//------------------------------// // Keep Calm and Make New Friends! // Story: Masked Rider: King of Friendship // by DEn-eaRP //------------------------------// "This place is growing too fast!" complained the aged blue pegasus. Indeed the phrase "too fast" didn't sit right with Miss Rainbow Dash as she joined her friend for a chat. This was Canterlot Memorial Garden, where stone representations of those deemed brave, valiant, or otherwise important stood; where the memories of heroes arrived daily, fresh new chips chipped off of the iron block of that accursed stalemate! "Yes." Twilight Sparkle had that as a sharp reply. The years of siege had been wearing on her as well, but now... now she had some plans to prepare, but she wanted to know if she'd have her old friend's assistance. "The Princesses have had me working on a solution ever since the beginning of this whole thing." she explained. "Yeah, you told me at the beginning, remember? You've finally got a breakthrough, Twi?" She stared at her grayed-purple friend, and almost collided with a familiar statue, were it not for her friend suddenly stopping. She followed suit. They stood before a set of four memorials, with two empty spaces conspicuously laid out. Keen observers clearly could tell what this was. After a slight silent bow, as they always did in front of this set of memorials, Dash continued the conversation. "You've been taking a long time, I mean- we could've taken the fifth and sixth and just... y'know? They go and find new elements and- BAM! Problem solved in record time!" Twilight sighed. She had previously (years ago) explained how the Princesses explicitly stated that that particular solution was out of the question. But she could see what was eating away at her blue friend; by the time they attacked, the elements were broken and in the following years, leading up to the siege, she had become too old to be allowed a front row line in defense. At least Twilight had the luxury of concocting her plan, therefore being useful, and so she could feel good knowing that it was time to include Rainbow Dash in it. "My plan will do more than fix this stalemate, Rainbow Dash..." she said, placing a hoof on the mare's shoulder. "...this is going to ensure that Equestria is protected forever. In all time, period! And I need to know if you want to be part of it!" And what else would the Element of Loyalty say but "Of course!"? 5- VENTURE WITH DISCOVERY The delivery colt had come by the library earlier with the local newspapers. There were five for the archives, four for the public, and one for the staff. Sharing this paper with Twilight over breakfast, Spike saw the results of the previous day's big Hobbler incident. There was buzz over "the monster that started out with sweets and moved on to buildings" (Spike winced a little at this; he was thankful that Ponyville had confused the two rampages as one, but he was still guilty over the crazy candy-chomping all the same) and the recent policepony shortage resulting from the hospitalization of a good chunk of those on-duty officers, but the biggest fervor, the one that really grabbed the attention of the community, was the return of the mysterious Masked Rider! Spike declared right then and there that this day would be one of discovery. Aside from what he'd be expecting Eve to fill him in on, he would find out about this hero the town thought he and the pink Hobbler (Did he seriously call her "Pinkie"? That was quite a slip!) were. "Hey Twi, do we have a book on, uh- folklore heroes?" "Are you interested in the Masked Rider?" Twilight replied, hiding her chuckle behind a steaming mug of morning tea. Spike was visibly surprised. She had guessed it right on the dot! "Yes~?" he replied cautiously. Twilight put the down the mug and newspaper (held up, of course, by her trademark magic) and for the first time that morning, looked the young dragon in the eye. "Basement, Shelf SGD-95-K!" she chirped. She really loved the act of delivering information she knew well. Wisely letting his surprise subside, he started thinking up his list on what to do for the day once he was done with whatever chores Twilight would lay out for him. --- Elsewhere, in the skyward metropolis of Cloudsdale, a Hobbler emerged. It was in the middle of the morning rush at city's general hospital, but this one wasn't for disrupting the work going on. Instead he was looking to devote this day to discovery. There were only two others in this room with him: A heavily-bandaged comatose mare and the trembling pink-maned nurse who had been attending to her. "Smart girl, you're not running." He smirked. He knew going into this that his physical form would be all messed-up, all hobbled. He figured that the best thing to do would be to enjoy it. "I really love that in a pony." "Wh- what do you want?" squeaked the nurse. Even as the monster casually sat, making himself comfortable on the edge of the patient's bed, she still found his presence utterly terrifying. Trying his best to keep up the "cool and harmless" air he was putting on, he replied, "That's not too important, miss. The question that I feel is really worthwhile is: What do you want?" "Me?" The nurse was used to putting others before her and so what she wanted wasn't something she had been brewing. "Well, um- I'm not sure." She spoke so quietly that the creature asked for her to repeat herself. "I- I guess I don't know?" "You don't know?" "I'm sorry." "You're the one I arrived here through, though..." The hobbler crossed his legs and stared with his eyes half-open. "...I figured I could get to know you a bit." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll think of something to tell you!" "It's perfectly alright." He shifted his gaze towards the ceiling for a finishing thought. "I guess ponies aren't the same; none of that one chief desire going-" "A youth hospital!" she interrupted."I guess, my drea- desire would be to well, have my own little hospital in a small town where I'd take care of those who need it most delicately or..." She wasn't even sure if he was even paying attention as he started advancing towards the room's window. "or..." The monster opened the window, preparing to make his exit. After all, he couldn't go out and let the other staff see him. "or... um, what are you doing, Mr.-?" "A youth hospital, huh? I think I can do that." Would he? It was more to be polite that he even asked the nurse his question, but he supposed his agenda could allow for him to grant her wish. He did have her to thank, after all, for cowering like a good little pony as opposed to screaming for help or something along those lines. With that, he lept and extended his wings, flying beyond sight. Transfixed at the open window, the nurse blinked, unsure of whether or not that really just happened. When the daze subsided, she finished checking up on the room's patient and went out to continue her workday. --- It was almost midday, so Spike, with the folklore book, the magical belt, and the Pass in tow, took his timecard and clocked out for his lunch break. He did actually think this was rather cool, like what grown-ups did and all. Fittingly, Twilight started having him do this ever since his birthday had passed. This was on top of a great number of changes when it came to his time at the Ponyville Library and it all pointed to Twilight treating him like an adult worker. He felt proud that she was willing to do that for him, but he wished it could have been done a little more gradually instead of out-of-the-blue. Did the FriendLiner have a station? It just occurred to him that the strange train didn't have any set station of sorts. Where was he supposed to wait? How did Eve lead him to it? Speaking of, she said she'd explain something to Spike today, but out of his drowsiness, he didn't recall with fidelity what it could be. Hopefully she wouldn't forget. All this and more swirled through the little dragon's head as he walked in uncertain directions. He passed through Sugarcube Corner; perhaps Pinkie Pie would be there to talk! She wasn't, and Spike could've sworn that the way the Cakes reacted indicated that she no longer even worked there. Did they bother to remember fired workers? It didn't seem like it. He passed Apple Bloom, hard at work at the apple stand, as usual in recent days. He passed through downtown, where ponies were hard at work repairing the destroyed buildings. It was amazing how the combination of unicorn prowess, pegasi maneuverability, and earth pony might could build new structures in no time at all. The town's facade would be back to normal by sunset! No matter where he passed, though, he couldn't find the FriendLiner anywhere, and he had already used up one half of his lunch break! Spike finally stopped in a less developed area on the edge of town. It was quiet and serene here, with nature claiming all but a small cottage and the surrounding yard. Spike recognized this as Fluttershy's cottage, the perfect kind of place for the attuned pegasus. This would be a good spot to read the book if any. Hopefully, she wouldn't mind if he hung around. Walking up to the door, he knocked and announced his presence. "Fluttershy! You don't mind if I hang around here for my lunch break, do you?" There was no response. The dust that his door knocking stirred up settled again. Spike commented in his head about the pink-haired pony really letting her house go. It looked much more poorly-maintained than he remembered it being. "Hey Fluttershy! Are you home!?" There was still no response, so it was likely that she wasn't here at all. Shrugging, Spike found a nearby tree and curled up by the trunk. He flipped the book open and scanned the Table of Contents for the section on his new given moniker, the Masked Rider. "The Masked Rider is a folk hero who is alleged to have appeared in the Ponyville area between 1971 and 1973. Although pictures said to be of this figure exist, they are all far too low-quality to determine any authenticity. The most commonly agreed upon story comes from earth pony Cyclone Cycle, who claims to have been the Masked Rider's savior, partner, and steed. According to his account, a deranged unicorn named Shocker was kidnapping ponies and turning them into monsters to raise a world-conquering army. However, when a pegasus biochemist was kidnapped and mutated into a grasshopper-like creature, Cyclone, self-proclaimed fastest earth pony in the world, intervened before Shocker could complete the transformation, the part where the victim's mind is wiped and reprogrammed to obey. Donning a mask to hide his identity, the unknown grasshopper/pegasus teamed up with Cyclone to thwart the plans of the evil-" The distinctive whistle of the FriendLiner interrupted Spike's reading. The young dragon had to wonder if it had found him specifically. The train stopped, and a large party emerged to meet up with Spike. There was Eve the cranky unicorn, Derpy the kind stewardess, the enigmatic Owner of the FriendLiner, and the positive pink Hobbler. All but Eve were carrying picnic baskets. "What's this?" Spike questioned as the two got to work in setting up a picnic. "It's a good time for picnicking!" explained Derpy. "What are you doing here, Spike?" asked Eve, none of the peppiness of her compatriots rubbing off on her. "Don't you have work at the library?" Spike blushed. "I don't work there! I mean- I do chores for uh..." His voice trailed off as he remembered the recent way he had been treated there before re-railing. "...but I don't- I live there, Eve, okay? It's my lunch break now!" "You call it a lunch break..." Eve passed over Spike before taking a spot at the picnic cloth; situated before the biggest helping of food. "...sounds like you're working to me." Spike rolled his eyes and addressed the Owner. "So... how did you find me, anyway? Is there something I'm needed for?" "Hm?" The Owner very slowly turned his gaze towards Spike, half-keeping his attention on his plate of hay. "There's not any other of those Hobbler things attacking, is there?" "I don't sense any!" sang the pink Hobbler, eating a 3-layer cake in one bite. "And my senses are never wrong!" "It is simply the time and place for a nice, quiet picnic," explained the Owner, beckoning for Spike to join in. "The FriendLiner is always at the right place, at the right time." "I don't follow." Spike set the book down, moving in to grab a bite for lunch. "What Owner means is that the FriendLiner is always at the right place at the right time!" Derpy "explained". Eve shook her head. "Um... okay?" Spike chose a lovely-looking bunch of apple fritters from the selection of food to begin. "So, Eve? I was looking for you anyway." "Yeah?" "What made you think I was a hero?" Eve blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "You're kind of inattentive, you know that? You're the only one who can use the belt; don't forget that I told you, now." Spike recoiled. That was rather cold. "You don't think I can do it, do you?" Disappointment practically dripped from his tongue. "You will do it; Vade and his forces have got to go." "That's another thing," added Spike, "Who is this 'Vade'?" Eve put down her food and paused for a bit. Everything went silent, as if in anticipation for what she was about to say. "Vade is an evil being." Her voice was softening just thinking about it. "He's the 'Grandmaster', the King of Dragons- well, not all dragons, of course, that's just impossible, but... enough to ruin my time, my home." Even the pink Hobbler had stopped her sugar binge; all eyes were on Eve. "His savvy is where the real danger lies. That, or he has incredible luck, anyway. See, from everything Equestrian forces have tried over the ages, nothing has worked to put an end to his army, and the only thing we have left to try is the Elements of Harmony. The problem is, whenever the new wielders of the Elements are found, he and his army vanish and become impossible to hunt down. They only return and make a bid for our country once the Elements break up again. The Princesses know that the Elements might be the only way to put an end to him, but because of his luck in evading them, Vade's been able to come closer to conquering all of us each time. In my time, Canterlot is all of Equestria that is left, and we're locked in a bitter stalemate." "Woah," was all Spike could utter in response. "So Vade the invader evades his undoing?" asked the pink Hobbler. "Yes." Eve picked her food back up as she put her sadness back down, returning to her cold and calculated tone of voice. "So I was sent on a mission to bring the Elements to him. I was told to come to the time of the Singularity, which, that Point is you, Spike, and have him use the Friend-O belt to... um... what's the word I'm looking for-? Ah! Capture: you're capturing the elements while they're here, unwielded, so that we can hop in the FriendLiner, seek out Vade, and defeat him!" "Sounds like a needlessly complicated plan." Spike was quick to showcase his opinion on what his role supposedly was. "I don't get much of it." "Of course you don't, you're just a dumb kid!" thought Eve. "So do you know where to begin looking for the Elements?" "Twilight and her friends have them." Spike replied nonchalantly as he moved on to some sweet rolls. "But I was told they'd be unwielded! Maybe things aren't what I've been told then." Eve pushed one of her salads towards Spike; his role would need him to be in tip-top shape. "Okay, that's good then! We can go get the Elements from your friends, defeat any Hobbler that Vade sends to try and stop us, then go to Vade and blast him! Do you read me, Spike?" "Mmhm." Spike dug into a ripe tomato, and, presumably eating it too fast, hiccuped. He could see that the pink one suddenly jolted before returning to her unmatched supreme sweet consumption. Eve also noticed, though her reaction was more extreme. "What is that!? Is it a Hobbler!?" "Yeah, but it's harmless!" "Harmless? Are you sure?" "I assure you on the name of my name! I 'Pinkie' promise!" Eve snorted. Wait a second, the Hobbler was just talking about herself! What a way to startle a mare! Spike was more confused by the fact that his slip of a name stuck with the creature. Did she seriously have that stick? He wasn't too thrilled by the prospect of having another "Pinkie" to keep in mind. On top of that, though, he felt weighted down, drifting in sand... getting drowsy. "So Spike, do you feel good? Isn't it great?" "Does what feel great?" "The picnic, of course!" Eve interrupted between chews. "It would be better if you weren't being annoying." "I'm not annoying!" "You are!" "Am not!" "I disagree." "You're rude!" "I am not rude! Take that back!" "Please, girls, you can stop-" "WE'RE NOT ARGUING!" "But you're-" The two continued to argue. Petty jabs at each other's shortcomings turned into war on one another's characters. The soundwaves of the two knocked down the flag in the Owner's hay, at which point he stopped eating. He sighed, but he was not flustered, though, and unlike Spike made no effort to stop the feud. "You're not taking any of this seriously at all!" "Lighten up! Your sour attitude is raining on me and I don't like-" "Excuse me, but I am not sour, okay? I actually know what's at stake unlike someone, who forgot!" Pinkie responded by throwing a pie at Eve. The cat fight segued into a food fight. Spike found it frightening to see Pinkie act maliciously; it was scary when she killed the violent Hobbler, and it was scary for her to be angry at Eve. Somehow, he just got the feeling that being upset was not like her at all, despite not actually really knowing the pink Hobbler much. Meanwhile, Derpy was bemoaning the treatment of her food. "I just don't know what went wrong!" she cried. Yes, the time was quite ripe for the increasingly-tired Spike to intervene. That just clinched it. "Eve! Pinkie! Stop it! You're going too far!" Eve scoffed. "I have been through many a tough situation without losing my cool. It takes a special brand to annoy me so." "Ha!" laughed Pinkie. "That's nothing! You just have a hair trigger!" "This fighting is like neither of you! Please, make it stop!" "Pinkie needs to apologize for playing a dangerous prank on me!" "I wouldn't pull a super-meanie prank! I only pull fun, super-friendly pranks! But anyway, that wasn't even a prank!" Eve was stunned. "Wait..." The two simmered down as she continued, "...you weren't talking about yourself, then?" Spike drowsily mumbled, "Eve, do you find it that hard to believe that there's another good Hobbler?" Pinkie finally took notice of Spike's outward condition. "Uh- Spike? You don't look so good!" "Yes, I think 'Miss Pinkie' here does have a point, Spike; you look really tired." Eve eyed him with concern. "Why are you going by 'Pinkie' anyway? I messed up and thought you were-" Spike wanted to change the subject. He had no reason to feel this tired, after all. He made sure he got a long, good-night's sleep after that big battle with the violent Hobbler. It didn't make sense. In fact, he felt as if he was being exposed to a cloud of lullaby or something along those lines. It was unnatural. "She was whom?" "I remind you of a friend? That means you think I'm a-!" "AUGH! Nevermind!" Spike was struggling to stay awake. The conversation couldn't have been that bombastic; why was he feeling so exhausted from it, then? "Wait a minute! Something just occurred to me!" exclaimed Eve. "Pinkie! Where is this so-called 'harmless' Hobbler?" "Dunno. My Pinkie Sense doesn't say." "Ugh, of course it doesn't!" As if on cue, a burst of sand covered the picnic area, and when it settled, Spike was nowhere to be found. Coughing, Eve looked around for the purple dragon, but couldn't see where he had disappeared to. Her hunch had been correct, and so even with Pinkie's promise that this new Hobbler was benign, she still had a sinking feeling about the situation. The Owner, Derpy, and Pinkie, however, were just concerned with cleaning up the mess. The picnic was as good as over. 6- CONNECTIONS ACROSS TIME "Oh, you poor squirrels!" cooed a yellow-scarfed Spike in a very soft voice. "What are you doing this far from home?" As the squirrels made squirrel noises, a bunch of other animals are hovering around the baby dragon as well. "I see, it's the same for these little guys too. Don't worry, I found a good replacement home you can use until we get to the bottom of this." Spike proceeded to lead the posse of fauna towards his home (or was it his workplace?): the grand tree that was the Ponyville library. --- Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle levitated a sandwich by her side. She took extra care to eat it without broadcasting crumbs along the floor. Unlike Spike, she was having her lunch break at the library; someone needed to hold down the fort. She heard the door open, just in time for Spike to be back from is break! Nothing unusual about that, it was expected around... wait- what were those other sounds? It sounded like a bunch of- "WILD ANIMALS?" Showcasing a velocity typically unseen in her nonathletic body, Twilight sped from her post to the front door area, Spike's probable location. Sure enough, there he was, surrounded by woodland creatures and pouring seeds on the floor. "Spike! What are you doing!?" Immediately, Spike and a fair number of the animals hid, cramming themselves into any cavities they could find in the library. Twilight grimaced, many were now in difficult to reach (and later clean) cavities. Though, Spike was too large to fit in odd crevices; instead he stuck himself up against the other side of a bookshelf. "Spiiiiiiiike." Twilight was growling now. She began to paw at the ground as if to say "Get out from behind there before I knock that bookshelf over on top of you". Getting the gist of the cue, the uncharacteristically shy dragon inched out to face the fuming librarian. "Um-" He began to twist the scarf around in his claws as he scrambled for the next thing to say. "This is your-? I'm sorry! Is it alright if these poor little creatures stay here for a while? You see- well-" His demure voice started shaking when he made eye contact with Twilight and saw the disapproving look on her face. "I'm so sorry; I really should've asked for permission before I came in." "Yes." The awkward silence wasn't quite a silence, as some of the animals did not pick up on the social cues to give the moment true silence. Spike started staring up, thinking of what next to say. "So, uh- Is it alright if these poor little creatures stay here for a whi-?" "No." "Oh." sighed the dragon. His eyes opened wide as a message entered his head. "Aaaough..." yawned a groggy sounding voice. "...hey Pinkie, would you mind not coming in me behind my back? Yaaaaaaawn-" "I'm not Pinkie; I just had to help out these animals. They called out to me for help!" "Really, you're not? You must have a similar voice then." "I- I guess?" Because Twilight couldn't read minds, she was unaware of one of the sides of the conversation and became confused. Knowing that being confused would only waste time, though, she shook it off and went to go work in another section of the library. Perhaps her little helper would come back to his senses and she could deal with him then. "What did you do to upset Twilight!?" It only took Spike a second through the eyes he wasn't controlling to see all the animals. "Did you bring those in?" "I thought a giant tree would be the best spot to take them; they can't go back to their homes right now because they're in danger!" Spike's eyes were watering; the tear floodgates wouldn't hold for much longer. "Well if it's that serious..." The thought was interrupted by Eve and Pinkie bursting in through the library wall. If the horde of animals flustered Twilight; she'd be thrown into a conniption when she returns. The takeover spirit squeaked in surprise, at which point Spike took the liberty of forcing the Hobbler out of him. Throwing aside the scarf that had been on him during his sleep and possession, he looked at Eve and Pinkie and quipped, "You guys missed the door!" "Sometimes, in the state of an emergency, drastic measures have to be taken," justified Eve. Pinkie nodded. "We were running around all over because Eve was all 'OH NO WE HAVE TO FIND SPIKE' and I was all 'Okie-dokie', then she was like 'THE OTHER HOBBLER MIGHT HAVE HIM' to which I said, 'I said it's a harmless one', but then she went all 'IT STILL OBVIOUSLY TOOK SPIKE FOR A JOYRIDE YOU-' followed by stuff I can't repeat on a Y-rating, then 'AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, YOUR DEFINITION OF HARMLESS ISN'T QUITE SO HARMLESS'! And then that's when the running began and then, of course! Maybe you'd be at the library because I guess the Hobbler would make you go home for some reason and Eve actually agreed, and she was all 'I'M GETTING HIM BACK', then I said 'Look out, use the door!', but then she nay-ed and so here we are now!" "What a chatterbox," grumbled Eve. "For the record, that last part didn't happen." "Yes it-" "No, it didn't!" They both turned towards Spike, recognizing that descending into another argument was probably not the best way to go. Spike wiped his face free of the tears his body had nearly shed under the new Hobbler's influence. Even as the trio directed their attention towards her, she was not making any effort to slink away. It would be rude to run, seeing as her host likely wanted answers for her behavior. "I'm sorry." She was very quiet; the others could barely hear her. Already her form was solidifying; the yellow amorphous sand became shaped into a form similar to Pinkie's. The trio soon faced what could be described as another strange being that looked like an adolescent dragon. "Hobblers take on forms based on what the host's image of a 'monster' is..." thought Eve. "I wonder why Spike thinks his own species is monstrous?" This would be another thing to discuss later, so she filed the thought away and forced herself back into "what's important now" mode. "Pinkie was right; you're not here to hurt us," began Spike. "So why did you take me over?" He turned to Eve. "Has anyone ever had more than one Hobbler go through them?" Eve shook her head, so as to not drown out the soft-talking Hobbler's response. "The animals called out to me... they cried for help and I had to do something! So I- well- you were nearby, and I don't know why, but- there was just something about you and I so I started lulling you to sleep so I could use your body to gather everyone! I didn't expect that unicorn to get upset..." "Or for me to wake up so early?" quipped Spike. "Yes, that too." The yellow Hobbler was a bit adrift, comparing the physical appearance she took on with the pink one standing nearby. Her train of thought re-railed, though, and she orated her conclusion. "Oh! Again, I'm really sorry! I know now that I should've asked so, um, this wouldn't happen." "What do you mean when you say that the animals cried for help?" asked Eve. "Is there something that would cause them to need to relocate here?" "Oh yes." The Hobbler nodded. "Animals have keen instincts; they can sense when danger is soon to come. I helped them all move here because their home is in danger!" "I haven't felt anything like that," Spike responded. He wasn't quite sure how the term 'animals' was supposed to be applied, really. Was it meant to denote all non-pony creatures, or just non-speaking creatures? "I'm not sure, actually... I don't really remember any details of anything!" "Not even any orders to secure footholds in pre-wartime Equestria?" "Oh no! Nothing like that!" "Looks like we have another amnesiac, then." Eve grumbled in her mind. Pinkie twitched and bounced into a sweet spot that intruded on everyone else's sight. "WOOOAH! Hey, speaking of senses, I just picked up another Hobbler!" Wanting to make sure, Eve pointed to the yellow one and asked, "You mean one besides her, right?" "Correctomundo!" "Is it friendly?" "Outlook not good." Eve nodded and put Spike on her back. After making sure he had the Friend-O belt on him, she pointed to Pinkie. "Alright then, let's go! Lead the way." "Woo!" The pink Hobbler happily hopped out the hole in the wall, towards Ponyville's outdoor market. The yellow Hobbler, though unobligated, decided to follow the group. The animals stayed where they were, just doing their own thing, and presumably Twilight was in the basement or so, downing some medicine to attack her annoyance-headache. --- "Oh my! What a lovely axe!" The strange customer swung the mentioned object in the air a bit. He was a mangled cross of an unidentifiable creature with maybe a few draconic elements in him. Luckily for him, the shopkeeper didn't care what anyone looked like or if they were even ponies. As long as one had money, there was nothing wrong with such a monster even being there. "It's a very high quality model," boasted the shopkeeper, describing the middle-quality, mass-produced model axe. "You'll find that the special curvature of the handle will help you get the best chopping results." "Oh yes! Definitely!" The patron Hobbler set the axe down and took out his wallet. "How much is it?" "How much you got?" "Looks like I have a little under 200 bits in my budget..." He looked the shopkeeper in the eye. "...this will cover the axe and burning gel, right?" Before the shopkeeper could say "Deal!" to that, Hobbler Pinkie and her amazing friends: Eve, Spike, and the benign Hobbler arrived on the scene, with Eve being the one to shout "Halt! Stop right there!" The patron and shopkeeper both blinked in confusion before the latter spoke. "Uh... lady, wait your turn?" "No!" Eve shoved Spike off of her back and got uncomfortably close to the shopkeeper. "That's a Hobbler! You can't be selling an axe, of all things, to it!" "And why shouldn't I?" "Because he's here from the future to ruin the past!" She pointed to the patron Hobbler and even levitated the axe in front of him to serve as a visual aid. "How can you sell this to a monster!? What if he goes and chops somepony's head off!?" "What my customers do with their purchases is none of my business." He said so with utmost integrity, as such a non-nosy policy was an important cornerstone of business. The patron piped in. "Now, now, pretty young mare, I'm afraid you're suffering from a misunderstanding; I am not here to chop off anypony's head." "Ha! See?" The shopkeeper smugly nodded. "He's not going to chop off anypony's head." "You can't believe the word of a monster!" "What if he's not, though?" questioned Pinkie. "You said 'outlook not good' when I asked if this one was friendly!" "That's not 100%, though! Sometimes unfriendly just means 'grumpy', not evil!" "Are you familiar with the King of Dragons, Vade?" asked Spike. He figured that if this was probably the most direct route to find out this Hobbler's motives. Unfortunately for him, the patron Hobbler pretended to ignore Spike's question and focused his attention on Eve and Pinkie. "First of all, ladies, I would prefer to be called by my name. I am Brawn, as it t'were. My name is a much more suitable label, than, ugh- 'monster'." "If you're not a monster, then I suppose you wouldn't mind telling us what you really plan to do with the axe." Even though his non-brutish speech heavily contrasted him with the one that had attacked yesterday, Eve wasn't about to take the pressure off of this one. "I'm going camping," Brawn calmly lied. Hopefully the mare would fall for his bait. "The axe is to procure firewood and the burning gel is to help me start a campfire." "Is that really it?" the yellow Hobbler said quietly to Eve. "I have a bad feeling about this." "He isn't showing any of the panic signs typically associated with lying, but as Brawn here isn't a pony, I still can't be quite sure." Brawn's composure fell; his frustration with Eve was readily apparent. He had failed to reel her into the palm of his hand; perhaps once he captured this area for Vade, he'd be rewarded with the power to really make this mare suffer! "That is quite enough!" He roared and started to poke her on the snout. "Just who are you to be questioning me like this, anyway?" "The protectors of time, that's who!" Pinkie was nowhere to be seen, but instead, a pink-eyed Spike help up his Pass as he put the Friend-O belt on. "And treating our friends like that is a big no-no!" "I didn't hear anything about this!" exclaimed the shopkeeper. Was all this really happening in front of his stand just now? "What do you plan to do about it, baby dragon?" Brawn said, coldly. "Are you prepared to go through and battle me?" "If you insist!" Pinkie said through Spike. "Let's ride." She had Spike's hand press the Pass on the jewel on the belt. LAUGH FORM The magic armor materialized, Pinkie assembled the Rider Sword, and the Masked Rider was ready for action! Eve and yellow Hobbler moved to the sidelines while the shopkeeper went into his storage to find a camera. Brawn threw his wallet, making sure to get the physics just right so that it landed perfectly in the shop's cash register. Now that his payment was complete, he picked up his shiny new axe and stood, daring Friend-O to make the first move. "You'll find that while I'm much more contained than my fallen compatriot, I won't be a mindless beast to be slain!" "Enough talk! It's party time!" Pinkie had Spike rush in to perform a running strike. Brawn simply sidestepped it and delivered a heavy retaliatory strike. The armor, of course, protected Spike from being chopped, but the impact of the force was still there, and it hurt. "Mindlessly rushing in? My, my, I thought my opponent would be better... Are you truly this time's protector?" "Of course!" The young dragon swung again, only for Brawn to catch the sword and throw it aside, also twisting Spike's wrist in the process. He and Pinkie "OWWWW"-ed in unison as the shopkeeper returned with his camera started taking pictures. Brawn then, though it wasn't really his thing, decided to shift to the offensive, chasing after the hero with calculated swipes of his axe. Pinkie was amazed at how each swipe was such a close call! If it weren't for her reflexes, Spike would be in a world of pain! She just had to get the sword back to get the fight back on her track! Thankfully, the sword was on its way; a certain unicorn saw fit to levitate the weapon back into the young dragon's hands. "Thanks a bunch, Eve!" At the booth counter, Eve nodded back and then turned towards the shopkeeper. "Why are you taking all those pictures?" "Imagine the demand for prints of the Masked Rider in action! I'll be set!" "What makes you think he's this 'Masked Rider' hero?" The shopkeeper grunted. Just where was this mare from? "He rode here on you, he's masked, and he's fighting a weird creature. That's how it was and is!" He resumed his picture-taking. "The ponies in this town seem to think that he's a revival of some 70's hero... I would've never expected this." She turned to face the yellow Hobbler. "So what's your take on this? You've barely said anything." "Oh- uh- I don't want to intrude. I- I'm..." "Okay; not a talker; got it." Eve faced in the combatants' direction again, to see if Pinkie was making any progress. She wasn't. "I've got a shutter-fly on one side of me and a 'flutter-shy' on the other..." "Pinkie has to get her act together; Spike's taking a lot of damage." "Is that the new Rider's name? Spike?" questioned the shopkeeper. "Yes. Are you going to sell that, too?" "Of course not! Nopony knows the identity of the first Masked Rider, 'cept Cyclone, of course, so why ruin the mystique? I'd think it would be bad for my sales, at least right now, anyway." "That's fortunate. I wonder if I can find information in that Folklore Heroes book Spike left behind... wait, why am I so scatterbrained today? I keep thinking about these things bugging me; perhaps I do need to vent some more out... How's the battle going agai-?" "Oh no!" The shy Hobbler dashed over to the scene of the ended fight, where it appeared as if Spike was down and out. With his body too bruised and spent, Pinkie couldn't continue. "Are you hurt? He's not answering! No, uh- excuse me, can you come over here?" Eve, correctly guessing that she was wanted, galloped over and confirmed that Spike was alive, just very badly beaten. Pinkie emerged from the defeated dragon and began freaking out. "I'm sorry!" cried the pink Hobbler. "I- I- He got me out of my zone, like... nothing that usually occurs to me occurs to me, and then he didn't let up, it's like he knew everything I'd try, how to counter and all that!" Brawn inched closer to the group, and the three put their bodies over Spike's in anticipation of a final blow. To their surprise, though, he showed no indication of swinging the axe again, but instead, he was scrawling inside a little notepad, mumbling as he approached. "What are you?" asked Pinkie. "I bet Mr. Vade sent us someone especially nasty!" "Incorrect," Brawn replied. He looked down upon them with the most piercing gaze he could manage. "Don't oversell yourself. My role in his army is minor. My superiors wouldn't waste their best on a mission like this. The only reason I'm not entirely expendable..." He shut his notepad and waved it around a bit. "...is because I've gathered a rich stew of information from our encounter today. Despite my mediocrity, it appears that I, a dragon, however hobbled, can crush any hero you ponies might pull out your tails. Let me assure you that if you interfere with me again, it will be the end of Masked Rider here!" None of them were really in much of a state of mind to rebut, or do much of anything as the strong Hobbler packed up his belongings. The most Eve could muster was a guttural "You're wrong." "Oh, and by the way, the axe and burning gel are for a favor I owe. It's unrelated to my other plans." Then, he flew away. The shopkeeper ran over to the scene too. "Should I call an ambulance?" "I don't want to risk it," replied Eve. "We'll press our luck on the Frie- at our base." --- The mood was somber inside the FriendLiner's dining car. Though Spike was conscious, he was bruised everywhere and in pain. Derpy made some soup to try and help, but in the end, there really wasn't much to do except wait for him to recover. Eve was especially worried about his recovery time, because one of Vade's Hobblers was still at large! She might have to use one of her destination tickets! These were given to her along with the belt and pass she had brought to the past; they would allow the date that was on a sentient being's mind to be directly traveled to, it was a way to control when one wanted to go on the FriendLiner, but the tickets she had were finite. Worst, come to worst, though, she'd have to use one to get back here once Spike was in well-enough condition again. She took a ticket out of the provided case and stuck it behind her ear. The yellow Hobbler was about to lull Spike to a deep, restorative sleep, when the Owner arrived. "Hold on." He stared at the Hobbler, making her start retreating. "There's a new passenger among us. Does she have a ticket?" This made the shy Hobbler enter the early stages of panic, because she had no idea what he was talking about, much less a ticket. Eve was about to speak up when Spike emitted a strange groan. This turned everyone's attention to him. "Owner... Eve... she's on my ticket! The yellow- what's her name? She's on my pass, okay? Let her stay!" The Owner's eyes widened; this was certainly unprecedented. This dragon was letting yet another passenger share his pass? He was certainly collecting a strange crew for his vessel! "Very well then." He started going back to the front of the train to leave the dining car in peace. "Derpy, get Spike and his friends whatever they need." "Yes sir!" The pegasus saluted. Now authorized to be on the train, the yellow Hobbler resumed her lullaby. She didn't even know where this innate ability even came from, just that it was finding an important use at the moment. Eve and Pinkie decided to follow the Owner's example and leave to ensure peace and quiet in that car. "Spike and his friends... I like the sound of that..." Spike thought his last thought and then fell asleep. The only thing left to do was to wait. --- The yellow pegasus removed her nurse uniform for it was the end of her shift. It had gone very averagely, and if it wasn't for that weird monster encounter in the morning, there really wouldn't have been anything much memorable about the day at all. Of course, today there were other plans in store to give her one heck of a day. This manifested in the form of the Hobbler, Brawn, flying up to Cloudsale, grabbing her, and diving back down to earth-level Equestria, to an area on the edge of Ponyville. He set her down on a clearing, and she was presented with the sight of an abandoned cottage covered in burning gel! In fact, a good portion of the nearby forest was also chopped down and smothered in the stuff. "What's this?" "Oh, I felt like granting your wish!" He smirked. "I wanted you to see it happen." The pegasus was having trouble balancing, and not just because of her lack of experience on the ground. She attempted to fly away, so she could call the police, all that good stuff, but Brawn wasn't having any of that. Disappointed in her refusal to accept his sick and twisted gift, he found a chair and tied her to it. "I don't get it!" cried the captive pony. "How is this granting my wish?" Brawn sighed in a condescending manner and explained himself. "You said this morning that you'd like to have your own Youth Hospital. I'm going to clear some land for you to buy. I'm certain nopony else will want much to do with scorched land, so..." He put his face uncomfortably close to hers. "...it's all yours to make a new beginning out of!" "But what about the animals in the forest? I- I'm not even ready to start my own business! I can't, I can't!" She attempted to get out of her restraints, but as she wasn't very strong, it was useless. Because he had long lost his care of appearances, he brutally slapped the poor pony. "I had quite the annoyance setting this all up for you..." His voice was completely stripped of the flair he typically applied. "...You WILL take it, then I'll be on my way... but not until YOU TAKE IT! AAAAAUGH!" He took a deep breath and exhaled a sickening flame. The burning gel sparked and within seconds that entire section of the Everfree Forest was burned down. Within minutes, it was all ashes. In tears, the pegasus was asking herself why this hurt so much... the loss of a forest is terrible, of course, but there had to be a reason it felt like a part of her soul had died or so. Had she seen this place before? She'd never been outside of Cloudsdale except for that one ti- of course! That one time! This was the same place, the same forest she landed in as a filly when she got knocked off of a cloud! It was a great time, one in which she took in the beauty of ground-level nature, before, of course, the search party found her and took her back home. And now, it was all gone. That monster that had the audacity to believe he was doing her a favor killed it! Then, at the moment when she touched the memory, she felt a strange warp manifesting from her body. She was being magically split in half! What was going on? Indeed, the phenomenon caught the departing Hobbler's attention and he returned to examine the strange doorway the pegasus had opened up into. It appeared to be some sort of portal. He flipped open his notepad and wrote down what had just transpired. At heart, even past his twisted, crusty, layers, he had a curious streak and, not knowing if he'd come back in one piece, he jumped into it. As soon as he did, the portal closed, and all that was left was a pony staring into space, somberly. In the next moment, the FriendLiner arrived at the scene. Inside, Eve stretched, it had been quite a ride today. She noticed by the sun's almost-setting that the time outside the FriendLiner was only a few hours. "Owner, why are we stopping here?" The Owner pointed out the door. She saw the tied-up pony and the ashes before her. "Celestia's wings! What is this?" Eve ran out of the FriendLiner to help out this distressed pegasus. Pinkie followed suit, while the other Hobbler stayed behind, to attend to Spike's moans. The two frantically began undoing the ropes, and in the fluster, the destination ticket fell out from behind Eve's ear and landed on the despondent pony. It activated, and a date, October 10th, 1998, appeared on it. "Oh no, it's been used now!" Eve picked it up with her magic and took a look at the date. Why did this pony have this date in mind? Why wasn't she moving or even showing any indication that she and Pinkie were there? Why was she thinking of so many questions today? But the questions that actually did come out were: "Did a draconic-looking monster do all this burning?" and "Does this date mean anything to you?", and the former got no response whatsoever while the latter only caused her to change her gaze, looking at Eve's eyes, but not into them, past them. "She looks like she needs some cheering-up, bad!" said Pinkie, her voice feeling a little deflated. "I think we all do, today. It hasn't been very good." Eve stared at the card. She was planning to use it to back to earlier that day, but now it had this old date on it and she wasn't too keen on having to use up another one to do so. Besides, somehow, some part of her was suggesting that, even though what she knew about time-travel magic contradicted the possibility, the Hobbler might be found there. "Come on, Pinkie! I have a good feeling about this!" She then headed back into the FriendLiner. "Ooh, you're developing an Eve-sense, huh? Sounds neat!" --- After a couple of days inside the dining car, the yellow Hobbler had nursed Spike back to a complete-enough level of health. Handing him his belt, Eve explained to him about the Destination Tickets, and her hunch about the one that had dropped onto the Hobbler's victim. So, he put the ticket into his pass and headed to the front car. Inside, there wasn't a steam engine as he thought, but rather, a strange glowing window and a treadmill. The Owner stepped onto the treadmill. "I believe you have a ticket to go to a special sometime?" Spike nodded and handed him the pass. He took a look, nodded and inserted it into an opening in the floor. The date appeared on the strange window. "Are you ready to embark on a time-tripping ride?" The odd phrase took Spike off guard, but not enough to dissuade him from his question. "Uh, how does this work? There's no engine here!" "The FriendLiner is a very special train. Now climb onto my back, unless of course, you'd rather not see it." Well, it wasn't everyday that one got to see the Owner directing the train to specific time, so why not? Spike shrugged and climbed up onto the Owner's back. He began to gallop on the treadmill, and the strange window showed that as he ran on the treadmill, the train moved, and the tracks appearing in front of the train were taking wild new directions! Then, in a flash, they were suddenly at... --- 10 10 1998 --- Brawn emerged from a stringy yellow filly and found himself in the Everfree Forest. He had just burned this place down, didn't he? The portal had definitely taken him somewhere strange. Looking down at the terrified filly, he noticed that it was a younger version of the pony he had emerged from the first time! It seemed that he had somehow managed to go back even further into time through her! It must have been the favor he did! Kicking the filly in the head to knock her out so she wouldn't scream and run for help, he excitedly wrote down his discovery in his notepad. "To think... I've discovered how to go beyond the limits of the time-travel spell! Ha ha!" His mirth was interrupted, though, by the whistle of a time-traveling train, flying in, down towards him, dropping off a passenger. The baby dragon from before! Spike had arrived! "I see you're well!" chuckled the Hobbler. "How on earth did you follow me back in time? Was it the train?" "You don't deserve an explanation, Brawn! You burned down a forest and..." The sight of a filly caught his eye. What's more, he recognized this one, it was a younger version of Twilight's friend Fluttershy! "...and-" "So I kicked a filly in the face..." Brawn said, coating his voice in faux-innocence. "...does that really subtract points from my, ahem, gentledragon status?" Spike put the Friend-O belt and dramatically held up the Pass. "Yes." He pressed the pink button, then swiped the pass past the buckle's jewel. LAUGH FORM "Aaaaaaaaalright! Now that I've had some R&R, I think you're going to find I'm a bit more savvy this time around! Get ready, this is the Masked Rider versus Bad Brawn, part 2!" "Show me, then." This time, Brawn went in for the first strike, which Pinkie jumped away. Next, she was having Spike hop from tree to tree, to which Brawn scowled. "If you're trying to annoy me, I'm not going to fall for that!" Without realizing it, he had let his guard down while he said that, and inexplicably, the Rider emerged from the ground for an uppercut strike! "I'm not annoying; I'm simply beyond compare!" She assembled the Rider Sword and started falling back down to do an overhead strike. "Now let's really begin!" The fight continued in this kind of fashion for a bit, with Pinkie showing a great amount of improvement from last time. While waiting for Spike to recover, she had been going over the battle in her head until, after eating 39 cupcakes, 5 candy canes, and a mint chocolate, the sugar surged a creative spark in her brain! Ergo, she would have to get crafty instead of relying on her brute force in battle. Now that she was doing it in practice, though, could she see the fruits of her efforts. "And Eve said too much sugar is bad for me! Hah!" "I take it you've discovered a new part of yourself lately?" Spike asked. "You bet, Spike! Now if you don't mind, I have a battle to get back to!" A few more scrapes and bruises later, Brawn had had enough. He felt like he had indulged Pinkie for a bit, but now was the time to really show off the true advantages he had. He flew up into the air and stayed there, shooting fireballs at Spike. "You don't think I can get you up there, huh?" The Masked Rider rolled to dodge another fireball. "Guess again!" Getting up, she had Spike grab the Pass and swipe it across the buckle's jewel. FULL CHARGE "Pinkie's Party Payoff! Part 2!" The blade of the sword detached from the handle and she began swinging the charged blade around... and kept missing. "You're not too used to hitting airborne opponents, are you?" jeered Brawn as he flew in confusing formations. "Maybe if you flew in one place!" She continued directing the blade, but it was no use; though Brawn was a mediocre flier, it was enough to dodge each swipe. She began hitting the sword handle in frustration. "Spike, we need to recalibrate this thing!" The yellow Hobbler decided that she couldn't sit in the dining car, seeing Pinkie's winning streak fade through the window, and so she took the chance to go into Spike, turning the young dragon's body into even more of a crowded vessel. "Woah! What is this?" "I want to help!" "Are you serious? You don't strike me as the fighting-type." "I have a good feeling about this!" "We're all developing hunch senses today! Pinkie approves of this development!" "Well, if you say so... Pinkie, let's hand the reigns to her, then." Brawn had taken the opportunity, while Friend-O had stopped, to conjure up an extra-hot fireball to fry the young dragon with. Just as the principle of impeccable timing would have it, though, Spike, now under the control of the yellow Hobbler, dived out of the way. "You've been a very bad dragon today, Mr. Brawn! I am very ashamed of you!" "You say this as if I give a flying feather about your opinion, Rider!" She had Spike press the yellow button on the Friend-O belt. "I think it's time for you to take a time-out!" She touched the pass to the belt's jewel. KIND FORM The pieces of the magic armor that were associated with Laugh Form vanished, and instead new, pastel-colored defense-oriented pieces took their place. Completing the difference in this form, though, was done via the small wings that grew from the back's armor plate. With the transformation completed, Masked Rider Friend-O took flight! Brawn's jaw dropped at this development. Now the pesky baby could fly, too? No matter, he was still the more experienced flier. He continued to fly around, shooting fireballs, while Kind Form Friend-O mainly dodged, not attacking just yet, but instead reassembling the weapon parts to something that suited her more than a sword. Soon, she was done, and the weapon was now a Herding Cane! A look of shock spread across Brawn's face, as he wasn't quite sure how exactly a stick hampered by a hook at the end would be more useful in a fight than a regular cane. Fortunately for him, his question was answered an a flash as the Rider flew in close and caught him in the hook, throwing him to the ground with a thud! He stumbled back up, only to find himself hooked again, but this time, he was pulled in close. They were so close now that the Rider Mask was the only thing keeping his and Spike's faces from touching altogether. "Now apologize! Are you sorry for your misbehavior?" "Feh!" spat Brawn. "I'm sorry that I let you live the first time, Rider!" In response, the yellow Hobbler had Spike press the pass to the belt buckle. It was now time for her... FULL CHARGE A sudden intensity hit Brawn as he faced the Rider's eyes. Somehow, even with a helmet between them, the eyes of the yellow Hobbler, showing through the eyes of Spike, were piercing through to Brawn. In fact, the eye-jewel-thingies on the mask actually seemed to be amplifying the effect of the awe-inspiring stare. Then, the pressure was released. Brawn's heart exploded. BOOM! He fell to the ground. This was the end. He had only just managed to travel this far into the past... and already he was dead. That accursed baby dragon had done him in! He moaned as his life drained rapidly from him. Spike, meanwhile, had taken off the belt, and thus the magic armor, and ran to go help young Fluttershy. He, Brawn, the supposedly intelligent dragon, had been careless, and now he would die alone. Gritting his teeth, he used the last of his energy to seal his notepad. In case he found his mission for information terminated early, he had his seniors create a magic seal, which, when activated, would protect the journal from decomposing in the elements. He shallowly buried it with his final motions and hoped, as he drew his last breath, that his compatriots in the future would find it, and use his findings to slay Friend-O. He would be avenged. He had to be! --- "Did I do the right thing?" asked the yellow Hobbler. She was twiddling her claws a bit, and wasn't eating Derpy's celebratory muffins, unlike the others. "It's your call." Eve said, matter-of-factually. "You followed us into our war, and war sometimes asks that you make tough decisions." "I had no idea the stare would be that hard! I was... Spike, do you think he could've changed his ways?" Spike stared, unsure what to say. (Well that, and his mouth was full anyway) Eve spoke up. "I've never known a dragon to change his ways, personally. Rotten beings like Brawn aren't going to change just because you treated them like a foal." "Geez, Eve. Are you forgetting I'm right here? I'm a dragon too and I'm not evil!" Spike started chewing faster, hoping that they'd stop in Ponyville soon, of course, in the year he came from. "I just wish I remembered more of who I am, then I could be more true to myself..." she said, as it would be helpful to refer to her by a name instead of resorting to "the yellow Hobbler" or "the shy Hobbler" all the time. "You helped me recover; maybe my turn will come up to help you!" Spike chimed in. "...are you sure? Do you mean it?" "Sure!" Spike swallowed the last of his muffin. Derpy's baking left a good feeling in his belly. "...let's go off of this system, okay? I accidentally ended up coining the name 'Pinkie' for the other Hobbler here because she reminded me of a pony I knew. So, because you're reminding me of another one of Twilight's friends, you can be the other Fluttershy!" "Fluttershy?" She dived towards Spike to put him in a hug. "Thank you so much, Spike!" "You can also call him Spikey-Wikey!" exclaimed Pinkie, who was making a fort out of sugar cubes. "It's Naming-Spree Day, now is it?" Eve thought, looking out the window, but not actually taking in the sights. "Three's company, I suppose. I don't know what to think about all of this. On one hoof, we should still be precarious about trusting Hobblers left and right, but on the other, they obviously augment Spike's power in a way I can't ignore." Her thoughts were interrupted when she was pelted in the face with a donut. "Pinkie! What the hay?" Pinkie, Spike, and Derpy held up donuts. Pinkie threw one into her own face and explained, "Donut fight! C'mon, join in!" Eve groaned. Their mirth was going to be her annoyance, wasn't it? tick - - tock - - Next time: Spike finally learns what's behind Apple Bloom's demeanor! It's about time he's noticed that some changes are too big to ignore. But the more things change, the more they stay the same, they say! Can Apple Bloom become stronger? Will a fractured family be brought back together again? Who is poisoning the trees at Sweet Apple Acres? To top it all off, what is the crew to do when Ponyville is plagued by TWO Hobblers? Next time, prepare to witness THE APPLE FAMILY CRISIS!