open The Town That Friendship Forgot

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@Samurai Equine @Ragland Tiger @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze @PawelS @Courageous Thunder Dash

Dynamo nodded, but felt worried as Samurai had told him to ask Trilby. "It's not that I don't want to ask him, but more like I'm concerned. He had just woken up and is still recovering. That, and it seems he's recovered his memories or a part of his old self that he had lost. I wouldn't want to pressure him into asking, or bring up any touchy subject that he wouldn't want to answer." He explained, wanting to respect Trilby's personal space and privacy. He snickered slightly, before chuckling at Trilby's pun. "I guess you could say it's raining love. Hallelujah." He chuckled as what Trilby had stated reminded Dynamo of an old song he had heard before. Even though he gave his thoughts about feeling worried on asking Trilby questions of the curse. He was surprised as the unicorn had went on to explain how and when he had received said curse. His eyes widened at the mention that it was due to a therapist that was in town. "I think I remember Samurai or someone had mentioned Dr. Milenko. Are they still in town?" He asks, shaking his head in disbelief to what he had just been told.

"So, does that mean that the curse is still out there in Friendshire? You said that Dr. Milenko had other patients, who had visited him. You also said that he was trying to get as many of the townsfolk under his control. Does that mean we would need to help anyone and everyone who may be affected like you have?" He knew it might be a difficult task, but he'd be willing to help those who were in need. He didn't want anyone to suffer like Trilby had gone through. He raised an eyebrow at the unicorn's explanation, while pondering on the reason. "It sounds like he was trying to help his patients to feel happy, but went about it the wrong way. It sounds like Milenko was only thinking about themself if they went so far as to want to create his own army." He sighed, before continuing. "It seems like this curse is a sort of shortcut to help others feel happy, but it's just that. A simple shortcut. Being happy is nice and all, but it sounds like the curse was taking away all of the other emotions one has. One can't always be happy all the time. We have to have our other emotions to give that sense of feeling." He had learned from an anime of a similar reason and it wasn't a good result. "I guess I can understand because I know what it's like to be happy. I like to play video games, but there's the whole winning and losing. I know losing is never fun and it feels like you aren't good enough if you lose a lot. If the curse made that easy, then there wouldn't be a need to grow or to learn. Losing helps us learn where are mistakes are, while helping us to know that we can still improve. If we win all the time, then success just turns dull and uninteresting. The same can be said for friendship. I remember hearing the old saying that it's a lot of work and friendship isn't easy, but it's no doubt something worth fighting for. I'm just glad we were able to help you to become free from the curse. I hope we can still become friends, Trilby." He says, giving the unicorn a kind and caring smile.

[Pencil Pouch]

@Dynamo Pad @Samurai Equine @Courageous Thunder Dash @Windy Breeze @Ragland Tiger @PawelS 

Pencil was rather perplexed when Trilby told the group that the curse was an evil therapist. She had initially assumed that the dragon was responsible for putting him in the hospital. That may have been part of it, but it seemed that Dr. Milenko’s main objective was to make his patients selfishly happy.

“That’s horrible, Trilby!” Pencil replied. “I can’t believe someone who’s supposed to make your emotional state better only made it worse with false happiness. I can’t believe he hasn’t been fired yet! Or, has he been fired already?”

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,828]

@Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @Dynamo Pad @PawelS @Ragland Tiger

"Jeez...that liar..." Thundy stated. 

"Grrrr...I hate when they do that. If this Milenko...or whatever his name is around...we gotta expose him someway somehow..." Chelsea stated as she looked at Trilby. "But I'm so glad you're free now." She added. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@ExplosionMare @Courageous Thunder Dash @Windy Breeze @Ragland Tiger @PawelS @Samurai Equine

"You can say that again, Pencil." Dynamo nodded in agreement to her statement, while shivering slightly at the truth he had learned moments ago. "I can't believe Dr. Milenko would do such a thing as to give everyone a temporary fix. Instead of trying to help their patience with their problems and help them find true happiness." He shrugged his shoulders as he wasn't sure, but was curious about Pencil's question, as well. Glancing towards Chelsea, he nodded in agreement to her idea of exposing Milenko for his crimes. "Is he still around in Friendshire? Maybe there could be a way to expose him for what he has done to the townsfolk. I know we'd have to first know if the curse is still out there. If so, then we'd have to be careful. Considering that he could just cause an uprising and turn the whole town against us." He explained, realizing the difficult it would be when it came to exposing Milenko, while also trying to help the citizens he had took in as patients. "

[Forest Storm]

@Samurai Equine @Windy Breeze @C. Thunder Dash @Dynamo Pad @ExplosionMare @Ragland Tiger

"That Milenko sure sounds like a dangerous individual, and if he is still active then we should give high priority to exposing him. Let us know if you need any help with that from me and my apprentice." I say to no one in particular, but mostly to Samurai, who seems to be in charge of this town for some reason.

"Anyway, we have removed one curse, but another one still remains. Well, maybe it's not technically a curse, but it's something like it. And it's affecting you, Shadow. While Nightmare Moon may be not as evil as expected, and now we know more about her motives, she can still cause some trouble, and I'm afraid it can affect the relationship between you two." I say while looking at Shadow and Trilby. Thinking what to say next, I notice a familiar object on Shadow's side. Maybe it's a good time to pursue the matter a little more...

"I can see that you have the saddlebag with you, but as far as I remember, you did not have it in your room when I visited you in the morning. May I ask how you got it?" I ask Shadow in a serious tone.

[Samurai Equine 57,885]

@Windy Breeze, @Dynamo Pad, @ExplosionMare, @PawelS, @Ragland Tiger, @Courageous Thunder Dash

Trilby thanks Chelsea and Shadow for the hugs, but breaks away for an important reason.
Carefully, but surely, he gets up out of his hospital bed. He can stand and walk on his own just fine! "Wow... Whoever healed me must have really known what they were doing. I don't even feel anything!"

Now that he's able to stand, Trilby finds his shirt on a chair. It looks a little ripped from when he was attacked, so he doesn't bother with it. Instead, he just flings it over his shoulder. "I'm not sure, Dynamo. He doesn't talk openly about all his patients. At one time, Astral visited the doctor, but Milenko just thought it was too soon. He didn't want to reveal himself too fast. He might have cursed others, but I wouldn't know. But if you want, I can take all of you to his office, and we can confront him ourselves." Trilby says.

Samurai nods. "That's very brave of you to offer, Trilby. And Namonai-san, I think we will need your abilities to help us find out if anypony else has the curse or not. But you do bring up something I was meaning to say. ... Chelsea, Shadow, forgive me for being tight-lipped earlier. That stallion we saw earlier named Azure? He's actually Nightmare Moon in disguise." Samurai explains, which makes Trilby's eyes go wide. "N-Nightmare Moon? She's still here?" Trilby asks. "Yes. But like I explained to Nopony earlier, I am not sure what her motives are. She may be evil, but she's not as evil as the one from legend. In fact, this Nightmare Moon seems to care about protecting those really close to her, even if means attacking others that she is threatened by." Samurai explains.

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@Samurai Equine @PawelS @Ragland Tiger @ExplosionMare @Courageous Thunder Dash

"The healing came from Chelsea, Trilby. She healed up all of the other injuries, before we all helped in healing/saving you from the curse." Dynamo explained, listening intently upon Trilby's explanation of Milenko. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as Astral was brought up. "I didn't know that Astral had gone to see Dr. Milenko. I'm just glad that he wasn't afflicted with the curse. I just hope he's safe wherever he is out there." He frowned with a sigh, remembering that Astral had left town for a while. "Going to his office might be a good idea. It could give us a chance to look for some clues, or information. That, as well as finding out if they are there, or if they are not in their office today." 

Upon hearing Samurai's mention of Nightmare Moon, he gasped in surprise. He remembered that they had discussed a plan the night before, but he didn't know that Samurai had come into contact with Nightmare Moon. "I didn't know you ran into her today." He would say, tilting his head as he tried to wrap his mind around what he had heard. "I remember learning about certain legends and Equestria history. One of them being the legend of Nightmare Moon, or the Mare in the Moon. From what you're saying, it doesn't sound like the one I learned of in school. She still sounds hostile, in a sense. However, it seems that she's very protective of those that she takes interest or cares for. What that reason is, I can't really say. Hopefully, we can figure out or learn the real reason in due time." He glanced over towards Nopony as he noticed a serious look in his eyes. He recalled the plan that they were to discuss, but he wasn't sure if now was the time or not. 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,828]

@Samurai Equine @Dynamo Pad @PawelS @Ragland Tiger @Windy Breeze @ExplosionMare

“That’s just too ironic...and hypocritical. You can’t care for someone and attack others who may be their friends...” Chelsea stated. “That’s a huge point.” Thundy said. 

 

[Pencil Pouch]

@Courageous Thunder Dash @Samurai Equine

Pencil nodded in agreement with Chelsea. If Milenko wanted to help everyone, why did he subsequently leave others out? It sounded like he just wanted to manipulate the vulnerable more than anything. The more Pencil thought about it, the more and more this “doctor” sounded like a villain. It felt imperative to her that action be taken as soon as possible. Looking to Samurai, she asked,

“Is there anything we can do about him right now? I’d hate to just let him continue to put selfish curses on other patients,”

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,828]

@ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine @Dynamo Pad

"Maybe there's some good in him. Perhaps there's a spirit inside him that's causing him to put the curses on patients." Chelsea stated. 

"You may be right...I wonder if Dynamo could replicate that thing he did with Trilby but bring more of us inside Milenko's heart. I know it's gonna take way more than Dynamo to defeat whatever Milenko has..." Thundy stated. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @Ragland Tiger @Windy Breeze @PawelS @Courageous Thunder Dash

"It just feels like when we finish facing one villain, there's always going to be another right around the corner. I want to say to give the benefit of the doubt. Since we don't want to assume anything, but given the evidence. It just feels like we need to stop Milenko and save the others, before it becomes too late. The only question is what can we do in the meantime. We can't just rush in or something along those lines. Know Milenko, he could just turn whatever is going on around on us and make us look like the bad guys. Afterwards, he could just use that as an excuse to pull us into their office and put us in the same situation as the possible other patients." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders as he wasn't entirely sure. It was just a theory, but he didn't want to leave any possible ideas out of the equation. "You mean like what had happened to Kronos with one of his spirits who attacked Finn?" He turned to Chelsea as she had brought up a valid point. "I'm not entirely sure if something like that could be possible. I know that a group had done that in a game, but it sort of became a combined effort. In the end, the group had caused a sort of world to appear, but it was only Sora and the memorable trio who went to stop the bad guys." He gave a deadpanned expression as he heard Thundy's remark. "Don't go and sell me short, Thundy. I was able to save Trilby, after all." It was then that Dynamo's eyes widened in realization. "Actually, how did I manage to do that? I know I received the light increase from Thundy, but I sort of blanked out after I used that beam of light towards Trilby's heart. I seem to recall a voice asking me to use the Power of Waking and that they would help me into realizing that power. After that, it all came naturally as if it was second nature." He didn't think it was the Two Castles game whispering in his ear once again, but it sort of felt familiar to Dynamo.

[Thundy]

@Dynamo Pad @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine @PawelS @Ragland Tiger @Windy Breeze

"You did summon the oathkeeper, which I could imagine takes a load of energy. That's why you asked me for more light energy. Fortunately, I had taken abilies from Jak and Daxter, light Jak to be exact. But still, if we're gonna deal with this Milenko guy, we're gonna have to dig deep, and I mean really, really deep." Thundy stated. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@Samurai Equine @Ragland Tiger @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze @Courageous Thunder Dash @PawelS

"I have heard of the light and dark versions of Jak from Jak 3. I loved that series and I wonder if I can turn into those forms too. I guess only time will tell." Dynamo shook his head as he knew he shouldn't sidetrack. "Even so, I didn't think the extra light was going to summon the keyblade. If anything, I was asking for the extra light to try and fight off the darkness from the curse." He explained, nodding as Thundy had brought up a good point. "I guess it's going to take more than what I've got from the Gamer Driver if I'm going to be of any assistance in this future endeavor. At any rate, I'll help in any way that I can." He would say, nodding towards Samurai and the others as he knew he was on board if they ever needed help.

[Thundy]

@Dynamo Pad @Ragland Tiger @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare @PawelS @Windy Breeze

"You would probably have to dig a little deeper, even with the gamer driver..." Thundy stated as he gathered some electricity and made a blob of dark eco appear. He hovered it in his talons and made it absorb into his body. Nothing happened, except for a few crackles of purple electricity. 

[Windy Breeze 15,215]

@Samurai Equine @PawelS @Dynamo Pad @Courageous Thunder Dash @ExplosionMare @Ragland Tiger

We have to look for anypony who has a history of admitting themselves as patients to Milenko” Shadow chimed in, “There could be a lot more ponies who got the curse who are just walking around in town and we should be cautious. For all we know, Milenko can be stronger than we think and he might already have ears in this hospital” what she was talking about was the possibility Milenko might be using his patients as living security cameras for any suspicious activity. This was just her guess but they still had to be careful if they want to reach Milenko without any scuffle with the locals.

Edited April 4, 2021 by Windy Breeze

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@Windy Breeze @Courageous Thunder Dash @Samurai Equine @Ragland Tiger @ExplosionMare @PawelS

"Being cautious is the right way to go. Especially if there are many who might have the curse placed on them by Milenko. It honestly doesn't help with the war that had happened yesterday. With so much chaos and destruction that was going on, the curse might have affected a good amount of townsfolk. Given by what Trilby had said before on how stress was one of the key factors that got to him." Dynamo responded, nodding as he felt a chill run up his spine. "I guess that gives you the old saying of the walls have ears. I guess we should leave the conversation where it is and figure out a way to discuss this plan. Just in case what Shadow said is true. Leave no possibility unturned, but also to not take any chances." He heard a crackle of electricity, before turning to Thundy, who had summoned a blip of dark/purple energy in his talons. He paled slightly as he recalled what that energy was upon further inspection. Once the eco was absorbed into his body, he noticed a few crackles of purple electricity, before finding out that nothing happened. Realizing how dark eco worked, Dynamo gave a sigh in relief. "It's cool how you can make different kinds of eco. I don't know if I'm able to do something like that with the Driver, but I guess training will have to be done in order to find out. Maybe for some other time, but please be careful, Thundy. I recall you would need to absorb more dark eco and then release the power when the time is right. I just remember that sometimes it's hard to control the dark form as it's just based on pure power and fury." He explained, worried for the male griffons wellbeing and safety, as well as the safety and wellbeing of the others in the room.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,828]

@ExplosionMare @Ragland Tiger @Samurai Equine @PawelS @Dynamo Pad @Windy Breeze

"Well, he does have me just in case something happens..." Chelsea stated. Thundy nodded. Thundy's ears twitched hearing Shadow's comment. "Chelsea with her pure heart could most likely sense if something is up. Remember how she reacted when the curse was present in the room?" Thundy asked. 

[Pencil Pouch]

@Windy Breeze @Dynamo Pad @Courageous Thunder Dash

“I never thought about that, Shadow,” Pencil stated to the pegasus. “That would be a good place to start without overexerting anyone’s magic right away,”

She listened to Dynamo, Thundy, and Chelsea, who debated whether or not they should create a magical intervention inside of Milenko. Pencil found that to be rather extreme. Until they knew what he was capable of, it felt unsafe to charge at him with an immense amount of power. Stepping forward, Pencil offered her two bits.

“I don’t think anyone should use their magic on Milenko until we get to understand his powers a bit more. If we don’t know what we’re dealing with, it could be hard to face him and it could unnecessarily drain a lot of magical energy, too,” she said.

She suddenly got anxious when Dynamo mentioned that their conversation could be monitored by Milenko and his army at any point. Thankfully, Thundy reminded the group that Chelsea had a sense for that sort of thing. Pencil felt much more relieved knowing she wouldn’t have to be on hinge unless Chelsea noticed something unusual.

[Windy Breeze 15,215]

@PawelS @Samurai Equine @Courageous Thunder Dash @ExplosionMare @Dynamo Pad @Ragland Tiger

Shadow turned to Nopony “...Somepony came into my room. They said my apartment was badly damaged during the invasion and it's currently being fixed. Speaking of apartment, I may try looking for another room to live in”

[Ragland Tiger 3,584]

@Dynamo Pad @Courageous Thunder Dash @PawelS @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare

28 minutes ago, Courageous Thunder Dash said:

"Well, he does have me just in case something happens..." Chelsea stated. Thundy nodded. Thundy's ears twitched hearing Shadow's comment. "Chelsea with her pure heart could most likely sense if something is up. Remember how she reacted when the curse was present in the room?" Thundy asked. 

Bluebell turned and whispered quietly in Dynamo's ear. "H-hey, We have a d-d-date to go-go on." She then smiled at him and playfully wiggled her eyebrows.

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@Ragland Tiger @ExplosionMare @Windy Breeze @Courageous Thunder Dash @Samurai Equine @PawelS

"That's true, but better to be safe than sorry. I liked playing with the dark eco abilities, but it makes me worry when it comes to real life scenarios. Considering that when you're playing the ability in a video game, then there's no consequence. Depends on the game you play, of course." Dynamo explained, nodding as he did understand that Chelsea could help Thundy. "Since Chelsea goes to see the mayor, then maybe she can sort of scout out the area. Get a bird's eye view of the town and it's citizens to see who might be afflicted by the curse. No pun intended, of course." He chuckled sheepishly as he realized what he had said. "I think that's a fair point, Pencil. Better to understand one in order to counteract them. Especially since we don't know if Milenko is still in his office or some place in town. It would be better to check and gather intel, before moving on with a plan." He nodded at the purple unicorn, while remembering that he didn't want to drain any unnecessary magic. It was how he had to be careful when using the belt in yesterday's battles.

Dynamo's ears soon perked as he heard a voice quietly whisper into his ear. Glancing towards the source of the voice, he saw that it was Bluebell, who had turned towards him. Seeing the smile and playful wiggle of her eyebrows, Dynamo couldn't help in chuckling at how cute she was being. "Yeah, you're absolutely right. I think it's best that we should go." He wondered if he should let the others know that they were leaving, or if they were too absorbed to notice the duo blue unicorns make their exit. Wanting to be courteous, he opted for the former. "Um...hey, you guys? B-Bell and I have somewhere to be. S-So, we'll be leaving first. If that's okay, of course." He says, offering the bespectacled mare his front right hoof. "So, what do you say? Ready to go?" He asks, smiling softly at Bluebell.

[Thundy]

@Dynamo Pad @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine @PawelS @Windy Breeze @Ragland Tiger

Thundy gasped. "I-I gotta head out too." He said as he used an instant transmission to head to the garage. He then started to make a chassis and then a body for the car that he would present to Dynamo for him and Bluebelle's date. He quickly modified it up to spec and then went with a gamer style paintjob that referenced Kingdom Hearts. The license plate spelled "DYNAMO". After some time, the car was complete. "Yes." Thundy said with relief. He then tried to sense Dynamo's energy. He did and made the connection. "Dynamo..." Thundy said telepathically. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DMJ_lgHAgYF79Bl_vujZ2I5GL_bz1y-z/view?usp=sharing

[Dynamo Pad 11,960]

@Ragland Tiger @Courageous Thunder Dash

Dynamo blinked and tilted his head as it seemed Thundy had teleported out of nowhere. He wondered if the male griffon had gone to go and get the car he had left at Samurai's house. It did make sense as he didn't want anyone to steal it, or something along those lines. He was about to head out with Bluebell, before suddenly blinking as he had heard a voice. He wanted to guess that maybe it was that same voice that urged him to use the Power of Waking. However, he soon realized that it was Thundy, who was trying to contact him via telepathy. 'Thundy? I don't know if you can hear me, but what's up? Why did you leave so suddenly? Did you have to go and get your car?' He tried to think back, while wondering how a telepathic link worked. Considering he had recalled the same thing had happened to both him and Chelsea during one of the training days.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,828]

@Dynamo Pad

"There's a surprise waiting for you at the shop. Come on over...I'm there." Thundy stated as he waited for Dynamo, doing one final polish on Dynamo's new car, a lamborghini huracan. Meanwhile Chelsea was still at the hospital waiting for the group to disperse again. 

[Samurai Equine 57,885]

@Windy Breeze, @Dynamo Pad, @ExplosionMare, @PawelS, @Ragland Tiger, @Courageous Thunder Dash

Everyone seem to be offering their own ideas on what should be done. Samurai was getting a little lost in all the video game talk, since he hasn't played that many titles. "Well, I think, there is another option that's not being explored here, but... Well, if you all have better things to do, I won't stop you." Samurai waves. "Take care." Samurai smiles before going to collect that sacred staff he planted earlier.

Trilby looks confused. "Umm... But... Aren't we suppose to be collecting info? If that's what you want, I have the best intel." Trilby says. "Great! You can tell it me while we get out of this stuff hospital. Shadow, Namonai-san, would you like to join me? Pencil-chan, you may join us if you want, or you may go to your art museum. I'll be sure to visit it soon, I promise. I'm really curious about it." Samurai explains. "Well... if I had the choice, I'd like her to join us. I mean, you all just said you wanted to be my friends, and now you're all leaving..." Trilby says. "Oh, this is just temporary. Besides, I still need your help, Trilby-san. But first, let's get you out of here." Samurai says.

Trilby soon leaves the hospital. His health is confirmed by a doctor. He signs a form, and he is discharged.

@PawelS, @Windy Breeze
(@ExplosionMare this part is optional for you. Feel free to join the team or not.)

Once outside, Trilby turns to Samurai, Shadow, and Nopony. "Okay, so what is it you wanted to discuss?" Trilby asks. Samurai nods. "I wanted to do this with Chelsea, Thundy, and maybe Dynamo; but they all have their lives to live right now. However, I can still do this with all of you. Trilby-san, didn't you say you had the best intel about Dr. Milenko?" Samurai asks. "Yes. I have the doctor's address. I can tell you where he does all his business. No need to scout around at all." Trilby says. Samurai smirks. "I thought so. And I highly doubt Milenko would be expecting us to suddenly visit him. There are times when a head-on confrontation is just as meaningful as a stealthy, tactical plan. He might not even have the ability to counter all of us at once. Which means you each have an important roll." Samurai explains.

Samurai then points to each of his friends. "Trilby will come with us. Maybe Milenko will let his guard down if he thinks Trilby is bringing him more patients. Namonai-san, you're the diving rod in this plan. You'll detect if Dr. Milenko is about to do something sinister with his dragon magic, especially if he's about to attack or curse us. Shadow, I hope you don't mind, but I get the feeling Nightmare Moon doesn't want you to be harmed. If the worst happens with the doctor, I have no doubt Nightmare Moon would be there to protect you, and we can use that to our advantage. And as for myself? I'll be the sword of this operation. I'll be the one to confront Dr. Milenko head on. I'll either bring him down or force him to reveal his true colors. After all, protecting this city is my job. However, the one thing I don't like about this operation, is that I'm asking you all to join me. So if any of you have objections to this plan, then you are not obligated to participate at all. In fact, I'd be more than happy to take on this task by myself so that absolutely no one else has to be put at risk. Trilby-san, all you'd have to do is give me the address, and I'll go alone." Samurai says.

At the moment, Trilby isn't sure how to respond. "Is he always this direct?" Trilby can't help but think to himself.