In Equestria, Twilight Sparkle makes a discovery that could change her world's history forever. On Earth, a young musician makes a pact with a strange man that sends him to a magic forest. Two worlds collide. Troubles ensues. And a lot of music to.
On Equis, in the land of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle makes a discovery that could change her world's history, for better or worse.
On Earth, in New York City, a young musician and metalhead, named Kenneth Marshall, makes a pact with a strange man after a complicate night.
This transports him to a mysterious forest full of magical creatures. But he soon discovers that he can sing and play all the music he wants, like songs from his favorite artists.
As an ancient force awakes, two worlds are about to collide. Trouble will ensue, but also some laughs, tears and a lot of music. And, from all of this, a truth lost in the abyss of time may be revealed. A truth that some wants to keep hidden.
The ocean was crystal blue, promising unknown kingdoms to those putting their eyes on it. The horizon revealed a long wall of pure ice--a reassuring yet oppressive protector. A chorus of winds was keeping it company.
Faraway, a titan of metal was piercing the water. Its tamer, influenced by boredom, made his horn sing, invading the frozen lands with its noise. The chimney spat out its thick black smoke, extending its invisible arms to the milky horizon. The tanker moved away with a mocking nonchalance, like his predecessors, unaware of the dark deviousness that operated a little more each time.
Far from the eyes of men, the unthinkable happened. A crackle echoed through the tired cliffs. Another happened, and nature itself seemed to hold its breath. The roar of a gigantic block collapsing. The cry of agony of a thousand-year-old guard. The ice hit the ocean and slid into the abyss.
And then, an infernal prisoner awoke in an explosion of sharp flames, before leaping to the clouds.
That day, many men saw a burning spear piercing the sky, tinging it blood red.
xXx
Equestria - Nowadays
There was a huge mess in Canterlot's archives. Around a giant hourglass, the only landmark still distinguishable, mountains of books, scrolls and other manuscripts strewed the ground and encumbered the space between the various bookcases. A small purple unicorn was merrily humming in the middle of these shambles. Her flank bore a pink star. She was magically floating a quill and different scrolls in a candy-pink aura generated by her horn, springing out of a long indigo mane crossed with a purple wick, just like her tail. A cohort of old books were levitating in front of her playful eyes as she listed them one by one. But her joy was far from shared.
Among the half-empty shelves, a large purple lizard, surmounted by green scales, was carrying, with difficulty, a pile of grimoires in his little arms. He could not help but whine because of the effort.
“Twilight ... I like being your assistant, but could you not ask for some help this time?”
“Spike, I promised the princess I would put the archives in order,” she replied without moving her eyes from her work. “The others have their own business to manage.”
The baby dragon dropped his charge, raising a cloud of dust that caused him to cough out his lungs.
“Sure. It’s more like you enjoy cleaning all these piles of dust by yourself.” he muttered under his breath.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing!” he replied.
Twilight interrupted her parade of old volumes when an element on her scrolls made her stop.
“If the old inventory is correct, it’s missing one book to complete the section about the links between animal species and magic energy: An encyclopedia of the felines. Could you bring it to me, Spike? It should be in that section over there.”
“You got it!”
The budding assistant plunged into the forest of paper in the direction indicated by the young unicorn. To go through the heaps of books was in itself a challenge, but the adorable reptile consoled himself by noting how much the shelves had already been greatly emptied. The book he was looking for was probably among those still on a shelf, otherwise he would have brought it back to Twilight earlier.
After having escaped several literary landslides, Spike discovered the objective of his quest: a blue thick encyclopedia , marked with a silver cat design. The only concern was that the book was at the top of a shelf, in the very last row.
The little assistant lamented in front of this unexpected obstacle. Because of his small size, the highest writings seemed unattainable to him. Twilight could take care of this with her magic he thought. As a result, Spike prepared to ask for her help. But he stopped. Something inside of him was telling him that he could get this manuscript by himself. Moreover, from the top of this piece of furniture, the book seemed to taunt the young dragon. He felt the ridiculously satisfying need to respond to this insult.
Spike began to climb the cliff with youthful determination. His ascent was slow but steady. His grip was firm and his claws helped him to hold on, despite a few slippery slips here and there. Once at the top, facing the bookshelf crowded with books and rolls, a long smile lit up his face. The euphoria of victory was already exciting him. The baby dragon seized the blue grimoire between his little fingers and pulled. Nothing moved.
Once the initial incomprehension passed, he tried again to extirpate the manuscript, but without much success. Over time, the books had been stored without consideration, until they were tight against each other. The little dragon refused to give up. He grabbed the mocking book with both hands and pulled with all his might. It resisted again. The lizard insisted even more aggressively. Until the manuscript leaped like a champagne cork. Carried away by this sudden extraction, Spike was now on the verge of a vertiginous fall. He quickly grabbed the edge of the shelf with two claws. He sighed with relief. Then the weight of the child caused a slow tilting of bookcase.
From her headquarters of books, Twilight heard a cry of distress followed by a terrible crash. The unicorn dropped everything to gallop towards the source of this scream. There, she discovered, in addition to a fallen shelf, an ocean of books and a thick mist of gray dust. She called anxiously for her little companion.
“Spike! Spike, are you there?!”
The answer she received was a violent series of coughs, followed by a geyser of paper from which the awkward reptile came out. Many books levitated in a pink aura to create a path to the child.
“Are you okay?” asked the young pony. “Are you hurt?”
“I think I’m okay,” he answered spitting a lot.
Twilight examined him and asked anxiously what had happened. The dragon told her about his adventure as the thick mist disappeared. When he finished his story, the unicorn told him with kind concern.
“I told you to let me take care of that when it’s too complicated. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
The child apologized with a voice full of guilt, disappointed that his temerity had worried his friend. Before the latter could comfort him, something strange appeared, interrupting her. When it fell, the shelf had revealed the wall behind it. And as the fog of dead particles disappeared, a strange decoration was revealed on the stones: An arch painted by the most refined of artists. Inside were all sorts of fine arabesques, accentuating the noble aspect of the drawing, as well as a horseshoe design in the middle, surrounding an eight-pointed star.
The young unicorn approached, hypnotized by this discovery. She was as captivated by its wonderful aesthetics as by the impeccable condition of the painting. An intriguing contradiction seemed to exist between the perfect black paint and the old stone.
“What is it Twilight?”
“I have no idea,” she admitted as she approached the drawing. “Why would anyone put a piece of furniture in front of something so beautiful?”
She inspected it and seemed intrigued by something that tickled her memory.
“That’s weird. The signs in the middle ... around the horseshoe. It looks like old unicornish. A really old version.”
“Can you translate it?”
The unicorn thought deeply for a moment. She was trying to combine her mastery of the classical version of this language with her limited knowledge of linguistics to clarify the forgotten message. She seemed confused by her conclusion, which she shared loudly as her hoof caressed the horseshoe symbol.
“I think it means: Only those who are in love can enter... No. Those who sincerely love the truth.
As soon as she uttered this last word, the drawn horseshoe illuminated itself with a soft cyan light. Surprised by this magical reaction, Twilight and her friend stepped back. Then, the entire arch from a forgotten time lit up with the same heavenly color. A few seconds later, the stones inside the arch began to recede, with a strangely discreet rock rubbing. An almost imperceptible caress.
After moving backward a little, the painted stone slowly rotated to reveal an opening into a world of darkness. At first, the unicorn and her reptilian friend were intimidated by this opening, which seemed ready to devour them. It was like their instincts were warning them that if they crossed the border, they would never really come back. Like a response to their fear, new luminescent lines lit up the passage, revealing an ascending spiral staircase.
Spike questioned Twilight, wishful of a reassuring explanation. But the purple pony didn’t seem to hear it. Slowly, her hoof crossed the threshold. Its snap echoed in the depths of the hallway. Worry did not seem to have any more grip on her. The sky-blue gleams gave the staircase a more reassuring aspect, inviting them to use it and to lose themselves in its arms. After the first step, Twilight definitely jumped into the unknown, without hesitation, and climbed up slowly. The baby dragon was more hesitant, he glanced anxiously behind him, like he was hoping for some help from the massive shelves and the dusty old grimoires. But the echo of the unicorn's hoofsteps, when she disappeared behind the central axis of the staircase, was a much more important call for him. He went to the other side of the door and ran to his friend.
The duo had a hard time knowing how long they spent in the narrow staircase following the azure lines. The darkness and the silence, accompanied by the echoes of their steps, gave them the feeling of being in a place cut off from the rest of this universe. They finally reached the last step and discovered a room still plunged in darkness. But it was only for a short time. When the two friends put their legs inside, a white glow began to radiate. It revealed its source, a magic crystal hanging from the ceiling, and so revealed rest of the place : A small chamber where everything was made of pure stone and devoid of any embellishment. Like an ancient hermit’s sanctuary.
“Look Spike!” exclaimed the unicorn. “Desks, shelves, seats ... There are even old ink bottles. This room was clearly dedicated dedicated to reflection and work.”
“Okay but why was this place hidden? And why is it so empty?”
Twilight could only admit her ignorance. The room had indeed some shelves and desks. But none of them had a single book on it, not even a little scroll. The thick layer of dust covering all the furniture revealed that it had been the case for a very long time. The unicorn and her little assistant inspected every corner for clues about the owners of this place. But Twilight could only confirm that their departure was in a distant past and that they had been very thorough.
“Twilight!” called Spike. “Look at this!”
The unicorn approached the entrance and quickly realized what had intrigued her assistant. On the sides of the passage was a fresco with faded colors and a simplistic but elegant design. None of them noticed it right away because, when they came in, they had their backs to it. Twilight discovered with amazement the portrait of a large black equine with a long mane looking like a river of milk. Its slim appearance confirmed her feminine nature and her posture, a nobility devoid of any sign of arrogance. Her eyes seemed to show a natural form of compassion and humility. But what mostly surprised the young pony was the presence of a long twisted horn at the top of her head and a beautiful pair of wide open wings. There was no doubt about it: It was an alicorn. An alicorn whose flank sported a triquetra of the same color as her mane. It was this last element which finished to blow up the young magician’s mind.
“Do you know who it is Twilight?” asked Spike with genuine curiosity. “I have never seen any alicorn other than the three princesses.”
His friend did not answer immediately. She just ran to the fresco and examined it constantly repeating : "That’s not possible!" The little dragon had to scream to get the unicorn out of her wonder.
“Twilight! Can you explain to me what's going on?”
The unicorn turned her euphoric face towards her assistant and could not help but jump again and again, full of joy she could not contain.
“Spike, Spike! Do you really not recognize her?”
“Uh ... no. Should I?”
“I think it's a representation of Equis herself!”
“Who?”
The magician seemed quite shocked when she heard that.
“What?! Don’t you remember I told you her story once. Well, I guess you were quite young when I did. But still! Even if we have almost nothing on her you should have heard of her. She is nothing less than the creator of our world!”
Then Spike was astonished too. Not as much as his book-loving friend, but enough to give her an interested ear. Twilight did not hesitate to give him an enthusiastic refresher course.
“It was a really long time ago. All we have about her is a rather short text, with a brief description that corresponds in every respect to this painting. It is said that, at the beginning, there was nothing. Then Equis appeared and created this world and everything that exists: stones, plants, animals, even the stars. It was also her who made all the thinking species, ponies of course, but also the griffins and dragons. It is said that she loved each of her children infinitely and guided them with unmatched wisdom for many centuries.”
“Wow!” Spike said softly. “And what happened to her?”
“Unfortunately, the ending is not a happy one. The legend tells of a terrible monster named Blazing Sky that appeared someday to destroy everything she had created. It was a horrible creature made entirely of flames and ashes, driven by pure madness. Its mere presence was enough to make the sky red, the air scorch and the seas boil. Equis bravely fought against this monster to protect her children and managed to destroy it. But the battle had exhausted her so much that she died soon after. Everyone mourned her, but they then told to the entire world what happened so that no one would ever forget her sacrifice. But it was so long ago that many do not think about it.
“You are right.” admitted Spike. “It is truly sad.”
“Indeed.”
Twilight and Spike didn’t know what to say for a moment. Though this story may well have gone back to the dawn of time, literally, the tragedy of its heroine still weighed on the hearts of its listeners. The pony turned to the fresco, expressing her thoughts.
“But what intrigues me is the reason why this room was so well hidden. Why would anyone want to hide a place like this?”
Spike had no idea to propose. He looked around with the hope of finding some clue. His search was shorter than he thought. When his gaze landed on the other side of the door, he saw another fresco he approached with curiosity. Once close enough, he questioned his intellectual friend.
“And this one Twilight? Who is it?”
The question ejected the pony from her reflections and she joined her assistant in front of the other wall. But what she discovered intrigued her even more. Like the previous one, the painting represented an alicorn, in the same posture as the first one. But the more crude aspect of the character made her understand without hesitation that it was a male. And this stallion was like Equis: a piercing horn, two huge wings, a posture full of dignity... It was like a palette swap of the world’s creator. He had a marble-white coat, a black mane and, on his flank, a black triskel.
Despite searching deep in her memory, she could not answers Spike's question.
“I have no idea. I have never heard of an alicorn like him. Nor even of a male alicorn.”
The unicorn seemed to regain some enthusiasm and explained with a childlike energy.
“Oh Spike! Do you realize what this means? We are surely making a historical discovery.”
The dragon did not share the purple pony’s enthusiasm but didn’t want to be a spoilsport. While she was examining the second fresco, hypotheses and questions cascading without interruption from her lips, Spike discreetly walked away. He went back to the stone furniture, looking for anything else that could give them new information. Under one of the desks, he found a small horseshoe-shaped symbol surrounding an eight-pointed star.
Twilight's assistant touched the drawing, thinking out loud.
“That’s definitely the same symbol.”
Spike heard his friend soliloquizing near the painting and tried to call her, but without success. The unicorn was lost in the whirlpool of her reflections. The reptile child then had a little idea that was worth experimenting with. He put his scaly hand on the hidden drawing and pronounced.
"What did she say? Only those who love the truth can enter?”
The symbol glowed with the same azure light as the others. Spike heard a slight stony rub and found a secret compartment opening under the furniture. Inside, he found a cylindrical iron case. In seizing it, he saw the same horseshoe symbol on the top.
This time, the little assistant ran to Twilight and suddenly pulled her from her thoughts, shaking her hard, carried away by pride.
“Twilight! Twilight! Look at what I found!”
The unicorn broke her concentration and discovered the famous artifact with a joy that she didn’t hide, congratulating her friend. She grabbed the case with her magic and opened it gently. The surprise was then replaced by frustration when shreds of parchment fell from it. If they were from a scroll, time didn’t have the slightest pity for it. On some pieces, the ink was even partially erased.
“Oooh!” lamented the little reptile. “I thought I had discovered something cool…”
“Wait Spike,” interrupted the unicorn. “Some of these pieces still seem legible.”
The scholar used her levitation to gently assemble some pieces of the parchment, under the baby dragon’s both intrigued and impatient look. After some time, Twilight said.
“Alright! I think I can get something out of this.”
“Really? Go ahead!”
So, if I believe this piece, this text is entitled: The Canticle of Truth. Here, it is about a great... city, I guess. This one is about Blazing Sky and an army of ... creatures on two legs and provided with hands.”
“Like me?”
I suppose. But it is written that they had no scales or fur. This passage is about terrible havoc caused by these creatures. Nothing was able to stand up against them. On this one, it says that Blazing Sky’s army reached the walls of this famous city. And this last piece speaks of the children of Equis fleeing. That's all I can read right now, and I do not know in what order to arrange it.”
Before Spike could ask anything. Twilight exploded with happiness, bouncing more than a sugar filled Pinkie Pie. She declared it was imperative to show all this to Princess Celestia. She quickly put the pieces of the scroll in the iron case and sprinted to the stairs, the artifact levitating beside her. The baby dragon hurried to follow her, pleading that she wait for him. She did not listen to him anymore. They left the room, letting it falling into silence as the magic crystal diminished its glow.
The yellowish light of the corridor was so weak that no reflections were appearing on the white tiles. The floor was a concrete slab. The front door squeaked to greet a young man with a blood-red flannel shirt. Its checkered pattern darkened under the dirty bulbs. The black strokes seemed to drool over the rest of the garment. It was difficult to deduce what was the cause his languid approach and sagging back. Mainly because of his thick guitar case, the nervous and physical exhaustion he clearly was in. At this time, he was really missing Providence.
He dragged his feet up the stairs without stopping in front of the mailbox, which he knew was empty. He climbed the creaky stairs, putting a clenched hand on his slightly red face. He did not lament, however. It was not the first time Kenneth had been hit, and he knew it would not be the last. It was definitely not a good twenty third birthday for Kenneth. When he arrived at his floor, he had to drop his case to unhook his keys from the chain linking his wallet to his faded jeans. When the rattling of his keys gave way to the clicks of the lock, a phlegmatic voice behind his back burned his ears.
“Mr. Marshall! I needed to talk to you.”
Kenneth did not turn to his questioner. If the landlady saw him again with wounds, he would receive a new sermon from that witch clenched in her old secretary's gray suit; and who seemed to have declared herself as the guardian of his morality. Fortunately, the raven-black hairs caressing his shoulders concealed his crime against public order.
“If it's about the rent Mrs. Pendleton, you'll have it by Monday.”
“I hope so,” she said. “You have always paid on time. A delay would be an unpleasant surprise. And very unfortunate for you. But before I forget, Mr. Taylor would like you to lower the volume of your music. Besides, it would be better if you cut it off during the night.”
“I can’t help it if he doesn’t appreciate good music.”
“He remains your neighbor. I hope I do not have to hear about it again.”
The young man sighed. He just wanted to go home, far from the contemptuous tone of that voice.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Alright,” she thanked him coldly as she walked up the stairs. “And think about bringing me the rent as soon as possible. Short reckonings make long friends you know.”
While she was disappearing into her ivory tower, Kenneth mumbled like a thief: "As if I wanted to be friends with you." He brutally turned his key and closed the door behind him with a strong snap, announcing his rejection of anything that would attempt to approach him.
Once in his dark oasis of tranquility, the young tenant turned on a tired lamp and walked, dragging his feet, to his retractable bed. He gently put down his guitar case, making the old bed springs squeal, and opened it religiously. Kenneth scrupulously examined the cherry-red electric guitar inside. The silver strings shimmered in the industrial light with a magnificent reflection. He caressed it with the delicacy of a brother and sighed with deep relief.
Now certain that his relic had not suffered any damages, he collapsed onto his mattress covered with old clothes and CDs, under dozens of posters, glued to the walls, of composers and groups of all kinds. The papers contained the natural monotony of the apartment’s walls. A portrait gallery to the glory of renowned musicians, from Metallica to Hans Zimmer, but also Wagner, Nirvana and many others. He could finally relax in the middle of his little museum; but his aching jaw made him look for a pill in his bathroom.
The musician took an aspirin and a large glass of iced water from the bathroom’s dirty sink. He noticed in the mirror a little red stuck in his goatee. He hastened to remove the last proof of his fight with an old napkin. He then took his laptop and, while it was turning on, glanced anxiously through the peephole in his door. Once certain that the way was clear, Kenneth restarted a film he had stopped when he left hurriedly. The songs of the Beauty and the Beast by Disney filled the room. The symphony quickly transformed the dismal and disorderly apartment, where disorganized piles of CDs and clothes were dragging, into a sanctuary cut off from the world.
With nothing better, and not being a difficult person himself, Kenneth retrieved a beer on the ground, which he had left warming up when he left, and settled down as comfortably as possible. The springs of his mattress were needles piercing his back and numbing his legs. But he had learned to bear it. After about ten minutes, Kenneth was no longer aware of the torture, only the dream. His mind danced to the rhythm of the instruments. His feet moved at the sound of Belle's voice. The living drawings modeled a smile on his face.
Someone knocked on the door, breaking the illusion.
Kenneth's first reflex was to stop the film. He glanced at his watch to check the time: Five minutes till midnight. He didn’t know who would come to meet him so late at night; and besides, he did not want to see anyone. The young man remained motionless, unconsciously holding his breath; as if playing the dead man would be enough to drive away his invader. Maybe it was a mistake. It was surely that he thought. If he remained nonexistent, the thing behind the door would leave. That was not the case. The knocks resumed, making fun of his attempt.
Closing his computer, the young musician approached the door with suspicion. Through the peephole, he discovered a man with fiery hair. No one he knew.
“Who is it?” asked Kenneth.
The voice of the unwanted visitor was barely smothered by the wooden door. He seemed to have the enthusiasm of a used car dealer.
“Mr. Marshall? My name is Emil Jannings. I am a producer and I would like to talk to you about a proposal which, I am sure, will interest you a lot.”
The man passed something under the door. Kenneth took what was clearly a black business card. An elegant orange typography confirmed the presentation of the stranger.
It was not easy for the tenant to believe it. Especially after what happened earlier. Maybe this Mister Jannings didn’t know about the incident. Kenneth hesitated. But he decided to let his curiosity guide him. It was rather strange a person like Mr. Jannings come to his neighborhood at such an hour to see him. But in lieu of his situation, he told himself that he had nothing to lose.
Kenneth asked the producer to wait a moment. He rushed to pick up the clothes and CDs scattered on the floor. The bands and H.P. Lovecraft’s books quickly got back to their place on the crumbling shelves. The musicals, meanwhile, returned to their usual hiding place: the dark background of the closet. The musician finished winding up his retractable bed, hiding the posters of Frank Sinatra and Frozen. Once the place became as presentable as if a barracks inspection was happening, the young man opened the door to his visitor.
Once in front of him, just as he was passing a hand through his red hair pulled back, Kenneth thought he had done well. Without the misleading magnification of the peephole lens, the so-called producer had a whole new face. With his straight and angular features, beyond a rough shaved face, a simple smile was the thin line between the sympathy of an angel and the rage of a demon. The kind of person who, from the first meeting, inspired an intimidating respect, despite his slightly relaxed posture. His black shadow suit was like an opening of the darkness, guarded by a ruddy tie.
But the young man had a hard time grasping the infernal dignity of the producer. He showed him a thin hand provided with some rings of cold steel. "Nice to meet you Mr. Marshall.” he said with his vivid voice, which was now more the one of an ambitious diplomat than a local shopkeeper. The musician shook his hand hesitantly and struggling to meet his heavy eyes. A situation that Kenneth had rarely met.
The handshake was brief and the businessman did not hesitate to enter into the small apartment. Kenneth was not able stop him. He simply closed the door and observed his intruder’s singular attitude. There was a smile on the visitor's lips as his eyes were scanning the posters, stopping for a second on those of Disturbed and Pantera. He seemed pleased with what he saw.
Kenneth broke the silence skeptically.
“So, you are a producer Mister... Jannings, is that it?”
The man in black faced him.
“That's right. He confirmed. Earlier, I was at the concert with your band: Night Terrors. What I saw pleased me a lot.”
“You have specialized in Metal? What’s the name of your company?”
“You mean my record company? In fact, I'm starting my own business, so it's normal that you have not heard of me. As for my specialty... I think I can say that I'm not the kind to be satisfied with quietness.”
Kenneth arched an eyebrow at this most evasive answer. But the events that followed the concert were a problem. Unable to hide the truth from this talent scout, who would learn of it one way or another, the musician explained with embarrassment what was bothering him.
“I must tell you the truth. If you're here to sign our band, we got in a... let's call it a fight.”
The man in black interrupted him directly.
“You mean the fight followed by your expulsion of the band after the concert?”
This question surprised Kenneth.
“I already know about this. But tell me: What actually happened?”
“Let's say it's an artistic divergence that has been going on for a long time,” he replied without remorse. “Basically, I wanted to continue making various songs of different sorts and Peter, our singer, wanted to keep a Black or Death Metal style. I tried to explain to them that it was more interesting, considering the topics of our songs, to propose different music to surprise people; but they did not want to hear that. So, they accused me of monopolizing all the creative aspects of our group. Ok I chose our name and wrote half of our songs but they accepted and appreciated them. Then there were some punches and insults.”
The unemployed musician tried to not explode thinking about what he considered a monumental form of ingratitude. To his surprise, Mr. Jannings was smiling.
“You are someone who defends his ideas,” observed the producer, as if he was estimating a painting. “I have one last question for you: Why do you play music?”
Kenneth's mind was frozen. Asking him this question was paradoxically obvious and unexpected. He hadn’t thought about it in a long time. There was no reason to not answer after all. His mind became a cinema screen on which his concerts, auditions and private performances passed. An answer crawled to his lips and he revealed it timidly.
“I would say it is to express certain emotions. If I feel angry at something, music can help me. I do not know how to do it differently. And then there is also that I liked to hold an instrument and compose. It's difficult but nice at the same time. I'm not sure I'm very clear.”
Jannings' mischievous smile seemed to turn quietly into a grin of satisfaction. The producer seemed like a wildcat to Kenneth. The boy was not one to be intimidated easily; And yet, he couldn’t stop himself taking a step back when the businessman approached.
“To tell you the truth, Mr. Marshall, it is you I’m interested with. Not your colleagues.”
His words change Kenneth's legs into rubber. He did make an effort to not fall on the floor, however. The producer perceived this shock and explained.
“I saw you during the concert. The other members of your group are pretty good musicians but I perceived with you a spark that caught my attention. Call it intuition if you want; but I felt in your voice, your gesture and your consideration a much deeper implication than the others. And I have been looking for someone like you for a long time. You are apparently different from those I have met so far.”
“And in what way exactly?”
“Let's say the ones I talked to didn’t have the profile I was looking for.”
All this was odd for Kenneth. But having no more groups, he could not afford to be choosy. He just asked one thing.
“What are you proposing?”
“What I propose to you is to join me in my project. I can promise you that you will have everything you want in the end and, by then, complete freedom. Where I take you, you’ll be able to do whatever you want with no restrictions. The only duty is to help me achieve my goal. In short, I ask that we share our minds and our energy. Do you agree?”
Kenneth thought that this story was a little too convenient to be true. A producer trying to set up a record company and hiring him right after being fired from his group? It was strange, and even suspicious. He didn’t understand what this man could gain.Kenneth was not well known, even in Providence. How could he be an asset? But this lack of celebrity status was also an argument in favor of the agreement. He had no money or reputation to lose. Why would someone ensnare him?
“Mr. Marshall,” interrupted Jannings, “I understand your mistrust. But know that, for the moment, I'm only asking you for a moral commitment. We can officialize all of this and discuss the details later. What do you think? Are you interested?”
The producer tended his hands towards the abandoned musician and seemed to wait. His face shone with hope, concealed with a mask of dignity. Kenneth gazed for a moment at the famous hand and hesitated. But not very long in the end. He did not have many options. Without his group, his wallet would soon be empty. And the hunger of the gray harpy would not come down. In addition, he wanted to take revenge on his former partners and the risks were minimal for now. What risk was there in a simple handshake after all?
The musician slowly brought his hand closer to the producer’s one. When they joined, Mr. Jannings' fingers closed like a wolf trap on Kenneth.
“I accept,” replied the young man.
At first, Kenneth was surprised that Jannings did not let his hand go. His look was ecstatic and his smile, euphoric. And it was at this moment that the foundations of the musician's universe collapsed. His palm was torn by a blazing heat. He suffered a lot before shouting at the demon's face. Jannings started in ecstasy cutting him off from the rest of the world. Kenneth was trying to remove his hand. Without success. He was chained to this monstrous statue.
The struggle stopped when the stupefaction swept away everything in Kenneth's mind. When his gaze settled on their fused arms, he discovered fiery veins under their skin, drawing light lava cracks on it. A strong draft of air rose in the apartment. Kenneth searched for the origin. The windows were closed. The wind changed into a storm, turning the young man’s mess into a chaotic whistling tornado. The posters flapped feverishly against the walls. His clothes rolled on the floor. The books were flapping their paper wings.
Finally, rays of light appeared all around them. Blue and orange shooting stars were dancing in the tornado. They multiplied until they locked up the two people into an egg of flames. And Kenneth felt like there were vipers moving in his body, clinging to every part of his body. The scream of this impossible hurricane became piercing, like needles in his ears. In spite of this, the voice of the man in black rose above the din, roaring like thunder.
“Finally! I have the key to open the way. It's different from what I imagined. But it's also exhilarating. Don’t be afraid my child. In a moment, everything we desire will be within our reach. Let me awaken your energy from its unfair lethargy. Let our minds bond…”
When he pronounced those words, his cheerful look was replaced by consternation. His voice turned to anguish and rage, while his hair changed into litteral flames and his skin to charcoal.
“What…? You don’t... No! You tricked me! Let me go! I refuse!”
Kenneth screamed in pain as Jannings tore his hand off. His skin was shredded paper. The suddenness of the beast’s withdrawal made the musician lose his balance. He fell back and passed outside of the infernal bubble. But instead of landing on his apartment’s floor, he plunged into an iridescent vortex where an irresistible current prevailed. He struggled to regain control, but he was a blade of grass inside a screaming hurricane. He swirled in the impossible spiral of colors and sparks.
He saw a black dot. The darkness grew quickly. Kenneth passed through like a cannonball and the blackness was replaced by pain, then unconsciousness.
A cathedral-like silence had imposed itself in the throne room. The sun's rays glittered on the white marble in a thousand colors from the stained glass windows. The little purple dragon was bored, sitting at the base of a column, away from a meeting whose importance was unknown to the rest of the castle. Twilight Sparkle and the two sovereign alicorns were in deep thinking.
Princess Celestia, the princess of the sun, held before her eyes, thanks to her magic, the scroll pieces that her disciple had discovered. Her serious expression contrasted in a disturbing way with her delicate look and her flowing rainbow mane. It was the same for her younger sister, Luna, princess of the night. Even the stars in her hair couldn’t soften the worry on her face. The little unicorn had also replaced her original euphoria with the same anguished expression. The princesses clearly did not share the enthusiasm she had shown earlier.
When they finished studying the shreds of the Canticle of Truth, the alicorn of the sun put them in the iron case and informed the little unicorn.
“I must admit that you have made an impressive discovery here.”
“Thanks Princess. I immediately thought I needed to talk to you about it.”
It was the alicorn of the night which then spoke.
“And you did well Twilight Sparkle, because we need you to keep this a secret for now.”
This request was like an act of madness in the eyes of the little unicorn.
“What?! But why? This is the first time we discover something so significant about Equis…”
Princess Celestia responded to her confusion with gentle firmness.
“That's precisely why we have to wait before revealing it.”
Luna completed.
“If it had been about anybody else, like Star Swirl the Bearded, there would have been no problem. But here we are talking about the creator of our world.”
“Indeed,” agreed Celestia. “We must learn more about this before making any assumptions about what it tells us. The slightest misinterpretation, the slightest mistake, could have serious consequences. “
“What do you mean? You really have no idea what this document is about?”
“That’s right. At the time Luna and I were young fillies, Equis’ story was already very old. It has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. So you can imagine how entrenched it is in people's minds.”
The young unicorn didn’t like the idea of hiding her discovery. But she believed in Celestia’s wisdom.
“What should we do then princess?”
The two alicorns exchanged a look whose meaning was understandable only by them. Luna nodded to give her mute approval. The white-haired princess used her magic to give back to her disciple the mysterious cylinder.
“Twilight Sparkle, as princesses of Equestria, we ask you to study this document in the utmost secrecy to extract as much information as possible.”
That did not surprise Twilight too much. But a detail in this request worried her.
“But ... what about my friends? Must I not say anything to them either?
Celestia understood her pupil’s dilemma. She, who had so much trouble discovering the benefits of friendship, would have to hide things from them now. It was with a visibly heavy heart that Luna confirmed her fears.
“I'm afraid so Twilight. Until we know more, do not under any circumstances talk about all this to other ponies. And this request also applies to Spike.”
“I ... I'll talk to him about it. I'm sure he'll understand.”
“Very well,” concluded Celestia. “We are counting on you my dear pupil.”
Twilight answered her hopes with a determination that the solar sovereign always appreciated.
“I will not disappoint you. There are still a lot of pieces to translate and others that I can make legible with the right techniques. “
The little unicorn withdrew, calling to her reptilian assistant, explaining to him the secrecy of their discovery, before leaving the throne room. When the heavy doors closed behind them, Celestia could not help but sighing at all the anxiety that this situation had given birth to for her.
“How do you feel sister?” her dark-haired sister inquired.
“I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t not worried Luna. If something terrible comes to light, I do not know if we will have to keep the secret or reveal it. Not everyone will be as open-minded as Twilight.”
The princess of the night shared her opinion. Her dignity could not hide her fear.
“For me, it is this famous army which worries me. Beings on two legs? Without fur or scales? It does not correspond to any creature I know. “
“That's why I pray that Twilight will succeed in learning more. If it is an existing threat, we must be ready to face it.”
xXx
The first thing that crossed Kenneth's confused mind was the feeling of understanding how an egg crushed by a soldier's boot felt. His skull seemed to have burst into a thousand small pieces that were colliding against each other. His muscles were grilled marshmallows. When he tried to open his eyes, needles of light revived the pain. His eyelids closed, he could not help but lie on the cold floor scratching his skin.
After long minutes of torture, the pain eventually subsided. Kenneth tried to open his eyes again, with much more caution. Passing a short moment of blindness, he discovered a blue sky, as beautiful as a dream, full of cotton-like clouds. This view was as peaceful as it was unexpected for the young man. So much that he wondered if he really had left Morpheus' arms. He ended up painfully lifting his head to find himself in a tiny clearing surrounded by a thick forest. The scene itself was less surprising than the overly shimmering coloring that dyed it. It was as if every element of the universe had been remade by the brush of a children's book illustrator.
His muscular pain was engulfed by this avalanche of sweet colors and childlike shapes. He got up slowly without ceasing to look at this enchanting landscape. Kenneth exploded in amazement as his eyes discovered that his hands had been reshaped in the image of this new environment. His skin was much lighter than normal, and so were his clothes. His red and black checked shirt had never looked so shimmering, nor so clean.
Once he had recovered from the initial shock, Kenneth searched through the scene for some sort of answers about his situation. But all he found on his back was a cave dug in a cliff. A cave that seemed to have spit out all his belongings. He hastened to join the famous opening to discover his posters, CDs, some old bottles and even his bed that seemed to have been torn from the wall it was attached to.
To his misfortune, all his posters, from Beethoven to Van Halen, had been torn to shreds. His laptop was even less fortunate. It would have been more recognizable after being crushed by a semi trailer. The CDs seemed to have served as targets for clay-pigeon shooting, just like his DVDs. The more Kenneth noticed the extent of the damage, the closer he was to exploding. The wisp of his interior dynamite froze when he discovered his guitar’s case. The musician propelled himself towards it and opened it with a panicked gesture. All his tension seemed to disappear with a big sigh when he discovered his Gibson SG Standard - Heritage Cherry in perfect condition. He caressed it the way he would have done with the last masterpiece of the last artist in the world.
Once reassured, the young man felt something in his pocket and found his smartphone inside. He tried to call for help but there was no signal. No matter how much he thought about the events that had led him into this fairytale forest, he could not come to any rational conclusion. He could not forget the whirlpool of color, the pain swimming in his flesh or the mischievous smile of Jannings. He wanted to destroy something every time he thought about him, which he did with several bottles.
Ignoring where he was, all the strangeness of the last hours caused Kenneth to do the simplest thing possible: walk a little in search of any sign of civilization, or at least some signal to call for help. He observed the tree belt surrounding the clearing he was in and began to walk forward, his cell phone in hand.
He was not the kind to be easily frightened, but he had to admit that the forest he was walking through was not so reassuring when the foliage was concealing the sun. The branches were the crooked fingers of vegetal creatures with tentacles of sharp thorns. More than once, the young American gasped at the corner of a trunk, discovering an illusion of a face engraved in the wood. But in some cases, he simply had to put a hand on his right shoulder to make the fear of what had surprised him fly away like a bad actor fired from the scene.
Hope made its way into his heart when the musician perceived the relaxing gurgling of water. The sound guided him to a river, trapped in a thin canyon. It was not exactly what he had expected, but Kenneth was nevertheless pleased to discover a way to quench the thirst that had turned his tongue into a dry sponge. While walking along the ravine, the young man found a path leading him to a shore of sand and pebbles from which he could plunge his face into the divine liquid. After drinking a long moment, he inspected once again his smartphone but there was still no signal.
Fatigue and despair began to impose themselves on the young man. Understanding his failure in finding help, Kenneth resolved to turn back. He preferred to return to his personal dump instead of wandering indefinitely in this dark forest. At the halfway point of the trip, Kenneth spotted a sound that was repeating itself dangerously. At first, it was just the crunch of a twig. Nothing unusual in such a place. The young american hadn’t even paid attention to it. But when the noise repeated itself a second time, then a third, he began to worry. He tried to spot something unusual in the shadows but found nothing at first. He walked a bit faster but then heard a growl among the trees.
Kenneth had never met one, but he was able to recognize a wolf's grunt when he heard one. The beast came out of the bushes and his sight cut off all ideas of running away to the musician's. Not because of fear, but because of astonishment. The monster in front of him hadn’t walked on wood. It was made of wood. It was nothing but a pile of sharp branches with fluorescent green eyes, which did not make the bestial look more sympathetic. The creature slowly approached the young man. He was followed by two other creatures like it. It was at this moment that Kenneth regained consciousness. These things clearly hadn’t come out of mere curiosity. Their eyes reflected an appetite that they hoped to appease. The musician recoiled with more and more fright. When his back hit a tree trunk, his hand dropped his cell phone, which hit a stone, activating the music function. The whole world seemed to freeze as the screech of an electric guitar burst from the smartphone.
All those present at that moment had an expression similar to if a cake had exploded in the middle of a western duel. When the music suddenly became more violent than a summer storm, the wooden creatures jumped back and barked against the magical box. They were now focused on the music’s source. Kenneth didn’t take long to make the connection between the fear of these creatures and the roars of metalheads. Without thinking, he hastily retrieved his life-saving device, pointed it at his attackers like a sword, and increased the volume to the maximum. The brutality of the song caused the wolves and all the birds in the area to go off at full speed.
Kenneth was only able to regain his composure once the music was over, the wolves not even pointing out the tip of their muzzle after that. He took a deep breath before finally going to the cavern, which he had designated as a temporary encampment. Back in his little dump, the musician cast another look at his cell phone. Still no signal. And the night was starting to come. He was not reassured at the idea of spending the night in some cartoonish forest. But he obviously had no choice. Kenneth gathered a few dry branches and prepared a campfire in front of the entrance to the cave, like he had been taught to. He reluctantly started it with his old posters. He sacrificed these shreds of his soul for a little heat, saddened but grateful. He used this opportunity to gather his waste in a big pile in the cave. Looking at all this mess, even though it was his own, trailed among the most colorful flowers he had ever seen was quite depressing. But it kept his mind busy, preventing him from rethinking all the questions he could not answer: Where was he? How did he get here? Had he gone completely insane?
Once his mattress was laid on the rocky floor of the cave, a good distance from the fire, Kenneth felt almost safe. But no less stressed. The sun had gone down without the young man even realizing it. As if it had simply disappeared when he had turned his back for two minutes, leaving room for a gigantic moon. Even that could not surprise him at this point.
Kenneth tried resting while lying on his mattress, but even the melody of crickets and other nocturnal birds was not enough to relax him. Especially since the night was cool. He took off his flannel shirt to wear it like a blanket, taking advantage of that to pass a soft hand on the Cthulhu's tribal tattoo on his shoulder. But it did not change his stress level much. Lacking anything better to do, he took out his dear apple-red guitar. Without an amp, he could not play, obviously, but holding her in his arms always brought him some comfort. How much music had he played with these silver strings? He could not say. But it was enough for him to close his eyes and graze the strings and imagine himself playing some guitar pieces.
Only this time, as he thought about Nirvana's chords, his ears reacted to the sound of the guitar. He paused, surprised. He didn’t just imagine the music, he had heard it. Which was obviously impossible. His instrument could not produce good sounds right now. He tried to pinch a rope again. Nothing happened. He tried to imagine the piece he had just played. Always nothing. As he was about to conclude it was just a figment of his imagination, he tried to reimagine the piece and play it at the same time. The impossible slammed his face.
Not only had his ears heard the sound of the guitar, but also the battery and the bass. It took him a moment to accept this new quirk. He started the piece again, but this time singing. And his astonishment reached its climax by hearing his voice sound like Kurt Cobain himself, resonating as in the middle of a music video. Carried away by the euphoria aroused by this musician’s dream coming true, Kenneth let himself playing some other music. There begun an evening of playful experimentation in which the young musician tried to play many kinds of songs, discovering that he did not even need the instrument, just being really focused on the melody. But having his guitar in hand, and partially playing, diminished the necessary level of concentration to produce a sound. And so he could produce all the music he had in mind, whatever the instrument or style. The only limit was that if he tried to reproduce the voice made by a singer, it remained that of a man, remixing the piece.
He stopped only when his fatigue became too heavy. He collapsed onto his mattress to let himself be transported by the joy of this mysterious power. He was interrupted, however, when he heard a grunt which he recognized immediately. Watching the woods in the dim light, Kenneth noticed dozens of green neon lights spying on him with envy. Apparently, the wolves he had chased away had brought some friends back and were waiting for the right time to make him their dinner. Only this time, he was not the least afraid because he had something new to show them. He armed himself with his guitar and planted himself in front of his vital fire. He was intending to give these wooden puppies a strong warning.
He concentrated as best he could, raised a firm arm and then slammed it on the strings of the instrument, awakening an electronic storm.
From the first note, all the sleeping birds fled as if awakened by a bombardment. As the young man pursued his song, the threatening lights faded away.
When Kenneth concluded his warrior cry and his electric fanfare, alone in the night with his dancing flame, he felt himself inhabited by a delicious sense of power aroused by the idea that he had scent a message to the entire universe: This forest had a new master.
For the young fashion designer Rarity Belle, everything was perfect: business was going well, Sweetie Belle was good as gold, and the stylist had just started new dresses that promised to be Magnifique, a very important order for a famous unicorn mare of Canterlot. The latter had torn her favorite dress during the wedding of Princess Cadence, which was infiltrated by despicable changelings to start an invasion. Once the situation was over, the client had asked the famous Element of Generosity to make her a new piece of clothing. It was an amazing opportunity, an immense honor, and a great joy. Everything was going well in an absolute tranquility punctuated by the ticking of her clock.
But then, why did she feel unsatisfied? There was a problem, but she could not tell what it was. The regular echo of her clock bounced off the walls of her shop. She gave a long sigh before levitating one of the innumerable reels of cord which were lined up like good little soldiers ready to serve.
As the milk-white unicorn finished tying some froufrou to her new piece of work, someone knocked on the door of the store. The stylist approached it, announcing her arrival with as much joy as possible. When she opened the door, a pink ball screamed, "Okay! See you tonight then!" Before running like the wind. Rarity was speechless, unable to understand what had happened. Then the pink flash reappeared in front of her.
"Oopsie! Sorry. I was so excited that I skipped a few lines."
The unicorn could only laugh heartily, which was not a surprise.
"Oh, Pinkie," she said, "it's always good to see you." The fashionista invited her pony friend to enter. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Well, this morning I got up as usual. I had my breakfast, which was particularly good because I tried out a new waffle recipe. I put some good strawberries and ..."
Rarity quickly put a hoof over her friend's mouth.
"The short version, please,” she asked politely.
"Okay! You see, I realized that we haven’t seen Twilight much lately. It's been a while since the last time she came to Sugarcube Corner, and believe me, not coming regularly to take some sugar isn’t good at all."
The stylist realized that Pinkie wasn’t wrong, generally speaking. She hadn’t met with Twilight Sparkle for a while. Her librarian friend often plunged herself into a ton of work, but never to the point of disappearing for so many days. Was that what was worrying her? Rarity shared her concern with the living candy, and asked if she knew what could hold Twilight for so long.
"I have no idea," replied the unicorn. "On the other hand, Derpy told me at the spa that she had to deliver a lot of parcels to her house lately, more than anyone else this month. Twilight barely opened the door."
"Do you think she's planning something? Something funny?” Asked Pinkie very quickly. "I know! A huge party! Like with lots of balloons, cake, confetti, music ... "
Rarity hurried to interrupt her.
"I think it's something you would do, Pinkie. In any case, it may be better to talk about this with the others. "
"Oh, it's already done," Pinkie announced proudly. "When I realized Twilight was gone, I went to see Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and even Zecora to be sure. None of them have seen her during the last few days. In fact, the library hasn’t opened for a long time. And Spike only goes out to shop, it seems."
"Really? Has anyone asked him why she’s absent?"
"Of course. But he just says that Twilight has a lot of work."
Rarity's expression darkened.
"All this is indeed troubling. Spike may be her assistant, but he's just a kid. It's not good for him to work so much and be kept apart from others his age."
"I agree," Pinkie said.
"But how can it be that none of us have realized it?"
"We were all very busy apparently. Applejack with her fields, Dashie with the preparations for the spring rains, Fluttershy with all her little companions ... "Pinkie seemed to remember a detail she hadn’t paid attention to. "Besides, she seemed to have more animals than usual at home when I went to see her. So I proposed something to the others to make up for all this time thinking about work. I hope we can count on you."
"What did you have in mind?"
Pinkie looked around her, making sure no one was listening to them. She leaned over to whisper in the stylist's ear. What she heard illuminated her face.
"It's a wonderful idea!" Rarity ignited. "It promises to be fun."
But her current order came back to her mind. She looked worriedly at the dress she was working on; the stylist had barely begun. There was still a lot of work to do before it was ready. If it wasn’t delivered in time, it could be very bad for her reputation and business. Could she afford to do anything else right now?
"Is something wrong, Rarity?" Pinkie asked.
The big innocent eyes and the teasing little smile of the element of laughter made her hesitate, then capitulate.
"No, Pinkie. You can count on me."
"Okay! See you tonight then!"
The pink pony departed at the speed of light. Rarity returned to her army of models and sighed at her unfinished work. She levitated her equipment to work on her new dress. She sewed the ribbons, pearls, and sequins one after the other with gestures of a mechanical precision. She was looking forward to tonight.
xXx
The setting sun embellished the Ponyville Library with a beautiful orange hue. Carved in the oldest tree of the city, it was a temple of order and discipline serving knowledge. Or rather it was. For some time, books and parchments had covered every square inch of the tree-house to form a terrible jumble. Spike had to be careful not to spill the pile of books he was carrying while avoiding the documentation lying on the floor, an exercise as exhausting for his little body as for his young mind. He barely avoided hitting the table on which a particular spell was bustling. He finally put his package next to his purple unicorn friend who was flipping through an old grimoire. He just had time to breathe before she screamed and threw her book in the air. Every muscle on her face was shaking like tensed elastic. Her magic caught the book before it crashed to the ground. The little dragon was shaking too, but with fear, like he was surprised by thunder. He had to gather all his courage to dare to pronounce a single word.
"Twilight?" he asked.
"WHAT?!" she shouted.
The power of the purple unicorn's scream made him fall back. The Royal Canterlot Voice seemed to him almost like the loving whisper of a mother in comparison. He didn’t know what to say now. He simply asked her if she was fine.
"No, I’m not," she replied, still screaming. "I’ve been studying for days and haven’t found anything interesting yet. I flipped through storybooks, poetry collections, archeology treatises, encyclopedias from all of Equestria’s peoples ... I read about the life of Equis so often that it goes in a loop in my head. And yet I can’t find anything on an alicorn similar to the one in the painting we found. Nothing about this utopian city or bipedal monsters without fur or scales. And even less so on a so-called Canticle of Truth. It’s like all this is a huge hoax! "
"Maybe..." Spike hesitated before being cut off by the frozen voice of Twilight.
"If you try to confirm this possibility right now, you can say goodbye to jewels for the rest of your life."
Spike preferred to stay silent. The discussion, however, made him want to see if the papers were repaired by Twilight’s new spell. He approached the little table he had avoided so far and observed what was on it. The spell that her friend had thrown at the old paper had been at work for four days already. Although at the beginning it had seemed frightfully slow in the eyes of the little dragon, he had to admit that its effects were now very visible. The crumbs of the old story had changed from the brown color of old tree bark to a slightly yellowish white. Some tiny pieces were attached to others to form other passages of the story, and ink lines once gone had begun to reappear. The scholar unicorn placed herself near his assistant and took advantage of this moment to say what she was thinking.
"The good news, at least, is that this old spell from Starswirl the Bearded seems to work better than expected. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised that one of his spells is effective, but given the age of the scroll you found, it is impressive."
Spike rolled his eyes. He was used to hearing the purple unicorn talk about her idol with praise and preferred to try to ignore them. The language in which this canticle was written was rather archaic, but Twilight had given him some notions which allowed him to identify some passages. Nothing new in the end, apart from the confirmation of the ferocity of Blazing Sky’s armies and a passage different from the rest of the text. It was a sentence with more curved letters, like a footnote put by someone else.
"We should be able to recover a little less than half of the text in a few days if nothing comes to disrupt that spell," Twilight explained.
As she uttered the last word of this sentence, someone knocked on the door. She wasn’t expecting visitors. It was probably one of her friends coming to ask how she was. The unicorn walked towards the door, determined to politely dismiss the unexpected visitor. When she opened the door to let her head pass, she discovered not one but all her friends that she discovered.
"SURPRISE SLEEPOVER!"
Twilight slammed the door, her face twisted in a panic. Her frenzied eyes looked at the hundreds of books, the many papers and dozens of scribbled notes that littered the floor and hid every piece of furniture in the tree house. She stared at the desk on which the old spell was reviving the mysterious document she had promised to keep secret. Princess Celestia herself relied on her discretion. Somepony knocked at the door again.
"Twilight?" called Applejack in a worried voice. "Are you OK?"
"It's extremely rude to slam the door on people's faces, you know," Rarity added.
Seeing Twilight’s look, Spike immediately knew what to do next. Like a good soldier who had retains his instructions, he began to run around every corner to put away the countless documents that were scattered everywhere at lightning speed. Twilight reopened the door slightly and poked her head out with a small embarrassed laugh under their curious eyes.
"Hey everypony! What are you doing here?"
"We just told you, silly filly," said the cupcake lover. "We organized a surprise sleepover!"
The sleeping bags on their backs confirmed that.
"Since we haven’t seen you for a long time," Fluttershy explained in her feather-light voice, "Pinkie has come up with that to see how you're doing and make up for lost time."
The young purple unicorn felt deeply touched by the solidarity of her friends.
"That's nice of you," she admitted. "But we didn’t see each other that long ago, right?"
"You've been here for almost two weeks!" screamed Rainbow Dash.
This indication took the librarian off-guard.
"Really?"
"Maybe you were just having so much fun you didn’t notice!"
"Yeah, sure Pinkie," Twilight pronounced with a fake smile.
"Hmm... are you going to let us in someday?"
The element of magic glanced anxiously behind her, then opened her eyes wide. She opened the door wide for her friends, inviting them to enter her perfectly clean and tidy home. They all did so without hesitation, except for Applejack, puzzled by the fickle attitude of the librarian. She eventually ended up joining the others inside. The first pony to be heard was Rarity.
"Dear Celestia! Is Spike alright?"
Her concern spread to the other guests when they noticed in turn the state of the little dragon. He was out of breath and covered with sweat, sprawled on the floor like a gelatinous mass that had just finished a marathon.
"Don’t worry about him," Twilight said. "He had a very busy day. Besides, he wanted to go to bed earlier."
Twilight used her magic to levitate the baby dragon like an old bag. She suggested to her friends to put everything in place for their evening while she brought him upstairs. The elements of harmony exchanged anxious glances. They ended up doing what the scholar had suggested with the reinforced impression that this sleepover was absolutely necessary.
xXx
Ten PM was about to ring. In all Ponyville, ponies were sleeping with the blessed sleep of Luna. The only exception was the treehouse of Celestia's pupil. Inside, the six elements of harmony were laughing heartily in their sleeping bags around a small lamp, the only source of light kept, like a campfire. The friends were having fun sharing their everyday life stories, mixed with juicy rumors. All of them had a wide smile on their face. They had roasted marshmallows in the fireplace, had combed each other, with the exception of Rainbow Dash, and made all kinds of games. Twilight felt lucky to have friends who would organize such a moment for her.
"So I told him," Pinkie concluded, "it's cupcake or no cake!"
The whole gang laughed heartily. Pinkie’s stories, they had to admit, were by far the best.
"Oh dear," Rarity said, "I wonder what the Cake family would do without you. Whose turn is it?"
"I think it's Applejack’s," Twilight informed.
The element of honesty saw all the eyes of the gang on her. She had to save the honor of the Apple family with a more entertaining story. She thought for a moment and a recent anecdote came back to her mind.
"Okay girls," she began, "I have a good one for you. It was four days ago. Applebloom had invited the other Crusaders for a sleepover exactly like this one. Well, they said they wanted to talk about new ideas to find their Cutie Mark but you can imagine that they quickly moved on. Anyway, they asked me if they could stay in their treehouse. I refused because I knew they would end up getting scared. They could have lost themselves in the dark trying to come back."
"I appreciate your foresight," announced Rarity. "Sweetie Belle is not really the intrepid kind. It could have ruined all her fun. "
"Unlike Scootaloo," said Rainbow Dash, "she would’ve done way better."
Applejack rolled her eyes, amused, before speaking again.
"Except that these smart little apples managed to deceive me by overthrowing all the clean clothes that Big Macintosh and I had just fold and making us believe that it was Winona's fault. As soon as we focused on the mess, they went through the kitchen door to go in the apple orchards. "
"Oh my..." interrupted Fluttershy. "You must have worried a lot."
"Not exactly. As soon as we finished tidying up the laundry, we heard a scream becoming more and more powerful. We barely had time to wonder where it was coming from when the door opened with a huge slam. It was our three little fillies screaming in fear and running to take refuge in the room they were supposed to be in. Big Mac and I quickly joined them to figure out what happened. It wasn’t long before we realized that they had disobeyed us and had the biggest scare of their lives among the trees. And I understand them a little, when they are plunged into darkness, these apple trees can be damn tricksters. Except that when we got into Applebloom's room, they were nowhere to be seen. We heard the clicks of their little clogs and we found them hidden under the bed with their lamps lit, shaking like leaves."
"So that's why Sweetie Belle insisted on keeping the light on these last few nights," Rarity worried. "If I had known... I would not have told her how childish her behavior was."
"Trust me, there’s nothing like a little thrill to build character," said Applejack.
"That’s right," Rainbow Dash conceded.
"It was definitely an evening she’ll remember," laughed Twilight with a bit of shame. "I hope she’ll recover."
"And it’ll make good memories later," continued the farm-pony. "One day they'll laugh about how they mixed up an apple tree with a giant monster."
"A giant monster?" worried Fluttershy.
"Yeah, they were so scared that they told us such a stupid story that I’m quite sure they imagined it between them before their night getaway."
"Tell us! Tell us! "asked Rainbow Dash.
"On the way to the treehouse, they say they heard a strange noise. Nothing surprising in nature, no? They wanted to see where the sound was coming from, which was more like a humming sound as they went on. When they found it, armed only with their little lantern, they said they found a gigantic creature illuminated by a pale light coming from the ground. They said he was standing on two legs and had huge, thin arms with awful claws, like old dead branches, and that they were so long that he could take the apples from our trees without any effort. And as if that was not enough, the girls said that the hum that they heard was the song of this creature and that it was uttering some really creepy stuff. How was it? Ah yes!"
When she finished these few words, Applejack laughed, like the story she had just told was completely ridiculous. She didn’t realize that Fluttershy had been hiding under her pillow since she'd talked about the humming in the night. Pinkie and Rarity laughed with her while Twilight eased the confusion of Rainbow Dash.
"What's a man?" asked the blue pegasus.
"That's the word used to indicate a male individual in some cultures. Like the minotaurs."
When the three others finally burst out laughing, Rarity declared with amusement, "I have to admit it was very entertaining."
"Thank you," Applejack prided itself. "But all the credit goes to the crusaders and their overflowing imagination."
Without hesitation, Pinkie announced, "Oh, it wasn’t their imagination. There really is a singing monster in the woods."
Each of the ponies present in the room looked at the element of laughter as if a third eye had appeared on her forehead. Their faces were frozen with uncertainty. Pinkie was known for her jokes, but over time the elements of harmony had learned to see the difference between her little jokes and her serious statements. Except this time, they weren’t sure whether to laugh or worry. The first to break the silence was Fluttershy.
"Are you trying to scare me again, Pinkie? That’s not very nice."
"I plead not guilty. It's the strict truth."
"Be serious, Pinkie," interjected Applejack. "A creature like that, it never existed. Ain’t that right, Twilight?"
"I would have to check, but it doesn’t sound familiar."
"But I swear it's true! By the way, the monster that the crusaders saw, was it wearing some sort of red and black plaid shirt?"
Applejack seemed being caught flat-hoofed.
"How do you know that? Did they tell you? "
"Nope. That's how Zecora described it to me. She also told me that she found its music noisy and disturbing. "
Each of the ponies showed a total confusion at these words.
"That’s odd," said Fluttershy, "that reminds me of what some forest animals told me while I was caring for them. Some rabbits and hedgehogs told me they had to leave their den because of a beast that was making too much noise. I didn’t pay too much attention to it. I thought it was a new animal who would eventually calm down."
"Now that you say that," added Rarity, "I remember having a rather curious discussion at the spa with Octavia."
"You seem to meet everypony at the spa," noted Pinkie.
"I guess so. Anyway, Octavia told me that she heard something weird during a stroll with Vinyl Scratch. They were walking near the forest when they heard some strange orchestral music. The kind that Octavia plays from time to time in Canterlot, but it came from really far away. Without her trained ears, she probably wouldn’t have noticed it."
The six friends didn’t know what to think about this. Twilight noticed their confusion and turned to the pink pony.
"I think you should tell us exactly what Zecora told you."
"Okey dokey! It happened a few days ago. I was delivering a box of choco-coconut cupcakes to our favorite zebra. She never talks about it, but she likes a little pastry at night before going to bed, lulled by the sounds of the forest. So I brought her order, as usual, but I quickly realized that something was wrong. When she opened the door, she looked really worried and looked everywhere before letting me in. I know that the Everfree Forest isn’t a very reassuring place at times, but it seemed like that she was used to it, so when I saw that she wasn’t in a teasing mood, I asked her what was wrong."
"And what did she tell you?" Twilight asked.
"You know how Zecora likes to listen to the sounds of nature before going to sleep? Well, a few days before I came, she noticed that, to quote her: ‘The music of the forest is different now. I needed to know what troubles it and how.’ She thought she heard some unusual sounds in the distance, amidst the friction of leaves and songs of birds. When night came, and everything was calmer, she sank into the forest to find where it was coming from."
"She really went into Everfree Forest alone? In the middle of the night?” interrupted Rainbow Dash. "Total respect."
"After several hours, she finally heard something really strange, like musical instruments. You know, the kind we hear when we start singing. Except that they sounded odd according to her. She recognized drums and cymbals, but also a kind of strangely deep string instrument that seemed to screech from time to time. Zecora said it was really scary."
"Wh ... What happened then?" asked Fluttershy from under the table.
“She followed the music to find a small cliff at the foot of which was a small cave. In front of the entrance, there was a huge fire with a huge creature playing guitar in front of it. "
"Guitar?" Rarity raised her eyebrows.
"Well, some kind of guitar. Like I said, the sound was deeper than an ordinary one. Besides, this monster had started singing something really weird. She listened and watched carefully, hidden in the bushes. That's how I knew about the plaid shirt. She told me she wanted to run away when she saw the shadows projected on the cliff by the flames. They took disturbing forms following the rhythm of the music, like creepers or tentacles, while the creature danced in a curious way. It was shaking its head, pounding the ground with its feet and writhing like a madman. "
"Can you sing it to us?" asked Twilight.
"Is that really necessary?" whispered Fluttershy.
"Give me a second to remember it clearly..." accepted Pinkie. "Right! It was something like this: "
She dimmed the light and the horrible scene replayed in the minds of everypony.
A horrified silence took place once the song ended. Each had wide eyes and a paler coat, with the exception of the candy-pink singer. The animal lover had changed into a big quivering mess. The intellectual seemed immersed in her thoughts. Even the brave Rainbow Dash and Applejack were frightened.
"Why did you not told us this before?" Applejack asked in amazement.
"It's not as fun as the No Cake story." Rainbow pointed out.
"She means, why didn’t you tell us this as soon as Zecora told you about it? And why didn’t shet tell us herself?”
"She asked me to do it for her. She wanted to keep watching the creature, so I came to see you but you didn’t have time to listen to me."
Pinkie explained that all of them seemed so busy that she thought it could wait, and after that she got new pastry order and forgot about it for a while.
"Okay, but couldn’t you have insisted a little more? Anything that comes out of the Everfree can be super dangerous! Should I remind you that the clouds themselves do what they want there? It can rain anytime! This creature in the forest, maybe it eats ponies!"
"Rainbow!" Rarity intervened. "You'll scare Fluttershy even more!"
"It didn’t seem that important at all," Pinkie replied. "Evil people don’t sing!"
"That's a dangerous assumption, Pinkie!" declared Twilight.
Applejack stood up, her eyes filled with concern and told the others that she had to leave.
"Now that I know this thing exists," she explained, "I need to talk to Applebloom."
"I'd better go, too," said Rarity. "Sweetie Belle must be so scared. No wonder she's been so quiet lately. I must go and comfort her. "
Twilight realized that the sleepover was finished. This disturbing discovery would henceforth keep their minds occupied until this matter was solved. The Element of Magic suggested that it was better for each of them to go home, and added that they should all come back to the library tomorrow to talk about this monster case. All of them accepted, a bit of sadness in Pinkie Pie’s eyes.
Twilight watched her friends leave with a heavy heart. She hesitated to close the door behind them, feeling sad and guilty. That sleepover had made her believe that she had just been a little busy with her mission, carried away by her enthusiasm. But she realized now that it was more serious than that. She felt she had completely neglected her friends and Ponyville itself. Plunged in her books, she hadn’t noticed that something serious was going on in the Everfree Forest. Before going to sleep, she glanced into the cellar where she had hidden the reconstructing pieces of parchment. The ink of their words full of secrets was reappearing step by step. Twilight remembered that their revelation was a task of the utmost importance, entrusted by Princess Celestia herself. She hoped to be able to solve this monster issue as soon as possible.
xXx
The day had been very long for the solar princess. The requests from her subjects had been as diverse as they were numerous, but most of them had been formulated by members of the nobility. Most had come to expose such ridiculous problems that only her immense mastery of decorum and her many centuries of practice had kept her from throwing them out without thinking. And when her agenda spared her from time to time the presence of this kind of spoiled child, it was to meet ambassadors and businessmen as ambitious or unkind as the other. Every problem solved seemed to be followed by three new ones. But their complexity was less in their gravity than in the character of their exponents. In fact, and this was what saddened her most, she felt that her role was less to solve the kingdom's problems than to prevent it from collapsing under the weight of its general stupidity.
After a quiet dinner, far from trouble, she set out for her room, where she planned to collapse on her bed without losing a moment. As she passed in front of the throne room, she heard a powerful voice coming from it. The usual echo due to the size of the place, however, prevented her from grasping whether the person speaking was angry or very worried. She knew that her sister, Luna, was at this time in charge of the affairs of the kingdom, as they had decided on after her return from the moon. But the sense of responsibility due to her role, as well as her curiosity, made her change course, not without a deep sigh. Fewer minutes of sleep in her long, long life was not going to hurt her. She passed in front of her sister's guards, who saluted her like any other soldier.
Although Celestia had become used to their presence, she was still a little intrigued by her sister's guards. She had nothing against the bat ponies. She herself had chosen to assign their kind in priority to her sister's troops, given their natural preference for nightlife. But the style chosen by Luna, all in dark armor with pointy parts and sometimes provided with eyes like crystals, worried her a little. She feared that people would never stop being suspicious of her with such intimidating soldiers around her, but that wasn’t the most urgent problem. She hurried back into the throne room to discover the source of the din.
Once inside, she realized that the voice she had heard was moved by an understandable frustration. She was beginning to guess why when she discovered that the discussion was animated by her sister Luna and one of her soldiers, most certainly a lieutenant. Since the departure of Shining Armor, and as long as a new captain was not chosen by the two sovereigns together, the guards had to report in case of serious problem to the princess in charge at the time of their arrival. This of course was posing some problems. The guards were not used to waiting for their instructions, which reminded the sovereign of the day that it was necessary to take care of this subject with her sister as soon as possible.
The bat-pony soldier stopped and bowed when he saw the solar princess arriving. She apologized for her intrusion and asked her sister if there was a problem. The princess of the night first explained to the soldier that he had permission to do what he had proposed. She also ordered him to inform the day guards so they could organize themselves to do the same. Said soldier greeted the princess of the night with deep satisfaction. When he left the room, closing the door behind him, Luna addressed her sister without dithering.
"It happened again. At the north of the forest this time, during the day. "
Celestia knew what her sister was talking about. Her gaze briefly exposed a mixture of surprise and worry. She resumed, however, her royal calm.
"I see," she said firmly. "Another merchant's caravan?"
"No. It was the trailer of a young unicorn mare, a traveling magician. She was not hurt, fortunately. But what she told to the guards is really disturbing. "
"So we have a witness this time. Tell me everything."
"The magician was on her way to Baltimare and she was traveling along the Everfree. It was the shortest way. She had stopped to rest a bit in her trailer when she heard heavy but fast noises outside. She barely had time to turn to her window before a huge arm got through her wall."
The face of the solar princess was marked by anxiety.
"The young mare immediately fled through another window. When she turned around, she saw a huge creature overturning and tearing her trailer as if it was made only of cardboard. It was reduced to shreds in just a few seconds. She was so scared that she ran away without looking behind her."
"Understandable. Did she see what that monster was?"
"She was in panic. All she was able to tell us was that it was much larger than a pony, standing on two legs with two strong arms with hands."
"A minotaur maybe?"
"I don’t think so. She said it had no horn or fur. Not even scales."
This description titillated the memory of the princess of the day. Her sister noticed it and anticipated her reaction.
"That reminds me of the description in the text that Twilight showed us two weeks ago."
"It must be a coincidence, surely?" worried Celestia.
"I hope so. But I do not know any creature like the one this unicorn described."
Celestia couldn’t hide her anxiety this time. She understood why her sister had allowed the previous guard to form patrols and congratulated her sister for her initiative.
"We should ask Twilight where she is with her research," the solar monarch offered.
"You're right, although I hope it has nothing to do with this famous canticle of truth."
"Likewise, sister. The Everfree Forest has always been a complete mystery even for us. I'm aware that curious creatures live and strange things happens there, but this... It makes me fear the worst. "
A form of hesitation formed in Luna's gaze. Something else was troubling her.
"To be honest, there is something else, Celestia. During my patrols in the realm of dreams, I discovered several very troubling things. There are three fillies who recently had terrible nightmares with one common element: a gigantic monster with arms. I had a hard time convincing them that everything would be fine after dispersing the creature from their dreams. They claimed to have seen in the real world the creature that haunted them. Until tonight, I thought it was the fruit of their imagination. Now, I'm not sure at all."
Celestia had wide eyes as she discovered this.
"But it's not even the most important part. You know what dreams are like for us: bubbles of lights floating in the infinite. Last week, you see, I came across a very special one. It was... dark, like a dying ember covered with a thick veil of darkness. I tried to get in but I could not do it. Entering people's dreams is my privilege as sovereign of the realm of dreams, but this one rejected me with such force that even I did not dare to force the entrance for fear of breaking it. I do not know how it is possible. I have never seen this before. And yet I have seen the dreams of many ponies, griffins, and even dragons and diamond dogs. Every night I go to see this dark dream and try to enter inside, but each time I find myself repulsed. Sometimes I even get burned."
This revelation left Celestia in a state of profound stupor. She hurried to ask Luna why she hadn’t told her this before. Luna apologized and explained that she would have done so eventually. Dreams were under her jurisdiction and she knew better than anyone how to deal with them. She thought she was the best pony to pierce this mystery and didn’t want to worry her sister with that. Celestia was partially saddened. She had too often gotten the impression that her sister was not open to her. She hoped that this discussion would convince her to do it a little more. Something terrible seemed to be happening in the Everfree Forest.
The two sisters continued to exchange their fears and theories without suspecting that they were sharing them with another person. Only trained eyes could have seen the opening in the ceiling just above the throne, an orifice through which piercing eyes observed everything that happened between the princesses for longer than they could imagine.
xXx
Midnight was about to ring in the Carousel Shop. Rarity had a hard time getting her dear little sister to sleep. The creature living in the forest became for her a constant source of nightmares and anguish. The element of generosity had to promise to stay awake all night and make sure nothing would come for her during her sleep. Rarity was already scheduling a session at the spa to prevent the formation of vile, dark circles on her immaculate face.
In order to stay awake longer, the stylist had prepared some hot tea. When it was ready, she sat near her window to enjoy a cool breeze that had risen. The evening had been much more complicated than she imagined. She was far from stupid. She had seen that Twilight had been secretive for some time. She had the eyes and ears for that kind of thing. She had also noticed that Applejack realized it too. It filled the heart of the white unicorn with sorrow, but all she could do for the moment was hope that it was nothing serious. This monster story was more important, if only to reassure Sweetie Belle. She knew, like everypony else, that the forest was filled with strange things, but they usually seemed so far away, stuck in their strange woods. She noticed that the breeze she enjoyed so much seemed to come from the direction of the forest. It now seemed too cold, like the breath of a nightmarish creature. She was about to close her window when a very soft sound came to caress her ears, a crystalline sound.
The sound was far away, but by concentrating, she seemed to perceive a melody. It was the deep, melancholy sound of a stringed instrument. Was Octavia doing some night practice? No, that was unusual for her. Rarity's curiosity was strongly stirred. She left her shop to follow the sound; it became easier the moment drums were added to the melody. The streets of Ponyville were still deserted. No one else seemed to have noticed this music. Since it was late, Rarity was unsurprised. The sound was very light, and only her focused attention allowed her to perceive it.
The music became more and more perceptible. She was on the right track, but she stopped following it when she arrived at the Everfree Forest. The stylist froze in fear before the darkness of this terrible place. But, in a strange way, the martial and symphonic melody that seemed to emanate from it calmed her fears.
As if by magic, the music seemed to fill her heart with irrational and exhilarating courage. It was giving her the feeling that something grandiose was preparing in the dark depths of the forest. Would it be something wonderful or terrible? She couldn’t tell. What she was sure of, and what amazed her the most, was that she wanted to listen to this incredible symphony until the end.
A walk in the forest with friends is a nice thing, but today, the elements of harmony didn’t have a smile on their faces. They weren’t in a forest like any other, and this was no ordinary hike. Their friend Zecora was leading the way with Celestia's famous disciple, Twilight Sparkle. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were following them closely with a constant vigilance. Every sound springing from the forest’s chaos surrounding them caught their eye. All their muscles were stretched like bow ropes ready to act. Just the opposite of their friend Pinkie Pie, who was jumping and humming behind them continuously, and Fluttershy, who was shuffling her hooves with eyes full of fear. The gigantic trees that encircled them and blocked the sun did not reassure her. One of the team members was missing and Pinkie was openly regretting her absence.
"It's a shame that Rarity couldn’t come," she said with a smile. "She’s missing the whole adventure part."
"Are you kidding?" The element of loyalty sneered as she flew quietly above the others. "I'm sure she's happy to not mess up her pretty shiny shoes."
"Come on, Rainbow Dash," said the orange farmer to defend Rarity. "You saw that she was really tired. She stayed up at least half the night."
"And someone had to keep an eye on the Crusaders," Fluttershy added. "I would have gladly done it, but it wouldn’t have been very nice to impose myself instead of Rarity, seeing how tired she is."
The fearless Pegasus expressed her concern.
"Besides, are you sure it was a good idea to let her do this if she's so exhausted?"
"She insisted," recalled the pink pony, "and it's not the first time she watch over them."
"She is definitely the element of generosity," confirmed the animal caretaker.
"And with Big Mac at the hospital with Granny Smith for her monthly checkup, we didn’t have many other choices," Applejack added.
While the four ponies were finishing worrying about their stylist friend, the young purple unicorn continued to learn things from the zebra that served as their guide.
"And you say that everything this thing does is eating, sleeping, and singing?"
"That's how it occupy its daytime, but of course I do not follow it all the time,” Zecora confirmed.
Twilight knew it well. Zecora had her own business to deal with, not to mention her own need to sleep.
"Of course. It's just that the more we know about this monster, the better we'll be prepared to deal with it. "
"I understand your concern, my dear friend Twilight. But to me, saying it is a monster does not seem right. "
"You see?" Pinkie appeared by surprise. "Even Zecora thinks he's not dangerous."
"Pinkie, please!" Twilight reprimanded, beginning to worry about her friend's endless optimism. "What makes you say that, Zecora?"
"Not all the songs I heard were terrible. Most of them were quite sharable."
"Really?" Applejack wondered. "Excuse me if I don’t believe it. The one it was singing when the girls found it was awful."
"You said it!" Rainbow Dash confirmed. "Even Scootaloo is afraid to be alone now. I can assure you that when we find this thing, I’ll make it regret every word of it! Spike would have loved to see that, I bet."
"He must be out of bed now by now," Fluttershy reported. "Are you sure he won’t worry that we’re gone, Twilight?"
"Don’t worry, I left him a note to explain where we went. After all the good work he did, he deserved a bit of rest."
"That's nice," said the element of kindness.
"And then I left him a chore list so he would not get bored."
"Aaaaand there’s the Twilight we know," laughed the blue pegasus.
"Oh come on, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied lightly. "I just asked him to clean up and get the books that the borrowers didn’t bring back to the library."
“Because you haven’t opened it for a while,” indicated Pinkie, making the disciple of Celestia shamefully laugh.
"Yeah well...” she concluded, “a little walk over town never hurt anypony."
"You mean it would have been good for this one?" Pinkie asked, pointing to a wooden wolf head.
Each of her friends jumped in fear as they realized what the element of laughter had between her hooves. The pink pony was holding the head of a Timberwolf.
"Where did you get that?!" startled Twilight.
"Right here," said Pinkie, pointing to the ground, "with all the other pieces."
The ponies and the zebra looked around and realized that they were walking in the middle of a real Timberwolf cemetery. Wherever they looked, the floor was strewn with pieces of wood that served as part of one of those beasts’ crunchy bodies. Here was a paw. There, a piece of jaw. Further, an half-crushed torso. Each of the team members, less Pinkie, froze in amazement. Fluttershy's eyes filled with fright.
An ear-splitting scream resonated through the Everfree Forest.
Rainbow Dash began to have difficulty to fly because of the quivering mass that had clung to her.
"Fluttershy! You're heavy!"
The members of the expedition moved closer to each other like a litter of frightened puppies, huddled together as if to preserve what remained of their feeling of safety. The only one who didn’t seem to need it was examining the woody skull she held like an old deflated balloon.
"Mother of Celestia! What happened here?” Twilight asked.
Applejack took a deep breath and approached a broken paw. This one had a slight halo with a sickly neon green light that surprised no one. From the time they lived in Ponyville, the elements of harmony had already seen Timberwolves and understood how they worked. Killing these animals was not easy, contrary to what their theoretical fragility indicated. When their pieces are separated, some kind of magic made them slowly return to each other. It was one of the many strangenesses typical of the Everfree Forest that gave it its nightmarish reputation.
Except that this time, the infamous wooden dog had been cut into pieces so small that it was difficult to grasp what some of them were before. They hadn’t just been separated from each other, most had been simply crumbled, but still they were returning to their place in the anatomy of their owners. Twilight remembered a passage from an encyclopedia she had read a long time ago. She remembered that repairing themselves after so much damage was longer and more difficult, but still possible. This made them more impressive, and by extension more disturbing to her.
"Do... do you think it's the monster that did that?" Applejack offered.
"Would it be capable of such savagery?" Twilight asked.
The zebra hermit, strengthened by her time in the Everfree, exposed her opinion with a voice as imperturbable as an old oak.
"Well, this creature is not really gleeful. But remember, timberwolves are not peaceful."
Celestia's disciple understood what her striped friend meant. But the carnage she had under her left her less than reassured. They were just beasts made of wood, but she had never seen a scene of such violence before. The idea that a thing capable of unleashing such devastating fury not far from Ponyville squeezed her heart with fear. A question from Applejack brought her back to her senses.
"What do we do with them, Twilight?" she asked, pointing to a moving piece of timberwolf.
The young unicorn didn’t take too long to act. Her horn lit up with her usual purple aura and magically lifted each piece of wood around her. Without great effort, she scattered them at a prodigious speed.
"We can’t stop them from reforming," the magician explained. "But like this, it would take them a few more hours."
A yellow mass fell from the sky in a bush. Her head poked out to quickly ask, "Can we go now then?"
The team hit the road, following Zecora closely. The orange farmer realized that somepony was missing. She glanced back and saw Pinkie, still holding her timberwolf head on her hoof.
"To be, or not to be, complete," she declared. "That is the question. And the answer is Not. "
Applejack looked at Pinkie, shocked and slightly disgusted.
"Pinkie, that's really dark."
The pink pony seemed surprised.
"It is? That's new."
She threw away her macabre accessory before joining her friends, jumping like on springs.
"Maybe when we find it," imagined the element of laughter, "the monster will sing for us one of its songs Zecora told us about."
xXx
In a different part of the forest, Kenneth Marshall was walking with serenity, a little song on his lips. He didn’t add the music this time, to remain discreet, but it didn’t prevent him from smiling.
Despite a restless night, the day seemed particularly promising. The sky was sunny, and these stupid wooden wolves had left him alone for some time and he had finally found a way to sleep without having back pain the next day. He still had a hard time believing it, but he seemed to have got used to his new situation despite his phantasmagorical side. Two or three weeks ago, he was in one of the largest cities in the world wondering how he would eat the next day. Now he spent his days fishing and singing in a forest straight out of a fantasy novel.
At first everything was very disturbing and complicated, which seemed normal considering the situation. He was lost in the middle of a wild labyrinth filled with impossible creatures. But he remembered his uncle's advice, had taken his courage in its hands, and faced the dark wood one step at a time in search of a sign of civilization. The march was not as difficult as he feared it might be. It was actually pleasant enough. The restful symphony of nature, a mixture of rustling leaves and bird songs, was interrupted only by rare encounters with hostile animals more incredible than the rest. But after the surprise of the discovery, Kenneth took care of said creatures with a powerful song. In general, they fled before the end of the first chorus. He had had bigger fears on New York’s streets.
The only exception was a poor manticore which had the inadvisable idea to attack on a bad day. She had hoped to make a snack of him and screamed to his face, to which the musician responded so violently that it remained petrified throughout the entire song before running away with its scorpion tail between its legs. Afterward, Kenneth himself wondered if he had not been a little brutal screaming some Children of Bodom like that.
“Great Cthulhu... Maybe I was a bit too hard on the big kitty,” he thought.
It must be noted that Kenneth had a lot of things in mind on the day of this noisy meeting. He had finally come out of the forest and found an inhabited village, but the relief he had felt at the beginning evaporated when he saw its curious inhabitants in the distance: horses. Or rather, given their size, ponies, and he couldn’t even be sure about that. Kenneth spent hours watching this unknown people from afar, hidden behind trees and bushes.
The creatures he had discovered this time had everything to be classified in the equine family, from the mane to the hooves. But the comparison stopped there. Not only did their anatomy differ in proportion to the ponies he knew, but they had such a variety of coat colors that for a moment he thought he was on acid. There were not only ponies, by the way, but also unicorns that did magic and pegasi flying at a crazy speed. Their big eyes, their colorful hair, the childish tattoos on their flanks, not to mention their bodies which were blue, yellow, pink, purple, blue, gray, white and everything in between.
And that wasn’t the most disturbing part. Beyond the look of these little horses that almost made him want to vomit rainbows, what destabilized him the most was the impression he had when observing them, or rather the absence of a certain impression. Despite their appearance, he didn’t feel like he was observing animals. Against all logical explanations, watching these ponies was like watching other human beings. Most of them were wearing clothes, buying things with gold, or reading books in the shadow of a tree. Kenneth could concentrate on their morphology, but nothing changed it. There was a spark in their eyes that gave him the feeling of observing people just like him. Their behavior, their expressive faces, and the marks of affection that some exchanged reinforced this feeling. This discovery confirmed what he had supposed without ever believing it fully: he was no longer on earth.
That day, in shock, he began to roam the forest like a zombie. The discovery had shaken the foundations of his psyche like an immense wrecking ball. He had the feeling that contemplating this multicolored spectacle any longer would have made him definitely fall into madness. Especially because, when he was listening carefully, he thought he could hear them speaking English. His own language. So he had retired into the woods to avoid the situation, allowing time to think it over later. It wasn’t easy; his old beliefs constantly sought new hypotheses to justify the non-existence of what he saw. It was a confused and complex battle that used each of his neurons. His sanity seemed to hold up on scanty twigs.
And this poor manticore had the misfortune to disturb him at this very moment. Kenneth slapped him away like a mosquito. After that, he had collapsed in the cave he was occupying without even bothering to do so on his old mattress. It took him two days to accept that he was in another world, a world of fairy tales. Two days of prostration, passing from consciousness to unconsciousness and vice versa, doing nothing but cogitate and feel the flow of time. But in the end, he finally got up. In a moment of mental emptiness he had seized one of his books that had escaped his cataclysmic journey. He read it from the beginning to the end and thanked his favorite author for the gift he had given him. Like the protagonists of H.P. Lovecraft’s novel, Kenneth had discovered a new and incomprehensible aspect of the universe. But unlike them, he had not stumbled upon something that was purely awful or trying to kill him, not for now anyway. He was very lucky. To refuse this new reality, like some of the characters in the novels that he rediscovered, would bring him nothing but madness and death. Kenneth decided to seize the chance he had and accept this new face of the universe.
After filling his stomach with grilled fish and wild berries again, and cleaning his black and red checked shirt, the musician approached his new situation more serenely. He didn’t want to meet these multicolored beings who had made him panic like that. He suspected that he would probably never find a way to return to his planet, but that didn’t matter to him at all. He didn’t have anything that made him want to go back, except perhaps the graves of his mother and uncle. But for Kenneth, it wasn’t worth the risk of being captured and dissected by an alien species, or extra-dimensional beings for all he knew. He was certain that this was the fate that awaited him if he went to meet them. That's what any government would do, he thought. He didn’t want to take that kind of risk. His previous meeting, a few nights earlier, had confirmed to him that he was not a very reassuring being for those from this world.
Stealing apples was not a very moral thing. Kenneth knew it. But he needed something other than fish and handfuls of suspicious berries. Also, when he discovered a huge apple orchard outside of the city, he didn’t hesitate to make it a regular harvest point, especially since the fruits that grew there were particularly juicy and crunchy. He had gone there several times, always at night to avoid the owners. The flashlight on his cellphone allowed him that. Except that the previous visit, during which he had been surprised by three small fillies, was his last harvesting night. His cell phone was now out of battery after two weeks of reasonable restriction.
Now, Kenneth would have to collect his apples during the day, which was risky. Today, he was going there on a reconnaissance mission. It wasn’t exactly like his uncle did, but an innocent part of himself was having fun thinking that it wasn’t so different. He just had to walk discreetly enough to observe the orange pony and the red horse harvesting to get an idea of how they worked. Perhaps he would see habits that could show him when to make his future pilferages. When he finally arrived at the apple trees, Kenneth was on the alert and walked discreetly towards the farm.
When he realized there was no distinguishable sound except the rustling of the leaves, Kenneth relaxed and wondered if the farmers were actually there. So he advanced to the big red building where said farmers lived, which seemed to be a strange mixture of house and barn. When he thought he heard a noise coming from the entrance of the half barn of the place, he hid himself behind a tree. He forgot about that, though, when he spotted something even more incredible. A small purple and green biped lizard, with a small red wagon full of books, had knocked on the front door on the house side. He did not remember seeing this little being in his previous observations.
"Holy crap!” he thought. "Is that a dragon? Awesome!"
He couldn’t hear what the little dragon was saying from where he was, but it seemed obvious to him that this kid was looking for one this house’s inhabitants, given the insistence with which he was knocking at the door. Kenneth jumped when the baby dragon turned towards him.
xXx
Spike was looking at the apple trees. He glanced through the window, but found no sign of any member of the Apple family. He sighed heavily. His list said that Applebloom had forgotten to bring back a book, but there was definitely nopony at the farm right now. Even though his day was busy, thanks to the list of chores that Twilight had left him, it wasn’t exciting at all. He had already done most of the housekeeping of the library when he cleaned it up last night, and getting back the books wasn’t very interesting compared to the adventures he imagined his friends were living in the Everfree Forest.
The little dragon was a little angry at being asleep until so late. If he had woken up on time, he might have been able to convince Twilight to let him come with her, but he was also angry with her for not waking him up and asking him if he wanted that. He also wanted to see that famous monster she had talked about in her message. If it was dangerous, he could have been a hero and look awesome to his dear Rarity. He could have shown his courage and strength to everypony. Instead, he was walking from one end of Ponyville to the other to get back some books. The child grasped the handle of his cart to continue his job, dragging his feet.
A loud crash made him jump. The noise came from the barn part of the house. Maybe there was actually someone home. Spike went to the big open doors but found no one inside.
"Hello?" he called. "Somepony there?"
As an answer, he perceived other noises coming from the other side of the barn. The sounds were coming from behind a large pile of hay and seemed to indicate that it was moving some things. Or rather searching, because some of the Apple’s tools were simply stashed here and there. Spike walked toward the source of this sound with curiosity. It seemed to him that the Apples were paying attention to their items. The dragon stopped, leaping in fear as he felt a pitchfork close to him.
"Hey!" he screamed with anger. "Don’t throw things like that! You could hurt somepony!"
The sounds of iron and wood clashing together stopped. Spike was about to lecture the pony who was messing with all of this when a brownish hand appeared from the shadow of the pile of hay and squeezed one of the pillars of the barn. The baby dragon was forced to lift his head. His pupils narrowed to tiny green dots. His little arms fell down, his little body frozen in fear. In all its immensity, a shapeless and naked brown mass was looking at him. The only normal thing with it was its eyes with black pupils, but even they were misplaced, as one was higher than the other. Apart from that, it was a deformed monstrosity. A gigantic nightmarish creature, clumsy and vaulted, erected on two legs. One longer than the other. His skeletal arms with hooked fingers were long like the branches of a dead tree. At the top of its puffy body there was a head covered with disgracious bulbous and no mane at all. It also had a bloated mouth filled with wrongly placed teeth, as if pushed out by its thick, pasty tongue.
The creature stared at Spike with the curiosity of a predator examining an unfamiliar prey. A raucous roar, like a gurgling, gushed from his gaping mouth. Spike screamed and ran to the exit, propelled by terror. His little legs moved at full speed. But one of the monster's huge hands slapped him to the ground, his fingers like iron bars. The dragon kid screamed for help as she lifted him off the ground. The child struggled with all his strength, trapped in his icy grip. It was useless. The thing was too strong. Its mouth was a few inches away from the child's little head.
"Let me go ..." tried the little dragon.
The monster silenced him by tightening its grip. The cold and wet feeling of its hand disappeared for Spike. Only pain remained. Step by step, the vise tightened on his small body. Spike felt the fingers of the thing compressing his bones. He wanted to scream, implore the creature to spare him, but he could not anymore. The air could no longer pass. His mind froze. What was this new fear? The words couldn’t form in his mind. He never had to think about that. It was unthinkable. Impossible. Was he really gonna die?
"Hey!" screamed a new voice.
The brown monster barely had time to move his eyes as an unknown mass hit its face. The shock catapulted him backwards, making him let go of the young dragon. Spike inhaled so quick that he coughed. When he finally could breathe again, he looked up at his savior and found something that made his eyes widen for the second time: a second giant creature. But this one was very different from the other. It seemed like the same thing that hurt him: two arms, two legs, a head, eyes and a mouth positioned in the same place. But not only was it dressed, with a checked shirt red and black like fire and smoke, but everything seemed more harmonious in its anatomy, more proportionate.
The newcomer didn’t give him time to observe it for long. The first monster got up just as the dressed thing stumbled on to scream at him. The second struck him again on the head before punching on its target with many blows of an incredible violence for the young dragon. Suddenly, the blistered horror grabbed his opponent and threw him like a twig against one of the barn’s wall. The living projectile growled in pain as his pitcher screamed at him without seeming hurt. Neither the dragon nor Kenneth had the impression that this thing had suffered from the punches it received.
The new creature clenched his teeth and got up again before attacking the brownish monster again. He dodged one of his enemy's arms and punched his puffy chest. It did not flinch. The human ended up understanding. It was only the raw power of his attacks that had moved his opponent. It did not feel pain.
"Shit..." pronounced the human before receiving another blow from the monster.
The musician had been thrown to the ground so violently that his head was spinning. A bit of blood appeared on his lower lip. The creature was ready to crush it under its big misshapen foot when Kenneth rolled to one side, got up in one motion, and threw himself at his enemy with all his strength, making it fall again. Without waiting a second, the metalhead bombarded the swollen head of the thing with blows even more violent than before, but his target grabbed his head with his skeletal fingers and threw him back. The shock against the ground filled his back with pain. Kenneth stood up grunting and found the little dragon frozen with bewilderment.
"Are you stupid?!" screamed the human. "Get the hell out!"
This admonition was like a slap for Spike, who got up and fled at the speed of lightning. Kenneth avoided another blow from the monster before standing in front of it. He stared at him straight in the eyes. What he saw was different from what he had seen with all those ponies in town. There was nothing in the look of this monster. Nothing but savagery in its pure state. He was delighted. He could go wild without hesitation. The creature screamed to the musician. The metalhead screamed at the monster. Each one charged the other.
xXx
In the kitchen of the famous Carrousel Boutique, a snack was ready into a saucepan. The owner of the place removed it from the hob thanks to the magic of her horn and called the first concerned by this batch.
"Girls! The popcorn is ready!"
Three small and energetic fillies came at full gallop. Everyone sat at the table under the benevolent gaze, though a little tired, of the element of generosity. Watching over Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle was always a busy task. Their incredible impatience to discover their Cutie Mark always plunged them into alarming situations, but to see these little foals using all the energy of their youth at the service of their curiosity was something so adorable that nopony really wanted to scold them. Rarity nevertheless thought that it was necessary to keep an eye on them. This was one of the reasons she had agreed to stay with them while her friends explored the forest in search of the famous monster who lived there. That and the famous dress she had to finish for her client from Canterlot.
She had hoped to be able to advance her work while keeping an eye on the crusaders. But it was only a semi success. Apart from a few seams, she hadn’t done much. The girls were demanding a little too much attention. They were always asking her to play or help them think about new idea of activities. It was quite a tiring day. But after the fright they had suffered, the stylist couldn’t refused anything to them. In particular to her dear little sister, Sweetie Belle. She nevertheless took advantage of this snack to leave them sugar and return to her seam for a moment. Her eyelids were a bit heavy but she was doing her best to keep them open, at the risk of getting stung. To hold on, she began to hum a tune. It was only after a while that she realized it was the music she had heard last night near the forest. The stylist wondered if it had been played by the famous singing monster that her friends were looking for. After hearing the terrifying tunes her friends had told her, she doubted it. But at the same time, she had no better explanation. It was difficult to her to admit that Sweetie Belle's monster was the same being who played something so beautiful. At the return of her friends, if she did not fall asleep before, she would probably have an answer.
As she was about to finish a hem, someone began to pound at the door. Rarity was grumbling when she recognized Spike's scared voice. The white unicorn galloped to the entrance under the curious gaze of the crusaders. Opening, she discovered the little dragon completely mad and stammering. His hands were moving in all directions and his lips were moving too fast to form clear words. Rarity tried to stop this avalanche of rough sounds.
"Calm down, Spike! What's happening? "
The young dragon didn’t seem less panicked, but this firm interruption gave him the opportunity to take a deep breath and express what he had come to announce.
"There are monsters at the Apple Farm! Two huge monsters! "
“Monsters?!” screamed Rarity.
"Yes! They are super tall with gigantic arms and they don’t even have fur! "
This short description was enough to awaken the fear of the stylist. It matched the description of the creature that her friends were looking for in the forest right now. There were two of them? The idea froze her with fear, but she couldn’t stay like this. She had to see what was happening, at least to get a clear idea of what these creatures looked like. With the other absent, she was the only one who could see what this creatures were and maybe discover what they wanted. She glanced at the crusaders, whose eyes were tinged with terror.
"You stay here. I'll be back soon."
With that, she levitated Spike by magic to place him on her back before galloping at full speed, without taking the time to close the door. Rarity crossed Ponyville without paying attention to what was in front of her. She jostled several passers-by without stopping, but still shouting apologies behind her. She didn’t even slow down when she passed on a puddle of mud. She didn’t know what was giving her so much energy, but nothing seemed able to stop her. She had to see, at all costs, this thing that had scared her little sister. The thing that had played that bewitching music last night.
After her grueling run, Rarity finally arrived at the Apple Farm. Everything seemed quiet. Then she heard a terrible shock against a wall. Spike came down from her back and pointed to the barn. Before they could take a step in his direction, a red mass passed through the wooden wall. The heap of red and black cloth seemed to moan in pain, sprawled on the ground like a puppet without strings. Once again, the unicorn and the dragon did not have time to understand of the situation. Another mass, abject and unsightly, appeared from the tear in the barn. As it passed through, it widened the hole in a terrible wooden crunch.
It was Rarity's turn to be overcome by dread. She had encountered disturbing things during her adventures with the elements of harmony: timberwolves, Discord, changelings, even Nightmare Moon, but she had never seen anything so monstrous, so scary. The deformed creature stared blankly at the stylist. She was stuck on the spot. As for Spike, he was in a worse state. Those black pupils imposed on his mind the memory of an all too recent pain. He felt like choking again. The little dragon trembled as he fell backwards.
Rarity ordered the creature to not approach, but it didn’t seem to listen to her. It looked like it discovered nothing but a new target. The thing began to approach the ivory unicorn with a heavy and clumsy step. For each one, Rarity and Spike moved back two. Rarity looked frantically around her and used her magic to propel everything she saw at the monster: apples, a barrel, a crate, Granny Smith's rocking chair... But nothing stopped, nor even slowed down, the disgusting creature. The objects bounced off or broke on it like against a stone pillar.
In panic, Rarity even swung tools at this horror. The fear made her lose precision. Most passed by the creature without making it flinch. Then an axe ended up in its face. The creature stopped walking. Rarity too. She didn’t know if she was more surprised by the fact that she could stop it or simply by what she had done. She had just thrown an axe into someone's head. But she stopped thinking about it when her eyes crossed those of the other monster slumping further, its shirt torn and dusty. Its face, half hidden by what she thought was a smooth black mane, was covered with bruises and blood. For a second she could see all the fatigue and pain weighing on the strange creature's shoulders. Then the unthinkable happened. Re-directing her gaze to the brown monster, Rarity found that it had not stopped looking at her. His skeletal hand grabbed the axe planted in its face and pulled it out, without any effort.
“It can’t be…” she murmured.
The creature had nothing more than a small gash on one of its filthy brown boils. It stopped only because of the surprise facing something new. Except for that, it had nothing. This frightful impossibility ended up staring directly at Rarity. Spike was screaming at her to run away, but she couldn’t move anymore. What could she do? She was nothing like Applejack or Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t a warrior. The monster resumed its heavy approach towards her. By the time the unicorn was finally about to flee, two arms grabbed the chest of the brown horror. It was thrown back and lost balance, collapsing grotesquely, then got up quickly to faced its first opponent again.
Kenneth was out of breath. He had already been hit, but never so much. Every bone in his body made him suffer. He could barely feel his fingers after punching this creature so much. This thing was not made of flesh and bone, he was sure about that. It was more dense, and more painful to punch. This thing didn’t even feel pain. But despite that, he was standing in front of this gigantic horror. His enemy screamed again and they resumed where they had left off. The metalhead dodged his arms before plunging his weight against his target’s legs. He managed to overthrow it and struck a new deluge of blows in its face, with more fury than ever. It was useless again. The monster grabbed the musician and cast him away. Kenneth landed against a wooden fence that broke on impact. He felt even more pain than before.
However, the young man didn’t stay on the ground for long. It was like fire was flowing through his veins. Kenneth rushed towards his opponent and hit him again, plunged into a state of trance where only his opponent and fury existed. The thing he was facing did not feel the pain, but Kenneth didn’t care. He dodged each of its attacks and struck him again with his fists, feet, knees, and head without stopping. The creature didn’t have time to react. Whatever it tried to do, the metalhead stopped it with another brutal assault. The young man in red began screaming and strafing his opponent so quickly that it lost its balance. He took advantage of an opening to rise and swing both of his feet in the figure of the brown creature. It fell backwards and ended up with a piece of broken wood across the chest.
A piece of the barrier crossed the vanquished enemy from side to side. It didn’t move anymore. Before Kenneth's lost gaze, the creature melted like a plastic toy in a microwave. From his hideous face, from his crooked fingers, from his puffy mass, only a big, shapeless brown mass remained, like an old pile of mud. The musician ended up on all fours under the weight of fatigue and pain. His breath caught in his dry throat while drops of sweat blew from his injured face. He stood up with difficulty. He almost lost his balance when he stood up on his legs, shaking like an old branch. Once on his feet again, he spat a bit of blood on what had been his opponent.
Once his level of adrenaline came down, his mind remembered where he was, and especially who was there. He turned his wide eyes towards the two spectators of this unimaginable brawl. The white unicorn and the little purple dragon were staring at him. Their tiny pupils testified the mixture of dread and amazement that had invaded them. In an instant, Kenneth lept like a tiger into the apple orchard, teeth clenched to withstand the pain that every step awakened. The moment he disappeared into the darkness of the apple trees, Rarity regained her senses.
"Wait!" she screamed.
She tried to run after this curious being, but it disappeared among the trees like a shadow. In addition, part of her was still trembling with fear. She didn’t dare to take another step. She suspected that it was going back to hide into the Everfree Forest. This idea made her stop. Her gaze then rested on the remains of the other creature. The disgusting mass made her want to move backward, but something caught her attention. A greyish trickle of dust was flowing from a slit in the soft pile, like a pierced pocket. Rarity, her curiosity sparked, approached it and thought it was finally possible to perceive what this monstrosity was made of, but also that what flowed from it was not dust.
"Ashes? And… clay?"
She was completely lost. Stranger things had already happened in Ponyville, but nothing so brutal. She hoped that her friends would soon arrive. She had so much to tell them.
In the heart of the Everfree Forest, facing a mysterious cavern in a small clearing, were four of the elements of harmony. Their friend Zecora had brought them to the lair of the strange creature. His absence had surprised them. They were worried about that since they had no idea were the creature was. They had come to make first contact with this one and learn more about it, but at the same time, its peculiar pace and the terror it had imposed to the Cutie Mark Crusaders made them approach this encounter with fearful caution. But the monster was not here when they arrived.
Each one scattered to try to discover a trace, or even to learn anything about this thing. Rainbow Dash was flying around, hoping to spot the terrifying creature. Pinkie Pie had the same goal and searched on ground level, behind every tree, every bush, and even in every burrow she could find. Fluttershy spotted a raven duo that had landed on a branch and started to talk with them. Twilight and Zecora had entered the cave and become interested in the curious garbage on the floor. As for Applejack, she was interested in a campfire placed in front of the cave’s entrance.
This proof of the monster's ability to use fire didn’t really surprise her. She had understood it was an intelligent being since she heard about its music and clothes. What worried her, however, was the presence of fish leftovers near the ashes. The ponies, pegasi, and unicorns were all herbivorous. This thing was not. When she shared her macabre discovery with the rest of the group, it didn’t take long for Rainbow Dash to call it dreadful and suspect him of eating ponies. Their fears were understood by all, but some tried to tranquilize them.
"I also hope that's not the case," Fluttershy said shakily before giving a slight smile, "but I have a lot of animal friends who eat fishes, you know. Herons, otters, snakes, and especially Harry the Bear."
"And what do you think I feed Gummy with?" added Pinkie Pie. "Alligators have a very strict diet, you know."
None of this reassured the farmer and the blue pegasus. This didn’t prove the harmlessness of the creature concerned. Maybe it simply hadn’t had a chance to capture a pony. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle, and Zecora were studying the objects on the floor of the monster’s home with great curiosity. The presence of a mattress surprised them more than they would have thought, because it couldn’t have made it by itself. Did it steal it then? However, their attention was quickly attracted by the big black box placed against a wall. They of course recognized it as a guitar case, but it was its contents that really interested them. Opening the box, they discovered a cherry red guitar, very different from the ones they had seen before. The six strings were there, but the instrument was thinner than a classic guitar and had no hole for the sound box. Zecora made one of the strings vibrate, but the sound it produced was not melodious at all. Even pulling each of them in different places, they produced nothing but a dissonant noise. The zebra and the unicorn wondered whether it was really the instrument with which the monster had played its terrible music.
They ended up concentrating on a pile of shiny rubbish and bits of paper. They had absolutely no idea of the use that could have been made of the plastic artifact covered with buttons and filled with green plates furrowed with metallic lines. But the fact that said buttons were covered with letters reminded Celestia’s disciple of experimental models of typewriters that she had seen in some scientific magazines. Twilight couldn’t understand how that thing could work however. Despite her desire to study this strange artifact, she had many other curiosities to look at. Twilight was excited about so much mystery. She felt like an adventurer discovering a lost civilization, except that it was still alive and closer to her own than she would have imagined.
The circular pieces first made her think of mirrors, but once put together, they made her think about a miniature version of the vinyls that Vinyl Scratch used for her music, an assumption that was bolstered when she noticed the drawings and texts on the opposite side. But by collecting the pieces, including the shreds of paper that she identified as tattered posters, her curiosity was tinged with fear. Most of the words she was able to form weren’t really intimidating, such as "Nightwish" or "Dream Theater", but others had unpleasantly shocked her, such as "Disturbed" or "In Flames".
Zecora pulled her out of her worried thoughts with a discovery that made Twilight’s eyes shine like little stars.
"Books!" she exclaimed joyfully.
Indeed, hidden near the mattress, under a large piece of poster, Zecora had found three books. Twilight seemed to have suddenly forgotten all her worries before throwing herself on the wonderful treasures. She told herself that this creature might not be so bad in the end. With her magic, she levitated and studied with much care the different volumes like they were a crystalline treasure. The first her eyes discovered intrigued her more by its cover than the title. She also was surprised that the texts were in Equish, since they never heard of a book like this one.
"The complete fiction of H.P. Lovecraft ..." she read. "I’ve never heard of any author named Lovecraft. And is that a flying octopus? "
She opened the strange book and read aloud, carried away by curiosity, the first lines she found. The more she read, the more her eyes lost their innocent brilliance.
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."
Twilight exchanged a worried look with Zecora. The zebra seemed more curious than frightened by this disturbing text. What is a Human? She had never heard of a species by that name. And what kind of civilization could have such a dark vision of life? These lines rang in her ears like a frightening call to ignorance. She decided to look at the second book of the pile. The cover was more interesting this time, with two two-legged creatures on it that corresponded to the general description of the famous monster. They had their particularities; one was larger than the other, for example, but they clearly belonged to the same species. The title was "Of Mice and Men", and the author named John Steinbeck. Twilight understood that these creatures did not have the same way of designing names as ponies. She was pleasantly surprised when she discovered a back cover, which she read on.
“They’re an unlikely pair: George is small and quick and dark of face; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a family, clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation.
Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. For George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own. When they land jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, the fulfillment of their dream seems to be within their grasp. But even George cannot guard Lennie from the provocations of a flirtatious woman, nor predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things George taught him.”
This text reassured her a little. Twilight guessed it was a friendship story and, of course, she was happy to see that. She’d never heard of this country called California, but the story itself intrigued her. It suggested some kind of empathy from the creature, which made her opinion about it a little more confused. The last book broke her heart because it was as damaged as if crushed by a stampede. The cover was damaged and covered with stains. Some pages were folded or torn, others were simply detached. She levitated the book with great care, as if it was about to fall to dust at the slightest gust of wind. She didn’t even dare to open it, contenting herself with studying the cover. There were two different creatures on it. One had an armor and the other, a dress. The title and the name of the author seemed to be in two different languages: "Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troy". The style reminded her of the French language that was sometimes used by her friend Rarity and some people from Equestrian high society. She pondered all sorts of explanations about the existence of these curious objects, but Twilight had her thoughts interrupted by Rainbow Dash.
“So, what do we do? Since the monster’s not here?”
“We could wait hidden in the bushes,” suggested Pinkie. ”He’ll come back eventually.”
“That could be hours!” complained the blue pegasus. “And what if it’s attacking Ponyville right now?”
Applejack, with a worried face, entered the conversation to express her concerns.
"Twilight, I admit I'd rather go home. I promised Applebloom wouldn’t come back late and I don’t want her to worry too much in this circumstance."
Personally, the disciple of Celestia would have preferred to stay in order to see the famous creature, but her friends were right to be worried. She had hoped that this expedition would allow them to settle the case of this strange creature quickly, but it hadn’t turned out that way. Not only had it brought more questions, but no one was really watching over the city right now. Pinkie had hoped to convince her of the benevolence of the creature, but nothing she had discovered allowed her to consider it harmless. It seemed much more complex, mysterious, and potentially dangerous than expected.
Twilight finally decided to return to town. She thanked Zecora for guiding them and asked if she could continue to keep an eye on the monster when she could.
"Do not worry, I'm agreeing. I'll keep an eye on this strange being,” she answered.
She thanked the zebra hermit before joining her friends. The purple unicorn had been thinking of taking the strange books with her to study them, with a certain excitement, but she decided that it wasn’t a good idea to steal the possessions of a creature about whom they knew nothing. It could cause an incident before even beginning to discuss with the monster. She left the damaged book on the mattress before heading back to town, the other elements of harmony behind her.
Pinkie Pie's mane appeared to have partially deflated, and Fluttershy hurried to comfort her friend.
"Oh don’t worry, Pinkie. I'm sure we'll meet him soon. Well... not too soon, I hope."
"I hope so," said Pinkie. "I really want to see it and listen to its strange music. It seems to be a unique being and it makes me curious. It’ll be some funny friend. "
"Pinkie! I already told you it's too soon for saying that.” declared Twilight. "You should be more careful. There’s still a lot we need to discover before thinking about that kind of relationship.”
She then saw Fluttershy and thought about her conversation with the local birds.
“Did the crows tell you anything interesting?"
"Nothing Zecora didn’t already tell us, except that the creature always let them eat the leftovers of its fish."
"Ooooh!" said Pinkie with excitement. "That means it likes to share! Rarity will definitely like it."
xXx
The sun was setting. Everypony was going home to spend a quiet evening. There was, however, a sad exception that night. In the Carrousel Boutique, the elements of harmonies had gathered around Rarity to support her as best as possible. She had wrapped herself in a soft blanket and Fluttershy made her a sweet tea, but she hadn’t touched it. She had a glassy look and a crestfallen face. When the others returned from Everfree Forest, they found her in this worrisome state. It seemed that all emotion had left her.
When she was able to tell her friends what had happened in their absence, she seemed to slowly regain her vivacity, as if sharing this traumatic event allowed her mind to accept the reality and recover working. All her friends were by her side, worried about her and ready to say a kind word, which helped a lot. Her story was short but intense. She had allowed herself to tell what happened to Spike so that they did not need to get him upstairs. Rarity did not want to force him to relive his own nightmare again. Each of the elements of harmony had looked terrified by listening to this misadventure. Then Rarity finished telling it.
"After it left, I ended up running back with Spike. I... I was so scared. I double-locked all the doors and asked the girls to stay upstairs with Spike. I did not know what I was doing, I admit. I just wanted to ... feel safe again."
Pinkie hugged her while Applejack consoled her, telling her that it was completely normal, under Twilight's both sad and intrigued gaze. That's when the element of loyalty questioned Pinkie angrily.
"Do you still think this thing would make a good friend?"
"Rainbow Dash, said shyly Fluttershy, I do not think it's the right moment for that."
“Did you hear what Rarity told us? These creatures are ultra-violent and super-dangerous wild beasts! If we don’t do anything, who knows what they’ll break or who they’ll hurt next time!"
Rarity started shaking again. She visualized the deformed face and badly arranged teeth of the creature who had stood so close to her. This giant whose power made her imagine the ease with which it could have hurt her. She then heard Pinkie's voice with a determined tone she wasn’t used to hearing from her.
"You forget something, Dashie."
"What?"
"The one with a checkered shirt, it saved Spike and Rarity."
The stylist was surprised to have forgotten this detail. Pinkie was right. The creature who wore clothes interposed, despite its terrible wounds, to stop the clay horror. If it hadn’t done that, who knows what would have happened? The element of loyalty didn’t know what to say. She supposed the dressed thing might have just wanted to keep fighting, but Applejack, with some hesitation, reminded her that it had clearly helped Spike and told him to run away. Rainbow didn’t know what to say to that. She was still frowning, unconvinced of the benevolence of this second monster. She suspected it of simply wanting to fight with the strongest person of the moment and had just left to recover from its injuries. Rarity looked at her librarian friend, who seemed just as worried and pensive as herself. She asked then, hoping to receive an answer that would calm her tormented mind.
"Twilight, what are you thinking about?"
"Well, I’m not certain..."
"Whatever you have in mind, I'd love to hear it," Rarity insisted, as each of the elements of harmony stared at the purple unicorn. "Please. I don’t know what to think anymore."
Twilight hesitated a bit before sighing.
"The creature that attacked Spike, you said it was made of clay, right?"
"Indeed," replied the stylist, "but I don’t know what its eyes are of. Why?"
"Centuries ago, magicians tried out experiments to create... life. More precisely, sentient beings made from stones, wood, or any other inert matter. "
"You think it was one of those things?"
"I don’t know. Princess Celestia didn’t like it at all and thought about forbidding these experiments, but she didn’t need to. The researchers who initiated it tried everything, even studying timberwolves, but they always failed. Some even lost their lives. They ended up giving up, announcing that artificial life was impossible. At least for anyone except the Great Equis."
This story astonished the other elements of harmony. They weren’t surprised to have never heard of it. The study of magic wasn’t really a domain that concerned them, after all, but there indeed did not seem to be any other way to describe the monster than as a pure pile of clay come to life.
"What does that mean?" Applejack asked fearfully. "Do you think someone succeeded in creating life?"
"I don’t know," Twilight admitted, lowering her ears. "It's just that this description doesn’t remind me of anything except those experiments."
"What's the link with the other monster?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"I don’t know," Twilight admitted again, lowering her head. "Rarity told us that the two monsters have similarities, but also fundamental differences. Rarity, are you sure that the monster with clothes wasn’t made of clay too?"
Rarity tried to remember the creature. She didn’t like going back to those moments, especially when she was still in shock. Despite this, she made an effort, concentrating on the thing that had saved Spike and herself. This one had indeed a very strange anatomy, whose seemed close to that of the clay-thing, but the more she thought about it, the more she saw the differences. The dressed creature was not of a dirty brown color but a very pale beige. His head had hairs that looked like a black mane and goatee, while the other monster was completely naked. But the most important thing was its eyes. Rarity hadn’t seen anything in those of the clay monster, whereas those of the one with the checked shirt had emotions: anger, fear and, most of all, pain. It was not very reassuring, but it was better than emptiness. It seemed like nothing, but Rarity seemed convinced when she answered Twilight.
"I'm sure. These two things are alike, but the one with clothes was a true living being."
Twilight would have prefered if her testimony helped her, but that was far from the case. She had told Rarity what she and the others had discovered in the forest. The more she learned about the monster that was hidden there, the less reassured she was. It was intelligent, but also violent and potentially carnivorous. She was ignoring too much about it. Even more when the description of these two monsters corresponded to that of things at the service of the terrible Blazing Sky, in the famous Canticle of Truth she was studying. She wanted to talk to her friends, but she had promised the princesses to keep that a secret. Blazing Sky was defeated by Equis a very long time ago. So how could its agents exist today? She did not even dare to imagine all the possibilities and dangers that could imply this for Equestria.
"I think I'll go home," she informed the others. "I need to do some research about all of this. I'm getting Spike."
Each of her friends was a bit sad to see her go, but they understood that this was how Twilight handled her stress, working to try to get things done. They wished they could help but they knew she prefered to do it alone. That was her way to do it, and they wanted to stay with Rarity and the crusaders. The purple unicorn climbed to the second floor while the others remained with Rarity. She arrived at Sweetie Belle's room and slowly entered. The Cutie Marks Crusaders were also under a blanket, as if it could hide them from the horrors of the universe. Spike kept them company without saying a word. He seemed lost in his thoughts, until he noticed Twilight.
“Spike, let’s go home. We have a lot of work to do.”
The little dragon joined her with a long face.
“Where are the others?” asked Applebloom, trembling like a lost kitty.
“Downstairs,” explained the librarian, “Fluttershy is gonna stay here tonight. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
That didn’t seem to reassure them.
After walking through the now-deserted streets of ponyville, the duo eventually came back to the treehouse. Without wasting time, Twilight asked Spike to seize his feather to write a letter that she dictated to him.
"Dear Princess Celestia. If you receive this letter, it is to inform you of a terribly serious situation... "
The young unicorn paused when she noticed the absence of the scratching sound of a feather. Her gaze fell on the little assistant with a low face. He had sat on the sofa, hunched over as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes seemed lost in the void, and his eyelids heavy. Twilight had never seen him like that. She approached him anxiously to ask if he was okay. The child answered him in a low voice.
"Sorry Twilight, I just can’t focus."
"After what you lived through I can understand. What are you thinking about?"
Spike seemed to hesitate, but he was talking to Twilight, after all. He ended up explaining what troubled him, his voice tight and choked voice.
"I... I was so scared." Tears formed like pearls at the corner of his eyes. "This thing tightened me so hard I couldn’t breathe. I begged it to let me go but... It didn’t care. I..." Spike threw himself on Twilight, embracing her with his little arms. "I struggled as much as I could but it didn’t help. It wanted to kill me, Twilight. Nothing else. I almost died. I don’t want to die."
The young dragon shed torrents of tears on the purple fur of his friend. She was crying too, hugging the dragon with her front legs. Taken in by the whirlwind of events, she only seemed to realize now what had nearly happened. The little dragon she had seen growing up, that she had raised herself all those years, had almost been taken away. She could have never seen him again, talked to him, or even hugged him like she was doing right now.
"It's okay, Spike," she murmured, "It's over. Nothing will happen to you now. I promise."
The unicorn dried the little dragon's tears and cast a sad look on him. She didn’t know what to do in this situation. All she knew was that working could wait a little bit.
"I'll write the message later. You want some cookies with gems?"
The child didn’t answer. The unicorn wanted to reassure him so much, to bring back his smile, that she told him that she was going to bring some and told him with tenderness.
"You were very brave today."
Spike watched her go to the kitchen. When she entered there, he put on a long face, not convinced at all.
xXx
The night had fully came on the Everfree Forest. A torrential rain had begun to fall. Each drop seemed to impose a huge weight on Kenneth's back and revived the pain. Not a single piece of his body seemed to be spared by suffering. His muscles were torn apart. His skeleton was crumbling. His head seemed about to explode and his abrasions were burning. On several occasions, during his walk back, he had to stop as the pain had blurred his vision and numb his legs, and he was covered in mud and dust.
It is only after a long and difficult journey that he finally arrived to his lair. Finally sheltered from the rain and the wind, he could catch his breath and let his body calm down a bit. The metalhead began to punch the stone wall of his cave with rage. Why did he have to interfere with all this? The dragon was in danger, it's true, but he didn’t know him. He had spent two weeks keeping a low profile to not to be spotted, and now he had just revealed himself because of a disgusting monster that he had defeated only by pure luck. What even was this thing? A powerful monster made of clay? Was it a fucking golem or what?
He had revealed his existence, put himself in danger for strangers instead of fleeing, and ended up in a terrible state. His favorite shirt was tattered and covered in mud. He was wounded absolutely everywhere. He was drenched to the bone. This day was a disaster. If he could face a clone of himself, he would finish it for good with a rain of punches screaming, "What the hell did you have in mind?"
He dropped on his mattress and added two new kinds of suffering to his collection: the piercing pain of the springs on his back and a shock in the back of his head. Kenneth stood up, growling in anger and looking at what had caused this. When he put his eyes on it, the musician seemed to calm down a little. He delicately took the damaged paper block that had hit him behind the head. His gaze changed from wild rage to melancholy as he saw its cover showing a knight and his lady. He carefully opened the book of Arthurian Romances and saw a little message, written with a handwriting like beautiful curls.
‘Happy birthday, my little star.’
He put the old book next to the mattress and finally laid down. Crushed by the weight of pain, he ended up being carried away to unconsciousness by sheer exhaustion. He would think about all of this tomorrow. For now, he couldn’t take it anymore. He just wanted to fall asleep, hoping to be spared from nightmares, at least for tonight.
xXx
Meanwhile, at Canterlot, the two princesses of Equestria dined privately. They liked that moment of the day, where they could discuss everything before swapping places. Just after dessert, Luna would take her sister's place in the throne room for the evening, but tonight Celestia wanted to talk about something she was worried about.
"And you're sure it’s not a good idea to try to get into that dream?"
"As I told you, sister, I do not know how it would react. This black sphere resists all my spells. If I insist too much, it could have detrimental effects on the dreamer itself."
"I know, but... not knowing anything about this one worries me."
"Do not worry. I know what I'm doing."
The princess of the sun was hoping for it with all her heart. Before she could even say it, a green flame appeared in front of her followed by a parchment. She knew what it was and magically unfolded it, apologizing to her sister. As she read the message, her face became gradually marked with fear.
"What is it?" Luna asked, worried.
Celestia levitated the scroll to her sister, who read it in turn. She, too, ended up wide-eyed as she discovered what the message was saying.
"A furless monster?" she listed. "A clay creature? By the moon, what's happening in Ponyville?"
"I don’t know, but we definitely need to go there."
"Twilight Sparkle seems indeed in trouble. I'll call my guards. We'll be ready to go immediately."
At that moment, a servant entered the room while bowing.
"Sorry, your majesties, but someone came asking for you, Princess Celestia."
"Tell them to make an appointment like the others."
The servant insisted by adding, "It is Chancellor Neighsay, your highness."
The princesses were surprised by this unexpected visit. It wasn’t often that the chancellor asked to meet them. Luna saw her sister sigh and announced to the maid, "Alright, tell him I'll be there in a minute."
The servant bowed again and left the room. Luna glanced at Celestia, who anticipated her question and explained.
"He's the head of the Equestria Education Association. Refusing to see him could be... scandalous. "
"But what about Ponyville and these monsters?"
"I'll try to tell him to come another time, but he can be quite stubborn and not being on his good side could cause problems later. And you have your own appointment after that. If I can’t change his mind, we'll go together tomorrow, first thing in the morning."
Luna wanted to reply. This monster situation seemed much more urgent than anything else. All she wanted to do at that moment was call her soldiers and go to Ponyville, but she also didn’t want to put her sister in a delicate situation. She just sighed and accepted this unpleasant turn of events.
"I'll j send my bat-ponies there to watch over the city."
The sun princess thanked Luna, not only for her initiative but also for her understanding. Celestia left the room, leaving Luna alone, just as the cook brought in the two desserts, which she no longer wanted to eat. She had lost all appetite in this huge and empty place.
The sun had been up for some time when Twilight Sparkle awoke, not because of the light, but a knocking on her door. She sprang from a mountain of paper that had collapsed on her during the night, revealing her dark eyes and unkempt mane. First disoriented, a new series of blows rang out. She got up and dragged her hooves, growling to the door, determined to send back the person who came to visit her. She was in no condition to receive people. The research she had done all night had tired her, and she had found nothing useful, so she was immensely frustrated too. Her vision blurred by fatigue, the purple unicorn opened her door.
“What?” she growled.
As her eyes woke up, Twilight realized there was not just one person. Then that two of them were tall. And finally that it was the princesses Celestia and Luna, escorted by a whole cohort of guards. There were two seconds of awkward silence before the little unicorn processed the news. When she finally grasped the reality of the situation, Twilight's eyes widened and the door slammed shut. Some noises echoed in the library tree as the two alicorns exchanged confused looks. When the noises stopped, the door reopened on a Twilight finishing her hair before swinging her comb with a shameful laugh. The two princesses simply greeted the young unicorn as if nothing had happened.
“Greetings, my dear student,” said Celestia with her usual royal dignity, “we are sorry to arrive so late but we are here to settle this monster case.”
“Oh, you don’t have to justify yourself, Princess,” answered Twilight. “I’m glad that you came to help us.”
“My sister and I have asked some guards to look for your friends and bring them here, but first we would like to speak with thee in private.”
Twilight's eyes showed confusion before she understood what it was all about. In the end, her letter last night had only two notable elements: the report on the recent events and her concern about the resemblance of the Everfree monster with those described in the Canticle of Truth. She wasted no time walking away from the door and inviting them to enter. As the monarchs were about to come in, an approaching gallop drew everypony's attention. The looks of the sovereigns and their soldiers fell on a guard who saluted before making his announcement.
“Your majesties, I’m sorry, but the element of laughter seems to be absent right now. Mrs. Cake said she got out sooner but they don’t know where she went.”
Twilight couldn’t help but facehoof. She was used to her friend’s unpredictability, but now was really not a good time for such a surprise.
“Alright soldier,” declared Luna, “return to her place and wait. Bring her here when she returns. The others, stay on guard and make sure none interrupt us save but the elements of harmony.”
All the soldiers saluted while the princesses entered into the treehouse. Twilight’s ears hung low. Where could Pinkie possibly be?
In the Everfree forest, Pinkie Pie was jumping around humming a little song, appreciating the sounds of the forest in the morning. The birdsongs and the rustling of the leaves were a joy to her ears while the cool air, fresh with morning dew, caressed her skin. Despite this, she was worried. After yesterday’s events, all her friends tried to convince her that the creature in the forest was dangerous. They had insisted so much that Pinkie herself began to doubt, to the point of losing sleep.
She couldn't believe that this thing was malicious, as bizarre as it was. It was brutal and sometimes sang disturbing things, but it had saved two of her friends. However, maybe Rainbow Dash was right when she said that the dressed creature just wanted to fight the clay monster. Uncertainty tortured her mind. It was new to her, being somepony who always trusted her instincts without ever having been mistaken. That's why she decided to go meet the strange creature at daybreak. She had to find the truth.
Suddenly, she perceived the cracking of a twig behind her. She looked towards the source of the noise but saw nothing except the bushes and trees. No matter how carefully she observed the area, she didn’t perceive anything. Without looking away, she advanced until she disappeared behind a tree. The thing that followed her sighed in relief.
“Found you!” screamed Pinkie in front of its bush.
In shock, two ponies rushed out screaming from it. Pinkie couldn't hide her amazement when she found out who it was.
“Octavia? Vinyl Scratch? What are you doing here? Playing Hide & Seek? You should have told me, I’m the best at that game!”
The pony with the gray coat got up as gracefully as possible before helping her friend with the white coat and blue mane.
“Sorry Pinkie. You see, Vinyl saw you entering the forest earlier. We were a little curious and followed you to see what you might do at such an hour. "
Octavia seemed very embarrassed and unable to provide a more precise explanation. Her friend, her eyes masked by her sunglasses, gave the gray filly a little hit with her hoof, frowning.
“Okay okay!” renounced Octavia. “The truth is that a few days ago, Vinyl and I heard music coming from the woods. By being attentive, we ended up hearing it regularly. I wanted to find out where it came from, and when we saw you coming in earlier, since you and your friends did it yesterday, I thought you might know something and I chose to follow you. Vinyl is only here because she was worried about me. ”
Octavia watched her friend DJ's reaction. She approved of her story with a simple nod. Pinkie smiled indulgently at them.
“Why didn’t you ask? I would have gladly accepted you coming with me.”
“I… was scared of you saying no, I guess.”
“Nonsense, the more friends we have, the greater the joy. We can meet the monster together!”
“The monster?!” worried Octavia.
Pinkie showed them the way, explaining what Zecora had discovered in the depths of the Everfree forest. Each step brought them closer to the creature's lair and what Pinkie told them troubled Octavia to the highest degree. Vinyl, on the other hand, didn't seem very troubled by what she heard, simply smiling at Octavia. Ultimately, reassured by the serene air of her DJ friend, Octavia's curiosity as a musician won out over fear.
Finally, the trio arrived in the small clearing where the monster's cave was located. They found there an extinguished but still smoking campfire. The creature, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. The three ponies looked everywhere, including in the cave, but found no visible trace of it. Pinkie was about to sigh in disappointment when she saw what seemed to be a solution. On a branch, huddled together to keep themselves warm, the two ravens seen yesterday were sleeping peacefully. They woke up brutally when the pink pony called out to them.
"Hello! I'm sorry to interrupt your nap, but I'm looking for the monster who nourishes you. Do you know where he is? ”
The crows at first seemed unhappy to be woken up so brutally, but Pinkie's question seemed to surprise them. The two birds looked around, in the same way as the ponies before. One of them then caught the eye of the other with a wing before saying something in his bird language, after which the two birds flew away.
“Follow these crows, my friends!” commanded Pinkie before running in their direction.
Before that, Octavia looked to Vinyl and said, a bit surprised,“I didn’t know she could talk to animals too.”
Vinyl shrugged. The three ponies ran into the woods.
The three slowed down when they began to hear a deep masculine voice resonating between the trees, accompanied by a little trumpet tune. The trio walked slowly to get closer to the origin and began to perceive that the said voice was singing. They arrived near a river and, hiding by a bush, discovered their objective: the singing creature of the Everfree forest.
Said creature was indeed different from anything that the ponies had seen in their entire lives: two arms with fingers, two long legs, and a light, furless skin with the exception of a goatee and hairs black as the night that almost fell on its shoulders, one of which was decorated with a strange painting in the shape of an octopus, whose tentacles were flowing over his arm. Finally, the creature was dressed in a white tank top and blue jeans… Octavia and Vinyl didn’t know what to think of what they had in front of them. His singular appearance worried them, but his current actions were unsettlingly banal. The famous creature was rubbing a red and black checkered shirt while singing casually.
However, they had to admit that the music was catchy. Pinkie, Octavia, and Vinyl couldn't help moving along with the beat, even when they noticed that the creature had a slightly sinister little audience. Right next to him, also dancing in rhythm, was a snake, a fox, a vulture, a family of rats, and the famous crows saw before. The ponies were then both intrigued, enchanted, and amused by what they were looking at. They felt like facing an inverted reflection of a scene in which Fluttershy could have been.
Once the song was repeated three more times, the thing continued mumbling. Pinkie seemed reassured. A malicious being wouldn’t do its laundry while singing, would it? Octavia asked her discreetly what they were doing now, but Pinkie wasn't sure. She wanted to meet the monster, but she didn't want to scare him. Octavia heard a chilling hiss. She slowly turned her gaze to the ground and discovered the snake which was near the singer a minute before. The animal whistled again with its forked tongue and Octavia jumped, screaming.
“Who’s there?!” asked the monster.
The snake ran away as Pinkie looked at the bipedal creature. It was standing straight, a stone in his hand, ready to throw it. She said to herself that it was not the ideal but that it was pointless to hide any longer. She sprang from the bush like a jack-in-the-box, screaming joyfully.
“Hello!” She barely dodged the stone that was thrown at her. "Hey! That’s not nice!"
The monster fled towards the trees at full speed, but she was surprised when it collapsed on the ground, rumbling. Angry at first, Pinkie saw that his face was twisted in pain. Her anger dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Under the worried but hidden eyes of her companions, Pinkie came out of her hiding place and walked slowly toward the creature. Still suffering, the latter moved away from her when he saw her approach, like by a survival reflex, causing him to winch and clutch his ribs. His hand landed on a new stone and grabbed it, but the sky-blue eyes and the innocent smile of the pink pony made him stop his gesture.
“Are you okay?”
Kenneth didn’t expect this question. Without thinking, carried by his usual pride, he replied.
"I'm perfectly fine."
The pain rekindled, twisting his face again.
"You’re a good singer, but a really bad actor,” Pinkie declared. Her smile continued as she asked him, "What’s your name?"
The monster was taken aback by the innocence with which this pony was speaking to him. He replied, reluctantly.
“Kenneth Marshall.”
“I’ve never heard a name like that before. What’s it mean?
“I don’t know,” he answered, surprised by the question. “It’s just… my name.”
Before he could say anything else, the pink pony continued talking.
“Ke-Neth Mar-Shall…” she pronounced, like she was playing with the letters. “I like the sound of it.”
The musician opened his eyes, wide with surprise, and loosened his grip on the rock. He answered with hesitation.
“Hum… Thanks. I guess.”
Pinkie looked at Kenneth's shoulder and asked him, “That’s an interesting drawing. Is that your cutie mark?”
“What the…?! Don’t do my Cthulhu tattoo dirty like that!”
“What’s a ka-fu-lu? Some kind of octopus? Are you a fisher pony? But you said it’s a tattoo so maybe you aren’t. Since you’re not a pony I guess that isn’t the right term. So, what are you? A monkey? You look kinda like a monkey, which is good since monkeys are funny. But you aren’t exactly like one. Tell me if I’m wrong, I’m usually good at guessing games. I play that a lot with my sisters. Less at my parties. People prefer the apple bucket game in general, which isn’t surprising since I use the ones from the Apple Farm which are really sweet. Perfect for apple pies and juices, but I prefer chocolate cakes personally. I tried a recipe for an apple & chocolate pie but I wasn’t really convinced. I should probably ask Mrs. Cake for some advice, but I don’t want to bother her since she’s been busy with the twins. They’re really cute, but also really troublesome, especially when they’re hungry. Maybe I would actually do her a favor by asking her some help while her husband watch over...”
She interrupted when she saw Kenneth standing there, unable to speak. Seeing how in awe he was, she laughed a bit and excused herself, saying she sometimes got carried away.
“What was I saying? Oh yeah. What are you, Kenneth Marshall?”
“I’m a human.”
“What’s a human?”
“That’s… what I am,” declared Kenneth, uncertain of what kind of answer would be good. But before Pinkie could say anything else, the human demanded, “What do you want?”
“We wanted to meet you. You’re getting pretty famous in Ponyville.”
“What do you mean? Wait, we?”
Pinkie’s eyes widened as she remembered something essential.
“Oh, right! Come on, girls! He’s a nice monster.”
Octavia and Vinyl approached, hesitant. Kenneth, on the other hand, seemed intrigued. One seemed to come out of a manga drawn while listening to some J-Pop band, with its electric-blue mane and sunglasses, while the other looked kind of societal elite with its pink bow-tie with a white collar. Seeing that all of them were uncomfortable, Pinkie broke the ice.
“Come on, don’t be shy. You came to see him, right?”
Octavia cleared her throat before presenting herself and her friend.
“I’m Octavia Melody, and this is my friend Vinyl Scratch, also known as DJ Pon-3.”
“She doesn’t talk so much,” whispered Pinkie to Kenneth.
“We are musicians from Ponyville.”
“Really? What do you play?” asked Kenneth, surprised.
“I’m into classical music,” Octavia informed, sticking out her chest. “I play cello, violin, piano… I’m quite versatile. And Vinyl does electronic music. You know, like dubstep... with turntables. You know what it is, right?”
“I know what turntables are,” said Kenneth with a huff.
Octavia’s ears and head lowered.
“Sorry… We have never seen anything like you before. I am not sure of what you know and what you don’t.”
Kenneth sighed with frustration, and a bit of pain. He really wasn’t in the mood for long explanations.
“Just talk to me like you would with anyone else.”
The ponies were a bit surprised by the use of ‘anyone’ instead of ‘anypony’, but didn’t focus on it. Octavia and Vinyl Scratch were smiling again, relieved.
“Alright, Kenneth Marshall.”
“Just… Kenneth.”
“Ooooh, seems we’re already getting along,” declared Pinkie with enthusiasm, hugging the human with strength.
Kenneth’s face tensed again and a grunt escaped from his throat. Seeing this, Vinyl drew her grey friend’s attention with a little hit before pointing at the human with a concerned face. Octavia informed Pinkie Pie that she shouldn’t do that.
“It seems to hurt him,” she added “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“I said I’m fine,” declared Kenneth, before gritting his teeth.
“Still bad at acting,” said Pinkie Pie, still smiling but with a more serious tone. “You are definitely in pain. Must be because of your fight with the big clay monster.”
Kenneth wasn’t surprised that they knew about it. He was about to ask what was the thing but the greyish pony’s curiosity was faster.
“A fight? Clay monster? What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know? I guess it’s normal since it was only yesterday. You see, Kenneth rescued Spike and Rarity from a big creature at the Apple Farm, like a knight from a legend.”
The two musician ponies seemed shocked, and Kenneth seemed almost uninterested, like it didn’t even concern him.
“That’s one way of seeing it I guess,” he said, raising his eyes to the sky.
“How would you describe it?” asked Pinkie.
“I’m an idiot who roughed up a big pile of mud, and it did the same to me.”
The pink pony seemed to think for a second before declaring, “I prefer my version. And it was clay, not mud.” Pinkie laughed a bit before adding, “Rarity probably would have been even more traumatised if it was mud, actually.”
“That’s the white unicorn’s name?”
“Yes it is. And Spike is the dragon. So, let’s bring you to Ponyville!”
“Hey! I didn’t say I would come to your rainbow-colored little village,” announced human being.
Pinkie responded to that grumpy sentence in her still joyful voice.
“You silly filly, you’ll get sick if you stay in the woods like this.”
Kenneth wanted to argue, but the pain in his ribs interrupted him with a new flash of agony. He didn’t want to go to the village but his broken body didn’t agree. Even his pride had limits. The pain hadn’t diminished at all since yesterday. His expectations of recovery by resting seemed definitely false now. Kenneth’s mind tried to avoid this journey to the pony town by doubting the capacity of the ponies to help him, but the grey pony had mentioned an hospital. Like it or not, he could definitely use one now.
“You promise no one will try to capture me to imprison me in a secret underground lab to study me like some guinea pig?”
“Well, I have a friend who will definitely want to study you, but you saved our friends so I’m sure everypony will be happy to meet you.”
Kenneth wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. Being peaceful and safe in his little cave was perfect for him, but his ribs needed to be treated. Tired and angry, he raised the white flag.
“Alright alright…” he said while getting up. “Just let me take my guitar. Something touched it during my absence last time, I’d prefer to have it with me now.”
Pinkie jumped in the air, showing how happy she was without any restriction. After the human took and dried a bit of his plaid shirt, the three ponies followed him, Octavia asking a few questions about his song and Vinyl smiling and listening carefully.
Later that day, in Ponyville, the princesses Celestia and Luna were finishing giving orders to their soldiers, with the elements of harmony nearby.
“That’s a lot of soldiers,” whispered Fluttershy. “Not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just impressive.”
“I’m glad they’re here,” declared Applejack. “We can definitely count on the princesses.”
“That monster doesn’t have a chance!” said Rainbow Dash enthusiastically.
“I wonder if such a display of force is necessary,” questioned Rarity.
“Me, I’m more worried about Pinkie’s absence,” expressed Twilight. “Where could she…?”
“Hey everypony!”
“Finally! Pinkie, where were…”
She trailed off when she saw her friend with not just Octavia and Vinyl Scratch but the famous monster of the Everfree forest. Everypony in the street—soldier, princess, or element of harmony—stayed frozen with big eyes and open mouths.
“That’s a lot of ponies,” observed Kenneth. ”Is there a party or something?”
“Not one that I organised,” explained Pinkie.
“GUARDS!” commanded Princess Luna.
In a second, Kenneth, Pinkie and the two musicians ponies were surrounded by spears.
Despite the late hour, Spike remained bundled up in his blankets. Twilight had consoled him to the best of her ability, but the feeling of helplessness that had racked him throughout the evening refused to dissipate. He hadn't gone to sleep until very late. He came out of his sleep when his ears were struck by an appalling din which made him jump from his little basket. Confused, he dragged his feet toward the approximate direction of the noise, eager to identify its source. His feet led him outside the tree house, where the discovery of a legion of royal guards was like a slap that finished waking him up. It looked like the entire army of Celestia had invaded Ponyville. Spike noticed that they were all looking in the same direction, spears pointing at something. Each of them had the determined gaze of a soldier ready to act the second they were given an order.
The little dragon, guided by his curiosity, made his way between the soldiers to find out what put them in such a state. The first thing he discovered was his startled-looking friend Twilight. Then he spotted the other elements of harmony and the two Princesses of Equestria with the same looks. Finally, he turned his gaze in the same direction as them and eventually imitated them. Surrounded by sharp spears, Pinkie Pie, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch were accompanied by the huge, bipedal, furless creature which helped him yesterday.
The silence was total now. The three ponies and the Everfree Forest thing were frozen with anxiety, the blades of steel practically caressing their skin. No one seemed to dare to move, as if the slightest sneeze would cause a massacre. Kenneth, hand tightly gripping the handle of his guitar casing, slowly turned his gaze to the one who had put him in this situation.
“Pinkie…” he whispered angrily. “Do something.”
And she did.
“Hi everypony! This is the terrible monster you are so afraid of.”
“Not helping!”
Realizing that the situation was not going to be easily resolved, Vinyl pushed Octavia with her muzzle to encourage her to act. At first reluctant, she understood that she really had no other choice if she wanted to have a chance to calm things down. Octavia brought the attention on her, clearly intimidated by the two princesses to which she bowed at.
“Your majesties. I understand your concern and why you are… pointing blades at us, but I assure you, this being is reasonable and has no ill intentions.”
The princesses looked again at the strange creature in a red and black plaid shirt, like studying an animal who could jump on them at any moment. The silence seemed even heavier than before. Octavia trembled at the thought of having made things worse. Finally, the white alicorn asked the guards to lower their spears.
“Thanks Shub-niggurath…” sighed Kenneth.
The Princess of the Sun walked towards him and asked, solenly.
“Who are you, unknown creature?“
“The name is Kenneth Marshall, and I’m a human being.”
All the ponies present looked at each other, each silently asking his neighbor if that meant anything to them. No positive response arose. Without waiting, Celestia asked him blankly what connection he had with the other creature.
“Which one? The pile of shit from yesterday?”
The whole assembly seemed shocked by his words.
“Please watch your language,” asked the white alicorn, keeping her noble stature.
“Or what?”
She stammered a little, unsure of her answer.
“I could... arrest you.”
“Arrest me for a dirty word? What kind of dictatorship are you running?”
The guards looked at her with a mix of surprise and curiosity that froze the white alicorn with uncertainty. Luna saw that her sister was in bad shape and, not supporting this, called Kenneth in a voice full of noble anger.
“Beware, human creature! You are talking to the rulers of all Equestria. She is the Princess of the Day, Celestia, and I am Luna, Princess of the Night.“
Dozens of questions popped in the musician’s mind, but the dark princess didn’t give him time to ask one. In a voice as powerful as if it had come out of a loudspeaker, which caused a draft so strong that it almost fell to the ground, she declared.
“THEREFORE WE DEMAND YOUR RESPECT!”
Kenneth's eyes widened with bewilderment, unlike the audience around him. Some ponies, including Rainbow Dash and Applejack, even seemed to be delighted with what they had just seen. Kenneth saw the haughty look the princess had towards him. He relaxed before putting his checkered shirt back on. The unicorn of the night raised an eyebrow. Kenneth cleared his throat, inhaled gently, deeply.
It was the dark princess’ time to seem astonished, the mane frozen, as if her perpetual wind had stopped working. She looked back at the annoyed human, who simply declared.
“You scream at me, I scream at you. Period.”
Everypony was shocked, their mouths agape with fear and astonishment. After a disturbing silence, Twilight screamed too.
“How dare you yell in the face of a princess?!”
“What? You expected me to be yelled at without reacting? Well, surprise motherfucker.”
The ponies reacted again with disgust and repugnance. Rarity even fainted. Seeing this, Kenneth turned to Pinkie.
Celestia approached Kenneth, looking more determined and intimidating than ever.
“Listen, Kenneth Marshall. If you want to be welcomed here, you’ll have to be polite and show more respect to us. Am I clear?”
“I’m out.”
“Thank you. We appreciwait what?”
Under Celestia’s shocked gaze, Kenneth walked away. Octavia asked him where he was going.
“I’m getting back to my cave, don’t you see?”
Pinkie called him with insistence.
“Wait! You can’t go. We didn’t celebrate your arrival.”
“Stop this, Pinkie.” Exclaimed Rainbow Dash, exasperated. "This thing doesn't want to be friends or play or eat cupcakes with you. Let him go. The further it is, the better. ”
“He’s just shy and he hasn’t seen…”
“Pinkie Pie, listen to your friend,” Luna interrupted. “We’ll deal with that human thing ourselves in time.”
“Hum, excuse me…”
Everypony turned toward the human, shocked by his use of the first polite sentence since his arrival. He was rubbing his neck, his face torn by some kind of hesitation, like facing a difficult moral dilemma. He ended up pronouncing, with a lot of hesitation.
“Did you say… cupcakes?”
There was a moment of surprised silence. Then pinkie Pie’s eyes twinkled like christmas decorations.
In less than an half-hour, all the elements of harmony, the two princesses, Octavia and Vinyl, and even Spike ended up around a table filled with nice plates, a bunch of pastries, and tea. The guards were surrounding it and keeping the rest of Ponyville’s population at a good distance. Despite what happened before, or maybe because of it, everypony was looking at this strange reunion with visible curiosity. Especially a green pony, with a lyra as her cutie mark, who was doing everything she could to look over those between her and the reunion. They all wanted to see the famous human, sitting at the end of the table, and if he would do something scandalous again.
Octavia and Vinyl seemed the least comfortable of the group. They were clearly not used to being in such royal company. And at the complete opposite was Kenneth, who had his feet on the table, not caring at all about the angry eyes of Rarity. Even with the colorful table, the ambiance was tense, like a western showdown. Nopony knew who would start the hostilities. In the end, it was the only smiling pony of the group who talked first.
“So, what will be your choice?” asked Pinkie to Kenneth, full of enthusiasm.
“Do you have Chocolate and Hazelnuts?”
“Sure we do! Just a moment.”
Pinkie got away, leaving the group with its horrible silence. The two princesses were looking at Kenneth with wariness while the others observed the scene. Celestia ended up talking to the relaxed human.
“So, Kenneth Marshall…”
“Just Kenneth is fine.”
“Alright, Kenneth, as we were saying before, what connection do you have with the creature which attacked the Apple farm yesterday?”
“None at all. I wasn’t even on this planet a month ago.”
Everypony seemed surprised.
“What do you mean?” asked Twilight.
“Long story short, I was on my planet, shook the wrong hand, and ended up on yours.”
“You’ll have to give us more detail if you want us to understand,” explained Fluttershy. “I mean, if it doesn’t bother you.”
Kenneth sighed, showing resignation, while Pinkie appeared with his cupcake. He started his explanation.
“First thing first. Where I’m from, colorful talking horses like you don’t exist, or just in fairy tales, cartoons for little girls, or a german Power Metal official video.”
“We are ponies!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Yeah, sure. As I said, animals like you don’t speak on my world. We are the only sentient beings. One day I met a strange guy who wanted to make a deal with me. He said it was to be part of his studio or something like that, but when I shook his hand, there was this weird light and sound show and I woke up in this freaking forest.”
“Wait,” interrupted Applejack, “are you trying to tell us you’re some kind of extra-equestrian? Are you kidding us?”
Kenneth seemed flustered, and answered her by pointing his cupcake at her face.
“Hey! You asked me to tell my story.” He ate a bite of his pastry and concluded, the mouth full, “cho don’ complai’ ab-BY AZATHOTH! This is the best cupcake ever!”
“Yippee! Cupcake : One, Grumpy Human : Zero!” Exclaimed Pinkie, bouncing like on springs.
Kenneth ended up his story under the surprised, shocked, or amazed gazes of the ponies present.
“What happened to this Janning person?”
“No idea, but you can be sure if I find him I’ll make him regret ever trying to fuck with me.”
“By Celestia!” screamed Rarity, smashing the table. “Watch your language!”
Kenneth replied with perfect serenity.
“Or you can leave the table.”
Rarity looked offended while Twilight started talking.
“Anyway, you don’t know anything about the clay monster you fought. Right?”
“If you don’t. There’s no chance I do.”
Twilight scrunched her face, apparently disappointed to hear that.
“We appreciate your help. I mean, I don’t intend to talk for everypony, but it’s nice that you helped Spike and Rarity.”
The ponies were a bit embarrassed, because it was true. Kenneth noticed the purple kid, a bit intimidated by all this situation, then asked him.
“You’re the dragon from yesterday, right?”
Spike confirmed with a shivering voice, uncertain of what the human wanted with him.
“Are you okay?” asked Kenneth.
The ponies were all a bit surprised by this mark of consideration. Spike looked at Twilight for a sign indicating what to do, but she was too surprised to react. The dragon simply answered.
“Yeah… I guess. My neck still hurts a bit though.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll pass. Trust me.”
Spike was shocked when he realized that this sentence implied some passed experience..
“Somepony tried to strangle you before?”
“More than one, actually.”
“Not surprising at all,” whispered Rarity.
Rainbow Dash interrupted them to ask, “Anyway, when will you return to your planet or wherever you come from? You’re kind of a troublemaker here.”
“Dashie! That’s not a nice thing to say,” declared Pinkie. “He’ll start thinking he’s not welcome here.”
“Forget about it, Pinkie,” answered Kenneth. “I’ve been called worse. And it’s not like they have a choice. I don’t know how to return there.”
All the ponies around the table had a look of surprise, not certain of how to react to this revelation. The only who dared ask something was Applejack.
“Wait, you mean you ain’t got a way to get home?”
“In short, yeap.”
Everypony was stunned. Kenneth simply ate another piece of cupcake.
“You seem pretty… calm about that,” noted Luna. ”Aren’t you scared? Or sad? Or even angry?”
Kenneth shrugged.
“I lived in New York. Nothing to feel homesick about.”
“Well, I’m sure Princess Celestia can find a way to help you. Couldn’t she?” the purple pony suggested with optimism.
The white alicorn looked surprised by this affirmation and reacted a bit baffled.
“Twilight, I appreciate your trust in my abilities but this… I didn’t even know that other worlds existed a minute ago. I wouldn't even know where to start.”
The ponies looked with curiosity at Kenneth, who didn’t seem to care at all. Contrary to Pinky who looked sad.
“Ooooh… I’m so sorry, Kenneth,” she said while embracing him, which made the human growl.
“Damn it, Pinkie! You know that hurts.”
“Oopsie. I hope I didn’t make things worse. Let me check.”
Kenneth tried to stop her, but she was too fast for him. Her small and pink hooves lifted his white tank-top for a few seconds, just enough to show a bunch of bruises, attesting the pain he was feeling. Their revelation made one particular fashionista widen her eyes.
Kenneth simply put his tank-top back to normal and explained, quite angrily, that humans don’t undress like this in public. Pinkie seemed surprised, but understood she had done something inappropriate and begged pardon without waiting, which seemed to calm the young man. All this reminded Octavia of what they had promised to Kenneth to make him come with them.
“We indeed promised you a visit to the hospital to check your injuries.”
“You did that?” said Rainbow Dash, kinda surprised.
“He got this wounds by saving Spike and Rarity,” reminded Pinkie. “That’s the least we can do, don’t you think?”
The ponies around the table didn’t know how to answer. Only Luna managed to admit she was right. Even if he was rude, risking his life for one of her subjects made him worthy of some treatment.
“Iä Cthulhu! Finally!” declared Kenneth with visible relief. “Let’s deal with this so I can get back to my cave.”
“No way!” declared the element of laughter. “You can’t go back to the cold and clammy forest. You’ll be sick and lonely in no time.”
“I survived almost two weeks without a problem. And what else could I do?”
“I’m sure somepony will gladly give you a room in their house.”
The confirmation was fast delivered.
“Are you kidding?!” asked Rainbow Dash, astonished. “Who do you think will accept somepony like him in his home?”
“Hey!” reacted Kenneth. “That’s almost racist!”
“I’m sorry, Pinkie,” continued Princess Celestia, “but your friend has a point. Even if he wanted to stay, I’m not sure that the other ponies would be comfortable with him around.”
“But he’s not a bad human,” insisted Pinkie. “And he play music really well. Come on Kenneth, play something for the audience!”
“I’m not some dog who does tricks.”
“I agree,” confirmed Luna. “A dog would have more class.”
Kenneth and the entire assembly were shocked by this sentence from the Princess of the Night, including Celestia herself. The human noted the satisfied and noble smile of the dark alicorn, which annoyed him a lot.
“What my sister means,” intervened Celestia, “is that if you want to fit in our society, you’ll have to be much more polite and considerate. And maybe apologize to some ponies. Tolerance and peace are the main values of Equestria. Am I clear enough?”
Kenneth stood frozen for a moment, facing the noble and straight face of the royal alicorn, before looking back at Pinkie.
“You know what? You’re right. I’ll play something. And just for the princesses here, I’m gonna play my favorite song.”
Pinkie jumped on the spot like a filly before opening its hearth’s warming eve presents, while Kenneth took his cherry red guitar out of its case under the curious gaze of everypony, especially the two princesses.
The human breathed in, rose his arm high, closed his eyes, his face showing a deep concentration. And then, like a gun bullet, a terrible cacophony started.
The solo of the beginning was so noisy that some ponies had to cover their ears, while others were so scared that they couldn’t do anything else than stay frozen, eyes wide. While the infernal melody was playing, a gust strong as a storm made everypony’s mane fly. The astonishment reached its climax when the singer started the lyrics.
All of a sudden, Kenneth jumped on the table with his guitar and sang even louder, under the scared looks of his public. Even the princesses, usually so dignified, couldn’t hide their fear. Their eyes seemed to go even wider listening to each word spat by the human. Everypony moved away when Kenneth started pounding on the table with his feet, smashing the pastries and crushing the plates.
When he finished his song, Kenneth looked around him and felt quite satisfied. The princesses seemed frightened, like all the other ponies, and ready to scream with anger. Kenneth didn’t care. He put his guitar back in its case and took it, walking away from the table. But right when he was about to pass the frightened guards, he felt something pulling him by the shirt. When he looked behind him, he found Pinkie Pie, looking at him with her usual innocent eyes.
“Where do you think you are going? You still need to go to the hospital.”
Kenneth couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“What’s wrong with you? You saw what I played and how the others are. No one liked it.”
“I do.”
“You do?” asked Kenneth.
“YOU DO?!” asked everypony else.
“Yes. And Octavia and Vinyl too.”
The entire assembly turned its gazes towards the said ponies. Octavia seemed embarrassed while Vinyl simply confirmed Pinkie’s declaration with a nod.
“Well…” announced Octavia. “It’s brutal, sure, but I felt some kind of melody. A kind I’ve never heard ever. It is… interesting.”
Pinkie seemed then to have an epiphany.
“Then Kenneth could stay in their house!”
“What?!” screamed Twilight. “He scared everypony and you still want him to stay here?!”
“But Octavia and Vinyl live out of town, where their music can’t disturb anyone. It would be perfect.
Celestia seemed ready to declare something, but was interrupted by her sister who asked to talk with her in private. They moved away from the assembly and talked for a minute before coming back, Celestia declaring to everypony, “Alright, we agree to let Kenneth Marshall live in Ponyville.”
All the ponies present were about to react with consternation, but the princess of the sun finished her explanation.
“I know it can be surprising. He is indeed strange… and rude… and brutal… However, we prefer to have him here, under the watch of the elements of harmony, than roaming in the forest without supervision. At least here, Twilight Sparkle and her friends can have an eye on him. As long as he stays reasonable from now on and stay in touch with them, we agree to let him live in Ponyville with Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch. Is that okay with you, Kenneth Marshall?”
Kenneth thought for a moment. He couldn’t understand how they could propose this after what he did, but thinking about a potential warm place and meal, and the pain in his ribcage, made him declare as a confirmation.
“Still better than my last place I guess.”
“Fine,” finished Luna. “Then Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch will accompany you to the hospital, then their house.”
Said ponies accepted the demand of their princess without hesitation. They were glad to have an opportunity to talk about music with the human, so they guided him away from the group, not looking back.
When the human and the musicians were far away, the elements of harmony looked at the princess, searching for an explanation. However, the white alicorn simply told them to go back to their routine. None of them seemed willing to do it. How could they after such events? But they obeyed. The only one they asked to stay to talk to was Twilight. The purple unicorn asked Spike to go with Rarity for now. He obeyed too. When they were alone, the guards staying at a good distance by command of Luna, Celestia asked her student about the famous Canticle of Truth.
“It is almost repaired,” she answered. “It should be finished by tomorrow I think.”
“Make sure to tell us what you discover as soon as possible,” demanded Luna.
Twilight nodded, but she seemed uncertain about something.
“Princesses,” she asked, “do you think he is, as we thought, linked to the creatures described in the Canticle? He is from another world, after all.”
The princesses looked at each other before turning to Twilight.
“That’s another reason we let him stay in Ponyville. If we or you discover anything suspicious about him, we’ll know where he is exactly and be ready to intervene. Do you understand?”
Twilight confirmed. After that, the princesses and their armies got away from Ponyville, leaving a very troubled unicorn with a lot of questions. This situation had become a lot more complicated than she imagined.
Octavia’s house was a huge one compared to most of those in Ponyville. While Vinyl was moving some furniture to make space, Octavia finished presenting it to its new resident.
“I know the fact that the decoration is different depending on whose side of the room you’re on is a bit surprising, but I hope you’ll be fine here.”
“I don’t mind,” answered Kenneth.
“Good. Do you have any questions?”
“Just one.”
“Go on.”
“Have you considered whipping off this spider web?”
Octavia looked at the ceiling and indeed found one. Kenneth was so tall that he couldn’t miss it. He could almost touch the ceiling with his head. She knew it would be a problem the moment he passed the door, as he was forced to lower his head, but she couldn’t do anything about that, and Kenneth said he would eventually get used to it. Before she could apologize about the spiderweb, someone knocked at the door. Octavia opened it and found Rarity and Spike. After the usual greetings, Octavia asked why they were here.
“I would like to talk to Kenneth please.”
“”Hum… Sure,” answered the musician pony, surprised by that after what happened sooner.
Kenneth seemed as surprised as her. He passed cautiously through the door and closed it behind him.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
Rarity stood speechless, like she was searching for what to say exactly. Finally, she asked plainly.
“Did the doctors take care of your injuries?”
“It was strange for all of us, but they did. They said I would be alright in a few days if I stay quiet. And if Pinkie stops poking me.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” continued Rarity, not really sincere.
After another moment of awkward silence, the white unicorn ended up saying, with a bit of anger in her voice, “Listen, I think you are rude and violent, a real beast…”
“Thanks you.”
“It’s not…” The unicorn sighed with frustration and continued as calmly as possible. “What I meant to say is that, despite that, you saved me and Spike from that creature. You got hurt to help us and I thank you for it.”
Kenneth was really surprised by this turn of event.
“You are… welcome,” he answered, uncertain of how to consider this. “And I’m glad that you’re both okay.”
Rarity expressed her appreciation about his concern, but didn’t wait before turning and walking away, telling Spike to follow her. However, to her surprise, she didn’t hear Spike’s footsteps behind her. She turned her head to look at him and discovered that he was still in front of the human, looking up at him.
“How did you not get scared?” he asked, surprising both Rarity and Kenneth. “When you faced this monster, how did you manage to stay brave? Me… I was terrorized. I felt so weak...”
Rarity felt sad hearing the young dragon with such a trembling voice, face looking down under the weight of some innocent shame.
“It’s natural for you to be weak. You’re a kid,” declared Kenneth, making Spike and Rarity look at him with surprise. “But there’s nothing wrong with that. You won’t stay like this forever. Put some effort in and you’ll get stronger. Enough to face a pile of mud like that thing yesterday.”
Rarity seemed surprised by the human’s speech and Spike’s eyes went wide.
“You think I can?” asked the little dragon.
“Of course. You’re a fucking dragon.”
Rarity growled like a lioness before commanding the child to come with her out of patience. Spike obeyed automatically, but while they were moving away, the little dragon couldn’t resist glancing behind him, looking one last time at the huge human being, his mind thinking over and over about what he had said to him.
The dream world, in all its infinity, was a galaxy of laughter and joy. Wherever her guardians looked, she saw nothing but happiness. Except in one very special case. Luna remained with her eyes closed, facing the sphere of darkness which intrigued her to the highest point, plunged into a state of concentration to which she alone had the secret. The princess of the night was touching the dark mass with the tip of her horn, her mind as empty as possible. For several hours, she had been trying to form a magical link with this intruder in her ethereal kingdom, but each of her attempts to get her thoughts into it had proven ineffective. Whenever she wanted to pierce this bubble to find out what it contained, she felt resistance that she dared not put too much to the test, fearing she would destroy everything.
After careful consideration, she began to wrap the sphere with her energy, making it as calm and receptive as possible. Perhaps there was a way to hear echoes of what was hidden inside. Her magical aura remained as peaceful as a silent lake, but after such a long time she was starting to lose hope. The day was soon to break and she had not perceived anything. She should probably try another method next night, if she found the time.
Then, like a distant echo, a sound came to her mind. A voice so subtle that she was not immediately aware of its presence. When she did, she focused on it, ignoring everything that was covering that voice. She then heard instruments, then the tone of a voice, soft and piercing like the one of a crying child. It was a song, so beautiful and melancholic that Luna thought for a moment that she would shed a tear. The instruments were delicate strings, as if telling the sorrow of an entire kingdom. Then suddenly there was a flash of an image that made her jump.
It was brief but intense, like a blow to the head. After a moment needed to calm her mind, the lunar alicorn concentrated to analyze what she had finally managed to perceive. Her efforts revealed an image as terrifying as a nightmare. There she perceived the obscure forms of titanic skyscrapers, reminiscent of those of Manehattan. But unlike those in the city, they were so colossal and close to one another that Luna felt like she was suffocating in the hands of a giant simply by imagining them.
And it wasn't even the most frightening part. The worst part was that each of those pillars of concrete and glass were burning like braziers, their walls the battlefields between the unfathomable darkness and predatory flames licking each of their walls. In the midst of this landscape of devastation, she recognized a form for which nothing had prepared her. A prostrate creature on two arched legs, with two clenched fists, and with a face disfigured by a beastly rage. It was a face she recognized immediately, despite the shadows dancing on its skin: that of the human Kenneth Marshall.
This revelation brought her more questions than answers. What connection could there be between this strange individual and this mysterious sphere? The first was as logical as it was worrying: Kenneth and that obscure thing had appeared at the same time, if she remembered what Twilight Sparkle had told her. The unicorn was already afraid of knowing this dark globe existing in the midst of the dreams of her subjects. Discovering that she was linked to this violent and unstable person gave her goosebumps. Despite all the horror that this terrifying vision had aroused in her, Luna felt compelled to learn more. She was preparing her magic when her ears began to hurt badly and everything disappeared. The princess leapt in amazement, her eyes almost bulging, short of breath, and her eardrums were continually attacked by a deafening din. When she regained her composure, she let out a long groan of frustration and stopped her alarm clock.
The princess of the night stopped frowning when the scent of hot coffee caressed her nostrils. She savored the drink immediately, almost mechanically. It was in this kind of moment that she wondered what she would do without all the ponies who prepared them, for her sister and she, the delicious breakfasts that awaited them after her too-short nights. The last of them finished placing food before letting them savor in peace. An almost tranquilizing silence reigned in the room. The two sovereigns of Equestria both appreciated this moment of calm at the start of the day, like a parenthesis of illusively endless serenity. Neither liked to be the one who end it, but the duty always ended up coming back to their mind.
"Luna, I will need your help this morning," started the solar princess with a sorry smile.
"What is it, my sister?"
"When I woke up, I found out that Twilight Sparkle sent me a letter last night. She has finished reconstructing this famous Canticle. ”
This announcement surprised Luna more than she imagined. She knew that this moment was near since their last meeting with the young unicorn, five days earlier, but she had the impression that until now she did not understand the imminence of the revelations to come.
"I guess you will be very busy this morning," Luna suggested with a sigh.
"I'm sorry to ask you this early in the morning, but I do have state business to settle and we are the only ones to whom Twilight can speak about this document."
“I understand. I'll go visit her right away.”
Despite her commitment, Celestia avoided her sister's gaze, while tapping her hoof. Then she took a deep breath to add, her voice full of embarrassment.
"I would appreciate it if you could take the opportunity to get news from our... guest."
Uncertain at first, Luna finally widened her eyes.
"Is that really necessary?" she whispered.
“Twilight has already asked him some basic questions about his species, especially their biology and culture, and gave me some accounts of his interrogations. I just want you to see if he integrates well."
"You mean, if he doesn't cause too much trouble."
The alabaster alicorn simply cleared her throat.
“Could you do it for me Luna?”
Her sister then remembered the image that she had managed to get from the black sphere during the night. Her curiosity had been awakened. She was still unsure, so she preferred to wait before talking to her sister about it, but she agreed, not hiding her annoyance, to which Celestia expressed her gratitude. Silence was re-established between the two princesses, while an eavesdropper hid behind an half-open door.
Spike was tired of putting away the same books over and over. Whenever he thought Twilight was done with one of them, she would come out and flip through it before throwing it like an old sock a few minutes later. It looked like she was hoping to find something new even after reading the same words a thousand times, but the little dragon felt compelled to put them back to their place. Not only would the books continue to hang around anywhere, but there was absolutely nothing else to do.
He was tired of this library. He had been locked up there for weeks and had already gone through the amusements he could find there. Work occupied his mind, but it was starting to annoy him. He kept glancing at his friend in the hope that she would give him permission to go out, even to do a chore. Ever since she finished refining this ancient scroll and translating its contents, the young unicorn had been plunged so deep into work that she seemed out of reach. It was almost like he no longer existed. She only remembered him to ask for a document or to be served a sandwich.
Suddenly, a flash of light startled the two occupants of the library and made a large and dark as the night alicorn appeared. They immediately recognized the princess of dreams and warmly welcomed her.
“Princess Luna!” exclaimed Twilight, pleasantly surprised. “It is always a pleasure to receive you. Spike, get us some tea! Sit where you want. Sorry for the mess. I’m continuing my research, as you can imagine. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”
The sovereign with the star-laden mane smiled at her host and explained in a tone that was both imperious and kind.
“Twilight Sparkle, I have come to listen to what you have discovered recently. My sister, who apologizes for her absence, told me that your reconstruction spell had finished its work."
“Indeed,” confirmed the purple unicorn by levitating a box by magic from his office. “The document was not entirely recoverable obviously, after all these years, but I managed to—thank you, Spike—to re-form a good part of text."
The princess seemed to be at the crossroads of excitement and fear at hearing this.
"Impressive. And what did you get out of it?”
"Well, for starters, this is not the entire Canticle of Truth."
"It isn’t?"
“No, the spell revealed the full title at the top of the scroll. This is the tenth song of a larger ensemble. I don't know how many there are, but this one talks about the famous monster that faced Equis: Blazing Sky."
Listening to the name, Luna tensed suddenly.
“The famous creature that killed our creator.”
"That's it. This song, from what I deduced, talks about when he launched his army of creatures with two arms and two legs to attack a gigantic wall, a stone ring described as high as a mountain. Inside, there were all the peoples of the world if I understand correctly. Ponies, unicorns, pegasus, but also griffins, dragons, minotaurs and even yaks and diamond dogs. Blazing Sky tried to destroy this wall, and while the magic that protected it was powerful, but the monsters of his army were so fierce and intelligent that they managed to collapse it. The passage which explains how is lost. What is certain is that Blazing Sky and its army managed to demolish it and entered a place that the song calls ‘Dream Garden’."
Twilight paused, noticing how Luna was hanging from her lips, her eyes bright. Her captivated gaze did not escape the young unicorn who did not know how to react to the princess acting like a giant filly. When the unicorn understood the image she was giving, she straightened up with embarrassment.
“Excuse me Twilight Sparkle, but when I and Celestia were young, our parents often told us the myth of Equis. They told us how much she loved each of her children and had fought to protect them from the monstrous Blazing Sky, to the point of making the ultimate sacrifice. She was a role model for me and my sister. This new version therefore particularly arouses my curiosity. What else have you learned? What is this Dream Garden?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know. The song ends with the collapse of the wall, the entry of Blazing Sky and its monsters, and the flight of all people. There isn’t much more about this place. Which is quite logical if the authors have already spoken about it in the previous songs. However, I managed to piece together an intriguing note at the bottom of the parchment.”
“What kind of note?”
Twilight lowered her ears, looking a little embarrassed, but was still accompanied by an amused smile.
"You’re not going to believe me, but I think this scroll was a student's copy."
“What makes you say that? ”
“The message said simply: ‘Perfect memorization of the story. Flickering writing in the last lines. Writing time a bit too long. Continue your efforts and you will undoubtedly be able to join the master at the ivory tower.' I think this parchment was hidden because it was the only one on hand before those occupying the secret room where I found it disappeared in a hurry.”
“This is amusing, I admit. And what is this ivory tower mentioned?”
"I have no idea. I was doing research on this, but I didn’t find any monument having this precise name, so it’s probably a code name. In which case I will have, I admit, a lot of trouble finding it.”
Luna nodded with understanding, but looked a little absent. She knew that after the wonder of the first revelations, she would have to ask the inconvenient question. She took a deep breath and stared at the young unicorn with determination.
"And what did you learn about these two-armed and two-legged monsters?"
Twilight’s smile disappeared, like a flame blown out by an icy wind. She knew that this topic, and another intimately related one, was inevitable.
“I must admit that I am not more advanced on this point. The text is filled with more poetic licenses than anatomical descriptions. Here too, the details must already have been told in the previous songs. I don't know if the Blazing Sky army is made up of clay creatures or..."
Twilight didn't dare finish the sentence. The worried glance of the dark unicorn indicated that she didn’t need to. She looked out the window, as if the object of her thoughts was outside.
"Has he been a problem so far?" asked the princess of the night without looking away.
"Not really..." Twilight hesitated. "I mean, he’s hardly left Octavia and Vinyl Scratch's house since he moved there. He only did it to come and answer my questions or wander around. People run away from him as soon as they see him, but he hasn't caused a stir so far, even if I have to admit, between us, that it is undoubtedly precisely because nopony approaches it.” The purple unicorn was revealing a burnout that she had kept hidden for a while. "When he's here for questioning, you can’t imagine how hard it is to get serious answers from him. He didn't like being there and made that clear to me.”
"Was he violent?" worried Luna.
"Not really. Most of the time he just sighed or rolled his eyes. But sometimes he wouldn't hesitate to tell me how stupid my questions were or give me wrong answers just to mislead me and piss me off. In the end, he got up saying he was fed up. I told him we weren't done and he just told me he didn't care. I almost feel lucky that he gave a ‘see you’.”
The princess of dreams didn’t seem surprised, but she was clearly annoyed. Twilight had been very kind to her. She had helped her a lot after her return to Equestria. Hearing that this cheeky "human" had been rude to her friend gave her a cold look filled with annoyance.
"I'd like to talk to him, Twilight Sparkle," she declared.
This request startled Celestia's disciple, as well as the little dragon who had been discreet since the beginning of the conversation.
“Are… Are you sure about this, Princess?” she stammered. “Can I ask why? I mean… You know how he is. This discussion won’t go smoothly.”
“I know. But I would like to ask him some questions.”
“What kind?”
“You’ll see. Please, Twilight.”
The young unicorn's reluctance was obvious, but she finally gave in, declaring that it was undoubtedly an opportunity to resume her interrogation where they left her.
"Can you go get him Spike?" she asked.
"Sure thing Twilight!"
The little dragon leaped without waiting from the pile of books on which he was sitting and rushed towards the door without saying a word.
The little dragon was particularly pleased to see how sunny the day was. He felt like he hadn't enjoyed it for a long time, even though he knew it had only been five days. Spike radiated with joy as he made his way to his destination. He didn't talk to Twilight about it, especially after the disastrous interrogation last time, but he really wanted to talk to Kenneth. He wasn’t sure why, that said. The human was clearly not pleasant with others and he was very noisy. He had even stood up to the two princesses in a way that would likely have sent any other pony to the dungeon. But maybe that was why he was intrigued. He had never seen anyone speak so cheekily. It almost looked like courage to him.
When he finally arrived at the house of Octavia and Vinyl Scratch, he drummed the door cheerfully, but no one came to open it. He did it again with more strength.
“Hey!” he yelled. “Is somepony there?”
"If so, will you stop yelling?" asked a raspy voice above him.
Spike found the person he was looking for leaning out of the first floor window. The human, however, didn’t have his plaid shirt, and his hair was messy. Spike could recognize the head of a person just out of bed when he saw one.
“Were you still asleep? It's almost eleven o’clock.”
“So soon? Shit… What do you want? Miss Classy and Manga Girl are in town I think. ”
"You mean Octavia and Vinyl? Actually, it’s you I came to see."
“Really?” asked Kenneth, raising an eyebrow.
“Twilight would like to-”
“I return to bed.”
“NO, WAIT! They asked me to bring you to the library. ”
“Well you can tell them that you failed. And what do you mean by ‘They’?”
“Princess Luna is here. ”
“Moonbutt? What does she want?”
“She would like to ask you some questions. She’s actually the one who asked for your presence.”
“After the Araya Scream I did at her? Are you kidding me?”
"No, I'm serious." Spike looked like a begging little puppy. “Please, could you just come with me?”
Kenneth didn’t care about his desperate look. The human, however, seemed to consider what Spike had just told him with curiosity.
"One minute," he finally announced, much to the relief of the little dragon.
The musician ended up leaving the house with his shirt on his back before trudging towards the famous library, the child right behind him. Their march was fairly calm. Kenneth clearly didn't want to speak. Spike, on the other hand, seemed to be looking for his words, playing with his fingers in embarrassment. He had so far wanted to talk to him, and now that he could, he didn't know what to say. He wondered how the human was able to say what went through his head so easily. He then uttered the first idea that came to his mind.
"You know it won't be a good idea to call the princess what you did when you'll be with her, right?"
“You mean ‘Moonbutt’? That’ll depend on her.”
“Yeah, but that’s not really respectful. She’s a princess after all.”
“Listen, kid…” Kenneth stopped right on the track and addressed the dragon with authority. “For me, respect is earned. So until she gives me a reason to do it, I'll talk to her any way I want.”
Spike looked uncertain when hearing that.
“What do you have in mind?” asked Kenneth, intrigued.
The dragon hesitated, playing with his fingers again.
"Come on!" encouraged the human. "Be a bit brave, kiddo."
Spike's eyes widened as he listened to his words. He seemed to digest their meaning for a few seconds before resuming speaking.
“Well… I think… she deserves respect.”
“Why?”
“She… had a lot of issues in her life and… she’s still very nice and protects everypony from nightmares.”
“What do you mean?” The voice of Kenneth revealed some genuine curiosity this time.
“When we say she’s the princess of dreams, it’s not just a title. She really visits the dreams of the ponies and uses her magic to face their nightmares. And, you see, she doesn’t like to talk about this, but she was a really bad pony before…"
Spike took then a moment to tell Kenneth the story of Nightmare Moon, and how Twilight and the others stopped her. He also told him about the Nightmare Night and how ponies were still scared of her sometimes. After finishing this tales, Spike was intrigued by the look on Kenneth’s face, while he was passing his hand over his goatee. He seemed torn by curiosity and processing everything he just heard. Before Spike could ask him what he had in mind, the musician walked again towards the treehouse.
The tea was starting to cool down. Twilight was tapping with her hoof while her guest kept a perfectly serene and dignified gait. They never thought Kenneth could annoy them even when he wasn’t here. Then suddenly the door swung open, making Twilight almost lose her cup.
“Hey Nerd! Hey Moonbutt!” screamed the human while entering.
Both the princess and the scholar sighed, wondering why they were even impatient to see him for a second. Without waiting, the metalhead collapsed on the couch in front of them, followed closely by Spike, who did the same.
"The little lizard told me you wanted to talk to me."
“Hey! I'm a dragon!"
"I'm just kidding, kiddo," sighed Kenneth. “Don’t get offended so easily. That’s annoying.”
The young dragon simply stood silent, like pondering this advice, while Kenneth looked at the dark alicorn without notable expression. She contented herself with looking back at him while Twilight magically stole a parchment.
"Alright, let’s begin," she declared. “The last time we stopped...”
"Before we start," interrupted Kenneth, "I want you to know that I have questions myself. I answer yours if you answer mine. Okay?”
Luna and Twilight exchanged a look between surprise and distrust, as if this request was too polite to be honest coming from him.
“I guess that’s… fair,” accepted luna. “I suppose you want to start.”
“Thanks Moonbutt.”
"It’s Princess Luna for you."
“Nope. I’d like to know more about this story of the princess of the sun and the night.”
Luna growled with frustration before answering.
“It is simple. My sister and I have the same responsibilities and power as rulers of Equestria. We only differ in some details. Celestia is officially the one in charge of the kingdom’s affairs during the day and I am during the night. We mark this by the fact that Celestia makes the sun rise and set while I do the same with the moon.”
“Wait… So you can literally move astronomical bodies with your magic?”
“That’s indeed the case.”
Kenneth seemed surprised, which provoked the same reaction from the princess and Twilight, even more when the human declared, “That’s… actually cool.”
Twilight took the opportunity to ask her own question.
"So I guess as you said, there’s no magic in your world, that your moon and sun don’t work like ours."
“Correct, but I’m no astrophysicist so don’t ask me the details. I just know that the sun is at the center of our system, earth turns around it and the moon around the earth non-stop... Which I guess is already better than half of the american population.”
Kenneth wore an amused and proud smile while Twilight wrote what he told them. The musician wasted no time in asking his next question, again aimed at the star-haired alicorn.
“So you can move the stars too?”
The princess first seemed embarrassed. She tried to keep a dignified look, stuttering a little bit, before admitting.
"I... do not. The stars, as the sun and moon, were there long before my sister and I were born. Other people made them rise up in the past. We simply inherited their roles thanks to our sufficient power to manipulate them. The stars, on the other hand, are too far away for us to reach them. We have already tried to manipulate them, but without success. We did not insist after that. As our cutie marks show, it was our destiny to rule over those two astral bodies only.”
“Yeah, Nerd explained this butt tattoo stuff to me. Pretty weird.”
“Our CUTIE MARKS,” insisted Twilight, “are much more than simple tattoos. What about yours? Why do you have it?”
Kenneth rolled up the sleeve of his red and black shirt to reveal the monstrous, sprawling octopus head on his arm.
“I chose to bear it. It’s the fictional entity that best fits my beliefs. It helps me never forget them.”
“Can you give us more details?” asked the unicorn scholar.
For once, Kenneth didn't seem to mind answering the question.
“Its name is Cthulhu. He’s a great old one. He sleeps at the bottom of the ocean and will wake up when the stars are in place. When it happens, all of humanity will go mad and perish. He will regain possession of earth and it will be as if my species never existed."
All the others had their eyes wide with dread.
“How can you like something so horrible?!” asked the purple unicorn, full of terror and concern. ”Even if it is pure fiction, how can you consider this as a good source of convictions? Which convictions, by the way?”
Kenneth didn’t flinch hearing that. He simply looked Twilight in the eyes and declared, with a voice calm like a winter breeze, “I’ve seen enough douchebags and despicable things to understand how pretentious humans are. This creature reminds me how futile humanity’s arrogance is. How all its conflicts, ambitions, and desires are ridiculous for, in the end, we are all fragile and small ants that will be crushed by the greatness and complexity of the universe. We are not destined to rule over it or even understand it. No matter what we think, we are nothing compared to the great old ones. And if we all started to accept this, life would be much easier.”
“How could life be possibly easier with such a nihilistic and pessimistic vision of life?”
Kenneth was still looking at her in the eyes, like an ancient statue. It began to intimidate her.
"I think it’s my turn to ask something," he simply said.
Twilight remained frozen, unable to say anything else. She didn't understand how the musician could say such things so calmly and move on to something else so quickly. An immense frustration rose in her as the human turned towards Luna.
“Spike told me that you were some kind of evil pony before.”
Twilight and Spike froze on the spot. Each of their muscles tensed when they heard the human talking about such a sensitive subject. If this troubled the princess, nothing in her posture showed it. The disciple of Celestia nevertheless seemed to perceive a cloud of sadness in her gaze. Luna turned to the window to hide it as much as possible.
"That’s right," she answered with dignity. “I was Nightmare Moon, the fairy tale monster who frightened everypony for a whole millenia. I was trapped on the moon all this time, but I indeed fought my sister and tried to rule over Equestria. Without Twilight and the elements of harmony, I probably would have succeeded.”
The princess turned towards Kenneth.
“It’s my turn to ask something.”
Kenneth didn’t react. He simply waited. Luna seemed to think for a moment.
“Do you accomodate to your new home?”
The question surprised both Kenneth and Twilight. None of them understood why it would interest her, so they concluded it was pure politeness.
“I guess. I need to sleep on the floor since no bed in Miss Classy and Manga Girl’s house is big enough for me, but it’s okay. They found a bunch of blankets I can use as a mattress.”
“Any problem sleeping? Any nightmares maybe?”
“Hum… no. Not that I remember. Why do you ask?”
“I’m the princess of dreams. I’m naturally curious about my subjects’ quality of sleep.”
“I am not one of your subjects.”
Luna noticed the coldness in Kenneth's voice when he recalled this detail, but she didn’t allow herself to be distracted.
“Anyway, what can you tell me about your dreams?”
“Nothing.”
Twilight and Luna stood silent for a moment, expecting something more, but Kenneth didn’t add anything.
“What do you mean ‘nothing’?” asked Twilight.
"Simply that I don’t remember them."
“You don’t remember anything?” insisted Luna, a bit suspicious.
“Of course not. Why?”
The alicorn and the scholar exchanged a confused look before the princess asked, “Is it normal for humans to not remember their dreams?”
Kenneth was again a bit surprised, but he told them once again that, for human beings, forgetting their dreams was pretty common. Luna seemed more intrigued than ever. She was about to ask something else but Kenneth was faster.
“My turn. I want to know why.”
“Why what?” asked Luna.
“Why did you become this Nightmare Moon?”
Once again, Twilight and Spike were uncomfortable. Luna had more difficulty keeping her noble composure. She turned her gaze to the window and told the truth.
“I ruled over Equestria with my sister for a long time. I became envious of her for everypony was happy during her days while they simply slept during my nights. I ended up full of hate and transformed into this monster who wanted to bring an eternal night over the world.”
Even with her royal dignity, Twilight and Spike could feel the sadness in Luna’s voice.
“So you were jealous of your sister?” asked Kenneth.
The princess needed to breathe in a big blow before answering.
“Indeed. And I was wrong. Because of me, many innocent ponies could have suffered. I regret everything I did because of my hate and will have to live with it forever.”
A sad and heavy silence imposed itself on the room. A long time passed, Luna not daring to look at the others. However, she didn’t know if she was afraid of being vulnerable or of the emotions displayed by those next to her. Were they scared of her? Or were they sorry? She didn't know what would be worse. She ended up turning her eyes from the window to discover the musician's face. What she discovered astonished her, because she couldn’t know what emotion was showing on his hard face, or what thoughts were hidden behind his gaze. Everything about him seemed perfectly relaxed and seeing him aroused a subtle and pleasant feeling that the princess could not identify. It wasn’t pity, and there wasn’t the slightest scent of fear. Luna could find no rational answer. Only a weak illogical voice seemed to whisper a name for what she saw in the young man's eyes: comprehension.
Before she could say anything, Kenneth stood up, stretched like a big cat and walked to the door announcing.
“I think I’ve had enough social interactions for today. See you, Nerd. Goodbye, Luna. ”
When he closed the door, he did not notice the startled looks he had left behind. Twilight's jaw seemed to be on the verge of unhooking. Spike's eyes were so wide that they seemed ready to come out of his sockets. As for Luna, only her floating mane seemed to differentiate her from any statue in her image.
Pinkie's gaze was in deep thinking in the bright orange of the rising sun. Her eyebrows were intensely frowned. Her lips were stained with chocolate and her eyes reflected a thousand complex calculations that crossed her mind to solve the conundrum she faced. She had been thinking about it for a long time, but no matter the angle of approach, no solution seemed to reveal itself.
"I’ve never had to solve such a complicated situation before, Gummy," she admitted.
The little alligator blinked an empty eye, while the pink pony fretted. She had no choice but to accept the conclusion before her.
“This party can only take place this evening and everything is against us.”
The pastry chef was like a queen before her council. She started pacing very seriously, even though said council consisted of stuffed animals, candy, and her pet reptile.
"Besides, everypony must be busy today." An epiphany seemed to strike her. "Wait. Everyone except... Of course!"
A mass with ebony hair was snoring on the sofa under Vinyl Scratch’s gaze, masked by her glasses. The sleeper was still holding his red guitar with his fingertips, as well as a completely empty cider bottle. Others were lying on the ground like the victims of an ogre's feast. Octavia finished going down the stairs to join her DJ friend, a yawn on her lips.
"Good morning Vin..." The musician pony stopped when her eyes fell on the sofa. “Did he stand there all night?”
Vinyl simply nodded. Her friend didn't have time to comment on this because someone knocked on the door. Octavia, curious to find out who could come and see them so early, opened it and came face to face with the element of laughter.
"Hello!" greeted the pink pony without waiting. "Sorry to bother you before breakfast, but I need to wake up Kenneth."
Disconcerted, the musician replied.
"How do you know that..." Octavia cut her thoughts off when she remembered who she was talking to. “Never mind. You are free to try, but I warn you: he stayed up late and drank a lot it seems.”
Pinkie leapt up to the metalhead who was snoring like a pig. She patted him with her hoof first. No reaction. Then she tried to shake him. Still no results. She thought for a moment, then a bright idea came to her mind. She rummaged in her mane and by some unknown miracle brought out an air horn she pressed with all her strength. The whole house shook, Octavia and Vinyl plugged their ears and Kenneth jumped with his eyes wide open, tense as if he were taking a powerful electric shock.
The second she finished blowing it, the human grabbed the instrument and threw it mercilessly against a wall, on which it broke in a thousand pieces. Kenneth turned his bloodshot eyes to the party pony, who continued to smile and announced, "don't worry, I have a good stock of this."
“ARE YOU CRAZY ?!” yelled the metalhead. "You don't wake up someone with a hangover like that!"
Before he could say all the insults he had in mind, he stopped under the overwhelming weight of pain. He stood there for a moment, his head in his hands, groaning like a rabid dog while Vinyl brought him an aspirin and a glass of water with her magic. Kenneth thanked her and swallowed it all in one go. It wasn’t his first hangover, but it was the first time he was woken up this way. He turned back to the person to whom he owed it and groaned.
"Pinkie... why did you do that?"
"To wake you up, of course!"
"Don't piss me off!" he said angrily. "I want to know why you did it!"
The pastry chef's good humor remained as unruffled as a rock in front of a storm.
"Because I need your help."
“MY help? Are you drunk too?”
“Nope. I limit my alcohol consumption to the bare minimum to make the most of every party.”
"And… what exactly would you need me for?"
"I want to organize one, except that I have a lot of work planned this week. We had big orders with the next Grand Galloping Gala coming. So, if I want to do it, I have to prepare it for tonight, and on my own, I'll have some trouble since I also have to work for the Cake family.”
"Don't you have, like, a ton of friends to ask for this?"
"Oh yes, but they have jobs too and I don't want to disturb them."
"What about me?"
Octavia cleared her throat to attract his attention and explained politely.
"Kenneth, all you do for the day is sleep, drink and play music. I have no problem with this last point, but you have to admit that you haven't been very productive since your arrival.”
Before the young man could reply, the pink pony grabbed his sleeve and pulled him after her.
“Come on!” she declared enthusiastically. “I just need you for a minute.”
Kenneth escaped her grip and declared, annoyed, “No freaking way! I don't want to bake cakes and blow up balloons.”
To the surprise of the metalhead, Pinkie's mane, usually curly like a wild bush, began to deflate. Her little pony eyes shined like two large drops of water and she began to whine like an abandoned puppy. All the young man’s anger gave way to astonishment. He had no idea how to react. All the ideas that came to his mind seemed bad or cruel in front of this.
"Kenneth ..." Octavia called out to him. "She was the one who defended you when you yourself weren’t helping."
The human looked again at Pinkie. Her eyes growed to become two ponds of tears. Her lips started to shake. Kenneth groaned before exploding.
"ALRIGHT ! I’ll do it."
The pink pony's mane swelled up and she got her radiant smile back just as quickly. She jumped up, shouting “Yipee!” before thanking the grumpy metalhead as he put on his checkered shirt, groaning as a tear on his sleeve got bigger. The human left the house, explaining that he wanted to end it quickly. He only realized a little further that Pinkie wasn’t with him. He called out, curious, and she appeared as a flash, apologizing.
"Sorry, I had to say something to Octavia and Vinyl before I forgot."
The element of laughter showed him the way, the human growling behind her.
The smell of fresh-baked brownies wafted through the warm summer air as Mr. Cake began his day at Sugar Cube Corner. The sound of softly chirping birds, eager to start their own mornings, put a spring in his step as he went about restocking the bakery glass. The smooth, polished case glinted in the morning sun. As he sampled one of the brownies, his moth was flooded with a soft, smooth, and chocolatey goodness that proved this batch was perfect, just like his wife always made them.
However, he wondered where Pinkie was. There was no shortage of work and he would need help, especially with the twins. The bell at the entrance tinkled, and the pastry chef saw his dear assistant, but his greetings blocked in his throat and his eyes widened. Right behind her was the famous human who had frightened half of the city. He entered the shop, lowering his head so as not to bang against the top of the door. The pony didn’t know what to do with this colossus with an angry face, like a beast whose shadow stretched up to him.
“Hi Mr. Cake!” exclaimed Pinkie with joy. “This is Kenneth. He came to help me with the party I’m preparing for tonight.”
Intimidated by this gigantic creature with a blood and ink colored shirt, torn in places, Mr. Cake managed to pronounce only weak greetings, to which the stranger replied softly. The musician seemed to remember an important detail and called out to the pastry chef.
"Are you the one making those cupcakes that Pinkie made me taste?"
"Hmm ... The recipes are from my wife and I, yes."
Kenneth looked away, as if embarrassed by something he dared not admit. He nevertheless succeeded in doing it.
“Well… They are… pretty good.”
The fear of Mr. Cake was tempered by surprise. He thanked the human while stammering, while Pinkie was enthusiastic, delighted to see them already getting along according to her. The metalhead quickly asked Pinkie what she wanted him to do. She pulled a package of five colored envelopes from behind the counter and handed it to him.
“If you could deliver the invitations while I’m cooking, that would be great.”
Kenneth grasped the letters and quickly recognized the names marked on them with colored pencils and glitter.
"You want me to bring these to your friends?"
"That’s it," confirmed Pinkie.
The human growled with exasperation.
"You know they hate me," he reminded. "As soon as they see me, they’ll tell me to go away."
"They don't hate you, silly," corrected a laughing Pinkie. "They just need to get to know you."
“Are you fucking blind or...?”
The young man suddenly stopped and opened his eyes wide. Pinkie turned, as did Mr. Cake, to find what had caught his eye. Just coming down the stairs, Mrs. Cake had entered the room with her two little toddlers on the back, the twins Pumpkin and Pound, chirping while playing with their hooves under the watchful gaze of their mother. She worried when she spotted the human.
"Oh, look who’s awake..." said Pinkie.
At a speed that impressed Pinkie herself, Kenneth grabbed the letters and ran off into the streets of Ponyville screaming, "I’m on it!"
Everyone in the Sugarcube Corner, including the babies, exchanged confused looks, particularly Pinkie, who wondered what happened. Convincing him had been much easier than she would have thought.
The Golden Oak Library was as quiet as usual. Twilight Sparkle finished putting away a book she had just studied looking for information regarding the Canticle of Truth, without success, while Spike finished cleaning the place. He felt that his friend was starting to get discouraged. There was no reference to any Ivory Tower in the Equestrian encyclopedias, or a place called Dream Garden. She sighed as she returned to the classification of the returned books, disappointed with her failure. Somepony knocked at the door. She wondered if she had forgotten to put the “Open” sign on it. Spike walked over to it and opened it, very surprised by who he found behind.
“Hi Kenneth,” said the little dragon, surprising the librarian in turn. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey kiddo, I have a letter for Nerd.”
"It's TWILIGHT!" screamed the mare, heading for the door.
The purple unicorn joined them and was openly not delighted to see him. The last time he had seen him, two days ago, he had left her with Princess Luna and even more questions than before. She found his attitude so frustrating that just thinking about him, she wanted to break something.
“Still in your books?” he asked with a smirk.
“I manage a library, what do you expect?”
“I don’t know. Some dark ritual to summon Yog Sothoth?”
“I don’t do dark magic!”
“That’s exactly what an evil witch would say.”
Twilight growled before trying to cut off the conversation.
“What kind of letter is it?”
“An invitation to Pinkie’s party,” he informed, handing her the purple envelope with her name.
Twilight levitated the mail and opened it immediately. She recognized Pinkie’s writing style. She asked Kenneth, very suspicious, why he was the deliverer of this mail, but his explanation puzzled her. She asked him, as if it were the most important element in her next decision, "Will you be at the party?"
“Hell no! Balloons and confetti are really not my kind of stuff.”
Twilight didn't reveal it, but she felt relieved. She thanked, with difficulty, the musician before he turned on her heels. Twilight started closing the door when the musician called out to her again.
“Oh wait! Do you know where I can find your friends?”
Twilight didn't have time to think about it before Spike proposed with a suspicious enthusiasm, “I can guide him.”
“Are you sure?” asked Twilight, worried.
“Yeah. He’ll finish faster if I show him the way, and I guess you’ll be reassured with somepony keeping an eye on him.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, but ended up admitting with a sight.
“Fair point. Just be careful, alright?”
“Sure thing.”
The dragon joined Kenneth and directed him to the nearest destination, under Twilight's worried and nervous look.
The walk to the Carrousel Boutique was a silent one. Kenneth was trying to breathe calmly to relax and reduce his headache, and sometimes, without understanding why, he caught Spike staring at him like a curious statue. He preferred to ignore it. He already had enough to do with this invitation situation. Once in front of the merry-go-round store, Kenneth stood there for a moment, unsure of whether he should throw up or curse the kid who had imagined this world. Spike, impatient and smiling, pushed him into the store. The bell above the door rang.
“Just a minute please!” announced a cheery voice from the back of the shop.
Kenneth looked around and didn't seem the least bit surprised by what was around him. Wherever his gaze looked, the metalhead fell on colored fabric, frills, lace, and mannequins with dresses and jewelry. The grin he made stirred the curiosity of the young dragon.
“What?” he asked.
"I feel like I’m in a six-year-old girl’s dollhouse," he replied nauseously.
“Hey! Rarity is a very talented designer and her creations are amazing.”
"What the hell are you saying? She’s your girlfriend or what?"
The little lizard stammered, under the curious gaze of Kenneth, who arched an eyebrow. The sounds of rhythmic hooves were heard. The unicorn who ran this store entered the room with a noble posture and a radiant smile. With a quick gesture of the head, she drew from her face a strand from her purple and wavy mane, and when her eyes found Spike, she greeted him with joy.
"Oh! Good morning Spike.”
Then she saw Kenneth. Her eyes lost their spirit and her smile diminished to form a half haughty figure.
“Hello, Kenneth. Nice to see you.”
The young man looked amused.
“Wow! That’s the most convincing lie I’ve ever heard, Drama Queen.”
The unicorn simply turned her head, refusing to take up the insult made to her.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
"I have an invitation from Pinkie for you. She's planning a party tonight. You take it and I'm out.”
The unicorn wasted no time in taking the white envelope with her magic.
“Thank you,” she said out of sheer politeness. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”
Kenneth did not have to be asked. He turned on his heels and headed for the exit with Spike by his side.
"At least it was quick," he muttered.
“Dear Celestia!” screamed the unicorn, freezing the young man on the spot. “What happened to your shirt?!”
Kenneth didn't understand immediately. He tried to look behind his back but saw nothing in particular.
“What do you mean?”
"Why, it is full of tears!" Rarity informed him, scandalized.
"I guess my stay in the forest wasn’t easy on it," admitted Kenneth. “So what?”
“You can't go out with this on your back! As a fashion extraordinaire, I won’t allow it.”
"Why not? It gives it personality I would say.”
“No! You are simply ridiculous.”
"Why does it matter to you? Anyway, I'm leaving so..."
He realized that he was not advancing an inch as he walked towards the door. He noticed that he was enveloped in an aura of sky blue energy that kept him a few inches from the ground, and almost lost his balance when he was brought right in front of Rarity, her eyes raised towards his own.
“Take off your shirt,” she demanded.
“In general, the girls who ask me that…”
His joke was cut off when the magic that enveloped him turned him over like he was hanging from the ceiling. His face was now right in front of Rarity, and commanded with the mighty dignity of an empress, “Take - Off - Your - Shirt.”
For the first time in a while, Kenneth was speechless. The designer's piercing eyes made it clear to him that resisting was both unnecessary and dangerous. He groaned like a wolf, but Rarity remained unperturbed. He ended up taking off his precious shirt while Rarity grabbed the worn clothes with her magic, thanked him, and dropped him like an old bag.
“AWWW!” shouted Kenneth, his head aching again. “Fuck!”
“Language,” the unicorn responded.
Rarity then seized spools of thread and needles and began darning the garment. Now dressed in his sleeveless white top, Kenneth remarked, “Be careful with it, Drama Queen. It's my favourite."
"Darling, even if it belonged to my worst enemy, and even if the fabric is not of good quality, I will treat it with the same respect that any garment deserves."
Kenneth couldn't do anything but wait. He just sat against a wall, frowning. Spike joined him and the two of them began to wait for the designer to finish her work. Kenneth noticed the little dragon watching his Cthulhu tattoo with curiosity. When the child saw that he had been spotted, he looked away.
"What is it, kiddo?" asked Kenneth.
Spike played with his fingers, embarrassed. Kenneth waited until the child dared to speak.
"What you said last time, about your tattoo and your convictions; did you really mean it?"
“One hundred percent.”
"Isn’t it sad?" questioned Spike. “I mean… You seemed to say that nothing matters. Not even you.”
What Spike said awoke Rarity’s curiosity, who strained an ear towards the two boys.
"It's complicated," replied Kenneth, sighing, "and you're probably too young to understand."
“Hey!” the dragon said with anger. "I'm not that young. In pony years, I’m ten.”
Kenneth stared at him with a heavy, strange look, and the young dragon relaxed, curious, under its weight. The young man's voice did not reveal any emotion, whether it was sadness or anger.
“I don’t matter, kiddo.” Spike listened carefully. Rarity did the same while continuing to sew. ”No one matters. Many people spend their life doing things to make them feel otherwise, sometimes bad things. They even come to think that their life is more important than others’. Except that in the end, everything they were and did will eventually fall to dust and be forgotten. That’s how it is for everyone, without the slightest exception. I don't play music to be famous or because I think I can change the world with my voice, I do it because I like it. I don't care if my body disappears in the middle of nowhere or that no one remembers the name of Kenneth Marshall. This life is all I have. To say that I’m not important is to choose not to lose my few microseconds of existence in eternity to do unnecessary things that would make me feel like I am, especially receiving approval from the others. Since, as I said, no one is important. I only want to be me and live it until the last moment, no matter when it happens, because it’s inevitable. Because in the end,” Kenneth tapped his tattoo with a respectful delicacy, “there’s only the Great Old Ones.”
The young dragon seemed frozen in place and the designer, perplexed. Spike seemed to regain consciousness when something came to his mind.
"But, if nothing matters," he asked, unsure, "why did you save me and Rarity?"
The unicorn interrupted her gesture, then slowly turned her intrigued face to the young man, by what he would say. The musician's gaze was fixed on the ground, lost in thought in search of an answer. He ended up with a weak smile and blowing what could have been a laugh.
“Honestly kiddo,” he answered, “I have no idea.”
This sentence surprised Spike. He knew only about good and bad ponies, so he had a hard time understanding that someone so cynical could help another without even knowing why, especially after what Kenneth had just said. Rarity seemed to think about Kenneth's words, like with an enigma. She should have thought it was strange or disturbing, but some part of her was just intrigued by the musician’s words. She realized the state of the shirt and called Kenneth.
“I finished it.”
The young man put on his clothes without delay and hurried to the exit of the store, Spike at his side, eager to disappear before another problem arose. When his hand grabbed the handle, he noticed a seam on his sleeve. Something was blocking him. He knew what and that bothered him a bit. He had to make a huge effort. Kenneth sighed deeply, looked at Rarity out of the corner of his eye and said in a calm voice that she hadn't expected, “Thanks.”
The unicorn didn't get time to tell him he was welcome for Kenneth had already left with the little dragon. For a moment, Rarity remained frozen in place, surrounded by her models, drawings, and dresses. She was a bit lost after what she had just heard.
When the people of Ponyville met the human on the street, most ran to hide, while others just looked down and kept a good distance from him. Noticing this, Kenneth sneered a bit.
“See? We’re already the bad boys of the town.”
The dragon couldn't help laughing.
"I think it’s mostly because of you."
“Give yourself some credit. In a few years I’m sure you’ll be flying around terrifying everyone with huge jets of flame." The musician thought about it and laughed. "Damn! I would give anything to be there playing some Rhapsody song when you do it.”
Spike didn’t know what he was referring to, but he commented, “I don’t think Twilight would appreciate that.”
“Oh come on!” sighed Kenneth. “Is everyone as serious as you and her? And do you always do what she says? Just enjoy the idea for five seconds.”
Spike thought it was strange, but he tried, just to show him that he wasn’t a killjoy. He imagined himself gigantic, with wings so large that they plunged all of Ponyville into shadow. He imagined himself to be so majestic and powerful that all the ponies bigger than him, that is to say almost everypony, fled at his mere sight. He imagined Rarity impressed by his magnificence. Spike was on a little cloud. Seeing this, Kenneth smiled.
“You see?” he told, bringing the child back to earth. “Not so bad, right?”
“Yeah, well… I still better not tell this to Twilight. I’m sure she would lecture me for appreciating it and I don’t know what...”
“You’re being a pain in the ass, kiddo,” remarked Kenneth. “If she presses you too much, just sing something loud right in her face. Don’t know why but I can see you quite well singing some Sum 41. Probably because I used to listen to them when I was your age, but you should start with Iron Maiden first.”
Spike was taken aback, firstly because of these curious names he never heard before, but more because of the advice itself. Twilight always told him to be nice and polite, to never be angry, as much as he could. She usually told him that, even if it was okay to lose nerve sometimes, it was important to stay civil with everypony. That was the first time somepony was telling him to scream at someone’s face to express something openly. Before Spike could say something about that, Kenneth asked him where the next guest was.
“Rainbow Dash should be close,” he answered. “She’s in charge of Ponyville’s clouds, sot if she isn’t taking a nap, she should be around here.”
“When you say that,” asked Kenneth, “you mean she gets rid of unwanted clouds?”
“Not only. With the pegasus of the weather team, and Cloudsdale’s administration, they manage all of Equestria’s climate.”
"You can’t be serious!"
Kenneth spotted the blue pegasus moving a large cloud and tapping it like a large cushion. For a moment, the young man watched what she was doing with some curiosity.
“Hey Birdbrain!”
“WHO SAID THAT?!”
The pegasus descended to the ground at the speed of light and sought the origin of this insult.
“Who said that?! Show yourse-” She spotted the human. "It was you, wasn’t it?"
“Guilty as charged.”
“Take it back!” she said, an inch from his face.
“Or what?”
"I'm gonna make your life a living nightmare!"
Kenneth remained silent for a moment, then spoke casually, “Meh. Whatever. ” Without giving her time to reply, he handed her the blue envelope.
The pegasus grabbed it with suspicion. As she read the invitation, Kenneth spoke calmly.
“Is it true that you and your pals control the weather?”
“Yes...” Rainbow Dash replied defensively.
“Does that mean that nothing happens without your intervention? No rain, no snow, nothing?”
“Except for the Everfree, yeah. Why?”
“Just curious. And what do you mean by ‘except for the everfree’?”
“The forest is weird. On top of the wild animals and plants, the weather is completely out of control. Whenever a pegasus tries to change something, even a little cloud, it doesn't stay in place."
“Why?
“I don’t know. I told you, that place is creepy.”
Kenneth seemed intrigued, then smirked.
“What?”
“You don’t like the forest because you can’t control it. I think I like it even more.”
Kenneth turned his back on her to go. The pegasus simply groaned to get back to work, while Spike again showed him the way. Rainbow looked one last time at the human, while the dragon asked the metalhead about the bands he mentioned, making the human grin.
“Weirdo,” she mumbled.
After a walk on the edge of the forest that Kenneth had learned to appreciate, with Spike repeating some lyrics slowly, they found a house with a roof covered with greenery. The musician raised his eyebrows, both impressed and worried as he noticed all the animals lying around: birds, rodents, amphibians... He even seemed to have spotted a bear a little further.
“There! It's Fluttershy’s cottage,” said Spike.
“This big bush is Plushy’s house?” Kenneth thought for a moment before admitting, “Actually, I'm not surprised. She takes care of animals, doesn’t she?”
“That’s right. She’s like the best caretaker in all Equestria, I would say.”
Kenneth rolled his eyes before stopping when he felt Spike pulling on his jeans to get his attention.
"Um ... I know I ask you a lot but... If you could be nice to her it would be great."
"I already told you, kiddo. How I behave with others is entirely up to them.”
"I know. What I mean is that she’s really shy. You might scare her if you're not careful.”
"Come on! I saw her. She would pass out if a leaf fell on her back.”
Spike was about to reply, but an image came to his mind and made him admit, “Now that you say it, I think she did that once.”
“See? If she's scared just because I'm here, she's the one with a problem.”
"I'm just asking you to make an effort. Please.”
“For the last time,” ended Kenneth, walking again, “it all depends on Plushy.”
Spike hurried to catch him. The young man was walking at an imposing pace, which worried the dragon. And as they were about to knock on the door, Kenneth stopped when a voice caressed his ears. An unexpected song that surprised Spike, but not as much as the human face at this moment. His eyes were wide and his pupils as small as seeds. His whole body seemed frozen, as if each of his muscles had been locked.
Spike and Kenneth searched for the origin of that melodious voice and discovered the pegasus they had come to see, flying like a swallow and bringing food to every animal.
Fluttershy began to vocalize, observing her reflection in the river, flowers in her mane. Spike watched Kenneth again to see what he planned to do, and his astonishment did not diminish as the musician continued to stare at the pegasus as if he had just discovered something impossible. He almost seemed disconnected from the world. A sentence slipped from his lips, as if he had lost control of it.
“She sings like a fucking Disney Princess.”
Suddenly, the young man seemed to get his feet back on the ground. He realized what he had just said and the shock tensed him like a prey in the middle of wild beasts. He turned suddenly to Spike and muttered threateningly, "If you tell anyone that I said that, I’ll kill you."
The dragon swallowed, trembling: the threat seemed quite serious. The two boys then realized that they had attracted the attention of the pegasus. She was clearly frightened, but it was difficult to say whether she was by the young man or by having been discovered singing. She seemed ready to run away from the colossus in a red shirt.
“Did you… hear me?” she asked with wide eyes.
Spike played with his fingers, unsure of the answer that would reassure Fluttershy. Kenneth replied without any hesitation, “Of course we did. It was amazing!”
Spike and Fluttershy were both caught off-guard. It was the last thing he expected to hear from Kenneth. The human knelt very quickly near the yellow pegasus to question her in a cheerful tone.
“How did you get to sing like that? Have you trained a lot?"
"Hmm... Not really," she replied, between surprise and fear. “I just… do it.”
“So you’re a natural? That’s awesome!”
Bit by bit, Fluttershy realized the sincerity of the young man's compliments and relaxed. All that remained was astonishment. She was really scared of the human when he arrived in town, especially when he started singing, and her friends told her how he behaved with people. Even though it wasn’t very nice, she had prayed to see him as little as possible. However, seeing his admirative face, she no longer knew what to think. His big eyes reminded her more of a big child than a wild beast.
“Th… Thank you,” she managed to pronounce.
“Could you sing something else?”
“What?!” worried Fluttershy.
“Please, that would be cool.”
Spike shook his head, unable to believe what he had seen before his eyes. Since his arrival, he had never seen the man so polite and affable. The human looked like he was facing a very important pony.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” he asked, incredulous.
Kenneth looked imperiously at the dragon and explained, "Kiddo, when it comes to music I'm always serious." He faced again Fluttershy, resuming his peaceful gaze. “So? What about an encore?”
Fluttershy stared at the floor, uncomfortable. She stuttered under the intrigued gaze of the two boys.
“Just tell us what you think,” advised the human kindly. "It's okay."
Fluttershy was, to her own surprise, more at ease when she heard Kenneth's encouragement. She took a deep breath, then whispered.
"I'm sorry, what?" asked the young man, straining his ear.
Fluttershy lowered her ears and repeated, barely louder.
“I have… stage fright.”
“You?! With your voice?”
"Yes. I'm glad you appreciate it, but I'm really not comfortable in front of an audience."
"But ... But ..." stammered Kenneth, observing her sad look, before giving up with deep disappointment. "Ooooh... It's a tragic day for music."
“I'm sorry," apologized Fluttershy, putting a hoof on his arm. “And thank you for your understanding.”
Kenneth didn't dare to look at her in the eye. In a shy voice, which no one was used to coming from him, the young man asked, “Can I at least come to listen to you sometimes?”
Fluttershy was again taken aback.
"I don’t know." she hesitated, very embarrassed. “I don’t sing all the time and I have to take care of my little friends…”
“Oh please please please,” begged the metalhead, taking a little mouse in his hands. "I’ll be as discreet as a little mouse."
The pegasus looked at the animal with a concern that quickly evaporated. The young man's hands were huge compared to the animal, but he seemed to be careful stroking its head with a delicate finger. The rodent even seemed to appreciate this caress. With curiosity, Fluttershy asked him, “Do you like animals?”
“I didn’t spend so much time with any but I don’t mind them. We are all Shub-niggurath’s young.”
“Who is this Shub-niggurath?” worried Fluttershy.
“Oh, simply the eternal and incomprehensible force that spits and devours every living being in the universe. Also named the Black Goat of the woods with a thousand young.”
The pegasus didn't quite understand what he was talking about and the little she did was not reassuring. She told him very quickly, “That doesn’t seem very nice. I think I prefer Equis, if you don’t mind of course.”
"Who’s that?"
“She’s the alicorn who created our world. Let me tell you her story. It’s my favorite.”
As she was beginning the tale, some of her wild friends gathered around her.
“At the beginning, there was nothing but darkness, cold and silent, but then a light appeared. The very first light. It was an alicorn with a fur black as the dark from which she was born, a flowing and shining mane and, on her flank, a white trikestra. Equis was her name and she radiated with so much power that she illuminated all the infinity. With it, she created the stars, then a planet close to the first one on which she could rest for a moment. After that, Equis saw that the planet she created was a desolated rock, so she made it rain to give this world rivers and oceans and make all the plants grow. She then created the moon to give this world light even in the darkest nights. This garden under the stars was such a beautiful scenery that she felt the need to share it with someone. Equis then gave birth to the animals. She was so happy with her children that she gave birth to all the other species we know, from the unicorns, pegasus and earth ponies to the dragons and yaks. She loved all of them so much that sadness and pain didn’t exist. Equis conforted all those who felt a bit down and gave courage to those who felt scared. Until the day a terrible earthquake shaken the entire world, announcing the awakening of a terrible monster of fire and smoke named Blazing Sky whose only desire was to destroy everything and bring sorrow. Equis faced the creature with courage and used her power to stop him, but he was strong and filled with rage. She used all of her power to destroy the beast and save her children. Equis died this day and nopony ever forgot it or how much she loved all of her creations. That is why we named our planet Equis and try our best to be peaceful and caring with the others.”
When Fluttershy finished, she saw Kenneth arching an eyebrow.
"Right..." he said, not very enthralled. “So, can I come back?”
Fluttershy hesitated a lot. She glanced at her animal friends, silently asking them what they thought about it. Most did not pay much attention to their exchange actually, the others did not seem bothered by his presence. The pegasus then looked the human in the eyes and seemed surprised by what she saw there. Usually intimidating and harsh, Kenneth seemed worried.
“Well…” she declared. "I guess if you came to help, I can try to think that one po-human isn’t really an audience."
The young man was euphoric. He put down the rodent in his hand and thanked the yellow pegasus energetically. The doubts she still had in her mind melted like ice under the sun when she saw his smile. Kenneth recovered, however, when he remembered a detail.
“Oh yes! I almost forgot.” He handed Fluttershy a yellow envelope. "Pinkie invites you to a party tonight. I think all of your friends will be there.”
The pegasus retrieved the letter, thanking him. Then the human tried to regain his dignity by getting up.
“Alright, I’ll come back soon, I think. I still have one last letter to deliver.” The human hit the road declaring, “See you, Fluttershy.”
Despite this, she was worried when she saw Spike looking dumbfounded, frozen like a statue. The dragon looked at her as if she were a mythical creature and pronounced, admiring, "I can't believe it... You can really tame even the wildest beasts."
“Oh, you exaggerate,” replied the young pegasus with embarrassment.
“Not at all! Except for Princess Luna, you are the only one he calls by their name.”
“Hey! You coming or what, kiddo?”
“See?!”
The dragon quickly joined him, under the puzzled eyes of Fluttershy. She thought about what she had just heard. The only person the human made the effort to call by their name was a princess. For some reason, which she didn't know if it was nice or not, she felt quite proud. She cutely laughed, half embarrassed, half happy.
Kenneth was starting to get sore feet. He hadn't walked so much in a long time, and was anxious to deliver this last invitation. He finally saw the big house of the Apple family. Seeing the apple trees and its new fence reminded him all kinds of memories, some sweet, others extremely painful. Once outside the entrance to the estate, on the border between it and the road, he spotted the famous orange pony and her cowgirl hat bucking apple trees.
“Hey Redneck!” called the musician.
The farmer looked for the source of this insult and was not surprised to find out who it was. She growled before asking him from afar, “What da ya want?”
"I have a letter for you," he said as he approached the entrance. "It's from Pin-"
“DON'T YOU DARE TAKE ONE MORE STEP!”
Kenneth stopped, his foot still in the air. He was two centimeters from officially being inside the Apple domain. For safety, he put it back.
"What’s wrong?" he asked
“We don’t want ya here!” declared Applejack. “Not even for a second.”
“Why is that?”
Even Spike couldn't believe he had asked that.
“You want the list?” asked the upset farmer approaching him. “You stole our apples for weeks, scared the crusaders, and you destroyed the wall of our barn. Remember?”
“Oh come on! There were extenuating circumstances."
“Beg your pardon?”
"The apples, because I had no other choice except for shady stuff in the forest. Your sister and her friends just ran into me at the wrong time. And for the wall, stop kidding me. You know very well that it was this pile of shit that threw me through it. My ribs can testify to that. ”
"I don’t care! Just go away.”
"What if I don’t want to?"
“I could buck you to the other side of town with these fellas of mine,” she threatened, lifting one of her rear hooves.
Kenneth had a brief tick of concern, which he made disappear as quickly as possible.
“And what if I come back after that?”
Applejack heard familiar hooves behind her. She sported a malicious smile.
“Then you’d have to deal with Big Mac.”
Kenneth was amazed to see the huge red horse that joined them. He had seen it before, but from afar. Up close, his almost human size and imposing musculature worried him much more. The metalhead regained his composure and fixed his gaze as if they were having a staring contest. The two frowned. Spike almost felt like their pupils were flashing.
“So,” observed Kenneth, “you’re her brother I guess.”
“Eeyup,” answered simply Big Mac.
“And you don’t want to see me here either.”
“Eeyup.”
“Not really talkative I see.”
“Eeyup.”
The two stared at each other for a disturbingly long time. Applejack and Spike, curious and amused at the outset, became more worried as the human and the big pony looked at each other with their hot, glowing eyes. the tension between the two became palpable. The dragon and the farmer feared what might happen. The tension subsided when a new perky voice entered in the situation like an innocent kitten.
The little filly with the big red bow noticed the human and quickly disappeared behind her sister.
“What’s he doing here?” she asked, trembling like an apple leaf.
“Nothin’,” answered Applejack. “He was leaving.”
“Sure,” said Kenneth, rolling his eyes, “but first: take your invitation to Pinkie’s party.”
Applejack quickly took the orange envelope the musician handed her. Then he turned on his heels, groaning. Spike just wished the Apple family a good day before joining the musician. Each of the Apples resumed their activities while Kenneth and Spike disappeared in the distance. The dragon then explained to the musician that he should join Twilight at the library if he was no longer needed. Kenneth let him go, explaining that he would find his way to Octavia's house by himself. He thought he had done enough for Pinkie now. The two parted calmly, but not without Spike giving him one last puzzled look. After that day, he still didn't know what to think of this strange human.
The sun was starting to disappear behind the horizon. When Octavia and Vinyl Scratch entered their home, a familiar spectacle awaited them: Kenneth was dozing on the sofa. Octavia approached him and cleared her throat. The human didn’t open his eyes. She tried again with more force. No result. Vinyl shook him but without success. Octavia growled a little then smiled, remembering something. She went to her closet, pulled out a trumpet, and took a deep breath near the young man.
"Don’t even think about it," said Kenneth.
"Were you awake?" asked the musician pony. "Why did you not answer?"
"I didn’t want to."
Octavia sighed heavily.
"You know,” she said, putting away her instrument, “playing music with you is very interesting, but as a roommate, you are not an easy one."
“If you say so, I believe you. I’ve never had one before. How’s the rehearsal going?”
"Very well. My colleagues and I will be ready for the Grand Galloping Gala. I even suggested a song to them that you taught us. They loved it, but they think it will be too epic for this kind of party.”
"That means it’ll be boring. A good party is a noisy one. Right, Vinyl?”
Kenneth held out his hand and the DJ tapped it with a smile on her lips. Octavia rolled her eyes and faced the human.
"Before I forget, Pinkie would like to see you..."
“Nope.”
"I didn’t even say why."
“Don’t care. I've done enough for her today. "
“No, silly. She wants to thank you.”
“Great. Thanks for the message.”
“And she wants to give you something as a reward.”
Kenneth's curiosity seemed awoken, but not enough to make him get up.
“Whatever it is, it can wait for tomorrow I bet.”
“She kept Choco-hazelnut cupcakes and cider for you.”
This time Kenneth seemed to hesitate. The dilemma was terrible apparently. He sighed, growled, and took off from the sofa to get out of the house. He realized that Octavia and Vinyl were right behind him.
“We need some pastries for tomorrow's breakfast,” Octavia anticipated, “since you ate everything.”
The metalhead accepted this immediately, too tired to think. He arrived at Sugarcube Corner hoping to enjoy a good pastry before going to bed. When he walked through the door, he was caught off guard by a choir shouting, "Surprise!". Frozen on the spot, Kenneth discovered the place decorated with all kinds of colorful garlands, balloons and confetti. There was even a table topped with candies, but what surprised him most was the group of ponies in front of him. Everyone except Pinkie's eyes were wide. Whether it was Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, or Applejack, everyone seemed ready to scream in amazement.
“What are you doing here?” asked Twilight.
"I was told that Pinkie kept me some food and alcohol. Unless..."
The human turned and saw his roommates quite embarrassed.
"Well, we didn’t lie to you." declared Octavia. “There are cupcakes and ciders. I was just asked not to say there was a party around it.”
“Who asked you to do this?” wondered the human, still surprised.
“Me, of course!” Pinkie replied, leaping in the middle of the assembly. “This surprise party is to celebrate your first week in Ponyville.”
“SAY WHAT?!” screamed all the elements of harmony.
“You never said that!” rebelled Rainbow Dash.
“I didn’t said for who this party was for in the invitations,” explained Pinkie. “So, technically, I never said it wasn’t for him.”
The human shook his head before asking.
“Then why would you ask ME to bring the invitations?”
"I'm glad you asked, Kenneth." Pinkie had the posture of a genius addressing a confused audience. ”You see, that was the most complicated party I’ve ever had to organize. My goal can be summarized to this question: How do you get somepony to come to a party he doesn't want to come to while convincing five guests who don't like him to do the same? After a whole night of thinking, fueled by chocolate, I finally found the answer. I only needed to make sure that no one knew who this party was for. I knew Kenneth wouldn't want to come to a party, considering how shy and grumpy he is, and by involving him in its preparation, I made sure he didn’t imagine it was for him. And by making him bring the invitations, none of the guests would suspect that either, since he would say himself that he didn’t want to come. The only ones I needed to confide in were Vinyl and Octavia, to make sure he came to the Sugarcube Corner at the right time. Good job by the way. Especially Vinyl. You keep secrets very well. And my plan worked perfectly. Everyone is here in addition to being surprised.”
Pinkie was proud as a peacock. The whole assembly was speechless. The silence of dismay reigned like a king. The only one who dared to break it was Rainbow Dash.
“Wow… When it’s about parties, Pinkie is a mastermind."
“Then,” said the element of laughter with enthusiasm, “who’s ready to celebrate?”
“Not me.”
Everyone turned to the origin of this sentence. It was Kenneth himself. He was heading towards the exit of the store. In the blink of an eye, Pinkie blocked the access with her body.
“Wait!” she declared. “You can’t go right now. This party is for you!”
Kenneth grabbed her and pulled her with all his strength , except that, while she was only holding the door with her little hooves, he couldn't make her move. He even seemed to see her stretching like chewing gum.
“Get out of my way you... fucking Looney toons!”
“No! We didn’t even cut the cake!”
Twilight's voice rose sharply.
“PINKIE, STOP!!!”
Everyone present turned to the purple unicorn. She had a very disturbingly stern look and she asserted with anger and authority.
“You are wasting your time with him and I can't take it anymore. Kenneth doesn't want to be your friend, don’t you understand? Since he's been here, he's been annoying everypony. He insults our princesses. He is vulgar and violent. He gives us stupid nicknames and doesn't even apologize. He respects nothing and no one and spends his time doing ... doing nothing, in fact. All he cares about is himself. And if you insist on doing this, you’ll end up disappointed and exhausted by his fault. Because this human, I repeat, does not want to be your friend. And he will never have friends, actually. No one would want to be friends with someone like him!"
The room remained plunged in freezing silence, except for the disciple of Celestia who was trying to catch her breath, her piercing gaze fixed on Kenneth, whose own look was comparable to that of a bird of prey. He didn't seem surprised by what he heard.
"How dare you?" muttered Pinkie, to everyone's surprise.
The pink pony, with a waterfall-like deflated mane, approached Twilight with wet, furious eyes that alarmed the purple unicorn.
“Who are you to judge him? Huh? You don't know anything about him. Do I have to remind you of how you were before we met? You didn't care about friends. We are the ones who chose to stay by your side and accepted you despite your asocial side. And we all accepted each other despite our flaws. Kenneth isn’t easy-going at first, but he isn’t a bad person. Do you want to hear how I know that? When he lived in the forest, he was kind to the animals which left him in peace. When I asked him for help, even if he didn't like it, he agreed when Octavia reminded him of what I had done for him. And the most important part, because he risked his life to save Spike and Rarity! If he hadn't done anything, our friends would probably not be here with us!”
Twilight's eyes widened. Her gaze turned for a moment to the dragon and the fashion designer. Both seemed overwhelmed by this painful memory. Pinkie took a moment to catch her breath before continuing.
"You say he troubles everypony? Since he's been here, he hasn't hurt anypony. And those nicknames, if it had been one of us who used them, we would laugh about it together. Kenneth isn't perfect, but you haven't even tried to understand him. With this attitude, no wonder that he doesn’t want to be nice to you. Do you believe studying friendship gives you the right to declare who deserves to have friends or not?”
Under the stunned eyes of the whole room, tears ran down Pinkie's face. The one who was supposed to be the element of laughter sat down on the floor, unable to stand any longer.
“I just… I just wanted to give everypony a chance to get to know each other a little better. I just wanted us to be together so that we could all make a step towards each other." She gasped in grief. "I just wanted everypony to be friends... But no one makes any effort... Not even Kenneth."
The elements of harmony exchanged shameful looks. Octavia and Vinyl were saddened by this scene. Even Kenneth had big stunned eyes, like he was seeing Pinkie for the first time. No one dared to act for fear of aggravating the situation. A deep sigh sounded and caught the attention of the assembly. Everyone was surprised to see Kenneth sit by the tearful pastry chef. She lifted her wet red eyes to him. She was surprised herself.
"Pinkie..." he whispered. "You really want me to be friends with yours?" The sad pony nodded. "You definitely are crazy."
This question intrigued the other ponies. He had said it in a weak voice, on the border between amazement and a laugh too weak to be expressed.
"She's right you know." he continued. “You will get tired if you continue. I’m not like you. Actually, I'm a total mess. Nobody wants someone like me here.”
"That's not true," Pinkie cut him off. ”I want to be your friend. And there are ponies who like you. ”
The young man raised an eyebrow. Nobody dared to speak. Octavia didn’t feel at all in her place. Friendship stories were usually the business of the elements of harmony. She wanted to disappear. Vinyl stared at her with surprising intensity. The DJ kicked her gently, as if to break her bubble. The pony musician remained indecisive for a moment, then dared to approach the human.
"You know,” she tried weakly, drawing the attention of the crowd, “you are a very stubborn person who does whatever he wants. You leave your cider bottles lying around, sleep around the clock, and even finish the pastries without asking permission, but that doesn't mean that we don't like having you in the house, Vinyl and I. You recognize our talents as musicians and give us good advice, you even teach us incredible scores. Playing music with you, it's great."
Octavia glanced at Vinyl, who confirmed with a nod. The elements of harmony were surprised by what she had just said. Spike rubbed his neck, also embarrassed. He ended up saying.
“I… don’t really mind you calling me ‘Kiddo’. It's not that mean. I got it that you address people by their name to show that they’ve earned your respect. When Princess Luna told you about her past, you did it. And you did the same for Fluttershy.” This revelation stunned all the other elements of harmony. “So, even if I still think it's not the nicest method, and that you have very personal selection criterias, you at least have the merit of recognizing when someone deserves respect.”
The speech of the little dragon intrigued Twilight. With her soft voice, Fluttershy addressed the young man.
"Um ... If what Spike says is true then I want to tell you that I appreciate your efforts. You accepted to help me with the animals when, obviously, you don't like working so much.... "
"I'm not really selfless in this case." explained Kenneth, without revealing Fluttershy's secret.
“Maybe,” continued the yellow pegasus, “but you wouldn't even have suggested it if you didn't respect me. Right?"
Kenneth remained silent, his gaze avoiding her.
"That’s what I thought," concluded Fluttershy. “Then I want to thank you, Kenneth.”
The musician was speechless, just like the other ponies. One of them looked puzzled. She too approached.
“Kenneth…” pronounced Rarity. “You are rude, definitely, and I don’t like that at all. But when I took care of your shirt, you thanked me sincerely. I have an ear for that. And then, despite your seemingly arrogant attitude, what I have heard you saying makes me think, as strange as it sounds, that you are not at all actually. I admit you may be… more complex than I thought at first.” Rarity hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "What I mean is... I'm sorry if I was a bit snobbish with you."
Kenneth didn't know what to say. Neither did the elements of harmony. Except for Pinkie, her face wet and mane still deflated.
“You see?” she said weakly. "There are ponies who like you the way you are."
Kenneth could only look at her in the eye. His gaze was impenetrable. No one could know what he was thinking about. Twilight tensed when she saw him raising his hand and directing it towards the pink pony. The element of magic ended up disoriented when he placed it gently on Pinkie's head and began to scratch behind her ear.
"You are unbelievable," sighed the young man. "You got exactly what you wanted."
Pinkie smiled again. Her mane slowly swelled up. Fluttershy and Spike joined her, also smiling, followed by Octavia and Vinyl. The pastry chef seemed to purr as Kenneth kept scratching.
"This is really nice," commented the pink pony.
“Come on, Pinkie,” laughed Rarity, “you look like my cat.”
"I don’t mind," she answered “Try it and you’ll understand.”
Twilight didn’t know how to react to this unexpected spectacle. She exchanged an intrigued and ashamed look with Applejack, then Rainbow Dash. None of them knew what to do.
"Listen Pinkie," suggested the young man, "I think we'd better go to sleep now. The evening was… exhausting.”
Pinkie looked disappointed, but the lack of sadness this time indicated that she understood. The others agreed with their silence.
“Wait!” she exclaimed. “At least, let me give you your present.”
“A present?” wondered the human.
The pastry chef disappeared in a flash and reappeared just as quickly with a package made of black paper with an orange ribbon. Kenneth took it with suspicion. He unpacked it carefully and discovered something that surprised him very much, as did Twilight.
“But…” said Kenneth. “These are my books.”
"That’s right!" exclaimed Pinkie with pride. “I brought them from your cave.”
Kenneth looked at the three books with eyes veiled by an emotion that the ponies couldn't identify. The human seemed to be struggling not to reveal what he was feeling. The ponies looked curiously at the books in his hands. There was a large one with a reinforced and decorated cover entitled “The complete fiction of H.P. Lovecraft”. Then there was a smaller, obviously low-end book called “Of Mice and Men”. And finally, the last of the package was in a terrible condition. The cover was partially torn, the pages yellowed and torned and a brown spot was visible on the side. The title was “Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troy”.
Before anyone could comment, Kenneth wrapped them in the paper and cleared his throat.
"You know it’s not really a gift since they’re technically mine," he informed.
“You’re right about the books,” answered Pinkie, “but I’m sparing you the travel to get them. For someone as lazy as you, that’s a wonderful gift.”
Like an unexpected volcanic eruption, everyone laughed except Kenneth, who growled like a little dog, not happy to be made fun of. Even Twilight, still stunned by what had happened tonight, chuckled. When the happy voices subsided, Kenneth looked embarrassed. He avoided Pinkie's gaze. He nevertheless made an effort to pronounce, “Thank you, Pinkie.”
"You're welcome!" she answered, laughing a bit.
Kenneth then got up, his gift under his arm, and told Octavia and Vinyl that they should go. Pinkie didn't stop him this time. She smiled despite the disappointment. The human stopped before passing the door. His immobility worried every ponies.
"You know ..." Kenneth muttered, turning around. "You’re not as bad as I thought either, Rarity."
Again, the ponies were stunned. Rarity, at first amazed, smiled at him, her eyes full of gratitude. Fluttershy, Octavia and Vinyl were simply delighted by what they saw. The musician left without saying another word, followed by Octavia and Vinyl. The elements of harmony soon did the same, apologizing to Pinkie. She was still disappointed, but the grief had evaporated at least.
On the way home, Twilight was lost in thought, ears down. Spike was worried about her, but she didn't answer his calls. Once back in the library, the little dragon prepared to go to bed while his friend sat in the living room, looking low. He saw him grabbing a scroll and a quill. She wrote on it slowly. When she finished, she asked her assistant if he could send it to Princess Celestia. He did so, but was troubled by the gloomy look of the purple unicorn as she disappeared under her blanket.
In Canterlot, the solar princess was ready to go to bed. She appreciated the softness of her bed all the more since the day had been excruciating. During this one, various personalities, including the chancellor Neighsay, had spoken to her about a rumor which worried them: the presence of a strange and terrible being in Ponyville, with her approval. She didn’t know how so many of them heard about it so quickly, but she wasn’t that surprised. She knew that Kenneth’s existence would sooner or later be discovered by the Canterlot nobility. She had just hoped it would happen under better circumstances. The Grand Galloping Gala was coming soon and a new clay monster attack had been reported, this time in Manehattan.
As the princess wondered how she and her sister would deal with all of these issues, a scroll appeared right in front of her muzzle. She knew what it was and smiled. She hoped that her disciple would bring her good news for a change. Reading the content of the letter, disappointment and sorrow took hold of her. Her disciple's words were filled with sadness. She had described the evening she had lived, Pinkie's tears, the confessions of her friends, how Kenneth talked about himself... It was the conclusion of this letter that hurt her the most.
"The more I think about what Pinkie told me, the more I realize how right she was. Kenneth is not very easy-going, but he has never been cruel to us. By giving him a little time, he even began to want to help Fluttershy and respect Princess Luna. I was unfair to him and believed that what I understood about friendship gave me the right to judge him. Partly because I was afraid he would hurt the people I love, but maybe also because I was… arrogant. I am your disciple, the element of Magic and the first to study the magic of friendship. I really thought I knew how it worked, what a good friend is. Therefore, I behaved as the exact opposite of one, as if I had learned absolutely nothing and forgot how I was before.
I apologize for disappointing you Princess and can only promise to do better in the future.
Twilight Sparkle”
The solar princess put the letter down, a tear in her eye. She herself didn’t like this Kenneth Marshall. However, Twilight's words made her wonder if she was right to be so suspicious of him. And there was another problem: if she was not careful, the rumors concerning him would be limited to his attitude when they first met. Now, he seemed more reasonable. She had to find a way to present him to everypony in a way that would calm them. An idea occurred to her. She didn’t know if it was a good one, but it would both solve this problem and make her sure that the human was capable of being considerate.
She had to invite him to the Grand Galloping Gala.
The Golden Oak Library was perfectly quiet. It could have been a great thing given the nature of this place, except that the silence that reigned was cold and overwhelming. Only the small strokes of Spike's feather duster made it more breathable. The little dragon inattentively accomplished his task as he glanced anxiously at his friend collapsed on a sofa that she had immediately joined when she got out of bed. If Twilight didn't have her eyes open halfway he would have thought she was asleep again under the weight of some terrible exhaustion. Her silent apathy was occasionally interrupted by deep and very dark sighs. A rainbow-colored stream passed through one of the windows and its raspy voice sound like a chime in this tomb.
“What’s up guys!”
“Hi Rainbow Dash!” declared Spike with renewed energy.
Although very low, Twilight's murmurs attracted the attention of the blue pegasus, then her concern when she discovered the sluggish mass Twilight had become.
"Seems I had a good intuition wanting to see how you were doing," Rainbow suggested to the little dragon, before flying gently towards Twilight. "Hmm ... Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah..." the unicorn mumbled, not looking at her.
“Don’t need to be Applejack to see that’s not true. What’s the deal?”
Twilight said nothing. She just turned her head a few degree, as heavy as leads, as if this simple gesture could make her disappear from the surface of Equis and people's memories. Saddened, Rainbow Dash moved away to question Spike.
"She's been like this since Kenneth's party."
“Really? Twilight, it was, like, three days ago. Nopony thinks about it anymore.”
“Maybe,” declared the unicorn with a weak tone, “but I do.”
Rainbow Dash was not comfortable with this depression. She wasn’t good with emotions and therefore didn’t know how to react to this kind of collapse, but she couldn’t leave her friend in such a state.
"Come on!" she tried with benevolent enthusiasm. “Just get up from this sofa, take a book, and do some of your nerdy stuff. You like this, right?”
"I don’t want to read."
Spike and Rainbow Dash exploded with dismay hearing these impossible words. They exchanged troubled looks before throwing themselves at the librarian's bedside. The pegasus looked at her from all angles, looking for the slightest explicit symptom of a terrible disease, while the dragon put his hand on her forehead. None of this caused the slightest reaction from the unicorn.
"What happened to you?" asked the worried element of loyalty. "I understand it's not fun to argue with a friend, but I'm sure Pinkie doesn’t hold a grudge against you. Nopony does.”
"It's not just that," sighed Twilight. "Princess Celestia sent me a message with our invitations to this year's Grand Galloping Gala."
“She did?! AWESOME!” Rainbow leaped with joy, before Spike's frowning eyes reminded her of the situation. “I mean… Cool. So?”
"There’s one more invitation this time," finished the unicorn in despair. “She asked me to invite Kenneth.”
“WHAT?! You kidding me? But why? He literally shouted at her and Princess Luna.”
“The Princess said that Canterlot nobles heard about him and are not comfortable with her decision to let an unknown creature live here. Since I said in a letter that he was sometimes reasonable, she would like to present him during the gala to prevent rumors and fear from spreading.”
"You mean she thinks Kenneth is capable of making a good impression to dozens of fancy ponies he never met because she asked him to? Your letter must have been very optimistic.”
“It doesn’t matter. He won’t come.”
Before Rainbow could express her surprise, Spike anticipated her question.
"When she got the message from Celestia, she asked me to go see Kenneth, invite him, and explain the situation. Twilight thought that if she was the one doing it, he would refuse right away.”
“So what did he say?”
"The polite version: He doesn’t care about a snobbish party that is most likely boring."
“I can understand that…”
“And when I explained it was a Princess’ demand, he said that she could take a hike. That’s still the polite version.”
The pegasus let out a frustrated sigh without any trace of surprise. In general, she respected headstrong people, but this human made her reconsider that. She approached her sad friend to try to help her again.
“Twilight, it’s not that bad. I'm sure the Princess understood when you told her that.”
"I did not." Rainbow's eyes widened. The unicorn added, her eyelids heavier and her lips twisted by a sadness which stretched her weak voice, "I don't have the courage to tell her that I have failed again. I... I can't tell her that. I don't know how I could face her again.”
As she rubbed her eyes with a heavy hoof, Rainbow lowered her ears and Spike felt sad. None knew what to do for Twilight. Her relationship with Celestia had always been a sensitive issue. Rainbow Dash was angry with Kenneth, who she believed was responsible for the situation.
"You’re not going to let this two-legged moron ruin your life, are you?"
Twilight simply listed in despair, as an unhealthy reminder of her own weakness.
"I'm supposed to bring him to the gala tomorrow and make sure he behaves well. Except that not only does he hate me, but even if he agreed to come, he would intimidate everyone on purpose for fun.”
"He could do that indeed," admitted the little dragon.
"So what?" pursued the blue pegasus. "It doesn't matter. We forget this idiot and we're going to have fun with all our friends. Too bad for him! Like I said, I'm sure the princess won't hold it against you. I know Fluttershy and Rarity started appreciating him, but if he wanted us to be friends, he would put in a little more effort. I know I would if you asked me to be quiet at one of those Canterlot parties, even if I know I’d be bored to death."
Twilight raised her ears.
“Wait… What did you say?”
Rainbow was surprised by this slight and unexpected revival.
"That I would do it for you, even if it was boring."
“Because we’re friends, right?”
“Of course we are.”
The light slowly turned on in Twilight's eyes before exploding with an epiphany that blinded his assistant and the element of loyalty with surprise.
“That’s it! If I become friends with him once and for all, he’ll make the effort to come at the gala and be well behaved. That way, I’ll be worthy of saying again that I know what friendship is and the Princess will be delighted.”
Twilight leaped from her couch to her desk and magically levitated various books which she flicked through as Spike and Rainbow Dash exchanged lost looks.
"I guess it is logical..." admitted the dragon with some hesitation. “But isn’t that just manipulation?”
“No, of course not. I’ll just be nice with him so we can have a fresh start.”
“Right,” hesitated Rainbow Dash, “but how will you do it? Don’t want to be the pessimist here but you don’t really seem to appreciate each other.”
Twilight gave his assistant a small bag with paper, a quill, and some ink, before announcing with a sorry look, “You’re right. We’re far from it and I’ve not been a good friend lately.”
“Don’t say that. Sure, you stopped talking to us for several weeks and made Pinkie cry, but… Forget that. I just mean that nopony blames you. Even Kenneth must have stopped thinking about it.”
“Maybe, but if I want to make things right, I’ll need to reconsider everything I learned about friendship. And for that, I think a good start would be to ask you some questions.”
Rainbow and Spike raised their eyebrows, not understanding what she meant. Twilight hurried to clarify.
“You and the others are my friends but also the elements of harmony. It is you that helped me understand what friendship is. So the best way to become a good friend again is to ask you what you think it is. Spike, take notes! So, Rainbow Dash, what does a good friend do in your opinion?”
Rainbow wasn't sure it was the right method, but her friend had finally regained some energy.
"Well... For me, a friend is somepony who stays by your side even in the worst moments. And I'm not just talking about when timberwolves attack or during a fight against an ancient evil monster. A friend stays with you even when you’re not feeling well, when you’re not having fun or not very pleasant. It’s important to be sure you can have someone by your side anytime unconditionally.”
“Okay! Did you get that, Spike? Good. Then let’s see the others,” declared Twilight while running out of her gloomy library, with her uncertain but reassured friends.
“What a good friend does?” repeated Applejack while bucking one of her precious trees. “That’s an easy one. Friends always tell you the truth, even when it's hard to say or hear.”
“I see,” declared twilight, considering this advice. "But what if we know that our friend will not listen to us? Or will get angry?"
"Doesn’t matter," answered the farmer while getting a crate full of delicious apples. “If it’s for his own good, it’s important to tell a buddy what you think. Without sincerity, there can’t be no trust.”
“Great! Thank you Applejack,” yelled Celesta’s disciple while running away with a busy Spike and a curious Rainbow Dash. She wondered what the farmer would have thought if Twilight had told her why she asked that.
After filling a bird feeder with fresh seeds, Fluttershy answered her friend's question uncertainly.
“I would say a good friend is pleasant and understanding. Life is difficult for everypony, so it’s important to be kind and show some understanding. Friends comfort each other when they’re not doing well, show signs of compassion, ask if their friends are doing well... "
Fluttershy pulled a little carrot out of her satchel and handed it to her rabbit, Angel. He stared at the vegetable from end to end before swinging it in her face, frowning.
“Even when they’re not nice to you,” Fluttershy added.
"Even when they make your life impossible or don't listen to you?" asked Twilight.
The element of kindness glanced at the grumpy rabbit who just sulked.
“Yes, even in that case.”
“Alright! Thank you, Fluttershy!”
Twilight and her companions quickly set off for their next destination, while the kind pegasus weakly implored her rabbit friend to make an effort.
“Come on, Angel. You know you’re on diet.”
Rarity patted her chin with her hoof while one of her needles floated in a magical azure aura. Finishing a hem, she shared her answer.
“Well, I would say that a good friend is never stingy with its time and efforts for those he cares about. If there is something you can do to make them smile, you should do it.”
“Like what?”
“It doesn’t need to be complicated. Having a small discussion, sharing a cup of tea, cooking a little pastry when they feel down... Offering a little gift is always a good method to show your appreciation to somepony.”
“Oh it’s nothing at all. But why did you ask me… ”
Rarity's question was cut off by her friend's frantic gallop towards the exit. She redirected her questions to Rainbow Dash and Spike.
"I’ll explain later," declared the element of loyalty. “Let’s just say for now she’s revising her lessons.”
Although intrigued, Rarity had to return to the dress she was working on. Many other orders remained to be produced and she couldn’t put in as much energy as usual, for a reason which she was unaware of, but seemed to date from the time of the strange monologue which Kenneth had held in her shop a few days ago.
The last pony the trio visited was the most difficult for Twilight to interview. She feared, since that famous party, that her friend was angry with her. As Pinkie was whipping brownie dough, she approached her, looking low, ears down with a trembling voice.
“Hi Pinkie…”
“TWILIGHT!” screamed the pink pony, leaping before crushing her in her arms. “I’m so happy to see you again! I was afraid that you would have shut yourself up in your library to work for weeks again, but I thought that it wouldn’t be very coherent or dramatic from a narrative point of view. I'm glad you're not mad at me.”
“What? But Pinkie, I thought you would be angry with me after what happened...”
Her sentence was cut by a pastry stuck by surprise in her mouth.
“Stop saying nonsense and eat this peace cupcake. Just tell me what you want.”
Twilight was so confused after what happened that she mumbled with her cheeks full and hurried to swallow her cake before trying again.
“No need to repeat,” said Pinkie, “I fluently speak the Full Mouth language. So, what does a good friend do? They have fun of course! You laugh with them, share jokes, do pranks, or simply have a good time with the others with common activities. Did you get that, Spike? Then take this Choco-hazelnut cupcake box and this bottle of cider. That’s a perfect little gift for Kenneth.”
Her bag filled with the gifts, Twilight stammered, "How do you know I’m..."
“Shoo-shoo! No time to explain. You have a long chapter ahead and me, a lot of orders. See you later!”
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all stood still, as if every portion of energy in them had been requisitioned to try to understand what Pinkie had just said. A pocket of intuitive resistance nevertheless managed to move their bodies to drag them as far as possible from the source of these insoluble puzzles doped with icing sugar.
In front of Octavia's home, Twilight finished rereading Spike's notes with an attention that the muffled noises coming from the house could not disturb. The trio had discreetly watched through the window and discovered the human playing with his red guitar and shaking his head in all directions. The walls prevented them from clearly perceiving what he was singing, but everypony could see that it was not calm at all.
“Alright,” said Twilight hopefully, "if I follow the advice you and the others have given me and my plan goes off without a hitch, I should be able to be friends with Kenneth by the end of the day. That way I will be a good friend again and the princess will attend the gala without a worry.”
Confused, Spike scratched his head, declaring,"I'm still not convinced this is the right way to do it."
“Yeah, me neither,” added Rainbow Dash. “I mean, if you were planning our next friendly trip like this, I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”
"Don’t worry. It's just to be sure that Kenneth and I start off on the right foot.”
Twilight raised a hoof in front of the door but froze before knocking. She hesitated for a moment before giving an embarrassed look to her friends.
"Now that I think about it... It may be better that you leave us alone."
“What? Why?” asked the blue pegasus.
"Kenneth gets along pretty well with Spike but not with you. This could complicate the situation.”
“Are you saying that I'm a troublemaker here?!”
“No!” corrected an embarrassed Twilight. "I'm just saying we'll save time if I have to focus on one friendship rather than two or three at the same time."
Rainbow frowned with a rage that almost scared the young unicor. She ended up walking away, muttering, with Spike at her side, and while Celestia's disciple reread her parchment covered with notes one last time, the two friends jumped behind a bush from which they would have a perfect view of the situation. She could ask them to stay away, but certainly not to miss such a spectacle.
Twilight took a deep breath, levitating her paper in her bag. She raised a determined hoof and knocked on the door. The muffled sounds of the house continued without interruption. Twilight struck again with more force. Still nothing and she was starting to lose patience. She had a lot to do to make them friends and not a moment to lose. She struck again with all her might. He couldn't be playing that loudly. The unicorn grabbed the handle in the hope that the door had not been locked. Unfortunately for her, it was not. As soon as she opened it, she released a sonic hurricane that pulled her mane and eyelids back and almost threw her away like a tornado. Even Rainbow and Spike had to hang onto their bush to not fly away.
Twilight quickly closed the door, eyes wide with dread, as much because of the power of this song as the few words she had understood in the midst of this cacophony so harsh that she would have thought that the singer had a sore throat. The two spies shook their heads to stop their eyes from whirling and their ears from whistling.
"Octavia and Vinyl really soundproofed the place well," admitted Rainbow.
The unicorn, initially so sure of herself, began to doubt whether she really wanted to continue her self-assigned mission. Her fortress of certainty was blown away like a house of cards by this infernal gust. She glanced out the window, the tiles of which now made her think of the marvelous bars of a big lion cage. The metalhead finished stamping his feet and blew a great blow, perfectly relaxed. It was the right time to intervene. Twilight continued to hesitate, but quickly re-motivated herself; otherwise she might have to wait for him to finish another song. She knocked on the door very quickly and waited with each of her muscles tensed. Finally, she perceived steps and the wooden shutter rotated to reveal the giant in the red and black shirt. On discovering his visitor, he arched a puzzled eyebrow that barely changed his always angry face.
“Nerd? What are you doing here?”
Twilight refrained from telling him how bad it was to greet someone like that. Fluttershy's advice barred the way to this reflex and the unicorn just pulled her lips to form a smile.
“Hey Kenneth!” she said. “Good morning!”
"Hmm... Good Morning too."
Twilight, in her need to hold onto some hope, took this basic mark of politeness as a good start. Her mind unrolled the memory of her plan and took the first step by magically floating the cupcake box and the cider entrusted to her by her pastry friend.
"Here! A little gift from me… and Pinkie.”
A little taken aback, Kenneth slowly took the gifts while remaining frozen and silent, his eyes wide open with incomprehension. Twilight considered what advice could be applied right now. So she made an honest suggestion.
"In this kind of case, you should say thank you."
“I guess… Thank you?”
"You're welcome."
Twilight began to relax her lips, her smile becoming more natural. Before she could start the next step of the plan, Kenneth spoke.
"And you, in this kind of case, you should answer the question I asked you."
"Oh! Sorry. I came because I thought we could spend the day together, get to know each other a little better, share some activities... What do you say?"
Kenneth remained stagnant, his puzzled eyes fixed on her smiling face and eyes filled with some hope he did not understand.
“Are you asking me on a date?”
“WHAT?!!!” screamed Twilight, fully tensed and her face cherry-red.
In the back, behind their bush, the two spies were laughing. While Kenneth was intrigued by this voices in the distance, Twilight stopped being a statue by shaking her head and asking with pure shock, “How could you have come directly to this conclusion?”
“You arrive without warning, smiling, with gifts and asking me if I want to spend the day with you. What else am I supposed to believe?”
“That I want to be friendly with you!”
Kenneth frowned, deep in thought.
“Now that you say it, I guess in my hypothesis the roles would be reversed.”
“Absolutely!” Twilight took a deep breath and regained her composure like a tightrope walker who almost fell. “So? What do you think? Would you like to have some fun with your friend Twilight?”
“No, not really.”
Twilight felt herself losing ground again.
“WHY?!” She interrupted herself with a hoof on her lips before starting again more gently. “I mean... Why not?”
"Firstly because I didn’t sleep well and need some resting time. That’s why I was quietly playing music..."
“Quietly?” asked Rainbow and Spike to each others.
“And secondly, since when are we friends? You've been pretty clear about what you think about me at Pinkie’s party."
Twilight lowered her ears and head. She found it harder to look him in the eyes as Kenneth pierced her with an annoyed look. Rainbow and Spike uselessly craned their curious heads to better see how this situation would turn out.
“I know what I said,” admitted the unicorn, looking up at him, "and it was unworthy of a friend. But I'm precisely there to make amends. Do you want to start over again?”
Kenneth raised an eyebrow before looking at the cakes and the drink she had brought, as well as her heavy little eyes. His sharp gaze dulled a little. The musician placed the cupcakes and the bottle on a piece of furniture.
“What do you suggest?”
Twilight shone with new energy before remembering her plan.
"I thought we could start with a quiet stroll in the park."
"Okay for the walk, but I promise nothing for the quiet part.”
Twilight gulped in anguish over what might happen if she didn't keep him occupied. She contented herself with a nervous laugh as she offered to go. Before that, Kenneth made her wait while he put his guitar in its case and slung it around his back.
“Do you really need that?” asked Twilight, a bit nervous.
“Maybe not, but I want to keep it with me.”
More anxious than ever, Twilight led the way, keeping an eye on the human, while Spike and Rainbow discreetly followed them.
In the middle of the emerald trees and the intoxicating scent of wild flowers, the walkers saw their routine and project of restful day a little undermined. On a road frequented by various ponies of all ages, Twilight was chatting with the immense creature that had unleashed a terrible hurricane on the city with a loud monstrous cry. Most fled at his sight. The majority contented themselves with watching them pass with big eyes, most of them surprised, others very worried. Rainbow discreetly landed in a tree with Spike, masked by the foliage.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” asked Spike.
“Don’t know. And I would say it’s more about what SHE said. I don’t remember Twilight letting Kenneth talk for a second.”
The human and the unicorn then settled on a bench not far from the hiding place of the two spies. Kenneth sit with a big sigh, placing his guitar near him, while Twilight continued to palaver.
“And when we found Rarity, she already had troubled the diamond dogs so much that... Are you listening?”
“Yeah yeah. Your princess is great. Canterlot is great. Your friends are great. Books are great.”
Rainbow Dash looked at Spike with a not so surprised gaze.
"I'm sure that's a good recap."
Twilight wanted to be angry but focused on her mission. She could see that Kenneth was not very interested and needed to fix it to improve their relationship. Under the curious gaze of passers-by, she pondered the various advices of her friends and tried to apply Pinkie’s one while pretending to make fun of herself.
“Well I talk, I talk... but what about you. Do you have anything to say? Like a good joke?”
“A joke?”
“Yeah. You must have some funny human stories to tell. Come on, don’t be shy.”
Kenneth looked at her dubiously, before giving in.
“Alright. Let me think… A man works every day to earn a few pennies. He gets up before dawn, starts the day already exhausted, hurts himself at work and is insulted by his boss, mocked by his colleagues and comes home at night to be roughed up every day by thugs. He decides that one day he will be the most powerful man in town. After years of enduring this and working hard, he eventually get promoted and makes more money. He, in turn, mistreats his subordinates, steals money from his company and ends up becoming the most powerful and wealthiest man ever. With all that he makes people work like slaves in appalling conditions to build a huge statue to his glory. He fights with all his might against those who want to stop the construction. Right after cutting the ribbon, the great Cthulhu rises and crushes him and his statue under its foot. ”
Silence reigned throughout the park. Twilight, Rainbow, Spike, and all the ponies present within earshot of Kenneth remained motionless, eyes wide.
“And?” asked Twilight.
"That’s the joke."
At the same moment, at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie inhaled strongly and had wide eyes.
“HAAAAA! I felt a great disturbance in the fun, as if numerous ponies had heard a joke but nothing funny…”
After the park remained frozen for what seemed like an eternity, all the ponies who heard the human’s joke walked away without taking his eyes off him, as if to be sure they were not followed. Only Kenneth and Twilight remained on their benches and the two spies in their hiding place. The unicorn could not even take her eyes off the musician. Her mind was dissecting every sentence he had uttered, but couldn't find any explanation.
"How is this a joke?"
"I knew you wouldn't get it."
"So explain to me."
The human sighed, growling.
“Don't want to.”
“Why not?”
“Too long to explain. And then if I explain the joke, it’s no longer funny.”
"If it is not funny without explanations, it’s not even a joke. You don't have to be the element of laughter to know that.”
“My joke is perfect. You're the one who doesn't understand it.”
“Are you saying I’m stupid?!”
"No, just that you do not know certain things."
"Like what?"
"Stuff you wouldn't understand."
Twilight felt herself engulfed in fury and ready to go abroad. However, she noticed the young man's annoyed look and took a deep breath. She repeated to herself like a mantra that she was doing this for Princess Celestia until her spirit calmed down and remembered the advices of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. When her anger subsided, she tried to ask him one last time to get a clear answer in an artificially affable tone.
“Can you give me a quick explanation? Or even a summarization?”
Kenneth stared at her with piercing eyes for a long, calm moment that worried his interlocutor. He nevertheless ends up pronouncing.
“I’ll tell you the key. When I read that sentence from Lovecraft, I understood many things, but don’t expect to do it directly.”
"That’s the author of one of your book, isn’t it?" Twilight asked with a little more enthusiasm.
"Yup, he's my favorite one."
“So what did he say?”
“The world is indeed comical, but the joke is on mankind.”
Twilight blinked, frozen again. Her mind tried again to understand what Kenneth had told her. Although she understood that he was not really limiting his quote to his species, she only managed to formulate a hypothesis that worried her.
“Are you saying that we are all the toys of great forces that want to hurt us and that it’s funny?”
“As I said: you won’t understand directly.”
The unicorn, frustrated to not understand, wanted to ask him questions. Especially since the detached and somewhat haughty air of the metalhead annoyed her. However, she understood that by talking about his favorite author, she had a chance to strengthen their friendship thanks to a potential common passion. She thought it was not that different than sharing a common activity.
“If your favorite author said that, I can understand why you believe it. Did you read a lot in your world?”
“Not really. I was more interested in music, but I guess I wasn’t the less cultured of my band.”
In the tree above them, Rainbow began to despair as she understood what the topic of the conversation was about to be.
“I like reading, as you noticed.”
“No? Really?”
Twilight pretended that his sarcasm was funny.
"What do you like to read in general?"
“Aside from Lovecraft? A bit of Allan Poe, Hodgson, Shelley, Steinbeck..."
“Sorry, but we don’t know them here.”
“Oh, right. They’re mostly horror fiction writers. Except Steinbeck, he’s more of a social realism guy, but I only read one of his books.”
“Why? He’s not interesting?”
“No, he’s a good writer. It’s just not what I prefer. I only keep Of Mice and Men because it was a present from my uncle.”
“Your uncle likes reading?”
“Yeah, for a soldier he was a real bookworm.” Twilight noted a surprisingly soft tone from Kenneth, who had stopped looking at her in the eye. “I think you would have appreciate him. He's the one who introduced me to Lovecraft. He didn’t want me to only read what my mother kept at home.”
“She likes reading too?” asked the unicorn with even more hope.
“I guess. I remember she liked to read grandma’s arthurian tales for me when I was younger. The french version. She said they were more poetic. However, with all the work she had, she didn’t have a lot of time for reading in the end. She was more into music. She’s the one who taught me how to play and appreciate it. Whether it came from bands, movies, or games.”
Kenneth looked at his instrument before stroking it with a delicate hand.
“She even offered me this guitar for my twelfth birthday, with my uncle’s help, since it was really expensive. We didn’t have much money.”
While Twilight could sense the emotion hidden under the dark and stoic face of the human, she thought about something curious that needed an answer.
“Wait. Why aren’t you eager to go home then? Your mother and uncle must be really worried about you.”
“Don’t think so. They’re dead.”
Hearing this, Twilight widened her eyes and lowered her ears, as did Rainbow Dash and Spike. Kenneth had never actually spoken about his relatives when Twilight interviewed him. She now understood why. She was very embarrassed now and felt that she had to find a way to make him smile a little to avoid slowing the formation of their friendship. She tried something in desperation.
“What about your father? Is he…”
"That’s the limit." Kenneth cut her sentence like a knife, his eyes cold as ice.
Twilight understood that her awkward attempt was a complete failure and cursed herself internally for her stupidity. She hadn't just made him sad, she realized, his eyes like arrows ready to be shoot at her. She had made him angry. For one reason or another, his father's topic was taboo. She no longer knew what to do. A word wrong and she felt that she would ruin all her efforts. Seeing the pathetic situation in which her friend was, and fearing that the human might act violently, Rainbow could no longer sit idly by. She growled and flew up to the sky to go by the human’s side and the unicorn from a direction that would not betray her hiding place.
"Hey, what’s up?" she said to break the ice.
Twilight jumped when she discovered the blue pegasus, but Kenneth didn’t see it since he was now staring at her curiously.
“Birdbrain? What are you doing here?”
Annoyed by the nickname, Rainbow couldn't help but frown and raise her voice.
“What? I don’t have the right to fly around on a resting day?”
“Of course you can. It's a free country... I guess. I actually wonder how my country would consider a monarchy ruled by an immortal ruler.”
A little surprised by the musician's thinking, the pegasus preferred to move on, pretending to ignore it.
“Whatever. What are you doing?”
“Just talking,” answered Kenneth, like there was no problematic discussion before.
Twilight, almost panicking with the addition of a new factor in her relation calculations, declared with a tensed laugh, “Yeah! Just chit-chatting like two normal, boring people. Nothing that would captivate you. So, thanks for passing by, but you probably should go.”
Both Kenneth and Rainbow looked at her with surprised gazes. The human was the first to react.
“Hey! Even I know that’s not cool to say. For someone who talks about friendship all the time, you're pretty impolite with your friend.”
“For once, I agree with Weirdo!”
“Seriously? That’s the nickname you chose for me?”
“What? I think it suits you.”
“Yeah but, by Yog-Sothoth, it’s so uninspired I’m not even a bit mad at you.”
“What about Big Ape? Huh?”
“That would be problematic in my country nowadays, but at least there’s an idea. For you, I hesitated a bit. I thought about Superbird at first.”
“This one is kinda nice actually.”
“That’s why I didn’t choose it.”
“Hmm… You’re right. Too cool to be insulting. What about Furless Bag?”
“I don’t feel offended but I give you the point for originality, Chicken Flash.”
“Oh! That one’s good, Squishy Squid.”
“Squid? Oh! because of my hands? That’s funny, Rainbow Crash.”
“Ha ha! I haven’t been called like that since Filly Garden, Lazy Flank.”
“A solid classic in pony version. Interesting, Speed Pigeon.”
“Cider Junkie.“
“Girly Dash.”
“Screaming Pig.”
“Hippie Brush.”
“Cupcake Hole.”
Kenneth and Rainbow remained staring at each other for a moment in tensed silence, under the worried looks of Spike and Twilight. It broke when the pegasus and the musicians started to smile and exchanged glances in which reflected, to Twilight's surprise, a certain form of respect.
“Not bad,” kindly declared Rainbow Dash.
“Not bad too, Dashie.”
The pegasus was very surprised by this, before showing a light smile to the metalhead that Spike, from the top of his branch, had too. Twilight, on the other hand, was completely confused. She threw herself on her notes in anguish. She was investigating how Rainbow had managed to improve her relationship with Kenneth so quickly. What they said to each other could count as honesty but was not nice at all. It sounded like a joke as they generously exchanged insults. And in addition to not getting along a minute ago, they hadn't been friends for long enough to forget the wickedness of it all out of loyalty. Twilight didn't understand anything anymore. Rainbow then heard a pleasant sound. When she discovered the origin, she had an idea that she hoped would help her friend.
“Hey look! It's the monthly Music Show now.”
“The what?” asked Kenneth.
"It's an event where ponies can come play whatever they want on the park's bandstand in front of everypony."
Kenneth seemed quite surprised to discover this. Twilight was still panicking but Rainbow Dash had a good intuition that going to this show was part of her original plan.
“Yeah,” she declared with an embarrassed laugh, “why don’t we go assist it?”
"I guess that’s fine," admitted the human, getting up with his guitar case and following Rainbow Dash. “Come on, Nerd.”
Twilight was still tensed, but at least the plan was still going on. She just needed to keep him company and make him talk to her. Rainbow was kind to help her, but she needed to make sure Kenneth was better friends with her than with Rainbow. She didn’t felt like she was making any progress. When she got up to follow them, she heard a voice above and discovered a shameful Spike asking for help getting down. With a frustrated blow, Twilight used her magic to bring him on her back, before giving him a frowned gaze that made Spike uncomfortable.
Arriving at the bandstand, Kenneth discovered many ponies gathered to attend the show of a gray pegasus with a blond mane playing flute. She had an amateur level but definitely put heart into it, producing a choppy but catchy melody. Kenneth stayed away from the crowd with Rainbow and enjoyed the show under the watchful eye of Twilight, who had dropped Spike on the ground.
When the gray pegasus, whose eyes looked a little crooked, had finished playing, she gave way to an unicorn with an aquamarine coat who began a sweet melody with a lyra. Twilight, in another attempt to chat and bond with the metalhead, explained to him with a measured voice.
“It's Lyra Heartstrings. She comes to play every month, like Octavia.”
“I can see why. She’s pretty good.”
“By the way,” asked Rainbow, “where is she? And Vinyl?”
“Octavia said she had to go to Canterlot to prepare for this gala shit. Vinyl, I don’t know. She doesn’t say what she does or where she goes… Or anything at all, but I guess she didn’t had time to sign in this show.”
“Oh, there's no signing for that,” detailed Spike. "It's open for everypony."
Kenneth opened his eyes wide.
“Really? Well, I’ll go then.”
At these words, Twilight's stress level exploded. Every fiber of her body tensed with anxiety at the memory of the music she had heard him play. As the human walked toward the bandstand, under the puzzled, if not worried, looks of some of the audience's ponies, Twilight teleported directly in front of him.
"You can’t do that!" she screamed.
In addition to Kenneth's astonished gaze, Twilight noticed that she had attracted the attention of the entire public, but instead of being embarrassed, she tried to soften her words by combining Applejack and Fluttershy’s advice.
"I mean... I don’t think you should do that."
“Why?”
“Your music is a bit intimidating. You might scare everypony and it’s not only not very nice but afterwards it’ll be up to me, as a disciple of Celestia, to reassure them. Could you simply not play for now? If it doesn’t bother you.”
Rainbow and Spike exchanged an intrigued glance at the discovery of this strange behavioral mixture which didn’t resemble Twilight at all. Kenneth stared at her in perplexity before announcing, “I think I’ll do like the color out of space who felt on Gardner’s property.”
“Which means?”
“Don’t give a shit and do what I want.”
Kenneth walked around the panicking unicorn who teleported again in front of him, screaming.
"STOP! I'm asking that as a friend!"
“We’re not friends, Nerd.”
“How can’t we be even a bit friends?! I offered you a gift, I gave you my honest opinion, I was nice with you even when you were not listening, we shared an activity and talked about a common hobby. I did everything my notes said!” The unicorn levitated her scroll listing her friends' advice and plan. “So why can’t you make an effort to be nicer when I ask you to do it?”
Kenneth remained frozen in amazement, under the intrigued eyes of Rainbow, Spike, and all the other ponies. Twilight was furious, with an intense look with her jaw tight. Kenneth's eyes became sharp like knives again. He understood the essence of everything Twilight had done today. With his hands firm like raptors' talons, he grabbed the document the unicorn was making fly and, before her wide eyes, tore it in two. He dropped the scraps of paper and said darkly, pointing at her.
“Fuck you.”
All the ponies present almost lost their jaw and made their eyes pop out of their sockets when they saw this strange creature insulting the disciple of Princess Celestia and element of magic. She stayed frozen like a statue as Kenneth walked away to the bandstand. He took his guitar out of his case and faced the audience in an imposing way. Everyone started to worry as the metalhead raised his hand, unaware that at that moment, the only thing Kenneth wanted was to break the expectations of the one who had made fun of him.
At first impressed, the audience then became intrigued, then interested. The ears paid attention to each series of notes and the hooves began to move to the rhythm of this noisy music, sometimes muddled but actually very festive. Rainbow Dash even let herself dance. The only one who didn't move an eyelash was Twilight. In front of her bewildered eyes, there were only amused faces and big smiles, including Kenneth, who stamped his feet and shook his head without missing a single chord.
When the music ended, there was a moment of silence, followed by a tidal wave of cries of joy. The next moment, several ponies approached the bandstand and spoke enthusiastically to Kenneth. Derpy told him how great she thought his music was. Lyra asked him questions about his hands which she found strangely fascinating. Aloe and Lotus did the same and asked him if he intended to go to the spa, while Dr. Hooves seemed more captivated by his musical instrument.
A little overwhelmed by this delirious crowd, Kenneth descended from the bandstand in the hope that the crowd would calm down a bit and let him go, but without success. The ponies followed him with an innocent curiosity that embarrassed and flattered him at the same time. Understanding that they would not stop, Kenneth tried to answer some questions as calmly as possible under the shocked, and very satisfying for him, look of Twilight.
The element of magic no longer knew what to think. Kenneth had insulted her, played his music, and everypony liked it. She wanted him to be appreciated, acting in a way which made him more likable, and yet she was not okay, because she understood that he had achieved this by doing what he wanted, not to please her. Thus, he had shown her that he could attract the sympathy of others if he wanted to and when he wanted to. She had no control over him and he wouldn't do anything for her if he didn't agree. He didn't care about making her happy. They weren't friends. With low ears and dragging her hoofs, Twilight moved away from the crowd, under the worried looks of Spike and Rainbow.
The sun was quite low on the horizon. Princess Celestia would soon make Equestria switch from day to night. On a hill on the edge of Ponyville, her disciple had a very heavy head. Her half-closed eyes, weighed down by despair, stared at the ground without looking at it. She no longer knew what to do and, at that moment, didn’t want to think anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. She dreamed of disappearing from the surface of Equis. She heard heavy footsteps which, with a burst of curiosity, made her look up. The unicorn discovered the last thing she thought she would see.
“Kenneth?”
The human stared at her with his usual intimidating look.
“What are you doing here?”
“Dashie asked me to speak with you.”
Twilight's eyes widened in amazement.
“Why?”
"I'm not sure. I guess she’s worried about you, but I don’t understand why she didn’t come herself.”
Kenneth put his guitar case down against a tree and lay down on the grass, exhausted. Its relaxed appearance did not reassure the unicorn, however.
“You have good friends,” declared Kenneth.
Twilight lowered her ears again.
“Indeed,” she admitted.
The two remained silent for a few moments. Twilight didn't dare look at him or speak. She didn’t know how he felt. In the end, under the weight of curiosity, she asked the question that was torturing her mind.
“Are you angry with me?”
“That depends.”
Kenneth's response surprised Twilight.
“On what?”
“On why you fucked with me. I hate being manipulated. The last one who tried ended up with his teeth on the floor and his balls turned to scrambled eggs.”
Kenneth's vulgarity and violence no longer surprised the young unicorn at this point. She just plunged into his confused thoughts. She was exhausted. She had thought so much and got so disappointed that she didn’t want to do it now. She simply talked, her eyes becoming wet.
“The princess is my mentor. She asked me to make friends, but after Pinkie’s party… I felt like I had failed. And now she asked me to make you come to the Gala, but I know you’ll make a mess and I can’t let that happen. I ... I can’t put her in an uncomfortable position. I can’t face her after failing everything she asked me. I owe her too much. After the party, I realized that I had missed everything, as a disciple and as friends. I have studied friendship for years and have acted with pride. I made one of my friends cry and now I can't even do something as simple for my mentor as inviting someone. I thought I could correct everything by becoming your friend so you would be more reasonable if I asked you. I just...” A tear rolled down Twilight’s face. “I just wanted to show her my gratitude, to be a good student. And I wanted to be a good friend to show the others my gratitude too. But if I can’t apply what they teached me, how good am I? I… I don’t know what to do anymore.”
For a long time, Kenneth watched the sad unicorn out of the corner of his eye. They then remained in total silence for a long time, each immersed in their own world. Twilight only spurted out of her grief when she heard Kenneth sigh.
“Tsathoggua help me… When is your stupid fancy celebration?”
Surprised by the question, she could only answer automatically.
“Tomorrow night.”
"I’ll need a suit?"
“I guess so.”
“Shit. Well, it has to be a bit larger than necessary. I hate feeling constricted.”
“That can be arranged with Rarity I think.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she just heard. She thought she was dreaming for a minute. As she needed to understand, even a bit, she asked the most simple question.
“Why?”
Kenneth looked at her in the eyes. He knew she wasn’t talking about the suit.
“Because you were finally honest, Nerd.”
Eyes dripping with tears, Twilight started to smile again and didn't say a word. She accepted the situation as it was and refused to risk ruining everything again. In the distance, behind a bush, Rainbow and Spike smiled in turn and clapped their hands and hoof triumphantly.
Some people don't need much to be happy. For Rarity Belle, the sound of fabric waved by a client and the muffling of the dressing room’s curtain was an uplifting melody. Despite the confidence she had in her talents as a stylist, she wondered each time how the client trying the garment she had sewn with passion would react.
“Shit! Why does it scratch like this?!” screamed the concerned young man.
Not that surprised, but still annoyed by this reaction, Rarity reacted vehemently.
“Language, Kenneth! And that’s particularly rude to say this since I worked all night on it.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that it scratches like hell.”
“Because it’s a new suit and you have no fur. You’ll get used to it… I guess.”
The human replied with a frustrated growl, but she was starting to get used to it. She then heard an exhausted sigh that made her look at Twilight. Hoping to make up a bit for the exasperation Kenneth was causing to the stylist, the purple unicorn put a sympathetic hoof on her.
“Thanks for making this suit on such short notice.”
“Oh don’t worry, I already finished my urgent orders and wasn’t really in the mood for the others. I was actually curious about creating something for a bipedal being. Humans have quite a curious anatomy. Not unlike diamond dogs or minotaurs but indeed different. It was an interesting experience. By the way, I couldn’t let him go to the gala in his usual attire.”
“My checked shirt is never good enough for you. Right? ” asked Kenneth from behind the curtain.
“There are places and times for casual clothes, and the Grand Galloping Gala isn’t one of them. The crème de la crème of Equestria’s nobility will be there, including the princesses. We need to be all dressed up, including you and Spike. Is his suit still good, Twilight?”
“It is. Dragons don’t grow up as fast as us so he can keep it for some time.”
“You don’t need to wait for too long to ask me for some new clothes for our cute little dragon. I have plenty of ideas. Suits, hats, pajamas...”
“No wonder the kiddo doesn’t grow any balls if you treat him like a doll,” commented Kenneth.
Rarity grunted in turn and tried to ignore the metalhead's remark.
“Speaking of Spike, where is he now?” she asked Twilight.
“At the library. I need him to prepare my luggage since I’ll have some research to do in Canterlot’s library after the celebrations. ”
Rarity discreetly rolled her eyes. Twilight taking advantage of her stay to visit the Canterlot Library was as unexpected as the snow in winter. The bookseller was relieved that her friend did not ask her about her goal because lying to her friends was getting more and more difficult for her. However, if she wanted to respect the will of the princesses, she had to do so. She hoped to learn more about this mysterious Ivory Tower by searching in the ancient manuscripts of the castle and thus unravel the mysteries of the Canticle. The sooner she discovered them, the faster she could tell her friends about it.
“Okay, I put this damn thing on!” announced Kenneth, quite irritated.
The young man pushed aside the curtain of the dressing room with a swift gesture to reveal his face, distorted with frowning, perched on his unrecognizable body. Instead of his faded jeans, patched red and black shirt and shirtless tank top, Kenneth was dressed in a brand new black suit over a milky white shirt. Although a little wider than necessary, these clothes made him look straighter and slender than usual. His hands in his pockets and his loose tie, however, maintained his negligee style accentuated by his slumped posture, as if his new clothes weighed as heavy as lead.
“Happy?” he asked, scratching his forearm and looking at himself. “Do I look like Sinatra at least?”
Twilight and Rarity exchanged a look that indicated they didn't know what to say. Rarity circled around him, thinking deeply, before uttering with a small smile.
“Well, I don’t know anything about human esthetic standards or celebrities but you seem presentable to me.”
“I think so too,” added Twilight.
Rarity used her magic to tighten the tie, but Kenneth hurriedly loosened it before groaning and going back into the dressing room. Shortly after, he emerged in his old clothes, his shirt over the shoulder, revealing his Cthulhu tattoo, and the costume folded and rolled up into a bundle under his arm.
“Don’t fold it like that!” intervened Rarity. “You’ll crease it.”
Kenneth fixed her gaze with a bit of aggressiveness which didn't impress her. The stylist told him not to look at her like that, and that he knew she was right. The heavier-handed approach not working, and refusing to be commanded by a unicorn barely reaching his chest, the young man took a slightly surprised look and asked her.
“Are those dark rings under your eyes?”
“WHAT?!” screamed Rarity before rushing to her room.
Twilight gave Kenneth a disapproving look. He ignored it.
"If that’s all, I’m out," declared the young man, moving to the door. “I need a nap.”
“Did you sleep badly again?” asked Twilight.
“Yup.”
“You should talk about it with Princess Luna. She might help you.”
“I'll think about it.” Kenneth stopped before the door to ask, “Meeting at six p.m. right?”
“That’s it,” confirmed Twilight.
“Did you think about the driver this time?” asked the fashion designer from upstairs, with cream on her face.
“Princess Celestia sent us a carriage.”
"Oh! A royal carriage?” said Rarity with a joyful curiosity. “I can't wait to see how it looks.”
Ponyville
5:45 P.M
The carriage was astonishing, completely made of precious wood and golden decorations and pulled by white royal guards in shining golden armor. The ponies in beautiful dresses were impatient to get in and arrive at Canterlot. Rarity placed her veil on the shoulders while observing with pride the dresses she had made for her friends. She remembered how much passion, and trouble, had gone into them. It was a good memory. She wondered why she didn’t feel the same recently. Rainbow Dash still looked like some colorful sky goddess as she arranged the golden bay leaf on her ears. Pinkie’s candy patterns were as colorful as always. Applejack seemed like an adventurous lady ready to conquer Equestria’s deserts. Fluttershy could have been mistaken for a forest fairy. Twilight, her deep blue dress shining with star patterns, seemed the least comfortable of the group.
The fashion designer knew that her friend was worried about Kenneth’s absence as it was almost time to go. Plus, the bookseller hoped Kenneth would actually be quiet, especially in front of the guards ready to take them away. She suspected that their presence was as much to give a little prestige to the transportation of the Elements of Harmony as it was to keep an eye on the extra-equisian creature that accompanied them. Twilight prayed that the human would make a good impression.
“So after punching him in the stomach,” detailed Kenneth, approaching with Spike, “I took his face in my hand and crashed him on the wall. He felt on the floor spitting a tooth, but I was unfortunately stopped before I could throw my foot on his ...”
Kenneth interrupted himself when he saw everypony. He stood silent for a moment with a strangely surprised look that he passed on each of the girls in dresses, before their confused looks woke him up.
“What’s up, girls?”
“What the hay were you telling Spike?” asked Applejack, horrified.
“My first day in high school and how I was almost expelled day one,” explained the metalhead without shame before turning again to the young dragon. “So remember this: school is like a prison. It is important to show who's the boss when someone pisses you off, or you’ll be the laughing stock of… ”
His story was interrupted by Twilight’s magic enveloping the dragon and bringing him quickly in her arms.
“Stop giving awful advices to my assistant!” she commanded with wide eyes, before laughing with embarrassment to the guards.
The element of magic could see the irritated look of the soldiers fixing on the human. They had orders and would apply them without question, but they definitely remembered the creature who had insulted and screamed at their sovereign. Their frowned eyes showed clearly that they wouldn’t mind to talk with him in private to give him a piece of them.
“Let’s go!” announced Twilight quickly, not amused by this situation.
“Yipee!” chimed Pinkie.
“Yaaay…” complained Kenneth. “Let’s see Sunbutt.”
The party had already started when the carriage arrived. Like any celebration at Canterlot Castle, it took place in a noble palace modestly hidden behind its white walls. As they got out of their carriage, the elements of harmony seemed to finally be able to breath after their travel. Pinkie hummed softly as she waved in her chair, unable to sit still, but the others were silent all along. The presence of the young man had cut all desire to discuss between them and many feared the future behavior of the metalhead. His tall stature had forced him to spend the entire trip hunched over so as not to bump into the roof of the carriage. It made him look a little ridiculous and gave him a furious expression and aura of rage that cut off any urge to laugh, especially when Rarity tightened his tie which he immediately loosened. Once facing Canterlot Castle, its golden towers and huge gate, the six elements of harmony began to smile and fidget impatiently at the incredible evening that awaited them. The stunned young human could only think of the fact that the architecture of this castle, perched on a cliff, made absolutely no sense.
“Alright Kenneth, called Twilight, “let me just give you some advice. Number one: Try to not be vulgar. Number two: Be respectful of the princesses. Number three: Don’t drink too much. Number…”
“You know the more you give me instructions, the less I listen, right?” the musician interrupted her, advancing toward the entrance.
Scared by how calmly he said that, Twilight began to stammer. Her friends, moving on too, tried to calm her.
“Don’t worry,” explained Pinkie, “he’s already making an effort.”
“How can you be so sure?” asked Twilight.
Rarity answered with a reassuring voice.
“If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have warned you.”
The element of magic wasn't really convinced, but the dice were thrown now. She quickly told Spike to ask the guards to bring the luggage to their room before joining them. The dragon nodded before attempting on his own, unsuccessfully, to carry Twilight's suitcases, twice the size of him. Twilight then hurried to join her friends, who entered under the worried looks of the guests and the alert guards. Knowing that it wasn't her or her friends who were the center of attention didn't reassure her. Kenneth put his hands in his pockets and his tie was again loosened. They had made five steps in the great hall of white marble decorated with colorful tapestries and the human had not insulted anyone yet. Twilight had to convince herself that every second without incident was a victory, otherwise she guessed herself ready to explode with anguish.
In the great hall echoed a soft music which the violins’ chords made lively. One didn't have to take a look at the ballroom to guess that this tune was making many guests dance. Rarity relaxed as the flowers and chic scents brushed her nose. She felt in her element amid the frilly dresses and the discreet hobbling of the high society ponies. She was hoping to turn heads once again with the clothes she had sewn for her friends. SHe was however attracted by two others.
At the top of the majestic grand staircase that dominated the hall, the two rulers of Equestria stood with dignity, ready to welcome the new arrivals. Princess Celestia was dressed in a simple gown of a delicate pink, adorned with gold brooches in the shape of a star and the sun. A few motifs in the image of the sun reminded her function and highlighted the milky color of her coat and the rainbow that was her mane floating in a magical wind.
Her little sister was the complete opposite. Her star-laden mane was tied in a large bun decorated with pearls, leaving two strands framing her dark blue face. As for her dress, its fabrics were formed by a strange and elegant alchemy, a form of extension of herself. The cascade of blue fabrics and the cloudy shape of purple silk on her back perfectly hugged her shapes and softened the silver flame-like elements, decorated with amethyst, which she wore on her chest, as well as the shoes of the same style she had on her hooves.
Her style stood out in the midst of the more simple and colorful dresses worn by the nobility of Canterlot. None of the Elements of Harmony had seen the Night Princess like this, and each was very impressed with her appearance, which was not unlike that of the intimidating bat ponies of her Night Guard. Rarity was particularly impressed. It was very well done and quite the original work. Twilight preferred to take another anxious glance at Kenneth and was both intrigued and anguished to find him with bewildered eyes that did not clearly reveal what was on his mind.
Twilight and her friends bowed to the princesses when they greeted them with their refined voices. Twilight worried again when she discovered out of the corner of her eye that Kenneth had remained standing, staring like a lion at the Sun Princess. She herself remained unperturbed in dignity, but to her student, who had known her for a long time, it was clear that she was not thrilled. She still couldn't tell if it was because of his attitude or simply his presence. When the metalhead opened his mouth, Twilight had a stress boost that strained her entire body.
"Hello Sun…" Kenneth glanced at Twilight. “Lady.”
The purple unicorn didn't dare relax until she saw her mentor's reaction. The princess seemed taken aback. Kenneth then spoke to the Night Sovereign.
“Hi Luna! How are you?”
These somewhat familiar but quite polite greetings surprised everyone, in particular Celestia.
“Pretty fine, Kenneth Marshall. What about you?”
“Just Kenneth, and I guess it could be worse.”
Princess Luna smiled at his response and her older sister, much to Twilight's relief, did the same. The solar sovereign wished the group a good evening before letting them go to enjoy the evening. She nevertheless asked her student to stay for a moment. When her friends were far enough, the elder princess declared.
“You were telling the truth, Twilight. He looks more reasonable than when we first met. "
“He is, princess,” Twilight replied confidently. “I promise you he won't bother anyone tonight.”
“Stop tying my tie, Rarity!” Kenneth growled. “Just tell me where the booze is. I feel like I’ll need it.”
Twilight gave a deeply embarrassed laugh before adding, “We're still working on the details.”
The purple unicorn hurried over to the young man in an attempt to convince him again not to drink too much, while Celestia spoke to her sister.
“You should go, Luna. You have a right to enjoy the gala too.”
The Night Princess seemed struck by a realization that worried her and made her sigh softly.
“Are you sure, sister?” she asked with a tensed voice.
“I'll be fine and join you soon. Besides, you are here for a reason, aren’t you?”
Luna hesitated and almost pleaded with her older sister. She took her courage in both hands, however, and followed down the stairs towards the crowd of guests. The dark alicorn gave one last worried glance at her older sister, who gave her an encouraging nod, before finishing her descent.
This evening was exactly as Kenneth had imagined it: quiet and refined. A real nightmare. People were chatting in small groups scattered all over the place. Couples were dancing slowly. Sometimes the clinking of champagne glasses was heard, but again with such delicacy that the music almost always covered it.
Each of the Elements of Harmony had mingled with a group that interested her, leaving the human alone with his own glass of alcohol, which he didn’t like so much. He remained slumped against a wall, a bit away from the crowd, brooding over his thoughts not too far from a large picture window from which he could lose his gaze into the starry sky and be lulled by the music. The musicians were good, Octavia was one of them, but the tunes they were playing could have been used to fall asleep, he thought. The cellists, the drummer, and the pianist mastered their instruments with skill, but their melody rang in the metalhead's ears like caged birds, prisoners of a golden yoke. He never believed that one day he would rather be in a New York bar.
Partially hidden by an intricately carved column, Twilight kept a worried eye on the young human. He hadn't caused any incident, and she was delighted by that, but she would have preferred him to be a little more open to the others. Since arriving, he had not spoken to anyone. If she understood that the ponies in attendance were intimidated by him, the curious glances given to him revealed that some were ready to speak with him. However, the deeply jaded and pissed off look Kenneth gave them in response discouraged them all. A unicorn who had stopped to observe him had made him say in annoyance: "Take a picture, it’ll last longer." It had scared off the unicorn in question and annoyed Twilight. She really hoped Kenneth would relax a bit.
“What’s wrong, Twilight?” asked a delicate voice behind her.
“Oh, nothing, Rarity. I'm just keeping an eye on Kenneth."
“I didn’t hear about him until now. You should relax or you’ll never enjoy this gala.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think I could right now. If only he could be less… apart.”
“What do you mean?”
“The princess invited him to socialize and show to Canterlot’s nobility that he’s not dangerous, but he stays away and makes everypony avoid him.”
“Not unusual from him,” reminded Rarity.
“I know, but if he could just seem less like that for a moment, that would help a lot.”
“Saving appearances is one of my specialties,” declared the fashion designer with pride. “How can I help?”
“That’s really nice Rarity, but you should…”
“Ta ta ta! It will be my pleasure.”
Twilight showed a smile full of gratitude to her friend and explained, “If we could make him talk with somepony, that would be a good start. Somepony who wouldn’t be afraid of his discourteous attitude.”
Rarity thought for a moment before beaming with joy.
“Come with me,” she stated, “I know just the pony.”
Meanwhile, Fluttershy was arriving in another wing of the castle where the music was only halfway through. Out of the gardens where she had spent some time with the animals, far more used to her presence than at their first meeting, she found herself in a different kind of menagerie. Many ponies had gathered here to chat away from the hustle and bustle of the dancers and the music. However, calm did not reign in these places. A chaotic hubbub reigned over the room. The high walls that surrounded the room sent back every word to add to the cacophony.
Fluttershy tried to fight her way through the jungle of noble stallions and ladies looking for one of her friends, apologizing every second as she brushed against somepony. Unsuccessful, she moved to a slightly more open space to breathe a little. She managed to break out of the stuffy maze of suits and ball gowns to find Princess Luna conversing with a unicorn stallion. What intrigued the element of kindness, however, was the latter's rather closed face as Luna addressed him with joyful energy channeled through her royal nobility. When the princess finished her sentence, the stallion excused himself, claiming to be expected, bowing slightly before going away. The yellow pegasus was then surprised to find Luna with a pained face. Faced with this, Fluttershy couldn't help but meet her.
“Excuse me Princess, is everything alright?”
The princess smiled again before answering.
“Everything is very fine, Fluttershy. I was just having a casual and interesting conversation with one of my subjects.”
“Oh, well that’s nice. What’s his name?”
Luna tried to speak but ended up stammering and losing her dignified face. She admitted her defeat with a deep sigh.
“Princess?” the element of kindness called out with more concern.
Luna glanced sadly at Fluttershy. Desperate, she let herself go to confession to the yellow pegasus.
"I actually try to be seen better by other ponies."
“What do you mean? If you don’t mind explaining of course.”
“Since my return from the moon, I haven't attended any gala or party other than the Nightmare Night we met at.” The princess, with sorrowful eyes, couldn’t ignore all those trying to not meet her gaze. “People still dread me because… of who I was.” Fluttershy lowered her ears, saddened. “I stayed away from the world to make sure to not worry anyone. We were hoping that as time went on things would change on their own, but it didn't go as we hoped. My sister thought it was time for me to take a step towards our subjects to change this image they have of me."
Fluttershy understood perfectly. She had hoped, along with her friends, that the other ponies would have understood that she was no longer Nightmare Moon, but as terrible as it was, she was not surprised that it was difficult to forget the image of the terrible evil entity that people had learned to fear for a thousand years. Especially since the peculiar look of her Batpony guards, some of whom were present around them, was not really reassuring. The princess turned a radiant face of hope to her and asked, “You are the element of kindness. Is there some advice you could give me to make people appreciate me a bit more?”
Uneasy, Fluttershy only managed to apologize with a heartwarming smile.
“I don’t think you lack kindness at all, your highness. And, to be honest, I don’t think it has anything to do with kindness here. You just have to be yourself and give the others more time to know you. I'm sure they’ll end up loving you as much as Princess Celestia.”
Luna was touched by the words of the pegasus, but she still felt a certain disappointment that weighed on her heart. Fluttershy was about to say a few words of comfort to her when a forceful and indiscreet voice startled her.
“Hey Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash said, approaching her without seeing Luna. “Have you seen Kenneth?”
“Hmm… no. Why?”
“I heard something interesting and I need to share it with him.”
“The last time I saw our human guest he was in the ballroom,” informed Luna.
"Oh! Sorry Princess,” hastily pronounced the blue pegasus, quickly bowing.
“It is alright, but what did you hear that makes you so enthusiastic?”
“The captain of the Wonderbolts told me that one of her friends in the royal guard have recently faced a monster just like the one Kenneth defeated.”
Luna tensed at the words. She had suspected, as did her sister, that these clay monsters would not go unnoticed forever. However, they had hoped that their existence would not be known to the nobles of Canterlot until later, that they had a little more time.
"Come on!" invited Rainbow Dash. “Let’s find him. He never told us about his fight against his monster.”
Fluttershy wanted to stop him but it was wasted. Even without flying, her daredevil friend was too fast for her. The yellow pegasus exchanged an intrigued look with the night princess who revealed that she was as curious as she was. Both followed Rainbow Dash in her quest for the famous human.
Kenneth emptied his fourth glass of champagne, one hand in a pocket, between two sighs tinged with growls. Boredom was making him tap his heel on the tiles at a faster rate than the music spinning the dancers in circles. They all had the same cold expression, as if they were automatons with a smile painted on. So as not to start throwing his glass at one of them, or pouncing on a bottle, he was staring at the outside world. He had to admit, however, that the starry sky of this cartoonish world, filled with a myriad of cosmic glitter, was very pleasing to the eye. His contemplation was outrageously interrupted by a clearing of the throat whose delicate tone he recognized. He sighed for the thousandth time that evening.
“Yeah Rarity?” he asked, turning towards her and discovering she was accompanied by an insecure Twilight and two unknown but clearly noble ponies.
“Kenneth, I would like you to meet two of my Canterlot acquaintances,” she announced while presenting a male unicorn with a blue mustache and mane and a female one with a pink mane. “Mister Fancy Pants, Lady Fleur-de-lis, let me present you Kenneth Marshall: the only human being in all Equestria.”
The two new ponies raised an eyebrow at Kenneth. The cutie marks in the shape of crowns and Fleur-de-lis and their upright posture, their chins slightly raised, left no doubt that they belonged to high society. Yet there was a slight glow of benevolence in their gaze and their smiles, a certain sincerity that intrigued Kenneth.
“Greetings, Mr. Marshall,” Fancy Pants said in a tone balanced between snobbery and respect.
“Hmm… Hi,” he answered uncertainly.
The young man glanced at Twilight and Rarity, silently asking for answers. If the bookseller was clearly not at ease, Rarity looked quite confident and addressed to the refined duo lightly.
“You must excuse his rustic behavior, milord. Mr. Marshall is not used to our cultural concepts or this kind of reception.”
“Just say that I’m a savage,” Kenneth growled, crossing his arms.
“Of course not,” corrected the stylist with amusement. “You are more like of a tourist, I would say.”
“Yeah right. A tourist who would have gladly avoided the cultural night tour. When I think there are some lucky guys out there drinking something else than that plonk I've been taking on, that pisses me off."
Rarity and Twilight could guess that Kenneth hadn't meant to be aggressive. He just wanted to release his stress. However, doing it in front of Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis did not seem good. They were afraid for a moment that their plan had collapsed. Then they froze when they heard two light and distinguished laughs.
“We know what you mean, Mister Marshall,” informed Fancy Pants.
“Do you remember this party in Baltimare during the last Fashion Week?” asked Fleur-de-lis with amusement. “I thought it would never end.”
Twilight gave a surprised look to Rarity, who was quite comfortable on the contrary. On the other hand, Kenneth displayed the same astonishment as the bookseller.
“You don’t say,” continued Fancy Pants. "But I think you’re a bit severe with the champagne, Mr. Marshall. It is quite good, actually.”
“For champagne, maybe,” admitted the metalhead, “but I would have prefer something stronger.”
“Oh, I see what you mean,” agreed Fancy Pants. “A good whiskey is always a delight.”
“Thank you, Tsathoggua,” prayed Kenneth. “Finally someone who appreciates something else than cider.”
“You don’t like Equestrian cider?” asked Fleur-de-lis with innocent curiosity.
“I do. It’s actually the best cider I ever tried, but I end up full before being really drunk with how low in alcohol it is.”
Twilight practically froze in bewilderment at this discussion, which was a little unusual for a gala, but which ended up going perfectly well. She whispered in her friend's ear.
‘How did you know it would go well with Fancy Pants?”
“Remember the party where we met them? Where he said my friends were charmingly rustic?” Twilight nodded. “Well we stayed in contact and he was quite sincere. He appeared to me as the most open-minded and curious pony in Canterlot. Someone like Kenneth would only amuse him, in a totally fine sense. And Fleur-de-lis is like him. That’s why they are still together, actually.”
As the duo continued to chat in miraculous tranquility, Twilight congratulated Rarity and thanked her. The stylist didn't have time to answer her, however. A cough caught the group's attention. When they discovered the source, each had their own reaction. Kenneth and Rarity were intrigued. Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis, astonished. Twilight, on the other hand, was on the verge of panic.
“Sorry to interrupt,” declared a voice so severe it was clear his excuses were pure politeness, “but I’m surprised all you have in mind to talk about with an official alien being is old parties and alcohol.”
The one who expressed his astonishment was a male unicorn with a slightly gray coat, like white marble covered in dust, and a smooth, black mane like a waterfall of ink. His emaciated face, adorned with a pointed goatee, looked menacing like the feather of an angry lord draped in a burgundy red cape.
“Chancellor Neighsay!” said Fancy Pants with surprise. "I didn’t know you were in Canterlot."
“I prefer to stay discreet. I have important business with Princess Celestia and didn’t want to be disturbed before having dealt with it.”
Every word from that unicorn pissed off Kenneth. The other snobs he had observed all had a ridiculous side that made their sense of superiority annoying but nonetheless comical. The young man could well sense the difference between them and the newcomer. Nobles seemed to him to have simply learned that they were more important than others. From his harsh voice and piercing gaze, the metalhead felt that this Chancellor, unlike the others, was deeply convinced of it.
“Who is he, Twilight?” asked discreetly Rarity, while the famous unicorn seemed to observe Kenneth.
“The head of the Equestria Education Association, the group which oversees all schools in Equestria and the education dispensed by them.”
The element of generosity began to worry in turn. He was a very powerful pony, and she could hear he wasn't very kind. One wrong word and Kenneth could make an enemy of him. Twilight's concern exploded when she realized that the Chancellor's arrival had attracted the attention of several guests who were now watching the scene with attention. The head of the EEA stood in front of the famous human and stared into his. The metalhead was on the verge of annoyance; his interlocutor's next words would decide whether he crossed the border to anger or not. Neighsay had a cold, haughty expression that revealed nothing but suspicion. The tension between the two was palpable and the Chancellor's dignified but inquisitive voice didn't reduce it in any way.
“I heard you were from a different world, Mr. Marshall.”
“Indeed I am.”
“I'm curious about how you got into ours.”
“Not sure. I did some bad deal with some swindler and shazam! Here I am.”
Kenneth's usual flippancy was strained by mistrust, but neither bothered the Chancellor.
"You’re not used to magic, are you?"
“There’s no magic where I lived.”
“Really? Any other notable differences?”
“You mean except the fact that my species is the only sentient one? The weather and planets are not controlled by anyone, for what I know, the food is awful, everyone fights each other for stupid reasons, and nothing is in weird colorful 2D. That was a really disturbing transformation.”
Curiosity had taken hold of the ponies nearby, music playing in the background as a small circle formed at a reasonable distance of the human and the head of the EAA. Twilight was frozen in anguish at this powder keg like discussion, even more so at the thought that Kenneth could be the spark at any time. The fact that he had spoken of his species as a warmongering one made her fear for the worst, but the congregation seemed rather lost with the other items listed. Twilight herself thought she should ask him later what he meant by “weird colorful 2D”.
“Seems like a… chaotic place,” summed up the Chancellor.
“We deal with it. At least some humans do. The others, they cling to useless ideas or authorities to think they have some control.”
“Like what?”
“Gods, ideologies, the next Walmart, their own pride… You name it, there’s someone to bow before it. No matter how ridiculous it is.”
“You don’t seem to have a high regard towards authority. Am I wrong?”
“Nah. They all fall in the end. It must be weird for you all but not everyone has immortal princesses to tell them what to do.”
To Twilight's surprise, Chancellor Neighsay frowned. It was the first clear emotion he expressed. She dreaded finding out what a chord Kenneth had struck. And the appearance behind the Chancellor of a trio of familiar faces didn't help her relax.
“Let me inform you, Mister Marshall, that the EEA, although completely loyal to Equestrian royalty, is perfectly independant. We protect Equestria’s future from futile or dangerous ideas and are quite proud of it. Not even Princess Celestia has authority over what is taught to our people.”
Kenneth arched an eyebrow without taking his eyes off the gray unicorn.
“What about princess Luna?” he asked.
“To be completely honest with you, while her opinion is valuable, we don’t consider it with the same importance as her sister’s. She is undoubtedly an appropriate ruler, but she let herself be corrupted and became a real threat to Equestria. I don’t think the people will be able to trust her anytime soon and I think they are right. She is respected, but I don’t believe she’ll be loved like her sister for a long time.”
As Kenneth was about to answer, his eyes widened to find something behind the Chancellor. He was intrigued by this look and discovered that all the ponies surrounding them had a surprising array of emotions themselves. Some seemed worried, others embarrassed, and a few, especially Twilight and Rarity, saddened. When he turned his head, the Chancellor found himself unpleasantly surprised. A few steps behind him was Princess Luna herself. Beside her stood the element of kindness, looking at her with sad compassion, and loyalty, looking at Neighsay with anger. The night princess had heavy eyes but a straight posture. If she had smiled before, all traces of it were gone.
“Oh, well…” hesitated the Chancellor with an unsettled dignity he tried to maintain. “That’s a bit embarrassing. I’m sorry you had to hear that, your highness.”
“It is alright,” declared Luna, turning her head away. “You have the right to have your opinion, Chancellor.”
Rarity and Twilight could sense the tension in their princess' noble voice. She managed to maintain her dignity with admirable courage, but both of them knew her well enough to understand how much the words had hurt her. They became worried when they caught a glimpse of Kenneth's clenching fist out of the corner of their eyes. His eyes reflected an anger more tumultuous than Rainbow Dash's, and his lips twisted to reveal his clenched teeth like those of an angry dragon.
“Please, Kenneth,” whispered Rarity with understanding, but also the saddeness of the powerless. ”Calm down. It’s not worth it.”
Kenneth neither looked at nor answered the stylist. She froze in terror, as did Twilight, who was on the verge of collapse, seeing him raise his fist. Anguish changed to amazement when the human pointed an accusing finger at the Chancellor.
“How dare you, you son of a bitch?” he declared, shocking some ponies. “You are really lucky to have someone like her as your ruler. The luckiest, actually.”
The sentence surprised Twilight and Rarity as much as Luna herself. The princess could feel the human's anger blazing in his eyes and how his muscles were twitching with barely contained tension. He lowered his finger and spoke with more temperance.
“You say she’ll not be loved before a whole lot of time?” He looked to Twilight from the corner of his eye. “Want to bet on it? Someone recently reminded me how to make it happen. ” Without giving the Chancellor time to respond, Kenneth backed away from him, throwing. “Come on Luna! It's showtime.”
All the ponies around them exchanged incredulous looks, including the elements of harmony present. Caught off guard, Luna cut him off.
“What do you mean, Kenneth?”
The human turned to her and answered her more clearly.
“Let’s sing something for this crowd of snobbish morons and show them what you’re made of.”
The princess was no less bewildered than before.
“But… We can not impose ourselves in the middle of the gala like this. It’s not appropriate”
“Well, I will. I could ask someone else… ” He looked discreetly in Fluttershy’s direction. She opened her eyes wide and shook her head very quickly. “But you are the best choice right now.” He arched an eyebrow before teasing Luna. “Or maybe you’re telling me you can’t sing.”
This accusation did not make Luna laugh, who in turn walked over to Kenneth.
“Let me teach you that I am a great singer. I was educated by the best musicians in the kingdom and many ponies hailed my voice."
“That was a thousand years ago. It’s time to refresh their memories.”
Under the intrigued gazes of the whole room, as well as the worried ones of Twilight and Rarity, Kenneth and Luna stepped forward, one with the stance of a recently insulted queen and the other with the lightness of a child who was having a great time. Twilight almost wanted to stop them. Kenneth's music was, given what she had heard, absolutely unsuitable for the ears of the Canterlot nobility. However, the way he had won the sympathy of the people of Ponyville yesterday made her doubt.
The pony pairs stopped dancing when they found their princess with the human walking towards the space where the musicians were playing. Octavia almost dropped a wrong note when she saw them arrive and nodded to her conductor that there was someone behind him calling for his attention. The latter gently stopped the music when he discovered the princess behind him. He bowed to her and asked respectfully, “Your highness. Is there something we can do for you?”
Luna answered him with a broad smile and her most gently distinguished tone.
“I would like to show our guest that I have not lost my voice. Could we borrow you and your group for a song?”
“Of course, Princess! It will be our honor.”
Kenneth chuckled, which puzzled the princess.
“Nobility isn’t that bad I guess,” he whispered to her.
“It has its advantages indeed,” she admitted on the same volume.
“Is there a specific score you want us to play?” asked the conductor.
Luna turned to the human, who understood that she was throwing the question back at him.
“I have a perfect one in mind. I’ll just think about it and let you, the musicians, and any of your world’s magic trick do the rest.”
Luna looked surprised at what Kenneth had just said.
“Now that you mention it… It is true, we can do that.”
“Any chance you know how it works?” asked the metalhead.
“I… never thought about it to be honest.”
“I knew it,” said Kenneth, disappointed. “Too bad.”
All the ponies present in the room gathered to discover with curiosity what the famous princess of the night and being from another world was up to for them. Twilight and Rarity, accompanied by Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis, as well as the Chancellor, were in the front row. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash joined their friends as soon as possible. Without losing a second, Kenneth thought about the music he chose, pointed at the pianist and declared.
“Okay! Music Maestro!”
As soon as the last word was said, the first notes of the piano were played. Crystal clear sounds echoed throughout the room with a soft drumroll in the background. Then Kenneth began to sing with a delicacy that practically knocked the jaws off the elements of harmony.
Each of the spectators were intrigued by what they heard. The musicians themselves were confused by what they were playing, but they let themselves be carried away with pleasure, especially the pony on the drums. Even more so when the two voices, so different, sang together in perfect harmony.
At first uncertain, Luna felt overwhelmed by more than the urge to do well. This song, playing it here and now, filled him with joy, a joy that seemed to explode as she and Kenneth started the chorus.
Twilight was the most surprised of all, but for good reason, so she said. The music Kenneth played in front of everyone was peculiar yet catchy, and sweet enough to scare nopony. But what surprised her most was Princess Luna. Twilight and her friends knew she was a kind and caring person, but there had always been a cold side about her that made her seem distant. Not this time. The Night Princess looked energetic. Twilight wanted to tell herself she sounded warmer, but the word didn't seem fitting. Despite the dynamism of her gestures and the sincerity of her smile, she retained an admirable dignity that was not unlike Celestia herself. If she really had to compare, Twilight would have said that before, Luna could look like a statue with a smile carved into it. During the song, she gave the same feeling as a gentle summer breeze. She didn't quite understand what was going on, but she had to admit that she was happy for the princess.
When the music ended with the delicacy of a feather, there was a moment of silence. Then came a clash of clogs on the tiles, typical Equestria applause, and cheers. There were fewer of them than in Ponyville, the nobles of Canterlot were too distinguished for that, but the admiration was sincere in many of them. Some weren't impressed, even disgusted by this savage music, but they didn't mean much after Fancy Pants chanted how much he loved it.
The princess gazed at the whole assembly with astonishment and fascination. She could feel how the ponies present only saw the wonderful singer she had been at that moment. Her heart grew so light that she thought for a moment she was going to drop a tear. She held back with all her might and turned her gaze to Kenneth instead. The young man, who was also gazing at the crowd, was apparently pleased with himself. He met Luna's gaze and found in her eyes a gratitude as deep as a perfect starry sky.
For Kenneth, all the gold in the world would not have been worth the amber nectar he had in his hand and in which the moon was reflecting. He used to be offered a drink after a performance, but this was the first time it wasn’t cheap beer. No, what he put on his lips and made his taste buds dance was first class. He took the time to breathe in the flowery scent of the royal garden as he leaned on the balcony overlooking the kingdom of Equestria. Rather than the hubbub of the guests around him, Kenneth preferred to savor the caresses of the wind, the freshness of the crystal bottle placed on the railing, and smile at the few compliments that he received from time to time from the noble ponies who surrounded him at a reasonable distance. The whiskey cleared his throat and made him breathe out an exhilarated breath that shot from the depths of his lungs.
“That’s not polite at all you know,” said a delicate lady’s voice.
The young man discovered the alicorn of the night in her silver and purple robe. She went through the door separating the ballroom from the gardens as a peacock entered a poultry yard. Some ponies bowed slightly at her approach. Her regal posture could not, however, conceal the joy revealed by her beaming smile.
"I didn't expect to see you again for the rest of the evening, I admit," Kenneth said. "Are you tired of your subjects’ admiration?"
"A princess does not need to indulge in the flattery of her people, Kenneth," she replied with dignity. “Besides, it was more about respect than admiration.”
“That doesn't mean you didn't like it.”
The dark alicorn relaxed her posture without losing her smile. Her eyes changed from pride to gratitude.
"I admit. And I owe it to you."
“Nah! It was nothing at all."
“Maybe to you, but to me it matters a lot.” Luna's harmonious voice seemed to jump for a note. “I was very apprehensive about attending this celebration, but thanks to you, I finally have the hope of being accepted by my subjects.”
"You mean those guys who were talking about you behind your back an hour ago?" the young man asked with a small laugh.
Luna let out a deep sigh before sweeping her gaze over the gardens invaded by noble ponies savoring their champagne and their own voices.
“They are not perfect, but they are my people. I will always love them. Even when it is not reciprocated.”
Kenneth suppressed a taunt as best he could.
“Not sure I would have forgiven them that easily. Well, at least they know how to choose a good bottle."
“I’m glad that Fancy Pants’ recommendation pleased you. It comes from the royal cellar, you know. We only keep the best drinks from the entire world.”
“I can taste that.”
Kenneth took another sip of the amber brew before noticing the half accusing, half amused look the Night Princess was giving him.
"You know, politeness would require you to offer me a drink."
Kenneth arched an eyebrow that hung over an amused smile.
“Why would I? I'm sure you have enough authority to ask a servant for a drink, and I got this whiskey because I was a freaking good singer. And by the way, I only have one glass.”
“Although you are right on all points,” admitted the princess with her dignity uneroded, “my authority and your manners are in no way related. I was with you as a duet during this performance, and I am not some snooty girl who fusses because of a simple glass. The question is therefore rather: are you selfish to the point of refusing to share with your wonderful partner the fruit of your success?”
Kenneth’s smile melted as his eyes widened at the elated but solemn face of the unicorn.
“Okay, total victory for you,” admitted Kenneth while filling his glass and handing it.
The princess levitated the drink with her magic, then swirled the glass delicately. She brought it up to her muzzle to appreciate the scent. She savored a sip with almost haughty delight.
“Not bad,” she declared. “A bit acidulous but with a great deal of character.”
“If you say so,” Kenneth said with a smile. "I’m more of a beer aficionado. Once, I tried to test all the beers the bars from The Battery to Central Park had. I passed out before getting to Little Italy.”
Luna didn't know what he was talking about, but the very thought of Kenneth staggering through the streets like a spinning top made her chuckle.
“Why do something so absurd?”
“I tried fifty different beers,” answered the musician. “Only Yog-Sothoth remembers.”
“I guess you had a good sleep after such a night.”
“Sure, but I woke up with a fucking headache.”
Another laugh was exchanged before Luna lost her smile and lost herself in thought. The young man immediately noticed this sudden change.
“Something wrong?”
The Night Princess avoided Kenneth's gaze, piquing his curiosity even more. She seemed to consider something without daring to share it. Luna stood up, taking a deep breath. Filled with new courage, she addressed the stranger with a seriousness that contrasted with her previous levity.
“I actually wanted to talk with you about it.”
“My drinking habits?”
"No," she continued rolling her eyes, "your sleep."
Kenneth's eyebrow jumped in surprise.
"Why? Are you a shrink as well as a princess from a magic kingdom?"
"It is important."
That indisputable last sentence reminded Kenneth of a conversation he had had earlier today with a certain purple unicorn.
“Did you talk with Twilight?”
“No. Why?”
“Before coming, she advised me to talk to you about that.”
"Really? Is there a problem?”
“I haven't been sleeping well recently. In fact, since I arrived in this multicolored world, I always wake up feeling groggy and exhausted. It gets better after a good breakfast, but I need daily naps to keep from feeling like I'm on the verge of collapsing. More than usual I mean. Twilight told me to talk to you about that, while, with all due respect, I thought I would rather see a doctor than a princess.”
His interlocutor remained silent. She weighed her every word with an attention that intrigued the musician.
“Interesting…” whispered Luna.
“So why did you want to talk to me about my sleep if you didn’t know that?”
The princess snapped out of her thoughts and met Kenneth's gaze with an icy precision that sent chills down his back.
“What do you know about the dream realm?”
“Nothing apart from what you told me last time: that you rule it and take care of people’s dreams or something like that.”
“I can travel through the realm to visit them, that’s right.”
“A bit intrusive, don’t you think?”
“I’m aware of that. That’s why I only enter into nightmares to help those who can’t face and understand them. The problem is that, recently, a strange dream appeared there.”
“Aren’t all dreams a bit weird?”
“Please, let me explain. Every dream appears to me like a bubble of light showing what happens in it. However, this one is completely dark. It looks like an obsidian sphere or a drop of ink.”
“Okay,” accepted Kenneth, a bit lost, “and that’s not a nightmare?”
“No, nightmares look like dreams in appearance. I find them thanks to the fear they produce and that I feel. This black bubble is something else. I tried to enter in but it didn't let me. So I tried to perceive what it was and had inside thanks to my magic.”
Luna could see how strange these words were to the human. He was in uncharted territory, with no knowledge of what magic was, but he listened intently.
“What did you discover? And what does it have to do with me?”
“That’s the point. I saw you.”
Kenneth stood speechless, letting Luna continue.
“When I focused on the sphere, I perceived a song, then images. Not very long, but long enough to remember it clearly. There were gigantic towers of glass on fire in a pitch black night. And in the middle of this blaze, there was you. Angry like a raging beast.”
Kenneth stood there for a moment, eyes frozen wide, before letting go.
“What the fuck? Are you sure you aren’t the one who had a nightmare?”
“I can assure you I didn’t. I saw what I told you. I tried again the following nights but didn’t get anything else except very different songs. What I am sure, however, is that the appearance of this thing corresponds to your arrival.”
“Wait, you think this dark thing is my own dream?”
“I believe so.”
Kenneth thought about what he had just heard. Very disturbed, he only managed to ask more questions.
“So… is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know, but it’s definitely worrying.”
“Well, I guess you don’t have many ponies whose dreams look like a heavy metal music video. It’s weird, I don’t remember something like that. ”
“You said humans don’t remember their dreams.”
“If someone tries, I think he can remember a few moments. I've even heard that some people remember it very well thanks to hypnosis or stuff like that, but that isn’t common. They’re usually forgotten soon after waking up.”
“And what about this one? Any memory of it?”
“Not at all. That’s curious. I wished so many times that I could set New York on fire that I should have.”
"I beg your pardon?" Luna wondered.
“Don’t judge me. You’ve never lived there. It's like a freaking rocky maze of gigantic walls with no way out, only rats, smoke, and morons.”
“Then why did you live there, if I may?”
“No other choice if I wanted to get known a bit,” he growled. “So what do we do?”
Luna thought for a moment. She hoped that a discussion with Kenneth would bring some answers and she was left with more questions. It was clear that the young man knew nothing and was unable to help her understand. Also, talking about his world didn't seem to have put him in a good mood. It wasn't worth pushing, she thought.
“I guess we’ll have to see if anything new happens. Please contact me if you remember or see anything curious regarding your dreams.”
“Since I don’t remember any since my arrival, I can only promise I will, but don’t expect anything.”
“Your intentions are appreciated.”
Kenneth poured himself a glass of whiskey again and swallowed it down before noticing the arched eyebrow and mischievous smile of the alicorn princess. He filled the glass again and handed it to her. She also emptied it in one go.
“Glad to see our stars appreciate their reward,” pronounced a new voice.
Kenneth and Luna found Rarity approaching with a graceful step, emerging from groups of cackling guests like a breath of fresh air. In her pink dress woven with gold and beading, she stood as proud as the princesses herself. She was in her element at this party.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything," declared the amused fashion designer. “I just wanted to see if everything is fine.”
“Let me guess: Twilight didn’t see me for five minutes, freaked out, then asked you to look for me and make sure I don’t make a mess.”
“That’s very indelicate of you, Kenneth,” declared Rarity before looking behind her then whispering, “but that’s right.”
The musician rolled his eyes as the princess laughed quietly. He then stared at the unicorn with the milk coat. After several seconds, Rarity noticed this and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” answered Kenneth. "Just looking at your dress."
“Really?” she wondered with a broad smile. “What do you think about it? I put some real effort into it you know.”
“A bit too flashy and Barbie-like, but that suits you.”
“I’ll… keep the compliment and not look further. I’m glad you and the princess are getting along.”
Both exchanged a look before Kenneth declared, “Well, I don’t know many immortal magical hor… ponies ruling kingdoms, but she’s cool.”
Luna smiled at those words.
“Oh! And I see you finally got your tie done correctly,” noted Rarity like it was much more important.
Kenneth looked down and had to admit he hadn’t noticed he had done it.
“It suits you,” announced Rarity, to Kenneth’s surprise.
“My! He passed the bare minimum of tying a tie?” declared a haughty, almost shrill voice.
This caught Kenneth's curious gaze and made Luna and Rarity tighten each of their muscles.
“Oh no…” whispered Rarity.
“Not him...” whispered Luna.
All three turned to the origin of the remark: a tall male unicorn with white fur and a blond mane. His cutie mark was a wind rose and Kenneth already hated him. Nothing but arrogance could be seen from his posture and face. Luna and Rarity were proud ladies, but this unicorn was clearly a spoiled moron, and his presence attracted everypony’s attention.
“That we let this creature come to the gala is already scandalous. I can't imagine if we let him come in badly dressed."
“Why do you care what I'm wearing? Who are you, asshole?"
“What language! I won't even answer to such a savage.”
Kenneth heard the princess of the night sigh before she answered him.
“It is Prince Blueblood, our nephew.”
“And one of the worst ponies in the entire world,” whispered Rarity.
“Blueblood,” continued Luna with full, but quite tested, self-control, ”this human is the first representative of his species to ever walk on Equestria. You should show more respect.”
“My dear aunt,” he answered with the same arrogant tone, “you cannot be serious. This creature certainly speaks and can be dressed, but such a terrible animal can’t be considered civilized.”
“Is he serious?” asked a dumbfound Kenneth to Luna.
“Unfortunately…” she whispered, having trouble containing her anger.
“His manners may be poor, '' declared Rarity, ”but he is a far more nice person than you ever were.”
The delicacy of her voice didn’t hide how angry she was.
“Excuse me, but who are you?” the noble unicorn answered by asking.
The Fashion Designer’s dignity was shaken up, but she kept it through much effort.
“My name is Rarity Belle and I am somepony who can perfectly testify to how disrespectful my lord is.”
“Why are you calling him ‘my lord’?” asked Kenneth. “Just tell him to fuck off.”
“Please Kenneth,” whispered Luna, “let us handle this.”
Kenneth growled while looking at the so-called prince like a wolf.
“You see?” continued Blueblood. “He doesn’t even know when it is proper to speak and how to do it to someone of a higher condition. I learned he was found in the woods. His place is clearly not in our precious palace. And for you Miss Belle, I don’t know what you mean, but you clearly are not worthy of my time if I don’t remember you. So please, let me talk with my aunt and go back to your peasant friends. Your flashy dress will not make you more worthy of my attention.”
“Hey!” intervened Kenneth. “Even assholes have limits. That’s just cruel.”
Rarity asked Kenneth to go on one knee for a second and told him discreetly, “Listen, I appreciate what you do, sincerely, but you must calm down. I know it’s complicated. People are sometimes really awful and this one is a specialist. However, you can’t shout and get abrupt here as in Ponyville.”
“She’s right,” added Luna. “I don’t appreciate his attitude either, but here in Equestria, we try to stay as civil and peaceful as possible. You must control yourself if you want to be accepted and not face complications.”
The young man growled again, and he wasn’t the only one annoyed by this situation.
“I’m still here!” declared Blueblood.
Kenneth stood up, his fist tightened.
“Let’s go then,” he told his friends.
Rarity and Luna nodded. While Kenneth turned his back on Blueblood, the outraged male unicorn added, “How dare you! I don’t care about a peasant but I won’t accept being ignored by the bastard child of a pig and monkey!”
Kenneth froze.
“What did you say?” he pronounced slowly.
This question stopped the princess and the stylist, intrigued by this strained voice. They then were annoyed by that of Blue Blood, more haughty than ever.
“I’m just stating the obvious. What kind of body is this? And let's not talk about your manners. I'm not sure I want to know what kind of repulsive and savage creature could have given birth to such..."
The proud unicorn's last insult was prevented by a mass of bone and flesh as hard as a cannonball that exploded in his jaw. Blue Blood was taller than a lot of ponies and his build was second to that of the strongest in his class, but nevertheless, the fist Kenneth had just given him had made the prince fly and collapse.
The entire gardens sank into silence. Each of the ponies present, including the Night Princess, became a statue with shrunken irises fixed on this impossible scandal. The sight of its perpetrator added a chilling dread to their astonishment. Kenneth clenched his fists so hard that he shook with rage that pounded against its walls in an attempt to free itself. His razor-sharp eyes and clenched teeth shone like blades of steel. His target jumped and squealed like a piglet.
“By Celestia! Wh… What have you done to my face, you filthy beast?! I’ll tell this to the princess and…”
Kenneth's foot struck the prince's skull with a power that swayed him against a shaking tree. Rarity and Luna jumped when the young man turned his tense face with visible fangs towards them. Many of the nobles took a step back and all trembled like little mice.
“You say your world accepts this kind of asshole?” growled Kenneth. “I’m supposed to stay civil with those like him?”
He took one last glance at the moaning mass he had beaten before staring coldly at Rarity's dumbfounded eyes, paralyzed by the giant towering above her.
“Fuck your world,” he said.
He stepped forward relentlessly, picking up the bottle of liquor in the process. The two ladies moved away at his approach, as did each of the ponies on his way.
“And fuck this tie.”
He grabbed the rope that was strangling him and threw it to the ground. He entered the ballroom, violently shoving aside anyone in his way to the exit. He took a big sip of the whiskey which burned his tongue and freed his mind. The furious human walked through the crowd in the ballroom and left it by opening the door in a violent gesture, attracting the attention of everypony, especially Twilight.
The purple unicorn started after him, worried about his condition and the consequences it might cause, followed him with relative discretion. The enraged man noticed nothing, blinded by anger, and heightened the fear of the element of magic by hitting the walls and knocking down the armor in his way as he made his way through the halls and stairs of the castle to an empty room. Kenneth slammed the door and shut himself away from this miserable world. Rage boiled more and more in his veins. He didn't want to resist anymore. He was more than fed up with those ridiculous constraints they thought they'd escaped and catching up with him. Confused notes burst forth and echoed in the room where every piece of furniture and decoration trembled, as if trapped in a resonance chamber. Twilight leaned an ear against the door at the wrong time, when Kenneth exploded in fury.
The unicorn worried even more when she discovered that the tremors she was perceiving were not limited to the door of the room. The entire castle shook to the rhythm of the instruments.
“What the heck is happenin’?“ asked Applejack, whose sensible hooves could feel all the variations of the unnatural earthquake provoked by the solo. None could answer, not even the Princess of the Sun who was asked the same question by everypony around her.
Luna and Rarity looked at each other. They knew what was happening, but didn’t know what to say first: the origin of this earthquake or what happened before.
Kenneth was smashing the walls again and again. Pain didn’t exist. He was punching everything, smashing everything. Nothing deserved to be spared. He had been keeping what he thought for an entire evening and felt like he had been submitting to the world.
When the music stopped, Kenneth gasped like an exhausted wolf. He looked at his bottle. It was empty. He grabbed it even stronger and threw it to the door, making it explode with a crystal and wood smashing sound that made Twilight finally run away. In the ballroom, everypony stood still. Nobody dared react. No one except a pink pony.
