Rule # 14:
Villains understand each other, so stay with your friends
As every morning, Luminositè woke up by a delicate shake from her mère, followed by a kiss on the forehead. The little girl smiled to Rarity and woke up happily.
“Good morning mère. How did you slept?” Asked the filly with a smile.
“Very well darling, what about you? Did you had good dreams or need a hug?”
“Sweet dreams mère. But I always want a hug” said Lumi extending her hooves to her mère.
Rarity smiled and hurried to hug her filly. The thing was that since Rarity remembered, Lumi used to have very vivid and horrifying nightmares. Even if when she was sleeping she seemed abnormally peaceful. She never moved nor emitted a sound, but when as soon as she wake up; the girl began to cry and call for her mère. And if Rarity wasn’t there to help her, Lumi had panic attacks that lasted for hours. Of course Rarity didn’t mind and was always willing to help Luminositè; but the situation made her wonder how deep Lumi’s emotional wounds really were.
“So what are we going to do today, mère?” Asked Lumi
“Whatever you want Lumi. Just give half an hour, okay? I know I promised to spend the whole day with you but; I still have to stitch some buttons to the blazer I was working on. I wanted to do it last night but I was exhausted”
“It’s okay mère! In the meantime I’ll be in my toy house.”
Rarity smiled as her daughter ran to do the dishes and then to the so-called house. Rarity then started to work on the blazer hurrying as much as she can; she didn’t wanted to fail her daughter.
In the meantime, Lumi entered to the toy house and approached to the plastic stove to put her eye on it.
—Retinal identification complete. Welcome Dolly—
The floor trembled as the elevator activated and she entered to the lab, weapon storage, workshop, etc. And much to her surprise, she found her friend Bright giving the last touches to the blueprints of what seemed like a biblical-proportions cannon. He smiled evilly.
Lumi sighed and gently touched Bright’s shoulder.
“Good morning partner. What are you doing so early in the morning?”
“You know, the usual. I was trying to create the perfect weapons to incapacitate alicorns. Look at this! It’s perfect!”
Lumi took a good look of Bright’s blueprints and sighed.
“Bright. Why don’t you just give up? Your weapons against alicorns never work and this is no exception. We are supposed to incapacitate the Princesses, not erase them from existence”
Bright teared apart the blueprints.
“Yes, you’re right! But I can’t help it. Whenever I create a new weapon I can only thing in big and destructive things! Like the Little Boy!”
“Yes, your most dangerous creation until now. Geez, everything haves to be so extreme and violent with you”
“Again I can’t help it. Is like an addiction.”
“It is an addiction. Period. Accept it, you are like me”
Bright frowned to his friend.
“I am not a sociopath!”
Lumi sighed.
“Suit yourself. I’m not your babysitter”
Bright tried to focus in his invention but Lumi’s words constantly went back to him. Luckily for the colt, his alarms warned him that his parents were awake; so he went back to his room through the especial elevator.
Once Bright was back in his room, he quickly jumped on his bed and pretended to be asleep, waiting for being waken by his mother. After smiling to Twilight, Bright followed her to have breakfast along with Flash.
“So what do you want to do, Bright?” Asked Flash in a very good mood.
“The day seems pretty today. What if we have a walk?”
“Sure, where to? Around the town?” Asked Twilight.
“I was thinking more in the Everfree Forest. It’s nice” suggested Bright.
The adults agreed, with the pass of the years the Everfree Forest wasn’t that dangerous any more unless ponies go beyond the Princesses’ old Castle. So after finishing with their breakfast, the family went into the forest as Twilight told them again of how she met her friends and defeated Nightmare Moon. Bright had heard that tale like a million times, but hearing it where it happened made it more interesting and real.
And they finally arrived to the Old Palace, where Twilight made them go all the way down to the Tree of Harmony.
“Here we are! The Tree of Harmony itself, the Being who have protected Equestria since Equestria’s foundation!” Exclaimed Twilight.
“From goofballs like Discord to frightening foes like Tirek” said Flash. “It’s unbelievable how such a powerful defense could be so beautiful”
Bright nodded in agreement.
“I still can’t believe this is a weapon”
Twilight stroke her son’s mane.
“Because is not, Bright. A weapon is created to harm others. Even if you excuse yourself that you’ll use it for protect others, at the end it is an instrument of destruction. This is a defense; created to protect. Those who are affected by it aren’t hurt because of the Tree itself but their own nature. You’ll get it when you grow up”
Bright nodded confusedly, but he was just pretending. Because he did understood. This was the answer he was looking for! The key to create the perfect tool to incapacitate an alicorn was to make a deffense, not a weapon!
Unaware of Bright’s real thoughts, Flash and Twilight hugged their son as they contemplated the Tree’s beauty. Until it suddenly shook as it was feeling an imminent danger. Instinctively, Flash and Twilight turned to Bright to see if he was okay; and for a moment they he had a twisted smile and an unnerving look in his eyes. They blinked in confusion and when they looked at Bright again, he was back to normal. What happened?
“Let’s go back” said Twilight. “It may be nothing but we have to report this”
“Just a note Twilight. Understood?” Warned Flash Sentry.
“Of course, this I won’t waste any of our precious time with Bright”
Again Bright preferred not to say anything and went back with his parents. That was interesting, maybe the Tree of Harmony recognized him as a true villain? He had no idea and that’s why he was so excited. He lived for challenges and intrigues. That’s why he never actually tried to take over Equestria, because it was so easy for something like him.
But anyway, the family returned to their home and Twilight only sent a letter, as she promised, so she could pay all her attention to Bright. The family spent together all day until it was time for bed. Usually Twilight sent Bright Spark to bed at eight thirty, but he stayed up most of the night reading; just like Twilight. But this time Bright was busier waiting for his parents to go to bed instead of his books; he had a very especial appointment for the night.
“It’s time”
Bright went to his personal bathroom and activated the secret elevator that sent him straight to his lab. From there he could use one of the many tunnels he and Lumi had built, the fastest and safer way to the Everfree Forest. Not to mention he won’t call anypony’s attention underground.
And much to his surprise, he found Lumi was already there.
“Oh, the situation of the matin had repeated” said the girl calmly.
“Funny, right? And what are you doing?” Asked Bright with a smile.
Lumi shrugged and showed the Dolly’s dollies she was working on.
“I can’t sleep. Mère and I had an espresso this afternoon. Mère warned me two things, that I wouldn’t like it, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I drink it. She was right about one thing though, because the espresso was déliceux”
“Oh, I was about to go to the Everfree Forest. Wanna come?”
“Sure! Why?”
Bright simply used his magic to grab the trashcan where he threw blueprints from the morning. “Let’s just say that I realized what I was doing right. The key is not to build a weapon but a barrier. A barrier, you know, like a defense!”
“And what does it have to be with the Everfree Forest?”
“Where do you think that Equestria’s greatest defense is?”
Luminositè nodded as she understood.
“Oh. Intéressant”
The two of them put their suits on and after take an especial gadget, they used the tunnels to appear close enough to the Princesses’ old Palace. Once they got there, they jumped the stairs and landed right before the Tree.
And just like in the morning, the Tree shook when it felt their presences.
“You know? I always wondered if this thing was sentient” said Bright. “I had my answer this morning”
Dolly nodded.
“Huh”
“Yes. It recognized me as a true villain. Now it had recognized you as well!”
The two made a high-hoof and activated the machine they have brought. It seemed like an old school projector that sent a powerful light to the Tree of Harmony as a small screen it had attached began to show the kids all kinds of numbers and data. They two seemed genuinely impressed for what they were seeing, and also imagining how they would use this new knowledge.
“And when we finish our gadget based on this, we also can take care of the group of geeks before they force us to really hurt them.
“It’ll take us months to replicate this power, not to mention modify it”
“Well, the two of us love challenges”
They stood there as the scanner continued the analysis; when suddenly Dolly removed her mask and kissed Z’s helmet.
“Eww, Lumi!” Complained Z.
“One day I’ll marry you, you have to get used to”
“Never!”
“I don’t know, where are you going to find somepony as broken as you are?”
Bright was about to protest again, when the machine announced them it was done. They took a good look of the data, effectively, to make this power theirs wasn’t going to be easy at all. But still, now they had a very good idea of how the Tree worked, so they could start designing. But suddenly, enormous glowing roots emerged from the ground blocking their way back to the lab.
Z and Dolly turned back to the Tree, prepared to fight. But the Tree didn’t seemed actually hostile, in fact they felt it was inviting them to get close. Even the roots limited to give them a gentle push toward the Tree. Without actually understanding what to expect, they walked to the Tree and touched it.
Do you realize you’re not actually evil, right?
“What? We are criminal masterminds! Of course we are evil!” Said Z.
But here you are, trying to figure out how you can get rid of your opponents without actually harming them.
“Listen to me ‘Hearts Warming Tree’, you have no idea what we’re capable of” warned Dolly.
Oh, but I do have an idea little girl. I can feel those wonderful minds of yours already figuring out how to replicate my powers on your own ways. Do not think that my previous agitation was because I was afraid of you kids, no, you intrigue me. But I am afraid, yes, for you. Be careful my children, you two have a dangerous monster sleeping deep inside your own minds. That monster is the Madness. Pretending to be villains it’s okay, playing is the most important duty for all children; but you two are so gifted that your game isn’t actually a game. Watch for your sanity, especially you Bright Spark. Unlike Luminositè, you haven’t admitted your own insanity. You have no idea of what are you really capable of. Now go to your homes and think in what I’ve said. And by the way, I am indeed a Hearts Warming Tree. The original. No go because you have school tomorrow! Come back any time!
The two kids separated from the tree between confused and unnerved.
Crystal Mountains:
Chrysalis entered to the villains’ temporary lair and grinding her teeth in anger, she threw a newspaper to the stone table.
“THAT’S IT! JUST LOOK AT THIS!”
Tirek took the paper.
EQUESTRIA’S NEW VILLAINS ARE ACTUALLY COMIC GEEKS?
Two days ago Canterlot Museum was attacked along with famous jeweler Goldand Diamonds’ jewelry by the self-proclaimed new menaces of Equestria, Dolly and Mister Z. Both attacks were only a distraction as their real goal was to empty all the vaults of the banks of the area of Canterlot. And, once again, given the way these two acts, it was highly speculated they act this for marketing themselves, but why? Well, maybe we’re starting to have some answers to this extremely childish behavior. Yesterday, during these events, the new villains were confronted by a group of ‘heroes’ who proclaimed to be just like the villains: a group of comic book geeks. So is this the truth behind these two villains? That they were influenced by comic books and decided go this far? Expert psychologists have analyzed the villains’ actions under this new light and they all say the evidence is right there. They’re nothing more that psychologically immature adults that somehow got too much power on their hooves.
The Centaur’s rage was almost tangible. The Dark Magic explosion sent both of his partners away. They barely had time to protect themselves with a magic force-field.
“Watch it moron!” Complained Sombra.
“SHUT UP! Don’t you see that the Goat can return because of this nonsense? Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!”
Tirek suddenly stood.
“I’m going to Equestria and I’m going to find these two and teach those morons what it means to be a true villain. I’m going to make them wish they’ve never touched a comic!”
The two of them looked at Tirek on his way to Equestria.
“Shall we help him?” Asked Chrysalis.
Sombra shook his head.
“No, I have a feeling that there’s more about them. I prefer to stay alert.”
“Yeah, me too. He’s an idiot”
“Let's be fair, Chrysalis, remember what Grogar did to him. I don’t blame him for being afraid. For him, a season in Tartarus is nothing compared with Grogar’s possible return”
“Yeah, you’re right. But, then, shall we stop him?” Asked Chrysalis concerned.
Sombra smiled.
“What? Did Princess Sparkle’s lessons touched your heart?”
“Oh you’re right! Friendship, gross!”
And both went out of the cave, ready to switch hideout as they saw Tirek’s figure heading to Equestria.