All the sudden, Flash Drive tossed the chains from earlier into the air. His horn lit up, and sparks would fly into the sky which bounced off those chains. Those sparks would explode and create an impromptu spotlight above us all. The light shone directly onto the black unicorn who suddenly had a rose clenched between his teeth. Wh-what?!
He stood on his hind legs and clapped his hooves. Music would start to play off the magical chain sparks. He began to do an elegant solo flamenco style dance that originated from the Smane region in the far West. Okay. I knew what he was doing. But the question was why? What was the point of such a stupid--oh.
Distraction. Everyone around us had been caught completely off-guard by Drive’s wonderful hoofwork. Of course.
I turned to the bats that had come to defend their home. “Return. I will deal with--” They weren’t listening. Drive’s distraction dance was too powerful. Now he had started to do elegant spins along with the claps. How does anypony manage to move like that and not fall flat on their face?
No matter, I ran over to one of the mango trees and bucked it. I wasn’t an experienced tree kicker, but I managed to get them down in about two kicks or so. After that, I gathered up the dozen or so mangos and whistled. “Hoi!” The scent had caught the defending bats’ attention, and I chucked the mangos as hard as I could in the direction of their home.
They screeched and all flew after them. I knew they couldn’t let good fruit go to waste by splattering on the ground. So now they were successfully out of the equation. Just in time too.
Flash Drive completed his dance by dropping to his knees and tossing the rose into the dead of night, across the horizon. To my surprise, some of the griffons not only clapped, but cried. What was going on anymore?
“I...can’t believe it,” the boss said with a tissue at his nose. “That dance spoke to me on an emotional level.”
I needed answers. “Flash USB Drive...just what was that?”
He stood, and took a few deep breaths, “Oh, dance is one of my hobbies when I’m not workin’. I figured it’d be a perfect diversion. Now talk to ‘em.”
Hopefully his crazed movements will have made this easier. “Ahem...now that we have your attention. We would like you to speak with Princess Twilight and her loyal Griffon Guard Gallus. They will have the methods you need to find a King without any bloodshed.” I stepped forward, “And I want to apologize for attacking you all on that night. When I saw my old friend Babs sent through the wall, I couldn’t help but defend her.”
The boss griffon had finally stopped crying and put one of his claws around my neck in a tight sort of hug. “No...do not apologize, sir. Between that battle, and your friend’s touching dance. We have newfound respect for you ponies.”
Flash Drive gave a dramatic bow in response.
I was choking due to the sheer muscle mass of the bird-like arm. “That’s...great...choking!”
“Oh. My bad.” He let go, which allowed me to take a deep breath.
This felt...much simpler than I had expected. Too simple. But I wasn’t about to question it. “Now explain to me. Just why do you griffons feel so stressed out?”
“In truth...we don’t like the fact that Lord Gruff is nearing his death while the rest of us are scattered with no sign of peace. We are also annoyed that the dragons and changelings have been more closely allied with the rest of Equestria while we remain...isolated.”
I nodded. “I get you. Since Gruff’s only living relative has chosen a different path, it would be wise to select a new ruler based on different forms of merit. That is what we would like to suggest.”
The boss griffon looked at his fellow crew members. They all nodded in agreement. Good thing too. “Suppose we agree to this...are you absolutely sure that Gallus is impartial?”
“He wouldn’t be a Royal Guard if he was biased, now would he? So with that being said, you need to meet with them at Canterlot Castle tomorrow morning. Savvy?”
“...I suppose. Even if our problems don’t get solved right away, we can at least make progress.”
I sighed with relief. They were way more reasonable than I had initially thought. At least now, they were willing to compromise with us so we could move forward and begin establishing better relations between each other.
“Didn’t I tell ya? Dance speaks to everyone on a soul level, bruv.”
Flash Drive boasted about his talents, to which I only rolled my eyes. “Right...sure it does.” I couldn’t comment since I had no clue how to dance.
Once we discussed the nature of our intention, the gang of griffons were more willing to listen. They agreed to meet Twilight and Gallus the next morning. Good. They flew off without anymore trouble. Hopefully they would understand the princess’ idea and get them to stop fighting among themselves for the betterment of each other.
Drive and I both took the next train out of Hollow Shades that evening. It was a quiet, relaxing ride that only had the occasional rumble of the train itself that disturbed me. Flash Drive slept soundly on the seat in the aisle across from me. But I? I don’t know. Something just didn’t feel right. Yes I was able to send the messages to both the batponies and griffons and the rest was out of my hooves now. Fluttershy and Starlight were to take care of the bat-kin while Gallus would speak to his fellow bird-cat folk.
Everything was being sorted out, right? Then why did I feel so...uneasy?
It was hard to explain. But I felt that it was rather simple to accomplish. Something about it made me uncomfortable. Could it have something to do with the relatively empty train? I mean, it made sense, right? At this hour, hardly anypony was on the express. But it was...eerie to say the least. Absolutely nopony besides myself and Drive were on the train ride back to Ponyville. We told Guttersnipe to meet with us back at the Agency with Neon once he woke up.
However, despite the fact that no one else was seemingly here, I felt...watched. As if someone within the train had been keeping tabs on my every move. The art of tailing was something I was very familiar with. You had to mask your presence in order to send the target into a crazed stupor of whether or not they were being followed. As they say, the fear of death is worse than death itself.
So I countered it. I kept my composure, even through the silent train ride home. By the time we got back, I bid the Trottish brother goodbye. “Alright, FD. I’ll see you in the morning. Say hi to your brother for me.”
“Righto, boss. And hey, don’t stress out. Things are gonna be fine.” He pat me on the neck before he headed on his way, “See ya.”
“Indeed, goodnight.” I watched as he made his way all the way back to our little building. I kept my eyes on him to ensure he wasn’t attacked on his way home. The disturbance I felt on the train was still there, even as it left the station. Something just...wasn’t right. Maybe I was being irrational and needed sleep.
So that’s what I did. I went straight home with no stops. As soon as I got there, I showered and went to bed as always. But...for whatever reason, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in my bed, but there was some sort of lingering feeling of something uncanny within my midst. Just what was--
CLANK!
I heard a pot fall within my kitchen. But I sensed no magical signature of any kind. No one was in my house. So was it the wind? I trotted slowly through the dark hallway, and snuck into my kitchen. Indeed, a pot was on the floor. But no sign of anypony anywhere. “Hm…” Could it have just been the wind? Or some stupid kids pulling a prank?
I checked the window. It wasn’t open. Okay. That must mean--
WHACK!
I heard a noise from outside. It sounded like something heavy had just hit the ground. I went to my door, and opened it. At my doorstep, I took a look around. Nothing. Just what in the heck was going on here? I closed the door and locked it behind myself. I had to find out just who was causing this.
I heard hoofsteps round the corner, and crouched down. If someone was going to attack me, I’d be ready. “Come on out!”
“Ah!” To my surprise, it was Cheerilee dressed in workout gear. “Oh dear...I was just out for a nighttime run and ran into you by accident. I hope I didn’t scare you, Pale.”
I was relieved to see her familiar purple face. “Oh it’s you...how are you this evening, Cheery?”
“Oh, I’m doing just fine. Well, better than I was a few nights ago.”
That was odd. It wasn’t like her to be so down. I tilted my head, “Oh? What’s wrong?”
She shrugged, “Eh, remember when I said I had a plus-one for the gala? Well, it didn’t go as planned. Party Favor is a nice guy and all, but we just didn’t have much in common so it was hard to hold a conversation with him.”
Hm...oh! I remember him. One of the ponies from Starlight’s old village. “The dude that likes to create crazy balloons?”
“That’s right. I tried my best to get along with him, but it didn’t go anywhere. Though like I said, he’s still a nice friend.” She sighed and hung her head, “I suppose I should be used to this. It’s not the first time I thought a stallion might’ve been a good pick, only for it to fail.”
I felt the need to ask this time. “Oh? What do you mean?”
She rose and looked at me with a forlorn expression. “Ah, just--a long time ago, Big Mac and I were put under a love potion thanks to the Crusaders and it made us go bazonkers over each other.” She giggled as she thought about it, “He said things he would never say. But once it wore off, we decided to actually try and date each other. Buuut that didn’t work out. Though I’m super happy that he found somepony else. Sugar Belle is a great pick for him.”
Her eyes had that pained sort of twitch to go along with her nervous smile. I could see that part of her wished that things did work out between herself and Mac, or anyone else. I felt bad. But I knew there was someone out there. “Hey...don’t give up. Not everything happens right away. You’ll find someone that cares about you on that level.”
“You think so?” she asked, her face looked more relieved. “Well, hearing that from a stallion instead of a mare for once is comforting. Means that I’m not quite over the hill yet, haha!”
I laughed also. “Heh! Yeah, don’t worry. You’ve got the looks and a winning personality to match. Just don’t feel so down on yourself.”
“You’re right, Pale. Although, you shouldn’t overwork yourself.”
“Hm?”
She giggled, “I can see it in your eyes sometimes as you walk home. Wrinkles and a few stress marks. Take more time to yourself and your friends. Life isn’t going anywhere for us anytime soon. We’re young, we’re full of energy! Let’s make the most of it, okay?” To emphasize her point, Cheerilee stretched and flexed her right leg.
I nodded. “That’s right. I hope you do the same.”
“Indeed! Have a nice night, Pale!” And Cheerilee ran off to continue her little exercise routine.
Out of nowhere, I felt something in my neck. I looked down to see a dart...shit. I stumbled down the steps in a delirious state. “H...h…” I reached out with a hoof as I saw Cheerilee run. I couldn’t say anything. Whatever had been in the dart had cut off my ability to speak, and I was left giving a pitiful, hoarse groan. I felt my eyelids shutdown by force. The last thing I saw that night was Cheerilee round the corner, completely out of sight. At least I knew she would be safe. But just what happened to me?
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long to find out. By the time I woke up, it was the very next morning. So that was comforting to know that I hadn’t been killed. But...I couldn’t move. My back was on something hard...hard as a rock. I leaned my neck up and saw that I was...on a farm? But not just any farm. A rock farm. Okay, but where was I and why?
“I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here,” a voice said from below. They also wore a hood not unlike the last two individuals I spoke with. Except they weren’t a pony. I could tell by the scaly tail that they were a dragon. “You need to be educated, man.”
“Okay...but why tie me up on a rock?” My hooves were all bound together by ropes.
“So you can understand real pain,” he explained, “Thanks to Cozy Glow, the dragons had to rally together to fight back against her. We had to leave our home defenseless, and in doing so, sacrificed everything in that battle.”
I tilted my head. I knew about the final battle that brought all the races together, but I didn’t know about that little chestnut of information. “Wait...when you left your home to fight in that battle...what exactly happened?”
“Everything we had...stolen by the other monsters that lived just outside of our land. It took years for us to finally get back everything we had collected with Ember’s leadership. But if you bring back Cozy, and if she goes crazy again, we’ll be called to fight her. And we can’t dare risk leaving our home again.”
So it was true. The young mare’s actions had affected more than just the ponies. “I...I see…so the dragons aren’t in a perfect state of affairs either, I take it?”
“No way. We’re still dealing with monsters over in the Dragon Lands to this day. We simply can’t afford to jump up and save you ponies from your own problems at the drop of a hat.” He leaned in, and booped my nose with his claw-finger, “So don’t bring back another one. I just barely managed to get all my jewels back.”
I shook him off. That’s when I realized I was tied down to a massive boulder in the middle of the rock farm. “Okay...I understand your reasoning. But if I can prove that she won’t make the same mistake again, would you be willing to compromise?”
“Fat chance of that happening. I’ll believe it when I see it. For now, you’re gonna see what it feels like to be helpless with impending danger looming over you.” With that, the dragon flew off.
It would be about another half an hour or so before I heard the voice of a gruff, annoyed mare. “HEY! WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU DOING?!”
I flinched. The sound of her voice was much more powerful than that of my friend Quick Draw.
A bluish-gray mare with a gray mane and tail stormed up to the massive rock I was hogtied upon. “Why in the buck are you on Holder’s Boulder?! Get down right now or I’m gonna turn your stones into sand!” she huffed, steam exited her snout.
“Uh...I can’t. I’m a bit tied up, as you can see,” I explained, given that the ropes tied all of my hooves together.
Sadly, she didn’t believe me. “Get. Off. Now. Jump down or something. I don’t give a damn. Just get off Holder’s Boulder!”
I didn’t want to cause anymore trouble, so I sighed and did my best to wiggle off the side of the rock. It was much bigger than I realized with the distance downward being much greater than I initially anticipated. But I had dealt with worse...hopefully it wouldn’t be so bad.
“I’m gonna count to three,” the mare commented as she tapped her hoof in an impatient manner, “and if you’re not down here by then, I’m gonna make you come. One….two…”
CRASH!
“Oh...mother of shit...my back…” I had fallen and landed directly on my back. Luckily it wasn’t that painful, just a very harsh sting. Like stubbing one’s hoof or stepping on a toy brick block.
The annoyed mare walked right past me, and checked the condition of her massive rock. “Hmph.” She turned to look at me next. “Hm...yup. You’re gonna come with me.”
“Wait...what?” To my surprise, she didn’t free me of my bindings at all. Instead, she leaned down and used her head to lift me up, and put me on her back to carry me like I was some sort of saddlebag. The mare had zero difficulty with me on her back, either. The power of Earth Ponies strikes again. “...Come with...you to where exactly?”
She trotted towards her house that was located right at the heart of the rock farm. “Anypony that touches Holder’s Boulder for any reason is gonna get punished hard.”
“Hold on, you don’t think that I really climbed on top of your rock to tie myself up?”
“Well if that wasn’t it, then what reason could you possibly have for messing with the Boulder?” she questioned me with an annoyed expression as we entered her home. It was rather old-fashioned compared to the modern styles found in Ponyville. But I didn’t get enough time to inspect everything because she dropped me off and right onto the hard wooden floor. “Limestone Pie deals out justice to those who mess with it.”
So that was her name. One of Pinkie’s relatives. Made sense. It was also safe to assume that she was the one who managed the rock farm. “Listen...you have to believe me. I didn’t go there on my own. I was abducted and planted there. Can you at least untie me?”
“Oh really? Fine…” With a pull from her teeth, the rope would be undone, and my hooves were free.
“Oh...thank--” Sadly, this did not make things easier.
Limestone stood over me which prevented me from escaping due to how strong her legs were. I could sense it. Just as durable as Babs Seed despite being far older. It was scary to be up against somepony so experienced. “I’m not done! You still touched Holder’s Boulder. And that’s gonna cost you.”
I sighed. I suppose there truly was no way out of this. “I...apologize. What do you want me to do?”
“Heh…” Her gaze had a threatening aura. I felt as if I could lose my entire soul just from her slasher sort of grin alone. Her cheeks contorted into a threatening sort of smile with her shiny white teeth on full display. “I’ve got just the thing planned for a guy like you. And you better not lose steam halfway through.”
“...Please let this be something gentle.”