//------------------------------// // 9 - Just a Little Bit Crazy // Story: Limits of Mercy // by Beware The Carpenter //------------------------------// Clastic Strain's room in the TARDIS had been surprisingly accurate to his one in Canterlot. Suspiciously and disturbingly so; to the point that Calstic Strain had lain awake several hours, until finally coming to the conclusion that Dinky had been in his room, at least once, and had gone through every inch of his shelves and drawers so she could re-create an exact replica of it inside her TARDIS, accurate down to his brand and color of toothbrush. Well almost. There was one, glaringly obvious difference; and Clastic Strain hadn't quite decided how he felt about it yet. Walking cautiously down the now blank, stationary hallway, Clastic Strain found his way back to the courtyard where a long table had been set up in the middle of it; already furnished with fruits, cheeses, cereals, drinks, plates, cutlery and Benefair. Clastic Strain felt guiltily relived to guess from his sister's tired expression that she hadn't slept any more than he had. With everything weird and disturbing that had happened this last day, at least it was encouraging to know that he wasn't the only one who found it weird and disturbing. Clastic Strain pulled up the chair closest to Benefair and looked at the nearest coffee jug. His telikinesis slid off it as abruptly as if it had been made of tylithium, but then the jug raised itself up, as if it had been sleeping, scampered over to him, dangled it's snout over his empty mug and began tinkling coffee into it, whistling in a way that made Clastic Strain lose his appetite by the time it was finished. “You should try the coffee.” Smiled Benefair weakly, sipping her own mug, “It's good.” Clastic Strain hesitantly obeyed, took one small sips, and was rewarded with a warm, rich blend, which acted like coffee, pouring down his throat and into his empty stomach. “How did you sleep?” “Not a wink.” Benefair sighed softly, “I was up all night long.” This was odd. Usually Benefair jealously guarded her sleeping hours, and retaliated viciously against any who dared threaten them like a dragon protecting it's hoard. Until now, a tired Benefair had always been a cranky Benefair, but this one seemed perfectly relaxed, leaning on the table with an almost dreamy smile that Clastic Strain tried his best to ignore. “Question.” he muttered slowly, “In the room Dinky made for you, was there a single bed or a double?” “It was a double.” answered Benefair between sips, “Why do you ask?” Clastic Strain sighed, realizing he was relieved, “Everything about my room was the same as my one in Canterlot except my bed was a double instead of a single. I was wondering if maybe she was trying to hint something to me.” Benefair looked at him sheepishly, “Maybe she is.” Clastic Strain dropped his coffee on the table in confusion, “Then why would she give you a double bed?” Benefair began blushing the reddest red Clastic Strain had ever seen, and then broke out into a the widest, most embarrassed grin to match it, “She... came to me last night and-” “Wha-wh-w-what!?” “It wasn't planned or anything.” she said quickly, “She just came to talk, and then one thing led to another and... well... you know that I've never had a coltfriend before and you had to have guessed why.” “...WHAT!?” “You still love me, right?” Clastic Strain was startled when he heard a colt screaming nearby; he was relived when after a moment he could confirm that it wasn't him, and then worried when he realized it was Crackle Jack. He accepted the merciful distraction as he ran to where his brother had fallen in the hallway, free of any visible injury but curled in a ball, screaming; and then looked up at him with a terrified white face, “I-I have balls!” “Umm... yeah.” Benefair yelled from behind him; Clastic Strain spun around and saw two Benefairs, one standing with a towel around her neck, the other sitting where Clastic Strain had last seen her. Benefair—with-towel ding seemed to have been the screamer, but this shout was less intense than Crackle Jacks and soon died to a silent glare directed at Benefair-who-was-sitting, “Dinky.” she ordered solemnly, “Put us back.” Clastic Strain looked between his sisters; then cast a revealment spell on both Benefairs to spot which one was the changeling, but neither of them changed. Benefair-who-was-sitting, looked like she was shaking, almost in shock and then the sound of shrill laughter emanated from somewhere very near Clastic Strain’s mouth, even though he hadn't made a sound. Benefair-with-towel spun to face him angrily, “Dinky put us back!” “...What?” “This isn't funny!” The Benefair who was sitting didn't seem to be listening to anything the rest of them were saying, but was now freaking out over a set of problems entirely her own, staring down at her tail as if she was searching for something before blurting out, “What the hay is going on!” Clastic Strain was beginning to decide very definitely that he had gone mad. Going mad soon became the less pressing of Clastic Strain's concerns however something was suddenly very very wrong down between his legs. He looked down just in the nick of time to see his colthood retreating into him, and then there was just a flat, lavender stomach tipped with a cute blond tail. Crackle Jack was now standing back up, glaring at him furiously, “Dinky, if you're the one doing this; stop it right now or so help me, I will kill you.” When he didn't say anything, Crackle Jack hit him, and Clastic Strain was too shocked to block the first hit, or the second one that knocked him to the ground. Crackle Jack looked like he was going to hit him a third time, and then the Benefair-with-towel cast a shield over him. “Everyone stop!” Clastic Strain wasn't sure how he could stop when he wasn't moving in the first place, but he gave it a try anyway. Benefair-with-towel cleared her throat; “Dinky... is a shape shifter; it's her special talent. She's like a changeling only she can change other people as well; without their consent.” “Yeah!?” snapped Crackle Jack, “And how do you know that?” “A talking couch told me.” Benefair with towel answered; somehow managing to say that in a way that it seemed utterly reasonable. “I'm Crackle Jack by the way; now which one of you is actually Dinky?” “Fine.” sighed the Benefair at table, “I am.” her face contorted with shock a moment later, “What the hay!? I didn't just say that; I'm Clastic Strain!” Benefair-with-towel turned glaringly towards Crackle Jack and pony-who'd-hit-him, “The couches also told me that Dinky is an expert ventriloquist.” “I'm not Dinky!” Clastic Strain insisted, noticing his voice sounded nothing like his, and very much like a young mare. He thrust his arm out at pony sitting at table, “That's Dinky!” Clastic Strain felt the tug of another person's teleportation spell on him and the next thing he knew he was sitting back at the table, exactly where Benefair had been, with his hoof wrapped around a cup of coffee. Pony lying in the hallway, had its hoof thrust at him accusingly and repeated, “That's Dinky!” Pony standing in hallway looked suspiciously between Clastic Strain and pony lying in hallway, “Whose house was Winnow at when the buffalo attacked?” “Board Swipe!” answered Clastic Strain. Pony-standing-in-hallway smiled smugly at Pony-lying-in-hallway, who then jolted in surprise raising their hooves to defend themselves, “Don't hit, it's me; Crackle Jack!” “Don't listen to her!” shouted Benefair's voice, from somewhere very close to Clastic Strain's head, “Let's tie her up, saw her horn off, and then have our way with her!” And then, of course, everyone was looking back at Clastic Strain again. Pony-lying-in-hallway stood up and gave a diminutive sigh, “This could take a while; Dinky likes mind games. She’s been that way ever since her dad abandoned her and her mom.” Dead silence. No sudden yelps of confusion, no witty retort. They all flickered for a few moments and then Crackle Jack was himself again; Dinky had the towel around her neck and was glaring daggers at Crackle Jack, who was standing in front of Benefair. She took five steps towards him and threw a slap at his cheek, which he blocked; and then a focused blast of telekinesis which he couldn’t, knocking him to the floor. “You just made things not fun anymore.” She turned around, took one step towards the table, paused, and launched a kick behind her which Crackle Jack barely managed to dodge so that it only hit him in the lower gut. “He didn’t abandon us.” Dinky muttered and then strode to the breakfast, pushed Clastic Strain out of her seat, and sat down. Clastic Strain looked at Crackle Jack who was keeled over in pain, and bleeding from his mouth; then at Dinky who he had never really known how to admonish. Benefair looked between her brothers and he tried to change the subject. “Have you figured out how to move the TARDIS yet?” “I was up all night working on the calculations.” “How soon till you finish them.” “I already finished them.” “So we’re ready to go?” “We already went.” Quipped Dinky, sipping her mug of coffee, “I decided to pull the switch before I lost my nerve, and wake you ponies up if I needed you.” “So… are we flying above the buffalo right now?” “Not exactly.” Clastic Strain felt his blood run cold, and turned to the doorway that led to the outside world, wondering what hellish void they were trapped in. “I wouldn’t open that door if I was you.” “… Why?” “It’s hot.” Answered Dinky smugly, “You might get a sunburn. Bring a hat.” A straw hat from a clothes rack that hadn’t been there the night before, lifted in Dinky’s telekinesis and plopped itself on Clastic Strains head; shielding his eyes from what would have been blinding. As his eyes adjusted, Clastic Strain could see nothing. Nothing but sand and sand hills and valleys stretching as far as the eye could see. He took a few timid steps forwards, stuck his head out and looked left to right, but the sand remained. “Wh-where are we?” “Somewhere in the Zaharren… I think.” “Then we overshot our target by at least two hundred miles. You can try again though… right?” “I could.” Muttered Dinky, slowly shaking her head, “But I won’t.” “What? Why?” “Because.” Dinky stood up and strolled towards him. “Because why!?” Dinky put her front hooves on Clastic Strain’s flank, pushed him out of the TARDIS and slammed the door shut behind him.