'BANG!'

Moondancer jolted back in her seat upon feeling her face impact the table she sat at, hissing in pain as she held her bruised forehead in her hooves. Once the pain subsided, she rubbed her tired eyes and closed the large book in front of her with annoyance and drowsiness.

Like the many tomes around her, she threw the inch-thick book into a pile beside her. Moondancer's lack of sleep and combined irritation made the mare's care for their condition virtually non-existent, evident by the three knee-high piles of literature. The once mighty towers of stacked books she had once constructed had collapsed like a long-dead empire of useless information.

"Come on!" Moondancer groaned, throwing her hooves up in frustration, "I've searched up and down this place, and I've barely found anything!" And true to her word: there was practically nothing. Sure, there were old articles talking about arrow fragments belonging to ancient tribes, but the shard never matched their description. Each book on the list Poppy Vine provided her was pointless to skim over a third time. Why was there a book on how to cook with weapons of war?!

"Maybe, I should give up." Moondancer sighed, letting her forelegs fall to her sides as she continued to look up. "All of this might be a stupid prank, and I'm getting myself worked up over nothing." She said with a hollow laugh.

The sun was about to rise anyway, and Moondancer thought it was an excellent time to visit that coffee shop that opened up not too long ago. Moondancer lit her horn as she rose from her seat, and her magical aura surrounded the books strewn across the floor around her table. One by one, each tome was carefully levitated back to its coordinated spot among the surrounding bookshelves until, eventually, there wasn't one out of place. Moondancer grabbed her bookbag off the table, running her head through the strap and letting the bag hang off her shoulders with a tired smile, and started to walk away until-.

"AHHHHHH!"

Moondancer stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of a blood-curdling scream and turned to face the direction it was coming from with a frightened look. Her brain took a moment to process what she heard as the haunting screams echoing ceased; it sounded familiar. That's when it hit her.

"Poppy Vine!" Moondancer called out with realization, her eyes widening in panic.

Suddenly, the lights in the library shut off all at once, startling and leaving Moondancer in pitch darkness.

She couldn't move a single muscle; nothing responded to her brain's desperate pleas to move, to run, anything! The only sound that filled her splayed back ears was her own erratic breathing and quickened heartbeat. The intense fear she felt reminded her of the theater incident, making memories flash in her head of the horrible night.

To have Pucci risk his health for hers, it felt as if, at that moment, she had a wake-up call. Moondancer was an assistant, a helper. Not just to Pucci but to everypony she cared for, so why did she feel so useless?

Poppy Vine was obviously in trouble, and Moondancer was standing around, scared stiff, and doing nothing. How could she call herself a friend of Poppy, or anypony, if she kept locking up when something happened to her friends? No, not again. Another pony she cared about was getting hurt, and she needed to do something about it this time! No more repeats of last time!

She needed to prove herself worthy enough to be called a friend.

Steeling her nerves, Moondancer proceeded forth. She took tentative, yet determined, steps as her ears swelled in every direction they could to pick up on anything. Unfortunately, The darkness of the library left a lot to the imagination of the edgy Moondancer, and the eerie silence was the unwanted cherry on top. "Maybe the generator malfunctioned due to the cold, and the scream I heard moments ago was Poppy overreacting in fear." Moondancer reasoned with herself to calm her nerves; it was little help. Each passing draft, the creak of a loose floorboard, or a gust of air impacting a window from the outside made the mare jolt in fear, but she managed to keep calm, trying her best Pucci impression.

Though, it wasn't the best due to her body's severe trembling and teeth chattering.

By the time she arrived at the end of the book aisles, Moondancer sighed in relief at the touch of stone, the same stone that made up the second floor's guardrail. But her investigation wasn't over. Moondancers moment of relaxation hadn't lasted long, as she immediately scouted the area before her, instantly locking onto the empty front desk in the dark where Poppy Vine should be.

Since she was on the second floor, where most of the history books were, Moondancer ran toward the stairs in a hurry. She was sure the scream had come from the front desk's direction.

As she was about to reach the halfway point of the curved stairs, Moondancer felt something trip her left hoof, making her fly forward with a startled yelp. She internally cursed her bad luck, closing her eyes tightly and covering her head protectively with her forelegs. She braced for the impact and searing pain that would soon follow as her body made a direct collision course for the marble step, with her face front and center. but it never came.

After several seconds of nothing, she slowly lowered her forelegs and cracked open one eye, to which both widened in shock shortly after at what they were seeing.

Barely an inch away from her face, the sharp corners of the marble stairs remained. Moondancer blinked in confusion until she realized she was suspended in mid-fall, feeling something holding on to the back of the collar of her sweater. Moondancer attempted to look behind her to see who had saved her, but the tugging feeling suddenly vanished, letting the mare fall. She moaned in displeasure as she rose halfway, rubbing her forehead with a hoof; besides the minor bruises to her face, Moondancer was fine.

What was holding on her back? She was sure there was somepony there, at least the outline of a shoulder was. She pondered the question for a moment. That was till she remembered why she was running down the stairs; she probably tripped on something due to her lack of light.

Getting off the ground, Moondancer made the rest of the way down the stairs and made a mad dash to the front desk. Once there, Moondancer peered inside, trying to find evidence of Poppy being there.

"W-Wun!"

Moondancers blood ran cold.

That wheezing voice sounded like Poppy vines, but it couldn't be.

Her eyes continued to glue their sights on the opposite wall of the front desk, the feeling of dread running through her veins as a gargling sound reached her ears. She eventually ripped her attention away from the wall, slowly inching her eyesight behind the front desk counter and onto the floor. Just then, the lights overhead came to life, bathing the library in a warm light Moondancer barely registered.

When Moondancer found the source of the gargling voice, she wanted to throw up.

Splayed out on the ground was Poppy Vine. The once cheerful and kind Librairan that most ponies in Canterlot knew, Now writhing and twitching in pain, surrounded by a puddle of her blood.

Her current condition was gut-wrenching to look at for Moondancer. Her limbs were broken in several places and bent in unnatural ways, even some bones broken through the skin, like half of her shattered femur jetted out of her left lower thigh. Cuts, gashes, and purple bruises decorated her blood-caked body, one of her eyes swollen shut, and her throat partially crushed. The only eye Poppy had opened looked up at the horrified Moondancer in excruciating pain, blood covering her sclera from broken blood vessels as tears ran down her cheeks, mixing with the crimson streaks leaking from her fractured jaw.

"Th-Thease…w-w-wun." Poppy pleaded weakly. Blood poured from her mouth, coming out in spurts with a hoarse cough.

Without thinking, Moondancer vaulted over the front desk counter with little care for the object on it, knocking a potted plant over and crushing its leaves under her back left hoof. Moondancer looked up and down the beaten Poppy with panic, trying to think of a way to help her.

After a bit of frantic searching, she spotted a small medical kit on a shelf under the counter, a hopeful smile appearing on her muzzle. Grabbing it, she threw open the lid and found a roll of bandages, small, but it will do. Liberating the roll of bandages from its tin box prison, Moondancer got to work patching whatever she could on Poppy Vine.

By the end, Moondancer had covered Poppy's lower legs, midsection, and swollen eye with the small roll of bandages, but the other injuries remained open. Moondancer leaned back from the injured mare with a gentle hoof on Poppy vines neck.

"Crap," Moondancer muttered, "I don't know who did this to you, but I'll get you out of here and to a hospital if it's the last thing I'll do!" She proudly exclaimed.

"Don't move." A new voice ordered.

Moondancer forced back a startled yelp when the gruff voice spoke. She peeked her eyes over the front desk counter, only to furrow them in anger at the sight of a grizzled griffon sitting on the edge of a book display case.

His lower half resembled a black jaguar, his slender tail lazily swinging as black wings rested against his lower back. The upper half was a hawk with dark yellow feathers and a patch of light red feathers over his face, with gray ones surrounding his eyes and cracked beak. An eyepatch covered the griffon's left eye, but the other was peached-colored and reflected ages of experience. Besides his basic appearance, the griffon looked to be in his late sixties, with feathers falling to the floor, wrinkles plaguing his features and his skinny limbs.

Moondancer raised from the floor, knowing there was no point in hiding. "W-Who are you?" She asked hesitantly.

The griffon jumped off the display shelf but didn't move away, " My name is Godfree, and I was sent here by my master to retrieve something you have." He spoke with a rough voice, pointing a razor-sharp talon at her, "I know you have a shard of the arrow. So I'm asking nicely to claw it over, missy." He said in a warning tone.

"How do you know about that? A-And why did you hurt Poppy?!" She demanded, backing away like a cornered rabbit from the grinning senior Griffon, making sure not to step on Poppy Vine.

Godfree chuckled darkly, "I don't usually like hurting young ladies, such as yourself, like some lowly coward, but your friend had, unfortunately, spotted me due to my recklessness. I can't have any witnesses." Dropping his grin, he growled in annoyance. "As for how I knew, that's not something I care to reveal." He startled Moondancer by taking a few steps forward, his eye narrowing, "I'm only to say this once more, give me the shard, or you'll meet the receiving end of my wrath."

Moondancer gasped sharply, facing away to see her flank touch the back wall. She then looked back at the griffon, narrowing her eyes and holding a hoof to her chest, "Not a chance. You're just some old fart that got the jump on Poppy, nothing more." Lighting her horn, she carefully levitated Poppy Vine's body closer to her, then aimed it at Godfree, "I'll simply knock you out and take Poppy to the hospital, then call the guard in your feathery ass." She grinned weakly, still feeling scared for an unknown reason.

Her weak determination turned to confusion as the old griffon started to cackle madly.

Throwing back his head, Godfree looked down at Moondancer with a devilish grin, "Well, it was your choice." He said mockingly.

"Back in Black!"

There was the sound of breaking glass.

Then darkness

—-

Pucci (1st person)

I didn't attempt to hide the shock blatantly written on my face at the sight of the stallion, the very reason I moved to this filthy town. How in all the nine levels of Tartarus did he find me here?! The only other pony I told about my moving to Ponyville was Moondancer. There was no way that he could have known such a thing.

Unless.

At the terrible thought, I felt my pupils shrink to pinpricks as my eye widened, and the fur on the back of my neck stood straight up out of fear. Made in Heaven was instantly by my side and had it grabbed the nearest object, a toaster, and chucked it at the fiend sitting casually at my table. Unfortunately, he effortlessly dodged the appliance by tilting his head to the side, letting the toaster smash against the wall behind him and shatter to pieces.

"You bastard!" I shouted angrily, pure hatred pouring from those two words, "What did you do to Moondancer?!" I demanded. If this colt-of-a-whore did anything to her.

Instead of a maniacal cackle or shit-eating grin, the stallion surprised me by raising an eyebrow at me. "Who is this 'Moondancer' you speak of?" He said with genuine confusion. I felt my stomach drop as a devious smile formed on his muzzle. "Going by that little outburst, I guess this Moondancer is somepony that's important to you?"

I scoffed at the stallion, making his grin waver a little. "That is none of your business!" I spat, "And how did you find me? I took utmost care that nopony knew of my moving, so how?" I said, trying to divert the topic from Moondancer and letting Made in Heaven disappear.

Luckily, the stallion didn't seem to care about the mention of my assistant that much as he rolled his eyes. "For a Canterlot pony, you sure are brutish when it comes to conversations." The stallion deadpanned, "But to be a better stallion, I'll answer your question. In short, when two stander users are near each other, they feel a connection that pulls them together. It-"

"Like magnetism?" I interrupted.

The stallion's brow twitched, but his face retained its indifferent expression, "No, it's like the force of gravity. Something you can't see but compels you to follow through with it. Like a tossed ball that will inevitably meet the surface below, stand users will eventually cross paths." He finished explaining.

As much as my brain wanted to disregard the stallion's words as insane ramblings, The past five days of my life had ruined that option. This stallion had vital information on what Made in Heaven is; as much as I hate to say it, I couldn't kick him out immediately. But on the other hoof, I'm considered a stand user because of Made in Heaven. So that would make Made in Heaven a 'stand', going by the label. And if the stallion knows of my stand, it's safe to presume that this stallion is also a 'stand user' like me, which makes him more dangerous than I thought. What power's did he have? Maybe, speed, considering how he disappeared so fast the last time we talked. But I have too little information, so I can't make any assumptions.

"Enough games, stallion. What is the reason for your…visit." I say, hesitating on that last word.

The stallion chuckled, "I have a name, you know?" He took his head and foreleg off my table and laid back in the chair, his hind legs still crossed. "My name is Dio Morningstar. But you will refer to me as DIO." He said, finishing with a look that dared me to go against his word.

"Dio? As in the Romane word for God?" I questioned internally.

Not wanting to point out the amount of egotism in his name alone, and anger him, I nodded silently. "And as for why I am here. It is to continue our little chat from four days ago, right before you LEFT, remember?" He said with a sneer, the sight of which made a lump form in my throat. "As I said before, I needed a specific book that is in the castle of the two sisters that I need to use to resolve my business, yet I failed to find it." Dio offered his right hoof at me with a friendly grin, "I wanted to ask you to join my search for it, and in turn, I'll help lift that of which holds your heart down, Pucci." He said.

I looked at the stallion with confusion when he finished his offer. "That of which holds my heart down?" I echoed, "What do you mean by that?" I asked with a hollow feeling growing in my chest.

Dio grinned slyly, "Oh, I was hoping you would know, Pucci Star Ray. I may not know much about you personally, but I know what you lie to yourself about." He chuckled.

No…

"If you recall the village you're currently living in, it's strange you'd pick this place in particular. Considering what also resides in its borders." Dio continued, his grin growing as a dreaded realization grew on my features. "Was it because it was so close to home? A quiet getaway area for relaxation? Or did you come for a reason you refuse to accept?"

I stood there, mouth agape, opening and closing like a fish out of water, trying miserably to get any words out. Yet, none came. Nothing but hot air escaped my mouth with each heavy breath. There was no way…why did he know that?

"H-How…"

"Pucci?"

The sound of Twilight's voice caused me to jolt in surprise, snapping me out of my temporary trance. I saw Dio looking past me and in the direction where Twilight's voice came from, the front door, with an annoyed look; a hint of shock was present as well. He then looked back at me, his eye now narrowed.

"Damn, the alicorn got to him first." Dio tried to whisper to himself, but the anger in his tone betrayed his attempted quietness. Quickly getting up from the table, Dio's eyes turned to a full-blown glare that turned my blood to ice. "Pucci Star Ray, what you say the next time we meet will decide your fate." He spoke before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

I was about to question what had happened before I heard my front door close and the sound of hooves clip-clopping toward me.

"I'm sorry I came in without your permission, Pucci. But you were taking so long that I was starting to think something might have happened. And that bang I heard early didn't help, but I chalked it up to you dropping something and-" Twilight's voice and the sound of hooves stopped at the kitchen entryway, where I turned to see Twilight looking at with heavy concern. "Oh, Pucci, you don't look so good." She pointed out.

I…don't feel good either.

Forcing my body to stop trembling, I did my best to look presentable by standing straight and re-equipping my usual stoicism. But it did very little, as now I probably look like a constipated, dying ostrich reaching for leaves on a tall tree.

"I-I'm fine, your highne- I mean -Twilight." I corrected myself. "But, I think we should hold off on tea for a later time, sorry."

Twilight, clearly seeing the state I was in and my poor attempt to hide it, had put on her warmest smile and nodded. "I agree. I have already put off night court; I don't want to sleep through day court as well." She chuckled. "Take care, Pucci." She said, lighting her horn and disappearing in a flash of white light.

After a few seconds, I let my head drop and let out a sigh. Without speaking, I was about to leave the kitchen to go to bed before I remembered the toaster I had thrown earlier. I had gotten it for a discount at a local appliance stall in the market the other day; it's a shame I had destroyed it in my anger. Turning, I dragged my hooves along my tiled floor over to the busted Toaster's remains behind the chair Dio sat. I stared at it with an empty feeling in my heart.

Remains…

Shaking my head, I summoned Made in Heaven, willing it to collect the pieces from the ground; I didn't want to bend down and add vertigo to my long list of bodily annoyances tonight.

But as Made in Heaven placed the last piece of the toaster in its hooves, a multicolored light suddenly appeared around the small pile of the broken toaster. To my shock, the pieces began to move on their own, mending and repairing themselves. Wires, metal, and plastic were all molded together until they reformed into the toaster I had destroyed minutes before. Not a single, scratch, scuff, or dent remained on the appliance as it rested in Made in Heaven's hooves.

This…is new.