Chains

This whole day long I won't buck since we're done with that. What do we do today? I have no clue.

I already arrived at the shed from Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac lead me here. My guess is that we will be repairing tools of some sort.

"Today, we actually aren't very busy or anything, all we do is move this shed. It needs to get behind the barn, about 200 meters away from here."

"What do you mean 'move', as in push it away?"

Big Mac looks at me, neutral as always, just saying what had to be said: "Eeyup."

I simply glare at him. I am able to do this without a problem, but to be honest – the shed could break, and I am not willing to let this happen...I could however...No, or can I just show off my power to him? It isn't like he'll talk about it, he isn't the stallion for rumors and smalltalk, but...Can I? I guess I have to, so whatever.

I go over to the shed, but how should I lift this? I mean the emphasis would be in the middle as it is symmetrical and doesn't seem to have any special or heavy decoration on it.

I just do as I think – I pick it up, balance it on my back and look to Big Mac:"Okay, where do I move this now?"

Yet again he seems impressed by my raw power and also my technique – balancing such an object isn't the easy everyday task as you might have guessed already. He follows me around the barn, as he talks to me for the first time in about a minute at about half the distance:

"With move I actually meant that we both push it over there, but...Okay."

"Well, this is faster."

"Ee..yup."

As much as I have to focus on not tumbling I have to think about Cyan Clarity. She lies there and I can't do anything.

All I can do for now is try my hardest to earn money. I wish I could do more.

"Okay, that is all."

"Really? So...I get paid for five minutes of work?"

"Well...Yes. You see, this should have taken about an hour, but you just casually carried it over there so that we're finished even earlier than early. Here's your money."

Big Mac puts his hoof in a bag at his side and pulls out some bits: 31! For doing pretty much nothing at all!

"Eh...Crystal mind?"

He looks at me, as shocked as before

"Could you do me a favor and...Uh...Never mind, I'll do it myself."

He just walks away after he says that

"Uhm...Alright? See you soon!"

This is strange...His kind of facial expression looked less shocked but much rather afraid.

Is this power up really that frightening? I try not to think about it too much and just move on.

I don't buy much, just a few carrots and a few potatoes to make a nice stew. It is still afternoon, 2:11 PM says the town's clock. Oh well, I can get back way earlier this day, I bet she's as excited and as hungry as before.

I move through the rest of the town up the spiral mountain and get to the entrance of the cave. On my way, the sun shines and a slight breeze blows through my mane. Just a beautiful day.

The torches flicker a little as the gust rushes through the cave.

I get going as I hear hoof steps: Multiple hoof steps. Someone is in here. I rush towards the end of the cave but I only find myself falling over and over; the cave is still wet and I slip every few steps.

As I finally make it, I see two ponies fighting over...Something.

The left one is wearing strange triangle shaped like glasses and a red cape while the right one also has a cape, but this one's in way better condition. He also has a monocle.

The guy with the cape seems very upset while the stallion with the monocle on whose side I'd be on as monocles are my kind of facial accessory, actually looks confident and has an arrogant grin on his face.

"Hah. You're just pathetic and as late as always. I've already made my move and she's gone into another cell, where she won't get fed by freedom fighters."

"And you're just stupid to believe I would care. I will destroy every single of these prisons, you sick  vigilant idiot! I'll kick your sorry ass, here and now!"

He rushes him with amazing speed and a flying kick, but short before he hits, the monocle guy moves his head to the side grabs his leg, swings it around his axis two times and throws him back to where he stood before. He spins around half his axis and lands on three hooves.

"I've prepared everything. All three prisons are finished and the empowerment will be ours to use!"

As I get myself together, I have two thoughts: Where is Cyan Clarity and why don't I have a monocle?

"Okay, whoever both of you are, I got some questions for you."

"...Who the hell might you be?"

"Dude, what the hell? Don't you see we're busy?”

"Actually I was about to leave, my dear Kraurion, sadly alone. As I said, your dear sister's gone for good, and you won't find her.”

His...Sister?! As in...Cyan Clarity? She's gone?!

A water drop hits me from the surface and runs down my face. I take in a fighting stance, ready to brawl.

“What did you do to her, you crazy psychopath?!”

They don't even notice me, neither of them does. They don't even care. Another drop hits my other cheek and runs down my chin.

"Oh, really? Actually I was about to open a can of ass whooping and drop it all over you!"

"Please, save me, the big Kraurion is going to attack me, ooh no! Take care of him, he annoys me. And take that interrupting guy with him, he's very rude."

Suddenly, a completely shrouded mare enters the arena; only two green glowing points at the position of...It?...Its eyes are sight-able.

"Bye bye" he yelled and disappeared in a cloud of smoke...Now that's cliche.

As I think about this, the dark guy rushed towards me and is about to hit me, but Kraurion seems to help:"Get down!" he yells and fly-kicks him into the wall on the left side of me.

"OK, whoever you are: This guy over there may look strong, but he is actually very weak...As you might have just seen."

"What is going on? Why are you...Dressed up like that? And what is that symbol? And..."

"Do you like it? It is the symbol of our Boomerang-Shade-Batallion!"

He points on the symbol of his cape; a burning pony skull with boomerang shaped sunglasses. I could swear I've seen this somewhere before. My thoughts get interrupted, as usual, by Kraurion.

"But first off, let us get out of here. I saw the emotions in your face, you're Boomerang-Shade-Batallion material!"

"Wh- wha- whe-...Whatever."

Way too much questions to ask right here, so I guess he's right. I wipe off the liquid from my face and follow him; we move outside of the cave as he starts to explain:

"First of all, these guys once were normal ponies and are simply called “Sinister”. We actually worked together with them and were formerly known as a group of mercenaries. One of us wanted to get even stronger, it's the guy you just saw – Braek.

We reach the end of the cave and I see the car Kraurion got here with. We get in and he continues.

His girlfriend, who was a pony, helped him achieve this goal with a now highly forbidden spell she invented; it causes your physical power to have almost no limitations at all but could cost you all your senses if you don't have the potential to control it.

Shortly after he got buffed with this, he was caught and analyzed – this spell actually isn't a normal buff, it creates a power source inside you that can be used just like the energy unicorns use for their magic. Since they're highly uncreative, they just call it magical power, or short MP.

This MP does make you more powerful as you can pump it directly into your muscles. It doesn't even feel like you'd be using magic, that's how subtle this is. No, it feels like normal but stronger and faster motion.

The problem with this is, that Braek wanted more. Since one unicorn could do such unbelievable tasks already, what would the combination of magic do? So he asked the only other unicorn in our small troop – my sister Cyan Clarity.”

“So she IS your sister.”

He looks at me with a little surprise.

“You met her before?”

I roll my eyes to the side and continue:

“You could say so, yes.”

“Oh, okay.”

We reached the foot of the spiral mountain and drove away from it but still away from Ponyville; we were heading for Everfree Forest.

“Anyway, he asked my sister and we both had the same opinion about this whole buffing up thing: It's retarded.

Obviously, she refused. For a few days, a no was enough but after a while he would beg as if his life depended on it.

Four days of begging was too much and he forced her to help him or he would attack her.

She was scared and buffed him up. She told me what happened and I kicked him out of our group. His girlfriend followed him, as did two other ponies from our group and separated. Since then he tries to force unicorns to work for them as some kind of buff machines and throws them into prisons which he hides everywhere around Equestria. I don't know what he does, but he does want more power. I guess he has one big base and just fills the prisons with unicorns before he visits them or something.”

In the middle of Everfree forest we reach a tree which has a face carved in it. It has a red aura to it, as if it would shine like that on the inside. He looks around carefully, then knocks against the tree six times in a melodic way, which opens a door. It leads to a small room with nothing in it.

“Follow me.”

I do as he says and go into the room. The door shuts and everything lights up in a red light, which would explain the red gleaming.

“Uh...Where are we?” Just as I say that, the floor starts moving down.

“Oh...An elevator!”

“My sister was working normally again, but she called me on a regular basis. Someday she got abducted by some of Braek's minions and fortunately she could use her magic to talk to me. I tried to save her, and I did track down and defeat those guys, but Braek showed up himself, knowing who he just captured and just knocked me back and ported the whole wagon away. You seem to have been in the same wagon, as there was someone else in there, too. What were you doing? I mean...You're not a unicorn, are you?”

“I've been unconscious for quite a while...So I don't know. I've been told that I gained a power-up-spell that your sister trained for her grandma so she could walk again.”

“And she got you as a test example with that story, right?”

“Yes! - Wait, story?”

The elevator moved on and on and seemed to have no end at all.

“She made up this story so she had someone to test this on. We needed to know what exactly this power-up-spell does to someone. She's been looking out for statistics and wanted to do research regarding this spell even though it's been declared illegal shortly after we told the police ponies what happened with Braek and what could happen and I...

Well, let's say the police search just wasn't fast enough for me. I was tracking down Braek on my own, and I actually think I got his base.

But first, let me introduce you to our crew.”

Okay. This guy's actually a lot more than hot blooded fighting, but it still feels awkward that Cyan's his sister. I do know one thing...I will save her.