
It takes a few tries to jump the fence, and you tear a line in your best yellow jacket. There's no helping the rustle of the grass, but you don't think anyone's listening. You keep an eye out for traps, or mosquitoes.
Silver takes the lead, checking the door - there aren't any locks on it, or a screen. When you stand just outside of it, your palms feel sweaty.
She grips the doorknob, because she's closest, and turns it all the way before she makes any move. The thing nearly screeches when she pulls it outward. She cringes with you, waits for someone to call out, but no one does.
Gently, gradually, you both test the limits of the hinge. She eventually makes an opening big enough for the both of you. Hoping you don't wind up on the news, you slip inside first.
Care
Leaving two unconscious students behind, you take your candy and go on your way. Even if it melts, chocolate has to be your go-to. Gosh, look at the time.
You make the drive efficiently, paying attention to the encroaching moment of brightness in your immediate future. It's big enough to be worth something, too. Swinging by to pick up Derpy takes only a couple minutes. She's wearing a black shirt with gamepad arrows on it, and little red earrings that glint in the light. You hadn't known you were tense until you just relaxed.
She smiles and climbs in with you.
"How are the girls?" The way you say it makes you feel like you're their dad. Shudder.
"They've done some growing up, but they're alright. How have you been?"
Should you really mention being injected with poison at the start of your date? No, that would definitely nuke the mood.
You shrug. "Same old."
"What movie are we seeing?"
Uh... crap. "I, uh, guess we still need to pick one."
She looks for starting times on her phone while you drive. You don't know whether you should rush or waste time, so you try some kind of compromise. If you listen closely over the machine-noise of the wheels, you can hear her reading the names under her breath.
"Fifty... La La... Hidden... Ohmigosh! Brawn Kick 2!"
You take your eyes off the road and look at her like it's the first time you've seen her. "You've seen the first one?"
"Of course!" She says, and looks up at you, making her face completely neutral and putting on a deep voice. "You stole my car and killed my dog."
...Somehow, whether by dumb luck, fate, an evil curse or some combination, you've managed to find the perfect woman.
Her face returns to normal, and she looks at you, a little concerned. "Are you okay?"
Scootaloo
Sweetie says what you're all thinking. "I still think it's dangerous to send Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon out there."
You shrug, although neither of the others can hear that over the phone. "It is. But no matter what happens to them, it's still better for us." You're not lying. If they break in and take another gem-shard, even if they don't hand it over, things are still better.
And if they're never heard from again... Well, that'll only bring the present situation to a boil even faster.
Bloom speaks. "I think so too. No point in worrying when it's no skin off our backs."
"Do you really feel that way?" Sweetie asks, and neither of you answer. After a little more discussion, you all hang up and enjoy your evenings separately.
There are things you wish you could tell the other two. That it all really is for a higher goal, and that it'll all be okay in the end. But then she'd erase their memory of the conversation. You doubt even you'll know the truth for much longer.
What matters for your future are getting to the gems, keeping everyone else away from them, and making Care Root stay desperate.
｢To Be Continued｣ |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Diamond in the Witch House | ???
The sun's close to setting, but the house is only a few feet away. One floor, not two. You try to ignore the pain in your arm.
Hrgh. You spit a little blood on the sidewalk, and lurch out of the open.
Silver
You've just entered into one extremely creepy house.
Is anyone paying rent to live here?
It's naturally lit, which is a fancy way of saying it's really dark. The back entrance is a hallway, like your house's front, but half the length. The carpet's shag, and stacks of magazines and boardgames line the walls, each one complete with a dusty tchotchke sentinel. All in all, it looks like your grandma's house in Besançon, but without the homeliness.
For a moment your eyes have to adjust, and you look around for Diamond. She's to your left, pressing herself against the wall between the junk and the door. There must be a staircase somewhere, but you can't see it from here - instead there are doorless openings, a stained kitchen to your left, some less distinct room on your right, and at the end some larger space.
You remember the first time you realized that other people's houses weren't arranged like yours. It was one of the most disorienting feelings you ever had, until the last week.
There's no sign of Trixie around here, or at least you haven't seen her yet. You can't hear or see anyone from here. Who was that blue-haired girl, Sonata, kissing goodbye at the door? One of the other two, Dazzling and what's-her-name? Trixie?
You feel the reassuring weight of your backpack, and try to crane your neck without leaving your vantage point. The kitchen's empty. You scurry for it just to get out of the open, motioning with one hand for Diamond to follow. She steps lightly enough that you have to check she's still behind you.
The kitchen's just as bad as the back hall. White cupboards and cabinets are shut but splotched with red-brown. The sink looks like something out of the school bathroom, and flowery china plates have been set next to it in crusty stacks. There are signs of life, though: in one corner a switchbox lies open, half of the fuses permanently turned off. In another, a fat cylinder of a water heater thrums in tune with a minifridge with a microwave balanced on it.
Your first guess, if Trixie were here, was that she'd be in the basement. If all of this stuff is up here and there aren't lots of extra doors to check, there might not be one. Second floor, then? There's only one exit besides the way you came, another large doorless opening into a room with a couch and a tiny TV.
Just then, sounds intrude on your thoughts. A grunting noise. A man, stretching. A popping joint. Footsteps coming down the hallway.
Diamond heard it before you did, she's already checked the cabinets under the sink. Only one fits. It's grimy and full of unopened cleaning supplies, but amid them there's maybe enough room for someone your size to hide.
But not two.
Diamond trades looks with you, indecision falling over her in waves. There's definitely no time for that. You shoo her in and close it, and then scram on eggshells.
Diamond
You've already split up.
Nothing's visible , but you're pretty sure there's no reason to open it. Shoes clack on the kitchen floor, swooping towards you and then away. The baby fridge opens.
"Hmm..." The voice almost sounds familiar. Your dad trained you never to forget a name or a face. Or a weakness. But who...? You resist the impulse to peek out and see, and wish for a moment that you weren't bright pink.
Where's Silver now? Maybe in as much trouble as you are!
Clicking, buttons on a phone, slowly. Then the slam and beep of a microwave turning on.
A pause. "Hey. She's coming. You tracked down the girl yet?"
You think to distract yourself from the ache in your neck.
"I can't, I'm already tied up."
You've overheard this voice, he was an upperclassman, dropped out a few months ago.
"You gonna twist my arm about that forever? ... Look, if you were at the Friendship Games you'd know what I'm talking about. Don't underestimate them."
As the microwave shrieks that it's finished, you realize who it is.
"Well, unless you feel like going all-out Custer, it's our best lead. Find that girl and you'll have all the power you c... Well, then don't make me repeat it!"
The weird kid who wore a suit to school and never talked to anyone. The one who just stopped attending last semester, hardly even rumored about. Anonymous.
"Toodles to you, too, Ari." Click, opening, shutting, more footsteps. "Nowhere man." He says this into the air, facing away from you.
It takes a moment for you to realize it must be his Stand.
"Keep doing sweeps, one. Two, stick with me. Guard duty for number three, and four's on escort with Sonata." Whatever happens then, there's no noise. Then he walks back out, into the hallway and back the way he came.
Is Silver still out there?! You reach the verge of panicking, but remind yourself that nothing's happened yet. If she'd been caught, he would've indicated it somehow, or she would've screamed for help, right? So... somewhere, Silver's hiding.
You creep out of the cabinet, checking over the rim for movement. There's nothing.
Why is Anonymous here? What does he care about the Dazzlings? ...Then again, why do you care about Trixie? Whatever the reason, he's guarding something. Is he expecting intruders? He sounded relaxed when he gave those orders, so maybe not.
The hallway you came from is clear, for now, but you don't want to retrace his footsteps. You try to get a better look at the other opening, with the entertainment room past it. Once you're closer, you see it's one undefined jumble of rooms. Not far from the sofa is a weight bench, nearby a small spiral staircase, and not far from that is a dinner table, and fixed in the middle there's a front door covered in nails and wooden planks.
Keeping low to the ground, you can see a pair of dress shoes under the sliver of table in your vision. He's nearby, facing your general direction. Silver's not hiding down here until she's behind the couch; she went up the stairs. Which means you're going to have to follow her, or make some kind of distraction...
It's only then that you notice the intangible, see-through figure of a ghost glide through the room. An honest, real, heavens-above ghost, dressed in equally colorless and transparent armor, floating in mid-air and glancing around. You stifle a scream, cover your mouth.
It sees you.
Silver
Even though it's two stories, this is a one-bed one-bath house. You haven't heard anything happening downstairs except someone talking, so you aren't panicking yet. The upstairs is quieter, smaller, and all of the doors are open except one. Bedroom, bathroom, the untapped potential for a nursery, and some kind of study. You're most hesitant about the bedroom because someone might be sleeping there, but you look inside anyway.
The bed's empty but half-made, the curtains are drawn shut, and everything else is dark. You conclude that, most likely, Trixie's not here. Then, on a childish impulse, you check under the bed for her.
Nothing, except... A box, on the far side. You crawl over to that end and pull it out, thankful that it doesn't groan against the carpet. It's a briefcase, plain black.
Experimentally, you try to open it. It doesn't budge. On closer inspection, it's locked; a seven-digit combination lock sits before you, every number turned to 0. Those black numbers on glimmering gold taunt you, and you contemplate them. If there's something important in this house, it's probably in here.
So, as quietly as you can, you take off your backpack.
Diamond
You duck back into the kitchen and backpedal further, into the hall, and then into the dark room past it. Your heart's killing you.
The ghost swoops in, tracing your path like a sheet of paper in the wind, checking corners. Inside the darkness, you're close to panicking. There's nothing around here big enough to hide behind, just a desk and more stacks of crap.
You try to stay silent and huddle into a corner as it completes an inspection of the kitchen. It takes so long that you start to think that maybe it's not coming near you after all. But then it draws itself out into the hallway, lingering as it gazes up and down, and then finally turns its eyes to you. Straight to yours.
With a look of mute annoyance, it draws a shortsword from its mass. You try not to scream, or maybe it's just that your mouth won't let the sound out. It's absurd, but... if Silver heard you screaming, you'd both get caught. And you have a debt to pay back, to her family, to her... to yourself. To overcome your mistakes. To be who you want to be!
It hovers closer to you. You shut your eyes as it strikes, but nothing comes.
You open them, expecting it to be waiting to land the blow once you've relaxed, but you can't see anything at all. A moment of feeling around, and... wait, you're back in the cupboard?
Silver
You carefully slide the material out of two separate pockets of your pack. They're large jagged chips of tile, each big as your hands, taken off the floor of Canterlot High. You had to come before anyone else was there, and dig them up carefully, and it stung, but they're your secret weapon for now.
"｢Tin Cup Chalice｣." Although they're already here, you whisper it to them anyway, for luck. Then you position them, holding each upright, on either side of the case.
You understand your power: whatever's inside your hallway can be destroyed and recreated. With your willpower, and your fear for how quiet things are downstairs, you choose to think that the front half of the briefcase is inside your domain.
It softens, rusts, and flakes away in a matter of seconds before you pause the decay. Inside that darkness-within-darkness, there's the glinting of red. It's exactly what the Crusaders were looking for! You reach in for it.
And then, as your hand closes around it, an ethereal grey one protrudes from the box and grabs your wrist.
You yelp, loud, and pull free, shard in hand. Below you, the ghost sinks through the floor. When you hold it, you can tell immediately that it's part of those pendants the girls, Sonata's group, were wearing. Unless there's a knockoff jewelry shop around.
You make out your own appraising eyes in its surface. It's pretty, but why would anyone want to get their hands on it?
There's a stirring downstairs, a rushing, moving up the stairs. Oh. They heard you.
Diamond
The miracle of whatever just happened to you is interrupted by the certain knowledge that something's gone wrong. You open up the cabinet a little when you hear the scream from upstairs, and Anonymous rushes to the stairs and starts ascending.
You could distract him, but that wouldn't help her if someone else caught her. Not that it would help you, either. So you do the best thing you can.
Rushing out of cover, you step onto the fridge with one foot and hold yourself up, level with the fusebox. And, with a storm of loud snaps, you slam all of the switches on. Around you the house suddenly fills with light, ceiling lamps you hadn't known were there remembering a job they'd fulfilled long ago.
Anonymous curses from the second floor and rushes back down. You duck into the hallway.
"Two, Three, upstairs! One, guard the door!" He says this, and then half-jogs into the kitchen.
And the same ghost that tried to stab you drifts into the hallway. It sees you, and rushes.
Before you can rush out of the door, or shut your eyes and wish your way back to cramped safety, it closes in and throttles you. You squeak under the strength of the intangible hands, but your own pass through.
Silver
All of the lights are on and whoever's coming up went back down. Diamond must be helping you.
A shout downstairs, and then two ghosts float up through the carpet. There's no exit but through them. You throw the closest thing you can, one of the shards of your Stand, at them. It passes through harmlessly, landing against the floor. You strain a little just after, and it slowly raises itself up to stand against the wall, but nothing more.
One comes closer, and it's some kind of Roman soldier. You swing the now-empty briefcase at its face, and it passes through, falling on the bed. Then it reaches into you, and grabs something.
Your heart.
It squeezes, and you can't breathe. The other one snatches the red gem from the floor beside you and then floats patiently behind your murderer. The only thing you're still holding, while your body spasms, is one piece of tile.
You raise it while cold shivers wrack your nerves. It doesn't even hurt, you're just stopping, all at once. Through sheer terror, you keep your arm raised.
And the closest part of the bed, the footboard, rots and falls apart in an instant. Between those two shards, it crumbles to dust, and then spits out an explosion of force. Stand power.
The ghosts aren't even looking at it as they're vaporized, and the wave of psychic power passes over you painlessly. Still, you clutch at your chest and fall down for a minute.
The gem's on the floor nearby. You've still got something to show for all of this, if you can get it outside.
But what about Diamond?
Diamond
You're gasping, tears forming in your eyes, as you try to summon up whatever magic helped you a moment ago, and begin to feel like you've squandered something once-in-a-lifetime. Then, without warning, you find you can breathe. The hands around your neck are forced a few inches away from it, and you gasp for air.
Loudly.
Anonymous rushes over, and sees you. And... something tiny and black, hovering around your neck. It's smaller than a canteloupe, covered in square plates like armor on an armadillo. Its eyes are the color of your skin, and they flash with intelligence. Around the front, along the whole of its torso, is a giant "C".
You can see all of this even though you're not looking at it all. You just... know it, like an old friend. Even with its small form, it holds off the ghost's hands easily.
Anonymous steps closer, practically sputtering. "You?!"
The ghost floats away from you. You smile, despite yourself, that he seems to be taking you as a threat. It gives you hope.
Then Anonymous rummages in his suit's inside pocket and pulls out a handgun, and you stop smiling.
"Who's upstairs?"
There's such a profound change in you that the gun feels like a secondary issue. Some potential, some power... Oh. That's what it does. You didn't even know that the knowledge would come to you automatically - it feels like having someone else in your head for a moment.
You take a deep breath and draw it out. You picture yourself switching on all of the electricity a minute. Then, in your mind's eye, your Stand drives its fist through that memory, and it dissipates like a cloud.
"My friend! ｢Pink｣!" You shout, and then the lights all go out.
Your Stand lands a solid hook on his gun, and then on him personally. It knocks the wind out of him, and you run in the opposite direction. The stairs come upon you, and you take them two at a time in brief, stomping jumps.
When you get up, Silver's just coming out of one of the rooms. She smiles and holds up a piece of the gem.
"Any sign of-"
"No." She shakes her head.
According to the noise, Anonymous is coming up after you. You look around at the open doors and find exactly what you were hoping for.
You point to it and turn to Silver. "I'll be outside. Trust me." And then, from her perspective, you're gone.
Anonymous
You've got an aching pressure in your head. Of all the threats, the Stand users, the potential strategies, it's this prissy bitch who shows up!
You keep calling your legionnaires to your side, but they don't come. You hear the backdoor opening and ignore it. Too many distractions, diversions, when all that matters is that gem! No one's spoiled rich kid is going to stop you from giving her back her voice!
When you reach the top of the stairs, there's the other one. Grey, hateable, destined to be third for homecoming queen. She's standing in the doorway, facing you. The other one's not here.
A voice is calling out from below. "One second!" You don't know how the pink one's teleporting, but it doesn't matter.
She's holding a slab of flecked white stone in each hand, and behind one you see the red glint. She managed to open the case somehow, but she's here now and she has it in her hand, and you can solve all of this in a few seconds.
You train the gun on her. "Drop it."
She trembles minutely, but doesn't react. Like she's used to it.
You raise your voice, hoping to spook her. "Now!"
She kicks off, out of the second-floor doorway that doesn't go anywhere. She'll break her legs on the fall, but you shoot for good measure.
Silver
Your body is your domain. It's in your hallway. You're holding up a wall in each hand, and you can picture the whole boxy shape of it if you just squint yours eyes and think sideways. Thoughts of Mr. Rich, posed about to murder you, bubble up at the sight of the guy in the suit pointing the gun, glomming onto the idea, giving it depth.
The bullet explodes into a great white cloud of aura just in front of you. You feel the pain of asking too much from your Stand, but you're out now. Gravity and trust do the rest.
After a couple feet, you stop falling, and you see something holding you in the air. It only slows your descent, but you float down to the earth. Diamond breathes heavily and you both keep to the side of the house. The sun set while you were inside, and in the cover of night her Stand helps you jump the fence.
The backdoor's thrown open behind you, and you don't look back. Three fences, four, trees. The two of you only rest blocks away. She pulls out her phone, makes a call, speaks in clipped and apologetic tones a few feet away, and then a plain grey car comes to pick you up.
Care
The movie doesn't disappoint. The insane proficiency at murder, the well-directed choreography, the constant uncomfortable look on his face... The music's not as good as the last movie, but besides that, bliss.
At one point, you put an arm around her. Her shoulders are so diminutive compared to yours. She reaches over and pats your head. Then, absentmindedly, she runs her fingers back and forth through your hair, and your eyes nearly roll back in your head.
All in all, it's an amazing evening.
When you finally take her back home, soaked in the happy energy of the theater, you talk the whole way. You get out and open her door, as an excuse to not sit awkwardly and wave goodbye. Then she kisses you.
It's an entirely alien feeling, like eating a new food for the first time, but you lean back into it when you get the idea of what's going on. Mouths touch, capillaries burst, and then, just as immediately, it's over.
You look into her eyes, one at a time. They're so... beautiful. You bet your face is frozen in some horrible slackjawed gape, but she doesn't give any sign.
In the distance, Golden opens the door and hovers on the step with her arms crossed, grumpily inspecting the night sky. You let Derpy go, and watch her walk inside. Then you get back in your car and sit there for a minute, head spinning.
That's how you got your first kiss.
A little while later, now you've moved up in the world, you get back to your house. Park, get out, feel like the man of the hour, unlock the-- your front door's already unlocked. Huh.
Must've forgot.
You enter anyway, looking around the dark family room, and then disconcertingly hear breathing. Following it, you summon up ｢Timbuk Three｣ and draw closer to it.
Suddenly you're standing in the middle of the room.
"It's about time you showed up!" she says, as if you broke an appointment.
She's laying on your couch, next to a bottle of painkillers taken from your medicine cabinet, and there's a crowbar sticking perpendicular out of her arm.
"Trixie was beginning to wonder if you lived here after all," she smiles.
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Nowhere Man｣
User: Anonymous
Ability: On request, summons up to four ghosts of those whose names are not recorded in history. Each request must be specific enough that only one person in history fulfills it. Ghosts retain memories of their lives, and can manipulate small objects, travel within a mile of the user, and communicate nonverbally. In all other respects, they behave as Stands.
Stand: ｢Pink]
User: Diamond Tiara
Ability: The user can 'erase' any actions they've taken in the last two minutes from causality, causing time to carry on as if they had simply done nothing instead. Erasure does not undo the effects of those actions on living things; if the user trips and falls on their head, they can erase the tripping, but they will still have the bruise, and witnesses will remember the fall. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Midnight Rambler | Anonymous
It's dark in this alleyway, but you can make them out clearly: the three girls you have left to turn to. They look much more civilian without the fancy outfits. Like they could just be any three women, except for the eyes. The way they walk in perfect unison. The interruptions, repetitive conversations, smacks to the head.
It's sublimated choreography.
One pointless slogging night the orange one, Dazzle, will grab your face and tell you the story of the world. Every war mongered, seduction cast, cult detonated. She'll start to bubble with deep, operatic laughter at the whole thing, and then depart, and never mention it again. But here, now, you don't even know that they're from out of town.
They're just the last place you have to go.
School was too painful for you, and if that makes you sound like a pussy, then so be it. You just weren't able to deal with it the way other people did - you didn't feel like you were going anywhere. No career plans, no friends, and only the constant ocean of worthless people. Your grades faltered, and you knew you were depressed, but... Well, how does knowing help, anyway?
Anyway. You don't like to dwell on that. The world's harsh to everyone in turn, but tonight's the night things change for you.
"We noticed you dropped out of Canterlot High. Didn't feel like a very stable situation?" Dazzle's voice drips with humor only she seems to appreciate.
"Yeah. I got your note." They'd slid it under the door of your house, so it's not like you could've missed it. Just an address, and a job offer. "What are the terms?"
"Oh, nothing special. You arrange to investigate some things for us, accompany us, gather information. You'll be our eyes and ears in places we can't go easily." You don't know it now, but somehow this arrangement will involve letting them crash in your basement and raid your pantry. "And in exchange, we'll convince your family that you're living a perfectly productive life. If you do a very good job, we'll even work something out once we've regained our true power."
They'll end up true to their word, at least on the first point. Your family will feel proud of you, even if it's all a lie. They won't bother you like they used to, shouting to do this or that chore. You'll realize almost perfect NEETdom.
But that's not your only question.
"Next you'll ask, 'Why me?'" She pauses for your response like a showman.
"Well... yeah. Why me? I mean..." You look each of them in the eye. "What do I have to give you that any other student at CHS wouldn't?"
Purple, Blaze, seems to be barely listening to anyone in this conversation. She's just weighing you with her eyes, like she's about to take your wallet. Dusk also stares at you, but differently; there's no malice on her face. And her eyes, a different shade than the others. Even to your untrained senses, she feels like something different.
The other two aren't a part of this world, but she adds to it. Hair like a flourishing blue penstroke, a kind of resting sweetness in her blue-raspberry complexion...
Dazzle speaks, and you're drawn back to her. (Was her eyebrow always raised that high?) "We need someone who isn't a part of CHS. The Rainbooms rule the roost there, and anyone going there for hours every day is bound to wind up on their side. With you, we know that there's no risk of being compromised."
That makes sense, and she waits for you to accept. You debate it with yourself, and she keeps waiting, but eventually you latch onto the note of discord in her story.
"Why not get another dropout, then?"
She sighs, hands at her sides clutching at air. "You're the only one, okay?"
...You feel reassured by that truth. Their motivations are clear to you now, misfits seeking a misfit.
"Then I'll do it."
Dazzle smiles, though she still looks put-upon, and Blaze smirks to herself.
Dusk squees. "I knew he'd want to help us out!"
And that, bookmarked forever in your life, is the first time you hear her voice.
Anonymous, later
The last couple of months haven't been very productive. But they've been some of the best of your life. It's like you took an off year before college, except to skulk around your hometown. You have the kind of face no one recognizes, and you're naturally quiet, so you're not half bad at it, but unfortunately, none of the leads you turn up seem to go anywhere. It took you a while to even realize that they were looking for what was left of their pendants.
But now things are more complicated. The Friendship Games came and went, and there was a spike in local energy strong enough that they felt it. It was a crucial spark, turned into an ember now, not long afterwards.
People at Canterlot High have superpowers, en masse. There's a whole "gridwork of intensely powerful Equestrian magic" within it. But... not anywhere else.
They held court over that in your basement, the three of them without you, and they decided they needed to make a move now or never.
Adagio's standing next to you, singing and holding a note. Aria's with her, singing a slightly different one. You're stretched out on the couch, with Sonata over you. A test subject, making sure this isn't lethal.
Sonata clasps your hands in hers and locks eyes with you. "This might hurt, but don't stop struggling."
You swallow, and nod. Then she closes her eyes and starts singing too. The three notes converge, raise, fall. It's not a song, more like an improvisation, just sounds. Are those dots of color in your eyes the ceiling light, or something else? You take shorter breaths.
And then, all of a sudden, your muscles stop working. The room opens up, and you see a swirling latticework of light hanging over you. Is it falling into you or rising out of you? The volume of their singing starts to increase, as if someone's rhythmically punching a volume button.
With a snap, a beam of light stretches from some invisible horizon, to the structure, to you. It penetrates into your chest, and you spasm like you're having a schoolbus bump dream. Sonata holds your hand tightly as something swims inside of you. And you gain the power of Stand.
Anonymous now, right now
You're hyperventilating. Your outpost's been compromised. Three of ｢Nowhere Man｣'s ghosts were defeated, by the least likely burglars in history. You don't even have valuable information about how their Stands work. Teleporting? Controlling electricity? Little panels that make things explode?
The thought of Adagio asking you these questions only makes you feel worse. Aria being angry at what you'd lost after all the work you did. And, and Nata. The look you'll see in her eyes, when she finds out she's back at square one. That you let her down. Your legs start to shake.
You raise your head and summon up your Stand. It swirls into existence between your palms - a large vase, almost like a canopic jar, with the swirl of a question mark for its head. Along the sides are spiraling lines of meaningless hieroglyphics.
You stare down at it. Why did it fail you? Why didn't you have a Stand that could protect her?!
You hurl it across the room with both hands. It bounces into the floor, rebounds off it and smashes unsatisfyingly onto the couch.
After a while, the door opens. Arms wrap around your neck, and her head nuzzles next to yours. "How's things, Nonny?"
"..." When you don't say anything, she waits. She probably thinks you're just being moody. Oh, Nata...
You keep your head bowed so she doesn't see your expression, or the words you're mouthing to yourself. After a minute, you take a wet breath, and tell her.
Trixie
This morning, when you wake up, you're not alone in your room.
The hospital room's bland, but clean. You've been forced to stay here by your own sense of self-preservation, but now you've got a cast for your broken finger and you've healed up your sprain. It was time to leave a day or two ago, you could feel it. Magician's intuition.
You really should've taken your own advice.
A familiar face is sitting at your bedside, reading a Harlequin Romance book. It doesn't seem to be interesting her, and she shuts it as soon as you stir. Blue skin, white hair, Crystal Prep.
You sit up, stifling a yawn. "What do you want with Trixie?"
"Insurance. You're not important any longer, but it would save time for us to get the information out of you." She looks at you, anticipating another question. You stare back at her, not letting her see you scope the room from your periphery.
There are windows in this room, but they don't lead anywhere because you're not on the ground floor. There's a small bathroom nearby, since you're not completely bedridden, but of course it's a dead end. The only exit's the door, and she's between it and you.
And there's a chair between her and it. You create space between the chair and the floor.
"You're not very smart if you think the same trick is going to work on me twice." She leans to one side and gestures to the legs of the chair. They're sticking into the floor, not even nailed in, like they were built in when the tile was laid! But that means Snails is here. And that means...
How deep does this betrayal go? The whole world could be out to get you, now.
"Where did you relocate the magical gem?"
No. No, you're still in the clear. You're just not safe here, in this building.
Thump! "Ow!"
She takes the book away from your head, eyes narrowing. "I can see we're going to have to do this the hard way." She pulls out a cell-phone. Yours. On reflex, you try to use your power to separate it from her, but she's holding it from too many sides.
"This is key for your plans, isn't it?" She looks at you as she turns it over in her hands. "You won't be able to survive without this phone?"
Harumph. "No. I don't need it to survive."
"But you won't be able to regain the gem without it."
You don't answer her. She inspects it carefully, switching it on and getting the password screen. Four numbers.
"Hm. Is the passcode 'T-R-I-X'?" She checks your face, types it in, and it fails.
You snort. Like you'd be that narcissistic!
She puts an elbow on her knee and props her chin on her fist. "...Is it 'M-A-G-E'?"
What?! How could anyone know something like that?
On instinct, you deny it. "N-no!"
She smirks. "Lying's bad for you, you know. ｢Pavlov's Daughter｣."
A Stand appears in front of you, a small spinning disc with a giant mouth. It looks like a sand dollar, decorated with five small teeth. As soon as it appears, it dives through your skin, into your abdomen!
It's painless, and you wonder if your organs are being shredded from the inside. Most of them don't have nerves, after all. But you don't start coughing up blood.
You wonder if her attack actually worked, or if she's going to explain it, but she doesn't need to. The feeling appears. The hunger, insatiable, for one thing in particular.
She holds it up. "Tell me where the gem is, or my Stand will make you eat your cell-phone."
The impossible craving tears into you. You pull against it. The metallic tang, the toughness against your teeth, the crunch of the final snap. Feeling it explode into a microcosm of circuitry before you swallow it, like technological spaghetti. You feel yourself salivating. And you realize what you need to do.
She sees the look in your eyes. "It doesn't really matter if you tell me. I won't stop the effect until you tell me what I want to know, but even if you don't, you're eating this."
There's only one way out. This craving is driving you past sanity. You shiver with need, and understand it's hopeless to resist this drive.
You'll just have to go with it! You'll just have to bust through!
You sit up further on the bed, poise, and throw yourself towards her. She flinches, and then balks at you as you go sailing over her.
"｢Abracadabra｣!" You create space between the edges and insides of her pockets. A wallet falls out of one, IDs scattering onto the floor. Another spits out lipstick. But there, there! You create distance between it and the floor.
It soars into your hand as you tumble to the floor behind her chair. Blue, compact, flip, but it still matches the description! A cell-phone! While she's spinning to get out of the chair, looking around at the mess, you shove it into your mouth.
It is so intensely satisfying. From the bottom of your being, you feel refreshed.
And as soon as it appeared, your craving vanishes. Her mouth's open.
You throw a punch at her jaw, and she recoils. By how she falls, you realize she's probably never been in a fight before. Wordlessly, you pry your phone from her hand.
Then you pivot her, shoving her into the bathroom. Your Stand keeps a good distance between her and the doorway.
"You still aren't going to get your hands on the stone, Trixie! You don't have-" You drown her out. With your new reprieve, you scoop up the wallet and flip through it. Mostly gift cards, and no basic cash. Does this girl never use vending machines?
You find a driver's license tucked behind a random gift card. 'Sugarcoat', huh? She sounds familiar. Was she in the Battle of the Bands...?
You put it back and resolve to figure it out later. Now, where's...? Ah, still in the far corner! You locate your primly folded belongings and change out of the hospital gown. In the bathroom, Sugarcoat's gone silent. Let her sulk.
"I'll tell you this, Sugarcoat." You don't know if she's listening or not, but you speak to the door anyway. "Your whole gang of thugs hasn't stopped the Awe-Inspiring Trixie yet."
This time, the silence feels sullen. When you leave, you throw the door open and stride out confidently. It's visiting hours, but early. The hallway's lined with empty chairs and musty cushions instead of people, but like clockwork, there they are. The inseparable duo, Snips and Snails.
They look surprised to see you walking out, like everyone else who's blocked your path. But they scramble quickly to their feet. Snips activates his Stand first, and you feel it in the sudden lurch in your step.
There's a pounding in your head, like it's been hand-dipped in static. Yes, ｢Run DMC｣ has definitely been activated. Snails, for his part, grabs something from a small end-table nearby and runs for you.
You helped him learn his power's usefulness in close-range combat - the ability to ｢insert｣ things. The key, you know, is not to give him the opening.
You rush straight ahead. He tries to get closer to you, but you create distance between the two of you, widening the gap diagonally even as you strafe past him. Once you're past him, you can punt Snips out of the way and get the hell out of Dodge!
Snails' voice cuts through your determination. "｢Busdriver｣!"
What? You turn your head to make sure he's not close enough to strike you. But he's not, he's using his Stand to throw the object in his hand, a pen!
The space you're already maintaining is starting to get to you, and it connects. Stabbing through the arm of your blouse, straight through, missing your skin but piercing the other side. The momentum staggers you, and then it jams itself into the wall behind you.
You lean awkwardly, scrambling to get your feet under you without hitting your ankle on a chair. Then he walks back the way you came, with a sense of purpose. You try reaching over to rip out the pen, but it hasn't made a hole, it's just lodged into your shirt and the wall. He learned to use his power at a distance?!
That shocks you, but you'll still be alright. All you need to do is snap the pen-- Your head fills with more of the pounding as Snips draws closer. You can barely hear yourself think!
Trying not to panic, you work on snapping the pen. If you can snap the pen, you can still escape!
Then you see Snails grab something from outside of your room door. A full on crowbar, laid against the lip of the doorframe. He hefts it in one hand and carries it back toward you. He's going to pin you to this wall even further!
Snips talks, grinning. "Where'd ya hide it, Trix?"
You look at him, and realize you're sweating.
"You'll save us some trouble if you spill it."
"That's right." The voice comes from down the hallway, where you came. Sugarcoat stands outside of your door, arms crossed.
You've almost got the pen, if only so much of it wasn't already in! The Great and Powerful Trixie won't be treated like part of a butterfly collection!
Snails raises the weapon and steps closer. You try to gather your power, but you need a few more seconds to let the space you've made dissipate. You throw a punch for him, and he grabs your fist, holding you in place.
"Sorry, Trixie. ｢Busdriver｣!" And like a shot, it goes into your leg, out the other side.
You kick your leg towards him, and the ghostly bar keeps going forward. The intangible surface passes through you, until your leg's too far forward to be pinned. He dodges your kick by stepping back, but the crowbar moves back with him. It settles into place on your leg, solidifying, without touching the wall!
With one mighty crack, you snap the end of the pen. An inky wound splutters onto the wall, and you take your opportunity. A blast of your power and Snails is back down the hallway, closer to Sugarcoat than you.
Next, the other threat. You spin to Snips, sweeping the leg. He sees it coming; you taught it to him, and how to get around it. Naturally, he jumps over your leg.
But he doesn't land.
"｢Abracadabra｣!" You shout, increasing the distance between him and the floor at a constant rate. While he's in freefall, you get in one solid punch to his face. He spins like a plane going down as you throw him out of the column of distance. Then he hits the floor on his back, and the ill feeling leaves you.
You run into the nearest elevator, down, and then walking casually into the nearest empty room. Opening the window a crack, and then making enough space to jump through. You close it behind you, land on sterile manicured grass, and get out of sight of the windows.
Then you take a deep breath and get as far away from the building as you can.
It's many blocks before you finally stop, leaning back over the sidewalk, and think. You can't go to the park, because someone's bound to be watching it. Of course, there is a way to get the stone out without going there at all...
It's funny, but your hope lies with the person you know the least. Wiz Kid. Or, you guess, Care Root.
It takes a minute for your phone to burst to life. A minute's scrolling and you find some of the pictures you took in the Principal's office. There was a file drawer that was positively lousy with copies of personal records. Lunch gave you a little more time than the mad dash you'd planned, so you'd found his.
It didn't have any juicy information in it. In fact, he was as academically squeaky-clean as they come, no shocker. Probably one of those kids who frets over earning Bs. But sure enough, it had an address on it. You throw it into a GPS app and get to walking.
After a while, having a crowbar integrated into your leg starts to itch, and then to burn.You vomit up the phone after a while, and spit out some blood after that. Price of victory.
Only two things bother you now, after it all. Snips and Snails were the first recruits to your little brigade, and, by far, the easiest to convince. You knew they'd turned against you when they didn't answer your messages, and started snooping for you after you retrieved the stone. You thought the Rainbooms had sunk their hands in.
But now, these other girls... Surely they're not CHS students. How far do Twilight's connections go?!
And, also... How did Sugarcoat know the right passcode to your phone? Was it a part of her Stand ability, or some other source of information? You used "MAGE" as your password everywhere you could get away with it, but you never wrote it down publicly, and you never told anyone about it. Could someone have stolen that information from you?
Care
Trixie finishes her story, and looks at you expectantly. You sat down halfway through, and now you've leaned forward, processing. It's some story, alright - and a true one, you can tell.
You thought that the two kids at the mall were after Derpy, but they must have known that Trixie was coming to meet with you. And where you would be.
That's concerning. Has someone bugged her phone, or yours?
You tuck that question away for a moment and finally start talking. "What made it so important to get to me?"
Trixie, whose face has run a gamut of emotions throughout her storytelling, switches to intent. "Your partner."
"Derpy?"
She nods, sharply. "With her Stand, she can retrieve the stone. And given how dangerous it is to hold onto, surely she wouldn't object to returning it to Trixie."
"What are you going to do then?"
She pauses, abstract, and you give her time. "I'm going to get to the heart of this. I'm going to stop all of these Stand users and take Twilight on myself."
She's still on Twilight. Why does she think that the new girl is so important? You sense there's a rant there that's best avoided, but even if she's crazy in that area... She's been through a lot in the last few days. She's living on the run now, and she's held her own against a mess of Stand users.
The good thing about your Stand is that you can accept bad things will happen to you. Accept, and prepare for them.
"I'll make you an offer. Like you did with me," you say. She leans in, back to intent, and you focus on choosing your words. "Bad things have been happening around me. For a while I thought it might just be my Stand, but I realized it couldn't be. Not all of it, at least."
You take a breath.
"Everyone wants me on their side in this battle, and they're going to keep coming after me until I pick a side. And then they're going to come after me for not being on their side." You haven't said this out loud yet, it's your last chance to stop the intention from crystallizing - but you go on: "So... I'm not playing their game."
You hold out an empty hand to her. "I'll do my best to fix your wound, and help get the stone away from everyone else, but only if you agree to help me get to the bottom of all this after you have it."
She stares at you. "You want Trixie to... join your side?"
You shrug and nod. Then you notice the tears in her eyes.
Her hand thundercracks into yours, and she shakes it hard enough to pop a couple joints. "Trixie accepts!"
You've made an important ally. Tomorrow, you'll have to track down Twilight and talk to her. Maybe it'll be as easy as that.
Except... You just realized, today's Friday. You'll have to do that after the weekend. In the short term, tomorrow, you'll at least be able to help out her leg.
The night ends with her still on your couch, pain meds nearby. You wander into your room, past the empty sprawl of the rest of your house, and collapse.
Anonymous
You've finished talking, and now you're just on the sofa with her. You feel so undignified.
"Nonny, you couldn't have expected that. And seeing it makes you ready for bigger surprises later on!"
"That's not what Aria's gonna say."
"Is she being mean to you?"
A little, but neither of you can help it. "No, it's just true." In your mind, her expression of shock has been frozen still forever. The look she made when you told her that they'd taken one of her shards. The realization of a step backward, like a knife. A month's work diminished...
"If you know who took it, you can find them. They'll probably have more!"
That makes you raise your head. ...Huh. You meet her bright, violet eyes.
Gently but insistently, she pushes ｢Nowhere Man｣ into your hands. "You haven't lost yet, Nonny. I believe in you."
She's right. You concentrate, and three more ghosts spring from the jar. Like nothing!
You've suffered a loss, but Sonata's right, you don't feel dead over it. There's a spark in your soul that refuses to go out, and it's the desire to hear her sing! And if a pair of CHS brats want to stand between that and you, you'll take them. Them, their Stands, and whoever else they want to bring to the party!
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Pavlov's Daughter｣
User: Sugarcoat
Ability: Inflicts an incredibly strong variant of pica, with a non-food craving of the user's choice, on any target who tells a lie within range.
Stand: ｢Run DMC｣
User: Snips
Ability: Broadcasts noise within range at any frequency outside of human hearing.
Stand: ｢Busdriver｣
User: Snails
Ability: "Inserts" objects into solid surfaces. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | The Weeknd | Saturday
Silver
It's early morning on a Saturday. This is one of the only times you get the TV to yourself, while everyone older than you sleeps - or it would be, if you weren't already needed somewhere. Being a Stand user is tough work.
You're still at Diamond's house from last night, having turned the evening into a pretty strong sleepover. She told her dad you'd both wanted to come here instead after you missed the bus. It was the first time you ever saw her explain herself to Mr. Rich, and he looked a lot more worried than you remember him being. He was nice to you, of course, although he once tried to shoot you, and he looked around the same, so.
But you're over it. You've been shot at twice, now, and you're starting to get used to it.
Now that you've woken up, checked your phone and got the message, you send out an ETA. Then you get out of the mini-bed they wheel out to save you a sleeping bag, and stretch. You try to do it loudly enough that Diamond wakes up, but she doesn't. Should've known.
You wonder if she still dreams about all of the different versions of herself, like you saw. For some reason, it doesn't sound likely. She's got a Stand now, although she's had a hard time trying to whisper to you about what it does. Probably she's getting cooler and cooler under pressure now. You're glad to see your best friend rest after an impossible victory. But.
You nudge one of her shoulders, exactly enough to wake her up. She stirs, dreams cracking and turning back into void, and her eyes open already looking at you.
"What time is it?" she asks.
"Seven. I need a car."
Diamond blinks at that, like details will hit her if she mulls it over a little more.
"It's to help out Care. And Trixie."
She nods, then stops. "Trixie? What's she got to do with it?"
You shrug.
Diamond
Through a tinted window you see the mesmerizing zip of passing parking meters and too-tall buildings. Being driven to CHS on a Saturday dampens your mood a little. Not that school stresses you out or anything, until recently you'd rather be there than at home. Your grades weren't fantastic, but they were only as bad as your tutors would let you get away with, and you weren't thrilled by the occasional visit to Luna's office, but it didn't hurt much.
There's just a time and place for things like that, an etiquette to scheduling. No one wants to go to high school at 7:30 on a Saturday.
"Diamond?" Silver's next to you, not looking out of any of the windows.
You dampen your sourness and turn to her. "Yes?"
"Why didn't you tell your dad about your Stand?"
That's... a good question. You could say that you just didn't want to be punished for lying about the sleepover, but that's not all of it.
You frown, and try to answer her. "I don't know how he's going to react. I'm worried it'll end in him locking me up in my room with a bunch of bodyguards, or something like that."
She doesn't say anything.
"I'm going to tell him, I am! Just not yet. ...Plus I don't want him getting involved in this if he doesn't have to."
Your Dad's done a lot for you, especially in the long term, but Silver doesn't run to hers whenever she needs something. Her parents are there to love and support her, but not carry her through life, and you've tried to learn from that. No using your family name as a raft through stormy waters, not while you have other options.
"What about the gem?" she asks.
Damn, it's still in your room. It might have been a good idea to give it to Care, actually, but you're not in the mood to admit you made a mistake there. "We should keep it where it is for now. No one should be able to break into my room and take it."
"...But are we going to tell him about it?"
Well, of course. "Why wouldn't we?"
She fidgets a little. "Because he'll probably tell Derpy."
Oh. You think to yourself. Could you make up some excuse that would make the whole thing seem less dangerous? ...No, because then Anonymous might show up again, and Care wouldn't know to watch out for him.
When you don't answer after a while, she hangs her head a little. She looks like a girl on death row.
Silver
You get out of the car, parked in front of Canterlot High. Then you're tromping up the sidewalk, half-expecting Derpy to be around at any minute. Thankfully it's just Care and Trixie, nonchalant in front of the school, eyes peeled for cars. His own is one of the only ones in the lot, along with the couple that never seem to leave.
Trixie has something metal jutting out of her leg, but no real wound or blood. You activate ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣ while you walk, and the wall opens up behind her. She startles and turns to it, eyes passing around the opening like she's checking for traps. Diamond follows behind you, still quiet.
You arrive and put on a pleasant smile. "Just step through and I'll handle the rest, Trixie."
She gazes, appraises you, and then enters. The curly hunk of metal enters your awareness proper, and you close your eyes to make out its exact shape. It's lodged straight through her, alright, but the skin's not broken. What sort of Stand could do something like that to someone, and why was she fighting it?
"Care," Diamond says, businesslike.
"Diamond," he replies.
You let the metal start to degenerate, then realize you'll be letting rusty metal into her body if you do. Once you've started, your only option is to speed up the process. You're worried about what'll happen, but if you're right, she'll be fine.
In a flash, it disappears, and you suppress the shockwave as best you can. Then you stop the process, leaving the weapon unreformed. Trixie pulls her leg up, grunting in pain and hopping on one foot, and then sets it back down. Taking deep breaths, making fists, she stretches it back out.
Then, finally, she speaks. "Trixie thanks you, Freshman." There's not a trace of malevolence in the way she says that; she really means it, or else she's really bad at this.
Either way, you turn to Care, neutral. "What's going on?"
Sunday
Derpy
You're out among Canterlot, walking the streets near your neighborhood and trying not to think of racing through them for your life a couple weeks back. Stress runs your life right now, even on a weekend that started with such a lovely night out. Yesterday wasn't as relaxing as you'd hoped. Silver and you aren't talking very much right now.
"You can't stop me from helping! I'm not going to be dead weight!"
Care and Trixie only showed up for a minute with Silver and a cut-down explanation, and you sent your Stand out to gather the stone in that area. Trixie seemed really interested in getting you to scavenge for all of them, but... Well, you need to know where they are or what they look like to do that. Otherwise you're just a jewel thief.
And, well, what's all of this about, really? Is Care really getting involved, and if he is, how should you feel about that?
It's better than being twirled around on someone else's strings, of course.
"Of course I did! Would you have let me do it for a second if I hadn't lied?!"
At least, you thought so. You're just worried about him, really bone-deeply worried. He shouldn't be risking his life to keep you afloat, he doesn't deserve that and neither do you.
"No, Mom, it's nothing. We're just, uh... you know. Dumb argument."
Your walk's led you out of the neighborhoods and back into the sprawl. A car stops beside you; your dad's. The window rolls down, and Golden's driving. Her eyes are as intense as always, but she has an easygoing smile.
"Hop in," she says.
She takes you downtown, further than you'd expect, and you stop at a little Indian place. It's a single room affair, with enough booths for about ten people, but it's close to empty. Golden orders, and you order, and your food comes out, and you eat.
At some point during it, she finally speaks up. "Silver told me you had it out. Told me all of the things she did, for Care Root."
You grimace in response. Almost mindlessly, your finger traces the outline of the wedge of lemon in your water.
"She went through a lot," Golden says, and she's still so conversational about the whole thing, like she's giving a performance report for how well Silver did in a soccer game.
"Yeah. I know." That's why you yelled at her. In that same position, you wouldn't expect to have made it out yourself. And you definitely wouldn't have gone in without any plan because the Crusaders told you so! "It's not Care's fault."
"I didn't say it was. I don't think it's Care's fault at all."
That stops you. "You don't?"
"No, he didn't know anything about it until afterwards. For all anyone knows, the idea could've been planted in her head by a Stand!"
That thought makes you uncomfortable. The whole way Golden's acting is nothing like you expected. You thought you'd be discussing ways to make sure Silver stayed within earshot at all times. Has your sister changed?
"Are you asking me to go easier on her?" you ask.
She nods without contesting your wording. "I think she's proven that she can take care of herself."
What?! "She almost got shot in the face by a creep people haven't seen in months, and you think that we should pat her on the back for making a good decision?"
She holds up a hand to placate you. "You're right to protect her, but not like that. If you hold her back, she'll just get more reckless."
"She's my little sister!"
"And you're my little sister, Derpy. That doesn't mean I get to control your life. Much."
"This isn't about controlling anyone, it's about stopping Silver from doing something she can't come back from because she thinks she's invincible! There are guns out there, Golden!" You realize how high you've raised your voice.
The two girls who came in after you are trying not to look in your direction. Golden sees them too, and leans in a little closer, voice lowered. "Do you think she doesn't know that? I nearly had a heart attack when she saved her friend, and she had a gun pointed to her head then, too!"
You sigh. "I wasn't there, I didn't know everything that happened."
"Well, she lived! Not only that, she stopped everyone in that room from dying. She's tough enough to have a Stand, and we both need to put some more trust in her."
"I'm not going to let her just... just go off on her own like that!"
"Of course not. But... you have to be there to catch her without her realizing it. That's the secret of being an older sister."
You... don't think you'd be very good at that. Even if your Stand was more reliable, and better at long-range defense...
Golden reaches out to grab your hand. "I'll be here to help her, too. And so will Diamond, and Care. We need to give her a little bit of a hard time so she knows not to charge into things, but we also need her on our side."
She looks at you earnestly, and you break eye contact. If she hadn't grown up with you, she might not have noticed it, but she presses, gently.
"Can't we do that?"
"...Yeah, okay." You let out a small breath. "Okay."
"Um, excuse me, Miss..."
You realize someone's standing next to the table. It's one of the two girls, around your age. Golden stops holding your hand, and you both straighten, sizing her up: yellow, pink hair, freckles, wearing a bad-fitting smile.
"Is your name 'Derpy'?" She's falsetto, downright cooing. It's the voice of a half-dozen bad teachers making bad first impressions based on your bad eye. You resist the impulse to twitch and tell her off.
Golden speaks up. "Who wants to know?"
The new girl doesn't look at her. "We would really, really appreciate it if you'd come with us. There are a few little boo-boos we need to clear up, and you'd be an awfully big help." Her expression does nothing to mask the menace in those words.
"Why's that?" With the hand that's under the table, you grope for one of your Stand's gifts.
"Well, we've heard that you're good at getting back things that are stolen, and someone took off with some very valuable cut rubies belonging to our mother." She hooks a thumb over her shoulder at the other girl, who looks up and smiles too. She's red-skinned, with hair colored like lemon-lime soda packaging.
How did they find you? You've never been to this restaurant before.
"｢Fineshrine｣." Golden summons her Stand under her breath. The tree springs up a half-foot away from the newcomer, and she flinches, stepping to one side. Then she looks at Golden, and at you, and sighs.
Her face darkens, like she's lost twenty hours of sleep in a second. "Look. Come with us or we're going to make things very painful for you."
You meet her eyes again, and this time there's just irritation. They're open much wider, now, to take all of you in. The girl in the booth gets up and treads closer. Did she get startled by the tree? You weren't paying much attention to her, but reasonably she must be a Stand user too; what interest would she have with you otherwise?
You consider playing dumb, then choose against it. "What do you really want? What are the stones for?"
She doesn't answer you, but the other one does. "We don't set the goals, lady." She sounds like an 80s rocker stereotype. Now that she's closer, you can see the giant headphones more clearly. They looked more like earmuffs from a distance, and right now they aren't playing anything you can hear.
The angry yellow one speaks again. "We won't hurt you if you come with us."
"Where?"
"Wherever we say!" She slams a fist onto the table. You breathe harder as she looks down on you.
"｢Fineshrine｣!" The tree whips a bough around towards the back of her head.
She doesn't turn around, just grunting the name. "｢Message Man｣."
Suddenly it catches on fire, recoiling. Golden cries out as it starts smoking and tearing into the outer bark. A Stand that sets things on fire?
You don't wait for a chance to test that theory. "｢Spinal Tap｣!" You crack the popsicle stick in half, and your Stand materializes from under the table. The two girls take a half-step back as it draws up to its full height, and then you stand up and fling your water onto the fire.
"Tch. ｢Message Man｣!" Her Stand appears, only a little shorter than yours.
Its face is a curved black screen, like a biker helmet. The rest of it's a series of black strips separated by the sort of little knobs watches are set with. In the center of its otherwise gray-chrome body is the red shape of a heart symbol, split vertically down the middle by an arrow which points up at its featureless face.
｢Spinal Tap｣ launches a volley of punches straight at it, and it braces itself. "AD-AD-AD-AD-"
Its arms block the first few, but then you adjust and your Stand picks up speed.
"ADADADADADADAD--!" It's knocked backwards into the nearest booth, and the owner goes flying onto an empty table. You look at Golden, who's already up. Both of you dash for the exit.
As you pass her, you hear the red girl fuming. "｢Lemon Demon｣!"
Something small, flat and impish appears, yellow-green, designed to glide and hover in the air. You don't get a good look at it, because you're already heading for the door. But the girl picks up speed like she runs marathons in her free time, leaping and cartwheeling the rest of the way to the door, beating you there!
She slides and spins around between you and your way out, only to see ｢Spinal Tap｣ bear down on her. The small green Stand tries to hold back the punches, but it only takes three to exhaust her. You throw her backwards, stumbling through the doors, clutching at one arm.
Then you walk outside onto the street. "Who are you working for? Why do they need these gems so badly?"
She frowns. "Hell if I know, man! I'm just here following orders. Once I capture you, and we get all of the stones, you'll probably just go home."
"You're not going to capture me."
She smiles at that, and cracks her neck. "We'll find out. Now, let's see who can really punch the fastest."
You sigh, but ｢Spinal Tap｣ rises to the occasion. Behind, you can here the other one getting back up.
The girl shouts over your shoulder. "Leave this one to me, Sour!"
Golden enters, summoning up ｢Fineshrine｣ and sending something winged toward 'Sour'. "You'd better stay down, lady, unless you want to pay the full price for bothering my sister." She gets no answer.
You let out a series of punches with ｢Spinal Tap｣ while you try to keep track of time. It's been out for more than a minute, but not quite two yet... Thankfully, you brought a handful of gifts with you this time. After being caught empty-handed, you never want to risk it again, but one of them could be waiting for an opening while you switch.
You're reaching for your second popsicle stick when you realize that you're Stand's not hitting her. She's hitting it with an even faster barrage of punches! Her small Stand isn't even throwing them, it's perched in the air beside her head! As her fists rebound against your Stand, you can see they've started to glow with some yellow-green aura all their own.
She smirks. "Looks like that's the end of your Stand. Rest in peace." She points straight at you as ｢Spinal Tap｣ fades out.
You grit your teeth and pull out another stick.
It's already broken. Did it snap in your pocket when you weren't paying attention?! You reach in for another, and then the bubble wrap, and the toothpick, and the folded-up sheet of notebook paper.
They're all shredded in your pocket, just tatters.
"Th-that's impossible!"
Her hardset eyes and aggressive grin double. "Not for the Shadowbolts!"
...Shadowbolts? Weren't they the Crystal Prep students playing in the Friendship Games? Why would they be involved in any of this?
"She's right!" The shout comes from behind you, where Sour's standing over Golden, laying on the ground. What on Earth is happening?!
Golden speaks from under Sour's boot. "She tripped me, without touching me."
Sour chuckles, then the sweetness and light voice. "Oh, you're right there. The trip was meant for someone else." Shifting, darker, gleeful. "You just took the fall."
An obsidian, spiky bird, still airborne, swoops for her. Without her even registering it, ｢Message Man｣'s fist obliterates it.
Nice: "Why don't I tell you what just happened, so you don't feel like fighting to the death."
You stare at her, trying to calculate under the pressure of seeing your older sister in such a defeated position.
"My Stand lets me push events into the future, wherever I like them to be. The fire you put out really came from a match I lit this morning. The fall was an honest mistake when I sat on a bench a little earlier and put my legs too far out into the sidewalk. And earlier today, I took a bunch of small things and broke them apart all at once." Malevolent, proud: "So all of your secret weapons are useless. Time's run out for the first one, so it's up for all of them. And even if it weren't, my Stand can just absorb your attacks. I only had to keep you occupied long enough for it to disappear."
She finishes off her little explanation by crossing her arms and lowering her chin, smug eyes piercing into you. "Now. Time to go."
You look from her to the door, where the other girl's standing, hands on hips. She's right, all of your gifts are useless. How, though? How could they know all of this, and be so well-prepared? How could two Stand users you've never met understand your power so well?!
A voice cuts through your rising panic. "｢Fineshrine｣!" Then, a flurry of motion.
The tree releases all of its birds, flapping angrily in concentric circles. In the chaos, Golden pushes herself up, knocking Sour off-balance and back into the booth, and throws her phone at you.
You stoop and catch it without asking why.
Then Golden shouts, "I was going to make you and Silver make up after this. She's at the library. Get there!" With those words, her birds swarm past you, their wingbeats mussing your hair, and hit the other girl. She stumbles herself and tries to bat them away, her Stand blocking the beaks from in front of her face.
The way out is open.
"No!" One of them says.
"Run, Derpy!"
"｢Message Man｣!" Thump!
You're already outside. The library's to your right, a few blocks down, but you run left towards the car. Golden had the keys, but the doors don't lock.
Quickly, you throw yourself into the passenger seat and shut the door behind you. Where, where is it?
"Golden, are you alright?"
That voice... it's faint, but it's Silver's! You look down at the phone you forgot you were carrying. It must have been dialing her number when your sister threw it to you.
You put it to your ear, still rummaging quickly between the seats. "Silver!"
"Derpy?" Shock, then silence.
"Silver. I'm in trouble. Golden gave me her phone."
You find it! Figures she would take it off of the dashboard where your father keeps it... Golden's so self-conscious sometimes.
"Trouble? What- what's happening?" Fear.
The door opens behind you, but you're already most of the way out of the passenger seat. You scramble into the driver's, only to immediately see the lemon-lime girl standing outside. She opens the driver-side door and cracks her knuckles. Then you scramble back toward the passenger's side, only to find Sour leaning in.
"Derpy? Derpy, what's going on? Who's there?"
Sour leers at you. ｢Message Man｣'s fist appears next to her shoulder, and lets out a single punch. You put up your hands in front of your face. In one is a pair of fuzzy dice, a gift for your dad. The punch pulverizes it, and sends you flying into the other girl, who catches you around your armpits like a wrestler.
Both of you go sliding backwards into the street, but she stops much sooner than she has any right to, completely avoiding any errant cars. "This would have been so much easier if you'd just cooperated."
And then, she sees her friend go flying back herself, hitting the steps of the restaurant. From that pair of fuzzy dice, ｢Spinal Tap｣ emerges into the car. It climbs out, not wasting time, bearing down on Sour while she's knocked down.
You make no move to bring it closer to yourself. Sour's already dodging hits by saving them for later. One, two, three gone, and then the fourth punch gets through! The barrage opens up after that, some limit to her Stand being reached.
"Shit." Your assailant spits, and her Stand punches you in the stomach. It's a strong jab, and it leaves a spiderweb of pain in your abdomen, but then she lets go and dashes for Sour.
You run away from both of them, heading towards the library. ｢Spinal Tap｣ will keep them occupied for another ninety seconds, which is all the lead you'll get.
Around you pass candystores, bakeries, knick-knack places, antiqueries, thrift stores. You catch Silver up to speed while you run, and two lucky crosswalks later, you can see her standing by the side of the library, phone between her shoulder and ear.
She sees you coming, and then she waves. "Hey!" You wave back, and then she points. "No, behind you!"
You look over your shoulder. The red girl, with messed-up hair and a couple bruises standing out against her skin, runs for you.
The aura covers her legs down to her shoes, and she's sprinting at you without breaking a sweat. Silver ducks behind the library and hangs up. You have to get to her, or you're doomed!
You put on more speed, but she only gains on you faster, clearly something to do with her ability Is that it...? She'll get to you before you can escape, you can judge that from here. You prepare yourself, and then you duck and throw out a leg to one side.
She registers too late that you've stopped running. The aura burns strong, and she collides with your leg, flying in the air for a solid few feet before she hits the sidewalk.
You stand up, seeing Sour jogging for you in the distance. Nodding to yourself, you get up and keep running. Lemon-lime's already pushing herself to her feet, and you kick her on your way. She rolls, and then she's out of your peripheral vision.
C'mon, Silver...
"｢Lemon Demon｣!"
Her Stand makes her much faster than you are, whatever it does. You hope you can overcome that speed boost...!
But then she's overtaking you like nothing, side by side, neck and neck! She doesn't even hit you as she starts to pass ahead. ...Yes, that's it! That must be the secret of her Stand!
You take a deep gulp of air, and stop completely.
As soon as you stand stock-still, her aura wears off. She's just walking. She looks at her feet, then back at you, as you level a punch at her. It catches her off-guard, and she gets knocked down again.
Her Stand needs you to be doing something for her to do it faster. It's why she can't hit you while she's racing you with it, you'd slow down! She needs you to be running!
The only problem is that you can't reach Silver first without running. Sour's still coming, much closer now.
You keep moving. If you can trip her up again, you can keep her on the ground long enough to make it the rest of the way, to get everything into position in a closed space. it's only a few more seconds of running until you sense her about to pass you again.
Then you pile on speed, reaching the front of the library. Sidestep, throwing out an arm, fist out, to clothesline her... In a blur, she guitar-slides under it, and then, in a single swift motion, she's reached the corner.
Still kneeling, she turns to you. "I know your sis's hiding back here. She might be able to keep that up, for a minute, but she won't be able to run from me. This, right now, is your last chance to save her." Her yellow eyes meet yours like a negotiator's.
You say nothing.
She shrugs. "Alright. So long as you're keen on putting your own family in danger, I guess."
No. No, you just... trust them.
As your enemy rounds the corner, Silver slams the blunt curve of a crowbar into her face. She goes reeling, and you close the distance, shoving her away.
She falls woozily, wetly, unconscious.
You come upon Silver standing as close to the wall as possible, cradling the crowbar. A few feet back, two portions of ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣ have been laid out in the broad brick alleyway. From what she told you, before your row, she destroyed that crowbar; it was lodged in Trixie's leg.
You knew her Stand could recreate the things it destroyed, but you didn't realize it could do it across distances! And speaking of that...
"｢Message Man｣!" She summons the Stand from a few feet away, face flushed with exercise and anger.
You duck behind the wall, rummaging in your pockets, but she's on you like glue. Her Stand punches through the brick to hit you, sending out clouds of chunky red dust. You're knocked back a few feet, scuffing your legs on asphalt. Sour steps into view as the dust falls, and Silver lunges for her with the crowbar.
｢Message Man｣'s hand grabs the rod and holds it like a baton, picking your sister up with it. A flick of the wrist, and she hits the far wall of the alley. Sour breathes heavily, slouching like Quasimodo as she lumbers toward you.
You pull out everything you had in your pocket - the splintered wooden sticks, the deflated bubble wrap, the torn paper. This is your last, long shot! The only way you and Silver can make it outside!
In one last, desperate act, you throw the whole fistful at her. Her Stand's fist appears alone, catching it all in a single motion. After a moment of holding your hope for the future, it crushes all of those fragments, and drops the remnants like sand to the ground.
Then she comes for you. You back up. She's not fast, but you don't have a hope of taking her hand-to-hand.
She speaks, and her voice is deep and rumbling, almost demonic. "I'm going to break your arms, and then your legs, and then make you win this all for us whether you want to or not. I'll break every part of you that isn't necessary to use a Stand."
She steps closer again, and now you're up against a wall, and she's clearly not paying attention to whether you're listening or not.
"You might be asking, which arm am I going to start with? Or maybe a leg, instead? I'll tell you. I'm going to be reaaaal nice and use my speed to break all four of them at once." Her voice sounds like she's enjoying herself, but there's no smile on her face. "I saved three of your punches the last time you summoned your Stand, but I blocked each one while I was running here. In fact, I took the chance to save three of my own. So I'm going to hit you in four places at once! How do you like that, you cross-eyed bitch?!"
You keep eye contact, for a moment, and then smile.
And, softly, laugh. You're standing up straight, face free from fear.
She all but roars. "Why are you--"
Behind her, there's a flash of light.
"The gifts my Stand gave me fell inside of my sister's ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣! You dropped them right in it!" Sure enough, some of them made it between the two pieces of tile propped up in the asphalt's imperfections. "Its power is an endless cycle of destruction and creation, decay and rebirth! It destroyed the gifts, and rebuilt them again! And now it's breaking them down all over again! That's the hidden power of Silver Spoon, my amazing sister!" You laugh, louder!
Sour bellows. "Who cares?! You put a couple fucking wooden sticks back together! I'm going to rip out your tongue for stalling me like this!"
"Stalling? I'm not stalling. You've just been defeated."
She looks from your easy smile to the gifts being broken back down. Then she realizes it.
"｢Spinal Tap｣!" Your Stand appears from the gifts behind her, and this time it's inexhaustible. "ADADADADAD-"
"M-Mess--｢Message Man｣!"
Your Stand's punches are relentless, borne on the constant cycle of rebirth and resummoning!
DUAL HEAT ATTACK: Just Begin Again!
"ADADADAD-"
Three of her Stand's fists appear from nowhere, zooming for your Stand. It brings its tail around, blocking all three, and then its own fists connect. Sour hits the wall, and you don't stop, not until she's not getting back up for a few hours.
"AD-AD-AD-AD-AAAAD!"
Her determination disappears, consciousness fading.
You turn away. "Adieu."
It takes a little while to get things back under control after that, but you're learning the rhythm of recovery.
Silver's okay, except for a sore back and general stress. Golden's picked herself up at the restaurant by the time you arrive, but she's not doing hot either; one of her arms is broken, but after a run to the hospital, where she stays overnight, you and Silver make it back home.
You have to tell your mom that your older sister was reckless and got in a really bad fall.
But... you made it. One more fight, with the help of your little sister. And one more clue. If you can find out what the Shadowbolts are after, maybe you can figure all of this out...
MONDAY
Care
Alright. It's morning, and you've done everything you can in such a quick sweep of Canterlot City. Derpy spent the last day fending off the same people who seem to want Trixie.
Trixie, who hid out on your couch for another night.
You get dressed in your usual, say her name a few times until she wakes up, and get in the car Talk about a night-owl.
And when you've arrived and parked, you make your way through CHS grounds. With Trixie covering your back, you approach some other early arrivals. The Rainbooms are mostly assembled, and in their midst is one girl - purple-skinned, like Trixie said. You hold your Stand at the ready in case things get ugly.
Sitting and listening to the others on the steps of the school, her hair has a streak through it, and it's tied in a loose bun. Thick glasses, and purple-blue clothes.
Twilight Sparkle.
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Message Man｣
User: Sour Sweet
Ability: 'Saves' events for up to 12 hours and 'reinserts' their effects into causality at the user's discretion. Effects can be directed anywhere within range, except for events affecting the user, which can only be postponed. An event must last under 3 seconds to be saved by ｢Message Man｣, and only 3 can be saved at a time.
Stand: ｢Lemon Demon｣
User: Lemon Zest
Ability: When competing against another person at a specific task, bends circumstances around the user so that they can accomplish the task in exactly half the time of their competitor. If it's not possible to make the user faster, the Stand will simply impede their opponent. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Have You Seen Me Lately? | Cloudchaser
The building's dark and choking, empty and purposeless, and your ears are ringing. You don't even know what it's supposed to be for, only the address. Goddamned Freshmen.
Right now you're stuck in the background, the guts of it, and running too fast to make that out. Is your sister okay? It'll work out, if she's okay. She wasn't the one with the fragment, the fragment from the pile from the stage. Flitter's the one who got you both into this mess, when she quietly swiped that and had it appraised. When she tried cozying up to the popular girls to find out where gem #3 was.
When she got those three little fucks instead, who gave her this building number.
She's going to make it out just fine, you know it. She's the smart one, the one with the backup plans and the safe-zone plotted out. But where did she say it was?
The ringing in your ears changes, smooths out. It's singing, wordless humming thundering singing from all around you. You feel your face vibrate, and pick up speed. A half-dozen doors pass by before their nameplates can introduce them, and you face forward, ignoring them.
One of them's standing at the end of the hallway!
Her eyes glow red and ravenous against her blue skin, and her voice is high-pitched, enjoying herself. "The next thing you'll say is '｢Year Without Rain｣!'."
Wh-what? What the hell does that mean? You realize she's closer than before, why is she closer now?!
Oh! You haven't stopped running towards her!
You don't have time to ponder anything right now, you have to take down at least one of them! "｢Year Without Rain｣!" Then you rush past her, your Stand flying beside you.
It's hard to make out your own words against the singing, even though you heard her fine, but you can see your own ability pop up in the air no problem. It's a thin thing, a little smaller than you, and it kicks out one of its needly legs. But it doesn't connect.
You risk a look back as you keep running. She's holding the leg with one hand, still looking into your soul. You smirk; as long as it touched her, its effect has been activated! Now the further you get away from her, the worse her environment will be. If you can make it out of here and onto a bus or taxi, she'll be finished!
You recall it and keep running. But there's a tugging against your mind, and it... No, it stays out. You see over your shoulder, and notice its leg stays out, still in that grip. She twists, and one of your own gives out under you.
Flitter used to trip you, and you've learned how to deal with it. You scramble before you've even finished falling. The Dazzling twists the leg further, and something cracks; pain surges up your own, and the urge to limp presents itself. Finally, she lets go, but the damage is already done.
If you can just make it back down and outside, or to a fire exit, or, or... She's walking up behind you. You look for options and find only doors, taking them just as quickly. The first try's locked, and so's the next one. Why hasn't she caught up to you yet? No, on second thought don't ask that and don't turn around either.
One says "MAINTENANCE", and the handle works and you take it. There's nothing but darkness inside, and you step inside. Through the doorway, you slam it behind you. There's machinery in here, maybe boilers, you don't know that sort of thing. The singing's muted for a moment, and you scan for other exits.
This is a much bigger room than you were expecting. The other end's so far away you can't make it out, or is that just the darkness? You feel the handle on the door turning behind you, and you bolt into the dark. There aren't any good hiding places, so you plaster yourself against the first wall you brush.
The door opens a crack, offering almost no light, no perspective, except that the singing gets louder again. It seems to rattle and resonate from the room around you, somehow. Then there is a little light around you, but not from the door, something red and coming from below you.
Your pocket! The gem is hot and bright there, like a baby star. You shove a hand inside and clench it in your fist to kill the light.
"Too late for that." This voice is deeper than the last one, unexpectedly conversational. Someone in the room with you, maybe someone right in front of your face!
You yelp, turn to shield yourself with one shoulder, and start running again. Only, you can't. Your feet are stuck to the ground.
You look with panickedly-adjusting eyes, and see two black clamps over your shoes. There are no more words, only a throaty woman's chuckle in your ear.
"｢Year Without Rain｣!" Your Stand appears and pummels at the restraints with its good limbs. They hold, and it sets in after your rash action that you just gave up the effect on the blue one for that. There's been no attack yet, and you don't wait for one.
Fuck shoes!
You push against the wall and lift out of them, socks and all. Then you bolt away from the voice, away from the door. You're quieter without them, at least! Dimly, you hope that you don't step on something and get tetanus.
But there's something in the distance after all, a corner! Past it, defining it, a light. Light, and a hope of escape! You hear the laughter again, hardly laughter at all, more primitive. The music swells around you, and you push through it.
You turn the corner at a stumbling run, and see the source. A light, hanging in the air like a will-'o-wisp, between yellow-orange hands. A long, catlike smirk, underlit by your own hope. Long hair casting shadows that could eat the world.
And the singing, that omnipresent omnificent omnivorous voice you can still feel when the palms close and the light goes out and oh, oh Flitter, why didn't you warn me about this?
Care
Here you are, standing in front of the popular girls. At some point you would've shrunk away from this, even though you didn't care about them; drawing attention to yourself would've been a bad thing, to avoid at all costs. Standing here, you can still feel some echoes of how that might've affected you - a slight shiver.
Their eyes are already flitting to you, so you squash it. It doesn't help that Trixie's all but hiding behind you. There's no point talking to the Rainbooms all at once, you just need answers, so you make eye contact with Twilight Sparkle, and say her name.
"Princess Twilight," you start, and she looks more nervous when you call her that, but you've started so you go on, "Could we talk for a moment? I need to find some answers about what's going on."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow says, from your periphery. You don't react.
"I don't think Twilight needs to go anywhere she doesn't feel comfortable going." Sunset says that, taking a seat next to her shifty friend. The rest are silent, looking either at you or the purple girl.
She shakes her head, like she's just collected her thoughts. "No, girls, it's fine. I've been waiting to talk to Care. We'll probably need his help soon." That shuts them up, and you too. Even Trixie stiffens behind you.
"If you want to talk one-on-one, why don't we go over there?" She points to an unoccupied flagpole planted on one end of the sidewalk.
You nod, but an answer comes over your shoulder before you can talk. "That will be acceptable. But Trixie will be a part of the discussion, too."
Twilight's mouth purses. "I wouldn't mind talking to you either, Trixie. But if you're going to join in, I think Sunset should come too. That way it'll be even."
You look to Trixie, only to find her looking at you, and you answer. "That sounds fine."
So agreed, the four of you move over.
Twilight starts. "Before anything else, I want to clear a couple of things up. First, I don't have a Stand, so if you use yours to do anything you'll probably have to tell me. And second, I'm not Princess Twilight."
...She waits for some response. You look to Trixie, who's come out beside you. She looks back at you again, hesitant.
Fine, you'll bite. "Uh... Who are you, then?"
"I'm Twilight Sparkle. But I'm not the same Twilight Sparkle as Princess Twilight. She comes from another universe that runs on Equestrian magic. I've never met her, but people have been telling me we look the same since everything that happened at the Friendship Games."
Okay, that's a lot to parse. You leave your thoughts on magic and other universes to one side for a moment.
"What happened at the Friendship Games?" You weren't there, or you don't think you were. Were they a mandatory event, or just something a lot of clubs did? Most school spirit things pass you by without so much as a whisper.
Sunset takes over, touching Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight was a Crystal Prep student, and she invented something to detect and absorb the magic that my friends and I use. When she did, it worked a little too well, and the whole thing turned into chaos."
Trixie pipes up. "Trixie remembers that."
You turn to her, and she looks at you like you're accusing her of something.
"She didn't realize that there may have been two Twilights. Eheh," she says nervously.
You turn from your ally to the other end of the proverbial table, and you ask the first thing that comes to mind. "Is that where Stands come from?"
Twilight bites her lip, and Sunset answers again. "We don't know. Magic's... well, magic. I knew a lot about it when I lived in Equestria, but-"
"You're from the same place?" You cut her off.
Sunset sighs.
And so you get a brief primer in what Equestria is, and how it's cut off from your world in another stretch of the cosmos far away, and how magic can be done there, and how portals can be opened to it if someone has enough magical power. Trixie nods her head at some of it; Princess Twilight's alleged earlier visits fit in with her versions of events. The parts about Sunset taking over the school ring true to you, even though she never really bothered with bullying you...
"...and Equestria's where the Dazzlings come from, too. If they stole back all three gems from us, there's enough Equestrian magic around that they could conquer the world, or just open a portal back to Equestria and try to take it over again."
"Which is why we need your help! You can help us get the final gem back from their leader, Adagio, and stop them once and for all!" Twilight looks at you earnestly, and then shifts her glasses a little.
Well, this is... bizarre. "Why didn't you ask me for help sooner, instead of having your friends spy on me?"
Her face falls. "That's, uh... We were worried you might have been under their spell. You don't seem like you have a lot of... uh, p-people to turn to when things get rough. We thought we'd have to fight you."
Well, that's not going to happen. In fact, you feel kind of relieved at how well this is all turning out. You almost thought you'd be having some kind of secret duel right now.
"So everything that's been happening to my friends has been the Dazzlings' fault?"
Sunset crosses her arms and nods the affirmative. "Pretty much. But if we can stop them from getting all of their power together, they shouldn't be much more of a problem."
The thought of not worrying about using your power constantly is so good you don't believe it.
"What do you need me to do, then?" You ask.
Twilight pulls out a buzzing item from her pocket. It's not a phone - circular, locketlike, and parts of it glowing a faint LED orange. She turns it over in her hands, and talks.
"This is the kind of news I was waiting for. One's been assembled. If Adagio did it, we'll let you know where to meet us to help get it back. If not, maybe this will all be over a lot sooner."
If only. If only, if only.
The first buzzer-bell of the day rings, and you all head inside.
Derpy
it's later, after-school later. You've just gotten home when your phone rings, and you answer it while you sort out your things.
"Hello?"
"Derpy?" Care.
You nod, even though he can't see it. 'That's right."
"Hey." He doesn't sound very good.
"Something wrong?"
"No, I don't think so. I just... want to talk with you."
"Okay," you feel your face blush a little, and turn to listening.
Silence reigns for a few seconds while you carry your books to your bedroom. He really doesn't sound like himself. When you ate lunch with him and Trixie, he seemed a lot happier than usual. Did something happen between lunch and the final bell?
"It's just, all of this stuff with the Dazzlings and the Shadowbolts and Trixie is all so overwhelming. I don't know how to hold all of it in my head at once, or think of how to stop it. Everything's just... so complicated."
You try to think of something to say. "We'll think of a way through it."
"...Yeah." Silence. "Can I see you tonight?"
See you?
"Well, I don't think my parents will mind that much. Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know yet, I just... I just want to spend some time with you while I have the chance."
You smile, weakly. "You can spend as much time with me as you like, honey."
"Alright. Why don't I come over in an hour and we'll just... go out on a drive, or something?" He doesn't sound completely there, and he doesn't react to the pet name. Is he just nervous about something?
"I think I can work that out with Silver and my parents," you say, hesitantly, wondering if he's waiting for some heavier probe into his problems.
"Alright. I'll see you then." He sounds a lot more confident all of a sudden. You smile to yourself; was he really still wondering whether he could ask you on a date?
Then, some noise on the other end of the line. A door opening?
"Uh, see you, bye!" He hangs up.
Care
You're on the road and nearing your house, and Trixie's riding shotgun. She's still in danger, at least for a little while longer, so you're letting her crash with you.
She didn't talk much today, not even when introduced to Diamond Tiara. You'd have thought they'd hit it off immediately, but mostly she kept to herself.
The moment you get off of the grounds of CHS, she speaks. "Care?"
"Yeah?"
"What happened to your parents?" the words come hesitantly. Oh, that. It's been a while since anyone asked you, but then again, you don't know many people.
"They're Raëlians." Before she can ask, you preempt her. "It's a religion. Nothing bad, but they didn't want to stay in Canterlot forever when there were big convents on the other side of the world. Since then they send money, but they're too busy trying to make clones of themselves and praying to aliens to really talk to me." Now you think of it, with all of the nonsense you heard this morning, Raël doesn't sound so far-fetched after all.
"Mine left me on the side of the road, one day," Trixie says, after a pause.
Uh. Fuck. What do you say to that?
"Ouch."
"I don't know why they did it. They were always happy, or they acted like they were. But by the time I found a way back home, a day and a night later, they were gone. I started to think, and ask myself whether they'd ever been happy. Or if I'd been. Since then, I've wondered if it was the Mafia, or the circus, or aliens or something, but I don't know." She sighs.
The road rolls underneath you.
"The same day I collected all the loose money I could find and got on a bus headed west, I vowed that Trixie Lulamoon would always display herself to the world as she truly was. And that she would seek to learn all of the devices of trickery and deceit that a person could use to conceal their intentions in this world." She takes a deep breath while your turn-signal clicks back into place.
The sidewalk ends for a block, and starts up again.
Finally she says it. "They were lying, today. Not about everything. But Trixie could see that they were hiding something."
Your hands grip the wheel tighter, and your chest sinks. "Do you have any idea what they were lying about?"
She shakes her head in the corner of your eye and looks almost ashamed.
You give her what feels like a smile. "Well, maybe they're just not as sure as they seemed that this'll all be over in a couple nights."
She shakes her head again, now gazing through the windshield. "No."
You try to ignore the deepening feeling of dread in your stomach. Trixie was already wrong about one thing, wasn't she?
"You think they were lying about more than that?" you ask.
"No. Out of everything they said, I know that they were being honest about that. In fact, I'd say they're one hundred per-cent sure of it."
Both of you spend the rest of the ride dwelling. Of course, they could have been lying about magic and Equestria... But then again, why would they? They didn't even use it to explain how you had Stands.
You ponder your conversation, as best you can remember it, until you pull into the driveway. And almost immediately you see your doormat's upturned and out of order, with the key underneath missing.
You rush to the door. It's locked, and you jam the key in. As soon as it turns, you throw it open, keys still dangling from the knob. The lights are off, but the afternoon light's enough to make everything out. There's an intruder, standing next to the ancient wall-phone in your kitchen - he sees you immediately, and you get an eyeful of him yourself.
Cream skin, tacky haircut, white dress shirt, pocket protector and bowtie. A pin with your symbol on it. An intent look in his brown eyes. A full copy of you, a clone, a doppelganger.
"Uh... See you. Bye!" He slams the phone onto the receiver, and no sooner has he done that than he faces you and shouts. "｢Counting Crows｣!"
A pair of black birds appear on his shoulders, and the rush of confused adrenaline you've been feeling abruptly cuts off. In fact, you start to feel woozy, drunken. You wonder dimly if you're in shock as you stagger backwards from your own image. No, it must be them, a Stand, something.
One of the birds alights and swoops toward you, and thankfully ｢Timbuk Three｣ appears between it and you. As it points a finger, the bird curves its path and passes in a circle around it.
You suddenly feel physically weak. Same rules as Snips and Snails, don't give them time to work with. You fire a laser straight at him, and the bird doesn't do anything to stop you. It impacts, in fact, directly into his chest, and you see it disappear and feel the energy being spent.
But he's not even singed. In fact, you feel worse - your mind clouds with this sudden vibrating energy, skull pounding! It's like you've stumbled into the final act of a horror movie without any of the prologue, this kind of event shouldn't be possible when you're just stepping into your door after a day at your school!
Your image treads up to you, hand outstretched, and you're entranced by some animal certainty. It's you, you know it's you, it's definitely you, and if it touches you then both of you will fall apart. You'll equal out, stabilize, combine to zero!
With animal fear, you jump away from him and into a wall. Your Stand fires a volley of lasers, which all hit him cleanly but do no damage at all.
He finally speaks, and it's like hearing your voice on a recording. "You can't kill yourself, Care. You could if I was just here on my own. In fact, we'd both be dead right now. But ｢BBD｣'s suppressing that until I finish my mission. No hard feelings."
He holds his arm closer to you, and you put a screen of hard light between it and your face. The bird still perched on his shoulder alights and swoops through it.
A feeling of supreme wrongness seizes up and down your body as it does, and the light breaks. His fingers, your fingers, come closer.
Then, suddenly, they're on the other side of the room. Trixie steps in between you and your other self, arms spread like she's taking a blast for you. Her Stand hangs over her, a curtain of glittering blue star-smoke.
"Stay away from Care Root, you dastardly duplicate! Trixie demands an explanation!"
He scowls, and one of birds comes out of your periphery, glancing against your forehead. The feeling becomes overpowering, and you pass out.
Trixie
The birds swoop away, deeper into the house. Care's impostor is standing on the other side of the room. Even his stance seems familiar, although his Stand's clearly different: you can sense that this man is either the highest caliber of actor, or -somehow - really Care Root.
Because you don't open the conversation, he does. "Hey, Trixie. It's nice to meet you again."
You scoff. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has never met a crook like yourself before!" The absurdity of the statement deflects off of your anger.
"Well, not here you haven't. I worked for you in my universe. You offered me a position fighting the Rainbooms, and my ｢Counting Crows｣ helped you out of a few bad situations."
"Is this what you think passes for a stalling tactic?" you ask, running through the information. Was he in league with the Rainbooms? It didn't make sense to be told about other universes twice in one day unless they were related, whether it was a con or not...
"No. I'm just telling you that I like you. Not many people ever reached out to me. I don't want to hurt you, and they're not making me." There's no violence in his face or his movements.
Could it really be, another universe? You decide to test the perimeters of whatever gambit's going on here.
"You're from Equestria?"
He snorts. "I'm from here. Just a different here, another CHS. It's not going to be much different by the time I'm done, but you'll be fine in the end this time. You're a scrapper, Trixie. I've always liked that about you." He starts walking for the door.
You shake Care by his shoulders, but there's no flicker of consciousness. For a moment you have to check his pulse, and the voice of his copy comes from near the door.
"He'll only be out for a few hours, until ｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣ wears off and I get to go back home. That'll happen sooner if you don't make me fight you."
You aren't going to let this happen! You turn to him, standing up straight, and before he can make it halfway your Stand sets him back to the far wall. He looks at you, his eyes spontaneously tired, like dropping an act. One of the birds careens out of the rest of the house, heading for you. It's holding something, a can of air freshener.
You create more space between it and yourself, and duck, but it flies over your head anyway, heading for the kitchen. The other bird's already there, clawing at the dial for one of the stovetop burners.
"｢Abracadabra｣'s a powerful ability, but you can only use it to do so much at one time," he says.
The can hits the flame, teeters, and stops stably above it. The birds fly back towards you, and then he starts to walk toward the door again. You don't understand what he's trying to do, which part of his actions is vital, but you won't let him leave. You reset him back to the other side of the room as the birds fly past you.
Again, they don't harm you. It looks like they were a bluff after all! You're ready to demand another explanation when the air freshener explodes, and a burst of noxious heat smashes into you as churning black smoke envelopes half of the kitchen.
You stumble and have to look; it's lit through with threads of campfire orange, and you realize you need to get to a- A- ...
He points to the fire extinguisher hooked onto the wall next to the refrigerator, too helpful but you don't have time to judge his long-term motives - he's probably just diverting you so he can leave. You judge the distance. It's too near to the fire to grab safely, close to being enveloped already.
"I guess I have a different Stand in this universe, so you wouldn't already know how ｢Counting Crows｣ works." The birds settle on his shoulders again, not that you're really watching.
"｢Abracadabra｣!" You create space between the extinguisher and the fire, and rush over to unhook it. It takes a long, frustrated tug to rip it away, and then-- then...
You could swear on anything you knew how to use this before. Your hands clutch it as you stare, like you're hoping it'll give you some clue.
"I wonder why I'd have a different Stand here. Especially such a complicated, powerful one. I guess I never really thought I could take center stage like that. You won't figure out how to use that, by the way. Or the sink."
That's right, you don't know how the sink works either, and you know you knew that! So this is his Stand attack! You cut your losses, discard the extinguisher and move to hit him again, but he's at the door, already ripping the keys out of the lock!
One of the birds takes off as you summon up ｢Abracadabra｣ again. You flinch as it passes through the cloud of your Stand, and... suddenly, you can't think of how you were going to defeat him. It makes a circle around your head as you try, uselessly, to snatch it from the air. Then it passes away from you, and lands on his shoulder again.
He makes no attempt to hurt Care on his way out. "Making enough space to push me into the fire would've been a good idea. Unfortunately, it's over for you now. Better find a way outside." As the fire rages at your back, he shuts the door behind him.
You can see through the blind-windows at the side of the door that he's heading for Care's car. Incensed, you head after him. Except you can't open the door. The doorknob... you don't know how to use it!
You pull it towards yourself, fruitlessly. You punch it, you turn the lock, nothing works! His Stand has somehow stopped you from knowing these things!
There's still a fire behind you, roaring into the rest of the kitchen like a living thing. None of the fire alarms are going off. He must have disabled them already, and there's no time for wondering how early in the moment. What do you still know?
You need water, lots of water! That or foam, anything liquid and dampening. But the extinguisher and the sink are useless in your state. You grip your head with your hands as you hear the car start outside, and dread fills your spirit as your roads begin to close. Below you, Care still hasn't stirred.
He could die here. He could die as easily as if you hadn't been around at all!
No! That will not be something people say of you! Wherever she goes, for better or worse, the Great and Powerful Trixie makes a difference! So that one day, her adoring public will shower her with-
That's it!
You don't make any move to shift Care from his slumped position. Instead you run deeper into the house, around a corner, straight for the bathroom. Once you're in, you completely disregard the sink, trying to adjust to your ignorance. You pull the shower curtain away, checking that the door's still open. To your relief, you realize you know how to use it, still.
Fingers questing and gripping desperately, you rip the showerhead off, tossing it metallically against the bumpy porcelain. Then you turn the cold water on, half expecting that he'd have cut that too, and sighing in full-body relief as it pumps out in a powerful cold froth. Everything's in position, and now the only impossible thing is the movement.
You take a deep, theatrical breath, and flex your spiritual muscles. "｢ABRACADABRA｣!" Then with your whole upper body, you wrench the nozzle towards you. Not one drop touches you.
You make space between the stream and the ground, and the walls, and its ordinary trajectory. Concentrating only on forcing it together, like herding cats, you force it down the hallway and around the corner. Then no more curving, just straight, in a mighty splash, into the newborn fire.
You hold it without looking for a moment, but finally step out of the way as the water starts to make a mess all over the floor. Knowing that you're too drained to try this again, you pass your reflection in the mirror and lean outside to see which fate lurks outside the door.
The kitchen's a wreck. Everything gleaming and sopping, or black and sooty, strong-smelling and sure to rot. But yes, it's not hiding in any corner, the fire's gone. With a note of satisfaction, you sink to the ground and withdraw your Stand. After a moment consoling your oncoming headache, you start breathing again.
Care.
You know he's gone by now, no point being dramatic. Where, though? You count down from ten, and get up just after one. Then you step, a little too slowly, for the only clue he'd left behind him.
You almost dread the thought that he's made it impossible for you to use home phones, too, but you can navigate it as well as any other. And thankfully it's one of the later models, with call history built in!
With a few impatient beeps, you pull it up. The receiver clicks to itself for a moment, heating up like an old computer, and then it spits out a screenful of random symbols. Junk data. In the smoke and aftermath, you sink with the phone in hand to the ground, processing.
The smoke's starting to get to you, so you get up and stagger to a window. Your fingers still work those properly, and the air invites the smoke outside in lazy clouds. Something as precise as moving the water wasn't usually in your repertoire.
You remember that the shower's still running, and head to turn it off. In fact, you're getting your feet back under your control, chastising your wobble, when you hear a soft knock on the door. You can almost convince yourself that you didn't hear it, but you're too aware right now.
Is he coming back? No, if he were then why wouldn't he just open it up again?
You step over Care to the window beside the door, make eye contact, and immediately dive out of the way. It's the girl who grabbed your hand and fucked up your leg. Indigo. And another one next to her, blue-skinned with blue-violet hair, one of the motorcyclists. Both of them are wearing oxygen masks, and something gold and glittering sits in one of their hands.
You dart away, but it's too late for them not to notice you. They start to pull at the handle, and you feel a sudden relief as you stand back that you managed to accidentally lock it earlier. But they're not going to give up that easily; with a burst of ｢Abracadabra｣, you shunt them away from the porch.
The effort hurts, but you know you'll have to use your Stand a few more times. As they collect themselves, you kneel down and try to lift Care. Your body's not tired really, it only feels exhausted, but the best you can manage is to drag him. And, unfortunately, it doesn't wake him up. With him to protect, your options are to run away or hide, and the area around here doesn't have enough cover.
If you broke a window, they could catch up with you at a brisk jog in half a minute. And you don't want to know what they'll do to you this time. So, that's that. You have to conceal yourself.
You search around the kitchen as a muffled pair of syllables comes from behind the door. ｢Abracadabra｣ throws more smoke in front of the door, and then you prepare yourself. Concentrating so hard is painful, but it's easier than it was before, and it has the extra, easy power of a final effort. This, right now, is the last trick you pull off tonight.
Behind you, the door shimmers, and suddenly there's a second, matching handle on the right side. Indigo throws herself in a bodyslam against the door, and it topples like the tree that birthed it. As soon as she fans away all of the smoke, she looks around intently for you.
But she doesn't find you. In fact, as far as she can tell, you've vanished completely.
Derpy
The car bumps along the road, and Care's been silent since he said a passing hello to your sisters. He doesn't make a lot of eye contact with you, and his shoulders are hunched. You're left with a puzzle. How can you figure out what's on his mind?
Was it because someone came into his house? You don't want to think that Trixie might be threatening him, somehow. No, there's no way someone could threaten him... you're not sure where you're going, but it's not in the direction of the restaurant district.
No, you're heading through a bunch of nothing. The silence feels way too awkward, like there's a third person in the car with you, and maybe that's why you feel like he must be in some kind of trouble. Maybe you're just jumpy.
"Are we going outside Canterlot?"
He grunts. "Yeah. It'll only be a few more minutes."
You try to think of what's a few minutes outside of Canterlot.
Nothing, as it turns out. Just orchard country, various used-up acres of farmland. It's like a buffer between the city and its various mountain ridges. He drives on for a little while, and finally stops by the time you see a couple of dirt roads.
He just pulls over onto the shoulder of the flat dusky road, next to a field. Then, he gets out, and heads for it without opening your door for you. Maybe he just forgot. He really does have a lot on his mind right now, you're sure, and after all, he's trying to be romantic. You're being awfully silly about this, aren't you?
You shake your doubts away and climb out yourself, looking around at the farmland. It's cold enough outside that harvest time's come and gone. All that's around are a straggling uncut stalks, tall grass and distant fences. It could be pretty romantic, you suppose. You bundle yourself up a little tighter in your trenchcoat, though.
He's stopped down below, and you catch up to him quickly. He's not wearing anything warm at all, just the regular uniform he always sticks to, without the one jacket he seems to have set out for boring days. He never seems to mind the weather.
When he doesn't do anything, you decide to make the approach. "What's eating you?" The only answer you get is a sigh, still not facing you. You reach an arm around his back and rub his upper arms through his sleeves.
He twitches like you spooked him, and then relaxes just as quickly. "Derpy... We need to talk."
"What about?"
Then he steps to the side and turns to you. His eye contact is shaky, not like normal, switching eyes.
"Us," he says, with a special gravity.
You blink. "Okay. What about us?"
"Just. Where we're going. What I'm doing here, after all of this. I've... lost a lot of our future already."
You relax a little. Neither of you are very vocal about that, but maybe you should be. "It's okay. You've given up so much for me and my family, and I'm going to pay it all with you. That's... only right." Your voice drops off when you see him shake his head.
"No, I shouldn't even say 'our future'. It's my future. And I've burned it up, for... what?" He spreads his hands. He's acting so strangely it doesn't even look like real pain on his face.
Your heart squirms, and you rush forward.
Trixie
You can hear them searching the house. If you listen well, you can hear them talking; apparently they forwent the masks. ...Were they planning on coming inside after the smoke had filled the house?
"No broken windows, no back door. She's in here somewhere."
"Well, who's to say she didn't just phase through a wall, or something?"
"No. Trixie's good at getting one over on people, trust me. Her and this guy's other buddies are the ones who roughed up Sugar, Lemon and Sour."
"He has a name, you know."
"Not 'til I've sized him up, he doesn't."
They start rifling through other rooms, looking around. Then they move to cabinets, above the sink, below the drawers, and they don't find you. Care's still out, and you don't know if getting him awake is a good idea in your situation; if you can hear them, they can hear you.
"What if she really did get away, hmm? We have to be nearby to use the arrow!" This voice's unfamiliar, lilting and pacing and a little shaky. "We should just activate it. It'll help us locate him."
Indigo hisses back at her: "No way, Sun! If we use it before she's out of the picture, he'll set his lasers to 'kill' automatically."
"What, like things will work out that smoothly? How do we know he's even in here?"
"He'll be in here. She can't have moved him too far away."
You pray silently for them to leave. It's taking the last of your current stamina to maintain the space around you right now. It's like a phone battery, draining at random intervals, lingering dramatically on the crumbs. They begin to shuffle through the house again.
If you could just make a break outside, then... well, you don't know. Especially not if you still have to worry about Care, and if his car's not out there. Uncertainty grips you, and you hunker down. You have to wait for some signal, some opportunity, or for them to finally turn paranoid enough to leave.
Derpy
The hug is hard enough that he stiffens, but you don't break it. Wind blows gently behind you, sending loose strands of hair to stick to his buttons.
Your voice is quiet, simple, and honest. "You did the right things."
His hands find your shoulders and press into them. When you don't move, he presses harder, and you give by necessity.
"No." He pushes you off of him, and you have to take a step back to not fall over. "No, I didn't. I've done it all for nothing."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Did you do something wrong?
"I mean I've burned up my own reasons to live getting into battles and trouble and pulling myself into some giant battle over things I shouldn't even be fucking worried about, and it's all for, for..." He gets more agitated as he goes on, voice getting louder. "Two brats, a girl who's too loud in her English classes, and a, some, some wannabe vigilante with wall eyes who thinks she knows what's best for everyone! I thought I could do it, I could try, but I can't live that way!"
...Wall eyes? The second time you saw him outside of school, ever, he said, you thought it was... He said they were beautiful.
You come closer so he'll look into them again, at least just one. "I-is this a S-Stand attack, Care? Did something af-f-ect you?" The Dazzlings? Yes, he must have brought you out here because he's trying to escape their range. A-any second he's going to whisper something that makes all of this-
He turns to you, now plainly annoyed. "No. I'm not crazy, or under attack, or anything else. I've just realized that some things aren't worth fighting for."
Something cold stabs into your heart, and claws at your shoulder. "Pl-please." It's your voice, but it feels like someone else is speaking through it. "Please, Care, don't do this. I-I'll, I c-can-" You feel your eyes tearing up.
If there's something wrong, you can make things different. You can do something, maybe make Silver and Golden be nicer to him. It's the meaning of the lemon tree, running away together into your own future! Who else would, would do everything he'd done for you?
His voice slices into your building reverie. "It's over, Derpy. I don't want to spend the rest of my life barely living because some lonely bargain-bin high schooler didn't know when enough was enough."
You don't want to break down in front of him. "B-, but, you said we had a future t-together, both of us, p-please! I..." You can't keep a whine out of your words. "I don't know what I did wrong..." The words dwindle, the last syllable becoming wet and pathetic.
No, take control, steady. Something's wrong, and you can make it right. Just, just, believe. Believe. You draw closer to him, trembling despite yourself. He's looking out on he horizon, angry.
"Pl... please, honey, just, please look at me."
He wheels on you, voice raised. "Haven't I done enough for you?!"
His hands shove you away from him and you fall backwards, onto the dead grass, staring up at him. His voice echoes overhead, across the barren field, and flies away into the evening sky.
The first drop marks its ugly snail-path down your cheek and onto your neck. Like rain on a bus window... Standing in a vacuum of silence, your heart falls in on itself.
Your body takes a deep, gasping breath, and breaks down completely.
Care
Something in the universe just gave out.
Your eyes shoot open; you're somewhere dark and wood-smelling, but it doesn't matter. On a level you're used to, you can see your lights, and you can tell without any questions that they've reverted.
That is, they're the same as they were before you met Derpy.
You cry out under the half-dozen lights. There's rustling and movement outside, outside of whatever this is. You don't care. Something's happened to your girlfriend.
You remember in flashes what happened just before you were knocked out. The dots connect in your mind automatically:
him. Your blood boils, and you realize that someone's with you.
The whispering finally penetrates into your head. "-can't stop them if they find out where we are, so if you have any big ideas-" Trixie. Alright, not a threat. This whole area's cramped, now that you're noticing things.
You don't have time to suss all of this out. Derpy's... She's in trouble, she must be in trouble, she fucking has to be. It's his Stand interfering with her or something, you don't have time for this. You reach out and push at one wall. Trixie sees what you're doing and tenses, but doesn't stop you.
It takes a shove, but you force it open. The light shines in as you kick your container free, and Trixie's Stand snaps.
You're both jettisoned out from the sudden non-space, crashing onto your kitchen floor. Behind you, the empty drawer falls out, thunking dully.
Your kitchen's black and dusty and bad-smelling, and there are people down the hall. Your front door's not even on the hinges. You expect Trixie to be getting up by now, but when you glance back to her you can see she's unconscious.
So this is how everything collapses in on itself.
The two girls come rushing up, one of them's holding a golden arrow. She points it at you, and suddenly it rips into you with incredible force. Like it's piercing your skin, without coming within ten feet. You feel it rip into ｢Timbuk Three｣, and one of the points of light vanishes completely - your acceptance into Everton.
Another goes out just after it, your graduation. The power comes surging out of you uncontrollably, without your say. It runs out of your arms and explodes into complicated icosahedrons and detailed holograms. All just light, raw useless light, forcing the girls to cover their eyes but doing them no harm. Somehow, with that arrow, they're burning away your power.
The blue-haired one rushes you while you're processing that, hand outstretched. "｢Nails for Breakfast｣!"
No. You burn up another light, not paying attention to what it represents, if you fail here it doesn't matter anyway. And, with straining control that rips your voice from your throat in a yell, ｢Timbuk Three｣ envelopes her hand in blue light.
The wound's cauterized before she can scream, and she stumbles past you. Something about that makes you lurch internally, but you ignore it. The arrow.
You focus again as the room fills up with pointless designs and wastes of your ability. She's stunned at what you just did to her friend, and then realizes that there's more where that came from!
She backs up when the light appears on her arm, stumbling and trying to keep the arrow steady. You fire a laser through her calf, and she topples. Then you wrench the arrow from her with a globe of light, holding it away from you. It's golden, deeply engraved with designs like little starbursts, but no real symbols.
It thrums with energy, a cousin to the bird that interfered with your Stand. This, though, this is empowering. You feel like you could just reel it in and this, all of this horrible mess, would be over...
Derpy.
You let go of it, and no sooner have you done that than it disintegrates into the air. It's a blip on your current map of reality; you've got... three of these lights left.
The blue-haired girl jumps at you, hand outstretched. You turn and grab her by the collar in mid-lunge, pulling her face up to yours. The ferocious face she'd been making freezes, and becomes a mask of fear.
"Where is she?" you shout into her face.
She just stares at you. This is a waste of time, seconds could be critical here, it could already be too- No. You let go of her and pull out your cell phone.
Your thumb's too slow, but you manage to call her after eight grueling seconds. The number rings, while your two attackers try to recover themselves.
And keeps ringing...
Derpy
Your phone rings, and you're in no state to answer it. But you realize after a moment that it might be Golden checking in, or your dad, and you don't want them calling the police. It could even be someone in trouble. You could still help, even without-
You've got to. You've got to answer the call.
Care hasn't said anything. You don't look up at him, just fish for it. ｢Spinal Tap｣ appears in a clump of grass, clutching a small uninflated balloon. You don't waste time looking at it, and it deposits it nicely on the ground. After a moment, a crow swoops down and carries it away, and you feel like that moment sums up this day for you.
The phone's still ringing. You pull it out, and another crow flies past you. The pain on your shoulder goes away as you shoo it, halfheartedly.
He could be walking away now, for all you know. He'll at least drive you back, right? Or should you call your sister? You don't know what you're supposed to do.
And there's no caller ID for this number. In fact, it's just displaying gibberish. Maybe a telemarketer. You stare at it until it stops ringing, going apprehensively silent again.
Pointless. You lower it from your eyes, and it falls from your hand into the soil.
Footsteps. Care comes closer. Is he going to take you home?
"Well, I'm glad that's done." He sounds completely at ease, now. Did losing you unburden him that much?
It's getting harder to ask questions right now, it's all become so overwhelming. You feel like you're about to cave in.
"｢Counting Crows｣," he says, and a crow lands on one of your shoulders. When you feel it, in the brief play-shock your body puts you through, you notice the other. It's already on your other shoulder.
He continues. "The last time I did this, you were with the Rainbooms. I removed your power to navigate, and then Snails finished you off when you ran right into him. But he's not here now, so I'm going to take something simpler from you."
You look up at him. This isn't right, it doesn't make sense and it's not how he talks. You realize the crows don't make an awful lot of sense either.
"I'm just going to make you forget how to breathe. That's as painless as I can make it." He looks down at you in somber earnest. You try to stand up, and can't.
Before you can panic, your phone shakes on the ground. A burst of radiant blue light engulfs it, and then, it dims. All that remains as it trails off is a spider-thread of light protruding from the back.
Wh-what's...?
Care
The phone in your hand didn't get a response. You were worried about that, but it still rang, and that's all you need. You give up a lot of your third-to-last light doing it, but it works: you put the phone signal on the visible spectrum. Where it finally lands, in Derpy's phone, you concentrate your energy.
Time to get a look...
｢Timbuk Three｣ dutifully notes all of the light within thirty feet of the phone. Around you, it moves and bounces the photons to match. A perfect real-time hologram extends into your house, and through it.
Derpy's looking down at her phone, surprised. You want to break through the light and appear down there, but you can see the birds on her shoulders. And the lack of identifying landmarks; you'd half-feared that she'd be in an alleyway somewhere, or the trunk of a car, or the phone would be separated from her.
The other you is standing over her, and the birds being affected by your Stand gets to you. The light's going out in your mind, but you hang on. He's talking to her, but you can't read lips. She isn't looking at her phone any longer, just looking at him, and you realize that this isn't enough. You have to get a message to her!
"｢Royals｣!" One of the girls comes at you with a knife, lunging through the light-scenery. You throw up two spheres of light in front of her eyes, and she stumbles. Then you materialize little hard-light cuffs on both of their ankles, and you fling them with extreme prejudice back out of your front door.
They go flying, and suddenly they're not your problem, but the light goes out completely. With it, your hologram glitches, tears, and starts to fade.
Two left.
You grit your teeth and break out another one, holding it steady.
Derpy
You feel dizzy, and your mouth's dry.
Your head's spinning as your phone continues steadily pulsing with light, but it doesn't do anything else. Are you just seeing this? Is it simply that dark outside?
"I wonder what could've happened in this reality to put me and you together."
As he speaks, you only barely pick up on his words, like fragments of dreams. Even the light begins to fade away at the edges of your awareness. You can feel yourself becoming hollow.
"Trixie taught me a little acting, you know. After she did all of the other training. She insisted it was going to help me out in battle, and I didn't believe her," he laughs softly, and sighs. "Your side won, of course. I only made it out alive because I picked my battles. 'Victorious warriors win first and then go to war'. ...Not like that helped us."
You aren't looking at him any longer. You feel faint, close to falling over.
"It's nice to tell someone this stuff. I don't think you're really listening, but I wanted a chance to talk to you about what I did. It gives me a little, I don't know, closure. Thank you."
You're floating. Your lungs start to tighten, and your eyes flutter. The pain of the claws digging into your shoulders mingles and mixes with your own body.
You let go and fall back onto the ground, and see something in the sky that shouldn't be there. Words, laid across the evening. Large and glowing, right overhead, like the stars themselves rearranged to give you some final farewell.
DERPY HE ISN'T ME
I CAN'T FIND YOU
USE SPINAL TAP
TAKE MY PHONE
And to the side like a footnote, a heart in a mathematical radical.
It's like smelling salts. You come to your senses, enough to realize you're under attack. Of course it was a Stand! With a thought, you send ｢Spinal Tap｣ to grab Care's phone. You almost smile, until you realize that it won't help; it can go find him immediately, but it won't be able to bring it to you until sunrise.
｢Spinal Tap｣'s gift for tonight already came, and got taken away by... one of these crows.
With distant anger, you shoo them off of you and sit up a little. You need to fish in your pockets. Care - no, Not Care, looks down at you with wide eyes. You weren't supposed to get up, and you figure out too late that there was cover you could've milked.
Then he looks up, studying the words, and blanches. Yes, he was telling you about all of this, wasn't he? You don't know if he's a clone, or a disguise, or something completely different, but he tried to tear up your heart. You pull out a trusty old popsicle stick.
And then, you--
You...
You don't remember how to activate your Stand.
Well, at least get up and away from him! You try, and your legs wobble and give out from under you.
"So that's it." Not Care picks up your phone. One of the crows lands on it, and the lights spasm and blink out. "I was prepared for that, too. So long as he didn't know exactly where we were, it wouldn't matter if he used up his powers or not, so long as he only has the handful he started out with. He has to be close to you to set his destiny in stone again."
How could someone know that? Even you didn't know that! Maybe he's just faking you out.
His Stand begins to circle around you again. "But that's no reason to be overconfident. You can't stand up, break things to summon your Stand, walk or read now, but maybe there's some hidden ability you learned, or a secret weapon..." He gets a look of cruel enjoyment you could've lived your whole life without seeing on that face. "I could wait for you to forget how to breathe, but I do have a car. I'll end this before anything tricky can happen, just to be safe. Blame him if it hurts."
As he walks back up the slope, you try to bat away the birds, but your arms stop responding correctly. They just circle closer, taking things from you, things you notice now that he's spoken. You fall back down again, looking up at the wordless sky as he climbs in.
It revs to life, and he gradually thumps it down the way you both came. Your fingers brush over one of the gifts as tears come to your eyes.
This is the end, staring up at a big, pinkish sky.
I-I'm sorry, Care. I love you.
Wait. Wait.
...Pink?
Yes, pink and turning orange very quickly, and it's not just your imagination. Something bright is coming up over the Canterlot horizon. Out of that sheet of sudden flashing, glinting light, there comes a shooting star. No, it's more than that, you can feel it tied into you.
It curves furiously towards the earth, and hope explodes in you. ｢Spinal Tap｣ is flying for you, holding the phone. And attached to it, a prismatic coffin of pure light, Care himself.
You can see as the giant light behind them rises that it's not the right size. And you realize.
It's completely crazy, a holograph or something with the same effects. He couldn't have known it would work, but it did. He used his power to create a...
A sunrise!
And as he rockets for you, you really do start crying. The light fades into night, and the protective barrier around him shreds itself. He holds onto the phone with one hand, wind-buffeted for the final drop. When ｢Spinal Tap｣ stops, he rolls and comes up dusty and breathing heavily.
You're so choked up you laugh like he's just done a trick for you, and he rushes over to you. Once he's closer you try to sit up, pressing against the earth uselessly.
"C-Care, Care, I thought for sure--"
He holds you by the shoulders, pulling you up the rest of the way, and kisses you. You don't have time to close your eyes, and behind him you see ｢Timbuk Three｣ materialize, for an instant glowing white-hot.
He pulls away and looks into your eyes for a moment. "I'm here. We're here, now."
That's all he has time to say, before the car revs up.
Care
You spin around, and yes, it turns out he did take your car. Your double sits behind the wheel, more tenacious than scared. It's big, but not meant for offroading, so you're not sure how likely a threat it is.
The birds are on you immediately, latching onto both shoulders. They make your head swim, but you make no attempt to remove them. No more wasting time.
You take a half-step closer to him, just to bridge the distance and make sure your aim's perfect. Then you point a finger at him, and fire a laser through the windshield. It's intense enough to smash the glass, and hits his forehead.
He shows no sign of damage, and instead the swimming feeling intensifies. You have to take a knee between the car and Derpy. Beside you, ｢Timbuk Three｣'s new energy flickers.
He backs up and prepares to run you down, and you ignore the noise, turning to Derpy and putting your hand on hers. "Grh. He may have some tricky powers, but nothing can stop the bond we built up together. The things we've done for each other, and given. Now..."
She smiles up at you, past the birds and the noise and the exhaustion.
You focus on that smile, and squeeze. "Use them."
She stares at you for a moment. And then comprehension dawns on her face all at once.
Your doppelganger slams on the gas, only to be slammed himself through the door-window. The car wrenches and stops, violently.
As the other you rolls, he finally gets a look at the full form of ｢Spinal Tap｣. It comes sliding out of the car, the car she brought to CHS for you. The gift you didn't even consider possible, after that crash. You'll burn that up for her! To make your future a reality, torch it until there's nothing left!
It bears down on him, and the birds leave you to swoop over Derpy, but it's too late. ｢Spinal Tap｣ is already on him. Its first punch leads into five more, each taking out a chunk of him - inside, there's just vector patterns and glittering light.
You overcome your own morbid curiosity and look away. Derpy doesn't do the sound effect, sadly, but your head begins to clear in the silence. She manages to sit up as he gets pummeled down, falling apart. The birds twirl dizzily, and one explodes into dust and feathers as it falls from the air.
Then she stands, and you stand with her. Both of you lean on each other until you're almost dancing, and when the other bird goes you feel so much more solid.
Then, just like that, ｢Spinal Tap｣ disappears. You walk over to where he landed. Apart from the disturbed dirt under the night sky, all that's left is your button. Or, his. Even that glitters and fades after a moment, leaving only the wind.
You exhale.
It's a little nippy out, now that your blood's stopped boiling. You're back in a state of mind to notice temperature, to feel the air on your skin, to use half of your senses. ...You've made it. On the last dregs of your final lights, risking a future of half-living for a chance at happiness. And it might not pay off in the end, nothing could be said for certain, but-
Derpy tackles you to the dirt from behind and hugs you. You roll over, destroying whatever was salvageable about your shirt. And you look up into those beautiful eyes of hers, crowned with wild hair and stars.
You're tired, but you try to match the size of her grin. For one cavernous moment, you simply stare into each other.
And then, of course, the phone rings.
Yours, over in the dirt where you stopped thinking about it. While you internally debate whether to take the trouble to answer it, so does hers. She looks at it, and back at you, and both of you laugh.
When you get to them, you're surprised to find that both are from the same number.
The first six words out of her mouth hold your attention.
Twilight
When both of them answer, you speak into the phone. "The Dazzlings have made their move."
In front of you is Cloudchaser: stock-still, dead-eyed, unresponsive, although she would probably act in self-defense. Is that Adagio's game...?
She came and gave you the message, and you give it to them in turn. Place, time. They don't have much to say, and they can't exactly thank you. Especially not Care.
If there's any hope or justice in this world, this is the endgame. If not... you put off thinking about it.
Indigo Zap
It's hard to be stuck in a dead tree, but you manage.
Sunny's next to you, and she's going to need some help climbing down. Probably never tackled an oak in her life. It takes a minute of her touching you to put your missing hand back, and the burning only dies down a little when she does.
You're really not looking forward to telling Flash about this.
"Hey, at least now I know that the whole phantom limb thing's real." Heh.
Sun's not having it. Whatever. ｢Royals｣ is more powerful than the rest of the 'Bolts give it credit for, but it can't affect the user.
So you save her the trouble. "｢Nails For Breakfast｣." You swap hands with her and lay them on down. The feeling of another Stand through your fingertips crackles like static electricity.
After another minute, she's healed up. And, knock on wood, the city hasn't burned down. You might just be able to call this one a success, even if it went totally to shit!
Suddenly, your phone rings, and you nearly fall to the ground and break something new trying to answer it.
"Y'ello?" you say, then after a minute, "Okaaay... Yeah, sounds great." Then you hang up and shift more on the branch, nearly snapping it.
Sun holds it, and you hold on as it droops. Okay, the last thing you need after that call is two broken legs. Any damage you take should wait for tomorrow!
Suddenly the branch gets longer, still drooping. On the other end, a whole other tree appears, at an angle. Thanks, Sun.
You could absolutely monkey-bar this shit, but you don't. You're extra careful, and you wait around for her to prim-prissily remove herself, and then you wait even more for Lemon Zest to get you without doing anything even kinda exciting. Your bike's still in his driveway, but you can't risk heading back for it on such low intel.
Damn, does it hurt to even think something like that.
You take a deep breath. Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, it'll all be decided.
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Year Without Rain｣
User: Cloudchaser
Ability: When a target is touched by the user, the environment becomes more and more inhospitable to the target the further the two are from each other. Puddles become bottomless sinkholes, earthquakes strike single city blocks, strange forests get in the way of the rest of civilization, and at a certain distance the environment becomes completely unsurvivable.
Stand: ｢Counting Crows｣
User: Care Root
Ability: Takes the form of two moderately-sized black birds, usually perched on the user's shoulders. Both can move independently of the user at any range, and steal information from the things they pass, which they transfer to the user by touch.
Stand: ｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣
User: ???
Ability: ???
Stand: ｢Royals｣
User: Sunny Flare
Ability: Makes anything the user touches symmetrical along one axis of their choosing. Anything the user touches for more than one minute remains symmetrical unless the user consciously dismisses the effect, or can be made symmetrical only in part. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | The City Is At War | 'Sunset, Sham Factory, front entrance. Just the two of you. Bring your gem or you won't get in'.
Silver Spoon
Last night Derpy and Care came back home and told you a long and strange story. This morning, to make up for it, they rescued you from going to school on time.
You're eating in a breakfast buffet, surrounded by the elderly and a wet mess of badly-scrambled eggs. A muted TV on the corner wall's broadcasting a local report about the sun being sighted over Canterlot City at night, but you can't read lips to figure out what the talking heads make of it.
Care's talking, poking at a piece of french toast. "We'll need Trixie to drive. She's an expert at getaways by now, and her Stand could help if we need to escape quickly."
Trixie, who's almost slumped over the table, nods with closed eyes into her overcreamed coffee.
He addresses you next. "Silver, it'd be a big help if you could fix my windshield again."
"Yeah, I can do that." Seriously, why hasn't this guy been pulled over yet?
"And what about me?" Your other older sister asks across Derpy. Golden's still banged-up, but she's not wearing a cast any more. She joked with you that she'd been stealing nutrients from the other patients.
"We... I, need you to keep the rest of your family safe and away from this factory."
"Except for my little sister, who's going to walk straight inside," she deadpans.
He grimaces. "I can't help that. If we don't play along, things might get even uglier."
"And why, for the love of everything in heaven and Earth, should we play along with them? Can't you just blast them to pieces and take what they have?"
He makes eye contact, and speaks clearly to match her rising voice. "I don't know. As far as I can tell, everything we've fought up to now has been because of these three girls, and they seem ready for me. I don't know what they're capable of, what they do or don't have, or even who's on their side. I'm just trusting Twilight and Sunset to have a plan, and trying to work out what to do if everything goes wrong."
Ha, if.
Golden leans back, arms crossed. "Then fine. But you'd better keep her safe."
He doesn't even answer, to avoid cliche, but Derpy does. "After last night, you don't need to say that any more."
She huffs, and grumbles inaudibly about missing English. You're next to her and you can barely hear it. While they wake up, you take the opportunity to do some surreptitious texting under the table.
Care's nice, powerful too, but he's not very street-smart. Diamond should be between classes just now, in a perfect place to answer you. You tell her you're going to need a ride tonight, and then you stash it back in your backpack.
And notice Golden's eyes on you. You turn to her, and an eyebrow raises between the two of you. You nod, minutely.
She doesn't react, except to look bored and rejoin the general conversation.
Anonymous
You're making the rounds.
The building is slightly winding, built almost like a labyrinth. It's not the factory itself, more a set of conference rooms, service areas, offices, a cafeteria. The whole place is a mess, and it's why you're scouring your way through all of it.
You glance askance at Aria. "You sure those are gonna hold?"
She pulls tighter with ｢Electra Heart｣, reinforcing the shadow-briars. "Nothing's broken them before."
"Even after last night?" You remember how she looked when she saw the sky light up with words, and a second sunrise.
Plates of muscle tense in her bared arms. "He won't be here. I'll deal with him if I have to."
You've been blocking out a path, piece by piece, from the entrance to the center. One or two dead-ends won't be an issue, but for the main flow you want to force it forward to the middle. Adagio's preparing there, and Nata's getting the hang of the rest of the area. She has a habit of running loose in any wide-open space, with her hair flying behind her like a flag.
It's been weeks since you last broke into a building with her.
You send three of ｢Nowhere Man｣'s specters out to patrol the outer edge of the building and alert you to anything living. The last you send to keep track of your gemless sapphire. If this ends with her and Aria getting their gems back, you'll have done your job. Maybe she'll still visit you, or find a way to communicate from home. Or, more hopefully than you're willing to jinx by saying out loud, she'll take you with.
Aria grips another thick patch of darkness and dapples it with thorns.
Sugarcoat
Indigo's parents don't really care who she has over, so she lets you use her living room. Everyone else is here, which is a terrible idea.
Even Lemon notices. "Shouldn't we have someone guarding the, uh, storage... crate?" She really needs to work on using filler-words.
Your leader answers. "She's not going to go anywhere. She's there of her own free will."
Yeah, just like the rest of you, this zoo of dispossessed student-competitors. You've been promised to have all of your missed days and failed assignments erased from your record - you'll even have a nice future laid out for you at a school of your choosing. Not that you do it for that, of course, you're not shallow, but all these actions aren't done out of driven-snow selflessness either. You're not sure you're allowed to stop fighting.
"Poor girl." Sunny chimes in, mostly to herself. Don't people understand the purpose of speaking out loud?
You latch on to what they're not saying. "So this is it, then? Our big climax?"
Flash nods, hesitantly. "If we play our cards right. The Dazzlings are making their play tonight, and we've all got to be ready." He types at his phone for a moment, and all five of you receive a time and place. 'Sunset, Sham Factory.'
"Isn't that abandoned?" Lemon.
Flash answers. "As far as I can tell. But it's not defunct yet. We're working on a floor plan, but we haven't figured an entrance."
"Pff. We'll just go in through the front!" Indigo calls from the kitchen, where she's scarfing down something unhealthy. Everyone looks at each other with varying degrees of exasperation.
Sweetie Belle
"This won't be touched by ｢Timbuk Three｣." ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣ smashes into the focal point between the three of you.
The others are getting tired by now, but it's still more powerful than any one of you alone. You spent most of the early morning at the school doing this, and it's not any more fun now that you've changed locales, or barred some people from noticing your hiding spots for the day.
Apple Bloom consults the list. "This won't be touched by ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣."
With part of your soul and part of theirs, your Stand shunts away another possibility.
Scootaloo takes her turn. "This won't be touched by ｢Year Without Rain｣." Smash.
You're narrowing it down, on orders, to only the Stands you can absolutely trust. Even people who have no reason to show up today are being blacklisted from this arrow for the next twenty-four hours; this is the emergency measure. If the arrow disappears early, you know you're in the clear, and you need to get out.
If it doesn't... you have your orders.
You crack your knuckles and call out the next name.
Derpy
The sun's setting on your day. You skipped school with Care, and it didn't make you feel much better.
Well, of course, being around him makes you feel something you can't quite describe - you have a cord in your chest that pulls you towards him. But... you didn't have much to say. Both of you are holding your breaths.
After this, after tonight, it'll probably be different. You worry he'll be haunted by all of the fighting. The way he tells you he burned off a girl's arm, when the two of you are alone and not as love-drunk, the worry about this ｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣.
Whatever happened last time, the Rainbooms won out. If you place yourselves on their side, it should all go the same way. Right?
｢Spinal Tap｣ flies alongside his newly-fixed car and hands you the gem through his backseat window. You're sharing the back while Trixie drives, and Care looks at it. Voila. You hand it over to him, and he shoves it awkwardly into his pocket. No use leaving it out in the open.
Then, with surprising force, he pulls you into an embrace. His head resting against your neck tickles a little, but you hold still. He's starting to sweat, even in the cold.
You wrap an arm around him and rub up and down his spine. "We'll make it through."
He doesn't let go for a couple of minutes. When he does, his face doesn't look much better, but his eyes are clear. You smile at him, hoping to draw out a smile of his own.
But Trixie's voice comes from the front. "We're just about there."
Anonymous
Aria fumes. "They only have one of the gems. They didn't reclaim the other one." You're about to ask whose it is when she answers, "Sonata's, obviously. Mine's just now arriving. And he has it."
Well, at least there's room for a happy ending after all. Ari looks ready to rip something open with her teeth. Normally you might poke at her, but at this moment, you take a couple steps away on weak mammalian instinct.
"Who?" You ask, and then realize it's a stupid question.
If you were in any doubt, her nails gripping into your shoulders certainly remedy it. "The lightbringer!" Even though she didn't raise it, her voice echoes down the dim corridors in three directions, screeching with distance.
Well, fuck. "M-maybe Adagio knows what she's doing."
"Of course she does! She just didn't think it was important to tell me!" She lets go of you to throw her hands up in the air.
Then, without a beat, she begins working more furiously with ｢Electra Heart｣. Your conversation ends as quickly as it started, and you stand well out of her way for a while.
Care Root
Trixie parks a little ways away, and you get out. She had to drive through a gate and into an oversized parking lot, toward the very back. You and Derpy can see the front by the person standing there.
She's familiar, but you've never spoken to her. Light blue hair, slightly dirty, and extremely light lavender skin. Only the dead eyes are new.
She's brainwashed, but you can't hear it in her slightly nasally voice. "Show me your gem."
You put a hand in your pocket, and debate whether to take it out or not. After all, they might be able to take it, or teleport it, or who knows what. But... well, if you can't put this foot forward, you aren't going to go anywhere! You have to take this risk to get any further in!
Come on!
You produce it and let her see, and then swiftly pocket it again. She doesn't move for a moment, and then she reaches out for you and Derpy. You take a half-step back, and then hold still. ｢Timbuk Three｣ creeps at the edge of your being, ready to pop out.
"｢Glamorous｣."
Suddenly, you can see a glowing light in Derpy's stomach, yellow, and a blue one in your own. Through the towering brick, you can see the faint sparks of two others, red and purple. Twilight and Sunset, probably.
They're here. You feel some comfort knowing that you haven't walked into a trap - knock on wood.
"Head straight down until you meet them." The door-guard steps out of the way, swinging a thick metal door inward for the two of you.
You both walk down a long hallway. There's weak light, concrete walls and flooring, doors here and there shrouded in darkness. It's like you're stepping down the Industrial Revolution's esophagus, and almost everything around here is dead silent except for the light-flicker. Long before you've thought of anything to say or do, you've reached the open door at the very end of this snaking tunnel; through it shines full-on electric light, bright enough to burn your eyes from around the bend.
You can still see the lights with your eyes closed, and you head through the doorway. Inside, there's a conference room. Really, it's more like a lounge or a break room, with a water-cooler shoved in one corner, but the center is dominated by a giant rectangular table.
On the far head, right in front of the only other exit, she looks at you. Orange hair, the same outfit as before, down to the newly-reattached pendant. Those eyes that pierced you, a head resting on the hand that touched you. You thought once that it might be your only human contact before you died... And, in another world, you were most probably correct.
Adagio Dazzle smirks at you. "Well, look who's here." She waves to the chairs set around the table. "Have a seat. We were just making introductions."
On the left side of the table, you see Sunset and Twilight, and someone behind them. Sunset's frowning, but steady, while Twilight looks uneasy. The third person looks like the door-guard with more elaborate hair, and she stands silently behind them like the third point of a triangle.
You sit parallel to them on the right, with Derpy sitting to your left. You're shielding her, you suppose.
Adagio waits, and only speaks once you're situated. "Now, I can understand why Sunset Shimmer and her friend might want to take my sisters' gemstones, but I don't know why you would do it. What's your final goal, Care Root?"
Derpy's hand squeezes your knee from under the table. You take a deep breath and scan the room for funny business. Nothing.
"I want to spend as much of my future as possible with Dernier Piege."
She looks mock-sympathetic. "Well, what's stopping you?"
You growl. "The people you've been sending after me."
Now she tries on mild shock, as if she wants to hold up a big sign with the word 'Moi?' on it, and says, "I haven't lifted a finger to hurt you, Care Root. I wouldn't even have been able to if I wanted. The only time I've tried to talk to you, you ran away from me."
Derpy squeezes harder.
"Yeah, because probably you were going to use him to do something awful to somebody!" Sunset snaps from across the table.
Adagio barely affords her a look. "I'll get to you in a moment. But first things first, I want to make it clear that I haven't made any attempt to hurt you. All I'm interested in is taking back my property and going back to where I came from. That shouldn't sound too awful, surely?"
Derpy picks up the thread beside you. "Why did you want to talk to him?"
Adagio splays her hands. "I thought he could help. I can sense Equestrian magic, and he's got it in droves."
"You mean his Stand?"
"That's right. If I'd known he was going to blind me, I would've gone about it more subtly."
Derpy frowns, and you pick up from her. "What's different from when you had all three gems before?"
She stifles a laugh. "All of this delicious conflict, of course! We haven't had an opportunity to gain power like this since our last war. Not to mention Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight and the rest of you are all dripping with Equestrian magic. It's only fair we should use a little of it, since it was probably helped along by our gems to begin with."
"She's not a Princess." Sunset gets everyone's attention.
"Hm?" Adagio asks.
"She's this world's Twilight Sparkle, not any other's. Whoever you're getting your information from, they don't know anything about the last couple months at Canterlot High."
Adagio looks smug as ever, but leans forward a little. "Enlighten me."
"The only portal to Equestria is gone. It was destroyed during the Friendship Games," Twilight speaks, "I-I turned into a monster, and almost destroyed the barrier between the two universes. Now, nobody can go from one to the other."
She... definitely didn't mention that earlier.
Adagio shifts, considering. "And I suppose that's your explanation for where all of these nifty little abilities came from?"
Twilight thinks on the words for a moment, and then nods.
A tight grin over tangerine skin. "That sounds very logical. Maybe you could explain something else to me, then." The smile disappears instantly. "What's the arrow for?"
Trixie
You've stopped crouching into your seat, which you've had to readjust several times now. It's clear that Flitter's not going to attack you. She was on your shortlist, but she never seemed interested in being a team player.
Just as well.
She doesn't keep your attention for long, because a few minutes after Care and Derpy head in, two more cars have the time to arrive. The first parks away from you, in the same aisle, and you don't recognize it. It occupies your attention, but you can't see inside from where you're sitting.
And, just now, a car which stops just in front of the door. Blue, a little big to be fashionable - you don't know much about cars. Flitter doesn't move, but out pile six people. Even from here you can see that they're trouble.
You sink back into your seat and start mapping out the way you came in your mind. You should've known, but... you peek over the dashboard to get a better look at them.
There are two you fought with personally. No sign of Snips or Snails, but the sixth person there is... huh? Flash Sentry?!
They stand in front of Flitter, talking animatedly with each other. Finally the yellow one with pink hair raises her hand, and steps closer. A fast black fist arcs from over her shoulder, and fells Flittter with a single hook.
They all, collectively, look down at the slumped body, and then they file inside.
Care
"Arrow?" Sunset asks.
Adagio looks at her like she's telling a transparent lie. "The source of magical energy I can feel from here? The one which is only second in intensity to Care here? Are you really going to pretend you don't know about the epicenter of your school's magic surge?" Her eyebrow could hit the ceiling.
Neither Sunset or Twilight answer in words. They just look confused.
Then Adagio's breath hitches, and she sits up straighter. The lights, which you were just getting used to, flicker.
She growls at the edge of hearing. "It looks like we have an intruder." You turn around at that, but the door's still closed, and she answers your silent fear. "Don't worry, we have things taken care of. I wouldn't try to leave if I were you."
You look back to her. "Why not?"
"Because my sister Aria has used her Stand to barricade us inside here." When she sees the look on your face, she puts her hands up and looks at you with wide violet eyes. "What? If anyone has a right to be upset here, it should be me. I'm outnumbered four to one!"
Something touches your hand. Derpy. You calm down a little, and sit again. Things are starting to go wrong, but what's important hasn't changed.
"Is that what you're doing?" you ask.
She stares at you, as challenging as quizzical. Sunset sends you positive vibes in your periphery, but Adagio's eyes command your vision if you look too long.
After a second's composition, you go on, "You want to keep us contained in a small area so you can-"
"-turn the four of you against each other? No." She leans back and kicks her feet up, clicking familiar spiked spurs onto the table. "To be honest with you, I could wait for a few more decades until the rest of you die of something, if I wanted to get my sisters their gems back the easy way. I'm only putting in this effort because I'm curious, and there's an opportunity to go back to Equestria in the cards." She turns to Sunset and raises her voice, as if she's further away. "That is why you want to collect the three of them, isn't it? Or is it just for power?"
Twilight continues to look insecure, and Sunset answer for both of them. "It's to keep you from having them. Just from seeing you trying to turn us against each other in this room, I don't want to imagine how much damage you could do if you unlocked your full power."
When Adagio smiles, she does it with her whole face, but when she frowns it's concentrated and snarling. There's certainly something unworldly about her that draws in your attention - if you hadn't met someone like Derpy, her gravity might even have felt like love.
Her composure returns. "Really? And why are you so worried about whether Care here is on your side, if you're so certain you've got things in hand?"
"Because turning people against each other is what you're best at, and you nearly destroyed our school trying to take over the world. Everyone you meet is just a means to an end! And yes!" She gestures at you. "Care could take all of the gems here and use them to create a new sun, if he wanted to! But it would destroy his future!" ...
Adagio's face is a mask. "Is that a fact."
"Yes! You heard him say it himself, he just wants to have his happy ending! The fewer times he has to use his power, the better!" ...
You look at Derpy, and worry dominates her. The room is silent.
"What? Am I wrong?" She asks, looking directly at you and appealing for some ounce of support.
"...I never told you how ｢Timbuk Three｣ works."
Indigo Zap
It's mondo dark in here, but with Sour at the front you're not worried. So long as you don't hear any singing, things should be okay.
Lemon tries to investigate one of the doors along this huge hall, and then yanks her hand back, bleeding. You lean in to investigate, and you can make out sharp spikes, outlined in a spatter of blood. It's like a rosebush or something, and the light glints off of it all along the hallway.
You're about to mention this when you notice the rest of the group's stopped. There are two people coming down the hallway for you. The taller of the two's wearing dark clothes, and you can only make out an outline, but the gunshot's loud and clear.
Sour's in the front, and ｢Message Man｣ saves the bullet being fired at the same time you hear the gunshot. The further figure hangs back, not reacting, but the purple Dazzling steps forward.
Sour rushes for her automatically. ｢Message Man｣ appears for a moment, firing the bullet straight for her in a five-second finisher, and it hits! Right in the stomach, she staggers! But then, like some kind of zombie, she straightens up and comes closer.
Sugar and Sun make the eminently wise move to keep their asses out of the line of fire. Purple comes close to Sour with almost no expression, raising a hand toward her face. Then ｢Message Man｣ swats at her twice, using up those two saved punches. They kick up dust with their sheer speed, and they land right in her face!
Direct hits! Suck it!
The Dazzling gets knocked back by the recoil, stumbling. But then she's not the one moving. Sour's lifted off of the ground, floating for a moment. Purple spins, and you see the thick black cord in her fist - it's coming out of Sour's mouth.
You run for her, but something grabs your leg. The tripping comes naturally, and you fall correctly, but it still doesn't move. By the sound of struggle, something's gripped Sugar and Sun behind you. Above, the enemy swings your teammate around her like a ragdoll. For your part, you spin the rest of your body around until you're close to crabwalking.
On your ankle, there's a ghost.
No, seriously, a literal ghost. And two more behind you, choking your friends. Sun and Sugar are grabbing at their throats through the clear wispy biceps. ｢Lemon Demon｣ smashes through Sugar's, and... it actually dissipates, for a change.
Before you can get back to business, Sour comes crashing past you and into all three of them. Flash ducks her, but not the bullet that catches him in the leg. He winces, and you switch legs with him before the pain sets in. The ghost loses its grip during the changeover, and you kick it, which actually works!
Meanwhile, Lemon's caught Sour, and slowed down her knockback. She has to drop her as soon as she stops moving, though. ｢Lemon Demon｣ makes short work of the next ghost, but fuck she's right on top of you.
The purple bitch reaches into the wall and pulls something out of the darkness. It's a knife. Then she looks at you with stone-cold measuring eyes and rears it back, giving you your opening.
You're not in a position to charge her and throw an elbow into her stomach, but you switch hands with Lemon and make a fist. Blood sprays into her eyes, and she staggers back.
You wish this weren't such a clusterfuck.
Sunny rushes over to Flash, keeping low, and you switch back his leg. He winces and grabs at it, but ｢Royals｣ is already activated. Everyone's bouncing back!
You pump a fist at them. "Yeah, Shadowbolts! Let's give 'em what for!"
"Worry about fighting!" Sugarcoat yells as she turns on the flashlight on her camera. Above you, another sword crumbles into the air.
You look up at the space where it used to be for a moment, and feel kinda impressed. This is a girl who gets back on her feet fast, huh? Well, you're not going to be shown up by an out-of-towner!
"｢Nails for Breakfast｣!" You hop to your feet in one swift motion, reaching for her hand. Another gunshot sounds out, this one going wild, and Lemon runs past you at the long-distance fighter.
Then the woman in front of you moves. She doesn't jump out of the way, or dodge, or turn. She bends. She does the fucking limbo without even bending her legs, and your arm goes wild through the air.
You keep your momentum and hop straight forward with both feet. Just touch this chick's hand and you've got her over a barrel!
Sugarcoat's got her light at your back, and your enemy looks up at you, bored, from where her hair's spread out on the concrete. And then, like lightning, she puts her hands underneath her head.
She's not. Bullshit.
Her muscles stretch as she presses down, and she executes a handstand, grabbing your body between her calves. You lift up and then stay in the air, as easily as if you were made out of tupperware.
And then, to make it even better, she spins, like it's no harder than throwing Sour. You ignore the rapidly dizzy blur and focus, grabing onto her ankles and try to crack them in opposite directions. The grip's the easy part, but it's like trying to snap a statue with your bare hands.
After a few seconds you know you just have to hold on, even when she lets go, swinging around one leg to decide your landing. Her other foot jabs you in the ribs like a truck backing up, but before she can land another hit, a black fist smashes into her leg.
｢Message Man｣! It knocks her back, and she backflips. The world tumbles away, and then she's standing on you.
Sour goes for another hit, and then trips. There's a black rope stretched around her ankle.
Sugarcoat sees it immediately, and shines her light, but it doesn't go away. She notices too late that the darkness stretches backwards, back to the shadow on the dark side of her phone.
The enemy snaps her hand backwards as the curve completes itself in her palm. The phone flies out of Sugar's hand, arcs and lands perfectly. It crumbles in her fist and drops to the ground a second later, completely useless, as she steps off of you towards Sun and Flash.
Trixie
Nothing's happened that you can see. You assume that if it's a Stand conflict, you'll be able to see it.
Although, it might be that they're all there to team up against Care! But if they're there for some reason and you burst in, you might jeopardize it all. Care can handle himself, can't he? He could handle anything you can, you're almost certain. But what if this is some sneak ploy? What if he doesn't even know about it?
Two knocks on the passenger window, and you shriek. The only reason you don't fall out of your seat is that it's physically impossible. ｢Abracadabra｣ immediately phases the interloper twenty feet from your car, and only then do you recognize the face.
Golden crosses her arms and looks irritated with you. You relax your vicegrip on the steering wheel and stare dumbly back at her, in a way not at all becoming a mistress of the mystical arts. She motions at you, hurry up!, so you get out of the car.
"We're going in there after them."
"Why are you here?"
"I had to keep Silver safe." She hooks a thumb at the car you didn't recognize; circling around it is a black, armored-looking bird, and in the backseat, arms folded, are Silver and her friend Diamond. "Now come on. If things aren't working out how we want them to, they're working out the way someone else does, and that's no good for us! Make us a path!"
Having said that, she turns and heads for the entrance at a brisk run.
"W-wait!" You're not used to having your melodrama matched, but you run after her.
Derpy
Sunset shifts in her chair. "Yes, you did! You must have, or maybe one of your friends mentioned it. How else would I know about it?"
Care thinks, hard. Did you ever mention it? ...No, you couldn't have, no one would ever ask you something like that straight out. He only started to reveal it to you himself when it was life and death.
He shakes his head. "No. I don't believe that."
Sunset scoffs. "Well, I didn't get it by reading your mind, or-"
"Magic?" Adagio asks, and her voice sounds like you're all talking over coffee. She definitely looks like she holds all of the cards here, and it sets you on edge even more. If she was just as confused as everyone else was, maybe things would feel a lot safer here in the dark, metal middle of nowhere.
Sunset grits her teeth. "You see how she's trying to make us work against each other?"
"Yes, I'm just incorrigible, aren't I? Not as if it matters. Do you really think you could stop me from taking your gems if I really wanted to?" Adagio relaxes some more. Her eyes haven't left Sunset's for the last minute.
Care stirs. "I need answers, Sunset."
"Now's really not the best time, Care. I'm sure I can explain it all when we're out of here."
"After she's taken your gem, I'm sure," Adagio says, a smug cat-smile spreading across her face.
Sunset stands up. "That's enough!" She turns to Care, her eyes pleading for sanity. "Whatever happens, we have to make sure that this power doesn't fall into your hands. Apart from that, we can destroy them, hide them, anything. So long as they don't get to use them to take over the world!"
Twilight sinks into her chair, quiet. This isn't her or your fight, really.
But then Sunset does something that wipes the smirk off of Adagio's face. She takes a red stone out of her pocket and tosses it across the table. "Here. You can give it back when you're convinced I'm telling you the truth."
Care grabs it, weighing it in his mind.
"I think she means it," you say, and hope you're being helpful. If anything goes wrong - you check - none of ｢Spinal Tap｣'s gifts have been broken yet, and you still remember how to use them. You're still okay.
Care nods, and stands up himself. "I'm only in this for my friends, and my future. If you weren't lying about being able to wait, then you can hold on until all of us are gone."
Adagio sneers, and finally takes her legs off the table. "And do you think you're going to take my gem that easily?"
｢Timbuk Three｣ appears behind him. "Yes."
She leans in, looking close to angry, eyes slitted. "You'd have to beat me into the ground to do that. You don't have the nerve."
It charges up, and he points at her. "Don't I?"
Sunset watches tensely from across the table. You know you could stop him from doing this if you really wanted to, but...well, you don't. This person, who sent Fido after you with new powers, who's hunted Trixie and you for the sake of collecting some silly magical rocks, who's threatened your entire future, she deserves to go down.
She puts her arms behind her head, submerging them in her hair. "No, you don't. I've seen violent people. Soldiers, criminals, tacticians. You don't have that talent."
And he fires a laser into her shoulder.
It hits, and she stumbles back, wide-eyed, falling out of her chair. A small barrage of light-fists pummels into her before it can hit the ground. The scuffs and bruises stand out against her clear skin for a moment, and then she's unconscious. Easy as pie, except for the other two of them still running around the building.
Another moment passes as he tries to pull her gem off with his Stand... but it doesn't budge. Then he exhales, and ｢Timbuk Three｣ falls back into him as he makes his way around the table. You follow him a few feet behind, and even Twilight's standing up to get a better look.
He reaches down for the gem, and suddenly all of the bruises disappear. They turn into little piles of... orange hair?
Adagio's eyes open, and she gives another Cheshire smirk as her hand grabs Care's, and twists. He cries out, and she gets to her feet, still holding him by it.
"You did have the nerve. I'm impressed," she smiles, and her eyes are victorious. "Too bad I'm indestructible." Then, with two fast jabbing motions, she twists him and snatches the gem from his hand.
A look of complete triumph flashes across her face - and then the gem flies out of her hand like it's been greased and shot from a gun. It clatters back onto the table as you snap something in your pocket.
"｢Spinal Tap｣!"
And then you blow her into the wall.
Indigo
The purple girl motions with one hand, and the thorns part around the nearest door. Then, with a single, smooth motion, she completes her stride by kicking Sunny through it. The girl flies through like a wet sack of potatoes at the Olympics, and the thorns snap back into place.
Flash bolts down the hall. Down past him you can see Lemon fending off more ghosts. You rush for the shadow girl before she can do anything else, grabbing her around the waist.
Suplex, baby! Suplex! You lift - only for her heel to stab into your stomach. She turns in time to see Sour coming, and pulls the thorns in again, blocking the whole hallway.
Satisfied, she turns towards Lemon, still busy fighting off too many things at once. "｢Electra-"
A light breaks through the thorns. You almost expect it to be another phone, but no, it comes from ｢Message Man｣! Sour saved the light from the phone when it passed over her! And even better, instead of going for a straight one-two combo, her Stand grabs the Dazzling by the throat and lifts her clean off the ground.
You whistle. "Damn, we good." As much as you want to watch what happens next, you're needed further down, so you pull out your own phone, hit the flashlight and throw it to Sugar. She catches it pretty solidly, although she has to bend her whole body to do it like a rookie, and then you run to Lemon.
She needs to go in with Flash, that was the plan. He's already mostly there, by the sound of his footsteps.
When you get a few feet closer, you can make out the gun knocked onto the ground. An endless regenerating stream of ghosts pops up behind the man in the suit as he tries to grapple her. You don't recognize him, but he's green all over, and doesn't look like the type for a business meeting.
Her constant attacks are the only thing keeping him still. And fuck, you realize you swapped hands back with her at some point during all of this excitement.
"What's up, Lemon?"
"These things are Stands! You can only touch them with one of your own!"
Finally! "Then it's a good thing my Stand's wherever I want it to be! ｢Nails for Breakfast｣!" Another hand-switch, this time your left - your hook's a little rusty, but it'll have to do! As your borrowed knuckles sweep through the ghosts, Lemon breaks and heads away.
You take over her post, and the green guy shouts, "｢NOWHERE MAN｣!"
Nothing to it! While he's preparing whatever he's going to do next, you lunge for his hand, and you actually get it! Fuck yeah!
He shoves you awkwardly off of him, and you move with the momentum to put a few feet between the two of you. No point engaging him when he starts calling up more ghosts, especially not when you've got an ace ready to go. You rip the syringe out of your pocket and uncap it with a single, thick plopping noise. This is going to fuck him up six ways to S-
Something cold and slimy crawls through the skin of your back and into your ribcage.
A hand squeezes your heart, and for a second you know what it must feel like to be unhealthy and forty years older.
You try to spin around to get a better fix, but it doesn't let you. As the green man walks down the hallway toward his ally, another lifts up his gun from the ground. You fidget with the syringe, turning it towards your arm.
Sugarcoat stares at you, helplessly, close to bug-eyed. You feel like you just can't get enough air in, no matter how you breathe. You thrash as best as you can, more like wiggle.
Come on! You're too cool to go down like this!
Ghost #2 raises the gun to your forehead. From this close up, it looks like a pirate.
You're cold, now, too cold. The syringe falls out of your hand.
You c-can switch backs with him, hearts, maybe then you can-
Your Stand is there, but it doesn't answer. Its only pull, stronger than ever, isn't towards him at all. Wh-
It pulls the trigger.
Lemon Zest
There was just another gunshot, but you don't have time to think about it. You rush with Flash, pulling ahead, and then stop at the end of the hallway. There's a light under the door and a set of jet-black brambles in between it and you.
Flash catches up and sees them too.
"If you try to clear them, my Stand can-" you start, but he shakes his head as he catches his breath.
Then, on the third inhale, he raises both arms and makes matching finger pistols, aligning them into two corners of a square. "｢Beat Street｣." You catch a glimpse of a pulsing highway in that square running along underneath of them, and they're suddenly gone in a current of high-velocity asphalt. Whoever owns this hallway just had them... integrated... into their history.
It's usually not fatal, and anyway it's probably someone who buys up old properties so no one else can use them. The point is, this is your chance! You run ahead and throw open the door.
Flash treads behind you, dusting himself off, getting ready. This is going to be a big moment for him, while you're just there to use your power. You keep ｢Lemon Demon｣'s teeny eyes focused on grabbing the gems.
Everyone in the rooms wants all three of them, so it's not difficult - you can feel yourself getting better at it as soon as you enter the room. One's just on the table, and you leap on top of it, glimpsing the surprise in most of the room. You even recognize Derpy, the girl whose sister conked you on the head.
She also has that fuck-off powerful Stand floating next to her, and it throws a fist at you.. You jump over it and towards the gem in the corner, attached to the siren monster. She's standing up from the floor she's been thrown to, shaky while she's at it, and you lunge.
As all eyes turn to you ｢Lemon Demon｣ propels you even further, and you rip it off of her neck! Where's the third one? Derpy's relented from her attack, but the third one's not in plain sight anywhere.
｢Lemon Demon｣ lights up around you, and you see its yellow-green aura in his pocket. He's distracted with grabbing at his own wrist, clenching his teeth.
Everyone else is watching as Flash enters the room. It's about the best opportunity you could ask for!
You sprint to close the distance and put an end to all of this before any of the 'Bolts get hurt. ｢Spinal Tap｣ smashes against your Stand, and you hold it off, sacrificing your stamina. You're only a couple of feet away!
And then his arm lights up beneath the surface, like holding a camping flashlight against your fingers to see the bones. It snaps like teeth chipping. His breathing hitches, heaves, and then gets better, and the light dies down.
"That's better," he says, still looking at his arm like there's no one else around, and then his Stand kicks you in the stomach. You roll with it, sliding backwards and heading for Flash.
Then a sultry voice whispers to you, two inches from your ear. "｢Gold Guns Girls｣."
One of the gems explodes.
Diamond Tiara
"Ready?"
"Ready."
You didn't tell your father you were going here with Silver tonight. You're not even worried about regretting that, because your phone's off, and you've got a more in-your-face problem to worry over just now.
"Set..."
Golden didn't talk much, just made sure you both knew she'd string you up if you went inside. That hasn't stopped Silver from vaporizing the child-locks on both doors, though. You brace yourself on your side as the bird swings by overhead.
You absolutely loathe birds.
"Go!" You fling your door open and run outside, summoning ｢Pink｣. Your Stand smashes the bird, cracking some of the disgusting black gooey stuff on it, and it's already after you.
You turn around the front as it dives for you. ｢Pink｣ punches it in the beak, and it's knocked back but not destroyed. You can feel your own lack of experience in its punches.
If you could pull up your Stand at home or school without worrying about it becoming a federal issue, you might've been able to utilize your own strength by now, but you're not doing too bad!
You slide over the hood and land on your feet. Silver throws her door open, bolting away while you keep the attention on yourself. And then, with a final motion, you grab her door and jump inside, slamming it behind you.
The bird hovers, but stays focused on you She's safe, but it swoops around to the door you left open.
You rush over towards it, across the seat. There's no doubt in your mind that Golden thinks it's okay to peck out your eyeballs to save your life, you've had caretakers like that during some of your father's longer vacations.
But it swoops through the door before you can make it over to close it, and then it's in the car with you. As it flaps in the tight space and rakes it supernaturally-sharpened claws for you, you smile.
"｢Pink｣!" you erase almost the entire journey, up until you first jumped out.
And then, spinning on the spot, you slam the door shut on the bird, still trapped inside.
You feel a sense of pride at doing something no one else could. "Stupid bird. Did you think you could overcome the power of a truly skilled Stand user?" Then you realize it's not even looking at you, and stop dignifying it with gloating.
Silver's already waving at you from the door. You recall your Stand, shake off the latent sore-winnerhood, and head after her.
Sour Sweet
SHIT. FUCK! Sugarcoat's just fainted next to you, dropping the phone. Indigo's brains have been blown out on the fucking wall and you're hyperventilating. Your blood's like an army of ants crawling through your arms. ｢Message Man｣ squeezes, but the bitch won't fucking die! It's like she's made out of concrete, except your Stand can CRUSH concrete!
She throws a limp arm back forty-five degrees and pulls a whip out of the darkness. You save the impact before it hits you, and your Stand rips it away from her with its free hand. The other guy's coming, getting his gun back from his Stand. He's strolling toward you like he's hot shit, lining up a shot.
Fuck that.
The Dazzling produces a sword from the darkness and swings it for you. You save it on reflex, and then spin around. ｢Message Man｣ throws her right at tall, green and ugly.
You wait forever for the moment of impact, but it never comes. She seems frozen in the air, peeved and catching her breath. Looking closer in the shadow, you see his Stand, two of them, supporting her. They duck out of the way as he fires at you.
｢Message Man｣ catches it between its thumb and forefinger. Then it throws it back, as hard as you can manage. It might actually penetrate the skin at that speed, but it doesn't matter - all that's important is that the chickenshit thinks it'll hurt him, so he ducks out of the way.
And then you run. Not away, not to try to wake up Sugarcoat, not to get to the exit and escape. Right towards them. You leap over the other-worlder, who swings for you with something you can't care about right now. You stop holding back the whip impacting you, and it jumps to the present, smacking into your shoulder in mid-air and forcing you to change trajectory.
You fall correctly and keep running, straight to Indigo. Looking at her, you feel like you're going to puke - she was such a sweetheart...
You try not to look at her face, and instead scan the floor around her. Yes, there! A simple motion, and then another, and then- Shit, you feel your center of gravity being moved to another person.
She grabs you, just with a hand, and spins you around. Then she raises you up, choking, a good foot off of the ground.
The man levels his gun at you, but there's suddenly noise down the hallway.
"abracadabra!"
Your two enemies look at each other while you run out of oxygen. She talks. "Look into it. I'll finish things up here."
He nods, and heads down the way you came. She's sending him away! 'Awesome'. That's what Indigo would say right now, probably.
And she turns back to you. Her grip is steady, and she makes no special movements. If you tried to kick, an impulse you're suppressing, it would make no difference; you're almost completely sure that this girl, this whatever she is, is unkillable.
With the last coughing dredges in your lungs, you summon your Stand. "Mmmm. ｢Message Man｣." It squeaks coming out, and your Stand doesn't appear. You dangle in the air helplessly as she grits her teeth and tightens her hand on your throat, fingers seeking your windpipe.
But one of your slots burns out, and your hand slams Indigo's syringe into her outstretched arm at full force. With your Stand to drive it in, it punctures the skin.
And then, no matter what comes next, everything nasty she had ready is in this fucker's system.
The Equestrian keeps holding onto you, and your vision swims. You're laughing silently as she tears it out, and you see that she's really honest-to-goodness bleeding.
Victorious, you go under.
Care
A third party just entered, or a fourth if you want to be technical about it. One of them tried to grab your gem, and several seconds later another of them exploded on her. She's missing most of her forearm, and she's passed out.
When you see everyone else staring at it, you cauterize the wound with a brief flash of heat.
Adagio surveys all of this with mute amusement. "Flash Sentry, I remember you from the Battle of the Bands. Loved your work. I have to wonder who you're working for now. Or maybe I shouldn't wonder at all, since there's only one duo here that you haven't attacked yet."
Twilight looks as shocked as Derpy.
"I'm just here to make sure that this ends tonight," Flash says, crossing his arms. Your old dislike of him seems a little ridiculous now that you're all standing around a table together. "My team and I have been trying to wrap this up for weeks, and now we can finally finish. And I don't appreciate what you just did to my friend." The threatening words are slightly undermined by the fact that he's not looking at her, checking something on his wrist.
It takes you a moment to unpack the word 'team', and then it hits. The girl with the neon hair you just saved from bleeding out. Shadowbolts.
"It's a shame that you couldn't anticipate my Stand, then. If I were a CHS student, you'd probably be able to recite it to me backwards." She strides over to the scrapper and pulls the remaining gem out of her hand. "｢Gold Guns Girls｣ sculpts matter into what people desire most, without changing its properties too much. It took me a while to hunt down some C4, but it's done the trick admirably. Although I did hope to get a more serious casualty." A nod, and the girl standing behind Sunset and Twilight jogs out of the room.
Then she holds up the gem, and it flies out of her fingers and back onto the table.
At the same time, Flash comments without looking up. "It's beneath her feet, level to the ground."
Adagio startles, then regains herself. "You've planned this out pretty well, Shimmer. But if Cloudchaser gets too far away, you won't be going anywhere very quickly."
Sunset looks at her, and stands up. "I don't need to go anywhere. I know where your gem is, and I'm going to win this here and now!"
Adagio's about to say something when a car appears over her head. Your car. It pins her, crushing, and shakes the room with the impact, smashing into part of the table and upending the rest.
Like the Wicked Witch, her shoes are sticking out from under it, and Sunset runs over to yank at them. The stiletto part of the left one comes off, and inside is a bright red glow.
She turns to you, her hand thrumming with red energy. "Care, I need yours now. Hand it over, and we can have our happy endings."
Derpy's frozen next to you. Flash hasn't moved. Twilight's stood up, but moved away as much as possible from both of them.
You look Sunset in the eye, and you can tell from everything that's just happened that she's trying to hurry you. She's the one who's been in control of this situation from the start. "I'll give you this gem if you answer two questions first."
She's on the verge of shaking. "Fine! Just ask them quickly! I don't know how long we'll have before one of her sisters shows up!"
"Why do you really want them?"
"To go home! I want my own happy ending!" It's clipped, but it comes automatically, and she doesn't say anything else. Whether you believe her or not...
"What's your other question?"
You look at the car and not at her. "What," You really hope she doesn't answer this like your gut's predicting... "...is your Stand's name?"
You expect her to ask why you'd want to know, or make some kind of last minute diversion, but she doesn't. No one jumps in to help her out, either. From where she's standing follows your eyes to the car, then you, then the ground.
Then she calms down. Stands up straighter. Almost inaudibly, she speaks, "Fine, we'll just do it the hard way."
Then the car disappears, and something faint takes shape in the air around her.
She shouts. "｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣!"
"｢Timbuk Three｣!" You fire a laser at her spine, ready to disable her, at least temporarily.
But she doesn't react to the strike. In fact, it apparently did nothing at all.
Right, she's from Equestria too, isn't she.
Her head's crowned with a halo of energy, and a pair of animal ears sprout from it. And then, with a burst of light, your own gem rises from your pocket and floats towards the other two. You grab for it in midair before it can zip away from you.
Agh! It burns your palm like a smooth stone left in an oven for a day. You let go on reflex, and try to catch it again with ｢Timbuk Three｣, but the box of light you create around it just breaks with the feedback.
Next to her, you appear. Another you, that is. Your head reels, and you don't want to believe it.
You're not even sure what it means. Where did things go wrong, to bring you here?
Sunset has all three now, glittering around her with red electricity. Your other self comes closer, and you can already feel the existential nausea, the wrongness.
Adagio, uncrushed but still on the ground, lets out a clicking, high-pitched cry. Not You is silent, and there's a look of understanding between the two of you, like you're the only two people in the room to each other.
Then Derpy smashes him in the face with ｢Spinal Tap｣, and grabs your hand.
Flash doesn't stop you; he's too busy staring at some readout. "This isn't something I've ever seen before. Are you alright?"
"Yes." Sunset answers from at least six distinct areas of the room.
Twilight holds the door open, urging you out as she cowers against the wall, and you blow past her. You're debating pulling her along with ｢Timbuk Three｣ when you're stopped again. There's no barricade in your way, but three young girls, maybe Freshmen or younger, are standing in your path.
They look up at you, raising something between them. Gold, glinting - no! You fire a laser for it, for them, but it inexplicably arcs away, like it's magnetically repelled!
It goes wild into a wall, and the three point the arrow at you, and your power begins to burn itself out.
They use it with more finesse than the blue-skinned girl, starting at the present and working their way down. By the time the next week has been called out of you in rippling blue energy, thrown at them and the ceiling and the walls, you can shove them a little further ahead.
Even in this situation, you're still trying to hold onto it! The whole hallway's bathed in light, a kind you feel even when you don't see it. You can't hit them. Derpy runs ahead to smash the arrow with ｢Spinal Tap｣, and its fists miss completely. They don't even impact the girls holding it.
And then, between the three of them, a Stand emerges. Made of ringed plates of iron, or lead in this lighting, and two heads taller than Derpy's. "｢Steam -"
"- Powered -"
"- Giraffe｣!" It blows her Stand backwards, and she falls onto the floor.
She looks up at you as she pushes herself to her feet. The energy's still being torn out of your soul, and you try to work with it, like swimming with the current. It burns.
Just stop them! Stop them and it ends! You spray lightning into the ceiling, and some of it collapses on them. Their mega-Stand reduces it to powder before it can impact them.
This wasn't a trap set by the Dazzlings at all. Or, at least, not one they could keep control of.
Your shots can't even hit their Stand, and as the arrow nears the important points, you begin to scream.
Anonymous
There's no sign of anyone yet, or of anything being disturbed. You definitely heard something, though. Some kind of Stand user... an invisible one, maybe? You try to feel out with the ghosts you have on-hand.
But they don't find anything here. You let them spread out while you head further down, but all that's down there is the... entrance.
Oh, come on. Now?
At the end of the hallway, halfway between the doors and you, there they are. The discount brat pack. You seethe, but you're excited at the same time. They're not escaping this time, even if they can both teleport.
They see you at the same time you see them, and they scurry in opposite directions. Ectoplasmic hands grab their ankles. Diamond Tiara falls face-first, and you step over to her.
If she's here, she's trouble. And, in this case, she's trouble you can deal with. Nata believes in you.
So you point your pistol at her head, and fire.
Derpy
Care's skin is pulsing with energy. It's flying out of his fingers and his mouth, and he's shaking and starting to rise off the ground, and they're wringing him out like a wet washcloth! His light intermingles with the red encroaching from behind you, the buzz in the air.
He speaks, and his voice is strained and distant. "Derpy, help me! I can't stop it on my own! Please!"
But you-
No, there's a way. Yes, you have to. You don't wait or prepare yourself, just break something.
"I'm sorry! ｢Spinal Tap｣!"
And with a single, well-placed hit, you knock him out. The light stops, and he crumples to the floor. You rush over to him, barely comprehending what you've just done.
It's for your future, for your... Tears come to your eyes as you kneel over him. The three girls approach you as you hug his unconscious form against yourself.
And without warning, and all at once, the lights go out.
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣
User: The Crusaders
Ability: A joint Stand between three users, which gains in power when all three are together. When the Stand strikes something, it can remove or rule out an event or destiny for it for the next twenty-four hours. If all possible destinies are removed from a thing, it is completely unaffected by the pull of fate in any direction.
Stand: ｢Glamorous｣
User: Flitter
Ability: The user can tag anyone they touch with a colored light in her vision, which is visible as long as they're within a mile of each other. The user can also share any active lights with the vision of any target.
Stand: ｢Electra Heart｣
User: Aria Blaze
Ability: Pulls, shapes and molds shadows, turning them into solids. The larger or darker the shadow, the more manipulation it can take, and the user can make more precise changes if they use their hands. Shadow-objects disintegrate in light unless they're connected to a point or area of darkness.
Stand: ｢Gold Guns Girls｣
User: Adagio Dazzle
Ability: Manifests a replica of a target's desires, either in the moment or in general. This replica can be fashioned out of any material in range, but will look subtly wrong upon close or careful inspection. For more abstract wants, this Stand creates the closest objects it can, sometimes with an apparent sense of humor.
Stand: ｢Beat Street｣
User: Flash Sentry
Ability: By covering an item completely in something the target owns, the user can "integrate" the item with the target's history, making it a retroactive part of their lives. This only affects the target; everyone else remembers the original timeline, and if the integration results in their past death, they simply seem to disappear. The more unique the item, the more significant a role it plays in the target's history. Cannot affect the user.
Stand: ｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣
User: Sunset Shimmer
Ability: Summons things from other universes which have killed some versoin of the target. Only one thing can be summoned at a time, and can be dismissed at will. The user has no control over what's summoned, but cannot be harmed by it. Instances of the target killing themselves are not summoned, and when people are summoned, this ability prevents them from experiencing the negative effects of meeting their alternate selves. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Harsh Lights | Anon
"Do you know why Dagi and I have different eyes than Aria?"
Weeks back, you and Sonata were laying together on the couch in your resident shithole, and she asked you that. Her head was kind of buried against you, so you had to stop and put the hairbrush aside before she could repeat herself.
'Different eyes'...? You hadn't really noticed, you guessed, but afterwards you could tell. Aria's were a dark purple that matched the rest of her, but Adagio's and Sonata's were pinker, violet. Cerise.
"Why?"
She smiled a secretive smile and put her head back against you. "I'll tell you when we go to Equestria."
That was another interesting thing. She always said "Equestria", but her sisters said "home". But it was hard to notice that with her powder-blue cheek against your ribs and her shoulders against your ribs. You hadn't run to do laundry yet, so she was wearing some of your lay-about clothes, and those few inches you had on her meant the world.
She occupied the small, sleepy space between cuddling and napping, with the faint scent of strong flowers humming in the background. Eyes closed, mouth twisted a wide feline smirk, face scrunched against your chest. It was top cute. God, you'd never thought a girl would be... like that, so close to you.
"You're excited to find out what it is, aren't you? Your breathing's picking up again," she notes.
You stop, involuntarily trying to calm your heartbeat, and she giggles. Embarrassment swells up for a moment before you shove it back in the corner, and grasp the brush from the carpet. After giving it a solid once-over to ensure there's no rug-fiber mixed in, you return to the long, sweeping strokes down her beautiful fountaining hair.
"Mmm, Nonny..." She's still smiling as she falls asleep. You keep running it along her, watching it leave a glossy curtain of lamp-light in its wake. She seems so peaceful, despite everything she's been through. That smile...
You have to protect that smile.
Diamond
You're here, now, and Anonymous stands over you like a man possessed, gun on your temple. Time moves in slow motion. C'mon, ｢Pink｣...! Erase just a few steps, maybe getting out of the car! Then you can jump in the front and run this guy down!
The ghost touching you creates some kind of... of interference! It didn't do that last time! Has he gotten stronger, or have you just--?
｢Nowhere Man｣ keeps you planted while he pulls the trigger. Behind him, the lights go out, and he becomes less than a silhouette while the gun glints faintly in the evening light of the entrance. ｢Pink｣ struggles, trying to outpace his forefinger, but it isn't fast enough. He fires.
Click.
Click.
He's out of bullets. As that moment clicks into the tapestry of fate, time starts again - think, Diamond, think. If you can just escape the hold of his Stand, you can summon your own and --
He rears back and smacks you across the cheek with the hilt. You feel the persistent sting of a developing bruise. He's breathing heavily now, like he's about to cry, and then the words come from behind you.
"｢Tin Cup Chalice｣!" Silver shouts, before a burst of energy singes its way past you and smashes into his ribcage. It doesn't pierce the skin, but he's sent sprawling sideways, and the gun flies from his fingers.
The air goes out of him in a moment, and you see Silver, holding two pieces of her Stand. Between them, dust coalesces into a fresh pair of glasses, and the implosion dissipates the ghost on her.
Right! The glasses float in mid-air and start breaking down again, while you angle your own assailant closer to it. The ghost lets go of you, and flies around to Anonymous, who regains his balance just as quickly as he lost it. Unfortunately, with a single roll to the side, he forces her second shot to go wild - but he's given you an opening even so.
You summon ｢Pink｣, feeling its metaphysical weight beside you, and then you dive for the pistol.
Scootaloo
The all-encompassing red throws deep shadows.
Your allies inch closer, Sweetie wringing the arrow in her hands. Derpy's crying breathily over Care Root's unconscious body. It isn't pleasant to look at, but it's better than the alternative.
In the room beyond, the final moments should be playing out just now. The gems have come together, and the portal opened. You've done everything in your power to bring this about.
"W-what?" That's... Sunset's voice?
"No! No, that can't happen! They're complete! They're all COMPLETE!" And then, a mighty, arcane thundercrack. You stop being able to hear things at the same time as waves of pressure run up your arms. Something's gone wrong...!
A crimson wind smashes against the three of you, and Sweetie puts the arrow between them. Red, glittering light punches through something hard enough to rattle you, and then disappears. Your eyes go wide, and you run past the cross-eyed girl and into the conference room.
Twilight's frozen next to the doorway, and Sunset's laying on the ground, propping herself up with one hand. Flash is looking up at the giant holes in the ceiling - each one is the size of your head, and there are more than a dozen. Sixteen, seventeen... before you can bother counting, you notice Sunset climbing to her knees.
Smoke is coming off of her clothes, like she's been struck by lightning. "W-we didn't have all of the gems."
Flash comes over and helps her to her feet. "I don't think any of them were fake. We checked them, thoroughly. There was no time for a switch."
"No, all three of them were real. I know that for sure. But they weren't all there." Sunset breathes a little, patting down her leather jacket.
"You mean, a piece was missing?" you ask.
She nods. Who wouldn't have brought them together tonight? Adagio's had to be complete to use her singing powers. Yours was definitely altogether, unless someone made a really stupid mistake, and the one Care got from Trixie was complete to begin with, right?
As you ponder this, a blur of motion blends through the darkness. All the light's coming from outside the door you entered from, so you have to squint against your own shadow.
Apple Bloom sees it first, and cries out. "｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣!" She takes over the Stand, stepping forward and away from both of you, and it smashes a fist against the form. Adagio goes sprawling back into the dark, and Flash and Sunset go on the alert.
Sunset takes the lead. "They've scattered again. We're not safe here, and there's no advantage to fighting. We have to retreat."
Aw, crap. What you just did to Care might not have been a wise idea. But as long as he makes it out...
"I don't think so." The low purring voice comes from behind Sunset, and a clawing hand tears at Flash.
The two separate, each moving backwards, but the attack abruptly stops.
Adagio steps into the dim starlight. "Sunset Shimmer may be as tough as we are, but none of the rest of you will be leaving tonight." By the door, Twilight's frozen, and you can't tell if she's terrified or calculating.
Adagio makes another swipe at Flash, this time drawing blood on his arm. Then, she steps away from him into the dark of the room. "Maybe I should start with your unconscious acrobat over here?"
Flash grits his teeth. "Leave her out of it!"
"How chivalrous. Why don't you give me some answers in exchange for her life?" The voice comes from another part of the room, now. Is she throwing it? Is that something she can do, without the gem to help her?
Sunset moves toward the table at the center of the room, looking around into the darkness. She doesn't see anything more than you do, but she speaks. "Don't ask him. Ask me what you want to know."
Silence. Then... "Why are there Stands in CHS, and nowhere else? And why is it that the only Crystal Prep students who have them are the ones who are expressly helping you?" Sunset is stone, but Flash is nervous. "I know that you have the answer. If it's worth more than a girl's life..."
Okay, you really, really need to shed some light in here... Wait, that's it! You motion to Sweetie, and grip the arrow.
Flash opens his mouth to speak. The arrow's power runs up your arm, drawing in a current of energy from you, and forcing a Stand to activate.
｢Gold Guns Girls｣ powers up, and along one wall, your enemy is illuminated, holding Lemon Zest's body. Above her there floats a giant orange light, created by her own ability. Her eyes narrow as they find yours, and you see a look of murderous frustration on her face.
｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣ speeds towards her, but she's too nimble - even holding Lemon in a bridal carry, she still leaps out of the way. The light follows her in the air, and then hits a wall. She's retreating through the far door!
Flash yells and throws a hand out, flinging his energy after her. "｢Beat Street｣!" Then reality goes wonky where he's motioned.
A massive chunk of the wall gets caught up in endless high-velocity blacktop, and then the doorway extends out into a rip about four times larger. Beyond is only darkness.
Sunny Flare
The lights went off a couple minutes ago, and your eyes are only now adjusting. You've been separated from the group for too long, and ultimately you just feel very alone, and weak, wandering these halls.
They could be getting slaughtered back there! You want to call them, but your gauntlets aren't getting service. You've already resolved to find an exit and come back in to help them, however long it takes! If you could only find a door, or an opening, or anything remotely window-shaped... Labyrinth rules, you've followed the left-hand wall wherever it goes, and you haven't doubled back, but this building seems mostly made of intersections.
It's only twenty seconds ago that you heard the humming. Faintly vocal, definitely muffled by something, but present, and not in the direction you came. Someone else is around here - probably a Dazzling. The point was driven home to you, more than once, that they have superhuman hearing; if you can hear her, then...
You keep your breathing silent, fighting the urge to stop completely. Then you kneel down and pop off your flats, one at a time. You realize belatedly there might be broken glass around, but it's too late. Thankfully your socks are silent against the floor, and you plod forward.
So, out of the three, it can't be the ringleader or the one you already fought... it's the blue one, Sonata. Like the other two, you have no idea what her Stand is, but she wouldn't just be standing in a corner somewhere. You meander closer to her voice, your back to the nearest wall.
The hum's punctuated with breathy clicking. Like her voice is cracking, sans actual talking. Did something happen to her? Yellow electrical warning signs begin to populate the walls, and at the next intersection her voice leads you rightwards.
You're in the guts of the building, doors lining the walls this way and that, unhelpful laminated signs on the walls, and as you round the corner you can hear her even more distinctly. The completely unwelcome impression of plodding into the underworld comes over you. If you died here and everyone else got to go home happy...
Well, maybe you just aren't meant to deal with danger. You've been testing fate, first against Care Root and now against this whole labyrinth - you're lucky you didn't sustain long-term damage from it.
All you want is to be with your sweetheart in France. She told you that if you helped, a full life would be arranged for you: plane tickets, a comfortable bank account, general happiness, even a cure for sterility, which you didn't know you had and didn't know how to feel about taking. But it was there, from that other world, along with the rest of their pile of wonders.
You suppose everyone wants children eventually. Well, excepting your Aunt Cinch, though. But to breathe the air of Lorraine, to finally try those oursins along the coast. You and your dearest Aligot Truffade... What was that?
Movement, or the hint of it. It's hard to tell out in the staticky sea of black, but your ears don't mistake it. The humming-clicking is louder, punctuated by silence, and the sounds of thick vinyl boots tapping away at the floor. You freeze, pressing yourself against the wall, but nothing about the sound changes.
She hasn't noticed you yet. No sooner do you think that thought then she stops.
This is a four-way intersection. She's coming back from somewhere, going somewhere... those are likely to be the places that matter. You could retreat back down your hallway, but it wouldn't be important; right now you need to make a turn, right or left.
"Listening chair." The words are a whisper - and then, sleepily, like a reminder: "Someone's hiding..."
Derpy
｢Spinal Tap｣ has fallen away, and there's just the light. He's still okay, still breathing. The Crusaders ran past you into the room, and you don't bother looking back at the noise.
The concrete burns your knees, and you fumble for something to break. You can't stay here, you have to escape, and you have to open your eyes. Against the brightness you manage it, blinking wetly and trying to focus. It's real brightness, something between your chest and the ground.
You reach into a pocket and snap something. ｢Spinal Tap｣ scoops up Care, whose head is starting to bruise with a rash of red. He's not bleeding, but you still don't look at him. What's this thing beneath you?
Light, solid, almost flat. You touch it, expecting it to burn, but it's cool and glassy on your fingertips. A ball. You lift it, and it buzzes against your palms as something twitches in your mind, like an extra muscle. Like a hand pressing into yours...
"｢Timbuk Three｣?" It presses against your mind. An image: you and him, much older, somewhere top-rate, with little masquerade masks over your eyes. Slow dancing, perfectly postured, looking into each other. You've always wanted to slow dance...
You shake your head, and it diminishes before it can show you any more. The orb is a little less bright now, just enough to notice.
He gave you one of the orbs to light your way out. He's letting you burn up his future on his behalf.
...Your. Your future, too. You look down at the orb, and then up at the way out.
And then, gingerly, you set Care back down. They could've finished him, and they didn't. Plus they completely ignored you.
You can't just run away from that! You won't!
Anonymous
Luck is not on your side tonight. Is your life just a shitty comedy, or something? A cosmic joke?
No, no more thinking like that. You have to fight, for Nata! ｢Nowhere Man｣ summons up the twenty-third, twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth people to commit murder with their bare hands. Shit, and these ones have pecs. With a gesture you set them on the girls.
"Silver!" Diamond shouts to her friend. She's holding your pistol now, not that it'll do her any good, but she's got a point. You redirect the ghosts, sending them to mob Silver.
One gets smashed by one of those waves of energy, or whatever they are. The second you feel it dissipate, you summon it back to ｢Nowhere Man｣. "Go for her Stand!"
Silver throws something at #24, and it passes straight through. Diamond rushes forward, but her friend's already held back. The two square plates clatter to the ground, and #23 plunges a hand into her heart. There!
And then, against all odds, a gunshot. It cracks a few feet from you, and you're stunned. So are the ghosts, temporarily.
Diamond's facing you, holding it up, a wisp of smoke over her eyes. "Call them off."
Fuck. It went wild, but not by much. Was there an extra bullet in the chamber? You thought you ran through the whole cylinder, but maybe there was, or else one of your helpers reloaded it to be useful. You know there's definitely not another one in it, but just to be safe...
#23 takes a break from stopping Silver's heartbeat to glide and take the gun. Diamond adjusts her grip and pulls the trigger again. Bang! And another time! Bang!
The first bullet nearly hits your legs, and you throw yourself out of the way of the second one. How did this bitch have ammunition ready?
#23 goes for the gun, and you hear the smacking sound of her Stand pulverizing it. You breathe heavier and summon another, throwing your head back and forth in search of cover. She fires again, over your head, and you remember almost too late that Aria blocked off all of the exits!
As time creeps by around you, you try to calculate some solution. How many bullets has she fired? Four. She fires another one at you, and your latest ghost grabs it out of the air. It falls to the ground, and you make your move.
The two holding Silver lift her off of the ground and position her between her friend and you. Diamond hesitates; she has one shot left.
The ghost in front of you flies to grab it. Her Stand appears, a tiny inky thing, and your ghost dodges around it. Diamond's eyes go wide, and she dives out of the way, flopping onto the floor. She aims for her last shot, and you run out of the way.
Bang! It clangs and sparks against the wall behind you. You breathe easier at the clear fact that she's obviously never used a gun before.
And you keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't reloading. She's still, just aiming towards you, lining up a shot with one eye closed. Trying to act tough so you'll back down. Bullying bluster was enough to scare you as a kid, when you still didn't know that people were just not worth the energy, but you've healed since then, and it doesn't impress you.
Your ghost pins her to the ground, reaching through her back to grab her heart. She gasps, and the pistol wobbles. To her credit, she doesn't let go, but there's no way in hell that she could reload that thing now. She'd only barely be able to fire it, if there were something in the barrel.
You saunter over to her. She threw herself close to her friend's... shards, or whatever they are. '｢Tin Cup Chalice｣'. You don't want her pulling some last minute trick with them, so you pick them up, gingerly, between your forefingers and thumbs.
Then you have the important choice between turning on your heels and hurling them outside, or just smashing them onto the ground. Your eyes meet Silver's for a moments and she winces, turns her head away and shuts them tightly. You almost wish this weren't so satisfy-
BANG!
The shot's close, and you can feel the echo that comes with it - your body ripples with it. Like you're suddenly underwater, not completely solid.
The feeling has a center. The ghost falls away from her as you run two fingers down and find it. Red, just above your hip. It looks like when you ripped out one of your baby teeth a little early...
Your ears are full of cotton and now the world's moving. Her friend falls to the ground at about the same time you do. Seven. How could there be seven? And then the hard metal of the bullet vanishes under your fingers, just plinks out of existence, and Diamond stands over you, gun in hand.
Sunset Shimmer
You planned this! You planned out all of it! You were careful, and your Stand let you run it through with all of the survivors! Care Root, a less powerful version, granted, explained Trixie's death, and Derpy's. Other Flashes told you about what casualties you might expect, if you convinced the rest of the Rainbooms to come along.. You knew it couldn't be perfectly predictable, because Care was bringing the gem instead of Trixie and her group, but... but how could that have affected anything?
It worked in the other universes, you were successful, everything was worth it! Now it's all back to square one, someone shook up the puzzle and dumped it back into the box. And your allies, not to mention the little sisters of your best friends, are in danger because of it!
Okay, okay. The important thing is to regroup. To regroup, and not to panic. So. You're going to have to come back the way you came, and hope-
"｢Spinal Tap｣!"
The voice comes from behind you, and the fist immediately follows it. You smash into the conference table, sundering it in two with a primordial crack. Splinters fly, and by the time you can roll over you can hear another impact. Flash hits the wall.
Standing in the room, angry and crying, is Derpy. Under her arm is something unfamiliar, some kind of giant light bulb. The light it's casting leaves none of her feelings to the imagination.
"You attacked my boyfriend who never did anything to hurt anyone, and you made him give up so much-" her Stand appears in front of the Crusaders and cracks the floor with its elbows, making them stumble.
They summon ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣, which levels a punch back at her. But ｢Spinal Tap｣ punches back at it, holding back its fist. Reversing it!
"And then you though you could lie to trick him into doing whatever you wanted! After you hurt my sisters and made us think it was someone else! There's no reason for that! He would've helped you, any of you, if you'd just asked!"
She's making it very hard for you to stay cool and think ahead. Flash is getting up.
"But you didn't! You didn't ask because it was alright to make him suffer! It was okay!" ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣ has to throw up both arms to block the following strikes. They're faster than her Stand should be able to move!
In the light of what she's carrying, she's the center-stage of this scene, her motion the only motion.
"All of you, all of you, all of you, all of you, all of you are evil!" The final hit lands, and something cracks. It's not ｢Spinal Tap｣.
Still clutching the arrow, all three of them flinch and back up, shoulder to shoulder, and then the Stand dissipates back into nothing.
Flash takes his opportunity. He's positioned himself behind her, and he slips something out of his pocket - a taser. You're proud of the selection, and keep your eyes pointed away from him. If you can get through past her, you still have to worry about getting Lemon back, and Care...
He pulls the trigger, and twin prods fire from the end. You wince, but then they stop, caught in a field of light. The orb under her shoulder pulses, and her free hand reaches into her pocket. Flash lets go as the light travels up the lines, but it encases his hand, holding him fast.
Without turning around, she produces a popsicle stick, slides it into the corner of her mouth, very nearly smiling if not for her eyes, and then snaps it in half with her teeth.
Sugarcoat
"Uhhhhh." You clutch your head and wake up, eyes watering. Cold, floor.
You can't have been out for long, they haven't tried to check that you're dead. Why did you- Oh, yeah. The corpse. Past Sour, who's at least in one piece, there's... Zap.
You... honestly can't say that you liked her very much, but there was something admirable about her anyway. Something that stirs in you, now... Your eyes adjust, adding wobbling depth to the darkness. Are you being attacked by a Stand?
You scramble for your phone, and its light slices through without an issue. (It better, considering it's only a week old.) And catches someone supporting themselves against a wall with one arm.
You realize who, and lower the light too late. She looks over her shoulder at you, and her glinting eyes are lost in the darkness. You nearly drop the phone, and switch it off as you scramble to the far wall. Giving up your light source is death, here.
Something wet slops around the area you were just in, slithering. You resist the urge to look at it, just planning a route to take when it quests near you. What can you do? You have ｢Pavlov's Daughter｣, so if you can make her tell a lie, then you can force her to eat... concrete?
Or, if you tell a lie and make it work on yourself, which you've never tried before, you can make yourself eat the... the darkness. Oh, this is hopeless. You saw Indigo, Sour. Flash and Lemon probably didn't even make it to the end of this hallway.
And whatever they did to wind her, it's not as if your Stand will even attack her! She's an immortal, and you're essentially in a giant empty room! Sure, you carry a baggie of sleeping pills on you in case you need to use your Stand on someone, but it's not going to work on her! Something slides blindly around the room.
You choke down a shriek and hold still as it touches your shoe. It wraps around your ankle, and then you're forced. You have to give a flash of light from the phone, briefer than a lightning-bug.
It disintegrates, but then immediately another one's gripping your arm, inches above the phone. So much for discretion. You switch hands and shine a light on it. Switch... hands...? Why does that sound so right to you?
More are already coming, and you turn the light on them. Aria's standing there, shoulders hunched, striding for you. Her fists comes right at you, but all you have to do is catch it! Your hand moves with the thought.
Huh? Why did you do that?
Her fist connects with your palm, obliterating your phone. You feel the cracking, locomotive force of the punch disperse up your arm in little dark-red explosions. Bones creak, and then your Stand bubbles up to the surface. But that's...
No. It becomes clear to you - clear as crystal. Yes, right when you were passing out! A name just came to you!
Aria Blaze holds you against the wall just by pushing your fist. And then over her shoulder, with her free hand, she pulls a scimitar out of the darkness.
With deathly speed, and mad eyes, she slices it down for you. If you tried to grab her arm, you would never overpower her, even in desperation. If you tried to make your phone dissipate it, you'd die in seconds even if it worked.
No. There's only one path forward! You throw your free hand over your head, and catch it!
Aria's face doesn't even register your reaction - until the blade stops. Then she jolts, eyes running down the sword to your hand. Possibly noticing that it's the wrong color for the rest of your body.
In fact, both of your hands look that way. And, even in the low light, hers don't look right either. She tries to make a retreat, but her body won't pull away. She's being held in place, her fist locked in your grip.
"｢Nails for Breakfast..." You tighten your grip. "Demo｣."
With her hands you can output incredible force. Your crush the hand you've switched with her in a single, mean movement of muscle. Except this time, she feels it. She cries out like a child falling off a bike for the first time, and collapses to her knees, letting go of the sword, in time for you to wrest it from her.
The hands you took from her grip the blade and bear it down on her, straight into her chest. She gasps at the power of her own Stand, and throws her head up for a moment, and then passes out.
Even in the low light, you can tell that she's breathing. Nothing here can kill her. Which means there's no reason to go easy on her! Go team!
That thought really didn't seem to come from you. You look at your borrowed hands and wonder why in hell this happened to you. You have so many questions... But you understand where this came from.
Indigo. Somehow, Indigo's still with you.
You nudge Aria with a foot to make sure she's out. Then you stoop and pick up Sour, making sure to put all of the weight you can on your fingers. You have a team to reunite.
Silver
It's a relief to not be hoisted into the air like a pinata.
You didn't think that you'd get out of that one, but you guess you didn't count on Diamond. When she was near the gun, you recreated the bullet Anonymous shot at you when you first saw him - it had been in ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣, half-forgotten. But even you thought it had only given her one chance to hit him!
No, it was her own strength that saved the two of you. ｢Pink｣, undoing the pulling of the trigger so that every shot was the first shot! You feel something swell in you, like pride but less fatherly. Your friend's starting to see the power of her own potential!
But she's also about to shoot someone. You don't feel as bad about that as you were expecting to - you mean, he did try to murder both of you, more than once, and your whole body is still sore from hanging in the air.
Anonymous speaks, looking up at Diamond. "Why?"
She doesn't move the gun, or change her expression. "'Why' what?"
"Why are you here?! Why would you bother trying to make my life more miserable?! Why do you want to take away the only good thing that's ever happened to me?!"
You... have no idea what he's talking about. Diamond doesn't either, but she answers. "We're here for the people who matter to us. And you're the one who tried to shoot us."
He gnashes, going on like he hadn't heard her. "I worked forever just to track down that one speck of her gem, and you stole it from us! You did it just to give it to... to that geek and the only woman who could stand him!"
Actually, you remember you didn't. You hadn't... gotten around to it.
Oh, dear.
Anonymous keeps going. "Well, what did they need it for so badly?! What was so important that those two had to keep their grubby hands on the one thing that would make her happy?!" He pushes himself up, kicking out of his pooling blood, right for her.
Wait, what's that he's holding? Oh, no.
Diamond fires, right for his heart. But the gun is caught between two tiles of ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣. You try to stop its effect, pushing against it, but you're too panicked. It senses your fear, and works faster.
The bullet doesn't even make it all the way out of the barrel before it turns into dust. Diamond tries to use ｢Pink｣, but by the look on her face it doesn't work, and then the gun disintegrates just after it. Anonymous turns, drawn up to full height, and punts her back towards the door.
You run after her, but she disappears before she can make the impact. She's back where he kicked her from, and she sends out her Stand. Its surface is mottled and cracking, and it moves slower than normal - she's abusing it too much.
When it strikes, one of his ghosts flies out of the sleeve of his suit and absorbs the hit. It takes a second attack for it to dissipate. Your heart's beating so fast that you can't stop ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣ from activating, and there's more of that interference, grabbing at you like pulling hair.
Your Stand spits the bullet and the gun back out, and he snatches them up. Another ghost grabs the two pieces of tile and flies closer to the ceiling, playing keep-away. You're not interested.
He kicks for her again, but her Stand helps her leap out of the way. Then a swipe with the pistol, and she's back where she started, panting. Then, from under the floor, one of the ghosts reaches up for her.
"Diamond!" You shout, but it's no good.
She tries to use ｢Pink｣ to dodge it, but there's nothing for her to erase. Another reaches for you out of the ground, and you hop away from it.
Not again. You won't let yourself be helpless like that! If Diamond's going to save you, you have to save her too! You run for the far wall, staring up at the ghost stonefacedly holding your Stand.
Anonymous strides over to you. That ethereal hand grabs your foot, holding you in place - but that's alright. You can't stop ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣, but you can definitely do the opposite! In your mind, your hallway's laid out, including the lockers. And everything in them!
A moment of force, and the storm starts. A maelstrom of paper and pencils, binders and backpacks, magnets and memorabilia. A wave of textbooks pelts Anon, and he covers his skull with both arms.
The force of the summonings blows apart the ghost, and as you throw your arms out the shards fall back into your hands. Anonymous wades through the refuse, bleeding over the paper. He's still not stopping!
It takes only a few more items to throw off the one on your foot, and then you bring over a pencil. You grab it as he reaches you, and jab it straight into the center of his red wound.
And it deflects, glancing off of a momentary blue barrier. Wh- What was that?!
He growls, and a hand reaches out of the blood to grab yours. It holds you fast, and then the barrel swings at your skull. The impact cracks your neck with the sudden turn of your head.
Think through the pain! There has to be something else to summon! You feel around your Stand, grasping for anything-
Another strike, and your consciousness whipcracks out of existence.
Sunny Flare
Sonata's drawing nearer down her hallway. It's way too wide for you to dash across to the other side unnoticed, and she sounds like she's closer to the opposite side than you are, which means you'd be running towards her. At this point you're going to have to face facts.
She's tracking you somehow, but she doesn't know where you are yet. And running, even without your shoes on, makes noise. Nervously, your hand stays plastered to the wall.
Sonata talks to herself, breathily. "Dagi told me to turn all of the lights off, and Aria closed off the hallway. How could someone wander all the way out here...?" You tense, and she continues. "Ah, right around this corner..."
Your internal fight-or-flight switchboard is at full power. You can suddenly feel yourself sweating in the cold; there's no way you're making it out of here alive. Not if you try to take her on. You don't even know what her ability does!
But you can escape. For your allies, your friends! Your Aligot... You do your best to buck up, taking in a deep breath. It doesn't stay in your lungs for more than three seconds, but you push on anyway.
She's almost about to see you, and, true to your title, you bolt. Hand still feeling out the wall, you turn the corner you're already on and pass by her. She sees you, automatically. There's no jerk of the head, no motion to suggest she wasn't waiting for you. And over her shoulder, there's... is that really a ghost?
Oh, you hate ghosts! But you only give them a glance. No turning your head back, as you pass over closed doors and into the deeper darkness. The feeling of being pursued underground wells up inside of you.
You hush the chorus of inner voices begging to wake up right now as she comes after you, and trust that you're faster. You can hear each of her footfalls, and you know you're not. But you have the slight advantage of starting distance, and you press it for everything it's worth.
If she came this way, then there should be a way out. Reasonably, if you just kept running in one direction, you should eventually find an exit. It's just one building!
She doesn't talk, which is reassuring. If she monologued at you while she chased you, you might panic and slip up or something incredibly stupid like that. You can almost relax as you work through your marathon.
There comes another intersection, this one without a left-hand path. You can't tell anything about them from this distance, but your legs sawing through the air won't give you time to deliberate. Right or straight?
Right. Right is your lucky direction, the way that's given you a hope to stay alive! Go right! You turn the corner, and there are a lot more doors than you were expecting - all closed, all the same.
None of them have exit signs hanging above them. And your fears are confirmed when you come to the end. It's a concrete cul-de-sac, a dead end.
You press yourself up against the wall and turn the way you came. She's walking towards you, steadily. No.
No, you're not in a dead end! In fact, you're close to escaping her for good!
"｢Royals｣!" You rasp out the words, voice ripped up by fear and exhaustion. But you've had your hand on this wall for well over a minute. And, at your request, it folds itself further into the universe. The whole hallway, doors and all, and the intersection at the end.
You take your hand off, and it holds, and then you sprint through to the intersection, heading straight. Sonata picks up her speed on your heels, but you turn on the spot to face her and snap your fingers, smirking. Her darkened form lunges out of the darkness for a moment, and the walls spring back to their proper shape.
As the rightful spaces reassert themselves, your intersection fills up with machinery. And, in the corner, windows! Big, industrial things, like everything in this choking oily-smelling place. You can taste sawdust in the air, and you do your best to ignore your less essential senses.
Outside you can already see the dinge and grime you were expecting. You run over, careful for any sharp objects on the floor, and feel around for a latch. Your hand passes over one, a foot higher than you can see, and you wrench at it.
It eventually comes loose, and then with both hands pressed against it, you force it up. Shakily, creaking, it obeys. As you put a leg through, something grabs you.
You yelp as it twists you around by your shoulder - but it's not Sonata. It's the ghost. Up close it's almost comical, a sneering face with the illusion of a stubbly beard. Through it you can see poles and switchboxes and big rusty monsters of machinery.
You hate everything about ghosts: the whole stupid Gothic idea of them, the concept of someone's soul persisting in the world and doing nothing but tormenting people. Things like that shouldn't live in the first place. You concentrate on your Stand and press a finger on it, which holds.
Suddenly the wispy half of it folds over, and it's a ball of indistinct greenish energy. Not enough. You tap a second finger onto it, and it becomes more uniform, spherical. A third, a fourth, like tapping at an air-piano. Your fingers buzz like they've fallen asleep, and then, under the strain of supporting itself, it pops out of existence.
You smile at your achievement, and let ｢Royals｣ relax. Sonata doesn't appear, and you don't wait for her. You hook a leg over the windowsill and jump out.
Then you shut it, slamming, behind you, and run around the perimeter, in search of where you came in.
Derpy
This time, when you hit Flash, you mean it. He goes flying through the hole that wasn't there the last time you were in the room. You hope he breaks something.
Then you take the guilt that comes from thinking that way, and crush it like turning a car into a tiny cube. Your family might not be here if these people had their way.
Sunset can't be hurt, and whatever the arrow is, you can't seem to touch it. You have no illusions, you can't keep this up for long.
But, just then, Twilight Sparkle steps in front of you, hands up and placating. "Derpy, I didn't know any of this was going to happen! Please, believe me, there has to be some sort of an explanation! Sunset wouldn't just-"
Sunset weighs something in her mind, and snorts. "Give it a rest, Twilight."
Twilight startles, looking at her, as she stands up and dusts herself off.
Sunset speaks to you directly. "I'm not going to make this any nicer than it is, Derpy. I want to collect those three gems. And I'm going to use whoever and whatever I can to do it."
Want to...? "You just did." Your voice is too tight and angry to let it be a question.
"Apparently not," she sighs.
"But it doesn't matter. I wanted to make this easy for everyone, but it wasn't meant to happen. If you get in my way again, then I'll do more than knock him out."
Before you can respond, one of the Crusaders screams. Sweetie Belle. You see a blur of orange heading for her. Sunset throws out a hand towards her, and then, in a bright flash of light, a figure blocks Adagio.
In the brightness, another Adagio, a perfect double, knocks into her. They're frozen, staring at each other in momentary shock. Then, immediately, the summoned Adagio disappears, and Sunset bridges the distance, her fist smashing Adagio's cheek.
The Dazzling actually slides off of her feet with the force of the punch, and the Crusaders, bouncing back, summon their monster of a Stand. It smashes against her, and she backflips, sliding against the floor.
Sunset turns to you. "Go."
You sense ｢Spinal Tap｣ fading. You snap something else in your pocket, and with it, all of the others crack, simultaneously. Scootaloo's pointing the arrow at you.
You make eye contact for a moment, and then your Stand's summoned for its two minutes. Your options just narrowed.
They turn back to Adagio, and you prepare to throw ｢Spinal Tap｣ at them. Maybe you can get the arrow and figure out where it came from.
And then, out of the darkness, comes Sonata Dusk. She moves towards Sunset, who goes on the defensive. You don't know whether to help or not.
"-cadabra｣!" You turn around, and see Trixie through the door you came through. And behind her...
"Golden?!"
But that means--
Trixie
Next to you is the unconscious body of Care Root; unconscious twice in as many days, in fact. His face looks red.
It took too long for you to get through the thorns back into this one hallway, but now you're here, just too late. Derpy comes out of a room where utter pandemonium's reigning, blinding light shining from under her arm.
She runs up to her sister. "Where's Silver?!"
"In the car. Something go wrong?"
"We've got to leave right now! I've only got a minute and forty seconds!" ｢Spinal Tap｣ lifts Care up.
Golden nods, and with her eyes closed, Derpy puts a hand on the light. A solid wall of light appears, blocking the room from the rest of you.
Someone pounds on it. "Wait! Please! Don't leave me back here!" ...Twilight.
Derpy turns to look at the searing block of energy. She regards it, for a moment. How much time does she have left, again...?
Then it disappears, and Twilight comes stumbling out. "Oh, thank-"
"Come on!" Derpy grabs her arm and pulls her, and both of them blow past you and Golden. You trade glances with her, and then the light-shield goes up behind you again, and both of you head after them.
｢Abracadabra｣ pushes you to the head of the group, and Golden catches up on her own merits. Derpy casts light ahead of all of you, throwing your shadows against the walls. You'll have to ask her about that as soon as you're out of here.
Most of the conflict's moved into that room, so it might even be a straight shot. Once you're inside the parking lot, you can use your Stand to jump everyone to the two cars. Who's Twilight going to ride with? Suddenly, the light shines on someone coming up the hall. Two people, one unconscious in a bridal carry.
It's her. Sugarcoat. She stops and squints in the light, and when she sees you, she straightens, ready for a fight.
You don't have time for this! But before you can blast her against a wall with your Stand, she squints closer to the light. And then, eyes lighting up, she runs straight past you.
Golden looks over her shoulder at the retreating figure, but there's no attack. Then you see the body of the one who nearly killed you. Despite the bloody mess behind her, she looks like she's just having a nice dream. And further on, the body of one of the Dazzlings, the one who never gave her name.
She's skewered, eyes fluttering. You resist the urge to vomit. This could've been you, you realize. This is what you were running away from. You keep moving, trying to put those sights out of your head. In your mind's eye, they seem to reach out for you...
You all jog the rest of the way, keeping up without endlessly passing and falling behind each other. Glancing backwards occasionally, waiting for some surreptitious backstab. But your trial turns out to be much more straightforward than that.
You see the limited natural light of the door outside at the same time you start seeing sheets of paper. Pencils, folders... You part the detritus with a couple waves of your hand. But as the light illuminates the final stretch...
"Silver!" Derpy screams.
Hanging in the air are the two kids, and then her light finally goes out, dissipating in the crook of her arm.
Anon
They were right. You hated to admit it, but they were right. They're just fighting for Care, and the girl. You can't let them get away with it, but you can still sympathize with them. And being down to one bullet, and on the edge of consciousness, narrows your options.
Get to the root of the problem, right now. The fact that you can see them and not one of your employers makes your heart sink.
...You won't be getting out of this at all, will you? For the first time, you see Care Root, passed out and floating beside Derpy. You can hardly even remember seeing him around CHS. Different circles.
But you recognize her just fine. She sees you, and her entourage gets ready to attack.
Doesn't matter. You lift the gun and aim - your final ghost holds it up with you. It does most of the lifting, to be honest. Heh.
A pair of birds fly for the two girls out of the hands of the orange-haired one. Didn't you used to be in a class with her?
Nevermind. A third comes at you, and you don't pay attention to it. Even if it gores you, you'll still take your pound of flesh.
Line up the shot... breathe in... squeeze the trigger.
It heads out, moving flatly away from you, spinning angrily. Oh, time's slowing down. It picks up speed as it goes, and its path sends it straight for Care. The hulking monster of a Stand carrying him lashes out with its tail, and the bullet goes flying away, harmlessly.
No! You're about to make an ill-advised shamble to pick it up, but you can't walk, and it's unnecessary. The bullet bounces off of something. It ricochets in the air five or six times, off little shining panels of glass, or something like glass. It's bright and blue, like sudden odd-shaped flashes in your vision.
You wonder, for a moment, if you've developed a new Stand ability. But even in this small doses, you know it's not you. It's fate.
Everyone freezes in their tracks to watch it, then it goes flying for the orange-haired one, who shouts. "｢Fineshrine｣!"
A tree springs up between it and her. It bounces again off of more of these blue screens, twice, thrice, coming around the trunk for her.
"｢Abracadabra｣!" It moves out of its path, back closer to you.
There's more shouting as it gets sent back towards the group - you can't make out the words any more. In fact, you're falling, faceplanting. Oof.
A voice cutting through the gorge of the panic. A shout, an impact. The sound of a body toppling into concrete.
Your ghosts dissipate, but you know you've added one more to their ranks, and the sea of trash overtakes you.
Take that, Care Root.
Lemon Zest
Mid-morning. The last thing you remember was a big explosion, trying to get the gems. You sit up, on what you realize is someone's couch. It's grey, and sticks to your cheek on the way up.
You're sweaty, and your hair's mostly on one side of your body, but you have both your arms. And the room's a calm blue, like a sky through fog. On the far wall there's a television playing infomercials on mute. Where are your headphones?
You search around the books on the coffee table and the stand covered in coasters, but you don't have any of your stuff. When you stand, your back cricks in four places. It sounds like Velcro.
You wander into the kitchen and see Sugarcoat hunched over three mugs of coffee. Must be her family's house. She notices you without looking up and slides one slightly closer, which you take. There's a boatload of creamer in it, so it tastes like caramel.
"Did we win?"
She huffs, and doesn't look up at you. Fuck.
"Did everyone make it out okay?" She turns and looks at you behind those glinting glasses.
"Indigo didn't make it, and Flash is gone."
Gone? "Gone?"
"They have him. We don't know where." She looks back to the table. There's a tablet there, in a chunky blue case twice its thickness, and on it is a roadmap of Canterlot.
"Well, we'd... better go find him."
"There's something just as important. The gems weren't complete, so they've been thrown around everywhere, but one of the kids figured out where the final piece was." The gravity of the rest of the task ahead of your group settles in.
A couple months of work since you got these Stands, a chance at really, seriously owning an indie label, and world-saving, of course. "...Where?"
"Somewhere around here," she slides over the tablet and taps at its center with one finger. The house is huge and looks like people do croquet on the lawn.
Sunny wanders in, wearing last night's clothes like the rest of you. "Briefing her already?"
Sugarcoats nods, curt. "When Sour wakes up, we'll decide how we're splitting up."
You grab a seat, but Sunny lingers by the strangely barren-faced fridge. At your house, they still had your blue ribbons and certificates stuck on there with vacation magnets.
"Filhy Rich has one of the most dangerous Stands around, and he's not going to go down without a fight," she cranes her head at Sunny, who stares pensively into the freezer. And then to you, resting when you make eye contact. "I'd suggest ransoming his daughter, since she's basically powerless, but he'd kill every one of us. So I think, if we're going to heist the gem, we need to work together to get past his security and smash his fuckin' teeth in before we do anything else."
She adjusts the glasses, as you digest how... un-Sugarcoat she sounds. "Any suggestions?"
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Listening Chair｣
User: Sonata Dusk
Ability: ???
Stand: ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣
User: Sugarcoat
Ability: The full nature of this Stand is unknown. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | Little People Make Big Mistakes | Diamond Tiara
It's the day after it all blew up, and you haven't even made it back home yet.
In fact, you only came to school to put that off a few more hours. The morning halls of Canterlot High are just the same as always. Inside ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣, though, the mood is thickly dark. You can't help but feel on-edge, or maybe that's just all of the people watching you walk by. That used to be a good feeling, didn't it?
"Hey! Spoon-fed!" a voice calls out of the mill of grumbling, and you ignore it. Ahead of you Silver Spoon, eyes glazed, doesn't answer either. You reach your lockers, only six apart by pure coincidence.
When you open yours, you realize it's empty. Right.
Another Freshman voices calls out. "Where's all our stuff?" It's Rumble, the puny dweeb who's always around Cloudchaser. Maybe her brother? You have no idea what happened to Flitter, she was still unconscious when you--
No, no need to think about that right now. "The last time you woke up" is how you'll describe it.
Rumble's insistent. "Silver Spoon!"
He walks up between the two of you, and she does a half-turn to look at him with one eye. Her body's facing the inside of her empty locker, like she's deliberating whether or not to climb in...
He's unperturbed. "Where's everyone's stuff?" His hands splay open in a way you really want to mock. Your best method for handling stress has always been to make other people feel it instead.
Silver turns away from him without an answer, unslinging her backpack. She's a total robot today, and you don't blame her.
"Hey!" The puke steps closer while she's grabbing something out of it - and, before you can intervene, he shoves her against the locker door. It creaks with her impact, and she stares at him emptily.
"What did you do with our school supplies? Give it back!" Other voices start to agree with him. Once they do it loud enough, it'll be impossible to stop.
Between her fingers, something disappears, and then Rumble starts squeaking. His hands fly to his throat.
Wait, is he choking?! You close the distance, but Silver gets there first. She slams a fist into his chest, and he splutters, throwing his head forward. The noises become muted as he bends it towards his knees, and then he gags and weakly spits out a small, pink eraser. Before he can bring his head back up for air, she's got a grip on his collar.
She pulls him back up the half-foot to eye level. "Are you working for Sunset Shimmer?" She asks the question in a raspy just-awake kind of voice. Should you use your Stand to interfere?
You tried calling ｢Pink｣ to you this morning, with no luck. In the moment, you try again, but your aura doesn't budge.
"Wh-what are you talking about?!" he all but screams.
She stares into his eyes like she's trying to pull out his soul. All is silent.
You really need to do something before she gets herself suspended. "Silv-"
She lets go. His knees nearly buckle under him, and she speaks before turning away. "Tell her if I see anyone on her side, I'm going to return the favor." Then she's staring into her backpack again, a little more there.
You realize your heartbeat's calmed down a little. Rumble recovers himself, and backs away; you feel a little bad for him. Everyone's still got an eye on Silver in case she snaps at them. Some of them are already regretting not having their phones ready.
When she slams her locker shut, loud enough to fill the hallway, they flinch and stop. She turns around and heads to homeroom, not even bothering to put the lock back in. Wordlessly, you walk after her.
Last night...
You're sitting in the backseat of the car you left not long ago. You only woke up a minute earlier, being snatched up like a football and carried out, and you piled limply into the car without protest.
You saw the body. Derpy's driving, and Silver's shivering next to you. And, in the passenger seat, Twilight Sparkle stares blankly through the dashboard. She's speaking, but no one's reacted.
"Sunset kept information on all of the Stand users. Anonymous shouldn't be able to do that."
"He did." Derpy says, monotone. She has one eye closed to focus on the road. You realize you may be the only person in this car in a state to drive anything. At least you can process it. If they came for your family...
"No, it might have been... another Stand at work."
"Who?" Both sisters ask simultaneously, and in the same tone.
Twilight hesitates, and takes a breath. "Well, she was using some method to learn about Stands people didn't reveal. She knew about ｢Timbuk Three｣ a long time before Care ever used it..." She pauses to make sure she's not going to be thrown out of a window, but everyone seems to be listening. "A-and she theorized that if he used it too much, it would start to block happy things from happening to him. I never knew she took it anywhere, honestly I didn't, but that must be why the Crusaders made him activate his power."
It starts to click for everyone in the car, but not quite. Whether for good or bad, you see what she's talking about. You knew there was some "limitation" to ｢Timbuk Three｣, but never quite what.
You try to help her the rest of the way. "Do you mean that they burned out a specific piece so this night would... end wrong?"
Twilight nods a little. "To stop him from ever having a happy memory of it."
"...Is that why?" Derpy asks, not looking at her. "Just to hurt him?"
Twilight tenses. "...Yes, it probably was. I-I'm sorry."
Trixie
You're sitting in a slightly waterlogged kitchen - fingers folded on a countertop, hair ratty, costume all around you. You're trying to get your bearings, and you haven't slept since last night. To be honest, you haven't slept since you passed out around the Shadowbolts.
You were supposed to die.
That's what Care's impostor told Derpy, what Derpy told you, what you didn't dwell on before you were shouldering through unlit hallways next to her, trying to navigate. It was going to end in a big showdown, your group and the Rainbooms and the Dazzlings - except your group doesn't exist any more. No one would call it yours, it's Care's, and he would've known that.
Plus it wasn't the Rainbooms, it was the Shadowbolts. And, although your ribs are killing you, you didn't die. Nothing happened the way it was supposed to!
You're a magician, you can sniff out unexpected results. They're everyday for anyone who loves the stage - and when magic doesn't work, you can tell exactly why! Only if it works, you never know how it happened. Unless it's very, very complicated...
No, it can't be. You haven't sat down with Care or Derpy and talked it over yet, but... whatever happened here, it couldn't have had too many moving parts. There were only a few groups, only three gems, only so many factors that could be manipulated. So where did everything go differently, what went wrong? It scares you that you don't know.
You lost someone without getting that information, and it scares you more to think of the alternative. Maybe this was all someone's plan after all. Maybe the trick's still going. Who benefits from all of this?
Your arms are shaking from the elbows down, and your head bows a little, neck trembling forwards. This was so much easier alone!
Behind you, a door creaks and opens. You don't turn around.
"Trixie...?" he asks, as your head sinks even lower. "What day is it? What happened?"
"..."
Last night...
You're driving back to Care's house - or doing your best. The streets haven't woken up yet, but you have to put some distance between yourself and... that. You need to pull over and breathe, your chest is constricted. It's not true that you don't have time.
You take a turn at random and cut through unfamiliar neighborhoods, and then you realize you're going fifteen over the limit. No one's followed you that you can see, but you don't trust your senses that well. Something just broke.
The bullet's redirecting itself, somehow. You won't understand it until you reach home-base again, when Diamond texts you the details. It wouldn't make a difference if you knew. There's a sense of finality to the whole thing, and you reach out with ｢Abracadabra｣ for it.
If you can make it impact you in something like a leg, you could survive - Silver would be able to take it out again, and you could take another hospital stay. But even as you do that, it ricochets again off the ground!
Your ability pushes you backward on instinct at it hits the ceiling and then travels down for you. You make space between it and yourself, and keep going. It can be redirected, but it must lose momentum! How far can a bullet travel? None of these are even fully-formed thoughts, and yet you can see it deflect again, and head for Golden.
Shouldn't it be raining? Someone's dead! The stars should flicker for a moment!
You've faced the possibility of dying, the danger of it. But you didn't have to worry about something like this! There's no terror here, nothing heartpounding or dramatic to it. It's just... real. Another inert thing, in an inert world.
You pound the steering wheel once and blow a stop sign.
A feeling of intense foreboding swells the more you see it move. It doesn't even strike you as odd that you can watch the bullet in motion. Your perceptions can't continue at this rate forever, though - trying to see in the dimness is hard enough.
But you know what all of this is. Fate's coming down on you, and there's a gravity to this event that you can feel in your shoulders. So, perhaps, there's only one real way to make a difference.
You make a note of that silver flight-path, and then push yourself directly into it, so you can stand in front of the rest of your friends.
Only to smack into something thickly solid. A tree? Panicking, your Stand pushes back the bullet a little further. How are you going to--
"｢FINESHRINE｣!" Golden's voice cuts through, as vehement as it's ever been.
Something impacts you, a deer. Thick antlers lift you up under your arms, the pain blocking out your attempt to figure out what's happening, and then it charges forward, throwing you like a bull to the far wall. ｢Abracadabra｣ takes over, and the only sound you can hear is your clothing dragging against the concrete as you minimize the impact.
When you've stopped rolling, it's over. The bullet's stopped zipping around.
Golden Harvest is dead.
When you finally reach Care's street, you're moving at twice the limit. The sleepy houses ignore you.
His driveway's at a right angle and sloping slightly downward, and you know you'll never make it going like this, but you're too angry to slow down. In fact, you speed up instead, and you lift, slightly, like being on a rollercoaster.
"｢ABRACADABRA｣!" you scream the name inside of your metal box, rattling the wheel, taking a foot off the pedal. And then you're on the driveway, oriented correctly, slowing down along it like a landing plane.
When you stop, you finally look in the back, and find that he's still unconscious. You suppress the urge to raise your voice more, and you get to work on getting him inside.
Dernier Piege
You don't know who to blame for this. Anonymous? Sunset? Those are the only two that don't hurt to think about.
Sunset's conveniently not at school today, and no one's mentioned it, but the Rainbooms are around, at least a couple of them.
...Why? Why wouldn't she just ask? You want to smash the desk you're sitting in. Then the floor, probably, and then see how much further you can get in two minutes. How long until you'd reach the center of the Earth, just with your Stand's fists?
You don't have any gifts with you. It's not safe, but you really don't care about safety right now.
Well, no, you have one. ｢Spinal Tap｣ already brought you one of the shards this morning, not that you'd asked it to. And you couldn't leave it inside the house, not after that.
...She got up early.
You had stumbled in, bruised and deathly silent, and you sat in the kitchen while she woke herself up and waited for an explanation. Dad was still asleep, it wasn't a workday for him - you still haven't seen him yet.
Silver let you do the talking, you had to. You were the... the oldest sister, now.
And you lied, your little sister stood there and let you lie to your own mother. You lied because you couldn't tell her about Stands, about everything that really happened, you couldn't give any kind of synopsis.
You told her that Golden was attacked, and at least managed to include it was Anonymous who did it. You leave out that you could've killed him. He looked like he was most of the way there already, but... you didn't have the stomach, maybe. It was easier to say to yourself that he was a goner anyway. So long as you didn't have to do it yourself.
She called 911, and she didn't listen when you said that Golden was already done for. You had to give an address, had to lie that you were heading home from a party and you saw him on the road. You'd thought he needed a ride, until he pulled out the gun.
Diamond was quiet as a mouse for all of this, but you could feel the waves of shame coming off of her. Silver didn't speak either. You two still haven't talked with each other. You don't know if you can.
It's a thought you don't even want to notice thinking, but you were always technically the oldest sister. The start of the family, the "Last Trap". Golden was adopted when you were two, at the same time your mom was going to have Silver. It's why she got that name.
Catcher Pouch had loved the world with his traveling, and he gave it up in love for his wife. In exchange, both she and the world gave him a daughter. 'Les tresors.'
You don't know why you're here. If you could summon ｢Spinal Tap｣, you could probably crush that gem into dust in your
bag, and then... what would happen? The whole game would be over, and they'd all have to leave you be. Or would ｢Timbuk Three｣ stop you, somehow? Would it punish you for trying to jump off of the ride?
You don't want to do this. You believed that there could be a happy ending to all of this, that it would all work out. Now you don't know if you believe much of anything, any more.
Class ends, students get up. It takes energy to lift yourself up and gather your things. You go to lunch, and don't eat.
Care Root
When you get to school, the day's halfway over already. Trixie stayed behind. She was clearly wiped out, especially after talking to you. She stayed up all of that time just to break the news to you.
｢Timbuk Three｣... It takes more effort to consciously ignore your power than it does to drive this car. You think you can still feel it, but you wouldn't check if someone paid you. You just have to see Derpy, and find out what she thinks. And if she doesn't want to see you again, you don't blame her.
This is what happens when you try to take things beyond your station in life, when you have to destroy the things that you love just to stay alive. You remember the battle under the lemon tree.
Maybe he had a point after all.
When you enter the school, it's through the side. The doors aren't typically locked, although you're supposed to report to the front when you come in late. You can't quite bring yourself to bother right now. It's one more thing you might be doing wrong, one more way things can get worse for you, but after a certain point you get too much perspective to feel anything about things like that.
You enter and the halls are full. Is it lunchtime? No, wrong direction, it just ended - which means you won't be able to sit down and talk with her.
At least you might be able to see her. You walk against the crowd, some people cutting off their conversations to look at you. Where, where...? You're walking through ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣ when you see her a ways away. She's talking to someone.
Yeah, beside her is Twilight. They round a corner and leave the front hallway. What's her next class?
You're not sure, you would usually split up just after lunch ended. You wade through the student body after her, and even turn the corner and continue, looking for another sign of her.
But she's gone.
Diamond Tiara
It's the end of the day, and you don't really like the schoolbus, but you take it for anonymity's sake. Right now it's better than calling for a ride. You know Care would probably drive you if you asked, but why bother him about it?
Because you'd like him to be there, mostly. You'd like someone to be there, at least.
When you arrive, your dad's standing on the front porch. It's a lavish porch, white and girdered, decorated by an unbroken sequence of gardeners. He's in the same suit as always, and you'd hoped he'd still be at work.
His expression isn't one of worry, though. No, you've seen this kind of anger and disappointment before, just... never aimed at you. It's the look he gives a person before he tongue-lashes them, but why now? You didn't text him anything after you told him you'd be over at Silver's.
Did her mom call him? She didn't seem like she was in a state to. She would've sent you home if she'd even noticed you were there, it was why you made no attempt to draw attention to yourself. You didn't even eat breakfast in that house, you just caught what little sleep you could and left.
Apprehensive that he knows something you don't, you make your way past the gate. The cold's becoming hostile as time goes on, and soon it won't let anyone stay outside for long.
He doesn't shout at you as you head for him, but you don't think it's a good sign. Even when you get there he doesn't say anything. Only his imposing aura keeps you from pretending not to see him and heading inside. It's like... he's waiting for you to start.
"D-Daddy," you open diplomatically.
"Did I raise a thief, Diamond?" He asks.
You don't know what to say to that, but instinct tells you waiting to choose words will make you look bad. "What?" You have to shield your eyes a little. The sun's already pretty low in the sky, and it makes it hard to look at him.
His voice rumbles. "I thought you were just spending time with your friend to get a little air and have fun. Those were the sorts of things I didn't get much chance to do when I was your age. I wanted them for you. After your mother, I thought they would help you grow up like I couldn't."
You try not to think about Mother. You never had a chance to know her. But...
"I don't know why you're saying this to me." There are a lot of things you could do to avoid being in trouble, especially with him, but you don't want to think about those. Manipulating your way out of the situation is like stamping "guilty" on your forehead, and you haven't even admitted to what he should be worried about yet.
A cloud drifts in front of the sun. Belatedly, you see an unfamiliar car in the driveway.
"I know I wasn't always there for you. I tried to be, but... I must have been too late. Just like I tried to get you a place in Crystal Prep."
Oh, ugh. You remember throwing a fit over that and barely even understanding why; you hadn't realized that school was school no matter where you went. He hadn't been willing to force the extra time onto his drivers when he could give you a spot in the same high school he'd grown up in. You hadn't resented it as much as other things he'd denied you - although, now that you thought about it, most of those were just as petty anyway.
He finishes. "...Is that why you took it?"
"Took what?"
He growls. "Don't play dumb. Why did you steal from those two girls?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"The ruby! Ms. Sugar Zap and Ms. Sunbeam want it back from you, and they told me where you were last night. I called Silver Spoon's mother today just to make sure, and she told me one of her girls died while you were out!"
Your heart falls out of your body. You feel like you're either drowning or about to summon your Stand. Would that help, if he knew? He wouldn't see it, but you could show it to him by using it, couldn't you? In your shock, you summon it wordlessly, following that thought - but ｢Pink｣ doesn't come when you call.
"Things are going to change today, Diamond."
Your legs shake. "D-dad-"
"I don't want to hear it. You're not leaving this house except to go to school, and you're not staying over with that family any longer." Not... S-Silver...? "But the first thing you're going to do is take those poor girls to what you took from them, and apologize, and be glad you're not in any more serious trouble!" He points to the door.
Stunned, you open it, fighting tears. What's the way out of this? He wouldn't believe you if you just told him what was going on. Should you have told him sooner?
Wait. Ruby? You get out of your own head enough to realize what he's talking about.
You didn't bring it with you to the factory. That was why things didn't work, the gems weren't complete, and it was... all because of you. It's as you complete that thought that you open the door and see them in the entryway.
Two girls in Crystal Prep uniforms, both shades of blue, both with smug eyes behind neutral mouths and crossed arms.
Shadowbolts. Have they hurt him?
No, if they did there would be some sign. They lied instead, probably to keep from dealing with his security, or his lawyers. Even if they killed him, your dad would own their souls from beyond the grave. So what's their endgame? Walk away with the piece of the gem or get rid of you while they're at it? You haven't met them before, or any of the other Shadowbolts. In fact, the only people who have seen your Stand are Anonymous and Silver - so, with any luck, they don't know about it yet...
Your mind races as the door moves away from you. Your dad's holding it open, now, and your mind races, but you pull your jacket tighter around yourself and step inside.
They look far, far too well-rested compared to you. Weren't they all fighting for their lives as much as you were, last night? "Sugar Zap" uncrosses her arms and gives you a tight, intentionally fake smile.
"Miss Tiara." Then she extends a hand, which you don't take.
"Diamond." Your father says, behind you, and then you do take it. The contact is surprisingly cold given how long you've been outside, but brief.
You're trying to think of what to do. Denying that you have the gem is pointless, they have some way of tracking them, but you need to get them as far away from your dad as you can manage. With each breath you take, that purpose crystallizes in your mind. Get them away from him, get them away from him... but, also, keep them from the gem.
You have to disrupt things somehow. ...｢Pink｣?
It doesn't appear. You don't strain for it yet, you don't want to waste it if it does appear, but you wonder if you've used it up somehow, hit some limit. Maybe you've made one mistake too many.
Sugarcoat
It was difficult deciding which of the four of you would arrive here. Originally you were going to break in, but you realized it was suicidal. From what you could tell, even Sour wouldn't be a great match against Filthy Rich.
Part of you wanted to deck him in the face, grab the gem and jump out of a window, but you ignore that feeling. The rest of you understands that a good lie, however distasteful, can sometimes make the difference. Really, it was Sunny's idea. You brought her along because both of you could incapacitate him up close, if you absolutely had to.
｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ is like a mild tug on your muscles, reminding you of who you have to switch with. Of course all three of your teammates, and now Diamond... Unfortunately Mr. Rich didn't take your hand when you knocked on his door twenty-five minutes ago, and you haven't found a good opportunity to offer it to him since.
Sunny's hiding her detector, because if he saw it he would think she was a spaz, but it turns out you may not need it after all. Filthy is going to stay downstairs and wait for Diamond to grab the gem, and both of you are going to go with her.
Even though she doesn't have a Stand of her own, she's going to try something. She can't be gullible enough to take something like that seriously, but she's taking you up the grand staircase towards her room. You keep your Stand ready, Sunny stepping softly behind you.
Diamond
｢Pink｣! Come on... ｢Pink｣!!
You only feel a slight stir. Does it need to recharge?! It's been a long walk to get to your room, but if you make them suspicious you have no idea what they're going to do.
Things aren't good. If you could call someone... you can't think of anyone who would be able to help. Even if Silver answered, even if she could get here, it would be too late.
When you come to the door, you push it open. Your room's all done up in pink, and it's looked the same for the last five years. The door to the balcony's as open as you left it the last time you were here. Posters of passing interests litter the walls, things you've kept for sentimental value. A high-definition photo album sits on its own corner endtable.
It's been your sanctum all your life, and now they're tromping inside it. They're even wearing shoes. You don't look back at them as you climb under the bed, feeling for it.
"Why did you try to hide it?"One of them asks. You don't know which one, but you don't respond to them. Finally you snatch up the gem and emerge on the far side of the room.
"Here it is." You stand and hold it up so they can see it - and then, at last, you see it too. It's not a shard, it's... the whole thing. The rest of the pieces must have gravitated to this one somehow.
They think similar thoughts, and edge closer, but it's pointless. You knew what you were going to do as soon as you entered the room. You turn to the balcony and run.
And then, inhaling on the way, you vault over the railing.
Sugarcoat
Shit. You run over to the balcony, peering down. With these ceilings it's more than a two-story drop, but the lush lawn is empty of anything remotely her color. There wasn't anything for her to grab onto, either.
So... she's a Stand user. Why weren't you briefed on that, then? The Crusaders should've let you in on that, it couldn't have been a secret! It wasn't like there were users they didn't know about! Except the Sirens, of course, but they were special exceptions.
You swap your little finger with hers to make sure she's still alive. ...Yeah. So she's not suicidal.
Sunny's looking for some kind of prognosis from you, so you turn to her. "She's alive somewhere. She's not stupid, she wouldn't leave us with her father alone."
"Not even for the gem?"
Before you can answer, something black and flaking appears in the center of the room. It's small, but clearly a Stand, a few times larger than yours. It looks like it's dying, parts of it evaporating like ash being spread into the air, but it zips toward you and throws a punch.
You switch hands with Diamond and block it. After a single crack of force blows you backwards, it fizzles and disappears again. For your part you stumble and catch yourself on the railing of the balcony, and it doesn't reappear.
Footsteps pound away down the hall, and that's when you realize the door's closed.
Diamond Tiara
You've got to get as far away from this house as possible. Find Trixie, find Care or Derpy, just... find somebody! You can't let holding onto this fate be a mistake!
You race for the front door and realize the problem by the time you reach the stairs. They won't catch up to you if you run, because you know the layout here better than they do. But your dad looks up from the front door, where he's standing, and sees you - alone, and carrying a large gem.
You had to make it life or death to use your Stand the last time, and now it continues inside of you as a persistent ache. Like shrapnel, maybe. You haven't had to deal with pain much in your life, you don't have a real measure for it, but a month ago, this would've been cause to go to your personal doctor immediately.
Now, it propels you a little further. He steps forward from the door, noticing your expression, and he seems ready to chew you out. You have to prove to him that these powers are real, and then maybe he'll listen!
You take another deep breath, and then jump over the stair's railing. The fall is exhilarating, and just like before you try to focus on it - not on the splat at the bottom, but the feeling. You close your eyes and summon ｢Pink｣.
Then you feel it next to you, ready to smash that action with its fist - but its beetle-black fingers crumble as it pulls back its arm. One fist is already gone, the other disintegrates in the swing. Come on...
Then the arm starts to dissipate. The bright eyes flash danger signals, and then the rest of it unravels. Your power is gone, and you don't have time to do anything but clutch the gem to yourself as you fall.
"｢Johnny Cash｣!"
The crash doesn't hurt, much. You wonder if you're in shock, or if you died automatically upon smashing your head onto the floor, but then you open your eyes and see only floral-patterned white. You're on a stack of mattresses. And in front of the door is your dad, hand stretched out in front of him.
Did he just...?
The Shadowbolts are approaching, you can hear their footfalls echoing in the entryway. Swallowing your relief, you leap off of the beds and run towards your dad.
"You have a Stand?" You ask, and he doesn't answer for a moment, but it's clear that he does, so you hurry up. "So do I! So do they!" You point back the way you came, thank goodness they're not here yet. "They're trying to take the gem for the group they work for! They almost collected them all last night, but they couldn't because I kept this one here. It's the only reason we're all still here now, or else I don't know what would've happened, and they're trying to take it from me so that they can do things right the second time!"
Once you started talking you can't stop, and on your final words they've already arrived, rushing down the stairs as fast as they can.
"Diamond... I didn't want you to get into that. I thought it would be nothing but trouble for you." His tone is sad, almost mournful. The universe has condensed to the two of you.
"I had to! My friends need me! It was wrong not to tell you, but it wasn't a mistake to help them!" Those words solidify in your mind for a moment, like a brief echo. 'Wasn't a mistake.' You're right, it wasn't, was it?
For some reason, that thought ignites something in you. It collapses a house of cards, or maybe superglues it into place. He seems to feel it too. You push down the urge to try for the hundredth time to summon your Stand, and instead, he summons his.
The mattresses explode into coins, pelting the girls as they reach the ground floor. One of them, the one with white hair, puts up a hand that turns pinkish-red and started glowing lime-green. With precision it catches coins in front of her face, letting her see enough through her spectacles to edge closer, like walking through a blizzard.
Your dad creates a stungun, which appears curved around the contours of his open fingers. Whatever its power is, that has to be the coolest Stand you've ever seen.
She's still all business, unphased. "We only want what's ours back, Mr. Rich. If you make any other moves to attack us, I'll be happy to replace wherever you're hitting with your daughter."
To demonstrate, her neck becomes pink, and your own prickles. He doesn't back down, but he doesn't fire, either, and the chaos of loose change dies down around you. As the last of the coins roll to a stop, it all goes quiet.
She continues. "You're wondering if you can attack faster than I can activate my power. You can't. She'll get second-degree burns, or worse, and she might even bleed out if it's in the wrong area. Your chances aren't good."
The one with multicolored violet hair steps forward, and he doesn't move. She speaks, her voice lilting compared to the other girl. "If I use my ｢Royals｣ on you, I don't know what will happen. All I can say is that you probably won't come out as a whole human being. I don't want to do that. Tell your daughter to give us the gem and let us be, and we'll leave you both alone forever." He doesn't respond for a moment, and she puts a hand to his arm.
When he speaks to you, neither of them move. "Run, Diamond. Go to Silver's family if you can."
"Diamond, if you do that, he's not going to make it," the one further away says, and just like that the world centers around you.
Didn't you used to wish for this feeling, this attention? Were you really that stupid, once upon a time? Hell, aren't you still?
That thought echoes again. 'It wasn't a mistake'...
"...Okay." You step forward, in front of your dad, holding the gem out in one hand. It drops eight inches before she grasps it in her free palm, and breathes a small, almost invisible sigh of relief.
And then you punch her in the gut.
She doubles over, almost dropping it, and lets go of your dad. Now that her face is in range you hit her again, bloodying her nose and your coat, angry as hell. Helping Silver and her family was the right thing to do! Going in after them wasn't a mistake! It was what anyone would've done, should've done! IT WASN'T A MISTAKE!
She lunges back up for his arm, and you can feel the power of her ability churning towards you. But with a sudden crack of pink, you knock her arm back, jarring it in its sockets. ｢Pink｣ came back to you!
Except, now that you have an eyeful, it doesn't look right. The black's completely flaked away. It's really pink now, pink lemonade pink, and the name doesn't feel right any longer.
"Not one more movement from either of you." The dry, deeper-voiced girl says. "Toss the gem to Sunbeam and lay on the ground if you want to live."
Your dad freezes when he looks at her. She was carrying a pocket knife, and now she has it to her throat - your throat. You can tell from her face that she's not bluffing, and your dad doesn't do anything, his Stand must not be able to stop her.
Everything's frozen as your feeling of triumph fades into the background, as you stare at her and try to think of some solution. Your power makes you different from a regular person being threatened at knifepoint! You're not helpless, not if you can just think! There must be something you can erase...
No. No, there isn't. Even if there were, if you got out of this by undoing something you've done before, you'd be betraying the path you walked up to now. This moment with your father, this feeling of growth... it's not a mistake. It's not a mistake, and it's not what you should fix!
"｢Pink ACT 2｣!" Your Stand flies for her as she jabs the knife forward, but it's smaller now, and faster without that shell to weigh it down, and its punch isn't aimed at her directly.
After a single strike, it dissipates, and the pink leaves her neck completely.
"Now, Dad!" you shout. He nods, and pulls the trigger.
A burst of crackling wires connects with a very confused prep-schooler, and then she loses control of her motor functions and slams to the ground in a tangle of motion. You feel nothing, but while you watch your Stand flies over to where 'Sunbeam' is trying to stand and delivers another solid punch to her head.
And then, just like that, you and your dad are standing together, over your incapacitated enemies.
You realize that you have a lot to talk about.
Somewhere...
Arms folded behind a head, mouth chewing on a strand of blue energy-drink hair like a piece of straw. "Man, this is boring."
Green eyes squinting, arms folded. "Weren't you one of the ones we were fighting?"
A look out of the corner of an eye. "Huh? Yeah, I guess. Wasn't really about you, though."
"Just my sister's boyfriend?"
A mean smile, with teeth. "Tch. He might've kicked my ass, but he's nothing big. Just plan Z."
"Plan Z for what?"
Bored now. "Saving the world. It's a good cause. Glad I'm still living on a little down there."
"Yeah, getting your ass handed to you."
Silence, mulling. "Sugar's gonna do alright."
...Shrug. "What's the world need saving from, anyway?"
"Not this one. Uh... you know what I mean. It's just about putting things back in place."
"Sounds like you don't know either."
A shooing wave. "Pff, fuck that. My girls are gonna save Equestria. Just you watch."
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Pink Act 2｣
User: Diamond Tiara
Ability: The user can 'erase' any action a person has taken in the last two minutes from causality, causing time to carry on as if they had simply done nothing instead of that particular thing. Erasure does not undo the effects on organic tissue except through undoing the effects of other Stands, and even then cannot bring the dead back to life. Only works once per two minutes. |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | How Far We've Come | Sunset Shimmer
You're standing in the back rooms of Canterlot High. Twilight's with you, looking as nervous as she's been the last week. Both of you know that this has to work.
You stare down at the arrow on the desk. Gold, intricate, and just as bright in the dark as in the light. You try to concentrate on what you need: a way back, a way home and out of here...
Your mind fills with idyllic scenes. Leisurely reading with Celestia. Autumn visits to the smaller principalities. The fireworks displays that lit up the Canterlot sky in time with each holiday...
Why leave? Stubbornness, arrogance, maybe pride. Not any longer. You've moved past what you were. You've become someone worthy of the high path! Which is why you're going to get this on your first try!
You smack a hand down right on the metal shaft. Immediately, something gets pushed onto you. Through you. The arrow's almost impatient, offloading its magic onto you, and it comes with an identity, a name.
"H-hey, I think this is going to work!" You flash Twilight a smile, and she leans forward with eager eyes.
Okay. Now, how do you make it work? Well, you have what sounds like the name, so maybe it's like a spellcasting measure. You turn away from Twilight just in case and speak to the empty hallway.
"｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣...?" The air hangs still. Hmmph. Your mouth sets in a line. "I'm missing something."
"A volunteer?" Twilight's eagerness has burnt off a little, now replaced with abstraction. You haven't failed yet. This arrow's the best chance, the only chance that's going to come. Unless you can marry technology and magic that neither world's even seen!
You kill your frown and nod to her. "Maybe. I'm not sure. It feels kind of... prickly."
She studies you for a moment, and then speaks, helpfully. "Maybe the teleportation's defensive."
"Yeah, maybe. I just get a bad feeling about all of this. I know it has to happen, but it just feels... off." To your credit, you do have some real experience with negative magics. This isn't black magic, it's not even outside harmony's wheelhouse, but still... it has the potential to get pretty nasty.
She seems to mirror your expression. "I know what you mean. But if it's the only way, it's the only way."
She has a point. "Fine. Just stand there and let me focus on you for a minute." She does, silently, hands clasped in front of her.
"｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣!" You snap your wrist forward to accompany it, trying to fling your power out and onto her. Something works, and you feel the world lurch around the both of you for a second. Everything's moving!
And then there are three people.
"You..." A face you remember too clearly for your own liking stares at you.
Adagio Dazzle, the leader of the Dazzlings, looking steaming mad. She's not even looking at you, but it feels like she is.
Like you both have to be aware of each other. Did you pull her in from... wherever she was and then anchor her to yourself?
Either way, her expression remains absolutely furious! "So you found another way to cheat!"
Twilight answers her, hands unclasping, a little nervous. "...Would you mind telling us where you just came from?"
Adagio doesn't answer. Instead, her eyes glaze over with a soft red light. And wait... she has her pendant on, the one that powered her magic by making the school fight! How could that have happened?
This is all too freaky, and not what you needed to happen. You snap your hand out again, hoping to dismiss it all. "｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣!"
But Adagio doesn't react. At least, not to you. She stalks closer to Twilight, and then pounces.
Sour Sweet
For some reason, Lemon does this best, so you leave her in there and stand guard. ｢Message Man｣ would protect you, naturally, but... well, some things take a little finesse and niceness. You just aren't feeling it right now.
It's been hours since Sugarcoat's last update, it's late afternoon and you're starting to get worried. Filthy Rich didn't sound like an easy Stand user to go toe-to-toe with. But it might just be that Sugarcoat's got so much vinegar in her blood that she couldn't be bothered to send you a message, or she had to get a third phone this week!
You turn to the door to the crate. "What's taking so long?!"
Lemon's voice comes back, both loud and good-natured. "We're just talking for a few minutes!"
...You cross your arms and look out onto the horizon. The sun's behind a building now, but judging by the color it won't set for another hour or two. It's getting dark out earlier, now. Soon it'll have been twenty four hours. You notice your teeth grinding, slightly.
Really, what the fuck happened back there? You haven't seen hide or hair of Sunset, Flash is gone, Sugarcoat's voted herself into power, and now you're left scrounging for... anything. Gems, your teammates... anything.
Sunset told you what positions to take, she should've known. You arrived on time, you did everything you could. You even helped knock out one of the Sirens, or so Sugarcoat tells you.
But why didn't you wipe the floor with them? Maybe Sunset had some bad information, somehow. The plan just didn't fit the situation. Or maybe it was exactly what she'd been expecting. You saw the way she was around the rest of the Rainbooms.
There was genuine feeling there. With you, all of you, it was business, like fulfilling a contract. Maybe that's the right way to think about it. And after all, if someone falls off the roof and cracks their skull open before the job's done, you just put someone else up there, right?
You try to be better than this. It's a strain.
You can feel the current of this emotion, and where it'll take you. First some more pounding on the door, hurrying things along, becoming antagonistic... Let them have a minute to talk. You know that what you're fighting for is more important than one person's life - that was how every battle worth fighting was. And she gave all of you every chance to back out before you touched that arrow.
You look out onto that horizon, at the still-steady traffic of cars heading home. They all have their headlights on already, even though it's not even close to dark yet. You hate people like that. But above them, a plane whistling through the air - a big diagonal contrail against the clear sky.
You think of the words burnt into the sky two nights ago. Your fists tighten in your armpits like the knots of muscle in your legs. These things you've been saying... they're all the kinds of things she'd say if you tried to argue it with her. You feel like you're just making excuses.
Fake compassion leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. You don't feel bad for Sunset. You don't feel bad for anyone involved, really. And what's wrong with that? You're in this to get better.
You were all pretty private about whatever it was they were paying you with, but of course everyone could guess. A lifetime without stumbling over yourself. Dignity without anger, control without fear. You felt insulted when they first offered it to you, and even more insulted when you learned that they were just doing it to save the world.
But it was smart. No one else has worked out the threats buried in those promises.'We can keep you like this forever if you don't help us.'
...Your parents would tell you to cheer up right now, probably. You imagine using ｢Message Man｣ to cut off the start of a conversation like that. You could do it, if you seized the exact moment the decision formed in their head - that little bit of electricity would do it.
'But we sent you to the best school we could find, we made sure you kept in touch with your friends, your father works extra hours to pay your prescriptions, not that you should feel guilty-' Extra hours, extra hours.
You shake your head. You hate psychology. That and the city. One day you're going to go live in the woods somewhere no one goes. Or, you don't know, be a camp counselor or something. There has to be a market for that in the summer.
You remember Sugarcoat trying to make you read some book about that. "Waldo"? She never really offered things to anyone, but you had a bad spot one night and tore half the pages out. Didn't have the heart to tell her afterwards, not that she'd have cared.
...You really need to get out of your head. So you turn back to the only entrance to the crate. It's a huge shipping container, the kind that mostly gets turned into an eighteen-wheeler. Metal ribbed with copper or brass, something that looked half-rusted coming off of the production line. You step closer.
The door locks from the outside with a sturdy, thick bolt of iron. It's jammed into place now, more symbolically than anything. Anyone in their right mind would think of this as a prison, but it's willing. Even all your Stands combined wouldn't be able to trap her here. Not that you're really afraid of her or anything, it's just the truth.
If you press an ear up to the door, you might make out the conversation inside. Don't old ladies do this with glass cups, or is that just in sitcoms? You debate whether it matters, and whether you should be more careful as a guard, but the truth is that it doesn't matter who shows up here or tries to get in. You're only now facing the part that's actually in need of security.
So, bored, you try. It's grimy and freezing, and you take extra care not to get any part of your mouth stuck to it. Lemon's voice comes through more clearly, being a lot higher-pitched and closer-by. It doesn't have its usual squeal energy, though.
"...t's not your fault, really. Everyone else is fine."
"B-but i...een there I could've - no, yo..." So she sounds the same... The one time it was your turn, she'd been sleeping.
"It can't be any fun being here. ...It's not gonna be for much longer."
"-don't know if I can...uch longer. It's jus..."
"Two months. And everyone's hurting, believe me. We all thought it was gonna be over last night, but things got way too hot too fast."
You can't hear any part of the next reply, but the inflection tells you it's a question. Lemon listens to it without interrupting.
"No, they're totally fine. So are their little sisters, and believe me, they helped out big time. It was just Adagio - do you know Adagio?"
Mumble mumble something something?
So just news of the world beyond. You stop listening.
Lemon gets along with her, although you have no idea why someone like Sunny or Sugarcoat didn't do it even better. That, and she has ｢Lemon Demon｣, which nearly guarantees her safety in a one-on-one. You need to head out before the sun starts to set. You're finding your way to Flash, tonight.
If they planned this out, the Sirens will already have some of the gems collected. Two birds with one stone. But in the dark, the purple one will have an even bigger advantage. It took the most savage attacks you had to hurt her last time, and she'll expect you. No more fighting fair, or pulling punches.
Two knocks from the inside of the crate. You nod your head, and ｢Message Man｣ undoes the bolt. A distinct chemical smell washes out into the lot, along with the breathy hum of a whispery generator. Lemon steps out, and then nods to the side. Her Stand closes the door faster than you could open it, and smacks the bolt back into place.
"Come on, we've got a couple of places to search while everywhere's still open." The way you say it makes it sound like you're trying to hurt someone. She nods and lets you lead the way.
Derpy
It's the end of the school day and things aren't any worse. Time keeps slipping ahead, leaving dark patches you barely remember. Class, hallway, class.
Care didn't come in today. You're taking the bus home, but knowing your mom, she'll want to drive you here and back from now on.
"Are you feeling okay?" Twilight's voice comes from beside you. You haven't really talked much, only in the hallways, but she's been around you all day. It feels like she really doesn't know where else to be.
The teachers don't know about anything yet, people will probably find out on the news. Will they say her name?
You blink. "No."
She adjusts her glasses and looks apologetic. "I... I honestly didn't know--"
"I believe you." The words grind out on autopilot. You're not angry with her, but you clearly haven't conveyed that. Just, what else could they throw at you?
You're both standing under a barren flagpole in the cold as the others file onto buses. Half-pint Freshmen mingle with the upperclassmen, hurrying for the doors as if nothing's wrong. How many directions do you have to protect your family from? Is there some trapdoor in your power, too, that Sunset can use whenever she feels like it?
Twilight might know.
"What is that arrow? Where did Sunset get it from?"
She hesitates, now, making an effort to choose her words. Or her apology was rehearsed a few times. "It's some kind of a magical relic, like the Dazzlings' gems. I don't know for sure, but I think she might have brought it from Equestria? It has a lot of magical power in it, so it works weirdly around Stands."
"Like forcing them to activate?"
"Uh, well, I didn't know it could do that until last night, but it does seem good at supercharging any Equestrian magic that already exists."
Of course - that's probably where Fido got his special upgrade from. But why would this impossible-to-go-to land of talking horses need something that beefed people up like that? In fact...
"Is there Earth magic?"
She watches a bus leave, and lets the answer sit on her palate for a while. "Hm... I don't think so. If there is, there's never been very good evidence for it. But I'll admit I haven't done a lot of deep studying into it."
Even she seems kind of... untouched. It all just rolls off the rest of the world. The riptides come for everyone, one person at a time...
You don't like thoughts like that. "Why do you say 'Equestrian magic', then?"
That perturbs her. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it just 'magic'?"
She opens her mouth, and then closes it. "I... guess it is."
Your bus shows up, and Silver gets onto it. There were rumors running around that she hurt someone today, maybe multiple someones. You don't know what to say to her, and her attitude doesn't give you a chance. She just bustles into the bus and lurks in the back, staring intensely into the middle distance, tasting the air - she doesn't even have her backpack.
Twilight sits down next to you, and you look at her, curious. She's definitely never taken this bus before.
"My house is actually pretty close to yours. I can make the walk afterwards," she says. You smile a little, on the inside.
She lowers her voice as the doors close and the whole contraption takes off. "I've got a question for you, too, actually."
"What?"
"Well, just... what's next?"
No one's bothering Silver, and she doesn't seem to notice your glance to check. Across the bus other conversations are popping up, and hidden handheld games and music players are being produced in droves from deep pockets.
"Next?" You ask without looking at her, and then catch with one eye the plaintiveness on her face.
"Yes, are you going to... keep up the fight with Sunset, or just let her do what she wants and try to, uh... get away from it?"
Oh. She feels a little conflicted about your burgeoning feud with her sister-killing former friend.
You look at her firmly. "I have to stop her."
"But... wouldn't it be safer for you to just let her be? N-not that I'm saying it would be ideal, but couldn't we just call the police on her or something?"
You feel your normal kindness drain out of you. "All of those girls have families. The Shadowbolts, the Crusaders, even Anonymous. It could've been any of them last night."
Twilight remembers the sight of that one body, unplaceable for you, and she shudders. From the little she's told you, she used to hang out with the Crystal Prep girls.
You go on. "All of them had families, and all of them were fighting because they were brought to that place and forced to. She knew what was happening. As long as she uses them as pawns in some game to jump between the universes, I'll never forgive her for any of the pain she's caused." She looks kind of taken aback, and you have to make sure that you didn't put so much feeling into your voice that the entire bus heard it.
"But... how are you going to find her? And if she has the arrow, how are you going to stop her from using it on you?"
"Care and I will think of something."
Her eyes go wide with shock and she almost splutters, before she remembers to keep her voice down. "C-Care? Isn't he the reason that all of this happened to you?" Then she sees the expression on your face. "Well, I'm not saying that it's his fault, but-"
"Care's done everything he can for me. He's given up everything else he could be. If Sunset grabbed his arm and hit me with it, I wouldn't hate the arm. That's exactly what Sunset would be looking for, anyway, a chance to demoralize us and keep us from gathering the gems together." Golden wouldn't let that happen, and she wouldn't rest well if you let it happen either. You won't let that passion die inside of you, not when her body isn't even cold yet!
Twilight listens to you. She looks nervous, but not about you.
Then you remember that she doesn't even have a Stand, the way she stood in the background in that room, saying nothing. Her cry for help just before you escaped.
Your demeanor gets a little gentler. "Sunset was really close to you, wasn't she?"
She nods. "I never got a good chance to know the rest of the Rainbooms the way I got to know her. She's... a good friend."
"Then why? Why would she do this?"
"I... I don't know. I really don't think she meant for anyone to get hurt. I'd never seen that green man before, when I was with her or anywhere."
Anonymous. If what Twilight said to you last night was true, that Sunset had made it impossible for Care to have happy memories, maybe she didn't control how they became unhappy, like making a wish to the monkey's paw...
But she could have asked. She took the risk, she had the accident, and now someone's missing from the world. That's not just some mistake. Not with the way she was acting, the way she'd planned everything. Wherever she got that arrow from, she must have known how dangerous it was.
Twilight's turned inward, and the frost on the glass across the aisle blocks your view of the trees.
Your voice draws her back out. "What are you going to do, now?"
She makes eye contact with you, looking kind of glum. "I-I don't know if there's anything I can do, Derpy. I don't have a Stand or much special information, I can't fight, and I messed things up so badly that all of this started in the first place."
Yes, she said something about that, but you missed it. "What do you mean?"
"During the Friendship Games, I took all of the Rainbooms' magic and turned into a monster called Midnight Sparkle. It took them and the Shadowbolts to stop me from breaking open our universe and the one Sunset came from, but once it was over I'd done enough damage that I... uncoupled them."
That gives you a strange mental image. "Like train cars?"
She nods, looking a little guilty. "If we could just create a bridge between the universes again, there must be a way to make it stronger. That's what Sunset's been trying to do. Without it, she can't go home, and there won't be any more Equestrian magic in the whole world."
It surprises you how passionately she talks about Sunset's mission, but you remember the Friendship Games, vaguely. You didn't participate much past the chemistry section of the decathlon, and you were really only let on because a few Freshmen voted you in. But at the end, things did go really wonky. There were no big announcements or anything, but huge holes did start to appear.
Bright lights in the sky, big pulses of energy. It wasn't normal, but it was like a fire, you knew to get to cover. No one really talked about what happened afterward. Did the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts just keep it to themselves?
They must have been willing to help Sunset afterwards, but why? Did she really befriend them that quickly?
Another important question comes to mind. "You said that there couldn't be any more magic after the portal got lost, but the Dazzlings said that Care's Stand was Equestrian magic, and so is that arrow. How could that happen?"
She opens her mouth to recite something, stops herself, closes it, and thinks. Finally she answers you. "...I don't know. I think the amount of magic in the world has to stay about the same. We're still running on whatever was leftover from all the trips people made back and forth to Equestria. When it runs out, this will be all we have."
"Then couldn't you use it to turn into Midnight Sparkle again and fix everything?"
She winces. "That's... not a good idea. We tried it, before she used the arrow. I'm not even strong enough to use a Stand, I don't have that kind of willpower."
Now she's just being self-deprecating. You can't stand to see someone like this; the opposite of Sunset, a person whose mistakes were bad, but who tried to make them better. Someone who thinks that she might as well stay out of the way instead of getting too involved.
"You know, you can always come help us the same way you helped her."
She looks a more than a little surprised. "But... all I really did for her was track your phones and mix some chemicals now and then."
"Didn't you build those gem trackers the Shadowbolts had?"
"Yes, they were modified from the one I used to take the magic from the Rainbooms."
"We could definitely use those, if we're going to get back the gems and keep them out of anyone else's hands. ｢Spinal Tap｣ is bringing them to me twice a day already, but it's still going to take a couple weeks to get them that way, and that makes me a big target. I don't want to take any more chances."
She absorbs that. "But... why?"
You blink, and refocus your eyes on her. Why? "What do you mean?"
"What are you going to do with them once you assemble them?"
The question seems to echo in the noise of the bus. It comes to a stop, and the first herd of kids shuffles forward.
"Well, we'll keep anyone else from having them."
Twilight looks horrified. "For how long? The Dazzlings are indestructible Stand users. They might really be able to wait until you die to take them back! And Sunset's never going to give up unless you find some way to destroy Equestrian magic completely!"
Yes, destroy Equestrian magic... that, or her hope.
You are, very often, a woman of common sense, and here it leads you to a single conclusion. "Then we'll use them to help Care, or break them all the way."
She shakes her head. "The last time they were even shattered it took a pulse of harmonic magic so powerful that I was still measuring it for days after! Even Care's power wouldn't be able to destroy them for good! The only way to stop anyone from getting to them would be using more Equestrian magic to push them out of the universe, and that's exactly what they want anyway!"
You suddenly feel like you've wandered into an argument. The busgoers have cast you a few glances, although most of them are at the back of Twilight's head. None of their eyes seem to glint with malicious understanding, and they move on as soon as they come.
On instinct, you take a deep breath. "Twilight..." You wish Care were here. He convinced Trixie so easily, when she had been the one out to recruit him! Maybe it was because he knew where he was going. He had such a sense of direction, a tie to destiny... "I know that there are a lot of details that we haven't figured out yet. I... I don't like knowing the whole future in advance. We've done too much of that already, and it's only hurt us."
She's listening to you intently, waiting for some moment to interrupt. You keep up the pace enough to not give her a chance.
"I don't know what we're going to do once we get all of these gems. But we don't know everything about them. Maybe there is a way to destroy them, or use them up. If we drained them of all their magic, or hid them away somewhere no one else would find them..." She really, really wants to interrupt you, but you plow on. "No matter what we really can and can't do, I know for sure that I can't just leave Sunset to gather them on her own. I can't let her have what she's going after, or the Dazzlings, or anybody else who's fighting these battles. Once we have them we can decide what to do with them, but that's the only acceptable ending."
The solitary, crooked path to the base of that ｢lemon tree of the future｣...
"But I need your help to do it. Care won't be able to do much for the next two weeks, and that might be all the time we get before things come back to a head. Without you, we're going to be in the dark completely, and we'll only be able to grab the gems by taking on other Stand users."
You've realized something, now that you've been through that dark night. A strategic line of thought has sprouted in your mind. The more fights you have, the more risk, so any situation that you can get through without a direct conflict is an automatic victory!
Besides Care, none of your Stands are suited for direct combat, and if it's true that the gems are unbreakable, it's wasting your offensive to gather them with your Stand. You're still safe in that area, you have a small stockpile, but that's for emergencies only. For everything awful that happened last night -
Golden's death flashes through your mind, in a way you realize it will for the rest of your life, in happy moments and sad -
You've seen who your enemies are, and you know you can't win by relying on just your own Stand.
The Crusaders had a Stand powerful enough that they could take yours head-on. Sunset's was unpredictable, and you couldn't even tell what Flash's was. With the Shadowbolts on their side, you can't just charge in.
Twilight speaks again, and you struggle to center your eyes on her again after this torrent of planning. "...If that's really how you feel, then I'll do my best to help you. You got me out of a bad situation, and you didn't leave me behind even though I'd been helping to make your life harder..."
Okay! Maybe you're a bit better at this than you thought!
You smile at her, and then put an arm around her shoulder in a light sideways hug. And to your credit, she even returns it! "Aww, I knew from when I saw you that you didn't have anything bad in mind."
Yes, some people in the world are evil, but some don't have a drop of it in them. Their aura seems to radiate goodness. However she acted in the past, that's the kind of feeling that you get from being around Twilight. To someone else that might be a mystery of its own, but it's the kind you kinda like having in your life. There are enough bad ones on your plate to last you the rest of it.
The bus stops at your street soon enough. Twilight and you discuss plans for the rest of your short time together. Silver brushes past you with her head down on her phone, and you don't call out to her. The back of her head reminds you...
You're doing something about it now. You and Twilight, your newest friend.
You're not finished with this war yet!
Anon
"Do you know why Dagi and I have different eyes than Aria?" That question echoes in the room.
Sometimes Sonata will say things that only make sense a lot later. Jokes, sometimes. It makes her pretty amazing at breaking up a boring, samey conversation. Even though you don't understand all of the things she says, you can always talk with her about something.
Before her, you could count the number of girls you had an extended conversation with pretty easily. It was one conversation each, typically. A girl on a train who started one out of the blue about television...
None of them were like her, which was why you missed her dearly whenever she was gone. You nearly couldn't stand it.
It's like you're the main character in some awful romance novel - of which, again, you've only experienced a handful. Right now it's getting particularly bad. She patted you on the head before she left, telling you to make sure to keep your leg up. Of course, you do.
She also made you conserve ｢Nowhere Man｣'s ability, to help your recovery. You really don't know if you'll be able to walk again, but that's okay. Once you go back to where they all live, you'll just learn how to swim. 'Anon the Mermaid.'
Or maybe the portal will fix you, or they'll find a way with their own magic. Sonata didn't seem too worried about your injuries once you came to. The girls have a lot of medical experience, apparently. Frankly, nothing about them should really surprise you any more.
You always assumed that if you were dying, no one would come for you. That was the fate of Anonymous; you would break off from people, losing more and more along the way, and eventually leave the world alone. And who knows, you guess there's still time for that, but the idea that someone would save you from those bullet wounds... (Or that she would get her sisters to smuggle high-powered painkillers for you.) It's incredible.
Your leg's currently splinted and bandaged, with the bullet removed. You kind of wish they'd kept it. The reason was originally that it would've been cool to show off, but you realized that everyone you would show it to had already seen it. Now, you'd just like to have touched it, understood it. What happened to make all of that possible last night? Were those girls really going easy on you until the end?
According to Sonata, this was how the night happened:
She locked out the back doors, and things were calm. Adagio signaled in Siren for her to come to where everything was happening. But before she could do that, one of them was back there. She ran away after a lot of rigmarole, and Sonata lost her, and then when she came up on the group, things were already in chaos. She came in finally, just as things were really getting heated up, and she got Flash Sentry knocked out and away from where anyone would find him.
But before she could go for seconds, ｢Listening Chair｣ alerted her about you. She broke off from terrorizing Shimmer's squad and ran to where you were with all her power. And oh, Nonny, you looked like the biggest mess.
You smile to yourself, staring at the ceiling. Fuck, you miss her. Apart from Aria being in an especially bad snit, the other two haven't said anything about what happened yesterday except about the gems. Which are now an academic point to you, because of your other responsibility.
Flash Sentry groans and chuffles a bit before he wakes up completely, so you have time to look stern. Mister Rockstar's not hurt too badly, but you've figured out how to keep him unconscious. If ｢Nowhere Man｣ summons a ghost and makes it stay still on something, it becomes almost impossible to muster new energy in it. Stands, which are like constant ups and downs of energy, get shorted out. Hearts, which work the same way but much faster, give out completely, and sleeping people, who have low levels of frontal lobe activity, stay sleeping. The last two combined make it possible to put anyone you want in a coma, as long as you have the hands to spare.
In this case, you released him from your thrall about an hour ago. When he comes awake, he's always aware and ready before he opens his eyes. Doing what he thinks, in rockstar land, is a subtle test of his bonds. You hope they chafe.
He's on the couch, and you're splayed out on a big comfy loveseat. Still has enough mobility to put a hand to his face, by design. Sonata looked at you while she and Adagio did the ropework and winked, and you don't know what to feel about that.
You reach down into a thin slit of cardboard at your side, and your target crackles and bumps under your fingers. Then you produce it. "Hey, catch."
Flash's eyes open and adjust just as the cereal bar flies through the air. It tastes sugary as hell and leaves a nasty dust in your mouth, but the Sirens have very picky palates and don't care much about human tastes. Besides, she thought you'd like them; there's a smiley face sun in the corner of the box.
Flash's hand reaches out to the maximum slack of the rope and catches the bar like a fastball. Damn it.
Game for anything, he reinspects the room while his hands Houdini open the food. This is his second time awake, and he seems kind of disappointed. "You haven't moved me yet?"
The room you're in clearly doesn't belong to any of you. There's a clunky, decently old TV in the center, in one of those cabinets you can close up, and a big black shelving unit of mostly boring DVDs, which you've already amused yourself with by having ｢Nowhere Man｣ bring to you. A lot of bric-a-brac, a piano in the far corner, good carpeting worn with age and bumps in the walls around the light fixtures. Wisps of yellow curtain block any view of the backyard, and the hallway blocks any hint of the front door.
It was the best they had on standby. There were a couple buildings like this that Adagio convinced people to leave, just in case things went south. That lady sure bounces back. The fact that the owners haven't come back yet, now that the power's worn off, is a relief to all of you.
"No reason to," you respond. You almost add 'None of your people are going to find you here,' but that would be too thick. Never argue with someone from a position of authority.
Flash keeps scanning the room. Your ghost is underneath of him on the couch, waiting to grab him. For the second time his eyes rest on your bandaged leg, laying out on the table.
"We don't have to keep you alive. If you throw that thing at my broken leg, I'm just going to kill you."
He doesn't look scared, but he does work the bar down to his mouth and take a bite off of it. "So how long until you interrogate me?"
You chuckle. He really thinks he's a captured spy, doesn't he? "We don't need to. We'll use you as a hostage while the girls sniff out the shards again. Once we have one, whoever gets it will just force you to tell us anything we don't know anyway."
He maintains his expression. "You don't really think it'll be that easy, do you?"
"Yes, it will. Now that we don't have to worry about being secretive, the Dazzlings can just find their pendants by being close to them. No one can take them on in a straight fight."
He mulls on that, and then he asks something completely unrelated. "Why are you working with them?"
Your shoulders set. "Because they deserve better than what your little friends did to them. They deserve to go home, instead of being trapped in a shithole of a universe like this one."
He looks at you, calmly. Searching, almost. His voice is low, curious. "You're really not being controlled by them, are you?"
Your blood boils, but your face doesn't change. "No, I'm not. It doesn't take brainwashing to see the world as it really is. You just have to get the right perspective." A perspective someone like Flash Sentry wouldn't have in a million years.
You can tell you're not getting through to him, but it doesn't matter. He used to be "nice" to you, is all, back... well, it feels like a long time ago, now. Walking up behind you and smacking you on the shoulder, ignoring how you flinched every time. Asking you about what you were doing on the weekend. Implying you should come along to some awful football party or something, like you'd never watched Carrie.
It was only a few days before he left you alone again, thankfully. You hardly remembered it, and you'd hoped he didn't either.
"I'm... not sure what to say to that." At least he's being honest, and not hurling some new reason to be all daisies about life at you.
All of that bullshit only serves to make you angry now. If people tell you enough times to take deep breaths when you're ready to hurt someone, the thought of actually doing it starts to piss you off even more. It's a web of bad expectations, ready to snare you the second you speak to the wrong person. And you already know whose expectations you care about, so let the whole web burn, and the rest of them with it.
Flash has eaten now, it's about time to put him back under. He'll start planning something otherwise, he's not stupid. You wish he was stupid, it would make it easier to just write him off.
"Anon?" he asks.
"What?"
"What made you give up?"
Ohh, of fucking course you spoke too soon. The soft self-righteousness is what gets you the worst.
You don't keep the edge out of your voice this time. "What, on being happy?" You all but spit on the carpet.
"On the world."
The world? That prison built by the people, for the people? "When I found something better." You feel yourself almost smirk. It's the closest you can get to smiling, normally, without looking like you're in pain.
He doesn't give you a reaction. "You want it for one of them, don't you? No bullshit?"
So he really could tell you weren't being controlled. You consider him for a moment.
"Yeah. I do." You don't dare say which one, just in case he figures out some way to hold one of the girls hostage. Not that you wouldn't risk yourself for Aria or Adagio - Sonata would feel awful if they weren't around.
"I know the feeling."
"Tch." You doubt it.
He goes on anyway. "You want her to get back home, no matter what you have to do. So long as she isn't miserable and trapped, everything else can work itself out. And when it's all over, whatever still needs to be taken care of, she'll be able to take care of it herself."
You nod, despite yourself. You didn't realize he was a... kindred spirit? "Is it Shimmer for you?"
He doesn't answer the question. "That kind of thinking is going to kill all of us."
You don't have anything to say back to him that isn't overly aggressive. Sonata will be back, soon, and you won't have to keep company with his thoughts after that.
Her eyes come back to you. Why are they different? What's so important about that, anyway?
Suddenly you feel something shift, and the coffee table is gone from under your foot. Not slid out, like your brain tells you it must have, just vanished completely. Your dead-weight leg hits the carpet, and sings out in pain as you slip down the chair.
St-Stand attack!
Flash is already up, the ropes completely gone. How did he--
He looks at you with some kind of pity in his eyes, an angel staring down on a demon as he pierces its side. Your hand's already at your side in the cushion, going for your second gun. Then the loveseat disappears, and the rest of you falls, destroying your balance again.
You feel like you're being shot again.
He heads out into the hallway, straight for the door. You still pick the metal up, and fire through the wall. The shot's silenced, but it slices through the front door, and it does what you intend it to. He stops before he can get outside. Now he's frozen, thinking - trying to determine where you're likely to fire next.
He could come in here, or run for the alcove the door's in. Either way, he won't make it. Fucking good-at-everything Stand prick... You fire a second shot at the door while he makes whatever decision he's going to.
"I can see where you are!" you shout to taunt him.
He doesn't answer, trying to keep his position secret. Bad listener. You've decided he doesn't understand what it means to fight for someone you love. He used to date Shimmer, but it was a high school relationship. He's not equipped to know the difference.
If he wasn't just trying to distract you, which of course he was. Pushing buttons, same as always, same as anyone trying to get something from you. He doesn't have anything that was on him when he came in, and he must be realizing that now.
The ghost originally under his couch rushes down the same path he took, ready to stop his heart.
It motivates him, footfalls coming from the hallway, and there's no doubt that he has an advantage. A track star like Flash Sentry could 100% win a straight sprint against your Stand. Even in unusual, foreign terrain, or a place with a lot of rough turns, you don't doubt that he'd pull through on adrenaline alone.
He turns the corner to the alcove, and you don't shoot him, because he sees her. Standing in the entryway, Flitter. And as he tries to push his way past her glowing green eyes and realizes why you can see him, your ghost catches up.
So do the other two, coming right out of the wall.
He slumps to the ground, the blue light representing him falling and dimming. After a moment it goes out completely.
You can suddenly hear yourself breathing, hard, and the gun drops out of your fingers.
Okay. Now, what are you going to do about your furniture?
Lavender Lace
Knock knock!
Late in the night, you hear it downstairs. You're Lavender Lace, unassuming blonde-haired CHS girl, watching some TV and avoiding your homework, and your parents are still supposed to be gone. Maybe they'll go away...
The knocking doesn't stop, or even slow down. It turns mechanical, like a four-year-old looking for attention. Knock knock knock knock--
Fine, fine! You get up off of your couch, passing by your phone. Just a glance through the glass eyehole thing, and then you can pretend you're not home. Just so long as you know it's not Sunset Shimmer coming to give you new orders, or some other super popular girl...
You look through, and it's Snips and Snails. Something important. Snips is the one who won't stop banging on the door like a police officer.
You take a moment to fiddle with the locks and then throw it open. Behind them is Fuchsia Blush - your old bandmate - and someone else... Mystery Mint, with that purple scarf matched by a coat! Your anger at the two boys shuffles into warmth, and then confusion.
It must be something important, to bring all of the gang together like this. You hold open the door so they can file in and no one reports this to your mom.
"Is this over Trixie?" Snips asks, the first one of you to speak.
"We haven't been able to find her ever since she got out of Canterlot General," Snails adds.
You shrug your shoulders nice and wide for them, but they don't look any less confused. Shouldn't one of your bosses have shown up with them? Or do they just like making you sweat? You realize the TV is the only light in the building right now, and you turn on a couple others in the living room, leaving just the kitchen in darkness.
"Yeah, what's this about?" Mystery asks, in her casual way. Her arms are crossed, and her eyes move from you to the rest of the group, looking for any answer. She, you and Fuchsia haven't been asked to do much of anything, except stay out of the way and give up a little information.
"I don't know," you say, after no one else pipes up.
"They didn't tell you?" She looks skeptical.
"Why would they?"
"Well, you are the one who called all of us here."
"Yeah." Snips chimes.
"What? No I didn't. I haven't talked to any of you in a week!"
Fuchsia holds her phone out to you while the others are still bringing it up on theirs. You lean in and see the group texts... sent from your phone and no one else's.
You gasp. That can't really be you! You rush over to your phone and pick it up, checking.
Yes, they were sent from yours only forty minutes ago. 'Come urgently. Need to talk about our next steps.' 'Come to my house. Front door will be unlocked.' In fact, half an hour ago you got some fresh air and found it was unlocked! You thought that was just your being forgetful!
"Someone's really trying to mess us up. They really want us to get scared." You say, looking at the other four. None of them know anything about hacking, and besides, you don't even think that's how it works. The texts would have to come from...
Inside the house.
"Ah-hem." The voice doesn't belong to any of you. It comes from the kitchen, the dark. You rush over and flip on the lightswitch, only for it to flip on by itself just before your fingers can make it.
While the light burns your eyes, you can see her. Trixie, sitting there on a stool at your parents' marbled island, eating a pack of cheesy peanut butter crackers from out of your pantry.
She looks up at the five of you. "So this is what happens to Trixie's teammates when someone puts a little pressure on them. I can see why you weren't told about the big showdown in the factory now." She crinkles the edge of the packaging absentmindedly. "Trixie thought she taught you better."
Ambush! Your ｢Two Door Cinema Club｣ flies out to hit her straight across the face, but ｢Busdriver｣ beats you to it. Snails' Stand is seriously beefy, and Snips is already leaping into action, too. The rest of you, the older girls, forget to move for a moment.
｢Busdriver｣ punches her straight in the head-- and then suddenly its fist jumps to the side, going straight past her. It doesn't even muss her hair. Fuchsia looks for an opening to use ｢Bike Thief｣, but doesn't find one, and Mystery Mint acts next, sinking into the floor.
But she doesn't make it. The ceiling suddenly fills your vision up, like a close up in a movie, and you realize you're falling, backwards, towards the ground.
Then, suddenly you're further away. The concomitant crashes sound out as you all scatter, and you wind up in front of the front door. How is she--?!
Your vision settles back on Snips, the closest one to her. She gets up off the stool, and her boots click against the floor. Snails is already up on his feet and bridging the distance, but with a flourish of her cape, he missteps and trips over again. Then she does something you've never seen her do, and throws a punch at Snips.
Even you can tell it's, what, 'choreographed'? He ducks it easily, is the point - but then he's back up in the air! Her fist connects with him, and he falls awkwardly, hitting his face against your countertop. Ouch.
You've got to do something! Snails' Stand rushes to throw another punch, before she can turn back to the rest of the group, and you run behind it. Then Snails' body shifts, tripping you, and his Stand halts.
Floating in front of Trixie, caught in the blue mist of ｢Abracadabra｣, is Snips. Her hand holds him by the back of his collar, and ｢Busdriver｣ retreats.
"Is this the kind of teamwork you decided on?" she scoffs, and drops Snips straight down. He falls over among the rest of you. She snaps your fingers and you're -
- Mid-air -
On your couch. There are just barely enough seats here to squeeze all of you onto them, and she stands there, surveying all of you.
"That was almost exercise. Now..." She waves an arm expansively at all of you, and you and Mystery flinch, expecting to hit another wall. "All of you were turned against Trixie in this little conflict. You were all willing to turn your back on the one who gave you a chance at everything." She sounds completely deluded.
It's almost funny how scary someone like her gets once they've broken into your home.
"Trixie is not yet willing to forgive you for that kind of heinous trespass against her and her livelihood. But as treacherous as you are, you are still pawns in this game, and she cannot stand to see her own students aiding a cabal of murderers and monsters."
Murderers and monsters? Mystery opens her mouth to say something, and thinks better of it.
"Now, before you decide your final placements on this big chessboard city, let Trixie explain what it is she wants from you..."
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Two Door Cinema Club｣
User: Lavender Lace
Ability: ???
Stand: ｢Bike Thief｣
User: Fuchsia Blush
Ability: ???
Stand: ???
User: Mystery Mint
Ability: ??? |
Care Root's Bizarre Adventure | The Romantics | Sunset
"...And that's why we need your help." You splay your hands to the people gathered around the conference table, the Shadowbolts. You don't quite know all of their names by heart yet, but none of them were too excited to come to CHS after hours and hang out in the staff areas. On your side there's only Flash and Twilight, your whole squad.
The lighter blue one with twintails has her arms crossed. She nods to the arrow on the table and deadpans. "If that thing really works, why don't you just use the magic to build another portal?" Everyone takes her lead and regards it with some skepticism.
You try your best to smile, like you were expecting questions after your sincere plea for help. "There was only so much magic left in this world when the portal closed. A lot of it was let out during the Friendship Games, but it's almost gone now, and even that much wasn't enough to fix the portal again. All the rest of it's... reverting."
Your mind goes to the Dazzlings for a moment. If they really are from the days of Star-Swirl the Bearded, they've been filter-feeding off of people for at least a thousand years. Lives spent scratching after each new bit of magic... they'll come for the gem, you know it.
It doesn't help that you only have one complete, and you're pretty sure they have another, or most of one. No matter what timeline you pull her from, Adagio never answers your questions. She never tells you how to escape, she just laughs at you or snarls, and then tries to hurt someone.
"What do you mean by 'reverting'?" Lemon Zest asks. She's kind of slumped over her chair, chin rubbing into her arm, but at least she's paying attention.
You cough, and Flash brings over a small dog-crate. Inside, there's some neutral, suspicious snuffling. Butterfingers, you woke him up.
You place it on the table so everyone can see him. "This was... is, Twilight's dog. A week ago he fell through a portal started by rampant Equestrian magic and started talking, with human vocal cords, in full English, for hours on end. Now..." You wave a hand at Spike, and his eyes follow it. Then, he scratches himself.
Sour shudders, and Lemon looks suddenly very teary-eyed. It's good to know that there are dog people no matter what world you live in.
"If you agree to this, one of you will have to take care of him. We can't risk anything happening." You say.
Some of them nod to themselves. Sour Sweet's face has been swinging from placid to mournful to muttering this whole time, but you can't make out her words. It's not like it's a big condition compared to tracking down immortal monsters or repairing ancient magical artifacts from the wrong end.
One of them raises her voice. "Why us?" You definitely don't need to squint to see her, her hair looks like the wrapping on energy drinks, except for the goggles.
"We, uh... we thought, since you were sort of Twilight's friends, and you knew about Equestrian magic more than anyone randomly on the street, we could trust you with this kind of power."
"You mean you didn't want a Wondercolt getting put in harm's way." The same girl.
"No, we're going to have to use the arrow on some of them if this looks like it might not work out. Once we're out of usable magic... well, that's it, so we've got to use it for something. But when we do that, we're going to have to do it carefully." You explain.
Eyes fall on the arrow again. Twintails speaks, and the sentence trails into the room. "You're not going to erase our memories, are you?" Emphasis on 'our'.
You were worried about this, but you decided that they had to know everything ｢MS｣ could do. Honesty's an important part of friendship, of harmony. This isn't going to work if you're just yelling at them to do things, that didn't even work all the time when you bossed around Snips and Snails.
"If not all of you think this is a good idea, we'll have to, but just to make sure that everything stays secret. But I promise neither of us will use it on you any other time."
That brings a somber mood to the room, but hopefully you didn't just ruin your chances. You don't have room to do this wrong, not right now. A few conversations with people down the line has taught you that manipulation will be necessary, but you want to stick to the truth. Honesty, honesty, until you have to diverge from that path.
Sour speaks, for the first time you can actually make out. She's still in mutter-mode, though, talking with a kind of shadow over her face. "If this doesn't work, that's going to be it. We're all stranded."
Twintails weighs in, in almost the same tone. "If it's for Twilight, then it's bigger than us. Only someone heartless would say no to that."
Indigo nods with her eyes closed. "Simplifies it." No one raises any further objection.
Okay, breathe, you think you've got it. "Alright. Just remember, if you get lucky then we might not need to do this at all." You try to survey the room.
Maybe not the best idea to give them hope when you don't know what could happen. Some people might not be strong enough, and you haven't really warned them about that. They all stare up at you, patiently.
You laugh, nervous. "Uh, so, who wants to go first?"
Care
It's the evening, and you're staying at home, trying to vacuum the water-stains out of your carpet. Trixie took the car, you don't know where. It's not like you were going anywhere today. From what you can tell, your time in this purgatory's going to keep on running.
It's still ridiculous how fast something that important happened. You didn't know Golden very well, and you won't insult her by pretending to be more hurt than you really are, but you're definitely hurt for Derpy. It doesn't help the guilt that she wasn't really your family member, that she was distant or she once tried to put you in a hospital.
Just a few seconds with three random girls, making an escape too late, and the whole thing was already played out somehow. If you'd been awake to help her, you could've at least taken that bullet. Or could you have?
Like always, the lights sparkle in your future and taunt you. They're still there, they're still there. You swear, if you see that arrow again you're vaporizing it on the spot, no matter what it costs. And if that doesn't work, whoever's holding it.
You brood for a while, until there's a knock on the door.
Your heart jumps. Trixie hasn't been gone for very long, but you didn't get the feeling that she was getting you takeout or anything. You also know she can get in without a key, so there's no need to knock, and it's well past dark.
You sigh. It's probably Fido, or the Shadowbolts, or the Dazzlings, or the Crusaders, or Sunset, or Flash, or Anonymous, or Golden's ghost, or another evil version of you, or... you trudge to the door and look through the blinds.
...! Derpy!
She turns to your peering eyes, and she looks as sweet as ever. She's sad, but... more pitying than anything, like it would only be okay if you were happy.
You open the door, fast. Then your mouth moves, but it's too dry to talk.
After a moment you choke something out. "D-Derpy, I didn't know you were coming."
She comes closer and puts her arms around you. The hug is light, but you think she can probably feel your heartbeat now. It's running high; you were expecting more of a slap, to be honest, or another blow to the head from ｢Spinal Tap｣.
She pulls away from you, and she's blinking back tears. Then her eyes flutter closed, and she moves to kiss you. And a tiny barrier of light, smaller than a handkerchief, bounces up between your faces.
She bumps it before you can say something, and her eyes open again, surprised. You can see as the sadness in them deepens, and your heart shrivels up and dies with the sight.
"We have to talk." She says, suddenly straightfaced.
You nod, mouth dry again, and close the door behind her. Then you turn on a light and escort her over to the couch, and she tells you the story of what happened after you lost consciousness.
She goes light on the details of Golden's death, and you don't hurt her by asking for more. Trixie already told you as much as she could about all of it, of course, but not about this ball of light you gave her somehow, ｢Spinal Tap｣'s attacks on the whole conference room, the race outwards.
And not what Twilight knew. Derpy tells you that Twilight cried out for help in the heat of the moment, that she needed to be rescued. She never showed a Stand, and she didn't know exactly what Sunset was trying to do - she was just as much of a victim as the rest of you, used for her brains.
And then comes the good news. "-But now she's on our side. I've got her. And if ｢Spinal Tap｣ keeps gathering the gems, we can just hide them with Trixie's Stand until we have all of them! I'll already have a few by tomorrow morning." She's leaning forward a bit, arms resting on her knees, smiling genuinely but with water still in her eyes.
You lean forward too, until it's like you're two kids in a secret clubhouse. "That's great. Once we can get all three of them, we can wrap it up in a day or so. It'll take a little bit to wait until good things can happen to me again, but if we can hold them off for a dozen more days..."
Your voice trails off when you notice she's shaking her head. Her eyes are lowered to her knees, to the floor. You watch, and wait for some sign of what you're supposed to do.
"There's bad n-news too," she says, quietly.
You try to be gentle, and you rest a hand on her knee. "I know."
She shakes her head again. "No, not her. Not just her. It's something else, I only learned today. My, m-my parents had us sit down for it, and they told us..." She hiccups. You've never heard her do that before, it sounds childish except there's something sick to it, and she starts shaking again.
No, no, no... You can see why your power didn't stop her from coming here, or cut her brakes or something like that. This won't be a happy memory for you. But for her, you have to do something.
You bridge the distance between the two of you and put your hands on her shoulders. Something stops you a few inches away, two tiny, hand-shaped platforms like hologram blueprints of gloves. She doesn't notice, and you don't give her time to. It might doom you in the end, it might drag you away into hopelessness, but right now ｢Timbuk Three｣ is still your Stand. And as long as you can use it, as long as you have a future left to fuel it with, it will do as you say!
You burn away something small and distant, and don't mourn the loss, and the platforms disappear. You feel her again, hands on her shoulders gripping onto her like she's the only real thing in the world.
They squeeze her arms and you pull her against you. It's awkward, both of you half-standing and half-kneeling, but you don't let go. She cries into your collarbone, hands clenched into fists at the base of your neck. You only hear sound when she breathes out, sharp and high.
In that moment you remember burning the entire arm off of a Shadowbolt to protect her, and you're not sorry for it.
She calms down a little bit, face still planting against you, hair draped over your hands. Then a little more, by degrees.
You wait, and keep burning tiny moments. "Whatever it is, it'll be okay. We'll handle it somehow, just like everything else." You say, and she looks up at you, with red-rimmed, sore-looking eyes. "I promise. I'm not giving up on you, ever, not if you don't tell me to."
She blinks, and stands up a little taller, kissing you. It's something informal, almost sloppy, more about the thought than the act. You don't care that your mouths almost miss. It's the seal of something important here. Even if you're going to suffer like this, you can still create a good future. For her.
She pulls away and catches her breath. You lower her back to the sofa, and get ready to listen.
She rubs the back of her arm against her eyes, and then starts. "My parents made plans months ago, but they were saving it to surprise us at the end of the school year, and now that Golden's gone they've pushed everything ahead, because they don't think Canterlot's a safe place any more." They have a point, it probably isn't - wait. "They're already rescheduling everything, they'll have it ready in the next two weeks, just as fast as they can get the passports updated."
Passports...? "What are you saying?"
She looks like someone's making her plunge a knife in your chest, like if she could just not speak, you would be alive later tonight.
"We're moving back to France."
Sunny Flare
Urghhh.
You're coming to. Your head hurts, fiercely, but you're upright. That's peculiar. You don't feel air on your wrists, and when you open your eyes, you can see that your computers are still with you.
You're sitting in an empty room in a not-uncomfortable chair, good except for the crick in your neck and a little blood on the front of your blouse. And your computers are still there. They're not any good in combat, of course - in fact, they're more like PDAs, but you expected them to be gone.
You reach a hand for your pocket to make sure the rest of your things are still with you, and find your arm's tied to the chair. So's the other one, and as your legs come awake you see they're stuck there too. Okay, okay. You turn and scan the room, looking for Sugarcoat.
She's next to you, alright, and already awake. You meet her eye, and she's been looking at you coolly for a while. Her hands are gripping the wooden arms of her chair tight, and you're surprised she hasn't ripped them right off. She looks annoyed, but not with you; there's something fearless in her eyes.
"You're awake." In comes the voice of the little pink one, from behind you. You crane your neck, and it protests harder; she's standing at the only entrance to the room, with her father standing over her.
Okay, which floor are you on? And what's the girl's Stand do?
Sugarcoat bites into the conversation. "You think you're going to interrogate us?"
It definitely packs a punch, plus it was able to move her around... and they somehow defeated Sugarcoat, even though she could've out-threatened them with ｢Nails for Breakfast｣.
Diamond speaks up as they enter. "Yes, actually." But nothing about that makes sense, unless they had better reflexes, or maybe if it healed the damage somehow. Something like that. Regardless, it's a Stand you don't want to go up against without more information. The windows in the room are dark, but you can see a few tree branches outside.
Second or third floor, probably. Were there more from the outside?
They walk around so that you don't have to turn to face them. Ooh! Filthy's holding the stone!
Your eyes turn from it to Sugarcoat. She doesn't look back, and if she gives you some sign, you don't see it. You didn't have a plan for getting captured and then tied to chairs and interrogated. You'd assumed that it would just be... over, then. Maybe...
Sugarcoat spits at the two. "We'll die before we tell you anything!"
Diamond keeps smiling. "Don't be dramatic. We know how to find your families, we know how to counter your Stands, and if you don't tell us what we want to know, we can just call the police on you for trying to steal from us."
"Yeah, and we can just get someone on our side to erase their memories! If you think we've never had to fool them, you've gotta be more sheltered than you look." Okay, she might want to tone it down from there.
Sugarcoat was the type who listened close to other people, who really got to the center of whatever they were talking about. She spoke with a scalpel. Did they give her brain damage, or what? Even you could tell that some of what those two were saying was a bluff.
"What is it you're trying to find out?" You ask them, eyes moving from the daughter to the father.
What kind of a crazy daddy would let his kid interrogate people who threatened to kill both of them?!
You notice that Sugarcoat's glaring at you, and it raises the hairs on your neck with a sense of genuine betrayal. Diamond ignores her a lot better than you do, and takes the Siren gem from her father politely. Then, she holds it up, like you're about to adjust a monocle and inspect it more closely.
Yes, of course, it's the big red magical rock.
"This. I want to know everything. Every detail you have about it and the other two, who wants it, and what for." She says. You probably don't have your magic detector on you, do you? You still don't understand how she could've assembled a gem so quickly, or why she would've hidden it all underneath of her bed, but it scares you more than a little.
"We really haven't been told much. Sunset Shimmer just wants them so she can reopen the gateway to her world." It doesn't actually hurt anything to explain that far. She pals with another kid who stole this gem in the first place, and through a network of connections she traces back to Care Root.
The look on her face solidifies that she's probably heard this before. But then she asks another question. "Why?"
"...'Why' what?"
"Why reopen the portal?"
"So she can go home?" You try to put a good intonation into that one.
For some reason, she doesn't buy it. "Really? She didn't seem to want that before now. What changed in the last three months to make her so interested in going back again?"
Sugarcoat scoffs rather violently, but doesn't say anything. You put on an unamused face. "When people lose things, they tend to want them back more than if they hadn't lost them in the first place. She found out what her world meant to her."
Filthy speaks, and it kind of jars you. "And what does that have to do with the two of you?" It must be late night for him to have been caught up on all of this.
Sugarcoat answers him. "We're helping her because it's the right thing to do! And we're not going to back down from saving the world because of a pointless setback like this, either!" Diamond keeps a straight face, but her father raises an eyebrow. Damn it, Sugarcoat.
"We want to help her because the worlds need to stay connected together. Remove Equestria, and magic's going to shrivel away in this one. That's more than anyone should have to lose." As you say it, you realize it's actually a decent argument. You don't know what magic can do, or even if it can help people do more than cheat at competitions, but there must be some way to build a technology around it. If only the patent office would believe "friendship power" was legitimately claimable...
"And what about Care?" Diamond asks you, directly.
You manage to look nonchalant. "What about him? He had one of the pieces and we had to take it from him."
She gives you a 'come on now' look. "We both know he didn't have a piece of this when you went after him. The only one of us who had one was me, the whole way. You only fought with him at the same time that some fake copy of him was trying to hurt Derpy, not to come after this."
She's so smug you wish you could box her one. Thanks, Sherlock. "Fine. We went after him because he was a big threat. If he used his power the wrong way, it would've ruined everything we were trying to accomplish."
"Oh? And how's that?"
Isn't it obvious? "Well, by destroying-" you start, and then stop yourself, and clamp your mouth firmly shut.
Okay, you're an idiot. Diamond's smugness increases, and you've had more than enough of this.
"By destroying one of these gems, do you mean? If there are only two left, no one will be able to use them?" She hefts it again, back up into your vision. You grit your teeth, but keep your mouth shut.
Sugarcoat sighs. "Don't be stupid. They're indestructible." She bites back something extra, something more like Indigo. She looks tired.
"Then it shouldn't matter if I just handed it to my father here, should it? His Stand wouldn't turn it into a trillion dollars and ruin your plans forever?" She feints handing it over to him, watching both of you for struggling.
You don't give her the satisfaction. "｢Royals｣." The visible chair disappears just as you push up out of it. Its twin, flipped vertically into the floor, stays in contact with your shoes for a moment, and then you're moving. You've got handcuffs dangling on your extremities, and the ones on your ankles slap against the carpet dully. Whatever.
Diamond's backing away, and you take the advantage, barely even noticing Filthy Rich behind her. You half-expect her to disappear, but her Stand doesn't activate. In a single rough swipe, you rip the gem out of her hand.
Now, push out the bad memories of that track scholarship...
Your entire body turns, kicking against where she'd just been standing. The world lurches underneath of you sickly, not fast enough, and you get the sensation of running in a nightmare, being chased by things infinitely faster than you. Then the slow motorcyclish turn ends, and you've made the steps to the Sugarcoat.
"That's the right stuff, Flare!" She shouts, rattling the handcuffs, eyes wide.
A hand on her chair, and suddenly there's a second seat jutting out of the back, arms and all. You grab one of those, and focus again - the original disappears, and gravity takes control of your de-facto boss.
She crouches before she can fall on her butt, and then you throw the chair at your two enemies. Filthy grabs it, and it explodes into money before reforming out of the air into a gun.
Really?!
"Shoot me! Shoot me and you'll just shoot her! ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣!" Sugarcoat shouts, and you can see her neck change, standing out from the rest of her like a single patch of tie-dye in a fancy suit. Diamond's changes too.
You see an opportunity: quickly you come up behind Sugarcoat, and fling one of your handcuffs around her throat.
Then you raise your voice, which you'd prefer never to have to do. "If you shoot, I'll make this puncture her throat!"
Filthy stares at you for a minute, and he's really not going to back down, is he? Could his Stand just give her a skin graft in a matter of seconds, before it would matter? How would he know it sure enough to risk his daughter's life?
Then he turns the gun down, away from you. You think for a moment that he's putting it down at his side, but his finger doesn't leave the trigger. He turns it to the side, to... his daughter's throat.
Sugarcoat's.
You stare at this utter madness, and he looks back up at the two of you soundlessly. Neither of you move, and you feel Sugarcoat breathing against you, all shoulders. She only has one throat, that's not something that ｢Royals｣ could fix, and to your knowledge she hasn't used her ability on any other people lately, any bystanders or random people. That would be horrible, but in the heat of the moment it's not as horrible as being alone here with these two.
No one speaks for a moment, and then finally the one who opens her mouth is Diamond. She sighs, a little annoyed. "This has been very interesting, but I think I've had enough of it. ｢Pink Act 2｣."
Something small, kind of like ｢Lemon Demon｣, comes floating over towards you. It's almost all pink, and it's bright and hard to look at. Despite your general panic at your situation, a new layer of foreboding enters your mind.
"She's going to put us back in the chairs! Don't let it touch you!" Sugarcoat says to you.
You're close to the exit. If you can just make it a few paces further, you'll be outside and you can slip away somehow! But it comes drifting towards you like a nightmare, relentless even if it's not moving quickly. You can't get out of here without the element of surprise, so what? What do you do?!
Sugarcoat strains to do something, you can feel her muscles tightening. She puts her hands to her head, and a clump of white hair falls out onto the carpet. You look at it in horror, and then up to the Stand - it's upon you.
Okay, Stands can fight Stands. You don't have one that floats around you like other people do, yours is stuck to your palms, but maybe you can block it or something like that!
You lurch with this hasty idea, ready to test it out, when Sugarcoat shouts. "｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣!" When it comes out, her voice cracks, rasping on too-high syllables.
You expect her to switch something with you, but there's nothing - and nothing with Filthy or Diamond, either. No, something... appears, in front of her, like a third person in the room. It's entirely dressed up in a motorcycling outfit, dark helmet and all. It was hers, back in the Games. Indigo's, you remember watching her practice for it.
It stands between you and the much smaller pink apparition, and for the first time both of your interrogators look surprised. Then it bends its legs a little, assuming a different posture, defensive.
You don't waste time watching. It jabs ｢Pink Act 2｣ while you back up out of the door, and the two start genuinely fighting. Then Sugarcoat starts to buckle in your arms, like she's lifting something her own weight. The Stand falters for a moment, fading and then returning, and you turn with her and run out the door.
You almost have to drag her behind you, and a gunshot rings out past you, but it's much too late. With chains clanking behind you like a ghost out of A Christmas Carol, you race down the nearest hallway, making as many turns as possible.
Care
"France?" you chew on the toughest syllable of your life.
Derpy nods. "I tried to stop them, but they think it's just... too much. They don't trust me right now, to know what to do."
She looks dejected by that. You don't know how to relate to her; it wasn't like your parents were really very... hands-on.
You try to be comforting. "Well, we can still... write each other? I mean, I'll be out of school after the next semester, I can just move to where you are." It wouldn't actually be nearly that easy, but... well, it's not like it's just your future you've been fighting for. For the both of you combined, you can endure that.
She nods, since she's already ahead of you. "Yes, but... what if being too far away shorts out your power? I-I mean, how can all of those good things happen for us if we're not going to see each other?" She looks up at you, her face a mask of worry.
You stroke one of her bangs reassuringly. "You shouldn't be thinking about that right now. You've been through so much in the last day, I don't want you to be afraid for me too."
"But if something happens to you, all of this, it'll all be for nothing! Even Golden just wanted to make sure that things would work out between us, and now she's dead and everything's falling apart anyway!" She doesn't have any more crying left in her right now, and she looks at you almost accusingly.
This damned Stand. Was it just a curse from the beginning, with no hope for either of you? You've often thought that it would be easier on you to not have ｢Timbuk Three｣, but to think about the lives that would be saved...
You push that out of your mind, you've run through these thoughts too many times now. Thinking too much about the wrong things is a big problem for you.
After a moment, you respond. "I don't know what to say to that, for sure. Maybe it is doomed. But if it is, it won't hurt you for very long. If we get to the very bottom of the lights, then... then I'll just burn those ones out so you can move on."
She stares at you for a long, frozen moment, and then pushes you away from her. And as you search her face for a sign of what you just did wrong, she reaches a new level of upset.
Before it was the world that was unfair, but now she's upset with you, and you can feel the emotions running off of her and towards you in waves. For a moment it looks like new tears have suddenly been commandeered, but she just shakes to herself.
You step closer, hand raised diffidently to try offering her some comfort. It feels wrong that the two of you aren't touching any longer. "I didn't mean-"
She raises her voice over you. "Don't talk that way! After everything that we've done together, and everything that we've had to give up, you'd just throw it all away?!"
For her, probably.
"I only meant that... as a complete last resort, if both of us had to choose between being miserable..."
You don't know how to word what you're trying to say, and her eyes aren't making it easier for you. "I don't want you to die! You can't just burn everything out and, and leave me behind! We have to get through this together!"
That's not what you meant! And it's not realistic, you can't just expect that things will work out that way! For a moment you wonder if Sunset sent another version of Derpy to find you, and then you feel disgusted with yourself, as low as before you ever met her.
"Derpy, I..." You don't know what you're trying to say now, but you have to flail your way to something, anything to lift this feeling. It's crushing your heart, now.
She doesn't cut you off, and you go on. "I love you, and... I don't want to pull you down with me. I'll fight as hard as I can for what we have, so we can build up a future together, but... Derpy, it just doesn't look like it's going to happen."
"Don't say that!" she shouts, the edge wavering wetly in her voice. "I believe in you! And I need you to believe in this, too! Do you think I'll just find someone else on the street who's like you, Care?"
The last question hits you square between the eyes. You blink. "What do you mean?" There are tons of people like you, you're nothing very special.
She half chuckles to herself, like you just told a joke. "Care, you're... you're one of the nicest people I've ever known, and you've put your life in danger for me, and my sisters, and just to give us all a future! You're smart, you're sweet, you get lost and nervous so easily--"
You have a hard time keeping eye contact with her, and not for obvious reasons. She steps closer, suddenly the warmer one of the two of you, though not by much. And she lowers her voice.
"If I was the one with ｢Timbuk Three｣, would you ever want me to sacrifice myself so you could, could... 'move on'?"
"Of course not." Your voice comes out bested and breathy. You'd struggle, and struggle, until there was nothing to do at all. You'd tie yourself to her destiny until you made something of it or every last moment was disintegrated.
"Then don't say it like I could do that."
Before you can think, you stick your foot in it again. "But that's... that's not what this is."
Her mouth purses, but she lets you talk.
Images of the other version of you, aloof and casually evil, flash through your awareness. "｢Timbuk Three｣ is the only reason I was able to meet you in the first place, and understand how... how much you matter. In some other world, you don't have to worry about being stuck to my destiny."
As the words roll out, you try to think of some gentle way to restate yourself, so she at least understands. If this all goes south, you don't want to launch it on her in the moment. You could give it all up for her, but not if it had to be a cruel surprise.
Frustration takes over her again. "In another world, I'm dead!"
...Oh. That's not something you've wanted to think about. You know what the other version of you said that night, you and her shared everything, but you zoomed right over it in the recap. It definitely wasn't something you could imagine ever doing, not in a million years, not even on accident.
"But that might be a freak chance event! If there are enough other universes to get my evil twin out of, there must be plenty of them where none of this happened at all, and you're perfectly happy in at least some of them!" Okay, you may be mathematically inclined, but talking about apparently-proven theoretical physics is outside of your wheelhouse.
"What about you?" she asks.
"What do you mean?"
"There must be plenty of universes where you're happy with someone else, right?"
You think a moment, and shake your head minutely. That's... a little too far-fetched.
Her shoulders sag, and her eyes develop a glaze of pity. "You really don't think you deserve me, do you?"
Of course you don't. You killed her sister, you dragged her into a war, you shackled her to a destiny designed to make her miserable...
"No," you say the word softly, hoping that it'll make the impact less painful for her - although you don't really know why it would hurt. You feel a kind of submerged shame at how little you understand this pattern.
"Do you think I deserve you?"
It doesn't hurt to be honest about that. "I think you deserve better than me." You stop for a moment, shaking your head and appending yourself. "Not that I want you to leave. I'm just... I'm no good at this. Let's not fight."
"Who?" she steps closer, and you almost take a step back.
"Huh?"
"Who do I deserve?"
Well, it's not like you have a list running of people your girlfriend should be with who aren't you; one answer comes to mind, and doesn't make room for substitutes. "Wh-whoever you want. Anyone."
She's intent now. The way that you've cycled through these emotions... a couple months ago, you wouldn't have felt anything this strongly in the course of a whole week. In some ways, you'd take that numbness over the discomfort you're feeling now.
"And who do you deserve, then?" Her voice is low.
You look at her and try to come up with an answer. It's like you just turned the wrong corner, mentally - but again, it's not like you were obsessed with ranking yourself in the dating pool, ever. And you're still not, for obvious reasons.
...A response doesn't show up.
She gives one for you. "'Nobody'. Is that it?"
You feel suddenly, strangely, like she's seeing inside of you, and both of your hands come up placating. "Okay, it was a stupid thing to bring up. It's just... how I feel sometimes, and I wasn't trying to hurt you with it. I'm sorry."
She waits for you to finish, unmoving. Then, before you can blink, she bridges the short distance between you.
Her hands are clutching at your arms, tight, almost painful. You feel a sudden, squirming need to pull away for a moment. Normally being close to her is impossibly wonderful, but right now you just want a moment of breathing space.
"Look at me," she says, and you do. Then she takes a deep breath, and for a second you can hear nothing except your fridge and the lights. "Say you deserve me."
You have to admit, the words fluster you, and you already regret bringing this up. A couple of minutes ago you were busy dealing with France, weren't you? But if you just say the words, she might be appeased.
"I... but I don't..." They don't come.
She scowls, and then something sweeps your legs out from under you, from behind, and this realization only hits once you're already halfway to the ground. You fall onto your carpet, already searching for your attacker.
You catch a glimpse of something, and roll over onto your stomach to reorient yourself towards it; in the attempt, you get enough of a look to realize it's ｢Spinal Tap｣'s tail. Then, as quickly as it came, it disappears back into the air, and there's a sudden, breath-squeezing weight settling on your back. You try to roll over, and it doesn't move.
"Are you sitting on me?" you twist your head hard enough to see her doing exactly that. She's staring off into space neutrally while she compresses your lumbar.
You have trouble lifting bags of road salt. Would it be inappropriate to laugh at this?
"You know what you have to do. I saw what happens to you when you think that way, and I'm not letting it happen here."
｢Timbuk Three｣'s sudden unwillingness to separate the two of you is like a bad joke. You try to tell yourself that she's just trying to help you to get her mind off of what's happened to her, but... well, you're trying to help her too, and for the same reasons, so that's no argument. You...
You sigh. Just bite the bullet already!
"Fine, alright, uncle!"
She doesn't so much as breathe at you.
"I deserve you." It comes out sounding normal, but each syllable had to roll its way into place. You feel dirty, but not as much as you felt on the cusp of saying it.
"Now promise me you'll never destroy your future to make me move on from you."
First off, that's not what you meant. "I can't promise something like that, I don't know what's in the future!" You realize the irony. "Well, much."
"I can stay here all night, but you're not getting up until you say it." She says matter-of-factly, still busily inspecting two random points on your wall.
You know she's not going to be reasonable, or realistic. It's something you love about her, but you're learning it doesn't go away. This whole relationship has been about holding on for dear life.
...Would she have liked you, if ｢Timbuk Three｣ hadn't put you together?
It doesn't matter. You have to make her happy.
"Okay. I promise." You say, and get no response. You say it a second time, more deliberately. "I promise I won't burn out my future just so you can be happy."
The pressure on your spinal column lifts, and you roll over. Oof.
She's kneeling beside you, brushing the dust off your shoulders as you sit up. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" She's smiling, thinly, like some victorious angel.
You did your job.
Sugarcoat
You got out!
It took getting through the overdecorated overlarge overmansion, but no one else was around to stop you. The brat and her father never caught up with you, although they still have your phones. Both are encrypted, but with their resources, they might already know everything on them, which is why you're utterly failing to dial a number in this phone booth right now.
You didn't realize these things still existed, but clearly your body's rejecting them. There's some extreme pain in your abdomen right now, and this life-forsaking monster headache... Your fingers slip on the fifth number, again, like you're some kind of invalid. You can hardly put the next quarter in, and when you do, you see liver spots running up your arm.
Oh, no, they're just patches of freakish mismatched skin. Great.
Your hand hovers over the numbers, but you don't press any of them yet. First, you switch hands with Sunny, and the shakiness goes away for a minute. She makes no sign of noticing, standing watch outside. Not a very good watch, if she can't even figure out that you took her hand away from her. The streets are mostly empty by now, mostly, but a city's a city.
The numbers come easy now, and you resist the sudden stupid urge to celebrate your progress. The headache helps, and you put a hand to your forehead while you cup the probably-diseased phone to your ear. At least in this tight space you can lean on the wall.
It rings, and keeps ringing for a while. If this one doesn't work, it'll be Lemon, then Sunset.
...It draws into those infernal extra rings, the ones that can go on for minutes on end.
When she finally answers, she's lucky you haven't hung up and redialed. "What?"
"Sour, it's us. Things got majorly fucked, but-"
"Sugarcoat? We were worried about you! Where are you?"
"They've got an entire gem already, we're coming your way. We have to regroup before they can put the police on us or do something worse." No more sleeping in your house. Not until they can get the arrow free, and present circumstances make that less and less likely. If Care weren't around to have all these ridiculous overcomplicated plans maypoled around, this would all have been settled forever ago!
"Well, get the hell over here!"
"I don't know where you are."
"They called all of us to the Sweet Shoppe so we can plan."
Good thinking. "That's not too far. We'll be there soon, but we're coming on foot."
You can't believe you had to ditch your fucking car, but you couldn't even find it in the driveway. Bastard probably turned it into money or reversed it out of time or some other freaky shit. You huff.
"Well, hurry. We were all about to go on a rescue mission and it's two in the - what's that?" Her voice travels away from the phone for a second. Then there's a pair of shouts, indistinct. This connection's despicable, and your headache's getting worse.
"Sour?" You press your hand into your hair, and you something feels off. A thick clump of white comes away, with a few strands of blue underneath it - you stare at it as some commotion starts on the other end of the line.
"Is that - oh, shit." Danger of some kind, and it's not where you are. You feel the oddest kind of longing, one you wouldn't even notice if it didn't hit you like nausea.
Sour's voice comes closer again, now swiveling to 'peppy'. "We'll actually need to raincheck that, I think. The Sirens just showed up."
You open your eyes fully, and the headache seems to lift from you. "Which ones?"
You hear the phone move, and your question doesn't get an answer. The snarlier voice comes on a moment later. "They're standing outside. Pinkie's the only one with keys for the back, but it doesn't matter anyway since they put a bunch of those black rope things outside of it."
They're playing for keeps. It scares you how that's the only way you can think to summarize it. You try to figure out what they might be planning, but those parts of your mind are being roadblocked.
"We're on our way." Of course something awful would happen just now, the universe is too mean-spirited to let you off the hook once or twice -- but now you have something to do.
You drop the phone without hanging up, leaving Sour to figure out that you're not around any more. Before it can collide with the glass of the inner booth, you've already spun on your heels and opened the door. You do something like storming outside of it, more aware of the way your feet are hitting the ground and trying to lengthen your strides.
Sunny turns over to you just as you've built into a jog. "What's-"
"I'll explain on the way." You grab her by the arm and tear her away from her post.
It's only once you're in motion that you start really thinking. The Shoppe isn't someplace you've gone regularly, but you know it's at least a dozen blocks away from where you are now, so you'll just have to make time.
Sunset
You're in a small backroom, an office next to the larger oven-centric space you'd expect in the back of the cafe, surrounded by the forces you're trying to rally. All three of the Dazzlings are outside, and they're willing and able to kill in pursuit of their goals.
You don't know how they know you'd be here, but it might have been by following Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest. If that really is how they did, then they've seen the shipping container. You'll have to think of some way to move her, discreetly.
At this exact moment, you've got five people with you, one outside and another two on the way. Aria's got you surrounded already, which means it might be a siege situation.
You stop thinking and start talking. "Sour, Lemon, go defend the doors." They clamber off, closest to them anyway. "Everyone else, our first priority is getting out of here safely. If we can get to ｢Party Rock｣, we can do that for sure. Does anyone have a phone?"
Fluttershy nods sheepishly and raises hers while the others search for theirs. "I do."
"Good. Call Pinkie. Everyone else, form a second line and support the Shadowbolts. If Sunny Flare and Sugarcoat are coming here, we've got to be ready to pick them up."
"We're on it!" Rainbow all but cheers, and heads out to help the defense effort.
You stand up and pocket your half-a-gem, mind working furiously. No more casualties. You head outside to get an eyeful of the scene.
Yep, they're there alright. Adagio stands in the center, just outside of your doors, hands behind her back. She's not in the singing outfit, just a hoodie. If you didn't know more about them, you'd think all three of them were just slightly shady girls. No doubt she wants to talk to you.
You step forward from behind your friends, and stride up to the Shadowbolts. Both of their Stands are out - Lemon Zest is half-crouching. No one moves except you, and quietly you push the door open, not wide enough to enter or exit.
The night air scalds your nose as you speak. "Where's Flash?"
Adagio smiles. "Give us the gem and we'll tell you."
You say nothing.
"You've got an awful lot of people in there, don't you? Oh, and they all smell just like Equestrian magic, imagine that."
"They have Stands, and none of them are ones you'd want to mess around with."
She waves a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, I'm sure your pet humans are well-protected. It's a shame you didn't bring them to meet us a day ago, I think we'd have liked being reacquainted."
This is exactly what you've been trying to avoid. You can't risk them. They're the island of hope that you had once you stopped trying to hurt people for power. You aren't going to let them be put in harm's way over this!
"That really was an interesting tactic, though, opening a portal by channeling the magic through your body. Although you would die if you pulled it off, even with the perks of not being from around here." Her voice is conversational, but her smile makes you want to attack her.
You deflect her probe. "Maybe you don't understand as much as you think you do."
Her expression doesn't change. "Oh, very good. It's too bad that I'm better. Maybe I won't give you Flash back."
Sonata titters, and her voice is small. "Flash-back."
Adagio rolls her eyes.
"I'm going to give you one more chance." You say this, and her eyebrow raises another three notches. "Once I have all three of the gems and the portal's opened, I'm going to destroy them if they're not broken already. The three of you will starve, in pain, for the rest of time, and I'll make sure that no one in Equestria ever lets you back inside."
Aria, silent up to now, gives a single, dismissive 'pah'. Adagio closes her eyes and covers her mouth, hiding a giggle on the edge of politesse.
Then she answers for the three of them, without even looking at the other two. "You don't really think we care if there's a portal to Equestria or not, do you?" You start to say something, and then hesitate as she goes on. "We've been here long enough to get over our homesickness. It's not much of a world, but... well, we've got plans for it." Another unpronounced smile lights up her face, but the eyes make it cruel.
"Then I've got bad news for you." The headlights come on, and all three of them look towards them, too late.
｢Party Rock｣ crashes straight for them, sending them flying like ragdolls. Pinkie stops it, and the whole yellow body of it lurches behind her. Then she yanks the lever, and the bus door opens with the typical hydraulic wheeze.
You push open the Shoppe door and wave your friends through. As they hurry for the bus, you nod to Lemon and Sour too. They know you're in no real danger, for now.
You know that if Adagio just started clawing at your eyes, you might have some trouble, and enough Equestrian magic might hurt, too. Mostly, the only thing that can hurt you is yourself. You wish Twilight were here, she'd say something to make it feel less stressful.
You shout after them as you leave yourself, door banging shut behind you. "Call Sugarcoat and figure out where they are!"
Lemon shouts back to you, her face suddenly nervous. "They don't have phones!"
You swear, stepping up into the bus while you do it. "Where are they coming from?"
"I don't know!" Sour shouts back, irritably.
Pinkie's voice cuts over both of you. "Sunshim, they're getting back up!" There's no fear in her voice; she sounds just as excited as she always does. She shifts gears, and you shuffle a little closer inside so the door can close behind you.
And... something happens. The world whiplashes around you, all the colors getting replaced, everything different. For a second you think you've hit your head, and then you realize you're standing in the Shoppe again, on the edge of leaving the back rooms.
You have enough time to see a huge iron chainlock appear around the front door, when something grabs you around your middle. A big shepherd's-crook, like you're being pulled off of the stage.
As it pulls you back, you can see the door open. Sour peeks her head out and looks for you. Then, just as you've fixed your hands around the device and started twisting around, it disappears completely.
You fall over and try to get a sideways look at your latest problem. Then your heart skips a beat.
Not right now. Filthy Rich stands there, with his daughter next to him, looking serious as a heart attack. Over her shoulder there's a Stand.
That can't be, there's no way she got a hold of the arrow.
"Sunset Shimmer." Neither of them opened their mouths. The third voice comes from behind them, you almost miss her in the metal and the low light. "You killed my sister. You made it so she had to die."
Silver Spoon steps up between the two of them. Her voice is almost emotionless, like Pinkie's sister's. "Now, you're going to bring her back."
｢To Be Continued｣
Stand: ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣
User: Sugarcoat
Ability: Automatic Stand; transfers itself to the most underdeveloped Stand user in its vicinity. Switches body parts with any person the user's touched hands with. Over the course of three days, permanently transforms its user into Indigo Zap. |
Pink-Mended Sparkles | pre | "Thank you for helping me out, I don't think I'd be eating as good if it were anypony else."
We share a chuckle before Pinkie speaks up. "Want me to go get Rarity now? Do you want help going to the couch?"
"Yes, and yes."
Pinkie helps me to the couch before saying, "I'll be back with our friend, don't get hurt while I'm gone."
I giggle. "I'll try not to."
Pinkie leaves for Carousel Boutique, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I decide to think about Pinkie, starting with her looks.
Pinkie is pretty, am I attracted to her?
The last image I saw before going blind flashes in my mind, Pinkie staring at me, worry overtaking every facet of her face.
Even when worried, she still looked beautiful.
I can feel my face heating up.
Am I blushing?
Maybe I am attracted to her.
I... want to see her face again.
But I can't, not until my eyes are healed.
I think about how she makes me feel.
I really didn't want to let go of that hug last night.
What if she felt the same?
Maybe Rarity will have some insight.
When I held her last night as we slept, I really enjoyed that.
I think she did too, from the way she acted when we woke up.
But what if that was just because I got rid of her nightmare?
Mare, romance is hard...
I decide to wait until Rarity is here so I can talk to her about it all.
Moment's later, I hear the front door open.
"Hello, darling," I hear Rarity say.
"Hi Rarity," I reply.
"Hi Twilight, I'm back!" Pinkie says.
"Pinkie, I need to talk to Rarity in private, can you wait outside for a few minutes? Sorry..."
"It's okay, sure."
I hear Pinkie trot outside before closing the door.
"What's going on, darling?" Rarity asks, concerned.
I explain everything to Rarity: my changed feelings, Pinkie's story, Pinkie's nightmare, me helping with the nightmare, Pinkie's guilt, holding Pinkie and sleeping.
I end by asking, "Do you think I have a crush on Pinkie? Do you think she has a crush on me?"
"Telling if you have a crush should be easy. Pinkie, on the other hoof, might be harder."
"How will mine be easy?"
"I believe a simple test would do. You need to hug me, and Pinkie, and compare how you felt for both hugs. What do you think?"
"Rarity, that's genius!"
"Thank you, darling."
"What about Pinkie, how do I know if she likes me?"
"While I think she does have a crush on you, you could try to get a more concrete answer."
"How?"
"Is Pinkie going to read you another bedtime story tonight?"
"I don't know, I was hoping she would."
"Why don't you tell the story this time?"
"What for?"
"Tell a story using the same characters, but this time, have it be about Parchment having trouble figuring out if Twister likes her back."
"How will that help?"
"When Pinkie told her story, you helped some, yes?"
"Yes."
"This time, Pinkie will help you."
"How is that going to help? I'm not following."
"These characters are stand-ins for you and Pinkie, right?"
"I don't know, I know we used those names right as we fell asleep last night, but I didn't think much of it then."
"Well, I think they are, and I think it will help you figure all this out. Use the characters to express your feelings and gauge how the other one feels."
"Okay, but how do I gauge how she feels?"
"Read into how she helps your story and the answers."
"If you think it will work, okay."
"Time to hug, darling."
"Okay, thank you, Rarity."
"You're most welcome."
Rarity hugs me and I hug back.
I concentrate on how I feel.
Feels like a nice hug from a loving friend.
After the hug, Rarity calls out, "Twister, Parchment here needs a hug!"
I start to blush as I hear the door open.
"I'm on it!" I hear Pinkie say seconds before I'm wrapped in a big hug.
I concentrate on Pinkie's hug.
Feels different, more close. I love it. I don't want to let go again. My stomach feels weird again.
Pinkie let's go as I hold on for a few more seconds, the realization hitting me.
I have a crush on Pinkie.
"Thank you, Rarity."
"You're welcome, I'll see you two later. Bye, darlings, and good luck to the both of you."
"Goodbye Rarity," Pinkie says.
"Goodbye," I say.
A few moments later, I hear the door close behind her.
"What do you wanna do now?" Pinkie asks.
Hug you again.
I climb into bed, excited and nervous to figure out how Pinkie feels about me.
"Pinkie?"
"Yes, Twilight?"
"Can I tell the story tonight?"
"Oh, absolutely, that sounds so fun!"
"Is it okay to use the same characters from your story?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Here goes nothing.
"Parchment thinks she has a crush on Twister, but she doesn't know how to tell if Twister likes her back."
"Oh, sounds interesting."
"Parchment decides to..."
I deliberately hang to try to get Pinkie to help.
"Hug Twister a lot?"
That sounds like us.
"Yes, Parchment loves hugs, especially from Twister."
"I bet Twister loves to give hugs!"
"Yes, she does."
"What happens next?"
"Parchment kept holding their hugs for a little longer than normally, but didn't know how to gauge Twister's feelings. What do you think Parchment should do?"
I have no idea if this will work, hopefully Rarity is right.
"I think she should do something small that shows she is interested in Twister romantically."
"Like what exactly?"
"Maybe she could give her a small kiss on the cheek."
Should I kiss Pinkie on the cheek?
"What if she is too scared to do that?"
"That's how Twister was in my story, she wanted to show her feelings but was too afraid to make a move..."
"Do you think Parchment should make the first move, even if she is afraid to do so?"
"I think she should, but that what's I would say to Twister too."
"Sounds like romance can be difficult sometimes."
"Twister would agree."
"So would Parchment."
"What does Parchment end up doing?"
I have to kiss Pinkie's cheek, right?
"I think she takes the plunge, for both of them. She kisses Twister on the cheek, scared to death. What would Twister do then?"
"I think Twister would be shocked, but really happy. I think she would want to kiss Parchment on the lips."
"I think Parchment would like that."
"What do they do after they kiss?"
"I think they live happily ever after, I would hope."
"What if Twister didn't like them back and didn't like the kiss on the cheek? I think Twister would like it, I'm just curious..."
"They would have to talk about it, I think. I don't think they would need to, I think they both like each other."
"I think so, too."
A silence took over the room for a few seconds before I ask, "I'm ready to sleep, you?"
"Yes," Pinkie says before she tucks me in sweetly.
"Pinkie?"
"Yes, Twilight?"
"Can you sleep in my bed? I would rather not be alone..."
"Yes!" Pinkie slides under the covers, laying beside me.
I act like I'm readjusting and slide closer to her.
We both get comfortable, then lay in silence for a moment.
In the quietest voice I've ever heard from Pinkie, I hear, "Do you want me to hold you? You know, to make up for you having to hold me last night."
I take a second to reply, eventually saying, "Yes, so we're even."
Pinkie gently wraps her hooves around me, holding me tight.
I smile in her embrace, happy to be held.
I whisper, "Goodnight, Twister."
Pinkie whispers back, "Goodnight, Parchment."
Do the names mean we both like each other?
Should I kiss her cheek now?
Can I kiss her cheek now?
Maybe I should wait until tomorrow.
I wouldn't want to ruin this moment if she didn't like it.
Yea, I'll do it tomorrow.
I wake up in the middle of the night, still holding Twilight.
Opening my eyes, I see Twilight's mane. I nuzzle her mane before sighing.
I quietly lament to myself.
"Why can't I just tell you how I feel?
"It sure seems like you like me, but how do I know for sure.
"Maybe tomorrow I can try to kiss your cheek?
"Yea, I can do that. I hope."
As I lay there, an idea comes to me.
Maybe I could practice by kissing her cheek when she is asleep?
Yea, that will make it easier tomorrow.
Moving carefully, I slowly lean over Twilight. I plant a small kiss on her cheek, lasting a few seconds.
"I love you, Parchment."
Laying back down, I gently squeeze Twilight.
"Goodnight, my love."
I wake up in the middle of the night, Pinkie's hooves still gently wrapped around me.
"Pinkie?"
No response.
I feel Pinkie's hot breath on the back of my neck.
"What do I do?" I ponder to myself.
"I'm supposed to kiss your cheek tomorrow, but what if I chicken out?"
"You mean so much to me... I'm terrified if you say no, it will ruin our friendship."
I turn over slowly and face Pinkie.
"What should I do, Pinkie? Do you think I should kiss you?"
Pinkie didn't respond, only twitching slightly.
As Pinkie's breath hits my face, I notice my cheek has a funny feeling to it.
Maybe I can kiss her cheek now as practice?
I decide to do it.
I use Pinkie breath to gauge where her cheek is and press my lips gently to her fur.
I love this.
As I pull away from the kiss, my eyes start to water.
"I love you, Twister."
I wrap my hooves around Pinkie and pull her into a tight embrace.
Dear Celestia, I hope she says yes.
"Goodnight, my love."
Waking up, I feel my pillow slowly rising and falling. I try to stretch my legs, but I realize I'm holding Pinkie.
I nuzzle whatever part of Pinkie my head is laying on, before giving up and just laying there.
I whisper, "I love you," before gently tightening my hold on Pinkie.
I wish I could see you right now.
After a few moments of silence, I hear Pinkie yawn.
"Pinkie?"
"Yes, Twilight?"
"Do you think I'll be able to see today?"
She wraps her hooves around me. "I don't know..."
Something feels off.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry..."
"For what?"
"I don't want this to end, I've had so much fun being close to you, I didn't realize it might be ending so soon..."
That sounds like she likes me, right?
"Pinkie, I don't have to be blind for us to be close."
One of us just needs to make the first move...
Pinkie holds me tighter. "You don't?"
I nuzzle her chest. "No."
"Thank you, Parchment."
"You're welcome, Twister."
We share a giggle before a moment of silence as we just exist together.
"Twilight, what do you think she would think of me?"
"Who?"
"Parchment."
I take a moment to think about it.
"She would think very highly of you. She would applaud the amount of work you do for your friends. She also thinks you are beautiful, and she loves your parties."
I feel my cheeks heating up again.
"Thank you, Twilight."
"You're welcome."
After a moment of silence, Pinkie speaks.
"Twister would think you are super smart. She would say you can do anything you put your mind to. And she would say you are super-duper pretty, and she loves to hug you."
"Thanks, Pinkie."
Pinkie nuzzles the top of my head. "What do you want for breakfast, Parchment?"
"Surprise me, Twister."
With that, Pinkie got out of bed before helping me up. She leads me downstairs and to the table, where I once again sit with my thoughts.
There is no denying it now, we both like each other. We have to, after all that.
Right?
Yes, I know I like her from the way she makes me feel.
And, from the way she speaks and acts, it really feels like she likes me.
So, today, I have to kiss her on the cheek.
Being blind will make that harder...
Unless I do it when we hug, that will make it easier.
When should I do it?
Should I do it after our next hug, or wait until tonight and do it before going to bed?
I think tonight will be the best...
Definitely not procrastinating.
I want this blindness to be gone, so I can see her pretty face.
Maybe it will be by tonight?
A mare can dream...
I wonder what story Pinkie will tell tonight.
I know it will be fun.
Pinkie startles me out of my thoughts. "Breakfast is served!"
I shake my head before asking, "What is it?"
"Special pancakes."
"Oh, I love your pancakes. What makes them special?"
"You'll see!"
I lean down and locate my food from its heat signature.
Taking a bite from the top pancake, I realize it's not round.
What shape is it?
I eat the pancakes, taking a bite from a different starting location for each.
Aha, it's a heart!
The realization hits me as my cheek begin to blush.
"Thank you, Pinkie, they were delicious."
"You're welcome! What do you wanna do today?"
"Let's go for a walk, I could use some fresh air."
"Okay."
Getting up from the table, I wait for Pinkie to come help me outside.
We make it outside and Pinkie asks, "Where do you wanna go?"
Hmm.
"Let's go to Fluttershy's."
"Okay, sounds fun!"
"Pinkie, I'm going to follow beside you by holding you with my wing, that way we can travel at a faster pace than we have been doing while inside."
"Okay, I won't lead you astray."
I wrap a wing over her back and hold her close. She begins to walk, and I follow as best I can.
As we walk, the realization of how close we are, and how in-public we are, hits me.
I lower my head as I blush intensely.
"Twilight, are you okay? Am I going too fast?"
"I'm fine, just concentrating on walking."
That's technically not a lie, it is difficult to walk by wing alone.
"If you need to take a break, just say so, I could even carry you if you get tired."
I giggle at the idea. "I'm fine, for now. Thank you, though."
We walk for a while in silence as I get used to this new way of walking.
I break the silence. "Do you think we could have a tea party with Fluttershy?"
"Oh, that sounds fun and relaxing, I hope we can."
"Me too."
"Is that why you wanted to go to Fluttershy's?"
"That, and it would give my legs a good workout after being inside all this time."
"Good idea, Twilight."
"Thank you."
We walk for a bit longer, and I can feel it in my legs.
I'm going to need to sit down when we get there.
Pinkie breaks the silence. "If Twister and Parchment do get together, what would their friends say?"
"I think they would be happy for them, don't you?"
"Yea, I agree."
"You said Twister was scared to ask Parchment out?"
"Yes, why?"
"So, you are saying Twister does like Parchment romantically?"
"Yes."
"Well, I am saying Parchment does like Twister back, romantically."
"Oh."
We walk the rest of the trip in silence, no doubt Pinkie's mind racing the whole way.
Mine too, actually.
We knock on Fluttershy's door as I breathe heavy, my legs are on fire.
Being injured takes a lot of energy, I need a break.
I hear the door open and Fluttershy say, "Hello girls, would you like to come in?"
"Yes, please," Pinkie says politely.
Pinkie leads me inside and over to the couch. "Sit down and rest, you look tired."
I sit down and immediately feel relived.
Maybe I should take a nap, I don't know if I can attend a tea party in this state.
"Fluttershy, can we have a tea party here? We wanted to relax with you and have a good time."
"Sure, that sounds nice, but I might need help getting it all setup."
I lay down as my tiredness overtakes me. "Thank you! Can I take a nap while you two set it up? I'm not much help while I'm blind, anyway."
I yawn before I hear Fluttershy and Pinkie say yes.
I'm so exhausted from the walk, I fall asleep before saying goodnight.
I wake up feeling energized and warm. Somepony had wrapped a blanket around me while I was asleep.
I call out to them. "Pinkie? Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy replies, "I'm here. Pinkie went into town to get tea, I was out."
Fluttershy might have some advice for me.
"Can we talk?"
"Sure, what's up?"
I explain everything to her like I did with Rarity, and everything that happened since then: our sleeping arrangements, heart pancakes, using the nicknames, my plans to kiss her cheek.
"Oh, are you going to ask her out?"
"I want to, but a part of me is terrified that if I'm wrong, it will ruin our friendship."
"If it helps, I think she likes you back."
"Thanks, that's what Rarity said too."
"When are you going to kiss her cheek?"
"I was planning to do it tonight, after she tells me a bedtime story."
"I believe in you!" Fluttershy hugs me gently.
"Thanks." I hug back.
"Twilight?"
"Yes?"
"Your mane is a mess. Do you want me to brush it?"
I take a second to answer, feeling a blush coming over me. I reply sheepishly, "Can you ask Pinkie to do it when she gets back?"
"Sure, she should be back soon."
True to Fluttershy's word, Pinkie returned a few minutes later, closing the door behind her.
Fluttershy and I welcome her back, and she hugs me before I presume hugging Fluttershy.
Fluttershy speaks up. "Pinkie, could you brush Twilight's mane? It looks a mess."
"Sure, here is the tea you asked for!"
"Thank you, I'll start on the tea while you help her."
I sit up on the couch and wrap the blanket around myself.
I feel Pinkie get on the couch beside me. I turn my back to her so she can brush my mane.
She starts to brush it as I hear her humming a tune.
"Thank you," I say as I try not to focus on the blush that just took up residence on my face.
I focus on her humming as I get lost in thought, unconsciously swaying to her music.
I love this, I love her.
I have to do it, tonight.
I must kiss her.
I must know.
All three of us think she likes me back.
We have to be right.
For me...
For my heart.
"Twilight?"
Thinking about kissing her cheek last night makes me blush more.
"Twilight."
It felt so nice.
I'm startled out of my thoughts as I feel Pinkie wrap her hooves around me, hugging me from behind.
"Ah, sorry..."
"It's fine, I'm done brushing your mane."
"Thank you."
"What do you wanna do until the tea is done?"
I think for a moment before saying, "This."
I push backwards, leaning on Pinkie until we fall back. I land on her chest, laying my head on her.
Pinkie wraps her hooves around me, holding me. I lay there, listening to her heartbeat.
I whisper, "I love you."
Pinkie whispers back, "I love you."
I nuzzle her chest, and Pinkie nuzzles the top of my head in response.
We lay there in silence, and as I'm about to fall asleep on Pinkie, Fluttershy speaks.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"No," Pinkie and I say in unison, myself a little more bashful than her.
"The tea is ready."
Pinkie helps me up off her and leads me into the kitchen.
Fluttershy says, "I put a straw in your tea, Twilight."
"Thank you."
I lean down and find the straw before testing the temperature of the tea.
I drink the whole cup as I realize how thirsty I am. "That was delicious, could I have another? I'm rather thirsty."
"Certainly. How has the recovery been going?" Fluttershy says before I hear her pouring me another cup.
I turn to where Pinkie should be and smile. "It's going good, I've got a wonderful caretaker who makes everything fun." I turn back to where Fluttershy should be. "I just wish I could see again already."
Pinkie hugs me and I hug back.
"Sounds like you're making the best of it."
I nod in response before drinking more tea.
"Pinkie, how's it been being a caretaker? Learn anything new about Twilight you didn't know before?"
I hear Pinkie set her teacup down. "It's fun, but also hard. I try my best, but it's hard when somepony relies on you for everything. But, when you see how much it helps them, and how much it makes them smile, it makes it all worth it."
I smile wide at her answer.
Such a good friend.
Pinkie continues, "And I learned she is good at cuddling."
My cheeks blush in response.
You too!
Fluttershy says, "Wow, sounds like this has been a bonding experience for you two."
I nod and Pinkie says, "Yes."
I take another sip of my tea. "How's your day been, Fluttershy?"
"It's going good, especially now that you girls are here."
"I'm glad we could brighten your day, thanks for the tea."
Pinkie agrees.
I finish my second cup and ask for a third.
"Of course," Fluttershy says before refilling my cup.
The table goes quiet, and I slowly drink my third cup as I drift into thought.
This is nice.
I love my friends.
I want to see them, though.
Especially Pinkie.
I want to see her reaction when I kiss her cheek.
"Twilight?"
I want to stare into her beautiful blue eyes as we kiss.
"Twilight?" Fluttershy tries again, this time getting my attention.
"Sorry, what's up?"
"Would you like another cup of tea?"
"Oh, no, I think I'm good, thank you."
"Okay."
I turn towards Pinkie. "I think I'm ready to go home."
I need to kiss her cheek, and it needs to be soon.
Pinkie says, "Okay."
I feel both ponies envelop me in a loving group hug.
I hug back. "I love you girls!"
"We love you, too," they say together.
After the hug, Pinkie helps me down and leads me to the door, my legs feeling wobbly the whole way.
We exchange goodbyes and leave Fluttershy's cottage.
"Pinkie, we have to go slower this time, my legs are still sore."
"Okay, you just say the word, and I'll carry you home on my back."
I nod before wrapping a wing over her back.
We set off for my home, slowly.
We make it a good trot down the road before Pinkie breaks the silence. "Twilight?"
"Yes?"
"What's going to happen when you can see again?"
"I don't really know, do you?"
"I don't either, I just want us to stay close..."
"I have an idea that might do that, but it's for later."
"Okay."
We walk a few minutes in silence until I reassure Pinkie.
"Pinkie, I love you. No matter what happens, I will love you, and you will always be my best friend."
Pinkie stops and hugs me tight. "I will always love you too!"
We start walking again and I sigh before stopping.
"I can't go any farther, my legs are shot."
"Let me help." Pinkie helps me climb on her back.
I wrap my hooves around her, holding her tight as I lay my head on hers.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome!"
Pinkie begins to walk as my face blushes more that I've ever felt before.
I bury my face in her mane.
I love Pinkie.
I love her so much.
I yawn before nuzzling her mane.
Getting comfortable, I fall asleep on Pinkie's back, using Pinkie's mane as the softest of pillows.
As I carry Twilight through town on my back, I can't help but hear her light snoring above my head.
She can sleep anywhere, wow.
I guess it's a good thing, she needs to recover.
Maybe with all this rest, she will be able to see tonight.
I hope whatever Twilight has planned works. I don't want to stop being so close with her.
I've got to kiss her cheek tonight, whether Twilight can see or not.
I've got to show her how I feel.
She wants to see again, and I hope she gets her wish, by tonight if possible.
I switch thoughts, thinking about our tea party now.
Twilight sure was blushing a lot at our tea party.
She looked so cute.
I was blushing too, especially when she was laying on me before the tea party.
Twilight will be able to see my blushes after she can see again.
I guess it won't matter after tonight.
Making it the rest of the way to Twilight's, I gently bring her upstairs and set her down on her bed.
I get in bed beside her and pull her close.
I'm tired from carrying you so far.
I hold Twilight and nuzzle her mane. "Goodnight, Parchment."
I wake up and realize I'm no longer on Pinkie's back. Instead, Pinkie is holding me.
Feeling around, I realize I'm in my bed.
Pinkie must have put me in bed and went to bed herself.
I whisper to her, "Thank you, Pinkie, for being such an amazing and cute, friend."
I pull one of her hooves from holding me and hold it to my chest.
"I love you, Twister." I kiss her hoof that I'm holding.
Pinkie giggles in her sleep.
I kiss her hoof again, this time leaving my lips pressed to it for a few seconds.
Pinkie stirs from her sleep with a few more giggles.
I freeze in place, holding Pinkie's hoof.
Pinkie yawns. "Twilight?"
I yawn in response. "Pinkie?"
Pinkie pulls her hoof away and wraps it back around me. "How did you sleep, beautiful?"
Pinkie called me beautiful!
My cheeks blush, I make no effort to hide it.
"I slept good, you make a pretty cozy bed, and your mane is an amazing pillow. How did you sleep, cutie?"
"It was nice, how could it not be, holding such a pretty pony in my hooves."
My blush intensifies greatly.
Is this real?
Are we flirting?
I smile. "I know we did it in the wrong order, but I think" - I poke her chest as best I can - "a certain hot pink mare owes me a bedtime story."
My blush feels like its overtaken my face.
I just called Pinkie hot!
"Okay, Parchment, you ready for the best story yet? This one is based off a true story."
"I can't wait, Twister."
We both giggle together.
"This story is about two bestest friends. Twilight Sparkle and..."
"Pinkie Pie!"
"Yes, they were uh..."
"An alicorn and an earth pony."
"Yes, you're good at this, Parchment."
I giggle and scoot closer to her.
"Pinkie started noticing she felt different around Twilight, she got this weird feeling when they hugged."
"And wanted to hold the hug forever, right?"
"Yes."
"What did Pinkie do?"
"She tried to confess her love, but despite being a very extroverted pony, she was unable to get the words out."
"She had to do something?"
Pinkie's tone changes, now somber. "She made a mistake, she asked Twilight to cast a spell, thinking it would help her be able to confess."
"Oh."
"Pinkie had Twilight cast the spell, leading to Twilight passing out on the floor."
I don't say anything, as I can hear the tears in Pinkie voice.
"Pinkie had never run so fast, doing her best to get Twilight help. She cried the entire way to the hospital, terrified of what she had done."
I wrap my hooves around her and pull her close, nuzzling her tears away. "It's okay."
Pinkie holds me tighter and continues her tale. "Thankfully, it was not the end of the world. Twilight had only been temporarily blinded. And with Pinkie to take care of her, could go home that day for recovery."
I try to bring in some positivity. "They had a lot of fun together."
Pinkie's cheerful tone comes back. "They did. The next three days were the most fun Pinkie had while being the most responsible she had ever been."
"Twilight also had a lot of fun, and she discovered something over those three days."
"What was it?"
"She discovered feelings for Pinkie that she didn't know how to deal with."
"What did she do about them?"
"She talked to her friends, trying to figure out if she liked Pinkie and if Pinkie liked her back."
"What did she find out?"
"She found out that she likes Pinkie."
"Did she tell Pinkie about her feelings?"
"Well, it's complicated, she wanted to, but had a lot of trouble, just like Pinkie."
"So, both Twilight and Pinkie like each other, but both of them are having trouble telling the other?"
"Yes, sounds silly, doesn't it?"
"Sounds like us."
After a moment of silence, Pinkie grabs my hoof and kisses it. "I love you, Parchment."
I giggle. "I love you, Twister."
Pinkie kisses my hoof a second time, this time holding it for a few seconds.
I giggle a bunch at this, then say, "I want a hug."
Pinkie pulls me close and hugs me tightly.
I hug back, squeezing her gently. "Close your eyes."
"Okay."
It's time.
After the hug, as I pull away, I turn my head slightly and press forward with my lips ready to kiss her cheek.
My lips don't contact with Pinkie's soft fur, instead they press firmly to Pinkie's own lips.
Pinkie was going to kiss my cheek! I...
I need to see her!
I use my magic to slowly unwind the bandages covering my eyes.
After getting them all removed, I open my eyes, revealing Pinkie opening her eyes in sync.
We stare deeply into each other's eyes, hooves tightly bound to the other.
We hold the kiss for an eternity as tears of joy flow freely from both our eyes.
Eventually, we break the kiss, both of us smiling wide, goofy smiles.
I speak up. "I love you, Twister!"
"I love you, Parchment!" |
Ponies and Pactios: A Negima Crossover | pre | "FOOMP!"
The green power exploded in a wall of flame which engulfed the possessed ponies as well as the dark cloud hovering above them. The darkness shrieked in pain and retreated, leaving behind a pair of dazed, soot covered mares. Everything was silent as the ponies all stood there blinking.
"Huh. So that's what its for." Spike said. His armor disappeared and the dragon shrunk back down to his normal size. "Ugh... hungry," he muttered as he fell on his side.
In a flash of color, Rainbow Dash arrived on the scene. "What's going on?" she demanded. "I saw this flash of light and... wow." She looked down at the dragon laying on its side, the sneezing grey pegasus, and the two mares who were only now starting to notice their surroundings.
"W-what in tarnation? This isn't mah farm," the orange pony said. She began to sweep the soot form her coat.
"Bon Bon? Where are you?" the unicorn wandered off, leaving black hoofprints behind her.
Chamo looked up at the blue mare and frowned. "Where were you, Bluebird? We could've really used your help five minutes ago." His eyes lit up and he smiled. "Say... maybe there is something you can help out with after all."
Negi frowned. He didn't like where this was going...
"Negi could use another pactio," Chamo said. "You seem a lot more capable than the lizard."
Spike looked up from the cookie he'd found to munch on. "Hey!" he protested.
Chamo ignored him. "Just one little pactio and you get magic powers and a sweet costume to help us fight evil and protect the town. What do you say?"
Rainbow Dash landed in front of him. "Super powers huh? Well, I'm already pretty super, but adding a few more powers sounds cool," she said. "Particularly if it means helping to protect Ponyville. What do I need to do?"
"Just stand next to Negi and I'll get the magic circle ready," Chamo said. "Pactio!"
The familiar light flashed up around Negi's feet. He sighed internally. Chamo sure liked to rush things at times.
"Hah! It tickles! Now what?" Rainbow asked.
"Just lean forward and kiss him," Chamo said.
"W-w-what?" Rainbow Dash spluttered. She glared at the ermine. "What do you take me for? I'm not a foal-fooler!"
Chamo rolled his eyes. "Seriously what's with girls? It's just one kiss. Don't be such a baby."
Dash bared her teeth at him.
"Didn't you say you wanted to help save Ponyville?" the ermine asked.
Rainbow Dash shuffled her hooves. "Yeah..."
"Then get to the smooching!"
"But-"
"Oh! I'll do it!" A chipper voice called.
Negi blinked as a pair of lips met his.
They didn't belong to the rainbow-maned pegasus, but to a grey one with skewed yellow eyes. |
Ponies and Pactios: A Negima Crossover | "We're Doomed." by Chamo | "We're Doomed." by Chamo
"Remind me again why we're doing this," Twilight Sparkle said flatly.
"Come on, Sparkles. Out of all of us, you need this the most. You're so inexperienced," Chamo replied, patting her leg.
She glared at him for a while, then looked away. The bookish mare sighed. "Fine."
"Alright!" Chamo cheered. He turned to Negi. "Get going, bro. Make it good."
Negi nodded and activated the pactios of his partners.
As the glow of the transformation sequence faded, Chamo inspected the results with a practiced eye. "Nice. All cosplay cards."
Twilight was dressed in a magical girl outfit. Chamo was surprised to find that it worked quite well on her; the lacy pink fabric, the oversized bow, and the stupid hat looked good on a pony. Who knew? She was holding a long, clear, glass-like spear in her magic field, inspecting it carefully.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"That's your artifact. Just test it out and we'll see how it goes," the ermine responded.
"What does it do?"
"No idea."
She frowned at him, looking over the ermine carefully as if she expected him to say 'psyche!' and laugh. Instead he moved on to the next pactio partner.
Spike was wearing a mask and a dashing red cape. His artifact, the pouch of flammable powder, hung around his neck. He reminded Chamo of a character from one of those American movies that he and Negi had seen a while back. 'What was it called again? Zango? Zorri?' the ermine wondered to himself as his gaze drifted to the next pony in line.
Derpy was wearing a blue hat and had a satchel over one shoulder. Chamo frowned at her. 'Bleh. It's even lamer than Nodaka's cosplay outfit!' he thought to himself. The ermine blinked as he noticed something was missing from her costume. "Where's your artifact?" he asked.
The grey pony tapped her chin and scrunched up her nose, humming to herself. Just as it was getting to the point where Chamo was ready to start holding his ears and screaming like a lunatic, she stopped and smiled at him. "I dunno. How about this?" The pegasus reached into her satchel and stuffed a muffin in his mouth. She offered one to Negi, who shook his head politely.
Chamo flailed about, gasping and choking as he tried to dislodge the enormous object from his windpipe. Negi patted him on the back as he coughed. "T-t-that works I guess," he wheezed.
Climbing to his feet, he noticed another pony had joined them. The blue pegasus was hovering lazily above them smirking at Twilight and her frilly outfit. He smiled at her. "Hey there, Bluebird. Come to join the party?" he asked. 'Finally!' he thought, 'Someone actually useful to have around!'
Rainbow shook her head. "Nah. I'm just here to watch." She smirked at the unicorn. "Nice dress. Heh."
The manly ermine fairy sighed. "Seriously?" He jumped up on Negi's back and clapped his paws. "Alright, ladies, let's take a crack at those targets," he commanded, pointing across the field to a line of crude wooden figures. He leaned over towards Negi's ear. "Remember, Bro, no helping. They need to learn to stand on their own two... er, four feet," he whispered.
The young mage nodded, but his expression was worried.
Chamo gave him a reasuring pat, then looked down to find an angry dragon staring at him.
"Hey!" Spike protested once he was certain he had the ermine's attention. "We're not all mares you know."
Chamo raised an eyebrow. "You're seriously going to say that after what happened yesterday?"
Spike glared at the ermine. He only stopped when Twilight cleared her throat and shook her head. Grumbling, the dragon made his way slowly towards the nearest target, his cape billowing behind him. He reached into the pouch and pulled out a handful of powder. "I'll show you," he grumbled. With a sharp exhalation, the dragon blew the powder from his hand towards the target, quickly following it with a burst of flame.
The grass around the target caught on fire.
Spike screamed and started running back and forth. "What do I do, what do I do?"
Twilight looked up from where she had been clumsily poking at her own target with her new spear. She frowned at the panicking dragon. "Spiiiike!" she groaned.
"H-help!" the drake cried, swatting at the flames, which only made them burn all the more brightly. His erratic movements caused more powder to fall out of the pouch he was clutching, which only further aggravated the problem.
Derpy looked up from where she had been pelting her own target with an endless barrage of baked goods. "I'll do it!" She said, flying off. She returned shortly, pushing a cloud into the clearing. The mare then positioned it directly above the burning circle of grass. She adjusted the cap on her head and frowned in concentration. Jumping up and down on the cloud, she was rewarded with a short flurry of snow and a few stray lightning bolts. She looked down at the lightning seared dragon, the snow-covered (but otherwise untouched) target, and the merrily burning ring of flames. "Oops," she said. "Guess I grabbed the wrong cloud. My bad."
Off to the side, a rainbow-maned pegasus rolled in the grass, snorting with laughter and making no move to help.
Twilight sighed. She strapped her spear into its sheathe at her side and walked over to the blaze. She lit up her horn and a sharp gust of air blew the flames out like an oversized candle. She rolled her eyes at the baby dragon as he tried to wipe the soot off his face. "And the weasel said I'm the one who needs practice? Ha!" she said smugly. Smiling, she headed back towards her target. The spear strapped to her side slid slightly, digging into the ground.
Twilight then received some firsthoof experience in pole vaulting.
Chamo blinked at the mare as she lay with her horn stuck in the ground and her limbs splayed about, knocked out by her unplanned attempt to enter a new sport. "We're doomed," he groaned, cradling his head in his paws.
Negi nodded mutely.
Chamo sighed. "Guess it's time for a group meeting."
> "We Aren't Afraid of You!" by Negi
"We Aren't Afraid of You!" by Negi
Negi sat in the middle of the library with Derpy, Spike, and the Elements of Harmony as they all watched an argument unfold between the Element of Magic and the ermine fairy.
"I don't see why we can't just-" Twilight began.
"No," Chamo said flatly.
"But-"
"No! You want to get us all killed, Sparkles?"
The librarian stomped her hoof. "I'm trying to prevent everypony from being killed! The princess could-"
"The last thing we need is queen sunny-butt getting herself possessed," the ermine said snappily.
The lavender mare narrowed her eyes. "What did you call her?" she asked icily. Teeth bared, she approached him stiffly.
The fairy blinked. He started sweating heavily. "Err... nothing," he squeaked. He swallowed hard as he looked up into the narrowed eyes of the purple unicorn. She grinned at him. He turned to run, only to be caught up in her energy field.
"Nopony says bad things about the Princess on my watch. Now you're in for it." Twilight smiled and her horn brightened.
"What... no. He he he! S-stop. He he ha hee! I'm s-s-soreeeehehe. Negi! Help! He he."
Negi shook his head as he watched the ermine crumble under Twilight's horrible tickle torture. "You really did bring this upon yourself, Chamo." He cleared his throat. "But he does have a point, Miss Twilight. If the darkness manages to possess someone as powerful as you tell me the princesses are, we'll all be in hot water."
Twilight looked over at him and frowned. She sighed and released Chamo from her spell. The ermine fell to the ground, where he lay twitching and giggling. The mare sighed. "I-I know. I just... "
"I imagine it's hard for her not to come rushing in to help as well," the young wizard added. "I imagine she's aware of the danger. Why else would she send an entire platoon of guards to help evacuate Ponyville?"
She smiled at him gently. "I know. At least she sent us the Elements of Harmony."
"Speaking of elements, why're we here? Shouldn't we be looking for the darkness so we can kick its flank and everyone can go home?" Rainbow Dash cut in.
"It's simple, Bluebird," Chamo said. He'd finally managed to recover from the magical assault. "We're here so the rest of you lovely ladies can enter a pactio with my man Negi! Then the darkness can't hurt ya."
The blue pony snorted. "There's no way that stupid cloud could possess someone as awesome as me. Why should I bother with something so lame? I can handle this without your stupid pactico."
"Ah don't know, Rainbow," Applejack cut in. "Ah sure wasn't able to help mahself when that stuff got me in it's clutches." She sighed and looked at the purple unicorn. "Sorry about what ah did, Twilight."
The bookworm shook her head. "It wasn't your fault."
The vibrant pink pony, who had energetically introduced herself as Pinkie Pie, popped up between them and wrapped the two mares in a tight hug. "Yeah! It was the blackness that made you a meanie pants!" She turned to Rainbow. "Come on, Dashie. You don't need to be scared of a little kiss!"
"Wha... I'm not scared!" the speedster spluttered. Her cheeks flared bright red and she started to fidget.
"Wooo! Then let's do this!" The party pony cheered. "Is everypony ready?"
"Not yet, darling," Rarity said, pointing to a shivering yellow ball of fur trying to hide behind the sofa. "Come on, dear. I know you don't like this idea, but it seems this is what we have to do to save Ponyville," the elegant mare said, prodding the timid pony.
The yellow pony squeaked.
Pinkie hopped over and pulled her out. "Come on, Fluttershy, this will be fun! Just a quick peck and we all get super powers!" She shoved the frightened pegasus in Negi's face.
"But...eep," the yellow pony protested and hid behind her mane.
Looking at her, Negi was struck be her similarity to another girl he knew. A blush spread across his face. "I-if it helps, I'm nervous too," he whispered to her. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and smiled. Negi froze like a deer in the headlights. The mare leaned forward and kissed him, her lips brushing gently over his.
"Pactio!" Chamo shouted.
Rainbow smirked. "Whoa! Nice going there, Fluttershy. I didn't know you were that forward."
Fluttershy turned bright red and hid behind the sofa again.
"OOOH! Me next!" Pinkie popped into view and picked him up. She kissed him full on the mouth, long and hard. As he struggled to breathe, he distantly heard Chamo activating the pactio. "Hehe! I feel all fuzzy!" she said. The pink pony put him down and bounced off, leaving the mage lying on his side, gasping for breath.
"Really, dear, I think you went a little overboard," Rarity said. She picked Negi up with her magic, helping him get back on his hooves. Her kiss was gentle but firm, and precisely timed. As the fashionista returned to her seat, gently cleaning her face with a handkerchief, Negi got the distinct impression that someone was giving him the evil eye.
Before he could process the thought any further, Applejack approached him with a bashful grin. "Jus' don't tell Granny 'bout this," she said. The cowpony's kiss was akin to one that might be delivered to a family member. She blushed a bit, but tipped her hat to hide it as she returned to her spot.
All eyes turned to the last remaining pony without a contract (apart from the grey pegasus, who only had eyes for the muffin she was eating).
Rainbow Dash fidgeted under the combined weight of their stares before finally shouting "Alright already!" She zipped down and gave him a quick peck before returning to her post. It was a good thing that Chamo was quick on the draw, since the entire thing was over in the blink of an eye.
"Sweet! All pactios are complete!" Chamo declared, waving a pair of fans. Pinkie and Derpy quickly joined him in celebrating.
"So now what?" Rainbow asked.
A loud roar echoed through the abandoned town.
"You had to ask," Twilight said flatly as everyone raced for the door.
A large shadow hovered over Ponyville. It looked like an oversized timberwolf, but it had the tail of a manticore and its entire body was pulsing with dark energy. Long black tendrils out of its back and its red glowing eyes were scanning the town for life. Evidently it did not like what it saw, because on of the tendrils slammed into a building, breaking its support beams like toothpicks. "Where are you, little mage?" it howled. "Show yourself, or I will keep tearing this place to the ground until I find you." To illustrate its point it struck out with its tail and reduced a nearby marble fountain to rubble.
"Over here, you overgrown weed!" Rainbow yelled, calling its attention to them. The town's defenders had positioned themselves on a hill just outside Ponyville in an attempt to keep collateral damage to a minimum. The beast roared and approached them, its view focused solely on the young mage at the back of the group. "Prepare to die, little one," it rumbled.
"Not if we can help it!" Twilight declared. "Come on, girls. Let's give him a taste of the magic of frinedship!" The five other mares quickly got into position around her, their golden necklaces glowing brightly.
The creature smirked at them. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," it said. "You never know who might get hurt." Opening a panel in its head, it leaned down to show them the contents.
Everyone gasped. Wrapped in black vines, their eyes glowing red, were three little fillies. There was an orange pegasus, a yellow earth pony, and a little white unicorn.
"Sweetie Bell!" Rarity shrieked. "Give me back my sister you brute!"
"Applebloom!" Applejack cried. She stomped the ground shaking. "Dammit. I shoulda been there fer her..." she whispered. Glaring up at the beast, she shook her hoof at it. "Ah'll get you fer this!"
A technicolor streak of light zipped towards the monster. "I'm coming, Squirt!" Rainbow Dash called. The panel closed and she smacked against the hard wooden surface. "Open up!" she demanded, smacking her hooves against the surface. A tentacle lazily smacked her out of the sky.
The creature laughed. "Come, little mage. Enough distractions. Show me what you've got." It sat down with a bored expression, waiting for the group's next attack.
Rainbow pulled herself out of the shallow crater her impact with the ground had made, rubbing her head. "Ugh... now what?" she asked.
"Now we see what those pactios can do!" Chamo declared.
Negi nodded and activated the pactios.
As the light from the transformation cleared Negi and his partners examined the fruits of their labors. The Elements of Harmony were all dressed in matching gold armor. It looked similar to the armor worn by the guards who had evacuated the town, only with a few notable differences. The center of the chest-piece glowed with the stones from the Elements of Harmony, and each mare had their own head gear and weapon.
Rainbow Dash wore the traditional guard helmet, though her chromatic mane stuck up through the spot where the tassel would normally be. Metal bands ran along the edges of her wings. When she reached out to touch them she winced. Her hoof started bleeding--the edge was very sharp.
Fluttershy wore a headband made of woven twigs. Her weapon was a short staff with vines wrapped around it. When she waved it, the wand glowed faint yellow color. The small cut on Rainbow Dash's hoof disappeared, earning a grateful smile from the blue pegasus.
Rarity wore a small tiara, also bearing her cutie mark, behind her horn. A number of sharp diamond shards hovered around her. They seemed to be directed with little magical effort on her part. She looked them over with a glint in her eye, inspecting one closely as it lay in her hoof.
Applejack still wore her stetson, though her normal hair bands had been replaced with gold ones. The metal shoes on her hind legs ran all the way up to her hock. When she kicked a nearby boulder, it shattered into a cloud of fine particles. Adjusting her hat, she set her jaw in a determined frown.
Pinkie Pie wore a gold headband that was desperately struggling to hold her wild mane in a mild semblance of order. No matter how hard he stared, Negi couldn't seem to locate her weapon. The pink pony's inability to hold still only made the search harder. He eventually just gave up and allowed his gaze to move on to his next partner.
Twilight was wearing her elemental tiara. After hours of practice, she had unlocked the mystery of her spear. Aiming it at a patch of weeds nearby, she squeezed its handle in just the right place. A white beam of light shot out of the spear's point. When it hit the plants, they were instantly frozen in a block of ice. The unicorn beamed, proud of her weapon mastery.
"Nice! All rare cards! ... Well mostly," Chamo said.
Spike had received a cosplay card. He didn't seem to mind. He was busy starring at Rarity. The drake's mouth was open slightly and he was drooling. Negi shook his head. He had a pretty good idea now of the origin of the evil eye from earlier.
Derpy had received a dud card. She was dressed as a rock. It took Negi a few long moments to come to terms with it. Blinking didn't make the boulder with four stumpy legs and a blonde-maned head sticking out of it go away. He shrugged. They had more important things to worry about.
The group turned their gaze towards their opponent, whom had been waiting patiently, albeit with a bored expression. When it noticed them glaring at it, the beast stood up and yawned. "Are you through stalling?" it asked in an uninterested tone.
Rainbow flared her wings and snorted at his dismissive attitude. "Bring it, you creep!" she growled.
"We aren't afraid of you!" Negi said firmly.
"Umm.. I am," Fluttershy squeaked.
The dark golem snorted in amusement. "Very well. I shall enjoy crushing you all." It raised one mighty paw and the battle began. |
Ponies and Pactios: A Negima Crossover | "Nobody Hurts My Friends!" by Negi | The following sheer awesomeness is brought to you by HellRyden, the best cowriter ever!
"Nobody Hurts My Friends!" by Negi
Rainbow Dash didn't waste a second. Before the timber wolf king had even finished his sentence, she was already in the air, and she streaked forward like a missile as he brought his paw down in an effort to crush them.
It never reached the ground. Before it was even halfway down, Rainbow Dash undercut his blow, and streaked past his elbow, her blade-wings flaring out at the same time. There was the sound of shattering wood, and the wolf king howled as he pulled his foreleg back, cradling the wounded limb close.
"All right, take that you big jerk!" Rainbow Dash whooped as she looped around again, diving in with her wing-blades and scoring multiple hits as she zipped around his body in death-defying bursts of speed, avoiding his swatting paws with inches to spare.
"Rainbow's keeping him busy, get in close while he's distracted!" Twilight yelled, dashing towards the wolf king and his army of timber wolves as she leveled her spear forward. "Applejack, front and center! Draw their fire and keep them off us! Spike, get on my back and watch it, take out any congregation of targets you see! Rarity, keep Fluttershy safe, and pick off any stragglers or targets of opportunity! Negi, back Rarity up! Pinkie, just... do what you do best."
"Ya got it, Twi'!" Applejack saluted swiftly while the pink mare abruptly bounded right into the midst of the horde, disappearing among their numbers for a second before bouncing right out again, stringing along several dozen distracted wolves that pursued her futilely. Without hesitation, Negi and the rest of her friends followed her into the breach, their weapons raised and their powers readied. Snarling, the army of timber wolves behind their king shot forward to defend him, their jaws snapping and baying for their enemies' blood.
"Twilight! The Darkness is the source of the King's power, and it's what's powering his army of timber wolves!" Negi shouted to the charging mare as he hung back next to Rarity. "Take out the king, and the rest will fall!"
"Got it, Negi!" Twilight yelled her acknowledgement back as she sprinted forth. Surging forward to meet the threat, Applejack spearheaded the group's formation, wading into the horde with a powerful double-kick that sent wooden fragments flying everywhere. The earth pony let out a stirring battle cry as she began delivering Apple family-grade bucks left and right, her steel-shod hooves and greatly enhanced strength utterly shattering a timber wolf with every kick she delivered. Wooden fragments soon began to litter the ground at her hooves, but for every timber wolf she shattered, it seemed as though there were at least two to replace it.
"Applejack, behind you!" Twilight warned.
Without even turning to look, the orange farmpony dropped into a crouch, and a hissing ray of pure white frost shot over her head, freezing solid the timber wolf that had been about to leap onto her unguarded back. Turning to face Twilight, Applejack shot her friend a fierce grin before off-hoofedly bucking the frozen timber wolf into shattered fragments. "Thanks, Twi'!"
Behind them, Rarity laid into the onrushing horde with a withering hail of piercing diamond projectiles that showed no sign of running out anytime soon, the white unicorn's uncanny precision ensuring that not a single shot was wasted. Staying well behind the forefront of the fighting where Applejack was attracting the attention of almost every timber wolf within earshot, barring the ones Pinkie had managed to distract with her incessant hopping, she unleashed a burst of rock-hard flechettes in the direction of every timber wolf she saw separate itself from the horde or begin running their direction.
"Back, you ruffians!" Rarity screeched as she obliterated another pair of leaping timber wolves before they could even come within ten paces of her and Fluttershy. "You won't be damaging this outfit for as long as I'm wearing it!"
"Oh, do be careful, Rarity!" Fluttershy whimpered as she hid behind Rarity, away from the resulting shower of wooden twigs and other fragments, as she held up her staff defensively. "There's another one, coming from the lef- eeek!!!"
"I got 'em!" Negi yelled out, his horn glowing as he thrust his head upward, grunting under the mental weight of his newly mastered levitation spell. Abruptly, the timber wolf that had been charging towards them began to rise into the air, helpless and unable to defend itself from the subsequent volley of diamond-hard shards that dismantled it a moment later.
"Bravo, Negi!" Rarity trilled. "If we keep this up, Ponyville will be free of these ruffians in no time!"
"Yeah, great shot, kid!" Chamo applauded from the mage's shoulder, his eyes still magnetically drawn to Rarity as he intently watched the unicorn fight, earning a sarcastic roll of the eyes from Negi. "But you'd better kick up the pace, or Rarity's gonna leave you in the dust!"
"Oh, shut up, Chamo!" Negi snapped.
Back inside the horde, Applejack and Twilight found themselves pressed back-to-back as timber wolves surrounded them from all sides. Even as they continued putting each one down with ruthless efficiency, the broken pieces would just reanimate and piece themselves back together in a manner of seconds, and they were rapidly beginning to exhaust themselves - they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer if the fight continued like this.
"Spike, this isn't accomplishing anything - we have to get in close and help Rainbow Dash!" Twilight panted as she swept her spear's frost ray over a large group of timber wolves, freezing them over instantly as Applejack leaped upon them, shattering them with lightning-fast kicks left and right. "Open up a path towards the king!"
"On it!" The young drake shoved a hand into the pouch he carried, withdrawing a pinch of the strange powder inside before throwing it inside his mouth. Not a second later, his cheeks bulged out, straining to contain the power within as the powder reacted inside to release its potent payload. The young dragon then rose to his feet on Twilight's back, aiming for the timber wolves that blocked their path towards the king.
Spike opened his mouth, and he let out the largest, most explosive belch he had ever released in his life. The fireball that exploded out of his mouth dwarfed any wisp of flame he had ever conjured before, and it streaked towards the teeming mass of wolves, detonating inside in a spectacular conflagration and sending charred, smoking branches and twigs flying in every direction. When the smoke cleared, the timber wolves that had survived the explosion were still wobbling about unsteadily, struggling to regain their senses, and a long, clear path lay before them to the timber wolf king, still swatting futilely at Rainbow Dash in vain attempts to bat her out of the air.
"The way's clear!" Twilight shouted, already sprinting forward into the gap Spike's fireball had opened. "Applejack, follow me!"
Up ahead, Rainbow Dash was having the time of her life dueling the timber wolf king, streaking about the wolf king's body while easily evading his blows, striking out with her wing blades whenever she could and jabbing out a taunt with every swipe of his claws she avoided. "Oh, come on, is that really the best you can do? I expected better from the king of all timber wolves!"
"You won't be nearly as mouthy when I get my claws on you!" The huge wolf roared as he swatted at Rainbow Dash again, and let out a snarl of pain as she streaked past his side again, adding another slash from her wings to the dozens of furrows she had already carved into his wooden body. "Would. You. Just. Hold. STILL!?"
"Sorry, no can do pal!" The brash pegasus snickered as she dodged another swipe of the black tentacles that extruded from his back. "The Rainbow Train has no brakes!"
Rainbow Dash continued dodging and slashing for several moments longer, getting cockier and more confident by the second in her ability to keep the wolf king occupied. Unfortunately, it also made her more careless, and as she wove to the side to avoid another swat from his shadow tendrils, she misjudged its distance by a slip of a margin, but it was more than enough to cost her.
The shadowy mass plowed right into her, and the wolf king howled triumphantly, knocking her aside and swatting her brutally out of the air. The pegasus' limp body went flying, and Twilight and Applejack could only watch in mute horror as it slammed through the wall of a nearby house, disappearing inside the cloud of dust her impact kicked up.
"Oh no, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy gasped, her eyes wide with horror at the brutal sight, and she abruptly took off from behind Rarity, galloping at a dead sprint towards her fallen friend.
"Hey, where- Fluttershy!" Rarity called out in surprise as she realized just where the frail little pegasus had gone running off to - there was an entire horde of timber wolves between her and where Rainbow Dash had fallen, and she was intent on running straight through them. Not only that, but apparently the wolf king had realized just what she was trying to do, and Rarity realized with mounting horror that the massive canine was beginning to lumber in her direction, unconcerned with the much closer Twilight and Applejack, who were still swamped by the individual wolves that surrounded them. "No! Don't go there, it's not safe!"
"Too late, she's already dead set on getting there!" Negi growled, the anger within the young mage already growing at the sight of Rainbow Dash being hurt like that. Not Fluttershy as well! I can't let somepony else get hurt too!
"Negi, you know, it might be a good idea to clear a path for the lady!" Chamo chimed out from his shoulder, and the young mage's lips thinned into a grim line, finding himself nodding in grudging agreement with the perverted ermine's tactically-sound advice. Reaching deep within himself, Negi drew upon the boiling cauldron of his anger, and called on more power than he had ever attempted to gather before, summoning up the energy for another volley of spells. "Nobody hurts my friends!" he shouted angrily.
"You heard Chamo!" He called out to Rarity, the power he was gathering already whipping up a billowing storm of wind around him. "We have to clear a path for her!"
Gritting her teeth, Rarity grimly nodded and readied her diamond shards again, already picking out targets close to Fluttershy and lining them up. "They shan't lay a single filthy claw on her!"
As one, the duo unleashed hell upon the wolves that stood between Fluttershy and the fallen Rainbow Dash. Propelled by his rage, Negi cast forward with both of his forelegs, pushing outward with all of his will - the resulting gale blew nearly all the timber wolves in the entire area off their feet, and Rarity's follow-up volleys utterly obliterated them, sometimes with a single burst taking out as many as three or four timber wolves at once. Spike added more of his own fireballs to the barrage, and soon enough, more than half of the wolf king's army lay upon the ground in shattered fragments, still struggling to put themselves back together from the massive damage they had sustained.
The path ahead of her cleared, Fluttershy dashed forward, heedless of the danger around her. Surviving wolves snapped at her heels moments before they were obliterated by precise volleys of diamond shards from Rarity, but she ignored them - there was only one place she had to reach, one friend she had to make sure was all right!
So focused on getting to Rainbow Dash, she completely failed to notice the lumbering mass of the wolf king that abruptly came crashing in from the side until it nearly bowled her over and knocked her prone on the ground as it swiped at her with a claw. "You think that it will be that easy? Fool! I know what your powers are, and you won't be reviving that pegasus so simply!"
Fluttershy stared up at the towering wolf in mute terror, shaking madly and immobilized with fear. As the wolf king raised a massive foreleg to crush her underneath his paw, the pegasus covered her face with her forelegs, letting out a scream of pure terror, and Negi's eyes blazed, power unlike anything he had welling up from inside him.
"NO!" The young mage shouted, and he hurled everything he had at the massive wolf king in a single, concentrated burst of gale-force wind. At the same time, Rarity unleashed an overwhelming volley of diamond shards as she screamed in denial, and the two torrents combined together to propel the shards forward with incredible power. The twin combined torrents slammed into the wolf king's raised foreleg with sledgehammer force, and completely shattered it, sending its lower half crashing lifelessly to the ground next to Fluttershy as wooden fragments rained down around her.
The wolf king let out a bloodcurdling howl of agony as it cradled the wounded limb close, and Fluttershy took the opportunity to get to her hooves and dash inside the wrecked house that Rainbow Dash had been knocked into. Turning towards the ones that had wounded it so, it began to stalk towards them threateningly.
"You dare!?" The shadow wolf lord snarled viciously. "You dare wound me so!? You shall pay for your insolence!"
"Y'know, you might want to look to your left first! There's something you might be interested to see!" Chamo piped up from Negi's shoulder despite the young mage's frantic gestures for him to shut up, and the wolf king's expression only grew more incensed.
"You would presume to make a fool out of me!?" The massive canine roared, the black tendrils on his back thrashing about madly in his fury. "You may have bested me once, but that shall not happen agai-"
"Geeeeeeeronimooooooo!!!" A bubbly voice echoed out from the wolf king's left, right before a very familiar-looking grey boulder topped with a blonde, unruly mane came rolling out of nowhere, bouncing off a nearby hill and abruptly landing on top of the wolf king's one remaining intact paw.
The sheer weight of Derpy's boulder-clad body utterly crushed the wolf king's remaining paw into dust and detritus, and the massive wolf howled in pain again as he leaped backwards and away from Negi and Rarity, struggling to stay upright despite his crippled limbs.
"What the- Oh, geez, I completely forgot about Derpy!" Twilight gasped out in relief as she and Applejack came running through the dazed remaining timber wolves to Negi and Rarity's side.
"Nice timing, Derpy! That was just what we needed!" Chamo declared, giving her a thumbs up.
"I'm sorry, Twilight, but I have no idea what I just did!" The wall-eyed pegasus chirped cheerfully as she got to her hooves again, her eyes spinning about even more so than usual. "Can somepony tell me what just happened?"
"Hmm..." Chamo rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a second after witnessing Derpy's magnificently dynamic entry. "Aha! Idea! Applejack, c'mere for a sec!"
The orange farmpony trotted over quickly, an eyebrow cocked quizzically. Leaning in, Chamo began whispering into her ear, and after a few seconds Applejack's eyes widened in comprehension.
"Ya got it, Chamo!" Applejack smirked, and she beckoned towards Derpy. "Derpy, over here!"
The wall-eyed mare stepped closer, looking curiously at her, but she nodded enthusiastically regardless, eager to help. "Whatcha need, Applejack?"
"Just you," the orange mare said.
Derpy frowned in confusion, not quite getting it. "Sorry, Applejack, but I don't get what you have in mi-IIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN-"
The rest of the grey pegasus' sentence trailed off as Applejack grabbed Derpy by the base of her boulder body, hefted her into the air, and tossed her upwards before spinning around and giving her a double-legged buck that would have put Big Macintosh's kicks to shame.
The improvised cannonball streaked right towards the timber wolf king's face, and smashed right into his snout with bone-shattering force. There was a loud crunch as twigs and branches were sent flying everywhere, and when Derpy's rock-like body dropped to the ground again, the wolf king's entire body soon followed suit with a heavy, shuddering impact, his burning eyes now dull and lifeless as the tendrils upon his back still waved about weakly but incessantly.
Now that the girls were finally able to get a clear look at it, they realized that his nose had been completely broken. His snout was hideously deformed, yet it was still slowly but surely knitting itself back together, the dark magicks that powered his body slowly mending the damage that it had sustained.
Negi wasn't about to give it that chance.
"Now!" He shouted, dashing forward, and the girls quickly took off after him. "While he's unconscious, we have to get the girls out!"
"No need to worry about that!" A familiar, scratchy voice rang out, and a prismatic blur shot past the wolf king's head. "I got this!" Rainbow Dash declared.
There was a flash of metal, and the massive wolf's cranium parted, revealing the three captive fillies that he had been holding hostage since the beginning of the fight. Scooping them up into her forelegs, Rainbow Dash took off again with a mighty beat of her wings, clearing the way for the coup de grâce. "Now, Pinkie!!!"
"Okie dokie loki!" Negi and the others whirled around to see Pinkie, who had been more or less missing and out of sight for the entire fight, as she pulled out a truly massive party cannon that was nearly five times her size. "You girls might want to get out of the way - this is gonna make a big bang!"
Their hanging jaws abruptly shut themselves, and the entire group threw themselves to the side as an audible whining began to build up from Pinkie's modified cannon, a bright, incandescent light beginning to build up within the depths of its barrel. In front of the cannon, the wolf king had barely begun to recover his senses, struggling to get up.
"W-Wha... What did you do...?" Blinking rapidly as his sight returned, the wolf king cast his gaze about in an attempt to find his prey, but when he caught sight of the massive cannon and his opponents gathered behind it, his eyes widened in disbelief. "No... No, I cannot... I will not lose here! My power is absolute-!"
"Face it, wolfy!" Pinkie shouted as her hoof hovered over the firing button. "You'd already lost the moment you picked on the Crusaders and took 'em hostage! Nopony hurts my friends and gets away with it!"
The whining building up within the cannon reached an ear-piercing crescendo, and Pinkie slammed her hoof down on the button. "The party's over for you, you big, fat meanie-pants! EAT PARTY CANNON!"
There was an almighty flash of light, a deafening roar of sound, and the cries of the timber wolf king were drowned out by the ensuing thundering wave of confetti that sustained itself for several seconds straight. When the light finally faded and the noise finally died down, everypony looked up to see the results of Pinkie's cannon blast.
Absolutely nothing remained of the king. Nothing marked his passage but a large singe mark to signify where he had stood when the blast had been unleashed. Not even the darkness that had possessed him was anywhere to be seen - not a single trace of it could be found, even as Negi extended his senses outward.
"We did it," The young mage whispered in awe, barely even believing it. "Ha... HAHA! WE DID IT!!!"
"Hay yeah we did!" Rainbow Dash whooped, swooping down next to the colt to give him a high hoof. "Who's awesome!? We're awesome!"
"Darn straight, Bluebird!" Chamo crowed, holding out his tiny paw for a hoof-bump of his own.
Omake:
There was a flash of steel, and the massive wolf's cranium parted, revealing the three captive fillies that he had been holding hostage since the beginning of the fight. Scooping them up into her forelegs, Rainbow Dash took off again with a mighty beat of her wings, clearing the way for the coup de grâce. "Now, Pinkie!!!"
"Okie dokie loki!" The pink mare's voice rang out, and Twilight realized it was coming from above.
"ROAD ROLLER DA!" Out of nowhere, a massive steamroller came crashing down from the sky, utterly crushing the wolf king beneath its weight, and that was when Twilight realized that there was a pink mare riding the damn thing, laughing maniacally as she pummeled it madly with a wild flurry of punches.
"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!!!"
Twilight could only stare in disbelief.
"Wat." |
My year at Ponyville High | pre | I followed her up the stairs and onto the bed where we sat, "Do you really do that every week?" I asked in disbelief.
"As of lately I do..." she stared longingly off into the distance, and I could tell she was getting emotional.
"Is it your assistant?" I couldn't help myself part of me wanted to get to the reason I was here but the other part wanted to help Twilight.
"No..." she was silent for a long moment and just as awkwardness started to smother the room she spoke, "Can I get your advice Berry?"
"Uh... Sure?"
"Have you ever been in love?" she asked.
I choked, "No I have never been in love, unless an inanimate object counts... then I have been in love... with my brush."
She pondered for some time, "Well say you were in love with somepony else's brush, what would you do?"
I went silent for a long while as I thought of this, what would I do if I wanted someone else's brush? "I would take it anyway..." I answered more to my question then Twilights, "If I really loved that other brush... it would be mine."
Twilight shook her head in frustration, "You can't just do that with another pony though Berry..." she sighed loudly, " If only it were that simple! I just love them so much and they don't even know it... and their somepony doesn't even deserve their love..."
I looked down at my hooves, "You should tell that pony what you just told me... I'm sure they will welcome you into their hooves..." I said to my hooves.
"You're right!" she said triumphantly, "I have thought this over long enough, I will tell her asap."
"So can I talk to you about my theory now?" I said and instantly felt selfish.
"Uh, oh yeah sure... theory on what?" she asked.
"My uh, Cutie mark, I think I have figured it out!" I jumped up excitedly.
"Really?! I just made 3 checklists for study time on you, but I can just tear them up if your hypothesis is right!"
"Oh sorry... But umm, I think my cutie mark resembles something like... well I don't mean to sound up myself but I think it's something to do with attractiveness... I mean since getting it, I have had more eyes on my flanks than ever," Twilight coughed shyly and darted her eyes to the side, "And no ponies have ever really flirted with me, or even wanted to! And on top of that I have already had ponies asking me out and I had intercourse and my first kiss on the same freaking day! With two different ponies!"
"I guess that sort of makes sense... but I think further study is needed to be sure because if that is the case I will need to report your talent to the princess, and you may be taken to Canterlot for evaluation... this is one of those rare cases..." she stopped herself, "But like I said further study and what not, don't go jumping to any conclusions yet Berry."
She had a point but I could be sent to Canterlot? At the moment I don't really want to go, I only just got here. Then I got a strange idea on how I may be able to test out my 'attractiveness'.
"You have a point there Twilight... Hmm..." I turned around like I was looking for something in Twilights room, she kept it clean and crisp, I pretended I was looking on the floor for something and I bent over to get a closer look on the ground, giving whoever may be looking at my flank a good view.
Then I heard that familiar awkward cough, "Berry what are you doing?"
I snapped around, and noticed a blush spread across the unicorns purple face giving it a pretty pink tinge, "I thought I left something here last night... must have lost it. Silly me."
The room lay silent for what felt like an eternity, my inner thoughts screaming at me to hide because she knew I was trying to prove my suspicions on her.
"Well I guess I should be off." I said as I made my way to her bedroom door.
"No wait!" I heard her yell from behind me, I stopped and turned, "Berry before you go... I want to know... were you just uh, were you just trying to seduce me?"
I felt as the blood under my cheeks turned into molten lava, I laughed awkwardly and continued making my way for the door, "I have no idea what you are on about Twilight!" I glanced behind to notice she was still standing by her bed, "Yeah I guess I was."
Her face brightened into a huge smile, at least that what I think because I ran down the Library stairs and out of that gorgeous little tree house before she would even have time to catch her breath.
I sighed as I walked along the path from Twilights house further into the town of Ponyville, I noticed a small Carousel, and realised that must be that Boutique that Beautiful mare works at, I have a lot of spare time now and I guess it couldn't hurt to go check it out. And get the crap humiliated out of me again... I headed for the cute little shop determined to befriend this mare.
The sign on the door was flipped to closed... but then I thought back and she had said come by ANY time, and now was any time. I opened the door and I heard as a bell rang, and a voice call from down the corridor, "Sorry Carousel Boutique is closed due to order pile up, please come by tomorrow... Hello?" I heard the voice call and followed it all the way to a messy little room with fabric thrown everywhere but the right place.
"You said come by any time." I interrupted the mare and her sewing, she was hard at work on a huge dress I could see from the patterns she had cut out.
"I said it out of courtesy Darling," she looked up from her sewing table to meet my eyes, "I never did get your name..." I noticed her place her needle and thread down to really get a good look at me, or maybe something on the wall by me.
"PassionBerry, but ponies just call me Berry these days..." she got up and trotted over to me.
Bowing her head slightly, "Well it is nice to meet you PassionBerry, I hope you enjoy Ponyville, and if you ever need a dress for a... formal? Feel free to contact me. Now what is it I can help you with today dear?"
"I just wanted to check out the boutique the beautiful mare of Ponyville owns..." I earned a blush when I said this, from me and the white mare in front of me, I couldn't believe I had just said that, and not got a buck to the face... I 'am so in. "And let me say, it is nearly as beautiful as the mare that owns it... nearly."
"Oh you... I say how old are you PassionBerry?" she took a step closer as she asked this.
"I am seventeen Miss Rarity, why do you ask?"
"Because," she turned and headed back for her desk, damn I thought I had this one... wait what had I just thought?! I'm not a 'playa', "Because I remember my sister speaking with her friends about an PassionBerry, Glad I can finally put a face to the name."
"Wait who is your sister?"
"Sweetie Belle, I 'am hurt she never mentioned me, her and her friends won't stop mentioning you," she pouted, "It seems you have somewhat of a fan club as you would call it... an unspoken one if you will... my sister and her friends may have a crush on you PassionBerry, and I cant quite see why?"
"Excuse me? Wait they have a crush on me... and YOU CANT SEE WHY?! What's wrong with me?" I asked kind of hurt.
"Well you are obviously into older mares, you are inexperienced and a terrible flirt and also..." she looked me dead in the eye like she knew it was going to sting, "That silly thing atop your head in which you call your mane-"
"BITCH! THE FUCK YOU JUST SAY!?" and I had hit breaking point, I hate swearing and when I swear... this is probably the reason why. I marched up to her desk and noticed her only slightly smirk but quickly hide it and keep the serious façade going. Was I being played?
"I said the thing atop of your head, you know the hair spray... and I guess hair..." I slammed my hooves on her desk and watched as she couldn't contain her grin any more, "It is quite..." I snorted what felt like fire as a warning, "Disgusting-"before she could finish her word I flipped her desk to the side using mere strength, this unicorn got muscle, and I pinned her to the ground leaning over her.
She was still had that cocky smile stretched wide across her face, "You think its funny? To make fun of another mares mane HUH!?" I emphasised my 'huh' so I would breathe hot breath into her face.
"My, my we have a fiery one here don't we?" she said to herself, and then she did the unexpected, she leaned up and kissed me, and like that instead of what I usually feel, fire, this kiss was like water on hot coals and my steam was being released, I was still angry but, I didn't feel like tearing her limb from limb... I wanted to lick her limb from limb, I wanted to feel her.
She pulled away with much force, "Oh my." She breathed, I took in all the features of her face and noticed her pearly white coat was no longer white and was now a mild pink in her cheeks.
I smirked, this prey was mine and I was ready to feast, but I know I was always told never to play with my food but I couldn't resist, she had gotten me so fired up it was time to return the favour.
I got off of the flustered unicorn and dusted my shoulders off and started heading for the door only to be interrupted, "W-where do you think you are going young lady?" she demanded already sprawling to her hooves.
"I don't want to do anything with a mare that doesn't admire my mane, let alone think its disgusting, especially coming from a mare that looks as if a herd of cows just trampled on it." I turned my nose up at her and turned back to the door.
I heard her gasp multiple times, "How dare you! Bah! Huh! I never!" she bit her lower lip to stop herself from what sounded like an angry dragon trying to escape from within her.
An evil idea popped into my mind, one I knew would most certainly push her over the edge, "Maybe I will go see a certain mare that actually appreciates my looks, What was her name again? Sweetie Belle?" with that I turned to get a good look at the mares face but before I made the turn I got levitated and flung in her direction to which I crashed into the desk I had flipped only moments ago, I cried out in pain, was I about to get in a full on unicorn brawl?
I was on my back and rolled away from the desk and into the middle of the floor mainly to dodge a pin cushion that had been thrown in my general direction. I tried to jump up and gain some ground but Rarity was two steps ahead of me, she pounced on top of me, pinning me to the ground so I was unable to escape. She smirked down at me and I cringed in fear, she looked as if she was about to skin me. The heat that had been lingering in my loins since the day had started suddenly exploded out of fear and curiosity at this new mare, and the thought of her ripping me to pieces... I know I am weird.
She leaned down ferociously and kissed me hard on the lips, I felt as if the pressure was going to make them burst. I had been expecting a slap across the face, not a kiss. She released my hooves and wrapped hers around my head and through my mane as she leaned in closer. I wrapped my forelegs around her waist and thrust against her, to this she complimented me with a moan. Her moans vibrated through my mouth as I thrust against her. My hooves started to massage her back, all I could think about pleasuring the mare on top of me. Her coat was as soft as a bed of roses and she smelt of diamonds and strawberries, I had never known the smell of diamonds or that they even smelt but with rarity it was a clear as day.
I felt her tongue glide against my lips and I obliged to let her in, and our tongues started their... tongue off? Her tongue did intricate twirls that massaged my mouth as it explored it at the same time, while my tongue went in for the kill as it tackled hers and twirled around it to subdue it and make it mine, once succeeded I pulled away and gasped into her neck as I felt her marehood press against my groin, it was so soft... so wet and it sent electricity up my very core. I bit down on her neck as she started to rub herself against me. She cried out in delight as I bit and kissed circles around the bite. My hooves drifted down to her cutie mark and started to circle around it, and then I gripped her flank in the passion of everything and pulled her hips hard against me as she thrust.
We both started to moan out loud not being able to contain our excitement for any longer, and just as I felt myself about to erupt Rarity stopped, frozen in place, not even making a noise. I looked up to her face and her pupils were the size of pin pricks.
"Rarity?" I asked confusion melting over my face, I turned to look in the direction she was staring, which happened to be the door way.
My heart stopped, I saw the sight of a filly one the verge of tears, I saw the sight of a young mares heart breaking, and it broke mine just to see it.
In the door way Sweetie Belle stood mouth pouting and tears now freely falling down her cheeks, "H-HOW COULD YOU!?" she yelled and then turned for a full gallop.
Rarity launched up, "Sweetie! Wait! I'm sorry!" and now it was her turn to sob, I watched as she sat on her haunches and wept into her hooves.
I got up and walked over to her, I kissed her on the forehead as I wrapped my forelegs around her, this made her sob more loudly, she then pushed me away gently, "I think you should leave."
I nodded and very slowly turned and left the sobbing unicorn. I didn't know what I could say. Was this all my fault? As I closed the door to the boutique behind me I knew there was something I needed to fix. And fix it I would! |
My year at Ponyville High | Life decisions | As much as I had wanted to run after Sweetie Belle, I couldn't. Not only did I not know where she went but it had started to rain, and the only place I wanted to be was home, and the only pony I wanted to be with was myself.
I began my long walk home from Ponyville market, it was long because I liked how the rain cooled me off. I think I was more than due for an ice bucket of water to be thrown onto me. After what felt like an hour I reached my front door.
I walked inside my home not bothering to try and dry off but heading straight for my shower.
I turned on the hot water to an appropriate temperature before I was content. I slid down my shower tub and let the hot water pour all over me. Then it happened. I burst into tears, for at the time I felt I had no reason for doing it, but as I whaled out at the top of my lungs, and my tears being hotter than the water itself. I soon started to realise why I was having this break down, it was because I no longer felt like myself, all these thoughts rushing through my head and all these different crushes. I used to look at mares like that and think what a dirty slut, but now I have become one and all I see is myself crashing and burning.
I flung my hoof against the side of the tub in anger, "No more!" I yelled, "I'm not going to have these stupid little flings anymore, I'm going to find one special somepony and settle with them."
I sighed, I think I have ruined enough of my life already. I have lost a friend, and my dignity. Not that I had much dignity to begin with. Well starting from now I will only be interested in mares or maybe stallions who I think I can have a relationship with.
I hopped out of the shower and dried myself off, my mane was soft and not brittle from all the gel and hairspray I usually have in it, I like it like this sometimes... when nopony else is round.
I later made myself a hot chocolate and sat on my little couch as I warmed up and stared into the night, I don't know how long I had been sitting there or how long I had been staring into the night sky but I do know this, I was excited for school tomorrow, or I was excited to start the search for my special somepony.
I soon was walking in dreamland and there was no way I was being rustled awake anytime soon.
"Are you enjoying yourself berry?"
Silence.
"Oh? Do you not appreciate the gift? You think what hmm? You can just worm your way out of it with just one special somepony... have fun with that."
Silence.
"You don't believe me? Already there are obstacles that will prevent you from reaching your goal Berry... I only want what is best for you... I have always wanted what was best for you!"
My eyes snapped open, and a cold sweat ran down my backside. I had fallen asleep on my couch, and with my untouched hot chocolate, which was now spilled, half on myself and half on the floor.
I cleaned myself off as best as I could and when I finally finished that and doing my mane I looked at the time.
"How did I manage to sleep the day away?" I asked no one in particular. "If I go to school now there would be no point... ah well!"
I decided I wouldn't bother with school today as I wasn't feeling so well as it was, and there was only an hour left... my bad?
I decided to finally unpack my record player along with all my music and listen to some tunes, more specifically, listen to Vinyl Scratch, her mane was my inspiration and her music is what has kept me going in life. I'm not going to lie, on multiple occasions her words have kept me from letting go of life and her bass brought me back to reality. If I ever met her... I would well... I don't know.
Time goes quickly when you listen to music and before I could put my hoofs up and relax, there was a knock at the door.
I sighed, I was in the zone, who could it be?
I opened my door to see an confused looking orange Pegasus with pink hair, I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off as she barged her way past me and sat on my living room floor unpacking her bag.
I had completely forgotten about mine and Scootaloo's study session.
I made my way over to her and sat up on the couch as I stared down at her as she unpacked her things.
When she finished she looked up at me sternly, "Let's get this over with as quickly as possible so I can get the hay out of here, okay?"
"Uh... okay..." I said taken aback at how angry she sounded, "What's wrong?"
"Like you would care... you home wrecker!" she looked me dead in the eye then spat away in disgust, "I can't believe you!"
"Excuse me? Home wrecker? What did I do to you?" I asked shocked.
"What did you do? You grinded up on Sweetie's sister right in front of her! Full well knowing that she was interested. Hay! I was even interested before I found out that on top of that, you had also slept with my idols marefriend!" she yelled, "so right now all I want to do is be as far away from you as possible! But I can't because I agreed to do this stupid assignment with you!"
I hadn't said anything, I let her vent, because she was right about everything, and I deserved nothing but this.
She sat there for a few moments hyperventilating, and all I could do was watch.
As her breaths calmed I spoke, "You can leave... I will do the assignment and you don't have to do anything, you shouldn't have to put up with somepony that you don't like, and well, I don't really want to be stuck in a room with somepony that hates me... you will still get the credit and that way we don't cause more conflict."
"You think getting rid of me will solve the problem!?"
"So you actually want to solve the problem? Or are you just causing another fight?" I asked matter-of-factly, I was in no mood for games, and right now this felt like drama, on top of more drama.
She was surprised by my response to say the least, "I-I... I DON'T KNOW!" she screamed to herself more than me.
"I mean... I really dislike all the things that you have done Berry..." she said and she sounded calmer and more caring then before, she looked me in the eyes, and I felt like her expression was a thousand expressions, I saw hurt in her eyes but I also saw forgiveness, regret, sadness and happiness, this mare was displaying thousands of emotions all at once.
"But Berry, even with everything that you have done, I still... I still kind of like you..." she sounded embarrassed which caused me to blush. "I know it must be hard, everything has changed for you so quickly, but I just hate to see you go down this path... Berry I don't want you to be labelled a slut... I don't wish that on anypony..." and then I saw a glistening streak slowly stain her cheek.
This pony sitting in front of me actually cares about me... and I just tried to push her away, when all she was trying to do was get me to see what I was doing, even though I already knew full well what I was doing, I couldn't help but be grateful for the caring mare that sat before me. She had started to openly cry now and as much as she tried to hide it, she was making it more clear.
I hopped off the couch so I was no longer looking down to her. I threw myself forward and wrapped my forelegs around her bringing her into an tight embrace. She sobbed into my neck and I felt as her tears stained my fur.
"Shh... no pony is labelling me a slut just yet..." I lied as I stroked her mane, to which I felt lots of gel and other product I couldn't quite put a hoof on, but it smelt like passion fruit and dirt. Literally dirt.
I sat patiently as she slowly wrapped her forelegs around me, "I-I don't... want a-any pony calling you a slut!" I cried harder, but it felt more relaxed now that she was holding me.
I continued stroking her mane, "Scootaloo, I don't know what I can say to make you feel better, I honestly have no control over what other ponies think and say, and to be honest I wouldn't be able to do anything even if I tried," I stopped stroking her mane and she looked up into my eyes, "What can I do Scootaloo? I don't want to lose a friend."
For a split second I thought I saw her twitch, "A friend... is that what you think of me?"
I cleared my throat, was she not my friend... what have I done now? "Of course we are friends, I might even go as far as to say we may be best friends."
Now this time I definitely saw a twitch, I also realised I was still hugging her, I slowly and inconspicuously let go of her and sat facing her. Turns out she was in deep thought and didn't even notice.
"Can I ask you a few questions Berry?" she suddenly perked up from her daze.
"Yeah I guess so, are we cool by the way?" I quickly added.
"For now. Anyway, I was wondering since so many ponies are taking a sudden interest in you, have you taken a sudden interest in anypony?"
That was a good question... Was there anypony I felt I had an emotional and physical attraction to? I had told myself I would stop fooling around and choose a special somepony... but who had I chosen to be the object of my desire, and that's when I realised I had desire for a lot of ponies... but there was one pony in particular I have taken an interest in, but I don't think she is interested... for certain reasons.
"So?" Scootaloo asked after several moments of waiting for my answer.
"I... I am not interested in anypony... not in that sense anyway..." I sighed out of frustration, "I wish there was but I haven't really had time to properly connect with anypony."
"Really? No pony at all?" she asked and it looked as if her eyes were twinkling.
"Hmm... Nope."
Scootaloo growled in frustration, then she stood up and started packing her things, "Time has flown hasn't it? I gotta get home!"
I looked at the clock on my wall, it had only been half an hour, there was still the whole afternoon.
"Shouldn't we-"
"Nope no time! See you at school Berry, Bye!" Before I could say bye back she was out of the house and zooming off on a scooter.
I sighed out loud and flopped backwards onto my couch and sighed loudly. I didn't want to move, I had slept the day away and now I was exhausted mentally. I wanted to get in bed, pull the blankets over my head and cuddle my teddy until I could fall asleep, and dream my worries away. But my dreams have been betraying me lately and I no longer had my teddy.
I decided I was going to play 'How long can I levitate the breakables' as I hadn't used my magic in a long while.
I decided that the crystal vase I owned would serve as a good test subject. After what felt like an hour I felt my forehead start to form beads of sweat. It wasn't like I had to do this, I could put the vase down at any time... I had to prove to myself I could beat my record though. Three hours and forty two minutes. My house is boring, it is either listen to music or make my own games, and this was always a fun game.
A knock sounded at my door and for a split moment I lost concentration, but I reacted quickly enough to catch it mere millimetres from the floor, I wiped my forehead, "Phew! Come in the door is open!" I yelled to whoever knocked.
Something in the back of my mind telling me I shouldn't just let anypony in my house with out checking first... but to be honest, I was only focused on one thing.
"Berry?"
"Yo that's me!" I said sarcastically.
"What are you doing?" Twilight asked.
"An experiment, how did you find where I live?" I asked still not looking in her direction.
" I'm a genius, bitch." She stated.
"Fair enough. What brings you to my little house Ma'am?"
"Don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old-"
I scoffed out loud, breaking my concentration and dropping the vase, "You are old." Worth it.
I walked into my kitchen to get my dust pan, soon I was sweeping up the remains of the victim.
"So why are you here?" I cut to the point as Twilight had fallen silent watching me clean up.
"Umm... to talk actually, it gets kind of lonely at the Library without Spike, my assistant, and well I figured you were a good listener so why not?"
"You mean you came over to hang out?"
"Well... yes." She gave me the best smile she could muster up, it was very cute in a dorky sense.
"Don't you have any other friends? What about that mare you are in love with?" I spoke out loud before thinking it over, and Twilight immediately looked hurt.
Her ears drooped and she looked down at something interesting on my floor, "Yeah... that's kind of the reason I wanted to see you, you're the only one I told about that and I thought I might fill you in on what happened."
"Take a seat," I said as I swept the last of the crystal remains into the pan, "I will be with you in a moment."
I walked into my kitchen and poured the rubbish in the bin. There was a mix of emotions running through my mind, and if I had to be honest with myself, I really didn't want to be disturbed after my meeting with Scootaloo. But this was Twilight, our friend. I sighed and bit my lip as I walked back into my living room.
I sat next to Twilight on the couch as far away as possible, I wasn't taking any chances tonight.
"So what happened?" I asked and I saw as her face went from happy, to her bottom lip quivering and her eyes squinting.
"I-I told her..." she held her hoof up to her mouth like she was biting it.
"And..." I urged her to continue, seeing Twilight like this, she usually looks calm and composed, but this was breaking my heart.
"She laughed in my face." And then the water works started.
For the second time that day I embraced a sobbing mare, "There, there..." I stroked her mane as she cried into my neck, I wondered if she could smell the faint scent of another mares tears for a split moment.
"It was horrible!" She blubbered, "I told her everything Berry! I told her how I would watch her every day, and how I admired her bravery, and how ever since I laid eyes upon hers I was in love and there was nothing in the world that would tell me otherwise."
I flinched for no apparent reason.
"I told her that I would do anything for her, I PRACTICALLY GAVE HER MY SOUL BERRY!" she screeched, "And she didn't even take a moment to consider me, she just laughed, she didn't say anything."
"So she literally just laughed?" I asked as if she hadn't already repeated it.
"Yeah! I didn't want to stick around after that. I came straight here."
"So she laughed and you ran away... without seeing if she had anything else to say..." I face hoofed.
"Well... yeah I guess..." she said as her sobs slowed to a stop.
"Twilight," I bunched her cheeks up in my hooves, "You didn't even give the mare a chance, maybe she was laughing at the... irony or something..."
She sniffled, "Y-you think so?"
"I know so!" I lied, "And if she really did just laugh in your face come back here... and I'll give her a piece of my mind!"
Twilight got up off the couch, dusted herself off and then took on an triumphant pose, "Okay!"
With that Twilight was marching out my door, a lot more quickly then she had entered. I was once again alone, I quickly locked the door with magic and headed for my room. Before doing so though, I turned the music player on.
In my room I sat and stared up at my ceiling, while listening to the music echo down the hall. I was relaxed. I could have easily fallen asleep. I could have easily done anything other than lay there on the bed with a worried gut feeling. But I couldn't move, my emotions were taking me on a joyride of a lifetime and I had no idea why... deep down I knew why. But I couldn't admit it to myself yet. I feel so out of the loop in my own mind.
Then I heard a knock at the door. |
My year at Ponyville High | Realisations and Reality | I had a hard decision to make. Do I get up and answer the door to what could be an angry mob? Or do I stay in my comfy bed all relaxed and with no worries? Did I even need to ask?
But as I lay in bed I found it more and more impossible to get relaxed as the knocking persisted, and soon enough went from light irritating knocking to bashing on my door.
With a heavy sigh I lifted myself out of bed and headed for the door. Only to find absolutely no pony there when I opened it, not even any down the street walking away. Odd.
Sitting on my doorstep was a basket of flowers with a love heart shaped note, soon enough I was magically enveloping the basket and closing the door behind me and returning to my place of solace. My room.
As I sat on my bed, I read the note.
"PassionBerry, I have been watching you for quite some time now, and I would love to arrange to meet you this weekend, if you choose to accept please leave a flower on your doorstep. Sincerely, your Secret Admirer."
It took me several moments to process this. I had a secret admirer... welcome to the club? If this happened to me a month ago there would be no doubt in my mind. But as of late I feel like everypony is my admirer in one way or another... at least this one is being discreet about it. I decided I would meet this admirer. Curiosity has gotten the better of me. I decided I would leave the flower tomorrow as I leave for school.
For now I'm content with sleeping. I feel like I have been drained even though I have done nothing all day but sleep! I feel drained emotionally.
I sat back in my bed as I let the music echoing down the hall find its way into my mind and help me drift off to sleep.
I awoke to the sound of music and stared up at the clock, I sighed happily noticing I had woken up on time today. I showered and prepared myself for school. Before leaving I grabbed two flowers and left one on my doorstep, checking to see if anypony was watching.
I kept walking with the other one in my mouth, it was a pink rose, I had to fight my urges to eat it. I had planned on giving it to Sweetie Belle as an apology rose for when I saw her. I know it wont make up for what I did to her but it is a start... and its not like I have ever been in this situation before. This is all new to me.
Walking through the halls of ponyville high I had quite a few ponies waving at me and saying hi to me. It was odd, when did I become so popular? Soon enough the bell rang and I headed to my first class.
Three classes, and two lunch breaks later and I was down to the last class, Miss Cheerilee's English class. Where I would finally find Sweetie Belle, who it seems along with Scootaloo and AppleBloom was successfully avoiding me all day.
As I walked in to the class room I noticed Miss Cheerilee looked miserable, she hadn't even acknowledged any of the students walking into the room. She hadn't even looked up from her desk.
I decided I would find out what was wrong after class. I sat patiently at the front, being one of the first to arrive, I watched the doorway for the pony I had been hunting all day.
They were the last to arrive, and when Sweetie Belle made eye contact with me it seemed she struggled to hold the disgust off of her face. Also by the way AppleBloom was pushing on her rear, she was trying to bail.
To make matters worse the only seats left were in the front row... next to me. I gave Scootaloo a small smile, to which she rolled her eyes... I thought we were on better terms again.
AppleBloom was the unfortunate one to sit next to me, but she didn't seem to mind. She didn't seem nearly as angry as her friends.
Cheerilee cleared her throat before looking up, and almost as soon as she saw me her attitude changed slightly. But I couldn't tell if it were better or worse.
Cheerilee Sighed, "As you can all tell I am not feeling the best today, so I will be giving you all time to work on your assignment, if you have any questions feel free to come up and ask me. And please try and keep the noise to a minimum."
All the ponies in the class translated what she just said into 'Free time.' After five minutes of sitting at my desk waiting for something to happen I realised there was a bad vibe in this classroom, and I also realised me and Scootaloo need to do some work on our assignment.
As I made my way over to the group, whom were huddled in a corner, I decided I would finally give the rose I had been holding onto all day to Sweetie Belle. But I noticed as I got closer they got quieter.
Standing next to them I cleared my throat, "Uh... Sweetie Belle I was wondering if I could talk to you..."
"Whatever you have to say to her you can say in front of us!" Scootaloo stated.
"I would rather not..." I said calmly, "Sweetie Belle?"
She took a moment before nodding and following me to another part of the room with less nosey ponies.
We sat for a brief moment of awkwardness before I pulled out the rose and nudged it towards her.
"I got this for you... I'm so sorry Sweetie Belle... I never meant-" My voice broke, and it was apparent that there was a lump in my throat that was choking me, trying to make me cry.
I cleared my throat and shook my head, "I'm just so sorry, I don't know what happened, I should have known better, its just... I'm on heat, and you know how it can be-"
"Your on heat?" She suddenly perked up.
"Uh... yeah, I'm glad it isn't noticeable-"
"Well that explains a lot! Sorry I got so mad, I just didn't expect my sister to do that with you of all ponies... And I guess I was a bit jealous..." I noticed her blush.
"So you forgive me?" I asked, and tried for the best puppy dog eyes I could manage.
She scoffed, "No. But it is a start. I tell you what... as much as it hurt my feelings, I know my sister is hurting more then I was. Take her out on a date and all is forgiven."
"What?!" I could have sworn my jaw hit the ground, if anything I thought she would want me to take her out on a date but her sister? The confusion within my mind is too damn high.
"You heard me. Sure I might have liked you, but since the other day, my feeling have changed... but it seems so have Rarity's... After she apologised profusely, she locked herself in her room and hasn't come out, so could you take her out this afternoon? It doesn't have to be a date exactly I guess... just a outing."
I sighed, "Of coarse I will Sweetie." I then pulled her in for a hug, that lasted a lot longer then expected.
I could feel her hot breath on the back of my neck as we held each other tighter, it felt as if everything around us had froze in time. She then ripped herself from my grasp, ran a hoof through her mane and walked back over to Scootaloo and AppleBloom who were patiently watching.
I scratched at the floor trying to think of my next move. Scootaloo. I groaned, this one is going to be a pain... I thought everything was fine.
"Well?"
I looked up and noticed the pony looming over top of me.
"Uh hey Scootaloo..." I said as if there was a voice activated bomb around...
"Are we going to work on this assignment or not?" She demanded.
"Of coarse we are! Right now!" I pronounced and jumped to my feet.
She let a smile slip and that's when it clicked, she was putting the angry act on for Sweetie Belle's sake and now that everything is... sorta okay, she can drop the act... mostly.
We busied ourselves the rest of the lesson, we had decided to do the old potato clock. Simple but proves we are at least a little smart, I've noticed some of the other kids just doing collages on pony anatomy, or the environment or even endangered species.
The bell rang just as we had finished planning who is going to do each part, we divided the work down the middle even though I offered to do the whole thing Scootaloo insisted we work as a team.
I decided to wait after everypony left so I could see what was wrong with Miss Cheerilee, even though I was fairly sure I had a rough idea of what it could be. I soon noticed She hadn't even looked up from her desk after everypony had finally left, so I shut the door myself and sat across from her desk and cleared my throat loudly.
This managed to rouse her out of her trance and as soon as she looked it was like a spark had been ignited, within a matter of seconds she launched over her desk tackling me to the ground.
"I didn't know you would wait... I didn't know if you even cared anymore." She said frantically touching my face all over like she didn't believe I was real.
"Of coarse I was going to wait, I care about you, and it definitely looks like you need some T.L.C."
"So you do care about me?" She said sourly.
"Uh... yeah..."
She got off of me, and I knew where this was headed, "I have been hearing rumours Berry... You knew how I felt... why? Why not me?!" She shouted.
"Because I was confused!" I had to think on my hooves... It's just one thing after another, but I knew Cheerilee would find out eventually, and I knew she would be hurt. Me and her have actually bonded more then any of the others I have fooled around with and all I have done is lead her on... it's not like I didn't like her... I was so confused and now that I have made this promise to myself I feel like I owe her, and I can't do anything. The voice in my head was right... there are obstacles, I just don't want to hurt anyponies feelings but no matter what I do or don't do I am. Maybe this can be trial and error period... I mean I am in heat, ponies do stupider things don't they? Probably not.
"Confused about what Berry?!" She pleaded.
"My feelings! No pony seems to be taking in my feelings right now..." I paused for a moment, "Well maybe they are trying but it seems no matter what I do I am hurting somepony in one way or another!" My heart was racing and anger started to erupt, I'd had enough. "Everything I do is wrong! And ends up hurting somepony even though I had no idea I was doing it! But I seem to owe a debt for it any way! I'm sick of it, no pony has ever treated me nice, or wanted me until now and still I feel like I'm getting treated like SHI-"
I was silenced mid-tantrum with a kiss, I reacted quickly and welcomed it, letting all my anger and tension flow through my lips into Cheerilee's, I slowly but somewhat roughly lowered her to the floor. I started to furiously kiss up and down her neck, that's when I heard it. It was so unexpected, so not what I needed right now.
"I love you." She breathed into my mane.
I stopped, I didn't know how to react, it was to sudden to be throwing that word around. She was my teacher, we could never have a relationship... this was doomed before it even began. What had I done? Was all I could think. I knew something like this would happen and yet I kept going. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew how she felt... I feel like I have used this vulnerable mare, and I don't know what to say.
"Berry?" She must have sensed the tension... or maybe it was just me stopping almost immediately, "I-I didn't mean it!"
She started to cry, I stroked her mane out of her face "I'm sorry...," I said as I pulled her in for a hug, "I think we both need time to process our feelings... and right now, I am the last pony you want to be in love with... I will do nothing but hurt you Cheerilee."
She whaled loudly, "No you won't! And I don't care!"
"But you do care, otherwise you wouldn't have been such a mess today," she sniffled, "I tell you what, Tomorrow when I see you, you better be as chipper and lively as the first day I met you, if you are I will reward you."
"N-no games?" She asked cautiously... in my defence I was hurt by this, but I knew where she was coming from.
"No games." I kissed her on the forehead and helped her up.
She walked me to the door, "I will see you tomorrow then?"
"Yes! See you then." I gave her a quick hug and left.
I liked how slow I was taking it with Cheerilee, but I had my reasons. One of those being it was illegal.
I made my way into town, and I had a tough decision to make. Library or Boutique?
I pondered for a moment, I really wanted to go to the library to see how Twilight was, but I felt as if I knew I wouldn't like what I heard if I went there. I also wanted to go ask Rarity on that date I owed Sweetie Belle but I knew I would be in for a beating for some reason.
I sighed loudly and decided I would make my way for the Boutique, I passed a little Bakery on the way and thought maybe I should get her a cupcake... who doesn't like cupcakes?
I entered the shop and was surprised to see so many ponies in her, must be a special on or something. That was when I noticed all the balloons, and suddenly felt as if I were intruding. Which I was. It seemed to be one of the filly's in town Birthday today and this was her party.
"WELCOME!" A pink pony bounced in my face and then suddenly gasped, "I haven't met you before! Oh, wow! A new friend, I new today would be my lucky day, my name is Pinkie Pie, but all my friends call me Pinkie and now you're my friend, HOORAY!" she started to spin me around and around.
"S-stop, or I'm gonna be... sick!" she stopped just in time.
"What's your name?!" She bounced.
"PassionBerry." I said whilst still holding my stomach, "Is the bakery open?"
"Sure is!"
"Who do I talk to, to get a cupcake?"
Pinkie reached around and held out on her hoof a Purple frosted cupcake, "Here you go, first ones free!"
I grabbed the cupcake, "Wow thankyou so much, and it is perfect!" I don't know why I did it but I did, I grabbed Pinkie and pulled her in for a short hug, to which she seemed almost giddy with happiness over.
"No. ThankYOU! By the way you smell pretty-"
"Pinkie! We need that cake stat!" a pony yelled for somewhere in the party.
"Gotta go, see you soon PassionBerry!" She waved by to me then seemed to disappear into thin air.
"Bye?"
Having now acquired what I had come in for I continued my journey to Carousel Boutique, and hoped desperately that Rarity was their.
When I arrived at the Boutique the sign on the door was flipped to closed, but that didn't stop me the other day, so I pushed forth. Entering the Boutique I noticed straight away that there was an odd feeling within, and that feeling was coldness. It didn't see as lively as it had the lat I walked in, I thought about calling out for somepony but something in the back of my mind stopped me. I spent ten minutes searching for sign of life throughout rooms, but found nothing, until I came across a set of stairs leading up to what looked like her room.
I opened the door gently and looked around, it was dark and cold within the room, and it smelled of dead flowers. I then saw her, lying on her bed, she looked frazzled and worn out from what looked like too much crying. I sighed quietly. What had I done? She was very cold, so I magically picked her up and tight tucked her under the blankets. She sighed happily either at this or a dream she was having.
I then hopped into bed with her, but not for a perverted reason, because she was still cold and I wanted her to be warm. I didn't want her to get sick over this. Almost instantly she wrapped herself around me and even though her coldness stung at first we were both warm within no time.
Looking down at her, I started to stoke her messy mane out of her face, I smiled softly, she was still one of the most beautiful mares I had ever seen. She started to stir in her sleep so I decided to do something I hadn't done in a long while. Sing.
"Shh, Everything is perfect,
Everything is fine.
I'm beginning to suspect,
That you are destined to Shine,
If only I could protect you,
If only I could save you,
Then maybe you wouldn't be so...
Blue."
I noticed her twitch a little, so I stopped.
Then she snapped up and awake, "Berry!"
"ME!" I shouted back.
"What are you doing?" She asked shocked, but I noticed even though she seemed shock at my apparent appearance she hadn't stopped clinging to me.
"I came over to ask you something, and I noticed you weren't downstairs so I-"
"You let yourself in again, and came into my bedroom?! And jumped in bed with me!"
"Yeah when you say it like that it sounds bad, but you looked so cold so I tucked you in but that didn't warm you so I thought I would keep you warm until you woke up."
She looked as if she was about to yell at me again, but stopped herself, "Thankyou."
"I got you a cupcake." I said taking the cake from the bedside table and hoofing it to her.
"Thankyou Berry," She blushed, "I wasn't planning for visitors... and certainly didn't expect to see you..." She paused for a moment, then her attitude changed and she for a brief moment seemed disgusted by me and backed away but not leaving the bed, "Not after our last meeting. What did you want?"
I suddenly felt nervous... too nervous, "I umm... I was wondering... I-if you would u-umm-"
"What!" She yelled impatiently.
I gulped hard. I didn't want to do this anymore, maybe Sweetie Belle would understand... She wouldn't. I had to do this. "Would you go on a date with me?"
She pondered this for a moment, and for a moment my heart thumped so hard in my chest I thought it was trying to make a break for it.
Without warning she threw her hooves around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss, it felt sloppy, and greedy and even dirty. It didn't feel right. And that's because it wasn't right.
She started to cry into the kiss and I had to force her off of me.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I stroked her cheek.
"You. Me. Everything! Why? Why did you come back?" She pleaded.
"I-I... I'm sorry?" This wasn't making sense, "I came back to see how you were, I came back to ask you out on a date because that is what your sister wants..." I blurted it out without thinking.
"She wanted you to ask me out on a date? She hasn't spoken to me since she saw me with you, but she wants you to go on a date with me! PassionBerry, do you actually want to or was all of that fake? The cupcake, the tucking me in and even singing to me?"
"So you did hear it? And none of it is fake, I thought you would hate me after everything that happened, I thought asking you on a date would end in me hurt-"
"You hurt!? I can't stop thinking about you. Did you do something to me? I have never felt like this before..."
She started to sob uncontrollably, I pulled her close to me hugging her head against my chest as I felt her tears soak into my coat. "I'm sorry... it seems I'm a total mess up. I have hurt so many ponies." I felt tears in my eyes, "All my life I have wanted somepony to love me. I have wanted anypony to even like me, and now that I do it seems I just keep hurting them."
Now it was my turn to start crying uncontrollably. And once I started, she started to even harder. The more we wept the closer I held her to myself. After a long while she sniffled and looked up at me.
"I could see myself falling in love with you PassionBerry." She gave a hearty laugh, "But for some reason I think it is doomed before it even starts."
I laughed through a sniffle, "You think?"
"I know. Plus with a mane like that I don't think I could be seen in public with you." She nudged jokingly.
"Have you looked in a mirror recently?" I teased.
Her eyes widened in shock at her own realisation on her appearance, "Oh my! I cant believe you are seeing me like this!"
She tried to rush away, but I held onto her, "You look fine I was just kidding." She blushed, "Anyway I guess I should be on my way... are you sure I can't take you on a date?" I asked getting off the bed and waggling my eye brows.
She sighed, "As tempting as it is, I really must move on as hard as it is. For the sake of Sweetie and well... yeah..."
She got up and made her way to her little bathroom. "Well I'm going for a shower now dear, it was nice to clear things up with you, and don't worry, now that I have closure I should be able to cope. You really are something Miss Berry." And then she disappeared into her bathroom.
In the back of my mind a voice was yelling at me to go join her, that that was what she wanted. But that voice was tainted. It was not of my own thoughts... but yet it had so much willpower over me. What was happening. I felt as if I was losing control, and then I did, as my mind was telling my body to walk down the stairs and out of the Boutique, my body had a mind of its own as it started to head for the bathroom which now had the sounds of a shower echoing throughout the room. It was just as I reached the door I regained myself, and threw myself across the room crashing into the floor hard. I had to use magic to stop myself. I was fairly sure I had broken my hoof, but the pain blocked out the voice that had seemed to take over my body.
I quickly limped out of the room, with great difficulty made it down the stairs and out of the boutique. As I stood outside I finally examined my hoof. Yup broken. It had already bruised and swelled severely. I had no idea where the hospital was in the town, so I decided I would finally visit Twilight and maybe get directions to it.
The Library was fairly close, but walking on three legs was a pain in a behind. To make matters worse it was my front right hoof, and being a right hoof user I knew the next couple of weeks would be full of me using magic for everything. Growing up in the orphanage they trained the unicorns to not use their magic for every possible thing, they didn't like it at all really or at least the pony that ran the orphanage didn't. He didn't like much of anything... except the pretty filly's... He would always organise private meetings with them... He promised that they would be adopted after a private lesson. They always were almost as soon as they left. He never took me for one, he didn't hate me. Just couldn't stand me.
I made it to the library and knocked on the door with my broken hoof, "FUCK!" I yelled out, then almost instantly shut it. I had clumsily forgot for a split moment. My profanity can be forgiven okay!
Twilight opened the door, "Did you just swear Miss Berry?" she asked mockingly appalled.
"Let me in Bitch." I said jokingly, and this earnt myself passage way to the couch and a giggle from her which for some reason made me blush.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Well I was originally coming over to see how you were?" I waited patiently, even though my hoof throbbed I still had to ask.
"Well... She said she found it... cute? But she declined." I noticed her bottom lip quiver, and her eyes water.
"Well, she doesn't know what she is missing!" I said angrily, I didn't understand why I was getting so worked up, maybe it was seeing my friend so hurt.
"It's okay... I shouldn't have tried to come between her and Fluttershy..." She said as tears began to fall freely down her face, and I now realised the mare she wanted was Rainbow Dash... and now I felt like this was all my fault, like I was the one that got her hopes up because of what I did with Fluttershy, "I'm such a bad friend!"
"No you aren't, you had a crush... No pony can blame you for that, she would be lucky to have you." I said and pulled her in for a hug (with my good hoof).
I seem to make a habit of ponies crying on me. Whilst holding onto a sobbing Twilight a sudden realisation hit me. Something I wasn't able to think out aloud before now. The pony I had taken an interest in was Twilight. Holding her now I never wanted to let go. I wanted her to never cry again. I wanted to be the pony she admitted her love to. I loathed Rainbow Dash because of this, but only out of jealousy.
I breathed in the smell of Twilights mane, she still had that minty lavender scent I wanted to bury myself in. Losing myself in the moment of realisation and the familiarity of the unicorns scent, I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. It was only a small peck, but it stopped Twilight mid sob.
"B-berry?" She looked up at me.
Oh no... I lost myself... I didn't think and now I have gone and ruined something again... I felt tears start to form and I was sick of crying in front of ponies today.
"I-I'm sorry!" I yelled, and rushed away from her like I might hurt her, "I didn't mean it!"
"Berry! Wait!" She yelled after me but it was already too late.
I clumsily limped out of the Library. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know where the hospital was. I just had to get away. I had to get away from everything... everypony. I made my way for home. By the time I had made it there I had gotten the hang of running on three hooves down pat.
The flower I left on the door step was now gone. I had almost forgotten about that, and now I regretted it. Just another pony to hurt... I thought.
As I entered my house, I crashed. Quite literally. I passed out. |
My year at Ponyville High | Hurting | I awoke feeling well rested. I had had no nightmares. The voice that has been haunting my dreams didn't appear. It seems I had made a blanket out of my welcome mat. I got up and dusted myself off noticing my hoof felt a lot better but still hurt, it was early morning I could tell that without even looking at my clock, as the sun was only just rising.
I felt different today, whether it was because I had an amazing yet uncomfortable sleep or some other miracle. But I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of me. I felt rejuvenated. As I made myself breakfast I turned my music on and got lost in the beats.
I felt happy for the first time in a long while, I came to a realisation while my oats warmed. I no longer felt guilty. I no longer felt ashamed and I no longer cared. All my life I have been the under dog. All my life no pony has ever done me a real favour. In then end it is all the same. I am abandoned.
"I'm glad to see you are finally relaxing and letting loose. I guess healing your hoof and soul somewhat helped too."
I threw my glass of milk I had just poured against the ceiling.
"I love scaring little ponies in the mornings!" The Draconequus clapped his hands together.
"How did you get in here Discord?" I remember visiting his statue as a filly. I have never actually met him nor have I seen him since.
"I was told to keep an eye on you," he then grabbed his eye and put in on my head giggling, "And that's what I'm here to do! Although Miss Berry you are one pony I'd been watching for quite some time before." He smirked.
I flung his eye away which he caught and popped back in, "Who told you to?! And are you the one that has been stalking my dreams?!" I shouted.
"Now that is interesting, I did not know that you were having trouble sleeping? And unfortunately I can not tell you who gave me this mission."
"Why not?" I asked defensively.
"More to the point, your dreams... describe them to me."
"No!" I said and started to stomp to my room.
"Why not? I could help!" He followed.
"No! Because you wont tell me who asked you to watch over me!" I was almost to my room.
"That's not fair! I'm only here to help you! Not terrorise you." He pleaded.
"No!" I stopped and turned to him and slammed the door in his face.
"You are acting like a filly!" he yelled from outside my room.
"I have to get ready for school."
After an hour of showering, brushing my teeth, styling my mane and wasting time I emerged from my room to see a comfortable discord laying on my couch.
"You take a long time to get ready." He grumbled.
I huffed and ate my now cold oats.
After ten minutes of awkward silence he gave in. "Fine I will tell you on one condition."
I glared at him waiting for him to continue.
"You tell me everything that goes on in you life. When ever I ask. It is essential I know." He smirked mischievously.
I pondered this for a moment. There wasn't really much bad that could come from it, He could help, and I'm sure I could just not tell him some things.
"No. I will know if you lie to me. I am the king of lies..." he poked his tongue out.
"No... I have the right to leave out some things."
"How dare you keep negotiating! Fine whatever! Just tell me the bad things... like the dreams, I don't give a shit."
"You first."
He scoffed at this, "You play a tough game Miss Berry, Fine! It was a pony of royal blood that asked me to watch over you."
"Who?" A pony of royal blood? But why would any royalty be interested in a pony like me.
"I will give you one more question, pick wisely, who... or why?" he snickered, "But first, describe me your dreams."
"They are always in a dark place. It is pure silence half the time." I felt a chill run up my spine. "It sounds evil, but it says it wants the best for me. It says it gave me my cutie mark... as a gift? I don't know maybe it is my imagination..."
Discord was in deep thought, "Hmmm... It is strange, I will look into it more. Now to answer your question. What do you choose?"
"I actually don't want to know anymore. You can tell me another time, I have to get to school!" I was going to be on time today and nothing was stopping me! Even though I really did want to know who had asked him to watch me.
As odd of an occurrence that was it wasn't stopping me. Nor did it phase me as much as it would have another pony. Today I was in an amazing mood!
I arrived at school with time to spare, I wiped the sweat from my brow and was excited to start the new day. I tucked some things into my locker and as I shut it a pony I didn't want to see appeared next to me smirking. I opened my locker and closed it again. Multiple times.
"Take the magic trick back, do not want!" I said to my locker in frustration.
"Hey loser!" Silver Spoon said, I thought I noticed her blush, "Looks like you are no longer a blank flank, welcome to the land of big ponies." She snickered.
I looked around her and saw no pony standing behind her to back her up, I smiled, "Where is your little friend?" I asked.
"None of your business!" she spat back, this pony had some real attitude problems.
"Well that's good to know, know make like a good dog and go run to her or something, because my life is none of your business!" I took a step toward her to show I am in no mood for her crap. I am happy today and I plan on staying that way.
She gulped hard and I could see it in her eyes she was deciding if she should retreat or not. She didn't, she took a step closer, "What are you going to do huh?"
I glared at her, "I don't even know you, I don't give a shit about what you think or say. If you don't step away right now I will kick your plot so hard, the stick you have shoved up your ass will break in two." I stated.
She gasped, looked around to see if anypony had been listening, which there was about fifteen ponies gathered around our little spectacle, I even heard one pony yell, "Are you going to take that?!" That seemed to set Silver Spoon off.
Before I had time to react she had already knocked me to the ground. Because she caught me off guard she got a good swing in. I managed to shield myself from the next hit but at the cost of damaging my freshly healed hoof, she had gotten the upper hoof by pinning me to the ground. She pinned my forelegs down with her knees and was sitting on top of me, this gave her the utmost advantage as she swung repeatedly, smashing me directly in the muzzle. I was all for fair fights, but one I was caught off guard and two, I was sure that is if I didn't do something soon she was going to cause serious damage to my face... or brain.
I am not proud of what I did next but it was necessary. I magically engulfed her mane and pulled her backwards off of me. I held her within my grasp until I could get to my hooves. Mainly because that had just about spent all of my energy. I let go as I swung connecting my good hoof to her jaw and making her lose balance hitting the floor hard. I didn't want to hit her in the eyes because of her glasses. That would risk glass going in her eyes and my hoof. I could taste my own blood and I started to feel dizzy. But seeing the rage in her eyes as she got up I knew the only way she was backing down was if somepony broke us up. Which wouldn't be happening soon because a lot of ponies were cheering for more.
She took a swing at me, but I dodged just in time and gave her an uppercut she would feel in the morning. She grunted loudly and went into a rage of just swinging frantically, I dodged as many as I could but they were coming too fast. One connected to my forehead at the base of my horn, at the exact same time I connected a hit to her left cheek.
I fell to the ground. As did her glasses. She towered over me and I looked up. I had never been in so much pain. She turned around and I thought I was over. I thought she was about to walk away, it was obvious she had beaten the crap out of me. That was when she laughed wickedly and raised her hind legs. I was wrong I found that out as she bucked my face so hard it sent me flying down the hall. The last thing I remember was muffled voices yelling something about something... yeah I was knocked out.
I awoke groggy and feeling like a pile of dung. It hurt as I opened my eyes, the light was so bright and my eyes were so sensitive. I was cold and in a bed that wasn't mine. My hearing was muffled and I could barely hear the beeps of the hospital machine next to me. Yeah... I got bucked up!
I tried to talk but as I tried to move my jaw tears came to my eyes and I made a tiny gurgling squeaky sound. My vision fixed itself and my hearing was almost normal. I noticed some flowers by my bed, and wondered who dropped them by as they were the same ones my secret admirer used.
I also noticed at the end of the bed a chair dragged nice and close with a sleeping Twilight Sparkle leaning on the bed. I immediately felt stupid. I felt embarrassed. I had still not confronted her about what I did. But I guess it doesn't matter now. It was only a peck after all. I doubt she would be here if she didn't forgive me. I noticed they were pumping a lot of things into me. As I pulled myself up the bed I accidently rustled too much and awoke the sleeping mare.
She groggily turned her head to the side sighing as she did so, only half opening her eyes. Then her eyes widened in what seemed like disbelief and she rushed up and hugged me tight. This caused a lot of pain on my behalf and once again I made the unflattering noise. She tried to pull away but I held her close letting her know it was okay.
Eventually she pulled away and I noticed a tear sliding down her face, "You know taking on a earth pony that teaches self defence in her spare time was stupid, she may not look like much but silver spoon is a tank." She tried to laugh but it died instantly.
How was I to know that? She really doesn't seem like the type... I should have used magic. I grunted in response which didn't hurt... too much.
"They didn't know when you would wake up... they weren't even going to let me in here until I got permission from the princess..."
I tried to give her a look that would clearly say I'm sorry. I don't know if she got the message.
"There is a note pad and pen on the desk if you really need to say something-"
I looked at it and tried to levitate it to myself, but was rewarded with searing pain running through my skull, it was like I was being electrocuted.
"Don't try to use magic!" Twilight yelled too late, "Your horn uh... well it cracked..."
She hoofed me the note pad and pen, I knew straight away my hoof was in a cast, yeah so much for healing it Discord! But I was determined and without magic, I would be a very messy writer.
I wrote on the pad, 'How long was I out?'
"A week exactly." She answered and watched as I wrote more.
'What is happening with Silver Spoon?'
"Well..." She looked away from me as she spoke, "At first she tried saying it actually was self defence... I even heard that her father tried paying off the school and the authorities. Unfortunately for her there were quite a few witnesses... it was a shame none of them jumped in to stop her..." She grunted in frustration, "You are lucky the Scootaloo jumped in and helped while her friends ran and got a teacher."
I underlined my question again and raised an eyebrow.
"Well right now her appeal is being looked at and she will be lucky if she doesn't get charged with attempted murder... But in the end it lies on you what you do."
I stared at the note pad for a long while. Attempted murder? I wouldn't call it that, I have been in plenty of fights... this one was just a lot rougher then usual is all.
'I don't want her to be charged with anything.' I wrote and looked at Twilight waiting for a response.
"But she almost killed you Berry! Do you even understand that?!" She looked at me pleadingly.
I tapped what I had just written again.
"Why? She was out of control! She deserves punishment!" Twilight said angrily.
'I egged her on just as much. I deserve punishment. And I got it.'
"But she didn't other then a few bruises! She took your magic Berry!" Tears were free falling from Twilights eyes.
I did my best to smile, 'No she didn't. I will be fine, the only thing she truly hurt was my pride.'
"I don't understand how you can be so forgiving..." she stroked my cheek ever so lightly.
'Who left these flowers?' I wrote changing the subject.
"I don't know... they were here even before I got here." She said looking at them confused, she lifted the card out from in them and read, "Get well soon, I will be counting the days until you are better, Love your Secret Admirer." She frowned as she said the last of it.
I felt a blush come on and I looked away from Twilight.
"Somepony is popular." She laughed but it sounded forced.
The air in the room became tainted with awkwardness. I heard her sigh sadly and felt a pang of guilt in my chest.
'Are you okay?' I scribbled.
"Yeah... I'm sorry PassionBerry."
I tilted my head to the side, I didn't need to write this down.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you who it was... and it was wrong of me to put all of my problems on you."
'No. I'm sorry. You have nothing to apologise for. I shouldn't have done what I did. It was wrong. You were vulnerable.'
"Don't apologise. You were being there for me. Thank you. But I don't think I am ready for that... You are a great friend Berry... but you are not emotionally mature yet. And you have other commitments you need to tend to."
I pondered this for some time, my heart was breaking but she was right. I'm really not emotionally mature for any kind of relationship I may have hoped to have with Twilight Sparkle. She was getting over her heart breaking and it needed time to mend.
'Thank you.' I smiled genuinely at her.
"Well I am glad you are now awake, now I have a few things I need to go tend to, did you need anything?"
I shook my head, she hugged me gently and like that she was gone. I was left alone in the cold empty room. I sunk deep into the bed, I worried about if Scootaloo was okay, I should have asked Twilight. I'm sure she would have told me if anything bad had happened. Then I worried if she finished our project. I felt guilty I had not finished it with her.
As time passed a nurse came in every now and then to check on me, or to change my medicine over. I soon started to try and get my magic working again, almost every time it drove me to tears but I eventually managed to levitate one fallen petal from the bouquet of flowers I had received. This brought tears of happiness to my eyes. My magic hadn't abandoned me.
I eventually got a nurse to play some music in my room. She didn't mind as she felt it made the whole room feel less like a prison. I couldn't agree more.
It was late afternoon by the time I got a knock at my door, it was nurse Redheart, "You have a guest, would you like them to-"
I nodded, finally something to relieve my boredom!
To my surprise, Scootaloo, AppleBloom and Sweetie Belle walked in all taking a seat close to the bed.
I quickly wrote, 'I'm sorry.' And shoved it at Scootaloo.
She had what remained of a black eye, it was almost healed but I could still see it.
"What!" She laughed, "Don't be! I'm sorry I wasn't there to back you up!"
The all nodded in agreement. I shrugged.
"Twilight told us you were dropping the charges, why?!" asked Sweetie Belle.
I showed them the previous paper saying I egged her on, they just shook their heads.
"That still don't mean she can just get away with it!" AppleBloom stated.
"Yeah!" the other two chimed in.
I shrugged and wrote, 'It's my decision in the end. Anyway can we talk about something else? Scootaloo did you get the assignment done in time?'
"Seriously? It was a potato clock there wasn't much to it." She said in a cocky tone.
"We would have been here sooner but... School. Everypony won't shut up about the fight, so don't expect to hear nothing about it when you come back." Sweetie Belle spoke.
"But don't worry! I will be walking to school with you from now on." Scootaloo stated and blushed.
'I'm not a foal. I can walk myself." I grunted and shoved a pad in her face.
She replied by poking her tongue out at me and giggling.
'But seriously guys, Thank you.' I tried my best to hold a tear back. Damn dust!
They all Daww'd at me and gently gave me an awkward group hug.
"Well we better get going mah sister will be wonderin' where I am." AppleBloom said and headed for the door, "It was good to know you are gettin' better Berry!"
Sweetie Belle soon followed, "Yeah I have a curfew and I'm about to be late!" she panicked and chased after Apple Bloom, I heard her yell bye down the hall.
I looked questioningly at Scootaloo, she smiled down at me "I have absolutely no where to be."
She closed the door, something the nurses never did, and turned my music up. Sitting back in her chair she closed her eyes and listened to the beat of Vinyl Scratches music. I soon lost myself in the music to.
About three songs in she turned the music down so it was just background noise. I raised an eyebrow. She ignored it.
She stared at me for a while. I was trying to read on her face what she was thinking, but she was a blank book.
"Are you in pain?" she asked.
I shrugged, I wasn't at the present time, but when I moved it would send jolts of pain.
She leaned over the bed and hugged me, not with her fore arms, but with her wings. It was the most gentle hug I had ever received, the feel of her feathers against my coat felt like bliss. She held me tight against her for a long moment then released me gently.
"Don't do that again..." she said, "You stupid gorgeous mare, don't ever do something so naïve again!" she said angrily, "Silver Spoon had almost killed you, ya know?"
I nodded.
"Over what? A stupid taunt... that pony was never able to control her temper!" She gritted her teeth.
I raised an eyebrow mockingly.
"I can control my temper! I would never harm another pony! I am nothing like-"
It took all of my energy to grab Scootaloo mid rage, I pulled her close to myself and brought her in for a kiss, although it was painful it was worth it. She melted into my hooves as she kissed me back and I was once again breathing in the smell of passion fruit... not much dirt this time. It was a light kiss that seemed to last forever. I could feel how red her cheeks were as the heat radiated off of them and onto mine.
I pulled away as the pain started to become too much. She looked as if she had just flown to the moon and back.
"That was... unexpected..." she said confused but as red as a tomato.
I sat back and gently smiled. I was too tired to write anymore. I think she noticed this.
With a heavy sigh she said, "I will leave you to get some rest okay, but I will be back first chance I get!" she finished enthusiastically.
Giving me a quick peck on the forehead, avoiding my horn, she left. But not before turning my music up. With that I had a feeling I would be getting no more visitors for the day. Soon enough I was drifting into a deep and well needed slumber.
I awoke early morning feeling we rested and a little better. My jaw didn't hurt so much anymore it just felt stiff. I could finally muster up enough courage to stretch out my body, it felt painfully good. I could feel a weeks worth of being cramped up in bed through my body as I stretch, feeling my back crack felt unbelievably good.
I wanted to get up. As I started to pull myself up and about to swing down onto the floor a nurse quickly rushed in. I sighed in frustration as she gently pushed me back into bed and tight tucked the sheets.
"Ain't taking no chances with you right now love. You can walk about tomorrow." Nurse Redheart smiled triumphantly.
I groaned, Evil mare.
"How is your jaw feeling today?" she touched her hoof gently underneath and I lifted my head for her to get a better look, "Looks much better, I take it you can talk now grumble bum?" She giggled at this.
"It only hurts mildly." I huffed.
"Well good, because I am sure there will be plenty of visitors for you today!" She said cheerfully, dusting the fallen rose petals into her hoof, "I will be back to check on you later."
I kicked at the tight tucked sheets, "Damnit!" I had forgotten to ask her to at least put some music on.
After forty five minutes of staring at the wall I was growing impatient, and I was in a cheeky mood.
I started to groan with frustration to boredom, very loudly. The groans only grew louder the more I was ignored by the passing nurses and occasional doctors.
Soon enough nurse Redheart stormed in, "Berry! You are disrupting the other patients, what is the matter?!"
I released one more groan for good measure, this made her stomp her hoof, "I'm Booorrrreeedddd!"
"What do you want me to do about it?! And stop making those sounds, anypony will think you are dying!" She said angrily.
"Can you turn my music on..." she looked at me incredulously, "Pwease!" I gave my best pout.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Fine but not very loud... your taste in music is... well yes." She turned it on quickly and spun on her hoof. I noticed her stop just outside the doorway, "Oh thank Celestia! Please go in!"
All of a sudden Rarity was shoved into the room and the door slammed shut behind her.
She gasped, "Oh my, what did you do to that poor mare?" she teased.
"I only wanted my music on!" I said offended just as I noticed Rarity about to turn it off, "Seriously!?" I yelled to stop her.
"Ugh, you actually like those sounds?" she shrugged and walked over to the chair by my bed.
"Yes I do! Anyways what can I do for you Miss?" I asked as she leaned on my bed getting a closer look at me.
"I just came by to see how you were..." she paused and raised a hoof to stroke my cheek with the utmost gentleness, "I heard you were awake, more to the point, how are you?"
"Well other then being more then a little bit restrained," I made a show of it by trying to lift my hind legs but that darn nurse must be a tight tucking pro, "And a little sore, I would say I'm pretty dandy!" I smiled.
"I also hear you are dropping the charges?"
I shrugged, "I asked for it."
She raised her eye brow quizzically but shook her head, "It is your decision. Just do what you feel is right."
I sighed into her hoof as it was still caressing my cheek. She retracted it quickly after though coughing awkwardly.
She looked at any point in the room but at me, soon she noticed the flowers, "Oh these are pretty," she levitated the card over to herself reading it. She frowned slightly at it and put it back.
Sensing the tension in the room was becoming too much, "Is something wrong Rarity?"
She had been in deep thought, she sighed inwardly, "You Berry... I tried forgetting about you and then this happened... and it's all my fault!" She threw herself around me and started to cry.
I stoked her mane to the best of my ability but I was distracted by the thought of being crushed... and confusion at her statement.
"I wished for you to disappear!" It was like something sharp pierced me directly in the feelings, "You almost did! Oh Berry! I'm so sorry!"
I laughed and this made her pull back confusedly, "You have nothing to be sorry for! The amount of times I have wished for something to be gone, well what are the chances? Plus no way was this going to be the end of me!" I said triumphantly.
"But-"
I put my hoof over her mouth, "Do you want me to beg for you to drop it? Because you can ask Nurse Redheart, it is the last thing you want."
This made her laugh, and her smile brought a fire to my heart. It felt good to make ponies laugh and smile, I had had enough of making them cry, especially Rarity.
"I love it when you smile." I blurted my thoughts aloud.
She blushed fiercely. She was still holding on to me as she leaned in, "I keep trying to forget you Berry... But you keep saying things like that and I will never let you go."
I felt her hot breath on my muzzle. Her lips were so close to mine I could almost feel them. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to take her then and there. My body was aching to feel her. Most of all my body was aching for her affection. But all to quickly she pulled away, giving a quick wink.
She started to head for the door and all the scenarios I had just imagined in my dirty mind shattered. I had to remind myself it was for the best.
"Sorry Berry but I really must go now. I have an appointment at the spa with a close friend which I really mustn't be late for." She waved a hoof goodbye and with that she was gone, leaving me to my boredom once again.
Moments passed which soon turned into hours. I had listened to the same music track a hundred times now and it was starting to frustrate me.
There was a light knock at my door and excitement over another visitor eased me from my foul mood.
"Come in!" I called all too eagerly, the pony made their way in, "Rarity! Back so soon? How was the..."
My heart sank. I wanted to run. I wanted to evaporate into nothing. She was followed close behind a mare I had not seen since some very unfortunate circumstances. I had been avoiding this. Fluttershy had walked in behind Rarity, she had made no eye contact with me. Only the floor. She was lucky.
Rarity closed the door swiftly behind Fluttershy and made her way to the chair at the end of the bed. It seemed they both were keeping their distance.
I gulped hard trying to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. I was glad the heart rate monitor was no longer hooked up.
"The spa was cut short." Rarity answered my earlier question, "It seems you have been quite the mare about town Berry." She said sourly.
I looked away. There was so much I wanted to say but none of it would come out right. How was I to know they were friends? How could I have known what I was doing at the time was wrong?
"It seems you have to apologise to both of us. And Fluttershy has something she needs to ask of you. But you first." Rarity stated.
This angered me. I don't know why but it did, "I have to apologise?! For what? I didn't know she was your friend at the time and even then she was there for me when I was confused and alone. I thought I had said everything to you that needed to be said Fluttershy but I guess I was wrong. I am sorry for walking out that morning, and I am sorry for coming between you and your marefriend." I noticed her fidget and finally look up at me.
"But Rarity I don't really think that you have a right to be mad at me. I didn't even know you at the time!" Tears freely rolled down my cheeks, I kept my composure as best as I could. "Fluttershy, what we did was amazing and magical, but it was a mistake."
Fluttershy appeared to be having a hard time bearing all of this and burst out in tears at my last statement. Rarity was soon hugging the mare trying to calm her down while glaring daggers at me.
"What did you expect?" I shot at her.
"You could be a little more sympathetic you know!" Rarity shouted, "Rainbow Dash just broke up with her!"
"I'm not a fucking mind reader!" I stated.
Fluttershy looked up at Rarity, "C-can you wait outside, I need to speak to her alone..." she hiccupped the last few sobs.
Rarity sighed and dragged herself away, she reached the door before giving Fluttershy a reassuring look... and me a deathly glare, then closed the door behind herself.
We sat in awkward silence for a few moments, the only sounds to be heard was our heavy breathing.
"What happened?" I broke the silence.
"No pony wishes more then I that our fling didn't happen..." she said meekly, "But in a way I guess it needed to happen... Rainbow Dash and I are not broken up... exactly... just on a break." She looked away.
"She needs time to heal... to renew her feelings towards me, and well... to explore with other ponies." She looked at the flowers sitting beside my bed and sighed, "I knew it."
"Knew what?" I looked between her and the flowers.
"PassionBerry, if you want to help repair the damage you-" I glared at her, "-and I did... You are going to have to have sex with Rainbow Dash."
My jaw dropped and I winced in pain.
"What!?" |
My year at Ponyville High | Choices | We had been sitting in silence for ten minutes now. Neither of us wanting to look at the other. I noticed her open her mouth to say something.
"No!" I screeched for the third time stopping her in her tracks.
"But-" She pleaded.
"No!" I said even louder, "Fluttershy there is no way that is happening!"
"You already agreed to meet her!" She stated.
"That was when I didn't know who it was leaving the flowers! That doesn't count!"
I heard her choke on a sob, "But if you don't do this... nothing will ever get fixed!" She threw herself onto my bed and pleaded holding her hooves together. She was begging.
"Fluttershy..." I grabbed her by the chin and made her sit upright again, "Please don't make me do this..." My heart was being pushed to its limits.
On one hoof Fluttershy desperately needed me to help mend her relationship, she needed me to fix the mistakes I had caused between her and her lover. I did owe her that. But on the other hoof if I did this I knew it would hurt a lot more ponies... Ponies I cared about. Scootaloo had mentioned Rainbow Dash being her idol... And Twilight... I couldn't even bring myself to think of what would happen then. I would lose a lot more then I would gain. I was being selfish, but it's okay to be selfish every once and a while... isn't it?
"I should never have even said anything!" Fluttershy shouted. She threw her hooves down hard on the bed in anger and I flinched. I was vulnerable in this state and even a shy little thing like Fluttershy was making me nervous.
"I'm sorry! But you aren't even thinking of me? Are you?" I asked.
"Of coarse I am! But for once I just don't care!" She took a few breaths and settled back into her seat, "PassionBerry... Have you ever been so in love with a pony that it hurts, that when they are around your whole world is a brighter better place..." She looked at me with pleading eyes.
I slowly shook my head and swallowed hard.
"I would do anything for that mare. Anything! I had a moment of weakness that I will never forgive myself for... Can you... Can you just think about it?" she asked for the final time.
I looked up at the ceiling as she made her way to the door, "I will think about it... For you Fluttershy..." I sighed.
I heard the door open and soon click shut, I still didn't feel alone. Maybe it was because I wasn't.
I looked at the end of the bed to see Rarity still giving me the same glare as when she had left.
"Seriously! Shove a sock in it!" I said to her.
She gasped at my outburst repeatedly and took a seat by my bed.
"What do you want? I really am not in the mood for this drama right now."
"Berry... I'm sorry for my attitude, I guess I know how Sweetie Belle felt... Jealousy eat your heart out right?" She forced a smile, but it only made me grimace.
"Why did you bring her knowing her intentions?" She raised an eyebrow quizzically, "C'mon like you don't know!" I pointed my hoof in the direction of the flowers.
"Ah... Well in all honesty when I recognised the hoofwriting I was still unsure... but I guess you just answered that for me..." I wanted to hit something, she seems to have just forgotten how she treated me, "What happened Berry?" She asked.
"Good question." I deflected back at her.
"Hey! I reacted the way any other pony would in my situation! I can't be blamed if I care about you..." She facehoofed, my heart sank, "As much as I try not to..." She mumbled to herself.
"I'm sorry... I just have a lot on my mind..." I rubbed my temple, avoiding my horn... that turned out to be much trickier then expected and I grazed my hoof at the base briefly causing a surge of magic to erupt in my mind sending my head into a monster of a migraine. I cried out, while Rarity scrambled onto my bed.
"Berry! Do you need a nurse?" She panicked.
I held my hoof up, "I'm fine! Just give me a moment..." I lay back further into the stale hospital pillows and held my eyes shut tightly, waiting for the pain to subdue.
"Berry, what has you so stressed?" She asked warmly. When she used a tone like that her voice soothed my mind.
"Life."
"Now come on, you were fine this morning, and surely my little tiff at you wouldn't have gotten to you this much... What happened with you and Fluttershy? Or..." Her cheeks flushed red, "Do I not need to know?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter!" I joked, the magic induced migraine somewhat disintegrating, "I just... if I tell you just promise me something?"
"Anything."
"Don't jump to conclusions."
"I promise." She put a hoof to her chest.
"Fluttershy wants me to sleep with Rainbow Dash..." I paused to look at her expression, it hadn't changed, "Apparently she feels it will heal the damage we did to her relationship..."
Rarity nodded and waited a moment for me to continue, but I didn't. I wanted her opinion before I said anything more.
"Well, it is an odd favour to ask, the real question is here do you want to do it?"
She didn't ask if I was going to do it. She asked if I wanted to... something I would have hoped Fluttershy would have taken into account, but she really didn't care about my consequences.
"No. I don't want to do it."
"You sound uncertain about it."
"Because I did ruin her relationship... but I know if I do it, I will hurt much more ponies in the process... I'm stuck Rarity! Between a rock and a hard place and I just don't know what is right and what is wrong." I was defeated.
"In the end Berry the decision comes down to you... I mean, she hasn't truly confronted you about what she wants, for all we know it could be just to talk with you in the end."
"But Fluttershy said-"
"That is true but who knows?" I knew Rarity was only trying to help me through the situation but it was doing little. But she did have a point maybe I should just see where it takes me.
"You are a wise old mare aren't you?"
"How dare you I am not old!" she glanced quickly at me and poked her tongue out, "Well maybe in comparison to a little foal like you!" she poked jokingly at my ribs.
I cried out in pain, she panicked and threw herself onto me, "I'm sorry did I hurt you!?"
I poked my tongue out, she fell for it hook, line and sinker. "Only my lungs! Fatty!" I winked as she had thrown herself on top of me.
She leaned down teasingly, "You are just full of compliments today."
Once again I was threatened to be pushed over the edge as the all too familiar ache came back. Along with something in the back of my mind screaming to kiss this mare sitting on top of me. I wanted to so badly it was starting to hurt. Her teasing was starting to put my lust meter over the edge.
"You are gorgeous when you blush..." Rarity breathed and once again I could almost feel her lips on mine.
Pushed. I threw my hoof around her head and pulled her close to me. Our lips touched and we simultaneously moaned into each others mouths. I lost control, I needed Rarity in the best way. I lightly bit her bottom lip and she squeaked as she hugged closer to me. I felt no pain. I knew I should have felt it in my muzzle, at least in my cheeks, but there was nothing but the blood rushing to them to feed my fierce blush. All I really felt was lust. I breathed in deeply I wanted her smell to stick. I pulled her mane as I drove my tongue into her mouth. That was when I felt it, something wet hit my cheek.
I opened my eyes to look up and see her deep blue eyes laced with tears. She ripped herself out of my embrace. "I-I can't!" She cried as she ran to the door, "I'm sorry Berry..." With that she was gone, slamming the door behind her.
The first feeling that registered was anger. I was angry that I had not had release. Regret soon took over as I realised I should have said something. I should have been there for her. I shouldn't have taken her like that. I don't think either of us were ready for it.
"Stupid PassionBerry!" I said aloud. Why is it all so complicated? Why can't I just fix things?
Soon enough I fell asleep, I was emotionally exhausted for one day and the strain of anymore visitors would probably kill me. For better or worse.
I awoke the next day feeling well... to put it bluntly...horny. I had not only been graced with everything that happened yesterday but my wishes had been granted in my sleep, and by the way it looked, I had had one sweaty night. I needed to shower. In my own shower.
I noticed a note had been left on my bedside, I read it aloud, "Hey Berry, I just thought I would leave this saying I stopped by but you were asleep. I'll be by tomorrow! -Scootaloo"
"Nurse!" I called out... and after waiting five minutes nurse Redheart begrudgingly walked in.
"Music?" She asked unenthusiastically.
I shook my head, "Nope! I want to go home."
It was very sudden. Within moments she had gotten all the release forms sorted and even a wheel chair arranged, ignoring my protests that I don't need one, "Better safe then sorry... It's more for my benefit..." I grimaced, this nurse really didn't like me, but it was fun to tease her.
Luckily for me the hospital was close to town, so I knew once I made it to the heart of the town square I would know where to go from there. Despite the looks I would get from ponies that passed everything seemed to be going fine. I fought the urge to stop by the boutique as I passed, and the Library. I just wanted to get home.
I came across a rocky path that was hard to control the chair on. But there was no avoiding it, as it was the path that led to my home. After fifteen minutes of struggling to get onto this path I had almost given up.
"Allow me." All of a sudden I was being pushed up and along the path. This caught me by surprise and I almost fell straight out of the chair.
I soon noticed it was a royal guard assisting me. For some unknown reason my cheeks flushed red. He wore golden armour and was pure white, I could not see his mane under his helmet, but he had eyes that a mare could get lost in, they were a beautiful shade of Hazel.
"I-It's okay!" I tried to assure him but he continued his efforts without giving me a second glance. I felt rude for staring at the stallion so I looked down into my lap as he pushed me along.
I had always looked up to the royal guards ponies... As a little filly I even wanted to be one. My dream died with my constant rejections of being adopted. If no pony wanted me as their daughter who would want me protecting them? It was a silly excuse, but when you're young they are the things that can easily crush a dream.
I was sick of sitting in awkward silence as this kind pony pushed me along.
"Thank you..." I said meekly, he made no effort to even try to respond, "What is your name?"
He ignored me and kept pushing.
I sighed, "That's far enough, I should be right from here."
For a split second I thought I saw a flash of disappointment. I grabbed out a bit and tried giving it to him, but he shook his head and slowly backed away.
"No ma'am. You can repay the favour another day!" He smiled brightly before breaking into a huge gallop.
"But I don't even know your name..." I whispered more to myself.
It wasn't long before I ditched the chair in my yard and made my way inside my small cozy home. Home... something that was foreign to me. But all the same this felt as close as I would get to having somewhere to call my own.
It felt different as I threw my things down and made my way for the couch. Something wasn't quite right and the more I thought about it the less comfortable I was beginning to feel.
My ears flicked in nervousness as I heard rustling come from down the hall. From my bedroom. In a situation like this I wanted to run, but I was tired and weak. I had hoped it may just be Discord, or my imagination playing tricks on me.
My mouth acted before I could stop it, "Hello?" I called and instantly panicked as the rustling itself became panicked.
I wanted to hide but it seemed there was no escaping the fact that there was somepony in my house. I made my way to my room, slowly as to not be too loud but in the end because of my outburst the pony within my room already knew I was in here.
The door creaked as I slowly opened it, adding to the effect. Why me?
As the door was now open it took a moment for my mind to register what was in front of me. In a trail on the floor and spread across the bed were rose petals, there were candles spread throughout the room, but apparently only half of them were lit. I could tell I had come in too early.
"Am I interrupting something?" I asked Cheerilee who was lying on top of my bed in an alluring manner.
A wide blush spread across both her and my face, "I wasn't even expecting you to be home today in all honesty..."
"Oh! So you were waiting for some other pony?" I teased, "In my house?"
She jumped into an upright less revealing position, "Of coarse not!"
"Well as good as all this looks..." I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror for the first time since the morning of the fight, my face was almost another colour, the bruises still as vibrant and terrible as ever... They almost looked fresh still. On top of that my mane truly did look awful, flat and greasy looking.
"I think I am going to have a shower... Scratch that. I need a shower!" I stated as I made my way for the bathroom, Cheerilee just pouted, "I would really like to know how you got in and all that other silly stuff when I get out though, it really is a nice surprise!"
I was almost at the bathroom when I was interrupted by a sudden screech, "Noooo!"
I was stunned as I looked over at a fearful Cheerilee who wore bright red cheeks, "I-I mean, I don't mind..." She looked away embarrassed, "I want you dirty PassionBerry." She said in a very sultry tone.
"But-" I tried to argue.
"Please Berry!" She sounded so desperate and she had a look of hunger in her eyes.
I sighed, I was fighting my own carnal desires right now. I really did need to clean myself up, but I also really needed some release. This time there was no fighting the voice in the back of my mind. It had already won, it was like watching a movie, nothing I did from then on actually felt like me as my desires finally took a hold of my being and I threw myself on to the bed only to be pinned down by a smirking Cheerilee.
"So you like it dirty?" I said in a voice that didn't sound like my own.
Cheerilee's blush darkened as she moaned breathing in my scent, soon she started to lick up my neck, she shivered and pushed herself closer to my body. I wrapped my hooves around her head getting a good grip on her mane as I pulled her face back down to my neck and she gave a tiny lick before biting down hard. I moaned out loud and bit my bottom lip. She started to thrust against my hind leg and I now was feeling just how excited she actually was for all this as she soaked my leg.
I started to reach a hoof down, slowly as to feel her coat and gently enough so I could take in her perfect curves. For a teacher she was very well maintained. She cooed into my neck as I found her most sensitive spot. I rubbed her gently as too moisten my hoof before I parted her lips and began to rub more intensely with each moan that escaped Cheerilee. She tried to muffle her moans in my neck but the vibrations she sent through me only intensified my work further. Sweat began to bead on my forehead. I had so much pressure built up and even with all this I felt as if I wouldn't be getting any release.
Before I knew it, it was as if Cheerilee knew exactly what I needed. As she licked up my horn, more specifically along the crack, I flinched. I had thought it would be painful but the delicate touch of her tongue was the exact opposite. I cried out in ecstasy, this one move almost made me explode. I doubled my efforts on her slit, only barely pushing my hoof in with each thrust of my foreleg. I was biting my lower lip in anticipation of my release I needed so badly. My free hoof scratching at Cheerilee's back, as she eagerly licked up and down my horn.
"I-I'm so... close!" I was biting my lip so hard I was surprised I hadn't broke the skin.
Cheerilee looked down into my eyes briefly, that's when I lifted my free hoof up. She didn't even notice nor did she have any clue as to what I was about to do. I brought my hoof down with a hard slap against her flank. She cried out, pulling away from my horn, but before she had any time to react further I quickly grabbed her by the mane and stuffed my horn into her mouth. It was a cheap move but it got the job done, as we both climaxed her moans vibrated through my horn sending a surge of even more pleasure through my body. She thrusted hard against my hoof one last time before slumping down and rolling off from atop of me.
We both just lay there for a few moments, trying to catch our breath.
"That..." She breathed.
"Was amazing?" I finished still feeling quite flustered.
"Hmm... yes..." She said dreamily.
I was the first to get up, "But seriously... now I stink worse... I really do need to get clean now."
"I'll be waiting for you in the kitchen Berry... don't be too long okay?" She smiled.
Did she know who she was talking to? I nodded and headed for the bathroom.
I had been scrubbing myself in the shower for almost thirty minutes now when I heard Cheerilee yell for me to hurry up. I sighed and turned off the shower, I guess I had finished ten minutes ago, I wrapped my mane in a towel and made my way out to the kitchen. I had notice Cheerilee had actually packed up the whole display she had set up in my room. It was sitting in bags by my front door.
"Geez, you take forever Berry..."
"My bad, it had been a while..." I scratched the back of my head.
"Well as much as I'd love to stay Berry, I have to get going, I have a lot of homework to mark over... And I wasn't expecting you until next week..."
"Oh..." I looked down at the floor awkwardly, "Is what we just did okay?"
"Of coarse it isn't." She didn't even hesitate, "But don't worry, if we were to get caught you wouldn't be in any trouble only me... it's not like you would tell anypony though, right?"
I gulped hard I felt like a terrible pony right now.
"Anyway, it was really nice getting to see you... and making sure you are well, I might have to stop by again some time soon Berry." She winked.
Making her way to my door she paused, "Oh and I made you something to eat, it isn't much but I thought you would be hungry after... well yeah." She blushed fiercely and left.
No goodbye kisses for me? I rolled my eyes at my silly thoughts. I sat down and ate the sandwich Cheerilee had left for me. Finally I had time to think. I was still lost on what I was going to do about the whole Rainbow Dash situation. Talking to Twilight about it was out of the question. But maybe if Rarity figured out it was Rainbow's hoofwriting... I facehoofed, Twilight probably already knows... and I made her read it out to me!
I burped out aloud and leaned back in my chair as I finished the last bite of the sandwich. Turns out I was a lot hungrier then I had originally thought. After I had made and finished my third sandwich, I fell onto my couch lazily and sighed.
What was I going to do now? I wasn't really in the mood to be by myself... especially after what I just did with Cheerilee. It has made me want company more then ever. I thought getting release would actually calm my libido but it now feels worse then before.
I frowned as I felt the beginnings of a migraine seep it way into my head.
"Great!" I said sarcastically, slumping further into the cushions of the couch.
Soon enough my prayers were answered as a knock came booming from my door, at least now I was comfortable having other ponies look at me.
I made my way to the door slowly, before I could fully open it hooves were flung around my neck. But I could tell who it was just by their smell.
"Scootaloo, fancy seeing you here." I said jokingly, I had kind of expected to see her because of her letter, I thanked the Celestia she hadn't shown up earlier.
"You're lucky I came, I had to walk all the way to the hospital only to find out you had gone home! Berry you do realise how terrible you look? You should have stayed."
"Ouch."
"Now lemme in! It's cold out here." She pushed pass me and made her way to the couch.
"Please come in." I noticed the sun was going down, "Hey Scootaloo its going to be dark soon."
"Your point?"
"Do you plan on walking home in the dark?" I asked as I sat next to her on the couch.
"Yeah, I do it all the time. What? Is some pony worried about lil 'ol me." She did a little flutter of the lashes and I laughed so hard I almost fell off the couch.
"Don't do that again, you will scare ponies." I teased, she just tsk'd.
"So what's up?"
"I just wanted to see how you were..."
"Well I'm feeling a lot better! I can actually talk again!" I beamed.
"I noticed..."
An awkward silence fell over the room, soon enough the elephant was quite suffocating.
"How do you feel about me Berry?" She asked.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"You say we are friends one day, and you make yourself quite clear on that, then you spontaneously kiss me! I don't know what to think now Berry! Are you leading me on or do you actually care for me?" She was leaning towards me eagerly awaiting an answer.
But I didn't want to give an answer to her, main reason being I didn't know myself. I guess I had been leading her on, but at the same time I didn't want her to lose interest in me.
"I do care for you Scootaloo..."
"Then be my marefriend! She exclaimed without warning.
This took me off guard. I hadn't ever been asked to be in a committed relationship before... maybe that's because the other mares I have been attracted to are older and they didn't want to with a teenager. But this was too sudden, and it would cause a lot of problems, after what just happened with Cheerilee, my feelings towards both Rarity and Twilight and not to mention the whole situation with Fluttershy and Rainbow dash.
"I can't." I said plainly.
"Why not? So you are leading me on?" I head her voice crack.
"In a way I guess I am, but that is because I don't want to lose you Scootaloo, and I can't because my life is a total mess right now."
"What do you mean? I thought everything was fixed, I mean I know about everything with Fluttershy and Rarity, is there even more then that?"
"You only know small details," I rubbed my temple, "A lot has happened since all of that..."
"Are you committed to another pony?"
"No. Not exactly..."
"Was there any chance for us PassionBerry?" she asked lips trembling.
"Yes... just not at this point in time..." I said honestly. I could have seen myself dating Scootaloo in another life. I could have seen us becoming so close we were inseparable. But with how everything is, I would need to fix everything before I could let that fantasy fully seep its way into my mind.
She got up and headed for the door stopping just in front of it, "I will wait then... and eventually I will ask you again. I can't give up on you PassionBerry... I won't give up..."
And with that she was gone. Only a few seconds passed and I heard rain start to fall hard. I rushed to the door grabbing an umbrella.
"Scootaloo!" I called but I couldn't see her.
She must have flown home. I made my way back into the house and slumped against the back of the door. What was I going to do with myself? I keep making everything worse without meaning to.
I dragged myself to my room and plonked down onto my bed causing myself some pain.
"PassionBerry, we need to talk..."
"What do you want Discord? And how long have you been here?" I had my face shoved deep into the pillow. I couldn't be stuffed looking up.
"I would rather not discuss that at this time. Berry you have a serious problem..."
"Ew. Oh and thanks for the tip captain obvious."
"I'm being serious PassionBerry... You have been cursed." |
Return to Slender | pre | Mac closed his eyes and tensed for the impact of his body against the thing's thin frame... but it never came.
For the briefest instant, he felt like his body was passing through a veil of liquid, as though he were running through a particularly hard rain. The wet feeling passed, the darkness of the Everfree Forest faded...
...into a bright sunny day on Sweet Apple Acres. He skidded to a stop, not fully listening to the bird song in the air and the sweet smell of fresh apples in his nose. Confused, he looked around frantically for his prey. Of the creature, there was no sign.
A gentle breeze picked up and carried a worn leather stetson to his hooves.
Pa's hat.
Applejack's hat.
He started at it, not fully comprehending it.
"Mac!"
His head snapped towards the farm-house at the sound of Granny Smith's familiar call.
"Grab yer sister's hat before ya come on up, would ya? Dern wind snatched it."
"Eeyup." He responded on reflex before bending down and grabbing the hat's brim in his mouth. A million thoughts raced through his mind. Had they done it? Had they chased it off?
Had they won?
He took a step towards the farm-house and felt a twig snap beneath his mighty hoof.
The picturesque scene around him faded away like mist with the rising sun. The birdsong and sunlight and apple scents all faded into nothingness before his very eyes. He was still in the woods, still in the darkness...
...and still very much in danger.
He'd only realized that his sister's hat was still held tight in his teeth when an enormous bonfire leapt to life before his eyes. He jumped back on instinct and recoiled from the intense flames. The light made the clearing seem much larger than it had seemed previously.
Three familiar figures stood on the opposite side of the fire, their backs to him.
Granny Smith.
Applejack.
Applebloom.
Overcome with joy, he opened his mouth to say something... and watched in horror as the hat fell into the flames before him.
As the hat curled and blackened in the intense heat, the three figures turned as one to face him. They all smiled at him with the same blank smile.
Their eyes were gone, replaced by gaping empty sockets.
Mac's breath caught in his throat and he whirled to run into the darkness, to get away from the nightmare that his family had become.
Four more figures exited the woods and blacked his path.
Ruby.
Spark.
Hattie.
Icy.
They all wore the same blank smile.
All their eyes were missing.
Mac could only watch in horror as his friends and comrades joined his family by the fire. The maddening beat began once again and the seven figures began to... dance. They cantered and whirled and spun in an awful dance of death around the bonfire. Their hooves kept time with the beat and their undead revelry seemed to draw more figures from the dark woods. More and more came with each passing second to join the terrible dance.
Ponyville's missing foals.
Pinkie Pie, the Cakes, and their little ones.
Rarity.
Cheerilee.
Fluttershy.
Twilight Sparkle.
Numerous ponies came that he did not recognize but could only be the once proud residents of cities like Neigh Orleans, Manehatten, and Fillydelphia.
He even saw a stately white alicorn, her once cosmic mane now a limp remnant upon her head.
Hundreds of thousands of ponies came and joined the dance.
All wore the same smile.
All had no eyes.
The smoke from the bonfire began to coalesce into a definite shape. The stallion's body was impossibly thin, it's coat as black as the night sky, save a single red drop on it's chest. The shape observed the dancers and almost seemed to conduct the grisly beat with it's uncountable waving tentacles. The Slender One, now almost too large for Mac to comprehend, peered down at the great red stallion with it's blank and uncaring face.
Mac, his mind long gone, didn't have even the strength left to scream. He whimpered like a foal as he wet himself.
The monstrous tentacles stopped conducting and the beat stopped with them. The dancers all froze and, as one, turned to face the shattered farmer.
The tentacles pointed at him.
Still smiling their horrible smile, still staring at him with eyes that were no longer there, they advanced on him.
Mac's eyes never left the Slender One's face.
They fell upon him.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Back at the farm-house, a stiff wind blew from the forest and knocked over the candle in Mac's open window. The candle rolled along the ground... until it's flame ignited the old carpet.
In a matter of minutes, the house was ablaze.
The fire spread across Sweet Apple Acres, consuming all in it's path. The wind seemed almost to be manipulating it, pushing it away from the Everfree Forest.
The dried grass along the road to Ponyville began to catch.
When the fire at last died days later, nothing remained of the little town. Nothing... save cold ashes and old memories.
And ever-lasting nightmares. |
Return to Slender | Credits and Post-Credits Stinger: Hope for the Haunted | Return to Slender
By Jade Ring
Starring (In Order of Appearance)
The Princess Rarity as Disk Spin
nickwengz as Soda
Peter New as Big Macintosh Apple
Mad Hattie as Herself
RushingAutumnLeaves as Icy Ink
High Tide as Himself
vader10001 as Thunder Spark
Rubycast as Ruby
Swirling Line as Herself
Leo Heartship as Himself
??? as the Slender One
John de Lancie as "Discord"
Tabitha St. Germaine as "Granny Smith"
Illustrations By Swirling Line
Written by Jade Ring
Special Thanks to Everyone for being so patient.
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Leo Heartship and Swirling Line watched through the window as Appleloosa fell into chaos.
Shanties were torn apart and fastened into wagons. Families hawked what meager belongings they still had in hopes of gaining passage to someplace safe.
A foal the night before had received the dream.
It was coming for them.
By dawn of the next day, Appleloosa too would be a ghost town, it's residents and refugees gone in hopes of finding someplace safe from the specter that haunted their very existence.
Leo sighed and returned to his table. "Still no word?"
Swirling shook her head and returned. "It's been weeks, Leo. We would've heard something by now."
Leo looked at his journal and pushed it away with a dejected hoof. "You should leave too, Swirling."
The purple-striped mare gaped at him. "Why?"
"There's no hope for us now. You see them all fleeing, scurrying away like rats. That's what we've become, my friend; rats. We're now at the bottom of the food chain and nothing is ever going to change that."
There was a knock at the door. Swirling made to answer it.
Leo stared at the wooden table. "No hope." He heard the door open and Swirling Line's gasp but paid them no mind. "After all, what hope have we when even the gods have abandoned us?"
"But the gods have not abandoned thee, Master Heartship."
Leo's neck snapped up to behold a stately midnight blue mare clad in a back hooded cloak. She tossed back the hood, revealing her flowing hair that seemed to be formed from the night sky itself. Her crown was gone, but there was no mistaking the regality in her stance or the defiant pride in her eyes.
"Pr... Princess Luna?" Leo stammered.
"Indeed."
Swirling slumped to the ground. "But... but where did you go?"
A regretful look crossed Luna's face. "After our sister was taken, we knew that it would take magics beyond our own to set things right. It took us a bit longer than anticipated to find who we needed to find."
"...and who is that?"
"This creature is not the only being in this world that feeds on fear." The voice was cold and insect-like. It's owner stepped into the shanty behind Luna and grinned, her wings buzzing slightly. "Some of us prefer to feed on other emotions as well." Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings offered the stunned stallion a wink.
"Bah, emotions." Luna's shadow slid away from her and climbed the wall. A powerful jet black stallion clad in armor emerged from the darkness and glared at Leo with burning green eyes. "Emotions only hold you back. I will do what is asked of me so long as I am given what I was promised." King Sombra turned his eyes to Luna, particularly to the curved red horn that now hung from her neck.
"Quite a merry band, aren't we?" The mocking voice became audible just as the floating form of the last Draconequus became visible. Discord took in the dropped jaws of the two ponies in the room and laughed. "Now, seeing as Lu-Lu only just released me from my stone prison, perhaps you can tell me." His yellow eyes focused on Leo.
"Tell you...?"
With a snap of his fingers, Discord flashed across the room and right into Heartship's face. "Tell me; what has become of my little ponies?"
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The Slender One Will Return
Halloween 2014 |
One Shot, One Chance | pre | "ENOUGH!" Clyde yelled with such force that both ponies shut up immediately. "You, in the trench coat. I saw you hovering over this crippled pony, what was that all about?"
"Oh that's funny, well-y-ya see..." Vice tried to think of an excuse to cover up his actions, but came up with nothing.
"Hmm, interesting." Clyde eyed the horrible pokerface that Vice was trying to pull. "You, the one with the blue band and scarf. Do you have a say in this?
"Oh me? Um, well..."
"VERY INTERESTING INDEED!"
"Um, excuse me sir," a soft voice said countering Clyde's loud yell. "Could you please move over? You're blocking my path." Blitz let out a slight laugh, despite the pain, as he realized that this yellow mare was poking at Clyde's size. He was the biggest pony Blitz had ever seen so far, bigger than the worker ponies he always passed by in Manehatten. He seemed to take up the whole space between the stalls too, the route Vice and Enzo took to avoid Blitz was unusually narrow.
"Oh, hello there Miss...Fluttershy!" Clyde was barely able to remember the mare's name. "I haven't seen you in a while since I was stationed here! Don't worry I'll just be a moment."
"But I really need to get the last ingredient for my Angel bunny," she pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I must perform my active duty in protecting Ponyville," Clyde said turning back around towards Vice and Enzo. The joyous look on Fluttershy's face vanished the moment she was turned down.
'Why can't he just fly up? Too fat?' Blitz thought chuckling even harder than before.
"Clyde." She was starting to get tense. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Please move aside."
"Miss Fluttershy, this is very important. I've finally caught these ponies in the act of breaking the law of Equestria. Exciting news indeed it is! I have just the evidence to prove that they are very guilty of theft. I simply have to..."
"When somepony tries to block show them that you rock." Fluttershy said to herself.
"...and then I'll be able catch the criminal! It's every guards dream to-waahhh!" Clyde found pain in his lower right leg as he jumped into the air toppling over onto his face. When he opened his eyes, he noticed his mustache was defiled with dirt and grime and desperately tried to wipe it all off. Vice and Enzo stared with their mouths gaping. Fluttershy had taken a nearby stick and actually jabbed it into Clyde's leg. It was blunt and nowhere close to sharp, but Clyde's reaction proved otherwise for the pain.
Fluttershy resumed her walk through the market as Clyde was still on the floor despairing over his messed up mustache. Before she left the scene, she came to a full stop. She slowly turned around and faced a hysterical Blitz. He was laughing so hard that he had trouble breathing. "What's so funny?"
"I'm just-no it's...bwaaahahaha." Blitz couldn't stop laughing at Clyde's poor condition. He had never seen somepony act so high and mighty only to look like a fool the next minute. Unfortunately for him, Fluttershy was taking this gesture the wrong way.
"You laugh at me, I wrath at you." Blitz finally ceased his laughter only to find an enraged Fluttershy storming straight at him. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 6: Back to Normal, Almost | "Oh my Celestiaaaa-AHHHHHHHH!!" Blitz screamed in absolute terror as the yellow mare charged straight towards him. Fluttershy was literally a foot away from Blitz which caused him to panic. Temporarily forgetting about the pain in his leg, he stumbled backwards tripping over himself. The stall behind him was now a cluttered mess as he crashed into the wooden foundation. Various assortments of socks littered Blitz's body.
Vice and Enzo just watched in total terror as this mare was taking out stallions left and right. Blitz was unmoving in the wooden mess and Clyde was still in his broken state over his ruined mustache. 'What a grade-A bitch!' Vice thought to himself.
"What do we do?!" Enzo squeaked.
"I say we bail while we have the chance," Vice said quickly. The duo started to make their departure quietly and sneakily. But, Fluttershy seemed to have a sixth sense as she whirled around and faced the two ponies. Frozen in fear, Vice and Enzo didn't move a muscle.
"And just where do you think you two are going?" Fluttershy said eying the two ponies with fury.
"Uh, hehe, well ya see-you got us mixed up. It was that guy's fault wasn't it? So, problem solved!" Vice said in the best nonchalant voice he could muster.
"..." Enzo stayed silent as usual.
"I'm sure you're a-uh, sweet gal. Just-having-a very bad day, maybe." Vice was pooling together his words with rigidness. He barely formed ideas just in time to spit them out. "No need to act all harsh, right?" Fluttershy's face seemed to only flare up at Vice's words.
"Okay, maybe you can, but you're not the type of pony to do-uh, you seem like you'd be a very nice, gentle..."
"Call me a push over and you'll get the once over," Fluttershy whispered unbeknownst to Vice.
"...kind mar-what are you doing?" Vice shrieked in fear as Fluttershy stepped closer towards him. He was quick to turn around, ready to flee. But, as he tried to dash away, he felt something tugging at him. Vice turned his head and slowly accepted his fate as he realized that Fluttershy had his trench coat in her grasp.
Enzo gasped in horror as Fluttershy held Vice's trench coat between her teeth. She planted her hooves firmly on the ground and started to lift Vice in the air. He found himself being twirled in mid-air, gaining speed as Fluttershy made 360 turns. She finally released her bite and Vice was sent flying into a nearby stand. Unfortunately for him the stand was selling shoes and he felt pain all around as shoes whacked him left and right.
Enzo was targeted next on Fluttershy's rampage. She slowly advanced towards the shaking stallion. Enzo was face to face with Fluttershy as both ponies stood staring each other down.
"You two are the reason I couldn't buy my cherry! Somepony may have already bought it by now!" she said angrily to a quivering Enzo. The pony was captivated and terrified at the same time. 'How can somepony look so pretty yet so scary at the same time?' Fluttershy glared into Enzo's soul as he was being mesmerized by her serious eyes. Eventually he toppled over; the pony fainted from the stare.
"Hmmph! Nopony pushes New Fluttershy around! NOPONY!" Fluttershy shouted triumphantly. She looked at each fallen stallion with satisfaction and trotted away, smiling with her head high.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Ughh," Blitz feebly got up and checked to see if his leg was still attached to his body. Fatigue surged through his body as he crept out of the rubble. "What happened?"
"I'll tell you what happened!" a voice said startling Blitz.
"Mister Clyde?" Blitz said looking around for the stallion.
"My goodness, I've never seen Miss Fluttershy act like this before!" Clyde said stepping into view.
"You two know each other?" Blitz wanted to know how exactly Clyde could know such a monster.
"Yes, but this performance of malevolence leads me to believe that she has changed drastically. In any case, let's drop this ludicrous situation and focus on yours," Clyde said stretching his wing towards Blitz.
"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Blitz said. "I don't need you to hel-" As soon as Blitz moved his leg, he fell down. It wasn't even his injured leg either as he looked up towards a stern looking Clyde. "Okay maybe I do," Blitz said with annoyance at himself.
"It's alright to give in sometimes, Mister Blitz." Clyde said trying to reassure Blitz about his current condition. "But, tell me this: you threw that snowball, correct?"
"Yes, sir," Blitz promptly answered getting on Clyde's back.
"That's all I need to know." Clyde's words echoed in Blitz's head as he drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz was walking in the winter wonderland once more. This time, however, he was aware of where he was, but not exactly what was happening. The bright glowing snow still affected his eyesight as he tried to see what was going on. "Alright, enough games, where are you...Bluebelle!" Blitz called out, but got no response in return. He searched around the meadow despite the blinding snow obscuring his vision.
All of a sudden, the snow stopped. It was as if everything just froze in place. Blitz couldn't move at all, he was constricted by an unknown force. A patch of snow melted in front of him and a pony seemed to be rising out of the ground. "Are you..." The pony nodded "...just like I remembered. Same violet coat, same blue mane-same blue eyes." The mare smiled as she slowly dissolved into a white light.
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz opened his eyes and did not stir. He found himself in a comfy bed and already knew he was in the same hospital as before. The pain in his leg seemed to die down, but it was still there. He felt slightly better than before, but he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. 'Bluebelle, my childhood friend. Were those dreams before about her? If so, why do I keep having them? Isn't it enough that I've been trying to suppress them? Why do I have to experience those memories again!'
Blitz's heart ached as he remembered what had happened between him and Bluebelle. 'Well, I don't care. These memories aren't gonna tear me apart. I just have to keep them away no matter what. I can't keep living in the past-this dream means nothing to me.'
"Am I interrupting something, Mister Blitz?" A familiar voice had shattered Blitz's unpleasant thoughts.
"Oh, hey there...Clyde," Blitz said trying to get back to his normal mood.
"Missing something, perhaps?" Clyde said holding out a particular brown saddlebag.
"My bag! But, how did you-"
"Let's just say a certain snow globe proved the theft. I connected the snow globe to your snow ball and managed to make the crooks confess." Clyde handed Blitz his bag with a half full bag of Grass Gummies, two AppleBran Bars and the snow globe. Its gleam never seemed to die down. "It was simple, really."
"Thanks, I honestly didn't believe that I'd ever see this thing again." Blitz smiled and relaxed for the first time in a while.
"Just doing my job." Clyde gave an approving wink.
"Say-could you explain how you know this...Fluttershy pony? I mean, I'm still finding it hard to believe that you know somepony so mean and crazy!" Blitz cringed at the sight of the pony storming straight at him.
"Well, Mister Blitz, she wasn't as cruel as she is now. She used to be a kind, loving pony...I'm not sure what could have caused such a shift in personality." Clyde imagined how sweet Fluttershy was all the time and looked down in sorrow. "I was stationed here after Discord was defeated by the Elements of Harmony. I was to ensure that the wielders of the Elements of Harmony were to be kept safe. After the heinous act of Discord's wrongdoing, Princess Celestia herself wanted to make sure that Ponyville be under some protection. After all, there really is no pony around here keeping the peace."
"So, how do you know Fluttershy?" Blitz still didn't understand how Clyde was connecting things.
"She is one of the ponies who possessed the Elements of Harmony," stated Clyde preparing himself for Blitz's outburst.
"Oh, okay. Well, that's great," Blitz said sarcastically. Clyde raised an eyebrow due to Blitz's calm reaction.
"Ahem, anyway, I've gotten to know many ponies living in Ponyville; Fluttershy and her friends, the other Elements of Harmony, especially. I've personally met each and every one of them."
"So you say you know her well, but how come you almost forgot her name?"
"Well, let's just say a guard's life can be a little...boring at times. After all, no pony really goes around and causes mischief in Ponyville...until today, of course. I was off-duty and decided to take a trip to Canterlot to have my brilliant mustache groomed to perfection." Clyde brushed his mustache gloriously.
'Great, the mustache again,' Blitz thought comically.
"How about you, Mister Blitz? Are you a local or out of town. I've never seen you around here before."
"Yeah, I'm from Manehatten. Came here looking for a job." Blitz intentionally left out the restarting his whole life thing.
"Interesting, a job you say? What are you trying to apply for?"
"Well, there was this flier for a mailing service. Does Post Poll ring any bells?" Blitz vaguely remembered the pony's name after all he's been through.
"Hmm, well, I can't say for sure I've met the pony. But, Mister Blitz, you don't seem to be in the...best condition. That leg of yours is going to cause problems if you're trying to deliver letters." Clyde was trying to avoid the fact that Blitz wasn't doing anything for a while.
"Crap, you're right. Darn it, what am I supposed to do now? The spot could be taken if I don't recover fast." Blitz broke out of his relaxed state as realized that he was still in a crisis. Clyde was silent as he thought for a moment. Stroking his mustache, he came to an answer for Blitz's predicament.
"I am no doctor, but I know somepony who might be able to help you, Mister Blitz." Blitz lightened up as he was alert to hear what Clyde had to say. "There is a mare that goes by Twilight Sparkle. She is known for her intelligence as well as her magic. In fact, I don't think I've witnessed anypony do magic better than her!"
"Twilight Sparkle...okay, thanks. I'll make sure to look out for that name."
"Anytime. If you need me, don't hesitate to call. I won't refuse anypony's cry for help. Take care, Mister Blitz." Clyde nodded and departed towards the door.
"Hey Clyde. Thanks, really, for everything," said the unicorn smiling honestly. Clyde simply returned the smile and exited the room. Blitz thought he could hear chatter outside and noticed that Enzo and Vice were waiting outside with Clyde. Vice gave the pony a cocky grin before being dragged away by Clyde. Enzo remained behind and gave Blitz a small wave before dashing off after his companion.
'What a nut-job! Can't believe they were actually caught! I wonder how Clyde got all three of us to the hospital. Geez, I should stop worrying so much. Too many things going on with the job, my leg-wait a minute. Where's Fuzzy? Didn't he say he'd meet me here in Ponyville. Gaah, again with the worrying. He's probably still picking up...whatever he has to pick up.' Blitz set his saddlebag on the desk next to him with the multicolored flowers. He folded his hooves behind his head and stared blankly into the ceiling.
'So this Twilight Sparkle pony knows super magic or something. Maybe I can teach her a thing or two about snowballs, haha. I wonder if she can actually do something about my leg...oh well, I'll find out soon enough.' On that note, Blitz drifted into a long sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
"LISTEN UP, BOYS!" Clyde's voice bounced around in Vice and Enzo's heads. "You're lucky you got caught by this guard and nopony else. Otherwise, you'd in a world of pain!"
"Yeah, okay. So what happens now, huh?" Vice said as if he didn't care that he was being taken in by the authority.
"I'm not quite sure." Clyde ruffled his mustache. "I'm going to give you boys a second chance. BUT, don't think you two are off the hook!" The three ponies were now out of the hospital and in the market once more. Clyde was leading the duo across the market, slowly deciding their fate. Barely anypony was left in the market as Celestia's sun was just setting. Stalls were being taken down or left unoccupied for the night. It really was a time to settle down and pack up. But, the three ponies still had business to take care of. "Assuming your situation is correct, you boys are in need of some money," Clyde calmly said walking towards the sunset.
"We told you, we're just some poor guys trying to make a living y'know?" Vice said in a somewhat pained tone. "That was our excuse for stealing that guy's bag right? We move from city to city, town to town...just to make a living. Not like we got anything else to live for, heh?"
"Yeah..." Enzo added in. Clyde looked at both ponies with a surprised face. He didn't expect the mood to change so quickly and drastically.
"Damn, we really screwed up this time huh, Enzo? I mean, we're friggn' stealing from ponies now."
"Yeah..." Enzo could only say that one word as he looked down at the ground.
"Where are you boys from?"
"Very far...too far," Vice said retaining his slightly pained smile.
"Fair enough," Clyde concluded.
"Sorry for being such a downer-it's just, well old memories are popping up and all. I mean, it's just been me and Enzo for a while now." Vice raised his head with a gloomy look in his eyes. "But hey, let's not dwell on this any further shall we?" Enzo finally raised his head, but stayed silent.
"Yes," Clyde firmly stated. He pondered as to how he was going to find a solution to these ponies' problem. The trio kept walking through the market as Celestia's sun finally set and Luna's moon had started to rise. Almost everypony was gone except the three stallions. The starting night was dead silent with barely any sounds. The constant clops of the ponies' hooves were drowned out way beforehand. "I'VE GOT IT!"
"Holy mother-dammit, what the he-ay is your problem? You trying to give me a heart attack?" Vice shrieked.
"Follow me boys, I've found just the solution to your problem!" Clyde started to dash towards a different direction. Vice and Enzo instantly picked up and caught up with Clyde. The trio was out of the market and traveling outside the path.
"Yo, where are we going? And what are you planning, huh?" Vice said curious to see what Clyde had up his sleeve.
"Just follow my lead, boys." Clyde knew his destination well as he kept on running. Vice and Enzo kept galloping behind Clyde. Luna's moon illuminated the area which seemed to be a giant, grassy plain. After a few minutes, Clyde had started to slow down. The duo cautiously advanced behind the guard as they took in what he was looking at. In the distance, a farmhouse surrounded by various trees could be seen. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 7: Fresh Perspective | "...and just make sure to behave yourselves, boys," Clyde ordered the duo. "This is Sweet Apple Acres, the most famous farm in all of Equestria." Clyde, Vice, and Enzo all stood at the front of the grand farmhouse. Its lively red exterior, filled with intricate designs, was vividly visible in the dark night. Giant, white supports gave the house its shape and added to the farm-like uniqueness. The apple and arrow spinning sign gently swayed in the calm, cool night over the orchid purple roof. Clyde had seen this magnificence quite a few times, but this sight was news to Vice and Enzo.
Clyde stepped forward and gave the hard, wooden door a good solid two knocks. "Hello? Mister Macintosh, Miss Applejack!" Enzo and Vice exchanged unsure glances. Since both were directly behind Clyde, they were observing his cutie mark, trying to figure it out. It was the first time they had actually taken notice of said cutie mark.
"So it's a silver shield with a blue cross-is that a mustache behind it?" Vice whispered to Enzo.
"Those are wings, Vice," Enzo whispered back giving Vice an unamused look.
"Well excuse me; he always talks about them, so naturally I'd assume-never mind." Vice scratched his head and the conversation was over. All three ponies stood, unmoving as they waited for an answer. The quiet night sent uneasy chills down each ponies' spine. "Uh..." Vice had his doubts about this plan of Clyde's.
The wooden door creaked open and there stood a large, hulking stallion. He was equal to Clyde's size, but just a bit bigger. Clyde's hazelnut eyes were staring directly into the other stallion's eyes. Brushing his disheveled, light orange mane aside and rubbing his worn-out, apple green eyes, the stallion finally spoke. "...Clyde? What are yah doin' here this late?" the big red pony said with tired confusion.
"Sorry to contact you so late in the night, Mister Macintosh, but this is urgent," Clyde said. The tall pony peered over Clyde and noticed Vice and Enzo who looked like ants compared to the two stallions.
"What's all the commotion about?" a voice said behind the red stallion. "Big Mac, what's goin' on 'ere?" The attention came onto the orange mare who also had the tired look. Her bright yellow mane compared to that of Big Macintosh's, but her lime green eyes had a little more life in them.
"Ahem, again, I'm terribly sorry for disturbing the Apple family at such a late hour," Clyde looked back at Vice and Enzo as they simply stared blankly at the situation. "But, I need to ask a favor of you."
"Is that you, Clyde? Goodness, it's nice tah see yah again. So, uh, what exactly do yah need?" the orange mare said with just as much confusion as Bic Macintosh.
"Likewise, Miss Applejack. If I'm not mistaken, I know that you sort of run a business selling apples, correct?" Clyde said.
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh answered for Applejack.
"So, you get your apples from bucking your own trees, right?"
"Eeyup," Bic Mac repeated once more.
"Then would you be willing to accept these stallions to hel-"
"Nnope." Bic Mac cut off Clyde and shook his head.
"Well, I guess we're done here!" Vice said as he started to walk away.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE MISTER!" Clyde's voice shook through everyponies' head.
"Wait a sec, haven't I seen you two before?" Applejack said pointing towards Enzo and Vice.
"Dunno." Vice shrugged tilting his head.
"...I think so." Enzo peeped out of truth.
"Huh?" Vice looked at Enzo for answers.
"I think I saw her before when I bumped into that small filly," said Enzo trying to recall when the moment had happened.
"Yah mean Apple Bloom, mah sister? She has a big, pinkish bow on her head," Applejack said.
Enzo nodded. "Yes, I think I caught a glimpse of you before-"
"I dragged yah off. Okay, okay what happens now?" Vice interrupted quickly.
"It seems we are at an impasse here," Clyde said thinking for a moment.
"What makes these guys so special anyway?" Applejack said.
"These two have nowhere to live and are short of money. Have pity on them, Miss Applejack," Clyde said sincerely.
"Okay...but we can't just hire anypony off the street. I'm not sure if we can go through with this favor of yours, Clyde," Applejack said uncomfortably.
"Didn't think this plan fully didja?" said Vice snickering to Clyde.
"This is for you isn't it?" Clyde said. The silence of the night took over as each and everypony stood still. Not a muscle was moved as Clyde, Vice and Enzo awaited Applejack's response to their predicament.
"...tell yah what, I'll take 'em in for now, Clyde," said Applejack motioning for the duo to come inside. Big Mac had opened his mouth, but Applejack silenced him with her hoof before he could utter a single sound. "...and before you protest, Big Mac, Clyde has a good point. We can't just leave these ponies out on the streets...it just ain't right." Big Mac closed his eyes and sighed.
"Eeyup, you take care of 'em." With that said, he trudged on out of view.
"I still don't trust 'em," Applejack whispered to Clyde.
"Understandable, Miss Applejack. Thank you for taking these boys in."
"You owe me one," Applejack said with a wink.
"Anytime, take care, Miss Applejack." Clyde gave a slight nod of his head and headed off. After a few steps he outstretched his pure, snow white wings and extended them fully. The stallion prepared for lift off and left the world below him, soaring through the ever cool night.
~~~~~~~~~~
"...and this 'ere is your room," Applejack said as she neared a cracked, wooden door. Its wear and tear damage only gave off an uneasy feeling about the room behind it.
"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Vice whispered doubtfully to Enzo.
"No." The shaky door creaked open, sending a horrible screech down the duo's spine. Applejack seemed unfazed by the dreadful noise. She simply stood and watched as the two stallions collected their thoughts.
"Alright that right there-what the?" Vice caught himself mid-sentence at what he saw behind the door. The bluish-purple room gave off a pleasant surprise to the duo. The dark, starry night was emitting from a single square window. A small wooden table with a worn out candle was set aside along with two small stools. As they stepped in, the green bed with a single white pillow was evident. "Ohh...that's awkward," Vice said looking at Enzo.
"There's only one bed, so y'all will have to make due," said Applejack.
"Calling shots on the bed!" said Vice as he flung himself on the soft bed. "Awesome." He plopped his head upon the cold, fluffy pillow.
"Just try not tah break anythin'," Applejack said walking away.
"Hey...thanks for taking us in," Enzo said as Applejack was almost out the door. "We really appreciate it, right Vice?" Enzo looked directly at Vice with hardness in his scarlet eyes.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Vice said as he tossed and turned in the bed. Applejack looked at the duo for a moment, then simply left without a word.
"Well now, Enzo, I guess we're living fancy now," Vice said with a laugh.
"I'm sleeping on the floor and we're living in a farmhouse." said Enzo irritably.
"Okay, but it's better than what we had before," Vice said shaking his hoof at Enzo. "Nobody said fancy had to be high-class, I'll make do with this." Enzo walked over to the dim lit candle and stred into the spark. Its shape swayed back and forth as he inspected it.
"Say, Vice, do you think that we'll ever get back home?" Enzo said still staring at the fire.
"Most likely not, what home is there to go back to?" Vice subtly choked up on his last words. "Ahem, uh...say, Enzo, how come you weren't all shy in front of that Apple-that girl, huh?" Vice changed the subject as quickly as he could with total disregard to Enzo's well being.
"What? Um...well." Enzo didn't dare look Vice in the eye.
"I mean, the nurse was pretty fine, so what does that mean for Apple-this girl?" Vice just could not remember the mare's name at all. It bothered him that the mysterious Apple something was at the tip of his tongue.
"...what are you trying to get at?" Enzo said hopelessly.
"You think she's ugly, don'tcha?" Vice claimed with an evil snicker.
"No, I never said that!"
"Not attractive, maybe?" Vice corrected himself. Enzo finally looked Vice in the eyes and didn't say a word. "So, Apple-whatever is not attractive. Okay, that's okay." Vice was having his fun toying with Enzo.
"Just because she isn't particularly pretty...doesn't mean-"
"Excuse me?" Applejack seemed to have appeared in the room without anypony noticing. Enzo froze and Vice didn't bother turning towards Applejack.
'You're kiddin' me,' Vice thought with defeat. "Hey, what happened to the rights to privacy?!" He stammered.
"Y'all would think that I'd be a lil skeptical?" Applejack said stepping toward Vice. "I still don't trust the lot of you and I guess my suspicious were correct." She raised her hoof to Vice. "Insultin' somepony behind their back is worse than doin' it tah their face." There was obvious resentment behind those words, but Vice disregarded it as he tried to cunningly wriggle his way out of the situation.
"How do you know I was talkin' about you, huh?" Vice had trouble pooling his words together. Applejack gave him a look of doubt.
"You said Apple, so I'd assume-"
"You'd assume! Tsk, tsk." Vice said wagging his hoof.
'Stop digging yourself a deeper hole,' Enzo thought worryingly. Applejack let out an exasperated sigh.
"Listen, just be ready to work tomorrow, 'kay?" Applejack was trying to be the bigger pony here. She glared at Vice who was subtly celebrating with his trademark smirk before she promptly left the room.
"The things you do," Enzo said.
"Yeah, the things I do!" Vice said gloriously. Both ponies kept to their own, Vice the green, comfy bed and Enzo the cold, hard floor. It wasn't long before the duo found themselves fast asleep after a hectic day.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Everypony up!" an unknown voice shouted. The message surged through the entire farmhouse, eventually reaching Vice and Enzo's ears.
"Ughh." Vice slowly cracked open his eyes. "What?" He looked over and saw Enzo already up and alert. The pony noticed Vice stirring and gave him a questionable look.
"Yo-argh-what time is it?" Vice said with a raspy voice rubbing his violet eyes.
"'bout six a.m." The duo both shot their attention at the mare walking in.
"Why so damn early?" Vice said with agony.
"Normally you'd have been woken up at around five o'clock sharp, so consider yourself lucky today," Applejack said calmly. She was staring at Vice with a weird expression on her face. "...didja sleep with that trench coat on all night?" Vice assessed the situation and shot back a clean response.
"Well, ya know, I was feeling mighty tired. Just fell asleep with it on I guess. Any more questions?" He finished smiling triumphant as ever.
"Alrighty then...just meet me downstairs when y'all are ready." She left the room as Vice slowly exited his bed. He didn't bother fixing it as he had no intentions of being neat. Celestia's sun was just rising as a few rays of sunlight escaped through the single square window. The room filled with subtle warmth. Vice performed several stretches consisting of twisting the back and rolling the head. Enzo retied his scarf and secured his blue band around his wrist. Each finished their duty and both started for the door.
"You seem to have a plan for everything, Vice," said Enzo.
"How long you think we can keep this secret, huh?" Vice said in a somewhat serious tone.
"We've kept it for this long." Enzo trailed off as he looked into the distance.
"We'll play it by ear, eh? C'mon, let's get this over with," Vice said as the duo headed downstairs. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 8: Race Work | Vice and Enzo headed down the stairs towards the assorted sounds emitting from a room. As they neared the source, they were greeted with an odd smell. The scent drifted from multiple directions as Vice and Enzo entered the aromatic room. Their expectation of the kitchen was quite the opposite of what they had thought. The whole place was filled with random food scraps. Half-cleaned plated littered a battered, wooden table. Vice grimaced as he felt slippery squishiness below him. Enzo shrugged the feeling off, trying to keep a straight face.
"Glad y'all finally made it!" shouted Applejack from an unknown location. There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Both stallions turned their attention towards an approaching Applejack. She was holding a platter piled with some sort of flat food. Its pleasant scent easily penetrated the odd smell from earlier. Vice's mouth instantly started to water while Enzo tried to suppress a stomach growl. Applejack set the meal onto the messy wooden table, trying to clear away assortments of food.
"Big Mac is already outside workin'. Eat up n' meet me out there when y'all are done. You boys'll be learnin' the ropes on how to buck trees. So, I suggest not gorging yourselves full." Applejack was trying to be as straightforward as possible.
"Wait, we're gonna what trees?" Vice said breaking his gaze from the food.
"Buck," Applejack said pronouncing the B explicitly. "Not-"
"Ahh..."
"Right, just be ready to work when you're settled," Applejack said walking out the door which temporarily unleashed the sunshine in. There was a quiet interval in which neither Vice nor Enzo moved. They simply stared at the strange food they had never seen before.
"...ah dammit, I forgot to ask what the heck these things were," Vice said in disappointment.
"Well, let's not let it go to waste," Enzo said optimistically.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Yo, Applejack!" Vice shouted as he and Enzo stepped outside the barn. "What are those things called that we just ate?"
"Uh, pancakes," Applejack said giving Vice an awkward glance. "I'm surprised you didn't know what they were."
"Um, so what are we going to help you with?" Enzo said trying to allude from the pancake problem.
"Like I said earlier, y'all will be bucking trees." Applejack motioned the duo to come over to her. She stood next to a towering apple tree. The apples shined bright red in Celestia's sun. Most of them seemed to be in perfect condition from Vice and Enzo's view. This was just one tree, tens and hundreds were spotted off in the distance. Faint cracks could be heard through the still air which lightly startled Enzo.
"That's just mah brother doin' what you're 'bout tah do." Applejack analyzed a tall tree for a quick second before bringing her hind legs up and forcefully kicking the tree. Balancing on her forehooves, she, along with the duo, watched as several apples fell onto the ground. Vice's jaw almost broke off while Enzo simply nodded approvingly.
"Hey, hey! Wow, wow there," Vice quickly stuttered. "What the...hay was that?"
"Called apple bucking, partner," Applejack firmly stated. "Just get on your forehooves, balance yourself out and let that tree have it."
"Sounds easy enough," Enzo said slightly grinning. 'I guess kicking stuff isn't bad,' he thought.
"Yeah, for you, Mister kick boxer," Vice said with worry for himself. He knew Enzo was better at this stuff than he was.
"You kickbox?" Applejack said raising a brow.
"No," Enzo said looking away.
"Okay, well, why don'tcha try at a tree, Mister..."
"Enzo." After the connection, Enzo walked towards a tree with multiple red apples. He secured his forehooves on the ground and prepared to kick. Time seemed to slow down as Enzo brought full focus into his legs and unleashed his buck. The energy from his legs exploded with power as he landed the strike. The tree was bare of its fruit; only one or two lucky apples remained from Enzo's hit. This time Applejack's jaw almost fell off. She stared in complete disbelief at what she had witnessed.
"Show-off," Vice simply said unnerved by the unreal kick.
"How did you do...that?" Applejack asked still astonished by the blow.
"I-I really don't know," said Enzo scratching his head. Vice subtly rolled his eyes in the most dramatic way possible, but Applejack caught him in the act.
"What about you?" Applejack said coming back to her senses. "Why don't you show us what you can do."
"Wah-uh, yeah. Alright fine," Vice said pumping himself up. He did a few hops and threw a few punches at the air, making exhaling noises with each swing. Cracking his neck, he stood beside another tree and took a deep breath.
"Aren't yah gonna take that thing off first?" Applejack said pointing to Vice's trench coat.
"Hmm, well you seem to be fine bucking trees with that hat on. Enzo seems fine bucking trees with his scarf on. I don't see the difference here," Vice said half ignoring Applejack's comment. Applejack shook her head in disapproval while sighing. "Aight then." Vice tried to copy what Enzo did. He stood on his forehooves, but wobbled as he tried to maintain balance. Enzo gave out a faint giggle while Applejack observed the pony comically.
"Haahh!" Vice let out a battle cry when he went in for the kick. The tree shook and a single apple clunked him on the head. Enzo was trying to suppress his inevitable chuckles while Applejack just stood and watched pitifully. "Well, I got one," Vice said picking up the shining apple.
"One outta thirty or so I reckon," Applejack said.
"Well baby steps should always be taken when doing new things, eh?" Vice said trying to justify the fact that he couldn't kick.
"Anyway, just keep doin' this until I call y'all over. Shouldn't be too much of a hassle now and I'll be watchin' your progress from afar. That means don't slack off," Applejack said particularly looking at Vice. With that being said, she started walking towards another tree.
"Maybe you could lend me a leg, Enzo." Vice half hoped that his partner would comply.
"Try not to break your own," Enzo said. He proceeded to continue bucking trees while Vice was hesitant to finish his own. By the time Vice had gotten into position, the stallion had already kicked another tree bare and was moving to the next.
'C'mon, Vice, pull yourself together! You're making a fool of yourself,' Vice thought with annoyance. He released his kick, this time without a cry. He counted three more apples gone and triumphantly looked at Enzo who was moving to yet another tree. 'Ohh, this is gonna be a long ass day,' Vice thought dreadfully as he continued to unleash havoc on his first tree.
~~~~~~~~~
"Soup's on, everypony!" Applejack called out. The mare and Big Mac already stood next to a table covered with a plain red and white checkered cloth. Enzo quietly emerged from the apple forest. He hesitantly approached his new boss without any signs of fatigue whatsoever.
"Um." Enzo was still slowly nearing Applejack and Bic Mac.
"It's okay, don't be shy. We're jus' takin' a breather as all," Applejack said as welcomingly as possible. "Say where's your friend at?"
"Vice? Oh, I don't-"
"Right...here," Vice had appeared before the crowd, limping his way toward everypony. Sweat coated his face and his teeth were gritted tightly together. The jet black mane of his had all three tufts messed up, some strands matted to his forehead. A wry smile was still attached to his face.
"Somepony's been workin' hard." Big Mac said half-heartedly.
"You could say that again!" Vice said with a tired tone.
"Well if I do recall," Applejack started saying. "Enzo, yah bucked a total of 'bout thirty-four trees this morning.
"It that a lot?" Enzo said humbly and innocently.
"Hel-damn right that's a lot!" Vice spat with mixed amazement and anger.
"And you, uh." Applejack pointed at Vice, but realized that she never asked or knew his name.
"Who, me? Well, it's Vicer or Vice for sho-"
"Yah got about four trees."
"Well...that's a record in my book," said Vice trying to divert the embarrassment off of him.
"Gosh, I reckon even Apple Bloom could buck more th'n this guy," Big Mac said genuinely to Applejack. Vice gave a distasteful face, but decided not to mess with the bigger stallion.
"Be nice, not everypony bucks as hard as the Apple family," Applejack said with some hint of pride. This only added insult to injury as Vice misconstrued Applejack's words. He had insults of his own to fire back, but he held them back as Applejack awkwardly motioned the group to drink the soup. Enzo gingerly picked up his bowl. It was a simple, wooden bowl with varying splotches of brown. Within it, there lay a mixture of a bright, golden liquid with specks of red and green dots scattered about. Enzo brought the soup to his lips, but was rudely interrupted before getting a taste.
"Ooohh myy!" said Vice raising his head from the half-filled bowl.
"Are you gonna comment on everything you eat?" Enzo asked with a subtle giggle.
"Try it yaself, bud," Vice said finishing up his bowl. Enzo took a sip and was greeted with a tangy type of taste. The soup itself was slightly viscous, but Enzo disregarded that as he continued to drink the sweet soup.
"Well, everypony back to work," Applejack said. Big Mac's bowl as well as her own was already clean empty. Vice literally choked on his soup as he swallowed a nervous gulp. Spitting the contents all over the table, he gave out an extended 'yo'.
"You know what, forget it, I give up. Let's get to work," he finished saying as his body drooped into exhaustion.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Nuuurse! I need more pills!" Blitz yelped desperately. The blue stallion flailed about in his bed. His face was twisted in a look of agony, his eyes held craziness under them.
"Mister Blitz, you've already had your seventh pill. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot give you any more," Nurse Redheart said with concern.
"I know, but I gotta have more. The pain is too intense!" Blitz added so much drama into his voice that Nurse Redheart had a hard time separating truth and lies.
"Listen, I'll give you another in a few hours. How's that sound?" The nurse tried to sound as sincere as possible.
"But that's such a looong time."
"Just please hold out." Nurse Redheart said as she scurried out the room. "Always have to be the nice one," she muttered under her breath.
~~~~~~~~~~
"...Vice," Enzo stopped his bucking and focused his attention on his lounging friend. "What are you doing?" Vice had found himself the perfect spot to relax within the apple forest. He lay on his back, taking in the sunlight from the small clearing through the trees.
"'sup, just hangin' around. Nothing too special," Vice said nonchalantly.
"So you can't buck as good as everyone else. You can't just-"
"Well seeing as everypony here is apparently built like a freakin' tank, I don't think I'm much help. So, why bother," said Vice still retaining his carefree voice. Enzo had nothing to say. "I think I'll take my leave," Vice said leaping up onto all fours. "If ya need me, I'll be over there...somewhere." Vice pointed vaguely toward an opening in the forest. He started to make his way, trotting rigidly.
"Wait, you're just gonna leave? After we've gotten somewhere to stay and li-"
"Wowhoho there, brother. I don't think I'm settling down anywhere anytime soon. Food was nice, I'll admit...but this kind of life ain't really my style. Know what I'm sayin'?" Vice said raising his hoofs to the air.
"But, I thought you said we were 'living the life'," Enzo said as a last attempt to keep Vice from leaving.
"That was before I was dropped into manual labor, buddy." With that being said, Vice left Enzo in the apple forest, making his way out of sight.
~~~~~~~~~~
'God dammit,' Vice thought with his head hot with furious embarrassment. 'How can they smash those trees so well while I can't even do damage. Enzo makes sense since his legs are built like guns, but those other ponies, I don't understand. Must be them trees, jacked up on steroids or some shi-' Vice froze mid thought as a whirling figure swooped through the sky. A rainbow-like trail followed behind it. He found himself in the open field that Enzo, Clyde and him had traversed the other night. The grassy plain was still as barren, but calming as last night to Vice. That was, until the flying figure interrupted Vice's wandering stroll through the plain.
'...I must be so high right now. Either that or I'm tripping on whatever that Applejack girl fed me.' Vice thought comically. 'What in the world flies and leaves a rainbow sparkle behind it?' With burning curiosity, Vice went full sprint towards the figure's direction. Vice charted its direction and followed wherever it was headed. Flowers crushed under his steps as he hunted the fast flier down.
A town-like appearance came into view and Vice assumed it was Ponyville. He realized his mane was still muffled up from the work earlier and cursed himself for it. Following where he had last seen the rainbow trail, he entered what looked to be some sort of town square. Various houses surrounded a centered area where a group of ponies were gathering about. Vice hesitantly walked toward the circle not knowing what to expect.
"Wow, that was so cool!" a voice said.
"How do you do that?" said another voice.
'If this is what I think it is then I'm gonna have some trouble,' Vice thought worryingly. He squeezed through the crowd, lightly moving ponies aside. After several pushes and shoves, he had found what he had been searching for.
"Thank you, thank you. I know I'm awesome, no need to tell me again...unless you want to." The cyan blue pegasus in the middle was taking in the crowd. She was basking in the glory, giving nodding approvals and brohoofs to various ponies. Her rainbow colored mane flashed in Celestia's sun. Her rainbow tail also flashed vibrantly as it wagged excitedly back and forth. She outstretched her wings, showing them off to the cheering crowd.
'Yep.' Vice shouted over the crowd. "Were you the one flying?" The blue mare didn't take notice of him. "Heeey!" Vice shouted louder, but the cheer of the crowd drowned him out. He stared at the pegasus with rising fury as she celebrated and egged the crowd on. "YO, I challenge you to a race!" Vice blurted out of pure frustration. The minute the words left his mouth he felt regret that couldn't be cured.
A hush fell upon the crowd. The cyan mare looked for the source of the challenge and locked eyesight with Vice. Her magenta eyes penetrated his spirit. "A race? With that thing on?" She pointed at Vice's trench coat. "...bwahahaha, yeah right. Are you even a pegasus?"
"What...oh uh, yeah, I got wings to prove it." Vice reconsidered his proposition for a moment. 'Damn, I can't show these off to the crowd it'd be a disaster for me and Enzo. We'll be forced to bail this town just like last time.' Vice tried desperately to ponder up a witty plan to escape his situation, but his mind raced as dozens of eyes peered into his skull.
"Well let's see 'em," the blue mare said as she flapped her own wings. They gave off a wave of elegance as Vice stared in awe.
"Wow there, no need to be hasty. Let's, uh, go somewhere less crowded. Not at my full potential when under pressure." Vice tried to sound as snobby as possible.
"Really, there's only like six ponies here. But, if you insist..." The blue pegasus gestured Vice to follow.
'Me and my ego...' Vice thought. 'Then again, no one's faster than me.' The two eventually ventured out of sight from the crowd and found themselves in the outskirts of town. A familiar forest was nearby, but Vice assumed he was as far away from the farm as possible.
"You better not be whining when you lose." Vice said with an air of confidence.
"You're talking to the best flier in all of Equestria, Rainbow-hey!" Before the blue pony could finish, Vice had taken off. He was in a mad dash to get distance between him and his opponent.
'Maybe she really won't notice,' Vice thought gaining speed. When he no longer felt her presence, Vice extended his wings through cut slits in his trench coat. He kept his steady gallop before taking off. Vice could feel his coat flapping behind him, his mane rustling against the wind.
"Haven't used these beauts in a while," Vice said flapping each wing with full force. He looked back at his wings and acknowledged that they weren't normal in the slightest. Both wings were tipped with dark gold metallic material, forming an outline on his wings. Each connected to one another until disappearing under the trench coat through the slit. Vice heard subtle clinking with each flap as he slowly enjoyed his released wings.
"Guess this wasn't such a bad idea after all," said Vice with rising joy as he felt the rushing gale breeze past him. The pegasus looked back for the blue pegasus, but disregarded her existence and resumed his flight. He was low enough on the ground to see the land and its beauty although he didn't know where he even was. All he cared for was winning and he knew he had the race won already. His mindset was shattered once he heard a faint noise. He instantly became paranoid of his wings, but couldn't even react fast enough as a rainbow bullet whizzed past him.
"You gotta do better than that," the rainbow mare hollered back. A wave of determination swept through Vice cleaning up his paranoia. He reared his body back, prepped his metallic-tipped wings, and shot forward with a burst of speed. "Can't get rid of me that...easily." Vice lost his sense of confidence as he actually lost sight of the rainbow mare. "What in the name of nuts?"
The pegasus picked up his speed considerably and exerted all his strength into his wings. He managed to catch a glimpse of a rainbow figure, but it disappeared as soon as it came. "Holy hell, how the hell-what the jizz!" Vice groaned in frustration as he pushed himself further. Seconds turned into minutes as he struggled to catch up with Rainbow Dash. A moment finally came when he saw the mare in full. She seemed to be resting on a cloud which put more anger into Vice. "Here I come!"
The mare eyed him with amusement and quickly popped downwards through the cloud layer. Vice grunted and followed with regained confidence. As he zoomed through the clouds, the Equestrian earth revealed itself. He closed his eyes and cursed to himself as he flew straight through a tree. Unknown branches and leaves scratched and slapped at Vice, causing him to lose balance. He escaped the green hellhole only to find himself headed for the ground.
"Fuuudge!" Vice dropped his hooves and let them break his fall. He regretted the decision and felt his legs being crushed upon impact. The pain was intense, but was soon lifted and filled with another pain.
"And that's why you don't mess with Rainbow Dash. Oh, and I was getting bored too, so I thought I'd let you down as softly as I could," Rainbow Dash taunted from above. Vice avoided eye contact and huffed at the ground. Once the mare had vanished, he sat down and moped.
'Least she didn't notice the wings,' Vice thought with distasteful relief.
"Cockiness at its finest," a voice said. Vice sprang up in terror and deftly retracted his wings back into his trench coat. Turning around, he came face to face with a white stallion.
"Clyde?"
"Don't forget your friend," Clyde said sidestepping to reveal Enzo. Vice let his body fall down in the grass due to extreme exhaustion.
"You've got some explaining to do, Mister," Clyde said as he dragged Vice away. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 9: Iron Spirit | "I can't believe that rainbow bitch beat me!"
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MISS RAINBOW DASH!" Clyde raged out and stood over Vice who was cowering in fear on the ground.
"Sorry, holy crap." Vice raised his hooves in defense and slowly got back up. "Just never thought I'd be beat by some random girl."
"That girl is Rainbow Dash, one of the Elements of-"
"Harmony, yeah okay she's important. Save me from telling the same story again," Vice said rolling his eyes. 'Well now I don't feel as bad now,' he thought. Celestia's sun shone brightly in the sky as Clyde, Vice, and Enzo traversed through an ordinary meadow. Only Clyde seemed to know where he was going, Vice and Enzo simply followed behind. Ponyville could be seen not too far away from the trio as Clyde and Enzo picked up Vice in the middle of nowhere.
"I'm still ashamed of you," Clyde said disapprovingly. "How did you manage to lose your job when it hasn't even been a full day?"
"I don't even know. I seriously got fired? Haha, oh wow." Vice sounded somewhat surprised. "That's hilarious, how'd it go down?" Both Clyde and Vice turned to Enzo.
"Um, well once you left, Applejack immediately noticed you were gone. She said she hated lazy lowlifes like you." Enzo drowned out his last words.
"I expected much," Vice said with cocky acceptance.
"How can you be so nonchalant about this, Mister Vice?" Clyde said aggravated.
"Hey, I'm playing everything by ear. Can't be dreading the past now can we? Just gotta focus on the present," said Vice stately.
"You're not going to get very far in life 'playing everything by ear'," Clyde said mimicking Vice's words.
"Well it got me this far. Say, where-no, what are we even doing?" asked Vice.
"Erm." Clyde hesitated on the subject. "...do you remember, Miss Fluttershy? The one who-"
"Kicked our asses? Yeah, what about her?" Vice's tone changed to a slightly darker one as he remembered the mare who thoroughly dealt with him.
"Ahem, yes. She's been reported as being calmer and that this 'New Fluttershy' thing had gone way over her head," Clyde stated.
"Reported? By who, your personal detective? S'far as I know, you said you're the only authority around here," Vice concluded.
"That is correct, but," Clyde eyed Vice with suspicion. His eyes burst out as he realized Vice's accusation. "I'M PERFORMING MY ROYAL DUTIES!" he yelled in disbelief.
"Alrighty, I'm not gonna joke about being a stalker or anything." Vice realized he didn't even know how old Clyde was, but kept to himself. After the outrage, Clyde had calmed down and the trio had entered Ponyville once more. Clyde still led Vice and Enzo to a location unknown to them. Few ponies were passing by, the streets looked deserted. "So does this make us your personal detectives?" asked Vice with a smirk. Clyde gave Vice a look he couldn't quite figure out, but he got no other response than that.
With communication going nowhere, time passed by quickly. The duo soon found themselves in someplace new and unsettling. The scenery had left Clyde in a stunned state, but Vice and Enzo took in the dreary picture. A tree filled with various widows was boarded up heavily with wooden planks crudely nailed in. Almost every surrounding opening was covered up somehow as the trio analyzed the sight. The tree itself was bare; its branches hung low in despair.
"Well that's obviously bad voodoo right there," Vice commented at the scene. "A house lookin' like that in broad daylight? Nuh-uh, that's a bad sign right there." Clyde's mouth still hung wide open as Vice inspected the sad outlook.
"...this is Fluttershy's house isn't it?" Enzo said with a wave of anguish.
"Wow, where'd you come from, buddy? Making assum-"
"He's right, this is Miss Fluttershy's house," Clyde finally said breaking his shocked state.
"Really? This run-down tree is her place?" Vice asked.
"Yes, and to think I talked to the young mare just the other day. I never would've expected her cottage to change so rapidly." Clyde took a hesitant step forward, slowly advancing towards the bare tree. Upon closer inspection, he noted that the mailbox was new, yet it had an old feeling to go with it. Vice noticed Enzo's uneasiness with the whole situation. He moved toward the house and gestured the other stallion to follow.
Soon enough, all three ponies were at the doorstep of the cottage. Now, Vice sensed both the uneasiness that his companions held and sighed. "Okay guys, I'm pretty sure a spooky house ain't gonna come get you in your sleep," Vice whispered.
"You don't get it," Enzo said plainly.
"Get what?"
"It's not about the atmosphere, it's about Fluttershy," Enzo said quietly. "I bet she's in so much pain now." Clyde acknowledged that Enzo understood what was going on, but Vice was still ignorant to the whole scene.
"Uh, did I miss something here?"
"Let me tell you this," said Clyde trying to get Vice in the loop. "Fluttershy met this minotaur named Iron Will. Half bull, half human, he taught her how to be more assertive. This is the result, she's shunned herself from society because of what that monster did to her."
Vice didn't move for a second, barely taking in the rest of Clyde's statement. "He's half...never mind, I get it. So this Iron Will dude, we gonna rough him up or something?" Vice suddenly brightened up and started to pump himself up similar to the time he had pumped himself up during the apple bucking. "Where is he, huh? I'll show him somethin' or two about being assertive. C'mon out n' play ya pansy!" Vice yelled insults into the air.
A faint cry could be heard within the house. Everypony whipped around the see what happened. Vice facehoofed himself so hard he almost fell backward. "Nononoo, I didn't mean you," Vice shouted at the house. "I meant-"
"Iron Will?" a husky voice said from behind. Vice twirled around slowly and the rest of the ponies followed. Standing before them was a hulking mass of blue muscle. Its giant horns added to the intimidation. Vice spotted a short black tie as well as a gray mic piece sporting from the creature's head.
"Well just take a steamy dump on me," Vice said as the yellow eyes of the minotaur cut down his soul.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Mooorre pills!"
"Mister Blitz, I simply cannot give you any more of these!"
"But nuuuuuurse!"
"Just sleep it off and you'll be fine tomorrow."
"Nooooooooo..." Blitz fell back on his bed after laying up and didn't make a sound. Nurse Redheart peered over the still stallion to make sure he was asleep. Sighing for relief, Nurse Redheart picked up a tray filled with a half eaten sandwich and empty glass. She filed out of the room and closed the lights.
"I hope he gets better tomorrow, that sleeping pill should hold him that long, I hope," Nurse Redheart said eying the empty glass cup. She made a few steps down the hall before letting out a silent laugh. "I haven't had a patient like this in years," she said reminiscing in a distant memory.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Big mothaf-" That was all Vice said before his hoof came in contact with the minotaur's stomach. As he hit his target, Vice's hoof felt as if he had a hit a stone wall instead. He slowly looked up and noticed that the blue creature was unfazed. The minotaur raised his giant, meaty fist and unleashed a downward punch towards Vice. He missed his mark and pounded the ground as Vice sidestepped to the right, jumping a few feet back afterwards. Both Enzo and Clyde backed away as the two opponents faced each other in their little arena.
"Mister Vice! What are you doing?" Clyde called out.
"Improvising!" Vice hollered back. "He did look like he was ready to pound my face in!"
"So," the huge beast said. "Iron Will came to pick up his pay and look what he found."
"Pay? What does he mean?" Enzo said to Clyde.
"I'm still trying to figure it out myself," Clyde replied scratching his chin abruptly.
"Hey, when you daisies are done putting two and two together, mind lending me a hand?" Vice said to his comrades.
"Are you too scared to fight Iron Will alone?"
"Well when you put it that way..." Vice bolted towards the minotaur with his trench coat flailing in the opposing wind. Iron Will planted his feet shoulder width apart and raised his hands. Vice came upon the battle ready beast, feigning a lunge as Iron Will grabbed at air. Vice took this chance to get a few ineffective hooks in on the minotaur's sides before ducking a swing from the beast and staggering back.
"Let's dance, big man, eh? Let's tango," Vice taunted. This time it was Iron Will's turn to charge. Vice, quick on his two hind legs, anticipated the blue creature's next attack. He dodged a thrown punch by the beast and countered. He extended his wings, tipped with metal, and jabbed Iron Will in between his arm and body; his armpit. The rounded metal edge end of the wing hit soft flesh and Iron Will jolted back with a hysterical cry.
Vice took initiative to spin around and he brought his wing crashing against the blue beast's torso. The momentum caused Iron Will to falter back, making loud thumps along the way. The big creature held his right ab, doubling over in pain. Vice didn't hesitate as he sent a flurry of wing blows to Iron Will's now vulnerable face. Iron Will's head swung back and forth as the cold metal made contact with his face. Vice charged himself up for a power blow, but Iron Will intercepted him at a blinding speed with a grip of steel as both his hands clamped around Vice.
Vice attempted to break free of the monster's hold, but couldn't even move a muscle as Iron Will raised him higher in the sky. He thought he could hear cracking and realized what his captor was doing. The minotaur brought Vice down with full force towards the ground. Vice's wings made sharp, scratching sounds as he hit the surface. Iron Will proceeded to pick up the sprawled pony and briskly hurled him towards nearby trees.
Vice could feel jolts and sparks of rushing pain as he was tossed about like a rag doll. He didn't even have time to get up before Iron Will landed a finishing blow to Vice's face, sending him packing into yet another tree. A disgusting bang was heard as face met trunk before Vice crumpled to the ground, unmoving and still. The half bull, half human creature stepped back and took in his victory. "And so," Iron Will coughed out. "Iron Will is victorious!" He raised his hands in triumph.
Enzo rushed over to the unconscious stallion and quickly checked his pulse. Still breathing, Vice maintained many cuts and various bruises, primarily on his body. His trench coat was slightly torn from the crash and bloodied from the cuts. Enzo noticed splinters lodged into his friend's side as well as a large welt on the stallion's upper left eyebrow area. He quietly and carefully tucked Vice's metal covered wings back through the slits of his trench coat.
'Why Vice,' thought Enzo sorrowfully. 'Why do you do these things to yourself?' Enzo turned to the celebrating minotaur. Iron Will's face consisted of a punched out eye, bloodied nose and lip, and a swelled up cheek. A reddish-pinkish mark was spotted on his right part of his stomach. The black stallion slowly approached Iron Will with a burning question.
"Why does Fluttershy owe you?" Enzo said calmly.
"Huh?" The minotaur turned to the earth pony. "Oh yeah, almost forgot why Iron Will came. Iron Will taught that pony how to be assertive and seeing that she's not a pushover anymore proves that Iron Will did his job."
"Did your job? Look what you've done to her!" Enzo's voice started to rise.
"Iron Will made a deal, so Iron Will deserves his fair share," the minotaur said with steam puffing out his nose. "Iron Will pities the foal that gets in his way!"
After assortments of snorts and foot shuffles, Enzo realized what Iron Will was planning. "Wait," Enzo called out, but failed to get the attention of the minotaur. He braced himself for the charging monster, the beast's face was bright cherry red. Enzo felt a spark of hostility build inside him. His eyes grew intense as he stood his ground. Locking eyes with the speeding minotaur, Enzo raised his hoof with the blue band wrapped around it. Before either opponent got the chance to meet, Iron Will was stopped in his tracks.
Clyde had magically materialized next to Iron Will, decking him towards a cluster of trees. The sheer power of Clyde's body was enough to cause the minotaur to cling onto the trees in order not to fall over. Iron Will couldn't even retaliate as he was finished off with a well placed buck to the stomach from Clyde. A large and lugging thud was heard as the blue beast crashed through trees and lay still in a broken mess of branches and leaves.
"He must have forgotten that there were three of us," Clyde said walking over to the unconscious Vice and tense Enzo. "I don't usually enact force, but this brute has gone too far. An incident like this hasn't happened in quite a while." Clyde approached the injured stallion and inspected his wounds. He warily picked up Vice and placed him on his back. Enzo had to assist Clyde with this task as he didn't want to hurt Vice. With the pegasus secured on Clyde's back, he spread his white wings wide open and flapped them gently.
"I'm going to take mister Vice to the hospital. He doesn't seem to be in any serious condition, but that Iron Will character gave him a rough beating." Clyde quickly glanced over to the area where Iron Will took a tumble. "It seems our friend has vanished. Shame, I was going to come back with a few friends of my own."
"Is Vice going to be in any trouble?" said Enzo with growing concern.
"Under normal circumstances, yes. But, I'll let this one slide just for you," Clyde answered with a subtle smile.
"Also...Clyde."
"Yes, what is it mister Enzo?"
"I was prepared to kill him." Enzo said the sentence with a coldness in his voice. He started to raise his hoof with the blue band.
"We all get worked up in a serious brawl. But my dear boy, I don't think that we would get to a point where killing is necessary," said Clyde chuckling a hearty laugh.
"Yeah, your right. I guess I was just caught up in the moment" Enzo slowly brought his hoof back down.
"Your friend knows quite a knowledge of combat. I'm intrigued by his fighting style, I've never seen somepony take out another with their own pair of wings." Clyde said impressed. A sudden rate of alarm surged through Enzo's body.
"You saw his wings?" Enzo asked nervously.
"Yes, he did just use them to fend off that Iron Will didn't he? His wings are a bit odd though...I've never seen anything like them before." Clyde responded not noticing Enzo's change of character. "Are they a problem?"
"No!"
"Wow, hold it there, son. I'm just kidding, no need to be so antsy," Clyde said with another of his warm laughs. "Listen, I really need to get mister Vice medical care now. I'm going to have to trust you with making sure Fluttershy is doing all right. After all, I bet she's wondering what's going on outside her house."
"Y-you want me to t-talk to Fluttershy?" Enzo said with quick stutters. A fresh gleam of sweat appeared over his forehead.
"Of course, I can't be in two places at once," said Clyde unaware of Enzo's change of state. "We did come here to assure she was alright." "..."
"Just make sure to tell her what happens and that Clyde himself sent you to deal with the problem."
"Okay..." Enzo turned towards the mare's cottage and made an unconfident walk. "Wait, what if I can't-" Enzo looked back and noticed the pegasus was already gone. "Oh no." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 10: Mixed Messages | Clyde traversed overhead through Ponyville itself flying quickly, yet carefully, in order to keep Vice comfortable and safe. He made steady progress as he neared Ponyville's hospital, occasionally checking to see whether or not Vice had regained consciousness. With the brown stallion still knocked out, Clyde resumed his flight. Celestia's sun determined that the day was almost over. Light still prevailed, but Clyde sensed it was dimming.
'Mister Vice does have very peculiar wings,' Clyde thought glancing back at the pony. 'Where would such a pony get them, I'll never know.' Ponville hospital came into view with its heavenly splendor. The iconic symbol of a white cross with diagonally adjacent hearts presented itself lovingly to Clyde along with its chocolate brown roof and light beige exterior. The grass around the place danced gently in the breeze as Clyde landed softly in front of the mint green door.
The guard pony advanced gingerly towards the door, opened it slowly and peered in. A nearby nurse was waiting at a desk reading a magazine. She looked up and shrieked a bit, dropping the magazine. Her horn glowed bright pink as she called for a doctor through a microphone. A few seconds later, a light brown unicorn walked in accompanied by two more nurses. His white medical coat stood out as unnaturally clean and his stethoscope bounced evenly as he trotted to Clyde.
"Oh my, what happened here?" the doctor said with calm suspicion.
"This pegasus here has sustained multiple cuts and bruises to both his sides and his head. He's been unconscious for about an hour or so and hasn't awoken yet," Clyde said grimly.
"Right." The doctor traveled around Clyde, inspecting Vice. His horn glowed multiple times, but Clyde couldn't figure out what he could be doing.
"Well now, he doesn't look too bad." The doctor's horn glowed brighter as he closely examined Vice. "Nothing seems to be severely broken or damaged, just a bunch of cuts and bruises like you said. We can probably patch him up real quick and send him on his way in a day or two," the doctor concluded.
"You figured all that out just now?"
"I am a doctor, right? The nurses should be able to take care of the poor fellow from here on." The doctor motioned for the nurses to collect Vice. They held out a stretcher which Clyde hadn't noticed before. He gently slipped the stallion onto the stretcher and watched as the medical crew hauled him away.
'Now that he's settled I should probably find out where this Iron Will individual has gone off to. I have faith that mister Enzo will be able to take care of miss Fluttershy, but I want her to be safe. I'll have to stop by Canterlot and consult the royal guards for a search party later tonight. Maybe then I'll have that monster under control. It is my duty, after all, to ensure that the Elements of Harmony are protected.' Clyde firmly agreed with himself and went ahead out the hospital door. He spread his wings wide and looked up at the dawning sky. Brushing the ground slightly, the white pegasus flew upward towards his destination.
~~~~~~~~~~
Enzo stared endlessly at the tree cottage before him. He had been standing at the same spot, unmoving, for almost half an hour. Trembling, he had no will to enter the house. All he could do was simply wait and ponder. 'I can't do this, I just can't,' Enzo thought hopelessly. 'How can I pop out of nowhere and talk to her. What am I supposed to say?' Enzo gulped hard and shuddered as horrible images of him confronting Fluttershy appeared in his mind.
'What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to talk to her? How am I even going to introduce myself?' Enzo shot questions back and forth through his own head. 'What would Vice do? He used to get all the girls back then...wait, no I'm not going to ask her out. No, no no no! I'm just here to make sure she's okay.' Enzo literally had sweat pouring from his forehead. Cleaning himself up a bit, he collected his final thoughts.
'Alright, just go in there and...and say something. Oh this is hopeless, why am I feeling this way. It's just a random girl that I'm talking to. What if-oh!' Enzo closed his eyes, turned his head away and faintly knocked on the door. No response came. He did another quick knock which resulted in silence once more. Taking a deep breath, Enzo raised his hoof again and shakily knocked the door. The created sound of hoof meeting wood sifted through the muted air.
"Please, go away!" a voice peeped from within the cottage. Enzo jumped at the sound, but kept his ground. He opened his mouth, yet not a word fell out. Again, he stood motionless and speechless not knowing what to do. "I know your still there. Just leave me alone, I'm a monster," the voice said breaking Enzo's state of confliction.
"You're not a monster!" Enzo blurted out. "The real monster is that minotaur!" This time Enzo spoke with confidence in his voice.
"Iron Will? Did-did he come by?" Fluttershy sounded somewhat scared.
"Yes, but he's gone now. There's nothing to be afraid of," Enzo said in a reassuring tone. "Just...let me talk to you." Silence was all the stallion received. He thought for a moment and facehoofed himself. 'Oh no, I didn't even say who I was. She probably thinks I'm with Iron Will or something.' Enzo thought with fright. "Um, I was sent by Clyde to make sure you were alright," Enzo called out in an awkward way.
"Clyde? Oh no. I hurt him, didn't I," Fluttershy said choking up. "Everypony gets hurt around me, that's why I'm never coming out!"
"Don't say that," Enzo said while trying to come up with something clever to say. "Uh, well you never...hurt me. That's right, you never hurt me."
"Who are you?" Enzo facehoofed again and mentally sighed. "My name is...Enzo."
"Oh, well, nice to meet you I think," Fluttershy said. Just then, a spark of cleverness entered Enzo's brain as he compiled a plan.
"I'm sorry, I didn't get your, uh, name. What was it again?" he said as innocently as possible.
"You didn't know? I'm Fluttershy." The pony drowned out her name, but Enzo already knew what it was.
"That doesn't sound like a name that would harm anypony," said Enzo.
"Oh, but I will, I will hurt somepony. Please, just leave before I say something nasty to you!" Fluttershy cried desperately.
"I can't leave, Fluttershy. The more you make me wait, the more you're hurting me. I don't know how much more I can take," Enzo said with a forced, grieving voice. Quietness filled the air as Enzo awaited a response. He noticed that it was becoming dark, the breezes feeling much colder. The seemingly run-down cottage was starting to give off a creepy effect with the oncoming night. Finally, a creak was heard as Enzo pulled his attention on the opening door.
At first, Enzo tried to withhold a cheerful smile, but that smile was shot down at the sight of what came before him. Fluttershy stood in front of him; her eyes were lightly puffed and tinted with a red hue. Her face was dried in the right places for Enzo to tell she had been crying a lot. He, again, tried to lift a smile which turned into a half smile, half frown.
"Um, I-ahhhh" A vociferous clang cut Enzo off as he dropped back and held his knee. Standing before him was a stone faced bunny holding a frying pan bigger than he was. Fluttershy gasped, swiped the tool of destruction away and scolded the bunny for doing what he did.
"Bad Angel! You don't hit strangers!" she said with a motherly tone. The bunny known as Angel simply shrugged and hopped away without any sign of apology for Enzo. Still caressing his knee, the black pony slowly got up and limped towards Fluttershy's cot. The interior was just as expected in which it was similar to the outside. Almost all the furniture was obstructed or missing and all the lights seemed to be dimmed. Pictures of a minatour were attached to a nearby mirror, some shredded, and a chair with a rope wrapped around it was centered within the room.
Enzo simply stood and watched in pain as Fluttershy went to go get a chair for him. Pain was felt both physically and mentally, that Fluttershy had become what she is now. With chair in hand, Fluttershy had quickly seated Enzo and took a look at his leg. She was disregarding the fact that she had been crying a few minutes ago and looked like she knew what she was doing.
"I'm so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him." Fluttershy spoke with reassurance. "Please, don't be mad." Enzo stood again and watched, not knowing what to do or say, as Fluttershy deftly tried to heal his leg. "Um," Enzo diverted his eyes away from the mare and tried desperately to think of something to say; anything. "Thanks..."
Fluttershy gave a subtle nod and moved away to see her work. There was a bandage wrapped around Enzo's leg which surprisingly enough helped with the pain. Both ponies stood watching, not saying a word. Fluttershy looked around nervously, losing her confident self she had a minute ago while Enzo shifted uncomfortably.
"So...uh, are you feeling better?"
~~~~~~~~~~
"What in the hay is he doing in my room!?" Blitz wobbled up and out from under his bed sheets. He already knew how disgusting he felt. However, he could not remember what had happened in recent times. Disregarding that idea, he was instantly focused on the pony that was being brought into the room.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to quiet down. We have other patients here you know," a unicorn doctor said.
"But, why him? Why not anypony else? Why him?" Blitz was appalled.
"Because all our other rooms are occupied. Please, sir, it's just for a day or two." The doctor ignored Blitz's other protests and proceeded to aid the nurses in placing the pony in a bed next to Blitz. As the nurses left, the doctor spoke, "he won't be waking up for a while, so be thankful." Blitz sighed with extreme heaviness as the room became just him and the other pony.
"What's up, sport? Didja miss me?" The other pony got up swiftly and looked straight into Blitz's eyes. The unicorn jumped slightly.
"Vice-"
"That's right, Iceboy." Vice laughed and sat back with his hooves behind his head.
"How did you-"
"Did you honestly, really, honestly think I'd be out n' cold that fast and easy? Pfft, no such thing!" Blitz noted the obvious head bandage protruding from Vice's forehead. Along with wrappings around Vice's waist, he noticed something strange now that he had a good look at his previous adversary. He observed that the brown stallion indeed had some sort of metal covering his wings. He also noticed that the pony had no cutie mark.
"Where's you trench coat?" Blitz asked uneasily.
"Huh? My-MY TRENCH-" Vice gave out a hysterical cry as he tried to get up, but fell back down. He looked side to side up and down before succumbing to his wounds and lying still.
"Damn, so you're seeing everything now, eh? Like what you see?" Vice's panic was taken over by his cockiness.
"You have metal wings. Where in the name of Celestia did those come from?" Blitz was flabbergasted. "And why don't you have a cutie mark. You look old enough to have one. Where is it?"
"Hey, what did I say about twenty questions? Sorry, but I ain't answering them just like when we first met. It'd be better that way the less you know about me." Vice turned in his bed and faced the other way, hiding his agitated face.
"The less I know about you, the more I become worried. I'm tired of you being so mysterious," Blitz commented back with severe annoyance.
"Just when I'm starting to enjoy myself, you're all over my ass," Vice fired back now facing Blitz. "Listen, when me and Enzo first came here I personally thought we would be outta here the next day. But, as fate would have it, this has been one of the best places we've been to. Not everyone, er, not everypony is giving us dirty looks. The cops are actually on our side for once and I got my ass handed to me by some random asswipe instead of the cops this time around." Vice took a breath as he stated the whole paragraph as fast as possible. "Not to mention Enzo seems happy for once. If he's happy, I'm happy. Really he's the only guy I got left in my life, no homo. He's the only family, friend and buddy I have left and he deserves the best. As long as he's doing good, I'll take the hits for him. Hey, I got nothin' to lose."
Blitz couldn't respond back. He was amazed at how somepony as low as Vice could be such a different pony to somepony else. "Just my little spiel as all. Friends are very important to me." Vice eyed Blitz comically.
"Am I you're friend?" Blitz said expecting a negative answer.
"Maybe. Just let me rest in peace. I need to know what happened to Enzo first thing tomorrow," Vice said eagerly. Blitz had a dying urge to know about Vice's wings and cutie mark and even more so about Enzo. But, he knew he would not be able to make the stubborn pony talk. Instead, he waited until he could hear faint snoring and decided to do something risky.
Reaching into the nearby desk and pulling out a pill, he slowly concealed it in his mouth and got up out of bed. Wincing in pain, he swallowed the pill and felt it no more. Tiptoeing out, he silently crept towards the entrance to the hospital. He could finally smell fresh air rivaling the hospital smell he was so used to. Thanking Celestia that the nurse was asleep he simply waltzed outside and took a deep breath. "Ugh, I can't stand that guy. Now, to find this, Twilight Sparkle."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Yeah, she lives over there. In that giant tree." A mare pointed to a vastly, sizable tree filled with various building-like structures hanging out. Lights were still shining and brightening up the now shadowy night.
"I see it. Okay, thanks." Blitz waved and trotted towards his destination. The pill he had taken was now in full effect and he decided to take full advantage of it. As he neared the compound, he noticed something odd. There was a pony, a mare to be exact, standing outside. Her light purple hat littered with yellow and blue stars complimented her light blue coat. Blitz thought that she reminded him of himself, color-wise, until he saw her very pale, bright blue mane. He cautiously and nervously approached the mare with a burning question.
"Are you Twilight Sparkle?" The mare whipped around and almost fell over. She looked at Blitz with some sort of disgust.
"What's it to you?" she said sharply.
"I just want to know, I need her help," Blitz said slightly confused at the mare's reaction to this.
"Oh everypony needs Twilight's help, it's all about her!" The mare gritted her teeth in frustration. Blitz sighed.
I guess I'll have to stoop this low, he thought with embarrassment. "Please, I need her help desperately. I'll do anything!"
"Anything?" The mare thought for a second. She smiled devilishly, unbeknown to Blitz. "Well then, if you must know, I'm Twi-Twili-Twi" The mare choked on her words as if she couldn't pronounce or say them. "I am Twiligh-" She gnawed on the words trying to spit it out. "...I'm the Great and Powerful Twilight Sparkle!" She said as fast as possible.
Blitz raised a brow. "But...that's just my, uh, alias. So many ponies want my help, but I really I go by the Great and Powerful Trixie to fake them out." Trixie gave a fake smile which looked genuine.
"Okay, uh, well why are you outside your house? Did you lock yourself out?" Blitz was uncomfortable accepting that this was who Clyde was talking about. What if she's lying, he thought anxiously. No, she can't be. This town literally can't be bad.
"What can the Great and Powerful Trixie do for you," Trixie said ignoring Blitz's question.
"Uh, well I sort of-" Blitz stopped and felt pain in his leg again. "Need help with my leg. Can you do something about it, maybe?" Blitz showed Trixie his bandaged leg.
"Of course the Great and Powerful Trixie can fix your leg," the mare said with an air of confidence. Her horn glowed a bright cyan and Blitz felt some tingling enter his broken bone. At first, the feeling was soothing but soon turned into a fit of extreme tightness. It was as if his bones were imploding on themselves.
After being sprawled on the ground, Blitz got up without even thinking and tested his new, improved leg. "Wow, I can't believe it, my leg is actually fixed!" Blitz shouted with growing joy.
"All thanks to the Great and Powerful Trixie," the blue mare restated. "Now then, follow me, we've got work to do," she maliciously said.
"Wait, what? Work?"
"You did say you'd do anything for somepony to fix your leg. The Great and Powerful Trixie needs some help of her own."
"Right..." At least my leg is fixed now. Maybe after I help Trixie, I can get back to getting that darn job. Both ponies walked together out of Ponyville and into the forest. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 11: Setting Up | The night gale was cold, but had a soothing feel as well. No sound was emitted but the hoof steps echoing in the distance. Blitz followed sheepishly behind Trixie as the blue mare led him through the forest they had entered not so long ago. He nervously wondered what Trixie had wanted with him and he still had seething questions to be answered. "So, uh, where exactly are we going? Isn't your house back-"
"Quiet," Trixie said sternly. "Just follow and don't talk."
'Geez, don't have to be so rude,' Blitz thought with irritation. 'Clyde must've made her seem nicer than she is.' The two kept traveling in a linear path, Blitz trying constantly to catch up with Trixie. He made a mental note that he was still carrying his saddle bag despite almost forgetting about it when he snuck out of the hospital. It swayed lightly as the two eventually came to a stop with Blitz almost bumping into Trixie. Through the tangle of trees, Blitz spotted some sort of caravan parked next to a giant trunk. He thought he could see an aurora circling around it. "What-"
"What did the Great and Powerful Trixie say before? No talking," Trixie repeated once more hushing Blitz. She motioned him to follow her towards the strange caravan. Not really knowing what to do or expect, Blitz quickly complied and entered the caravan. An abnormal smell drifted its way into Blitz's system the minute he stepped in. "What's wrong? Don't like the Great and Powerful Trixie's incense?" said Trixie after seeing Blitz's face of discomfort.
"No, no. I'm just surprised by it. There's nothing wrong with it," Blitz said lying through his teeth.
"Mmhm. Well then, why don't we get started," Trixie said rummaging through a wooden chest. Blitz looked around and observed many different things he had never seen before. A plethora of hanging cloth littered the ceiling. Odd symbols were printed on each item which Blitz couldn't comprehend at all. A desk with a scratched, dank mirror sat in a corner with a purple hairbrush lying askew. Next to the chest where Trixie was at, there lie an intricate bed filled with fancy designs and multiple colors.
"Wait...what are we doing?!" Blitz asked again with a mix of obscurity and irritation.
"We're going to be practicing magic."
"What?"
"Stop saying what all the time and just go with it. You did say you were going to help the Great and Powerful Trixie didn't you?" Trixie said smirking. Blitz looked down and sighed.
"Okay, let's practice magic."
"Excellent," Trixie said holding an assortment of items. "Go outside and wait for the Great and Powerful Trixie." Blitz sighed again and headed out of the caravan.
'Thank Celestia I'm out of that stench,' Blitz thought thankfully. 'Also, why am I practicing magic? What could this pony possibly want with me? And why is she talking in third person, why is her name so long? Oh yeah, that's right, too many questions with not a single answer. Should've known that by now.' Blitz stopped and mused for a bit. 'Then again, this learning magic thing might be interesting. But, I can only make snowballs.' Blitz waited somewhat eagerly for Trixie to come out. He honestly didn't know what to expect.
"Alright," said Trixie walking out of her caravan. "Since you are a unicorn, the Great and Powerful Trixie assumes you know how to use magic."
"Uh, sure?" Blitz responded carefully.
"Then show Trixie what you've got!" Blitz was unsure what to do at this point. He stood just staring at the mare unable to make an action.
"Um, well." Blitz felt a wave of embarrassment flow through him as he prepared his inevitable question. "Do you have an ice lying around, by chance?" Trixie gave Blitz an unamused look.
"Are you being serious?"
"I kinda need it in order to...do magic," Blitz said looking down at the dancing grass. It was as if the inanimate objects were taunting him. Trixie muttered something to herself and went back inside the caravan. Blitz still didn't understand what she had brought out in the first place, but was soon distracted as the blue mare came back out with a cup of water. "That's not ice-"
"No duh!" Trixie sounded furious. "What kind of loser can't even make magic without help?" Blitz was stunned at the statement. He dared not to make eye contact with Trixie and instead kept watching the grass laugh at him. He looked up at Luna's moon and decided it may as well have been laughing at him too. Trixie sighed dramatically. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will have to help you now," she said with sarcasm. Trixie took the glass of water and placed it next to Blitz on the grass. She stared at him and pointed at the cup. "Do something, anything."
Blitz grew extremely distressed. He had never really been tested on his magic before, nor was he judged on how well he could do it. With Trixie staring him down, he felt even more pressured to do something, yet he knew he couldn't do anything with just water. He looked at the glass and focused for a bit. He tried to drown out all thoughts pulling him back, and the fact that Trixie was staring into his soul.
With his horn glowing aqua blue, Blitz made his best effort to do something. He could see that the glass wasn't changed in the slightest and exerted himself even more in order to make something happen. At this point, he actually didn't know what he was doing. After a minute or so of Blitz's act of focusing on the water, a clink sound could be heard within the glass.
Trixie rushed over and inspected the cup of water. She noted that there was a single cube of ice floating at the top of the water no bigger than a centimeter. Groaning out of sheer frustration Trixie replied, "that's pathetic." Blitz almost let out a whimper as he was insulted.
'That's it, I'm a failure. I've never been on the spot and torn down like this in forever. I guess I had it coming to me,' he thought with sorrow.
"But, at least the Great and Powerful Trixie knows what type of magic you could specialize in," Trixie said with a glint of hope in her voice for Blitz.
"How can I get better when I'm the lowest of the low?"
"Do you doubt the Great and Powerful Trixie? She's going to make something out of you, don't you worry," Trixie said. Blitz didn't know how to comment back. He was to tied up in the mindset that he was the worst unicorn to perform magic in Equestria. He turned to Trixie and complained.
"Why am I doing this anyway?"
"Oh, nothing much. The Great and Powerful Trixie only plans on assaulting a certain pony."
"Assault?" Blitz was bewildered. He did not expect to be in a situation like this, the fact that Trixie eluded it until now made Blitz even more flustered than ever.
"That's right, on an old friend of Trixie's. You're not backing out anytime soon, are you?" Trixie asked raising her brow with intimidation.
'This is crazy! What kind of-what, I don't even-' Blitz mind raced as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard. 'Okay, this has to be a prank. Come on, and she did fix my leg. How can I say no, it's just gonna be a silly prank, that's right. This is all a big joke,' Blitz thought reconsidering his actions.
"No, I'm not," he affirmed.
"Good, let's get down to business."
~~~~~~~~~~
Vice was awoken as Celestia's sun blazed through the hospital curtains and tried to cover his eyes. Failing to do so, he turned to his other side and came face to face with Enzo who was already wide awake, sitting on a chair. "Oh my," Vice exaggerated tumbling backwards in his bed. "Don't give me a heart attack like that, man, s'pecially since I'm all injured and stuff."
"Sorry, you scared yourself," Enzo said looking out the window not paying attention to his friend.
"Whatever. Hey, how was yesterday? Where did I go-no wait, more importantly, what happened with that girl?" said Vice with enthusiasm.
"You act as if losing consciousness was nothing," said Enzo worryingly.
"Cause it's not, now answer the question," Vice demanded waving off Enzo's remark.
"Well, Clyde took you to the hospital which left me and Fluttershy alone," Enzo said drowning out the last word. He saw Vice grin and sighed rolling, his eyes as well. "That minotaur guy, Iron Will, he left and Clyde said he was going to have some guards look for him. Meanwhile, I-well me and Fluttershy, we, uh." Enzo was hesitant to say what happened.
"Dude, you sound like you got it in or something," Vice said with a snicker. "Wait, did you guys actually do it!?"
"NO!" Enzo yelled which actually blew away Vice a little bit. Almost falling off the bed, Vice regained his balance and spoke with regret.
"I'm sorry, shouldn't have went there."
"We just talked, nothing else," said Enzo regaining his calm nature. "I had a hard time making her stop crying, but she eventually opened up to me." Vice grinned again, but decided not to make another sexual innuendo joke. Instead, he replied with a safer response.
"That's good, buddy. I see your starting to crack out of your old self and becoming a new man or pony." Vice chuckled a bit, but turned serious for the next statement. "But, I don't believe a word you've said."
"What?" Enzo sounded offended.
"I mean, come on. You make it sound so easy. Ya can't just waltz in there and sweep a girl off her feet-"
"I was just there to make sure she was okay, not ask her out!" Enzo defended while facehoofing due to how he knew Vice would keep the topic going.
"I'm just saying that it doesn't add up, but anyway, please continue. What happened after you 'calmed her down'," said Vice quoting the last three words with the motion of his hooves.
"Well after that...we kind of-well we didn't really talk at all," Enzo admitted. "She said she was okay and that was basically it."
"You shittin' me? You didn't even take initiative to-"
"I tried! I did, I wanted to say something, start a conversation, but nothing came out," said Enzo sadly. "I just left without a goodbye." Vice's face was that of disappointment and confusion.
"I-I don't know what to say, man. I was all excited to hear how you would own the night. That's a huge-ass letdown. Anything else happen?"
"Well when I left, I saw two other ponies enter her house. One was pink the other white. I assume they were her friends...I guess it's better that they comfort her instead of some random guy."
"Damn, I-well that's a threeso-nevermind, no more jokes," Vice scratched his head awkwardly. "Hey, hey hey, don't feel defeated. We don't know for sure she-well you like her, right? Let's confirm this before I say stuff in vain." Enzo was silent. He didn't respond back to Vice who slowly nodded his head.
"I'll take that as a yes. So, first things first. We don't know if this means she likes you or not. She definitely doesn't hate you if she let you in her house, so that's covered. Now, it's all a matter of figuring out how to approach this delicate situation," Vice voiced softly to Enzo, speaking softly as if the conversation itself were delicate. "Girls can be confusing, I know, its hell for me. Just remember to take things nice and easy. Ask her questions, and get to know her."
Vice diverted his eyes away and smiled faintly. "Well, you know I dated all them shallow bitches back then so it's not as complicated. But, you, you got yourself a special gal that I know is like you." He leaned in and whispered slyly in Enzo's ear. "She kicked my ass just like you did that one time way back then." Enzo laughed nervously.
"Isn't 'back then' over though, we're never getting-"
"Back, yeah I know we're not. But, you know what I love to say. Forget the past and enjoy the present," Vice said with a hint of melancholy. A large knock split the conversation followed by shorter, softer knocks. The duo looked over to see a white pegasus stride into the room. His eyes were tinted red and his mane was muffled. The only thing clean was his mustache.
"Hello, boys. Mister Vice, are you doing better?" Clyde said with a strong voice.
"Yeah, Clyde, never been better."
"Well then, you boys are probably wondering what happened to me in the time that I was absent." Clyde stroked his mustache carefully. "I headed back to Canterlot to form a search party in order to find where Iron Will was hiding. All night, we searched, but unfortunately we've had no luck up until this point." Clyde turned away and solemnly looked out the bright window.
"Another train has been demolished," Clyde said coldly. "Similar to the one Mister Blitz was in." Enzo gasped, but Vice nodded his head slowly. The two exchanged frightened glances.
"That's horrible!" Enzo said loudly.
"Thanks Sir Captain Obvious. So, Clyde, what's the deal then? Why are you telling us this," Vice said anticipating an answer.
"We believe that Iron Will may have had something to do with it. He may have been responsible for the train crash earlier this week, we can't tell for sure," declared Clyde. Again, Vice and Enzo looked at each other with the utmost uneasiness.
"So you need lil 'ole me to do some dirty work, is that it?" Vice said with increasing excitement. "Give a guy a whole night to recover then ask him to go on an investigation?" Vice paused for dramatic effect. "Yeah, I'm in. How 'bout you Enzo? You up for some detective work?" Clyde sighed and shook his head.
"Since all other guards are preoccupied with their own duties, you boys were the only option I could find. Understand that this is a favor-excuse me?"
"You heard me, I'm in, brotha," Vice said confidently. "And due to Enzo's quietness, I say he's in too." Clyde was speechless. "What, did you really expect me to say no?" Vice asked slightly offended.
"Never mind. You say your feeling better?"
"Dude it's not like I got my dick ripped off, okay? Just a few scratches and bruises, nothing much," Vice said. Clyde sighed again.
"Alright, well boys, you better get ready. We are heading out in a few minutes."
"Aye, aye, bossman," said Vice putting his hoof over his head in army-like fashion. Clyde left the room and Vice instantly turned to Enzo and held his shoulders. "Holy ass cheeks, man! Did you hear what he said?" Vice said trying to suppress laughter.
"Did you think he would've figured it out?" Enzo said shaking.
"Dude, we stopped those guys from crashing the train, not the other way around," said Vice." Guys attack train, we stop guys, day is saved. Don't worry so much, Enzo. We're the good guys."
"Are you sure?"
"Starting on that day we are." Vice hesitated for a second. "As for the past-well forget the past and enjoy the present, hehh." Behind a closed door, Clyde was listening to the conversation going on between Vice and Enzo. He was only able to hear Vice's last words about the past. He took in every word Vice was saying, but kept to himself.
'Are these ponies really who they say they are,' thought Clyde anxiously. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 12: Failure of Knowledge | "Yo, normally, I would fly myself. But since you offered, and I'm injured of course, I couldn't refuse." Vice cracked up as he and Enzo sat atop Clyde who was flying majestically through the skies. The vibrant ocean of blue was all the three could see as Clyde steered towards his destination. Puffy clouds whistled by as Clyde made good use of his gargantuan wings.
"I see," Clyde spoke with no expression.
"Say, where are we going again? You said something about an apple?" Vice asked anxiously.
"Appaloosa is where we are headed, mister Vice. It is a small town just south of Ponyville," Clyde said glancing back at Vice.
"Never heard of it. But whatever, lead on." Vice said. Clyde continued his flight as conversation ceased. He braced himself and suddenly swooped through the cloud layer, to Vice and Enzo's surprise. As the group recovered, a series of wooden houses lined up came into view. The atmosphere changed as well from a cool, moist sky to a scorching, dry desert. "Wow, who turned the damn heat up?" Vice commented shifting uncomfortably.
Clyde ignored Vice's reaction and promptly landed on the soft, sandy ground. "Oh damn!" Vice had stepped off the white pegasus' back and felt a singeing feeling as he landed on the desert sand. "Hot tamale, hot, hot tamale," he chanted jumping up and down, stamping his hooves.
"You'll get used to the feeling soon enough," said Clyde strolling towards the town. Vice darted his eyes towards Enzo and noticed his stone faced expression. He wanted to make something of it, but was cut off by a loud shout.
"Welcome to Appaloosa!" A light yellowish stallion waved at the trio with his hat as his vibrant orange mane bobbed up and down. He withheld a smile going all the way up to his ears.
"What-"
"Greetings, young citizen," Clyde said cutting off Vice's confusion. "I am Clyde, one of Celestia's most trusted guards," he said grooming his mustache.
"Braeburn, nice to meet ya!" The earth pony vigorously shook Clyde's hoof. "Oh, I can't wait to show you guys around!" he said excitedly.
"Erm, well that's not exact-"
"You'll also be able to meet everypony here and see all of Appaloosa!" Braeburn ignored Clyde's protest and continued babbling.
"Mister Brae-"
"I'll be showin' y'all our very own wagons, and our apple orchards, and our very own-"
"Hey, shut up, pal," Vice said more bitterly than he intended. Braeburn's face sagged as his ears, eyes and mouth all pointed down. Clyde gave Vice a stern look to which Vice shrugged with a half smile.
"No, he's right," Braeburn said looking up. "I really shouldn't be hiding what really happened here." Vice and Enzo exchanged nervous glances as Clyde stepped forward and spoke with uneasiness.
"Son, it's about the train incident, isn't it?" Clyde rested a reassuring hoof on the shuddering pony's shoulder. Braeburn slowly nodded not making any eye contact with Clyde. "Well that's why we're here." Clyde gave a nod as Vice and Enzo waved awkwardly.
"I just don't understand why anypony would do such a thing to our little town. I just can't." Braeburn shook his head, but still kept his gaze on the trio. "I can lead you to the wreck, but I don't think I should meddle with your guys' work." The disheartened pony motioned the posse to follow him.
"Maybe he's just a big pansy," Vice whispered carefully and comically to an unresponding Enzo. "Hey, what's up? Why you so quiet all of a sudden?"
"Lots of things on my mind," Enzo said speculating in the distance.
"What, 'bout that girl?"
"That and, well, I was thinking." Enzo looked up at Vice with seriousness. "What if we aren't the only ones out here." Both ponies followed loosely behind Clyde and Braeburn, not wanting to attract attention.
"Then we're gonna be in deep shit," Vice said tepidly. "Listen, you and I both know-"
"What's that?" Clyde asked, looking back at the duo.
"Nothin', bossman. Just lead us to the crime scene," Vice addressed with an upbeat smirk. Clyde sighed and turned back to Braeburn. "Close call. Can't wait for the day we get found out. That's gonna be fun, isn't it?" Vice joked.
"It's going to be soon, where's your trench coat?" Enzo said slightly alarmed. Vice's eyes grew wide while he kept grinning, his face frozen with conflict. "Oh f-you see, you forget things! Clyde gets me all horny for action and next thing I know I forget-dammit!" Vice stamped his hooves and looked around apprehensively. His wings shook with fright, transmitting small clinks into the air. He stayed silent for a moment and didn't blink. "I'd say I'm handicapped, but then I'd look like a pussy. Maybe, I won them-no, I earned them...by-"
"You're handicapped," Enzo said firmly.
"Fine, but I don't like it," Vice grumbled. The two ponies bumped into Clyde as the group paused their walk. Looking over Clyde's shoulder, they saw what they had come for.
"Is this it?" Clyde said without breaking eyesight from the objective. Braeburn nodded.
"I should go. You guys know what to do, right?"
"We'll make sure this mess is sorted out. I promise you, we'll find out who did this." Clyde subtly bowed and gestured for Vice and Enzo to follow. As Braeburn became a dot in the distance, the trio came up to the train and experienced the wreck fully. Multiple hulking heaps of metal lay askew near a rusty train track. The stinging smell of burning alloy filled the air. Combined with the sun's heat, the scene was almost unbearably hot. Various guards were shuffling about. Screams and shouts could be heard as orders were barked to and fro.
Clyde boldly stepped forward to assess the situation. He spotted a guard with similar attire to himself and approached cautiously. The pony was intently scribbling notes down on a clipboard with the aid of his horn. "Excuse me, officer," Clyde spoke stately. The pony turned around and faced Clyde with uncertainty.
"Sorry, sir, but we-oh." The guard's eyes widened in shock. "Sir Clyde, I didn't know you were on this case." Clyde waved his hoof disapprovingly.
"Please, just call me Clyde, officer." Clyde stationed himself next to the guard and peered over to the wreckage. "I took the liberty to look into this myself. Now, can you tell me what you know about the incident?"
"Uh, yes, sir Clyde," the guard said nervously. Clyde's eyebrow rose slightly, but kept a straight face overall. "The crash was about six hours ago, which means it happened last night. Reports say that everypony is accounted for and that nopony was severely injured," the guard finished keeping his eyes glued to the clipboard.
"That's good news, indeed," Clyde said taking in the information while rubbing his mustache. "But, the real question should be whether or not you have information regarding why or how this catastrophe happened?" The guard looked anxiously away from Clyde's eyes.
"Sadly, we have nothing to work with. No leads, no clues; nothing. We're shooting in the dark here." Vice and Enzo stood still, listening in on the conversation. The guards didn't seem to notice the duo and continued their speech. "This scene's got almost every guard in Equestria searching around. This is the second time this has happened too!" As the guard finished his sentence, Vice and Enzo slipped away from the talking ponies. Vice led Enzo towards a secluded spot and spoke carefully.
"Feels like their jut gonna crack down on us at any sec, eh, Enzo?" Vice said jokingly with a whisper.
"I thought you said that we weren't-"
"Joke, man," Vice said flatly while cutting off Enzo's protest.
"Jokes are going to get us in trouble," Enzo muttered warily. "Why are we out here anyways?" Vice shook his head.
"I don't know man. We're working with the guys that I want to avoid as much as possible. It doesn't seem right," Vice finished wandering his eyes around nervously.
"Vice, they're not the bad guys. They're trying to help us. Do you realize how much Clyde's done to-" A chunk of metal literally tore off one of the train segments and pounded the sand with a splitting clang. Both ponies looked over and saw a dark greenish figure plop out. A faint cerulean glow lit up the yellow ground.
"Oh god, is the train birthing?" Vice screamed in terror.
"What, no-look!" Enzo pointed as the figure crawled to its feet. "It's a pony!" The pony shook off patches of sand sticking to it and froze when it saw the duo observing. Its face was a mixture of sweat and grime as it jerked back and started to flee from Vice and Enzo.
"Hey, buddy! Where ya going?" Vice paused for a second and facehoofed. Grumbling to himself, he left Enzo with a flash of speed towards the running pony. "Enzo, go tell Cly-iiiaahhh!" Vice's body suddenly tensed up and retracted itself. He jerked around vigorously before falling to the ground. Vice gritted his teeth and watched as the pony got farther and farther. "Ohh balls!" Vice cried in pain. "I think my body just imploded on itself."
"Um, Clyde? Could you please come over here!" Enzo said softly and desperately.
"Dammit, Enzo come on!" Vice scowled. "Clyde, get your fatass over here!" A cloud of dust swept past Vice as Clyde landed right next to him.
"What is the meaning of-"
"Look!" Vice pointed at the pony who was now a dot in the distant sand.
"I don't understand," Clyde said looking back and forth between Enzo and the pony.
"Why would anyon-pony run from a terrible accident," Vice said irritably. Clyde's eyes lit up as he realized what Vice was trying to get at. He took flight and launched himself after the fleeing pony. Vice and Enzo watched as Clyde caught up with the pony within seconds. Clyde came upon the pony from above and pinned it down with full force.
"They told me to wait, they told me to wait!" the pony barked struggling under Clyde's strength.
"Who's they?" Clyde demanded with authority.
"No, no, the-the voices in my head! They are the they!" the pony stammered quickly. Enzo supported Vice as he slowly got up to all fours. Both ponies continued to watch as a flock of guards rushed over to the scene. Through shouts and hollers, the pony was making a clear statement. "It was all me, I'm the one who did these train crashes!" the pony spoke with a raspy, crazed voice.
"Geez, doesn't take much to get 'em to talk around here," Vice said slyly. After an eternity of arguing, the pony was swept away by the ocean of guards. Clyde came fluttering over to the duo, smiling, and patted both on the shoulder approvingly.
"Hahaha, you boys did the royal guards a great favor! Without your help, we might not have caught the criminal!" Clyde said in a cheerful voice.
"So, my instincts were right, he was the bad guy," Vice said, smiling himself. "So that's it? Case closed?" Clyde nodded firmly.
"He confessed. Clearly that he was the culprit. That's all we needed to bring him in."
"Well, damn, that was kind of anticlimactic. I was expecting some sort of western shoot out or something." Vice joked to Clyde awkwardly. The guard raised an unsure eyebrow, but dismissed his confusion.
"Say, you boys have been extremely helpful. I can't express how important it was that you were here at the right place at the right time. I can rest easy knowing the crook is in a more suitable place: jail," Clyde declared with passion. "Why don't we take a short trip to Canterlot and enjoy the wondrous festivities there?" Vice and Enzo glanced at each other then back at the beaming Clyde.
"Might as well. It's not like I can really go anywhere now," Vice said still retaining his joking nature.
"Excellent, my boys! You deserve it after all," Clyde said trotting away happier than ever. Vice turned to Enzo and whispered still joking, "I'm pretty sure he's making an excuse to go himself. All we did was spot a dude and boom we're on a trip to fancy town. Sounds like things are going better than expected, eh?"
"I'm still a little worried, that some guy would do something like that in a beautiful place like this," Enzo said with distress. "And...weren't there more than one-"
"Enzo, Enzo! Don't worry so much, Enzo," Vice said putting his forehoof around the worried stallion's neck. "It's time to relax and I'm ready to party up in this Canterlot."
~~~~~~~~~~
"No, no, no! That's wrong!"
"I don't know what you want me to do!" Both Trixie and Blitz were outside the caravan, horns glowing. A large tub of water sat calmly in between the two, swaying slightly at times. With Celestia's sun shining brightly through the thick forest, Trixie and Blitz argued back and forth.
"Trixie spent all morning showing you how to do it, what's wrong with you?" Trixie said sourly. "I don't understand!"
"I just don't know what to do!" Blitz repeated. "I can't do it."
"Oh my Celestia, it's so easy!" Trixie said turning to the tub of water. She lowered her horn and watched confidently as it started to glow a purple hue. Within the water, a single, triangular spike of ice formed. "You can't do that?"
"No!" Blitz shouted back. Trixie sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.
"Just focus your mind or something and you should get it. It's not that hard."
'Easier said than done,' Blitz thought with panic. 'I don't know how much more of this I can take. We've been doing this all day. I just can't do this one stupid thing!'. He stopped and closed his eyes. He could hear Trixie groan faintly, but ignored it as he tried to envision what he wanted to create. A solid, concrete shape formed into his head. Blitz felt his horn glow that aqua blue as he opened his eyes and faced towards the water. With feet planted and mind set, Blitz unleashed his magic. The water started to ripple with excitement. Blitz could feel his magic working as a crackling effect split the silence. In his excitement, he almost fell over and his horn ceased to glow.
Trixie waltzed over to the tub and pulled out a pencil sized spear of ice. Gasping with sarcasm, she faced Blitz and spoke with the plainest voice. "Awesome you finally did it."
"Took long enough, but I managed to make something," said Blitz with rising confidence.
"Now, we move on to the next part." Trixie dropped the icicle into the water and watched it splash harmlessly. She let her horn glow once more, smiled, and lifted her own icicle out of the water. In a flash, it was sent spiraling into a nearby tree. An unusually satisfying crunch was produced as a result. "Try that," Trixie called to a shuddering Blitz. He stared at the impaled tree with a lifeless motivation. He moved his attention to his fragile icicle in water and shook his head.
'I'm not sure if I can go through with these things,' Blitz contemplated with worry. 'But I guess I have to now. He lifted up the icicle with his magic and pointed it towards the tree. With a burst of energy, the icicle was shot into the tree. It barely penetrated the bark with an inaudible crack. 'At least I can do that. Trixie trudged over to Blitz's fired shot and inspected closely. Blitz expected an outburst, but received congratulations in the form of a short hoof stomp. "Good start," she said truthfully.
"Keep doing that and we'll actually get somewhere."
"Why are you doing this anyway," Blitz blurted out faster than he could cup his mouth. Trixie eyed Blitz with ferocity.
"Have you ever been shunned by society? Hated?" Trixie snapped back with disturbing calmness. "Hmm?" Blitz thought back to when he was living with Fuzzy and realized how he had not thought of Fuzzy for quite some time. Cursing himself, he disregarded the thought and remembered how life was back then.
"Kind of."
"Well, that's the whole deal with Ponyville," Trixie announced with all her heart. "It's a wretched place where talent like mine gets ridiculed and the ponies there make fun of me. I get forced to leave because of it." Blitz was astonished at what he was hearing.
"That can't be-"
"It is!" Trixie screamed in agony. She adjusted herself and turned away from Blitz. "Let's just keep practicing."
She sounds just like me, but that's just impossible. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 13: Gray Matters | "You know, I could get used to this. You flying us around and all." Vice snickered playfully as Clyde carried the duo across the Equeustrian skies. The desert feel certainly left as Clyde shifted back above the cloud layer where the temperature remained cool and calm. Vice and Enzo still felt goose bumps as they changed altitudes.
"We should be able to make it to Canterlot before sundown," said Clyde to the daydreaming duo.
"Wah? Oh, cool," said Vice. "Hey, uh, Clyde?"
"Hmm?" Clyde was baffled as to what Vice could possibly say.
"Thanks," Vice said almost in a whisper. "For everything that you've done for us two." Clyde was taken by surprise.
"Always trying to help as all, Mister Vice." Vice turned to Enzo and knocked shoulders with him lightly.
"Man, you're personality's rubbing off on me. I'm turning into a softy," Vice said with fake agony.
"Glad you're finally changing your attitude," Enzo said with as a joke back.
"My attitude was changed a long time ago, buddy."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright, boys, we've made it!" Clyde landed elegantly with the duo promptly getting off. Luna's moon was peeking over the mountains that lay afar. Clyde gestured Vice and Enzo to follow as they began to get lost in the grand city of Canterlot. As it was nighttime, no ponies were really out on the streets. However, Vice and Enzo stuck out severely even with the little amount of ponies still outside.
"Uh, Clyde?" Vice spoke with uncertainty. "Me and Enzo look like scrubs. All these guys around make us look like trash. We need something to fancy ourselves up," Vice finished eagerly.
"Hmm." Clyde stroked his mustache with deep thought. "I've got just the thing! But first, let me take you boys to the nearby inn. We could use a rest after a day such as this!" Clyde led the duo over to an incandescently lit building. A small rectangular sign hung with the letters, 'inn', printed in bold black. A similar lettered floor mat was the welcoming piece as the posse filed in.
"Uhh, I don't know how I feel about this," Vice said upon entering the inn. "What's going on?" Vice's wings shrunk in alarm as almost a dozen eyes fell on the uncomfortable pony. "No need to fear," Vice finally said to the staring socialites. "I'm just-" The pony sighed with aggravation. "Handicapped."
Clyde turned away from the clerk at the desk. "Mister Vice, you're handicapped?" he asked hearing the info for the first time.
"Oh yeah, I'm crazy handicapped. Need these to keep me going. I mean, what is a pegasus without his wings?" Vice said confidently. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." Clyde peered at his own wings and nodded.
"Right. Well then, I've seen to it that we're reserved for a room. I suggest we spend the night here and get a fresh start tomorrow." The trio found themselves escorted to their desired room. As the clerk revealed said room, a blast of fresh air brushed against the group's faces. There lay several beds with simple maroon blankets resting on top.
"Heh, reminds me of the time where we went into that Apple's room. Ahh, good times," Vice said to Enzo who let out a small sigh.
"Have a nice night," the clerk said before closing the door behind the three ponies. Vice felt a sudden rush of pain fluctuate within his wings. Not bothering to tell the others, he leaped onto the bed, cursed himself for bringing more pain and ignored Clyde and Enzo.
"Must be his wings," Enzo said to Clyde.
"So, his wings are really handicapped? Those metal structures support them?" Clyde asked.
"Um, yes. He needs them if he ever wants to fly. They help...they help-help with his flying." Enzo closed his eyes and prayed that Clyde didn't suspect anything.
"I see. Well, no need to keep you awake any longer. Let us get some well earned rest." Clyde climbed happily into his bed while Enzo slowly got into his. Within minutes, the whole room was silent.
~~~~~~~~~~
Another tree was put to rest as a crystal spike entered its trunk. Blitz stood, tired, as he lifted up another spike and launched it once more. "Alright, that seems good enough for me. At least you can aim," Trixie said yawning. Both ponies noticed that Celestia's sun had disappeared over the trees and Luna's moon was creeping its way into the sky. Blitz dropped the spike, as well as himself, on the ground.
"You can throw, but you can't create. That's something we're going to have to work on so I don't have to keep making those stupid spikes for you every time," Trixie stated with noticeable irritation. Blitz couldn't even utter out a word. He dreaded using his magic for long periods of time, especially when being judged. He knew he wasn't good and he knew Trixie knew. He couldn't tell if her words were coming out sincere or just to make him feel better about himself.
"Ugh, thanks," he managed to say almost silently. "I don't think I'll ever be able to create these spikes or anything in my life."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you do," Trixie said nonchalantly. Blitz decided not to even interpret the message and trudged towards Trixie's caravan. "Where do you think you're going?" Blitz frowned and tilted his head towards Trixie.
"Where can I rest?" He had no energy left to make the statement sound annoyed.
"Outside, not in Trixie's caravan. What are you nuts?" Trixie said slightly laughing. Blitz gave a face of defeat and sat down on the cold, wet grass. Trixie turned and sighed towards Blitz's sad demeanor.
"Trixie was just kidding, gosh. I'm not that mean."
'Thank Celestia,' Blitz thought. 'I just can't figure out this mare...' Trixie motioned Blitz to come into her caravan. With the welcoming smell of strong incense, Blitz sifted through the sickening scent and towards the intricate bed.
"Sorry, that's mine. You get the floor."
"But-"
"Just because I let you stay in my caravan doesn't mean you get treated like royalty. Don't worry, you'll be waking up very soon," Trixie said with an upbeat tone.
"...wait me? Not us?" Blitz was starting to get frustrated with the mare.
"Yes, you. I need you to pick up a few things for me tomorrow at the market," Trixie said plainly.
"Why me?"
"Don't you remember our agreement?" Blitz sighed and nodded solemnly.
"Right...so what do you need?" 'What do you even need?' Blitz thought with curiosity.
"Just a few things, not much. I'll have a list set up for when you wake up. After you get everything we are going to practice some more. So, don't screw around and come back quick," Trixie finished sternly. With that being said, Trixie tucked herself into her soft, open bed while Blitz scrambled to get into a comfortable position on the floor.
'What is with this mare? I have a feeling these items aren't going to be pleasant ones.'
~~~~~~~~~~
"BOYS!" Clyde literally burst through the door of the inn and shouted to Vice and Enzo. Vice found himself on the hard floor while Enzo simply sat up and waited for Clyde to continue. "Do you know how long you two slept in? My goodness, it's almost the afternoon!" Clyde said raising his hooves.
"Sorry, bossman, looks like we were tired as hell. Long day, right?" Vice said trying to make up.
"Hmph. Anyway, I have some great news to tell you boys. We've been invited to a dinner party!" Clyde said excitedly. "It's-"
"Wow, hold on there, dude. A dinner party, really?" Vice asked rhetorically.
"Is there a problem, Mister Vice?"
"We're gonna go in there looking like this?" Vice pointed to his attire which consisted of nothing.
"Good point, that's why I brought these!" Clyde pulled out two brand new suits from behind the door and held them up as Celestia's sun shined brightly off of them. Vice's mouth hung wide open.
"You got those...for us?" Enzo said in place of Vice.
"Indeed, my boys!" Clyde placed the suits carefully on his own bed and faced the boys. "We've got a lot or preparing to do before the party."
"No shit, man! How are we, who-do those things even fit us?" Vice said out of bewilderment.
"Like I said, Mister Vice, much work to be done."
~~~~~~~~~~
As nighttime approached and Luna's moon rose above the clouds, the trio had appeared before a grand estate. The house glimmered brightly in the dark outside. Vice and Enzo stood adjacent to Clyde with suits intact on their torsos. Vice's red tie swayed in the wind while Enzo's blue tie stayed tucked in. They stood, mesmerized by even the gold encrusted door without speaking until Vice broke the silence. "Ah ha, Enzo, looks like somebo-pony's ready to party, eh? Eh?" Vice nudged Enzo playfully.
"It's a dinner party, not an actual-"
"Holy crap, Clyde, your mustache!" Vice said with amazement.
"Isn't it just LOVELY!" Clyde brushed his mustache softly and caressed it carefully. "Magnificent, glorious!"
"Uh huh, yeah. So we going in or what?" Vice had a hint of nervousness in the last words. Clyde nodded solemnly and knocked at the wooden door. Within a few seconds, a stallion opened the door and stared at Vice and Enzo. His top hat tilted with his head as he examined the duo. While he looked through his left monocle, Vice and Enzo did some examining themselves. The pony was almost covered in accessories. A full suit, unlike Vice and Enzo's, covered most of the pony's body, concealing the cutie mark area. Only three black, buttoned shoes were visible due to an impairment to the left foreleg. It was tightly bandaged and pressed against the pony's chest. Along with a black eyepatch on the right eye and surprisingly stylish, wingtip mustache, the pony couldn't look anymore ridiculous to Vice and Enzo.
"Ahh, where are my manners," the pony said breaking eye contact with the duo. He faced Clyde and bowed slightly. "Welcome, my good sirs, to my humble abode. I am Gray Patch, your host for tonight." Clyde seemed to be stunned while the duo continued to observe the pony. He had a mane hidden under the hat. All they could spot were three tufts of hair sticking out from beneath. It was then the ponies finally noticed that the pony was literally no color but gray. They spotted the dark gray mane which contrasted with the light gray coat. The only thing seeping with color was the pony's scarlet eye. It had a sort of twinkling gleam in it.
"Um, hello there?" Gray Patch motioned his free fore hoof while balancing to get the group's attention.
"I'm terribly sorry, excuse my misbehavior...but, your mustache," Clyde started to say in awe.
"Oh, this little thing?" Gray Patch gingerly brushed his free hoof on his thick mustache. "It's nothing, honestly. Yours, however, that is a sight to be withheld, my good sir."
"Well, I did have it groomed right before I came," Clyde said brushing his hoof against the ground.
Vice leaned over to Enzo and whispered with extreme caution. "What in the hell is going on here? Are mustaches the new cool or something?" Enzo shrugged and looked back to the gray pony.
After a moment of cold silence, Gray Patch spoke. "Well then, I won't leave you gentlecolts standing out in the cold anymore. Come on in, the dinner has just started." The posse entered the estate following Gray Patch. The pony moved quickly, not giving the group enough time to take in the splendor of the house. Chandeliers, candlesticks, bowls, tables; they all flashed through their eyes as they came upon a long, lean table. "Please, have a seat." Gray Patch took the honor or seating Vice and Enzo as well as seating Clyde next to him on the end.
Murmurs and whispers traveled across the table as the other ponies glared at Vice. A faint laugh could be heard to which Gray Patch silenced with a wave of the hoof. "Please, honor our guests. Without further adieu, let the party commence." The minute those words exited the gray pony's mouth a dozen waitresses materialized before the table and started to place dishes all across.
Still sensing a few eyes watching him, Vice folded his mechanical wings tighter than ever. Almost surprised by a plate appearing before him, he gasped. Several crescent-shaped breads surrounded a bowl of puffy cheese. The intense smell wafted through Vice as he went face first into the dish.
Halfway through the action, he stopped and noticed the eyes fixed on him yet again. Laughing awkwardly, he reached for a nearby utensil and came up empty hoofed. Still smiling, he reached again and gripped air. Now looking straight at the utensil, he forced his hoof upon it and tried in vain to pick it up. He looked around and noticed everypony else eating with ease, even Enzo who was gobbling down food beside him.
"How in the name of balls are you using that thing?" Vice said in amazement towards Enzo who had just brought a piece of crispy bread to his mouth.
"Takes skill," Enzo mumbled through a full mouth.
"Heh, alright then." Vice rubbed his hooves together and reached out with both towards the silver tool. Failing to even lift the object up, he tried every tactic he could muster. Pinching it in between his hooves, trying to flip it over, pushing it off the table and trying to catch it; everything.
"Eh, are you having difficulties there, my good sir?" Gray Patch asked.
"Nah, man. Just fooling around, haha, right?" The whispers began again and even Clyde was secreting words back and forth between Gray Patch. Giving a face of defeat, he raised his hoof weakly and called out.
"Is anyb-pony here going to protest if I eat with my hooves? No? Alriiight!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT, MISTER VICE!" Clyde's voice shattered the night as the group found themselves outside the estate.
"Guy has to do what a guy has to do," Vice said shrugging.
"Why don't you know how to use a fork, Mister Vice?"
"Uhh, I'm crippled?" Vice said weakly.
"...I-"
"Sorry, am I interrupting. My guests were a little antsy, I'm sorry I had to remove you from the party," Gray Patch said appearing before the trio. "If it helps, there's going to be another party later tonight that I'd be more than happy to invite you gentlecolts to."
"Another party? God, how many parties do you peo-ponies...attend?"
"This one is special, it is said that the famous Prince Blueblood will be there along with other Equestrian celebrities," said Gray Patch.
"And you're hosting it?" Clyde wondered graciously.
"Not me. I'm not that popular."
"I still can't believe I got kicked out for that." Vice laughed nervously and expected the same from the gray pony.
"You kind of deserved it," Gray Patch said coldly.
"Did I really? For not knowing how to use a damn fork?"
"No, for actually eating with your hooves. In any case, I'll be expecting you gentlecolts at the party. I have this notion to learn more about you all." Gray Patch bowed again and exited back into the estate.
"You got some weird friends, Clyde." Vice said into the night.
"He's not my friend, I don't know the stallion," Clyde replied with a hint of anxiety.
"Noted, bossman." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 14: Turn of Events | A shout of enraging pain echoed through the dense forest and out to the red sky. The leaves shook in the dawning atmosphere. More rustling creaked. Then, all was still. "Uh, what the hay was that?" Trixie said almost as a joke.
"I'm trying to do what you told me to do!" Blitz said in breaths. "Look!" Blitz pointed clumsily at the tub of water. The stains from yesterday's practice were still visible. Trixie's caravan seeped incense out onto Blitz's who was now exhausted more than ever. Cold sweat and gritted teeth gave Trixie the obvious message, which she ignored. She simply stood with a stone solid face drifting her eyes to the tub slowly. Her face lit up as she stared into the rippling water.
"Oh my Celestia," she started. Blitz anticipated praise, congratulations, even a short regard. He grew more eager as Trixie left him hanging.
"Awful!" she spat.
'Of course, can't even get a darn break!' Blitz thought as negativity warmed up within him. "How can I make it any bigger if I can't-" At this point, Blitz was starting to break down. His voice cracked, he looked away sharply.
"You know what? Fine, forget it! Trixie is...I'm done!" Trixie said raising a hoof to make her statement.
"Wha-"
"If you're not going to be a good boy, then I can't teach you anything!" Trixie turned promptly and faced away from Blitz.
"How can I-" Blitz stopped himself from repeating his previous statement. "What do you want from me?"
"We leave tonight."
"Excuse-whaaa-wait." Blitz actually spun around with tiny energy and protested. "Leaving? It's the middle of the night! Where-"
"I'm done with your complaining. Don't even say anything. Just follow me and don't say anything," Trixie said sternly making sure to get her point across.
"...no." Blitz said almost crying out the word.
Trixie rolled her eyes with her horn glowing. She brought a sparkling object in front of her and glared at Blitz. "What was that?" Blitz's eyes grew wide and worried as he realized what Trixie had in her possession.
"Why do you...I never mentioned anything about that! How did you know," he demanded desperately.
"I'm not stupid. Now, if you don't want to work with me, expect this thing in pieces." Trixie smiled devilishly similar to the time she had first met Blitz.
'No, anything but my snow globe,' Blitz thought with critical concern. 'How the hay did she figure out?' My whole childhood...'. Blitz took a long deep breath. "Okay...I'll stay." He proceeded to stare down and avoid all eye contact.
"Excellent. Don't think about wussying out. You've already gotten yourself into something you can't get out of."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, this is fun." Vice poked at Clyde as the posse started their journey towards another estate. "Parties all day and night. I can get used to this. Minus the fact that I have to be a fancy ass."
"Please, Mister Vice. Don't do anything hasty this time," Clyde said carefully.
"I'm not gonna be the one getting us kicked out this time. Maybe Enzo might do something crazy." Vice chuckled while Enzo shook his head. The trio passed through the illuminated streets of Canterlot. Giant buildings coated with white glimmer surrounded the group as they moved through a linear path. The soft wind contrasted with the rock hard street. The night still felt lively.
"I think this is it," Clyde said pulling out a peach colored card.
"So...is that Gray guy gonna open the door or something?" Vice said marveling the multi-windowed structure. "Looks like the other giant ass house we just went to."
"It's called knocking, Vice," Enzo responded back quietly. Clyde ignored the two and stepped up the door. An intricate handle was hanging off to the side to which Clyde used. Three loud thumps echoed in the distance and the door opened quickly.
"Why hello there, gentlecolts," a familiar voice said.
"See, what'd I tell ya. He was gonna answer!" Vice said making sure everypony heard him being right.
"Ahem, nice to meet you again, Mister Gray Patch."
"Likewise." Gray Patch's eye twitched slightly, but none of the group members noticed. "Please, call me Gray."
"Alrighty then, Mista Gray, what's the party about. We gonna be blasting music or what?" Vice said eagerly.
"Um, no. This is a formal party where ponies go around to socialize. It's not really what you must be used to." Vice kept a stone smiling face as he realized he was being insulted.
"Right, gotta be fancy."
"Please, allow me to welcome you all." Gray Patch led the group into the opulent building and very similar splendor entered the group's eyes. Fancy carved tables holding vases, hanging chandeliers complementing the very high ceiling, and vibrant red rug dividing the checkered floor are what all sculpted the magnificent interior.
"Say, how come you're our guide? Isn't the big rich guy supposed to chauffeur us?"
"I thought it would be splendid to meet up with you gentlecolts again after yesterday." Gray Patch left it at that.
"Alrighty then. Well uh, Clyde. Why don't you show Enzo around. I'll make sure me and Mista Gray get to know all about each other. Real well." Vice pushed Clyde and Enzo aside and stood extremely close to Gray Patch with the widest smirk on his face. "How ya doin'." Gray Patch watched as Clyde gave a look of concern before brushing Enzo away. He turned solemnly back to Vice and coughed politely.
"Swell. And you, my good sir?"
"Plain sexy." Gray Patch kept a still figure next to Vice. He seemed to be smiling, but Vice couldn't tell under the thick mustache.
"So, Mister Vice, how did you end up with those metal contraptions on your wings?" Gray Patch asked with his one red eye peering down on Vice.
"Uh, is it necessary to bring it up? I mean come on that's like asking about your arm there, bud." Vice said apprehensively. "Kinda personal."
"Didn't you want to know all about me? I'd like to know the pony before I reveal my secrets." Gray Patch let the words slip out with a hint of mystery.
"Uh huh. Well, uh, if you must know. I-my wings...they're handicapped." Vice said with an uncomfortable shift.
"So I see. How did you get them? I mean, excuse me for asking. But, I simply must know."
"Uh, well, you see," Vice said slowly. He avoided eye contact with Gray Patch's blazing eye, yet he still kept a sly smirk on his face. He opened his mouth, but closed it quickly and rethought his response. Swishing his lips back and forth he finally answered confidently. "I came into this world with them." Gray Patch seemed stunned by the reply. He stared at Vice for a solid amount of time before breaking his gaze and chuckling a bit.
"You don't say."
"It's true. Born and raised!"
"I believe you. It's just peculiar how you worded it. The same could be said about me," Gray Patch finished with the tilt of his head. "Born with a defect my entire life here." Vice raised a hoof to speak, but lowered it and shut his mouth.
"Fair enough. Are all fancy ponies like you?" he said out at the last second.
"No, nopony really is like me." Gray Patch tilted his head towards the bulky stage and returned his attention to Vice. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to tidy up. Can't be looking dreary for when I meet the famed Prince Blueblood." With that, Gray Patch left Vice and swiftly trotted towards an empty hallway. Vice shook his head comically.
"What a weird ass dude," he said laughing as he maneuvered himself towards Clyde and Enzo who weren't far off.
"...and that's how I got my cutie mark," Clyde said with his mustache held high.
"Oh balls, did I really miss the grand tale of how the valiant white knight got his cutie mark?" Vice said with discomforting belief.
"Don't worry, Mister Vice. I'll make it short for you. Basically I protected-" The lights darkened suddenly and quickly, hushing Clyde instantly.
"And now, ladies and gentlecolts, prepare yourselves for the greatest stallion in all of Equestria!" A stereo voice rang from nearby curtains. Their purple essence shined behind a microphone wielding pony. "He's the fabled prince of charm and magnificence. He's got the looks, the charisma...and the mares." The stallion kept rambling on, to Vice's agitation.
"Who's this punk?" Vice asked painfully through the pony's speech.
"...so, give it up for the fabulous, wonderful Priiince Blueblood!" The purple curtains receded elegantly to reveal a tall, smiling stallion. A spotlight gleamed on him as he started to sparkle. He paraded forward with his blonde mane flowing gracefully and waved to the cheering audience which consisted mostly of mares.
"Oh, dandy. Well boys, we can assume what type of a-hole this guy is," Vice shouted over a group of cheering girls. "Disgusting." Enzo gave a genuine laugh for Vice as Blueblood continued to bask in fame.
"Don't get any ideas, Mister Vice," Clyde said playfully. He pointed towards the battalion of guards stationed near Blueblood. "Those stallions aren't just there just for show." Clyde ended with a hint of pride.
"No way, man. There's like twenty of 'em. Even me and Enzo couldn't take them," Vice said. "Makes me wonder why that Gray guy wanted to meet this fool." Blueblood gave air kisses to some of the screaming mares. One of them even fainted, to Vice's growing dismay. "What a fa-"
A high pitched squeal followed by a thundering crash halted Vice's profanity. The group veered their attention towards a startling scene. A shattered sea of crystal glass lay strewn across the red carpet. A mare, pale in color with eyes the size of peas, stood motionless as the fallen ornament sat inches away from her. The spotlight teleported away from Prince Blueblood who didn't even break his strutting state to notice the instant accident.
Vice heard Blueblood protest inaudibly as he said, "Yo? What-is that a chandelier?" Before anypony could answer, a sharp pop snapped though the air. Vice, Clyde, and Enzo sifted through the dim atmosphere, trying to grasp at what was going on. Soon enough, smoke began to emit through the air.
"Smoke?" Clyde coughed, holding his mustache firmly.
"Where there's-ack-smoke, there's fire," Vice said flailing his hooves through the gray cloud. Enzo stood still, not paying attention to either Vice or Clyde's interpretation of what was happening. He felt a vibration to his left and turned to see a silhouette fall to the ground. As he squinted to figure out the scene, more shadows fell to the ground. One was picked up and thrown out of sight. Still seeing in colors of black and gray, Enzo spotted a bright red circle. It seemed to be staring him down before disappearing.
Through the panic and confusion, Enzo finally came to his senses and shouted, "look!" The lights came on and another body fell. The smoke dissipated and everypony watched. Standing on the stage with the prince was a masked pony. Neither of the group could distinguish any features of the pony, other than that his or her face was covered with cloth. Several guards littered the area. No blood was visible, however.
Silence replaced panic as everypony stood still. The masked pony grabbed the prince by the throat and threw him up against the wall. "Holy shit!" Vice shrieked. Ignoring the break in silence, the masked pony held Blueblood pinned against the wall. Inaudible whispering occurred between the two. Blueblood sputtered gibberish as he freaked out while the other pony kept calm.
However, the calmness was removed once the masked pony shouted, "dead!" A blade somehow materialized in the pony's hoof. The pony pointed it right at Blueblood's face. The crowd screamed.
"Alright, I'm takin' this fool out!" Vice said as he made a sprint for the stage.
"Vice, no!" Enzo called out. He looked for Clyde for reassurance, but couldn't spot him anywhere. Vice reached the stage at blinding speeds. He thrashed straight for the unknown pony, neither wincing nor faltering with his metal wings. Blueblood was sent crashing headfirst into the wall while the pony faced Vice with smooth transition. Vice bounced onto the stage and instantly threw a wild punch. The masked pony sidestepped too fast, causing Vice to miss completely.
Vice opened his metallic wings and tried to thrust them out. The other pony ducked with ease and prepared for a strike. Vice thought he would feel a piercing feeling, but instead felt cold, sharp pain as he was struck in the side of the head. He kept his eyes open to see shiny, gold encrusted hoof colliding with his face. Vice twirled around using the hit for momentum and prepped for an attack back, but was halted as the masked pony came upon him again. The metal hoof hit Vice square in the face, sending him reeling off the stage.
As Vice hit the ground, a nearby door smashed open and Clyde stepped out. Accompanying him were several other guards. The only difference was that they were all armed. "Listen up, Mister!" Clyde said, pointing his shining silver spear at the masked pony. "I don't know who you are. But, if you think you can assault the royal prince and get away with it without punishment, you've got another thing coming!"
The masked pony dropped off the stage down next to a semi-conscious Vice. "How ya doin', bastard," Vice said dazed. Through a blurred vision, Vice had trouble pinpointing any noticeable features about the pony. All he could note was blackness all over the pony whether it be its coat or something else. Clyde gasped as the masked pony picked up Vice. Without fault, Vice was hurled at Clyde's group. One of the guards held up his hooves in defense as Vice crashed into him.
By the time Clyde had reacted, the masked pony was already dashing towards a nearby window. Right as the pony reached its destination a spear flew right by and penetrated the wall. The masked pony turned around and ducked in time to dodge a punch from Clyde. Still ducking, the masked pony turned towards the window. But, just as it smashed a hole, Clyde decked the pony with his body. The masked pony flew back and hit its head on the wooden part of the spear sticking out from the wall.
Clyde stood over the fallen pony, but was surprised as the masked pony jerked. Clyde got swept off his feet as the pony slid and rolled under him, hitting each of his legs with its metal hoof. Clyde collapsed with his stomach hitting the ground and each leg lay outstretched as the pony hopped out the window. "Sir, are you okay?" One of the guards pulled up to Clyde and helped him up.
Clyde grimaced in defeat. "Ugh, yes, thank you for that." Clyde looked down at his newly ruined mustache and sighed. He watched as a dozen guards flew out the window in pursuit of the masked pony. He turned to see another dozen guards surrounding Blueblood as the prince sat in a sweating mess. Clyde noticed Enzo standing still as stone and hastily got up, the stinging pain from before within each leg had disappeared. "Are you alright, Mister Enzo," Clyde said walking slowly up to the still pony.
"Yes...it's just-that happened so fast. I didn't even-"
"It's alright, son, you didn't have to step in. I think it's better that way, you could've gotten hurt like your friend over there," Clyde said pointing to Vice who casually picked himself up off the stumbled guard. "I see you're doing quite well, mister Vice."
"I think I broke my wings again-wait, nope they're good." Vice jumped up and left the guard sprawled on the ground. He retracted his wings and waltzed over towards the group. "Damn, Enzo, coulda used your help."
"Mister Vice, please," Clyde said giving glance of support towards Enzo. "Nopony was prepared for this. Nopony saw it coming. I fear for not only the safety of the prince...but also for the safety of the Elements."
"Huh? I thought they were all back at, uh, Ponyville?" Vice said slightly perplexed.
"Yes, but we've never seen a pony threaten somepony else like this before. It's outrageous, the prince could have been...killed," Clyde said with his tone getting darker and darker.
"So you're paranoid about the girls back home? I understand that," Vice said with hints of humor. "Does that mean we're leaving already?"
"I'm afraid so. I'll be darned if anything happens to them. I just have to make sure." Clyde looked down at the ground.
"Argh, hello?" a voice rang from afar. "What happened here?" Gray Patch came limping towards the group. He stopped before the posse and analyzed the several guards on the floor and paralyzed prince.
"What did I miss?" he asked with worry.
"Everything," Vice said plainly. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 15: Magical Conclusions | "So sorry to hear that you're leaving, again," Gray Patch said adjusting his top hat.
"Well, duty calls, as they say. I must and I absolutely must check on the girls. I'd never forgive myself if I overlook this," Clyde said.
"So I see. Well then, I mustn't keep you any longer." Celestia's sun was long gone as Luna's moon overlooked the dark night. The trio along with Gray Patch stood outside the still lit mansion. Guards were marching furiously in and out of the building as hoovesteps echoed in the night. Clyde gazed out in a solid direction while Vice and Enzo hesitantly approached the large pegasus.
"So, this song and dance again?" Vice said as he and Enzo placed themselves atop Clyde's sturdy back. "Might just take a long nap."
"Feel free to do so, Mister Vice. We've had quite a rough night...I just hope we can get back before sunrise," Clyde responded quietly.
"A rough night, indeed," Gray Patch said wholeheartedly. "I'll have to be icing this bump soon enough." The pristine pony rubbed the back of his head and eye smiled at the group.
"So, you were pounded on the back of the head while...fancying up?" Vice reiterated.
"Correct. I'm certain that the ruffian was changing into his costume and I was unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of his plot." Gray Patch paused for a moment and exchanged a short, nervous laugh. "Should be just a pain for a little while, nothing you all should be concerned about. I'm sure there are more oppressing matters to deal with. I wish a safe, swift journey back home."
Gray Patch stepped towards Clyde and faced Enzo. "Ah, a letter from me. I feel as though we personally haven't really gotten to know each other that well. I've certainly learned a lot about your friends, so just open that up whenever you get the chance." Gray Patch bowed as Enzo sheepishly accepted the enclosed envelope.
Clyde nodded and sprung into the air with great force. Gray Patch held his top hat as the air brushed past his face. However, his mustache stayed in a solid state. Clyde glanced at Gray Patch one last time before turning abruptly and flying off. "Goodbye, gentlecolts. May our paths meet again one day!" the pristine stallion shouted as he tilted his head a bit and smiled.
"And a farewell to you, Mister Gray Patch. It was an honor to be with you this evening." Those were the last words spoken before silence took over the flight back home.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Get a move on! Before somepony sees us!" Trixie pushed Blitz forward as the simple houses of Ponyville came into view. He took the abuse with full will force as he needed to ensure the safety of his belonging.
'What a mess did I get myself into,' Blitz thought to himself as he and Trixie entered the town. 'Just a few nights ago I was lying peacefully in a hospital. Now, I'm creeping into an innocent town for Celestia knows what reason. Starting to get tired of ponies being so mysterious all of a sudden.'
Blitz almost crashed headfirst into a wall, but before he could do so, a sharp hiss stunned him. "Y'know, I could just reverse that spell I did and break your leg instantly. Keep focused!" Trixie said with stabbing harshness.
Blitz tried to distinguish truth and lie with failure and didn't hesitate to follow his master's orders. Luna's moon still shone menacingly through the buffering clouds as the two ponies skulked through the night. Light hoovesteps clattered in the silent night, one more loud and assertive than the other. "Stop screwing around, let's just deal with this. Then you can be on your merry way," Trixie said.
The incentive to leave his captor gave Blitz the will to keep trudging on. He nodded with false firmness and followed Trixie's lead. He could only watch in amazement as the tenacious mare readied her horn with circulating magic. She aimed high and shot a glimmer of light purple energy towards the tree house. Seconds ticked away before the tree started to shudder. Bulges blew from the tree and soon solidified into solid squares leading up to the tree's rooftop.
The words 'come on' zipped through Blitz's skull as he broke away from Trixie's magic. He cautiously tailed Trixie as she effortlessly glided towards the roof with each step in sync with the other. Before Blitz could even get a rhythm going, Trixie was already busting through the roof. Sighing, he quickened his clumsy pace and hurried for his captor.
As Blitz landed the final step near the roof, he felt himself oddly able to float. He felt nothing but air before colliding with hard wood and instantly smothered with books. Luckily, he felt only small pains and thanks Celestia that his leg wasn't broken once more. A musty scent escaped through his numb nose and brought him back to his senses. He slowly straightened up and examined his surrounding which consisted of a sea of books. Several colors created a distorted rainbow as Blitz's eyes circled around the encased room.
"You-" Instantly sensing Trixie, Blitz turned around to see her and mouthed the words 'sorry'. A short grumble was received before Blitz was dragged by his abductor. He let himself relax a bit as Trixie pulled him towards their destination.
'Right, I give up,' Blitz thought with some sense of relief. 'This is just ridicu-' Ground met the unicorn's face as he was detached from Trixie. He looked up and absorbed the image of a furious mare with her horn glowing dark purple. Something in the distance was glowing and her horn zapped with energy.
"Wait a minute, this is a bedroom-wait, Trixie, is that-"
"Yes, my little crony. The Great and Powerful Trixie has finally caught her rival!" Trixie said over-dramatically. It took a moment for Blitz to react.
"So you forced me to work for you just so I could help you with a rivalry problem?" Blitz grew more agitated as thoughts poured themselves into his mind. "You couldn't do this by yourself, you really needed my help?"
"Yes," Trixie said coolly. "You're the finishing touch." Blitz finally looked over towards Trixie's spoils. A circular bubble encased a celestial bed. Faint thumping could be heard within the bubble. Blitz neared the object and found a purple mare trapped within. Her dark purple hair lay askew and her similarly purple eyes were filled with confusion as she rattled her hoof on the barrier. Her eyes fell on Blitz who winced in alarmed concern at what was happening before him.
"Trixie, what are-" Blitz turned around and spotted Trixie dumping water onto the wooden floor. He watched in horrid realization when Trixie materialized a cerulean spear within seconds and hovered it towards Blitz.
"This is where training pays off."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on, Clyde, calm yourself. Nothing bad's gonna happen to the town," Vice said jokingly, but reassuringly. "Can't worry too much. Ain't healthy." Clyde looked down at the marshmallow clouds fleet by him as he continued to carry Vice and Enzo across Equestria.
"It's a guard's curse, my boy. I'm almost always inclined to worry." Clyde peered back and spotted a sleeping Enzo along with a bored Vice. "But, don't you boys start to worry. We're almost there," he finished with a halfhearted laugh. The night plodded on as Luna's moon kept its taunt on Clyde with sleep. Trying to keep steady, the guard pony gently entered through the cloud barrier and revealed specks of green.
"Huh, I think I can see Ponyville from here. Everything looks fine, so I guess nothing exploded...yet." Vice snickered which sent chills down Clyde's spine. "Kidding, stuff looks-" A white burst of light flashed over in the distance, deterring Clyde and Vice's focus. Vice's mouth hung open as Clyde tensed up and changed course of direction.
"Wha..." Enzo slowly shuffled around on Clyde's back.
"Had a nice nap?" Good, cuz we're about to get some more action," Vice said. The source of white fury became closer and closer until Clyde came to a complete stop. "Wo-woah, you tryin' to kill us?" Said Vice clutching Clyde's back.
"That's...Twilight's house!" Clyde exclaimed. "Miss Twilight Sparkle!"
"I'm gonna go on a limb here and assume she's, uh, important. I'm also gonna assume we're going in there, so what's the plan?" Vice grew more excited as Enzo subtly grew more distressed.
"You assume well. Eh, we need to...let me think-"
"Yo, there ain't no time to think, just do!" With that said, Vice leaped off of Clyde's back and spread his wings. The calm air around him fluctuated into an intense presence as he prepped himself for a launch. "I gotta redeem myself after that fight with big man!" Vice disregarded his companion's gasps and protests as he flew straight towards his intended location. Twilight's tree kept a solid white glow, each window and each opening spewed lustrous light.
Vice spotted an opening and swooped into the construct. He landed with a roll and assumed a fighting stance with hooves raised. He had his wings extended and following the motion of his swaying hooves. "Alrighty folks, let's amp up the party!" he said with gusto.
Silence trailed behind Vice's words as he noticed nopony paying attention to him. He stood with a crooked, awkward smile watching the scene before him. Two mares stood opposite of each other shooting beams of magic. A vortex of energy formed in the middle where the two beams met at, the source of the ghastly white power.
Vice peered left and right, analyzing each mare, before spotting a particular blue stallion. "You!" Blitz turned to his caller and had multiple reactions occur at once consisting of gasps, sighs and groans.
"Vice? What-"
"What am I doing here? No- what are you doing here?" Vice said cutting of Blitz's question. "Damn, is this a threesome gone wrong?"
"What-no! I-" A crash followed by splintering wood extinguished Blitz's voice once more. A pegasus dropped done and landed promptly with a clear thud. He looked directly at the shuddering unicorn with a very frustrated face.
"Mister Blitz!"
"Now you made the big guy angry," Vice said. As the scene played out, both mares break concentration and focus on the new intruders. The white vortex in the middle dissipated and all was quiet. "Okay, okay, before everyone starts dropping bricks, lemme take a gander at this," Vice said quickly. "So, Blitz, you're here with ya girlfriend and-"
"Girlfriend!?" Both Blitz and Trixie simultaneously yelled.
"She's not my-oh no." Blitz found himself pinned to the cold, hard ground as muscle smothered his entire body.
"You've got some explaining to do, Mister Blitz!" Clyde screamed in Blitz's terrified face. "Boys, I trust that you both can take care of the other culprit." Both Vice and Enzo glanced between the purple mare and the blue mare. Each held an expression of bewilderment, fatigue and vexation.
"Um, which one?" Enzo said softly.
"Yeah, both look equally pissed," Vice added.
"Her!" the two mares accused.
"And both equally hot," Vice whispered evilly to Enzo who blushed on cue.
"Why-" Before Enzo could proclaim his feelings, Trixie turned and hissed as she diverted some of her magic towards him. Blue bullets of energy shot just past Enzo as he ducked immediately and rolled out of the way. He could feel warmth in his neck and noticed some of his scarf had been singed off.
"Don't you dare interfere with me and her!" Trixie said viciously.
"Hey, lady!" Trixie riveted her eyes and spotted an approaching pegasus with wings raised intensely. "You may have a pretty face, but that's not gonna stop me from pounding-uhhh, never mind, awkward." Vice kept his rush on Trixie as the mare still kept up her magic against Twilight's. "Just screw off my friends!" Vice was upon Trixie and raised his metal wing in an attempt to feign an attack. Trixie took the bait and jumped away, breaking her and Twilight's magic vortex. "Gotcha!"
"No!" Trixie yelled in bloodcurdling fury. She raised her horn and spat out a white beam of light right in Vice's direction. "Why won't you let me have my way!" Vice raised his metal wings and resisted the assault by blocking his entire body with them, folding one effectively over the other.
"Cuz' you're a crazy bitch! Holy nut sack!" Vice began to falter and his hind legs pushed against the wooden ground. He grunted as he tried to keep his balance against Trixie's beam attack. "Could use some help!" One of Vice's hind legs gave way and he felt his body hit the ground. His wings shook with power as he held up against the magic.
"That's enough, Trixie!" As the words sounded off, Vice felt the pressure being lifted off his wings. He looked up and saw that Twilight and Trixie had reentered their duel. But, this time he noticed that Trixie's beam of magic was disintegrating and distorting. He thought he heard a pout and before he could get up a cloud of smoke appeared. Trixie appeared from the spawned smoke and dashed for the doorway behind the duo.
"What-hey she's getting away!"
"Let her."
"I repeat, what?" Vice was flabbergasted at Twilight Sparkle's instructions. "She's got nothing left, let her leave again. She knows she lost twice."
Clyde noticed the absence of Trixie, and then observed the duo standing still. He kept his detain over Blitz, but let his energy rush to his voice. "Did you two just let her go?"
"Twilight's idea, not mine." Vice looked at the now perplexed face of Clyde and restated his response. "AKA we let her go due to, uh, embarrassment I guess." Enzo didn't speak and maintained eye contact with the brown plank patterning the ground. Vice placed himself beside the black stallion and rested a hoof on his shoulder. "You done good, son."
"It was my idea, Clyde." Twilight reiterated sternly. "Her excessive pride must be getting to the best of her now that she knows she can't beat me, even with, um, your help. Wait did you help Trixie?" This time Twilight sounded genuinely angry towards Blitz. With a heavy, tragic sigh, Clyde hopped off the still petrified body of Blitz. Picking up the pony by the ear, Clyde asked in the most intimidating voice Blitz had ever heard.
"What happened here?"
"..." Blitz was speechless. The arrival of Vice, Clyde and Enzo antagonizing him, the purple mare known as Twilight glaring at him, all was overwhelming.
"We don't got all night, Blue Boy. Let's go, spit it out. Why were you with that chick," Vice said with a voice full of seriousness.
"She-I..." Sighs shot across the room. Vice slowly waltzed towards Blitz with a raised hoof before a certain mare prevented any further harm.
"Listen, I don't know what lies that mare told you, but can you please tell us why you were with her and what happened?" The pony spoke with the calmest, most collected voice despite the previous events.
"Well," Blitz said weakly. "She told me you were a bad type of pony."
"Of course she did," Twilight said jokingly albeit agitated. She furrowed her brow for a bit then asked a follow-up question. "Wait, you trusted her just on that?" This time Twilight's voice sounded genuinely annoyed.
"She kinda fixed my leg," Blitz said with a fragment of defense. Twilight gave a tilt of her head before slowly advancing upon Blitz. Her horn glowed a faint light purple as she stepping around Blitz carefully. She paused midway and nodded to herself before facing Blitz with concern. "Not good," Twilight finally said breaking the dead silence.
"It can't get any worse than the past few days," said Blitz with bitter hope.
"Well, I'm no doctor, but your left leg isn't exactly fine. Trixie casted a spell on you that only numbed your pain. This whole time-however long you've been walking on that leg..." Twilight drowned out at the bad news. "I'm really sorry this had to happen to you." Blitz grimaced at Twilight's depressing face. He rose his to hoof to say something, but lowered it as he spotted Enzo approaching. His whole demeanor lowered as he steadily recognized what was being presented.
"I, um, found this on the ground," Enzo stated quietly. He locked eyes with Blitz and knew what this meant to him.
"My snow globe," Blitz uttered weakly as he absorbed the info before his eyes. Enzo held the stand carefully in order to avoid the broken glass scattered within. The open, jagged hole exposed the dark room to the globe's crushed status; shards of glass speckled throughout the room.
"Looks like things got worse," Vice said followed by Clyde's glare.
"Indeed, it's rather unfortunate the way things happened," Clyde said glumly.
"Well if it's anything." Twilight stepped forward and swiftly lifted the demolished pieces of the snow globe. Concentrating, she slowly pieced together Blitz's treasure. Shard to shard, the globe filled with sparkling life as each piece came together like a puzzle. Finalizing her work, she gently floated down the newly improved snow globe onto Blitz's outstretched hooves. "It's reinforced with my magic so even if you drop it again it shouldn't break," Twilight said confidently. "That being said, don't go throwing it around."
The two ponies shared nervous laughs as Enzo, Clyde and Vice watched soundlessly from afar. Blitz gazed sheepishly at Twilight and broke eye contact. 'Geez, I break into her house, help to enslave her, and almost hurt her. Then she goes and fixes almost all of my problems.'
"You know, I'd be a little madder, but right now I'm really tired." Twilight let out a feeble yawn. Blitz agreed with a nod of the head before breaking eye contact again.
"So, uh, we done here? I'd like to continue partying it up, but-"
"I knew it!" a high pitched voice squeaked from nowhere. "There was a party going on here!" Vice stopped mid-sentence and darted his eyes with a mouth wide open. "D-did anything just hear that? Anypony hear that?" Vice asked louder. The group looked around, but Twilight simply sighed.
"Hey, Pinkie," she said plainly.
"Oh, oh, oh, hey Twilight! Are you having a party? Why are there so many ponies here? Are you partying without me?" Voice finally met face as a pink pony zipped into the room. The mare's body radiated energy as it bounced up and down with rapid repetition. Her fluffy bubblegum hair shook with excitement as it swayed with her bouncing.
"No, Pinkie," Twilight started with a stifled laugh. "We just-uh." Twilight fidgeted as she tried to piece together what exactly happened.
"I think I can explain." Clyde spoke calmly stepping forth.
"Oh hey, Clyde, didn't see ya there. How are ya?" Pinkie Pie said with a beaming smile.
"Erm, fine, thank you. Ahem, now I do believe our friend, Blitz, here has gotten mixed up with the wrong mare. He-"
"A mare?" giggled the pink pony. "A pretty one?" she said with tease. Blitz's jaw made its way towards the ground while Vice let out an obvious snicker. Clyde lifted a hoof to abolish all distractions.
"Trixie," Clyde said expecting another outburst. Pinkie only watched, her sky blue eyes filled with curiosity. Clyde continued, "He must have wandered out of the hospital while we were absent and met up with that delinquent," Clyde said piercing Blitz's soul with intimidation. "Isn't that right?"
"I didn't mean to join her-I mean...yes."
"Wow, Clyde! You sure are a good detective!" Pinkie said with amazement.
"Who are you?" Vice demanded suddenly.
"I am Pinkamena Diane Pie, but my friends call me Pinkie Pie, the pinkiest of pies!" answered Pinkie Pie.
"Uh, okay, well then. I'm Vicer, but you can call me Vice. This here is my good pal, Enzo." Vice grabbed his friend by the head and gave him a noogie.
"Hello," Enzo said under Vice's brushing hoof on his head.
"So, yeah that's it, right? No more random encounters?" Vice said.
"Wait a moment; I thought there was a party going on." Pinkie's face lost its zeal as realization hit. Vice shifted awkwardly at the mare's appearance. He gave Enzo a quick glance before coughing and stuttering, "uh."
"How about you set up a party tomorrow, Pinkie," Twilight suggested. "Oops...it is tomorrow," Twilight joked looking at a nearby clock. "Later today...after I get some rest," she finished before yawning again. All attention went on Twilight's plan. Pinkie's face reanimated with bouncy life as she leapt up from her shell.
"Maybe." Pinkie giggled at Twilight's stunned reaction before bursting out with laughter. "Kidding!" She let out a few more chuckles before returning to a stable state. "I'll make sure it's the best party ever!" Blitz adjusted slowly spoke softly.
"What exactly is this party for?" He paused and reconsidered his statement. "I mean, not I'm protesting." This hushed Pinkie once more. Blitz didn't know whether to feel guilty or just about the enthusiastic pony's absence of talk.
"Why don't we host one for the removal of Trixie and the arrival of our newest residents to Ponyville," Clyde said thoughtfully. All ponies, especially Pinkie, considered the offer.
"Well, I haven't been here long...and most of my time was in the hospital-"
"Where you should've been," Vice interrupted.
Blitz gave him an anxious glare before continuing. "So I guess it seems right."
"Yo, how about some love for us?" Vice said holding Enzo by the head again. "Can we get some lovin' on this? I mean we're both new too, huh?"
"The more the merrier!" Pinkie cried happily. "Gosh these are all great ideas! Great, great, great!" The three shared laughs as Clyde, Blitz and Twilight watched with warmth in their hearts.
"Looks like things are starting to finally look better," Clyde said positively to Blitz.
"Yeah, but my leg-"
"I can fix that," Twilight said hastily. "Well sorta." Blitz expected the mare to perform her magic on the spot, but he watched as she shrugged and turned around. She started trotting lazily to her bed.
"Uh-"
"Oh yeah, sorry. I'll see what I can do, I'm sure there has to be a book on this type of magic in my library somewhere." Twilight finished her sentence with another yawn, this one exceptionally longer than all the others. "I'm just tired." Clyde stepped forward and spoke gingerly. "Miss Twilight deserves some rest after the events that occurred today." He turned solemnly to Blitz and put a hoof on his shoulder.
"Come, Mister Blitz. Back to the hosp-"
"He stays here."
Clyde jerked his head back and turned to Twilight quickly. "Erm, miss Twilight? Are you sure?" He was genuinely confused by her reaction.
"Yeah." The purple mare let another yawn before continuing. "Ahh, I need him to be here. Plus he shouldn't be moving around too much, I can't tell how badly injured his leg must've gotten." Blitz gulped nervously at the thought of his leg being more broken than it was. He lowered himself to the ground, slumped to the side and closed his eyes. Before Clyde could answer, Blitz interrupted him.
"I'll just do what the mare says I guess. That's all I've been doing, just following orders." Clyde watched with uncertain intention as the stallion let himself drop to the floor and lay there. He smiled and turned back to Vice, Enzo and Pinkie. To his surprise, all three lay unconscious on the ground. Snores rang throughout the room as Clyde kept his smile and made his way towards the exit.
He found himself marching towards Luna's moon that was just setting. A thin line of red creeped over the horizon. Clyde laughed to himself and rubbed his eyes. 'A rough day, indeed. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 16: Reimbursing Respite | A sharp chirp crisply shot through the still morning air as Celestia's sun rose calmly from the green horizon. A choir of birds soon began their orchestra of twitters, the melody drifted smoothly through the breeze. However, the melody was abruptly interrupted as a shout of fatigue and vigor took over momentarily. The peaceful birds abandoned their song of serenity and took flight out over the lovely dawning sky. All became quiet and silent in the birds' absence. "Glad to see you're finally awake, Mister Vice."
"Wah? Wait, huh?"
Clyde stood over a puzzled looking Vice, his eyes filled with warmth. "Good morning would be the better term, excuse me," he added with a chuckle.
Vice slowly rose from his position and stood next to Clyde. He noticed his smaller physique compared to the guard, but disregarded it with a joke. "Heh, so what happened last night, any funny business?"
"Mister Vice, you fell asleep as soon as we finished the confrontation with Trixie. Nothing funny happened," Clyde said already annoyed at Vice's attitude.
"Jokes, man, jokes. Anyway, uh, yeah where are we?" Vice groggily observed his surroundings and took note of the white atmosphere surrounding him. "Holy hell, wait a min-we're on a cloud!" Vice said jolting himself awake. He jumped up from the mellow cloud and hovered cautiously above for a moment. "And where the hell did the birds come from, how far up are we?"
"My goodness, Mister Vice, you're a pegasus," Clyde said with surprise. "Why are you so apprehensive of clouds? And the birds-they're a part of Cloudsdale culture!" Vice gave Clyde a look of blind confusion before hesitantly lowering himself. His hooves touched the soft cloud and he planted himself reassuringly to the white ground.
"Yeah, I'm just playing a game." Clyde raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"So, I take it you've never been to Cloudsdale before?"
"Cloud-huh?" Vice asked as if he had heard a foreign word.
"The wondrous city in the sky." Clyde spoke with an air of confidence. "Surely you've at least heard of the place before."
"Nope." Vice decided that lying was not the best idea at the moment.
"Well then, let me give you the welcoming tour." Clyde beckoned Vice to follow. Vice instantly drowned out Clyde's voice in place of seeing everything around him in full detail. Pegasi prowled the skies; clouds filled every area of sight. Some seemed to disappear while others reformed in plain view. Vice remained in a trance as white, blissful clouds danced in the morning sun.
"...and over here-uh, Mister Vice?" Clyde stopped and turned to spot a stunned brown pegsus.
"How is this possible?" Vice said in awe as he started to notice structures made of pure cloud material. "Is everything made out of clouds?"
"Not everything." Clyde left intentional ambiguity as Vice eagerly awaited further explanation. Clyde led his anxious follower to a specified location and beamed with delight as Vice called out in amazement.
"Yoooo, those are rainbows! Wait it's in a cloud bowl-rainbows in a cloud? I'm not high, right?"
"Erm, high?" Clyde gave a perplexed face at the term.
"Uhh, delusional. I'm not, uh, delusional, right, okay good." Vice traversed around a rainbow filled tub of white powdered cloud, studying each color intently. The gigantic bowl shined with liquid colors ranging from warms to cools. Vice rapidly thrust his hoof into the multi-colored fluid, to Clyde's apparent dismay. He swished it around, contracting a tingling feeling of cold wetness. The feeling rocketed up his foreleg and surged through his body.
'Wait, am I getting high off...sweet, that's awesome!' Vice thought with vigor. After the feeling sank in, he gingerly lifted his hoof out and examined the newly covered fur. Swashes of red, swirls of purple, splashes of yellow, Vice kept his astonishment to the very end where Clyde stepped in.
"Mister-"
"Hohohoho, man! I-Clyde, what's this stuff made outta?" Vice said trying to keep calm.
"That's a secret," Clyde answered with a teasing wink.
"Dammit!" Clyde flinched slightly at Vice's outburst. "Aw-I gotta tell Enzo about this stuff. He'd-" A light bulb clicked in Vice's head as he slowly soothed his spirit down to the core. "Uh, where's Enzo? Hell where's anypo-one-pony?"
Clyde put a hoof on Vice's shoulder for support. "Rest easy, mister Vice, everypony is okay. Mister Enzo has stationed himself on Sweet Apple Acres earlier today to continue his work with miss Applejack. Blitz has decided to stay with miss Twilight in order to, erm, well-"
"Well what? Date?"
"NO!" Clyde's booming voice returned as he fell for Vice's bait.
"Always kidding on that stuff, Clyde, you should know that by now. And since when do you care-oh right, she's one of them, uh, Elements or whatever. I gotcha." Vice spoke with well suppressed chuckles.
"Ahem, yes." Clyde said regaining his solemn demeanor.
"Everything's looking fine as hell, even for blue boy," Vice said letting out his laughter.
"Indeed." Clyde paused sheepishly. He eyed Vice for a moment, almost analytically. Sighing as Vice gave a blatant look of confusion, Clyde explained his anxiety. "Ahem, Mister Vice-"
"That's mah name."
"-yes, erm..." Clyde scratched his head, but gave a disappointed shake of the head. "Well, it has been a while since we've been together. You've shown much courage and bravery, those qualities are especially-"
"You're not going to form bromance with me, are you?" Vice cut in with a quick snicker.
"Would you be interested in joining the royal guards and becoming a guard of Equestria?" Clyde stated as bluntly and quickly as possible to further negate anymore of Vice's slanders.
Vice reacted with a straight face. He simply looked Clyde and shrugged, lifting his hooves limply in the air. "Naw man, that ain't me. The popo-or the royal guards aren't my style if you catch my drift." Vice looked hopelessly at Clyde's abashed face and sighed. "Listen, Clyde, you're a great guy, I'd love to hang around with you more often, but the guards aren't a bunch I'd be better off with. I prefer my current status as lone wolf, or wolves if you count Enzo." Vice shuffled a bit and left a long pause before deciding to continue speaking, albeit hesitantly. "Plus, uh, I'm ex-military. You guys wouldn't like that."
"Ex-military, I-Mister Vice, how-"
"That's a secret," Vice said mocking Clyde's muscular, refined voice. He gave a short laugh before craning his neck to the side and back. "Ahh, well I'm off to meet up with Enzo. I'll see you, well, whenever. Toodles." Vice let his metal coated wings extended to their fullest length. Sunlight gleamed off the grayish mixture of color embedded on the mechanical structure. He gave Clyde a firm nod before diving headfirst in between the cloud in front of him.
Clyde peeked through cloud and spotted Vice dashing through the wind towards the green grassland. He smiled and sighed again. "Who is Mister Vicer?"
~~~~~~~~~~
"...and that concludes my tutorial on how to be a good assistant."
"Okay, but did we have to spend all morning doing this?"
"Yes! This is crucial information that you need to learn early!" Twilight Sparkle gave Blitz a stern look before returning to a black chalk board. Her horn glowed bright purple as she lifted a rainbow of chalk up in the air and into a small, cardboard case. She turned to Blitz and smiled. "Ready for some work now?"
"My leg is broken." Blitz confirmed this statement as he feebly tried to wiggle his left hind leg. A spike of pain zipped through his leg as he performed the action. Twilight gave a worried look as Blitz's face showed the agony he was trying to suppress.
"Okay, um, one second thought why don't we take a break," Twilight stuttered quickly to cover up her carelessness of her guest.
"But I thought the lesson was over," Blitz asked genuinely.
"...Spike! Get in here please!" Twilight called out. A few moments later, a small purple creature entered the room and spoke with a raspy voice.
"Geez, Twilight, it's too early. What is it now?"
"Spike, I need you to help me sort out the library. I'm going to need to find a book on how to fix our friend's leg here." Spike turned to Blitz and did a double take before waddling up to him and eying him suspiciously.
"And who are you?"
"The same could be said of you, uh...Spike." Blitz gave the creature an awkward look before observing just what he was looking at. The light purple skin, sea green scales and honeydew stomach gave Blitz the impression that he was sitting before a dragon. The creature narrowed his lime green eyes and whipped his tail viciously.
"I am Spike, Twilight's-"
"Baby dragon assistant," Twilight said happily and proudly.
"I'm not a baby," Spike muttered frowning.
"Spike," Twilight said oblivious to his statement. "This is my newly recruited assistant, Blitz. Spike, Blitz. Blitz, Spike." Twilight beamed with eagerness, but the bubbly attitude shifted as she noticed the tension between the two.
"Assistant, eh? Well, I'll have you know I'm Twilight's one and only assistant, so don't think you can go replacing me," Spike said confidently and with intimidation. Twilight giggled a bit at Spike's statement.
"Just like how Owlowiscious replaced you last time."
"Hey, I thought we agreed not to talk about that wannabe assistant owl," Spike said.
"Owl?" Blitz said bringing himself into the conversation. "Well, I can see how the height advantage helps." The statement came out harsher than Blitz intended.
"Hey, unicorn, who are you calling small. You're even more useless than me mister broken leg," Spike said now facing Blitz with a face of anger.
"Really. I bet this leg is bigger than your whole body." This time Blitz made sure to add a teasing tone. However, the purple dragon kept his banter.
"Doesn't change the fact that you're a cripple," Spike shouted back.
"WHO YOU CALLING CRIPPLE?" Blitz's voice skyrocketed to new heights as he shouted in pure rage at the dragon's comment. "SHORTY!" he added after his slight pause.
"Shorty?" Spike said aghast. "Shatter-bones!"
"Half-Pint!"
"Cracker!"
"Undersized dragon!"
"Defective pony!"
"Boys!" Both insulters broke their intense argument and met eyes with Twilight. "You two are so childish! Especially you, Spike, I expect better from you," she scolded.
"But, he-I"
"Nah-ah-ah," Twilight put a hoof up to silence Spike. The dragon let his mouth slowly close and sagged his whole body. "Spike, can you please exit the room and help with sorting the books?"
With a heavy sigh, Spike trudged his way towards a nearby door. "Alright, but I'm keeping an eye on that pony. You should too." With Spike's absence, the tension ceased.
Twilight began to pace around nervously, muttering to herself. She stopped midway and looked at Blitz with a broken smile. "Sorry, I'm just not used to having two assistants." She looked away and smirked to herself. "At least not anymore."
"I can only imagine what it'd be like with an owl and a dragon." Blitz said jokingly. "In any case, I'm glad to be here, Twilight. If Spike is all I'll have problems with, then I'm sure I can manage."
Twilight gave Blitz a face of sorrow as her reaction. "I hate when my friends fight," she said softly and a bit distant.
'Friend,' Blitz thought curiously. 'Does she really consider me a friend that quick?' Blitz stood dumbfounded trying to find a way to respond. "Uh, well, I also hate when me and my friend argue. Um, Fuzzy, he's-" Blitz froze at the name, Fuzzy. 'Fuzzy Fry.' The name stung Blitz's mind with the force of a drill. The internal pain rose like hot lava through his chest. He put a hoof to his head and closed his eyes. The pain surpassed that of his broken leg.
"Hey, Blitz, is everything alright?" Twilight asked with concern.
"I'm fine, just a little shaken up after yesterday," he replied reopening his eyes.
Twilight frowned and shook her head. "I may not have good pony smarts, I admit, but I think there's something really wrong." Blitz sighed and turned to Twilight deftly despite his leg and said with confidence,
"I'm getting a job."
"Not with that leg," she replied apprehensively.
"That's why I need to get it fixed, for real this time. Can you promise to fix my leg if I promise to be a faithful assistant?" Blitz asked seriously.
"Um, well, I guess." Twilight was shocked at Blitz's proposition. "Sure, let's do that."
"Great," Blitz said happily. "So, what am I doing first?" he asked plainly.
"Eh, your leg-never mind. Do you think you can handle reorganizing all the books that Spike and I sort through? It's simple; I can teach you how it's done." Twilight showed signs of doubt, but Blitz soldiered on with his determination.
"Yes, let's do that." Blitz sluggishly rose from his seat and followed limply behind Twilight as she carefully led Blitz to the library.
"Just because a library is big doesn't mean we'll be there all day. Besides, Pinkie Pie has a party in store for us later, remember? I'll make it my goal to do something about your leg before the party. How does that sound?" Twilight spoke more upbeat to Blitz this time around as the two neared a giant, wooden door. Twilight pushed the huge entrance gently and trotted through promptly.
"Whaaa-this is your library? It's huge!" Blitz yelled astounded by the scene before him. An ocean of books consumed Blitz as he and Twilight delved deeper. Shelves reached as high as the ceiling, ladders were located everywhere. The smell of old, musty paper returned once more to Blitz's senses.
"Impressive, if I do say so myself," Twilight said proudly.
"Right, let's not waste any time, right?" Blitz said more confident than ever.
"Right," Twilight confirmed as she finally directed Blitz to a scene with a discontent dragon throwing books rashly behind him. Twilight motioned Blitz to the pile of books and trotted over to her assistant eager to find her specific book. Blitz watched from afar and reflected on his current situation with a grin.
'I made a promise to a friend that I would lead a happier life than before. I promised to have a job and be happy once I reached Ponyville.' Blitz looked at his hooves and dropped them slowly. 'Please hurry up and get to Ponyville already, Fuzzy. I miss you.'
~~~~~~~~~~
A light breeze brushed against the apple trees, their branches swayed with a melody like tune. Vice walked with stride through the forest path in quietness. He noticed Celestia's sun now high in the sky and the clouds drifting across the blue sea. "Cloudsdale, eh? Gonna have to revisit that place one day," he said to himself. As the stroll continued, Vice finally heard what he was searching for. A loud, sharp crack was shot throughout the trees, slightly riveting Vice's body. He lifted his ear and listened intently for another strike. Soon enough he heard another and positioned himself to walk towards the sound.
"Yo! Enzo! Where you at? Oh and if you don't recognizes my voice by now, then Imma be real pissed!" Vice shouted playfully at the air.
"Over here." The words were faint, but noticeable. Vice quickened his pace at the sound of his friend's voice. He finally spotted a familiar black stallion in bucking position staring sheepishly at him. The red scarf was still wrapped around Enzo's neck, vibrating life in the sunlight.
"'Sup, bro. You, uh, back here working for that Apple, right?" Vice said almost certainly.
"Yes." Enzo unleashed the strength of his legs upon the apple tree. An ear-splitting thwack was shot through Vice's ears, to his dismay. Vice rubbed them and watched as several apples dropped to the soft grass. Enzo skillfully rounded up each and placed them in a nearby basket. "What are you doing here?"
"Just thought I'd drop by and see how my ole' pal, Enzo, is doing," Vice remarked with a smirk.
"Applejack is going to kill you," Enzo said with a bit of worry.
"A risk I'm willing to take. How's things anyway?"
"Good," Enzo said with shy happiness. "I'm starting to really like this job."
"Yeah, that's 'cause you got the legs of a God! Pfft." Vice wandered his eyes around mildly and whistled an out of tune pitch. "So, yeah uh, I kinda wanna come back."
Enzo almost fell over at the offer. "I see, but Applejack-"
"Like I said, brotha, I don't care about what she's going to do to me. I just wanna set things right now that it seems everyone's having the time of their lives except me." Vice shuffled anxiously as he awaited his friend's response.
"Well-"
"Yes, okay, let's go." Vice was about to run off before he spotted another familiar pony.
"And just what in tarnations are you doing back here?"
"Oh, hey Applejack, didn't see ya there?" Vice said with a giant smile. "How are things?"
"Cut the jokes and listen here, Mister," she said sternly pointing a hoof to Vice. "I thought I told you never to come back here."
"Well, I thought I'd drop by to see my buddy, Enzo." This time, Vice spoke with faltered confidence.
"Save it for somepony who cares. Yer not getting a place on this farm if it's what yer getting' at." Applejack emphasized the last part to the extreme.
"Wait, Applejack," Enzo said nervously, but with rising confidence. "What about our agreement?"
Applejack's eyes broke eye contact for a split second before resuming her assault on Vice. She grimaced, gritted her teeth, and sighed. "About that...right, we had an agreement," Applejack said with distaste. "If you insist; but you better take care of him."
"I promise, Applejack."
Applejack grumbled and shook off her uneasiness about the whole subject. "Vice, you better not be lollygaggin' around, ya hear? I won't hesitate to remove ya from this farm." She huffed loudly before exiting the area.
"I'll be damned." Vice shrugged and adjusted his mane. "You work wonders."
"I had a chat with Applejack earlier about you. I sorta knew you would come back, so I spoke in your name," Enzo said.
"Good thinkin', bud," Vice said with another laugh. "Don't worry, I'm here to stay. No more dozing off...well for now, anyway."
Enzo gave Vice a pleased look before returning to his work. He swiftly approached a plentiful tree, reared up his hind legs and let out a thundering kick. The target tree almost fell over as it shook violently and produced the expected bright red apples.
"Yeah, I ain't doing that anytime soon."
~~~~~~~~~~
The opening of the building lay menacingly open as Blitz shivered in front. His own mouth was open as well in pure horror as he was about to face a long awaited challenge. He gulped nervously and slowly entered the beast known as Post Pole's Wonder Mail Emporium. 'This is it. Blitz thought certainly. The moment of truth. Celestia, give me power, I'm gonna need it!'
Blitz took a deep breath and strode forward. As he entered, he was greeted with the smell of paper. A familiar old and musty feeling crept itself back into Blitz's skull. Besides the piles of paper, there was not a single soul within sight. Stacks and stacks of letters littered dusty desks, unused as Blitz tiptoed past. He came upon a silver encrusted door masked with dirt and looked at both his sides as if there were ponies next to him. He coughed slightly and knocked ever so hesitantly.
"Come in," a voice said from behind the door. Almost in a trance, Blitz obeyed the voice and pushed open the filthy doors. Before him sat an older stallion sitting at a vibrant brown desk. He wrote effortlessly on paper using his magic to lift a quill. He stopped abruptly and hovered the quill back into the inkwell. Adjusting his shoddy glasses, he looked up at Blitz and spoke with a monotone voice. "Welcome."
Blitz didn't know how to respond or what to do. He came in without a plan and instantly regretted not thinking through his actions. "Um, my name is-"
"Blitz, yes. I know." The pony still spoke with no emotion. His face was littered in wrinkles and brown spots. "Here." This time Blitz sensed a hint of annoyance in his voice, but wavered off the feeling as the old pony held out some sort of letter. "Well, take it." Blitz gulped and stepped forward to claim his note. He gingerly took the letter and backed away slowly. He opened it up loudly, to the old pony's dismay, and read the contents of the paper inside.
As the head master of the mailing services, I, Post Pole, herby pronounce you a member of Post Pole's Wonder Mail Emporium. You're task is simple, to deliver letters to the great townsponies of Ponyville in a timely manner. You will start this task upon the next morning in which you have received this letter. Pay and hours will be discussed upon the first meeting you attend. Please make sure to keep a lively spirit when performing your job as a mail pony. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Post Pole or any other employees to have them answered. Enjoy bringing the wonder of mailing!
~Post Pole
Blitz stared dumbfounded at the letter in front of him. He looked back up at presumably Post Pole, but made no further contact with the old stallion. He left the room and headed outside with his mouth agape. As he made his confused way towards Twilight's house, a pegasus swooped down right next to him. He turned, his mouth hung open, and stared into the beaming eyes of Clyde.
"Well, well, Mister Blitz. It looks like things are going very well," Clyde said exceedingly happy. "Very well, indeed!" Blitz still had his mouth open and Clyde merely laughed at the pony's reaction. "I see you're still shocked by what just happened. Allow me to clarify!" Clyde pumped himself up and explained himself. "You see, Mister Blitz, I am a very renowned guard in Ponyville. I know almost everypony and they know me." Clyde brushed his mustache approvingly as if to praise himself. "That being said, I happen to know Mister Post Pole." Blitz's mouth finally closed as he realized what Clyde was getting at. The guard grinned and brushed his mustache once more as he continued his story. "Since the day you told me you were in search for a job, particularly one in the mailing business, I tried to persuade the headmaster. Let's just say it worked out in the end."
Blitz immediately gave Clyde a hug faster than the guard pony could react. Clyde smiled warmly and let the blue stallion embrace the bigger pony. "Clyde, I don't even know what to say, what I can-how I can return this favor." Blitz's words were stilted, but sincere. "I-I," Blitz was on the verge of tears.
Clyde gave hearty chuckle as the other pony broke away. "It's a guard's duty to ensure the happiness of the citizens. I'm just doing my job, just as you are going to do yours." The two ponies exchanged meaningful laughs before starting to walk together back to Twilight's house. "Mister Blitz, also don't forget. We have a party to attend later, no?" Clyde asked with upbeat eagerness.
"Yes, something finally to look forward to as my life changes into something truly beautiful. I just wish Fuzzy was here to experience this happiness," Blitz said bittersweet.
"I'm sure he's trying his best to make his way to Ponyville as quickly as he can. We just need to wait a little longer," Clyde tried saying with reassurance.
"Yeah, you're right. I have to stop being so negative. I finally restarted my life, the past is gone and the present is now. I have positive things to think about and that's where my mind is headed. Thank you for everything, Clyde, from the start of my departure here to the very end. Thank you." Blitz looked at Clyde with the most joyful he could ever pull.
"A guard's duty and his promise." Both ponies continued walking with gusto in their footsteps and fire in their hearts.
> Chapter 17: Party Crashers
A sweet smell wafted through the air as Vice, Enzo, and Blitz stood outside a towering building. The construct was crafted out of what seemed to be pastries. The sugar frosted roof sat pleasantly atop a beige colored exterior with intricate designs flowing towards the bottom. A cupcake tower erected from the base of the building, short purple candles protruded unlit from the top. "Damn that smells good! Ahem, uh, so we're all ready. We know the plan right?"
"No."
Vice snickered as Enzo and Blitz disagreed with his statement in lighthearted unison. "Right, right. Well then, let's just wait on Clyde, eh?" Vice said as he peered into the night sky. Luna's moon was just rising as Celestia's sun was just disappearing under the blackening horizon. Several clouds drifted mildly in the pale blue sky. Strangely, no breeze or wind had occurred in the presence of the trio. Only Luna's shining grace affected the ponies. "Yeah, this is boring stuff," Vice chimed in. He peered at the other two silent ponies before making a remark. "So, Blitz. You've made all these shenanigans about ya leg being broken. Looks brand new to me."
"The same could be said about your wings," Blitz replied back with a grin.
"Clever girl," Vice said. Blitz raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not a gir-"
"It's a reference, dude. Well, maybe you wouldn't get it." Vice lost his energy and received a sharp blow from Enzo on the back. "Yeah, I get it, Enzo."
Blitz just stood once more confused at the two ponies' conversation. 'Again, I sit in the dark unable to understand what the heck these two are talking about,' Blitz thought with aggravation. He looked at Luna's bright moon and sighed. 'Come on Fuzzy, you love parties. Where are you?'
"So about that leg, eh?" Vice said breaking Blitz's thoughts of Fuzzy Fry.
"Fine, if you insist. I guess it's something to talk about since Twilight is amazing with her magic," said Blitz appraisingly. "We spent some time looking for this book. I forgot what it was called, but she was able to cast a sort of healing spell on my leg." Blitz paused at Vice's doubtful face, but continued telling his story despite his countenance. "Let's just say her magic encircles my bones." Another pause as Vice gave a grumble of confusion. "What I meant to say was that she put a sort of invisible cast on my leg. It's like magic, but you can't see it."
"Good lord you sound so baked," Vice concluded. "Like, damn, I'm not following, but okay. I guess that makes sense, magic and all." An awkward silence followed with Vice's words. The trio continued to wait in the solid nighttime. A faint breeze finally rustled past the ponies and rested cool air on their backs. The breeze started to get louder and more intense until Vice put up a hoof to block the wind.
"Sorry boys," a heavy voice broke in from above. "Landing isn't always easy."
"Especially for a big guy like yourself," Vice said with a malevolent smile.
"Yes," Clyde said with an upset tone. "Anyway, since we're all accounted for, why don't we have ourselves a party?" Clyde motioned the trio to enter. Vice quickly strode behind Clyde followed by a bubbly Blitz and hesitant Enzo. As the chocolate looking door opened, blasts of music and odors of pastries assaulted the senses of the posse.
"Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!" a high pitched voice squealed in front of Vice in particular. "Where all the cool ponies come to party!"
"Cool ponies, eh? That's me!" Vice said proudly. He eyed the pink pony in front of him with curiously. She had an undying smile and kept staring right into Vice's eyes. "So, uh, what are we doing?"
"Partying!" Pinkie Pie said redundantly.
"Yeah, I got that part, but-"
"Miss Pinkie Pie!" Clyde shouted the pony's name as he came rushing over in delight. "I'm sorry to delay; I'm to blame for out lateness. I had to take care of some guard duty." Clyde wrinkled his mustache in embarrassment.
"That's okay Clyde! All that matters is that we're all here. So let's get to jammin'!" The pink pony said as she bounced away into an endless sea of ponies.
"This is one of those awkward parties where you know no one and you don't know what to do so you end up sitting on the couch or something drinking-" Vice stopped mid sentence as he realized no one was listening to him. He noticed that Clyde, Blitz and Enzo had already disappeared and cursed to himself. As he did so, he cursed himself even harder. 'Holy shit, I don't have my trench coat'. Vice frantically craned his head back and forth, but subsided the effort. He looked ahead at the happiness flowing from the crowd of ponies, the tables lined with sweet desserts and pleasant music flowing through the air. 'Screw it, I'm handicapped,' he thought with feigned pride.
"...over here!" Vice heard and recognized the extremely masculine voice and headed to the origin. He spotted a tall white figure and trotted eagerly towards it. As he reached Clyde, he stopped dead in his tracks and let his mouth fly off his face.
"You!" he called in fury.
A rainbow pegasus looked strangely at Vice before doing a double take and dropping her mouth as well. "What the-"
"We've got a score to settle! Me and you, outside, race!" Vice said quickly. This initiated a genuine laugh from the other pegasus.
"Another race? You're-"
"Not on." A voice cut in and instantly shut down both ponies. A purple mare stepped forward and gave both ponies an unamused expression. "Pinkie didn't throw this party just so we can all get into trouble."
"INDEED!" Clyde boomed in agreement. "This is a time of repose and enjoyment, not fighting!" Clyde calmed himself before continuing. "Now, if you boys will listen up-"
"These young ladies must be the Elements of Harmony," Vice blurted out just noticing a select group of mares in front of him. He also just noticed Blitz and Enzo on standby behind Clyde.
"Erm, yes, that is correct," said Clyde with a bit of surprise.
"Ohhh, snipe! Boom, chick-chick." Vice made a gesture of pointing his hoof in the general direction of the two groups and pulled it back sharply before releasing it like punch.
"But, you don't snipe with a shot-"
"I understand. Bear with me, Enzo," Vice said forcibly cutting off Enzo's dialogue. "Now then, let me introduce myself to all of y'alls." Vice gained a huge grin as he posed with pride. "Name's Vict-uhh, Vicer!" Vice stumbled a bit forward as he corrected himself once more. "Vicer, but you can call me Vice. Pleased to meet you ladies," he said with more confidence.
"Uh, what was that?" Applejack said sternly.
"My name is Vice," said Vice as slowly and clear as possible.
"What was that earlier? You said-"
"Vice is a weird guy," Blitz said with an awkward laugh. "Sorry."
"Ahem, I think I'll do the introducing," Clyde stated firmly. No one objected to the idea and Clyde coughed to clear his throat. "Boys, as you know, the Elements of Harmony are well known for stopping certain evil and-"
"Cut the BS, Clyde, just tell me who's who," Vice asked.
"Hmph, what a rude pony." Vice looked up meekly and noticed that a white mare had said the statement. Her mane was flowing purple with pristine curls on the end. She spoke in a very stately manner, her sapphire eyes looked coyly at Vice. Her similarly coiled, violet tail wagged teasingly as Vice stared at the captivating white mare.
"Holy as-" Vice stopped himself as he realized he was thinking out loud. "Right, Clyde, continue." Clyde sighed and pointed at the white mare.
"That is Miss Rarity." The pony known as Rarity brushed he hair aside and smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Clyde. At least some stallions have manners around here." Vice shuddered as he was insulted by the mare.
"Indeed. Now, over there is Miss Rainbow Dash." As Clyde announced her name, the rainbow mare jumped up into the air and did a swift, short loop-de-loop before returning to the ground.
"That's me, the best flier in all of Equestria," she boasted gracefully. Vice was apt to protest, but was shut down by Clyde with a hoof on shoulder reminder.
"This is Miss Fluttershy," Clyde continued with a point towards the pale, yellow mare. She sheepishly stepped up and gave a short nod and smile before returning to her position, looking away from the wandering eyes. Clyde continued to introduce the Elements, each with their own unique introduction. The trio of Vice, Blitz and Enzo observed soundlessly as they awaited their own turns to announce themselves. "Now then, as you mares know, I've been travelling and assisting a few select ponies. These stallions are excellent ponies full of energy and I am delighted that I met them the way I did." Clyde gave a wink to Vice in particular.
"Riiight, so yeah as you know, I'm Vice." The pony emphasized his name with vigor.
"Oh, oh, oh, what are those metal thingamajigs on your wings?" Pinkie Pie asked with bouncing excitement.
"Yeah, what exactly are those things?" Rainbow Dash added with playful suspicion.
"I'm handicapped, I need 'em to survive. They're my saving grace, my pride and my glory." Vice said the words passionately and with force. "They're a part of me that I need." Vice poked around his head and noticed Enzo almost scurrying away. He laughed maliciously and went to grab Enzo by the scarf. As he did so, Enzo put up little resistance. The black stallion found himself being dragged towards the center of the circle. All eyes went on him as he helplessly shivered with fright. "This, this is Enzo." "..."
"He's a shy guy, so go easy on him." A lulled quietness followed as Enzo stood frozen in place with a dozen eyes staring into his soul. He let countless seconds tick away before gaining a tinge of confidence.
"...hello." Enzo kept his cardinal red eyes glued to the wooden ground as he started to feel cold sweat slide down his head. He gulped hardly and looked up only to find himself staring right into the bright blue eyes of Fluttershy. At this point, his whole body went into shock and he jolted upright. Hard tightness filled Enzo's chest as his pounded faster than he could think. A reassuring hoof of confidence settled his body down.
"Yeah, he's not the best at introductions, but that's Enzo for ya!" Vice chuckled as he lifted his hoof off Enzo's back and ushered him towards Clyde. The duo talked in private and Blitz took the opportunity to speak up.
"Hello, everypony. Um, I'm Blitz and I-uh, I-" Blitz shut himself down as he realized he didn't even have a plan, let alone explain what his talent was. He concluded that he had no talent. "Um."
"You control the element of ice," a pony answered for him. Blitz, as well as every other pony in the vicinity, turned towards Twilight. "Isn't that right? At least from what I've seen."
"Yeah, I guess you can say that," Blitz agreed with a short burst of doubt. 'I don't control ice, I control maybe snowflakes,' he thought sullenly. He watched Twilight give him an approving nod and smiled. 'You know what, maybe I do control ice. I'll have to talk to Twilight about this.' Blitz looked around at the mares before comfortably retreating back to his spot next to Clyde. As he did so, the circle dispersed and Blitz ran up to Twilight. "Hey, thanks for that."
"No problem," Twilight said delightfully. "I think it's important to have a talent that's suited for you. I know you may not be comfortable with that term, but maybe it'll give you something to work towards."
"Yeah." Blitz didn't know how to respond.
"How's that cast holding up?"
"Good, uh, its working wonders?" Blitz didn't intend for his response to be in the form of a question.
"They don't call me the Element of Magic for nothing," Twilight claimed jokingly.
"Right." Blitz decided to leave it at that. He couldn't comprehend why it was difficult to talk to Twilight at this moment so he called off the conversation. 'At least things are peaceful for once.' He eyed Vice and Enzo talking with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. He then observed Clyde laughing with Pinkie Pie and the mare known as Rarity. He rubbed the back of his head and lowered it. 'C'mon, Fuzzy, everyone's waiting for you to arrive. The ponies here are the most welcoming I've ever seen. It's so peaceful and enjoyable, the most fun I've had in years. Wherever you are, whatever shenanigans you're up to, please hurry up.'
~~~~~~~~~~
Vice sulked and let his entire body drop as Rainbow Dash tried to suppress a giggle. Enzo and Fluttershy watched as the two ponies went at each other. "I told you, I let you off easy."
"You tricked me! I saw you, you were lying around...and stuff. I was going to have the upper hand," Vice defended weakly. "And besides, you still haven't agreed to a rematch."
"That's because I don't wanna embarrass you anymore," Rainbow Dash said harshly. "I mean, well, I didn't mean-" The ego of the rainbow mare disappeared as she stopped abruptly from going any further.
"No need to sympathize with me. Trust me, I've heard much worse." Vice waved off the remark with his metal wing and grinned. He proceeded to slide his body next to Enzo and whispered in his ear. "Yo, you look like a sad statue." Enzo still kept still and motionless as Vice eagerly spoke to the black stallion. "It's pretty obvious that you two are being quiet. Why don't ya say something? I mean, it won't hurt anybody." Enzo creaked his eyes and looked at Fluttershy who was equally as intimidated as Enzo. He could tell that she was fidgeting unevenly and that she was avoiding all eye contact whatsoever.
"How?
"Just go up to her and say hi. It's not rocket science, buddy, just say hi, how are you," Vice said wrapping his hoof around Enzo. The stallion gulped timidly and nodded slowly before releasing himself. He made his way towards Fluttershy, his heart pounded with triple the normal rate it usually did. He started to feel warm around his ears as he neared the yellow mare.
'Okay, just say hi, just say hi,' Enzo thought certainly. 'Hi, hi, hi-oh!' Fluttershy sheepishly raised her head as Enzo walked up to her. He forced a smile against his own will and spoke. "Hi-"
"Well, lookie what we got here!" a voice sneered. Both Enzo and Fluttershy turned their heads to see a large, dark brown stallion striding towards them with a viscous smirk. His cream mane covered his harrowing blue eyes as they stared menacingly at the two ponies. "If it isn't Fluttershy, or should I said Klutzershy. Who's you're boyfriend?" The mammoth stallion bellowed a sick laugh as both Enzo and Fluttershy blushed in speechless helplessness. "Hey boys, get over here! I found us some entertainment." On cue, two more equally large stallions placed themselves on both sides of their leader.
"Oh, Fluttershy, yeah you're a clutz!" one of the ponies repeated. His dull orange body bobbed along with his brown mane as he chuckled obnoxiously. Revealing no eyes through his thick hair, the pony simply withheld a malicious grin as he pointed and laughed at Enzo and Fluttershy. An equal counterpart in build and mane simply laughed along, his gray coat and black mane resembled that of the other pony.
"Shut it, Hoops. You too Score, quit your laughing," the ringleader said. "Oh I'm sorry there, buddy, I didn't introduce myself." The pony puffed out his chest and held his head up high arrogantly. "Name's Dumbbell."
Enzo gave Fluttershy a glance of despair as he helplessly watched the gang of bullies harass her. He tightened his jaw and clenched his teeth. With narrowed eyes and a racing heart, Enzo stepped forward and looked Dumbbell directly in the eyes. "Stop this." The words came out weaker than he anticipated and in a wobbly mess. "Leave her alone." Enzo's voice cracked and he lost all hope.
"Ohoho, boys, look at this. Looks like we got ourselves a hero here!" Dumbbell initiated a collective laugh amongst his cronies. "This is too good. Fluttershy, when did you pick up yourself a real superhero? I didn't think that you needed that much help in life." Dumbbell teased with full enthusiasm. He shook his head and sighed dramatically. "Geez, Klutzershy, you really let yourself go."
"...stop." This time the words were clear and assertive. Enzo looked Dumbbell directly in the eyes. Blue eyes met red eyes as the two stared each other down.
"Why should I, I'm just trying to have fun," Dumbbell defended. "It's not like I'm trying to be a poser and look cool in front of this mare. Besides, isn't she a little out of your league?" Enzo let a blush erupt along his cheeks. His eyes flared up fire red and stamped his foot. "Woah there, buddy, getting angry? Upset that I'm taking this girl from you?" Enzo's heart was crumbling into bits of hardened iron. He kept calm, but his body was shaking furiously. "With that lame red scarf and wussy wristband, no wonder she-"
"Excuse me, am I interrupting." Heads turned to see Vice slowly making his way towards the group. He slid between Enzo and Fluttershy and positioned himself right in front of Dumbbell. The towering stallion looked amusingly at the smaller pony. "That's quite enough out of you sergeant douche bag. Why you gotta be the stereotypical asshole, huh?" Silence fell at the swears thrown by Vice and everyone in the room was now paying attention to the scene. "What, scared of a few bad words?" Vice waved his hooves menacingly with his words. "I can do much worse, bro. Don't test me." Dumbbell gritted his teeth, but kept his cocky grin.
"Alright, tough guy. Come here to protect your weakling friends?" Dumbbell said with fierceness. His two comrades watched in intimidation at the scene before them. Fluttershy was now whimpering and Enzo was on the verge of letting his emotions out. Vice's eyes narrowed and he spoke with a deathly tone.
"Don't make fun of my friends. Don't insult my friends and don't mess with my friends." This equated a mocking bellow from Dumbbell and his two other stallions followed up on the laugh.
"Can you believe this guy?" Dumbbell seemingly asked the whole room.
"Yeah can you believe him," Hoops repeated with less force.
"Woah, what's wrong with your wings? Handicapped?" Dumbbell kept the jeers going. Vice merely grunted in amusement.
"Yep, I'm handicapped."
"Really, are you serious? So a cripple is going to defend this guy?" Dumbbell said obnoxiously.
"Hey, guys, really? Quit it!" Rainbow Dash suddenly joined the fray and floated above the two rivaling ponies.
"Stay out of this Rainbow." Dumbbell yelled which sent the rainbow pegasus back in shock. "This is between me and him. If this guy wants to play hero then I'll turn him into a zero!" Dumbbell said with confidence.
"Cool, so you can rhyme." Vice extended his metal wings and let them gleam from the lighting around the room. He lowered them in a fighting position and flapped them lightly. "But, can you dance?"
"What-" Dumbbell staggered as Vice suddenly launched himself towards the larger pony. With his metal wing, he managed to pound Dumbbell square in the chest area. A painful grunt emitted from the bully as he fell back.
"Tip number one, keep your guard up!" Vice taunted as Dumbbell growled in pained fury. "Tip number two-" Vice positioned his body and swung one of his metal wings in the direction of Hoops. In a whimper, the stallion's face met solid wing and Hoops was sent flying into a nearby crowd. "Expect everything bad to happen. Number three-" Vice tilted his head mechanically at Score and smiled. The pony readied himself for an attack. "Screw you!" Vice took flight just a few inches off the ground and dashed for the surprised pony. Vice kept his pace as he flew straight for Score.
"Get him you idiot!" Dumbbell called now with a wrathful look on his face.
Score raised his hooves and feebly parried them in attempt to block Vice. The two were in imminent impact when Vice jerked forward and tucked his wings over his head like a spear. Millimeters away from the ground and still moving, Vice swung his wings upwards in front of Score and managed to wing uppercut the stallion, sending him falling on his back. Vice back flipped in the air and landed back on his hooves before resuming a fighting stance. "Come on, fellas, this is child's play," he taunted once again. "Not so tough now, even for big guys like yourselves. Sure that ain't all fat?"
"Vice, dang, you sure know how to fight. Keep going!" Rainbow Dash cheered from the growing audience. A spark twinkled in Vice's eye as he grinned widely.
'Oh shit! That's just the motivation I need! A girl telling you to keep fighting, to beat the hell out of the bad guys. This feeling is-'
"Pfft, how barbaric. I wouldn't want a stallion like that near me," Rarity said opposite of Rainbow Dash's statement.
"What? But-" Vice protested and distracted himself. It was enough for Dumbbell to take a strike and he successfully landed a punch to Vice's face. The pegasus went tumbling into a pastry covered table. Wood and food went flying as a loud crash was heard and dust filled the area of impact.
"Hoops, you're with me. We'll take down this punk in no time. Score, get the pipsqueak and make sure he pays for talking to our Fluttershy," Dumbbell said without fault. He packed his hooves together tightly and stomped over towards Vice's askew body.
"Hehe, that was a nice hit, big man." Vice slowly got up and cracked his neck. "Too bad it's going to take a lot more than that to put me down." He raised his wings in his typical fighting form and tilted them forward. "Especially since you've really pissed me off now. You don't own her and Enzo did nothing wrong. You guys really are first class dumbasses."
"Keep insulting me, I'll just beat you down-" Vice took the moment to dash forward and get a solid hit in the chest area once more. Dumbbell howled in pain and fell flat on his flank.
"You talk too much. How about you?" Vice turned to Hoops and brought both his wings upon his head before the stallion could react. A clang was heard as both iron hard wings closed in on the ponies face in a satisfying crunch. Hoops dropped and let his tongue roll out his mouth as he hit the ground. Vice mentally celebrated, but was interrupted as he felt shock and pain filter through the side of his body. He was sent rolling on the ground and deftly hopped back to his feet. He noticed that his opponent was gray in color. "They swapped with-Enzo!"
Enzo faintly heard his friend calling him, but was forced to drown him out as he dodged and blocked Dumbbell's punches and bucks. "I'm tired of playing games, kid. Just give up, you're outclassed." Enzo kept his determined face and continued to defend against his opponent's onslaught. "You don't deserve that girl!"
"Hold on Enzo, I'll be there in a-dicks!" Vice barely dodged a swipe from Score's hook to the left. Vice readied himself for a counterattack, but stumbled as pain heated within his side. He was sent rocketing down onto the floor as Score landed a solid hit on Vice's head. Grimacing and coughing, Vice prepped his wings and performed the same attack he did on Hoops. The target ended up being Score's foreleg and the pony plummeted his body forward as Vice enclosed his wings brutally on the soft flesh. He took the chance to get up and smashed down Score's head into the ground with his wings building off the falling momentum of the stallion. "Enzo!"
Enzo noticed his name being called once more, but ignored it quickly. He couldn't risk being hit by the much larger stallion. "Come on, wuss, hit back." Dumbbell managed to land a hit on Enzo's exposed shoulder and the black pony winced. "I can do this all day. Once I'm done I'll be taking Fluttershy with me and-" An incredibly loud thwack rand throughout the room. Dumbbell's eyes directed themselves to the ceiling as he fell face first into the ground. Standing behind him was an enraged Vice breathing heavily.
"That's three." Enzo stared at Vice with worry. Vice's right side was badly bruised and his head was splotched red with swelling. The crowd of ponies still sat quietly watching Vice standing triumphantly over an unconscious Dumbbell.
"Boys!" Both Vice and Enzo eyed Clyde who was walking forth bewildered. "What is the meaning of this? Why did you-"
"They were making fun of me," Fluttershy peeped.
"Again?" Enzo unintentionally said.
"Hmm." Clyde rubbed his mustache with intrigue. "I see." The guard turned to Enzo and gave him a peculiar look. "Then, I commend you boys for protecting miss Fluttershy. No further words need to be said."
"Good, I'm glad everyone is happy with me beating the dicks out of these guys. That's the kind of pe-ponies I like. Now then, I can rest in peace." With that statement, Vice let his body hit the ground and he lay with a smile on his face.
"Oh my goodness." Twilight came running with Blitz limping behind frailly. "What happened?"
"I'll explain," Enzo said looking solemnly at Vice's unconscious body. "Although, I won't like it." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 18: Duty Calls | Vice thrashed and flopped before waking up drastically. He scratched his head and felt numbness spur from the pressure. He shook his head to clear his eyesight and slowly got up from an unknown bed. He stretched his body and wings, the metal creaked softly through the silent room. A scent of familiar fruit crawled into Vice's nose and he sighed.
"So this is where I ended up." He rubbed his head once more and walked sluggishly towards a shining window. The sun gently obscured Vice's vision as he peered out into the bright outside. He shot his eyes towards various apple trees and greenery until he found what he was searching for. A black stallion was flawlessly bucking a tree and already moving onto the next.
Vice rubbed his eyes with hardness and whistled out of tune. "Looks like I really got roughed up back there. Maybe Enzo will have some answers." Vice made his departure down a flight of stairs and past a strongly scented kitchen. Various apple products littered the ground; scraps of food were splattered across walls and tables. Vice carefully maneuvered his way outside and shut his eyes as the powerful sunlight reflected lightly on him. "Ah hey, Enzo!" he shouted with his eyes closed. "I'm not in heaven, right?"
"No."
"Good, good." Vice finally cracked his eyes open and saw Enzo continuously assaulting apple trees. "So, mind telling me what the hell happened after I temporarily bought the farm yesterday-wait, no pun intended!" Enzo chuckled faintly as he realized what Vice was referencing. "Man, if only that Applejack was here. Anyway, the spotlight's on you."
"Well, I explained what exactly happened," Enzo said.
"Wasn't fun, huh?"
"No, I had to go through the whole bullying thing which Fluttershy obviously did not like." Vice sensed Enzo tensing up. "So, I told them the whole scenario and they got kinda angry at you."
"I can see that very clearly, hehe," Vice said stretching his hooves behind his head. "Not that I can blame 'em. These guys obviously don't like violence and that's, uh-that doesn't boat well with me and my persona." Enzo nodded in firmness.
"They were mad, but they got over it quickly. We all agreed it would be best to forget the situation ever happened and that Clyde would have a word with those...bullies." Enzo looked drearily at Vice.
"Maybe that's their way of not breaking Fluttershy? I mean yeah ya gotta face your fears, but God forbid you be reminded of them constantly. Listen, I bet it's nothing; they did it so that she'll be alright." Vice smirked his usual grin and pointed to himself. "It's not like I got these wounds for nothing. Heh, and Applejack expects me to work in this condition. Brutal." Both ponies shared laughs together in the soft, morning breeze.
"Thanks," Enzo finally said. "For back there."
"Damn, Enzo, you don't need to thank me. It's just natural that I protect my friends," Vice replied coolly. "And it looked like you needed protecting back there."
"I wasn't the only one." Enzo locked eyes with the ground and stopped his bucking as he remembered Fluttershy. Her terrified and embarrassed face kept flashing back and forth through his mind. He could almost hear her voice through the blowing wind that kept the morning lively. "I need to fight my own battles," Enzo stated solidly.
"That's true," Vice agreed hesitantly. "But sometimes ya need a little help here and there. You shouldn't go in alone," he concluded more satisfyingly.
"Right." Enzo continued his work as Vice watched with intent. A crack swung through his ears as his friend unleashed incomparable force upon a thick, hulking tree. The tree shook furiously and several apples fell on cue. Their fresh, bright demeanor taunted Vice as he shrugged.
"I still can't do that magical kick of yours. Anyway, I better do my thing or Applejack's gonna have an aneurysm." Vice said with fatigue. and proceeded to unfold his wings. He clicked them back and launched them at a nearby tree, pummeling it with waves of wing smacks. Eventually the desired red apples were produced and Vice snorted with celebration. "Looks like I'm not useless after all. I think this marks the beginning of my life as a farm...horse-aw hell that's not what I wanna be."
"Well you're stuck with it," Enzo said with amusement.
"Don't remind me."
~~~~~~~~~~
A fresh scent of newspaper scuffled through Blitz as he entered his new job. He stood anxiously at the front of the memorable silver coated door and awaited his fate as a mailpony. The door creaked ever so quietly and before him stood a serious looking pony. "Ahh, I see you arrived just on time. Very nice, but not good enough. I expect you to be here at least thirty minutes earlier," the pony said in his typical monotone voice.
"Yes, mister Post Pole," was all Blitz could say. He struggled to look his boss in the eyes as the intimidation sunk into Blitz's veins. He gingerly stepped forth into Post Poles office.
"Please, have a seat." The dry voice stung Blitz as he obeyed obediently. He positioned himself somewhat comfortably in a wool chair and made the straightest face he could muster. "So, let's get down to business shall we? Not a lot of ponies like the mail business, you're one of a select few who signed up for the job." Post Pole was now at his desk, his face was masked by darkness despite the sunny day outside. "Even if it was by somepony else." There was a certain gloomy essence in Post Pole's voice, but Blitz swept away the feeling as he listened to what his boss had to say. "Workdays are all seven days of the week. Now, you will be arriving roughly at sunrise, just after Celestia's sun has reached the horizon. You will work until Celestia's sun has reached the midpoint in the sky, then you shall have a short break. You must return within thirty minutes to resume work until Luna's moon has appeared before us."
'Oh Celestia, he can't just have normal times? And since when was working all day part of the job?' Blitz thought annoyed at his work schedule. 'I guess he really is an old fashioned pony.' Blitz nodded clearly and silently. "Okay, I think I got it."
"Think?" Post Pole asked coldly. "No, no, you must know."
"I know," Blitz confirmed in order to prevent anymore conversation with the pony.
"Very well, you may start today and end early before Celestia's sun reaches the midpoint of the sky as your first day. But, I expect you to be here as stated tomorrow morning," Post Pole concluded still retaining his calm, unnerving voice.
"Right, thank you, Mister Post Pole." Blitz put up a hoof reluctantly and expected a shake. The pony eyed him suspiciously, but accepted the offer and Blitz left the room feeling more packed than usual. 'That's annoying, seven days a week all day? Honestly. But hey, I guess this is what it's like to have a job.' Blitz walked towards a shining new desk with a bronze label of his name slapped on the front. 'Well at least I got a warm welcome...I think. Geez, even Fuzzy Fry didn't work this long.' Blitz examined his desk thoroughly and found that it was a simple wooden desk with no drawers whatsoever. One letter was promptly sitting atop the sturdy desk. "I guess that's my delivery."
Blitz picked up the letter and read the name printed neatly on."Roseluck?" He then came to the conclusion that he did not even know where to start looking, let alone find the location. "Wait...is that it?" Blitz awkwardly tilted the letter and examined every bit of it in a vain attempt to solve his crisis. The name was the only information on the blank letter. It was then Blitz came to a conclusion he didn't like.
"I have to open it." He knew the opening of a letter was a taboo in the mail services, but he felt he had no choice. "I can't just go in there and ask Post Pole what to do. He'd think I'm useless which I'm trying to avoid being." Blitz shook his head and stared at the red, heart shaped seal. He cautiously lifted up the end and the letter slowly opened up. He could barely make out a few words before shutting the letter violently.
"To Rose, from Bloom." Blitz managed to spot multiple hearts surrounding the name and made the assumption that he was delivering a love letter. He quickly sealed back up the letter and looked around skittishly. "Okay, so opening it did absolutely nothing, perfect." Sensing no one around, he sighed a breath of defeat and held the letter awkwardly. 'Wait, so do I get a mailbag or something?' he thought with unneeded worry. Still holding the letter, Blitz paced around the room and eventually came upon an old, leather bag. Its strap was torn at places and the bag reeked of old newspaper. Blitz picked up the equipment and flung it over his shoulder and across his body. The bag fit nicely on Blitz's torso and he gently inserted the letter into the bag. With his new demeanor, Blitz hopped shamefully outside and made his way into town.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Yes, Roseluck, I've heard of her. She lives just over there, you can't miss her house. It's covered in, well, roses!"
Blitz thanked the mare who gave him directions and made his merry way towards his destination. The sun shined brightly and vividly on Blitz's blue coat of fur, his dark purple mane was sagging slightly. He finally spotted the house with roses and scanned the area for some sort of mailbox. He found his target and took one last look at the love letter before plopping it into the mailbox and turning the red flag up to signify new mail.
"Love letter...who does those anymore?" Blitz said out loud. "I'm not that old." Blitz turned around and initiated his way back to the post office. He kept his eyes on the dusty ground and watched as his forelegs hit the ground. "Love." Blitz bit his lip as he contemplated his own love life. "Can't say I don't miss it...or even had it." His ambiguous statement made him stop to think. 'All my life I've only ever liked one girl. One of my only friends besides Fuzzy, she was so real.' Blitz smiled to himself and laughed distantly. 'Well, I can't say only friend. I've made so many more here in Ponyville, but I can't help remembering her.' Blitz shifted his eyesight to the side of the road and he watched a patch of grass sway fluidly in the breeze. 'Bluebelle, the girl I never had enough courage to be with.' Blitz felt his heart sink into the ground, but lifted his head up and gave a stern face. "No, I can't keep thinking about the past. I made a promise to keep moving forward, to lead a better life. I will stay positive, no matter what!"
~~~~~~~~~
Blitz reentered Post Pole's Wonder Mail Emporium and was greeted by a very angry looking stallion. "Mister Blitz, what have you done?"
"Um, Post-I mean Mister-"
"You opened the letter!" Blitz felt his entire hopes being crushed in an instant; he pictured the scene with detail in his head. He stepped backwards and bumped into something. He creaked his head shakily and noticed a gray mare looking confused at him. "And you!" Post Pole pointed straight at the mare behind Blitz. Both ponies showed equal amounts of fear as they shook together. "You're late as usual! You were supposed to be finished with the order an hour ago!"
"But, I got lost...again," the mare responded softly. Blitz sensed real fear in her voice and tensed up against Post Pole.
"That's the third time this week, miss Ditzy-Doo. We can't afford to have any more accidents like this, understand?" Post Pole said in a calm, but angered tone. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes."
"Good, as for you, Mister Blitz. I understand this is your first day and you may not have exactly known what to do. You should have asked me."
'This is why I can't have nice things, because I'm always wrong-can't be negative!' Blitz thought conflicted. "You're right, I should've asked. I'm sorry."
"Excused, both of you. I expect no more incidents from here on out." With that bold statement, Post Pole left the room with an air of fear behind him. Both Blitz and Ditzy-Doo stopped their shaking and turned to face each other.
"Are you the other mailpony?" Ditzy said quietly.
"Yeah, I'm Blitz. You must be-"
"Derpy Hooves." The pony smiled and saluted clumsily. It was then Blitz finally noticed that her golden eyes were walled; one was facing up while the other was facing down. Her short, blonde mane flopped upwards as she brushed her hair with her hoof. Her wings seemed to still be fluttering out of shock from Post Pole's Outburst.
"Wait, it's not Ditzy..." Blitz mentally face palmed as he forgot the last part of the mare's name.
"No, it's Derpy Hooves. That's what all my friends call me," Derpy concluded quickly.
"I see." Silence followed and both ponies stood looking at each other. "Is he always like that?" Blitz saidwith a nervous laugh.
"Only with me," Derpy said with a hint of sadness. "I'm kinda clumsy so I tend to get lost sometimes. But, usually I'm okay. I can't help it."
"Well, um, if he ever freaks out at you again I can stick up for you. Being a mailpony isn't easy," Blitz reassured with feigned knowledge. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"Oh, thanks." Derpy tried to kick the ground shyly, but almost ended up falling over. She smiled and spread her gray wings. "I have to go."
"Right, don't want to make him mad again." Blitz watched as the pegasus flew away in a rush and frowned as the pony was already looking around apprehensively.
"Wish I could've helped her." Blitz uttered to himself. "But, Post Pole would probably strangle me if I did so. I guess that's what it's like to be the head of a business." Blitz made his way towards his desk and found another package lying on top. "And old." Blitz inspected the rectangular brown box and lifted it up. It was small, but surprisingly heavy. Blitz turned the box over and noticed the address and name. "Twilight, Twilight Sparkle!" Blitz looked around to see if anyone heard his cry of joy and resumed his inspection. "At least I can do this," he concluded happily.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Twilight?" Blitz knocked lightly on a large wooden door and called out for the mare. "Are you there, I have a delivery to make." The door swung open and before Blitz stood a furious looking dragon.
"You can leave that right there. I'll take it in for Twilight," Spike said harshly.
"Hey, let's not fight again. I just wanna see Twilight," Blitz argued back.
"Well, if you make it worth my while-"
"Spike!" A voice rippled down the staircase behind Spike and sent him into a state of worry. "Please let Blitz in."
"Yeah alright, Twilight." Spike turned to Blitz with an annoyed expression and ushered him to enter with a wave of his small hands. Blitz proceeded and was greeted by a smiling purple mare.
"Hello, Blitz. I heard you had a delivery for me?" Twilight said.
"Yep, right here!" Blitz laid down the rectangular package with intense care, but he also did so with enthusiasm. "What's in that anyway? It's so heavy."
"Just some books I ordered from Canterlot. Sorry if they were too much for you to handle," Twilight teased playfully.
"Not at all," Blitz said trying to flex his muscles. He failed to show any depth whatsoever and lowered his foreleg in defeat. "Glad I was the one to deliver," he repeated in attempt to shift the topic. Twilight merely kept her smile on and spoke with delight.
"It's good that you finally got the job you wanted. You seem much more happier than before...with Trixie." Twilight added a sort of sassy, disgusted tinge to the name.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to try to be more positive, you know? Think about the good things in life instead of wasting time roaming around in the past," Blitz said powerfully. Twilight gave him a serious nod.
"That's a very important thing to cherish, Blitz. I always tend to think positive even if, well, things aren't looking so great. It's helped me get through a lot of sticky situations. Never give up and more importantly, never give up on your friends. Hold those dear to you close and never let them go, learn to have faith in them. That's what I've always been abiding by and so far I've been a very happy mare." The powerful speech left Blitz speechless and stunned. He took in Twilight's words very carefully and meaningfully, deciphering each sentence and each word as an important piece of information to always have. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to go on like that. It's a habit of me," Twilight apologized with a short laugh.
"Oh, no it's fine. That was a very well thought out speech. I think I needed that," Blitz said confidently. "So, uh, do you need help with anything? My boss said I have the rest of the day off...I hope." Blitz wandered towards a nearby crystal clear window and peered out into the shiny brightness of the outside. He noted the sun's position as being in the middle of the sky and walked back to Twilight eager for an answer.
"No, not really."
"Not even sorting books? Searching for missing books?" Blitz sighed as he was trying too hard to find work for himself.
"Surprisingly, no. Spike has been working more than usual to keep this place in tip top shape," explained Twilight. "I guess he's just trying to prove he's-"
"A better assistant?" Blitz broke in nonchalantly.
"Mmm, I don't like it. It feels wrong that he has to work himself silly just because you showed up. Not that there's anything wrong with you." Twilight gave Blitz a wry smile. "You are one of my friends after all." Blitz felt shivers spawn at the word. He made sure to make clear eye contact before speaking.
"Friend, am I really your friend? I mean after Trixie and all," Blitz said feebly, but with intent. Twilight gave Blitz a dirty look before giggling. "What?" Blitz asked somewhat seriously.
"You're very interesting." Blitz was taken aback by the compliment. "I firmly believe in second chances no matter the pony. I even gave Trixie a second chance the moment before she tried imprisoning me," Twilight joked darkly. "But, yes you are my friend. You could certainly use a lot more since you're new here, but I think you already have that covered. To simply be kind and caring towards others goes a long way and I think friendship is an important-" Twilight stopped talking and burst out laughing. "I'm going on again aren't I?"
"Uh, by all means, continue," Blitz blurted out. "I mean, if you want to."
"No, it's fine. I've already bored you enough today," Twilight protested strongly. Blitz raised a hoof to speak, but Twilight waved it off with her own hoof. "You don't have to be polite around me all the time."
"But-I. Okay, you're the boss and I'm the assistant."
"Hardly. How's that leg of yours. Doing fine, I presume?" Twilight said circling around Blitz.
"Never been better. Well at least now. Hopefully it will fully heal up soon." Blitz watched Twilight finish her motion and waited for her to respond. As time passed without an outcome, he spoke up as he realized something. "Do you know where my snow globe is?" Twilight showed a face of certainty as she pointed towards a nearby desk. Blitz trotted slowly towards his treasure and saw it sparkle in the book filled room. The circular glass world sat with still life. Blitz received the piece and lightly shook it. The snowflakes fluttered endlessly in a trance as Blitz stared in deep thought into the globe.
'I guess my life really is turning into something great,' Blitz thought as he continued to stare into the snowy land. 'I keep telling myself this, but now I truly believe it. With Twilight's help, Clyde's help, even Vice and Enzo's help, I've accomplished so much.' The snow globe stopped sprinkling its white bliss and Blitz gave it another gentle shake. The artificial snow resumed its departure and showered the globe with delight. 'Just keep moving. That's what she told me before she left. Just keep moving; me and Fuzzy. I will move forward and I will succeed, I am determined. These ponies around me, this new life; my chance. It's time to restart.' |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 19: All the Problems | "Listen, I've had a ton of experience with girls. Trust me, Enzo, I know what I'm talking about." Vice gestured his hooves wildly as he exclaimed his explanation to the black stallion. Enzo simply listened without protest and watched Vice continue. "Now, first things first. Always be confident and funny; girls love that in a guy. Be the one in control, but show your laid back persona. Just be cool and go with the flow."
"I get it," Enzo said.
"Yeah, but you're not gonna do any of those things," Vice said back.
"It's because I can't. You of all should know that." This time Enzo spoke with soft irritation.
"So, what are we gonna do? I mean, Fluttershy is practically waiting on a silver platter-damn that did not come out right. I didn't mean-"
"Yeah you did," Enzo interrupted coldly. Vice scratched his head with embarrassment.
"Fine, ya got me. But seriously, you really have feelings for that Fluttershy girl don'tcha?" Vice gave Enzo an earnest look.
"Vice-"
"Don't cloud me with mystery, Enzo. I need to know. As a friend." Enzo sifted the dirt around gently before becoming motionless. He raised his bright red eyes and firmly gazed at Vice's purple eyes.
"Yes."
"Nice answer, clean and clear. Okay, so I got a plan for you." Vice paused for his own dramatic effect. "Go up to her and say hi."
"But, I already did that! And you know what happened." Enzo winced at the memory of yesterday's party.
"Well, this time it's gonna be an actual conversation. Like talk talk, not talk then be interrupted by a buncha jerkwads." Vice gave his words the most enthusiasm he could muster by swaying his hooves around furiously. "This time you got nothing to distract you. All there is to it is to say hi and start with a compliment. 'Oh, that's a nice...uh-that's-did you put on perfume today, because you smell absolutely adorable'," Vice said in Enzo's quiet-like voice.
"Smell absolutely adorable? Why smell, that's just...weird!" Enzo said with worry.
"Hey, did you ever notice that ponies around here aren't exactly wearing anything? I mean are you going to go up to, I don't know, Applejack and be like 'that's a nice hat ya got there partner.'" Vice mimicked Applejack's accent with emphasis. "No, you're not." Enzo stayed perfectly quite as Vice finished his spiel on clothing.
"I don't think I can do it," Enzo finally said weakly.
"Hey, now's not the time to bug out, man. I know you're scared, I understand that. But you're gonna have to learn to do these types of things." Vice looked doubtingly at his friend and finally spoke with pained truth. "You're afraid of rejection aren't you?" Enzo pursed his lips and eyed Vice heavily. "That's alright, all us guys are. I tell you, there's not one dude out there who isn't just a teeny bit afraid of being turned down. Now with that being said, I have all my faith in you two. Hell, you friggin' saved her yesterday from those jackasses. It's clear she likes you; she's just too shy to show it. Maybe she's afraid of rejection too, eh? Never thought of that one didja?"
Enzo absorbed all information and hope that Vice was spilling out. He slowly lifted his sagged body upward and stood firmly. "I guess you're right."
"I'm always right, hehe. Now, go into town or something and try and find her." Vice gave Enzo a shamed face as he said his sentence with hesitation. "Seriously, I bet she's sticking around there shopping for, uh, stuff."
"You didn't even have a plan for after your speech," Enzo said jokingly. "But, what about the farm? I mean, I can't just leave like that; Applejack would suspect something," said Enzo with worry replacing his confidence.
"Don't you worry your pretty head off, Enzo, I got it covered. I'll just be pounding trees double time, no sweat. Just have faith in me like I do in you and all will be good," Vice rambled on. "Seriously though, I got your back. Applejack won't be any trouble when I'm finished with her...holy-my lord I can't stop saying wrong things." Vice shared a typical laugh with Enzo before waltzing off towards a fruitful apple tree. "Get going, tiger, today's your lucky day!" Enzo contemplated all the conversation that had occurred within the past five minutes and sighed.
"Alright, just make sure you stay in one piece. Can't tell what Applejack will do to you if you mess around," Enzo said with an upbeat tone. Vice laughed wholeheartedly and waved as Enzo left the apple tree forest. A swift air of reassuring wind flushed past Enzo in a flurry. The feel sent a cool sensation circulating throughout Enzo's entire body. It was an invigorating gale of new opportunity.
"You better come back smiling like I do, you hear?" Vice called out to Enzo.
"I will."
~~~~~~~~~~
The familiar buzz and chatter of the Ponyville market area sent nostalgic rhythms down Blitz's body as he entered the cheerful exchange. He peered in and out of stalls selling various wares and goods, all of which he had never seen before due to his city life build. He trotted around happily as he searched for a particular stall. "Twilight said she needed a new set of quills and paper, so I should be looking for some sort of...I don't even know. Supply store, maybe?" Blitz shook his head nervously as he came to the conclusion that he did not know where to begin looking once more.
"I would call myself useless, but that's not going to happen. Gotta be positive," Blitz told himself definitely. He pranced around some more before coming upon an old newspaper stand. He slowly approached the shop and awaited an introduction. The shopkeeper eyed Blitz curiously before adjusting his cap.
"Hello there, sir, may I interest you in the daily newspaper?" the pony asked nicely.
"Um, do you happen to have any quills and paper in stock? About a dozen quills and three dozen pieces of paper by chance?" Blitz said hopefully. The stallion behind the counter nodded solemnly and disappeared under the desk. Blitz waited a few anxious seconds before encountering a returning salespony holding several items of trade. The transaction between bits and goods were done smoothly, Blitz flung his own filled bag over his shoulder and promptly trotted off back to Twilight Sparkle's house.
"Guess I truly am suited to be a delivery pony," Blitz muttered to himself with content. As the unicorn exited the market, he stopped and took note of a peculiar stallion. With a closer view and inspection, Blitz smiled at the results. "Enzo?" The black stallion jumped at his name and faced the blue stallion with uncertainty.
"Oh, hello, Blitz," Enzo said quickly. "Er, how are you today?"
"Excellent, actually really good. How about you?" Blitz said lightly. It was then he saw that Enzo was shuddering a bit and was looking disgruntled. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no, I just-I'm going for a stroll in the market," Enzo said with each word coming out as slow and robotic as the previous. Blitz gave Enzo a bizarre look before continuing his questioning.
"You sure don't sound convincing," Blitz said with a hint of doubt. He held his breathe and quickly apologized, but Enzo held up a hoof to intercept.
"I guess I should tell you. I might need help anyway." Enzo wiggled his lips before revealing his mission to Blitz. "So, um, you know I-me and Fluttershy-yesterday-uh-" Blitz could tell that Enzo was having trouble explaining himself. He also noticed that Enzo's ears and cheeks were starting to get red in color. "Well, I have this thing for her," Enzo continued apprehensively. "I want to talk to her because I didn't get the chance yesterday and I don't know how to approach her," Enzo said with more satisfaction.
"I'm going to pull a Vice here and assume that...uh," Blitz paused cautiously before pursuing his assumption. "You must have feelings for her, aw buck it, you like her don't you!" Blitz said with more force than question. Enzo closed his eyes and nodded.
"Yes."
"Oh, okay." Blitz calmed himself down and laughed at his outburst.
Enzo caught up with the laugh, but subtly. "Have you ever liked a girl?"
The statement was almost instant, Blitz became stunned. "Of co-" Blitz shut his mouth and winced as he was about to let his pure emotions out. "Well, yes. I think almost every stallion does," Blitz said as a cover up. "Back a while ago, before we met, I used to like this girl." Blitz paused again. 'Am I really going to tell Enzo everything? He deserves to know, we have to break this mysterious barrier between us. It's the only way.' Enzo looked around awkwardly as the conversation came to a halt. "Oh yeah, sorry. I mean, we were kinda close, but she broke off because...well-I didn't have enough courage." The words came out as a bitter resentment. "I let her go." Enzo stayed quiet, but did not know how to respond.
"So she just left? Were you two living together? How close-" Enzo stopped and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, its-"
"Just normal. I understand what you're going through." Blitz smiled softly. "We lived together, me, her and my friend, Fuzzy Fry. We all lived together in Fuzzy's house, paying off the house with what little bits we had. It was hard, but we stuck with each other, you know?" Blitz lost his smile and his face turned grim as he continued his past story. "Life got harder, we started to have less time to spend with each other. I didn't have a job, Fuzzy barely made any money and she, well, she couldn't take it. So she left."
"I see."
"Yeah, her name was...Bluebelle. I never really could've asked her out now that I think about it," Blitz said. 'Well, this positive attitude isn't really working,' he thought. "But, enough about me. Uh, let's focus on you." Blitz tilted his head at a frozen Enzo standing solid in place with his eyes wide open. "Are you alright? Is it something I said?" Blitz asked. He paused and turned around to spot a yellow mare walking tentatively nearby. "Oh, that's why."
"What do I do?" Enzo squealed with distress.
Blitz gave the black stallion a look of despair as he fumbled with his own thoughts. 'Celestia, now I know how Vice feels,' Blitz thought curiously. "Just say-"
"Hi, got it. Just say hi," Enzo blurted out.
"Yeah." Blitz watched eagerly as Enzo brushed past him and hurried up towards Fluttershy. The black stallion wiped his head quickly of sweat and took in a deep breath. He watched the yellow mare as she neared a stall and started conversation with the clerk. Enzo approached with extreme tenderness, his legs wobbled with each step.
"Why is this so hard?" Enzo said urgently to himself. "It's just a conversation, what's going on!" Enzo gazed up and found Fluttershy staring right into his red eyes. He then realized he had shouted the sentence out loud in front of her face. The yellow mare jumped back and squeaked as an undesired result. She failed to hide behind her own mane as Enzo stood shaking in place at his outburst. "Oh, no-uh, you-hi!" Enzo bound a wide smile on his face and waved unnaturally fast. Fluttershy gave him a look of confusion before calming down.
"Hi," she said softly. Both ponies looked at each other with complete silence. Enzo took note of every detail on Fluttershy's face. Her azure blue eyes shined potently, her pink mane flowed mildly with the wind. Her mouth moved in a quiver, Enzo sensed that both ponies were subtly shaking. He tensed up as the mare addressed him directly. "Thank you, for yesterday."
"G-oh, um, you're welcome," Enzo responded. "Those guys had it coming." He tried to be serious, but ended up adding an unexpected laugh at the end. "I mean, they deserved it; they were bullying you."
"I know, they were." Another cold silence followed Fluttershy's quiet reply. Enzo kept breaking eye contact as he started to lose confidence.
'What now? I have nothing to work off of; I don't want to bring up yesterday. But, I have nothing! Oh God!' "So, um, you-uh-" Enzo unintentionally shook his head and squinted his eyes. "You smell adorable!" Fluttershy jolted at the sentence and stared at Enzo awkwardly. 'That was so stupid, why did I do that? Damn you Vice, why-'
"Thanks." Enzo stared dumbfounded at Fluttershy as she made her comment. "You, um, you look nice too."
'What is going on.' Enzo formed a small smile and itched his head"Thanks. So, uh, what are you buying?" Enzo said as quickly as possible once the idea popped into his head.
"Oh, just some food for my animal friends. Luckily, the nice shopkeeper gave me some stuff for a discount." Enzo beamed happily as he succeeded in starting a somewhat normal conversation. "How about you?"
"Me, oh, I-" Enzo stopped as he contemplated what his next action should be. "I'm here to buy...apples! Apples for Applejack." Enzo's smile faded as he realized what he had just said. 'Apples for Applejack, what? Oh no, this isn't good. I screwed up!'
"That sounds nice. I'm happy that you were able to work for Appejack," Fluttershy said now smiling lightly at Enzo.
"Yeah." Enzo returned the smile and boldly asked another question. "So, uh, you like animals a lot?"
"Yes, I love all creatures of Equestria, especially the small ones. But, um, I'm a little scared of dragons," Fluttershy said looking at the ground.
"Yeah, me too. They're big and scary, but maybe they're just sweethearts on the inside," Enzo added with a giggle. Fluttershy joined in the laugh and Enzo's heart melted with warmth. 'I hope I don't pass out from this cuteness overload. This is too much.'
"You might be right," Fluttershy said keeping the joke still alive.
Blitz watched intently as Enzo and Fluttershy chattered away. He chuckled at each inept interval the two shared. 'I'm really glad I was able to help Enzo, even if that is Vice's job. It just feels right and good to help other ponies,' Blitz thought with sensational content. He maintained eyesight on the ponies talking, narrowing in selectively on Enzo. 'I still don't have a clue who Enzo really is; where he came from. I feel like I should ask him, but I get the feeling he's going to suppress it like Vice,' he thought. 'Maybe it's better that way. They probably know just as much of me as I know of them.'
"...so I'll see you later, I think."
"Yeah, bye." Enzo waved slowly and smoothly as he watched Fluttershy leave. In her absence, Enzo let his body settle and he felt all tension being released. "That went better than expected, thanks Vice." Enzo looked up and realized that Blitz was still watching, albeit absentmindedly. "Thanks too, Blitz. I might not have gone through if it wasn't for you." Enzo smiled at his futile words. "I wonder how Vice is doing."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Aw, gimme a damn break!"
"I thought we all talked about this, Vice. You had yer breaks!"
"That's not what I meant, Applejack."
"What do you mean then?" Applejack eyed Vice with intimidation as the brown pegasus found himself in a tight situation. A table was constantly being hammered by Vice and Applejack. The room aired with mystery as the two ponies argued. Big Macintosh watched with subtle amusement in the corner of the house. His huge build towered over the two other ponies, effecting Vice significantly.
"I mean let me explain," Vice said eying Big Mac suspiciously. "So, me and Enzo-we're working hard, right-we go at it; smashing trees and getting apples. Just like you said; exactly as you instructed." Vice paused, to Applejack's discontent, and grinned wildly. "Enzo gets tired-I mean, we all get tired-but this is Enzo. So he gets tired and asks for a break. A small eensy teensy break. A pony needs his vigor am I right?" Vice obnoxiously nudged Big Macintosh.
"Eeyup."
"See, the big guy agrees. Anyway, he's tired so I tell him to freshen up, relax, take a break." Vice kept his voice smooth and crisp. He did not falter, but he spoke fast. Applejack raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes.
"Yer bluffin'," she called out.
"Nuh-uh, he needed a rest so I told him to go to town. Go visit the markets, find something to soothe thy soul." Vice lost his grin, but withheld his poker face with Applejack's doubting appearance.
"Okay, but how are you gonna explain him bein' gone all day? It's nearly nighttime, Luna's moon is risin' and yer shifts are almost over. You two barely harvested any apples; not enough," Applejack scolded.
Vice snorted which only added to Applejack's irritation. "Listen, it's the effort and thought that counts. I tried my very bestest to get dem apples, but apparently it's not enough. I tried, I triiied," Vice finished in song. "Hey, Bic Mac, you believe in effort, right-eh?"
"Eeyup."
"See, this guy's got my back. Somepony's got my back. I like that, I like you. Let's be pals."
"Stop stallin'," Applejack demanded blindly.
"Stalling? What stalling-no, I'm simply giving you the details. Why can't you just respect that?" Vice said nonchalantly.
"It's 'cause yer a dirty liar," Applejack said bitterly.
"Um, sorry. Am I interrupting?" a voice peeped through the doorway. Enzo was standing solidly, watching the dispute go down between his boss and his friend.
"Ahaha, Enzo. Nice timing. Why don't you tell the lovely Miss Applejack why you were gone all day, hm? C'mon tell her the truth." Vice eagerly awaited Enzo's answer. Applejack merely gazed at the black stallion with anticipation.
"I was, uh, tired. I needed a rest in town," Enzo replied with extreme hesitation. Applejack gave Enzo the most threatening look he had ever seen. But, she simply sighed and shook her head.
"This is why we're missing all these apples; 'cause of you two!" Applejack accused harshly. Vice cocked his eyebrow and frowned.
"Whaaat? Missing apples? We didn't, like, steal or eat any of them, no!" Vice defended vigorously. Applejack frowned herself and looked away.
"Well, somethin' is up and I don't know what's goin' on. Look, I'm sorry, it's just annoyin' that it's happenin'," Applejack said with agitation.
"Missing apples," Vice said quizzically. "Sounds like a mystery ripe for solving, eh?" Vice smirked, to Applejack's distaste.
"Eeyup," Bic Macintosh agreed.
"Why don't y'all just check in for the day. We'll see what happens tomorrow," Applejack said with a tiring mood. "Good night."
"Night, and hey, don't worry. I bet it's nothing big to worry about. Maybe it's just animals or something, Fluttershy can help with that." Vice grinned teasingly at Enzo who stiffened up at the name.
"Maybe yer right." Applejack watched the two ponies leave the room and turned to Big Macintosh. "I hope they're right."
"Eeyup."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Damn, that was some tight stuff, Enzo," Vice whispered excitedly. "She almost smoked my ass clean out of the water there, I was about to give in, haha. But, you came and saved meh. Thanks buddy." Enzo responded silently with a weird look. "Alright then, so how was Fluttershy?"
"Good," Enzo said sheepishly.
"Uhhh-did she say hi back? Please, elaborate." Vice waited patiently, but expelled a sense of pressure for Enzo to explain his story. The black pony sighed and spoke softly, but seriously to Vice.
"Well, I said hi and she said hi...then we just talked about stuff."
"Sounds boring, she sounds boring," Vice said with attitude.
"What the f..."
"Ah, say it. Say the big bad word," Vice teased aggressively.
"No."
"C'mon, you gotta swear. I haven't heard you swear since-"
"Shit," Enzo said calm and coldly. "Are you happy?"
"Beyond all expectations. Still, I would've preferred the F word." Vice shuffled in his bed and made loud, purposeful noises. "I was kidding, that's good, Enzo. You're really starting to come back."
"Come back from what?" Enzo asked sitting up from his own bed.
"Never mind, you're doing swell. I bet that girl's crazy for you. Remember, the shy girls are always the most vicious." Enzo's face twisted into a face of doubt. Vice shrugged slyly. "Y'know, I don't even know if I'm kidding about that one." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 20: Conflict | A sudden creak in the hard wood left Blitz in a shock. He sat up from his bed and analyzed the room with panic. The unicorn held his breathe, and then exhaled deeply. "Wow, I'm still a scared pony," he said with defeat. Blitz veered his sight towards the outside moonlight. The area illuminated brightly, making the scene shine with extravagance. Blitz shifted back into his comfy bed and made a silent gesture. "Thank you, Twilight, for this very soft bed."
'Just keep moving.' The words popped into Blitz's head and sank. The feeling was bittersweet, but Blitz felt dread spreading across his body. Blitz let his mind wander and felt the dread mix with numbness. He reached to his side by a desk and felt a cool touch. Caressing the item, Blitz brought his sparkling snow globe close. He shook it lightly and gazed at the falling flakes of white snow. The sprinkles of crystals floated gently towards the slushy white ground. As the artificial snow danced, Blitz pondered a single thought he never got the answer to.
'Where is Fuzzy. I know I've been saying that he's going to get here soon...but is that true?' Blitz shook his head while closing his eyes. 'Heck, I can't tell the future, but I need to know.' "This suspense is killing me, why isn't he here?" Blitz realized he had said the statement out loud and covered his mouth. 'Celestia, Fuzzy, where are you? You should've been here by now. I'm starting to get worried.'
Blitz's face darkened as he sorted out his anxiety. 'What if something happened to him-no, that's impossible. We've had enough bad things happen to us already. He's fine, he's fine.' The unicorn took a stressed sigh and twisted his mouth with worry. 'Fuzzy Fry, where are you? What are you doing? Why aren't you here with us? What's going on?'
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz opened his eyes and gasped. He was inside a different location completely. His vision was blurred; it seemed to be distorted by a white surreal light. The interior assaulted Blitz with pale blue colors, he found himself inside a blue box. Each wall was reflecting a blue essence off Blitz. He felt a weird fidgeting object next to him and turned to it abruptly. An orange pony was staring him right in the eye.
"Fuzzy Fry?" Blitz said aghast. "Hey, where-"
"Bluebelle, please, you can't leave us. What about all the fun times we had together, we can make this work," Fuzzy Fry said ignoring Blitz. The unicorn turned his head and saw who Fuzzy Fry was addressing. A black figure obscured by a flash of light stood blocking the only doorway in the room.
"No, you can't. I'm sorry, but it's the only way. We can't keep living like this, it's not fair and it's not right." The figure stated. As Blitz inspected the silhouette more closely, he identified it to be a pony.
"Bluebelle?" Blitz stood frozen in place, he struggled to move his limbs. Gritting his teeth, he tried his hardest to budge. However, no results came and he continued his stone stare on the shining doorway.
"Blitz," the pony addressed as Bluebelle called gently. Her image slowly materialized into that of what Blitz could only expect. Her icy blue mane seemed to float magically in the atmosphere, but still managed to cover one eye. The glowing, violet body made its way slowly towards Blitz. Bluebelle's cerulean eyes diverted themselves towards Blitz's pale, purple eyes. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. It's best that you two learn to take care of yourselves...and that I move on."
"No, Bluebelle. We can't, we need you." Blitz felt himself saying the words automatically and on cue. "I need you!"
"Blitz, don't do this," Bluebelle said. "I'm doing this for you."
"No, I can't let you go. I can't because...I-we-" Blitz knew what he wanted to say, but an invisible force held back his words. "I-"
"That's enough, please. Blitz, you and I...I have to go." Bluebelle turned towards the lighted doorway and made her way towards the exit. Blitz still could not move his entire body, no matter how hard he pushed. His exasperated attempts to move turned into grunts and screams. His screams turned into sobs and hysterical crying. Blitz felt no tears, but he saw them fall from his eyes.
"No," he wept faintly. "No, no, no, no!" Blitz watched as Bluebelle's figure entered the light and disappeared. His crying intensified as the room echoed with his sobs. "Please, come back. Please-no." Blitz rubbed his eyes and groaned with agony. He looked to his left, noticed that Fuzzy Fry was simply staring at Blitz. His face was full of pity, he cried silently as well. "All I have left is Fuzzy," Blitz said automatically again. "All I have left is Fuzzy Fry!" Blitz noticed that Fuzzy Fry's image was blurry; he literally started to fade away. His ghostly appearance taunted Blitz even more. "Stop, don't take him too, stop!" Fuzzy's figure was almost fully disappeared. "He's the only friend I have," Blitz said weakly. "He's the only pony left in my heart!"
~~~~~~~~~~
'He's all I've got left.' Blitz felt reality kick in as the warm tingly feeling of a tear rolled down his cheek. "Fuzzy Fry."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Vice, where are you?" Enzo called out. "This isn't funny; Applejack is going to be very mad." The earth pony tensed up at the silent response. He lowered himself and stealthily evaluated the area. The daytime atmosphere aided Enzo's senses as he searched to locate any objects of interest. Sunlight barely penetrated the thick overgrowth of apples trees overhead. Silence in the forest gave Enzo an eerie feeling; chills were climbing down his spine. Swiftly moving from tree to tree inspecting the ground, Enzo felt himself kick something. He peered down and noticed a certain red highlight on the ground.
"...an apple?" The black stallion picked up the item and verified it as the correct fruit. He looked a bit to his left and saw another red apple sitting in the shade. As he neared it, another apple popped up within his range of sight. With close examination, Enzo came to the conclusion that there was a trail of apples littered on the ground. He contemplated his options, sighed, and unwillingly followed the apples. "If this is one of Vice's sick games..." Enzo began, but sadly did not know how to finish. The black earth pony continued his stroll until coming upon something other than apples.
"Is that-wait what is that stuff?" Enzo curiously eyed a trail of crumbs replacing the linear path of apples he had followed moments ago. The specks of brown food continued the mysterious trail of consumables lying on the grass. Reconsidering his actions, Enzo hesitated to keep following the food trail. "This isn't right, Vice wouldn't steal food just to eat it out-yeah, yeah he would." Enzo facehoofed himself and trudged on. "Whatever the case, I'll have to be on my guard," he kept whispering.
Within a few minutes of tracking possibly bread crumbs, Enzo came up upon a clearing in the forest. It was easily distinguishable as sunlight actually created a spotlight in the middle; trees were clearly spread far apart. "Is this...supposed to be a sign? I don't-" Before Enzo could finish, he was grabbed by an unknown force and hauled into a nearby bushel of shrubs. His hoof went directly towards his blue band, but came to halt as he met purple eyes. "Vice."
"Shhh-shut your mouth," Vice said. Enzo saw that within those purple eyes, there was a spark, but he couldn't pinpoint what it meant.
"Wha-"
"Just follow my lead, don't talk. Trust me Enzo, just like ya always have. I found something." Vice breathed the words heavily. Enzo could do nothing but obey his friend. Vice allowed Enzo to readjust himself so that the two ponies were sitting within the bushes comfortably. Vice redundantly put a hoof to his lips and softly opened up the bush for a peeking hole. As he did so, Enzo gasped at the sight and Vice put his hoof over his friend's mouth instead.
"See that shit?" Vice pointed towards the opening. Standing within the shining light was a group of stallions. Enzo counted at least three ponies conversing about something. "Those don't look like any folks I've seen around here, eh, Enzo?" The black stallion nodded in silence. "It looks like we got trouble a brewin'."
"What do we do?"
"Hold up, listen!" Vice poked his head more openly out of the bush, to Enzo's extreme anxiety.
"Yeah buddy, we're in the clear now!" a voice rang from the opening.
"You know it, dude. Boss is gonna be super happy now that we snagged those apples. We did it in total stealth too," another voice said with vigor.
"Boy, oh boy, I can't wait for our reward. The bosses said that they're getting so hungry. But, now we got food so it's all good," the previous voice replied.
"Hahaha, this is awesome. I knew it was a good idea to join up," the other voice said excitedly. Vice shook his head in a wry way which made Enzo uncomfortable; enthusiastically.
"Holy balls," exclaimed Vice quietly. Enzo kept his guard up as he sensed imminent danger with the spotted group of unknown stallions. He eyed Vice with complex worry as the pegasus started jittering in place with eagerness. "Oh man, oh God, oh man!" he said ardently. "Enzo, oh man! Enzo, I'm pumped, I'm thrilled ready to strike. Dude, do you understand what's going on here?"
"Yes."
"Bad guys, man, bad guys. Like actual bad guys that have to be put down kind of bad guys!" Enzo could tell that Vice was giving his usual grin, but he also kept note of the look held in Vice's eyes. A definite tinge of fury was boiling within Vice's wild eyes. "Okay, okay-listen up, bro. I got us a good, foolproof plan. Come 'ere, lemme enlighten you." Vice ushered Enzo to come closer with an energized wave. "Alrighty, so, the plan is simple. We-"
Vice was abruptly interrupted as the concealing bush rattled suddenly. Vice turned to find two hooves flying straight at him. Before he could extend his metal coated wings in defense, or even react, he was grabbed and thrown into the clearing. He screeched, flailing his body as he landed with a loud crash. Several leaves fell from the trees and a single apple landed beside Vice. "Damn, Enzo!" As he called for his friend, he felt a large object pin him to the ground from behind. Another voice was breathing heavily on top of him.
"Sorry!" A soft voice apologized from afar.
"Agh, what the hell?" Vice analyzed the object to be another pony and thrust the body off of him. He deftly rolled over and confronted the fallen pony. "Sorry bro, I ain't like that." Vice stared at the stallion with ease and located two red hoof marks on the pony's face. "Oh damn, nice one Enz-"
"Vice!" Vice whipped around and found an unpleasant sight. Before him, in the clearing, was Enzo locked in two more stallions' grip. Noting the hostage situation, Vice quickly lifted the other half awake stallion and held him in a headlock. An exasperated choke of pain escaped the pony's mouth, but Vice kept his angered grip tight.
"Alright, calm your tits boys. No one needs to be hurt," Vice said at the scene.
"You watch your mouth or we'll take his." Vice identified the two other ponies as a unicorn and pegasus. The five ponies stood in the moonlit opening silently, paranoia floated around the air with the wind. Enzo kept calm and relaxed, he willingly let the two ponies hold him by his forelegs. Vice started to squeeze harder and harder, his fury was building up at the scene.
"Looks like we got ourselves a little truxican stand off, eh?" Vice said with a small laugh at the end. "Or at least a truxican hostage situation...if that's a thing."
"Trunks in a can?" the unicorn captor said in confusion. "What the hay is that?"
"Shut it, he's playing mind games or something. Stay alert!" the other pegasus ordered.
"Guys, ugh, help me," Vice's victim said. Vice eyed his prisoner and laughed. The two other stallions raised their guard significantly at the outburst.
"What you laughing at, huh? We got your friend, but...you have ours. So what, we'll just be taking-" The unicorn gasped as his earth pony companion was instantly hurled at both him and Enzo. All three ponies ended up sprawled on the ground, to the pegasus' surprise.
"Why-" The pegasus was cut off as Vice was bulleting towards his target. The pegasus was grappled and sent headfirst flying into a nearby tree. A satisfying crunch was heard as Vice gloated, fluttering triumphantly in the air.
"God damn you all! Is everyone here intent on just talking? Damn, I say, y'all gotta learn to shut up!" Vice spoke with a pestered tone. "Hang on, buddy, I'mma commin'!"
Enzo's reaction was timed perfectly. As he and the other unicorn toppled to the ground, Enzo managed to do a backwards roll. The black stallion landed with precision and faced his enemies. The earth pony slowly got to his feet, but insult was added to injury as Enzo bucked him again in the head. The thug went flying, but Enzo didn't hesitate to spectate the area of landing. He switched opponents and hastily assaulted the unicorn.
Before anyone could react, Enzo followed through with a tackle. Both ponies ended up on the familiar ground once more. The unicorn struggled feebly against Enzo's hold around his neck. He positioned himself just right and effectively launched the pony up in the air.
As the unicorn went airborne, Vice swooped in from above and pounded the unicorn back towards Equestria. A thud was followed by a huff of pain coughed up from the unicorn. The brown pegasus hovered over his defeated foe and laughed with an almost maniacal tone. "Holy ass cheeks, Enzo, you seeing this going on right now? Like, really-seriously. Can you believe this? Us-us two, kicking whole ass right here and right now." Vice did a mini twirl in the air and raised his hooves towards the shining sun. He yelled with distinct vitality into the bright blue sky and settled himself towards the ground. "Ohhh, it's been so long since I've had this feeling. It's simply awesome, Enzo. You're alright by the by, right?"
Enzo nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm fine."
Vice chuckled with delight. "Nice, I can continue my GD carnage-you!" Vice pointed ferociously at a fleeing stallion. "Come to papa." He hovered closely towards the limping earth pony and relaxed himself. "Pleasant night ain't it?" The pony turned and cried with fear. Vice sighed dramatically. "Guess not." The pegasus wrapped his metallic wings over the stallion's face and brought the pony spiraling backwards. With a sick crack, Vice smiled as the pony hit the ground and lay still. "Oh, uh, sorry. Overkill, my bad-I didn't mean to...break you."
"Bastard!" Vice felt a crushing feeling as he was grabbed from behind. The metal around his wings tightened considerably against the pressure being exerted against him; he felt the feeling in his actual wings being lost. Another source of pressure was created as Vice felt the air push down against him.
"What, are you taking me for a ride?" he said nonchalantly as he and the other pegasus ascended into the night sky. "If so, you better learn to keep up!" Vice let his wings extended, breaking him free of the pegasus' grip. The metal loosened and he regained flight. Hurling himself instantly backwards, both pegasi grabbed each other and started to spin in the air. Stars swirled as Vice had sky and land circulating through his vision. "Ah, yo, Enzo. You having a date like me?"
Enzo ignored Vice's ramble as he centered his attention towards the still standing unicorn thug. Various objects were being thrown at him; sticks, stones and even dirt. He dodged each with supreme ease, but kept on the defensive side.
The unicorn pony started to falter at the magic usage and decided to resort to a different tactic. He lifted a nearby stick and aimed the sharpest side at his opponent. Enzo took the initiative to feign a step forward, resulting in the stick being launched instantly. He watched intently as the stick shot towards him. He accounted impact time and accurately swatted the stick away.
The unicorn thug shook his head helplessly and turned around to run. Before the pony was able to get into a full sprint, a deafening scream shot through everyone's ears. "Piledriver!" Vice, still spinning with the other pegasus, swooped from above and was aiming directly for the fleeing enemy. "Gotcha!" Vice released his held victim and sent him reeling into the unicorn. Both ponies collided and crashed to the hard ground. Vice landed with a hop next to Enzo and laughed heartedly.
"Vice, what-"
"And that is how you take out the trash, just call me the garbage man!" Vice said with glory as he over watched all three downed thugs. "Uno, dos, tres, all down. Oh, and by the way, you could've just sidestepped to dodge that stick. Don't think I didn't see that act of recklessness," he teased with another chuckle.
"Look who's talking," Enzo said back coldly.
"Gettin' feisty there, Enzo. I understand, you're in the moment-oh my lord. I'm so damn pumped right now! Like hallelujah these dirtbags showed up, right?" Vice said still antsy from adrenalin. "I could get used to this. C'mon," Vice shouted into the empty night. "Bring me some more fresh meat!"
"So be it." As the obscure voice called from within the forest, multiple rustling sounds were echoing throughout the clearing. Both Vice and Enzo jumped at the crackling nature and gathered together instinctively. One pony appeared from concealed bushes and another followed closely behind. A third, fourth and fifth revealed themselves from random directions. A pony was even perched atop a tree watching vilely from above.
"Careful what you wish for," Enzo whispered seriously to Vice.
"No shit, looks like we're gonna be caught in a gangbang," his partner said still smirking. The duo was surrounded indefinitely by hostile looking ponies, all male. "Nevermind, we're in for a sausage fest."
"So I see you've identified your surroundings," the same voice said again. "Very interesting, indeed."
"Okay, tough guy, show yourself and save us the suspense. You're high-pitched fancy accent is getting on my nerves," Vice yelled forcefully.
"As you wish." Enzo and Vice turned their attention to the last shaking bush. A tall, extremely pale brown stallion trotted though. His mane shone with the same paleness, except in yellow. "It was certainly a hassle arriving, but here I am as you asked." The stallion brushed off leaves sticking to his chest suit. He adjusted his red tie and clicked the glasses he was wearing into place. Through the round, slightly glared lenses, the pony stared at the duo with turquoise eyes. "A pristine pony ready to lend his handiwork."
Vice and Enzo gave the stallion a painfully perplexed look. Vice stepped forward and called the pony out boldly. "So, you the boss of these guys or what?" The stallion laughed and readjusted his glasses once more.
"You may call me Doctor Rivet, or Doc Rivet for short. Whatever suits you best," he said calmly.
"Well then, let's get to the beating shall we?" Vice said mimicking the pony's stately accent with considerable accuracy. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 21: Late Introductions | The bright and sunny light flashed warmly in Blitz's face. He was slightly disgruntled at being blind for a few seconds, but shrugged the feeling off as he continued his time at mailing. The pony strode with confidence, but faltered his step at times as he pondered his dream about yesterday. 'Why did that Celestia-forsaken thing happen,' Blitz thought groggily. 'Bluebelle, Fuzzy, me.'
He halted his walk and closed his eyes, the sun's rays reflected off his body with playful intensity. 'Why is always what I'm asking, why. I hate this, I hate not knowing. Why did she leave, why is Fuzzy not here, why am I still thinking about these things? Why, why...' "...why, oh why!"
"Erm, Mister Blitz," a hefty voice called. Blitz jumped, but retained his light walk.
"Woah, Clyde, you scared me there," he said.
"Oh, come now, Mister Blitz, am I really that scary?" An image of Clyde's mustache attacking Ponyville and spewing burning mustache juice entered Blitz's mind and he couldn't help but giggle.
"...no," he managed to say between laughs.
"Hmm, indeed. So, I take it the job is working out well?" Blitz nodded firmly and with great joy. He honestly enjoyed the job despite his boss and vowed to keep going at it.
"It's perfect, Clyde. Everything a pony could ask for in a job, it even came with that old cranky boss." Clyde's sudden bellow of laughter caught Blitz off guard. He joined in with nervous, but safe chuckles.
"Oh Mister Blitz!" Clyde cried. "Post Pole may be a parsimonious kind of pony, but I assure you, he is a good stallion. Just give it a little time."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Blitz said. 'He's always right.' Clyde brushed his mustache with great speed before returning his focus on Blitz.
"Ah, have you seen Mister Enzo and Mister Vice, by the chance?" Clyde said. Blitz contemplated the mention of his two mysterious companions.
"Not today, but I saw Enzo yesterday at the market," he said to at least provide some sort of information on the two's whereabouts.
"And what was Mister Enzo doing in the markets in the first place," Clyde questioned even further. This sent a wave of panic trickle down Blitz's spine.
'Wait, if I tell him what happened...is he going to freak out? About Fluttershy?' More images of Clyde's monstrous mustache appeared and Blitz shuddered this time. His restlessness was ceased as Clyde gave one of his heavy, trademark laughs.
"Mister Blitz, it's quite alright. I wouldn't expect you to know that much about one of those two. I wouldn't even know that much either," Clyde said still laughing.
"Yeah, they sure are a strange couple." Blitz paused and wondered about his next question. "Where do you think they came from?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I vaguely remember Mister Vice saying someplace 'too far away', but that doesn't really help. To be honest, I've never really put much thought into that. I'll have to ask them about it sooner or later." Clyde shuffled the ground and eventually spread his white magnificent wings. "I suppose I'll be finding out, they can't be too far." Blitz watched as Clyde ascended into the air with grace. "I won't interfere with your work, Mister Blitz; you keep doing your job!"
Clyde eventually zoomed out of sight and left Blitz behind. He somehow ended up at the correct house of delivery and deposited the letter he was holding. The red flag of confirmation was raised and Blitz made his way back to the Emporium. 'Oh Fuzzy Fry, break this mysterious bond between me and my friends here in Ponyville. If you don't get here soon-he'll be here,' Blitz thought talking back and forth within his mind. The walk would be a long and painful one, mentally.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright, chumps, gimme your best smiles!" Vice was back to back with Enzo, both ponies surveyed their enemies. The pony known as Doctor Rivet grunted with intrigue.
"It seems you two are no strangers to combat," he said with content. Vice simply bared his teeth as a response.
"Yeah, what of it? I bet you're just one of those candy-ass big bosses who just has everyone do his or her dirty work."
"You'd be correct, minus the candy ass part. You see, we are an organization with a peculiar intent. Our goals are very refined in nature and you'll both have to excuse my ambiguity for our plan is a very secretive type of plight. However, I suppose I will announce our group's presence as the Misfit Marauders." As if on cue, the stallions surrounding the duo revealed concealed knives and assumed varied fighting stances.
Vice's mouth dropped with discomfort and raised his hooves in exasperation. "Well, uh, I guess the laws of physics just got screwed and we divided by zero here. These bozos are holding knives in their damn hooves! What witchcraft is this-oh yeah, the fork! Fork! Y'all can hold forks so y'all can hold knives! How's that fair?"
"It's not," Enzo said. Vice peered over to his partner and noticed that Enzo was reaching for his blue wrist band. He tapped on it once and once more with added force. As he finished, a loud click cracked through everyone's head and a blade extended out. It shot out vertically and curved outward like a hook. It's thin, silver-blue metal shone elegantly within the clearing.
Doctor Rivet raised his eyebrow in pure astonishment. "Ah, a fine piece of machinery you have there. Nothing I've seen ever before."
Vice whistled vigorously and clapped. "Damn, son! It's about time you whipped that thing out. But, that means shit's getting real. We can't lose this one, otherwise we risk getting a hard dicking by these ass wads." Enzo gave a very confused face. "...yes I mean physical cock in ass; rape!"
Enzo nodded with conformation. "Yes." Both ponies stood back to back with their weapons of choice held high. Enzo's blade and Vice's wings of metal waved mechanically back and forth as all the ponies surrounding watched with uncertain intents.
Vice flapped his wings and flexed them, causing clinks to erase the silence. He craned his neck and shouted wildly. "Just like old times!" Doctor Rivet raised a hoof and the whole group of thugs rushed in. Vice faced two incoming stallions and raised his wings in pure defense. He swatted away knife lunges with ease and managed to disarm one of his attackers. Enzo followed in his partners actions and held his own line. Knife slashes were flying everywhere, but Enzo kept track and dodged or deflected each one.
The two ponies held their ground parrying, deflecting and dodging all attacks. Not once did either stallion decide to attack. A pony closed in on Enzo and managed to cut away at his red scarf. Enzo gasped in surprise and quickly regained himself by swiping away at the air, scaring away the other pony.
"Enough!" Vice lifted himself into the air and taunted. "That's right, ain't got no wings like these!" He gave no time for anyone to react as he dived straight into his two attackers. Caught off guard, the ponies and Vice collided with his metal wings each taking a pony down. He proceeded to pound at both fallen stallions with succession before being swept off by another pegasus.
Enzo called out to Vice, but was interrupted by a close block with a knife. Grunting in pure frustration, Enzo managed to slash at his attacker's exposed hoof and made a deep cut within the flesh. Blood splattered on the green grass as the pony waved his arm wildly and howled in agony. Enzo stared in shock at what he had done and let his surroundings disappear.
"Wake up, Hotshot!" Vice flung the pegasus pony he battled with into a stallion on the ground and watched with satisfaction as the connection happened. "No time to daze out now!" he turned to face another pony and jabbed him in the stomach with mach speed. He jabbed twice more with his wings before wing upper cutting the pony in the face, sending him hobbling back.
Enzo shook his head and snapped his eyes shut. He reopened them to find the bleeding pony rushing him once more. He gritted his teeth and anticipated his opponent's actions. The stallion lunged and Enzo sidestepped. With elegance, Enzo lifted his hind leg and balanced on the other. He kicked at the pony's exposed arm and heard a snap as he struck at the elbow. A terrifying and bloodcurdling screech filled all ears as the bleeding stallion fell back and caressed his presumably broken foreleg.
"Lookout!" Enzo turned to see a body fly past him and collide with an oncoming pegasus. "Strike! Enzo, get ready!" Vice flew over quickly and grabbed for the fallen pegasus. The other body did not stir. He lifted the pegasus and brought him towards Enzo. Sensing Vice's ambition, Enzo reared back and bucked the swung pony right in the face.
"Aaaaand that's it?" said Vice dropping the unconscious pegasus. He looked around at all the fallen stallions and grunted. "Titties aside, this is pretty pathetic."
"I assure you, there is much more in store. You'll have to forgive me once more and be patient." Vice and Enzo both turned and noticed that Doctor Rivet was still watching from afar.
"Yo, Docta River or whatever, you done being big ass pussy? Come on, fight us like a real, uh, stallion. C'mon tough guy, do you even-"
"Don't," Enzo said with his temper rising. "Now, Doctor Rivet, explain to us who exactly you are and why your band of..."
"Assholes."
"...are stealing apples?"
"And more importantly, why does everyone have a knife? That's awfully suspicious, but I'mma let you talk, doc."
Doctor Rivet smiled and raised a hoof. "I thank you for your gentlecoltly manner. Allow me to explain," he said adjusting his glasses. "We, the Misfit Marauders, are composed of several 'outsiders' and various ponies that have been shunned from society. We are the lost causes, the ones who were thought to be useless. We are the misunderstood and we suffer together." The words were said in pained refinement. "Me? As you know, I am a doctor." He motioned towards his cutie mark which consisted of a scalpel and a wrench positioned into an X shape. "The medical knowledge I hold is that of high quality. However, my superiors did not approve of the particular field of expertise."
Vice and Enzo peered at the assorted ponies lying around. Some shuddered and slowly rose. Others simply lay still. "Unfortunately, my work is considered a taboo in the medical field; considered a sin against Celestia herself."
"Certainly getting creepy," Vice said to Enzo in a hushed tone. "So, what the hell is that taboo, huh?"
"Neuroscience, my dear gentlecolts. The study of-"
"The brain." Vice narrowed his eyes and huffed at the doctor. "So you've been tampering with other people-excuse me-ponies' noggins?" Doctor Rivet sighed and fixed his glasses once more.
"I prefer the term experiment over tamper. It really was what I was trying to get at, to learn how the brain operates and what I could do with that. It's taking Equestria's simple, basic studies into something much more grand! It's the next step in scientific progress."
Vice laughed outwardly at the statement. "Well then, it looks like we just shook up the cuckoo's nest. Are you out of your goddamn mind? What makes you think that shit's gonna help anyone?" Enzo stayed silent as Vice went at the doctor.
"Let me show you. Behold my greatest achievement yet!" The doctor raised his hooves and pointed towards a dark, concealed bush. A low growl echoed off into the clearing. "Step forth, my pet!"
"Pet? What the hell-" A grunted laugh sputtered through the air as an orange creature spilled forward on its two hind legs. It stepped with a falter and made a low snarl as it drew near Vice and Enzo. It's slightly deteriorated face smiled with its eyes wide and wild. Drool slowly oozed out through its exposed grin and a large cut was lined around the pony's cranium. As it closed in on its targets, it raised its hooves and showed the duo its deformity. Large, metal hooks were jammed within both the pony's hooves. They arched like claws and were deathly, dark blue. Doctor Rivet clapped and the pony rushed in.
Vice screamed in absolute horror. "What the fuck is that?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Clyde flew near Sweet Apple Acres and made his landing with ease next to the apple forest. 'Now then, these boys should be-'
"...my God, Enzo, fucking run!" Vice appeared before Clyde and crashed headfirst into the guard. Enzo followed closely behind and came to a complete halt upon Vice's impact.
"Mister Vice, what is the meaning of this? Where have you two been off to?" Clyde said as he removed Vice from on top his body. Enzo opened his mouth to speak, but Vice quickly clamped it shut and smiled sheepishly.
"We were, uh, out prancin' around...collecting daisies!" Vice said as he panted for breath. Clyde gave Vice a serious look and the pegasus shook his head violently. "Just kidding, we were just out there...pulling pranks. Pullin' each other's legs."
"And your pranks caused both of you to run screaming and cursing out of the forest?"
"Yeah, it got pretty hectic. Uh, we started...started a pissing contest. Ran and yelled like babies-er uh, foals?" Clyde's unamused face watched with a stone impression.
"Hmm." Clyde eyed the two with doubt, but sighed. "You two really are strange boys. I'm not sure if, erm, urinating on each other is the new normal...never mind." Vice sighed with extreme relief, but was still tense.
"Yeah, it's the new cool, heh."
"I see. Mister Enzo, you're awfully quiet." Clyde looked at Enzo with a hint of worry in his eyes. Enzo broke eye contact and spoke with a low tone.
"I'm always quiet." Clyde laughed genuinely and put a hoof on Vice's shoulder. The pegasus jumped, but settled down quickly.
"Well then, boys, it looks like Miss Applejack is going to have to have a word with both of you."
"Cool, we'll sort that out. Hey uh, Clyde, I think Applejack was in trouble or something. She might have needed help-" Vice stopped as he realized Clyde was already rampaging through the apple forest towards the farm. "Okay, he's gone." Vice said with caution. "Now, what in the hell was that thing following us? That is the stuff of nightmares."
"I don't know," Enzo said matching Vice's paranoia. "But it was a monster, something awful."
"Yeah, and I hope I never see that shit again. That thing was creepy and that damn doctor got away. Don't worry, Enzo, we're gonna get 'em. The bad guys always fall in the end, right? It's just a matter of time before we get back at him and his gay ass gang." Enzo nodded, but with hesitation.
"I'm worried; why would a group like the...Misfit Marauders exist in a place like this?"
"Shit can hit the fan real fast, anywhere. You and I both know that...but you're right. I got no effing clue. But, we should probably stay quiet about this." Enzo raised his head and gazed into Vice's serious purple eyes.
"Are you crazy? I've had enough madness today, but hiding this? Why can't we just tell-"
"Listen, if we tell people, they're gonna lose their minds. We need to deal with this on our own and make sure we wipe these guys out of existence. There's no need to cause trouble when we can easily fix these guys up. We'll go tomorrow again, hear me?" Enzo looked at Vice with utter shock, but reluctantly agreed. "They'll be toast by the end of the day when we're done because we're the best."
"How long are we gonna keep secrets?" Enzo said now lowering his head again.
"As long as it takes. Now, let's go piss off Applejack again." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 22: Stranger Ponies | Vice and Enzo made their way back towards Sweet Apple Acres with a paranoid stroll. Their footsteps shook with unease, but stayed secure to the ground. Each pony trembled at what they had seen in the forest and their imaginations rose to new limits. "Seriously," Vice said shattering the dead silence. "That thing was really creepy."
Enzo nodded with fear. "I feel bad for the pony itself. How his mind must be in absolute pain."
"Meh, it's probably some looney who volunteered to get his brain screwed over. We shouldn't worry about it, he's not important. What is important,however, is that we put down this doctor dude and his creation-YO!" Vice jumped back as he was barely able to dodge a thrown apple. It bounced harmlessly on the grass and rolled gently towards Enzo.
"Vice!" Applejack had appeared with Big Macintosh and was now storming towards the duo. Her face conveyed fear in both terrified ponies. "What in blazes have you two been up to?" Vice flopped his body back next to Enzo and put on a smile.
"We were just having another break; we were playing around," Vice said as he prepared himself for imminent scolding.
"Another-you can't expect me tah let you get away with this," Applejack said shaking her head with disbelief.
"We don't," Enzo said in place of Vice. He turned to the pegasus and winked with a grin. "It's my fault I let him trick me into going out there again. But, maybe we can negotiate a deal concerning our pay." Vice tried not to have an outburst, but was slowly letting out small protests as Applejack considered the offer.
"Pay deductions?" She sized up the duo, specifically Vice, and shook her head lightly. "A little ridiculous, but it's a better option than just outright firin' ya...again."
"Ye-I mean, aw crap. Gosh darn it, that really stinks," Vice said with full drama.
Applejack eyed him once more before speaking confidently. "Alrighty then. Vice, you'll be receivin' ten bits less than what ya normally earn until you've proven yourself."
"But...doesn't that put me negative?" Vice said almost laughing.
"...right. Make it five less." Applejack said with a hint of embarrassment. "As for you Enzo, this is your final warning, ya hear? No more messing around."
Enzo nodded and put his hoof on Vice. "I'll make sure to keep Vice in check."
Vice saluted obnoxiously and kept his grin. "Don't worry Applejack, by tomorrow I'll be the best worker ya ever saw." He nudged Enzo who looked down at the ground, and snickered.
"Right, let's just forget this little charade happened and get back to work. I'm tired of yellin' at y'all."
Big Macintosh stood stone faced the entire time. He noticed the conversation ending and simply turned around back towards the farm.
"Hey, big guy, that was fun right? I'm still here!" Vice shouted.
"Eeyup!"
~~~~~~~~~~
The moonlight shot effortlessly through the duo's bedroom window, illuminating the dim lit room. Vice gestured Enzo so get to bed and clapped his hooves with satisfaction. "C'mon Enzo, you need your beauty sleep. We're gonna call it a night and kick ass tomorrow."
Enzo grumbled uncomfortably, he caressed his blue wrist band. "I don't know if I can. Things are starting to look...different."
Vice snorted and shook his head. "You don't usually see a pony with freaky fingers-fingers in the first place-right? I told ya, we're gonna deal with the doc tomorrow. No sweat, we took care of those guys, we can take care of that monster. I just...was surprised. This is not going to be our biggest hassle, that just wouldn't make sense."
Enzo watched Vice slowly close his eyes and lower his head. He then performed proceeded to do the same thing and felt a calming sensation cool down the agitation of the day's frights. Adjusting his entire body for comfort, Enzo fidgeted under the tight blanket. A thought zipped by his mind and he mentally sighed. "Forgot about Gray Patch's letter," he whispered. Looking in from of him, he noticed the letter still sitting flat on the old table across the room. He closed his eyes in defeat as his body persuaded him not to move. "I'll just pick it up later. I'm sure it's not that important. I don't even know him anyway."
"Yo, shadup. I'm trying to sleep, fool!"
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz's nostrils met hoof as he entered the Emporium. "Still can't get used to that smell." He walked over to his station and felt his head rocking back and forth. Fuzzy Fry's image kept popping in and out, Blitz actively tried to block it out. He closed his eyes, put a hoof on his head and slowed his pace all in attempt to assist him in his denial. 'He was always there for me, even when I'd given up. His hoof of reassurance; his funny, but serious words of comfort.' Blitz allowed himself to reimburse in an old memory as he sat down and zoned out.
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz was sitting outside in the cold Manehatten sidewalk. He kept his head low and stared directly at the hard pavement.
"C'mon Blitz, you can't keep moping around like this."
"Fuzzy, just leave me alone. I'm no use to anypony, not you. Why do I even exist?"
"Don't say things like that," Fuzzy Fry said. He stood at a distance from Blitz, his hesitation to approach got the best of him.
"How can I lie? There's no point in lying, hiding the darn truth about my stupid self."
Fuzzy Fry winced at Blitz's statement, but put on a face of pained determination. "Listen here Blitz...shut up!"
Blitz lifted his head and turned around, tears rolled down his face. "What?"
"You have to stop talking like this, I mean it," Fuzzy Fry said shedding tears as well. "Stop calling yourself useless. Stop crying!"
"I can't," Blitz said weakly. "It hurts so much, I'll never be useful or nothing to anypony."
Fuzzy Fry gritted his teeth and stamped his foot. Blitz jumped at the sudden sounds, but continued to frown. "Please, Blitz, stop. You're everything to me," he said rushing over and embracing Blitz. "That's never gonna change. We're gonna be best buds forever and nothing's going to separate use. You better believe that, you have my word!"
Blitz suppressed his tears and managed to pull himself together. He breathed slowly and exhaled sobs of recuperation. "Alright, Fuzzy, thanks. I needed that."
Fuzzy Fry looked Blitz in the eye with sincerity and laughed with melancholy. "Yup. Now, let's go get some ice cream, that'll certainly help you." Both ponies shared inseparable laughs and trotted together down the crowded Manehatten street.
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz smiled and felt his heart sink as he remembered the times shared with Fuzzy Fry. As he partially succeeded in mending his thoughts about Fuzzy, he came upon his co-worker chatting with an unknown pony. "Oh, hi?"
"Hi!" Derpy smiled and ushered Blitz to join the conversation. Blitz nodded happily and trotted over to meet the other pony. He stopped and gave a face of bafflement as he inspected the other pony. The sporty grin matched the pony's lean, black eyes. His mane was a bright, rosy red and it was styled towards one side. A thick strand jutted out and formed a hook on top. His tuxedo held a single rose within the chest pocket and complimented his dark green coat.
"Who's this guy?" the pony asked with disinterest.
Blitz frowned, but Derpy spoke in his word. "He's one of the other ponies...or pony who works here."
The other pony gave a slight laugh. "Alrighty then, well I'd just like to say thanks again, Miss Ditzy Doo, for delivering my letter to the lovely Miss Rose for me."
"It's Derpy-"
"Ahh, but Ditzy Doo is such much better. It rolls off the tongue and is such a sweet, precious name," the pony said. His words were filled with an air of sincerity and awe. He spoke poetically and almost in rhythm. "You shouldn't replace something as pure as that."
"Thanks." Derpy's face grew redder at the remark, but she still looked at the pony with confusion. "But, that wasn't me who delivered the letter." This created a genuinely stunned reaction for him. "It was...um, him, Blitz I think."
The pony turned to Blitz and raised his eyebrow. "You? Oh, I thought this pretty young girl right here did so. Well then, I apologize. I thank you." He extended a dark green hoof towards Blitz. "The name's To-Bloom."
"Toe Bloom?" Blitz asked out of sheer surprise.
"Sorry, just Bloom. My mind speaks faster than my mouth sometimes." Blitz reluctantly shook Bloom's hoof and the other pony smiled with disturbing content. "Anyway, I, again, thank you for being the one to deliver this letter. I wouldn't be able to do it myself," he said with a chuckle.
'Hardly,' thought Blitz as he stared at the pertinacious pony.
"Well then, it looks like I'll be going. I've got places to be and girls to see."
Blitz let his face become expressionless. 'Girls? As in more than one? Wait, what?'
"Maybe I'll see you later, okay?" Bloom said with a seductive smile.
Blitz gave Bloom a completely disgusted look before realizing that he was talking to Derpy.
"Okay." As Derpy said the words, Bloom was already on his way out the door.
'Again, wait just a single minute. What the hay? Did he just-never mind,' Blitz thought. He watched as Derpy received her package and waved as she made her departure. "Better get going, I'm already confused as it is."
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz was trotting steadily through Ponyville's market, slightly unnerved about the particular location of delivery. He wandered a bit aimlessly as he tried to focus on finding where he needed to be. "Celestia, I swear. These ponies really pick the weirdest spots to be." He glanced at the side of the box he was carrying. "Doctor Rivet, on the edge of Ponyville's market near the Everfree forest. Hmm, doesn't get weirder than that."
Blitz finally spotted an area that looked like it matched the location and settled down the package. He awkwardly waited and thoughts raced in his mind. 'Wait, what if he doesn't even show up and I hauled this thing for nothing? What if he meant the other side of the market-wait that doesn't make sense.
"What the HAY, why is this-" Bitz covered his mouth as he spoke out loud.
"Hello?" a voice called.
Blitz jumped out of his skin, but kept his ground afterward. "Um, delivery for Doctor Rivet," he unintentionally asked as a question.
"Ah, yes. That would be me." A stallion wearing glasses and a suit stepped forward, adjusting the lenses as he neared the package. "Right on time," he said with a chuckle.
Blitz shared the laugh and slid the box over gently. He eagerly watched as Doctor Rivet inspected every inch of the box. He darted his eyes back and forth, making intellectual grunts. Blitz noticed the doctor glance at him before slowly placing the box on his back. "Are you gonna be alright, Mister?" he said tilting his head. "Do you need help?"
Doctor Rivet smiled mechanically. "No need, my good boy. I can handle this weight with ease." He paused suddenly and wrinkled his nose. "Hmm, did you, perhaps, peek into my package?"
Blitz shook his head violently and stuttered. "Oh-no! Of course not, I would-I would never consider that!"
The doctor raised a hoof to halt Blitz's disarray. "Would you like to see what is inside?"
Blitz was unsure about the offer. He did not expect to even still be with the strange pony. "Um, I'm not sure. It was kinda heavy, but I don't know if I should be interfering with your affairs," he said now uncomfortable at the situation.
"How about being my assistant?" the doctor said blindly.
Blitz broke eye contact. "Sorry, but I'm already someponyelse's assistant," he said warily. "I'm going to have to say no."
Doctor Rivet's eyes glared at Blitz, but quickly adjusted to a half smile as he bowed solemnly. "That is quite a shame; I was hoping you would comply. You seem like an extraordinary candidate to fit the spot."
Blitz watched as the other pony made his way towards Everfree forest. He contemplated as to why anyone would do such a thing, but shook his head to negate the thought. 'Don't trust anypony from now on and don't worry about their affairs. Life lessons...' Blitz continued observing Doctor Rivet's descend into the forest and glimpsed at a peculiar object. An orange blurb was contrasting with the lush greenery in the distance. Blitz narrowed his eyes and thought he made out some sort of face.
"That's totally normal. Celestia, that's very normal." He slowly backed away and trotted with fastened pace back towards the Emporium. "Never coming back here again, check." The unicorn felt a chill run down his spine and grimaced. "I wish Fuzzy was here, hay, anypony was here to just be with me. I'm not getting good vibes here."
Blitz eyed his surroundings with suspicion, and smiled awkwardly at staring pedestrians. 'There I go talking to myself. But, seriously, this is kinda creepy. Who is that Doctor Rivet guy? Oh well, I'm sure he's on his merry way doing whatever in the forest...um-'
He giggled at his own dirty thoughts. 'Wow, that's a Vice thought right there. I sure met some strange ponies today.' |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 23: Masked Return | A thunderous crackle shifted the air between the apple forest. Trees seemed to buckle against the crash of sound. An exasperated cheer erupted from a certain astonished pony. "See, this is why you can have nice things and I can't," Vice said.
Enzo replied with a silent, wry smile. He continued to pummel through trees, each kick would create the desired results as apples fell like red rain. Vice simply stood and watched in awe, Enzo was giving his full bucking power.
"It's good you kept your legs. Else we'd be in a bigger heap of...well you know." Vice grinned and pretended to feebly kick at a tree.
Enzo returned the laugh, but with hesitation. "Well, I guess I'm just worried about..." He trailed off as Vice understood what he meant.
"Yeah, we gotta go back, sorry. It's just I feel we have this need or this duty to eliminate those asswipes. To protect the people, right?" Vice said stopping his attempts to buck.
Enzo tilted his head down and looked away. "Let's be careful, alright?"
Vice extended his wings and flapped them furiously. "I'm tough as nails; can't stop these, heh." Both ponies exchanged nervous laughs before continuing their work. Vice, with his extended metal coated wings, proceeded to whack trees while Enzo bucked others with no problems. As soon as Vice let himself settle down and grumble about Enzo's bucking skills, a faint cry was heard.
"Enzo, I am not hallucinating, correct?"
"I heard it too."
"Good, 'cuz that ain't normal...just like a bunch of things we've seen already." Vice arched himself upwards and held a hoof to his ear. He leaned, almost falling over, and listened. Enzo waited patiently as well without a stir. Seconds passed by, almost a minute before the same faint cry emitted from the forest.
"Dude, that's definitely a chick...or a guy with a really high voice. Either way, I'm going in." Vice turned and rushed towards the last known direction of sound.
"Vice, wait-" Enzo protested in vain as he reluctantly followed behind his friend. The two ponies dashed through the green growth, sunlight was starting to dim.
The pathway ahead was becoming consumed by darkness, but Vice kept bolting. "Honey, I'mma comin'!"
"You said you don't even know-"
"I say a lot of things! Hurry, I bet we're in for a treat." With the words said, the ponies galloped until the scream happened once more. "That's friggin loud-ass hell." Vice increased his pace towards the sound and beckoned Enzo to do the same. "C'mon I think I see her!" He spotted a pale pink pony lying on the ground in the distance. "Hang on sweetheart!"
The mare looked up with surprise and smiled, her dark blue eyes filled with relief. "Hello?" she said shakily.
Vice grew a giant smile and closed in on the downed mare. Enzo grew agitated at Vice's impulsiveness and started to slow down. "When a girl screams in the forest you go after her? Vice what if this is a trap?"
"A girl with a dick is a trap, this ain't no trap." The mare slowly rose from her position and faced the duo with uncertainty.
"Are you going to hurt me?" she said with her voice still shaky.
Vice waved his hoof and moved closer to the mare. "S'all right, ma'am. We're here to rescue you."
"Thank you," she said moving closer to Vice.
"Vice, you're a dumbass." Enzo sighed and put a hoof on Vice. He pointed to the group of stallions that had appeared behind them.
Vice raised his hooves and ignored the mare moving in on him. "No, Enzo, I'm a smartass. I knew there'd be trouble...I want that trouble. This is what I want, to kick ass!"
"Why would you try to look for trouble?"
"I'm looking to end our troubles, not to just start stuff. Dude, remember yesterday? Today's the big day!"
"So stupid!" Enzo forgot about the mare and turned to see her holding something in her hoof. She lunged forward towards Vice and struck with a syringe type of weapon. He attempted to block the attack, but was stabbed in the chest as he failed to extend his wings. He felt a cold liquid surge through his body before swinging his wing and slapping the mare aside.
"You whore! What'd you do to me, what is this shit? Oh!" Vice ejected the syringe and forcibly threw it aside. He felt his wings start to drop and droop feebly beside his body. He stumbled backwards into Enzo and started hysterically laughing. "What did that bitch just put in me?"
"Her trap," Enzo said with frustrated tease. "Why don't you ever listen to me?" Vice rolled his eyes with pain and let his body fall to the ground. Enzo kept his eye on the oncoming group of stallions from behind and stood next to a downed Vice. He tapped his wrist band twice and let his concealed blade extend out. The stallions jumped back in surprise, some stood their ground, as Enzo waved his hook-like blade. "I will not hesitate to attack."
"He means...kill," Vice said with extreme difficulty.
One of the stallions snorted with distaste. "I've already seen your tricks; you wave your blade like a stallion. But are you willing to dance?"
"Hey that's my goddamn line, you shit!"
Enzo shook his head with confliction. He tried to say something, but came up with nothing. The stallion had said the truth and he could not deny it. 'Am I really inclined to kill...again?' Enzo let his thoughts crumble as he faced the now charging stallions.
"You gonna pay for messing with our girl."
"Hoe deserved it!" Vice said holding his wings against his body. The cold steel greeted his body with unease and he felt freezing points being created throughout his whole body. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that the pink mare had disappeared.
"Hey, who's on the ground right now? You shouldn't talk so big for such little filth," the leader of the group said. The ponies were almost upon the duo when a faint crack zipped through everyone's skulls. More sharp pangs stunned both teams and the forest started to fill with smoke. Enzo reacted with haste and hoisted Vice onto his back. He quickly exited the area of smoke and brought the pegasus down near a wide trunked tree. As soon as he finished his movement, he looked up to see that the previous location was lathered in smoke.
The dark, gray clouds created no silhouettes, but Enzo could tell that there was fighting going on. Grunts and exasperated screams echoed from the darkness, Enzo still kept his blade raised and half attention on a cringing Vice. A twinkle of red flashed through the smoke, it perked Enzo's full attention. He identified it as an eye and felt it staring into his soul. He gulped and stayed ready for anything.
The haze of grayness cleared and two lone figures stood, one figure was holding the other by the neck. Bodies littered the ground, but no tints of red liquid were seen. The red eye belonged to a pony and Enzo grimaced with realization. "Vice, we have another problem."
Vice turned to see the standing pony hurl its victim into the forest abyss. His body quivered. "It's him, Enzo."
"The Masked Pony." Enzo and Vice watched as the pony let its red eye zoom over the duo.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Don't forget over there!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting it. Hold on." Blitz sighed as he struggled to clean a tight space between a bookshelf and desk. He felt weakness as he tried to fit is hoof through the crack.
"Um," Twilight said apprehensively. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to get this tight space."
"...don't you want to use magic? It'd be much easier." Twilight stepped closer and inspected Blitz's actions. He felt an uneasy chill run down his spine as he felt himself being judged.
"Well, I'm a practical kind of pony. Who needs-" Blitz stopped, he realized his origin and Twilight's origin as unicorns and rubbed his forehead. "Magic..."
Twilight giggled at his response and let her horn glow. Within a few seconds, Blitz's cloth he was holding lifted out of his hooves and entered the crevice. A few swishes later, the magic and dust lathered cloth exited and returned back to Blitz's hoof. "See? That was much easier."
He chuckled a bit and looked away. "Yeah, I guess I should use my magic more often." A pause interrupted conversation; Blitz tilted his body back and forth before asking his question. "Hey, Twilight? Do you know anypony by the name of Doctor Rivet?"
Twilight lifted her head quizzically and shook it. "I can't say for sure I've heard that name before. Sorry, but I don't know."
Blitz smiled. "It's okay; I wasn't exactly expecting you to know. Or anypony for that matter. How about Clyde?"
"Clyde? I've seen him around not too long ago."
"I meant, uh, how did you all meet? I think he might've told me before, but I'm curious as to how exactly he got to Ponyville." Blitz hoped that the topic was veering towards the right direction.
"Clyde huh? Let's just say we met officially, no coincidence." Twilight paced around Blitz unintentionally as she explained her meeting. "After my friends and I, the Elements of Harmony, defeated Discord, Celestia ordered that there be somepony to physically watch over us. Since Ponyville has-well, not that much protection other than the Elements we all thought it would be a great idea. Clyde arrived a few days later and introduced himself; he was very nice and easy to talk to. He fit right into Ponyville and everypony seemed very fond of him."
Blitz nodded to confirm her was listening. "So he came in just like that?"
Twilight responded with her own nod. "Just like that and I don't regret it. I'm happy to have met such a pony as Clyde. He really makes it his duty to ensure that we're safe." Twilight paused and let her assistant soak in the information. "Even if nothing ever really happens."
"I'm glad evil doesn't exist," Blitz said. "Ponyville is too precious to be corrupted."
Twilight laughed. "You don't know how many times we've had to stop certain evil from taking over Ponyville."
~~~~~~~~~~
The masked pony stepped forward towards the duo with elegant steps. A rhythmic pattern erupted from the pony's march. Enzo kept his stance. The enemy raise its golden hoof and arched it towards Vice and Enzo.
"MISTER VICE, MISTER ENZO!" The words blasted from behind Vice and Enzo, causing them to revert their attention backwards. As soon as both ponies looked away, the masked pony had disappeared. "Where are you boys?"
"What? That guy-he's gone, wait that's not possible!" Vice said trying to get up. He stood up and instantly fell forward in one big movement. "He was literally right there..."
"Boys!" Clyde busted through a patch of bushes and came trucking through to the duo. "UP TO SOME MISHCIEF I SEE!" He laughed, but lost his upbeat nature as he noticed multiple ponies littering the ground. His face turned serious fast. He stampeded towards the only conscious ponies. "What happened?"
Enzo quickly retracted his blade back into his wrist band and stepped forward. However, Vice held up a hoof to hold back him, but the black stallion rejected his protests and stood firmly next to Clyde. "The masked pony from Canterlot is back. We also had encounters with a group of thugs." Enzo stated the words solidly as he pointed towards the downed stallions.
Clyde lowered his head. "I appreciate you telling me the truth this time, Mister Enzo. I will not ask about earlier yesterday, but this information only means that the culprit in mask is not alone. These stallions must be in line with the masked pony; this is more serious than I thought."
"Uh, that's not exact-ahahh." Vice squirmed with pain as he still felt the effects of the needle. "Christ!"
"Mister Vice, what happened to you?"
"Got stabbed with a damn needle. Oh God I need a docta, gimme that docter!" Clyde hoisted Vice up on his back and winced at Vice's shouts. "Hey, don't carry me, Clyde. I can go, just let me rest for a couple minutes...or hours; days."
"Mister Vice, you are in no condition to walk. Stop being so prideful and let me help you." The words hurt Vice hard, he let his struggles die as Clyde spread his white wings. Clyde looked at Enzo with worry. "I can't expect you to stay and watch over these delinquents, so I'm asking you to come with me and Mister Vice. We're going to have to come back and I'm assuming they will be gone by then."
"Yes." Enzo agreed and hopped onto Clyde's back. He braced himself for lift off and watched as the lying stallions turned into dots.
"We're going to have to warn-"
"No," Vice said. "We are not telling any...pony about this Clyde. No one."
"Mister Vice-"
"I may be useless right now, but I still have sense. Telling every...pony about this would cause more trouble. If we can contain this problem without anypony knowing then it would be a lot better than making bricks fly everywhere. You hear me?"
Clyde grunted with dissatisfaction. "I hear you, Mister Vice. But, I will tell Princess Celestia and I will call for back up. If we're going to contain this, we're going to more muscle."
"Fair enough, boss. Just get me the paramedics." Vice let the hot sunshine rejuvenate his cold body as Clyde flew overhead of the forest. "What an anti-climactic encounter...aw shit inside my asshole."
"What is it now, Vice?" Enzo said.
"I GOT BEAT BY A GIRL AGAIN!" |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 24: Bloody Patch | Blitz trotted with an upbeat pattern in his stride. He walked with energy towards his destination and let the bright sun shower him with grace. About halfway through his route, he slowed his pace and thought about Fuzzy Fry. His mind raced with already asked questions about his friend, but he squeezed them out instantly.
"Won't have that," Blitz said in a low hum. As soon as he regained focus, a pristine looking pony had materialized in front of him. Impact was imminent and Blitz felt a sense of dread run down his throat. He coughed up the words awkwardly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I, uh, I'm-I didn't mean to bump into you."
The other pony retaliated with a chuckle. Blitz identified the individual as very well dressed; his entire body was covered in accessories. The pony swiftly picked up his fallen monocle and placed it over his crimson red eye. Adjusting his top hat and brushing his thick mustache, the stallion spoke with ease. "Well now, that was rather unexpected."
Blitz started to settle down, he could feel the pony speaking softly. "You're okay right? I hope I didn't hurt you."
The other pony raised an eyebrow and paused for a moment. Some sort of realization struck and he laughed once more. "Ah yes, this old thing." He wiggled his bandaged hoof. "My left, er, fore leg has taken quite a few beatings before. I'm alright...ah yes, excuse my rude mannerism. I haven't even introduced myself. I am Gray Patch."
"Blitz." The unicorn stuck out a hoof to shake, but pulled back with embarrassment. Gray Patch merely smiled. "So, uh, what's a pony like you doing around these parts?"
Gray Patch stood up straight. "I'm from Canterlot. I've been searching for a few ponies; do Vice and Enzo ring any bells?"
Blitz was ready to speak, but held himself back vigorously. 'Wait, how does he know them? I've already had my fair share of shady characters. How can I trust this guy?' He spoke apprehensively. "Yeah, I've heard of them before. How do you know them?"
"We've had some...strange encounters recently. Let's just say that I need to tell them something important. Perhaps you don't know, but that's alright. I'll find out eventually."
"They're at the farm, Sweet Apple Acres."
Gray Patch stared at Blitz with uncertainty. "It is unusual that you would trust such a pony as myself so easily. However, I thank you for the information but will say this. Be cautious of who exactly you trust. Do not let yourself believe what everyone else says out of courtesy. Many here tend to trust others without consideration."
Blitz nodded. "Right."
"Well then, I shall be off. I thank you, again, for this information." Gray Patch bowed slightly to his best ability and started walking past Blitz.
The blue stallion stood stunned for a second, a plan started formulating within his head. 'Never trust anypony...part of my life lesson.' He resumed his walk again, albeit troubled. 'And I just broke it. Time to restart...again.'
~~~~~~~~~~
Trees bustled and leaves rustled as Clyde continued his flight over the apple tree forest. "Don't worry, Mister Vice, we are almost at the hospital."
Vice grunted in acknowledgement. He leaned over to Enzo and whispered with agitation. "Yo, uh, I think I'm feeling better?"
Enzo gave Vice a look of doubt, but saw that the pegasus was able to lift his wings again. "Um, why?"
"Well if I knew I wouldn't be telling you. Thing is, I just made Clyde crap himself wet and I let those bozos get away at the same time," Vice said with defeat. "This sucks."
"Boys, Mister Vice, we're here." Clyde gently fluttered to the ground and let the duo disembark. He eyed Vice and did a double-take of the head. "Mister Vice, you're able to walk!"
"It's a GD miracle, Clyde. I think I'm feeling-"
"We need to get you inside right now!" Clyde grabbed Vice by his body and hauled him through the hospital doors. Enzo watched with silent amusement and followed. As he lagged behind, he heard a faint call for his name.
"...nzo is that you?"
The black stallion turned around and faced his caller. "Gray...Patch?"
"Yes, I'm glad you remember me." Gray Patch smiled and came forth. "I see we have a predicament with your good friend, Vice."
"Yeah, he sort of...um. He got injected with an unknown liquid," Enzo said.
"Interesting. Let me have a look at him. Maybe I can conclude something out of it."
Enzo let his confusion take over, he watched motionless as Gray Patch entered the hospital. "What?" He could hear a commotion erupting from the hospital and entered himself. Vice sat sagging on one of the hospital chairs, he looked irritated by Clyde's shenanigans.
"Mister Gray Patch, I cannot express my truest joy to see you once more! However, it seems as though Princess Celestia has picked an ill time for us to meet."
Gray Patch chuckled. "So it seems. How is Vicer?"
"Dying." Both ponies eyed Vice with intent.
"Yes, it appears Mister Vice has gotten himself into an unlikely accident...again. The two boys said they've had an encounter with some stallions within the forest adjacent to Sweet Apple Acres. I have reason to believe that this masked pony we all saw in Canterlot was involved; he must be their leader."
Gray Patch smiled and put his free hoof on Clyde's shoulder. "Maybe it would be best if you contacted the head of the royal guards to send an investigation team. I'll watch over these two."
Clyde brushed his mustache. "Alright then, Mister Gray Patch, I'm trusting you to ensure that Mister Vice is all settled. I will contact Princess Celestia and inform her of what happened. I shall be back." He turned to both Vice and Enzo. "Miss Twilight will know of this."
Vice went to protest, but Enzo shut him down again. "Alright, Clyde, that's okay." The guard pony nodded and headed out the hospital doors with a hurry. Attention fell on Vice. Gray Patch inspected the pony with his watchful red eye.
"Yo man, I'm feeling great. You don't-wait, you're not a doctor. What the hell?" Vice slid away with each step Gray Patch took.
"If you would allow me to take a blood sample-"
"Again, what the hell?"
"Vice, I can resolve your issue if you would just trust me." The pristine pony edged closer to Vice who slowly calmed down.
"If you start touching me inappropriately, then I'm gonna have to slap your shit."
"Right then." Gray Patch got up to Vice and produced some sort of blade from under his chest suit.
'Totally not suspicious, totally not questionable and I'm totally not going to get shanked right here,' Vice thought. He squirmed around as he felt the cold blade enter the flesh of his fore leg.
"It's only a poke," Gray Patch said removing the blade and wiping it with a cloth.
"A poke too much." Vice looked down to see his own little stream of blood trickle down to his hoof.
Gray Patch examined said blood; he felt it and brought his red eye close. The two almost matched in color. He concluded his results with a nod and wiped away the excess blood. "Interesting. You're blood is different than the normal blood common throughout Equestria."
"Different? That's kinda funny actually."
"Yes, it's what saved you a horrible fate. You say you got injected with an unknown liquid, correct? Well you've been unaffected, as it seems, due to your...strange blood. It is much darker and thicker than normal blood. I've only ever seen this type elsewhere once. I would like to say that it is rare, almost to the point where I would even say it does not exist. However, you seemed to have broken that theory."
"Uh, is that a good thing?" Vice anxiously swished around as he felt vile with the fluids within.
"It's what saved you." Gray Patch turned to Enzo and smiled. "Your friend is fine."
Enzo let all the worries flush out his system. "Good, at least we can now-"
"Go back and kick ass, c'mon Enzo, I'm free!" Both Gray Patch and Enzo gave Vice dissatisfied faces.
"So you've chosen to go back after just thinking you had been injected with poison," Gray Patch asked with a tilt of the head.
"Yep, let's go, Enzo." Vice was already halfway through the door when Enzo spoke up.
"Vice, maybe we should take it easy. I'm worried...again."
"No need to be worried once we clean up house. I got distracted by a pretty bitch, okay? This time I'm all offense; anything moves and I'll wreck its anus."
Enzo sighed and spoke to Gray Patch loudly for Vice to hear. "Can't you do anything to stop him?"
"First off, that is your job as his friend." The words shot through Enzo like cold steel. "Second, I cannot stop you two, nor Vice for that matter, from going back. It's not my job to govern your own decisions."
Enzo let his body get dragged as Vice pulled him away. "Don't worry, Enzo. If things get rough I'll just use fly to get our asses out of there."
Gray Patch watched as the two ponies left his view. He could still hear Vice's commotions outside and stayed silent until they ceased. "Naive fool."
~~~~~~~~~
"Celestia, Bloom, you sure are a romantic," said Blitz whistling as he delivered another letter to Rose's mailbox. He lifted the red flag and trotted back to the Emporium with joy. The sunshine poured its rays of light down towards Blitz; he let his blue body absorb all the heat. "Gosh, it's so good to be me right now. I love this!"
After minutes of sunshine and walk, he finally reached his destination and eagerly went to his station to receive more work. The unicorn glanced around for his boss before inspecting his package. "Doctor Rivet, side of market." Blitz looked at the wall with a face in attempt to amp up his spirit. "Again? Why."
He lifted the box and noticed that it was much lighter than his previous load for Doctor Rivet. "So, we're gonna meet again. Maybe I might just take up his offer to be assistant. That way I can open myself up to others, he might have some useful spells or-"
'Many here tend to trust others without considering who that particular other exactly is.'
The words rang through Blitz's mind. "Right." As he departed for delivery, he passed something odd. A single roll of paper was sitting in the middle of the room. "Hmm, looks like Post Pole or Derpy might have dropped his. He went to pick it up with his hoof, but stopped. He looked around himself before lifting the newspaper with magic.
The string unknotted itself and the paper unrolled onto the ground. Blitz cursed himself for even attempting magic outside Twilight's house. "Darn, this is why I don't use magic." He went to physically pick up the paper when he spotted a familiar name. "Doctor Rivet?" Upon closer inspection, he read one section of the article that sent goose bumps riveting through his body.
"Doctor Rivet, accused of being a fugitive from Canterlot. Any ponies with information regarding this 'doctor' should contact a local guard for questioning. Be safe and be on the lookout for the pony with the scalpel and wrench cutie mark."
"Excuse me, Mister Blitz, is there something wrong?"
Blitz jumped and spun his body around to face his boss. "Mister Post Pole!"
"What is that you have with you?" Post Pole came closer and Blitz could tell he was not impressed. "Reading documents again, I see. These types of papers are bundled up for a reason. Give me that."
Blitz handed the newspaper over sheepishly and let Post Pole take his important piece of info. "S-sorry. Won't ever happen again!"
"I don't believe you, but I'll take your word. If it does happen again, you will be fired. Understand, Mister Blitz?"
The pony nodded and watched his boss exit with the newspaper. He wondered about what Post Pole could be doing and left with those thoughts in his head. Post Pole had never returned to the room.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Ahh, Blitz, is it?"
"Yes, Doctor Rivet, I have another delivery for you."
"Splendid. Give it here." Blitz handed over the smaller, lighter box to the doctor. He stood awkwardly as Doctor Rivet soon sought to leave the area. "Is something troubling you?"
"Um, do you know when you asked me to be your assistant?" Blitz said trying to suppress his shaking voice.
"Why of course. Like I said, you fit perfectly for such a role."
Blitz nodded. "I've made up my mind. I want to be your assistant. I trust that you are a good pony and I want to learn more from you."
This response gave Doctor Rivet a sense of pride. "Well now, that was very nice praise. I thank you for your kindness and I accept you as my assistant. Let us walk, yes?"
Blitz only nodded and followed loosely behind the doctor. 'I have no time to get Clyde for this. I'm going to have to tough this out and figure out who this Doctor Rivet is.' He continued walking; the two eventually entered the forest. 'Celestia give me power, this is not going to end well.' The greenery surrounded Blitz, the sun had started to fade by the overgrowth above. 'Why do I have to be such a hero...' |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 25: To Find the Truth | Leaves crunched and hooves stamped the ground as two ponies galloped through the apple forest. The sun sat atop the sky centered in the blue sea of mystery. Trees laughed and gawked at the two ponies and their attempts to flourish their desires. A single name was repeated over and over, their goal rested upon physical sight.
"Yo, Doc Rivet! Where you at ya big puss puss?"
"Vice, I don't think screaming his name is going to make him jump out at us."
"Yeah? You have any better ideas? I'm not exactly up for running into another ambush; I'd rather just pound him and be over. Ever hear that crazy phrase, 'cut off the head and the body will die'? Well essentially, if we were to look at this whole thing as a giant gay metaphor, the doc is the head and his henchmen are the body. We slug him and it's over, downtown-old school style."
"Okay." Enzo continued to lag behind Vice on purpose. He let his partner scout ahead while he covered the back. This method seemed useless, but proved to be efficient as Enzo called for the duo to stop.
"Hey, what's up dude? Got your panties tied in a bunch already? We only ran like-"
"Vice, shut it!"
The pegasus turned and put his hoof on Enzo's shoulder, just next to his red scarf. "Why."
"Listen!" Both ponies kept still and awaited any source of sound. "Hear that?"
"No, actually. I'm deaf apparently and I might as well be mute because you're not really explaining-" A laughing grunt halted Vice's speech and his eyes grew in fear. "Ok-okay I heard that. What the hell is that?" Another laugh more sinister filled the forest air with dread.
"I don't like this."
"Of course you don't like it, Captain Obvious! I think I know what's going down here!" Vice saw an image of an orange creature zip by his sight and shrieked. "Holy-"
"I see him, Vice!" Enzo quickly double tapped his wrist band to reveal his curved blade. A sharp swiping sound countered the quiet forest as Enzo held his ground.
"Oh man, Christ!" Vice followed in his partners footsteps; he unfolded his metal tipped wings and arched them. "Where is he?" Another distorted chuckle, almost a choking sound was unleashed. "Great, he's playin' games. Love games, huh?" Vice clapped his wings together and created loud bangs. A laughing screech echoed and the pegasus jumped back.
Enzo watched Vice skitter about before noticing something amiss. He turned around and quickly sidestepped. Enzo landed next to Vice and held his partner in terror. Standing before the duo was the orange monster; its claw missed its mark and sunk in the ground.
It raised its glowing, pale yellow eyes and hissed. "Missed..." It frowned, yet still kept a faint smile before rushing towards the duo.
"Run!"
"What?"
"Enzo, run!" Vice turned and flung his body forward in a stumbling dash. Enzo swung his wrist blade in attempt to fake out the creature, but found himself dodging another swipe. He measured his odds and found himself sprinting back with Vice.
"Alright, I won't question why we're running."
"Don't have to, I got a plan." Vice led Enzo deeper into the forest, sunlight slowly vanished. Shadows crept on the two and various sounds whizzed by. "We get far enough, I'll distract, and you ambush." He looked back and saw no sign of orange. "Okay, this is our chance. I'll hang out here and-"
"Find!" The orange creature erupted from above and landed next to Vice.
"Halt!" a voice said. The orange creature paused before jumping back with a groan. "Well, well, Enzo. Seems as though your thirst for my blood will never end."
"Enzo? What's going on here; more bitches for me to slap down?"
"Oh great, another tough guy," another voice said nonchalantly. "Enzo, we have unfinished business, remember?"
"Ah, we finally meet once more," the other voice said. On cue, three stallions dropped from above and faced the duo.
"Jesus H. what is with you guys falling from the sky? Everyone around here is just miraculously appearing from heaven as if God himself sent down angels to strike us down."
"Heh, you're still talking shit huh?" A white stallion with a full face helmet stepped up and sneered. A blue wristband similar to Enzo's was strapped on his hoof and his back supported a cyan metal box. The helmet shined pale gray and its blue eyes radiated with a bright lapis tint. "What? Shocked by my fancy tech?" His voice spoke with a slight echo.
Vice sighed heavily. "No, I'm shocked by your stupid outfit. They always say the uglies hide their effed up trash with a mask."
"Keep insulting me, c'mon." The pony raised his hoof and tapped a device on it twice. "Who's got the gun in this situation, eh?" A miniature cannon had constructed itself and a blue ball of energy was already forming in the nozzle. He pointed it directly at Vice's stone cold face. "I got the thing that goes boom-splat. Don't fuck with me."
"That's enough, Joltaire," the voice from before spoke. "Let me take care of this." The pony known as Joltaire groaned and let his talker take the lead. Another stallion wearing an open faced helmet came forward. His head piece sported a large knife-like tip above the forehead and gleamed with a vibrant gold. Two golden wrist bands clinked with each footstep the pony made. "Ahem, allow me to explain what the heck is going on here. I am Sir Cutter X and-"
"WOW, WAIT!" Vice said smiling like crazy. "Sir Cutter...X? Yo, what the-oh my lord. Oh my lord and what the hell is with wrist bands?"
"What?"
"That's the stupidest name I've ever heard. It could have been just Cutter. Cutter, that would've been cool. But adding the Sir and the X; it's too much, bro. Maybe Cutter X? No, dude, no. You're name is just failure."
"Fuck?"
"Well I've managed to hear more curses coming out of you jackasses than myself in the past, eh, five minutes? Damn, I need to start dropping F bombs."
"Listen here asshat, I am the one calling the shots here not you. If you think you're in control right now-well you'd just be a dumbass." Sir Cutter X's grayish blue body shook with anger and his black eyes tried in vain to pierce Vice's spirit.
"Well, Mister Douchwagon, it seems as though we have a problem then," Vice said relaxing himself.
"Alright. Alright, shithead, let's solve this problem."
"God, you two are such children. I hate children," Joltaire said. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt your tea party? Sorry, sorry, me and my gun will just-hey, Masquerade Blade, take it from here!" Joltaire pointed towards the remaining unknown stallion.
"..." The black pony addressed as Masquerade Blade simply looked up and stayed silent. Thin metal rings hung from his sides. He just stood and watched his partners do the talking. His light purple eyes steered towards Enzo and intensified.
"Right," Joltaire said.
"Hold on." Vice raised a hoof. "You can't expect a guy like me to remember your names-let alone care about them. Cut me some slack, who are you?"
"Well let's make this simple," Sir Cutter X said. "You just officially met the bad guys."
~~~~~~~~~~
"So, uh, you work alone," Blitz said with his stroll next to Doctor Rivet.
"Not exactly. Of course now I have another pony assisting me, correct? But, I do have...superiors that over watch me. To be perfectly honest, I am quite fine with the transaction. They are a strange bunch though. They claim themselves to be the bad guys." Doctor Rivet said the phrase with distaste. "I am not fond of that title."
"I see." Blitz continued his loose shuffled behind the doctor. Dead, quiet silence accompanied him in his walk. 'Something's obviously off, but if this guy's working for-bad guys-then I need to get more information. I can't bail now, everypony back in Ponyville might be in trouble.'
"So, what is your expertise in magic?" The question stung Blitz hard.
"Um...ice?" he responded cautiously.
"Interesting. A pony amongst our group proclaimed that he knew a unicorn that could perform ice spells."
'What is he talking about?' A sudden image of Fuzzy Fry flashed in Blitz's mind. He shut his eyes and winced, faltering back.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, no. I'm cool, I'm good." Blitz suppressed the long haunting image and regained himself. However, he instantly lost his self composure once a faint chuckle was heard. "Oh, um sorry for being such a joke right now."
"That was not me, my dear boy."
Blitz eyed his left and rights before staggering back. "Well, who was it?" The laughing intensified and Blitz shuddered, he contemplated abandoning his quest right here.
"Bullet Buster, cease your shenanigans. You are scaring my newly acquired assistant.
"Oh boo hoo, Doc. Can't let the crazy guy have his fun?" Blitz sensed movement behind him and jumped forward out of reaction. He landed next to Doctor Rivet and looked back to see something out of a nightmare. Standing before him was a pony with hooves beyond all comprehension. "Wassup sucka?"
"Hi!"
"Oh and it's Bull It, doc. Bull It Buster, bulling the it!" The pony stamped his hoof and made a clang with the ground. Blitz analyzed the devices attached to the pony's forelegs and gasped. "Wha? What you scared of? These malookas?" Bull It Buster raised his forelegs and snickered. Blitz then noted that the devices were literally the pony's forelegs; each hoof was a giant cylinder-like mechanism to the knee joint. Both were spinning in place making loud, buzzing noises. Streaks of light blue started to light up within the machines and sharp chirping noises erupted.
"Calm down, Bullet Buster. No need to be pretentious at the moment."
"Don't you use your fancy wording on me." Bull It Buster lowered his hooves, but kept standing on his two hind legs. He crudely adjusted his ripped, torn and worn black hat and let his equally destroyed cape flow wistfully behind him.
"Can somepony explain what's going on," Blitz said in a low whimper.
"Ah, excuse me. Allow me to explain. Bullet Buster is another work of my art."
"Hardly, I came in with these big guns. You just lubed them up."
"Right. Anyhow, I helped modify his hooves, or guns, so that they are magic induced. That is to say they can fire magic bullets within a few seconds of spinning up.
'Guns huh? That's just great. This means these guys don't screw around. I have to find out what this 'doctor' is planning before...' Blitz nodded as naturally as possible. "Okay."
"No need to be scared little boy. I ain't gonna fondle you." Bull It Buster slowly started circling Blitz with vicious intent. His golden yellow eyes not only caused panic, but also induced curiosity. The pony's eyes withheld a marking in the middle in paler yellow.
'He has targets in his eyes? Why-no, how.' Blitz kept his poker face sturdy against his two onlookers. "So, um, can you explain this plan of yours? I didn't exactly get it," he said as he removed himself from Bull It Buster's jests.
"In time, Blitz, in time. You will know soon enough."
'Not the answer I was looking for.' Blitz continued following Doctor Rivet deeper into the forest with Bull It Buster tagging close by. He could almost hear his breathing. 'And not the bunch I'd like to be with. Darn, this isn't looking well. To top it all off, I willingly walked into this and managed to get screwed over harder than when I coincidently met Trixie. But, I have to figure out what's going on...for everypony back home.'
~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright, cockfaces, would you kindly go off yourselves? I'll tell everyone that we got you-"
"Oh shut up already." Sir Cutter X shook his head and gestured for his companions to surround the duo. "I get it. I get what you're doing. You are being a cocky fag. You think that this is a joke; that we are a joke." The armored stallion raised his two forelegs and clapped them together. As soon as he finished, metal began constructing around his forelegs. Within seconds the pony was wielding two blades engulfing his hooves. "Let's see if we're playing now."
On cue, the black stallion known as Masquerade Blade reached behind and pulled out the metal rings hanging from his back. He rotated them in a position where he held a ring in each hoof. Joltaire still kept his wrist gun handy as the energy still surged towards Vice and Enzo.
"Well you're right about that. You guys are big jokes. Plain and simple fools." Vice crossed his arms and let his wings fold over his shoulders. "Now then, wouldja at least tell me who y'all are. Give me that much."
"Hmph. Piece of shit never quits talking," Joltaire said.
"Y'know what, this is kinda awkward without you knowing. I mean if Enzo didn't tell you already...well what kind of friend is he?" Sir Cutter X smiled devilishly.
"Vice, I swear. I did not know they were here."
"Enzo?" Vice uncrossed his arms and almost fell face first into the ground. "What-okay, tell me who these guys are! Who are you?"
"How tragic. Let's just say we're all old rivals of Enzo and we've still gotta settle the fight." Sir Cutter X pumped his blades up righteously.
"Yeah, uh, I need to blow his brains out because of how hard he screwed me in the past," Joltaire added. "Same with Masquerade, we all gotta bone to pick...or two."
"What past, huh?" Vice spoke with difficulty.
"Oh I'm sure you know. That I guarantee." Sir Cutter X shrugged as Vice deciphered his meaning. "How long have you been hiding How long have you been lying?"
"What the hell. What do you mean?" This time Vice's voice almost broke, it came out as a whisper.
"Surely the people, or should I say goddamn horses, around here suspect something of your metal wings. But, I'll just assume they're all retarded and you've managed to slip by because everyone around here is an idiot." Sir Cutter X now spoke with full force, emphasizing words to get his point across.
"Hey, don't make fun of my-"
"Friends? Are you going to tell me that you seriously made friends? Enzo, Can you believe him?" Sir Cutter X laughed along with Joltaire, yet Masquerade Blade still kept silent.
Vice stayed silent, his eyes no longer met up with any of the stallions' varying eyes. Enzo gritted his teeth at every word spoken.
"How long, how long, how fucking long have you been hiding your identity; who you are? Deceiving everyone around you to believe you are actually of this world, but no. You waltzed in here without warrant and pretended to fit in. You believed that you were actually created here; that you were born in this world.
"Stop."
"You don't belong in this world. We don't belong in this world. Corrupt guys like us belong in hell for what we've did; for what we've seen. I know, anyone from the other side knows."
"Other side." Vice lowered his head then jolted upwards. "You're-"
"From the portal." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 26: All Out Fight | "EXCUSE ME? MISTER GRAY PATCH, HOW COULD YOU!"
"Apologies, Mister Clyde, I could really do nothing to stop them. They left quickly without second thoughts."
Clyde Put a hoof to his head and rubbed down his face. He tried to brush his mustache, but ended up stamping his foot. A certain nurse entered the room with a worried look. She was in the middle of writing something down on a short clipboard before looking up with concern. "Is something the matter?"
"Miss Redheart, it's nothing to be concerned about. I just had a little outburst."
"Alright, well I'm going to have to ask you to keep it down. Okay?"
Clyde nodded and Nurse Redheart left with a smile. He turned back to Gray Patch and sighed. "Can you at least tell me where they've gone off to?"
"The two said they were entering the forest once more." Clyde groaned at the statement, but straightened himself up. "I'd say they didn't make it far."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Clyde said with worry pouring down his head.
"Sorry, I meant that in a vain usage. I don't think they found anything. You should be able to locate them with ease."
"Right. Well then, Mister Gray Patch, I'll be on my way." Clyde nodded solemnly and turned with haste. "Can you do me a favor and stay here in case they happen to return?"
Gray Patch closed his eye and adjusted his top hat. "Of course."
"Many thanks, Mister Gray Patch." Clyde was already outside and hovering with his white wings. He zipped into the dawning sky, a white speck in the redness.
Gray Patch watched with dread. "I hope you two are doing well. You've just lost your back-up."
~~~~~~~~~~
Blitz kept his head low and his face neutral. He walked at a steady pace and behind everyone else. Each step was a light tap and his breaths were performed cautiously. "So, Doctor Rivet, I don't want to sound pushy but I need to know what the plan is. I don't really like walking into this blind," he said with a nervous chuckle.
"Stop asking questions and just go with stuff. That's what I do and look at where I am now," Bull It Buster said smiling.
'Yeah, exactly...' Blitz ignored the pony and focused on attaining information. "Alright, so how far is it then? I mean, shouldn't it be close to town or something?"
"Quite the opposite; we like to set up our operations deep into the forest. If the event should occur that our plan be exposed to the public...well it wouldn't be in my favor." Doctor Rivet adjusted his glasses and wiped his blond mane back. "We should be arriving soon."
'Not good enough.' Blitz shuffled in place before saying his next statement boldly. "Listen, I really just wanr answers right now. I'm not joking around. I need to know what's going on here. It's just I hate not knowing something everypony else does. I swear this is all I'm asking-" Blitz froze as he felt cold steel pressing up against his cheek.
"Oh my sweet prince did you really take me for a fool? I may be the crazy guy in this relationship, but I can smell a snitch from a mile away-"
"Alright, I suppose I must inform you if you insist," Doctor Rivet said without looking back. "Our group, the Misfit Marauders as we call ourselves, have established a plan to take over Ponyville. Why, perhaps? You should ask my superiors why when we arrive at our destination. They gave me the tools to operate so I did not complain. They spoke of stealing trains in order to furnish their plan, but we've had much failure until recently. However, we shall explain this more depth when-Bullet Buster what are you doing to my assistant?"
Bull It Buster's gun hooves drooped and flopped gently against his sides as he gave the doctor a gaping face. His eye twitched before he clamped his teeth together. "Oh my lordy, doc. My goddamn nipples can hold in more secrets than you!" He looked back at Blitz and grinned. His target-marked, yellow eyes radiated fear. "But, that gives me a goood reason to blast your squishy head open." Blitz trembled as Bull It Buster placed his gun once more to his head. "Nighty night." The light blue lights lit up within the muzzle and the gun spun up with light speed.
A click popped and silence followed. Blitz had tight squeezed eyes until he noticed he was still breathing. He instantly fell to the ground before staggering away from his killer.
"Doc." Bull It Buster turned to Doctor Rivet and kneeled while grabbing his forelegs. "D-doc, doc, doc my man what's wrong with me? Why didn't I go rata tat tat?"
"Your guns weren't loaded, Bullet Buster I thought you knew this!" Doctor Rivet said.
"I thought I knew this!" Bull It Buster said putting his gun hooves to his head. "Doc, ya gotta load me up, hurry! Before my target gets away. Fill me!"
"I do not-I instructed you on how to do so. How could you forget such an action?"
"Okay, I'm not a clever man."
"Listen, let us just-" Doctor Rivet's eyes grew wide with disappointment. He tilted his glasses and sighed. "It seems as though my assistant has fled the scene no thanks to you, Mister Bullet Buster. Quite a shame, I had such great plans for him."
"Oh he won't be safe fo' long. We'll find him; we just gotta get to the bosses. I bet you my right nut that he'll miraculously end up there." Bull It Buster clapped his machine hooves together in anticipation.
Doctor Rivet chuckled. "I do not believe in Celestia's work. My hoof is that of creation, but we shall see about your theory. Come now."
~~~~~~~~~~
Blades swung and energy flew in all directions as Vice and Enzo dodged assortments of attacks. Enzo's blade was already at work deflecting launched metal rotary blades and jumping over explosions of blue energy. Vice's mechanized wings were also keeping up with flurries thrown by Sir Cutter X. "Hell in a handbasket, Enzo! This is turning out to be a weird cartoon-aname-or whatever you call it. Flying metal shurikens slash buzz saws, a hand cannon and this dingus with knives. Doesn't get any weirder!"
"Asshole." Sir Cutter X had launched his blade-like hoof at Vice and missed by centimeters.
"Wow," Vice said as he slowly soared into the air. "Seems like all this time spent in the wonderful land of Equestria really did soften me up; can't even swear now."
"Doesn't change the fact that you're a killer deep inside. We're all killers, especially you." Sir Cutter X scratched at the floor in a taunting attempt to bring Vice down from the air.
"You don't know shit about me, bro. But yeah this killer is about to murdelize you." Vice cocked his body before blasting himself towards his grounded target. Sir Cutter X raised his blade arms in defense and managed to block against Vice's outstretched wing.
"Hah, you don't think I'm that weak. I'm the leader of the Misfit Marauders. I'm invincible!"
Vice got back to his feet and continued to parry with Sir Cutter X. Enzo had similar issues as he faced both attackers at once. His body and spirit never faltered and he moved exactly as he coordinated.
"C'mon, Enzo, tell me," Joltaire said as he shot another blue energy bomb. "Did you accomplish anything else besides making your prissy little friends? A home? Family?" The unicorn laughed at his own words. "I hope you're still the same Enzo inside. Otherwise, killing you won't be as satisfying. Here, let me demonstrate how I'm still cool ole' me." Joltaire's horn lit up as a faint blue and the metal device on his back began to shudder. Enzo watched with worry as the white stallion's back began to construct itself outward. "Jetpack, baby."
Enzo went to strike, but was caught off guard by a spinning blade. It nipped his scarf before digging itself into the soft ground. He turned to see a black pegasus zooming straight for him. Holding two blades in each hoof, Masquerade Blade threw both in a fly by. Enzo deflected one, but suffered a cut to his cheek by the other.
"See? I'm flying and doing magic. I'm special." Enzo observed Joltaire's meaning with more nervousness. The pony's back device had sprouted two vertical thrusters exhausting sea blue fire.
"You won't hold that for long though. It's physically impossible," Enzo said.
"Oh, Mister Native Boy here knows everythin-" Joltaire's voice sailed off as he felt for his head. He landed hard and Enzo took initiative to attack. "Damn this magic sugar shit." However, Masquerade Blade had materialized next to Enzo and almost bisected the pony. Enzo jumped away and finally took note of his attacker's wings.
"..."
"How you doing over there, Enzo?" Vice called still boxing with Sir Cutter X.
"Fine, Masquerade Blade has wings and Joltaire is a unicorn!" Enzo said back.
"Cool, that means that this guy right here sucks 'cuz it doesn't look like he has anything fancy."
"Excuse me, you little prick? Have you seen my cutting tools? My armaments?"
"Have you seen my metal wings? Dude, metal wings. That's stuff of legends; who cares if you have blades all over your body and your dick."
Sir Cutter X's eyes filled with fury. "A bigger dick than you'll ever-"
"Blue!" Both stallions diverted their attention towards a left out character. "It's blue, I see blue!"
"Hey, you filthy creature! What are you talking about? What blue?" Sir Cutter X said.
"It's blue!"
"You stupid-" Sir Cutter X found himself sent sprawling and crashing into a multitude of trees as Vice took the opportunity to get a wing slap in.
"Blue, blue, blue, blue!"
"What the hell-Blitz?" Vice watched as the monster bounced up and down towards his friend.
Blitz's breathing exceeded reality as he gasped for air. His mouth hung open dry, his cheeks were lightly sprinkled with tears. His eyes sealed shut and his motion was linear. 'Just run, don't stop. Tell the others, don't stop. Don't stop.' Blitz finally opened his eyes and screamed a raspy squeal as an orange creature pounced atop his body.
"Blue!"
Blitz's screaming did not cease as he stared at his smiling captor. "Wha-wha-" He couldn't spit out his terrified words. The creatures golden-like eyes stabbed through all sense of mind Blitz had; the exposed, fleshy mouth increased that absence. '
"Blue..."
"Eat a dick, freakface!" Blitz felt pressure relieve from himself. Vice had managed to remove the monster via wing attack and hoisted Blitz up by his head. "What are you doing here?" Blitz's silence spoke for him. "Agh, shit. What are you doing here, hey! Hey!" Vice shook Blitz lightly.
"Vice, I found about-out-bad something-bad-figured." Blitz paused himself with a raised hoof. "Vice, some ponies are planning some bad things."
"Yeah, I can tell. Now tell me what you are-how'd you get here!" Vice eyed the fallen Sir Cutter X and creature with readiness to strike.
"I was running away from this doctor named-"
"Doc Rivet; son of a bitch!"
"And his lovely, loaded companion!" Vice's eyes lit with astonishment and he dived into Blitz. The two landed safely on the ground while a stream of bluish purple bullets flew overhead. "Aw piss, why you gotta jump out of the way? Why can't you just accept my psychotic judgment?"
"'Cuz I ain't ready to kick the bucket...Bullet Buster."
Bull It Buster's face twitched into surprise. "Who dat?" Upon closer inspection he clapped his gun hooves together. "Vice! Oh my, is it really you? Hehe, in the...flesh?"
"Yeah, you crazy bastard. It's me. Now, would you mind not shooting at us?"
"Nope, you must suffer the wrath of Bull It Buster; the craziest of them all. Don't you remember how I had to be kept on a leash? No matter, let me shower your asses with my hail of bullets. You better be prayin' to your goddamn mother's titties and all of her juices!"
"Gross," Vice said.
"Quite my douchebag friend." Vice swung his metal wing instinctively behind him. Sir Cutter X dodged and countered with a quick slash to Vice's shoulder. "Too slow!" Both ponies grabbed each other and started to wrestle.
"Hey move it, Sir Fancylot! I'm trying to get a shot in without blowing your-UGHWAAH!" Bull It Buster felt a cold wetness blind him and he fired his guns in recoil. Bullets sprayed everywhere as the deranged pony tried in vain to wipe his eyes. "Ahh, it's so cold it burns!"
"Hey watch it-gah!" Sir Cutter X suffered a graze and was finished by another jab to the face by Vice. The pony resumed his incapacitation on the ground. Vice retreated behind a tree to avoid being torn up by the still flying bullets.
"Vice!"
"Blitz?" A faint image of a snowball hitting Vice's cheek swiped past his mind. "Did you throw a damn snowball?"
"Yeah! I think it did something!" Blitz found himself hiding behind a tree as well. He felt a sense of respite before all chaos unleashed within his body.
"Blue, blue!"
"Not this time, dickhole!" Before the orange creature could get another grip on Blitz, Vice grappled the beast by the neck and started to choke him out. The pony flailed its claw-like hooves and screeched in terror. "Feisty little bugger!"
"Get this cold piss outta my eyes!" Bull It Buster refused to cease fire. The constant sound of banging rattles ran through the air.
"Bah, let me shut him up! C'mere!" Vice maneuvered his grip on the orange creature and trapped the pony within his wings. Vice leaped forward and managed to hurl the monster straight at the spazzing gunner. The two mentally unstable ponies collided with a crack.
"That's pretty good. Is this your horse friend by the way?"
Vice cursed before facing a delicate situation. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Ahh, still playing the innocent, shady type I see. Trying to hide the truth." Sir Cutter X pointed his blade at a confused Blitz. "Ask him, where he's really from. I can tell you that he's a big liar."
"Don't listen to him, Blitz. He's trying to get into your head."
Blitz shook his head and pointed back at the bladed pony. "I don't even know you. But I can tell you're not the pony I'd like to trust."
Sir Cutter X chuckled. "What. These?" He raised his bladed hooves. "I'm not that scary, am I?"
"No, you're actually not," Blitz said nonchalantly.
"You dare insult-" The pony was sent to the embracing ground again as Vice swooped in quickly to shut down the distracted leader.
"Nice thinking, Blitz," Vice said with an impressed smile.
"Can we just get out of here so I can tell Clyde what's happening-"
"NO! No, no, dude. We aren't telling anyone-pony about this."
"Are you freaking kidding me, Vice? I'm telling Clyde no matter what and you can leave me; whatever. I'm tired of you guys keeping secrets and I'm not going to keep quiet about this."
"You idiot, Blitz!"
"You're the idiot!"
"God, you stubborn-"
"Enzo!" Blitz pointed towards the black stallion still defending against his two attackers.
"Getting tired yet?" Joltaire said as he fired another energy ball.
"I wouldn't be talking," Enzo said as he dodged with ease.
"Heheh, you're still vicious to the very end."
"Why me? Why can't you just leave me alone!"
"Because you deserve death. We all deserve death, but you're just going first." Joltaire kept a fair distance between his prey as he never lifted his aim off Enzo. "We're bad souls trapped in a pure world. You taint this world just as much as I do."
"I've changed," Enzo said. "I am not-"
"There is no change; a killer will always be a killer. Designed to destroy and designed to take lives was our cause. Deep down, we are all the same to our core." Joltaire shook his head as he spoke. "Sir Cutter X may be running the show, but I'm still just as important and way cooler."
As soon as Joltaire had finished his sentence, Enzo received a hard attack from Masquerade Blade from above. Enzo barely blocked a thrown saw blade and was forced to crouch. The pegasus forced all his weight into a full dive. Blade met saw as the two stayed in stalemate. Enzo started to push back in succession, but felt a sharp pain sear his right side. He felt coldness seep into his body and lost the battle as Masquerade Blade crushed his opponent into the ground.
"I'm not one to stand and watch." Joltaire stood with his gun now spinning down. "Just because you're facing another guy doesn't mean I'm gonna let you both finish. It's a cheap shot, I know, but then again they don't call me a cheater for nothing."
Dark blood slowly dripped down to Enzo's legs. Masquerade Blade swung his blade and slapped Enzo with the flat part of the blade, sending him spiraling towards a tree. Blood stained the grass, as Enzo's exposed wound bled itself dry.
"One shot is all it took, Enzo. One shot." Both ponies were closing in, gun raised and blades ready. "Not as satisfying doing an execution, but hey, it'll satisfy me enough."
Masquerade Blade unleashed his ring blades and Joltaire fired. As the projectiles homed in on Enzo he closed his eyes and feebly raised his own blade. Collision happened and all projectiles met a reddened tree, missing their intended target by inches.
"Of course, you would run." Joltaire watched as Vice carried both Enzo and Blitz through flight. He flew clumsily higher and higher until he reached the overgrowth above. The three disappeared through the green and the stallions below watched in dismay.
"They'll be back," Sir Cutter X said walking slowly towards his two partners. "We aren't done."
"You are; you were on the ground half the time," Jolatire said grinning.
"Let me remind you who's in charge and how you got a lucky shot," Sir Cutter X said irritably. "This isn't the first time Enzo has escaped death. In fact, death seems to be rushing by his side as we speak. However, our plan for Ponyville is still in effect." Sir Cutter X raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "Ah, doctor, you just missed the party."
"Terribly sorry," Doctor Rivet said in rushed pants. "It seems everypony around here has limitless energy. I tend to tire our easily."
Sir Cutter X nodded. "Well then, get to work on our special train when you can. Masquerade Blade come here. I have a mission for you that you'll certainly like. Joltaire, rally everyone up. It's time we start to act." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 27: Lying in Wait | Three ponies drifted under Luna's moon with agitation crawling all over. Each pony held a discomfort that crippled their spirit. Cold, shivering winds halted progress and hindered the already beaten ponies. Vice struggled to keep both ponies in flight as he sailed lower and lower into the night.
His body was coated with foreign, but familiar blood. Enzo continued to bleed as the cold pain in his side complimented with the frigid air. Blitz bit his cheek in dire anticipation. He watched Enzo's blood drip dreadfully down his body, he cringed at the wound.
"God you guys are so heavy!" Vice said. Nobody responded and Vice continued to steer through the black sky. "I meant that in a very bad way, you guys are too heavy for me to carry!" At this point, Vice started to fly dangerously low. The green trees were approaching from under.
"Uh, Vice-"
"Yeah...I know." Vice's altitude dropped until he could barely feel the brushes of leaves. "Oh bad stuff! Uh, you guys better hang on 'cuz I'm about to crash!"
"What?" Blitz said holding Vice even tighter.
"I said I'm about to go pound the ground!" Vice distinguished a patch of green as being grass instead of leaves. He arched himself straight for the clearing within the forest. "Blitz, you better not shit yourself on me! I better not see any brown...wait, nevermind my coat is-aw shit. Hang on Enzo!" The ground came up fast and before impact occurred, Vice tucked his wings under and in front. With gritted teeth, he crashed into the ground wings first. His metal dug and tore up the ground and grass, colors of brown and green flew by. Sparks began to fly as metal finally hit the rocky layer beneath. "Okay...okaaay-"
Vice finally slowed down to a plausible speed before digging his wings straight into the earth for a complete stop. Blitz toppled over out of sheer fright and Enzo slumped off of Vice's back. "Okay, Enzo, just take it easy. We're safe now."
"Are we?" Blitz caught his breath before speaking abruptly.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"We have to have a serious conversation right now."
Vice gave Blitz a stern look. "Is now honestly the best time?"
"You acted like you knew that crazy guy back there. If he's with those ponies then I want an answer. Who are you Vice?"
"Dammit, Blitz, I just said now's not the time-"
"Then when? I'm sick and tired of you being so mysterious. Stop treating me like useless trash and tell me answers! Why do you know Bullet Buster and how come that other guy told me to ask who you are?"
"Why should you listen to the bullshit that those guys say? Just because he tells you to do something doesn't mean you're obligated to do it. Unless you're here to please everyone."
"Listen, Vice, I just want to know one simple thing: who are you, really?"
"That's not simple."
"Darn it, Vice, answer me! Just tell me where you're from, how exactly you got those wings and why you know that pony!"
Vice eyed Blitz with anger. "I can't tell you!"
"Why."
"Because..." Vice put a hoof to his head and wiped down his face in fury. "I can't!"
"Yes you can! You're just not choosing too for whatever stupid reason you always come up with. Vice, trust me and treat me like an equal for just one moment!"
"If I told you, it would destroy you. Everything you know about Equestria; blown away. I can't tell you because I'm trying to protect you. Protect all of you guys from the shit I'm dealing with-the shit me and Enzo are dealing with! It's not that simple!"
"Vice..." Enzo said softly. "If you think you can just shrug Blitz off like that...after all he's seen-"
"Dammit, Enzo! I know what I'm doing. Are you really just going to tell him? Just like that; ruin what we've been trying so hard to keep away?"
"He deserves to know."
"No, I can't do that. Not to you!"
Enzo sighed and held his wound. "I'm not asking you. Blitz, we-"
"Alright you know what? Fine, fine we ended up crashing your train!"
Blitz shook his head. "What?"
"We were on our merry way to Ponyville when we saw your train being attacked by some guys. Me and Enzo, being the white knights we are, jumped in and tried to stop them. But we just ended up screwing the train over."
Blitz took a deep breath. "So it wasn't a freak accident?"
"No."
'They spoke of stealing trains in order to furnish their plan, but we've had much failure until recently.' Blitz's eyes lit up as the words of Doctor Rivet rang in his head. "Wait, Vice who were those guys you were fighting?"
"Told you enough, I'm getting Enzo out of here."
"Just answer the question!"
"The bad guys. Literally that's what they call themselves!"
"So that means Doctor Rivet is working for them, that means they are stealing trains."
"Yeah that's nice, you managed to figure it all-wait...they were responsible?"
"Assuming Doctor Rivet is working for those guys, then yes. I think I'm right that they are responsible."
"Damn, that's crazy. But, uh, can we get Enzo out of here now?"
"How?"
"BOYS!" A loud, muscular voice dispersed conversation. "There you are! What in Celestia's name are you doing out-MISTER ENZO!"
"Hi Clyde," Enzo said with a feeble smile.
"Agh my God! Now I'm gonna have to tell-alright listen, Clyde, and listen well," Vice said. "You too Blitz. We met some bad ponies in the forest and Enzo got hurt in a fight. That's it. Now can we please get to a goddamn hospital, my friend is bleeding out!"
Clyde's face filled with confusion. "Excuse me-I don't understand. Bad ponies?"
"Clyde, you should probably get Enzo to the hospital. I can explain; I've pieced together what's going on here."
"Hardly, Blue Boy."
"Listen, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. If you're going to be so secretive then fine. I'm telling Clyde what I know whether it be right or wrong. At least I'm helping instead of being selfish."
Vice's face flared with rage, his eyes sparked with fire. "Selfish? You think I'm goddamn selfish? I am anything but selfish, you-"
"Hey!" The most serious and angering voice came from Clyde. "Mister Enzo is in need of medical attention. You two can argue elsewhere, I'm taking Mister Enzo to the hospital right this second!" Clyde approached Enzo with certainty and lifted the black stallion onto his back. Blood contrasted against his white coat, but Clyde disregarded the effect. "My mustache is all that matters, Mister Enzo, not my coat.
Enzo chuckled a bit before looking at Vice. The two exchanged long conflicted glances before Clyde flew up high. "I suggest bringing Mister Blitz to Miss Twilight's home. I will head there after I drop off Mister Enzo."
Vice grumbled before accepting. "Fine, c'mon Blitz. No more questions alright? You can tell Clyde whatever you want-I don't care." Blitz nodded before climbing onto Vice. "No homo..."
Both pairs of escorts acknowledged each other before flying to their intended destinations. The moon watched eerily from above with the icy breeze flowing in the startling night.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay, Blitz, we're here."
"Thanks, Vice. Tell Enzo I hope he gets better."
"Yeah." Vice prepped instantly for take-off.
"Hey Vice."
"What is it, Blitz?"
"I'm sorry for back there. It just gets annoying sometimes. You can tell me...about yourself when you're ready." Blitz smiled and nodded apologetically.
Vice grunted with sincerity. "Sure." He left Twilight's house with a slow pace. "I'm sorry for back there too. Shouldn't have yelled at ya." After he was sure he was alone, he whistled a low tune. "I'm sorry about everything."
Blitz watched Vice leave and turned to knock on Twilight's door. He almost made contact with Twilight's head and jumped back. "Oh, Twilight?"
"Hey Blitz, I saw Vicer dropping you off here. You've been gone all day, did something happen?"
"No-well, um..." Blitz tilted his head back and forth. "Not really, I'm fine."
"Clyde came here earlier saying that something was happening in the forest next to Sweet Apple Acres. He sent a message to Celestia herself calling for more guards through Spike so I'm pretty sure something happened," Twilight said. "I'm not stupid, Blitz, so please tell me what's going on." This time she spoke seriously.
Blitz sighed. "Okay, I was planning on just telling Clyde, but you deserve to know too." He paused. "Uh, how should I say this..."
"By saying it."
"Alri-I got attacked by a few ponies."
Twilight's serious face sagged. "Oh my."
"Yeah, I had an encounter with some bad folks. Um, let's just say we had a fight and Enzo got hurt pretty badly."
Twilight shot her eyes down. "How bad?"
"...he was bleeding nonstop from his side. He got shot by a magic bullet."
Twilight stayed speechless. "I see."
"I learned about their so-called plan to do some bad things-geez. I don't wanna burden you with bad news."
"No, please continue. I'm not the type to faint that easily."
"Right. So these guys in the forest, they said they were stealing trains or something and that they were going to take over Ponyville. It was all part of their plan; I can give you a list of names."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, almost jokingly. "Why would anypony want to do that?"
"I don't know..."
"Then again, my friends and I have certainly dealt with villains in the past eying Ponyville. But this is different...with Enzo being hurt and all. You are okay, by the way?" Twilight pointed sheepishly towards Blitz's leg.
"Oh yeah, about that. Twilight, I didn't think it was possible. But, I created snow without any water or anything. I also didn't feel a thing in my leg. Is this normal?"
Twilight grinned. "It seems you had a little adrenaline rush. Magical-and physical-strengths often get amplified under certain blood rushed situations."
"Huh..." Blitz looked back at his leg and smiled. "That's pretty cool."
"Mmhm." Twilight's smile faded as she stared distantly out her window. She sighed again. "I just don't understand why. Why somepony would hurt Enzo so bad to the point where he's in a fatal condition. It doesn't make any sense. Even the angriest, craziest ponies I've met couldn't even will themselves to-wait, nevermind. Trixie." Both ponies laughed at the lightening joke. "But, honestly. I can't comprehend any logical reasoning for it."
"I just hope he'll pull through," Blitz said staring at the ground.
"Don't worry; I'm sure he's going to be well. I'm glad you're okay."
"Yeah, you too."
"What?" Twilight broke her gaze from the window.
"Uh-I'm glad you're okay too."
"Thanks?"
"Sorry, uh, yeah." Blitz saw something twinkle in the distance. "I should go check my snow globe."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Mister Enzo, please hang on for just a little longer. I can see the hospital you're going to be all right. Hang in there. DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME, MISTER! You'll be sorry if you do!"
"Eh, I'll try not to, Clyde!"
Clyde rushed faster and faster until he barely dived into the red tinted hospital doors. He busted through and was met by a very eager Gray Patch.
"Ah, welcome back, Mister Cl-" Gray Patch's bright red eye darkened. "Enzo."
"Excuse me, Mister Gray Patch." Clyde stampeded past the pristine pony. "I need a doctor now!"
Ponies in white coats filed in as Clyde called out. "Hello, hello! I heard we have a problem!" The doctor recognized Clyde and instantly grew a worried, but determined face. "Clyde, you're back and I see we have another incident."
"Yes, please make sure Mister Enzo is taken care of." Clyde gingerly handed off Enzo's bloodied, black body on a stretcher. The head doctor nodded before wheeling Enzo down a whitened hallway.
"This is my fault," Gray Patch said behind Clyde.
"Mister Gray Patch, nothing-or should I say nopony-can be blamed but me for this."
"No."
"Mister Gray Patch, as the guard of Ponyville...the only guard in Ponyville, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of its citizens. The fact that Enzo has gotten hurt is my fault. I should've tried harder to protect him." Clyde's voice started to break. Gray Patch watched in dismay at the proud pony. "I failed."
"Don't say such a thing like that, Clyde. Nothing could've prepared you, or us, for what happened in that forest."
Clyde's eyes widened. "How did you know what happened in the forest?"
Gray Patch shrugged. "I can just tell it was certainly different."
"Right." Clyde looked down the now empty hallway. "But, that doesn't excuse me for anything. Mister Enzo is in critical condition because of me. Mister Gray Patch, I am going to find out who's responsible."
"I wouldn't advise doing that by yourself."
"Mister Gray Patch, I need to-"
"Getting yourself killed won't solve anything." Gray Patch eyed Clyde intensely. "Enzo and Vice barely made it out alive and trust me on this, they know how to fight."
"Mister Gray Patch, what do you mean?"
Gray Patch looked away. "Just take it slow. For now."
Clyde brushed his mustache and shook his head. "I can't."
"You have to."
~~~~~~~~~
Enzo stared at the dimming ceiling, his vision blurred from every single spot. Voices sprang from every direction and all sense of feeling was lost.
'There is no change; a killer will always be a killer. Designed to destroy and designed to take lives was our cause. Deep down, we are all the same to our core.' Joltaire's words echoed harshly in Enzo's mind. 'You deserve death.'
"No." Enzo raised a hoof, but was put down.
"Please, sir, stay calm. We're going to help you."
'I am not a killer, I am not a killer.' More bright lights flickered in and out of Enzo's sight. 'I don't kill.' More voices and finally Enzo felt himself lose consciousness. His eyes radiated with fear and turned into confusion. He bared his teeth as he passed out. 'I've changed.' |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 28: Enzo's Night Off (Part 1) | A musty smell of chemicals wafted into the waiting lobby. One pony sat statue-like without reaction to the passing ponies. Quietness and respite filled in for anxiety and dread. Gray Patch sat with troubling thoughts as he awaited a report from the doctors. "Enzo..."
"Mister Gray Patch." Clyde had reappeared in the waiting lobby. His mustache was propped up with positive energy. "Mister Enzo is doing fine. The doctors say that he will make a full recovery from this terrible incident."
Gray Patch sighed and smiled. "That's definitely reassuring news."
"Indeed."
Gray Patch stood up, but hesitated to speak. "Clyde, I am sorry, again, for what happened."
"Don't say it's your fault, Mister Gray Patch," Clyde said. "I've already taken that responsibility. After all, we're only ponies after all. It can't be helped."
"Right, we're just ponies..."
A crash snapped conversation and left both ponies surprised, but understanding. "Where's Enzo! Is he alright?" Vice bolted past the reception desk towards Clyde and Gray Patch. "He's still alive, right! That bastard can't die on me!"
"Mister Vice, Mister Enzo is doing well," Clyde said walking towards Vice.
"Good, 'cuz he better be ready for a big ass hug."
"Erm, Mister Vice, you cannot just waltz in-"
"Yeah, uh, sorry. I kinda need to see my goddamn friend!" Vice flew by Clyde and turned corner down the long, emptied hallway. He pushed past medical carts and various doctors as he pursued his friend. Grunting, he entered the familiar room he had visited not so long ago. "Enzo!"
"Hey, you are not allowed in here-ah, who let this pony in here?" One of the doctors said.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you-"
Vice put a hoof on the doctor's shoulder. "Please, gimme a second with my pal."
"Sir-"
"Thanks." Vice pushed past all doctors and came upon Enzo lying peacefully in a white bed. The black stallion was layered in bandages to the side and his red scarf was missing. "Enzo."
"Vice." Enzo smiled bubbly at Vice's appearance. "I don't think you're supposed to be in here. Are you alright?"
"Oh my lord, Enzo. Asking if I'm alright?" Vice sighed.
"I'm fine, Vice."
"Yeah, but everything around us isn't." Vice leaned in closer. "About the stuff that happened in the forest. I mean, we can't be quiet forever. But I'm not willing to tell anyone anytime soon. Now we have to get rid of these new jackasses along with that Rivet."
"Vice, we're telling Clyde, Blitz, Applejack; we're telling everyone," Enzo said. Vice's face twisted into annoyance, but Enzo shook his head. "We can't stay anonymous like this. Not anymore."
"Bah, we can pull it off," Vice said shrugging.
"I don't want to though. I want them to know because they deserve to know the truth."
Vice let his head drop and rubbed his face down with his hoof. "Alright, but not now. I don't need everyone shitting their pants-uh-shitting right now."
"Right."
"MISTER VICE!" Clyde's muscular physique appeared behind Vice with great intensity. "I know you're concerned about Mister Enzo, but he needs his rest." A hoof was placed on Vice's shoulder. "Let's go."
Vice nodded and turned to Clyde with open arms. "Alright, bossman, take me away!" He turned back to Enzo. "Get better, bro."
"I will," Enzo said with a laugh. He watched as the two ponies exited and slumped deeper into his bed sheets. The warmth soothed his cold side; the soft pillow eased his worries. Yet, he still had a bad thought bouncing around his brain. 'Killer. To be a killer.' Enzo sighed in pain. 'What Joltaire said in the forest, about us being killers. He's wrong. Just because I've...done things in the past-no, I can change. I have changed and so has Vice. We've both changed and they don't understand. Hopefully, everyone in Ponyville will.'
~~~~~~~~~~
The moon cast its luminescence over Enzo's bed with supporting rays of light. His eyes creaked open with stiffness. "Oh..." He struggled to move any part of his body as serenity and calmness circulated throughout his worn out body. Finally rising, he pushed himself above his bed sheets and stared out the moonlit window. Nighttime had taken over, the darkness loomed above. Two short knocks occurred and Enzo jumped a bit.
"Hello? Enzo, it's us. Blitz and Twilight."
"Oh, um, come in I guess."
The pale, tinted red door slid open and in walked two unicorns. "Enzo, oh my Celestia, are you alright?" Blitz said as he rushed to the earth pony's side.
"I'm fine, Blitz. I think," Enzo said with a light heart.
"We're sorry if we disturbed your much needed sleep, but Blitz insisted we see you immediately," Twilight said. "To be honest, I was also worried to the point where I kind of needed to make sure you were in one piece. I've never seen sompony hurt this bad before." Twilight's voice dropped to low seriousness, but Enzo chuckled to lighten the mood.
"I understand, Twilight Sparkle, its fine. You didn't bother me at all."
"Blitz told me somewhat of what happened. I just want to say that I can't believe somepony would do that to you. I mean, you seem like a nice pony. I can't see how you could provoke somepony to do such a thing," Twilight said.
Enzo's red eyes dropped. "It's complicated."
"I see. Well, Clyde said he's on top of this so I won't bother you anymore about it. Even though I want to," Twilight said jokingly.
"I'm just glad you're okay. Here, I brought you something." Blitz reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a nostalgic food item.
Enzo's eyes darkened. "That's not funny..."
"Sorry." Blitz handed Enzo an AppleBran Bar with a smile. "But, I'm sure you won't be stealing my things anytime soon. Not saying that because you're not able to, um-never mind. Sorry."
Enzo accepted with reluctance. "Won't ever happen again," he said placing the bar against his chest. "Well, I can't say that for Vice."
"Oh, and Enzo. I think almost everypony in town is lined up to see you. They're all worried sick," Twilight said.
"They shouldn't be. I'm not that hurt, right?"
"Enzo, you almost died. Of course everypony is gonna be worried," Blitz said with surprise. More knocks came from the red door.
"I think that's Applejack right now," Twilight said. "We better get going then, Blitz. I need to talk to you and Clyde about something." Blitz nodded and the two waved before leaving. As they left, Applejack and her brother entered sternly.
"Enzo, it's nice tah to see ya again. But, I didn't expect us to meet like this," Applejack said.
"Eeyup."
"I'm fine guys, really. But, uh, about work-"
"We understand yer condition and we've decided that ya could use...a break." Enzo almost let out a chuckle. "I also understand we've had a few problems in the past about breaks and all, but this time it's for real. Ya can have as much time as ya need to recover."
"Thank you, Applejack."
"Eeyup."
"You too, Bic Mac."
"So, uh, how are ya holdin' up? You feelin' okay?" Applejack asked.
"Well I'm better than about half an hour ago." Applejack didn't look amused. "Yes, I'm feeling better."
"That's good tah hear. Me and Big Mac wish ya a full recovery soon so ya can get back to buckin' trees. Tah be honest, you're a natural. Ya even buck harder th'n me and mah brother sometimes!"
"Hehe, that's an overstatement." The bunch shared laughs and the Apple family waved goodbye before departing.
The two left and Enzo found himself in solitude. He gingerly placed the gift from Blitz on a nearby counter and rested his hooves back on his chest. 'Everyone's worried because of me. How could I have been so stupid to trust Vice-no, I can't say that. I now know that they-they followed me here. That information is valuable in its own right. But still, I hate that everyone is worried.' An image of a yellow mare shifted in Enzo's mind. "Oh she's probably worried sick!" Enzo twisted hastily in his bed. 'Who am I to say that she'll be worried? I mean, I can't just assume she'll be worried just because I talked to her once...but she's the type to be worried. Gah, no. Wait yes? I don't know. She shouldn't care about-"
"Hello?"
Enzo felt his heart pop as Fluttershy entered the room. "..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to barge in like this. I'll just go outside-"
"Wait!" Enzo's voice skyrocketed to its highest pitch as he stumbled forward. "Uh, you're not ruining-I mean-bothering me."
"..." The two stared at each other without saying another word. Silence quickly worsened the awkward situation as Enzo felt himself heating up.
"Um, so-uh-" As soon as Enzo opened his mouth, Fluttershy was rushing towards him with tears in her eyes. Her light sobs sank Enzo's heart deeper and deeper. She had positioned herself up against Enzo's non-damaged side and simply cried. All Enzo could do was lightly put his hoof on her head and rub her hair. He felt his own eyes tearing up out of sheer pain and despair. 'Fluttershy...she cares this much about me? She barely knows me; we met over coincidence! I haven't even tried to...get close to her. Crying over me...I can't take this!'
"Hey, Fluttershy, um-uh." Enzo tried desperately to stop the mare's crying, but words escaped his still shocked soul. "Stop it, you're gonna make me cry," he said laughing nervously. This proved futile as Fluttershy continued to let her tears stain the bed sheets. "Please, you don't have to cry over me. I'm fi-" Enzo choked on his own words as he felt his cheeks dampen.
"No you're not," Fluttershy said over her sobs. "You could've died!"
'She's right.' Enzo breathed in fresh air of sureness. "You're right. I could've died. But you shouldn't keep crying over it. I'm here. I'm here and I'm still in one piece." A sniffle and Fluttershy's bawling ceased. "That's better."
"I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to have an outburst like that h-here!" Fluttershy said feebly. "I just couldn't control myself; I had to see you when I heard what happened and I just let myself go."
"Um, hey, it's alright. Uh-shh you don't need to freak out anymore." Enzo masked his regret with a smile 'Great now she's gonna think-'
A light bittersweet giggle escaped from her mouth and warmed Enzo's heart right up. "You're the one who's hurt telling me to calm down. I'm such a mess."
Enzo went along and giggled with Fluttershy. "Don't say things that aren't true." He spoke with full intent.
"Mmm." Fluttershy kicked the ground softly. Without hesitation, she wrapped her hooves around Enzo and squeezed gently. Enzo sat still and let the mare embrace him. He slowly lifted his shaking hooves and placed them around Fluttershy's waist. His breathing increased along with his heart rate. Fluttershy finally let go and grinned. "I hope that helped."
"I-I-uh-I-bah-gah-" Enzo's stuttering would not stop until he forced his own hooves upon his lips. "I do feel better. Thank you for that."
Fluttershy's grin turned serious for a moment. "Promise me never to do such a crazy thing like that again."
"I promise," Enzo said automatically. Fluttershy nodded and waved as she made her way outside the room. Enzo was alone again with his thoughts rising and bouncing back and forth. 'So she really does care about me even if we're still strangers. This is crazy.' Enzo shook his head. 'No, maybe this is just normal.' He held a smile, but threw it away once another thought popped up.
'But that promise.' He bit his lip. 'It's a promise that I don't know if I can keep. I just agreed to something I might not be able to hold up to.' Worry and panic seeped back into Enzo's soothed body.
"Knock, knock. Mister Enzo?"
'Ahh who could it be now? I don't need someone else crying on me; I wouldn't be able to handle it!'
"Ah it's me, Clyde. I just wanted to see how you were doing."
'Oh good, Clyde's not one to-'
"OH MISTER ENZO, MY SORROW FOR YOU IS TOO GREAT! MY ENDLESS DESPAIR HAUNTS MY BODY EVER SO!"
'Oh.' "Clyde you don't have to do this..." Enzo turned away to hide his face. 'Please don't do this.'
Clyde eyed Enzo for a second. "My mustache yearns to comfort you, Mister Enzo. AND BY CELESTIA IT'S GOING TO!"
'I should've just fallen asleep...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Enzo? Are you awake?"
Enzo's eyes crept open and found a black figure staring at him with a red eye. 'Okay I'm sorry this is getting ridiculous.'
"Hello, Gray Patch."
"Yes, hello." The pristine pony brought up a chair and placed himself elegantly on top. "You're very strong."
"Thanks." Enzo sensed intense vibes echoing from the pony's words. He sifted uncomfortably in bed.
"Are you sorry I sent you into the forest?" The words came out like bullets. Enzo contemplated his answer before shaking his head.
"No. I'm glad I was able to find out-um, something that happened in the forest."
Gray Patch didn't break eye contact and stayed silent as a response. "I see. By the way, did you happen to read my letter yet?"
Enzo mentally cursed as he forgot everything about the object of interest. "No. I'm sorry."
"That's quite alright. Just get to it when you can. It will explain everything trust me on that," Gray Patch said. He reached into his pocket and revealed a slightly crumpled letter. He placed it on the counter next to Enzo. "Well, I tried to make that as brief as possible. I'd better leave you to your rest. I'll see you around, Enzo." Gray Patch got up and managed to slide the chair perfectly back into its original spot. He bowed and left.
Enzo's mouth laid wide open. "Where did he-never mind. I should be able to get to it in a few minutes. I just hope that's the last one I meet tonight. Twilight Sparkle didn't lie when she said everyone was worried about me." Enzo reached for the letter and held it in the light. "Who is Gray Patch?" He questioned air before letting out a delayed laugh. "I'm sure everyone else is wondering the same about me."
'Fluttershy.'
The embrace was still warm and fresh in Enzo's mind and body. "I can't do this to her. Tomorrow I'm telling everyone everything. I can't keep my secrets...not from her. Vice, I'm sorry. I have to tell the truth. We've waited long enough." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 29: Enzo's Night Off (Part 2) | "Masquerade Blade, are you ready yet?"
"..."
"Well then I'll take that as a yes. You know what you have to do so get it done and don't screw up. Take Dust Crack and a few of our men to complete the operation."
"..." Masquerade Blade stared at Sir Cutter X with hollow eyes. The night sky shed little light in the shrouded forest. Small lanterns burned here and there, but darkness masked the group of ponies' intents.
"Er, hello, sir!" A light brown pegasus hobbled over towards his two superiors. "I-I'm Dust Crack! You called me and my buddies?"
Sir Cutter X nodded. "That's right. You'll be conducting an important task I have at hand. Follow Masquerade's orders and y'all should be fine."
Dust Crack ruffled his unkempt, coffee brown hair in anticipation. His black eyes wandered around Masquerade Blade's demeanor. "I'll do anything you tell me to do, anything! Just say the words and I-we'll follow your orders!" Two more stallions stationed themselves behind Dust Crack with similar hesitation.
"..."
The three exchanged glances before a whining screech broke the silence. "Wait-wow, hold the baloni. What's this I hear? A top secret mission for only the best of the best? Boner achieved!"
"Bullet Buster, know's not the time," Sir Cutter X stated.
"Not the time? Not the time? But every time, all the time is time for the peening!"
Sir Cutter X sighed. "You will stay here. That is my goddamn order."
"Can't order me, tough guy. Cant' stop the pounding; the bullet penetration."
"Shut the hell up and stay where you are. Masquerade, take your guys and go."
Bull It Buster watched with fury as the group vanished into the forest. He glanced at Sir Cutter X with a crazed face before slapping the ground with his two gun hooves. "Balls to that! Burning, crusty nutsacks! Boner lost!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm still angry that I still don't know anything about Vice or Enzo, what I saw in the forest and how the hay all these things tie together!"
"At least you told me what you could, Mister Blitz. That is valuable information that cannot be passed up," Clyde said. "The fact that ponies are trying to take Ponyville is enough to make my mustache crawl with vile sickness. The royal guards should arrive within a couple of days and we should have this ordeal straightened out. I've also ordered a spreadsheet of all train accidents since your's, Mister Blitz. We should be able to figure out which trains went missing and which trains were totalled. Mister Vice and Mister Enzo are not to be framed for the crashing of your train, Mister Blitz."
Twilight's head poked through and interrupted conversation. "Sorry to stop you, Clyde, but I have some facts on this Doctor Rivet guy. Apparently, according to newspapers from Canterlot about a few months ago, Doctor Rivet was a surgeon and an engineer. He was top quality, the two professions seemed to work hoof and hoof with him. But he was exiled soon after he sought to...improve the pony brain," Twilight said with a dark tone. "He ended up going missing and was never heard from again until a few days ago, of course."
"Well at least we know something," Blitz said bitterly.
"Hey, don't get so worked up about knowing everything. Even I can't know everything," Twilight said. "No matter how many books I get my hooves on, I can't learn about everything in Equestria. But I do know a fair amount, or should I say almost everything, about Equestria: history, geological layout and-well all the other miscellaneous topics."
"Yeah, but I feel like I don't know anything. I'm pretty useless at this point."
"Hey, what did we say about being positive?"
"Right, I'm working on that."
"Ahem." Clyde stepped in again. "How about this Bullet Buster? Any news on him?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not that I could pull up. Zero information total on his background. It's strange, it's as if he's nonexistent from Equestria."
"I guess you could say he's from another dimension?" Blitz said chuckling. Laughs followed, but Twilight gave a stern face.
"Hey, different dimensions altogether aren't outside the realm of possibility. I've proven, or my other self-no, I proved that there exists multiple dimensions of Equestria."
"Sure." Blitz eyed the darkness outside. "I hope Enzo's doing okay."
"I'm sure Mister Enzo is getting some well deserved rest," Clyde said joining Blitz in the sightseeing.
~~~~~~~~~~
'The Letter.' That was all Enzo thought about. 'What did Gray Patch mean by explain all the answers?' He reached for the seal. 'Could he be with Cutter X and his gang?' He opened the letter and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. 'Is this really happening? Have I really been followed here?' Unfolding the paper, he started to read the fancy writing:
Yo, yo, wassup? Heya, hiya! How ya doing?
Enzo stopped. "Really?" He kept reading:
Enzo,
Terribly sorry for that. I thought you might like a little humor to lighten up the mood. Now, I understand you know me by the name of Gray Patch. You would be wrong. That is my alias of this world, Equestria. The minute I saw you, the red scarf and peculiar wrist band, it was clear. I recognized you instantly; we know each other from the past, a different life.
"What?" Enzo stopped reading again and hesitated to read any further. "Gray Patch. Gray...Patch?" He shook his head before continuing with concern:
Did I strike you as just slightly odd or out of the ordinary? The eyepatch, the top hat, almost every inch of my body covered in clothing. Is it really that hard to piece together? It is me, Gray Shark-
A bump startled Enzo and distracted his reading once more. 'The window-' Enzo ducked as a giant flying blade spun horizontally right in his direction. The wood behind him splintered and he found himself sprawling on the ground.
"..." Standing before Enzo was a black pegasus holding two rotary blades and three other ponies holding knives.
'How did they-'
"He says don't scream, basically," a brown pegasus said. "Not bad advice since you don't want to be attracting any innocent civilians in here. It would be ugly."
Enzo took note of what the pony said and kept quiet. 'He's right. I can't risk anyone else getting hurt.'
"See? I'm smart. I'm pretty good for a henchman!"
"..."
"Oh and he says you're mince meat!"
Masquerade Blade glared at Dust Crack and shook his head. Enzo tried to get up, but was intercepted by a green pony. He tapped his hoof and his blade shot out. Swiping it across the pony's chest, he fidgeted as he pulled himself too far. He collapsed and the other pony fell back. His wound reopened and the other pony bled as well. The floor slowly stained a black red.
"Aw crap! Green Mist, get back!" Dust Crack said as he pulled his comrade away from Enzo. "You're gonna get yourself killed doing things like that!"
"..." Masquerade Blade disregarded everything around him and raised his blades toward Enzo. He launched one and Enzo barely managed to swipe it away with his extended blade. However, he was left open as he pushed too far and another blade was hurtling close.
'Shit.'
Enzo raised his leg and a hard metal against metal clang erupted. The blade bounced back and landed at Masquerade Blade's feet. More blood spilled as Enzo's leg was torn. But, Masquerade did not stop there. He soon refilled the thrown blades and was aiming at Enzo again.
"C'mon, you're supposed to be an otherworldly being! Kill him already!" one of the bystanding thugs said. Enzo looked at him and his eyes dropped. Standing behind the pony was another pony shrouded in clothing. It's crimson red eye locked with Enzo's own red eyes. In an instant, a golden hoof and a regular, light gray hoof wrapped themselves around the thug's head. A quick snap was heard and the lifeless body fell.
Dust Crack noticed the falling body and screamed in terror. "He just-Cloud Top!" All attention turned to the dead pony. Within seconds, the assassin turned towards Masquerade Blade and charged head first.
'Is that...the masked pony? Or is that-' Enzo watched as the so-called masked pony unsheathed a long sword from its golden hoof. Metal struck against metal as Masquerade defended himself with his round saws. The masked pony struck with elegance, jabbing and slashing, feigning and drop cutting. It changed its technique, managing to scratch Masquerade Blade here and there. The black pegasus flew back and unleashed his blades.
The masked pony dodged with ease and even deflected a few to the side. Masquerade Blade managed to hurl rotary blades as fast as the masked pony could stop to deflect and dodge. Blades flew everywhere as the masked pony jumped, ducked and dived; raising its sword to block occasionally. The stalemate lasted until Masquerade faltered and flew farther back. He had only a few hanging blades left and the masked pony advanced with surging speed.
Enzo kept watching in his helpless state as the masked pony gained the upper hand. Masquerade Blade hesitated before reaching for his last few remaining saw blades. That hesitation led to Masquerade being kicked and pinned to the floor before he could react fast enough. The masked pony stood towering ahead and aimed its sword straight for Masquerade's head. As he lunged, the masked pony was tackled by another entity.
The two struggled, but the masked pony easily gained higher ground. It jumped to its feet and quickly stabbed the pony through the chest area before turning to its next opponents. However, Masquerade Blade and Dust Crack had fled the scene. All that remained were two corpses and a dying Enzo.
"Well, that was a nuisance," the masked pony said as it wiped the blood off its sword on the body of Green Mist. "But, you should be safe for the time being."
"...Gray Shark?"
"I assume you just read my letter. Yes, it's me, Gray Shark," the pony known as Gray Shark said with calmness.
The two stared at each other for a long moment where silence took initiative. Enzo analyzed the pony from all angles and verified that it was who he addressed. The pony wore full bluish black clothing under his gold gilded black jacket. His hind legs were covered in the same bluish black, but in bandages of that color. His left hoof shined a solid gold color, seemingly attached by nothing but directly to the wrist. The bluish black clothing underneath stretched up the neck and over the mouth, ending at the nose.
Despite the cover, Gray Shark spoke with clarity. "Shocking, isn't it?" He addressed Enzo with a shift of his black cowboy-like hat, marked with a white skull. "I hope you still remember all the fun times we spent together...in situations like this."
Enzo finally noted the eye patch resting on Gray Shark's left eye and how three tufts of dark gray hair managed to slide themselves perfectly under the pony's hat. "You still have the same outfit...but, what are you doing here?"
Gray Shark's crimson eye gleamed with delight. "I came to see you!" he said raising his hooves in playful defense. "Well, for the most part."
"You didn't have to kill those two," Enzo blurted out.
Gray Shark shrugged. "Enzo, I am not afraid to kill. I did so in order to protect you."
"No, you could've knocked them out or something. You didn't have to take their lives."
"A necessary resolve to a delicate situation. Had I tried to simply knock them out, I'd be dealing with four opponents instead of one. The sheer shock that the two received was enough for me to get rid of the threat you were facing. The last one was to be dealt with quickly as I had no awareness of my surroundings. I'm not going to risk my own life to spare another if their intent if corrupt."
"It's wrong."
"I understand that it is morally incorrect to kill. However, you must understand this: those who intend to perform immoral actions must be dealt with immorally. Wrong defeats wrong, but it does not make it right. That is why I killed them; to ensure you are not wronged upon." Gray Shark paused at Enzo's broken spirit.
"So, you're Gray Patch then?" Enzo said with defeat.
"You know you're, uh, leg's split open and you're sides are still bleeding."
"Please just tell me what I need to know."
"Just trying to help. Anyway, yes it's me, Gray Patch. I like the name Gray Shark better though, but I don't think the locals would particularly like a pony named Gray Shark."
"Impossible."
"That's what I said when I saw you. Here, we don't have a lot of time and surely the whole hospital is awake by now. I can't say for sure that you, let alone I, can explain logically what happened here. So, let me-"
"Let them see my wounds and what happened here."
"Um excuse me? Enzo, I'm not sure what happened to you in that forest, but I thought you would've sworn to secrecy. It's been three and a half years since we arrived. Are you sure you want to throw away all that you've hidden?"
"Yes. I have to. This is the only way; they have to see the damage. They have to...understand. Better now than later."
Gray Shark put his golden hoof to his head and brushed his three tufts of hair. "You know I can't be pulled into this. I've been accustomed to this new life already. I can't just...give it up that easily."
"You don't have to. It's just Vice and I, you don't need to be dragged in."
Gray Shark pondered the thought. "I'm removing the bodies. You and I both know they don't need to see them. If you're prepared to tell the truth, then so be it. I shall leave all the evidence of an assault and resume my current persona as Gray Patch. Try not to get too excited the next time you see me."
"When will you tell everyone else who you really are?"
Gray Shark paused as he went to pick up the lying body. "I'll leave it to fate to decide. I'm not really in the mindset of revealing myself so suddenly." The body was hauled to the window and thrown out. A soft thump was heard before Gray Shark approached the other corpse. "Maybe. Maybe I'll give in, but for now I need to leave you as is like you requested. I'll see you very soon."
Enzo lay askew on the ground, his leg still cut open to the bone and his side still spewing blood. He negated the feelings as Gray Shark made his departure through the window and analyzed the room while he waited. Rotary blades dug into each wall and the ground was mixed with scratches and other blood. The light, however, still survived the chaos and gave Enzo some hope of relief. The red door swung open and a nurse walked in.
She eyed the room before gasping in terror at the bleeding stallion sitting admist destruction. Enzo hushed her wails with a faint cry for help. By the pink mane and familiar concerned look, Enzo spoke softly. "Nurse Redheart, I can explain. I will explain...once I'm not bleeding my insides out anymore. Could you call a doctor, please?"
> Chapter 30: Suspicion Erased Or Raised
The sun had already poked its fiery body above the horizon and shone extravagantly in the healthy sky. Its rays of purifying light stretched into the hospital's thin windows, warming the place up with energy. The warmth made its way into each room, each patient. The uplifting force gave hope and ensured happiness. Enzo's newly wrapped body felt this natural comfort at work.
His rebandaged side and freshly bandaged leg accepted the light invitingly. The black stallion slept peacefully and without sound. Enzo's new room was a copy of his previous, albeit without the horrors of yesterday's night to show.
A figure twitched and Enzo's peaceful slumber broke as he opened one eye with instant reaction. He sat up abruptly and regretted the decision as he felt newly acquired pain in his side. Sitting back down, he tilted his head and sighed.
"Nothing." He resumed his previous position, but found it futile to return to sleep. "The letter." Enzo reached to the counter next to him, but stopped. 'The doctors or nurses probably took-' He kept going reluctantly and felt a wrinkled note. His mind raced, but his body remained still in order to prevent further pain.
"Gray Shark, you never fail to amaze me." Enzo picked up the note and opened it. The introduction appeared familiar and Enzo made his conclusion. "Still the same. I hope he didn't get paranoid and write another one just in case." The words on the page were still the same and of the same handwriting. Enzo skimmed to the part he left off at and made a vow to finish reading what was left:
It is me, Gray Shark. I know you may find it unbelievable, but I also ended up here along with you and your friend as well who I assume is from our world. Nevertheless, I want to warn you about a few instances. One, I have suspicions and facts that we aren't alone in this world. I mean that in a sense that a few...undesirables followed us through the portal.
"The portal. There it is again."
'From the portal.' The image of Sir Cutter X saying the same thing swiped through Enzo's head. He didn't pause for too long:
Beware of the sins; beware the one with gauntlets, the one with the tuxedo, the one with the cane, and the one with the feathered cavalier. You will know what I mean. That being said, be careful out there, Enzo. I wish you luck in how you are living your life. To be honest, I'm already getting used to Equestria. But, the memories of the past will never be erased. Should we ever return...I'm not sure if I want to go back to the hellhole we lived in.
Best regards,
Gray Shark
Enzo looked up from the letter and fell straight back into his bed. His body compressed into the mattress as he tried to recover from his startled self. "Everyone has to stop doing that."
Vice was sitting next to the window, sunlight outlined him. He simply gazed outside and didn't turn to look at Enzo. "It happened again, didn't it?"
"What?" Enzo said returning to normal.
"You got attacked. You were hurt and I couldn't do shit about it."
"Vice, I-how did you know-"
"I'm not stupid. I'm your friend. I saw what happened in the other room."
Enzo's surprise was unnoticed by Vice. 'So, Nurse Redheart really did leave the room like I asked her to.'
"So, tell me what happened."
"I-I got attacked. By Masquerade Blade, one of my rivals."
"Thought some shit like that would happen." Vice shook his head with defeat. "I wasn't there to protect you. Enzo, I failed you."
"Don't say that. No one could have predicted-"
"I could've if I was just smart enough, but I'm just a big dumbass. Enzo, I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough!"
"Vice, stop, please. I've already had enough people worried over me already. I don't need your concern on top of it all, really."
"Right. Right. That's why I did you favor. I followed your word."
"What?"
"When you said we needed to tell everybody about...us, I was afraid. Afraid of rejection and afraid of isolation. Afraid of the unknown. Again. But I'm not afraid anymore, Enzo." Vice spoke in a whisper despite his solitude with Enzo. "Today, Applejack came up to me and said she understood what I was going through. She gave me time off, Enzo. She said she finally understood what it meant to be me."
"Vice, what are you trying to get at?"
Vice smiled faintly. "We got some explaining to do." He turned towards the door and stood up. "Hey, everybody-pony, whatever! Get in here, we're ready!"
Enzo gasped as he realized what Vice was trying to achieve. The red door opened and a familiar group entered the room. Clyde accompanied Blitz as they and the Mane Six entered the room.
"Finally, we've been waiting for like ten minutes out there! I've got things to do!" Rainbow Dash said fluttering in with arms crossed. "This better be important."
Vice glanced at Enzo. "Yeah, it's kinda important."
Rainbow Dash's face lit up and she shied away. "Oh yeah, right. About you're-"
"Well then, Mister Enzo, how are things?" Clyde said covering up for Rainbow Dash's ignorance of Enzo's situation. "And, Mister Vice, what was it that you had to explain to us?"
"Yeah, how come you told us not to go in that room, huh?" Pinkie Pie said bouncing with curiosity. "Was there a party in there that I missed and it was so big that the room just exploded and we couldn't go in there?"
"No-just hold on. Is everyone here?"
"Yes, Vicer, everypony you asked for is here," Twilight Sparkle said eying the group quickly. "Will you explain now? I'm interested to hear what you've called us all here for."
"Likewise," Blitz said.
Enzo, still in his bed, spotted Fluttershy and instantly blushed. He masked himself with a poker face and tilted his eyes away. However, this action proved inefficient as he winded up looking back at the mare. She smiled and stayed silent.
"Alright, everyone listen up. I called y'all here for an important piece of information...concerning us two guys," Vice said.
"You two?" Applejack said. "What-"
"It's about our past. AKA where we're from. Blitz, you're gonna love this."
Blitz stepped forth and tilted his head. "So am I finally gonna get some answers here?"
"Yes," Enzo said now getting into what Vice was planning. "We'll explain. You all are going to know everything."
Vice fidgeted in anxiety all of a sudden, but calmed himself quickly. "Right. So, uh, I guess I'll start by saying...ugh, how should I put this."
Blank stares filled in with silence. "By just saying it." He winked at Twilight who merely smiled.
Vice stopped shifting in place and smiled happily. "We are from the future."
"Excuse me?" Twilight said almost falling over.
Vice waited as everybody in the room gave him the crazy look. "Haha, I'm just kidding. But, uh, actually-yeah we're kinda from a different place."
Blitz pondered the idea before chuckling, to Vice's dismay. "So you mean, like, another dimension or something?"
"Sure, I'm glad you put it-"
"Oh my Celestia..." Blitz's chuckling increased to a forceful laugh. "Vice, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"
"Wha-"
"Mister Vice, are you alright? You haven't been doing strange things recently?" Clyde asked brushing his mustache. "This isn't the best time to be fooling around. I thought this was important."
"Oh my-I can't even. I can't even! You all are taking this as a big joke-okay," Vice said heating up. His face grew bright red with embarrassment and fury.
"Hey, that's not so bad of a joke. I like it!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Yeah, Vice, nice one. I got a good laugh," Blitz added.
"Great, you called me here over a joke," Rainbow Dash complained. "Oh well, if you need me I'll be outside getting some sunshine-"
"Aw this is fucking great." All conversation ceased as Vice let out his anger in curses. "God damn awesome. I finally-I trust you-I'm done. Enzo, I'm sorry but I'm done. Fuck it!" Vice raised his hooves and shrugged before heading out the door. He kept his eyes forward without looking back at the stunned ponies. "Holy hell!" He was almost outside before something stopped him completely.
"Get back here!" He turned and faced Enzo. "You can't expect them to believe you that easily. Don't you give up that easily. You hear me?"
Vice closed his eyes and sighed. He swung around on one leg and dramatically re-entered the crowded room. "Yeah."
After recuperating from the sudden swears, Twilight spoke up. "Um, okay. So, wait, you're saying you guys are from another...dimension?"
Vice feebly looked back and nodded. "Yes. That's what I'm trying to say."
"That's-"
"The craziest thing I've ever heard," Blitz interrupted with a stern face. "Multiple dimensions can't exist, how's that possible? How can you just jump to another? You can't."
"If you'd shut the hell-"
"Ahem, Mister Vice, please watch your tone this time," Clyde said quietly. "Please."
"Would you kindly stop talking and let me...try to explain." Vice eyed Enzo once more before shaking his head. "Look, I know that all this sounds like complete bullshit but you have to understand." The faces still struck Vice as doubtful and barren inexpression. "I can't make you all believe or even understand how or why or what, but hear me out. This is hard for me to explain because I don't understand it either. Just-"
"I believe you," Twilight said plainly. "Really, I do."
"What?" Blitz said.
"I could sense some sort of foreign magical barrier surrounding the two when I first met them. However, I never brought it up because-well, I thought it would be rude and I never really got the chance to ask. I guess the answer was given granted I waited long enough," Twilight said shrugging. "But, I would've never assumed this. A different dimension..."
"It's complete crap! That's just impossible! That's stuff you hear in myths and fiction; ponytales! This is just like a dream or something. It can't be logically right," Blitz said still fired up on his denial of the subject.
"Like I said before, Blitz, multiple dimensions exist...but I'm curious. Dimension jumping is nearly impossible, you're right, if you're-well not a unicorn. Even then it's hard for somepony like me to maintain connection for more than five minutes at most. How are you two able to stay here? Is there another unicorn accompanying you? The magic spell would've worn off by now."
"Spell? Twilight, it's not a spell," Vice said. "And it's just us two."
"Then how-"
"What we're trying to say is that we're from another dimension...and also another world," Enzo answered for Vice.
"Another world? As in a world that's not Equestria?"
"Yes, it's-"
"Oh my goodness! This is amazing!" Twilight exclaimed with a jump. "Entities not only from another dimension, but from another world entirely!" Twilight's face beamed with excitement and she started to slightly bob in place. Pinkie Pie joined in Twilight's merriment and the two danced about while laughing loudly.
"Twili-how can you just believe them like that? This is crazy! You're just going to trust them? Just like that? I know you better-"
Clyde rested a stern hoof on Blitz's shoulder and spoke solemnly. "Let it go, Mister Blitz. Just let it go."
Blitz protested harshly, but eventually let his quarries die down. He put a hoof to his head and shook it. "Unbelievable."
"I'm going to have to run some tests and gather as much information as possible!" Vice and Enzo gave each other worried looks. "You will comply, right? Of course, oh this is excellent! How is it; what is your world like?"
"Hell," Vice said softly. "More or less so."
"What?"
"Death, totalitarian slash fascist dickhead as ruler-the worst kind-uh, lots of corruption; oh the complete opposite of Equestria pretty much."
"Oh, I would never have suspected-" Twilight's anxiousness flat lined completely.
Vice put up a hoof to reassure. "No, it's fine. Like I said earlier, don't expect you all to understand what...or who we are."
"Hey, um, I still don't get it." Blitz said loudly. He stomped his hooves in frustration. "I can maybe accept all this nonsense, but you said you'd explain things. Now you're just confusing us even more. Who are you?"
Vice sighed heavily. "Okay, 'ere goes." He cracked his neck, looked straight ahead and spoke in a monotone voice. He did not blink once. "Name: Victor Vicer, The Brown Eagle. Serial number: E021. Installation: Operation Death Skies. Fly-Bye leader of Sixth Squad Air. 'Born to bomb'." After finishing he turned to Enzo and lowered his hooves. The spotlight was on him.
"Victor Vicer-serial-Sixth Squad-" Blitz intercepted. "I don't-"
"Name: Enzo Endante, The Quiet Kickboxer. Serial Number: A026. Installation: Silent Steel. Sniper unit of Shadow Regiment. 'Kill quick, speak zero'." Enzo mimicked Vice's dry tone with perfect accuracy.
Blitz's face twisted into increased anger, confusion and even fatigue. "What are you two talking about! I don't understand!"
"Our world, our hell," Vice said breaking away from his monotone voice. "I never believed in other worlds like you, I'll admit. I didn't believe in magic or talking horses either. But, after being cast into this world, into your world, my beliefs got flushed down the system."
"Can you please speak normally and stop talking in riddle or whatever. We. Don't. Understand." Blitz said. The group agreed in consensus with broken nods.
"We, you guys versus us, we are from a different world and dimension. We got here through some sort of portal," Enzo said.
"We are different than you. Physically...and mentally," Vice added.
"Yes. Look at my leg." Enzo removed his blanket covers and exposed his bandaged hind leg. The white taping was already a dirty dark maroon. Enzo carefully unrolled his leg and threw aside the tainted white cloth. A few screams came from the mares and both Clyde and Blitz reacted with a hoof over the mouth. "Take a good look at what's different about me."
"You're leg," Fluttershy said with immense worry. "You're bone...it's all metal."
"That's right," Enzo said gesturing to his exposed leg. A dark bluish metal cylinder seemingly replaced the position where Enzo's bone would be. "My leg bones are specifically replaced with chromium coated tungsten."
"The strongest combination of plating and metal from our land. It's specially designed to be virtually indestructible. No one breaks that stuff, it breaks you." Vice took the moment to step forward and spread his wings. "Take a look at my wings too. Really examine them beauties."
As the group shifted their attention, Rainbow Dash screamed in horror. "You're metal thingy, it's...inside your wings. It's inside your back!"
"Bingo. I always tended to hide my wings if you never noticed. Why do you think I wore a trench coat?" Vice chuckled with silent stares looming around him. "This metal around and inside my wings is pure titanium with steel attachments here and there. Not as strong as Enzo's legs, but certainly useful for flying. Agile and strong; just how I like 'em."
"So what are these metal devices?" Twilight said still calmly. "How does this connect to your world? And are you ponies in your world? Please continue."
"No," Enzo said. He motioned for everyone to look at his wrist band. Two clicks and his blade extended. "We're killing machines."
"Our world is not organic, if you will," Vice said. "If you will. And you will. Ever hear the term, robots are gonna take over and destroy all humanity?" Less than half the group nodded. "That's what happened. Our world, called Earth, used to be full of organic life forms called humans. Imagine yourselves, right, creating new technology every day. Well, one day, you, Equestria-ns? Equestrians make a great big discovery and figure out how to make machines that acted exactly like you. Well that's what happened with our world; machines with free will and free thoughts. Technology was at the point where people started to play God. I was one of the first few to be created."
"As with me," Enzo said.
"But...do you know what our purpose was as free thinking machines? War. We were created for the sole purpose to kill; to destroy. Tactically, we were better than remote controlled machines because we could think on our own in battle. The humans saw the risk versus reward and took reward without regret. Soon enough more robots got created. That's when the big boss comes in. We called him Ultra Pride. A machine created entirely out of specialized chromium coated titanium. He was invincible. Do you know what happens when you create something invincible with free will? When you try to play God, you get destroyed and that's what happened. He turned on the humans and this invincible machine created an army, solicited other dangerous robots and just tore up our world. It was like fascism all over again; robots were the supreme."
The whole group stayed silent out of fear. Nobody dared to interrupt Vice's explanation, not even Blitz.
"Now before you ask, yes, it was the humans' fault that they screwed themselves. I mean, I ain't the brightest guy out there and I could tell they were digging their own grave even before they started building...us."
"It wasn't their fault," Enzo broke in. "You can't blame them as a whole."
"For the most part they screwed the pooch. Okay, so maybe like a couple million were genuinely good. But, being the cynical bastard I am, I like to think that they all tried to suck God's dick and ended up getting blasted with reality cream," Vice defended.
"That's just an ignorant thing to say. You and I both know that they got the unfair end of the deal when things started going bad. You can't just group them together like that!"
"Hey, ignorance is bliss then," Vice said shrugging. "Now, being the idiots we were, me and Enzo tried to fight back. We sided with the humans and we lost. We lost hard. A holocaust, a genocide, mass killing; you name it. The human race was wiped out and machines ruled as the dominant species. Of course, we were-and still probably are-targeted as high class terrorists against Ultra Pride's shitty government. This dude recreated everything, indoctrinated everyone. He won. The production of robots stopped and everything that existed would remain the same forever. You were either alive or dead. That's it; no change. That's the way it worked and that's how it's always going to work. Everything stood at a standstill, Earth stopped evolving."
"That is what our devices are for as machine-like remnants of our former selves," Enzo said waving his blade. "Also, you may have noticed our blood being darker than usual. As robots, we were constructed to be exactly like humans. Facial features, personality, anatomy; we were supposed to be humans. We bled like humans and acted like humans. But we weren't. We were monsters."
"Hey, I was pretty sexy back then before...well I got turned into a horse," Vice said. "Oh and there's another thing, how the hell we got here you're all probably wondering. That's simple. As we hid from the big boss, we met another rebel machine called Electric Flaire. Good guy, one of my only friends besides Enzo. Anyway, he was obsessed with...um, you guys and this drove him to insanity. He wanted to physically meet up with you guys, so he spent his time studying on how the hell to make a portal."
Twilight was the first to finally catch what Vice had said. "Wait, obsessed with us? How can that be if we reside in two different worlds?"
Vice smiled and shook his head as usual after mentally piecing together his explanation. "Now I'm fine with you finding this complete crap. Equestria, and all of you guys, are part of a TV show. That's right."
Eventually everybody caught on and whispers echoed everywhere. Nobody wanted to speak up their true feelings or questions. They were afraid. "I'm glad y'all are taking this somewhat nicely. So, you're all a TV show called My Little Pony: Friendship is...Good?"
"Friendship is Magic," Enzo corrected.
"Right, so as you can tell I don't know anything about it. But let's just go along with this and don't ask how or why because I wouldn't be able to explain." The chatter stopped. "So Electric Flaire, he's crazy to meet you guys and I don't blame his ambition. He got me standing here in this world, right? The portal's done within a few friggin' years. That shit only took him so long to figure it out and I don't even know how in God's name he did it, but he did. Granted technology is pimped out I guess it wasn't out of his ability, but goddamn portal to a different dimension. That's stuff of fairy tales and fiction, but it was real. Something I thought would never work, could never exist, was in front of my face."
"So where is this Electric Flaire?" Twilight spoke up. "He sounds like another interesting character that I'd love to talk to. If he can create portals to different worlds, maybe he can-"
"He didn't make it here," Enzo said softly. "He told Vice and I to go in first and he'd follow us through. He never came. I remember hearing him screaming that something was wrong. It was already too late; we were inside-"
"And being tossed like ragdolls," Vice said. "The experience, you're all wondering? I don't know. One second I'm stepping into this spinning vortex of nightmares and the next I'm sitting in a field of green with my body aching. That was the first time in three hundred years I saw grass and trees. It also marked the day I lost my fingers and opposable thumbs."
"Yes, we were instantly teleported and morphed into the inhabitants of this world. We don't know how or why we didn't retain our robot forms."
"Yeah, pretty much we just changed like that, like magical bullshit," Vice said. "I'd rather be-well, maybe not now, but I would've rather have been still a machine than a pony. Sorry."
"We've certainly changed our views."
Vice nodded, albeit weakly. "That was three years ago. Took us long enough to figure out that we need to breath," Vice said breathing in air to make his point. "We also learned that we needed to eat and naturally we learned to fall asleep. It took us a long ass time to be and realize we were organic. That we had what we called human needs or in your case, pony needs. Robots don't sleep, they don't eat, they don't breath, they don't age, but they certainly felt pain. That was at least something the same. Oh yeah, I remember the time where we found out how to use the bathroom by pissing on-"
"Yeah, you get the idea. After that, we kind of just went along with how your world works. We were life-like for the first time, we had flesh and for the most part bones."
"Yup. Apparently when we traveled here, it seems our machine-like aspects also fused with our body. My wings, Enzo's legs and his wrist. All those devices were our shining grace in our world. They were our weapons of unique choice."
Vice surveyed the blank faces and smirked with satisfaction. "Yay, story time is over. Does that all make sense now? Three years ago we get transported and changed into ponies, we get used to your world and we blend in, happy fun times." Vice paused and proceeded to speak seriously. "Do you understand why we were so illusive? Do you get it now?"
"Yes," Blitz said. "I get it now."
"Good, 'cuz my voice box is about to implode on itself-"
"I get that you're all crazy!"
"Shoot me. Someone, off me right here."
Blitz waited a bit before letting out a genuine chuckle and Vice laughed as well; the first time the two laughed together. "I understand kinda. I don't understand, but I do at the same time. Knowing you and how you talk, the way you said all that makes me think it wasn't a giant lie."
"That's good enough for me, bro." Vice shuddered as he contemplated a conflicting thought. "It's funny that you can believe I'm here within minutes, but it took me a couple years to accept that."
"So...Victor," Twilight said skeptically. "Why just Vice? And Enzo?"
"Victor ain't really a name you hear often in your world," Vice answered. "Same with the last name, Entante. It doesn't work; we didn't want to risk suspicion. So, Vice and Enzo worked fine and we still kept our identity. That's important."
"I see. So what should we call you now?"
"I think Vice and Enzo should be fine. I'm not complaining," Vice said. As Twilight's question received feedback, the room became awkwardly silent.
"Ahem, Mister Vice, I personally believe you. As a friend," Clyde said in a stately manner.
"Same here, partner" Applejack agreed quickly. "Enzo, now I know how you were able to buck all those trees with ease."
"...and I guess I can believe that you lost to me because of your heavy, fat metal wings," Rainbow Dash taunted.
"Hey, I thought we agreed not to talk about that!"
"Hehe, sorry."
"I also believed you two from the very start, Fluttershy said. "No matter how awful and horrible it sounds, I have to believe you because I care about you both. Honestly."
'She cares about me? Wow, that must mean the amount she cares about Enzo...damn!' Vice thought.
"Thank you, Flut-tershy," Enzo said choking on his words. He smiled to cover up, but failed as Fluttershy giggled.
Pinkie Pie's eye grew with delight. "Oh, oh, oh! I believe you, I believe you!"
"And of course I believed every word you said. Such fascinating creatures," Twilight said.
"Hey," both ponies said.
"Oops, sorry that slipped out-uh, sorry."
Silence flew over and all eyes turned on Rarity who remained quiet until the spotlight shone on her. She smiled and backed away a little bit before answering. "Well, I can hardly find such a tragic place to even exist."
"Tell me about it," Vice said.
"But, I believe you. Really, I do."
Vice smirked his trademark smirk and did a mini fist pump. "Yeah..." He felt himself shaking. "Damn! Damn-holy mother!"
"That's his way of saying thank you," Enzo said with certainty. "Thank you all for trusting that we're not...totally insane."
"Yet," Vice said.
"Funny."
More silence followed and the group grew subtly restless. "So, I guess that's it then?" Twilight said.
"Yeah, that's about it," Vice responded tiredly. Everybody nodded awkwardly before heading out the door.
"I still want to run some tests. Please?"
"Fine."
Twilight nodded happily before following behind the departing group. Enzo and Vice watched, tension released, and simply waited. Minutes passed without speech or movement. The two just stayed still. They didn't know how to react.
Vice's head twitched and he scoffed. "They sure were in a hurry to leave."
"You practically threw everything at them."
"Hey, it was your idea."
"I know, but-"
"But pish posh. They'll be fine. S'not like we're gonna go haywire or anything. They know us enough to trust us."
Vice flopped himself on the bed adjacent to Enzo and whistled. He sat in direct sunlight and felt his body heat up with pleasure. "Ahh, freedom."
"You're sure quick to change."
"Hey, that definitely went better than expected. You didn't cry!" Vice said with a cocky grin. "And I didn't swear-uh, more than three times."
"Try like ten."
"Hey, damn and hell and dick aren't swears. Those are swears for pussies. The F word, mhmm, that's a big boy swear for big boys like me."
Enzo shook his head. "You think they really, truly trust us? After all we told them?"
"They gotta. Right? They're not the type to discriminate against...former robots?" Vice closed his eyes in frustration. "Oh man I hate being a fleshy."
"Hah, that's the same thing you said when we first got here. Exact words."
"Hmph, they're words of wisdom. Anyway, I'm heading out to do some errands. I should be back before you fall apart."
"That's not funny, and where do you think you're going?" Enzo sat up as he genuinely found himself concerned. "What are you planning?"
"I'm going in."
Enzo's face sagged into worry. "What?"
Vice sat up this time and faced Enzo. Only his lips moved as he spoke clearly. "I'm going to kick ass."
"Stop joking. I'm dying."
"No, really."
Enzo tried to speak, but ended up muffling his words as he raised his hooves to comprehend what he had just heard. "Why."
"To protect you." Vice placed his hoof on Enzo's chest. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"No-"
"Stop worrying about me and more about yourself; that's your problem."
"No, that's your problem; you always rush into trouble!"
"For you!" Vice sighed. "All I do is for you."
Enzo hesitated and calmed himself. "But..."
"But nothing. I'm going into that damn forest and I'm gonna send those motherfuckers straight back through the portal to hell." Vice got up and stretched out his wings pridefully. He playfully strafed back and forth in combat stance. "Hey, I'm invincible."
Enzo watched helplessly as his friend exited the room. He didn't have the strength to physically move and the heart to call out. He hung his head low and cursed to himself bitterly. "I can't have one good day. Every day is nothing but trouble." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 31: Improving Build | "Twilight? I think you can calm down now. You've been at this for an hour, almost two, already."
"Not now, Blitz, I'm almost finished."
"Gah..." Blitz brushed his purple mane with unease as he continued to watch Twilight Sparkle write furiously. Her magically encased pen created legible strokes, despite her speed, with a constant pace.
"...and done!" Twilight jumped up with contentment. "I have just successfully recorded the whole conversation that we had earlier today about Victor Vicer and Enzo Endante."
Blitz sighed. "Even though I said I believed them...I still think that it's complete crap about what they said."
"Blitz-"
"I'm sorry; it's just hard to understand. I'm not as smart as you," Blitz said as a joke.
Twilight frowned as she transported the written documents into her desk via magic. "Don't say things like that. They're not positive."
"I-right. Still, I don't find myself totally believing them word for word." Blitz stared out of Twilight's window into the watchful night. The moon was masked with multiple clouds as shadows swept to and fro from the ground. "I just can't get the thought out of my head. Time travelers or dimension jumpers-whatever. That still sounds like crazy talk."
"Well the craziest things tend to be the most interesting, don't you think?" Twilight said.
Blitz felt slightly creeped out, but did not let Twilight sense his angst. "Well, in any case, I'm still on edge with them just like I always was. Except now, I don't even know what to know or what to think about them." He kicked at the ground before leaving to his bed area. Twilight watched quietly before leaving the unicorn to his solitude. Plopping himself on a crude wooden construct filled with pillowing, he turned and eyed his snow globe. It sat beautifully in place, sparkling Blitz's soul with memories.
"At least I have something to believe in..." He picked up the globe and shook it lightly. The everlasting snowflakes did their typical dance and Blitz chuckled. "Fuzzy Fry, Bluebelle, Vice, Enzo, Twilight Sparkle, Clyde...Trixie. Everypony I've ever known. It looks like my past is fading; I'm starting to forget about Fuzzy and Bluebelle. Is that good? My ex-girlfriend and...lost friend are being replaced? Celestia, I don't know anymore."
"Um, I'm sorry, but I unintentionally just overheard that," Twilight said reappearing next to Blitz. The blue stallion wrestled in his bed before hopping out. "What's that about an ex-girlfriend? The past being thrown away."
"Ahh-it's not-" Blitz stopped and looked at his snow globe. It shined elegantly in the darkened room. He reconsidered his actions and smiled. "You know what? I'm not going to run from my past. If Vice and Enzo can tell their story, then so can I." Blitz cringed.
"Uh, Blitz?"
"Sorry, it's just comparing myself to Vice is...not pleasant. But, I feel like I have to tell somepony about this. I can't just keep it bottled up."
Twilight tilted her head followed by a smile. "Well you can tell me anything, Blitz. I'm always here to listen and observe."
"Okay." Blitz pursed his lips trying to sort his thoughts out. "So, way before I got here about three months ago, I was living with my two best friends, Fuzzy Fry and Bluebelle. We were all school friends pooling together our money to pay for the house expenses. Fuzzy had a job as a toy maker and Bluebelle worked as head manager of some strange company. I-well, I didn't find any jobs. Nopony would hire me."
Twilight nodded slowly and frowned. "That's why you came here right? To look for a job?"
"Yup. Things were going well, though. I stayed home and kinda kept things in shape. Time went by and I started going negative if you know what I mean."
Twilight nodded again.
"I started doubting myself like a fool and became depressed if that's what you want to call it. But I hid that from my friends, no need to bring them down with me, right? Wrong. Bluebelle saw through me and tried to help. I pushed her away." Blitz paused and took a deep breath. "Eventually we started...dating." The blue unicorn held a faint smile. He almost giggled.
"That barely lasted. It was good though, I really...liked her. I did. Time went on, and we were still seeing each other but she felt out of it. She wasn't as vibrant as before. One day me and Fuzzy were goofing around as usual, wrecking the house and she opens the door and just screams. She said that she couldn't take it anymore, that we were still colts in a stallion world. I didn't know what that meant until it was too late. She said she was leaving because she had to teach us what it meant to grow up."
Blitz gritted his teeth. "And she was right. We were three ponies living in a dying house with barely any food. She made the money while me and Fuzzy played around. At that moment, I felt empty. The one mare I thought cared about me abandoned me for the better. She was gone that day and the depression came back. It may not seem like so, but I'm still a little sad from time to time. But its better thanks to Ponyville, thanks to everypony."
"I-I'm sorry," Twilight said.
"Don't be. I didn't tell you this to make you sorry, rather I told you so you would understand me. Anyway, after a while, I found an application form for Ponyville and both me and Fuzzy made plans to meet here. That's when my train accident happened and I broke my leg. And here I am I guess...but Fuzzy still isn't here. That's the only thing; I've gotten rid of Bluebelle, but not Fuzzy. He's still my friend to the very end and I don't know where he is. I don't want to get rid of him, he's all I got left."
"Well with the train crashes there must have been some delay-" Twilight stopped and put a hoof over her mouth. "You don't think he was-"
"What?" Blitz's eyes grew in horror when he realized what Twilight meant. "Oh, no no, you're not saying he was in a train crash."
"..." Twilight sighed. "It's a possibility, I won't lie. However, that seems highly unlikely. I've read the reports Clyde gave me on the train incidents and none were reported with any severe casualties. He's fine, Blitz, he probably just doesn't have a train at the moment."
"I hope you're right. All I can do is hope and that sucks. I wish I could do instead of hope," Blitz said angrily.
"Here, follow me," Twilight said motioning Blitz over. "I have something to take these thoughts off your mind."
Blitz placed his snow globe back on the table and trotted behind Twilight. When they both made their way into the middle of the room, Blitz shrieked. "Oh no-why! I've been traumatized! Who are you, Trixie?"
Twilight glared menacingly. "Don't compare me to her, please." She shook her head. "Just because it's a tub of water doesn't mean you should freak out."
"Sorry, I guess the past is always gonna eat away at me." Blitz observed the white tub of water sitting in front of him. The ripples brought back painful memories with a certain mare forcing him to do magic. He cautiously stepped closer, but kept himself ready to stagger away.
"Just calm down and relax. You can't be tense for this," Twilight said seriously. "Now, I want you to make just a small cube of ice. You can do that, right?"
"Uh, of course," Blitz said somewhat confidently. He raised his head and his horn started to glow an aqua blue. He focused his attention on the water and licked his lips. 'Okay, just make an ice cube. Just a small cube, shouldn't be too hard...oh no I'm gonna mess up. In front of Twilight! No, can't have that. Gotta focus!' Within a few seconds of concentration, Blitz's horn erupted into a zap and within the water floated a small ice cube.
"See? Wasn't that hard. You did it!" Twilight said enthusiastically. "I'm very impressed, well done!"
Blitz stood confused. "It was just...a small ice cube."
Twilight shook her head. "You did great. Keep it up."
"Uh-okay," Blitz said still perplexed.
"Now, see if you can make a bigger one. Not too big, but try to challenge yourself."
Blitz stared doubtfully at the tub of water with the single floating ice cube. "Alright?" He focused and closed his eyes, horn glowing. Mimicking his status from before, Blitz concentrated on the water with immense willpower. Before he knew it, that magical feel rushed to his horn and he opened his eyes to find a slightly bigger cube of ice now sitting in the tub instead of floating.
"Terrific. Simply spectacular!" Twilight yelled in joy. "Blitz, you sure are something!"
"Thanks..." Blitz lowered his head. 'I still don't get it. How is she so happy for such a little thing? It's just a small little-okay, well it's bigger, but it's just a stupid ice cube. What's so special about that?'
"Now, see if you can freeze the whole tub."
"Oka-huh? Wait what?" Blitz said almost toppling over.
"I want you to try and freeze all the water within that tub. I know you can do it, I have faith," Twilight said.
"Uhm, alright. I'll try." Blitz shook his head. "I'll do it." Blitz's horn retained its aqua glow and he felt that sense of concentration come back. Something was different, however. Blitz felt a change circulate throughout his body. The air around him started to chill and he could now truly feel his magic surging inside. He felt that he was controlling his magic rather than blindly hoping for change. With this newly acquired feeling, Blitz opened his eyes instead of keeping them closed and saw Twilight smiling at him. Within seconds, his magic intensified to a new level. He watched as the water within the tub started becoming solid ice blue.
Blitz let himself relax and the tub was iced over completely. He glanced at Twilight and started to laugh. "I did it."
"Yes you did!" Twilight suddenly lept forward and Blitz held up his hooves in defense. The two shared a hug and Blitz felt his body start to melt away into nothingness.
'She's hugging me. I'm being hugged. She's hugging me,' he thought dumbfounded. 'Why. I don't deserve this.'
"The key to improvement is always somepony there to help you," Twilight said.
It was at that moment the door busted open and Clyde stepped through with his shining mustache. Within seconds he spotted the two ponies hugging and his mustache drooped into a sad mess. It fell with dying grace. Twilight spotted the mustachioed stallion and broke away. Blitz, however, still sat in the same spot unmoving. Clyde stepped forward sheepishly, but spoke in a teasing manner. "And just what is going on here? What are you two mischief makers up to?"
"Clyde!" Twilight screamed.
Clyde chuckled and held his head high. "No need to fear, Miss Twilight Sparkle, I'm just joking." The two shared a laugh as Blitz still kept statue-like. "Now then, that's settled. I brought over some guests that I'd like to introduce to you both." Clyde eyed Blitz with curiosity. "Erm, Mister Blitz, are you alright?"
Blitz lifted his own hoof and proceeded to slap himself in the face. "Yeah, I'm good now."
"Well then." Clyde stepped aside and two guard ponies walked through the door. "I'd like to introduce to you both, Misters Brass Dozer and Glass Dozer."
"The Dozer Brothers!" The bigger one said. His brown full goatee complimented his muscular build similar to Clyde's. With a light brown body, black eyes, and rustled brown mane, the stallion definitely matched his raspy, loud voice. "Best bros in the whole rank!"
"Yeah," the smaller one said with a slight voice crack. He received a light blow to the head and fell over completely. His somewhat neat brown mane was now unkempt and his black eyes spun in circles.
"Aw c'mon, Glass, you gotta learn to take more than that," Brass Dozer said with disappointment. "Stay on your feet, moron!"
"Sorry, brother," Glass Dozer said picking himself up. He dusted off his light brown coat and redid his hair into the half neat, half messy style from before.
"Hmm, yes," Clyde said analyzing the two guard brothers. "If you couldn't tell already, these two pegasi-"
"Wait, pegasi?" Blitz blurted out.
The Dozer Brothers nodded and both spread their wings wide and proudly with perfect symmetry. "Yes, Mister Blitz, they are also part of Celesta's royal guards so naturally they are pegasi. I've worked with Mister Brass Dozer here for quite a while."
"That's right," Brass Dozer said triumphantly. "Me and the big guy here have been through some crazy stuff. Hah, the guy's mustache is still as young and healthy as when I first saw it. I mean, have you seen this stallion's mustache? Have you seen it? Classical. My facial hair has seen its years."
"And I'm-"
"Ah, that's Glass Dozer, my younger brother," Brass Dozer said quickly. "He's new to the whole guard thing, but he's ready. Ain't that right?"
"Yeah, I'm totally-"
"I thought it would be best to give little Mister Glass Dozer some experience," Clyde said.
"Hey, I'm pretty good," Glass Dozer said with offense.
"Not as good as me, squirt," Brass Dozer said ruffling his brother's mane once more. "Now that I mention squirts, who's the other little pipsqueak I'm supposed to filly sit?"
"Me?" Blitz said with unsureness.
Brass Dozer huffed. "I'll let Glass handle that. Me and Clyde need to have some chit chat."
Clyde nodded and the two exited, leaving the three younger ponies behind. "Bah, I wish I could do cool things with them," Glass Dozer said. "They always leave me behind. I don't like being left out in the cold."
"Same!" Blitz yelled. "I mean, yeah I hate that feeling too."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you do don't you."
"She knows," Blitz said with attitude.
"That's what I get for being the softy of the family," Glass Dozer said. "Everypony was tougher than me, stronger than me and faster than me. Even my own mom was laughing at how weak I was."
Blitz kept a happy face as his mind mentally sighed. 'Well this got depressing fast. And I thought I was bad.'
"I'm sure you're stronger in other ways than physically," Twilight said reassuringly. However, Glass Dozer's face shrank in embarrassment.
"That's why I joined the royal guards. I thought if I came into the ranks, I'd toughen up. But, I'm still the same pony I was when I first joined."
"How long ago did you get enlisted?" Blitz asked.
"About two months ago."
"And...nothing?"
"Maybe you should wait a little longer for some results," Twilight said. "It could just be how your body accepts training. It's just getting use to everything."
"You're right. Maybe I should," Glass Dozer said plopping himself on the ground.
An awkward silence befell the three ponies. Stares shot around and around before Clyde and Brass Dozer broke the tension. "Don't worry, ladies, all's fine."
"Quite," Clyde said. "Now, I brought you two here to assist my in investigating recent occurrences within Everfree Forest. My good friend, Mister Enzo, was injured severely and I've made my personal vow to see what's happening. Are you with me?"
"Is that even a question?" Brass Dozer said laughing. "You bet I am. Can't wait for some good old fashioned guard work. Right, bro?"
"Yeah," Glass Dozer said weakly.
"Then it's settled," Clyde said brushing his mustache valiantly. "We shall leave tomorrow morning. I'll see to it that you boys get a nice room for your long journey here."
"Nice. I get to rehash with the great, sir Clyde, and get some room service," Brass Dozer said rubbing his hooves together. "C'mon brotha, let's get some rest."
"Okay," his brother peeped.
"Ahem, I must run an errand over and see how Mister Enzo is doing. I still have some...questions that I would rather have answered now than later. Brass-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll watch the kids. You go on ahead, Clyde. Make it quick, I can't stand just sittin' around."
Clyde nodded and exited into the outside night. White wings wide, he flew into the air. His white body speckled as a moving star throughout the pale sky. 'Just one question that needs to be answered,' he thought. The white pegasus sailed faster and faster into the blackness, a shooting star. 'Tell me what happened in that forest. Who exactly hurt you. What are we up against?' Clyde rubbed his mustache firmly.
"Well, I guess it's a few questions now."
~~~~~~~~~~
As the night clocked itself away, the Everfree Forest grew more and more with corruption. The trees heard everything. Shouts exploded throughout the green; shouts that rattled the air.
"Everyone gather right now! Get your asses into order!" Sir Cutter X said standing atop a small, pale rock. "I'm giving a speech so listen up."
"Yeah," Joltaire said with a grunt. "Dude's being important for once so you all better pay attention. It's the only time you're gonna, haha!"
"Shut up you fool. Now then, is the whole group accounted for?"
"Right here boss," Joltaire replied. Masquerade Blade stood adjacent and waved one of his rotary blades.
"As am I," Doctor Rivet said solemnly. "And my creation." The orange creature sat next to the doctor on the ground emitting a low growling sound.
"Yowza, bladed man!" Bull It Buster said with a bounce. "I is here, yes, har har!" Several other ponies acknowledged their existence. Muffles flew all around.
"Good." Sir Cutter X raised his hooves and silence ensued. "We, the Misfit Marauders, are at a standstill right now. Masquerade Blade's failure is cause for us to act." Masquerade Blade stood stone still as faces drew upon him.
"I failed," a brown pegasus said. "Blame me."
"Dust Crack, none of this is your fault. The deaths of our two companions shall be avenged," Sir Cutter X proclaimed. "I assure you, we will step further."
"That's why you shoulda coulda woulda sent the guy with the big guns!" Bull It Buster said clanging his gun hooves together.
"Or the doctor with a grueling test to be made," Doctor Rivet said petting his creature. "I must see what my creation can really do."
"Hey, why the hell didn't you send all of us?" Joltaire said with a chuckle. "Why you gotta play things fair, huh? If we just butt rushed them then we probably coulda ended all this bullshit."
"Silence!" Sir Cutter X said.
"I kill you!" Bull It Buster finished with a hyena like laugh.
"No, shut up. It's all part of the plan. The plan! These mere fools are far stronger than I suspected; in due time we will prevail. Doctor Rivet, how is the train?"
"Preparations are being made. It is almost complete," the doctor said with pride.
"Excellent. We should be ready very soon. Let me repeat myself. We will destroy Ponyville. All of you who have been shamed and wronged and tortured, now's the time to redeem yourselves! Take out your anger on them, make them suffer. Make them understand what it means to be shunned and outlawed!"
The crowd roared with satisfaction and upbeat spirit. Sir Cutter X unleashed his blades on his hooves and stabbed at the air. "Let the Misfit Marauders rule!" More cheers and cries of crazy. He turned around and spoke softly to himself. "Death to Enzo Endante." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 32: Fated Outcomes | A wistful wild wind blew by the hospital, rattling its exterior with fright. The night filled the air with dropping temperatures, even the hospital's interior started to chill. Enzo looked up at the tantalizing breezes flushing by his window. He rubbed his eyes and coughed a bit. 'I'm not catching a cold on top of all this, am I?'
Enzo shuffled in his green bed sheets checking for the right position. The pain from long before had numbed away and the black stallion could finally start to feel his leg again. "Only a night and a half and I'm already recovering quickly," he said eagerly. "Could that be due to my origin as a non-inhabitant of this place? My darker blood?"
A knock startled Enzo. "Come in!" he said in defense. The knocking only increased. "Who is it?" More knocks. 'If it's another one of my rivals...' The door busted open and Vice waltzed in with a stumble.
"Vice-" Enzo gasped and sat up with haste.
Vice tilted and swayed as he walked. His movements were slow, but erratic. The pegasus limped up next to Enzo's bed and smirked before falling over. Vice hit the ground and a sickening splat was heard. Blackish red blood spread on the ground.
"Hey, Enzo."
Enzo was speechless. On the ground, lifeless before him, was Vice bloodied from every angle. His wings lay torn and mutilated, metal rods shot out and his brown feathers mixed with staining blood. Stab marks were located everywhere, the pony kept on bleeding.
"Heh, half this blood ain't even mine," Vice said with a gruesome coughing choke. More blood poured out his mouth. "I did it. I killed them."
"What-"
"I. Killed. Them," Vice repeated sinisterly. "I killed them..." Tears started to roll down his eyes. "Dammit." He closed his eyes and started shaking intensely. "I didn't do it!"
"Vice, I don't understand," Enzo said gritting his teeth. "What the hell did you do to yourself!"
"I went in the forest," Vice said now in a whisper. "Just now...and I tried to take them all on. I tried, I did. I tried and I got far." He coughed up more blood. "But not far enough. I killed the henchmen, Enzo. Just the small guys not the big bosses. I murdered ruthlessly again just like in the past. I'm still that same killer inside."
"No, you're wrong. We've changed-I can't believe-" Enzo started choking on his words. "Don't die."
"Hey, if I die, I'll die knowing I took some of those bastards with me. That's just less asshole for you to deal with. The ultimate sacrifice-"
"You idiot! You took lives for your own? That doesn't solve anything!" Enzo said with pained frustration. "Why..."
At this moment, another figure had entered the room. "Enzo, your friend-hey! I need a doctor in here!" A pristine pony had closed in on the scene and hesitated.
"Gray Sh-Patch?" Enzo said.
"Not now. We'll discuss later. Right now he needs help or he will die," Gray Patch said. "...shit." He shook his head and looked up for some sort of hope before picking up Vice. Blood stained the stallion's clothes, but Gray Patch shrugged off the feeling. "I'll get him to safety, just stay put."
Enzo watched with that helpless feeling as Gray Patch exited the room leaving a trail of blood behind. Vice shivered in the hooves of his carrier. He watched the hospital lights flitter into blurred specks. The flickering went on and on until he finally blacked out. The darkness consumed his vision.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Will he be alright?"
"Yes, that is what the doctors said, but he lost a lot of blood."
Enzo slumped with defeat into his bed. "Nothing but trouble." He felt a surging rage burning inside him. "All that he does is trouble..."
"I will agree it was unwise to venture into that alone," Gray Patch said. "But he made his point. We must deal with these...undesirables as soon as possible." He frowned and wiped a splotch of blood from his suit. "Rather unfortunate that he bled all over me, but I did what was necessary." Gray Patch peered around cautiously. "Perhaps now I can retire to my other outfit. This one has proved its purpose." He reached for his own mustache, but stopped as the door swung open.
"Mister Enzo, Mister Gray Patch!" Clyde came running through and stopped at the sight of Gray Patch. "What happened?"
Enzo did not dare to speak, but Gray Patch took initiative. "Mister Vice has been severely injured. From what I could tell, his wings were badly damaged and he had cuts all over his body. The reason, you may ask?" Gray Patch walked closer to Clyde. "It is with the forest."
Clyde's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "And just how do you know that, Mister Gray Patch? You seem to know awfully a lot about what's going on." Both Gray Patch and Enzo exchange looks, but had the tension break as Clyde sighed. "Never mind that. This is just more reason for me to investigate and more reason for me to be ashamed of my duties."
"Clyde-"
"No! I am the protector of Ponyville and I just let another pony get hurt. On my watch, I swear I'm going to end this madness tonight," Clyde said with passion.
"Well now, we are all upset about this predicament," Gray Patch said. "But that should not be an impulse to charge right in."
"Mister Gray Patch, I appreciate your concern," Clyde said. "But a few other guards and I are well beyond combat training."
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into-"
"How do you know, Mister Gray Patch, how? Why are you so mysterious?"
"Trust me, Clyde."
At this point, a short popping sound erupted from Gray Patch's mouth. His mustache suddenly removed itself from its owner and made a departure for the ground. Landing with a disappointing thud, Clyde's eyes widened in shock. "Blasphemy!" Within seconds, Clyde had shifted his body and rammed the unmasked pony. Gray Patch was sent tumbling into the wall, breaking multiple tiles and decorations along the way. He grunted in pain as he sat motionless in a pile of rubble.
"You sir, Mister Gray Patch, sir! You have broken the sacred mustache law!" Clyde said with tears in his eyes. "How could you do such a horrible thing. That fake representation of potent masculinity is beyond an atrocity. You bring shame to the mustache code and therefore must be punished." Clyde reared himself and started charging towards the downed Gray Patch.
"Clyde, wait!" Gray Patch said holding up his freed, bandaged hoof.
"Prepare yourself for to receive judgment for your sins!"
The two collided and Enzo watched mouth wide open. Clyde was stopped dead in his tracks; Gray Patch had materialized a blade through his bandaged arm at the hoof. It shined inches away from Clyde's throat.
"Stop."
Clyde shook his head before retreating back. "What in Celestia..."
Gray Patch stood up and unraveled his bandaged arm. A shining gold stump replaced his hoof with multiple attachments crawling into the wrist. From the end, a silver blade ran from the golden device. "So then, Enzo, it seems fate has revealed me. There's no hiding it now."
A puff of smoke appeared from under Gray Patch. The two ponies waited with anticipation for the smoke to clear. Barely audible sounds were heard before the gray cloud disappeared. Eye patch, hat, jacket and mouth mask; Gray Shark stood in the spotlight. "Now then Clyde, I-"
Gray Shark raised his sword hoof in defense as Clyde rushed closer again. He failed to block in time and found himself being tossed into the wall again.
"So, MASKED PONY! It seems we meet again."
Gray Shark sighed a painful breath. "Enzo, will you please elaborate."
"Clyde, please calm down. It's okay, he's my friend."
"Friend?" Clyde said angrily confused. "Mister Enzo...ARE YOU IN CAHOOTS-"
"No." Enzo shifted into a better position to articulate himself. "Gray Patch is the masked pony, as you know him, but to me he's Gray Shark. He's a friend from the...other world."
Clyde's anxiety died down. "So...he's like you then. A machine transformed?"
"Yes. He's like me, thrown into this world taking the body of the inhabitants."
"Great, are we settled down? I would enjoy not being pummeled to death, Clyde," Gray Shark said now standing without any source of injury or bruise.
"Who are you?" Clyde said emotionless.
Gray Shark gave him a look. "Let's just say I'm a more...laid back version of my former title. I still tend to be very formal but just in a lesser manner. Rogue fanciness if you will."
Clyde shook his head. "What is your story? Who are you, really?" he said more seriously.
"Ah, I see what you mean. Well all you need to know is that my origins stem with Enzo and his friend physically; being a machine. This device," Gray Shark raised his golden hoof and retracted the extended sword, "is what transferred over to this world." He proceeded to unsheathe the blade again and it jutted out within milliseconds. "My personal weapon of choice." Gray Shark eyed Clyde with satisfaction. "Now then, that's all you need to know along with-well-me being on your side now. No hard feelings."
Clyde frowned. "And what of Gray Patch? Is he just magically gone from existence?"
Gray Shark sheathed his weapon and started to lean on the wall. "From now on, you never met Gray Patch and he does not exist to you anymore. Enzo, your friend will understand easily and that boy I met earlier has probably already forgotten about that name. As for the masked pony...he simply got away." Gray Shark gave an eye smile. "The guards could never catch him."
Clyde nodded slowly once he took in all the information. "I supposed I can arrange for that in the records." Awkward silence came back to haunt the situation. "Ahem, now that this is somewhat settled, Mister Enzo, may I ask some important questions?"
"Of course, Clyde."
"Can you describe what exactly happened in that forest?" The words were clear and meaningful. "Surely you still remember from a few days ago."
"Vice and I were attacked by...other robots from our world." Clyde gasped while Gray Shark simply turned his head curiously. "Masquerade Blade, Joltaire and their leader, Sir Cutter X. They've hated me ever since I-well, I did something to them."
"Like what?" The question came from Gray Shark. "This is news to me."
"I...killed one of their acquaintances. Now they're hunting me for revenge and honor, but there's no honor in any of this. It used to be about who was going to kill who and I was fine with that. Now it's different. I just want the fighting to stop but I can't do that. I can't control what's happening and now I can't tell what they're going to do. If Masquerade Blade was able to get into Ponyville...then that means-"
"Any of them could get into here," Gray Shark said. "That's quite a problem."
"Indeed. It's a problem that I must personally take care of," Clyde said.
"Hold on," Gray Shark said. "You cannot expect to go in there alone or even with a few guards. You realize they are from our world. That means they're capable of immense destruction. You know I can't let you do...without me."
Clyde rubbed his mustache with confliction. "Mister Gray Patch-"
"It's Gray Shark now, sorry."
"-Mister Gray Shark, I don't know if I can necessarily keep my trust up with you. However, I understand the threat we face and I agree that we need as much help as can be given."
Gray Shark bowed. "At your service then."
"Indeed." Clyde turned to Enzo and stared distantly. "Are you going to be alright?"
Enzo did not shake his head nor nod. "I don't know."
"Your friend will survive," Gray Shark reassured. "He's like us, he won't die that easily."
"You're right," Enzo said. "He won't."
Gray Shark tipped his hat. "Alright then. Clyde, we shall meet tomorrow morning at the hospital to reimburse everyone you choose to bring. Then we can depart into the forest. I'll lead and if anything gets out of...hoof you get out."
"Mister Gray Patch-"
"Gray Shark."
"-I appreciate your willingness for sacrifice, but I cannot abandon my duty," Clyde objected. "If anything happens, we stay."
Gray Shark closed his crimson eye. "I am not the one responsible for the well-being of your guards." He opened his eye. "I'm just trying to prevent unwanted tragedy."
"We will end this madness tomorrow," Clyde said confidently. "With or without help, I am personally ending it. For Mister Enzo. For Mister Vicer. For Ponyville."
"So be it. Enzo, I will personally take care of this. You deserve freedom from this chaos above all else. I'm here to see that through."
Enzo smiled and Gray Shark bowed. He nodded to Clyde and both left Enzo in silence. "Vice...Fluttershy..." Enzo placed his hooves behind his head. "My best friend is dying and so is my heart." He grumbled with discomfort at the events swarming around him. "...I'm in love. I'm in love with fantasy. Something that nobody can believe is what I'm falling for. A girl of dreams. A girl that shouldn't and wouldn't exist in my world."
Enzo put his hoof over his heart and pressed against it. "Is this what Electric Flaire meant and felt? That he wanted to meet Twilight Sparkle so badly, he'd do anything? Is that what it means to be hopelessly in love with fiction?"
Enzo snuggled himself tighter into his fold of blankets. "Fluttershy...Vice..."
~~~~~~~~~~
Everfree Forest rustled with immense banter as the night poured itself away. Yells and screams echoed throughout the thick, crowded nature. The night sky drew in cries of insults and leaves shook with intense vibes.
"I told you to get away from me! I don't want you!"
"Aww, c'mon girl. You said you're in desperate need of a strong guy."
"I never said that you freak!"
"Hey, don't call me that, bitch!"
The harassed mare backed away as Joltaire closed in on her. "Don't make me shut you down." He smiled with intent and grabbed at the mare's dark purple mane.
"I said get away! Don't touch me," the mare screamed struggling against Joltaire's grip.
"You want it don't you!"
"Hey, hey! What in the name of the Nipple God is going on?" Bull It Buster said swinging his gun hooves wildly into the conversation. He flopped his body happily into the situation.
"Yo, I didn't invite you. Get outta here!" Joltaire said releasing his hold. "Give a man some privacy. Jesus!"
"Who dat? Yo' lady friend?" Bull It Buster teased.
"I didn't join you guys for this!" the mare said.
"I'd advise for you to stop," a female voice said from behind the three ponies. The attention drew onto another mare standing firmly across from the scene. Her face was obscured by the green overcoat she was wearing with the hood up. "Good boys don't do that."
"Yeah? Boy, oh boy. What are you gonna do, huh?" Joltaire said stepping forward. The second he did so a magical glow sparked and chain shot out from under the mare's sleeve. It snaked itself towards Joltaire and wrapped around his neck. Bull It Buster howled in laughter as he watched Joltaire get dragged to the ground by the mare.
"You're not doing anything, you got that?" the mare said glaring down at Joltaire. Her horn emitted a white, almost clear glow as the chain was covered in magic.
"All you girls: bitches-whores!" Joltaire said struggling to untie the link around his neck.
"Are you gonna bug off?" the mare asked politely.
"Nah-get this thing off-"
The mare grinned before tossing Joltaire like a ragdoll into the nearby bushes. He landed with a thud and a cloud of dust erupted from the growth. She then proceeded to walk silently past the hysterical Bull It Buster towards the other mare. "You alright?"
The slightly shaking mare nodded. "Yep, I'm better now."
"Good." The shrouded mare observed her work of launching Joltaire and chuckled. "Hey, I'm Platinum Chain."
"Sweet Pop" the other mare said. "Thanks."
"No prob." Platinum Chain said. She unveiled her light green hood and let her long black mane flow down to her shoulders. With a swift motion, she quickly retracted her chain back under her coat. It slid with magic out of view to her silver-gray body underneath. "Just thought that you might need some help."
"Yeah..." Sweet Pop stood up and brushed off her pale pink coat. Her dark blue eyes darted nervously at Bull It Buster and Platinum Chain. "I hate both of them."
"That other guy is the jerk, though."
"Not as much of a jerk-off, fapsalot as me!" Bull It Buster said still crying with laughter.
Platinum Chain's green eyes rolled, but then filled with worry. "Wow, what's that bump on your cheek? Did he hit you or something?"
"Oh no, that was from a few days ago." Sweet Pop rubbed her slightly swollen cheek with embarrassment. "They made me be a distraction and I ended up getting my pretty face slapped. It was awful!"
"Really, they forced you to do that?"
"Well...I kinda wanted to do it," Sweet Pop said coyly. "It felt good to holler for help."
"Okay, uh-"
"Hey, I ain't finished!" Joltaire said appearing from the bushes. His helmet was smeared with dirt and his helmet eyes glowed with fury. "You hear me?" He fell forward and landed on his head.
"Oh we hear you," Platinum Chain said. "Well then, let's get outta here. Leave that trash in the garbage."
"..." Joltaire still lay askew within the bushes.
"Righty then!" Sweet Pop said following Platinum Chain closely out of the area.
"-wait!" Joltaire bolted out of the bushes and crash landed on the ground. "I'm sorry-no. Come back!" His attempts proved useless as the mares already left. "Dicksauce!"
"Looks like someone got his poochy screwed."
"Screw you, prick," Jolatire said running away into the inner forest.
Bull It Buster tilted his head with disappointment. "Aww, he's no fun." |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 33: Old Friends, New Pains | "So, uh, you always dress like that?" Brass Dozer said.
"It is a matter of personal preference," Gray Shark replied tugging at his jacket and adjusting his hat. "But I do change outfits from time to time." He eyed Clyde teasingly.
"Indeed...so, is everypony accounted for?" Clyde said eyeing his group.
"Dozer Brothers here!" Brass Dozer said cupping his hoof over Glass Dozer's mouth.
"And I am also present," Gray Shark said.
"Good. Then, let us be off. Mister Gray Patch-"
"Gray Shark," the masked pony corrected calmly. Gray Shark gestured for the guards to follow. The four stallions treaded carefully through Everfree Forest, worry traveled with each step. Sunlight was shining hopefully above, penetrating the shrouding leaves and branches. Life around the group provided long wanted comfort. Birds chirped with soft tunes and woodland creatures scurried blissfully.
"Bah, I always hated those little devils," Brass Dozer said pointing to a nearby bunny. It flailed its ears innocently and started scratching playfully at itself.
"How can you say that, brother?" Glass Dozer said. "That bunny is-oh, never mind." The bunny suddenly hissed and spat at the group before bouncing away furiously.
"That's not normal," Gray Shark commented.
"A lot of things around here aren't normal," Clyde said giving Gray Shark a look.
"Yeah, aren't you like a robot or something?" Brass Dozer said with a chuckle.
"Something to that effect-well yes, just not in this form in this world-"
"Yeah, that crap confuses the hay outta me so don't bother. I'll just follow up with my lil bro here, hah," Brass Dozer said tugging at Glass Dozer.
"C'mon, stop. Please!" Glass Dozer said trying to scurry away.
"Boys," Clyde said now irritated. "Quit your bickering and let us continue forward. We cannot afford to waste time when we have serious matters to deal with."
"I have to pee," Glass Dozer said.
Clyde ruffled his mustache in disappointment.
"What?" Brass Dozer said with mild irritation.
"I gotta go to the bathroom!"
"What unfortunate timing," Gray Shark said. He sighed and started to lean comfortably on a tree. "Just be quick."
"Where do I go?"
"Uh, over there...somewhere?" Gray Patch pointed with his golden hoof.
Glass Dozer nodded hesitantly and started to clumsily walk over. Brass Dozer grunted with delight. "And don't get the piss all over yourself like last time."
"Don't bring that up!" Glass Dozer said now running rampantly into the forest.
"Are you sure he is up to this task?" Gray Shark said doubtfully.
"Hey you shut your mouth you...ninja...pirate...thing!" Brass Dozer said. "Don't you ever make fun of my brother."
"How ironic," Gray Shark muttered. "I'm just saying."
"So, Mister Gray Patch-"
"Shark."
"-will you show Mister Brass Dozer your golden device? I'm sure he's eager to know what it is."
Gray Shark stood up straight and pointed his gold device at Brass. He performed jolted his arm rigidly and a shining silver blade jutted out faster than the pegasus could react.
"What-howya do that? You're no unicorn, what sorcery is this?"
"It's called a retractable blade," Gray Shark said to a blank faced Brass Dozer. "As in individual blades folding over each other."
"Yeah, you can, uh, leave me outta that. Too complicated for me," Brass said with a hearty laugh. "Seriously, I just stick to the good ole' fashioned spear. Guard's best friend."
"Erm, if you don't mine me asking, do you own a call number of some sort?" Clyde said.
"Call number?" Gray Shark asked. "Oh, you mean-yeah I don't have one. I'm one of the...later models. They stopped giving us official numbers and just started giving us names and personalities. That's what the culture evolved into. People stopped caring about records."
"I see."
"I don't! Celestia. I don't get any of this crap-ahaha," Brass Dozer said shaking his head with laughter. A shrill scream disrupted the temporary respite going on between the group. Each individual pony readied themselves and both guards revealed spears of their own.
"So, I see you are true to your word," Gray Shark said. "About the spear."
"It is indeed a guard's master weapon," Clyde said proudly. Another scream, this time with voice cracks beyond all belief, caused slight ease. Bushes rustled with mystery before Glass Dozer came waddling out.
"I found Buzz!" he cried with disbelief. "I think I peed on him."
"It's Blitz and barely," the unicorn said.
"Mister Blitz!"
"Hey, Clyde," Blitz said with a cocky smile.
"Blitz, I don't think you should really be here," Gray Shark said with genuine worry. "Seriously."
"Wait, what? Who are you?" Blitz said noticing Gray Shark for the first time. The stallion reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick black mustache. He placed it over his masked mouth and waited for Blitz to react. "Huh? I don't-dah, you're that fancy guy I met!"
"OH MISTER GRAY PATCH-"
"Shark."
"-WHY DO YOU TORMENT ME SO?" Clyde said on his knees with his hooves to his face. "I can't bear to look at you without shame! You must remove that abomination at once!"
"Kay. Here, Blitz." Gray Shark handed the mustache to Blitz who awkwardly accepted. "Go fool somebody."
"Thanks?"
"Likewise. Now, shall we be off?"
"Mister Gray Pa-" Clyde stopped as Gray Shark eyed him cautiously. "Shark, I am not going to allow Mister Blitz to come."
Blitz raised his hooves and spoke sharply. "Hey, wait a minute-"
Brass Dozer nodded in agreement, but spoke lightheartedly. "If the squirt wants to go let him. We got three armed guards-two and a half armed guards to protect him. And we got, uh...you." He pointed sheepishly at Gray Shark. The whole group stared unevenly at the masked pony.
"Glad you didn't forget someone," Gray Shark said unemotionally.
Clyde wiped down his face before shaking his head. "Alright. Mister Blitz-just stay close." He turned away abruptly and hid his face.
"Will do, Clyde!" Blitz said hopping happily beside the guard. The five ponies made their way deeper into the forest with uncertain stride. The sun watched dreadfully above as its rays failed to shed light on the group anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I really have to pee again, honest!" Glass Dozer said fidgeting uncomfortably.
"Are you kidding me, bro?" Brass Dozer said.
"Sorry! I can't handle my body!"
"Well hold your damn cock 'till we get there. We are almost there right, Gray?"
Gray Shark answered calmly. "Correct, we are-"
"I can't hold it in!"
"-almost there."
"Right ho," Clyde said. "If you spot any suspicious behavior, just holler! Me and my mustache will bring the pain."
Gray Shark's ears perked up and he jumped to his two hind legs before anyone else could react. A girlish scream jolted through each body and infused the tension with fear.
"What the hell was that?" Brass Dozer said raising his spear.
"Trouble," Gray Shark said.
"But-that's a girl's voice. We-we gotta help her or something..."
"Stay focused," Clyde said. "We don't know for sure what that scream was."
"Fee-fi-fo-fum," a voice said.
"What was that?" Blitz said scuttling behind Clyde.
"Suck on my goddamn cum!" Two giant blasters emerged from the trees above pushing themselves slowly through the leaves. A smiling face also pushed its way into view and its target marked eyes lit up slightly with a yellow flicker. The guns started to whirl and spin up, light blue lights flickered on and off.
"Guys," Glass said. "I don't have to pee anymore."
"Scatter!" Gray Shark said. The ponies obeyed and split up as a shower of blue bullets obliterated the ground from whence they stood.
"Can't run away, I'll find you!" Bull It Buster said cackling. The words echoed from above as each pony ran their own separate direction. "You think you can escape me? Pittle-pat your feet into the forest navel? Don't make me laugh until I cry sweet tears of-agh-gacka-babah!" An explosion erupted from in front of the psychotic gunner and the sound waves echoed throughout the shrubbery. Hearing the damage behind him, Blitz felt himself exert twice as much energy into his legs. The forest leaves and branches blurred into green and brown masses. The ground was an everlasting path of unknown danger. Blitz could still hear distant shouts and sped up even faster.
"Ahh!" The pony couldn't help but scream. 'Okay, calm down. Just calm down! This is just like last time. Keep running and eventually you'll reach...something!' His breathes rapidly increased and his legs started to weigh down. Everything looked the same to Blitz. He felt no progress being made. 'Just keep moving forward! I'll find Gray or Clyde or those two guys. I will, I just have to-'
"Blue!" Blitz stopped and faced a mid-air beast trajecting towards him. The orange creature smiled with delight as it pounced and pinned the unicorn to the ground.
"No!" Blitz tried desperately to push off his captor. He struggled in absolute fear, his body shivered against the monster. "Get off me, gah!
"I've got Blue!" The monster shook with excitement atop Blitz. Both ponies looked at each other before screaming, one in laughter and the other in terror.
~~~~~~~~~~
"That should've taken care of him." Gray Shark ran stealthily through the now silent forest. "Nobody can survive that kind of explosion so close up." The crunching of leaves left the masked pony on edge. With his sword extended, he ran on his two hind legs with quickness. 'Not good at all. We're all split up in forest full of dangerous killers.' He cursed and continued to cruise through the green.
"Hey, Gray, fancy meeting you here."
Gray Shark paused and straightened out his body smoothly. He closed his eye and sighed before facing his caller. Standing before him was a green stallion styling his red mane. He brushed off his suit before giving a big grin. Gray Shark addressed the other pony cautiously. "Sloth..."
"Oh my God, it's Tony Bloom! Get it right and don't call me that disgusting name! You of all should know how I feel about it!" the pony said stammering all over the place.
"So, you found me," Gray Shark said now stepping in a circle around the pony.
"More like you found me."
"So then," Gray raised his sword. "Are we to clash swords?" He eyed the two sword sabers handing loosely strapped on the pony's sides.
"Naaah, I don't feel like it. Why don't you ask me later," Tony Bloom said with a fake yawn. He overdramatically stretched his whole body and faced Gray Shark in a comical way.
"Why are you here?" Gray said still ready to attack.
"Just surveying the beautiful nature outside-"
"Where's Pride?"
"Who cares," Tony Bloom said shrugging. "How should I know?"
"You best be telling me or I'll cut the answer out of you," Gray said flashing his sword menacingly.
Tony Bloom cocked his head. "Just did, pendejo. Now, leave me alone, would you kindly?"
"And why would I be doing that?" Gray Shark said stepping closer. "It seems coincidental we happened to meet. I'm curious, what are you doing out here?"
"I've got a date with my new lady friend," he said with a grin. "And I'm in the hurry to meet up with her. Shame, we only just met again." His horn started to glow a vibrant red and vines started uprooting themselves from the ground. "Not much chit-chat, sorry. I know you love my voice..." Bloom stood perfectly still as the overgrowth started to slide away from Gray Shark. "Hasta luego, Gray!" he said waving while the vines carried him further and further.
"Hey-" Gray Shark stepped forward, but stopped and arched his body diagonally, dodging a flying rotary blade by inches. He jumped back and faced another familiar opponent.
"..." Masquerade Blade dropped from above and raised two saw blades in symmetry.
"So, we meet again. This time with more privacy." "..."
Gray Shark cut at air and had begun to position himself stylishly. He held up a hoof just under his sword. "Shall we begin?"
Masquerade Blade nodded quickly and charged towards Gray Shark with hooves behind his back and head forward. Gray shark chuckled to himself and prepared for an incoming fight.
"Typical, ninja-style sprint," he said slightly ticked off. "That's my style." He copied his opponent's type of run and charged headfirst into the fray.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Don't hurt me!" Blitz yelled still fighting off his assailant. "Please!"
"Blue..." The creature still held onto Blitz with an iron grip with its non-transformed hooves, but refused to make anymore movements. Blitz's eyes finally met the orange beast's and he saw something that kept his eyes glued permanently to the decaying face. The peculiar golden eyes made a sudden impact on Blitz. He felt his heart sink and his body no longer trembled with fright. Upon closer inspection of the eyes, Blitz shook his head in complete denial. He choked on his next words, almost throwing up the name.
"Fuzzy Fry."
The creature titled its head wryly. "...Fuzzy. Fuzzy-Fry. Fuzzy?" Its eyes bounced around as it comprehended the given name. "Fuzzy Fry?"
"No-that can't be. You can't be Fuzzy," Blitz said. "That's not possible, it's impossible. You can't be my friend-how...I don't see-"
"You are quite the clever one, aren't you?" Doctor Rivet said trotting lightly towards the two incapacitated, entangled ponies. "You figured out his name just like that."
The monster looked up and noticed its master. It broke its confused gaze and grinned with sickening delight. "I got Blue!"
"Yes. Yes you did, my pet."
Blitz kept staring into the pale, golden eyes of his seemingly former friend. "You're pet, Fuzzy Fry...no-wait, what's going on. Tell me!"
"Well, I thought you were clever, but it appears that is an entirely different meaning. You still have not figured everything out yet, how peculiar. Or have you not accepted what has truly happened?" Doctor Rivet said closing in on the two. "This is who you know as Fuzzy Fry, correct? If you believe so then it must be so. Why else would you stop and recognize something odd of this pony all of a sudden?"
"I can't-this can't? What did you do?" Blitz said now looking at the doctor. "This isn't my friend-no! This is some sick trick. You're trying to trick me like last time."
"Fuzzy Fry," the doctor said orderly. The orange creature raised its head firmly and perked it towards Doctor Rivet. "Get off of him. Now." The creature obeyed without hesitation and Blitz felt his world slowly collapsing. "That is indeed his name. However, he only recognizes it by my voice thanks to my skillful engineering."
"I can't-what-my..." Blitz barely breathed the words as he started to feel lightheaded. "This-this isn't real? I-Fuzzy Fry!"
"There is no point in trying to reengage him," Doctor Rivet said firmly. "I improved him."
"Fuzzy Fry, it's me, Blitz. Blue, whatever you call me-look!" Blitz pointed to his chest and started hitting it with fury, sadness and desperation. "Fuzzy Fry!"
The beast now known as Fuzzy Fry only laughed, but with no emotion. Blitz could feel his head getting warm and his throat getting dry.
"As you can see, I have changed him," Doctor Rivet continued. "Made him different from whatever you remember him as. Please try and forget that, by the way. He no longer remembers you and you should not want to remember him. It is change that is so important."
He shook his head in utter defeat. "Why."
"Well I needed a test subject. Sacrifice is key to creating greater causes," Doctor Rivet said enthusiastically. "There is nothing you can do now, stop blabbering."
"My friend," Blitz started to say weakly. "He's a monster. All this time-this whole time...he was here being tortured by you. Not in Appaloosa...not in Ponyville, not anywhere but here. A monster."
"Oh no," the doctor said offended. "I would not say monster-no. And torture? Not even a thought of that. You see, this is the future."
"What future?" Blitz said now tensing up with anger. "This is a future full of evil-full of sick bastards like you!"
"No, a future of creation. This is my first step: the brain. Next comes the body, then the soul-"
"You're talking about creating something that you control, something you engineered to work for you; a machine."
"Imagine what we could do with this advancement."
"And you used my friend."
"He paid his dues; his mind was not in vain."
"Fuzzy Fry...my best friend," Blitz anger melted away into tears. The wetness burned his cheeks with indescribable sorrow. "I-" He placed a hoof over his eyes and let the tears stream down his arms. His sobs filled the empty forest green and turned it blue.
"I cannot risk two subjects of such close relationship to work with one another now that I think about it," Doctor Rivet said adjusting his glasses.
Blitz raised his head slightly. "There's hope."
"Kill him."
Fuzzy Fry stared at Blitz before blinking blankly. He frowned and looked at Doctor Rivet with confusion. "No, I-it's Blue!"
"Do it, you wretch! I am simply tired of your resistance! Do it! Now!"
Fuzzy Fry shook his head and screamed in pained laughter before turning to Blitz and raising his claws. He sucked in air through his teeth and exhaled despairingly before slashing at his former friend. Blitz took the hit right to his cheek and didn't falter. He stood and gritted his teeth. "Fuzzy, stop it's me." The creature howled with mixed emotions before putting his arms on his head. The claws attached flailed wildly above his head.
"Orders...must follow...orders!" He dropped his arms limply and reared back with a sinister smile. "Must...die!" Fuzzy Fry leapt at Blitz and the blue stallion closed his eyes.
'Fuzzy Fry: my bestest friend forever.' The demented face came closer. 'And now you're gone. You're about to kill me. Is this how my life ends? An unfulfilled wish for a better life'- A whirl of wind flew past Blitz and he felt his heart stop with time. Feeling no pain, however, he opened his eyes and spotted a white figure standing in front of him.
"Mister Blitz..." Clyde said painfully as he drew blood at his right abdomen. "We need to get out of here!" he said with a forceful buck to Fuzzy Fry. The crazed pony flew back and laughed all the way as he hit the ground.
"Clyde, I'm so sorry-I can't-he can't control himself!" Blitz said sputtering words as tears began to formulate once more. Clyde grimaced before grabbing Blitz and hoisting him bluntly onto his back. "No-wait. We can't leave yet."
"Blitz, we are leaving."
"I just found Fuzzy Fry, I found him, Clyde! Listen!" Blitz said pointing vigorously at the orange pony. "It's him! He was never in Appaloosa or stuck or anywhere he's here! I can't leave him, not after I found him. Not after what I found out about him!" he said frantically pulling on Clyde's back. "You don't understand, I can save him! Just give me some time!"
"Now."
Blitz shook his head in bewilderment. "How can you say that? You're supposed to be protecting me, not causing-" He suddenly felt wetness and noticed Clyde's blood trickling down Blitz's hoof as he clutched the wound.
"I am, Mister Blitz. I am." Fuzzy Fry screamed hysterically as Clyde took off at once and shot through the branches. He ascended higher and higher until breaking through the overgrowth. The sunlight shined painfully on the two ponies as they flew hopelessly through the dreadful sky.
"Well, that is a bit annoying," Doctor Rivet said pacing back and forth madly. "Actually, it is very annoying. Fuzzy Fry, you disappoint me. No more hesitation on my orders or else. Do you understand what I am saying? I will punish you."
"No..." the orange pony said wiggling uncomfortably. "Not the darkness. Not the darkness!"
"Yo, doc!" Joltaire came bolting through excitedly. "You get any good catches? The two pansy-ass guards we fought earlier just flew away like goddamn birds!"
"No," Doctor Rivet said grudgingly. "I am going to have to tweak him a bit. Unusual behaviors occurring out of him...strange."
"Uh, okay, well-get back ASAP, broseph," Joltaire said motioning the doctor to follow him. "Cutter says we're going soon to F some shit up. C'mon, man." He left the area leaving the doctor in a great amount of perplexing strife.
"So rather unfortunate!" Doctor Rivet said stamping his foot. He sighed with an infuriated breath before walking towards Fuzzy Fry. "Come. I have to figure out what I am to do with you."
Fuzzy Fry whimpered and slowly dragged his claws across the ground following his master. His head hung low and he mumbled to himself. The forest just lost its eerie sense. All it had now was evil.
> Chapter 34: All for Unfair
Exasperated sobs filled the Equestrian sky with unnatural sorrow. The bloodied, white pegasus keeping Blitz afloat stayed warily silent. His wound was a minor dent in his problems. The unending tears still fell down Blitz's face as memories, reality, and questions all flooded his mind. "Clyde..."
"Mister Blitz, I'd advise keeping quiet on the trip back home," Clyde said emotionlessly.
"I failed-"
"No!" Clyde jerked mid-flight as he exhaled his distaste for Blitz's statement. "I am the one who failed, Mister Blitz! I failed! I am the true one who could not stop this madness. I am the one to blame, not you," he said angrily. "The fact that I couldn't even scratch or damage or even stall anyone in that forest proves how useless I am!"
"Don't say that, Clyde!" Blitz said tugging at the pegasus. "You don't mean that."
Clyde slowed down his pace and looked back at Blitz with dishonor in his green eyes. "I do...I honestly do. That's why the royal guards are being called in because I cannot do my own job right."
"Don't say that," Blitz said losing his confident edge over Clyde's despair. "That's not true."
"It is what it is, Mister Blitz. I'm incompetent. It's just that simple-"
"Shut up," Blitz said forcefully. "Just shut up you stupid idiot!"
"Mister-"
"I don't ever want to hear you say things like that again, do you hear me you big dummy!" Blitz said now crying again. "It's not positive!"
"What?"
"A mare once told me to always be positive no matter what. Even now, after what I've found out, I'm still trying to come back! I'm not gonna turn into some big crybaby and hope for a solution. I am the solution and so are you!"
Clyde closed his eyes tiredly and took a deep breath. "Mister Blitz. I am sorry, but we are not going back. That is final."
Blitz's cries died down and so did conversation. The dawning sky filled both their hearts with red dread. Soon enough, the greenery below disappeared and society's welcoming layout came into view. Flying lower, Clyde made a clear landing next to Twilight's tree house and let Blitz depart from his back. Blood still dripped from his abdomen, but he just walked forward with a stone face.
"I swear to Celestia," Clyde said peering into the empty sky. "If they didn't make it..."
"Clyde! Ya, Clyyyde!" a raspy voice said from above. Clyde's face softened with relief as the Dozer Brothers flew towards him.
Blitz did not pay much attention to the guards; he stared at the ground alone. 'Fuzzy Fry is in that forest. When Clyde told me about the train crash in Appaloosa...I never would have thought that Fuzzy would be taken. How is that possible-' Blitz eyed the bleeding pegasus viciously. "-Clyde!"
"Mister Blitz-"
"You said that everybody on that train made it out okay, but how did you know?"
Clyde shook his head. "I don't see-by reading a report of all listed personnel aboard the train."
"But not by head count. That's why nobody was missing because everyone had a ticket. Everyone but Fuzzy."
"How can you know?"
Blitz shifted uncomfortably. "I don't. I just know him enough that he'd do that. How else would he have gotten with that sick freak doctor? The crash, him going to Appaloosa, the time; it just makes sense-I don't know! I'm trying to make sense out of all this," Blitz yelled starting to feel heavy in his heart again.
"I see."
"Hey, everyone alright here?" Brass Dozer said walking over to Blitz.
"No."
"Huh?"
"It's complicated. I just-I need time alone," Blitz said. He turned abruptly and dragged himself towards Twilight's house. About a few steps in, he stopped and sat on the ground. He never turned his head to look back, he kept staring blankly into the dawning sky.
"What's his problem?" Brass Dozer said scratching his head.
"His friend...it really is complicated. It would be better if you didn't know, Mister Brass. No hard feelings."
"You know me. I enjoy being ignorant and oblivious to all around me." Brass Dozer chuckled a bit. "Say, where's Gray?"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you done yet?" "..."
Gray Shark blocked another hurtling saw blade with minor difficulty. His opponent shook its head in frustration. Masquerade Blade reared up and launched two more blades to which Gray Shark simply jumped out of the way. "Its physics, boy. You can't expect those things to fly and hit me just like that," he said teasingly. "I have too much time to calculate where they're headed.
"..." Masquerade Blade ignored the statement and continued hurling rotary blades at his aggressor. Gray Shark made a prominent sigh before dodging again.
"I'm telling you, you're gonna chew through all of them by the time we're done. Then, where will we be at?"
Masquerade Blade hesitated and Gray Shark took initiative to close in on his combatant. With each step, Masquerade Blade retreated back, still deciding on whether to throw his last two blades or not. Gray Shark remembered this weakness and managed to pin his sword straight into Masquerade's shoulder. Dark blood stained the silver sword red.
"Looks like this is where it all ends for you. Good fight-" As he still kept himself in the air a chain wrapped around his leg and dragged him backwards.
"What?" Gray said trying to grab the ground unsuccessfully.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something? I thought my associate could use a little girl power," a voice said.
"And who is this dragging me to my demise?" Gray said grabbing the chain.
"Platinum Chain, at your-"
"Service." Gray struck his sword in between a chain link and stopped the silver snake abruptly. Platinum Chain was pulled forward and Gray used the momentum to swing the mare over to a nearby tree. He slashed at the chain, breaking it and watched Platinum smack the tree with a distasteful thump.
"Sorry to you, but don't steal my lines." He turned to Masquerade Blade. "And don't steal my style." Gray surveyed his two opponents and scoffed. "Well this seems hardly fair-or maybe it is. Two on one?"
"Make it three on one you one-eyed beast of legend," Bull It Buster said perched atop a tree.
"WHAT THE HELL? Who you calling one-eyed-"
As soon as Gray let his guard down, a shower of blue bullets rained upon him. "Here I come I am Bullet-Mon!"
"Great." Gray managed to barely sweep by the barrage of bullets all while snaking past the approaching chains. He backed up against a solid tree and ducked as a saw blade missed him by inches. 'Three on one? Now that is hardly fair.' He jumped back in short leaps in order to stay quick and diligent. "Maybe if you all took turns..."
"No time to turn, time to dance!" Bull It Buster said still firing his cannons.
"..."
"So what if it's three on three?" Platinum Chain said. "If you can't handle that then how can you call yourself a good fighter?" More chains were inbound on Gray's position.
"I ain't a stupid one that's for sure," Gray said sprinting eloquently past all projectiles. "Plus, that's not how a fair fight goes down."
"Fair fights don't necessarily choose the better fighter," the mare said tilting her head with confidence. "A fight is a fight, stop being such a wuss."
"Big talk."
"Big cock!" Bull It Buster crouched before leaping towards Gray all while firing his guns. Like an arrow, he stuck and drilled the ground with his spinning hooves and grunted with dissatisfaction. "Fudgicles."
Gray reached for one of the stallion's outstretched legs and promptly kicked him in the stomach. With momentum, Bull It Buster went flying upwards. Gray then managed to chuck the psycho's whole body in an overhead toss. In a panic, the pony started flailing his arms and sending streaks of blue zipping everywhere. Gray reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pellet. While Platinum Chain and Masquerade Blade raised their hooves in natural defense, Gray threw the pellet onto the ground and a shroud of gray smoke burst out.
"What the heck? Smoke?" Platinum Chain said covering her face redundantly.
"..." Masquerade shook his head before hurtling his last two blades at the puff of smoke. A crunch was heard and the pony faltered at his wound. Regardless, he sprinted to the spot of darkness. The haze cleared and pinned to the ground were two saw blades that had missed their mark.
"Wow, you suck," Bull It Buster said flat on his face. "Suck balls."
Platinum Chain giggled as Masquerade retrieved his blades gingerly. "I'm sorry-it's just the way he said it...hehe," Platinum Chain said putting a hoof over her mouth.
"Ahhh, yes! Girl loves my jokes. Finally!" Bull It Buster said jumping to his feet vigorously.
"Don't get too excited," Platinum said still trying to muffle her laughing. "You're not really my type."
"Poopy."
Masquerade ignored the two and walked to his other blades in defeat. He looked at his own reflection in the metal blade and silently cursed. "..."
~~~~~~~~~~
"You have to let me go back," Blitz said now rejoined with the guards. Blitz said now rejoined with the guards.
"And you know I can't let you do that, Mister Blitz."
Blitz stamped his foot. "Clyde, I don't believe you! He's my friend-"
"I can't believe you, boy," Brass Dozer said. "You have a death wish?"
"If that wish gets me back my friend, then yes!"
"Oh, unbelievable!" Brass Dozer shrugged in frustration before walking away.
"Mister Blitz," Clyde said now fired up. "Enough-"
"I finally figure out where and what the heck my friend is. I need to go back, I need to save him!" Blitz said now riling up in tension as well.
"Hey, knock it off. The guy's doing his damn job so calm down," Brass Dozer said halting his descent away from conversation. "Just chill-"
"Don't tell me to calm-"
"Enough!" Clyde yelled in pure anguish. "Please!" Everyone stopped and stared daintily at the guard pony. "Mister Blitz, going back would be utter suicide. For all of us."
"It's my damn friend!"
"And it's your life-"
"I don't care about my life!"
"Then what are you waiting around here for?" a voice said. Everybody looked about until Gray Shark stepped quietly into the chat. "If you really care, follow what you believed is right."
"But, Clyde won't-"
"So?" Gray Shark eyed Blitz hardly.
"Mister Gray Shark, how can you say that?"
"He isn't a little kid anymore. Not after what he realized today and what he's been exposed to. You can't expect him to sit still, even I don't."
Clyde paced around slowly to keep his wound from reopening. He sighed and frowned. He pulled at his mustache in irritation. "No, I'm sorry, but no. I simply cannot allow another victim-"
"I'll stay," Blitz said nonchalantly. "Its fine, I'll just stay."
Gray Shark raised an eyebrow of genuine surprise. He considered Blitz's conclusion before nodding approvingly. "Very well."
"The royal guards arrive tomorrow; they'll take over the situation we couldn't handle." A tint of defeat and disappointment littered Clyde's words. He spoke in a broken manner. "Surely they will fix what I can't. What I couldn't handle." The Dozer Brothers shifted uncomfortably as they accounted for the failure they Clyde was addressing. "I want you all to just..." Clyde started to lose his voice in an emotional struggle.
"Everyone should take it easy for today. Forget what happened for now and just rest up," Gray Shark said reassuringly. "Really."
Brass Dozer twitched his head and chuckled. "Yep, I'm hitting the cafe. C'mon, bro, let's get some relaxin' going on."
"Okay." The two brothers left and both Clyde and Gray watched Blitz shuffle with debilitated steps towards Twilight's house.
Gray watched Clyde with antsy condolence. "Listen, Clyde, you did what you could-I did what I could."
Clyde looked back in doubt. "And I still failed. What kind of guard am I?"
"The bets one, the one this town needs. You just want to do what's right," Gray gazed off into the distance. "Sometimes it takes more than that."
"Like what?"
"You-don't wanna know," Gray said tipping his hat. "Hey, uh, get that wound checked out before it gets infected or something." He waited for a response, but glanced at Clyde one last time before heading off into the sunset. Clyde just stood in place, his breaths quiet and his spirit destroyed. A single tear formed and dropped, its moist trail left a permanent, suffering mark on Clyde's anguished face.
~~~~~~~~~~
"GD, man. What the hell is that stuff?" Joltaire said walking around Doctor Rivet with a smug smile creeping across his face. He watched the doctor open a suit case full of green-bluish syringes.
"Why, it is the serums that our little young lady used just the other day," the doctor replied gesturing towards Sweet Pop. The mare looked at Joltaire coyly and winked, sticking her tongue out. Joltaire growled with a mechanical hum through his helmet.
"I see..." he said trying not to look at the posing mare. She made multiple stances that caused Joltaire to stare unwillingly. "Goddamn horses! No! I ain't into that!"
"Hmm?" Doctor Rivet closed the case and turned to a now stammering Joltaire. "What about horses?"
"Oh come now, Jolty," Sweet Pop said wiggling her body. She pursed her lips and batted her eyelashes. "Come on."
"NOOOOO!" Joltaire fell to all fours and buckled to the ground. His helmet started to heat up. "My dick isn't being right. That wood ain't right!"
"Ewww."
"Interesting." Doctor Rivet grabbed his case and shouted for Fuzzy Fry. Within seconds, the beast came hobbling over. "Hold this." The creature complied without hesitation and struggled to grasp the case with its claws. Barely making success, the pony staggered behind the doctor clumsily.
"So, uh, what just happened?" Platinum Chain said waltzing gracefully over to the group. "Is that guy causing you more troubles again, Sweet Pop?"
"Nah," Sweet Pop said with a giggle. "He's more crazy over me than I thought!"
"Shut up, you who-agh!" Joltaire couldn't will himself to say the insult. "Goddammit! Goddammit, you vixen! You succubus!" He put a hoof to his helmet and groaned. "Dammit!"
"O-kay," Platinum Chain with a small chuckle. "So, um, Mister doctor guy. You said you needed help?"
Doctor Rivet tipped his glasses. "Why yes, Miss..."
"Platinum Chain," the mare said proudly.
"Miss Platinum Chain. I require some sort of assistance-you will all act as my escorts."
"Escorts?" Sweet Pop said focusing her attention to the doctor. "Wait, why me?"
"Yeah, why her..." Joltaire said still shaking his head miserably.
"I need all the help the Misfit Marauders can offer. We have had a great deal of losses lately," Doctor Rivet said with slight tribulation.
"Scratch that. Cut it." All eyes turned to Cutter X walking confidently towards the group. "We're still going. I see only one shot at this, so I'm deciding to bring the whole gang!" He fist-pumped to counter the non-enthusiastic reaction he was receiving.
However, Doctor Rivet smiled and raised a hoof to the statement. "Well, if you insist. I will prepare the train."
"Holy hell," Joltaire said finally reaching his senses. "This is gonna be good, man. Holy crap, haha!"
"You bet," Cutter X said digging at the ground with his exposed blade arms. "In a few, wee hours, that Ponyville will be swimming in a sea of red. On top of all that, Enzo's head-"
"Is gonna be on a silver pike? Dude, c'mon, where have I heard that before. Get original." Joltaire's blue eyes lit up in a tease.
"Let's just say it's not going to be pretty-"
"Like your face." This time, both the mares giggled and Joltaire shrugged. Doctor Rivet simply sighed and started to walk away.
"One day, Joltaire, one day you're going to get it," Cutter X said before he made his way behind the doctor. He waved his sword arm in the air gently before retracting the device entirely.
"Huh. We'll see about that," Joltaire said aiming his arm cannon at Cutter X's head. "We'll see." He lowered it and watched as the two mares were still laughing silently. "I don't even." Joltaire refused to look back as he trotted away to reduce his torment. |
One Shot, One Chance | Chapter 35: Sinners | Nighttime accelerated Blitz's pains as the absence of warmth aided in his suffering. He sat in his crude bed with thoughts banging against the skull. Darkness filed in around him, he kept one hoof pressed against his stomach. It was all he could do to prevent himself from shaking erratically. Darting his eyes, he spotted his snow globe glittering beautifully next to his bed and reached for it. However, he stopped half-way and pulled back.
"My past. My past is over," Blitz said distantly. "It's all over, nothing's left. All I have now is-to fix what's wrong. I have a few more things left to do now. That's all I have left. Just a few more things to take care of."
Rubbing his head and eyes, he laid himself back into the comforting, pillowy mound of fluff. With his expression gloomy and mindset dull, the pony could do nothing but have his thoughts jeer at one another.
'I can't just do nothing. I can't. But what Clyde said, about suicide.' Blitz failed to find a suitable position to feel satisfied in his bed. He tossed and fumbled, making much noise echo within the tree house. Suddenly, he stopped and remembered what Gray Shark had said. His face bitterly lit up. 'If you really care, follow what you believed is right.'
"Follow what I believe is right," Blitz said to himself hopefully. He stared at his snow globe and proceeded to shake the object lightly. Sprinkles of white glitter showered the interior or the sphere. "What I believe is right-"
"G'night, Blitz," Twilight Sparkle said standing inches away from the slumped over stallion.
"Oh, yeah. Good night, Twilight."
"Are you sure you're okay? Honestly, are you really okay?" Twilight said cautiously. "When you told me you didn't want to talk about it-"
"I'm okay, Twilight. I just need time alone, that's all. Time alone."
Twilight's face darkened with the darkness around her. "Okay. I see. Well, if you ever need anypony to talk to just come to me. I can be an excellent therapist given the circumstances."
"Yeah, I will. Thank you."
Twilight smiled and unwillingly left Blitz's presence. The pony still felt tension burning within his heart. The internal and external opposites clashed at racing speeds. Still trying to keep still, Blitz tried digging himself deep within the woven haven of purple cloth. The artificial snow ceased its descent and Blitz quit his conflict. He slowly arched his body up and tilted his head in confidence. Stepping out quietly and sliding his way to the door, he strode ahead with a new assurance.
'No more games. No more hiding and no more being babied. Those days are over. It's time I take care of things myself.' Blitz creaked open the wooden door and closed it with a light tap. 'Time I put others before myself.' He walked down the moonlit path in a full sprint. The wind rushed past the speeding pony, clops echoed into the fresh night. "Fuzzy Fry, here I come."
~~~~~~~~~~
The sounds of crickets and rustling branches did all they could to halt Blitz's progress, but the determined stallion did not falter. With endless energy and furious intent, the pony shot through the forest with intense speeds. The sounds that buzzed in his ears turned into twisted voices of dread. Multiple echoes toiled with Blitz's mind as he rushed ahead to his destination.
"There's that broken tree...and there's the black powder from the explosion. I must be close." Blitz examined a partly singed tree with blown off debris scattering the ground. "Bingo." He breathed softly shuffling straight past the tree. His eyes lit up as he came upon bullet holes painting the ground. "This isn't my best plan, but I am not going to let that crazy doctor do anything else to my friend. I won't."
Blitz's clear navigation started to break up as he lost his sense of landmarks. His run slowed to a slither. "..." The unicorn's eyes started to water. "No, not now." A single tear fell, but he brushed it away wildly. "I can't cry again. I have to stay strong. I'm better than that!" He stopped and wiped away his face, burning his cheeks with anger. "No! I'm not crying! I'm grown up, grownups don't cry!"
"Sure they do, slick."
Blitz jolted himself forward and sprawled in the direction of the voice. "Ahh! Show yourself you sick doctor! I ain't finished with you, I'm not! Give me back my friend!" Without a response, Blitz came upon a faint light shining in between two towering oaks and a thick bush. "Damn, here I come you bastard!"
Blitz crashed through the green fuzz and made contact with another pony. When he brought himself back together, he found himself staring straight into the eyes of his former captor, Trixie. "Agh, you? No, stay away from me!" Blitz said jumping off the downed mare.
"Get off me you-wait, that voice...ah! Get away from me!" Trixie said getting to her feet.
Blitz backed away with suppressed fear and anger. "Why are you here?" he asked the similarly angered mare.
"No, why are you here!"
"Wha-I-oh-you-" Blitz surveyed the room he was now in and felt his mind melt. A wooden table and chairs were centered in the middle with a lit candle. Realizing he was encased in an overgrowth of vines, Blitz started to panic at his new locale. The only opening was by the bushes.
"Ey! What are you doing to my lovely lady, ah?" A green stallion appeared behind Blitz.
The unicorn almost fell flat on his face. "You're lady?" he said with a sick shudder.
"Oi! I'm gonna-oh, it's you?"
"Who are-Bloom?" Blitz said finally recognizing the distinguished red mane and black suit.
"Yes, yes. Itsa me!" Bloom said raising his hooves excitedly.
Blitz paused momentarily and let the last few sentences soak in. "Wait, your lady...is Trixie?"
"And she's fine as hell. Lovable eyes, beautiful mouth, stylish hair...cute tush."
Trixie blushed and coyly kicked at the ground. "Thanks."
Blitz slowly felt his insides combust and retract into small particles of pain. His face twisted in disgust and he tried desperately not to throw up. He put a hoof to his head in despair and did not stop twitching in agony until Bloom gave him a look.
"You alright there?"
"Did I bump my head or something?" Blitz said still aghast at what he heard.
"Nah, slick, I saw you high-tailing it like a little girl! Makes sense to me aha!"
"Wha-it's that voice again!" Blitz said remembering he was still in danger.
"Oh c'mon, Greed. Stop messing with the kid," Bloom called out.
"Never deny a man what he wants." The voice taunted Blitz from behind and he whirled around to find a very suave smiling stallion staring at him. His emerald green eyes writhed with amusement as he tilted his white fedora in a welcoming manner. "So, slick, howya doin'?" The light, pale blue stallion's bared teeth matched the sparkling whiteness of his flowing overcoat. He was leaning on a silver gold cane and his horn withheld a small, lapis glow.
"Greed?" Blitz said out of reaction.
"That's mah name, chief," Greed said twirling his cane. His dark, thick purple mane swayed gently. Its fang-like appearance sent unease down Blitz's spine, two thick pieces jutted out evenly across Greed's head. "Wait a mo, am I interrupting something Sloth? I'll just use this as profited blackmail for later..."
"First off, its Tony Bloom you sleezy bastard," Bloom said stroking his mane. "Second, how is this blackmail? I am courting the most lovely girl in this land and that's blackmail? Boo, boo I say to you!"
"Hey, ya big nance, I need something outta this. It's getting real boring around here; no excitement," Greed said still grinning madly.
"Hey I found my own excitement right here," Bloom said winking at Trixie. "I don't know what's wrong with you."
"That's cuz I ain't into horses, boy," Greed said with distaste.
Blitz edged his way closer and closer to the nearby bush he entered from as the two ponies went at it. Feeling the prickles on his hind legs, he turned around swiftly to escape. However, as he did so, a purple blade slid itself across Blitz's neck and the unicorn felt a thin layer of blood sprout. Blitz peered up and spotted an orange stallion eying him murderously with royal purple eyes.
"Sloth, who is this," the pony said holding up Blitz's life.
"Goddammit, Pride! It's Tony Bloom, Tony Bloom. Get it right!" Bloom said waving his arms furiously.
"Answer me," the pony called Pride said.
"Hey, don't chop his face off, please? His name's Blitz. He's a good friend," Bloom said cautiously. Blitz felt the blade disappear and he could breathe once more; his heart started pumping again.
"That's what you think," Trixie said.
"Very well." Pride raised his purple sword and pressed his hoof against the hilt. Within milliseconds, the blade retracted into the shining handle. He placed the harmless hilt on his belt and walked slowly into the group on his two hind legs. A flowing, golden-trimmed black cape draped behind the pony's back. "I suppose we can tolerate one more acquaintance although I'd prefer it would just be us." A black hat with a purple feather lay perfectly on Pride's head as he turned abruptly away from Blitz. From behind, the unicorn spotted a small, cut ponytail colored with a gleaming purple hue.
Behind the astute character came another pony hobbling quietly into the confrontation. He drew his fire red eyes upon Blitz before looking back down at the ground and moving closer to Pride.
"Good, great. Glad you all decided to come in here invitingly," Bloom said with the phoniest smile.
"Geez, Bloom, you sound as if you two were going to go at it in the forest...alone...and secluded; all that space to yourselves," Greed said. Both Bloom and Trixie invoked blushes. "That's pretty low class. At least steal a bed or something-"
"Listen, Greed, I don't need your opinion or for you to be here," Bloom said trying to recuperate.
"All of us are accounted for, Sloth, so-"
"Holy hell in a hand basket-it's Tony Bloom!"
"-we can make our way into the town. I'm positive Gray Shark will be disguised-"
"Nope, saw him in full outfit," Bloom said to Pride's irritation.
"In the forest, mind you."
"Gra-" Blitz cupped his mouth and thanked his Goddess that nobody heard him. 'What do these guys want with Gray Shark?'
"Listen, let's just go tomorrow or something, see? Lemme relax a bit, see," Greed said leaning comfortably against the green wall.
"I'm the one who should be relaxing; y'all get outta here!"
"Sorry, Bloom, but it's gone," Trixie said. Blitz could feel his stomach and brain imploding again.
"FML," Bloom said shaking his head.
"Your life? Please, try mine," Greed said with a chuckle. "Always want what I can't have."
"We shall leave tomorrow. Now then, what of you?" Pride said making eye contact with Blitz again. Certain coldness drifted inside the purple iris.
"I-uh, don't want any trouble-don't want any trouble! I'll just leave-"
"Unfortunately, I cannot let you do that," Pride said softly. Blitz's body stiffened and all his sense of confidence was long gone by this point.
"Meh, just keep him under watch or something. If he tries anything funny, have Wrath pound his face in."
Blitz steered his attention onto the black stallion to his immediate left. The same fire red eyes kept a clear watch on Blitz. His ruffled, dreary blood red mane sagged poorly across his head. He frowned before showing off his two bleak blue gauntlets. Skulls were printed on the bottom of each and the pony unleashed his fury onto the ground. With a small explosion, Blitz fell back and had dirt splatter his body.
The four stallions all stared suspiciously at Blitz; the unicorn could slowly feel his mind drifting away into the darkness. Bloom sighed and trotted up to the fearful pony with anticipation. "So, mi amigo, why did you come here? Why did ya have to cock block me."
"Acutally, I think I'm comfortable being the one who cock blocked you. Just sayin'," Greed said.
"I can't believe you're with her," Blitz managed to say.
"Why? Is something wrong with the pretty lady? She's got such-"
"Please, don't. It's a long story. Let's just say she's abusive," Blitz said still with difficulty.
"Well I've always liked an assertive girl, but I'm certainly not into bondage if that's what you're implying," Bloom said.
"What-bondage? What is that?"
Bloom and Greed exchanged unsure glances. "Eh, you don't wanna know," Greed answered.
"Yeah, uh, maybe when you're older," Bloom added.
"Alright." Blitz shifted into the background while the four stallions and Trixie conversed. 'Why are they treating me so nicely? I should be a dead pony by now.' Blitz dared not to speak out against his captors. Silence ensured that Blitz remained safe.
Pride's purple eyes twitched and he straightened his body with agility. He reached for his hilt and flicked it deftly, causing the purple blade to extend itself out. "Well, isn't this troublesome."
"We know you're in there!" a voice shouted from outside the vine house. "Hooves up and walk out slowly!"
"Don't try anything funny!" another voice called. "About twelve armed guards have just arrived from one of Celestia's highest ranks. We do not mess around!"
"Very troublesome," Pride said. He adjusted his black hat and faced the bush entrance.
"Sir Clyde told us what your gang has been up to. Come out nicely and nopony has to get hurt. That is an order from the royal guards!"
"Boy, Pride, you're itchin' to slice 'em up," Greed said raising his cane.
"Only if they continue to pester us," Pride said.
Bloom grumbled and angrily stamped his foot. "Can't even get peace after being interrupted once!" He reached for his two hanging swords and drew them with symmetry. "Always gotta deal with the aftermath-actually, Pride, since you're so eager why don't you take care of them." He slowly put back his swords. "Why don't you all go outside so me and my lady friend-"
"Aw shut ya mouth and stop being such a...Sloth," Greed said with a smirk.
"We will not ask again. Come out quietly with hooves up. Now or we will use force!"
"Seems there's no other option then." Pride stepped through the bush and faced several armed guards with spears pointed. "Looks like I'll have to personally end this."
"Please do," Bloom called from inside the vine house.
"Alright now-hey! Put your weapon on the ground and back away from it!" A guard said swinging his spear with authority.
"Are you all willing to take on the best swordsman?" Pride said waving his purple rapier gently.
"What?" one of the guards said coming forward.
"I'm giving you all the chance to back down. Should you reject that opportunity, I have no other option but to end your lives." Pride raised his sword and put one hoof behind his back. "What will it be?"
"This guy is nuts," a guard said comically. "Listen, we're specially trained to handle any Equestrian scum out there."
"Then you're all sorely mistaken with me."
"Okay, boys. Get ready! We got a cocky one on our hooves," the head guard said.
Blitz, Bloom and Greed all watched through a severed part in the vines. "Welp, they're boned," Bloom said.
"Seriously," Greed replied.
"Why? It's twelve on one! You aren't even going to help him-" Blitz paused and reflected on what he had just said. 'Am I supporting the bad guys?'
"Not I, said the incredibly handsome...horse," Bloom said.
"Yeah, you better just sit back and watch. Actually, you might wanna look away to be honest. Kids these days see too many violent things," Greed said.
"Form up! We're going to do our usual-" the head guard screamed and fell to the ground. Pride had zoomed by with a clean slash. The two guards beside him also fell in short screams of death. Pride was now behind the fallen guards, sword coated in blood.
"Oh Celestia, he just dashed-" another guard was silenced as he found himself impaled in the head. Pride turned and cut down another guard while quickly decapitating a second in short bursts of speed. The remaining guards scrambled in fear as Pride jumped from one to the next. Blitz watched each one fall one by one, stab by slash by slice.
"He really is the best," Greed said. Pride rushed up head first and started stabbing a guard repeatedly in the chest. Not stopping, the guard was beyond dead, yet Pride still kept jabbing ferociously at the still standing corpse. A guard crept behind the aggressors, but Pride already sense his presence and curved his sword upwards and around to finish off the last guard behind him. "That's why he's called Pride."
"And that's why we don't mess with him. I ain't getting my sexy little ass torn up by him-no way," Bloom said.
Blitz saw the green grass turned red by all the blood spilt by Pride. The fencer whipped his sword to remove the blood and retracted it with precision. He walked back towards the group and did not say a word. Blitz just kept staring at all the lifeless bodies and dead expressions. He crawled back into the vine household and curled up against the corner. Regardless of the stares and laughs, he looked straight at the ground.
Death loomed about and Blitz felt his stomach churning. The stench of the deceased hallucinated around the now shaking pony. 'Who are these monsters?' He looked up. "Who are you?"
"We are the sins," Pride said without looking at the helpless stallion. |
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