//------------------------------// // Silvers Key and BMP // Story: The New Guy // by SilverWind102 //------------------------------// The cold pressing against Silvers back is what awoke him. It wasn't unpleasant, but actually quite comforting. It wasn't like the cold of an ice cube, but rather like a cool breeze on an autumn day, refreshing and relaxing. Silver pressed up against the surface more, finding it was not only cool, but also fuzzy. The more he pressed, the more his body shifted, and his eyes were soon caught by a beam of Celestias sun. The light stirred Silver from his half-woken state, prompting him to roll over and go back to his dreamland. Upon resting his head back on the bed, he found that his face had fallen onto the same surface that his back was previously against. He once again found comfort in the cool sensation, and quickly nuzzled himself into the fuzz, picking up a strange but familiar scent coming from it. “Hmm, smells sweet, like....ice cream?” It took him a minute, but he soon realized just what it was he was snuggling. Fear crept into his mind and he slowly opened one eye, hoping that his theory was just that, a theory. Unfortunately, (or for some, not so unfortunately) he was right. The chilled fluff he had become absorbed in was, sure enough, Princess Luna. He found that he had placed his head into her chest, and at some point, she had wrapped a hoof around his neck, bringing him closer. She was sleeping softly, though Silvers lightening fast heart rate might change that. “Ohcrapohcrapohcrap! What the hell is going on!? I don't even remember falling asleep last night! When did I close my eyes?! And why didn't she wake me?! Why did she just leave me here to sleep...with...her....” Silvers heart, while still pounding, changed from fear to fluster and flattery. “There's no way that she...Nooooo....she was just being...courteous. Yeah! It is rude to wake some pony up when they've only just fallen asleep. But, then again, it's also pretty rude to fall asleep in some other ponies bed, even more so if they're in the bed with you.” Silver simply stared at the sleeping mare for a moment. She was wearing a small, adorable smile, and Silver could have sworn he'd heard a giggle at some point. At first he thought she'd might have already been awake, but when he whispered something to her, she didn't respond. Silver laid there for what felt like hours, silently watching and trying to think of something to say to get him out of this situation that wouldn't end with his corpse on the floor. In the end, he figured it would just be best to slip out of the bed and evaporate out through the glass door. He rose his hind legs a few inches off of the sheets, careful to keep his head down so that he didn't shift the hoof draped over his neck and wake up the mare attached to it. He slowly moved his legs across the bed and placed one back paw onto the floor, and then the other. The first phase was complete. Silver moved his front paw over to the head of the bed and grabbed a pillow. Then, very carefully, he slipped his head out from under the hoof, while replacing the space with the pillow. With time and delicacy, Silver managed to completely slip out of the grasp of the Princess. He felt his heart begin to slow, but he wasn't done yet. Silver moved silently across the room, his claws never making a sound against the floor. As he passed by the bed, he noticed something on the floor. The grimoire. A thought had occurred to Silver. Well, it wasn't quite a thought, but more like a feeling. There was something odd, something he'd missed, but he couldn't think of what. The piece of the puzzle that would make clear the image that was painted on the scattered pieces. While lost in his inattentiveness, Luna had awoken. “Leaving so soon?” Luna cooed, her voice soft and gentle, catching Silvers attention. It seemed to be so much more transcendent than normal, where her voice would be deeper and more commanding. Silver froze with fear, praying that maybe the joke that alicorns couldn't see you if you didn't move was real. Her mane still flowed like it always had, even after she'd just woken up, and her eyes were only half-open. On her muzzle was the same smile Silver had woken up to, and he hoped it would stay that way. “Relax Silver,” Luna said, picking up on his tension. She sprawled out onto her bed even more, “If I wanted you out of my bed, I'd have simply kicked you off and told you to leave. But, as it stands, I quite fond of the warmth of your fur, which is strange because I find most levels of heat intolerable. The only ones I like are small fires and that's only during a storm and with a good book.” “Ya don't say,” Silver chuckled out awkwardly. He broke his frozen form and scratched the back of his head with a paw, “Look, sorry I fell asleep in here last night. I didn't mean too, honestly.” “Didn't I say it was fine? Really Silver, if you keep ignoring what a mare says then you'll find it quite difficult to ever keep a mare friend.” Silver winced slightly at the comment. It wasn't that he was offended, but that he'd been single for a while and thought that maybe that was the reason why. “I need to get going. It would be bad if some pony saw us and got the wrong idea,” Silver said before turning to the balcony door. “If you were a level 5 criminal, then sneaking out of a room unseen should be foals play. And besides, if any pony were foolish enough to spy into my room, then I would assume they would be prepared to face the consequences. ” “Scary...” Luna waited for a moment before speaking again, first looking down to the sheets, then back up at Silver, “I don't suppose I could convince you to stay, could I?” she said in a disappointed voice, putting on a pouting face to match. Silvers heart nearly shattered, and he was dying to take her up on the offer, but he knew he had things to do. “I'm sorry, but I can't. Twilight needs to get back to Ponyville, and I need to get things ready for the mares I'm gonna train. But, there is some things I need to look into, so maybe in a couple of days, I'll come back and we can hang out then.” Luna expression seemed to lighten up a bit, “Oh well...okay then. I suppose a few days wouldn't hurt. But when you come, bring ice cream! I won't let you in other wise.” Silver chuckled and pushed the glass door open, “Okay, ice cream it is,” he said and then he disappeared. Luna laid on her bed, tightly squeezing the pillow that had substituted for the wolf. “Just a few days...I can wait that long.” Silver floated around a moment in a gaseous state before coming into an empty hall and reappearing, landing on his paws and began walking “I seriously need to stop sleeping with princesses. First Twilight, now Luna. Who's next, Cadence? Oooh...that's one situation I'd really rather avoid. At least with Twilight, she doesn't know I know.” Silver trotted down the hall to the guest room Twilight stayed in. He stopped at the door and knocked lightly, but no pony answered. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, only to find an empty room with no lavender alicorn sleeping in. “Hmm...” Silver hummed as he walked in to the room, “Where did she go?” Silver continued to look around, eventually finding a small paper on the table next to the bed. Silver, I've gone back to Ponyville already to go pick up Spike. I couldn't find where you'd gone, so I went ahead and left without you. Come back when ever you're ready. -From, Twilight. “At least she left a note. Oh well, I guess I can get an early start on getting the things I need for Ruppy and Onyx.” Silver crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash bin, “Best get started then...” For the next two days, Silver did some personal chores. He went to various locations around Equestria, and always came back with a number of items, all of them strange and things no pony was used to seeing, especially Twilight. During the time he wasn't across the country, he was with Twilight, Rainbow Dash or Applejack. Twilight often talked to him, trying to understand the magic that came from Houndland. She occasionally asked him for a demonstration, which led to even more questions. Of course, that was just his magic. When she discovered his physical prowess as well, she became even more intrigued. How could a wolf hold so much power, and what's more, how far could that power go? Twilight intended to find out, doing so by a number of shifty experiments. When Spike found out about the wolf, he was naturally surprised, but seemed to accept it. Silver seemed to be quite fond of the little dragon, saying that he didn't know that some thing so terrifying started off so small and cute. Rainbow Dash usually challenged Silver to competitions, varying in all sorts of aspects of physical exercise. Speed, strength, agility; every fiber in their bodies were pushed. Much to her disappointment, however, she lost every time. She eventually gave up, and said he could claim the title of Iron Pony. Silver declined and said that to be the Iron Pony, he'd first have to be a pony. Applejack was his escape from the other two mares. When Twilight would begin talking about experiments she wanted to test on Silver, or when Rainbow Dash began making outlandish dares, Silver would head for Sweet Apple Acres. Of course, while there, she put him to work. Not that he minded though; he enjoyed the simple life on a farm, and the baked treats Applejack made after were certainly worth the work. But eventually, Silver had to go back to the Castle. The three days had passed, and Ruppy and Onyx would be arriving soon. It wasn't all bad though. Silver couldn't wait to start the training. He wanted to polish the gems he'd found and make them shine across the world. Silver approached the castle, this time using the front gate. He figured he might have to expose himself in Canterlot while the training was going on, so he decided to show a little of himself to the ponies. Naturally, the ponies were surprised to see a wolf in the middle of the city, but luckily, their reaction was much more subtle than what Silver had originally thought it would be. The gates squeaked open, and Silver entered the castle grounds. A solider trotted towards him and saluted, “Miss Rupture and Miss Onyx are being escorted from the station, sir,” he informed, “They should be here shortly.” “Thank you,” Silver said returning the salute, then guard turned and went back to his post. Silver went ahead inside and went to the grand hall where Celestia was and waited for the arrival of his new disciples. “Where did you find these two girls?” Celestia asked. “Manehatten slums,” Silver replied, taking a seat next to the tall alicorn on the raised platform. Celestia cocked her head, “That's a strange place to go looking for recruits. I'm surprised you managed to find some pony willing to train. The ponies there aren't too fond of the guard.” “Can't imagine why...” Silver muttered. He knew that his dislike for the standards of the Royal Guard were more personal than professional, but he wasn't about to change his mind. After all, what he said before about the having to be rich to be in the guard wasn't completely wrong, just a little misunderstood. Or at least, that's what he's convinced himself to believe. The doors to the hall opened and Ruppy and Onyx stepped in, their bags on their backs. They came forward and stopped in front of the platform that Silver and Celestia sat on. “'Sup,” Ruppy said as she dropped her belongings on the floor. Behind her, Onyx lowered and bowed her head. Celestia looked at the mares before her. Ruppy seemed to have a careless attitude about her, and Onyx didn't seem to give off any sort of impression what so ever. She closely examined the two from the platform. “You're the two that Silver has selected to join the training?” Celestia asked, her eyes moving back and forth between the two. “Well, he asked five others, but they pussied out,” Ruppy replied. “Oh? And why did you two stay?” “Well, I don't know about Onyx, but I came for power. He said he could make us the strongest in Equestria, and for what I got planned, that's exactly what I need to be.” “And just what is it you plan to do?” Celestia asked. Ruppy looked down at the floor for a moment, then back up. She became silent, and the air tensed. Her pupils became the smallest of dots in a white void, and her eyes had become cold and heavy with hate. “...I gotta kill a certain pony....” Celestia sat and stared at the frigid eyes that looked into her own. She could feel a heart wrenching fear creep into the pit of her stomach, but kept her composure. She leaned to look behind the wrathful mare, “And you?” Celestia asked, referring to Onyx behind Ruppy. “Bored,” she said plainly, “I came because I was bored.” Celestia got a similar feeling from this one. Her eyes didn't reflect the hatred Ruppys had, but rather, they didn't reflect anything. They were empty. Lifeless. As if she was staring at a corpse. Between the two, she couldn't tell which one was more dangerous. The one that sought death, or the one who played with it. Celestia turned to Silver, “Can you train them? Keep them in line?”, she asked voicing her worry. Silver stood up and walked over to Ruppy and Onyx, “Well,” he began, “Yes, I can train them. I can make them the strongest ponies you've ever seen, but...” “But?” “I can't control them. Or rather, I won't.” Silver finished. “What do you mean, you 'won't control them'? What's the point of training a solider if the soldier doesn't take orders?” Celestia asked. “I asked these girls if they wanted power, not if they wanted to be soldiers. I intend on keeping my promise, to both of you. I will give these girls the power they desire, however, it is up to them to decide what they do with it. Should they decide to defect, then I will try again, and train more ponies.” Celestia stared down at the wolf, her annoyance and anger reflected in her scowl. Silver smiled back at her, as if mocking the ancient alicorn. She didn't like the feeling she got from Ruppy and Onyx. They were dangerous, and unlike a certain draconequus she knew, these two couldn't be reformed. After a while, she hung her head and sighed, “I see your idea of sovereignty and independence hasn't changed. It's always been this way with you. Never justice or evil, good or bad, black or white. It's always that murky, middle place just in between. You do whatever you feel like, be it insane, or rational, and extend that courtesy to every pony else,” She lifted her head back up, “Fine, I won't argue. But if they get too out of hoof, I expect you to deal with them.” Silver nodded, “I intended to from the beginning.” He turned to Onyx and Ruppy, both of which gave him a death-filled glare. After all, he did just say he'd deal with them if they acted rashly. “What the hell? I thought you just said you'd let us do what we want,” Ruppy said. “And you can, but I will also do what I want. If you decided to go out and slaughter a thousand ponies, I wouldn't stop you. After all, you have the power to do so, and I have no right to tell you how to use that power. But if Twilight asked me to stop you, then I would because that's my job. I'm allowing you to do what you want, but remember, I also have my own freedom and power. I'll never tell you what to do, but I will also do as I please. Even if that is putting an end to you.” The two changed their expression from anger to confusion. “I told you,” Celestia spoke up, “Murky, gray zone. Even I can't fully comprehend what he thinks.” “It's an acquired thought,” Silver said, moving to the door, “Now, shall we get you two set up?” “Set up?” Ruppy asked. “Yeah, you girls are staying with me.” Ruppy and Onyx look at each other, then back at Silver, “What? You didn't think I was gonna let you sleep in the streets again, did you?” The two shrugged and stood up. Silver led them out of the room and down a hall until they reached a door. It didn't seem special, just your average, ordinary, oak wood door. “This is your place?” Ruppy asked snidely, “I thought you meant you had your own house.” “I do,” Silver retorted as he pulled out a chain from around his neck. It was concealed by his thick fur, so no pony can usually see it. On the end of the chain was a small blue and white key. He raised the key up to the keyhole of the door and pushed it in, then gave it a turn. Then, the cracks around the door glowed a bright blue light, then stopped. When the light disappeared, Silver pushed the door open and reveled a huge, lavish living room. The floor was a shining white tile, that after a few yards, went down a step to blue carpet. On the carpet, there was a white sectional sofa, and a large plasma tucked in the corner. On the right side of the room, there was a kitchen, which changed from white tile to checkers tiles, and to the right of the fridge was a hallway. On the left side of the room was another hallway, and a large window with a glass sliding door that led out to a porch. “Whaaaaat the fuuuuuuuuuck....?” Ruppy awed as she stepped inside. Onyx for once, actually showed a little surprise as well, “It's...bigger on the inside,” she said as he jaw hung slightly open. “What was that key?! Can I have one!” Ruppy asked excitedly and she turned and looked at the small trinket. “It's called a Dimension Key,” Silver informed, holding it up in his paw, “It records a certain door way, and then by placing it in the keyhole and turning it in any other door in the world, it will connect that door way to the one that was recorded and create a portal connecting the two. The portal stays open as long as the door remains open, so once it closes, you can't go back, and no pony can come in.” “So then how do we get back to Canterlot if the door shuts?” Onyx asked, being surprisingly chatty today. “When you turn the key in the hole from inside the house, it will open the portal back to the last door where you opened it.” The two continued to stare in amazement at the home. It was huge and spacious, almost a little too big. “Come on,” Silver said as he walked to the hallway beside the fridge, “I'll show you to your rooms.” When he stepped into the hall, the lights flicked on, and Ruppy and Onyx ran to catch up. Silver kept walking and passed three doors and a stair case until he reach the fourth door on the right side of the hall. “This is your place Ruppy,” he said as he opened the door. The room revealed was quite big and had a brown carpet flooring. The bed was on the left side of the room with the head against the wall and was made of clouds. It was at least a queen size, and on both sides was a small table with a lamp. On the opposite side was a large dresser with a mirror. On the side across from the door was a window that stretched corner to corner, creating a wall of glass, with the curtains drawn half way. “Fucking shit, you must be loaded...”Ruppy said as she entered her new space. She tossed her bags in the corner and jumped onto the cloud bed, sending a puff of white fluff into the air that dissipated moments after. “Oh, this bed feels amazing...” Ruppy praised as she ruffled around in the sheets. Silver chuckled to himself, then turned to Onyx, “Would you like to see your room?” She gave the same nod she always did, and Silver turned around, the two leaving Ruppy to enjoy herself. Silver crossed the hall and went to the door diagonal from Ruppys. It was the last door in the hall. “And now...” Silver said as he opened the door. Behind this one was another large room, just as big as Ruppys. The bed was circular, and put in the far left hand corner. The dresser was on the left wall, and there was a bean bag chair in the right hand corner close to the door. The window was wide across from the door, but didn't stretch as far as Ruppys did, but instead stopped about half way. Onyx did the same as Ruppy did, and dropped her bags and went to the bed. She crawled onto it and laid down on her back, “It's been so long....” she quietly said to herself, thinking Silver couldn't hear. “So long since what?” Silver asked. Onyx rolled over onto her side and curled up,“It's...nothing,” she said. Silver worried for the mare, but choose to leave the discussion alone. He didn't want to bring up old scars with a mare he didn't know well. “Well, it's almost noon, so I'm gonna make some lunch. Would you like some?” Silver offered. Onyx went back to her nodding. “Okay. I'll make some sandwiches and drinks,” Silver looked back over his shoulder, “ Ruppy! You hungry!” he called. “Fuck yeah!” she called back, “Hey, do you have shower?! I smell like shit!” “Two doors up!” Silver heard the soft thud of Ruppy landing on the floor, then the bathroom door open and close. The water started running moments after and Silver left Onyx's room and went to the kitchen. Onyx rolled onto her stomach and ran a hoof over the sheets of the bed. They were soft and thick, just the way she liked them. Well, back when she had a home that is. “I wonder how long this place will last? It shouldn't long until we're on the streets again. It's always been like that...” “Hey,” Silver called, startling the moping mare. She turned and looked at the door to see Silvers head poking in from around the corner, “There's another shower if you want to clean up. It's on the third floor below, second door on the left.” Silver pulled his head back around the corner and disappeared back into the kitchen. Onyx got up from her bed and left the room. She went down the stairs and to the bathroom. It was small compared to the rest of the house, but still fairly large for a bathroom. She looked at the room and noticed a tub, and decided she would take a nice, long soak. Then she remembered her lunch and figured the bath would have to come later. She turned the nozzle and stepped into the hot water. It felt amazing on her coat as it trickled down her legs. For the first time in a while, she felt her muscles relax and give way to the warmth. Her body ached and was sore from having to be constantly tensed and focused. It was like she'd just got done running a marathon, or working out for the first time in a while, and woke up the next morning in pain. As she stood in the shower, she thought about the position she was living in. “What's his play? Why's he going so far to train us? Is it just because he was told to, or does he have his own agenda? I get the feeling it's the latter. He seems like the scheming type. He'll probably kill some pony and use us scapegoats, or just make us kill them for him. Celestia knows what else he might have in store. He's probably some fucked up, sicko wolf. But that doesn't matter. I'll kill him eventually, before he kills us.” She sat in the shower for a while, just absorbing the sensation of the hot water. After so long, she heard Silver call for her and say lunch was ready. She quickly washed and dried herself, then stepped out of the steamed up bathroom. When she came out into the hallway, she looked at the other doors that were there. Curious, she went to open one of them, but found it was locked. And so was the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Onyx eventually gave up and went back up the stairs to the kitchen. When she stepped out of the hallway, she saw Ruppy with a towel wrapped around her, with her front hooves on the back of the couch watching T.V.. In front of her on the couch was Silver, and both had a sandwich in their mouths. Onyx went to the kitchen and found a daffodil and daisy sandwiches on the counter with a glass of sweet tea. She picked them up and went to the couch with the other two. “Hey Silver, I've been wondering,” Ruppy began, “Why would you even bother training us?” Onyx almost spit out her sandwich. Ruppys boldness was often the only thing that could catch her off guard, and this was one of those moments. Silver looked to Ruppy, who in turn stared at him as if she'd asked what his favorite color was. “Well,” he said, “I guess I'm like Onyx. I'm just bored.” Onyx began to choke. She reached over and grabbed a glass off the table, not caring whose. Her theroy had just been smashed to Tartarus. “Hey! That's mine!” Silver said, but Onyx had already downed the contents of the glass and was trying to catch her breathe. “Ya okay there, Onyx,” Ruppy asked. She nodded in response. “That can't be right! He's lying! Even if he is a wolf, I know he only cares about himself. That's the way it always is. No pony will ever look after us or care about us, so we have to look out for ourselves. That's what we said we'd do, and that's why we're here now, to make sure we can survive. It's only ever been me and Ruppy.” Onyx looked to Ruppy, who continued her conversation with Silver. She was smiling, but not like she usually did. It seemed genuine, not like the smile she usually had when she was blood thirsty, but like she actually trusted this wolf. Like she was...happy. “So, what? You're just going to teach us how to fight?” Ruppy inquired, as Onyx finally started paying attention to the conversation. “Dunno. Depends on where you are now. I may teach you to fight, I may teach you to think. I won't know what to do until I see your skills.” “So when do we start training?” Ruppy asked. “Tomorrow,” Silver informed, “I'll get a feel for what you can do, then I'll put together a schedule and regiment.” “Hmm, well,” Ruppy hummed flirtatiously, “If you want to get a feel for me, we can go ahead and start tonight,” She leaned in close and put a hoof under Silver chin, drawing him in, “I'll show you everything I can do.” Silver put up a paw and blocked the mares face, “Sorry, but I only like girls who are better than me at something. If you can prove your skills, then maybe you have a shot.” “Does sex count as a skill?” she asked, pulling herself away. Silver laughed heartily, “Sweet heart, if there was a pony in this country who could match my skills in bed, they'd have to be the Princesses of Sex.” Ruppy waved a hoof, “We already have one of those. Her name is Cadence.” “Shinning Armor, you lucky SOB.” Onyx dropped her head. “There's no way this guy could be like I thought.” After they finished their snack, Silver left to go back to Ponyville. He left them each a Dimension Key so they could come and go whenever they wanted, but Onyx and Ruppy stayed at the house, exploring the various rooms. The house had four floors; the first one had the living room and kitchen. “Come on, let's take a look around,” Ruppy said, hopping up off the couch, “It'll be fun.” Onyx was bored, and figured since she didn't have anything else better to do, why not invade the privacy of the wolf who was putting them up. ...What? It was his fault for leaving them alone in his home. Ruppy led the way down the stair case and stopped on the second floor. “There's no point. I already tried to look in these earlier, but they're all locked,” Onyx informed. “Yeah, but you're not me,” Ruppy said with a devilish grin. She picked the closest door and pulled out the pin from her hair. She bent down to the handle, only to find there was no lock. “What the hell?” Ruppy got up and went to the next door. The same thing was found on the handle, along with every other handle in the hall. “Huh. Well, this was a bust. He must have locked it with magic or some shit,” Ruppy shrugged and turned back to the stairs, “Oh well, on to the next floor I guess.” They ventured down the stairs and found yet another hall way. This one had only three doors. The first one they entered lead them to a gigantic library. The room was two floors and had about 15 rows of book cases. On the far end wall from the door was large glass widow that looked out over the mountains. Wait...mountains? Ruppy dashed over to the window, ignoring the books. She looked out and found that she was looking down a mountain side. “Well, now I know why this place is so big,” Ruppy commented. “Huh?” Onyx said as she trotted up to the window. “That guy built this home inside of a fucking mountain. That's why every room is so damn big, and why the stairs go down instead of up. He build it at the top. I guess that's also why I have cloud bed. They can't hold their form on the ground, so I thought it was weird that I had one. But now it makes sense. We're high enough in the sky for it to have it's form.” Onyx couldn't keep looking down. Great heights made her uneasy, so she turned away and looked at the rest of the room. There was a large stair case in the middle that led up to the second floor of the library. Onyx strolled through the cases, looking at the titles of the books on their spines. There were some she'd recognized, but a lot of them were in some other language. “Hey Onyx! Lets go!” she heard Ruppy call out from across the room. Onyx quickly trotted back through the book cases to the door, where she found Ruppy flying and waiting impatiently. “Come on, I wanna see what else this place has.” She dashed out the door and across the hall into the next room. There was a loud crash and clattering, and Onyx ran to find out what happened. When she entered the room, she found Ruppy on the floor next to a wall, buried under a pile of hammers, bars and spokes. “Fuck, that hurts,” Ruppy groaned, “Who the hell has this many hammers, anyway?” Onyx floated up on of the fallen hammers and inspected it. She looked around the room and saw it had a furnace, anvil, pressing machine and various other contraptions she didn't recognize. “I think this may be a smith shop,” Onyx said as she put the tool back on the wall. She floated up the rest of them as well and placed them back as Ruppy got to her hooves. “Smith shop? What you mean like blacksmiths?” Onyx nodded. Ruppy looked around and noticed what Onyx had earlier, “Well, this isn't what I was expecting. Oh, well. Nothing fun here. On to the next room,” She said as she left the room, deciding to walk instead of fly. They went back to the hall and went to the third and final door. When they opened it, it revealed a white room, small in width, but very tall. On the walls were various instruments, ranging from cellos and violins to guitars, both acoustic and electric, and different types of flutes each made of different materials and lengths. In the center was, going by it's shape, a piano cover by a white sheet. Ruppy blew raspberries, “Boring! Next!” She said and then left the room. Onyx didn't want to leave. She liked this room. She found she couldn't pry her eyes off of the hidden piano. “Hey, come on!” Ruppy hollered, snapping Onyx out of her thoughts. Reluctantly, she turned and followed the pegasus down the stairs to the final floor. The first thing they noticed about this floor was that it wasn't a hallway. It was just one incredibly large room. The next thing was that there was no tile or carpet beneath them, only concrete. The room was by far the biggest in the house. It was twice the width of the library but only half as tall, and dimly lit as well. All the two could see in front of them were boxes. Ruppy flew above them and still, all she could see was boxes and miscellaneous items. “Um, I guess this is the basement,” Ruppy said, landing back on the ground She picked up a box and opened it. There were a bunch of papers and books filled inside. She pushed that one aside and picked up and opened it , finding it was filled with old clothes. “Yep, basement,” she concluded, “I actually kinda want to start flipping through his shit, but there's way too many boxes in here. Maybe some other time.” She closed the box back and put it on a stack of others. Onyx had also taken an interest in the boxes, and began looking through one or two. In one of them, she stumbled on an old photo, dusty and smudged, but still mostly clear. Silver was in it, though he looked a bit younger. He was with 7 other wolves, and they were all smiling with their wings and arms wrapped around each other. “Whatcha got there?” Ruppy asked, looking over Onyx's shoulder. She held it up for the pegasus to see. Ruppy took it out of Onyx's magic and held it up to the light. She stared at it a moment, then turned it onto the back. “BMP...” She said aloud, reading the letters written. “Alphas L to R – Luna, Toxic, Bloodstain, Hallow Eve, Silver Wind, Star Shine, Crown, Black Wing. ….The fuck is this?” “There's more,” Onyx informed. Ruppy looked down into the box, and sure enough, it was filled with photos. All of them had wolves in them, some had Silver, others didn't. But they all had the same three letters written on the back... … “BMP.” “Do you know what it means?” Onyx asked. Ruppy shrugged, “Fuck if I know. Probably some wolf shit. Anyway, I'm bored now. Let's go back up stairs and see if Silver has any games.” Ruppy tossed the photo back into the box, and Onyx closed it and put it back. They went back up the stairs and went to the living room. After peaking into the draws of the T.V. stand, they found what they'd been looking for. Three gaming systems and more than enough games to entertain them. “Oh I love this place...” Ruppy said as she ran a hoof over the game cases. They made a wonderful clacking noise against her hoof, and she eventually picked out Call to Arms: Pony Warfare 2. Onyx didn't feel like playing, so she just sat on the couch and watch Ruppy. After sitting there for about three hours, she began to feel sleepy, and her eyes drooped. As she slowly fell asleep, she'd felt something she hadn't in a long, long time. Content... “Maybe...maybe this place isn't so bad. Maybe we can stay...”