Evil Empire

Sugarcube Cafe was located on a street corner, only a couple of blocks away. It didn't take the two girls longer than about twenty minutes to reach the small store. They quickly placed themselves down by a window, after Vinyl had ordered a milkshake, and Trixie suddenly remembered forgetting her wallet at home. "Text me if you're gonna starve," was all Vinyl commented on her troublesome companion's misfortune.

Apart from them, the cafe was experiencing nothing but another, casual weekday. Since it was a popular meeting place among Cnaterlot High's students, several of them had gathered here already, chatting away about the casual gossip. In one corner of the room, right next to the counter, one of CHS's showcase bands played a short practice set at half volume.

Vinyl instantly recognized the Rainbooms: After all, they were the ones having made Trixie look like an idiot right in front of her eyes, something she wouldn't forget so quickly.

If anything was off about the place, that would have been the three strange figures sitting around the table directly to Trixie's back. They were wearing blue jeans and hoodies, covering all of their limbs and torsos. Even looking in their direction from her sitting position, Vinyl couldn't make out a thing about their faces. She only heard them singing some odd melody in a low tone...whatever that meant.

Trixie didn't seem to care. For now, at least. She still did look rather grim, forced to watch Vinyl slurping down her drink, while ending up all empty-handed herself. The undeniable lack of empathy from Vinyl's part scarcely helped. After groaning and looking out the window several times, Trixie finally turned back to face her companion. At that point, Vinyl had almost finished her drink.

"So...I heard you can get cancer from those," she said, pointing at the milkshake's straw. "God only knows what kind of toxic waste they put in that plastic. Probably even helps brainwashing."

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Seriously now? We're back to that?"

"Hey, if you've got a more interesting topic for a conversation, don't let me stop you!"

Silence ensued, during which nothing but the singing voices from different corners of the room could be heard. Somewhat further away from their table, the Rainbooms had just started playing their song Better Than Ever, while the three figures to Trixie's back were quietly discussing something with dampened voices.

After a few minutes, Flash Sentry, another student from their grade, walked in. He shot a curious look over to the five girls in the corner, one that would soon turn to obvious disappointment. Eventually, the blue-haired boy walked up to the counter, presumably trying to look indifferent as possible, and ordered a coffee to go. For some reason, he then sat down a few tables apart from the two, mostly by himself.

"Speaking of obnoxious," Vinyl said, pointing her straw over to him. "Don't you think you're making this a little too obvious?"

Probably lost in thought up until then, Trixie looked up in surprise, blinking repeatedly. "Who, what, me?"

"Well...yeah. I mean, you're learning of me going to buy a drink, and decide to come along for no apparent reason. Just as we got as far as to actually order something, you remember accidentally forgetting your cash at home." She sighed. "Listen, it's not like I have any personal problems with you...but after getting me into all that crap earlier, trying to sneak some free food from me is kinda jerky, don't you think?"

As no response followed, and Trixie seemed more concentrated with the table in front of herself, than their conversation, Vinyl added: "Are you even listening to me?"

"Shush," Trixie replied to cut her short, while lifting up one hand. She then leaned in closer, whispering: "Do you hear that?"

Vinyl started to get angered at first, just before she could indeed make out a slight change in their surrounding atmosphere. In fact, it was the three people next to them, who had started singing their low, enchanting melody once more. Making the scenery even more bizarre, small clouds of light green mist had gathered on the nearby ground, and started slowly drifting towards them.

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean?" she asked in a similar, whispering tone.

"I'm pretty sure, I've heard of these people before..."

"These people? The hell are you talking about now?"

Heavily in thought, Trixie quickly buried her face in both palms. "It's simple, they're some sort of...mythical creatures...or something..." she observed. By now, her voice was barely audible, dampened even further by her hands. "They start off in one area, acting all nice and friendly, but then they...kinda manage to get people under their control, until they dominate it all..."

"Are you okay?"

"They grow stronger from people's mistrust and intolerance. Make friends turn against each other, fathers against their sons, and vice versa... And when they finally control one place, they move forward to invade another, until all bow before them." She groaned. "But there's a word for them, something..."

She kept to her thinking process, while Vinyl nervously looked around, hoping no-one she knew was around to see her.

"I've got it!" Trixie whispered, once again breaking the silence. "They're nazis!"

Vinyl facepalmed. "Seriously?"

"Trust me," Trixie told her, while getting up from her seat. "I know what to do. I've seen this in a movie."

Without further ado, she rushed by the strange figures, approaching the Rainbooms. They had just finished another song, and seemed to near their performance's conclusion. Mostly, they were only chatting away, laughing about some minor issues.

"Play La Marseillaise!" Trixie audibly delievered her demands, suddenly rising up in front of them. "Play it!"

Once again, Vinyl checked her surroundings for anyone familiar, while the five girls exchanged some confused looks themselves. Eventually, their drummer, Pinkie Pie, looked at the store owner, clearly in search for help. He didn't say anything in response, but simply nodded, before taking a sip of his coffee.

After helplessly looking at each other once more, the band eventually left it to Pinkie counting down the start to the song requested. Trixie wouldn't spare a second, but to quickly rush back to the three mysterious figures. Once she stood next to their table, she started to sing along at the top of her lungs.

Needless to say, her accent was horrifying.

Also, Vinyl decided not to go through the trouble of checking the room's guests a third time. Instead, she immediately crouched down beneath the table for hiding, just to make sure.

And yet, to her surprise several people actually started singing along. Those, who hadn't completely been embarrassed by now, she presumed. It took another minute or two, before Vinyl noted three pairs of legs quickly rushing towards the exit. Given her position, she couldn't make out their owners, though that was hardly necessary. And before long, they were replaced by a pair of light-blue boots, both decorated by a silver star.

"Get out," a terribly familiar voice yelled after the three. "I was born free, and I intend to have it stay that way!"