The Hardest Lesson

by Exodus45

Of Clyde Sandersun and Other Sad Things

The city of Lost Children was far from a vacation destination. The streets, or at the very least the spaces between the buildings, were cluttered with refuse and what appeared to be remains of slaughtered creatures. The few inhabitants that the three ponies did happen to see on the roads watched them with hungry smiles that cut like knives through the smog and stench of decay. Despite the sickening feeling that these inhabitants left the ponies with, they all kept their distance from the traveling group.

Most of the inhabitants Twilight saw were dogs. They all carried long crude cutting weapons; of these weapons most appeared to be rusted or stained. They all wore matching vests of red and black with a large jester patch on the back. They gathered around lamp posts that had corpses displayed on them, letting the blood drip on their already matted fur. The corpses themselves appeared to be a verity creatures from griffins to one or two ponies. It was fortunate that the Inn that Clyde Sandersun ran was close to where the ponies entered the town.

The Inn looked like a fortified garrison from the street. A ten inch thick door was propped open to reveal a prison cage antechamber. The walls were equally thick made of stone and steel, scared on the outside from surviving numerous battles. The building was adorned with bars over bars over windows which appeared to have metal shutters that could be closed from the inside of the structure. If there was anywhere in this town to feel safe, Twilight bet that it was inside this building.

Once on the inside, Twilight could see the creature drawn on her map across the lobby behind a cage through the bars on the prison cage antechamber. She was shocked to see how accurate the drawing on the map was. It was as if a picture had been taken as she stood there looking at it.

“You will have to leave the cart outside”, the creature spoke, “and by outside I mean you might as well just forget about it. It won't be there in the morning.”

“I take it that you are Clyde Sandersun”, Twilight replied.

“That's my name, don't wear it out. And by don't wear it out I mean don't say it too often. It annoys me.”

“We have supplies for you in the cart.”

“Well get them out of there and bring them in. I don't trust carts. And by I don't trust carts I mean sometimes they carry unwanted surprises. And by unwanted surprises I mean...”

Twilight looked to Apple Jack and spoke softly while Clyde was clarifying what he meant, “I think it would be best to leave the cart outside. Let's take all we can carry and leave the rest. I will take his supplies.”

“.... and by losing half of the Inn's guests in one night I mean a loss in profits.”, Clyde finished explaining himself.

“Ok, we will leave the cart outside. My name is Twilight and...”

“I know who you is. God explained everything to me last night. He also said there would be fewer of you that we had expected on the account that one of your friends was a bit slow around Glee. And by slow I mean retarded”, Clyde said.

“Apple Jack why don't you go ahead and put the cart outside. I think we have all the supplies that we need for now”, Twilight said removing the metal box from the cart with magic.

Apple Jack walked outside to find a crowd gathered around the door. Word of the ponies arrival had spread. The twenty or so dogs slowly crept closer to Apple Jack grinning sadistic smiles. She quickly ditched the cart and went back into the antechamber.

“We best be getting a move on Twilight. There is a bunch of those dogs out there that probably aren't interested in being our friends”, Apple Jack said backing away from the door. She watched as the group descended on the cart. They did not have any plans to pilfer the cart for it's goods. With in a few seconds the cart and the supplies it held were brutally destroyed and spread down the street like confetti.

Large pistons activated and the door slammed behind them. The ponies could hear large bolts finding their homes locking the door tight. After the door behind them had locked the steel cage in front of them unlocked and swung open granting access to the lobby. The lobby was lit with lamps placed on tables and in the corners of the room. The interior had a golden wood vainer over the cold stone and metal structure. The walls were decorated with various pictures of unfamiliar landscapes most of which were damaged.

The ponies approached Clyde's barred window. As they walked into the lobby the gate on the antechamber closed behind them. A large metal drawer extended from the wall. Clyde indicated to the drawer saying, “Put the supplies in there.”

As soon as Twilight put the box in the drawer it retracted. Clyde reached over, grabbed the box, and placed it on his desk in front of him. He flipped the latch and the box cracked open with a light hiss of escaping air. From the box he removed a piece of parchment, a vial of vibrant blue liquid, and a sack of metallic coins.

Clyde read the note. He looked over at the ponies and said, “You are staying the night. You will go to the lab in the morning.”

“No, we are going there tonight. No more delays”, Twilight demanded.

Clyde reached under the desk and pulled out a metal tube and stuck it through the bars of the cage. There was a loud bang that temporally deafened Twilight. She opened her winced eyes and over a ringing in her ears she heard the cries of Pinky Pie.

Twilight turned around to find Pinky Pie on the floor writhing in pain. Blood and smoke poured from a hole in the lower portion of her chest. Pinky Pie's cries were garbled by the blood filling her lungs. Apple Jack was applying pressure on the wound the best she could with her hooves with little affect. Twilight ran over to help but before she arrived Pinky Pie had perished from her wounds.

“You are staying the night here. You will go to the lab in the morning”, Clyde repeated placing a key labeled 34 on the counter, “I will dispose of the corpse.”

Apple Jack stood up and in a rage turned to face Clyde. She was about to say something but Twilight placed one of her hooves on her shoulder stopping her. “I don't want to lose you too”, Twilight said looking down at Pinky Pie.

Twilight sulked over to the counter on the desk and grabbed the key with magic. There was a set of stairs that she solemnly walked up. Apple Jack was slow to follow but when she did decide to follow she stopped at the desk. Hopping up on her hind legs she slammed her hooves on the desk.

Clyde was not startled by her action. Apple Jack looked down on Clyde with a scowl and growled, “You didn't have to kill her.”

Clyde picked up the parchment off the desk and waved it in her face, “I did, according to this.”

“What kind of monster are you!”

“I am a human.” ,Clyde answered. Apple Jack snorted at him with disgust and slid her hooves off of the counter leaving streaks of blood.

Apple Jack found Twilight in one of the beds in the room; wrapped in sheets that were wet with blood. She was whimpering and soaking her pillow with tears. The room was simple yet it did have a restroom with a sink where Apple Jack cleaned the blood off of her hooves. She ignored the open bead in the room and climbed in Twilight's bed behind her back.

“We will get through this Twilight. I am not leaving you.”, Apple Jack whispered to Twilight. She turned her face to her pillow and cried herself to sleep.