One Shot, One Chance

Chapters

Chapter 2: Train Ride to Hell
Chapter 3: An Unexpected Visit
Chapter 4: Pills Here
Chapter 5: Royal Mishap
Chapter 6: Back to Normal, Almost
Chapter 7: Fresh Perspective
Chapter 8: Race Work
Chapter 9: Iron Spirit
Chapter 10: Mixed Messages
Chapter 11: Setting Up
Chapter 12: Failure of Knowledge
Chapter 13: Gray Matters
Chapter 15: Magical Conclusions
Chapter 16: Reimbursing Respite
Chapter 17: Party Crashers
Chapter 19: All the Problems
Chapter 20: Conflict
Chapter 21: Late Introductions
Chapter 22: Stranger Ponies
Chapter 23: Masked Return
Chapter 24: Bloody Patch
Chapter 25: To Find the Truth
Chapter 26: All Out Fight
Chapter 27: Lying in Wait
Chapter 28: Enzo's Night Off (Part 1)
Chapter 30: Suspicion Erased Or Raised
Chapter 31: Improving Build
Chapter 32: Fated Outcomes
Chapter 33: Old Friends, New Pains
Chapter 34: All for Unfair
Chapter 35: Sinners
Chapter 36: New Pains, New Plans
Chapter 37: Playtime in Ponyville [Part 1]
Chapter 38: Playtime in Ponyville [Part 2]
Chapter 39: Playtime in Ponyville [Part 3]
Chapter 40: Breakdown
Chapter 41: Broken Bodies
Chapter 14: Turn of Events
Chapter 18: Duty Calls
Chapter 29: Enzo's Night Off (Part 2)
Prologue
Chapter 1: A New Approach

Chapter 2: Train Ride to Hell

It was lightly snowing as Blitz stepped out onto the open meadow. The sky was a bright, whitish-blue and the snowflakes seemed to glow as well. Blitz had a hard time seeing clearly, he could barely make out a blurred figure. It seemed to be in the shape of a pony, a mare? Blitz walked through the mixture of flowers and powdered snow to take a closer look. He could barely feel anything as he walked across the meadow to inspect.

“Who are you? Do I know you?” A slurred, muffled response was all he got. But that was just enough to freeze Blitz in place. That voice sent chills down his spine; he eventually fell back and sat in silence. His eyes stared at the silhouette in shock as he realized who it was. “Where are you, how can I get to you?! Wait…don’t go, please! Wait, no!"

~~~~~~~~~

Blitz sat up and gasped. He looked around and instead of a white wonderland, he was in a dim lit train. He noticed his hoof was holding the snow globe. Celestia’s sunlight was shining through the window, temporarily blinding him. Blitz had a tough time getting up as he realized that his head was against the window and felt numb. Rubbing the side of his head he slowly got up and walked toward the front of the train. “Hey, um, where are we right now?” Blitz asked the conductor in a sleepy tone.

“Well, we'll just be riding into Ponyville in about twenty minutes,” the conductor said still retaining his jolly mood.

“Alright, thanks,” Blitz replied exiting the pilot. He went back to his seat and looked out the window again. Celestia’s sun was just above the horizon, so it wasn’t too early in the morning. He could almost see a structure in the distance which he assumed was Ponyville. ‘Why the hay did I have that dream? I thought I got rid of that memory for good. I-I never thought I’d see it again. How did this happen, what triggered my mind to have that dream?’

Blitz sighed as he closed his eyes. He tried to forget what had just happened and took deep breathes. ‘Well, I better get over it, no point in moping about the past. Hey, I’m finally going to get a job. I can finally leave my miserable life behind. I wonder what the job will be like, what Post Pole is like. I hope he’s not like that greaser I met back at TrolleyGo’s Station.’

Blitz shudders at the thought of the gross, stuck-up stallion he had met the night before. “100 bits my ass!” he yelled at the air. The pony quickly looked around to see if anyone heard his banter. The coast was clear, but too clear. The train was almost empty save a few ponies here and there. It was almost too quiet as well; Blitz could hardly hear anypony breathing. The hiss of the smoke wasn’t too loud either and Blitz learned to tune out the shuffling noise the wheels made.

“What’s with it with me and creepy, ghost areas,” Blitz whispered to himself. ‘How long has it been? I can’t wait any longer. Mainly because of the creepy atmosphere…or am I overreacting? Gah, what’s wrong with me I overreact to everything. I wonder if Fuzzy thinks like I-‘ A swooshing sound waved by the window.

Blitz almost cracked his neck as he turned to see what the noise was. He looked out the window: nothing. He looked around for a solid minute before returning to his original position. “What in the hay!” Blitz said in a surprised, but slightly scared tone. The winding sound whipped back again past the same window. Blitz still didn’t get a good look, but he could tell that it was a dark figure that went by. He pondered whether or not to open the window, but fear got the best of him and he remained in his seat. He fidgeted uneasily because of what he saw, or what he didn’t see.

‘Alright, I’ve never been a scaredy-cat, but this is freaking me out. A-a-a…THING swooped by! Maybe it’s just a bird or something-no it was too big to be a bird. Could it have been somepony’s hat flying out the train-no now I’m just thinking crazy. Celestia, I wish I knew what it was so I could stop this nonsense. Honestly, it’s probably nothing and I’m over-‘ A blaring bang blasted through the ears of everypony on board the train.

Blitz jumped out of his seat at the loud, sudden noise. Landing face first, he got up but was instantly knocked on his feet when another explosion came from behind the train. Next came the screams of the ponies on board, their wails filled his ears. He could then hear metal clinking at the top of the train followed by heavy footsteps. Blitz left lying on the ground while the clanking rung in his ears. Eventually a large thud broke the constant noise.

A quick whizzing noise followed by another swooped past the train yet again. Blitz knew that noise and assumed there were two figures instead of one blazing past the train. He finally got to his feet and started to make his way towards the front of the train. Before he could take a single step, there was a loud screeching noise that rattles Blitz’s ears. It was followed by the train shifting to the left and Blitz tumbled into the window. The screeching continued as Blitz looked out the window and saw the cause of the painful wail. Some of the left train wheels were broken, the bottom halves of them were missing and the exposed area was grinding against the railroad.

‘Everything’s happening too fast. What’s goi-‘ Another explosion rang through the atmosphere, jumbling Blitz’s thoughts. He looked toward the back of the train where the sound emitted from. Smoke was pouring through the open door leading to the next cart in the train. The fumes rose up to the ceiling where the footsteps continued, sounding heavier than ever.

“I’m still wondering how this train is still in motion, I hope nopony is back there-wait. THE TRAIN IS STILL IN MOTION!” Blitz hurried toward the front of the train and located the conductor. The footsteps and clanking on the top of the train seemed to cease. He reached the conductor who was pouring sweat down his overalls. His cap lay half on his head ready to fall off at any moment. Through the pilot area, Blitz could clearly see Ponyville in the distance which only meant one thing.

The train was headed for a collision course with the town Blitz intended to start his new life in. “Hey, Mister! What’s going on!?”

“Controls are actin’ up, they won’t budge!” the conductor panted as he tried to pull the brakes.

“A few of the left wheels are broken! I heard explosions too from-“

“Dammit all! The brakes won’t work because of those broken wheels. This train wasn’t built to be torn up!” the conductor said as he looked out the pilot towards Ponyville. “I don’t know what to do! I wasn’t trained for this kind of disaster!” he said panicking.

“If you start to panic then I’ll start to panic!” Blitz blurted out. He became mortified, sick with worry. Blitz couldn’t face it; he turned and ran towards the back of the train. He smashed open a window on the right side and prepared to jump out despite his nervousness of how fast the train was speeding.

Before he got the chance he glanced up and noticed two figures hurtling towards the train. Their spiral motion was all Blitz saw before they made contact with the train itself, knocking Blitz back in the train. The sheer force of the impact shook the train and it tilted a bit to the left. A fourth explosion almost burst Blitz’s eardrums as he got back up. This time he got up with a plan.

‘This is crazy, just pure madness! But it has to work, it has to!’ Blitz stood at the edge of the window and peered out. Ponyville was dangerously close and Blitz only had one option. He looked at the right side wheels and focused on them. He closed his eyes and concentrated only on the wheels. His horn started to glow that aqua tint as he tried to freeze the wheels themselves. Ten seconds went by: nothing. Twenty seconds, thirty seconds, Blitz was starting to lose focus. ‘No, come on, work. Work Celestia darn it! Come on!’

It was no use; Blitz was too worried to concentrate his magic. No sooner, his worries escalated once he saw the two figures blazing straight at him, this time faster than before. He thought he could see the sound barrier being broken. Blitz jumped back into the train and braced for another impact. ‘Help me, somepony.’

Blitz expected the large bang to ripple through the air. But, he didn’t expect the hole in the train to be there. It looked like a large cannonball had pierced the train, going through one side and out the other. Blitz felt something was wrong and instantly came up with what happened. As Blitz was tumbling to the left he realized that the momentum and force of the gliding figures had caused the train to tip to the left. The train was toppling over.

Blitz tried to grab something, anything but felt his hooves grasp nothing. Time slowed down as Blitz felt his body leave solid ground. He could hear metal crashing, glass breaking, banging all around. Blitz felt a sharp pain, but couldn’t pinpoint where since his whole body was in pain. He bounced back and forth as the train slid across the earth, tearing it up. It was as if Blitz was in a blender, he felt his body hitting everything.

His eyesight grew faint, his breathing slowed. Eventually the train spit him outside and the last thing Blitz saw was Celestia’s sun directly above him before darkness overtook him and he blacked out.

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Visit

Blitz found himself in the snowy meadow once more. Snowflakes where dancing as he slowly got up and started trotting forward. Sifting through snow and flowers, Blitz was peering around for a particular somepony. The bright glow of the whole scene blurred his vision greatly, but he kept on searching. “I know you’re around here. Please, come out,” Blitz begged slowly.

Just then, the muffled voice filled Blitz ears. He looked around to locate the source, but came up empty hoofed. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a change in color and the illuminating snow around him started to grow darker. He noticed that the flowers started to wilt and crumble down. His eyes finally witnessed the cause of all this. Sweeping across the meadow was a giant, vibrant shade of red. Upon closer examination, Blitz concluded that it was indeed a fiery heat wave. “Please, tell me where you are! We have to get out of here. Please,” Blitz said in agony.

The heat wave was dangerously close as the glow around the meadow had vanished and was replaced by red, bright light. Before Blitz was consumed by the great fire, he heard one final sentence. “Help me.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz awoke with a start breathing heavily and covered in sweat. It took a few solid minutes for Blitz to cool down and realize that he wasn’t in any danger. In fact, he was lying on a soft, comfy bed with his head resting on a white, fluffy pillow. He was covered in a red and white checkered blanket which had been messed up due to his thrashing about beforehand. “Well, I did ask for comfortable beds. Now, where am I?” he said dazed.

Blitz looked around and noticed that almost everything was gleaming white. The desk next to him held a pot of red and purple flowers which gave off a sweet, fragrant scent. Celestia’s sun was shining through the blinds of a window and Blitz could tell it was still daytime. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I’m in a hospital.” The pony tried to get out of the bed, but he felt something was wrong. Despite the pain he was feeling all over his body, there was one particular spot that felt plain out wrong. He threw the blankets off of him and recoiled in horror at what he saw.

“How did this happen? My leg…it’s broken,” Blitz said in absolute terror. He couldn’t take his eyes off the bandaged leg. No wonder he felt weird, he couldn’t feel anything in his leg at all. Before his eternal gaze at his leg could continue, the door in front of his bed opened and in walked a nurse holding a clipboard. She was a milky white mare with a bright pink mane. Her hair was perfectly tied back into a bun. She wore a white cap with a red cross and pink hearts. Her cutie mark also happened to resemble her cap symbol.

“Oh, you’re awake, Mister…” The nurse hesitated.

“Uh, Blitz, ma’am,” said Blitz slowly trying to pull together his thoughts.

“Ah, well Mister Blitz, how are you feeling? I hope you’re not in too much pain,” the nurse said in a worried, but comforting tone.

“May I ask what happened? I mean, how did I get here and more importantly how did I break my leg?” Blitz asked with a confused expression.

“Well, it says here that you were in a train accident. You were found with a broken leg when some ponies brought you here,” she said glancing at her clipboard. “You’ve been here since this morning, so we’ve managed to wrap you up quick.”

‘Train accident, that’s right.’ Blitz envisioned what happened a few hours earlier. He remembered the train, the figures that swooped by, the howling wheels, and the screams of terrified ponies; all of it. He cringed at the pain when he remembered that he was tossed about within the train. ‘So, I’m brought here. Probably the nicest looking room I’ve ever been at in my entire life.’

“…”

“Oh, sorry, I got lost in my thoughts…I’m kind of like that,” Blitz said apologetically.

“It’s okay; a lot of our patients are like that after their first traumatizing accident,” she concluded.

‘Was that supposed to be a joke?’

“You can call me Nurse Redheart. If you need me just give me a holler and I’ll be here as soon as I can,” Nurse Redheart said as she started towards the door.

“I will, don’t wo-wait!” Blitz caught himself. “You said there were some ponies who came and took me here?”

“Yes, why?” she said turning back around.

“Who were they exactly?”

“Well…” The nurse didn’t know how to respond.

“You’re lookin’ right at him!” announced an unknown voice.

Both Nurse Redheart and Blitz stared with their mouths open in shock. In walked a stallion wearing a thick, light brown trench coat. Blitz noticed that his coat was a slightly darker color than the trench coat, but it was still pretty light. His pitch black mane consisted of several tufts of hair jutting out on the right side of his head. Blitz saw that his tail seemed ruffled naturally, but still somewhat refined. What Blitz couldn’t see was this mysterious stallion’s cutie mark or if he was a pegasus or earth pony for that matter. He seemed to have a gleam in his dark, purple eyes as he smiled proudly at Blitz.

“Name’s Vicer or Vice for short. You can thank me later. You’re probably all battered up and stuff,” the stallion said smiling. “Just remember that name though; it did save you from impending doom.”

‘This is the guy who rescued me…’ Blitz thought doubtfully.

“Ahem…” said another unknown voice. Both Nurse Redheart and Blitz turned to the other patient bed a few feet across from them. Blitz almost fell out of his bed while the nurse simply closed her still gaping mouth. The bed had bright green curtains covering whoever was inside. Blitz could barely make out a shadow of a pony, probably a stallion.

‘Alright now, how did I miss that?’

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot why I came here,” Vice replied. “Hey, chucklehead, wake up!” he ordered to the other patient’s bed.

“What does that even mean?” the other voice said.

“I don’t even know. So, what did you ‘ahem’ for, huh?” Vice said stamping his hoof.

“Well, I just wanted to say that…I helped too,” the other voice said muffling his words slightly at the end.

“Alrighty, well you must be feelin’ fine right? I mean, I assume you’re feelin’ just great, right?” Vice said keeping the questions coming.

“I’m fine,” the voice promptly said.

“Good, so you ready to get outta here?” Vice said already facing the door.

“Sure."

‘It’s like me and Nurse Redheart aren’t even here,’ Blitz thought looking back and forth between the nurse and the mysterious duo.

“…why are you still behind that damn curtain then?” No answer came. Just then a malicious grin spread across Vice’s face as he slowly lifted his hoof up to his chin. He kept his smile as his dusk, purple eyes darted back and forth from the silhouette behind the green curtain to the nurse next to Blitz. Both Blitz and Nurse Redheart just stared at the Vice trying to figure out what he was doing.

“You’re trying to act all shy in front of the nurse aren’t you!” Vice finally shouted as he pointed towards the patient’s bed.

“WHAT!”

Both the nurse and Blitz’s jaws dropped right on the spot. The stallion ripped away the green curtain and threw it to the side. Blitz finally got a good look at what the pony actually looked like. He noticed that the stallion was in a sitting position with his hoofs now covering his mouth.

Blitz noticed the crimson scarf right off the bat. It was wrapped neatly around the stallion’s neck, forming a small sort of bow near the front. His coat had an extremely dark, black tint slightly darker than Vice’s mane. This pony’s mane, however, was a pale, dark green. It was lean and slick being smoothly laid back. His tail jutted upward and outward away from his body dropping straight, vertically down to the ground after a few inches. This seemed to form a sort of triangle in Blitz’s eyes. The silver horseshoe cutie mark was evident in Blitz’s inspection. It seemed to shine in the dark stallion’s coat. His bright cardinal, red eyes seemed to be fixed on Vice in anguish.

“…” the pony stayed silent.

“You can’t fool me; I know what you’re up to!” Vice said cutting the silence. Blitz noticed that the stallion’s face was bright red. He watched as the stallion slowly turned toward the nurse without a word. He also noticed that the nurse was indeed starting to show bits of red in her face.

‘Awkward…’

“Well? Go ahead, introduce yourself. Be a gentlecolt!” Vice exclaimed.

Blitz hadn’t noticed it before, but he saw some sort of blue band around the stallion’s wrist. It was something he had never seen before. Then again, Blitz didn’t really see much in his time in Manehatten. He couldn’t really describe the peculiar item either, but he didn’t pay much attention as the stallion opened his mouth and prepared to speak.

“Um, hel-hi, uh…” the stallion’s eyes were literally dancing as he looked back and forth from the nurse to Vice to Blitz. “I’m…my, uh, name is-” the stallion seemed to stop mid sentence. Blitz kept inspecting the stallion and observed various scratches and bruises on his chest area. None of them seemed to major, at least to Blitz, but the pony also saw that there was a white bandage covering the right cheek of the stallion. It looked ragged and couldn’t have been recent.

‘Geez, I haven’t seen somepony have problems like this since I met Fuzzy. Long lost brother maybe? No, what am I even thinking now?’ Blitz thought as he awaited a response from the now shuddering stallion.

“I…I-I-“

“His name’s Enzo if that helps,” Vice remarked with a smug grin.

“…” Enzo didn’t respond. Blitz thought his head was going to burst due to the excessive amount of redness it was receiving. He had never seen somepony blushing so hard ever in his life.

“Okay," the nurse started. “Well…my name is Nurse Redheart if that helps.”

“Oh it does, it does,” Vice replied comically.

“Well then, if you’re friend is feeling well then he may leave with you,” Nurse Redheart replied calmly, trying to end the conversation.

“I don’t know, maybe he wants to stay a bit longer, hint, hint,” Vice said winking to Enzo.

“Right,” said the nurse with a stern look. The nurse’s blush seemed to fade by now, but Enzo still had traces of red on his face.

“Alright then, Enzo, let’s skedaddle. I’m starving and I’ve picked up some nice looking food already. Who knew there could be so much stuff in a single saddlebag?” Vice said already halfway out the door.

“Wait for me!” Enzo cried rushing towards the door.

“Hold on one minute, one single-“ Blitz started.

“What?” Vice interrupted.

“Uh, can you tell me what happened earlier today? I mean how did you find me? How did you save me? What happened to the train? Is everypony okay? Who-“

“Wow, wow, wow there. Slow down cowpoke.” Vice said with an annoyed expression. “Uh, let us just say that I-“

“We,” Enzo added.

“We...saw you and dragged you’re half beaten ass here. That’s really all there is to it,” Vice stated already out of sight.

“But-“

“That’s that!” Vice shouted from an unknown location.

“…” Blitz didn’t know what to do now. Enzo looked at both the nurse and Blitz and gave a small wave before leaving. The room seemed to be released of all tension, but there was still confusion floating about. Blitz and Nurse Redheart were simply frozen in position, taking in what had just happened.

“Those two sure are weird,” Blitz said trying to break to reoccurring silence.

“Please don’t speak of this to anypony,” the nurse said half looking at Blitz.

“My lips are sealed.” Blitz acknowledged.

“Well then, Mister Blitz, I may not be able to answer all of your questions, but I can tell you this. Everypony made it out alive and they are all doing well,” Nurse Redheart said.

‘Okay, I can accept everypony being in great condition except me.’ Blitz thought.

“The train, however, was totaled unfortunately. The wreckage is currently being cleaned up as we speak. But enough talk of all this nonsense, you must be very tired after what had just happened. I’ll leave you to yourself,” Nurse Redheart said. She exited the room and left Blitz to his solitude.

‘Alright, so two random ponies come to save me and I end up in a hospital, that I get. But, why is one of them in the hospital with me if they were the ones saving me? Could they have been on the train with me? Or, maybe I’m just over reacting like always. Then again, that’s what I said on the train and here I am! Gaah, so confusing!’

Blitz literally threw his head back into the soft pillow. He stared at the white ceiling for a long period of time before contemplating again. The pain was starting to slowly return; it was as if it was never there in the first place during the feud between Nurse Redheart and Enzo.

‘Must’ve been some ride if I broke my leg like this.’ Blitz said remembering his now shattered leg. ‘Well, at least I’m finally in Ponyville. Now I can start my new life…hopefully. Geez, I don’t even know where to go. I hope the locals are friendly and not crazies like the two fools I just met. I gotta keep telling myself that everything will get better.’

Blitz started to close his eyes. He was extremely tired even though he had just gone through hell itself. He wanted to stay awake, but couldn’t find the strength within to fight the fatigue.

‘Why can’t all my questions be answered? I can’t even answer that!’ *sigh* ‘I should just focus on one thing: getting that job. I don’t care how it happens, but it has to. If I’m to lead a better life…shouldn’t this be my resolve? Ugh, more questions, no answers.’ A grumbling sound pierced Blitz’s thoughts. He felt a tingling sensation surge through his stomach. He rubbed it to try and suppress the feeling of hunger, but failed miserably.

“Okay, I get it. I’m hungry,” Blitz said as he felt his mouth water. “Well, at least I made sure to pack plenty of snacks. Let me just-” Blitz stopped completely. “Where’s my saddlebag,” said Blitz dumbfounded. “Darn it, how could I have forgotten to ask earlier when there were witnesses at the scene? Maybe they could’ve known wh-“

Vice’s words echo through Blitz head. ‘I’m starving and I’ve picked up some nice looking food already. Who knew there could be so much stuff in a single saddlebag?’

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Blitz blurted out. “Saddlebags and food, now where have I heard of these things? Oh yeah, that’s right I had a saddlebag with food in it,” He sighed heavily. “This only means one thing.” Blitz took a deep breath in and focused his now energetic power in the next few words. “Those two fools just ROBBED ME OF MY STUFF!” Blitz screamed in a voice which he believed was the louder than the explosions he heard earlier. ‘Will this madness ever end?’

Chapter 4: Pills Here

Enzo and Vice found themselves in the heart of Ponyville: the market. Stands were set up left and right down a long, narrow street selling every item you could think of. Fruits, conditioners, toys, there was literally everything available. The bustling bargaining of ponies filled the two stallions’ ears with satisfaction. The whole scene was truly magnificent, each and everypony was laughing and smiling with each other. The colorful, intricate stalls seemed to be bursting with happiness. All of It was amazing in Enzo and Vice’s eyes.

“Holy mother, look at all this stuff!” Vice shouted over the loud chatter of various ponies.

“It’s pretty,” Enzo said softly.

“Did I hear pretty? Pretty?” Vice sighed. “What am I going to do with you, Enzo?” Vice said with an annoyed look on his face.

“What do you mean? All I said was that it looked pretty,” Enzo defended.

“You gotta man up!” Vice said lightly punching his partner on the shoulder. “Remember earlier with the nurse? That’s a big no-no, you couldn’t even spit out your own damn name. You can’t do that anymore, Enzo. Learn to toughen up, take initiative!”

“Why are you telling me this?” cried Enzo.

“Well it’s because y-“ Before Vice could finish his sentence, a loud, grumbling noise cut him off. Enzo chuckled a bit as Vice put his hooves on his stomach. Almost immediately after, another growl could be heard. This time Vice was laughing as Enzo checked his own stomach.

“I guess I’ll have to explain later,” Vice said scratching his head. “Right now, let’s chow.” The excited pony took out the saddlebag he had with him and opened the brown bag up. It wasn’t particularly nice looking as it was old and worn out. Its leather exterior felt extremely rough, but Vice disregarded that as he reached in and ruffled around. Eventually his hoof came in contact with something and he tried to pull it out, but failed miserably.

“…you okay there?"

“Just…dandy,” Vice said concentrating on picking up whatever was in the bag. Enzo could barely notice sweat start to form on Vice’s head. His hoof was still rummaging through the bag vigorously. Time went by as Vice started to feel slight anger rising in him. ‘What in the-I’ve seen ponies pick up stuff with their bare hooves. So how come I CAN’T!’ Vice thought angrily.

“Screw it!” Vice said as he turned the bag upside down and dumped the contents of the bag onto the ground. A single bag of Grass Gummis as well as an ample amount of AppleBran Bars spilled out. Along the assortment of goodies, a glittering snow globe fell out. Within the mix of food, Enzo managed to catch the snow globe with both hooves, standing perfectly on his two hind legs while in a diving position. “Nice reflexes, you look like a ballerina,” Vice said with a witty smile. “Now, what the...hay is that?”

“A snow globe,” Enzo said peering into the blue tinted glass. He was intrigued by the dancing snowflakes and snowponies sitting within the artificial winter wonderland.

“That much I figured out,” said Vice rolling his eyes. “But what’s it doing with the food?” He thought long and hard for a second. He developed a scheming grin and inspected the snow globe. “...and how much is it worth?”

“What?” Enzo yelped pulling his eyes away and almost toppling over due to his strained position. “You’re not thinking of selling this are you? We don’t even know who’s thi-“

“I’m just tugging your…uh, never mind. For now, let’s just eat food already. I’m starving,” Vice said quickly, trying to cover up his devious plan. He fiddled with the AppleBran Bar trying to get it open. The noticeable sweat was starting to come back just like before. ‘Really?' Vice thought with self-doubt. After much struggle, he finally got the wrapper to rip and out popped the bar. It was a caramel color with various shades of brown splotches here and there. Shining, bright red dots were embedded in the bar as well.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?"

“No clue.” Vice said as he took a bite out of the bar. It tasted bland at first, kind of like bread. The bar felt very crunchy and hard at first, softening up as Vice chewed onward. But then the sweet flavor of apple exploded in Vice’s mouth. It filled his tongue with delight as the sweetness sizzled all around. He savored the palatable taste as much as possible before taking another munch from the bar.

“Aaaaww yeah!” Vice said with energetic power. “So worth it!” he announced spitting AppleBran chunks everywhere.

“…” Enzo was speechless.

Vice threw him a bar and he was barely able to catch it. He inspected it and looked directly at Vice with a quizzical look.

“Eat up!” Vice said with a mouthful. “It’s gonna be a long ass day.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Gaaaahh!” Blitz screamed in sheer pain as he got out of the hospital bed. He tried to hold his ground, but his knees were shaking. His broken left leg felt as if it were being devoured by starving parasprites. He was breathing heavily as he took his first step. The pain returned, but wasn’t as severe as before.

“Always those first filly steps,” he said under his breath.He mustered enough strength to start a slow limp. Each step sent a jolt of pain in his leg, but he trudged on. Never in his life had he felt so much pain before. Blitz reached the door, but was stopped by a familiar voice before he could head out.

“Hello? Are you alright? I heard screams, what’s goi-oh, Mister Blitz!” Nurse Redheart had materialized before Blitz’s eyes. “Why are you in a hurry all of a sudden? You don’t look so good,” she said worried about him.

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t mean it in that way, but you need rest,” the nurse said.

“Well. Rest isn’t an option right now. I’ve gotten my possessions stolen and I need to get them back quickly.” Blitz pleaded to the nurse while he crawled on the hospital floor.

“Don’t tell me.”

“Yep, those two fools, whatever their names are. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some catching up to do,” Blitz managed to say before he winced in agony.

“I can’t let you leave in that condition. You have to rest!” Nurse Redheart demanded with a raised hoof.

“You let that Enzo guy-I think-leave since he said he was fine. Well, I’m fine too,” Blitz shot back as he limped out the door.

“…okay, wait,” Nurse Redheart said. “…I-I can give you something to help with the pain.” She pulled out a half white, half red pill and showed it to Blitz.

“What-“

“Take it, trust me.” Blitz saw the assurance in nurse Redheart’s light blue eyes. He picked up the pill and examined it. Nothing was too special about it and he quickly plopped it into his mouth. The taste came out bitter and he quickly swallowed it before the unpleasant feeling in his tongue could linger.

“Bleuagh...I don’t like the taste,” Blitz complained.

“Sorry, but it will help ease up the pain. You’ll be able to walk with little trouble,” the nurse concluded.

“Gee, thanks. Do you know where those two went by any chance?” Blitz asked quickly.

“I overheard them talking about visiting the market,” she answered. “I don’t know exactly where, sorry.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry. Thanks!” said Blitz starting out the door.

“Do be careful Mister Blitz!”

“I will, and please, just call me Blitz.”

“I will.” Nurse Redheart still had a hint of worry in her voice as she watched Blitz exit the room. He tested to see if the pill actually worked. It was as if the pain was slowly ebbing away in his broken leg. Soon enough, he only felt a slight tightness in his leg.

“Alright you fools, I’m coming for you both!” Blitz said with confidence as he exited through the hospital doors. He was outside for the first time since he was sent to the hospital in the morning. He inhaled a large puff of air and strode off toward Ponyville’s wondrous market.

Chapter 5: Royal Mishap

Upon arrival to the market, Blitz was speechless. The overwhelming magnificence radiating from the market left him in a shocked state. A long narrow path with stalls to either side made Blitz wonder how he was going to find two stallions out of hundreds. Blitz felt hopeless. “Just look for a pony with a trench coat,” he said to himself. He wandered the street, prowling for that light brown trench coat. The pain in his leg was almost nonexistent save a few instances of tightness here and there.

“Better find them before this magical pill wears off,” Blitz reminded himself. Ponies were trotting to and fro from stall to stall. Blitz felt as if there were more ponies than there really were. It was just clusters of ponies everywhere, he squinted his eyes to get better looks. After about five minutes of searching, Blitz came to the conclusion that he needed help. He spotted a particularly large stallion shooting looks at multiple ponies. He seemed to be focused on each pony before moving to the next.

“This is a horrible idea.” He walked up to the stallion and immediately noticed the 5 o’clock shadow. He also noticed the tiny bluish hat covering his mess of a blond mane. His bloodshot eyes and reminder of a particular ticket vendor only gave Blitz the impression that he was going to have trouble. ‘Greeaat, reminds me of that greaser back at TrolleyGo’s Station…’ thought Blitz bitterly.

“Hey you!” the stallion barked. “Yeah, you!” He pointed straight at Blitz and gave him the death stare. “Get over here!” Blitz silently walked over, shuddering as he approached the stallion.

“Uh-“

“You look like a fine fellow with a bit of bits. How much will you pay for this cherry?”

“Wait…what? I don’t want any-“

“Did I hear 100 bits?”

‘A 100 bits? 100 Bits? 100 BITS!’ “Tell me, mister, have you seen a stallion walking by in a trench coat by any chance?” Blitz said calmly.

“Did I hear a raise to 110 bits? the stallion said ignoring Blitz’s question.

“Answer me and you’ll be 200 bits richer,” Blitz said with a smirk.

“That way, now pay up!” the stallion said pointing toward more stalls.

“Yeah, thanks,” said the blue stallion as he started to walk away.

“Hey wait, you promised me 200 bits!” the stallion screamed raising his hoof at Blitz.

“I didn’t promise anything, mister," Blitz yelled back

There was another shout that sounded like an insult, but Blitz gave no attention to it. ‘I will not be subject to another greedy stallion!’ Blitz thought triumphantly.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Whoowhee!” Vice shouted at the sky. “Holy crap! And I thought that AppleBran thing was good!” he said throwing a hoovefull of Grass Gummis into his mouth. The taste was sour at first and tickled Vice’s tongue. Then, the luscious sweetness seemed to take over as the candy melted in his mouth.

“These are pretty good,” Enzo said plopping one into his own mouth.

“There’s that pretty again,” said Vice smirking at Enzo.

“Please stop,” Enzo said with an annoyed face.

“Maybe,” Vice said with a gulp. “Lighten up, Enzo, take this short break we have to just chill.” Vice sat down on a nearby bench and threw the saddlebag next to him. He had his hooves wrapped behind his head. Enzo filled the spot next to Vice and started to fiddle with his hooves. He stared straight into the ground, lost in thought. The two stallions were still within the market even though there were considerably less stalls than there were before. However, the bright demeanor did not die down as ponies still were enjoying themselves around the colorful stalls. With Vice’s eyes now closed and Enzo in a muse, the two were paying no attention to anything around them.

“FINALLY!” Both Vice and Enzo simultaneously looked up to see a very familiar stallion. “I’ve caught you!” Blitz pointed his hoof in the general direction of the two stallions. “Now would you kindly GIVE ME BACK MY STUFF!”

“Oh heeey!” Vice spoke up, “I know you; you’re that guy who broke his leg!” he said chuckling. “Say, how did you manage to get all the way over here-“

“That doesn’t matter, just hand over my bag!” Blitz stated as he walked toward the duo.

“This is…your bag?” Enzo peeped. “We’re terribly sor-“

“We?” Vice said looking at his partner. Enzo simply shrugged. “I mean, ya did lose it right? Finders keepers, losers-“

“Don’t give me that crap! It was my bag in the first place which makes you both thieves. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” said Blitz trying to get into an intimidating stance. He kept his glare, but it was instantly turned into a face of pain as he felt tightness in his leg. Vice raised his eyebrows humorously at the mess of a stallion Blitz was.

“Really,” he said considering his options. “If that’s the case then I choose the hard way!” Vice got to his feet and darted off towards a crowd of ponies. Before Blitz could react, Enzo had already disappeared and was lagging behind Vice. Blitz prepared to dash after them, but felt something wrong with himself. A sharp pain temporarily stunned him in place then went away.

‘Great, the pill is wearing off,’ he thought with worry. He gathered his strength and ran after the duo, all while dragging his bandaged leg.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Think we lost him?”

“This is a bad idea, Vice.”

“Yeah, I know,” the pony said with a smirk. “Just like old times, eh?”

“Just like old times,” Enzo repeated with a slight smile.

“HEEEEYY!”

“Shoot here he comes, let’s go!” Vice said running off. Enzo followed quickly behind as his companion sifted through various ponies. “Great, more ponies!” He had a very hard time trying to not hit anypony. He clumsily trudged past mares and stallions alike. Enzo, however, seemed to be maneuvering easily around. He waltzed past everypony, dodging them with ease. Vice almost resorted to pushing aside ponies, but considering his situation, he decided not to get into any more trouble.

“I don’t see him," Vice said looking back behind him. “Maybe we-oh NO!” Vice turned at the last second to see a small, yellow filly bouncing right in front of him. He barely had enough time to perform a leap over her head. The bright pink bow in her darker pink hair swayed in the direction of the jump. Vice landed with a large thud, did a small roll and kept on galloping away.

“Woah…what was that?” the filly squeaked.

“Get back here, Apple Bloom!” an orange mare said from behind a stall. It was full of various apple products. Ranging from apple pies to AppleBran Bars to simple apples, there was everything apple littered and labeled on the stand. “What in tarnations are ya doin’, lil sis?”

“Sorry, Applejack,” Apple Bloom said half ignoring her. She was too focused on the crazy stallion that had almost trampled her. Just then, Enzo came rushing by. Before he could catch up to Vice, the yellow filly known as Apple Bloom stepped right in front of him. Unlike Vice, Enzo came to a complete stop without tripping or falling. Apple Bloom was staring intently into Enzo’s eyes as he stood there wondering what she wanted.

“Um...hi?” he said nervously.

“Hiya there, mister!” Apple Bloom said with enthusiasm. “Wanna buy any of our apples?” she asked motioning toward her sister’s stand.

“Oh, uh, well I can’t really-“

“Aw c’mon, please,” she pleaded. “Pretty pleeeaaase,” she said now pouting her lip.

“…” Enzo didn’t know what to say or do for that matter. ‘How can I say no to a face like that?’ he thought staring at Apple Bloom’s innocent face.

“ENZO!” a voice pierced the awkward stare off. Enzo broke his gaze as he recognized the voice. “What the...hay, I thought you were right there behind me!” Vice said stumbling toward Enzo.

“Hey there, mister.” Apple Bloom started changing her sad expression to a more joyful one. “Wanna buy-“

“No,” Vice spoke cutting her off as if he knew what she was going to ask. Her pouty face returned which caught Vice off guard. He stared into her orange eyes, mesmerized by the sadness. Quickly recovering, he broke his stunned state, grabbed Enzo and took off with him.

“Wait, Vice,” Enzo said as he was dragged away.

“Enzo, you already cost us a lot of time,” Vice said cruelly. “Who knows where that blue guy could be lurking.”

“…sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Vice released his grip and let go of Enzo. “Let’s just ge-aahh.” Out of nowhere, a small pellet had nailed Vice in his left cheek. He lifted his hoof to rub his somewhat cold cheek. “…snow?!” Vice said bewildered with his teeth clenched.

“I’m lucky somepony was selling frozen goods,” said the voice the duo had been avoiding all this time. “They were reluctant to give me the slush…but I won them over with a little persuasion,” said Blitz remembering how he had tricked the other stallion beforehand. Gales of fury passed through Vice as he viciously wiped the snow off his cheek.

“Well if you wanted a good ole’ fashioned fight you should’ve told me,” Vice said as he stood on his two hind legs and raised hooves in front of him. “Put ‘em up, I’ll show you the one, two combo.” He started to do little hops, mini-strafing as he approached Blitz.

“Wait a sec-wait, hold on!” Blitz backed away slowly. His eyes filled with fear as the pony in the trench coat came closer. He did not expect Vice to take aggression towards a little snowball.

“Vice, calm down. This isn’t-“

“Shut it, Enzo. If this boy wants to play tough, he’ll have to learn how to take a hit!” Vice said glaring at Blitz with anger. Blitz forgot about his leg which was literally falling apart. It got to a point where Blitz felt so much pain he collapsed. He fell to his knees and looked up to see a ready stance Vice hovering over him. Blitz was at this stallion’s mercy. ‘If this is the price I pay for my actions, then I’ll have to learn what it’s like to be beat up,’ Blitz thought bracing himself against Vice.

‘Am I really gonna beat up a cripple? He did pelt me with a bullet ball...dammit,’ Vice thought as he slowly came to his senses.

‘Vice, please make the right choice,’ Enzo thought as his worried eyes darted back and forth from Blitz to Vice. Everypony just stood still, nopony moved. Blitz stared directly at Vice, prepared for the worst. Vice simply stood there, jumbled in his thoughts. Before the intimidating pony could reconsider his actions, a large figure had swooped down behind the three ponies. It landed with a loud bang and shouted in a menacing voice:

“STOP, YOU’VE VIOLATED THE SACRED LAW OF EQUESTRIA!”

~~~~~~~~~~

“We didn’t even sell one apple,” Apple Bloom said miserably.

“Ah shucks, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said walking over to her sister. “I guess selling apples really isn’t cut out for you.”

“Darn it, I really though t this second chance would work,” Apple Bloom replied as her sister comforted her by rubbing her head.

“Hi girls,” a soft voice said from a distance. The two sisters turned to see a yellow mare strolling by through the market. Her pink mane was bouncing as she happily trotted by.

“Oh, hey Fluttershy,” Applejack spoke up releasing Apple Bloom from her grip. “What are ya’ shoppin’ around for?”

“Just some special food that I’m picking up for Angel,” Fluttershy said still retaining her soft tone. “I’m also continuing my assertiveness that I’ve been trying out. I can’t believe it’s actually been working. New Fluttershy will make sure nopony treats her like a pushover,” she giggled with confidence.

“Assertiveness?” Applejack said doubtfully.

“New Fluttershy?” Apple Bloom said in confusion. Both sisters watched as Fluttershy kept happily trotting out of view humming some sort of jolly tune.

~~~~~~~~~~

“What in the-" Vice started as he lowered his hooves away from Blitz.

“You there!” The huge figure pointed towards Vice. “You’re in a lot of trouble, mister. You and your friend!” he finished, changing his point to the direction of Enzo.

“And just who do you think you are, huh?” Vice spat walking towards the figure.

“I am one of Celestia’s most trusted, elite pegasi guards. Royalty runs through my muscles!” the pegasus said flexing his arm. Blitz could only imagine the slightly curved, dark blond tail doing a flex as well. “And if this magnificent mustache isn’t enough to prove that, then how about these?” the pegasus said as he flapped his pure white wings open. The three stallions stared in utter shock as the pegasus kept rambling on about himself.

“You can call me Clyde the Guard, or simply Clyde. But, I assure you, nopony else has a mustache with such high valor such as myself,” he said stroking his dark blond, thick, manly stache. The slightly curled handlebar mustache seemed to defy the laws of physics as it seemed to shine brighter than Clyde’s own royal guard helmet. The ponies three sat speechlessly. “Well then, if you two’ll just come with me,” Clyde said motioning the two culprits over.

“Hold on there, bucko!” Vice interrupted raising his hoof at him. “We did nothing wrong here. If some...pony is to blame then it’s this guy!” he said pointing both hooves downward towards Blitz who started to get back on his feet.

“Are you seri-aaahhh!” Blitz screamed in pain as he felt a crack in his left leg.

“See, he’s acting hostile towards me. It’s obviously-“

“Cut that crap, you know what you did, so fess…up.” Blitz had a hard time finishing his sentence as he staggered through the oncoming pain.

“This guy’s out of control! He’s been chasing us like a mad...pony, ready to tear us limb from limb.”

“Are you serious? Don’t turn this story around just so…you can avoid trouble.” Blitz said trying to shoot down Vice’s crazy claims.

“I ain’t turning anything around. I’m simply stating-“

“Bullcrap!”

“ENOUGH!” Clyde yelled with such force that both ponies shut up immediately. “You, in the trench coat. I saw you hovering over this crippled pony, what was that all about?”

“Oh that’s funny, well-y-ya see...” Vice tried to think of an excuse to cover up his actions, but came up with nothing.

“Hmm, interesting.” Clyde eyed the horrible pokerface that Vice was trying to pull. “You, the one with the blue band and scarf. Do you have a say in this?

“Oh me? Um, well...”

“VERY INTERESTING INDEED!”

“Um, excuse me sir,” a soft voice said countering Clyde’s loud yell. “Could you please move over? You’re blocking my path.” Blitz let out a slight laugh, despite the pain, as he realized that this yellow mare was poking at Clyde’s size. He was the biggest pony Blitz had ever seen so far, bigger than the worker ponies he always passed by in Manehatten. He seemed to take up the whole space between the stalls too, the route Vice and Enzo took to avoid Blitz was unusually narrow.

“Oh, hello there Miss…Fluttershy!” Clyde was barely able to remember the mare’s name. “I haven’t seen you in a while since I was stationed here! Don’t worry I’ll just be a moment.”

“But I really need to get the last ingredient for my Angel bunny,” she pleaded.

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but I must perform my active duty in protecting Ponyville,” Clyde said turning back around towards Vice and Enzo. The joyous look on Fluttershy’s face vanished the moment she was turned down.

‘Why can’t he just fly up? Too fat?’ Blitz thought chuckling even harder than before.

“Clyde.” She was starting to get tense. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Please move aside.”

“Miss Fluttershy, this is very important. I’ve finally caught these ponies in the act of breaking the law of Equestria. Exciting news indeed it is! I have just the evidence to prove that they are very guilty of theft. I simply have to…”

“When somepony tries to block show them that you rock.” Fluttershy said to herself.

“…and then I’ll be able catch the criminal! It’s every guards dream to-waahhh!” Clyde found pain in his lower right leg as he jumped into the air toppling over onto his face. When he opened his eyes, he noticed his mustache was defiled with dirt and grime and desperately tried to wipe it all off. Vice and Enzo stared with their mouths gaping. Fluttershy had taken a nearby stick and actually jabbed it into Clyde’s leg. It was blunt and nowhere close to sharp, but Clyde’s reaction proved otherwise for the pain.

Fluttershy resumed her walk through the market as Clyde was still on the floor despairing over his messed up mustache. Before she left the scene, she came to a full stop. She slowly turned around and faced a hysterical Blitz. He was laughing so hard that he had trouble breathing. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m just-no it’s…bwaaahahaha.” Blitz couldn’t stop laughing at Clyde’s poor condition. He had never seen somepony act so high and mighty only to look like a fool the next minute. Unfortunately for him, Fluttershy was taking this gesture the wrong way.

“You laugh at me, I wrath at you.” Blitz finally ceased his laughter only to find an enraged Fluttershy storming straight at him.

Chapter 6: Back to Normal, Almost

“Oh my Celestiaaaa-AHHHHHHHH!!” Blitz screamed in absolute terror as the yellow mare charged straight towards him. Fluttershy was literally a foot away from Blitz which caused him to panic. Temporarily forgetting about the pain in his leg, he stumbled backwards tripping over himself. The stall behind him was now a cluttered mess as he crashed into the wooden foundation. Various assortments of socks littered Blitz’s body.

Vice and Enzo just watched in total terror as this mare was taking out stallions left and right. Blitz was unmoving in the wooden mess and Clyde was still in his broken state over his ruined mustache. ‘What a grade-A bitch!’ Vice thought to himself.

“What do we do?!” Enzo squeaked.

“I say we bail while we have the chance,” Vice said quickly. The duo started to make their departure quietly and sneakily. But, Fluttershy seemed to have a sixth sense as she whirled around and faced the two ponies. Frozen in fear, Vice and Enzo didn’t move a muscle.

“And just where do you think you two are going?” Fluttershy said eying the two ponies with fury.

“Uh, hehe, well ya see-you got us mixed up. It was that guy’s fault wasn’t it? So, problem solved!” Vice said in the best nonchalant voice he could muster.

“…” Enzo stayed silent as usual.

“I’m sure you’re a-uh, sweet gal. Just-having-a very bad day, maybe.” Vice was pooling together his words with rigidness. He barely formed ideas just in time to spit them out. “No need to act all harsh, right?” Fluttershy’s face seemed to only flare up at Vice’s words.

“Okay, maybe you can, but you’re not the type of pony to do-uh, you seem like you’d be a very nice, gentle...”

“Call me a push over and you’ll get the once over,” Fluttershy whispered unbeknownst to Vice.

“…kind mar-what are you doing?” Vice shrieked in fear as Fluttershy stepped closer towards him. He was quick to turn around, ready to flee. But, as he tried to dash away, he felt something tugging at him. Vice turned his head and slowly accepted his fate as he realized that Fluttershy had his trench coat in her grasp.

Enzo gasped in horror as Fluttershy held Vice’s trench coat between her teeth. She planted her hooves firmly on the ground and started to lift Vice in the air. He found himself being twirled in mid-air, gaining speed as Fluttershy made 360 turns. She finally released her bite and Vice was sent flying into a nearby stand. Unfortunately for him the stand was selling shoes and he felt pain all around as shoes whacked him left and right.

Enzo was targeted next on Fluttershy’s rampage. She slowly advanced towards the shaking stallion. Enzo was face to face with Fluttershy as both ponies stood staring each other down.

“You two are the reason I couldn’t buy my cherry! Somepony may have already bought it by now!” she said angrily to a quivering Enzo. The pony was captivated and terrified at the same time. ‘How can somepony look so pretty yet so scary at the same time?’ Fluttershy glared into Enzo’s soul as he was being mesmerized by her serious eyes. Eventually he toppled over; the pony fainted from the stare.

“Hmmph! Nopony pushes New Fluttershy around! NOPONY!” Fluttershy shouted triumphantly. She looked at each fallen stallion with satisfaction and trotted away, smiling with her head high.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Ughh,” Blitz feebly got up and checked to see if his leg was still attached to his body. Fatigue surged through his body as he crept out of the rubble. “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you what happened!” a voice said startling Blitz.

“Mister Clyde?” Blitz said looking around for the stallion.

“My goodness, I’ve never seen Miss Fluttershy act like this before!” Clyde said stepping into view.

“You two know each other?” Blitz wanted to know how exactly Clyde could know such a monster.

“Yes, but this performance of malevolence leads me to believe that she has changed drastically. In any case, let’s drop this ludicrous situation and focus on yours,” Clyde said stretching his wing towards Blitz.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” Blitz said. “I don’t need you to hel-" As soon as Blitz moved his leg, he fell down. It wasn’t even his injured leg either as he looked up towards a stern looking Clyde. “Okay maybe I do,” Blitz said with annoyance at himself.

“It’s alright to give in sometimes, Mister Blitz.” Clyde said trying to reassure Blitz about his current condition. “But, tell me this: you threw that snowball, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Blitz promptly answered getting on Clyde’s back.

“That’s all I need to know.” Clyde’s words echoed in Blitz’s head as he drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz was walking in the winter wonderland once more. This time, however, he was aware of where he was, but not exactly what was happening. The bright glowing snow still affected his eyesight as he tried to see what was going on. “Alright, enough games, where are you…Bluebelle!” Blitz called out, but got no response in return. He searched around the meadow despite the blinding snow obscuring his vision.

All of a sudden, the snow stopped. It was as if everything just froze in place. Blitz couldn’t move at all, he was constricted by an unknown force. A patch of snow melted in front of him and a pony seemed to be rising out of the ground. “Are you...” The pony nodded “...just like I remembered. Same violet coat, same blue mane-same blue eyes.” The mare smiled as she slowly dissolved into a white light.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz opened his eyes and did not stir. He found himself in a comfy bed and already knew he was in the same hospital as before. The pain in his leg seemed to die down, but it was still there. He felt slightly better than before, but he wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. ‘Bluebelle, my childhood friend. Were those dreams before about her? If so, why do I keep having them? Isn’t it enough that I’ve been trying to suppress them? Why do I have to experience those memories again!’

Blitz’s heart ached as he remembered what had happened between him and Bluebelle. ‘Well, I don’t care. These memories aren’t gonna tear me apart. I just have to keep them away no matter what. I can’t keep living in the past-this dream means nothing to me.’

“Am I interrupting something, Mister Blitz?” A familiar voice had shattered Blitz’s unpleasant thoughts.

“Oh, hey there…Clyde,” Blitz said trying to get back to his normal mood.

“Missing something, perhaps?” Clyde said holding out a particular brown saddlebag.

“My bag! But, how did you-“

“Let’s just say a certain snow globe proved the theft. I connected the snow globe to your snow ball and managed to make the crooks confess.” Clyde handed Blitz his bag with a half full bag of Grass Gummies, two AppleBran Bars and the snow globe. Its gleam never seemed to die down. “It was simple, really.”

“Thanks, I honestly didn’t believe that I’d ever see this thing again.” Blitz smiled and relaxed for the first time in a while.

“Just doing my job.” Clyde gave an approving wink.

“Say-could you explain how you know this…Fluttershy pony? I mean, I’m still finding it hard to believe that you know somepony so mean and crazy!” Blitz cringed at the sight of the pony storming straight at him.

“Well, Mister Blitz, she wasn’t as cruel as she is now. She used to be a kind, loving pony…I’m not sure what could have caused such a shift in personality.” Clyde imagined how sweet Fluttershy was all the time and looked down in sorrow. “I was stationed here after Discord was defeated by the Elements of Harmony. I was to ensure that the wielders of the Elements of Harmony were to be kept safe. After the heinous act of Discord’s wrongdoing, Princess Celestia herself wanted to make sure that Ponyville be under some protection. After all, there really is no pony around here keeping the peace.”

“So, how do you know Fluttershy?” Blitz still didn’t understand how Clyde was connecting things.

“She is one of the ponies who possessed the Elements of Harmony,” stated Clyde preparing himself for Blitz’s outburst.

“Oh, okay. Well, that’s great,” Blitz said sarcastically. Clyde raised an eyebrow due to Blitz’s calm reaction.

“Ahem, anyway, I’ve gotten to know many ponies living in Ponyville; Fluttershy and her friends, the other Elements of Harmony, especially. I’ve personally met each and every one of them.”

“So you say you know her well, but how come you almost forgot her name?”

“Well, let’s just say a guard’s life can be a little…boring at times. After all, no pony really goes around and causes mischief in Ponyville…until today, of course. I was off-duty and decided to take a trip to Canterlot to have my brilliant mustache groomed to perfection.” Clyde brushed his mustache gloriously.

‘Great, the mustache again,’ Blitz thought comically.

“How about you, Mister Blitz? Are you a local or out of town. I’ve never seen you around here before.”

“Yeah, I’m from Manehatten. Came here looking for a job.” Blitz intentionally left out the restarting his whole life thing.

“Interesting, a job you say? What are you trying to apply for?”

“Well, there was this flier for a mailing service. Does Post Poll ring any bells?” Blitz vaguely remembered the pony’s name after all he’s been through.

“Hmm, well, I can’t say for sure I’ve met the pony. But, Mister Blitz, you don’t seem to be in the…best condition. That leg of yours is going to cause problems if you’re trying to deliver letters.” Clyde was trying to avoid the fact that Blitz wasn’t doing anything for a while.

“Crap, you’re right. Darn it, what am I supposed to do now? The spot could be taken if I don’t recover fast.” Blitz broke out of his relaxed state as realized that he was still in a crisis. Clyde was silent as he thought for a moment. Stroking his mustache, he came to an answer for Blitz’s predicament.

“I am no doctor, but I know somepony who might be able to help you, Mister Blitz.” Blitz lightened up as he was alert to hear what Clyde had to say. “There is a mare that goes by Twilight Sparkle. She is known for her intelligence as well as her magic. In fact, I don’t think I’ve witnessed anypony do magic better than her!”

“Twilight Sparkle…okay, thanks. I’ll make sure to look out for that name.”

“Anytime. If you need me, don’t hesitate to call. I won’t refuse anypony’s cry for help. Take care, Mister Blitz.” Clyde nodded and departed towards the door.

“Hey Clyde. Thanks, really, for everything,” said the unicorn smiling honestly. Clyde simply returned the smile and exited the room. Blitz thought he could hear chatter outside and noticed that Enzo and Vice were waiting outside with Clyde. Vice gave the pony a cocky grin before being dragged away by Clyde. Enzo remained behind and gave Blitz a small wave before dashing off after his companion.

‘What a nut-job! Can’t believe they were actually caught! I wonder how Clyde got all three of us to the hospital. Geez, I should stop worrying so much. Too many things going on with the job, my leg-wait a minute. Where’s Fuzzy? Didn’t he say he’d meet me here in Ponyville. Gaah, again with the worrying. He’s probably still picking up…whatever he has to pick up.’ Blitz set his saddlebag on the desk next to him with the multicolored flowers. He folded his hooves behind his head and stared blankly into the ceiling.

‘So this Twilight Sparkle pony knows super magic or something. Maybe I can teach her a thing or two about snowballs, haha. I wonder if she can actually do something about my leg…oh well, I’ll find out soon enough.’ On that note, Blitz drifted into a long sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

“LISTEN UP, BOYS!” Clyde’s voice bounced around in Vice and Enzo’s heads. “You’re lucky you got caught by this guard and nopony else. Otherwise, you’d in a world of pain!”

“Yeah, okay. So what happens now, huh?” Vice said as if he didn’t care that he was being taken in by the authority.

“I’m not quite sure.” Clyde ruffled his mustache. “I’m going to give you boys a second chance. BUT, don’t think you two are off the hook!” The three ponies were now out of the hospital and in the market once more. Clyde was leading the duo across the market, slowly deciding their fate. Barely anypony was left in the market as Celestia’s sun was just setting. Stalls were being taken down or left unoccupied for the night. It really was a time to settle down and pack up. But, the three ponies still had business to take care of. “Assuming your situation is correct, you boys are in need of some money,” Clyde calmly said walking towards the sunset.

“We told you, we’re just some poor guys trying to make a living y’know?” Vice said in a somewhat pained tone. “That was our excuse for stealing that guy’s bag right? We move from city to city, town to town…just to make a living. Not like we got anything else to live for, heh?”

“Yeah…” Enzo added in. Clyde looked at both ponies with a surprised face. He didn’t expect the mood to change so quickly and drastically.

“Damn, we really screwed up this time huh, Enzo? I mean, we’re friggn’ stealing from ponies now.”

“Yeah…” Enzo could only say that one word as he looked down at the ground.

“Where are you boys from?”

“Very far…too far,” Vice said retaining his slightly pained smile.

“Fair enough,” Clyde concluded.

“Sorry for being such a downer-it’s just, well old memories are popping up and all. I mean, it’s just been me and Enzo for a while now.” Vice raised his head with a gloomy look in his eyes. “But hey, let’s not dwell on this any further shall we?” Enzo finally raised his head, but stayed silent.

“Yes,” Clyde firmly stated. He pondered as to how he was going to find a solution to these ponies’ problem. The trio kept walking through the market as Celestia’s sun finally set and Luna’s moon had started to rise. Almost everypony was gone except the three stallions. The starting night was dead silent with barely any sounds. The constant clops of the ponies’ hooves were drowned out way beforehand. “I’VE GOT IT!”

“Holy mother-dammit, what the he-ay is your problem? You trying to give me a heart attack?” Vice shrieked.

“Follow me boys, I’ve found just the solution to your problem!” Clyde started to dash towards a different direction. Vice and Enzo instantly picked up and caught up with Clyde. The trio was out of the market and traveling outside the path.

“Yo, where are we going? And what are you planning, huh?” Vice said curious to see what Clyde had up his sleeve.

“Just follow my lead, boys.” Clyde knew his destination well as he kept on running. Vice and Enzo kept galloping behind Clyde. Luna’s moon illuminated the area which seemed to be a giant, grassy plain. After a few minutes, Clyde had started to slow down. The duo cautiously advanced behind the guard as they took in what he was looking at. In the distance, a farmhouse surrounded by various trees could be seen.

Chapter 7: Fresh Perspective

“…and just make sure to behave yourselves, boys,” Clyde ordered the duo. “This is Sweet Apple Acres, the most famous farm in all of Equestria.” Clyde, Vice, and Enzo all stood at the front of the grand farmhouse. Its lively red exterior, filled with intricate designs, was vividly visible in the dark night. Giant, white supports gave the house its shape and added to the farm-like uniqueness. The apple and arrow spinning sign gently swayed in the calm, cool night over the orchid purple roof. Clyde had seen this magnificence quite a few times, but this sight was news to Vice and Enzo.

Clyde stepped forward and gave the hard, wooden door a good solid two knocks. “Hello? Mister Macintosh, Miss Applejack!” Enzo and Vice exchanged unsure glances. Since both were directly behind Clyde, they were observing his cutie mark, trying to figure it out. It was the first time they had actually taken notice of said cutie mark.

“So it’s a silver shield with a blue cross-is that a mustache behind it?” Vice whispered to Enzo.

“Those are wings, Vice,” Enzo whispered back giving Vice an unamused look.

“Well excuse me; he always talks about them, so naturally I’d assume-never mind.” Vice scratched his head and the conversation was over. All three ponies stood, unmoving as they waited for an answer. The quiet night sent uneasy chills down each ponies’ spine. “Uh…” Vice had his doubts about this plan of Clyde’s.

The wooden door creaked open and there stood a large, hulking stallion. He was equal to Clyde’s size, but just a bit bigger. Clyde’s hazelnut eyes were staring directly into the other stallion’s eyes. Brushing his disheveled, light orange mane aside and rubbing his worn-out, apple green eyes, the stallion finally spoke. “…Clyde? What are yah doin’ here this late?” the big red pony said with tired confusion.

“Sorry to contact you so late in the night, Mister Macintosh, but this is urgent,” Clyde said. The tall pony peered over Clyde and noticed Vice and Enzo who looked like ants compared to the two stallions.

“What’s all the commotion about?” a voice said behind the red stallion. “Big Mac, what’s goin’ on ‘ere?” The attention came onto the orange mare who also had the tired look. Her bright yellow mane compared to that of Big Macintosh’s, but her lime green eyes had a little more life in them.

“Ahem, again, I’m terribly sorry for disturbing the Apple family at such a late hour,” Clyde looked back at Vice and Enzo as they simply stared blankly at the situation. “But, I need to ask a favor of you.”

“Is that you, Clyde? Goodness, it’s nice tah see yah again. So, uh, what exactly do yah need?” the orange mare said with just as much confusion as Bic Macintosh.

“Likewise, Miss Applejack. If I’m not mistaken, I know that you sort of run a business selling apples, correct?” Clyde said.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh answered for Applejack.

“So, you get your apples from bucking your own trees, right?”

“Eeyup,” Bic Mac repeated once more.

“Then would you be willing to accept these stallions to hel-“

“Nnope.” Bic Mac cut off Clyde and shook his head.

“Well, I guess we’re done here!” Vice said as he started to walk away.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE MISTER!” Clyde’s voice shook through everyponies’ head.

“Wait a sec, haven’t I seen you two before?” Applejack said pointing towards Enzo and Vice.

“Dunno.” Vice shrugged tilting his head.

“…I think so.” Enzo peeped out of truth.

“Huh?” Vice looked at Enzo for answers.

“I think I saw her before when I bumped into that small filly,” said Enzo trying to recall when the moment had happened.

“Yah mean Apple Bloom, mah sister? She has a big, pinkish bow on her head,” Applejack said.

Enzo nodded. “Yes, I think I caught a glimpse of you before-“

“I dragged yah off. Okay, okay what happens now?” Vice interrupted quickly.

“It seems we are at an impasse here,” Clyde said thinking for a moment.

“What makes these guys so special anyway?” Applejack said.

“These two have nowhere to live and are short of money. Have pity on them, Miss Applejack,” Clyde said sincerely.

“Okay…but we can’t just hire anypony off the street. I’m not sure if we can go through with this favor of yours, Clyde,” Applejack said uncomfortably.

“Didn’t think this plan fully didja?” said Vice snickering to Clyde.

“This is for you isn’t it?” Clyde said. The silence of the night took over as each and everypony stood still. Not a muscle was moved as Clyde, Vice and Enzo awaited Applejack’s response to their predicament.

“…tell yah what, I’ll take ‘em in for now, Clyde,” said Applejack motioning for the duo to come inside. Big Mac had opened his mouth, but Applejack silenced him with her hoof before he could utter a single sound. “...and before you protest, Big Mac, Clyde has a good point. We can’t just leave these ponies out on the streets…it just ain’t right.” Big Mac closed his eyes and sighed.

“Eeyup, you take care of ‘em.” With that said, he trudged on out of view.

“I still don’t trust ‘em,” Applejack whispered to Clyde.

“Understandable, Miss Applejack. Thank you for taking these boys in.”

“You owe me one,” Applejack said with a wink.

“Anytime, take care, Miss Applejack.” Clyde gave a slight nod of his head and headed off. After a few steps he outstretched his pure, snow white wings and extended them fully. The stallion prepared for lift off and left the world below him, soaring through the ever cool night.

~~~~~~~~~~

“…and this ‘ere is your room,” Applejack said as she neared a cracked, wooden door. Its wear and tear damage only gave off an uneasy feeling about the room behind it.

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Vice whispered doubtfully to Enzo.

“No.” The shaky door creaked open, sending a horrible screech down the duo’s spine. Applejack seemed unfazed by the dreadful noise. She simply stood and watched as the two stallions collected their thoughts.

“Alright that right there-what the?” Vice caught himself mid-sentence at what he saw behind the door. The bluish-purple room gave off a pleasant surprise to the duo. The dark, starry night was emitting from a single square window. A small wooden table with a worn out candle was set aside along with two small stools. As they stepped in, the green bed with a single white pillow was evident. “Ohh…that’s awkward,” Vice said looking at Enzo.

“There’s only one bed, so y’all will have to make due,” said Applejack.

“Calling shots on the bed!” said Vice as he flung himself on the soft bed. “Awesome.” He plopped his head upon the cold, fluffy pillow.

“Just try not tah break anythin’,” Applejack said walking away.

“Hey…thanks for taking us in,” Enzo said as Applejack was almost out the door. “We really appreciate it, right Vice?” Enzo looked directly at Vice with hardness in his scarlet eyes.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Vice said as he tossed and turned in the bed. Applejack looked at the duo for a moment, then simply left without a word.

“Well now, Enzo, I guess we’re living fancy now,” Vice said with a laugh.

“I’m sleeping on the floor and we’re living in a farmhouse.” said Enzo irritably.

“Okay, but it’s better than what we had before,” Vice said shaking his hoof at Enzo. “Nobody said fancy had to be high-class, I’ll make do with this.” Enzo walked over to the dim lit candle and stred into the spark. Its shape swayed back and forth as he inspected it.

“Say, Vice, do you think that we’ll ever get back home?” Enzo said still staring at the fire.

“Most likely not, what home is there to go back to?” Vice subtly choked up on his last words. “Ahem, uh…say, Enzo, how come you weren’t all shy in front of that Apple-that girl, huh?” Vice changed the subject as quickly as he could with total disregard to Enzo’s well being.

“What? Um…well.” Enzo didn’t dare look Vice in the eye.

“I mean, the nurse was pretty fine, so what does that mean for Apple-this girl?” Vice just could not remember the mare’s name at all. It bothered him that the mysterious Apple something was at the tip of his tongue.

“...what are you trying to get at?” Enzo said hopelessly.

“You think she’s ugly, don’tcha?” Vice claimed with an evil snicker.

“No, I never said that!”

“Not attractive, maybe?” Vice corrected himself. Enzo finally looked Vice in the eyes and didn’t say a word. “So, Apple-whatever is not attractive. Okay, that’s okay.” Vice was having his fun toying with Enzo.

“Just because she isn't particularly pretty...doesn't mean-“

“Excuse me?” Applejack seemed to have appeared in the room without anypony noticing. Enzo froze and Vice didn’t bother turning towards Applejack.

‘You’re kiddin' me,’ Vice thought with defeat. “Hey, what happened to the rights to privacy?!” He stammered.

“Y’all would think that I’d be a lil skeptical?” Applejack said stepping toward Vice. “I still don’t trust the lot of you and I guess my suspicious were correct.” She raised her hoof to Vice. “Insultin’ somepony behind their back is worse than doin’ it tah their face.” There was obvious resentment behind those words, but Vice disregarded it as he tried to cunningly wriggle his way out of the situation.

“How do you know I was talkin’ about you, huh?” Vice had trouble pooling his words together. Applejack gave him a look of doubt.

“You said Apple, so I’d assume-“

“You’d assume! Tsk, tsk.” Vice said wagging his hoof.

‘Stop digging yourself a deeper hole,’ Enzo thought worryingly. Applejack let out an exasperated sigh.

“Listen, just be ready to work tomorrow, ‘kay?" Applejack was trying to be the bigger pony here. She glared at Vice who was subtly celebrating with his trademark smirk before she promptly left the room.

“The things you do,” Enzo said.

“Yeah, the things I do!” Vice said gloriously. Both ponies kept to their own, Vice the green, comfy bed and Enzo the cold, hard floor. It wasn’t long before the duo found themselves fast asleep after a hectic day.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Everypony up!” an unknown voice shouted. The message surged through the entire farmhouse, eventually reaching Vice and Enzo’s ears.

“Ughh.” Vice slowly cracked open his eyes. “What?” He looked over and saw Enzo already up and alert. The pony noticed Vice stirring and gave him a questionable look.

“Yo-argh-what time is it?” Vice said with a raspy voice rubbing his violet eyes.

“'bout six a.m.” The duo both shot their attention at the mare walking in.

“Why so damn early?” Vice said with agony.

“Normally you’d have been woken up at around five o’clock sharp, so consider yourself lucky today,” Applejack said calmly. She was staring at Vice with a weird expression on her face. “…didja sleep with that trench coat on all night?” Vice assessed the situation and shot back a clean response.

“Well, ya know, I was feeling mighty tired. Just fell asleep with it on I guess. Any more questions?” He finished smiling triumphant as ever.

“Alrighty then...just meet me downstairs when y’all are ready.” She left the room as Vice slowly exited his bed. He didn’t bother fixing it as he had no intentions of being neat. Celestia’s sun was just rising as a few rays of sunlight escaped through the single square window. The room filled with subtle warmth. Vice performed several stretches consisting of twisting the back and rolling the head. Enzo retied his scarf and secured his blue band around his wrist. Each finished their duty and both started for the door.

“You seem to have a plan for everything, Vice,” said Enzo.

“How long you think we can keep this secret, huh?” Vice said in a somewhat serious tone.

“We’ve kept it for this long.” Enzo trailed off as he looked into the distance.

“We’ll play it by ear, eh? C’mon, let’s get this over with,” Vice said as the duo headed downstairs.

Chapter 8: Race Work

Vice and Enzo headed down the stairs towards the assorted sounds emitting from a room. As they neared the source, they were greeted with an odd smell. The scent drifted from multiple directions as Vice and Enzo entered the aromatic room. Their expectation of the kitchen was quite the opposite of what they had thought. The whole place was filled with random food scraps. Half-cleaned plated littered a battered, wooden table. Vice grimaced as he felt slippery squishiness below him. Enzo shrugged the feeling off, trying to keep a straight face.

“Glad y’all finally made it!” shouted Applejack from an unknown location. There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Both stallions turned their attention towards an approaching Applejack. She was holding a platter piled with some sort of flat food. Its pleasant scent easily penetrated the odd smell from earlier. Vice’s mouth instantly started to water while Enzo tried to suppress a stomach growl. Applejack set the meal onto the messy wooden table, trying to clear away assortments of food.

“Big Mac is already outside workin’. Eat up n’ meet me out there when y’all are done. You boys’ll be learnin’ the ropes on how to buck trees. So, I suggest not gorging yourselves full.” Applejack was trying to be as straightforward as possible.

“Wait, we’re gonna what trees?” Vice said breaking his gaze from the food.

“Buck,” Applejack said pronouncing the B explicitly. “Not-“

“Ahh…”

“Right, just be ready to work when you’re settled,” Applejack said walking out the door which temporarily unleashed the sunshine in. There was a quiet interval in which neither Vice nor Enzo moved. They simply stared at the strange food they had never seen before.

“…ah dammit, I forgot to ask what the heck these things were,” Vice said in disappointment.

“Well, let’s not let it go to waste,” Enzo said optimistically.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Yo, Applejack!” Vice shouted as he and Enzo stepped outside the barn. “What are those things called that we just ate?”

“Uh, pancakes,” Applejack said giving Vice an awkward glance. “I’m surprised you didn’t know what they were.”

“Um, so what are we going to help you with?” Enzo said trying to allude from the pancake problem.

“Like I said earlier, y’all will be bucking trees.” Applejack motioned the duo to come over to her. She stood next to a towering apple tree. The apples shined bright red in Celestia’s sun. Most of them seemed to be in perfect condition from Vice and Enzo’s view. This was just one tree, tens and hundreds were spotted off in the distance. Faint cracks could be heard through the still air which lightly startled Enzo.

“That’s just mah brother doin’ what you’re ‘bout tah do.” Applejack analyzed a tall tree for a quick second before bringing her hind legs up and forcefully kicking the tree. Balancing on her forehooves, she, along with the duo, watched as several apples fell onto the ground. Vice’s jaw almost broke off while Enzo simply nodded approvingly.

“Hey, hey! Wow, wow there,” Vice quickly stuttered. “What the...hay was that?”

“Called apple bucking, partner,” Applejack firmly stated. “Just get on your forehooves, balance yourself out and let that tree have it.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Enzo said slightly grinning. ‘I guess kicking stuff isn’t bad,’ he thought.

“Yeah, for you, Mister kick boxer,” Vice said with worry for himself. He knew Enzo was better at this stuff than he was.

“You kickbox?” Applejack said raising a brow.

“No,” Enzo said looking away.

“Okay, well, why don’tcha try at a tree, Mister…”

“Enzo.” After the connection, Enzo walked towards a tree with multiple red apples. He secured his forehooves on the ground and prepared to kick. Time seemed to slow down as Enzo brought full focus into his legs and unleashed his buck. The energy from his legs exploded with power as he landed the strike. The tree was bare of its fruit; only one or two lucky apples remained from Enzo’s hit. This time Applejack’s jaw almost fell off. She stared in complete disbelief at what she had witnessed.

“Show-off,” Vice simply said unnerved by the unreal kick.

“How did you do…that?” Applejack asked still astonished by the blow.

“I-I really don’t know,” said Enzo scratching his head. Vice subtly rolled his eyes in the most dramatic way possible, but Applejack caught him in the act.

“What about you?” Applejack said coming back to her senses. “Why don’t you show us what you can do.”

“Wah-uh, yeah. Alright fine,” Vice said pumping himself up. He did a few hops and threw a few punches at the air, making exhaling noises with each swing. Cracking his neck, he stood beside another tree and took a deep breath.

“Aren’t yah gonna take that thing off first?” Applejack said pointing to Vice’s trench coat.

“Hmm, well you seem to be fine bucking trees with that hat on. Enzo seems fine bucking trees with his scarf on. I don’t see the difference here,” Vice said half ignoring Applejack’s comment. Applejack shook her head in disapproval while sighing. “Aight then.” Vice tried to copy what Enzo did. He stood on his forehooves, but wobbled as he tried to maintain balance. Enzo gave out a faint giggle while Applejack observed the pony comically.

“Haahh!” Vice let out a battle cry when he went in for the kick. The tree shook and a single apple clunked him on the head. Enzo was trying to suppress his inevitable chuckles while Applejack just stood and watched pitifully. “Well, I got one,” Vice said picking up the shining apple.

“One outta thirty or so I reckon,” Applejack said.

“Well baby steps should always be taken when doing new things, eh?” Vice said trying to justify the fact that he couldn’t kick.

“Anyway, just keep doin’ this until I call y’all over. Shouldn’t be too much of a hassle now and I’ll be watchin’ your progress from afar. That means don’t slack off,” Applejack said particularly looking at Vice. With that being said, she started walking towards another tree.

“Maybe you could lend me a leg, Enzo.” Vice half hoped that his partner would comply.

“Try not to break your own,” Enzo said. He proceeded to continue bucking trees while Vice was hesitant to finish his own. By the time Vice had gotten into position, the stallion had already kicked another tree bare and was moving to the next.

‘C’mon, Vice, pull yourself together! You’re making a fool of yourself,’ Vice thought with annoyance. He released his kick, this time without a cry. He counted three more apples gone and triumphantly looked at Enzo who was moving to yet another tree. ‘Ohh, this is gonna be a long ass day,’ Vice thought dreadfully as he continued to unleash havoc on his first tree.

~~~~~~~~~

“Soup’s on, everypony!” Applejack called out. The mare and Big Mac already stood next to a table covered with a plain red and white checkered cloth. Enzo quietly emerged from the apple forest. He hesitantly approached his new boss without any signs of fatigue whatsoever.

“Um.” Enzo was still slowly nearing Applejack and Bic Mac.

“It’s okay, don’t be shy. We’re jus’ takin’ a breather as all,” Applejack said as welcomingly as possible. “Say where’s your friend at?”

“Vice? Oh, I don’t-“

“Right…here,” Vice had appeared before the crowd, limping his way toward everypony. Sweat coated his face and his teeth were gritted tightly together. The jet black mane of his had all three tufts messed up, some strands matted to his forehead. A wry smile was still attached to his face.

“Somepony’s been workin’ hard.” Big Mac said half-heartedly.

“You could say that again!” Vice said with a tired tone.

“Well if I do recall,” Applejack started saying. “Enzo, yah bucked a total of ‘bout thirty-four trees this morning.

“It that a lot?” Enzo said humbly and innocently.

“Hel-damn right that’s a lot!” Vice spat with mixed amazement and anger.

“And you, uh.” Applejack pointed at Vice, but realized that she never asked or knew his name.

“Who, me? Well, it’s Vicer or Vice for sho-“

“Yah got about four trees.”

“Well…that’s a record in my book,” said Vice trying to divert the embarrassment off of him.

“Gosh, I reckon even Apple Bloom could buck more th’n this guy,” Big Mac said genuinely to Applejack. Vice gave a distasteful face, but decided not to mess with the bigger stallion.

“Be nice, not everypony bucks as hard as the Apple family,” Applejack said with some hint of pride. This only added insult to injury as Vice misconstrued Applejack’s words. He had insults of his own to fire back, but he held them back as Applejack awkwardly motioned the group to drink the soup. Enzo gingerly picked up his bowl. It was a simple, wooden bowl with varying splotches of brown. Within it, there lay a mixture of a bright, golden liquid with specks of red and green dots scattered about. Enzo brought the soup to his lips, but was rudely interrupted before getting a taste.

“Ooohh myy!” said Vice raising his head from the half-filled bowl.

“Are you gonna comment on everything you eat?” Enzo asked with a subtle giggle.

“Try it yaself, bud,” Vice said finishing up his bowl. Enzo took a sip and was greeted with a tangy type of taste. The soup itself was slightly viscous, but Enzo disregarded that as he continued to drink the sweet soup.

“Well, everypony back to work,” Applejack said. Big Mac’s bowl as well as her own was already clean empty. Vice literally choked on his soup as he swallowed a nervous gulp. Spitting the contents all over the table, he gave out an extended 'yo'.

“You know what, forget it, I give up. Let’s get to work,” he finished saying as his body drooped into exhaustion.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Nuuurse! I need more pills!” Blitz yelped desperately. The blue stallion flailed about in his bed. His face was twisted in a look of agony, his eyes held craziness under them.

“Mister Blitz, you’ve already had your seventh pill. I’m sorry, but I simply cannot give you any more,” Nurse Redheart said with concern.

“I know, but I gotta have more. The pain is too intense!” Blitz added so much drama into his voice that Nurse Redheart had a hard time separating truth and lies.

“Listen, I’ll give you another in a few hours. How’s that sound?” The nurse tried to sound as sincere as possible.

“But that’s such a looong time.”

“Just please hold out.” Nurse Redheart said as she scurried out the room. “Always have to be the nice one,” she muttered under her breath.

~~~~~~~~~~

“…Vice,” Enzo stopped his bucking and focused his attention on his lounging friend. “What are you doing?” Vice had found himself the perfect spot to relax within the apple forest. He lay on his back, taking in the sunlight from the small clearing through the trees.

“’sup, just hangin’ around. Nothing too special,” Vice said nonchalantly.

“So you can’t buck as good as everyone else. You can’t just-“

“Well seeing as everypony here is apparently built like a freakin’ tank, I don’t think I’m much help. So, why bother,” said Vice still retaining his carefree voice. Enzo had nothing to say. “I think I’ll take my leave,” Vice said leaping up onto all fours. “If ya need me, I’ll be over there…somewhere.” Vice pointed vaguely toward an opening in the forest. He started to make his way, trotting rigidly.

“Wait, you’re just gonna leave? After we’ve gotten somewhere to stay and li-“

“Wowhoho there, brother. I don’t think I’m settling down anywhere anytime soon. Food was nice, I’ll admit…but this kind of life ain’t really my style. Know what I’m sayin’?” Vice said raising his hoofs to the air.

“But, I thought you said we were ‘living the life’,” Enzo said as a last attempt to keep Vice from leaving.

“That was before I was dropped into manual labor, buddy.” With that being said, Vice left Enzo in the apple forest, making his way out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~

‘God dammit,’ Vice thought with his head hot with furious embarrassment. ‘How can they smash those trees so well while I can’t even do damage. Enzo makes sense since his legs are built like guns, but those other ponies, I don’t understand. Must be them trees, jacked up on steroids or some shi-‘ Vice froze mid thought as a whirling figure swooped through the sky. A rainbow-like trail followed behind it. He found himself in the open field that Enzo, Clyde and him had traversed the other night. The grassy plain was still as barren, but calming as last night to Vice. That was, until the flying figure interrupted Vice’s wandering stroll through the plain.

‘…I must be so high right now. Either that or I’m tripping on whatever that Applejack girl fed me.’ Vice thought comically. ‘What in the world flies and leaves a rainbow sparkle behind it?’ With burning curiosity, Vice went full sprint towards the figure’s direction. Vice charted its direction and followed wherever it was headed. Flowers crushed under his steps as he hunted the fast flier down.

A town-like appearance came into view and Vice assumed it was Ponyville. He realized his mane was still muffled up from the work earlier and cursed himself for it. Following where he had last seen the rainbow trail, he entered what looked to be some sort of town square. Various houses surrounded a centered area where a group of ponies were gathering about. Vice hesitantly walked toward the circle not knowing what to expect.

“Wow, that was so cool!” a voice said.

“How do you do that?” said another voice.

‘If this is what I think it is then I’m gonna have some trouble,’ Vice thought worryingly. He squeezed through the crowd, lightly moving ponies aside. After several pushes and shoves, he had found what he had been searching for.

“Thank you, thank you. I know I’m awesome, no need to tell me again…unless you want to.” The cyan blue pegasus in the middle was taking in the crowd. She was basking in the glory, giving nodding approvals and brohoofs to various ponies. Her rainbow colored mane flashed in Celestia’s sun. Her rainbow tail also flashed vibrantly as it wagged excitedly back and forth. She outstretched her wings, showing them off to the cheering crowd.

‘Yep.’ Vice shouted over the crowd. “Were you the one flying?” The blue mare didn’t take notice of him. “Heeey!” Vice shouted louder, but the cheer of the crowd drowned him out. He stared at the pegasus with rising fury as she celebrated and egged the crowd on. “YO, I challenge you to a race!” Vice blurted out of pure frustration. The minute the words left his mouth he felt regret that couldn’t be cured.

A hush fell upon the crowd. The cyan mare looked for the source of the challenge and locked eyesight with Vice. Her magenta eyes penetrated his spirit. “A race? With that thing on?” She pointed at Vice’s trench coat. “...bwahahaha, yeah right. Are you even a pegasus?”

“What…oh uh, yeah, I got wings to prove it.” Vice reconsidered his proposition for a moment. ‘Damn, I can’t show these off to the crowd it’d be a disaster for me and Enzo. We’ll be forced to bail this town just like last time.’ Vice tried desperately to ponder up a witty plan to escape his situation, but his mind raced as dozens of eyes peered into his skull.

“Well let’s see ‘em,” the blue mare said as she flapped her own wings. They gave off a wave of elegance as Vice stared in awe.

“Wow there, no need to be hasty. Let’s, uh, go somewhere less crowded. Not at my full potential when under pressure.” Vice tried to sound as snobby as possible.

“Really, there’s only like six ponies here. But, if you insist…” The blue pegasus gestured Vice to follow.

‘Me and my ego…’ Vice thought. ‘Then again, no one’s faster than me.’ The two eventually ventured out of sight from the crowd and found themselves in the outskirts of town. A familiar forest was nearby, but Vice assumed he was as far away from the farm as possible.

“You better not be whining when you lose.” Vice said with an air of confidence.

“You’re talking to the best flier in all of Equestria, Rainbow-hey!” Before the blue pony could finish, Vice had taken off. He was in a mad dash to get distance between him and his opponent.

‘Maybe she really won’t notice,’ Vice thought gaining speed. When he no longer felt her presence, Vice extended his wings through cut slits in his trench coat. He kept his steady gallop before taking off. Vice could feel his coat flapping behind him, his mane rustling against the wind.

“Haven’t used these beauts in a while,” Vice said flapping each wing with full force. He looked back at his wings and acknowledged that they weren’t normal in the slightest. Both wings were tipped with dark gold metallic material, forming an outline on his wings. Each connected to one another until disappearing under the trench coat through the slit. Vice heard subtle clinking with each flap as he slowly enjoyed his released wings.

“Guess this wasn’t such a bad idea after all,” said Vice with rising joy as he felt the rushing gale breeze past him. The pegasus looked back for the blue pegasus, but disregarded her existence and resumed his flight. He was low enough on the ground to see the land and its beauty although he didn’t know where he even was. All he cared for was winning and he knew he had the race won already. His mindset was shattered once he heard a faint noise. He instantly became paranoid of his wings, but couldn’t even react fast enough as a rainbow bullet whizzed past him.

“You gotta do better than that,” the rainbow mare hollered back. A wave of determination swept through Vice cleaning up his paranoia. He reared his body back, prepped his metallic-tipped wings, and shot forward with a burst of speed. "Can't get rid of me that...easily." Vice lost his sense of confidence as he actually lost sight of the rainbow mare. "What in the name of nuts?"

The pegasus picked up his speed considerably and exerted all his strength into his wings. He managed to catch a glimpse of a rainbow figure, but it disappeared as soon as it came. "Holy hell, how the hell-what the jizz!" Vice groaned in frustration as he pushed himself further. Seconds turned into minutes as he struggled to catch up with Rainbow Dash. A moment finally came when he saw the mare in full. She seemed to be resting on a cloud which put more anger into Vice. "Here I come!"

The mare eyed him with amusement and quickly popped downwards through the cloud layer. Vice grunted and followed with regained confidence. As he zoomed through the clouds, the Equestrian earth revealed itself. He closed his eyes and cursed to himself as he flew straight through a tree. Unknown branches and leaves scratched and slapped at Vice, causing him to lose balance. He escaped the green hellhole only to find himself headed for the ground.

"Fuuudge!" Vice dropped his hooves and let them break his fall. He regretted the decision and felt his legs being crushed upon impact. The pain was intense, but was soon lifted and filled with another pain.

"And that's why you don't mess with Rainbow Dash. Oh, and I was getting bored too, so I thought I'd let you down as softly as I could," Rainbow Dash taunted from above. Vice avoided eye contact and huffed at the ground. Once the mare had vanished, he sat down and moped.

‘Least she didn’t notice the wings,’ Vice thought with distasteful relief.

“Cockiness at its finest,” a voice said. Vice sprang up in terror and deftly retracted his wings back into his trench coat. Turning around, he came face to face with a white stallion.

“Clyde?”

“Don’t forget your friend,” Clyde said sidestepping to reveal Enzo. Vice let his body fall down in the grass due to extreme exhaustion.

“You’ve got some explaining to do, Mister,” Clyde said as he dragged Vice away.

Author's Note

I understand that I’m straying away from Blitz. If you didn’t notice before, the story will switch adventures with various characters such as Vice and Enzo. This doesn’t mean that Blitz is out of the picture, he is in the hospital resting after all. Sorry for the inconveniences and enjoy dat story!

Chapter 9: Iron Spirit

“I can’t believe that rainbow bitch beat me!”

“HOW DARE YOU INSULT MISS RAINBOW DASH!” Clyde raged out and stood over Vice who was cowering in fear on the ground.

“Sorry, holy crap.” Vice raised his hooves in defense and slowly got back up. “Just never thought I’d be beat by some random girl.”

“That girl is Rainbow Dash, one of the Elements of-“

“Harmony, yeah okay she’s important. Save me from telling the same story again,” Vice said rolling his eyes. ‘Well now I don’t feel as bad now,' he thought. Celestia’s sun shone brightly in the sky as Clyde, Vice, and Enzo traversed through an ordinary meadow. Only Clyde seemed to know where he was going, Vice and Enzo simply followed behind. Ponyville could be seen not too far away from the trio as Clyde and Enzo picked up Vice in the middle of nowhere.

“I’m still ashamed of you,” Clyde said disapprovingly. “How did you manage to lose your job when it hasn’t even been a full day?”

“I don’t even know. I seriously got fired? Haha, oh wow.” Vice sounded somewhat surprised. “That’s hilarious, how’d it go down?” Both Clyde and Vice turned to Enzo.

“Um, well once you left, Applejack immediately noticed you were gone. She said she hated lazy lowlifes like you.” Enzo drowned out his last words.

“I expected much,” Vice said with cocky acceptance.

“How can you be so nonchalant about this, Mister Vice?” Clyde said aggravated.

“Hey, I’m playing everything by ear. Can’t be dreading the past now can we? Just gotta focus on the present,” said Vice stately.

“You’re not going to get very far in life ‘playing everything by ear’,” Clyde said mimicking Vice’s words.

“Well it got me this far. Say, where-no, what are we even doing?” asked Vice.

“Erm.” Clyde hesitated on the subject. “…do you remember, Miss Fluttershy? The one who-“

“Kicked our asses? Yeah, what about her?” Vice’s tone changed to a slightly darker one as he remembered the mare who thoroughly dealt with him.

“Ahem, yes. She’s been reported as being calmer and that this ‘New Fluttershy’ thing had gone way over her head,” Clyde stated.

“Reported? By who, your personal detective? S’far as I know, you said you’re the only authority around here,” Vice concluded.

“That is correct, but,” Clyde eyed Vice with suspicion. His eyes burst out as he realized Vice’s accusation. “I’M PERFORMING MY ROYAL DUTIES!” he yelled in disbelief.

“Alrighty, I’m not gonna joke about being a stalker or anything.” Vice realized he didn’t even know how old Clyde was, but kept to himself. After the outrage, Clyde had calmed down and the trio had entered Ponyville once more. Clyde still led Vice and Enzo to a location unknown to them. Few ponies were passing by, the streets looked deserted. “So does this make us your personal detectives?” asked Vice with a smirk. Clyde gave Vice a look he couldn’t quite figure out, but he got no other response than that.

With communication going nowhere, time passed by quickly. The duo soon found themselves in someplace new and unsettling. The scenery had left Clyde in a stunned state, but Vice and Enzo took in the dreary picture. A tree filled with various widows was boarded up heavily with wooden planks crudely nailed in. Almost every surrounding opening was covered up somehow as the trio analyzed the sight. The tree itself was bare; its branches hung low in despair.

“Well that’s obviously bad voodoo right there,” Vice commented at the scene. “A house lookin’ like that in broad daylight? Nuh-uh, that’s a bad sign right there.” Clyde’s mouth still hung wide open as Vice inspected the sad outlook.

“…this is Fluttershy’s house isn’t it?” Enzo said with a wave of anguish.

“Wow, where’d you come from, buddy? Making assum-“

“He’s right, this is Miss Fluttershy’s house,” Clyde finally said breaking his shocked state.

“Really? This run-down tree is her place?” Vice asked.

“Yes, and to think I talked to the young mare just the other day. I never would’ve expected her cottage to change so rapidly.” Clyde took a hesitant step forward, slowly advancing towards the bare tree. Upon closer inspection, he noted that the mailbox was new, yet it had an old feeling to go with it. Vice noticed Enzo’s uneasiness with the whole situation. He moved toward the house and gestured the other stallion to follow.

Soon enough, all three ponies were at the doorstep of the cottage. Now, Vice sensed both the uneasiness that his companions held and sighed. “Okay guys, I’m pretty sure a spooky house ain’t gonna come get you in your sleep,” Vice whispered.

“You don’t get it,” Enzo said plainly.

“Get what?”

“It’s not about the atmosphere, it’s about Fluttershy,” Enzo said quietly. “I bet she’s in so much pain now.” Clyde acknowledged that Enzo understood what was going on, but Vice was still ignorant to the whole scene.

“Uh, did I miss something here?”

“Let me tell you this,” said Clyde trying to get Vice in the loop. “Fluttershy met this minotaur named Iron Will. Half bull, half human, he taught her how to be more assertive. This is the result, she’s shunned herself from society because of what that monster did to her.”

Vice didn’t move for a second, barely taking in the rest of Clyde’s statement. “He’s half...never mind, I get it. So this Iron Will dude, we gonna rough him up or something?” Vice suddenly brightened up and started to pump himself up similar to the time he had pumped himself up during the apple bucking. “Where is he, huh? I’ll show him somethin’ or two about being assertive. C’mon out n’ play ya pansy!” Vice yelled insults into the air.

A faint cry could be heard within the house. Everypony whipped around the see what happened. Vice facehoofed himself so hard he almost fell backward. “Nononoo, I didn’t mean you,” Vice shouted at the house. “I meant-“

“Iron Will?” a husky voice said from behind. Vice twirled around slowly and the rest of the ponies followed. Standing before them was a hulking mass of blue muscle. Its giant horns added to the intimidation. Vice spotted a short black tie as well as a gray mic piece sporting from the creature’s head.

“Well just take a steamy dump on me,” Vice said as the yellow eyes of the minotaur cut down his soul.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Mooorre pills!”

“Mister Blitz, I simply cannot give you any more of these!”

“But nuuuuuurse!”

“Just sleep it off and you’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“Nooooooooo…” Blitz fell back on his bed after laying up and didn’t make a sound. Nurse Redheart peered over the still stallion to make sure he was asleep. Sighing for relief, Nurse Redheart picked up a tray filled with a half eaten sandwich and empty glass. She filed out of the room and closed the lights.

“I hope he gets better tomorrow, that sleeping pill should hold him that long, I hope,” Nurse Redheart said eying the empty glass cup. She made a few steps down the hall before letting out a silent laugh. “I haven’t had a patient like this in years,” she said reminiscing in a distant memory.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Big mothaf-“ That was all Vice said before his hoof came in contact with the minotaur’s stomach. As he hit his target, Vice’s hoof felt as if he had a hit a stone wall instead. He slowly looked up and noticed that the blue creature was unfazed. The minotaur raised his giant, meaty fist and unleashed a downward punch towards Vice. He missed his mark and pounded the ground as Vice sidestepped to the right, jumping a few feet back afterwards. Both Enzo and Clyde backed away as the two opponents faced each other in their little arena.

“Mister Vice! What are you doing?” Clyde called out.

“Improvising!” Vice hollered back. “He did look like he was ready to pound my face in!”

“So,” the huge beast said. “Iron Will came to pick up his pay and look what he found.”

“Pay? What does he mean?” Enzo said to Clyde.

“I’m still trying to figure it out myself,” Clyde replied scratching his chin abruptly.

“Hey, when you daisies are done putting two and two together, mind lending me a hand?” Vice said to his comrades.

“Are you too scared to fight Iron Will alone?”

“Well when you put it that way…” Vice bolted towards the minotaur with his trench coat flailing in the opposing wind. Iron Will planted his feet shoulder width apart and raised his hands. Vice came upon the battle ready beast, feigning a lunge as Iron Will grabbed at air. Vice took this chance to get a few ineffective hooks in on the minotaur’s sides before ducking a swing from the beast and staggering back.

“Let’s dance, big man, eh? Let’s tango,” Vice taunted. This time it was Iron Will’s turn to charge. Vice, quick on his two hind legs, anticipated the blue creature’s next attack. He dodged a thrown punch by the beast and countered. He extended his wings, tipped with metal, and jabbed Iron Will in between his arm and body; his armpit. The rounded metal edge end of the wing hit soft flesh and Iron Will jolted back with a hysterical cry.

Vice took initiative to spin around and he brought his wing crashing against the blue beast’s torso. The momentum caused Iron Will to falter back, making loud thumps along the way. The big creature held his right ab, doubling over in pain. Vice didn’t hesitate as he sent a flurry of wing blows to Iron Will's now vulnerable face. Iron Will’s head swung back and forth as the cold metal made contact with his face. Vice charged himself up for a power blow, but Iron Will intercepted him at a blinding speed with a grip of steel as both his hands clamped around Vice.

Vice attempted to break free of the monster’s hold, but couldn’t even move a muscle as Iron Will raised him higher in the sky. He thought he could hear cracking and realized what his captor was doing. The minotaur brought Vice down with full force towards the ground. Vice’s wings made sharp, scratching sounds as he hit the surface. Iron Will proceeded to pick up the sprawled pony and briskly hurled him towards nearby trees.

Vice could feel jolts and sparks of rushing pain as he was tossed about like a rag doll. He didn’t even have time to get up before Iron Will landed a finishing blow to Vice’s face, sending him packing into yet another tree. A disgusting bang was heard as face met trunk before Vice crumpled to the ground, unmoving and still. The half bull, half human creature stepped back and took in his victory. “And so,” Iron Will coughed out. “Iron Will is victorious!” He raised his hands in triumph.

Enzo rushed over to the unconscious stallion and quickly checked his pulse. Still breathing, Vice maintained many cuts and various bruises, primarily on his body. His trench coat was slightly torn from the crash and bloodied from the cuts. Enzo noticed splinters lodged into his friend’s side as well as a large welt on the stallion’s upper left eyebrow area. He quietly and carefully tucked Vice’s metal covered wings back through the slits of his trench coat.

‘Why Vice,’ thought Enzo sorrowfully. ‘Why do you do these things to yourself?’ Enzo turned to the celebrating minotaur. Iron Will’s face consisted of a punched out eye, bloodied nose and lip, and a swelled up cheek. A reddish-pinkish mark was spotted on his right part of his stomach. The black stallion slowly approached Iron Will with a burning question.

“Why does Fluttershy owe you?” Enzo said calmly.

“Huh?” The minotaur turned to the earth pony. “Oh yeah, almost forgot why Iron Will came. Iron Will taught that pony how to be assertive and seeing that she’s not a pushover anymore proves that Iron Will did his job.”

“Did your job? Look what you’ve done to her!” Enzo’s voice started to rise.

“Iron Will made a deal, so Iron Will deserves his fair share,” the minotaur said with steam puffing out his nose. “Iron Will pities the foal that gets in his way!”

After assortments of snorts and foot shuffles, Enzo realized what Iron Will was planning. “Wait,” Enzo called out, but failed to get the attention of the minotaur. He braced himself for the charging monster, the beast’s face was bright cherry red. Enzo felt a spark of hostility build inside him. His eyes grew intense as he stood his ground. Locking eyes with the speeding minotaur, Enzo raised his hoof with the blue band wrapped around it. Before either opponent got the chance to meet, Iron Will was stopped in his tracks.

Clyde had magically materialized next to Iron Will, decking him towards a cluster of trees. The sheer power of Clyde’s body was enough to cause the minotaur to cling onto the trees in order not to fall over. Iron Will couldn’t even retaliate as he was finished off with a well placed buck to the stomach from Clyde. A large and lugging thud was heard as the blue beast crashed through trees and lay still in a broken mess of branches and leaves.

“He must have forgotten that there were three of us,” Clyde said walking over to the unconscious Vice and tense Enzo. “I don’t usually enact force, but this brute has gone too far. An incident like this hasn’t happened in quite a while.” Clyde approached the injured stallion and inspected his wounds. He warily picked up Vice and placed him on his back. Enzo had to assist Clyde with this task as he didn’t want to hurt Vice. With the pegasus secured on Clyde’s back, he spread his white wings wide open and flapped them gently.

“I’m going to take mister Vice to the hospital. He doesn’t seem to be in any serious condition, but that Iron Will character gave him a rough beating.” Clyde quickly glanced over to the area where Iron Will took a tumble. “It seems our friend has vanished. Shame, I was going to come back with a few friends of my own.”

“Is Vice going to be in any trouble?” said Enzo with growing concern.

“Under normal circumstances, yes. But, I’ll let this one slide just for you,” Clyde answered with a subtle smile.

“Also…Clyde.”

“Yes, what is it mister Enzo?”

“I was prepared to kill him.” Enzo said the sentence with a coldness in his voice. He started to raise his hoof with the blue band.

“We all get worked up in a serious brawl. But my dear boy, I don’t think that we would get to a point where killing is necessary,” said Clyde chuckling a hearty laugh.

“Yeah, your right. I guess I was just caught up in the moment” Enzo slowly brought his hoof back down.

“Your friend knows quite a knowledge of combat. I’m intrigued by his fighting style, I’ve never seen somepony take out another with their own pair of wings.” Clyde said impressed. A sudden rate of alarm surged through Enzo’s body.

“You saw his wings?” Enzo asked nervously.

“Yes, he did just use them to fend off that Iron Will didn’t he? His wings are a bit odd though…I’ve never seen anything like them before.” Clyde responded not noticing Enzo’s change of character. “Are they a problem?”

“No!”

“Wow, hold it there, son. I’m just kidding, no need to be so antsy,” Clyde said with another of his warm laughs. “Listen, I really need to get mister Vice medical care now. I’m going to have to trust you with making sure Fluttershy is doing all right. After all, I bet she’s wondering what’s going on outside her house.”

“Y-you want me to t-talk to Fluttershy?” Enzo said with quick stutters. A fresh gleam of sweat appeared over his forehead.

“Of course, I can’t be in two places at once,” said Clyde unaware of Enzo’s change of state. “We did come here to assure she was alright.”

“…”

“Just make sure to tell her what happens and that Clyde himself sent you to deal with the problem.”

“Okay…” Enzo turned towards the mare’s cottage and made an unconfident walk. “Wait, what if I can’t-” Enzo looked back and noticed the pegasus was already gone. “Oh no.”

Chapter 10: Mixed Messages

Clyde traversed overhead through Ponyville itself flying quickly, yet carefully, in order to keep Vice comfortable and safe. He made steady progress as he neared Ponyville’s hospital, occasionally checking to see whether or not Vice had regained consciousness. With the brown stallion still knocked out, Clyde resumed his flight. Celestia’s sun determined that the day was almost over. Light still prevailed, but Clyde sensed it was dimming.

‘Mister Vice does have very peculiar wings,’ Clyde thought glancing back at the pony. ‘Where would such a pony get them, I’ll never know.’ Ponville hospital came into view with its heavenly splendor. The iconic symbol of a white cross with diagonally adjacent hearts presented itself lovingly to Clyde along with its chocolate brown roof and light beige exterior. The grass around the place danced gently in the breeze as Clyde landed softly in front of the mint green door.

The guard pony advanced gingerly towards the door, opened it slowly and peered in. A nearby nurse was waiting at a desk reading a magazine. She looked up and shrieked a bit, dropping the magazine. Her horn glowed bright pink as she called for a doctor through a microphone. A few seconds later, a light brown unicorn walked in accompanied by two more nurses. His white medical coat stood out as unnaturally clean and his stethoscope bounced evenly as he trotted to Clyde.

“Oh my, what happened here?” the doctor said with calm suspicion.

“This pegasus here has sustained multiple cuts and bruises to both his sides and his head. He’s been unconscious for about an hour or so and hasn’t awoken yet,” Clyde said grimly.

“Right.” The doctor traveled around Clyde, inspecting Vice. His horn glowed multiple times, but Clyde couldn’t figure out what he could be doing.

“Well now, he doesn’t look too bad.” The doctor’s horn glowed brighter as he closely examined Vice. “Nothing seems to be severely broken or damaged, just a bunch of cuts and bruises like you said. We can probably patch him up real quick and send him on his way in a day or two,” the doctor concluded.

“You figured all that out just now?”

“I am a doctor, right? The nurses should be able to take care of the poor fellow from here on.” The doctor motioned for the nurses to collect Vice. They held out a stretcher which Clyde hadn’t noticed before. He gently slipped the stallion onto the stretcher and watched as the medical crew hauled him away.

‘Now that he’s settled I should probably find out where this Iron Will individual has gone off to. I have faith that mister Enzo will be able to take care of miss Fluttershy, but I want her to be safe. I’ll have to stop by Canterlot and consult the royal guards for a search party later tonight. Maybe then I’ll have that monster under control. It is my duty, after all, to ensure that the Elements of Harmony are protected.’ Clyde firmly agreed with himself and went ahead out the hospital door. He spread his wings wide and looked up at the dawning sky. Brushing the ground slightly, the white pegasus flew upward towards his destination.

~~~~~~~~~~

Enzo stared endlessly at the tree cottage before him. He had been standing at the same spot, unmoving, for almost half an hour. Trembling, he had no will to enter the house. All he could do was simply wait and ponder. ‘I can’t do this, I just can’t,’ Enzo thought hopelessly. ‘How can I pop out of nowhere and talk to her. What am I supposed to say?’ Enzo gulped hard and shuddered as horrible images of him confronting Fluttershy appeared in his mind.

‘What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to talk to her? How am I even going to introduce myself?’ Enzo shot questions back and forth through his own head. ‘What would Vice do? He used to get all the girls back then…wait, no I’m not going to ask her out. No, no no no! I’m just here to make sure she’s okay.’ Enzo literally had sweat pouring from his forehead. Cleaning himself up a bit, he collected his final thoughts.

‘Alright, just go in there and…and say something. Oh this is hopeless, why am I feeling this way. It’s just a random girl that I’m talking to. What if-oh!’ Enzo closed his eyes, turned his head away and faintly knocked on the door. No response came. He did another quick knock which resulted in silence once more. Taking a deep breath, Enzo raised his hoof again and shakily knocked the door. The created sound of hoof meeting wood sifted through the muted air.

“Please, go away!” a voice peeped from within the cottage. Enzo jumped at the sound, but kept his ground. He opened his mouth, yet not a word fell out. Again, he stood motionless and speechless not knowing what to do. “I know your still there. Just leave me alone, I’m a monster,” the voice said breaking Enzo’s state of confliction.

“You’re not a monster!” Enzo blurted out. “The real monster is that minotaur!” This time Enzo spoke with confidence in his voice.

“Iron Will? Did-did he come by?” Fluttershy sounded somewhat scared.

“Yes, but he’s gone now. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Enzo said in a reassuring tone. “Just…let me talk to you.” Silence was all the stallion received. He thought for a moment and facehoofed himself. ‘Oh no, I didn’t even say who I was. She probably thinks I’m with Iron Will or something.’ Enzo thought with fright. “Um, I was sent by Clyde to make sure you were alright,” Enzo called out in an awkward way.

“Clyde? Oh no. I hurt him, didn’t I,” Fluttershy said choking up. “Everypony gets hurt around me, that’s why I’m never coming out!”

“Don’t say that,” Enzo said while trying to come up with something clever to say. “Uh, well you never...hurt me. That’s right, you never hurt me.”

“Who are you?” Enzo facehoofed again and mentally sighed. “My name is…Enzo.”

“Oh, well, nice to meet you I think,” Fluttershy said. Just then, a spark of cleverness entered Enzo’s brain as he compiled a plan.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your, uh, name. What was it again?” he said as innocently as possible.

“You didn’t know? I’m Fluttershy.” The pony drowned out her name, but Enzo already knew what it was.

“That doesn’t sound like a name that would harm anypony,” said Enzo.

“Oh, but I will, I will hurt somepony. Please, just leave before I say something nasty to you!” Fluttershy cried desperately.

“I can’t leave, Fluttershy. The more you make me wait, the more you’re hurting me. I don’t know how much more I can take,” Enzo said with a forced, grieving voice. Quietness filled the air as Enzo awaited a response. He noticed that it was becoming dark, the breezes feeling much colder. The seemingly run-down cottage was starting to give off a creepy effect with the oncoming night. Finally, a creak was heard as Enzo pulled his attention on the opening door.

At first, Enzo tried to withhold a cheerful smile, but that smile was shot down at the sight of what came before him. Fluttershy stood in front of him; her eyes were lightly puffed and tinted with a red hue. Her face was dried in the right places for Enzo to tell she had been crying a lot. He, again, tried to lift a smile which turned into a half smile, half frown.

“Um, I-ahhhh” A vociferous clang cut Enzo off as he dropped back and held his knee. Standing before him was a stone faced bunny holding a frying pan bigger than he was. Fluttershy gasped, swiped the tool of destruction away and scolded the bunny for doing what he did.

"Bad Angel! You don't hit strangers!" she said with a motherly tone. The bunny known as Angel simply shrugged and hopped away without any sign of apology for Enzo. Still caressing his knee, the black pony slowly got up and limped towards Fluttershy's cot. The interior was just as expected in which it was similar to the outside. Almost all the furniture was obstructed or missing and all the lights seemed to be dimmed. Pictures of a minatour were attached to a nearby mirror, some shredded, and a chair with a rope wrapped around it was centered within the room.

Enzo simply stood and watched in pain as Fluttershy went to go get a chair for him. Pain was felt both physically and mentally, that Fluttershy had become what she is now. With chair in hand, Fluttershy had quickly seated Enzo and took a look at his leg. She was disregarding the fact that she had been crying a few minutes ago and looked like she knew what she was doing.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him." Fluttershy spoke with reassurance. "Please, don't be mad." Enzo stood again and watched, not knowing what to do or say, as Fluttershy deftly tried to heal his leg. "Um," Enzo diverted his eyes away from the mare and tried desperately to think of something to say; anything. "Thanks..."

Fluttershy gave a subtle nod and moved away to see her work. There was a bandage wrapped around Enzo's leg which surprisingly enough helped with the pain. Both ponies stood watching, not saying a word. Fluttershy looked around nervously, losing her confident self she had a minute ago while Enzo shifted uncomfortably.

"So...uh, are you feeling better?"

~~~~~~~~~~

"What in the hay is he doing in my room!?" Blitz wobbled up and out from under his bed sheets. He already knew how disgusting he felt. However, he could not remember what had happened in recent times. Disregarding that idea, he was instantly focused on the pony that was being brought into the room.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to quiet down. We have other patients here you know," a unicorn doctor said.

"But, why him? Why not anypony else? Why him?" Blitz was appalled.

"Because all our other rooms are occupied. Please, sir, it’s just for a day or two." The doctor ignored Blitz's other protests and proceeded to aid the nurses in placing the pony in a bed next to Blitz. As the nurses left, the doctor spoke, "he won't be waking up for a while, so be thankful." Blitz sighed with extreme heaviness as the room became just him and the other pony.

"What's up, sport? Didja miss me?" The other pony got up swiftly and looked straight into Blitz's eyes. The unicorn jumped slightly.

"Vice-“

"That's right, Iceboy." Vice laughed and sat back with his hooves behind his head.

"How did you-"

"Did you honestly, really, honestly think I'd be out n' cold that fast and easy? Pfft, no such thing!" Blitz noted the obvious head bandage protruding from Vice's forehead. Along with wrappings around Vice's waist, he noticed something strange now that he had a good look at his previous adversary. He observed that the brown stallion indeed had some sort of metal covering his wings. He also noticed that the pony had no cutie mark.

"Where's you trench coat?" Blitz asked uneasily.

"Huh? My-MY TRENCH-" Vice gave out a hysterical cry as he tried to get up, but fell back down. He looked side to side up and down before succumbing to his wounds and lying still.

"Damn, so you're seeing everything now, eh? Like what you see?" Vice's panic was taken over by his cockiness.

"You have metal wings. Where in the name of Celestia did those come from?" Blitz was flabbergasted. "And why don't you have a cutie mark. You look old enough to have one. Where is it?"

"Hey, what did I say about twenty questions? Sorry, but I ain't answering them just like when we first met. It'd be better that way the less you know about me." Vice turned in his bed and faced the other way, hiding his agitated face.

"The less I know about you, the more I become worried. I'm tired of you being so mysterious," Blitz commented back with severe annoyance.

"Just when I'm starting to enjoy myself, you're all over my ass," Vice fired back now facing Blitz. "Listen, when me and Enzo first came here I personally thought we would be outta here the next day. But, as fate would have it, this has been one of the best places we've been to. Not everyone, er, not everypony is giving us dirty looks. The cops are actually on our side for once and I got my ass handed to me by some random asswipe instead of the cops this time around." Vice took a breath as he stated the whole paragraph as fast as possible. "Not to mention Enzo seems happy for once. If he's happy, I'm happy. Really he's the only guy I got left in my life, no homo. He's the only family, friend and buddy I have left and he deserves the best. As long as he's doing good, I'll take the hits for him. Hey, I got nothin' to lose."

Blitz couldn't respond back. He was amazed at how somepony as low as Vice could be such a different pony to somepony else. "Just my little spiel as all. Friends are very important to me." Vice eyed Blitz comically.

"Am I you're friend?" Blitz said expecting a negative answer.

"Maybe. Just let me rest in peace. I need to know what happened to Enzo first thing tomorrow," Vice said eagerly. Blitz had a dying urge to know about Vice's wings and cutie mark and even more so about Enzo. But, he knew he would not be able to make the stubborn pony talk. Instead, he waited until he could hear faint snoring and decided to do something risky.

Reaching into the nearby desk and pulling out a pill, he slowly concealed it in his mouth and got up out of bed. Wincing in pain, he swallowed the pill and felt it no more. Tiptoeing out, he silently crept towards the entrance to the hospital. He could finally smell fresh air rivaling the hospital smell he was so used to. Thanking Celestia that the nurse was asleep he simply waltzed outside and took a deep breath. "Ugh, I can’t stand that guy. Now, to find this, Twilight Sparkle."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Yeah, she lives over there. In that giant tree." A mare pointed to a vastly, sizable tree filled with various building-like structures hanging out. Lights were still shining and brightening up the now shadowy night.

"I see it. Okay, thanks." Blitz waved and trotted towards his destination. The pill he had taken was now in full effect and he decided to take full advantage of it. As he neared the compound, he noticed something odd. There was a pony, a mare to be exact, standing outside. Her light purple hat littered with yellow and blue stars complimented her light blue coat. Blitz thought that she reminded him of himself, color-wise, until he saw her very pale, bright blue mane. He cautiously and nervously approached the mare with a burning question.

"Are you Twilight Sparkle?" The mare whipped around and almost fell over. She looked at Blitz with some sort of disgust.

"What's it to you?" she said sharply.

"I just want to know, I need her help," Blitz said slightly confused at the mare's reaction to this.

"Oh everypony needs Twilight's help, it’s all about her!" The mare gritted her teeth in frustration. Blitz sighed.

I guess I'll have to stoop this low, he thought with embarrassment. "Please, I need her help desperately. I'll do anything!"

"Anything?" The mare thought for a second. She smiled devilishly, unbeknown to Blitz. "Well then, if you must know, I'm Twi-Twili-Twi" The mare choked on her words as if she couldn't pronounce or say them. "I am Twiligh-" She gnawed on the words trying to spit it out. "...I'm the Great and Powerful Twilight Sparkle!" She said as fast as possible.

Blitz raised a brow. "But...that's just my, uh, alias. So many ponies want my help, but I really I go by the Great and Powerful Trixie to fake them out." Trixie gave a fake smile which looked genuine.

"Okay, uh, well why are you outside your house? Did you lock yourself out?" Blitz was uncomfortable accepting that this was who Clyde was talking about. What if she's lying, he thought anxiously. No, she can't be. This town literally can't be bad.

"What can the Great and Powerful Trixie do for you," Trixie said ignoring Blitz's question.

"Uh, well I sort of-" Blitz stopped and felt pain in his leg again. "Need help with my leg. Can you do something about it, maybe?" Blitz showed Trixie his bandaged leg.

"Of course the Great and Powerful Trixie can fix your leg," the mare said with an air of confidence. Her horn glowed a bright cyan and Blitz felt some tingling enter his broken bone. At first, the feeling was soothing but soon turned into a fit of extreme tightness. It was as if his bones were imploding on themselves.

After being sprawled on the ground, Blitz got up without even thinking and tested his new, improved leg. "Wow, I can't believe it, my leg is actually fixed!" Blitz shouted with growing joy.

"All thanks to the Great and Powerful Trixie," the blue mare restated. "Now then, follow me, we've got work to do," she maliciously said.

"Wait, what? Work?"

"You did say you'd do anything for somepony to fix your leg. The Great and Powerful Trixie needs some help of her own."

"Right..." At least my leg is fixed now. Maybe after I help Trixie, I can get back to getting that darn job. Both ponies walked together out of Ponyville and into the forest.

Chapter 11: Setting Up

The night gale was cold, but had a soothing feel as well. No sound was emitted but the hoof steps echoing in the distance. Blitz followed sheepishly behind Trixie as the blue mare led him through the forest they had entered not so long ago. He nervously wondered what Trixie had wanted with him and he still had seething questions to be answered. "So, uh, where exactly are we going? Isn't your house back-"

"Quiet," Trixie said sternly. "Just follow and don't talk."

'Geez, don't have to be so rude,’ Blitz thought with irritation. 'Clyde must’ve made her seem nicer than she is.' The two kept traveling in a linear path, Blitz trying constantly to catch up with Trixie. He made a mental note that he was still carrying his saddle bag despite almost forgetting about it when he snuck out of the hospital. It swayed lightly as the two eventually came to a stop with Blitz almost bumping into Trixie. Through the tangle of trees, Blitz spotted some sort of caravan parked next to a giant trunk. He thought he could see an aurora circling around it. "What-"

"What did the Great and Powerful Trixie say before? No talking," Trixie repeated once more hushing Blitz. She motioned him to follow her towards the strange caravan. Not really knowing what to do or expect, Blitz quickly complied and entered the caravan. An abnormal smell drifted its way into Blitz's system the minute he stepped in. "What's wrong? Don't like the Great and Powerful Trixie's incense?" said Trixie after seeing Blitz's face of discomfort.

"No, no. I'm just surprised by it. There's nothing wrong with it," Blitz said lying through his teeth.

"Mmhm. Well then, why don't we get started," Trixie said rummaging through a wooden chest. Blitz looked around and observed many different things he had never seen before. A plethora of hanging cloth littered the ceiling. Odd symbols were printed on each item which Blitz couldn't comprehend at all. A desk with a scratched, dank mirror sat in a corner with a purple hairbrush lying askew. Next to the chest where Trixie was at, there lie an intricate bed filled with fancy designs and multiple colors.

"Wait...what are we doing?!" Blitz asked again with a mix of obscurity and irritation.

"We're going to be practicing magic."

"What?"

"Stop saying what all the time and just go with it. You did say you were going to help the Great and Powerful Trixie didn't you?" Trixie said smirking. Blitz looked down and sighed.

"Okay, let's practice magic."

"Excellent," Trixie said holding an assortment of items. "Go outside and wait for the Great and Powerful Trixie." Blitz sighed again and headed out of the caravan.

’Thank Celestia I'm out of that stench,’ Blitz thought thankfully. ’Also, why am I practicing magic? What could this pony possibly want with me? And why is she talking in third person, why is her name so long? Oh yeah, that's right, too many questions with not a single answer. Should've known that by now.’ Blitz stopped and mused for a bit. ’Then again, this learning magic thing might be interesting. But, I can only make snowballs.’ Blitz waited somewhat eagerly for Trixie to come out. He honestly didn't know what to expect.

"Alright," said Trixie walking out of her caravan. "Since you are a unicorn, the Great and Powerful Trixie assumes you know how to use magic."

"Uh, sure?" Blitz responded carefully.

"Then show Trixie what you've got!" Blitz was unsure what to do at this point. He stood just staring at the mare unable to make an action.

"Um, well." Blitz felt a wave of embarrassment flow through him as he prepared his inevitable question. "Do you have an ice lying around, by chance?" Trixie gave Blitz an unamused look.

"Are you being serious?"

"I kinda need it in order to...do magic," Blitz said looking down at the dancing grass. It was as if the inanimate objects were taunting him. Trixie muttered something to herself and went back inside the caravan. Blitz still didn't understand what she had brought out in the first place, but was soon distracted as the blue mare came back out with a cup of water. "That's not ice-"

"No duh!" Trixie sounded furious. "What kind of loser can't even make magic without help?" Blitz was stunned at the statement. He dared not to make eye contact with Trixie and instead kept watching the grass laugh at him. He looked up at Luna’s moon and decided it may as well have been laughing at him too. Trixie sighed dramatically. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will have to help you now," she said with sarcasm. Trixie took the glass of water and placed it next to Blitz on the grass. She stared at him and pointed at the cup. "Do something, anything."

Blitz grew extremely distressed. He had never really been tested on his magic before, nor was he judged on how well he could do it. With Trixie staring him down, he felt even more pressured to do something, yet he knew he couldn't do anything with just water. He looked at the glass and focused for a bit. He tried to drown out all thoughts pulling him back, and the fact that Trixie was staring into his soul.

With his horn glowing aqua blue, Blitz made his best effort to do something. He could see that the glass wasn't changed in the slightest and exerted himself even more in order to make something happen. At this point, he actually didn't know what he was doing. After a minute or so of Blitz's act of focusing on the water, a clink sound could be heard within the glass.

Trixie rushed over and inspected the cup of water. She noted that there was a single cube of ice floating at the top of the water no bigger than a centimeter. Groaning out of sheer frustration Trixie replied, "that's pathetic." Blitz almost let out a whimper as he was insulted.

’That's it, I'm a failure. I've never been on the spot and torn down like this in forever. I guess I had it coming to me,’ he thought with sorrow.

"But, at least the Great and Powerful Trixie knows what type of magic you could specialize in," Trixie said with a glint of hope in her voice for Blitz.

"How can I get better when I'm the lowest of the low?"

"Do you doubt the Great and Powerful Trixie? She's going to make something out of you, don't you worry," Trixie said. Blitz didn't know how to comment back. He was to tied up in the mindset that he was the worst unicorn to perform magic in Equestria. He turned to Trixie and complained.

"Why am I doing this anyway?"

"Oh, nothing much. The Great and Powerful Trixie only plans on assaulting a certain pony."

"Assault?" Blitz was bewildered. He did not expect to be in a situation like this, the fact that Trixie eluded it until now made Blitz even more flustered than ever.

"That's right, on an old friend of Trixie's. You're not backing out anytime soon, are you?" Trixie asked raising her brow with intimidation.

‘This is crazy! What kind of-what, I don’t even-‘ Blitz mind raced as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard. ’Okay, this has to be a prank. Come on, and she did fix my leg. How can I say no, it’s just gonna be a silly prank, that’s right. This is all a big joke,’ Blitz thought reconsidering his actions.

"No, I'm not," he affirmed.

"Good, let's get down to business."

~~~~~~~~~~

Vice was awoken as Celestia's sun blazed through the hospital curtains and tried to cover his eyes. Failing to do so, he turned to his other side and came face to face with Enzo who was already wide awake, sitting on a chair. "Oh my," Vice exaggerated tumbling backwards in his bed. "Don't give me a heart attack like that, man, s'pecially since I'm all injured and stuff."

"Sorry, you scared yourself," Enzo said looking out the window not paying attention to his friend.

"Whatever. Hey, how was yesterday? Where did I go-no wait, more importantly, what happened with that girl?" said Vice with enthusiasm.

"You act as if losing consciousness was nothing," said Enzo worryingly.

"Cause it’s not, now answer the question," Vice demanded waving off Enzo's remark.

"Well, Clyde took you to the hospital which left me and Fluttershy alone," Enzo said drowning out the last word. He saw Vice grin and sighed rolling, his eyes as well. "That minotaur guy, Iron Will, he left and Clyde said he was going to have some guards look for him. Meanwhile, I-well me and Fluttershy, we, uh." Enzo was hesitant to say what happened.

"Dude, you sound like you got it in or something," Vice said with a snicker. "Wait, did you guys actually do it!?"

"NO!" Enzo yelled which actually blew away Vice a little bit. Almost falling off the bed, Vice regained his balance and spoke with regret.

"I'm sorry, shouldn't have went there."

"We just talked, nothing else," said Enzo regaining his calm nature. "I had a hard time making her stop crying, but she eventually opened up to me." Vice grinned again, but decided not to make another sexual innuendo joke. Instead, he replied with a safer response.

"That's good, buddy. I see your starting to crack out of your old self and becoming a new man or pony." Vice chuckled a bit, but turned serious for the next statement. "But, I don't believe a word you've said."

"What?" Enzo sounded offended.

"I mean, come on. You make it sound so easy. Ya can't just waltz in there and sweep a girl off her feet-"

"I was just there to make sure she was okay, not ask her out!" Enzo defended while facehoofing due to how he knew Vice would keep the topic going.

"I'm just saying that it doesn't add up, but anyway, please continue. What happened after you 'calmed her down'," said Vice quoting the last three words with the motion of his hooves.

"Well after that...we kind of-well we didn't really talk at all," Enzo admitted. "She said she was okay and that was basically it."

"You shittin' me? You didn't even take initiative to-"

"I tried! I did, I wanted to say something, start a conversation, but nothing came out," said Enzo sadly. "I just left without a goodbye." Vice's face was that of disappointment and confusion.

"I-I don't know what to say, man. I was all excited to hear how you would own the night. That’s a huge-ass letdown. Anything else happen?"

"Well when I left, I saw two other ponies enter her house. One was pink the other white. I assume they were her friends...I guess it’s better that they comfort her instead of some random guy."

"Damn, I-well that's a threeso-nevermind, no more jokes," Vice scratched his head awkwardly. "Hey, hey hey, don't feel defeated. We don't know for sure she-well you like her, right? Let's confirm this before I say stuff in vain." Enzo was silent. He didn't respond back to Vice who slowly nodded his head.

"I'll take that as a yes. So, first things first. We don't know if this means she likes you or not. She definitely doesn't hate you if she let you in her house, so that's covered. Now, it’s all a matter of figuring out how to approach this delicate situation," Vice voiced softly to Enzo, speaking softly as if the conversation itself were delicate. "Girls can be confusing, I know, its hell for me. Just remember to take things nice and easy. Ask her questions, and get to know her.”

Vice diverted his eyes away and smiled faintly. “Well, you know I dated all them shallow bitches back then so it’s not as complicated. But, you, you got yourself a special gal that I know is like you.” He leaned in and whispered slyly in Enzo's ear. "She kicked my ass just like you did that one time way back then." Enzo laughed nervously.

"Isn't 'back then' over though, we're never getting-"

"Back, yeah I know we're not. But, you know what I love to say. Forget the past and enjoy the present," Vice said with a hint of melancholy. A large knock split the conversation followed by shorter, softer knocks. The duo looked over to see a white pegasus stride into the room. His eyes were tinted red and his mane was muffled. The only thing clean was his mustache.

"Hello, boys. Mister Vice, are you doing better?" Clyde said with a strong voice.

"Yeah, Clyde, never been better."

"Well then, you boys are probably wondering what happened to me in the time that I was absent." Clyde stroked his mustache carefully. "I headed back to Canterlot to form a search party in order to find where Iron Will was hiding. All night, we searched, but unfortunately we've had no luck up until this point." Clyde turned away and solemnly looked out the bright window.

"Another train has been demolished," Clyde said coldly. "Similar to the one Mister Blitz was in." Enzo gasped, but Vice nodded his head slowly. The two exchanged frightened glances.

"That's horrible!" Enzo said loudly.

"Thanks Sir Captain Obvious. So, Clyde, what's the deal then? Why are you telling us this," Vice said anticipating an answer.

"We believe that Iron Will may have had something to do with it. He may have been responsible for the train crash earlier this week, we can't tell for sure," declared Clyde. Again, Vice and Enzo looked at each other with the utmost uneasiness.

"So you need lil 'ole me to do some dirty work, is that it?" Vice said with increasing excitement. "Give a guy a whole night to recover then ask him to go on an investigation?" Vice paused for dramatic effect. "Yeah, I'm in. How 'bout you Enzo? You up for some detective work?" Clyde sighed and shook his head.

"Since all other guards are preoccupied with their own duties, you boys were the only option I could find. Understand that this is a favor-excuse me?"

"You heard me, I'm in, brotha," Vice said confidently. "And due to Enzo's quietness, I say he's in too." Clyde was speechless. "What, did you really expect me to say no?" Vice asked slightly offended.

"Never mind. You say your feeling better?"

"Dude it’s not like I got my dick ripped off, okay? Just a few scratches and bruises, nothing much," Vice said. Clyde sighed again.

"Alright, well boys, you better get ready. We are heading out in a few minutes."

"Aye, aye, bossman," said Vice putting his hoof over his head in army-like fashion. Clyde left the room and Vice instantly turned to Enzo and held his shoulders. "Holy ass cheeks, man! Did you hear what he said?" Vice said trying to suppress laughter.

"Did you think he would've figured it out?" Enzo said shaking.

"Dude, we stopped those guys from crashing the train, not the other way around," said Vice." Guys attack train, we stop guys, day is saved. Don't worry so much, Enzo. We're the good guys."

"Are you sure?"

"Starting on that day we are." Vice hesitated for a second. "As for the past-well forget the past and enjoy the present, hehh." Behind a closed door, Clyde was listening to the conversation going on between Vice and Enzo. He was only able to hear Vice’s last words about the past. He took in every word Vice was saying, but kept to himself.

‘Are these ponies really who they say they are,’ thought Clyde anxiously.

Chapter 12: Failure of Knowledge

"Yo, normally, I would fly myself. But since you offered, and I'm injured of course, I couldn't refuse." Vice cracked up as he and Enzo sat atop Clyde who was flying majestically through the skies. The vibrant ocean of blue was all the three could see as Clyde steered towards his destination. Puffy clouds whistled by as Clyde made good use of his gargantuan wings.

"I see," Clyde spoke with no expression.

"Say, where are we going again? You said something about an apple?" Vice asked anxiously.

“Appaloosa is where we are headed, mister Vice. It is a small town just south of Ponyville,” Clyde said glancing back at Vice.

“Never heard of it. But whatever, lead on.” Vice said. Clyde continued his flight as conversation ceased. He braced himself and suddenly swooped through the cloud layer, to Vice and Enzo’s surprise. As the group recovered, a series of wooden houses lined up came into view. The atmosphere changed as well from a cool, moist sky to a scorching, dry desert. “Wow, who turned the damn heat up?” Vice commented shifting uncomfortably.

Clyde ignored Vice’s reaction and promptly landed on the soft, sandy ground. “Oh damn!” Vice had stepped off the white pegasus’ back and felt a singeing feeling as he landed on the desert sand. “Hot tamale, hot, hot tamale,” he chanted jumping up and down, stamping his hooves.

“You’ll get used to the feeling soon enough,” said Clyde strolling towards the town. Vice darted his eyes towards Enzo and noticed his stone faced expression. He wanted to make something of it, but was cut off by a loud shout.

“Welcome to Appaloosa!” A light yellowish stallion waved at the trio with his hat as his vibrant orange mane bobbed up and down. He withheld a smile going all the way up to his ears.

“What-"

“Greetings, young citizen,” Clyde said cutting off Vice’s confusion. “I am Clyde, one of Celestia’s most trusted guards,” he said grooming his mustache.

“Braeburn, nice to meet ya!” The earth pony vigorously shook Clyde’s hoof. “Oh, I can’t wait to show you guys around!” he said excitedly.

“Erm, well that’s not exact-“

“You’ll also be able to meet everypony here and see all of Appaloosa!” Braeburn ignored Clyde’s protest and continued babbling.

“Mister Brae-“

“I’ll be showin’ y’all our very own wagons, and our apple orchards, and our very own-“

“Hey, shut up, pal,” Vice said more bitterly than he intended. Braeburn’s face sagged as his ears, eyes and mouth all pointed down. Clyde gave Vice a stern look to which Vice shrugged with a half smile.

“No, he’s right,” Braeburn said looking up. “I really shouldn’t be hiding what really happened here.” Vice and Enzo exchanged nervous glances as Clyde stepped forward and spoke with uneasiness.

“Son, it’s about the train incident, isn’t it?” Clyde rested a reassuring hoof on the shuddering pony’s shoulder. Braeburn slowly nodded not making any eye contact with Clyde. “Well that’s why we’re here.” Clyde gave a nod as Vice and Enzo waved awkwardly.

“I just don’t understand why anypony would do such a thing to our little town. I just can’t.” Braeburn shook his head, but still kept his gaze on the trio. “I can lead you to the wreck, but I don’t think I should meddle with your guys’ work.” The disheartened pony motioned the posse to follow him.

“Maybe he’s just a big pansy,” Vice whispered carefully and comically to an unresponding Enzo. “Hey, what’s up? Why you so quiet all of a sudden?”

“Lots of things on my mind,” Enzo said speculating in the distance.

“What, ‘bout that girl?”

“That and, well, I was thinking.” Enzo looked up at Vice with seriousness. “What if we aren’t the only ones out here.” Both ponies followed loosely behind Clyde and Braeburn, not wanting to attract attention.

“Then we’re gonna be in deep shit,” Vice said tepidly. “Listen, you and I both know-”

“What’s that?” Clyde asked, looking back at the duo.

“Nothin’, bossman. Just lead us to the crime scene,” Vice addressed with an upbeat smirk. Clyde sighed and turned back to Braeburn. “Close call. Can’t wait for the day we get found out. That’s gonna be fun, isn’t it?” Vice joked.

“It’s going to be soon, where’s your trench coat?” Enzo said slightly alarmed. Vice’s eyes grew wide while he kept grinning, his face frozen with conflict. “Oh f-you see, you forget things! Clyde gets me all horny for action and next thing I know I forget-dammit!” Vice stamped his hooves and looked around apprehensively. His wings shook with fright, transmitting small clinks into the air. He stayed silent for a moment and didn’t blink. “I’d say I’m handicapped, but then I’d look like a pussy. Maybe, I won them-no, I earned them…by-“

“You’re handicapped,” Enzo said firmly.

“Fine, but I don’t like it,” Vice grumbled. The two ponies bumped into Clyde as the group paused their walk. Looking over Clyde’s shoulder, they saw what they had come for.

“Is this it?” Clyde said without breaking eyesight from the objective. Braeburn nodded.

“I should go. You guys know what to do, right?”

“We’ll make sure this mess is sorted out. I promise you, we’ll find out who did this.” Clyde subtly bowed and gestured for Vice and Enzo to follow. As Braeburn became a dot in the distance, the trio came up to the train and experienced the wreck fully. Multiple hulking heaps of metal lay askew near a rusty train track. The stinging smell of burning alloy filled the air. Combined with the sun’s heat, the scene was almost unbearably hot. Various guards were shuffling about. Screams and shouts could be heard as orders were barked to and fro.

Clyde boldly stepped forward to assess the situation. He spotted a guard with similar attire to himself and approached cautiously. The pony was intently scribbling notes down on a clipboard with the aid of his horn. “Excuse me, officer,” Clyde spoke stately. The pony turned around and faced Clyde with uncertainty.

“Sorry, sir, but we-oh.” The guard’s eyes widened in shock. “Sir Clyde, I didn’t know you were on this case.” Clyde waved his hoof disapprovingly.

“Please, just call me Clyde, officer.” Clyde stationed himself next to the guard and peered over to the wreckage. “I took the liberty to look into this myself. Now, can you tell me what you know about the incident?”

“Uh, yes, sir Clyde,” the guard said nervously. Clyde’s eyebrow rose slightly, but kept a straight face overall. “The crash was about six hours ago, which means it happened last night. Reports say that everypony is accounted for and that nopony was severely injured,” the guard finished keeping his eyes glued to the clipboard.

“That’s good news, indeed,” Clyde said taking in the information while rubbing his mustache. “But, the real question should be whether or not you have information regarding why or how this catastrophe happened?” The guard looked anxiously away from Clyde’s eyes.

“Sadly, we have nothing to work with. No leads, no clues; nothing. We’re shooting in the dark here.” Vice and Enzo stood still, listening in on the conversation. The guards didn’t seem to notice the duo and continued their speech. “This scene’s got almost every guard in Equestria searching around. This is the second time this has happened too!” As the guard finished his sentence, Vice and Enzo slipped away from the talking ponies. Vice led Enzo towards a secluded spot and spoke carefully.

“Feels like their jut gonna crack down on us at any sec, eh, Enzo?” Vice said jokingly with a whisper.

“I thought you said that we weren’t-“

“Joke, man,” Vice said flatly while cutting off Enzo’s protest.

“Jokes are going to get us in trouble,” Enzo muttered warily. “Why are we out here anyways?” Vice shook his head.

“I don’t know man. We’re working with the guys that I want to avoid as much as possible. It doesn’t seem right,” Vice finished wandering his eyes around nervously.

“Vice, they’re not the bad guys. They’re trying to help us. Do you realize how much Clyde’s done to-“ A chunk of metal literally tore off one of the train segments and pounded the sand with a splitting clang. Both ponies looked over and saw a dark greenish figure plop out. A faint cerulean glow lit up the yellow ground.

“Oh god, is the train birthing?” Vice screamed in terror.

“What, no-look!” Enzo pointed as the figure crawled to its feet. “It’s a pony!” The pony shook off patches of sand sticking to it and froze when it saw the duo observing. Its face was a mixture of sweat and grime as it jerked back and started to flee from Vice and Enzo.

“Hey, buddy! Where ya going?” Vice paused for a second and facehoofed. Grumbling to himself, he left Enzo with a flash of speed towards the running pony. “Enzo, go tell Cly-iiiaahhh!” Vice’s body suddenly tensed up and retracted itself. He jerked around vigorously before falling to the ground. Vice gritted his teeth and watched as the pony got farther and farther. “Ohh balls!” Vice cried in pain. “I think my body just imploded on itself.”

“Um, Clyde? Could you please come over here!” Enzo said softly and desperately.

“Dammit, Enzo come on!” Vice scowled. “Clyde, get your fatass over here!” A cloud of dust swept past Vice as Clyde landed right next to him.

“What is the meaning of-"

“Look!” Vice pointed at the pony who was now a dot in the distant sand.

“I don’t understand,” Clyde said looking back and forth between Enzo and the pony.

“Why would anyon-pony run from a terrible accident,” Vice said irritably. Clyde’s eyes lit up as he realized what Vice was trying to get at. He took flight and launched himself after the fleeing pony. Vice and Enzo watched as Clyde caught up with the pony within seconds. Clyde came upon the pony from above and pinned it down with full force.

“They told me to wait, they told me to wait!” the pony barked struggling under Clyde’s strength.

“Who’s they?” Clyde demanded with authority.

“No, no, the-the voices in my head! They are the they!” the pony stammered quickly. Enzo supported Vice as he slowly got up to all fours. Both ponies continued to watch as a flock of guards rushed over to the scene. Through shouts and hollers, the pony was making a clear statement. “It was all me, I’m the one who did these train crashes!” the pony spoke with a raspy, crazed voice.

“Geez, doesn’t take much to get ‘em to talk around here,” Vice said slyly. After an eternity of arguing, the pony was swept away by the ocean of guards. Clyde came fluttering over to the duo, smiling, and patted both on the shoulder approvingly.

“Hahaha, you boys did the royal guards a great favor! Without your help, we might not have caught the criminal!” Clyde said in a cheerful voice.

“So, my instincts were right, he was the bad guy,” Vice said, smiling himself. “So that’s it? Case closed?” Clyde nodded firmly.

“He confessed. Clearly that he was the culprit. That’s all we needed to bring him in.”

“Well, damn, that was kind of anticlimactic. I was expecting some sort of western shoot out or something.” Vice joked to Clyde awkwardly. The guard raised an unsure eyebrow, but dismissed his confusion.

“Say, you boys have been extremely helpful. I can’t express how important it was that you were here at the right place at the right time. I can rest easy knowing the crook is in a more suitable place: jail,” Clyde declared with passion. “Why don’t we take a short trip to Canterlot and enjoy the wondrous festivities there?” Vice and Enzo glanced at each other then back at the beaming Clyde.

“Might as well. It’s not like I can really go anywhere now,” Vice said still retaining his joking nature.

“Excellent, my boys! You deserve it after all,” Clyde said trotting away happier than ever. Vice turned to Enzo and whispered still joking, “I’m pretty sure he’s making an excuse to go himself. All we did was spot a dude and boom we’re on a trip to fancy town. Sounds like things are going better than expected, eh?”

“I’m still a little worried, that some guy would do something like that in a beautiful place like this,” Enzo said with distress. "And...weren't there more than one-"

“Enzo, Enzo! Don’t worry so much, Enzo,” Vice said putting his forehoof around the worried stallion's neck. “It’s time to relax and I’m ready to party up in this Canterlot.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“No, no, no! That’s wrong!”

“I don’t know what you want me to do!” Both Trixie and Blitz were outside the caravan, horns glowing. A large tub of water sat calmly in between the two, swaying slightly at times. With Celestia’s sun shining brightly through the thick forest, Trixie and Blitz argued back and forth.

“Trixie spent all morning showing you how to do it, what’s wrong with you?” Trixie said sourly. “I don’t understand!”

“I just don’t know what to do!” Blitz repeated. “I can’t do it.”

“Oh my Celestia, it’s so easy!” Trixie said turning to the tub of water. She lowered her horn and watched confidently as it started to glow a purple hue. Within the water, a single, triangular spike of ice formed. “You can’t do that?”

“No!” Blitz shouted back. Trixie sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.

“Just focus your mind or something and you should get it. It’s not that hard.”

’Easier said than done,’ Blitz thought with panic. ’I don’t know how much more of this I can take. We’ve been doing this all day. I just can’t do this one stupid thing!’. He stopped and closed his eyes. He could hear Trixie groan faintly, but ignored it as he tried to envision what he wanted to create. A solid, concrete shape formed into his head. Blitz felt his horn glow that aqua blue as he opened his eyes and faced towards the water. With feet planted and mind set, Blitz unleashed his magic. The water started to ripple with excitement. Blitz could feel his magic working as a crackling effect split the silence. In his excitement, he almost fell over and his horn ceased to glow.

Trixie waltzed over to the tub and pulled out a pencil sized spear of ice. Gasping with sarcasm, she faced Blitz and spoke with the plainest voice. “Awesome you finally did it.”

“Took long enough, but I managed to make something,” said Blitz with rising confidence.

“Now, we move on to the next part.” Trixie dropped the icicle into the water and watched it splash harmlessly. She let her horn glow once more, smiled, and lifted her own icicle out of the water. In a flash, it was sent spiraling into a nearby tree. An unusually satisfying crunch was produced as a result. “Try that,” Trixie called to a shuddering Blitz. He stared at the impaled tree with a lifeless motivation. He moved his attention to his fragile icicle in water and shook his head.

’I’m not sure if I can go through with these things,’ Blitz contemplated with worry. ’But I guess I have to now. He lifted up the icicle with his magic and pointed it towards the tree. With a burst of energy, the icicle was shot into the tree. It barely penetrated the bark with an inaudible crack. ’At least I can do that. Trixie trudged over to Blitz’s fired shot and inspected closely. Blitz expected an outburst, but received congratulations in the form of a short hoof stomp. “Good start,” she said truthfully.

“Keep doing that and we’ll actually get somewhere.”

“Why are you doing this anyway,” Blitz blurted out faster than he could cup his mouth. Trixie eyed Blitz with ferocity.

“Have you ever been shunned by society? Hated?” Trixie snapped back with disturbing calmness. “Hmm?” Blitz thought back to when he was living with Fuzzy and realized how he had not thought of Fuzzy for quite some time. Cursing himself, he disregarded the thought and remembered how life was back then.

“Kind of.”

“Well, that’s the whole deal with Ponyville,” Trixie announced with all her heart. “It’s a wretched place where talent like mine gets ridiculed and the ponies there make fun of me. I get forced to leave because of it.” Blitz was astonished at what he was hearing.

“That can’t be-“

“It is!” Trixie screamed in agony. She adjusted herself and turned away from Blitz. “Let’s just keep practicing.”

She sounds just like me, but that’s just impossible.

Chapter 13: Gray Matters

“You know, I could get used to this. You flying us around and all.” Vice snickered playfully as Clyde carried the duo across the Equeustrian skies. The desert feel certainly left as Clyde shifted back above the cloud layer where the temperature remained cool and calm. Vice and Enzo still felt goose bumps as they changed altitudes.

“We should be able to make it to Canterlot before sundown,” said Clyde to the daydreaming duo.

“Wah? Oh, cool,” said Vice. “Hey, uh, Clyde?”

“Hmm?” Clyde was baffled as to what Vice could possibly say.

“Thanks,” Vice said almost in a whisper. “For everything that you’ve done for us two.” Clyde was taken by surprise.

“Always trying to help as all, Mister Vice.” Vice turned to Enzo and knocked shoulders with him lightly.

“Man, you’re personality’s rubbing off on me. I’m turning into a softy,” Vice said with fake agony.

“Glad you’re finally changing your attitude,” Enzo said with as a joke back.

“My attitude was changed a long time ago, buddy.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, boys, we’ve made it!” Clyde landed elegantly with the duo promptly getting off. Luna’s moon was peeking over the mountains that lay afar. Clyde gestured Vice and Enzo to follow as they began to get lost in the grand city of Canterlot. As it was nighttime, no ponies were really out on the streets. However, Vice and Enzo stuck out severely even with the little amount of ponies still outside.

“Uh, Clyde?” Vice spoke with uncertainty. “Me and Enzo look like scrubs. All these guys around make us look like trash. We need something to fancy ourselves up,” Vice finished eagerly.

“Hmm.” Clyde stroked his mustache with deep thought. “I’ve got just the thing! But first, let me take you boys to the nearby inn. We could use a rest after a day such as this!” Clyde led the duo over to an incandescently lit building. A small rectangular sign hung with the letters, ‘inn’, printed in bold black. A similar lettered floor mat was the welcoming piece as the posse filed in.

“Uhh, I don’t know how I feel about this,” Vice said upon entering the inn. “What’s going on?” Vice’s wings shrunk in alarm as almost a dozen eyes fell on the uncomfortable pony. “No need to fear,” Vice finally said to the staring socialites. “I’m just-” The pony sighed with aggravation. “Handicapped.”

Clyde turned away from the clerk at the desk. “Mister Vice, you’re handicapped?” he asked hearing the info for the first time.

“Oh yeah, I’m crazy handicapped. Need these to keep me going. I mean, what is a pegasus without his wings?” Vice said confidently. “I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.” Clyde peered at his own wings and nodded.

“Right. Well then, I’ve seen to it that we’re reserved for a room. I suggest we spend the night here and get a fresh start tomorrow.” The trio found themselves escorted to their desired room. As the clerk revealed said room, a blast of fresh air brushed against the group’s faces. There lay several beds with simple maroon blankets resting on top.

“Heh, reminds me of the time where we went into that Apple’s room. Ahh, good times,” Vice said to Enzo who let out a small sigh.

“Have a nice night,” the clerk said before closing the door behind the three ponies. Vice felt a sudden rush of pain fluctuate within his wings. Not bothering to tell the others, he leaped onto the bed, cursed himself for bringing more pain and ignored Clyde and Enzo.

“Must be his wings,” Enzo said to Clyde.

“So, his wings are really handicapped? Those metal structures support them?” Clyde asked.

“Um, yes. He needs them if he ever wants to fly. They help…they help-help with his flying.” Enzo closed his eyes and prayed that Clyde didn’t suspect anything.

“I see. Well, no need to keep you awake any longer. Let us get some well earned rest.” Clyde climbed happily into his bed while Enzo slowly got into his. Within minutes, the whole room was silent.

~~~~~~~~~~

Another tree was put to rest as a crystal spike entered its trunk. Blitz stood, tired, as he lifted up another spike and launched it once more. “Alright, that seems good enough for me. At least you can aim,” Trixie said yawning. Both ponies noticed that Celestia’s sun had disappeared over the trees and Luna’s moon was creeping its way into the sky. Blitz dropped the spike, as well as himself, on the ground.

“You can throw, but you can’t create. That’s something we’re going to have to work on so I don’t have to keep making those stupid spikes for you every time,” Trixie stated with noticeable irritation. Blitz couldn’t even utter out a word. He dreaded using his magic for long periods of time, especially when being judged. He knew he wasn’t good and he knew Trixie knew. He couldn’t tell if her words were coming out sincere or just to make him feel better about himself.

“Ugh, thanks,” he managed to say almost silently. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to create these spikes or anything in my life.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you do,” Trixie said nonchalantly. Blitz decided not to even interpret the message and trudged towards Trixie’s caravan. “Where do you think you’re going?” Blitz frowned and tilted his head towards Trixie.

“Where can I rest?” He had no energy left to make the statement sound annoyed.

“Outside, not in Trixie’s caravan. What are you nuts?” Trixie said slightly laughing. Blitz gave a face of defeat and sat down on the cold, wet grass. Trixie turned and sighed towards Blitz’s sad demeanor.

“Trixie was just kidding, gosh. I’m not that mean.”

’Thank Celestia,’ Blitz thought. ’I just can’t figure out this mare…’ Trixie motioned Blitz to come into her caravan. With the welcoming smell of strong incense, Blitz sifted through the sickening scent and towards the intricate bed.

“Sorry, that’s mine. You get the floor.”

“But-“

“Just because I let you stay in my caravan doesn’t mean you get treated like royalty. Don’t worry, you’ll be waking up very soon,” Trixie said with an upbeat tone.

“…wait me? Not us?” Blitz was starting to get frustrated with the mare.

“Yes, you. I need you to pick up a few things for me tomorrow at the market,” Trixie said plainly.

“Why me?”

“Don’t you remember our agreement?” Blitz sighed and nodded solemnly.

“Right…so what do you need?” ’What do you even need?’ Blitz thought with curiosity.

“Just a few things, not much. I’ll have a list set up for when you wake up. After you get everything we are going to practice some more. So, don’t screw around and come back quick,” Trixie finished sternly. With that being said, Trixie tucked herself into her soft, open bed while Blitz scrambled to get into a comfortable position on the floor.

’What is with this mare? I have a feeling these items aren’t going to be pleasant ones.’

~~~~~~~~~~

“BOYS!” Clyde literally burst through the door of the inn and shouted to Vice and Enzo. Vice found himself on the hard floor while Enzo simply sat up and waited for Clyde to continue. “Do you know how long you two slept in? My goodness, it’s almost the afternoon!” Clyde said raising his hooves.

“Sorry, bossman, looks like we were tired as hell. Long day, right?” Vice said trying to make up.

“Hmph. Anyway, I have some great news to tell you boys. We’ve been invited to a dinner party!” Clyde said excitedly. “It’s-"

“Wow, hold on there, dude. A dinner party, really?” Vice asked rhetorically.

“Is there a problem, Mister Vice?”

“We’re gonna go in there looking like this?” Vice pointed to his attire which consisted of nothing.

“Good point, that’s why I brought these!” Clyde pulled out two brand new suits from behind the door and held them up as Celestia’s sun shined brightly off of them. Vice’s mouth hung wide open.

“You got those…for us?” Enzo said in place of Vice.

“Indeed, my boys!” Clyde placed the suits carefully on his own bed and faced the boys. “We’ve got a lot or preparing to do before the party.”

“No shit, man! How are we, who-do those things even fit us?” Vice said out of bewilderment.

“Like I said, Mister Vice, much work to be done.”

~~~~~~~~~~

As nighttime approached and Luna’s moon rose above the clouds, the trio had appeared before a grand estate. The house glimmered brightly in the dark outside. Vice and Enzo stood adjacent to Clyde with suits intact on their torsos. Vice’s red tie swayed in the wind while Enzo’s blue tie stayed tucked in. They stood, mesmerized by even the gold encrusted door without speaking until Vice broke the silence. “Ah ha, Enzo, looks like somebo-pony’s ready to party, eh? Eh?” Vice nudged Enzo playfully.

“It’s a dinner party, not an actual-“

“Holy crap, Clyde, your mustache!” Vice said with amazement.

“Isn’t it just LOVELY!” Clyde brushed his mustache softly and caressed it carefully. “Magnificent, glorious!”

“Uh huh, yeah. So we going in or what?” Vice had a hint of nervousness in the last words. Clyde nodded solemnly and knocked at the wooden door. Within a few seconds, a stallion opened the door and stared at Vice and Enzo. His top hat tilted with his head as he examined the duo. While he looked through his left monocle, Vice and Enzo did some examining themselves. The pony was almost covered in accessories. A full suit, unlike Vice and Enzo’s, covered most of the pony’s body, concealing the cutie mark area. Only three black, buttoned shoes were visible due to an impairment to the left foreleg. It was tightly bandaged and pressed against the pony’s chest. Along with a black eyepatch on the right eye and surprisingly stylish, wingtip mustache, the pony couldn’t look anymore ridiculous to Vice and Enzo.

“Ahh, where are my manners,” the pony said breaking eye contact with the duo. He faced Clyde and bowed slightly. “Welcome, my good sirs, to my humble abode. I am Gray Patch, your host for tonight.” Clyde seemed to be stunned while the duo continued to observe the pony. He had a mane hidden under the hat. All they could spot were three tufts of hair sticking out from beneath. It was then the ponies finally noticed that the pony was literally no color but gray. They spotted the dark gray mane which contrasted with the light gray coat. The only thing seeping with color was the pony’s scarlet eye. It had a sort of twinkling gleam in it.

“Um, hello there?” Gray Patch motioned his free fore hoof while balancing to get the group’s attention.

“I’m terribly sorry, excuse my misbehavior…but, your mustache,” Clyde started to say in awe.

“Oh, this little thing?” Gray Patch gingerly brushed his free hoof on his thick mustache. “It’s nothing, honestly. Yours, however, that is a sight to be withheld, my good sir.”

“Well, I did have it groomed right before I came,” Clyde said brushing his hoof against the ground.

Vice leaned over to Enzo and whispered with extreme caution. “What in the hell is going on here? Are mustaches the new cool or something?” Enzo shrugged and looked back to the gray pony.

After a moment of cold silence, Gray Patch spoke. “Well then, I won’t leave you gentlecolts standing out in the cold anymore. Come on in, the dinner has just started.” The posse entered the estate following Gray Patch. The pony moved quickly, not giving the group enough time to take in the splendor of the house. Chandeliers, candlesticks, bowls, tables; they all flashed through their eyes as they came upon a long, lean table. “Please, have a seat.” Gray Patch took the honor or seating Vice and Enzo as well as seating Clyde next to him on the end.

Murmurs and whispers traveled across the table as the other ponies glared at Vice. A faint laugh could be heard to which Gray Patch silenced with a wave of the hoof. “Please, honor our guests. Without further adieu, let the party commence.” The minute those words exited the gray pony’s mouth a dozen waitresses materialized before the table and started to place dishes all across.

Still sensing a few eyes watching him, Vice folded his mechanical wings tighter than ever. Almost surprised by a plate appearing before him, he gasped. Several crescent-shaped breads surrounded a bowl of puffy cheese. The intense smell wafted through Vice as he went face first into the dish.

Halfway through the action, he stopped and noticed the eyes fixed on him yet again. Laughing awkwardly, he reached for a nearby utensil and came up empty hoofed. Still smiling, he reached again and gripped air. Now looking straight at the utensil, he forced his hoof upon it and tried in vain to pick it up. He looked around and noticed everypony else eating with ease, even Enzo who was gobbling down food beside him.

“How in the name of balls are you using that thing?” Vice said in amazement towards Enzo who had just brought a piece of crispy bread to his mouth.

“Takes skill,” Enzo mumbled through a full mouth.

“Heh, alright then.” Vice rubbed his hooves together and reached out with both towards the silver tool. Failing to even lift the object up, he tried every tactic he could muster. Pinching it in between his hooves, trying to flip it over, pushing it off the table and trying to catch it; everything.

“Eh, are you having difficulties there, my good sir?” Gray Patch asked.

“Nah, man. Just fooling around, haha, right?” The whispers began again and even Clyde was secreting words back and forth between Gray Patch. Giving a face of defeat, he raised his hoof weakly and called out.

“Is anyb-pony here going to protest if I eat with my hooves? No? Alriiight!”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT, MISTER VICE!” Clyde’s voice shattered the night as the group found themselves outside the estate.

“Guy has to do what a guy has to do,” Vice said shrugging.

“Why don’t you know how to use a fork, Mister Vice?”

“Uhh, I’m crippled?” Vice said weakly.

“…I-"

“Sorry, am I interrupting. My guests were a little antsy, I’m sorry I had to remove you from the party,” Gray Patch said appearing before the trio. “If it helps, there’s going to be another party later tonight that I’d be more than happy to invite you gentlecolts to.”

“Another party? God, how many parties do you peo-ponies…attend?”

“This one is special, it is said that the famous Prince Blueblood will be there along with other Equestrian celebrities,” said Gray Patch.

“And you're hosting it?” Clyde wondered graciously.

“Not me. I’m not that popular.”

“I still can’t believe I got kicked out for that.” Vice laughed nervously and expected the same from the gray pony.

“You kind of deserved it,” Gray Patch said coldly.

“Did I really? For not knowing how to use a damn fork?”

“No, for actually eating with your hooves. In any case, I’ll be expecting you gentlecolts at the party. I have this notion to learn more about you all.” Gray Patch bowed again and exited back into the estate.

“You got some weird friends, Clyde.” Vice said into the night.

“He’s not my friend, I don’t know the stallion,” Clyde replied with a hint of anxiety.

“Noted, bossman.”

Chapter 15: Magical Conclusions

“So sorry to hear that you’re leaving, again,” Gray Patch said adjusting his top hat.

“Well, duty calls, as they say. I must and I absolutely must check on the girls. I’d never forgive myself if I overlook this,” Clyde said.

“So I see. Well then, I mustn’t keep you any longer.” Celestia’s sun was long gone as Luna’s moon overlooked the dark night. The trio along with Gray Patch stood outside the still lit mansion. Guards were marching furiously in and out of the building as hoovesteps echoed in the night. Clyde gazed out in a solid direction while Vice and Enzo hesitantly approached the large pegasus.

“So, this song and dance again?” Vice said as he and Enzo placed themselves atop Clyde’s sturdy back. “Might just take a long nap.”

“Feel free to do so, Mister Vice. We’ve had quite a rough night…I just hope we can get back before sunrise,” Clyde responded quietly.

“A rough night, indeed,” Gray Patch said wholeheartedly. “I’ll have to be icing this bump soon enough.” The pristine pony rubbed the back of his head and eye smiled at the group.

“So, you were pounded on the back of the head while…fancying up?” Vice reiterated.

“Correct. I’m certain that the ruffian was changing into his costume and I was unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of his plot.” Gray Patch paused for a moment and exchanged a short, nervous laugh. “Should be just a pain for a little while, nothing you all should be concerned about. I’m sure there are more oppressing matters to deal with. I wish a safe, swift journey back home.”

Gray Patch stepped towards Clyde and faced Enzo. “Ah, a letter from me. I feel as though we personally haven’t really gotten to know each other that well. I’ve certainly learned a lot about your friends, so just open that up whenever you get the chance.” Gray Patch bowed as Enzo sheepishly accepted the enclosed envelope.

Clyde nodded and sprung into the air with great force. Gray Patch held his top hat as the air brushed past his face. However, his mustache stayed in a solid state. Clyde glanced at Gray Patch one last time before turning abruptly and flying off. “Goodbye, gentlecolts. May our paths meet again one day!” the pristine stallion shouted as he tilted his head a bit and smiled.

“And a farewell to you, Mister Gray Patch. It was an honor to be with you this evening.” Those were the last words spoken before silence took over the flight back home.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Get a move on! Before somepony sees us!” Trixie pushed Blitz forward as the simple houses of Ponyville came into view. He took the abuse with full will force as he needed to ensure the safety of his belonging.

’What a mess did I get myself into,’ Blitz thought to himself as he and Trixie entered the town. ’Just a few nights ago I was lying peacefully in a hospital. Now, I’m creeping into an innocent town for Celestia knows what reason. Starting to get tired of ponies being so mysterious all of a sudden.’

Blitz almost crashed headfirst into a wall, but before he could do so, a sharp hiss stunned him. “Y’know, I could just reverse that spell I did and break your leg instantly. Keep focused!” Trixie said with stabbing harshness.

Blitz tried to distinguish truth and lie with failure and didn’t hesitate to follow his master’s orders. Luna’s moon still shone menacingly through the buffering clouds as the two ponies skulked through the night. Light hoovesteps clattered in the silent night, one more loud and assertive than the other. “Stop screwing around, let’s just deal with this. Then you can be on your merry way,” Trixie said.

The incentive to leave his captor gave Blitz the will to keep trudging on. He nodded with false firmness and followed Trixie’s lead. He could only watch in amazement as the tenacious mare readied her horn with circulating magic. She aimed high and shot a glimmer of light purple energy towards the tree house. Seconds ticked away before the tree started to shudder. Bulges blew from the tree and soon solidified into solid squares leading up to the tree’s rooftop.

The words 'come on' zipped through Blitz’s skull as he broke away from Trixie’s magic. He cautiously tailed Trixie as she effortlessly glided towards the roof with each step in sync with the other. Before Blitz could even get a rhythm going, Trixie was already busting through the roof. Sighing, he quickened his clumsy pace and hurried for his captor.

As Blitz landed the final step near the roof, he felt himself oddly able to float. He felt nothing but air before colliding with hard wood and instantly smothered with books. Luckily, he felt only small pains and thanks Celestia that his leg wasn’t broken once more. A musty scent escaped through his numb nose and brought him back to his senses. He slowly straightened up and examined his surrounding which consisted of a sea of books. Several colors created a distorted rainbow as Blitz’s eyes circled around the encased room.

“You-" Instantly sensing Trixie, Blitz turned around to see her and mouthed the words ‘sorry’. A short grumble was received before Blitz was dragged by his abductor. He let himself relax a bit as Trixie pulled him towards their destination.

’Right, I give up,’ Blitz thought with some sense of relief. ’This is just ridicu-‘ Ground met the unicorn’s face as he was detached from Trixie. He looked up and absorbed the image of a furious mare with her horn glowing dark purple. Something in the distance was glowing and her horn zapped with energy.

“Wait a minute, this is a bedroom-wait, Trixie, is that-“

“Yes, my little crony. The Great and Powerful Trixie has finally caught her rival!” Trixie said over-dramatically. It took a moment for Blitz to react.

“So you forced me to work for you just so I could help you with a rivalry problem?” Blitz grew more agitated as thoughts poured themselves into his mind. “You couldn’t do this by yourself, you really needed my help?”

“Yes,” Trixie said coolly. “You’re the finishing touch.” Blitz finally looked over towards Trixie’s spoils. A circular bubble encased a celestial bed. Faint thumping could be heard within the bubble. Blitz neared the object and found a purple mare trapped within. Her dark purple hair lay askew and her similarly purple eyes were filled with confusion as she rattled her hoof on the barrier. Her eyes fell on Blitz who winced in alarmed concern at what was happening before him.

“Trixie, what are-" Blitz turned around and spotted Trixie dumping water onto the wooden floor. He watched in horrid realization when Trixie materialized a cerulean spear within seconds and hovered it towards Blitz.

“This is where training pays off.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Come on, Clyde, calm yourself. Nothing bad’s gonna happen to the town,” Vice said jokingly, but reassuringly. “Can’t worry too much. Ain’t healthy.” Clyde looked down at the marshmallow clouds fleet by him as he continued to carry Vice and Enzo across Equestria.

“It’s a guard’s curse, my boy. I’m almost always inclined to worry.” Clyde peered back and spotted a sleeping Enzo along with a bored Vice. “But, don’t you boys start to worry. We’re almost there,” he finished with a halfhearted laugh. The night plodded on as Luna’s moon kept its taunt on Clyde with sleep. Trying to keep steady, the guard pony gently entered through the cloud barrier and revealed specks of green.

“Huh, I think I can see Ponyville from here. Everything looks fine, so I guess nothing exploded…yet.” Vice snickered which sent chills down Clyde’s spine. “Kidding, stuff looks-“ A white burst of light flashed over in the distance, deterring Clyde and Vice’s focus. Vice’s mouth hung open as Clyde tensed up and changed course of direction.

“Wha…” Enzo slowly shuffled around on Clyde’s back.

“Had a nice nap?” Good, cuz we’re about to get some more action,” Vice said. The source of white fury became closer and closer until Clyde came to a complete stop. “Wo-woah, you tryin’ to kill us?” Said Vice clutching Clyde’s back.

“That’s…Twilight’s house!” Clyde exclaimed. “Miss Twilight Sparkle!”

“I’m gonna go on a limb here and assume she’s, uh, important. I’m also gonna assume we’re going in there, so what’s the plan?” Vice grew more excited as Enzo subtly grew more distressed.

“You assume well. Eh, we need to…let me think-“

“Yo, there ain’t no time to think, just do!” With that said, Vice leaped off of Clyde’s back and spread his wings. The calm air around him fluctuated into an intense presence as he prepped himself for a launch. “I gotta redeem myself after that fight with big man!” Vice disregarded his companion’s gasps and protests as he flew straight towards his intended location. Twilight’s tree kept a solid white glow, each window and each opening spewed lustrous light.

Vice spotted an opening and swooped into the construct. He landed with a roll and assumed a fighting stance with hooves raised. He had his wings extended and following the motion of his swaying hooves. “Alrighty folks, let’s amp up the party!” he said with gusto.

Silence trailed behind Vice’s words as he noticed nopony paying attention to him. He stood with a crooked, awkward smile watching the scene before him. Two mares stood opposite of each other shooting beams of magic. A vortex of energy formed in the middle where the two beams met at, the source of the ghastly white power.

Vice peered left and right, analyzing each mare, before spotting a particular blue stallion. “You!” Blitz turned to his caller and had multiple reactions occur at once consisting of gasps, sighs and groans.

“Vice? What-"

“What am I doing here? No- what are you doing here?” Vice said cutting of Blitz’s question. “Damn, is this a threesome gone wrong?”

“What-no! I-" A crash followed by splintering wood extinguished Blitz’s voice once more. A pegasus dropped done and landed promptly with a clear thud. He looked directly at the shuddering unicorn with a very frustrated face.

“Mister Blitz!”

“Now you made the big guy angry,” Vice said. As the scene played out, both mares break concentration and focus on the new intruders. The white vortex in the middle dissipated and all was quiet. “Okay, okay, before everyone starts dropping bricks, lemme take a gander at this,” Vice said quickly. “So, Blitz, you’re here with ya girlfriend and-“

“Girlfriend!?” Both Blitz and Trixie simultaneously yelled.

“She’s not my-oh no.” Blitz found himself pinned to the cold, hard ground as muscle smothered his entire body.

“You’ve got some explaining to do, Mister Blitz!” Clyde screamed in Blitz’s terrified face. “Boys, I trust that you both can take care of the other culprit.” Both Vice and Enzo glanced between the purple mare and the blue mare. Each held an expression of bewilderment, fatigue and vexation.

“Um, which one?” Enzo said softly.

“Yeah, both look equally pissed,” Vice added.

“Her!” the two mares accused.

“And both equally hot,” Vice whispered evilly to Enzo who blushed on cue.

“Why-" Before Enzo could proclaim his feelings, Trixie turned and hissed as she diverted some of her magic towards him. Blue bullets of energy shot just past Enzo as he ducked immediately and rolled out of the way. He could feel warmth in his neck and noticed some of his scarf had been singed off.

“Don’t you dare interfere with me and her!” Trixie said viciously.

“Hey, lady!” Trixie riveted her eyes and spotted an approaching pegasus with wings raised intensely. “You may have a pretty face, but that’s not gonna stop me from pounding-uhhh, never mind, awkward.” Vice kept his rush on Trixie as the mare still kept up her magic against Twilight’s. “Just screw off my friends!” Vice was upon Trixie and raised his metal wing in an attempt to feign an attack. Trixie took the bait and jumped away, breaking her and Twilight’s magic vortex. “Gotcha!”

“No!” Trixie yelled in bloodcurdling fury. She raised her horn and spat out a white beam of light right in Vice’s direction. “Why won’t you let me have my way!” Vice raised his metal wings and resisted the assault by blocking his entire body with them, folding one effectively over the other.

“Cuz’ you’re a crazy bitch! Holy nut sack!” Vice began to falter and his hind legs pushed against the wooden ground. He grunted as he tried to keep his balance against Trixie’s beam attack. “Could use some help!” One of Vice’s hind legs gave way and he felt his body hit the ground. His wings shook with power as he held up against the magic.

“That’s enough, Trixie!” As the words sounded off, Vice felt the pressure being lifted off his wings. He looked up and saw that Twilight and Trixie had reentered their duel. But, this time he noticed that Trixie’s beam of magic was disintegrating and distorting. He thought he heard a pout and before he could get up a cloud of smoke appeared. Trixie appeared from the spawned smoke and dashed for the doorway behind the duo.

“What-hey she’s getting away!”

“Let her.”

“I repeat, what?” Vice was flabbergasted at Twilight Sparkle's instructions. “She’s got nothing left, let her leave again. She knows she lost twice.”

Clyde noticed the absence of Trixie, and then observed the duo standing still. He kept his detain over Blitz, but let his energy rush to his voice. “Did you two just let her go?”

“Twilight’s idea, not mine.” Vice looked at the now perplexed face of Clyde and restated his response. “AKA we let her go due to, uh, embarrassment I guess.” Enzo didn’t speak and maintained eye contact with the brown plank patterning the ground. Vice placed himself beside the black stallion and rested a hoof on his shoulder. “You done good, son.”

“It was my idea, Clyde.” Twilight reiterated sternly. “Her excessive pride must be getting to the best of her now that she knows she can’t beat me, even with, um, your help. Wait did you help Trixie?” This time Twilight sounded genuinely angry towards Blitz. With a heavy, tragic sigh, Clyde hopped off the still petrified body of Blitz. Picking up the pony by the ear, Clyde asked in the most intimidating voice Blitz had ever heard.

“What happened here?”

“…” Blitz was speechless. The arrival of Vice, Clyde and Enzo antagonizing him, the purple mare known as Twilight glaring at him, all was overwhelming.

“We don’t got all night, Blue Boy. Let’s go, spit it out. Why were you with that chick,” Vice said with a voice full of seriousness.

“She-I…” Sighs shot across the room. Vice slowly waltzed towards Blitz with a raised hoof before a certain mare prevented any further harm.

“Listen, I don’t know what lies that mare told you, but can you please tell us why you were with her and what happened?” The pony spoke with the calmest, most collected voice despite the previous events.

“Well,” Blitz said weakly. “She told me you were a bad type of pony.”

“Of course she did,” Twilight said jokingly albeit agitated. She furrowed her brow for a bit then asked a follow-up question. “Wait, you trusted her just on that?” This time Twilight’s voice sounded genuinely annoyed.

“She kinda fixed my leg,” Blitz said with a fragment of defense. Twilight gave a tilt of her head before slowly advancing upon Blitz. Her horn glowed a faint light purple as she stepping around Blitz carefully. She paused midway and nodded to herself before facing Blitz with concern. “Not good,” Twilight finally said breaking the dead silence.

“It can’t get any worse than the past few days,” said Blitz with bitter hope.

“Well, I’m no doctor, but your left leg isn’t exactly fine. Trixie casted a spell on you that only numbed your pain. This whole time-however long you’ve been walking on that leg…” Twilight drowned out at the bad news. “I’m really sorry this had to happen to you.” Blitz grimaced at Twilight’s depressing face. He rose his to hoof to say something, but lowered it as he spotted Enzo approaching. His whole demeanor lowered as he steadily recognized what was being presented.

“I, um, found this on the ground,” Enzo stated quietly. He locked eyes with Blitz and knew what this meant to him.

“My snow globe,” Blitz uttered weakly as he absorbed the info before his eyes. Enzo held the stand carefully in order to avoid the broken glass scattered within. The open, jagged hole exposed the dark room to the globe’s crushed status; shards of glass speckled throughout the room.

“Looks like things got worse,” Vice said followed by Clyde’s glare.

“Indeed, it’s rather unfortunate the way things happened,” Clyde said glumly.

“Well if it’s anything.” Twilight stepped forward and swiftly lifted the demolished pieces of the snow globe. Concentrating, she slowly pieced together Blitz’s treasure. Shard to shard, the globe filled with sparkling life as each piece came together like a puzzle. Finalizing her work, she gently floated down the newly improved snow globe onto Blitz’s outstretched hooves. “It’s reinforced with my magic so even if you drop it again it shouldn’t break,” Twilight said confidently. “That being said, don’t go throwing it around.”

The two ponies shared nervous laughs as Enzo, Clyde and Vice watched soundlessly from afar. Blitz gazed sheepishly at Twilight and broke eye contact. ’Geez, I break into her house, help to enslave her, and almost hurt her. Then she goes and fixes almost all of my problems.’

“You know, I’d be a little madder, but right now I’m really tired.” Twilight let out a feeble yawn. Blitz agreed with a nod of the head before breaking eye contact again.

“So, uh, we done here? I’d like to continue partying it up, but-"

“I knew it!” a high pitched voice squeaked from nowhere. “There was a party going on here!” Vice stopped mid-sentence and darted his eyes with a mouth wide open. “D-did anything just hear that? Anypony hear that?” Vice asked louder. The group looked around, but Twilight simply sighed.

“Hey, Pinkie,” she said plainly.

“Oh, oh, oh, hey Twilight! Are you having a party? Why are there so many ponies here? Are you partying without me?” Voice finally met face as a pink pony zipped into the room. The mare’s body radiated energy as it bounced up and down with rapid repetition. Her fluffy bubblegum hair shook with excitement as it swayed with her bouncing.

“No, Pinkie,” Twilight started with a stifled laugh. “We just-uh.” Twilight fidgeted as she tried to piece together what exactly happened.

“I think I can explain.” Clyde spoke calmly stepping forth.

“Oh hey, Clyde, didn’t see ya there. How are ya?” Pinkie Pie said with a beaming smile.

“Erm, fine, thank you. Ahem, now I do believe our friend, Blitz, here has gotten mixed up with the wrong mare. He-“

“A mare?” giggled the pink pony. “A pretty one?” she said with tease. Blitz’s jaw made its way towards the ground while Vice let out an obvious snicker. Clyde lifted a hoof to abolish all distractions.

“Trixie,” Clyde said expecting another outburst. Pinkie only watched, her sky blue eyes filled with curiosity. Clyde continued, “He must have wandered out of the hospital while we were absent and met up with that delinquent,” Clyde said piercing Blitz’s soul with intimidation. “Isn’t that right?”

“I didn’t mean to join her-I mean…yes.”

“Wow, Clyde! You sure are a good detective!” Pinkie said with amazement.

“Who are you?” Vice demanded suddenly.

“I am Pinkamena Diane Pie, but my friends call me Pinkie Pie, the pinkiest of pies!” answered Pinkie Pie.

“Uh, okay, well then. I’m Vicer, but you can call me Vice. This here is my good pal, Enzo.” Vice grabbed his friend by the head and gave him a noogie.

“Hello,” Enzo said under Vice’s brushing hoof on his head.

“So, yeah that’s it, right? No more random encounters?” Vice said.

“Wait a moment; I thought there was a party going on.” Pinkie’s face lost its zeal as realization hit. Vice shifted awkwardly at the mare’s appearance. He gave Enzo a quick glance before coughing and stuttering, “uh.”

“How about you set up a party tomorrow, Pinkie,” Twilight suggested. “Oops...it is tomorrow,” Twilight joked looking at a nearby clock. “Later today…after I get some rest,” she finished before yawning again. All attention went on Twilight’s plan. Pinkie’s face reanimated with bouncy life as she leapt up from her shell.

“Maybe.” Pinkie giggled at Twilight’s stunned reaction before bursting out with laughter. “Kidding!” She let out a few more chuckles before returning to a stable state. “I’ll make sure it’s the best party ever!” Blitz adjusted slowly spoke softly.

“What exactly is this party for?” He paused and reconsidered his statement. “I mean, not I’m protesting.” This hushed Pinkie once more. Blitz didn’t know whether to feel guilty or just about the enthusiastic pony’s absence of talk.

“Why don’t we host one for the removal of Trixie and the arrival of our newest residents to Ponyville,” Clyde said thoughtfully. All ponies, especially Pinkie, considered the offer.

“Well, I haven’t been here long…and most of my time was in the hospital-"

“Where you should’ve been,” Vice interrupted.

Blitz gave him an anxious glare before continuing. “So I guess it seems right.”

“Yo, how about some love for us?” Vice said holding Enzo by the head again. “Can we get some lovin’ on this? I mean we’re both new too, huh?”

“The more the merrier!” Pinkie cried happily. “Gosh these are all great ideas! Great, great, great!” The three shared laughs as Clyde, Blitz and Twilight watched with warmth in their hearts.

“Looks like things are starting to finally look better,” Clyde said positively to Blitz.

“Yeah, but my leg-“

“I can fix that,” Twilight said hastily. “Well sorta.” Blitz expected the mare to perform her magic on the spot, but he watched as she shrugged and turned around. She started trotting lazily to her bed.

“Uh-"

“Oh yeah, sorry. I’ll see what I can do, I’m sure there has to be a book on this type of magic in my library somewhere.” Twilight finished her sentence with another yawn, this one exceptionally longer than all the others. “I’m just tired.” Clyde stepped forward and spoke gingerly. “Miss Twilight deserves some rest after the events that occurred today.” He turned solemnly to Blitz and put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Come, Mister Blitz. Back to the hosp-"

“He stays here.”

Clyde jerked his head back and turned to Twilight quickly. “Erm, miss Twilight? Are you sure?” He was genuinely confused by her reaction.

“Yeah.” The purple mare let another yawn before continuing. “Ahh, I need him to be here. Plus he shouldn’t be moving around too much, I can’t tell how badly injured his leg must’ve gotten." Blitz gulped nervously at the thought of his leg being more broken than it was. He lowered himself to the ground, slumped to the side and closed his eyes. Before Clyde could answer, Blitz interrupted him.

“I’ll just do what the mare says I guess. That’s all I’ve been doing, just following orders.” Clyde watched with uncertain intention as the stallion let himself drop to the floor and lay there. He smiled and turned back to Vice, Enzo and Pinkie. To his surprise, all three lay unconscious on the ground. Snores rang throughout the room as Clyde kept his smile and made his way towards the exit.

He found himself marching towards Luna’s moon that was just setting. A thin line of red creeped over the horizon. Clyde laughed to himself and rubbed his eyes. ’A rough day, indeed.

Chapter 16: Reimbursing Respite

A sharp chirp crisply shot through the still morning air as Celestia’s sun rose calmly from the green horizon. A choir of birds soon began their orchestra of twitters, the melody drifted smoothly through the breeze. However, the melody was abruptly interrupted as a shout of fatigue and vigor took over momentarily. The peaceful birds abandoned their song of serenity and took flight out over the lovely dawning sky. All became quiet and silent in the birds’ absence. “Glad to see you’re finally awake, Mister Vice.”

“Wah? Wait, huh?”

Clyde stood over a puzzled looking Vice, his eyes filled with warmth. “Good morning would be the better term, excuse me,” he added with a chuckle.

Vice slowly rose from his position and stood next to Clyde. He noticed his smaller physique compared to the guard, but disregarded it with a joke. “Heh, so what happened last night, any funny business?”

“Mister Vice, you fell asleep as soon as we finished the confrontation with Trixie. Nothing funny happened,” Clyde said already annoyed at Vice’s attitude.

“Jokes, man, jokes. Anyway, uh, yeah where are we?” Vice groggily observed his surroundings and took note of the white atmosphere surrounding him. “Holy hell, wait a min-we’re on a cloud!” Vice said jolting himself awake. He jumped up from the mellow cloud and hovered cautiously above for a moment. “And where the hell did the birds come from, how far up are we?”

“My goodness, Mister Vice, you’re a pegasus,” Clyde said with surprise. “Why are you so apprehensive of clouds? And the birds-they’re a part of Cloudsdale culture!” Vice gave Clyde a look of blind confusion before hesitantly lowering himself. His hooves touched the soft cloud and he planted himself reassuringly to the white ground.

“Yeah, I’m just playing a game.” Clyde raised an eyebrow at the statement.

“So, I take it you’ve never been to Cloudsdale before?”

“Cloud-huh?” Vice asked as if he had heard a foreign word.

“The wondrous city in the sky.” Clyde spoke with an air of confidence. “Surely you’ve at least heard of the place before.”

“Nope.” Vice decided that lying was not the best idea at the moment.

“Well then, let me give you the welcoming tour.” Clyde beckoned Vice to follow. Vice instantly drowned out Clyde’s voice in place of seeing everything around him in full detail. Pegasi prowled the skies; clouds filled every area of sight. Some seemed to disappear while others reformed in plain view. Vice remained in a trance as white, blissful clouds danced in the morning sun.

“…and over here-uh, Mister Vice?” Clyde stopped and turned to spot a stunned brown pegsus.

“How is this possible?” Vice said in awe as he started to notice structures made of pure cloud material. “Is everything made out of clouds?”

“Not everything.” Clyde left intentional ambiguity as Vice eagerly awaited further explanation. Clyde led his anxious follower to a specified location and beamed with delight as Vice called out in amazement.

“Yoooo, those are rainbows! Wait it’s in a cloud bowl-rainbows in a cloud? I’m not high, right?”

“Erm, high?” Clyde gave a perplexed face at the term.

“Uhh, delusional. I’m not, uh, delusional, right, okay good.” Vice traversed around a rainbow filled tub of white powdered cloud, studying each color intently. The gigantic bowl shined with liquid colors ranging from warms to cools. Vice rapidly thrust his hoof into the multi-colored fluid, to Clyde’s apparent dismay. He swished it around, contracting a tingling feeling of cold wetness. The feeling rocketed up his foreleg and surged through his body.

’Wait, am I getting high off...sweet, that’s awesome!’ Vice thought with vigor. After the feeling sank in, he gingerly lifted his hoof out and examined the newly covered fur. Swashes of red, swirls of purple, splashes of yellow, Vice kept his astonishment to the very end where Clyde stepped in.

“Mister-"

“Hohohoho, man! I-Clyde, what’s this stuff made outta?” Vice said trying to keep calm.

“That’s a secret,” Clyde answered with a teasing wink.

“Dammit!” Clyde flinched slightly at Vice’s outburst. “Aw-I gotta tell Enzo about this stuff. He’d-” A light bulb clicked in Vice’s head as he slowly soothed his spirit down to the core. “Uh, where’s Enzo? Hell where’s anypo-one-pony?”

Clyde put a hoof on Vice’s shoulder for support. “Rest easy, mister Vice, everypony is okay. Mister Enzo has stationed himself on Sweet Apple Acres earlier today to continue his work with miss Applejack. Blitz has decided to stay with miss Twilight in order to, erm, well-”

“Well what? Date?”

“NO!” Clyde’s booming voice returned as he fell for Vice’s bait.

“Always kidding on that stuff, Clyde, you should know that by now. And since when do you care-oh right, she’s one of them, uh, Elements or whatever. I gotcha.” Vice spoke with well suppressed chuckles.

“Ahem, yes.” Clyde said regaining his solemn demeanor.

“Everything’s looking fine as hell, even for blue boy,” Vice said letting out his laughter.

“Indeed.” Clyde paused sheepishly. He eyed Vice for a moment, almost analytically. Sighing as Vice gave a blatant look of confusion, Clyde explained his anxiety. “Ahem, Mister Vice-“

“That’s mah name.”

“-yes, erm…” Clyde scratched his head, but gave a disappointed shake of the head. “Well, it has been a while since we’ve been together. You’ve shown much courage and bravery, those qualities are especially-“

“You’re not going to form bromance with me, are you?” Vice cut in with a quick snicker.

“Would you be interested in joining the royal guards and becoming a guard of Equestria?” Clyde stated as bluntly and quickly as possible to further negate anymore of Vice’s slanders.

Vice reacted with a straight face. He simply looked Clyde and shrugged, lifting his hooves limply in the air. “Naw man, that ain’t me. The popo-or the royal guards aren’t my style if you catch my drift.” Vice looked hopelessly at Clyde’s abashed face and sighed. “Listen, Clyde, you’re a great guy, I’d love to hang around with you more often, but the guards aren’t a bunch I’d be better off with. I prefer my current status as lone wolf, or wolves if you count Enzo.” Vice shuffled a bit and left a long pause before deciding to continue speaking, albeit hesitantly. “Plus, uh, I’m ex-military. You guys wouldn’t like that.”

“Ex-military, I-Mister Vice, how-"

“That’s a secret,” Vice said mocking Clyde’s muscular, refined voice. He gave a short laugh before craning his neck to the side and back. “Ahh, well I’m off to meet up with Enzo. I’ll see you, well, whenever. Toodles.” Vice let his metal coated wings extended to their fullest length. Sunlight gleamed off the grayish mixture of color embedded on the mechanical structure. He gave Clyde a firm nod before diving headfirst in between the cloud in front of him.

Clyde peeked through cloud and spotted Vice dashing through the wind towards the green grassland. He smiled and sighed again. “Who is Mister Vicer?”

~~~~~~~~~~

“…and that concludes my tutorial on how to be a good assistant.”

“Okay, but did we have to spend all morning doing this?”

“Yes! This is crucial information that you need to learn early!” Twilight Sparkle gave Blitz a stern look before returning to a black chalk board. Her horn glowed bright purple as she lifted a rainbow of chalk up in the air and into a small, cardboard case. She turned to Blitz and smiled. “Ready for some work now?”

“My leg is broken.” Blitz confirmed this statement as he feebly tried to wiggle his left hind leg. A spike of pain zipped through his leg as he performed the action. Twilight gave a worried look as Blitz’s face showed the agony he was trying to suppress.

“Okay, um, one second thought why don’t we take a break,” Twilight stuttered quickly to cover up her carelessness of her guest.

“But I thought the lesson was over,” Blitz asked genuinely.

“…Spike! Get in here please!” Twilight called out. A few moments later, a small purple creature entered the room and spoke with a raspy voice.

“Geez, Twilight, it’s too early. What is it now?”

“Spike, I need you to help me sort out the library. I’m going to need to find a book on how to fix our friend’s leg here.” Spike turned to Blitz and did a double take before waddling up to him and eying him suspiciously.

“And who are you?”

“The same could be said of you, uh…Spike.” Blitz gave the creature an awkward look before observing just what he was looking at. The light purple skin, sea green scales and honeydew stomach gave Blitz the impression that he was sitting before a dragon. The creature narrowed his lime green eyes and whipped his tail viciously.

“I am Spike, Twilight’s-“

“Baby dragon assistant,” Twilight said happily and proudly.

“I’m not a baby,” Spike muttered frowning.

“Spike,” Twilight said oblivious to his statement. “This is my newly recruited assistant, Blitz. Spike, Blitz. Blitz, Spike.” Twilight beamed with eagerness, but the bubbly attitude shifted as she noticed the tension between the two.

“Assistant, eh? Well, I’ll have you know I’m Twilight’s one and only assistant, so don’t think you can go replacing me,” Spike said confidently and with intimidation. Twilight giggled a bit at Spike’s statement.

“Just like how Owlowiscious replaced you last time.”

“Hey, I thought we agreed not to talk about that wannabe assistant owl,” Spike said.

“Owl?” Blitz said bringing himself into the conversation. “Well, I can see how the height advantage helps.” The statement came out harsher than Blitz intended.

“Hey, unicorn, who are you calling small. You’re even more useless than me mister broken leg,” Spike said now facing Blitz with a face of anger.

“Really. I bet this leg is bigger than your whole body.” This time Blitz made sure to add a teasing tone. However, the purple dragon kept his banter.

“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re a cripple,” Spike shouted back.

“WHO YOU CALLING CRIPPLE?” Blitz’s voice skyrocketed to new heights as he shouted in pure rage at the dragon’s comment. “SHORTY!” he added after his slight pause.

“Shorty?” Spike said aghast. “Shatter-bones!”

“Half-Pint!”

“Cracker!”

“Undersized dragon!”

“Defective pony!”

“Boys!” Both insulters broke their intense argument and met eyes with Twilight. “You two are so childish! Especially you, Spike, I expect better from you,” she scolded.

“But, he-I”

“Nah-ah-ah,” Twilight put a hoof up to silence Spike. The dragon let his mouth slowly close and sagged his whole body. “Spike, can you please exit the room and help with sorting the books?”

With a heavy sigh, Spike trudged his way towards a nearby door. “Alright, but I’m keeping an eye on that pony. You should too.” With Spike’s absence, the tension ceased.

Twilight began to pace around nervously, muttering to herself. She stopped midway and looked at Blitz with a broken smile. “Sorry, I’m just not used to having two assistants.” She looked away and smirked to herself. “At least not anymore.”

“I can only imagine what it’d be like with an owl and a dragon.” Blitz said jokingly. “In any case, I’m glad to be here, Twilight. If Spike is all I’ll have problems with, then I’m sure I can manage.”

Twilight gave Blitz a face of sorrow as her reaction. “I hate when my friends fight,” she said softly and a bit distant.

’Friend,' Blitz thought curiously. ’Does she really consider me a friend that quick?’ Blitz stood dumbfounded trying to find a way to respond. “Uh, well, I also hate when me and my friend argue. Um, Fuzzy, he’s-” Blitz froze at the name, Fuzzy. ’Fuzzy Fry.' The name stung Blitz’s mind with the force of a drill. The internal pain rose like hot lava through his chest. He put a hoof to his head and closed his eyes. The pain surpassed that of his broken leg.

“Hey, Blitz, is everything alright?” Twilight asked with concern.

“I’m fine, just a little shaken up after yesterday,” he replied reopening his eyes.

Twilight frowned and shook her head. “I may not have good pony smarts, I admit, but I think there’s something really wrong.” Blitz sighed and turned to Twilight deftly despite his leg and said with confidence,

“I’m getting a job.”

“Not with that leg,” she replied apprehensively.

“That’s why I need to get it fixed, for real this time. Can you promise to fix my leg if I promise to be a faithful assistant?” Blitz asked seriously.

“Um, well, I guess.” Twilight was shocked at Blitz’s proposition. “Sure, let’s do that.”

“Great,” Blitz said happily. “So, what am I doing first?” he asked plainly.

“Eh, your leg-never mind. Do you think you can handle reorganizing all the books that Spike and I sort through? It’s simple; I can teach you how it’s done.” Twilight showed signs of doubt, but Blitz soldiered on with his determination.

“Yes, let’s do that.” Blitz sluggishly rose from his seat and followed limply behind Twilight as she carefully led Blitz to the library.

“Just because a library is big doesn’t mean we’ll be there all day. Besides, Pinkie Pie has a party in store for us later, remember? I’ll make it my goal to do something about your leg before the party. How does that sound?” Twilight spoke more upbeat to Blitz this time around as the two neared a giant, wooden door. Twilight pushed the huge entrance gently and trotted through promptly.

“Whaaa-this is your library? It’s huge!” Blitz yelled astounded by the scene before him. An ocean of books consumed Blitz as he and Twilight delved deeper. Shelves reached as high as the ceiling, ladders were located everywhere. The smell of old, musty paper returned once more to Blitz’s senses.

“Impressive, if I do say so myself,” Twilight said proudly.

“Right, let’s not waste any time, right?” Blitz said more confident than ever.

“Right,” Twilight confirmed as she finally directed Blitz to a scene with a discontent dragon throwing books rashly behind him. Twilight motioned Blitz to the pile of books and trotted over to her assistant eager to find her specific book. Blitz watched from afar and reflected on his current situation with a grin.

’I made a promise to a friend that I would lead a happier life than before. I promised to have a job and be happy once I reached Ponyville.’ Blitz looked at his hooves and dropped them slowly. ’Please hurry up and get to Ponyville already, Fuzzy. I miss you.’

~~~~~~~~~~

A light breeze brushed against the apple trees, their branches swayed with a melody like tune. Vice walked with stride through the forest path in quietness. He noticed Celestia’s sun now high in the sky and the clouds drifting across the blue sea. “Cloudsdale, eh? Gonna have to revisit that place one day,” he said to himself. As the stroll continued, Vice finally heard what he was searching for. A loud, sharp crack was shot throughout the trees, slightly riveting Vice’s body. He lifted his ear and listened intently for another strike. Soon enough he heard another and positioned himself to walk towards the sound.

“Yo! Enzo! Where you at? Oh and if you don’t recognizes my voice by now, then Imma be real pissed!” Vice shouted playfully at the air.

“Over here.” The words were faint, but noticeable. Vice quickened his pace at the sound of his friend’s voice. He finally spotted a familiar black stallion in bucking position staring sheepishly at him. The red scarf was still wrapped around Enzo’s neck, vibrating life in the sunlight.

“’Sup, bro. You, uh, back here working for that Apple, right?” Vice said almost certainly.

“Yes.” Enzo unleashed the strength of his legs upon the apple tree. An ear-splitting thwack was shot through Vice’s ears, to his dismay. Vice rubbed them and watched as several apples dropped to the soft grass. Enzo skillfully rounded up each and placed them in a nearby basket. “What are you doing here?”

“Just thought I’d drop by and see how my ole’ pal, Enzo, is doing,” Vice remarked with a smirk.

“Applejack is going to kill you,” Enzo said with a bit of worry.

“A risk I’m willing to take. How’s things anyway?”

“Good,” Enzo said with shy happiness. “I’m starting to really like this job.”

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause you got the legs of a God! Pfft.” Vice wandered his eyes around mildly and whistled an out of tune pitch. “So, yeah uh, I kinda wanna come back.”

Enzo almost fell over at the offer. “I see, but Applejack-“

“Like I said, brotha, I don’t care about what she’s going to do to me. I just wanna set things right now that it seems everyone’s having the time of their lives except me.” Vice shuffled anxiously as he awaited his friend’s response.

“Well-“

“Yes, okay, let’s go.” Vice was about to run off before he spotted another familiar pony.

“And just what in tarnations are you doing back here?”

“Oh, hey Applejack, didn’t see ya there?” Vice said with a giant smile. “How are things?”

“Cut the jokes and listen here, Mister,” she said sternly pointing a hoof to Vice. “I thought I told you never to come back here.”

“Well, I thought I’d drop by to see my buddy, Enzo.” This time, Vice spoke with faltered confidence.

“Save it for somepony who cares. Yer not getting a place on this farm if it’s what yer getting’ at.” Applejack emphasized the last part to the extreme.

“Wait, Applejack,” Enzo said nervously, but with rising confidence. "What about our agreement?"

Applejack's eyes broke eye contact for a split second before resuming her assault on Vice. She grimaced, gritted her teeth, and sighed. “About that...right, we had an agreement,” Applejack said with distaste. "If you insist; but you better take care of him."

"I promise, Applejack."

Applejack grumbled and shook off her uneasiness about the whole subject. "Vice, you better not be lollygaggin' around, ya hear? I won't hesitate to remove ya from this farm." She huffed loudly before exiting the area.

“I’ll be damned." Vice shrugged and adjusted his mane. "You work wonders."

“I had a chat with Applejack earlier about you. I sorta knew you would come back, so I spoke in your name,” Enzo said.

“Good thinkin’, bud,” Vice said with another laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m here to stay. No more dozing off…well for now, anyway.”

Enzo gave Vice a pleased look before returning to his work. He swiftly approached a plentiful tree, reared up his hind legs and let out a thundering kick. The target tree almost fell over as it shook violently and produced the expected bright red apples.

“Yeah, I ain’t doing that anytime soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The opening of the building lay menacingly open as Blitz shivered in front. His own mouth was open as well in pure horror as he was about to face a long awaited challenge. He gulped nervously and slowly entered the beast known as Post Pole’s Wonder Mail Emporium. ’This is it. Blitz thought certainly. The moment of truth. Celestia, give me power, I’m gonna need it!'

Blitz took a deep breath and strode forward. As he entered, he was greeted with the smell of paper. A familiar old and musty feeling crept itself back into Blitz’s skull. Besides the piles of paper, there was not a single soul within sight. Stacks and stacks of letters littered dusty desks, unused as Blitz tiptoed past. He came upon a silver encrusted door masked with dirt and looked at both his sides as if there were ponies next to him. He coughed slightly and knocked ever so hesitantly.

“Come in,” a voice said from behind the door. Almost in a trance, Blitz obeyed the voice and pushed open the filthy doors. Before him sat an older stallion sitting at a vibrant brown desk. He wrote effortlessly on paper using his magic to lift a quill. He stopped abruptly and hovered the quill back into the inkwell. Adjusting his shoddy glasses, he looked up at Blitz and spoke with a monotone voice. “Welcome.”

Blitz didn’t know how to respond or what to do. He came in without a plan and instantly regretted not thinking through his actions. “Um, my name is-"

“Blitz, yes. I know.” The pony still spoke with no emotion. His face was littered in wrinkles and brown spots. “Here.” This time Blitz sensed a hint of annoyance in his voice, but wavered off the feeling as the old pony held out some sort of letter. “Well, take it.” Blitz gulped and stepped forward to claim his note. He gingerly took the letter and backed away slowly. He opened it up loudly, to the old pony’s dismay, and read the contents of the paper inside.

As the head master of the mailing services, I, Post Pole, herby pronounce you a member of Post Pole’s Wonder Mail Emporium. You’re task is simple, to deliver letters to the great townsponies of Ponyville in a timely manner. You will start this task upon the next morning in which you have received this letter. Pay and hours will be discussed upon the first meeting you attend. Please make sure to keep a lively spirit when performing your job as a mail pony. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Post Pole or any other employees to have them answered. Enjoy bringing the wonder of mailing!

~Post Pole

Blitz stared dumbfounded at the letter in front of him. He looked back up at presumably Post Pole, but made no further contact with the old stallion. He left the room and headed outside with his mouth agape. As he made his confused way towards Twilight’s house, a pegasus swooped down right next to him. He turned, his mouth hung open, and stared into the beaming eyes of Clyde.

“Well, well, Mister Blitz. It looks like things are going very well,” Clyde said exceedingly happy. “Very well, indeed!” Blitz still had his mouth open and Clyde merely laughed at the pony’s reaction. “I see you’re still shocked by what just happened. Allow me to clarify!” Clyde pumped himself up and explained himself. “You see, Mister Blitz, I am a very renowned guard in Ponyville. I know almost everypony and they know me.” Clyde brushed his mustache approvingly as if to praise himself. “That being said, I happen to know Mister Post Pole.” Blitz’s mouth finally closed as he realized what Clyde was getting at. The guard grinned and brushed his mustache once more as he continued his story. “Since the day you told me you were in search for a job, particularly one in the mailing business, I tried to persuade the headmaster. Let’s just say it worked out in the end.”

Blitz immediately gave Clyde a hug faster than the guard pony could react. Clyde smiled warmly and let the blue stallion embrace the bigger pony. “Clyde, I don’t even know what to say, what I can-how I can return this favor.” Blitz’s words were stilted, but sincere. “I-I,” Blitz was on the verge of tears.

Clyde gave hearty chuckle as the other pony broke away. “It’s a guard’s duty to ensure the happiness of the citizens. I’m just doing my job, just as you are going to do yours.” The two ponies exchanged meaningful laughs before starting to walk together back to Twilight’s house. “Mister Blitz, also don’t forget. We have a party to attend later, no?” Clyde asked with upbeat eagerness.

“Yes, something finally to look forward to as my life changes into something truly beautiful. I just wish Fuzzy was here to experience this happiness,” Blitz said bittersweet.

“I’m sure he’s trying his best to make his way to Ponyville as quickly as he can. We just need to wait a little longer,” Clyde tried saying with reassurance.

“Yeah, you’re right. I have to stop being so negative. I finally restarted my life, the past is gone and the present is now. I have positive things to think about and that’s where my mind is headed. Thank you for everything, Clyde, from the start of my departure here to the very end. Thank you.” Blitz looked at Clyde with the most joyful he could ever pull.

“A guard’s duty and his promise.” Both ponies continued walking with gusto in their footsteps and fire in their hearts.

Chapter 17: Party Crashers

A sweet smell wafted through the air as Vice, Enzo, and Blitz stood outside a towering building. The construct was crafted out of what seemed to be pastries. The sugar frosted roof sat pleasantly atop a beige colored exterior with intricate designs flowing towards the bottom. A cupcake tower erected from the base of the building, short purple candles protruded unlit from the top. “Damn that smells good! Ahem, uh, so we’re all ready. We know the plan right?”

“No.”

Vice snickered as Enzo and Blitz disagreed with his statement in lighthearted unison. “Right, right. Well then, let’s just wait on Clyde, eh?” Vice said as he peered into the night sky. Luna’s moon was just rising as Celestia’s sun was just disappearing under the blackening horizon. Several clouds drifted mildly in the pale blue sky. Strangely, no breeze or wind had occurred in the presence of the trio. Only Luna’s shining grace affected the ponies. “Yeah, this is boring stuff,” Vice chimed in. He peered at the other two silent ponies before making a remark. “So, Blitz. You’ve made all these shenanigans about ya leg being broken. Looks brand new to me.”

“The same could be said about your wings,” Blitz replied back with a grin.

“Clever girl,” Vice said. Blitz raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not a gir-”

“It’s a reference, dude. Well, maybe you wouldn’t get it.” Vice lost his energy and received a sharp blow from Enzo on the back. “Yeah, I get it, Enzo.”

Blitz just stood once more confused at the two ponies’ conversation. 'Again, I sit in the dark unable to understand what the heck these two are talking about,' Blitz thought with aggravation. He looked at Luna’s bright moon and sighed. 'Come on Fuzzy, you love parties. Where are you?'

“So about that leg, eh?” Vice said breaking Blitz’s thoughts of Fuzzy Fry.

“Fine, if you insist. I guess it’s something to talk about since Twilight is amazing with her magic,” said Blitz appraisingly. “We spent some time looking for this book. I forgot what it was called, but she was able to cast a sort of healing spell on my leg.” Blitz paused at Vice’s doubtful face, but continued telling his story despite his countenance. “Let’s just say her magic encircles my bones.” Another pause as Vice gave a grumble of confusion. “What I meant to say was that she put a sort of invisible cast on my leg. It’s like magic, but you can’t see it.”

“Good lord you sound so baked,” Vice concluded. “Like, damn, I’m not following, but okay. I guess that makes sense, magic and all.” An awkward silence followed with Vice’s words. The trio continued to wait in the solid nighttime. A faint breeze finally rustled past the ponies and rested cool air on their backs. The breeze started to get louder and more intense until Vice put up a hoof to block the wind.

“Sorry boys,” a heavy voice broke in from above. “Landing isn’t always easy.”

“Especially for a big guy like yourself,” Vice said with a malevolent smile.

“Yes,” Clyde said with an upset tone. “Anyway, since we’re all accounted for, why don’t we have ourselves a party?” Clyde motioned the trio to enter. Vice quickly strode behind Clyde followed by a bubbly Blitz and hesitant Enzo. As the chocolate looking door opened, blasts of music and odors of pastries assaulted the senses of the posse.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” a high pitched voice squealed in front of Vice in particular. “Where all the cool ponies come to party!”

“Cool ponies, eh? That’s me!” Vice said proudly. He eyed the pink pony in front of him with curiously. She had an undying smile and kept staring right into Vice’s eyes. “So, uh, what are we doing?”

“Partying!” Pinkie Pie said redundantly.

“Yeah, I got that part, but-”

“Miss Pinkie Pie!” Clyde shouted the pony’s name as he came rushing over in delight. “I’m sorry to delay; I’m to blame for out lateness. I had to take care of some guard duty.” Clyde wrinkled his mustache in embarrassment.

“That’s okay Clyde! All that matters is that we’re all here. So let’s get to jammin’!” The pink pony said as she bounced away into an endless sea of ponies.

“This is one of those awkward parties where you know no one and you don’t know what to do so you end up sitting on the couch or something drinking-” Vice stopped mid sentence as he realized no one was listening to him. He noticed that Clyde, Blitz and Enzo had already disappeared and cursed to himself. As he did so, he cursed himself even harder. 'Holy shit, I don’t have my trench coat'. Vice frantically craned his head back and forth, but subsided the effort. He looked ahead at the happiness flowing from the crowd of ponies, the tables lined with sweet desserts and pleasant music flowing through the air. 'Screw it, I’m handicapped,' he thought with feigned pride.

“…over here!” Vice heard and recognized the extremely masculine voice and headed to the origin. He spotted a tall white figure and trotted eagerly towards it. As he reached Clyde, he stopped dead in his tracks and let his mouth fly off his face.

“You!” he called in fury.

A rainbow pegasus looked strangely at Vice before doing a double take and dropping her mouth as well. “What the-”

“We’ve got a score to settle! Me and you, outside, race!” Vice said quickly. This initiated a genuine laugh from the other pegasus.

“Another race? You’re-”

“Not on.” A voice cut in and instantly shut down both ponies. A purple mare stepped forward and gave both ponies an unamused expression. “Pinkie didn’t throw this party just so we can all get into trouble.”

“INDEED!” Clyde boomed in agreement. “This is a time of repose and enjoyment, not fighting!” Clyde calmed himself before continuing. “Now, if you boys will listen up-"

“These young ladies must be the Elements of Harmony,” Vice blurted out just noticing a select group of mares in front of him. He also just noticed Blitz and Enzo on standby behind Clyde.

“Erm, yes, that is correct,” said Clyde with a bit of surprise.

“Ohhh, snipe! Boom, chick-chick.” Vice made a gesture of pointing his hoof in the general direction of the two groups and pulled it back sharply before releasing it like punch.

“But, you don’t snipe with a shot-”

“I understand. Bear with me, Enzo,” Vice said forcibly cutting off Enzo’s dialogue. “Now then, let me introduce myself to all of y’alls.” Vice gained a huge grin as he posed with pride. “Name’s Vict-uhh, Vicer!” Vice stumbled a bit forward as he corrected himself once more. “Vicer, but you can call me Vice. Pleased to meet you ladies,” he said with more confidence.

“Uh, what was that?” Applejack said sternly.

“My name is Vice,” said Vice as slowly and clear as possible.

“What was that earlier? You said-”

“Vice is a weird guy,” Blitz said with an awkward laugh. “Sorry.”

“Ahem, I think I’ll do the introducing,” Clyde stated firmly. No one objected to the idea and Clyde coughed to clear his throat. “Boys, as you know, the Elements of Harmony are well known for stopping certain evil and-”

“Cut the BS, Clyde, just tell me who’s who," Vice asked.

“Hmph, what a rude pony.” Vice looked up meekly and noticed that a white mare had said the statement. Her mane was flowing purple with pristine curls on the end. She spoke in a very stately manner, her sapphire eyes looked coyly at Vice. Her similarly coiled, violet tail wagged teasingly as Vice stared at the captivating white mare.

“Holy as-” Vice stopped himself as he realized he was thinking out loud. “Right, Clyde, continue.” Clyde sighed and pointed at the white mare.

“That is Miss Rarity.” The pony known as Rarity brushed he hair aside and smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Clyde. At least some stallions have manners around here.” Vice shuddered as he was insulted by the mare.

“Indeed. Now, over there is Miss Rainbow Dash.” As Clyde announced her name, the rainbow mare jumped up into the air and did a swift, short loop-de-loop before returning to the ground.

“That’s me, the best flier in all of Equestria,” she boasted gracefully. Vice was apt to protest, but was shut down by Clyde with a hoof on shoulder reminder.

“This is Miss Fluttershy,” Clyde continued with a point towards the pale, yellow mare. She sheepishly stepped up and gave a short nod and smile before returning to her position, looking away from the wandering eyes. Clyde continued to introduce the Elements, each with their own unique introduction. The trio of Vice, Blitz and Enzo observed soundlessly as they awaited their own turns to announce themselves. “Now then, as you mares know, I’ve been travelling and assisting a few select ponies. These stallions are excellent ponies full of energy and I am delighted that I met them the way I did.” Clyde gave a wink to Vice in particular.

“Riiight, so yeah as you know, I’m Vice.” The pony emphasized his name with vigor.

“Oh, oh, oh, what are those metal thingamajigs on your wings?” Pinkie Pie asked with bouncing excitement.

“Yeah, what exactly are those things?” Rainbow Dash added with playful suspicion.

“I’m handicapped, I need ‘em to survive. They’re my saving grace, my pride and my glory.” Vice said the words passionately and with force. “They’re a part of me that I need.” Vice poked around his head and noticed Enzo almost scurrying away. He laughed maliciously and went to grab Enzo by the scarf. As he did so, Enzo put up little resistance. The black stallion found himself being dragged towards the center of the circle. All eyes went on him as he helplessly shivered with fright. “This, this is Enzo.”

“…”

“He’s a shy guy, so go easy on him.” A lulled quietness followed as Enzo stood frozen in place with a dozen eyes staring into his soul. He let countless seconds tick away before gaining a tinge of confidence.

“…hello.” Enzo kept his cardinal red eyes glued to the wooden ground as he started to feel cold sweat slide down his head. He gulped hardly and looked up only to find himself staring right into the bright blue eyes of Fluttershy. At this point, his whole body went into shock and he jolted upright. Hard tightness filled Enzo’s chest as his pounded faster than he could think. A reassuring hoof of confidence settled his body down.

“Yeah, he’s not the best at introductions, but that’s Enzo for ya!” Vice chuckled as he lifted his hoof off Enzo’s back and ushered him towards Clyde. The duo talked in private and Blitz took the opportunity to speak up.

“Hello, everypony. Um, I’m Blitz and I-uh, I-” Blitz shut himself down as he realized he didn’t even have a plan, let alone explain what his talent was. He concluded that he had no talent. “Um.”

“You control the element of ice,” a pony answered for him. Blitz, as well as every other pony in the vicinity, turned towards Twilight. “Isn’t that right? At least from what I’ve seen.”

“Yeah, I guess you can say that,” Blitz agreed with a short burst of doubt. 'I don’t control ice, I control maybe snowflakes,' he thought sullenly. He watched Twilight give him an approving nod and smiled. 'You know what, maybe I do control ice. I’ll have to talk to Twilight about this.' Blitz looked around at the mares before comfortably retreating back to his spot next to Clyde. As he did so, the circle dispersed and Blitz ran up to Twilight. “Hey, thanks for that.”

“No problem,” Twilight said delightfully. “I think it’s important to have a talent that’s suited for you. I know you may not be comfortable with that term, but maybe it’ll give you something to work towards.”

“Yeah.” Blitz didn’t know how to respond.

“How’s that cast holding up?”

“Good, uh, its working wonders?” Blitz didn’t intend for his response to be in the form of a question.

“They don’t call me the Element of Magic for nothing,” Twilight claimed jokingly.

“Right.” Blitz decided to leave it at that. He couldn’t comprehend why it was difficult to talk to Twilight at this moment so he called off the conversation. 'At least things are peaceful for once.' He eyed Vice and Enzo talking with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. He then observed Clyde laughing with Pinkie Pie and the mare known as Rarity. He rubbed the back of his head and lowered it. 'C’mon, Fuzzy, everyone’s waiting for you to arrive. The ponies here are the most welcoming I’ve ever seen. It’s so peaceful and enjoyable, the most fun I’ve had in years. Wherever you are, whatever shenanigans you’re up to, please hurry up.'

~~~~~~~~~~

Vice sulked and let his entire body drop as Rainbow Dash tried to suppress a giggle. Enzo and Fluttershy watched as the two ponies went at each other. “I told you, I let you off easy.”

“You tricked me! I saw you, you were lying around...and stuff. I was going to have the upper hand,” Vice defended weakly. “And besides, you still haven’t agreed to a rematch.”

“That’s because I don’t wanna embarrass you anymore,” Rainbow Dash said harshly. “I mean, well, I didn’t mean-” The ego of the rainbow mare disappeared as she stopped abruptly from going any further.

“No need to sympathize with me. Trust me, I’ve heard much worse.” Vice waved off the remark with his metal wing and grinned. He proceeded to slide his body next to Enzo and whispered in his ear. “Yo, you look like a sad statue.” Enzo still kept still and motionless as Vice eagerly spoke to the black stallion. “It’s pretty obvious that you two are being quiet. Why don’t ya say something? I mean, it won’t hurt anybody.” Enzo creaked his eyes and looked at Fluttershy who was equally as intimidated as Enzo. He could tell that she was fidgeting unevenly and that she was avoiding all eye contact whatsoever.

“How?

“Just go up to her and say hi. It’s not rocket science, buddy, just say hi, how are you,” Vice said wrapping his hoof around Enzo. The stallion gulped timidly and nodded slowly before releasing himself. He made his way towards Fluttershy, his heart pounded with triple the normal rate it usually did. He started to feel warm around his ears as he neared the yellow mare.

'Okay, just say hi, just say hi,' Enzo thought certainly. 'Hi, hi, hi-oh!' Fluttershy sheepishly raised her head as Enzo walked up to her. He forced a smile against his own will and spoke. “Hi-”

“Well, lookie what we got here!” a voice sneered. Both Enzo and Fluttershy turned their heads to see a large, dark brown stallion striding towards them with a viscous smirk. His cream mane covered his harrowing blue eyes as they stared menacingly at the two ponies. “If it isn’t Fluttershy, or should I said Klutzershy. Who’s you’re boyfriend?” The mammoth stallion bellowed a sick laugh as both Enzo and Fluttershy blushed in speechless helplessness. “Hey boys, get over here! I found us some entertainment.” On cue, two more equally large stallions placed themselves on both sides of their leader.

“Oh, Fluttershy, yeah you’re a clutz!” one of the ponies repeated. His dull orange body bobbed along with his brown mane as he chuckled obnoxiously. Revealing no eyes through his thick hair, the pony simply withheld a malicious grin as he pointed and laughed at Enzo and Fluttershy. An equal counterpart in build and mane simply laughed along, his gray coat and black mane resembled that of the other pony.

“Shut it, Hoops. You too Score, quit your laughing,” the ringleader said. “Oh I’m sorry there, buddy, I didn’t introduce myself.” The pony puffed out his chest and held his head up high arrogantly. “Name’s Dumbbell.”

Enzo gave Fluttershy a glance of despair as he helplessly watched the gang of bullies harass her. He tightened his jaw and clenched his teeth. With narrowed eyes and a racing heart, Enzo stepped forward and looked Dumbbell directly in the eyes. “Stop this.” The words came out weaker than he anticipated and in a wobbly mess. “Leave her alone.” Enzo’s voice cracked and he lost all hope.

“Ohoho, boys, look at this. Looks like we got ourselves a hero here!” Dumbbell initiated a collective laugh amongst his cronies. “This is too good. Fluttershy, when did you pick up yourself a real superhero? I didn’t think that you needed that much help in life.” Dumbbell teased with full enthusiasm. He shook his head and sighed dramatically. “Geez, Klutzershy, you really let yourself go.”

“…stop.” This time the words were clear and assertive. Enzo looked Dumbbell directly in the eyes. Blue eyes met red eyes as the two stared each other down.

“Why should I, I’m just trying to have fun,” Dumbbell defended. “It’s not like I’m trying to be a poser and look cool in front of this mare. Besides, isn’t she a little out of your league?” Enzo let a blush erupt along his cheeks. His eyes flared up fire red and stamped his foot. “Woah there, buddy, getting angry? Upset that I’m taking this girl from you?” Enzo’s heart was crumbling into bits of hardened iron. He kept calm, but his body was shaking furiously. “With that lame red scarf and wussy wristband, no wonder she-”

“Excuse me, am I interrupting.” Heads turned to see Vice slowly making his way towards the group. He slid between Enzo and Fluttershy and positioned himself right in front of Dumbbell. The towering stallion looked amusingly at the smaller pony. “That’s quite enough out of you sergeant douche bag. Why you gotta be the stereotypical asshole, huh?” Silence fell at the swears thrown by Vice and everyone in the room was now paying attention to the scene. “What, scared of a few bad words?" Vice waved his hooves menacingly with his words. "I can do much worse, bro. Don’t test me.” Dumbbell gritted his teeth, but kept his cocky grin.

“Alright, tough guy. Come here to protect your weakling friends?” Dumbbell said with fierceness. His two comrades watched in intimidation at the scene before them. Fluttershy was now whimpering and Enzo was on the verge of letting his emotions out. Vice’s eyes narrowed and he spoke with a deathly tone.

“Don’t make fun of my friends. Don’t insult my friends and don’t mess with my friends.” This equated a mocking bellow from Dumbbell and his two other stallions followed up on the laugh.

“Can you believe this guy?” Dumbbell seemingly asked the whole room.

“Yeah can you believe him,” Hoops repeated with less force.

“Woah, what’s wrong with your wings? Handicapped?” Dumbbell kept the jeers going. Vice merely grunted in amusement.

“Yep, I’m handicapped.”

“Really, are you serious? So a cripple is going to defend this guy?” Dumbbell said obnoxiously.

“Hey, guys, really? Quit it!” Rainbow Dash suddenly joined the fray and floated above the two rivaling ponies.

“Stay out of this Rainbow." Dumbbell yelled which sent the rainbow pegasus back in shock. "This is between me and him. If this guy wants to play hero then I’ll turn him into a zero!” Dumbbell said with confidence.

“Cool, so you can rhyme.” Vice extended his metal wings and let them gleam from the lighting around the room. He lowered them in a fighting position and flapped them lightly. “But, can you dance?”

“What-” Dumbbell staggered as Vice suddenly launched himself towards the larger pony. With his metal wing, he managed to pound Dumbbell square in the chest area. A painful grunt emitted from the bully as he fell back.

“Tip number one, keep your guard up!” Vice taunted as Dumbbell growled in pained fury. “Tip number two-” Vice positioned his body and swung one of his metal wings in the direction of Hoops. In a whimper, the stallion’s face met solid wing and Hoops was sent flying into a nearby crowd. “Expect everything bad to happen. Number three-” Vice tilted his head mechanically at Score and smiled. The pony readied himself for an attack. “Screw you!” Vice took flight just a few inches off the ground and dashed for the surprised pony. Vice kept his pace as he flew straight for Score.

“Get him you idiot!” Dumbbell called now with a wrathful look on his face.

Score raised his hooves and feebly parried them in attempt to block Vice. The two were in imminent impact when Vice jerked forward and tucked his wings over his head like a spear. Millimeters away from the ground and still moving, Vice swung his wings upwards in front of Score and managed to wing uppercut the stallion, sending him falling on his back. Vice back flipped in the air and landed back on his hooves before resuming a fighting stance. “Come on, fellas, this is child’s play,” he taunted once again. “Not so tough now, even for big guys like yourselves. Sure that ain’t all fat?”

“Vice, dang, you sure know how to fight. Keep going!” Rainbow Dash cheered from the growing audience. A spark twinkled in Vice’s eye as he grinned widely.

'Oh shit! That’s just the motivation I need! A girl telling you to keep fighting, to beat the hell out of the bad guys. This feeling is-'

“Pfft, how barbaric. I wouldn’t want a stallion like that near me,” Rarity said opposite of Rainbow Dash’s statement.

“What? But-” Vice protested and distracted himself. It was enough for Dumbbell to take a strike and he successfully landed a punch to Vice’s face. The pegasus went tumbling into a pastry covered table. Wood and food went flying as a loud crash was heard and dust filled the area of impact.

“Hoops, you’re with me. We’ll take down this punk in no time. Score, get the pipsqueak and make sure he pays for talking to our Fluttershy,” Dumbbell said without fault. He packed his hooves together tightly and stomped over towards Vice’s askew body.

“Hehe, that was a nice hit, big man.” Vice slowly got up and cracked his neck. “Too bad it’s going to take a lot more than that to put me down.” He raised his wings in his typical fighting form and tilted them forward. “Especially since you’ve really pissed me off now. You don’t own her and Enzo did nothing wrong. You guys really are first class dumbasses.”

“Keep insulting me, I’ll just beat you down-” Vice took the moment to dash forward and get a solid hit in the chest area once more. Dumbbell howled in pain and fell flat on his flank.

“You talk too much. How about you?” Vice turned to Hoops and brought both his wings upon his head before the stallion could react. A clang was heard as both iron hard wings closed in on the ponies face in a satisfying crunch. Hoops dropped and let his tongue roll out his mouth as he hit the ground. Vice mentally celebrated, but was interrupted as he felt shock and pain filter through the side of his body. He was sent rolling on the ground and deftly hopped back to his feet. He noticed that his opponent was gray in color. “They swapped with-Enzo!”

Enzo faintly heard his friend calling him, but was forced to drown him out as he dodged and blocked Dumbbell’s punches and bucks. “I’m tired of playing games, kid. Just give up, you’re outclassed.” Enzo kept his determined face and continued to defend against his opponent’s onslaught. “You don’t deserve that girl!”

“Hold on Enzo, I’ll be there in a-dicks!” Vice barely dodged a swipe from Score’s hook to the left. Vice readied himself for a counterattack, but stumbled as pain heated within his side. He was sent rocketing down onto the floor as Score landed a solid hit on Vice’s head. Grimacing and coughing, Vice prepped his wings and performed the same attack he did on Hoops. The target ended up being Score’s foreleg and the pony plummeted his body forward as Vice enclosed his wings brutally on the soft flesh. He took the chance to get up and smashed down Score’s head into the ground with his wings building off the falling momentum of the stallion. “Enzo!”

Enzo noticed his name being called once more, but ignored it quickly. He couldn’t risk being hit by the much larger stallion. “Come on, wuss, hit back.” Dumbbell managed to land a hit on Enzo’s exposed shoulder and the black pony winced. “I can do this all day. Once I’m done I’ll be taking Fluttershy with me and-” An incredibly loud thwack rand throughout the room. Dumbbell’s eyes directed themselves to the ceiling as he fell face first into the ground. Standing behind him was an enraged Vice breathing heavily.

“That’s three.” Enzo stared at Vice with worry. Vice’s right side was badly bruised and his head was splotched red with swelling. The crowd of ponies still sat quietly watching Vice standing triumphantly over an unconscious Dumbbell.

“Boys!” Both Vice and Enzo eyed Clyde who was walking forth bewildered. “What is the meaning of this? Why did you-”

“They were making fun of me,” Fluttershy peeped.

“Again?” Enzo unintentionally said.

“Hmm.” Clyde rubbed his mustache with intrigue. “I see.” The guard turned to Enzo and gave him a peculiar look. “Then, I commend you boys for protecting miss Fluttershy. No further words need to be said.”

“Good, I'm glad everyone is happy with me beating the dicks out of these guys. That's the kind of pe-ponies I like. Now then, I can rest in peace.” With that statement, Vice let his body hit the ground and he lay with a smile on his face.

“Oh my goodness.” Twilight came running with Blitz limping behind frailly. “What happened?”

“I’ll explain,” Enzo said looking solemnly at Vice’s unconscious body. “Although, I won’t like it.”

Chapter 19: All the Problems

“Listen, I’ve had a ton of experience with girls. Trust me, Enzo, I know what I’m talking about.” Vice gestured his hooves wildly as he exclaimed his explanation to the black stallion. Enzo simply listened without protest and watched Vice continue. “Now, first things first. Always be confident and funny; girls love that in a guy. Be the one in control, but show your laid back persona. Just be cool and go with the flow.”

“I get it,” Enzo said.

“Yeah, but you’re not gonna do any of those things,” Vice said back.

“It’s because I can’t. You of all should know that.” This time Enzo spoke with soft irritation.

“So, what are we gonna do? I mean, Fluttershy is practically waiting on a silver platter-damn that did not come out right. I didn’t mean-”

“Yeah you did,” Enzo interrupted coldly. Vice scratched his head with embarrassment.

“Fine, ya got me. But seriously, you really have feelings for that Fluttershy girl don’tcha?” Vice gave Enzo an earnest look.

“Vice-”

“Don’t cloud me with mystery, Enzo. I need to know. As a friend.” Enzo sifted the dirt around gently before becoming motionless. He raised his bright red eyes and firmly gazed at Vice’s purple eyes.

“Yes.”

“Nice answer, clean and clear. Okay, so I got a plan for you.” Vice paused for his own dramatic effect. “Go up to her and say hi.”

“But, I already did that! And you know what happened.” Enzo winced at the memory of yesterday’s party.

“Well, this time it’s gonna be an actual conversation. Like talk talk, not talk then be interrupted by a buncha jerkwads.” Vice gave his words the most enthusiasm he could muster by swaying his hooves around furiously. “This time you got nothing to distract you. All there is to it is to say hi and start with a compliment. ‘Oh, that’s a nice…uh-that’s-did you put on perfume today, because you smell absolutely adorable’,” Vice said in Enzo’s quiet-like voice.

“Smell absolutely adorable? Why smell, that’s just…weird!” Enzo said with worry.

“Hey, did you ever notice that ponies around here aren’t exactly wearing anything? I mean are you going to go up to, I don’t know, Applejack and be like ‘that’s a nice hat ya got there partner.’” Vice mimicked Applejack’s accent with emphasis. “No, you’re not.” Enzo stayed perfectly quite as Vice finished his spiel on clothing.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Enzo finally said weakly.

“Hey, now’s not the time to bug out, man. I know you’re scared, I understand that. But you’re gonna have to learn to do these types of things.” Vice looked doubtingly at his friend and finally spoke with pained truth. “You’re afraid of rejection aren’t you?” Enzo pursed his lips and eyed Vice heavily. “That’s alright, all us guys are. I tell you, there’s not one dude out there who isn’t just a teeny bit afraid of being turned down. Now with that being said, I have all my faith in you two. Hell, you friggin’ saved her yesterday from those jackasses. It’s clear she likes you; she’s just too shy to show it. Maybe she’s afraid of rejection too, eh? Never thought of that one didja?”

Enzo absorbed all information and hope that Vice was spilling out. He slowly lifted his sagged body upward and stood firmly. “I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right, hehe. Now, go into town or something and try and find her.” Vice gave Enzo a shamed face as he said his sentence with hesitation. “Seriously, I bet she’s sticking around there shopping for, uh, stuff.”

“You didn’t even have a plan for after your speech,” Enzo said jokingly. “But, what about the farm? I mean, I can’t just leave like that; Applejack would suspect something,” said Enzo with worry replacing his confidence.

“Don’t you worry your pretty head off, Enzo, I got it covered. I’ll just be pounding trees double time, no sweat. Just have faith in me like I do in you and all will be good,” Vice rambled on. “Seriously though, I got your back. Applejack won’t be any trouble when I’m finished with her…holy-my lord I can’t stop saying wrong things.” Vice shared a typical laugh with Enzo before waltzing off towards a fruitful apple tree. “Get going, tiger, today’s your lucky day!” Enzo contemplated all the conversation that had occurred within the past five minutes and sighed.

“Alright, just make sure you stay in one piece. Can’t tell what Applejack will do to you if you mess around,” Enzo said with an upbeat tone. Vice laughed wholeheartedly and waved as Enzo left the apple tree forest. A swift air of reassuring wind flushed past Enzo in a flurry. The feel sent a cool sensation circulating throughout Enzo’s entire body. It was an invigorating gale of new opportunity.

“You better come back smiling like I do, you hear?” Vice called out to Enzo.

“I will.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The familiar buzz and chatter of the Ponyville market area sent nostalgic rhythms down Blitz’s body as he entered the cheerful exchange. He peered in and out of stalls selling various wares and goods, all of which he had never seen before due to his city life build. He trotted around happily as he searched for a particular stall. “Twilight said she needed a new set of quills and paper, so I should be looking for some sort of…I don’t even know. Supply store, maybe?” Blitz shook his head nervously as he came to the conclusion that he did not know where to begin looking once more.

“I would call myself useless, but that’s not going to happen. Gotta be positive,” Blitz told himself definitely. He pranced around some more before coming upon an old newspaper stand. He slowly approached the shop and awaited an introduction. The shopkeeper eyed Blitz curiously before adjusting his cap.

“Hello there, sir, may I interest you in the daily newspaper?” the pony asked nicely.

“Um, do you happen to have any quills and paper in stock? About a dozen quills and three dozen pieces of paper by chance?” Blitz said hopefully. The stallion behind the counter nodded solemnly and disappeared under the desk. Blitz waited a few anxious seconds before encountering a returning salespony holding several items of trade. The transaction between bits and goods were done smoothly, Blitz flung his own filled bag over his shoulder and promptly trotted off back to Twilight Sparkle’s house.

“Guess I truly am suited to be a delivery pony,” Blitz muttered to himself with content. As the unicorn exited the market, he stopped and took note of a peculiar stallion. With a closer view and inspection, Blitz smiled at the results. “Enzo?” The black stallion jumped at his name and faced the blue stallion with uncertainty.

“Oh, hello, Blitz,” Enzo said quickly. “Er, how are you today?”

“Excellent, actually really good. How about you?” Blitz said lightly. It was then he saw that Enzo was shuddering a bit and was looking disgruntled. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, I just-I’m going for a stroll in the market,” Enzo said with each word coming out as slow and robotic as the previous. Blitz gave Enzo a bizarre look before continuing his questioning.

“You sure don’t sound convincing,” Blitz said with a hint of doubt. He held his breathe and quickly apologized, but Enzo held up a hoof to intercept.

“I guess I should tell you. I might need help anyway.” Enzo wiggled his lips before revealing his mission to Blitz. “So, um, you know I-me and Fluttershy-yesterday-uh-” Blitz could tell that Enzo was having trouble explaining himself. He also noticed that Enzo’s ears and cheeks were starting to get red in color. “Well, I have this thing for her,” Enzo continued apprehensively. “I want to talk to her because I didn’t get the chance yesterday and I don’t know how to approach her,” Enzo said with more satisfaction.

“I’m going to pull a Vice here and assume that…uh,” Blitz paused cautiously before pursuing his assumption. “You must have feelings for her, aw buck it, you like her don’t you!” Blitz said with more force than question. Enzo closed his eyes and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Oh, okay.” Blitz calmed himself down and laughed at his outburst.

Enzo caught up with the laugh, but subtly. “Have you ever liked a girl?”

The statement was almost instant, Blitz became stunned. “Of co-” Blitz shut his mouth and winced as he was about to let his pure emotions out. “Well, yes. I think almost every stallion does,” Blitz said as a cover up. “Back a while ago, before we met, I used to like this girl.” Blitz paused again. 'Am I really going to tell Enzo everything? He deserves to know, we have to break this mysterious barrier between us. It’s the only way.’ Enzo looked around awkwardly as the conversation came to a halt. “Oh yeah, sorry. I mean, we were kinda close, but she broke off because…well-I didn’t have enough courage.” The words came out as a bitter resentment. “I let her go.” Enzo stayed quiet, but did not know how to respond.

“So she just left? Were you two living together? How close-” Enzo stopped and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, its-”

“Just normal. I understand what you’re going through.” Blitz smiled softly. “We lived together, me, her and my friend, Fuzzy Fry. We all lived together in Fuzzy’s house, paying off the house with what little bits we had. It was hard, but we stuck with each other, you know?” Blitz lost his smile and his face turned grim as he continued his past story. “Life got harder, we started to have less time to spend with each other. I didn’t have a job, Fuzzy barely made any money and she, well, she couldn’t take it. So she left.”

“I see."

“Yeah, her name was…Bluebelle. I never really could’ve asked her out now that I think about it,” Blitz said. ’Well, this positive attitude isn’t really working,’ he thought. “But, enough about me. Uh, let’s focus on you.” Blitz tilted his head at a frozen Enzo standing solid in place with his eyes wide open. “Are you alright? Is it something I said?” Blitz asked. He paused and turned around to spot a yellow mare walking tentatively nearby. “Oh, that’s why.”

“What do I do?” Enzo squealed with distress.

Blitz gave the black stallion a look of despair as he fumbled with his own thoughts. 'Celestia, now I know how Vice feels,' Blitz thought curiously. “Just say-”

“Hi, got it. Just say hi,” Enzo blurted out.

“Yeah.” Blitz watched eagerly as Enzo brushed past him and hurried up towards Fluttershy. The black stallion wiped his head quickly of sweat and took in a deep breath. He watched the yellow mare as she neared a stall and started conversation with the clerk. Enzo approached with extreme tenderness, his legs wobbled with each step.

“Why is this so hard?” Enzo said urgently to himself. “It’s just a conversation, what’s going on!” Enzo gazed up and found Fluttershy staring right into his red eyes. He then realized he had shouted the sentence out loud in front of her face. The yellow mare jumped back and squeaked as an undesired result. She failed to hide behind her own mane as Enzo stood shaking in place at his outburst. “Oh, no-uh, you-hi!” Enzo bound a wide smile on his face and waved unnaturally fast. Fluttershy gave him a look of confusion before calming down.

“Hi,” she said softly. Both ponies looked at each other with complete silence. Enzo took note of every detail on Fluttershy’s face. Her azure blue eyes shined potently, her pink mane flowed mildly with the wind. Her mouth moved in a quiver, Enzo sensed that both ponies were subtly shaking. He tensed up as the mare addressed him directly. “Thank you, for yesterday.”

“G-oh, um, you’re welcome,” Enzo responded. “Those guys had it coming.” He tried to be serious, but ended up adding an unexpected laugh at the end. “I mean, they deserved it; they were bullying you.”

“I know, they were.” Another cold silence followed Fluttershy’s quiet reply. Enzo kept breaking eye contact as he started to lose confidence.

’What now? I have nothing to work off of; I don’t want to bring up yesterday. But, I have nothing! Oh God!’ “So, um, you-uh-” Enzo unintentionally shook his head and squinted his eyes. “You smell adorable!” Fluttershy jolted at the sentence and stared at Enzo awkwardly. ’That was so stupid, why did I do that? Damn you Vice, why-’

“Thanks.” Enzo stared dumbfounded at Fluttershy as she made her comment. “You, um, you look nice too.”

'What is going on.’ Enzo formed a small smile and itched his head“Thanks. So, uh, what are you buying?” Enzo said as quickly as possible once the idea popped into his head.

“Oh, just some food for my animal friends. Luckily, the nice shopkeeper gave me some stuff for a discount.” Enzo beamed happily as he succeeded in starting a somewhat normal conversation. “How about you?”

“Me, oh, I-” Enzo stopped as he contemplated what his next action should be. “I’m here to buy…apples! Apples for Applejack.” Enzo’s smile faded as he realized what he had just said. ’Apples for Applejack, what? Oh no, this isn’t good. I screwed up!’

“That sounds nice. I’m happy that you were able to work for Appejack,” Fluttershy said now smiling lightly at Enzo.

“Yeah.” Enzo returned the smile and boldly asked another question. “So, uh, you like animals a lot?”

“Yes, I love all creatures of Equestria, especially the small ones. But, um, I’m a little scared of dragons,” Fluttershy said looking at the ground.

“Yeah, me too. They’re big and scary, but maybe they’re just sweethearts on the inside,” Enzo added with a giggle. Fluttershy joined in the laugh and Enzo’s heart melted with warmth. 'I hope I don’t pass out from this cuteness overload. This is too much.’

“You might be right,” Fluttershy said keeping the joke still alive.

Blitz watched intently as Enzo and Fluttershy chattered away. He chuckled at each inept interval the two shared. ’I’m really glad I was able to help Enzo, even if that is Vice’s job. It just feels right and good to help other ponies,’ Blitz thought with sensational content. He maintained eyesight on the ponies talking, narrowing in selectively on Enzo. ’I still don’t have a clue who Enzo really is; where he came from. I feel like I should ask him, but I get the feeling he’s going to suppress it like Vice,’ he thought. ’Maybe it’s better that way. They probably know just as much of me as I know of them.’

“…so I’ll see you later, I think.”

“Yeah, bye.” Enzo waved slowly and smoothly as he watched Fluttershy leave. In her absence, Enzo let his body settle and he felt all tension being released. “That went better than expected, thanks Vice.” Enzo looked up and realized that Blitz was still watching, albeit absentmindedly. “Thanks too, Blitz. I might not have gone through if it wasn’t for you.” Enzo smiled at his futile words. “I wonder how Vice is doing.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Aw, gimme a damn break!”

“I thought we all talked about this, Vice. You had yer breaks!”

“That’s not what I meant, Applejack.”

“What do you mean then?” Applejack eyed Vice with intimidation as the brown pegasus found himself in a tight situation. A table was constantly being hammered by Vice and Applejack. The room aired with mystery as the two ponies argued. Big Macintosh watched with subtle amusement in the corner of the house. His huge build towered over the two other ponies, effecting Vice significantly.

“I mean let me explain,” Vice said eying Big Mac suspiciously. “So, me and Enzo-we’re working hard, right-we go at it; smashing trees and getting apples. Just like you said; exactly as you instructed.” Vice paused, to Applejack’s discontent, and grinned wildly. “Enzo gets tired-I mean, we all get tired-but this is Enzo. So he gets tired and asks for a break. A small eensy teensy break. A pony needs his vigor am I right?” Vice obnoxiously nudged Big Macintosh.

“Eeyup.”

“See, the big guy agrees. Anyway, he’s tired so I tell him to freshen up, relax, take a break.” Vice kept his voice smooth and crisp. He did not falter, but he spoke fast. Applejack raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes.

“Yer bluffin’,” she called out.

“Nuh-uh, he needed a rest so I told him to go to town. Go visit the markets, find something to soothe thy soul.” Vice lost his grin, but withheld his poker face with Applejack’s doubting appearance.

“Okay, but how are you gonna explain him bein’ gone all day? It’s nearly nighttime, Luna’s moon is risin’ and yer shifts are almost over. You two barely harvested any apples; not enough,” Applejack scolded.

Vice snorted which only added to Applejack’s irritation. “Listen, it’s the effort and thought that counts. I tried my very bestest to get dem apples, but apparently it’s not enough. I tried, I triiied,” Vice finished in song. “Hey, Bic Mac, you believe in effort, right-eh?”

“Eeyup.”

“See, this guy’s got my back. Somepony’s got my back. I like that, I like you. Let’s be pals.”

“Stop stallin’,” Applejack demanded blindly.

“Stalling? What stalling-no, I’m simply giving you the details. Why can’t you just respect that?” Vice said nonchalantly.

“It’s ‘cause yer a dirty liar,” Applejack said bitterly.

“Um, sorry. Am I interrupting?” a voice peeped through the doorway. Enzo was standing solidly, watching the dispute go down between his boss and his friend.

“Ahaha, Enzo. Nice timing. Why don’t you tell the lovely Miss Applejack why you were gone all day, hm? C’mon tell her the truth.” Vice eagerly awaited Enzo’s answer. Applejack merely gazed at the black stallion with anticipation.

“I was, uh, tired. I needed a rest in town,” Enzo replied with extreme hesitation. Applejack gave Enzo the most threatening look he had ever seen. But, she simply sighed and shook her head.

“This is why we’re missing all these apples; ‘cause of you two!” Applejack accused harshly. Vice cocked his eyebrow and frowned.

“Whaaat? Missing apples? We didn’t, like, steal or eat any of them, no!” Vice defended vigorously. Applejack frowned herself and looked away.

“Well, somethin’ is up and I don’t know what’s goin’ on. Look, I’m sorry, it’s just annoyin’ that it’s happenin’,” Applejack said with agitation.

“Missing apples,” Vice said quizzically. “Sounds like a mystery ripe for solving, eh?” Vice smirked, to Applejack’s distaste.

“Eeyup,” Bic Macintosh agreed.

“Why don’t y’all just check in for the day. We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Applejack said with a tiring mood. “Good night.”

“Night, and hey, don’t worry. I bet it’s nothing big to worry about. Maybe it’s just animals or something, Fluttershy can help with that.” Vice grinned teasingly at Enzo who stiffened up at the name.

“Maybe yer right.” Applejack watched the two ponies leave the room and turned to Big Macintosh. “I hope they’re right.”

“Eeyup.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Damn, that was some tight stuff, Enzo,” Vice whispered excitedly. “She almost smoked my ass clean out of the water there, I was about to give in, haha. But, you came and saved meh. Thanks buddy.” Enzo responded silently with a weird look. “Alright then, so how was Fluttershy?”

“Good,” Enzo said sheepishly.

“Uhhh-did she say hi back? Please, elaborate.” Vice waited patiently, but expelled a sense of pressure for Enzo to explain his story. The black pony sighed and spoke softly, but seriously to Vice.

“Well, I said hi and she said hi…then we just talked about stuff.”

“Sounds boring, she sounds boring,” Vice said with attitude.

“What the f…”

“Ah, say it. Say the big bad word,” Vice teased aggressively.

“No.”

“C’mon, you gotta swear. I haven’t heard you swear since-”

“Shit,” Enzo said calm and coldly. “Are you happy?”

“Beyond all expectations. Still, I would’ve preferred the F word.” Vice shuffled in his bed and made loud, purposeful noises. “I was kidding, that’s good, Enzo. You’re really starting to come back.”

“Come back from what?” Enzo asked sitting up from his own bed.

“Never mind, you’re doing swell. I bet that girl’s crazy for you. Remember, the shy girls are always the most vicious.” Enzo’s face twisted into a face of doubt. Vice shrugged slyly. “Y’know, I don’t even know if I’m kidding about that one.”

Chapter 20: Conflict

A sudden creak in the hard wood left Blitz in a shock. He sat up from his bed and analyzed the room with panic. The unicorn held his breathe, and then exhaled deeply. “Wow, I’m still a scared pony,” he said with defeat. Blitz veered his sight towards the outside moonlight. The area illuminated brightly, making the scene shine with extravagance. Blitz shifted back into his comfy bed and made a silent gesture. “Thank you, Twilight, for this very soft bed.”

‘Just keep moving.’ The words popped into Blitz’s head and sank. The feeling was bittersweet, but Blitz felt dread spreading across his body. Blitz let his mind wander and felt the dread mix with numbness. He reached to his side by a desk and felt a cool touch. Caressing the item, Blitz brought his sparkling snow globe close. He shook it lightly and gazed at the falling flakes of white snow. The sprinkles of crystals floated gently towards the slushy white ground. As the artificial snow danced, Blitz pondered a single thought he never got the answer to.

‘Where is Fuzzy. I know I’ve been saying that he’s going to get here soon…but is that true?’ Blitz shook his head while closing his eyes. ‘Heck, I can’t tell the future, but I need to know.’ “This suspense is killing me, why isn’t he here?” Blitz realized he had said the statement out loud and covered his mouth. ‘Celestia, Fuzzy, where are you? You should’ve been here by now. I’m starting to get worried.’

Blitz’s face darkened as he sorted out his anxiety. ‘What if something happened to him-no, that’s impossible. We’ve had enough bad things happen to us already. He’s fine, he’s fine.’ The unicorn took a stressed sigh and twisted his mouth with worry. ‘Fuzzy Fry, where are you? What are you doing? Why aren’t you here with us? What’s going on?’

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz opened his eyes and gasped. He was inside a different location completely. His vision was blurred; it seemed to be distorted by a white surreal light. The interior assaulted Blitz with pale blue colors, he found himself inside a blue box. Each wall was reflecting a blue essence off Blitz. He felt a weird fidgeting object next to him and turned to it abruptly. An orange pony was staring him right in the eye.

“Fuzzy Fry?” Blitz said aghast. “Hey, where-”

“Bluebelle, please, you can’t leave us. What about all the fun times we had together, we can make this work,” Fuzzy Fry said ignoring Blitz. The unicorn turned his head and saw who Fuzzy Fry was addressing. A black figure obscured by a flash of light stood blocking the only doorway in the room.

“No, you can’t. I’m sorry, but it’s the only way. We can’t keep living like this, it’s not fair and it’s not right.” The figure stated. As Blitz inspected the silhouette more closely, he identified it to be a pony.

“Bluebelle?” Blitz stood frozen in place, he struggled to move his limbs. Gritting his teeth, he tried his hardest to budge. However, no results came and he continued his stone stare on the shining doorway.

“Blitz,” the pony addressed as Bluebelle called gently. Her image slowly materialized into that of what Blitz could only expect. Her icy blue mane seemed to float magically in the atmosphere, but still managed to cover one eye. The glowing, violet body made its way slowly towards Blitz. Bluebelle’s cerulean eyes diverted themselves towards Blitz’s pale, purple eyes. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. It’s best that you two learn to take care of yourselves…and that I move on.”

“No, Bluebelle. We can’t, we need you.” Blitz felt himself saying the words automatically and on cue. “I need you!”

“Blitz, don’t do this,” Bluebelle said. “I’m doing this for you.”

“No, I can’t let you go. I can’t because…I-we-” Blitz knew what he wanted to say, but an invisible force held back his words. “I-”

“That’s enough, please. Blitz, you and I…I have to go.” Bluebelle turned towards the lighted doorway and made her way towards the exit. Blitz still could not move his entire body, no matter how hard he pushed. His exasperated attempts to move turned into grunts and screams. His screams turned into sobs and hysterical crying. Blitz felt no tears, but he saw them fall from his eyes.

“No,” he wept faintly. “No, no, no, no!” Blitz watched as Bluebelle’s figure entered the light and disappeared. His crying intensified as the room echoed with his sobs. “Please, come back. Please-no.” Blitz rubbed his eyes and groaned with agony. He looked to his left, noticed that Fuzzy Fry was simply staring at Blitz. His face was full of pity, he cried silently as well. “All I have left is Fuzzy,” Blitz said automatically again. “All I have left is Fuzzy Fry!” Blitz noticed that Fuzzy Fry’s image was blurry; he literally started to fade away. His ghostly appearance taunted Blitz even more. “Stop, don’t take him too, stop!” Fuzzy’s figure was almost fully disappeared. “He’s the only friend I have,” Blitz said weakly. “He’s the only pony left in my heart!”

~~~~~~~~~~

‘He’s all I’ve got left.’ Blitz felt reality kick in as the warm tingly feeling of a tear rolled down his cheek. “Fuzzy Fry.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Vice, where are you?” Enzo called out. “This isn’t funny; Applejack is going to be very mad.” The earth pony tensed up at the silent response. He lowered himself and stealthily evaluated the area. The daytime atmosphere aided Enzo’s senses as he searched to locate any objects of interest. Sunlight barely penetrated the thick overgrowth of apples trees overhead. Silence in the forest gave Enzo an eerie feeling; chills were climbing down his spine. Swiftly moving from tree to tree inspecting the ground, Enzo felt himself kick something. He peered down and noticed a certain red highlight on the ground.

“…an apple?” The black stallion picked up the item and verified it as the correct fruit. He looked a bit to his left and saw another red apple sitting in the shade. As he neared it, another apple popped up within his range of sight. With close examination, Enzo came to the conclusion that there was a trail of apples littered on the ground. He contemplated his options, sighed, and unwillingly followed the apples. “If this is one of Vice’s sick games…” Enzo began, but sadly did not know how to finish. The black earth pony continued his stroll until coming upon something other than apples.

“Is that-wait what is that stuff?” Enzo curiously eyed a trail of crumbs replacing the linear path of apples he had followed moments ago. The specks of brown food continued the mysterious trail of consumables lying on the grass. Reconsidering his actions, Enzo hesitated to keep following the food trail. “This isn’t right, Vice wouldn’t steal food just to eat it out-yeah, yeah he would.” Enzo facehoofed himself and trudged on. “Whatever the case, I’ll have to be on my guard,” he kept whispering.

Within a few minutes of tracking possibly bread crumbs, Enzo came up upon a clearing in the forest. It was easily distinguishable as sunlight actually created a spotlight in the middle; trees were clearly spread far apart. “Is this…supposed to be a sign? I don’t-” Before Enzo could finish, he was grabbed by an unknown force and hauled into a nearby bushel of shrubs. His hoof went directly towards his blue band, but came to halt as he met purple eyes. “Vice.”

“Shhh-shut your mouth,” Vice said. Enzo saw that within those purple eyes, there was a spark, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it meant.

“Wha-”

“Just follow my lead, don’t talk. Trust me Enzo, just like ya always have. I found something.” Vice breathed the words heavily. Enzo could do nothing but obey his friend. Vice allowed Enzo to readjust himself so that the two ponies were sitting within the bushes comfortably. Vice redundantly put a hoof to his lips and softly opened up the bush for a peeking hole. As he did so, Enzo gasped at the sight and Vice put his hoof over his friend’s mouth instead.

“See that shit?” Vice pointed towards the opening. Standing within the shining light was a group of stallions. Enzo counted at least three ponies conversing about something. “Those don’t look like any folks I’ve seen around here, eh, Enzo?” The black stallion nodded in silence. “It looks like we got trouble a brewin’.”

“What do we do?”

“Hold up, listen!” Vice poked his head more openly out of the bush, to Enzo’s extreme anxiety.

“Yeah buddy, we’re in the clear now!” a voice rang from the opening.

“You know it, dude. Boss is gonna be super happy now that we snagged those apples. We did it in total stealth too,” another voice said with vigor.

“Boy, oh boy, I can’t wait for our reward. The bosses said that they’re getting so hungry. But, now we got food so it’s all good,” the previous voice replied.

“Hahaha, this is awesome. I knew it was a good idea to join up,” the other voice said excitedly. Vice shook his head in a wry way which made Enzo uncomfortable; enthusiastically.

“Holy balls,” exclaimed Vice quietly. Enzo kept his guard up as he sensed imminent danger with the spotted group of unknown stallions. He eyed Vice with complex worry as the pegasus started jittering in place with eagerness. “Oh man, oh God, oh man!” he said ardently. “Enzo, oh man! Enzo, I’m pumped, I’m thrilled ready to strike. Dude, do you understand what’s going on here?”

“Yes.”

“Bad guys, man, bad guys. Like actual bad guys that have to be put down kind of bad guys!” Enzo could tell that Vice was giving his usual grin, but he also kept note of the look held in Vice’s eyes. A definite tinge of fury was boiling within Vice’s wild eyes. “Okay, okay-listen up, bro. I got us a good, foolproof plan. Come ‘ere, lemme enlighten you.” Vice ushered Enzo to come closer with an energized wave. “Alrighty, so, the plan is simple. We-”

Vice was abruptly interrupted as the concealing bush rattled suddenly. Vice turned to find two hooves flying straight at him. Before he could extend his metal coated wings in defense, or even react, he was grabbed and thrown into the clearing. He screeched, flailing his body as he landed with a loud crash. Several leaves fell from the trees and a single apple landed beside Vice. “Damn, Enzo!” As he called for his friend, he felt a large object pin him to the ground from behind. Another voice was breathing heavily on top of him.

“Sorry!” A soft voice apologized from afar.

“Agh, what the hell?” Vice analyzed the object to be another pony and thrust the body off of him. He deftly rolled over and confronted the fallen pony. “Sorry bro, I ain’t like that.” Vice stared at the stallion with ease and located two red hoof marks on the pony’s face. “Oh damn, nice one Enz-”

“Vice!” Vice whipped around and found an unpleasant sight. Before him, in the clearing, was Enzo locked in two more stallions’ grip. Noting the hostage situation, Vice quickly lifted the other half awake stallion and held him in a headlock. An exasperated choke of pain escaped the pony’s mouth, but Vice kept his angered grip tight.

“Alright, calm your tits boys. No one needs to be hurt,” Vice said at the scene.

“You watch your mouth or we’ll take his.” Vice identified the two other ponies as a unicorn and pegasus. The five ponies stood in the moonlit opening silently, paranoia floated around the air with the wind. Enzo kept calm and relaxed, he willingly let the two ponies hold him by his forelegs. Vice started to squeeze harder and harder, his fury was building up at the scene.

“Looks like we got ourselves a little truxican stand off, eh?” Vice said with a small laugh at the end. “Or at least a truxican hostage situation...if that’s a thing.”

“Trunks in a can?” the unicorn captor said in confusion. “What the hay is that?”

“Shut it, he’s playing mind games or something. Stay alert!” the other pegasus ordered.

“Guys, ugh, help me,” Vice’s victim said. Vice eyed his prisoner and laughed. The two other stallions raised their guard significantly at the outburst.

“What you laughing at, huh? We got your friend, but...you have ours. So what, we’ll just be taking-” The unicorn gasped as his earth pony companion was instantly hurled at both him and Enzo. All three ponies ended up sprawled on the ground, to the pegasus’ surprise.

“Why-” The pegasus was cut off as Vice was bulleting towards his target. The pegasus was grappled and sent headfirst flying into a nearby tree. A satisfying crunch was heard as Vice gloated, fluttering triumphantly in the air.

“God damn you all! Is everyone here intent on just talking? Damn, I say, y’all gotta learn to shut up!” Vice spoke with a pestered tone. “Hang on, buddy, I’mma commin’!”

Enzo’s reaction was timed perfectly. As he and the other unicorn toppled to the ground, Enzo managed to do a backwards roll. The black stallion landed with precision and faced his enemies. The earth pony slowly got to his feet, but insult was added to injury as Enzo bucked him again in the head. The thug went flying, but Enzo didn’t hesitate to spectate the area of landing. He switched opponents and hastily assaulted the unicorn.

Before anyone could react, Enzo followed through with a tackle. Both ponies ended up on the familiar ground once more. The unicorn struggled feebly against Enzo’s hold around his neck. He positioned himself just right and effectively launched the pony up in the air.

As the unicorn went airborne, Vice swooped in from above and pounded the unicorn back towards Equestria. A thud was followed by a huff of pain coughed up from the unicorn. The brown pegasus hovered over his defeated foe and laughed with an almost maniacal tone. “Holy ass cheeks, Enzo, you seeing this going on right now? Like, really-seriously. Can you believe this? Us-us two, kicking whole ass right here and right now.” Vice did a mini twirl in the air and raised his hooves towards the shining sun. He yelled with distinct vitality into the bright blue sky and settled himself towards the ground. “Ohhh, it’s been so long since I’ve had this feeling. It’s simply awesome, Enzo. You’re alright by the by, right?”

Enzo nodded firmly. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Vice chuckled with delight. “Nice, I can continue my GD carnage-you!” Vice pointed ferociously at a fleeing stallion. “Come to papa.” He hovered closely towards the limping earth pony and relaxed himself. “Pleasant night ain’t it?” The pony turned and cried with fear. Vice sighed dramatically. “Guess not.” The pegasus wrapped his metallic wings over the stallion’s face and brought the pony spiraling backwards. With a sick crack, Vice smiled as the pony hit the ground and lay still. “Oh, uh, sorry. Overkill, my bad-I didn’t mean to...break you.”

“Bastard!” Vice felt a crushing feeling as he was grabbed from behind. The metal around his wings tightened considerably against the pressure being exerted against him; he felt the feeling in his actual wings being lost. Another source of pressure was created as Vice felt the air push down against him.

“What, are you taking me for a ride?” he said nonchalantly as he and the other pegasus ascended into the night sky. “If so, you better learn to keep up!” Vice let his wings extended, breaking him free of the pegasus’ grip. The metal loosened and he regained flight. Hurling himself instantly backwards, both pegasi grabbed each other and started to spin in the air. Stars swirled as Vice had sky and land circulating through his vision. “Ah, yo, Enzo. You having a date like me?”

Enzo ignored Vice’s ramble as he centered his attention towards the still standing unicorn thug. Various objects were being thrown at him; sticks, stones and even dirt. He dodged each with supreme ease, but kept on the defensive side.

The unicorn pony started to falter at the magic usage and decided to resort to a different tactic. He lifted a nearby stick and aimed the sharpest side at his opponent. Enzo took the initiative to feign a step forward, resulting in the stick being launched instantly. He watched intently as the stick shot towards him. He accounted impact time and accurately swatted the stick away.

The unicorn thug shook his head helplessly and turned around to run. Before the pony was able to get into a full sprint, a deafening scream shot through everyone’s ears. “Piledriver!” Vice, still spinning with the other pegasus, swooped from above and was aiming directly for the fleeing enemy. “Gotcha!” Vice released his held victim and sent him reeling into the unicorn. Both ponies collided and crashed to the hard ground. Vice landed with a hop next to Enzo and laughed heartedly.

“Vice, what-”

“And that is how you take out the trash, just call me the garbage man!” Vice said with glory as he over watched all three downed thugs. “Uno, dos, tres, all down. Oh, and by the way, you could’ve just sidestepped to dodge that stick. Don’t think I didn’t see that act of recklessness,” he teased with another chuckle.

“Look who’s talking,” Enzo said back coldly.

“Gettin’ feisty there, Enzo. I understand, you’re in the moment-oh my lord. I’m so damn pumped right now! Like hallelujah these dirtbags showed up, right?” Vice said still antsy from adrenalin. “I could get used to this. C’mon,” Vice shouted into the empty night. “Bring me some more fresh meat!”

“So be it.” As the obscure voice called from within the forest, multiple rustling sounds were echoing throughout the clearing. Both Vice and Enzo jumped at the crackling nature and gathered together instinctively. One pony appeared from concealed bushes and another followed closely behind. A third, fourth and fifth revealed themselves from random directions. A pony was even perched atop a tree watching vilely from above.

“Careful what you wish for,” Enzo whispered seriously to Vice.

“No shit, looks like we’re gonna be caught in a gangbang,” his partner said still smirking. The duo was surrounded indefinitely by hostile looking ponies, all male. “Nevermind, we’re in for a sausage fest.”

“So I see you’ve identified your surroundings,” the same voice said again. “Very interesting, indeed.”

“Okay, tough guy, show yourself and save us the suspense. You’re high-pitched fancy accent is getting on my nerves,” Vice yelled forcefully.

“As you wish.” Enzo and Vice turned their attention to the last shaking bush. A tall, extremely pale brown stallion trotted though. His mane shone with the same paleness, except in yellow. “It was certainly a hassle arriving, but here I am as you asked.” The stallion brushed off leaves sticking to his chest suit. He adjusted his red tie and clicked the glasses he was wearing into place. Through the round, slightly glared lenses, the pony stared at the duo with turquoise eyes. “A pristine pony ready to lend his handiwork.”

Vice and Enzo gave the stallion a painfully perplexed look. Vice stepped forward and called the pony out boldly. “So, you the boss of these guys or what?” The stallion laughed and readjusted his glasses once more.

“You may call me Doctor Rivet, or Doc Rivet for short. Whatever suits you best,” he said calmly.

“Well then, let’s get to the beating shall we?” Vice said mimicking the pony’s stately accent with considerable accuracy.

Chapter 21: Late Introductions

The bright and sunny light flashed warmly in Blitz’s face. He was slightly disgruntled at being blind for a few seconds, but shrugged the feeling off as he continued his time at mailing. The pony strode with confidence, but faltered his step at times as he pondered his dream about yesterday. ‘Why did that Celestia-forsaken thing happen,’ Blitz thought groggily. ‘Bluebelle, Fuzzy, me.’

He halted his walk and closed his eyes, the sun’s rays reflected off his body with playful intensity. ‘Why is always what I’m asking, why. I hate this, I hate not knowing. Why did she leave, why is Fuzzy not here, why am I still thinking about these things? Why, why...’ “...why, oh why!”

“Erm, Mister Blitz,” a hefty voice called. Blitz jumped, but retained his light walk.

“Woah, Clyde, you scared me there,” he said.

“Oh, come now, Mister Blitz, am I really that scary?” An image of Clyde’s mustache attacking Ponyville and spewing burning mustache juice entered Blitz’s mind and he couldn’t help but giggle.

“…no,” he managed to say between laughs.

“Hmm, indeed. So, I take it the job is working out well?” Blitz nodded firmly and with great joy. He honestly enjoyed the job despite his boss and vowed to keep going at it.

“It’s perfect, Clyde. Everything a pony could ask for in a job, it even came with that old cranky boss.” Clyde’s sudden bellow of laughter caught Blitz off guard. He joined in with nervous, but safe chuckles.

“Oh Mister Blitz!” Clyde cried. “Post Pole may be a parsimonious kind of pony, but I assure you, he is a good stallion. Just give it a little time.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Blitz said. ‘He’s always right.’ Clyde brushed his mustache with great speed before returning his focus on Blitz.

“Ah, have you seen Mister Enzo and Mister Vice, by the chance?” Clyde said. Blitz contemplated the mention of his two mysterious companions.

“Not today, but I saw Enzo yesterday at the market,” he said to at least provide some sort of information on the two’s whereabouts.

“And what was Mister Enzo doing in the markets in the first place,” Clyde questioned even further. This sent a wave of panic trickle down Blitz’s spine.

‘Wait, if I tell him what happened...is he going to freak out? About Fluttershy?’ More images of Clyde’s monstrous mustache appeared and Blitz shuddered this time. His restlessness was ceased as Clyde gave one of his heavy, trademark laughs.

“Mister Blitz, it’s quite alright. I wouldn’t expect you to know that much about one of those two. I wouldn’t even know that much either,” Clyde said still laughing.

“Yeah, they sure are a strange couple.” Blitz paused and wondered about his next question. “Where do you think they came from?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I vaguely remember Mister Vice saying someplace ‘too far away’, but that doesn’t really help. To be honest, I’ve never really put much thought into that. I’ll have to ask them about it sooner or later.” Clyde shuffled the ground and eventually spread his white magnificent wings. “I suppose I’ll be finding out, they can’t be too far.” Blitz watched as Clyde ascended into the air with grace. “I won’t interfere with your work, Mister Blitz; you keep doing your job!”

Clyde eventually zoomed out of sight and left Blitz behind. He somehow ended up at the correct house of delivery and deposited the letter he was holding. The red flag of confirmation was raised and Blitz made his way back to the Emporium. ‘Oh Fuzzy Fry, break this mysterious bond between me and my friends here in Ponyville. If you don’t get here soon-he’ll be here,’ Blitz thought talking back and forth within his mind. The walk would be a long and painful one, mentally.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, chumps, gimme your best smiles!” Vice was back to back with Enzo, both ponies surveyed their enemies. The pony known as Doctor Rivet grunted with intrigue.

“It seems you two are no strangers to combat,” he said with content. Vice simply bared his teeth as a response.

“Yeah, what of it? I bet you’re just one of those candy-ass big bosses who just has everyone do his or her dirty work.”

“You’d be correct, minus the candy ass part. You see, we are an organization with a peculiar intent. Our goals are very refined in nature and you’ll both have to excuse my ambiguity for our plan is a very secretive type of plight. However, I suppose I will announce our group’s presence as the Misfit Marauders.” As if on cue, the stallions surrounding the duo revealed concealed knives and assumed varied fighting stances.

Vice’s mouth dropped with discomfort and raised his hooves in exasperation. “Well, uh, I guess the laws of physics just got screwed and we divided by zero here. These bozos are holding knives in their damn hooves! What witchcraft is this-oh yeah, the fork! Fork! Y’all can hold forks so y’all can hold knives! How’s that fair?”

“It’s not,” Enzo said. Vice peered over to his partner and noticed that Enzo was reaching for his blue wrist band. He tapped on it once and once more with added force. As he finished, a loud click cracked through everyone’s head and a blade extended out. It shot out vertically and curved outward like a hook. It’s thin, silver-blue metal shone elegantly within the clearing.

Doctor Rivet raised his eyebrow in pure astonishment. “Ah, a fine piece of machinery you have there. Nothing I’ve seen ever before.”

Vice whistled vigorously and clapped. “Damn, son! It’s about time you whipped that thing out. But, that means shit’s getting real. We can’t lose this one, otherwise we risk getting a hard dicking by these ass wads.” Enzo gave a very confused face. “…yes I mean physical cock in ass; rape!”

Enzo nodded with conformation. “Yes.” Both ponies stood back to back with their weapons of choice held high. Enzo’s blade and Vice’s wings of metal waved mechanically back and forth as all the ponies surrounding watched with uncertain intents.

Vice flapped his wings and flexed them, causing clinks to erase the silence. He craned his neck and shouted wildly. “Just like old times!” Doctor Rivet raised a hoof and the whole group of thugs rushed in. Vice faced two incoming stallions and raised his wings in pure defense. He swatted away knife lunges with ease and managed to disarm one of his attackers. Enzo followed in his partners actions and held his own line. Knife slashes were flying everywhere, but Enzo kept track and dodged or deflected each one.

The two ponies held their ground parrying, deflecting and dodging all attacks. Not once did either stallion decide to attack. A pony closed in on Enzo and managed to cut away at his red scarf. Enzo gasped in surprise and quickly regained himself by swiping away at the air, scaring away the other pony.

“Enough!” Vice lifted himself into the air and taunted. “That’s right, ain’t got no wings like these!” He gave no time for anyone to react as he dived straight into his two attackers. Caught off guard, the ponies and Vice collided with his metal wings each taking a pony down. He proceeded to pound at both fallen stallions with succession before being swept off by another pegasus.

Enzo called out to Vice, but was interrupted by a close block with a knife. Grunting in pure frustration, Enzo managed to slash at his attacker’s exposed hoof and made a deep cut within the flesh. Blood splattered on the green grass as the pony waved his arm wildly and howled in agony. Enzo stared in shock at what he had done and let his surroundings disappear.

“Wake up, Hotshot!” Vice flung the pegasus pony he battled with into a stallion on the ground and watched with satisfaction as the connection happened. “No time to daze out now!” he turned to face another pony and jabbed him in the stomach with mach speed. He jabbed twice more with his wings before wing upper cutting the pony in the face, sending him hobbling back.

Enzo shook his head and snapped his eyes shut. He reopened them to find the bleeding pony rushing him once more. He gritted his teeth and anticipated his opponent’s actions. The stallion lunged and Enzo sidestepped. With elegance, Enzo lifted his hind leg and balanced on the other. He kicked at the pony’s exposed arm and heard a snap as he struck at the elbow. A terrifying and bloodcurdling screech filled all ears as the bleeding stallion fell back and caressed his presumably broken foreleg.

“Lookout!” Enzo turned to see a body fly past him and collide with an oncoming pegasus. “Strike! Enzo, get ready!” Vice flew over quickly and grabbed for the fallen pegasus. The other body did not stir. He lifted the pegasus and brought him towards Enzo. Sensing Vice’s ambition, Enzo reared back and bucked the swung pony right in the face.

“Aaaaand that’s it?” said Vice dropping the unconscious pegasus. He looked around at all the fallen stallions and grunted. “Titties aside, this is pretty pathetic.”

“I assure you, there is much more in store. You’ll have to forgive me once more and be patient.” Vice and Enzo both turned and noticed that Doctor Rivet was still watching from afar.

“Yo, Docta River or whatever, you done being big ass pussy? Come on, fight us like a real, uh, stallion. C’mon tough guy, do you even-”

“Don’t,” Enzo said with his temper rising. “Now, Doctor Rivet, explain to us who exactly you are and why your band of…”

“Assholes.”

“…are stealing apples?”

“And more importantly, why does everyone have a knife? That’s awfully suspicious, but I’mma let you talk, doc.”

Doctor Rivet smiled and raised a hoof. “I thank you for your gentlecoltly manner. Allow me to explain,” he said adjusting his glasses. “We, the Misfit Marauders, are composed of several ‘outsiders’ and various ponies that have been shunned from society. We are the lost causes, the ones who were thought to be useless. We are the misunderstood and we suffer together.” The words were said in pained refinement. “Me? As you know, I am a doctor.” He motioned towards his cutie mark which consisted of a scalpel and a wrench positioned into an X shape. “The medical knowledge I hold is that of high quality. However, my superiors did not approve of the particular field of expertise.”

Vice and Enzo peered at the assorted ponies lying around. Some shuddered and slowly rose. Others simply lay still. “Unfortunately, my work is considered a taboo in the medical field; considered a sin against Celestia herself.”

“Certainly getting creepy,” Vice said to Enzo in a hushed tone. “So, what the hell is that taboo, huh?”

“Neuroscience, my dear gentlecolts. The study of-”

“The brain.” Vice narrowed his eyes and huffed at the doctor. “So you’ve been tampering with other people-excuse me-ponies’ noggins?” Doctor Rivet sighed and fixed his glasses once more.

“I prefer the term experiment over tamper. It really was what I was trying to get at, to learn how the brain operates and what I could do with that. It’s taking Equestria’s simple, basic studies into something much more grand! It’s the next step in scientific progress.”

Vice laughed outwardly at the statement. “Well then, it looks like we just shook up the cuckoo’s nest. Are you out of your goddamn mind? What makes you think that shit’s gonna help anyone?” Enzo stayed silent as Vice went at the doctor.

“Let me show you. Behold my greatest achievement yet!” The doctor raised his hooves and pointed towards a dark, concealed bush. A low growl echoed off into the clearing. “Step forth, my pet!”

“Pet? What the hell-” A grunted laugh sputtered through the air as an orange creature spilled forward on its two hind legs. It stepped with a falter and made a low snarl as it drew near Vice and Enzo. It’s slightly deteriorated face smiled with its eyes wide and wild. Drool slowly oozed out through its exposed grin and a large cut was lined around the pony’s cranium. As it closed in on its targets, it raised its hooves and showed the duo its deformity. Large, metal hooks were jammed within both the pony’s hooves. They arched like claws and were deathly, dark blue. Doctor Rivet clapped and the pony rushed in.

Vice screamed in absolute horror. “What the fuck is that?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Clyde flew near Sweet Apple Acres and made his landing with ease next to the apple forest. ‘Now then, these boys should be-’

“…my God, Enzo, fucking run!” Vice appeared before Clyde and crashed headfirst into the guard. Enzo followed closely behind and came to a complete halt upon Vice’s impact.

“Mister Vice, what is the meaning of this? Where have you two been off to?” Clyde said as he removed Vice from on top his body. Enzo opened his mouth to speak, but Vice quickly clamped it shut and smiled sheepishly.

“We were, uh, out prancin’ around…collecting daisies!” Vice said as he panted for breath. Clyde gave Vice a serious look and the pegasus shook his head violently. “Just kidding, we were just out there…pulling pranks. Pullin’ each other’s legs.”

“And your pranks caused both of you to run screaming and cursing out of the forest?”

“Yeah, it got pretty hectic. Uh, we started…started a pissing contest. Ran and yelled like babies-er uh, foals?” Clyde’s unamused face watched with a stone impression.

“Hmm.” Clyde eyed the two with doubt, but sighed. “You two really are strange boys. I’m not sure if, erm, urinating on each other is the new normal…never mind.” Vice sighed with extreme relief, but was still tense.

“Yeah, it’s the new cool, heh.”

“I see. Mister Enzo, you’re awfully quiet.” Clyde looked at Enzo with a hint of worry in his eyes. Enzo broke eye contact and spoke with a low tone.

“I’m always quiet.” Clyde laughed genuinely and put a hoof on Vice’s shoulder. The pegasus jumped, but settled down quickly.

“Well then, boys, it looks like Miss Applejack is going to have to have a word with both of you.”

“Cool, we’ll sort that out. Hey uh, Clyde, I think Applejack was in trouble or something. She might have needed help-” Vice stopped as he realized Clyde was already rampaging through the apple forest towards the farm. “Okay, he’s gone.” Vice said with caution. “Now, what in the hell was that thing following us? That is the stuff of nightmares.”

“I don’t know,” Enzo said matching Vice’s paranoia. “But it was a monster, something awful.”

“Yeah, and I hope I never see that shit again. That thing was creepy and that damn doctor got away. Don’t worry, Enzo, we’re gonna get ‘em. The bad guys always fall in the end, right? It’s just a matter of time before we get back at him and his gay ass gang.” Enzo nodded, but with hesitation.

“I’m worried; why would a group like the…Misfit Marauders exist in a place like this?”

“Shit can hit the fan real fast, anywhere. You and I both know that…but you’re right. I got no effing clue. But, we should probably stay quiet about this.” Enzo raised his head and gazed into Vice’s serious purple eyes.

“Are you crazy? I’ve had enough madness today, but hiding this? Why can’t we just tell-”

“Listen, if we tell people, they’re gonna lose their minds. We need to deal with this on our own and make sure we wipe these guys out of existence. There’s no need to cause trouble when we can easily fix these guys up. We’ll go tomorrow again, hear me?” Enzo looked at Vice with utter shock, but reluctantly agreed. “They’ll be toast by the end of the day when we’re done because we’re the best.”

“How long are we gonna keep secrets?” Enzo said now lowering his head again.

“As long as it takes. Now, let’s go piss off Applejack again.”

Chapter 22: Stranger Ponies

Vice and Enzo made their way back towards Sweet Apple Acres with a paranoid stroll. Their footsteps shook with unease, but stayed secure to the ground. Each pony trembled at what they had seen in the forest and their imaginations rose to new limits. “Seriously,” Vice said shattering the dead silence. “That thing was really creepy.”

Enzo nodded with fear. “I feel bad for the pony itself. How his mind must be in absolute pain.”

“Meh, it’s probably some looney who volunteered to get his brain screwed over. We shouldn’t worry about it, he’s not important. What is important,however, is that we put down this doctor dude and his creation-YO!” Vice jumped back as he was barely able to dodge a thrown apple. It bounced harmlessly on the grass and rolled gently towards Enzo.

“Vice!” Applejack had appeared with Big Macintosh and was now storming towards the duo. Her face conveyed fear in both terrified ponies. “What in blazes have you two been up to?” Vice flopped his body back next to Enzo and put on a smile.

“We were just having another break; we were playing around,” Vice said as he prepared himself for imminent scolding.

“Another-you can’t expect me tah let you get away with this,” Applejack said shaking her head with disbelief.

“We don’t,” Enzo said in place of Vice. He turned to the pegasus and winked with a grin. “It’s my fault I let him trick me into going out there again. But, maybe we can negotiate a deal concerning our pay.” Vice tried not to have an outburst, but was slowly letting out small protests as Applejack considered the offer.

“Pay deductions?” She sized up the duo, specifically Vice, and shook her head lightly. “A little ridiculous, but it’s a better option than just outright firin’ ya…again.”

“Ye-I mean, aw crap. Gosh darn it, that really stinks,” Vice said with full drama.

Applejack eyed him once more before speaking confidently. “Alrighty then. Vice, you’ll be receivin’ ten bits less than what ya normally earn until you’ve proven yourself.”

“But...doesn’t that put me negative?” Vice said almost laughing.

“...right. Make it five less.” Applejack said with a hint of embarrassment. “As for you Enzo, this is your final warning, ya hear? No more messing around.”

Enzo nodded and put his hoof on Vice. “I’ll make sure to keep Vice in check.”

Vice saluted obnoxiously and kept his grin. “Don’t worry Applejack, by tomorrow I’ll be the best worker ya ever saw.” He nudged Enzo who looked down at the ground, and snickered.

“Right, let’s just forget this little charade happened and get back to work. I’m tired of yellin’ at y’all.”

Big Macintosh stood stone faced the entire time. He noticed the conversation ending and simply turned around back towards the farm.

“Hey, big guy, that was fun right? I’m still here!” Vice shouted.

“Eeyup!”

~~~~~~~~~~

The moonlight shot effortlessly through the duo’s bedroom window, illuminating the dim lit room. Vice gestured Enzo so get to bed and clapped his hooves with satisfaction. “C’mon Enzo, you need your beauty sleep. We’re gonna call it a night and kick ass tomorrow.”

Enzo grumbled uncomfortably, he caressed his blue wrist band. “I don’t know if I can. Things are starting to look…different.”

Vice snorted and shook his head. “You don’t usually see a pony with freaky fingers-fingers in the first place-right? I told ya, we’re gonna deal with the doc tomorrow. No sweat, we took care of those guys, we can take care of that monster. I just…was surprised. This is not going to be our biggest hassle, that just wouldn’t make sense.”

Enzo watched Vice slowly close his eyes and lower his head. He then performed proceeded to do the same thing and felt a calming sensation cool down the agitation of the day’s frights. Adjusting his entire body for comfort, Enzo fidgeted under the tight blanket. A thought zipped by his mind and he mentally sighed. “Forgot about Gray Patch’s letter,” he whispered. Looking in from of him, he noticed the letter still sitting flat on the old table across the room. He closed his eyes in defeat as his body persuaded him not to move. “I’ll just pick it up later. I’m sure it’s not that important. I don’t even know him anyway.”

“Yo, shadup. I’m trying to sleep, fool!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz’s nostrils met hoof as he entered the Emporium. “Still can’t get used to that smell.” He walked over to his station and felt his head rocking back and forth. Fuzzy Fry’s image kept popping in and out, Blitz actively tried to block it out. He closed his eyes, put a hoof on his head and slowed his pace all in attempt to assist him in his denial. ‘He was always there for me, even when I’d given up. His hoof of reassurance; his funny, but serious words of comfort.’ Blitz allowed himself to reimburse in an old memory as he sat down and zoned out.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz was sitting outside in the cold Manehatten sidewalk. He kept his head low and stared directly at the hard pavement.

“C’mon Blitz, you can’t keep moping around like this.”

“Fuzzy, just leave me alone. I’m no use to anypony, not you. Why do I even exist?”

“Don’t say things like that,” Fuzzy Fry said. He stood at a distance from Blitz, his hesitation to approach got the best of him.

“How can I lie? There’s no point in lying, hiding the darn truth about my stupid self.”

Fuzzy Fry winced at Blitz’s statement, but put on a face of pained determination. “Listen here Blitz…shut up!”

Blitz lifted his head and turned around, tears rolled down his face. “What?”

“You have to stop talking like this, I mean it,” Fuzzy Fry said shedding tears as well. “Stop calling yourself useless. Stop crying!”

“I can’t,” Blitz said weakly. “It hurts so much, I’ll never be useful or nothing to anypony.”

Fuzzy Fry gritted his teeth and stamped his foot. Blitz jumped at the sudden sounds, but continued to frown. “Please, Blitz, stop. You’re everything to me,” he said rushing over and embracing Blitz. “That’s never gonna change. We’re gonna be best buds forever and nothing’s going to separate use. You better believe that, you have my word!”

Blitz suppressed his tears and managed to pull himself together. He breathed slowly and exhaled sobs of recuperation. “Alright, Fuzzy, thanks. I needed that.”

Fuzzy Fry looked Blitz in the eye with sincerity and laughed with melancholy. “Yup. Now, let’s go get some ice cream, that’ll certainly help you.” Both ponies shared inseparable laughs and trotted together down the crowded Manehatten street.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz smiled and felt his heart sink as he remembered the times shared with Fuzzy Fry. As he partially succeeded in mending his thoughts about Fuzzy, he came upon his co-worker chatting with an unknown pony. “Oh, hi?”

“Hi!” Derpy smiled and ushered Blitz to join the conversation. Blitz nodded happily and trotted over to meet the other pony. He stopped and gave a face of bafflement as he inspected the other pony. The sporty grin matched the pony’s lean, black eyes. His mane was a bright, rosy red and it was styled towards one side. A thick strand jutted out and formed a hook on top. His tuxedo held a single rose within the chest pocket and complimented his dark green coat.

“Who’s this guy?” the pony asked with disinterest.

Blitz frowned, but Derpy spoke in his word. “He’s one of the other ponies…or pony who works here.”

The other pony gave a slight laugh. “Alrighty then, well I’d just like to say thanks again, Miss Ditzy Doo, for delivering my letter to the lovely Miss Rose for me.”

“It’s Derpy-”

“Ahh, but Ditzy Doo is such much better. It rolls off the tongue and is such a sweet, precious name,” the pony said. His words were filled with an air of sincerity and awe. He spoke poetically and almost in rhythm. “You shouldn’t replace something as pure as that.”

“Thanks.” Derpy’s face grew redder at the remark, but she still looked at the pony with confusion. “But, that wasn’t me who delivered the letter.” This created a genuinely stunned reaction for him. “It was…um, him, Blitz I think.”

The pony turned to Blitz and raised his eyebrow. “You? Oh, I thought this pretty young girl right here did so. Well then, I apologize. I thank you.” He extended a dark green hoof towards Blitz. “The name’s To-Bloom.”

“Toe Bloom?” Blitz asked out of sheer surprise.

“Sorry, just Bloom. My mind speaks faster than my mouth sometimes.” Blitz reluctantly shook Bloom’s hoof and the other pony smiled with disturbing content. “Anyway, I, again, thank you for being the one to deliver this letter. I wouldn’t be able to do it myself,” he said with a chuckle.

‘Hardly,’ thought Blitz as he stared at the pertinacious pony.

“Well then, it looks like I’ll be going. I’ve got places to be and girls to see.”

Blitz let his face become expressionless. ‘Girls? As in more than one? Wait, what?’

“Maybe I’ll see you later, okay?” Bloom said with a seductive smile.

Blitz gave Bloom a completely disgusted look before realizing that he was talking to Derpy.

“Okay.” As Derpy said the words, Bloom was already on his way out the door.

‘Again, wait just a single minute. What the hay? Did he just-never mind,’ Blitz thought. He watched as Derpy received her package and waved as she made her departure. “Better get going, I’m already confused as it is.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz was trotting steadily through Ponyville’s market, slightly unnerved about the particular location of delivery. He wandered a bit aimlessly as he tried to focus on finding where he needed to be. “Celestia, I swear. These ponies really pick the weirdest spots to be.” He glanced at the side of the box he was carrying. “Doctor Rivet, on the edge of Ponyville’s market near the Everfree forest. Hmm, doesn’t get weirder than that.”

Blitz finally spotted an area that looked like it matched the location and settled down the package. He awkwardly waited and thoughts raced in his mind. ‘Wait, what if he doesn’t even show up and I hauled this thing for nothing? What if he meant the other side of the market-wait that doesn’t make sense.

“What the HAY, why is this-” Bitz covered his mouth as he spoke out loud.

“Hello?” a voice called.

Blitz jumped out of his skin, but kept his ground afterward. “Um, delivery for Doctor Rivet,” he unintentionally asked as a question.

“Ah, yes. That would be me.” A stallion wearing glasses and a suit stepped forward, adjusting the lenses as he neared the package. “Right on time,” he said with a chuckle.

Blitz shared the laugh and slid the box over gently. He eagerly watched as Doctor Rivet inspected every inch of the box. He darted his eyes back and forth, making intellectual grunts. Blitz noticed the doctor glance at him before slowly placing the box on his back. “Are you gonna be alright, Mister?” he said tilting his head. “Do you need help?”

Doctor Rivet smiled mechanically. “No need, my good boy. I can handle this weight with ease.” He paused suddenly and wrinkled his nose. “Hmm, did you, perhaps, peek into my package?”

Blitz shook his head violently and stuttered. “Oh-no! Of course not, I would-I would never consider that!”

The doctor raised a hoof to halt Blitz’s disarray. “Would you like to see what is inside?”

Blitz was unsure about the offer. He did not expect to even still be with the strange pony. “Um, I’m not sure. It was kinda heavy, but I don’t know if I should be interfering with your affairs,” he said now uncomfortable at the situation.

“How about being my assistant?” the doctor said blindly.

Blitz broke eye contact. “Sorry, but I’m already someponyelse’s assistant,” he said warily. “I’m going to have to say no.”

Doctor Rivet’s eyes glared at Blitz, but quickly adjusted to a half smile as he bowed solemnly. “That is quite a shame; I was hoping you would comply. You seem like an extraordinary candidate to fit the spot.”

Blitz watched as the other pony made his way towards Everfree forest. He contemplated as to why anyone would do such a thing, but shook his head to negate the thought. ‘Don’t trust anypony from now on and don’t worry about their affairs. Life lessons…’ Blitz continued observing Doctor Rivet’s descend into the forest and glimpsed at a peculiar object. An orange blurb was contrasting with the lush greenery in the distance. Blitz narrowed his eyes and thought he made out some sort of face.

“That’s totally normal. Celestia, that’s very normal.” He slowly backed away and trotted with fastened pace back towards the Emporium. “Never coming back here again, check.” The unicorn felt a chill run down his spine and grimaced. “I wish Fuzzy was here, hay, anypony was here to just be with me. I’m not getting good vibes here.”

Blitz eyed his surroundings with suspicion, and smiled awkwardly at staring pedestrians. ‘There I go talking to myself. But, seriously, this is kinda creepy. Who is that Doctor Rivet guy? Oh well, I’m sure he’s on his merry way doing whatever in the forest…um-’

He giggled at his own dirty thoughts. ‘Wow, that’s a Vice thought right there. I sure met some strange ponies today.’

Chapter 23: Masked Return

A thunderous crackle shifted the air between the apple forest. Trees seemed to buckle against the crash of sound. An exasperated cheer erupted from a certain astonished pony. “See, this is why you can have nice things and I can’t,” Vice said.

Enzo replied with a silent, wry smile. He continued to pummel through trees, each kick would create the desired results as apples fell like red rain. Vice simply stood and watched in awe, Enzo was giving his full bucking power.

“It’s good you kept your legs. Else we’d be in a bigger heap of...well you know.” Vice grinned and pretended to feebly kick at a tree.

Enzo returned the laugh, but with hesitation. “Well, I guess I’m just worried about...” He trailed off as Vice understood what he meant.

“Yeah, we gotta go back, sorry. It’s just I feel we have this need or this duty to eliminate those asswipes. To protect the people, right?” Vice said stopping his attempts to buck.

Enzo tilted his head down and looked away. “Let’s be careful, alright?”

Vice extended his wings and flapped them furiously. “I’m tough as nails; can’t stop these, heh.” Both ponies exchanged nervous laughs before continuing their work. Vice, with his extended metal coated wings, proceeded to whack trees while Enzo bucked others with no problems. As soon as Vice let himself settle down and grumble about Enzo’s bucking skills, a faint cry was heard.

“Enzo, I am not hallucinating, correct?”

“I heard it too.”

“Good, ‘cuz that ain’t normal...just like a bunch of things we’ve seen already.” Vice arched himself upwards and held a hoof to his ear. He leaned, almost falling over, and listened. Enzo waited patiently as well without a stir. Seconds passed by, almost a minute before the same faint cry emitted from the forest.

“Dude, that’s definitely a chick...or a guy with a really high voice. Either way, I’m going in.” Vice turned and rushed towards the last known direction of sound.

“Vice, wait-” Enzo protested in vain as he reluctantly followed behind his friend. The two ponies dashed through the green growth, sunlight was starting to dim.

The pathway ahead was becoming consumed by darkness, but Vice kept bolting. “Honey, I’mma comin’!”

“You said you don’t even know-”

“I say a lot of things! Hurry, I bet we’re in for a treat.” With the words said, the ponies galloped until the scream happened once more. “That’s friggin loud-ass hell.” Vice increased his pace towards the sound and beckoned Enzo to do the same. “C’mon I think I see her!” He spotted a pale pink pony lying on the ground in the distance. “Hang on sweetheart!”

The mare looked up with surprise and smiled, her dark blue eyes filled with relief. “Hello?” she said shakily.

Vice grew a giant smile and closed in on the downed mare. Enzo grew agitated at Vice’s impulsiveness and started to slow down. “When a girl screams in the forest you go after her? Vice what if this is a trap?”

“A girl with a dick is a trap, this ain’t no trap.” The mare slowly rose from her position and faced the duo with uncertainty.

“Are you going to hurt me?” she said with her voice still shaky.

Vice waved his hoof and moved closer to the mare. “S’all right, ma’am. We’re here to rescue you.”

“Thank you,” she said moving closer to Vice.

“Vice, you’re a dumbass.” Enzo sighed and put a hoof on Vice. He pointed to the group of stallions that had appeared behind them.

Vice raised his hooves and ignored the mare moving in on him. “No, Enzo, I’m a smartass. I knew there’d be trouble…I want that trouble. This is what I want, to kick ass!”

“Why would you try to look for trouble?”

“I’m looking to end our troubles, not to just start stuff. Dude, remember yesterday? Today’s the big day!”

“So stupid!” Enzo forgot about the mare and turned to see her holding something in her hoof. She lunged forward towards Vice and struck with a syringe type of weapon. He attempted to block the attack, but was stabbed in the chest as he failed to extend his wings. He felt a cold liquid surge through his body before swinging his wing and slapping the mare aside.

“You whore! What’d you do to me, what is this shit? Oh!” Vice ejected the syringe and forcibly threw it aside. He felt his wings start to drop and droop feebly beside his body. He stumbled backwards into Enzo and started hysterically laughing. “What did that bitch just put in me?”

“Her trap,” Enzo said with frustrated tease. “Why don’t you ever listen to me?” Vice rolled his eyes with pain and let his body fall to the ground. Enzo kept his eye on the oncoming group of stallions from behind and stood next to a downed Vice. He tapped his wrist band twice and let his concealed blade extend out. The stallions jumped back in surprise, some stood their ground, as Enzo waved his hook-like blade. “I will not hesitate to attack.”

“He means…kill,” Vice said with extreme difficulty.

One of the stallions snorted with distaste. “I’ve already seen your tricks; you wave your blade like a stallion. But are you willing to dance?”

“Hey that’s my goddamn line, you shit!”

Enzo shook his head with confliction. He tried to say something, but came up with nothing. The stallion had said the truth and he could not deny it. ‘Am I really inclined to kill...again?’ Enzo let his thoughts crumble as he faced the now charging stallions.

“You gonna pay for messing with our girl.”

“Hoe deserved it!” Vice said holding his wings against his body. The cold steel greeted his body with unease and he felt freezing points being created throughout his whole body. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that the pink mare had disappeared.

“Hey, who’s on the ground right now? You shouldn’t talk so big for such little filth,” the leader of the group said. The ponies were almost upon the duo when a faint crack zipped through everyone’s skulls. More sharp pangs stunned both teams and the forest started to fill with smoke. Enzo reacted with haste and hoisted Vice onto his back. He quickly exited the area of smoke and brought the pegasus down near a wide trunked tree. As soon as he finished his movement, he looked up to see that the previous location was lathered in smoke.

The dark, gray clouds created no silhouettes, but Enzo could tell that there was fighting going on. Grunts and exasperated screams echoed from the darkness, Enzo still kept his blade raised and half attention on a cringing Vice. A twinkle of red flashed through the smoke, it perked Enzo’s full attention. He identified it as an eye and felt it staring into his soul. He gulped and stayed ready for anything.

The haze of grayness cleared and two lone figures stood, one figure was holding the other by the neck. Bodies littered the ground, but no tints of red liquid were seen. The red eye belonged to a pony and Enzo grimaced with realization. “Vice, we have another problem.”

Vice turned to see the standing pony hurl its victim into the forest abyss. His body quivered. “It’s him, Enzo.”

“The Masked Pony.” Enzo and Vice watched as the pony let its red eye zoom over the duo.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Don’t forget over there!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting it. Hold on.” Blitz sighed as he struggled to clean a tight space between a bookshelf and desk. He felt weakness as he tried to fit is hoof through the crack.

“Um,” Twilight said apprehensively. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get this tight space.”

“…don’t you want to use magic? It’d be much easier.” Twilight stepped closer and inspected Blitz’s actions. He felt an uneasy chill run down his spine as he felt himself being judged.

“Well, I’m a practical kind of pony. Who needs-” Blitz stopped, he realized his origin and Twilight’s origin as unicorns and rubbed his forehead. “Magic…”

Twilight giggled at his response and let her horn glow. Within a few seconds, Blitz’s cloth he was holding lifted out of his hooves and entered the crevice. A few swishes later, the magic and dust lathered cloth exited and returned back to Blitz’s hoof. “See? That was much easier.”

He chuckled a bit and looked away. “Yeah, I guess I should use my magic more often.” A pause interrupted conversation; Blitz tilted his body back and forth before asking his question. “Hey, Twilight? Do you know anypony by the name of Doctor Rivet?”

Twilight lifted her head quizzically and shook it. “I can’t say for sure I’ve heard that name before. Sorry, but I don’t know.”

Blitz smiled. “It’s okay; I wasn’t exactly expecting you to know. Or anypony for that matter. How about Clyde?”

“Clyde? I’ve seen him around not too long ago.”

“I meant, uh, how did you all meet? I think he might’ve told me before, but I’m curious as to how exactly he got to Ponyville.” Blitz hoped that the topic was veering towards the right direction.

“Clyde huh? Let’s just say we met officially, no coincidence.” Twilight paced around Blitz unintentionally as she explained her meeting. “After my friends and I, the Elements of Harmony, defeated Discord, Celestia ordered that there be somepony to physically watch over us. Since Ponyville has-well, not that much protection other than the Elements we all thought it would be a great idea. Clyde arrived a few days later and introduced himself; he was very nice and easy to talk to. He fit right into Ponyville and everypony seemed very fond of him.”

Blitz nodded to confirm her was listening. “So he came in just like that?”

Twilight responded with her own nod. “Just like that and I don’t regret it. I’m happy to have met such a pony as Clyde. He really makes it his duty to ensure that we’re safe.” Twilight paused and let her assistant soak in the information. “Even if nothing ever really happens.”

“I’m glad evil doesn’t exist,” Blitz said. “Ponyville is too precious to be corrupted.”

Twilight laughed. “You don’t know how many times we’ve had to stop certain evil from taking over Ponyville.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The masked pony stepped forward towards the duo with elegant steps. A rhythmic pattern erupted from the pony’s march. Enzo kept his stance. The enemy raise its golden hoof and arched it towards Vice and Enzo.

“MISTER VICE, MISTER ENZO!” The words blasted from behind Vice and Enzo, causing them to revert their attention backwards. As soon as both ponies looked away, the masked pony had disappeared. “Where are you boys?”

“What? That guy-he’s gone, wait that’s not possible!” Vice said trying to get up. He stood up and instantly fell forward in one big movement. “He was literally right there…”

“Boys!” Clyde busted through a patch of bushes and came trucking through to the duo. “UP TO SOME MISHCIEF I SEE!” He laughed, but lost his upbeat nature as he noticed multiple ponies littering the ground. His face turned serious fast. He stampeded towards the only conscious ponies. “What happened?”

Enzo quickly retracted his blade back into his wrist band and stepped forward. However, Vice held up a hoof to hold back him, but the black stallion rejected his protests and stood firmly next to Clyde. “The masked pony from Canterlot is back. We also had encounters with a group of thugs.” Enzo stated the words solidly as he pointed towards the downed stallions.

Clyde lowered his head. “I appreciate you telling me the truth this time, Mister Enzo. I will not ask about earlier yesterday, but this information only means that the culprit in mask is not alone. These stallions must be in line with the masked pony; this is more serious than I thought.”

“Uh, that’s not exact-ahahh.” Vice squirmed with pain as he still felt the effects of the needle. “Christ!”

“Mister Vice, what happened to you?”

“Got stabbed with a damn needle. Oh God I need a docta, gimme that docter!” Clyde hoisted Vice up on his back and winced at Vice’s shouts. “Hey, don’t carry me, Clyde. I can go, just let me rest for a couple minutes…or hours; days.”

“Mister Vice, you are in no condition to walk. Stop being so prideful and let me help you.” The words hurt Vice hard, he let his struggles die as Clyde spread his white wings. Clyde looked at Enzo with worry. “I can’t expect you to stay and watch over these delinquents, so I’m asking you to come with me and Mister Vice. We’re going to have to come back and I’m assuming they will be gone by then.”

“Yes.” Enzo agreed and hopped onto Clyde’s back. He braced himself for lift off and watched as the lying stallions turned into dots.

“We’re going to have to warn-”

“No,” Vice said. “We are not telling any…pony about this Clyde. No one.”

“Mister Vice-”

“I may be useless right now, but I still have sense. Telling every…pony about this would cause more trouble. If we can contain this problem without anypony knowing then it would be a lot better than making bricks fly everywhere. You hear me?”

Clyde grunted with dissatisfaction. “I hear you, Mister Vice. But, I will tell Princess Celestia and I will call for back up. If we’re going to contain this, we’re going to more muscle.”

“Fair enough, boss. Just get me the paramedics.” Vice let the hot sunshine rejuvenate his cold body as Clyde flew overhead of the forest. “What an anti-climactic encounter…aw shit inside my asshole.”

“What is it now, Vice?” Enzo said.

“I GOT BEAT BY A GIRL AGAIN!”

Chapter 24: Bloody Patch

Blitz trotted with an upbeat pattern in his stride. He walked with energy towards his destination and let the bright sun shower him with grace. About halfway through his route, he slowed his pace and thought about Fuzzy Fry. His mind raced with already asked questions about his friend, but he squeezed them out instantly.

“Won’t have that,” Blitz said in a low hum. As soon as he regained focus, a pristine looking pony had materialized in front of him. Impact was imminent and Blitz felt a sense of dread run down his throat. He coughed up the words awkwardly. “Oh, I’m sorry. I, uh, I’m-I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

The other pony retaliated with a chuckle. Blitz identified the individual as very well dressed; his entire body was covered in accessories. The pony swiftly picked up his fallen monocle and placed it over his crimson red eye. Adjusting his top hat and brushing his thick mustache, the stallion spoke with ease. “Well now, that was rather unexpected.”

Blitz started to settle down, he could feel the pony speaking softly. “You’re okay right? I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

The other pony raised an eyebrow and paused for a moment. Some sort of realization struck and he laughed once more. “Ah yes, this old thing.” He wiggled his bandaged hoof. “My left, er, fore leg has taken quite a few beatings before. I’m alright…ah yes, excuse my rude mannerism. I haven’t even introduced myself. I am Gray Patch.”

“Blitz.” The unicorn stuck out a hoof to shake, but pulled back with embarrassment. Gray Patch merely smiled. “So, uh, what’s a pony like you doing around these parts?”

Gray Patch stood up straight. “I’m from Canterlot. I’ve been searching for a few ponies; do Vice and Enzo ring any bells?”

Blitz was ready to speak, but held himself back vigorously. ‘Wait, how does he know them? I’ve already had my fair share of shady characters. How can I trust this guy?’ He spoke apprehensively. “Yeah, I’ve heard of them before. How do you know them?”

“We’ve had some...strange encounters recently. Let’s just say that I need to tell them something important. Perhaps you don’t know, but that’s alright. I’ll find out eventually.”

“They’re at the farm, Sweet Apple Acres.”

Gray Patch stared at Blitz with uncertainty. “It is unusual that you would trust such a pony as myself so easily. However, I thank you for the information but will say this. Be cautious of who exactly you trust. Do not let yourself believe what everyone else says out of courtesy. Many here tend to trust others without consideration.”

Blitz nodded. “Right.”

“Well then, I shall be off. I thank you, again, for this information.” Gray Patch bowed slightly to his best ability and started walking past Blitz.

The blue stallion stood stunned for a second, a plan started formulating within his head. ‘Never trust anypony...part of my life lesson.’ He resumed his walk again, albeit troubled. ‘And I just broke it. Time to restart...again.’

~~~~~~~~~~

Trees bustled and leaves rustled as Clyde continued his flight over the apple tree forest. “Don’t worry, Mister Vice, we are almost at the hospital.”

Vice grunted in acknowledgement. He leaned over to Enzo and whispered with agitation. “Yo, uh, I think I’m feeling better?”

Enzo gave Vice a look of doubt, but saw that the pegasus was able to lift his wings again. “Um, why?”

“Well if I knew I wouldn’t be telling you. Thing is, I just made Clyde crap himself wet and I let those bozos get away at the same time,” Vice said with defeat. “This sucks.”

“Boys, Mister Vice, we’re here.” Clyde gently fluttered to the ground and let the duo disembark. He eyed Vice and did a double-take of the head. “Mister Vice, you’re able to walk!”

“It’s a GD miracle, Clyde. I think I’m feeling-”

“We need to get you inside right now!” Clyde grabbed Vice by his body and hauled him through the hospital doors. Enzo watched with silent amusement and followed. As he lagged behind, he heard a faint call for his name.

“...nzo is that you?”

The black stallion turned around and faced his caller. “Gray...Patch?”

“Yes, I’m glad you remember me.” Gray Patch smiled and came forth. “I see we have a predicament with your good friend, Vice.”

“Yeah, he sort of...um. He got injected with an unknown liquid,” Enzo said.

“Interesting. Let me have a look at him. Maybe I can conclude something out of it.”

Enzo let his confusion take over, he watched motionless as Gray Patch entered the hospital. “What?” He could hear a commotion erupting from the hospital and entered himself. Vice sat sagging on one of the hospital chairs, he looked irritated by Clyde’s shenanigans.

“Mister Gray Patch, I cannot express my truest joy to see you once more! However, it seems as though Princess Celestia has picked an ill time for us to meet.”

Gray Patch chuckled. “So it seems. How is Vicer?”

“Dying.” Both ponies eyed Vice with intent.

“Yes, it appears Mister Vice has gotten himself into an unlikely accident...again. The two boys said they’ve had an encounter with some stallions within the forest adjacent to Sweet Apple Acres. I have reason to believe that this masked pony we all saw in Canterlot was involved; he must be their leader.”

Gray Patch smiled and put his free hoof on Clyde’s shoulder. “Maybe it would be best if you contacted the head of the royal guards to send an investigation team. I’ll watch over these two.”

Clyde brushed his mustache. “Alright then, Mister Gray Patch, I’m trusting you to ensure that Mister Vice is all settled. I will contact Princess Celestia and inform her of what happened. I shall be back.” He turned to both Vice and Enzo. “Miss Twilight will know of this.”

Vice went to protest, but Enzo shut him down again. “Alright, Clyde, that’s okay.” The guard pony nodded and headed out the hospital doors with a hurry. Attention fell on Vice. Gray Patch inspected the pony with his watchful red eye.

“Yo man, I’m feeling great. You don’t-wait, you’re not a doctor. What the hell?” Vice slid away with each step Gray Patch took.

“If you would allow me to take a blood sample-”

“Again, what the hell?”

“Vice, I can resolve your issue if you would just trust me.” The pristine pony edged closer to Vice who slowly calmed down.

“If you start touching me inappropriately, then I’m gonna have to slap your shit.”

“Right then.” Gray Patch got up to Vice and produced some sort of blade from under his chest suit.

‘Totally not suspicious, totally not questionable and I’m totally not going to get shanked right here,’ Vice thought. He squirmed around as he felt the cold blade enter the flesh of his fore leg.

“It’s only a poke,” Gray Patch said removing the blade and wiping it with a cloth.

“A poke too much.” Vice looked down to see his own little stream of blood trickle down to his hoof.

Gray Patch examined said blood; he felt it and brought his red eye close. The two almost matched in color. He concluded his results with a nod and wiped away the excess blood. “Interesting. You’re blood is different than the normal blood common throughout Equestria.”

“Different? That’s kinda funny actually.”

“Yes, it’s what saved you a horrible fate. You say you got injected with an unknown liquid, correct? Well you’ve been unaffected, as it seems, due to your...strange blood. It is much darker and thicker than normal blood. I’ve only ever seen this type elsewhere once. I would like to say that it is rare, almost to the point where I would even say it does not exist. However, you seemed to have broken that theory.”

“Uh, is that a good thing?” Vice anxiously swished around as he felt vile with the fluids within.

“It’s what saved you.” Gray Patch turned to Enzo and smiled. “Your friend is fine.”

Enzo let all the worries flush out his system. “Good, at least we can now-”

“Go back and kick ass, c’mon Enzo, I’m free!” Both Gray Patch and Enzo gave Vice dissatisfied faces.

“So you’ve chosen to go back after just thinking you had been injected with poison,” Gray Patch asked with a tilt of the head.

“Yep, let’s go, Enzo.” Vice was already halfway through the door when Enzo spoke up.

“Vice, maybe we should take it easy. I’m worried...again.”

“No need to be worried once we clean up house. I got distracted by a pretty bitch, okay? This time I’m all offense; anything moves and I’ll wreck its anus.”

Enzo sighed and spoke to Gray Patch loudly for Vice to hear. “Can’t you do anything to stop him?”

“First off, that is your job as his friend.” The words shot through Enzo like cold steel. “Second, I cannot stop you two, nor Vice for that matter, from going back. It’s not my job to govern your own decisions.”

Enzo let his body get dragged as Vice pulled him away. “Don’t worry, Enzo. If things get rough I’ll just use fly to get our asses out of there.”

Gray Patch watched as the two ponies left his view. He could still hear Vice’s commotions outside and stayed silent until they ceased. “Naive fool.”

~~~~~~~~~

“Celestia, Bloom, you sure are a romantic,” said Blitz whistling as he delivered another letter to Rose’s mailbox. He lifted the red flag and trotted back to the Emporium with joy. The sunshine poured its rays of light down towards Blitz; he let his blue body absorb all the heat. “Gosh, it’s so good to be me right now. I love this!”

After minutes of sunshine and walk, he finally reached his destination and eagerly went to his station to receive more work. The unicorn glanced around for his boss before inspecting his package. “Doctor Rivet, side of market.” Blitz looked at the wall with a face in attempt to amp up his spirit. “Again? Why.”

He lifted the box and noticed that it was much lighter than his previous load for Doctor Rivet. “So, we’re gonna meet again. Maybe I might just take up his offer to be assistant. That way I can open myself up to others, he might have some useful spells or-”

‘Many here tend to trust others without considering who that particular other exactly is.’

The words rang through Blitz’s mind. “Right.” As he departed for delivery, he passed something odd. A single roll of paper was sitting in the middle of the room. “Hmm, looks like Post Pole or Derpy might have dropped his. He went to pick it up with his hoof, but stopped. He looked around himself before lifting the newspaper with magic.

The string unknotted itself and the paper unrolled onto the ground. Blitz cursed himself for even attempting magic outside Twilight’s house. “Darn, this is why I don’t use magic.” He went to physically pick up the paper when he spotted a familiar name. “Doctor Rivet?” Upon closer inspection, he read one section of the article that sent goose bumps riveting through his body.

“Doctor Rivet, accused of being a fugitive from Canterlot. Any ponies with information regarding this ‘doctor’ should contact a local guard for questioning. Be safe and be on the lookout for the pony with the scalpel and wrench cutie mark.”

“Excuse me, Mister Blitz, is there something wrong?”

Blitz jumped and spun his body around to face his boss. “Mister Post Pole!”

“What is that you have with you?” Post Pole came closer and Blitz could tell he was not impressed. “Reading documents again, I see. These types of papers are bundled up for a reason. Give me that.”

Blitz handed the newspaper over sheepishly and let Post Pole take his important piece of info. “S-sorry. Won’t ever happen again!”

“I don’t believe you, but I’ll take your word. If it does happen again, you will be fired. Understand, Mister Blitz?”

The pony nodded and watched his boss exit with the newspaper. He wondered about what Post Pole could be doing and left with those thoughts in his head. Post Pole had never returned to the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Ahh, Blitz, is it?”

“Yes, Doctor Rivet, I have another delivery for you.”

“Splendid. Give it here.” Blitz handed over the smaller, lighter box to the doctor. He stood awkwardly as Doctor Rivet soon sought to leave the area. “Is something troubling you?”

“Um, do you know when you asked me to be your assistant?” Blitz said trying to suppress his shaking voice.

“Why of course. Like I said, you fit perfectly for such a role.”

Blitz nodded. “I’ve made up my mind. I want to be your assistant. I trust that you are a good pony and I want to learn more from you.”

This response gave Doctor Rivet a sense of pride. “Well now, that was very nice praise. I thank you for your kindness and I accept you as my assistant. Let us walk, yes?”

Blitz only nodded and followed loosely behind the doctor. ‘I have no time to get Clyde for this. I’m going to have to tough this out and figure out who this Doctor Rivet is.’ He continued walking; the two eventually entered the forest. ‘Celestia give me power, this is not going to end well.’ The greenery surrounded Blitz, the sun had started to fade by the overgrowth above. ‘Why do I have to be such a hero...’

Chapter 25: To Find the Truth

Leaves crunched and hooves stamped the ground as two ponies galloped through the apple forest. The sun sat atop the sky centered in the blue sea of mystery. Trees laughed and gawked at the two ponies and their attempts to flourish their desires. A single name was repeated over and over, their goal rested upon physical sight.

“Yo, Doc Rivet! Where you at ya big puss puss?”

“Vice, I don’t think screaming his name is going to make him jump out at us.”

“Yeah? You have any better ideas? I’m not exactly up for running into another ambush; I’d rather just pound him and be over. Ever hear that crazy phrase, ‘cut off the head and the body will die’? Well essentially, if we were to look at this whole thing as a giant gay metaphor, the doc is the head and his henchmen are the body. We slug him and it’s over, downtown-old school style.”

“Okay.” Enzo continued to lag behind Vice on purpose. He let his partner scout ahead while he covered the back. This method seemed useless, but proved to be efficient as Enzo called for the duo to stop.

“Hey, what’s up dude? Got your panties tied in a bunch already? We only ran like-”

“Vice, shut it!”

The pegasus turned and put his hoof on Enzo’s shoulder, just next to his red scarf. “Why.”

“Listen!” Both ponies kept still and awaited any source of sound. “Hear that?”

“No, actually. I’m deaf apparently and I might as well be mute because you're not really explaining-” A laughing grunt halted Vice’s speech and his eyes grew in fear. “Ok-okay I heard that. What the hell is that?” Another laugh more sinister filled the forest air with dread.

“I don’t like this.”

“Of course you don’t like it, Captain Obvious! I think I know what’s going down here!” Vice saw an image of an orange creature zip by his sight and shrieked. “Holy-”

“I see him, Vice!” Enzo quickly double tapped his wrist band to reveal his curved blade. A sharp swiping sound countered the quiet forest as Enzo held his ground.

“Oh man, Christ!” Vice followed in his partners footsteps; he unfolded his metal tipped wings and arched them. “Where is he?” Another distorted chuckle, almost a choking sound was unleashed. “Great, he’s playin’ games. Love games, huh?” Vice clapped his wings together and created loud bangs. A laughing screech echoed and the pegasus jumped back.

Enzo watched Vice skitter about before noticing something amiss. He turned around and quickly sidestepped. Enzo landed next to Vice and held his partner in terror. Standing before the duo was the orange monster; its claw missed its mark and sunk in the ground.

It raised its glowing, pale yellow eyes and hissed. “Missed…” It frowned, yet still kept a faint smile before rushing towards the duo.

“Run!”

“What?”

“Enzo, run!” Vice turned and flung his body forward in a stumbling dash. Enzo swung his wrist blade in attempt to fake out the creature, but found himself dodging another swipe. He measured his odds and found himself sprinting back with Vice.

“Alright, I won’t question why we’re running.”

“Don’t have to, I got a plan.” Vice led Enzo deeper into the forest, sunlight slowly vanished. Shadows crept on the two and various sounds whizzed by. “We get far enough, I’ll distract, and you ambush.” He looked back and saw no sign of orange. “Okay, this is our chance. I’ll hang out here and-”

“Find!” The orange creature erupted from above and landed next to Vice.

“Halt!” a voice said. The orange creature paused before jumping back with a groan. “Well, well, Enzo. Seems as though your thirst for my blood will never end.”

“Enzo? What’s going on here; more bitches for me to slap down?”

“Oh great, another tough guy,” another voice said nonchalantly. “Enzo, we have unfinished business, remember?”

“Ah, we finally meet once more,” the other voice said. On cue, three stallions dropped from above and faced the duo.

“Jesus H. what is with you guys falling from the sky? Everyone around here is just miraculously appearing from heaven as if God himself sent down angels to strike us down.”

“Heh, you’re still talking shit huh?” A white stallion with a full face helmet stepped up and sneered. A blue wristband similar to Enzo’s was strapped on his hoof and his back supported a cyan metal box. The helmet shined pale gray and its blue eyes radiated with a bright lapis tint. “What? Shocked by my fancy tech?” His voice spoke with a slight echo.

Vice sighed heavily. “No, I’m shocked by your stupid outfit. They always say the uglies hide their effed up trash with a mask.”

“Keep insulting me, c’mon.” The pony raised his hoof and tapped a device on it twice. “Who’s got the gun in this situation, eh?” A miniature cannon had constructed itself and a blue ball of energy was already forming in the nozzle. He pointed it directly at Vice’s stone cold face. “I got the thing that goes boom-splat. Don’t fuck with me.”

“That’s enough, Joltaire,” the voice from before spoke. “Let me take care of this.” The pony known as Joltaire groaned and let his talker take the lead. Another stallion wearing an open faced helmet came forward. His head piece sported a large knife-like tip above the forehead and gleamed with a vibrant gold. Two golden wrist bands clinked with each footstep the pony made. “Ahem, allow me to explain what the heck is going on here. I am Sir Cutter X and-”

“WOW, WAIT!” Vice said smiling like crazy. “Sir Cutter…X? Yo, what the-oh my lord. Oh my lord and what the hell is with wrist bands?”

“What?”

“That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard. It could have been just Cutter. Cutter, that would’ve been cool. But adding the Sir and the X; it’s too much, bro. Maybe Cutter X? No, dude, no. You’re name is just failure.”

“Fuck?”

“Well I’ve managed to hear more curses coming out of you jackasses than myself in the past, eh, five minutes? Damn, I need to start dropping F bombs.”

“Listen here asshat, I am the one calling the shots here not you. If you think you’re in control right now-well you’d just be a dumbass.” Sir Cutter X’s grayish blue body shook with anger and his black eyes tried in vain to pierce Vice’s spirit.

“Well, Mister Douchwagon, it seems as though we have a problem then,” Vice said relaxing himself.

“Alright. Alright, shithead, let’s solve this problem.”

“God, you two are such children. I hate children,” Joltaire said. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I interrupt your tea party? Sorry, sorry, me and my gun will just-hey, Masquerade Blade, take it from here!” Joltaire pointed towards the remaining unknown stallion.

“…” The black pony addressed as Masquerade Blade simply looked up and stayed silent. Thin metal rings hung from his sides. He just stood and watched his partners do the talking. His light purple eyes steered towards Enzo and intensified.

“Right,” Joltaire said.

“Hold on.” Vice raised a hoof. “You can’t expect a guy like me to remember your names-let alone care about them. Cut me some slack, who are you?”

“Well let’s make this simple,” Sir Cutter X said. “You just officially met the bad guys.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“So, uh, you work alone,” Blitz said with his stroll next to Doctor Rivet.

“Not exactly. Of course now I have another pony assisting me, correct? But, I do have...superiors that over watch me. To be perfectly honest, I am quite fine with the transaction. They are a strange bunch though. They claim themselves to be the bad guys.” Doctor Rivet said the phrase with distaste. “I am not fond of that title.”

“I see.” Blitz continued his loose shuffled behind the doctor. Dead, quiet silence accompanied him in his walk. ‘Something’s obviously off, but if this guy’s working for-bad guys-then I need to get more information. I can’t bail now, everypony back in Ponyville might be in trouble.’

“So, what is your expertise in magic?” The question stung Blitz hard.

“Um...ice?” he responded cautiously.

“Interesting. A pony amongst our group proclaimed that he knew a unicorn that could perform ice spells.”

‘What is he talking about?’ A sudden image of Fuzzy Fry flashed in Blitz’s mind. He shut his eyes and winced, faltering back.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no. I’m cool, I’m good.” Blitz suppressed the long haunting image and regained himself. However, he instantly lost his self composure once a faint chuckle was heard. “Oh, um sorry for being such a joke right now.”

“That was not me, my dear boy.”

Blitz eyed his left and rights before staggering back. “Well, who was it?” The laughing intensified and Blitz shuddered, he contemplated abandoning his quest right here.

“Bullet Buster, cease your shenanigans. You are scaring my newly acquired assistant.

“Oh boo hoo, Doc. Can’t let the crazy guy have his fun?” Blitz sensed movement behind him and jumped forward out of reaction. He landed next to Doctor Rivet and looked back to see something out of a nightmare. Standing before him was a pony with hooves beyond all comprehension. “Wassup sucka?”

“Hi!”

“Oh and it’s Bull It, doc. Bull It Buster, bulling the it!” The pony stamped his hoof and made a clang with the ground. Blitz analyzed the devices attached to the pony’s forelegs and gasped. “Wha? What you scared of? These malookas?” Bull It Buster raised his forelegs and snickered. Blitz then noted that the devices were literally the pony’s forelegs; each hoof was a giant cylinder-like mechanism to the knee joint. Both were spinning in place making loud, buzzing noises. Streaks of light blue started to light up within the machines and sharp chirping noises erupted.

“Calm down, Bullet Buster. No need to be pretentious at the moment.”

“Don’t you use your fancy wording on me.” Bull It Buster lowered his hooves, but kept standing on his two hind legs. He crudely adjusted his ripped, torn and worn black hat and let his equally destroyed cape flow wistfully behind him.

“Can somepony explain what’s going on,” Blitz said in a low whimper.

“Ah, excuse me. Allow me to explain. Bullet Buster is another work of my art.”

“Hardly, I came in with these big guns. You just lubed them up.”

“Right. Anyhow, I helped modify his hooves, or guns, so that they are magic induced. That is to say they can fire magic bullets within a few seconds of spinning up.

‘Guns huh? That’s just great. This means these guys don’t screw around. I have to find out what this ‘doctor’ is planning before…’ Blitz nodded as naturally as possible. “Okay.”

“No need to be scared little boy. I ain’t gonna fondle you.” Bull It Buster slowly started circling Blitz with vicious intent. His golden yellow eyes not only caused panic, but also induced curiosity. The pony’s eyes withheld a marking in the middle in paler yellow.

‘He has targets in his eyes? Why-no, how.’ Blitz kept his poker face sturdy against his two onlookers. “So, um, can you explain this plan of yours? I didn’t exactly get it,” he said as he removed himself from Bull It Buster’s jests.

“In time, Blitz, in time. You will know soon enough.”

‘Not the answer I was looking for.’ Blitz continued following Doctor Rivet deeper into the forest with Bull It Buster tagging close by. He could almost hear his breathing. ‘And not the bunch I’d like to be with. Darn, this isn’t looking well. To top it all off, I willingly walked into this and managed to get screwed over harder than when I coincidently met Trixie. But, I have to figure out what’s going on…for everypony back home.’

~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, cockfaces, would you kindly go off yourselves? I’ll tell everyone that we got you-”

“Oh shut up already.” Sir Cutter X shook his head and gestured for his companions to surround the duo. “I get it. I get what you’re doing. You are being a cocky fag. You think that this is a joke; that we are a joke.” The armored stallion raised his two forelegs and clapped them together. As soon as he finished, metal began constructing around his forelegs. Within seconds the pony was wielding two blades engulfing his hooves. “Let’s see if we’re playing now.”

On cue, the black stallion known as Masquerade Blade reached behind and pulled out the metal rings hanging from his back. He rotated them in a position where he held a ring in each hoof. Joltaire still kept his wrist gun handy as the energy still surged towards Vice and Enzo.

“Well you’re right about that. You guys are big jokes. Plain and simple fools.” Vice crossed his arms and let his wings fold over his shoulders. “Now then, wouldja at least tell me who y’all are. Give me that much.”

“Hmph. Piece of shit never quits talking,” Joltaire said.

“Y’know what, this is kinda awkward without you knowing. I mean if Enzo didn’t tell you already…well what kind of friend is he?” Sir Cutter X smiled devilishly.

“Vice, I swear. I did not know they were here.”

“Enzo?” Vice uncrossed his arms and almost fell face first into the ground. “What-okay, tell me who these guys are! Who are you?”

“How tragic. Let’s just say we’re all old rivals of Enzo and we’ve still gotta settle the fight.” Sir Cutter X pumped his blades up righteously.

“Yeah, uh, I need to blow his brains out because of how hard he screwed me in the past,” Joltaire added. “Same with Masquerade, we all gotta bone to pick…or two.”

“What past, huh?” Vice spoke with difficulty.

“Oh I’m sure you know. That I guarantee.” Sir Cutter X shrugged as Vice deciphered his meaning. “How long have you been hiding How long have you been lying?”

“What the hell. What do you mean?” This time Vice’s voice almost broke, it came out as a whisper.

“Surely the people, or should I say goddamn horses, around here suspect something of your metal wings. But, I’ll just assume they’re all retarded and you’ve managed to slip by because everyone around here is an idiot.” Sir Cutter X now spoke with full force, emphasizing words to get his point across.

“Hey, don’t make fun of my-”

“Friends? Are you going to tell me that you seriously made friends? Enzo, Can you believe him?” Sir Cutter X laughed along with Joltaire, yet Masquerade Blade still kept silent.

Vice stayed silent, his eyes no longer met up with any of the stallions’ varying eyes. Enzo gritted his teeth at every word spoken.

“How long, how long, how fucking long have you been hiding your identity; who you are? Deceiving everyone around you to believe you are actually of this world, but no. You waltzed in here without warrant and pretended to fit in. You believed that you were actually created here; that you were born in this world.

“Stop.”

“You don’t belong in this world. We don’t belong in this world. Corrupt guys like us belong in hell for what we’ve did; for what we’ve seen. I know, anyone from the other side knows.”

“Other side.” Vice lowered his head then jolted upwards. “You’re-”

“From the portal.”

Chapter 26: All Out Fight

“EXCUSE ME? MISTER GRAY PATCH, HOW COULD YOU!”

“Apologies, Mister Clyde, I could really do nothing to stop them. They left quickly without second thoughts.”

Clyde Put a hoof to his head and rubbed down his face. He tried to brush his mustache, but ended up stamping his foot. A certain nurse entered the room with a worried look. She was in the middle of writing something down on a short clipboard before looking up with concern. “Is something the matter?”

“Miss Redheart, it’s nothing to be concerned about. I just had a little outburst.”

“Alright, well I’m going to have to ask you to keep it down. Okay?”

Clyde nodded and Nurse Redheart left with a smile. He turned back to Gray Patch and sighed. “Can you at least tell me where they’ve gone off to?”

“The two said they were entering the forest once more.” Clyde groaned at the statement, but straightened himself up. “I’d say they didn’t make it far.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Clyde said with worry pouring down his head.

“Sorry, I meant that in a vain usage. I don’t think they found anything. You should be able to locate them with ease.”

“Right. Well then, Mister Gray Patch, I’ll be on my way.” Clyde nodded solemnly and turned with haste. “Can you do me a favor and stay here in case they happen to return?”

Gray Patch closed his eye and adjusted his top hat. “Of course.”

“Many thanks, Mister Gray Patch.” Clyde was already outside and hovering with his white wings. He zipped into the dawning sky, a white speck in the redness.

Gray Patch watched with dread. “I hope you two are doing well. You’ve just lost your back-up.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz kept his head low and his face neutral. He walked at a steady pace and behind everyone else. Each step was a light tap and his breaths were performed cautiously. “So, Doctor Rivet, I don’t want to sound pushy but I need to know what the plan is. I don’t really like walking into this blind,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“Stop asking questions and just go with stuff. That’s what I do and look at where I am now,” Bull It Buster said smiling.

‘Yeah, exactly...’ Blitz ignored the pony and focused on attaining information. “Alright, so how far is it then? I mean, shouldn’t it be close to town or something?”

“Quite the opposite; we like to set up our operations deep into the forest. If the event should occur that our plan be exposed to the public...well it wouldn’t be in my favor.” Doctor Rivet adjusted his glasses and wiped his blond mane back. “We should be arriving soon.”

‘Not good enough.’ Blitz shuffled in place before saying his next statement boldly. “Listen, I really just wanr answers right now. I’m not joking around. I need to know what’s going on here. It’s just I hate not knowing something everypony else does. I swear this is all I’m asking-” Blitz froze as he felt cold steel pressing up against his cheek.

“Oh my sweet prince did you really take me for a fool? I may be the crazy guy in this relationship, but I can smell a snitch from a mile away-”

“Alright, I suppose I must inform you if you insist,” Doctor Rivet said without looking back. “Our group, the Misfit Marauders as we call ourselves, have established a plan to take over Ponyville. Why, perhaps? You should ask my superiors why when we arrive at our destination. They gave me the tools to operate so I did not complain. They spoke of stealing trains in order to furnish their plan, but we’ve had much failure until recently. However, we shall explain this more depth when-Bullet Buster what are you doing to my assistant?”

Bull It Buster’s gun hooves drooped and flopped gently against his sides as he gave the doctor a gaping face. His eye twitched before he clamped his teeth together. “Oh my lordy, doc. My goddamn nipples can hold in more secrets than you!” He looked back at Blitz and grinned. His target-marked, yellow eyes radiated fear. “But, that gives me a goood reason to blast your squishy head open.” Blitz trembled as Bull It Buster placed his gun once more to his head. “Nighty night.” The light blue lights lit up within the muzzle and the gun spun up with light speed.

A click popped and silence followed. Blitz had tight squeezed eyes until he noticed he was still breathing. He instantly fell to the ground before staggering away from his killer.

“Doc.” Bull It Buster turned to Doctor Rivet and kneeled while grabbing his forelegs. “D-doc, doc, doc my man what’s wrong with me? Why didn’t I go rata tat tat?”

“Your guns weren’t loaded, Bullet Buster I thought you knew this!” Doctor Rivet said.

“I thought I knew this!” Bull It Buster said putting his gun hooves to his head. “Doc, ya gotta load me up, hurry! Before my target gets away. Fill me!”

“I do not-I instructed you on how to do so. How could you forget such an action?”

“Okay, I’m not a clever man.”

“Listen, let us just-” Doctor Rivet’s eyes grew wide with disappointment. He tilted his glasses and sighed. “It seems as though my assistant has fled the scene no thanks to you, Mister Bullet Buster. Quite a shame, I had such great plans for him.”

“Oh he won’t be safe fo’ long. We’ll find him; we just gotta get to the bosses. I bet you my right nut that he’ll miraculously end up there.” Bull It Buster clapped his machine hooves together in anticipation.

Doctor Rivet chuckled. “I do not believe in Celestia’s work. My hoof is that of creation, but we shall see about your theory. Come now.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blades swung and energy flew in all directions as Vice and Enzo dodged assortments of attacks. Enzo’s blade was already at work deflecting launched metal rotary blades and jumping over explosions of blue energy. Vice’s mechanized wings were also keeping up with flurries thrown by Sir Cutter X. “Hell in a handbasket, Enzo! This is turning out to be a weird cartoon-aname-or whatever you call it. Flying metal shurikens slash buzz saws, a hand cannon and this dingus with knives. Doesn’t get any weirder!”

“Asshole.” Sir Cutter X had launched his blade-like hoof at Vice and missed by centimeters.

“Wow,” Vice said as he slowly soared into the air. “Seems like all this time spent in the wonderful land of Equestria really did soften me up; can’t even swear now.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re a killer deep inside. We’re all killers, especially you.” Sir Cutter X scratched at the floor in a taunting attempt to bring Vice down from the air.

“You don’t know shit about me, bro. But yeah this killer is about to murdelize you.” Vice cocked his body before blasting himself towards his grounded target. Sir Cutter X raised his blade arms in defense and managed to block against Vice’s outstretched wing.

“Hah, you don’t think I’m that weak. I’m the leader of the Misfit Marauders. I’m invincible!”

Vice got back to his feet and continued to parry with Sir Cutter X. Enzo had similar issues as he faced both attackers at once. His body and spirit never faltered and he moved exactly as he coordinated.

“C’mon, Enzo, tell me,” Joltaire said as he shot another blue energy bomb. “Did you accomplish anything else besides making your prissy little friends? A home? Family?” The unicorn laughed at his own words. “I hope you're still the same Enzo inside. Otherwise, killing you won’t be as satisfying. Here, let me demonstrate how I’m still cool ole’ me.” Joltaire’s horn lit up as a faint blue and the metal device on his back began to shudder. Enzo watched with worry as the white stallion’s back began to construct itself outward. “Jetpack, baby.”

Enzo went to strike, but was caught off guard by a spinning blade. It nipped his scarf before digging itself into the soft ground. He turned to see a black pegasus zooming straight for him. Holding two blades in each hoof, Masquerade Blade threw both in a fly by. Enzo deflected one, but suffered a cut to his cheek by the other.

“See? I’m flying and doing magic. I’m special.” Enzo observed Joltaire’s meaning with more nervousness. The pony’s back device had sprouted two vertical thrusters exhausting sea blue fire.

“You won’t hold that for long though. It’s physically impossible,” Enzo said.

“Oh, Mister Native Boy here knows everythin-” Joltaire’s voice sailed off as he felt for his head. He landed hard and Enzo took initiative to attack. “Damn this magic sugar shit.” However, Masquerade Blade had materialized next to Enzo and almost bisected the pony. Enzo jumped away and finally took note of his attacker’s wings.

“...”

“How you doing over there, Enzo?” Vice called still boxing with Sir Cutter X.

“Fine, Masquerade Blade has wings and Joltaire is a unicorn!” Enzo said back.

“Cool, that means that this guy right here sucks ‘cuz it doesn’t look like he has anything fancy.”

“Excuse me, you little prick? Have you seen my cutting tools? My armaments?”

“Have you seen my metal wings? Dude, metal wings. That’s stuff of legends; who cares if you have blades all over your body and your dick.”

Sir Cutter X’s eyes filled with fury. “A bigger dick than you’ll ever-”

“Blue!” Both stallions diverted their attention towards a left out character. “It’s blue, I see blue!”

“Hey, you filthy creature! What are you talking about? What blue?” Sir Cutter X said.

“It’s blue!”

“You stupid-” Sir Cutter X found himself sent sprawling and crashing into a multitude of trees as Vice took the opportunity to get a wing slap in.

“Blue, blue, blue, blue!”

“What the hell-Blitz?” Vice watched as the monster bounced up and down towards his friend.

Blitz’s breathing exceeded reality as he gasped for air. His mouth hung open dry, his cheeks were lightly sprinkled with tears. His eyes sealed shut and his motion was linear. ‘Just run, don’t stop. Tell the others, don’t stop. Don’t stop.’ Blitz finally opened his eyes and screamed a raspy squeal as an orange creature pounced atop his body.

“Blue!”

Blitz’s screaming did not cease as he stared at his smiling captor. “Wha-wha-” He couldn’t spit out his terrified words. The creatures golden-like eyes stabbed through all sense of mind Blitz had; the exposed, fleshy mouth increased that absence. ‘

“Blue...”

“Eat a dick, freakface!” Blitz felt pressure relieve from himself. Vice had managed to remove the monster via wing attack and hoisted Blitz up by his head. “What are you doing here?” Blitz’s silence spoke for him. “Agh, shit. What are you doing here, hey! Hey!” Vice shook Blitz lightly.

“Vice, I found about-out-bad something-bad-figured.” Blitz paused himself with a raised hoof. “Vice, some ponies are planning some bad things.”

“Yeah, I can tell. Now tell me what you are-how’d you get here!” Vice eyed the fallen Sir Cutter X and creature with readiness to strike.

“I was running away from this doctor named-”

“Doc Rivet; son of a bitch!”

“And his lovely, loaded companion!” Vice’s eyes lit with astonishment and he dived into Blitz. The two landed safely on the ground while a stream of bluish purple bullets flew overhead. “Aw piss, why you gotta jump out of the way? Why can’t you just accept my psychotic judgment?”

“’Cuz I ain’t ready to kick the bucket…Bullet Buster.”

Bull It Buster’s face twitched into surprise. “Who dat?” Upon closer inspection he clapped his gun hooves together. “Vice! Oh my, is it really you? Hehe, in the…flesh?”

“Yeah, you crazy bastard. It’s me. Now, would you mind not shooting at us?”

“Nope, you must suffer the wrath of Bull It Buster; the craziest of them all. Don’t you remember how I had to be kept on a leash? No matter, let me shower your asses with my hail of bullets. You better be prayin’ to your goddamn mother’s titties and all of her juices!”

“Gross,” Vice said.

“Quite my douchebag friend.” Vice swung his metal wing instinctively behind him. Sir Cutter X dodged and countered with a quick slash to Vice’s shoulder. “Too slow!” Both ponies grabbed each other and started to wrestle.

“Hey move it, Sir Fancylot! I’m trying to get a shot in without blowing your-UGHWAAH!” Bull It Buster felt a cold wetness blind him and he fired his guns in recoil. Bullets sprayed everywhere as the deranged pony tried in vain to wipe his eyes. “Ahh, it’s so cold it burns!”

“Hey watch it-gah!” Sir Cutter X suffered a graze and was finished by another jab to the face by Vice. The pony resumed his incapacitation on the ground. Vice retreated behind a tree to avoid being torn up by the still flying bullets.

“Vice!”

“Blitz?” A faint image of a snowball hitting Vice’s cheek swiped past his mind. “Did you throw a damn snowball?”

“Yeah! I think it did something!” Blitz found himself hiding behind a tree as well. He felt a sense of respite before all chaos unleashed within his body.

“Blue, blue!”

“Not this time, dickhole!” Before the orange creature could get another grip on Blitz, Vice grappled the beast by the neck and started to choke him out. The pony flailed its claw-like hooves and screeched in terror. “Feisty little bugger!”

“Get this cold piss outta my eyes!” Bull It Buster refused to cease fire. The constant sound of banging rattles ran through the air.

“Bah, let me shut him up! C’mere!” Vice maneuvered his grip on the orange creature and trapped the pony within his wings. Vice leaped forward and managed to hurl the monster straight at the spazzing gunner. The two mentally unstable ponies collided with a crack.

“That’s pretty good. Is this your horse friend by the way?”

Vice cursed before facing a delicate situation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Ahh, still playing the innocent, shady type I see. Trying to hide the truth.” Sir Cutter X pointed his blade at a confused Blitz. “Ask him, where he’s really from. I can tell you that he’s a big liar.”

“Don’t listen to him, Blitz. He’s trying to get into your head.”

Blitz shook his head and pointed back at the bladed pony. “I don’t even know you. But I can tell you’re not the pony I’d like to trust.”

Sir Cutter X chuckled. “What. These?” He raised his bladed hooves. “I’m not that scary, am I?”

“No, you’re actually not,” Blitz said nonchalantly.

“You dare insult-” The pony was sent to the embracing ground again as Vice swooped in quickly to shut down the distracted leader.

“Nice thinking, Blitz,” Vice said with an impressed smile.

“Can we just get out of here so I can tell Clyde what’s happening-”

“NO! No, no, dude. We aren’t telling anyone-pony about this.”

“Are you freaking kidding me, Vice? I’m telling Clyde no matter what and you can leave me; whatever. I’m tired of you guys keeping secrets and I’m not going to keep quiet about this.”

“You idiot, Blitz!”

“You’re the idiot!”

“God, you stubborn-”

“Enzo!” Blitz pointed towards the black stallion still defending against his two attackers.

“Getting tired yet?” Joltaire said as he fired another energy ball.

“I wouldn’t be talking,” Enzo said as he dodged with ease.

“Heheh, you’re still vicious to the very end.”

“Why me? Why can’t you just leave me alone!”

“Because you deserve death. We all deserve death, but you’re just going first.” Joltaire kept a fair distance between his prey as he never lifted his aim off Enzo. “We’re bad souls trapped in a pure world. You taint this world just as much as I do.”

“I’ve changed,” Enzo said. “I am not-”

“There is no change; a killer will always be a killer. Designed to destroy and designed to take lives was our cause. Deep down, we are all the same to our core.” Joltaire shook his head as he spoke. “Sir Cutter X may be running the show, but I’m still just as important and way cooler.”

As soon as Joltaire had finished his sentence, Enzo received a hard attack from Masquerade Blade from above. Enzo barely blocked a thrown saw blade and was forced to crouch. The pegasus forced all his weight into a full dive. Blade met saw as the two stayed in stalemate. Enzo started to push back in succession, but felt a sharp pain sear his right side. He felt coldness seep into his body and lost the battle as Masquerade Blade crushed his opponent into the ground.

“I’m not one to stand and watch.” Joltaire stood with his gun now spinning down. “Just because you’re facing another guy doesn’t mean I’m gonna let you both finish. It’s a cheap shot, I know, but then again they don’t call me a cheater for nothing.”

Dark blood slowly dripped down to Enzo’s legs. Masquerade Blade swung his blade and slapped Enzo with the flat part of the blade, sending him spiraling towards a tree. Blood stained the grass, as Enzo’s exposed wound bled itself dry.

“One shot is all it took, Enzo. One shot.” Both ponies were closing in, gun raised and blades ready. “Not as satisfying doing an execution, but hey, it’ll satisfy me enough.”

Masquerade Blade unleashed his ring blades and Joltaire fired. As the projectiles homed in on Enzo he closed his eyes and feebly raised his own blade. Collision happened and all projectiles met a reddened tree, missing their intended target by inches.

“Of course, you would run.” Joltaire watched as Vice carried both Enzo and Blitz through flight. He flew clumsily higher and higher until he reached the overgrowth above. The three disappeared through the green and the stallions below watched in dismay.

“They’ll be back,” Sir Cutter X said walking slowly towards his two partners. “We aren’t done.”

“You are; you were on the ground half the time,” Jolatire said grinning.

“Let me remind you who’s in charge and how you got a lucky shot,” Sir Cutter X said irritably. “This isn’t the first time Enzo has escaped death. In fact, death seems to be rushing by his side as we speak. However, our plan for Ponyville is still in effect.” Sir Cutter X raised an eyebrow before chuckling. “Ah, doctor, you just missed the party.”

“Terribly sorry,” Doctor Rivet said in rushed pants. “It seems everypony around here has limitless energy. I tend to tire our easily.”

Sir Cutter X nodded. “Well then, get to work on our special train when you can. Masquerade Blade come here. I have a mission for you that you’ll certainly like. Joltaire, rally everyone up. It’s time we start to act.”

Chapter 27: Lying in Wait

Three ponies drifted under Luna’s moon with agitation crawling all over. Each pony held a discomfort that crippled their spirit. Cold, shivering winds halted progress and hindered the already beaten ponies. Vice struggled to keep both ponies in flight as he sailed lower and lower into the night.

His body was coated with foreign, but familiar blood. Enzo continued to bleed as the cold pain in his side complimented with the frigid air. Blitz bit his cheek in dire anticipation. He watched Enzo’s blood drip dreadfully down his body, he cringed at the wound.

“God you guys are so heavy!” Vice said. Nobody responded and Vice continued to steer through the black sky. “I meant that in a very bad way, you guys are too heavy for me to carry!” At this point, Vice started to fly dangerously low. The green trees were approaching from under.

“Uh, Vice-”

“Yeah…I know.” Vice’s altitude dropped until he could barely feel the brushes of leaves. “Oh bad stuff! Uh, you guys better hang on ‘cuz I’m about to crash!”

“What?” Blitz said holding Vice even tighter.

“I said I’m about to go pound the ground!” Vice distinguished a patch of green as being grass instead of leaves. He arched himself straight for the clearing within the forest. “Blitz, you better not shit yourself on me! I better not see any brown…wait, nevermind my coat is-aw shit. Hang on Enzo!” The ground came up fast and before impact occurred, Vice tucked his wings under and in front. With gritted teeth, he crashed into the ground wings first. His metal dug and tore up the ground and grass, colors of brown and green flew by. Sparks began to fly as metal finally hit the rocky layer beneath. “Okay…okaaay-”

Vice finally slowed down to a plausible speed before digging his wings straight into the earth for a complete stop. Blitz toppled over out of sheer fright and Enzo slumped off of Vice’s back. “Okay, Enzo, just take it easy. We’re safe now.”

“Are we?” Blitz caught his breath before speaking abruptly.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“We have to have a serious conversation right now.”

Vice gave Blitz a stern look. “Is now honestly the best time?”

“You acted like you knew that crazy guy back there. If he’s with those ponies then I want an answer. Who are you Vice?”

“Dammit, Blitz, I just said now’s not the time-”

“Then when? I’m sick and tired of you being so mysterious. Stop treating me like useless trash and tell me answers! Why do you know Bullet Buster and how come that other guy told me to ask who you are?”

“Why should you listen to the bullshit that those guys say? Just because he tells you to do something doesn’t mean you’re obligated to do it. Unless you’re here to please everyone.”

“Listen, Vice, I just want to know one simple thing: who are you, really?”

“That’s not simple.”

“Darn it, Vice, answer me! Just tell me where you’re from, how exactly you got those wings and why you know that pony!”

Vice eyed Blitz with anger. “I can’t tell you!”

“Why.”

“Because…” Vice put a hoof to his head and wiped down his face in fury. “I can’t!”

“Yes you can! You’re just not choosing too for whatever stupid reason you always come up with. Vice, trust me and treat me like an equal for just one moment!”

“If I told you, it would destroy you. Everything you know about Equestria; blown away. I can’t tell you because I’m trying to protect you. Protect all of you guys from the shit I’m dealing with-the shit me and Enzo are dealing with! It’s not that simple!”

“Vice…” Enzo said softly. “If you think you can just shrug Blitz off like that…after all he’s seen-”

“Dammit, Enzo! I know what I’m doing. Are you really just going to tell him? Just like that; ruin what we’ve been trying so hard to keep away?”

“He deserves to know.”

“No, I can’t do that. Not to you!”

Enzo sighed and held his wound. “I’m not asking you. Blitz, we-”

“Alright you know what? Fine, fine we ended up crashing your train!”

Blitz shook his head. “What?”

“We were on our merry way to Ponyville when we saw your train being attacked by some guys. Me and Enzo, being the white knights we are, jumped in and tried to stop them. But we just ended up screwing the train over.”

Blitz took a deep breath. “So it wasn’t a freak accident?”

“No.”

‘They spoke of stealing trains in order to furnish their plan, but we’ve had much failure until recently.’ Blitz’s eyes lit up as the words of Doctor Rivet rang in his head. “Wait, Vice who were those guys you were fighting?”

“Told you enough, I’m getting Enzo out of here.”

“Just answer the question!”

“The bad guys. Literally that’s what they call themselves!”

“So that means Doctor Rivet is working for them, that means they are stealing trains.”

“Yeah that’s nice, you managed to figure it all-wait...they were responsible?”

“Assuming Doctor Rivet is working for those guys, then yes. I think I’m right that they are responsible.”

“Damn, that’s crazy. But, uh, can we get Enzo out of here now?”

“How?”

“BOYS!” A loud, muscular voice dispersed conversation. “There you are! What in Celestia’s name are you doing out-MISTER ENZO!”

“Hi Clyde,” Enzo said with a feeble smile.

“Agh my God! Now I’m gonna have to tell-alright listen, Clyde, and listen well,” Vice said. “You too Blitz. We met some bad ponies in the forest and Enzo got hurt in a fight. That’s it. Now can we please get to a goddamn hospital, my friend is bleeding out!”

Clyde’s face filled with confusion. “Excuse me-I don’t understand. Bad ponies?”

“Clyde, you should probably get Enzo to the hospital. I can explain; I’ve pieced together what’s going on here.”

“Hardly, Blue Boy.”

“Listen, I’m not going to argue with you anymore. If you’re going to be so secretive then fine. I’m telling Clyde what I know whether it be right or wrong. At least I’m helping instead of being selfish.”

Vice’s face flared with rage, his eyes sparked with fire. “Selfish? You think I’m goddamn selfish? I am anything but selfish, you-”

“Hey!” The most serious and angering voice came from Clyde. “Mister Enzo is in need of medical attention. You two can argue elsewhere, I’m taking Mister Enzo to the hospital right this second!” Clyde approached Enzo with certainty and lifted the black stallion onto his back. Blood contrasted against his white coat, but Clyde disregarded the effect. “My mustache is all that matters, Mister Enzo, not my coat.

Enzo chuckled a bit before looking at Vice. The two exchanged long conflicted glances before Clyde flew up high. “I suggest bringing Mister Blitz to Miss Twilight’s home. I will head there after I drop off Mister Enzo.”

Vice grumbled before accepting. “Fine, c’mon Blitz. No more questions alright? You can tell Clyde whatever you want-I don’t care.” Blitz nodded before climbing onto Vice. “No homo…”

Both pairs of escorts acknowledged each other before flying to their intended destinations. The moon watched eerily from above with the icy breeze flowing in the startling night.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, Blitz, we’re here.”

“Thanks, Vice. Tell Enzo I hope he gets better.”

“Yeah.” Vice prepped instantly for take-off.

“Hey Vice.”

“What is it, Blitz?”

“I’m sorry for back there. It just gets annoying sometimes. You can tell me…about yourself when you’re ready.” Blitz smiled and nodded apologetically.

Vice grunted with sincerity. “Sure.” He left Twilight’s house with a slow pace. “I’m sorry for back there too. Shouldn’t have yelled at ya.” After he was sure he was alone, he whistled a low tune. “I’m sorry about everything.”

Blitz watched Vice leave and turned to knock on Twilight’s door. He almost made contact with Twilight’s head and jumped back. “Oh, Twilight?”

“Hey Blitz, I saw Vicer dropping you off here. You’ve been gone all day, did something happen?”

“No-well, um…” Blitz tilted his head back and forth. “Not really, I’m fine.”

“Clyde came here earlier saying that something was happening in the forest next to Sweet Apple Acres. He sent a message to Celestia herself calling for more guards through Spike so I’m pretty sure something happened,” Twilight said. “I’m not stupid, Blitz, so please tell me what’s going on.” This time she spoke seriously.

Blitz sighed. “Okay, I was planning on just telling Clyde, but you deserve to know too.” He paused. “Uh, how should I say this...”

“By saying it.”

“Alri-I got attacked by a few ponies.”

Twilight’s serious face sagged. “Oh my.”

“Yeah, I had an encounter with some bad folks. Um, let’s just say we had a fight and Enzo got hurt pretty badly.”

Twilight shot her eyes down. “How bad?”

“…he was bleeding nonstop from his side. He got shot by a magic bullet.”

Twilight stayed speechless. “I see.”

“I learned about their so-called plan to do some bad things-geez. I don’t wanna burden you with bad news.”

“No, please continue. I’m not the type to faint that easily.”

“Right. So these guys in the forest, they said they were stealing trains or something and that they were going to take over Ponyville. It was all part of their plan; I can give you a list of names.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, almost jokingly. “Why would anypony want to do that?”

“I don’t know…”

“Then again, my friends and I have certainly dealt with villains in the past eying Ponyville. But this is different…with Enzo being hurt and all. You are okay, by the way?” Twilight pointed sheepishly towards Blitz’s leg.

“Oh yeah, about that. Twilight, I didn’t think it was possible. But, I created snow without any water or anything. I also didn’t feel a thing in my leg. Is this normal?”

Twilight grinned. “It seems you had a little adrenaline rush. Magical-and physical-strengths often get amplified under certain blood rushed situations.”

“Huh…” Blitz looked back at his leg and smiled. “That’s pretty cool.”

“Mmhm.” Twilight’s smile faded as she stared distantly out her window. She sighed again. “I just don’t understand why. Why somepony would hurt Enzo so bad to the point where he’s in a fatal condition. It doesn’t make any sense. Even the angriest, craziest ponies I’ve met couldn’t even will themselves to-wait, nevermind. Trixie.” Both ponies laughed at the lightening joke. “But, honestly. I can’t comprehend any logical reasoning for it.”

“I just hope he’ll pull through,” Blitz said staring at the ground.

“Don’t worry; I’m sure he’s going to be well. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Yeah, you too.”

“What?” Twilight broke her gaze from the window.

“Uh-I’m glad you’re okay too.”

“Thanks?”

“Sorry, uh, yeah.” Blitz saw something twinkle in the distance. “I should go check my snow globe.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Mister Enzo, please hang on for just a little longer. I can see the hospital you’re going to be all right. Hang in there. DON’T YOU DARE DIE ON ME, MISTER! You’ll be sorry if you do!”

“Eh, I’ll try not to, Clyde!”

Clyde rushed faster and faster until he barely dived into the red tinted hospital doors. He busted through and was met by a very eager Gray Patch.

“Ah, welcome back, Mister Cl-” Gray Patch’s bright red eye darkened. “Enzo.”

“Excuse me, Mister Gray Patch.” Clyde stampeded past the pristine pony. “I need a doctor now!”

Ponies in white coats filed in as Clyde called out. “Hello, hello! I heard we have a problem!” The doctor recognized Clyde and instantly grew a worried, but determined face. “Clyde, you’re back and I see we have another incident.”

“Yes, please make sure Mister Enzo is taken care of.” Clyde gingerly handed off Enzo’s bloodied, black body on a stretcher. The head doctor nodded before wheeling Enzo down a whitened hallway.

“This is my fault,” Gray Patch said behind Clyde.

“Mister Gray Patch, nothing-or should I say nopony-can be blamed but me for this.”

“No.”

“Mister Gray Patch, as the guard of Ponyville…the only guard in Ponyville, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of its citizens. The fact that Enzo has gotten hurt is my fault. I should’ve tried harder to protect him.” Clyde’s voice started to break. Gray Patch watched in dismay at the proud pony. “I failed.”

“Don’t say such a thing like that, Clyde. Nothing could’ve prepared you, or us, for what happened in that forest.”

Clyde’s eyes widened. “How did you know what happened in the forest?”

Gray Patch shrugged. “I can just tell it was certainly different.”

“Right.” Clyde looked down the now empty hallway. “But, that doesn’t excuse me for anything. Mister Enzo is in critical condition because of me. Mister Gray Patch, I am going to find out who’s responsible.”

“I wouldn’t advise doing that by yourself.”

“Mister Gray Patch, I need to-”

“Getting yourself killed won’t solve anything.” Gray Patch eyed Clyde intensely. “Enzo and Vice barely made it out alive and trust me on this, they know how to fight.”

“Mister Gray Patch, what do you mean?”

Gray Patch looked away. “Just take it slow. For now.”

Clyde brushed his mustache and shook his head. “I can’t.”

“You have to.”

~~~~~~~~~

Enzo stared at the dimming ceiling, his vision blurred from every single spot. Voices sprang from every direction and all sense of feeling was lost.

‘There is no change; a killer will always be a killer. Designed to destroy and designed to take lives was our cause. Deep down, we are all the same to our core.’ Joltaire’s words echoed harshly in Enzo’s mind. ‘You deserve death.’

“No.” Enzo raised a hoof, but was put down.

“Please, sir, stay calm. We’re going to help you.”

‘I am not a killer, I am not a killer.’ More bright lights flickered in and out of Enzo’s sight. ‘I don’t kill.’ More voices and finally Enzo felt himself lose consciousness. His eyes radiated with fear and turned into confusion. He bared his teeth as he passed out. ‘I’ve changed.’

Chapter 28: Enzo's Night Off (Part 1)

A musty smell of chemicals wafted into the waiting lobby. One pony sat statue-like without reaction to the passing ponies. Quietness and respite filled in for anxiety and dread. Gray Patch sat with troubling thoughts as he awaited a report from the doctors. “Enzo…”

“Mister Gray Patch.” Clyde had reappeared in the waiting lobby. His mustache was propped up with positive energy. “Mister Enzo is doing fine. The doctors say that he will make a full recovery from this terrible incident.”

Gray Patch sighed and smiled. “That’s definitely reassuring news.”

“Indeed.”

Gray Patch stood up, but hesitated to speak. “Clyde, I am sorry, again, for what happened.”

“Don’t say it’s your fault, Mister Gray Patch,” Clyde said. “I’ve already taken that responsibility. After all, we’re only ponies after all. It can’t be helped.”

“Right, we’re just ponies…”

A crash snapped conversation and left both ponies surprised, but understanding. “Where’s Enzo! Is he alright?” Vice bolted past the reception desk towards Clyde and Gray Patch. “He’s still alive, right! That bastard can’t die on me!”

“Mister Vice, Mister Enzo is doing well,” Clyde said walking towards Vice.

“Good, ‘cuz he better be ready for a big ass hug.”

“Erm, Mister Vice, you cannot just waltz in-”

“Yeah, uh, sorry. I kinda need to see my goddamn friend!” Vice flew by Clyde and turned corner down the long, emptied hallway. He pushed past medical carts and various doctors as he pursued his friend. Grunting, he entered the familiar room he had visited not so long ago. “Enzo!”

“Hey, you are not allowed in here-ah, who let this pony in here?” One of the doctors said.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you-”

Vice put a hoof on the doctor’s shoulder. “Please, gimme a second with my pal.”

“Sir-”

“Thanks.” Vice pushed past all doctors and came upon Enzo lying peacefully in a white bed. The black stallion was layered in bandages to the side and his red scarf was missing. “Enzo.”

“Vice.” Enzo smiled bubbly at Vice’s appearance. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here. Are you alright?”

“Oh my lord, Enzo. Asking if I’m alright?” Vice sighed.

“I’m fine, Vice.”

“Yeah, but everything around us isn’t.” Vice leaned in closer. “About the stuff that happened in the forest. I mean, we can’t be quiet forever. But I’m not willing to tell anyone anytime soon. Now we have to get rid of these new jackasses along with that Rivet.”

“Vice, we’re telling Clyde, Blitz, Applejack; we’re telling everyone,” Enzo said. Vice’s face twisted into annoyance, but Enzo shook his head. “We can’t stay anonymous like this. Not anymore.”

“Bah, we can pull it off,” Vice said shrugging.

“I don’t want to though. I want them to know because they deserve to know the truth.”

Vice let his head drop and rubbed his face down with his hoof. “Alright, but not now. I don’t need everyone shitting their pants-uh-shitting right now.”

“Right.”

“MISTER VICE!” Clyde’s muscular physique appeared behind Vice with great intensity. “I know you’re concerned about Mister Enzo, but he needs his rest.” A hoof was placed on Vice’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Vice nodded and turned to Clyde with open arms. “Alright, bossman, take me away!” He turned back to Enzo. “Get better, bro.”

“I will,” Enzo said with a laugh. He watched as the two ponies exited and slumped deeper into his bed sheets. The warmth soothed his cold side; the soft pillow eased his worries. Yet, he still had a bad thought bouncing around his brain. ‘Killer. To be a killer.’ Enzo sighed in pain. ‘What Joltaire said in the forest, about us being killers. He’s wrong. Just because I’ve…done things in the past-no, I can change. I have changed and so has Vice. We’ve both changed and they don’t understand. Hopefully, everyone in Ponyville will.’

~~~~~~~~~~

The moon cast its luminescence over Enzo’s bed with supporting rays of light. His eyes creaked open with stiffness. “Oh…” He struggled to move any part of his body as serenity and calmness circulated throughout his worn out body. Finally rising, he pushed himself above his bed sheets and stared out the moonlit window. Nighttime had taken over, the darkness loomed above. Two short knocks occurred and Enzo jumped a bit.

“Hello? Enzo, it’s us. Blitz and Twilight.”

“Oh, um, come in I guess.”

The pale, tinted red door slid open and in walked two unicorns. “Enzo, oh my Celestia, are you alright?” Blitz said as he rushed to the earth pony’s side.

“I’m fine, Blitz. I think,” Enzo said with a light heart.

“We’re sorry if we disturbed your much needed sleep, but Blitz insisted we see you immediately,” Twilight said. “To be honest, I was also worried to the point where I kind of needed to make sure you were in one piece. I’ve never seen sompony hurt this bad before.” Twilight’s voice dropped to low seriousness, but Enzo chuckled to lighten the mood.

“I understand, Twilight Sparkle, its fine. You didn’t bother me at all.”

“Blitz told me somewhat of what happened. I just want to say that I can’t believe somepony would do that to you. I mean, you seem like a nice pony. I can’t see how you could provoke somepony to do such a thing,” Twilight said.

Enzo’s red eyes dropped. “It’s complicated.”

“I see. Well, Clyde said he’s on top of this so I won’t bother you anymore about it. Even though I want to,” Twilight said jokingly.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. Here, I brought you something.” Blitz reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a nostalgic food item.

Enzo’s eyes darkened. “That’s not funny…”

“Sorry.” Blitz handed Enzo an AppleBran Bar with a smile. “But, I’m sure you won’t be stealing my things anytime soon. Not saying that because you’re not able to, um-never mind. Sorry.”

Enzo accepted with reluctance. “Won’t ever happen again,” he said placing the bar against his chest. “Well, I can’t say that for Vice.”

“Oh, and Enzo. I think almost everypony in town is lined up to see you. They’re all worried sick,” Twilight said.

“They shouldn’t be. I’m not that hurt, right?”

“Enzo, you almost died. Of course everypony is gonna be worried,” Blitz said with surprise. More knocks came from the red door.

“I think that’s Applejack right now,” Twilight said. “We better get going then, Blitz. I need to talk to you and Clyde about something.” Blitz nodded and the two waved before leaving. As they left, Applejack and her brother entered sternly.

“Enzo, it’s nice tah to see ya again. But, I didn’t expect us to meet like this,” Applejack said.

“Eeyup.”

“I’m fine guys, really. But, uh, about work-”

“We understand yer condition and we’ve decided that ya could use…a break.” Enzo almost let out a chuckle. “I also understand we’ve had a few problems in the past about breaks and all, but this time it’s for real. Ya can have as much time as ya need to recover.”

“Thank you, Applejack.”

“Eeyup.”

“You too, Bic Mac.”

“So, uh, how are ya holdin’ up? You feelin’ okay?” Applejack asked.

“Well I’m better than about half an hour ago.” Applejack didn’t look amused. “Yes, I’m feeling better.”

“That’s good tah hear. Me and Big Mac wish ya a full recovery soon so ya can get back to buckin’ trees. Tah be honest, you’re a natural. Ya even buck harder th’n me and mah brother sometimes!”

“Hehe, that’s an overstatement.” The bunch shared laughs and the Apple family waved goodbye before departing.

The two left and Enzo found himself in solitude. He gingerly placed the gift from Blitz on a nearby counter and rested his hooves back on his chest. ‘Everyone’s worried because of me. How could I have been so stupid to trust Vice-no, I can’t say that. I now know that they-they followed me here. That information is valuable in its own right. But still, I hate that everyone is worried.’ An image of a yellow mare shifted in Enzo’s mind. “Oh she’s probably worried sick!” Enzo twisted hastily in his bed. ‘Who am I to say that she’ll be worried? I mean, I can’t just assume she’ll be worried just because I talked to her once…but she’s the type to be worried. Gah, no. Wait yes? I don’t know. She shouldn’t care about-”

“Hello?”

Enzo felt his heart pop as Fluttershy entered the room. “…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in like this. I’ll just go outside-”

“Wait!” Enzo’s voice skyrocketed to its highest pitch as he stumbled forward. “Uh, you’re not ruining-I mean-bothering me.”

“...” The two stared at each other without saying another word. Silence quickly worsened the awkward situation as Enzo felt himself heating up.

“Um, so-uh-” As soon as Enzo opened his mouth, Fluttershy was rushing towards him with tears in her eyes. Her light sobs sank Enzo’s heart deeper and deeper. She had positioned herself up against Enzo’s non-damaged side and simply cried. All Enzo could do was lightly put his hoof on her head and rub her hair. He felt his own eyes tearing up out of sheer pain and despair. ‘Fluttershy…she cares this much about me? She barely knows me; we met over coincidence! I haven’t even tried to…get close to her. Crying over me…I can’t take this!’

“Hey, Fluttershy, um-uh.” Enzo tried desperately to stop the mare’s crying, but words escaped his still shocked soul. “Stop it, you’re gonna make me cry,” he said laughing nervously. This proved futile as Fluttershy continued to let her tears stain the bed sheets. “Please, you don’t have to cry over me. I’m fi-” Enzo choked on his own words as he felt his cheeks dampen.

“No you’re not,” Fluttershy said over her sobs. “You could’ve died!”

‘She’s right.’ Enzo breathed in fresh air of sureness. “You’re right. I could’ve died. But you shouldn’t keep crying over it. I’m here. I’m here and I’m still in one piece.” A sniffle and Fluttershy’s bawling ceased. “That’s better.”

“I’m s-sorry. I didn’t mean to have an outburst like that h-here!” Fluttershy said feebly. “I just couldn’t control myself; I had to see you when I heard what happened and I just let myself go.”

“Um, hey, it’s alright. Uh-shh you don’t need to freak out anymore.” Enzo masked his regret with a smile ‘Great now she’s gonna think-’

A light bittersweet giggle escaped from her mouth and warmed Enzo’s heart right up. “You’re the one who’s hurt telling me to calm down. I’m such a mess.”

Enzo went along and giggled with Fluttershy. “Don’t say things that aren’t true.” He spoke with full intent.

“Mmm.” Fluttershy kicked the ground softly. Without hesitation, she wrapped her hooves around Enzo and squeezed gently. Enzo sat still and let the mare embrace him. He slowly lifted his shaking hooves and placed them around Fluttershy’s waist. His breathing increased along with his heart rate. Fluttershy finally let go and grinned. “I hope that helped.”

“I-I-uh-I-bah-gah-” Enzo’s stuttering would not stop until he forced his own hooves upon his lips. “I do feel better. Thank you for that.”

Fluttershy’s grin turned serious for a moment. “Promise me never to do such a crazy thing like that again.”

“I promise,” Enzo said automatically. Fluttershy nodded and waved as she made her way outside the room. Enzo was alone again with his thoughts rising and bouncing back and forth. ‘So she really does care about me even if we’re still strangers. This is crazy.’ Enzo shook his head. ‘No, maybe this is just normal.’ He held a smile, but threw it away once another thought popped up.

‘But that promise.’ He bit his lip. ‘It’s a promise that I don’t know if I can keep. I just agreed to something I might not be able to hold up to.’ Worry and panic seeped back into Enzo’s soothed body.

“Knock, knock. Mister Enzo?”

‘Ahh who could it be now? I don’t need someone else crying on me; I wouldn’t be able to handle it!’

“Ah it’s me, Clyde. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

‘Oh good, Clyde’s not one to-’

“OH MISTER ENZO, MY SORROW FOR YOU IS TOO GREAT! MY ENDLESS DESPAIR HAUNTS MY BODY EVER SO!”

‘Oh.’ “Clyde you don’t have to do this…” Enzo turned away to hide his face. ‘Please don’t do this.’

Clyde eyed Enzo for a second. “My mustache yearns to comfort you, Mister Enzo. AND BY CELESTIA IT’S GOING TO!”

‘I should’ve just fallen asleep…

~~~~~~~~~~

“Enzo? Are you awake?”

Enzo’s eyes crept open and found a black figure staring at him with a red eye. ‘Okay I’m sorry this is getting ridiculous.’

“Hello, Gray Patch.”

“Yes, hello.” The pristine pony brought up a chair and placed himself elegantly on top. “You’re very strong.”

“Thanks.” Enzo sensed intense vibes echoing from the pony’s words. He sifted uncomfortably in bed.

“Are you sorry I sent you into the forest?” The words came out like bullets. Enzo contemplated his answer before shaking his head.

“No. I’m glad I was able to find out-um, something that happened in the forest.”

Gray Patch didn’t break eye contact and stayed silent as a response. “I see. By the way, did you happen to read my letter yet?”

Enzo mentally cursed as he forgot everything about the object of interest. “No. I’m sorry.”

“That’s quite alright. Just get to it when you can. It will explain everything trust me on that,” Gray Patch said. He reached into his pocket and revealed a slightly crumpled letter. He placed it on the counter next to Enzo. “Well, I tried to make that as brief as possible. I’d better leave you to your rest. I’ll see you around, Enzo.” Gray Patch got up and managed to slide the chair perfectly back into its original spot. He bowed and left.

Enzo’s mouth laid wide open. “Where did he-never mind. I should be able to get to it in a few minutes. I just hope that’s the last one I meet tonight. Twilight Sparkle didn’t lie when she said everyone was worried about me.” Enzo reached for the letter and held it in the light. “Who is Gray Patch?” He questioned air before letting out a delayed laugh. “I’m sure everyone else is wondering the same about me.”

‘Fluttershy.’

The embrace was still warm and fresh in Enzo’s mind and body. “I can’t do this to her. Tomorrow I’m telling everyone everything. I can’t keep my secrets…not from her. Vice, I’m sorry. I have to tell the truth. We’ve waited long enough.”

Chapter 30: Suspicion Erased Or Raised

The sun had already poked its fiery body above the horizon and shone extravagantly in the healthy sky. Its rays of purifying light stretched into the hospital’s thin windows, warming the place up with energy. The warmth made its way into each room, each patient. The uplifting force gave hope and ensured happiness. Enzo’s newly wrapped body felt this natural comfort at work.

His rebandaged side and freshly bandaged leg accepted the light invitingly. The black stallion slept peacefully and without sound. Enzo’s new room was a copy of his previous, albeit without the horrors of yesterday’s night to show.

A figure twitched and Enzo’s peaceful slumber broke as he opened one eye with instant reaction. He sat up abruptly and regretted the decision as he felt newly acquired pain in his side. Sitting back down, he tilted his head and sighed.

“Nothing.” He resumed his previous position, but found it futile to return to sleep. “The letter.” Enzo reached to the counter next to him, but stopped. 'The doctors or nurses probably took-’ He kept going reluctantly and felt a wrinkled note. His mind raced, but his body remained still in order to prevent further pain.

“Gray Shark, you never fail to amaze me.” Enzo picked up the note and opened it. The introduction appeared familiar and Enzo made his conclusion. “Still the same. I hope he didn’t get paranoid and write another one just in case.” The words on the page were still the same and of the same handwriting. Enzo skimmed to the part he left off at and made a vow to finish reading what was left:

It is me, Gray Shark. I know you may find it unbelievable, but I also ended up here along with you and your friend as well who I assume is from our world. Nevertheless, I want to warn you about a few instances. One, I have suspicions and facts that we aren’t alone in this world. I mean that in a sense that a few...undesirables followed us through the portal.

“The portal. There it is again.”

'From the portal.’ The image of Sir Cutter X saying the same thing swiped through Enzo’s head. He didn’t pause for too long:

Beware of the sins; beware the one with gauntlets, the one with the tuxedo, the one with the cane, and the one with the feathered cavalier. You will know what I mean. That being said, be careful out there, Enzo. I wish you luck in how you are living your life. To be honest, I’m already getting used to Equestria. But, the memories of the past will never be erased. Should we ever return...I’m not sure if I want to go back to the hellhole we lived in.

Best regards,
Gray Shark

Enzo looked up from the letter and fell straight back into his bed. His body compressed into the mattress as he tried to recover from his startled self. “Everyone has to stop doing that.”

Vice was sitting next to the window, sunlight outlined him. He simply gazed outside and didn’t turn to look at Enzo. “It happened again, didn’t it?”

“What?” Enzo said returning to normal.

“You got attacked. You were hurt and I couldn’t do shit about it.”

“Vice, I-how did you know-”

“I’m not stupid. I’m your friend. I saw what happened in the other room.”

Enzo’s surprise was unnoticed by Vice. ‘So, Nurse Redheart really did leave the room like I asked her to.’

“So, tell me what happened.”

“I-I got attacked. By Masquerade Blade, one of my rivals.”

“Thought some shit like that would happen.” Vice shook his head with defeat. “I wasn’t there to protect you. Enzo, I failed you.”

“Don’t say that. No one could have predicted-”

“I could’ve if I was just smart enough, but I’m just a big dumbass. Enzo, I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough!”

“Vice, stop, please. I’ve already had enough people worried over me already. I don’t need your concern on top of it all, really.”

“Right. Right. That’s why I did you favor. I followed your word.”

“What?”

“When you said we needed to tell everybody about…us, I was afraid. Afraid of rejection and afraid of isolation. Afraid of the unknown. Again. But I’m not afraid anymore, Enzo.” Vice spoke in a whisper despite his solitude with Enzo. “Today, Applejack came up to me and said she understood what I was going through. She gave me time off, Enzo. She said she finally understood what it meant to be me.”

“Vice, what are you trying to get at?”

Vice smiled faintly. “We got some explaining to do.” He turned towards the door and stood up. “Hey, everybody-pony, whatever! Get in here, we’re ready!”

Enzo gasped as he realized what Vice was trying to achieve. The red door opened and a familiar group entered the room. Clyde accompanied Blitz as they and the Mane Six entered the room.

“Finally, we’ve been waiting for like ten minutes out there! I’ve got things to do!” Rainbow Dash said fluttering in with arms crossed. “This better be important.”

Vice glanced at Enzo. “Yeah, it’s kinda important.”

Rainbow Dash’s face lit up and she shied away. “Oh yeah, right. About you’re-”

“Well then, Mister Enzo, how are things?” Clyde said covering up for Rainbow Dash’s ignorance of Enzo’s situation. “And, Mister Vice, what was it that you had to explain to us?”

“Yeah, how come you told us not to go in that room, huh?” Pinkie Pie said bouncing with curiosity. “Was there a party in there that I missed and it was so big that the room just exploded and we couldn’t go in there?”

“No-just hold on. Is everyone here?”

“Yes, Vicer, everypony you asked for is here,” Twilight Sparkle said eying the group quickly. “Will you explain now? I’m interested to hear what you’ve called us all here for.”

“Likewise,” Blitz said.

Enzo, still in his bed, spotted Fluttershy and instantly blushed. He masked himself with a poker face and tilted his eyes away. However, this action proved inefficient as he winded up looking back at the mare. She smiled and stayed silent.

“Alright, everyone listen up. I called y’all here for an important piece of information…concerning us two guys,” Vice said.

“You two?” Applejack said. “What-”

“It’s about our past. AKA where we’re from. Blitz, you’re gonna love this.”

Blitz stepped forth and tilted his head. “So am I finally gonna get some answers here?”

“Yes,” Enzo said now getting into what Vice was planning. “We’ll explain. You all are going to know everything.”

Vice fidgeted in anxiety all of a sudden, but calmed himself quickly. “Right. So, uh, I guess I’ll start by saying…ugh, how should I put this.”

Blank stares filled in with silence. “By just saying it.” He winked at Twilight who merely smiled.

Vice stopped shifting in place and smiled happily. “We are from the future.”

“Excuse me?” Twilight said almost falling over.

Vice waited as everybody in the room gave him the crazy look. “Haha, I’m just kidding. But, uh, actually-yeah we’re kinda from a different place.”

Blitz pondered the idea before chuckling, to Vice’s dismay. “So you mean, like, another dimension or something?”

“Sure, I’m glad you put it-”

“Oh my Celestia…” Blitz’s chuckling increased to a forceful laugh. “Vice, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Wha-”

“Mister Vice, are you alright? You haven’t been doing strange things recently?” Clyde asked brushing his mustache. “This isn’t the best time to be fooling around. I thought this was important.”

“Oh my-I can’t even. I can’t even! You all are taking this as a big joke-okay,” Vice said heating up. His face grew bright red with embarrassment and fury.

“Hey, that’s not so bad of a joke. I like it!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Yeah, Vice, nice one. I got a good laugh,” Blitz added.

“Great, you called me here over a joke,” Rainbow Dash complained. “Oh well, if you need me I’ll be outside getting some sunshine-”

“Aw this is fucking great.” All conversation ceased as Vice let out his anger in curses. “God damn awesome. I finally-I trust you-I’m done. Enzo, I’m sorry but I’m done. Fuck it!” Vice raised his hooves and shrugged before heading out the door. He kept his eyes forward without looking back at the stunned ponies. “Holy hell!” He was almost outside before something stopped him completely.

“Get back here!” He turned and faced Enzo. “You can’t expect them to believe you that easily. Don’t you give up that easily. You hear me?”

Vice closed his eyes and sighed. He swung around on one leg and dramatically re-entered the crowded room. “Yeah.”

After recuperating from the sudden swears, Twilight spoke up. “Um, okay. So, wait, you’re saying you guys are from another…dimension?”

Vice feebly looked back and nodded. “Yes. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

“That’s-”

“The craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” Blitz interrupted with a stern face. “Multiple dimensions can’t exist, how’s that possible? How can you just jump to another? You can’t.”

“If you’d shut the hell-”

“Ahem, Mister Vice, please watch your tone this time,” Clyde said quietly. “Please.”

“Would you kindly stop talking and let me…try to explain.” Vice eyed Enzo once more before shaking his head. “Look, I know that all this sounds like complete bullshit but you have to understand.” The faces still struck Vice as doubtful and barren inexpression. “I can’t make you all believe or even understand how or why or what, but hear me out. This is hard for me to explain because I don’t understand it either. Just-”

“I believe you,” Twilight said plainly. “Really, I do.”

“What?” Blitz said.

“I could sense some sort of foreign magical barrier surrounding the two when I first met them. However, I never brought it up because-well, I thought it would be rude and I never really got the chance to ask. I guess the answer was given granted I waited long enough,” Twilight said shrugging. “But, I would’ve never assumed this. A different dimension...”

“It’s complete crap! That’s just impossible! That’s stuff you hear in myths and fiction; ponytales! This is just like a dream or something. It can’t be logically right,” Blitz said still fired up on his denial of the subject.

“Like I said before, Blitz, multiple dimensions exist...but I’m curious. Dimension jumping is nearly impossible, you’re right, if you’re-well not a unicorn. Even then it’s hard for somepony like me to maintain connection for more than five minutes at most. How are you two able to stay here? Is there another unicorn accompanying you? The magic spell would’ve worn off by now.”

“Spell? Twilight, it’s not a spell,” Vice said. “And it’s just us two.”

“Then how-”

“What we’re trying to say is that we’re from another dimension...and also another world,” Enzo answered for Vice.

“Another world? As in a world that’s not Equestria?”

“Yes, it’s-”

“Oh my goodness! This is amazing!” Twilight exclaimed with a jump. “Entities not only from another dimension, but from another world entirely!” Twilight’s face beamed with excitement and she started to slightly bob in place. Pinkie Pie joined in Twilight’s merriment and the two danced about while laughing loudly.

“Twili-how can you just believe them like that? This is crazy! You’re just going to trust them? Just like that? I know you better-”

Clyde rested a stern hoof on Blitz’s shoulder and spoke solemnly. “Let it go, Mister Blitz. Just let it go.”

Blitz protested harshly, but eventually let his quarries die down. He put a hoof to his head and shook it. “Unbelievable.”

“I’m going to have to run some tests and gather as much information as possible!” Vice and Enzo gave each other worried looks. “You will comply, right? Of course, oh this is excellent! How is it; what is your world like?”

“Hell,” Vice said softly. “More or less so.”

“What?”

“Death, totalitarian slash fascist dickhead as ruler-the worst kind-uh, lots of corruption; oh the complete opposite of Equestria pretty much.”

“Oh, I would never have suspected-” Twilight’s anxiousness flat lined completely.

Vice put up a hoof to reassure. “No, it’s fine. Like I said earlier, don’t expect you all to understand what...or who we are.”

“Hey, um, I still don’t get it.” Blitz said loudly. He stomped his hooves in frustration. “I can maybe accept all this nonsense, but you said you’d explain things. Now you’re just confusing us even more. Who are you?”

Vice sighed heavily. “Okay, ‘ere goes.” He cracked his neck, looked straight ahead and spoke in a monotone voice. He did not blink once. “Name: Victor Vicer, The Brown Eagle. Serial number: E021. Installation: Operation Death Skies. Fly-Bye leader of Sixth Squad Air. ‘Born to bomb’.” After finishing he turned to Enzo and lowered his hooves. The spotlight was on him.

“Victor Vicer-serial-Sixth Squad-” Blitz intercepted. “I don’t-”

“Name: Enzo Endante, The Quiet Kickboxer. Serial Number: A026. Installation: Silent Steel. Sniper unit of Shadow Regiment. ‘Kill quick, speak zero’.” Enzo mimicked Vice’s dry tone with perfect accuracy.

Blitz’s face twisted into increased anger, confusion and even fatigue. “What are you two talking about! I don’t understand!”

“Our world, our hell,” Vice said breaking away from his monotone voice. “I never believed in other worlds like you, I’ll admit. I didn’t believe in magic or talking horses either. But, after being cast into this world, into your world, my beliefs got flushed down the system.”

“Can you please speak normally and stop talking in riddle or whatever. We. Don’t. Understand.” Blitz said. The group agreed in consensus with broken nods.

“We, you guys versus us, we are from a different world and dimension. We got here through some sort of portal,” Enzo said.

“We are different than you. Physically...and mentally,” Vice added.

“Yes. Look at my leg.” Enzo removed his blanket covers and exposed his bandaged hind leg. The white taping was already a dirty dark maroon. Enzo carefully unrolled his leg and threw aside the tainted white cloth. A few screams came from the mares and both Clyde and Blitz reacted with a hoof over the mouth. “Take a good look at what’s different about me.”

“You’re leg,” Fluttershy said with immense worry. “You’re bone...it’s all metal.”

“That’s right,” Enzo said gesturing to his exposed leg. A dark bluish metal cylinder seemingly replaced the position where Enzo’s bone would be. “My leg bones are specifically replaced with chromium coated tungsten.”

“The strongest combination of plating and metal from our land. It’s specially designed to be virtually indestructible. No one breaks that stuff, it breaks you.” Vice took the moment to step forward and spread his wings. “Take a look at my wings too. Really examine them beauties.”

As the group shifted their attention, Rainbow Dash screamed in horror. “You’re metal thingy, it’s...inside your wings. It’s inside your back!”

“Bingo. I always tended to hide my wings if you never noticed. Why do you think I wore a trench coat?” Vice chuckled with silent stares looming around him. “This metal around and inside my wings is pure titanium with steel attachments here and there. Not as strong as Enzo’s legs, but certainly useful for flying. Agile and strong; just how I like ‘em.”

“So what are these metal devices?” Twilight said still calmly. “How does this connect to your world? And are you ponies in your world? Please continue.”

“No,” Enzo said. He motioned for everyone to look at his wrist band. Two clicks and his blade extended. “We’re killing machines.”

“Our world is not organic, if you will,” Vice said. “If you will. And you will. Ever hear the term, robots are gonna take over and destroy all humanity?” Less than half the group nodded. “That’s what happened. Our world, called Earth, used to be full of organic life forms called humans. Imagine yourselves, right, creating new technology every day. Well, one day, you, Equestria-ns? Equestrians make a great big discovery and figure out how to make machines that acted exactly like you. Well that’s what happened with our world; machines with free will and free thoughts. Technology was at the point where people started to play God. I was one of the first few to be created.”

“As with me,” Enzo said.

“But...do you know what our purpose was as free thinking machines? War. We were created for the sole purpose to kill; to destroy. Tactically, we were better than remote controlled machines because we could think on our own in battle. The humans saw the risk versus reward and took reward without regret. Soon enough more robots got created. That’s when the big boss comes in. We called him Ultra Pride. A machine created entirely out of specialized chromium coated titanium. He was invincible. Do you know what happens when you create something invincible with free will? When you try to play God, you get destroyed and that’s what happened. He turned on the humans and this invincible machine created an army, solicited other dangerous robots and just tore up our world. It was like fascism all over again; robots were the supreme.”

The whole group stayed silent out of fear. Nobody dared to interrupt Vice’s explanation, not even Blitz.

“Now before you ask, yes, it was the humans’ fault that they screwed themselves. I mean, I ain’t the brightest guy out there and I could tell they were digging their own grave even before they started building...us.”

“It wasn’t their fault,” Enzo broke in. “You can’t blame them as a whole.”

“For the most part they screwed the pooch. Okay, so maybe like a couple million were genuinely good. But, being the cynical bastard I am, I like to think that they all tried to suck God’s dick and ended up getting blasted with reality cream,” Vice defended.

“That’s just an ignorant thing to say. You and I both know that they got the unfair end of the deal when things started going bad. You can’t just group them together like that!”

“Hey, ignorance is bliss then,” Vice said shrugging. “Now, being the idiots we were, me and Enzo tried to fight back. We sided with the humans and we lost. We lost hard. A holocaust, a genocide, mass killing; you name it. The human race was wiped out and machines ruled as the dominant species. Of course, we were-and still probably are-targeted as high class terrorists against Ultra Pride’s shitty government. This dude recreated everything, indoctrinated everyone. He won. The production of robots stopped and everything that existed would remain the same forever. You were either alive or dead. That’s it; no change. That’s the way it worked and that’s how it’s always going to work. Everything stood at a standstill, Earth stopped evolving.”

“That is what our devices are for as machine-like remnants of our former selves,” Enzo said waving his blade. “Also, you may have noticed our blood being darker than usual. As robots, we were constructed to be exactly like humans. Facial features, personality, anatomy; we were supposed to be humans. We bled like humans and acted like humans. But we weren’t. We were monsters.”

“Hey, I was pretty sexy back then before...well I got turned into a horse,” Vice said. “Oh and there’s another thing, how the hell we got here you’re all probably wondering. That’s simple. As we hid from the big boss, we met another rebel machine called Electric Flaire. Good guy, one of my only friends besides Enzo. Anyway, he was obsessed with...um, you guys and this drove him to insanity. He wanted to physically meet up with you guys, so he spent his time studying on how the hell to make a portal.”

Twilight was the first to finally catch what Vice had said. “Wait, obsessed with us? How can that be if we reside in two different worlds?”

Vice smiled and shook his head as usual after mentally piecing together his explanation. “Now I’m fine with you finding this complete crap. Equestria, and all of you guys, are part of a TV show. That’s right.”

Eventually everybody caught on and whispers echoed everywhere. Nobody wanted to speak up their true feelings or questions. They were afraid. “I’m glad y’all are taking this somewhat nicely. So, you’re all a TV show called My Little Pony: Friendship is...Good?”

“Friendship is Magic,” Enzo corrected.

“Right, so as you can tell I don’t know anything about it. But let’s just go along with this and don’t ask how or why because I wouldn’t be able to explain.” The chatter stopped. “So Electric Flaire, he’s crazy to meet you guys and I don’t blame his ambition. He got me standing here in this world, right? The portal’s done within a few friggin’ years. That shit only took him so long to figure it out and I don’t even know how in God’s name he did it, but he did. Granted technology is pimped out I guess it wasn’t out of his ability, but goddamn portal to a different dimension. That’s stuff of fairy tales and fiction, but it was real. Something I thought would never work, could never exist, was in front of my face.”

“So where is this Electric Flaire?” Twilight spoke up. “He sounds like another interesting character that I’d love to talk to. If he can create portals to different worlds, maybe he can-”

“He didn’t make it here,” Enzo said softly. “He told Vice and I to go in first and he’d follow us through. He never came. I remember hearing him screaming that something was wrong. It was already too late; we were inside-”

“And being tossed like ragdolls,” Vice said. “The experience, you’re all wondering? I don’t know. One second I’m stepping into this spinning vortex of nightmares and the next I’m sitting in a field of green with my body aching. That was the first time in three hundred years I saw grass and trees. It also marked the day I lost my fingers and opposable thumbs.”

“Yes, we were instantly teleported and morphed into the inhabitants of this world. We don’t know how or why we didn’t retain our robot forms.”

“Yeah, pretty much we just changed like that, like magical bullshit,” Vice said. “I’d rather be-well, maybe not now, but I would’ve rather have been still a machine than a pony. Sorry.”

“We’ve certainly changed our views.”

Vice nodded, albeit weakly. “That was three years ago. Took us long enough to figure out that we need to breath,” Vice said breathing in air to make his point. “We also learned that we needed to eat and naturally we learned to fall asleep. It took us a long ass time to be and realize we were organic. That we had what we called human needs or in your case, pony needs. Robots don’t sleep, they don’t eat, they don’t breath, they don’t age, but they certainly felt pain. That was at least something the same. Oh yeah, I remember the time where we found out how to use the bathroom by pissing on-”

“Yeah, you get the idea. After that, we kind of just went along with how your world works. We were life-like for the first time, we had flesh and for the most part bones.”

“Yup. Apparently when we traveled here, it seems our machine-like aspects also fused with our body. My wings, Enzo’s legs and his wrist. All those devices were our shining grace in our world. They were our weapons of unique choice.”

Vice surveyed the blank faces and smirked with satisfaction. “Yay, story time is over. Does that all make sense now? Three years ago we get transported and changed into ponies, we get used to your world and we blend in, happy fun times.” Vice paused and proceeded to speak seriously. “Do you understand why we were so illusive? Do you get it now?”

“Yes,” Blitz said. “I get it now.”

“Good, ‘cuz my voice box is about to implode on itself-”

“I get that you’re all crazy!”

“Shoot me. Someone, off me right here.”

Blitz waited a bit before letting out a genuine chuckle and Vice laughed as well; the first time the two laughed together. “I understand kinda. I don’t understand, but I do at the same time. Knowing you and how you talk, the way you said all that makes me think it wasn’t a giant lie.”

“That’s good enough for me, bro.” Vice shuddered as he contemplated a conflicting thought. “It’s funny that you can believe I’m here within minutes, but it took me a couple years to accept that.”

“So…Victor,” Twilight said skeptically. “Why just Vice? And Enzo?”

“Victor ain’t really a name you hear often in your world,” Vice answered. “Same with the last name, Entante. It doesn’t work; we didn’t want to risk suspicion. So, Vice and Enzo worked fine and we still kept our identity. That’s important.”

“I see. So what should we call you now?”

“I think Vice and Enzo should be fine. I’m not complaining,” Vice said. As Twilight’s question received feedback, the room became awkwardly silent.

“Ahem, Mister Vice, I personally believe you. As a friend,” Clyde said in a stately manner.

“Same here, partner” Applejack agreed quickly. “Enzo, now I know how you were able to buck all those trees with ease.”

“...and I guess I can believe that you lost to me because of your heavy, fat metal wings,” Rainbow Dash taunted.

“Hey, I thought we agreed not to talk about that!”

“Hehe, sorry.”

“I also believed you two from the very start, Fluttershy said. “No matter how awful and horrible it sounds, I have to believe you because I care about you both. Honestly.”

‘She cares about me? Wow, that must mean the amount she cares about Enzo...damn!’ Vice thought.

“Thank you, Flut-tershy,” Enzo said choking on his words. He smiled to cover up, but failed as Fluttershy giggled.

Pinkie Pie’s eye grew with delight. “Oh, oh, oh! I believe you, I believe you!”

“And of course I believed every word you said. Such fascinating creatures,” Twilight said.

“Hey,” both ponies said.

“Oops, sorry that slipped out-uh, sorry.”

Silence flew over and all eyes turned on Rarity who remained quiet until the spotlight shone on her. She smiled and backed away a little bit before answering. “Well, I can hardly find such a tragic place to even exist.”

“Tell me about it,” Vice said.

“But, I believe you. Really, I do.”

Vice smirked his trademark smirk and did a mini fist pump. “Yeah...” He felt himself shaking. “Damn! Damn-holy mother!”

“That’s his way of saying thank you,” Enzo said with certainty. “Thank you all for trusting that we’re not...totally insane.”

“Yet,” Vice said.

“Funny.”

More silence followed and the group grew subtly restless. “So, I guess that’s it then?” Twilight said.

“Yeah, that’s about it,” Vice responded tiredly. Everybody nodded awkwardly before heading out the door.

“I still want to run some tests. Please?”

“Fine.”

Twilight nodded happily before following behind the departing group. Enzo and Vice watched, tension released, and simply waited. Minutes passed without speech or movement. The two just stayed still. They didn’t know how to react.

Vice’s head twitched and he scoffed. “They sure were in a hurry to leave.”

“You practically threw everything at them.”

“Hey, it was your idea.”

“I know, but-”

“But pish posh. They’ll be fine. S’not like we’re gonna go haywire or anything. They know us enough to trust us.”

Vice flopped himself on the bed adjacent to Enzo and whistled. He sat in direct sunlight and felt his body heat up with pleasure. “Ahh, freedom.”

“You’re sure quick to change.”

“Hey, that definitely went better than expected. You didn’t cry!” Vice said with a cocky grin. “And I didn’t swear-uh, more than three times.”

“Try like ten.”

“Hey, damn and hell and dick aren’t swears. Those are swears for pussies. The F word, mhmm, that’s a big boy swear for big boys like me.”

Enzo shook his head. “You think they really, truly trust us? After all we told them?”

“They gotta. Right? They’re not the type to discriminate against...former robots?” Vice closed his eyes in frustration. “Oh man I hate being a fleshy.”

“Hah, that’s the same thing you said when we first got here. Exact words.”

“Hmph, they’re words of wisdom. Anyway, I’m heading out to do some errands. I should be back before you fall apart.”

“That’s not funny, and where do you think you’re going?” Enzo sat up as he genuinely found himself concerned. “What are you planning?”

“I’m going in.”

Enzo’s face sagged into worry. “What?”

Vice sat up this time and faced Enzo. Only his lips moved as he spoke clearly. “I’m going to kick ass.”

“Stop joking. I’m dying.”

“No, really.”

Enzo tried to speak, but ended up muffling his words as he raised his hooves to comprehend what he had just heard. “Why.”

“To protect you.” Vice placed his hoof on Enzo’s chest. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“No-”

“Stop worrying about me and more about yourself; that’s your problem.”

“No, that’s your problem; you always rush into trouble!”

“For you!” Vice sighed. “All I do is for you.”

Enzo hesitated and calmed himself. “But...”

“But nothing. I’m going into that damn forest and I’m gonna send those motherfuckers straight back through the portal to hell.” Vice got up and stretched out his wings pridefully. He playfully strafed back and forth in combat stance. “Hey, I’m invincible.”

Enzo watched helplessly as his friend exited the room. He didn’t have the strength to physically move and the heart to call out. He hung his head low and cursed to himself bitterly. “I can’t have one good day. Every day is nothing but trouble.”

Chapter 31: Improving Build

“Twilight? I think you can calm down now. You’ve been at this for an hour, almost two, already.”

“Not now, Blitz, I’m almost finished.”

“Gah…” Blitz brushed his purple mane with unease as he continued to watch Twilight Sparkle write furiously. Her magically encased pen created legible strokes, despite her speed, with a constant pace.

“…and done!” Twilight jumped up with contentment. “I have just successfully recorded the whole conversation that we had earlier today about Victor Vicer and Enzo Endante.”

Blitz sighed. “Even though I said I believed them…I still think that it’s complete crap about what they said.”

“Blitz-”

“I’m sorry; it’s just hard to understand. I’m not as smart as you,” Blitz said as a joke.

Twilight frowned as she transported the written documents into her desk via magic. “Don’t say things like that. They’re not positive.”

“I-right. Still, I don’t find myself totally believing them word for word.” Blitz stared out of Twilight’s window into the watchful night. The moon was masked with multiple clouds as shadows swept to and fro from the ground. “I just can’t get the thought out of my head. Time travelers or dimension jumpers-whatever. That still sounds like crazy talk.”

“Well the craziest things tend to be the most interesting, don’t you think?” Twilight said.

Blitz felt slightly creeped out, but did not let Twilight sense his angst. “Well, in any case, I’m still on edge with them just like I always was. Except now, I don’t even know what to know or what to think about them.” He kicked at the ground before leaving to his bed area. Twilight watched quietly before leaving the unicorn to his solitude. Plopping himself on a crude wooden construct filled with pillowing, he turned and eyed his snow globe. It sat beautifully in place, sparkling Blitz’s soul with memories.

“At least I have something to believe in…” He picked up the globe and shook it lightly. The everlasting snowflakes did their typical dance and Blitz chuckled. “Fuzzy Fry, Bluebelle, Vice, Enzo, Twilight Sparkle, Clyde…Trixie. Everypony I’ve ever known. It looks like my past is fading; I’m starting to forget about Fuzzy and Bluebelle. Is that good? My ex-girlfriend and…lost friend are being replaced? Celestia, I don’t know anymore.”

“Um, I’m sorry, but I unintentionally just overheard that,” Twilight said reappearing next to Blitz. The blue stallion wrestled in his bed before hopping out. “What’s that about an ex-girlfriend? The past being thrown away.”

“Ahh-it’s not-” Blitz stopped and looked at his snow globe. It shined elegantly in the darkened room. He reconsidered his actions and smiled. “You know what? I’m not going to run from my past. If Vice and Enzo can tell their story, then so can I.” Blitz cringed.

“Uh, Blitz?”

“Sorry, it’s just comparing myself to Vice is…not pleasant. But, I feel like I have to tell somepony about this. I can’t just keep it bottled up.”

Twilight tilted her head followed by a smile. “Well you can tell me anything, Blitz. I’m always here to listen and observe.”

“Okay.” Blitz pursed his lips trying to sort his thoughts out. “So, way before I got here about three months ago, I was living with my two best friends, Fuzzy Fry and Bluebelle. We were all school friends pooling together our money to pay for the house expenses. Fuzzy had a job as a toy maker and Bluebelle worked as head manager of some strange company. I-well, I didn’t find any jobs. Nopony would hire me.”

Twilight nodded slowly and frowned. “That’s why you came here right? To look for a job?”

“Yup. Things were going well, though. I stayed home and kinda kept things in shape. Time went by and I started going negative if you know what I mean.”

Twilight nodded again.

“I started doubting myself like a fool and became depressed if that’s what you want to call it. But I hid that from my friends, no need to bring them down with me, right? Wrong. Bluebelle saw through me and tried to help. I pushed her away.” Blitz paused and took a deep breath. “Eventually we started…dating.” The blue unicorn held a faint smile. He almost giggled.

“That barely lasted. It was good though, I really…liked her. I did. Time went on, and we were still seeing each other but she felt out of it. She wasn’t as vibrant as before. One day me and Fuzzy were goofing around as usual, wrecking the house and she opens the door and just screams. She said that she couldn’t take it anymore, that we were still colts in a stallion world. I didn’t know what that meant until it was too late. She said she was leaving because she had to teach us what it meant to grow up.”

Blitz gritted his teeth. “And she was right. We were three ponies living in a dying house with barely any food. She made the money while me and Fuzzy played around. At that moment, I felt empty. The one mare I thought cared about me abandoned me for the better. She was gone that day and the depression came back. It may not seem like so, but I’m still a little sad from time to time. But its better thanks to Ponyville, thanks to everypony.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Twilight said.

“Don’t be. I didn’t tell you this to make you sorry, rather I told you so you would understand me. Anyway, after a while, I found an application form for Ponyville and both me and Fuzzy made plans to meet here. That’s when my train accident happened and I broke my leg. And here I am I guess…but Fuzzy still isn’t here. That’s the only thing; I’ve gotten rid of Bluebelle, but not Fuzzy. He’s still my friend to the very end and I don’t know where he is. I don’t want to get rid of him, he’s all I got left.”

“Well with the train crashes there must have been some delay-” Twilight stopped and put a hoof over her mouth. “You don’t think he was-”

“What?” Blitz’s eyes grew in horror when he realized what Twilight meant. “Oh, no no, you’re not saying he was in a train crash.”

“...” Twilight sighed. “It’s a possibility, I won’t lie. However, that seems highly unlikely. I’ve read the reports Clyde gave me on the train incidents and none were reported with any severe casualties. He’s fine, Blitz, he probably just doesn’t have a train at the moment.”

“I hope you’re right. All I can do is hope and that sucks. I wish I could do instead of hope,” Blitz said angrily.

“Here, follow me,” Twilight said motioning Blitz over. “I have something to take these thoughts off your mind.”

Blitz placed his snow globe back on the table and trotted behind Twilight. When they both made their way into the middle of the room, Blitz shrieked. “Oh no-why! I’ve been traumatized! Who are you, Trixie?”

Twilight glared menacingly. “Don’t compare me to her, please.” She shook her head. “Just because it’s a tub of water doesn’t mean you should freak out.”

“Sorry, I guess the past is always gonna eat away at me.” Blitz observed the white tub of water sitting in front of him. The ripples brought back painful memories with a certain mare forcing him to do magic. He cautiously stepped closer, but kept himself ready to stagger away.

“Just calm down and relax. You can’t be tense for this,” Twilight said seriously. “Now, I want you to make just a small cube of ice. You can do that, right?”

“Uh, of course,” Blitz said somewhat confidently. He raised his head and his horn started to glow an aqua blue. He focused his attention on the water and licked his lips. ‘Okay, just make an ice cube. Just a small cube, shouldn’t be too hard…oh no I’m gonna mess up. In front of Twilight! No, can’t have that. Gotta focus!’ Within a few seconds of concentration, Blitz’s horn erupted into a zap and within the water floated a small ice cube.

“See? Wasn’t that hard. You did it!” Twilight said enthusiastically. “I’m very impressed, well done!”

Blitz stood confused. “It was just…a small ice cube.”

Twilight shook her head. “You did great. Keep it up.”

“Uh-okay,” Blitz said still perplexed.

“Now, see if you can make a bigger one. Not too big, but try to challenge yourself.”

Blitz stared doubtfully at the tub of water with the single floating ice cube. “Alright?” He focused and closed his eyes, horn glowing. Mimicking his status from before, Blitz concentrated on the water with immense willpower. Before he knew it, that magical feel rushed to his horn and he opened his eyes to find a slightly bigger cube of ice now sitting in the tub instead of floating.

“Terrific. Simply spectacular!” Twilight yelled in joy. “Blitz, you sure are something!”

“Thanks...” Blitz lowered his head. ‘I still don’t get it. How is she so happy for such a little thing? It’s just a small little-okay, well it’s bigger, but it’s just a stupid ice cube. What’s so special about that?’

“Now, see if you can freeze the whole tub.”

“Oka-huh? Wait what?” Blitz said almost toppling over.

“I want you to try and freeze all the water within that tub. I know you can do it, I have faith,” Twilight said.

“Uhm, alright. I’ll try.” Blitz shook his head. “I’ll do it.” Blitz’s horn retained its aqua glow and he felt that sense of concentration come back. Something was different, however. Blitz felt a change circulate throughout his body. The air around him started to chill and he could now truly feel his magic surging inside. He felt that he was controlling his magic rather than blindly hoping for change. With this newly acquired feeling, Blitz opened his eyes instead of keeping them closed and saw Twilight smiling at him. Within seconds, his magic intensified to a new level. He watched as the water within the tub started becoming solid ice blue.

Blitz let himself relax and the tub was iced over completely. He glanced at Twilight and started to laugh. “I did it.”

“Yes you did!” Twilight suddenly lept forward and Blitz held up his hooves in defense. The two shared a hug and Blitz felt his body start to melt away into nothingness.

‘She’s hugging me. I’m being hugged. She’s hugging me,’ he thought dumbfounded. ‘Why. I don’t deserve this.’

"The key to improvement is always somepony there to help you," Twilight said.

It was at that moment the door busted open and Clyde stepped through with his shining mustache. Within seconds he spotted the two ponies hugging and his mustache drooped into a sad mess. It fell with dying grace. Twilight spotted the mustachioed stallion and broke away. Blitz, however, still sat in the same spot unmoving. Clyde stepped forward sheepishly, but spoke in a teasing manner. “And just what is going on here? What are you two mischief makers up to?”

“Clyde!” Twilight screamed.

Clyde chuckled and held his head high. “No need to fear, Miss Twilight Sparkle, I’m just joking.” The two shared a laugh as Blitz still kept statue-like. “Now then, that’s settled. I brought over some guests that I’d like to introduce to you both.” Clyde eyed Blitz with curiosity. “Erm, Mister Blitz, are you alright?”

Blitz lifted his own hoof and proceeded to slap himself in the face. “Yeah, I’m good now.”

“Well then.” Clyde stepped aside and two guard ponies walked through the door. “I’d like to introduce to you both, Misters Brass Dozer and Glass Dozer.”

“The Dozer Brothers!” The bigger one said. His brown full goatee complimented his muscular build similar to Clyde’s. With a light brown body, black eyes, and rustled brown mane, the stallion definitely matched his raspy, loud voice. “Best bros in the whole rank!”

“Yeah,” the smaller one said with a slight voice crack. He received a light blow to the head and fell over completely. His somewhat neat brown mane was now unkempt and his black eyes spun in circles.

“Aw c’mon, Glass, you gotta learn to take more than that,” Brass Dozer said with disappointment. “Stay on your feet, moron!”

“Sorry, brother,” Glass Dozer said picking himself up. He dusted off his light brown coat and redid his hair into the half neat, half messy style from before.

“Hmm, yes,” Clyde said analyzing the two guard brothers. “If you couldn’t tell already, these two pegasi-”

“Wait, pegasi?” Blitz blurted out.

The Dozer Brothers nodded and both spread their wings wide and proudly with perfect symmetry. “Yes, Mister Blitz, they are also part of Celesta’s royal guards so naturally they are pegasi. I’ve worked with Mister Brass Dozer here for quite a while.”

“That’s right,” Brass Dozer said triumphantly. “Me and the big guy here have been through some crazy stuff. Hah, the guy’s mustache is still as young and healthy as when I first saw it. I mean, have you seen this stallion’s mustache? Have you seen it? Classical. My facial hair has seen its years.”

“And I’m-”

“Ah, that’s Glass Dozer, my younger brother," Brass Dozer said quickly. "He’s new to the whole guard thing, but he’s ready. Ain’t that right?”

“Yeah, I’m totally-”

“I thought it would be best to give little Mister Glass Dozer some experience,” Clyde said.

“Hey, I’m pretty good,” Glass Dozer said with offense.

“Not as good as me, squirt,” Brass Dozer said ruffling his brother’s mane once more. “Now that I mention squirts, who’s the other little pipsqueak I’m supposed to filly sit?”

“Me?” Blitz said with unsureness.

Brass Dozer huffed. “I’ll let Glass handle that. Me and Clyde need to have some chit chat.”

Clyde nodded and the two exited, leaving the three younger ponies behind. “Bah, I wish I could do cool things with them,” Glass Dozer said. “They always leave me behind. I don’t like being left out in the cold.”

“Same!” Blitz yelled. “I mean, yeah I hate that feeling too.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you do don’t you.”

“She knows,” Blitz said with attitude.

“That’s what I get for being the softy of the family,” Glass Dozer said. “Everypony was tougher than me, stronger than me and faster than me. Even my own mom was laughing at how weak I was.”

Blitz kept a happy face as his mind mentally sighed. ‘Well this got depressing fast. And I thought I was bad.’

“I’m sure you’re stronger in other ways than physically,” Twilight said reassuringly. However, Glass Dozer’s face shrank in embarrassment.

“That’s why I joined the royal guards. I thought if I came into the ranks, I’d toughen up. But, I’m still the same pony I was when I first joined.”

“How long ago did you get enlisted?” Blitz asked.

“About two months ago.”

“And…nothing?”

“Maybe you should wait a little longer for some results,” Twilight said. “It could just be how your body accepts training. It’s just getting use to everything.”

“You’re right. Maybe I should,” Glass Dozer said plopping himself on the ground.

An awkward silence befell the three ponies. Stares shot around and around before Clyde and Brass Dozer broke the tension. “Don’t worry, ladies, all’s fine.”

“Quite,” Clyde said. “Now, I brought you two here to assist my in investigating recent occurrences within Everfree Forest. My good friend, Mister Enzo, was injured severely and I’ve made my personal vow to see what’s happening. Are you with me?”

“Is that even a question?” Brass Dozer said laughing. “You bet I am. Can’t wait for some good old fashioned guard work. Right, bro?”

“Yeah,” Glass Dozer said weakly.

“Then it’s settled,” Clyde said brushing his mustache valiantly. “We shall leave tomorrow morning. I’ll see to it that you boys get a nice room for your long journey here.”

“Nice. I get to rehash with the great, sir Clyde, and get some room service,” Brass Dozer said rubbing his hooves together. “C’mon brotha, let’s get some rest.”

“Okay,” his brother peeped.

“Ahem, I must run an errand over and see how Mister Enzo is doing. I still have some…questions that I would rather have answered now than later. Brass-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll watch the kids. You go on ahead, Clyde. Make it quick, I can’t stand just sittin’ around.”

Clyde nodded and exited into the outside night. White wings wide, he flew into the air. His white body speckled as a moving star throughout the pale sky. ‘Just one question that needs to be answered,’ he thought. The white pegasus sailed faster and faster into the blackness, a shooting star. ‘Tell me what happened in that forest. Who exactly hurt you. What are we up against?’ Clyde rubbed his mustache firmly.

“Well, I guess it's a few questions now.”

~~~~~~~~~~

As the night clocked itself away, the Everfree Forest grew more and more with corruption. The trees heard everything. Shouts exploded throughout the green; shouts that rattled the air.

“Everyone gather right now! Get your asses into order!” Sir Cutter X said standing atop a small, pale rock. “I’m giving a speech so listen up.”

“Yeah,” Joltaire said with a grunt. “Dude’s being important for once so you all better pay attention. It’s the only time you’re gonna, haha!”

“Shut up you fool. Now then, is the whole group accounted for?”

“Right here boss,” Joltaire replied. Masquerade Blade stood adjacent and waved one of his rotary blades.

“As am I,” Doctor Rivet said solemnly. “And my creation.” The orange creature sat next to the doctor on the ground emitting a low growling sound.

“Yowza, bladed man!” Bull It Buster said with a bounce. “I is here, yes, har har!” Several other ponies acknowledged their existence. Muffles flew all around.

“Good.” Sir Cutter X raised his hooves and silence ensued. “We, the Misfit Marauders, are at a standstill right now. Masquerade Blade’s failure is cause for us to act.” Masquerade Blade stood stone still as faces drew upon him.

“I failed,” a brown pegasus said. “Blame me.”

“Dust Crack, none of this is your fault. The deaths of our two companions shall be avenged,” Sir Cutter X proclaimed. “I assure you, we will step further.”

“That’s why you shoulda coulda woulda sent the guy with the big guns!” Bull It Buster said clanging his gun hooves together.

“Or the doctor with a grueling test to be made,” Doctor Rivet said petting his creature. “I must see what my creation can really do.”

“Hey, why the hell didn’t you send all of us?” Joltaire said with a chuckle. “Why you gotta play things fair, huh? If we just butt rushed them then we probably coulda ended all this bullshit.”

“Silence!” Sir Cutter X said.

“I kill you!” Bull It Buster finished with a hyena like laugh.

“No, shut up. It’s all part of the plan. The plan! These mere fools are far stronger than I suspected; in due time we will prevail. Doctor Rivet, how is the train?”

“Preparations are being made. It is almost complete,” the doctor said with pride.

“Excellent. We should be ready very soon. Let me repeat myself. We will destroy Ponyville. All of you who have been shamed and wronged and tortured, now’s the time to redeem yourselves! Take out your anger on them, make them suffer. Make them understand what it means to be shunned and outlawed!”

The crowd roared with satisfaction and upbeat spirit. Sir Cutter X unleashed his blades on his hooves and stabbed at the air. “Let the Misfit Marauders rule!” More cheers and cries of crazy. He turned around and spoke softly to himself. “Death to Enzo Endante.”

Chapter 32: Fated Outcomes

A wistful wild wind blew by the hospital, rattling its exterior with fright. The night filled the air with dropping temperatures, even the hospital’s interior started to chill. Enzo looked up at the tantalizing breezes flushing by his window. He rubbed his eyes and coughed a bit. ‘I’m not catching a cold on top of all this, am I?’

Enzo shuffled in his green bed sheets checking for the right position. The pain from long before had numbed away and the black stallion could finally start to feel his leg again. “Only a night and a half and I’m already recovering quickly,” he said eagerly. “Could that be due to my origin as a non-inhabitant of this place? My darker blood?”

A knock startled Enzo. “Come in!” he said in defense. The knocking only increased. “Who is it?” More knocks. ‘If it’s another one of my rivals...’ The door busted open and Vice waltzed in with a stumble.

“Vice-” Enzo gasped and sat up with haste.

Vice tilted and swayed as he walked. His movements were slow, but erratic. The pegasus limped up next to Enzo’s bed and smirked before falling over. Vice hit the ground and a sickening splat was heard. Blackish red blood spread on the ground.

“Hey, Enzo.”

Enzo was speechless. On the ground, lifeless before him, was Vice bloodied from every angle. His wings lay torn and mutilated, metal rods shot out and his brown feathers mixed with staining blood. Stab marks were located everywhere, the pony kept on bleeding.

“Heh, half this blood ain’t even mine,” Vice said with a gruesome coughing choke. More blood poured out his mouth. “I did it. I killed them.”

“What-”

“I. Killed. Them,” Vice repeated sinisterly. “I killed them...” Tears started to roll down his eyes. “Dammit.” He closed his eyes and started shaking intensely. “I didn’t do it!”

“Vice, I don’t understand,” Enzo said gritting his teeth. “What the hell did you do to yourself!”

“I went in the forest,” Vice said now in a whisper. “Just now…and I tried to take them all on. I tried, I did. I tried and I got far.” He coughed up more blood. “But not far enough. I killed the henchmen, Enzo. Just the small guys not the big bosses. I murdered ruthlessly again just like in the past. I’m still that same killer inside.”

“No, you’re wrong. We’ve changed-I can’t believe-” Enzo started choking on his words. “Don’t die.”

“Hey, if I die, I’ll die knowing I took some of those bastards with me. That’s just less asshole for you to deal with. The ultimate sacrifice-”

“You idiot! You took lives for your own? That doesn’t solve anything!” Enzo said with pained frustration. “Why...”

At this moment, another figure had entered the room. “Enzo, your friend-hey! I need a doctor in here!” A pristine pony had closed in on the scene and hesitated.

“Gray Sh-Patch?” Enzo said.

“Not now. We’ll discuss later. Right now he needs help or he will die,” Gray Patch said. “...shit.” He shook his head and looked up for some sort of hope before picking up Vice. Blood stained the stallion’s clothes, but Gray Patch shrugged off the feeling. “I’ll get him to safety, just stay put.”

Enzo watched with that helpless feeling as Gray Patch exited the room leaving a trail of blood behind. Vice shivered in the hooves of his carrier. He watched the hospital lights flitter into blurred specks. The flickering went on and on until he finally blacked out. The darkness consumed his vision.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Will he be alright?”

“Yes, that is what the doctors said, but he lost a lot of blood.”

Enzo slumped with defeat into his bed. “Nothing but trouble.” He felt a surging rage burning inside him. “All that he does is trouble...”

“I will agree it was unwise to venture into that alone,” Gray Patch said. “But he made his point. We must deal with these...undesirables as soon as possible.” He frowned and wiped a splotch of blood from his suit. “Rather unfortunate that he bled all over me, but I did what was necessary.” Gray Patch peered around cautiously. “Perhaps now I can retire to my other outfit. This one has proved its purpose.” He reached for his own mustache, but stopped as the door swung open.

“Mister Enzo, Mister Gray Patch!” Clyde came running through and stopped at the sight of Gray Patch. “What happened?”

Enzo did not dare to speak, but Gray Patch took initiative. “Mister Vice has been severely injured. From what I could tell, his wings were badly damaged and he had cuts all over his body. The reason, you may ask?” Gray Patch walked closer to Clyde. “It is with the forest.”

Clyde’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “And just how do you know that, Mister Gray Patch? You seem to know awfully a lot about what’s going on.” Both Gray Patch and Enzo exchange looks, but had the tension break as Clyde sighed. “Never mind that. This is just more reason for me to investigate and more reason for me to be ashamed of my duties.”

“Clyde-”

“No! I am the protector of Ponyville and I just let another pony get hurt. On my watch, I swear I’m going to end this madness tonight,” Clyde said with passion.

“Well now, we are all upset about this predicament,” Gray Patch said. “But that should not be an impulse to charge right in.”

“Mister Gray Patch, I appreciate your concern,” Clyde said. “But a few other guards and I are well beyond combat training.”

“You don’t know what you're getting yourself into-”

“How do you know, Mister Gray Patch, how? Why are you so mysterious?”

“Trust me, Clyde.”

At this point, a short popping sound erupted from Gray Patch’s mouth. His mustache suddenly removed itself from its owner and made a departure for the ground. Landing with a disappointing thud, Clyde’s eyes widened in shock. “Blasphemy!” Within seconds, Clyde had shifted his body and rammed the unmasked pony. Gray Patch was sent tumbling into the wall, breaking multiple tiles and decorations along the way. He grunted in pain as he sat motionless in a pile of rubble.

“You sir, Mister Gray Patch, sir! You have broken the sacred mustache law!” Clyde said with tears in his eyes. “How could you do such a horrible thing. That fake representation of potent masculinity is beyond an atrocity. You bring shame to the mustache code and therefore must be punished.” Clyde reared himself and started charging towards the downed Gray Patch.

“Clyde, wait!” Gray Patch said holding up his freed, bandaged hoof.

“Prepare yourself for to receive judgment for your sins!”

The two collided and Enzo watched mouth wide open. Clyde was stopped dead in his tracks; Gray Patch had materialized a blade through his bandaged arm at the hoof. It shined inches away from Clyde’s throat.

“Stop.”

Clyde shook his head before retreating back. “What in Celestia...”

Gray Patch stood up and unraveled his bandaged arm. A shining gold stump replaced his hoof with multiple attachments crawling into the wrist. From the end, a silver blade ran from the golden device. “So then, Enzo, it seems fate has revealed me. There’s no hiding it now.”

A puff of smoke appeared from under Gray Patch. The two ponies waited with anticipation for the smoke to clear. Barely audible sounds were heard before the gray cloud disappeared. Eye patch, hat, jacket and mouth mask; Gray Shark stood in the spotlight. “Now then Clyde, I-”

Gray Shark raised his sword hoof in defense as Clyde rushed closer again. He failed to block in time and found himself being tossed into the wall again.

“So, MASKED PONY! It seems we meet again.”

Gray Shark sighed a painful breath. “Enzo, will you please elaborate.”

“Clyde, please calm down. It’s okay, he’s my friend.”

“Friend?” Clyde said angrily confused. “Mister Enzo...ARE YOU IN CAHOOTS-”

“No.” Enzo shifted into a better position to articulate himself. “Gray Patch is the masked pony, as you know him, but to me he’s Gray Shark. He’s a friend from the...other world.”

Clyde’s anxiety died down. “So...he’s like you then. A machine transformed?”

“Yes. He’s like me, thrown into this world taking the body of the inhabitants.”

“Great, are we settled down? I would enjoy not being pummeled to death, Clyde,” Gray Shark said now standing without any source of injury or bruise.

“Who are you?” Clyde said emotionless.

Gray Shark gave him a look. “Let’s just say I’m a more...laid back version of my former title. I still tend to be very formal but just in a lesser manner. Rogue fanciness if you will.”

Clyde shook his head. “What is your story? Who are you, really?” he said more seriously.

“Ah, I see what you mean. Well all you need to know is that my origins stem with Enzo and his friend physically; being a machine. This device,” Gray Shark raised his golden hoof and retracted the extended sword, “is what transferred over to this world.” He proceeded to unsheathe the blade again and it jutted out within milliseconds. “My personal weapon of choice.” Gray Shark eyed Clyde with satisfaction. “Now then, that’s all you need to know along with-well-me being on your side now. No hard feelings.”

Clyde frowned. “And what of Gray Patch? Is he just magically gone from existence?”

Gray Shark sheathed his weapon and started to lean on the wall. “From now on, you never met Gray Patch and he does not exist to you anymore. Enzo, your friend will understand easily and that boy I met earlier has probably already forgotten about that name. As for the masked pony...he simply got away.” Gray Shark gave an eye smile. “The guards could never catch him.”

Clyde nodded slowly once he took in all the information. “I supposed I can arrange for that in the records.” Awkward silence came back to haunt the situation. “Ahem, now that this is somewhat settled, Mister Enzo, may I ask some important questions?”

“Of course, Clyde.”

“Can you describe what exactly happened in that forest?” The words were clear and meaningful. “Surely you still remember from a few days ago.”

“Vice and I were attacked by...other robots from our world.” Clyde gasped while Gray Shark simply turned his head curiously. “Masquerade Blade, Joltaire and their leader, Sir Cutter X. They’ve hated me ever since I-well, I did something to them.”

“Like what?” The question came from Gray Shark. “This is news to me.”

“I...killed one of their acquaintances. Now they’re hunting me for revenge and honor, but there’s no honor in any of this. It used to be about who was going to kill who and I was fine with that. Now it’s different. I just want the fighting to stop but I can’t do that. I can’t control what’s happening and now I can’t tell what they’re going to do. If Masquerade Blade was able to get into Ponyville...then that means-”

“Any of them could get into here,” Gray Shark said. “That’s quite a problem.”

“Indeed. It’s a problem that I must personally take care of,” Clyde said.

“Hold on,” Gray Shark said. “You cannot expect to go in there alone or even with a few guards. You realize they are from our world. That means they’re capable of immense destruction. You know I can’t let you do...without me.”

Clyde rubbed his mustache with confliction. “Mister Gray Patch-”

“It’s Gray Shark now, sorry.”

“-Mister Gray Shark, I don’t know if I can necessarily keep my trust up with you. However, I understand the threat we face and I agree that we need as much help as can be given.”

Gray Shark bowed. “At your service then.”

“Indeed.” Clyde turned to Enzo and stared distantly. “Are you going to be alright?”

Enzo did not shake his head nor nod. “I don’t know.”

“Your friend will survive,” Gray Shark reassured. “He’s like us, he won’t die that easily.”

“You’re right,” Enzo said. “He won’t.”

Gray Shark tipped his hat. “Alright then. Clyde, we shall meet tomorrow morning at the hospital to reimburse everyone you choose to bring. Then we can depart into the forest. I’ll lead and if anything gets out of...hoof you get out.”

“Mister Gray Patch-”

“Gray Shark.”

“-I appreciate your willingness for sacrifice, but I cannot abandon my duty,” Clyde objected. “If anything happens, we stay.”

Gray Shark closed his crimson eye. “I am not the one responsible for the well-being of your guards.” He opened his eye. “I’m just trying to prevent unwanted tragedy.”

“We will end this madness tomorrow,” Clyde said confidently. “With or without help, I am personally ending it. For Mister Enzo. For Mister Vicer. For Ponyville.”

“So be it. Enzo, I will personally take care of this. You deserve freedom from this chaos above all else. I’m here to see that through.”

Enzo smiled and Gray Shark bowed. He nodded to Clyde and both left Enzo in silence. “Vice...Fluttershy...” Enzo placed his hooves behind his head. “My best friend is dying and so is my heart.” He grumbled with discomfort at the events swarming around him. “...I’m in love. I’m in love with fantasy. Something that nobody can believe is what I’m falling for. A girl of dreams. A girl that shouldn’t and wouldn’t exist in my world.”

Enzo put his hoof over his heart and pressed against it. “Is this what Electric Flaire meant and felt? That he wanted to meet Twilight Sparkle so badly, he’d do anything? Is that what it means to be hopelessly in love with fiction?”

Enzo snuggled himself tighter into his fold of blankets. “Fluttershy…Vice…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Everfree Forest rustled with immense banter as the night poured itself away. Yells and screams echoed throughout the thick, crowded nature. The night sky drew in cries of insults and leaves shook with intense vibes.

“I told you to get away from me! I don’t want you!”

“Aww, c’mon girl. You said you're in desperate need of a strong guy.”

“I never said that you freak!”

“Hey, don’t call me that, bitch!”

The harassed mare backed away as Joltaire closed in on her. “Don’t make me shut you down.” He smiled with intent and grabbed at the mare’s dark purple mane.

“I said get away! Don’t touch me,” the mare screamed struggling against Joltaire’s grip.

“You want it don’t you!”

“Hey, hey! What in the name of the Nipple God is going on?” Bull It Buster said swinging his gun hooves wildly into the conversation. He flopped his body happily into the situation.

“Yo, I didn’t invite you. Get outta here!” Joltaire said releasing his hold. “Give a man some privacy. Jesus!”

“Who dat? Yo’ lady friend?” Bull It Buster teased.

“I didn’t join you guys for this!” the mare said.

“I’d advise for you to stop,” a female voice said from behind the three ponies. The attention drew onto another mare standing firmly across from the scene. Her face was obscured by the green overcoat she was wearing with the hood up. “Good boys don’t do that.”

“Yeah? Boy, oh boy. What are you gonna do, huh?” Joltaire said stepping forward. The second he did so a magical glow sparked and chain shot out from under the mare’s sleeve. It snaked itself towards Joltaire and wrapped around his neck. Bull It Buster howled in laughter as he watched Joltaire get dragged to the ground by the mare.

“You’re not doing anything, you got that?” the mare said glaring down at Joltaire. Her horn emitted a white, almost clear glow as the chain was covered in magic.

“All you girls: bitches-whores!” Joltaire said struggling to untie the link around his neck.

“Are you gonna bug off?” the mare asked politely.

“Nah-get this thing off-”

The mare grinned before tossing Joltaire like a ragdoll into the nearby bushes. He landed with a thud and a cloud of dust erupted from the growth. She then proceeded to walk silently past the hysterical Bull It Buster towards the other mare. “You alright?”

The slightly shaking mare nodded. “Yep, I’m better now.”

“Good.” The shrouded mare observed her work of launching Joltaire and chuckled. “Hey, I’m Platinum Chain.”

“Sweet Pop” the other mare said. “Thanks.”

“No prob.” Platinum Chain said. She unveiled her light green hood and let her long black mane flow down to her shoulders. With a swift motion, she quickly retracted her chain back under her coat. It slid with magic out of view to her silver-gray body underneath. “Just thought that you might need some help.”

“Yeah…” Sweet Pop stood up and brushed off her pale pink coat. Her dark blue eyes darted nervously at Bull It Buster and Platinum Chain. “I hate both of them.”

“That other guy is the jerk, though.”

“Not as much of a jerk-off, fapsalot as me!” Bull It Buster said still crying with laughter.

Platinum Chain’s green eyes rolled, but then filled with worry. “Wow, what’s that bump on your cheek? Did he hit you or something?”

“Oh no, that was from a few days ago.” Sweet Pop rubbed her slightly swollen cheek with embarrassment. “They made me be a distraction and I ended up getting my pretty face slapped. It was awful!”

“Really, they forced you to do that?”

“Well…I kinda wanted to do it,” Sweet Pop said coyly. “It felt good to holler for help.”

“Okay, uh-”

“Hey, I ain’t finished!” Joltaire said appearing from the bushes. His helmet was smeared with dirt and his helmet eyes glowed with fury. “You hear me?” He fell forward and landed on his head.

“Oh we hear you,” Platinum Chain said. “Well then, let’s get outta here. Leave that trash in the garbage.”

“…” Joltaire still lay askew within the bushes.

“Righty then!” Sweet Pop said following Platinum Chain closely out of the area.

“-wait!” Joltaire bolted out of the bushes and crash landed on the ground. “I’m sorry-no. Come back!” His attempts proved useless as the mares already left. “Dicksauce!”

“Looks like someone got his poochy screwed.”

“Screw you, prick,” Jolatire said running away into the inner forest.

Bull It Buster tilted his head with disappointment. “Aww, he’s no fun.”

Chapter 33: Old Friends, New Pains

“So, uh, you always dress like that?” Brass Dozer said.

“It is a matter of personal preference,” Gray Shark replied tugging at his jacket and adjusting his hat. “But I do change outfits from time to time.” He eyed Clyde teasingly.

“Indeed…so, is everypony accounted for?” Clyde said eyeing his group.

“Dozer Brothers here!” Brass Dozer said cupping his hoof over Glass Dozer’s mouth.

“And I am also present,” Gray Shark said.

“Good. Then, let us be off. Mister Gray Patch-”

“Gray Shark,” the masked pony corrected calmly. Gray Shark gestured for the guards to follow. The four stallions treaded carefully through Everfree Forest, worry traveled with each step. Sunlight was shining hopefully above, penetrating the shrouding leaves and branches. Life around the group provided long wanted comfort. Birds chirped with soft tunes and woodland creatures scurried blissfully.

“Bah, I always hated those little devils,” Brass Dozer said pointing to a nearby bunny. It flailed its ears innocently and started scratching playfully at itself.

“How can you say that, brother?” Glass Dozer said. “That bunny is-oh, never mind.” The bunny suddenly hissed and spat at the group before bouncing away furiously.

“That’s not normal,” Gray Shark commented.

“A lot of things around here aren’t normal,” Clyde said giving Gray Shark a look.

“Yeah, aren’t you like a robot or something?” Brass Dozer said with a chuckle.

“Something to that effect-well yes, just not in this form in this world-”

“Yeah, that crap confuses the hay outta me so don’t bother. I’ll just follow up with my lil bro here, hah,” Brass Dozer said tugging at Glass Dozer.

“C’mon, stop. Please!” Glass Dozer said trying to scurry away.

“Boys,” Clyde said now irritated. “Quit your bickering and let us continue forward. We cannot afford to waste time when we have serious matters to deal with.”

“I have to pee,” Glass Dozer said.

Clyde ruffled his mustache in disappointment.

“What?” Brass Dozer said with mild irritation.

“I gotta go to the bathroom!”

“What unfortunate timing,” Gray Shark said. He sighed and started to lean comfortably on a tree. “Just be quick.”

“Where do I go?”

“Uh, over there…somewhere?” Gray Patch pointed with his golden hoof.

Glass Dozer nodded hesitantly and started to clumsily walk over. Brass Dozer grunted with delight. “And don’t get the piss all over yourself like last time.”

“Don’t bring that up!” Glass Dozer said now running rampantly into the forest.

“Are you sure he is up to this task?” Gray Shark said doubtfully.

“Hey you shut your mouth you…ninja…pirate…thing!” Brass Dozer said. “Don’t you ever make fun of my brother.”

“How ironic,” Gray Shark muttered. “I’m just saying.”

“So, Mister Gray Patch-”

“Shark.”

“-will you show Mister Brass Dozer your golden device? I’m sure he’s eager to know what it is.”

Gray Shark stood up straight and pointed his gold device at Brass. He performed jolted his arm rigidly and a shining silver blade jutted out faster than the pegasus could react.

“What-howya do that? You’re no unicorn, what sorcery is this?”

“It’s called a retractable blade,” Gray Shark said to a blank faced Brass Dozer. “As in individual blades folding over each other.”

“Yeah, you can, uh, leave me outta that. Too complicated for me,” Brass said with a hearty laugh. “Seriously, I just stick to the good ole’ fashioned spear. Guard’s best friend.”

“Erm, if you don’t mine me asking, do you own a call number of some sort?” Clyde said.

“Call number?” Gray Shark asked. “Oh, you mean-yeah I don’t have one. I’m one of the…later models. They stopped giving us official numbers and just started giving us names and personalities. That’s what the culture evolved into. People stopped caring about records.”

“I see.”

“I don’t! Celestia. I don’t get any of this crap-ahaha,” Brass Dozer said shaking his head with laughter. A shrill scream disrupted the temporary respite going on between the group. Each individual pony readied themselves and both guards revealed spears of their own.

“So, I see you are true to your word,” Gray Shark said. “About the spear.”

“It is indeed a guard’s master weapon,” Clyde said proudly. Another scream, this time with voice cracks beyond all belief, caused slight ease. Bushes rustled with mystery before Glass Dozer came waddling out.

“I found Buzz!” he cried with disbelief. “I think I peed on him.”

“It’s Blitz and barely,” the unicorn said.

“Mister Blitz!”

“Hey, Clyde,” Blitz said with a cocky smile.

“Blitz, I don’t think you should really be here,” Gray Shark said with genuine worry. “Seriously.”

“Wait, what? Who are you?” Blitz said noticing Gray Shark for the first time. The stallion reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick black mustache. He placed it over his masked mouth and waited for Blitz to react. “Huh? I don’t-dah, you’re that fancy guy I met!”

“OH MISTER GRAY PATCH-”

“Shark.”

“-WHY DO YOU TORMENT ME SO?” Clyde said on his knees with his hooves to his face. “I can’t bear to look at you without shame! You must remove that abomination at once!”

“Kay. Here, Blitz.” Gray Shark handed the mustache to Blitz who awkwardly accepted. “Go fool somebody.”

“Thanks?”

“Likewise. Now, shall we be off?”

“Mister Gray Pa-” Clyde stopped as Gray Shark eyed him cautiously. “Shark, I am not going to allow Mister Blitz to come.”

Blitz raised his hooves and spoke sharply. “Hey, wait a minute-”

Brass Dozer nodded in agreement, but spoke lightheartedly. “If the squirt wants to go let him. We got three armed guards-two and a half armed guards to protect him. And we got, uh…you.” He pointed sheepishly at Gray Shark. The whole group stared unevenly at the masked pony.

“Glad you didn’t forget someone,” Gray Shark said unemotionally.

Clyde wiped down his face before shaking his head. “Alright. Mister Blitz-just stay close.” He turned away abruptly and hid his face.

“Will do, Clyde!” Blitz said hopping happily beside the guard. The five ponies made their way deeper into the forest with uncertain stride. The sun watched dreadfully above as its rays failed to shed light on the group anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I really have to pee again, honest!” Glass Dozer said fidgeting uncomfortably.

“Are you kidding me, bro?” Brass Dozer said.

“Sorry! I can’t handle my body!”

“Well hold your damn cock ‘till we get there. We are almost there right, Gray?”

Gray Shark answered calmly. “Correct, we are-”

“I can’t hold it in!”

“-almost there.”

“Right ho,” Clyde said. “If you spot any suspicious behavior, just holler! Me and my mustache will bring the pain.”

Gray Shark’s ears perked up and he jumped to his two hind legs before anyone else could react. A girlish scream jolted through each body and infused the tension with fear.

“What the hell was that?” Brass Dozer said raising his spear.

“Trouble,” Gray Shark said.

“But-that’s a girl’s voice. We-we gotta help her or something…”

“Stay focused,” Clyde said. “We don’t know for sure what that scream was.”

“Fee-fi-fo-fum,” a voice said.

“What was that?” Blitz said scuttling behind Clyde.

“Suck on my goddamn cum!” Two giant blasters emerged from the trees above pushing themselves slowly through the leaves. A smiling face also pushed its way into view and its target marked eyes lit up slightly with a yellow flicker. The guns started to whirl and spin up, light blue lights flickered on and off.

“Guys,” Glass said. “I don’t have to pee anymore.”

“Scatter!” Gray Shark said. The ponies obeyed and split up as a shower of blue bullets obliterated the ground from whence they stood.

“Can’t run away, I’ll find you!” Bull It Buster said cackling. The words echoed from above as each pony ran their own separate direction. “You think you can escape me? Pittle-pat your feet into the forest navel? Don’t make me laugh until I cry sweet tears of-agh-gacka-babah!” An explosion erupted from in front of the psychotic gunner and the sound waves echoed throughout the shrubbery. Hearing the damage behind him, Blitz felt himself exert twice as much energy into his legs. The forest leaves and branches blurred into green and brown masses. The ground was an everlasting path of unknown danger. Blitz could still hear distant shouts and sped up even faster.

“Ahh!” The pony couldn’t help but scream. ‘Okay, calm down. Just calm down! This is just like last time. Keep running and eventually you’ll reach…something!’ His breathes rapidly increased and his legs started to weigh down. Everything looked the same to Blitz. He felt no progress being made. ‘Just keep moving forward! I’ll find Gray or Clyde or those two guys. I will, I just have to-’

“Blue!” Blitz stopped and faced a mid-air beast trajecting towards him. The orange creature smiled with delight as it pounced and pinned the unicorn to the ground.

“No!” Blitz tried desperately to push off his captor. He struggled in absolute fear, his body shivered against the monster. “Get off me, gah!

“I’ve got Blue!” The monster shook with excitement atop Blitz. Both ponies looked at each other before screaming, one in laughter and the other in terror.

~~~~~~~~~~

“That should’ve taken care of him.” Gray Shark ran stealthily through the now silent forest. “Nobody can survive that kind of explosion so close up.” The crunching of leaves left the masked pony on edge. With his sword extended, he ran on his two hind legs with quickness. ‘Not good at all. We’re all split up in forest full of dangerous killers.’ He cursed and continued to cruise through the green.

“Hey, Gray, fancy meeting you here.”

Gray Shark paused and straightened out his body smoothly. He closed his eye and sighed before facing his caller. Standing before him was a green stallion styling his red mane. He brushed off his suit before giving a big grin. Gray Shark addressed the other pony cautiously. “Sloth…”

“Oh my God, it’s Tony Bloom! Get it right and don’t call me that disgusting name! You of all should know how I feel about it!” the pony said stammering all over the place.

“So, you found me,” Gray Shark said now stepping in a circle around the pony.

“More like you found me.”

“So then,” Gray raised his sword. “Are we to clash swords?” He eyed the two sword sabers handing loosely strapped on the pony’s sides.

“Naaah, I don’t feel like it. Why don’t you ask me later,” Tony Bloom said with a fake yawn. He overdramatically stretched his whole body and faced Gray Shark in a comical way.

“Why are you here?” Gray said still ready to attack.

“Just surveying the beautiful nature outside-”

“Where’s Pride?”

“Who cares,” Tony Bloom said shrugging. “How should I know?”

“You best be telling me or I’ll cut the answer out of you,” Gray said flashing his sword menacingly.

Tony Bloom cocked his head. “Just did, pendejo. Now, leave me alone, would you kindly?”

“And why would I be doing that?” Gray Shark said stepping closer. “It seems coincidental we happened to meet. I’m curious, what are you doing out here?”

“I’ve got a date with my new lady friend,” he said with a grin. “And I’m in the hurry to meet up with her. Shame, we only just met again.” His horn started to glow a vibrant red and vines started uprooting themselves from the ground. “Not much chit-chat, sorry. I know you love my voice…” Bloom stood perfectly still as the overgrowth started to slide away from Gray Shark. “Hasta luego, Gray!” he said waving while the vines carried him further and further.

“Hey-” Gray Shark stepped forward, but stopped and arched his body diagonally, dodging a flying rotary blade by inches. He jumped back and faced another familiar opponent.

“…” Masquerade Blade dropped from above and raised two saw blades in symmetry.

“So, we meet again. This time with more privacy.”

“…”

Gray Shark cut at air and had begun to position himself stylishly. He held up a hoof just under his sword. “Shall we begin?”

Masquerade Blade nodded quickly and charged towards Gray Shark with hooves behind his back and head forward. Gray shark chuckled to himself and prepared for an incoming fight.

“Typical, ninja-style sprint,” he said slightly ticked off. “That’s my style.” He copied his opponent’s type of run and charged headfirst into the fray.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Don’t hurt me!” Blitz yelled still fighting off his assailant. “Please!”

“Blue…” The creature still held onto Blitz with an iron grip with its non-transformed hooves, but refused to make anymore movements. Blitz’s eyes finally met the orange beast’s and he saw something that kept his eyes glued permanently to the decaying face. The peculiar golden eyes made a sudden impact on Blitz. He felt his heart sink and his body no longer trembled with fright. Upon closer inspection of the eyes, Blitz shook his head in complete denial. He choked on his next words, almost throwing up the name.

“Fuzzy Fry.”

The creature titled its head wryly. “…Fuzzy. Fuzzy-Fry. Fuzzy?” Its eyes bounced around as it comprehended the given name. “Fuzzy Fry?”

“No-that can’t be. You can’t be Fuzzy,” Blitz said. “That’s not possible, it's impossible. You can’t be my friend-how…I don’t see-”

“You are quite the clever one, aren’t you?” Doctor Rivet said trotting lightly towards the two incapacitated, entangled ponies. “You figured out his name just like that.”

The monster looked up and noticed its master. It broke its confused gaze and grinned with sickening delight. “I got Blue!”

“Yes. Yes you did, my pet.”

Blitz kept staring into the pale, golden eyes of his seemingly former friend. “You’re pet, Fuzzy Fry…no-wait, what’s going on. Tell me!”

“Well, I thought you were clever, but it appears that is an entirely different meaning. You still have not figured everything out yet, how peculiar. Or have you not accepted what has truly happened?” Doctor Rivet said closing in on the two. “This is who you know as Fuzzy Fry, correct? If you believe so then it must be so. Why else would you stop and recognize something odd of this pony all of a sudden?”

“I can’t-this can’t? What did you do?” Blitz said now looking at the doctor. “This isn’t my friend-no! This is some sick trick. You’re trying to trick me like last time.”

“Fuzzy Fry,” the doctor said orderly. The orange creature raised its head firmly and perked it towards Doctor Rivet. “Get off of him. Now.” The creature obeyed without hesitation and Blitz felt his world slowly collapsing. “That is indeed his name. However, he only recognizes it by my voice thanks to my skillful engineering.”

“I can’t-what-my…” Blitz barely breathed the words as he started to feel lightheaded. “This-this isn’t real? I-Fuzzy Fry!”

“There is no point in trying to reengage him,” Doctor Rivet said firmly. “I improved him.”

“Fuzzy Fry, it’s me, Blitz. Blue, whatever you call me-look!” Blitz pointed to his chest and started hitting it with fury, sadness and desperation. “Fuzzy Fry!”

The beast now known as Fuzzy Fry only laughed, but with no emotion. Blitz could feel his head getting warm and his throat getting dry.

“As you can see, I have changed him,” Doctor Rivet continued. “Made him different from whatever you remember him as. Please try and forget that, by the way. He no longer remembers you and you should not want to remember him. It is change that is so important.”

He shook his head in utter defeat. “Why.”

“Well I needed a test subject. Sacrifice is key to creating greater causes,” Doctor Rivet said enthusiastically. “There is nothing you can do now, stop blabbering.”

“My friend,” Blitz started to say weakly. “He’s a monster. All this time-this whole time…he was here being tortured by you. Not in Appaloosa…not in Ponyville, not anywhere but here. A monster.”

“Oh no,” the doctor said offended. “I would not say monster-no. And torture? Not even a thought of that. You see, this is the future.”

“What future?” Blitz said now tensing up with anger. “This is a future full of evil-full of sick bastards like you!”

“No, a future of creation. This is my first step: the brain. Next comes the body, then the soul-”

“You’re talking about creating something that you control, something you engineered to work for you; a machine.”

“Imagine what we could do with this advancement.”

“And you used my friend.”

“He paid his dues; his mind was not in vain.”

“Fuzzy Fry…my best friend,” Blitz anger melted away into tears. The wetness burned his cheeks with indescribable sorrow. “I-” He placed a hoof over his eyes and let the tears stream down his arms. His sobs filled the empty forest green and turned it blue.

“I cannot risk two subjects of such close relationship to work with one another now that I think about it,” Doctor Rivet said adjusting his glasses.

Blitz raised his head slightly. “There’s hope.”

“Kill him.”

Fuzzy Fry stared at Blitz before blinking blankly. He frowned and looked at Doctor Rivet with confusion. “No, I-it’s Blue!”

“Do it, you wretch! I am simply tired of your resistance! Do it! Now!”

Fuzzy Fry shook his head and screamed in pained laughter before turning to Blitz and raising his claws. He sucked in air through his teeth and exhaled despairingly before slashing at his former friend. Blitz took the hit right to his cheek and didn’t falter. He stood and gritted his teeth. “Fuzzy, stop it’s me.” The creature howled with mixed emotions before putting his arms on his head. The claws attached flailed wildly above his head.

“Orders…must follow…orders!” He dropped his arms limply and reared back with a sinister smile. “Must…die!” Fuzzy Fry leapt at Blitz and the blue stallion closed his eyes.

‘Fuzzy Fry: my bestest friend forever.’ The demented face came closer. ‘And now you’re gone. You’re about to kill me. Is this how my life ends? An unfulfilled wish for a better life’- A whirl of wind flew past Blitz and he felt his heart stop with time. Feeling no pain, however, he opened his eyes and spotted a white figure standing in front of him.

“Mister Blitz…” Clyde said painfully as he drew blood at his right abdomen. “We need to get out of here!” he said with a forceful buck to Fuzzy Fry. The crazed pony flew back and laughed all the way as he hit the ground.

“Clyde, I’m so sorry-I can’t-he can’t control himself!” Blitz said sputtering words as tears began to formulate once more. Clyde grimaced before grabbing Blitz and hoisting him bluntly onto his back. “No-wait. We can’t leave yet.”

“Blitz, we are leaving.”

“I just found Fuzzy Fry, I found him, Clyde! Listen!” Blitz said pointing vigorously at the orange pony. “It’s him! He was never in Appaloosa or stuck or anywhere he’s here! I can’t leave him, not after I found him. Not after what I found out about him!” he said frantically pulling on Clyde’s back. “You don’t understand, I can save him! Just give me some time!”

“Now.”

Blitz shook his head in bewilderment. “How can you say that? You’re supposed to be protecting me, not causing-” He suddenly felt wetness and noticed Clyde’s blood trickling down Blitz’s hoof as he clutched the wound.

“I am, Mister Blitz. I am.” Fuzzy Fry screamed hysterically as Clyde took off at once and shot through the branches. He ascended higher and higher until breaking through the overgrowth. The sunlight shined painfully on the two ponies as they flew hopelessly through the dreadful sky.

“Well, that is a bit annoying,” Doctor Rivet said pacing back and forth madly. “Actually, it is very annoying. Fuzzy Fry, you disappoint me. No more hesitation on my orders or else. Do you understand what I am saying? I will punish you.”

“No…” the orange pony said wiggling uncomfortably. “Not the darkness. Not the darkness!”

“Yo, doc!” Joltaire came bolting through excitedly. “You get any good catches? The two pansy-ass guards we fought earlier just flew away like goddamn birds!”

“No,” Doctor Rivet said grudgingly. “I am going to have to tweak him a bit. Unusual behaviors occurring out of him…strange.”

“Uh, okay, well-get back ASAP, broseph,” Joltaire said motioning the doctor to follow him. “Cutter says we’re going soon to F some shit up. C’mon, man.” He left the area leaving the doctor in a great amount of perplexing strife.

“So rather unfortunate!” Doctor Rivet said stamping his foot. He sighed with an infuriated breath before walking towards Fuzzy Fry. “Come. I have to figure out what I am to do with you.”

Fuzzy Fry whimpered and slowly dragged his claws across the ground following his master. His head hung low and he mumbled to himself. The forest just lost its eerie sense. All it had now was evil.

Chapter 34: All for Unfair

Exasperated sobs filled the Equestrian sky with unnatural sorrow. The bloodied, white pegasus keeping Blitz afloat stayed warily silent. His wound was a minor dent in his problems. The unending tears still fell down Blitz’s face as memories, reality, and questions all flooded his mind. “Clyde…”

“Mister Blitz, I’d advise keeping quiet on the trip back home,” Clyde said emotionlessly.

“I failed-”

“No!” Clyde jerked mid-flight as he exhaled his distaste for Blitz’s statement. “I am the one who failed, Mister Blitz! I failed! I am the true one who could not stop this madness. I am the one to blame, not you,” he said angrily. “The fact that I couldn’t even scratch or damage or even stall anyone in that forest proves how useless I am!”

“Don’t say that, Clyde!” Blitz said tugging at the pegasus. “You don’t mean that.”

Clyde slowed down his pace and looked back at Blitz with dishonor in his green eyes. “I do…I honestly do. That’s why the royal guards are being called in because I cannot do my own job right.”

“Don’t say that,” Blitz said losing his confident edge over Clyde’s despair. “That’s not true.”

“It is what it is, Mister Blitz. I’m incompetent. It’s just that simple-”

“Shut up,” Blitz said forcefully. “Just shut up you stupid idiot!”

“Mister-”

“I don’t ever want to hear you say things like that again, do you hear me you big dummy!” Blitz said now crying again. “It’s not positive!”

“What?”

“A mare once told me to always be positive no matter what. Even now, after what I’ve found out, I’m still trying to come back! I’m not gonna turn into some big crybaby and hope for a solution. I am the solution and so are you!”

Clyde closed his eyes tiredly and took a deep breath. “Mister Blitz. I am sorry, but we are not going back. That is final.”

Blitz’s cries died down and so did conversation. The dawning sky filled both their hearts with red dread. Soon enough, the greenery below disappeared and society’s welcoming layout came into view. Flying lower, Clyde made a clear landing next to Twilight’s tree house and let Blitz depart from his back. Blood still dripped from his abdomen, but he just walked forward with a stone face.

“I swear to Celestia,” Clyde said peering into the empty sky. “If they didn’t make it…”

“Clyde! Ya, Clyyyde!” a raspy voice said from above. Clyde’s face softened with relief as the Dozer Brothers flew towards him.

Blitz did not pay much attention to the guards; he stared at the ground alone. ‘Fuzzy Fry is in that forest. When Clyde told me about the train crash in Appaloosa…I never would have thought that Fuzzy would be taken. How is that possible-’ Blitz eyed the bleeding pegasus viciously. “-Clyde!”

“Mister Blitz-”

“You said that everybody on that train made it out okay, but how did you know?”

Clyde shook his head. “I don’t see-by reading a report of all listed personnel aboard the train.”

“But not by head count. That’s why nobody was missing because everyone had a ticket. Everyone but Fuzzy.”

“How can you know?”

Blitz shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t. I just know him enough that he’d do that. How else would he have gotten with that sick freak doctor? The crash, him going to Appaloosa, the time; it just makes sense-I don’t know! I’m trying to make sense out of all this,” Blitz yelled starting to feel heavy in his heart again.

“I see.”

“Hey, everyone alright here?” Brass Dozer said walking over to Blitz.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“It’s complicated. I just-I need time alone,” Blitz said. He turned abruptly and dragged himself towards Twilight’s house. About a few steps in, he stopped and sat on the ground. He never turned his head to look back, he kept staring blankly into the dawning sky.

“What’s his problem?” Brass Dozer said scratching his head.

“His friend…it really is complicated. It would be better if you didn’t know, Mister Brass. No hard feelings.”

“You know me. I enjoy being ignorant and oblivious to all around me.” Brass Dozer chuckled a bit. “Say, where’s Gray?”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you done yet?”

“…”

Gray Shark blocked another hurtling saw blade with minor difficulty. His opponent shook its head in frustration. Masquerade Blade reared up and launched two more blades to which Gray Shark simply jumped out of the way. “Its physics, boy. You can’t expect those things to fly and hit me just like that,” he said teasingly. “I have too much time to calculate where they’re headed.

“...” Masquerade Blade ignored the statement and continued hurling rotary blades at his aggressor. Gray Shark made a prominent sigh before dodging again.

“I’m telling you, you’re gonna chew through all of them by the time we’re done. Then, where will we be at?”

Masquerade Blade hesitated and Gray Shark took initiative to close in on his combatant. With each step, Masquerade Blade retreated back, still deciding on whether to throw his last two blades or not. Gray Shark remembered this weakness and managed to pin his sword straight into Masquerade’s shoulder. Dark blood stained the silver sword red.

“Looks like this is where it all ends for you. Good fight-” As he still kept himself in the air a chain wrapped around his leg and dragged him backwards.

“What?” Gray said trying to grab the ground unsuccessfully.

“Sorry, am I interrupting something? I thought my associate could use a little girl power,” a voice said.

“And who is this dragging me to my demise?” Gray said grabbing the chain.

“Platinum Chain, at your-”

“Service.” Gray struck his sword in between a chain link and stopped the silver snake abruptly. Platinum Chain was pulled forward and Gray used the momentum to swing the mare over to a nearby tree. He slashed at the chain, breaking it and watched Platinum smack the tree with a distasteful thump.

“Sorry to you, but don’t steal my lines.” He turned to Masquerade Blade. “And don’t steal my style.” Gray surveyed his two opponents and scoffed. “Well this seems hardly fair-or maybe it is. Two on one?”

“Make it three on one you one-eyed beast of legend,” Bull It Buster said perched atop a tree.

“WHAT THE HELL? Who you calling one-eyed-”

As soon as Gray let his guard down, a shower of blue bullets rained upon him. “Here I come I am Bullet-Mon!”

“Great.” Gray managed to barely sweep by the barrage of bullets all while snaking past the approaching chains. He backed up against a solid tree and ducked as a saw blade missed him by inches. ‘Three on one? Now that is hardly fair.’ He jumped back in short leaps in order to stay quick and diligent. “Maybe if you all took turns…”

“No time to turn, time to dance!” Bull It Buster said still firing his cannons.

“...”

“So what if it’s three on three?” Platinum Chain said. “If you can’t handle that then how can you call yourself a good fighter?” More chains were inbound on Gray’s position.

“I ain’t a stupid one that’s for sure,” Gray said sprinting eloquently past all projectiles. “Plus, that’s not how a fair fight goes down.”

“Fair fights don’t necessarily choose the better fighter,” the mare said tilting her head with confidence. “A fight is a fight, stop being such a wuss.”

“Big talk.”

“Big cock!” Bull It Buster crouched before leaping towards Gray all while firing his guns. Like an arrow, he stuck and drilled the ground with his spinning hooves and grunted with dissatisfaction. “Fudgicles.”

Gray reached for one of the stallion’s outstretched legs and promptly kicked him in the stomach. With momentum, Bull It Buster went flying upwards. Gray then managed to chuck the psycho’s whole body in an overhead toss. In a panic, the pony started flailing his arms and sending streaks of blue zipping everywhere. Gray reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pellet. While Platinum Chain and Masquerade Blade raised their hooves in natural defense, Gray threw the pellet onto the ground and a shroud of gray smoke burst out.

“What the heck? Smoke?” Platinum Chain said covering her face redundantly.

“…” Masquerade shook his head before hurtling his last two blades at the puff of smoke. A crunch was heard and the pony faltered at his wound. Regardless, he sprinted to the spot of darkness. The haze cleared and pinned to the ground were two saw blades that had missed their mark.

“Wow, you suck,” Bull It Buster said flat on his face. “Suck balls.”

Platinum Chain giggled as Masquerade retrieved his blades gingerly. “I’m sorry-it’s just the way he said it…hehe,” Platinum Chain said putting a hoof over her mouth.

“Ahhh, yes! Girl loves my jokes. Finally!” Bull It Buster said jumping to his feet vigorously.

“Don’t get too excited,” Platinum said still trying to muffle her laughing. “You’re not really my type.”

“Poopy.”

Masquerade ignored the two and walked to his other blades in defeat. He looked at his own reflection in the metal blade and silently cursed. “…”

~~~~~~~~~~

“You have to let me go back,” Blitz said now rejoined with the guards. Blitz said now rejoined with the guards.

“And you know I can’t let you do that, Mister Blitz.”

Blitz stamped his foot. “Clyde, I don’t believe you! He’s my friend-”

“I can’t believe you, boy,” Brass Dozer said. “You have a death wish?”

“If that wish gets me back my friend, then yes!”

“Oh, unbelievable!” Brass Dozer shrugged in frustration before walking away.

“Mister Blitz,” Clyde said now fired up. “Enough-”

“I finally figure out where and what the heck my friend is. I need to go back, I need to save him!” Blitz said now riling up in tension as well.

“Hey, knock it off. The guy’s doing his damn job so calm down,” Brass Dozer said halting his descent away from conversation. “Just chill-”

“Don’t tell me to calm-”

“Enough!” Clyde yelled in pure anguish. “Please!” Everyone stopped and stared daintily at the guard pony. “Mister Blitz, going back would be utter suicide. For all of us.”

“It’s my damn friend!”

“And it’s your life-”

“I don’t care about my life!”

“Then what are you waiting around here for?” a voice said. Everybody looked about until Gray Shark stepped quietly into the chat. “If you really care, follow what you believed is right.”

“But, Clyde won’t-”

“So?” Gray Shark eyed Blitz hardly.

“Mister Gray Shark, how can you say that?”

“He isn't a little kid anymore. Not after what he realized today and what he’s been exposed to. You can’t expect him to sit still, even I don’t.”

Clyde paced around slowly to keep his wound from reopening. He sighed and frowned. He pulled at his mustache in irritation. “No, I’m sorry, but no. I simply cannot allow another victim-”

“I’ll stay,” Blitz said nonchalantly. “Its fine, I’ll just stay.”

Gray Shark raised an eyebrow of genuine surprise. He considered Blitz’s conclusion before nodding approvingly. “Very well.”

“The royal guards arrive tomorrow; they’ll take over the situation we couldn't handle.” A tint of defeat and disappointment littered Clyde’s words. He spoke in a broken manner. “Surely they will fix what I can’t. What I couldn’t handle.” The Dozer Brothers shifted uncomfortably as they accounted for the failure they Clyde was addressing. “I want you all to just…” Clyde started to lose his voice in an emotional struggle.

“Everyone should take it easy for today. Forget what happened for now and just rest up,” Gray Shark said reassuringly. “Really.”

Brass Dozer twitched his head and chuckled. “Yep, I’m hitting the café. C’mon, bro, let’s get some relaxin’ going on.”

“Okay.” The two brothers left and both Clyde and Gray watched Blitz shuffle with debilitated steps towards Twilight’s house.

Gray watched Clyde with antsy condolence. “Listen, Clyde, you did what you could-I did what I could.”

Clyde looked back in doubt. “And I still failed. What kind of guard am I?”

“The bets one, the one this town needs. You just want to do what’s right,” Gray gazed off into the distance. “Sometimes it takes more than that.”

“Like what?”

“You-don’t wanna know,” Gray said tipping his hat. “Hey, uh, get that wound checked out before it gets infected or something.” He waited for a response, but glanced at Clyde one last time before heading off into the sunset. Clyde just stood in place, his breaths quiet and his spirit destroyed. A single tear formed and dropped, its moist trail left a permanent, suffering mark on Clyde’s anguished face.

~~~~~~~~~~

“GD, man. What the hell is that stuff?” Joltaire said walking around Doctor Rivet with a smug smile creeping across his face. He watched the doctor open a suit case full of green-bluish syringes.

“Why, it is the serums that our little young lady used just the other day,” the doctor replied gesturing towards Sweet Pop. The mare looked at Joltaire coyly and winked, sticking her tongue out. Joltaire growled with a mechanical hum through his helmet.

“I see…” he said trying not to look at the posing mare. She made multiple stances that caused Joltaire to stare unwillingly. “Goddamn horses! No! I ain’t into that!”

“Hmm?” Doctor Rivet closed the case and turned to a now stammering Joltaire. “What about horses?”

“Oh come now, Jolty,” Sweet Pop said wiggling her body. She pursed her lips and batted her eyelashes. “Come on.”

“NOOOOO!” Joltaire fell to all fours and buckled to the ground. His helmet started to heat up. “My dick isn’t being right. That wood ain’t right!”

“Ewww.”

“Interesting.” Doctor Rivet grabbed his case and shouted for Fuzzy Fry. Within seconds, the beast came hobbling over. “Hold this.” The creature complied without hesitation and struggled to grasp the case with its claws. Barely making success, the pony staggered behind the doctor clumsily.

“So, uh, what just happened?” Platinum Chain said waltzing gracefully over to the group. “Is that guy causing you more troubles again, Sweet Pop?”

“Nah,” Sweet Pop said with a giggle. “He’s more crazy over me than I thought!”

“Shut up, you who-agh!” Joltaire couldn’t will himself to say the insult. “Goddammit! Goddammit, you vixen! You succubus!” He put a hoof to his helmet and groaned. “Dammit!”

“O-kay,” Platinum Chain with a small chuckle. “So, um, Mister doctor guy. You said you needed help?”

Doctor Rivet tipped his glasses. “Why yes, Miss…”

“Platinum Chain,” the mare said proudly.

“Miss Platinum Chain. I require some sort of assistance-you will all act as my escorts.”

“Escorts?” Sweet Pop said focusing her attention to the doctor. “Wait, why me?”

“Yeah, why her…” Joltaire said still shaking his head miserably.

“I need all the help the Misfit Marauders can offer. We have had a great deal of losses lately,” Doctor Rivet said with slight tribulation.

“Scratch that. Cut it.” All eyes turned to Cutter X walking confidently towards the group. “We’re still going. I see only one shot at this, so I’m deciding to bring the whole gang!” He fist-pumped to counter the non-enthusiastic reaction he was receiving.

However, Doctor Rivet smiled and raised a hoof to the statement. “Well, if you insist. I will prepare the train.”

“Holy hell,” Joltaire said finally reaching his senses. “This is gonna be good, man. Holy crap, haha!”

“You bet,” Cutter X said digging at the ground with his exposed blade arms. “In a few, wee hours, that Ponyville will be swimming in a sea of red. On top of all that, Enzo’s head-”

“Is gonna be on a silver pike? Dude, c’mon, where have I heard that before. Get original.” Joltaire’s blue eyes lit up in a tease.

“Let’s just say it’s not going to be pretty-”

“Like your face.” This time, both the mares giggled and Joltaire shrugged. Doctor Rivet simply sighed and started to walk away.

“One day, Joltaire, one day you’re going to get it,” Cutter X said before he made his way behind the doctor. He waved his sword arm in the air gently before retracting the device entirely.

“Huh. We’ll see about that,” Joltaire said aiming his arm cannon at Cutter X’s head. “We’ll see.” He lowered it and watched as the two mares were still laughing silently. “I don’t even.” Joltaire refused to look back as he trotted away to reduce his torment.

Chapter 35: Sinners

Nighttime accelerated Blitz’s pains as the absence of warmth aided in his suffering. He sat in his crude bed with thoughts banging against the skull. Darkness filed in around him, he kept one hoof pressed against his stomach. It was all he could do to prevent himself from shaking erratically. Darting his eyes, he spotted his snow globe glittering beautifully next to his bed and reached for it. However, he stopped half-way and pulled back.

“My past. My past is over,” Blitz said distantly. “It’s all over, nothing’s left. All I have now is-to fix what’s wrong. I have a few more things left to do now. That’s all I have left. Just a few more things to take care of.”

Rubbing his head and eyes, he laid himself back into the comforting, pillowy mound of fluff. With his expression gloomy and mindset dull, the pony could do nothing but have his thoughts jeer at one another.

‘I can’t just do nothing. I can’t. But what Clyde said, about suicide.’ Blitz failed to find a suitable position to feel satisfied in his bed. He tossed and fumbled, making much noise echo within the tree house. Suddenly, he stopped and remembered what Gray Shark had said. His face bitterly lit up. ‘If you really care, follow what you believed is right.’

“Follow what I believe is right,” Blitz said to himself hopefully. He stared at his snow globe and proceeded to shake the object lightly. Sprinkles of white glitter showered the interior or the sphere. “What I believe is right-”

“G’night, Blitz,” Twilight Sparkle said standing inches away from the slumped over stallion.

“Oh, yeah. Good night, Twilight.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Honestly, are you really okay?” Twilight said cautiously. “When you told me you didn’t want to talk about it-”

“I’m okay, Twilight. I just need time alone, that’s all. Time alone.”

Twilight’s face darkened with the darkness around her. “Okay. I see. Well, if you ever need anypony to talk to just come to me. I can be an excellent therapist given the circumstances.”

“Yeah, I will. Thank you.”

Twilight smiled and unwillingly left Blitz’s presence. The pony still felt tension burning within his heart. The internal and external opposites clashed at racing speeds. Still trying to keep still, Blitz tried digging himself deep within the woven haven of purple cloth. The artificial snow ceased its descent and Blitz quit his conflict. He slowly arched his body up and tilted his head in confidence. Stepping out quietly and sliding his way to the door, he strode ahead with a new assurance.

‘No more games. No more hiding and no more being babied. Those days are over. It’s time I take care of things myself.’ Blitz creaked open the wooden door and closed it with a light tap. ‘Time I put others before myself.’ He walked down the moonlit path in a full sprint. The wind rushed past the speeding pony, clops echoed into the fresh night. “Fuzzy Fry, here I come.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The sounds of crickets and rustling branches did all they could to halt Blitz’s progress, but the determined stallion did not falter. With endless energy and furious intent, the pony shot through the forest with intense speeds. The sounds that buzzed in his ears turned into twisted voices of dread. Multiple echoes toiled with Blitz’s mind as he rushed ahead to his destination.

“There’s that broken tree…and there’s the black powder from the explosion. I must be close.” Blitz examined a partly singed tree with blown off debris scattering the ground. “Bingo.” He breathed softly shuffling straight past the tree. His eyes lit up as he came upon bullet holes painting the ground. “This isn’t my best plan, but I am not going to let that crazy doctor do anything else to my friend. I won’t.”

Blitz’s clear navigation started to break up as he lost his sense of landmarks. His run slowed to a slither. “…” The unicorn’s eyes started to water. “No, not now.” A single tear fell, but he brushed it away wildly. “I can’t cry again. I have to stay strong. I’m better than that!” He stopped and wiped away his face, burning his cheeks with anger. “No! I’m not crying! I’m grown up, grownups don’t cry!”

“Sure they do, slick.”

Blitz jolted himself forward and sprawled in the direction of the voice. “Ahh! Show yourself you sick doctor! I ain’t finished with you, I’m not! Give me back my friend!” Without a response, Blitz came upon a faint light shining in between two towering oaks and a thick bush. “Damn, here I come you bastard!”

Blitz crashed through the green fuzz and made contact with another pony. When he brought himself back together, he found himself staring straight into the eyes of his former captor, Trixie. “Agh, you? No, stay away from me!” Blitz said jumping off the downed mare.

“Get off me you-wait, that voice…ah! Get away from me!” Trixie said getting to her feet.

Blitz backed away with suppressed fear and anger. “Why are you here?” he asked the similarly angered mare.

“No, why are you here!”

“Wha-I-oh-you-” Blitz surveyed the room he was now in and felt his mind melt. A wooden table and chairs were centered in the middle with a lit candle. Realizing he was encased in an overgrowth of vines, Blitz started to panic at his new locale. The only opening was by the bushes.

“Ey! What are you doing to my lovely lady, ah?” A green stallion appeared behind Blitz.

The unicorn almost fell flat on his face. “You’re lady?” he said with a sick shudder.

“Oi! I’m gonna-oh, it’s you?”

“Who are-Bloom?” Blitz said finally recognizing the distinguished red mane and black suit.

“Yes, yes. Itsa me!” Bloom said raising his hooves excitedly.

Blitz paused momentarily and let the last few sentences soak in. “Wait, your lady…is Trixie?”

“And she’s fine as hell. Lovable eyes, beautiful mouth, stylish hair…cute tush.”

Trixie blushed and coyly kicked at the ground. “Thanks.”

Blitz slowly felt his insides combust and retract into small particles of pain. His face twisted in disgust and he tried desperately not to throw up. He put a hoof to his head in despair and did not stop twitching in agony until Bloom gave him a look.

“You alright there?”

“Did I bump my head or something?” Blitz said still aghast at what he heard.

“Nah, slick, I saw you high-tailing it like a little girl! Makes sense to me aha!”

“Wha-it’s that voice again!” Blitz said remembering he was still in danger.

“Oh c’mon, Greed. Stop messing with the kid,” Bloom called out.

“Never deny a man what he wants.” The voice taunted Blitz from behind and he whirled around to find a very suave smiling stallion staring at him. His emerald green eyes writhed with amusement as he tilted his white fedora in a welcoming manner. “So, slick, howya doin’?” The light, pale blue stallion’s bared teeth matched the sparkling whiteness of his flowing overcoat. He was leaning on a silver gold cane and his horn withheld a small, lapis glow.

“Greed?” Blitz said out of reaction.

“That’s mah name, chief,” Greed said twirling his cane. His dark, thick purple mane swayed gently. Its fang-like appearance sent unease down Blitz’s spine, two thick pieces jutted out evenly across Greed’s head. “Wait a mo, am I interrupting something Sloth? I’ll just use this as profited blackmail for later…”

“First off, its Tony Bloom you sleezy bastard,” Bloom said stroking his mane. “Second, how is this blackmail? I am courting the most lovely girl in this land and that’s blackmail? Boo, boo I say to you!”

“Hey, ya big nance, I need something outta this. It’s getting real boring around here; no excitement,” Greed said still grinning madly.

“Hey I found my own excitement right here,” Bloom said winking at Trixie. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”

“That’s cuz I ain’t into horses, boy,” Greed said with distaste.

Blitz edged his way closer and closer to the nearby bush he entered from as the two ponies went at it. Feeling the prickles on his hind legs, he turned around swiftly to escape. However, as he did so, a purple blade slid itself across Blitz’s neck and the unicorn felt a thin layer of blood sprout. Blitz peered up and spotted an orange stallion eying him murderously with royal purple eyes.

“Sloth, who is this,” the pony said holding up Blitz’s life.

“Goddammit, Pride! It’s Tony Bloom, Tony Bloom. Get it right!” Bloom said waving his arms furiously.

“Answer me,” the pony called Pride said.

“Hey, don’t chop his face off, please? His name’s Blitz. He’s a good friend,” Bloom said cautiously. Blitz felt the blade disappear and he could breathe once more; his heart started pumping again.

“That’s what you think,” Trixie said.

“Very well.” Pride raised his purple sword and pressed his hoof against the hilt. Within milliseconds, the blade retracted into the shining handle. He placed the harmless hilt on his belt and walked slowly into the group on his two hind legs. A flowing, golden-trimmed black cape draped behind the pony’s back. “I suppose we can tolerate one more acquaintance although I’d prefer it would just be us.” A black hat with a purple feather lay perfectly on Pride’s head as he turned abruptly away from Blitz. From behind, the unicorn spotted a small, cut ponytail colored with a gleaming purple hue.

Behind the astute character came another pony hobbling quietly into the confrontation. He drew his fire red eyes upon Blitz before looking back down at the ground and moving closer to Pride.

“Good, great. Glad you all decided to come in here invitingly,” Bloom said with the phoniest smile.

“Geez, Bloom, you sound as if you two were going to go at it in the forest…alone…and secluded; all that space to yourselves,” Greed said. Both Bloom and Trixie invoked blushes. “That’s pretty low class. At least steal a bed or something-”

“Listen, Greed, I don’t need your opinion or for you to be here,” Bloom said trying to recuperate.

“All of us are accounted for, Sloth, so-”

“Holy hell in a hand basket-it’s Tony Bloom!”

“-we can make our way into the town. I’m positive Gray Shark will be disguised-”

“Nope, saw him in full outfit,” Bloom said to Pride’s irritation.

“In the forest, mind you.”

“Gra-” Blitz cupped his mouth and thanked his Goddess that nobody heard him. ‘What do these guys want with Gray Shark?’

“Listen, let’s just go tomorrow or something, see? Lemme relax a bit, see,” Greed said leaning comfortably against the green wall.

“I’m the one who should be relaxing; y’all get outta here!”

“Sorry, Bloom, but it’s gone,” Trixie said. Blitz could feel his stomach and brain imploding again.

“FML,” Bloom said shaking his head.

“Your life? Please, try mine,” Greed said with a chuckle. “Always want what I can’t have.”

“We shall leave tomorrow. Now then, what of you?” Pride said making eye contact with Blitz again. Certain coldness drifted inside the purple iris.

“I-uh, don’t want any trouble-don’t want any trouble! I’ll just leave-”

“Unfortunately, I cannot let you do that,” Pride said softly. Blitz’s body stiffened and all his sense of confidence was long gone by this point.

“Meh, just keep him under watch or something. If he tries anything funny, have Wrath pound his face in.”

Blitz steered his attention onto the black stallion to his immediate left. The same fire red eyes kept a clear watch on Blitz. His ruffled, dreary blood red mane sagged poorly across his head. He frowned before showing off his two bleak blue gauntlets. Skulls were printed on the bottom of each and the pony unleashed his fury onto the ground. With a small explosion, Blitz fell back and had dirt splatter his body.

The four stallions all stared suspiciously at Blitz; the unicorn could slowly feel his mind drifting away into the darkness. Bloom sighed and trotted up to the fearful pony with anticipation. “So, mi amigo, why did you come here? Why did ya have to cock block me.”

“Acutally, I think I’m comfortable being the one who cock blocked you. Just sayin’,” Greed said.

“I can’t believe you’re with her,” Blitz managed to say.

“Why? Is something wrong with the pretty lady? She’s got such-”

“Please, don’t. It’s a long story. Let’s just say she’s abusive,” Blitz said still with difficulty.

“Well I’ve always liked an assertive girl, but I’m certainly not into bondage if that’s what you’re implying,” Bloom said.

“What-bondage? What is that?”

Bloom and Greed exchanged unsure glances. “Eh, you don’t wanna know,” Greed answered.

“Yeah, uh, maybe when you’re older,” Bloom added.

“Alright.” Blitz shifted into the background while the four stallions and Trixie conversed. ‘Why are they treating me so nicely? I should be a dead pony by now.’ Blitz dared not to speak out against his captors. Silence ensured that Blitz remained safe.

Pride’s purple eyes twitched and he straightened his body with agility. He reached for his hilt and flicked it deftly, causing the purple blade to extend itself out. “Well, isn’t this troublesome.”

“We know you’re in there!” a voice shouted from outside the vine house. “Hooves up and walk out slowly!”

“Don’t try anything funny!” another voice called. “About twelve armed guards have just arrived from one of Celestia’s highest ranks. We do not mess around!”

“Very troublesome,” Pride said. He adjusted his black hat and faced the bush entrance.

“Sir Clyde told us what your gang has been up to. Come out nicely and nopony has to get hurt. That is an order from the royal guards!”

“Boy, Pride, you’re itchin’ to slice ‘em up,” Greed said raising his cane.

“Only if they continue to pester us,” Pride said.

Bloom grumbled and angrily stamped his foot. “Can’t even get peace after being interrupted once!” He reached for his two hanging swords and drew them with symmetry. “Always gotta deal with the aftermath-actually, Pride, since you’re so eager why don’t you take care of them.” He slowly put back his swords. “Why don’t you all go outside so me and my lady friend-”

“Aw shut ya mouth and stop being such a…Sloth,” Greed said with a smirk.

“We will not ask again. Come out quietly with hooves up. Now or we will use force!”

“Seems there’s no other option then.” Pride stepped through the bush and faced several armed guards with spears pointed. “Looks like I’ll have to personally end this.”

“Please do,” Bloom called from inside the vine house.

“Alright now-hey! Put your weapon on the ground and back away from it!” A guard said swinging his spear with authority.

“Are you all willing to take on the best swordsman?” Pride said waving his purple rapier gently.

“What?” one of the guards said coming forward.

“I’m giving you all the chance to back down. Should you reject that opportunity, I have no other option but to end your lives.” Pride raised his sword and put one hoof behind his back. “What will it be?”

“This guy is nuts,” a guard said comically. “Listen, we’re specially trained to handle any Equestrian scum out there.”

“Then you’re all sorely mistaken with me.”

“Okay, boys. Get ready! We got a cocky one on our hooves,” the head guard said.

Blitz, Bloom and Greed all watched through a severed part in the vines. “Welp, they’re boned,” Bloom said.

“Seriously,” Greed replied.

“Why? It’s twelve on one! You aren’t even going to help him-” Blitz paused and reflected on what he had just said. ‘Am I supporting the bad guys?’

“Not I, said the incredibly handsome…horse,” Bloom said.

“Yeah, you better just sit back and watch. Actually, you might wanna look away to be honest. Kids these days see too many violent things,” Greed said.

“Form up! We’re going to do our usual-” the head guard screamed and fell to the ground. Pride had zoomed by with a clean slash. The two guards beside him also fell in short screams of death. Pride was now behind the fallen guards, sword coated in blood.

“Oh Celestia, he just dashed-” another guard was silenced as he found himself impaled in the head. Pride turned and cut down another guard while quickly decapitating a second in short bursts of speed. The remaining guards scrambled in fear as Pride jumped from one to the next. Blitz watched each one fall one by one, stab by slash by slice.

“He really is the best,” Greed said. Pride rushed up head first and started stabbing a guard repeatedly in the chest. Not stopping, the guard was beyond dead, yet Pride still kept jabbing ferociously at the still standing corpse. A guard crept behind the aggressors, but Pride already sense his presence and curved his sword upwards and around to finish off the last guard behind him. “That’s why he’s called Pride.”

“And that’s why we don’t mess with him. I ain’t getting my sexy little ass torn up by him-no way,” Bloom said.

Blitz saw the green grass turned red by all the blood spilt by Pride. The fencer whipped his sword to remove the blood and retracted it with precision. He walked back towards the group and did not say a word. Blitz just kept staring at all the lifeless bodies and dead expressions. He crawled back into the vine household and curled up against the corner. Regardless of the stares and laughs, he looked straight at the ground.

Death loomed about and Blitz felt his stomach churning. The stench of the deceased hallucinated around the now shaking pony. ‘Who are these monsters?’ He looked up. “Who are you?”

“We are the sins,” Pride said without looking at the helpless stallion.

Chapter 36: New Pains, New Plans

The hospital warmth left a grounded pegasus full of unwanted peace. He resisted the shining embrace with fury. “Worthless.” Vice made no attempts to move himself as every part of his body stung. The soft bed he occupied did little help in comforting his pains. “Complete failure.” Vice could feel each stitch on his back where his wings connected, each bandage and wrapping soaked with dark blood. However, each injury could not compare to his internal suffering.

His heart ached with a loathing sadness. All sense of motivation was lost, the burning spirit Vice once had was distinguished. “Goddamn.” He could feel his eyes water and shook his head violently. “Crying over this stupid shit. I’m pathetic.” Vice closed his eyes and let the past memories mechanize in his mind. He envisioned his former self soaring through the gray sky with arms extended and fingers wide open. The feeling of no feeling, the internal hardware working together in perfect harmony.

A footstep ceased Vice’s distress and caused the pegasus to steady himself. Enzo walked in and tapped the door shut behind him. “Vice-”

The pegasus gulped before refusing to look Enzo in the eye. “I’m sorry.”

“Vice, it’s okay,” Enzo said walking closer to his recovering friend.

“No, I-I did everything wrong. Don’t you deny that,” Vice said still not daring to look Enzo in the eyes. “I failed to solve the damn problem and I made you worry-I hate this! Holy hell!”

“You don’t mean that, Vice,” Enzo said positioning himself next to his incapacitated friend. “You’re just…”

“Just what, huh? Goddamn useless because you hit the mark on that one.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Enzo said now frustrated at Vice’s anger. “You’re just confused and worried. You need time to relax and just take it easy for once.”

“I wanna go back. Back to the way it was,” Vice said plainly.

“Wait, what?”

“I want to go back to our world, back to our dimension.”

“What did you just-”

“I want to feel normal again. No eating, no breathing no goddamn potty breaks, man. No more bullshit fleshy setbacks. I wanna feel invincible again-Enzo, we were unstoppable! Now we’re just walking weaklings. Can’t even take any hits anymore!”

“Do you honestly mean that?”

“Of course! I hate being a stupid, shitty horse! I want to be made of metal again, made of steel. Made of a body that doesn’t fall apart after one goddamn fight!” Vice eyed his friend with sorrow. “I just wanna go home now. I wanna go home.”

“You want to go back to hell?” Enzo’s tense was flaring up.

“If I can get my body back, then yes. Yes I do wanna go back to what we call hell.”

“That’s…just stupid!”

“This whole damn place is stupid. I’m tired of being shut down because of this fucking body!”

“Then you’re here for the wrong reason, Vice.”

“I’m here to protect you and I can’t even do that!” This time, Vice raised his hoof ever so slightly and banged it against the soft bed. His voice was starting to crack. “I can’t even protect my own friend from anything anymore.”

“You can’t baby me forever, I don’t need your help all the time,” Enzo said calming down.

“Then what the hell are friends for?”

“Just take it easy. Do that for me, as a friend,” Enzo said making his way back to the door. Without a response, Enzo simply left as Vice gritted his teeth in silent frustration. He sat in his bed staring at the ceiling with pain circulating through every vain and with every breath.

“Made of metal…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Enzo stormed out of his friend’s room in a hurry as his mind raced. “He’s here just to fight…I’m here to start a new life,” Enzo said walking down the hospital hallway. “I need time to-” Enzo froze and let his jaw drop. “Oh, Fluttershy!” he shouted louder than he wanted to. He cupped his mouth and felt his heart explode as Fluttershy jumped from his call.

“Hello, Enzo!” she squealed back. Calming herself down, she spoke with a soft undertone. “You’re not in your room?”

“Um, no I went to visit Vice.”

Fluttershy gasped and started running up to Enzo. “Oh no, he’s okay right?” she said right in his face.

Enzo looked away from the mare’s face. “I guess?”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Huh? Um…does that mean yes or-”

“Dah-yeah. Yes, he’s alright,” Enzo said smiling to cover up his freak out.

“That’s good,” Fluttershy said with a small nod.

Enzo sheepishly went to his room and shuddered nervously as Fluttershy followed closely behind him. Getting back into his bed, he spoke in his typical stuttered tone. “So, uh…yeah.”

“Mhmm.” Both ponies awkwardly stared each other down before Enzo finally felt his insides burst and looked away.

“Why’d you come here?” he asked as calmly as possible with his eyes glued to the corner of the room.

“I just wanted to make sure you and your friend were okay,” Fluttershy said trying to keep her eye on Enzo.

“Oh, that’s, um, nice-of you.”

“Thanks.”

Another moment of stressful silence passed by. “S-uh, how has your day been?”

“Good.” More quietness between the two. “Um, I went out with Rainbow Dash today for some-stuff,” Fluttershy said abruptly.

“Like what?”

“…Boy advice,” Fluttershy mumbled now looking at the ground.

“Wait, what? Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” Enzo said lightly.

“Dah-I said flying advice!”

“Oh!” Enzo fumbled a bit at Fluttershy’s outburst. “Well that’s nice…maybe you can take me flying one day,” Enzo said extending his last string of words.

“But you have no wings.”

Enzo’s face slid into a frown as he realized what he had just said. “Guh-I meant you-you fly meuh…” Enzo mentally sighed and felt his ears flaring up. He bit his lip as Fluttershy blushed as well.

“Sure!”

“Okay!” Both ponies could not bring themselves to look each other in the eye. ‘I’m exploding right now!’ Enzo sunk deeper into his bed trying to hide himself.

Fluttershy’s breathing was barely audible as it intensified with silence. “I better go, thanks-I mean-thanks!”

“Bye!” Enzo drowned out his word as Fluttershy had already disappeared. He remained motionless in his little bed in the little hospital room. Fidgeting with his hooves and wiggling his lips, the pony shuddered with disbelief. “Oh my.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A quick patter of feet left the Twilight household in chaos. With one missing member, Twilight Sparkle ran the royal guards wild with a single quesiton. “Where’s Blitz?”

“Miss Twilight, I-”

“Kid probably took off like the lil hero he is,” Brass Dozer said with a disapproving frown.

“I cannot believe so,” Clyde said. “Mister Blitz wouldn’t just…”

“We have to go look for him-do something,” Twilight said.

The mustachioed guard racked his brain trying to piece together events. “Where are all the royal guards? They should have been here by now!”

“You got more beef than us?” Brass Dozer said tugging his little brother closer. “Boy oh boy, did I sign up for some real crap today if we needed more muscle.”

“Great, so now we’re missing Blitz and a group of guards?” Twilight said with a stressed tone. “What next? Ponyville comes under attack?”

“That’s not funny,” Glass Dozer said.

“It wasn’t supposed to be.”

“What is happening?” Clyde said pacing quickly. “These string of events-I can’t even begin to understand any of this.”

“We have a problem.” The whole group craned necks to find Gray Shark storming in through the window.

Twilight gasped and scurried against the wall. “Who are you?”

Gray Shark sighed and apologized with a wave of his golden hoof. “Excuse me, I am Gray Shark, friend of Enzo. At your service.”

Twilight inspected the masked pony before coming to a clear conclusion. “Are you…from the other dimension as well?”

“How could you tell?”

“I can see it in your eye. It’s very different.”

“And that’s very perceptive, I’m impressed,” Gray Shark said bowing. “However, I have bad news for all of us. Clyde, have the other squadron guards arrived?”

Clyde lowered his head. “No.”

“Then we’re in for some real trouble,” Gray Shark moved to the nearby window and peered out into the daylight. “I tried looking for Blitz earlier today…and I encountered the Misfit Marauders.” The room filled with tension as each individual felt their sense of safety leave. “They’re here and they’re close. We have no choice but to act and prepare.”

“And just how are we gonna do that?” Brass said shaking his head. “We have no back up; it’s just us four against those damn freaks!”

“Four?” Gray Shark said pointing to Twilight. “I do believe that makes five. Unless you were excluding your brother. We can also use the help of the other elements-”

“But the girls don’t have any combat experience,” Clyde said.

“That may be true, and as much as I hate to say so, the least we can do is show some numbers,” Gray Shark said. “The more of us there are, the more hesitant the Marauders will be to do something. Either that or they’ll be too distracted.”

“He’s right, Clyde,” Twilight said. “If it’s an attack on Ponyville, then I don’t want to be sitting around. No matter how dangerous these characters are, I’m willing to stand up to them.”

Clyde sighed, but accepted what had to be done. “…Right.” He nodded to Brass who left the room and returned with several spears. Clyde grabbed his own, silver-tipped rod of justice and stamped the bottom on the ground. “Listen up, everypony. Ponyville may be under attack and we may be dealing with the biggest threat since Discord’s madness. However, no matter what happens, those thugs will not take Ponyville! We shall do whatever it takes to protect this town even if it means-”

“I ain’t planning on kicking the bucket today, Clyde,” Brass said scratching his head nervously.

“Even if it means doing things you don’t want to do,” Gray Shark finished for Clyde. “Spilling some blood, if you will.”

“Heh, well then that’s what I’m talking about,” Brass said.

“All we can do now is hope,” Clyde whispered audibly. “Hope for the best.”

“I hate hoping,” Gray Shark said already out the door.

Clyde looked with surprise. “We’ll show those rowdy boys not to mess with Ponyville.”

“Let’s get it done.”

Chapter 37: Playtime in Ponyville [Part 1]

“I want this place locked down now. No one gets in or out, you all hear me? We need this to be a trusted safety zone for us.”

“Right!”

Sir Cutter X barked orders to his henchmen as the Misfit Marauders paraded just on the outskirts of Ponyville. Stallions rushed back and forth, save Joltaire and Masquerade Blade who watched with pity. Both stayed quiet as their leader continued making requests.

“Dust Crack, come with me.”

“Of course, sir!” Dust Crack hobbled willingly to his master’s position. “What do you need, Sir Cutter X?”

“Follow me. Doctor Rivet, you know what to do,” Cutter X called to the tinkering doctor.

Working on a veiled object of massive proportions, Doctor Rivet smiled as he finished his operations. “Of course.” Clicking his glasses into place, he stepped back and marveled at the giant masked mass. “Fuzzy Fry, will you please remove the cloth.”

“Yes.” the beast raised its claw and slashed at the covering. The blanket flew off gracefully to reveal a locomotive sputtering with energy. On the front of the train lay a plastered white skull, steam flushing from its nostrils. With its black and red exterior, spinning spiked wheels and deathly screeching, Doctor Rivet felt a sense of euphoria. He laughed slightly, to Joltaire and Masquerade’s unease.

“Dude really gets his jimmies off creatin’ messed up crap,” Joltaire commented.

“…”

“It is complete. The Death Divider, a train that disobeys the laws of the railroad! The land is its playing field!” Doctor Rivet shouted.

Joltaire almost burst out laughing. “You gave that thing a name-”

“Nothing can stop this ingenious masterpiece. Specially fortified armor and enhanced engine provides endless power and durability! Added traction and modified wheels make this masterpiece able to travel anywhere!”

“So it’s just a big ass-UV…I mean big SUV,” Joltaire said unimpressed. “Seriously, it’s literally a slower off-road vehicle. Skull looks cool and the spinning spike wheels are awesome, but doesn’t it look like too much?”

“…”

“You’re right. Totally.”

“It’s so beautiful.” Doctor Rivet bubbled over to everyone’s discomfort now.

“Alrighty, boys-and girls. The time has come,” Cutter X announced. “The time to redeem yourselves has finally arrived. As the sun will soon set, we’ll walk down that dawning road like complete badasses.”

“Here he goes…” Joltaire said.

“Can’t blame him, he’s a good speaker. At least to these types of ponies.” Joltaire turned his head and peered into the eyes of Platinum Chain. He then focused on the cheering crowd of stallions and shrugged.

“It’s like a frat party. Everybody’s excited to be important while not realizing how much crap they’re intaking,” Joltaire said shaking his head.

“That’s probably what they need. To feel important in this world,” Platinum Chain said looking off into the dawning sky. “Just to feel that they are better than others-”

“When they’re really not.”

Platinum Chain pursed her lips. “You can say that. I just think everyone deserves to redeem themselves one way or another.”

“Wouldn’t call it redemption,” Joltaire said with a chuckle.

Platinum Chain tilted her head. “Maybe not. A better life, perhaps? Chance to change…”

Joltaire looked directly at Platinum Chain this time. “That time you might be right.”

Platinum Chain nodded and trotted away. She spotted the other remaining mare and waved with a smile. “Hey, Sweet Pop.” The mare looked at Platinum Chain with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Platinum! Can you believe we’re actually going to do this? Are you excited?” she said.

“Just can’t wait to take my anger out.” Platinum Chain held her chain with a distant look. “A lot of things went wrong and I have to set them right.”

“I see.” Sweet Pop fluttered a bit, to Platinum Chain’s amazement, as she could not stop moving.

“Wow, I never knew you were a pegasus,” Platinum Chain said instinctively and scratched her head at the stupid statement. “Uhh-”

“Yeah, if things get messy I’ll just fly away.”

“Real funny. We’re gonna win, we have to.”

“With this guy in charge?” Sweet Pop pointed at Cutter X who was performing the Bernie on top of a rock. “Why is he even wiggling like that?” He held his hoof over his crotch and started to spin and thrust. “Pfft, yeah I’d like to see that.”

Platinum Chain laughed, but stopped shortly of her true feelings. “I just want to get this done one way or another. I-I need to do something in Ponyville.”

“Let’s not waste anymore time!” Cutter X said ceasing his dance. “Go forth and show these fools who’s their daddy.” A few idle stares left Cutter X in turmoil.

“That means let’s go!” Joltaire said motioning the group to charge. The stallions and two mares screamed with pride as they stampeded towards the entrance of Ponyville. Doctor Rivet laughed maniacally as he set the Death Divider into motion, Fuzzy Fry mimicked the laugh perfectly along too.

“And so it begins. Prepare yourself, Enzo. If you aren’t willing to sacrifice your life for this stupid world…then I may just have to burn it down with you,” Cutter X said.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Where’s Fluttershy?”

“She should’ve been here…”

“Oh this is simply horrid!”

“Girls! Please, settle down,” Clyde said to Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Rarity respectively.

“Oh boy, it’s like heaven down here. Clyde, you never told me how many lovely ladies were in Ponyville.”

“MISTER BRASS DOZER! HOW-”

“Can we focus?” Twilight Sparkle said calming both guards down instantly. “Now if we can just find Fluttershy.”

“I’m here. Sorry!” Fluttershy came fluttering quickly to the group with particular stallions following behind. Each held a smug grin on their hard faces.

“Hey, why are those guys with you?” Rainbow Dash demanded as Dumbbell and his two associates stumbled behind Fluttershy.

“You said you needed all the help ya could get,” Dumbbell said confidently. “We’re here to provide.”

“Yeah, provide!”

“Shut up, Hoops,” Dumbbell said menacingly to his subordinates.

“Never mind them,” Twilight said with annoyance. “Now that we’re all here…if we use the Elements…”

“Are you sure they’ll work?” Clyde asked.

“No. Since we’re dealing with beings from another dimension, I’m not sure what the outcome will be.”

“Great. The power of Harmony is going to save our asses again,” Brass Dozer said doubtfully. “I seriously doubt a little magic is going to stop-”

“Surely the Elements will do something,” Clyde said.

“I can’t say for sure whether that something will be in our favor,” Twilight Sparkle said. At this point, arguments broke out between the mares.

“This is just an awful scenario. We shouldn’t even be out here,” Rarity said.

“I say we just brute force it,” Rainbow Dash said kicked in the air.

“I agree,” Applejack said. “Me ‘n Big Mac could do some work.”

“Eeyup.”

Fluttershy inched herself into the fray sheepishly. “B-but, I can’t…”

Pinkie Pie ignored the conversation and narrowed her eyes at an approaching object in the distance. “Hey that’s a funny face!” Pinkie Pie started to blow her cheeks wide and used her hooves to manipulate every part of her face. “Oh! You’re moving…and you’re steaming!” The object came closer and was followed by multiple specks. “Are you mad?”

“Pinkie,” Twilight Sparkle said with unending stress. “What are you-” Her face darkened. The whole group turned to see the Misfit Marauders strolling closer and closer. The Death Divider train howled in triumph as its shrill screams sent residents scrambling. Ponies that were still in range fled with each advance. Gulps, sighs and panic flowed through the Mane Six, Big Mac, the three guards and three bullies as they were the only ones left in the center of town.

Clyde stamped his spear. “They’re here.”

“Which means playtime’s over,” Brass Dozer said.

~~~~~~~~~~

“This is so boring, man,” a stallion said stabbing his knife repeatedly into the soft grass.

“I know, but boss says we got an important job,” another pony said with a similar knife swinging lightly atop his hoof. “Keep out any outsiders.”

The other stallion dramatically peered around and shook his head. “Nopony’s even here!”

“Yo, you know how many mares are in this Ponyville?” a third stallion said. “We are so getting laid.”

“Not you, small pint. We are getting the ladies.”

“Actually, I’m getting the ladies,” a fourth, different voice said.

“What the?”

“Yo-” All three stallions whipped out their knives and formed various combat stances. “Who the hay are you guys?”

“Oh my, my, that really is such a stupid word. ‘Hay’,” Bloom said strolling with Pride, Greed and Wrath close behind.

“Get lost, punks. This ain’t no place for colts like you.”

“He just called me a colt,” Greed said. “That’s pretty grody, see.”

“Hey, listen; just get outta here if you know what’s best,” one of the watchman said. “You don’t want trouble.”

“You three are certainly asking for it, however,” Pride said stepping forward with sword in hoof. “Is this a challenge?”

“What? Are you wanting to die?”

Pride put one hoof behind his back and starting wavering his rapier. “I should warn you. If you take this chance to challenge me, I will not hesitate to end your lives.”

“Big talk coming from a fancy-ass-hey!” Without much linger, Wrath had materialized next to the stallion and raised his gauntlet. With irritation, he bashed the pony’s head straight into the ground and got to his knees to send a flurry of punches into the skull. With the ground shaking, the two other stallions prepared to attack. The instant they moved, Pride had already beaten them with two quick slices to the chest. They fell with splattering thuds and Wrath completed his task of turning the stallion’s head into red mush.

“Neato, eh,” Greed said with a slight frown.

“That was a bit excessive,” Bloom stated with his arms crossed and back turned.

“Let us continue,” Pride said oblivious to the comments made by the other two sins.

“Yeah,” Wrath said wiping the dead stallion’s blood on the grass. He stared at the headless corpse before standing up shakily. “Let’s go.” Pride nodded and swung his sword to remove the blood. Striding forward, the other three sins followed without hesitation. The four stallions walked with mixed emotions past the deceased watch towards inner Ponyville where the real action was sourced.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Shake it!” Cutter X resumed his dance as he thrust his two spike arms into the air. Fist-pumping, he performed a small twirl. “Here comes hell!”

“Ahh, save your victory for when we actually do this,” Joltaire said hovering in via jetpack. He groaned as his horn felt immensely dull along with his brain. “Stupid-ass magic limit…can’t even get a break.”

“Here comes the pain train. Choo choo!” Cutter X slapped the Death Divider on the side as it rolled sluggishly into the fray. Its steam filled the sky with choking dread.

“Avec le blasters!” Bull It Buster said from atop the train spinning his guns against the train. Metal on metal created a satisfying grind to the ecstatic pony.

“And everyone suddenly got a boner,” Joltaire said to Masquerade Blade. “I’m starting to not like this idea.”

“…”

“I know you need to redeem yourself, but is it really worth this crap? Honestly, it’s embarrassing.” Joltaire stretched out his forelegs and tapped his mini cannon. “But, a guy could use a little chaos once in a while!”

Within the train, several ponies waited for their call to redemption. Each one trembled with their own sense of dignity. “I guess this is it,” Sweet Pop said twirling her dark purple mane. She looked excitedly into Platinum Chain’s green eyes.

“Yeah…I just wanna get out of this thing and get to where I need to be.”

“Don’t worry, Sir Cutter X promised us that we’ll all get our piece of glory!”

“I hope your right…” From the front of the train, Dust Crack operated the controls under strict, delighted order from Doctor Rivet. Fuzzy Fry strolled playfully along the side, admiring his master and the uncanny reconstruction of a train.

“Ahh, finally,” the doctor said with pride still pouring out of his mind. “My inventions are going to be put to practicality. Fuzzy Fry, are you prepared?” The pony nodded and clawed at the ground viciously. “Excellent. No more hesitation, understand?” The pony nodded wildly. “Very satisfying results.”

With the enemy closing in, Twilight Sparkle bit her lip with elevated stress. “More intimidating than I anticipated. But I have hope we can overcome this.”

“Yeah, we’re boned beyond all belief,” Brass Dozer said clutching his spear tight.

“C’mon, big brother. Be a confident guard!” Glass Dozer swung his spear wildly in blind enthusiasm. Clyde dodged a swipe and put a hoof on the younger brother’s shoulder.

“I ain’t being a dead one today. Today’s not my day…” Brass Dozer said shaking his head. “We are in way over our heads now-aw damn!”

“Alright girls,” Twilight Sparkle said ignoring Brass Dozer’s protests. “Does everypony remember what to do?” The assortment of mares nodded carefully and donned their Elements. Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic; each piece to their respectful owner. The mares formed a line behind Twilight Sparkle, their hooves shuffling with allegiance, angst and courage. “We’ve been through this before and we can do it again!” Twilight Sparkle said as the Misfit Marauders waltzed into the center of town.

“Oh, look. The welcoming whores!” Cutter X said giggling like a madman. “See? They created a sexy party just for us!”

“I don’t know who you are-or who you even think you are,” Twilight Sparkle said with a new, sparked tone. She stood her ground as the stallions before her all eyed with unsure looks. “But if you think you can just walk into Ponyville and try to destroy us, then you’re wrong!” She closed her eyes and breathed slowly.

“What is this? A magic show?” Joltaire said putting a hoof on the confused Masquerade Blade.

“…”

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes to reveal white, hot blazes of pure light. Her blank, dazzling eyes matched the growing aurora surrounding the purple mare. Already, the mares behind her shared similar glows; their Elements had started to truly shine. The air grew heavy and the invaders felt themselves being pushed back. With a dashing spiral of energy, the mares started to gravitate off the ground.

“Oh boy, this really is the end!” Bull It Buster said banging his guns against the Death Divider. However, time passed and the mares simply gravitated without any response. The Misfit Marauders watched with growing pity.

“What?” Twilight Sparkle said as her body floated back to solid ground. She blinked before her eyes returned to the purple from whence before. “The Elements…didn’t work?” The remaining mares also returned to their previous state, fear now pulsating from each girl’s heart.

“Cute,” Joltaire said raising his cannon spiraling with blue energy.

“Quite,” Cutter X said clapping with his sharp, metal-coated hooves. “I applauded the effort; I was somewhat worried for a second. It looked like you girls were about to explode.”

“…” Masquerade Blade held his few remaining blades by his side.

“Hallelujah, we now get to shoot ‘em up!”

Doctor Rivet tapped the Death Divider twice and the inmates started to flush out. Patting his pet, the doctor chuckled. “Let’s get started, then.”

Author's Note

Cliff Hanger Central...sorry!

Chapter 38: Playtime in Ponyville [Part 2]

Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and let her life memories flow through her head. Each event, each piece of happiness and sadness drifted by. Her body shuddered as Fuzzy Fry’s claw was inches from slashing at her whole body. With dust in his trail, the pony had targeted its prey and was about to end her life in one fell swoop.

“Purple die!”

“Ain’t happening ya bastard!” Brass Dozer’s spear was rejected by Fuzzy Fry’s claws as the stallion tried striking furiously. “Get away from the pretty lady!” The orange pony hissed with each jab Brass Dozer tried to land.

“Hah! Some little horsey magic ain’t gonna stop us,” Cutter X said waving his sharpened arm. “Bring in the Death Divider, everybody charge with righteous fury!”

“Forward, unto dawn!” Bull It Buster said spinning up his guns, the blue streaks of energy crackling within both muzzles.

“Gotcha!” Dust Crack said operating the internal machine. The train creaked into a faster crawl alongside the springing combatants.

“Time for a steamy, creamy, dreamy pile of eat da poo poo on your faces!”

“Jesus H, that’s a stretch,” Joltaire said.

“Girls get out of there!” Clyde yelled rushing the group behind a nearby building.

“C’mon, Fluttershy, move!” Dumbbell said grabbing the mare.

“Miss Twilight!”

Twilight Sparkle shook as bullets flew across the ground, painting it with black indents. She clenched her teeth in a frown before fleeing with her friends.

“Jaajajajajaaah!” Bull It Buster screamed in delight as he continued shooting wildly.

“Holy shit?” Joltaire said eyeing Bull It Buster. “Shooting at girls? How could there be such a thing?” He aimed at the fleeing ponies and shot at the ground in front of them blindly.

“Join in, folks!” Cutter X said to the idling thugs and mares. “Get into the fray, into the fun!” He swiped in an X formation before charging past Bull It Buster’s bullets and Joltaire’s energy blasts. A few meters in, Cutter X found a small ball bounce in front of him. The whole gang of Misfit Marauders watched as their leader exploded in front of them in a black blast.

“What the hell?” Joltaire said. He craned his neck and found his own pellet hopping towards him. Another explosion plus one more as Bull It Buster went flying off the Death Divider in maniacal laughter.

“Shatter my balls until I’m blown away!”

A shadow dashed across the playing field with a silver blade running by the wind. Golden sparkles glinted in Cutter X’s eyes as Gray Shark zeroed in. “Bastard!”

“Takes one to kill one,” Gray Shark said aiming his sword straight for Cutter X’s face. The sharp pony angled his head so that the blade clanged against his open helmet. In his case, that meant smashing his head into the ground.

Cutter X chuckled. “What will you do now?”

“Uh…stab you in the back?”

Cutter X shivered as the blade on his helmet dug into the ground. He was unable to pull his head up and started shaking his body. “No! Don’t touch me, get back!”

“Even more pathetic than me,” Joltaire hissed on the ground rubbing the black powder from his helmet.

“I think I’d be doing you a better favor if I were to end you right here right now,” Gray Shark said pinpointing his blade at Cutter X’s exposed neck. He tried to pull through with his attack, but couldn’t move his arm. Gray Shark sighed and tugged at the newly wrapped chain around his golden hoof. “Hello there, young Miss. Here to ruin yet another one on one?”

“Heya!” Platinum Chain hollered straining her magic grip on the chain. “I thought I’d just like to lend a helping hoof to this poor-gwah!” The mare rolled out of the way as a bomb erupted right next to her face. Gray Shark felt the chain loosen around his golden hoof and pulled back. With full slack, the chain drooped helplessly and Gray Shark resumed his payroll on Cutter X.

“You are a feisty one!” Another chain coiled itself around Gray Shark’s leg and tripped him backwards. Without a scratch Platinum Chain began making her way into an alleyway, shambling Gray Shark across the ground. The masked pony struggled to remove the two chains stretched across his limbs.

“…” Masquerade Blade instantly followed up to finish his never ending rivalry. Blades raised, the stallion burned with a passion to be victor.

“No, Masquerade,” Sir Cutter X said halting Masquerade Blade’s progress entirely. “Stay. We need to deal with these creatures first.” He removed his head from the dirt and brushed the filth from his golden head blade. “Then we can deal with him…there’s no doubt he’ll probably overpower that girl. Heh, man’s job.”

“…”

“Ahh, the thing’s jammed!” a voice called from inside the Death Divider. “I can’t get it to work anymore! Damn, the guy blasted something…the train won’t start!”

Doctor Rivet unleashed a pained sigh before marching towards his creation. “My work is yet unfinished. How utterly annoying! Dust Crack, I am entering the Death Divider. Get out.”

Clyde breathed sighs of relief for the small window of opportunity. “They seem to be distracted, you girls should go,” he whispered as quick as he could.

“We can’t,” Twilight Sparkle said watching Fluttershy sobbing in the arms of Dumbbell. She grimaced, but solemnly held her place. “We have a job to do.”

“We’re not fillies anymore, Clyde, we can handle this,” Applejack agreed with a firm nod. “Right Big Mac?”

“Eeyup!”

“Girls! Don’t you understand what’s at stake here? I cannot, I repeat. I cannot risk losing any one of you,” Clyde said with torment. “Don’t do this.”

“Clyde, listen to me. It’s going to be all right,” Twilight Sparkle assured. “You can trust us. We will stop them.”

“I can’t.”

“Totally not trying to be sexist or anything,” Brass Dozer said with an honest shrug. “But how can a bunch of girls-”

“You’re sounding just like those guys,” Twilight Sparkle said with suppressed fury. Brass Dozer shrugged again and brought forth his spear. Twilight Sparkle grew tenser as her gender role was being challenged. “Listen, if you think that spear is any more powerful than my magic…”

“Hehehe, now’s mah chance and luck!” Bull It Buster had slid across the wall and peered around the corner to find the hiding ponies. He snickered before banging the wall and jumping in the center of attention. “Guess whose back with a brand new rap!”

The guns spun up and sputtering clicks racked themselves though everyone’s ears. Bull It Buster stood with two spinning death machines that refused to fire a bullet. His mouth hung in disbelief and he started chuckling once he realized what was going on. “So, you decided to cock block me with your fancy magic!”

“Sure you can call it that,” Twilight Sparkle said, her horn glowing that light purple hue. Similarly purple texture of energy had lathed itself on Bull It Buster’s guns.

“Heh, clever girl. But, you’re dealing with the rootinest, tootinest, shootinest gunman in all of Gayland!” Bull It Buster reared up and showed his dark pink tongue before rushing at the group. The guards instinctively raised their spears and moved forward. “I will squeeze yo heads in like soft titties!”

“Party cannon!” Pinkie Pie squealed with mirth. Bull It Buster turned his confused face in time to see a full-sized cannon inches away from his chest. He screamed in terrified laughter before getting the wind knocked out of him as the cannon blasted compressed air right into his side. Confetti and balloons flew with Bull It Buster into and through the building wall.

“Over here! I got ‘em,” a voice rang from the corner again.

“You sure, Crimson? You sure they went that way?”

“I’m sure, moron, let’s go!”

Twilight Sparkle strode forward towards the end of the curb and hid herself just next to the end of the wall. Brass Dozer opened his mouth to protest, but was halted by Clyde. “It’s time to fight back.”

“Like I said you dope, they-hey! There she is!” a red stallion said pointing towards Twilight Sparkle who was now in plain sight. The red stallion and a few others raised their crossbows and aimed directly for the head. “Listen, lil lady. I ain’t a stickler for being a gentlecolt. I ain’t afraid to shoot you down right here right now, right boys?” His crew cheered and jeered.

“Go ahead,” Twilight Sparkle said cloaking her extreme fear by biting her cheeks. “Shoot me.” And so they did. They shot, but their bolts never left the bow. A purple mixture had coated their weapons. Dazed, but confident, one of the stallions threw aside his ranged item and charged towards Twilight Sparkle. “Rainbow Dash!”

A multi-colored figure zoomed by and clocked the rushing stallion with a buck to the head. He tumbled and sent the other members into a panic. “Screw it!” The red stallion shrieked before running towards Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash swooped in for another take down, but missed as the red stallion went into a slide straight for Twilight Sparkle’s legs. “Gotcha!”

“Nope.” Before the red stallion made contact with the purple mare, Applejack had intervened. The crook came to a full stop as Applejack had bucked his body right back into the ground. The pony sprawled back and sprang back into combat stance. Applejack and her brother now stood side by side with Twilight Sparkle. The glares shared between were unsettlingly gloomy.

“Mama always said not to hit girls,” the red stallion said. “Too bad for her…” He started to strafe in place, beckoning his partners to follow in his routine. “Let’s make this easy. Give up now and maybe we won’t do naughty things to y’all.”

“Seems like everyone is underestimating us, huh, girls?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“I’d like to think me and mah brother are pretty much on equal terms,” Applejack proposed.

“Eeyup.”

“I’d like to think I’m the best fighter here,” Rainbow Dash called out with a tight landing. She left her wings spread out and looked smugly at her converging opponents. “You boys aren’t that tough after all.”

“We’ll see, punks.” As the three mares and Big Mac faced their various enemies, Clyde was dishing out orders to his two other subordinates.

“Do you understand? Go now and don’t come back!”

“But, Clyde, how the hell are you gonna stand up to all-”

“Just go. Take them and go. Please.”

“Clyde, I will not!”

“You will. No questions.”

Brass Dozer cursed in fury before turning to the remaining forces of Ponyville’s defense. “Alright, you three guys and three mares, come with us. Me and Glass here are gonna take you all somewhere safe.”

“Safe?” Rarity asked. “I fear I’ll never feel safe ever again! And we’re just going to leave Twilight and the others?”

“Listen, this ain’t open for argument. It’s Clyde’s order so I just follow it!”

“Looks like we’re really fighting a bunch of girls,” Joltaire commented at the battle royal between the mares and crooks. “Kinda sad how the guards just shut down.”

“I don’t believe so,” Sir Cutter X said. “Look, here comes the big hot shot.”

Clyde walked to the three conceited stallions without considering the fight occurring next to him. He stopped with a firm stomp and swung his heavenly spear forward. “Just a royal guard performing his duty.”

“Guess so,” Cutter X said displaying his bladed hooves. “The hero always falls, however.”

“…”

Clyde tightened his muscles and tensed his jaw. “If I fall, so be it. I’ll die protecting this land! You won’t hurt those girls or anyone else in this town, I promise you that!”

On the sidelines, two stallions were conversing comically about the whole scene. “Dude, what a big joke,” one of them said unimpressed.

“I know, let’s just go pillage the place already. Why we standing around fighting these wimps when we could be making big money?” the other replied with a shake of his hoof.

“Excuse me, but am I interrupting something?” The two thugs spun around to find Pride standing nonchalantly against a back wall.

“What the-hey!” The two stallions revealed their own personal knives and eyed the activated Pride. “Bug off if you know what’s best.” The stallion had died before he could take another breath. In the distance, Sir Cutter X perked his head up just in time to see the other stallion being cut down. Two bleeding corpses were marked as Pride whipped his sword.

“What…”

“It seems there’s already quite the commotion going on here,” Pride said edging himself closer to Cutter X and his associates.

“Huzzah, we’re late to the party-hoowee, that’s a cool looking thingy!” Greed said pointing his cane at the Death Divider.

“Yo who the hell?” Joltaire grumbled to Masquerade Blade. “Who are you fools?”

“They ain’t no true horse pisslots,” Cutter X said ignoring the stunned Clyde entirely. “Goddammit are you part of Enzo’s crew?”

“Not in the slightest,” Pride answered striding closer. “All I’m here for is to find the one known as Gray Shark.”

“And I want that fancy-ass train over yonder, see,” Greed said grinning viciously from ear to ear. “That thing’s got style.”

“Ugh, Masquerade Blade, take care of them,” Cutter X ordered. “We must finish this imbecile gawking in front of us.”

“…” Masquerade Blade took his metal rotary blades and aimed them at Pride.

“And now it seems I have yet another duel coming,” Pride said.

“Keyword ‘I’,” Bloom added from the sidelines. “You can probably handle him, he don’t look too tough, right Wrath?”

“I don’t care.”

“Hah!” Cutter X said switching his focus back and forth between Clyde and the sins. “You think you’re hot shit? Obviously I’m the best around along with my two buddies so sit down and get owned.”

Pride’s eyes narrowed and he took a step in Cutter X’s direction. A spinning blade found its target and made way for Pride’s neck before the fencer dodged. The blade landed itself next to Bloom who jumped into Wrath. “Oi, Pride, you trying to tear my beautiful face off? Block that!”

Pride showed no response and began to bolt en route to Masquerade Blade’s position. Sword drawn and sights set, Pride leaped into the air and tried to land an aerial strike. Masquerade Blade selected another blade and defended himself with a crossed block. He swatted and threw Pride back into the air, hurling both blades. Pride tilted his body to dodge one and swiped away the other. He landed close by and resumed his assault.

Masquerade Blade restocked and threw both his saw blades horizontally. Pride ran faster before somersaulting in-between the space given and attempting to pierce Masquerade Blade’s skull. The pony held up a blade at the last second and managed to catch Pride’s sword within the hole. Without hesitation, he launched the blade and sword into the air.

Pride jumped back and tilted his head as Masquerade Blade began chucking every rotary blade he had. Pride swung by each with incomprehensible ease, inching closer and closer to Masquerade Blade. Pride started to side strafe, making Masquerade Blade miss completely. The unarmed swordsman was already behind Masquerade Blade by the time he had figured out what was going on. The sword in the air landed perfectly in Pride’s hoof and the rearmed fencer dashed forward.

Masquerade Blade reached and felt his stomach churn as he felt air where his blades should have been. He had run out. “I commend you for your fighting skills. Certainly you must be the best out of your group.” Pride’s blade was homing in on Masquerade Blade’s neck and the pony could do nothing but stare at his maker. “However, you are not the best and so-” The sword took another victim as it sliced through the flesh in a clean cut. Masquerade Blade’s headless body crumpled to the ground, his head went flying as blood splattered everywhere.

“You lose. Now then, you say you’re the best?” Pride said now looking at a mortified Cutter X. “Let’s find out.” For the first time, silence washed over the dull expressions everybody owned. All quarrels stopped and Pride slowly crept up on Cutter X specifically.

“He just…killed Masquerade…he killed him,” Joltaire whispered backing away.

An air of passiveness swept across the playing field. The fighting stopped. “No, no,” Cutter X cried as Pride stalked his prey. “Get away from me!” Cutter X maneuvered himself into a rampant sprint. “Slow him down you assholes! Do it!”

“Wait for me!” Joltaire howled running after his leader. “Every guy for himself!” he called back to the now formed line of stallions.

“Pitiful,” Pride commented with scorn. “I only seek the one who calls himself the best. However, should you all get in my way; I have no other option but to cut you all down.”

Behind the line of terrified stallions, a mare and stallion were fleeing the scene as Pride proceeded to dash and slice through the defense without any effort. Lifeless bodies flew as the swordsman continued bolting after his target. “Deal with the rest if you wish,” he announced back to his partners.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends had all watched the carnage take place. Death, gore and screams had filled their hearts with permanent scars. No more spirit was needed for Twilight Sparkle’s opponents also fled the scene. All that remained were a couple of abandoned Misfit Maruaders and the sins. “Well, the man said clean up so let’s roll boys, eh? Wrath!”

Already airborne, the frustrated sin crashed into a cluster of enemies. Bloody cries echoed into the crater Wrath had created with single body forged into the middle. “Screw that, forget Cutter X’s order!” one of the stallions said watching multiple bodies flying lifelessly onto the blood stained ground.

As the stallion turned to flee, he felt a burning sensation pouring onto his back and in an instant, he was dead. A white hot light had devoured the crook with a single blast from Greed’s cane and the pony lay askew on the ground singed. “Seeya, sucka.” The silver cane had its bottom nozzle lit up an intense, sparkling white. Greed grinned as he aimed his cane at another victim and felt his entire body blowing back as he fired his laser.

The Misfit Marauder death toll was too much for the remaining members to handle. The rest felt their legs mechanically attempt to escape the massacre. “We shoulda left a long goddamn time ago-what the hell is that?” Vines burst from the ground and started to entangle themselves with the scampering stallions.

“Thanks, Bloom,” Greed retorted. More lives were vanquished with short blasts from Greed’s cane.

“Least someone’s getting my name right,” Bloom said with relief. He let his magic die down; the dark green glow extinguished itself along with the vines.

Doctor Rivet watched from the Death Divider in complete disappointment. He ran his hoof down the side of his creation before jumping at the voice of his crazy companion. “Oh boy, mah boy, doctah! We gotta scram now! Doc, c’mon,” Bull It Buster frantically spat.

“No, that one wants this train, my creation. I am not going to let him take it,” Doctor Rivet explained.

“Then you die, bruddah. I’m skidaddling!”

Doctor Rivet saw his options dwindling. “…Fuzzy Fry-we are leaving.” The pony kept an eye on the sins before following the doctor, dragging its claws on the blood stained dirt.

“Run, witch doctah, run!”

“Hey, you two think you can just leave, eh?” Greed hollered aiming his cane with a smile. “How rude, see.”

“Pissnuggets!” Bull It Buster sent a flurry of bullets Greed’s way, causing the sin to retract his shot and hurl himself back.

“Oh shit!”

“Not used to shooting things that shoot back?” Bloom commented slyly.

“Bah let ‘em go, see,” Greed said while the three ponies made their way out of sight behind a building. “Wrath’ll take care of those pricks-oh.”

In the distance, Wrath was continuously thrashing at a stallion’s body. Sickening cracks and crunches contrasted with chunky, sloshing melodies. The crimson slab of mutilated meat was all that was left for Wrath had completely pulverized the poor stallion into red mist. The sin finally stopped his rampage and glanced gingerly at his fellow sins. He then proceeded to kick the flesh sack away and grunted to himself. “I hate everything.”

Chapter 39: Playtime in Ponyville [Part 3]

Blitz kept his body parallel to the grassy ground as he slithered towards the exit of the hideout. Making as little noise as possible, he found himself inches away from freedom.

“You’re not leaving,” Trixie said as Blitz attempted to take a step outside. He licked his lips before addressing his caller.

“This isn’t like the last time. I’m not listening to you.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Trixie stood up and marched over. “This time I won’t hesitate to fry your brain from inside out.” Her face was inches from Blitz’s.

“You don’t even know how to do that-listen,” Blitz said moving away from the opening. “My friend is out there in the wild somewhere. All alone and messed up by that damn doctor. You expect me to sit here and give up? Give up my friend?” Blitz was breathing heavily, his eyes filled with murderous dread. “Do you really think that about me?”

Trixie raised a brow. “I expect you not to cause me anymore trouble. After that failure with Twilight-”

“You were going to kill her; to murder her. You’re sick in the head!”

“So? She deserved-”

“Nobody deserves death,” Blitz said hesitantly. “Nobody but that doctor!”

“Who is this doctor anyways?” Trixie asked furiously.

“Now, I am leaving and you can’t stop me.” Blitz ignored his former captor and waltzed back towards the hut exit. Upon leave, he felt a magical barrier crash against his face. A purple shield prevented Blitz’s escape into his quest.

“Don’t get overconfident, boy. I’m the more skilled one here,” Trixie said emphasizing her glowing horn.

“Sure about that?”

“You wanna try me?”

Blitz chuckled as he formulated the perfect comeback. “I’m sure Bloom already did.” Trixie’s face lit up a bright red and she let her mouth hang in awe. She instantly bit her lip and felt immense heat build in her forehead. Her magic started to crackle and the barrier began to wrinkle. Blitz winked before smashing through the faded barrier and made his way into the forest.

The screeches of a confused and upset mare left Blitz in a victory lap. He grinned maliciously as he escaped into the depths of the green. “Again, I’ve never been more sickened and more awesome than now.” The leaves crunched and the branches swayed. “I will kill that doctor if it’s the last thing I do.”

Twixie’s screams died off as Blitz was out of range and into his own madness. “I know where he’ll be creeping at.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Chains smashed the ground into oblivion as the masked pony jumped about. Silver snakes flew into the air, cutting through the wind as a bored mare kept Gray Shark at bay. “Listen, we don’t have all day. Why don’t you just get slapped and we’ll say you lost. Okay?”

Gray Shark stayed mute at Platinum Chain’s remark. He waved his sword gently as an act of disapproval. “Fine, have it your way.” Platinum Chain unleashed a chain head on at Gray Shark. He slashed away the weaponry only to be greeted by more. Ducking, strafing and blocking each chain shot, Gray Shark danced his way towards Platinum Chain.

“You’re a pretty skilled fighter,” he commented with a chain barely missing his face.

“Do you mean I’m a slightly better than average fighter, or are you calling me a pretty girl?”

Gray Shark’s reaction of mere stall left him receiving a blow straight to the face. His body flew back, but he managed to stay upright and caught the chain with his sword through a link. Using his falling momentum, he swung back and launched Platinum Chain towards him. With an exasperated sigh, Gray Shark elbowed the mare and sent her flying. His sword slipped back through the link and Platinum Chain ended up in a silvery pile of chains.

“Hah…” Platinum Chain muttered. “Are you blushing under that mask?”

“Hardly.”

“Well,” she said getting back up. “Soon you’ll be bleeding from it!”

Gray Shark grumbled before dodging another set of flying chains. This time, he observed how Platinum Chain attacked. With calculated judgment, he was able to surpass all instances of assault. Something’s off. She’s not giving the same vibes as the others, Gray Shark though aimlessly. Is she not- A chain found its target as Gray Shark stuttered back from the hit. He rubbed his cheek smugly.

“Losing focus already?” the mare taunted.

“Quit it, I’m going easy on you,” Gray Shark exclaimed.

Platinum Chain stuck her tongue out. “Sure.”

‘She doesn’t know how to kill,’ Gray Shark thought with comical relief. ‘So why is she with the Misfit Marauders?’ Gray Shark peered over at the confused mare. “Hey, why are you-ah!” Gray Shark dodged a side swipe from his blind eye. “Why are you with these guys?” he yelled tumbling across the ground.

“And why do I have to tell you?” Platinum Chain asked triumphantly. “Are you trying to distract me?”

“Because we can stop this fight right now,” Gray Shark answered calmly.

Platinum Chain cocked her head. “I just want a lil action. That’s all-”

“You sure ‘bout that?”

The mare was taken back. “Of course!” She eyed Gray Shark’s doubtful expression. “I’m just following this guy so he can help me with something later. You wait, he’ll pull through. We’re winning after all.”

Gray Shark scratched his head. “Is that why they are abandoning you at this current moment in time?”

“Wha?”

Gray Shark pointed sluggishly at the sky. Platinum Chain wrinkled her nose before following the direction of the hoof. Her mouth hung slightly. “Are you kidding me?”

~~~~~~~~~~

“How cowardly.” Pride watched in refined frustration as his prey had escaped him in the skies.

“Fly faster you fuck!” Sir Cutter X squealed as he clung onto Dust Crack flapping his legs in the air. “Higher!” The Misfit Marauder leader held onto life as multiple pegasi glided through the air carrying several passengers to sanctuary.

“Holy hell, get us outta here, sweetheart!” Joltaire said tugging at the struggling Sweet Pop.

“You’re heavy, fatso!” she replied in pants.

“Just get us outta here. Now!” Cutter X reimbursed. “Whoever is in this group right now is getting a damn promotion for keeping me alive alive, I swear!” Unaware and apprehensive eyes looked at one another. Only a handful of Misfit Marauders remained as they escaped the clutches of the sins. Pride retracted his purple sword and was about to return to his comrades when two more stallions staggered into the open. His rapier opened up.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s da man! Don’t yiz leave us!” Bull It Buster screeched to the dots in the sky. He waved his spinning guns in frustration.

“I do believe that we are on our own unfortunately. They seem to have abandoned us,” Doctor Rivet said catching up to his partner.

“Well hot damn on my dog, that ain’t right, boy!”Bull It Buster exclaimed. After a few seconds of hopeless, the crazed gunner finally noticed the orange stallion rushing him. “Ope, looks like we’re boned up the shafthole!” he cried readying himself to fire at the target.

“Erm-” Doctor Rivet choked on his response for Pride was preparing to end their lives.

“So,” Pride said stopping and waving his sword. The two stallions tensed up. “Are you two here to give chase or are you going to give me an actual-”

“Yuppee, that’s right. We’re out!” Bull It Buster blurted with a cranked up laugh. He lowered his guns and started to shuffle away. “No trouble, no siree. No trouble here massa!” Pride gained an unsatisfied look. “Thank you, kind sir. I’m going now! C’mon, doc, let’s skedaddle!”

The doctor didn’t need Bull It Buster’s cue to flee as the two instantly bolted into the forest. Pride stood alone in the open field as the dots in the sky had vanished. He twirled his sword before sheathing it once more with disappointment. Pride sighed heavily before returning to town. “This world really is full of cowards.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Well that was fun, see,” Greed said bashing his scepter into the ground with gusto. His smile reached to the end of his ears.

“No, that was disgusting,” Bloom exclaimed wiping red splotches off of his black attire. “I got blood all over my poor suit!”

“Like a drop, maybe. Least you’re not lathered in the stuff, eh?” Greed pointed to Wrath with his cane.

The blood covered stallion sunk his head. “I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stop myself.”

“I know, sport,” Greed said softly. “You’re gonna need a pipin’ hot shower after this, eh?”

“I’m gonna need five,” Bloom said still flapping his hooves.

“Sure ya do, bigshot.”

“Excuse me.” The sins turned to a terrified guard.

Greed puffed his cheeks as he commented. “Heya. How ya doin’?”

Clyde tensed his body and gulped hard. “I-we-you-” Clyde paused to reestablish himself. “You killed all of them. Every single one of them.”

“Gotta do whatcha gotta do,” Greed said twirling his cane. “Speaking of which…” The sin faced the train and pranced joyfully towards his newly prized possession. “Sweet!”

“We had no choice,” Bloom said with a shrug. “Damn sham.”

Twilight Sparkle’s Face darkened. “There is always a choice.”

“Hey, you should be thankful,” Greed hollered at the top of the train. He pointed his cane at the sky then brought it down on the train. “Without our help you’d alls be road kill. See why?”

Twilight Sparkle bit her cheek. “Yes.”

“Good.” Greed clicked his tongue at the mare before returning to his glory. “We got some really good stuff goin’ on here, mhmm. Ahh yes, I can see it now. Me riding this thing into the sunset!”

“You guys are cool!” Dumbbell stated oblivious to the situation. Everybody looked at him with death stares. “Right Fluttershy?” He eyed the mare with certainty.

“Yeah…” Fluttershy eyed Wrath in particular with unwillingness. “Okay.”

Wrath bit his lip as Fluttershy gazed into his blood red eyes. He tried to smile but ended up withholding a stone hard frown. A stern mumble escaped his clenched mouth. Besides the short peep, the looming disturbance brought no attention to the sins. Wrath, Bloom and Greed stayed ignorant to the traumatic effect taking place on the mares and guards.

“Whatsmatter?” Greed said finally noticing the ambiance. “You ladies and gentlemen buggered out by some blood and guts?”

“I am,” Bloom said raising his hoof.

“It’s just that,” Clyde spoke with shaking caution. “We don’t see a lot of death around here-”

“I agree,” Blood said distastefully. “It’s simply awful to kill these scum in front of such lovely ladies.” He smiled as the mares found themselves in an even more uncomfortable state.

“Oh well. What’s done is done, see,” Greed said shrugging. He peered from atop the train and tapped his cane twice. “Where’s Pride?”

“Probably fell off a cliff,” Bloom said hopefully.

“Don’t count on it, Sloth.” Pride strode into the equation with a sluggish walk from nearby. His eyes were dull with discontempt.

“Dammit, it is Tony Bloom. Get it right, Pride!”

“Hah, didja catch your fish?” Greed asked rhetorically.

“No.”

Greed’s smile broke for a second. “Huh?”

“They got away.”

Greed and Bloom exchanged nervous glances while Wrath was still in a daze. “Ohhh…that’s bad,” they both said.

“In any case, Gray Shark is still missing. Our work here is done; he is not in this town. We could not locate him.”

‘Gray Shark,’ Clyde thought with alarm.

“That’s such a shame,” Bloom said sarcastically.

“Quite. A frustrating, but expected outcome-”

“Hey, w-we heard of a G-” Brass Dozer had his lips shut by Clyde as the larger guard frantically whispered. Clyde put a firm hoof on Brass Dozer’s shoulder before speaking himself.

“We heard of this Gray Shark before. Yes, now that I think about it-he was last seen in, uh, Canterlot,” Clyde said.

“But, eh, we already checked that place, see. We found nothin’.”

“Erm-” Clyde found his heart stop as everybody around him awaited a response.

“Well then, sorry for this inconvience,” Pride said adjusting his purple cape. “We’ll be departing now.”

“I’m taking this thing, Pride!” Greed called. The sin disappeared under the train and scratching sounds could be heard. A few minutes later and the train was already roaring with life.

“How the hell?” Bloom commented.

“Cuz I’m a creative wiz kid, slick.” Greed ushered the rest of the sins to board the train. Wrath and Bloom reluctantly entered while Pride merely waltzed along the side. He looked back at the terrified faces of the residents of Ponyville.

“Farewell.”

“All aboard the fail bo-uh, train, eh?” Greed said as the Death Divider hovered slowly away.

“Right. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Bloom asked.

“Nope. I just hit them buttons, see, and this thing starts.”

“Because everything with you is just easy and you get everything,” Bloom stated.

“I’m Greedy.”

Wrath ignored the bickering between Greed and Bloom and peered hopefully out the window. He barely caught a glimpse of a faint wave from the yellow mare. His face sagged and he whipped himself back in the crawling train. “I hate this.”

“What you talking about? I got me a new toy!” Greed said in disbelief. “How can ya be upset?”

“He means the girl, stupid gilipollas!” Bloom said passionately.

“Lovely. Falling in love with horses 101.”

“I can’t help it,” Wrath stated with unease. “I like her.”

Greed temporarily lost his smile once more. “Absolutely disgusting, mac.”

“Oi, Greed, don’t ever poke fun at a man’s love for another girl!” Bloom said now strolling over to his companion.

“Whatever. You guys can go court horses all you want. That’s sick.”

“It looked like she was with that other guy. I hate him,” Wrath mumbled.

Bloom instantly turned around with tears in his eyes. “Ahh the tragic act of loving the loved! I can feel your pain swelling through you!”

Wrath groaned at Bloom’s love spiel, but also at what he conceived as truth. “It’s not fair.”

“Don’t getcha hopes up,” Greed said twirling his cane. “We’re coming back, mac, I can see it in this guy’s eyes.” He pointed outside to Pride. “He knows.”

“Gray Shark is in this town,” Pride said. “And we’re going to find him.”

Chapter 40: Breakdown

With the gentle aura of Ponyville lost and the shadows of death sifting through the wind, two figures still fought despite the calming of tensions. Gray Shark continuously dodged Platinum Chain’s now reckless attacks. Each silver swing from the mare was that of frustration and confusion.

“Are we done here?” Gray Shark asked as politely as possible.

Platinum Chain’s eyes darkened under her green hood. “I can’t believe that they ditched me…that he ditched me. He promised,” she muttered painfully.

“Something wrong?”

Platinum Chain grinned. “Wrong? Oh nothing’s wrong except that you’re not giving up already.”

“Why should I? In fact, why don’t we both just stop right here right now. Why are we even fighting,” Gray Shark said nonchalantly.

Platinum Chain paused. She opened her mouth to say something, but silently cursed as she found her counter. “I don’t know.”

“Then let’s stop.” Gray Shark eyed Platinum Chain hard as she stopped and lowered her chains. Her arms folded across her chest and she sighed. “That’s better,” Gray Shark said retracting his blade. “Now, let’s talk about this.”

“Sure.” Platinum Chain responded with a quick flick to Gray Shark’s face that sent him staggering back. “Oops, sorry. Had to get the last his in, Mister,” she said with a wink.

Gray Shark furrowed his brow, but nodded. “And so ya did,” he said rubbing his cheek with nostalgia. “What will you do now.”

Again, Platinum Chain found herself shut down by the statement. “Not sure,” she said quickly with feigned confidence. “I dunno.”

“Sounds like a personal problem.”

Platinum Chain frowned. “I just don’t know.” She eyed Gray Shark cautiously.

“Don’t you have an idea-”

“Why do you care so much about me?”

Gray Shark tipped his hat. “Just checkin’ your motives. Why were you with those guys in the first place?”

“I don’t have to answer to that-”

“Is it because you can’t?”

Platinum Chain raised her hoof to stop the verbal assault. “Listen here. I don’t have to tell you anything about me. You don’t know me and I prefer it that way. Nobody knows me and what I have to do.”

“That’s the wrong way of approaching a problem,” Gray Shark scoffed. “Keeping your problems bottled up only hurts you. Trust me.”

“I just met you and we’re trying to kill each other.”

“You can’t kill.”

Platinum Chain shrugged. “Hmph, I guess I really can’t.” She turned around and made a slow advance out of the battlefield. “I’m leaving.”

“To where?”

Platinum Chain abruptly glanced back at Gray Shark. “Somewhere; anywhere away from this place and from you.”

Gray Shark watched in disappointment as the mare dashed away, chains flailing back. He could still hear the distant clinking after he made his own way back into Ponyville. “Maybe it is better if I don’t know, but she’s with the wrong group. I’m not going to see another girl get turned bad because nobody was there to stop her.” Gray Shark felt his eye patch with his golden hoof. “Not again.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Clyde?” Twilight called out to the emptied square of Ponyville. “The girls have been settled in…everything alright?” She bit her lip in regret.

“Today has been the worst day of my career, Miss Twilight,” Clyde stated staring out into the wasteland of fallen bodies. “I’ve never seen so much death.” The two guards standing side by side next to Clyde shuddered at the thought as well.

Twilight sulked in bitter agreement. “Right.”

“In the past, of course I’ve had to put down a few criminals. Yes, I’ve have to get my hooves dirty…but this-this was a simple slaughter,” Clyde said shaking his head idly.

“I understand.”

“Heh, I-I’ll have to agree with that too,” Brass Dozer said with stifled nervousness. “Even a tough guy like me…this is too much.”

“I agree,” Glass Dozer said eyeing his brother with pale eyes. “This was so awful. I can’t imagine how your friends feel.”

“I can-well unhappily say that this is the absolute worst thing we’ve seen,” Twilight said with an anxious chuckle. “Between almost destroying Canterlot at the Gala and almost being torn apart from my friends during Discord’s chaos, this is just so wrong. I can compare nothing to something as violent as this.”

A dashing shadow swooped in and startled the group. “It appears I missed the carnage.”

“Mister Gray Shark, I’m glad to see you’re still in one piece,” Clyde said still staring off into the bloodied street. “However, you went against my word on keeping watch on both Misters Vice and Enzo.”

“I confess. I’m guilty of absence,” Gray Shark said. “I went against your word and I apologize.”

“I didn’t want to risk having more opposition,” Clyde explained. “To make the enemy less guarding of their opponents is a key strategy.”

“Which didn’t exactly work,” Twilight added darkly. Clyde gulped audibly.

Gray Shark stayed silent and nodded. He gazed onto the fallen path of death just as Clyde did. Taking a few steps, he almost tripped at what he saw. Lying on the ground was the decapitated body of Masquerade Blade. His head was inches away from the corpse. Gray Shark closed his eye and took a deep breath. “So, you met your match here. This marks your grave; your end. You were a skillful opponent, honorable.” Gray Shark tipped his hat off. “Just like me.” He kneeled down and extended his sword just above the chest area. “Rest in peace.”

“Mister Gray Shark-”

Gray Shark’s ears perked up. “Wait, how did you all manage to do this?” He looked at the bodies then at the group. “I’m sorry, but how? It seems too extreme.”

“I understand your concern,” Clyde said finally breaking his gaze and looking straight into Gray Shark’s crimson eye. “These unbelievable ponies-they came and just eliminated those thugs within minutes.”

“Unbelievable ponies?” Gray Shark asked suddenly facing Clyde. “As in not from this world,” he added slyly.

“I’m not sure, Mister Gray Shark. One of them said he was looking for you in particular.”

“Me?” Gray Shark put a hoof to his chin. “Did he have a purple hat? And a sword?”

Clyde nodded firmly. “Yes, the sword and hat were identifiable.”

“…Shit!”

“I’m sorry?” Twilight said with a gasp.

Gray Shark bit his cheek. “No, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to have an outburst.”

The purple mare acknowledged Gray Shark’s mistake. “I can assume that there’s a lot wrong with him according to your reaction.”

“Yes-I’m sorry, again. I haven’t even introduced myself. I am Gray Shark; at your service.” The stallion barely bowed without falling over due to embarrassment.

Twilight smiled faintly. “Hello. I’m Twilight Sparkle; student and scholar.”

“Interesting. Now, can you recall any other individuals associated with the swordsman,” Gray Shark said. “Perhaps, they are just as ruthless?”

“From what I can remember, one of them had a cane in which he was able to cast magic. Another was complaining about his suit and the last sounded very frustrated.”

Gray Shark nodded firmly. “That’s what I thought.”

Twilight shuddered unwillingly. “If you don’t mind me asking…are you also from another dimension?”

“Also?”

“Also. I was told there exists an alternate dimension by certain outsiders,” Twilight said with a smirk.

Gray Shark considered the information given and concluded what she implied. “What gave it away?”

“Just about everything.”

“Heh. Well if you must know, yes, I am a machine, if you will,” Gray Shark said waving his golden hoof. “Turned organic by this world.”

Twilight’s body loosened up as the tension from the day’s carnage seeped out. “Well then I’m definitely going to have to study you, especially that arm of yours.”

“Is that an invitation?” Gray Shark asked with a chuckle. Clyde almost toppled over and Brass Dozer whistled.

“Huh?”

“Uh-never mind. Ahem…so then, I might as well inform you all about myself and my connection to all of this. No more hiding. I trust you.” Gray Shark took a deep breath before taking the next step for clarity. “Now, as you all must know, these Misfit Marauders are not exactly moral characters. In fact, I’d consider them quite evil.” He paused before moving onto the next point. “In my world, or my dimension, there was a portal constructed to be homed onto this world. Vice and Enzo must have already told you this so you know they entered the portal firstly. Their friend, Electric Flair, told them everything was alright. He lied. The portal’s integrity was failing and he had to use his body to sustain it. Lucky for him, that’s when the leaders of the Misfit Marauders showed up.”

The three guards and Twilight showed faces of growing confusion, but nodded automatically for Gray Shark to continue. “That’s when I came in. I knew they were enemies to my friends so I had to follow them into the portal. And I guess everything comes around because my own enemies must have trailed me as well. Let me ask you this: are you all familiar with the seven deadly sins?”

Twilight was the first to answer. “Of course.”

“Good. Then I need not explain what each name means. Those four individuals that appeared today were in fact part of the seven deadly sins; a pact created by their leader, Pride. Only four remain because-well, I’ve taken care of at least two. Gluttony and Lust should not be a problem. Envy…I’m not sure what became of him. Greed, Sloth, Wrath and Pride are all that remain in this world.”

“So many beings from another world,” Twilight said with awe. “Can you tell me all of the serial numbers? I need this for-”

“There are no serial numbers,” Gray Shark answered grimly. “At least not my generation.”

“Generation? How can a species of robots have generations?”

“Let’s just say that after the initial creation of robots, the later constructions were absolved of actual numbers. Records were essentially forgotten as the world succumbed to machines. You didn’t have a number after a while.”

Clyde turned to Gray Shark. “Is this all because of revenge?”

“No, that’s not Pride’s deal.” Gray Shark shifted uncomfortably.

“What is?” Twilight asked.

“To be honest, I don’t even know myself. The other sins follow Pride strictly.”

“I see,” Clyde said rubbing his mustache. “I really am starting to understand all of this. No matter how ridiculous it all adds up to be.” The two other guards shrugged in opposition to understanding the situation.

“Hey,” Twilight asked with sudden concern. “What about Blitz? He’s still missing.”

“So he is, we underestimated his will,” Gray Shark said.

Twilight scratched her head. “How are we going to find him,” she mumbled to herself.

Gray Shark huffed profusely. “Alright, Clyde, when the guards get here set up a perimeter-”

“The guards aren’t here. They never arrived in the first place.”

Gray Shark flinched. “Wha-alright. Okay.” He rubbed his face with growing stress. “Just get everyone secured. Fly overhead and keep watch. Have Twilight keep an eye on Vice and Enzo.”

Clyde grimaced at the orders handed out. “Wait, I will not have Miss-”

“I’m no fool, Clyde,” Gray Shark said sternly. “I know her magical capabilities surpass the average castor, or unicorn, in this world. Should any of the Sins or Misfit Marauders attack, she would most certainly have the upper…hoof.”

The guard pony sighed reluctantly. “I-”

“Clyde, you need not worry. I can handle this,” Twilight defended.

“-I will allow it,” Clyde stated confidently. “What will you do, Mister Gray Shark?”

“Call me the detective. I’m going out to investigate,” Gray Shark said tipping his hat. “I have a solid idea as to where he might be.”

Clyde raised a hoof. “And you’re sure of this?”

Gray Shark shook his head lightly as he started to walk off. “No.”

“What is happening around here?” Twilight said now regaining her stressed composure.

“I fear the pasts of our fellow time travelers have come here to haunt us,” Clyde answered watching the gray speck leave town.

“If not for the daunting situation, I’d say that this is the most interesting thing that’s happened to me so far,” Twilight said.

“So seeing hell is what you mean,” Brass Dozer said.

“Exactly.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“This is complete bullshit; I can’t believe we’re still in this hellhole! We should’ve been out there fighting!” Vice slashed his hoof across the pale white wall as he struggled to get up from his bed. The bandages around him crinkled with crusty blood.

“Vice, you’re lucky you were able to be roomed with me,” Enzo said watching his partner tremble in pain. “You’re also lucky you’re still alive with your wings.”

“Bah, that’s two different things, Enzo,” Vice said with a smile. “I’m feeling just fine bab-ehh!”

“Sure.”

Vice sighed. “I’m just saying we should’ve done something.”

“We did,” Enzo said carefully. “We did something by doing nothing-”

“Goddammit.”

“We’re not as strong as we used to be, Vice, can’t you see that?” Enzo said looking at his partner sternly. “We’re not invincible anymore.”

“Don’t remind me,” Vice said settling back comfortably into his bed. “Don’t make me remember what I’ve become.”

“Hello?” a voice called from outside.

Vice whipped his head around in confusion. “Huh?”

“It’s me, Rainbow Dash. Can we come in?”

“We?” Enzo asked.

“And Fluttershy.”

Enzo gulped hard as the knob slowly turned on the door. Vice wrinkled his nose grumpily as the two mares entered the room. Enzo made eye contact with Fluttershy who quickly averted her own eyes. He could feel his heart shivering.

“So, uh, I assume you guys won,” Vice said with a smile. “Right?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said with hollow eyes. “We won.”

“We’re just here to check on you two,” Fluttershy added dully.

“Okay,” Vice said warily. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere.”

“Hey Fluttershy,” Enzo blurted out. The mare still did not respond to him in any way. “Are you alright? I wish I was out there to help.”

Vice chuckled. “Correction: you wish your good pal Vice was there to help.”

“You weren’t there…” Fluttershy muttered coldly.

The two stallions felt dread creeping upon them. “Yeah, I’m really sorry about that,” Enzo said genuinely. Rainbow Dash bit her lip.

Vice narrowed his eyes. “Yo, what’s wrong?”

“What?” Rainbow Dash said connecting to Vice. “Oh-nothing.”

“Hmph. C’mon, don’t pull that. What’s the matter?”

“Fluttershy, did something happen?” Enzo asked sitting up promptly.

“…”

Vice and Enzo exchanged harrowing glances. Vice rubbed his face before speaking angrily. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry!” Fluttershy cried before bailing through the door.

“No-wait!” Rainbow Dash called chasing after her friend.

“Yo!” Vice tossed his bed sheets aside and tumbled onto the floor. He pounded the ground in frustration. “Frack!” Enzo remained silent. “What in the name of balls just happened?”

“I-I don’t know,” Enzo said getting out of bed. “I’m going after her!”

“Wait-agh! My everything!”

Enzo ignored Vice’s pains and managed to catch up with the two mares. He immediately tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder who instantly jumped around. She completely blocked her face off with her hooves. “Hey?” Enzo asked almost reaching for her face. “Everything alright?” Enzo mentally sighed. ‘What a stupid thing to ask. Of course she’s not alright. But, what else would I say?’

Fluttershy poked her face through her hooves with a frown. “Yes,” she peeped. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” She could not will herself to look in Enzo’s eyes.

“That’s-”

“Holy-what happened to your cutie mark?” Rainbow Dash said pointing at Enzo’s backside. The stallion sheepishly peered at the picture of a silver hoof now half peeling off his body. He cursed out loud.

“I am shedding!” he said with quick bursts.

“It’s fake,” a voice said from behind the group. Vice had crawled all the way from the hospital room with a grin. “All good and fake.”

“Fake? But why?” Rainbow Dash asked astonished at the idea of a cutie mark sticker.

“Because guys like us don’t have what you call cutie mark,” Vice said getting up. “From what we know, those things take a while to get…years. We’ve only been here a few, so naturally it’d be odd for grown up…horses like us to have blank flanks.”

Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stayed astounded. Enzo managed to remove his doctored cutie mark before speaking directly to Fluttershy. “If you see any other grown ponies without a cutie mark, run. Please don’t trust them.”

“…”

“Do you understand, Fluttershy?”

“…Yes.”

Vice grumbled with his body resting on the wall. “Hey.” Faces fell upon him. “I’m gonna be a real asshole for a second. What the hell is wrong with you right now, Fluttershy.”

“Vice!” Enzo shouted abruptly. “What do you think-”

“Enzo…” Fluttershy muttered.

The black stallion’s anger simmered into thin air. “Yeah, Fluttershy?”

“I have to stop seeing you.”

Enzo’s body prickled. “Wait, huh? What do you mean?”

“No…” Rainbow Dash whispered regretfully.

“I can’t see you anymore,” Fluttershy said more sternly. Tears started to roll down her eyes.

“Why?”

The mare took a deep breath before explaining herself. “I’m seeing someone else!”

“Fluttershy, I don’t-”

“I’m going out with Dumbbell!”

The intense breathing of Fluttershy echoed throughout the hospital halls. Rainbow Dash’s pained face shot away as the two stallions stayed stunned. Vice almost fell over as he stumbled with his next words. “What the hell?”

“I’m sorry, I’m just so sorry! I-” Fluttershy clamped her mouth shut and suppressed further sobs. She shook her head spraying tears all about as she ran away from Enzo.

“I’m sorry too,” Rainbow Dash said rushing behind her fleeing friend. “I really don’t know why she’s dating that bully!”

Vice shook in terror. He watched Enzo’s quiet, swaying body with growing sorrow. “No.” Vice tried walking closer to his friend, holding his mouth shut. “Fuck no,” he spat through his hooves. “What the fuck. What the fucking fuck!” Enzo raised his head slightly and glanced at Vice before trudging back into his room. “God fucking dammit, Enzo, no!”

Enzo brushed by the doorway and headed straight for his bed. “This ain’t right,” Vice said still shivering. “That can’t be true!” Enzo ignored Vice’s outbursts and crept back into his bed. He gazed at the ceiling never taking his eyes off the white paint. “Enzo, I-” Vice choked on his words. He tried to hold his mouth even harder, but the tears started to form in his eyes. “No…” Enzo just kept staring at the ceiling.

“I’m sorry,” Vice screamed.

“I am too. I’m really sorry. I’m sorry about everything.” Enzo could hear Vice crying as he felt his body solidify into stone.

Chapter 41: Broken Bodies

The wind rivaled Gray Shark’s speed as he rushed through the outskirts of town with his jacket flicking at the dawned sky. ‘Pride…’ Gray Shark continued striding through the open field with memories of the Sins stinging his brain. Scanning the field, he found nothing but barren green.

“If Pride is this close to town then there really is no holding back for me.” Gray Shark felt himself slowing down. He stomped the ground before dashing again. “For now I need to focus on finding Blitz.” The masked pony spotted something tainting the greenery and approached it with caution. “Bodies? Out here?” He eyed the slash marks on each of the stallions and sighed. “Must’ve been the scouting squad. Pride took care of them alright.”

Gray Shark finally stepped into the forest with a growing anxiety. “If I remember, this is the path to where we were yesterday.” He nodded firmly at the imprints of hooves on the ground. “Now I just have to-” Gray Shark paused and shuddered at the stench of blood. He spotted a stray limb hanging out from under a bush and gasped inaudibly. The odor grew intensely as he neared the bush. Feeling his heart sink, Gray Shark stood glaring at a pile of armored bodies each with a face of dread.

“So this is where the royal guards ended up,” he said sickly. “But, how-” Gray Shark gritted his teeth under his mask. “Slash marks again. Means that Pride must’ve…dealt with the guards too. Of course.” He sized up the blood trail leading to the corpses and sighed. “And I can’t be following clues either. I have my own priorities; I have to find Blitz.” Gray Shark ignored the bodies as he continued to search for Blitz.

“As much as I want to pursue my enemy, I need to focus on other things.” Gray Shark noted how deep into the forest he was and clicked his golden hoof reassuringly. “I have to make sure Blitz is safe. That’s a promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz licked the roof of his mouth to combat the drying sensation eating at him. His breaths were short and his heart pounded to escape his chest. But nothing could stop his spirit, his eyes lay stretched open as he glided through the forest. One name kept forging itself in his mind. ‘Fuzzy Fry.’

“Yes this is it!” Blitz skidded to a stop and inspected the area around him. He smiled in spite of the situation he was in. “The bullet marks from that crazy guy…yes!” Blitz ran across the darkened spots imprinted on the ground with increased confidence. “Agh, this is the last place I saw Fuzzy Fry…where is he? Fuzzy Fry!” The stallion called out in vain as his newly gained confidence started to drop. Still running, he screeched louder. “Fuzzy Fry!”

Now losing track of his location, Blitz felt himself breaking down. The effects of constant running took its toll as the unicorn felt his entire body burn. With his vision blurring, Blitz wandered off astray. He almost fell over as he spotted sanctuary for his pains. A glistening patch of water smiled upon Blitz, the sun reflected its warmth off the clear surface. Blitz thanked Celestia before reaching for his saddlebag and scooping up the liquid.

“Even if it’s dripping, it’s still good,” Blitz said as he slurped down his refreshment. He sat down and took another sip, his body started to drift into a deep sleep as every part of him became numb. “No!” The unicorn shook his head rapidly. “Fuzzy Fry. There’s no time to-”

“Oh little boy…” Blitz jumped up and screamed behind hi m. Two spinning guns stared straight into his terrified eyes. “Are you ready to get penetrated?” Bull It Buster cackled.

Blitz gulped hard, but shifted his face into anger. “Where’s Doctor Rivet?”

“None of yo bee’s ass wax,” the deranged gunner responded.

“Tell me or I will hurt you,” Blitz said with his horn glowing.

Bull It Buster stopped spinning his hooves and looked at Blitz with a solid smile. He let his hooves slam into the ground before falling and laughing hysterically. Blitz did not falter and kept his guard up. “I’ll die from laughter that’s what! You can kill me like dis!”

Blitz took initiative to hurl his saddlebag at the flopping stallion. Bull It Buster spat before getting up and smashing the bag into the ground. Water coated itself all around the pony’s hooves. “Are you trying to make me a wet man?” Bull It Buster asked cracking up again. “Arr, me guns have wet powder,” he said making clicking sounds with his hooves.

Blitz shook his head before letting his magic surround the two guns. A cyan aura sifted around them as they started to recolor into a steel blue. “Lawl-wait huh?” Bull It Buster said eyeing his changing hooves. “Oh, that’s ice cool! Now my hands are all glittery and shiny.”

“You really are a crazy bastard,” Blitz said with disbelief.

“Say goodbye.” Bull It Buster revved up his guns, but stood with confusion as nothing happened. He stared at his hooves and then thrust them forward. Bits of ice sprinkled off. “Well holy anal beads, I’ve been creamed and iced over!”

“Now, tell me where Doctor Rivet is. Please!”

“Wow hold the phone’s dinkus, the sultry test of manhood isn’t over. I’m still gonna peen you!” Bull It Buster said shaking his frozen blasters. Blitz’s eyes grew wide. He sidestepped away from a full swing launched by Bull It Buster, barely dodging the massive piece of metal-ice. Bull It Buster’s hoof smashed against a tree, causing the ice to shatter and the machinery underneath to explode. “What?” Sparks began to fly, Bull It Buster’s body jolted as his gun fell apart.

“If you want to hit me, go right ahead. I won’t be responsible for your sick toys breaking,” Blitz said getting to his feet.

“Ohhh, mama-mia!” Bull It Buster said shaking his broken gun.

“That is quite an amazing feat, Blitz.” The sudden voice sent chills into Blitz’s heart.

“You,” he said turning to Doctor Rivet. The doctor withheld a faint smile. “Where’s Fuzzy Fry?”

“Blue!”

“Fuzzy-” Blitz ducked in time to avoid getting his head cleaved off. The orange beast tumbled next to Bull It Buster who whimpered in defeat.

“Remember what I said,” Doctor Rivet insisted to his creation. “If you do not kill him this time…”

“Blue must become…red!”

“Fuzzy, stop this!” Blitz said. Fuzzy Fry responded with another swipe. “Can’t you remember?” Blitz yelled rolling out of the way. “Bluebelle, Manehatten, your bestest friend?”

“All I know is Blue!”

Blitz growled. “Fine, so be it!” The unicorn pounced for the saddlebag lying harmlessly on the ground and began to surround it with his magic. Fuzzy Fry snarled before leaping for Blitz. The blue pony swung the now frozen bag at his attacker, pelting the orange beast in the face. As the bag shattered, Blitz grabbed a chunk and tackled the dazed Fuzzy Fry. Landing on top, he held the block menacingly over Fuzzy Fry’s skull.

“Don’t make me do this!”

“Must…kill.” Fuzzy Fry started to raise his claw. Blitz thought of his own flesh being torn apart by his best friend.

“No!” Blitz hesitated before bringing down the chunk on Fuzzy Fry’s face. He could feel ice against bone. The orange stallion’s face turned red as the gash on his forehead began to bleed. Blitz felt the ice dripping with blood as he screamed in terror.

“I hate you.” Fuzzy Fry ignored the blood dripping down his face and kept raising his claws.

Blitz’s heart broke. “Damn you! Damn you for making me do this!” The unicorn swiftly sent another blow to Fuzzy Fry’s face followed by another and another. The orange pony sobbed under the crushing force of the ice.

“Kill…me.”

“No, no, it can’t be me. It won’t be me! Not me!” Blitz still kept smashing in Fuzzy Fry’s face. All restraints were broken. All senses within the unicorn were numb. All he felt was rage.

“Kill me!”

Blitz screamed before breaking the ice into a shard and aiming for Fuzzy Fry’s eye. He left his hoof drop and felt no regrets. Seconds passed and his hoof was still hanging in the air. Blitz looked behind him to spot Gray Shark firmly holding his arm.

“Don’t.”

“Let go of me,” Blitz cried. “I need to-”

“To be a murderer?” Gray Shark glared at Blitz decisively. “Look at him, he’s got nothing left.” Blitz looked back to the beaten, bloodied pony that withheld a broken smile. The tears in his eyes finally registered, the coldness stung hard. He let the shard slip and watched it stab the ground.

“I-I did this,” Blitz said.

“Anger will do that.”

“Doctor Rivet,” he whispered. “Where’s Doctor Rivet?”

“Gone,” Gray Shark replied casually. “When I heard the screaming I only found you.”

Blitz’s body slumped next to Fuzzy Fry’s and the tears finally burst out in full force. “Why did this ever happen.”

“Because bad people always exist in a pure world to corrupt it.”

“It’s your fault.”

Gray Shark was taken back. “Excuse me?”

“Because you and your stupid friends created a portal here! All the badness followed you! You’re the real reason why my friend suffered!” Blitz screamed through his sobs.

Gray Shark grabbed Blitz by his arm and jolted him up. “Do you honestly think that?”

Blitz looked Gray Shark straight in his crimson eye. “Yes-”

“Then you’re a damn fool,” he said dropping the unicorn.

“I’m not a fool,” Blitz defended crawling towards Fuzzy Fry. “It is the truth-”

“So had we never have been here, things would’ve been fine?” Gray Shark asked irritably.

“Yes, me and Fuzzy-we would’ve lived out lives like normal. He wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped!”

“You can’t say that as a fact,” Gray Shark said. “You have to take into account the actual-”

“I just want my friend back!” Blitz cried reaching for Fuzzy Fry.

Gray Shark started to regain himself. “Fate is a cruel bitch,” he stated with his eye closed. “She toils with you and makes you stray from what you really want.”

“I just want him back…”

“Alright-here.” Gray Shark walked over to Fuzzy Fry’s unconscious body and pulled out a long string from under his jacket. To Blitz’s dismay, the masked pony started to tie up the crazed pony.

“What are you-”

“We’re bringing him back,” Gray Shark said hoisting the captured Fuzzy Fry on his back.

“Why? What else can we do?” Blitz asked frantically.

“Get Twilight and see if she knows anything about this-”

“But his brain was physically altered-”

“Or we could take him to the hospital.”

“But how would they know what to do?”

Gray Shark just stared at Blitz before nervously breaking out in laughter. “Why am I hoping for you?” He shook his head at the astonished Blitz. “I guess you really do see things the way I do.”

“Huh? Like what?” Blitz said wiping away his tears.

“Like hell. Cynical.” Blitz cringed at the word. “Seriously though, do you want to save your friend or not?”

Blitz nodded. “Yes.”

“Then let’s go.” Gray Shark led the way with Fuzzy Fry slumped over his shoulder. Blood dripped down his hind legs, but he disregarded the feeling. Blitz, however, uneasily watched his friend sway back and forth. The bloodied face made Blitz’s stomach churn.

“If I could go back in time…I would. Travel dimensions like you,” Blitz said faintly. “We’re virtually brothers. My damn brother and now he might as well be dead. All I can do is hope.”

Gray Shark sighed. “All anyone can do around here is hope. That’s not ethical.”

Chapter 14: Turn of Events

A shout of enraging pain echoed through the dense forest and out to the red sky. The leaves shook in the dawning atmosphere. More rustling creaked. Then, all was still. “Uh, what the hay was that?” Trixie said almost as a joke.

“I’m trying to do what you told me to do!” Blitz said in breaths. “Look!” Blitz pointed clumsily at the tub of water. The stains from yesterday’s practice were still visible. Trixie’s caravan seeped incense out onto Blitz’s who was now exhausted more than ever. Cold sweat and gritted teeth gave Trixie the obvious message, which she ignored. She simply stood with a stone solid face drifting her eyes to the tub slowly. Her face lit up as she stared into the rippling water.

“Oh my Celestia,” she started. Blitz anticipated praise, congratulations, even a short regard. He grew more eager as Trixie left him hanging.

“Awful!” she spat.

’Of course, can’t even get a darn break!’ Blitz thought as negativity warmed up within him. “How can I make it any bigger if I can’t-“ At this point, Blitz was starting to break down. His voice cracked, he looked away sharply.

“You know what? Fine, forget it! Trixie is...I’m done!” Trixie said raising a hoof to make her statement.

“Wha-"

“If you’re not going to be a good boy, then I can’t teach you anything!” Trixie turned promptly and faced away from Blitz.

“How can I-“ Blitz stopped himself from repeating his previous statement. “What do you want from me?”

“We leave tonight.”

“Excuse-whaaa-wait.” Blitz actually spun around with tiny energy and protested. “Leaving? It’s the middle of the night! Where-"

“I’m done with your complaining. Don’t even say anything. Just follow me and don’t say anything,” Trixie said sternly making sure to get her point across.

“…no.” Blitz said almost crying out the word.

Trixie rolled her eyes with her horn glowing. She brought a sparkling object in front of her and glared at Blitz. “What was that?” Blitz’s eyes grew wide and worried as he realized what Trixie had in her possession.

“Why do you…I never mentioned anything about that! How did you know,” he demanded desperately.

“I’m not stupid. Now, if you don’t want to work with me, expect this thing in pieces.” Trixie smiled devilishly similar to the time she had first met Blitz.

’No, anything but my snow globe,’ Blitz thought with critical concern. ’How the hay did she figure out?’ My whole childhood…’. Blitz took a long deep breath. “Okay…I’ll stay.” He proceeded to stare down and avoid all eye contact.

“Excellent. Don’t think about wussying out. You’ve already gotten yourself into something you can’t get out of.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, this is fun.” Vice poked at Clyde as the posse started their journey towards another estate. “Parties all day and night. I can get used to this. Minus the fact that I have to be a fancy ass.”

“Please, Mister Vice. Don’t do anything hasty this time,” Clyde said carefully.

“I’m not gonna be the one getting us kicked out this time. Maybe Enzo might do something crazy.” Vice chuckled while Enzo shook his head. The trio passed through the illuminated streets of Canterlot. Giant buildings coated with white glimmer surrounded the group as they moved through a linear path. The soft wind contrasted with the rock hard street. The night still felt lively.

“I think this is it,” Clyde said pulling out a peach colored card.

“So…is that Gray guy gonna open the door or something?” Vice said marveling the multi-windowed structure. “Looks like the other giant ass house we just went to.”

“It’s called knocking, Vice,” Enzo responded back quietly. Clyde ignored the two and stepped up the door. An intricate handle was hanging off to the side to which Clyde used. Three loud thumps echoed in the distance and the door opened quickly.

“Why hello there, gentlecolts,” a familiar voice said.

“See, what’d I tell ya. He was gonna answer!” Vice said making sure everypony heard him being right.

“Ahem, nice to meet you again, Mister Gray Patch.”

“Likewise.” Gray Patch’s eye twitched slightly, but none of the group members noticed. “Please, call me Gray.”

“Alrighty then, Mista Gray, what’s the party about. We gonna be blasting music or what?” Vice said eagerly.

“Um, no. This is a formal party where ponies go around to socialize. It’s not really what you must be used to.” Vice kept a stone smiling face as he realized he was being insulted.

“Right, gotta be fancy.”

“Please, allow me to welcome you all.” Gray Patch led the group into the opulent building and very similar splendor entered the group’s eyes. Fancy carved tables holding vases, hanging chandeliers complementing the very high ceiling, and vibrant red rug dividing the checkered floor are what all sculpted the magnificent interior.

“Say, how come you’re our guide? Isn’t the big rich guy supposed to chauffeur us?”

“I thought it would be splendid to meet up with you gentlecolts again after yesterday.” Gray Patch left it at that.

“Alrighty then. Well uh, Clyde. Why don’t you show Enzo around. I’ll make sure me and Mista Gray get to know all about each other. Real well.” Vice pushed Clyde and Enzo aside and stood extremely close to Gray Patch with the widest smirk on his face. “How ya doin’.” Gray Patch watched as Clyde gave a look of concern before brushing Enzo away. He turned solemnly back to Vice and coughed politely.

“Swell. And you, my good sir?”

“Plain sexy.” Gray Patch kept a still figure next to Vice. He seemed to be smiling, but Vice couldn’t tell under the thick mustache.

“So, Mister Vice, how did you end up with those metal contraptions on your wings?” Gray Patch asked with his one red eye peering down on Vice.

“Uh, is it necessary to bring it up? I mean come on that’s like asking about your arm there, bud.” Vice said apprehensively. “Kinda personal.”

“Didn’t you want to know all about me? I’d like to know the pony before I reveal my secrets.” Gray Patch let the words slip out with a hint of mystery.

“Uh huh. Well, uh, if you must know. I-my wings…they’re handicapped.” Vice said with an uncomfortable shift.

“So I see. How did you get them? I mean, excuse me for asking. But, I simply must know.”

“Uh, well, you see,” Vice said slowly. He avoided eye contact with Gray Patch’s blazing eye, yet he still kept a sly smirk on his face. He opened his mouth, but closed it quickly and rethought his response. Swishing his lips back and forth he finally answered confidently. “I came into this world with them.” Gray Patch seemed stunned by the reply. He stared at Vice for a solid amount of time before breaking his gaze and chuckling a bit.

“You don’t say.”

“It’s true. Born and raised!”

“I believe you. It’s just peculiar how you worded it. The same could be said about me,” Gray Patch finished with the tilt of his head. “Born with a defect my entire life here.” Vice raised a hoof to speak, but lowered it and shut his mouth.

“Fair enough. Are all fancy ponies like you?” he said out at the last second.

“No, nopony really is like me.” Gray Patch tilted his head towards the bulky stage and returned his attention to Vice. “Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I have to tidy up. Can’t be looking dreary for when I meet the famed Prince Blueblood.” With that, Gray Patch left Vice and swiftly trotted towards an empty hallway. Vice shook his head comically.

"What a weird ass dude,” he said laughing as he maneuvered himself towards Clyde and Enzo who weren’t far off.

“…and that’s how I got my cutie mark,” Clyde said with his mustache held high.

“Oh balls, did I really miss the grand tale of how the valiant white knight got his cutie mark?” Vice said with discomforting belief.

“Don’t worry, Mister Vice. I’ll make it short for you. Basically I protected-" The lights darkened suddenly and quickly, hushing Clyde instantly.

“And now, ladies and gentlecolts, prepare yourselves for the greatest stallion in all of Equestria!” A stereo voice rang from nearby curtains. Their purple essence shined behind a microphone wielding pony. “He’s the fabled prince of charm and magnificence. He’s got the looks, the charisma…and the mares.” The stallion kept rambling on, to Vice’s agitation.

“Who’s this punk?” Vice asked painfully through the pony’s speech.

“…so, give it up for the fabulous, wonderful Priiince Blueblood!” The purple curtains receded elegantly to reveal a tall, smiling stallion. A spotlight gleamed on him as he started to sparkle. He paraded forward with his blonde mane flowing gracefully and waved to the cheering audience which consisted mostly of mares.

“Oh, dandy. Well boys, we can assume what type of a-hole this guy is,” Vice shouted over a group of cheering girls. “Disgusting.” Enzo gave a genuine laugh for Vice as Blueblood continued to bask in fame.

“Don’t get any ideas, Mister Vice,” Clyde said playfully. He pointed towards the battalion of guards stationed near Blueblood. “Those stallions aren’t just there just for show.” Clyde ended with a hint of pride.

“No way, man. There’s like twenty of ‘em. Even me and Enzo couldn’t take them,” Vice said. “Makes me wonder why that Gray guy wanted to meet this fool.” Blueblood gave air kisses to some of the screaming mares. One of them even fainted, to Vice’s growing dismay. “What a fa-"

A high pitched squeal followed by a thundering crash halted Vice’s profanity. The group veered their attention towards a startling scene. A shattered sea of crystal glass lay strewn across the red carpet. A mare, pale in color with eyes the size of peas, stood motionless as the fallen ornament sat inches away from her. The spotlight teleported away from Prince Blueblood who didn’t even break his strutting state to notice the instant accident.

Vice heard Blueblood protest inaudibly as he said, “Yo? What-is that a chandelier?” Before anypony could answer, a sharp pop snapped though the air. Vice, Clyde, and Enzo sifted through the dim atmosphere, trying to grasp at what was going on. Soon enough, smoke began to emit through the air.

“Smoke?” Clyde coughed, holding his mustache firmly.

“Where there’s-ack-smoke, there’s fire,” Vice said flailing his hooves through the gray cloud. Enzo stood still, not paying attention to either Vice or Clyde’s interpretation of what was happening. He felt a vibration to his left and turned to see a silhouette fall to the ground. As he squinted to figure out the scene, more shadows fell to the ground. One was picked up and thrown out of sight. Still seeing in colors of black and gray, Enzo spotted a bright red circle. It seemed to be staring him down before disappearing.

Through the panic and confusion, Enzo finally came to his senses and shouted, “look!” The lights came on and another body fell. The smoke dissipated and everypony watched. Standing on the stage with the prince was a masked pony. Neither of the group could distinguish any features of the pony, other than that his or her face was covered with cloth. Several guards littered the area. No blood was visible, however.

Silence replaced panic as everypony stood still. The masked pony grabbed the prince by the throat and threw him up against the wall. “Holy shit!” Vice shrieked. Ignoring the break in silence, the masked pony held Blueblood pinned against the wall. Inaudible whispering occurred between the two. Blueblood sputtered gibberish as he freaked out while the other pony kept calm.

However, the calmness was removed once the masked pony shouted, “dead!” A blade somehow materialized in the pony’s hoof. The pony pointed it right at Blueblood’s face. The crowd screamed.

“Alright, I’m takin’ this fool out!” Vice said as he made a sprint for the stage.

“Vice, no!” Enzo called out. He looked for Clyde for reassurance, but couldn’t spot him anywhere. Vice reached the stage at blinding speeds. He thrashed straight for the unknown pony, neither wincing nor faltering with his metal wings. Blueblood was sent crashing headfirst into the wall while the pony faced Vice with smooth transition. Vice bounced onto the stage and instantly threw a wild punch. The masked pony sidestepped too fast, causing Vice to miss completely.

Vice opened his metallic wings and tried to thrust them out. The other pony ducked with ease and prepared for a strike. Vice thought he would feel a piercing feeling, but instead felt cold, sharp pain as he was struck in the side of the head. He kept his eyes open to see shiny, gold encrusted hoof colliding with his face. Vice twirled around using the hit for momentum and prepped for an attack back, but was halted as the masked pony came upon him again. The metal hoof hit Vice square in the face, sending him reeling off the stage.

As Vice hit the ground, a nearby door smashed open and Clyde stepped out. Accompanying him were several other guards. The only difference was that they were all armed. “Listen up, Mister!” Clyde said, pointing his shining silver spear at the masked pony. “I don’t know who you are. But, if you think you can assault the royal prince and get away with it without punishment, you’ve got another thing coming!”

The masked pony dropped off the stage down next to a semi-conscious Vice. “How ya doin’, bastard,” Vice said dazed. Through a blurred vision, Vice had trouble pinpointing any noticeable features about the pony. All he could note was blackness all over the pony whether it be its coat or something else. Clyde gasped as the masked pony picked up Vice. Without fault, Vice was hurled at Clyde’s group. One of the guards held up his hooves in defense as Vice crashed into him.

By the time Clyde had reacted, the masked pony was already dashing towards a nearby window. Right as the pony reached its destination a spear flew right by and penetrated the wall. The masked pony turned around and ducked in time to dodge a punch from Clyde. Still ducking, the masked pony turned towards the window. But, just as it smashed a hole, Clyde decked the pony with his body. The masked pony flew back and hit its head on the wooden part of the spear sticking out from the wall.

Clyde stood over the fallen pony, but was surprised as the masked pony jerked. Clyde got swept off his feet as the pony slid and rolled under him, hitting each of his legs with its metal hoof. Clyde collapsed with his stomach hitting the ground and each leg lay outstretched as the pony hopped out the window. “Sir, are you okay?” One of the guards pulled up to Clyde and helped him up.

Clyde grimaced in defeat. “Ugh, yes, thank you for that.” Clyde looked down at his newly ruined mustache and sighed. He watched as a dozen guards flew out the window in pursuit of the masked pony. He turned to see another dozen guards surrounding Blueblood as the prince sat in a sweating mess. Clyde noticed Enzo standing still as stone and hastily got up, the stinging pain from before within each leg had disappeared. “Are you alright, Mister Enzo,” Clyde said walking slowly up to the still pony.

“Yes…it’s just-that happened so fast. I didn’t even-“

“It’s alright, son, you didn’t have to step in. I think it’s better that way, you could’ve gotten hurt like your friend over there,” Clyde said pointing to Vice who casually picked himself up off the stumbled guard. “I see you’re doing quite well, mister Vice.”

“I think I broke my wings again-wait, nope they’re good.” Vice jumped up and left the guard sprawled on the ground. He retracted his wings and waltzed over towards the group. “Damn, Enzo, coulda used your help.”

“Mister Vice, please,” Clyde said giving glance of support towards Enzo. “Nopony was prepared for this. Nopony saw it coming. I fear for not only the safety of the prince…but also for the safety of the Elements.”

“Huh? I thought they were all back at, uh, Ponyville?” Vice said slightly perplexed.

“Yes, but we’ve never seen a pony threaten somepony else like this before. It’s outrageous, the prince could have been…killed,” Clyde said with his tone getting darker and darker.

“So you’re paranoid about the girls back home? I understand that,” Vice said with hints of humor. “Does that mean we’re leaving already?”

“I’m afraid so. I’ll be darned if anything happens to them. I just have to make sure.” Clyde looked down at the ground.

“Argh, hello?” a voice rang from afar. “What happened here?” Gray Patch came limping towards the group. He stopped before the posse and analyzed the several guards on the floor and paralyzed prince.

“What did I miss?” he asked with worry.

“Everything,” Vice said plainly.

Chapter 18: Duty Calls

Vice thrashed and flopped before waking up drastically. He scratched his head and felt numbness spur from the pressure. He shook his head to clear his eyesight and slowly got up from an unknown bed. He stretched his body and wings, the metal creaked softly through the silent room. A scent of familiar fruit crawled into Vice’s nose and he sighed.

“So this is where I ended up.” He rubbed his head once more and walked sluggishly towards a shining window. The sun gently obscured Vice’s vision as he peered out into the bright outside. He shot his eyes towards various apple trees and greenery until he found what he was searching for. A black stallion was flawlessly bucking a tree and already moving onto the next.

Vice rubbed his eyes with hardness and whistled out of tune. “Looks like I really got roughed up back there. Maybe Enzo will have some answers.” Vice made his departure down a flight of stairs and past a strongly scented kitchen. Various apple products littered the ground; scraps of food were splattered across walls and tables. Vice carefully maneuvered his way outside and shut his eyes as the powerful sunlight reflected lightly on him. “Ah hey, Enzo!” he shouted with his eyes closed. “I’m not in heaven, right?”

“No.”

“Good, good.” Vice finally cracked his eyes open and saw Enzo continuously assaulting apple trees. “So, mind telling me what the hell happened after I temporarily bought the farm yesterday-wait, no pun intended!” Enzo chuckled faintly as he realized what Vice was referencing. “Man, if only that Applejack was here. Anyway, the spotlight’s on you.”

“Well, I explained what exactly happened,” Enzo said.

“Wasn’t fun, huh?”

“No, I had to go through the whole bullying thing which Fluttershy obviously did not like.” Vice sensed Enzo tensing up. “So, I told them the whole scenario and they got kinda angry at you.”

“I can see that very clearly, hehe,” Vice said stretching his hooves behind his head. “Not that I can blame ‘em. These guys obviously don’t like violence and that’s, uh-that doesn’t boat well with me and my persona.” Enzo nodded in firmness.

“They were mad, but they got over it quickly. We all agreed it would be best to forget the situation ever happened and that Clyde would have a word with those…bullies.” Enzo looked drearily at Vice.

“Maybe that’s their way of not breaking Fluttershy? I mean yeah ya gotta face your fears, but God forbid you be reminded of them constantly. Listen, I bet it’s nothing; they did it so that she’ll be alright.” Vice smirked his usual grin and pointed to himself. “It’s not like I got these wounds for nothing. Heh, and Applejack expects me to work in this condition. Brutal.” Both ponies shared laughs together in the soft, morning breeze.

“Thanks,” Enzo finally said. “For back there.”

“Damn, Enzo, you don’t need to thank me. It’s just natural that I protect my friends,” Vice replied coolly. “And it looked like you needed protecting back there.”

“I wasn’t the only one.” Enzo locked eyes with the ground and stopped his bucking as he remembered Fluttershy. Her terrified and embarrassed face kept flashing back and forth through his mind. He could almost hear her voice through the blowing wind that kept the morning lively. “I need to fight my own battles,” Enzo stated solidly.

“That’s true,” Vice agreed hesitantly. “But sometimes ya need a little help here and there. You shouldn’t go in alone,” he concluded more satisfyingly.

“Right.” Enzo continued his work as Vice watched with intent. A crack swung through his ears as his friend unleashed incomparable force upon a thick, hulking tree. The tree shook furiously and several apples fell on cue. Their fresh, bright demeanor taunted Vice as he shrugged.

“I still can’t do that magical kick of yours. Anyway, I better do my thing or Applejack’s gonna have an aneurysm.” Vice said with fatigue. and proceeded to unfold his wings. He clicked them back and launched them at a nearby tree, pummeling it with waves of wing smacks. Eventually the desired red apples were produced and Vice snorted with celebration. “Looks like I’m not useless after all. I think this marks the beginning of my life as a farm…horse-aw hell that’s not what I wanna be.”

“Well you’re stuck with it,” Enzo said with amusement.

“Don’t remind me.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A fresh scent of newspaper scuffled through Blitz as he entered his new job. He stood anxiously at the front of the memorable silver coated door and awaited his fate as a mailpony. The door creaked ever so quietly and before him stood a serious looking pony. “Ahh, I see you arrived just on time. Very nice, but not good enough. I expect you to be here at least thirty minutes earlier,” the pony said in his typical monotone voice.

“Yes, mister Post Pole,” was all Blitz could say. He struggled to look his boss in the eyes as the intimidation sunk into Blitz’s veins. He gingerly stepped forth into Post Poles office.

“Please, have a seat.” The dry voice stung Blitz as he obeyed obediently. He positioned himself somewhat comfortably in a wool chair and made the straightest face he could muster. “So, let’s get down to business shall we? Not a lot of ponies like the mail business, you’re one of a select few who signed up for the job.” Post Pole was now at his desk, his face was masked by darkness despite the sunny day outside. “Even if it was by somepony else.” There was a certain gloomy essence in Post Pole’s voice, but Blitz swept away the feeling as he listened to what his boss had to say. “Workdays are all seven days of the week. Now, you will be arriving roughly at sunrise, just after Celestia’s sun has reached the horizon. You will work until Celestia’s sun has reached the midpoint in the sky, then you shall have a short break. You must return within thirty minutes to resume work until Luna’s moon has appeared before us.”

’Oh Celestia, he can’t just have normal times? And since when was working all day part of the job?’ Blitz thought annoyed at his work schedule. ’I guess he really is an old fashioned pony.’ Blitz nodded clearly and silently. “Okay, I think I got it.”

“Think?” Post Pole asked coldly. “No, no, you must know.”

“I know,” Blitz confirmed in order to prevent anymore conversation with the pony.

“Very well, you may start today and end early before Celestia’s sun reaches the midpoint of the sky as your first day. But, I expect you to be here as stated tomorrow morning,” Post Pole concluded still retaining his calm, unnerving voice.

“Right, thank you, Mister Post Pole.” Blitz put up a hoof reluctantly and expected a shake. The pony eyed him suspiciously, but accepted the offer and Blitz left the room feeling more packed than usual. ’That’s annoying, seven days a week all day? Honestly. But hey, I guess this is what it’s like to have a job.’ Blitz walked towards a shining new desk with a bronze label of his name slapped on the front. ’Well at least I got a warm welcome…I think. Geez, even Fuzzy Fry didn’t work this long.’ Blitz examined his desk thoroughly and found that it was a simple wooden desk with no drawers whatsoever. One letter was promptly sitting atop the sturdy desk. “I guess that’s my delivery.”

Blitz picked up the letter and read the name printed neatly on.”Roseluck?” He then came to the conclusion that he did not even know where to start looking, let alone find the location. “Wait…is that it?” Blitz awkwardly tilted the letter and examined every bit of it in a vain attempt to solve his crisis. The name was the only information on the blank letter. It was then Blitz came to a conclusion he didn’t like.

“I have to open it.” He knew the opening of a letter was a taboo in the mail services, but he felt he had no choice. “I can’t just go in there and ask Post Pole what to do. He’d think I’m useless which I’m trying to avoid being.” Blitz shook his head and stared at the red, heart shaped seal. He cautiously lifted up the end and the letter slowly opened up. He could barely make out a few words before shutting the letter violently.

“To Rose, from Bloom.” Blitz managed to spot multiple hearts surrounding the name and made the assumption that he was delivering a love letter. He quickly sealed back up the letter and looked around skittishly. “Okay, so opening it did absolutely nothing, perfect.” Sensing no one around, he sighed a breath of defeat and held the letter awkwardly. ’Wait, so do I get a mailbag or something?’ he thought with unneeded worry. Still holding the letter, Blitz paced around the room and eventually came upon an old, leather bag. Its strap was torn at places and the bag reeked of old newspaper. Blitz picked up the equipment and flung it over his shoulder and across his body. The bag fit nicely on Blitz’s torso and he gently inserted the letter into the bag. With his new demeanor, Blitz hopped shamefully outside and made his way into town.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Yes, Roseluck, I’ve heard of her. She lives just over there, you can’t miss her house. It’s covered in, well, roses!”

Blitz thanked the mare who gave him directions and made his merry way towards his destination. The sun shined brightly and vividly on Blitz’s blue coat of fur, his dark purple mane was sagging slightly. He finally spotted the house with roses and scanned the area for some sort of mailbox. He found his target and took one last look at the love letter before plopping it into the mailbox and turning the red flag up to signify new mail.

“Love letter...who does those anymore?” Blitz said out loud. “I’m not that old.” Blitz turned around and initiated his way back to the post office. He kept his eyes on the dusty ground and watched as his forelegs hit the ground. “Love.” Blitz bit his lip as he contemplated his own love life. “Can’t say I don’t miss it…or even had it.” His ambiguous statement made him stop to think. ’All my life I’ve only ever liked one girl. One of my only friends besides Fuzzy, she was so real.’ Blitz smiled to himself and laughed distantly. ’Well, I can’t say only friend. I’ve made so many more here in Ponyville, but I can’t help remembering her.’ Blitz shifted his eyesight to the side of the road and he watched a patch of grass sway fluidly in the breeze. ’Bluebelle, the girl I never had enough courage to be with.’ Blitz felt his heart sink into the ground, but lifted his head up and gave a stern face. “No, I can’t keep thinking about the past. I made a promise to keep moving forward, to lead a better life. I will stay positive, no matter what!”

~~~~~~~~~

Blitz reentered Post Pole’s Wonder Mail Emporium and was greeted by a very angry looking stallion. “Mister Blitz, what have you done?”

“Um, Post-I mean Mister-“

“You opened the letter!” Blitz felt his entire hopes being crushed in an instant; he pictured the scene with detail in his head. He stepped backwards and bumped into something. He creaked his head shakily and noticed a gray mare looking confused at him. “And you!” Post Pole pointed straight at the mare behind Blitz. Both ponies showed equal amounts of fear as they shook together. “You’re late as usual! You were supposed to be finished with the order an hour ago!”

“But, I got lost…again,” the mare responded softly. Blitz sensed real fear in her voice and tensed up against Post Pole.

“That’s the third time this week, miss Ditzy-Doo. We can’t afford to have any more accidents like this, understand?” Post Pole said in a calm, but angered tone. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good, as for you, Mister Blitz. I understand this is your first day and you may not have exactly known what to do. You should have asked me.”

’This is why I can’t have nice things, because I’m always wrong-can’t be negative!’ Blitz thought conflicted. “You’re right, I should’ve asked. I’m sorry.”

“Excused, both of you. I expect no more incidents from here on out.” With that bold statement, Post Pole left the room with an air of fear behind him. Both Blitz and Ditzy-Doo stopped their shaking and turned to face each other.

“Are you the other mailpony?” Ditzy said quietly.

“Yeah, I’m Blitz. You must be-”

“Derpy Hooves.” The pony smiled and saluted clumsily. It was then Blitz finally noticed that her golden eyes were walled; one was facing up while the other was facing down. Her short, blonde mane flopped upwards as she brushed her hair with her hoof. Her wings seemed to still be fluttering out of shock from Post Pole’s Outburst.

“Wait, it’s not Ditzy…” Blitz mentally face palmed as he forgot the last part of the mare’s name.

“No, it’s Derpy Hooves. That’s what all my friends call me,” Derpy concluded quickly.

“I see.” Silence followed and both ponies stood looking at each other. “Is he always like that?” Blitz saidwith a nervous laugh.

“Only with me,” Derpy said with a hint of sadness. “I’m kinda clumsy so I tend to get lost sometimes. But, usually I’m okay. I can’t help it.”

“Well, um, if he ever freaks out at you again I can stick up for you. Being a mailpony isn’t easy,” Blitz reassured with feigned knowledge. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“Oh, thanks.” Derpy tried to kick the ground shyly, but almost ended up falling over. She smiled and spread her gray wings. “I have to go.”

“Right, don’t want to make him mad again.” Blitz watched as the pegasus flew away in a rush and frowned as the pony was already looking around apprehensively.

“Wish I could’ve helped her.” Blitz uttered to himself. “But, Post Pole would probably strangle me if I did so. I guess that’s what it’s like to be the head of a business.” Blitz made his way towards his desk and found another package lying on top. “And old.” Blitz inspected the rectangular brown box and lifted it up. It was small, but surprisingly heavy. Blitz turned the box over and noticed the address and name. “Twilight, Twilight Sparkle!” Blitz looked around to see if anyone heard his cry of joy and resumed his inspection. “At least I can do this,” he concluded happily.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Twilight?” Blitz knocked lightly on a large wooden door and called out for the mare. “Are you there, I have a delivery to make.” The door swung open and before Blitz stood a furious looking dragon.

“You can leave that right there. I’ll take it in for Twilight,” Spike said harshly.

“Hey, let’s not fight again. I just wanna see Twilight,” Blitz argued back.

“Well, if you make it worth my while-”

“Spike!” A voice rippled down the staircase behind Spike and sent him into a state of worry. “Please let Blitz in.”

“Yeah alright, Twilight.” Spike turned to Blitz with an annoyed expression and ushered him to enter with a wave of his small hands. Blitz proceeded and was greeted by a smiling purple mare.

“Hello, Blitz. I heard you had a delivery for me?” Twilight said.

“Yep, right here!” Blitz laid down the rectangular package with intense care, but he also did so with enthusiasm. “What’s in that anyway? It’s so heavy.”

“Just some books I ordered from Canterlot. Sorry if they were too much for you to handle,” Twilight teased playfully.

“Not at all,” Blitz said trying to flex his muscles. He failed to show any depth whatsoever and lowered his foreleg in defeat. “Glad I was the one to deliver,” he repeated in attempt to shift the topic. Twilight merely kept her smile on and spoke with delight.

“It’s good that you finally got the job you wanted. You seem much more happier than before…with Trixie.” Twilight added a sort of sassy, disgusted tinge to the name.

“Yeah, I think I’m going to try to be more positive, you know? Think about the good things in life instead of wasting time roaming around in the past,” Blitz said powerfully. Twilight gave him a serious nod.

“That’s a very important thing to cherish, Blitz. I always tend to think positive even if, well, things aren’t looking so great. It’s helped me get through a lot of sticky situations. Never give up and more importantly, never give up on your friends. Hold those dear to you close and never let them go, learn to have faith in them. That’s what I’ve always been abiding by and so far I’ve been a very happy mare.” The powerful speech left Blitz speechless and stunned. He took in Twilight’s words very carefully and meaningfully, deciphering each sentence and each word as an important piece of information to always have. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to go on like that. It’s a habit of me,” Twilight apologized with a short laugh.

“Oh, no it’s fine. That was a very well thought out speech. I think I needed that,” Blitz said confidently. “So, uh, do you need help with anything? My boss said I have the rest of the day off…I hope.” Blitz wandered towards a nearby crystal clear window and peered out into the shiny brightness of the outside. He noted the sun’s position as being in the middle of the sky and walked back to Twilight eager for an answer.

“No, not really.”

“Not even sorting books? Searching for missing books?” Blitz sighed as he was trying too hard to find work for himself.

“Surprisingly, no. Spike has been working more than usual to keep this place in tip top shape,” explained Twilight. “I guess he’s just trying to prove he’s-”

“A better assistant?” Blitz broke in nonchalantly.

“Mmm, I don’t like it. It feels wrong that he has to work himself silly just because you showed up. Not that there’s anything wrong with you.” Twilight gave Blitz a wry smile. “You are one of my friends after all.” Blitz felt shivers spawn at the word. He made sure to make clear eye contact before speaking.

“Friend, am I really your friend? I mean after Trixie and all,” Blitz said feebly, but with intent. Twilight gave Blitz a dirty look before giggling. “What?” Blitz asked somewhat seriously.

“You’re very interesting.” Blitz was taken aback by the compliment. “I firmly believe in second chances no matter the pony. I even gave Trixie a second chance the moment before she tried imprisoning me,” Twilight joked darkly. “But, yes you are my friend. You could certainly use a lot more since you’re new here, but I think you already have that covered. To simply be kind and caring towards others goes a long way and I think friendship is an important-” Twilight stopped talking and burst out laughing. “I’m going on again aren’t I?”

“Uh, by all means, continue,” Blitz blurted out. “I mean, if you want to.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve already bored you enough today,” Twilight protested strongly. Blitz raised a hoof to speak, but Twilight waved it off with her own hoof. “You don’t have to be polite around me all the time.”

“But-I. Okay, you’re the boss and I’m the assistant.”

“Hardly. How’s that leg of yours. Doing fine, I presume?” Twilight said circling around Blitz.

“Never been better. Well at least now. Hopefully it will fully heal up soon.” Blitz watched Twilight finish her motion and waited for her to respond. As time passed without an outcome, he spoke up as he realized something. “Do you know where my snow globe is?” Twilight showed a face of certainty as she pointed towards a nearby desk. Blitz trotted slowly towards his treasure and saw it sparkle in the book filled room. The circular glass world sat with still life. Blitz received the piece and lightly shook it. The snowflakes fluttered endlessly in a trance as Blitz stared in deep thought into the globe.

’I guess my life really is turning into something great,’ Blitz thought as he continued to stare into the snowy land. ’I keep telling myself this, but now I truly believe it. With Twilight’s help, Clyde’s help, even Vice and Enzo’s help, I’ve accomplished so much.’ The snow globe stopped sprinkling its white bliss and Blitz gave it another gentle shake. The artificial snow resumed its departure and showered the globe with delight. ’Just keep moving. That’s what she told me before she left. Just keep moving; me and Fuzzy. I will move forward and I will succeed, I am determined. These ponies around me, this new life; my chance. It’s time to restart.’

Chapter 29: Enzo's Night Off (Part 2)

“Masquerade Blade, are you ready yet?”

“...”

“Well then I’ll take that as a yes. You know what you have to do so get it done and don’t screw up. Take Dust Crack and a few of our men to complete the operation.”

“...” Masquerade Blade stared at Sir Cutter X with hollow eyes. The night sky shed little light in the shrouded forest. Small lanterns burned here and there, but darkness masked the group of ponies’ intents.

“Er, hello, sir!” A light brown pegasus hobbled over towards his two superiors. “I-I’m Dust Crack! You called me and my buddies?”

Sir Cutter X nodded. “That’s right. You’ll be conducting an important task I have at hand. Follow Masquerade’s orders and y’all should be fine.”

Dust Crack ruffled his unkempt, coffee brown hair in anticipation. His black eyes wandered around Masquerade Blade’s demeanor. “I’ll do anything you tell me to do, anything! Just say the words and I-we’ll follow your orders!” Two more stallions stationed themselves behind Dust Crack with similar hesitation.

“...”

The three exchanged glances before a whining screech broke the silence. “Wait-wow, hold the baloni. What’s this I hear? A top secret mission for only the best of the best? Boner achieved!”

“Bullet Buster, know’s not the time,” Sir Cutter X stated.

“Not the time? Not the time? But every time, all the time is time for the peening!”

Sir Cutter X sighed. “You will stay here. That is my goddamn order.”

“Can’t order me, tough guy. Cant’ stop the pounding; the bullet penetration.”

“Shut the hell up and stay where you are. Masquerade, take your guys and go.”

Bull It Buster watched with fury as the group vanished into the forest. He glanced at Sir Cutter X with a crazed face before slapping the ground with his two gun hooves. “Balls to that! Burning, crusty nutsacks! Boner lost!”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m still angry that I still don’t know anything about Vice or Enzo, what I saw in the forest and how the hay all these things tie together!”

“At least you told me what you could, Mister Blitz. That is valuable information that cannot be passed up,” Clyde said. “The fact that ponies are trying to take Ponyville is enough to make my mustache crawl with vile sickness. The royal guards should arrive within a couple of days and we should have this ordeal straightened out. I’ve also ordered a spreadsheet of all train accidents since your’s, Mister Blitz. We should be able to figure out which trains went missing and which trains were totalled. Mister Vice and Mister Enzo are not to be framed for the crashing of your train, Mister Blitz.”

Twilight’s head poked through and interrupted conversation. “Sorry to stop you, Clyde, but I have some facts on this Doctor Rivet guy. Apparently, according to newspapers from Canterlot about a few months ago, Doctor Rivet was a surgeon and an engineer. He was top quality, the two professions seemed to work hoof and hoof with him. But he was exiled soon after he sought to...improve the pony brain,” Twilight said with a dark tone. “He ended up going missing and was never heard from again until a few days ago, of course.”

“Well at least we know something,” Blitz said bitterly.

“Hey, don’t get so worked up about knowing everything. Even I can’t know everything,” Twilight said. “No matter how many books I get my hooves on, I can’t learn about everything in Equestria. But I do know a fair amount, or should I say almost everything, about Equestria: history, geological layout and-well all the other miscellaneous topics.”

“Yeah, but I feel like I don’t know anything. I’m pretty useless at this point.”

“Hey, what did we say about being positive?”

“Right, I’m working on that.”

“Ahem.” Clyde stepped in again. “How about this Bullet Buster? Any news on him?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not that I could pull up. Zero information total on his background. It’s strange, it's as if he’s nonexistent from Equestria.”

“I guess you could say he’s from another dimension?” Blitz said chuckling. Laughs followed, but Twilight gave a stern face.

“Hey, different dimensions altogether aren’t outside the realm of possibility. I’ve proven, or my other self-no, I proved that there exists multiple dimensions of Equestria.”

“Sure.” Blitz eyed the darkness outside. “I hope Enzo’s doing okay.”

“I’m sure Mister Enzo is getting some well deserved rest,” Clyde said joining Blitz in the sightseeing.

~~~~~~~~~~

‘The Letter.’ That was all Enzo thought about. ‘What did Gray Patch mean by explain all the answers?’ He reached for the seal. ‘Could he be with Cutter X and his gang?’ He opened the letter and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. ‘Is this really happening? Have I really been followed here?’ Unfolding the paper, he started to read the fancy writing:

Yo, yo, wassup? Heya, hiya! How ya doing?

Enzo stopped. “Really?” He kept reading:

Enzo,

Terribly sorry for that. I thought you might like a little humor to lighten up the mood. Now, I understand you know me by the name of Gray Patch. You would be wrong. That is my alias of this world, Equestria. The minute I saw you, the red scarf and peculiar wrist band, it was clear. I recognized you instantly; we know each other from the past, a different life.

“What?” Enzo stopped reading again and hesitated to read any further. “Gray Patch. Gray...Patch?” He shook his head before continuing with concern:

Did I strike you as just slightly odd or out of the ordinary? The eyepatch, the top hat, almost every inch of my body covered in clothing. Is it really that hard to piece together? It is me, Gray Shark-

A bump startled Enzo and distracted his reading once more. ‘The window-’ Enzo ducked as a giant flying blade spun horizontally right in his direction. The wood behind him splintered and he found himself sprawling on the ground.

“...” Standing before Enzo was a black pegasus holding two rotary blades and three other ponies holding knives.

‘How did they-’

“He says don’t scream, basically,” a brown pegasus said. “Not bad advice since you don’t want to be attracting any innocent civilians in here. It would be ugly.”

Enzo took note of what the pony said and kept quiet. ‘He’s right. I can’t risk anyone else getting hurt.’

“See? I’m smart. I’m pretty good for a henchman!”

“...”

“Oh and he says you’re mince meat!”

Masquerade Blade glared at Dust Crack and shook his head. Enzo tried to get up, but was intercepted by a green pony. He tapped his hoof and his blade shot out. Swiping it across the pony’s chest, he fidgeted as he pulled himself too far. He collapsed and the other pony fell back. His wound reopened and the other pony bled as well. The floor slowly stained a black red.

“Aw crap! Green Mist, get back!” Dust Crack said as he pulled his comrade away from Enzo. “You’re gonna get yourself killed doing things like that!”

“...” Masquerade Blade disregarded everything around him and raised his blades toward Enzo. He launched one and Enzo barely managed to swipe it away with his extended blade. However, he was left open as he pushed too far and another blade was hurtling close.

‘Shit.’

Enzo raised his leg and a hard metal against metal clang erupted. The blade bounced back and landed at Masquerade Blade’s feet. More blood spilled as Enzo’s leg was torn. But, Masquerade did not stop there. He soon refilled the thrown blades and was aiming at Enzo again.

“C’mon, you’re supposed to be an otherworldly being! Kill him already!” one of the bystanding thugs said. Enzo looked at him and his eyes dropped. Standing behind the pony was another pony shrouded in clothing. It’s crimson red eye locked with Enzo’s own red eyes. In an instant, a golden hoof and a regular, light gray hoof wrapped themselves around the thug’s head. A quick snap was heard and the lifeless body fell.

Dust Crack noticed the falling body and screamed in terror. “He just-Cloud Top!” All attention turned to the dead pony. Within seconds, the assassin turned towards Masquerade Blade and charged head first.

‘Is that...the masked pony? Or is that-’ Enzo watched as the so-called masked pony unsheathed a long sword from its golden hoof. Metal struck against metal as Masquerade defended himself with his round saws. The masked pony struck with elegance, jabbing and slashing, feigning and drop cutting. It changed its technique, managing to scratch Masquerade Blade here and there. The black pegasus flew back and unleashed his blades.

The masked pony dodged with ease and even deflected a few to the side. Masquerade Blade managed to hurl rotary blades as fast as the masked pony could stop to deflect and dodge. Blades flew everywhere as the masked pony jumped, ducked and dived; raising its sword to block occasionally. The stalemate lasted until Masquerade faltered and flew farther back. He had only a few hanging blades left and the masked pony advanced with surging speed.

Enzo kept watching in his helpless state as the masked pony gained the upper hand. Masquerade Blade hesitated before reaching for his last few remaining saw blades. That hesitation led to Masquerade being kicked and pinned to the floor before he could react fast enough. The masked pony stood towering ahead and aimed its sword straight for Masquerade’s head. As he lunged, the masked pony was tackled by another entity.

The two struggled, but the masked pony easily gained higher ground. It jumped to its feet and quickly stabbed the pony through the chest area before turning to its next opponents. However, Masquerade Blade and Dust Crack had fled the scene. All that remained were two corpses and a dying Enzo.

“Well, that was a nuisance,” the masked pony said as it wiped the blood off its sword on the body of Green Mist. “But, you should be safe for the time being.”

“...Gray Shark?”

“I assume you just read my letter. Yes, it’s me, Gray Shark,” the pony known as Gray Shark said with calmness.

The two stared at each other for a long moment where silence took initiative. Enzo analyzed the pony from all angles and verified that it was who he addressed. The pony wore full bluish black clothing under his gold gilded black jacket. His hind legs were covered in the same bluish black, but in bandages of that color. His left hoof shined a solid gold color, seemingly attached by nothing but directly to the wrist. The bluish black clothing underneath stretched up the neck and over the mouth, ending at the nose.

Despite the cover, Gray Shark spoke with clarity. “Shocking, isn’t it?” He addressed Enzo with a shift of his black cowboy-like hat, marked with a white skull. “I hope you still remember all the fun times we spent together...in situations like this.”

Enzo finally noted the eye patch resting on Gray Shark’s left eye and how three tufts of dark gray hair managed to slide themselves perfectly under the pony’s hat. “You still have the same outfit...but, what are you doing here?”

Gray Shark’s crimson eye gleamed with delight. “I came to see you!” he said raising his hooves in playful defense. “Well, for the most part.”

“You didn’t have to kill those two,” Enzo blurted out.

Gray Shark shrugged. “Enzo, I am not afraid to kill. I did so in order to protect you.”

“No, you could’ve knocked them out or something. You didn’t have to take their lives.”

“A necessary resolve to a delicate situation. Had I tried to simply knock them out, I’d be dealing with four opponents instead of one. The sheer shock that the two received was enough for me to get rid of the threat you were facing. The last one was to be dealt with quickly as I had no awareness of my surroundings. I’m not going to risk my own life to spare another if their intent if corrupt.”

“It’s wrong.”

“I understand that it is morally incorrect to kill. However, you must understand this: those who intend to perform immoral actions must be dealt with immorally. Wrong defeats wrong, but it does not make it right. That is why I killed them; to ensure you are not wronged upon.” Gray Shark paused at Enzo’s broken spirit.

“So, you’re Gray Patch then?” Enzo said with defeat.

“You know you’re, uh, leg’s split open and you’re sides are still bleeding.”

“Please just tell me what I need to know.”

“Just trying to help. Anyway, yes it’s me, Gray Patch. I like the name Gray Shark better though, but I don’t think the locals would particularly like a pony named Gray Shark.”

“Impossible.”

“That’s what I said when I saw you. Here, we don’t have a lot of time and surely the whole hospital is awake by now. I can’t say for sure that you, let alone I, can explain logically what happened here. So, let me-”

“Let them see my wounds and what happened here.”

“Um excuse me? Enzo, I’m not sure what happened to you in that forest, but I thought you would’ve sworn to secrecy. It’s been three and a half years since we arrived. Are you sure you want to throw away all that you’ve hidden?”

“Yes. I have to. This is the only way; they have to see the damage. They have to...understand. Better now than later.”

Gray Shark put his golden hoof to his head and brushed his three tufts of hair. “You know I can’t be pulled into this. I’ve been accustomed to this new life already. I can’t just...give it up that easily.”

“You don’t have to. It’s just Vice and I, you don’t need to be dragged in.”

Gray Shark pondered the thought. “I’m removing the bodies. You and I both know they don’t need to see them. If you’re prepared to tell the truth, then so be it. I shall leave all the evidence of an assault and resume my current persona as Gray Patch. Try not to get too excited the next time you see me.”

“When will you tell everyone else who you really are?”

Gray Shark paused as he went to pick up the lying body. “I’ll leave it to fate to decide. I’m not really in the mindset of revealing myself so suddenly.” The body was hauled to the window and thrown out. A soft thump was heard before Gray Shark approached the other corpse. “Maybe. Maybe I’ll give in, but for now I need to leave you as is like you requested. I’ll see you very soon.”

Enzo lay askew on the ground, his leg still cut open to the bone and his side still spewing blood. He negated the feelings as Gray Shark made his departure through the window and analyzed the room while he waited. Rotary blades dug into each wall and the ground was mixed with scratches and other blood. The light, however, still survived the chaos and gave Enzo some hope of relief. The red door swung open and a nurse walked in.

She eyed the room before gasping in terror at the bleeding stallion sitting admist destruction. Enzo hushed her wails with a faint cry for help. By the pink mane and familiar concerned look, Enzo spoke softly. “Nurse Redheart, I can explain. I will explain...once I’m not bleeding my insides out anymore. Could you call a doctor, please?”

Prologue

The smoke from Manehatten stung the Equestrian air; Celestia’s sun barely penetrated the huge city. Pegasus ponies zipped by, sifting through the smoke doing their normal jobs. The hustle and bustle of the streets were loud enough to be heard from miles away. Despite these inconveniences, the city was still a magnificent place. Its tall buildings gave the city its towering grace. Various monuments added spice to the inner core. Everything seemed to flow together, ponies did their jobs and barely anything changed. Every pony had a purpose, every pony had something to do, everypony, but one…

~~~~~~~~~~

“I still can’t believe they didn’t even make the effort to check you…” a voice said comically.

“Yeah, well, I guess I’m just not fit for the job…even though I fit all the criteria.” Another voice spoke.

“So you were fit for…dooty?” the other voice said cracking up.

“Very funny, Fuzzy Fry, very funny,” the previous voice replied with a grunt. The stallion was laughing hysterically and eventually toppled to the floor. His yellow-orange mane was getting more disheveled by the second and was considerably messier than it already was. His tail looked like a porcupine that got flattened with random hairs sticking out every which way. He finally caught his breath, got up and brushed the dirt off his bright red coat which seemed to be covered in splotches of brown dust. He had his golden yellow eyes fixed on the other stallion. “Now you just look like a heaping pile of fur,” the other unnamed voice said with a slight smile.

“Come on, Blitz, have some humor why don’tcha?” the stallion called Fuzzy said to the other stallion, Blitz. The skylight blue stallion simply shook his head. His coat was very polished; it was smooth and brushed unlike Fuzzy’s. He scratched his dark purple mane which was neatly combed back with a few minor tufts sticking out. His tail was lean and sharp consisting of three thick blades of hair.

“It would be better if I wasn’t a jobless pony on the verge of becoming a hobo living on the streets!” Blitz shot back with slight anger.

“Oh…sorry for making you angry…I just thought…” said a dejected Fuzzy.

“No, no, no, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that times are rough and I’m going through a lot of things right now…please understand, Fuzzy,” Blitz responded with his sincere, light purple eyes. Fuzzy instantly brightened up.

“Of course I’ll forgive you, you’re my best buddy forever!” he replied.

“Thanks, Fuzzy, I’m gonna take a walk, get some fresh air. Who knows, maybe I’ll magically find a job,” Blitz said in comic relief.

“Alrighty! Feel free to come back to my house any time of the day!” Fuzzy said waving to Blitz.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure of that.” Blitz remarked as he made his way out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz exited Fuzzy’s brightly lit and colored house. It seemed to give off a certain glow that outshined everything else in the street. Nothing particularly interesting was on the street for that matter except for numerous apartment buildings all the same color. Fuzzy’s house stood out like a sore hoof.

The day had a cool sensation to it, just what Blitz liked. The air wisped satisfyingly past his skylight blue coat. His stroll down Manehatten streets was an unusually quiet one. Barely any ponies were bustling about and everything seemed calm for once in the sunshine.

‘Geez, to think I’d hurt Fuzzy’s feelings. Darn it, I hate hurting other ponies’ feelings. It gives me such an uneasy feeling and I feel awful about myself. Fuzzy is almost-no, always happy and cheerful. His cutie mark being multicolored swirls and all proves that…shouldn’t it? Maybe I’m just over thinking all this stuff. Then again, what does a pony do when he’s taking a walk?’

Blitz shook his head, yet again, to clear his thoughts. He tried to focus on mainly just taking the relaxing walk he’d hoped for. Unfortunately, more unpleasant thoughts seep into his mind. ‘Ugh, then there’s that job issue again. Celestia, this just isn’t working out is it? What am I even good at, my cutie mark’s a snowball, geez,’ Blitz thought looking back at his snowball cutie mark.

He remembered when he had first gotten it back when he was just a colt. It would forever be a normal, white snowball with a diamond-like, star shaped light emitting from it. It was so long ago, Blitz hardly recalled it. But, he was able to retain one aspect that kept this memory intact.

~~~~~~~~~

“Okay! Wintertime! I wonder if my magic will work now,” said a much younger version of Blitz. Behind him was the towering Manehatten School building. It was littered with snow and Blitz had found himself alone in the courtyard. He trotted through the snow and eventually jumped headfirst into a mound of white powder. He got up and shook his purple mane, splashing snow everywhere. Standing on all fours, he held his ground and started to concentrate on the pile of snow in front of him. Time passed by and nothing seemed to change.

“Maybe if I go like this,” Blitz said as he sat down and held his horn. He felt his horn tingle and eventually he saw the snow start to shift. Some snow started to lift into the air and circulated in front of Blitz’s eyes. The fluffy snow began to stick together and eventually formed a crude, uneven snowball. “Wow, how’d that happen?” Blitz said to himself in wonder.

Before he got the chance to examine it, he felt something soft and cold hit his right side of his face. Temporarily blinded, he shot the snowball in a random direction and lost it within the sea of snow. “Noo, where’d you go snowball,” Blitz said looking around. Tears started to form in his eyes as he covered them with his hooves.

“Oopsies, I’m sorry,” an unknown voice said from an unknown location. Blitz looked up to see a bright, violet filly staring directly at him with her vivid cerulean eyes. Her icy blue mane seemed flow down to one side, partially covering one eye. Her tail seemed to be flapping wildly as she stared into Blitz’s eyes.

“Who are you?” Blitz said rubbing his eyes clear of tears.

“My name is Bluebelle, what’s yours? I bet it’s a funny one like mine,” Bluebelle said smiling.

“I’m Blitz…why did you throw that snowball at me?” he questioned seriously.

“I thought you were gonna throw it at me,” she said holding her hoof out. Blitz grabbed it and she pulled him up onto his feet. “It looked pretty weird too,” she said giggling.

“I bet you can’t make one with magic!” Blitz said challenging her. Before he could even focus on the snow, Bluebelle had already made a snowball and floated it in front of Blitz. “Hey, no fair…I wasn’t ready!” Blitz said trying to cover up.

“You just stink,” said Bluebelle snickering at Blitz.

“Can you teach me how to do that? I wanna learn,” Blitz pleaded.

“Sure, if you can catch me!” she replied running away.

“Hey, wait!” Blitz said tumbling after her.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Snowballs…” Blitz muttered to himself. “And to think that I got my cutie mark by making snowballs. Figures.”

He stopped and took in the view of the city. Fuzzy’s house was border lining the outskirts of the city, but it was still very close. Blitz loved and hated the city at the same time. The city looked marvelous from a distance, but it was what was on the inside that Blitz hates. It was too serious and everypony seemed too caught up in work to hang around, especially Fuzzy Fry who worked at a toy making company. Even his only friend barely has time to hang out. Blitz resumed his stroll and continued pondering of what to do next.

‘Argh, I wish an answer would just fall righ-wait a minu-gahh!’ Blitz got his wish when a paper flew and smacked him right in the face. “Wha-what the hay is this?” exclaimed the confused stallion. “Hmm, ‘Post Pole’s Wonder Mail Emporium – Now hiring anypony who has a quick leg and a knack for mailing letters!' Interesting, I like the name.”

Blitz was so overcome with joy and confusion that he didn’t notice he was absolutely alone on the streets. This was particularly chilling since the streets were usually filled even if he was near the edge of the city. He darted his head back and forth to locate any signs of life. The pony started to walk back to Fuzzy’s house with his brain more rattled than ever.

‘Celestia, what does all this stuff mean? Flying fliers and ghost streets? Geez, I just walked out for, like, five minutes! What does this mean? I have be overreacting…but all this happening to me in a single day? I don’t even know if I’ll get that job for sure, but I’ll be darned if I don’t try!’ Blitz quickened his pace towards Fuzzy’s to unravel the great news. Celestia’s sun was just setting as Blitz raced to his old friend’s house. He could feel the rays of warmth hitting his face.

‘Sunset too, eh? I guess this all really does mean something…I hope. No, it will mean something, a change in my miserable life. A leap from a jobless stallion with no hope. A different lifestyle than just waiting around for everything…or becoming a hobo.’ Blitz’s eyes were determined as he held his head up high and shouted:

“I’ve only got one shot, one chance!”

Chapter 1: A New Approach

“Nope,” Fuzzy said shaking his head.

“But, but this could mean the opportunity of a lifetime!” Blitz whined.

“I know, Blitz, but c’mon! Ponyville is sooooo far away!” Fuzzy replied whining back.

“Wait, WHAT, PONYVILLE!?!” Blitz said shaking his head. Blitz grabbed the flier he had shown to Fuzzy and realized his mistake. He scanned the flier top to bottom until he located the problem. Blitz gave himself a well-deserved facehoof. “I don’t know how in the hay I missed that!” Blitz said facehoofing himself once more.

“You’re such a dumb-dumb, Blitz,” Fuzzy remarked. “But, in any case I’m still not going with you.”

“…” Fuzzy let out a barely noticeable chuckle, but Blitz caught what he was up to. “Are you for real, Fuzzy, seriously?” Blitz said tilting his head with irritation.

“Hey, hey, let a pony joke. You never appreciate my funny!” Fuzzy said defending himself.

“That’s because some of your jokes are over the top!” Blitz said remembering all the times Fuzzy had made ill-timed jokes.

“Whateva, Whateva, we shall embark on this quest. But first!” Fuzzy raised his hoof into the air. Blitz expected the worst news to come. “I have to stop by Appaloosa to pick up them goodies I ordered.” Blitz sighed in relief.

“Alright then, I’ll meet ya in Ponyville, bud.”

“Yup, yup.” Fuzzy gave Blitz hard pat on the back which actually knocks him down. Before Blitz could retaliate Fuzzy hopped out the door and started skipping toward the train station.

‘The fool didn’t even think of bringing anything with him! Geez, Fuzzy, you’re a hard one to figure out.’ Blitz got back up to his feet and went into his room he shared with Fuzzy. As he opened the door, the putrid smell of rotting food escaped into his nostrils, making him wince in disgust. He surfed through the piles of junk littered on the floor, almost tumbling over a half-eaten sandwich. He felt squishiness under his hooves and decided not to think about what he had stepped on whether it be alive or dead. He finally reached his destination and pulled out something from within a drawer.

“Not gonna forget you,” Blitz said smiling with contempt. In his hoof was a sparkling snow globe containing two miniature snowponies, one a mare and the other a stallion. It was shining brightly in the pitch black room. He shook it lightly and watched as the pure white snow danced around the ponies in a rapid manner. He smiled as he stared into the snow globe which seemed to last forever. He finally broke his gaze and stuffed the snow globe into his nearby saddlebag along with a bag of Grass Gummis and a few AppleBran Bars. He looked around for any other item he might need on his permanent trip from Manehatten.

“Well it looks like I got just abou-" Before Blitz exited the room, he took a quick glance at the bed, particularly at the fluffy, white pillow. “I sure hope there are comfy beds in Ponyville…I really hope…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz started out the door and headed towards the train station. It wasn’t a particularly long walk as Fuzzy lived relatively close to the station. Luna’s moon was just rising and Blitz could tell it was going to be a long night. The sound of trains hissing smoke and powering up for depart filled his ears. He could read the big sign that said ‘TrolleyGo’s Trainstation’ painted in big red letters. The whole area seemed crowded with ponies all walking in random directions. Blitz started getting worried that he might get pulled away by the crowd. He could only imagine missing his train because of this. The train was set to arrive in about twenty minutes so he figured he had time to spare. But, of course he overlooked something extremely important.

“Wait a minute, wait one single minute. I DON’T HAVE ANY CELESTIA DARN MONEY!” he shouted to the sky in annoyance. Blitz started to panic as he realized what kind of situation he was in. He knew he wasn’t the type of pony to overlook things; he always made sure he had everything in check. Blitz quickly checked his saddlebag in hopes that there may be some bits left in there. He shut it, defeated, and departed towards the train station.

“How in hay could I forget MONEY! Of all things, money! Well at least I won’t starve to death…I ho-I gotta stop saying I hope,” said Blitz scratching his head. He walked up to the ticket vendor nervously as he knows the outcome can only be bad. The vendor had a stern look on his face and Blitz could tell he was not enjoying his job. His eyes looked bloodshot and his beard was probably the grossest thing the pony had seen all day besides Fuzzy’s defiled room. Blitz thought he was literally looking at a walking grease ball.

“Alright bucko, make it quick!” the stallion said with an angry tone.

‘Well, there goes my chances of him being a big softy.’ “Uh, well, ya see, um…how much is it for a train ti-“

“100 bits,” the stallion stated.

“…”

“100 bits. Take it or leave it pal,” he said emphasizing the last word.

“I ain’t your pal first of all and second, I’m pretty sure tickets are A LOT less than that!” Blitz said.

“Okay, mister tough guy, if you don’t have the money then get out! If you think you’re tough enough then I won’t mind letting out some steam on a little squirt like you,” the stallion said tensing up. Blitz literally wanted to tear off the stallion’s beard regardless of its grease. He decided it might be best to just wait out a bit and cool down. Literally.

‘Alright, let’s try this out…again.’ Blitz sat down on a nearby bench, almost getting decked by a much larger stallion. He then started to get into a comfortable position and tried to concentrate. He focused on only himself and not the massive horde of ponies in front of him. His horn started to glow a faint aqua blue and he closed his eyes. A few seconds went by: nothing. Blitz started to sweat, but kept his focus strong. Just then he felt slight cooling sensation across his body.

‘Yes, finally, I got it to work. My magic actually works for once! Hahaha, now I-“ Blitz realized his horn wasn’t glowing anymore. “This just isn’t my day…er other half of my day I guess since about five hours ago I was happier than Fuzzy…being…Fuz-yeah.”

Blitz came to the conclusion that the only reason he felt cool was because of the night’s breeze. He looked up and saw Luna’s crescent moon now illuminating the night high in the sky. He watched as trains went to and fro from Trolleygo’s Station, their hisses echoing throughout the night. Blitz realized he had only about seven minutes before his train departs, but what could he do. He had no money and the ticket vender certainly wasn’t going to give in so easily.

“Maybe if I-gwaaAAH!” Blitz jumped and almost did a somersault in the air as he landed flat on his face.

“Oopsies sorry, Blitz,” a familiar voice said materializing next to the fallen stallion.

“Okay. Next time, don’t put your hoof on my face out of nowhere,” Blitz said slowly getting up. He checked his face to make sure it was in once piece. He vividly remembered a ghost hoof reaching out for him.

“So, aren’tja excited to finally go to Ponyville?” Fuzzy asked as his body bounced up and down.

“Yeah, about that,” Blitz said looking away from Fuzzy.

“Let me guess!” Fuzzy scratched his head. “You don’t have any money do you, Blitz,” he said with a smirk.

“…”

“That’s alright, I bought you one anyway!” Fuzzy exclaimed as he magically pulled out a ticket and held it high in the air.

“What in the hay? You-ho-wha-nevermind. Thanks, Fuzzy, I know I can count on you…most of the time,” said Blitz with a smug grin.

“No probs, Blitz, I always got your back!” Fuzzy said pointing his own hoof at his own back.

“I’ll hold you to that when we reach Ponyville, Fuzzy,” Blitz said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, yeah…ope looks like my train is going which means its time for the Fuzzymeister to ride his way to Appaloosa!” Fuzzy said as he darted for his train.

“Hey, Fuzzy, thanks again! I’ll see you in Ponyville. Promise me you won’t be too late!” Blitz yelled over the loud crowd.

“Yup, yup!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blitz hopped aboard his train just before it made its departure. He could feel the train start to shift as he handed the ticket to the conductor and took his seat. “Everypony aboard?!” the conductor yelled in a jolly tone. “Thank y’all for choosing TrolleyGo’s nighttime services. Have a good night!”

Blitz stared out the window as the train came alive with power. He watched as Luna’s crescent moon glided across the black sky. Different blobs of color shuffled by into a blur. Despite the few bumps here and there, the ride was very soothing. Blitz hadn’t felt so relieved in a while.

‘I can’t believe I’m finally going to get a job. I’ve been jobless for too long! Fuzzy better be there because I swear to Celestia if he isn’t…geez I have to grow up, can’t rely on everyone for everything.’ Blitz could feel his mind drifting. He tried to stay awake but the recent day’s fatigue was getting the best of him. His eyes started to slide shut and he opened his mouth to let out a satisfying yawn.

“I earned it,” he whispered. Blitz was on his way to a new life: Ponyville.