Steel Battalions of Star

【Under Revision】

Section I

Looking at the closed bedroom door, I knew my parents would quarrel again.

To be exact, they were usually inseparable, but in recent days, they were sending out a bitter hostility between each other, just like ghosts on a freezing night, cold to bone, hard to describe.

—Maybe it was because of me.

—It must be because of me.

Thought of here, I unavoidably felt a pang of remorse. If I had attended the Friendship University, then ... But after all, I applied to the Equestria Military Academy.

In fact, I was not cut out for the army. The reason why I chose the military academy was my own hot blood. As the post-war generation, who had listened to the honorable achievements of the ancestors, I would look forward to the glory of warfare as well.

My father was very supportive throughout the application, but the biggest obstacle I was facing now was my stubborn mother. It was perfectly understandable because I was their only daughter.

"Ally, mom agrees with your interview." My mother suddenly opened the door with a tired face. She had always been a beautiful earth pony who would never leave her withered body until the next day.

"Pack up." My father threw up a smoke ring in relief. Years of smoking had made his voice sound like an old tape.

"Honey, don't forget to have breakfast." Mom smiled unnaturally, her snow-white fur looked bleak. I knew that she still kept a determined disagreement to be a Star Marine in her heart. Thus I was more moved by her concession.

"Thank you, mom."

I threw myself up and clasp her neck tightly. The faint smell of jasmine perfume, well, familiar smell, seemed like I haven't been so close to her for a long time.

"Ally, stop ... You haven't called me 'mom' for 3 years and 15 days." Mom scratched her flowing light blue mane shyly, and now she looked like a young girl who has just tasted love.

"Bye!" I kissed her delicate forehead, then turned to my father's rough cheek—my mother's skin was as smooth as silk, while my father's mustache was as sharp as wheat awn.

"And I will report peace with you!" I can't wait to carry my luggage back and rush out of the house.

"Little sweetie, make a phone call every week!"

"—okay—" But I don't turn back because I am afraid that they will cry.

The Equestria Military Academy is a full-time college, although it is not far from our home, it is difficult for us to meet again except for Summer Sun Celebration.

"They must become inseparable again during my absence."

The familiar scenery on both sides of the street speeds past me like a train. Under my hooves, it seems that there is a strong wind rolling up. I pass through the bustling ponies and ponies. Joy and sadness have turned into sweet wine in my heart, making me trance and intoxicated.

With the help of the holographic navigation on the wristwatch, I have traveled all the way from the downtown of the New Canterlot to the suburbs, where the Equestria Military Academy that I yearn for is located.

Magnificent, Splendid, Epic.

Searching my whole mind, I only find these three words to describe the college.

The Romanesque castle looks like a graceful lady holding up her skirt, and the marble dome covered with beige sunshine looks like a girl's face with a flush.

There are also several smaller buildings around the main building. Although they are equally vigorous and solemn, they are somewhat weak and thin by the contrast of the castle.

I fold the enrollment poster in my hoof into a paper airplane with magic and throw it away at a distance. After all, what it depicts is far less than one tenth of what I have seen with my own eyes.

In addition to the excitement, at the moment, all I have left in my heart is a symphony-like reverence.

However, at this moment, a patrol guard stands in front of me, his heavy power armor shining in the sun with a metallic luster.

"Recruit, are you here for the interview?" There is a hint of disdain in his tone. Obviously he thinks I am just a mare.

"Yes, sir sergeant!" I catch a glimpse of his shoulder rank. Though I despise him a little, he is still my officer in the army. I have to give him a military salute respectfully.

"Um ... but today's interviewer is Colonel Dash. She is notoriously strict. Pay attention." The sergeant nods his head. His metal head collides with his breastplate, making a crisp sound. He seems to have some appreciation for me.

"Thank you, sir." I put down my front hoof and then breathe a sigh of relief. Hearing that the interviewer is Colonel Dash, every cell in my body seems to jump for joy.

—Rainbow Dash! The air force hero who destroyed a Mars transport ship by herself!

I stamp my hooves excitedly, but I didn't expect to have the chance … No, I need to calm down, otherwise all my previous efforts will be in vain.

With firm steps, I finally summon the courage to walk into the academy. The gate made of six-color crystal comes for me. The ceremonial guards put away their protocol guns for me. At that moment, I feel as if I have become the protagonist of a story.

According to the instructions on the hoof ring, I come to the interview office on the first floor of the teaching building. With fear and excitement, I tremblingly push open the red wooden door which is coated with varnish.

"Attention!" Slightly hoarse female voice comes from the other end of the room. I haven't seen the Colonel's face, but I am shocked by her majesty voice—every joint of my body is as hard as frozen obscure.

"Rank 198 in the written examination, not bad. Where do you come from?" Dash makes an eye flick with a faint smile, and her iridescent mane drifts gently by the cold wind outside the window.

"Report, Sir! The New Canterlot! "I shout at the top of my voice, although I usually act like a fair maiden, I think it is necessary to change my image in the army.

"NO the New Canterlot! Understand? Recruit! The Canterlot has never been destroyed by foreign enemies. As long as there are ponies living in this land, the Canterlot will exist FOREVER! CLEAR?!" The Colonel slaps the oak table severely in front of her, and even shakes the paper and pens on it.

"Yes, sir!" My heart is already in my throat. Even I can feel the cold sweat from my back neck.

Cold sweat trickles down the back like poisonous insects. "If Fluttershy were the interviewer, she might show you these dozen pictures and ask you a lot of questions patiently, but I don't have much patience and I have only one question." As Dash says this, she stuffs a dozen Rorschach Inkblot Tests on the table back into the drawer. She closes the window, and her neon-colored mane immediately subsides.

"Sir, please speak!" Sweat has flowed to the corner of my eye, and the feeling of acid swelling makes me some eyesight whiting.

"Kill me," the Colonel twists his neck, pulling out a small hoofgun and a delicate light-colored envelope from her uniform. "These windows and walls are soundproof. And I have a suicide note here to keep you safe."

I take the hoofgun and pull the trigger without thinking.

—Obeying orders is the first duty of a soldier.

But I am empty.

The bullet hits Dash's mane, leaving only a faint burnt smell in the air.

—She just tilts her head and dodges the bullet! What an incredible speed!

I swallow and look at what has happened in front of me in surprise. At that moment, Dash's tight face finally shows a smile, a hearty, bright smile, like a rainbow in the sky.

"Open the envelope, Marine." Dash pats me on the shoulder and says, at that moment, countless inexpressible emotions surge up in my heart, turning into whirlpools and thunders, gleaming and colorful.

I can't wait to tear open the letter, which is only written a sentence:

-You've been admitted-

Section II

"Alas, if only you were a Pegasus, I would certainly train you into the second most loyal and brave soldier in the whole academy, No, the whole Equestria—"Dash stands up, one of her front hooves clasp in her chest to make a speech, and the other front hoof swings back like a fishtail. A penetrating female voice pours from her curled mouth. Her exaggerated movements resemble the graceful sculpture in the royal garden.

"It's a pity that unicorns and earth ponies don't belong to me, girl," Dash lowers her head a little dejectedly, but she smiles brightly again soon. "However, even if you can't become an excellent starship paratrooper or pilot, you can certainly become an excellent marine. Come on, good girl! Go to the report office on the second floor to get your uniform. "

"Yes, sir!" Once again, I give the Colonel a military salute. After carefully putting away the envelope, my pace becomes much lighter. Because it is the beginning of the school year, and the teaching building is also filled with students. However, the ponies are orderly divided into two sides along the corridor, without feeling crowded at all.

Gold-plated sunlight through various crystal windows on both sides of the hallway turns into a colorful and winding shadow, and then I come to the hall after I pass the corridor. The hall of the college is oval in shape, with flame-like patterns wandering on its shimmering marble floor. Looking down, it looks like a huge phoenix egg. Two moire spiral ladders stretch out from both sides, winding up like beige vines. Between the two spiral ladders is a huge holographic screen which is playing the enrollment promotion video of EMA this year: "Steel Battalions of Star".

Looking at the starship cruising in the night sky like a deep sea whale, the lofty reverence also rises in my heart.

-Where the twilight falls, there will be stars sparkling in it, with the urgent steel battalions, with the dreamy stars.

Calming my mind, I step on the spiral ladder.

The angle design of the spiral staircase is very subtle, and each step will give the pony a different feeling. I feel as light as a swallow in the previous step, but feel a sense of inexplicable steadiness in the next. In a trance I have already walked onto the second floor.

The new and old students are actually easy to distinguish, not because their temperament is completely different, but because the news often wears the uniforms they dream of, while the old students prefer wearing casual clothes in their spare time.

But I do not see any freshpony on the second floor.

—The Colonel's interview is so easy, how can there be a pony that can't pass?

I have no idea. According to the instructions of APP, I stop in front of a carved door made with phoebe. This is probably the registration office.

Politely knocking at the door, a delicate silky female voice comes slowly from the other side of the door—the voice is leisurely with some luxury, like gold foil chocolate melting slightly in the sun.

"Please come in, sir."

With three-point doubt and seven-point curiosity, I slowly push open the wooden door. Inside, a female colt with glasses is sitting on the office sofa. She is surrounded by pearls and grace but she doesn't have any shelves. She looks more like a neighbor's elder sister.

"My name is Rarity, Major Rarity. Oh … It's offensive. I didn't expect you to be a beautiful little girl." Rarity takes off her glasses. Her white face is half of joy and half of wonder. She is obviously a little incredulous. "Dash has been in charge of the interview for two days. You are the only pony qualified under her hoof. I considered you were a big, tall colt … Excuse me."

According to the procedure, the next step is to get my uniform, but there is nothing in this room except Rarity and her holographic tablet.

—Have all uniforms been taken? That is really bad luck.

Rarity seems to see through my thoughts. She covers her mouth with her front hoof and smiles politely. Then she comes to my side and gently strokes my long mane.

"What a work of art! If it weren't for the war, I would have hired you to be my dress model. I haven't made a dress for a long time ..." Rarity's tone gradually changes from brisk to sad. She takes out a clean tape measure from the drawer with levitation magic while she is speaking.

Hearing the praise from my predecessor, my heart naturally feels as happy and moist as eating honey, but seeing that she is a little sad, I just keep silent.

"Sorry." Rarity says with an elegant sigh, under the magic fluorescence of snow blue, the tape measure tightly sticks to my skin. Though I feel a little stuffy, the strength is just right.

"Just a moment." Rarity quickly sits back on the office sofa. She clicks on the screen and enters a set of data into it. I guess it should be my bust and hip circumference, but I'm not interested in these.

The fine sunshine draped over her jewel-like mane. She is nearly 30 years old, however, she is still as beautiful as fine wine, and after years of baptism, she becomes more charming.

—Beep—

After a mechanical sound, a blue disc like a make-up box is shot out of the computer—the disc is only the size of a hoof cuff, and its smooth appearance and rounded shape make it look very pleasing to my eye.

"Try it. This intelligent system is called Opal, and she will be your school uniform. Just put her on your chest." Rarity gives me a toothless smile, with her almond eyes narrowing into a slit.

I put Opal on my chest suspiciously with levitation magic, and when she touches my chest, countless bubble-like materials pour out from around her. Those light gray bubbles cover my whole body instantly and make me itch to laugh.

"Jump, my girl." Rarity waves his front hoof, and I follow her order and jump up high.

With my jump, the bubbles that cover my whole body crack and burst in an instant. Under the bubbles, it is already a light gray tights—this dress is made up of hexagonal templates. It looks like a honeycomb and feels like gel jelly. Although it looks boring, it is actually very breathable. On the chest, a sign composed of a shield and a sword emerges slowly like a whale protruding out of the sea. That is the emblem of our academy.

"Student number 20202020, welcome to school." The disc has now turned into a badge. With the flashing of light spots, a brisk female voice comes from it. At the same time, a string of dark bar codes already appears on my cuffs and neckline.

Waving goodbye with the Major, I rush to the direction of the dormitory impatiently.

The dormitory building and the teaching building are connected by a crystal plank road. Walking on the transparent plank road is like walking in the clouds. I am not afraid of heights, however, a sense of crispness still overflows my limbs.

Looking out through the panoramic window, it is quite different from the School for Gifted Unicorns where I once studied—Apple trees and iris flowers coexist, which can be described as both refined and popular. The retro style architecture and the equipment with full sense of technology are also complementary. In the military academy, there is no "genius" who thinks highly of himself, only recruits who are modest and convergent, and officers who are formidable without showing anger.

Of course, except for the male colt wearing a black mask who sweeps across the plank road.

As the interview ends at 9:00 a.m., I do not have the right to choose the dormitory as one of the final reported students. My parents have been at loggerheads over the past few days, so I didn't have any opportunity to interview until today.

But it doesn't matter. Just have a place to live.

I stretch out my front hoof and point the bar code at the recognizer beside the dormitory handle. With a crunchy sound, the dormitory door opens.

I feel like a picked-out tomato. After scanning the code, I am thrown into a bag of tomatoes.

This tomato bag is called W201, and it is also my second "home" in the next three years.

"Hi, tomato." Looking at the female colt sitting on the "bed", I subconsciously greet her and blurt out the words and sentences in my mind.

"Hello, corn." The guy raises her head. The curtain is so tight that I can't see her color completely. I can only vaguely judge that she is a earth pony.

I jump onto the balcony and try my best to pull open the curtain, but it is as heavy as iron plate.

"wai-bin-wai-bin, wai-bin-ba-bon,①" the girl reads softly and the "curtain" becomes transparent directly.

—It turned out that it is a wall.

In the mellow sunshine, I am able to see clearly the dormitory environment: this is a 100 square meters dormitory for eight. In the middle of the dormitory there is an obsidian round table with various electronic equipment. There is a door on each side of the dormitory, one of which should be a washing room and the other should be a gym. The main body in the dormitory is eight beds which are like capsules—because the mare is lying in one of them, so I will call it "bed" for the moment.

I look at each capsule carefully and mumble the above name in a low voice. After all, it is very important to know my roommates in advance.

"Cloudy Feather ... Acloe ... Vico ... Ylla ... Hall ..."

"Seila, Seila Jade. Native." The female sitting on the bed suddenly shakes her front hoof to me in a friendly way. The warm sunshine reflects her creamy white fur as fine as suet. Her platinum blonde short mane is fluffy but also looks bright, while her emerald-like eyes seem there is an elf living in them, empty and pure.

"Alexie, just call me Ally. Native, too," hearing her self-introduction, I answer without thinking. Then I shake hooves with her seriously.

Fate is just like this sometimes. When you see a pony who is pleasing to your eye, you will sincerely want to be friends with her. I didn't believe in such a thing before, but now I do. Perhaps this is the magic of friendship.

① ： First said by the man with a pan on his head (in PVZ). You can understand it as a spell or show that Seila's voice is too low to hear clearly.

Section III

"Sleep next to me." Seila pulls the quilt into a ball and then points to an empty bed nearby. Her voice was very much like freshly baked marshmallows, with a kind of warm sweetness.

Walking towards the "capsule" pointed out by Seila, I find a device similar to the door recognizer at the head of the bed. I raise my front hoof and then the six blue-light letters "Alexie" appear on it.

" What about the other tomatoes?" I lie prone on Seila's arms and ask, I can vaguely feel her temperature and soft skin through the woolen quilt. The hairy smell also penetrated into my nose, just like the burning styrax in the midnight.

"Well ... Cloudy Feather went to the library. Acloe and Hall should have gone out of school. After all, it is the last day before school starts. Ylla is always mysterious like a potato with farmyard manure. To be honest, I haven't seen her in the past three days. As for Vico, she is sleeping."

"This guy is still sleeping? ... It's already ten o'clock ..."

"Don't wake her up. Hall told to me that Ylla once woke Vico up, and then, she received a good beating from Vico." As Seila speaks, she strokes my mane. Her hooves are exquisitely maintained, as delicate as water jade, which reminded me of my mother.

"Oh." I turn over in Seila's arms, and Seila straightly hugs me.

To tell the truth, I have not experienced "friendship" before, and the word "friendship" also seems to be a profound magic that only exists in ancient magic books. In my impression, those guys in the School for Gifted Unicorns are narcissists except nerds. I tried to pretend to be a lady, but in their eyes I was just a poor girl, even my elaborate disguise turned into crappy vanity and affectation. And my neighbors also kept me at a respectful distance as a so-called "genius". Therefore, Seila's gentleness and sincerity makes the softest corner of my heart feel like walking in the spring breeze. At that moment, it seems that skylight surging in my heart. I don't know what I looked like at that moment, perhaps it is a smile, or there is a drop of clear tear through my face.

"Let me show you around the college, although I only came three days earlier ..." Seila seems to see through my mind, and her proposal also hit my heart—The most pleasant thing to do before school starts is to walk around the campus with friends.

Sheila helps me pack my luggage. Between flower beds, we walk through the sand road where life is brewing and look all over the sea of rose. With the jagged fruit trees, the red roses burn my eyes, the gravel sucking the sunlight rustles under the hooves, and even the hoofprints left behind have accumulated a vast pool of light like gold. We visited the library—It was like a solemn old man standing in the misty rain. The scriptures in it are in good order, which are either new or old, but the words are full of spiritual connotation. We pass through the crystal gate of the stadium that wrapped in gold edge. After lunch, we enjoy the bath service of the entertainment center and have a simple massage and manicure by the way. The exquisite skills of the master made us look like being remould. Then we go to the screening house to watch a movie. VR glasses make us feel as if we were participating. It seems that we are the one who is made into rainbow. I have been pretending to be calm, but Seila is so scared that she even collapse in my arms. By the way, the movie is called Rainbow Factory. What surprises me most is that it is Colonel Dash who starred in the movie, and her superb acting skills convinced us even more.

When we walk out of the gate of the screening house, it is midnight moonlight that greets us.

"Ally, shall we go back to the dormitory?" Seila nudges me on the chin, but she doesn't look sleepy.

"Hey, why don't we go to the Crater?" I put forward this crazy proposal on a whim.

—Nine years ago, the Omega beam of Mars flagship reduced the entire Canterlot together with the Mountain Canter to ashes, and the Crater formed after the impact had also become a unique scenery here. At the beginning of the war, the Crater was the refuge stable on which the survivors of the Canterlot depended for survival. But when the war ended, these ponies who once lived in the Crater abandoned it, allowing maggots of darkness and violence to breed in it. Now the Crater has become a veritable slum where 80% of the crimes in New Canterlot occurred.

But to me, the Crater is like a forbidden fruit hidden in thick fog.

"There are gangsters and demons everywhere. A beautiful mare like you will either be sold as a slave or used as an organ source—your eyes will appear in the eyes of a lady, your limbs will be cut off, every drop of your blood will be squeezed dry, and even your horn may be turned into beads and then be played with in their hooves by the collectors!" My mother said so. I still remember that she tried to put on a ferocious and terrible expression at that time, but she was poor at acting, so she looked funny like a mime clown at that time, and when I think about this now, I am still closed to laugh out.

Every time I ask them about the Crater, I always get such a reply, so the more they warn me, the more curious and yearning I am for it.

"The Crater ?… To be honest, I haven't been there either. My grandmother said it is dangerous, and heard there are black markets and Martian creatures …the EQMO is also active there, but it is said that there are also many interesting places." Seila's voice is half excited and half timid. She also seems to be thirsty for the Crater.

"I will protect you, I've learned some magic before. Look—"I silently recite the spell at meantime. As the blue light flashes on my horns, there is a small piece of angry cloud gathering on Seila's head. I am very confident about my strength.

"I believe you, but it's quite far away. It'll take two hours in estimated to walk." Seila's bright eyes are sparkling, and I feel a little shy when I look at those beautiful eyes.

"There are shared landcrafts in the college. We'll just rent one." I stop my magic and navigate along the APP. We soon find an idle landcraft.

"Citizen Alexie, welcome to use Pobike. Now it is bound to your account. The landcarft will be charged on time and deducted automatically." With the crash of metal and porcelain after AI finishes, I lose 40 bits in my account.

"Come on up." I force myself to smile but my heart is bleeding at the moment. I didn't expect that a shared landcraft is such expensive that it eats my three-day meal.

"Don't worry, this is just the deposit and it will be returned to you when the settlement is made." Seila jumps into the back seat happily. She stretches out her front hooves and seems to be waiting to hug me.

I get on the landcraft in Seila's arms, and a whole set of helmet and knee pads are automatically worn on Seila and me.

"Sit down." The holographic maps begins to unfold in my helmet. I shake my mane smartly and the engines of the landcraft begin to roar.

"I didn't expect you can drive this."

"Of course, I'm 20 percent cooler than you think." Because the gate of the college has been closed, I simply adjusted the anti-gravity index to maximum. With the increase of the index, the shuttle-shaped landcraft also gradually climbed from 20 cm to 10 m.

Under the exclamation of the security guards, the landcraft sways its pale blue tail flame and rushed towards the Crater.

Seila's arms become tighter and tighter, and my cheeks begin to burn.

One hundred yards, one hundred and fifty, two hundred ... The speed is jumping rapidly, and it only takes us five minutes to reach the Crater.

Looking at the brightly lit city of night, a sense of solemnity arises in my heart—this abrupt gray mountain has witnessed the destruction of greatness and the rebirth of civilization. On the day nine years ago, the final poem sang from the distant sky. On another day nine years ago, the roar of steel shattered the dawn, and New Canterlot rose from the ruins of the ancient capital.

However, this place that once ignited the fire of hell is now covered with weeds.

I lower the anti-gravity index, and the landcraft also landed meekly.

"Let's take off our uniforms, or we will lose face to our college." I order Opal to remove my clothes. I see the gel-like cloth flowing like streams of water, and finally gather into the disc at the size of a cosmetic case. My skin is exposed again, and the cool night wind suddenly lit up my indulgent mind.

"Lose face, eh? My dear elder sister?" Seila smirks, but she also puts her clothes away.

"Wait, I haven't tell you how old I am."

"Just look at your horn. I can guess a rough one according to the pattern and length."

—What a perfect female colt! Later if anyone marries her but is still unsatisfied, I will strangle him to death with his tail.

At this moment, my heart is thinking like this.

Landing the landcraft, Seila and I stroll on the slightly wet ground. The Crater actually doesn't look so terrible. There are creatures living here, and there are also lights blazing. The breath of life struggle and the stench of garbage corruption interweave into a mist over the Crater. It is silent and appears everywhere.

"Hey, would you like to try some local products, ladies?" A playful female voice interrupts my thinking. Following the sound, I only see a strange guy wrapping like zongzi waving his front hoof at me.

"What specialty?" I trot past, and through her robe, I could smell the intermittent fragrance.

"Wait a minute." She pulls something out of his backpack. With the dim light of street lamps, I can only vaguely see that it is a book.

"Is she a zongzi monster or a god ..." Seila pokes me at the stomach, but she quickly swallows the second half of the sentence.

"Is this Principles of Economics your specialty?" I put on a simple lighting spell, and the blue light instantly brightens up her whole body. But because of her thick brown robe, I can only see that she is a unicorn with black fur.①

However, just at the moment when I read the lighting spell, the strange pony's horn also gives out another stronger light, which makes me and Seila hard to open our eyes.

"I am brighter than you!" She stops lighting. Her mouth rises in exaggeration, and her obsidian deep eyes show how naughty and lovely she is.

"If there are nothing special, then, bye." I put on a stinking face and say. This guy obviously mixes up her words.

"The nectar from the Crystal Empire. Try it." Seeing that we are about to leave, she finally takes out three bottles of rose-red wine from the robe. She lands on the ground with two hind hooves, pushing one bottle onto the tip of her nose and the other two bottles are on her front hooves. She really looks like a poor acrobat.

It is not until I express my intention to leave again that she hands a bottle of wine to me.

This is my first drink in twenty years.

The nectar turns into endless waves rushing between my lips and teeth. The sweet, sour, astringent and spicy taste fluctuates with the waves, emerging and precipitating layer by layer. And finally, the waves dry up, leaving only the lingering aftertaste and cool breath for a long time.

I hand the nectar wine to Seila. At first she closes her eyes nervously, then her cheeks turned slightly red, and finally, a wisp of alcohol comes out slowly.

"Eight Bits," the strange pony yawns, and she shows joy like a winner. "I've videoed it."

"Great." I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down. At this time, I absolutely can't bargain with her, otherwise the price will only get higher and higher. After all, Seila and I are in an inferior position.

"Good!" She rubs his cheek, and the mole under her left eye also stretches. I can't wait to make a cupcake with her lovely and hateful face.

Taking a deep breath again, I stare at the code scanner on her wrist. With a crackle, my wallet has lost eight bits.

"Have fun in the Crater!" She picks up a party pistol and points it at us—the countless tiny ribbons immediately fall on our faces. When we react, the strange pony has gone, and I guess it should be flashing magic.

Who cares? Actually, it takes ten bits to buy a bottle of nectar wine in the supermarket. At least it's cheaper. I continue to take a sip, but the great pain and numbness soon occupy my whole mouth. I can't even feel the existence of my tongue, and my brain is in burst of anguish.

—This guy dropped the wine. It is Chili water!

I gasp in agony, feeling that every wisp of air I breathe is burning.

"Sister, are you OK ..." Seila leans over and shows her concern to me, without any hint of ridicule in her tone. Her gentle voice is always the best medicine for my soul.

"I’m fine." I continue to pant, and then point to a strange building with neon lights not far away. "Seila, let's go to the bar to play next. Ouch..."

"The Crater Bar ... All right." Seila's face is half timid, and her grandmother should have warned her that the bar is the most dangerous place. If this crater is a crocodile hidden under the quiet lake, then this bar may be the crocodile's tooth.

Parking the landcraft outside the door, Seila and I push open the antique metal door fully painted with filthy language. The originally quiet world is occupied by the noisy tumult and deafening DJ's music when we enter the bar. No, the inside and outside have been two worlds.

The carnival of doomsday is continued in the Crater Bar, and even become the normal state here: crazy dancers move outlandishly with music and lights as if they were attending ancient rituals; Wine cups and gambling chips are in a mess among shadows of ponies; From time to time, there is noise of broken glasses and coarse insults garnishing. Here, every pony lives his true self.

Carefully detouring the reveling ponies, we walk to the bar. The bartender is a unicorn about our age, but she wears a colorful Mohican-style hair and two big exaggerated gold earrings.

"What would you like, girls?" The bartender says frivolously, but her smoky makeup looks full of punk style.

"I'd like a starry cocktail and a cherry pie." I point to the menu. It is the first time I go to a bar, I naturally order a wine full of temperament.

"Okay." As soon as she stops, she expertly rolls up a brandy cup with her tail—the glass turns beautifully in the air for several times, and then is firmly stand on the table by her. She squeezes the lemon and rolls the cup to the table with thick juice, hanging a layer of sugar on it. The light of stage lamps changes colors alternately on her hoof. She adds brandy and various liqueurs to the shaking pot, accurately controlling the proportion of wine without the aid of jigger because of her skillful hoof method. She shakes the pot several times and turns her hoofs into thousands of phantoms. In a trance, she has packed the semi-finished cocktail into the brandy cup, but she doesn't stop. The pearl powder pours in like a milky way under the urging of her magic, and the whole cocktail suddenly becomes brilliant. Finally, she adds half cup of Clitoria tea. And the dark blue cocktail turns violet with her stirring. I stare at this work of art. From the side, it looks similarly with a magnificent tornado, but looking down, it is like the boundless universe, in which the stars are shining. Just admiring at it can make a pony relaxed and happy.

However, as a careless girl, I gulp down that glass of wine, and all kinds of tastes begin to spread on my taste buds. Compared with nectar wine, the starry cocktail has richer layers and less long aftertaste, but the pearl powder stuck on my tongue makes me a little greasy.

"And you?" The bartender looks at Seila with a smile. She is obviously very satisfied with her performance.

"Mizuwari whiskey," whispers Seila. Hearing this name, the bartender's expression is distorted.

The bartender rolls her eyes, then silently stirs the whisky with a spoon: "A total of 40 bits."

—Forty bits ... This is my pocket money for entertainment this month. Forget it, it doesn't matter.

It takes at least half an hour to make the whisky, so Seila and I just stroll around the bar. The music here is full of metal style, but Seila and I do not fit in. The strippers are passionate and unrestrained, but we are not interested. Moreover, the males' eyes seemed to be grown on us, trying to feast their eyes completely. So after a few rounds of strolling, Seila and I decide to pay money first and go out to have a look.

But this is probably the stupidest decision I've ever made.

There are so many ponies in the bar, maybe no one will assault on us. But we are outside, and a few strong ponies soon follow us out. If we think calmly, Seila and I will definitely return to the bar, but at the moment we are all in a panic. Though we trot off in the moonlight, those criminals also unhurriedly chase us. I know, they are just playing with their prey.

I look at Seila beside me. Her face is covered with sweat like me, and we are tacit to each other by now.

"Run!"

Seila and I gallop up, and the villains behind us quickly follow up. In desperation, we turn into a dirty alley—it was a dead end.

Seila and I go backwards step by step, our bodies shaking uncontrollably, which may be what the lechers are most eager to see.

—Wait, I'm able to use magic.

Taking a deep breath, I try to drive them away with magic explosion, but I find that my horns has no movement at all.

"Little thing, don't you understand the power of the magic controller?" the afreet jokes, with his back to the moonlight, so I can only see a tall figure getting closer and closer.

"Come and have fun, brothers. How beautiful you are that can be sold at a good price." The bright torch shines on our faces. I'm sure we are scared to faint at that time.

The devil rudely pushes me to the ground, and I only felt that my lungs can not be stretched. Every cell in my body is struggling desperately, but the more I struggled, the more excited he is. I've already known what's going to happen next, and my future fate—being sold as a slave, and until they get tired of playing, they will sell my organs. Damn it, Alexie, you have brought trouble to your only friend …

However, just when I almost give up resistance, a miracle appears. I see that a few lotharios even have no time to scream and fall sprawled aside, and the leader is thrown into the garbage bin dozens of meters away. His two hind hooves twitch in the air, which looks quite funny.

"Are you from other places? It is taboo for girls to walk alone in the Crater. " A hoarse female voice surrounds my ear, in my opinion, which is more like an angel's whisper.

"Go home early." The knight turns around. I can only vaguely see her thick ponytail mane and handsome cowboy hat through the moonlight.

"Thank you!" I say in unison with Seila, and the figure stops.

"You're welcome." In our gaze, the figure blurs for a second and suddenly disappears.

Seila and I kick the legs of the evilers again. After drinking the whisky, we leave the Crater with fear. My hind hooves keep shaking while driving.

After about five minutes' trekking, we finally return to the warm college. By the way, the landcraft spends a total of 22 bits though the deposit has been refunded. I should have stopped timekeeping when we got off at the Crater.

That night, the moonlight is quiet. Seila and I sleep deeply and soundly.

① : Blue light will appear black on yellow fur