//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Tone shift 
// Story: Magical and Beautiful stories of Anguish 
// by La Clown 
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Chapter 5: Tone shift


The room where all the beds were was known for one thing: its simplicity. Not a single decoration, no tapestry. Just a simple wooden floor with plain white walls and beds with simple white covers. But the beds were really comfy and after the day they’d just had, that was all they needed. 

Yes, even Rarity, who would normally have made a dramatic rant about this affront to interior decorating, was simply too tired to notice it and jumped on the mattress, bereft of her usual ladylike grace. After only three seconds, you could already hear her snoring. 

Conversely, Pinkie Pie had regained enough of her usual pep to start a bouncing session on her bed like a little filly. But she missed a jump and landed straight on her neighbor, Rainbow Dash. The sudden crushing weight flattened the pegasus, even causing her tongue to shoot out before she angrily began trying to shake her friend off her back. 

Amidst this among other forms of collective chaos in the room, Twilight was looking frantically at her pile of books to see if they were alright.

‘’Fiouf. Thank goodness, I was worried they’d try to make off with one of my books or at least some of the pages. But everything’s here, even my lists of theories on this new magitechnology. And my charslists of unexpected problematic scenarios that may come and how to deal with them. And my lists of things to do in our free time. And–

And everypony in the room moaned loudly ‘’Oh come on.”.

“Seriously Twilight, do you have to chart and file every single thing,” Rainbow Dash groaned, having finally freed herself from Pinkie’s bouncing body. 

‘’Hey don’t complain girls, this is an important job for the Princess and it pays to be prepared. Even though I admit it might be a little excessive,” Twilight had the decency to look slightly embarrassed at the various stacks of reports near her. “And even though I admit it is principally to reassure myself because I love a little order.’’

“You have a problem is what you have,” Rainbow again groaned as she face planted into her pillow, wanting to fade out of consciousness. 

It was then that they all heard a voice coming from downstairs.

‘’Hello girls. I am just here to see if you are well settled.’’

‘’It’s Mayor Paternal!’’

All those still awake immediately groaned at the overzealous mayor’s presence. It honestly felt like the guy had no sense of boundaries or privacy.

‘’I know he only wants us to have a good day but I find him a little  insistent,” Fluttershy mumbled, softly rubbing her leg on her bed.

As an answer, Twilight gave her a slightly annoyed face. 

‘’That’s an understatement. I’m fine with other ponies being excited to meet us, but the mayor is doing it to an almost unhealthy degree.”

“Like you and your charts?” Rainbow mumbled again.

“THAT’S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!”

Even with her face in a pillow Twilight could feel Rainbow’s smirk and opted not to give her any more satisfaction. “Anyway, I’ll have a talk with the mayor and hopefully we can finally put this issue to bed…no pun intended.”

Whilst the rest of the group settled in, Twilight climbed down the stairs to meet the mayor. As expected he was literally standing there at the foot of the steps, just to make things more awkward. 

As before, he had a warm and welcoming smile that certainly made it more difficult to be especially angry at him. And it was also frustrating for Twilight because she wanted to be angry at him. Even if only a little.

‘’Ah Miss Twilight. I trust the room is to your taste?’’

‘“Yes, it’s quite nice,” remembering he was just trying to be nice, Twilight kept her frustration down for the moment and stayed civil. “I must say, your hospitality is simply top notch. In all the places I have been I had never seen ponies so kind and welcoming.” 

“Too much maybe but there is no way I could ever say that to his face.”

‘’YOU, YOU, *inhale**exhale*, HAVE SO MUCH GRATITUDE FROM*inhale*exhale**inhale**exhale*’’

The mayor was so overjoyed to hear that it looked like he was suffering from oxygen deprivation. Actually, that might well be what was happening to him given how red his face was looking.

“WO WO WO WO! Slow down, take a deep breath!” Twilight practically bellowed out, panicking at the sight of the mayor. “I don’t think your citizens would be very happy if died from asphyxiation!’’

‘’Right. Right. I am very sorry for this outburst.” The mayor took several deep breaths, thankfully returning his face back to normal. “Forgive me again. It’s just… … *sigh* when you think about it, you must surely see us all as strange weirdos.’’

Twilight practically had to bite her tongue to keep from shouting out in the affirmative. “I mean…I wouldn’t use the word weirdos.”

“No need to lie to me Princess. I may be overeager but I’m not blind.” The mayor’s prior exuberance was practically gone, now acting in a manner that would almost be seen as normal. “I do genuinely apologize for how I’ve been acting, myself and the citizens. We simply love joy and happiness so much we tend to leap head first at any symbol we can find.”

“You mean like us and your little angel, Flo?”

“Yes. To simply know that you exist, that there are ponies so willing to help others in need and spread messages of acceptance, fellowship and understanding, it gives us the inspiration to move forward. What’s so wrong with celebrating  that?’’

‘’I... guess not much. We are genuinely flattered by all the attention, but it’s kinda overwhelming at times. Hehehehe.” Twilight's awkward chuckle only served to help lighten the moment, though the moment of brevity was only that, as Twilight recalled something else that was on her mind.

“Pardon me Mayor, but while I have you, there’s something I was hoping to ask you about.”

‘’Oh? Well whatever it is I’m more than happy to help you to the absolute best of my abilities.”

“While I was exploring the town I met a pony named Melacholia. He said he was a novelist whose work has been widely denounced. In fact, from the way he describes it, it might seem as if everypony is purposely ostracizing him. But I find it hard to believe that it’s possible in this town full of so nice ponies.’’

Right at the mention of the name, the warm smile of the mayor changed to one of embarrassment with a hint of regret. 

‘’Oooooh. I see. So you did meet Mel. I suppose it was inevitable after his own sister proposed it. Even though I was hoping you had avoided that… weird one. Tell me, what did he say exactly? I hope he wasn’t impolite. Did he have scared you?’’

‘“Not really,” Twilight said hesitantly, unsure how to properly describe the encounter with the somewhat morbid pony. “He talked about some unsettling things, but otherwise Mel seemed like a pretty okay guy.”

Her answer seemed to satisfy the mayor who pulled back into his seat, leaning back further into a more relaxed posture and letting off a tired breath. “Yeah, I suppose that’s as apt a description as ever. Truth be told, Mel’s always acted quite outstandingly, never stirred up trouble or anything. He’s just been…a very strange boy compared to most ponies. Even when his parents were still around. In a way, you could say he is the black sheep of Happy Town.”

The very word “black sheep” seemed almost heavy for him to say, as though forcing the word out required more effort than needed. It left Twilight even more curious.

“He did mention that. But isn’t that a little of an exaggeration?’’

‘’I imagine you got to look at the inspirations for his craft. Writing tragedies. Painting terrifying works of arts. Constructing and performing sad music. You can see how such things would clash with the very nature of our town. We’ve tried to convince him to stop, but the boy is stubborn. Since as far we can remember, Mel was ever only capable of seeing the ugly side of life. Even at a tender age, each time somepony found something beautiful or joyous, he had the uncanny gift to always find a way to twist it into something ugly. It’s sad isn’t.’’

‘’I kinda see what you mean.” Much as she hated to admit it, some of what Mel had said was still rattling around in Twilight’s head and left her feeling more than a little uncomfortable.  “But… but is it really a reason to isolate him?’’

‘’Oh Miss Sparkle, it’s not like we haven’t made attempts to help him. We’ve tried so many times to get him to see the brighter side of life. That it’s always possible to find happiness if you search for it. But… he is so stubborn and has always stuck to his way of life. In the end, it came that nearly everypony avoids him since like you say, he can be so unsettling. Not that he was the social kind in the first place. The only friend he ever had… is Flo.’’

Once again the Mayor seemed to enter an almost dreamlike state describing Flo. His vacant expression, half opened mouth coupled with the reverence he spoke of her with, if Twilight didn’t know any better she’d swear he was part of some kind of cult. 

‘’Aaah Flo. She really is special. Even if they are so opposite, she still loves his brother very, very much. How can we be mad at him when he has such a great sister?’’

‘’Oh really? Interesting.’’ Had said a third pony, entering the conversation without them noticing. 

The door behind the mayor opened itself at a slow pace revealing Flo of all ponies, leaving Twilight grateful and the Mayor too embarrassed to look her in the eye.

Even after hearing the conversation, Flo seems as if she was not bothered. Unfortunately for the mayor while her mouth was smiling, her eyes certainly weren’t smiling at all. Mayor Paternal, realizing what he had just said, was now feeling embarrassed and had difficulty looking at her straight.

‘’You know... it almost sounds like the only reason you tolerate my big brother is because I, your dear angel, always says that she loves him. Is that what you’re saying, Mr. Mayor.’’

The Mayor looked as though he’d just swallowed lemon, sweating visibly with a whimpering smile struggling to stay on his face. 

‘’No, Flo please, don’t twist my words, you know that was not what I mean.’’

‘’Hum. I wonder.’’

Between the two, Twilight watched the scene grow progressively more tense with each word and facial expression. “This is getting a little too personal for me. How I wish to not be here.”

‘’Believe me, we do consider Mel one of us. But even you must admit Flo that is a little funny in the head.’’

That actually broke Flo’s fake smile. She tilted her head in a weird way. ‘’So what? Just because he is weird does that mean he is a bad pony?’’

‘’We never said he was a bad pony. It’s simply that he refuses to change and be more accepting of our way of life.”

‘’Or maybe you had never gave him a chance,.’’ Flo looked down feeling defeated. 

Mayor Paternal came closer to Flo and put his hoof gently on her shoulder in show of almost parental-like affection.

‘’You truly are a good sister. But sometimes, I feel you tend to look at your brother through rose tinted glasses. As it stands, your brother has many things to work out.”

His answer did little to lift Flo’s spirits and the Mayor opted for a compromise. “Tell you what, tomorrow we’re holding a celebration for the Bearers' arrival.  And if your brother comes and at least makes some attempt to be a bit more open minded, we will all welcome him with open hooves.”

His proposal seemed to work as Flo’s lips curved up into a smile again. “That sounds… nice. Thank you Mayor.”

“I’m all too happy to help. Well, until then, goodnight Flo. And goodnight to you Miss Sparkle.’’

‘’Goodnight Mayor.’’ Flo said with a bow and a wave, while Twilight was caught on the spot having nearly reached the stairs. She quickly spun to face them, hoof waving wildly trying and failing to be as inconspicuous as possible. 

‘’Goodnight, thanks for dropping by Mayor.’’

Having said his goodbyes, the mayor finally exited the room, allowingThe mayor went to the door and closed it behind him. Once he was gone, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

‘’Fiouf, that was awkward.’’ Any sense of humor immediately dried up when Twilight remembered Flo was still in the room with her, to which she immediately offered an apologetic bow. “Oh, uh sorry if I heard something I wasn’t supposed to Flo. From the sound of things it seemed like a pretty sensitive topic.” 

Flo immediately waved her hoof at the apology, a simple smile offered to put the princess at ease. “It’s fine, really I’m just sorry you had to see all that. But when it comes to how my brother is treated, it often strikes a nerve. Why… why can't they see him like how I see him?” Her smile morphed into a frown as her teeth started to clench hard, matched with equally narrowed eyes. She spoke with a tone filled with coldness. “Tell me, what are your thoughts? Do you think like them? That there’s no point in helping him and that it’s best to forget him?”

Once again on the spot and more than exhausted by now, Twilight contemplated her response. Thankfully she’d built up quite a resume of helping ponies who’d had difficulty fitting in. The most obvious example would have to be her friend Starlight who felt abandoned and went to a self-destructive path when she was left on her own. And then there was… herself. The one for whom the concept of friendship was for a time a difficult concept to grasp. 

If Celestia didn’t have given her a chance to properly learn it, how differently would either her or Stairlight’s paths have gone had they not been given a proper chance/encouragement by another?

“Knowing my luck, probably spending the rest of my life alone in a library.”

That brief mental image was certainly unsettling to picture, but thankfully that was all it was, an image. Thanks in part to Celestia she avoided that fate and was able to pass on that same life lesson to Starlight as well as many others.

Thus, the answer to what seemed like a difficult question was a simple one.

‘’The answer’s simple. There’s nopony that  We should always be willing to lend a helping hoof to somepony, no matter who they are. I mean I’m living proof of it.”

Closing the distance Twilight placed her wing on Flo’s shoulder, much like how Celestia did for her many times before.  “I know personally how… having a head that thinks differently compared to the majority can be... a burden. You can end up isolating yourself from everyone else and even tell yourself it doesn’t bother you. In the end, the reason I struggled with making friends was because friendship itself was a concept hard for me to understand. Family, that I could understand but not friendship. And I’d have likely never learned the truth if I hadn’t been given a little helpful push.”

Twilight’s face morphed into a joking smile in an attempt to lighten the mood somewhat. “Must sound funny, the Princess of Friendship was originally a recluse who didn’t even understand what friendship was.”

Flo had been utterly entranced by Twilight’s words, hanging off every detail, only offering a reply once Twilight stopped talking. “No, not at all. If anything it makes a lot of sense.”

“So understand that I will never look bad on ponies like your brother. He is different, yes, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Especially not when I find that we might be similar to a degree.’’

That seemed to bright Flo up. “Glad you see things my way. But…I know the rest of the town will never truly understand him, alas. I’ve always hoped things would change. Sure he acts like he’s alright being by himself but there are times whenI feel like… that he has only me in the world. That I am his only ally.’’

Her smile dropped as she moved Twilight’s wing and walked to the open window, looking up to see the slowly setting sun, bathing the sky in the twilight of dusk. Her face turned to Twilight, the golden light from the sun practically setting her hair ablaze, matched by her fiery, determined gaze.

‘’Still, I will not give up hope. Hope that one day, Mel will surprise them all.’’



 

The sun had long been gone, now replaced by Luna tapestry. From his house, Mel was also gazing upon the night sky from his window, being bathed by the gentle blue light of the moon. His eyes were fixated on the shining stars, as if searching for something amongst the celestial lights. 

He persisted for a few moments before closing the curtains, submerging the room in darkness as he walked back to his desk. Reaching out, he grabbed a nearby pencil pot and spilled all its content on the wooden surface. Among them, there was a simple skeleton key. Taking the key in his mouth, he unlocked the desk draw, pulling out a white, rectangular object. It was made of a familiar material.

Once he tossed out all the pencils and placed the object right in the center of the desk, he pressed the big button in the center of the box. Circuitry of blue light appeared on the ivory surface while the button itself lit up, projecting a massive holographic map of Equestria. 

This hologram was bathing the room with its cyan light, though the contrast left more than a few parts of the room even darker than before. And also… it oddly gave the small, soft smile on Mel’s face a sinister touch. 

The map revealed several blinking dots, seemingly spread all over the country. 

‘’Good. Until now, everything went according to plan. Soon. Very soon all Equestria will receive his wake up call. Now then. Dirt. Dust. Have followed my instructions?’’

From the shadow step out the two diamond dogs brothers. Dirt tried to look professional but Dust was visibly uneasy, his eyes were cast down as he nervously rubbed his hands together.

‘’Yes boss, we did exactly as you have told us.” Dirt muttered, having taken the lead given his unresponsive brother. “We had sent out all those giant white cubes, to all the towns on your list.”

Dirt’s reaction to that actually caused his muzzle to widen in a mocking smile as he bit back a laugh. “I couldn’t believe how easy it was, those ponies didn’t even question what was in those crates. Just shipped them out with a smile on their faces.”

That last line caused him to actually laugh, though there was a hint it was faking it. “Anyway, we also made sure to have them sent at the exact times you asked. Going by distance, they all should have already arrived at their destinations.’’

‘’Yes. I already know that. This map shows me that, indeed, all the monitors are safe and they all should work just fine. Good job. And what about our little… devices.’’

Dirt again smirked while his brother continued to fidget. ‘’All have been installed personally by our paws.’’

‘’Discretely?’’

‘’Don’t worry. We were very careful. No one has even the slightest idea that they are there.’’

‘’We will see that.’’

Mel waved his hoof in front of the holographic map and the dots were replaced with different ones. Curiously these new ones were at different locations compared to their precedents, but the majority were concentrated at one specific place. It was a sight that Mel nodded, satisfied. 

“Wonderful. They are all there and ready to be activated whenever I wish. I’m impressed. Well done, both of you.”

Dirt seemed to preen under the praise while Dust continued to fidget, still looking as out of sorts as before.

“But now we have arrived at the trickiest part. The one that could easily ruin everything. We will have to be careful and prepare.’’

‘’Ooh don’t worry about that, to be prepared, we are. Hey Dust, bring the crate of goodies we have stolen.’’

‘’… Yes big brother.’’

Dust disappeared through the door and quickly came back, pushing a large crate inside on the floor. The very same they had brought early in the afternoon. Dirt then took a crowbar and forced it open. Revealing... many things.

‘’When the Wonderbolt Academy was struck down by lightning, they were in need of such a large number of extra workers. We took this chance and it worked. It was such a mess they didn’t even notice some of their equipment was missing. This added arsenal should make our job a cinch.’’

Dirt looked even more pleased with himself, knowing that even with his back turned, Mel was very satisfied with their work. Dust only sat and watched on, showing none of the enjoyment his cohorts were.

‘’You have surpassed all my expectations. I have chosen the perfect partners for this. Ponies didn’t treat your talents at their just value.”

Dirt looked ready to jump for joy at the praise as Mel finally met their eyes, looking surprisingly serene despite his frightening desires.

“But you must, but must not, underestimate The Mane 6. They are a surprisingly resourceful group of ponies. This part will be the biggest gamble in my plan. You made sure to study carefully the reports I proved you with?’’

‘’Yes. Each of them. What they can do, their personalities. We know with what we will soon deal.’’

‘’Then I guess we can only hope that everything will work out. Excellent work Dirt. Now, as for you Dust.’’

Dust had not spoken and had stayed by himself for all the duration of the conversation. Mel did not need to look at him to see that he was not feeling well. Closing the distance, Mel looked at Dust with a soft and empty smile that set the diamond dog into shivers.

‘’What is wrong, Dust? You've been awfully quiet all this time. Is there something on your mind? It’s alright, don’t be shy. Speak freely.’’

‘’It’s just… … boss are we really going to do this?’’

‘’Is it not what you and your brother have prepared for?’’ Mel asked, his tone again seemingly empty yet it sent further chills down the Diamond Dog’s spine. 

‘’I know but… … we have done everything you ask us without question. We sent those monitor thingies, we planted those… gadgets, even though we have no idea what they were. But this… boss, this is kidnapping! What we’re about to do is simply criminal.’’

‘’Yes. It is a crime.” Mel had said in such a casual manner that it was discorcerning. “So?’’

‘’BOSS! Please, do we really have to do this? Isn’t this going too far?”’’

Having heard more than enough Dirt stepped in. Despite being smaller than Dust, he angrily grabbed his little brother by the collar and yanked him down right into his brother’s face.

‘’Dust, you stupid brother of mine! Are you getting cold feet now? We are so close to finally getting the tranquil life we always wanted. I won’t let you ruin it.’’

Mel went closer and put his hoof on the shoulder of Dirt to calm him down.

‘’It’s alright, let me do the talking please.” Dirt immediately released his now terrified brother, while Mel again tried the more gentle and comforting approach.  “Dust. Do you remember the reason you are doing all this?’’

‘’Yes but–

‘’As long as you perform the tasks I request of you, I will fulfill my promise. Tonight is the very last job I will ask you to do. And in exchange, I will give you all my fortune. I have already prepared several documents to transfer the money from my account to your. You did open your own bank account like I had suggested, didn’t you?’’

‘’… yes.’’ Dust found any kind of confidence he had withering with every word, not helped by his brother, worryingly staring him down just feet away. 

‘’Then all you need is just one signature. Signature that you can only get from me, willingly. It is a generous sum. With that you will be set on for many years to come. Years that you could use to leisurely find a way to get steady income for the rest of your life. Is it not your ultimate goal? Unless you prefer to return to your harsh life?’’

‘’No, I don’t want that!’’ Dust’s voice finally found some volume, the memories of past trauma flooding back.  

‘’You two brothers have been banished by your pack. And despite how friendly ponies claim to be, they aren’t especially welcoming to other species, are they?”

Dust’s frown grew as he merely nodded while Dirty reflexively clenched his claws and teeth, recalling how quick so many ponies were to turn them away.

“You had a hard time finding jobs and you are barely meeting even your basic needs and that is why I offered to help you. Just remember, this is bigger than you alone. You two are in this together. You are holding each other and brothers always support brothers.’’

At these words, the brothers looked at each other's faces. And Mel still continued to speak with his detached tone.

‘’So… are you in... or out?’’

Dust, still hesitant, looked at Dirt for support. With just a simple eye contact, all the memories of the past came flooding back. A past where they were alone against the world, and they only had each other. Dirt had sacrificed so much for him. Should he not do the same for him, Dust was thinking.

“‘’…*sigh* For my big brother. I’m in.’’

‘’I never had any doubt.” Mel’s smile slightly raised. “Then let's not lose time. After all, my game will begin in only three hours. Oh, and let's not forget those… precious tools given as a present from the ancient civilization.’’

Mel went back to the drawer where the device once was. Opening it up, he reached in and tossed two white sticks to the brothers. Upon closer inspection, the two found the sticks were actually made of stone, with handles for them to hold properly. The brothers pressed on a specific part of the handle and electrical arcs were projected noisily on the surface. 

‘’Only one hit with these sticks and anypony would be instantly knocked out. With that along with everything else in your arsenal you will be more than ready.’’

Dirt eyed the object carefully, making sure to keep his distance after a random spark almost zapped his snout. ‘’And like you promised, we won’t have to deal with the princess or her student.’’

‘’Don’t worry about those two powerhouses. I will be the one to deal personally with Twilight and Starlight. That will only leave the five others. But like I say, do not underestimate them.’’

The two brothers looked somewhat relieved at not having to contend with two of Equestria’s greatest sorcerers, yet Dirt still looked unsure. “Okay, but what are you gonna do to stop them?” 

‘’It’s simple. I will tell them–

 



‘’You want to guide us personally to the ruins tonight! Isn’t this a little… out of the blue.’’

Twilight struggled to keep her voice low while standing in the hallway of the second floor of the boarding house. Mel had strangely come to her as she was preparing to turn in with a proposition she didn’t expect.

‘’Yes, I am sorry to have come here unexpectedly. But you see, I already had the intention to go there. But as I went to prepare, I told myself that I shall take the opportunity to bring you here. I am familiar with the layout. So I’d make the perfect guide.’’ 

‘’Humm, well…’’

‘’Also… it’s embarrassing to say you have been so nice to me. More in a short moment than others did in a lifetime. I feel I shall pay you back.’’

‘’I don’t know what to say. How do you know so much about the ruins in the first place?’’

Mel looked ready to answer when a voice, along with several pairs of eyes cut him off. 

‘’Hey, Twilight. Who’s the is this stranger?’’

From the doorway appear one after the other and one on top of the other, the heads of each of her friends, each eyeing Mel with varying looks of curiosity. 

Seeing them, the gray pony waved his hoof at them.

‘’Greetings everypony, I am Melancholia, Floral’s older brother, but please call me Mel. So you are the legendary Mane 6 venerated by the entire town. I must say you do look like normal ponies.’’

As expected, Rainbow was the first to respond.

‘’Oh thank Celestia. Finally somepony who sees us for the simple mares we are. I tell you I was so tired of being elevated to godhood level and having everypony kissing my hooves. ... Was I really the one who had said that!’’

*Gassssssp*

Rather than answer the lingering question, Pinkie was running like a racing car, moving in all the directions around Mel at a supersonic speed, though it didn’t seem to phase him much.

‘’Oh my gosh, it’s you, the writer of those incredibly sad stories that Twilight was telling us about, you know you really remind me of my sister Maud, when it’s your birthday, is it true that you have no friends in town because that just too sad, then here’s something to show you that someone appreciates you.’’

Pulling a party popper out of nowhere, she pulled, causing it to explode in confetti all around the room. Surprisingly, Mel calmly took a step behind, avoiding the explosion of colorful paper, not getting a single piece even in his mane.

‘’My my, thanks a lot Miss Pinkamina. But I must say I did not expect to receive your support given how, in a way, we might literal opposite.’’

‘’Oh silly you. It is not because I’ve dedicated my whole life to giving smiles to everypony that I consider sorrow and pain my enemy.’’

‘’That’s… unexpected,” Mel almost mumbled, utterly baffled by such an idea. “A pity more ponies aren’t as open minded as you. If only they were more like you… no, let’s not think about that. It is pointless.’’

Twilight, seeing that the conversation was derailing, got it back on track and hopefully would avoid Mel getting overwhelmed by the avalanche of personality that was her friends. 

‘’Let's not get distracted from the subject at hoof. I repeat my question, how do you know so much about the ruins?’’

‘’Because I often go there on expeditions. I find the location to be a great source of inspiration.’’

‘’You often go in there alone?!’’

‘’That’s right. And that’s also why I can confirm that despite its appearance the ruins are actually quite safe.’’

‘’But… but why nopony had told me about that?’’

‘’Simply because they don’t know. First, happytownians have nearly no interest in these ruins. Secondly, to whom I could talk about my excursions? And third, they barely make attention to what I do.’’

‘’Oh! … ooooh.’’  And just like that, things got awkward again. 

‘’I am rather happy to finally share this with somepony. I’m sure you can imagine it’s hard to have a hobby that practically no one practices.’’

“Oh great, he’s playing the guilt and reciprocity card. As if I didn’t already feel bad. Look Mel, the offer is very tempting but it’s been a looong day, and right now I just want to get some sleep.”

‘’Oh, come now Twilight. Even if I’m not a die hard fan like the townsfolk I’m more than familiar with your rather passionate hunger for knowledge. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got no sleep tonight due to your excitement at exploring the ruins.”

‘’Heh that’s not… okay, touché.”

Yup, it was hard for Twilight to argue on that. She had spent years of all night study sessions for class and many a long night spent simply reading for the heck of it. But her night owlish tendencies were a flaw she was trying to get rid of. Thanks with the help of an actual owl. Still, she could not help but find Mel's idea tantalizing. That pony had a way to infuse charisma in his words.

“Hmmm, well I can certainly understand your point. Exhaustion can certainly put a damper on research.” Mel’s demeanor stayed upbeat as he tapped his chin thinking of a possible solution. “How about this, what if I just take you to get a quick glance at the ruins. Not for research purposes but for your own excitement. A trip purely to satisfy your personal desire.”

‘’Welll, say it like that.’’ Twilight, finding his proposition even more tempting, turned her gaze to her side in slight embarrassment. “And it’s true that since I heard about those ruins, I had been so impatient to see them.” 

‘’Right, right. Oh I’m sure that for you it would just like the first time I was there. It was so mind blowing I tell you. I felt as if all I was everything I thought I knew had been turn upside down.’’

The alicorn wings raised siglithy at that. ‘’All you knew… turned upside down!’’

Mel even went to turn his back at the princess to increase the dramatic effect of his speech. ‘’I still remember what a jolt it’d been. It was as if a storm was in my neurons.’’

Twilight wings went straight up and she was even starting to drool. ‘’A storm in my neurons!’’

‘’Yes and… oh you know what. I realize now that idea was a mistake. You do need to rest and it’s not as if the greatest discovery ever would be enough to erase that. Sorry, it was selfish of me. Better to forget what I’d say.’’ So confident he was that he got her that he whispered under his breath: ‘’Three. Two. One.’’

‘’WAIT.’’ Twilight shouted, her hoof held forward begging him to stop. ‘’You know, when it is said with such good arguments. STARLIGHT, CHANGE OF PLAN. COME HERE, WE ARE GOING IN THE RUINS RIGHT NOW. WHO NEEDS SLEEP ANYWAY?’’

‘’Oh way ahead of you Twi.’’

Starlight appeared from the doorway with bags on her back.

‘’Wait, you have already prepared.’’

‘’Come one Twilight, this you we’re talking about. Since the second Mel had proposed that trip I knew right away that you couldn't resist going to that technological marvels wonderland, yours words not mine, like a little filly throwing herself to her Heart Warming Eve gifts. By the way, I’m impressed, Mel. You got her you right to a T.’’

All Twilight friends could not help but to laugh at say alicorn who couldn’t help but to feel grumpy. ‘’Well, sorry for being so predictable.’’

‘’Come on Twi. Don’t take it hard.’’ Had said Starlight. ‘’We all love how nerdy you are.’’

A matching saddlebag was levitated over to Twilight, who begrudgingly took it. Still that did little to quell the excitement that was forming within her. The intellectual hunger had come, it won't settle until she saw those ruins right now.

As the two brilliant mares started to theorize what they might find, just looked at them with his permanent amiable face. That perpetual mask that was giving not a hint of what kind of thoughts he was having. 



 

Twilight and Starlight were outside under the night sky that now was mostly covered, giving little moonlight. The air at this hour was rather fresh and Starlight was feeling a chill. The same couldn’t be said for Twilight, who was able to placate the cold with her raw excitement, practically bouncing on her hooves the entire way. Her excitability almost made her look like a young filly.

“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, I think can’t wait a second more.’’

Starlight followed her, roiling her eyes but deep down, she was as excited as her. Mel was the last one to exit. ‘’I will deal with the door.’’.

As he had said, he closed the door before locking it with a key. 

Or rather simulated to lock it.

He turned the key in the wrong direction, leaving the closed door still unlocked even if the keyhole made a sound. Because the two mares were too far, they never noticed.  

‘’There, we’re all ready. Follow me now. The ruins are waiting for us. You will love them, I’m sure of it.’’

Led by Mel, our three ponies went on a trail leading them to the mountain. Sadly both mares were blissfully unaware that two pairs of yellow eyes, hiding in the bush, were spying on them. 

Mel took a mere second to look behind himself, passing it off as a glance at his two companions, while subtly signaling his conspirators to act. And once the ponies were out of their sight, the two diamond dogs came out of their hiding place with silence and turned their heads to the window on the second floor. Though things had been relatively quiet they could still make out the sounds of the occupants, still awake despite the day events.

‘’Good, they are all here in one place. And the two mages are gone. This is perfect. Mel should have left the door unlocked so we could enter the boarding house unnoticed. We will attack them using the element of surprise. They will not see it coming. But prepare yourself brother if something goes astray. We can’t afford to fail. Are you ready Dust? … … Dust! Your paws are shaking!’’

That was true. The massive, ape-like paws of Dust were trembling at an alarming rate and his fingers refused to remain stationary. And his eyes were at the verge of hysteria. 

It really was jarring to see a creature his size look so vulnerable, though for Dirt it was a source of allarmess.

“Dirt, tell me what’s wrong please.”

‘’Yes brother, I am afraid.” Dust managed to say despite his trembling lips and teeth. “I, I, I really don’t want to do this. These ponies did nothing wrong. We don’t even know them. I am not sure I will be able to forgive myself.’’

Surprisingly given his prior interactions and demeanor, Dirt gently grabbed the hands of Dust and it stopped the shaking instantly, as he offered his still shaken brother a calming look..

‘’I understand little bro. It is the same for me. I know that what we’re doing is bad but we have no other choice if we want to survive. So please, I really need you to be there because I won’t be able to do it on my own. Dust… we need that money.’’

Dust nodded, having heard this before and while he disagreed with it, the diamond dog knew it to be true. His brother had been the only one he could ever rely on and he needed him now. Did he not made a sermon to himself that he will do anything for his brother.That thought hardened his resolve and set his face and mind into that of a hunter.

‘’All right big bro. There won’t be any hesitation anymore. Let’s go.’’

‘’Thank you little bro. Yes, let’s go.’’

The two dogs placed themselves discretely towards the front door. They gave each other a silent nod and checked it. Indeed, it was not locked. They covered their faces with what was resting on their heads. Gas masks. And it’s with deep breathing noise that they slowly put their paws on the doorbell.

 



‘’The sky is covering. Sinister.’’

Was what Rarity had said, looking through the window to see her two friends disappear in the distance with the rather odd pony they’d just met. 

‘’And there they go. It seems we will have the night to ourselves alone. I must say, it makes a girl feel somewhat unwanted. True it was by choice, but I can’t help but feel left out.”

Ever the compassionate friend Applejack was right by Rarity’s side to give her a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen to.

‘’Haaah don’t make that face. Do ya think we will have been in the mood for that tonight? Besides, it is not like it'll be the last day we take here. We’ll have plenty of occasions to help Twilight with her research. At least ah think we could offer help of some sort. Which makes me think. Pinkie, why’d ya wanna give a welcoming parade to this Melancholia guy so badly? Ah know that it is yer thing and all but that's usually for the new ones in Ponyville. Not when we’re going outside town. Heck if you did, you’d need to throw a party for dang near everypony in this crazy town…not that they’d mind I reckon.’’

‘’Oh that. Hummm how should I say this?” Pinkie seriously pondered her words, a sight not often see. “I guess I just felt like I should.’’

‘’What do ya mean?’’

‘’Remember when I said that he was like my sister Maud? Well, there’s a biggy difference between him and her.” Pinkie’s eyes shifted to the window, looking in the direction Mel had gone along with Twilight and Starlight. ‘’Even though Maud’s expressionless most of the time, okay all the time, well, you could still see like a subtle spark shining in her eyes each time she felt something. Without bragging, I consider myself kind of an expert at spotting it. And I didn’t see that spark with Mel. Not once.” The mention of this caused Pinkie’s mane to deflate ever so slightly. “That made me feel sad and I thought that he must be because he feels so lonely. So I tried to cheer him up but it seems to not even have made a dent. A shame.’’

‘’He does seem to be a particular fellow.” Rarity opted to share her own thoughts as she took her  spot on a nearby couch. “But at least he has a sense of style. And good taste in accessories.’’

Her attempts to liven up the atmosphere were proving ineffective as most in the room felt Pinkie’s assessment of Mel hanging over them. 

Well…save one as a loud yawn drew all eyes to her, currently laying flat on her bed, tired and bored of the conversation.

‘’Okay, enough about Mr. Prince of Darkness and let’s focus on what we’re gonna do tomorrow. I would love to avoid having a day as exhausting as this one.’’

A sudden pressure on the bed made the polychromatic pony lift her head up to see Fluttershy seated near the edge.

‘’Don’t worry Rainbow, tomorrow will be different. Our mistake was that we were separate. I’m sure if we just stay together it’ll be a lot more fun and easy. No matter what will fall on us, we will know how to overcome them.’’

Despite saying it had at least 50% less volume than the average pony it was still quite a bit more confident then normal. It actually got Rainbow to smirk as she lifted herself up completely.

“Well, well. Never thought I’d hear you be so gungho for this sort of thing Fluttershy.”

‘’What can I say, with you around I learned more and more to be courageous. Well, at least a little bit.’’

‘’Hoowee, now that’s the kind of thing I like to hear. After all the nonsense we’ve been through, a few crazy days here will be nothing.’’

‘’Personally, I’m not against some loony days.’’

All shouted, ‘’Yeah Pinkie, we know.’’ Which resulted in the group breaking out into laughter at the tension finally being broken. And Rarity found herself suddenly struck with inspiration.

‘’You know, all this talk about our friendship is pretty inspirational. Like, humm… like: we serve as the strength of each other and together we are as indestructible as a shining diamond. Ooooh, this actually gives me an idea for a new dress.’’

‘’Geez. So dramatic.’’ Rainbow replied. ‘’But now I am pumped up and I got my energy back. Alright, let them give us everything they got. With friendship power and our awesomeness, we will all knock them down.’’

Applejack seemed to agree, though was less blunt about it given the fact she at least was still chuckling.

‘’Geez, how did it lead up to us spurting out such cheesy speeches? Heheh.’’

As if to answer said question, Pinkie immediately slid to the center of the room, a spotlight suddenly appearing on her.

‘’Ah who cares, we should never miss an occasion to remember the most precious thing we have. And I think the last thing to do is crown this moment. WITH A RAIN OF CONFETTI.’’

She took her famous party cannon from who knows where (where was the point to question it) and aimed it high at the ceiling with a huge grin. 

“Uh Pinkie, are you sure you’re not just looking for an excuse to celebrate something?” Fluttershy muttered matter of factly, though it did little to sway the party pony.

‘’So what. Details. Besides, it is a special blend of confetti that I was saving for an occasion like that. Now everypony, TO OUR INVINCIBLE FRIENDSHIP.’’

And all of them shouted at the unison ‘’To our invincible friendship’’.

With the go ahead given, Pinkie yanked on the string, making the cannon burst a cloud of confetti, but like she had said, they were very special. They were not made of paper but of a kind of aluminum reflecting beautifully the light of the room. They were made of seven colors, each representing the members of the Mane 6. And once they no longer had momentum, the cloud of sparkling scraps of paper stopped his ascension and fell at a slow pace. And the ponies could see that each color was arranged and positioned in a way that accentuated each other making it a true work of art. 

They immediately understood that it must have taken Pinkie a lot of effort and meticulously to create it. It was no wonder Pinkie wanted so much to display to her friends. They could not help but admire, with bright eyes, this living symbol of the bond that united them.



And it was at this moment... that their happiness was shattered.



A kind of object, resembling a metal cane, came flying through the confetti cloud, bursting it and ruining the beautiful display. And with perfect timing, or maybe bad timing, the light of the room went flickering in tandem each time the cane bounced on the floor with a metallic thud. Once it finally settled down, each pony, even Pinkie, looked at it incredulously.

‘’… … Hum, that was not supposed to happen.’’

No pony had a chance to speak further as white smoke erupted from the cane that was starting to spread all over the room.

Many of the mares in the room didn’t react, stunned because they were not sure to understand what their eyes were showing them.

All, except for Rainbow Dash.

She too at first was too surprised to comprehend what was happening. But she was a Wonderbolt and she was finding that this thing was awfully familiar. The Wonderbolts had a recent addition to their arsenals. Since the Storm King invasion, scientists developed cans of gas that would be able to peacefully deal with large unruly crowds. The Wonderbots would dispatch them from the sky to safely deal with them. 

As for today, they still never used them  in any real-life situations but they had trained with them, Dash included. She had seen what those cans were capable of. So she knew they were effective. Looking at that hissing can, Dash pondered ‘’Could it be?’’. 

Every muscle and neuron of Rainbow Dash tensed up to the max.

‘’SLEEPING GAS! BREATH IT AND YOU WILL BE KNOCKED OUT!’’

Rainbow, acting on instinct, flew through the window, shattering it with her own body and sending her outside. 

Ignoring the glass in her mane, along with some possible minor cuts, she immediately flew around the window in circles, faster and faster, until she became a blue twister, creating a vacuum sucking the gas before it could reach her friends and expelling it to the air outside. 

With the gas now far enough away, Applejack opted to join the fray. Eyeing the can that was still releasing the sleeping agent, she took a deep breath before charging headfirst into the smoke. With one powerful kick, sheshe Applejack was the second to become aware that they were in danger. She took the advantage of this opening and ran to the metal cane still streaming the gaseous sleeping agent. Then she gave it a powerful kick that propelled it to the doorway and then to the hall. Very quickly, the white gas invaded the corridor and the doorway was covered in an opaque fog.

‘’EVERYPONY GET BEHIND ME.’’ She shouted.

This order immediately drew the rest of the group behind Applejack, ready to defend the group from whatever threat came their way. Rainbow, who had just finished clearing the rest of the gas, flew to AJ and took point next to her, equally on the defensive.

With the gas now gone for the moment and now given a moment to breathe, both metaphorically and literally, the depth of the situation immediately hit them hard. Rarity proved the quickest to recover and immediately vocalized their thoughts. 

“Pardon my language but, what the hay is going on!?’’

‘’Isn’t obvious Rarity. Somepony is attacking us.’’ Rainbow responded with not a hint of snark, whilst her eyes stayed trained on the nearby windows as they made their way into the hall with Applejack staying vigilante. ‘’Who is it, ah don’t know but we will not go down without a fight. Wait, Rainbow! Ya hurt!’’

Hearing that, Rarity also looked at Dash and she was so shocked she had to cover her mouth to avoid screaming. ‘’Oh my Celestia, she’s right! You’re bleeding.’’

With it brought to her attention, Dash could feel a slightly wet sensation near her forehead. A thin stream of blood started to slide down her face and over her left eye, an unfortunate cost of her charging clean through a window. Without averting her gaze, Rainbow nonchalantly wiped it with the tip of her right wing.

‘’It’s gonna take a lot more than a scratch to slow me down, we’ve got other things to worry about, speaking of which.” She faced the doorway covered in gaz and screamed at the top of her lungs. “HEY YOU KNUCKLEHEADS. I DON’T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY YOU WANT BUT QUIT HIDING LIKE COWARDS AND SHOW YOURSELVES.’’

Only silence answered her back and nothing was coming from the cloud covering the doorway. However, two pairs of yellow lights appeared in the nebulous fog and step by step, they were coming closer, the floor creaking under their heavy footsteps. 

In mere seconds, two figures appeared from out of the gas. Bathed by the light of the room, the appearance of the assailants was fully shown. 

Much to the group’s surprise, they were by no way ponies. They were bipedal and their hands were showing gray fur, while their faces were protected from the gas courtesy of a pair of masks, though they did little to hide the yellow slits of their eyes.

For the innocent ponies in the room, it certainly made them look like something out of a nightmare, and the hard breathing noise didn’t help things. Also, these two were wearing heavy jackets with pockets full of tools not made for peaceful acts. In short, they were showing that they were here for business. 

However, despite the gas, concealing attire, Rarity couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity looking at them.

‘’Wait is that…’’ 

‘’Who the hay are ya and what in tarnation do ya want with us? We did nothing wrong.’’ Rarity’s moment of realization was brought to a screeching halt by Applejack immediately taking command and confronting the masked pair, unfazed by their appearance. 

The little one, Dirt, smirking beneath his mask, answered, with his voice heavily distorted by the mask.

‘’Sorry. Nothing personal. But I’m afraid you all need to come with us now.’’

With synchronicity the two brothers pulled the lightning rods from their pockets and with a swing, turned them on and made them buzz with electrical arcs. 

The ponies did not know what those things were but there was one thing they could guess easily, those rods must not hit them.Thus Rainbow quickly made herself airborne while Applejack took another step forward, firmly setting herself up as a wall between her friends and their assailants. 

Unconcerned by the potential for retaliation, Dirt went sprinting to them, his weapon ready to strike. 

Surprisingly, it was Rarity who stepped up, using her horn to levitate one of the beds. 

Every unicorn can use levitation, even at a young age. It's one of the most basic spells. But that doesn’t mean they can lift anything. For most unicorns, the levitation spell is only proportional to their natural strength. They levitated only what they’re able to lift with their hooves in the first place. That is why they often use it on light objects. For particularly heavy stuff, you will need to add a lot of magic power to bypass this weakness. 

But in that moment of danger, Rarity could feel adrenaline rushing through her body. It gave her a momentary boost in power, allowing her to lift the whole furniture.

“I hope you don’t take this offensively *huff* but I can’t stand ruffians who want to hurt my friends, thank you.”

She threw it with ferocious strength at her assailant. The bed looked about ready to crash into Dirt, yet the dog didn’t flinch. Instead, he effortlessly caught the bed with a single of his hands.

“Hum, so light.”

His paw gripped tightly on the bed frame, cracking it and shattering it into splitters with casual ease just to emphasize his strength. Diamond Dogs have very strong arms. That is why they’re such good diggers. Emboldened somewhat by his brother, Dust quickly closed the distance as Dirt advanced further. 

Their initial attack unsuccessful, Dash opted for a more direct approach. With her signature speed, in the blink of an eye she’d gotten right into Dirt’s visibly stunned face. With a hard hoof punch to the arm, the baton was dropped and it rolled on the floor. That punch was followed by a second to the stomach, causing him to curl over in pain.

Now disabled, Dash launched into a literal tornado of blows, flying at the speed of lightning around the dog while unleashing punch after punch at every spot she could find.

“Take that. And that and that and that, ouch, and that and that and even more. No one hurt my friends.’’

Dirt didn't answer and instead seemed to fall forward, causing her to halt her attack and fly back to her friends. However, the dog didn’t continue forward, instead falling to his knees.

‘’Hah, did you see that? I am too fast for you,” Dash boasted with her usual pride, smirking at the downed dog. “Now I’ll give you one chance to stop and to leave us alone and maybe that’ll be all the pain you’ll be feeling today.’’

“Hey Dash, maybe also try asking why exactly this varmint decided to attack us before you try knocking him unconscious.” 

Applejack chimed in next to her friend, pointing out the obvious issue she’d forgotten about.elted angrily, taking point next to Dash. 

‘’Oh right, right. Tell us what’s the big idea and then, you could go away. And you better do it now without any nasty trick or I swear I will get very angry and WOAH!!!’’

Rainbow Dash suddenly fell on the floor with a painful thud. Once she got up on her hooves, she tried to open her wings, only to find her right one was now completely limp and useless.

‘’Hey what gives!’’

All the ponies look stunned at the sudden moment of weakness, none more so than Fluttershy who’d never seen her oldest friend having issues flying that weren’t the result of a prior crash or accident. Fluttershy, seeing her childhood friend that she was considering the strongest pony in the world, being hurt and vulnerable, was making her so but sooo worried.

‘’Rainbow, what wrong!’’

‘’It’s... it’s my wing. I can’t get it to move like I want. It’s like it just went numb all of a sudden.”

Dash’s normally boundless confidence started to rapidly drain as she tried desperately to get her wing to respond, but to little success. She didn’t understand what was happening to her and a feeling of panic was starting to submerge her. 

It was at this moment that Dirt formed a malicious smile, even though it was hiding under the mask, and he began to chuckle. Everypony turned their heads to him, and noticed him lifting his paw, revealing a mini syringe with a needle hidden in his jacket sleeve under his wrist.

‘’This syringe contains a powerful muscle relaxant. We knew that you, Rainbow Dash, will be the biggest threat. And because of how fast you flap your wings, the blood, with the product in it, had quickly circulated in them. Now you are nothing more than another vulnerable pony. And what are you doing brother just standing there? After them!’’

Given the direct order, Dust went like a rampaging rhino, ready to crash into them with his boulder sized shoulders. Unable to fly, Rainbow was left wondering what course of action to take. Thankfully, for them she wasn’t the only combatant in their group.

An orange blur collided with the larger dog’s stomach, as a pair of strong hooves planted themselves into the ground like roots. The sudden halt forced Dust to look down only to find a brown hat blocking his view. 

‘’Time for a change of strategy partners.’’

Applejack’s muscles strained as she held her position while Dust’s own legs tried to continue advancing. Strong as Applejack was, he still had a considerable size and weight advantage, and both he and his brother knew that. 

Dust was more annoyed than afraid. “You should give up. You will never overpower me.”

“Who ever says that ah need to overpower ya? RARITY, NOW!”

Dust, to his surprise, saw that before him, a lot of bed sheets, shimmering with blue aura, were behind hurled at him. Afraid, he tried to run away but it was too late.

Those ghosts, filled with the vengeance of a posh pony, submerged him and ensnared him whole. Rarity, using her magic on fabric, both figuratively and literally, did a few maneuvers here and a few knots there and in a heartbeat, that giant masked dog was a prisoner in a cocoon of sheets.

The poor Dust, blinded and restrained, could only jump on his feet, the only part still free, until he fell flat on his muzzle. It’s a good thing he instinctively shut-down his electrical rob before being ensnared because if not, his fate would have been very dire.   

Dirt, who just retrieved his own rod, saw with horror what they did to Dust. ‘’Brother! Oh no, it can’t be!’’ In a swift swing of his paw, the rod he held was re-activated, electrical arcs buzzing angrily on its tip. ‘’No one hurt my brother. You will pay.’’

Throwing caution to the wind, he quickly picked up his baton and charged forward, roaring as he prepared to hit the closest pony with it. AJ was ready to riposte when a pink blur came before her eyes and before she realized, Pinkie was already at the front, jumping happily.

“Oh oh, I want to play too.”

Using her tail like a pogo-stick, she bounced on it and jumped high just at the moment she was about to get hit by a swing of the electro-stick. It had been so close that the pink earth pony could feel the sparkes brushing her coat as she went up.

Yet, she was not afraid in the slightest. She landed on the mattress of one the many beds and using like a trampolines, she bounces back to land on another bed and then on another one and on and on while Dirt was unsuccessfully trying to run after her and swing at her only to miss again and again, that bouncing pink ball always escaping his grasp at the last second. Dirt was looking quite silly and exhausted while Pinkie was having the time of her life.

‘’Weeeeeeeeh.’’

‘’Would you-

‘’Miss me.’’

‘’Stay-

‘’Miss me again.’’

‘’*huff* put *huff**huff* so-

‘’Now I’m here.’’

‘’So that I *wheeze* zap you at lasssst.’’ 

‘’Who would want to be zapped? You’re so silly.’’

The anitic of Pinkie were too much for Dirt nerves. He snapped and blindly swung his rod everywhere, reducing his chance of hitting Pinkie to zero. And the giggling of say pink pony was not helping. ‘’He he he. You know, I think you don’t know how to play that game’’

‘’OH FOR THE LOVE OF ROCK, JUST STAY STILL FOR A MOMENT.’’

‘’Okay sure.’’

Instead of a bed, Pinkie landed hooves first on Dirt, knocking him on the floor while Pinkie stood high on his back, her upper hooves spreaded wide as if she was a gymnast. ‘’Now I’m sure that must be worth ten points.’’ She even said.

Her friends applauded her and the pink pony bowed to it. Dirt offered no retort other than a slow, raspy moan that almost sounded like a tire deflating. 

But then, an alarming sound came and all pony heads snapped toward its direction. Dust, still trapped in his prison of cloth, had decided to use the fangs of his claw to tear apart the fabric. One of his paws was already out and it was easy for all to guess that it wouldn’t take much time before the big dog got himself free.

‘’Hum, okie dokie. I think it’s our cue to get out of here.’’

Agreeing with Pinkie, all ponies followed her toward the exit. Despite how well they had defended themselves, they still had no idea why it was happening. They all thought that the best strategy would be to run and ask for help. But once at the doorway, they saw they couldn’t get through. The cane was still expelling that white gaz.

Poor Fluttershy was panicking. ‘’W-what can we do? We can’t go there.’’ But Pinkie Pie gently pushed her away to go in front of everypony. Her look was one of confidence. ‘’Never fear. I’ll also handle this. Time to see if that scientist was right about that biofeedythingy.’’

She turned around, her back facing the gas. Like a boat engine, her tail started to rotate in a circle, quickly picking up speed, easily dispelling the remaining smoke from the hall. ‘’Take that icky gas. My mastery over every fibers of my body is unmatch.’’ In a matter of seconds the entire building was all but completely clear of smoke.

“And that’s that.” Pinkie dusted her hooves off for a job well done, pulling her mane to turn her tail off. The rest of the group seemed to relax finally. Though it was not for long as Dust had managed to free himself and was about to get up on his feet.

‘’Okay gals, ah think it’s our cue to get the hell out here.’’ Had said Applejack.

Across his mask, Dust saw with horror the ponies he was supposed to capture, the so important job he had to do, getting away from his grasp. And all he could do was reach out his paw in despair. 

The stress he felt was so intense that for him, it was as if time had stopped. His mind went blank and instead, memories of the past came filling his head. A past he didn’t want to remember.

[We will always stay together, there is nothing that can separate us. I will not abandon you and you will never be alone Dust. I won't break my promise to mom.]

It was then… something in Dust snapped.

‘’Dirt. I can’t be a burden to him. Not again no no nonononoNOOOOO.’’

Dust let out a massive roar and he went after the ponies. But he was not running on two but instead on four legs like a wild beast. And strangely he was not aiming at the doorway but the adjacent wall. Every bed on his way was thrown away as his body slammed on them.

The ponies, who had just got up from the room, were galloping toward the stair when Pinkie felt a weird tingling. She cried ‘’Wait!’’, stopped their run by blocking her friends with her hooves and forced them to step back.

At the same moment, instead of stooping, Dust lunged blindly at the wooden wall.

And smashed it.

In front of the ponies, an explosion of splinter came quickly followed by a thick cloud of sawdust. If Pinkie had not stopped them, they would have been smashed too.

As the fog was starting to clear up, a shadowy figure appeared in it. The ponies, despite their previous bravery, could not help but take a step back before that massive shade whose pants were made more eerier because of the mask. As he took a set out the smoke, they say his eyes shone with ferocity and he let out a cry full of rage, resolve… and also strangely… regret.

‘’None of you… NONE OF YOU ARE GOING ANYWHERE.’’