A Ray of Dusk

by AlphatheGriffin17

Spoils the Bunch

"Hot carrot crêpes! Get 'em here, get 'em hot!"

Dusk watched as the smell of the crepes drifted over in their direction. Spike caught it and was lifted off his feet, letting it carry him gently away… until Pinkie wafted it furiously away from him and took his place. That didn't stop the baby dragon from taking after her though.

"Always thinking with their stomachs," remarked Twilight lightly.

"I think it's more their nostrils that are doing the thinking there," noted Dusk. "Considering that the whole parade is based around the food we grow, can you blame them?"

"Touché," she granted. "Do you not want one?"

"It's tempting, but I think I'd best stay here." He shifted a little closer to her. "I feel it would be better if you had at least one assistant present."

She closed the distance so their sides touched. "How very dutiful of you."

"Thank you. Besides," he added with a blush, "you're a um… a much more delicious sight than… than carrot crepes."

"Oh gosh!" She blushed heavily too and nudged his side. "Aren't you a bold one?"

"I'm getting there," he replied with a nuzzle.

"I could say the same with you," she whispered when he was close. She added to his rising heat with a sly smirk and looked off down the street. "The parade should be starting soon."

"Indeed." Rarity appeared next to them with opera glasses. "Provided that they're on time, of course. Unlike a certain ruffian I know."

"Still no sign of Ray?" asked Dusk.

"Not a peep," she answered. "For a pony who can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, he doesn't have much set aside for punctuality."

"Tell me 'bout it," put in Applejack. "Ah'm still havin' trouble gettin' him ta show up ta work jus' before when ah can call him out fer bein' late. Ah swear he does it on purpose."

"Maybe he's still at home recovering from his injury. I'm sure he'll be along soon." Fluttershy blushed. "At least, that's what I think."

"Wait a moment…" Rarity squinted through her glasses. "I do believe I see him with my sister and her friends by their float. How curious."

"He did say he was gonna help 'em out, but ah figured he was jus' gonna laze around at home on his day off 'fore showin' up fer the parade," said Applejack, walking off. "Ah'm gonna go check on 'em. Save ma spot fer me."

"I wonder why he's taking so much interest in helping out the Crusaders," pondered Dusk.

Twilight shrugged. "Maybe he just wants to help them out."

"Maybe, but I know Ray. He's more of an observer than a creator and he prefers to take it easy unless he has his heart set on something." Dusk touched his chin. "I suppose Apple Bloom could have asked him for the help, but why not ask her sister…?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," assured Twilight. "I think it's nice he's helping them. Now, let's just relax and watch the parade. This is our day-off too."

"You're right, as usual," agreed Dusk, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "It's probably nothing."

---

Rarity's keen eyes and even keener glasses hadn't been wrong. Ray was indeed with Crusaders, helping them getting their float ready. Just not in the way the others might have been expecting.

"Okay," he began, "is the egg timer rigged?"

"Check," affirmed Sweetie.

"And you're ready for when Babs gets here Scoots?"

"You know it," she nodded.

"And you have the mattress, AB?"

"Ready an' waitin'," she said.

"Great," he said approvingly, looking past them. "And look, here they come now. Perfect timing."

They all looked to see Babs with Diamond and Silver, the Manehattan filly blowing her fringe out of her eyes while casting a contemptuous gaze around. They didn't seem to have noticed them yet.

"Good luck guys," he wished.

"Wait, aren't you staying?" asked Sweetie.

"I can't be seen with you, otherwise Babs might not be encouraged to take the float." He glanced up again. "Uh oh, here she comes. Gotta go!"

He teleported away into a nearby alley to watch the scene unfold. The Crusaders hastily arranged themselves into inconspicuous positions just as the three bullies caught siyght of their float. Their awestruck faces told Ray this part was all going to plan.

Diamond and Silver strutted off while Babs stayed. Ray smirked as Scootaloo placed the idea in her head about stealing it while Sweetie headed into the float to set off the egg timer and Apple Bloom prepared their mattress. Scootaloo then walked off with the others, making it look like they were going to proudly enter their float. That was when Babs made her move.

She barged straight past the girls, knocking onto the mattress to ensure a safe and soft landing and drove off in their float. Grinning, he teleported back and helped them up.

"Looks like everything went along smoothly," he said to them.

"Yep," nodded Apple Bloom. "She fell for it, just like ya said she would."

He chuckled darkly. "Excellent," he remarked with a glint in his eye.

He could have started rubbing his hooves and it wouldn't have looked out of place. The fillies, while not as zealous as Ray, were also enthusiastic and satisfied with how things were going.

"Teach her to fool with the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Sweetie growled, shaking her hoof.

"Finally getting into it, Sweets?" asked Scootaloo.

"Maybe a little," she admitted.

"Well, look at that." Applejack had arrived on the scene, holding a trio of balloons. "Ya really did help 'em out with their float."

"Of course I did," Ray beamed innocently. "What, did you think I was being dishonest?"

"Just a bit. Y'all are letting Babs ride in your golden apple float?"

"Yeah. We thought she deserved to be the... centre of attention." Apple Bloom cackled along with the others. Even Ray joined in.

Applejack missed their sinister tones "Well, that's just super sweet of y'all, makin' Babs feel so special. Y'know, after all the heartache she's been havin' in Manehattan."

They all suddenly stopped rubbing their hooves. Their expressions of shock perfectly mirrored each other.

"Heartache?" asked Apple Bloom

"Well, ah didn't say nothin' 'cause ah didn't want her to feel singled out, but there's been some bullies back in Manehattan just been teasin' her to pieces for her blank flank," she explained.

"T-t-t-teased?"

"B-Bullies?!"

"Yup." She handed them the balloons. "She came up to the farm to get away from all her problems back home. ah'm so proud of y'all. You've done a good deed."

As soon as she left, the balloons deflated. While the fillies' expressions became saddened, Ray's remained a visage of shock.

"So that's why she jumped in when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon started giving us a hard time," realised Scootaloo.

"She didn't want ta be bullied like at home, so she decided to be a bully instead!" figured Apple Bloom.

"And now we've turned into bullies too!" finished Sweetie.

"And I helped you to do it," murmured Ray, guilt welling up in his chest. "I encouraged you three and I helped you become what we were fighting. I'm sorry, girls."

"I guess we're all to blame," said Apple Bloom sadly. "Except maybe Sweetie Belle."

"Doesn't matter now," the unicorn insisted. "Come on, we gotta stop that float before it crashes!"

With that, the four of them shot off down the road. Ray had to slow down so that the fillies could keep up with him. They spotted Applejack and the others and hurried over to them.

"Applejack, quick you have to…" Unfortunately her words were drowned out by the band.

"Huh?" Applejack asked.

While still trying to yell to her sister, Ray also tried gesturing wildly to convey what they were saying. However, all his pantomiming earned him were some very strange looks.

Only after the band had marched off down the road did they hear Apple Bloom's yell.

"We booby-trapped it!"

Everypony stared at them. Silence hung thick in the air in the wake of this exclamation. Ray looked around sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well...this is awkward," he remarked.

"Babs! Bully! Payback! No time to explain! We've just gotta get Babs out of that float!" rushed Scootaloo, dashing off with them again.

But as he darted off, Ray looked back and managed to give the others an expression that somehow said "I screwed up, BIG time", before turning around and following the fillies. He had a feeling that Dusk might have got it at least.

There was no time to see if he did. They carried on down the street, weaving around ponies and floats.

"Hey, Ray!" called Apple Bloom. "Why can't ya jus' teleport inta the float an' grab Babs?"

"No! That's too much of an easy way out for the plot!" A blink accompanied his look of utter confusion. "Wait, what? What did I just say?"

Before any of them could respond to that, their path was blocked by a particularly large float of a marrow. This forced them to manoeuvre through the crowd, losing whatever thoughts they had on the response within it.

After shoving and worming their way through, they could see that the float was feet away from the slope and the muddy pool it was planned to fall into. Knowing they'd need to catch up quickly, they hurried up to a float of lettuce driven by Pinkie.

"Pinkie Pie, let us in!" begged Scootaloo.

Pinkie laughed. "Funny joke!"

"No, really! Let- us- in!" rephrased Apple Bloom.

"This is no time for unintentional yet still awful puns!" added Ray.

"Ohhh!" Pinkie opened her door and dropped a rope ladder. "Here!"

They hurried inside to see Pinkie lounging on a couch and reading a magazine while the float's wheel turned without guidance.

"Why aren't you driving?!" demanded Ray.

Pinkie glanced up. "I thought you guys wanted a turn doing it."

Ray had no response to that. He just groaned and hurried up to the wheel where Scootaloo tried to take it.

"Best let the adult drive, kid," he said, pushing her aside and grabbing the wheel.

However, this proved to be a task that he was less than suited for. Probably worse than Scootaloo would have been. They narrowly avoided other floats and ponies had to dive out of the way of the voraciously violent vegetable visage.

"In my defence," he yelled over the mayhem, "I've never had much reason to drive anything before!"

Still, they miraculously didn't hit anything (or anypony), and quickly caught up with Babs.

"Babs! You gotta get out of that float!" called Apple Bloom

"You're not getting your float back, crybabies!" she shouted back.

"Babs, this is not up for debate! Get out of that float, NOW!" Ray ordered.

"Huh?! What are you doin' here?"

"Did you not hear me the first time? I said get out of there!" he repeated.

Defiance overcame confusion. "No way! This is my float now!"

"But it's booby tra–"

Sweetie's words were cut off when Babs rammed into their float. She drove off while they steered off course, making straight for the hay bales used to designate the route.

"Veggie salad!" Pinkie screamed

"Huh?"

"Veggie salad!" she cried again before they crashed.

Thankfully, none of them were injured. Ray took the time to feel the debris of the wreck and looked at Pinkie incredulously.

"Did you seriously make this whole float out of lettuce?!"

"Yep. Veggie salad." She began to gobble up the leafy greens.

"Seriously?" remarked Apple Bloom.

They dashed off again, hearing Pinkie's second unintentional yet still awful vegetable called after them. At this point, Ray screeched to a halt and groaned in frustration.

"That's it! Screw the plot!"

With that, he teleported away, leaving the trio of fillies looking rather confused. Pinkie, however, nodded sagely.

"He has begun to learn," she said mysteriously. "Soon, he will understand."

This did nothing to alleviate their confusion and they instead settled for chasing after the float again.

Meanwhile, on the float, Ray appeared right next to Babs. The filly wasted no time leaping about a foot in the air and delivering an equally high shriek of shock.

"Babs, let's not mince with words here," he said straight away. "Get off the float."

"Wha… bu… how did…" She shook her head and stomped stubbornly. "No, you're not the boss of me!"

"Please, get off the float?"

"Nuh-uh!"

"I'll buy you an ice cream?"

"Who needs ice cream? I gotta float!"

"Ugh, will you stop being so difficult?!" he shouted. "I'm trying to save you for Celestia's sake!"

"Huh?" Her expression faltered. "What do you-?"

But at that moment, the kitchen timer went off and the whole thing started to swerve back and forth out of control.

"That's what I mean!" he screamed.

They both hurried and grabbed the wheel, struggling in a vain attempt to regain control. With a loud crash and much rumbling, it tumbled down the rocky slope, the muddy bottom approaching fast. Throughout the chaos, Ray could hear somepony shouting nearby. His head whipped to the window and he saw the Crusaders galloping alongside, trying to catch up.

Without really thinking, he grabbed Babs and kicked open the door. He flung her out into the surprised-but-ready hooves of the Crusaders. Remarkably, they managed to catch her but not without tumbling over each other into a bush.

Now, Ray was the float's only occupant and its doomed destination was still upon him. The girls picked themselves up just in time to see the float reach the bottom, all of its wheels falling off and crashing loudly into the mud, where it started sinking slightly. The only signs of movement were pigs who came up and started licking the boat.

"Where is he? Did he make it out?" asked Babs fearfully.

They all rushed to the wreckage, but still couldn't see anything.

"Ray! Ray, you there?!" called Apple Bloom.

"Oh no! We killed him!" wailed Sweetie Belle.

"Don't be stupid, we didn't kill him." Scootaloo didn't sound very sure of herself.

"Nope," a voice next to them said. "Believe me, I've had worse."

Turning, they saw Ray standing there, proud and unscathed. In their dumbfounded shock, he simply smiled and pumped a hoof into the air.

"I was able to get out this time! Score one for me!"

He laughed in a light hearted manner.

Before the edge of the rock he was standing on crumbled. Before he could act, he lost his hoofing and fell straight into the mud.

"OH, COME ON!"

---

The aftermath that followed was a bath for Ray back at the farm and a talk between Babs and the Crusaders about what happened. Ray was close enough to hear it and to have Applejack fling a towel into his face when she came out with it.

"I don't get it!" Babs was saying. "I saw it all happen! You pushed me out just when the float was about to head into the lake!"

"Except... we were the reason it was headed into the lake," confessed Scootaloo.

"We...booby-trapped the float," Sweetie added.

"Y'see Babs...we were tryin' ta get you back for bein' a big bully..." began Apple Bloom.

"Yeah..." Ray pulled the towel off his face and scratched his head. "I agreed to help them, and I'm pretty much the one who encouraged them toward the whole pranking solution."

Scootaloo took up the narrative. "But then Applejack told us about how you were being bullied back in Manehattan."

"And we figured out you were just doing it to avoid getting picked on in Ponyville. But, by then... we were the ones being bullies. And... Oh, why does life have to be so ironic?!" screamed Sweetie.

Ray shook his head. "Sweetie, you have only scratched the surface. The universe just LOVES to throw curveballs at us, every opportunity it gets."

"Guess what we're trying to say is..."

"We're sorry..." they all said.

Babs blew her fringe out before speaking. "...I'm sorry too..."

"Good. You should be." All heads turned to Ray as he looked scornfully at Babs. "I understand why you did what you did. And yes, we're at fault here as well, for not taking the responsible action and letting our grudge take precedence. But that does not excuse what YOU did, Babs. That you turned on Apple Bloom, your own family, who had been nothing but nice to you, for the sake of popularity...that alone says a whole slew of bad things about you, regardless of your reasons for it."

Babs downcast her head, looking utterly ashamed.

Applejack stepped forward sternly. "Now hold on just a-"

"Wait." Ray raised a hoof. "Let me finish."

The farm pony hesitated and still frowned, but she closed her mouth and waited expectantly.

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying..." He looked down at Babs again. "Babs, you did a bad thing. But..." She looked up to see him smirking. "Personally, I think I you've paid enough for that mistake... especially considering that lovely series of events at the clubhouse I set up last evening..."

"Wait...you mean..." Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "The clubhouse...the smell, the mud...the b-bees...that was-?!"

"All my doing, yes," he confirmed. "You can't go around harassing innocent fillies all day long and then kick them out of their own clubhouse and not expect retaliation, Babs. Just be glad that my skills are a bit rusty from years of disuse. Otherwise…" He glowered at her and took on a malicious tone. "I could have done far worse..."

Babs gulped, while the Crusaders exchanged unsure glances at each other.

"I'm not sure if I should be scared of this guy, or going to him for advice..." whispered Scootaloo.

"Seriously..." agreed Sweetie.

Applejack sighed and approached them. "Y'know, this all could've been avoided if y'all just came to me in the very beginning."

"That's what I kept on saying!" insisted Sweetie. The other two squirmed sheepishly, then she rounded on Ray.

"An' as fer you…" She shook her head. "Sometimes, you can be so immature, ah reckon ya wouldn't look outta place runnin' around with these three, even with yer cutie mark."

"I never claimed to be the most mature of ponies. Anyways," he said, suddenly perking up. "Like I said, after that, I think I'm able to forgive you for your mistake. That being said..." He glanced at the Crusaders. "I'm not sure if they'll be quite so willing..."

Babs turned to them and looked down apprehensively. "Yeah..." She looked up more meaningfully. "So...can we...start over..?"

"Definitely," said Apple Bloom without hesitation.

"Yeah!" cheered Scootaloo.

They gave each other a high hoof and invited Babs to do the same. With a genuine smile, she did.

"And all's well that ends well." Ray was now out and dried. "Everything here looks to be resolved, so once I'm done, I'll just be on my-"

"Not so fast, zippy." Applejack was bearing down on him now. "Ya didn't think ya'd be getting outta this whole mess ya helped cause scot-free, did ya?"

He froze in place. "Um… maybe?"

"Yeah, not gonna happen," she deadpanned. "C'mon, troublemaker." Ignoring his protestations, she grabbed his hoof and started dragging him towards the house. "Ya'll ain't gonna go stirrin' up any more problems now, are ya?"

"Nah, we're good," said Scootaloo, wrapping a friendly hoof around Babs.

"OOH! OOH!" Sweetie hopped up and down excitedly. "We have to go set up Babs' induction ceremony into the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Apple Bloom started off, but stopped. "But...the clubhouse is still..."

They looked to Ray, who grinned sheepishly. "I-I'll fix it back up soon, don't worry. It'll be back in working condition by tomorrow morning... so just-ACK!"

"Oh believe me, a broken clubhouse'll be the least-a yer problems when ah'm done with ya." Applejack continued dragging him off.

"Applejack, come on- AGH!" She tightened her grip on his hoof and pulled harder. "Is this really necessary- EEK!" And tighter again. "Can you at least tell me what my punishment? Tied to a stake and flogged? Thrown in a hole? Please don't make me wear one of Granny's girdles!"

"You'll see," was all she said.

When they arrived at the house, Applejack practically shoved Ray through and guided him into the living room. Ray's mind went through a million things of what expect. But what Ray wasn't expecting to see...was all of his friends. Dusk, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie, all sitting at various points around the room.

As he and Applejack entered, all eyes turned to them-specifically to Ray-with smiles gracing all of their faces. Smiles ranging from gentle to confident, but all sharing one key feature, almost like they were...proud? Well, except for Pinkie, who was just grinning the same way she always does. Ray looked around in confusion, still trying to figure this out.

"Okay, I'll bite, what is this?" he asked. "Is this an intervention or something? I'm not addicted to cinnamon rolls, okay?! I just really, really like them!"

All of them were confused by this sudden outburst.

"Uh, where the hay did that come from?" asked Rainbow.

"Ray, I assure you, this isn't an intervention. Especially not for… cinnamon rolls," Dusk said unsurely.

"It's okay though," Pinkie put in. "I really like cinnamon rolls too."

"You like everything sweet!" Rainbow called out.

"Dashie, this cinnamon thing really sounds serious," she said softly. "Let's try and be supportive of him, okay?"

The Pegasus gave up and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so why are you here?" Ray asked again.

It was Applejack who answered. "It's simple, sugar. Were this any normal circumstances, there would be repercussions but we all think ya learned a valuable lesson taday."

"And with a valuable lesson learned…" Spike held up a quill and parchment, looking at him expectantly.

Several moments of silence passed… then it dawned on Ray what they were getting at.

"Wait, WHAT?!" He rounded on Applejack. "That's what this was all about?!"

"Aiyup."

"B-but… did you know that this was how it would turn out the entire time?!"

She crossed one leg over the other innocently. "Ah had a hunch, ya might say."

"Right…" He looked back to the others. "Then why are you all here?"

"This is a pretty big moment for you," answered Twilight. "We all wanted to be here for it."

"Uh… I dunno about this," he admitted.

"Come now, darling, there's nothing scary about writing a letter," assured Rarity.

"But it's to Princess Celestia! It's not like I'm writing to my mother!"

"We've all done it, Strikey," Pinkie said. "Come on, it's fun!"

"I haven't exactly done this before though…"

"There ain't nothin' ta be embarrassed about, sugar," comforted Applejack. "Just say what come to ya."

"Yeah but writing a letter about a lesson in friendship… I dunno, sounds rather… opposed to masculinity."

"Dude, let's be honest, your masculinity has been steadily dropping from the moment you met us," put in Rainbow. "Just look at Dusk, though he was kind of on the boundary before."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Dusk replied.

"Ray." Fluttershy was there with a comforting smile. "I know it seems pretty scary. Believe me, I know how it feels. But it's really not that bad. It feels wonderful whenever I do it and I was nervous about the first time I did it too. Trust me, I think you'll do brilliantly."

His jitteriness seemed to fade at her words. "You… think so?"

"An old favourite question of Dusk," remarked Twilight. "Even now, he slips back in the habit of asking."

"Baby steps, dear."

"Yes, sweetie. Plus," she added, "you did promise Princess Celestia you'd do it too on the condition you'd stay here. She might not have been completely serious, but I think it's worth making good on that."

He eventually sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll do it."

He sat down in an empty, as though it had been left that way for him and lapsed into contemplative silence. Spike was ready with his quill and the others waited to see what he would say. After a few moments, he spoke again.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Surprise, it's Ray speaking. Maybe you were expecting to get a letter from me, maybe you weren't... truth is, I'm more-or-less being forced to do this by the others, who are all sitting around me and listening as I recite this to Spike...

"Uh, should I write that last part down?" Spike asked unsurely.

The others all giggled and Twilight motioned for him to continue.

But it's alright. I did learn a lesson today. In the past, I've had to deal with a lot of negativity. Especially from those around me. And because I had nopony to turn to, I had to deal with those issues myself, the only way I knew how. Now, years later, I'm not facing those issues myself anymore... but I encountered a certain group of fillies who were. But more than that, I encountered one filly in particular who, where she came from, suffered problems similar to the ones I faces when I was a foal. I didn't know this at the time, however, and that same filly turned to bullying others just as she was bullied herself. Because I didn't bother to learn the full story first, and instead let my sympathetic emotions toward the victims, as well as my negative ones toward the perpetrators, take precedence, I almost helped to hurt and humiliate a filly who, in complete honesty, didn't fully deserve it.

Now thankfully, none of that happened, and I was able to help stop the whole thing...at a slight personal cost.

He coughed and rubbed his head before continuing.

But today I learned that, even though you may not like something, or somepony, and regardless of your prior experiences with that same something or somepony, it's not good to jump to conclusions, nor is it always good to take a matter into your own hooves, especially when you have others around you who are willing and able to help. There are two sides to every story, and you should always try to hear both sides to their full extent before doing anything... drastic. Most of all, when coming up with a solution, you should try to make your solution to the problem a peaceful and lasting one, instead of jumping hastily toward actions that can and will probably only end up escalating the issue further, like I did.

So I guess that's actually more like three separate lessons I've learned today. I think I may have just broken the record on my first attempt. In any case, I admit that this was an enlightening experience, so maybe I'll end up doing it again sometime in the future. Until then,

Your faithful, and... grateful subject
Ray Strike.

He practically sighed with relief as Spike's quill stopped scratching and looked up at them all.

"How was that?" he asked.

"A good letter and a good lesson, I say," voiced Dusk proudly.

"I agree," said Twilight. "I'm sure the Princess will enjoy reading it."

"Now you're even more our friend than you were before!" squealed Pinkie. "Ooh, think we should have a party?"

"The only party he'll be havin' is an extra hour ta his shift tomorrow." Applejack smirked at Ray's groan. "What? Ah didn't say it would be entirely without repercussions."

"Not the most eloquent letter I've heard, but a memorable one regardless," said Rarity.

"Yeah, not as good as mine but you know, that's to be expected," said Rainbow. "It's hard to measure up to me."

Fluttershy just flew up to him and nuzzled his cheek. "Like I said, brilliantly."

Ray chuckled and rubbed his head again. He couldn't exactly argue with that.

---

As part of his extra hour shift, which took place early the next morning and even had Applejack at the ready to come to his house and drag him out of bed with her rope if he didn't show, she supervised Ray's efforts in rebuilding the CMC clubhouse. It took many splinters, missed nails and a borrowed gas mask to get the job done, but he managed it.

By the time he was allowed on his break, it was fully repaired and even smelled of freshly scented roses. He dropped by to see how they were doing and the four of them invited him inside to witness Bab's induction to the group.

Truthfully, he'd been ready to leave once he'd shown the girls that their clubhouse was back in livable condition, and had been about to, but they'd insisted that he stay and watch the proceedings, for whatever reason. Ordinarily he would counter-insist on having something else to do, but...those eyes...those innocent, pleading, watery eyes...

I have no willpower, he thought to himself. Still, he really didn't know why they'd want him to stick around. One would assume that something like this should be a private matter. But the girls seemed to have something planned, based on the look in their eyes. Besides, it was just a club orientation thing. Nothing huge. In all honesty, he really doesn't have anything better to do anyways.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie, and Scootaloo were all wearing red capes emblazed with what he could only assume was their club logo: a (crude) blue shield, within which was a yellow image of a foal/filly standing on its hind legs and smiling, also appearing to wear a cape. The same logo was displayed on the red banner hanging overhead on one side of the clubhouse, opposite the door.

The Crusaders themselves were situated on this same side of the clubhouse. Sweetie up behind a podium (concealing the view of the step-stool she needed in order to get up there), Scootaloo to her left with a pair of timpani drums set up in front of her (Where did she get those?), and Apple Bloom to the right... really just looking professional. Standing in the middle of the clubhouse is Babs, looking a tad apprehensive, but also excited, if that is possible.

Sweetie appeared to be getting a piece of parchment together on the podium. At her nod, which was apparently a signal, Scootaloo begins pounding slowly and rhythmically on the drums and Sweetie proceeded to read from the parchment welcoming their fellow sister, friend, confidante, alley, boss-om buddy…

There were a lot of titles and Sweetie ended up skimming most of them. Apparently Scootaloo had written it, for the filly muttered about having to revise it afterwards. The ceremony concluded with Babs being presented with her own cape and showered in confetti. Ray smiled and got ready to depart.

"Hold on there!" He stopped at Apple Bloom's call. "Where are you goin'?"

"Yeah, we're not done quite yet," said Scootaloo.

"There's just one last thing that needs to be done." Sweetie nodded to Apple Bloom.

At this, Apple Bloom reached behind the podium and pulled out a scarlet pillow atop which was placed a small, cloth-like object.

"Isn't that one of Rarity's?" Ray asked, pointing to the pillow.

"Uh… she let me borrow it. Anyway, not important," said Sweetie quickly.

Apple Bloom propped the pillow up on her head and walks over to Ray, presenting him with…whatever it was on top of the pillow.

Looking at it closer, he saw that it was the same logo that the Crusaders have on their capes, except... well, smaller, and separate from everything else. Also, it had a silver, metallic backside... almost like some sort of badge.

Sweetie gained their attention again by clearing her throat, where she was once again stood behind the podium with another piece of parchment in hoof.

"Ray Strike. We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, have elected you to be an honorary member of our group. We present you with this badge with this badge as a token of trust in our new friend, ally, advisor, guide, specialist... yadda yadda yadda…" She looked to Scootaloo again. "Seriously, did you just have a thesaurus open on your legs when you wrote this?"

"I wanted it to be impressive!" defended the Pegasus.

"Honorary member?" He looked around at them all. "What brought this on?"

"Even if it wasn't the best thing ta do, ya really helped us out, Ray," said Apple Bloom. "An' we really appreciate all ya've done fer us."

"So, after some discussion, we felt it we should show our gratitude by making you a part of the Crusaders too," said Sweetie.

Ray laughed a bit. "Okay, two issues with that: one, I've already got my Cutie Mark-"

"Sure, rub it in," remarked Scootaloo.

"And two," he continued, "I'm not a little filly. Also, like you said AB, I didn't do much other than make a big mess."

"That was somethin' we were hesitant about at first," explained Apple Bloom. "But we decided you don't have to have a Cutie Mark to be part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"And even if you didn't help us, per say," carried on Sweetie, "we'd still like to have you on board as a… sort of like a…"

"Consultant," finished Scootaloo. "And yes, Sweetie, I did. Plus, the CMC isn't just for fillies. We just don't have any guy members at the moment. Unless we get Sweetie Belle's new coltfriend at school to sign up."

"He's not my coltfriend!" The filly blushed. "B-Button said he's n-not interested in getting his cutie mark yet anyway…"

Ray closed his eyes and thought for a minute. During that time the fillies all started inching toward him in suspense.

They leaped back when he broke out laughing.

"Okay, I'll be a member." They all cheered at his response. "But only on two conditions. First, I'm not joining you on all of your… excursions."

"Fair enough," agreed Apple Bloom. "You've already got yer talent, not really much point."

"Yeah, plus you might not be able to handle most of the stuff we do," put in Scootaloo. "It can get pretty extreme."

"I'll bet. Second, I'm fine with the badge but let me make this clear: I am never, ever wearing a cape."

They all moaned in disappointment.

"Come on, Ray! It's part of the club," tried Apple Bloom.

"We can make you a special one," offered Sweetie Belle.

"You'll feel left out," suggested Scootaloo.

"Nope, no thank you and no," he answered. "No capes."

"If you won't wear one willingly then…" Babs started forward. "Guess we have to make you wear one."

"Now, now, girls," he said, backing away as they approached. "You wouldn't really do that, would you?" He looked at their faces. "You would."

He broke into a run and they scampered after him, chasing him around the clubhouse while he ran for his life. Was it too late to back out of this, he wondered?

All too soon it seemed, for the Crusaders, Babs' week in Ponyville was up and they were back at the train station to see her off a couple of days after the ceremony.

"So you promise you're gonna start our Manehattan branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, right?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, and I promise to keep talking to my big sis about the teasing back home," she added.

"Good. And if ya have any problems, we've got your back too, y'hear?" assured Applejack.

"Yeah, any of those punks start teasing you back home, call me and I'll be there in a flash to… sort them out." Ray said this with a familiar glint in his eye and a giddy undertone.

It was enough to make them edge away from him slightly.

"So you're leaving huh?" Diamond and Silver arrived on the scene. "Great! Now we're stuck here with these lame blank flanks."

The Crusaders looked downcast while Applejack glared. Ray growled under his breath and started towards them when he was stopped.

"Hey! That's not how you talk to my friends!" Babs said toughly, marching toward them.

"F-friends?" Silver stammered.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"Well, what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?" sneered Diamond.

Babs considered and glanced at the others. Ray held up a firecracker while nopony else was looking, but Babs was decided.

She started forward again. "Tell your mothers about your bad attitudes!"

The two bullies shook in silent fear. Babs suddenly jerked her head forward and it was enough to make them fall backwards into a pile of mud. There was even a pig in there with them. Babs beamed and shared a high hoof with her fellow Crusaders.

"Where'd that mud even come from?" asked Apple Bloom. "It wasn't here on… our way in…"

She trailed off and turned slowly to look at Ray. They all did and went wide-eyed, even Applejack, at the sight of Ray grinning like a mad pony.

"How…?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ultimate Prankster," he said simply. "My secrets shall remain secrets."

They decided not to press on that, especially since Babs' train was about leave. She hurried on, waving farewell once she was on.

"I'm sure gonna miss that bad seed," said Sweetie.

Applejack was confused. "Bad seed? Ah thought y'all were friends now?"

"No, see, first we called her 'bad seed' as in actually a bad seed, but now she's bad as in good," she explained. "Get it?"

"Yea... No."

"I get it," Ray spoke up. "Sarcastic literalism."

The Crusaders all nodded in agreement while Applejack still wore a confused frown. In the end, they just laughed it off as the train pulled out of the station.

---

The rain poured down on the streets of a darkened town. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the spires of the city like the jagged teeth of a beast. Nopony in their right mind would be out in a storm this wild and fierce.

However, there was one shadowy figure that definitely wasn't in what most would consider a right mind. It galloped through the streets, dressed in a hooded black robe and blending in with the shadows cast by the buildings.

It paused for a moment, ducked behind some crates and peered out. Within its sight was its destination. A magical bazaar, the kind of place that housed all sorts of enchantments and tomes of the arcane arts. But there was one in particular it had come for.

It glanced under its robe, apparently checking on something. Then, it took off towards the shop, off the streets before anypony even noticed it was there.

While the figure's left foreleg clutched at something under the robe, it used the other to start rifling through the many books and skulls and displays that were on offer in the store. Their efforts became more desperate until the proprietor turned on a light and approached.

"May I help you, traveller?" he asked. "Hmm, something drew you to my shop... something powerful."

With the light on, their choice was clear. Without a word, the figure pointed at something on the shelf behind the counter in a glass case. It was a silver necklace with a red gem set in it, the wings and head of a sinister looking alicorn sprouting from it.

"Ah, you have a keen eye," praised the shopkeeper. "The Alicorn Amulet is one of the most mysterious and powerful of all the known magical charms." The figure pointed again. "Uh, ah— I'm afraid this is... far too dangerous."

The figure reached into their cloak and tossed a very large bag of bits on the counter. The shopkeeper took one look over it before changing his mind.

"Would you like that gift-wrapped?" he asked.

"No, thank you," the figure replied, walking up to her new possession and leering. "I'll just take it now."

"Your voice sounds… familiar," remarked the shopkeeper. "Do I know you?"

"Perhaps. If not…" She threw back her hood and lifted off the glass case with her magic. "You soon will."

"Oh, I see." He watched as she placed the amulet on. "Y-you're trying it now?"

"Why not?" She took out the thing she'd been carrying and placed it on the ground. "There are some of us who cannot stand to wait."

"An eager sort?"

She glanced at him. "Something like that."

She walked away from the thing, a jar full of some strange swirling dark substance and turned to face it again. It seemed to thrash and writhe inside its glass confinement.

"My, my, what an interesting item," remarked the shopkeeper. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in a bit of selling too, miss?"

"Sorry." Her eyes flashed, as did the amulet. "He's not for sale."

"Wait, what-?"

The amulet glowed red along with her horn as it powered up and she fired off a beam at the jar.

The shopkeeper took cover as the glass shattered and the substance inside whipped up into a whirlwind. Books blew open and piles of items collapsed and clattered to the floor as a powerful magic began to take hold. It could have been the shopkeeper's imagination

Within minutes, the substance began to take shape. It began as a crudely shaped form of a pony, but soon other things began to appear. A wild, bone white mane. Fur as black as a starless night. Muscles that bulged and rippled with every movement. A mouth that curled into a cruel smile.

But most frightening of all were the eyes. Those horrid, jade eyes. Full of anger, hate, suffering. Nothing positive shone in them. For a moment, he dared to hope he would forget it. Until an empty, cold laughter erupted from the form, followed by a mad cackle from the mare he'd just sold the amulet to.

Dear Celestia… what had he done?

Author's Note:

I think that says enough, don’t you?

Comments

[Twilight Best Pony]

oh boy here go....

[Cynel1]

3898806 then again its what the author decides.

[X 865]

So Ray's becoming aware of the fourth wall and Doom shows his ugly face again. Let the chaos begin!

[SageBrony07]

No....... freaking........way....... HOW DID SHE GET THAT!!!!!!!!! OH NO: THAT IS BADDDDD!!!! VERY VERY BAD!. I can't wait for the next chapter.

[Impurity]

No no plz nuu.

[Auto-Buscus]

4125072 Yeah but they do that all the time anyway. XD

[Auto-Buscus]

Doom is back.... in black...

And Ray the Ultimate Prankster Strikes out and learns a lesson or two, but not without going out with a bang!

And Dusklight being adorably awesome as always.

And there's Spike.

This update gets 5/5 of these:

[Amber Flame]

OMG! this is SOOO cool I CANT wait 4 the next chapter!

[SaxPon3]

Aw man! Not again...Doom, WHY WON'T YOU STAY DEAD?!

[SCI-FIWIZARDMAN]

4142302 Because Doom is a troll. As he will prove in the next chapter.

Not nearly on the same level as Discord, but still, a pretty big troll.

[TheSkittish]

AAWWWWWWWW, SHIT.