My Little Tactics

Chapter Twenty Five: Suteki Da Ne.

“So you want to set up a party for Hearts and Hooves Day?” Dustan was rubbing his temples as the pink party pony was doing what she did best: Planning out parties.

“Yep, yep.” The chipper pony told him. She had caught him just as he was heading to the hot springs to wake up. “I know it’s a week away, but I got most of the things already ready for the party, but I can make it even better if I use your courtyard and dining hall for the party.”

He had not even ate any breakfast as of yet. “Pinkie, look I will make you a deal.” This had her attention. “I haven’t forgotten that I owe you a party personally from me, if you can promise that this will also count as mine, without saying its mine. I will agree.”

Pinkie seemed to think that one through a bit. “So you are saying, that it will also be your party but I can’t say it is? Meaning no banners, personal cupcakes with your name on it or anything?” When he nodded she went thoughtful again as she stroked her chin. “Hmm you drive a hard bargain, but if you throw in telling me when your birthday is then we have a deal.”

Looking at her flatly he asked simply. “I am not going to get you to move out of my doorway otherwise am I?” As she gave the biggest grin possible he sighed in defeat. “September twenty first. Can I please go to the springs to wash up then go get breakfast now?”

“Okie doki Loki!” With that and a zip leaving only a dust cloud behind, Pinkie was gone.

Coughing cause of said dust the human looked at himself. “Well good thing I am going to go get washed up.”

A nice scrub and soak later Dustan was feeling less grumpy and more awake, which his grumbling stomach could also say. On the way from his room and into the dining hall he noticed that Boko and Maya were already eating. He mused that it must have been Faithful Servant, the pony who showed up at the same time as Steel Brilliance the minotaur from Minos. Faithful had been living up to his name, acting like a personal butler for Dustan but as well as caretaker for the castle’s upkeep like cleaning and cooking to name a few. Truth was, Dustan never knew how much his cooking, as well as many of the soldiers in the castle’s, lacked until the old pony had shown up and started taking on those duties.

Like now, as he was about to go into the kitchen, the old unicorn came out floating a wonderful smelling banquet of a breakfast in for him: fish bacon, eggs, toast, fresh squeezed OJ, as well as a bowl of bland cereal though bland only in the way that it was not overly sugary like most ponies preferred it but still plenty high in said ingredient, milk, and finally a freshly plucked apple from Sweet Apple Acres. True fish bacon wasn’t the best bacon around, but when one couldn’t have actual bacon from a pig cause of normal reasons of not eating an aware animal, fish bacon prepared by Faithful was a good second.

“Here you go sir.” The butler pony told him as he bowed.

“Thanks Faithful, this looks and smells absolutely delicious and I haven’t even taken a bite of it yet.” He went right for that bacon cause BACON!

“You are most welcome sir.” With that the pony smiled and went back into the kitchen, where no doubt he was cooking more breakfast for others who got up after Dustan.

Standing up after breakfast, the human made his way outside where he spotted the troops doing their morning run with Tremor barking orders at them followed by Steel. When Tremor had returned from his trip and found Steel, at first the two had a stare down with each other then clasped arms as if they were old buddies then simply turned and grinned evilly at the troops. Needless to say, not a single one had a good feeling about that. The dragon had not been the only one to return, but everyone had in the last couple of days. Zecora was the next who smiled and proceeded to give him a hug upon her return before telling him that she had been going around to various botanists so see about somehow enhancing the growth of the remedy plant that he had given her for Hearth’s Warming. So far though, no luck was to be had in that regards so it remained in stasis.

Eden and Sturdy came next and they gave him a warm welcome upon their return and told him of what they were up to. Seems Sturdy’s work on the castle had been recognized and he had been called away to help design some estates for more lucrative income individuals with Eden going to be his consultant on garden arrangements. Seems that their jobs had earned them quite a bit in bits and while that was nice, Sturdy was more happy that others were taking his word more seriously now as an architect. Overall he deserved it and Dustan was glad of his friend’s success.

The last to return was Merlene and her return came with a tackling hug as well as some tears to see him back on his feet. Dustan tried to calm her down as best as possible, but it didn’t work and for the rest of the day she was practically attached to his side. Come to find out, she had been visiting some relatives back home as it had been a good long while. Nearly two years since her search for a proper master had started. She said that they were happy to know she was happy, though miss having her closer to home.

Beyond that nothing else special happened to all of them. Most were apprehensive about Maya at first, especially Merlene who recalled that the Coeurl had been an opponent during the Discord incident. That all changed though when she saw the feline place its head upon Dustan’s lap for ear scratches one day and proceeded to purr up a storm. Merlene had concluded that if a cat could purr like that then it meant that they were completely happy where they were, meaning it was very unlikely that the large feline would betray him in anyway.

Something that didn’t get swept under though was the revaluation of the learned Salve potential among various individuals. Zecora was right away looking into things and even started to try to replicate it herself now that she had been informed of what it was she had done wrong. Almost right away she succeeded as well, given the fine control over her own magic she had before for the balancing she did, her own potion making, as well as other tricks she kept hidden. He really should get around to deciphering the journal he got from her. After making the Salve though, the zebra got a look on her face before she suddenly declared that she was struck by inspiration.

Though what she actually said was. “I have been struck by a thought. I need to go see if this idea can be caught.” With that she galloped away with a smile on her face.

As the days ticked by and the day for hearts and of the hooves came closer and closer Dustan made two very important discoveries. The Monk skill Chakra didn’t work as he thought it would. It wasn’t an instant recovery of health and mana like he had hoped it would have been. Instead it was more of a focusing technique which increased ones natural recovery of those things over time. This lead to him being able to use more magic in the day by taking breaks sure, but it wasn’t the instant heal that would replace Cure like he had hoped. The next discovery came in the form of the music box, or rather what it aided him in doing. Having determined it was all about a state of mind and recalling that each time he had gotten there had been when that box was playing, Dustan proceeded to try to enter the Classroom while awake. It had taken him a two solid days of trying before he was able to finally break through that wall and see the armor stands before him without needing to be asleep. However interacting with them at this stage was still not quite there so, while it was a step forward, it wasn’t the end all be all he wanted either.

Overall it was looking to be a very nice and relaxing week, well half a week at this point, till Hearts and Hooves Day till a certain marshmallow pony showed up and interrupted things. “Excuse me Darling but I am terrible need of a favor.”

Un-cupping his hands from in front of him and moving to stand up and stretch from his meditative Chakra sit he looked down upon the unicorn. “What’s up Rarity?”

“I am sorry to ask this but can you watch Sweetie Belle for a couple of days?” His look must have wanted further details as she quickly started to speak up. “I have been called to a client in Canterlot for a special dress making consultation and final details on a previous design of mine that she wanted to wear for her stallion on the holiday.” Rarity leaned in and winked to show what it was that the client mare was going for with her stallion.

“If it’s just her then it should be-” as he started to say that though he noticed the shifty look on Rarity’s face. “It’s all the Crusaders isn’t it?”

“It may be time for their sleep over weekend with Sweetie Belle, so Applejack wasn’t planning on hosting the filly’s this weekend so isn’t prepared, and Rainbow Dash has never been able to do it thanks to her house being made of clouds.” The fashionista then gave him the biggest doe eyes possible, a weakness of his for sure. “Please Dustan, there is no pony else I can trust with this. Pinkie Pie is busy planning a party, Twilight doesn’t have the room in her library, I already mentioned how Rainbow Dash and Applejack couldn’t. My only choice left would be Fluttershy, and to be honest, she has her hooves full as it is with her animals so I don’t want to burden the dear mare.”

‘Ok pros and cons time.’ Dustan thought to himself as he thought things over. ‘Pros: will stop from burdening Fluttershy when she is really busy, good. Means I can possibly keep the girls out of trouble. I have a whole castle of people to help keep an eye on things as well. Last, they are adorable.’ Rarity could no doubt see him thinking with how his head was leaning one way then switching to lean another. ‘Cons: it’s The Crusaders, agents of chaos, and the sap wielders of untold fathomable power for mischief. I also won’t be able to really train as I please if I am watching them. Shit this is tough. Fuck it.’ Looking up at the pony he nodded. “Alright Rares, go ahead and tell them they can come here. I will find a guest room they can take on as theirs.”

She gave him a hug instantly before depositing things in his arms. “This is a list of contacts for anything you might need as well as a list of foods the girls like, any type of allergies, and more. Here is some horn polish for Sweetie Belle, an all deluxe mane and feather shampoo for Scootaloo, a hoof care set for Apple Bloom, not to mention extra ribbons-” The list continued as did the pile in his arms as he was already regretting his choice. In the end he had went to store a large armful of products in a spare guest room that he would dub the girl’s room for the weekend.

Within twenty minutes of him putting the stuff away the three fillies in question came barreling in. “This is going to be such a fun sleepover!”

Apple Bloom turned to her unicorn friend as she said that and responded with. “Ah know right!”

“I seen some pretty cool places to ride my scooter on coming in, I can’t wait to try those!” The tiny winged pegasus shouted as she pranced with her friends.

‘What deity did I anger to deserve this?’ His question went unanswered though as right away they soon all split shouting a scouting mission of the castle before he could even sigh. “This is going to be a long weekend.”

Luckily he wouldn’t have to do much for now as Scootaloo, true to her word, was doing stunts around the castle. Apple Bloom went to go see Zecora as she wanted to practice making more concoctions. That left really only Sweetie Belle around him as she wanted a proper tour of the castle and what it had renovated so far.

He showed her around the wall first as it was a good parameter reminder and allowed him to point out things along the way, like the smithy, the cobbler, the guild buildings, housing, many in construction buildings, as well as the hot springs, which she was really interested and said she couldn’t wait to try later. Inside the castle proper, or at least what was constructed/renovated, there was the main foyer that had three distinct exits on the bottom floor, along with two stairs heading up and three more exits. Branching off of those came the various places of interest of the castle so far. The dining area and kitchen to the left a massive wing for sure as not only did it include those two things but also the cold storage for food thanks to some very nice enchantments that cost a pretty bit.

To the right came the enclosed training field for when the weather was bad, or for when the troops or as they were now properly named thanks to Tremor and Steel working together as the Luminous Guard. Like the dining area, this wing had two distinct branches as well, the armory and storage. The armory as was it sounded, the place for storing completed weapons and armor for the Luminous Guard. The storage was for many things though it was mostly related to equipment and its upkeep. There was also a display case for the various Harmonium tools that Dustan had refurbished and completed, thanks to the smith of the area for supplying the various handles scabbards and more for those.

Now directly forward was a simpler branch as it was the mass storage and treasury area. The mass storage took up two rooms filling it with various building materials and raw materials for various herbology experiments and more. The treasury was the more secure of the buildings in that it had been slapped with more protective enchantments on every wall, ceiling and floor then many of the enchanters could name from any single building in history. Only certain people had access to this room of which Dustan was one obviously. That meant none could gain access to it. Here is where he stored various things that were too dangerous to let loose that they had uncovered, of which many were books from the library. Others were enchanted, or cursed depending on the perspective, weapons and armor, and a few lingering artifacts that the enchanters had deemed dangerous or couldn’t ascertain the properties of at all. Needless to say for many of those he had already compiled a list and some magical photos that had already been sent to the princesses.

The second floor was similar to the first in that it had stairs to the, still in progress, third and final floor, even though it was only one set rather than two, as well as three branching paths. To the left and right were the guest quarters meant to house any high ranking guests that would visit, like if Celestia or Luna wanted to come, or some kind of dignitary. This was a castle after all and no doubt one day someone would come expecting such a thing. The center path though was special in that it leads to the throne room or what would have been it in the past, but now was the counsel room. Here were seats for everyone that Dustan trusted to be on his counsel as well as room for others to come and sit should they need to have a meeting.

“How come you don’t have many decorations like tapestries and such?” Sweet Belle asked him as he told her of the room.

“Oh honestly it's literally the last thing on the list to do. I rather get everything furnished, finished, and functioning before I think about fashion.” He told her honestly. The guest rooms were perhaps the exception so far as he had Rarity go about with those ahead of schedule so as not to offend any guests. When Dustan told Sweetie that she gave a simple ‘ohh’ as she now understood why their room was so fancy.

On the third floor were structures and half formed walls to show that it was still a work in progress but he still went about the tour as it was. He explained to her that the third floor, the final floor of the castle, was to be the bedrooms of those that lived in the castle permanently such as himself, Eden, Sturdy, Mystic, Tremor, and the rest. The human even made it a point that any ‘servant’ rooms were just as well off as they were just as important here as they helped keep the castle running smoothly.

Looking around though the filly unicorn asked. “This seems awfully small for a castle.”

“Indeed you would be right Sweetie.” Moving to the edge of the platform he pointed out several places form their height advantage above the trees. “This place was the main castle building before, and was a lot bigger, but since this is the main hub, I cut down on the size of the building and turned most of the castle into the courtyard. That is why the levels under the castle are SOOOO much bigger. We are still uncovering things in the basement; some are dangerous too that is why you need special clearance to go there.” Turning to look at her he got serious. “That is why no matter what you and your friends don’t go in there. Plus it's guarded. If I find out you all went in there without permission, I will revoke all rights and privileges that you girls have for all time here at the castle. That means future classes to learn things I can teach and more.”

Judging by how she gulped and nodded, he had made his point. Hopefully it would stick and he wouldn’t have to punish the girls. If it came down to it though, he would rather keep them safe and have them hate him rather than them get hurt. Dustan really, really, REALLY hoped they would listen. Only time would tell he supposed.

When dinner rolled around he actually got a surprise from Scootaloo as she ordered fish. Turned out the little filly loved the taste and like he had learned about, pegasus required some protean supplements to make sure they stayed healthy especially for their wings. The Squire really hoped it would work out and some day her wings would grow and fill out properly. As dinner finished up, he spotted them going to talk to Summer Breeze, the fellow completer of the Salve, who was currently talking to Zecora about things.

Shrugging it off, he had informed Zecora about the girls and to give them a proper course on spring etiquette since they were separated on both sides by male and female. Speaking of, he found his soak to be particularly relaxing, even going so far as to visit the Classroom without the aid of the music box and tried to interact with the stands. Nothing as of yet but he could feel he was getting closer. It was just a matter of concentration mixed with relaxation. It was an odd combination for sure and one that would seem not to work together well. No doubt this was one that the brown haired human would have to master in order to improve himself.

‘It is so close I can almost feel it.’ A hand reached out and passed through the armor before he sighed and stood up to go dry himself off.

Feeling better he made his way to the girl’s room to see if they had gotten back yet or if they were still washing. Turns out all the girls were there, as well as Zecora and Summer Breeze. Seems they were discussing something as he entered. “How did your bath go girls?”

“Ah thought it was so relaxing.” Apple Bloom said jumping up to her hooves.

Waving a hoof and looking off to the side the tiny pegasus waved it off. “Pfft it was alright.”

“Oh really?” Sweetie Belle poked her side. “What happened to ‘oh this feels so good, the aches from my wings are melting away.’?”

Instantly the filly blushed while all around her started to giggle though she was saved by Breeze speaking up. “Hey I know what you mean. My wings are really large so if I am hovering too much or using them for anything but long distance flying, they tend to ache something bad, so the springs are Celestia sent for sure.”

That was true; Summer Breeze was gifted with extraordinarily large wings, than again that might have been her parrot heritage. “I wish my wings were that big.” The filly sighed and grumbled as her friends patted her back.

“Little filly with wings so small.” Zecora started as she stretched out. “I am sure one day your wings will grow about the same time as you grow tall.”

“Was it like that for you Breeze?” The filly asked of the mare with such large wings.

The mare just chuckled nervously as she scratched at the side of her head with her hoof. “Actually for me it was the opposite problem in that my body was way too small for my wings, I had to grow into them rather than vice versa.”

Apple Bloom pushed a drawing she was working on over to Zecora as did Sweetie Belle while Scootaloo was busy having her crisis of wanting bigger wings. “Hmm the smith for armor might be your best bet, for something like that I couldn’t get.”

“Oh what are you girls drawing?” As he mentioned that Scootaloo remembered her own she was working on and handed it over as did the others.

“Oh we all had some really weird dream but, its kinda hard to describe you know?” Taking the pictures in hand he looked at them and chuckled.

“I know right? I just wonder what all those letters meant.” The off white unicorn asked as she held her chin with the frog of her hoof.

Summer Breeze laughed loudly at that and nodded. “I know what you mean; I had a strange dream not too long ago as well.”

“Dreams for the most part tend to be your mind processing information you got in the day, or trying to work out a problem you happened upon. Then again sometimes they are just random too.” Dustan looked down at the drawings now wondering what they were about, only to get a shock at what was there along with what was said next.

“Maybe, but what could I have seen to make me dream about a weird menu that needs something called JP.” Breeze wondered out loud.

Dustan could feel his blood run cold. “Ah know right, I had that same dream. There were these two stands with pony armor in my size on them.”

Scootaloo buzzed her wing. “All the Crusaders had the dream so we thought it might be connected to our cutie marks so we drew the outfits we saw and wondered if Zecora could make them.”

“Are you alright my friend? That color on your face and what you are wearing doesn’t blend.” The zebra obviously was talking about his pale coloration.

Sitting down he handed the girls back their drawings though kept the most detailed one at the moment. “That is a Squire outfit and the other is a chemist one. The place you visited in your dreams I call the Classroom.”

All eyes were now on him as he revealed that. “Wait, you know about that place?”

Looking at them he asked simply. “Brown and beige checkerboard pattern, light in a circle only so far where the stands reside? Pure darkness outside that ring but feels like there is something out there?” When all of them suddenly nodded wide eyed he chuckled and ran his fingers over his face to cover his eyes. “Jeez, I thought it was technically something special about me.”

“My friend it seems an explanation is in need. We are all curious so please do not make us plead.” All the mares in the room suddenly scooted closer, almost into his personal bubble.

‘Huh, a little over a year ago this would have made me clam up and become very self conscious with how close they are, guess I have made progress in lots of areas.’ Shaking the stray through from him he started to speak. “This is going to take a while, if someone wants to go get some snacks and drinks before we start, I suggest you do so.”

“On it.” With that Summer zipped out of a window down to the kitchen and coming back with an arms full of snacks and drinks before landing a few minutes later. “Ok we are good to go.”

Pouring himself a drink of soda, Dustan sighed as he leaned against his chair. “First the place you visited was the ‘Classroom’ as I like to call it. It is literally where my powers come from.” That got everyone in an uproar. “Calm down, I will explain further.” Once he was sure they were settled he continued. “As I said for a while I thought that was unique to me, but it seems I was mistaken. When you are there, you see representatives of a specific class and its skills via those armor stands. Each one has active or main skills, reaction skills, support, and movement abilities as well.”

They were all taking notes on this, especially the older mares. “Ok but what does that have to do with those JP things that we noticed when looking at those funky armors.”

“JP stands for Job Points.” Taking a sip of his drink Dustan closed his eyes. “Basically if you gain enough of those points you can literally purchase the skills from that class to use and it puts the info sorta directly into your head, though it’s up to you to really refine and figure out how to use them practically.” Taking out a piece of paper and an ink quill he began drawing. “As you gain more and more skills and more points in a specific job, you ‘level it up’ so to speak. This means that it grows stronger and stronger. As you do this you may meet the requirements to open up other job classes, jobs being those armor stands. Each job has its own abilities for you to master and learn. For me there were even some additional requirements, some of which I am still unsure of today what they were.”

“Wait…are you saying Ah could learn how to use magic like you?” The small earth pony asked with wide eyes. Those eyes grew even wider when he nodded. “OH MY GOSH!”

“However you should note, that this magic is…less variable then pony magic in that it is more restricted to what you can do.” Holding up one hand he would call out the Fire spell and made the flame appear in his hand. “Fire literally only does that, you have to learn control with it if you want to make it smaller or bigger, but other than that it pretty much will stay the same size and power. Same with others like Cure.” Letting the flame vanish he stood up. “For the most part, all of those abilities that are not main abilities are always active or only come out during certain circumstances. Beyond that though, it’s all about self training.”

As he started to walk out Apple Bloom called out to him. “How do I learn magic?”

“Follow the route of the chemist, try helping out Zecora a lot.” Looking back at her and the rest he spoke plainly and directly. “Black Mages use destructive magic and are clad in blue robes and a large brimmed hat. White Mage are their counterpart in that they use restorative magic to heal and protect others and are dressed in white robes. If you visit the Classroom and see those types of stands, it means the potential is within your reach.”

With that he left the room, both happy that others could learn these skills, but sad in that he was no longer unique in that sense.

After the little info sharing session, the weekend passed by and soon he knew his peaceful days with the crusaders were over, which was saying something considering all the bits of chaos they seemed to cause with every step. The first one to interrupt his days was Twilight and Applejack, with Rainbow Dash following suit almost five seconds after the two of them came into the bath he was currently taking.

“Look Ah don’t mean to cause a fuss but-” Applejack barely got those words out before Twilight interrupted her to take over.

The mane of the unicorn was mussed and out of place in many areas. “-What is all this talk about a classroom and armor and self learning abilities and, and, and-”

“Yo, I heard from Scoots that she could get magical powers and that technically anypony could no matter the species.” The speedster had barged into the conversation as quickly as she moved, which was saying something.

“Look Ah got here first and Ah want things cleared up. What is all this talk about Apple Bloom becoming a magister?” As the cowpony called that out the unicorn and pegasus of the group turned to her as Dustan used that chance to stand up and wrap himself in a towel.

Shaking her head quickly purple smart’s mane twanged a bit as it popped more out of place. “No, no, no, a magister is a pony who can use Harmonic magic. No, this would be something else, something that defies classification, something unknown and unprecedented.”

“I want to learn some cool magic as with some of what I seen Dustan can do; I know I can pull off some REALLY cool tricks if I learn some of that. I mean come on imagine me shooting flames from my wings as I-Eep!” Why the spectrum pony gave off the start is she suddenly found her wings pinned under Dustan’s arms.

Dustan then proceeded to grab Twilight the same way and just glared at Applejack which got her to move before him before they all found themselves outside the hot springs. “First: out…this is the men’s bath, mares aren’t allowed here. Second: you are VERY rude for interrupting my bath like this and start demanding things. Three: you ever think to just ask me and not demand like this?” With that he set the girls in his arms down and walked back inside to finish his bath.

Getting back to his bath he sighed as the water closed back around his body up to his neck. Dustan no longer felt this was a relaxing soak but now just stalling to give the girls time to calm down and get their shit together. Sighing in frustration, Dustan got up and went to dry off and get dressed before gathering his stuff and heading outside and looking at the three there now looking a bit sheepish.

“Follow me.” He simply said heading to his room in the barracks and pointing to a corner for them to be. “Applejack, you were first, so you may speak first. You two keep quiet till she is done then it will be your turn.”

The farm pony now looked a bit unsure of herself then before but soon mustered up the courage to speak. “Apple Bloom came home from her sleep over sayin’ things like, she will be able to learn magic and become a magister. Look Ah get it that it’s nice to let fillies and colts dream but it is not right to give them false hope as well.”

Sitting down and pouring himself a glass of water from the picture near his bed he gulped it down before looking at her. “I didn’t tell Apple Bloom a lie. With her learning my abilities, if she keeps at it and focuses enough she should one hundred percent be able to learn my type of magic.”

“Wait really?” Looking hard at the human she squinted as she spoke. “You aren’t just pulling my leg are you?”

“AJ if I wanted to pull your leg I would reach out and do it rather than just make up a fib.” The orange pony gave a simple ‘hmm’ before she backed off. “Twilight you are next, and if you go on a rant you will forfeit your turn.”

As she was called she started to open her mouth but closed it when she heard the stipulation about ranting and had to take a moment to compose herself even further before speaking. “Can you tell me exactly what you told the Crusaders. I think if I hear that I can properly make an assessment.”

“Alright.” Dustan motion for them to sit and started to explain to them exactly the same thing he told the fillies. The classroom, the armor stands, the menus, the JP points, the categories, and how they grow additionally. The human also mentioned to them that even if they do learn it, practice is still needed just like it was for him. “That about wraps it up.”

“Hmm I see.” Twilight had been writing down the entire conversation while he explained it so she had some pretty detailed notes. “So it seems that to unlock all this you need to learn something from the basis and then it seems to trigger these visions. At that point it seems like your unique brand of magic, or in the case of others, their magic syncs up with this place. What you may be describing is a synchronous event.”

“Going to have to explain that one Twilight.” Dustan told her simply as he took another sip of water.

“Basically a synchronous event happens when a pony’s magic hits a very unique and specific magical frequency and lines up with it perfectly. Usually it is another plane of existence’s magic, that is how some pony’s learn various magicks randomly or instinctively without training. It technically is also the basis of all cutie marks as all ponies are naturally in tune with harmonic magicks quite a bit so we are bound closer to it than others and it ends up expressing our talents on our flanks prominently.” That was actually very interesting to Dustan and it answered a question he always had, he would have to research that more in the future for sure.

However he did have to interrupt and ask. “Is that why all pony names are kinda similar to their talent?”

“There are many theories around that yes, but nothing concrete, wait how do you know about that research, as far as I know it is still a top secret project for high ranking magisters.” Cocking her head to the side in curiosity she now had another question for the human.

“Focus Twilight, we are talking about your question for what I told the fillies remember?” She gave him a look that all women across universes gave a guy, the look of ‘we will talk about this later’.

“Yes of course.” Moving back to lecture mode she continued. “So it seems like what is happening with you, and now others, is that you are syncing up with a particular plane of existences magic and its flooding you with specifics and knowledge about the magic while requiring some kind of toll. The JP situation you mentioned. From how you described it the Job Points, could be synonymous with the amount of effort you give while working with that particular Job correct?”

Letting it sink in for a moment he gave a nod. “Sounds about right, yeah.”

Giving a very bright smile to that, she grinned as she continued to explain. “Good so that means while the source alignment is Neutral magic, your specific brand of abilities come from this plane. This might bring about a whole brand of unique magic to ponies and all other species too.”

“And other abilities.” That made her raise her eyebrows at that so he would explain. “It teaches you other things too, like for a specific Job called Monk. None of that uses mana at all but I can perform things that seem like magic. If I were to guess it’s likely using something like Ki to do so.”

“Oh I know about that!” Dash suddenly called out and smiled. “I am a black belt you know and anypony worth their bits knows about Ki when you are a martial artist, but it’s always been a pipe dream. Are you saying that is real?”

Nodding and standing up he simply said. “Follow me.” As they all went outside he went to grab a stick that had been blown away from a tree into the courtyard. “Twilight, can you sense the use of, or have a spell that detects any kind of magic usage?”

“Sure, it’s not one I use often but I can cast it.” She started to charge up her horn and ask. “Would you like me to cast it on the area?”

“Yeah go for it.” She sent out a wave from her horn that went out in all directions, making the ground and walls glow showing their enchantments but otherwise only a few things were glowing on Dustan, and that were the gifts he got from Hearth’s Warming, like his gloves and the pendant he wore. “One moment.” Unhooking his gloves and taking off the pendant, since he wasn’t wearing his swords at the moment, he was left completely without magic now. “As you can see I am using no magic at the moment right?”

“Ok yeah, we can see that.” Dash spoke up saying what they were all seeing which was confirm by a consensus of nods as now that this field had gone up the guard started to walk up as well as they sensed a demonstration going on.

Stepping away a bit from them Dustan tossed the branch forward away from him, clearly away from reaching distance, then punched forward making the branch shatter much to the gasp of everyone nearby. “No magic, see.”

“How did you-” Twilight gasped as she just looked at the destroyed branch.

“Hmm.” Applejack hummed gently but said nothing.

It was Rainbow Dash that spoke up as she held the sides of her face. “THAT WAS SO COOL!”

Nods and looks at everyone around. “It might be possible for anyone to do that, given if they can pass the Salve test and then dedicate themselves to that specific training that would lead them to this path.”

With that most of the guards got back to training right away as Dustan used that as a motivator. “Ok so all I have to do is make some Salve, got it. I am going to go get a list of things I need from Zecora and some instructions, later!” Zipping off quickly the pegasus vanished from sight into the forest.

“I have some research to do on Synchronous Events. I don’t think there has been a documented report of any event being teachable to others. However I never delved too deep into that research so I will have to double check.” Twilight told him before vanishing in a teleport.

“Ah suppose Ah should goin’ as well. Ah have to apologize to Apple Bloom. Ah also want to see if Ah can do that fancy trick since its kinda the same as to what Ah already do with bucking apple trees.” With that Applejack also left.

“Later AJ.” As Dustan walked away he suddenly had a double take to where the pony was already out of the gate. “Wait what? Kinda the same?” Dustan wouldn’t get an answer to that question sadly.

Heart’s and Hooves day was here, and while the episode event seemed to have happened exactly the same as before…even to the point where Dustan sat in silence watching from a distance, he smiled as it didn’t go awry, nor did it interrupt the plans for what was happening at the castle. A big party and stage were all set up in the courtyard as well as the dining room, with the stage being in the courtyard of course.

Currently Dustan was in one of the temporary guard towers, until proper ones can be built, keeping watch and doing his share as individuals from Ponyville came and were getting ready to cut loose. To be fair to Dustan this felt more like a small fair or concert then a party so he didn’t feel as off about the crowd as he normally would have. Hearing a pony climb up the stairs the human gave a glance at the stairs. The pony was wearing a cloak something of the style that many of the Luminous Guard were now wearing, something obviously modeled after his own cloak, as well as the mare having the symbol of the guard. A circular badge with a lightning bolt in the middle of it with light rays shining from it and the reason for this was that many said he gave out inspiration and inspiration can strike like a lightning bolt.

“I came to relieve you sir.” The mare saluted to him as he stretched.

“Thanks. Most are coming in through the typical paths but I spotted a couple using one of the more westerly paths so give an occasional pass over other areas.” The mare nodded as he started to climb down.

The best part of the castle and buildings being refurbished or built from scratch was, everything was made to also house him for the most part, which meant he rarely had to duck at all to get into places around here. True that most ponies would normally have a hard time with larger doors like this but they were made with them in mind as well having a second door handle for all involved. It also made picking locks harder as all doors had a two key system and both would need to be unlocked in order to open things up.

Heading to his room now that he was off duty, Dustan slipped into his regular clothing, a pair of jeans and a simple long sleeved shirt and only took his cloak around him as well. It was a party so he didn’t think he would need his weapons or armor, as well as his pack nor his gloves or anything. Honestly the only thing he wore was the feather pendent and that was all.

“Oh hey Dusty, come here I want you to meet somepony!” It was Pinkie who shouted for him, or at least he assumed so as he was already being pulled towards something by a pink moving blur. When the world had stopped moving around him he heard the energetic voice of the earth pony once again speak. “Dusty, this is Vinyl Scratch, or as her stage name calls her: DJ Pon3.”

“Nice to meet you.” Looking down at the unicorn he remembered from the show, she was exactly the same. She was a pure white coat with a two tone electric blue mane with a double music note for a cutie mark on her flank. The only difference was she was wearing headphones around her neck with the ear pieces facing outwards away from her.

“~Hey there~” The voice shocked him, not because so many of the community assumed the dj was mute, but because of how it came out. It came out of the headphones around her neck. “~I love seeing that reaction from everypony. Let me guess, you thought I would either A: talk normally or B: not talk at all?~” When he nodded to both of those she gave a wide grin. “~I am the best DJ around not only cause I send out the best tracks but because of my specialty in musical magic. Since I was born mute I had to learn to speak in a different way, thus I manipulate sound and things that can produce them. I am so good at it I can even help others connect to the music of harmony.~”

“That…is actually really neat sounding. Hell, I wouldn’t mind trying that sometimes.” Dustan mused loudly to her.

“~Oh, got a Heart-Song in particular that is just dying to come out? Maybe it’s for somepony in particular hmm?~” The DJ wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she said that.

Shaking his head quickly then laughing Dustan smiled and told her the honest truth. “I am not affected like ponies are or it seems even other races for that matter. I seem to be really immune to The Music of Harmony. So if you can help others connect to it, I would like to see what it’s like normally for others.”

Nodding and crossing her arms in front of her as she did so the musician smiled. “~I can definitely get behind trying new things. I mean half the rumors about my trying this or that are true, though not really the locations where I tried them at. Most of the time it was just me doing my thing with a couple of friends.~”

‘Wait, did she just admit to trying drugs?’ Blinking a few times he would tell her. “I honestly haven’t heard any rumors. I tend not to listen to that type of stuff anyways. If I want the real story from someone I will ask them.”

Giving a pony clap, aka stamping her fore-hooves a few times in the ground she smiled. “~I like how you say someone, I really should use that more, but everywhere I play is nearly pony exclusive to it makes them feel better if I use somepony and the other things like that.~” A buzzing came from her headphones before she reached around to pull a cord up with a small display. “~Oh, looks like its preshow warm-ups for me now. I’m going to go hide now till the show officially starts to build anticipation. Later!~”

With a charge up on her horn she teleported away with a unique sound, one that made Dustan bust out laughing. “HAHA SHE TELEPORTS WITH A WUB HAHAHA!”

The festivities pretty much kicked off after that, the party getting in full swing, with even some liquor. Though after reading the label Dustan finally understood why the Hearth’s Warming gift from AJ packed no punch at all, plenty of flavor for sure, but no punch. Reading the bottle it said it contained only a little over twelve percent alcohol per volume. Dustan, while not an active drinker, knew from Patrick that the average per volume back on earth was in the upper thirty percent, close to forty percent on average.

‘Could also be the fact I am a heavy weight when it comes to drinking for some reason. I remember Pat complaining one time he took me to get hammered how much he had to spend to get me there and that it would never happen again. Good times, not that I can remember that night at all.’ Putting the pony liquor back on the table, he left to go to the stage with the many chairs in front of it, as it sounded like the preshow was starting.

The human was fine standing in the back as with how tall he was Dustan knew that it would block someone’s view, so when one of the guard tried to find him a better view he declined saying that he was one of the tallest here, and his vision was much better then ponies so he had no problems seeing. There were V.I.P. seats though as he could see the Mane Six, along with Spike and even Zecora all in the front. Off to the side he could make out the different colors of his friends Eden and Sturdy were near the middle, Mystic was talking with Violet Glow off to the side no doubt talking magic stuff. Tremor was with Steel having made their way finally to the drink table and were laughing heartily, Boko and Maya he knew were sent to Zecora’s hut so the loud music wouldn’t scare them. That just left a few individuals that were scattered here and there.

‘Ahh Scale made it, good to see her getting out of her office. Merlene I believe is on the scout tower over there. Oh Breeze is with her, wonder what they are chatting about. Fading Dawn, called for the last couple of days off.’ Thoughts of the many standouts of his home were cut short as the preshow got off to a great start.

Loud music, booming base, hell even Octavia showed up to have a good time doing a piece that was classical yet not stuffy enough for a piece in a concert. It was nice. However it was after that show that the stage transformed. Before it was held together by enchanted gold for stability as well as light burnished wood, but soon light slowly surged over it. All the gold changed to a silver coloration and the light wood almost blackened to asphalt coloration. Hidden doors popped open as speakers were lifted, new lights came down or were brought up and there was even a giant screen. It all came up before the DJ and her large Magi-digital, or as he would learn later it was called Magital, turntable set up with her hooves thrown up in the air.

Bringing her hooves down when the set up was complete her voice called out from the speakers. “~HELLO EVERYONE!~” He was personally glad to hear her say everyone for all the species here, felt like he had influenced things in a good way, even just a tiny bit for that to happen. “~You know, when I came to Luminary Castle, I thought this play would be literally shining, instead I found a really dark colored stone castle. It wasn’t till I met individuals here that I realized it’s you all that give this place its name, and you should all be proud.~”

‘Really hamming it up, but its fine, everyone is loving it.’ The crowd was eating it up too from all the cheering.

“~When I was contacted about this place, I thought, Buck a castle gig, that is going to be boring and more Tavi’s place of expertise.~” That got a round of chuckles and laughter along with some well meaning jeers from the audience. “~But it’s clear as Celestia’s Sun and Luna’s Moon that you all are nowhere close to being those snooty Canterlot ponies. That is why I love you all!~” Again another round of applause as someone bringing around drinks came and asked Dustan if he wanted something, which he gladly took up. “~So here is what is going to happen. The first set I will play will be a nice warm up for me before I pull out my big guns and then a surprise that I hope will arrive. Anyways let’s do this!~”

The first couple of songs were bumping club songs without a doubt, of which he was glad that everyone had thought ahead to make a dance area off to the sides of the seats for those individuals who couldn’t contain themselves and had to. Overall Dustan wasn’t much of a dancer in general let alone a club dancer so he was content to just tap his foot to the beat and nod his head as well as occasionally getting another drink and some snacks from the various tables around. If the show was just this, with the preshow before and all the stands and what not, the party would have been a success.

But it wasn’t done at all. “~Alright, my first set is done, give me ten minutes and we will be right back with my big surprise for tonight.~” Putting the table on a playlist she got up and lit her horn.

With that she wubbed away and many ponies got up to stretch and get refreshments for those that didn’t want to get up and lose their seat. “I must say, though I am not a party thrower, if this were to become a regular thing I could see myself becoming a regular party go’er.”

Turning to meet the rhythmic tones of another mare he knew he smiled. “I know. I honestly didn’t think it would be as good as it was. I mean I figured it would be good, but it was better then what I had expected.”

He noticed Zecora’s eyes dip down to his drink as she tilted her head. “First glass of the night to help you get loose? Careful now, do not drink it like its juice.”

Leaning close he smiled. “This won’t get me drunk trust me. My people create much more potent liquor then this by about three times. Not to mention I could drink quite a lot before getting drunk on that stuff.”

The Zebra’s eyes went wide at that little bit of info. “Truly were you such a drinker in your homeland? Surely you drank water with it and had it planned?”

Shaking his head he chuckled. “Never needed to. That and there were times when I wanted to get drunk, mostly cause my friend wanted me to. See that bottle over there?” She would follow his pointing hand to the bottle in question. “It would take about three of those for me to get drunk. I am guessing with that amount of liquor, most of the ponies here would be at least tipsy right?” Seeing her nod he laughed. “Guess I shouldn’t ever compete in a drinking contest, wouldn’t really be fair. Guess humans are made of sterner stuff in this department.”

The lights around the stage started to change color now, stropping in an RBG pattern now which likely meant one thing. “Seems like I better go get a good seat once more. Who knows, maybe if the music is good enough I will show my stuff on the dance floor.”

With that she left him to go back to her seat, she even had a bit of a wiggle to her hips and tail. ‘Guess she really is enjoying herself.’

The stage once more started to change not a minute later this time the silver being twisted with gold and the light and dark patterns of the wood being a checkerboard pattern on the ground. More platforms rose up and it turns out that Octavia’s orchestra was now taking the stage with Vinyl’s set up.

“~Hello everyone, did you miss me!~” DJ Pon3 asked as she appeared with a wub back on stage with Octavia at her side, of which she got a cheer for sure that could be heard in Ponyville. “~Glad to hear it. For my next set, the big set of the night, my fiancé here will help me out and give you a nice mix of both my down and dirty style along with her classy and clean style.~”

‘Oh, well guess that confirms a popular ship from my world, good for them.’ A round of applause came out for the mixture though Dustan clapped for them in particular for many reasons.

“~Tavi, while I would love to have you here by my side I know your place is down there with them, so go on mare, go on before I can’t control myself and show these good folk some PDA.~” It was easy to tell that it was all an act as ‘Tavi’ rolled her eyes and giggled lightly, or what he assumed was a giggle from how her face and ears showed since he couldn’t actually hear anything from up there. “~Alright here we go! EVERYONE GIVE US A COUNTDOWN OF TEN!~”

With Octavia in place, the crowd gave her what she wanted, a giving a countdown which culminated to a wild fusion of classical and dubsteppy goodness that shouldn’t normally be possible. ‘Damn adorable ponies and their magical music, haha. So many song writers and music artists would kill for the abilities that ponies had when it came to music.’

Despite his reluctance to go to the dance floor he could still feel his body sway to the music and it seems he wasn’t the only one as Dustan could see various ponies both on and off the dance floor shaking their stuff. The mix of styles was going very well, so much so that he found himself wishing the technology of his world was around to capture it for replaying at a later time. The set couldn’t last forever, no matter what some ponies wanted though and soon it came to an end as a round of clapping could be heard.

Vinyl let the crowd calm own before her synthesized voice echoed over the speakers again. “~And now I bet you are all thinking, what could beat a set like that. Truthfully I am not even sure myself but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what follows up with it and if it rocks us to our cores then all the better. Now if you all remember earlier I said that the set I just played with some very lovely assistance was part of the big set then I have something I hope I will arrive. Well this is that moment, you see the thing that I hoped would arrive was a special guest that would come up onto stage and sing for us. They truthfully have been here the whole time and now is the time when I hope they will take up our call and grace us with some singing. Dustan, you mind showing us what humans can rock out with?~”

A spotlight was suddenly shown on him and it honestly made him jump as he had not expected it in the least. Problem was that with everyone clapping, in their own ways, he found it hard to say no as he proceeded up onto the stage and waved at everyone that he could see. The crowd apparently thoroughly enjoyed the idea of him getting on stage.

“~Now Dustan, I have done my research and it seems that pretty much the only thing any of us know about humans is what one Twilight Sparkle has researched on you by actually talking to you and examining you. Not going to lie makes me a bit jealous that she got such juicy information about you that no one else knows.~” For a moment Dustan could feel his ears burn at the thought of someone implying things as well as being jealous of those implied things, only to have the synthesized voice start to laugh. “~I of course am talking about how your people make music. So when we talked before the show about how you in particular were immune or at least resistant to the Music of Harmony, that confirmed what I had heard. You see everyone; his people write and experiment to make their music the best that can without aid. Now I am really curious what kind of music can come from that so I hope you will treat us.~” Dustan opened his mouth to tell her something but it seems she knew exactly what he was going to say and held up a hoof. “~Oh and before you ask how I will get your music, it’s simple. Using my power over music and even delving a bit into the Music of Harmony, I can connect you to others, meaning it won’t affect you but will affect the music others will be feeling to play. In other words, remember the song and we can play it.~”

“Oh, that is actually pretty cool.” It seems as if the round of applause that Vinyl got from that statement agreed as well. “So where do I stand?”

Vinyl showed him a circle with a mic placed in it. Said circle had lines radiating all around it that ended in circles all around various band members and such, though there was an extra thick one that went to the DJ herself likely to show she was the source. Moving over there he took a look down and around, saw Vinyl still needed a moment to get set up so he thought he would talk.

“Alright, seems our wonderful DJ here had done the correct leg work and found out about me. Yeah it’s true.” The human told them all as he smiled as he took hold of the mic. “Humans make our own music via hard work and imagination. We create it whole cloth from the words to the music which takes time and effort to say the least. So if this does work as intended I will be able to bring you some music from my lands. I hope you all enjoy it.”

The circle around the mixer table soon lit up as Vinyl lit up her horn in a hot pink glow that filled the ring and line that ran to him. Honestly the moment it lit up his ring he felt…well the only closest words Dustan could use to describe it would be a tingle, before the lines soon went to the band.

‘So think the music and it shall happen. Ok then lets do this.’ Right away he thought of the song he wanted to share and got a response.

One of the band members near a mic right away got up and went to it before laughing out loud. “~HAHAHAHAHAHAH!~”

‘Perfect.’ Dustan thought as he picked up the vocals right away. “~Feel good.~” Then the base line hit.

The music definitely was different for sure, but not bad, in fact many started to dance to it half way through the song, and while she would have liked to join, Pinkie was making sure that all her friends kept nice and hydrated as well with snacks. Hoofing out a cupcake she made note of all her friends reaction to this ‘Feel good’ song that Dustan was playing.

Twilight was being…well Twilight in that she seemed to be thinking on something as the song played. Rarity seemed like she could appreciate the hard work put into the music but it was clear this song wasn’t to her taste of which Applejack seemed to be of a similar mind to her in, which was funny considering their normally opposing tastes. Rainbow Dash seemed to be enjoying it as she was bobbing her head up and down to it and even singing along to some parts as it seemed the Music of Harmony was spilling off the stage a bit for her. Even more surprising was Fluttershy’s reaction as she was actually full out dancing in front of her chair to the music, which got a giggle from the pink pronking mare.

Soon though, the song came to an end to a grand round of applause showing the hit that everyone thought it was; that is when it hit: her Pinkie Sense. ‘Oh what is this one, let’s see, hmm scratchy ear, twitchy eye, and a small pinching in my frog. That would mean: OH NO. One or more ponies are about to be very sad.’

“~Not going to lie, that was pretty jammin’ if I do say so myself.~” The DJ called out when the song ended to the whistles of various individuals in the crowd. “~However this is kinda the wind down Dustan and it is Hearts and Hooves day. Humans have love songs right? Care to share one with us?~”

The cloak wearing human seemed a bit taken back by that request as he waved his hand at that. “N-no thanks, I am good. Love songs have never been my forte.”

It seems the music pony took that as a challenge as her horn lit up with her hot pink magic. “~That is why I am here. Assisting with the power of music is my specialty, now here you go, one heart song for love heading straight to you.~”

“Wait a se-” Holding out his hands as if to physically stop what was about to happen it was clear that the human wasn’t ready for the effects as it caused him to gasp loudly.

Pinkie however saw more and that for some reason Vinyl’s horn flared up for a moment before it died down completely as she herself gasped. Even more so was the lines on the stage still seemed to be glowing. Dustan soon put his hood up as he turned towards the stage, masking his face in darkness completely as a somber and mellow violin and guitar was starting to sound.

It was impossible to tell what was on Dustan’s face emotion wise as the song began. “~Wind, and my heart swimming in collected words. Moved by the wind, in through the world.~” Dustan’s voice, it was clear it was full of emotion from the very start, but something was off. Clearly there was love there but something else. “~Clouds, like a voice that we all recognize. Carry the holding future.~”

All across the courtyard various individuals were pairing up as it seems that the love in the words carried over causing those already close to start drifting together to cuddle up with one another. Part of Pinkie was ecstatic that ponies, as well as various other species, were getting along together as it reminded her of the Cakes. The problem was that underlying tone and judging from the faces on everyone in the crowd, none seem to pick up on it.

Dustan was holding the mic with one hand and the stand with the other as he continued the song. “~Moon, on the sky as a trembling heart, shown on the glass unsteadily. Stars, shedding tears into an overflowing stream. I see the night all around me.~”

Truthfully Pinkie could see where this was a love song for sure, the emotions written in the words was kinda like love in that it seem to be fragile and almost intangible with how light it was but easily could change into other emotions. She silently wondered if Gummy ever thought as deeply about things like this but giggled at the thought. The song started to pick up now and that called her attention back to the stage.

As the human spoke all got a surprise in that his next line wasn’t entirely in Equish. “~Suteki Da Ne. Being together, all alone walking hand and hand.~”

There was the love part that everyone was waiting for, the couples listening and holding close to each other were now swaying softly to the music and had their eyes closed, just feeling things. Pinkie really wished she could enjoy the music but she kept scanning the crowd, somepony was sad somewhere and she wanted to help them out. Sadly though she couldn’t spot whoever it was that needed the help.

“~And I want to, go to your city. To your home, into your arms.~” Dustan had not moved really at all as he sung, keeping in place as he held the mic close. “~That soul, inside your body. From those conflicted nights, as from my dreams.~”

A beautiful violin was heard breaking through the music now taking over the lead as no vocals could be heard. Looking over to her friends she spotted the emotion on each of their faces. Twilight surprisingly had stopped with the thoughtful look as if she was examining something and instead seemed to be in the moment just listening. Rarity was misty eyed from the emotion and love in the words. Applejack had her eyes closed and seemed to be lost in a memory and a powerful one at that if the tears running down her face were any indication. Was she the sad pony, maybe but it didn’t look like she needed help. Rainbow Dash had a mix of emotions on her face that made it really hard to tell what she was thinking to be fair so Pinkie didn’t really try at the moment since none were obvious sadness. Fluttershy seemed almost memorized by the words seemingly similar to how Twilight was feeling and just experiencing the song for what it was.

The violin calmed down as did the song, pulling her attention back to the stage as it seems the vocals were back this time so full of emotions that it was almost choking the voice of the singer itself. “~Wind died away, and I feel all the words. Led by a gentle illusion.~”

‘Is Dusty the one sad?’ The thought seemed to strike true as thought it was dark and only the stage had any lighting, there was a flicker of light that barely illuminated the human’s face for a fraction of a second but it was enough for Pinkie to see. ‘He’s crying.’

The flash of light seemed to be missed by all as his face was obscured by darkness once more. “~Clouds are the future that cannot be attained. Told from impossible distance.~” Pinkie wanted to run up to him now that she knew but she found that no matter what she wanted she couldn’t move. Looking all around almost desperately she realized that Vinyl had made a mistake. She connected his heart to the Music of Harmony alright and now they were all in the grips of his heart song. “~The moon filled with night as it flowed through your heart. Such faraway reflections. Stars, ripe like tears, like fruit falls from a tree. I wipe my dreams off the nighttime.~”

The music seemed to swell once more and the pink party pony could feel her hair drooping as it did so. ‘Please stop.’ It wasn’t for what she was feeling, but for what he was feeling.

It didn’t stop though. “~Suteki Da Ne. Being together, all alone walking hand and hand.~” The emotions seemed to be getting to many, as some couples were displaying gentle affection with nuzzles, some soft kisses, and hoof/appendage holding. “~And I want to go to your city. To your home, into your arms.~” Dustan’s form while not wavering seemed to lose some strength for a moment before it recovered. “~To feel your face. The touch of memory. And now that I awake. As from a dream.~”

The violin and guitar took the music away as it wound down. ‘Thank Celestia it’s over. Now I can go make sure he is ok.’

She started to stand up but was cut off as the voice of the singer himself once more spoke, now no longer bound by music. “T-thank you everyone for coming, but I think that is it for me. I am a bit partied out so I am heading off, sleep well all.”

The hooded human slowly made his way off stage as the DJ spoke up as well with a bit of interference with her voice. “~T-to be fair I think that is it for me as well. You all have been great and I am sure that those who take over playing the night down will be great. Have a good night.~” Vinyl seemed to try to magic her way off stage but it seemed her concentration wasn’t on point so instead he galloped off stage. What was more Octavia seemed to quickly follow with a look on her face.

Free to move about, Pinkie quickly excused herself from her friends and went to go find Dustan. It seemed she wasn’t alone as well as the striped pony that she once called an enchantress was running along with her. Neither of them said anything as they looked for where Dustan had gone. When they couldn’t find anything they asked if any pony had seen him.

One pony at the craft and drinks table had indeed seen him. “Oh yeah, weirdly he grabbed a whole bottle of the booze and quickly went away. I thought it was a bit rude of him to hog it but it’s his castle so I suppose he can do whatever you know?” When Pinkie asked the pony which way he went, the pointed to the barracks, currently where Dustan’s room lay.

Both of them galloped over and were surprised to find an already empty bottle dropped outside of the Lord of the Everfree’s door. “Do you think we should-”

She never got to finish asking her question of Zecora though as the sound of loud crying could be heard coming from inside. Someone who was suffering beyond what any words or comfort could give. The message was clear, they couldn’t help this. They couldn’t take away his hurt nor comfort him. They could do nothing. All they could do, was listen to the heartbreak of one human.

Author's Notes:

Sorry if the end of this chapter was a bit of a downer, but there is a reason for it.

Edit (2/28/2020): The previous version of Suteki Da Ne which was the main song that was sang, the cover of it was pulled from youtube and it wasn't until recently that the person who did it before rereleased a version of it that 'SHOULDN'T' get pulled. There were a word or two here that was changed and I did reflect that in the story by changing them. Also added ~~ to any part that was being sung. Thank you and hope you all enjoy. Please give your love and support to the artist that covered the song as it was beautiful.