Chapter - 7

1

In This Generation Of Magic And Potential, There Is Nothing In Between Love And Hate, It’s Always One Or The Other. That’s No Exception With New Races Evolving From Humans Around The World. It Was A Massive Development Around The Globe As Technology Reached Its Peak, And The World Stopped And Experimented On Their New Abilities So They Could Climb Higher Than They Could Ever Imagine. It Was Gods Blessing As The World Changed For The Best – For Some That Is. Many Were Forsaken As A Human. They Were The Tainted, They Weren’t Apart Of God’s Divine Plan. For This, They Were The Sinners That Were Below Even Rats.

It Wasn’t Just The Equestrians That Was Created By The Abnormal Shock Wave. African American’s And African’s Skin Turned Different Shades Of Grey And Black Religious Pattens Marked Their Limbs. They Were The Zebras, The Cunning, The Hidden And The Wise. Equestrians Don’t See Much Difference Between Zebras And Humans, The Only Difference Was That Zebras Lived Isolated From The World, Ignorant To The Advances And Chalking It Up As Their Saviour’s Love And Gratitude, All Their Worshiping Being Answered. That’s What They Believed With All Their Spirit. There Were A Few Humans Among Them But, Instead Of Despising Their Existence, They Took Them In With Open Arms And Made Them One Of Their Own. Striping Them Into Their Family. A Tradition That The Equestrians Hated.

The Asians Grew Up Being Around 6 Foot Was The Norm Over There, Reaching Up To 6’7 Was Their Max. Due To This Development, Reconstructing Buildings, Homes, Any Architecture Had To Be Rebuilt To Fit Their Hight, Costing Them Billions Out Of The Government’s Pocket. That Wasn’t The Issue, Being Multibillionaires, It Was Only A Matter Of Time. Other Than Growing, Asians Also Grew In Muscle, Making Them One Of The Strongest Races Out There. Their Figure Is Beastly, One Of Many To Have Fur Instead Of Skin, Representing The Animal More Than A Human. They Are The Tigers, The Furious, The Powerful And The Prideful. Like Many Other Races, Some Don’t Always Turn. Let’s Just Say Humans Over There Don’t Get The Luxury Humans In Equestrian Have. Human Rights Are Next To None Over There.

All Around The World This Happened, Many More Races In All Different Shapes And Sizes. Because Of This Change, The World Changed With Them. To Decorate This New Era Of Magic, Names Of Countries, Cities And Languages Changed. America Became Equestria, Africa Became Zebrica, Mexico Became Mareico, Egypt Became Neighipt And France Became Prance. People Even Went As Far As Changing Their Identities, To Start A New Life. But, As Much As The World Did Change, War Was Always An Issue, And It Was Meaner Then Ever.

A Humanitarian Catastrophe Loomed In Saddle Arabia, Triggered Mostly By Western Governments Cutting Off Aid After The Terrorist Group Takeover. It’s Said That 23 Million People, More Than Half The Population, Suffered From Hunger By Spring. International Donors Should Have Release Money Earmarked For Saddle Arabia, Ease Sanctions To Allow In More Aid And Permit Regular Economic Activity. Averting Disaster Likely Requires Working Through The Terrorist Regions.

Yemare’s (Yemen) Devastating War Could Be Poised To Get Worse. Rebels Have Encircled And Advanced Into The Oil- And Gas-Rich Governorate Of Narib (Marib). A Battle For Narib City Would Be Deadly And Would Prolong Rather Than End The War. The New Envoy Should Redouble Efforts To Avert An Offensive On Narib, While Pushing For An Approach To Peace Making That Goes Beyond Two-Party Talks Between The Rebels, On One Side, And The Yemare Government And Its Saudi Backers On The Other.

Conflict In Northern Fillypines (Philippines) Has Gone On For Over 30 Years And With Magic Being A New Tool Of Destruction, The Conflict Has Not Slowed Down. The Conflict Was Primarily Political And Nationalistic, Fuelled By Historical Events Is The Main Course Of This Civil War.

Terrorist Attacks Have Been Made In Brittany By The Islamar (Islamic) State Of Irap (Iraq) And Sidria (Syria) Terrorist Group. Lundon (London) Was Thrown Into Panic As Public Transit Passengers Were Targeted By Four Islamar Terrorists. The Terrorists Organized And Carried Out Four Suicide Bomb Attacks On Public Transportation Vehicles During Busy Morning Traffic Hours, Killing 56 Individuals.

There Are Many More Happening Around The Globe, Many As Trivial As One Another, Some That Could Set Off A Third Great War, But There Was One Country That Had It Worst, Italie. The Italie Government Wished To Build A New Roman Empire To Replace The Old Ancient Rock That Once Was A Beautiful Paradise. They Hoped They Could Achieve This Through War, And When Magic Came In To Play, The Mad Man Saw It As A Sign. Taking Advantage Of The World’s Celebration, Italie Struck Without Warning, Shocking The World.

In A Matter Of Hours They Invaded Slavenia (Slovenia), A Few Days After They Took Austrian (Austria), Witzerland (Switzerland) And The South Of Prance (France). At The End Of The Month, They Made An Alliance With Prance, Taking Luxem, (Luxembourg) Bilgium (Belgium) And Neigherlands (Netherlands) With Promise Of Glory. In A Years’ Time, Gamany (Germany) Joined In The War. Italie’s Next Target Was Brittany (Britain) But, Brittany Was Prepared And Ready. 2 Years The Battle Lasted, Brittany Was Almost Taken Over But, Equestria Stepped In And They Made An Instant Impact On The Scales Of War. A Year Gone By And Italie, Prance, Gamany Was Getting Pushed Back By The Bigger Threat. At The End, Gamany Left The War And Prance Had No Choice But To Leave Too. It Was Just Italie With No Where To Run. They Paid Dearly For What Happened. The Backlash Was Great. The Dream Was Broken, And The Country Was Outraged As Riots Began And Civil War Broke Out, Leaving Italie A Shattered Mess Of Rage.

I Don’t Know If Anyone Needed To Read This But, If You Are Reading This, Just Know That Everything Isn’t Always As It Seems. I’ve Seen This Happen Before But, Differently.

I AM NOT CRAZY!!! LIVE WITH MY WORDS THAT IS THE TRUTH!!!

I Know What They’ve Done, I Know What They Did To Them. It Was A Slaughter. I Saw It Happen But, No One Believes Me. If Only They Was Up On That Hill With Me Instead Of My Brothers And My Best Friend. Only Then Will They Truly Know Hell On Earth.

Spike felt all eyes on him when he strode down the corridor, the mutters and looks made Spike grit his teeth. Did they really have to look at him like this? He should have known better to expect anything else. He’s a human lover now as they say.

“Look, its Spike. The human lover.” A girl whispered to her group of friends.

“Why’s he back here? What a waste of air.” A boy said as he walked passed Spike, shoving him by his shoulder.

“Fucking dragon, I knew we couldn’t trust him. At least now he’s shown his true colours.”
Keep talking, see what happens, fuckers.

“No wonder he turned into a loner; he must have been speaking to the human before. Fucking disgusting.” A girl spat, uncapping the bottle of water and splashing him. There and then, he almost just snapped but, he kept walking. Somehow, he kept walking.

“It makes me sick just to look at him.” A beauty student said.
It makes me sick how much make-up you’ve got on, you silly bitch.

The insults, the push and shoving, the commotion, it felt like it never ended as he turned down each hallway. Is this what Joel felt as he walked through school? Not just hearing but feeling the venom uttered from their words? Feeling like an exile? Why hasn’t he ever lashed out before? Spike could feel his fist tense with each word spoken with his nails digging into his scaled skin. It hurt but, it was rather that or ripping someone’s eyes out… did—did he just think that? No, this is bad. This is really bad. He needs to get out of here before he actually kills someone. So with that, Spike ran with his head down, blocking out the noise. As he ran, he passed a certain group of boys.

“I’m telling ya, I left it in this book! I even cut it out so I could hide it!” Caramel worried as he rummaged through his locker, a sweat dripping from his brow. “It was just here!”

“What are you trying to say? Have you lost it? Or keeping it away from me?” whispered a very pissed off Dosh, glaring at the side of Caramel’s head.

“No no, of course not. I wouldn’t do that. I don’t even like guns like that. Its just… gone. Someone must have stolen it.” Caramel blurted in a panic, making Dosh cover his mouth. Dosh was no better than Caramel. On the outside, he was raging but, that was a false façade; he was bricking it. The first time he encountered Frank, he was confident that his identity was safe but, the next night was a disaster. Not only did Frank see his and his sister’s faces but, he listened in on father’s meeting despite speaking dalian. How did Frank know? Who was that other masked assassin? Did they know what was said?
For my sake, I hope not…

“Carn—bweev…” said the muffled Caramel, slowly suffocating.

The killer, he must be in this school. There is no other way Frank could have possibly known the time and place. He must have been followed, but for how long? And if so, who is Frank?

“Doth…!” cried Caramel who just about detached himself from Dosh’s tight grip.. “You almost just killed me, dude.” Caramel said breathlessly, staring at Dosh like a mad man.

Everything should be under control considering the Italie Special Forces patrolling the perimeter and area of the school. They have eyes on him, if Frank does make a move on him, all he’d have to do is keep him busy until they arrive.

“Dosh… are you awake up in there? You’re sweating like crazy.” Caramel asked, snapping his finger in the face of the distant Dosh. Jumping back into focus, Dosh caught his breath.

“Fine… just fine.” Dosh replied, making Caramel raise a brow.

“You sure? You look like a deer caught in head lights, and the head lights looked to be from a lorry.” Caramel questioned.

“I said I’m fine!” Dosh snapped, glaring at the suddenly shocked Caramel.

“Okay dude, just chill out would ya.” Caramel backed off, hands in the air in surrender. “You don’t look like your doing good is all, bro.”

“Well, I’m fine… I just need my gun. Then, I’ll be fine.” Dosh said, taking deep breathes.

“Well, it’s not here. I bet you that human took it. Its in his blood to fucking steal. You remember your shirt that went missing? I still think that scum took it.” Caramel spat, crossing his arms.

“Hey-o! What’s up, guys?” Flash interrupted, his flashy grin too much for Dosh.

“Hey, Flash.” Caramel nodded.

“Hey..” Dosh said groggily as he rubbed his temple.
Not now, Flash… I swear on my home country…

“Hear about what happened last night? Pretty fucking wild, eh?” Flash started as he went into his own locker, pulling out a few schoolbooks.

“Yeah, the whole storage house was on fire. Something about chemicals turning the fire green or something, didn’t really listen to it properly, science just flies over my head.” Caramel murmured, grabbing a few books of his own.

“Same here… Aw fuck. That just reminded me, we have a science test today.” Flash cursed, slapping his forehead.

“I know, that’s why I revised while you were out last night getting hammered. I saw Pinkie’s snapchat story of you, Sunset, Pinkie, Cheese Sandwich and Feather Bang getting sloshed from your head to your toe… speaking off, you should be having the biggest hangover by now.” Caramel questioned.

“Ever heard of a one off?”

“WHAT THE FUCK!!!” A boy screamed down the hallway, making everyone stop and turn to the well suited Hoity Toity. The three boys just raised a brow.

“What bit his ass?” Caramel said, being the first to walk towards the raging Hoity Toity. Dosh and Flash followed. Looking over Hoity’s shoulder, Caramel saw that Hoity’s locker was looking pretty empty. All he saw was books, girls in bikinis and that’s it… wait… where did his lunch money go?

“That human took it, that fucking human! He took my money!” Hoity raged, his fists shaking uncontrollably. Flash had never seen him so mad before, he wasn’t surprised. Loosing 50k… that sucks.

“Yo! What’s got his panties in a twist?” A smug Soarin strode on in with Cheese.

“Hoity Toity lost 50k.” Flash murmured.
Is that what his screaming about… seriously…

“50K!!!” Cheese Sandwich exclaimed, holding his head as he clinged onto Soarin’s shoulder. “OWW wee, whoever said that, please shut up.” Cheese Sandwich groaned.

“Wakey wakey, rise and shine, sunshine!” Feather Bang sneaked behind Cheese and yelled, making Cheese Sandwich jump 6 foot and smack his head off the ceiling, braking through the board tile and hanging there.
For the love of Luca, please be normal people…

“He he, never gets old.” Feather Bang grin proudly at his handy work.

“WHERE IS THAT FUCKING HUMAN!” Hoity Toity screamed with fury.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP! OOOOWWWWW MY HEAD!” Cheese screamed back in agony.
I can’t be dealing with this right now… I can’t be sitting here like this…

Dosh walked off without anyone noticing. He looked everyone in the eye when he walked passed them, sinking in paranoia as everyone was a suspect in his beady eye. Every girl and every boy, even the juniors. He made Fluttershy shy away when he got too close. He quickly stopped her as he grabbed her arm. He looked into her eye as the other was hid behind her long pink hair. There was something behind that eye… What was it?

“Let go.”

He saw something dark in that eye for a moment, where was it now? He saw it. He knew he did.

“I said let go.”

He seen that look before, how to describe it though. Rage? Misery? Aggravation? Hell, looked to be all three.

“I SAID FUCKING LET GO!” Fluttershy roared through her teeth as she slapped Dosh, making him let go.

There it was again. That darkness… Frank? Before he could get a good look, she turned away with her schoolbooks in hand and walked the opposite way she was heading. Truth be told, Fluttershy felt like she was lost in this school. She’s been here for years and yet, her mind was blank. Last night affected her in many ways. She was angry and confused, she wanted to be left alone but for some reason, she was here, roaming the school cluelessly. Out of force of habit? Education? To see Joel? All three of them answers were probably just as good of a guess as the other… Seeing Joel did seam nice around about now, she needed a hug. A big, fat, human hug, or maybe a smoke as bad as that sounds. One or the other would be good, or maybe both at the same time.

Fluttershy was about to turn the corner when she bumped into someone else, making her fall back and drop her books.

“Oh shoot, sorry about that Fl—” said a scratchy voice. Looking up, Fluttershy saw a certain rainbow haired girl. Rainbow Dash’s maw was agape as she couldn’t finish her sentence as both stared awkwardly for a moment. Rainbow broke the silence. “Hey, let me help you with that.” Rainbow said, kneeling down as she picked up Fluttershy’s books one by one. Fluttershy picked a few up too before standing up. “Here.” Rainbow held out the books to Fluttershy making Rainbow smile nervously. Fluttershy didn’t replicate that smile, instead she just walked passed her without a word, making Rainbow quickly frowned and sigh pathetically.
Why Fluttershy… Why…

Fluttershy quickly headed into the girl’s toilets and was grateful that it was empty. Her hands were pressed against the sink, breathing shakily as her heart was racing, her mind was on repeat, emotions mixing together to make a bomb that will explode any minute now. Just seeing Rainbow Dash and doing what she did was just the cherry on the cake. Why did it have to be Rainbow? Her life long friend… Fluttershy want to move on from this, to see her friends as just another person but, her heart wouldn’t allow it. When she saw it was Rainbow, she wanted to smile in response but, she stopped herself before Rainbow got the wrong idea. She hated it. She hated how she had to pretend to not care. To lie to herself how it will be okay but, Fluttershy could see it as clear as day. The pain and regret in her eyes were great and she hated that she was the course of it. Fluttershy slowly looked up into the mirror to see her dishevelled face. Her hair was a mess, covering the right side of her face. Her eyes were the worst feature about her. To anyone who sees them might always say they’re pretty but, that’s because they don’t know where to look. As she looked in the mirror, she stared into those so called ‘pretty’ eye and didn’t think they were pretty at all… it was ugly and dark. Joel… you are a saint and a good person but… this is bullshit! In a fit of sudden rage, Fluttershy struck the mirror with her fist, shattering it into a million pieces. She pulled her fist away, seeing she popped two of her knuckles as blood dripped.
Drip… Drip… Drip…

Blood hit the sink, the thick liquid river traveling down the drain… There was so much blood… Why wasn’t it stopping… It kept going… it was just a cut… why was there so much blood… Fluttershy felt woozy as her eyes went to pinpricks, breathing excessively as her eyes watered. She couldn’t stop shaking as her eyes were pealed to the crimson blood.

“Fluttershy!” said a voice but she didn’t turn to look. She couldn’t look away from her blood-filled hand. “Fluttershy, what happened?” What happened… she only punched the mirror and now she can’t stop bleeding. An ear buzzing sound rang in her mind, her mind slowly going blank. Why can’t she stop bleeding so much? “FLUTTERSHY!” A shout snapped her out of focus, quickly turning to see Twilight standing in the doorway, looking back and forth to Fluttershy and the now broken mirror with the rest of the girls behind her. “Are you okay?” Twilight carefully said, stepping closer to the shaking Pegasus. Fluttershy looked back down to her hand to see blood but, it was just a trickle, it wasn’t pouring out like a fountain. It was just in her head… again. She looked back, still shaken up.

“I’m fine.” Fluttershy nodded to herself, looking back at the millions of shards. “I’ll be fine.”

“Fluttershy, you are a mess, darling. You are not fine.” Rarity said from the group.

“I’ll be okay, Rarity.” Fluttershy replied.

“Now that’s a stinkin lie if I ever heard one, sugercube. Not a very good one either.” Applejack barked, walking out of the group to stand next to Twilight. She crossed her arms and looked with a scrutinizing gaze. “Tell me the truth.”

Fluttershy should have known Applejack would of took offence for that blatant lie. Applejack hates lies like equestrians hate humans, she was raised that way and for good reason. Raised to be one of the Honesty Apple Family.

“Fluttershy… what’s up with you?” Sunset stepped forward. “This isn’t like you…”

“It’s none of your concern, Sunset. Just leave me alone.” Fluttershy muttered, shame riddling her voice.

“None of my concern… Your fucking fist is bleeding because you fucking punched the mirror! Of course it’s my fucking concern, it’s all our concern. We all care Fluttershy, we are all here for you… what’s going on?” Sunset quickly stepped forward with a mix of anger and sadness. Theirs that favourite word, ‘fuck’ that is… their will never be a day were she won’t curse her head off. It’s funny at times but now, not so much.

“Look at me, Fluttershy!” Screamed Sunset, making Fluttershy jump slightly. Reluctantly, Fluttershy did turn but, she had her head down, hiding her face with her hair. Sunset scoffed as she was losing her patience. She brushed the hair to her side and gasped to what she saw, they all did. Fluttershy was two faced. The left side had a tired look and was fearful but her right side… It was devastating to look at. The first thing they all noticed was her blood shot eye, a vessel in her eye had exploded and filled her sclera part of the eye a blood red. Her whole cheek was bruised badly, riddled in a dark red and blue mark. It reached her eye, swelling it a bit as it was half shut. Sunset was too stunned to speak, her mouth opened and closed stupidly. Fluttershy looked at all their faces, and they all painted the same picture, except one. Rainbow Dash… she had a face of murder.

“That. Fucking. HUMAN!” Rainbow roared, storming out the rest room with no indication of slowing down. Before Fluttershy could stop her, she was gone, so fast that even the school bell went off. None of them moved from their spots however, too stunned to move they were.

“Fluttershy… who did that to you?” Pinkie quickly stepped forward as she got a closer look of her face. That damage was bad, whoever done this really wanted to hurt her.

“It was that fucking human. I guarantee it.” Sunset mentally fumed, her hands clenching into fists.

“You might be right, did anyone see the way the human lashed out on the wall yesterday? I’m just sayin.” Applejack added in, her jaw tightening as she wished to get her hands on the human.

“It wasn’t Joel…” Fluttershy suddenly said, making all eyes turn back to her, only then did she realise her mistake late.

“Joel… that’s a human name… is that his name?” Twilight said calmly.

“I—I gotta go.” Fluttershy quickly said, taking her books and shoving through the group.

Spike was always nervous to see Principle Celestia. She was an alicorn and he was a dragon, the two races have had a long history of debates and rivalry for years now. So, a young dragon like himself meeting a thousands of years old alicorn made him gulp as his fist hovered in front of the door. He could already feel her magic power and he hadn’t even walked in yet, and it felt tremendous. Should he knock? Or should he stay in this spot like a spare one at a wedding. That latter was really sounding good. Spike didn’t really have time to think it through as the door to Principal Celestia’s office opened, revealing the 6’3 pristine white alicorn, wearing a formal, black suit. Spike’s jaw was agape as he looked up to Principle Celestia.

“Oh, Spike, Good morning, my student. Is there something you need?” Celestia asked with a smile which Spike didn’t match. He was busy pissing himself.

“I—uh, I-I need to see you for a moment, Principal.” Stuttered Spike, feeling his whole-body crumble. Celestia seeing this, she squinted.

“Are you okay, Spike? Come in, have a seat.” Celestia said, stepping aside to her office. Spike stepped in without a word and felt like he walking into the lion’s den but, in reality, it was a regular office with a desk and two chairs in the middle, cabinets lining a wall with files and paperwork, former principles hanged from walls with stoic faces, and behind the desk was a view of the entrance of the school.

“Please, sit down, make yourself comfortable.” Celestia said sweetly, sitting in her own seat, resting her chin in her hand. Spike done as he was told. Taking his seat, Spike fiddled with his fingers. “Is there something you wanted to speak to me about, I know you wasn’t standing at my office door for no reason.” Celestia chuckled lightly, making Spike sheepishly smile back.

“Of course, I came to talk to you about a friend of mine being absent today.” Spike said properly.

“No need to speak so formally. You can feel free to speak as you wish.” Celestia reassured, a sweet smile never leaving.

“Oh, okay.” Spike said lamely, looking down in embarrassment.

“You was saying something about your friend’s absence… would that be a certain Joel?” Celestia inquired. Spike shouldn’t have been too shocked that she knew Joel’s name, she was the principle after all, probably knew he was a human lover too with all the gossip going around.

“Yes, he’s sick and I don’t know how long he won’t be in for. Something about a virus.” Spike elaborated.

“Did he say what virus?” Celestia said with all seriousness.

“No, he doesn’t know himself, and he’s too afraid to go to the hospital, if you get the drift on what I’m saying…” Spike murmured.

“Hmm, that is a bit of a problem… exams are in a few weeks’ time, and I can’t let someone fall behind on their education…maybe we could bring him here and treat him ourselves.” Celestia suggested. Spike’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t do that, its contagious.” Spike said quickly. Realising his mistake, he calmed himself as he just sat back properly on the chair. Celestia analysed Spike’s new posture as he sat on the chair, back straight, one leg crossed over the other but still fidgety.

“Is that so…” Celestia nodded slowly, looking Spike in the eye as Spike looked nervously back. “Well, if that’s the case, all I can really do is send him homework in the meantime, not much else I can do other than wish him well.” Celestia shrugged. “I’ll have his teachers print out some worksheets for him, thank you for informing me about this.”

“Not a problem, just looking out for a friend of mine.” Spike replied, a smile reaching his face.

“Before you go, how is Joel? I know he’s sick with a virus but, I was supposed to be checking up on Joel every week but, I have so much paper work to fill out that I always lose the track of time. It’s exhausting.” Celestia muttered, rubbing her eyes slightly.

“well, he constantly gets bullied, he’s being accused of being a murderer, teachers don’t treat him fairly. He’s miserable, principal… and I’m afraid one day, he’s just going to snap.” Spike said truthfully, making Celestia frown.

“That’ll be all, Spike… I’ll see what I can do for Joel.” Dismissed Celestia as she got up from her seat and looked out the window, sighing softly. Taking that as a sign to leave, Spike did so with haste, closing the door behind him. Celestia waited until the footsteps faded away.

“What do you want, sister?” Celestia said, unamused as she turned to see her other half step out the shadows with a grin.

“What, can’t we visit our dearest sister?” Said a smug Luna.

“You barely come here to visit me, it’s always about business with you. So, why have you come?” Celestia said without any emotion in her tone or face, almost as still as a statue as she gazed at Luna. Luna’s smirk only grinned at that, she loved to see her sister so serious. She loved being the little sister, if their was a job application to wind Celestia up all day, she would apply in a heartbeat. It is too much fun not too.

“Thy probably right, sister. We don’t come here often to chat… but we both know why that is.. but that isn’t important, what is important is what we art going to discuss at present.”

“Pineish?” Ditzy answered, eyeing Joel from across the table as she took a bite out her muffin.

“Nope. Close though.” Joel said with a cheeky smile, stuffing his face with his muffin that he made with Ditzy. It was a nice few hours for Joel and Ditzy, it started with taking care of Joel’s wounds; removing the bandages, cleaning the injuries, placing the new bandages, standard operation. After that, Joel convinced Ditzy to help her out with making breakfast, she was going to send him to bed to rest but, Joel wouldn’t have that, he couldn’t lay still, he would go crazy if he just lay there with nothing to do. He’d rather put a bullet in his head if he had nothing to do. So, with threats of killing himself, Ditzy let him help her out with breakfast. It was a good meal too, you can always be happy with an egg and bacon bagel and a cup of tea. Joel was gutted that there were no sausages in, that would have been the breakfast to die for. After that, Ditzy wanted to make some muffins for Spike and Dinky for when they got back, so they could enjoy a nice treat. To say that making the muffins was nice and clean is like saying Bruno Fernandes is better than Kevin De Bruyne; it was a lie. Joel dropped a bowl of ingredients at least twice, threw the bowl at the wall the third time, got shouted at for being a tool and Joel waited at the table as he sulked. In the end though, they both smiled and laughed as Ditzy tried to guess Joel’s accent.

“Close, huh… how about Scotash?” Ditzy muttered to herself, making Joel laugh.

“I can see why you said Scotash, We sound a lot alike, don’t we, but no.” Joel said with a smile.

“What is it then!” Ditzy said with frustration. She’s named every accent she knew of the top of her head that has a twang to it but, every answer was wrong. “Give me a clue.”

“Nope, I’m going to let this one hang over your head.” Joel said, finishing off his muffin. “But… because you made such a lovely muffin, I’ll give you this. Ever heard of The Beatles?” Joel said mysteriously.

“That’s my clue… I’ve never heard of the Beatles. That’s such bullshit! Give me another one.” Ditzy cried out, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms. Joel laughed again.

“Come on… their worldwide famous for their rock music. You must know them.” Joel cheekily joked, the cocky grin annoying her.

“That’s it.” Ditzy declared, pulling out her phone as she furiously typed. Knowing what she was about to do, Joel quickly leaned over and snatched her phone. “Hey!”

“No cheating!”

“Bullshit!”

“I know it’s bullshit but, I can’t give you anymore clues.”

“Your such an asshole!”

“And you are being such a bitch!”

“FUCK OFF, HUMAN!”

“SHUT UP, Y’PIGOEN!” They both roared in each other faces as they both leaned over the table, ready to rip each other apart but, they stopped at the last minute as they looked at one another with a glare. Eventually, Ditzy and Joel burst out laughing as they couldn’t hold their glares together. Ditzy sat back down on her seat as she held her belly. Ditzy enjoyed this too much, laughing like this… when has she ever laughed so hard like this? She couldn’t remember. It felt good however, she wished she could laugh more like this. “Hey, no hard feelings.” Joel asked, his laugher dying down as he handed over her phone.

“Yeah, no hard feelings. I enjoy these little fights we have; it makes my day just to let off a little steam.” Ditzy said with a smile she couldn’t get rid of. “There’s not many people I can call an asshole and get away with it.”

“When I call you a bitch though, I get a smack around the head. Now that’s bullshit.” Joel pointed out

“You called me a crazy bitch out of nowhere, that’s different.” Ditzy chuckled, finishing her muffin too. Joel sneered.

“Whatever.” Joel sulked, facing away slightly. Doing that, he saw a packet of cigarettes and a lighter on the cabinet. He stood up suddenly and went over, a strong urge suddenly on the tip of his tongue. He opened the packet, noticing there was only three left. He glanced over to Ditzy. “You smoke?” asked Joel. Ditzy quickly frowned and bit her lip as he looked at the cancer stick, she ended up sighing and nodded lightly.

“Yeah, I do…”

“What’s the matter?” Joel asked, tossing over her ciggy as Joel lit his own.

“Nothing… I promised myself I would stop smoking a few weeks ago but… its hard.” Ditzy said sadly, catching the lighter and lighting the end of her stick. “You have no idea how many times I’ve tried to quit.”

“Personally, I wouldn’t bother.” Joel added, taking a puff as he sat back down.

“Why’s that?” Ditzy asked, slowly inhaling and slowly exhaling all the smoking in her lungs.

“It takes the edge off everything, its helps keep my thoughts straight. It helps me calm me down in stressful situations.” Joel answered.

“What do you mean? Your home now, your safe.” Ditzy reassured, reaching her hand out and putting her hand on his, smiling weakly.

“You don’t understand… I’m never safe as long as I still live… I’m a human… Even in my own home…” Joel muttered, seemingly looking right through Ditzy as he showed no emotion. “Last night was a shit show. Spike had killed someone; they found the body and they came looking for us. It went downhill from there. I was shot many times and I killed them for it… I should have died but, I guess I got second wind, and kept fighting. Even if we did get away, I know that it’s going to bite me in the ass in the future.”

“You still haven’t told me why you’re doing all this… why do you kill?” Ditzy asked sadly. Joel’s eyes darkened and his fist tightened. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water but, he instead got up and headed towards the door.

“Wait, I’m sorry for bringing it up. Let’s just—”

Joel didn’t look back as he left the room, leaving Ditzy to look down, disheartened and feeling a ping of dread. That was too soon, she shouldn’t have asked such a personal question like that. That was too far. She got too comfortable and now just upset her new friend.
Stupid, stupid, STUPID!

Then, she heard him walk back in and she looked back up with hope. Then, she notices an oak picture from in his hand and he looked at it for a long time, a distant look in his eyes.

“Joel… you okay?” Ditzy said gently, snapping Joel out of his trans. Without a word, he walked over, handing over the picture and walked back to his seat. Ditzy looked down and her eyes widened, and her heart sunk in her chest. She understood why he did what he did, why he roams the streets at night and even why Spike is involved in all this. In the photo she was looking at, a younger Joel and a little girl she has seen around school many time. they were side by side smiling in the photo, it was Rosette. That poor girl from months ago that was killed and… she didn’t want to think about it. It was too horrible to think about.

“Do you understand now? Why I go out there every night, looking for my revenge. The moment I heard the news, I knew what I had to do. I knew what it took to find that man that killed her… the men that raped her… the men that took her away from me. I want to kill them, I want to kill everyone that is involved with my little sister’s death. I will kill them if it is the last thing I do, and when they are all dead… I don’t know… kill myself maybe… I fulfilled my wish so… why suffer any more than I should, Y’know.” Joel spat lowly, his voice dead and no care with each syllable he uttered. He meant what he said.

“No!” Ditzy shouted, standing up from her seat. “How could you say that! How can you say you’ll kill yourself after everything is done! No, I won’t let you! You have so much more to live for other than killing! I can help you!”

Joel chuckled pathetically, shaking his head at her claim. “What are you gonna do? Start killing with me and Spike… don’t be daft.”

“I’m not talking about killing, I’m talking about just being there for you… taking care of you when your down, listen to what you’ve have to say, take the stress off your shoulders. You can’t just walk into my life, save me and my daughter and tell me your thinking about killing yourself when you get your revenge. You have so much to live for.” Ditzy pleaded desperately, taking his four-fingered hand in her own and squeezing it lightly.

“You still don’t get it… a human doesn’t have a future in this life we call living. we just live as long as possible, trying to make something of our lives, trying making the world see that we aren’t as bad as people make us out to be but, life isn’t that easy or fair that way. We are stuck as we are… a dirty, violent human.” Joel said defeatedly, his head slamming down on the table, making Ditzy jump for his concern.

“That’s not true, I don’t see you as just a dirty, violent human at all. A dirty, violent human wouldn’t have saved a stranger and her daughter from a gang of thugs. He would have left that stranger to die and left her daughter to be taken. A dirty, violent human wouldn’t have gave that vulnerable stranger and her daughter shelter to stay in their time of need. A dirty, violent human wouldn’t have cared if that stranger had no sleep, he would have let her slave away until the house was clean. Joel… despite the killing, you are a human with a heart. A broken heart but, a heart that still believes. I don’t like killing at all but… I owe you my life, so, do your part, and I’ll do mine.” Ditzy said with a soothing tone, tightening her grip on his hand. “I believe in you. I believe when this is all over, you can start anew… we can start anew. My life can’t get any better as it is, and I want to start by helping a lost soul.”

To start anew… no, Rosette wanted me to start anew years ago, but look how that ended for her… she’s dead. Joel is sick of thinking he can change for the better, just for him to go back to killing again. It’s a never-ending cycle of death and misery. No, after this is done. Joel is putting himself to rest and leaving this world to its madness. Maybe he could be reborn, maybe he could try again. Joel raised his head from the table, a small smile forming when he met her tear-filled eyes. What is it with pegasus’s and looking adorable. This should be illegal.

“Ditzy… thank you. You are a good person with a blessed heart. I’m glad I saved you that night.” Joel got up and he went around the table, hugging the shaking form of Ditzy who sniffed lightly as she was held firmly to his shoulder, stroking the back of her head softly. “If your gonna start anew, I’m going to help you out. I have a lot of money so… if you want to live abroad or live in a different city, I can help. If you want to start a business, I can provide the money for you, just… don’t waste all your time on me. I’m not worth your time.”

“You’re not very bright, are you.” Ditzy chuckled through the sniffs and small sobs. “I’ve already made up my mind, and I’m not leaving you.”

“But… Ditzy—”

“But nothing. You saved mine and Dinky’s life, now I’m going to save yours, Joel. There’s not a single thing in the world that will change my mind.” She said, her heart racing as she held on tightly to him.

“Even if it meant killing someone?” Ditzy visibly flinched at that question.

“I… I would—I don’t know for sure but… I would like to think I would protect the people I care about so… maybe.” She answered, unsure of herself.

“Ditzy… you don’t have—”

“Shut up, Joel, and let me enjoy hugging you, you stupid bastard.” Joel could only laugh; fair enough.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Three knocks rang out, making the two break the hug. Joel was sceptical about that knock. Who the hell is knocking at the door at this time. Joel had a bad feeling about this.

“Ditzy, grab a knife from the kitchen and hide in the closet in my bedroom.” Joel quickly said, making his way to the front door.

“Joel, what’s going on? Who is—”

“Ditzy just listen to me, get a knife from the kitchen and hide in my bedroom. I’m not giving you a choice. Now get going.” Joel ordered, leaving Ditzy conflicted and scared but, she listened. Going into the still messy kitchen, she picked up the largest knife she could find and headed up the stairs. In that time, Joel had went into the basement and was surprised that the room was swept up. The old candles were gone, the weapons and the tools were organized and there was even an attempt to clean up some old grime from the concrete. Joel nodded in approval. Heading to the weapons, he picked up his Beretta 92FS pistol and quickly checked the clip with a bit of struggle, thankfully fully loaded as he didn’t fire a single bullet. Taking it, he ran back upstairs and consciously walked carefully to the door.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Whoever was behind the door knocked again, making Joel growl lowly as he flicked off the safety mode. Opening the door slightly, Joel peaked through to see the man he least expected.

“How long does it take to open the door? I swear, kids have no hurry these days.” A certain hacker muttered curtly.

“Leo, what the hell do you want?” Sighed Joel, opening the door wide as he hides the pistol behind his back. “I said I would call if I ever needed you.”

“I know what you said but, I’m coming here for business. May I come in?” Leo asked politely, lifting down his grey snood to reveal a grinning bearded face. Joel’s frown deepened.

“What business?” Joel asked with suspicion.

“I’ll tell you when we get in, we don’t want anyone to overhear our conversation, isn’t that right, Frank.” Joel’s jaw tightened and glared.

“Get in.” Joel barked, opening the door wide for him to walk in. Leo whistled loud and clearly at the interior.

“Didn’t take you as a person with OCD. Do you clean up after yourself when you kill? If you do, I respect the grind.” Leo said with amusement, turning around to see a barrel of a gun.

“How the hell do you know I’m Frank?” Joel spat, a crazy look in his eye as he was shaking with absolute fury as his finger was twitching. The nerve of this guy, he should kill him on the spot. He’s just lucky he’s useful to him.

“Whoa there, looks like your arm is pretty fucked up. Was it from last night?” Leo chuckled as he didn’t look to be phased in the slightest. “Oh what happened last night, Franky?”

“Shut up and walk, dickhead.” Joel growled, pressing the gun against his head. Leo’s grin only widened.

“As you wish.” With that, Leo turned and walked, Joel following him into the living room as his gun never left his head.

“Sit down and shut up.” Joel exclaimed.

“So unnecessarily violent, is this how you treat all your guests?” Leo sat down on a single couch, his arms crossed and legs crossed as he sat back with a comfy smile. Joel didn’t sit however, he stood there at a reasonable distance with the Beretta raised. He wanted to shoot him, he wanted to waste him and take back his money. But he waited, he wanted to know what this bastard wanted.

“How did you know I was Frank?” Joel questioned.

“Seriously… you think I wouldn’t know? Last evening you found a letter from The Order, revealing the time of their location. I wake up this morning to find the warehouse ablaze. I can put two and two together and say that you are the killer that has been terrorizing the nights of Canterlot.” Leo said with amusement that annoyed Joel. “It helps that I’ve been watching you, I’ve seen what you have done to those who you come cross. You are a very disturbed individual. I once saw you take down men in a bar like an animal, like a freak of nature. I’ve never seen anything like it, ever. You must have some daddy issu-”

*BANG*

“You had to ramble on, didn’t you.” Joel said darkly, his barrel smoking. Leo slowly looked over to his shoulder as he saw a new, crimson hole in his jacket. Slowly, Leo looked back to Joel with his smile wiped off his face. Only now has he realised he wasn’t just talking to any ignorant kid.

“You made your point. Let’s talk.” Leo groaned, his hand shaking as he put pressure on the wound. “I want to hire you for a job that only you can do. You’re the only person I can trust to do this.” Leo said with groans of pain as he felt the warm liquid drip between his fingers.

“What job?” Joel quickly asked.

“A job that involves The Order.” That caught Joel’s attention. Slowly, Joel sat down and rested the gun on the coffee table. “They just requested our skills to bypass some high-level mainframe. Things got ugly and they killed two of my people, taking the rest of my boys. I want them back, and in one piece.” Leo said calmly, trying his best to not speak with pain, to keep his aura of professionalism.

“What mainframe?” Joel asked more calmly.

“I don’t know, they wouldn’t tell us.” Leo replied.

“Joel…” said a voice coming from the door. The two turned to see Ditzy standing in the doorway with a knife in her hand and a worried look on her face. “I heard a gunshot.”

“Everything is fine, Ditzy. There’s nothing to be worried about.” Joel said, nodding casually. Ditzy looked over to the new comer, cringing at the blood. She looked back to Joel.

“You shot him.”

“He was doing my head in.” Joel said acquisitively.

“That is no reason to shoot someone.” Ditzy replied harshly.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Joel rolled his eyes as he felt Ditzy’s eyes burn a hole through his head. “Why don’t you make our guest a nice cup of tea.” Joel suggested, glancing to Leo. “Two sugars or…”

“One is fine.” Leo said, smiling slightly to Ditzy. Ditzy wanted to scowler Joel more but, she ended up sighing.

“Oh, and I would lik—”

“I know how you like yours, Joel.” Ditzy said angrily as she disappeared from the doorway. Joel only grinned at that.

“She’s a keeper.” Leo remarked out of nowhere. Realising his mistake as he saw Joel’s deadpan stare, he quickly shut up.

“So, lets discuss my pay, eh? How about 50k? sounds reasonable enough to me.”

“Done.” Leo quickly said, holding out his free hand. Joel looked at him for a second and didn’t make a move for his hand.

“60k.”

“Fine, whatever. Just bring back my team.”

“75k.” Joel said without hesitation. Leo gritted his teeth.

“Okay, 75k it is. Just—”

“100k”

“OKAY! JUST TAKE MY FUCKING MONEY AND GET MY BROTHER BACK!” Leo roared as he quickly stood up from his seat, his fist clenched as he breathed heavily. Joel wasn’t fazed as now he had his arms crossed, his legs crossed and sat back on his seat. Joel had zero sympathy for this bastard and considered bribing him for more once the job was done. Leo sat back down in pain as he held his wound, sweating as his adrenaline was wearing off. “Just—just get my brother back… I don’t care what the price is. Just get back my brother.” Leo said with heavy pants.

“1 million dollars in cash to save your team, then we have a deal.” Joel finalised, his hand reaching out. Leo glared at his offer.

“That’s a little steep for a simple search and rescue, don’t you think?” Leo glared.

“Don’t know, how much is your brother worth… seems like a fair price for your own flesh and blood.” Joel grinned. It was Joel’s time to show him a piece of his mind. “Everything comes with a price, and I don’t come cheap so, you take a long, good think about your next words.” Joel leaned forwards; his hand closer to Leo. Leo didn’t speak as he just stared more calmly, his gears turning as his mind raced on the inside. The silence went on until Ditzy came in with two cups of teas, steam rising as Leo was thankful for the distraction.

“Here you go…” Ditzy said as she handed one cup to Leo.

“Thank you very much, my name is Leo.” Leo said politely, making Ditzy smile slightly.

“It’s nice for meet you, my name is Ditzy, sorry about getting shot.” Joel frowned at their little interaction, ready to pounce if he tries anything funny. Leo however saw this and didn’t do anything funny, taking a sip instead. Ditzy turned to catch Joel glaring. She rolled her eyes with an amused grin.

“What? He’s not gonna do anything. You’ve already shot him.”

“And I’ll shoot him again if he does anything funny.” Joel said as he never looked away from Leo. Ditzy didn’t knew what to think of that answer, she felt more safe strangely enough. Never would she think a threat to shoot someone for her protection was so comforting, like a guardian looking over her shoulders. All of a sudden, she felt like the most secure woman on the planet. It almost felt like her heart skipped a beat in a weird way. She felt this feeling once before, that wonderful feeling.

“Well aren’t you a sweetheart.” Ditzy giggled, handing over his beverage and sitting next him with this feeling in her chest, her cheeks rosy.

“A sweetheart? I’m anything but…” Joel raised a brow as he faced her, her smile only grew as one look of him made her overjoyed, glad to meet a human such as him.

“You okay, Ditzy? Your acting kind of strange? More—smiley than usual.” Joel murmured as he took a sip.

“Oh… yes, I’m fine. Never better.” Ditzy quickly replied awkwardly, looking away as she looked like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Joel tilted her head, jarred to her strange mood swing to… whatever this was. Shaking his head, he looked back to Leo.

“Anyway… do we have a deal?” Joel asked, looking Leo dead in the eye.

“I have thought about the offer but, I think I have a better offer.” Leo said, his smile eventually recovering. Joel stayed quiet, interested about his offer. What could he possibly offer to sway Joel away from 1 million dollars? “How about… you save my buddies and my brother, and I’ll… become… your loyal servant?” Leo said begrudgingly, his jaw rotating as the offer hurt his pride. Joel’s brows raised at this new offer to the table. Now that is a game changer. 1 million dollars or – from a technologic point – one of the most powerful men in Canterlot. Wow, what a payday.

“W-what’s going on?” Ditzy asked, getting over her strange behaviour.

“Our guest wants me to do a job for him.” Joel responded, a thoughtful grin on his face. He looked back at Ditzy. Joel would truly be set for life if he went for the million dollars, he could buy as much ammo, weapon or any piece of armour he so pleased. He could even help Ditzy start anew with that money, help Ditzy raise her child without financial problems. It would be a dream come true for Ditzy, an easy life beyond this miserable city called Canterlot. But… this man… he knows stuff. He has information he wants; he needs. This man is the key to finding out who killed and violated his little sister. He could push for both options but, Leo is not a fool. He won’t be pushed anymore. So, it is money or, power?

“Joel… why are you looking at me like that?” Ditzy said, flustered by the staring. Joel snapped back into reality and shock his head.

“Sorry, I just spaced out there.” Joel blinked… still looking at her though.

“Are you two love birds going to kiss? We are wasting time here.” Leo said agitatedly.

“Shut it, Knobhead!” Joel quickly barked.

“What is the job about? Is it dangerous?” Ditzy asked, looking back and forth to Leo and Joel.

“It’s none of your concern, everything is going to be okay.” Joel answered. That raised some alarm bells in Ditzy’s head.

“Joel, you can’t go out like this. It’s suicidal. I’m not letting you go!” Ditzy blurted out, standing up. “No deal, Leo. Joel isn’t doing anything!”

“Ditzy, calm down.” Joel said comfortingly.

“No, Joel. I’m not letting you get yourself killed like this… I won’t allow it!” Ditzy freaked out as she stood up.

“Please, Ditzy. Calm down.” Joel stood up too.

“Please, Joel. Don’t do this.” A tear-filled Ditzy said on the edge of sobbing. Joel walked over and embraced her tightly, her own wrapping around his body. Leo was going to speak again but Joel would shut it down with a glare promising more than just a bullet. “Please, Joel. I don’t know what you have to do but, I don’t care. Just please… don’t do this.”

“I must do this… I need to do this, Ditzy. If I don’t do this, I’ll be going around, and around in circles. I can’t do that anymore. I have to start taking risks if I’m ever going to get anywhere in my revenge. This guy has the money and the power I need. Despite the state I am, I need to do this, I don’t have a choice.” Joel whispered in her ear soothingly, making Ditzy sob out loud in Joel’s shoulder.

“You have a choice.”

“I don’t.” That was finalised, and Ditzy knew it. There is not a thing Ditzy could do to change the human’s mind. He had made his mind up; it was too late to tell him otherwise. She has seen that look before, that determination in his eyes, the will to take risks. She too took risks, risks that she was ashamed off but, did it anyway. Ditzy eventually calmed herself down to light sniffs. She accepted it.

“Okay… okay.” Ditzy muttered, sitting down as she wiped her tears.

“Have you made your choice?” Leo said impatiently.

“I have, we strike tonight… partner.” Joel said, reaching his hand out for the final time. Leo got up with a groan and grasped it firmly. The contract was finalised.

Dinky had a pleasant surprise when she walked into class. She knew she would see some happy faces but, she didn’t expect to see Scootaloo, Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle to move as fast as Rainbow Dash as she was almost tackled to the floor. She was overwhelmed with questions and cheers that she didn’t even get a word in to answer. Once everything calmed down, everyone went back to their seats. However, Dinky never looked at Mr Mist the same way. All she saw was that man who took her away from her mama. Every time she’d look up to see her teacher’s face, she wouldn’t see a face, just a black void with a hood over the top. The first time she almost fell over trying to get up, her eyes wide and on the verge of screaming her head off. The second time, she flinched and let out a welp as she looked down immediately, doing her math work. It didn’t happen again, she never looked up. After class, she was pulled aside by Mr Mist himself.

“Dinky, could you stay behind for a second.” Mist said casually, making Dinky freeze at the doorway as she was about to leave. She turned slowly as she had her head down.

“Yes… sure, Mr Mist.” Dinky said shyly, walking back to her seat with a worried look. Once everyone was gone, leaving just Mist and Dinky. Mist spoke up after a few seconds of silence.

“I heard that a few students weren’t in yesterday without explanation, no phone calls, no emails, nothing. So, when I heard that one of our students had… gone to a better place, I feared the worst of you. Where was you yesterday?” Mist asked, his friendly voice gone and replaced by a serious tone, getting up from his seat and over to Dinky’s desk. Dinky didn’t know whether to lie or tell him the truth about that night. She was terrified to speak about that human. Although she didn’t see what he did, she did see the man that took her away laying still on the middle of the road. The rest of that was a blur, all she knows is that the human killed the bad men, and she stayed the night at the killer’s home.

“I—I wasn’t feeling well. I’m okay now, though. Just the flu.” Dinky said shakily, fiddling with her fingers. “Sorry for not telling anyone.”

“It’s okay dear, there is nothing to say sorry about but, something is telling me that you are not being very truthful. What is there to hide? You don’t have to be afraid to tell me, you are in a safe place.” Mist kneeled to her hight, smiling softly. Mr Mist was Dinky’s favourite teacher in this school. There was a lot of other teachers that was nice to her but, Mr Mist understood her the most. If it wasn’t Spike helping with bullies or schoolwork, it was always Mr Mist. He understood that Dinky was dyslexic so she would struggle with reading so, he would go out his way to help her all he could. They even had nick names for each other. Dinky called him Misty, and Mist called her Dink. They told each other everything but this… she wanted to keep this to herself, for now until her and her mom is far away from that monster.

“It’s the truth, I wasn’t feeling well, Misty.” Dinky replied, her hand shaking slightly.

“Are you okay, Dink? Your shaking, hun.” Mr Mist said worriedly, placing his hand on Dinky’s hand. “What’s the matter?” Dinky looked at that moment and she was thankful to see the face of Mr Mist back, a dark blue unicorn with misty grey eyes and a smile that made her smile.

“Nothing… I’m okay.” Dinky said. Eventually, her shaking stopped, and her smile was convincing enough for Mr Mist to nod.

“Okay but, if there is anything the matter, come and speak to me. Okay?” Misty said, stroking her head. “You can go now.” Mist said, standing back up and back to his desk where he continued marking the work. With that, Dinky got up and headed towards the door.

“Oh, by the way.” Mist stopped her in her tracks, making her turn. “Good job today, its good to have you back, Dink.”

“It’s good to be back, see you around, Misty.” Dinky said with a cheerful smile that only a child can do.

Finishing up Dinky’s uneventful science class, Dinky was happy it was lunch time. She walked toe in toe with her Cutiemark Crusaders friends as they walked to the cafeteria, giggling and chatting as they was catching up from yesterday. Dinky was very happy to see her friends again after all that happened, she was happy to get her mind off that night. Now though, all she could think about is what was on the menu for lunchtime because she was starving! Walking through the double doors, their senses was filled with groups of chatter, laughs and cheers ran around the large space of tables and chairs, with everyone eating jollily.

“Hey, Dinky. I was wondering if you would like to come to the barn tonight! We were going to have a sleepover yesterday but… considering the news yesterday, we didn’t feel like it. But! The sleepover is officially on! Now that you are here, me, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and a few other are going to come. You must come; it will be fun!” Apple Bloom beamed as her and the rest joined the line.

“We got food, candies, drinks, games, movies, everything! Its gonna be a hell of a party!” Scootaloo added, her wings flapping excitedly.

“So, what do you think, sound good?” Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes and smile bright with hope.

“uhh, I don’t think that is a good idea…” Dinky murmured, making the girls frown. “There are people out there taking other people. Its dangerous.”

“I know but… the farm is safe. My big brother will protect us if anything happens, even my big sis will. Shucks, even my cousins are coming round for supper, they can look after us too.” Apple Bloom replied, her hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

“Yeah, they kick whoever’s butt if they try to mess with us!” Scootaloo added, throwing a few jabs.

“I understand what your saying but, I’m sure that everything will be okay.” Sweetie Belle chimed in, picking up a tray as they queue got shorter.

“I don’t know, girls… I don’t like it.” Dinky continued her denial, next to pick up a tray.

“Dinky, you’re thinking too much about it. It’s only one night, no harm done can come from one night.” Scootaloo laughed off, finding her claims ridiculous.

“Well… maybe you are right… I guess it can’t be too bad if its just one night.” Dinky smiled weakly, still worried about the idea. “I’ll have to ask my mom first though.”

“YAY!” The three celebrated, Dinky doing a mini celebration with them.

“I said back off, Flash!” a certain Drake growled. Dinky, the Crusaders, the whole cafeteria looked to the slightly louder roar over the noise room. Dinky recognised that voice, that tone. Dropping her tray, Dinky rushed from the line and pushed through the slowly growing crowd.

“Or what? You gonna cry back to your human, or are you going to hit me, human lover.” Dinky heard Flash taught, getting the crowd to jitter with tension and excitement. “So, how about it, Spike? Want to dance again?”

“Now’s not the time, Flash. Just fuck off before you get hurt.”

Dinky made it to the front of the crowd, and what she saw greatly concerned her. There was Spike, his head drenched in milk and a face of fury as he circled with Flash who wore a grin. Around the crowd was the Wonder Colts, smirking and waiting like dogs on a chain, even the Harmony Girls came to watch, Twilight having a worried look.

“No, Spike. You can’t hurt me.” Flash laughed as he lunged in with a punch. Spike with swift ease, moved his head out the way but didn’t anticipate another swing from Flash’s other fist. Spike’s head turned with the force, making him stumble backwards. Flash grinned.

“Whew! That felt good!” Flash said with pleasure.

“Nice hit!” Soarin said from the side line, a grin rising on the side of his cheek.

“Fuck him up, Flash!” Cheese Sandwich cheered.

“Let the best man win!” Hoity Toity remarked, a plastic cup in his hand as he drank from it gracefully. That was it, now they’ve done it. Spike was trying to hold onto the strand of self-control he had, the littlest bit he had was cut off from his brain to his body. Gritting his teeth, Spike rotated his body and swung a full swing right hook to Flash who leaned back to dodge but, that strike wiped the grin right of Flash’s mouth. Even if it didn’t hit him, he felt the force that was carried, and it was heavy. Spike just tried to kill him. His eyes told him so.

Take advantage of the shock, Spike followed up with a weaker left hook to the jaw, sending Flash falling back on his back, his mind a haze. The crowd quieted as Flash didn’t get up.

“Fucking bastard, now you’ve done it.” Soarin shouted, marching up to Spike. Dinky’s heart raced as she seen Soarin and the other ready to jump in. Dinky had to do something. Now! Out of desperation, Dinky ran out in front of Spike, holding her arms out.

“Stop! Stop fighting! Please stop fighting!” Dinky shouted, shaking in her little shoes. The Wonder Colt’s didn’t stop however, they only had eyes for Spike.

“Move!” Soarin said darkly, shoving Dinky to the side as she fell, the Cutiemark Crusaders immediately coming to her aid. Spike’s mind went a-wire as he saw Soarin push Dinky to the side, a little whelp broke Spike as all he saw from that moment forth was red, crimson blood fade into his view.

“ENOUGH!” boomed a voice, and like that, Spike’s heart sunk under the sudden pressure. Why did his knees feel so wobblily suddenly. The crowd opened and a very disappointed Principle Celestia walked to the centre of the circle with Dr Hooves next to her. “Dr Hooves, can you get Nurse Redheart for me?” Dr Hooves nodded and he walked away. With him gone, Celestia’s stare made everyone quiver under the power they held, her eyes glowed like the aura of the sun. “Soarin, Cheese Sandwich, Dosh, Hoity Toity, Feather Bang, follow me to my office. Spike, Flash and Dinky will be seen by Nurse Redheart. Everyone else can enjoy what’s left of their lunchtime.” Principle Celestia commanded, and like that, the students went back to their divided groups on each table. Without a word or resistance the boys followed the alicorn and those told to be seen to stayed. Once Celestia left, the air finally went back to normal.

“I hate it when she does that.”

S261201: How are you, M? Took a serious hit back there?

M160580: Focus on the assignment, S.

S261201: Don’t be grumpy because you lost.

R120390: M, tell me why the Cargo hasn’t been taken?

M160580: Ambushed.

E231188: How many?

M160580: Guess who.

R120390: Our target?

M160580: Affirmative.

S261201: I’m kinda glad the pickup was a failure.

M160580: Soft as ever.

S261201: Of course you would think differently.

E231188: Leave her alone, M. She’s just a kid.

M160580: If she is a kid, she doesn’t belong here.

R120390: I’ve not see the target of our description walk in, why are we still here?

M160580: Our target isn’t alone, there was one more. We are taking no risks.

S261201: He must have spooked you real good, M.

R120390: Now is not the time, S.

M160580: I got to go; I’ve got a hunch on something. I’ll let you all know what I find.

[M160580 offline]

[R120390 offline]

[E231188 offline]

S261201: Asshole.

[S261201 offline]