“Ladies and gentlecolts, tis I, the one and only DJ-Pon3 saying her last words in her final hour! I have been pretty vocal the past few weeks, which I know isn't smart, but I was never a smart pony, and now because of my loud mouth my license has been revoked. Up next is a visit from the foals in black and a cozy room in Singsong. Yep, a nice concrete cell, twenty by twenty, a private sink and toilet and a free orange jumpsuit with my very own number! Yay!”

Her cheering suddenly devolves into a painful cough attack that lasts a good ten seconds. It sounds like she is trying to cough up a tar filled lung, and when she swallows, it sounds nasty, like swallowing phlegm. It takes Vinyl Scratch a few more seconds of gasping for air and spitting for her to get her groove back.

“But in all seriousness, it sucks that this is the way things turned out, but this is the way it has to be. For all my peeps that have listened and been loyal, or just dropped an ear to hear some music and common sense, I salute you. Stay safe guys, I'll catch you on the flip side. As for you guys in black, all you'll find is this thing looping and your garbage tied up. When you come for me I'll be gone. So try to catch up, motherfuckers!”

CONTROVERSIAL EXCHANGE ROCKS NATION!
By: Featherweight
CANTERLOT- Weeks after the Bernese Incident and sleepless nights of negotiations, an exchange was finally made. Though this exchange might not be what anypony was expecting.

It is unclear as to why Princess Celestia has taken the League of Justice's Roar Shock rather than Captain Shining Armor (ret.), but many have taken to the streets of Baltimare to protest her decision. Though this isn't the first of supremely controversial moves perpetrated by Princess Celestia and the Royal Government. Many have speculated that the move has ulterior motives since Captain Shining Armor has expressed great concern for the actions that the Royal Government has taken to curve the increasing instability in the nation.

“I do not like this,” said a military official who wished to remain anonymous. “Why would [Princess] Celestia take Roar Shock instead of [Captain] Shining Armor? It just doesn't make any sense.”

Director Fuller of the Civilian Defense Agency and Director Andromeda of the Equestrian Investigation Bureau have refused to comment and all attempts to reach Princess Celestia or a member of the Solar Council about the matter have been met with stonewall resistance.

Continued on 2B

The door buzzes and steel scrapes against steel as the metal door rolls out of view to reveal fortress halls of Singsong Prison. Soarin steps through the door with a small group of guards escorting him. More guards salute him as he trots down the hall, putting his pegasus pride on to the fullest.

His boastful march comes to an end when he enters a room at the far end of the hall where one of Shining Armor's close affiliates is at. On the steel table, she has a folder wide open with notes and files about Roar Shock spread out in an easy to read fashion. Soarin notices how parts are highlighted and how she has notes scribbled on the margins. Notes ranging from general observations to questions that have yet to be answered.

“Sergeant Case Study,” says Soarin, prompting the mare to stop and snap to a salute. Soarin returns the salute and dismisses his guards before approaching Case Study. “We haven't been formally introduced yet, I am Captain Soarin. I understand that you worked closely with Captain Armor in his investigations?”

Case Study smiles nervously and nods her head quickly. “Yes sir. I do investigations best, sir.”

Soarin notices that Case Study is pale, sweating and her hooves are trembling, and he raises a brow when she sits down to chew on one of her forehooves.

“Are you okay, Sergeant?” he asks with genuine concern.

Case Study nods. “Yes sir. I mean, no, sir. I got a note from my uncle and-and, um it's a personal matter, actually. I-I, uh, I don't really want to talk about it... sir. If that's okay with you, I mean, sir.”

Soarin nods. “Okay, that's fine. Is this all the information on Roar Shock?”

“All that I could find, yes sir.”

With much struggle, Soarin pushes Case Study's antsy tone to the back of his mind to look at the gathered information about Roar Shock. His eyes bug out from the dozens of pages, rows of highlights and red ink scribbled all over. He doesn't know how she is able to do all this work without going blind. Before he gets too lost in wondering how Case Study is able to work as she does, he clears his throat and puts his hoof on the main file of Roar Shock. It has a mugshot of the battered pegasus with the CDA logo watermarked on the bottom corner.

“What did you find out about Roar Shock?” asks Soarin.

Case Study rubs the back of her neck uneasily. “Well, his real name is 'Love Joy'.”

Soarin casts her a questionable glance and she quickly sifts through her notes until she finds dated military records.

“He was in the Royal Guard for four weeks,” continues Case Study. “He was stationed at Cumulus Training Base in Neighvaho before he was dishonorably discharged for falsifying information on his application.”

Case Study slides the file over and Soarin tilts his head slightly as he drags it closer to him.

“What kind of information?” he asks.

“History of mental trouble,” replies Case Study. “He was in and out of school counseling offices pretty much as long as his sister had been dead. He had shown signs of-” her hoof points at a highlighted section of her notes marked with a school coat of arms “-antisocial behavior, violent tendencies, narcissism and paranoia. When he was ordered to see the psychologist, a Major Sweet Honey, during his training he admitted to his history during their third session.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes sir.”

Case Study shows Soarin records showing a name change. The sheet is dated and smudged. How the sergeant was able to read it is another thing Soarin wants to ask her, but decides it is best to let it fall under one of the mysteries of the universe categories.

“He changed his name to Roar Shock after getting discharged,” explains Case Study. Then she shows him a Ponyville local guard report. “And he watched his sister get murdered when he was just a colt. The local guard said she had an accidental drowning, but he said somepony bashed her head with a rock. The only suspect they had was an 'Ivory Scroll', but they eventually ruled it an accidental drowning when they couldn't prove anything.”

While Soarin carefully reads the guard report, which isn't much and poorly written, Case Study brings up another report. This one had been filed by the Fillydelphia Local Guard, and is superior in every way to Ponyville's. The vocabulary and grammar is great, and Soarin can actually read their writing.

“Roar Shock had a brother, wife and three daughters. His wife and two of his daughters were believed to have been murdered by Eclipse Lulamoon, but couldn't find enough evidence to prosecute him. His third daughter, Terra, died in Bernese,” says Case Study, her voice becoming lower with her eyes at the final part.

“And his brother?”

“Believed to have died during the raid on the Citadel, but no body was recovered so we're guessing that he had a proper burial.”

Soarin sighs heavily as he rubs his forehead with his hoof. A murder in Equestria was unheard of when Roar Shock was a colt, and a part of him wonders if they even tried to prove Ivory Scroll's guilt or if they kept it as an accident to keep “murder” out of their town obituary. Then there is the tragedy of his family. Around the time after his wife and children's deaths was when shit had really started hitting the fan. Roar Shock -or Love Joy- was a bomb just waiting to go off, and Eclipse was the one to flip the switch. Another tally to the Lulamoon's screw-up tally chart.

As Soarin thinks about Roar Shock's tragedies he becomes increasingly more uneasy. Earlier Roar Shock was just a self-righteous terrorist. Now he is a self-righteous terrorist with nothing to lose. The worst of the kind.

“What were their names? The sister and brother?” asks Soarin without taking his head away from his hoof.

Case Study shifts through her files until she slides a folder to Soarin. It has a coat of arms with a rising sun poking over a mountain inside a shield and olive branches tracing the outside. Underneath is: Royal Guard Frontier Watch Division.

Soarin keeps his hooves steady as he flips it open to see a black and white photo of Gray Muffin. Below his physical description is a list of medals and his retired rank. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and has nearly two dozen medals. Including three of the nigh impossible Dragon Slayer medals.

Soarin closes the folder and pushes it away. Then he sighs heavily and runs his hoof through his mane.

“And what about his sister?”

“His sister was 'Flute Joy'. And look.” Case Study slides Soarin a file and when he looks at the two photos he can barely tell the difference between the two. The only way he can do so is by the horn on the other one's head. One picture is labeled 'Flute Joy' and the other is 'Lyra Heartstrings'. Both of them have a cutie mark resembling a musical instrument. “I think there is more to his recruiting of Lyra Heartstrings than he cares to admit.”

Soarin mutters under his breath as he sits down, looking at the gold mine of information Case Study has on Roar Shock. He stares at the information for another few minutes, trying to comprehend everything he can about the terrorist in their possession, before he looks back at Case Study.

“Get me everything you can about the EIB and CDA's findings,” orders Soarin.

Case Study salutes and speeds out of the room. Once the door shuts, Soarin randomly grabs one of Roar Shock's records and starts reading.

A few hours later, Soarin had read through everything he could possibly read that the CDA and EIB had on their guest and is now on his way to pay Roar Shock a visit. But unlike Soarin, Fuller and Andromeda only focused on finding out what Roar Shock's grand plan is. They didn't do background checks on him. Though they did figure out two major players in his plan, which he had named “the Reckoning”. Soarin thinks the name sounds like something a misguided religious zealot would use to promote an early Armageddon, which further enforces his belief that Roar Shock is a self righteous lunatic with nothing to lose.

Soarin steps into another room. This one has only one cell in it and it is in the middle of the room so everyone can see everything he does. The only natural light allowed in are from small, rectangular holes high up on the ceiling that are way too small for even a foal to squeeze through.

The cell itself has only a cot bolted to the floor with a thin blanket and pillow on top. There is a sink and a toilet, but no mirror, and a heavy chain bolted to the floor. The chain is attached to Roar Shock, whose bruises and scars have yet to fully fade from his fight in Bernese.

The captured pegasus is sitting on his cot, reading what looks like a comic book to Soarin, and when he makes his presence known by clearing his throat, the terrorist lifts his head.

“I was wondering when I would speak with you,” says Roar Shock coolly.

“Really? You have something you'd like to share with me?” remarks Soarin.

Roar Shock shakes his head. “No, but I already spoke to Andromeda and Fuller, so that meant you were next.”

“Really? How'd you like their company?”

Roar Shock shrugs. “Both tried to be who they are not. Just with my short talks with them I knew more about them then they cared to admit.”

Soarin keeps his attention to Roar Shock as he approaches the cell, quietly dismissing the guards inside along the way.

“Take, for instance, Fuller,” continues Roar Shock, who is now following Soarin's steps. “He is a dreamer and longs to be somepony great, but his craving for greatness can never be satisfied because inside he knows he is filth. And no amount of power or influence will ever mend a broken soul like him.”

“And what about Andromeda?” asks Soarin.

Roar Shock laughs quietly as he paces in front of Soarin. “Her? Please, she was too easy. I've known mares like her all my life. They play tough, but they are really scared little fillies desperate for a stallion to take care of them and scare the monsters away.”

Soarin stops in front of Roar Shock with an amused smile.

“What about me? Who do you think I am?”

“Off the top of my head, I think you're somepony who is in way over their head, but we need to talk just a little bit longer for me to find out for sure.”

Soarin smacks his lips together and claps his hooves on the ground while doing a slight nod.

“Okay,” he says lightly, “we need to talk anyway. Roar Shock, you do know why we didn't let you hang in Bernese, right?”

Roar Shock smiles. “Yes, Fuller and Andromeda might as well have copied each other, and both were hoping that I will get a change of heart and tell them everything about my grand plan.”

“Well, now I'm here and it'd be nice if you did that.” Soarin pulls up a seat and sets it in front of Roar Shock. “Let's be honest, things are not looking good for you, buddy. You are a terrorist leader and we already got a whiff of your 'Reckoning'.”

“I know, Andromeda and Fuller told me.”

“So now you're going to be cooperative and tell use everything about it because I know you're getting sick and tired of hearing the same questions over and over again.”

“I don't think so.”

“Really?”

“I think this is amusing. But you, on the other hoof, are going to leave here like the other two. Mad and with as much as you entered with. Which is nothing.”

Soarin shakes his head. “I wouldn't be so sure about that. Fuller and Andromeda and their colts and fillies down at CDA and EIB are finding out more about your Reckoning with each passing minute. We already know Heartstrings is one of your major players. But who is is this Kairos guy we're hearing about?”

“Somepony who resisted Charon's grasp.”

Soarin's ears perk, visibly marking his piqued interest, and Roar Shock leans forward until his snout almost touches the steel bars holding him inside.

“Death is absolute,” says Roar Shock dramatically, “but the timing is not. It was not time for Kairos to die for he still had a purpose. And when he and Heartstrings are done, you will see how powerful us lowlifes can become.”

Soarin leans back in his seat and puts a hoof under his curiously. “Yeah, about Heartstrings. Why did you recruit her? She is not nearly as powerful as Lulamoon? What can Heartstrings do that Lulamoon can't?” he asks with an exaggerated amount of interest.

Roar Shock chuckles. “Captain, you know even a pawn can destroy a queen if it is played right. Every piece has its use, even a gifted mare like Lyra has a great purpose.”

“Like fulfilling some kind of fantasy?”

Roar Shock's calm smile evaporates as Soarin steps closer to the cage. Soarin cocks his head and taps his chin in a mockery of deep thought.

“Maybe she reminds you of somepony close to you,” continues Soarin carelessly. “An old friend? No, that doesn't seem right. She probably reminds you of a relative. A sister, maybe? She does look a lot like Flute, doesn't she, Love Joy?”

In a flash, Roar Shock slams his hoof against the bar with a rabid snarl. It's thunderous, metallic bang echoes down the hall and Soarin, much to his own surprise, doesn't flinch, though his heart is racing now. He keeps a stern gaze on Roar Shock as the pegasus' barrel heaves with his hoof still on the bar with drool sliding out of his mouth.

“You know nothing of turmoil, Captain!” growls Roar Shock. “You gorge yourself on pies and meals fresh off the silver plates, blind to what the real Equestria is. Those diamond dog bureaucrats and their union puppet masters stuff their vaults with bits and throw lavish parties while the commoner sits in poverty, crying themselves to sleep every night with empty stomachs. You preach Harmony yet innocents are murdered and homes are lost in droves! How can this be Harmony? How can you sit there, claiming to know the pain of poverty and what the needs of the commoner are when you have been blinded by the gold of your childhood?”

Soarin stares at Roar Shock, jaw tight and eyes narrowed. Sure he wanted to flip a switch to see what would happen, but he hadn't expected a full on rant. As the seconds tick by, Roar Shock's heavy breathing returns to normal and his scowl is replaced with a malicious smile as his hoof slides down the bars, purposefully squeaking against it until it clops to the ground.

“Feel better?” asks Soarin, once again his demeanor mocking.

“Well played, Captain, well played,” says Roar Shock proudly. “But you won't see me do that again.”

“We'll see about that. But why are you assuming that I lived in luxury? I thought assuming was a bad thing. And you're against everything bad, aren't you?”

“Captain Soarin Pansy, you know as well as I do that one of the founding families of Equestria will live in luxury until Armageddon is upon us. Which will be coming soon.”

Soarin growls and ruffles his feathers, and he steps closer to the bars until he is practically touching them. He wants to see Roar Shock sweat. He wants to see the insane pegasus have a lapse in control, like earlier, but it appears his prisoner had learned his lesson. His expression is calm and his breathing is steady. Soarin doesn't even see the slightest sign of tremble on him.

“What is the Reckoning?”

Roar Shock chuckles with amusement and steps away from the bars. “Have you ever heard of the tale of Roam?”

“This is no time for bed time stories, Love Joy! Tell me everything you plan on doing and I will be sure to tell Celestia to just turn your wings into stone.”

“Roam was a grand city and it was said to have been personally blessed by Celestia and Luna themselves. But it gave way to wickedness. It grew and consumed everything in its path and it became a pit of whores and scum. Yet its war machine was unstoppable and it ravished everything that it set its eyes on. The provinces that fell to the Roamans paid tribute to them with the finest spices, silks, gems and slaves.”

“Nice story. Did you practice reciting it in front of a mirror?”

Roar Shock waves in hoof in a no-no fashion. “Ahahah, not so fast, Captain. I'm not finished. According to legend, a single slave, freed from his captivity, stood on top of the Hill of Caesars and held out his hoof, like this...”

Roar Shock holds his hoof out an angle, like he is trying to touch the sky, and his eyes go up to the ceiling. Soarin cocks a brow as Roar Shock stands there, hoof extended and eyes up, and right as the Captain is about to say something, the terrorist speaks in a low voice.

“And he said: 'This city shall burn'.” Then Roar Shock stomps the ground and glares at Soarin.”The Stars answered his call and in the blink of an eye Roam was reduced to a field of flame and ruin. Only a-”

“White tree with leaves thick and green as spring survived,” interrupts Soarin. “Yeah, I heard that story before. Its cute story if you're into that kind of stuff, which I'm guessing you are since you put so much drama into it. Were you a thespian by any chance?”

“Mock me all you like, Captain, but my hoof has still been stretched. The Stars have answered my call. Canterlot will burn. And with it, Equestria.”

Soarin growls at Roar Shock, and his prisoner smirks and goes back to his cot.

“Okay, play time's over,” snarls Soarin. “How would you like the rest of this interrogation to go? Words, hooves, or poison?”

A flicker of a smile appears on Roar Shock’s lips. “I now know what kind of stallion you are,” he says in an eerily calm tone.

Soarin stares at Roar Shock as he makes his way towards the front of his cell again, his chains casually scrapping against the concrete floor. He is both dreading and curious about what Roar Shock has to say about him.

“You are the kind of pony who doesn't like to fail. You always have to be better than the rest and protect your prizes, whether it is your medals or newly won friendships. You don't see ponies as ponies, or even medals as medals. You see everything and everypony as a pawn in your own game. Just like me.”

Soarin's wings expand and his nostrils flare as he points at Roar Shock with a threatening snarl.

“I know what you want me to say, and I'm not going to say it,” snarls Soarin. “But I'll tell you this right now, if I don't get what I want from you very soon then you better-”

“Pray for something?” interrupts Roar Shock with a mocking grin. He chuckles and shakes his head before saying: “Sorry, Captain, I gave up on faith when Celestia and Luna let my life die. You, on the other hoof, will see just how much you and I are alike when you realize that there is nothing you can do to stop Canterlot's reckoning.”

Rock music blares in the cave garage of Trixie's manor from a cheap dial radio sitting on a crate. The azure unicorn yanks off a welder's mask and whoops after wiping off a coat of sweat while staring at her work. In front of her is a bee retrofitted with cut and welded metal plates that could use some major cosmetic surgery. The connections are easily seen with the bulging threads of bubbled and twisted metal, and some parts are too big or too small. But Trixie is still grinning proudly at her achievement, that is until she looks at the concept picture. Then she frowns upon realizing that it is nothing like how her crayon picture depicts.

Trixie sighs explosively and levitates a massive airbrush and a wide variety of paint cans towards her while simultaneously putting on an apron and a painting mask.

“Hopefully this painting works,” she says in a mumble.

She slips in a container of gray and starts spraying. She sprays the rough metal in easy motions, cringing angrily when the paint goes on the wood, but she still carries on. After painting the layer of gray she moves on to carefully spraying dark purple over it. Once the purple is done, she starts to carefully spray black trim on. She is so engrossed in her work that it takes her a minute notice the radio stopped. Upon realizing this, she turns around and sees Fancy Pants standing there.

“Oh, hey, what's up? I thought you were going to spend the day with Fleur,” says Trixie uneasily.

She looks down when Fancy Pants picks up her crayon picture of her design, which has been made out of stencil shapes and colored with a stick-figure pony driving it. He shakes his head in disappointment and drops the picture back on the crate. Trixie still has her head down.

“Why do you have a bee?”

“Bee? What bee?” says Trixie innocently as she steps in front of her project in a historically pathetic attempt to hide it.

“Trixie, standing in front of a vehicle will not make it disappear,” says Fancy Pants as he walks around her to inspect her work. “Where did you even get this?”

“Junkyard.”

“How did you buy it if you don't have any money?”

“I... I, uh, I kinda borrowed it without asking.”

Fancy Pants pauses and looks at Trixie. He takes a deep breath and slowly breathes through his nose, and Trixie looks down again, swallowing nervously. Fancy Pants closes his eyes and rubs his temple.

“And why did you steal a bee from a junkyard?” demands Fancy Pants slowly.

“It was garbage and was about to be scrapped. Me and Iron Will thought it was cool so we took it and-”

“Stop right there. Iron Will put you up to this?”

Trixie shifts her position. “Kinda. I mean, he helped, but I thought it was cool to use it for my, uh, my side project. What's the big deal anyway?”

“The big deal, Trixie, is that you stole somepony's property for your own amusement! I thought you of all ponies would respect the law considering your recent activities. And why did you put metal plates on this thing, anyway?”

Trixie coyly points towards a flier on the ground and when Fancy Pants goes to pick it up, she levitates a circle stencil and sprays a black circle on the front of the bee, just below the light, which she put a grate over. Fancy Pants reads the flier carefully, brow furrowing even more with each passing second. When he is finished he walks towards Trixie and holds the flier up to her eyes.

“Destruction derby? Are you serious?” he asks.

“It's not destruction derby, it is high-stakes racing,” informs Trixie snobbishly.

When she sees the unimpressed stare that Fancy Pants is giving her, she frowns and resumes her work. This time she is putting a metal box over the radio on the back.

“I don't see what the big deal is,” continues Trixie. “I'm not doing that Mare-Do-Well or Vigilante stuff anymore, so I decided to try something epically amazing. High-stakes racing!”

Trixie grins deviously as she slips on a metal mask with red warpaint that looks a lot like the love child of a hockey mask and Mare-Do-Well's helmet. Just from Fancy Pants' mixed expression, Trixie knows that he does not like what he is seeing. But she doesn't care.

“And no pony will know it is Trixie for I shall become: Tom.”

Fancy Pants arches a brow. “Is this sport even legal?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then your not doing it.”

Trixie drops her mask, glaring at Fancy Pants. “Why not!”

“It's stupid, for one, and two, it is illegal, and three, it is dangerous.”

Trixie folds her hooves over each other with a pout. “You never let me have any fun.”

“I never let you have any dangerous fun. And you're returning that bee with an apology note.”

Trixie whines and stomps her hooves in a tantrum meant only for foals. Fancy Pants is about to make a comment about her childish antics, but a loud buzz rings in the halls. Both unicorns pause and look up at the ceiling. The buzzing returns and Fancy Pants stares at Trixie.

“Did you install a door buzzer?” asks Fancy Pants.

Trixie sighs and rolls her eyes. “I told you about the buzzer a few days ago. You know, when you gave me spending money and I was really bored from hiding? I had to do something.”

The buzzer rings again and Fancy Pants groans and trots out of the garage. Trixie waits for the door to slam shut before she grabs more tools and supplies to enhance her junky vehicle.

The bell buzzes again and Fancy Pants swears under his breath as his pace picks up. When he is in the entrance hall, the buzzing become sporadic and impatient, barely letting the first buzz finish before another one takes its place. By that point Fancy Pants is ready to blow a gasket. His face is beet red and his bad eye is visibly twitching.

He opens the door just a crack and-

“Special delivery for a Ms. Trixie Lulamoon!”

“Pinkie, I know that is you,” says Fancy Pants, his annoyance being kept at bay by a hair.

“You're no fun,” remarks Pinkie Pie playfully.

He opens the door to allow Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy -both still in their disguises- and Iron Will in, though the minotaur has some trouble getting in due to his massive build. Fancy Pants closes the door behind them after checking to make sure no one else is outside. Pinkie Pie bounces down the hall, humming to herself while Fluttershy remains calm. Iron Will is about to walk down the hall, but Fancy Pants blocks his path.

“We need to talk,” says Fancy Pants sternly.

Iron Will holds up his hands defensively. “Whoa, she made the first move. Not me.”

Fancy Pants looks at Iron Will with a raised brow. “What are you talking about?”

Iron Will blinks. “Penny Chart. Summer of last year.”

Fancy Pants rolls his eyes. “That makes three to talk about, then.”

“Three?”

“Yes, three. Now walk with me.”

Fancy Pants walks down the hall with Iron Will following close behind, and once they reach the social area they stop. Fluttershy is nowhere to be seen, but Pinkie Pie is sliding down the railing, whooping and laughing. Once reaching the bottom, she leaps off and gallops up the stairs to slide down again. This time backwards with a blindfold over her eyes.

Fancy Pants shakes his head and looks back at Iron Will. The minotaur looks very happy to finally being able to stand up upright. He groans pleasantly and cracks his back, mumbling about how it feels good to stand.

“First, why are you encouraging bad behavior?” says Fancy Pants sternly.

“I do not encourage bad behavior. I encourage assertiveness. How people use their assertiveness is none of my business.”

“You and Trixie stole a bee!”

Iron Will dismisses Fancy Pant's accusation with a wave of his hand. “Psh, it was getting scrapped anyway, and that guy was a prick. And when someone is a prick, you give them a swift kick to the dick!”

Fancy Pants groans and rubs his temple. He knows he is in for a long day.

Music is once again blaring in the basement while Trixie struggles to remove old seating of the bee. The cushions of it have been peppered with holes and the interior is rotting away, allowing it to become a haven for bugs. And Trixie does not want to sit something as nasty as a rotting, bug filled cushion. Besides, she has a fresh cushion stolen straight from a wagon maintenance shop's backroom. No one will be missing it.

Once Trixie pops off the old cushion, she cheers and tosses it aside like the nothing it is. Then she moves to carefully installing the new seat.

“Looking good, Trixie-Trix, looking reeeeal good,” says Pinkie Pie as she bounces up to Trixie.

Trixie stops everything and looks at Pinkie Pie questionably. She has never seen Pinkie Pie glow like she is now. The smile, the bounce, the giggling, it is all real and Trixie has no idea what kind of drugs Pinkie Pie got into. But she wants some of it.

“What's got you so high?” asks Trixie.

“I'm not high I'm superblissfullyfantasicalyhappyhigh!”

Trixie is about to say something, but her words turn to a surprised yelp when Pinkie Pie grabs her hooves, tugs her away from her project and spins her around on her hind legs. Trixie's world spins like a poor tomato in a blender and she ends up landing flat on her face, but Pinkie Pie is too busy giggling and changing the rock station to a party station to notice what she did.

Trixie groans and sits on her haunches as she rubs her sore face, but her moment of recovery doesn't last long since Pinkie Pie once again grabs her and has her stand up on her hind legs. However, she does offer a very quick apology for Trixie's face plant.

The two mares start dancing to the music, with Trixie's steps being clumsy and her face burning red with embarrassment while Pinkie Pie is skilled and is having too much fun to notice how much her embarrassed partner sucks at hind leg dancing.

“Pinkie, seriously, what drugs are you on?” asks Trixie uneasily.

Pinkie Pie makes Trixie lean back as far as their hooves can go before she twirls her back. Trixie lands with a tiny grunt with her back pressed against Pinkie Pie's chest and the former-pink pony's mouth rest next to her ear while her forehooves wrap around Trixie's waist.

“Aunt Pinkie doesn't do drugs, silly! I only ate goodies,” says Pinkie Pie in Trixie's ear. Then she twirls Trixie away and brings her back to where they are face to face, snouts almost touching. “And drank love.”

Trixie's eyes widen and her ears droop while the fire in her cheeks and ears ravish her azure coat with glowing red. She does not like the way Pinkie Pie is smiling at her with the half lidded eyes and her lower lip being bitten like that. It is a look that she has seen way too many times to know that it is not innocent.

Trixie tries to pull away, but due to her lack of skill of walking backwards on her hind legs, she trips over herself and falls on her back, bringing Pinkie Pie with her. Both land with an umph and Trixie finds herself sandwiched between the concrete floor and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie's chest is pressed hard against Trixie's with her hooves dominating, and their noses are barely touching. Trixie can smell the soda and chocolate frosting in her breath and lets out a nervous whimper when Pinkie Pie's tail barely brushes over Trixie's own and her flank. The teasing sends a shiver up her spine and makes her eyes widen and face burn even more.

Pinkie Pie grins and in a low, sultry whisper, she says: “Lots of love.”

Trixie swears and pushes Pinkie Pie off, and the Element of Laughter rolls on her back, laughing hysterically with her legs kicking. Trixie swears again and stomps back to her project.

“That's not funny!” scolds Trixie while levitating the new cushion to its proper place.

“Oh, lighten up, Trixie-Trix,” snickers Pinkie Pie as she rolls to her feet.

“No, I will not lighten up! I hate that and you know it!”

Pinkie Pie's smile fades and she looks to the floor, pawing it shamefully as her mane and tail deflate.

“Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away,” apologizes Pinkie Pie sadly.

“A little?” scoffs Trixie. “Jeeze, Pinkie I'm glad you're happy and all, but, jeeze, you need to relax.”

“You said 'jeeze' twice,” says Pinkie Pie.

Trixie rolls her eyes and starts the process of fastening the seat to her bee.

“What's got you so happy, anyway?” asks Trixie while making a tiny adjustment to the cushion's position.

Pinkie Pie grins and jumps towards Trixie, her mane and tail now back to being the puffy, hairy symbols of joy they are, and her sudden movement making Trixie jump a little.

“Oh, it was a busy day, but the best part was that me and Joe went on a date and I had lots of fun! Like super fun! The kind of fun that I never thought I would have again since basically all of my friends turned against me and made me feel like garbage. But Joe didn't make me feel like garbage even though I told him I was Cream Cheese and not Pinkie Pie because Pinkie Pie is wanted by ibexes and Cream Cheese is not. And cream cheese tastes good which is why my new fake name is Cream Cheese and not Asparagus or Pickle Delight because they are nasty like that jerk selling the tickets at the fair.”

Trixie and Pinkie Pie look at each other for a couple of seconds before the unicorn wordlessly turns back to her work and starts twisting screws in place. She doesn't know what to say about Pinkie Pie's breathless explanation anyway. However, Trixie's silence only makes Pinkie Pie ramble on, ranging from how Rarity loves pickles, to how Applejack is allergic to asparagus and how its funny watching those two argue. Trixie tries to tune her out, especially when Pinkie Pie starts talking about how she thinks Rarity has a secret crush on Applejack's cousin, Braeburn.

“...I mean it shouldn't come as to no surprise since he is really really really really ridiculously good looking...”

Trixie groans and slams her face against the cushion, which turns out to be very soft. The former magician picked wisely in her flimsily justified theft. She then slowly lifts her head and sluggishly resumes her work while Pinkie Pie goes on talking for another few minutes until-

“When are you going to surprise Monte?” asks Pinkie Pie suddenly.

Trixie pauses in mid twist of a screw. “Uh... what if I already-?”

“Liar.”

“I didn't finish!”

“You were going to say 'What if I already did?' but you didn't because if you did then... well, I would know.”

Trixie frowns and points at Pinkie Pie. “You creep me out sometimes, do you know that?”

Pinkie Pie smiles smugly and inspects her hoof with the same smugness. “Intuition is a spooky thing if you don't know how to use it, my dear Trixie.”

Trixie levitates a couple of storage boxes and carries them to the bee. After setting them down, she uses her unicorn gift of magic to twist and turn the tools until they are able to bolt the boxes in their places at the tail end of the bee. The whole time Pinkie Pie is silently observing this, and when Trixie is done, Pinkie Pie whistles and carefully approaches it.

“This bee is looking really cool,” compliments Pinkie Pie. “Are you going to drive up to Monte with it and honk at him? Take him for a romantic ride around Canterlot? Oh, I know, take him to a really romantic ride to the lake.”

Pinkie Pie then gasps at a sudden good idea that popped into her brain and she races around the bee so that she and Trixie can see each other, though Trixie is preoccupied with her work to see Pinkie Pie leaning over her vehicle.

“Maybe you can bring Monte on a double date -no, a triple- no, wait, a quadruple date with me and Joe and Flutters and Iron Will and Fancy Pants and Fleur! Oh man, that'll be super fun!”

“No,” says Trixie flatly, making Pinkie Pie's smile fade once more. “This bee is not for picking up stallions -especially ones that still need to apologize- this is for something else.”

“What kind of something else?” inquires Pinkie Pie with a cocked brow.

“Its for high-stakes racing.”

Pinkie Pie is silent for the couple of seconds it takes for her brain to register what Trixie is talking about. Then she looks down at the floor, contemplating an appropriate response while Trixie hops on the bee to test the cushion and the steering sleeves.

“So, like the baby of destruction derby and street racing?” asks Pinkie Pie finally.

“Yep,” replies Trixie.

“I thought you said you promised Fancy Pants you'd stop this stuff.”

Trixie stops her mock testing and looks at Pinkie Pie while sliding a hoof out of the steering sleeve.

“I promised I would stop the Mare-Do-Well thing, not dangerous stuff in general.” Trixie smiles proudly and taps the side of her head. “Loopholes. Gotta find them if you want to get anywhere.”

Pinkie Pie frowns. “I don't think that's how it works.”

Trixie hops off of the seat and moves to the other side of the bee, away from Pinkie Pie, to do some more tests.

“Says the master of disguise that lied to pretty much the whole world.” Trixie moves the lids of the storage boxes up and down, frowning in disappointment when they squeak and groan in protest with every move. “But high-stakes racing is not Mare-Do-Well or Vigilante. It is racing with lots of danger and big chances of me getting killed if I make a wrong move. Kinda like what I was doing before.”

Pinkie Pie sits down with a saddened expression. “But you promised Fancy Pants that you would stop this, and you can't break a promise. That is the quickest way to lose somepony's trust and lose a friend.”

Trixie slams the box shut and glares at Pinkie Pie, and the Element of Laughter looks down once more.

“It's not Mare-Do-Well! It's racing!” says Trixie furiously. “Trixie had no choice but to promise or else Fancy would've cried his eyes out! And Trixie will not be living under a mountain like some kind of changeling bug waiting to die of boredom! Trixie will do fun stuff and that's final!”

Pinkie Pie hops to her hooves teary eyed. “Trixie, you can't do that kind of stuff because you're this close to falling apart!” She barely holds her hooves apart to visually show Trixie what she means. “You eat pain pills like candy and you're going to get yourself killed if you try it!”

Trixie snorts. “Please, with all the crap I've been through, I highly doubt that high-stakes racing will get the best of me.”

Pinkie Pie falls silent and looks away while Trixie rubs some oil on the hinges of the storage boxes. She smiles proudly when the boxes open and shut without a noise. While Trixie continues testing the boxes, Pinkie Pie walks up to her side and puts her hoof on her shoulder and turns her so that they are eye to eye.

“Trixie, just use this bee to pick up stallions. Or see Monte. But don't throw your life away with this kind of racing. You're still young and have lots to live for! Go with regular racing. That can be fun.”

Trixie frowns, unimpressed with Pinkie Pie's words.

“Regular racing is boring. And besides, you're a year older than me,” says Trixie, her tone matching her unimpressed look.

“And I feel like an old mare. You, though, you're like a filly who's had way too much sugar.”

“And what better way to get rid of the sugar rush than by doing dangerous racing? Oh, yeah. Mare-Do-Well. But somepony made me quit, so life threatening racing it is!”

Trixie smiles smugly with her nose tilted towards the ceiling, but her smugness doesn't last since Pinkie Pie makes Trixie look at her by grabbing her cheeks and forcing her head to level with hers.

“What about Monte?” she asks, trying to focus on her eyes.

Trixie pulls away from Pinkie Pie and holds her back at hoof's length, stammering nervously. “What about him? He still has to apologize and... yeah. He has to apologize. To me. Because... yeah. He's a jerk and... You know what? Just forget it.”

“C'mon, Trixie, I know you're nervous and want to apologize to him as much as he wants to apologize to you.”

“I'm not going to apologize-”

Pinkie Pie puts her hoof over Trixie's mouth, turning her excuse into unintelligible muffles. Trixie stops talking seconds later to glare at Pinkie Pie, and she smiles deviously at Trixie and leans in uncomfortably close again.

“At least Pinkie Promise me you'll go see Monte before you do anything stupid.”

Pinkie Pie lowers her hoof from Trixie's mouth.

“But-”

Trixie is interrupted by Pinkie Pie pressing her hoof on her mouth again.

“I'll let you be an idiot if you do that one thing, how's that sound?” offers Pinkie Pie, still holding the smile.

Pinkie Pie lowers her hoof again, and Trixie sighs and reluctantly nods her head.

“Fine,” she says heavily. “I Pinkie Promise I'll go see Monte just so we can straighten some crap out.”

Pinkie Pie's smile widens and she pats Trixie on the cheek, eliciting a small grumble from the azure unicorn.

“Sure you will, Trixie, sure you will. But you still gotta do the chant and dance.”

Trixie groans and smacks her face against the soft seat.

“Look, I can't help it if I find ponies attractive,” says Iron Will defensively. “Heck, everyone finds ponies attractive one way or another. Do you know where that phrase 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' came from? Any angry ibex wife. Ibexes are crazy. Ponies? Not so much. Ponies are pretty and sane.”

“You obviously don't know much about ponies,” retorts Fancy Pants.

The door buzzes and both of them freeze and stare down the hallway. The door buzzes again and Fancy Pants slowly turns his head to glare at Iron Will. It takes Iron Will a couple of seconds for him to realize that he has an angry unicorn looking at him, and when he does, he looks away from the ceiling and offers an innocent smile.

“Buzzer must be broken,” chuckles Iron Will anxiously.

“I thought you said you weren't followed,” growls Fancy Pants through gritted teeth.

In the garage, Trixie's eyes are wide and Pinkie Pie is looking up at the ceiling with relief. The buzzing echoes in the cave garage once more and Pinkie Pie speaks while Trixie's gaze goes up at the rocky ceiling.

“About time she got here. I was starting to get worried,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Who!” demands Trixie, her eyes snapping back to Pinkie Pie.

“Maybe if we are very quiet they will go away,” suggests Iron Will.

The door buzzes again, this time with a musical melody to it.

Buzz-buzz-buzz-buuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Buzz-buzz-buzz-buuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

“Somehow I doubt that,” says Fancy Pants, his voice quivering with annoyance.

Trixie points at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, who did you-”

Buzz-buzz-buzz-buuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Buzz-buzz-buzz-buuuuzzzzzzzzz. Buzz-Buzz.

Trixie screams and presses her hooves over her ears. “Buck, that is annoying!”

“To answer your question, I wanted to surprise everypony with somepony who needs our help,” says Pinkie Pie casually. The door buzzes again and she frowns and looks up at the ceiling. “You're right, that buzzing is getting annoying. I wonder when Fluttershy's going to open the door.”

“You're opening the door!” says Iron Will and Fancy Pants in unison.

“Only unicorns can open the door,” points out Iron Will.

“Only from the outside,” retorts Fancy Pants.

The two continue their back and forth bickering without realizing that the buzzing had stopped. They also fail to realize that the hall door has been opened and a group of two has approached the entrance. That is until one of them clears her throat.

Fancy Pants and Iron Will stop arguing and look to the hall entrance to see Fluttershy standing in the doorway with a certain albino DJ dripping wet with a drooped demeanor and massive, sickly bags under her eyes and fading hair. She is wearing a cheap raincoat and even cheaper saddlebags.

Fancy Pants stares at Fluttershy evilly and the Element of Kindness scurries to Iron Will's side. Fancy Pants follows Fluttershy with his eyes until she is safely behind Iron Will before he looks back at the unexpected guest

“Good evening, gents,” says Vinyl Scratch with a tired smile. She hacks into her handkerchief, swallowing phlegm and smiling nervously at the two moguls in front of her. “Sorry, caught a little cold out there. The weather out there really sucks.”

“Who needs our help?” demands Trixie.

“Only the coolest DJ ever,” answers Pinkie Pie with an enormous grin.

“Wait, you don't mean...”

“There's the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well,” snickers Vinyl Scratch in the doorway, her forehooves outstretched like she's waiting for a hug. Her hooves drop and she continues her stroll inside the cave garage. “How've you been, Princess?”

Trixie's brain fries upon seeing Vinyl Scratch enter the garage by Fancy Pants' side with Fluttershy and Iron Will behind them, but Fancy Pants has a handkerchief pressed against his nose while the others are free smelling. Trixie can see why Fancy Pants is doing that, though, since Vinyl Scratch smells like a dead skunk floating in a pool of rotten yogurt.

“Pinkie, you and I are going to have a conversation later that you will not enjoy,” says Fancy Pants sternly.

“Meh, it was worth it,” says Pinkie Pie lightly and with a small shrug.

“This is serious! You just put us all in danger by bringing her here!”

“Whoa, hold on a sec, Pantyhose,” chimes Vinyl Scratch angrily.

“Do not call me 'Pantyhose'!” snaps Fancy Pants.

A small argument surfaces between Fancy Pants, Vinyl Scratch and Pinkie Pie about why the DJ is at their secret abode, but Trixie tunes them all out. Her eyes water from something more than Vinyl Scratch's unholy stench, and the longer she stares at her, the more an unpleasant memory resurfaces from when she was a filly in a hospital. By her mother's bedside. Watching Celestia leave her prayers unanswered by taking her mother from her.

“I have to go,” says Trixie quietly with tears running down her cheeks.

She rushes past the group, sniffling and gulping tears. Everyone looks at her as she leaves, and once the door behind her slams shut, she walks faster, not daring to look back. And she continues walking until she reaches her room.

Once entering her room, she slams the door shut and lays on her bed. It squeaks under her weight and she buries her face in her pillow. She wants to scream and wail and sob and just let it all out, but all that comes out is a tiny whine.

She lifts her head up, sniffling and gasping for some air, and she looks at a single framed photograph of her and her parents, together and happy. Braile is laying on a hospital bed, covered by the thin blanket. She is tired, but she is smiling and cuddling a newly born Trixie in her arms; she is chewing on her mother's mane. Next to them, crying for joy and smiling proudly is Eclipse. Essentially, the picture looks like it is the prelude to a new chapter, happy chapter for a perfect family.

Trixie wipes her eyes and clutches the picture to her chest and gently rocks herself while closing her eyes. She tries to think about her mother, but all she can think about is her final moments, strapped to machines and doctors clueless on how to stop the disease.

Trixie tries to think about a time they were at a park, or at a play, or even when she was dropped off at daycare. But once again she can only think of the hospital. And Braile's last words before she died in her sleep.

Just that simple phrase, and it was like listening to a corpse struggling to breath. Every word, every breath was labored and the doctor ordered Trixie out so she can rest. Eclipse wasn't given the chance to talk to her because the doctor wouldn't let him. He never got to say goodbye to his one true love.

Trixie squeezes her eyes tighter and hugs the picture closer.

She remembers how her father hugged her tight, and how he tried so hard not to cry when they got the news. She had never seen her father cry before, and she never saw him smile again. Eclipse never got over Braile's death, and he pushed away his last hope to heal his broken heart. He died broken and alone. And unforgiven.

There is a soft knock on the door, and Trixie looks up from the picture at the decorated door to her room.

“Trixie, are you okay?” asks Fancy Pants, his voice muffled from the door.

Trixie wipes her nose. “No.”

“Can I come in?”

Trixie hesitates. “I guess.”

Fancy Pants carefully pushes open the door and walks inside, his face stricken with worry. He looks at Iron Will's design of the Mare-Do-Well suit encased in its glass display, and Trixie is afraid he is going to say something about it, but he doesn't. He silently stares at it for a few seconds before he looks at the line of pain pill containers on her dresser. Most are opened, and a good portion of them are empty or close to empty. Only the unopened ones are standing upright. All the opened containers are on their sides.

Again, Trixie thinks Fancy Pants is going to say something about the pills, but once again she is proven wrong.

“Trixie, what's wrong?” asks Fancy Pants, his approach blunt but his tone heavy with concern.

“Life sucks, that's what's wrong,” grumbles Trixie.

Fancy Pants carefully approaches Trixie. “You left in a hurry when Ms. Scratch arrived.”

“Yeah, I know. This is not her fault, but” -Trixie swallows some air- “she reminds me of my mom.”

“Isn't that a good thing?”

Trixie shakes her head, looking down. “No, she looks like my mom before she died.”

Fancy Pants stares at Trixie as she sniffles again with fresh tears dripping on the framed photograph. He sits down in front of her and puts his hoof on her shoulder. The warm touch makes Trixie look up from the picture, but her eyes are still red and tears are still tailing down her cheeks.

“What do you mean?” asks Fancy Pants gently.

“My mom... she had horn cancer.” Trixie wipes her eyes and strokes the photograph. “And Vinyl looks just like her before she died.”

A couple of hours of moping and comforting from Fancy Pants later, Trixie walks back into the garage with Fancy Pants by her side. Vinyl Scratch and Pinkie Pie are talking to each other while Fluttershy is trying to stop Iron Will from doing some “iron improvements” on Trixie's bee.

Trixie looks at Vinyl Scratch sadly, and when the DJ looks at her, the smile she had with Pinkie Pie fades, like she knows that Trixie knows. Trixie walks up to Vinyl Scratch and politely excuses her from Pinkie Pie before leading her to the back of the garage. Once in the back, Vinyl Scratch sits down to cough away from Trixie.

“So, you know, huh?” asks Vinyl Scratch weakly.

Trixie nods. “Stage three. If you need anything-”

Vinyl Scratch forces a smile and holds up her hoof to silence Trixie in a respectful manner. “Relax, Princess, it'll take more than a stupid disease for me to push daisies.”

Trixie sits down in front of Vinyl Scratch, trying desperately not to cry, but a single tear manages to slide down her cheek.

“You can stay here as long as you like, okay?” says Trixie.

Vinyl Scratch shifts uneasily. “Um, that's probably not a good idea.”

Trixie holds up her hoof. “It is the least I can do. You helped me in my time of need, and now I'm helping you. I got plenty of room in this place, so you can pick whichever room is free.”

Before Vinyl Scratch can say anything else, Fancy Pants calls her and Trixie over. Both look at him to see him waving impatiently at them. Vinyl Scratch looks back at Trixie and flashes a weak smile and puts her hoof on Trixie's shoulder.

“Thanks,” says Vinyl Scratch softly.

Trixie nods and both mares quietly walk to Fancy Pants. He has the others sitting in a half circle around him, each sitting on a cushion or crate. Trixie takes a seat next to Pinkie Pie and Vinyl Scratch sits next to Trixie while Fancy Pants remains standing. But when he points at Vinyl Scratch, Trixie gets a knot in her stomach. But the DJ doesn't appear to be fazed by him singling her out.

“You have some explaining to do,” says Fancy Pants harshly.

Vinyl Scratch blows raspberries and stands up in front of the group. She takes a deep breath and offers a sheepish smile and wave.

“Hi, my name is Vinyl Scratch, and I'm an alcoholic.”

“Hi, Vinyl Scratch,” says Fluttershy with a small wave.

Fancy Pants rolls his eyes and Trixie and Pinkie Pie let out a snicker that is almost concealed by their hooves. Vinyl Scratch coughs into her hoof and sits down on the floor after swallowing a chunk f phlegm, much to everyone's disgust, and she offers another sheepish smile. She then apologizes and clears her throat.

“Ladies and gentlecolt and minotaur,” begins Vinyl Scratch, “the reason why I'm here is for two reasons. Reason one, I was told by a certain somepony to seek out Ms. Lulamoon over there, and lo and behold Pinkie showed up and told me where to go.”

“How did you know it was Pinkie? She's disguised,” asks Fancy Pants skeptically.

Vinyl Scratch grins. “Only Pinkie would call me 'Scratchy' and beat up six CDA black suits in ten seconds.”

“It was actually twelve seconds, but who's counting?” says Pinkie Pie smugly.

Fancy Pants looks at Pinkie Pie, pale and jaw nearly to the floor. Trixie on the other hand, is impressed and gives the Element of Laughter an approving nod.

“You assaulted six CDA agents?” asks Fancy Pants with horror.

“Well, yeah, they were going to kill Scratchy,” says Pinkie Pie defensively.

“How do you know that?”

Pinkie Pie puts her hoof to her chin. “Well, they arrived in the alley with all black and unmarked wagons, they all had ski masks on, and all of their weapons were silenced. Then there is the whole all-of-them-had-CDA-badges thing.”

“Yeah, I'm on the CDA hit list, which brings me to reason two,” says Vinyl Scratch uneasily. “I think somepony in the CDA is a bigger crook than the whole lot of them. My contact in the Guard figured out that the guy who killed Quill Pen and Brisk Wind and framed Shining Armor was CDA. And she was sure that this same guy gave Roar Shock info on the Celestial Spire since he knows too much about it to not be an inside job.”

Trixie's ears perk and she leans closer.

“Who was it?” asks Trixie eagerly, hoping that she can get a name so that way Shining Armor can be cleared and so she can bring another criminal mogul down.

Vinyl Scratch frowns and looks down, running her hoof through what little hair she has left for her mane.

“I don't know,” says Vinyl Scratch, her voice shaking. “Aural Wave had a run in with a mini-train that sent her, her wagon and all of her work to the bottom of the river before we could meet up. CDA was first on the scene so it is safe to say that all of her stuff is long gone.”

Iron Will swears and Fluttershy covers her mouth with her hoof.

“So, somepony had been watching her, and whoever they are knew you were her contact and are going after you now, am I right?” accuses Fancy Pants, stepping closer to Vinyl Scratch until he is towering above her.

Vinyl Scratch nods, and Fancy Pants mutters something along the lines of “Fantastic” while walking away from her in disgust. Vinyl Scratch's ears droop and she offers a soft apology. In response, Fluttershy goes to her side and wraps her hooves around her for a comforting hug while Pinkie Pie strokes her chin. Trixie can tell that the Element of Laughter is in deep thought about the matter, but one thing the DJ said is bugging her.

“Quick question. Who told you to find me?” asks Trixie with a raised hoof.

Vinyl Scratch sniffs. “You're not going to believe this, but it was Luna.”

“Luna?”

“Yeah. I'm not much of a religious pony, but the day before Pinkie showed up, Luna showed up in my dream and told me that I should find you. The next day, Pinkie shows up, some dicks in black try to kill me and then there were some complications where we had to split so Pinkie can do her thing.”

“I had to get rid of those stupid tails somehow,” grumbles Pinkie Pie.

Fancy Pants looks at Vinyl Scratch skeptically, and she returns his look with confidence.

“How do we know that this chat with Luna wasn't just a dream? Or that you weren't followed?” asks Fancy Pants.

“My Pinkie Sense would be going bonkers if Scratchy was followed,” says Pinkie Pie in a snap.

“I fell asleep on my cot, and the dream took place in my kitchen and I woke up on the kitchen table,” says Vinyl Scratch confidently. Before Fancy Pants can offer an explanation for her odd waking position, she points her hoof at him, saying: “And I don't sleepwalk. So don't try it.”

Fancy Pants huffs and takes a seat next to Trixie. She looks at him with annoyance and he glances at her out of the corner of his good eye before before looking ahead at no one in particular.

Trixie looks at him for another few seconds before looking at Vinyl Scratch.

“Hey, Vinyl, you said that Roar Shock knew too much about the Spire for him to need some kind of inside help,” says Trixie.

“That I did, Princess,” says Vinyl Scratch, coughing into her hoof soon after.

“What did-”

“He's going to attack it,” interrupts Pinkie Pie.

Trixie looks at Pinkie Pie and realizes that she has her head down shamefully. Everyone follows Trixie's lead soon after and Pinkie Pie slowly raises her head to look at them. Her hair is deflated and her eyes are wide and watery with fear and shame.

“I had dreams and visions about this,” says Pinkie Pie after swallowing nervously from the mixed looks she is getting. “I didn't want any of you to get involved because... because Pinkamena told me that anypony who tried to stop him would die.”

“And that includes you, right?” asks Trixie.

Pinkie Pie is hesitant, but eventually nods and looks down at the floor. While everyone silently stares at her, Fluttershy scowls and stomps towards her as hard as her soft hooves will allow.

“So you were just going to do it anyway!” yells Fluttershy as loud as she can go, which isn't very loud. “After all that has happened you were still going to try to stop them alone!?”

Pinkie Pie looks up at Fluttershy. “I couldn't risk losing you guys.”

“What about me!” cries Fluttershy as she points at herself with tears streaming down her face. “What about Trixie? Or Rainbow Dash? Or-Or errr!”

The severity of Fluttershy's tone made Pinkie Pie cringe, and when Kindness storms off, she looks down at the floor again. Fluttershy sits next to Iron Will, keeping her angry stare away from Pinkie Pie while Iron Will hugs her around the shoulder.

The group is silent for another couple of minutes. They are unsure what to say about Pinkie Pie's claim or Fluttershy's outburst, and the silence is only broken when Trixie decides to speak.

“Why is the League of Justice going to attack the Celestial Spire? I mean, what's so special about it?” asks Trixie.

Vinyl Scratch coughs violently as she levitates a toothpick from her saddlebag for everyone to see. Trixie cocks a brow at the random, tiny object that the DJ had put on display.

“Just picture a toothpick that you put in an orchard,” says Vinyl Scratch. “Now imagine that that little toothpick will not only water your apples, but it will also purify the water, giving you clean drinking water and perfect water for the apples. This thing that R and D has built will be able to water every plot of land from Canterlot to the Crystal Mountains and Badlands, and Applewood to Baltimare. The Celestial Spire, in other words, will turn the whole damn country into a breadbasket.”

Trixie scratches her head. “But why would the League of Justice attack something like that? When I was with them they talked about the Greater Good, and destroying a super toothpick seems like it goes against what they believe in.”

“Just like them killing dozens of innocent people in Bernese goes against what they believe in,” interjects Iron Will sourly.

Trixie shoots a nasty glare at him and he returns the look in kind. Silence falls on the group for a minute until Fancy Pants starts mumbling to himself.

Trixie raises a brow. “Um, you okay there, Fancy?”

“It has to be symbolic,” mutters Fancy Pants. “There really is no other reason to destroy something that can do so much good.”

“What would the symbolism be, though?” asks Vinyl Scratch weakly.

Iron Will snorts. “Who cares? They want to blow it up and who's going to stop them? Us? A bunch of entertainers, a nutty party animal and a vet?”

Pinkie Pie points at Iron Will. “Hey, I'm not nutty, I'm eccentric. Big difference,” she says sternly.

Iron Will holds up his hands in mock defensiveness, muttering a half of a half felt apology.

“Maybe the government already knows and they are making plans to stop them,” says Fluttershy as she twiddles her hooves with her eyes on the floor. “I mean they do have Roar Shock don't they?”

“Fluttershy, Roar Shock won't be talking,” informs Trixie. “He's way too loyal to the League of Justice.”

“Which he ruined big time,” murmurs Pinkie Pie.

Trixie turns to Pinkie Pie. “I don't care if he ruined it. He's still the leader and he won't be talking. He would rather drink poison than spill his beans.”

“POISON!” exclaims Pinkie Pie suddenly as she leaps in the air, making everyone jump a little and almost bonks her head on the ceiling. “He's going to poison the whole city!”

“Okay, first off, who says he is going to poison a whole city? And secondly, even if he tries it, how will he do it?” questions Iron Will.

The group falls silent, and everyone exchanges questionable glances to each other, most coming up with a blank. However, a minute later, Vinyl Scratch coughs into her hoof with the other raised.

“I think I know,” wheezes Vinyl Scratch.

Everyone looks at the sick DJ and after she clears her throat she continues.

“It'll be just like what happened to the griffins in Detrot,” explains Vinyl Scratch. “A whole mob of them was poisoned with some kind of fungus that was slipped into their drinks.”

Fluttershy grimaces and Iron Will and Fancy Pants look at each other, both skeptical of Vinyl Scratch's claim while Trixie raises her brows. Unlike the two males, something sound familiar about the idea, leaving plenty of room for discussion.

“How did they not taste it?” asks Fluttershy.

That is when a light bulb turns on in Trixie's mind. She remembers how Gray Muffin injected her with the serum that had a certain mushroom grounded and dissolved in. And she also remembers when Brisk Wind tortured her with the same fungus and bragged about how it could be used as a deadly poison as well as a torturing or medical plant.

“He's using healing mushrooms,” says Trixie to no one in particular. Then she jumps from her seat, effectively gathering everyone's attention. “Roar Shock must be using the Spire to slip expired mushrooms into everypony's drinks!”

“And how exactly would he do that?” asks Fancy Pants skeptically.

“Simple. He grinds them into powder and pours them into the water supply.”

“Then I bet you he was the one that stole that fancy scientist's grinding device!” says Iron Will with a burst of energy. “If he grinds them up and pours it into the water then-”

“The Spire will carry the poison all over Equestria,” says Pinkie Pie as she slumps to the ground.

“A biological attack that large will kill millions!” says Fancy Pants, shocked by the prospect of someone performing such a large scale attack.

“Oh my goodness, what are we going to do!” whimpers Fluttershy.

Nobody answers Fluttershy. They all keep their heads down, trying to comprehend the scale of the damage that will leave millions dead, wipe out entire cities wiped, and kill Equestria. They can't even imagine the widespread chaos that will come with the aftermath of the attack.

“There's nothing we can do. We're boned,” says Vinyl Scratch grimly.

“Ms. Scratch is right,” says Fancy Pants with a heavy sigh, “there is no stopping this. I think now would be a good time for us to go to our loved ones and get out of the country as quickly as we can.”

In her room, nearing curfew, Case Study slams and locks her suitcase full of clothes and toiletries shut, and she levitates it on her back. It clicks on to her saddle and then she slips her passport and a ticket for a cheap zeppelin seat into her pocket. Case Study is about to reach for an already opened envelop addressed to her when a calculated voice echoes in her doorway.

“Going somewhere?”

Case Study freezes and slowly turns her head to see the Painter walking towards her with Gilda, Grim and Nasty Hick flanking him. Before she has a chance to make a move, the Painter's horn emits a flash of blinding light and Case Study screams as she is flung into the wall with a stabbing pain in her chest. The wall cracks under her weight and she falls to the ground, coughing and gasping for air with smoke rising off of her as the Painter approaches her. The griffins stay behind, guarding the door and windows.

Case Study sobs weakly as her hooves shifts worthlessly against the carpet. When she tries to get up, the Painter puts his hoof on her back and presses her down on the floor. Case Study stretches her hoof out, whimpering and weakly begging for him not to hurt her.

“This is nothing personal, it is just that you are the only way to get to your-” he opens up Case Study's letter - “Uncle Muffin, therefore making you valuable to this noble cause. For now.”

He drops the letter in front of Case Study's huddled figure so that a simple drawing of a muffin next to the signature is in front of her eyes. Case Study looks up, sniffling, and watches the Painter turn to the griffins. The only one who looks uneasy about what is going on is Nasty Hick. The sickly griffin looks pale even behind the dirt and she can see him tremble slightly with a quiet gulp.

The Painter looks at Nasty Hick. “Is something wrong?”

Nasty Hick swallows nervously. “What's going to happen to her?”

“What do you care?” snaps Gilda.

The Painter looks at Case Study. “What happens to her is none of your concern. Get her up, both of you. Gilda, come with me, we have much to discuss.”

“Yes, Your Formalness,” grumbles Gilda, and as she walks past Grim and Nasty Hick she puts her natural talons on Grim's shoulder. “You don't have to be gentle. Just make sure she can't see anything.”

Case Study whimpers and tries to crawl away, but Grim puts his talon over her neck, chuckling darkly and smiling at Gilda as she walks out of the room with the Painter. Case Study's wet eyes widen and she tries to escape with weak thrashes when Grim looks down at her with a sick smile and a lick of his beak. He holds up a pitch black blindfold, a bundle of cuffs, and a crude gag made of ratty cloth rolled into a ball all in one hand.

“Next stop: Tartarus,” snickers Grim as he drops the cuffs in front of Case Study's face.

Case Study screams for help, but her voice is silenced to gags as the crude cloth ball is shoved into her mouth, followed quickly by the cuffs rendering her immobile. The cuffs dig into her skin, and Grim tightens the ones on her legs until they are bunched up in the middle with thin trails of blood escaping. She sobs painfully and tucks her tail protectively as she looks at Nasty Hick, pleading with her eyes for him to help her. But the griffin looks away with his talons covering his beak and his eyes squeezed shut. Grim then puts the blindfold around Case Study's head and her world goes dark.