Chapter 38: Slapping the Bull
"Rumble, you're full of it!"
"Yeah, you're making all that up!"
"No I'm not, it really happened!" Rumble exclaimed. For the past few minutes the light gray pegasus regaled his friends, and a few onlookers, with his encounter last week with the most dreaded and monstrous creature to have ever crawled out of the darkest depths of Tartarus: Bryce.
When Rumble's friends first heard about his encounter they had all expected it to be more heroic, more horrific, more interesting, to say the least. Instead, all Rumble told them was how he had met Bryce, in an awkward way, talked with him, and how it all turned sour when Thunderlane came to investigate Rumble's delay. Then the situation only became worse when Thunderlane became posed to thrash Bryce only to have Bryce's dog 'smile' at the older pegasus. Then, before the situation could get anymore out of control, Applejack showed up in time to break it up.
When Rumble had decided to tell his friends about Bryce he had hoped they would be more open minded, but he was only met with denial and spite.
"I'm telling you, that's how it happened!"
"*Pfft* Yeah right! If it's true than why are you still alive?"
"Because, he didn't hurt anypony."
"Please! Everypony knows nopony's ever lived to tell about him."
Rumble stopped for a second to come up with a response. "Then... Explain how Rainbow Dash was able to tell us about him!"
It didn't take long for one of Rumble's friends to reply. "Because she's awesome, DUH!!!"
"That doesn't mean-" Rumble was cut short when he saw Thunderlane running past. He was surprised to even see Thunderlane running since he always said that flying was much better, and faster, than running any day. Rumble waved him down. "Hey, Lane!"
Thunderlane's concentration was sidetracked by Rumble and he came skidding to a halt that sent him falling flat on his face.
Rumble and his friends ran over to the slate gray pegasus. Rumble was the first to reach him. "Lane, are you okay?"
Thunderlane quickly got up and regained his composure. "O- Of course everything's okay. Why won't- Why won't it be?" He stopped to spit out a few blades of grass.
"Lane, would you tell my friends about what happened with Bryce the other day, they keep saying I'm making it up."
When Thunderlane heard Bryce's name his demeanor shifted. "Wh- why would you want to know about th- that thing!?"
"Go on Lane, tell them how you were so scared of his dog you couldn't even-"
"I- I'm not saying anything about him. And as far as I'm concerned you shouldn't either."
"Lane, come on, he's not that ba-"
"Oh ho, yes he is." He turned to the crowd of foals that had gathered around. "You all listen to me, if you ever see him you better get as far away as you can. Whatever that... Bryce creature is he's no good. YOU HEAR ME!?"
"Lane...? What are you-"
"The same goes for you, Rumble. That thing's only looking to cause trouble," Thunderlane continued to rant in an alarmed tone of voice. "I don't care what happens, stay out of sight of him, got it!!!"
"Why, what happened?"
Thunderlane drew in a long breath and stood up straight. "Bryce just... He... just..." The vigor he had was unexpectedly replaced with something else. It wasn't quite fear, but it was something close to it. For a few seconds the slate pegasus attempted again and again to tell them what had just happened, but each time he felt as if a heavier and heavier weight was bearing down on his skull. It soon came to a point where he felt nauseous. "He... He... Ugh..."
"Lane, are you alright?"
"I... I need... to go... go lie down." Without saying another word, Thunderlane turned around and continued on the path he'd been taking into Ponyville.
This left Rumble and his group of friends left staring at Thunderlane as he walked away from them all.
When he was out of sight, one of the foals said, "What just happened?"
Rumble stammered out," I- I don't know. I've never seen my brother do... that." He slowly turn back to the group. When he did he saw something that filled him with horror. A minute ago he would have been enthusiastic to see this, but now it could only fill him with dismay. "B... B... B..."
"What's that?"
"What's he saying?"
Rumble lifted his hoof and pointed behind them.
When they turned around they all saw something that filled them all with the same feeling of unease.
Walking past, looking almost exactly as Rumble had describe him, was Bryce. When they saw him his head was pulled back looking up at the sky. He was being lead along by the local mailmare, Ditzy.
"R- Rumble, is that...?"
"Ye- Ye-"
"Bryce, are you alright?"
"I'm- I'm-" Bryce stuttered.
"Try and stay calm. We're almost there." They all heard the pair say.
They remained speechless as they both went past.
"What was that?"
"I don't know."
"It's like he zombified her."
A dull brown earth pony colt named Rocksalt added, "Or she's a thrall; the first pawn in his quest to make a pony army and take over the whole world."
The group of foals stood for a second before uttering a single phrase.
"Did anypony hear that?"
"Hear what?" Rocksalt gruffly asked.
"I think I hear my mother calling."
"Uh, yeah, I think I hear your mother calling too."
"Yeah, and it is getting pretty close to dinner time."
Many of foals began to dissipate, leaving Rumble, Rocksalt, three of the second's closest friends, and an orange pegasus with a purple mane.
"Hey, where are you all going?" Rocksalt shouted. "We can't let him take control of everypony." He looked to the few foals that remained. "Okay, yous guys, I think it's clear what we must do."
"Go home and hide under our beds?" One of Rocksalt's friends asked.
"Do what he says and hopes he spares our lives?"
"Forget what we saw and go to Sugarcube Corner?"
Rocksalt's friends high hoofed in agreement at the last suggestion.
Rocksalt facehoofed, while in his mind prepared to smack them all across the head. "No, you foals. We need to go and-"
His friends began to smile, begging to go.
After a while Rocksalt relented. "Fine, but after that we're going to take care of that Bryce thing." They all howled in triumph. Turning to Rumble, Rocksalt asked, "Hey, Rumb, you comin?"
"Huh, wha...?" Rumble said, still spooked from the events of the last few minutes. "Coming where?"
"To Sugarcube Corner?"
"Well... I..."
"Come on!" Rocksalt said in his thick Manehattan accent.
"Uh... I should really go see if my brother's alright," Rumble then flew off in the direction Thunderlane had taken only minute before.
"Eh, suit yourself. You, runt," Rocksalt said to the orange pegasus. "Are you coming, or are you gonna be nothin but a chicken like the rest of those scaredy cats?"
"What!? I'm not scared. I'd go up against that thing by myself if I had to!"
"Yeah right, then why didn't you do anything before?"
"Because... Because the mailmare was in the way. You know, didn't want her getting hurt. Ha ha."
Rocksalt thought for a second before he nodded in agreement. "Eh, you got a point. Come on, let's hurry up and get there before those scaredy cats beat us to it."
As the group of five foals made their way through Ponyville the first thing they noticed was how deserted the place appeared. There wasn't a single stallion or mare, filly or colt anywhere to be seen. What they did hear, however, was a roar coming from a single direction.
The more distance they all made to Sugarcube Corner the louder the roaring became.
One of Rocksalt's friends asked, "What do yuh think that is?"
"I don't know, but I just hope we it's not a line. I don't want to wait to too long to get a sweet, sweet-"
The group stopped suddenly when they found what was the source of all the commotion. All around the front side of Sugarcube Corner there appeared to be almost every inhabitant of Ponyville.
"Dang, what's got everypony wanting to go here the same time we do?" The group tried to see over the much taller stallions and mares in the crowd, but could only see the tops of their individual rumps. Eventually Rocksalt tapped the rump of a stallion at the edge of the crowd. "Hey, what's the hold up?"
The stallion turned around to face Rocksalt. "You know that thing Rainbow was telling everypony about? Well it turns out she wasn't telling a complete lie."
"What, Bryce? He's here right now!?"
"Yeah."
"Well what's he doing? Has he eaten anypony or taken'em under his mind control?"
"No, actually."
Rocksalt furrowed his brow. "Then what is he doing?"
"Well that's just it, he's just sitting there."
The dull brown colt's mood sullened. "Sitting... there...?"
"I know. It's strange, but it seems like Rainbow was telling a fib."
Rocksalt again furrowed his brow and pointed his hoof barely an inch from the stallion's nose. "Or he's really making you say that because he already has you all under his control! So what is it that's really happening!? If you don't tell me soon I'm gonna-"
Rocksalt's friends quickly grabbed him from behind and began to pull him away while keeping his mouth covered. "We're real sorry, sir, our friend is just upset about- about-"
"About having to wait for his malt. You see, he really likes malts, and I mean 'really'."
"Yeah, It's been more than a month since he last had one and he's just upset he'll have to wait. Oh drat, I guess we'll try again tomorrow. Ha ha."
When they were a respectable distance away from the crowd the colts released their hold on Rocksalt. Each one was met with a sizeable sock to the mouth.
"Rock, what the hay!?"
"What the- What the hay!? What the hay were yous guys thinkin takin me away like that!?"
"We were trying to save you from yourself."
"I didn't need savin! All those guys back there are the ones needing to be saved!"
"No they didn't. You were the one this close to getting grounded by your mother, or worse."
"Yeah, because that... ape woulda told'em all to do it."
"Rock, are you even listening to yourself?"
"I know exactly what I'm sayin. We need to go back there right now and..." Rocksalt stammered, trying to find the proper words.
"Need to do... What!?"
It didn't take long for Rocksalt to respond. "We need to send somepony in there to get a better look at'm."
The four foals looked at him in surprise. "Look, Rock, there's no way we're gonna let you go in there."
Rocksalt gave an evil grin. "I never said I was gonna do it."
"Well there's no way you'll get any of us to go in there. We may be your friends but we're not going to start something just because you aren't thinking straight."
His two other friends nodded in agreement.
"Nah. I'd never make yous guys go in there. Yous guys are my Bs." He shifted his gaze over to the orange pegasus filly. "We're gonna send the runt in."
The pegasus' eyes shrank to pinpricks. "Wh- Why do I need to be the one?"
"Because you're a girl, and you can't even fly yet. Even if he did enthrall yuh he wouldn't get very much."
It was obvious to them all how much it hurt her for him to say that.
"Rock, that was low, even for you."
"What, I'm just sayin-"
"I don't care, you didn't have to say that. Besides, what are you even wanting to prove. That stallion seem sure about-"
"I'll do it."
The four colts were shocked to hear her say that. "Excuse me?"
"I said I'll do it; just to prove to you wrong."
There was silence until Rocksalt let out a snort. "Yeah, if you do that I'll take it back. No, wait, tell you what. If you come back, alive and in one piece, then I'll give you my autographed Wonderbolts poster.
The orange pegasus did nothing but stare down at the ground for what seemed like an eternity. On the one hoof she would do almost anything to prove she was braver than he was, but on the other she still held on to the belief that he was indeed right about Bryce already having Ponyville under his control. But if that were the case then why weren't any of his pony minions out looking for them, for surely Rocksalt's yelling would have been enough to draw Bryce's attention.
After throughly thinking the matter over, the orange pegasus looked Rocksalt directly in the eyes with a look of determination and nodded.
Rocksalt smirked. "Fine, let's go."
As the group made their way back to the crowd they again stopped to take in the scene. All that could be seen were the same rumps of the stallions and mares. All that could be heard was the same roar of the jumbled mess of chatter from them all.
After a while Rocksalt had become impatient. "Hey, runt, are you goin or what?"
The orange pegasus replied, "O- Of course I am, I was just-"
"Look, kid, you don't have to do this."
"Hush up...! Unless yous lookin ta take her place?" Rocksalt said raising his eyebrows.
This came with a glare from the pegasus. She took a single step forward, leaving her only a few inches away from the wall of rumps.
"Wait, before you go in there, will you at least tell us your name...? You know, in case you don't make it."
"Scootaloo... My name's Scootaloo." Having said that she took a deep breath and began to push her way through the legs of the onlookers of the crowd. To say it was an easy task would have been like saying procupines were the best thing to make kick balls with. The deeper Sccotaloo traveled through the forest of hooves the the thicker it became. Every so often she would step on somepony's hoof or tail resulting in a groan of discontent from its owner. It made Scootaloo wonder if she was trapped in an eternal circle.
Out of nowhere Scootaloo finally saw a speck of light. As she continued to press on the light became brighter and brighter until she was finally free of the crowd. She was close to hoof pumping herself in achievement, until she took notice of the thing she had dared come through the crowd to see.
Bryce was right where the stallion on the other side of the crowd had said he was: Sitting on the steps into Sugarcube Corner. He wasn't alone, however.
He was currently talking in a low voice to the mailmare she'd seen him with before. In his hand he had a folded up paper towel pressed up against his nose. Scootaloo flinched when she saw the paper towel dyed in a crimson red.
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All Bryce knew was that he was surrounded. At his front and flanks there had to be at least a hundred of the ponies that inhabited the hamlet of Ponyville. Whatever their individual conversations were about was lost in one big jumbled mess of chatter, but it would be obvious to anyone present what was the focus.
It took all of Bryce's will to sit on the steps of Sugarcube Corner. He didn't dare move a muscle. It was half out of fear, half out of having nothing to do as an alternative. His eyes weren't as still, however, as they scanned the entirety of the scene before him. He could tell the majority of the inhabitants were what were called earth ponies. Every once and a while there was either a horn or a wing sticking out from the pastel colored mass.
Every so often Bryce would roll up his left sleeve to check and see how much time had elasped, and each time berating himself to see only a few seconds had gone by.
In between his constant probings, Bryce would try and pass the time by curling and uncurling his toes back and forth. He would first uncurl the toes on his right foot while curling the toes on his left. Then he would do the opposite; uncurling his left toes and curling his right ones. Bryce would do this constantly, while at the same time counting up to four with each consecutive curling. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.
It was a habit Bryce had had since he was a child, something he didn't know he why continued to do, but still did to this day; anytime; anywhere.
Sometimes he would get so caught up in this habit that he lost sight of the world around him.
Bryce almost jumped out of his skin when the door behind him opened. When he turned around he was me with the misaligned eyes Ditzy.
"Bryce, how are you holding up?" She asked in a low voice.
"I'm... I'm doing fine."
"Okay. Listen, I was finally able to get up to the counter, but..."
Bryce stared at her waiting for her to finish.
"Ms. Cake is just now putting the finishing touches on the cake."
"... Okay."
"They've told me they'll bring it right out as soon as it's done. It should only be about five minutes more, ten tops... Are you going to be alright staying..."
Bryce bit his lower lip and nodded. "I can wait."
"Great. Oh, before I forget." She reached back inside and pulled out a small paper gift bag. "Here's the chocolate you wanted."
Bryce opened the bag to see a few chocolate bars laying inside. "Th- Thank you." Before Ditzy could head back in, he said to her, "How are you holding up?"
"Bryce, I know you're concerned, but... Just please don't ask me now, I have more important things than me to worry about." Ditzy then went back inside without another word.
With that Bryce was again left alone amongst the crowd. The chatter showed no sign of ending any time soon, nor the crowd dissapating.
In the mean time Bryce decided to try one of the chocolate bars Ditzy had gotten for him. As he was beginning to tear off the wrapper with his teeth Bryce took notice of something. It was something he hadn't seen until now. He had remembered almost every face and color at the front of the crowd, and he was quick to notice that this one that appeared to have sprung from nowhere.
It was an orange pegasus filly, about the size of Apple Bloom and Dinky. But it wasn't just that she was a new face in the crowd, she was also standing at least a full yard inside of the assembled pastel equines, but still a good distance away from him.
When Scootaloo saw Bryce looking at her her immediate reaction was to freeze in place with a hoof stuck in the motion of movement.
As if in turn, Bryce stopped fiddling with the candy wrapper and held the block of chocolate in midair.
For the next minute the two stared each other down, neither one knowing what to do. As the seconds ticked by the throng of ponies began to quiet down and cut their conversations short. The scene became so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
Each individual was preparing to do whatever necessary to handle the situation. Most were prepared to run off as far away as they could; a few felt that if things were to go sideways they would faint where they stood; even fewer were prepared to do whatever necessary if this foreign being dared hurt a single hair on the filly's head or a feather in her juvenile wings.
When Bryce made the first move all the ponies of the last group got into a stance to charge.
Looking down at the chocolate bar still in his hand, Bryce decided to try and coax the filly to come to him. In a low voice, he asked, "Hey, you like chocolate?"
Scootaloo weakly nodded. It was so small that it almost went unnoticed by the human.
Bryce looked down at the chocolate again. It looked to be a rather sizeable bar with groozes cut into it to allow one to break it apart with ease. The smell it let off was a sweet one, a smell much stronger than any Bryce had ever smelled before from anything like it. Bryce held the chocolate out to Scootaloo. "You want some?"
Hearing that sent a plethora of possible scenerios into her mind. In many of them she could see it was all a trick, a ploy just to get her close enough to... Well, she didn't really want to think that far ahead. At the same time, however, she believed Bryce was legitimately trying to be nice and the confection was his way of showing it.
Taking the plunge, Scootaloo began to trot forward at a snail's pace.
The onlookers ready to protect her became that much more tense with each step she took.
When Scootaloo was close enough to where she could grab the chocolate in her mouth she stopped. The reason for her delay was that, while she'd seen him open the wrapper he may well have done something to the wrapper's contents. She took a few cautionary sniffs.
"It's okay, all I did was open it. I swear." Bryce reached forward for her to take it, but that only made her step back. Seeing her unease, Bryce brought the chocolate to his chest level. "Would it help if I took a bite myself?"
To Scootaloo, that would indeed be a good indicator, but only if he dared to do so.
Bryce placed the blood stained paper towel down on the steps before he broke off top row of the bar. Taking it into his mouth his tounge exploded with its sweetness. "Hmm! Better than anything like it back home, I'll say that much." Bryce flipped around what remained of the full bar around to Scootaloo. "Here, you go on and have the rest."
Any fear Scootaloo had left for the human was held at bay, but some doubt still clung to the back of her mind.
"Well, come on. Don't leave me hanging."
Scootaloo had already come this far, and he was perfectly capable of getting up and taking her if he wanted to. Taking one more look into Bryce's gray eyes, Scootaloo reached forward and took the candy bar in her mouth. Bryce simultaneously loosened his hold on the bar letting the orange filly take control of it.
"Well, enjoy it. I need to watch my waist line anyway." Bryce said with a slap to his belly.
With the candy still held in her mouth, Scootaloo giggled in agreement.
At that moment, a green object fell down right between them both.
Thinking it had something to do with Bryce, Scootaloo's reaction was to turn and run back through the crowd she'd came from.
Bryce fell back hitting his head on the door behind him. "SON OF A MOTHER-" The rest of his sentence was cut short when the door he'd just slammed his head into opened up sending him falling back and knocking his head on the floor. It hurt so much Bryce had to keep his eyes closed tight.
"Oh my gosh, are you alright!? That looked like it was a real doozy." He heard a familiar squeaky voice ask.
Bryce opened his eyes a slit to find Pinkie Pie's big blue pair staring back at him. "... Ow..."
"Oh my gosh, how bad does it hurt? Are we going to need to get you to the hospital, or do you just need an ice pack? Do you feel woozy? Can you see anything!? Oh no, you're not responding! IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE-"
Bryce firmly planted his hand over the pink mare's mouth. "Pinkie... I'm fine... Please... stop yelling... in my face." He removed his hand from over her mouth. After he had recovered he propped himself on the door frame. When he looked inside he saw everypony had stopped what they were doing and were staring directly at him. Bryce raised his hand and waved. "Hey, how's it going?" After that he lied back and closed his eyes.
"I'm so, so sorry. I heard from Ditzy that you were out front and I wanted to make sure for myself. But then I thought maybe Gummy would want to see you too, because he's like one of the coolest pets anypony could ever have. So I ran upstairs and was bringing him down when I saw all the ponies out the window. I was thinking there was a parade, because why else would some many ponies be so close together."
Bryce was really only half listening to what Pinkie had to say. His main focus was on trying to recuperate from having his head smacked twice. In his state he could barely register the thing that had latched onto his hand.
"But when I saw you down below Gummy came to get a better look, but he went out a little too far and fell off. Then you hit your head on the door-"
"Yeah, I know that part... Who the H is Gummy?"
"Oh, he's my pet alligator."
"Well, that is a really... cool..." Bryce had heard that last part rather clearly. It was then he began to take notice of the thing holding on to his hand.
Looking down, he saw a pair of purple reptilian eyes staring back.
It was something that would get anyone's attention. He lifted his hand hoping the alligator would drop off, but it held true. He began to trimble at the sight. "Pinkie, get this thing off of me!"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about him hurting you. Gummy doesn't have any teeth. That's why I named him Gummy."
Sure enough, Bryce did notice how the bite of the small alligator was more ticklish than painful. Bryce watched and laughed as the toothless reptile bit its way up to his shoulder. "Well that... That's cute."
"I know. Now come on, Gummy. Momma needs to get back to work." Pinkie held out her hoof to allow the alligator to bite onto her. With Gummy free from Bryce, the later finally stood back up and dusted himself off.
As Bryce was finishing Ditzy came over with a white box on her Bryce. "Bryce, I have the cake. We really need to get going now. We've already spent more time than we should have."
"Yeah, I know. Well it was nice seeing you, Pinkie, Gummy."
By then Gummy had worked his way to the party mare's head and was attempting to suck her brain out.
"I'll say it again. Cute.".