Friendship is Failure #27- Love is a Danger Zone

by DakariKingMykan

Act 6: Growing Frustrations

ACT SIX

The next day, it had been a full twenty-four hours since Danger Zone appeared, and there hadn’t been a sighting of him since.

Meanwhile, the streets of Ponyville were not as active as normal.

With the lockdown in effect, school was cancelled. Restaurants and cafés were shut too so as not to make big crowds for Danger Zone to target.

Work still carried for some ponies-- the Food Market, the Postal Service, regular businesses, and even the taxi coaches.

This made traffic on the roads lighter, and the town quieter with most people staying indoors.

In addition to being escorted by guards to do business outdoors or travel, markets and active services were only allowed to let so many ponies in at once, while others would have to wait, or make a reservation. They were also only allowed a limited amount of time to shop or do their business.

“This is awful.”

“I hate this lockdown.”

“I hope it’s lifted soon.”

The guards hoped this too, for they had been standing vigil round the clock and patrolling the streets to watch for any signs of Danger Zone.

Even the children weren’t taking it too well. Since there was no school, they couldn’t see or play with their friends, and were forced to go no further than their own yards to play, for it was advised not to go to playgrounds either.

Spike looked out the window of the castle and sighed miserably at the sorry sight of the town, before picking up a breakfast tray he intended to take down to Cadance in the bunker.

He passed by the library’s open doors and stopped for a moment to look in shock…!

Shelves were empty as the books lay scattered and piled up on the floor due to Twilight’s excessive all-night research, and she had obviously failed to turn up anything regarding clues to Danger Zone’s powers, origins, or even his whereabouts.

“Not in the Dark Ages of Equestria! Not in the Chronicles of Love and Hate! Not even in Table of Dark Elements.”

She furiously tossed each book aside, deeming it useless.

“I don’t get it, Spike. Apparently, there’s nothing in any book about Danger Zone. It’s as if this is the very first time an evil such as his has ever existed.”

Spike blinked once. “Um… pretty sure that’s what was implied yesterday.”

Twilight sulked as she slumped onto the sofa. “I hate it when I can’t find any answers!”

Spike approached her, still clutching the tray of food. “You’re trying too hard again. Maybe you ought to try and iron out the pieces a little.”

This gave Twilight the idea. “Pieces! Spike, that’s it!” and she hurried off to the lab, but not before taking the breakfast tray with her, since she hadn’t eaten.

Spike groaned, not just at Twilight’s paranoia, but now he had to go and make Cadance another try of food.

He wrote to her on the magic pad saying “Got delayed. Will be down soon.”

Cadance immediately replied with “That’s okay, Spike. I have plenty of food down here anyway. How’s the research going?”

Spike responded, “She’s at it again…!”

Cadance knew this would happen with Twilight, and she wrote, “Poor thing. You best watch out for her.”

Spike agreed, but he couldn’t help but ask her, “How are you holding out down there? I could come down and keep you company for a bit.”

“I’m okay, really. It’s Twilight who needs you more right now.”

Spike couldn’t tell if she meant it or not, but she was right about Twilight. So, he went off to help her in the lab.

Meanwhile, Rarity was sewing miserably in her room with hardly any enthusiasm. Her shop was closed, and so she had no customers to show off her designs to.

She fell asleep while still sewing on her machine, and accidentally sewed her mane into the fabric.

Rainbow Dash sat boringly on her sofa. The Wonderbolt’s show was canceled, training was canceled, she couldn’t even go out to the training fields just cut loose and have fun. She was even too bored to fall asleep.

“…This stinks!” she groaned.

Fluttershy had it a little easier. She had lots of her animal friends to keep her company, and she and Angel played loads of games together, and Fluttershy still managed to tend to all their needs, provided they came to her.

Easily, it was Applejack and Pinkie Pie who had it the easiest.

Sugar Cube Corners had to close the café, but Pinkie and the Cakes were busier than ever baking sweets and goodies for all the businesses and homes that ordered them.

“Come on, let’s shake a hoof.” said Carrot Cake.

“Oh, I’m shaking all four of mine.” Pinkie said by showing off that she was able to do several things at once-- ice a cake, mix the batter, crack the eggs, and roll the dough…

Except, Cup Cake stopped her, “Um, Pinkie… I think you’re a little mixed up here.”

Pinkie realized she had been doing so much, that she mixed the cake, iced the batter, cracked the dough, and rolled the eggs.

Pinkie was so embarrassed!

And Applejack…

Farm life couldn’t be halted for anything, not even a major threat. Crops had to be picked, fields plowed and weeded, and livestock fed. So, all the farmers could still do their chores and basic routines.

Applejack and her family were out harvesting apples.

“I still wish the festival wasn’t canceled.” said Applebloom.

“I know…” her sister responded, “But that don’t mean we can’t have our own little fun and contest.”

“Eeyup!” agreed Big Mac, and he began to race with his cart full of apples singing, “Catch me if you can!”

His sisters raced to catch up with him.

Strings had been thinking and thinking trying to put a tune in his head for the words “Danger Zone.” but he was unable to think of much, especially because this sort of thing was outside of his own zone.

Ideas would never come out of thin air, you always had to be inspired, and he usually wrote and sang songs that were loving and moving, and the main muse for his thoughts were… of that pony whose identity he still refused to reveal.

Thinking of her again brought on his sadness, which he managed to suppress…

…Especially when a letter came to him through his in-room mail slot.

“What’s this?” he wondered as he examined it.

It was a request from the front desk, on behalf of a married couple on their honeymoon at the hotel.

“They were due to return home and are saddened to be stuck here at the hotel.

They heard that you were also staying with us and have requested you to come down and play a special one of your songs as entertainment in the dinner hall at dinner.

If you wish to refuse, the house and the couple understand, and sadly, we cannot afford to pay you due to our low budget now because of the lock down.

Please respond-- Front Desk.”

Strings felt flattered and sad at the same time, but being the kind-hearted pony, he was when it came to his fans, and given the present situation, he was more than pleased to write his agreement.

After he sent the letter back down through the tube, he began to feel a bit strange again, as if he was blacking out again.

He managed to shrug it off. “What’s happening to me?” he wondered. “Am I getting sick or something?”

He looked himself in the mirror-- pulled down his eye lids, stuck out his tongue…

“I don’t look ill.”

Suddenly, in less than a second, he thought he saw his eyes change in a flash.

“What was that?”

He looked hard but could only see his ordinary eyes gazing right back at him.

He was starting to feel a little afraid.

With special permission, and escorted by two guards, Twilight and Spike returned to the scenes where Twilight had battled Danger Zone; right near Rarity’s place, where they hoped to find clues to examine back at the castle lab, but other than a few hoofprints in the dirt, they were unable to find a thing.

She spent the whole afternoon searching, and by the time the sun was getting ready to set, she had made at least ten circles

“Nothing at all!” groaned Twilight. “Not even a thread of hair from his mane, or a piece of skin from his coat, or even magical residue!”

“Can’t we just use the hoofprints?” Spike asked, but Twilight shook her head, “…They won’t, help, Spike. We need something that can link directly to him.

A single hair from his mane, or magical residue would do it.”

One of the guards then informed her. “I’m afraid that your allowed time is nearly up. We should escort you home now.”

Twilight angrily stomped her hoof but had to comply with orders.

“Where are you, Danger Zone?” she grumbled “Why don’t you show yourself again?”

Spike hung his head low in defeat.

“Twilight, Spike?” Rarity called as she came from round the yard with a basket of clean laundry on her back.

“Hi, Rarity…” Spike said glumly.

Twilight only raised her head with a defeated expression on her face.

Rarity hated the sight of long faces, and promptly invited them into her place for some tea, and for some company to kill her own boredom.

Twilight felt she needed some stress relief and felt “…Maybe a few minutes won’t hurt.”

She confirmed with the guards who approved. “We must prepare to leave anyway.” said one of them “It’s about time for shifts to change.”

Twilight thanked them politely. “You needn’t watch us any longer. I can teleport us back to the castle any time.”

The guards left, and the friends all headed for the door.

Meanwhile, at the hotel, Strings was at the piano playing a song he wrote, which was a very sweet and passionate love song.

“This is dedicated to the two of you…” he said while addressing the new married couple who requested him.

He began playing the piano-- which was odd for a pony to do without opposable digits.

“It Might Be you.”

The song was so lovely, and the dining hall wide with enough space, the newlyweds got up and danced romantically.

They looked so heavenly, a mare or two had tears in their eyes watching them dance.

A few members of the staff couldn’t help but dance with fellow co-workers on the sidelines.

When the song was over, the husband pecked his wife tenderly on her lips making her swoon, and the crowds applauded towards them, and to Strings.

Strings bowed to everyone, and the couple came up to shake hooves with him, thanking him for the song.

“I’m happy to have helped you.” said Strings, but really, all through the song and dance his depression was really starting to engulf him again. All the time he was thinking of his dream pony, while at the same time, envying the newlyweds and how happy they looked.

He clutched his chest softly as the pain struck through him.

“Are you alright?” asked the bride.

“Yes… I’m okay, I’m just a little tired.”

The groom then offered, “Allow us to buy you a drink, as payment.”

“That’s quite alright I can pay for my own.” Strings said, and he excused himself to head to the bar for some much-needed cider.

He was in for quite a surprise when he found out who was serving him.

“Sun Rae?”

She nodded at him, “Hello, Strings. Great performance.”

Before Strings could ask why she was there, she already answered, “The town bar is closed due to lack of patrons. I needed a job, and the hotel needed more staff. It’s just a temporary thing.”

She served him his cider and noted his sadness. She could tell, “You’re thinking about her again, right?”

Strings could only sigh miserably while rubbing his aching head, confirming Sun’s theory.

He suddenly felt himself feeling strange again-- woozy, fading vision, aching head.

“What’s the matter?” cried Sun.

“I… I’ll be right back!” groaned Strings, and he dashed off for the washrooms in back of the dining hall.

The men’s room was empty, and he immediately ran to the sink and began to splash cool water on his face, but he felt himself getting worse-- blacking out again.

In his stumbling as he exited the washroom and headed back down the empty corridor to the dining hall, he accidently leaned up against a door leading into the back alley behind the hotel…

…And he finally collapsed behind one of the dumpsters.

A few moments later, two staff ponies, a male and female were bringing out large garbage bags to toss into the dumpster.

The two were also lovers, and they couldn’t resist a quick romantic in the alley where no pony could see them.

“Come here, you.” the mare cooed to the stallion.

They embraced deeply up against the brick wall, when suddenly there was a loud crash that made them jump in fright, followed by a stray cat meowing and running out from behind a tipped over trashcan.

The two lovers sighed in relief.

“Now, where were we…?” the male seductively asked his lady.

Just as they were about to make out again, an evil voice called to them, “You… were about to become my next victims!”

It was Danger Zone!

The couple had just enough to let out a scream as he moved in to attack!

Comments

[LoserkidUwU]

So shoulda asked this sooner but what's up with the kinds goofy name. You'd think the name of a love stealing villain would be loved themed?

[DakariKingMykan]

11799656

I have my reasons, and I don't think "Danger Zone" is goofy.

Besides... there was "Cozy Glow" That's not exactly villainous, but that doesn't make her less dangerous and vile.