Chapter 2 again!: So many hi-jinks

‘’For the damn last time, will ya all put me down!’’

‘’Of course. We have arrived.’’

The ponies transporting Applejack with their hooves finally put her on the ground. Happy to at last feel the ground on her feet, she saw before her was a big building made principally of wood that everything seemed to point that it was a kind of workshop and to the right there were barrels staking one at the other, forming a little mountain.

‘’I see where ah am. Now listen up brotherhood of airheads. Ah said it once, ah said it twice, ah said it many times I am not yer chorister, hay ah not even a cow. Ah am OH! A barrel of water! Just what ah need.’’

She took it and spilled all its content on her, washing all the paint and giving her back her beautiful orange color.

‘’Hum Miss, you will have to pay for the water. Two bits.’’

‘’Later. Now as yer can see, I, am, a, pony. So definitely not the one you seek.’’

‘’Wait, I recognize her. It’s Applejack! It is even better. We will have Applejack at our founding anniversary!’’

‘’What! Geez, ya really no good at listening to others. All right, first explain to me what his this story of song and anniversary?’’

The stallion, who seems to be the leader of the other, went to take a dignified pose.

‘’We are… the Brotherhood of the Barrel Builder.’’

All the stallions went shouting ‘’the brotherhood’’.

‘’We are very proud of our job and the barrels we make are one of the most important exports of the town. To make our work even greater, we sing as we build those cylindrical marvels. We are famous for that. And today is the anniversary of the foundation of the brotherhood.’’

All the stallions went shouting ‘’the brotherhood’’.

‘’Not now guys! So we wanted to celebrate by bringing a chorister that will make our work song even greater. But now that you here, this could become the best anniversary that we ever had. So that why, I ask, well more we ask you Miss Applejack a huge favor.’’

And then all the stallions bow down to her in a respectful and pleading manner, their head nearly touching the ground.

‘’Please Miss Applejack, we would like you to join us in our work. Of all the Mane 6 you have always been our favorite because of your dedication and hard-work efforts. Plus you are known as one of the greatest wood builders. With you at our side, it will be a day that we will never forget.’’

But in-front of all this devotion, Applejack was giving to them a fixed stern look, staying like this for a few seconds and then, raised her right eyebrow.

‘’Let me get this straight. Ya want me to work and sing with ya, in a job that has absolutely nothing to do with ma, even though ya just drag me across yards against ma will without listening to ma, which means that technically ya’r the one that owns me? … … Do ya really think ah am that nice?’’

*LATER*

‘’Eeyup. Ah am that stupidly nice. Why it is so hard for ma to say no?’’

You will have guessed it, Applejack complied. She agreed to work with them in making barrels and also to do it in singing. They were looking at her with very pleading eyes, a cheap trick she had difficulty to resist. She also instantly understood what the initials of her favorite barrels BBB was now standing for. And the praise of her masonry skills, albeit an exaggerated one, boosted her pride and was the final nail to the coffin.

She was doing it with a bit of reluctance at first, but soon, she admitted she was starting to have fun. And she was respecting the way those stallions were working. They were doing their tasks in perfect harmony in a way that was even more synchronized than an assembly line. Cutting the staves, putting them into metal hoops, make a fire inside so that the heat can bend the wood, making the heads and polishing them.

And their tune was so catchy that it was hard for AJ not to move her feet at their rhyme. And so she did and was quickly infected by their enthusiast. It was so fun that she was even doing some backflip with them, some polka dance and drinking cider, all that in singing. And don’t ask me what link it had with making barrels.

Everything was fine and dandy, that is until she had so much fun that her head was spinning that she had lost her balance. And then accidentally trips inside an empty barrel. Of course, nopony noticed her because they were having so much fun, but when the barrel head was put on and Applejack saw the light being snuffed out, there she found it less fun. They even went to transport her to the pile and because of the music, nopony heard her complaints. And so she was put at the bottom with the other barrels. Oh, and her head was upside-down. Very uncomfortable.

‘’Oooh the hay. There is always something like that going on. Like if some prankster wants to turn ma life into a cheap comedy. The only thing missing is that in the struggle for going out ah fell *hompf* yeah just like that, and then that it finishes by rolling on the hill until I could not stoooowowowowowo AAAAAH COME ON!!!’’

‘’I tell you, there is no greater feeling than to fly in the sky on a paraglider. For too long the pegasi were the only ones to know the joy of flying among the clouds. Even with all the flying contractions we made, we could never feel the rush of adrenaline to make one with the wind. But we, the 'lover of thrills' had found a way to be like them and use the sport of paragliding to fly like birds. We will gladly let you try for free.’’

‘’Oh that look like super-duper fun! I am actually used to flying, I went into balloons all the time and sometimes I put balloon on me, though I guess it is technically more floationg than flying, oh oh oh, there was once when I free-fall from a pirate airship, gosh that was a fun ride. Ah, how could I forget, I had also built a flying bicycle thingamajig with things I'd found in my garage but it crashed down on my first try because of a grumpy griffon. And before I had the chance to patent it, can you believe it.’’

‘’Waaaa, I'd always known your life was so rad!’’

‘’But I have never flown on a paraglider before. This should be great. I am sold. Even if you had brought me here without my consent or opinion but, oh well, I am used to it anyway.’’

Pinkie Pie was talking to three young earth ponies who were all wearing colorful punk hairs and behind them were several paragliders with a few already flying in the sky with ropes connecting them to the ground. The one who was wearing his red mane as mohawk, the one that seemed to be the leader of the 'lover of thrills' was clapping his hooves like a happy foal.

‘’Oh yeah, I knew it, I knew you will be stoked for this.’’

‘’Ah thank you but... what makes you so sure?’’

‘’Don’t you wear the emblematic hairstyle that all thrill seekers of Happy Town wear? I assumed that you wanted to dress like us as a sign of enthusiasm.’’

‘’Emblematic what?!’’

Pinkie was confused by what he had said. But she just looked up a little and see that her hairs were still in spiky mode from the electrocution of before.

‘’Oh right, I completely forgot.’’

She put her hoof on her mouth, took a big expiry and her hair inflated and deflated like a balloon to come back to her fluffy style.

‘’There, much better. Sorry guys, the truth is that I never heard of you. But still this does look so fun, so would you let me try? Please, it’s like my dream. My dream from twenty seconds at least. Still count right?’’

‘’This is good enough for us. So now, prepare to have the experience of your life. Go take a seat Pinkie Pie.’’

They nicely went to install her on the seat and put on her head a helmet. Afterwards, a pegasus used her wings to create a wind below the paraglider. That wind propelled in the air and Pinkie Pie with it. Then, the ponies on the ground pulled a crank, giving more rope and giving Pinkie more height. At first, she was a little afraid and was gripping the ropes like she was gripping for her life. But then, the fear quickly left her out and something else took place. A feeling of rush and adrenaline surged in her and gave her a burst of giggling.

‘’ Oh! Wow! WOOOOOOOHOO! They were right. Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHA. The thrill, the thrilllll. This is nothing like riding a hot air balloon or my flying thingamajig. I feel like I am a bird flying proudly in the bleu expanse. Hey, you below. Higher. I want to go higher.’’

‘’Higher she said! She speaks our language. Alright then, let’s go all the way.’’

They turned the crank like crazy, bringing the pink pony to more heights.

‘’Let us bring her all to the top. By the way, just to make sure dude, you did make sure the noose you made was solid?’’

‘’Made? I thought that was you who had that job.’’

‘’Then to what the rope is tied to... Oh crap!’’

Not losing a second, he stopped the turning crank but it was too late. The rope circling the cylinder had already finished unwinding. Its untied end gently flew away. Pinkie was not aware of it and continued to monologue with her hooves reaching out to the heavens in a poetic way.

‘’Higher. I want to fully bask in the divine glory of the sun. I want to see all the beauty of Equestria from above. I want to become a sister with the white citizens from above. Higher I say. Higher to the heaven.’’

And that was when she looked down, seeing the rope dangling pitifully, cutting her link with terra firma.

‘’Wha!? … … Less higher less higher less higher LESS HIGHERWHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! SOMEPONY GET ME DOWN!!!’’

The poor Pinkie went flying powerlessly to the distance until for the ponies on the ground, she was nothing more than a silhouette on the sun.

‘’Dude, she’s so lucky. It remembers me my first time.’’

Mayor Paternal was calmly walking on the street but then he saw a yellow pegasus with pink hair who seemed to not know where to go.

‘’Ah Fluttershy! Good to see you. How are you?’’

‘’Well, I just came from, hum, actually I don’t really know what I had seen and I think I prefer to forget it. I am actually searching for something to make me think at something else but hum… do you know something that would be perfect for a quiet introvert animal lover.’’

‘’Yes, the thing is I have just the thing. Why not see the kelpies.’’

‘’The kelpies! I never heard of them. Which is rare.’’

‘’There is a little lake at the outskirt of our town and this lake is the only place where they live. They are very gentle marine creatures, a little shy, but if you know how to gain their trust, they become very affectionate friends. Once each week the rental boat shop opens a kelpie tour to see these creatures. In the quiet and the respect of their intimacy of course. And it happens that today is the day of the tour. It sounds like something perfect for you. It is just in this direction and if you go now HEIN!!! ... Miss Fluttershy?’’

He had just looked elsewhere for a moment but Fluttershy had disappeared. He turned to see behind him and saw a trail of dust clouds going to the direction he had pointed.

At the lake in question, on the small dock, was a small house that was used as a ticket booth. The clerk was about to change the sign from open to close but before he could do it, a yellow hoof was put on the sign, two bits were placed on the counter, and Fluttershy gave a sweet and apologetic smile that no one could resist.

‘’Is it too late for a ticket?’’

The boat was rowed by four ponies with one of them being Fluttershy with an orange life vest and a fisher hat. She was all giggling and was gazing at the water with excitement. She will after all see a species of animal that she has never heard before, it will be such a great moment for her. The boat was now way past the center and had arrived at the border where high grass was coming from the water and the place was filled with the lullaby song of toads and crickets. Then they all saw a big shadow swimming in the deep.

‘’I see it, I see it! Is it one of them?’’

‘’Yes, there is no doubt, it is a kelpie. That was quick. But there is a chance that it will not surface. They are very shy creatures.’’

‘’Wait. Let me try something.’’

Fluttershy went flying just a little above the water and started to sing a sweet melody. At first, nothing seems to happen, until the shadow rises again and starts to emerge in a huge trail of water, revealing its brown fur. And Fluttershy had her eyes shining before this massive animal. It looked a lot like a seal but with long and elongate horse arms with fins on them.

‘’Oh my! You are so beautiful. Come here little one for that I can give you a good scrubby scrubby.’’

The kelpie instantly came closer to make himself scratch to the neck by the flying pegasus and make some noise to show that it was happy.

‘’Oh yes you are a good kelpie, yes you are.’’

He quickly took a liking to Fluttershy and gave her a lick to the cheek which she responded by a laugh.

Mayor Paternal was coming back to his home when he suddenly stopped in his tracks because he had remembered something important.

‘’Oh dear! I have completely forgotten to tell Miss Fluttershy that once a kelpie befriends you, he has a very unique way to show his affection. I hope she will not find it too off-putting.’’

‘’*mumble**mumble**mumble**mumble**mumble*’’

Let me tell you something. The method the kelpies use for showing their love to no-kelpies consist of... put them inside their mouths. As strange as it sounds. Fluttershy upper-body was presently in the mouth of the kelpie while her legs were moving in the air with panic. You could see in the eyes of the kelpie that he was only playing and was very happy. To Fluttershy, it was not a game at all.

‘’Damn, she is so lucky. Only to those the kelpie trust the most do they do their ultimate proof of affection. And she did that on her first meeting. She really is a pro.’’

The kelpie turned her way and went to the horizon with still the yellow pegasus in her mouth. Yellow pegasus whose panic intensifies.

‘’And now he takes her to his home! How I wish to be at her place.’’

‘’You deserve it, Rarity, you fool. I thought I would learn the lesson after all the mistakes I made with my over exuberance, but no Rarity, you did it again and you even went to hurt poor innocent ponies. Me include.’’

Rarity had wandered into the town, mascara dropping from her eyes and her vision was not restored and was very blurred. She could see enough for not bumping into passersby but not to know where she was or where she was going. And if she was capable of doing a monologue to herself, it was probably because she could not see the faces of those dumbfounded by her strange behavior.

‘’Why do I have such difficulty tempering myself? It is true that creativity is what I live for, but it is not a reason to let my demons command me or other cliché rationales of artists. … Ahhh! At last, my view is back to normal. … … Where did I wander?’’

‘’That was exactly what we were asking ourselves. Why are you doing in our houses?’’

Rarity had nearly jumped of fright from these three strangers sitting at a table. And she was even more surprised to see that she was no longer outside but that she had barged without noticing it inside the house of someone else.

‘’… … … Malaise. I am so but so sorry for my poor manners, I did not want to intrude. I had reasons but I won't bother you with that. Please, have a good day.’’

‘’Now just wait a moment! You know, now that I think about it, don’t you find that she looks a lot like Rarity?’’

‘’But yes you are right, it is her! The famous Rarity is here in our club! This changes everything. Come here we will be glad to have at our table.’’

The three ponies were wearing thick mustaches, monocles on their eyes and elegant hats. You could tell from one look that they were from high society. Normally, she knew well not to accept invitations from strangers, buuut she also never missed an occasion to mix herself in the crème de la crème as she said.

‘’Weeell, it was said so nicely so I be delighted I suppose.’’

‘’Splendid. Gus, go quickly grab the plate and bring it here. You will love our little club Miss Rarity. We are a very close circle where only the elite can come. The ones who have the most refined taste. The ones who know true splendor.’’

‘’Yes that me.’’

‘’The ones who recognize true quality.’’

‘’Yessss that definitively me.’’

‘’The one and only exclusive cheese lovers.’’

‘’Yes... wait, say WHAT!’’

A plate of cheese was deposited before her, hum, more like a mountain of cheese of all kinds appeared before her.

‘’You… are cheese lovers!?’’

‘’That right. We simply looove so much those delights of lactose that we have formed a club where we can regroup ourselves and explore all the possible savors that the cheese can give us. Each reunion is a pure delight for us.’’

‘’Ummn, perfect texture, scented but nor overabundant, and a small taste of onion.’’

‘’Creamy to the point it spill naturally in my throat, a mixing of so many savers and the taste kick right in the brain.’’

Rarity had found out that this circle gentlecolt was not what she had in mind and she now even doubted that these ponies were high society in the first place. But she thought that it would be impolite to just go, especially since she was the one who had barged uninvited. She decided then to humor them and took a bite of cheese with her magic. Although it was good, she did not understand the appeal of venerating it. The three ponies however had such huge smiles. They were so happy that their hobby was appreciated by others and especially by somepony like Rarity. They could not resist and offered her slice after slice completely unaware of her fidgeting pose, her nervous eyes and her face who was beginning to transpire. Because she did not have the heart to say no.

*LATER*

The white unicorn went rushing to the street. Even though she was now more green than white. She had eaten too many cheeses and was feeling sick. But she was still trying to do her best to say her thanks to the three ponies, her hoof over her mouth.

‘’Thank you, guuh, thank you so much for the invitation. It was really delicious che, blurg... no I can’t say the word. It was a fuurh, heum fun moment so see you... see you... see you soon and… oh damn!’’

She did not have the strength to finish and go running faster than she had ever run.

‘’Hum, maybe we should have been a little more moderate with her. This hobby can be overwhelming for newcomers.’’

‘’But we have so much of the joy of life that we have difficulty imagine everypony are not the same.’’

‘’So true. … So, what do you say we go grab more cheese?’’

‘’Oh excellent idea.’’

Rarity was desperately searching for somewhere to puke, frantically looking in all directions while running like crazy which did not do good at her already poor stomach. But then she found an empty trash can and put her head inside to do what she no longer had the strength to stop.

‘’Blablebluuurrrrrrrgh… bleblarrrgh… … oh that was brutal. I am pretty sure that I will never ever eat cheese in my life. *sigh* See the good side Rarity, a least tell yourselves that this day cannot be worse.’’

‘’RARITYYYYYYY.’’

‘’Pinkie!!!’’

What surprised her was not to have heard her friend but that her voice was coming from above. She had turned her head up, her eyes dilated because she simply couldn't understand what she was seeing. But then she remembered that it was Pinkie she was talking about. She seemed to fly in a paraglider with what appears to be the leftover of a rope following her like a tail.

‘’Rarity, helps me. I can’t stop. I don’t want to crash.’’

Pinkie Pie quickly went past the dumbfound Rarity and Rarity, who finally understood that her friend was in danger, freed herself from her stupor and went galloping to her while avoiding the surprise passersby.

‘’Don’t worry Pinkie, I am here to rescue you.’’

Seeing the dangling rope, she jumped to grab it, but instead to take Pinkie down it was her that was dragged with her.

‘’Maybe I should have thought a little more carefully.’’

A big gust of wind came blowing and took the paraglider even higher, high-above the roofs of the entire town. Rarity was screaming in fear and was wiggling her bottom-legs with mass hysteria.

‘’HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I had always dreamed of becoming a star in the heaven but that is not at all what I was having in mind.’’

‘’I am sorry Rarity, I did not want to drag you into my problem. Oh well, at least I have company.’’

‘’How did you manage to get in this situation?’’

‘’Heheh, it is a long story but the truth is even I am not sure how. With perspective, it was a reaaaly weird adventure.’’

‘’All right, regardless, do you have any idea how to go back to terra firma? In safe landing of preference.’’

‘’Huuuuum nope. I guess the only thing we can do is wait for a miracle.’’

‘’Great. Now it can’t really be worse. Hoo... heeeeek! Pinkie can’t you say something, anything, to distract myself from this scary height?’’

‘’Weeeell... OH! I think I finally found an answer to why I can move my hair. Apparently I possess a unique ability to instinctively control something a scientist calls biofeedback. It is also why my hair goes down when I get depressed. Though I didn’t quite understand all the mumbo-jumbo jargon he used. Does it interest you?’’

‘’At this state anything could become the most fascinating conversation I ever heard.’’

On a greenly field, several ponies were doing some warming-up. Another was pushing a metal cart full of clean towels.

‘’You know it is really nice of this dancing club to let us borrow some of their towels. Especially since we waste the majority of our budgets in our activities. But it is not because what we do is extreme that it is a reason to neglect our hygiene. Hey guys, clean towels for everypony.’’

They all went to take each one to sweep their sweaty skins. And that was what it was needed for Rainbow Dash to break free of her prison and emerge like a volcano.

‘’GAOOOOOOO. Ah, freedom at last. It was so boring to be trapped in these towels that I had the time to take a nap. So where I am now?’’

‘’No, I must be dreaming! It is Rainbow Dash! The most//

‘’Yeah yeah, the most awesome pony in all Equestria and yadda yadda, I already know the song. But who are you?’’

‘’What we are! Well, we are simply humble fans of danger and thrills.’’

‘’Oh oh oh, that sounds like ponies who speak my language. So you are sportponies?’’

‘’In a sense, yes. We passionate about finding and doing feats that are the most extreme possible.’’

‘’Extreme you said, hum. Like, how extreme!’’

‘’Like, extreme extreme.’’

The wings of Rainbow Dash went straight up and she was starting to giggle under her throat. The other pony saw an opportunity to gain another follower.

‘’Would you like to join us? I am sure that the legendary daredevil will love our extreme way of life.’’

‘’Oh yeah, there is no greater thing than sports that force you to exceed yourself. I am in.’’

*LATER*

‘’Why did I accept? I’m not in, I’m not in at all!’’

And the reason she was saying that was because she was walking with her lower legs on a tightrope several meters off the ground, her wing bound by a rope and she had a balancing pole on her upper hooves. In other words, she was doing funambulism. And she was not happy at all. No, she was so terrorized that she could not move and so, she took all her frustration on the flying pegasus beside her.

‘’Are you out of your mind? What if I fall?’’

‘’Ah don’t worry, you can’t die from this height. Many have confirmed it.’’

‘’You could at least put a safety net.’’

‘’And where would be the fun in funambulism if there is no ambulance?’’

‘’First I am pretty sure that is not how it got its name. And second, I thought you were a sports club?’’

‘’Yeah we are. The Dangerous Sports Club. The ponies addicted to life-treating moments. That what we meant earlier.’’

‘’(... Of course... there is always a catch.)’’

‘’We do ridiculously dangerous feats where we have more chances to get hurt than to succeed. We pride ourselves in the number of time we had to go to the hospital.’’

‘’That’s sick.’’

‘’I know that’s so siiiiiiick. Oh it makes me think, I should show you the photos of our other members. This one with the smiling face and several teeth missing is Geronimo after a bad landing from his cannonstalion trick. That mare with an alligator biting her butt is Adrenaline Rush after an intense wrestling session with this reptile. Even today she still proudly shows us her scars. That one on the chair and the full-body cast is Risky Trick after one of the fastest-go-kart races that ever was. You cannot tell but under all this plaster, he had such a beaming smile. Because he had won.’’

‘’Okay, I am in a madhouse because everypony in this town is CRAZY. Wait, what that noise.’’

It seems to Rainbow that she was hearing a strange and faint noise that came from far. And seem to be coming closer. At the distance it was looking like something was rolling down a hill and after further inspection, Dashie was surprised to see that it was a barrel and even more surprised to hear someone calling for help from inside the barrel.

‘’Wooo wowowo woooooooo. Hey you know, it begins to be fun.’’

‘’AJ!!!’’

No doubt it was Applejack. But it had shocked her so much that she had lost her balance and fell while doing a huge scream. Fortunately by reflex, she made the tip of her pole hit the ground first. It bent like a jumping pole and it then propelled her in the sky like she was a pole vault athlete. Of course, she could no longer fly and she landed her lower feet right on the rolling barrel, forcing her to run on it with just two hooves. To her grief.

‘’Wowowo oh come on come on come onnnn! Why do those things always happen to me? It’s a curse. I must be cursed.’’

‘’Is it ya Dashie?’’

‘’Yes it’s me. How have you manage to get into… whatever you are now?’’

‘’You know what, ah was asking myself the same thing. It’s like some malicious god was having fun making our life a comedic segment. At least we are now both in this together.’’

‘’Yeah, biiiig consolation. Oh well, let’s just roll with it.’’

‘’That was not funny.’’

‘’I know.’’

And those two poor ponies were having no choice but to continue to roll and roll to the horizon. The flying pegasus was damn impressed by the performance of Rainbow.

‘’Woaaah... this is just too insane! We must definitely add this activity to our list.’’

Now as for Twilight and Starlight, their walk into town was once again very peaceful. If their friend knew that, they would surely be pretty jealous. Like they had promised, they had decided to finish their exploration with the blue house in Central Plaza that was serving as a boutique of some sort. Of what, they did not know.

‘’There it is. We had promised Flo that we would take a look. I can’t wait to get my hooves on some books.’’

‘’You know Twi, I find that this place contrast with, well, every building that we have seen.’’

The words of Starlight were a little justified. It was a two-story house with blue walls. But the blue paint was peeling at many places. The wood had many fissures and although its appearance did not give the impression the building was neglected it also showed that it was not well taken care of. It was an old building, you could see that with one look. But what Starlight meant was that contrary to all the other old buildings of the plaza, it was showing for this one that it was ancient.

‘’Oh Starlight, you should never judge a book by its cover. Let go see inside and see what it has to offer.’’

They went climbing the wooden stoop to the door. It had a little window so opaque that it was impossible to see inside. Twilight went to knock on the door but no answer. She went to knock a second time, still nothing. She then turned the knob with her teeth and saw that it was not close. She opened it full way and a little bell jingled for saying they were welcome. They entered and the door closed itself behind them.

And all the sounds from the outside were completely shut down. Like if the world of Happy Town never existed. But it was not the only thing that was slightly off-putting for them. The inside was full of various things that were giving some sort of… vibe. It was subtle and hard to describe but it was like this place was drastically different from all the rest of the town. And then they understood why they were feeling strange. For one moment, they thought they had gone to an all different world.

‘’Hello. Anypony here?’’

But instead of a greeting, what welcomed them was a sweet melody. The music of a piano was playing and it seemed to come from upstairs. It was a simple and sweet song that gave a gentle feeling. The pony who was playing it was pushing the keyboard at a leisurely speed. It also seems not to have noticed our two mares.

‘’Should we go upstairs to tell the clerk that we are here?’’

‘’We probably should but… it is such a beautiful melody. I will feel ashamed to interrupt it. Let go explore this boutique in the meantime, I don’t think it will cause problems.’’

To their right was a counter, empty of course, with a little bell for customers on it. To their left was a mess and for the studious and organized Twilight, such neglect was making her teeth grinding a little. It was a jumble of various things but mostly of musical instruments. On the wall were hooked two violins, and on the corner there was a mini organ. There was also a big harp which Twilight could not resist waving her hoof at the cords and making a sweet sound. It made her smile a little. At the north wall which was facing the main door, there was at the middle an entryway to the u-shaped stairs to the floor. Beside it, the wall was covered in shelves who although not full, were still well garnished with books.

‘’Ah, now we are talking.’’

Twilight went to them while maneuvering between the stacks of things. She lit her horn to take several and went to take a quick look at their pages. They seem to be all novels and they were all written by some pony named Melancholia. She had never heard of this author, which was rare for Twilight. Starlight was more interested in the west wall where there was an entryway with no door but a white curtain blocking it. Feeling curious, she entered it. The inside was actually a small corridor. To the side were metal shelves with various canvases. And at the end was an easel with a canvas half finish and it looked like nopony touched it for some time. She went to see what the others looked like, and the least thing to say was that they had given her a reaction. One was an abstract image of strokes and spirals composed only with taints of black and red that gives a creepy feeling. Another one was the portrait of a pony with a face of the deepest despair, even though the pony was drawn on a sunny and vivid landscape of vegetation. Starlight did not really have the courage to see in detail the others. She just gave a quick glimpse and saw that they had all something in common, they were all… powerful Starlight would say. Powerful because they all gave strong emotions. Emotions she could feel in her guts.

‘’Heeesh, this place is starting to give me the heebie-jeebies. I propose that we tell the pony upstairs that we are here.’’

‘’I guess you're right. I wonder how he did not notice us.’’

They had decided to go to the stairs. For all this time the music of the piano had never stopped playing but right before they could have touched the first step, the player interrupted his play by crudely stomping his hoof on the keyboard, which had scared our mares to hell and nearly made them stumble.

‘’Ah, visitors. It has been a long time since I had one. I don’t know who you are but you are welcome.’’

Was what the pony musician was saying from where he was as he waved its hoof on all the keys in one swift gesture.

Our duo could hear the pony descend downstairs, taking each step slowly. Once he reached the floor and was under proper lighting, they could fully see his appearance. He was a young stallion who looked like he had their age, if not, a little more. His fur was of a gray color and his hair was a cyan that was nearly white. They were arranged into a bang that was covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were also of a dull gray. On his neck, there was a white necktie scarf with at its heart a hexagonal blue jewel that was used as a brooch. An accessory that Rarity would have loved, what Twilight was thinking. This pony went to them and made a reverence to the two mares.

‘’Greetings, I am the clerk of this shop. My name is Melancholia. But everypony calls me simply… Mel.’’

‘’Oh… my! Oh my oh my. I recognize you. You are Twilight Sparkle and you are Starlight Glimmer. You are here to investigate on the mysterious happenings on Mount Heaven I am right?’’

‘’Oh, hum, well, no need for introduction I suppose, hehe. (It’s so awkward.)’’

‘’I must say, I never had the occasion to talk with celebrities before. What brings you here in my humble shop?’’

Twilight was having difficulty feeling comfortable with him. His voice was soft and polite, but she detected a small hint of emotional detachment in his tone.

‘’Oh well, a little filly name Flo had proposed this place.’’

‘’Did she? I am not surprised she would do that. At the state I am, she may be my only supporter. So, if you find anything that picks your fancy, tell me. I could even give you a generous price.’’

She could not help to find him strange. There was something in his eyes. It was like they were seeing what was in front of him but instead… gazing at the images inside of his head for lack of better words. That was the impression this Mel was giving to her. He was moving to his goods and Twilight could see his cutie mark. It was an intricate design of blue lines forming a raindrop. At least… she thought it was a raindrop. For shaking off the malaise, she decided to change the subject.

‘’Soooo, you are a shop clerk. But I still don’t quite understand what shop it is.’’

‘’Ah, the truth is managing this shop is just a secondary job for me. My true profession is to be an artist.’’

‘’Really, you are an artist! In what domain?’’

‘’Well, in all kinds actually. I paint on canvas, I play music, I write, oh especially writing. This is where I take the majority of my time. And then I sell what I create.’’

Hearing that, all the worries of Twilight melt in an instant. In her dictionary, anypony who was writing could not be bad. Starlight, who was feeling a little left out, decided to burst into the conversation.

‘’Did you really write all those books! That's impressive! What are they about?’’

‘’Tragedy. That is mostly what I write.’’

‘’Oooh! I… I am surprised, I… didn’t think to find that here.’’

‘’Hahaha, you will see that I am considered like the black sheep of Happy Town.’’

‘’And you manage to sell to those happiness fanatics?’’

‘’What do you think? Of course not. Those ponies have an allergy to everything that is depressing or disturbing. They wouldn't even read my stories if they were free. Even after I wrote so many and converted them in book format myself, I have never sold a single one.’’

Twilight was aghast and found it so tragic. Even though tragedies was not a genre that she often went to, she, who has great love for literature, could not help but find it so unfair that all those efforts were not rewarded.

‘’Mister Mel, I… I just don't know what to say. It is just so sad.’’

‘’It is the same for my paintings. They find it too creepy so they accumulate dust. As for the music I wrote, they give them too much of a bummer so nopony wants to listen to them. In the end, I have given up and decide to sell my instruments but as you can see… guess they don’t even want to come close to me.’’

‘’Come on… you cannot be serious.’’

‘’I am afraid that they tolerate me just because Flo is my little sister.’’

‘’What… … WHAAAAT!!! FLO IS YOUR LITTLE SISTER!’’

‘’Oh, she did not tell you? But this place is our house. To both of us.’’

‘’But… but… you…’’

‘’Look nothing alike. Sometimes I wonder to myself why our destiny was to take two paths so opposite of each other. By the way, I presume that you know about our parents. They were pretty well lived so when they died, they had left us in inheritance a good fortune. Not enough to live in luxury but well enough to live decently without troubles. Even though my shop is a disaster.’’

‘’Look, I can understand why it is not working in Happy Town, but why not try outside? I am sure that many publishing houses would love//

‘’Oh you think I didn’t try that. All those I tried had refused. My stories are too intense for them. You know, this is a problem not just limited to Happy Town. Oh sure, this place takes the cake, but Equestria itself has a tendency to treat the sad things as things that must disappear for that only beauty can be. But I do think that pain and ugly feelings are important. That we must not forget them and that it can teach us many things. That why I cannot work on any other subject, even though I know it is a vain cause.’’

Our two mares were at loss for words. What he had just said was very deep and it had made them think about things they have never thought before.

‘’Hooo, there I go again, breaking the mood. A bad habit of mine. Let’s go back to the subject at hoof. My adorable Flo had proposed this place and I think I know what the true reason is. Come, follow me, you will be very surprised.’’

They didn't notice it but on the north wall in the right corner, there was a door. Mel opened it with his teeth and once inside he pushed the switch that lit two simple light bumbles hanging from the roof. The first thing they saw was a writing desk with all the essential tools.

‘’My workshop. When you write, it is always better to do it in a corner. But what will truly interest you are at your right.’’

They turned their heads and looked at a small corridor full of bundles of paper stack. They were everywhere, on the floor, on another desk and in shelves that were full.

‘’Fiouuuu, that is an impressive collection. Are all these stories you wrote?’’

‘’No, this time these were written by so many citizens of Happy Town. Stories… about you all.’’

‘’Stories about… us? … … I don’t follow.’’

‘’Humm how to explain? Do you know what the term fanfiction mean?’’

‘’It’s a fiction about characters and settings from an already established fictional work, written by fans and not the author. I once tried that when I was young. But why… oh no! Oh no, oh no, they did not dare!’’

‘’And yes. They veneered you Mane 6 this much that they simply love to create stories about you. It is one of their favorite activities.’’

‘’But, Twilight and all the others are not fictional, they are real ponies!’’

‘’I did not say they were ''actual'' fanfictions. Just that they were similar to that. They don’t go near me very often but since they all know I am a writer they decided that I would be perfect to be the caretaker of their literature work. Another thing to thank my sister.’’

‘’They… they write stories… about me and my friends. What kinds of stories.’’

‘’Oh all kinds. Simple mundane days. You in comedic moments. A lot of that. Big and epic adventures where you are heroes. Some shipOH NO, you better not see them.’’

‘’… … I think I am feeling violated.’’

‘’Wait, is it even legal? You know, right of the person and privacy and those stuff.’’

‘’If we do not sell them, yeah it is legal. Equestria laws can be pretty lax sometimes. And anyway, these stories never leave Happy Town. I know it may be embarrassing but you should really try them, some of them are pretty good. I leave you here, there is a matter I must attend. You have all the time you want. See you soon.’’

‘’Eh wait//

But Mel didn’t listen and simply went away, leaving them behind.

‘’What are we doing now Twi?’’

‘’You know what, since we here, we should take advantage of this.’’

‘’You serious!’’

‘’Yeah, when you think about it, it is an interesting idea. Stories of me and my friends where we are the protagonists. Even for an avid reader like me, this will be such a new experience. And it could be fun. Oh you know what, I suddenly have more and more of the need to read them. Come here fanfics and show me what you have in the gut.’’

She installed herself on the desk with a smile full of enthusiasts.

‘’So many to choose, which to go first? Hum, <<cupcake>>, Hooo, probably a story very soft and sugary. Come here on my taste buds’’

*5 minutes later*

‘’… … I am traumatized.’’

‘’I guess that it was not as fluffy as you think.’’

‘’It was a horror story. One of the worst I have ever read. I don’t even dare to describe it to you. It will stay in my mind for long. I need to read another story to forget it. Let seeeee, aha, <<rainbow factory>>. What could go wrong with that? Sunshine and rainbows, here I come.’’

*5 minutes later*

‘’HAAAAAAAA!!! I will do nightmares for weeks.’’

‘’Maybe you should give up.’’

‘’Oh no Starlight. This time I learned my lesson. Those who have innocent titles all happen to be horror stories. That means I must choose one with a title straight from a horror story and it should be fine. So by logic it should be… <<silent ponnyvile>>.’’

*15 minutes later*

‘’It was not.’’

‘’Oh poor Twilight, you really have no luck. Although I find hard to believe those worshippers would write horror stories about you at all.’’

‘’If you want my opinion, I think they were all written by a certain somepony. I suppose horror could also be considered a kind of tragedy. (Though I don't know what to think about that.)’’

‘’Well contrary to you, all the ones I read were so hilarious. Especially the one where you are in. Like this one. Where you are crying ‘’The salads are free’’. Hahahahaha. Oh yes, I definitely see you doing that. Or this one where you write a story very hummm no, no it is best I don’t tell you about it.’’

‘’Well glad to be the butt joke.’’

They had heard the bell of the boutique chiming. Curious, they went to the hallway to see who had entered. It was two diamond dogs transporting a crate. Mel had also gone down the stairs to meet them.

‘’Hello Mel. The delivery you wanted so much is here.’’

‘’Wonderful. Take it upstairs.’’

He then saw that the two mares were also there.

‘’Have you finished? These two are the brothers Dirt and Dust, my favorite delivery boys. So did you enjoy your time?’’

‘’That was, hummm, a unique experience. But I see it is getting late and we have promised to meet all at the plaza.’’

‘’Then I wish you all a happy day. It is our specialty after all.’’

They had said their thanks and were preparing to go away, but Twilight stopped on her track, had turned around and used her wings to propel herself in front of Mel.

‘’Mister Mel, when my job is done I will come back to purchase several of your novels. Then I will make sure to talk about them on everypony of my literature circle.’’

‘’That very nice of you but I think it is too much honor.’’

‘’No, I insist. It is simply too unfair that you have no recognition simply because the personal preferences of others don’t match with what you think it is your duty to talk about. I just got a quick glimpse of what you have done but I can already tell that you have a lot of talent and it should not go to rot. Believe me, I am kind of an expert in this domain. And when art and literature are looked down upon, then it becomes personal for me. So please, let me do that for you. At least between two lovers of novels.’’

She was not sure but it seems to her that the permanent smile of Mel just got slightly bigger.

‘’It is… very nice of you. I appreciate. … Sorry if I have no better thank you word, I just… made myself to the idea that I will be the only appreciator of my craft.’’

‘’Well the least I can promise is that you at least will have another one.’’

‘’Even though my style might be too gut-stabbing to you?’’

‘’You will be surprised, but I am more attuned to pain than my adventures tell. Besides, it might be true that I may need more hum, gut-stabbing as you call it. Hahaha.’’

‘’Glad to hear it. I think you may learn new things.’’

After all was said and done, our two mares opened the door, making a soft chime, and went outside with their hooves waving a goodbye to Mel who answered by doing the same.

Even after they were gone, Mel continued to wave at no one, until he stopped and mechanically let down his hoof.

‘’Learn new things… … or maybe start to finally learn something.’’

He then slowly walked to the window and looked at Twilight and Starlight happily talking to each other with smiles on their faces. At this sight, Mel tilted his head to the side with his usual vacant stare devoid of all sparkle.

‘’You know… I was sincere when I wished you a good day. These are important to make your life more beautiful. … … But you know… … good days can be a reminder that things have changed for good and that they are never coming back. A reminder… of what was forever lost.’’

‘’Ah Miss Sparkle, Miss Glimmer.’’

‘’Mayor Paternal!’’

‘’It’s good that you are here. I just had a great idea. We should take a photo of you so that we could keep a keepsake of your stay in our town. We could put it in our town hall so that everypony could see it for generations and generations.’’

‘’(Oh boy, here we go again. Seriously, those ponies are even more over-welcoming than… well, than my first time in Ponyville. Which is a lot to say. But I suppose it will be impolite to say no.) Oh we will be glad to do that for you as a sign of friendship.’’

‘’Splendid! There is already a camera and a photograph posted in front of the clock tower.’’

‘’Already! You seriously don’t lose time.’’

‘’We are just so excited. Let not waste a second and let go there.’’

Even though it was just a few walking steps away, the mayor was so ecstatic that he was pushing our two mares behind.

‘’Wo wo, calm down, slow down!’’

‘’We can walk by ourselves you know!’’

But it seems he was too overjoyed to hear them. He brought them before a unicorn with brown fur who had already made the adjustments to his tripod camera. Twilight and Starlight then went into position and gave their biggest smiles. Their smiles were a little too big to be natural. Then they even went to speak under their teeth to each other.

‘’You know Twi, I know they are nice ponies and that it is not their intention but it begins to look like coercion.’’

‘’Just smile. It will be over soon.’’

Starlight was trying what she was asking but a shadow was cast on her face. A literal one. She lifted her eyes and saw a huge kelpie. Her eyes were wide as saucers. But the most strange thing was that he had inside its mouth something yellow with a pink tail and a butterfly cutie mark. And that thing seemed to talk inside the creature.

‘’Humm… are we there? In the plaza?’’

The kelpie answered with an affirmative nod.

‘’Thank you very much for having brought me here, that was very nice of you. Oh hum… now… could you please… you know… release me?’’

The kelpie had gently obeyed and opened his mouth, freeing Fluttershy and she fell on the ground. Starlight side-step in-extremis before being touched by the covered in saliva pegasus. The kelpie waved his arm in a goodbye salute and went to the distance. Fluttershy did the same though it seems more by reflexes because she was looking… very out there.

‘’Thanks again. See you later. … … … Wo. That, hum, that was intimacy.’’

‘’Fluttershy, what has happened to you!’’

‘’I… am not even sure myself.’’

‘’PLEASE, ANYPONIE COME RESCUE ME WHAAAHAAAHAAA!’’

‘’That voice! Rarity!! And... Pinkie!!’’

At the horizon they saw that flying in the sky, going right to crash to them, was Pinkie Pie sitting in a paraglider and Rarity hanging for her life on a rope.

‘’Ooooh, hello friends. Don’t mind us, we just… hanging there.’’

‘’PINKIE THAT WAS NOT FUNNY. FIND A SOLUTION AND QUICK… oh no… NOT THE CHIMNEY, NOT THE CHIMNEY!’’

There was a chimney ejecting a thick cloud of smoke right on their path. Rarity was shaking her feet like crazy to stay away but it was simply hopeless, she flew right in the cloud and the white unicorn had become a black unicorn. Seeing what she had turned into, she cried a huge scream and let go of the rope. But Starlight was fast and grabbed her with her magic and put her gently on the ground beside her. Once safe, she let go of all her emotions and went to bawl like a baby and cry torrents of tears. As for Pinkie Pie, a sudden wind changed her trajectory and had sent her flying beside the tower. Having an idea, she detached her harness.

‘’I hope it works. Here go nothing.’’

She jumped from the paraglider and grabbed the giant poster of the Mane 6. As the paraglider went flying away, Pinkie could finally breathe a sigh of relief to be at last safe. Relatively speaking. Twilight exasperated, flipped her wings to go up and lighted her horn.

‘’How the hay did you manage to… on second thought, maybe I should not know. Alright Pinkie I am going to take you safely down and HEY!!! … What’s that at the distance? ‘’

Twilight could see something strange on the road that was making a lot of dust. Something that was coming their way. And it looks like... no... ‘’I must be wrong’’, Twilight was saying to herself. There is no way it could be a pony running on a roiling barrel.

‘’EVERYPONY, GET OUT OF OUR WAYS, NOW.’’

‘’Wait, it’s that… Dashie!! At what she playing?’’

Rainbow was still fast running on the rolling barrel. And she looks so tired. And all the ponies on the road were pushing themselves off her passage from fear of being crushed.

‘’You know AJ, once this is over, remember me to do more exercise on my legs. I clearly neglect those muscles.’’

‘’Ya not the only one in pain. Ah am starting to have a serious need to puke. Can ya not found something soft that can stop our track?’’

‘’Oh I just saw a standpipe. Does it count?’’

‘’What! No no no no, ah say something soft, something soft. How it can be counted as soft.’’

‘’Ah listen, right now I am so tired that I wish sweet death would come to deliver me. Besides, I see nothing else on this road. We will just have to take a small trip at the hospital, seem a small price to pay.’’

‘’RAINBOW DASHHHHH!’’

The barrel had hit the standpipe and it exploded in a burst of splinters, ejecting Rainbow and Applejack in the air. Applejack had hit her face right on the dirt, sliding on the ground until she joined the group in front of the camera. Her head was supporting all her body and her legs were facing forward. Ponies can be very flexible creatures. As for Rainbow Dash, who still had her wings tied up, was going to land on Starlight but she saw her coming and ducked to the ground, making Fluttershy the next target of the bleu missile. The still in-daze and cover of saliva pegasus had managed to wake up and catch in extremis Rainbow… putting them in a strange dance position. Twilight looked down at this pandemonium, sighing, but then heard a not reassuring noise. Effectively, the giant poster that Pinkie was grabbing, was starting to ripe itself more and more.

‘’Oho! Oho! OHO! AAAHHHHH BOMB AWAY!’’

She did not fall for long as Twilight quickly levitated her. But this distracted Twilight from the Mane 6 poster failing on her. And when she saw it, it was too late.

‘’Oh no, crush by the weight of my own success!’’

Twilight was completely covered by the image of… Twilight, and fell. She could have landed on Starlight, but she teleported one second before she could have been used as a cushion. Since the princess wasn’t that high, she did not hurt herself. But when her levitation spell broke and Pinkie fell right on her head... that, that was another story. But Pinkie was just fine.’’

‘’Ohhhh! I’m not hurt? And no. Thank a lot Twilight.’’

‘’Happy to help. Happy to… *sigh*… help.’’

Starlight reappeared and looked at the mess that was her friends. Pinkie was sitting on a Twilight trapped in a poster. Applejack was in a weird and embarrassing position. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were covered in drool and looked like they were dancing the tango. And Rarity was as black as a cat of misfortune and still whining.

‘’Yeah, that will make a nice photo. *sigh* Honestly, why do you always manage to go into those embarrassing situations? At least I always make sure to be careful not to lose face ATCHUM!!!’’

*SNAP*

That was the moment the camerapony chose to take his shot. And so that was how the most embarrassing photo of the Mane 6 was born. Including Starlight, immortalized with her sneezing face, the mouth wide open and coughing so much dribble.

Once the photo came out, Mayor Paternal grabbed it and admired it with nearly shaking hooves.

‘’Oh my Celestia! You just have given us the most unique photo ever possible to make. This could very well become the greatest treasure of Happy Town. Oh I must quickly install it in the town hall.’’

Mayor Paternal went running at top speed to the clock tower, leaving behind the Mane 6 stunned and embarrassed that they will be remembered that way. All except Pinkie Pie of course. It was at this moment that Flo decided to see them. She was a little surprised but a quick glimpse and she understood immediately.

‘’So many hi-jinx?’’

Twilight came out from under the poster with annoyed eyes.

‘’Yeah, so many hi-jinx.’’

‘’You really seem to have the gift to attract them.’’

-‘’Well to tell you the truth, we never had them like today. It really takes the cake. …Pffft. Heheh. Bwahahahahahaha.’’

Twilight just exploded in laughter. So much that she pressed her arms against her stomach and tears were dropping from her closed eyes. Her laugh was so contagious that very soon, all of her friends followed through and burst into uncontrollable laughing. Flo was looking at them like they were strange creatures.

‘’Why do you find that funny? Does this day was not horrible?’’

But regardless, they all found that it was precisely why they should laugh. Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity. Each one had their own reason and each one gave them to Flo.

‘’Yes hahaha, it was horrible for us all, I can tell. However I have difficulty to tell why but, pffft haha, it likes it has not importance.’’

‘’Yeah, ah never had so much bad luck in my life but when ya look back, all those bad things suddenly change in very funny things.’’

‘’I have lived today so many things that I want so much to forget. But I have the strange impression that it is already done.’’

‘’Everypony was looking like a true loonie. Hum I mean relatively, relatively. (No, they really are loonies.) But now I feel like I should not care at all.’’

‘’There were moments where I was very scared. But to be with you, remember me something. I love to be scared.’’

‘’Just like I find myself stupid to have been so emotive. Thinking back, it was not so terrible.’’

But this was making Flo even more perplexed.

‘’... How do you do it?’’

So it was the turn of Starlight to explain things.

‘’It took me time to understand the same thing. But the answer is simple. Friendship.’’

‘’Of course, the classical answer.’’

‘’And for a good reason. By sharing our bad moments with our friends, it’s like weight becomes lighter. And when they share theirs with us, we feel less lonely in our misery. Also it might be a little cliché to say that but the love and warmth between friends have the gift to infect forlorn feelings. It does not deny they did happen, but instead, change them into something else. Like into something funny.’’

‘’I guess there is a reason why you are our role model. Not that we did not know it already.’’

Twilight was finally able to get out of her fit of laughter and was weeping the tears with the tips of her wings.

‘’Haha. Yeah about that, we may have been chosen by the forces of harmony but, I don’t think we are that special.’’

‘’I am not so sure of that. I only meet you for a moment and already you have confirmed to me that you have something that inspires other.’’

‘’If you say so. On another subject, I think, or more than we all think that we had enough excitement for the day. And it begins to be late. We need rest if we want to explore those ruins. We must not forget that the reason we here.’’

‘’Then I will warn mayor Paternal. The housing lodge where you will stay is just to the west behind those buildings at the outskirts of the town. It was used as a temporary settlement for workers during the founding. It is rather old but it is still very comfy, I can assure you. And all your stuffs must already be there.’’

‘’That's great. I really need some time to cool off.’’

‘’Don’t worry. After all that, I am sure that tomorrow will be a day far less strenuous. How can it be worst?’’

‘’I don’t see how.’’

And it is with these words that they all went to their bed chamber for a rest well deserved. The rays of the sun were warm and soft and a refreshing breeze was blowing on their hair. And they all were feeling confident that tomorrow would be a beautiful day.

… … If only, they knew. But… nothing could have prepared them for what to come. No. It is more like all Equestria could not prepare.

Prepare for the worst show ever.

Ponyville: the Grassy Pentagon

The park was now filled with so many ponies. And they were all gathered around the strange cube with… strange windows. An object so curious that appears suddenly in such a public place is bound to be noticed. And once a few passersby saw it, it went to hear and it quickly spread like wildfire. Very soon, all the town was aware of the existence of this strange device and the weird thing it does. And it picked the curiosity of so many. Ponies of all kinds and of all ages were surrounding this cube that they simply didn’t know what it was. And of course, everypony were talking about the even stranger message that this thing was giving. At first they were afraid of the statistics and each time the split-second image appeared, they were startled. But after seeing it many times, they recognized the letter and could read the message concerning a game. They were still afraid but they were even more intrigued. Even more so because the message seems to change at every hour. Indeed, the number of hours before the game is supposed to begin to go down as the time passes. The ponies quickly realized that it was a sort of countdown. Countdown to what? That was the true mystery.

Even Lyra and Bon-Bon could not have resisted the urge to see this strange cube. Bon-Bon was looking at it with suspicion but for Lyra it was the excitement to see something new.

‘’Whoa, that's cool. This… this thing. I don’t know what it is but I already like this thingamajig. I wonder if it does something else. Pssst, Bon-Bon. As an ancient agent secret do you have any idea of what it is?’’

‘’I have never seen anything like this in my life. This cube is so strange. I have no idea how it works or how it shows those images, whatever they are. Why show them that way? So creepy. And what about this message? ‘’The game will begin in four hours.’’ What does it even mean?’’

‘’Huuuumm… it looks like… something important… will happen… in four hours. Some kind of game. … What game? A sports game? A gameshow? Is this a game where we can participate?’’

‘’I really don’t know. But I don’t like this.’’

‘’Don’t be paranoid. What can this thing do to us? So, when the four hours will have passed, will you come?’’

‘’Even if this thing gives me the goosebumps, I know I could just not miss it. I think that nearly all Ponyville will come watch it.’’

Indeed. And you can hardly blame them. What you would do if you were at their place. Would curiosity not be a temptation too strong to resist? But there is something that these ponies ignore. Something important. You see… Ponyville was not the only place where those giant ivory cubes were. They were dispersed in nearly every corner of Equestria. Attracting curious bystanders.

In Appleloosa, the recently formed town of western ponies, one of these cubes was right in the middle of the only alley. So of course, no ponies could take off their sight from this anomaly that was so blatantly contrasting with everything. The citizens just didn’t know what to do with that.

‘’What is that thing? How did it get here?’’

‘’It came by delivery. But it was just saying to bring it here. Not what it was.’’

‘’Delivery! Who ask for this?’’

‘’I don’t know. But the important thing is what we are doing with this? And what will happen in four hours?’’

‘’I don’t know. I guess… there is just one way to find out. Wait until the timer reach zero.’’

It was also the same for Manehattan, the great metropolis. A cube was placed at a busy crossing where it was impossible to miss it. Many could not look away because they thought it was an elaborate publicity stunt.

‘’What will they invent? Though I must say, it is very creative. Even though I don’t know what it is about.’’

‘’That’s why it is so fascinating. Such a mystery!’’

‘’But why give this… countdown this way? Each time it appears for a split-second it jump scares me.’’

‘’Yes, I know. That's why this countdown did not leave my head for all day. I could not think of anything else even if I wanted to. That brilliant.’’

Even Cloudsdale, the floating city of pegasus, was not spared. Right in the middle of a marketplace, another cube was placed on the ground of clouds. And once again, so many pegasus were captivated by this thing and this message. With both wonder and worry. And they could not explain why this cube was giving birth to those two feelings. Not completely.

‘’Have you seen that sister? What do you think will happen in four hours?’’

‘’I don’t know. But I find it so creepy. The way this message is displayed is… unsettling. It makes me a little sick.’’

‘’That much! So guess you would not be there when the four hours will be spent.’’

‘’Oh no, I definitely be there.’’

‘’Why? You say it was creepy.’’

‘’Morbid curiosity I suppose. Because I dread to see what will happen I can’t stop staying here so that I can see what I dread so much.’’

‘’Yeah, I kinda understand your feeling.’’

But these were far from the only places. The truth is in nearly every major’s city of Equestria there was a giant white cube showing static and then occasionally for a split-second the letters. And each was successfully doing their job to attract the masses. And each one was showing to them the same and ominous message:

The game will begin in 4 hours

Author's Note

And with that, the chapter 2 is completed. I had at last managed to introduce every important characters of this story. I know that many will wonder and ask myself: Where are you going with all that? But I promise you that in the end, everything will make sense.

And you may have remarque that there was a clear parallel between the citizen of Happy Town and the MLP fandom. So before you ask me, (because we all know it will happen,) I will say: NO, I DO NOT TRY TO DO A CRITIQUE OR A CARICATURE OF THE FANDOM. What I am trying to do is to use a phycological trick so that the readers can connecte more with the people of Happy Town to amplifie the effect my story will do on you. Also I need for Happy Town to be fanatical of the Mane 6 because OOOOOH I nearly say to much.

Stay tune for the chapter 3... … … tone shift.