//------------------------------// // Fear // Story: The World Ends With Pony // by Whiteeyes //------------------------------// "Oh hey Snowflake. You here for that new exercise manual series that came in by Big McHugeflank?" Twilight asked. "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the easily excitable stallion shouted while flexing, his neck muscles bulging out like ropes on his neck. "Sure, it's right this way." Twilight said smiling, leading him over to the physical fitness section which, once Rainbow Dash had finally taken to reading, she was quite familiar with. Twilight noticed her guest was staring with an open gape. "Don't stare Rhyme, that's rude." The filly seemed to remember her manners as she closed her mouth and blinked. "Wow. You are big. Really really really big!" she recited in the manner of all children who felt they needed to state the obvious. Snowflake, responding with his usual enthusiasm was enough to send the filly behind the table for cover. "He's going to eat me!" "What no! That's ridiculous and utterly absurd you lady. Such volatile and aggressive behavior is abhorrent to all of pony kind, let alone our herbivorous nature. And despite the prodigious bulk on display, I assure you that I am quite harmless." Snowflake assured the little filly, getting another round of staring. "Oh what, because I'm large and interested in physical proves I have to be some sort of simplistic ludite of a brute?" "Yeah, I guess supposing you had a predilection towards violent behavior and an antitheses against scholastic pursuits was presumptuous." Rhyme noted apologetically. Her extensive vocabulary took Twilight back a bit. "So, who's the Dad?" Snowflake asked with a significant look at Twilight. "What? No, she's not my ugh why would you even think that?" Twilight asked, annoyed and, admittedly, a little panicked. In a small town like this, rumors spread like wildfire. It had taken weeks to get rid of that stupid 'Twilight is Secretly Celestia's Daughter' rumor, and the 'Rainbow Dash is in secret love with Applejack and that's why the pretend to fight in public' had taken months to crush. The impending 'Twilight has a secret daughter' rumor was NOT going to start on her watch. "Sorry. But an unknown filly in your library with a giant vocabulary? You have to admit it is a little suspicious." Snowflake noted. "Look do you want those training manuals or not?" Twilight asked, exasperated. Dealing with the ponies of Ponyville was really trying at times. The theory that the whole town was crazy continued to gain credence all the time. "Training YEAAAAAAAH!" was all the answer she needed. After giving the overeager giant of a pegasus the manual he'd been asked for, she found that Rhyme had gone back to reading. "You know, that was really rude. You shouldn't judge somepony by how they look. Thinking something is scary just because it looks different isn't very nice. You're really smart, you should know better than that." the mare scolded. Then there was a knock on the door. "Hold on, we'll finish this after I see who's there." Opening the door, Twilight gave a small yelp and backed away. Standing in the door was the scariest pegasi she had ever seen. Oh sure, she'd thought that about Snowflake, but his stallion blew him out of the water. This new pony, jet black in color, was built like Big Mac. While Snowflake was more muscular, this new guy looked stronger somehow. Like his muscles hadn't been honed for sports or to create an impressive physique but from constant hard use. His eyes were tight, focused, and sharp like a predator's unfeeling gaze. It was almost like he was figuring out how to take her apart in his head. And that was before you threw in the pony skull motif he had going. It was on his cap, his amulet, even his skateboard. His Cutie Mark was a pair of skeletal wings jammed together. Everything about this stallion just screamed dangerous. The most logical part of Twilight's mind briefly wondered if this is what it was like for Fluttershy anytime she met somepony new, and if it was it fully understood why she was so scared. The rest of Twilight's mind would normally be making theory and counter theory and engaging in intelligent debate on her new thought, but not right now. At that moment, the other seventy some percent of her brain was screaming at her to close the door. So she did, fast. Twilight was just beginning to calm her racing heart when Rhyme walked over and clumsily opened the door. Before Twilight could do anything, the little filly chimed out "Hi bro! What are you doing at a library?" Twilight could only blink. Bro? That huge….thing was her brother? Certainly a lot less friendly looking than my own brother. "Library huh? Anyway why did you go off on your own like that, I was worried. What if something had happened to you huh?" he asked. His voice was a little deep, but nowhere near the bass rumble she expected of a pony that size. He sounded almost, youngish? "Anyway, we need to head back, everybody is waiting." "OK. Oh yeah, miss Library Lady, can I borrow this book please?" Rhyme asked, adding some stability back into Twilight's life. Books were no problem. Not scary at all. Nope. (Why was he wearing pony skull clothing?) "Right. OK Rhyme, I'll get you checked out. Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. My name is Twilight Sparkle." the mare said beaming. That elicited a slight chuckle from the stallion for some reason, but he stopped when Rhyme glared at him for being rude. Definitely family. You cannot stare somepony down like that unless you can hit them right in the guilt. "Anyway, since you're new in town you'll just need to write down your name so that I can put it on the card." She began floating papers, pen, ink, and card over. She heard a small gasp, but it hadn't been from Rhyme, the easy to impress filly. It had been from the stallion. Huh, maybe he only lived in cloud cities and never saw a unicorn before? "Oh yeah, while I'm at it, would your brother like one too?" "Oh, Beat's not that into reading." Rhyme bemoaned (So Beat…and Rhyme…music maybe?) "So ummmmmmmmmmmm, where do I write?" she asked. "Oh, right here on this line at the bottom of the page." Twilight said happily, nudging over the ink filled pen. Rhyme seemed quite clumsy as she mouth wrote (it still impressed Twilight how other ponies could even write without a horn at times) but in the end the paperwork was signed for "Bline?" Twilight asked amused. "Stupid pen." Rhyme said, clearly annoyed. With a little laugh Twilight finished checking out the book and told her it was due back in three weeks, a bit a day was the late fee. With a final wave, Twilight sent them on their way. Sure Beat had seemed scary, but she had just told Rhyme that you shouldn't judge somepony by their appearance. That would be wrong. So it was for totally different reasons that Twilight started pulling out various reference manuals to try and figure out what Beat's Cutie Mark might mean. It had been a symbol unlike any she had seen before. That was totally the only reason she was looking for what it could mean. Really. Pinkie Prom….well OK maybe not Pinkie Promise, but still. And that pendant that was bugging her. When Spike came back from shopping, they were going to have a lot of research to do. "So we're using our nicknames because it fits their actual names huh? Wait, what about the other two?" Beat asked, walking along. Normally he'd have been skating along side his sister, but at the moment they weren't sure they were skilled enough with their bodies to do so. So instead they walked, having to endure the occasional…OK that most ponies apparently didn't just find him intimidating, they found him downright terrifying. Heck, as they walked past a flower cart all three of its attendants fainted in fright after shouting "The horror! The horror!" Beat was really starting to lose his patience and get angry, which only made other ponies more nervous around him, which made him madder, which made them more nervous… Rhyme diffused the situation with the logical solution, namely keep things focused on the job at hand. "Neku has that nickname Phones that Kat's always calling him, that would work. As for Shiki….I don't know. We'll probably have to make a name. You know, I think it's a good thing you're scary. If you weren't, we wouldn't even be able to whisper this conversation. We've got plenty of clear space which is good for security." It was of course at that moment that one of the ponies shouted "Hold it right there you!" Suddenly, their field of vision was filled by a…rainbow? No, it wasn't a rainbow. It was a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. "Where do you get off scaring everypony in town huh? Think you're a tough colt huh ugly? Well put them up Mr. and I'll show you who's tough!" she shouted, and was suddenly shadowboxing with her front legs as if prepping for a fight. Before Beat had a chance to show her just how outmatched she was (unfamiliar body or not, he would have wrecked her hard) Rhyme stepped in. "You're very rude! My brother is just walking me home from the library and we're new in town and you come yelling at us and calling my brother names! You're very very mean! Twilight just said only not smart people are scared of somepony because of how they look! You've got to be very dumb then!" Rhyme punctuated the last statement with a stamp of her hooves. Beat tried his best not to laugh. He looked between his sister who was doing a great imitation of being mad and the rainbow pony who was staring at her slack jawed. All the humor in this situation left immediately however when the flying rainbow came down and jabbed his sister lightly in the face. "Why you I oughta…" What she ought to do was never noted however as Beat took this opportunity to end the fight before it began in one quick motion. Lifting up one leg, he brought it down quickly on her back, smacking her to the ground and pinning her wings. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help noticing that you were threatening my sister. That was a very bad move."