//------------------------------//
// 16~The Prank (PT. 2) 
// Story: Youngblood 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

All eyes fell on DJ and Danger Zone, who in turn fixed Flurry and Pound with their own glares. Those glares were full of a mixture of fear, disbelief, and horror. Pound said, "Uh... We pranked Depressi?"

"Afterward, did he give you this slight smile?", Danger Zone asked. 

DJ added, "And say 'See you later'?"

Flurry nodded. "Uh, yeah. He did."

The two of them looked at one another, Danger Zone wincing. "I'd skip town for... how long are you two staying here?"

"School year", DJ said. 

"Until next June", Danger Zone finished. "And never go to Creui."

"Why?", Pinkie asked. "Is Depressi gonna be super-duper-wuper upset, and is gonna be really upset next time they cross paths?"

"No, it's not for Depressi's sake", Danger Zone said. "It's for theirs."

The looks of concern on the others faces turned to confusion. Soundboard chuckled nervously, then asked, "What does that even mean? Is Depressi gonna get them back or something?"

"Yes", DJ said. "Bad."

"Yeah, real bad", Danger Zone said. 

Pound let out a relieved huff. "Is that all? He's just gonna try and prank us?"

Danger Zone shook her head and said, "Not just that. He'll go so far overboard he's touching the seafloor"

"What do you mean?", Pumpkin asked. 

"Ground Pound", Danger said. "I ever tell you about that time that Depressi came to flight camp with me? Like, the specifics?"

"Uh, no. Not really."

"Ok then. Buckle up", Danger Zone said. "So, he was spending time with his grandparents after they moved back to Cloudsdale, and attending Flight Camp over the three weeks it and his school schedule overlapped. Anyway, we got along great, but there were these three foals-two fillies and a colt-who didn't like him. Some nonsense about Pryhans being warmongers or something."

"So like High Society", Southern muttered. 

"Who? Know what, nevermind", she said. "Anyway, one day they did the whole hoof-or, paw in this case I guess-anyway. The whole 'Paw-in-a-bowl-of-warm-water' trick. They then laughed about it, and he fixed them with that same look and said the same thing that he said to you two. Later, I asked him about it, and he said something about unique bloodlines or some such Pryhan stuff. And, over the next few days, they started having... incidents."

"Incidents?", Maraschino asked. "Like what?"

Danger Zone rolled her eyes. "I was getting to that. So, the first filly had a thundercloud instead of a rain cloud when she went to take a shower. The other one flew through an overpacked cloud and got stuck. The colt had his shampoo replaced with liquid rainbow extract. Everypony thought they were accidents. Hay, I did too until he told me a year after the fact when we started to exchange letters."

DJ nodded. "Similar thing happen to me. Bullys at school. Depressi... went over the edge."

"Oh my Luna", Pumpkin said. "That... that really doesn't sound like him."

"It's really not", Danger said. "He isn't normally like that. Hell, he only does it when he gets pranked."

"Etiam", DJ said. "He considers it... matter of honor."

"Honor?", Maraschino asked. 

"Yeah, yeah", Danger said. "His mom's a big prankster. He mentioned it being a matter of familial honor that he always got the last laugh. Or some jazz like that. Point is, I suggest you either stop interacting with him, or just pray. And, the former likely ain't gonna work."

Both Flurry and Pound Cake gulped.


++++~++++


"So, we just learned that when he's pranked, Depressi becomes a Prank Psycho, and you want to go TO him?", Flurry asked as the two of them flew next to one another. "I mean, really?"

"Would you rather wait for him to find us? We can't avoid him forever. And I for one don't want to have any added stress with the school year starting up", Pound replied. 

Flurry looked at him, before nodding. "Good point."

The two landed in front of Scootaloo's house, Flurry knocking on the door before she even came to a complete stop. Rumble answered the door. "Oh, hey. Can I help either of you with anything?"

"Yeah, we're looking for Depressi", Pound said. "You seen him?"

"Oh, yeah", Rumble said. "He's in the kitchen, making himself a drink. Come on in."

The two did so, pushing past him and entering the kitchen. Sure enough, Depressi had his back to them, stirring something in a cup. When he heard their hoofsteps, he turned, a wide smile coming across his face. "Ah, Salve. Can I help you?"

"Er, yeah. I mean, not really", Pound said. "I mean-"

Flurry cut him off with a smack of the wing, before stepping closer to him. "We came by to say that we're sorry for what happened earlier today. You know, with the nuts."

"Oh, that's fine", Depressi said. He looked closer at the two of them, noticing a certain skittishness to them that wasn't normally there. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, we talked to the rest of our friends first", Flurry said. "And they mentioned something about, when you were pranked in the past, you went on some crazy, over-the-top prank spree."

Depressi sighed. "I need to talk to my brother about spreading rumors. Look, I'm sorry if I caused you two any undue stress. H-how about I make you two a drink, eh? Make it up to you?"

"What drink?", Pound asked. 

Depressi stepped to the side, revealing a cooking pot filled with a faint purple liquid. Both of them took a whiff of the mixture, being hit with a strong scent of spices and vinegar. "What is it?", Pound asked. 

"A family recipe for Posca", Depressi said. "We call it Sal-natus Vindictam."

Flurry thought back to her Pryhan lessons. She was fairly proficient in the language; however, the translation of the name eluded her. Another thought occurred to her about the substance, and she asked, "Isn't Posca made with wine?"

"Well, yes", Depressi said. "But, since my brother isn't old enough to drink in public, and neither is my younger sister, I... improvised. Instead of wine, I used grape juice and a bit of cinnamon. A bit different, but I still think it tastes good. Care for some?"

"Sure, I guess", Pound said. As Depressi got out another two glasses, he considered what Danger Zone and DJ had said. Maybe they were playing a prank on them? I mean, this didn't seem like Depressi was up to something, and he didn't seem to be doing anything. He relaxed, smiling as he was given the cup. 

Depressi passed them their cups, before picking up his own. He raised it and said, "To health, family and the Fatherland." He took a big sip, further dissipating Pound and Flurry's fears. If he was drinking it, then it wouldn't be tampered with or something. While they didn't echo his toast, they took their own sips. 

Instantly, both of them reeled back, the overwhelming taste of salt filling their mouths. In haste, they set their glasses down, before stumbling back and gagging, coughing and wiping their tounges. Meanwhile, Depressi was chuckling good-naturedly, like someone had just told a joke. 

Finally, after a bit, Flurry had regained enough of her faculties to respond. "W-what did you do!?"

"I lined the cups with a thin layer of salt", he said calmly, as if it were the most notable thing in the world. "Just enough to be potent, but not enough to be noticeable. Beyond that, there is salt in here. However, Pryhan food is a bit salty, so I'm used to the amount. Combined, and you get the Sal-natus Vindictam. Or, in equish: The Salt-born Vengeance."

"B-but you said it was a rumor", Pound protested, still getting the taste out of his mouth. "That you did all this crazy stuff."

"I did, yes", Depressi said, still smiling calmly. "But just because it was a rumor doesn't mean it's false. Rumors can be true, after all."

Flurry snickered. "So, is this just phase one of your vengeance or something?"

"Oh, no", Depressi replied. "I would've done something worse, but you more-or-less accepted what happened, and you are my friends, so I'm going easy on you. You have my word, as a Pryhan, that that was all I plan to do to you in order to maintain my family honor."

"What does this have to do with family honor?", Pound asked. 

"Back when my mother lived in Equestria, she and Miss Pie were the town pranksters. They were good at it, my mother especially so. That trend continued when my mother joined the Pryhan army. As such, being skilled in the art of the prank is as much a part of my family legacy as it is being a skilled combatant. Again, it's about honor."

Both of them looked between one another, then at the still smirking Depressi. "Guess we've got a new top-dog around here, Pound", Flurry said, giggling. 

"Yeah", Pound said, adding his own giggles to the mix. "Welcome to the top of the top three, Depressi."