Analysis Anarchy: The Red Spy Season 2

~Echo Nymph's POV~

Another training day, another plan gone wrong. Voice, Maddie, Firebrand and I surrounded Lightning Bliss and she collapsed and started crying.

"Well... That's a buzzkill." Mad Munchkin frowned, as she lowered her rocket launcher and walked away.

With that, everypony left Bliss to cry. I felt sorry for the little Alicorn and offered my hoof to her, "Hey, Blissie. Don't cry. Come on. Let's find your team."

Bliss looked at me and took my hoof. We retraced Lightning Bliss' steps and found Keyrfame on top of a sleeping AnY and a small pile of empty bottles of cider.

"What happened?" Bliss sniffed, "You left me all alone again!"

Keyframe got herself back to her hooves, "It's not my fault." She gestures to AnY, "Ask Oktoberfest here."

AnY Entertainment moaned in his comatose state. I shook my head in disappointment. Sleeping during training. Why do I bother being in this team?

"He's out again? Are you kidding me?!" Bliss exclaimed, "This piece of schnitzel cost us points!"

I sighed, "I'll wake him up." I walked over to the brown Earth Pony - Changeling Hybrid and shook his shoulders, "AnY, wake up. You're gonna miss the new opening for the Red Medic."

AnY's eyes snapped opened and he jumped to his hooves with a smile, "YES!" Then he recollected himself and frowned, "Oh... You know, for the 15th time I should really stop falling for that." I rolled my eyes.

"You un-sobered mule!!" Bliss shouted, "Have you know shame?! Drunk off your flank, passed out in the battlefield and you call yourself a DemoPony?!!" She picked up her minigun, "I have to whack you over the head with Starlight! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I say 'Cheers'?" AnY answered, grabbing another bottle and drank it down. However, Keyframe used her crossbow to smash the bottle dry. AnY turned to her and glared, "Hey!"

"AnY, we all know the in-game Demoman's basic trait is to drink himself silly and have nothing but reckless abandon..." I started.

KeyFrame nodded, "But, it's not really a good time for that, now." KeyFrame frowned, "We still don't have the Re-generator. We're all still weak from the attacks. And who knows when Dusty, or somepony worse, will come around."

I nodded in agreement, "We need to be ready." I placed my hoof over AnY's cheek, who frowned in concern, "And we can't be, if you drink yourself comatose and covered in cider bottles every minute."

"But, Nymph. I need it." AnY told me.

But Lightning Bliss and Keyframe were using their magic to put the remaining bottles out of the Changeling Hybrid's reach.

"You need help is what you need." Bliss answered.

AnY shook his head, "No. I mean I-"

"Trust me, AnY. You'll thank us later." Keyframe cut him off.

Mission Begins in 20 Seconds...

AnY started looking around, trembling and taking short breaths. I've seen this reaction before. I'm like that with storms. And then...

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

A rocket was fired across the field from AnY. AnY froze and quickly ducked behind the nearby haybales for cover, with his shield over his head. And he started whimpering and crying in fear.

"Make it stop... Make it stop... I surrender!" He whimpered in his frightened state.

Sweetie Bloom and Mad Munchkin noticed and lowered their weapons.

"Well... That's a buzzkill." Sweetie frowned.

Maddie smiled, "Heh. Two buzzkills in one day. A new record!"

Everything calmed and stopped, but AnY was still in his frightened state.

"Wow. I am the smallest Pony here. And you're more scared than me?" Bliss noticed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" AnY whimpered, "Killer robots! Mercenaries! Explosions! And gun fire everywhere!" Then he started crying in his native tongue.

Bliss backed away to me and Keyframe. I shook my head in disappointment.

"Now you know." I spoke up.

"So, when he said that he needed it..." Keyframe started.

"He really meant he needed it." Bliss finished.

I shrugged, "That's the same with me and storms. I need music, but my mother kept thinking my fear was nonsense." I picked up a bottle of cider and walked over to the scared Hybrid.

I lowered myself to his level and gently shook his shoulder, "AnY?"

AnY jumped and shouted, "Don't hurt me! I promise I'll never call you a Grudge Pony again!"

I showed him the bottle, "No, silly. Look what I have for you."

AnY looked at me and saw the bottle. He smiled and took the bottle. He opened it and took a swig. Any smiled and threw his arms around me, "Thank you, Nymph. You are a life saver. Thank you. Danke, danke, danke!"

I giggled and hugged him back, "You're very welcome, AnY."

~Keyframe's POV~

I narrowed my eyes in jealousy, as AnY was hugging Echo Nymph and the light green Earth Pony mare was just giggling and hugging him back.

The Dr. Wolf showed up and spoke up, "You do know that I don't allow any alcohol on the battlefield, right?"

Bliss and I turned to him in surprise.

"Wait..." I spoke up, "What?"

Dr. Wolf folded his arms, "Seriously. I thought at least you two would know me better than that."

"But... What has AnY been drinking all this time?" Bliss asked.

"Non-alcoholic spiced apple cider." Dr. Wolf answered.

Wait! What?! Non-alcoholic cider?! AnY was never truly drunk?!!

"Are..." "You..." "Kidding me?!!" Bliss and I exclaimed.

"Haven't either of you ever heard of the Placebo Effect?" Dr. Wolf asked.

"I have." Echo Nymph spoke up, as she joined us, "Just couldn't remember what it was called, is all."

Dr. Wolf folded his arms, "Believe me, I've lost count of how many times I've told AnY that he isn't drinking anything alcoholic. But, I guess he's just been in such a complete state of denial for so long, it kind of works."

Then AnY started skipping around the battlefield singing 'We Didn't Start the Fire', naming alcoholic drinks in the same tune.

"Glad to see him happy." Bliss spoke up.

I nodded, "Indeed. Indeed."

~Echo Nymph's POV~

Then Keyframe turned to me, "Wait... You knew AnY was drinking non-alcoholic cider." I nodded. Her eyes widen, "When and for long?"

"Since Dusty's attack." I answered casually, "I recognized the taste in seconds, being from the Apple Family. My mother used to mix ciders with her own blend of special herbs that I'm not allowed to share." I smiled, "It tastes alcoholic, but it isn't."

Dr. Wolf smiled at me, "Well done, Miss. Nymph."

I rubbed my arm and bashfully blushed, "Please. Just Nymph will do."

Then Dr. Wolf turned to Key and Bliss, "Well ladies, sometimes we need to remember that a key to a happy life is that ignorance is bliss."

Silence. Realizing what Dr. Wolf just did, Keyframe and Bliss aimed their guns at the anthropomorphic white wolf, while I fell on my back laughing at the puns.

"May I remind you that we still don't have a working Re-spawn Generator?" He reminded them.

I continued to laugh, but was able to hear Lightning Bliss ask Dr. Wolf, "Is this payback for the sentry gun buster?"

I stopped and looked at the mares, "Wait, what?"

Dr. Wolf smiled, "See? You're learning."

Lightning Bliss fell to the ground with a face-plant, while Keyframe chased after AnY, "Hey, AnY! Can I have some of that?"

"Do I want to know, or need to know?" I asked the white wolf, as I dusted myself off.

"Neither." He answered.

"Then I won't ask." I told with a small smile.