A Pony's Diary and the Other Stories

by Twily Brony

The Burglars (Part Two)

When Lion woke, he found himself tied tightly in a chair. Papageno was the same, too, aside him. The light was still on. A black pegasus, pure black, stood with back to them, hearing the noise Lion made, he turned his face.

"You wake now, " he said.

"Shame on you! You drug a foal! " Lion got angry. A light araise from his horn, the rope tied him and his friend had torn apart in a crack. Papageno slided down from the chair with a painful ouch.

"If you call yourself a foal, then you shouldn't be a burglar, " pegasus fought back.

"Forgive me, " that pegasus changed himself back, he was that changling, "I didn't drug you, just... couldn't trust you. Now I can, since you already told me anything I need to know. That was a truth potion. "

"Oh, a truth potion, of course... " Lion said with a unsatisfied looking.

"Easy, I mean no harm. I need you. "

'You mean you need me, or need me to trust you? "

"Both. By the way, do you want something to eat? "

"Save it. Why would I trust you again? "

"Because I know you have a serious disease and the only hope is a lake in mystery. I won't let you lose your control, besides, if I really want you to die, you are already now. We can't achieve our goal without each other's help, " changling paused for a second, waiting for response.

"What is your goal? "

"Just like you, find that stupid lake. "

"Go on."

"You have no choose but trust me. Because only me have the information you need, and that's what I need too. "

"You mean... we have the same goal? " Lion said doubtfully.

"Finally, we have made a agreement. "

They went to the lobby, the changling changed himself into a black pegasus again. "Why do you change youself into a pegasi, you don't like being a changling? " Lion asked. "Personnal little habit. I just like that way, " changling answered.

The changling's name was Zorro, his uncle, as he said, was Fury Comedian. And according his words, he came here just yesterday, wanted to spend his vacation in Canterlot, here, and he did get the invitation, but when he got here, he found his uncle went missing.

"I have to find him. " Zorro said.

"I understand you want your uncle back, but I don't see the connection. "

"Fury is Inky, too. They are the same pony. He's a changling too, so don't get so surprised about this. He is a little... well, " Zorro sighed heavily, didn't continue. "Follow me, if you are wondering how do I know... " Zorro held a candle from the desk, led them to the second floor, speaking. He stoped aside a book shelf, and clicked something on it. Suddenly there was a secret door appeared, behind the shelf.

They followed the gothic spiral stairways, seemed it was already in the underground. They arrived. Zorro used his magic lighted this place. It was a room, wet and nasty, with tons of books, scrolls and papers here and there. A giant star map hang in the wall, damaged. A strange mirror stood unstablely at a corner, full of dust and spider webs. There was a smaller room hiden behind a shelf, only a bed in it. A fire basket hang above them, with a magic blue fire burning in it. They also found a desk and three chairs.

"Here, " Zorro threw a red covered book to Lion, didn't notice when and where did he get that, "take a look. "

It was Inky's dairy.

---

I've found the key. It's like a spell, beautiful and deadly.

It is a symbol, some kind of... concept. Who says that we have to achieve a goal that can be touched? Spells can't be touched too, but it is so powerful...

No, tis not. Spells are only powerful when they are spoken out by the magicians, before that, they are just a string of characters of meaninglessness, useless. But what about for the non-unicorns? I mean, the spell but not magical? A spell that nopony uses, but just stands there. Gah!!!

I have to admit, this work is harder than I thought before. As I said, it could be anything. The code can be hiden in music, or an artwork... I can't sure...

Have I lost her? I can't think... I must leave this place... ("Wow, he sounds like... so paranoid, " Papageno said. "Hush, I can't read! " Lion broke him immediately. ) Or not, everywhere is prison for me, I have to leave equestria, go to somewhere further, beyond equestria...

A friend living in yakyakistan once asked me to visit sometime, but I'm not sure, or maybe I'll just stay here... Am I a coward? I... what am I thinking exactly? I don't even know myself... No, I'm not, and I won't go there...

The only thing I know is I am seeking, but for what? I don't know. I need a purpose, but more than that. Not anything can be my purpose... They don't, and never know who am I, my true self, but nethier do I. How can I just chase a dream?

a-tang deh sa naeh tiaer-s... ubi sunt? arh yenn mindu-s...

---

"What the hay is that? " Lion didn't read more, because the rest of it was all written like that, a kind of unreadable characters.

"Now you see why I can't hoof it over, " said Zorro, "maybe tis some kind of secret code and need to be decrypted. I think this is new, written just recently. But I still don't know a lot about his diary. "

"So I thought there were some unpublished texts in his diary, but no, Inky published all diary he wrote that time. He just wrote more after that. "

"Exactly, but why did he do that? Why did he made up a pony called Fury? "

"You sure they are the same pony? I mean, that old stallion Paperwork call your uncle, I mean it was you, Fury. " Papageno broke in. It was harder than make a pig fly to make Papageno keep quiet for a short time.

"I know my uncle's hoofwriting, okay? " Zorro seemed very impatient for Papageno's barinless. You can't blame him, because a witpony is always no more wit when he meets a witless one.

"Yes, I can understand. But every writter pony has his pseudonym, " Lion continued.

"And his is Fury, I knew. What I mean is, his diary did mention a pony named Fury, his original diary, and they met! Don't you think that's strange? What if this Fury, not him, really exist? "

Silence.

"Wait, Zorro, " suddenly something came into Lion's mind.

"What? "

"Your uncle is a changling, just like you, but why did he show himself an earth pony? And always like that? Is he a... changed one, or still eat the other pony's love? "

"Hmm... indeed. That's the question too. I know seldom about him, but I'm sure he is a changed changling. Why did he disguise himself an earth pony is still a mystery for now. " Zorro took the diary Lion hoofed him, and threw it back to the desk carelessly.

"Hey! I find something! " Papageno brought a paper folded, "found inside the diary."

"No way, I examed it carefully! " Zorro questioned.

"Except the cover. " Papageno sounded happily.

"Right, the cover. " Zorro rolled his eyes in frustration.

They opened it. There was nothing except a picture. It was very strange, more like some kind of magic symbol. The imagine glimmered fainted, and then brighter and brighter, like the paper was gonna burn. Like as a respond, Lion's horn lighted out of control. His eyes lighted too, and his body floated into the mid air, seems something else controled his body, and the real Lion had already lost his consciousness. Zorro folded the paper again, but didn't make it better. A wind generated from nowhere, out of magic, it was getting more and more powerful, it would be a storm at last if it wasn't stopped, torn every paper and book apart. It threw Zorro into the wall, his body slaped the wall heavily and then slided down. Papageno caught pillar in a sudden, saved himself from the same fate. Glasses, wooden bookshelves, cracking, being smashed into ashes.

"Lion! " Papageno tried to wake him up, but that was useless. Lion couldn't hear anything at the moment. The light around Lion was getting brighter and wider, like that magic imagine on the paper summoned something inside Lion's body, a pure magic power, a drainless fountain, even more powerful, a spirit. A stream of magic released from this horn, lighting the whole room like a bright day, but also a stormy day.

A strong quake burst out from the ground. The whole building was going to collapse. Papageno was panic, lost his normal voice, "what am I gonna do... oh, my holy celestia... celestia bless me, or luna, or the pony controls the underground, the unknown world whoever he or she is, bless me... " Papageno closed his eyes, waiting for his destiny's calling. Zorro felt angry about what Papageno act, but he tried not to get mad at Papageno. "Do something, Papageno! " Zorro asked.

"Right, right... don't panic, and think wisely... Papageno... do something... " he murmured in a panic for a few seconds, but finally he still lost his mind and yelled, "everypony get out! Abandon the ship! Save yourself! " Losing his strength, he couldn't hold the pillar, fell into the wall too, with an "ouch". You can't blame him, he was really scared, you can't sure if you can do better than Papageno if it was you.

"Stop it, Lion! " Zorro barely couldn't hold on, he tried to move himself to the corner. The pillars was losing the balance, the ceiling leaned towards one side.

"Darn! " So many times Zorro just wanted to yell "useless" to Papageno, and also himself. He felt hopeless, the only thing waiting for them was buried here, even nopony would find their bones and skulls, maybe the ponies who know them would report their missing after months, that would be the best result. But will everything come to an end here? This is just chapter two, and our adventurers just take their first step, every doubt haven't been answered yet, every secret haven't been revealed yet. Zorro was just feared and as afraid like us, but he was also a brave pony. Like the old saying said, their "hearts as strong as horses". Zorro felt his hoof touched something cold, a piece of iron plate.

"Iron plate... " Zorro's brain ran rapidly, "right, the sewers, of course... "

Zorro used all his four hooves to move that iron plate, with all of his strength, he threw that piece iron towards Lion's head.

Pow!

With a noise, Lion fell from the mid air, fainted in the ground. Winds vanished, went back to where it came from. All the lights were gone. And the quake stopped.

"Come here! " Zorro lighted up his horn, shouted as loudly as he could, to cover the noises.

Papageno took Lion's body, rushed.

In a sound of a thunder, the house collapsed deadly.

Comments

[sunsetsjournal]

Okay, where do I begin?
First, great idea, putting a changeling into the story: I trully did not expect that.
Secon, I like the way you describe things: it's really accurate; I could almost immagine I was right there with the characters
Third, I love the the fact that you put poetry into your writing, for example in the first part you mentioned one of McBeth's lines, didn't you?

[Twily Brony]

8899299
i did on purpose, i suuuuper love that proverb and that's why i gave it fury the name xdd

[Twily Brony]

8899299
And if you have watch Der Zauberflote by Mozart you will know what is Papageno is about. Lazy, kinda greed sometimes, fun-loving and less responsible, and he has a set of magic bells too. but since tis equestria i don't want him too like Papageno, but also some good in him. in that way, i think he is like Michelangelo if you watched tmnt 2003 version, childish, love eating and games but also a faithful friend and you can count on him when it comes. And Lion, i'd like him be like Leonard in tmnt 2003, or superman, full of love and courage, positive power, and so on, a born leader. and zorro would be the batman... that'd be interestin xdd