//------------------------------//
// Errands: News For You 
// Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

Barro's office was small, but larger than a closet. It had a door on either side, putting it in the center of the two set rooms. The carpet oddly enough stretched up to the walls and the ceiling, a dark gray fuzzy material. It was as if the fabric had been made for the specific room it was in and seemed a bit weird to Dan. Carpet connecting to wall and ceiling fabric must've been hell to clean, like it was a concept from a bygone era. The same could be said of the building.

There was barely enough room for Barro to sit behind his own desk. Dan and Spike took chairs that were almost against the back wall, a path between chairs and desk so ponies could walk through. Of course, none of these things made Dan more uncomfortable than when he first entered the room and heard the sobbing.

"So... who is she?"

"That's Edina. She's our appearance artist."

Dan could not help his eyes from straining to the corners of their sockets, listening to the poor girl cry. She occupied a corner of the office, sitting in a swivel chair that was clearly not meant to roll on the carpeted floor, and was sobbing into a dark blue hooded jacket.

"You'll have to excuse her; her boyfriend broke up with her today."

"Oh. I'm really sorry," Spike said, being the first to offer sympathy.

"Don't be too sorry," Barro said. "Her boyfriend breaks up with her every other day. They usually get back together sometime in the evening, then he breaks up with her in the morning."

"Wow, that's... really fucking stupid," Dan remarked. "That just sounds really, really dumb to me."

"Oh, screw you! Screw you, fucking... men!" Edina said. She stood up abruptly and left the office, slamming the door behind her.

Barro braced his hooves on the desk to stop it from shaking. "That's still MY JACKET!!" he yelled after her.

Dan had had an idea pop into his head on his way to the office. He had started to like Barro back when he discovered Barro tended to get as pissed off as he did about idiots. Like Dan, they both seemed to be forced to deal with inattentive morons that were about as capable as a car without wheels. They had similarities and Barro had resources, so Dan thought of a way he could use that.

"Barro, let me get right to the point."

"That'd be a first."

Dan put on a winning grin. "We both are on our respective revenge missions, right? You want to kill the Smurf guy and the stormtroopers, I want to kill Rice Puddingdouche. What say we work together, ehh?"

Barro sat, frowning, hooves tapping together on his desk, the equivalent of thumb-twiddling for ponies. He was about to say "No," followed by more words, when Spike had a question and even raised his claw.

"You don't need to do that. Just- what?"

Spike put his claw down. "Umm, well, I'm just wondering, why do you want to kill the Empire guys? I thought we had a truce with them."

The frown Barro had sported turned upward into the smallest of slightly-amused smiles. The kind of amusement reserved for things that shouldn't have to be explained, or after questions that shouldn't be asked.

Barro looked right into Spike's eyes. "They're still evil. Not all of them. But some of them, with power, if they continue on, they'll keep doing horrible things. It doesn't take that many, not even the majority. I fight them because I know how. They will be brought to justice."

"Yes!" Dan said, nodding emphatically. "Yes! Yes, I knew it- I knew we were two of a kind, you and me! I didn't realize it at first and you kinda pissed me off but the way you kept going after them, yes!"

"Stop," Barro put a hoof up, preventing Dan from launching out of his chair with enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry but I've been LOOKING for someone in town who was like me and I- I just never expected it'd be you!"

"Yeah, totally unexpected," Spike said, eyes rolling.

"So are you gonna help me?"

"No."

"AGAAAAAAAAAAAAHHGDDD!!" Dan leapt out of the chair and slammed both fists on Barro's desk. It was hard enough to cause his rolodex to jump.

"Dan, c'mon, what do you want me to do?"

Dan inhaled. "Your Galaga ship, for one! You could just vaporize him from orbit- boom! Problem solved. You tried to use it on me!"

"I did. And if I use it on Equestria's surface again, Luna is going to kill me."

Spike raised his hand again, then put it down. "If those guys you shot down are still... alive..." Spike said, thinking.

And Dan picked up on the rest. He turned to Barro. "You never were trying to kill me."

Barro smiled and shrugged. "Rice was holding Michael hostage. I tried to make it look good while keeping you headed in the right direction."

Dan smiled back. "You sneaky S.O.B. I knew there was a reason you didn't just outright blast us to pieces!"

The door to Barro's office opened. A human in orange-colored armor stepped half-in to the office. "I got your jacket back."

"Thank you, Kent. Is Edina over it now?"

"Looks to be."

Spike looked up at the new armored figure. "Griff?"

"Kent, actually," the man said. He took to leaning with his back to the wall, arms crossed, appearing casual despite his less-casual appearance. Even if it was his casual appearance.

"Dan, Spike, Kent. Kent, Spike and Dan," Barro said, introducing them quickly. "Mr. Kent is another Jedi associate of mine with a more... proactive approach to problem-solving."

Dan looked over to Kent, then back to Barro. "What happened to the green guy?"

Barro looked down, pinched his lips together then looked back up again, the kind of grin that came from explaining something that was difficult to explain. "Kent is replacing Rals. Suffice to say, I wasn't happy with how he handled things with Rice either."

"Thank you!" Dan exclaimed. Honestly, it was nice to hear someone actually be on his side. "So is HE going to help me?"

Barro shook his head. "No, Dan, Master Kentan is here to help with... well, other things."

"But WHYYYYY?" Dan got up again. He was about to grab something on Barro's desk, maybe throw it, when a subtle motion from Kent stopped him.

Kent was not like Rals, though they were both Jedi. Maybe it was the color- orange being a theme today, it seemed, but it was clear that they were hiding something. Rals, the green knight, had exuded power and control, stability. Kent exuded raw power, still controlled but more loose, free. A bluish aura radiated from the orange form for a brief second, another contrast to the colorless powers of Rals.

Kent quickly set Barro's jacket on his desk, a motion that was deliberately to stop Dan from reaching for anything.

"Thank you."

Dan's eyes were at the corner of his vision, watching the new man as he stepped back slowly. The slightest friction was between them, and Dan could tell the other man felt it, too. Equal friction.

"I like him," Dan stated. "Can I have him?"

"Dan-"

"Come on!! You already have like fifty lackeys! I just want one- I've lost a bunch, lately, in case you haven't noticed! Cap and Chris are gone, Colress is gone, even the griffons are gone," Dan said.

Barro leaned forward. "What about the Magic Gears?"

Suddenly, Dan got quiet. "I don't know where they are. Maybe they went with Rice."

"Where are they, Dan?" Barro saw through Dan's deception.

"They're... on a separate project. I'm not at liberty to discuss it," Dan said, returning to his seat again.

"What have you got going on on the moon, Dan?" Barro asked. "My satellites picked up the construction, and I know you're rebuilding your ship but what else?"

Spike looked up at Dan. They were indeed a lot a like, he and Barro. Both of them were on their private missions, keeping secrets from one another. But where Dan's team had been mostly disbanded, Barro's had gotten back together. Did the princesses know about any of this, he wondered? If Spike found even a scrap of paper, he could easily inform them.

"That's... I'll tell you when it's ready, okay?" Dan said. "Could you at least tell me where Rice is?"

Barro shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Dan. I have an agreement with Luna. The princesses want peace and for things to get back to normal. Besides, their parents returning has their minds focused on other issues."

"I know," Dan said. He looked around the room, thought. The worst part about injustice was how people accepted it. How it could happen and people just got on with their lives. Accepting things they shouldn't. That was how short-term problems became long-term ones, perpetuating ones. Accepted problems. The kind of tiny stuff, inconveniences that people stopped trying to solve, that they just accepted. And it led to more inconveniences, more problems, slower processes. Injustice that was accepted created and perpetuated injustice.

"Look," Dan continued, "could you just... tell people what happened? You're a news guy- just, tell the story."

Barro leaned back. "I think you want Daring Do for that. I do news, Dan, what you're wanting is a documentary. Maybe even a fanfic but I have a job to do."

Dan leaned forward. "Please just, just make the time. I just want people to know."

Bobbing his head from side to side, he finally shrugged and said, "Alright, I'll consider it. No promises, though. Now get out."

"Can you tell me where Rice is first?"

"OUT!" Barro bellowed.

Dan and Spike left, slamming the door as they did so. Unintentional; the door was heavier than it should've been for some reason. Dan was a bit miffed, but at least felt a bit better knowing that someone might understand his plight. At the very least, it would make it harder for Rice to manipulate ponies, which was how this got started in the first place.

For all the things Rice did, most of it was slight-of-hand. He created distractions to prevent them from using their powers against him. The lack of focus, the lack of Dan-like focus specifically had nearly cost them everything. Ponies needed focus and that was something Dan could give them. Despite the fact they thought it was over, Dan knew it was not. Rice would return eventually. Dan would make sure that everyone was ready.

Surprisingly, as they were walking, Kent had joined them.

"To be honest, I didn't agree with Rals either," Kent said.

Dan stopped and turned to him. "So, what? You know the grasshopper man?"

"He's a Jedi Consular, I'm a Jedi Sentinel. We have different approaches for handling things."

"I like that. I think we can get along," Dan said, which was almost shocking to Spike. Dan normally hated everyone he came across at first, and without much knowledge, he seemed to be completely accepting of a total stranger. This point was hammered home further when Dan did the unprecedented, the nearly unthinkable: he extended his hand for the man to shake and said,

"I'm Dan."

Kent hesitated for a moment, which Dan liked, then took his hand and shook it. "Kentan Krace."

Dan smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kent. I especially like the fact that you probably won't betray me one day and we won't fight each other in some sort of climactic clash or anything."

Kent nodded. "Yeah, I get that, too. The fact that we agree on things will in no way foreshadow our inevitable, action-packed conflict."

"Indeed! Let's go get something to eat!"

Spike came from around the corner and rejoined the two. No one had noticed he had secretly sent two notes- one to Twilight, one to Princess Celestia, and he intended to keep it that way. The trio departed the news station and Spike didn't think they were going to get back to doing errands. Also, they apparently forgot Discord, but knowing Dan, that might have been intentional.





Barro waited until they were far away from the studio before he said anything. He locked both doors to his office. Rals appeared in front of him, materializing almost out of thin air when they both knew he'd been there the whole time.

"He's not letting it go."

"Did you think he would?" Barro asked. "You seem to love stating the obvious. Besides, it was your idea to involve Kentan anyway. I don't think it's going to end well."

Rals was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Kentan could learn much from Dan. And Dan could learn much from my padawan, if they listen to one another."

"You're playing it pretty close to the hip. They might kill each other."

Rals said nothing more on that subject. "Did you need anything more of me?"

"Yes. I need you to find Rice."

"For you or for Dan?" Rals asked.

Barro thought for a long time. He flipped through the rolodex and noticed two of the clipped papers were missing. "Just find out where he is."

Rals disappeared again. Barro sat in his office for a while, simply flipping the rolodex back and forth, back and forth.