//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - "Objects from the Past" // Story: My Little Caboose II: Friendship is Fragmented! // by DarkWing //------------------------------// "Maybe this is something more than just a rock," Sweetie Belle said as she stared at the rock that sat in the middle of the room. "It doesn't really look like anything other than a rock," Scootaloo grunted, tapping it with her hoof. "It looks like a rock and it feels like a rock. I’m not sure if I want to taste it, though, but I'd bet it'd taste like a rock." "Ya gotta be a bit more positive, Scoots," Apple Bloom said, pulling it closer to her. "Maybe it’s an egg from a really old species of animal. Like a lizard, or maybe even a bird." "Or maybe a dragon," Theta added. "Don’t be silly, Theta. Dragon eggs are supposed to be bright and colorful," Sweetie Belle chuckled. "Besides, dragons are protective of their eggs. There isn't any way a dragon would lose one of their eggs." "How was I supposed to know that?" "We learned it during science class when you were gone," she replied, then chuckled sheepishly. "So I guess it sort of makes sense that you wouldn't know..." Just then, the door to the headquarters began to creak open, making the five ponies' heads snap towards it. As the door opened fully, the stallion wearing the tattered cloths stood firmly, glaring at them from under the darkness of his hood which obstructed his face. "Who are y-you?" Scootaloo stuttered nervously as she and the girls backed up to the other end of the room. "That is none of your concern," the stallion hissed as he began walking inside. Once he was past the door, he slammed it shut and locked it. "What you should be concerned with is what I can do to you if you do not give me what I want." "What do ya want?" Apple Bloom asked. "I believe you have something that is mine," the stallion growled. "And if you do not give it back to me, I am afraid I am going to have to do something you will not enjoy." "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to take your rock!" Sweetie Belle yelped, throwing the rock to the stallions hooves. "What is this?" he asked dubiously. "That is not what you took from me" "It's the only thing we have, we promise!" "Very well," he grunted and began to take slow steps towards the fillies. "Run! He is going to kill us!" Sweetie Belle squealed as she began banging on the door. The girls began fumbling to unlock the door, but stopped when they heard a stifled laugh. Turning to look at the stallion, the girls saw that Theta nor Sigma were panicking. "Oh, the looks on your faces is simply delicious," the stallion chuckled darkly as he tore his hood down, revealing himself to be a familiar, smirking face. "O'Malley?" Apple Bloom mumbled confusedly, still shaking from the encounter. "Could anyone else strike terror in the hearts of the young like me?" he asked. "Why would you do that?" "I believe I may answer that one," Sigma said, a barely present smile on his face. "While you went into the house to prepare, I asked O'Malley to tell you something unsettling. That being his sort strong suit and favorite pastime, he obliged my request. I asked him to tell you something little, so I should have expected him to go rather overboard with a presumably violent story. Then we-" "You told him to scare us?" Scootaloo asked, glaring at him. "Why would you do that?" "I meant no harm. I merely meant to get back at you a bit," he said, raising a humored brow as the girls looked at him with confusion. "Maybe that will teach you to not call my brother a scaredy cat. It really was more of a joke, and I do not know what O'Malley told you. I merely intended to put you on edge the tiniest bit, and for that I apologize." "Heh, fair enough," she said honestly, standing up with trembling legs. "Good one, guys." "I didn't have that much to do with it," Theta said quietly, but he too began to smile. "I kinda wish I did, though. That was pretty funny." "Yeah, well I wasn't even scared," she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "A little startled, maybe, but those are two different things." "Maybe mildly startled," Sweetie Belle piped. "Mildly startled?" O'Malley snarled, crushing the rock underneath him with his hoof, shattering it completely. "Okay! You're really, really scary!" "Thank you," he chortled satisfyingly. "That is why I became a tax collector. They have to be among the most intimidating workers in the legal world, and that is why I enjoy it so much. Nothing brings me more joy than taking it away from others.' "That's... cool?" Scootaloo coughed, glancing down to the dust underneath him. "See, it was definitely a rock." "Oh no, I broke a rock," he gasped sarcastically. "There are only billions upon billions of them left for me to smash. I can't imagine how devastated you must feel. Please, tell me how devastated you are." "Eh, not that much," the pegasus filly shrugged. "Pretty clear that it was just a rock now." "Besides, who wants their talent to be findin' rocks anywho?" Apple Bloom asked. "Was hard work, tirin' and was pretty borin'." "And dirty. If Rarity knew my special talent was digging in the dirty ground, she would have a conniption," Sweetie Belle giggled. "I bet she'd make me an outfit perfect for digging, then yell at me for dirtying it." "And it's pretty uncool," Scootaloo sighed. "Even if we got famous for finding something old, we'd be just that. Famous for finding a rock. If I ever get famous, it needs to be from something radical." "We should probably get Delta or Simmons to sort them into piles of things we'd actually want to do." "You really think Delta or Simmons would be able to split our long list of activities and hobbies into things that we think are cool?" Scootaloo snorted playfully. "They'd probably put math in the cool pile and surfing in the boring one." "So am I done here?" O'Malley asked curiously. "Yes, I believe we all are," Sigma said, unlocking the door to the clubhouse. O'Malley, Sigma and the girls started to file out of the area. Scootaloo paused by the door and looked back at Theta who was throwing the rest of the tools in his bag. "You coming?" Scootaloo asked. "You guys go on ahead, I'll pack up the stuff and catch up with you in a sec," he said, beginning to pack all the tools in his bag. "Alright," she said, walking out the door. Theta finished packing within a few minutes and slipped the bag onto his back to head out. As he walked past the debris, something caught his eye and made him pause. Inside the dust was a small, flattened, purple flower encased in a thin amber shell. Looking out the door, he opened his mouth to call the others back, then stopped. With a shrug, he carefully grabbed it with his magic and slipped it into the bag, making sure it was in a secure part where it would not be damaged. He then slipped the bag on and ran after his friends.