”-so there I was, just looking at all those clothes and, OH MY GOSH, were they amazing! Then Rarity showed me how she made them and at first it was really awkward but then we started talking and-”

Oh. My. God. She. Just. Won't. Shut. Up.

After the lesson of basic Equestrian was disturbed by our local Dancer(You should know who by now), Eve and I went for a walk. Pretty great, huh?

No. No it's not.

Want to hear the real kicker?

Elie decided to follow us and then began fussing about her stay with Rarity and how amazing it was, or something like that. I pretty much blocked out everything she said, since, you know, most of it is girl stuff anyway. And not just girl stuff, overly girly stuff. Not that I have anything against that. It's just... You know. Not something that interests me.

”-and then she complimented my choice of clothing! I was so happy-”

Is she still talking? Holy hell! Does she have to air skate in front of us and do ridiculous swirls while talking our ears off?

”-it was so cool! I mean, I knew my hat looks amazing, but I never thought of it like that-”

An off-switch! Does she have one?

…

I am letting this get to me way too much... That is so unlike me...

I glance next to me and see Eve faring no better. She is visibly pressing down her ears with her hands in an attempt to muffle it and looking quite uncomfortable. Guess Elie is too busy with her musings to notice.

I could try to tell Elie to shut up for a few seconds... Notice how I used the word 'try'? I tried to tell her to stop. Four times to be exact. She just seems to block out all the outside stimulation and set her own brain to babble-mode.

It lean closer to the white diamond dog and ask silently, but audibly ”You feeling okay?”

The only answer I get is a light nod followed by a light shake of the head... What am I supposed to make of that? Yes? No? Maybe, with a side dish of HELP-ME sauce?

"-and then I was like, 'd'awwwwww'! I mean Rarity's little sister is just the cutest. Thing. Ever! Her name is Sweetie Belle and she and her friends even have a club-"

Ignoring Elie once more, I look around and see that we have been walking towards what I believe is Sweet Apple Acres, the apple farm that Applejack and her family keep...

Something just began to form in my mind. A plan. I glance at Elie briefly and notice that she is not looking our way. I give the diamond dog by my side a small shush, signaling her to be quiet and quickly grab Eve and pull her behind a nearby tree. Despite my signal she let's out a small yelp. My bad.

“-and then she said that she'd makes something special for me to pick up later. Doesn't that sound... Huh?” Elie must have noticed her lack of followers. “Wha- They ditched me!? That is so uncool!”

A cloud of dust rose as Elie dashed to the direction which we came from, and damn, was she fast! She was like a bullet train. I could faintly hear something along the lines of “When I see them...!”, or something like that.

I waited a few of seconds, read: half a minute, before I took a peek behind the tree to see if she was gone. I saw absolutely no trace of the Dancer. I sigh in relief

“I can't believe that actually worked.”, I say, mostly to myself... I also just noticed that I've held Eve rather tightly... Against my chest... Awkward... I let go of Eve who, by this point, was stiff as a rock and red as a tomato. I could swear that even her tail had stiffened straight.

”Heh.”, I let out a nervous laugh ”Sorry about that.”

“N-no, is- it's okay...Sorry.”, She whimpers sadly. She really does make it sound as if it was her fault. Poor thing.

I simply can't have that. I look around for... Something. There really wasn't anything specific in my mind. I just let my gaze wander for a few seconds... And I think I know how to raise her spirits a bit.

“Follow me.”, I gesture her, to which she complies to. I walk over to a nearby apple tree and take a seat under it's branches. I gesture Eve to do the same, which she, again, did obediently. "No just sit there and relax."

I then opened one of my zipper and pulled out the violin Orchestra gave me. I took a second to marvel it's unique shape before setting it under my theoretical chin. I then used my other hand to pull out the bow and closed the zipper to the Void. And then, I took a calm breath and just started playing a completely improvised piece.

I just began with a single note and let the music guide my way, my bow creating a note after another. It was slow paced and serene in it's own right. So fresh, just like a winter breeze.

It took me a while to realize that this was not completely from the top of my head. The piece sounded very similar to the one I gave my former viola instructors. Man, the looks of utter bafflement and spite on their faces when I improvised a decent piece of music on the spot, something they couldn't manage. It was so worth getting the boot. So worth it.

Funny. Something that actually upset me back then is so amusing now. Maybe it's because I'm older now and I know better... Nah. I'm just totally enjoying their ridicule, given by yours truly.

I break out of my zone to glance at Eve. To my great satisfaction she is humming and swaying along with the music, eyes closed and wearing a very welcome smile. The sight made me play a bad note(If you know them, then you know they are absolutely obnoxious). She noticed and opened her eyes. The moment she saw me looking her way she looked obviously embarrassed and turned her eyes to the grass. I don't even try to hide my hearty chuckle and position my bow better.

I play for a few more minutes for my own enjoyment, though I believe Eve liked it as much as I did. I finally end with a long high note before resting the instrument on my lap.

A brief silence fills the air around us.

”That was... Pretty... I l-liked it.” Eve remarked meekly. If anyone could actually see, I would be sprouting the most satisfied grin possible.

Mission success.

”Glad to hear it.”, I say and tuck the violin and bow back into the Void. ”Music is a beautiful thing. A good way to express yourself. Really calming too.” I, of course, listed the reasons why I personally loved music, but it did not stop it from being any more true.

”What do you think?”, I ask Eve, my question surprising her. She is really transparent. I can see her hesitation clearly as day. It takes some time, but she eventually spoke up.

”W-well, I-” She stopped mid-sentence for some reason. I saw her eyes dilate and her ears move erratically.

”Is something wr-”, I was interrupted by a certain diamond dog tackling me down. It really took me by surprise. ”Wha-”

*THUNK*

What I heard and saw really silenced me. On the spot on the tree where my head was just seconds prior was now sticking out some kind of weapon that distantly resembled me of a frisbee. It had sunk deep into the tree. A scary thought came to me.

That thing would have lopped my head right off... Eve had just saved my life.

”GODDAMNIT!”, I hear a yell from a distance, along with audible profanity. ”A fluke. That is all that was, you hear! Just a ditzy-doozy, zappflappin' FLUKE!”

Then, from behind some trees walks out a thin humanoid form that is cloaked in orange Arabic-like clothing. It's skin was black and two yellow eyes glared out from under it's distinctive head ware. I quickly rose up. I knew exactly what I was looking at.

Soul Fragment discovered

Type: Lunar Bandit

Classification: Heartless

Represents: Lunacy

Status: Enemy

“Now, who is ready to meet the undertaker? I hear funeral services are bitchin' cheap this time of the year!”, The Lunar Bandit yelled out with more volume than necessary. Then he laughed. It was the laugh of a true maniac. Next Chapter: VS Lunacy Estimated time remaining: 9 Minutes