//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Ponies Meet Boy // by Stoltzy92 //------------------------------// Ponies meet Boy Part 5 “No……. no………. no…….. None of these have anything about them either.” Twilight said with disappointment as she laid three more books in a very tall stack that was next to her. “Why are you so obsessed with finding any references on myths anyway?” Spike asked moving more books to where Twilight was sitting. “It’s because NONE of these myths are ones that I have even heard of before.” Responded Twilight paging through another book. “All these names, all these figures, all the other……. Things talked about in here. They are totally foreign.” “Is that really such a surprise to you?” Spike asked looking over Twilight’s shoulder. “Think about it Spike. Blueben TOLD me that these myths were famous where he came from. I have looked through EVERY book we have on such lore and not a single one even mentions any of these. Look at the size of this book Spike.” Twilight used her magic to display the book in front of Spike’s face. The book had a white cover that was trimmed with gold colored paper. Stamped in blue on the top was the title “Encyclopedia of Mythology”. On the cover there were many old fashioned paintings of ponies ages past. It even had a picture of a very muscular stallion sculpture. Then the book opened and page after page of pictures, small tightly grouped text, and portraits. “Do you see how much information is in here? Plus, not only is there no reference to these myths in OUR books but this book has no references to OUR myths either despite it saying it’s an encyclopedia.” “Well maybe it is just a reference for obscure myths. Like that book on obscure unicorn history you gave me.” “The history in that book I can verify and confirm from VARIOUS sources.” Twilight said continuing to page through both Blueben’s book and one she had taken from Spike. “Like I said before he DID say it was hard to find.” Spike said sitting down on the floor. “Maybe the publisher only managed to make a few copies, and Blueben was one of the ones that got a copy.” “Spike, do you not get what I am saying?” Twilight said as she closed another book that gave her no help. “I know for a fact that there is a copy of every single book in Equestria in the Canterlot library. Trust me, if there was more than one copy of this book I’d have seen it by now.” “What’s the big deal about some plain old myths anyway?” “It’s not just the myths……” Twilight said getting down from her podium. “I saw another strange book that Blueben had.” “And what was it?” Spike asked curiously. “It was called The Serial Killer Files.” Twilight said. “Serial Killer Files?” Spike said confused. “What’s a serial killer?” “A serial killer is somepony who attacks and kills many MANY other ponies for their own gain.” Twilight said pacing around the book filled room. “Some kill for money, some kill because of some hallucination, and sometimes……… they kill for their own amusement.” “That’s pretty dark Twilight.” Spike said wincing alittle. “Now THAT is strange…….. what did he say when you found it.” “He said he was doing research for a character in one of his stories.” Twilight said. “Then that would make sense. You did tell me that he was a writer.” Spike said. “I know Spike. I know he said that but……” Twilight then gave her assistant a nervous look. “There is just something strange about that pony. I don’t know what it is but I can kind of……. Feel it…..” Twilight then placed one of her hooves on her chest. “I have had this strange feeling every time I’m around him…….. every time I felt something…… something very strange……… something……….alien.” “Pinkie Pie’s strange to Twilight.” Spike said with a shrug. “You don’t get any stranger than Pinkie Pie. Sometimes I wonder if she is even from this planet.” “A DIFFERENT kind of strange Spike…….” Twilight said taking a deep breath. “He seems nice but I just haven’t been able to get that feeling to go away. Especially after what the fillies told me.” Spike turned his head alittle bit. “What did they tell you?” “Well, first off, the fillies had told me about a door they had found while they were snooping around in Blueben’s house……” ********** Hours earlier……. “What did you say there was?” Twilight asked the fillies as they stood outside of Blueben’s home. “A weird door.” Applebloom told her. “It has these weird glowin’ green things all up an’ down it.” “I think they were locks.” Said Sweetie Belle. “We couldn’t get that door to budge an inch. We tried EVERYTHING we could to open it and we couldn’t get so much as a creak from it” “Well, you SHOULDN’T have been in thur in the first place!” Applejack said angrily. “That is somepony else’s HOME. Do you have any idea wrong that is to just barge into somepony’s house?” “Come on!” said Scootaloo. “It’s not our fault he didn’t lock his back door.” “We were lookin’ for a place to set up Blueben’s party not snoop around his house.” Applejack said angrily again. “It’s not that big a deal guys.” Pinkie Pie said as she moved party favors and decorations into the house. “This gives us the PERFECT way to surprise Blueben when he and I get back from going around town. We’ll just explain everything to him when we come back.” Twilight stood there looking at the fillies with a puzzled look on her face. “Could you show me where you found these locks?” “Sure. We found um up the stairs.” Applebloom said walking into the dimly lit house. They walked past Pinkie Pie who was rapidly setting up decorations for the party. They slowly made their way up the stairs and towards the mysterious door. “There it is.” Said Sweetie Belle pointing her hoof. Twilight approached it and looked at it closely. The door and its locks stood like a sour thumb amidst the darkness of the dimly lit second floor. The area around the door however wasn’t that dark at all. The locks on the door gave off a strong and steady glow of green illuminating the door. Twilight put her hoof against one of the locks. The texture felt smooth and metallic against her hoof. When she pushed it against the door it held firm not giving her hoof any way closer to the door behind it. She placed her hoof feeling another lock on the door. It was as solid and as strong as the one before it. She looked seriously at the other locks just like she had done with the first. Never in her time with books about geology and earth books had she heard of a metal that gave off such a relatively bright green glow. After feeling the last of the locks she turned towards the fillies who were standing behind her. “You said you couldn’t find any way to open this door?” “Nope, nothing we did worked at all.” Applebloom said shaking her head. “There wasn’t even any key holes in those locks.” Twilight cocked and eyebrow then looked at the underside of one of the locks. It was just as Applebloom said. No keyhole. “That is odd……” Twilight thought to herself. “What would he keep behind a door with no way to take off the locks?” ******** “Twilight…..” said Spike with some concern on his face. “Are you sure you aren’t just getting paranoid again?” “Now Spike..” said Twilight, “Why would you say that?” “You’re making a big deal out of nothing Twilight.” Spike said getting up and dusting himself off. “Yeah from what you’ve said he seems kinda strange but Twilight. He’s a WRITER. From what I’ve heard about authors they can get pretty strange.” “Even so, that doesn’t explain why he has this book or why he has those strange locks in his house.” Twilight responded. “Need I remind you what happened LAST time you got all paranoid like this?” “What are you talking about Spike?” “The smarty-pants incident.” Twilight blushed and her ears went backward from embarrassment. It was something in recent memory that she remembered too well. “From what I saw of him at Pinkie’s party he just seems like and ordinary colt to me.” Spike said beginning to put books away. “It’s nice to have another guy around.” “Yeah, I guess that would explain why you’re defending him so much.” Twilight said rolling her eyes. “That doesn’t matter!” retorted Spike getting more of the books put away. “Just give him some time and you’ll see that he’s just another ordinary pony. You’ll see.” Twilight sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah…… maybe you’re right Spike.” Twilight rubbed her eyes again. “Maybe I’m just tired from Pinkie’s party. I think I’ll head to bed for the night. She then started trotting wearily up the stairs to her bedroom. “Goodnight Spike.” “Goodnight Twilight.” ********* The next morning……….. A loud ringing went off that seemed to echo throughout the bedroom. A blue hoof rose from under the nearby covers to try to silence the noise. In its tired attempts the hoof accidently pushes the ringing alarm clock off of the desk and onto the wooden for making a loud clang and the ringing even longer. A few seconds the clock vibrated on the floor still ringing before a pair of hooves reached down from the bed and silenced it. As one hoof held the pin that rang the bells the other reached for the back of the clock and flipped the switch to shut the alarm off. After that hoof set the clock back in it place on the bedside table the other hoof threw off the covers. Blueben sat up in the bed. His hair was even more of a mess than usual. He looked around tiredly at the table and picked up his glasses. He unfolded them and placed them on his face. He groggily got off the bed and walked out of his bedroom. He went into his upstairs bathroom and went about his daily routine of getting ready. He turned on the sink and moved a comb around in the flowing water. After it had gotten wet enough Blueben then combed his mane down just the way he liked it. After that he took a nice relaxing shower. Once he had finished his shower he walked down the stairs into his living room. Now Blueben’s home had been pretty much cleaned up after Pinkie’s party had ended the night before. Everything was wiped, picked up, and put away. However, there were still a few things that were in disarray and/or just weren’t in the spot Blueben had originally put them. Seeing this Blueben let took a breath and said, “Well at least I know what I am going to be doing for today.” Blueben then walked towards his shelf. “Let’s see if it is still where I left it.” Blueben said to himself as he was looking around on the shelf. “Ah here it is.” He pulled out the device that Pinkie Pie had found the day before. He set it on the coffee table at the center of the living room. He opened it up and pushed a button. The machine instantly turned on and the screen came alive with various colors and icons. Blueben then sat in front of the computer for a few minutes slowly pressing the keys below the screen with his hooves. “Ok…. What shall I listen to today while I work?” Blueben said to himself still pressing buttons. “Oh yes. This will work.” With another few button presses music began to start playing from the machine. The music had a very formal melody that played elegantly as Blueben turned from the machine and began to move things around. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaveeeeee mariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaa” A low voice had begun to sing from the machine. “vurrrrrrte averaturrrrrrrrr.” The low and elegant voice kept on singing in its foreign tongue adding a new totally different atmosphere to the room in which Blueben was working. It went from slightly messy and grungy feeling to dignified and fancy. Music can do so much to change the feel of a place and Blueben knew that very well. The beautiful music had put Blueben in a good mood. He smiled slightly enjoying the music while he rearranged what had been misplaced the night before. He went about his work diligently though he walked slower than normal so he could revel in the music that was gracing his worn ears. After having to listen to loud fillies shouting, rapid mouth moving, and the chitter chatter of so many ponies this slow, elegant, classical music was bliss to Blueben’s ears. Whenever the song would end he would have the song start from the beginning again. Before too long the home was getting cleaner and cleaner until it had been completely restored to order. “Alright. Done and done.” Blueben said wiping some sweat off of his forehead. “Now that’s done.” Blueben started walking towards the kitchen when he heard a knocking from his door. “Hello?” Blueben shouted towards the door. He heard a voice but he couldn’t tell what it was. It was barely a voice. It sounded more like a squeak. “Hello?” Blueben called again as he opened the door. It was Fluttershy who greeted him. She stood infront of Blueben’s door just like she did the first time she had met him. Hiding behind her pink mane. “Is there something wrong?” Blueben asked concerned. “You aren’t angry about me disturbing you are you?” Fluttershy asked barely audible. “No I’m not. Why would you think that?” Blueben asked. “You sounded alittle angry earlier….” Fluttershy said hiding behind her long mane more. “OH! No no no no no I’m not angry at all.” Blueben said trying his best to reassure her. “I’m very sorry if I did. I think it’s my voice or maybe the tone. Other ponies tend to think I am angry when I’m not angry at all. “ Blueben smiled trying to appear more friendly. “So……… you’re not angry?” Fluttershy asked revealing more of her face. “No, no I’m not I promise.” Blueben said before making a cross sign over his heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die.” “Ok.” Fluttershy said with relief fully revealing herself like normal. “Here, why don’t you come in? I was just about to get some breakfast.” Blueben said holding the door open for her. “Oh! No no I don’t want to be a bother for you. Especially if you just moved in.” Fluttershy said looking nervous and blushing alittle. “It’s no trouble at all. I have plenty of food.” Blueben said motioning inside. “Please come in.” Fluttershy hesitantly and slowly walked through Blueben’s door. As soon as she entered the music Blueben had been playing began to grace her ears. She looked around the house alittle when she had entered. It certainly looked and felt a lot different without a huge crowd of ponies inside. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll get something for you to drink.” Blueben said walking to the kitchen. “Uh…… thank you.” Fluttershy said as she sat down on Blueben’s couch. “Ok. I went into his home. So far so good.” She thought to herself. “I have got to keep working on being less shy. Fluttershy you can do this.” As she waited for Blueben to return she took in her surroundings. Various furniture was precisely placed around a medium sized coffee table in the center of the living room. On the back wall of the living room sat a large book shelf filled to the brim with books. On the tables and other shelves she could see various knickknacks, pictures of ponies (presumably family), and what looked like various awards hung on the wall. “He must be very talented.” She thought. “I wonder what all of those are for…….” “Wooooaaaaaahhh woah woah woah!” Fluttershy raised her head and looked towards where the voice came from. It was Blueben who was trying to balance a large tray on his head and was one misstep away from spilling all of the tray’s contents. “Oh dear!!” Fluttershy flew straight towards Blueben. She stopped herself just in time to balance the tray and save what was on it from being spilt. “Thank you. For a minute I thought that it would be a lost cause.” Blueben said to her as he set the tray down on the coffee table. “Um…… Why were you trying to balance the tray on your head?” “I couldn’t carry it with my mouth. I couldn’t keep it balanced with my mouth.” Fluttershy looked at him confused. “He does realize he could have used one of his hooves long enough to carry it doesn’t he?” she thought to herself. Blueben then began to move things around on the tray. What he had was two plates, alongside them were two more plates each filled with food. One plate had assorted vegetables such as carrots and broccoli and fruits like sliced apples, bananas, some grapes. The other plate had a lot of sweets on it. A few cupcakes, chocolate bars, and a small bowel of candy coated treats of various colors. “Here” Blueben said putting a plate in front of Fluttershy. “Help yourself.” “Thank you.” She said as she began slowly talking what she wanted from the small spread of food. Blueben had already begun filling up his plate. First he had put on a few apple slices alongside some carrots and a head of broccoli. “Think Fluttershy think.” She thought to herself. “Make some small talk…. Oh what to talk about…..” then she heard again the classical music that had been playing while she was there. It was the same song as before. She couldn’t understand a single word that was sung but at least it was something she could work with. “I really like the music.” Fluttershy said to Blueben. “What song is it?” “It’s called the Ave Maria.” Blueben said to her eating his food. “It is an old classical piece. It is one of my favorite songs.” “Who sings it?” she asked. “Uhhhhhh……..” Blueben looked around the room trying to think of what to say. As he pondered Fluttershy looked at him waiting for a response. She noticed how hesitant Blueben looked in giving his response. Like he didn’t know what all to say. “Are you having trouble remembering?” She asked. “No no I know who he is.” Blueben said reassuring her. “I’m just having trouble remembering his name…..” Blueben’s face suddenly lit up. “Now I remember. His name was Luciano Pavarotti.” “Who is that?” Fluttershy asked as she began eating her food. “He is a famous opera singer from overseas.” Blueben then took a quick bite of an apple slice. “He is a really good singer but this is the only one of his songs I am familiar with.” “What other kinds of music do you listen to?” “Alittle of everything.” Blueben said taking another bite of his apple. “Some rock, some oldies, some classical, alittle country. Things like that.” “That’s um….. very interesting.” Fluttershy said pulling backward a bit. “Ok, what should I talk about now…. Oh there has to be something I can….” “I am sorry for not asking this earlier but is there any particular reason you came to see me?” Fluttershy jumped a bit not expecting Blueben to be the one who would speak first. “I just thought that um….. since you were new and…… and with how we got along last night……I um….. would come over to say hi.” Fluttershy said nervously. “Well thank you.” Blueben said refilling his empty plate, this time with sweets. “I always like getting a visitor once in a while.” “Do you not get visitors very often?” Fluttershy asked. “Back where I used to live, no.” Blueben said biting into a cupcake. “My family and I where I used to live pretty much kept to ourselves.” “Was your family shy??” “Well, that would depend on the family member in question.” Blueben told her flatly while continuing to eat the cupcake. Fluttershy looked at Blueben’s face. She could tell he wasn’t entirely happy with where the conversation went. Putting down the treat she was currently eating. “He looks rather unhappy…. I better think of something else to talk about……” she thought. Then Blueben got up from the couch and lifted his plate out to the kitchen. “I’ll be right back” he said plainly as he took his plate with him. Fluttershy tried to say one more thing to Blueben but by now she was so nervous that once again her voice dwindled to barely audible squeeks which Blueben didn’t hear. With a sigh Fluttershy continued eating the sweets she had on her plate. They were very good but she felt they would be even better if the conversation was going like she hoped it would. Before long Blueben came out of the kitchen with a new determined look on his face. “Would you know where Twilight Sparkle lives?” Blueben asked. “Um, yes of course I do!” Fluttershy said surprised at Blueben’s sudden vigor. “She lives in the library further in town.” “Would you be able to take me there?” Blueben asked her. “Sure.” Fluttershy said. “Thank you.” Blueben responded gathering some papers into his backpack that he had with him yesterday. “If it’s not any trouble…..um….. could I ask why you want to go visit Twilight?” Fluttershy asked as she walked up behind Blueben as he was gathering papers from his desk. “Were you there when that creature interrupted your town’s festival eleven days ago?” Blueben asked looking back at her. Fluttershy jumped backward at the question. “Y-y-y-yes….. I was there.” “Well, Twilight told me about what all had happened. What the creature looked like and how he acted.” Blueben said while slinging the back pack onto his back. “Since you were there what’s your take on what all happened?” “Well….. um….” Fluttershy began pawing the ground nervously. “I really can’t describe how I feel about it…… that poor creature….. whatever it was…… was really scary…… he tried to hurt Rainbow Dash but……. But…” “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it.” Blueben said looking at her concerned. “I can only imagine how it felt to see something like that.” “Ok.” Fluttershy said. “I apologize if I seemed elsewhere earlier.” Blueben said apologetically. “I was just thinking about what Twilight told me and I was trying to make sense of it. “The reason I want to go see her is because I am curious to see what it was he threw at Rainbow Dash.” Blueben told her. “Plus I also want to know if there are any theories she has about it.” “I see.” Fluttershy replied softly. Blueben opened the front door allowing the brilliant sunlight inside the home. “You ready to go?” ******* At Manehattan…… All of the ponies of the bustling city were going about their routine. The yelling, snarking, and all the other sounds of city life were being rung full force as ponies, pegasi, and unicorns went about what they did as usual. There was somepony however who was in a particularly bad mood. “Watch where you’re walkin’ jerk face!!” shouted a tall griffon after she bumped into a smaller earth pony. “Maybe you should watch where you’re goin missy!” shouted the pony back. “Oh yeah?” The griffon then pushed her face against that of the smaller pony. “Why don’t you just learn how to walk straight before I pound you into next week you little runt.” Now the small pony felt overwhelmed. Without a word he turned tail and ran like a dog with its tail between its legs. “YEAH YOU BETTER RUN DWEEB!!” The griffon yelled with a clenched bird talon in the air. With a “Hmph” she began to walk again. “How could Rainbow Dash turn ME down for those dumb stupid losers?!” the griffon thought to herself. “I was her ONLY friend in the academy. HOW COUL SHE DO THIS TO ME?!” She growled the more she thought of the episode between her, Rainbow Dash, and the residents of Ponyville. Eventhough it had passed a long while ago thinking about it filled her with the worst kind of rage. It wouldn’t be long before something took notice……. Above Manehattan the red ring flew wildly as it had done since it had departed from the rings it had come with. “Scanning for Rage..” growled the red ring. “Scanning for Rage….. scanning for rage….. scanning for…….. Rage detected.” Suddenly the red ring dove towards the ground with its red glow even brighter than before. It had found its target. It had found the one who would be its wielder…. Or more accurately…… its host. The angry griffon walked along the sidewalk exactly as she was before. She was still angry and still enraged. “If I ever get my talons on those little idiots I will so…” Her monologue was interrupted by a sudden flash of bright red light that at first blinded her. “What the hay?!” she yelled as she covered her eyes. After a few seconds she slowly opened her eyes. What she saw was a red ring darting all around her like a buzzing fly. It flew around her erratically making sudden and sharp dashes and turns in every direction around her. “What in the…” “Gilda of Equestria, you have great rage in your heart.” the red ring snarled as it expanded itself and dashed toward one of Gilda’s talons. Once it had reached the appropriate size it slipped itself onto one of the fingers of her right talon. When it was fully attached a bright red light surged engulfing the entire block in its fiery crimson glow. The surrounding ponies were temporarily blinded by the sudden flash, but as it disappeared they regained their sight. They all gathered and looked at the source of the crimson light. The griffon with brown feathers, a white head and neck with purple around her eyes and the tips of her feathers was now hunched over breathing slowly. She was now clothed in a red and black uniform that covered her entire body except her neck, head, and talons. “Hey…..” one of the civilian ponies said. “You ok miss?” Gilda slowly turned around and looked at the pony who had spoken. When they saw her face they all backed away. Out of her mouth came a corrosive red liquid that burned as it dripped onto the ground. Her face seethed with anger and hate. Suddenly she roared towards the crowd spewing the red liquid everywhere in front of her. The crowd screamed and began to run away in a frenzy from her. Ponies were clammering, screaming and running into eachother trying their hardest to get away from the mad griffon. Then she pounced towards the crowd the rage now completely taking over. As Gilda begun her rampage the red ring slowly uttered to her mind, “Welcome to the Red Lantern Corps…….”