//------------------------------// // 13 - Secrets Revealed // Story: Legends Of Ponyville // by mechafone //------------------------------// Spark Storm sighed upon his return to the library. He ruffled his wings as Sohl's eagle form hopped off of his back, along with Orea's added weight. The little Nymph crept up to give Spark Storm a warm hug, which he returned. Feeling playful, he tipped her over onto her back and blew a loud raspberry on her tummy, causing the little one to erupt in giggles. This, in turn, caused Sohl to throw the nearest thing she could find at Spark. Pegasus, nymph, and harpy ran around the room, either chasing or running from each other, all either annoyed or joyful. Ampelus watched from the upper floor, an unamused look on her face. In her seven hundred years of life, she had never seen a cause for such childish behavior. That was another thing that bothered her: Here she was, a proud nymph, hiding out among her enemies, her food, just biding her time until her wounds were healed. She would much rather be out and on the hunt for nourishment, and maybe some fun. This idea brought her attention down to Spark Storm again. Hadn't the whole reason she'd come here to get her revenge on him? And yet, the more she thought about it, the more a very stupid, silly idea came into her head. What if maybe, just maybe, she was simply lonely and desired the only familiar face she knew in this world? What if she missed her sister, and getting to know her niece would be the only peace she would ever know? She scowled. The very idea of such emotional weakness was to be laughed at, nevermind actually having those feelings to begin with. At least, that's what she had always believed. Her mother had tried time and time again to get her to love and be curious of life, like Ampelus' sister did. What was the point? They ate and drank of almost every other creature in the forest. They were at the top of the food chain. It was nature. And yet her mother seemed to want her to make friends? She was a predator, not a sympathetic pony. Ampelus continued to stew in her complicated moral dilemma as there was a knock on the door. The three down below, now in a pile on the floor in a mess of wings and limbs, reluctantly (Sohl would never willingly call it that) pulled themselves apart. Spark smiled patiently as both Orea and Sohl pouted when he indicated that they needed to hide. The harpy shrugged and grabbed Orea in a large claw and flew up to the second level and out of sight. Spark opened the door to find Emerald Skies standing there, looking very apologetic. The big pegasus started to wonder why he looked like that when Ditzy, carrying Dinky on her back, popped up into view over Emerald's back and hopped over to Spark Storm, who was too surprised and taken off-guard to prevent the grey mare from pressing her lips to his in a brief kiss. By the time he realized what she'd done, it was too late to stop it. She hopped into the library with a cheerful, "Good morning, Sparky!" Spark Storm stared off into the chill late September air, wide-eyed and shocked as Emerald Skies slipped into his library and slowly closed the door, a look on his face that was a mix of worry and amusement. When the door was closed and the morning air was cut off from Spark, he turned on Emerald. "I-I'm sorry! I was just coming back to the library, and she caught me by surprise!" Emerald said defensively. Spark brought a hoof up to his face and sighed. This situation really needed to be addressed. "Fine, fine..." he said, and drew in a breath to gather some courage. Why was it that dealing with monsters was so much easier than dealing with girls? He turned around and followed Ditzy towards the back, near the kitchen. He heard a whistling sound from above, and looked up to see Sohl making a descending whistling noise and mimicked a crashing pegasus with her hand. Her whistle lowered and finally ended with a mock explosion as she dropped her hand to the floor. She grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up, the gesture of course completely lost on the pony. He scowled at her and continued on his way. As Ditzy perused the books, humming quietly to herself, Spark took a moment to really look at her. She had originally been thinner, but having Dinky some three months ago had filled her out a bit. She was extremely attractive, and she was a friend he'd known his whole life. While he didn't feel as close to her as he did Sapphire, there was definitely something there, and it just kept getting stronger whenever he looked at her. Yeah. He was in trouble. Ditzy turned around suddenly, catching Spark off-guard once more, as well as his heart, which pounded in his ears. He'd been through the cutesy phase before, why was he getting all hot around the collar with Ditzy? Because, you idiot, he told himself, you haven't done this with Ditzy. Face it, you hadn't thought about her like this before she kissed you earlier this year. It's just a passing feeling!...right? He wasn't so sure anymore. The very thought of being with Ditzy, living a normal life here in Ponyville, was suddenly very appealing. Well, it's not like he was in a hurry to get back to Canterlot. Definitely not after what happened with Sapphire. And there it was. There was the clincher, the point that brought him back from this dangerous edge he was standing on. Sapphire Snow. Remembering why he had been approaching Ditzy in the first place, he continued to close the distance between them. She smiled charmingly at his approach, those adorable eyes straining to keep her gaze straight. Spark let out a quiet breath, hoping to gather some courage. "Uh, Ditzy, listen...Look, it's no secret that I'm pretty fond of you," he said, bringing a patient smile to the mare in question. "But...you can't just...come up and expect...uh..." Spark floundered, blushing rather red, a feeling that spread even to his wings. He fought to keep the tell-tale signs that his wings sought to betray under control. "You can't just-" "And why not?" Ditzy asked, her voice betraying no fear of rejection. Her body language and her tone was full of confidence. She knew exactly what she wanted, and for some reason beyond Spark this really turned him on. "Hm? Did Sapphire propose? Did you propose? Has she got a ring?" These flurry of questions confused Spark as Ditzy started to circle him. "Uh...n-no, I haven't prop-we're only kids, Sapphire! I'm barely thirteen and a half! I haven't even-" "Oh. So you're not exactly set in stone, are ya?" she asked as she came full circle and pressed her muzzle against his. He blushed even harder than before, and swallowed hard. One wrong move and their lips would be touching. Spark wanted to move away, to be true to his girlfriend and not kiss Ditzy. But the grey pegasus had been so devious in her body language and forwardness that the big trembling pegasus had little resistance. Their breath on each other's mouthes just felt too good. Spark started to close his eyes and lean in when he saw movement. His eyes opened just enough to see Dinky staring at him from her mother's head. He was slightly amused but undeterred. Maybe he could be Dinky's father...wait. Wait one damn second. He raised his head again to stare at Dinky. That faded purple fur. That blonde mane. That horn. It hit him so fast and so hard that he tensed and took a step away from Ditzy, good feelings gone. The grey mare stared at Spark with worry in her eyes. "Spark? What's wrong?" Spark started to tremble again, but this time with barely contained anger. "Dinky's father..." Ditzy arched a brow, a look of both confusion and frustration on her face. "Right. Foggy Nights. What about him?" Spark grit his teeth as he put it all together. "Your worthless ex-boyfriend, Dinky's father, I met him in Canterlot! Actually, he met Sapphire first, right before he nearly raped her!" Ditzy gaped at Spark. Upstairs, a rattling noise could be heard. Ditzy looked upstairs to see Spark's little one rattling her mane and feathers in what appeared to be anger. She recalled something about how they shared emotions. Even the harpy creature looked pissed off. All three of them? It was weird, but it didn't matter. She was feeling a bit ticked herself. She stepped closer to Spark and rested a hoof on his shoulder. "Sparky, are you sure? Absolutely sure it was him?" Spark's expression was partly flat and partly angry as he nodded just once. "Moon obscured by clouds for a cutie mark?" Ditzy paled just slightly, then nodded, an angry, dark look pulling over her eyes. "Yes...yes, that's him...Oh, I don't believe it!" she shouted, stomping away from Spark, her wings trembling with anger. "I had him pegged for a guy who didn't want the responsibility, but not...not this!" Spark groaned and planted a hoof on his face. "Ugh, dammit! I knew I forgot to take care of something...I told that jackass not to leave town, and then what do I do? I go and leave town! I completely forgot to report him, I forgot to track him down and bring him in to Celestia so he she could do something about him!" Spark pulled his hoof down his face, a dark look in his eyes. "...maybe I should go find him. Bring him to justice." Ditzy frowned at the way Spark was talking, his mood and his look. "Bring him to Celestia's justice, or yours?" Spark didn't put that hoof down that rested on his mouth. He glanced at Ditzy, his eyes narrowing. "Would it matter which?" he asked, his voice muffled. Ditzy heard him just fine, though. She stared at him quietly, then looked down at her hooves. Apparently she had to think about it. When she didn't answer, Spark moved closer to her and rested a hoof on her shoulder. She immediately moved to him, and the two embraced each other, emotions running high between them. Dinky, sensing the tension, crawled forward and planted herself across the two pegasi's heads. Up above, having witnessed the whole scene, Ampelus turned to look at Sohl. The harpy's talons were digging into the floor. She and Orea both looked ready to head out and find the offending pony. Not that she was really interested in what was happening or what was going to happen, but she'd been craving some action, either entertainment or maybe a violent encounter. Those were always fun, unless it involved fire. Or ice. Or lightning. Then they were just unpleasant and ruined any good feelings accrued. She was still upset about her sympathetic feelings from before, perhaps a nice fight would help clear her head. The door to the basement suddenly opened, causing all eyes to fall on Emerald Skies as he came out butt first, hauling a load of books onto the first floor. He managed to get through the door without dropping anything, then set the books on the floor and took a rest next to the pile. Sensing the dead quiet, he looked around at the six faces staring at him. "...Did I miss something important?" Russet Hearts poked his head out of the kitchen at the incessant banging on his front door. It almost sounded like the door was about to give, the banging was so heavy. He slipped further down the hall and stared at the massive shape looming in the decorative stain-glass pattern at the top of the door. Who in Equestria was tall enough to stand at the door and cast a shadow like that? Russet's heart leapt in his throat as the banging began again. His door actually was in danger of being broken if this went on much longer, but this scene was very frightening and Russet was a bit of a coward when it came to violence...bad memories. He peered around the corner at the guest room where Laser Reflex had retired for a nap. Was he still asleep through all of this? He held up a hoof and whispered, "Laser...Laser..." Unfortunately, the banging was much louder than his whispering, and it just wasn't going through. The unicorn swallowed hard as he decided that confronting this giant standing at his door was better than replacing it. He crept forward slowly, the dark shadow behind the door just getting bigger and bigger. Finally, he reached out and opened the door and stared up. And up. Standing before him was the most massive unicorn he'd ever seen, massive and purple. The unicorn had to be at least as tall as the Princess, except about three times more mass. The giant stepped into Russet's house, his plum-colored eyes fixed in a mean glare down on the other unicorn. "Where is Laser Reflex?" he demanded, that deep bass voice reverberating along the walls. Russet just stared and trembled up at the giant. Somewhere in the back of Russet's head, a bit of sense tried to worm it's way into the logical part of his brain. Don't look to the left. Don't look to the left. Russet found his eyeballs working against this thought, and sure enough his head followed his eyes to the left. The giant unicorn followed his gaze to the guest room. He moved forward and easily shoved Russet to the floor out of his way. Russet fell on his back but immediately shot to his feet. It was one thing having violence pushed on him, but if this massive unicorn planned on harming his best friend, he had another thing coming! Russet's horn lit up in a fierce brown shell of magic. "You get away from that door, right now!" he shouted. Almost as if on cue, a small blur of yellow and orange bolted into the living room where Russet had been tossed. He hardly had time at all to register the movement when it bolted under him, grabbing his forelegs and pulling him face-down onto the floor. Russet let out a groan as he was stunned. He could feel his horn was pressed into the floor, and it smarted terribly, but not as much as one of his hind legs being pulled backwards towards his head and a foreleg wrapping around his throat. "W-waaaait..." he choked out. "You'll shut up if you know what's good for you, you stupid male," a feminine voice hissed in his ear. He took offense to this labeling, but he could barely breathe or move to make a complaint. The giant unicorn, having watched the whole scene, snorted in bemusement and finally turned to the door to open it. Choco Swirl settled comfortably into the big, cushy sofa that was conveniently positioned next to an outlet in the candy store she'd returned to. After gathering a pair of ear buds from the Cake's guest room where she was staying, she was determined to see more of this video. With a mug of hot cocoa and a small tray of assorted chocolates on hoof, she turned the video back on and started where she'd left off. Laser Reflex appeared where Choco had last see him. The same couch, the same room. He sighed as he set down a mug of what was probably coffee. It steamed and sent rivulets of heat into the air above it. Laser grabbed a folder from beside him, stacked it so that the papers inside would be even, then promptly dropped it. He swore and picked the stack back up. His hooves trembled, as if he'd just seen something quite terrifying. The pegasus stared into the camera, making sure it was centered before he moved on. "Things are getting a little more complicated. I have met my employers. Five of them, and every last one of them gives me a bad feeling. You'd think it'd be the big one. He was bad enough. You'd think it'd be the angry unicorn mare, but no." He paused, glancing this way and that, checking all the dark corners of the room. He leaned into the camera, accenting his big, scared eyes. "No. It's none of the others. Not even the tall, bored looking one. I would've been happy with the nice one. Date material, definitely. But you've gotta look out for the small male. Don't..." Laser set the camera down, which fell over onto the lens, blocking out all sight. All Choco heard was the sound of Laser's anxious breathing for several minutes. It calmed down after a few short moments, after which he picked the camera back up and set it back in it's place. "Ok. I'm ok. It's time to get back to work." The next few scenes were a jumble of sound, but no picture, like the camera was being jostled about in a dark room. Occasionally the camera would give light, and Choco had to squint at the sudden light. Finally, the camera came to rest with the lens facing up and into the sky. Well, into the branches of a tree. She could barely make out the sounds of scribbling and Laser muttering to himself. She nearly shrieked when she noticed a face staring down at her in the tree, an angry looking creature. It was definitely feminine, but it most definitely wasn't pony. There was movement again, and that horrible face mercifully disappeared. Wind swept into the bag (at least that's what it seemed like) that the camera was sitting in. Again, she found herself staring up into the sky, this time through a much thicker tree. Again with the scribbles and the muttering. And then, something else happened, something different and somehow more terrifying than the hard-skinned, insect-like face. A long, thick vine crept into the bag and started rummaging through the inside, grasping for something. It finally found the camera and pulled it out, and this time Choco had to hold a hoof over her mouth to actually keep from screaming. The camera tilted this way and that, every other second catching a glimpse of a monstrous pile of vines with a head attached at the center. The head was of a pony mare, a beautiful, mysterious mare, but that's all it was. A head centered in a pile of vines. The view finally stopped shaking, and Choco got a good look at this horrendous creature directly behind Laser Reflex. What was that idiot doing when this monster was right behind him? And what the heck was going on in this town that there were monsters everywhere? Was she really safe? Choco turned off the camera. She looked down at her hooves, which were trembling. She looked down at her mug of cocoa, then grabbed it and chugged it down. She'd need something stronger, and fast. Laser Reflex gasped as his door was thrust open. It burst through the doorstop, crumbling both door handle and doorstop into pieces. Through the door stepped something he'd hoped he would never have to see or deal with again, but after he'd lost all his work in the fire, he had nothing to give to his clients, all of whom stood waiting for him in Russet's home. "Uh..." he managed as he crawled off the bed and stepped out into the hallway as the giant moved back, revealing the other four. The angry female, Bezzle as she had told him last time, had poor Russet in a painful looking head/leg lock. "Oh come on, gentlecolts, ladies, is all this violence really necessary? Let him go, please." Bezzle sneered at Laser Reflex, actually applying more pressure to her captive. He let out a pained moan, which brought a satisfied grin to her face. "I'd rather break this sniveling little colt's back. Serves him right being born with a pair!" "He's gay, you know." Laser said. Bezzle's four companions turned to look at Laser, then Bezzle. She reluctantly let him go, and his leg and head flopped down on the floor. Russet coughed, and did his best not to weep from the pain. Laser boldly strode inbetween his five clients and crouched down next to Russet, then looked up in anger as the other mare of the group, the nice one that was 'date material', crouched down next to Russet as well, and started to gently message the unicorn's shoulders and leg. Russet let out a soft groan of relief. He seemed to relax, and went very quiet. Laser smiled at her, a little longer than he should have as he suddenly found himself hoisted up by the scuff of his neck by the giant. He was brought face to face with the unicorn called Dozix, then set down next to the only one among that he really didn't want to face: the one with the really weird name. Well, they all had weird names, but this one was just out of the park. "You're late, Laser Reflex," Nuzo said. Nuzo was a unicorn. He was about Russet Heart's size, maybe a little smaller. Teal in color, black in mane, and there was something very strange, very intimidating about him. Was it his slicked-back mane, the look of a corporate shark? Or was it just those monstrously angry eyes he always wore? "Ah yes, N-Nuzo," Laser said, attempting to keep his composure. "My apologies. I've hit a bit of a set-back. See, my home burned down in a fire two days ago..." From the back, Laser heard a sound like a scoff. He turned as Bezzle marched toward him. He backed away from her, only to bump into Nuzo, who wasn't budging. Bezzle stopped only when her muzzle was pressed against Laser's. He didn't blush, because it didn't feel like an intimate touch. It felt like a threat. He stood stock still, staring back down into the mare's eyes. Finally, she turned to Nuzo, a smirk on her face. "I don't think he respects us enough, Nuzo. I think she should know. Then he might take us seriously." "Kn-know what?" Laser asked, looking between Bezzle and Nuzo. Nuzo shrugged, then grabbed Laser and shoved him back into the bedroom where he'd emerged from. Laser started to panic, as this room was closed off. There were no windows in here, there was no way out. He watched in horror as all five ponies suddenly erupted in fire to reveal their true forms. Laser screamed.