Harmony Lane [Finished]

Scrap started to laugh, he knew he was a horrible, horrible pony for laughing at Sawdust's misfortune but the look on Bakewell's face after the deluge of vomit splattered on her, was too good. The laugh grew in intensity as he continued to watch Bakewell stand there covered in vomit. He knew he would probably end up paying for laughing at this, but he didn't care. It was worth it.

"Well, it's bascially on Harmony Lane...the brass wants a good hopeful story...something to raise everyone's spirits for a better tomorrow, and something to invoke some more patriotism...not that there's any lack of it these days, but I guess there's always room for more..."

Shutter mumbled, as he glanced away...clearly, he wasn't too enthused about the job he had been given.

"I don't mind doing my part to help the war effort...but honestly Doc? This job stinks! It's shown me one thing...that Harmony Lane almost never changes! Like I swear, I've been taking the same photographs every single day...the photo ops never change! Even the CLOUDS never seem to move! It's nearly always sunny, with just the same few on the horiz-AGH!"

Shutter almost doubled over, as he cluched his head. Pain shooting through his skull...it felt like somepony had stomped on his head, from how bad it was. Definatly the worst one yet.

Starry held a hoof over her mouth as she watched the spectacle in shock. This was... this was terrible! How could Starry have made such a terrible mistake? Truth or Dare? What an idiot she was, she should've known this game would end in disaster. She should've known this PARTY would end in disaster!

Starry could feel her mane getting heavy, as though all the air were being sucked out between them and they were drooping as a result. Starry should've known better than to hold a party. She never had any friends in the stable, what made her think that something like a stupid party would change any of that. And what's all this nonsense about a stable? Starry never lived in some dingy old stable, she was born in Canterlot!

'Actually,' Starry thought to herself, as her mane sank as far as it could toward the floor, 'My parties are just fine! It's these ponies that are the problem! They can't appreciate a good party!'

Starry wore a deep frown, and growled angrily. "This is NOT how you party," she muttered.

Kes perked a mental brow and settled the majority of his attention on the now rather enraged Starry. Well, seems like Blue could get angry after all, and here Kes thought the mare was always happy.

It wasn't to hard to hear the mare mumbling to herself, Kes was right there after all. Still this new change in both appearance and attitude was rather...interesting.

Kes decided to keep his beak shut and listen in carefully for now...this could get heated and if necessary he would probably step in and break up any brawls.

If only because he wanted to prevent a headache.

Sawdust lay on the ground, conscious but a bit zoned out. She rolled over onto her stomach when Bakewell got off her, coughed out some of the acidic gunk that had found its way into her lungs. Her mind was on fire, as the level of Dash in her system immediately started to fall. Her coughs muffled the beige pony's words and her attention was suffitently dazed that it was another voice that snapped her out.

An angry voice, quietly dangerous. Her ears caught it even over the din of laughter, though she couldn't discern the words. She slowly stood then her eyes flickered around the room for the source until the fell upon the hostess. Sawdust needed no reminding to know that this was a dangerous thing. Not only because somepony was angry and potentially ponicidal, but said pony was a unicorn and they were particularly dangerous when displeased.

This was very bad, very very bad. Her information on Starry was not so complete as to know what to do and the burning pain that recently often accompanied not knowing did not come. Apparently, she surmised, this was not something she 'should' know according to the powers that be. However, there were things she could try, try so that the unicorn didn't pin them all to a wall and stab them through the eyes with silverware.

Sawdust approached Starry with her tail literally between her legs and not only because it was half soaked in punchy vomit. She staggered a bit as she walked, her eyes failing at times to focus properly on Starry and her form slightly off to one side in case she needed to dodge quickly. Sawdust spoke as gently as she could, "I'm s-sorry. I, somepony spiked the punch with Dash. I'm ... Dash and I don't get along. I didn't mean to make a mess, I'll clean it up! Please don't be angry!"

OK, so that's what she wanted to say it came out more like, "Punch spiked with Dash, I bucking hate Dash it makes me crazy and angry and hurt ponys'y and she made me and I needed to beat her up, but I suck at beating ponies up. And I'm sorry. I'll clean it up I promise! Don't kill us all, please?"

"Excuses!" Starry shouted at Sawdust, selecting her as the source to vent all her rage. "This is MY party, and in MY parties, there is no drinking, no drugs, and NO FIGHTING!" Starry shouted so loud, her voice could be felt. She took her breath in huffs between pauses, and when she spoke again, it was in a softer, yet equally demanding tone.

"Now, we're going to play some games, laugh at some jokes, eat some cakes, and we're all going to smile, smile, smile." Starry's face was inches from Sawdust's. Her eye twitched as she voiced her commands.

"It's your turn," Starry told her, "Now pick somepony for truth or dare. Pick somepony, or Luna help me I will smack a filly!" Starry raised a hoof to show that she wasn't joking.

Sawdust clenched everything. Face to face with a really really pissed off unicorn mare, was not anyplace for anypony, but particularly somepony who was not used to or comfortable with other ponies getting close to her. Physically and mentally. Her jaw quivered a little as she meekly asked Starry, "T-truth or Dare?"

Starry glared deeply into Sawdust's eyes, savoring her anger for several long, hard moments, as though trying to restrain her rage while she considered her options.

This mare wanted to play a game. This was good. Starry wanted to play a game. This mare had better play the game, if she knew what was good for her.

The corners of Starry's mouth curled in a twisted sort of smile. She opened her mouth slowly, exhaling the word slowly. "Dare." Starry told her, never breaking eye contact.

Ears folded back, every muscle tensed up and Sawdust's eyes finally focused solidly on Starry as her body dumped adrenalin into her and overrode the Dash still floating around inside her. She spent a moment in silence, breathing in the other mare's exhalation. Ponies, she thought, shouldn't be this close unless they were in mortal peril or lovers...

"I," she breathed in sharply, trying to gain some semblance of calm or courage even as she was riddled with fear almost to the point of making another mess. "I d-dare you to leave me alone!" As she finished she closed her eyes tightly, and tightened up, this was it, she was sure she'd be vapor any second now. ANY SECOND NOW!

Starry paused for several seconds longer. There was a fire within her eyes as she peered into Sawdust's soul. Each second felt like an eternity.

"Fine."

Starry lifted a hoof, and poked Sawdust in the chest. "but don't forget rule one, NO frowning. Don't make me come back here and force you to smile," warned Starry, before she turned around and trotted back to her spot around the circle.

"You!" Starry exclaimed, pointing her hoof at Sky, "Truth or dare?!"

Sawdust stayed still, even as the urge spiked up to bat Starry's hoof away. Above all else she hated to be touched, but well. Starry was scary and the fear her angry gaze engendered was far more powerful than any urges she currently had to not be touched. It wasn't a slave collar after all, just some angry poking. She could deal... right. Deal with it, yes.

The yellow and green mare however failed to return to the circle, instead choosing to remain where she was, half fallen over backwards from her encounter with Starry. A forced smile remained on her face. It was taking all her energy just to keep the edges of her lips upturned in spite of her urge to cry and frown and be otherwise the opposite of happy. To smile past all the other emotions in her head. This was officially the scariest, worst party she'd ever been to. Granted she'd not been to many in her life... None she could remember specifically even, but still.

Sky still had a bit of a chuckle after the whole ordeal of puke, which still was on her mind. Until Starry called on her in truth or dare, this cant end well.

"Truth." She told the enraged starry, hoping she didn't have to do anything she would regret because of a dare.

Kira had gotten nervous about the way this game went when the earth pony had taken the dare, she somehow knew her name was Sawdust this was strange but she punched it in the back of her mind to keep focused on the game at hand. But now it looked like the game was going back on track as this game seamed too go back to being fun and not just mean. Still she was nervous when her turn would come and she were not sure what to take.

Proper bullying had several categories of victims. You had the challenging encounters, normally involving ponies who thought against all odds that they were better than you until you eventually had to rearrange their face. You had your average ponies; decent challenge and decent payoff. Then you had the shy, subservient ponies who would do whatever you wanted forever just as long as you swore not to break them too painfully. Actually keeping the promise was often optional. The list went on and on with several higher, lower, and intermediate points.

But Sawdust was proving to be the bottom of the list. The pony so idiotically and mind-numbingly upsettable that going after them would not only be pointless, but would also be a complete and utter disgrace. Bakewell had expected the yellow pony to be the weakest, but she hadn’t expected Sawdust to be that weak.

When Starry began uncharacteristically bullying Sawdust, it took all of Bakewell’s self control to not rush the blue unicorn. Thoughts of proving her superiority over Starry soon gave way partially because her rage at Sawdust had just found a room full of new targets, and partially because she wanted Starry to hassle those that had laughed. Maybe she would be merciful enough to save them once it became too much. Maybe.

For now, she put on a fake smile and sidled protectively over to Sawdust. Bakewell highly doubted the nervous mare wanted the baker pony’s protection, but at the moment she could care less. She needed confirmation.

“The punch was drugged?” She asked in a whisper, leaning in close enough for Sawdust to hear her while trying to not get close enough to spook the mare. Drugs were another thing Bakewell considered off-limits. They were too easy and effective. You could, in mere minutes, ruin a pony’s life forever with them without even trying. They were also too dangerous. If fate wanted it drugs could certainly kill. Bakewell wasn’t a murderer. Whoever the wise-mule who drugged the punch was, and Bakewell would see to it that they got what they deserved.

“Are you okay? Your heart isn’t beating weird, is it?”

The sudden shout by Starry frightened Scrap and he nearly immediately stopped laughing. The new, angry Starry frightened him and with Starry already thinking he was a jerk for his non-exsistant bullying of Bakewell; he didn't want to give her any excuse to turn the newfound rage against him. So he sat there, deathly silent, witha completely and utterly forced smile on his face, hoping that by some stroke of luck that he would be passed by.

I knew I should've stayed home, this very likely won't end well for me...I could have been home zoning out to some music but instead...next time I'm staying home...who needs friends anyway?...I'll just build a robot to be my friend...

Starry snarled a little as Sky said 'dare'. "Fine," she said under her breath. She had been hoping for a dare. This pegasus was probably afraid of her. Maybe if she had kept laughing, she wouldn't have to be afraid.

"Having fun?" Starry snapped at her. It wasn't a very creative question, but Sky had to answer it, Starry thought, and she'd better answer it correctly.

really odd question to be asked by Starry, but it was the rule of the game. And an enraged Starry, made her think twice before answering with a lie.

"Why yes Starry, im having the time of my life."Sky finished with a grin.

Wow, Starry really could get angry after all. Quite the air of aggression around her at this moment, it was obvious in everything she said and did. Apparently she did not get angry often, the was she let the emotion control her actions was quite...childish? Was that the proper word here? Perhaps, perhaps not. In any case Kestrel just kept watching the events unfold from his place at the little circle of ponies.

It was rather humorous just how out of place the big scarred up gryphon looked. Even sitting down he rose above them greatly.

She wasn't broken, she was scared and a little high, unicorns were a legitimate thing to be afraid of when they were angry. At least that's how she'd spin her quivering and quick submission to the Unicorn. Stories told of Unicorns destroying entire houses with their rage and Sawdust was not one to question a story particularly if it suggested that somepony was dangerous. Bakewell though, she was an earth pony a bully and mean and she defiantly didn't want to help.

But she was right, the punch had been drugged and even feigned interest in her well being was better than nothing. Sawdust concentrated for a moment, a thing she was getting back as the Dash was metabolized more and more. She felt her heart racing, but not anymore than was normal for coming down from Dash. Goddesses preserve her she hated Dash.

Sure in the knowledge that she would live, but also acutely aware that the Angry Unicorn in the room would probably do something horrible to her (Despite the dare binding her) if she frowned or said something angry; Sawdust turned her false grin to Bakewell, "I'm fine. I know it was drugged, I better not find out it was you. I know where you live." She hid her anger very poorly behind a false happy tone. Strength was nice when you were in a fair fight, but Sawdust always sought the unfair fight, the one leaned in every possible way in her favor. If they fought again Sawdust fully intended to make it on her own terms.

Bakewell snorted. ’I know where you live?’ She laughed inwardly. ’Really? Really really?’

“That’s adorable. But no, it wasn’t me. I’m far too thoughtful to do pull some garbage like that. You, or really any of these ponies, could have been deathly allergic. You could have been dead right now.” She whispered back conversationally, pausing in order to readjust some of her dripping mane while trying to not think about what exactly was dripping from it. She really needed a wash.

“If you find out which of these mules was responsible let me know. Then we’ll make knowing where they live actually matter.”

For a moment, as her teal eyes scanned over the assembled mass of ponies, Bakewell’s fake grin was undeniably real. Despite being genuine the smile wasn’t exactly friendly due to being born from thoughts of revenge and retaliation instead of joy and happiness. Perhaps the MoM agent had done it. He had probably been expecting Bakewell to take the dare instead of the truth. Maybe it was the stupid unicorn from this morning. He had been around the table a whole lot. Maybe it was Starry herself. Maybe this wasn’t a party at all so much as it was an attempt to hook ponies to Dash in order to expand her secret underground drug business, and now she was enraged because of how cleverly Bakewell had foiled her evil schemes. Yes… That one seemed good.

Starry snarled. Sky said exactly what Starry expected her to, but it wasn't enough. Starry wasn't happy with what she had asked her, and right now, she didn't feel like playing by any set of rules other than her own.

"Not good enough!" Starry snapped at Sky, "I'm taking my turn back, and I don't want to hear you complaining!" Starry pointed a hoof at the large black griffon in the room. "You!" she declared, "Truth or dare? And you'd better say dare!"

Kes locked eyes with the mare that had called him out. Figures, he was just minding his own business and now he is getting drug into playing this little game of hers. Fun.

He narrowed his cold eyes at Starry for daring to try and tell him what to do. She was not his commanding officer, she had no right. Still, the tone of her voice told the big black gryphon that it would save him a headache if he just went along with things.

"Dare"

Starry grinned wickedly. She couldn't tell if Kes was smiling behind the mask or not, but that didn't matter to her. The griffon had just said dare, and now the games could really begin.

"Before I begin," Starry began to say, as she got up and trotted over toward one of the boxes by the stage, "let me remind everypony here of the first rule of this party; everypony has to smile, or else." Starry pulled a foam bat out of the box, something she had planned to use for an innocent pinata game. She ripped off the foam around it, leaving just a thick metal stick, which she carried back with her toward her seat.

"With that in mind, I dare you, Mr. Griffon, to make somepony here cry. Somepony weaker than I am."

Heh, and they said Kestrel was a cruel individual. Here was Starry, Ms. Party-n-Smile, telling Kestrel to make somepony cry. Oh, now it was a party.

Looking around Kes began measuring up each of the ponies present at the party, looking them over, judging them with those cold, predatory eyes of his. The most obvious targets here were Cross, Scrap, and Sky.

Cross had a group of Steel Rangers behind him, and while Kes did not particularly like the MoMma's boy. He did not feel like assaulting a few steel rangers just to get at him right now.

Next up was Scrap, small, shy, twitchy, a perfect target to make cry. Wouldn't take much to do it, a few growls, maybe a hit or two if he was stronger than he looked.

Then there was Sky, the pony that had, unknown to Kes and Starry, started all of this and thus caused Starry's current mood change. She had died out laughing the second that Sawdust had purged herself of any and all laced punch, and according to Sawdust that punch had been laced with Dash.

His choice was obvious.

Kes stood up to his full height, muscles flexing powerfully as they moved him forward towards his target. His gaze locked down her, the little blue pegasus named Sky.

As he approached his prey his gaze narrowed threateningly, and a low, shuttering rumble erupted from his chest. It was a terrifying sound, one he no doubt used to scare prisoners or combatants when he was out in the field.

Then, once he was close enough, he struck out...verbally.

"DROP AND GIVE ME 50 MAGGOT!!!" Kes roared at full volume, which considering the gryphon was part lion was loud enough to shake dust the rafters.

Sawdust watched Bakewell as she spoke and looked out at the ponies and not pony assembled. Somepony among them was the one who put the drugs in the punch, if it weren't for the drugs she'd not have attacked Bakewell. The mare was obviously mean spirited, but transparent with it, her smile was not fooling Sawdust for a moment. She turned about to look at the ponies too, then back at Bakewell, her eye twitched as information was read into her, what the mare was like around the lane, mean, not quite hateful, just something of a bully.

Bullies though were something of a known quantity. Mean, but calculating, predictable in a twisted sort of way. They were the type of pony that other ponies didn't call you out for being afraid of or cautious of. Sure the beige mare would be a poor long term friend, but she would due for now, predictable beat unpredictable everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

So it was to Tart's non-query that Sawdust replied, "Yeah OK..." and returned fully to watching the ponies. Starry had really gone off the deep end too, retracting her turn and going again and now she dared the Gryphon Kes to make somepony cry. Worse yet he seemed quite ready to do it! This would not end well...