BiE 35: Lines in the Sand.


                                            =BiE 35=


                                            -Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkl9czuNplk&feature=related-

                                            >Twas the night before Winter Wrap Up and all through the town, not a creature was making one tiny sound.

                                            >"Fucking hell."

                                            >Except for one guy.

                                            >He had just dropped off his special somep0ny after a night out.

                                            >"I have lived here for three months, I should not be this lost."

                                            >A voice comes from the alley nearby."Oh, you're more lost then you think."

                                            >The guy is on alert now. Voices in the dark are never good.

                                            >"What if I told you that I could help you?" it asked.

                                            >Cloaked ponies step out from the alley.

                                            >Behind them is their leader. A blue unicorn. "What if I told you I could send you home?" she said.

                                            >The guy was wise to what she was doing.

                                            >"I'd ask what you'd want in return."

                                            >The unicorn chuckled. "Oh, I just need some help in busting out my...patron. He was put away for a while and I could use someone with your...abilities...in getting him back."

                                            >The guy was still on edge.

                                            >"And what would you do once this 'patron' of yours was free?"

                                            >The unicorn flips her hair back. "After we help you? Oh, we just want to have a little fun..."

                                            >The guy relaxed a bit.

                                            >The idea raced through his head.

                                            >"Okay. Shoot..."


                                            -The next day-

                                            >The sun was out, and so were the three of you.

                                            >You adjusted your vest a bit. Rarity had done a good job, it was pretty snug.

                                            >Rainbow was letting you lead her along again and Mous was walking in front of you.

                                            >You noticed something hanging off the back of his belt. "C'mon, dude. What'd you bring David for?"

                                            >He glances over his shoulder at you. "Because we're on the animal team? And there are bears and shit out there?"

                                            >Typically paranoid.

                                            >You spot Cloudchaser flying waving at you from up high.

                                            >"That's my cue." Rainbow says. She flies in front of you and gives you a quick peck. "Good luck you two." she says before she rockets off.

                                            >You and Mous enter into the town square and find Twilight directing ponies near a large cart.

                                            >"Hey Twi, we're here to help. Where do you need us?" Twilight gives her clipboard a once over. "Fluttershy is coaxing animals out in the southern fields, think you two can lend a hand?"

                                            >You both throw off a salute and head south.


                                            >You found Fluttershy and her team spread out through a collection of burrows in the fields.

                                            >Most of the dens had little bells affixed to them that got the animals out.

                                            >"Hey Fluttershy, need a hand?" you ask.

                                            >Fluttershy turns to you. It was good to see her smiling. "Oh yes, there's lots to do. Do you to think that you could handle the animals on that hill over there?"

                                            >You two head over to the hill and look over the dozen or so dens. "Guess we just start?" you ask.

                                            >Mous shrugs and makes for the first den. He has his hand over his knife. "Hello? Mister or Missus Hopefully-not-a-honey-badger?"

                                            >You begin clearing out the animals from the other dens as you giggle at Mous's antics.

                                            >The two of you make decent time clearing out the hovels. "Hey, man." you say.

                                            >"Huh?" you hear Mous grunt as he backs out of a den.

                                            >"Did you want to grab Lotus and head out someplace tonight? Double date?"

                                            >Mous gets a far off look in his eye and sits on the ground. "Y-yeah. Sure."

                                            >"You okay dude?" you ask. This wasn't like him.

                                            >He waves his hand. "I'm fine just...never had a date with other people before."

                                            >You give him a pat on the shoulder. "Not worries man, we can keep it cool."

                                            >You dive back into the nearest den. "Yeah...cool." you hear Mous say.


                                            >The day wore on and the two of you got every single critter out for Spring.

                                            >You were tired, covered in dirt, and a bit wet. But you felt good.

                                            >You spotted Rainbow up above.

                                            >She must have spotted you too, because she dropped out of the sky and flew in for a kiss.

                                            >"No! No!" you shout as you try and hold her back. "I'm covered in filth and smell like a barn."

                                            >She boops your nose. "You're paying me back later..."

                                            >Of that you had no doubt.

                                            >You all gathered round the Mayors podium to hear her speak. "Congratulations, everyp0ny! Not only have we wrapped up winter, but have done so in record time!"

                                            >The thunder of hooves echoed through the town in cheer.

                                            >Wait, where was Mous?

                                            >"It is with great honor that I declare winter over...

                                            >A firework launched off from behind the podium interrupting the Mayor.

                                            >"...and declare it now..."

                                            >The firework exploded and ended the mayors sentence for her.

                                            >And then everything else exploded.


                                            -Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cWbLagjxbA-

                                            >The first explosion caused the crowd to panic.

                                            >The second caused them to stampede.

                                            >Or, they tried to.

                                            >Unicorns at the edge of town appeared and fired magical bursts into the air.

                                            >It did an effective job of corralling the already frightened townsponies back into the square.

                                            >You could feel Rainbow trying to pull out of the deathgrip you had her in and fly up high.

                                            >No way. Not with those fireworks going off.

                                            >Eventually, the explosions died down and the panicking crowed was pushed back in front of the stage.

                                            >Your eyes drifted to the stage and saw a group of hooded ponies trot onto it.

                                            >One stepped forward and looked over the chaos in front of her before pulling back her hood.

                                            >Blue unicorn. Light blue hair.

                                            >"Listen, Ponyville! Listen to your better!"


                                            -Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUYpsOcLxLA-

                                            >A collective gasp washed over the crowed.

                                            >"Trixie!" Rainbow shouted.

                                            >Who's Trixie?

                                            >"Come and bear witness to the word of Chaos!" Trixie shouted.

                                            >Twilight pushed her way through the crowed.

                                            >She looked pissed. "Trixie! What are you doing here? This seems a bit beyond you."

                                            >Trixie tossed her hair back. "Well, well, Twilight Sparkle. We meet again..."

                                            >Twilight stomps her foot on the ground. "This is no time for grudges, Trixie! What are you doing here?"

                                            >"Why, simply spreading The Word!" she cries out. "Don't tell us that you have not seen our followers in your tiny town these past months! They have preached the word of Chaos well and drawn many to our cause!"

                                            >'Word of Chaos'? These ponies were a cult?

                                            >One of the ponies behind Trixie stepped forward, flanked by the other two.

                                            >Her hood fell and revealed a purple mare.

                                            >The eyes of which were pried open in a maddened gaze, showing the impossible spirals inside.

                                            >The Holy Mother was the start of this movement, and it is with Her that we shall release the King!" Trixie continues.

                                            >"You don't mean!?" Twilight gasped.

                                            >"Yes!" Trixie said. "We're going to free Discord!"

                                            >Another gasp washed over the crowd. "Free Discord?!" Twilight shouted. "Do you know what that will do,!?"

                                            >Trixie scoffed. "Free the world from the false 'order' that those Princesses in Canterlot enforced? For too long have they been holding us back! It is time that Chaos reigned once again!"

                                            >Twilight scrapped her hoof along the ground. "I'm not gonna let you free Discord, Trixie..." she growled. "Just try and stop me." Trixie laughed.

                                            >A beam of purple magic shot from Twilight's horn towards Trixie.

                                            >The beam stopped short of Trixies face and splashed over the stage behind her.

                                            >It was blocked.

                                            >By a hand.


                                            >You couldn't believe what you were seeing.

                                            >You knew you were seeing it, but it didn't make sense.

                                            >"Mous!?" you called out.

                                            >Mous's eyes met yours. They were colder then ice. "Anon." he said.

                                            >"What the hell are you doing, man!? Why are you helping this psycho?" you cried out as you elbowed your way closer.

                                            >Mous climbed up onto the stage and glanced at Trixie. "We made a deal." he said.

                                            >What!? Deal?

                                            >"For what!? She's gonna give you more figures? Or new boots!? What could possibly be wor-"

                                            >"I want to go home, Anon!"

                                            >Mous stood hunched over on the stage. His face contorted by fury into something grotesque. "I want to go home. I want my family back. I want my LIFE back!" he shouted.

                                            >"So you made a deal with some crazy cult!? Mous, we have a spell that can get you home, just-"

                                            >"NO! It took you three goddamn months to even get this far and what do you have to show for it!? How many things could go wrong and delay you another six month or a year? They have a spell that can send me home NEXT WEEK. All they want is help with something."

                                            >This made no sense...

                                            >"Mous...Discord will turn this place into a hellhole! You can't condemn an entire kingdom, an entire PLANET to that just to send you home!"

                                            >Mous gave you a glare that looked like it could blast a hole back to Earth by itself.

                                            >He turned to Trixie. "Get us out of here."

                                            >Trixie nodded and cast a spell that made white smoke explode from under the stage.

                                            >"Mous!" you cried out as you fought through it.

                                            >You reached the stage as the smoke cleared to find no one on it.

                                            >Mous was gone.


                                            -Mous PoV-

                                            >You followed Trixie down the alley.

                                            >She said she had a carriage stashed back here that you could use to slip away.

                                            >The rest of the town should be too distracted by the smoke bombs to follow.

                                            >Everything was working out.

                                            >Help these assholes, get what they want, and then.

                                            >Paydirt.

                                            >Your new friends darted around a corner.

                                            >You were about to follow when something stopped you.

                                            >"Mous..."

                                            Dammit. Not now.

                                            >You turned around.

                                            >Lotus stood in the alley behind you.

                                            >"Mous..." she said.

                                            >She looked like she was going to break down.

                                            >"W-what are you doing?" she asked.

                                            >Fuck.

                                            >"Go home, Lotus."

                                            >She shakes her head."Not until you tell me what went wrong!"

                                            >You sigh.

                                            >"Nothing. Nothing went wrong..."

                                            >Lotus shifted on her hooves. "S-so was it all a lie?"

                                            >What?

                                            >"No! No, I just...

                                            >"I have to do this Lotus."

                                            >You start backing away.

                                            >"I-It'd probably be best if you forgot about me."

                                            >You glance down the alley ahead of you, you can see the carriage.

                                            >Lotus lowers her head, the tears were flowing now. "Mous...please don't do this..."

                                            >Dammit.

                                            No distractions.

                                            >Yeah...

                                            >"I'm so sorry...goodbye, Lotus."

                                            >You run down the alley and don't stop until you're in the carriage.