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Illagain
562563
1
Nightmare Moon,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Thriller,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Night's Heir // When the Sun Sets (the Moon Follows Suit)
In the event of Nightmare Moon's defeat, a young Lumineer Sundowner, is left to confront the lingering darkness that threatens Equestria.
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>A pale, blue, earth pony thestral mix, Lumineer Sundowner; is spawned from a prophecy Nightmare Moon herself whispered in the ears of her priests while they rested in dreams. Will Lumineer lean into his forged and forced destiny made by Nightmare Moon herself or reject it entirely and go down his own path with the newly crowned princess Luna at his side?</p>
teen
2024-07-31T05:51:01+00:00
2024-07-31T07:02:11+00:00
76
Lumineer’s mother comes from a very conservative thestral tribe, hailing nightmare moon as their sole goddess with priests and churches that speak of dreams given to them by nightmare moon herself. Nightmare Moon had told one of the highest ranking priests, and just so happened to be the kindest, that Lumineer’s mother would give birth to Nightmare Moon’s chosen one, one that would assist in bringing eternal night and justice for their people, and that this pony would be a half blood. The priest went to Lumineer’s mother in private, telling her the prophecy verbatim, worried for her safety and aiding in her fleeing of the tribe, keeping the prophecy a tightly held secret until months after Lumineer’s mother had left. Lumineer’s mother wandered the countryside surviving off of scavenging for berries and small fruits until eventually stumbling upon Lumineer’s father and his family’s farm. ... Lumineer’s father and his family were, for generations, humble elderberry farmers. They sold all sorts of remedies and products made from the fruit, making a decent amount of money, enough to support a large family. Lumineer’s father was a young, hardworking, kind, and honest colt. He worked the fields one day, spotting a ragged worn down pony crawling out of the thicket on the edge of his property line. He abandoned his work and rushed to the ponies side. She practically begged him for food and water and he obliged, allowing her to eat all the elderberries she could stomach. He noticed she had wings and asked her about them, thinking her to be a pegasi, having never seen one before. She admitted that she was not, infact, a pegasi, and was a thestral. Lumineer’s father was slightly shocked, he’d heard of thestrals but… he was always told their akin to feral animals, that they couldn’t speak, were impossible to reason with… and yet here one sat in front of him, and a rather kind, soft spoken, and pretty one he thought. Lumineer’s father decided to keep her hidden in a barn on their property, providing her with food and water. She insisted that she help working as payment but Lumineer’s father refused, so in the night she would sneak out and begin working the fields as the rest of the family slept. This, although being a small effort, did not go unnoticed by Lumineer’s family. They were producing far more elderberries than they usually were able to grow and although they took it as good luck, they got suspicious. Eventually Lumineer broke under pressure, he was an awful liar, he admitted that he was harboring the thestral and the family responded as he expected, fear, hate, confusion, anger. They demanded that Lumineer’s father remove the thestral or they would kill her, Lumineer’s father begged and pleaded that they take a chance on her but they refused, convinced that he was simply too empathetic for this creature, this pest, that he allowed to call one of their barns home. Lumineer’s father then tearfully declared he would not and could not work on the farm any longer if they removed her, stating that she needed someone to help her, she could not survive alone, scared and feared for no reason other than by prejudice. Lumineer’s family reluctantly decided to allow him to go to ponyville, asking him to sell their products there, they would allow him three quarters of the bits he made in turn, giving him enough money to live on and support a family if he needed to. Lumineer’s father approached the thestral mare and told her the preposition, every detail. She actually seemed very happy, but that was understandable as she would be moving out of a barn into a proper home, with civilization. He promised to protect her from those who would dare do her harm, physically or verbally and from then on, they were inseparable. Once they moved to ponyville word spread quick a thestral had moved in and many scoffed and groaned, but as she proved no trouble and Lumineer’s father made a living and name for himself, the fear began to dissipate, seeing her as just another pony, although fear and rumors still lurked under the surface. About a year and a half after moving in, Lumineer was born. Silver hair, dark pale blue coat, icy blue eyes with slitted pupils and small fangs, although he lacked wings, the only thing missing that would make him fully thestral. Lumineer had been born with his cutie mark, a sunset halfway sunk into the horizon with an orange sun, fading into his pale blue coat. His father was absolutely floored at seeing this, Lumineer’s mother had told the father of who Nightmare Moon is, the prophecy that was told to her about two years ago now. Lumineer’s father initially seemed terrified of this prospect, eternal night… justice for the thestral by means he didn't entirely agree with. But he saw how the world treated his now wife, how shunned the night was, how ignorant other ponies were… how much they were unwilling to change and understand what they fear. Soon afterwards he began to worship Nightmare moon too, convinced by his wife. Lumineer was taught of his destiny, repeated and drilled into his head from a young age, as soon as he could read Lumineer’s mother had made scripture for him to read, making Celestia out to be a villain and Nightmare Moon as the true and rightful ruler of Equestria. Although Lumineer’s mother had seen her son as more of a tool to assure their victory, Lumineer’s father still saw his son as what he was, his son. He took him out nearly every night to stargaze, encouraged him to play, have a childhood still, make memories, even if he was destined for something that could be very violent. Lumineer’s father loved Lumineer with all his heart, wanting to spend every second he wasn’t being taught to read exploring with him. He told Lumineer of the everfree forest, just how dangerous it was from hearing the locals talk. The father himself saw timberwolves and other creatures lurking just beyond the tree line. Lumineer agreed to never go near the forest, however, years later at age fourteen now, exploring the same places over and over got boring for Lumineer. He waltzed to the edge of the Everfree and heard something call out to him, something that sounded like it was everywhere, so far away yet right in front of him, calling him to go into the forest. Lumineer’s father noticed him walking towards the treeline and rushed to stop him, but timberwolves showed themselves. Lumineer was surrounded, terrified, and his father in the nick of time appeared and began fighting them, but his father was overwhelmed and wounded. Lumineer called out to his father and rushed to him, the timberwolves backing away from Lumineer as he held his father, growing angrier, his hooves began to glow furiously, the air around him crackling as a terribly bright flash that caused the timberwolves to be dispelled. Lumineer, not even processing what he had just done, checked his father over, and began crying hard as his father lay on the forest bleeding profusely. Lumineer had started to get up but his father grabbed him, stopping him. He told Lumineer help would not come fast enough, asking Luumineer to sit with him. Lumineer reluctantly abided his father’s wishes sitting with him, and hugging him tightly, his father hushed him softly and held him close, speaking fondly of all his memories he’d made, how similar Lumineer was to him as a child, how much Lumineer loved to explore… how smart he was… he spoke of how proud he was of the young man he’s turning out to be, how great he is destined to be. Telling him this was not Lumineer’s fault, and with his final breath… he told Lumineer to be great, if not for himself, than for his father, and that he loved him.
Illagain
562563
2
Nightmare Moon,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Thriller,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Night's Heir // When the Sun Sets (the Moon Follows Suit)
In the event of Nightmare Moon's defeat, a young Lumineer Sundowner, is left to confront the lingering darkness that threatens Equestria.
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>A pale, blue, earth pony thestral mix, Lumineer Sundowner; is spawned from a prophecy Nightmare Moon herself whispered in the ears of her priests while they rested in dreams. Will Lumineer lean into his forged and forced destiny made by Nightmare Moon herself or reject it entirely and go down his own path with the newly crowned princess Luna at his side?</p>
teen
2024-07-31T06:29:46+00:00
2024-08-04T17:00:45+00:00
48
As my father went limp in my arms I felt… an indescribable amount of rage, sadness, disbelief, I laid with my father throughout the entire night, only returning when the sun rose the next day. I walked through the streets of ponyville as all ponies had their eyes fixed on him, mumbles and rumors began to spread, I was coated in dirt and blood, disheveled and puffy eyed. I walked back into my house to my mother. my mother knew something terrible had happened just seeing Lumineer in this state. Lumineer explained everything that had happened, everything my father had said and done, everything I myself did. My mother began to cry softly, despite this, her expression was unreadable as she looked out the window, as if to see if my father would walk back from the forest. She broke down as I just sat and watched, completely emotionally spent, all my tears and rage had already fallen to the ground with me near the treeline of the forest. I walked slowly to my own room as my mother’s sobs grew louder. I sat on the floor and began looking through all the drawings I and my father had made together, my father was truly talented. Nearly every night they would go out and spend hours just drawing the moon and the stars. I sat in my room for what felt like hours just looking over drawings, able to remember each night nearly perfectly. I smiled at some, laughed and cried at others, crinkled some in embarrassment. I made sure though none were torn or lost, setting them back where I found them gently and carefully. I was knocked out of my daydreaming and sucked back to reality as I heard a slam, the front door. I walked into the dining room of my home and saw only the faded and darkened muddy and bloody hoofprints, no sign of my mother, I called out for her softly, my voice hoarse. Nothing. It was completely silent other than the birds chirping outside and the occasional hoofsteps of a pony passing by my home. I explored my home and found a note left by her, it read to me that she had left for her tribe, and not to follow her, to stay in ponyville, she wrote she could not stay because of the others fear of her, my father being the only thing protecting her from rumors and demonization now gone. All I could do was sit in the middle of the room and stare out the window, able to see her faintly over the treeline as she faded into the horizon. I didn’t know what to do now, I was alone, completely and utterly alone. I sat there for a good hour or so, hardly any thoughts able to register as I continued to simply watch the clouds roll by, coming and going. Next week would be my birthday, or as the other ponies celebrated it, the “summer sun celebration”... at least I would have that to look forward to. After about a day completely dazed not knowing what to do, completely confused and consumed by grief, I began getting hungry. I had always watched my mother and father cook but was never allowed to touch the stove, but my mother had left her cookbook. Thankfully, I had been taught to read and write at an early age by my parents. I had to use a stool to allow myself to reach the top of the stove, and for the first time I made pancakes on my own, topped them with strawberries and whipped cream. They were a little burnt and coarse, but otherwise… they were pretty good, at least I thought. As I ate alone at the table I couldn’t help myself from beginning to tremble and crying softly as I chewed on the pancake… how proud my father would say he is of me… a pain filled my chest and stretched to my joints as I lowered my head to rest on the table and let out a shaky sigh, my mother would’ve made the perfect fluffy pancake… why, why did she have to leave. I understood plenty that my kind was feared by other ponies but I still couldn’t shake the fact that she left me… she abandoned me, leaving me with only what was in the house. I came to the conclusion that she simply did not love me, did not care for me the way my father did, which only made me feel worse, the aches in my chest and joints growing stronger. I couldn’t bring myself to move from the table, I was exhausted, mentally and physically, I hardly slept the night after my mother left. I smiled softly as a thought came to me, my birthday was only a week away, I knew exactly where my parents had hid gifts and knew they always got them early, just in case. I approached the small hallway closet and stared at the doorknob for a moment… I was always told I’d be grounded if I opened this before my birthday. I reached out to the doorknob and hesitated before pulling my hoof back… maybe I should wait until my birthday, I don't know why but it just doesn’t feel right doing that, opening them early just because my parents are gone, they… they’d want me to wait. The following week got easier and harder simultaneously as cooking and chores became easier but ponies got more and more suspicious and worried as word got out. One night, I finally decided to enter my parents bedroom to clean the room, needing something to distract myself after cleaning the rest of the house, leaving it spotless. I approached my fathers side of the bed and glanced into my dresser… deeds to the house… some other government papers… boring stuff… I continued shuffling through the papers and about ten checks worth 200 bits each in my own name… Lumineer Sundowner… but, I hadn’t done any work in my life, where was this all coming from? I shuffled through the papers more… partial ownership of the elder-dusk plantation. My father had talked about my family occasionally, the farm they owned, how his job connected to the farm. I read further into the contract, “... one third of the bits from profit shall go to one Lumineer Sundowner, one fourth to one Sambucus Elderberry, and the remainder to the elder-dusk plantation.” But all these checks, this has to be years worth of profit… five at least. I looked through more, another paper… a will, only half filled out, but signed. The will states that in the event of my father’s death that the portion of his profits and all that in his possession go directly to Lumineer Sundowner… I owned the house and my family's portion of my fathers business. But why not my mother? No where in the will is my mother mentioned, hell you couldn’t even tell if my father was married if the will was all you read about the man. I shook my head slightly in confusion and re-read the will over a few times again, it was obviously a draft but… it was on a ponyville issued document, and signed. I knew that food was in short supply, my parents would buy food weekly. By myself, I had only gone through about half of the food but… oh what the hell. my birthday was tomorrow, I might as well cash this in and submit the will as a witness to my fathers death. The thought of going out alone was daunting but I knew I would eventually have to cash in those checks whether I wanted to or not. I collected all the bills and put on my saddle bags, placing the papers and the will into my bags. I looked over at myself in the large mirror in my parents room and fixed my hair slightly, trying to flash a small smile, trying to look presentable, though a small discoloration of fur around the bottom of my eyes made me look perpetually tired. I shook my head slightly and began making my way to the bank first. To my surprise, hardly anypony paid me mind. To be fair, I looked much different now than I did a week ago. Less disheveled, less bloody, less muddy, less guilty looking. I made my way into the bank and lowered my head slightly as I walked up to the teller, “Uhm, hello… I’ve come to cash in some checks,” I tried to smile warmly. The bank teller glanced up from her book at Lumineer, “May I have the checks and your name please?” I nodded as I grasped the checks with my teeth and gently placed them on the counter, “My name is Lumineer, Lumineer Sundowner.” The teller paused as she shuffled through the checks and glanced up at me again, “Lumineer… are you Sambucus’ kid?” I nodded softly, smiling a little as the teller continued, her expression changing to a soft caring smile, “I’m sorry for your loss, hun… no colt deserves to go through what you had to.” She examined me for a few moments, “Gosh you look just like him too, just a lighter mane, don't know how that's possible seeing his reflected light like a mirror.” Lumineer’s smile faltered slightly as I spoke softer “ah, it‘s okay… thank you” but I knew it wasn’t, I hadn’t been able to share my grief with anypony, I’d been alone for days. Has anypony known of my mother leaving too? I decided not to ask her as I sighed softly, watching her file the checks. She continued, “your father opened up a bank account for you quite a bit ago, seems he was prepared,” she glanced between the checks and a paper she was writing on. Lumineer peeked over at the paper, not able to make out a word on it, “If I may ask, how much did I put on my balance?” The teller finished with the checks and moved back to Lumineer, “in total, you have…” She glances back at the paper briefly before looking back at Lumineer, “... 4,284 bits'' My eyes widened softly, that can't be right, at most 2000 bits were on those checks… “but only 2000 bits were on those checks, where’d the extra money come from…?” She continued, smiling softly “Your father has been depositing money weekly since you were born, the amount varied each time but, every week on a friday evening he would deposit money into your account. He’d make smalltalk, he was a pretty good friend of mine. Again I’m… sorry for your loss, Lumineer. Do you need anything else?” Lumineer nodded softly, “uhm, yes, could I withdraw 200 bits please?” The teller nodded softly, “mhm, one moment,” She made her way to the back and took out two bags, “two bags, 100 bits each. Anything else I can do?” I shook my head slightly, placing the pouches in my bags, “no, thank you again,” I turned to walk out and paused before glancing over my shoulder, “what’s your name if I may ask?” She smiled softly, “Magic Marigold, but you can just call me Marigold… I’ll see you around, okay? Stay safe Lumineer.” I nodded softly as I flashed her a smile, “thank you, Marigold, see you around, and I will.” I exited the bank and sighed, that went a lot better than I expected. I thought maybe he’d need to show some ID but got lucky the teller was my father’s friend. He trotted back home and searched through more papers to prove that Lumineer was who I would be saying I am, I was sure the government building wouldn’t be as hassle free as the bank. I went through the papers again searching for anything… no… not that either… What is this? I pulled out a drawing… looks like a bad quality drawing of mom, it’s laughable, no way dad would make this straight faced. I checked the corner my hoof was covering and a highly detailed self portrait was in the corner with my signature, Lumineer shook my head and giggled as I worked through the stack of more papers and finally, something. A birth certificate from ponyville hospital, perfect. I stuffed it in my side pouch and took out the bits, placing them on my own nightstand. I made my way back out of the door to my house and to the town hall, my father’s will and birth certificate in my pouch. I walked up to the town hall and opened the door peeking inside before walking in slowly looking around, infront I saw a gathering area for ponies empty… well except for one, a very hard to miss pink pony hard at work setting up party favors and balloons, I knew this pony well, Pinkie Pie, it was hard NOT to know her. I looked around semi panic filled in hopes that Pinkie wouldn’t notice me and saw Mayor Mare and shuffled towards her, speaking softly as Ms. Mare seemed… asleep? “Ms. Mare?” She shot up in her seat causing Lumineer to recoil slightly, “... oh, my apologies, yes that’s me, how can I help you?” Lumineer began to pull out the will and placed it on her desk along with my birth certificate, “I’m here to submit a will, although I’m not entirely sure how this works, and that is all I have to identify myself currently…” Mayor Mare put on her glasses and read over the will and glanced up at Lumineer sadly, “Oh my… you’re Lumineer, yes I recognize you now. I knew your father well… I am incredibly sorry for your loss” I nodded softly, “thank you, Ms. Mare…” how many ponies did my father know as friends? “So uhm… how does a will work?” She sighed and began reading over it again, “Well, seeing as he left you everything and I don’t have any other papers to sign at the moment… I can get this taken care of tonight, and everything should be transferred to be in your name starting tomorrow, which means the house your father owns, his stand in the farmer’s market, and all other items he purchased will be yours officially tomorrow.” I nodded softly again, “is there anything I need to pay…? Taxes, bills, fees?” Mayor Mare sighed shortly and shook her head, “Not really, there's property tax but that’s yearly and has already been taken care of for this year, the soonest you’d have to pay is April 1st. Even then it’s not that much, I could pull up old tax records if you give me a couple weeks, I’ll have them mailed to your house” I nodded softly and smiled, “That would be great, thank you Ms. Mare,” I thought for a moment, “uhm… do I need to hold a funeral for my father? And if so, how would I do that?” She nods softly, “I’d recommend having one, there's not a single mare or stallion in ponyville who wasn’t at least semi close to your father. And I could help you organize one right now if you’d like,” she smiled sadly but warmly at him. He took a seat in front of her desk, “you’re not too busy? With the summer sun celebration and all?” She shakes her head, “Nah, Celestia has sent some younger mare to check on preparations, I have the day off technically but that doesn’t stop me from working.” I nodded again and we began going over the funeral expenses, how big it was going to be, if music should be played, how many were allowed to come, where it should be. I decided to have the official ceremony be at a local funeral home, the outside section was large enough for everypony to attend if they wanted to, I decided on the music and that was all. The funeral would be a few weeks from now, or about a month. I and Ms. Mare said our goodbyes and I began to make my way out. I stared at the floor as I walked thinking about the conversation I’d just had, how casually it was spoken about, I felt guilty for not feeling more, although every night he’d weep for them I felt being content for even a second was… not right. I nearly bumped into a pony as I glanced up to see Pinkie Pie, but she didn’t immediately overwhelm me verbally. Instead she offered a soft, sympathetic smile and spoke just as soft, “I’m sorry for your loss,” she hugged me gently. It took everything I had to not just collapse in her arms into a puddle of tears and hug her back as tight as I could, but I held back, sniffling softly fighting tears and speaking shakily, “thank you.” She pulled back from the hug and wore the same sympathetic smile as she spoke again, “if you need anything let me know okay, Lumi? I’m here for you.” I smiled softly, nodding, “thank you, Pinkie,” I had hardly spoken to anypony outside my own family, even barely to Pinkie. But Pinkie was the only pony I talked to on a semi-regular basis, she was the only other pony to show up to my birthdays after the summer sun celebration. She spoke up again, “If you’re not busy with anything, we’d love to celebrate your birthday tonight as well, have everypony here to sing and dance, eat cake, drink punch…” I thought about it for a moment and nodded slightly, “sure… I’ll show up, you’re the only pony I’ll talk to though probably.” Pinkie smiled slightly wider before beginning to walk out with me out of the town hall, “That’s fine… see you tonight then, Lumi.” As they exited and parted ways I said goodbye as she bounced happily down the road. A sudden gasp escaping her after I took a few steps caused me to snap my head around to what she was surprised about but… she was already gone when I turned, the only pony in the road a purple unicorn with a magenta streak in her hair standing next to… some small creature? A dragon? I just shrugged and made my way back to my house to relax. I spent the rest of the day making a list of my needs, some books I’d wanted to check out, and a list of food I’d need to make some of the recipes he’d be planning to cook, and doing more chores. The evening quickly came, it was still before sunset and I thought I should leave a bit early, but I felt a nervous pit in my stomach begin to grow, I sighed softly glancing out of the window as the sun began to set and I began paced around my house a little. I didn’t know if Pinkie was serious about celebrating my birthday with everypony… but I thought more about this, this is Pinkie we’re talking about. I shook my head a little, overthinking more, on one hoof if no pony showed up I’d be disappointed, on the other hoof if everypony showed up I’d probably be overwhelmed, and on another hoof if I didn’t show up at all Pinkie would’ve been telling everypony about my birthday for nothing… I bit my lip slightly and thought about everything again, shaking my head slightly and sighed. I might as well go, Pinkie seemed pretty genuine about this. I packed up some essentials, some bits just in case, some small snacks, and I was out, I opened the door and… I was stopped by Pinkie who spoke a bit too quickly to be entirely understood, “LUMI! Change of plans!” She seems a little out of breath, her hoof was up, looks like she was about to knock on my door anyway. She lowers her hoof as she speaks, “I met this pony! Huff I’ve never seen her before! Huff and-and when I realized I was all like GASP and I ran to go start telling everypony that we are throwing a surprise welcome party for her! Y'know to make her feel welcomed?” I take a moment to process the information and my eyes dart around before going back towards her, “oh uhm, okay… do you know her name?” She nods quickly, “Mhm! Her little…” she taps her chin a little, “I’m not entirely sure what the little guy was but she said her name was Twilight!” I nodded slightly, “okay… so, I assume you’d know where I should go…?” She nods again quickly, “Yes! Just this way, follow me!” She begins bouncing down the road, humming a song. I followed behind her to a tree… house? Library? I don't know… and stopped just before the door, “are you sure we’re allowed to be in here? You did say it was a surprise part-” I’m cut off by Pinkie practically pushing me in, “Yeah yeah, we're allowed, if not it’s my fault so don’t worry about it, just hang out in there for a little bit and I’ll be back to let everypony know she's coming. For now just enjoy punch and some oat crackers and cupcakes!” I smiled softly and rolled my eyes as I stumbled slightly into the house, given another nudge by Pinkie, everypony glancing at me for a moment before going back to their conversations. I spotted the table where the goodies are and shuffled my way over to it and picked up a couple oat crackers to snack on, sitting on the ground next to the table, people watching and occasionally glancing out the window to look at… the clouds? They’re gone… not one in the sky… but I thought… whatever, I shrug and take a bite out of an oat cracker, now watching the stars as they twinkle. The oat crackers must be made by pinkie, they’re very sweet, overly so, tastes like there should be frosting on top of it but there is none. I sigh softly, free food is free food I guess. I continue chowing on oat crackers and occasionally sipping the fruit punch until Pinkie bursts through the door, everypony’s eyes collectively widening at the noise as their focus shifts towards Pinkie. “SHE’S COMING EVERYPONY, LIGHTS OFF AND BE QUIET!” Everypony mumbles and stands towards the center of the room and I follow suit, brushing off some crumbs from my coat and standing with the crowd. The lights go out and I hear a muffled voice from behind the front door, the door swings open and hears what I assume to be the friend that Twilight had with her, “Rude much?” Twilight takes a few more steps into her home, the only sound audible being her hooves taking soft steps on the wooden floor and soft creaks before she continues, “Sorry Spike, but I have to convince the princess that Nightmare Moon is coming and we’re running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?” The light flicks on, everypony yelling simultaneously, “SURPRISE!” … What did she say? She knows about Nightmare Moon? And she’s coming…? But when… I began to think to myself, shaking my head slightly. I knew one of my birthdays would be the day she returned but, it was tonight!? I watched Pinkie and Twilight talk but nothing more of Nightmare moon was brought up and I kept to the side of the table, I snacked on the cupcakes that remained as I eavesdropped. Twilight went silent and I glanced over at her, her face was red as she shot upstairs to her bedroom. I snuck up to the door after Spike had left and returned to the party and pressed my ear against the door, hearing Twilight speak to herself, “... here I thought I’d have time to learn more about the elements of harmony…” Elements of harmony…? “... but, silly me, all this ridiculous friend making has kept me from it!” I smile slightly at her comment and almost let out a short giggle but I stifle it. She continues, “Legend has it that on the longest night of the thousandth year the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night… I hope the princess was right, I hope it really is just an old ponytail…” This… this is what I was born for, this moment, I… I need to know more. Spike runs up the stairs and bursts through the door not noticing me as I casually sip on punch, trying not to seem out of place. “Come on Twilight, it’s time to watch the sunrise!” he and her leave the room and I glance back to the downstairs area… I hadn’t even noticed it’s almost entirely cleared out, they must be at the townhall. I follow behind them, making my way out as well, as we make our way to the town hall as a small nervous pit begins to form in my stomach… something feels off. I make my way closer to the front of the crowd as ponies pour into the town hall and spot Mayor Mare. As soon as everypony is settled, a spotlight comes down on her as she speaks, “fillies and gentle-colts! As mayor of ponyville it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!” Everypony begins to cheer as I stand anxiously waiting for something to happen. “In just a few moments our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this: the longest day of the year, and now,” something catches my eye as I glance upwards at the moon… I watch as the mare in the moon disappears… this is really it, it’s time, “it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day,” I roll my eyes slightly, Nightmare Moon gives you the moon, have they forgotten…? “the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria,” I nearly scoff… harmony for everypony but my people… “Princess Celestia!” The curtains draw. But the princess is not there, an empty podium illuminated by a spotlight. There is mumbling upon the crowd as Mayor Mare begins to speak again, “Remain calm everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation…” A white, purple maned pony speaks over the balcony, appearing from behind the curtain, “She’s gone!” Everypony gasps and I simply glance up between the balcony and the moon. An ethereal purple haze with a void like core takes over the balcony as more mumbles consume the crowd. The purple glow quickly coagulates into… my eyes widen as I feel something begin to tug at my brain through my skull, it's… it's really her… Nightmare Moon… and just as my legs had started to tremble they stop, a calm adrenaline washing over me, I suddenly feel as though I could easily lift three mantacores. Nightmare Moon begins to speak, “Oh my beloved subjects, it’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little… sun loving faces.” A rainbow maned pegassi mare speaks up harshly, “What did you do with our princess?!” She nearly rushes towards Nightmare Moon but a farmer earth pony mare keeps her from flying. How dare she… do they not know of her promise? A beautiful everlasting night for a thousand years… how could they not want to gaze upon the moon and the stars that dotted and shone in her night sky like diamonds and sapphires… were they not bored by the monotony of the one sun that shone in the constant bright blue sky, too bright to even behold?! Nightmare Moon laughs at this, “Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don’t you know who I am?” Pinkie Pie speaks up, “Oh! Oh! More guessing games, umm, Hokey Smokes! How about… Queen Meanie? No… Black Snooty! Black Sn-!” She’s cut off by the same farmer mare who stuffed an apple in her mouth. Nightmare moon examines another pony as she continues speaking, a bit more impatiently “does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs!?” Twilight speaks up, “I did! And I know who you are! You’re the mare in the moon! Nightmare Moon!” Everypony gasps at this revelation but… what is there to be surprised about, have they not heard the story? No, they have based on their reactions… have they all only casted it off as nonsense? As fiction? I begin to feel an anger, of likes the which I only felt when my father passed, a faint purple glow starting in my hooves. I hear something, a voice, the same one that beckoned me to the forest, one that is now beckoning me to take action, assisting in my goddesses return. But, that would require hurting Pinkie Pie… she… she does not deserve that. She… no… I cannot let emotion overtake me now, I must assist in aiding my goddess now, aid in the justice for my people, I begin backing away towards the door, watching over the crowd. Nightmare Moon speaks up again, “Well, well, well… somepony that remembers me, then you also know why I’m here.” Twilight speaks again, “you’re here to… “ she lowers her head, wincing softly as she cuts herself off. Nightmare Moon bellows with laughter and starts again, “Remember this day little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” She throws her head back, maniacally laughing now, growing louder with each second. “Seize her! Only she knows where the princess is!” Mayor Mare orders as three royal guards approach Nightmare Moon. “Stand back, you foals!” They are defeated easily, near effortlessly, struck down with lightning seemingly casted from thin air. Just as the guards hit the ground, Nightmare Moon rushes out of the front door returning to her hazy ethereal form, making her way to the everfree forest. I watch as ponies begin to panic and I try to make my way through the crowd, eventually slipping out the front, nearly getting knocked to my feet a few times in the chaos. I need to find her, now. I focus on the voice in my head as it directs me towards where she went off to, making my way to the edge of the everfree forest. I glance behind me and see six ponies, including Twilight and Pinkie making their way to… somewhere, doesn’t matter… I’ve got a bad feeling about them though, Twilight seemed earlier she was prepared to stop this. I cannot let this happen, this is the only chance that I have to ensure my goddess prevails. As I trot closer to the edge of the forest I feel the voice grow louder, my legs moving faster involuntarily as I don't even stop at the tree line, this doesn’t feel right. I feel sick to my stomach as I turn through trees and rocks covered by moss, there's no path yet I’m being guided down one. I rush into the forest jumping spiked roots less and less as the path seems to clear for me, I glance behind me as the roots reappear behind me, re-sealing the path as if I hadn’t traveled it at all, the feeling leads me to a decrepit temple, holes in the stone and marble ceiling. I rush in and feel myself finally able to move freely, panting heavily. I glance up and see… her… Nightmare Moon. She’s faced away looking at a statue that holds 5 stone orbs as she speaks, softer than she did at the town hall, “Ah… at last, Lumineer,” I feel my knees buckle as I’m forced into a deep bow, “I have been watching you for quite some time, seeing the world from your eyes…” she turns to face me directly walking slowly to me, she is smiling softly, “Well? Have you nothing to say to me?” I’m trembling, scared… Although she is supposed to be my savior I can’t help but feel this… abhorrent energy seep from her, an awful power, I shakily open my mouth to speak, “... h-hello… my goddess…” She smiles softly still, the urge to bow leaving my body as she speaks softly, “rise, my child, we have much to discuss and little time,” she trots a bit closer, her hooves clacking rhythmically against the marble flooring of the temple. I rise from my bow as she continues, “I have imbued part of myself within you, think of it as a gift… I have been with you since you were in the womb, Lumineer. You have proven yourself a worthy vessel, but I must say that was very recently… cutting it close, and you hardly noticed it, didn’t you, the moment you were worthy?” I glance up at her slightly confused as she laughs softly at my expression, “worthy, your majesty?” She lets out a small huff, amused, “your expression is humorous… when your father was injured, the timberwolves around you, what happened to them, hm? They did not simply run off into the forest, Lumineer.” I try to think about what happened immediately after I came to my fathers side. Yes, I remember now, but… “I do not know what I did… I- was angry… and a-a flash happened… and they were nothing more than piles of sticks afterwards,” Nightmare moon smiles wider at this, her fangs bearing. “Very good, Lumineer, what you did was cast magic. A dispelling sort, and without focus words either. For your first time casting, it is rather impressive,” She sits in front of me, “though I must gloat… it was partially my doing, that was my magic you casted, my power, and you did excellent, my child…” I smile softly, my nerves fading slightly as I feel the same calm from the town hall flow over me like cool water on a mid-summer’s day. She's being very gentle and patient… kind… just as my mother said she would be, “you call me your child, why? I am only half thestral… I am not pure as your true descendants,” I glance up at her confused and mirroring her sat posture. Her smile lessens, still soft and warm, “ah, a wonderful question, Lumineer,” she raises a hoof to where my heart is, “because I chose you, I made you, that cutie mark was not merely a miracle, I gave that to you, you are my product, my child, and I have raised you alongside your mother and father without you even knowing… I called you to the edge of the forest, do you remember? The voice you heard-” I cut her off, “That was you…?” I look to the ground thinking a bit before speaking, “Then- then that means… you… my father died because of… you,” I look back up to her tears in my eyes, continuing softer, my voice cracking slightly, “why, my goddess? Why bring such… such sorrow and grief… I do not understand,” I search her eyes as she still looks down at me, still smiling slightly. She continues softly, her voice soothing and stopping any of my tears before they fall, she places a hoof gently beneath my chin, “I did what was required, my child… there was not a single thing in this world that would have drawn out that initial spark of power I had gifted to you than losing the one closest to you… I do apologize, but it was a much needed loss for me to prevail, to ensure justice.” I fight back the voices in my head that are trying to take hold of me, telling me what she was doing was right and a deep hatred begins to boil in my gut, working its way through my veins as my expression shifts into one of disbelief as I take a step back from her raising my voice slightly, “Much needed!?” I take another step back, my voice softening this time, “No… no loss is ‘much needed’… you… you a-are an evi-” before I can finish my sentence, I feel a tight vice around my neck, I’m not able to open my mouth. I am forced into a low bow again, my snout less than a millimeter from the floor. Her smile is gone as she approaches me, “How… unfortunate, I thought giving you free will would better your chances in helping me effectively, but now I see that was a mistake. I thought you would see my reasoning,” she walks slightly past me, thinking before continuing, “no matter, I will teach you to distinguish what is truly right from wrong in this world. This does pose a minor issue as I intended for you to assist with me defeating this… ‘Twilight Sparkle’ who seeks to unite the elements of harmony. Though, I’m sure she will not prove an issue,” She speaks her name as though it is something revolting. She glances over her shoulder towards me, “I still feel sympathy for you my child… I am sorry for your loss, however something as silly as grief should not even be registered right now.” She turns back to the entrance to the room before I feel something tug at my legs again, they begin moving involuntarily as I’m forced behind a pillar, unseen and untouched by the moonlight. She continues, “They will be here soon, my distractions did not tempt any of them unfortunately, although it did allow this conversation. For now, my child, hide and stay put, you will act as a witness to my glory. My first victory as Nightmare Moon, the true power of my night,” she glances back at me and her eyes glow softly, I feel my limbs seize up, I can’t move, can’t speak, can’t make any noise, I can only breath and watch. “And do not worry… I promise, I will keep you safe, no matter what.” Nightmare Moon seems to disappear into thin air as I’m left behind a pillar, the 6 enter the temple and approach the central statue, they all gaze upon it as I lose myself slightly in thought… Nimare Moon… she’s supposed to be our goddess, benevolent, all powerful… and yet she gave a portion of her power to me? It just seems too risky to me, willingly making yourself weaker in the hopes of more allies… and did she do this with more ponies? I glance up again seeing the ponies begin to walk out, the farmer mare from before speaking to them all as Twilight lays in the middle of the temple in front of the orbs, now on the ground, “come on now y’all, she needs to concentrate,” she’s the first out of temple as the others follow. As Twilight’s horn glows a brighter purple the hazy lilac vapor, black to the core, begins to envelope the 5 orbs in a vortex, the same glow enveloping me. Twilight jumps into the vortex as the three of us are teleported into a slightly more enclosed room, Nightmare Moon on a raised part of the room as Twilight lay in the middle. I still can’t move, although I feel like I want to vomit from the teleportation. I'm hidden, teleported behind another pillar… convenient. Nightmare Moon begins to cackle loudly and Twilight… rears at the ground, seemingly about to charge, is she serious? Nightmare Moon speaks up at the sight, “You’re kidding. You’re kidding right?” I watch as Twilight begins to rush towards her, her horn glowing furiously as Nightmare Moon matches her, rushing towards her as well. Just before they hit, Twilight teleports behind her, although a little dazed she attempts to cast… something on the orbs, “just one spark, cmon… cmon… “ Nightmare Moon turns and rushes to where she is in her ethereal form, appearing in front of her faster than I could process, blasting her backwards onto the temple floor. The orbs begin to spark and glow, an electricity surrounding them as Nightmare Moon speaks, her voice panicked, “No… No!” and just as quickly as they began glowing, they suddenly stopped, losing the electricity they had around them. Nightmare Moon begins cackling as Twilight looks on in slight disbelief, mumbling something too far from me to hear. Nightmare Moon raises herself up on her hindlegs before slamming into the ground, shattering the orbs, leaving only shards. Twilight's expression is one of horror now as her ears fold back, Nightmare Moon continuing, “You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me!” Her mane juts upwards, looking as a purple raging flame as Twilight recoils, lowering herself more to the floor, “Now you will never see your princess or your sun! The night will last forever!” she bellows again, victorious. Just then I can hear faint mumblind and glance towards the stairs leading up to the room, just then Twilight seems to have a revelation, her eyes widening and her hope and confidence returning, she glances back at Nightmare Moon, “you think you can destroy the elements of harmony just like that? Well you're wrong! Because the spirits of the elements of harmony are right here!” I glance slightly behind her, the other 5 ponies in the room. Just as she finishes speaking the shards begin to glow, as I look on in awe. Twilight begins to speak of her friends and their specialties, how they correlate with the elements… but she's missing the 6th still. Nightmare Moon notices this as well and speaks slightly panicked, “You still don’t have the 6th element! The spark didn’t work!” She backs up slightly. Twilight continues, “But it did… a different kind of spark!” she turns to face her friends “I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you how much I cared about you, the spark ignited in me, when I realized you all… are my friends!” the 6th orb appears in a flash of light above them, I don’t pay attention to the rest of what twilight says as my attention is drawn to the orb as it glows impossibly bright, and suddenly as she finishes speaking the shards begin glowing, and I continue watching, completely blotting out what Twilight is saying. The shards change to necklaces, except for Twilight, the orb melding into a crown. They all float together in the air as a rainbow shoots out of all of them, my eyes widen as it envelopes Nightmare Moon, I can’t turn myself away from the increasingly blinding light as it envelopes the room, all I can do is shut my eyes tight. As I open them I feel looser, like I can move, but I stay, too scared to move a muscle. Scared of what the 6 may do to me, how they may punish me, I cannot believe it… I cannot believe my goddess was… defeated, and so easily. I slump down into a lying position, my expression matching that of Twilight’s when the orb was shattered. As I watch the others gain consciousness. They all talk amongst themselves as I keep my head down, thinking to myself over the events that had just occurred. Suddenly I hear a voice in my head that is not my own, “Damn! I… this… this is your fault you worthless yaldson! If you had just helped me instead of prattling over your father I wouldn’t have failed, I would be in power, I would have won, you worthless whelp! I lied, I feel no sympathy for your father or mother! In fact, it serves you right that they’re gone, they would not want to see the failure you are!” I wince slightly at her words and lower my head to the ground, tears welling up in my eyes… “Your words are none a goddess would speak, you are a tyrannical evil beast, a demon. Were you even going to help my kind?” Nightmare Moon continues sounding offended, “your kind? You are not one of my children, you are a disgusting half blood! I chose you only because ponies other than thestrals would look upon you fondly as a diplomat… but other than that, you are a disgusting cretin, I should’ve let you fester in the womb as a stillborn.” I wince again at her harsh words, tears flowing down my face. Just as she stops speaking I glance up, another tear falling from my face as the sun begins to rise and I can hear… no, see princess Celestia appear from a window in front of the 6 as they bow. Celestia speaks to Twilight as I hear something shuffle and glance over to the noise… it's where Nightmare Moon was, her spot taken by a younger looking mare, her cutie mark similar to Nightmare Moon’s. I hear Celestia speak her name “... Princess Luna,” Princess…? She awakens with a gasp as Celestiia approaches, she speaks softly to her, too soft for me to hear, but she speaks up towards the end of her sentence, “... we were meant to rule together, little sister, will you accept my friendship?” Luna thinks about this for a moment and begins to tear up before rushing to her sister's forelegs and apologizing as Celestia forgives her, shedding tears of her own. I watch as they continue talking and eventually make their way out of the room, watching Luna in particular. She’s the last one out and she looks to where I was hiding, making eye contact with me as I’m still slumped in a shadow. I hear a voice, not of Nightmare Moon, as her horn glows very softly, “Stay put, I will be back later tonight to greet thee my child,” She tries to flash a warm smile before walking out of view completely. I sigh and glance down at my hooves as I hear Nightmare Moon butt in, “pathetic… crocodile tears… she is erroneous and weak, they will see, they will never accept her as a co-ruler of Equestria. Again, now for an eternity the night will be shunned and disrespected…” She sighs, “and for what will feel like an eternity for me, I’m stuck with you, and you are more pathetic than her! I should have given your portion of my power to somepony who deserves it, who would’ve helped me… perhaps Spades would’ve performed better than you, but now I will never know.” She appears in front of me vaguely as a dark misty unicorn head, her eyes, or what I can make out of them, narrowing, “I’m bound to you as you are the main vessel of my power, truly an unfortunate thing for me,” she rolls her eyes… I think? I speak up softly, “so you… the rest of your power has been sealed away?” My eyes narrow as well as I raise myself to be eye level speaking slightly louder, “and stuck with me? I think you have that backwards, I’m stuck with you, you’re the one that planted yourself in my brain!” I sat back down, sighing and speaking softer, “This is all your fault…” She laughs softly in slight disbelief as she speaks, “oh really? You believe this to be my fault? Tell me then, really, what else could I have done, hm? Aside from not being able to account for your… stubbornness and woe is me attitude .” I scoff, “The idea to split your power is something you shouldn’t have even considered until after you had secured your victory is one thing I can think of immediately…” She’s silent for a moment, I can’t read her expression, “well… it was necessary… I am one mare after all, more brains helping me is a fundamentally good idea, anypony would think that,” I raise an eyebrow, “one mare? You are… no… were a goddess, if you were at your full power you could have easily won, hell, you could have rivaled Celestia and the entire royal guard… maybe having brains to help after with diplomacy was a good idea, but splitting your power before you even see your opponent is stupid! Even a foal would know that given context…” She rolls her eyes again, not wanting to admit she's wrong, “... half blood freakish child trying to lecture me…” Her form dissipates into thin air as she retreats from the argument. I let out a long mixture of a sigh and a groan as I lower myself, sprawling out on the marble floor… Hopefully Luna is nicer than Nightmare Blowhard… Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrow again at the insult, I already forgot she's in my head now, she can hear my thoughts... It’s gonna be a long day today. I close my eyes and begin to drift off to sleep as I hear a loud screeching sound, my eyes flinging open as I flinch, looking around as I hear Nightmare Moon chuckle softly. Okay… this day is gonna be REALLY long…
Illagain
562563
3
Nightmare Moon,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Thriller,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Night's Heir // When the Sun Sets (the Moon Follows Suit)
In the event of Nightmare Moon's defeat, a young Lumineer Sundowner, is left to confront the lingering darkness that threatens Equestria.
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>A pale, blue, earth pony thestral mix, Lumineer Sundowner; is spawned from a prophecy Nightmare Moon herself whispered in the ears of her priests while they rested in dreams. Will Lumineer lean into his forged and forced destiny made by Nightmare Moon herself or reject it entirely and go down his own path with the newly crowned princess Luna at his side?</p>
teen
2024-07-31T07:40:05+00:00
2024-08-04T17:27:02+00:00
31
As Nightmare Moon gives up with tormenting me, seemingly bored, and keeping me awake well into the day, I’m finally able to rest. I sigh as my eyes flutter shut as I hear soft hoof steps coming up the stairs. I sigh again as I open my eyes tiredly, slinking further into the shadow of the pillar. It has to be Luna but I need to be cautious… God’s, I can’t even imagine what Celestia would make of me if I were found out, would she deem me akin to Nightmare Moon? Would I be banished as well? I tremble slightly at the thought as the hoof steps get closer. The hoof steps stop and I hear a soft voice call out, “... Lumineer? We are here now, thee may come out.” We? Did she bring others with her? I hesitantly glance from around the corner and there she’s sat looking directly at where I’m hidden, she’s smiling softly, “it is safe, my child… no harm will come upon thee.” I glance around more, it's just her sitting alone. I hesitantly come out from behind the pillar, my ears flicking slightly to see if I can hear any other hoof steps. I come to a stop a decent distance away from her and sit on the ground, I speak softly, feeling no urge to bow or praise her, “... your name is Luna, yes?” She nods softly, smiling warmly, “yes, my child, I am princess Luna,” she beckons for me to come closer, “I promise thee, I am of no danger,” She lowers her hoof as she waits patiently for me to approach her. I hesitantly come closer, only about an arms distance away as she speaks again, “would thee like me to get rid of thy burden of mine that thee bears?” I raise an eyebrow, and I can practically feel Nightmare Moon roll her eyes at the comment of her being a burden, “you mean, Nightmare Moon? You know she resides in me?” She nods, “Well of course, she was me for a millennia, and she is quite rude isn’t she?,” she pauses, her smile fading slightly, “I do truly apologize, Lumineer, had it not been for her… for me… thou would be living a normal life, perhaps as a full blood. The prophecy we delivered to the priest was the one that caused thy mother to flee… I’m sure the story is fresh in thine mind, yes?” I nod softly, “yes, but you could hear us? Me and Nightmare Moon?” She continues still smiling warmly, “well, no, she is rid of my being almost entirely now, I had just assumed she must have been very upset when talking to thee… although if she wishes to show herself I can still hear and see her. Would thee like me to rid her from thy mind permanently?” I think about this for a moment as I see Nightmare Moon’s head begin to form behind Luna, I glance at her as she shakes her head no, her eyes narrowed, Nightmare Moon begins to speak, “Luna is a fool, I provide you with the magical energy to simply be mobile, without it you would be bound to a bed. You do not even understand the extent, the length I had to go to ensure you survive and are able to function normally. If you get rid of me, you will be unable to lift a foreleg…” I recoil slightly at this as Luna glances over her shoulder, glaring at Nightmare Moon, “What she says is… unfortunately truth,” she returns her gaze to me sighing softly, “to ensure thy birth and success, and to negate the birth defects that came along with thou being a half blood… we had to tamper with how magic flows through thine body,” She glances away, as if ashamed and continues, “the magic, that of which thee possess from Nightmare Moon, acts as the necessary muscles for you to be as mobile as any other pony. Banishing Nightmare Moon from thine being would mean thee would be bound to a bed for the rest of thine existence,” as she finishes speaking she looks at me expectantly. My eyes are wide in slight disbelief at the information I’m hearing, Nightmare Moon hates my guts… but she’s keeping me mobile? Well I suppose that also explains why I was able to be controlled like a puppet when she appeared, I begin to speak softly, “were you going to warn me of that if Nightmare Moon hadn’t?” Luna opens her mouth to speak but shuts it as Nightmare Moon butts in, “No, she wasn’t.” Nightmare Moon looks towards Luna, speaking to her now, “She is too ashamed of my existence and wishes me dead too much to want any possibility you would have said no to her, but it seems I spoiled that for her,” Nightmare Moon's foggy expression shifts to that of a sort of smirk, victorious. Luna sighs harshly, speaking hesitantly, choosing her words carefully, “thee… well… we created thee for the sole purpose of defeating Celestia, thine existence is essentially as a weapon, and though there was no battle, there never needed to be one. Now, your purpose is served, although it was never needed… I apologize, my child.” Nightmare Moon butts in again, “She is saying you are useless and defective,” She begins laughing maniacally. Luna glares at Nightmare Moon, “That is not at all what I am saying! I am merely saying, thy purpose, thy destiny was altered by us and at least I am apologizing for that,” she lets out an agitated huff as she looks back to me, “what I am insisting is there is no need for that magical power, it was and is too much for me to hold alone as well, and I apologize again that I burdened thee with it but now it must be vanquished completely and utterly, down to the smallest piece.” My ears fold slightly, “... you are, going to just… get rid of me?” I can't help but tear up slightly, not only from this but this adding onto everything that's been happening, “is that all I’m seen as? A weapon? Am I not another pony worthy of living life normally?” Luna shakes her head softly, her sorrowful expression matching mine, “Lumineer… my child, thee were never living life normally, again I apologize profusely, but thou must understand this is for the best, removing Nightmare Moon from you, although immobilizing you, ensures thine survival,” tears begin flowing down her cheeks, “Please my child, I… see thee as that, as my child, my son, please… as thy mother, take this offer. I do not know what Celestia would do if she found out of thine existence, she was forgiving of me, but thou are not me, thou are not related by blood to her. I doubt she would have sympathy for thee if given the context of your existence, she would see thou as a danger… a threat to her rule and my stability.” I glance behind Luna at Nightmare Moon who shakes her head slowly, I feel a deep pit in my stomach. I feel sick, on one hoof, if I allow her… I wont get to live at all, stuck indoors for the rest of my life. On the other hoof, I get to live, but in constant fear of being found out and possibly killed by Celestia… damn. I think about this for a moment before shaking my head slightly and mumbling, “... no… I refuse.” Luna looks a bit taken aback by this, “... what? No… Lumineer, thee must not understan-” I cut her off raising my voice slightly, “I understand full well, princess… I’d rather live in fear and be able to experience life fully, possibly dying young, than live comfortably in a bed and be stuck there until I grow old and wither away.” I shake my head more, my voice lowering to normal levels, “I do not consent to you rendering me a cripple…” Luna opens her mouth to speak, her lips quivering, this clearly didn’t go to plan, her mouth closes as her expression shrivels as if she just ate a lemon, “fine… I… will respect thine wishes, but under two conditions.” I sigh, relieved, “and that may be…?” She looks very serious, speaking firmly, “thou will be under my guidance, under my wing if thee will, and thee will assist in dealing with the other ‘gifted’ that exist throughout Equestria. If thou refuse this… I do not want this but, I will have no choice but to deem thee a danger to my sister and Equestria and do everything in my power to stop thee from leaving this temple.” I glance at Nightmare Moon again who simply watches in her ethereal form, she seems indifferent, I believe if she needed she could evacuate me from this place if I were in danger… but dealing with the other gifted? I didn’t even know there were other gifted… and dealing with them… does she mean killing them? I glance at Nightmare Moon who nods slightly, confirming my thought. I take a deep breath and nod, not entirely sure what I’m getting into but look back into Luna’s eyes, “I’ll do it… I’ll learn under you and assist with dealing the other gifted,” Luna sighs, smiling softly, relieved, “good… then, we will set up residence for thee in the palace,” she nods her head towards the entrance before getting up as she leads me out. I trail behind her, “... in the palace? In the middle of Canterlot? But… I… wouldn’t that be too obvious?” Luna shakes her head, “there is an entire wing of the palace that was dedicated to us that remained untouched and can stay that way per our request, any of those dusty spare rooms should do, no guard will bother checking them,” She glances back at me, “I will maintain my promise, I promise to keep you safe.” I bite my lip softly, and speak hesitantly, afraid of what Luna might say, “I… want to go home… I want to stay in Ponyville.” Luna stops in her tracks, thinking for a moment before speaking, “thou may keep your residence as a secondary home, but thine main residence will be in the palace, thou will take what is essential and unpack in a room that I deem fit and safe for thee to live in, understood?” She glances back as she starts walking slowly again, “I understand this is a lot, and I apologize this has all been dumped on thee in such a short amount of time, but to get thy being safe and to get to beginning thine training is of the utmost importance right now. The other gifted will surely hear of our… er… Nightmare Moon’s defeat soon and they will surely come looking for their ‘goddess’,” She pauses and sighs as she realizes what she said carries no real weight and only makes more questions than answering, “I will discuss all of this later, but for now let us walk through the forest peacefully and in silence… it may be the last moment of such we get for a long time.” Though her tone was firm and authoritative, her expression was incredibly soft and caring, if I wasn’t able to see her face I’d think she was angry at me. I nod softly and continue following her as we exit the temple, my eyes narrowing at the sudden increase of light before softening again as the canopy of the forest dampens the mid-day sun. Luna seems to admire the fauna and flora of the forest, the animals that are usually hostile to everypony seem frightened, hiding in the darker shadows where the canopy grows thicker, their unnatural glowing eyes and slight shuffles in the brush the only detail I’m able to make out of most of the animals. Luna glances back at me and smiles softly, noticing I’m also admiring the animals, “They will not attack as long as I am around you… they still recognize me as Nightmare Moon, they fear me,” she sighs softly, “which… Although I am happy we are safe, it goes to show the extent Nightmare Moon’s fear was driven into other creatures, other than ponies, hearts.” I can’t help but giggle softly at the thought, to think everypony worshiped Nightmare Moon, even my parents, and anyone who didn’t feared her, even striking fear into creatures that strike fear themselves… reduced to a black mist that lives in my head and hurls foal like insults and scares ponies for fun. I feel a slap on the back of my head, I forget she can still hear my thoughts. I roll my eyes as the smirk is wiped off my face as we continue to walk, simply admiring the foliage, and occasionally experiencing the casual fright from Nightmare Moon… the prick. I feel another slap on the back of my head. Eventually the forest begins to thin out and the treeline is visible as we step out. I sigh softly, it’s nice to be out of that cursed forest… even the air in there feels off, heavier, like it's draped in some thick smog making it harder to breathe. Luna turns to me as she takes a deep breath as well, “I will allow thee to bring what you can carry to the palace, I will have a ticket bought for thee at this…” she pauses trying to remember the word, “‘train station’, if that is what it is called, this train… thing… leaves at dusk. Say your farewells to anypony thou knows, thee will not be seeing them for a long time most likely, and do not speak of thine interaction with me or of Nightmare Moon, it is imperative that we are to keep this a secret, word of mouth spreads fast… it was that way a thousand years ago and I am sure it is the same way now. If anypony asks where thee was during my return, simply tell them you were resting, they will believe thee, I promise.“ She teleports away, leaving me alone, though in the distance I can see her carriage taking off… guess Ponyville to Canterlot is too far to teleport. I begin making my way into town as it's pretty quiet… no pony is out today, though I suppose that’s fair considering they were partying all night and into, well, a couple hours ago. I glance around the streets as I make my way home, and see really only one pony, a slumped turquoise mare on a bench… sitting…? I think she’s sitting… It's a really weird way to sit, she's definitely asleep though. I shake my head as I refocus, continuing to make my way to my house. I sigh trying to run through what happened over the past day, hell the past week; this all feels like a bad dream that I’ll wake up from any second. Nightmare Moon speaks up, appearing floating in front of me, “perhaps one would call it a nightmare…” I wave a hoof through the mist but she doesn’t disappear, I groan, “... you’re not funny, stop, go back to resting or whatever you were doing in my head…” She rolls her eyes as she begins to dissipate, “I’d at least think I’d draw out a giggle… can I not try at humor?” I stop walking and begin feeling angry, “No… you killed my father, are you serious? I can’t even believe you are trying to be casual now after not only what you caused me but also what you said to me afterwards… the only thing I can thank you for is warning me about Luna putting me in a bed for the rest of my life.” I continue walking, shaking my head slightly. I hear Nightmare Moon once more even after she dissipates, “... tough crowd,” I hear a soft chuckle following her words and I feel even more angry. I ignore her and approach the stoop leading to my house and walk through my door, taking in the scent of my home. I try to smile softly, at least I’ll still be able to visit here again once Luna has me settled and safe. I don’t even know who to trust more, my mind tells me Luna but she just wants to rid herself of her past mistakes… and as I see it, Nightmare Moon just cares about existing as she does now or stronger, and that relies on me living. Not even two steps into my house I hear a knock and I groan and whine, who could that be… I turn around and walk to my door, cracking it slightly, “yes…?” It’s Pinkie Pie, she’s smiling softly… but when is she not smiling? I opened my door a little more, “Oh… hey Pinkie, what's up?” She smiles a bit wider, “You didn’t think I’d forget, would you? About your birthday?” I crack a small smile, “I wouldn’t think you’d forget anypony’s birthday,” I glance around, “uhm, do you wanna come inside or are you bringing me somewhere?” “Well, may I come in?” She tilts her head slightly, looking at me expectantly. I nod and open my door more, stepping to the side to give her room to enter. She trots in happily, carrying a couple boxes wrapped with beautifully patterned paper on her back, a couple of balloons tied around the bow that tops the box. She takes in the interior of the house, glancing around “Woah Lumi, you keep this place sparkling huh?” I nod again, “anything to keep me distracted… I’ve never been that into doing chores but, I’ve needed something recently to take my mind off of things, cleanings been doing a great job at that. I’ve been pretty well actually.” Pinkie’s smile doesn’t dissipate, but she speaks a bit softer, “I’m glad you’re doing well…” she glances around more, “where should I place my stuff?” I nod over to the coffee table in my living room and waltz over to the couch sitting on it, smiling, “what did you bring?” She giggles, “that's a surprise… First,” she takes a blue box off her back and places it on the table, unwrapping it. It's a chocolate cake with white frosting, topped with a whole strawberry. “And one more thing,” she pulls out four red and blue candles and places them into the cake gently, she fiddles around in her side pouch looking for something to light the candles, “... hmm, I think… I forgot matches,” she looks a bit disappointed, “... sorry Lumi, it’s been a busy day, can’t believe I forgot…” I shake my head slightly still smiling, happy she even got me a cake in the first place, “it’s okay…” a thought pops in my head, “wait, let me try something.” She looks a bit confused as she slides the cake over to me, “got some secret matches I don’t know about?” I giggle softly, “no, but…” I gently raise my fore-hoves to surround one of the small candles. I take a deep breath and close my eyes… trying to focus on one thing… fire… cmon, fire… spark… fire… I must look so weird to Pinkie. Pinkie gasps softly, “woah, Lumi, your hooves… they’re glowing?” I don’t even hear what she says as I concentrate and mumble the same words, fire… spark… flame… cmon… I feel my hooves getting warmer, a bit warmer… hot, too hot, I open my eyes, they’re on fire. I flail my hoof frantically and blow on my hooves, putting the fire out… I glance at the candle… it's lit! I smile widely, maybe Nightmare Moon’s magic isn't so bad after all… though, I quickly push that thought out of my head as I feel her begin to smirk proudly. I look up at Pinkie, she looks bewildered, “woah… you just… did you just use unicorn magic? But- but how! That's… you’re an earth pony, you shouldn’t be able to cast magic like that, anypony knows that! Even me!” My smile grows a bit wider and I simply shrug and feign surprise, even though I’m pretty impressed myself, “I-I don’t know… I… just thought about it really hard and I did it!” I gently take the lit candle out of the cake and light the others, “is it cheating if I light my own cake?” Pinkie smiles and shakes her head, “not if you don’t think so… no… and now,” she rummages through her side pouch again and takes out a couple party hats, putting one on herself and putting one on me, not pushing the magic question further. She giggles, “okay… now the most important part,” she takes a deep breath and begins singing softly, “happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to…” she scoops up a small piece of frosting and puts a bit on my snout, “you!” she giggles as I roll my eyes, smiling softly, wiping off the icing, “thank you, Pinkie… and I’m kinda glad you didn’t invite every other pony in ponyville,” I sigh softly, “I’m a bit worn out, don’t think I could handle that.” I lean in a little, closing my eyes for a moment before blowing out the candles. She smiles still, “Well I tried to invite at least somepony but, it seems I’m the only one awake in Ponyville.” She gently removes the candles and places them on my plate. I let out a short huff matching her smile, “that doesn’t surprise me all that much… you’re much calmer than usual, I thought you’d be bouncing off the walls,” I get up and grab a knife, couple plates, and forks from my kitchen and move back to the living room as I speak, setting down a plate for her and myself, starting to cut the cake. She smiles a bit wider as I cut her a larger piece of cake than myself, “well yeah, I’ve been awake for almost two days straight…” and as soon as her slice hits the plate she digs in. I glance down at my own slice and start taking small bites out of it, it's really good… Pinkie’s baking was and still is better than mom’s was, never would tell her that to her face though. I speak through chews, looking slightly bewildered, “you’ve been awake for two days straight? What the hay, Pinkie…” She rolls her eyes, “yeah, I had to stay up baking and decorating a couple nights ago… and last night, well, you know what happened, you were there. I’ll rest as soon as I’m done with my schedule, don’t worry about me,” she doesn’t even look like she's been awake for that long, she just looks… normal. I nod as I take another bite of my cake, “so… what's the other box?” She finishes her slice as I’m halfway through mine, “oh! I got you a present, just something I thought you’d like, I thought it looked nice,” she slides the other box over to me, her tail swishing slightly as she looks at me expectantly. I cut the ribbon with a knife and begin to lift the lid. I pull a smaller box out of the wrapped up one, it’s some sort of dark wood jewelry box I think, it has a small bronze handle on the side, Pinkie nods at it as if giving me permission to turn it. I smile as I turn the handle and a soft melody plays. As the melody goes on and I continue twisting the handle it seems that it also acts as a method to open it, slowly revealing a sort of small medallion. It’s a smooth black marble amulet with a crescent moon painted in the middle. I pick it up after the song finishes and smile softly examining it, “it’s beautiful, Pinkie, thank you very much,” I glance up at her smiling wider, “I’ll bring it everywhere, promise.” She seems like she's about to explode out of her seat as I finish talking, she begins spouting out words like a faucet, “I’m glad you liked it, because I would see you and your dad out almost every night to look at the sky and stargaze so I just assumed you liked the moon and stars and stuff and then I walked into a little general shop just for some groceries and-” she takes a breath, “and I saw that in a little basket with other amulets and that was the only one that looked like that! And- and then I was like wow! Lumi would love this for his birthday! … well, yknow, if I assumed right and you liked the moon and stuff, which I did! So yay! I’m happy that you’re happy that I got that for you,” she flashes a toothy grin. I smile and chuckle softly at her sudden burst of energy. I glance down at the amulet again and get an idea, getting up and grabbing some thin white ribbon, putting it through the lace already looped through the top of the amulet, turning it into a necklace, “... how's this look?” She nods, “It looks great!” She glances around, spotting a grandfather clock and reading the time, she gasps softly, “Oh! I’ve gotta go! I didn’t realize just how long I was here… I gotta go talk to Twilight more, I want to learn more about her, y'know, you should meet her some time. She’s cool!” she smiles and gets up, “I’ll talk to you later ‘kay? And happy birthday again, Lumi,” She trots out as I raise a hoof to wave softly, “Goodbye, Pinkie…” she waves back hearing me as she closes the door behind her. I lower my hoof and the soft smile slowly fades from my face as the quiet sinks in. I sigh and shake my head and try to think of something to distract myself… oh yeah, I move down my hallway to the storage closet and hesitantly opening it, spotting unwrapped gifts. I smiled softly at them, I could clearly tell which ones were from dad and which were from mom. I pull one of the gifts out, more art supplies, oh woah, these are some rich blue hued paints… and some purples? Since when were we royalty? I can’t help but tear up slightly at the thought I won’t be able to draw with dad again... I shake my head and I glance up again and take a couple books from the same shelf the hat was on… “Stargazers Almanac: eyes on the sky, 1000th year collectors edition,” one of them reads… I pull another off the shelf. “the Mare in the Moon: the Forgotten Ponytail and it’s Origins” and the last one reads “Daring do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone” I let out a small amused huff and put them all back, there is one more present leaning against the wall, this ones wrapped, I pick up the box and push it to the living room, placing it on the coffee table and sitting in front of it. I unwrap it gently, smiling expectantly as the wrapped item reveals itself. It’s a medium sized flying toy, a bird with flapping wings, it’s tension powered. Twist a part of it and it winds up the wings… “flies up to 200 paces, guaranteed or your bits back! Some assembly required,” … huh, impressive, it’s pretty light too for being so detailed. I walk out to my backyard and wind it up about half way, letting it go. Sure enough, it flies, just like a bird, dipping in height before rising with each mechanical wing flap… pretty cool. I could play with this until sunset… I huff softly smiling as the bird slowly turns back in my direction… and it comes back? This things great… I never even knew this toy existed before today, I catch it as it glides down, running out of power. Guess my dad knew me better than I knew myself… I didn’t even really want anything this time around, didn’t see any toys or gadgets that caught my eye. I brought the toy back inside and set it in my room on my dresser… I sigh softly looking over my room, I guess I should start packing my side bags, trains supposed to leave in a few hours. I pull my side bags onto my bed and begin packing… I shuffle through my nightstand, some art supplies, a hundred bits, my mothers cookbook, my fathers personal journal and some of my own personal identification. I glance around looking for anything else essential to pack… most recent drawing of the moon with my father, I waltz into my parents room and look at their nightstands, spotting a framed picture of me with mom and dad on his nightstand, it's a couple years old. I remember this day, the first and only time mom went hiking with us… she liked it, nothing went wrong either, shame she never went again. She just didn’t like going outside ever, period. I put the picture in my side pouch and buckled both sides shut. I move back to the closet and take out the books, placing them in my side pouches as well. I'll probably need these to entertain myself while I get settled... I glance around my house again and shake my head softly, nah, nothing else I can think of… I look at the cake as I walk past my living room… I guess I could take this with me. I’d feel bad throwing this away after just having a slice. I sigh and box the cake back up and tie it to my back, trotting to the door. I take one last look over my house and I smile softly as I begin walking out. I'm gonna have a lot of cleaning to do when I get home, sure this place will be dusty. I begin making my way to the train station seeing the setting sun. I've still got a couple hours but I should get there early I guess. It will take about half an hour to get there and getting to pick a seat towards the front would be nice. … About half an hour later I arrive at the train station, the engine softly billowing steam as it sits idle. I approach the teller and tell him my name to get my ticket, his eyes widen slightly as he looks in a folder as he does a double take, he bows slightly, sputtering over his words, “r-right this way, sir,” he begins walking me to the front car of the train… huh… what's that about, and sir? I don’t look that old, do I? Maybe I just look tired… I heard that fatigue makes people look aged… I think. I shake my head as I walk alongside him as he escorts me, “uhm, excuse me? What does that ticket say exactly…?” I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell him where I got it, “I was handed that ticket from Princess Luna… is it a special ticket?” He nods softly, “the most special! That ticket deems you on par with some of the top royalty and richest of Equestria,” he turns and pokes it with one of his free hoof before handing the ticket to Lumineer, “this... is a Celestial pass ticket, and not just any, but a lifetime Celestial pass… I have never seen one in person before, so it is an honor to escort you personally to your train car,” he smiles as I take the ticket softly as we approach the cart, the inside looks like a miniature mansion, chandeliers line the ceiling, the seats themselves were a red velvet, and the sides of them plated gold… I think I can already see bottles of champagne and berry punch through the windows, the teller speaks again as he also admires the cart, “I should also suggest that you hold onto that ticket like it's your second heart… that, is priceless,” I nod softly and step into the cart and glance over the handful of ponies that dot the isles. They are all incredibly well groomed, well dressed, dazzled with sparkly jewelry. I feel a little embarrassed, I must seem homeless compared to them. I wave softly to the teller as he bows and turns to leave and I search for a good seat to take, I take a seat towards the back, passing by diplomats and aristocrats alike, getting equal looks of confusion and mild disgust as I take my seat out of line of sight of anypony, setting the cake down beside me and laying on the seat. I sigh as I close my eyes… I’m so worn out… I’m honestly surprised Pinkie didn’t say anything, I must have bags under my eyes stretching to my neck from everything, being up for over a full day and having to walk a near marathon. I drift in and out of sleep, the velvet seats too comfortable to not rest on, losing track of time as I’m hardly even bothered by the eventual departing whistle, eventually falling to sleep fully.
Illagain
562563
4
Nightmare Moon,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Thriller,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Night's Heir // When the Sun Sets (the Moon Follows Suit)
In the event of Nightmare Moon's defeat, a young Lumineer Sundowner, is left to confront the lingering darkness that threatens Equestria.
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>A pale, blue, earth pony thestral mix, Lumineer Sundowner; is spawned from a prophecy Nightmare Moon herself whispered in the ears of her priests while they rested in dreams. Will Lumineer lean into his forged and forced destiny made by Nightmare Moon herself or reject it entirely and go down his own path with the newly crowned princess Luna at his side?</p>
teen
2024-08-09T01:27:08+00:00
2024-08-09T01:27:07+00:00
25
I feel myself poked as the stagecoach bumps over a rock in the dirt road, “Clubs… wake up, we’re here I think. I see lights,” I wave my hoof slightly, still half asleep, “bug off…” I try to readjust myself but it's impossible against this hard wood. Another bump in the road makes me bite my tongue and I swear under my breath as I wake up fully, sighing as I rise, “fine… Hearts, what do you want,” I glance over at my younger sister who looks nervous sitting close to Diamonds. Hearts fidgets with her hooves, lowering her head slightly, “I… just wanted someone to be awake besides me when we get there…” I roll my eyes seeing Diamonds’ ears flick slightly, “whatever, pansy…” I scoff and look out the side of the stagecoach, squinting my eyes as I look down the road, seeing a large wooden wall in the distance. This has to be it. “... besides, Dia seems to be awake, why don’t you bother her.” Diamonds raises her head slightly, “Stop being such a blowhard for once… she's your sister, we're family… stop acting like we're strangers to you.” My face scrunches up slightly, “you’re all pathetic… maybe except Spades, he actually has some steel in him, but you both have mother’s genes,” I pause for a moment, “you’ll probably die just like her, by disappointing your husband,” glances at Diamonds and smirks, “speaking of which, how is it that you haven’t found a stallion yet?” I don’t even wait for a response seeing Diamonds roll her eyes, “I know why… because you’re brash and-” I’m cut off by Spades, “Shut up, all of you,” Spades is sat looking out the side of the stage coach facing away from us, “Dia is right… we’re family… even if-” I cut him off, “even if dad sold us to some damn freaks?” He turns to face me, “no… even if you want to keep being like this, we are still related, we’re supposed to be there for each other, just act cordial…” Diamonds scoffs, “that’s an impossible task for him, he can't go three seconds without hurling an insult just because he gets some sick pleasure out of watching our faces grow sour,” she stares dead into my eyes. I open my mouth to speak but Spades starts before I can in an attempt to save me the scolding, “I’m sure he’s just upset… it’s not fair he’s taking it out on you, but I’m plenty angry too, even if I may not be showing it right now. I’m still trying to wrap my head around why dad would even think of selling us off, let alone actually just going through with it without hesitation.” “Because he doesn’t love us, he never has…” Diamonds lowers her head again, “mom was always the one to actually feed and clothe us, dad just saw us as a burden… and apparently he saw mom as such too,” Diamonds expression softens as she seems to space out in thought. I let out a soft barely audible sigh as I slump back into a sitting position again, damn… spades got it right on the money. Can’t believe it, and the more I do the more angry I feel… the more I want to just break down where I sit and cry into my forearms calling for my mom. I shake my head slightly as my face scrunches up again about to say something to rile up Diamonds more but I stop myself, pinching myself gently with magic… Spades is right, in the end we’re still family and going through this all the same, just different ways of coping. I can’t help but feel like a hypocrite, calling them pansies when I feel this way… I just… miss my mom. I rest my head against the back of the stage coach looking up at the ceiling of it before rolling my head to the right to look out of the wagon as we pass the gates of this village, spotting armored guards whose eyes glow faintly. I feel the coach come to a stop and shift in what looks to be the center of the town as my father drops the reins used to pull the coach along and moves to the side glaring at all of us, “out,” he speaks firmly. I see Spades horn glow a violent orange and I pinch him with my own magic, his attention shifts to me and I shake my head softly. If he tries to kill him here we won't be leaving this town alive. He sighs as he realizes this too and his horn stops glowing and he's the first out. Diamonds smiles softly at Hearts and the two stumble out together and I follow behind them, not even looking in the direction of my father. The village residents look at us in awe, children hiding behind their mothers, a single male thestral in the center of the crowd of ponies, wearing a sort of cloak and a wooden head band. He calls out to my father, “are these the unicorns you promised?” My father grabs hearts and throws her to the ground in front of the stallion, “Yes. Hand over the bits,” his voice is rough and deep and he speaks with as few words as possible. I feel my horn beginning to glow in rage but Spades puts a hoof on my shoulder. He shakes his head and I have to agree, taking a deep breath and remembering how he felt the same way not even 5 minutes ago. I nod softly and he moves his hoof off of me. The thestral looks a bit worried for Hearts as she sits up and sniffles, “two hundred per unicorn, as promised,” two thestrals walk up with a small chest and place it in his cart. My father checks the bags and nods softly, not saying a word as he puts the reins back on and begins to walk out of the town, the cart squeaking as he gets further and further away. The wooden gates of the town dragged closed behind him, pushed by a good deal of thestral guards. I scoff and spit at the ground that he had just walked on. I turn to face the stallion in the middle of the crowd and approach hearts, kneeling down next to her speaking softly, “you okay?” She gives a weak nod, not making eye contact with anypony, staring at the ground. I glance back at Spades as he moves next to me, followed by Diamonds. The cloaked stallion thestral gives us a sympathetic smile, “Greetings… I am Prince Mid-Day… My mother will meet with you shortly. For now I will guide you to your quarters and where you can find food, please follow me,” he gives a short bow and turns beginning to walk away, a path in the crowd clearing. I glance at Spades, suspicious of this “Prince”, he hardly looks the part, a worn cloak and a wooden crown… he glances at me as well, a neutral unreadable expression as he looks back and starts following the prince. I pick up Hearts to her feet and dust her off gently glancing over her once more to make sure father hadn’t caused her any scrapes, Diamonds doing the same before we follow Spades. The prince is silent as we walk through the town, I glance around noticing glowing eyes peeping at us from the balconies of their homes tall… perhaps these ponies have never seen anything like us, unicorns. I thought over this for a moment… we must look incredibly strange to them, a fancy bone spike sticking out of our head. The thought is amusing to me but I’m too tired and angry and hungry to even crack a smile. I sigh as we all pull to a halt in front of a rather well put together log cabin… how quaint. Mid-Day opens the door for us and bows slightly, “please make yourselves at home, do you have anything to ask of me?” I glance at my siblings before speaking first, “yeah, when’s dinner… me and my siblings haven’t eaten in two days,” I can hear hearts mumbling something to Dia behind me as Spades enters the cabin. Mid-Day nods softly, “well, it would be breakfast for us. Us thestrals are usually awake through the night and sleep in the day,” I let out a short agitated huff, “right… when’s breakfast.” He glances up at the moon, “uhm…” it seems he's counting to himself, “5 minutes… and now that you are all here my mother will be holding a speech in the town square. We would be rather grateful if you all could attend with my mother.” I glance back at Spades who is further into the house but he gives a short nod to the question. I followed suit, “yeah, we can attend.” Mid-Day smiles brightly, his fangs making themselves more known, “great! I’ll let her know you will be joining us… I will have a guard escort you to the gathering. Breakfast will be held immediately following the speech.” Diamonds speaks up, “uhm, would you happen to have carrots that you could spare right now? My little sister here, Hearts…” Dia smiles softly “She would like some.” “I can have a guard bring a basket of them to your quarters,” Mid-Day turns and hesitates before speaking softly, “... we are truly thankful you have arrived. We have been waiting for this night for a long… long time. Your role is that of akin to angels,” Mid-Day smiles, “I hope Nightmare Moon was correct about you four,” he begins walking away. Huh? I mumble to myself, “Nightmare Moon… that name is familiar…” I turn to Spades, “who was he talking about?” Spades is levitating books, looking at the titles of each before glancing at me, “Old pony-tale… mother used to read us the story of Celestia, remember?” I nod softly, walking further into the cabin, “yes, I remember, but he just said he hoped she was right about us..” Spades continues looking through the books as Hearts and Dia make their way further into the cabin, “I am not deaf, I heard, that is why I am looking through their literature, although I’ve never seen these books before, none of the authors are familiar.” He looks at one book in particular and begins flipping through it. He stops and steps outside to look up at the moon. “I believe I know what he was talking about, supposedly tonight is going to be the night Nightmare Moon returns,” He closes the book looking up at the moon before going back inside and putting it back where it was, along with the other books. He glances over them all to make sure they’re all in the right place before continuing further into the cabin, entering the first room on the left with no hesitation, “I’m taking this room,” I hear him unclasp and take off his side bags. I walk further down the hallway… four rooms, I can’t tell if this place is specifically made for guests or was made for us. I enter the first room on the right and take off my own side bags, levitating a framed picture of our mom, father, and all three of us as foals. The picture itself is worn and stained, I’ve had to save it multiple times from being used as a coaster by my father… I believe this is the only time I’ve seen him smile, and I wasn’t even conscious enough to remember the photo being taken. I gently levitated the frame onto the nightstand and sigh, that was the only thing I packed of importance besides official documents proving who I am. I look over the rest of the room, opening another door, a personal restroom… and running water… this place doesn’t seem the type to have such. I gently close the door and look over the bed, laying on the bed… very soft, this isn't hay. I slide off and pull up the sheet… a bag? My horn glows a soft orange as I make a small hole in the bag, pulling out what's in it. Feathers… interesting. I repair the hole and go back to laying on the bag, it's strangely firm for being a bunch of feathers… I close my eyes. Just before I drift off there's a loud knock at the front door. I groan and get up. I walk into the hallway behind Hearts and Dia and gently push past them, standing next to Spades speaking bluntly without looking back to see me, only his ear flicking being the sign he knows I’m there, “... we will follow you.” The guard turns and begins walking to where I would assume the gathering is, Spades following close behind him. I glance up to the balconies where glowing eyes had peeked at us from before to see them empty. No whispers or mumblings, no sounds of hoof-steps, just ours… I feel something off, I can’t quite put my finger on it but… something is about to happen, it’s a gut feeling. As the moon hung high and highlighted the trees just outside of the village walls we drew closer, the occasional flap of wings overhead going towards a now growing sound of hundreds of voices talking over each other. A sudden wall of bodies turned to face us as we approached the outskirts of the crows, the familiar glowing eyes close enough to put a face to them, the crowd parted without a word from the guard. A path formed where there had not been one, the voices of conversation snuffed out, only scattered soft whispers occasionally making themselves known as we got closer to the stage. Sat in the center of the stage was what I had assumed to be the queen, a tired neutral expression on her face, and next to her the prince who smiled softly at us. The guard stepped to the side, allowing us onto the stage without his assistance. We each stepped up one after another and stood next to the prince, the queen glancing over each of us as we passed her, our hooves against the wood of the stage the only audible noise to us. As we each stood on the stage there were easily a thousand eyes on us, hardly blinking, they all looked on in awe as the tall torches barely illuminated the stage. I glanced over at Spades who simply was scanning over the crowd. Her eyes scanned over us more before speaking, “Lovely, we are all very glad you could join us,” the queen said loudly with the same neutral face, her eyes returned to the crowd as she continued “I present to you, my ponies, our key to victory!” The ponies in the crowd erupted in cheer, some jumping and flying into the air in excitement. The queen raised a hoof and the crowd fell silent and calm in a near instant, their quickness to quiet showing just how strong the queens grip over these ponies hearts are, “These… as many of you have never seen before, are unicorns. They can use magic from the horns on their head. This magic can lift objects off the ground without touching it, throw fire, freeze water, and spit lightning much like that of which comes from the clouds. These are very powerful beings, and we are grateful for them being bestowed upon us.” The ponies in the crowd are now mumbling amongst each other as one calls out, “Prove it! Let them levitate something,” more excited mumbling came from the crowd at the prospect. The queen glances at us speaking softly, “Would you mind levitating something for the crowd…?” I open my mouth to speak smiling, ready to show off but Spades speaks first, his voice cold and blunt, “We are not your show ponies, we are here because we were sold into your care. We will abide by your wishes and fight at your order, but we are not some form of entertainment…” I roll my eyes and my smile fades as the queen nods, “Fair enough,” she faces the crowd again clearing her throat, “these unicorns are not a form of entertainment, we bought them for a reason, they are dangerous and powerful and should be treated as such, as a weapon.” I scoff at this under my breath, feeling a bit annoyed, we aren’t just weapons… we’re ponies too. I turn to spades and whisper to him as the queen continues talking to the crowd, “C’mon, lighten up, I was more than willing to show off by levitating a chair or something… nothing huge.” Spades glanced at me, his head still facing the crowd, “Our power is beyond mere show tricks. Dad made that very clear when we were younger. We were born to be strong and sold. We cannot give these ponies the wrong idea, our goal is to protect and fight for them now provided they take care of us… and so far their care has been much better than anything I or you have ever received, you know that very well.” I open my mouth to protest but I just go back to looking over the crowd, sighing softly again, “Fine… I guess you’re right.” Spades doesn’t respond, just looking forward as the queen keeps speaking, “... thank you all for attending, and now, something incredibly important is about to occur. Something we have been waiting for our whole lives.” She continues proudly, “If you all would, look up to the sky. Tonight is the night our empress, our goddess, Nightmare Moon, comes back from the moon and to our side to give what our people have been lacking for a millennia, and what might that be, my ponies!?” The crowd yells in unison, “justice!” She speaks louder, “and with justice?!” The crowd yells louder, “FREEDOM!” The queen stands, yelling, “and what must we do for both?!” The crowd yells again, “SKEWER THE SUN!” The queen flies off stage, above the crowd, “again! My ponies! What must we do for our justice and freedom?!” The crowd screams as they flap their wings, “SKEWER THE SUN!” My siblings and I watch as they fly around in the air, yelling excitedly, chanting over and over again, some racing in the air, low to the ground… I think I know what they mean. I glance towards Spades, my voice low, “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Spades watches them fly about as the chanting gets jumbled and less in unison, some thestrals dancing together in the air. Mares and stallions and their foals spinning and grinning in the air together as he speaks, “... I believe they want us to kill Celestia.” Dia and Hearts’ eyes widen at this prospect, surprised and dumbfounded. These thestrals hold so much hope in us that they believe we can kill Celestia? As flattered as I am that they think that… I don't even think all of us combined could so much as scratch the princess. I watch as the moon begins to glow slightly brighter. All the thestrals fall silent and lower themselves to the ground, all their eyes on the moon, the queen back to her seat as the shape that once made up the mare in the moon and the stars surrounding it flashes bright, illuminating the forest for a few moments. I have to shield my eyes, but just as I uncover them… its gone, the shape is gone. All the thestrals cheer loudly and I feel my head begin to spin slightly… I feel stronger, more agile, and less groggy. I glance at Spades whose eyes are wide, its the first time I’ve seen him like this in a long time, “did you just feel that too..?” He speaks abruptly, “shut up,” he stares off into space, his eyes wide. I raise an eyebrow, “what?” He speaks again, quicker, “I said shut up, Nightmare Moon is talking to me,” he is trembling slightly. I take a moment to let that sentence sink in… what… Spades isn't the type to joke or just make stuff up… but I cant believe him, “... did those thestrals slip something into your water or something?” He glares at me, angrily and worried, “no… she’s talking to me, we're negotiating… please be quiet,” he fixes his gaze forward again. I lower my head slightly and sigh, “fine…” I look up as the thestrals dance happily, some of them with mugs in their hooves, singing songs in some sort of old language. Just then I hear a crash behind me. My eyes widen as I get up and turn, Spades’ horn glowing a bright red with the queen motionless in the wood stage, unconscious, a faint red glow around her dissipating. Oh… oh my, Dia and I speak up at the same time, “SPADES?!” Dia’s mouth hangs open as I continue, “What was that for! Now all these ponies are gonna be up in hooves!” The prince watches in horror, not able to move a muscle. Spades speaks up, “Nightmare Moon wants us to overthrow the queen and assume control, in exchange she's giving us rooms and duties in the Canterlot palace,” he smiles softly as he approaches the queen, “she said we were allowed to kill her if she resisted, so I made sure she couldn’t,” he leans down to listen to her breathing and his smile never fading “the only thing we are not allowed to do is touch the prince… he will be the de jure leader while we are the de facto,” he glances up to see the prince gone, his eyebrows raising slightly, “ah… well… she didn’t say anything about him running, guess she didn’t expect him to be frightened from his mother being slammed into some wood planks. It isn’t a big deal.” He sighs as the ponies don't even realize their queen is unconscious below them, still celebrating, “guess that just means we’re the de jure rulers for now, by order of Nightmare Moon,” he levitates the queen out of sight behind the stage, “guard!” One of the guards flaps down to the stand and bows slightly, “take your pitiful excuse of a queen elsewhere… somewhere she cannot be seen, by order of Nightmare Moon we are now your leaders,” The guard's face scrunches up slightly before his eyes widen as if something clicked in his head and he nods, dragging the queen away elsewhere, Spades glances up at the ponies and shouts, “ORDER!” they immediately fall silent, the only sound the gentle flapping of their wings, Spades smiles at this, “as of now we are your new leaders, the queen has given up power willingly to us, she believes we will be able to lead you all to victory much more effectively than she can by herself,” Spades sits on the velvet cushion the queen sat on before, “you may go back to your celebrating for now,” The ponies all mumble, one shouting, “Where is the queen?” another, “When did she say this?” “Is she okay?!” “Why did she give you leadership?” Spades’ horn glows red as he sighs, ready to quell any resistance, “Nightmare Moon has spoken to both of us personally. Nightmare Moon has decided it best that we rule for now until the sun is ‘skewered’, I assure you all she is safe. She will be taking a vacation for a couple weeks, you will see her again. For now, go back to your celebration, please.” They mumble more, another speaking up, “Nightmare Moon told you this…?” Spades nods slowly, “She did, she communicated to me in my head,” I glance at him like he's crazy but the other thestrals gasp, “he is holy!” “like our priests!” “He has been chosen?!” I look up at them like they're crazy before glancing back towards spades, “how’d that convince them?” Spades shrugs, “She told me to tell them that, they would believe it, and they did,” he glances over at me to meet my gaze, “apparently things aren't going well.” I look at him even more confused, “With what? Nightmare Moon?” He nods, “Yeah, she’s about to be defeated any moment,” he gazes off into space, “there are six ponies using something called the elements of harmony right now, they are going to seal her away,” he squints his eyes, “... Lumineer Sundowner…” I raise an eyebrow, “Who?” He glances at me and scoffs, “A traitor apparently, he wouldn’t help Nightmare Moon, he's hiding behind a pillar right now, she wants us to hunt him down and kill him. He’s the most dangerous to our plot currently… she’s gone… she lost.” I look more confused, “Nightmare Moon lost?” He nods, “yeah, I can’t hear her anymore, the view from her perspective is fading, I can still hear bits and pieces of the conversation that's happening,” he glances over at me, “guess we’ve got us a sun to skewer,” he smiles, seemingly very sure we could win this. I speak a bit softer, “you think we can really win against Celestia?” He nods again, returning his gaze to the buzzing crowd of thestrals that are singing and dancing in the air still, “oh yes. Nightmare Moon has gifted us with a decent portion of her power, she didn’t say exactly how much but she apparently split a decent amount among all of us,” he smiles wider, “I already have a plan brewing in my head for how we can win,” he laughs softly as he gets up and faces a guard, “make sure all these ponies get home safe, we’re turning in for the night,” the guard nods as we all walk past him. I glance over Hearts and Dia, their expressions matching my state of mind, confused and disoriented. Spades’ stature was much different; he looked proud, excited, happy for once. The crowds excited cheers and dancing faded as we walked back to our cabin, Dia and Hearts talking to each other as I kept to myself, following behind Spades. Spades opens the door to the cabin allowing us to file in before he closes it behind us, “now, we have something very important to discuss before we rest. I’m sure you all can stay awake for a few more minutes while we talk,” he walks past all of us and takes a seat on the couch in the main room, gesturing for all of us to sit down. I take my seat across from him, shooting him a slightly agitated look, “alright… What's your plan? Just how do you think we can take down Celestia and the entire royal guard on our own along with this ‘Lumineer Sundowner’.” Spades leans back in his seat, the same smile he wore when tearing the queen out of the sky never leaving his face, “we don’t need to fight them head on, we are few, so we play dirty. We aren’t just fighting against Celestia and her guard and that Lumineer, we’re also fighting against the general population, maybe less as actual combatants and more as an angry mob that can be convinced,” he sighs as he leans up in his seat, “first of all, we need intel, where this Lumineer is, where princess Luna and Celestia is-” I cut him off, “Princess Luna?” He nods, “When Nightmare Moon was defeated, I could still hear bits and pieces of her left behind in what was defeated, it left behind Luna, an Alicorn, Celestia’s sister… she will also be a hurdle we will jump when we get to. There's a catch though, we have to leave her alive, so we will have to capture her somehow,” he glances over all of us as he continues, “anyway, we need to fight dirty, yes? Convince the population we are a bigger force than we are, get them to plead to their princess’ to back down to this boogie man, we must scare them into submission,” Dia speaks up, “What exactly are you suggesting?” Spades looks into her eyes, “I am suggesting exactly what I mean, we must win by any means necessary. We are going to make a scene, crack a few eggs to make an omelet…” Dia looks horrified at this prospect, “You’re suggesting killing ponies? Innocent ponies?” Spades continues, “What other option do we have at victory?” Dia opens her mouth to speak, she tries to think of something… silent for a few moments before speaking, “There must be another way… some way to avoid that outcome. We don’t need to kill ponies.” I think about this for a moment, I don’t entirely mind trying to fight a guerilla war mostly by myself, sounds fun honestly, but at the same time, “Why do we even need to go out and fight? We got everything we need here. We’re warm, fed, comfortable, and ponies love us. We went from a situation that ponies would dread and have nightmares of to what ponies would dream of,” I glance at Hearts and Dia and back to Spades before continuing, “we’re safe… no one will come after us and hurt us if we just keep our heads low.” Spades’ smile fades, “For the first time in my life I have a purpose, I can change something meaningful, we can make a name for ourselves… and why not give these ponies a cause to fight for, let out their pent up anger and pride, let them fight for their ‘freedom’ and ‘acceptance’ when they’re already plenty free and happy in their little ethnostate,” he gets up and starts pacing around. I speak up again, somehow sounding like the reasonable one for once, “I’m thinking what Dia is saying, ponies don’t have to die… we can be happy and stay here and make life better for them, and if anybody were to come here for them we could protect them, we have that strength that Nightmare Moon gave us.” Spades shakes his head as he walks, “Fine… I’ll be going alone to Canterlot tomorrow with a few guards to gather information. Diamonds and Hearts can stay here until further notice, and you can stay here too if you want to be a pansy and never make a name for yourself…” I raise an eyebrow, “Why do you want this so bad? Why do you insist on killing ponies?” He continues pacing, raising his voice, “I already said why! For once we… all of us, have the opportunity to not be at the bottom of the barrel anymore! We could be in history books… songs could be sung about us… we would be remembered.” I shake my head, speaking softer, “Is that all you care about? To make a name for ourselves?” He sighs, “It isn’t just that, if we win this we get rooms in the Canterlot palace, we live like kings and queens, it’s-” I cut him off, “It’s a gamble, and we’re gambling our lives and other ponies like chips in a game of poker…” He stops pacing and turns to me, as if having an ‘ah ha’ moment, “Exactly… that’s exactly right, we either stay mundane and safe and wait for something to happen to us, giving them plenty of time to gather up a force to track us down and kill every single one of us for sympathizing with an enemy of the state.” I think about what he said for a moment… damn… Well, now he’s got an actual point. If that Lumineer really is a threat and manages to work with Luna and if Luna manages to work with Celestia… that’s the entire royal guard, two alicorns, and a pony we know nothing about that houses a decent amount of Nightmare Moon’s power. I sigh and shake my head, the real safest option to secure our future is to strike first, convince the population we are nothing to mess with… and get them to convince the princess to step down… it’s starting to sink in, that plan actually does seem like it would work… but it’s a gamble like I said. We either fortify and wait for them to come or cut them off and leave them dazed and confused before they can even organize. I shake my head softly, “Fine… I guess… your plan is sound, smart… you’re right, we should strike first, what should I do?” He smiles victoriously, “Perfect, good, I’m going to look around and see if there's a thestral that understands healing magic to send with you to a small town called Ponyville. You and that partner are going to learn about how Nightmare Moon got beat and if we can unseal her, and I’ll be doing the same. You personally are going to gather as much info about the elements of harmony as you can and find its weaknesses… write down everything you can, I’ll gather everything you need for the trip. We leave in a few days,” he turns to Hearts and Dia, “as for you two, you will train those ponies to fight and defend themselves, if worst comes to worst this is our last front line. We need every able pony to be a trained soldier… please…” Dia and Hearts collectively sigh and nod, Dia speaking up, “We’re not going to train them to be cold blooded killers… I mean look at them, they’re innocent. They’re just as innocent as any other citizen of Equestria.” Spades’ brow furrows, “I never said anything about making them ‘cold blooded killers’. You want the least amount of casualties, right? Ponies are going to get hurt or die anyway, make sure it’s not ours… that’s all.” Dia opens her mouth to speak but hesitates for a few moments, “Fine,” she decided not to protest, “how do we contact you when you’re millions of paces away?” Spades smiles softly, “Well just write to me like how we all learned when we were kids… it has been a few years since you’ve all used it, I’d suggest practicing,” he walks past us slowly to his quarters, “If you can’t figure it out, which I absolutely doubt, you can simply send a thestral to my location. I at least know how to use the spell so you will be getting real time updates of where I am. In the meantime, rest up, get food and feast like kings, whatever… we have a couple more days to plan this out before me and Clubs depart,” he gently closes his door, his handle glowing a faint red that fades as the door clicks shut. I glance at Dia, trying to offer a soft smile, “Guess life’s turning out to be a lot more exciting, right? At least we’ll be busy…” Dia tries to offer the same smile as I rise slowly from where I was sitting and saunter down the hall and into my room, closing the door behind me and flopping onto the bed, getting under the blankets, and shutting off the light, trying to drift off to sleep.
TerribleTirek
562567
1
Quibble Pants,Rainbow Dash,Soarin,Anthro,Porn,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Profanity,Sex
Quibble's Own Daring Do Adventure
Quibble Pants has his own Daring Do adventure with Rainbow Dash and Soarin.
complete
-1
-1
<p>After the Daring Do Convention, Quibble Pants goes home with Rainbow Dash and meets her boyfriend, Soarin. Soarin and Rainbow Dash decide to ask Quibble to be their third and have some fun with him.</p>
mature
2024-07-31T09:03:24+00:00
2024-08-05T04:28:48+00:00
254
“Soarin! I'm home!” Dash called out, “and put some pants on I brought a guest over,” she said as she sent down her things. “You can set down your things over there, Quibble,” Dash said. “Okay, sounds good,” he replied. As soon as Quibble put down his things, he heard running coming down the stairs and looked up. “You're home!” Soarin yelled, “how was the convention?” he added as he ran over to Rainbow Dash to give her a hug. “It was great! Me and Quibble had a lot of fun. We even got to hang out with AK,” Dash replied as she turned her head and gave Quibble a wink. “And I'm assuming you're Quibble?” Soarin asked as he let go of Dash. “Yep, that's me, Quibble Pants at your service,” he said as he stuck out his hand to give Soarin a handshake. “Nice to meet you,” Soarin replied as he stuck out his hand to complete the handshake. “I'm gonna go drop off my bags in our room, Soar, I'll be right back,” Dash said as she flew off to their bedroom. “So, did you take care of my girl, Quibble?” Soarin asked. “Actually it was quite the opposite. She saved my life, twice!” Quibble exclaimed. “Oh, did she now? Welp, that's just her thing. She's already saved Equestria with her friends like, a million times.” “So I've heard.” “Welp, how bout you go make yourself at home and let me and Dash take care of you, kay?” Soarin said as he grinned slyly and grabbed Quibble's ass. “O-oh, okay!” Quibble squeaked, red burning into his face. He certainly wasn't expected to be touched like that. Soarin continued grinning and flew up to his and Rainbow Dash's bedroom and saw she was still unpacking. He leaned in the doorway “So, I've been thinking,” Soarin started. “You know how we've been looking for a third?” “Yeah, why?” Dash asked. “Well, that Quibble guy seems pretty cute, doesn't he?” “I know he mentioned something about being single on the train home, but I'm not sure if he'd be into that.” “You didn't answer my question, Dash,” Soarin stated. “He's okay,” she replied, her face growing into a deep, tomato red as she was still putting her things away. “You're blushing, Dash,” Soarin grinned. “No I'm not!” she exclaimed back, her face turning an even deeper red. “I know when you're lying babe, you have a thing for him, don't you?” “I guess I hadn't realized I'd developed any feelings for him, but I guess I do,” she said, defeatedly. “Well, since we have been looking, why don't we ask him? Besides, he's pretty hot. And we haven't had sex in DAYS,” he said, looking at her with big puppy eyes. She rolled her eyes. “But what if he says no! What if this ruins our friendship! What if-” Soarin placed a finger on her lips and sat down on the bed next to her. “He can always say no. Even if this does make things awkward afterwards, who cares? You're Rainbow fucking Dash, who wouldn't want to be friends with you? Soarin said. “I guess you're right…” she replied, leaning into him. “Of course I am, I'm always right,” he said as he got up and grabbed Dash's hand to pull her up too. Rainbow Dash and Soarin both flew downstairs to meet up with Quibble once more. “You two took a while, how long does it take to put away a couple day's worth of clothes?” Quibble said, he face still beaming a bright pink from before. His bright red face had died down, but was still noticeable. “We were discussing…uh…important Wonderbolt business?” Rainbow Dash said hesitantly. “Uhuh, sure,” Quibble said, knowing full well that what Rainbow said was a lie. Soarin nudged Dash. She had to come clean. They both had to come clean. Rainbow sat down on the couch next to Quibble “So,” she said, caressing his right cheek. His bright pink face grew into an even hotter red than before. “Would you like to join me and Soarin tonight?” “For what?” he asked, his lip quivering. A boner started to grow in his pants. It wasn't noticeable. Yet. “For dinner,” she said. “O-oh, sure. That sounds alright.” Rainbow Dash looked back at Soarin and smiled. He rolled his eyes. She had a different plan. “What do you guys want for dinner, then?” I can make pretty much anything,” Soarin asked the two, who were now sitting at the dining room table. “I don't know what I want, but I'm hungry, Dash said, gripping Quibble's thigh from under the table. He could feel her nails digging into his thigh. He could also feel his boner growing. “What about you, Quibble?” Quibble Pants didn't respond. He just sat there as his face grew hotter and redder. Rainbow and Soarin gave each other a look and grinned. “If you're not hungry, we could just go and watch a movie in our bedroom,” Soarin said. Quibble nodded and they all headed up to Soarin and Dash's bedroom. “I'm gonna go take a shower real quick,” Dash said as she walked into the bathroom attached to the bedroom. Soarin laid down on the bed and patted it, signaling for Quibble to join him. Quibble gulped and slowly walked over to the bed. “Dash is gonna be a hot minute, but there's no point in starting the movie without her. What do you wanna do, Quibble?” Soarin asked with an ever growing sly grin. Quibble could feel the boner in his pants growing. If it wasn't noticeable then, it was definitely noticeable now. Soarin glanced down at Quibble's groin. “Oh god oh fuck oh fuck,” Quibble thought, “he definitely knows now.” Soarin didn't say anything, all he did was pull Quibble Pants closer to him. Quibble could feel Soarin's boner against his ass. He didn't think his face could get any redder. “Are you okay? We can stop if you want,” Soarin said. “N-no, I like it,” he managed to get out. “Okay then, let's keep ourselves busy until Dash is done,” Soarin smirked, getting on top of Quibble. Quibble gulped. He felt like his boner was about to pop out of his pants. Soarin started caressing Quibble's cheek with his hand and started kissing him all over. His jaw, his neck and even his lips. Eventually, both of their tongues were exploring the other's mouth. Neither of them wanted to stop, but they had to multiple times for air. Quibble quietly moaned in Soarin's ear multiple times each time they did. As time passed, shirts went flying, then pants and then eventually underwear. Soarin sat on the bed and pulled Quibble on top of him. They started profusely making out again, both of them gasping for air and quietly moaning. By this time, Rainbow Dash had stepped out of the bathroom. She grinned as she took off her bathrobe and joined them on the bed. Rainbow came up next to Soarin and started stroking his dick. He let out a soft moan right into Quibble's ear. Quibble's boner was now throbbing. Soarin grinned at him, grabbed Quibble's cock and started jacking him off. Quibble started whimpering and moaning immediately. His cum started dripping all over Soarin's hand. “P-please,” Quibble pleaded, “keep going.” Rainbow smiled and crawled over Soarin towards Quibble. She started caressing his cheek and forced her tongue into his mouth. He moaned out in pleasure into Dash's mouth. Soarin grabbed Dash's ass and she moaned, gripping Quibble's thigh. They all moved into a position to where Soarin was laying down, Quibble was on top of him, and Rainbow Dash was behind Quibble. “Why don't you come closer, Quibby,” Soarin said, grabbing Quibble's hand and pulling him closer. Soarin pulled Quibble onto his lap and placed him in such a way that his dick aligned with his asshole. Quibble sat down and felt Soarin's dick inside him. Soarin thrust up and Quibble let out a small moan. Rainbow was behind Quibble and was rubbing her hands all up and down his body. He liked it. He wanted more. “K-keep going Dashie, p-please,” he groaned. He grabbed her hands and placed them on his thighs, right next to his groin. Rainbow leaned over and huffed in his ear. “Only if you're a good boy, Quibble,” she said, running her hands all over his body again. As she finished her sentence, Soarin thrust into Quibble again and Quibble let out a moan. Rainbow Dash moved her hands closer towards Quibble's dick, not close enough to touch it but close enough to make him whimper for more. She moved her hands closer and closer but wouldn't touch him. She liked seeing him on edge. She loved seeing someone beg for her. Soarin would regularly be begging for her too, but she liked seeing someone else be her pet. Slowly, Rainbow started rubbing up and down Quibble's dick. She wanted him to need her. She wanted him to cum for her. She started rubbing faster and faster. Quibble started moaning for her. While Rainbow was stroking him, Soarin was still thrusting into Quibble. The pleasure was overwhelming him. He couldn't take it anymore. He came, and as he did he let out a loud groan. His cum was all over Soarin's stomach. Rainbow reached over and wiped some of Quibble's cum off of Soarin and licked it off her hand. It tasted good. But she still wanted more. Soarin kept thrusting into Quibble and he eventually came too. His juices were dripping out of Quibble's pretty little hole. His moans were so loud all of Ponyville could've heard it. Soarin pulled out and Quibble collapsed into Rainbow Dash’s arms. Soarin got up from the bed. “Okay, I'm gonna go take a shower now. You're a messy boy, Quibble,” he grinned, walked to the bathroom and shut the door. Rainbow and Quibble adjusted to where Rainbow Dash was laying on Quibble's chest. “Yeah, you were pretty great,” she smiled and rubbed his chest. “Thanks, Dash,” he said. The two laid in that position until they both eventually fell asleep.
milk rain
562569
1
Anon,Other,Alternate Universe,Human,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Profanity
A Normal MLP Isekai Story. (Displaced Who?)
Anon goes a bit off script
complete
12
4
<p>I mean at least its not something boring like &quot;I GET TELEPORTED INTO A NEW WORLD WITH A GAMEBOY ADVANCED!&quot;</p>
teen
2024-08-12T17:30:34+00:00
2024-08-12T18:29:12+00:00
272
Anon walked the streets of New York, not caring about anything but himself. Suddenly, he saw a small child walking out into the street. "OH MY GOODNESS, SOMEONE SAVE THAT SMALL CHILD IN THE ROAD!" He looked around, but no one paid attention. Anon shrugged his shoulders as he took a bite from his hot dog and watched as the child got sent to the afterlife by an incoming truck. "Truly tragic. If only someone were there—" Anon stopped mid-sentence as another truck came barreling down the sidewalk, too fast for him to move out of the way. "Well, that's all folks." Darkness was all Anon saw after that until a light appeared in his vision. "MR. ANON!" An elegant voice shouted. "God?" "No, even better." The light came down in front of Anon, taking the shape of a pony from that show he used to watch as a kid. "My god... IT'S DERPY!" Anon began to ruffle the pony's mane before the pony slapped his hand away. "I am not the pony you think I am... my name is Harmony." "DERPY WAS THE TREE OF HARMONY ALL ALONG!" "NO, YOU IDIOT! I took the form of your favorite pony." "Aw, man. Well, God Derpy, what do you want?" "Well, first off, I have come to reincarnate you—" "No thank you." Harmony tilted her head in confusion. "N-no t-thank... you?!" "Yeah, no, I decline. Can I go to heaven now?" Harmony scoffed at Anon's response. "That's not an option. I made sure that you would be reincarnated into my world, and for the record, you were not going to heaven." "What are you talking about? I was a good person on earth." "YOU LET A CHILD DIE!" "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, NOW HOLD ON. I SCREAMED FOR HELP, AND NO ONE CAME TO SAVE THAT CHILD." "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO JUMP IN THE WAY AND SAVE THE CHILD. THEN YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN HIT AND ENDED UP HERE!" "NO, NO, NO. THERE WERE PLENTY OF OTHER HUMANS THAT COULD HAVE STEPPED IN, WHY ME?" "BECAUSE THAT WAS THE PLAN!" "DO YOU KNOW ME?!" "YES, I DO! I KNOW A LOT ABOUT YOU!" "Then you would have known that I would have never saved that child." Harmony looked at Anon with pure disgust. "You're a fucking douchebag." "And you got a child killed. Good job, Miss Harmony." "You're getting on my nerves." "Yet you won't be saying that when I obtain a harem and you come begging to be in it." "NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!" "I don't know; that's what happens in the shows...." "THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THOSE STUPID SHOWS YOU WATCH! You have already proven that." "I guess you're right. So what's the gimmick? Are you going to teleport me to Pony Land and make me have only one ball? I can see it now. I GET TELEPORTED TO ANOTHER WORLD WITH ONLY ONE TESTICLE!" Harmony had a clearly visible anger vein now as her eyes lit up. She turned to Anon and threw him away into a portal. "Good fucking riddance...." "So..." "Yeah...." Anon stared down a pony with a striking resemblance to himself . "You're clearly the fake." The pony began to laugh hysterically. "If anything, you are the fake here. Just think about it. God of muffins turns me into a pony, then makes a clone of me to rub it in my face," the pony said in a feminine voice. "No... no, I think I am the original." "Why in God's name would you be the original?" "Because yes. So just cope harder, plus skill issue, plus your mother left you when you were 4." "You are roasting yourself, you know." "Nope, you're a pony, and a female pony at that. You know, I guess we were right about something." "About what?" "That Harmony would take a ball away. In your case, yep; in my case, nope." Pony Anon rolled her eyes as she walked to the door of the room they were currently in. "What are the chances that I open this door and we end up in some random person's house?" Human Anon just shrugged in response. Pony Anon opened the door only to step out into a familiar castle. "Ah, Twilight Twinkle's castle... should have seen that coming." Human Anon stepped out of the room as well, and they both took it all in. "Alright, you thinking what I’m thinking? Mirror," Human Anon said. "Hmhmhm... I think so." "Isekai speedrun." They both said in unison. They both giggled to each other before running down the stairs, looking for Twilight Sparkle. "Wow, Spike, these cute little bugs are horrifying—" Twilight was cut off as someone busted open her door. She twirled around only to see a pony and a human staring her down. "C-can I help you two?" She would not even get a response as a frying pan came flying her way. It smacked her cleanly in the head, knocking her out. The human and pony came up to the unconscious alicorn, picked her up, and put her in a shopping cart. "Okay, that's 1 out of 6. Any other ponies we need in the harem?" Pony Anon said while biting the pen in her mouth. "Nah, I don't want it to be too big. Although, I do need to get rid of someone." "Oh, I see... yeah, better we get rid of her. She will be annoying. Alright, ONWARD, MY NOBLE STEED." The pony hopped on the human's back as they rode out of the castle. Spike just looked around with his claws in the air. "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?" The pony and human duo rode through the streets of Ponyville, looking for a certain pony. "There she is." "Yeah, I see that." The human brought the shopping cart to a halt. He got off and walked up to the pony. "Boo!" The pony began to shake violently as her eyes dilated like a cat. "Yep, just as I suspected: it's a horny Lyra. Bat, please." Pony Anon tossed a bat to the human, who picked it up and smacked Lyra to the sun. "That problem is off the shopping list." Pony Anon struck Lyra off the shopping list as the human came back and took his spot. "Who else is left?" "Erm, we got Twilight Twinkle, jacking off to apples, gay as a hair color, and the dramatic one." Human Anon nodded his head. "So we just need the pink one and..." Human Anon almost hurled at the name that was about to come out of his mouth. "...Fluttershy." An audible groan came from Pony Anon as she raised a question. "Can't we just trade Flutterbitch for another pony? Someone awesome like Starlight?" "Can't. We are doing the any-percent speed run. The main six are the main ones we are after. Those side characters are not even a side quest." "Okay, well, we are an hour in, so we should hurry it up." "Yeah, we could beat the world record if we put in some fast times. Alright, let's go." The duo was once again off, this time to Sugarcube Corner. It did not take long as they were just a block away from it. They got closer to the cake shop and busted through the front entrance. "PINK ONE!" "Oh, is it my turn to get hit with a frying pan?" "Yes, it is." Pinkie Pie walked up and took the frying pan out of Anon's pony counterpart. "Allow me." Pinkie smacked her head with the frying pan, stumbling a bit before falling head-first into the cart. "Good, we just need the quiet one now," the human said, but both the human and pony's attention would be turned to the center of the shop as a familiar sound of magic reverberated off the walls. "My, my, you two are causing quite the chaos." "Oh, Chaos God! Wow, I am flattered that you consider our actions chaotic in your eyes. If anything, I think what we are doing is pretty tame," the pony said. Discord just chuckled to himself as he threw the bubble pipe away. "Now, now. While I am all for your two's chaos, as it’s been pretty entertaining so far, I can't allow you to take my Fluttershy." The two Anons looked at each other before Pony Anon scrambled through the shopping cart and pulled out a necklace with an alicorn on it and dark red colors throughout it. "H-how did you two get your hands on that?!" Discord said in disbelief. He watched as the green pony put the necklace on, a red glow surrounding her eyes. "Dude, how do I look?" Human Anon gave a nod of approval. "You look like a badass." The pony's smile widened as she looked back at Discord. "You're about to get humbled, Chaos God." Discord sat in silence before bursting out into laughter. "YOU REALLY THINK THE ALICORN AM—" But Discord was cut off as a pair of back hooves smacked into his chest, sending him out of the shop. "I'll distract him; you go get his girl." "On it, boss," Human Anon said as he ran off to Fluttershy’s Cottage Fluttershy was tending to Angel Bunny in her cottage. It had been pretty boring since Discord vanished not too long ago, but she was keeping herself engaged in something. As she was finishing up her duties, she heard a knock at her front door. She quickly made her way to the other side of the house and opened the door, only to see a creature she had never seen before. She was about to say something before a hand closed her mouth. "Have you forgotten that the author gives you no lines in any of his stories? Well, except for that one time in that JJK story, but you know..." Fluttershy scowled at the creature. "Oh, so you do know... Well then, that begs the question of whether you are the same Fluttershy across these stories. But you know, it's like what Deadpool said: 'These timelines are so confusing.'" Anon had used enough oxygen on the pony and pulled out the frying pan, hitting Fluttershy with it. "Sucks to be you." Anon put the pony in the basket as he checked the Mane 6 off the shopping list. "Alright, Mane 6 check, overpowered item check, defeat the villain of the story... haven't done that one yet. Defeat the secret villain in the shadows... You know what, I think we can skip the first villain and just take on the secret one. Yeah, that sounds good." Anon rolled the shopping list up and headed back to his counterpart. "God, what is with this bill..." Harmony said as she looked over a piece of paper. "I ask Truck-kun for his services twice, and he charges me triple what was originally owed?! Fucking scammer." Harmony leaned back in her chair, staring at the clock hanging on the wall. "I wonder what those two are up to?" Harmony snapped her non-existent fingers and was gone in a flash. She teleported herself to wherever the Anons were and landed in a small little house where she took everything in. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE!" "Sup," the human Anon said as he petted the multiple mares fawning over him. "W-WHA- I LEFT YOU ALONE FOR 30 MINUTES!" "Really? It's been like 4 hours here." "Y-you... What else have you done?!" "We skipped that first villain and went straight away to the secret 3rd and 4th evil sisters of Celestia and Luna. It was a pretty good arc. We finished not too long ago, about a good 22 minutes." "WHAT?! YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO FIND OUT ABOUT THAT UNTIL LIKE TWO YEARS LATER!" "Wow, for something that claims itself to be HARMONY, you sure are acting like an egotistical, controlling god that can't control their own puppets." Harmony's face changed to rage as she once again snapped her non-existent fingers, and everything in the house was wiped away—all their treasures, riches, and the mares gone. "W-what did you just do?!" "I reverted everything back to how it wa-" Harmony was cut off as a female scream pierced her ears. The human's pony counterpart rushed up to her and stared into her soul. "WHERE IS IT? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?!" "W-what?" "THE ALICORN AMULET! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?!" "You guys had that thing? Don't you know-" Harmony was cut off as Human Anon spoke up. "If I had to guess, she pulled a revert to zero. Pretty sure it should be where we found it last time." "OK, WE NEED TO GO GET IT NOW!" The human Anon rolled his eyes. "You are acting like a crackhead who's run out of crack. Can you relax?" Anon's pony counterpart didn’t even listen to him as she was already out the door and running into the woods. Before Anon could go after her, Harmony spoke to him. "Please play by the rules. Don't make me intervene again." Anon spun around and clasped his hands together before speaking to Harmony. "AND I QUOTE!" Anon said as he began to mimic Harmony’s voice, "THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THOSE STUPID SHOWS YOU WATCH! You have already proven that." And with that, Anon raced after his counterpart. Harmony scoffed to herself, knowing full well those two were just going to do it all over again. She snapped her non-existent fingers one last time and teleported back to her realm. [BONUS] "Why is it so hard to make a damn paper boat!" Harmony said as she threw her hooves up in the air. She heard a knock at her door and pondered who could possibly be in her realm. Did Jesus finally arrive? She walked up to her door and opened it, only to see a human standing in her doorway. "Can I help you?" The human said nothing as he turned around to a crowd of ponies stretching for what looked like forever. "IF YOU CAN BOOP THE SNOUT OF PONY GOD, YOU GET 60 BILLION BITS!" Harmony watched as the crowd of ponies raced toward her. "Oh no..."
Smg065
562573
1
Changelings,Original Character,Roseluck,Dark,Horror,Mystery,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Gore,Profanity,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
The Horses Maw
A body in the woods. A pony not acting like themselves. And an investigator, walking through their house.
complete
-1
-1
<p>I had worked a long time in Equestria. Been called in for a lot of cases, some pretty grizzly. But the one that haunted me the most still comes from that little house in Ponyville, the day I searched for Silver Drop.</p><p>Roseluck was catatonic. Claimed that he came home &quot;not himself&quot;. Said there was a body in the Everfree; his body. She refused to go home until somepony investigated. Poor mare had seen something awful. I, was about to.</p><p>Content Warning: <span class="spoiler">Death</span>, <span class="spoiler">gore</span>, <span class="spoiler">body horror</span>, <span class="spoiler">insanity</span> and some abstract writing that may be hard to parse.</p><p>Thank you to <a href="/user/780043/Inkblot+Sporestamp" rel="nofollow">Inkblot Sporestamp</a> for proofreading!</p>
mature
2024-08-01T06:20:26+00:00
2024-08-01T06:24:02+00:00
85
Tears were streaking down the mare's face. I hadn't seen anypony that distraught before. Even by her over-reactive standards, Roseluck was hysterical. She tried to warn me, oh she did. "His body's in the Everfree" she said, "He came back home, but he wasn't HIM" she said... I knew I couldn't do nothing. She wanted me to run with her, wanted the whole town evacuated. But I knew the mare to faint at the sight of stampeding bunnies. Though I should've went to the Everfree first, Silver Drop's house was on the way. I figured, screw it. I heard that he wasn't himself, it was worthwhile to check. Roseluck told me she saw him bleeding from the belly. Or that she thought she had seen it. If he hadn't been ushered to the hospital yet, I guess that would've fallen on me. I wish it was that simple. I wish it was that simple. The hay-roofed building looked about as chipper and cheery as any other house along the street. Ponies trotted past it as if it belonged there. They still do. The first sign something was wrong was the blood on the stairs. It mixed in with the bright pink door, something greener ponies would have missed. But the discoloration wasn't intense. The bushes and trees strewn alongside it seemed well-maintained. The wound had to be fresh. Intuition told me that knocking politely and waiting wasn't the play here; a body could be waiting for me. I turned on my lantern, illuminating the inside, darkness snuffed the sunset that peeked out over my shoulders. The smell was foul, even from that far away. It stung my nose like acid, I remember wincing and stumbling backwards. Living room was as to be expected. Hardwood floor, carpet laid out under the table. The glass of juice on the counter refracted the lantern's light, leaving a ghost of it's shadow dancing along the wall, the slight glare shooting off to the beige wallpaper. I inspected closer. The drink was fresh. Cold, even without me directly touching it; hovering my hoof to the edge was enough. Ice cubes floated around the orange-pink fluid. Mostly melted, but you could still barely see the vapor of cold mist float off. I only did so for a moment. The cup interested me less than the stain. That little splash of blood had trailed along, up to the couch, and slightly pooled. But why would your first instinct be to have a drink? Dehydrated? Delirious perhaps? I followed the blood through the kitchen, black and white tiles under my hooves, the smell of a distant meal now distorted under that awful stench. A first-aid kit laid open on the counter, next to the oven. Rolls of bandages sat inside. One, torn incorrectly, on a rigid angle, stretching it out near the end. Torn off in desperation, it seems. When it comes to medical attention; I figured at least it's a start. But even surviving a cut to the stomach, infections, that's what gets ponies. That wasn't the only thing on my mind though. If there really was a body in the Everfree, whoever was here had to know what happened, or be the one responsible. I had to move quickly. Shifting along the trail, which thinned to just a whisper, I was lead to a door, hung open, peering into the basement. At this point, perhaps my hesitance to believe the mare had clung onto me. Perhaps it was the intensity of the scent. Perhaps it was knowing I was about to stumble across either a very lucky pony who should not be alive, or an everyday one which was not. Whatever it was, it made my eyes water. Made stepping down each creaking wooden stair, into the claustrophobic cobblestone room, feel like carrying a bag of rocks up a ladder. My legs shook, my heart, it threatened to rip out of my chest. I was moving on instinct, forcing myself forward to help somepony who could be in danger. The danger was waiting for me. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, and turned the corner, I had a little time to search with the lantern. I remember calling out his name, and getting no reply. The messy boxes, labeled and stuffed with furniture. It looked as though they had moved in, maybe out. The dust was heavy. Can't imagine that the room was used all that much, which raises questions as to why the boxes were so packed. Photos of family members, half-stuffed in with lamps and vases. It felt a bit like a hoarder's house, lived in though somehow abandoned. Other ponies might have flinched. Gasped, cried, ran away screaming. I just stared, blankly. I knew any other reaction should have been mine, but somehow the privilege of emotion in that moment had been robbed from me. Lime green slime had coated the floor and wall, spun around into a cocoon of some kind. The top had been blasted open, as if clawed at by some horrific beast, leaving spurts of it strewn across the wall. Though parts of it were colored like dried and bloodied snot, turning yellow and then red in spots like scabs. A body lied within the absolute mess, as if once wrapped in it. A changeling, no doubt from the black chitin with holes like swiss that built the hind legs. The torso had an unwanted hole of it's own, now wrapped in half-hazard bandage, soaked in crimson. But what truly haunted me about it, was the top half, stuck partway in a transformation. One part of their head looked as if to be a tumor-riddled Roseluck, with face swollen and puffed as if stung by bees; waiting to be popped and leak out puss. The jaw, hanging off-kilter, and patchwork connected to the left cheek, looked to match the description of Silver Drop; grey, chiseled, and now eerily still. The throat, slashed open, leaving the insides of this poor bastard hung out, rotated far as an owl's neck, and yet the transformed flesh knit tightly into the exoskeleton. It was warm, faintly dripping that similar orange-pink liquid along the injured belly, and onto the floor. One wing seemed untouched. The other, curled back, feathers stabbing into the thin membrane like a pincushion, tearing at the seams. It had gotten caught in the cocoon, once meant to protect them, and now, their unintended coffin. My eyes rapidly flashed about for what, if anything, could have caused this. Every hair on my body stood, and I admit; I began to think back on my life, and wonder why it had to led to here; led to now. Those frantic glances were greeted by an oak table, brought out of one of the boxes. It sat just out of the splash zone, though the chair was not so lucky. Closing my distance, with my stomach sinking, I saw it. A page, clean and untouched from the mess, yet looking weathered as ancient scripture. Ink sat next to the page, a quill knocked over. It dribbled off the right hand side. It was either fortune, or misfortune, that the spillage did not hit that page. Top left on this little oak stand, a candle, with wax melted and wick thinned to a nub. I figured, at least, that a note was left behind. By the changeling? The killer? By somepony else? I had to look. I shouldn't have looked. It was a poem. In the half second my eyes glanced over it, that fight or flight reflex began to scream, thrash at the muscle under my skin to run, to get away. I didn't. Instead, calmly, I approached the paper, stepping past the mess that had been made of a changeling to do so. I brought my lantern closer to read. I had to look. I had to know. That wasn't the worst part.The Horses Maw TheI leaves theyk crunchedn undere myw hoof Walls ofy buto bark,u and leavesw thee roof Ir sawe the skyl righto then,s andt gone Behind. me wasI thet crack ofh dawn Roses heart would have been broken if she knew I wasn't happy. I needed to find myself. Itu wasr nott long,, the forestk groaned Thosen seedso ofw fatei hadn longg been sown Deary Silvero Drop,u I entered,w goal Toe leaver withoute myn living's' toll I want my skin back. .tsaef em teL .rewop ym deen uoY .oga gnol daeh ym dereves evah dluoc uoY .sseltliug tca ton oD .em edam lla uoY .tluaf ym ton si taht ,regnuh I Butt now Ih stand,a inp thisp smally town Our. muscles hideB inu flesh-knitt gown They hadn'tw seenh it'se gapingn maw The words,h theye sink, toc whata Im saw We both saw it. We both feared it. But you killed me. Backe to myb home,a unsafec inside Thoughk I, may waitI they knowk In hide Mye fleshw must burn,i It want itw off Thea lungs,s theyn ache,' It hack andy cough You looked like me, at first. I should've known better. I should've stabbed again. Io willu now. live, II will notf lie I'llo eat,u andn sleep,d and work,y ando die andu rotr and wormb ando smiled andy wave My fatei shouldn not bet yoursh toe pave Don't act merciful. Your crimes are unforgivable. But that does not matter right now. RUN. RUN! Now whenE Iv sleep,e myr teethf fallr out Withe bloodiede gums,, I screamk andn shout Ie mayw be here,i throught aches andw pains Mya body,s inn that' woodt remains And I will haunt you until the end of time, I swear it. To says Ia diedf thate day's untrue Thoseb glassya eyesc growk morning's dew Theh marko searedm on,e from. birth itM calls Mya fatey wasb sealed,e the fleshedt falls I'm a coward. She deserved better than me. Better than you. It'sh onlye right, that'sm whata Iw said Vomit andh blooda wheres once mys head Itw atea myl ribs,l rendo fleshw mye back I'lld always feelu wheres torn Iw lack Your violence was pointless. We could have killed it together. Roseluck thought you were me for a moment. I want to kill you for what you did. She could have helped us. Ih sawo herl face.e The. joy, despair IB swearu tot you, II want tol care Thougho Iv ame you, shey couldo tellu true She sawd mya corpse,m alreadym knew I hate you. I'm sorry. You were right Silver Drop. When I am cast to Tartarus, I hope you may forgive me. But we are already there, aren't we? Iti won'tt be. long untilI I'm caught Lieg ofo thet law, lety ito beu brought The hungers willu notn everf stop Il sparedo ofw you,e thisr lifes dear, Drop Life IS worth living. I was misled by a moment of weakness. You're being misled too. run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run I mayS yeti givel herv whate your got She. shares theT burdenh ofe the rot I'vel spuni myselft at newl cocoon Thee maw willt feasth uponi men soon Please don't kill her. Please don't kill her. Please don't kill her.FEED ME Theg guards,s will come,m tooa strongk fore I I mayl killi few,f bute none willw die Thoseo coltsr aret dead,h I won'tl condemn Thei Horsesv Mawi hadn feastg on. them I saw it move.
Monochrome-1
562606
1
Griffons,Original Character,Dark,Slice of Life,Equestria at War,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death
Two Minutes and Thirty Two Seconds
In war, not everyone is a hero or even lives past the first hour.
complete
56
1
<p>In war, not everyone is a hero or even lives past the first hour. Not everyone gets to have a panicked charge, a moment of pure terror as a machine gun rains down on you, the wonder of conquering a capital building or liberating someone's homes, or even a chance to shoot your gun. Sometimes you go through conscription, training, uniform and detail before your boots hit the ground and a moment later your dead. Sixteen to forty years of your life gone in a flash. <br/>This is that story.</p><p>Credit to <a href="/user/388600/Ping_" rel="nofollow">Ping</a> for helping me with this.<br/>Featured on 8/1/2024! Thank you everyone for it! It was surprising to say the least to see it featured when I woke up. <br/>Still featured on 8/2/2024! Woah! Honestly I'm surprised my writing has managed to make it this far, thank you!<br/>And featured on 8/3/2024! Yoh!!! Honestly I didn't expect it to survive on the featured board this far, thank you, thank you! :D</p>
teen
2024-07-31T19:28:36+00:00
2024-08-01T13:17:39+00:00
525
Private First Class White Crest blearily rubbed his eyes as the rumble of a truck sent him awake. It was currently eight o'clock in the morning and the orders for him and his division had gone through by their senior officers, they were set to help recapture the outskirts of Romau to allow for the invasion into it to proceed for the glory of the empire as the free city had dared to refuse the invitation of annexation. Knowledge of which White Crest knew little of or cared for. Why? Because he was eighteen, freshly conscripted into the empire's army, someone who didn't pay much attention to anything, and while trained at boot camp just like any other soldier he had never used his rifle before in combat; he was green and ignorant as a soldier could be. So he dutifully sat inside the truck that carried him and his division to their tasks while he rummaged through his pockets for a moment as he checked his uniform for something that he had a craving for. Something that he spent his first paycheck that he got outside of his home on, peppermint gum, Eventually, with a note of triumph to himself he found it and with a flick of his claw, White Crest sliced the small packet of gum open, pulled out a strip, and stuffed it into his mouth. The motion of which attracted the attention of his senior officer who was seated next to him as she stopped in her search through a map that she had spread out on her lap. “You got any more of that greenhorn?” she asked him, gesturing with a clawed talon towards the other soldiers seated around them on the truck. Most of whom were sadly gum-less and just as bored as him. “If you do, pass me some, and I won’t tell the others.” Not seeing anything getting in the way of doing it nor having any qualms in the matter, White Crest obeyed; passing her a stick of gum which she received with a wordless thanks. Looking at her for a moment to get a better look he noticed the map that she had on her map along with the watch that was placed on it. Curiosity did the rest from there and within moments he asked her what she was doing. “Oh this?” she said looking at the black and white map. “It’s just a quick look at the area we’re supposed to take soon from a spy plane.” “A spy plane?” White Crest asked her with a tilt of his head. “What’s that?” “From what I know, it’s more or less just a plane that runs around taking photos, dodging other aircraft, and maybe dropping off a spy or two,” she answered him with a shrug. “The only reason I know about that is because I read up on them when I was in college.” “Huh,” White Crest said, a bit surprised by the information. He'd never seen a plane before up close much less one that was a spy. “They make planes for that now?” “Oh yeah,” the officer answered him with a nod. “They make planes for all kinds of stuff nowadays. Bombing, strafing, escorting, parachuting, and If I remember correctly down in Vedina dive bombing their enemies head first.” “Head first?” White Crest uttered a bit perplexed. “Why would they do that?” “I’unno,” she answered him with a just as confused look. “Probably to make sure their honor is fulfilled or something, I don’t know much about chivalry these days. I don’t think anyone does. The knights we have now aren’t even royalty anymore, they're just people that are trained for that position.” “They aren’t?” White Crest replied with surprise. “I thought they were all nobles?” “Nope,” the officer said with a shake of her head. “Thanks to a bit of doctrine change a year back, as long as you can make the physical and mental cuts then you're in.” Adjusting the outfit that she had for a moment, she tapped the insignia that she had on her sleeve before contouring with, “heck, the same's for officers now. I'm just a college student with a degree in Griffish and I've never been anywhere near nobility except that one teacher I had back in college in my entire life. The world is a lot more different nowadays. The days of nobles being knights, kings leading armies, and fancy swordplay are long gone. It’s a new world now private.” “I guess,” White Crest replied as his face scrunched up in confusion from the revelation of the knowledge that he was given. Living in the rural areas of the empire that were left to squalor he’d never seen much in the way of the modern world apart from the truck that he was in, the rifle that he carried, and the uniform that he wore. For him, the wonders of the modern age could be compared to magic, real magic. And while it was certainly an uncommon view to have in the modern day, it wasn't one that was exceptionally rare. More than a few griffons in the empire never left their home village or town after all and poverty situation within it did little to help. So turning his attention to the map, White Crest looked at the photograph with a bit of wonder. Even with how scuffed, worn out, and blemished it looked, it still gave its viewer an accurate depiction of Romau. With its brick inlay streets, its decorated houses, its neat roads, and most curiously of all what was in the center of it, a large building that he didn’t quite recognize at first. Was it a church? It didn’t seem like it. The churches he knew were either small and neat or large and old. This one seemed to lean towards the latter, but rather than having an overgrown cemetery, a crumbling wall, and a walled-off section this one sported what he guessed to be an immaculate lawn littered with statues. With the very top of it seemingly decorated by what he supposed to be murals. Curious, he asked the officer while pointing towards the picture and was met with an incredulous look in reply. “This?” she asked him with a bit of disbelief to someone who didn’t know what they had just asked. “That's the head church itself of the empire of the Archons. You know, the official state religion of the empire?” Looking over she noticed the religious necklace of the god Eyr that he had on tied to his identity tags and motioned to it and said, “the one whose necklaces you're wearing across your neck right now?” “Mhmh?” White Crest hummed out as he took out his necklace and looked at it before giving a chuckle. “Oh! Yeah, yeah I guess it is.” “You don’t worship the gods?” she asked him as she noticed the ambivalent tone that he had towards it. “A little bit like everyone I guess, but nothing big though,” White Crest answered her as he fiddled with his necklace for a bit. “My mom worships Eyr a lot and she took me to church as well, but I was never particularly faithful. I know the words, the signs, and the prayers, but nothing more than that. She gave me the necklace as a good luck charm when I left home.” Looking towards the map again, he gestured towards it and asked her what was on his mind, "what is the place like?” “Cramped,” she tersely answered him. “I visited it once with my dad during one of his vacations and let me tell you that there's no space to do anything. The only thing you can do there is just to say your prayers, shake your talons with an old priest, maybe read a few old books that are older than the empire itself, and that’s about it. Nothing else to do really.” “So why are we here?” White Crest asked the officer, confused and letting his ignorance of his situation show. “Is it important or something?” “Eh, apart from the church, not really?” the officer answered him. “It’s just a city at the end of the day, but it’s one with people that have refused the orders of the emperor so the army has been sent to deal with them.” Looking out from the truck’s canvas side, she spied something and made a note to herself before turning back towards White Crest. “If we’re lucky and the air coverage holds, then we should be walking through the streets and into the church just fine in a few weeks,” she said with a shrug as she began to fold up the paper and held the strange clock in her talons. “High command’s got every part of this planned out to the very second.” “The very second?” White Crest echoed back dubiously. “Yep,” she said with satisfaction as she shook the clock for a second. “They’ve got the opening phase of the invasion wired down to seconds, minutes, and hours. Heck, when we leave the truck to start the fight I’ll have to start this timer to see how far the opening phase goes through.” “I see,” White Crest hummed as he looked at the timer for a second. “Did they really do that?” “Mhmh,” she hummed in affirmation as the truck slowly came to a stop and the soldiers around them got their gear prepared. “Planned it out from the moment our boots touch the ground, to when we sleep, when the next wave comes in, and the tanks come after.” Walking out with the others, she extended him an open talon. “C'mon, it’ll be a walk in the park and I can show you the one decent place I know around here, I promise." And hesitantly, White Crest did. Looking around as he made his way out of the truck as a few other soldiers stayed in, he spied high above the ruins of the outskirts of Romau, the high airplanes in the sky, and what he could only guess to be the thundering cannons from both friendly and enemy lines pounding the skies and the ground around them. Looking around, he noticed the officer tap a button that was on the clock before turning towards him. “We’ll start from there everyone,” she said pointing at a few and then White Crest before drawing her pistol and jogging her way toward it. “Follow me and we’ll get our part done in no time.” White Crest followed. However, before he could even make his way across the street to the building itself, there was the sound of a gunshot, the sudden feeling of a wave of nausea coupled with pain that rode through him, and he found himself stumbling towards the ground. He tried to right himself, to stand up, and to not fall, but everything felt off. Like he was a machine and the power cord connected was cut. Falling head first White Crest hit the ground as his vision darkened and his senses began to fail. All the while jets of blood gushed out from holes on the right side of his skull and his lower left jaw, the magnum opus of his killer. With a smile from their watch tower position miles away, they reloaded the rifle that they had as they watched as the squad around their slain target ran to cover for safety. Another shot, another kill. As for White Crest themselves, his head flooded with static as he tried to move around while on the ground but failed to do anything other than twitch his talons and wings fruitlessly while thoughts of pure confusion ran through his head. Was he dying? He didn’t know, but he could feel something inside of him slowly turn off. Visions ran through his head along with sights and sounds, but they made no real sense to him. It was all just meaningless and cacophonous noise to him now. Someone shook his shoulder, or at least he felt himself shift as his vision slowly turned black. It was the officer who he spoke to moments before, who now wore an expression of pure sorrow and shock on her face. What was she doing, what was going on, and why did he suddenly feel so cold and numb? Looking around for something to focus on as his vision continued to blacken and degrade he saw the clock that she held in her claws before oblivion took him. The time on it was two minutes and thirty-two seconds.
Royal Pony Dude
562618
1
Capper,DJ P0N-3,Flash Sentry,Octavia,Spike,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Power Rangers
Power Rangers Mystic Warriors
May the magic protect you
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>Twenty years ago, in a magic-filled dimension parallel world, the forces of darkness came into power and a war called the “Great Battle” between good and evil began, unbeknownst to the citizens of the human world. An army of the monsters, led by a powerful warrior named Tirek, swarmed into the land with their sights set on taking over the magical realm, the human realm and possibly the universe. In the midst, they combat five wizards, who pushed back against the dark forces. The strongest wizard of all, Solaris, cast a spell and sent the evil warriors into the Tartarus, having the Gatekeeper seal the gates for all eternity. The forces of good successfully thwarted the dark forces’ attempt to take the surface world, but they lost the five wizards, including Solaris, who sealed himself on their side of the Gate to make sure the evil forces did not escape. </p><p>In the present day, the city of Canterlot was struck by an earthquake, which was just enough to crack the seal, allowing evil to renew its attempt to invade the earth. The sorceress Celestia realizing that the forces of evil had returned, sought out the warriors of legend, five teens living in Canterlot, to become the Power Rangers alongside her.</p>
everyone
2024-08-05T19:25:09+00:00
2024-08-05T19:25:08+00:00
305
Long ago, there was dimension known as Equestria, a place filled with wonderful magic. But then Darkness came into power and the Great Battle began. An army of the undead, led by powerful warrior swarmed the land setting their sights on the Human Relam and beyond. All seemed hopeless when small legion of brave and true wizards came forth. Against opposable odds they battle heroically and drove the evil back from the edge of the Human World. Then bravest of the wizards sent the armies into Tartarus. He sealed the darkness inside giant gates for eternity and evil disappeared from the surface world. But with great victory, comes great loss. The Human realm never knew of the great battle or the sacrifices that was made to save them from destruction. Even to this day, they live in peace completely unaware of what is about to happen. Hundreds of years, in the human world, a teenage boy with blue hair called Flash Sentry rode a Motocycle along a forest road. He turned his bike left and pulled it over near a sign, Canterlot, 25 miles. As he was going to spend some time with aunt. “So, that must be Canterlot,” Flash said then race it off down the road towards the city. In the city, at music shop called Melody Shrine, a girl named Octavia was filming her friends, as Vinyl Scratch (Or commonly known as DJ Pon-3) was playing DJ in the back of the store as she just places a CD record on it. “Oh yeah! This is good,” Vinyl whopped, rolling her arms. Octavia kept filming, when green hair- boy call Spike came by slashing a stick pole like a sword. “Beware foul villains, the great Spike shall slay you!” Spike shouted as he moved past her. Octavia only smiles as Spike’s wild imagination as she turns around to Capper, sitting in a chair with a skateboard. Then the door opens, which Octavia turn around and sees their boss, Garrett Gadfly, being soaked from head to toe just as the teen stop what they were doing. “Nice snorkel, boss,” Capper commented as Garrett rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you taking the day off today?” Vinyl asked. “I was... in fact I was on the beach, snorkeling with the fishes. And one swam up to the mask, and spoke Are your employee cleaning the store, like they said would do. [/i}” He quoted. “Now, I have to go back to the water, find the fish and tell it no.” “Take a breather, boss, we got this, the store will not burn down,” Capper said as he walked Garret to his office and closed the door. “Nice going there, Cap,” Vinyl smirked. Then suddenly the place began to shake wildly. “Earthquake!” Capper yelled as he grabbed hard hat for cover then ducked. “Get down!” Both Vinyl and Octavia got down. “It’s the end of the world!” Spike yelled then Octavia pulled him down behind the counter. Just outside, Flash rode was riding his bike, before his skidded it over into a ditch and fell off it as it fell onto its side. “Whoa!” He yelped as he raise his visor, looked around. In the forest, the ground shook, while inside a building there, a woman wearing a black cloak, that cover her body, look at a book called The Accord which opened up by itself. “Oh, no!” the woman gasped. “The darkness has been unleashed.” Back in Canterlot, the shaking stopped, as Octavia and Spike peeked out from behind the counter in the Melody Shrine. “Is it over?" Octavia asked. “I'm alive!" Spike whooped happily. They both got up and came around the counter, as the Vinyl and Capper got up from their hiding spot, all seeing the store messed up more than before. "Oh, great!" Octavia said sarcastically, as they gathered together. "The store's messier than before." She turned to Spike as the others looked around, seeing boxes all over the place. "Yeah. You'd have thought that wouldn't be possible." Vinyl said, as Octavia turned to her. "Well, the good news is, the worst is over." Capper said, holding the hard hat. Meanwhile, laughter came from the giant gate in the magical realm, when a crack came from it, then a black light ball came out of it. It flew over a barren looking land-piece, before it hit a rock face at a quarry, then created an explosion in front of it. It quickly vanished however, showing a knighted looking Ranger called Driscoll, standing around a purple circle seal, like the one the Red Wizard had used. His suit had black knight's armor along his legs, body and arms, with small gold bits on his forearms and boots, as well as on the upper torso, shaped like bat wings, and a gold belt. He also had a silver wolf's head on both shoulders, and his helmet was mostly black, but had five purple points on the front, with a silver mouthpiece, and the visor had a point going up either side, with a smaller one beneath them, a tiny one in the middle of the top, while the mouthpiece was shaped like a diamond. He also held a black sword like the Red Wizard's, and also had a shield that was black and silver, which the sword was wedged into it. He got up and growled slightly, before he laughed happily. "Yes. After all these years, I'm free." he laughed. (Elsewhere) The woman stared atThe Accord as it turned pages, showing a spell seal on it. "There is a crack in the gate." she said, looking up. "The Darkness has returned." Lighting went off as she looked back down at the page, knowing she had something to do. Later, Octavia was filming her friends outside of the Melody Shrine, all of them out of uniform. Spike was eating pizza from a pizza box, Capper was riding his skateboard, while Vinyl Scratch was listening to some music on her headphones then turn the camera on herself. “After escaping narrow death, the human species copes with it. Some use physical activity, some listen to music, and some eat,” she said as Spike took a bite. “Spike, what kind of pizza are you eating?” “Meat lovers? Want some,” Spike asked her. “No thanks, I’m vegan.” “Suit yourself.” "Somebody please help me?" an old man called. Octavia stopped filming as she and her friends all turned and saw him standing by a few trees. Vinyl got off the jeep as Spike put his slice down, then she put her camera on the back of the jeep, before they all walked towards him, along with many other people. "Please, someone? Anyone?" he asked, as the people gathered around him. "I need help. It's my brother. We were walking just up the road and some creature grabbed him. I fear the worst." Several people gasped and whispered to each other. "It's just outta town. The creature took him into the woods." the old man explained. "Uh-uh." a man muttered, shaking his head as he back away. He turned around and walked off, along with several others. "Can you imagine that V?" Capper whispered. "Him asking for someone to go into the woods." he smirked, before he noticed Vinyl hadn't answered. "V?" he said, leaning forward. "Won't somebody please help me?" the old man asked. "I will." a boy said. Everyone turned around, seeing Flash was working on his bike near a large tree. He put his tools down and turned to everyone. "I could use a break." he said. "Thank you." the old man said, approaching him. Capper turned to his friends, then back to Nick, who got up and put on his jacket. "Hey. I'm, uh, I'm Capper. You're new around here, aren't ya?" he inquired. "Probably not aware of all the facts, and there's just one; if you go into those woods, you don't come out." "Heard it about it, but the guy needs help." Flash said before. turning to the old man, then back to him. "No one else in this city seems to care." "I'll go with you." Vinyl said, getting his attention. "Not everyone in the city's a coward." Flash nodded, before Spike stepped forward. "I'll go too. I've always wanted to go on a dangerous quest." he said, before turning to Vinyl. "This is a dangerous quest, right?" "Perilous." "Sweet." Spike grinned. "Well, let's go." Flash said. All four of them began to walk off, while all but Capper and Octavia turned and walked off elsewhere, Capper turning to her "Don't look at me? I'm the sister with the common sense." Elsewhere, Midnite stood on top of a rooftop, looking down at the city as she laughed. She jumped and changed into her ghost form, the flew off toward the sky. She soon flew towards the hole into Tartarus, over the barren land-piece Driscoll had, before shot down into the hole. She sore down to land and became her monster form, that a form-fitting purple and black bodysuit that was addressed with a jagged purple cape, along black leggings and purple knee-high boots, which are complemented by grey accents around her knees, then stare at her fellow monster Tirek as crowds of Mazaks and Skelroids gather in the stands. “Report, Midnite?” Tirek demanded. “I have seen the Human Realm, it is all that we imagined, and ready to be destroy,” Midnite grinned. “Destroyed it will be.” “Let me be the one?” “In due time. We must not make the same mistake as before,” He corrected her. “We must be clever, ruthless. And this time, we shall be victorious!” Then Tirek directed his attention to Mazaks. “Listen my undead warriors! You have lived only a nightmare, but no more!” “Where’s Driscoll? Send them forth to all who live in the light!” He and Midnite walked past each other, before he held up his ax. “To destroy!” he roared. Nearby, Driscoll walked to them and stared at them. “Tread light, Tirek. You are only a servant of the emperor.” A little later, the old man, Flash, Vinyl and Spike all approached the edge of the woods, passing by a sign saying Danger, keep out. They all walked past the sign, before the old man stopped and turned to the teens by another sign. "You sure you're willing to enter?" he asked. "The woods' a very scary place." "You ask a lot of questions for someone who's brother's in danger?" Flash inquired. "Everyone's in danger." the old man said. "Everyone's in danger?" Flash said, as Vinyl stared at him. "Yeah!" A noise made them all turn, seeing Vinyl's jeep coming towards them, with Capper driving, and Octavia sitting beside him respectfully. "Capper! I told you if you ever took my car, I'd rearrange your limbs!" Vinyl snarled, pointing at him. Capper locked the car and jumped out of it, as Octavia got out of the jeep and closed their doors. "You're going into the woods and never returning." Capper said, rubbing the hood. "As if you're ever gonna see it again." "He's got a point." Spike said. "You're my sister. Where you go, I go." Octavia said. "And so, there is five" the old man whispered. A little later, all six of them were walking through the woods, looking around. "Ah. It's creepy out here." Octavia said. "You got that right." Capper agreed. The old man stopped by a tree as the teens kept walking on, before his body glowed with white magic. The teens kept on walking, before Flash stepped through a magical barrier, as the forest was darker on the other side. Vinyl followed him through, followed by Spike, , Capper, and then Octavia, who stopped. "Huh? What was that?" Octavia asked, pointing behind her. "I felt something, something weird." Everyone turned around to her. "Wait, where's the old man?" Flash questioned, seeing no sign of him as he walked forward. "Ten seconds in the woods and we're already lost? All right." Spike grinned, as everyone else looked around. Later, as the teens kept on walking and looking around, Spike was talking about things he believed to exist in the woods. "...not just trolls, goblins and elves live in the woods too. I've also heard that a witch lives here. She's hideous, with green skin and a black tongue with yellow drool that slowly drips from the corner of her mouth as she speaks." he said, using his hands to describe the witch. "You've been reading too many fairy tales, pal." Flash said. "I'm with the new guy, Spike." Vinyl said. "This isn't the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Narnia, you know, which are all fictional." "Very funny." Spike scoffed. "We'll see who's right, V." "Guys..." Flash spoke. Everyone stopped and turned to him, before they gasped, seeing the cloaked woman behind him, spooking them. "...there's no such thing as witches. And like she said, they're only from fiction. Oh, okay. So, now you're playing with me. Ooh, someone's behind me." he said, raising his hands up playfully. "I'm so scared. Boo!" "There is someone behind you!" Vinyl said. Flash turned around to the woman, who looked up at them all. "Ah!" he gasped, backing away. The woman slowly approached the teens, who all stood frozen with fear. "Uh..." Spike muttered. "Anybody wanna run?" Octoavia suggested. "Already tried, but my feet won't move." Capper said. They all kept staring at the woman, when a bunch of Mazaks jumped towards them from behind, and quickly surrounded them. "She brought friends!" Vinyl gasped. They all looked around at the Mazaks The woman looked around beneath her hood, then she brought out a wand, which had a curved bottom, while the headpiece resembled a snowflake. "Watch out!" Octavia gasped. "Mysto Aerotan!" the woman shouted, spinning around, before she held her arms up. White light came from the ground beneath her, before five brooms shot towards the teens, which hit them all. "AH!" they yelped. The brooms flew off towards the sky as Capper's leg dangled from one, while Spike and Flash rode backwards on another, while the girls held onto another each with their hands. "WHOA!" they yelped, as they flew off over the woods. The Mazaks charged at the woman, who cast a spell with her wand. "HA!" she yelled. The spell shot from her wand, making sparks come up from the ground, knocking the Mazaks down, some flipping onto their backs, before she turned around. "HYAH!" she yelled, holding her arms out as an explosion went off behind her. Meanwhile, the teen all got flown towards a large tree. “Aaah!” Flash, Vinyl, Octavia, and Capper screamed. “Woo-oo!” Spike cheered, finding it fun. They all fell off from the brooms and hit the ground near each other, Flash on his side, Capper and Spike on their chests, Octavia on her back, while Vinyl managed to land on her knees. They all got up and looked around, not knowing they were near statue of a dragon, with an open mouth. "Okay. So, new guy, now you know what no one goes into these woods." Capper said, as everyone turned to Flash. "The name's Flash." He said, looking at them. "What is this place?" Vinyl wondered. "I call it The Celestial Tree." came a voice. They all turned and saw the woman standing in front of them all. They all began to walk backwards towards the statue, which had a tunnel going down it. "Quick, in here." Spike said, leading the way. They all moved down the tunnel, as the dragon's head closed up on them all. A little later, the five teens all stumbled back towards a door, which opened up. "Oh!" they gasped, entering a room. They all looked around, seeing a shield emblem on either side of the door with an 'M' symbol on, while the floor had colored circles with black colored symbols on, all matching the ancient wizards' wands headpieces. There was also a table with a large crystal ball on, while around the table, had the same-colored circles and symbols, as well as clawed hand shapes around it, while at the back of the room was a staircase, with tree roots around it the woman standing behind it. "I thought it best you were brought here." she said. The teens all looked up at her, Vinyl gasping as they walked around the table. "Hi. I'm Capper." Xander said, waving. "It's really nice place you got here. It's really..." He patted the table with his fist as the others looked around. "...woody." he said. The woman cast a spell with her wand as she raised it up, making the teens turn around to a wall, which had five colored stand holders with the colored symbols on them, before a broom appeared on each one. “I’m the Sorceress Glaucia,” she explained, removing the cloak from her hood. “And welcome to my home.” “Wow, this is epic,” Spike exclaimed as the teen looked around. “When the five of you enter the forest, you stepped into magical dimeson,” She explained. “A parallel dimeson outside of Canterlot? Do we live in a great city or what?” Spike question with a smile. “A few years ago, there was a great battle in our world. Dark magic conquered in our realm, and was about to enter yours, when we finally defeated them and sent them back to Tartarus, but at a great cost. The gate was sealed with powerful spell, however, during the recent earthquake, a crack appeared in the gate, and evil has slipped through.” “Uh, question. how does that have to do with us?” Capped asked her. “It means the end for both our worlds,” Glaucia told him as she stood before the Accord as it was open. “What’s the book?” “The Accord, the book of the unknown. Inside of it is everything we do not know.” The teens all approached her and the book, when ancient writing and a picture appeared on it. “What kind of writing is that. I’ve never seen it before,” Octavia said. “It is the language of the ancients. You soon learn it,” Glaucia assured as she began to read the ancient text. “It says That when evil rises again, five warriors from the Human realm will step forward. You are those warriors. You are the Power Rangers.” “What, the Power Rangers?” Vinyl and Octoavia jaws dropped. “Sweet! I’ve always wanted to be one,” Spike whooped. “I’m sorry, there has to be a mistake. How are we going to defeat pure evil?” Capper asked. Glaucia held up the five-magic wands used by the ancient warriors from years ago, which has same head pieces from back then. “These are your magic wands.” Glaucia handed the yellow one to Spike, the blue one to Octavia, the green one to Capper, the pink one to Vinyl and the red one to Flash. “Never go anywhere without them. “Glaucia!” came a girl's voice. Everyone turned as a blonde-haired girl around the teens age came running towards them all, holding her dress up. "Glaucia!" she said, stopping by her, before she turned to the teens. "Oh, hello. Nice to meet you." Capper waved as Octavia turned to Spike, while the others stared at them. "Uh, Glaucia." the girl said. She whispered something to her, making her turn to the teens. "You must stay here until I return?" she requested, moving back, holding her hand out. "Do not go in the woods by yourselves." She held up her hand and clicked her fingers, vanishing from sight. "I wish I could do that." the girl complained, as she walked off and clicked her fingers. "I practice and I practice but...nothing." She turned to the teens. "Oh, um, hello, again. I'm Skye, sorceress in training here at Celestial Tree." she explained, walking over to Nick. "Okay, that's it. I'm outta here." Flash said. He began to walk off when Skye held up her hands. "Oh, no." she said, making him back away. "You can't go?" "No?" Flash said. "Glaucia said you had to stay here until she returned." She spoke. "We all better go." Octavia said. Capper nodded as Vida looked at them both. "Oh, this is not good. I know, I will conjure a spell that will freeze you where you stand until Udonna gets back." Skye said. She began to think as the teens stared at her. "Um... Corum Oviat Ditrum!" she said. Magic came out of her hands, before she turned herself into a sheep. "Ah." Capper gasped, as they all backed away. Skye barred as they all stared her, before Flash moved away and put his wand on top of The Accord before, he walked off, then the others did the same and followed him. "Oh, boy. Is Glaucia gonna be maadd at me." she said. A little later, the five teens were running through the forest. “Come on,” Flash said. They all turned right as they running, before they stopped and a small village that ruined that made up multiple magical creatures. “Who are they?” Capper wondered. “I should’ve known you would stay,” Glaucia said, spotting the teens. “What happened here?” Octavia asked her. “Woodland Village was destroyed. Tomorrow, it will be another village. The Darkness destroys everything within their path, until they get what they want,” Glaucia explained as the teens approached her. "What are they looking for?" Spike asked. "Me, and then they will go after you." Glaucia replied. "Hold on just a second?" Flash asked, standing away from the others. "I never agreed to be part of this." "It is them!" a voice said. Everyone turned and saw one of the Elves coming towards them. "It is them. The protectors are here." he said. The rest of the villagers came towards him. "Hail, the Mystic Warriors!" he said, as they all bowed on their knees. "Hail!" they said. "I always wondered what it would be like to be worshiped." Capper smirked. Vinyl sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hey, it's not so bad." Capper said. They all heard a loud grunting noise, when a massive, dark blue Troll creature, with orange eyes, and wearing only thorn rags came over. "Ah!" the teens gasped, turning to it. They all panicked and held their mouths open. "Okay, that's bad." Capper said, pointing at it. The Troll growled and held its arms up, as the villagers all got up, turned and ran off. "Take out your wands." Glaucia said. "Uh, we kinda left them back at the tree." Spike admitted nervously. "All right, stand back." Glaucia said, as she turned and walked forward. "You leave me no choice." She brought out her wand, which glowed white. "Magical Surge, Mystic Form!" she shouted, crossing her forearms over in a plus shape, before she waved them around, then held her wand up. Her hands glowed as a white spell seal appeared over her, before she lowered her right arm. She spun around as the seal came down over her, before she morphed into a White Ranger suit, with black bands around her forearms, and the top parts of her boots, and she had white/silver chest armor over her torso. She also had a gold belt on with the 'M' symbol on, two black lines down her chest, while her helmet had the 'M' symbol like a crown, with a snowflake at the top of a fin, and her visor was shaped like a small penguin's face and beak. "Flurry of Snow! White Mystic Warrior!” she shouted, waving a long staff around, before turning slightly, holding it in both hands, pointing the end forward. The staff had a snowflake on top, with a large M beneath it, with a green button in the middle, with a smaller M beneath that, black and silver down the handle, with a long silver blade at the bottom. The teens all looked speechless, Capper, Spike and Vinyl smiling, while Flash was shocked, and Octavia held her mouth open. "Now that's cool." Vinyl remarked. Glaucia held her staff behind her, holding her left hand in front of her, before she charged at the Troll and jumped up. "Fire!" she shouted, shooting snow magic from her staff. The Troll waved his right arm and knocked it away, before she landed crouched down, then got up. He raised his right hand up, then moved to slam her with it, but missed as she back flipped away. As the teens watched, a bunch of Mazaks showed up in the village and approached them. "Guys..." Flash panted, spotting them. "...we have company." The others turned to the M and backed away slightly. "Whoa!" Viinyl yelped. "The way I see it, we have two choices." Spike said. "We can surrender and be destroyed..." "Or fight?" Octavia finished, guessing. "We fight." Flash said. "Whoa! Whoa, no, no, no, no." Capper said, stopping him from charging in. "There's a third option. Plan Capper. I just reason with them." "I don't think they're in a mood for talking!" Vinyl scowled. Capper ignored her and approached the Mazaks, while the others looked at each other. "Hi. I'm Capper. We're not really from these parts, eh. So if it's okay with you, we'll just be heading off in another direction." he said. A Mazak kicked his chest, sending him flying towards the others. "Capper!" Octavia gasped. Capper hit the ground on his back near the others, before Spike helped him up. "Never, now we fight." Capper sighed, clutching his chest. Two Mazaks put their hands over their mouths, then lowered them, shooting slime balls, which hit the ground behind them all. "AHH!" they moaned, as an explosion knocked them up. "Whoa!" Spike yelled. "AHHH!" they screamed. Flash hit the ground on his chest, while the rest hit it on their chests, before the Mazaks charged at them all, as they got up. One grabbed Flash's right arm from behind, before another grabbed his left as he tried to move it, before they both threw him away. "AH! AH!" he moaned, hitting the edge of a hut roof. He fell to the ground on his side, before he got up and grabbed ones arm as it came at him, then pulled it down and ducked as another tried to slash him with its blade. He got up and punched its arm slightly, when a third grabbed his arm from behind, then a fourth kicked his back. "Ah!" he yelped, falling into a ruined hut. Capper was knocked away and hit a stand, smashing it as he hit the ground and rolled onto his back. He got up and dodged as one tried to grab him, before he got up and grabbed another's arm as it tried to slash him, before it ran off. He turned and ducked as a third ran past and tried to slash him, running past a ruined tree as he did, before he hid behind it, but then the Mazak kicked it, knocking him and it over. "Oh!" he moaned, hitting the ground on his side. One kicked Spike's belly, knocking him away. "Whoa!" he yelped, hitting a wheelbarrow. He looked up as two grabbed him by the arms, then threw him away, flipping him forward onto his chest. One then grabbed and picked him up, before he knocked it back with his arm, then he rammed another with his arm, then tried to whack another with his right arm, but it blocked it with its own, then he tried to whack another but missed. "Oh!" he yelped, as he spun around and fell over. Octavia dived over a fence, her leg catching it, knocking it down as she hit the ground on her chest, before she rolled over and got to her knees. She got up and ran off as one tried to slash her, before another two wrapped their arms around her, then threw her against a tree. "Ah!" she groaned. "Ah!" One grabbed her by the arms as she grabbed its arms, before she threw it aside, then she ran off before another tripped her up, sending her flying away. "AH!" she yelled. She hit the ground on a pile of stuff belong to the village. Two had hold of Vinyl's arms, as she kicked a third's chest, before she did a back flip as they kept hold of her, who let go as she fell onto a wooden seat. Two more then kicked its legs, smashing it, making her fall to the ground as she clutched her shoulder. "AH!" she moaned. She kicked the chair, which skidded towards several, making two flip forwards onto their backs. Flash kicked ones blade as it came at him, knocking it away, then he dodged as another tried to slash him with an axe, making him hit a small tree branch holding a hut up, before he rolled away from it. He looked up as two grabbed him and flipped him up and over. "Whoa!" he yelped, landing on his back. Capper held a chair and waved it around, knocking two away, then he blocked a third's blade with it, before it kicked his leg, knocking him up. He dropped the chair as he fell to his knees, then he punched ones chest as it came at him, but he grabbed his forearm, then knocked it up, flipping him away. "AHHH!" he yelled. He hit the ground on his side and rolled over. Spike lay on the ground as two grabbed him away by the legs, as several more tried to slash him with their blades, but all missed. They both stopped and grabbed him, picking him up, then they threw him away over a small hut. "AH!" he yelped, hitting some sandbags on the other side. One jumped towards Octavia, which grabbed her and pulled her down with it. "Ah!" she yelped. It rolled along the ground before it threw her over itself. "AH!" she yelped, flipping forward onto her back. "Uh!" Vinyl spun around and kicked ones arm, but then another kicked her arm, knocking her towards a third, which grabbed her and threw her away as it spun around. "OH!" she moaned, hitting a hut and barrel. The Troll hit Glaucia with its left hand, knocking her away. "OH!" she moaned. She hit the ground and rolled over, before she got to her knees and turned to the teens fighting the Mazaks/ "Just remember, to use magic all you need to do is believe in magic." she explained, getting up. Flash got grabbed with a Mazak, before it threw him away. "AHH!" he screamed. Another grabbed him as he flew by it, before it spun around and threw him towards the ground. "NO!" he cried, hitting it. Capper rammed one with his left arm, before hitting its chest with the palms of his hands, before he ran off. He ran onto a wheelbarrow, before another two grabbed his legs and pulled him onto the sandbags on it. "OH!" he moaned. They both lifted up the wheelbarrow and sent him flying away. "AHH!" he screamed, before he hit the ground on his side. Spike ran towards a tree and began to climb it, when two grabbed him and pulled him down, before they threw him away. "AHH!" he yelled, hitting some sandbags. Two kicked Octavia as she held her arms up to try and block them, knocking her away. "Uh! AH!" she screamed, flying towards a wall. She hit herself against it, then fell and hit the ground on her chest. One grabbed Vinyl by the arm and shoulder before it pulled her down. "AH!" she gritted. It lifted her arm up and threw her away. "AHHH!" she screamed, back flipping away. She hit some sandbags and baskets on her chest, which she rolled off of. Spike ducked as one tried to slash him with its axe, before he turned around and leaned against a tree. "What did she say?" he said, as four Mazaks stared at him. "To use magic all I need to do I believe. Well, I do. I believe in magic!" He turned and braced himself, raising his arms up to shield his face, when lighting came out of his body and hit the Mazaks, knocking them down. He turned back and lowered his arms in shock. "It works." he said. "Guys...!" A Mazak shoved Capper against a tree. "...the magic really works!" Spike called, as Capper fell to his knees. "Just believe!" "I believe... I believe in magic!" Capper said, clutching his chest. Vines came out of the tree he was against, shocking him as they shot towards several Mazaks and knocked them down. "I believe in magic!" Octavia said, closing her eyes, on her knees. Several gusts of water rose up from the ground, knocking six Mazaks up. "I believe. I believe!" Vinyl said, backing away. She turned into a pink tornado, which spun her around, knocking several Mazaks away. "Whoa! I'm a tornado, and I'm pink!" she said. She stopped twirling and turned back to normal. "I like." she said, before frowning. "Well, all expect the color." The Troll lowered its arms and fired blasts from its eyes at Glaucia, who kept charging at it. "AHH!" she yelled, as an explosion went off behind her. More went off as she jumped up slightly, then she stopped. "Snow Staff!" she shouted, crossing her forearms over, her middle right fingers against her palm. She aimed and cast a spell at the Troll, freezing him soiled as ice. "AH!" it grunted. Udonna twirled her staff around, before she put it in her left hand. "You just got iced." she said, clicking her fingers. She turned around as the Troll blew up, holding her right hand up near her chest, before she turned around. "No!" she gasped. Nick went flying away as an explosion went off behind him. "AHH!" he yelled. He hit the ground on his chest, then turned and saw several Mazaks coming towards him. "Okay, I guess I believe too." he said. The Mazaks all raised their blades up to slash him, making him brace himself with his arms, when Glaucia cast magic from her Snow Staff, making them vanish. He looked up confused, lowering his arms, before he turned to Glaucia. "Power down." she said, holding her left hand up near her. Magic came out of it as she de-morphed, then Flash got up as the other teens all came towards her. "Ah!" He grunted, touching the back of his neck. "Well, well, very nice." Glaucia said. "You truly are the ones. Are you up to the test? Are you now ready to expect your legacy?" "Oh, yeah. Bring it on." Spike said determined. "I'm in." Vinyl said. "I kicked some serious evil back there." "This is so unlike me, but I'm sticking with my sister." Octavia said, blushing. "Someone's gotta look after these guys, right? Capper said, stepping forward. They all turned to Flash "Me? No way." he said, lowering his hand, dusting off his jacket. "I'm outta here." "Are you sure this is what you choose?" Glaucia asked, approaching him. "Look, the I believe in magic thing, it didn't work for me." Flash said. "Try believing again." Spike suggested. "Maybe it didn't catch on the first time." "He is a non-believer. I can do nothing for him." Glaucia said, shaking her head. "Skye will see you safely out of the woods. Skye?" "Here I ammm." Skye barred, approaching them. "Oh, my dear child. When will you get your spells right?" Glaucia wondered, as the girls and Capper smiled. "See him safe passage out of the woods." "Yes, maa’aam." she barred. Glaucia looked up at Flash, who turned around and walked away with Clare, who turned. "Follllow meee." she said. A dark spell seal suddenly appeared behind the others, which Driscoll rose up from, before he landed on the ground, making them turn to face him. "You may have defeated my Mazaks, but you will not defeat me." he said, taking his sword out of his shield. "Wolf Attack!" He put the end over the middle of his shield, before it rose up, showing an eye, which fired wolf-headed shaped blasts, which hit the ground behind Glaucia and the teens. "AHHH!" they yelled, getting knocked up as an explosion went off behind them. They all hit the ground, the boys and Udonna on their chests, the girls on their backs. "It is the end for you." Driscoll declared. They all sat up or got to their knees, staring at him as he laughed, knowing it wasn't good right now as Driscoll continue to stare at them. “On your feet!” Glaucia and the teens pulled themselves. “Darkness has come.” “I don’t know you, warrior, but if it’s battle you want, I am ready to fight,” Glaucia said. “Let me, if I can reason with,” Capper suggested then he walked forward in front of the others. “Hello there, I”m Capper.” “I am Driscoll, The Forever Knight,” Driscoll said, putting his sword back and he turned and open his free hand. “Uthe Mejor Catatros!” A dark spell seal appeared nearby. "Ah!" the teens gasped, backing away. "Ride up from your depths!" Driscol commanded. A black horse Zord creature came out of the spell seal and galloped towards the scene. "So much for reasoning." Capper gulped. "Sumbol Unithos Equestras!" Driscoll shouted, jumping up. A large spell seal came in front of him, which he dived into it, making him grow giant, then he moved towards the horse. It neighed before its head moved down, then he turned and landed into it, turning into a Centaur. "Power of the Centaur!" he shouted. "A Centaur? A real Centaur?" Spike said amazed. "I want one." Driscoll grabbed a black lance weapon made up of the head and neck of the horse, then landed on the ground in front of Glaucia and the teens. "You are now just pebbles under my hooves." he laughed. He raised his front knees up as the horse neighed, making the teens move back slghtly. "Ah!" they yelped. "Get back!" Glaucia ordered. "You are not ready to fight his kind. I am." "There's no problem here." Capper said, as Glaucia walked off. "He's all yours." Glaucia stopped and brought out her wand, which glowed white. "Magical Surge, Mystic Form!" she shouted as Glaucia was in her ranger form. She held her Snow Staff, which glowed at the end. "Galwit Mysto Prifior!" she shouted, holding it up. She jumped up and grew giant, shocking the teens, before she landed on her feet. "I'm ready." Driscoll said, turning to her. Glaucia crossed her forearms over. "Energy of light, fire!" she shouted, aiming her Snow Staff with both hands. She shot magical energy from it at Driscoll, who deflected it with his shield, making it hit the ground between them. "Darkness destroys light." he smirked. The teens all flinched as they watched nervously. "Yah!" Glaucia yelled, charging forward. Driscoll laughed and raised his front legs up, shocking the teens as he kicked Glaucia with them. "No!" Octavia gasped. "Oh..." Viinyl shuddered. Glaucia tried to slash Driscoll with her Snow Staff, but he blocked it with his shield. "Have I seen you before, wizard? You are too familiar." Glaucia noted. "And you too, witch." Driscoll admitted. "But that will not stop me from destroying you." "What?" Glaucia gasped. "Behold the eye of the Emperor!" Driscoll said. His shield opened up, then he fired his Wolf Attack, hitting her and knocking her away. "Whoa!" she yelled. She hit the ground on her back as the teens gasped. "Charge!" Glauciayelled, charging forward. He jumped up as Glaucia got up and clutched her arm, before he dived down and slashed her with his lance. "AH!" she moaned, as he landed behind her. Spike gasped, followed by Octavia, Vinyl and Capper all with their mouths open. Glaucia spun around as sparks came out of her, while Driscoll steadied himself. "You are defeated." he said. "AH!" Glaucia moaned, throwing her Snow Staff away. "AHHH!" She vanished into white snowflakes, as her Snow Staff hit the ground and shrank to normal size. She reappeared nearby it, leaning against a tree as the teens stared at her. "Uh!" she moaned, before she fell onto her chest. "Ah!" She de-morphed and looked up slightly, as the teens gasped. "Glaucia!" Octavia said, as they ran towards her. Elsewhere, Flash and Skye were still walking off, when they noticed the snow falling around them. "It's snowing." Skye barred, as they stopped. "That's weird?" Flash questioned, looking up. "Not a cloud in the sky." "Oh, no!" Skye gasped, realizing what had happened. "Udonnnnaa!" She began to run off away from Flash, who turned to her. "Badddd! Baaddd!" she barred. Back with the others, the teens were all around Udonna. "Glaucia?" Spike said. "You okay?" Octavia asked. Driscoll pulled the Snow Staff out of the ground and stared at them all, as Vinyl and Octavia tried to help Udonna up. "I will spare all of you, so that you'll witness the first hand the terror and destruction that unfolds on your land." He said. Everyone turned and glared at him. "Remember this day? You will wish it was your last." he said, before he held his left hand up. "Uthe Sastos!" He pointed his hand on the ground, then vanished beneath a spell seal, which vanished as well, leaving the teens and Glaucia alone. A little later, in Tartars, Driscoll stood by the circle in the middle of the room, holding the Snow Staff up, as Tirek sat in his throne, and Midnite stood nearby. “Our first victory. Hail the Emperor! Hail!” Driscoll said as the Mazaks and Hrybs cheered. “Driscoll, you are great warrior. I give you that, but you much to learn as sorcerer,” Tirek said as he walked to him. “Give me the Snow Staff, so I can learn to control its power. “Never! he roared as pulled the Snow Staff away. “Do you want to test my magic, Tirek? The staff is mine.” Midnite folded her arms. “We may share the goal of destroying the surface world, but that is where our alliance stops. If you are such a great warrior, why can’t you leave this pit?” Driscoll asked. “You and I both know that my power is so great, there is no spell you can conjure that can release me!” Tirek snarled at him. “But when you do, and I get out, no one is safe! No one!” At the Celestial Tree, Glaucia sat in chair around the table with the four teens all started at her. “Without my Snow Staff, I cannot fight anymore, but I can still train you,” Glaucia explained. “I can teach you the ways of magic. Skye?” “Coming!” Skye said coming into the room. “Oh, dear child,” Glaucia said as waved her hand. “Morthay Mamm.” The magic sphere hits Skye, turning her back to normal, who now standing on all fours. “Why didn’t you do that before? Do you know how warm it was in all that wool?” Skye asked her while the teens laughed. “If I do everything, then how will you ever learn?” Glaucia asked then turned to the teens. “This time, go nowhere without them,” Glaucia handed them their wands. “Uh-huh,” Capper said. “We already learned that lesson. But if I’m being totally honest here. us walking around town, carrying a wand...” Capper said as Spike pointed his wand, pretending to be a wizard. “Well, it may be good for Spike but..., it may draw some unwanted attention.” “Very well. Utam Zoel,” Glaucia said as the magic wands have turn into cellphones. “I hope you find these more to your generation.” “Cell phones, nice,” Vinyl said. “They are your Mystic Morphers. They are activated by Spell Codes, that you learned across your journey,” She explained. “Now go back to the city, live your normal lives and wait until you’re needed. Remember, there is evil everywhere, and you would be best not served speaking to no one of what has happened.” “I can show them the way out of the woods,” Skye said. “No, they must find their way out of the woods,” Glaucia told her then turns to teens. “Just remember the trees are your passage.” Later, the four teens were in the woods together, looking around, not sure what Glaucia said back at the Celestial Tree. "How could a tree be our...passage?" Spike wondered, standing near one. He touched it, before he got sucked inside, shocking the others. "Whoa!" he yelped. Capper blinked, while the sisters held their mouths open, before Spike returned. "Whoa, guys. So cool." Spike said, approaching the others. Capper looked confused while the sisters giggled. "Just touch the tree, and bam, you're flying through roots, branches, stems, leaves and bark." Spike explained. Capper walked past him towards the tree, as he stopped by the girls. "Just think of the tree in front of the record shop." Spike instructed. "Really, it works." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. There is no way that this-" Capper began, before he touched the tree and got sucked into it. "AH!" He came out the other end, which was the tree outside the Meldoy Shrine. "Huh?" he muttered, turning around. He turned back and saw Garett coming out of the shop, holding a ticket. "Huh?" "Okay, it can."Capper said, taking back what he said. He looked around slightly, when the others all came out of the tree one by one, knocking each other over slightly. "Uh..." Garett muttered. The four teens looked amongst themselves. "Hey, you guys just... From the tree?" Garett said, as they approached him. Copper turned back, then back to Garrett and shrugged. "Never mind." "You feel, okay?" Vinyl asked. "Uh..." Garett said. He walked over towards the tree as the teens entered the shop. "I better check this out?" he said, putting his ticket away. He approached the tree, then looked at it carefully, before he moved his head forward, banging it against it. "Ah!" he yelped. "Ow!"\ A little later, Octavia approached Flash, who was working on his bike near the tree, Vida's jeep parked outside again. "Hey, there." she said. "Hey." Flash said, working on the pedals. "We sure could've used your help back there." Octovia said. "I don't think there's anything I could've done." Flash said, moving to the back of his bike. "So, while we're out in the world fighting evil, what are you gonna do?" Octavia inquired, as Flash moved to the front of his bike. "Well, first I'm gonna fix my bike..." Nick explained, as he sat down on it. "...then I'll head to my Grandparents and see if I can live there instead of with my aunt in Canterlot." "No parents?" Octavia inquired. "Oh, you are nosey." Flash smirked. Octavia smiled as he began fiddling with his right-hand pedal. "Yes, I have parents. They're working overseas for a few years." Flash explained. "I was living with my cousins for a while, then my uncle, now my aunt." "Uh, must be hard leaving friends all the time?" "Usually don't stay around long enough to have friends." "You know, you could... I mean, you could stay somewhere longer, you know, like here, maybe." Octavia said, as he got off his bike. "I'd love to hang and talk to you but I still got a lotta work on my bike, and-." Flash said, turning to it, then back to her "Oh, yeah." she blushed. "I'm sorry. I just, I was... I was trying... Um, I'm gonna leave you to it." She turned and walked towards a van parked outside the store, blushing with embarrassment. "Hey, look?" Flash said, making her stop and turn to him. "I really appreciate what you're trying to do, trying to say, but...I guess I'm just not cut out for this magic stuff like you guys." Octavia rolled her eyes slightly and smiled. "But good luck." "Yeah. You are too." She turned around and walked off as Flash stared at her, before he looked down, thinking. At The Celestial Tree, Glaucia and Skye both stared at Flash in the Crystal Ball, as he turned around and approached his bike. "Forget him, Skye." Glaucia said. "It is not to be." She turned a page in a small book she held, while Skye held a sweeping broom. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'm just don't know why the Accord showed five warriors, not four." Glaucia turned to her. "Maybe I'm the fifith warrior." Skye deduced, before she held her broom up. "Hyah!" She waved it around, making Glaucia duck to avoid it, then she grabbed it as Clare tried again, making Skye look at her. "Probably not." Glaucia said. "Right." Skye sighed. "We move on." They both turned and walked towards the steps leading to the back of the room. "Sweep, please?" Glaucia asked. "But, it's a good thing you didn't move on when I started here." Skye said, as they approached a table. "Any other Sorceress would've tossed me to the Trolls..." Glaucia put her book down on the table, which was filled with potion bottles and supplies. "...when I broke that Crystal Ball, or when I dried up the lake, or-" Skye began. "Yes, there was a long list of things you needed to learn." Glaucia said, taking some seeds out of a bag. "Not to mention turning yourself into a sheep." She turned to Skye, who looked embarrassed. "You child, you are not someone I would ever give up on." She assured, touching her hair slightly. "And I appreciate that." Skye said. "But, just for reference, so when I become a powerful Sorceress I'll know, why is it that we're giving up on Nick?" Glaucia turned to her, seeing she had a point there. In Tartarus, Driscoll stood by the circle in the main room. "It's almost time." he said, turning around. Nearby, Tirek and Midnite stood facing each other. "He's not to be trusted." Midnite hissed. "And you are?" He turned and began walking towards Driscoll. Driscoll, I want you and your Mazaks to do something for me?" he requested, as Driscoll turned and held up his sword, while Midnite turned and walked off. A little later, Glaucia - wearing civilian clothes - stood before Flash by the tree in the city, who held a socket wrench to his bike. "It will still not run." Glaucia said. "You may know about magic, but you know nothing about bikes." Flash said. He stopped and got up. "I just fixed it." he said, getting onto it. He began to rev it up, but it wouldn't start up. "Come on? Should've started right up." he muttered. He tried again, before he turned to Glaucia "Look, if you messed with my bike..." he said, getting off it as a man walked by him. "...trying to get me to stay, you can just...?" He turned to the man, who stared at him blankly. "What are you looking at?" Flash asked. The man walked off bewildered. "Only you can see me." Glaucia explained. "Just my luck." Flash muttered. "As I was saying, you can undo whatever you did to my bike?" "I have done nothing to your bike." Glaucia assured. "Nick, there's a reason why you're here, at this place, at this time. Don't run away from it?" "Look, I know you think you need me, but you don't." Flash said. "You saw me back there. I can't do the magic thing. I'm not your guy." He turned around and crouched down near his bike. "Then why did you speak up first to help the old man who had lost his brother?" she asked. Flash got up and turned to her, looking confused. "How'd you know about that?" he asked. Glaucia held her arms out and transformed into the old man, then back to herself, as it had been her the whole time. "No way?" "It let me know, that you were the one to lead the Rangers." Glaucia explained. "Come on?" came Vinyl’s voice. Both her and Flash turned, seeing Vinyl and the others running out of the Meldoy Shrine "Where are they going?" "There's trouble in the woods." Glaucia realized, turning to Flash. "They're gonna help. Flash, they need you." "I'm not a leader." Flash said, throwing his tools down. "I can't even fix my bike." Glaucia waved her wand around, which glowed and sent magic into the bike, fixing it. "It's fixed." she said, as it revved up. Glaucia got onto his bike. "Isn't it about time you owned up to who you really are?" Glaucia asked, as he picked up his gloves. "Thanks for the help with the bike, but I gotta... " Flash said, looking up as he picked up his helmet. "...go." He put his helmet on, then his gloves, before he revved up his bike and turned it right, racing it off down the road. Meanwhile the teens all came out of a tree in magical realm woods, all wearing uniform and cloaks in their respective colors. “Hey,” Capper said as they looked at themselves.” “Check out the uniforms,” Octvaia said amazed. “And cloaks,” Spike added. “This is nice.” “I hate pink,” Vinyl said in disgust. Capper turned as he spotted something. "We can go to the complaints department later, V." he assured, patting her. "Look?" They all turned and saw a spell seal on the ground, before Mazaks rose up from it. "Uh, I hope everyday isn't gonna be like this." Octavia hoped. The Mazaks all growled and came towards them, as they got ready to fight, Vinyl holding both her hands like choppers, Octavia both her fists up, the rest one as a fist, the other as a chopper. They all split up and began to fight the Mazaks Capper kicked one's chest as it came at him, then he turned and hit another's arm with his hands, knocking it slightly, then he turned and kicked a third's black, knocking it back. He spun around and grabbed a fourth's foot as it tried to kick him, before he pulled it to the ground, but then a fifth grabbed him from behind and threw him away. "AH!" he yelled. He hit the ground on his back and rolled onto his chest. Spike blocked one's kick with his right arm, then blocked its blade with his forearm, before he kicked another's chest, but then a third tripped him up. "AH!" he yelped, flipping onto his back. Vinyl spun around while holding her cloak out, making a few back away, before she blocked a kick from one with her right forearm, then kicked it away. Another then pushed her from behind, then another grabbed her as she sides a side flip to her left, before it threw her onto the ground. "Ah!" she moaned. Octavia kicked one's blade away, before she blocked another's kick with her hands, then tried to punch another, but missed as it ducked. She turned slightly, before it pushed her back, making her spin around and hit the ground on her side. "Ah!" she moaned, rolling onto her chest. Two Mazaks grabbed and picked Spike up, then another two grabbed Octavia then another grabbed Capper and Octavia each. "She said she'd know when to use our wands!" Spike said. "I think now is the time!" "Dude, you think?" Vinyl asked sarcastically. Capper pulled the one which had him over his shoulder, before he turned to the others. "Let's Ranger up." he said. The teens all gathered together and stared at several Mazaks, before they ripped off and threw away their cloaks, showing their symbols were also on a square patch on their left upper arms. They all took out their morphers from a pouch on their belts, then opened them up in wand mode. "Magical Surge, Mystic Form!" They all shouted as spell seal came before them. A spirt of a Minotaur came out of Capper's, which landed behind him, as he bent down, holding his right fist up, with his left behind him, before he held both his fists up. "Yah!" he yelled, jumping up. He went through the spell seal, morphing into a Green Ranger suit with a cape on, black bands around the forearms and above the boots, with black lines going up the legs and chest, before stopping at the top of the cape, the front of which had a black line along it to make an 'M' shape. He also had a golden belt with the 'M' symbol on, and a staff like Udonna's, only it was shorter. He turned left as his helmet came on, his visor resembling his morpher's symbol, which appeared behind him, while it also had two lines going up near the horns, then he held his right arm up, with his left beneath his elbow, his middle fingers pressed against his palm. A spirt of a Fairy came out of VInyl's spell seal, which landed behind her, as she waved her arms out, before holding her left out to her left, and her right up diagonally. "Hyah!" she yelled, jumping up. She went through the spell seal, morphing into a Pink Ranger suit like Capperr's, only her leggings had a skirt on, with the lower legs being white. She turned left as her helmet came on, her visor resembling her morpher's symbol, which appeared behind her, while it also had two lines above it, which spread out over the top part, then she did the same pose as Capper, only with her legs together. A spirt of a Mermaid came out of Octavia's spell seal, which landed behind her, as she crossed her legs over, and held her arms out, bent like she was swimming. "Yah!" she yelled, jumping up. She went through the spell seal, morphing into a Blue Ranger suit like her sister's. She turned left as her helmet came on, her visor resembling her morpher's symbol, which appeared behind her, while it also had a crown above it, then she did the same pose as Vinyl. A spirt of a Garuda came out of Spike's spell seal, which landed behind him, as he crossed his forearms over, then held his hands out like claws, his right near his face, his left outwards. "Yah!" he yelled, jumping up. He went through the spell seal, morphing into a Yellow Ranger suit like Xander's. He turned left as his helmet came on, his visor resembling his morpher's symbol, which appeared behind him, with lighting shaped lines on top, then he did the same pose as Xander, only with his left hand facing out instead against his elbow. Strong as the tree, Green Mystic Warrior! Calm as the sea, Blue Mystic Warrior!” Fast as lighting, Yellow Mystic Warrior! Ever changing as the wind, Pink Mystic Warrior! They all stood at ease and stared at the Mazaks, who all growled at them all. “Let’s go!” “Let’s do it!” “Yeah!” “Oh, yeah!” “Power Rangers Mystic Warriors!” All of them shouted. They all jumped up and began to fight. Capper rolled forward along the ground, then got up and turned around, then blocked ones blade with his left forearm, before he blocked another's kick with his right forearm. He spun around and kicked a third's blade away, then he ran forward and kicked its chest, before he jumped and dived towards a fourth as it jumped up, punching its chest. Octavia jumped and twirled around sideways as one tried to slash her legs, then she spun around and kicked another away slightly, then she turned around. She did a backwards handspring as it tried to slash her with its blade, before she did a side flip to her left as another tried to slash her legs. She landed on her feet and ducked and spun around, tackling one, knocking it up into the air as she got up. Vinyl held her cape out, waving it around as she leaned back, making two moves away from her, then she spun around and moved away as one tried to slash her, then she stopped. She spun around and moved away, knocking ones blade back with her hand, then hit another's forearm with her hand, before she turned to a third, then jumped and kicked its chest, knocking it away as she back flipped. Spike spun around and kicked ones blade, knocking it back slightly, then he spun around and tackled another, tripping it up onto its side, then he turned around and kicked a third's chest, knocking it down. He then side flipped to his left as a fourth tried to slash his legs, then he grabbed a fifth's arm as it came at him, before he pushed it away as he got behind it and spun around. "You want more?" he asked, waving his arms and cape around. He jumped up as one jumped up and dived towards him, before he kicked its chest, sending it flying away. Capper threw a stick away towards several Mazaks. "Let's see what I can do with this." he said, pulling his staff out, holding it sideways, while holding his left hand near it with his middle fingers bent. "Sacred Staff." He aimed and cast a spell at the stick, turning it into a few tree vines, which wrapped around the Mazaks in groups of four. He held up his Sacred Staff, then moved the M on it down to the end. "Sacred Staff, Forest Axe!" he shouted, holding it up, as the end extended up into an axe. "Take this!" He slammed it into the ground, sending smoke and blasts along the ground, which hit the Mazaks, making sparks come out of them all. Octavia stood on a shallow pond at a nearby valley and brought out her Sacred Staff, before crossing her forearms over. "Bad boys, you forgot your water wings." she joked, holding it up. The end of it lit up, then she crossed it over her chest, then spread her arms out, sending splashes of water up, hitting them all. She then slashed ones chest with it as it got near her, sending it flying away. Vinyl brought out her Sacred Staff and crossed her forearms over. "Pink isn’t my favorite color, but trust me, it's not gonna be yours either!" she promised, holding it up as the end glowed. She lowered it and waved her arms around, as her cape turned into large wings, before she crossed her forearms over. "Sacred Staff, Twister!" she shouted, as her wings flapped back and forth, blowing several Mazaks away. Spike brought out his Sacred Staff and held it up. "Let's give them a little Sacred Staff jolt and enlighten them." he joked, turning it around, pulling the 'M' down to the other end. He held it up as the end glowed, before lighting shot from the sky and hit it, "Ha!" he yelled, twirling it around. He held it up as the 'M' on it twisted around to make a crossbow. "Yeah! Shock Crossbow!" he shouted, aiming it. He fired blasts from it at several Mazaks, creating a puff of smoke behind them, which knocked them all up, as another went off in front of them. The four Rangers all gathered together in the woods, Spike resting his crossbow on his shoulder. "Yeah!" he whooped, holding his arm up. "Great job, everyone." Capper remarked, holding his fist up. "Yeah." Octavia said. "We rock!" Spike whooped. "All right!" Vinyl said. "That went well." Capper said, wrapping his arm around Chip. "Hey!" Spike said. "Whoa!" Octavia gasped. They all looked up as the sky got dark, as thunder roared in it. "Or maybe not." Capper corrected. "Whoa!" the girls gasped. They all looked forward, seeing Driscoll coming out of a spell seal, laughing as he did, before he got up to his feet and stared at them all. "I'm back." he said. "It's Driscoll!" Capper exclaimed. "We can take him." Vinyl said determined. =Driscoll laughed as he approached them all, as they moved back slightly. "You can try, but you are no match." he said, before he stopped. He held his left hand up as dark lighting came out of it, before he brought out his sword and shield. "I call on my Sword from the Darkness." he said, pulling the sword out. "This is your end." "Okay, now what?" Cappper questioned. "Now you will feel the power of Dark Magic." He put his sword over his shield, before the eye popped out, then he lowered his sword as a dark spell seal came up behind him. Meanwhile, Flash was riding his bike along a road, blinking as he did, before he saw a vision cloud. Driscoll put his sword near his shield, opening up the eye, before he fired his Wolf Attack from it. "Ha!" he yelled. The blasts shot towards the Rangers, hitting them all, making sparks come out of them. "AHH!" they moaned. They all got knocked off their feet as a puff of smoke came up behind them. "Oh, no!" Flash gasped. He pulled his bike over and took off his helmet, shaking his head, when he heard Glaucia 's voice in his head. "You are the one to lead the Rangers." He looked around, seeing no one around, before he frowned determinedly. Back in the magical realm, the Rangers all moaned as they lay on their backs - expect Vinyl, who lay on her chest - as Driscoll stared at them all. "I will not be merciful this time." he said, pointing his sword at them. He approached them all slowly, as the others rolled onto their chests. "Can't we talk this over?" Capper asked, trying to get up. Driscoll growled and held up his sword. "Guess not." "You're doomed." Driscoll said, raising his sword up. "Any last words?" Viinyl groaned, as Octavia and Spike looked up, moaned, trying to get up, when Flash came racing over on his bike. "Yeah!" he said, jumping it up. "What?" Driscoll exclaimed, turning left. "Just one!" Flash said, jumping off his bike. "Hyah!" Everyone turned to him as he dived towards Driscoll "Nick!" Xander said. "No way?" Susan gasped. "Yeah!" Vida said. "Oh, yeah!" Chip whooped. "Hyah!" Nick yelled, diving towards Koragg. He kicked Driscoll shield hard, making him stumble away, before he landed in front of the Rangers. "Come on!" he dared. The Rangers all stared at him, Capper sitting up. "Whoa!" they said. "Now there are five?" Driscoll said. Nick took off his gloves and helemt and threw them away. "I guess there are." he said. Driscoll began charging at him. "This is a good of time as ever to start believing in magic." Flash said. Driscoll raised his sword up to slash him. "HA!" He held his arms up, creating a magical shield that blocked Driscoll’s sword. "I do believe in magic!" He raised his arms up, knocking Driscoll back, sending him flying away. "AH!" he moaned. He twirled around, before he landed on his feet and turned around. (The Celestial Tree) Clare and Udonna both stared at Nick on the Crystal Ball, who smiled. "Yes. He finally believes." Glaucia said. Skye laughed happily. (The woods) Flash looked at himself as his body glowed with red magic. Once the light vanished, they saw Flash standing in a uniform and cloak like their own, only with red markings on, his shirt was sleeveless like Xander's, and his jacket was buttoned up at the bottom, and the Phoenix symbol on his left leg. A Mystic Morpher appeared in his hand, before he ripped his cloak off, pulled it behind him, then threw it away to his right. He opened up his morpher in wand mode, then pressed the first three buttons. "Magical Surge, Mystic Form!" A spell shot out from Flash's wand, creating a spell seal above above. A spirt of a Phoniex came out of it, which landed behind him, as he held his arms out like wings, with his legs together. "Yah!" he yelled, jumping up. He went through the spell seal, morphing into a Red Ranger suit like Capper’s and Spike. He turned left as his helmet came on, his visor resembling his morpher's symbol, which appeared behind him, with two diagonal lines near the top bit, then he did the same pose as the others. "Red Ranger?" Capper breathed. "Get him, Nick!" Vinyl cheered. "He believes." Octavia said happily. "Way to go!" Spike whooped. Flash spun around and waved his cape around, then he stopped and moved his cape out as the spell seal came up behind him, with his own symbol on the top, as fire spread. Fearsome as fire, Red Mystic Warrior! “Prove to me your worthiness, battle my forces, Mazaks, rise!” Driscoll said. A swarm of Mazaks rose up from the ground and charged at Flash, who jumped up and landed in the valley. “You fight with words? So be it.” Flash joked. The Mazaks all charged at him, before one jumped up and dived towards him, as he took out his Sacred Staff and crossed his forearms over. "Sacred Staff, do your thing!" he said, as the end glowed. He aimed and cast a spell at the Mazaks, turning it into a soccer ball. "Nice." he said. It rolled towards him, before he stopped it with his foot. "Who doesn't love soccer?" he said, putting his Sacred Staff in his other hand. "Let's have some kicks." He kicked it towards the Mazaks, hitting one and knocking it down, before the ball shot back towards him. He jumped and twirled around, kicking it again, knocking another down, before he jumped up towards the ball. He turned around then lifted his leg up, flip kicking it away, where it hit the ground near several Mazaks, knocking them down as a puff of smoke came out of the ground. Flash landed on the ground and turned around, before several more charged at him, then he moved the handle of his Sacred Staff down slightly. "Sacred Staff, Phoenix Blade!" he shouted, holding it up, as a blade extended out of it. He twirled it around and charged at the Mazaks, before three of them shot slime balls out of their mouths. "Whoa!" he yelled, jumping up as an explosion went off behind him. "Yeah!" He dived towards the Mazaks, then landed near them, then slashed ones blade as he spun around, then he leaned back and slashed another three with his sword as he waved it around. He then spun around and kicked a fifth's arm as it came at him, flipping it over onto its back, then he dodged past a sixth as it came at him, before he jumped up. "Flip time!" he said, back flipping through the air. A Mazak jumped and back flipped forward beneath him, before he slashed its shoulder as he flipped over it, then he landed crouched down. He got up and turned around, before he slashed one down the chest, then ducked and moved past another as it tried to slash him, before he side flipped to his left. He then tackled a third as it came at him, flipping it onto its back, then he turned as several more shot slime balls from their mouths. "Yikes!" he yelped, getting up. He jumped up and back flipped through the air as the slime balls hit the ground and created an explosion. "Ah! Oh!" he said. He landed on his feet as it vanished, before he held up his sword. "Is that the best you got?" he mocked. Several Mazaks shot slime balls from their mouths, which hit and created puffs of smoke behind Flash as he charged forward. "Yah!" he yelled. He jumped up and somersaulted forward, as another puff of smoke came up behind him, before he spread his arms out. "I call on the power of the Phoenix!" he shouted, as his body lit up with fire, as his Phoenix spirt came up around him. He swooped down towards the Mazaks as his spirt hit them all, knocking them all slightly, before he landed on his feet and de-flamed. "That's hot." he said, turning left. He clicked his fingers, before the Mazaks fell amongst the flames and were destroyed. "Ha. I guess it works after all." Flash said, turning left. He turned slightly as the other Rangers all came towards him. "Flash, that was awesome." Spike said. "Mystic Warrior?" Flash said, holding his right hand out, his middle fingers bent, which was the Mystic hand symbol. "Mystic Warrior!" the others said, as Vida did the same, followed by Capper, Spike, and Octavia. "All right!" "Nice one." . "You were amazing." Driscoll appeared on top of a cliff. "Do not celebrate, Rangers." he said, as they all lined up and turned to him. "This was just one battle. Next time, the outcome will be different." The Rangers all marched forward together, knowing their fight against him and the Darkness had only just begun.
Royal Pony Dude
562618
2
Capper,DJ P0N-3,Flash Sentry,Octavia,Spike,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Power Rangers
Power Rangers Mystic Warriors
May the magic protect you
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>Twenty years ago, in a magic-filled dimension parallel world, the forces of darkness came into power and a war called the “Great Battle” between good and evil began, unbeknownst to the citizens of the human world. An army of the monsters, led by a powerful warrior named Tirek, swarmed into the land with their sights set on taking over the magical realm, the human realm and possibly the universe. In the midst, they combat five wizards, who pushed back against the dark forces. The strongest wizard of all, Solaris, cast a spell and sent the evil warriors into the Tartarus, having the Gatekeeper seal the gates for all eternity. The forces of good successfully thwarted the dark forces’ attempt to take the surface world, but they lost the five wizards, including Solaris, who sealed himself on their side of the Gate to make sure the evil forces did not escape. </p><p>In the present day, the city of Canterlot was struck by an earthquake, which was just enough to crack the seal, allowing evil to renew its attempt to invade the earth. The sorceress Celestia realizing that the forces of evil had returned, sought out the warriors of legend, five teens living in Canterlot, to become the Power Rangers alongside her.</p>
everyone
2024-08-12T14:22:18+00:00
2024-08-15T14:04:24+00:00
103
In the woods in the magical realm, Skye was walking around with a basket full of small, weird fruits, as she was gathering stuff up for Glaucia. "Let's, see?" she said, holding a list and pencil. "Beetle's bane, check." She ticked it off the list as she walked slowly forward. "Slugroot, check." she said, ticking it off. She looked up as a gust of wind blew onto her, before she saw the Rangers racing towards them on their Mystic Racers, which were shaped like magical birds, with engines at the back, a M in their color on the front, and a handle on either side for them to hold. "Ah!" Skye gasped. She ducked as the Rangers began to fly over her. "Heads up!" Flash warned, in the lead. "Coming through!" Spike said. "Yeah!" Octoavia whooped. Flash turned to Skye and held his hand out. "Sorry." he said, before he turned around and grabbed his handle. "They need to put traffic lights out here." Skye breathed, getting up, before she spotted some flowers. "Ah, Hollyflower petals. Come to mama?" She waved her hand, but nothing happened, making her try and think of a spell. "Borum... Gor... Florum Xylo Copa." she said. Magic came onto the flowers, causing a bunch of bees to come out of them and fly towards her. "Ah!" she yelped. "Bees!" She put her hands in her hair as they flew past her, causing some of the stuff in her basket to fall out. "Shoo! Shoo!" she said. Magic came out of her hand, making the bees vanish. "Ow!" she moaned. "I'll just say I couldn't find any Hollyflower petals. What's next?" She checked her list as she approached a bunch of bushes with berries on them. "Ah, Stickleberries." she said. She pulled some off a bush and put them into her basket, when she heard a noise that didn't sound like the Rangers. She looked at the ground as something burrowing beneath it moved towards her, as she turned around to it. "AH!" she gasped. She turned and began to run away, dropping her basket and list as she did. She turned back as the thing got closer and closer, when a goblin-like creature dressed in ragged clothes dived towards her. "Look out!" he said. He grabbed Skye and pulled her down and away from the thing. "Ah! OH!" she moaned, falling onto her chest. The goblin creature dived away, as Skye turned around and sat up. "What was that?" she wondered, looking around. The thing beneath the ground kept burrowing away, leaving a bunch of dirt behind it. She got up and brushed her hair away, before she coughed and spat, being watched by the goblin from behind a tree. In the Underworld, Tirek, Driscoll and Midnite all stood together near the throne. "Now there are five Mystic Warriors?" Midnite said, turning around. "Just like the ones that tried to trap us down here forever!" "Glaucia had to give the Mystic powers to someone." Driscoll said. "These children pose no threat." "And while you two argue, I've taken steps to see that they don't,” Tirek said. The whole place began to shake, making them all wobble. "What under Earth was that?" Midnite asked, as the shaking stopped. "The Hydra Worm." "The creature that dug this enormous pit?" "It's only a matter of time before it breaks through to the surface." "Briarwood will be destroyed from below unless the Rangers stop it." "I'll make sure they don't, with a creature from my army of the Underworld." Tirek assured. He laughed as pointed his ax at the door, as a green slime monster called Mucket came in, which had a club arm shaped like a mouth, a skull like head, and had black armor around his body, which included a spike on the top. Back in the magical realm, the Rangers were racing their Mystic Racers over the trees. "Come on, pinkie?" Flash dared, turning to her. "Try and keep up?" He sped his Racer off and flew down towards the trees. "No one calls me 'Pinkie'!" Vinyl exclaimed. "Go get him, V," Capper said. "Show him who you are." Vinyl sped up her Racer and flew down after Flash "You'd better run." she said, as the others chased after them. Flash swerved his Racer around through the trees, laughing as he did, with Vinyl right behind him. "Almost got ya." She said, as he turned around. "You still there?" he mocked, before he turned away. "Whoa!" He shot right towards a tree, making him skid his Racer to a halt, before Vinyl raced off past him laughing. "Who's in the lead now, Sentry?" she mocked, turning around. "That'll be me." Spike said, racing past her. "Wahoo!" "Huh?" Vinyl muttered, turning to him. She raised her right arm up as Spike raced on, punching his left up. "Yellow, baby! Yeah!" he whooped. They all soon raced over to the base of the Celestial Tree. "Wahoo!" they whooped. "Dismount!" Flash said, jumping off his Racer. "All right!" He crossed his forearms over, his fingers out, as the others followed him. ."Whoa!" they all said. They all de-morphed before they landed on the ground, and then they all looked up. Their racers all turned into brooms, the same ones that went against the wall their visor symbols belonged to, which shot down towards them. Flash caught him with one hand, followed by Capper, Spike, Octavia and Vinyl. "Very good, Rangers." Glaucia said, looking at them all. "That's enough Mystic Racer practice for today." "Come on?" Spike complained. "Just one more lap 'round the forest?" "Yeah, I'm just getting warmed up." Vinyl said. "I wanna see what this bad boy can really do." Both Capper and Octavia giggled. "I'm afraid not." Glaucia said. "It's time for elementary incantations." "Oh, boring!" all but Octavia complained. "Hey, I think that sounds kinda interesting." Octavia reasoned, walking off. "Only to you, sis." Vinyl joked. They all began to walk off together through the woods. "Glaucia , the Mystic Racers are amazing, but now that we're Power Rangers, don't we get lots of other cool stuff too?" Vinyl asked. "Oh, yeah? I mean, no one's more excited than me to finally get to wear a cape." Spike said, touching his. "Finally?" Capper scoffed. "If I remember correctly, you used to come to school with a pillowcase pinned to your back." Everyone but Spike laughed. "Yeah, well, that was a long time ago." Spike said. "It was last week, mate." Capper recalled. "Well, anyway, V's right." Spike said. "We're official superheroes now. Where's the rest of the vehicles, weapons, and gadgets that we get?" "The Accord holds the Spell Codes that can unlock magical powers beyond your imagination." Vinyl turned to her as they all stopped. "So what are we waiting for? Let's bust it open, load the codes and get out booty." "It doesn't work that way, Vinyl." She explained. "As you perform heroic deeds, and grow as Rangers, the Accord will reveal the Spell Codes, when the time is right." She walked off, with the others following leaving Spike and Vinyl alone. "When the time is right?" She hissed. "I don't wanna wait that long." "Me neither." Spike said. "There's gotta be a quicker way to get those codes." Vinyl smiled as she thought of something. "I got an idea. Follow me," she said, motioning with her head. "Uh, we'll catch up with you guys later." They both turned and walked off. Later, at the tree, Flash and Capper were both sitting around a table with books, reading one each, as Octavia picked up a load more. "Man! Look at all these incantations?" Capper said. "How is my brain supposed to fit in all this information?" Octavia came over and put her books down beside Flash "Why don't you let me help you out with that?" she said. Both boys turned to her as she took out her wand and aimed it at Flash "Craneor Magnus." she chanted. A spell came out of her wand, which hit Capper's head, extending it out, making her and Flash laugh. "Now you have lots more room." She teased. Capper blinked his eyes repeatedly. "And here I though his head couldn’t get any bigger." Flash laughed. "Very funny. Tavi, if you wouldn't mind?" She cast a spell with her wand, turning his head back to normal. Nearby, Glaucia was making a potion, just as Skye came towards her from some steps. "Skye..." She said, dropping some plants into the cauldron as she stirred. "...didn't I ask you to gather some Stickberries for this Protection Potion?" "Oh, I did have a big basket of them, but... ...I accidently dropped it when I was attacked by the giant worm." She explained as Glaucia poured the bottle's contents into the cauldron. "I'm really sorry." "Giant worm?" Glaucia questioned, turning to her. Flash turned around to them as Capper kept reading his book, while Octavia turned a page in one, she read. "Well, I think it was a giant worm I didn't really see it cause it never surfaced, but then this..." Glaucia cast a spell, bringing a frog towards the cauldron, which fell into it. "...freakish looking gnome, or troll or goblin knocked me out of the way and saved me." Clare explained. "Did you see who it was?" "No, he took off before I could thank him." "Well, this is troubling." Meanwhile, in the city, Vinyl and Spike - his arms folded - were sitting by a stand with a banner above them saying 'Heroes 4 hire' Nearby, was a lemonade stand, where a young African boy handed a glass to another, who stood with a white boy. "Thanks." the second boy said. He and the white boy turned and walked off, as the first turned to the Rangers. "Aren't you guys a little old for this?" he asked. "Beat it, kid," Vinyl said rudely, making Spike turn to her. "We don't need the competition." The kid stuck his tongue out at her, before she did the same. "So, how do you figure that being heroes for hire is gonna get us more codes from the Accord?" Spike asked, changing the subject. The girls both turned to him. "Glaucia said that heroic deeds unlock the codes." Vinyl said. "So, all we gotta do is preform a bunch of them and we're golden." Spike turned around, just as a woman came towards them, making him get up. "Oh. H-hey, ma'am. You don't happen to have any heroic deeds you need doing, do you?" Spike asked. "Well, as a matter of fact, I do." the woman replied. Vida and Chip smiled A little later, Spike was walking by a house, before he saw a large parking lot, completely covered with leaves. He flinched slightly, before he walked off and grabbed a rake, before he began to rake the leaves, sighing as he did. (Meanwhile) Vinyl was standing by the front of a car with a woman, the hood open. "I can fix this." Vida said. She leaned down and fiddled with a screw line, when the engine started, shooting oil onto her face and arms. "Oh!" she yelped. The woman giggled slightly, as she moved her head away. "Ah." she moaned. (Elsewhere) Spike had just finished raking all the leaves into a pile, before he stopped and turned around to it, when a strong wind came blowing in, blowing them all away. "Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he panicked. (Later) Vinyl was inside a room, giving a dog a bath, while another waited nearby. She squeezed a small towel over the first, soaking it, before it began to shake its fur, wetting her. "Ah!" she moaned, closing her eyes as she lifted her head up. (Later) Spike was carrying six large egg trays towards a man standing by a truck, which had another six egg trays on, as well as some chickens in a cage, and some hay. "Hey." Chip said. "All right." the man said. He walked around the truck, as Spike tripped over a small piece of a fence. "Ah!" he yelped, stumbling forward. He managed to put the eggs on the edge of the truck, before he turned around and sighed. "Oh." he said. He blinked with relief, just as the eggs fell from the truck and hit the floor, most of them smashed up, making him and the man turn around. "Ah!" the man gasped. Spike turned around and ran for it. "Ah!" he yelped. A little later, both Spike and Vinyl met up by the sign. "Oh! Man, I don't know how many more heroic deeds I've got left in me." she sighed. "I know what you mean. I'm beat." Spike said, touching his back, before he sniffed. "And you smell like wet dog." "Can it!” "Oh. Hey, let's see how many new Spell Codes we've got." Vinyl suggested, as Spike turned to her. "Yeah." Chip said. They both took out their morphers and opened them up but found nothing new. "Huh?" "Nothing?" Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, the other Rangers were all walking together across a piece of grass in the city. "Hey, Spike and Vinyl never showed." Capper said. "Where d'you think they went?" "I don't know, but when my sister gets that crazy look in her eye, it usually means trouble." Octavia said. They kept on walking, when Midnite landed on top of a wooden table stand ahead of them. "I'll show you real trouble." she said, getting their attention. "Who are you?" Flash inquired. "I am Midnite, Dark Mistress of the Underworld." She explained. "I'll handle this one." Capper said, patting Flash 's arm. He walked forward as Flash and Octavia turned to each other, knowing it wasn't gonna work. "Hi. Capper. Whatever the problem is here, I'm sure we just talk this one out." "You wish." she said, wave her hand and a shot magic from her eyes, hitting the ground near Capper, making sparks come up from it. "AH!" he yelped, as he jumped and twirled around. "Capper!" Octavia and Flash caught him as he fell back. "Not a big talker, I see." Capper noted. Flash let go of him and moved to the front. "Let's Ranger up." he said. They took out their morphers in wand mode, then pressed the three buttons. "Magical Surge, Mystic Form!" They all shouted as spell seal came before them. (Morph sequence) A spell shot out from their wands, creating a spell seal above each of them. Their Mystic spirts came out of the spell seals and landed behind them, as they did their actions. "Yah!" they yelled, jumping up. They went through the spell seals, morphing up, then they turned as their helmets came on, before doing their Mystic hand poses. (End morph sequence) They all held up fists or forearms. "Hyah!" they yelled. They all charged at Midnite, who held her hands out, her right near her face. "Yah!" she yelled, before she charged forward. Capper jumped and somersaulted towards her, trying to kick her down the chest with his left foot, but she crossed her forearms over and blocked it. She then lifted her arms out, sending Capper flying away, before he landed the ground on his feet, as Flash and Octavia came up on either side of him. They both charged forward, before they did a sideways handspring forward, then Flash did some backwards one, while Octavia did some back flips, as Midnite came towards them both. "Yah!" she screeched, as she ran past them. She turned around to Octavia, who tried to kick her, but she blocked it with her hands, then she ducked as Octavia spun around to kick her. Flash came over and tried to kick her, but she dodged and blocked it with her hand, then she ducked as Xander jumped and spun around, trying to kick her, but missed. He landed on his side, then kicked her arm, knocking her away slightly as she spun around, then she ducked as Octavia jumped and spun around to kick her, making her miss. She jumped up as Capper tried to tackle her, before she landed on the stand, as the Rangers gathered together. "Get her!" Flash said. He and Octavia both jumped up, before he somersaulted forward as she twirled around, before they both landed on either side of Midnite. She crouched down as she did a backwards handspring past her, while Flash landed in front of her, then spun around to kick her, but missed. She got up and kicked Capper's chest as he came at her, then she ducked as Flash spun around to punch her, before he moved away. She did a sideways handspring off the stand, as both boys did a backwards one, while Octavia did a side flip to her left, before they all got on their feet. Midnite spun around and kicked Xander's arm, knocking him away, as Octavia spun around behind her. "Oh!" Capper moaned. Midnite did a sideways handspring towards Flash, kicking his arm as he raised it up, making him spin around. "AH!" he moaned, falling onto his back. Octavia spun around to kick Midnite, but missed as she ducked, then she blocked a kick with her right arm, before she kicked Octavia’s leg, sending her flying over her. "AH!" she moaned, hitting the ground on her back. Midnite turned left as Capper dived towards her, with his Axe. "Ha!" he yelled. He slammed it against the ground as he landed crouched down, sending a beam of magic along it, which hit Midnite, making her jump away. "Hyah!" Flash yelled, somersaulting after her. Midnite turned to him as they landed on a road, before Capper and Octavia landed on either side of him. "Come on?" Flash dared, all holding their Sacred Staffs. "Playtime's over!" Midnite sneered. The Rangers put away their Staffs. "Oh, yeah?" Octavia scoffed, as Flash rubbed his hands. "We'll see." Flash said, as Xander ran his thumb over his nose area. Midnite spread her arms out, and went into her ghost form, then she jumped up and fired magic blasts from her eyes as she swooped forward. "AHH!" the Rangers moaned, as the blasts hit the ground around them, making sparks come up as they shielded their visors with their forearms. Midnite flew over them all, before she turned around and flew back down towards them. "Look out!" Flash yelled, turning around. MIdnite fired more blasts from her eyes, hitting them all in the chest as sparks came up around them. "AHH!" the Rangers moaned, hitting the ground. "Let's go for a ride?" Midnite smirked. She grabbed Capper and Flash by the arms, then wrapped her legs around Octavia, before she flew up with all three of them. "Let me go!" In the Underworld, Tirek sat in his throne, as Driscoll stood in front of him, both staring at Mucket. "Send Mucket to the surface, Driscoll. He has an appetite for Power Rangers." "So be it. Uthra Norqua Ozarro." He held his hand out, creating a spell seal around Mucket, which made him grow giant and out of the Underworld. He arrived on the surface at a valley. "So hungry." he said. Midnite flew towards him with the three of the rangers. "Patience, Mucket. Dinner is on the way." she promised. The Rangers all turned to Mucor. "Let me go!" Nick demanded. "Good riddance, Rangers." Midnite scoffed. She threw them all towards Mucket, who opened his mouth. "NOOO!" they yelled, diving into it. "Ah." Mucor sighed, closing his mouth. "Hmm." Meanwhile, at Celestial Tree, Vinyl and Spike all approached the Accord, while Glaucia was stirring her potion. "Let's check the book." She turned to the Rangers as Vinyl opened it up, then flicked through some pages, but found nothing. "What? Nothing?" Vida questioned. "This thing must be broken?" "What are you doing?" Udonna asked. Both of them turned around to her. "We've been out doing heroic deeds all day, and haven't gotten one new code." Spike explained. "Being a superhero's kind of a rip-off." . "It seems you know very little about being a superhero." "Are you kidding? No one knows more than me." Spike said, touching his chest. "I've spent a fortune on video games, DVDs, graphic novels, trading cards-" "Okay, okay. " Vinyl said, getting up. A noise came from the Crystal Ball, making Glaucia pass them "Something's wrong." she said. The Rangers all turned and followed her down the stairs towards the table, then they all stared at the Crystal Ball, seeing Mucket in it, who laughed while holding a tree branch. "The others are in trouble. "You must stop it." "Us?" Vinyl questioned, horrified. "Look at that thing; it's massive. We'll get pummeled." "You might. There's only two of you, and... you've hardly mastered your Ranger powers." She said, making her more nervous. "Are you afraid?" “No. It's not that I'm..." Vida said. "I'm totally scared." Spike said holding his arm out. "Look, my goosebumps. They've got goosebumps." "Okay, I guess I'm a little freaked." Vinyl admitted. "You should be. That creature's size and strength are unlike anything you've encountered. This is nothing like the Mazaks at all." "But Flash and Octavia..." "And even Capper, they need us." "We can't just do nothing." "You're right. We've gotta try and help them. Come on." They all moved towards the wall with their brooms. "Real heroes are born in the face of real danger." Vinyl took out her morpher in wand mode. "Ready?" she asked. "Ready!" Spike doing the same. The screen split into two, pressing the three buttons. "Magical Surge, Mystic Form!" They all shouted as spell seal came before them. (Morph sequence) A spell shot out from their wands, creating a spell seal above each of them. Their Mystic spirts came out of the spell seals and landed behind them, as they did their actions. "Yah!" they yelled, jumping up. They went through the spell seals, morphing up, then they turned as their helmets came on, before doing their Mystic hand poses. (End morph sequence) They all turned around to their brooms. "Come on." Spike said, grabbing his so did Vinyl as the eyes on a statue above the main door lit up, then three passages turned around, one for each Ranger by their color. Spike stopped by his and held his broom down, before it turned around. "Right behind ya." Vinyl said, stopping by hers, holding her broom like Chip. They threw their brooms away once inside a room. "Galwit Mysto Aerotan!" they shouted. Their brooms turned into their Mystic Racers, which they sat on. "Ready? Firing engines!" they shouted, holding their right hands over a panel in front of their seats the Mystic way. The engines of their Racers powered up. (Outside) A branch from the outside of the tree lowered itself down, before the Rangers flew their Racers out of a hole and over the trees of the woods. "Punch it!" they shouted. Once arriving at the valley, Mucket spotted them all. "Rangers? Good." he cooed. The Rangers pulled their Racers over and stared at him. "There it is." Vinyl said. Spike took out his morpher and dialled on it, before putting it beside his helmet. "Guys, this is Spike." he said. "Where are you?" "Inside the belly of the beast!" came Flash's voice. He moved his morpher away, before he turned to Mucket. (Mucket) Flash held his morpher to his ear area, as he, Capper and Octavia all floated around inside the belly, covered in green gunk. "Stay back, Spike!" he advised. "I think he's got room for seconds!" (Outside) "I don't care. I'm going in!" Vinyl said. They flew off towards Mucket, then flew circles around him, as he got up and waved his club arm around, throwing his stick away as he did. She jumped off her Racer and brought out her Sacred Staff, which glowed. "Mystical Wings!" she shouted, waving it around. Her cape turned into her large wings. "Fairy dust!" she shouted, crossing her forearms over. Dust came out of her wings, which hit Mucket, making him dizzy. "Ah..." he said. “Time for the big sneeze!” "Ah... Ah! Achoo!" he sneezed. (Inside) The Rangers all got shot up through his belly. "AH!" they yelled. (Outside) They all went flying out of Mucket and dived towards the valley. "Whoa!" they yelled. They all landed on their feet, making Capper and Octavia fell to their knees, as Vinyl landed near them. "All right, it worked!" "We did it!" The others looked at themselves and shook their hands. "Eww!" Octavia said disgusted. "I'm covered in monster muck!" Flash complained. Mucket fired a barrage of green balls from his club hand at Spike, who held his Sacred Staff, while flying his Racer, dodging them. "Somebody's gotta take this freak down, and I'm just the Ranger for the job." he said. He jumped up and landed on his Racer, holding his Staff out. "Hyah!" he shouted. He turned it around and pushed the end down, as lighting shot from the sky, turning it into his crossbow. "Sacred Staff, Shock Crossbow!" he shouted, before he aimed it. "Sneeze on this?" He flew towards Mucket, who grunted. "Fire!" he shouted, firing his crossbow. The blasts hit him all over. "AH! AH!" He moaned, stumbling back. Spike sat down on his Racer and turned it around. "Bullseye!" he whooped, flying off. Mucket fell down onto his back, before Spike jumped off his Racer and landed near the others, who ran towards him. "Great job, Spike." Flash remarked, as Chip turned around. "Wahoo!" Vinyl whooped, waving. "Nice work." Capper commented. "That was incredible." Octavia remarked. Vida moved to Spike's right as he turned to them. "Yeah." Vida said, touching his arm. . "Just doing our job, right,?" Spike asked, turning to them. "All in a day's work." At Root Core, Glaucia stood by the Accord, words on a page she looked at it, before she turned the page, then the next one lit up, showing writing as the Rangers symbols. "Incredible." she said. Back at the valley, the ground began to shake, making the Rangers wobble. "Whoa!" they yelped. They all turned around, seeing Mucket get up as they all took their places. "Watch out!" Octaiva gasped, as they backed away. "Hungry!" Mucket roared. "I'm not afraid of him." Spike said. "Come on, Rangers!" They all began doing their fight poses. "Strong as a forest, Mystic Warrior, Green Ranger!" "Ever changing as the wind, Mystic Warrior, Pink Ranger!" "Calm as the sea, Mystic Warrior, Blue Ranger!" "Fast as lighting, Mystic Warrior, Yellow Ranger!" "Forceful as fire, Mysitc Warrior, Red Ranger!" They all back flipped through the air. "Yah!" they all yelled. They all landed on the edge of a cliff. "We call forth the magic...!" they shouted, holding their right hands near their chests the Mystic way. "...Power Rangers Mystic Warriors!" they shouted, as an explosion went off behind them. Five balls of light came out of the explosion, which shot towards the Rangers. "Oh, look?" Capper said. "Whoa!" Spike said. They all caught one each, showing their morphers. "Wow." Octavia said. "What's going on?" Vinyl wondered. The numbers 1, 0 and 7 all glowed on their morphers. "Hey, it's a new Spell Code!" She realized. "I get it now." Spike said. "Glaucia was right." (Flashback) "Real heroes are born in the face of real danger." Glaucia quoted. (Flashback ends) "Amazing." Spike said. "All right, Rangers, let's do it!" Flash said. "Yeah!" the girls said. "All right." Capper said. They all lowered their wands, then pressed the numbers that glowed. Galwit Mysto Prifior They all crossed their forearms over and spun around, first Capper, Spike, Vinyl, Octavia, and Flash went last. "Ha!" they yelled, holding their morphers behind them as they bent down. "It's Titan time!" They held up their wands and pressed the main button. "Mystic Golem!" Capper shouted, rising up as a spell seal came over him. He went through it, transforming into a large Golem Zord with red eyes, which had a knight's armor, the chest and shoulder with the 'M' symbol, and an axe. "Ha!" he yelled, slashing it down, then he held his arms out as his symbol came behind him. "Ha!" "Mystic Fairy!" Vinyl shouted, rising up as a spell seal came over her. She went through it, transforming into a small Fairy Zord, with armor like Capper's with small wings behind her, and big yellow eyes, before she spun around. "Hyah!" she yelled, holding her left arm out, her right up diagionally, bending her left leg, as her symbol came behind her. "Mystic Serpent!" Octavia shouted, rising up as a spell seal came over her. She went through it, transforming into a Serpent Zord, who's head resembled Udonna's helmet, while her armor was like the rest, and had yellow eyes, then she held her left arm up and her right in front of her. "Hyah!" she shouted, crossing her forearms over. Her legs attached together to make a tail fin, as her symbol came up behind her. "Mystic Garuda!" Spike shouted, rising up as a spell seal came over him. He went through it, transforming into a Garuda Zord, which had wings for arms, small green eyes and beak, while his armor was like the rest, only it included his shoulders, before he leaned back and waved his arms out. "Ha!" he yelled, holding his wings out as his symbol came up behind him. "Mystic Phoenix!" Flash shouted, rising up as a spell seal came over him. He went through it, transforming into a Phoenix Zord, which had green eyes, his chest armor resembling the others, and held a sword. "Yah!" he yelled. He waved his sword around, then bent down while holding it backwards. "Yah!" he yelled, as his symbol came up behind him. They all stood together, staring at Mucket, Vinyl standing on Capper's shoulder, as she was small, while he was large, and the rest were the same size. "Ancient power, Mystic Titans!" they shouted, doing their poses, slashing his sword out, before holding it up. (Celestial Tree) Glaucia stared at them all in the Crystal Ball, smiling. (The valley) Mucket shot a barrage of green balls from his club hand at the Rangers, which hit and created an explosion in front of them. "HA!" Flash yelled, as he and Spike dived forward. "Yah!" Spike yelled. Mucket fired more balls from his club hand, as Flash slashed his sword and charged forward, while Spike swooped forward. The balls hit the ground in front of them, making sparks come up from it, but they kept charging/swooping forward. "Lighting lasers!" Spike shouted, shooting lasers from his eyes. "OH!" Mucket moaned, as they hit him. He fell down and hit the ground on his side near a pond. "Yah!" Spike yelled, charging forward. Mucket got up and turned to him, before he ran past him and slashed him with his sword. "AH! OH!" Mucor moaned, as stream came out of his belly. "This power is incredible." Flash said, looking at his sword, before he held his arms out. "Yeah!" The girls all looked at Capper. "Let's go." he said. "Right." Madison said, before she and Susan ran off. "Hyah!" Vinyl yelled, jumping up. "Let's play ball." She spun around as magic came out of her hands, transforming herself into a ball, which Capper caught. "Nice." he said. "Tavi!" He threw the ball up and whacked it away with his axe. "Yah!" Octavia yelled, her feet now a tail fin again. She dived into the pond and began to swim around beneath it, before she jumped up from it. "Spike, coming your way!" she called. She flipped forward and whacked the ball away with her tail fin, which shot towards Spike. It was sending it right towards Spike, who caught it with his wings. "Ha. Flash, go long!" he called, as he spun around. He threw the ball away as Nick ran along near it. "Here we go." Flash said. "Watch this?" He turned around and jumped up, flip kicking the ball away towards Mucor. "Yah!" he yelled. "Don't? I don't catch so good!" Mucket begged. "AH!" The ball hit him, destroying him in an explosion, before the ball shot away from it, which then turned back into Vinyl. "Yeah!" she whooped. She landed on Xander's shoulder as the others gathered around them both. "Oh, yeah!" Spik whooped. "Yeah." Capper said, punching his fist up. "Rock on!" Flash said, punching his arm up. "Yeah!" Chip whooped, holding his wings up. "Good job." Flash said. "Whoo!" Madison whooped, jumping up. Later, in the Underworld, Tirek sat in his throne, when Midnite came towards him. "The Rangers have tapped into the power of the Mystic Titans." she explained, clutching her fist. "We've got to bring them down before he awakens." "Not to worry. The Underworld with triumph, and he will take his place Supreme Master all of!" Tirek declared, getting up and waving his arms up. Meanwhile, in Root Core, the Rangers - expect Flash - were all with Glaucia near the table. "I'm proud of you all, and you've only begun to tap into the potential of the Mystic Titans." she explained. "Yeah, but now, green freak is gone, right?" Octavia asked. "So, it's all good in the woods?" "Oh, let's hope so. I mean, we still don't know if that was the same creature that attacked Skye." Capper said. "Flash's investigating that." In the Woods, Flash at the scene Skye had been attacking, looking around carefully. He got up and turned around to a bush as he heard a noise. "Hello?" he said. "Anybody there?" He approached the bush carefully, then pushed some twigs away, before a goblin looking creature with a big nose popped up from the other side. "Aha." he said joyfully. "AH!" he yelped. They both moved out from the bush and stared at each other, the goblin wearing the same outfit he wore when he saved Clare. "Stand back!" Nick said. "You stand back!" the goblin said. "I said it first." The goblin sniffed his armpits. "Oh!" he said, touching his left, before he turned to Flash. "So you did." He pointed at Flash as they circled each other. "You're not from around here, are ya?" he asked. "No, not really." Flash answered. "Nah, I didn't think so." the goblin said. "I've seen mump toads with prettier faces. Ho! He's an ugly one, to be sure, to be sure." "Excuse me?" Flash said. "Oh?" the goblin muttered, turning to him. "I don't mean to interrupt your, uh, conversation, but what are you doing here?" Nick asked. "He wants to know what we're doing here?" the goblin asked himself, before turning to Flash. "Well, I don't think you should tell him." Nick looked around, seeing he was talking to himself. "Well, because he's the one who came into our part of the forest." he said. The ground beneath came over, pulling him down into a pit. "Wha?!" he yelped. Flash ran towards the hole, when the goblin got shot out of it. "Whoa!" he yelped. His pouch bag fell off him as he dived towards Flash, before he hit the ground and rolled over onto his chest. "Oh, man. Come on?" Flash said, helping him up. "You okay?" "You saved me." the goblin said, chuckling, holding his hands out to hug. "Not really." "Gimmie a hug?" the goblin said. Flash saw the Hydra Worm burrowing towards them both beneath the ground. "We'll discuss it later." he said. "I'm just kinda busy now." He turned around and ran off as the goblin turned to him. "Wait?" he called. Flash took out his morpher and dialed on it, before putting it to his ear. "Guys, I think I found what I was looking for." he explained. At the tree... The other Rangers watched Flash running away in the Crystal Ball, as the Hydra Worm burrowed after him below ground. "What is he running from?" Capper questioned. "I don't know, but he needs help." Vinyl said. (The woods) Flash turned around in a valley, as the Hydra Worm came towards him, before he dived to his right. "AH!" he yelled. He hit the ground and rolled over, before he got up and turned around. "All right." he said. He looked at the ground carefully, seeing the ground move slightly. "You wanna play?" he said. He took out his morpher in wand mode, then pressed the three buttons. "Magical Surge, Mystic Form!” (Morph sequence) Flash morphed up, then he turned as his helmet came on, then did his Mystic hand pose. "Mystic Power!" he shouted. (End morph sequence) He took out his Sacred Staff and turned it into sword mode, before he turned around, as the Hydra Worm rose up from the ground. "Oh, man!" Flash gasped. The worm shot down towards him, before he rolled to his left to avoid it, then he got up and held his sword up, before it whacked him away. "AH!" he yelped. His sword went flying away as he rolled along the ground. "Ah!" he moaned, clutching his chest. The worm's head shot down towards him. "NOO!" he yelled. Capper showed up and dived towards them both, holding his axe, now morphed. "Hyah!" he yelled. He slashed the worm's head with his axe, making it back away before it went back beneath the ground as Capper landed on his feet. "Yeah." he said, putting his axe in his other hand. "Thanks, man." Flash said, getting up while taking his hand. "I owe you one." "No worries." Capper said. Spike and the girls all ran towards them, all morphed. "Way to go, amigos." Spike said. "Up high?" Vinyl said. "Yeah." "Yeah." The ground began to shake, making them all wobble. "Ah!" they yelped. "Whoa!" the girls yelped. "Uh-oh!" Vida gasped. The Hydra Worm rose up from the ground, this time with eight heads. "Whoa!" the Rangers yelped. "He looks mad." Flash noted. The Hydra Worm roared and waved its heads back and forth, when Capper took out his morpher. "How can you tell?" Spike asked. Capper opened up his morpher, as the numbers 1, 2 and 5 glowed. "Hey, I got a new Spell Code." he said. All but Flash gathered around him. "Wow." Octavia said. "Nice." Spike said. "Great." Vinyl said. They opened their morphers, and saw the same numbers glowing. "Glaucia said the Titans had more power." Vinyl recalled, turning hers around. "Let's just see what they can do." Flash said, as the others gathered around him. "Ha!" the others said. They lowered their morphers and turned them into wand mode, then pressed 1, 7, 0. They crossed their forearms over, their left hands the Mystic way, then held their wands up, with their left forearms beneath their elbows. Xander spun around, followed by Vida, Madison, Chip, Susan, and then Nick. "Mystic Titans!" they shouted, bending down, before they held their wands up, pressing the button. "Hyah!" Flash stared the others as they held their right arms out. "Mystic Titans, Dragon formation!" they all shouted, crossing their forearms over, before holding them out as they glowed. They all shot up towards the sky as Flash looked up at them. Capper turned himself around and lowered his legs, forming some feet. Octavia attached her legs together into her tail fin, then retracted her head, before she attached to the back of Xander, forming a tail. Spike screeched as he spread his wings out, which turned around, then landed on Capper's back, forming some wings. Vinyl changed into a mouth and attached to the front of Capper, forming a head and neck, forming the Mystic Dragon. "How cool is that." Flash said, pointing up. "Hang on, everybody. I'm ready to ride. Hyah!" He held up his sword before he jumped up, then he twirled around. "Wahoo!" he whooped. He landed on top of the dragon, sitting in its saddle area. "Whoa!" he yelped. "Ah!" (Root Core) Glaucia stared at them all in the Crystal Ball. "Hold on tight, Flash." she said. (The woods) The Mystic Dragon screeched as Flash grabbed hold of its back. "Ha! Let's bury that worm!" he said. The Hydra Worm fired lasers from four of its heads, which hit the ground near the Mystic Dragon, making sparks and smoke come up from it. "Hyah!" Flash yelled. "Still hungry? Hyah!" He sliced off three of the heads with his sword as the Mystic Dragon moved past it, then the dragon flew up into the sky. It turned around and spun around, before it shot down towards the Hydra Worm. "Yeah!" Nick whooped. Three of the Hydra Worms heads turned around and fired blasts at the Mystic Dragon, which began dodging them. "Look out!" Flash yelled. Explosions went off in the sky as the Mystic Dragon kept flying down. "Ah! Whoa!" Flash yelped. "Dragon blast!" The Mystic Dragon shot a fireball from its mouth, which hit some of the heads, destroying them, before the Mystic Dragon flew off. "Alright, Rangers..." Flash said, as it turned around. "...let's get fired up!" He jumped off the Mystic Dragon and dived forward. "Yah!" he yelled. He spun around as the Mystic Dragon shot a fireball from his mouth, before he flip kicked it. "Hyah!" he yelled. The fireball shot down towards the Hydra Worm, hitting its last head, making lighting come out of it "Yeah!" Nick whooped, as he landed back of the Mystic Dragon. It landed on the ground as it roared, with its back to the Hydra Worm. "Wahoo!" he whooped. Sparks and lighting came out of the Hydra Worm. "All right! That was a snap." Flash said, clicking his fingers. The Hydra Worm blew up behind him and the Mystic Dragon, as he lowered his hand. Later, Flash was back in the woods, crouched near a bush filled with Stickleberries with a basket. "Oh. So these are Stickleberries?" he said, picking one up. He ate it, but found it disgusting. "Ah!" he said. He spat it into his hand and threw it away. "Uh! Ah!" he said, getting up, his forearm over his mouth. "Gross. Better pick some more." He reached his hand into the bush, moving part of it aside, before he saw the goblin. "Ah!" The goblin got up and waved as Nick backed away, facepalming himself. "You... You gotta stop doing that?" Flash said, breathing. "I've been looking everywhere for ya." the goblin said. "I wanted to thank you for saving me." He held his arms out to hug Nick, who picked some Stickleberries from the bush. "To tell you the truth, I don't think I saved you so much as a monster spit you out." Nick said. "Rat feathers." the goblin muttered. "Even that hideous beast rejected me! I don't belong anywhere. Not even in a worm's stomach!" He held out his hand. "I'm Rick." he said. Flash shook his hand, before Phineas put his other on the outside. A little later, they both walked through the woods together, Nick tossing an apple up in his hand, before he caught it. "Uh, you see, I'm a Troblin." Rick explained. "Now, uh, that is the unfortunate result of a union between a troll and a goblin, but both sides hate me. So, so, I wander the forest on my own." "Well, actually, the reason I was out here was because, uh, you helped a friend of mine." "Ah." Phineas blushed, as they stopped. "And I wanted to thank you." Nick said. "Oh..." "I hope you like Stickleberries." Flash said, holding up the basket. "Who doesn't?" Rick said. He took the whole small pile of them, then shoved several into his mouth, a few falling to the ground. Nick looked around embarrassed, as Phineas smiled. "Right."Flash said. He chuckled as they both walked on. "Ooh, I must warn you through, young warrior. This forest is full of danger." . "Tell me something I don't know?" Flash said. "My friends and I are up against Midnite and Driscoll. It can't get worse than that." "Uh, yes." Nick stopped and turned around to him. "Yes, it can." "You still haven't faced...him." "Who's him?" "The Emperor Grogar ." Phineas explained, putting his finger to his lips. "Shh?" He looked confused, not sure who he was talking about, but knew it couldn't be good by his tone. Meanwhile, in the Underworld, Tirek sat in his throne, being furious. "They destroyed my Hydra Worm!" he exclaimed. He slammed the end of his sword against the ground as Midnite stood before him. "Impossible!" he exclaimed, slamming his arms against the sides of his throne. "Even I am surprised." Driscoll admitted, standing in front of him. The ball on the floor glowed red, getting everyone's attention. "Tirek, look?" Midnite said. "It's him." Tirek said, getting up. "Bow down to the Emperor, you fools!" The Mazaks all bowed down on their knees, as Tirek, Midnite approached Driscoll, all staring at the circle. "Hail." Driscoll said, holding his right arm across his chest. "Hail." Midnite said, doing the same. "Hail." Tirek said, doing it with his left arm. They all bowed down on their knees. "Bow down." Tirek said. An eye came into the circle, who was Grogar, and lord of the Underworld.
Not That Anon
562620
1
Bat Pony,Original Character,Princess Luna,Adventure,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
In Pursuit of Knowledge
Starshine, a guardsmare and an aspiring librarian, gets chosen by Luna to assist her with retrieving an ancient tome from a forsaken tower in the middle of the Everfree Forest. What could possibly go wrong?
complete
42
3
<p>Some career paths are more demanding than others. Few know that better than Starshine, a batpony who always dreamed of managing and preserving books too dangerous for layponies to even look at. For her, joining the Night Guard to prove herself before the Princesses didn't seem like a bad idea. At least, it did not seem like a bad idea <i>until</i> Princess Luna picked her as the only guard to help her explore a place of wild magic and eldritch mysteries sealed for centuries.</p><p>On the other hoof, Princess Luna is having the time of her life. Fighting the undead and stopping cosmic abominations are not skills she gets to practice very often.</p><hr/><p><span style="font-size:0.75em">Written for </span><a href="/group/215333/beans-writing-group/thread/541572/the-new-blood-contest-second-edition" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-size:0.75em">the second edition of The &quot;New Blood&quot; Contest</span></a><span style="font-size:0.75em">, featuring the bonus prompt &quot;Two PoVs that run concurrently.&quot;</span></p>
teen
2024-08-01T19:37:43+00:00
2024-08-01T19:37:42+00:00
352
Princess Luna and the batpony accompanying her alighted on the grass some distance away from the main part of the Castle of the Two Sisters. They stood before an ivory tower whose exterior seemed to proudly gleam with the reflected light of the full Moon, as if unaware of the many centuries that had passed since it was erected. Its walls were smooth and undamaged, lacking any signs of wear, inviting the ponies to partake in its mystery. Luna stopped the guard with a raised hoof. “Halt, Starshine. Though this tower has been the closest to a place I could call home for many years, I cannot say for sure what we will find once we enter it.” “Is it that dangerous, Princess?” When Starshine raised her eyes to look at Luna, she tried to make herself look calm and collected. Her behavior did not truly reflect how she felt about the prospect of being sent to explore a forsaken magical building fresh out of guard training, but the young mare was not about to miss her one chance of impressing the princess. “The uppermost of floors very well might be.” Luna’s ear swiveled, picking up a faint sound coming from inside. Her eyes narrowed slightly. “We should begin soon; if we wait too long, the book might no longer be there. I’ll go up, and you head to the basement. We’ll meet back here once we find the book or reach the end of the path.” “Of course, Princess.” Starshine saluted smartly, swallowing the lump growing in her throat. “Do not worry, Starshine. If I didn’t believe you to be good enough for this mission, I would not have picked you,” Luna said as a small, enigmatic smile played upon her lips. “As long as you go straight ahead, never swerving from your path, no harm will come to you.” At that, she turned towards the tower and cast a quick spell that revealed the secret basement entrance. Satisfied with the result, she briskly trotted upstairs, leaving Starshine alone with her thoughts. The ancient door opened with the slightest creak and a shiver ran down Starshine’s spine. She quickly suppressed it and descended into the hidden basement. The foundations of the tower were old—very old. So old, in fact, that their very architecture seemed alien to the young batpony more used to cozy villages and spacious grand halls of Canterlot. The stairway leading her downward was nothing like those; it was a claustrophobic, damp thing, with cobwebs stretching from ceiling to floor, and made from uneven boulders arranged by ancient magic. The stairway led to a corridor, yet that brought no comfort to the mare bravely pushing onward with the hopes of proving herself before her liege. The corridor was not much larger than the stairway, with suits of Night Guard armor lining up the walls and observing her in their quiet vigil. Here and there, a bookshelf broke up the monotony of the place; the words on the covers of most of its books threatening and strange. Starshine stopped to examine a familiar symbol she saw on one of the ancient volumes; it was a copy of the Windigian Saga—a classic Unicornian epic considered lost to the ages. Her eyes skimmed one of the longer descriptions, prompting her to close the book with a gasp as soon as she felt the protective enchantment woven into the antiquated prose. She put the book back, refocusing on the task at hoof; learning about the lore of bygone eras would have to wait. After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she trotted into the depths of the tower, pointedly ignoring the gazes that the armor suits cast her way. Princess Luna closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. There were so many memories bound to these halls and all their peculiarities. Every crack in the walls had its own history; every sword scratch brought fond recollections of her younger years, when Equestria was not yet tamed. Chucked into an out-of-sight corner was her heavily annotated guide devoted to a language not spoken since before the ponykind’s rise to prominence. She levitated it with a fond smile. Luna cleared her throat and tried to sing some of the book’s opening invocations. Though her voice was out of practice, the sound rang out across time and space all the same, and a pair of shadowy tendrils sprouted from the floor to seize her. She rolled her eyes and stomped them out with her hooves before they could open their toothed maws. Luna addressed the void with a huff. “Still holding a grudge, are you? It is most childish behavior for someone your age.” The book was flung behind her back, landing almost in the same spot she found it. After rounding another corner, her hoof caught on a bit of string. In a flash of magic, Luna conjured a hiltless sword made out of concentrated moonlight and swung it in front of herself, cleanly deflecting the two silver bolts aimed at her neck. “I must be getting older myself,” she said with a grin. “I don’t remember putting this here.” Luna paused in front of an oak door that was blocking her path. She gave it a weak push. Behind it was a dark chamber with a large, circular table. The windows were shuttered, and the golden chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling was extinguished. Luna entered the room, lighting her way with her horn and the sword. She didn’t flinch when the door was shut behind her, and the chandelier erupted in a blueish, ghastly glow. A dozen spectral, skeletal figures with glowing eyes materialized around the table, their crossbows and cutlasses pointed directly at the princess. “Would you kindly put that blade away?” asked the ghost of a stallion wearing a captain’s hat, who was shuffling a deck of cards directly opposite of her. “We only want to play a round or two.” It didn’t take Starshine long to realize that the corridor stretched too far to fit under the tower. She trotted past several crossroads, where the path would intersect with another tunnel leading into the unknown, and although many of them looked far less unwelcoming than the road ahead of her, she heeded Luna’s advice. In stark contrast with her expectations, the corridor eventually became much more spacious. The boulders of its walls gave way to polished marble lit up by evenly spaced sconces. It was no longer a single corridor but a labyrinthine network of identical passages running in parallel. The armored silhouettes of guards remained a common sight, but the bookshelves filled every bit of free space, bearing a veritable mountain of books, scrolls, and more arcane means of preserving information. None of the titles were written in languages that Starshine could recognize—much less understand—and when she tried to borrow one book from the shelf, her hoof slid off of its cover as if it weren’t there. The wind picked up all of a sudden, whistling its discontent through the visors of empty armor. “Trespasser!” it seemed to whine in an accusatory tone. A single suit of armor collapsed somewhere in the distance, the clang resonating through the open spaces of the endless library. Starshine jumped with a startled squeak and turned around, holding her spear with shaky hooves. She stood motionless for several excruciatingly long seconds, but the movement she thought she saw out of the corner of her eyes was no longer there. Though the incident unsettled the young guard greatly, at no point did she consider abandoning her mission—so strong was her determination to prove her worth as a member of the noble Night Guard. Moreover, she trusted her Princess, knowing that she wouldn’t have sent her in alone had she suspected some terrible dangers lurking in the depths. Starshine had sworn to follow Princess Luna’s orders, and she wasn’t about to leave without the book. The library appeared to understand her intent, bending its corridors to guide her further down and ahead. Its layout made no sense to Starshine, who at one point could swear she walked in at least three separate directions at once, stretching herself far beyond what should be possible for a pony. Yet when she looked down at her hooves, they were still in the right place. Her journey was interrupted by a huge stone gate standing in the middle of yet another identical corridor. The inscription above it read “Lost & Found” in contemporary Equestrian. Swallowing her fear, Starshine stepped through the gate into the unknown. Luna yawned and laid the cards on the table—two Princesses and three Captains. “I believe that this game is over.” The two remaining sailors looked at their own cards and then at each other, their sightless eyes sinking deeper into their skulls. “Impossible!” bellowed the mare on Luna’s left, drawing her cutlass and jumping across the table. “You will not leave this room alive.” All the defeated sailors immediately followed her lead. “I was almost worried you’d be reasonable.” Luna replied with a grin and leapt over the mare’s blade before launching herself into the air off of her back, driving the assailant into the ground with a powerful flap of her wings. Not wasting a second, she closed them again and dove at the most unprepared pirate, conjuring the moonlit sword in the air mid-slash. He dissipated before his skull hit the ground. Three more specters were coming at her, their eyes glowing with savagery as they attacked Luna in unison. She effortlessly parried two of the strikes, using their force to launch into a deadly pirouette that let her cut through the third’s blade and bones alike in one smooth motion. Noticing a mare aiming a crossbow at her, she deliberately slowed down and stepped to the right, finishing one of the pirates stunned by her display of skill. When she felt the marksmare press the trigger, she teleported away, letting the oversized bolt pierce the last of the three sailors. By that time, all the ghosts had shaken off their initial shock at the sight of Luna’s maneuvers, and the pegasi among them took to the air to corner her. She reappeared in the center of the room and took out two more with an upward swing, just as a quick, conjured shield saved her from the dagger somepony flung at her from behind. She dodged four more pegasi by diving down, and threw her sword at them like a boomerang. Though they all dodged it without issue, they could not dodge the chandelier cut free by the sword's return. She caught the blade with her magic and, with a spin, decapitated a pegasus sneaking up on her. Breaking her fall using one of the last pirates, Luna turned to the heavily-scarred unicorn, who levitated four shortswords above himself, waiting until she got in his range. She dove under the first slash, parried the second, then jumped up, using the surface of the third blade as a springboard, and landed heavily on the fourth, pushing it down into the ghost’s skull. The room became silent again, save for Luna’s light panting. “Just like the old days,” she remarked with a satisfied smile. When the sound of shuffling cards reached her ears, she snapped towards the captain, who was still seated at the battered table. “Riddle me this, Princess,” he said, not looking up from his cards. “If you could beat us, why did you agree to gamble for your soul?” Luna snorted derisively. “I did not want to attack unprovoked. That is not the Equestria that me and my sister had built.” “And if you lost? Would you let us take it, or were you as much of a liar as those fools?” The captain put the deck aside and looked Luna in the eyes. Luna met his gaze and her lips curled up in a sly smile. “I would let them try.” The pirate’s expression twisted in a grimace of fear, and his skeletal countenance grew a shade more pale. Yet he could not look away from what Luna showed him in her eyes. Shaken to the core, he only whispered a question, “What are you?” before flying away in panic. Luna made her sword vanish and looked at the room a final time. “Thankfully, the damage is not too bad. I hope this little distraction won’t make Starshine wait for me outside the tower for too long.” Starshine stood at the outskirts of a ruined city unlike any she ever saw; indeed, she would later learn that she was granted permission to visit a place existing at a time so distant that no books or tales spoke of it anymore. The buildings were stubby and full of jagged edges, hardened by weather and built to last. Their walls were the dark crimson color found chiefly in tales of forbidden witchcraft, while their roofs were all black and perfectly even, covering the houses like blankets of the impenetrable darkness. The place was foreboding and forlorn, an air of disquieting wrongness hanging over everything and causing Starshine’s hooves to tremble the more she looked at it. That the town was of a non-pony origin was provably true beyond the shadow of a doubt, and in every detail Starshine saw another hint of its alien provenance; from the not-quite-even floors and bulbous gateways to the sickly and spindly protrusions sticking out at odd angles for no reason that the mare could discern. The buildings were many, all of their shapes strange and unique, but there was clear intentionality in the way they were arranged, and Starshine soon found that they were all meant to be pebbles in the great mosaic of the city. Where the library was neatly ordered into sections, the city was an expressionist's painting, the details conveying meaning rather than purpose. The slight tilt she could see on the horizon told her that together they comprised a large ring, no doubt important to the message it immortalized. Motivated by a reason she couldn’t—or refused to—place, she felt drawn to the city’s center. It was like a wordless voice beckoning her from the depths of her mind, a promise of the fulfillment of her destiny that urged her not to tarry. The path she took was invisible to the naked eye, leading her between humble houses and opulent temples to long-forgotten gods. It was one of those temples that finally caused Starshine to hesitate. In the shadow of a monumental hall that had collapsed on itself in the distant past, she felt terribly small, and in a moment of existential dread, she turned around to escape the forsaken place. Yet when she saw what lay behind her, her internal unease bloomed into horror, for instead of the door that had led her here, a cruel, gray wasteland of scattered rocks stretched all around the city. Only then did Starshine realize that the ground beneath her hooves resembled a reddish volcanic wasteland and that the heavy black clouds obscuring the sky hid neither Sun nor Moon behind them, but merely a featureless, primordial darkness. Without any other options, Starshine continued towards the core of the abandoned town. An eminently expensive diamond brooch rolled down the stairs. Luna waved it off and continued digging through the layer of treasure coating the floor of the topmost room in the tower. “Ugh, they brought so much of this stuff with them!” The princess complained aloud with an undaintly groan. “I’ll never find anything in this mess.” Her left hindhoof kicked a flawless ruby the size of a golf ball, which ricocheted off the wall and flew out the window. Luna stared at the scene blankly. Her eye twitched. She ran a hoof down her face. It was the first time in recorded history that somepony managed to groan in the royal Canterlot voice. But her journey wasn’t completely pointless, she reasoned; she banished a deadly threat and reclaimed a notable amount of bits for Equestria. The smile returned to her lips. More important than anything else, the day let her live a little in the way she found herself unable to in the safe Equestria of the present. To Luna, that would have been worth the trip on its own, but she was sure that Starshine would succeed in her task, too. She shook her head and dove outside, shutting the window with a sealing spell. After all, nopony could tell when a stash of pirate treasures not listed in their treasury could be useful. After an indeterminate amount of time, Starshine reached the end of the ring of the inexplicably-shaped buildings. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and felt the soothing relief at the sight of the open space ahead; the longer she remained inside the town, the stronger her queer feeling of strangeness grew, and in every twisted corner some unnameable force was lurking, watching her with curiosity. At one point, she thought that the denizens of the town returned from their exile just to catch her trespassing in their homeland, but the pair of red eyes that led her to this conclusion belonged only to a fattened rat, who scurried away before she got close. The buildings had no windows on the side bordering the center, their long-gone hosts unwilling to observe what transpired in the gloom or perhaps not wanting to intrude on the wonderful with their plain lives. Despite the black clouds that concealed most of the sky, a foreign blue light belonging to the oldest stars coated it in perpetual half-light, in which everything appeared more dream-like and arcane. Yet even in direct sunlight, the structure that lay ahead would have resembled nothing but those phantasies that the mind conjures in the moments before waking, when the veil between the mundane and the unreal is the thinnest. It was a crater of prodigious size, wider than any natural formation in Equestria, and with an edge in the shape of a perfect circle. Though it was the same off-red of the city’s buildings’ walls, the substance was much clearer and more lustrous, reflecting the starlight in a gleaming aurora faintly purple in color; chiseled in its surface was a grand set of stairs leading to the innermost part of the pit. Books were strewn across the red crystal, each of them open and glowing with extraequestrian luminescence, which both imparted their knowledge to the howling wind, and hinted at the boundless wisdom of the enchantment’s caster. Starshine wasted no time beginning her descent, for although the prospect of meeting with whatever force had made the forgotten ruins its home chilled her to the bone, she reasoned that staying in the haunted town would not improve her chances and might even make the host—who had not yet shown any malicious intent towards her—impatient. No sooner had she placed a hoof on the downward path than a sensation of cosmic insignificance washed over her, yet at the same time it granted her a fleeting moment of the kind of freedom that forever recontextualizes the limitations around one’s usual self. Her thoughts were rearranged in a logical fashion, and Starshine felt free—therefore freely did she glide to the bottom of the stairs, trusting her wings to safely carry her to her destination. It was there that she saw the book she was after; its moon-emblazoned cover shone from its place on a lectern built into a small black dais in the center of the crater, surrounded by other books stacked in high piles. She alighted nearby and cautiously put her hoof on it. The acute awareness of an impossibly ancient existence overwhelmed her. She fell to the ground, trying to get a hold of her own memories amidst the sea of strange visions and sensations that she was being subjected to. After the longest second in her life, a voice rumbled through her mind, asking her to introduce herself. “I’m Starshine, eh… sir!” The mare looked around, but no change in the surrounding scenery indicated the arrival of anyone else. She got up to her hooves, feeling ever more insignificant. “I’m only here to recover—that is, borrow a book.” Reality rippled with a booming thunder that Starshine could only guess was the presence’s laughter. The world shook to its foundations, and the dark clouds in the sky swirled. Then the stranger’s attention was on Starshine again, and it said, “I have let you enter my home and walk the halls that only four of your kind have ever seen and returned from. I have done so because I found your desire to catalog the forbidden and forgotten commendable.” The words closed in on her, seizing the young mare’s thoughts. The creature’s merriment was gone; its mental voice a terrifying whisper. “Even for a thief stealing from my domain.” Starshine paled and tried to take a step back, but that didn’t distance her from the ominous threat hanging over her. “I’m not a thief!” she cried out with all of the courage she could muster. “Princess Luna told me it was hers!” Just as quickly as it appeared, the stifling sensation of being crushed was gone from Starshine’s mind. “Luna sent you to me.” It was not a question, but an affirmation of a fact. Feeling the grasp on her psyche relax, Starshine spun around to take in the vision with a new perspective. The clouds parted overhead, illuminating the world with calming, blue starlight. Every book around her lost its menacing aura and glowed amicably. Even the alien contours of the ruins softened, still more ancient than any house she’d seen, but robbed of the sense of unbelonging that they communicated earlier. A sapphire-eyed cat peeked out from one of the buildings, lazily sniffing its surroundings. In Starshine’s opinion, however, the biggest change went unnoticed. The probing presence let her go, and her thoughts were once more her own; with the outflow of the cosmic suggestion, even some of the memories she thought she had forgotten resurfaced clearly and in detail. “A token of my good will, for the misunderstanding you have suffered.” The voice was like a whisper in the wind, and Starshine had to focus to make out every word. “Take the book that you seek. I have enjoyed it greatly, but I know that it’ll be safe in your and Luna’s hooves.” Before she could stop herself, Starshine tilted her head quizzically and asked a question into the aether, “After all of, well, this—” she emphasized the strangeness of the place with a quick flap of her wings “—you’re just giving it to me?” “I promised I would return it in due time. Give Luna my regards; she is always welcome to stop by for a conversation.” The voice stopped in a contemplative silence, and with it, the world slowed down to a halt. When it spoke again, the deep echoes of its tone resonated with an ageless curiosity. “And so are you, if you wish. Luna knows the way. I have not conferred with your kind since the days of the daredevil wizard who sought me out himself. I look forward to our next meeting.” Starshine blinked in surprise, stunned by the offer, but before she could respond, she was in the tower’s hidden basement again. The place looked painfully ordinary, with nothing but a few sets or armor to decorate it. There were no tunnels leading down or supernatural bookshelves with archaic lore, and—save for a single book lying on the ground in front of her—it was empty. Starshine seized the tome with her teeth and quickly trotted out of the tower, slamming the basement door shut. “There you are, Starshine! The roasted plunderseeds are almost ready. Just take care to avoid the spikes.” Princess Luna left the makeshift fireplace and trotted to meet her guard. Seeing the book that the young mare was carrying, she clapped her front hooves with glee. “I see you've found my book!” Starshine collapsed as soon as she was out of the tower. “I did, Princess!” she panted, equal parts relieved and exhausted. “Night Guard Starshine reporting in.” “Excellent! I was certain you’d make it.” Luna helped her up. She smiled, her expression unreadable. “Congratulations on passing the test.” “The test?” Starshine tilted her head, her face sporting a dumbfounded look. “What test?” “You may begin your work in the Archives as soon as we’re back in Canterlot!” Luna replied excitedly. Starshine jumped in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a moment of stammering—a moment during which Princess Luna tried her hardest not to laugh at the mare’s confusion—she managed to ask, “Princess, you knew all this time?” “Not until I saw you being sworn in as a Night Guard, but after that… I decided it’d be prudent to have you two introduced in the tower.” “So you really know that creature?!” Starshine stood agape. “I was afraid I’d never leave the place alive!” Luna shook her head. “You needn’t have worried, Starshine. He wouldn’t harm a fly.” Smiling enigmatically, she added, “And especially not you.” “But why me?!” The princess took a deep breath and responded firmly. “You want to work with books deemed too dangerous for most ponies to know about. I needed to learn what you’d do when something went wrong.” Starshine bowed her head meekly. “It does make sense when you put it that way, Princess. And that creature, or he if the term applies, asked me to give you his regards. He said we’re both welcome to return.” “Would you want to learn how? I assure you that he’s much nicer once you know him.” Starshine shuffled her hooves. “I would, Princess, but it doesn’t sound very safe.” “Indeed, there are safer pastimes than communing with a timeless deity of knowledge,” agreed Luna, her solemn expression turning teasing. “Though I would not count your dream job among those.” “I’ll think about it,” said Starshine. “There’s just one more thing that’s been bothering me about this entire situation. It’s not my place to ask, but…” “Ask away; I owe you that much after putting you through that old jester’s act.” “Okay… Princess, what in that book could be so interesting to someone like him?” Luna levitated the book in front of the guard. “Only the most condemnable writing in the entire universe, reading which could very well melt your eyes or drive you insane. See for yourself.” She opened it with a dark smirk. Starshine gasped. “Is it?!” “Indeed. It is my very own foalhood diary.”
daOtterGuy
562622
1
Garble,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Cleaning the Wound
Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.
incomplete
40
2
<p>Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.</p><hr/><p>Content Warning for <span class="spoiler">Trauma</span>, <span class="spoiler">PTSD</span>, and <span class="spoiler">Blood</span></p><p>Preread by <a href="/user/249246/The+Sleepless+Beholder" rel="nofollow">The Sleepless Beholder</a>, <a href="/user/24453/Aklinstar" rel="nofollow">Aklinstar</a>, <a href="/user/350373/TCC56" rel="nofollow">TCC56</a>, and <a href="/user/383423/Dewdrops+on+the+Grass" rel="nofollow">Dewdrops on the Grass</a></p>
teen
2024-08-07T01:35:40+00:00
2024-08-07T01:35:40+00:00
353
It wouldn’t come off. Garble washed his hands underneath the lava. Nails dug into scales as they scrubbed the skin underneath raw. Jolts of pain shot through his body from the rough contact. He ignored it. He’d felt worse. Removing his hands from the lava, he looked over them. Still red. The blood was gone, but… it was still red. Maybe if he scrubbed even harder— No. He needed to stop. It was just the colour of his scales. No amount of scrubbing was going to make that go away. The point was that his hands were clean and he wouldn’t need to worry about his food having the metallic taste of blood on it. Standing up to his full height, he stretched then winced. Fresh wounds had made their presence known along his hide. There was nothing he could do about them. Standard medicine didn’t work (he’d tried everything). A tradeoff for high natural recovery. He’d just have to bear it. Like he always did. “Stupid Spike,” Garble muttered. The whelp hadn’t inflicted the injuries to him, but he had caused them. Garble had been at the top of the hierarchy and then toppled him off his pedestal leaving the entire system in chaos. Every dragon with even a spark of ambition was vying for his perceived empty spot. It meant fights and injuries and… blood. Red splattered across himself and the landscape like the world’s worst painter. It made him uncomfortable to be the one holding the brush. A red pool. A furred face. A draconic face. One horrified, the other proud. The latest battle had been rough. That Ember or whoever was going to end up a problem. Eventually. With the wound he’d inflicted — he hadn’t meant it to be that bad. He’d just wanted to scare her, not take out her — he wouldn’t have to deal with her for a while since she’d need to take time to recover. That particular brawl had scared off the weaker willed challengers which meant quiet. He could take it easy for a while. Maybe write some more poetry, had out new verses from the safety of his— “Hello.” Garble whipped around, claws out and fire gathered in his mouth. He hadn’t noticed their approach. How could he be so stupid. He— —Swallowed the flame. “You’re the stupid pony that helped that runt,” Garble said. “If you mean Spike… yes,” the pony replied. “I also prefer to be addressed as Twilight Sparkle.” Normally, Garble would just call her loser sparkle, but dragons knew three things better than anyone else: gemstones, fire, and magic. The dumb pony in front of him radiated more magic than the most concentrated and pure gemstone out there. He knew not to piss off a walking bomb. “What do you want?” Garble clenched his jaw. “...Twilight Sparkle?” She smiled at that. “I have a proposition for you.” “Don’t care.” Garble walked away. “But, you haven’t even—!” Twilight sprinted after him. She huffed and puffed as she did. “Don’t you want to hear about my deal?!” “I don’t listen to namby pamby ponies.” Garble waved his hands around to emphasize the point. “You don’t have anything I would want.” “I have gemstones!” She offered. And he had a hoard of them. Inherited and collected. “Pass.” “W-what about magical artifacts!?” Utterly useless against a dragon’s natural magical resistance… unless it came from her at which point he was already a smear on the ground. He snarled. The pony panicked. “I-I could be your frie—!” Garble wasn’t really sure what expression was on his face when he looked at the annoying twerp, but whatever it was caused the stupid pony to shut up and shrink away from him. Served her right. “Not. Interested,” he said. “You… are very different from what I expected,” Twilight remarked. Because he didn’t need to showboat around some irrelevant idiot that didn’t belong there. Aloud, he said, “What’s it to you? I’m not agreeing to your little deal. Scram.” He roared in her face. That should have scared off, but instead seemed to be more stubborn. She stood up straight (barely coming to the bottom of his torso) and fixed him with a determined look. It was impressive… for a pony. “What can I give you for you to agree to hear my request?” She asked. Something to make him stop hurting all the time. Medicine that actually healed his wounds. Give him back his first friend. Make him not hate the colour of his skin. A long list of things that no dumb toy horse could possibly give him. “Nothing,” Garble said. He walked away again. “...I just wanted to give Spike a friend like him.” He whirled around. “What did you just say?!” Garble shouted. Twilight took a step back. “You want—” He laughed. A shot of fire burst from his mouth. “Are you stupid? Why are you even asking?” “I-I just—” She cleared her throat “—Okay. Since you’re listening. Spike is a dragon.” Garble rolled his eyes. “What?” She asked. “No, duh, idiot,” Garble retorted. “Aren’t you going to tell he’s a pony and not a dragon like you did before?” Garble snorted flames from his nostrils, impatient. “Right, moving on. I’ve raised Spike as my baby brother since I hatched him and… I don’t know much about him. Biologically. Ponies don’t know much about dragons and there are no other dragons in Equestria, so he doesn’t have anyone to ask about himself. Like what it will be like growing up or how to recover from being sick or—” She took a deep breath “—I’m hoping you could be the dragon he can ask.” “Why would you ask me?” Garble asked. He narrowed his eyes, suspicious of her intentions. “I hate him.” “Weeell, about that. You’re kind of a last resort.” Twilight chuckled nervously. “You’re actually the tenth dragon I’ve asked today. The others—” “Immediately tried to kill you?” “...Yes. But! You seem… different. Not what I expected, but at this point, I’ll take it… or just give up. So, could you help my brother? Please?” Garble hated Spike. The stupid whelp was a total loser that ruined his life. Why would he help someone like that? Magic bomb or not, he was going to tell this dumb pony to leave and never come back. “I’ll do it.” Twilight looked as surprised as he was. “You will?!” Twilight squealed, hopping up and down in place. “Oh my Sun, yes! That’s wonderful! Did you have something you wanted in mind then? No, actually, first, should I bring Spike here or—” “I want to move,” Gabriel interrupted. “You— what?” “You come from some stupid pony town, right?” Twilight nodded. “Then that’s my condition. I want to move to ponytown or whatever.” What in Tartarus was he doing? That was the question going through Garble’s mind as he sorted through da— his hoard for his essentials. Books, gold, artifacts, and gemstones piled high enough to scrape the ceiling. His home was in the dragonlands… where he always needed to be mindful of his surroundings. His people were there… that wanted him dead or hurt enough so they could take his place. He was going to go help the whelp that had ruined his life… whom he hated. He grabbed a nearby gold plated plate and smashed it against the wall. He shouldn’t have done that, but he never liked that plate anyways. Power wafted toward him from his hoard, providing fuel for his anger. Enough strength to squash his enemies instead of what he was about to do which was to give up the position he had— Clutching his head in his claws, he dropped into a crouched position, begging his thoughts to calm. He felt like he was under the waves, lava pulling him into the undertow and drowning him. Garble had spent so much time building up his reputation and ascending the hierarchy to keep himself safe. A carefully crafted life that keeps ‘friends’ close and him away from red. Now, he was uprooting his entire life to move to some dumb pony town. Logically, he should tell that loser sparkle to shove it and leave. He had nothing to gain from this arrangement. He should just keep doing what he was doing. Fighting everyone. Always stay ‘on’ when he so desperately just wanted to be off. Seeing red spilled all across— Packing would be easy. His main hoard, he could just seal using magically charged Tourmaline making it impenetrable to everything barring the dragon lord. The source of his power would be secured. Well… most of it. Moving around the hoard, he grabbed a worn pair of saddlebags refitted to be worn across his shoulder. Inside was an assorted pile of junk that made up his keystones. Most dragons used the best of their hoard. The shiniest and most powerful of treasures. Garble… didn’t. The jade inside meant to preserve the items was still active. If he was smart, he’d leave it all behind. Keep it safe in the tourmaline. But… well, sometimes Garble really was as stupid as the other dragons. He slung the saddlebags over him. He was going through with this. He was leaving the cave. His home. Good riddance.
daOtterGuy
562622
2
Garble,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Cleaning the Wound
Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.
incomplete
40
2
<p>Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.</p><hr/><p>Content Warning for <span class="spoiler">Trauma</span>, <span class="spoiler">PTSD</span>, and <span class="spoiler">Blood</span></p><p>Preread by <a href="/user/249246/The+Sleepless+Beholder" rel="nofollow">The Sleepless Beholder</a>, <a href="/user/24453/Aklinstar" rel="nofollow">Aklinstar</a>, <a href="/user/350373/TCC56" rel="nofollow">TCC56</a>, and <a href="/user/383423/Dewdrops+on+the+Grass" rel="nofollow">Dewdrops on the Grass</a></p>
teen
2024-08-09T13:49:38+00:00
2024-08-09T13:49:37+00:00
206
Twilight didn’t know much about dragons. Not. At. All. From what she’d seen of them, they were prone to violence, had more muscle than brains, and were very resistant to magic. The first two facts appeared correct. All of her attempts to speak with dragons were met with sharp teeth and claws. Any rocks Twilight tried to put between them to buy enough time to talk were easily destroyed by their strength. The third was strangely not true as Twilight had little trouble blasting them off into the distance with a well-timed burst of concussive magic. Due to her prior efforts, Twilight had expected Garble, the most stereotypical example of a dragon she’d ever met, to be exactly like the others. He wasn’t. That confused her. He wasn’t greedy. He’d barely batted an eye at her material offerings. He was smart. He could carry a conversation and have discussions about complex topics without any difficulty. He was volatile, but it was more emotional rather than… Twilight didn’t really know a nicer word for stupid. All of these aspects were why she agreed to Garble’s request, because he was different (like Spike). In a good way. But sometimes he acted exactly like what she expected of a dragon. “You think I can’t lift a tree?!” Twilight blinked owlishly. “You think I’m weak?!” Garble shouted. “...No?” Twilight answered. She had just remarked that she should get the firewood for the campfire since she could use her magic to pull branches off the trees. For some reason, this had caused Garble to get worked up into… whatever this was. “You don’t think I can!” Garble accused. “Watch me!” Garble stalked toward a nearby tree. He braced himself, dug his claws into the trunk then pulled. Veins popped along his neck and arms as he exerted effort attempting to uproot the tree. “Garble, I don’t—” Twilight started. Crack. Twilight was startled as Garble tore it out with a grunt of exertion. Once freed, he smashed the tree repeatedly into the ground, breaking it into smaller pieces. He gathered the remnants then heaped them into the center of their camp. He blew a spew of flame onto the pile. It turned into a raging bonfire. “Still think I’m weak?!” Garble shouted. “...No?” Twilight repeated. “You gonna thank me?!” Twilight blinked owlishly. “...Thank you?” She replied. “Dweeb!” Garble shouted. Then he wandered off to the opposite of the clearing and slumped onto the ground. Using her magic, Twilight pulled out a notepad and a quill from her saddlebags. She wrote one sentence on a blank page: Dragons are moody. They’d been traveling together for a few days now. By hoof since a mention of flying to Ponyville was met with a look that told Twilight never to ask again and Twilight’s teleportation spell didn’t work on older dragons (something to keep in mind with Spike in the future). In that time, Twilight had tried to get to know Garble more. “So…” Twilight started. Garble glared at her. He was seated on the opposite side of the campfire, leaning his body over the heat. It would be a toss up whether she’d get shouted at or regalled with little more than needless hot air. Both unpleasant, but surely she would eventually break through his defenses. “...I guess your kind loves, uh, fire?” Twilight continued. He smirked. “Did you just say ‘your kind’?” Twilight was a bit thrown by the response. “I-I mean, you know all dragons—” “All dragons?” Garbled stood up, a sneer on his face. It felt overexaggerated, like what Pinkie Pie would use. “You don’t think all dragons are the same do you?” “W-well, there haven’t been many studies—” “Studies? What? Can’t just ask us?” “We tried!” Twilight exclaimed. “They all just try to kill the researchers!” “Sounds like a ‘you’ problem.” She could feel her left eye twitch. “How is it our fault that dragons refuse to give us any information?!” “Maybe because they don’t want to?” Garble shrugged. “You ever think of just leaving them alone?” “B-But how would we learn about them?!” “You don’t.” Twilight’s brain screeched to a halt. The idea of just not learning was such a foreign concept to her that it broke her own train of thought. “We can’t just not study everything!” Twilight exclaimed. “Knowledge is so important!” “Must be since you asked me of all dragons to help you… though kind of surprised you wouldn’t ask somedrake closer to Spike’s species.” “...There are different species of dragons?” Narrowed eyes. Another sneer. “You didn’t think all dragons were the exact same species did you?” Garble asked. “...No?” Twilight replied. Garble snorted. A dismissive sound. “You’re pretty speciest, Twilight.” She was not! She’d never— Well, there was that time with Zecora. And Earth Ponies did in fact have magic even if it wasn’t formally taught in school. And Pegasi did not in fact eat clouds. And— To her growing consternation, she realized that the list was only growing. Though unwilling to label herself as speciest, she did resolve to do proper research to fill in the gaps in her own education at a later time. “W-Well, what species are you and Spike then?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know.” Garble shrugged. “What do you think we are?” “...You’re just baiting me now aren’t you?” Garble grinned. Twilight had never wanted to punt another living being more than in that moment. Having traveled with him for some time now, Twilight could safely say Garble’s mood fluctuated between two states. There was the macho one. Something akin to a frat stallion persona that she had previously been subjected to during Shining’s days in the military academy. Those overblown displays of stallionhood and boisterous incessant bragging that grated on her nerves. The other was a snarky one. Becoming more common as the days wore on, which was when Garble displayed that spark of intelligence Twilight had seen when they first met. The verbal barbs and keen intellect that showed he knew a lot more than he usually lets on. A breadth of knowledge that goes much further than what a dragon’s isolationist nature would suggest. Both of these facets, Twilight had become very familiar with. This was a new one. In a rare occurrence, Twilight was awake early, right before dawn. By chance, Garble had rolled over in his sleep to face her. He looked… haunted. Pinprick pupils in too-wide eyes. Jaw clenched and mouth that trembled slightly, keeping whatever sound that wanted to escape firmly locked away. Claws dug into scales, too hard to be comfortable. Curled up into a ball to be as small as possible. She’d never seen an expression like that. It felt wrong that she’d seen it. Like she was never meant to observe it. She’d done nothing wrong, but she felt like she’d gotten caught filching books from a library. Twilight knew she shouldn’t say anything. Not then. Not in this weirdly private moment she’d barged into. She should just close her eyes and go back to sleep. “...What are you feeling right now?” She asked. “...Nothing but red,” Garble replied. He rolled over to his other side. Twilight couldn’t help but feel guilty that she asked. “We’ll be in Ponyville tomorrow,” Twilight stated. Garble grunted, devouring his eggs (Twilight never asked where he kept finding them). “So, we’ll have to figure out where you’ll be staying,” Twilight continued. He looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?” He asked. “Well, I mean, you need a place to live right?” “...Yeah?” “We’ll need to find you a place when we get there.” A pause. “Aren’t I just staying with you?” Garble said. “...What?!”
daOtterGuy
562622
3
Garble,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Cleaning the Wound
Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.
incomplete
40
2
<p>Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.</p><hr/><p>Content Warning for <span class="spoiler">Trauma</span>, <span class="spoiler">PTSD</span>, and <span class="spoiler">Blood</span></p><p>Preread by <a href="/user/249246/The+Sleepless+Beholder" rel="nofollow">The Sleepless Beholder</a>, <a href="/user/24453/Aklinstar" rel="nofollow">Aklinstar</a>, <a href="/user/350373/TCC56" rel="nofollow">TCC56</a>, and <a href="/user/383423/Dewdrops+on+the+Grass" rel="nofollow">Dewdrops on the Grass</a></p>
teen
2024-08-11T16:52:32+00:00
2024-08-11T16:52:32+00:00
192
Garble knew a lot of words. It was a weird thing about him compared to other dragons, but you had to know a lot of words to properly write poetry. How could he truly say he wrote a verse correctly if he didn’t use the exact word needed to evoke the emotion he wanted? That emotion usually being rage since he preferred to write slam poetry and that was anything but nice. Due to this, he had a lot of words on claw to describe Ponyville. Quaint. Rustic. Small. Cozy. Pleasant descriptors for a place very unlike his homeland. Words he would use if he was nice. But he wasn’t, so he would describe Ponyville as vexatious, flagrant, and horrendous. The fun part of using those kinds of words is that it would take these yokel idiots a moment too long to figure out their meaning which would make the ensuing offended rage all the more satisfying. Not to mention the offense that a dragon knew bigger words than them. Seriously, the town was a dump. Small buildings, small ponies, and more colours than any one anything needed. He hated it here already and was already nostalgic for his cave back home. Some had tried to approach him. They were easily dealt with. A bit of showboating, a few wide grins filled with too many teeth and a snort of flame here and there made them run off. If he was gonna be here for the long haul (which he expected because Spike was an idiot), he needed everyone to know that he was on top. How else would he rebuild his circle of trust? He didn’t come all this way just to be stuck with the purple bomb and the runt. These ponies would be even better because there was no way any of them could possibly stand up to him or turn on him. Good to show dominance out early. Made things easier when he started picking his friends. “Do you have to keep doing that?” Twilight asked. She looked uncomfortable. Good. “Yeah, I do. What’s it to you, dweeb?” Garble retorted. “You could be nicer,” Twilight replied. A pony was glaring at him. He showed them his teeth. They scurried off. “Look, I do things my way,” Garble said. “I only agreed to help the whelp. Doesn’t mean I have to act like one of you dumb ponies.” Twilight clicked her tongue. “Right.” She picked up her pace, Garble kept stride easily. Before them was a large tree. They stopped before one of the buildings in the center of town. It was a large tree. He wanted to immediately dislike it on principle, but he caught the scent of must and paper. It was a library and he was hard pressed to hate something like that. Squashing any outward tells of excitement, Garble asked, “you live here?” “Yes. The Golden Oak—” “Lame,” Garble interrupted. “Why— nevermind.” She glared at him. “Please try to be nice?” “No,” Garble said. “But—” “You want me to be his friend. I’ll be his friend.” He jabbed his chest with a thumb. “But I do it the dragon way.” “What's the difference?” “A lot, but mostly means I don’t have to be all sunshine and rainbows—” He waved his hands “—around him. Now, let’s get settled into this dump.” Twilight looked ready to argue, but instead knocked on the door. It opened. “Twilight! You’re—” Spike stopped mid sentence as he looked up at Garble. Garble smirked. He turned to Twilight. She had an uncomfortably wide smile plastered onto her face. “Surprise!” She said. A pause as the implications settled in. “...Why?!” Spike cried out. Garble leaned against a bookshelf. He’d carefully arranged himself to look like he didn’t care, but had pointedly maneuvered his wings and back spines to not damage anything while he did so. Just because he had an image to maintain doesn’t mean he should take it out on the literature. Twilight and Spike were having a hushed argument on the other side of the room, out of earshot. Or at least they thought so, since he could hear every word very clearly even as far away as he was. Both were frustrated, particularly Spike and Garble considered that a win. While he waited, his eyes perused the shelves taking in all the available options. He spied a section of avid interest for him as he was certain that was where the poetry collection was being kept. One such book spine denoted the pages within to be compiled from the Sappho which he was ready to commit murder to read. Their conversation seemingly concluded, the siblings approached him. “Okay. We talked it out,” Spike said. “You can stay but there are conditions—” Garble snorted. “Hah! Funny.” “What is?” “I’m not following your dumb rules, dweeb.” “B-But—!” Spike’s face twisted into anger. “You have to!” “Says who? You?” Garble smirked. “How are you even going to make me? Have me sign a contract then wave it in my face whenever you don’t like what I’m doing?” A bark of laughter. “I’m a dragon. I don’t care.” “You—!” He tugged on his sister’s leg. “Twilight!” She sighed. “Unfortunately, Spike. He has a point. There isn’t really any way to enforce what you want.” “Then why would I even agree to this?!” Spike demanded. “It’s Garble! What could he possibly offer—” Garble blew a small bout of flame into the air. The gout morphed into the shape of phoenix, circled around the library then fizzled out. That got Spike’s attention. He had the look Garble was expecting. That spark of want every dragon had. His senses could feel the Greed in him roil within its (impressively) tight restraints. “...What was that?” Spike asked, awe in his voice. “Dragon magic. I’ll teach you. My way.” Garble crossed his arms over his chest. “Take it or leave it.” Conflicting thought raced through Spike’s eyes. He could see the tug and pull of benefits versus downsides. However, Garble already knew how that argument was going to resolve. “...Okay, fine,” Spike said. Garble grinned. “Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “He’s a jerk, but I can see that he’s a useful jerk,” Spike replied. “We can keep him around.” “Like you could have stopped me if you didn’t,” Garble said. Spike scowled. “Well, your room will be on the ground floor, just in the back.” Twilight’s horn glowed and arrows appeared along the floor leading toward a door on the farside of the room. “Feel free to—” Garble tuned out the rest as he walked toward his new dwelling. He’d gotten what he wanted so nothing else they said mattered. He swiped a few books discreetly from the poetry section on the way, excited despite himself. To get in, he had to get down on all fours. Not something he enjoyed doing. Inside, the actual space was pretty big and the ceiling was tall enough for him to stand. It was minimal, but that suited him fine since he had no intention of staying inside besides to read. Dropping his bag to the ground, he took out his keystone chest and shoved it under the bed. His treasures hidden, he curled up onto the bed and started to read the books he swiped. Red. Everything was red. It filled everything around him, in him. He was drowning in it. It clogged his throat. He couldn’t breathe. It hurt. It hurt so much. Hands and hooves grabbed at him. Clawed and furred. ‘Why you not protect me, friend Garble?’ ‘Why’d you have to freak out like that, Garble?’ ‘Why’d you have to be such a pathetic son, Garble?’ Voices joined the chorus, adding their truths to the mix. He hadn’t meant for any of this. He hadn’t meant for things to go so wrong. They pulled him up. Dragged him to his feet. There was a blue dragon before him. She looked up at him. Two defiant eyes. One sparkled in the weird light of the red. They goaded him. Pushed him. Told him to do it. Do what dragons do. Be a dragon. Do it. Do It. DO IT. DO— He swiped at her. Her eye was his now. Garble woke up. His heart pounded in his ears as he struggled to breathe. He groped under the bed and dragged out his chest. He clutched it tight to himself. Wood dug into his scales, little splinters trying to pierce through his tough hide. A deep breath. The musky scent of old items and the earthy scent of jade. He flicked out his tongue. The dry taste of dust. He listened. Faint bird song signifying the start of dawn. He looked. The room was bare and wooden, just as he’d left it. He could feel his breathing begin to even out, his heart to settle. One more squeeze then he put the chest back into its hidey hole. Sleep wasn’t going to happen despite how exhausted he felt. He got out of bed and stretched out the kinks in his body. He could read until morning officially came, but he didn’t want to mix something he loved with how low he felt. That meant only the usual option was left. Go workout. Surely there was something around here he could beat into submission.
daOtterGuy
562622
4
Garble,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Cleaning the Wound
Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.
incomplete
40
2
<p>Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.</p><hr/><p>Content Warning for <span class="spoiler">Trauma</span>, <span class="spoiler">PTSD</span>, and <span class="spoiler">Blood</span></p><p>Preread by <a href="/user/249246/The+Sleepless+Beholder" rel="nofollow">The Sleepless Beholder</a>, <a href="/user/24453/Aklinstar" rel="nofollow">Aklinstar</a>, <a href="/user/350373/TCC56" rel="nofollow">TCC56</a>, and <a href="/user/383423/Dewdrops+on+the+Grass" rel="nofollow">Dewdrops on the Grass</a></p>
teen
2024-08-13T14:35:35+00:00
2024-08-13T14:35:35+00:00
175
Garble tore into the Timberwolf’s hide. Green syrupy blood splattered across his scales. It roared as it lunged to bite into Garble’s neck. He grabbed it by its scruff and slammed it into the ground, burrowing his claws into the wood. It snapped at him as it struggled to get out, but Garble kept a firm grip on the monster. He bit down on the obsidian he kept in the back of his mouth. Black flames gathered in his throat spewing smog from the corners of his mouth. He breathed it on the beast leaving behind nothing but ash. The timberwolves that had gathered around to observe the fight whimpered and darted deeper into the woods. Wimps. This forest sucked. Everything was too weak to bother with or too strong to handle. He’d thought the Timberwolves might have been good, but they were brought down easily by obsidian charged flames that quickly burned out the magic that animated them leaving them as just very flammable wood. Taking a bite out of the cockatrice he’d hunted earlier (Even easier. Just don’t make eye contact like a moron), he’d reflected on the so-called “most dangerous forest in Equestria”. He found a castle. Lame. Already been looted and any of the magical items were either useless to him or he already had. There was a zebra living there whom he hoped he never met face-to-face since Zebra potions were dragons’ bane. There were a few dragons that lived in the area, but… they’d left the dragonlands. There were only a few reasons why that happened and any one of them meant he should stay clear of them. All of this was to say that he was bored. Nothing in this forest could get his blood pumping and help kick off the remnants of his nightmares. Worse, he was pretty sure that they had only become more prevalent in his thoughts, which meant he’d accomplished the exact opposite of what he’d wanted. Disgruntled and frustrated, he started to head back to town. Garble was confused. The front yard of this one pony’s house was filled with strange metal equipment. Garble couldn’t figure out the purpose of any of it, but it looked cool and that made Garble want to know more about it. “You interested in lifting?!” Though thrown off by the enthusiasm, Garble took in the brute of a pegasus that approached him. He was easily twice the size of any pony he’d met so far, but with the smallest wings he’d ever seen. “No,” Garble said. “...What’s lifting?” If he was put off by the immediate denial, the newcomer didn’t show it. “You pick up and drop weights in different ways to get stronger and build muscle!” the pony excitedly explained. “That’s it?” “Yeah!” “Sounds lame,” Garble retorted. “Fighting’s better.” The pony circled around him, inspecting him with narrowed eyes. It made Garble uncomfortable. “Back off, twerp.” Garble snarled. “You could use some work on your deltoids,” the pony declared. “My what?!” “Come on! I can show you.” The pony entered the front yard, opening the door invitingly for him. Whether it was from utter bewilderment or just exhaustion from that morning, Garble went into the yard. Garble pushed. He had two iron rods with heavy balls on the ends (dumbbells the pony called them) in his hands as he sat in a backless chair. He was desperately trying to get them above his head with his feet burrowing into the ground with how hard he was braced. “YOU GOT THIS!” The pony shouted at him. “PUSH!” With a roar, Garble exerted the last of his strength to push the dumbbells up before dropping them onto the ground to either side of himself. Even though he was exhausted, he still pumped up his arms in victory. “WOO!” Garble shouted. “YEAH!” The pony added. A towel was offered. Garble waved it away. Dragons didn’t sweat. “How do you feel?” The pony asked. Tired. Content. Finally free of the funk he was in since that morning. Not that he was going to tell him that. “Too easy,” Garble said. He crossed his arms over his chest. A difficult task with how worn out he was. “Was totally dumb.” “You should do it more though! You got the perfect build for it!” The pony said, excitement in their voice. “Would be a waste not to!” Perfect, huh? Him being the best at this lifting thing did have some appeal. “...Maybe,” Garble relented. “Are you here most early mornings?” “Yeah!” “Then I might drop by sometimes… but fighting is still better!” “Sure! But lifting will give you more strength for that.” Garble grunted. “What’s your name?” “Bulk Biceps.” “Ugh, why do pony names sound so dumb? Whatever, I’ll see you around, dweeb.” Garble stood up. “What’s yours?” Bulk asked. “Garble,” Garble replied. “Way cooler.” Bulk tilted his head to one side. “Isn’t that word used to describe a message that’s total nonsense?” “No!” He whirled on him, teeth clenched with a glare firmly on his face. “Its— Whatever! Pony names are dumber!” He stomped off. “See you again!” Bulk called after him. Garble really didn’t like small doors. Ducking into them or worse crawling in on all fours like a pony just felt demeaning. Sure the library was definitely bigger than most places, but all the doors were universally too short. His two annoying housemates were seated at the big table in the main foyer of the library having breakfast. “Where were you this early in the morning?” Twilight asked as she sipped some beverage out of a mug. “None of your business, nerd,” Garble retorted. Twilight shrugged and took another sip. “So, what great things are we learning about today?” Spike grumped as he munched on his gem toast. “Bullying for dummies?” “You wish,” Garble said. “You couldn’t take on a hunk of pumice even if I softened it up for you.” “...Pumice?” Spike scrunched up his face. “What’s that?” “Seriously? You don’t even know what Pumice is? You can’t be that much of a dunce.” Spike crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks. Like a toddler. The brat was such a pain. “It’s not my fault ponies don’t know much about dragons,” Spike grumbled. “I mean, duh. Ponies are dumb. They don’t even know the difference between a Wyrm and an Amphiptere. Though, you’re a hybrid I guess sooo…” He noticed the blank looks he was getting. “What’s with your faces?” Garble said. “What’s a Wyrm and an Amphiptere?” Spike asked. “...You?” Garble answered. More blank stares. “Wait, you seriously don’t even— No. Absolutely not. Get up, loser.” Garble picked up Spike’s chair and dumped him out of it. “Hey! What’s—” Spike protested. “We’re going out,” Garble interrupted. “Why?!” “Because you’re an idiot, that's why. We’re learning basic biology.”
daOtterGuy
562622
5
Garble,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Cleaning the Wound
Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.
incomplete
40
2
<p>Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.</p><hr/><p>Content Warning for <span class="spoiler">Trauma</span>, <span class="spoiler">PTSD</span>, and <span class="spoiler">Blood</span></p><p>Preread by <a href="/user/249246/The+Sleepless+Beholder" rel="nofollow">The Sleepless Beholder</a>, <a href="/user/24453/Aklinstar" rel="nofollow">Aklinstar</a>, <a href="/user/350373/TCC56" rel="nofollow">TCC56</a>, and <a href="/user/383423/Dewdrops+on+the+Grass" rel="nofollow">Dewdrops on the Grass</a></p>
teen
2024-08-15T13:21:31+00:00
2024-08-15T13:21:31+00:00
177
“Alright listen up, dweeb. I’m only going over this once,” Garble started. They were in an open field just outside of Ponyville. Spike and Twilight sat in front of him, the prior apprehensive and the latter eager. “First off, I’m a Wyrm,” Garble continued. “Which means?” Spike asked. “I have four limbs, wings, and stand upright.” Garble gestured at his upright position. “I can use Breath plus we’re known to be the most aggressive of the species.” “What’s breath?” Twilight asked. “It’s Breath. Use the capital B as it deserves, idiot.” “How can you even tell I didn’t use the capital letter?” “It’s in the tone!” Garble retorted. “It deserves the respect of a capital letter! Whatever, moving on.” “But what is—” “Wyverns,” Garble interrupted. Twilight scowled. “No arms, massive wings, and they’re basically storm junkies,” Garble continued. “You won’t see many since they chase lightning off of coastal regions like adrenaline fueled addicts. “Knuckers have long claws, no wings, and kind of look like moles with horns. They live way way underground and don’t like top surface… ever. All they do it dig and they really like doing that.” “Okay, so that’s three of them. That leaves… Amphipteres?” Spike said. “Got one right at least, runt. Yeah, them. Descended from Lungs who are extinct. No limbs, decent sized wings and are the most magically powerful of all the species.” “Then how am I one?” Spike waved his hands at Garble. “I have limbs.” “Do you even listen? You’re a hybrid. Two different dragons in one. In your case, Wyrm and Amphiptere, so you get the best and worst of both of them. Weird that it happened, but some Wyrm probably inflamed your egg when the Amphipteres weren’t looking, which means your Greed is focused around both size and magic.” “My Greed?” Spike tensed. “Wait, the size thing is—” “A natural thing… for Wyrms,” Garble finished. “When Wyrms cave into their desires they get increased size and strength, but also really really dumb. You’re a hybrid though so you won’t experience the worst part of a Wyrm’s Greed.” “And what’s that?” Twilight asked. “None of your business.” Garble crossed his arms over his chest. “Wha— You can't just not tell us!” Twilight exclaimed. “First off, there is no us—” Garble wagged a finger between himself and Twilight “—just Spike and I. You’re optional. Second off, Spike literally can’t do it, only full blood Wyrms can. There’s no point in telling him.” “But what if I have to deal with a Wyrm?” Spike asked. “Are you going back to the Dragonlands?” Garble asked. “No?” Spike replied. “Are you planning on fighting any Wyrms?” “No!” “Then you don’t need to know. I don’t want to tell you and I sure as Tartarus ain’t showing you. You shouldn’t encounter other dragons since they don’t venture outside of the dragonlands unless…” Garble looked askance. “Well, unless.” “We’ve seen a dragon around Ponyville though. He—” “Has his own reasons.” Garble clapped his hands together. “Okay, that’s all for today.” “But we barely went over anything!” Spike exclaimed. “And you've barely answered any of our questions!” Twilight added. “Yeah! Like I wanna know about the other thing Wyrms—” “No,” Garble interrupted. “But—!” “No!” Garble roared. “I’m calling the shots here and I say we’re done for the day. Be here tomorrow at noon and we’ll go over more. You’re dismissed.” “But—” Twilight and Spike both started to say. Garble glared. “Right, tomorrow then!” Twilight said. “I was getting tired anyways,” Spike added. “Uh huh,” Garble said. “I’m going out for a while. I’ll see you back at the tree later. Got… stuff to do.” Before they could respond, Garble launched himself into the air with his wings and flew off. Garble was flying. Wind whipped by as he flew… somewhere. He didn’t really have any particular destination in mind, but ‘anywhere’ sounded good. He felt uncomfortable. And annoyed. He couldn’t really place the why or the what that had caused it, which was what accounted for the second half of his feelings. He just needed to get away and flying off into the sky seemed like a good idea as any if only because running was slower. His thoughts were all over the place, a swirl of emotions, which was stupid because dragons didn’t get caught up in their emotions. They just punched something until the emotions weren’t a problem anymore then moved on with their lives since dwelling on them was dumb. Also, what was the big deal with not showing them? He was being so weird about it. It wouldn’t be hard to just do a demonstration. Would even feel great since they’d know not to mess with him. He was being so unreasonable… or at least more than usual. Garble could even do it right now. Just think of the things he wanted, grow three times his size and then show off what made Wyrms scary when they got into their Greed. It wasn’t hard, wanting things was easy if you let it happen, he just kept a tight leash on it since he didn’t need to go rampaging around with no cause. He just had to do it. Just do it. Do it. Bile was rapidly climbing his throat. He dropped to the ground, found the nearest bush then vomited his guts into it. It hissed and burned, a mixture of stomach acid and flame. This didn’t make sense. This was a basic biological function for all dragons. Whatever, he’d just refocus, think about his desires and— He lurched forward for another round with the bush. This was stupid. Why was he puking into a bush? This was dumb. He was dumb. This was basic stuff. Whelps learned this within the first few years of their life and he couldn’t do it. As he breathed raggedly, throat raw from the bile, all he could think about was how pathetic he was.
daOtterGuy
562622
6
Garble,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Cleaning the Wound
Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.
incomplete
40
2
<p>Spike grew up without his kind. His first encounter went... badly. Twilight wants to fix that, so she goes to find a mentor. That mentor ends up being Garble. No one is happy about this.</p><hr/><p>Content Warning for <span class="spoiler">Trauma</span>, <span class="spoiler">PTSD</span>, and <span class="spoiler">Blood</span></p><p>Preread by <a href="/user/249246/The+Sleepless+Beholder" rel="nofollow">The Sleepless Beholder</a>, <a href="/user/24453/Aklinstar" rel="nofollow">Aklinstar</a>, <a href="/user/350373/TCC56" rel="nofollow">TCC56</a>, and <a href="/user/383423/Dewdrops+on+the+Grass" rel="nofollow">Dewdrops on the Grass</a></p>
teen
2024-08-18T20:14:24+00:00
2024-08-18T20:14:22+00:00
123
Garble was a preteen. “Want,” his dad hissed. “I’m trying,” Garble desperately replied. He was pinned to the rocky floor of the cavern by his dad’s massive claw. Breathing was difficult as he scraped futilely against the ground trying to find traction to leverage himself out of the situation. “Not enough! You have to want it! You have to need it!” His dad continued. “I know!” “If you know then do it!” Once more, Garble tried to ‘want’. To call on his inherent Greed that every dragon had to grow in size and escape from this situation. He scrambled for any desire he had that could fuel him. Get permission to leave the cave? He didn’t really want to do that, he just felt that he had to. Make friends? Slam Poet still made that word bitter in his mouth even if it had been a long time ago. Be stronger? Being strong was something he wanted, but his only model of strength was his dad and… he didn’t want to be his dad. Get his dad off of him? That was the worst one to grasp for since most of him just wanted to give up and let his dad— he didn’t want to finish that thought. “I-I can’t do it!” Garble cried out. Tears formed in his eyes. He hiccupped. He couldn’t have felt more pathetic if he tried. His dad released him with a grunt of frustration and moved out of his vision. Garble sat back up, wiping the weakness out of his eyes as he wrestled with the intense feelings of shame he felt. Dad paced back and forth, shaking the cave with each heavy stomp. “Sorry…” Gabrle muttered. A harsh glare, shadowed yellow eyes looking at Garble with nothing but reproach. Garble flinched. “Never mind my permission to leave the cave anymore, you can’t keep being this pathetic,” he muttered. Guilt tore at him inside. It was all his fault. His dad stared into the middle distance for a while, weighing a decision in his mind. A decision was made. “...Fine,” his dad said. “We just need to make it more real.” “Make it—?” Pain. Claws sliced through scales. He screamed as blood splattered the cave floors. He scrambled away, but was caught. The world rang out as his head was smashed against the cave wall. “Fight back!” His dad roared at him. “Want it!” Release. A moment of reprieve. Then he was flying through the air, his breath knocked out of him by a tail. He coughed. A pool of red on rock. He was shaking. “You’ll die if you can’t! I mean it!” He hit the floor again. His own blood got in his eyes. He was seeing red. Red everywhere. There was more roaring, but Garble couldn’t hear it. There was red and blood and it was everything. Garble couldn’t take it. He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop. No more blood. No more red. No more. No More. No More. No— It came to him then. Strength coursed through his body as he felt his body crack to accommodate the flood of growth that went through him. It hurt. He screamed, it came out as a roar. Was it supposed to hurt this much? Wasn’t magic supposed to make it not? He couldn't stop it. He just grew and grew and— Everything was burning. The red was burning up, disappearing. Like he wanted. His blood was on fire, both in and out. Heat filled him as his body turned into that of a feral beast. Flames erupted along his back and wings and scales and everything. It hurt. It was red. It needed to go away. All of it. It wouldn’t leave on its own. So he’d make it. Heat exploded from him. It melted rock into glass. He wasn't even aware or in control of his body anymore. He wasn’t cog— coig— what was even the word? Aware. He wasn’t aware anymore. Like someone else was making the decisions necessary to ensure they got what they wanted. Needed. Something attacked him, them. They breathed gouts of flame at the attacker. It was making them hurt. That could lead to red. They needed to get rid of both. It wasn’t enough as the next thing Garble knew, he was on the ground. Air wasn’t coming in. His vision became blurry. Strength left him as unconsciousness came. Then suddenly he could breathe. A huge gasp of air. “Better than I could have even hoped for.” His dad was overtop of him. He had one of those rare proud smiles on his face. He didn’t like it. Too many teeth. “You’re just like me. Strong as a volcano.” He said that as if it wasn’t the worst thing Garble had ever heard. “Nothing will be able to hurt you.” Then he left. Garble curled in on himself, desperately trying to disappear or at least be as small as he could be. His dad’s words echoed over and over again in his head. He was just like his dad. He was just like his dad. He was—
Hammerhead
562624
1
Ocean Flow,Queen Novo,Seaponies,Silverstream,Sky Beak,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
A Royal Blessing
A new royal sea pony is born in Seaquestria, which is cause for celebration. But can a stoic, work-obsessed, military officer be the one to be this baby seapony's godfather?
complete
24
0
<p>Seaponies in Seaquestria rejoice—a new royal sea pony has been born, the first since the Storm King's invasion of Mount Aris. The news is worthy of celebration, which calls for the selection of godparents.</p><p>The father, Skybeak, believes his superior officer, Seaspray, is the perfect choice to be his daughter's godfather. However, other Royal sea ponies, such as the mother Ocean Flow and Queen Novo, aren't as confident, feeling Seaspray cares too much about the military and not much else.</p><p>Is Seaspray truly the right sea pony for the job?</p><hr/><p>This story is written for <a href="/group/215333/folder/83010/" rel="nofollow">The &quot;New Blood&quot; contest: Second Edition</a> and the <a href="/group/217723/2024-non-pony-writing-contest" rel="nofollow">2024 Non-Pony Writing Contest</a>.</p><p>Edited by mulberry_passion</p>
everyone
2024-07-31T22:30:03+00:00
2024-08-01T23:22:01+00:00
309
Several years ago, things were calm and peaceful in the royal palace of Seaquestria. Seaponies working around the royal palace would be quickly interrupted from their routines as positive news arrived, such as when one seapony had excitedly swam across the reefs. “It’s here! It’s here! The royal baby is here!” For several months, the servants had known that the royal family would have a new addition, the first since Seaquestria’s founding. “It is!?” another servant exclaimed at the sudden news. “How do you know?” “I overheard the delivery. It’s a baby girl!” “Oh, Neptune! A baby girl!” Joy swept through the area. A newborn royal. It reminded them of a time when they were hippogriffs above the sea, a time of normalcy before they had to go into hiding from a dark storm. “I bet that Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Skybeak are so happy.” Meanwhile, a princess and a prince were in a cave at the edge of Seaquestria, far from the curious eyes and ears of most seaponies. They relaxed on a bed made from a giant clam and looked exhausted but content as they quietly watched their little newborn blessing. Less than an hour old, a small pink seapony slept calmly on her mother’s yellow-scaled belly. “Can you believe it?” Princess Ocean Flow tearfully whispered. “I can’t believe I’m right here with the most beautiful seapony in the world,” Prince Skybeak softly remarked as he looked at his child. His beloved smiled in agreement, resting her head on his. She was looking at the most beautiful seapony in the world. “She has an adorable baby too.” Caught off guard, Ocean Flow snorted. “Oh psh, stop it!” She playfully pushed away her husband’s head. “I’m a mess!” “Doesn’t stop you from being incredible,” Skybeak said, moving back in and pecking Ocean Flow on the cheek. The tiny seapony shuffled slightly, jolting her parents. Fortunately, the baby was still sleeping, giving them some relief. This was the happiest moment of their lives; it was just missing something. Ocean Flow’s mood shifted as she realised what it was. “I wish my mother and father were here to see this,” she lamented. They were lost in the dark storm, as were many other hippogriffs that fateful day. “Yeah, mine too,” Skybeak said, wrapping a fin around Ocean Flow to console her. I’m sure they love the family we have now.” The pair continued to lie in that soft and warm clamshell, silently letting their sombre past leave while taking in what the new future had. Their peace eventually ended when Skybeak noticed a seapony enter the cave. Her grand white physique, with regal purple fins flowing through the water, was the head of the family, Queen Novo. Immediately upon recognition, Skybeak’s instincts took over. He pushed himself upright and stood to attention, his arms behind his back. “Your Majesty,” he spoke deeply as if announcing the Queen’s presence. He had been an officer in the Queen’s Sea Fleet since Seaquestria came to being, trained to be alert and civil to the reigning monarch. It was a habit that Queen Novo was aware of as she gave him a smirk. “Relax, Skybeak. You’ve been a prince for a year. There’s no need to address me like that.” Skybeak eased himself. “Yes, ma’am.” He relaxed yet remained upright and stood by his still-resting wife, whom Queen Novo turned her attention to. “Now, how’s my sister?” “I’ve been through worse,” Ocean Flow quipped. Novo’s eyes panned towards her sister’s chest, and the newborn seapony was sleeping on top of it. “If the rumours are true, this must be my dear niece.” Ocean Flow nodded. “We’re naming her Silverstream.” Queen Novo lowered herself so she was at eye level with her niece. Looking up close at the sleeping infant, she could see Silverstream was a perfectly fitting name. Her mane was smooth silver with a shimmering pattern. It flowed like a calm seafront. The Queen briefly announced, “She looks perfect,” before moving closer to speak to her young niece. “Hello, Silverstream, I have a daughter who cannot wait to meet you,” she whispered gently. Little Silverstream reacted with a little shuffle. Queen Novo moved back up to speak to the parents, as she had come to visit with an official matter. “While I’m here, I’ve been working on preparations for her blessing ceremony.” She brought up the blessing ceremony, a tradition for newborn hippogriffs to be blessed by the gods of the sky and ocean. The Royal Palace on Mount Aris was ransacked during the storm, and any sacred building would have been destroyed. Ocean Flow remained calm, but she noticed Skybeak felt uneasy. She knew his upbringing was vastly different from hers, a much simpler one. Perhaps he was questioning the need for old traditions while they were in hiding. Queen Novo, on the other hand, had her answer. “The first royal blessing since the invasion will provide hope for the rest of Seaquestria and good fortunes for her.” Queen Novo then turned to her sister. “Have you decided who her godparents will be?” “I’ve decided our midwife, Tilapia, will be the godmother,” Ocean Flow answered, “for bringing her into the world.” “Good choice. And the godfather?” Ocean Flow then turned to her husband. “I was going to let Skybeak decide.” His eyes widened with surprise. “You are?” He looked to Queen Novo for confirmation. Despite being prince, he hadn’t had much say on the royal side. That was when Queen Novo nodded. “You are a prince and the father. I think it’s time to make decisions for your daughter and this family.” Skybeak began to beam, and Novo smirked when she noticed. “Hopefully, you have a good one in mind…” “Oh, I know exactly who I want to be Silverstream’s godfather…” There was more gossiping about the new royal baby outside the cave, but not all of them. Seaquestria’s military force, the Sea Fleet, still monitored the area, looking for potential intruders. Seaspray, Captain of the Sea Fleet’s palace guards, swam around the chandelier-like chambers, looking for anything suspicious. The tall purple seapony scanned the corners, watching like a hawk. Any land-dweller could infiltrate Seaquestria, causing another storm… Fortunately, on that day, there was nothing dangerous, but there was something Seaspray found troubling. One of his guards was loitering in one of the chambers. Holding a spear upright around his arm, his helmet almost slipped off his head as it slumped forward. The only thing preventing him from sinking was his caudle fin moving autonomously. Scowling at the thought of one of his guards sleeping on the job, Seaspray approached the sleeping guard to have a brief chat. He loudly cleared his throat. “Soldier, is the spear you carry and the helmet you wear for lounging about in?” he asked in his deep voice. The soldier was awoken by the sound of clearing one’s throat and looked up to see the captain looking down at him with narrowed eyes and arms folded. “Uh, ye-no, sir!” the soldier replied shakily as his face went pale. In a panic, he almost dropped his spear. “May I remind you: We are down here because a ruthless primate king sailed with an army in flying ships and took over our islands with a vast army this one was unprepared for. Anything that swims through these coral reefs without you noticing could mean we must hide further underground. Am I being clear?” “Y-yes, sir! I won’t lounge again, sir.” “I don’t want to see you lounge, even when I’m nowhere to be seen.” Seaspray remained firm. He knew the soldier was spooked into remorse, but only for being caught. “Now, go find a soldier guarding the entrance underneath Mount Aris and swap places with them,” he ordered. “I want to see a new soldier here in less than five minutes.” “Yes, sir!” The soldier saluted before speeding towards the darkest cave at the bottom of Seaquestria. Seaspray sighed as he returned to monitoring his area and supervising his guards. Three years since the storm, almost every seapony hid amongst the coral on high alert, yet the only danger he seemed to find was guards sleeping on the job. The only thing that made the present slightly different was the murmurs of a royal baby, a current of positive emotions. It was a bit much for Seaspray’s liking, the Royal family having another child, just another mouth to feed amongst what was left of the hippogriffs. He figured there would be some celebration, like the royal wedding one year prior. That would mean more security would be needed in the next few days, which would be more work for him. Yet, he gave a slight smile. He knew that the newborn child's parents would need time off work to take care of it. Given his familiarity with the royal couple, he felt relieved that he would have a few months to perform his duties without the pestering or disciplining of his most irritable lieutenant… “Heey Seaspray~ How’s it going, Cap’?” Seaspray grumbled, thinking the gods of the ocean wanted to torment him. “Prince Skybeak, when we are on duty, you are to be formal and refer to me as Captain or Sir,” he reminded his lieutenant with reserved frustration. “But I’m not on duty… sir.” Seaspray sighed, frustrated, but relented to get Skybeak out of his pale-blue mane. “If something urgent is to be said, say it now; I have important matters to attend to.” Skybeak grinned. He looked prepared to give some good news. “Okay, you might have heard, but my daughter was born an hour ago.” “Yes, the news travels like the ocean's current,” Seaspray acknowledged poetically. “Be sure to let the princess know I congratulate you both and hope for a smooth recovery. Good day…” He then tried to swim past with haste, but Skybeak quickly blocked the path, not having finished. “As such, there will be a blessing ceremony, which Queen Novo is making a huge deal about.” Seaspray wasn’t sure why Skybeak was stating the obvious until a thought of courteous intent crossed his mind. “Ah, yes. A momentous occasion, I’m sure. While I appreciate the invitation, I’m afraid I can’t attend. Security doesn’t rest for ceremonies…” After politely declining, he tried to swim past again. “Okay, but… there was something else I wanted to talk about.” Skybeak rubbed his fins together. “See, Novo and Ocean Flow are letting me decide who should be my child's godfather and...” his speech trailed off. Seaspray furrowed his brow. Skybeak's behaviour was peculiar for a seapony so obnoxiously positive and confident. Considering he’d been married to Princess Ocean Flow for a year, Seaspray figured Skybeak would have gotten comfortable with customs. Yet, there he was, talking with nerves so fragile. For hippogriffs, choosing godparents was indeed an important task. They witness the child’s blessing from the gods and ensure the parents raise their child right. Perhaps selecting the godfather initially made Skybeak feel confident, but he soon had second thoughts. In that case, Seaspray figured Skybeak went to him, the captain, the prince—whom he had been shadowing for nearly three years—for advice, yet he was ashamed to admit it. “Your Highness, you can choose the right seapony for the task without my advice. If I were in your position, I would likely choose the best-performing sea fleet guard or even my superior officer to express gratitude for his leadership and guidance.” “That’s the thing. I’ve told Queen Novo that if there’s any seapony down here who I want to be my kid’s godfather, it… would be… you.” Seaspray blinked. Admittingly, he didn’t realise Prince Skybeak wanted to ask him to be the godfather of his child. However, the moment that he did, he expressed that he was both flattered and surprised. “Uh… sir?” He explained that he had never expected the request, and given that it was not any daughter but the daughter of the Prince and Princess of Seaquestria, he was a little daunted by it. “Captain?” He nonetheless promised that he would perform the task, given that it would help Prince Skybeak feel like a valuable contribution had been made, and having the captain part of the blessing ceremony would guarantee it would be carried out with the utmost safety. “Seaspray?” Additionally, Seaspray thanked Skybeak for trusting him and indicated that he was moved by it. “Cap’?” After Skybeak waved a fin across his line of sight, it was only then that Seaspray realised that none of his thoughts had ever been spoken out loud. Instead, he had been stuck in place, staring at Skybeak with a wide-eyed, dumbfounded expression. He shook himself and regained his composure. “I see. Allow me to speak with my superior to make some arrangements,” he calmly replied before swimming up to one of the chambers. He maintained a blank expression to hide any reaction to the request, leaving Skybeak confused. “Is that a yes? You’ll do it?” A few days later, Skybeak, Ocean Flow, and Silverstream were spending some quiet quality time together. It was a much-needed break from the hectic preparations back in the palace, and it was also a perfect opportunity for Silverstream to meet other members of her particular family. Princess Skystar, the infant daughter of Queen Novo, was getting to know her cousin by introducing her shell collection. “This is Sheldon. I found him at the bottom of the cowal weefs,” she explained to Silverstream, showing off a blue seashell with eyes stuck on. She brought Sheldon to her ear to hear what he had to say. “He says you are vewy pwetty.” Skystar carefully gave Silverstream the shell. The baby seapony could barely hold onto Sheldon and tried to suck on it, given that was all she knew how to do, being a few days old. Unperturbed, Skystar picked up another seashell with eyes on it and listened to what it supposedly had to say. “No, Shelly, Silverstweam cannot go down to the cowal weefs yet,” she replied. Shelly had another question. “It’s cuz she’s a fwy, fwys are too young to swim yet.” Then Shelly had a suggestion, but it only annoyed Skystar. “No, Shelly! You can’t cawwy her down there!” she argued. Skybeak and Ocean Flow, meanwhile, watched them bond. As Ocean Flow took pictures, Skybeak looked concerned as her niece continued to argue with a lifeless seashell. “Should I be worried?” he whispered. “No, she’ll grow out of it,” Ocean Flow answered with a giggle, “maybe she’ll talk to jellyfish, like her mother.” A snide remark about Queen Novo having jellyfish to give her massages whenever she needed a break. He chuckled a bit at the thought—like mother, like daughter. “At least Silverstream can see some seapony close to her age before the blessing ceremony,” he said, looking at his daughter playfully sucking on the seashell she was given. It was a silver lining to the last few days. On the other hand, Ocean Flow had something on her mind as she stopped taking pictures. “Yeah, about that...” “I know! The Royal Family has traditions to follow. No seapony except for family and nurses can see the royal newborn before the blessing. I just want Silverstream to have many friends her age, you know?” “It’s about the blessing ceremony and your choice for Silverstream’s Godfather.” Seaspray raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” “I understand he’s your superior officer in the Sea Fleet. It sounded like a good choice then, but… are you sure he’s still the right choice?” “Of course I’m sure, why wouldn’t I be?” Skybeak maintained his smile, but his face looked puzzled as Ocean Flow doubted the idea of making Seaspray Silverstream’s godfather. “Well, he’s a bit too serious, and I’ve heard other guards talk about how tough he can be.” “Yeah, he likes keeping me on my caudal fins. He’s all about keeping seaponies safe.” “Indeed, he was arguing with Novo earlier today.” One day earlier, Captain Seaspray was arguing with Queen Novo in the chamber where the blessing would take place. It was the highest chamber in Seaquestria and the closest to an opening in the ceiling where light could shine from outside. “Are you daft!?” Seaspray exclaimed. “How in Poseidon’s vast ocean can there be no guards inside this chamber?” “The chamber is a sacred place,” Queen Novo explained, showing incredible patience. “It is only for the gods, the child to be blessed, and the witnesses, including you and me. That is what the texts state, no exceptions.” “What do the texts state about potential attacks?” Seaspray countered. “What if someone were to break into the chamber to hurt the child? What if the Storm King hears us from above the surface?” “Captain, I assure you, no harm has come from a royal blessing before, and no harm will come to this one,” Queen Novo insisted, calmly pushing away Seaspray’s worst-case scenarios. “I have already prayed to the gods to protect us on the day, and I shall pray tonight to ensure they will.” “And I believe the gods have already answered your prayers by bringing you a Seafleet Captain with trained guards at his command. I would suggest taking his advice.” “… He kinda had a point?” Skybeak nervously scratched his head as his wife glared at him. Seaspray wasn’t putting himself on good terms with Skybeak’s sister-in-law, the queen and their boss in the Seafleet. Ocean Flow continued. “Then there was the time he was practising his lines...” Two days earlier, Seaspray was inspecting the guards around the ocean floor. Skybeak was with him, going over the ceremony schedule, despite his priorities being on the guards maintaining their posts. Skybeak even used a boulder to represent Silverstream while they practised their lines. “Prince Skybeak, there’s no need to rehearse,” Seaspray said before grabbing the boulder from Skybeak’s fins. “All I need to do is say: ‘Yes, I, Seaspray as Godfather of Oceanstream’—“ “‘Silver’.“ Seaspray was interrupted and turned to a concerned Skybeak, who offered to correct him. “Our daughter’s name is Silverstream.” Realising his mistake, he paused, nodded, and continued: “… ’Godfather of Silverstream, swear that her parents are good, loving, and faithful’. Return baby to her father and done.” He then dropped the boulder into Skybeak’s arms and continued his inspection. Skybeak found that point more challenging to defend, particularly considering what could happen if Seaspray treated the boulder like his daughter. “He’ll be more careful when he holds Silverstream for real,” he tried to convince Ocean Flow. “I don’t know. There’s probably still time to choose some other seapony,” Ocean Flow pleaded. “If you let me talk with my sister, she won’t mind.” Skybeak had no doubt Queen Novo wouldn’t mind dealing with someone else, and the same with Ocean Flow. He knew what the ceremony meant to the family. They wanted it to go well and bring hope to the seaponies in Seaquestria. But he had difficulty answering whether he minded or if Seaspray would understand. “Ocean Flow, I can’t.” He calmly refused. “After losing everything when the Storm King invaded, all I had to keep me going was you and him. I know he thinks I’m a pain, but he’s never given up on me either, and he’s stuck his neck out when I screwed up.” Skybeak then held Ocean Flow’s fins. “Being under his fins in the Sea fleet helped me get your family’s approval to be with you, and now we have a family of our own. Being Silverstream’s Godfather is the best way I can thank him.” Ocean Flow paused for thought, looking down at his fins holding hers. She turned to look at Silverstream, lying there as Princess Skystar had been putting seashell after seashell on her body, seeing how many she’d be wearing before they fell off. It brought a smile to her face as she looked back at Skybeak and nodded. She trusted him and his decision. “Hopefully, he’ll take it seriously, for her sake.” “Hey, I used to be a fishergriff before the storm. If Seaspray can turn me into a lieutenant good enough to be a prince, he could help raise Silverstream to be a perfect seapony,” Skybeak assured her before glancing at Silverstream and getting concerned again. “We should probably get those shells off her, right?” Little did they know that, as both parents focused their attention back on the children inside the chamber, Seaspray was outside. He had overheard the entire conversation, including the doubts that he could do the job, his behaviour toward it, and his appreciation of Skybeak working under him. He felt guilty, but he knew what to do. It was finally the day of the ceremony. Several seaponies in Seaquestria looked up at the hanging chamber, patiently waiting for the reveal of the royal family's newest member. Princess Ocean Flow was inside the chamber, holding Silverstream wrapped in kelp leaves in her arms. There was also Prince Skybeak, Tilapia, Seaspray, Princess Skystar, and Queen Novo. A typical ceremonial chamber would have stained windows depicting the gods of the sky and the ocean and a nest for the infant to lay in. However, down in Seaquestria, the seaponies had to make do with what they had. Queen Novo also had to take the role of minister. Two guards were posted just outside the chamber in case of a dangerous situation, meaning Seaspray was relieved; however, he remained quiet as the ceremony began. “Seaponies, we are here today to ask for a blessing for the child of Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Skybeak.” Queen Novo gracefully opened, and she turned to the parents. “Please state the name you wish to give your child.” “Silverstream” “Are you willing and able to fulfil your duties to bring up Silverstream in the faith of the skies and ocean?” “We are” “Now to pass Silverstream to the godmother…” Ocean Flow then passed Silverstream to Tilapia, the golden-scaled seapony. Tilapia quickly cuddled the infant and quietly greeted her in a silly, high-pitched voice. Silverstream’s fins reached for her, given her vague familiarity with the midwife who delivered her. “May you state your name and answer if you are willing and able to fulfil your duties to bring up Silverstream in the faith of the skies and ocean, and do you believe her parents can do the same?” “I, Tilapia, will fulfil my duties to bring up Lady Silverstream, and I believe in their highnesses Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Skybeak to do the same,” Tilapia answered sincerely. “And to pass to Silverstream’s godfather…” The chamber became eerily quiet as Silverstream slowly passed back from Tilapia to Ocean Flow, then from Ocean Flow to Skybeak. Finally, Skybeak brought Silverstream closer to Seaspray to pass her over. Seaspray looked down and saw Silverstream for the first time. He saw a small pink body with a bright smile and fins reaching to touch his face. Her eyes glistened like smooth amethysts, glistening under the glow of the chamber. Her fins flowed from the top of her head like the streams of a river. Her innocent appearance wiped away all Seaspray’s fears and dangers. A seapony, unaware of the tragedy others had felt for the past three years. A seapony should be cared for by a loving mother and father and protected by all others. “AHEM!” Seaspray was suddenly alerted to the sound of a seapony clearing their throat. When he looked up, the other seaponies looked curiously at him, except for Queen Novo, who frowned at him with her fins on her hips. “Do I need to repeat myself, Captain?” In the moments' Seaspray was preoccupied watching the giggling baby seapony in his arms, he had wholly missed Queen Novo telling him to tell his lies. “I-I, Captain Seaspray, will fulfil my duties to bring up Lady Silverstream in the faith of the skies and ocean,” he said hurriedly, feeling nerves he hadn’t felt in ages as he tried to recompose himself. “I have no doubt that Prince Lieutenant Skybeak and Princess Ocean Flow are the best parents to bring her joy, love, friendship, and light to this new world we seaponies call home.” He quickly returned to Skybeak, holding out Silverstream for her dad to take her daughter. Skybeak’s eyes welled up, not only for the impromptu speech but for being referred to as Prince Lieutenant. It was a moment he felt most honoured. Ocean Flow had a fin on her heart, moved by what was said. Then, as if it were timed perfectly, light shone down from the hole in the ceiling directly into the chamber. Silverstream was covered in sunlight. The gods had answered the words of her parents and godparents. It was a sight of awe to those inside, as it was to the seaponies outside. Their sounds of amazement could be heard from above. “It looks like it’s time,” Queen Novo said as she went to the opening to announce the news to the rest of Seaquestria. “Seaponies, may I present the newest member of our family, Lady Silverstream…” Princess Ocean Flow and Prince Lieutenant Skybeak were next to exit, with Silverstream in their arms. As the crowd slowly began to recognise the newborn, the more they applauded to welcome the new blessed member of the royal family. Eight years had passed since the storm, the founding of Seaquestria. The seaponies had become much more comfortable with their home. They used the environment around them, making their chambers into homes and the coral reefs into parks and farms for food. No seapony loved Seaquestria more than young Silverstream. She loved the fish, the coral's colours, the seashells, and how pretty the chandelier homes looked from below. She was free to swim around Seaquestria as much as she liked and often took full advantage of it. Anytime she saw another seapony, boy or girl, adult or child, Silverstream would talk to them with a big smile. Often, the friendly seaponies would talk back to her. However, there was one thing she had to get used to. Whenever she met a seapony for the first, second, and sometimes even third time, behind their friendly expressions was a feeling of nervousness, like they were intimidated. Silverstream never understood why those seaponies felt that way. To her, she was a small, shining bundle of joy who wanted to be friends with as many sea-creatures as she could find. Besides, it wasn’t like seaponies were in danger, not when her daddy was around. Especially not when her godfather, Major Seaspray, always watched over her when no seapony was around.
HornetElder
562627
1
Changelings,Queen Chrysalis,Drama,Mystery,Equestria at War,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Profanity,Violence
Shadow War
Conspiracy and treachery are common point within the cutthroat society of the early changeling hives.
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>Conspiracy and treachery have became common point within the cutthroat society of the early changeling hives since the beginning of the Unification War. One Queen and her followers must carefully maneuver across the minefield that is Changeling internal affairs while at the same time doing all they can to secure victory for their side and unify the hives under the Vesalipolis banner, less they meet their own horrible demise.</p>
teen
2024-08-01T00:03:43+00:00
2024-08-06T19:32:07+00:00
102
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes On a warm yet rainy night, a young drone wearing a light blue cloak held together at his chest by a silver brooch resembling the Vesalipolis standard rested near a dark alleyway just a few feet from the road. Besides the rain it was a quiet night, all the windows were covered with only dim light from nearby posts providing some illumination for the dreary occasion. The drone stood anticipating someone, however he was unsure of what might become of his meeting. He raised his roof, pulling his sleeve back revealing a pocket watch in his grip, the arms softly ticked clockwise before he quickly put it away, looking around. It was getting late, and though he expected his contact to not make a direct approach he did not think it would take this long. Suddenly he heard the touching of hoofs against the wet stone ground causing the drone to freeze up. "Inquisitor?" The figure said a few feet behind the drone. "Yes, yes that's me." The inquisitor spoke, refusing to move his head though he took one step back into the shade. "I bring, disconcerting information." Their voice felt heavy like sandpaper rubbing against his ears. "Lord Protector Miralus is deceased." This message caused the Inquisitor's eyes to widen, before settling and glancing up at the sky. "I see. What do you know?" "Rumors speak of it being self-inflicted, I could not get anything more." This caused the inquisitor to think, he was well-rounded with the political atmosphere of Vesalipolis, however, he could only come down to a few conclusions in his head, an accident or murder. "...Interesting. What else?" "From my observations, many were already discussing concerns about his wellbeing, or being openly vocal against his administration over the Vraks front and other occupation zones. Anything more than that is hearsay. The mistress must be informed." The Inquisitor looked down to his robe, gently feeling his brooch before looking back up straight forward once more. "I will deliver the news, but this does not sit right. Can you investigate it further?" "No." He was very blunt. "To avoid risking my cover I must stray from this matter. The investigation falls onto you." The Inquisitor raised a brow, before finally turning around to protest, but before he could say anything the individual was gone without a trace, the rain washing away any footprints and any scent if there was ever one. This threw the Inquisitor off, though it was his job to know things, and so he took on the challenge regardless. He removed a small book from his robe, flipping through the pages and eventually finding the information regarding Lord Protector Miralus, particularly his home. He raised his hood and set out, dashing through the rainy weather down the sidewalk. The trip was long though he eventually made it to the heart of Vesalipolis, it had recently been the city's founding anniversary, as well as the anniversary of Queen Chrysalis' ascendence. Patrols were light besides the usual love-drunk soldiers stumbling about and lower drones cleaning up the mess from the parties and parades. The Inquisitor spotted a large concrete building lined with perfectly even and aligned windows, decorated with fancy balconies and pillars supporting the structure. A mix of both brutal and classical architecture, a brash contrast between the much older and traditional buildings of the city. The Inquisitor became wearier, if this was a murder he certainly did not want anyling knowing his intentions, dodging as much contact as he could. His eyes glanced down to his book, specifically noting the numbers on the address of Miralus' flat. A very humble bug such as the Lord Protector despite the title liked to live a simple life, so his home should not be as difficult to infiltrate. He counted up each floor before marking the exact apartment, noticing a dim candlelight from the window. The entrance was less guarded though he noticed inside were a few members of city security, the predecessors to the infamous VOPs. Not wanting to be seen, he moves around the building, using the cover of darkness to quickly break in from the back door, using a small blade to cut the luck. He entered through a small storage space, which led him to a steward's quarters. He noticed no drone was in their bunk, assuming they were currently being interrogated by security assuming the situation was very fresh, he decided to look through their belongings, eventually finding himself a pair of keys and a proper reference to use as a disguise, if he were to be spotted. He peered out the door leading into the main lobby, the drones present were not on high alert though they would be an obstacle. He stepped back, looking around for an easier way to reach Miralus' floor before they did anything to tamper with the scene. His eyes eventually caught a wooden trap door bulging out from the wall, opening the door inside was a chute that seemingly had no end, possibly going as far as the top floor. His size and feebleness allowed him to crawl into the chute, and slowly ascend as he counted each floor in his mind once more, hoping to not miss the right one. He was careful, eventually reaching the Miralus floor. Fortunately, the trap door led to one of the more deserted hallways, which allowed him to continue unnoticed for a time, reaching the corridor where peeking around the corner revealed two heavily armed members of the city guard, wielding chitin spears with silver tips and a more well-dressed member of city security, perhaps a senior investigator. "We are concluding for now, I want no one to open or even approach this room until we return." The Investigator snapped, and the guards promptly responded with a quick salute before standing at attention, blocking the entrance to Miralus's flat. The Inquisitor cursed softly under his breath before backing up and quickly hiding around a corner as the Investigator and his associate went downstairs. Though while it seemed troubling to enter, he had an idea. He recalled the set of balconies that each flat had, very spacious and aligned perfectly with one another. Eventually, using the reference gained from the stewards' quarters he transformed into one of the staff, uniform and everything. He took the same chute up one floor, making his way to one of the flats just above Miralus. Using the keys he acquired from the bunk he accessed the flat, before quickly moving to the balcony. He looked down, hoofs on the balcony ledge as he beholden the wonderful yet dull view of the city. He shook himself out of it after receiving a quick gush of wind nearly knocking him over. "Curse this weather..." He muttered, glancing around as he tried to find a safe route down. His eyes eventually glanced over at the various bed sheets and towels perfectly folded, he immediately grabbed them, tying them together to create a makeshift rope before securing it to the edge of the balcony. He certainly hoped no ling would notice this stunt, not with this weather at least. The Inquisitor glared down, gulping softly as he carefully gripped onto the makeshift rope he conjured, slowly shimmying down before eventually dropping onto Miralus' balcony with a soft thud, thankfully not alerting the guards outside the flat. Inside revealed a very spacious interior with a luxurious bedroom, dining area, and recreational space. Though he also noticed the corpse of the now-deceased Lord Protector. He carefully stepped in, looking around to notice if anyling decided to stay behind, he was in the clear. He observed Miralus' corpse, lying on the bed eyes and mouth closed with a spilled glass of wine staining the sheets next to him. He searched the body, finding nothing but a few personal belongings, noticing no wounds or signs of any struggle whatsoever. He stood up, glancing at the table which had an opened wine bottle, and a filled glass resting right next to it. The bottle was somewhat used, indicating it was used for two servings, Miralus, and another individual. "Body is fresh, died recently I can tell..." He spoke to himself, gathering as much information as he could while also noting everything down in his book. "No sign of any forced entry..." He got quieter as he approached the main door, not wanting to alert the guards. The flat had just been recently cleaned and organized, prepared as if he was expecting someone. He was thorough in his notes, even sketching some of the scenery not wanting to miss a single detail. He turned his attention to the wine, judging by the fact there were no wounds, no struggle or force of entry, perhaps the murder weapon was the drink, simple poison, a simple assassination. He lifted the glass, taking a sniff of the liquid, a dark blood-red texture though it smelled just like any other wine, however, the label marked its production straight from Sicarus, his home. He glanced around, uncertain what would have been mixed with the wine to have killed Miralus though his ears perked up, hearing a few soft squeaks. He carefully moved a wardrobe out of the way, revealing a couple of mice feasting on an old dried-up piece of fruit. It hit him, looking at the wine, then at the mice, he figured that if it was lethal to a ling it should be lethal to any creature that ingests it. He grabbed a small bowl from the cupboard in the kitchen, filling it with the wine, and placing it to the mice. After a few seconds, one rodent took a drink from the bowl, and then minutes later it fell and died, exactly as he expected. It wasn't long until he got what he needed, though outside he heard loud mumbling and rushed footsteps, someone must've seen something. Before they could get the door open, he immediately fled to the balcony, covering up his tracks by hiding the makeshift rope he made out of sheets and towels, allowing the rain to wash away his footsteps and mask his scent, making it hard for the city security to track him. Before long he was away from the building, taking the alleyway to make a swift escape from the heart of Vesalipolis, having urgent news for his Queen. It had been some time since Kitu Elder, now Queen of Sicarus, dethroned the Sicari family and assumed control over the region at the will of Chrysalis. Though, while having hoped for a peaceful cleanup, her lands were called once again into yet another bloody conflict, though promised to be the end of the old world and the beginning of a new one. Though her homeland was on only one of many fronts brought forth by Chrysalis plan to bring the entirety of the Changeling lands under her rule, various schemes and operations threw the realm into chaos and disarray, a perfect Powder keg for one mighty leader to sweep in and take the reins. Kitu Elder now finds herself in the middle of the conflict, whether she stays loyal to Chrysalis' cause or seeks her path is ultimately determined by the frivolous challenges she is soon to face. The young Queen rested near the window of her flat on the outskirts of Soryth, glaring out into the dark and cold rainy evening. She scowled softly, not to the weather but to her reflection. In it, she still sees her young incompetent self, a lowborn, the one who let her brother perish. She had wished to be at home, though the war brought her attention elsewhere. Many repetitive meetings and audiences to give to many Soryth nobility and military leadership drained much of her energy for the day, though something had her held in place as she awaited immediate news regarding a sudden change of internal politics, for which she had no clue what it entailed. She heard a soft pound on the door, inciting her to finally take her eyes off the rainy evening and her sorrows. "Come." The door creaked and swooshed open as the wind forced it open without much need of assistance from her visitor. The Inquisitor pushed himself into the flat, shutting the door behind him with some struggle. He removed his hood, straightening out his outfit before turning his attention to her. "Lady Elder, I bring news." She nodded, gesturing a hoof at him to approach as she stood from her chair. "Ah, Inquisitor Beryl I eagerly awaited your return, what is it?" The Inquisitor seemingly knew something she did not, his expression could only be described as stern with a hint of worry. "Lord Protector Miralus is dead, my lady. He was murdered." Kitu was somewhat stunned by the news, Miralus was named Lord Protector over the occupied regions seized from the Soryth hives and other northwestern hives. She had worked with him since her ascendence to the Sicari throne, even taking him as a close mentor for her rule. She struggled to get out a coherent sentence, processing the news. "...I assumed you looked into it, what is your conclusion?" Beryl looked at Kitu for a moment, before nodding. "May I?" He gestured to an empty seat near Kitu's dining table, for which she accepted. The two took a seat, with Kitu bringing a lit candle from her wardrobe. "I caught word from one of our own, they believed he took his own life, but after investigating it myself I found he was assassinated, a fast-acting poison in his drink." He lowered his head, placing his hoofs together. Kitu glared up a bit. "What else...?" She spoke with a much softer tone than a moment ago, her eyes staring directly at the Inquisitor awaiting a response, though as if she was restraining herself. Beryl lightly nodded. "From my own observations..." He pulled out his notebook, showing her his sketches and various notes. "He was not alone, had a visitor of some kind, to make things odder, the wine came from Sicarus, branded and everything, on top of that the city security weren't keen on anyone unwanted poking around the scene, I had to sneak in just to avoid being caught. Very unusual behavior." Beryl noticed Kitu's displeasure, however being quite an effective drone, he finished his statement anyhow. "I am not sure of what the Queen's standpoint on this situation is, though it hasn't openly escalated to the conspiracy I suggest. Miralus was one of your most powerful supporters, and with them out of the way I fear you may be next." Kitu raised her hoof, nodding as she closed her eyes and exhaled. "I see. This does not bold well." Beryl just gave her his usual stern stare before nodding once more, pulling out a letter from his robe. "Before I left the city, I had received this letter from the Queen, she has recalled all notable members of the current war, perhaps to appoint Miralus' replacement." She looked at him for a moment, unsure what to think though she still grieved for the loss of her friend. She simply nodded and glanced around. "When do we leave?" Beryl looked up from a moment of deep thought. "Right now, my lady." She sighed and stood, not saying much as Beryl followed suit, giving a polite head bow before leaving Kitu to herself. She stood still in the middle of her room for a moment, staring off into space as hundreds of thousands of thoughts replayed through her mind, the suspicious death of her friend reminded her too much of what she had faced before becoming Queen, she dared not let that get in the way though, cutting herself from her deep thought as she began gathering her things and got dressed in her traveling attire. Before leaving she was sure to stuff an iron dagger into a pocket of her robe, unsure if what the Inquisitor said was true, though she was not one to be caught unprepared. She raised her hood and left her flat, being greeted by the Inquisitor and eight Changeling guards for which snapped to attention after a short order was called out upon noticing Kitu's exit. Beryl gave once again a polite bow, stepping back and allowing Kitu to inspect her guard, all dawning sharp chitin armor decorated with both the Sicari and Vesalipolis standards with each soldier handling long spears with silver points and chitin shafts. She briefly walked down the short line of soldiers, before stepping into the carriage with Inquisitor Beryl, the small convoy immediately setting off. Kitu went back to staring out the window of the carriage as it treaded along the dirt paths of outer Vraks, her eyes watching the rain slide down the window before the wind swept it off. Other than the sounds of wheels grinding against the thick dirt and the soft chatter of the escorts outside, the trip was fairly quiet. Inquisitor Beryl sat in the corner, rather distant from the young Queen as he held his hoofs together, deep in thought. Kitu later took a moment to speak, still glaring out the window as the passed the river line. "I want you present for this banquet." Beryl looked up, glancing at her as he gave a slight head tilt. "Madame?" Kitu turned one eye to face him before looking back to the window and speaking again. "I would write to my spy master though I fear there must be something going on. You are the most knowledgeable about this current situation." Beryl lightly nodded, looking straight at her. "Oh, of course, my lady..." Kitu then gave him her full attention. "You will be acting as my spy master while we are away, Inquisitor, I'll be sure you have the proper contacts." Beryl silently nodded, before shifting back in his seat to where he was, Kitu going back to gazing out the window watching the trees pass as the land became less rural to more urban. The trip was long and bumpy, though eventually smoothened out as the convoy reached paved roads leading straight into now Vesalipolis, territory of the Queen. The city has sense transformed since Chrysalis' ascendence, her alliances with Ditrysium and later conquest of Soryth transformed the city from a mere groveling hive to a sprawling metropolis, the likes for which Kitu has yet to bear witness. Beryl was not much of a spy, nor were they material to handle Kitu's network though she had to make do. Her transport eventually arrived at the heart of the city, a grand display of large complex structures lining a large, paved street. The streets were emptier than compared to the last time she had visited. The carriage stopped at a checkpoint just beyond the walls surrounding the inner city, the guards protecting the checkpoint spoke and mingled for a moment with Kitu's escort. The guards walked around, searching through the carriages storage before glancing into the windows of the carriage. They did not dare mess with the young Queen within. They were promptly given the go ahead as a large gate rose just high enough for the carriage to pass. The inner city was much more extravagant, though a mix of tall structures, monuments and living quarters with some recreation. At the center was a massive clearing for which the Queen had something great planned. The streets were packed, large number of denizens and members of the upper class wearing pristine robes and rows of Changeling guards patrolling the streets, it was a very important day. Their arrival was not met with much fanfare, Kitu's carriage stopped at the curb of a large building supported by lines of pillars running down each side. Once the carriage stopped, Kitu's guard formed up once more, while some stood upon the carriage as lookouts. A drone approached Kitu's side of the carriage, a very well-mannered and well kempt ling dressed in a suit with a gold badge sitting on his tie just underneath his head. As Kitu stepped out, her eyes gazed up at the towering structure then more, her eyes wandering for a moment before being abruptly interrupted by the drone clearing his throat. She looked at them and both gave eachother a head bow at the same time. "Lady Elder, Queen of Sicarus, it is a pleasure." He held out his hoof, Kitu extending hers as the drone planted a soft kiss on Kitu's hoof. "Likewise. Allow me to introduce my Inquisitor, Beryl." Beryl provided a short bow to the drone before fixating himself, while he had his attention primarily focused on the two, his eyes and ears were scanning around the area, primarily noting the other drones present. "A pleasure as well, I am Nero, Queen Chrysalis of Vesalipolis' chancellor, recently appointed, I look forward to working with you. If you would follow me." He gestured for both Kitu and Beryl to follow suit as he pivoted, walking up the concrete stairs leading to a large set of doors guarded by the Queens guard. Nero gave them a short nod, before both guards reached and pulled the heavy doors open. Nero led the two into the building, revealing a lively gathering of many nobilities from across the Changeling lands, many were chatting, drinking, or simply sitting and awaiting the Queens audience. "Given your recent ascendence I imagine you are not as familiar with this locale. This is the Administatrum, center of operations for the Queens forces and governance. If you have any questions or need anything, you may ask me or one of the servants currently on duty." Nero gave another bow, before disappearing into the crowd. Kitu turned to Beryl, stepping close as she spoke. "I will take my seat, before the Queens audience, you will walk around and listen in onto anything possible." Beryl nodded. "Understood, Lady Elder." Kitu nodded, giving a soft grin before maneuvering throughout the crowd. She got many looks of both intrigue and disgust, her reputation has not been positive, many see her as a usurper, a poor political experimentation, or simply a taunt from the Queen herself, which only complicates matters when comes the time to cooperate. She took a seat near the front of a large stairs centered in the middle of the ballroom leading up to the second floor of the Administatrum, Beryl briefly stepping away, taking a small stroll across the room. Kitu watched from a far, though kept her eyes from wandering or catching unwanted attention, taking small sips from the drink provided by a passing servant. Beryl heard nothing more than banter and flex, the lack of humility was apparent, though he did not hear much regarding Miralus' passing, only short mentions here and there or explanations for why they're here in the first place. It seemed many were focused on knowing who will be taking over as Lord Protector oddly enough, the title has always been described as very prestigious if not effortful. The room quickly quieted down as the candle lit room dimmed, seeing Chancellor Nero stepped into the center at the top of the stairwell. Beryl was quick to find his way back to Kitu, taking a seat. "Welcome, allies and compatriots, members of the Axis and dignitaries from across the land. The Queen thanks you for your audience, and will now grace you with her presence, all will stand for the arrival of the Queen." The crowd all began to stand up from their seats as members of the Queen guard took their positions up and down the stairway, a set of doors were promptly opened at the top by two servants, a few steps, and there she was, Queen Chrysalis herself. The whole room took a bow to her as she looked upon the audience with a grin, her mane and wings glittered in the light and her dress elegantly flowed behind her as she took the Chancellors' place at the top of the stairs, before speaking. "Your attention is most appreciated... It is a grand day for our alliance, and our soon-to-be united nation under my banner. Marking the second day since the founding of this great city, and our many victories on the front against the deviants who seek their own retribution..." Many nodded and silently listened as Chrysalis went on boasting about herself, though many were more anxious about the real reason why she brought them all here. Kitu watched, her eyes focused on the queen, she was very interested to see what she had to say regarding her friend's death. "As you all are aware, Lord Protector Miralus tragically passed away, his service to me will never be forgotten, as will all of you when you all meet your inevitable end for the glory of Changelingia..." Beryl glanced around, noticing many were seemingly anxious, making glances at Kitu and then back to the Queen, which made the Inquisitor much more suspicious. "Today I bring you all here to announce my appointment for the replacement of Miralus and holder of Lord Protector." She grinned once more, stepping aside. A stiffened yet tall drone stood up to the front, looking down upon the crowd. Kitu's eyes widened; her jaw dropped as she saw who it was. "No... It can't be..." The drone turned to face Chrysalis, before having the Queen carefully place a large golden badge of the Vesalipolis standard on his chest, the badge reflecting the light. "I officially appoint formerly nobleman Lopil Sicarus, of House Sicarus, as Lord Protector of Changelingia." Beryl noticed obvious disappointment amongst the crowd, though her remark was still met by a standing ovation as many raised their drinks and cheered for the new Lord Protector. Kitu, still in shock, could not believe what she just saw. Lopil was the brother of Lykus, her biggest rival before becoming Queen, not to mention in the very house she sought to overthrow. Beryl only partially understood the personal rivalry between Kitu and Lykus, though he was aware of the betrayal of House Sicarus. "Lopil Sicarus was one of many who switched sides and assisted me to route out the remainders of those who dared support our opposition..." Lopil looked across the crowd, a smug grin decorating his snout as his eyes eventually met Kitus, both sternly staring at one another before Lopil lightly chuckled and went back to standing firm next to the Queen. "His loyalty to me and my cause has never faltered, and his efforts to secure the loyalty of the outer hives remain impactful to this day, for we are on the brink of total victory!" Beryl noticed a group of drones on the other side of the ballroom, while many were seemingly hurt by the news, the group in question was quite well-behaved, if not very pleased. Beryl chose to keep an eye on them throughout the rest of the Queen's speech. The Queen received yet another thunderous applause throughout the Administratum as she finished her remarks. Some time had passed throughout her speech, before ending it with a toast to her new appointment. The rest of the party resumed without much issue, though many left with frustration, disappointment, and envy. It wasn't long until Lopil finally met with Kitu. "Ah, Lady Elder, you have made quite a name in my home." Kitu played along, presenting a fake grin as Beryl stood awkwardly behind his mistress. "As you have here, Lopil. Though I was not expecting the Queen to put so much trust in you after what your family did." Lopil flinched, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "It is all in the past now, the Queen has put her faith into me, though it is a shame for Miralus, he was quite the statesman." He spoke with almost a smug monotone, something that made Kitu almost snap, though she kept her cool, for now. "It is, he was my friend, after all." Their dialogue was quickly cut off by Nero, assumingly noticing the tenseness intervening. "Ah, Lord Protector Lopil, let me be the first, or last, to congratulate you on your appointment." Beryl was unsure if Nero knew of this, though judging by the attitude of the audience it seemed many were unaware of the Queen's decision, except the certain group of drones on the other side of the room. "As you may know, a meeting is scheduled in the war room after the party, I hope to see both of you there, Sir Sicarus and Lady Elder." Both nodded at Nero and then at each other before Lopil chose to walk off. Beryl watched his every move as he walked off. "I cannot believe that worm now holds Miralus' title... He is the most undeserving..." Kitu muttered, hoping Beryl would listen to her rant though he was more focused on something else. "Inquisitor, what is wrong?" Beryl noticed Lopil visit the group of drones he was watching, shaking hands and softly speaking to them, before making short glances at both him and Kitu. Beryl turned his head and spoke. "The moment he left; he went to visit with that group over there." He made a short glance, Kitu looking over. "Everyone seemed anxious, though they did not show any sign of rush, and now Lopil is speaking with them." "I do not like this, not one bit." Kitu shook her head, fixing her robe as she looked up at him. "I want you to look into this during the meeting, this cannot last." She scoffed, joining the large group of distinguished drones trekking up the stairs. Beryl nodded and watched as she left, though as he turned, he noticed the group of drones were all looking at him, before getting up and leaving, leaving millions of questions and theories rumbling through Beryl's mind, he gently shook his head. "Focus..." Beryl grabbed his bag and left the Administratum. Kitu joined the other Queens and Generals in the war room, everyone sat around a table displaying a large paper map of the Changeling Lands, marked with various figurines, flags, and other markings. Lopil sat at the opposing end of the table from the doorway, eyeing Kitu as she took her seat along with everyone else. As the muttering silenced, and the attention now on him, Lopil stood from his seat to address the room. "Greetings, Queens, Generals, and fellow Protectors, as the new Lord Protector the Queen has placed me in charge of planning the final offensive against our foe." He looked at them all, everyone in the room gave him their undivided attention though some were uncertain, being a new appointment after all, let alone the descendant of traitors. "Where is the Queen?" A very brazen Admiral from Ditrysium blurted out, causing many to look at him, before immediately looking back to Lopil, who chuckled and grinned. Kitu only scowled. "The Queen has placed her full utmost confidence in my abilities to plot the demise of our opposition, now that will be the last, outburst, as of now, yes?" The room silently nodded as everyone relaxed in their seat and awaited the plan. "Now, as I was saying, we have closed the front with insurrectionists in Soryth, and our new allies have given us more resources we require to begin the final push into the heart of Vraks." Lopil pulled out a stick, adjusting the markings on the table which showed the Vesalipolis-Ditrysium Axis controlling much of the north besides some holdouts. "Before we enter the planning phase, I would like to receive status reports for our forces, ahem, Admiral?" The same Admiral who blurted out looked around, surprised by the callout though he still stood tall and firm. "The Grand Navy of Ditrysium remains at full strength, we have had no issues along the coasts besides small raids, for which have been crushed. Our morale remains high and dutybound to serve the Queen!" His short speech was met with a short applause by those within the war room. Lopil nodded, placing his hooves together. "And the army?" Another well-decorated individual stood from his seat, which happened to be next to Kitu. "The Soryth army remains steadfast, with high numbers and high morale, we simply await orders. I will now pass to the army of Sicarus." The drone nodded to Kitu, who promptly stood up after the Sorythian general took a seat, all eyes were on her, most skeptical. Lopil stared her down, awaiting her answer. "Alike our compatriots from Soryth... We remain steadfast and await orders." Lopil nodded, grinning. "Glad to see my home has yet deteriorated so much under a usurper." His blunt statement caused soft chatter to brew within the war room, Kitu stared at him with a scowl before shortly sitting down. Other representatives from various hives stood and gave almost the same response, steadfast and ready to go. Kitu, upset by the statement made by Lopil, was unsure if the outcome of this meeting would do any good for her image, or her home, but judging by his snarky attitude and just by the way he looked at her alone, he certainly had something in store. Night had fallen during the meeting. While this went on, Beryl ventured out into the heart of Vesalipolis, briefly checking on Kitu's guard who continued to watch over her carriage before disappearing into the dark. He sought to find some answers, having waited a bit for the group of drones to leave before him, doing everything he could to follow behind, they all wore the same maroon robes, similar to that worn by scholars and old nobles from Sicarus. The Inquisitor did everything he could to appear inconspicuous, eventually following them into a more densely populated section of the city before stopping at a small building marked as an Inn, inciting Beryl to hide behind a corner as the group was greeted by an individual from behind the door, before seeing it swiftly open and close after the last drone entered. He was certain that he would be unable to simply just walk in, forced to choose a more covert approach he stepped into an alley, using the same steward disguise he used before to mask his identity as he went around to the building of interest. He carefully went around into the alleyway next to the Inn, spotting movement in a window on the second floor. He carefully climbed up a series of crates, resting just below the window, allowing him to be able to hear their discussion. "The pretender was present, I saw her." "Everyone saw her you idiot. Her servant was staring at us the entire time." Beryl heard rustling within, chairs moving and drawers opening and shutting. "Will you both silence yourself? A Sicari noble is now Lord Protector, as we had hoped and planned. I rather not worry about some gawking intrigue; we have to move forward." The voice was heavy and deep, certainly a large individual and doesn't match the drones he saw. He carefully noted down everything they said. "So what now then? Lopil miraculously convinces the Queen to be rid of that usurper?" One spoke in a tone almost as if he was about to start yelling, though to him it sounded as if he was calmed by some drinks being handed out. "A great battle lies ahead, our holdouts have already confirmed it, if all goes well, we will see the end to the pretender, and perhaps an end to that sniveling tyrant Chrysalis." Beryl slowly looked up a bit, hearing the clinking of glasses as they made short cheers. "So what are we supposed to do? Lopil seems to have everything presented to him." "We are responsible for ensuring that our scheme remains concealed, even if it means disposing of unwanted ears. For now, we celebrate."
David Silver
562631
1
Carrot Top,Pony Joe,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Gopher It
Gophers are attacking Carrot Top's harvest, oh no! Somepony help!
complete
-1
-1
<p>Gophers are attacking Carrot Top's harvest, oh no! Somepony help!</p><p>Done randomly for two 4chaners who just kinda asked and so I made this horrible mess. Enjoy!</p>
everyone
2024-07-31T22:25:00+00:00
2024-07-31T22:25:00+00:00
143
Carrot Top leaped, the sun glinting off her pelt as she soared through the air. She came down with a warrior's cry, but the gopher was long gone by the time she touched down. She frowned, glancing around to see if there were any other prey nearby. The gophers seemed to be avoiding her direct glare. "And stay gone!" She shook her hoof at the remainder of her carrots. "It's almost harvest time!" A pair of thumps behind her drew her attention. She looked back at her two friends. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy trying to protect my future harvest?" Applejack wore her normal cheery expression. "Somepony requested a cupcake order for your farm stand, sugarcube." She shrugged her muscular shoulders. "I dunno why anypony'd wanna buy a carrot cupcake, but what can I say?" Carrot perked up at that. "Did you get their name? Where are they?!" Applejack caught her before she could take off in a gallop. "Hold it there, got their name an' everything." She curled around to get a bag that jingled with the motion. "Even fetched the payment fer you. We farmers gotta stick together, ya know?" Carrot swelled up with pride. "Thanks a bunch! I owe you one." Applejack laughed. "You know you don't. See ya round, Carrot!" Carrot let the muscular mare go on her way. She walked over to her hoard of carrots and looked around suspiciously. "Now how do I get them to go away." She grumbled, but took out the note in the bag. "Donut Joe? Never heard that name before." "Did you say Donut Joe?" Lyra was walking past, clearly having heard the name. "He's visiting Ponyville? Awesome!" She did a little dance on the spot, looking more cheerful than she had just moments before. "I wonder if he brought any with him. Probably not, but it's nice to imagine." She giggled at the joke only she was a party of. "Who is this Joe guy? Does he really make donuts?" Carrot asked, the gears in her head turning. "Oh he does, I've been to his shop back in Canterlot!" Lyra winked. "Nice stallion, friendly, kind of cute too. But the real reason I go there is the donuts, they're absolutely delicious! The best ever! Also coffee. You like coffee, he has some, hot and ready." She was rambling a bit. "It's also open all night. At least he was when I visited, I haven't been back in a while though, so that might have changed." She fell silent as her mind returned to whatever was troubling her before. "Hey, um, what are you doing? You're looking around a lot more than normal." "I'm guarding my crop from these evil gophers." Carrot declared, a bit of indignant pride showing through. "Gophers? They eat carrots?" Lyra pondered the problem. "Do they eat apples?" Carrot blinked at that. "I don't think so? But I don't know. Applejack can guard her apples. They're bothering my carrots right now." She huffed with annoyance. "You know any good way to make gophers go away?" Lyra walked over and glanced around, shaking her head. "Gee, I'm not sure about that. Maybe you could try a scarecrow? Like in that one comic with the big goofy chicken?" Carrot stared at Lyra with confusion. "I'm not sure that'd work." She reared up and made a funny face at one of the gopher holes she could see. "Booga!" Alas, nothing happened. Lyra resumed her trot. "Good luck! You'll need it!" "Yeah, thanks." Carrot looked back at her carrots and sighed. She had a feeling she was going to be getting plenty of exercise that day. "Hm." Then again, there was a new pony in town. Maybe he'd have some wisdom for her. She carried her bag over to the stall, where she found Donut Joe waiting patiently. "Oh, um, Joe?" Donut Joe tipped his hat. "That's me. Donut Joe. Are you the carrot mare?" "Carrot Top, yes." She nodded her head. "Nice to meet you." Donut Joe tilted his head. "Um, so, you have that carrot cupcake? I'll need twelve." Carrot sighed. "Oh yeah. Sure. Wait, twelve?!" Joe nodded firmly. "Ah'll be putting them in my shop, so I need a bunch of 'em. Can you do it? It's a lot of bits." He grinned cheerfully at her. Carrot didn't really want to turn down the work. "I can try." She thought about it for a moment. "My carrots are under siege, and I need them all to make your cupcakes. Maybe you can help. You're strong, right?" "That sounds like an adventure! Ah'm game!" Donut Joe nodded with an easy smile. "What's botherin' your carrots?" Carrot chuckled dryly. "Gophers." Joe gasped dramatically. "Ah knew they were behind this!" He punched his hoof into his other hoof. "Alright, what do ya need?" Carrot blinked. "You've run into gophers before? I thought you were a city pony?" "Oh I am, but these gophers are nasty. They're evil. They will kill for food. Don't look em in the eyes." Joe in the direction Carrot had come from. "Your carrots are this way? We can't let them have a chance to do more damage." Carrot followed along behind him, somewhat taken aback by the ferocity of his words. "You really don't like gophers, do you?" Joe waved a hoof. "The dirt dogs are out to get me, I swear." He spat to the side. "I swore ah'd get my revenge on them. Looks like today's the day I'm gettin' my chance!" Carrot paused to peek in the bag. She had to count to make sure. There were a lot of bits. If she could fill this order, that would go a long way to helping her and her farm. She just needed her carrots to be safe. "Glad you're excited them. We'll need it." She hurried forward to lead him towards her field, where gophers were visibly scurrying about. Joe muttered to himself as he followed along behind her. "Gonna use their own weapons against em." He laughed menacingly. "Ow!" He tripped over a rock. Carrot cringed. "You okay?" "Better than okay." He scooped the rock up into his hooves. "I've got a weapon now! They won't see me comin'." He snorted, continuing to mumble to himself. Carrot hurried forward. She wasn't sure what he was planning, but she knew it was going to be loud. She pointed at the closest rodent, not daring to go any closer. "There it is," she harshly whispered. Joe hopped up, ready to attack. He leaped at the gopher, rearing back his hoof. But before he could swing, the gopher poked its head out of the ground and stared directly into his eyes. Joe backed feverishly, as if he'd just seen something terrifying. The gopher came out of the hole, making a few cheeping sounds that probably meant something threatening. Carrot squeaked in fear. "What are you doing? Kill it!" Joe swallowed. "Right. The weapon. You." He scooped up the gopher with his hooves. The rodent made a soft squeaking noise, struggling and wriggling about. He lifted it over his head and tossed it, sending it tumbling over to land near Carrot's hooves. Carrot jumped back from the landing stone. "Watch where you're throwing that! I'm not a gopher! Are you insane?" Joe put a hoof over his face. "I'm so sorry. It was the rock! It possessed me! The evil! Ahh! No! Help!" He scrambled away from his own hooves. Carrot watched him panic a moment, thankful his rushes were at least scaring the gophers away. "Are you alright?" "Don't worry about me, I'm fine." He stumbled around a bit. "Oh, that's right, my cupcakes. I need the carrots!" He shook his head as if to clear it. "I'm on the case." He stomped forward to grab the rock he'd been carrying earlier and wielded it at the gopher tunnel. "No more gopher shenanigans today!" Carrot cringed back a few steps. She wasn't sure if Joe had a plan or not, but she didn't want to get in his way. Joe started slamming the rock down on the hole, grunting with the effort. "Hrrrgh!" His voice broke a little. "Come out and face me like a real gopher! Don't hide in your hole like a coward!" He jumped, hearing a squeak to the right. He twirled to see a gopher almost mockingly close to Carrot's hooves. Without hesitation, he brought the rock down on the rodent's head, catching it between his hooves. "Suck it, dirt dog!" The gopher cried out in fear. Carrot cried out in surprised alarm. She backed away quickly, spared from watching Joe finish off the critter. Joe tossed the critter aside, letting it land limply near Carrot's hooves. Pulling a stake from the ground, Joe proceeded to shove it into the hole. Carrot pulled her hooves back even further, her tail frizzing with surprise. "If Fluttershy were here right now, she'd probably just, I don't know, die." "Well then I guess we're lucky she isn't here, eh?" Joe winked at her and moved on to the next tunnel, stake ready in his mouth. He shimmied down into the hole, facing a dark abyss. Carrot watched with wide eyes as Donut Joe tore through her field, scaring the gophers away, uprooting half her would-be harvest, and claiming victory all in one tremendous surge of dirt and dust. As he reemerged from the last tunnel, she trotted over to his side. "Well, that was, certainly something." "Yeah." Joe's hat was askew on his head, filled with dust and twigs. "We all good now?" "All good." Carrot crashed to her haunches, imagining the effort of fixing her field. "Thank you." "No problem!" He smiled brightly at her. "Those gophers won't be a problem any longer! We can harvest the carrots safely now." Carrot blinked, still digesting what had just happened. "Technically." She pointed at the carrots that had been literally tossed in all the thrashing. "You can go ahead and pick those ones right up." Joe laughed. "Sure thing. Don't wanna let good food go to waste, do we?" Carrot nodded slowly, rubbing her hooves against her cheeks. She followed behind him, shaking her head. "I'll have your cupcakes ready for you. Where are you staying?" They exchanged contact information. Carrot was quietly glad, at the least, Joe never asked for any payment for his thorough gopher cleaning. She'd be paying with hard work and replanting efforts, she imagined. At least the gophers were gone.
Shiro_tanuki
562635
1
Big Macintosh,Rainbow Dash,Anthro,Porn,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Fetish,Sex
Big Mac's Snack
Rainbow Dash tries to surprise a super-sized Big Mac. It doesn't go well. Or does it?
complete
8
5
<p>Big Mac has been struggling to get used to his new size. Rainbow Dash thinks she knows a way to cheer the big guy up. Maybe it does cheer him up, but not in the way she thinks...</p><p>This is a Macro Vore fic. Don't read if you aren't into that.</p>
mature
2024-07-31T23:09:14+00:00
2024-07-31T23:10:55+00:00
193
Big Macintosh let out a sigh, as he carefully laid back against the side of the barn. The old structure creaked and groaned under the weight of his massive cranium, but the stalwart building held. After an “accident” involving his sister's friend, Twilight, and some magical concoction that was supposed to make bigger apples, Big Mac was now stuck at a hair short of three hundred feet tall. Fortunately, this meant that harvesting the fields was foal's play now. Unfortunately, he had no clothes and was finding an adaquate food supply to be a little... difficult to come by. Lost in his thought, Big Mac finally noticed a squirming lump trapped under his short-cropped tail. He groaned, thinking he'd trapped another one of the cows or something as he reached down and carefully freed his unknown companion. To his shock (but not surprise), he found a multicolored mane sticking out of his closed fist as he brought it up to his face. As his fist opened, Rainbow Dash sat bashfully on his palm, her cheeks redder than his as she stared up at his massive deadpan expression. “Heya, Big Mac!” Rainbow stammered, crossing her arms to cover her lithe, nude form. Nude? “Fancy seeing you here... by the barn... where you sleep... ehehe...” “Why are you nekkid and stuck in my tail?” Big Mac grumbled, his breath blowing the petite mare's hair away from her face. The stallion was tired and hungry, and he was not in the mood for some prank. “Okay, I know how this looks!” She sputtered, trying to back away and pushing herself into the refuge of his oak-sized fingers. “I was just... well, I figured you'd be... lonely?” Rainbow put on her best flirtatious smirk. Normally, that smirk was enough to get her just about anything she asked for. Right now, with a 300 foot tall stallion staring her down, it was somewhat less effective. Big Mac snorted, and closed his fist around the mare reflexively, cutting off a surprised yelp with the meat of his thumb as he thought about what to do with her. Normally, he would have killed for a roll in the hay with the prismatic pegasus, but that was when their anatomy was...compatible. Plus, he was still pretty sure this was some sort of prank, and that Applejack would come bursting out as soon as he fell for it. Just then, his stomach grumbled, and he had a devillish idea. If it is a prank, I'll just turn it around... Big Mac lifted the mare to his face, and grinned. “Well, Rainbow, I admit I have always admired you. You always reminded me of a beautiful Zap Apple, ready for harvest.” Rainbow blushed, a confused grin crossing her features. “...Thanks?” She grinned back at the massive stallion. “So, does that mean we're gonna have some fun, or what?” She licked her lips reflexively at the thought of finally fulfilling one of her secret desires. “Oh, I'm gonna have some fun alright.” Big Mac said as he chuckled. “But first, we gotta find out if you taste like a Zap apple too.” He pushed his muzzle into his sister's friend, nuzzling her torso before lapping at her with his tongue. Rainbow only had a moment to ponder what Big Mac meant before she was pressed firmly against his massive muzzle. She put her hands up and pushed against the mountain of a stallion, but only succeeded in dimpling his flesh and feeling the solid bone beneath. His tongue snaked out, and covered her belly, drawing a gasp from the mare. She had never been more turned on in her life! She gave in and started pressing into his probing tongue, the hot wet saliva dribbling over her needy groin. His tongue pressed up, over her petite breasts, and she barely was able to catch a breath before it smothered her face. His tongue lingered over her face for a lung-burning moment before he withdrew, leaving her gasping for air and wiping drool from her eyes. Big Mac drew back and hummed, drawing the flavor from his tongue. She's actually...delicious! He realized. He'd intended on stopping here, but since AJ hadn't yet emerged from the orchards, he figured he'd move on to the next stage of his plan. His stomach grumbled its approval, and before he could change his mind, he opened his mouth under his palm and tilted it, letting gravity do the work. Rainbow had just barely gotten her bearings back before the world started to shift. She looked down and saw Big Mac's greedy maw open beneath her, the same tongue that had given her a more thorough makeout session than ever before was waggling slightly, as if in greeting. Unsure, Rainbow tried to flutter her wings, but they were water- or rather spit-logged, and only gave a meager shake. Her lubricated bottom slid over the massive palm, beginning her descent into the mouth of the beast. Her heart fluttered in her chest as Rainbow tried in vain to stop herself. In at the last ridge of his palm, her feet got just enough purchase to tilt her forward, sending her tumbling face first into the massive mouth below. Big Mac felt the pegasus mare land on his tongue with a meaty slap. He pulled his tongue back into his mouth and closed it, feeling a tiny appendage get trapped between his lips. Tiny hands scrabbled in his mouth, slipping over his tongue and gums with wild abandon. He couldn't help but feel a wave of arousal at the sheer power he currently had. Rainbow Dash, element of harmony, gorgeous athlete, and one of his sister's best friends was nothing more than a morsel in his mouth, her life ready to be snuffed out by a clench of his teeth, or to be swallowed down and made a part of him... forever. That thought in particular sent a euphoric groan out of Big Mac's chest, but he steeled his will. AJ is gonna freak here any moment. He thought proudly, as he idly began to play with his mouthful. As her face slapped into the meaty surface of a gargantuan tongue, Rainbow Dash was immediately aware of the change of temperature. While outside had been a balmy 68 degree evening, inside of Big Mac was a blast furnace, his breath blowing hot, moist air like a sauna over her diminutive form. She tried to push herself up from the offending beast, only to watch everything darken as it drew her back into it's lair. She watched in horror as the yawning chasm behind it flexed, beckoning her down into the depths, to be claimed like an after work snack. Her imagination conjured the image of somehow being aware as she was absorbed, forced to be nothing more than a segment of muscle on the hardworking stallion's firm ass. In spite of the incredible heat, Rainbow shivered, her sex moistening in spite of herself. Then she was cast into darkness as the lips closed behind her, sealing gently around her calf. The soft press of boulder-like teeth against her leg gave her another fright, and she started scrabbling madly for something, anything to pull herself out of this nightmare. A massive gust of air blasted her in the face as everything vibrated with noise. Was that... a moan? Rainbow thought, disoriented by the sudden pressure change. Before she could process that, the beast under her awoke and began to press into her. The tip of the massive tongue snaked it's way between her legs and pressed against her needy cunt, causing a moan of her own to join the heated air. Wow, that's... too awesome! She thought, panting. Despite her situation, Rainbow Dash started grinding into the tongue, determined subconsciously to enjoy the sensation for as long as it- and she- could last. Big Mac noticed a new flavor on his tongue as he tasted his treat. In spite of her fantastic physique, Rainbow Dash was quite curvy and, to his distinguishing palate, pleasantly soft. He felt her start to move rhythmically, her hips bumping slightly against the roof of his mouth as two miniscule breasts pressed eagerly into the flesh of his taste buds. His eyes widened, and he nearly swallowed in shock. She's.... enjoying this?! He shook his head. The isolated farmboy couldn't imagine her possibly enjoying this for real, she had such...impressive taste in stallions. He smirked at the irony of that thought. Now I'm the one with impressive taste. She must be trying to take back control of the prank, he reasoned, trying to shock him into releasing her. Well, that ain't gonna work at all. He pressed her firmly into the roof of his mouth and slurped her exposed leg in, taking her whole form into his maw. Her squrims intensified, sending electric shocks through his body and making him notice his own arousal. His massive erection stood at full mast, already leaking pre. The thought of AJ out there, just watching this... somehow it was even more erotic. After just a moment's hesitation, the stallion gave in as started to stroke his needy member, suckling on his squirmy dessert. He was already so high strung that it hardly took any time at all for him to climax, sending gallons of ropy seed spraying all over his chest. A burst of flavor in his mouth startled him as he thought he might have bit down too hard. He relaxed his jaw, considering for a moment if it would be better to spit her out right away, but as he noticed the flavor wasn't anything like blood the reality dawned on him. Well, at least you enjoyed it too. He chuckled, letting his captive have a moments reprieve. Tiny, gentle movements brushed on the surface of his tongue, like a lover's caress. Big Mac basked in the afterglow for a while, before he came back to his senses and remembered that his sister was likely watching. The movement in his mouth had picked up again. Rainbow wants out so she can tell me it was just a prank. He reasoned, his eyes searching for his sure-to-be embarrassed sibling. His stomach rumbled again, and the dark thoughts from earlier returned in force. Well, if I let her back out, its still just a harmless prank... That was undeniably the best orgasm of my life. Rainbow thought as she laid on the dormant muscle. She stroked her hand over its surface, the small bumps and ridges playing under her fingertips as the hot drool swirled through them. Big Mac's massive breaths washed over her, enveloping her completely in his air, in his mouth. She basked in the afterglow for an unknown stretch of time, before she realized that her captor didn't seem to be letting her out yet. She started to squirm again, pressing herself up onto her hands and knees against the roof of the mouth. “HEY! That was great and all, but I'd like to talk to the hunk who just ATE me!!!” Rainbow yelled into the abyss, a strange echo coming from the dark void in front of her. A faint grumbling noise echoed back, something deep within the beast waking up and announcing its presence. That instinctive fear started prickling the back of her neck as her earlier thoughts of being devoured played in her mind. “Big Mac?” She whispered, frozen in fear. Suddenly the world started to shift, tilting under her. Her soaked hands and feet started to slip along the tongue, and Rainbow immediately pressed herself as hard as she could against the palate above, wedging herself in place. “HEY! DON'T EAT ME!!!!!!” Big Mac felt a weird buzzing in his mouth, like a hum coming from inside instead of his own lungs. He could almost imagine he heard Rainbow's scratchy voice, trying to reason with him as though she already knew what he was doing. An unusually cruel grin crossed his face, and he started to tilt his head back. He felt his morsel start to slide towards his gullet, before she pressed hard into his palate, forcing her flavor into his taste buds. Another buzz, and this time he definitely heard her voice, faintly echoing in his head. “Don't eat me!!!” it cried. He chuckled, his cock already twitching in arousal as his prey finally realized what he was doing. Sorry Rainbow, he thought smugly. You shoulda thought it through before you pranked a hungry stallion. Big Mac moved his tongue under his prey and deftly dislodged her. The soft mareflesh slipped to the back of his throat, her tiny legs already entering the point of no return. A memory of grossing out his sister by swallowing chewed food with his mouth open returned to the predacious stallion, and on a whim Big Mac opened his maw again. Suddenly the faint buzzing cries were clearly audible from his mouth. “Wait! You don't have to do this!!! Please!!!” She cried, as her tiny hands grasped at his back teeth. “I-I just wanted to have some fun!!!I'll do anything, I'll be your pet!!!” The sobs normally would have made Big Mac think twice, but his newly discovered hunger made the terrified cries of a mare he'd known for years far more arousing. He started to stroke his engorged shaft again, and moaned around his mouthful, temporarily deafening his prey. “Big Mac, PLEA-” Rainbow's last cry was cut short as he swallowed, the back of his tongue slapping her in the face and breaking her grip. He felt the squirming mass start to descend, and swallowed again, almost scornfully. He was putting her in her rightful place, she was his food now and that's where she belonged. The faint buzz of her voice faded quickly, disappearing as she did behind his collarbone, only for his own moans to take their place. He didn't care anymore if it was a prank, or if his sister was watching. He'd just eaten a mare, and now she was HIS. Just as he felt a mass settle in his stomach, Big Mac came again. This time he didn't hold back, hollering his dominance and ecstasy for the world to hear. As he came down from his orgasm, he felt a fluttering in his stomach. He patted it with his hand, imagining his recent lover being bounced around like a filly in a bounce house. He looked down, and was delighted by the fact that there was absolutely no sign that Rainbow Dash's entire hopes and dreams were now being threatened by his hungry belly. “Alright AJ, I'm going to sleep. If you want to help your friend, you'd better come out now!” He called out into the darkness.” Still, no response came. He shrugged, and patted his belly again. “Well, sorry Rainbow. I guess your prankin' buddy ran off. Hope you didn't have anywhere to be!” He chuckled again, and rolled onto his side. The squirming in his belly intensified, and he sighed contentedly. For the first time in days, he wasn't hungry. Within minutes, he drifted off to sleep. Rainbow Dash desperately tried to stop her descent into her friend's brother. She pressed out as hard as she could, but the esophagus muscles were far too strong for her. She was squished downwards, pulled into her final resting place. His massive heartbeat became louder as she descended, overriding her screams of terror as she passed it, until it faded once more as she approached the stomach. Her descent stopped at a tight structure, her body being momentarily forced into a ball as she was pressed down onto the sphincter, before it opened and dropped her into a slightly more open space. Immediately, she tried to throw her hands back up through the opening, but it shut before she could stop it. She pried at the draping flesh anyway, desperately trying to escape with the energy of the damned, kicking and thrashing against the pulsating walls that surrounded her every side. The stomach stank slightly of old apples, and she could feel liquid pooling around her waist as she sat reclined in the constantly moving chamber. Suddenly everything shook as massive impacts hit the wall to her left. Dash bounced off of the soft walls, grateful that there wasn't anything solid in here for a moment as she was sure that would have hurt. A rumbling noise came from above, and she realized it was her devourer's voice. What is he talking about? A prank!?!?!! Rainbow broke out in nervous laughter. This was all a prank! That must be it! Applejack must have put him up to this!! When I get out of here, I am SO going to find some poison joke and return the favor! Rainbow swore, as she waited to be released. But then, the voice rumbled from above, and her hopes were instantly dashed. “WAIT!!!! I WASN'T PRANKING YOU!!!!” She screamed. The world shifted, and the walls became the floor. Rainbow fell into a pool of fluid, coughing and sputtering as her skin starting to tingle under her fur, and the stomach started to grind on her in earnest. She fought as hard as she could, hitting the walls with everything she had, as she started to feel lightheaded. Her last thought before she passed out was that at least she'd be part of a handsome stallion instead of someone she hated... -Nonfatal End Big Mac woke up to the sounds of birds chirping. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, and he was curled up around the old barn like an uncomfortable pillow. He yawned, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Boy, that was some dream. He thought, as he patted his belly. Maybe when he got back to normal, he'd finally get up the courage and ask Rainbow Dash out on a date. Clearly, some part of him thought she was cute enough to eat. Chuckling at his own dumb joke, he stood up, and lumbered over to the small stream to get a drink. As he slurped down some water, he noticed the feeling of something stuck to the roof of his mouth. He reached in, and plucked the offending object out, holding it between two fingers. Suddenly, Big Mac froze. Between his fingers was a tiny, blue feather. A wave of emotion came over him, and he pressed his hands to his gut, hoping to feel some sign that the prismatic pegasus was still allive in there... Rainbow Dash was awoken by her surrondings being pressed into her. She couldn't see anything, feeling only hot, slimy walls pressing against her on every side, pulsing as they moved her steadily along. If there was a hades, this was as close as she could imagine. She panicked, squirming desperately against the confining walls... his walls. Suddenly, the night before came back to her, and she screamed. “BIG MAC!!! I'M ALIVE IN HERE!!!! LET ME OUT!!!!” She cried, her voice hoarse. The sudden squirms stabbed the stallion with a spike of pure arousal. She was in there, in him. He grinned as his member stiffened once more. “Good mornin' to you too, Rainbow. Do me a favor and keep squirmin', like a good toy.” He said, as he started to stroke. He was going to keep her for as long as he could, maybe even forever. He grinned at that thought. -Fatal End Big Mac woke up to the sound of birds chirping. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, and he was curled up around the old barn like an uncomfortable pillow. He yawned, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Boy, that was some dream. He thought, as he patted his belly. Maybe when he got back to normal, he'd finally get up the courage and ask Rainbow Dash out on a date. Clearly, some part of him thought she was cute enough to eat. Chuckling at his own dumb joke, he stood up, and lumbered over to the small stream to get a drink. As he slurped down some water, he noticed the feeling of something stuck to the roof of his mouth. He reached in, and plucked the offending object out, holding it between two fingers. Suddenly, Big Mac froze. Between his fingers was a tiny blue feather. A wave of emotion came over him, and he pressed his hands to his guts, hoping to feel some sign that the pegasus was still alive in there, but all he felt was a happy burbling. After a moment, he came to a decision. He couldn't undo what had been done. It was too late for Rainbow to be anything but a part of him forever. He imagined for a moment that he could feel her presence, a faint hint of a cocky wave, as a warmth built in him. No, this was fine. He needed to eat, and he'd given her a good time. He nodded, and started off towards the main house, more energetic and happy than he'd been in a while.
PinkamenaPictures
562639
1
Adagio Dazzle,DJ P0N-3,Dazzlings,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
A Grand Performance
Adagio attempts to determine why Vinyl was not affected by her magic.
complete
19
3
<p>After meeting Vinyl Scratch by chance a few months after the Battle of the Bands, Adagio Dazzle begins to wonder why the girl was unaffected by the sirens' magic. How did a human do what can only be done with Equestrian magic? With no other available option, Adagio decides to get her answers through friendship.</p><hr/><p>Although the cover art is based on a poster for the 1991 film <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i>, the story itself has nothing to do with that movie. I just like the poster.</p><p>This story was my entry to the <a href="/group/216924/the-eqg-anniversary-contests-spring-fling/thread/539825/the-rainbow-rocks-10th-anniversary-shipping-contest-may-26-august-7-the-rules-and-how-to-enter" rel="nofollow">2024 Rainbow Rocks Summer Shipping Spectacular</a> contest celebrating the tenth anniversary of the second Equestria Girls movie.</p>
everyone
2024-08-04T15:51:26+00:00
2024-08-04T15:51:26+00:00
266
The student body of Canterlot High School had not been very welcoming to the Dazzlings when they decided to return to the school after the Battle of the Bands. Which was to say that no student was happy about their return, many thought that they were planning some elaborate revenge, and a few had taken it upon themselves to discourage the Dazzlings from staying. To Adagio it seemed quite unfair that the Dazzlings were suspected of scheming, what would be the point? They lost their magic, and they were never getting it back. Even if she had wanted some sort of retribution, she had no leverage to get it with. The students of Canterlot High had ripped the magic out of the Dazzlings’ chests, and for her that was the end of it. In the entire school, the only person that had reached out to the Dazzlings in their first weeks back, in a positive manner anyway, was Sunset Shimmer. The conductor of their defeat and humiliation. Sonata and Aria seemed to understand that she was not someone that Adagio was eager to befriend. The real reason for the Dazzlings return was not revenge. In fact it was quite simple: Adagio was bored. The only thing that she had cared about after Starswirl banished them was making a comfortable place for herself and her sisters in a world they did not belong to, which had meant using their magic to bend people to their will for sustenance and wealth. Without magic they were left with riches beyond what most would dare dream of, but lacked anything to do with it. Sure, Sonata wanted to buy a food truck and Aria wanted to invest in an art studio, but they had been talking about those ideas for a long time without ever bothering to follow through. In the end, beyond making the transition from magical siren to mortal human a little easier, the money just did not mean much to the Dazzlings. It was their magic that had kept them from boredom. It was with that in mind that Sonata had suggested they return to Canterlot High, they had fabricated identities and legally enrolled after all. And it would help keep them from being too bored. Required classes tended to be boring in their own way, but they did help to fill Adagio in on the parts of the world she had never needed to bother with before. Maths and Economics mostly. The Dazzlings had always kept a close eye on politics for use in sowing discord, and had lived through a large amount of what a history class might cover. With most of history and social studies effectively covered, the Dazzlings focused mostly on classes they found interesting. For Aria the most interesting classes were unsurprisingly Physical Education, which mostly amounted to playing a variety of sports, and Art, more specifically painting. Neither Adagio nor Aria had expected Sonata to enjoy working with numbers, but her favourite classes were Calculus and Advanced Economics. Apparently she had been handling all of the Dazzlings’ financial matters for some time, and those classes were a serious influence on her suggesting they return. As for Adagio, her favourite class was Home Economics. The class was a bit old fashioned, and the teacher more so, but it was very useful in teaching Adagio the minutiae of living day to day as a human. Beyond that Adagio found herself enjoying the simple household tasks that the Dazzlings had never paid any attention to before. The Dazzlings did not do many extracurricular activities, most of the school hated them and they could not be bothered to prove that they were no longer a threat to anyone. However, they each had something they wanted to do regardless. Sonata thought it would be fun to volunteer at the cafeteria, but Granny Smith refused her offer the one time she tried. Aria was trying to get into the wrestling club, but they would not have her. When they were sirens, music was the Dazzlings’ entire life. And it was not something that Adagio could let go of. She was no longer able to sing, but that did not mean she had to lose music altogether. Unfortunately, Vice-Principal Luna told the Dazzlings that they could return to Canterlot High under the condition that she never sees any of them in a music class or extracurricular. Still, Adagio wished that she could take part in a performance again. It was that desire that found Adagio Dazzle taking the long way out of Canterlot High after classes ended so that she could pass by the music room. As she got close, she heard something playing through the door. Once she was beside the door she recognised that the song was electronic, lacking any of the character or soul of true music. Even the girls who stole the Dazzlings’ magic had put in the time and effort to learn instruments, and they had played with passion. Adagio also realised that the sound she was hearing was recorded, not live. Adagio was not certain why she felt so personally slighted when she realised that the song was not being performed, but she knew that there was someone she could release her frustrations onto just on the other side of the door. Adagio swung the door open with enough force for it to strike the wall with a loud bang. At the sound of the door, a girl with electric blue hair and strange purple-tinted glasses jumped and turned towards Adagio. She looked familiar to Adagio, but she could not quite place her. Adagio wanted the first word so that she could control the situation, and thus spoke before the girl had a chance. “Hello,” Adagio said sweetly, as though she had not just barged in. “I wonder if you could help me with something.” Adagio knew that she could not be openly aggressive or she would be in trouble with Vice-Principal Luna, so she opted for a more deliberate approach. “I hate to bother you, but I was wondering who wrote this delightful music?” Adagio tried to make her question sound as genuine as she could, knowing full well the girl would be suspicious of her. Rather than respond, the girl turned the music off by flicking a switch on the speakers and then made a series of odd motions with her hands. Seeming to realise that Adagio had no idea what she was trying to do, the girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a small card that she held towards Adagio. Adagio felt the situation slipping away from her, but there wasn't much she could do if the girl refused to engage in conversation. Adagio took the card and read the printed text. I am mute. I can hear and know sign language, but cannot verbally speak to you. Kindly return this card. When Adagio looked up from the card, the girl was holding up a scrap of paper that she had written on. ‘The song is by a friend of mine. But I know you do not really care, do you?’ “Why wouldn't I care? Music is everything to me.” Adagio knew that it was foolish to keep pushing someone who so clearly was not biting, but she felt a strange compulsion to see the conversation through. The girl wrote on the paper with impressive speed and turned it back towards Adagio. ‘I am sure it is, you are a siren after all. I do not think you care because the song, and all his other work, was created under a stage name.’ Not many people in the school knew that the Dazzlings were sirens, which meant that the Rainbooms must have told her. Which in turn meant that if Adagio did anything to her, she would end up staring down the Equestrian princess again. Adagio laughed. “How would that make any diff-” Right then Adagio realised who the girl was, why she was familiar. She didn't know her name and they had never directly interacted, but this girl was the one who gave the Rainbooms the tools to be heard over the Dazzlings’ performance. She was the only person in the entire school that did not fall under their spell. Even the Rainbooms, with Equestrian magic and a princess on their side, could not resist for long. But somehow this girl did. Suppressing her reaction to her realisation by clearing her throat, Adagio continued. “Difference? Music does not care who wrote it, only that it is heard.” ‘I agree, but do you? Every song you sang was for the sake of getting power or fame. Do you actually care about music, or just what it can do for you?’ “How dare you?” Adagio hissed, her composure breaking. “You accuse me when you play artless sound that can barely be called music written with no purpose other than making money?” Rather than immediately give Adagio her written response, the girl folded it and collected her things into her backpack before starting towards the door. As she passed Adagio, she handed the paper she had been writing on to her. However, even as she left, she did not seem altogether that upset by Adagio’s words. “Do not walk away from me!” Adagio called, but the girl simply put on her earbuds and kept walking. Still seething, but aware of how little power she held, Adagio had no choice but to let the girl leave. She looked down at the paper and saw that it was a flyer for a sweets shop called Sugarcube Corner that the girl had been writing on the back of. Adagio flipped it open and read the last line. ‘I would make more money with a conventional job.’ “So I have to stay after school for Miss Cheerilee’s Tolerance in Language class,” Aria Blaze concluded with a scoff. “How was I even supposed to know that queer doesn't mean queer anymore?” “That's how language works, it evolves,” Adagio said with a laughing smile. “Maybe the class will help you evolve too!” Sonata Dusk said cheerfully through her food. She was eating some sort of wrap, and while Adagio could not say what kind, she was confident that it was vegetarian simply because Sonata didn't like how the school prepared meat. Aria grumbled and took another bite of her cheeseburger. It was lunch hour and the Dazzlings were sitting where they always did, being social pariahs did have the advantage of them always having the same table and rarely being interrupted during their meal. Although there was some backlash at the beginning of their return, Vice-Principal Luna dealt with it quickly and no one had tried anything serious since. The one good thing about losing their magic, not that Adagio would ever admit it, was that the Dazzlings got along much better than they had since their exile. Perhaps it was the shared loss of their very being or just that they had spent so much time together, but their fights and insults had mostly become good-natured jokes rather than genuine conflict. It made Adagio wonder what their lives would have been like if they hadn't stopped being sisters in all but blood after the destruction of Coltlantis. While Aria and Sonata argued what it meant to be evolved, Sonata having made sure the subject caught on, Adagio's attention was caught by a commotion behind her. She looked behind her to see the mute girl helping pick up an electric guitar for Flash Sentry, the front man for Flash Drive. A middling alternative rock band, but still among the best talents in the school. It had been a few days since Adagio met the girl, and she had been trying to decide how she wanted to deal with her. However, with no magic or violent approach available, she was forced to concede that she was idealess. “What's up, Adagio?” Aria asked, noticing her distraction. Adagio took a moment before turning back around, both to see where the girl sat down and to decide if she wanted to tell the others. “Do you know who that blue-haired girl is?” Leaning over, Aria tried to look around Adagio. Sonata simply took another bite of her wrap before answering. “You mean Vinyl? I share Computer Class with her.” “If you're talking about Vinyl Scratch, she's in my Gym class. She's not very good at dodgeball,” Aria said with a shake of her head before eating a couple fries. “What is she like?” Adagio asked. “Bad at dodgeball, mediocre at most sports,” Aria was a bit annoyed just remembering when they were paired together in the tennis segment of Gym. “But she isn't one of the bad ones, and knows when to keep her mouth shut.” “You know she's mute, right?” Sonata said between the final bites of her wrap. Aria ate a few fries rather than respond, clearly embarrassed to have not realised that. “So what do you think of her?” Adagio asked Sonata. “Mmm…” Sonata stared at Adagio for a moment. “She’s smart, but not a genius. She's a senior. She loves music, and she’ll be performing under the stage name DJ Pon-3 tonight.” “How do you know that?” Adagio asked, just barely beating Aria to the punch. Sonata pulled a paper out of her pocket and set it on the table after unfolding it. It was an advertisement for a show in a nightclub, which Adagio thought was a type of place that didn't let teenagers in. The flyer had writing on the back, but it looked nonsensical at a glance. Probably some kind of code to keep the content secret, which Adagio could certainly solve given time, but didn't really think it was worth the effort. “It fell out of her backpack this morning, I was going to give it back at the end of lunch.” Sonata said cheerfully. “But now I'm wondering why you want to learn about her. Could it be that you have a crush?” Sonata leaned over with a smile that most people would not have realised was her attempt at looking sly. “Who do you think I am?” Adagio asked rhetorically, pushing Sonata back. “I want to learn about her because I want to know how she resisted our magic. Nothing else.” Aria picked up the advertisement and studied it for a few seconds. “Maybe we should go to this show. Might give us some idea who she is outside of Canterlot High.” “That's not a bad idea. Sonata?” Adagio turned to the girl in question who, having finished her wrap, was eating chocolate that Adagio would swear was not there before. “Sounds good!” Sonata said between bites. “We'll head to the club around seven, seven-thirty,” Adagio said, folding up the flyer and putting it into her pocket. “For now, let's just get to class.” The Dazzlings were often among the first to leave the cafeteria, it gave them time to reach their lockers and prepare for class without being bothered. Strangely, Vice-Principal Luna had never called them out on it despite having caught them before. Adagio's locker was near the library while Aria's and Sonata's were both near the chemistry rooms, so she split off from them with a quick wave. They didn't share anymore classes that day, so they likely wouldn't meet again until the end of the school day. After school ended the Dazzlings went back to their house, a large building in Upper Canterlot. It was not a manor nor was it meant for nobility, but it was more than enough for three people. Also, they bought it when they were still sirens and they could no longer charm their way into a different free house. One of the main reasons they chose it was because it was within walking distance from the school. The Dazzlings simply wasted time until they could leave for the girl's performance, although Adagio did make sure to look up the nightclub and time a route to it from their house. They left just after seven and were standing in a short line outside of Midnight Star, the nightclub, by about eight. Adagio really needed to learn to drive and buy a car. The nightclub was not a massive building, but it appeared to have two stories and was decently sized. The building was painted deep blue, but wear and tear revealed small bits of white brick. Which actually made it look more like the night sky. The name on the front was done in blue neon with a white eight point star dividing the words. It only occurred to Adagio that there had been a chance of them not being able to get tickets at the door when she bought them and the boy in the window remarked on them ‘cutting it close’. It was an unfortunate side effect of having been sirens that the Dazzlings had never needed to worry about how to get things done. The inside of Midnight Star was about what Adagio would have expected of a nightclub, too bright, too loud, and much too crowded. There were tables and booths, but there was no clear place to get food or drinks. The majority of the building was taken up by a large dance floor in front of the raised stage. Despite having gone to the nightclub to more or less spy on a classmate, they chose to wear their normal style of clothing. Of course, their somewhat distinctive attire was overshadowed by the incomprehensible neon and reflective patterns the other patrons were wearing. They only had a few minutes before ‘DJ Pon-3’ was supposed to take the stage, so the Dazzlings sat down at a table near the dance floor that had a clear line to the stage. Mostly clear anyway, dancers would block their view for a second or two more frequently than Adagio would have liked. After some time of listening to overly loud, screeching noises that could only be considered to be music to the tone deaf, an announcer on stage began preparing the crowd for the performer of the night. He said all the usual things, but Adagio really only cared about the conclusion. “Welcome to the stage, DJ Pon-3!” The announcer stepped off the side of the stage as the girl walked up to what Adagio believed were called turntables from behind. The performance started slow, but steadily grew. Until it reached a peak and suddenly stopped for not even a second before coming back. It was louder, it was heavier, but mostly Adagio noticed that it was much more complicated. The crowd loved it, dancing and cheering. The surprising part was that Adagio found herself enjoying it, not the way she loved listening to a beautiful opera, but it had a beat that she had to keep herself from tapping along to. Turning towards the stage, Adagio saw something that she could hardly believe. Adagio stood up and walked closer to the stage until she was just inside the dance floor, and she watched the girl perform. Because she was performing. It was not a prerecorded song that she was making slight changes to and calling live music, it was a collection of basic sounds that she was actively working with to create her song. She was dancing to the beat while her hands were constantly moving across the turntable, she was sweating and clearly focused on her work, but she was also in her element. Adagio had no doubt that the girl was enjoying every second of her performance. Seeing her playing her instrument, Adagio came to the conclusion that she had misjudged the girl. Vinyl Scratch was a real musician, and a skilled one at that.
PinkamenaPictures
562639
2
Adagio Dazzle,DJ P0N-3,Dazzlings,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
A Grand Performance
Adagio attempts to determine why Vinyl was not affected by her magic.
complete
19
3
<p>After meeting Vinyl Scratch by chance a few months after the Battle of the Bands, Adagio Dazzle begins to wonder why the girl was unaffected by the sirens' magic. How did a human do what can only be done with Equestrian magic? With no other available option, Adagio decides to get her answers through friendship.</p><hr/><p>Although the cover art is based on a poster for the 1991 film <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i>, the story itself has nothing to do with that movie. I just like the poster.</p><p>This story was my entry to the <a href="/group/216924/the-eqg-anniversary-contests-spring-fling/thread/539825/the-rainbow-rocks-10th-anniversary-shipping-contest-may-26-august-7-the-rules-and-how-to-enter" rel="nofollow">2024 Rainbow Rocks Summer Shipping Spectacular</a> contest celebrating the tenth anniversary of the second Equestria Girls movie.</p>
everyone
2024-08-04T15:51:30+00:00
2024-08-04T15:51:30+00:00
168
It was the Monday after the Dazzlings went to Midnight Star, and they were sitting down for lunch in the cafeteria. Adagio Dazzle had spent most of the weekend thinking about Vinyl Scratch's performance, and she was clearly having difficulty understanding how she felt. Aria and Sonata were kind enough to accept her dismissal when they asked about her odd behaviour in the club, but were curious all the same. Aria and Sonata watched as Adagio used her food to spell out rudimentary sheet music. While it was not uncommon for Adagio to be preoccupied with music, the fact that she was so distracted that she bought a burger and a salad dressed with ranch was concerning. A lot of people liked ranch dressing, but Adagio had hated it since its inception. While Adagio hummed along and tried to complete her sheet music, Aria and Sonata exchanged glances. “So Adagio,” Aria started. “What are you doing?” Blunt, but effective. Aria's favourite style. The direct question worked to catch Adagio's attention, and she was embarrassed to realise what she was doing. “Sorry about this,” She used a napkin to wipe up some of the mess. “I guess I'm a bit more distracted than I thought I was.” After Adagio cleaned up most of her salad, she saw what she bought for lunch. She had a burger, the aforementioned salad, and a bag of potato chips. The salad and chips were mostly ruined by her distraction, and the burger was simply not her sort of food. Adagio did not eat meat, she ate fish and eggs, but never actual meat. “Hey Sonata, would you mind… ?” Adagio's question trailed off when Sonata held out one of her burritos. “Thank you.” They ate quietly for some time after that. Adagio was obviously still half lost in thought, but was actually eating now which Aria thought was a notable improvement. Aria was about to finish her chips when Sonata lightly kicked her. Aria turned to her to respond, but was cut off by Sonata gesturing with her head to someone behind Adagio. In an effort to keep Adagio from being surprised, Sonata spoke up. “Hey, Vinyl! If you want help with the programming assignment, I'm not supposed to but I can give you my notes anyway.” Adagio turned around to see Vinyl Scratch smile and make a short series of motions with her hands. She looked about the same as she normally did, her headphones were around her neck and she was wearing her fingerless pink gloves. “Well the offer is there if you change your mind,” Sonata said before finishing her burrito. Adagio made a note to ask Sonata how she knew what Vinyl wanted to say later, but mostly focused on the girl herself. Vinyl took a small piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Adagio. ‘Did you three enjoy my show Friday? Or have I mistaken someone else for you?’ After reading it, Adagio read it aloud. She did it to give herself time to find a response, but also because Aria and Sonata deserved to know about the question being posed to them. Vinyl did not seem to be trying to mock them, in fact Adagio thought that she seemed fairly genuine with her question despite its odd wording. Still, the Dazzlings had been through enough to know better than to trust without good reason. “It was better than I had expected,” Adagio said slowly, but honestly. Everyone watched her, waiting for her to follow up with an insult. “I don't like music that can only be performed electrically,” Aria said after a moment. “Sorry.” Vinyl wrote her response in a small notebook from her pocket. ‘Do not worry about it, I was just surprised to see you there after what happened last time Adagio and I met.’ “Wait,” Sonata said after reading Vinyl's message. “When did you two meet? You said you didn't know who she was!” “I didn't know who she was, I still don't really,” Adagio said, setting her half-eaten burrito aside. “Although I am starting to wonder…” Adagio heard something behind her and looked over to see a group of students whispering and glancing at the Dazzlings’ table. More specifically, at Vinyl. She turned back to Vinyl, who was writing in her notebook, evidently taking her time choosing words, and Adagio noticed that she seemed unconcerned with being seen around the three most hated people in Canterlot High. Once she was done, Vinyl showed them what she wrote. ‘Honestly, I am beginning to wonder about you as well. What are you like outside of this school?’ Perhaps it was Vinyl’s wording, that Vinyl had given her the first written note, or maybe she simply misinterpreted the message in front of her, but Adagio could not help but think that she specifically was being spoken to. “Why don’t we meet over the weekend? Then we can both learn more about each other,” Adagio said before she could gather her thoughts properly. Vinyl’s eyes were covered by her shades, but it was still clear that she was caught off guard. It took her longer than normal to write a response, as she needed to make a decision first. Vinyl stopped for a beat after finishing her message, and then turned it towards Adagio. ‘I am free Saturday. What did you have in mind?’ “We could have lunch, but I don’t know of any good places,” Adagio admitted. ‘The Sweet Snacks Café has great deserts, and they have vegetarian meals as well.’ “I’ll meet you there around eleven if that works for you.” Rather than write a new response, Vinyl simply smiled and nodded. She then waved farewell and walked back to her table. Adagio turned back to her table and thought about what she had done. For a few seconds, Aria and Sonata were silent, also trying to figure out what they just saw. Then Sonata smiled. “So, Adagio,” Sonata started. “You just want to know how she resisted our magic, was that what you said?” Adagio responded by staring into Sonata’s eyes, daring her to continue. Unfortunately, Sonata was never very good at interpreting Adagio's looks. “Why do you need to have lunch with her for that? You could have just asked her,” Sonata shrugged and swiped Aria’s last chip as she stood to leave. “Well, enjoy your date.” Sonata left the cafeteria, leaving without a care for Adagio’s burning glare. Aria also glared at Sonata for her theft, but did not yet stand to leave. “It is a bit strange that you asked her out,” Aria said carefully. Unlike Sonata, she was not trying to tease Adagio and wanted a response. “I thought that you hated everyone involved in taking our magic.” Adagio sighed. “I hate Sunset Shimmer, and I dislike the Princess. But the others were just trying to protect their home. I might not like them, but I don’t blame them for what they did. We did worse trying to save our home.” “Alright, I can understand that. I still don’t understand why you want to go out with her though,” Aria said, not knowing that a few tables over Octavia Melody was saying something very similar to Vinyl Scratch. Saturday came slowly for Adagio, but it had finally arrived. She had not spoken with Vinyl since making their plans, and could only hope that she had not decided not to come. Aria and Sonata had largely let Adagio go through the week without teasing, but Sonata could not resist the occasional comment. After some debate, Adagio had decided to wear her usual outfit. It seemed like the safest option as she did not want to appear as though she had over thought it. She grabbed her phone and left her room. At the front door Adagio found that Aria and Sonata were waiting for her. Adagio took a breath and walked up to them. “I know you’ve got something for me, but I have to get going. So make it fast,” Adagio said, stopping just in front of them. Sonata opened her mouth to say something, but Aria put a hand on her shoulder to cut her off and surprised Adagio less with what she said than how sincerely she said it. “I don’t know if this is a date in your eyes or not, but have fun.” Aria stepped out of the way and pulled Sonata with her. Adagio didn’t quite know how to react, and decided to simply leave. She opened the door and walked out. In order to reach the Sweet Snacks Café by eleven, Adagio had to leave around nine because she couldn’t drive. Adagio had quite the walk in front of her. Still, she didn’t mind, walking was a good exercise and one of the few things she liked about her human form. It was not uncommon for Adagio to miss her siren form, especially after having had a facsimile of it during the Battle of the Bands, but she could also admit that legs were kind of nice to have. They were less convenient than being able to float in the air, but perhaps that was why she liked them. As a siren she rarely touched the ground, but as a human she felt it beneath her constantly. It was oddly reassuring. As Adagio walked, she thought about what she was about to do. Even to her it was hard to call it anything but what it was; she had asked Vinyl out on a date. Adagio was not a teenager, despite appearances, and she should have had control over her emotions, it was not like her to act without thinking. But even stranger than any of that was that Vinyl had accepted. When she saw Canterlot City Park, Adagio knew that she was getting close to the café. Once she saw the café itself Adagio stopped to take a moment to calm her nerves. She resolved to not let her emotions control her, and took a deep breath to steady herself. Adagio entered the Sweet Snacks Café and looked around. The café’s theme was the eighties, and they did an alright job making it feel like a different era. It seemed odd to Adagio that people would want to visit the past, but as long as they followed modern health practices then it did not matter that much to Adagio. The café was not particularly crowded, so it did not take Adagio long to find Vinyl. After taking another steadying breath, she walked over to her. “Hello Vinyl, good to see you,” Adagio said. “May I sit down?” Vinyl removed her headphones when she noticed Adagio and nodded in response to her question. While Adagio sat down, Vinyl quickly typed a message on her phone. ‘It is good to see you as well. I only got here a minute or two ago, I have not even been given a menu yet.’ “Alright,” Adagio said, still not quite sure how to interact with someone that does not speak verbally. They sat without saying anything for a few moments, and would likely have stayed that way for longer had a waitress not rolled up to their table. It was weird that the waitresses of Sweet Snacks Café wore roller blades, but Adagio supposed it was meant to emulate a drive up restaurant. “Hello Vinyl, welcome back!” The waitress said cheerfully. Then, noticing Adagio, she turned her smile towards her. “And you’ve brought a new face! My name’s Sunny.” “Adagio Dazzle.” “Alrighty. Here are your menus, can I get you started with something to drink?” Vinyl held up her menu and pointed to one of the drink options, and Adagio asked for a soda. “I'll be back with those for you in a minute,” Sunny said before rolling over to the next table. Adagio looked over her menu, it was about what she was expecting: it was mostly just standard fare, but also included an impressive vegetarian selection. She was debating between a bean patty burger and an egg salad sandwich when Vinyl tapped Adagio's menu to get her attention. She set her menu down and Vinyl held up her phone. ‘Will it bother you if I eat meat? I noticed that you do not eat meat and I just want to make sure that it would not be a problem for you.’ To Adagio it was a very strange question, one that she had never considered before. Meat was food, there was no point in looking away simply because it was not to her taste. People would still be eating it. Even so, she was oddly touched that Vinyl had thought to ask her. “No,” Adagio said after a second. “I don't mind at all. Thank you.” Vinyl nodded but did not pick her menu back up. Having decided, Adagio set her menu down as well. Just in time it seemed, as Sunny returned with their drinks soon after. They made their orders, egg salad sandwich for Adagio and a BLT for Vinyl, and Sunny rolled away to put them in. With their orders taken, Adagio decided to keep them from falling into silence again. Her intention in meeting with Vinyl Scratch was to learn about her, she was not going to let the opportunity slip away. “We went to your show on Friday, and I was wondering about your stage name: Pon-3?” Adagio asked. ‘It is pronounced pon-three, not pony, and it does not really mean anything. I used to like horses, and I first “performed” when I was a child.’ Vinyl wrote, soon adding to it. ‘When I got my first real show I was told not to use my real name, and that was the first thing that came to mind.’ “So you’ve always liked music?” ‘Pretty much. I saw someone sing a rock song for some school election at a polo competition my father took me to, and I fell in love with the art of performance and music. What about you?’ “You said it when we first met: I’m a siren. I’ve never lived a minute without music being a part of me.” Adagio said with a shrug. “Until a few months ago anyway.” Adagio’s hand went up to her throat, reaching for a gem no longer there. Vinyl looked like she wanted to say something and picked up her phone to start typing, but it was then that Sunny returned to their table with their lunch. “Here you are,” Sunny said after she set their meals in front of them. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” Both Adagio and Vinyl shook their heads so Sunny smiled at them and rolled away. They ate quietly for a few minutes, both enjoying their meals. Adagio was surprised to find that they served their egg salad sandwiches warm with a melted slice of cheese. Not bad. After finishing the first half of her BLT, Vinyl picked up her phone in one hand and started typing. ‘You asked me a question, may I ask you one?’ “Of course,” Adagio took another bite of her sandwich. ‘Was music important to you because you enjoy it, or just because you were a siren?’ “Music is important to me, not because I was a siren, but because I love it,” Adagio said without hesitation. “I started with music because I'm a siren, but I knew sirens who hated music and saw it as nothing but a tool.” Vinyl seemed to appreciate the answer, although Adagio's slip of the tongue did not go unnoticed. Vinyl nodded in understanding after thinking about it for a moment. The rest of their meal was spent mostly quietly, but both of them were a bit more comfortable after learning about the other. A short time after they finished eating, Sunny came back to their table. “Can I get you anything else? Our flavour of ice cream for the day is chocolate orange.” Sunny asked while picking up their plates. Adagio looked over at Vinyl, who quickly held up her phone for her to see. ‘Maybe to go? We could eat in the park.’ “Alright, we'll have dessert to go. I'll have a brownie,” Adagio said before gesturing for Vinyl to order. Vinyl showed her phone to Sunny, and Adagio couldn't quite see what she ordered. “Sounds good. One or two checks?” “I'll pay,” Adagio said, quickly checking Vinyl's reaction to make sure she wasn't committing some sort of faux pas. Once confident in her course of action, she handed Sunny her credit card. “I'll get this back to you in a minute, and your desserts will be ready soon after,” Sunny said before leaving them alone. Soon enough, Sunny brought the check, which Adagio signed and handed back. ‘How was your meal?’ Vinyl asked. “Better than I expected,” Adagio said honestly. “I had expected them to use cheap ingredients, but it was pretty good.” ‘Then you should enjoy your dessert as well; they take a lot of pride in it.’ “Have you ever had a brownie here?” ‘Yes I have, I liked it well enough. Although I am generally more of a cold dessert person.’ Adagio nodded in understanding before standing up. “Speaking of, we should probably go get our desserts before they melt and cool down respectively.” It seemed like a safe guess to assume that Vinyl had gotten something that could melt after what she said, but Adagio would know soon enough. Vinyl smiled at Adagio's words as she stood up. She did not start going for the counter though, letting Adagio lead them. They reached it just in time for Vinyl's vanilla flurry mixed with bits of colourful candy to be ready. They thanked Sunny as they took their desserts and left the café. It was a short walk to the Canterlot City Park, and in almost no time they were at one of its entrances. Here Vinyl took the lead, walking into the park a ways. Adagio had never been to the park before, and simply followed her. It did not take long for Vinyl to find a bench to sit on. The bench itself was just a simple wooden bench, well-maintained but unremarkable. The bench was just inside a wooded section of the park, and in front of the trees was an open field. The trees were tall and green through and there were some flowers, but it was hardly an impressive view. Still, it was clear to Adagio that Vinyl was familiar with that particular spot. She sat down next to Vinyl and they both started with their desserts. The brownie was surprisingly good, it was just a simple brownie with no special or clever additions, but it did not need anything. It was warm and also a larger portion than Adagio would have expected. She liked it quite a bit. Looking over it was evident that Vinyl was also enjoying her dessert. She was not eating very fast and it would definitely be more of a drink by the end, but she was clearly savouring the taste. They ate their desserts without much conversation, simply enjoying the food and scenery. It took her a moment, but Adagio felt that she understood why Vinyl chose the spot she did even while the park was mostly empty. Adagio could see other people in the field, playing and eating, but she couldn’t hear them. It was not the most scenic place in the park, that much was obvious, but Adagio might have bet that it was the calmest. Even after they finished their desserts, neither of them started a conversation immediately. For a few minutes they sat there, not really doing anything but enjoying themselves regardless. “Vinyl, I’ve been wondering,” Adagio started. “When you came to our table Monday, you said something to Sonata just with hand motions. How does that work? I didn’t get the impression that the two of you were close enough to have an entire code for talking to one another.” Vinyl looked at Adagio with a slight tilt to her head, appearing to be confused by her question. Soon though, she typed a response on her phone. ‘It is sign language. It helps people who cannot speak or those who cannot hear communicate more effectively. Have you never heard of it before?’ Adagio shook her head. “Don't think so. But Sonata knows it?” Vinyl seemed to let Adagio’s ignorance on the subject drop, and simply answered her question instead. ‘She is not fluent, but she knows more than a lot of people.’ “I see,” Adagio said. It was strange to Adagio that she had not realised that people who cannot speak would still need a way to talk to others. It felt like one of the things that being a siren kept her from considering, as the thought of life without a voice was unfathomable to her before her song was stolen from her. “Could you teach me?” Vinyl stared at Adagio, not just confused but surprised. She was not certain she had heard right. “Not all of it obviously, just some important words and phrases,” Adagio clarified, not realising what had confused Vinyl. Still, it was enough to snap Vinyl back to the present. ‘I can try, but remember that it is a language. It is not something that you will be a master of immediately. Once you are ready, I will teach you how to say hello.’ Once Adagio nodded, Vinyl set her phone down and demonstrated the sign. It was a simple motion, and Adagio mimicked it easily enough. ‘Good. Now I will show you “see you later”, I tend to use it just as goodbye.’ They continued like that for quite awhile, Vinyl demonstrating signs and correcting Adagio’s mistakes. Adagio found it to be surprisingly fun, and kept asking to learn more. Eventually, it got late enough that Vinyl had to leave, and they bid each other goodbye for the day. When Adagio got back to her house, she was still smiling from her time with Vinyl.
PinkamenaPictures
562639
3
Adagio Dazzle,DJ P0N-3,Dazzlings,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
A Grand Performance
Adagio attempts to determine why Vinyl was not affected by her magic.
complete
19
3
<p>After meeting Vinyl Scratch by chance a few months after the Battle of the Bands, Adagio Dazzle begins to wonder why the girl was unaffected by the sirens' magic. How did a human do what can only be done with Equestrian magic? With no other available option, Adagio decides to get her answers through friendship.</p><hr/><p>Although the cover art is based on a poster for the 1991 film <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i>, the story itself has nothing to do with that movie. I just like the poster.</p><p>This story was my entry to the <a href="/group/216924/the-eqg-anniversary-contests-spring-fling/thread/539825/the-rainbow-rocks-10th-anniversary-shipping-contest-may-26-august-7-the-rules-and-how-to-enter" rel="nofollow">2024 Rainbow Rocks Summer Shipping Spectacular</a> contest celebrating the tenth anniversary of the second Equestria Girls movie.</p>
everyone
2024-08-04T15:51:34+00:00
2024-08-04T15:51:33+00:00
168
After a long day of school, made longer by a resurgence of students trying to get the Dazzlings to leave Canterlot High for good, Adagio Dazzle decided to get a snack on her way to her house since she was unable to eat her lunch. Aria was still in Cheerilee’s after school class, which served a simple meal, and Sonata simply went straight back to the house. That left Adagio alone to find something to eat. It took Adagio some time to determine where to go, but she did eventually remember that there was a sweet shop near Canterlot High. It took her about an hour to reach the shop, which was decorated to look like a gingerbread house or something similar. The store was called Sugarcube Corner, which sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it. She could have gotten to Sugarcube Corner faster, but chose to delay in the hopes of missing the crowd of students. Her plan seemed to be largely successful as when she entered the building the line was fairly short and was made mostly of people that Adagio did not recognise. It did cross Adagio’s mind as she took her place at the back of the line that she would probably already have eaten if she had just followed Sonata back to their house, but it was far too late for it to matter much anymore. She was more concerned about getting back before the rain started. The line slowly thinned, slow enough that Adagio guessed that they were either short staffed or sold out of things people were ordering and getting backed up because of it. Regardless, it was taking much longer than Adagio had hoped to spend in the store at all. After longer than she would have liked, Adagio was the only person in the line. However, despite that, the man behind the counter walked over to the pickup side first. Adagio did not really care who it was that had arrived, she was just vaguely annoyed that the first customer for pickup while she was in the store had come in just when she reached the counter. She had been perfectly content to simply ignore them and wait a minute or two, until she heard the customer’s name. “Hey Vinyl, where’s Octavia?” The man behind the counter asked as he walked over to her. Vinyl Scratch took her headphones off and put them around her neck before writing a message on her notebook and turned it towards him, and while Adagio could not guess what it said she was more concerned with the person writing it. The man, who’s name tag identified him as Carrot Cake, nodded after reading what Vinyl wrote and then walked into the kitchen. After their lunch the week before, Adagio had not really interacted with Vinyl. She was not avoiding Vinyl, she had simply not met with her since then. “Hello Vinyl,” Adagio said, not knowing if she should follow her greeting with anything. For her part, Vinyl noticed Adagio and smiled cheerfully before signing ‘hello’ and ‘how are you’ to her. Mr. Cake came back to the counter carrying a small box before Adagio had a chance to respond. “Here you are Vinyl, two chocolate muffins and two blueberry,” Mr. Cake said as he set the box in front of Vinyl. “If you're sure you still want all four, we’ll call it five dollars.” Vinyl gave him the money and also made a sign that Adagio recognised as ‘thank you’. Then Vinyl turned to Adagio and held out her notebook. ‘Would you like to join me? I have more than I need.’ “Sure,” Adagio said after a moment. “Thank you.” Vinyl went over to a table under one of the front windows and Adagio followed her over. They sat on opposite sides of the table and Vinyl opened her box and set it down in the centre of the table, taking a chocolate muffin from it. She paused to decide which flavour to choose, but soon enough Adagio took a blueberry muffin. “So Octavia was supposed to be here with you?” Responding with a nod, Vinyl took a bite from her muffin. She soon set it down for a few seconds to type out a more complete answer on her phone. Once she was done, she set her phone down between them, facing Adagio. ‘We come here every week after music practise. She was just busy because she has an audition today.’ It was a side effect of having spent the majority of her life manipulating everyone around her that Adagio paid very close attention to word choice, and since Vinyl was writing it was even easier for her to notice. If Octavia had scheduled an audition, then she would have told her best friend that she would not make their usual weekly plans and Vinyl would then not have ordered enough food for both of them. Which in turn meant that either Adagio was looking too deeply into Vinyl's words, or that Octavia had not known that she would be busy. “Fair enough,” Adagio said, taking a bite of her muffin. She realised while chewing that she was probably supposed to ask about Octavia's audition, it struck her as the friendly thing to do. “What’s Octavia auditioning for?” Adagio asked Vinyl after finishing her mouthful. ‘It is a secret.’ Vinyl turned her phone back towards Adagio once she had typed out another sentence. ‘Anyway, it is bad luck to talk about an audition before it is decided one way or another.’ Adagio laughed a bit at Vinyl's superstition, but immediately regretted it when she realised that Vinyl was probably being serious. Thankfully, she looked to see Vinyl smiling good-naturedly at her. Adagio had never put much stock in luck, good or bad. Things happen as a result of actions, chance holds little weight in the equation. “Alright, what would you normally work on with Octavia, or would that be bad luck to talk about as well?” Rather than type her answer, Vinyl signed it. ‘Music’ and then a sign Adagio didn’t know, but guessed meant ‘practise’. Vinyl was confident that Adagio would guess her meaning, but was less so that her intention of it being a joke would be understood. “I mean, what sort of music? I've heard you both perform and there does not seem to be much crossover in your styles or even instruments,” Adagio clarified, not concerned by Vinyl's half-answer. Vinyl finished her muffin before giving her answer. ‘There is not much, no. But we can both enjoy more than just our favourite style, and it is not like we only know one instrument each.’ “What other instrument do you play?” Adagio asked. ‘I could play the piano before I could walk.’ Vinyl turned her phone back towards herself to add a bit more. ‘I also play the drums, but not much. What about you?’ “If you'll excuse the phrase, sirens are one trick ponies. We spend our lives singing, anything else is a distraction,” Adagio said the words easily, she had thought similar ones often enough, without her voice a siren is worthless. For a minute or two, Vinyl watched Adagio. She ate her blueberry muffin slowly and did not seem to particularly enjoy it, but Vinyl mostly noticed how lost Adagio was in her last sentence. Maybe she had moved past in her head, but Vinyl doubted it. Her doubt was supported by Adagio reaching for where her gemstone was before it broke. ‘You could join us sometime, if you want to try an instrument.’ Vinyl added to her words after Adagio read them. ‘Not every week and you would have to give me time to convince Octavia, but if you want to learn then I would be happy to help.’ “I won't lie, learning an instrument does sound like it could be a good use of time,” Adagio said, taking a bite from her muffin. “But it doesn't matter. Vice-Principal Luna made it very clear that I am not to be involved with music.” ‘Then we could meet after school, or on the weekend. Vice-Principal Luna cannot reach you outside of Canterlot High School.’ Vinyl suggested. “Couldn't it cause trouble for you if people found out that you were trying to help a siren in a musical pursuit? Just spending time with me has sparked quite a few rumours about you.” ‘It could. But all that I would be doing is helping my friend rekindle her passion. No one in Canterlot High can reasonably be upset with me for following the Princess’ advice of trying to be a better friend.’ “Flawless logic. Except for one thing,” Adagio said, finishing her muffin. “People are rarely very reasonable about the things they hate. A concept that keeps sirens fed.” Vinyl shrugged as an immediate response, but also began typing. ‘People have been talking about me behind my back for as long as I can remember, I would be worried if they stopped. Besides, I would not let a few rumours stop me from spending time with my friends.’ Now that Vinyl had typed it twice, it was impossible for Adagio to ignore that Vinyl considered her a friend. It was not really a surprise, Vinyl had accepted what could only be called a date with her, but it still threw Adagio a bit to see it so plainly. It was not a foreign concept to have a friend, but it was also not something that she had ever truly cared about before. It struck Adagio that she wanted to be close to Vinyl, she wanted to be her friend, to spend time together. “If you’re serious, then I accept,” Adagio said, looking into Vinyl’s eyes as best she could through the girl’s coloured glasses. “I think I would enjoy learning an instrument.” Vinyl smiled happily at that, signing ‘wonderful’ before picking her phone up. She was about to turn it back towards Adagio, but seemed to realise something and stopped to retype. ‘Do you have a phone?’ Vinyl looked questioningly at Adagio. “Yeah, of course I do,” Adagio took the device out of her pocket and held it up. “I just don’t use it much. Why?” ‘We should exchange numbers. It would make it much easier to plan a meeting for your first lesson. If you give me your phone I can add them.’ Adagio unlocked her phone and gave it to Vinyl, trusting her. After a few seconds, Vinyl gave Adagio’s phone back. Just in time for it to receive a text from Sonata. Adagio read it and looked at the store’s clock. “It's later than I thought, I need to get going,” Adagio stood up. “Sorry to leave so abruptly, but I really meant to be at my house by half an hour ago at the latest.” And her walk back was not likely to be great given that the rain decided to start. ‘No problem. See you later.’ Vinyl signed. Adagio smiled before signing back. ‘See you later.’ From the outside, Vinyl Scratch's house was about the same as every other house on the street. It had the same two story shape, the same lawn, and the same single tree to the left of the driveway. The only notable differences on the outside were the door and the windows. The windows had the standard planters but the flowers were much more varied between each window. They also had shutters, which were unique and were deep blue. Adagio approached the door, which was the same deep blue as the shutters, and knocked. After exchanging numbers with Vinyl, it only took a few days for Vinyl to set up a day for them to meet. That day was about two weeks after their meeting, but Adagio had been looking forward to trying an instrument and was willing to wait. Walking to Vinyl's house was not the best experience Adagio had ever had, but even a two and a half hour walk before noon did little to temper her excitement. Although learning an instrument had initially just seemed like an especially fun way to defeat boredom, once Adagio had put serious thought into it, it started to seem like it could be more than that. She had not been dramatising when she said that music was a part of a siren, and she felt the loss even more deeply since seeing Vinyl perform. Perhaps being able to create music once more could lessen the pain. The door opened to reveal Vinyl, who signed hello before gesturing to invite Adagio in. The inside of Vinyl's house was not what Adagio had expected. The first thing that jumped out at her was that it was very clean, and the second was that it was a bit boring. The walls were a light tan, the floors were covered with grey carpet, and there was not much adding any colour. Adagio guessed that Octavia did the decorating. They were in what appeared to be a dining room, and from it she could see into a living room and a kitchen. There was also a set of stairs, which Vinyl was standing next to. ‘Our music room is upstairs. We can go straight there or have an early lunch first, whichever you prefer.’ “Let's start with the music,” Adagio said. “I'm looking forward to learning to play.” ‘Just do not expect to be great immediately, it takes time.’ Once Adagio read her warning, Vinyl led her to the music room. The inside of the music room felt much more like it was Vinyl’s to Adagio. It was a large room and the walls were white but also painted with a vibrant, flowing pattern mixed with music notes. The walls themselves appeared to be sound proofed. One side of the room was dominated by electronic instruments, such as Vinyl's turntables, while the other had more traditional instruments such as a cello. Set up in a corner was a drum kit, the instrument that Adagio was there to learn. ‘First I will teach you the fundamentals, and then if we have time then we can start with simple songs.’ Vinyl paused so that Adagio could read, and then put her phone into her pocket. Adagio walked towards the drums while Vinyl grabbed something from off a shelf near her turntables. Vinyl tapped Adagio's shoulder and gestured for her to sit. Once Adagio had done so, Vinyl started putting sticky-notes on the various parts of the drums. “What's this?” Adagio asked, leaning forward to read the notes. In response, Vinyl handed her another sticky-note. ‘The fundamentals. The first step is knowing what it is and how you are meant to use it.’ “So you want me to memorise these names?” Vinyl wrote something on her pocket notebook and showed it to Adagio. ‘Eventually, but the names are the least important part of knowing them. Before you can start actually performing songs, you need to know how each part of the drums sounds and what they feel like. But first, posture.’ “Posture?” Vinyl nodded. ‘Drums are a very active instrument, it is not hard to hurt yourself if you learn to play with an improper stance or grip. Ask me how I know.’ She had not considered the physical issues with learning an instrument, but it made sense to Adagio that it would take some practise to be able to start learning the drums in earnest. Not unlike learning to dance. Adagio let Vinyl lead her through a series of stretches and then they began to work on Adagio’s posture and her grip on the drumsticks. Vinyl would demonstrate her preferred option as well as an alternative, and then Adagio would attempt to copy them. Once Adagio found a seating position and grip that worked for her, Vinyl corrected them until they would serve her well. It would take Adagio some time to learn her stance to the point of it feeling perfectly natural, but she was adapting quickly. After a fair amount of time focused on posture, Vinyl instructed Adagio to see how it felt to play each part of the drums individually. It all sounded about like what Adagio had expected, but just one sound at a time did not feel much like music. Vinyl assured her that it was better to learn what sound is produced by striking any given part of the drums, that it would make her a better player in the long run. They practised in such a manner for hours, losing track of time. By the time that they took a break for lunch, Adagio felt that she might be able to perform music again some day. It would take a lot of serious effort, by it was within her reach, it was no longer lost to her forever. It had been a deliberate choice by both Vinyl and Octavia to not put a clock in their music room because they did not want the distraction, but sometimes it did result in them losing track of time when they did not want to. At around two o’clock, Adagio and Vinyl decided to break for lunch. Vinyl had made sure to buy ingredients for a vegetarian meal, and they each made and ate their sandwiches. They were nothing special, but were also much better than anything Canterlot High would offer them. After their meal, they returned to the music room. Rather than return to practise, they simply talked to each other about music. They spoke for a while before Adagio decided that it was time to ask the question she had wanted an answer for a long time. "I wanted to ask, but I don't want you to think that you have to answer," Adagio stumbled a bit over her words, but was more worried about making sure Vinyl understood her than she was about how she sounded. "I have been wondering about it since before we spoke, but I'm not sure if I should ask." Vinyl smiled reassuringly and showed Adagio her phone. 'I trust you. Ask me whatever you need to.' Adagio took a breath to steady herself. "Why were you unaffected by our magic?" Vinyl tilted her head, but soon smiled in understanding. She turned to her turntable and messed with it for a few seconds before connecting her headphones to it, then she faced Adagio again and held out her headphones without touching the volume switch on their side. Adagio took the offered headphones and put them on. Vinyl pressed the play button. "By the sun and moon!" Adagio cried as she ripped the headphones off. "How do you wear these things all d-" Vinyl Scratch always wore either her headphones or her earbuds, and anyone that sat next to her in class or even just passed her in the hall could testify that they were not just for show. Adagio remembered seeing Vinyl in the cafeteria when the Dazzlings first came to Canterlot High, she remembered her wearing headphones and bobbing along to something that -in retrospect -was clearly not the Dazzlings' song. While Adagio was realising the implications of what she was saying, Vinyl took the headphones back and turned off the music. She also prepared a message for Adagio. "You... you never fell under our spell, because you never heard us sing?" Adagio could hardly believe that the answer was so simple. ‘In the cafeteria I was listening to a live performance and did not want to miss it, and it was pretty easy to see that something was wrong after that. I just figured I would not support your competition, so I kept not listening when you sang.’ Adagio stared at Vinyl for a few seconds before breaking into laughter. It was a genuine laugh born from her realisation of just how silly it was that she had been expecting some grand magical answer, but the truth was as simple as it was obvious. As Vinyl watched Adagio laugh, she found herself in the familiar position of wishing she could join in. However, her usual desire was overshadowed by the realisation that Adagio had never looked more beautiful. Knowing that Adagio would not know what it meant, Vinyl signed to her while she was distracted. ‘I think I might be falling for you.’ Adagio regained her composure enough to ask about Vinyl's signing. “What's that one mean?” Vinyl smiled and quickly typed a response. ‘Do not worry about it.’
Seven Fates
562641
1
Main 7 (EqG),Original Character,Other,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Science Fiction,Kamen Rider,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity,Violence
Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu
In the wake of the Fall Formal, a lot has changed. The Demon Queen has been dethroned, the student body is healing, and the city has a new guardian angel—a masked heroine who calls herself a Kamen Rider?
incomplete
17
4
<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>An Equestria Girls x Kamen Rider <span style="color:#BE4343">Bu</span>i<span style="color:#265DAF">ld</span> fic</p></div><hr/><p>It's been three weeks since the CHS Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer, the most notorious queen bee in the school's history, has been dethroned and the once-divided student body has begun to heal. No longer are students broken into cliques; old and new friendships alike have risen from the ashes of Sunset's reign of terror.</p><p>Not all is well in the Canterlot metropolis, however. Since the formal, mysterious creatures known only as the Smash have been showing up, going on rampages throughout the city. But for the presence of Canterlogic Securities' <i>Guardian</i> combat robots, there would be no repelling these monsters. Questions remain in the wake of these attacks—where did the Smash come from, and where did they go when defeated?</p><p>Tangled up in it all is Nebula Moonlight, a late transfer to CHS. Much like the Smash, her life seemingly began the night of the Fall Formal, and she was left grasping for answers about who she really was. The only clues she has are the words of her mysterious benefactor, and a strange device that allows her to transform. &quot;If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source.&quot;</p><p>Science and magic collide, and Canterlot is on a collision course for disaster unless Nebula and her new allies can solve the mystery and stop the threat once and for all.</p><hr/><p>If you enjoy the story, be sure to leave a comment.</p><p>Notes: </p><ul><li>G5 tag present due to the implementation of several characters and/or organisations inspired by G5 making appearances.</li><li>Watching Kamen Rider Build is not required to understand this story; any concepts and/or references will be explained throughout the story and through Author Notes. You may notice familiar story beats if you have seen the series.</li><li>The Project Build logo and Kamen Rider Build are the property of Toei and Ishinomori Productions. I claim no ownership.</li><li>The logo on the cover is mash-up of the Project Build logo and the horseshoe iconography present in a lot of the CHS memorabilia seen in the various Equestria Girls. Cover is done in CHS Wondercolts colouring for extra fun.</li></ul>
teen
2024-08-01T17:59:12+00:00
2024-08-01T17:59:12+00:00
203
Six months prior to the Fall Formal... The teenager ran through the streets of Canterlot City. She couldn’t look back for fear of who she might find following. After what she’d done, someone would most certainly be following her. Maybe the worst part of it all was that she knew she deserved whatever fate would follow her. One did not simply steal and erase a decade worth of research files and get away with it. The only things she hadn’t been able to get were the files on the lab’s internal servers, and even then, there was only so much they could do without what she took. Adding on the fact that she’d stolen the only working copy of a device that would revolutionise armed conflict, and she knew that death was the least of her concerns. If she could just get to the dead drop, she could wash her hands of the entire affair and just disappear; it’d be so easy, too. Her contact had already scoured her existence from the internet and all governmental databases. Even now, there was a worm spreading across the local infrastructure seeking out any trace of her from CCTV systems. Once she got out of Canterlot and stayed clear of the organisation, she’d be in the clear. She’d be free. The sound of armoured boots behind her chilled her blood. It was distant, but it was a sound she’d heard on the testing floor several times. Outside of the one she’d passed off to her contact, she was sure that she’d destroyed all the Transteam System production models. No, there was one I never got my hands on... That meant that he was closing in. I don’t even know what Fullbottle he chose though. All I know is which one it isn’t. Although she knew where to go to get to the dead drop, it was starting to seem like she’d never get there in time. She should’ve had longer before they even noticed the sabotage, and yet she knew he was following her. I got careless somewhere along the line... or else, they were always watching... in which case... the drop-off point is likely a trap. Pulling out her phone, she ducked down an alley. The teen opened the encrypted SMS app and immediately shot a message to the contact labelled Eraser. Hopefully, they were nowhere near the dead-drop, because while she had no doubt Eraser could handle themselves if the organisation deployed a few Guardian peace-keeper robots, leading him to them would not be good. Am being followed. DD likely compromised. Plz advise. :girlGenius Eraser: I heard. Even the police know something’s up. Eraser: A network-wide kill-on-sight order’s been issued for you. Eraser: Lucky for you, the worm’s doing its job, scrubbing your face from all DBs. Eraser: Activate your phone’s GPS and I’ll come get you. Negative. Edgelord in pursuit. Do not engage. :girlGenius Project Re:Build data cannot fall into their hands. :girlGenius It occurred to her what she’d have to do. The company couldn’t possibly know about this phone. She’d made sure to build it herself from a schematic, and never had it turned on near any company facilities. Just as much as the encrypted SMS app was to protect her contact’s identity, they could likely crack it with enough time. The phone couldn’t fall into their hands any more than the data and hardware she stole. I’m gonna ditch the lockbox and my phone. :girlGenius GPS is now on. :girlGenius I don’t know what they’ll do to me... :girlGenius But it’s possible they’ll use me as a test subject out of spite. :girlGenius If I somehow get out of this... Can I count on your continued support? :girlGenius Eraser: Naturally. I got you into this mess in the first place. No, my dad did when he started this project and I got hired on to replace him. :girlGenius Shutting off her phone’s screen, the young woman thrust her hand back into her messenger bag. She ran her thumb along the scanner for the lockbox within, and then quickly put her phone inside. Before closing the case, she withdrew a small bottle-shaped object, but kept her hand in the bag. Just by the feel of it, of the bird embossed, she knew exactly which one it was. After dodging through several more alleys and running through traffic, she reached a dead end. Not that it was going to stop her; she knew exactly which part of town she was in, and exactly the sort of terrain that was on the rooftops. It’d be the perfect place to ditch the goods and lead Blood Hunter on a wild goose chase long enough for Eraser to retrieve it. Finally, she withdrew her hand from the messenger bag and looked at the small translucent bottle full of a grey gas even darker than her skin. It was one of the Fullbottles she helped create and purify for the project. I wish I never got involved. This was meant to save lives, but they turned it all into a weapon of war. On it was the image of a raven, marking it as the Raven Fullbottle. Although intended for use with the Rider System, initial research showed that specific bottles were capable of granting temporary superhuman power by agitating the gases inside by violently shaking it. Raven was a bottle tested for such properties, increasing the user’s agility and jump height. Flight would be too much for the human body unaided. While she had managed to lose her pursuer momentarily, she knew he would be here before too long, so she shook the bottle and then gripped it tightly in her hand before jumping at the alley wall. The increased mobility allowed her to effortlessly rebound off the wall to the opposite side, rapidly gaining height. In no time at all, she ascended to the rooftops. The girl wasted no time at all returning the bottle to the case with the others, and then ditching the case behind an air exchanger unit. Just as she readied herself to start running, an armoured figure hauled itself up over the edge. The armour was bulky, and looked as though it were constructed of metal pipes and wires, overlaid over a blood-red bodysuit. As he glared at her, the golden ‘eyes’ of the visor glowed slightly in the evening dimness. “Oh, hey there, Edgelord-kun,” she said in a sing-song voice. Honestly, she hated the man’s guts, and knew that antagonising the sadist was normally a bad idea, but she needed him mad. If he was mad, he didn’t think, and that meant he wouldn’t think to check if she ditched the goods. “Fancy seeing you here! Did Mommy let you off your leash to play corporate enforcer tonight?” “Miss Satonaka,” he growled in a modulated voice. “For the last time, it is Blood Hunter.” He grabbed a pistol-shaped device from his hip. Brandishing it, she could see the dark metal pipes and external wiring glisten in the gloom. “Hand over the Rider System research data now, and I promise not to make what happens next too unpleasant.” Satonaka pretended to consider this for a moment as she raised her hands. Then her left hand drifted to her face, and she pulled her lower eyelid down to expose the red part with her middle finger. “You and Hag-san can both sit on it and spin,” she replied, sticking her tongue out. “It’s long gone by now anyway! I ditched it a kilometre back!” With a growl, Blood Hunter pulled the trigger on his device. From the muzzle shot a bullet of concentrated steam. Normally, it would hardly be a threat, and dissipate harmlessly. Unfortunately, the steam was charged with the same sort of energy emitted by the gases found in the Fullbottle attached to the gun, just in front of the trigger guard. Naturally, she threw herself into a roll. When the projectile slammed into the air exchanger and dented the metal, she started sprinting across the rooftops. It was hard splitting her attention between dodging over and under obstacles whilst simultaneously keeping her movement too unpredictable to hit. Good thing his aim is balls without the Steam Blade converting the Transteam Gun into the Steam Rifle. Firing while chasing only makes it worse! Unfortunately, she’d been on the run for almost two hours at this point, and hadn’t had much opportunity to rest, so her muscles were starting to ache. It didn’t help that a black transport helicopter had somehow joined the pursuit without her notice. She watched as it pulled ahead of her on the line of rooftops she’d been following. Wonder how they got clearance to fly this low. When the side door of the chopper opened up, several bipedal figures dropped down to the rooftop ahead of her. Guardians, then, since the edgelord back there is the only one with access to equipment that’d let a person take a fall like that. Sure enough, as she drew closer, she could see the armoured components and the bulky assault carbines and knew that she was screwed. Especially once there were several guns pointed at her. Sliding to a stop, Satonaka raised her hands slowly and slowly sank to her knees. Even before the self-styled Blood Hunter caught up, one of the combat robots had her in zip-cuffs and was in the process of loading her onto the helicopter. Despite all the noise from the vehicle, she heard him clear as day. He was clapping his hands and laughing. “Oh, we are going to have so much fun, you and I. What will it take to make you turn into a Smash?”
Seven Fates
562641
2
Main 7 (EqG),Original Character,Other,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Science Fiction,Kamen Rider,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity,Violence
Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu
In the wake of the Fall Formal, a lot has changed. The Demon Queen has been dethroned, the student body is healing, and the city has a new guardian angel—a masked heroine who calls herself a Kamen Rider?
incomplete
17
4
<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>An Equestria Girls x Kamen Rider <span style="color:#BE4343">Bu</span>i<span style="color:#265DAF">ld</span> fic</p></div><hr/><p>It's been three weeks since the CHS Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer, the most notorious queen bee in the school's history, has been dethroned and the once-divided student body has begun to heal. No longer are students broken into cliques; old and new friendships alike have risen from the ashes of Sunset's reign of terror.</p><p>Not all is well in the Canterlot metropolis, however. Since the formal, mysterious creatures known only as the Smash have been showing up, going on rampages throughout the city. But for the presence of Canterlogic Securities' <i>Guardian</i> combat robots, there would be no repelling these monsters. Questions remain in the wake of these attacks—where did the Smash come from, and where did they go when defeated?</p><p>Tangled up in it all is Nebula Moonlight, a late transfer to CHS. Much like the Smash, her life seemingly began the night of the Fall Formal, and she was left grasping for answers about who she really was. The only clues she has are the words of her mysterious benefactor, and a strange device that allows her to transform. &quot;If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source.&quot;</p><p>Science and magic collide, and Canterlot is on a collision course for disaster unless Nebula and her new allies can solve the mystery and stop the threat once and for all.</p><hr/><p>If you enjoy the story, be sure to leave a comment.</p><p>Notes: </p><ul><li>G5 tag present due to the implementation of several characters and/or organisations inspired by G5 making appearances.</li><li>Watching Kamen Rider Build is not required to understand this story; any concepts and/or references will be explained throughout the story and through Author Notes. You may notice familiar story beats if you have seen the series.</li><li>The Project Build logo and Kamen Rider Build are the property of Toei and Ishinomori Productions. I claim no ownership.</li><li>The logo on the cover is mash-up of the Project Build logo and the horseshoe iconography present in a lot of the CHS memorabilia seen in the various Equestria Girls. Cover is done in CHS Wondercolts colouring for extra fun.</li></ul>
teen
2024-08-03T05:48:30+00:00
2024-08-03T15:04:26+00:00
264
October 14th, 2013 The school building loomed over her like a monolith despite only being two storeys. There was no reason it should seem so big to her, but for some reason, large buildings made her anxious. Her caseworker suggested that it was likely based on some sort of trauma, but nobody knew enough about the girl for them to guess what could have happened. Not even a therapist had had any luck in unlocking any memories, although that was likely to be an ongoing thing. See, as far as anyone in the city of Canterlot could tell, she just appeared out of nowhere three weeks ago. No name, no belongings, no ID—not even any sort of record that she’d ever entered the country. A police officer simply found her one night while on patrol, wandering about in a stupor wearing only a generic hospital gown. As far as she was concerned, her life began when she was seated in the back of a police cruiser with a blanket wrapped around her and a cup of cocoa in her hands. At best, they could tell she was maybe sixteen, had foreign features, and spoke two languages. If not for the fact that she spoke English with a perfect local accent, they might have assumed she was some sort of illegal immigrant—or worse, a victim of human trafficking. Still, she’d been given a very extensive examination when she was brought in, bordering on invasive. Aside from some recently healed surgical scars on her abdomen and one side of her head, she was in perfect health with nothing missing. With nothing else to do while the police tried to find her family, she was placed in a group-home, assigned a caseworker, and told to just hang in there. Of course, that also meant attending school, which in turn brought her here today. It was her first day at CHS, and to her that meant meeting with the principal and a tour. A part of her wished she had something better than just sweatpants and a band tee to present herself in, but with limited resources... Sucking in a calming breath, she walked across the front of the school grounds. It seemed worth noting that the walkway looked as though a section of it had been completely replaced, and based on the fact that there was a circle of fresh sod laid out around that section of walkway, something had damaged the area recently. Similarly, the front door and surrounding wall looked as though they’d been replaced recently. Her eyes wandered, looking for any other sort of damage that might indicate what’d happened to the front of the school and the walkway. Yet there was nothing. No sign of an explosion or anything. Is this building built over a sinkhole and in disrepair or something? As she let herself in through the front door, she quickly found her way to the administrative office. A pale woman with her hair in a dark bun was seated at the front desk, seemingly absorbed in some paperwork. She didn’t even seem to notice the teenage girl as she entered. Given my palette, you’d think I’d stick out like a sore thumb. “Erm, excuse me,” she interrupted, bowing her head after glancing at the nameplate. “Inkwell-san? I was told I should come here to meet with the principal, Celestia-san?” The secretary pushed her glasses up her nose and then looked at her. “I don’t recognise you,” the lady replied with a curious hum. “Are you one of our students?” With a shrug, the girl rubbed her hand along the shaved left side of her head as she straightened up. “My caseworker should have faxed in the enrolment paperwork,” she explained. “It should be under the name Nebula Moonlight?” So far as she could tell, it wasn’t actually her given name, but all the same, they needed to call her something, and Jane Doe wouldn’t do; as such her caseworker used her colouration to inspire a name. Nebula for the Orion Nebula to which her eyes matched, and Moonlight for her nightly shades. After a few keystrokes, a satisfied smile crossed Ms. Inkwell’s face and she gave a nod. “Yes, I have your file here now, Ms. Moonlight.” She gestured to the door to her right. “Principal Celestia should be ready to see you, but please knock in case she’s in a call.” Nebula bowed again and walked over to the indicated door and knocked. After a few moments, there was a muffled, “Come in!” With permission granted, she opened the door and stepped in, and gave a polite bow after shutting it behind her. The woman of pastel colouration pointed toward a seat. “Please, have a seat, Nebula.” She took a seat in the offered chair and folded her hands upon her lap. “Thank you for permitting me to join so late in the year, Celestia-sensei,” spoke Nebula, following the speech-pattern that seemed natural to her. “I realise that I provide an awkward case to accommodate, but I am eager to prove that my being here will not be a hindrance.” Celestia raised an eyebrow at her, but chose not to make any sort of commentary on the overly formal tone. Instead, the woman kept a friendly demeanour as she led into some basic information about the school and what a typical day would look like. A quick discussion ensued about the sorts of courses she was interested in. There were also some basic questions kept for administrative purposes: preferred name, any allergies, if she was working any part-time jobs, etc. She even made mention of a musical showcase that would be run as a charity fundraiser in a few weeks—not that Nebula had any clue if she could even play an instrument. After what seemed like an hour, although it was more likely to be fifteen minutes, the principal took out a microphone that she assumed to be connected to the school’s PA system. “If not for all this paperwork, I’d show you around the school myself, but alas the principal’s job never ends,” she joked before depressing the button. “Sunset Shimmer, please report to the office. Sunset Shimmer to the office.” Ending the broadcast, she quickly added, “Luckily, one of our top students has already volunteered to give you a tour of the facilities. She’ll show you around, and then by that point it should be lunch. You’re welcome to dine in the cafeteria, and then come back here to get your locker and schedule. You can officially begin classes as a sophomore tomorrow.” After a few minutes, the door opened, and in stepped an... interesting character. Between the leather jacket and boots, the girl didn’t seem to be the type to have high grades. Looks could, of course, be deceiving, and it was apparent to Nebula that this Sunset girl was anything but what she seemed. The confidence of her outfit wasn’t reflected on her face. And there’s this strange aura about her. There’s almost something... I don’t know... It feels familiar, and yet I’m sure we’ve never met. “Sunset, this is Nebula Moonlight, the new student we discussed Friday afternoon,” Celestia introduced, “Nebula, this is Sunset Shimmer.” Rising to her feet, Nebula gave a quick bow to the newcomer. “It is a pleasure to meet a fellow academic, Shimmer-san,” she greeted. “Shall we go?” In an almost defensive manner, Sunset raised her hands. “Please, just call me Sunset.” When given a nod of understanding, the redhead smiled. “Let’s show you around, then.” It became quickly apparent to Nebula that something wasn’t quite right. As her tour progressed, she noticed a lot of glaring and whispering while passing students in the hall. All eyes were on them both when Sunset was showing her the library, and it was starting to make her a bit uncomfortable. How best to address it, though? She didn’t want to assume that it was because she was of foreign heritage; she’d rather hope for the best than expect the worst of strangers, and yet she could hardly think a new student joining the school late into the semester was that unusual. This is why I prefer working with adults... That thought brought a frown to her face, as she had no indication as to why she would even have such a thought. “Sunset-san, I must ask,” she said with some trepidation as she was being led toward the computer lab. “Is my appearance so unusual? Everywhere we go, I see people glaring and whispering. Is the student body perhaps xenophobic?” From her position behind the academic badgirl, she could not see her face, and yet that question seemed to make her freeze up. For a few moments, Nebula thought she had said something insulting to her guide. When Sunset turned around, however, it was not anger or irritation on her face; it was dejection. “It’s not you they’re bothered by,” Sunset explained with a sigh. She was unable to meet Nebula’s gaze, and somehow, though the girl was taller than her, she seemed very small at that moment. “It’s me. I have... a reputation. I was unkind and manipulative for a long time, to the point that I earned the moniker Queen Bitch of CHS. More recently, I was forced to confront the monster I’d become after earning the title Demon Queen at the Fall Formal.” Although she thought she ought to say something, nothing came to mind. She couldn’t exactly say, ‘I see,’ because she really didn’t. Nothing about her body-language indicated that she had it in her to be cruel, and yet she seemed to believe this of herself. Plus, she only had the one side of things to base her opinion off of. Others might be able to provide more context, but the way she was throwing herself under the bus did not match. “Po-people are trying to help me be a better person, but it’s not exactly easy to forgive years of manipulation and lies,” she continued. It almost seemed to Nebula that Sunset was on the verge of tears. “Maybe this was a mistake... This is hardly the welcome you deserve.” What am I supposed to do in a situation like this? Nebula pondered as she watched Sunset withdraw further into herself. It’s clear that she feels guilty for what she says she’s done, and to volunteer to show a newcomer around shows she wants to make positive change, right? Hesitantly, Nebula stepped forward and put her arms around Sunset. “The fault for this is not yours,” she said, patting the taller girl on the back. “It is not you who has made this unpleasant, and if they cannot get over themselves long enough to project a welcoming aura for a newcomer, then perhaps they are not worth getting upset over.” She retreated only enough so that she could lift Sunset’s chin and make her look at her. “I will not call you a liar if you speak true of your past offences,” she admitted in a soft voice, “but if they are willing to make a stranger uncomfortable merely for the fault of having an outcast playing guide, it speaks more of the student body’s character than of yours.” With a bit of a giggle, she added, “They are but children still. If they want to go out into the world and eventually face HR for creating a hostile work environment, that is their prerogative.” It was slight, but Sunset was definitely beginning to smile. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” she replied with a chuckle of her own as Nebula gave her more space. “Thanks, though.” That got a shrug from the shorter girl. “I wouldn’t know about the workplace thing,” she admitted, never losing her smile. “Celestia-san might not have told you, but my memory starts mere weeks ago in the back of a police cruiser. The rest of my life is a blank to me.” She peered through one of the inset windows on a nearby door. It was a computer lab full of various students and a teacher. It seemed like they were learning about web design. “It may not be exactly the same, but I can empathise with the difficulties of having to start over.” Sunset took her phone from her jacket pocket and glanced at the time. “Speaking of starting over,” she began. “How about we finish up the tour and go get some lunch. I can even introduce you to the friends who are helping me start over, so you’ll know some people when you start tomorrow.” As they continued the tour, the two slipped into a conversation about the sciences, and she in turn learned more about Sunset. While Nebula was more interested in chemistry, biology and robotics, Sunset was interested in astronomy and physics. When the former expressed regret that she couldn’t have all three courses in one semester the latter playfully called her a nerd. It was something of a shame, Nebula decided, that there was no room in CHS’s auto shop class. It seemed they both shared an interest in mechanics. Just as well, I don’t even have a motorcycle to work on. Note to self, ask Sunset-san if you may see her project bike at some point. The last stop was the combination gymnasium/auditorium. It seemed like something that would be a staple in any high school, and yet it was a necessary stop nonetheless. Sunset made sure she knew where the locker rooms were, and then pointed out the phys-ed teacher. Coach Iron Will looked to be a brute of a man, and was apparently rough on all of the students, but it didn’t deter Nebula much. If anything, she welcomed a challenge. Lunch was an interesting affair. Another oddity about Sunset was that she was apparently pescatarian; it was just a small thing, but it too did not line up with the bad girl image, nor the past she’d explained. It was a comforting point of relation; the first time the group-home tried to feed Nebula red meat, she’d had a panic attack and ultimately thrown up, so having someone else meat averse around was a definite plus. Her friends were something else, too. None of them seemed like the sorts of people to get along, and practically seemed like the embodiment of high school drama stereotypes. There was a jock, a farmer, a diva, an eco kid, and then... Pinkie Pie. All of them had that strange feeling of familiarity about them, as well. First you had Rainbow Dash pencilled in under jock. She was loud, arrogant, and didn’t seem to think much of Nebula—something about too many eggheads. Apparently she was on almost every damn sports team in the school. If not for the fact that she thought it might spoil the surprise, she’d point out she actually enjoyed running. I wonder if that’s natural, or if she dyes her hair to match her name? The farmer was Applejack, or simply AJ. Her grandmother was the kind old lady who worked the food counter. Apparently her family ran the local orchard, too. Blunt, but she had a bit more tact than Rainbow seemed to. If she goes to college, I imagine it’ll be for horticulture or agri-sci. Rarity was nice, although how much of that was pity for Nebula’s situation was up in the air. Legitimately, she wasn’t sure how many people would just offer to throw together a few outfits for a complete stranger and not expect anything in return. It didn’t help how loudly the diva was when she reacted to the whole amnesia thing. Wonder if that isn’t gonna cause Sunset-san more grief from people with grudges. I can just imagine people indignant on my behalf for her imaginary advantage-taking. Fluttershy was very quiet. She definitely lived up to her name, and all Nebula really knew about her is that she loves animals and volunteers at a shelter. If I had to guess, her field would definitely be veterinary science. Finally, there was Pinkie Pie. No. Just no. I love sugar as much as the next scientist, but I’d have to run a study on her to determine how she can eat so much sugar. Indeed, the girl had nothing but sweets for her lunch, and yet she seemed just as lithe as Rarity or Fluttershy. If she starts calling me Nebby, I might scream. That was the other thing about her. She was a very high-energy individual. Alas, lunch came to an end and she had to bid Sunset and her friends farewell. Without anything else to do, she headed towards the office. More than once along the way, students approached her and tried to warn her away from associating with Sunset. It didn’t make her any more inclined to listen to them. When she got to the office, the secretary gave her a rather strange look. “Ms. Moonlight, something very odd happened this morning while you were out getting your tour with Ms. Shimmer,” she explained as she gave Nebula a sheet with her timetable and a combination lock. “A courier showed up looking very confused, claiming he had a parcel for a student.” She set a box wrapped in brown shipping paper on her desk. “Do you know anything about this?” Leaning in close, Nebula glanced at the box. Sure enough, her name—at least the one she’d been given in place of what her real one was—had been written across the top. “That is... rather curious, I admit.” With a bit of a shrug, she slipped her new lock into the pocket of her sweats. Her locker number and the combination for the lock were both written on a scrap of paper stapled to her schedule, so she folded that and slipped it into the pocket too. “No return address either... Maybe it’s a care package?” “Regardless, I should hope I don’t need to remind you that it is inappropriate to have your mail forwarded to the school,” Ms. Inkwell remarked as she watched Nebula pick up the package. “If you find out who sent it, please remind them of this fact as well.” “Will do,” she agreed with a bow. “I apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused.” With that, she excused herself from the office and began to walk through the hall toward the exit. She didn’t at all recognise the penmanship on the parcel, but that didn’t exactly mean much. All that it did mean was that it didn’t belong to her caseworker or the police officer who found her. I wonder... Although she had all the time in the world to simply wait for a bus, the group home wasn’t so far that she couldn’t simply walk there from school. It gave her time to get inside her own head for a bit. After all, she would be getting very busy in the coming days, what with all the catch-up work she’d likely have to do. Tucking the somewhat heavy parcel under her arm, she retrieved her class schedule. At a glance, it seemed to be broken into several standard periods, the same time every day. First period was world history, followed by AP science, and then mathematics. There was a forty-five minute lunch period, and then comp-sci, English, and phys-ed at the end of the day. Science and maths should be a breeze to do make-up work, but history, English and comp-sci could take some time, depending on what sort of busywork they make of it, she thought with a smirk as she weaved her way through the busy downtown. The hard part depends on my classmates. I don’t really care if they give me a hard time because of Sunset-san, but I don’t want to become a burden on her or her friends. They seem like nice, if eccentric people. God knows I need friends, and if they all get along with a former bully and each other, maybe I... Canterlot seemed like a pretty safe city, all things considered. If you discounted the possible human trafficking involved in Nebula’s sudden appearance, and the recent monster sightings, you could even say that it was one of the safest cities in Amareica. It was a friendly city where you could walk down the street and get a smile from most folk. Catching sight of herself in a store window, she shook her head. I should really see about getting some clothes that actually suit me. She paused as she wondered what would look good on her. A graphic tee wouldn’t be too bad, or maybe a band tee of her own choosing would be good, but sweats weren’t comfy. Maybe shorts and leggings? The converse sneakers she’d been given were maybe the only things she’d been given that didn’t clash with her taste. Wonder where I could get my hands on a lab coat though? Yet as she travelled, something occurred to her. Things were quiet—too quiet for her liking. It wasn’t as if she’d gone deaf. It was more like she’d simply wandered into some alternate reality where nobody was around. Not even the animals were there. She coughed as a particularly potent bit of exhaust washed over her. Wrenching herself free of her thoughts, she looked around. She found that she was standing near a playground along a run-down suburban street. Some of the cars even looked straight up abandoned. Wait a minute, this is nowhere near the part of town I was just in... Her eyes widened in sudden fear when Nebula couldn’t recall how she got there. If she had lost time, anything could have happened to her. It might not even have been the same day, and that was what terrified her most; she was already missing more than a decade of her life. The only thing that grounded her was that she still held the parcel she received at the school. In that moment, she desperately wished that her caretakers at the group home had seen fit to give her a cell phone, if for no other reason than to call for help. Even just a ride home would be nice... but no. Of course a socially awkward amnesiac teenager wouldn’t have a phone! “So, you’re the one, huh?” came a heavily distorted voice from the playground behind her. “You don’t really seem like much, but then again, neither did the scientist.” The sight that greeted her was an armoured figure in a red bodysuit, sprawled atop the roof of one of the play structures like some sort of cat. A patchwork of metal plates, pipes, and wires encompassed the torso, with the odd plate affixed to the thighs and shins. The helmet they wore almost reminded Nebula of a horse’s head, but for a tapered smokestack jutting from the forehead. A visor shaped like a pair of golden eyes was all that kept her from meeting the stranger’s gaze. “What will your choice be, I wonder,” they mused aloud as a loud crash echoed down the street. They sat up and just watched her, their right forearm resting on their knee in a too-casual manner. “Will you run until you’re caught, or will you stand your ground and fight for your life?” The sight of a car soaring through the air, tumbling harmlessly past her down the street, greeted Nebula when she looked for the source of the crash. If she thought the stranger atop the playground equipment was well-armoured, the creature slowly stomping its way toward her was a veritable tank. Although its legs could’ve been compared to one of those Canterlogic Guardian combat robots she’d seen on the news, its upper body looked more like a blue armoured fist clutching an orange metal orb, with two thin antennae jutting from the front of it. It swung one of its two heavily armoured arms into a sedan with a loud crash. Unlike the previous car, this one slammed through the front of a boarded up house. Honestly, she hoped there were no squatters in there, because by the time EHS arrived, it might be too late. Not that I could even call them right now. She turned back to the armoured figure watching her. “Who are you?” It took longer than she’d like to admit for their question to actually register. “Wait, fight? Are you some kind of moron? I’m just a kid!” The distorted chuckle that escaped the stranger’s mask sent chills down her spine. “Me, I’m just... well, I suppose you could call me a pot stirrer,” they explained in what she assumed to be a casual tone. “I’ve had my eye on you since you escaped their lab, and I thought, ‘Here’s a bright girl who has what it takes to fight back, if only she had the tools.’” Somehow, the box under her arm felt suddenly heavier. “This is from you, then...” she said in a shaky voice. With a nod, the self-proclaimed pot-stirrer inclined their head toward the oncoming creature. “Mostly... And now you’re here, and he’s here.” When the glowing visor turned back toward her, she could practically feel them smirking at her. “And unlike all the previous times a Smash has appeared in Canterlot, the Guardians are all experiencing some very inconvenient software issues.” They gestured at the box under her arm. “If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source. Otherwise, run and leave your past behind.” The choice seemed like a no-brainer. There was no way there was anything in the parcel that would give her a fighting chance against that walking tank. Dangling a mystery and the chance at finding out who she really was had to be a cruel trick intended to get her killed. Nebula wasn’t a fighter! Nevertheless... If there’s a chance to learn more, it feels wrong not to take it! Despite the oncoming monster, and her instincts screaming for her to run, she found herself walking over to a park bench. Tearing open the box, she found a brand-new messenger bag, a laptop with charger, and a strange lockbox with a fingerprint scanner. The first two couldn’t have held the secret to defeating the thing, which meant it was inside the hardcase. If it’s addressed to me, then... She pressed her left thumb against the scanner. There was an audible beep followed by a click as the top of the case popped open. Inside, she saw a custom cell phone with a strange slot, a bizarre contraption with a crank and two slots, as well as four coloured bottles that seemed to perfectly fit those slots.There were also several bottles that seemed to be empty. She gazed at the device with a critical eye. It was simultaneously foreign, and yet the sight of it elicited a great pain in the depths of her being. Picking it up, Nebula held it against her waist, the side with the crank pointed to her right, with the slots facing the front. The moment it made contact, a golden strap shot out from one side, wrapping itself around her seamlessly. “How do I...” she muttered in a dazed voice as she picked two bottles out of the case. One bearing the image of a bird had a near-black cloudy substance within. The other had a milky substance within, a scythe etched in red on the bottle. The last two—butter-yellow with a horse etching and sky blue with a revolver etching—she left behind. “Why is this so... familiar?” Without requiring any explanation she began to shake both bottles to agitate the contained substance. As the Smash drew closer, she began to feel the same sense of excitement she felt whenever she read about something scientific. Even though her brain was screaming in terror as the thing finally noticed her, she found herself saying, “Shall we play mad scientist?” before twisting the caps on the bottles and jamming them into the slots—bird on the right, and blade on the left. «Raven!» «Scythe!» «Best Match!» The voice the belt emitted sounded like a cheerful young woman. Spurred on by the voice, she began to crank the device several times. From its side, several transparent tubes emerged moving ahead and behind her to form a framework suspending several pieces of armour, a metal runner manifesting from nowhere to either side along the ground. Suspended before her were glossy charcoal casing that would cover the left half of her head, the right side of her torso and arm, and her left leg. Behind her was a mirrored white set, with red accents. Notably, the left shoulder and right foot bore a slight bladed appearance. And is that a combat skirt? How it would actually get onto her seemed completely unscientific, but all the same... «Are you ready?» She ducked into a crouch, one arm stretched behind her while her left fist met the ground before her, then standing to match the armour’s position. It made no sense for her to know the apparent trigger phrase, but as soon as she spoke the word, “Henshin!” the armour before her and behind her slid down the track to slam shut over her. The unarmoured parts of her were rather quickly encompassed in a seamless black bodysuit. a mixture of steam and black feathers shot out from the armour as its two halves sealed perfectly around her. «The Grim Harbinger! Yabei!» Nebula stared down at her now-gloved hands, opening them and closing them in wonderment. Power like she’d never felt before coursed through her veins, and her body felt so light. The unease she felt at potentially fighting slowly bled away, and distantly, she thought she heard her unexpected audience clapping. I... I can do this! When she glanced back down at the case, she found the other two coloured bottles, and two of the empties gone. Now they were at either side of her hip, clipped into straps affixed to her belt. I have so many questions right now, but for the time being I’ll accept the convenience of it. “That’s what I like to see!” called her watcher. “Now show me you’re worthy to inherit the Rider System, my little crow.” [Insert Start: Ignite the Night] She didn’t turn to face them, instead focusing on the Smash. Now, it didn’t seem so undefeatable. If anything, it almost seemed... confused—like it couldn’t understand why she wasn’t running. The two simply stared at one another, daring the other to make the first move. The creature made the first move, lumbering forward, one of its bulky metal arms drawn back. It was one hell of a haymaker to open up with, and based on how it knocked around the cars, it probably would hit harder than a truck. It should have inspired fear in the teen... and yet it didn’t. To Nebula, the Smash seemed somehow slower than it had before. She could see the punch coming and the path it would take. It in turn allowed her to duck under the blow, fluidly sliding beneath its singing arm. A few punches into its side—which, based on the armoured beast’s heavy plating, probably should’ve hurt—coupled with the creature’s own momentum to set it off balance, which she quickly took advantage of; using the bladed protrusion on her right boot, she hooked its leg out from under it, sending it sprawling to the ground. Its mass worked against it, causing a small crater in the small walkway upon which they fought. Thinking it unlikely to be agile due to its bulk and heavy armour, she drew closer, even as she puzzled out how to finish it off. This proved to be a mistake, as it rolled sideways towards her, lashing out with an elbow strike that knocked her backwards; her body carved a small trench in the ground before she finally stopped in the middle of the street. As she pushed herself back to her feet, she saw that the smash was gone. Further beyond that spot, she saw the androgynous, armoured observer watching with interest, a phone clutched in one hand. Actually, it looked like they were subtly pointing up with their free hand. Wait, what? She looked up and saw the creature barrelling toward her out of the sky. Once again, its arm was outstretched to deliver a haymaker. Unlike the previous attempt, she only had moments to react, and she threw herself sideways down the street. She managed to stay upright just long enough to watch it create an even larger crater in the street. “This isn’t working... a scythe is a bladed instrument,” she mused, her hand shooting to the blue bottle at her hip. “It might not be so bad if I had an actual weapon, but I don’t have the power to punch through its armour.” She popped the left bottle out of her belt, and replaced it with the blue one. In the same fluid motion, she clipped the Scythe bottle to her belt. «Magnum!» Once more she began cranking the handle at the side of her belt. Again, plastic tubes shot out of the device, forming blue armour-pieces to the left of her. “Cross change!” she shouted, causing the replacement armour parts to slam into her from the side. Aside from the colouring and the smoother shoulder pauldron, the armour at her elbow took on the appearance of a revolver’s hammer. Similarly, atop her forearm there was a metal shroud from which a barrel protruded. Finally, some firepower! Before she had the opportunity to puzzle out how to make a shot, the Smash tore through the rim of the crater. It was heading right toward her, and she found herself showered with large chunks of pavement. Shying away, trying to protect herself with her right arm, a wing with metallic feathers emerged from her back. It shielded her from the majority of the disturbed tarmac, but most importantly, it masked her next action. A smile formed behind her helmet as the wing retreated back into the armour. Once again, she ducked in order to avoid a deadly blow, but instead of flowing around her opponent this time, she struck it with a vicious uppercut. The moment her arm fully extended into the blow, a loud crack could be heard. A sphere of dark energy emerged from the barrel on her forearm, impacting the Smash just below where she reckoned its face to be. Launched up into the air by the sudden force of the blast, it could do nothing but flail helplessly as it soared ever higher into the sky. Crank the belt, and jump into the sky, a tiny voice in the back of her mind told her. Let instinct guide the rest. Choosing to follow her instincts, she did just that; she cranked the handle several times and then jumped. Kicking off with the charcoal grey left leg, she found herself rocketing off into the sky after the smash. There was no rational way for a human to commit such a feat and yet in seconds she found herself just above the Smash. «Vortex Finish!» With the announcement of her belt, she slammed her left fist down into the creature’s back. Although the creature started tumbling back down toward the ground, the blast from her arm-cannon flew behind her and gave her the extra thrust needed to slowly exceed the Smash’s own downward momentum. Energy formed around her right leg, so as she accelerated toward the creature, she lashed out with a fiery kick. Her superhero landing should’ve shattered every bone in her body, but something about the protective suit didn’t seem to agree; the impact jarred her and she imagined she might be feeling that later. The smash wasn’t so lucky. It landed in the crater it made before, kicking up yet another cloud of debris. Operating purely on instinct at this point, she stood and withdrew one of the empty bottles from the strap on her waist. Walking toward the crater, she threw the bottle in the air and caught it several times. “What am I supposed to do with this, I wonder?” she said aloud, crouching at the crater’s edge. “Thoughts?” [Insert End] As she twisted the cap with her thumb and pointed it at the still-twitching Smash, a cloud of red mist surged out of the Smash’s body and into the empty bottle. There should’ve been no way it all could all fit into that tiny bottle, especially as the body of the creature disintegrated; at the same time, it almost seemed like it wanted to be contained. When the last vestiges of the monster disappeared, there was a man in a hospital gown, covered in scars and prison tattoos. He was still alive, although he was coated in a sheen of sweat. Her gaze drifted from the man to the bottle in her hand, which had swollen up and taken on a black spider web pattern. What is this gas, and how does this bottle differ from the other four? “There you have it, little crow,” she heard the distorted voice of her watcher and mysterious benefactor beside her. Before she could even turn to look, the equine-themed metal-punk warrior hopped down into the crater and touched the unconscious former monster. “Your big mystery: What is the gas? How does it work? Most important of all, why does it turn men into monsters.” From their waist the armoured figure withdrew a vaguely pistol-shaped device and pointed it at the sky. With the pull of a trigger, the pair inside the crater were shrouded in a thick smokescreen that crackled with energy. When that smoke cleared, the two had vanished. That left Nebula all alone on a street that looked like a warzone. With a sigh, she returned to the bench where she’d left her ‘care package’, and placed the strange bottle in the hardcase. The moment she removed the two bottles attached to her belt—what the stranger referred to as the Build System—the armour dispersed into motes of light. The weight of the bottles that had been on the straps at her hips transferred into her pockets, and finally the belt released itself. She put all of it back into the hardcase and shut it. She then transferred the case and laptop into the messenger bag, where she found a surprise: a quality lab coat in lavender, and a note on a sheet of paper. There was an emblem on the breast pocket of the coat that struck her as very familiar. Finally, she moved her class schedule and padlock into the bag as well. Putting on the coat and slinging the bag across her torso, Nebula began to walk back to the group home. It was gonna be a long walk, so she examined the note. I wonder what it’s about. Dear Ms. Moonlight My name is Argyle Starshine, and I am the proprietor of the Brighthouse Café. Your name came up in a discussion with one of our regulars, and from there I came to know of your story. One of our waitresses, and one of my daughter’s best friends, is no stranger to amnesia. Since she is like a second daughter, the similarity between your story and hers resonated with me. Since you are starting from zero in a new school, we have chosen to sponsor the furtherment of your education. At first my wife and I considered simply donating the bag and all of the school supplies one might need, but then one of our employees volunteered to donate her old college laptop. Attached to this note is a gift card with what should be enough to get you started for the semester. Although you are not obliged, I hope that you will consider stopping by the cafe some time. We all would very much like to meet you in person. Sincerely, Argyle Starshine Owner of the Brighthouse Café
Seven Fates
562641
3
Main 7 (EqG),Original Character,Other,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Science Fiction,Kamen Rider,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity,Violence
Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu
In the wake of the Fall Formal, a lot has changed. The Demon Queen has been dethroned, the student body is healing, and the city has a new guardian angel—a masked heroine who calls herself a Kamen Rider?
incomplete
17
4
<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>An Equestria Girls x Kamen Rider <span style="color:#BE4343">Bu</span>i<span style="color:#265DAF">ld</span> fic</p></div><hr/><p>It's been three weeks since the CHS Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer, the most notorious queen bee in the school's history, has been dethroned and the once-divided student body has begun to heal. No longer are students broken into cliques; old and new friendships alike have risen from the ashes of Sunset's reign of terror.</p><p>Not all is well in the Canterlot metropolis, however. Since the formal, mysterious creatures known only as the Smash have been showing up, going on rampages throughout the city. But for the presence of Canterlogic Securities' <i>Guardian</i> combat robots, there would be no repelling these monsters. Questions remain in the wake of these attacks—where did the Smash come from, and where did they go when defeated?</p><p>Tangled up in it all is Nebula Moonlight, a late transfer to CHS. Much like the Smash, her life seemingly began the night of the Fall Formal, and she was left grasping for answers about who she really was. The only clues she has are the words of her mysterious benefactor, and a strange device that allows her to transform. &quot;If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source.&quot;</p><p>Science and magic collide, and Canterlot is on a collision course for disaster unless Nebula and her new allies can solve the mystery and stop the threat once and for all.</p><hr/><p>If you enjoy the story, be sure to leave a comment.</p><p>Notes: </p><ul><li>G5 tag present due to the implementation of several characters and/or organisations inspired by G5 making appearances.</li><li>Watching Kamen Rider Build is not required to understand this story; any concepts and/or references will be explained throughout the story and through Author Notes. You may notice familiar story beats if you have seen the series.</li><li>The Project Build logo and Kamen Rider Build are the property of Toei and Ishinomori Productions. I claim no ownership.</li><li>The logo on the cover is mash-up of the Project Build logo and the horseshoe iconography present in a lot of the CHS memorabilia seen in the various Equestria Girls. Cover is done in CHS Wondercolts colouring for extra fun.</li></ul>
teen
2024-08-07T20:31:05+00:00
2024-08-07T20:31:05+00:00
150
The first week of Nebula’s time at Canterlot High was what could be generously described as productive. If she was being more honest, she would be more likely to use the term distracting. History came to her as she thought things out, her sciences and maths were a breeze, and it wasn’t like there was much catch-up work someone could do for phys-ed. By the end of the weekend, all that stuff was done with. English, on the other hand, challenged her. It wasn’t that she was bad with the English language; it came to her just as naturally as Neighponese, and she didn’t know which was her first tongue. No, it was the enforced overanalysis of every little thing. She couldn’t remember her past experiences in school, but as far as she was concerned, it was a colossal waste of her time. She had to read an entire book and provide a literary analysis for the blandest piece of literature ever. More importantly, time spent with the catch-up work meant that she wasn’t able to examine the mysterious devices. It wasn’t just the mysterious transformation device and bottles that intrigued her; the phone that had been included in the lockbox was clearly a highly customised, top of the line smart-phone, but that wasn’t what was so odd about it. The strange slot on it seemed to match up with the bottles in the case. Something told her that checking that feature out indoors would probably be bad. The phone clearly belonged to some sort of scientist, and although any personal data like SMS messages and photos had been thoroughly scrubbed, there were several encrypted documents stored on the phone’s memory. Whoever it was had been very thorough in protecting the data, and nothing short of finding the password for each file—likely different for each one—would reveal their contents. That wasn’t to say it was hopeless; one of them was some kind of introduction that may very well have been intentionally written for her. Put plainly, Project Re:Build was initiated by one Dr. Daisuke Satonaka, a Neighponese-Amareican physicist who, up until that point, was part of a team studying what seemed to be an unstable tear in the fabric of reality itself. A transmission from within the tear, found to be written in Neighponese, revealed the existence of a curious energised gas that possessed near magical transformative abilities. The gas, referred to in the documentation as ‘Nebula Gas’, could not be normally manufactured, as it possessed several compounds and elements not native to Earth. It was not explained how they managed to synthesise the Nebula Gas, and frankly, she almost worried about the ethical implications of that. You don’t just accidentally find that sort of thing out. With the transformative and metaphysical properties of the gas, Dr. Satonaka began experimentation into matter compression and transmutation. His ultimate goal was to recreate tools found in the transmission that could help in disaster scenarios, such as a suit that amplified the capabilities of its wearer. Nebula—and she was quite aware how ironic that she now shared her name with this gas—was almost certain that this was the first step toward the suit that she’d worn and fought that Smash in, and that the gas in the bottles were some form of refined Nebula Gas. She wasn’t able to glean much else from the document itself, but an addendum that was likely added well after the fact noted that Dr. Satonaka’s daughter inherited the project when he was killed in a lab accident; she went on to create several apps and sensors related to the detection, tracking, and analysis of the Nebula Gas, which were apparently installed on the phone itself. ‘Useful for your quest, little crow, isn’t it?’ It was that final line that indicated who had made that document open access. That had of course led to a Sunday evening testing said apps out. Her theory about the bottles was pretty close to the mark, too. The bottle containing the gas extracted from the Smash gave off somewhat different readings than the other four bottles, and seemed to exist in a more unstable state, perhaps due to impurity. Detection was hit or miss, though. The lockbox in which she kept the belt and two of the pure bottles—it seemed prudent to keep two in easy reach when possible—was apparently able to mask the energy signatures. Beyond what little she’d been able to glean research-wise, Nebula was managing to get by. It wasn’t an easy thing, however. Although people had made efforts to warn her away from Sunset on the day of her tour, the first actual day of classes was met with cool indifference from most of her new peers. Rarity, who shared her first-period history class, was kind enough to inform her that the rumour mill had run wild with an overheard snippet of the conversation she had with Sunset, which purported her to be an insufferable know-it-all with about as much empathy as her guide. That in turn was quickly followed up with a compliment to her new accoutrement. Then she had two back-to-back periods with Sunset, in which she apologised profusely for what was now happening. It left her wondering what happened to her to make her like this. At least they were able to make quick work of some group-work in both classes. Those small interactions, and joining Sunset and her friends at lunch was all that got her through the surprisingly lonely fourth and fifth period classes. Gym was probably the best part of her day, much to her bafflement. Maybe it was just because Applejack and Rainbow Dash were there to mitigate some of the hostility, but it drove her to push herself. See those two had something of a good natured rivalry, and when Iron Will decided to lead the students on a jog around the neighbourhood, the pair turned it into a footrace. What was I supposed to do when Dash told me ‘See you at the finish line, nerd!’ Evidently, nobody had expected her to keep pace with the pair. There’d even been some staring and a slackened jaw from Rainbow. It was when she finally explained that even if she wanted to end up working in a lab, there was no reason not to keep herself fit. That seemed to raise Dash’s opinion of her by a few points at least. Things played out roughly the same way over the next several days. After fighting the Smash on Monday, she was somewhat thankful for the normalcy. Every moment not spent fighting was another moment of peace. Somehow, she got the feeling that the peaceful days wouldn’t last. October 21st, 2013 It was Monday. To be precise, it was lunch hour. For Sunset Shimmer, it was just another trial in patience and humility. In the weeks since her disastrous fall from grace, she’d been doing her level best to keep her head down and to not provoke anything, but it was hard; Mondays made it no easier. Most students were seemingly content just to glare or whisper. A few of the rougher students, however, weren’t content leaving her be. When students like Gilda or Lightning Dust thought they could get away with it, they’d trip her up or push her. Similarly, she was getting threatening notes slipped through the gaps in her locker. Most of it, she let roll off her back; after all, there was only so much anybody could do to her without invoking the wrath of the administration. No, their goal was to provoke her into lashing out and getting in trouble herself. It was something she could handle without much problem. After all, she’d faced similar treatment at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns as a result of her being ‘gutter trash’ that was ‘making the princess waste her time’. Getting even had been especially cathartic back then, and that game of attack and counter-attack had prepared her well for her time at Canterlot High and her subsequent rise to the top. Seeing the way the student body was reacting to Nebula Moonlight, however, wasn’t so easy. Her only ‘crime’ was having been guided around the school by the former unicorn, and then trying to cheer her up. Rather, Sunset didn’t think they were doing it to hurt the newcomer, but rather make her miserable enough to stay away. The other five were too popular among the students, but Nebula was an outsider who, at a cursory glance, could be written off as not fitting in. As she left the line at the food counter with her vegetable soup and fresh bread, Sunset considered whether she or the others really needed to do anything. If it was ultimately hurting Nebula, she’d feel obliged to help her, and yet by all indications, she was apathetic towards her treatment. What was it that she’d said about them? “They are but children still.” It also occurred to Sunset that the girl might not be entirely cognisant of the fact that she was being bullied. There were moments where Nebula seemed unsure of how to behave around others. It could have been a result of her memory loss, having to relearn certain cues and the like, but it reminded Sunset of her own time spent observing and adapting to living as a human. It’d make a certain degree of sense, and some of the facts seemed to line up. On the night of the Fall Formal she appeared in this world as if from the Aether. Being older in Equestria might account for her more mature point of view, as well as the social awkwardness. Going from interacting with nothing but adults to being surrounded by middle schoolers when I arrived wasn’t easy. While amnesia might be a cover, there were a few data points that conflicted with that theory. There would have been no way for some random civilian to come through the portal; it’d been in a rather well-guarded castle, and she didn’t think there’d have been time to call in a S.M.I.L.E. agent. There was also what Rarity had told her about how well Nebula was doing in history; it’d taken Sunset a lot of work to get her own historical knowledge up to snuff, whereas the newcomer was taking to it like a fish to water. Similarly, she was simply too steady on her feet. Part of it’s probably just wanting another Equestrian around I can relate with, she thought as she approached the table that her friends—and wasn’t that still a weird thought—were gathered. Pinkie, AJ, Dash, and Fluttershy were all seated on one side, their backs facing her, while Nebula was seated beside Rarity. While everyone else was eating something from the cafeteria, the subject of her concerns was idly chewing some chocolate biscuit sticks that probably came from the red box jutting out of her lab coat’s breast pocket. Although she seemed to be passively listening to the others talk about Halloween, it was clear that she was more interested in whatever she was reading on that strange phone of hers. Had she already eaten, or was she just having coffee and sweets in lieu of lunch? “Hey, Sunset!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the Equestrian took a seat next to Nebula. The athlete seemed to give the group’s unofficial new member a cautious look before seemingly nodding to herself. “You need to come by the music room after school! There’s something you’ve gotta see!” Sunset fixed her colourful friend with a curious look. “Oh, are you guys participating in the musical showcase?” she asked, picking up her spoon and beginning her meal. “I think I’ve got time.” She glanced at her neighbour and prodded. “Will you be coming too?” “Music isn’t my thing,” the girl next to her absently remarked around her biscuit stick, although she didn’t seem all that convincing wearing a tee depicting the logo for a local electronica artist. Her eyes never left the display on her phone, even as she took a sip of the steaming black coffee in front of her. “Don’t let me keep you though.” The group fell into a quiet discussion as the others dug into their lunches. As she ate her soup, Sunset cast a sidelong glance at what Nebula seemed to be reading. It looked to be some sort of research document, but she nearly froze up when she saw a familiar waveform depicted on a chart. It was slightly off-looking, but that was definitely magic that was charted out. Has someone published a paper on it? Or did someone detect it on the twenty-seventh of September and turn to the net for info? None of the research data was legible to her, however; it was in a language Sunset had never taken the time to learn. “Oh! Oh! Dashie!” Pinkie exclaimed, spraying cookie crumbs across Applejack, who sat between them both. “Did you hear about that Smash last week?” To nobody’s great surprise, Fluttershy began to hide her face in her voluminous mane of pink hair. The pale girl was rather squeamish when it came to ‘scary’ topics, and little was scarier than monsters. Rainbow, on the other hand, perked up and leaned closer. Much to Sunset’s surprise, even Nebula was listening. “Depends on which one that was,” she replied in casual interest. “Was that the spiky one that rampaged downtown, or the square one that caused a fuss in that Zephyr Heights subdivision?” Before Pinkie could answer, Nebula shook her head, causing her asymmetrical bob cut to block one of her eyes. “Different one,” she intoned dispassionately, not taking her eyes from her phone screen. Quickly pulling the remains of her biscuit snack into her mouth and chewing, she brushed her hair out of her face and then scratched the shaved side of her head. “Looked like a walking armoured meatball. Based on the video, it looked strong.” Sunset watched as the girl seemed to have an epiphany, and then backed out of her document to some file browser that noted a lot of locked files, all in that same language. She navigated to another file, typed something into the password prompt, and then another research document appeared on screen.「Yes! I’m in!」 Nebula quietly muttered to herself. 「Thank you, Pink Demon!」 Without missing a beat, Pinkie Pie responded,「No problem, Nebby-chan,」which earned a visible facial twitch from Nebula and a chuckle from Dash. “Anyway, this was in the abandoned part of the old town. Someone in a playground caught some footage of it fighting.” She does know that anybody can see what she’s reading, right? Her eyebrow rose as she scrolled, although her attention was definitely more on Pinkie’s discussion now. There was, for a moment, a sketch on screen depicted a spiked, armoured biped that had a face like a warship’s conning tower. Wait, wasn’t that one of those Smashes? With a sip of her bottled water, Rarity threw in her two bits. “I for one am grateful for Canterlogic’s Guardians,” she said. “Even if it was in one of those dreadful, dilapidated parts of town, I’m glad those robots were able to stop it.” With a sigh, she glanced past Nebula to Sunset. “The destruction and casualties inflicted by the previous ones honestly made what Sunset’s... outburst did to the front of the school look like a child’s tantrum... No offence.” Of all the things Rarity could have brought up right then, it was one of the worst—right next to her being from another reality. It was bad enough that the word demon was bandied around far too frequently for her own comfort. To have it brought up in front of the new girl, who had none of the context only made it worse. Sunset braced herself and looked over to her neighbour. The girl between them both stopped her scrolling, and Sunset fully expected her to press. What she didn’t expect was her to put her phone away, and then look at each of them before settling on Sunset and shrugging. Oh, there was the expected glint of curiosity in her visible eye, but there was doubt that tempered it. When Nebula simply popped the chocolate-covered end of another of her snacks into her mouth and reclined her head on her hand, Sunset looked away. “None taken.” “Anywhoozle, it wasn’t the guardians that stopped the monster!” Pinkie benevolently redirected the conversation. The girl then reached down the front of her shirt and took out her own phone and fiddled with it for a few moments before holding it out so most of the table could see it. “All the Guardians in the Greater Canterlot Area apparently all had errors at the time, so instead this mysterious stranger showed up.” The first thing Sunset noted on Pinkie’s phone was that the figure standing by the bench, looking into some sort of equipment case, was intentionally obscured with white. It was definitely a frame-by-frame edit job, but while the person’s identity was obscured, the device they plucked from the case wasn’t. It was some sort of strange belt which they slotted two indistinct objects into and cranked a handle at the side. Her mind could hardly keep up with what she was seeing. The transformation sequence that followed defied all that she understood of science. You couldn’t just manifest materials like that; even with magic, it was not an easy feat. All the same magic was the only thing that came to mind. “It’s almost like magic,” she found herself saying. “Assuming it’s not just someone’s film project.” Beside her, Nebula chuckled. “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” she recited, turning just enough to give Sunset an appraising look. When Sunset grimaced at the adage, she quickly added on, “Although I suppose if I invoke Clarke’s Third Law, I should consider Niven’s converse, that any sufficiently advanced magic would be indistinguishable from technology.” As the fight played out, Rainbow Dash seemed starry-eyed. Even if it all was ultimately just a hoax to them, it was impressive to see. In that case, the production value was amazing. “Whoa, that was kickass!” the athlete exclaimed a little too loudly as the video ended. “But that’s just someone’s home movie, isn’t it?” Taking a bite of her namesake fruit, Applejack, considered this. “If’n it was real, wasn’t very good of’em to tear up the road like that,” she commented once she swallowed. “Mac an’ Ah was through there last week goin’ to the scrap-yard. That big hole sure as sugar wasn’t any o’ that fancy CGI.” Sunset frowned, glancing from AJ, back to the phone, where the video had ended on a still of that armoured fighter in a superhero landing pose. Something was nagging at her, however. Mentally, she replayed what she’d seen from the start, including the moments leading up to the transformation. The parcel... The lack of assurance. “Something about this doesn’t feel right,” she thought aloud. “It all seems too... convenient.” Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the corner of Nebula’s mouth twitch upward. “Even ignoring the fact that all the Guardians in Canterlot had simultaneous malfunctions, doesn’t it seem odd that this one struck in an abandoned slum, instead of a populated area? Then there’s the person who transformed...” “They didn’t wanna be there,” Fluttershy said, speaking up for the first time since the topic arose. “It was almost like someone set that entire thing up, and up until the fight started, they were confused.” Beside her, Nebula looked like she was getting ready to get up, but instead just turned on the bench. With her arms crossed in front of her, she leaned back against the table and shut her eyes. Something about her demeanour seemed strange. “Fluttershy-san is right. There is also the matter of the gaps in the audio; it is as though whoever was filming was talking to them, but didn’t want it heard in the video.” Swivelling her biscuit stick from one corner of her mouth to the other, she breathed out a sigh through her nose. “What I cannot wrap my head around is... why post it online at all?” Initially, Nebula was intending to head straight home after gym class. Thanks to a convenient mention of the Smash from Pinkie at Lunch, she’d gotten into a new document from Project Re:Build. It had a lot of details on the Smash, but it also provided important details about the transformation device, which was apparently called the Build Driver Rev. A, or how the bottles were referred to as Fullbottles. She’d only been able to glimpse it before her fight last week came up, and she decided that anything more should be read somewhere private, and now she wanted nothing more than to just kick back and read it. It wasn’t like she could really start testing anything to do with the Driver until she could find somewhere safe to do so. Ideally, an old warehouse or quarry would work best, as there wasn't likely to be anyone around to see. The interaction between her phone and the Fullbottles was another matter that still seemed like a bad idea to test in public. With that in mind, she decided she was gonna check out the industrial area for any condemned or ‘for sale’ warehouses. That plan only got as far as the statue out in front of CHS. The detection app picked up low levels of Nebula Gas energies as she passed in front of the statue; they were so low, in fact, that the only reason the sensor even picked it up was due to her passing brushing up against the mirror on the plinth. Once it had her attention, she had an entirely new plan. Using Ms. Satonaka’s NG-Analyse application, she examined the statue from every angle she could manage. It got more than a few strange or concerned looks from those nearby, but she ignored it in favour of collecting data. After all, if she was gonna understand this stuff, she needed to consider everything, like why those energies existed in low levels outside the school, and if it was affecting the student body at all. The results were fascinating to say the least. Although the stone around the statue base contained trace emissions, it was primarily the mirror that was the source of it. I wish I had a geiger counter, though. I never even considered if this might be emitting ionising radiation. How the mirror contained it was beyond her, but it was definitely a source. That being said, when compared to the Fullbottles she’d analysed, the energy waveform was different. It wasn’t enough to make her think this was some sort of false positive, however. Instead, it seemed to her that this waveform had some sort of tie to what granted the Nebula Gas its power. Curious and curiouser, she mused, as she turned back to look at the school. Dr. Satonaka’s team received their information that led to the formation of Project Re:Build while studying some sort of unstable tear in reality. What are the odds that Nebula Gas has some sort of tie to that tear? If it did, would that mean that... Whatever thought had been about to complete itself was interrupted as the phone’s detection app began emitting an alarm. “What the?” muttered Nebula as she switched back over. “A surge of that same waveform?” She pointed the phone at the mirror, but found it to be a separate source from what was setting the sensor off. “Oh, this is not good. Please don’t be a Smash.” Changing over to the NG-Track app, she pulled up the waveform currently setting off her sensors and locked it in. Unlike NG-Detect, the tracker app was geared towards longer distances, and presented as an omnidirectional sensor rather than a geiger counter for Nebula Gas. She swung her phone around, and to her horror, it was strongest when pointed at the school, and if she was reading and judging the distance correctly, it was coming from the second floor’s west wing near the music rooms... “Weren’t the others...?” She carefully reached into one of the interior pockets sewn into her lab coat and grabbed the Raven Fullbottle. When she was certain nobody was looking, she gave it a shake. A lightness not unlike when she was transformed washed over her body, and Nebula took off towards the front of the school. Tearing through the halls, she had to take care not to push off from the ground too hard; she just knew that if she kicked off with too much force while she ran through the near empty halls, she’d end up bumping the ceiling. As she darted up the stairs and drew closer, a growing pit began to form in the bottom of her stomach. Please don’t be a Smash! The power chords of the electric guitar reached her ears long before she reached the door that the app was leading her towards. She slid to a stop, but overshot and found herself having to backtrack. Before she pushed open the door, she checked to make sure it was indeed the right place. Changing back over to the detector, she pushed the door open just as the music and the signal reached a crescendo. Nebula wasn’t sure what she was expecting... One of the girls or maybe a classmate being turned into a Smash was a high probability. Alternatively, maybe it had to do with her observer from the other day. She was fairly certain that, even if they hadn’t created the Smash, they’d engineered the situation and brought her there in the first place. What she wasn’t expecting was to see Rainbow Dash start to lift off into the air. A white glow encompassed her body, and when it faded, several mutations had manifested. A pair of equine ears atop her head. There was now a foot or two of ponytail hanging behind her. Finally, a pair of large feathery blue wings had manifested cleanly through her shirt. And why does the pocket I had the Smash essence in feel hot? Aside from Sunset, who seemed just as shocked, the others didn’t seem all that surprised by the sight. What did surprise them, however, was the sudden appearance of Nebula, who was looking from her phone to Rainbow Dash in confusion. 「What the hell?」 She glanced from Rainbow to Sunset, who was looking at Nebula in horror. 「What is going on here?」 “Um... eheh,” Rainbow stammered as she finally recognised why nobody seemed to be applauding. “There is a completely reasonable explanation for all this... and since you’ve been hanging out with us so much it was probably gonna come out eventually... so uh...” Any chance for an explanation was dashed when her detector app started screeching again. This reading had nothing to do with the waveform that led her to the room, or the traces at the portal. In fact, it read more like her scan of the unpurified Fullbottle. The tracker app pointed out down the road from the school, but it seemed to be drawing closer. “Damn it!” She ran to the window behind Pinkie Pie and then cast a glance at the now equally confused girls. “We can exchange deep dark secrets later. You might wanna—” Principal Celestia’s voice erupted over the public address. “Attention all students and staff still present in the school! Please evacuate towards the back of the building.” The woman sounded terrified. “Do not exit from the front or either side of the building. A Smash has been spotted in the area and is headed towards the school. I repeat—” “—yeah, you might wanna get out of here.” She pulled open the window, gave a shake of the Raven Fullbottle, and jumped down to the ground floor. There were several calls of alarm from the girls. Without looking back, she could imagine that they were likely staring out the window, trying to wrap their heads around what happened instead of following the evacuation order. As she ran, she retrieved the Scythe Fullbottle from the other concealed pocket, and the Build Driver from the lockbox in her bag. Finally, she ditched her lab coat and bag, hanging them from a hedge that she had to cut through. The belt snapped around her waist just as it had last week, and she readied the Scythe and Raven Fullbottles. Before she could twist the tops and insert the bottles into the Driver, a black helicopter flew overhead. Save for the tail markings and Canterlogic Securities’ logo on the side door, it was pretty nondescript. A second glance, however, there was a familiar—albeit barely discernible—marking across the chopper’s belly; it was just the same as the one on the breast pocket of her lab coat. This can’t be good... Up ahead of her, she could just make out what looked to be a moving pillar of flame. The chopper was headed straight for it, and the moment it got overhead, she saw Guardians beginning to drop out of the side hatch, moving to surround the flame. Then the robots raised their guns and opened fire on the Smash that was surely to blame for the flames. «Raven!» «Scythe!» «Best Match!» «Are you ready?» Nebula wasted no time slotting in the bottles and turning the crank. It seemed like the Guardians weren’t really having any sort of effect with their carbines. Even as the armour and its armature formed around her, she watched as a stream of flame shot out from the pillar, to completely scorch the combat droid’s upper chassis and overheat its circuitry. Were their rounds even getting through the flames? “Henshin!” «The Grim Harbinger! Yabei!» The moment her armour snapped into place, she started moving toward the group. As she made her way forward, her mind was racing. This was such a stupid idea... I don’t even have a weapon. However, something she glimpsed in the document mentioned storage, and surely Dr. Satonaka or his daughter would have created something, if for no other reason than testing. What did it say? There’s a mental interface, so... Deploy weapon? «Tempo Reaper!» A pair of the same transparent tubes that aided in the transformation shot out the side of the Driver. Between the two endpoints, a long black shaft of metal formed, and at one end, a segmented curved blade emerged. In the centre where the blade met the shaft, there was a slot perfect for a Fullbottle, and a button that she imagined served to empower it with the bottle’s essence or the wielder’s own energy. It looks like it might even rotate. “Shall we play mad scientist?” she asked herself as she gave the scythe a twirl. Angling the blade downward, she tucked the shaft flat against her back and ran forward. Three more of the Guardians fell before she drew close enough to the brawl for the pilot of the helicopter to notice. “Attention, unidentified armoured figure,” came a woman’s voice from a loudspeaker. “You are intruding upon Smash containment procedures. Draw any closer and you will be marked as hostile in Guardian systems. Retreat to a safe distance and let the Guardians do their jobs.” She paused, looking up at the helicopter that was lazily circling the combat zone. Are they actually about to order their robots to open fire on me? With a sigh, she stepped back, slinging the Tempo Reaper’s shaft over her shoulder, and gave the pilot a two-finger salute. Fine. I’ll wait until all your toys break. When there were just four of the Guardians left of the dozen dropped by the chopper, the pillar of flame shrouding the Smash vanished. Its head reminded her of those old mariners dive helmets, with two similarly shaped furnaces over each shoulder. The head, pauldrons and chest armour were all flame red. It possessed one normal looking arm, but its right arm looked more akin to a flamethrower. Just as with the Strong Smash last week, its lower half looked similar to that of the robots currently attacking it. All four robots stopped to reload at the same time, and in that short moment, the Smash seemingly came to a decision. It lumbered toward one of the Guardians and thrust its flamethrower-like arm into the robot’s belly. Lifting the droid off the ground, the fire monster pointed it toward the helicopter. It’s going to...! Ignoring the prior warning, she darted forward once more. The pilot seemed to have noticed what the Smash was doing, and was trying to get away, but the monster kept tracking. It completely ignored as the other three robots opened fire, and the lights in its two furnaces began to glow brightly. In a last ditch effort, the three Guardians rushed forward to try and tackle it. They were all shorn in half by a backhand for their efforts. Nebula glanced at the chopper and extrapolated the pilot’s next move, and accounted for the path the Guardian stuck to the Smash’s arm cannon would take. She jumped the moment flames began to lick the bot’s belly to put herself between the chopper and its doom. As she soared, she swung the Tempo Reaper, which caused her to spin, but not lose her trajectory. She felt the blade impact something, and redirect it before cleaving through it. When she touched down on the ground, she glanced back up at the chopper. “Sorry, but I can’t just sit back any more!” she yelled, not honestly expecting to be heard as she brandished the scythe at the smash. “I’m all for sitting back if you guys really want to watch your droids get all messed up, but the moment human life is endangered is where I draw the line. As a Kamen Rider, I have to protect life whenever possible, no matter how valuable the research data might be.” Much to her surprise, however, there came a response. “Much obliged.” They must have had directional mics and other recording equipment on that bird. It was the only way they could’ve made it out over the chopper’s noise. “Since this is all going down in my after-action report, you got a name?” That threw her for a loop. Was this really the time to have a conversation—in the middle of a fight? Well, that Raven Fullbottle was the first one I ever touched, and it feels right, so... “Karasu,” she called out as she lunged for the Smash. “Kamen Rider Karasu.” It swung its flamethrower toward her and cut loose with a gout stream of fire. In response, she rapidly twirled her polearm in front of her. The action deflected most of the flames, although she could feel the heat in her hands and forearms. Her charge ended with her weapon forcing the literal firearm down. The fire Smash’s response was to swing its fist at her face. Although it wasn’t nearly as powerful as the Strong Smash, the impact was enough to knock her backwards. As she tumbled across the ground, she couldn’t help but wince. I feel like I’m gonna have a headache later. Nebula, or rather, Karasu dug the bladed weapon into the concrete to halt her tumble. She sank to one knee as she withdrew the blade from the ground and propped herself up with it. She watched as it sent another tongue of flame her way, but its attack fell short. “So... You’ve got an effective radius. One that puts me at a disadvantage in this form.” Karasu stood, letting the Tempo Reaper fall to the ground. Her hands darted to the straps at her hips and grabbed the Pony and Magnum Fullbottles. It was somewhat awkward swapping them out, but she made due. How fitting that I will defend my school wearing their pride colours. «Pony!» «Magnum!» «Best Match!» «Are you ready?» Spinning the Build Driver’s crank, she grit her teeth. The armour parts manifested around her. Finally, when she called out, “Cross change!” the pieces of armour slammed into place, replacing her Raven Scythe combo. «The Equine Opus!» The Smash charged toward her, firing its flamethrower. With her foot, Karasu kicked her war scythe into the air and caught the shaft with her right hand, swinging it to tuck the shaft against her back once more. As she did so, she cocked her left arm back, priming a shot with the canon on her forearm. When she threw her punch, she was only partially surprised to find that the energy projectile that shot forth was the same blue as her armour. It flew true, and just as flames started to lick against her armour, the mark was hit—the nozzle for the flamethrower. Almost immediately, the flames cut out as the weapon began to spark. Not quite finished with her attack, she tapped her heel against the button on the Tempo Reaper. There was a ping emitted from the weapon, and the blade began to glow with white flame. Finally, she heard the call-out she instinctively knew was coming. «Smash Hit!» Hmm, don’t mind if I do! Thudding forward with surprising force behind her steps, Karasu closed the distance with the Smash. Her grip tightened as she brought it up in a diagonal slash. “Hi-yah!” A shower of sparks emitted from the monster’s body as the burning blade scored across the creature’s armoured shoulder and chest. Kamen Rider Karasu spun on her right foot, and then lashed out with a kick from her yellow boot. Knocked backwards several metres by the sudden powerful kick, the Smash could do nothing but fall flat on its back. I know there’s a person inside that monster, but I can’t let up. If it loses interest in me, it’ll likely end up at the school, so I won’t give it the chance. “I think it’s time I wrapped this up,” she said aloud as she retrieved the Scythe Fullbottle from the strap at her hip. Bringing the blade close to her face, she slotted the bottle in and turned it to lock it in. There was a mechanical click, and then the blade rotated ninety degrees. In this form it looked more like a naginata, although the cutting edge was backward. She tapped the button twice and smirked behind her mask as the blade was shrouded in a blinding white inferno. “Let’s fight fire with fire.” «Million Slash!» With a flourish, she lashed out horizontally toward the fiery Smash. Even as the fallen creature struggled to push itself to its feet, a stream of white fire slammed into it, creating a massive shower of sparks. When the flames dissipated, the monster’s arms gave out and it fell to its belly. Aside from some twitches, it didn’t try to get up again. Even as she removed the Fullbottle from the Tempo Reaper, she mentally dismissed the weapon. The Scythe bottle was quickly traded for an empty one as she jogged up to the Smash. Before twisting the cap, she pushed the thing over with her foot. No sense in leaving someone face-down on the pavement. Much like with the Strong Smash, the Nebula Gas eagerly surged into the Fullbottle when she pointed it at the monster. As police sirens entered her range of hearing, its monstrous form burned away. Unlike the previous time, however, the monster took the form of a teenage model that she’d seen missing posters for—a Crystal Prep student by the name of Fleur-de-Lis. She didn’t seem physically harmed either, although a sweat-soaked hospital gown clung to her drenched form. So they’re not just transforming people who look like they belong in prison... Karasu shook her head and, after clipping the fiery bottle to one of her straps, gently lifted the girl. It still amazed her the amount of strength that her transformed state granted her. The pale-skinned girl was taller even than Sunset, and yet she had no difficulty, as though the strength boost mitigated the awkwardness of lifting her in a bridal carry. Several police cars skidded to a stop not far from her, and she gingerly approached, stepping over the charred remains of several Guardians. It took some effort to look non-threatening; even then, she had seven service-automatics practically pointed at her face. Confident in her armour’s protection, she walked towards the one police officer she recognised. He was tall and well-built, but had a naturally pale complexion. The face that watched Karasu with barely contained suspicion was one better suited to smiling. Between his handsome face and messy blue hair, she imagined that he probably ticked a lot of boxes for what qualified as attractive. Not that she’d ever considered it—Officer Shining Armour was the one who first found her, and he already had a fiance. Sighing, she wished that her suit modulated her voice like that weird armoured pot-stirrer last week. “Officer Armour, this girl needs medical attention,” she said, startling herself when a heavily modulated voice reached her own ears. “I cannot imagine she was willingly transformed into a Smash, and although the mutagen has been purged from her system, I cannot speak to what side-effects this might have had.” All around her, the police moved in. While several of them still had their firearms drawn, she could see one with her cuffs out. Clearly, they plan on trying to take me in. I suppose I am a vigilante, so I can hardly complain. If she’d kept the Raven bottle slotted in, she might have been able to just leap clear, but right now, her only real option was to barrel through the officers and hope she didn’t hurt any. The moment the girl had passed from her arms, however, she found herself engulfed in smoke. There was the momentary feeling of someone grabbing her arm and tugging, and then, just as quick as they’d done so, they released her. “You’re welcome,” came that modulated voice she heard last week. When the cloud finally dissipated, she found herself in the hedge where she’d ditched her stuff. Making sure she couldn’t be seen from the road, she slowly backed to where she left her bag. Letting out a tired sigh, she disengaged her transformation and turned around. Apparently, the universe decided that it was time to mock her. Nebula came face-to-face with the six girls who had welcomed her into their friend group. Of course. All of them were staringing at Nebula with a variety of emotions. Sunset’s face was completely unreadable, although it was clear she wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking at in the first place. Fluttershy was simply hiding behind Rainbow Dash, who in turn looked at her with a mixture of jealousy and awe. Applejack and Rarity were both wary, although the former had a smidge of suspicion showing through. Pinkie Pie, of course, was vibrating with excitement. Nebula dragged her hand down her face, and walked over to where her bag and coat still hung. She didn’t say a word to the girls until she’d put away her gear and slipped into her lab coat. To be fair, they didn’t exactly say anything either. It was just a quiet disbelief-fest, as far as she was concerned. Turning back, she remarked, “You guys seem to be taking this surprisingly well.” She stuck her hands into the front pockets of her lab coat, and found her hand close around the bottle she’d used on the Strong Smash. It felt different from before. When did it change? “Perhaps we should go back to the music room and have a little chat.”
Seven Fates
562641
4
Main 7 (EqG),Original Character,Other,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Science Fiction,Kamen Rider,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity,Violence
Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu
In the wake of the Fall Formal, a lot has changed. The Demon Queen has been dethroned, the student body is healing, and the city has a new guardian angel—a masked heroine who calls herself a Kamen Rider?
incomplete
17
4
<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>An Equestria Girls x Kamen Rider <span style="color:#BE4343">Bu</span>i<span style="color:#265DAF">ld</span> fic</p></div><hr/><p>It's been three weeks since the CHS Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer, the most notorious queen bee in the school's history, has been dethroned and the once-divided student body has begun to heal. No longer are students broken into cliques; old and new friendships alike have risen from the ashes of Sunset's reign of terror.</p><p>Not all is well in the Canterlot metropolis, however. Since the formal, mysterious creatures known only as the Smash have been showing up, going on rampages throughout the city. But for the presence of Canterlogic Securities' <i>Guardian</i> combat robots, there would be no repelling these monsters. Questions remain in the wake of these attacks—where did the Smash come from, and where did they go when defeated?</p><p>Tangled up in it all is Nebula Moonlight, a late transfer to CHS. Much like the Smash, her life seemingly began the night of the Fall Formal, and she was left grasping for answers about who she really was. The only clues she has are the words of her mysterious benefactor, and a strange device that allows her to transform. &quot;If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source.&quot;</p><p>Science and magic collide, and Canterlot is on a collision course for disaster unless Nebula and her new allies can solve the mystery and stop the threat once and for all.</p><hr/><p>If you enjoy the story, be sure to leave a comment.</p><p>Notes: </p><ul><li>G5 tag present due to the implementation of several characters and/or organisations inspired by G5 making appearances.</li><li>Watching Kamen Rider Build is not required to understand this story; any concepts and/or references will be explained throughout the story and through Author Notes. You may notice familiar story beats if you have seen the series.</li><li>The Project Build logo and Kamen Rider Build are the property of Toei and Ishinomori Productions. I claim no ownership.</li><li>The logo on the cover is mash-up of the Project Build logo and the horseshoe iconography present in a lot of the CHS memorabilia seen in the various Equestria Girls. Cover is done in CHS Wondercolts colouring for extra fun.</li></ul>
teen
2024-08-11T12:26:20+00:00
2024-08-11T12:26:20+00:00
91
Ten minutes later... The seven girls were gathered back in the music room. Since arriving in the room, Nebula had been giving the girls a brief summary of her own knowledge of the situation. She sat with her back to the wall, the others gathered around her in a semi-circle. On the floor in front of her sat seven Fullbottles—her original four, the one she got last week, the one she just filled, and an empty one. When did last week’s bottle become like the others, though? “... since then, I’ve been doing everything possible to figure this whole thing out,” she concluded, holding out her phone. “I think this belonged to a researcher on Project Re:Build, and it’s full of all sorts of encrypted data. No first name so far as I can tell, but she was the original project lead’s daughter, one Dr. Daisuke Satonaka.” She let out a sigh. “They’re unfortunately digital ghosts, and someone clearly went through a lot of effort to erase their existence on the net.” The others seemed to consider this. It’s not every day that you find out that the mysterious new girl started moonlighting as a superhero after being roped into it by an equally mysterious stranger with unknown motives. Then there was the fact that the gear provided to her was created from the same research that led to the Smash. Clearly there was more to things than met the eye. There were a variety of questions or opinions of course. Fluttershy expressed concerns about how scary it must be for Nebula to fight monsters. Although she hadn’t actually considered it, it was a valid worry. Sure, it was scary, but it was that fear of what might happen if she didn’t defeat the Smash that drove her; it’s what allowed her to ignore concern for what might happen to herself. Rarity asked if it was possible that Nebula and Ms. Satonaka were one and the same. It wasn’t anything that she’d thought about as of yet, but the way the fashionista explained her reasoning made a certain amount of sense. Sure, it was a reach to assume that because Nebula was amnesiac, and someone had wiped out any trace of Satonaka’s existence from the public eye, the two were one and the same. Her instinctual familiarity with the Build System definitely narrowed the distance for the necessary logical leap, but that also just left her with more questions. If I really am Satonaka, what happened? I could imagine leaving over the creation of the Smash, but I’m missing pieces of the puzzle. Important ones. “What I wanna know is how you just happened to show up when I was showing off what I discovered,” Rainbow Dash finally pressed, earning a nod from AJ. “That timing was a little too convenient.” “Ayuh,” Applejack remarked. “Ya done showed up, hackles raised, like when Winona knows a fox is trying to get in the hen house.” With a sigh, Nebula held up her phone again. “This has sensors that can detect the energies emitted by Nebula Gas.” Much like when she initially voiced the term, that got immature snickers from Pinkie and Dash. “I was going home when I got too close to the statue out front, and it triggered an alert from one of the apps on it. It detected an energy waveform very similar to the purified and impure NG.” She set her phone down and picked up the Raven Fullbottle, and the one containing the essence of the Smash she just fought. “These both have a distinct signature, the latter of which is shared by the Smash.” Setting them both back down, she pointed back at the phone and said, “So I was examining the mirror, since it seemed to give off the most energy, when I detected a build-up of that same energy in this room.” She fixed Rainbow with an even look, pointing over at the girl’s guitar and amp, hoping to impress the fact that it was not a small surge. “I detected that all the way from the front of the school.” Applejack, Dash, and Pinkie all looked as though they weren’t following, but Sunset finally spoke up. “So you came running, thinking that there was a Smash or something, and that we were in danger?” When met with a nod, the redhead frowned. “This will probably sound insane to you, but what you detected here and at the statue? That’s magic—specifically, Equestrian magic. That mirror is a transdimensional bridge that opens for three days, every thirty moons.” If Sunset expected Nebula to immediately scoff at the idea of calling the energy ‘magic’, she would be disappointed. Just as the others seemed to keep an open mind, she merely raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. There were more things in Heaven and Earth, Nebula, than are dreamt of in your philosophy; challenge your worldview, or become stagnant in thought. Unchallenged, Sunset launched into what was likely a very abridged tale of her homeland and life. It all sounded very fantastical and very unscientific. A magical land of talking equiforms and mythical creatures, led by a mage so powerful that their solar-system follows the geocentric model. She had been a unicorn apprentice to that all-powerful mage ruler, but grew too prideful and ambitious for her mentor’s liking. Her desire was to ascend to the ruler’s level and rule alongside her, but when she was denied, she fled through the mirror, thinking she’d be able to find the means to ascend here. Glossing over the several years she claimed to have spent in this world, instead skipping to the point of the Fall Formal. It was a plot involving a stolen magical artefact of great power and importance, derailed by another Equestrian royal following after—the crown’s rightful owner. In only two days, the Equestrian princess completely undid everything Sunset had done over a few years to get the school under her thumb, taking back the artefact in the process. She spoke of trying to use the magic of the artefact for herself, only to be transformed into a dark reflection of her heart—or a demon, as Rainbow Dash so helpfully chimed in. The pony princess and the five other girls in this room today were then empowered to stop her before Sunset could lead an army of brainwashed teens to Equestria. Ultimately, they used their combined magic—the ‘Rainbow of Light’—to purge the darkness from her heart, and the rest was history. Rainbow Dash’s afternoon revelation was just as much a surprise to the Equestrian as it was to the heroine. Nebula didn’t exactly know what to think. It all sounded so ludicrous, and yet Sunset spoke with such conviction. Clearly it was something that she truly believed, and the other five corroborated her story. Plus, something was nagging at the back of her mind. This all started from scientists apparently studying an unstable tear in reality. Could it be another portal to this Equestria? It would explain the similarity between the NG waveforms and what I detected coming from the statue. In the end, she simply leaned closer, a smile beginning to form. “So what you’re saying is that this... magic has remained within your friends, even though it should have returned to your homeland with this Element of Magic?” she asked, grabbing for her phone. “I take it you intend on studying this phenomena?” The other five began to look nervously from Sunset to Nebula. “We probably should study this, if for no other reason than to check the extent of it, but we might have to take a raincheck.” Sunset glanced at the clock. “It won’t be long until they start closing up the school.” Nebula nodded before grabbing her stuff and standing up, everybody else following suit. When Rainbow started moving over to where her guitar was, however, she remembered something important. The Fullbottle that had changed outside her notice, that had been in her pocket and gotten very hot in the presence of Rainbow Dash’s transformation. Could it be that... “Ne, Rainbow-san, before you put your guitar away, could you do me a favour?” She walked over to the stool where Rainbow’s stuff was and set the boated fiery bottle with the spiderweb markings down atop it. “Could you transform again? I do not need to get any readings right this instant, but there’s something I need to confirm...” The others all looked at her in confusion, so she sighed and fished the other Fullbottle back out of her pocket. It contained a red essence, and on it was an etching of some sort of shrimp or prawn. Mantis shrimp, maybe? “This was like that one this morning, and the only thing I can think of is exposure to that surge that accompanied your transformation,” Nebula explained. “If that one there changes, it will confirm my hypothesis that the NG energy and your equestrian magic are linked and that it’s not a mere coincidence the two seem similar.” When Sunset nodded as if to encourage her, Rainbow smirked. “If you wanted to hear how awesome I am, you should’ve just asked,” she crowed, picking up her guitar. “Cliffs of Dover, let’s rock!” What followed was an impressive display of shredding. The melody felt chaotic, but flowed with a great degree of grace. Before too long, her phone’s detector app started altering her to the surge in energies. Rainbow began to glow about forty-seconds after beginning. As she began to float off the ground, the Fullbottle on the stool began to brightly glow as well. By the time the ears and wings manifested, the bottle’s glow dissipated. Rainbow touched down shortly after she stopped playing, and her changes dissipated into motes of light. “Fascinating,” Nebula said, reaching to pick up the newly purified Fullbottle. Unlike all of the others, this one was a solid gold in colouration, with absolutely zero transparency. Its etching bore the stylized flame. When she took a scan of it with her phone’s sensor suite, her eyebrow only rose. It registers as having the magic waveform. “Thank you, Rainbow.” As Sunset approached, Nebula held the bottle out to her. “Wait, why are you giving this to me?” she asked, freezing in her tracks. “I can’t do anything like you can.” With a shake of her head, Nebula grinned. “Maybe not, but this registers as magic and not purified Nebula Gas.” When the redhead’s eyes widened, the scientist forced it into her hand, clasping it between her own. “You are the expert in that field, so I trust you are the one best suited to care for it until we can find a place to begin testing.” This was clearly not an answer that Sunset Shimmer expected, or wanted to hear, as a slightly scared expression crossed her face. “But what if I turn into a demon again,” she whispered. “I don’t want to lose control like that ever again.” One by one, the others crowded around. Each of them placed a hand over Nebula’s and Sunset’s. “Darling, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don’t believe that will happen,” Rarity said. Everyone gave her a soft smile as tears began to rim her eyes. “We believe in you.” “Research Log: Project Unity. Audio Log #1. Timestamp: 21 October, 2013, 9:27pm. Location: Shady Oaks Group Home.” “I have debated how to go about this, but in the end, these logs are more of a means to collate my thoughts in regards to everything that is happening than anything else. Getting it all down makes it feel more... real. Given that we don’t even know my real name for sure, having things feel real is important.” [A period of silence fills the audio recording, followed by a long, drawn out sigh.] “Honestly, I have not even the slightest idea as to where to start. I have been digging into the Project Re:Build files as much as possible since getting home, and it’s starting to paint a really strange picture. Some would call me a madwoman for even thinking to accept what Sunset-san and the others told me at face value, but who am I to question what my own eyes have borne witness to?” “The best place to start is Nebula Gas. It is an energised gas that possesses metaphysical and mutagenic properties produced by whichever organisation backed Re:Build. Given that it has been used to turn people into Smash, I am led to believe that—whoever it is that is making it—they have no regard for laws against human experimentation. It also is found contained in the Fullbottles utilised with the Build System, allowing transformation into an armoured form of various interchangeable capabilities. “There are three separate energy waveforms that I’ve found related to Nebula Gas. The first, which shall hitherto be referred to as Type-I, is the form that is found within the Smash. Although I have been unable to find what other energies are tied up in it to make it impure, it has been shown to have a deleterious effect on the human body. Both the Strong and Burn Smashes I’ve encountered were in a feverish state when purged of the contaminant.” “The Type-II waveform is the purified form. At first, I thought it was only found within the Fullbottles that Karasu uses. That belief changed this evening, when I took a close-up scan of myself. The sensor practically had to touch me, so perhaps the skin acts as a barrier masking the signal, but it was there, and at a particularly high level, as well. I cannot tell if this is because of my multiple uses of the Build Driver and Fullbottles, or if it was there even before that.” “Addendum: It is possible that I might have been a human test subject for that organisation like the two Smash I defeated. If so, it may be that either my body itself purified it, usage of the Build System did so, or I myself was exposed to the purifying effects of magic. It would not explain the strange familiarity with the devices, though.” [The sound of a box spring creaking and cloth being disturbed can be heard on the recording.] “The final waveform worth mentioning I am referring to as Type-M. My running theory is that this energy is a sort of precursor or sibling to the NG waveforms. Since it is identified as matching magic from the world Sunset-san claims to originate, I have dubbed it Type-M. It sounds unscientific, but to be honest, so does a girl floating in the air growing wings, a foot or so of hair, and equine ears.” “Type-M energy has been recorded in the previously described manifestation, as well as an object identified as a portal to Sunset-san’s homeworld. It also exists in the form of a Fullbottle that was purified from today’s Type-I collection. As I have no experience where magic is concerned, I have left it in her possession.” “Somehow, I do not think this Smash threat is going to let up any time soon, and I know I will not always be able to be there for them. I need to dig up more data from the Re:Build project files, but I am legitimately considering whether it is within my ability to give them, even if it is just one for now, the tools to protect themselves.” “With the Tempo Reaper in mind, I was able to get into another project file. It seems to be schematics pulled from the original data transmission that Dr. Satonaka retrieved: a weapon that utilises the power of a Fullbottle that can be used without being transformed. I think it’s what served as the basis for the Tempo Reaper, and from the look of it, it should not be too hard to scavenge the parts necessary to make it. It’s a longsword dubbed the Pulling Instrumental Sword Beat Closer, but that’s a mouthful, so Beat Closer will do.” “I think I shall sleep on whether I really want to become a weapons manufacturer, however. Something inside me makes it feel so wrong, and yet... I want to do anything I can to protect those six. This is Nebula Moonlight, Project Unity Lead, signing off.”
Seven Fates
562641
5
Main 7 (EqG),Original Character,Other,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Science Fiction,Kamen Rider,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity,Violence
Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu
In the wake of the Fall Formal, a lot has changed. The Demon Queen has been dethroned, the student body is healing, and the city has a new guardian angel—a masked heroine who calls herself a Kamen Rider?
incomplete
17
4
<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>An Equestria Girls x Kamen Rider <span style="color:#BE4343">Bu</span>i<span style="color:#265DAF">ld</span> fic</p></div><hr/><p>It's been three weeks since the CHS Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer, the most notorious queen bee in the school's history, has been dethroned and the once-divided student body has begun to heal. No longer are students broken into cliques; old and new friendships alike have risen from the ashes of Sunset's reign of terror.</p><p>Not all is well in the Canterlot metropolis, however. Since the formal, mysterious creatures known only as the Smash have been showing up, going on rampages throughout the city. But for the presence of Canterlogic Securities' <i>Guardian</i> combat robots, there would be no repelling these monsters. Questions remain in the wake of these attacks—where did the Smash come from, and where did they go when defeated?</p><p>Tangled up in it all is Nebula Moonlight, a late transfer to CHS. Much like the Smash, her life seemingly began the night of the Fall Formal, and she was left grasping for answers about who she really was. The only clues she has are the words of her mysterious benefactor, and a strange device that allows her to transform. &quot;If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source.&quot;</p><p>Science and magic collide, and Canterlot is on a collision course for disaster unless Nebula and her new allies can solve the mystery and stop the threat once and for all.</p><hr/><p>If you enjoy the story, be sure to leave a comment.</p><p>Notes: </p><ul><li>G5 tag present due to the implementation of several characters and/or organisations inspired by G5 making appearances.</li><li>Watching Kamen Rider Build is not required to understand this story; any concepts and/or references will be explained throughout the story and through Author Notes. You may notice familiar story beats if you have seen the series.</li><li>The Project Build logo and Kamen Rider Build are the property of Toei and Ishinomori Productions. I claim no ownership.</li><li>The logo on the cover is mash-up of the Project Build logo and the horseshoe iconography present in a lot of the CHS memorabilia seen in the various Equestria Girls. Cover is done in CHS Wondercolts colouring for extra fun.</li></ul>
teen
2024-08-12T14:35:57+00:00
2024-08-12T14:35:56+00:00
96
October 30th, 2013, 6:32pm The Central Canterlot Mall was a crowded place. Nebula couldn’t go a few feet without someone bumping into her, and she felt increasingly paranoid that someone might try and pickpocket her. It wasn’t her wallet that had her concerned; she had that zipped up in her messenger bag alongside the lockbox. No, her concern was that someone might pilfer one of the two bottles she kept in easy reach in one of her coat’s inside pockets. At least Sunset was sticking close enough that she couldn’t lose her in the crowd. It was amazing just how easy it was to lose a redhead wearing a leather jacket in an ocean of colours. That said, getting separated didn’t exactly benefit their objective. More than once, her friend reached back to grab the sleeve of her lab coat and guide her. It’d taken her more than a week of research, but she thought she understood enough about the mechanics behind Project Re:Build’s technology that she could probably construct the Beat Closer. She wasn’t exactly sure if she wanted to arm any of her friends as of yet, because that meant they’d be putting one or more of them in the line of fire. That was hardly a responsible thing to do, regardless of whether or not they were willing to do so. Maybe it was because the Build System had been entrusted to her, or the concern that she really was Dr. Satonaka’s daughter—whom she had yet to find the first name for—but Nebula felt obligated to see this thing through. Anyone who got hurt on her watch would weigh on her conscience; it was not their burden to bear. Anyone who did get involved in the actual fighting would have to know what they were getting into. That didn’t prevent her from making her contingency plans, however. It was part of the reason that she had entrusted that mysterious Fullbottle to Sunset. Given that she was from the same place the magic originated—and had nearly the same levels of Type-M energy that Nebula had Type-II—she seemed the most suited to work with it. Actually, she might have far more than the scanner let on; there were subtle fluctuations that indicated its level was unstable, and something was keeping it suppressed. “So everything you need to make that thing, you can get at Transmission House?” Sunset asked, fixing Nebula with a questioning look. “Hard to believe you could make something like that with parts from a hobby electronics store.” “Most of it,” she responded as the pair of them ducked into the named shop. “I’m gonna need to hit a scrapyard and then I need access to a machine shop in order to machine the outer casing.” A smile crossed her face. “Do you think Celestia-san would be upset if I—” “You’re not breaking into the school to use the metal shop.” Although there was a bit of warning in Sunset’s voice, there was the hint of a smile. “Rarity’s friends with the theatre kids, since she does a lot of business with them. I think they still owe her a favour or two, so maybe their prop guy can help.” With an embarrassed shake of her head, she added on, “He did make the crown for the Fall Formal, which I tried to swap with the Princess’ Element of Magic back in Equestria.” Nebula gave a shrug, grabbing a basket and moving towards one of the aisles. “There’s no rush,” she responded, pausing in front of a rack that had various parts: capacitors, transistors, resistors and diodes. “If anything, it seems like the whole you-know-what issue has started to slow down lately. It seems like every single time one of those monsters has appeared, it was on a Monday, but it is Wednesday now and there has been no repeat of the pattern.” As if the universe was listening, one of the demo televisions elsewhere in the store began replaying a news interview from earlier that evening. Specifically, it was an interview with a helicopter pilot working for Canterlogic Securities regarding the Smash last week. She continued shopping, but listened as a familiar voice played over the speakers. “What were your first thoughts when this self-titled Kamen Rider appeared on the field, Ms. Rose Well,” asked the interviewer, before a clip from the point of view of the helicopter played on-screen, where a black-and-white armoured figure was spotted at the edge of the camera feed, approaching the scene as the helicopter circled the battle. “First and foremost, my thought was that some civilian wanted to play at being a hero, and was going to get themself killed,” said an amber-skinned woman in a black flight-suit and aviators. Rose adjusted the Canterlogic Securities cap that seemed to hold back messy dark red hair and fixed the reporter with an uneasy look. “I radioed it in, and someone up the chain ordered me to warn them away under threat of being declared hostile. I guess someone thought that Karasu might’ve been to blame for the outage the week before.” Playback resumed, confirming the warning that the scythe-wielding figure had been warned away and obeyed. “Had you, at this point, seen the video circulating online of Kamen Rider Karasu’s previous fight?” the interviewer asked. “Or was she a complete unknown at that time?” There was a laugh from the pilot. “I’d probably have welcomed the help if I had,” she admitted as the Burn Smash on screen destroyed the guardians with ease before finally impaling the one that would have destroyed the helicopter had it not been intercepted. “Unfortunately, I think even if I hadn’t made the warning, the ones issuing the orders to the droids would have still marked her as hostile. Regardless, I wouldn’t be alive today if not for her.” Nebula glanced at Sunset, who seemed to be watching the combat footage closely. There was a critical look about her gaze while she watched Karasu as she soared through the air to redirect and then bisect the Guardian. She returned to her browsing, not really paying further attention to the television screen, even as she heard her own voice saying, “As a Kamen Rider, I have to protect life whenever possible, no matter how valuable the research data might be.” Moving on to another aisle, she found herself contemplating whether she wanted to go for quality or economy with the soldering iron. The staff at Shady Oaks gave their wards some spending money, although not nearly enough for what she had in mind. That said, she’d been doing odd tasks around the facility to earn some extra cash—just the odd tech support or mechanics jobs that saved the group home owners trips to professionals that would net heavy fees. As a result, she had more than enough to get what she needed for the Beat Closer, but if she went economical, she might be able to purchase enough parts to construct a second Build Driver. The desire for redundancy ultimately won out, and she added a middle-range soldering iron to her basket. Within a few more moments, she gathered up most of the rest of her needs. However, as she returned to where she’d left Sunset, she found another girl in her place, watching the fight replay in full after the conclusion of the interview. She looked around, and found the redhead in another aisle, pretending to test headphones as she watched this new girl with a look of terror. Nebula took a good look at the girl. A Crystal Prep uniform—a bordeaux coloured knitted vest, a white blouse, and a purple tartan skirt—stood out the most about her. Purple and magenta-streaked indigo bangs framed her face. Her inquisitive violet eyes, hidden behind a pair of horn rimmed glasses, were fixed on the screen. Why is Sunset-san so scared, though, she wondered to herself. Is the rivalry between the schools at an extreme level of antagonism, or something? “Fascinating technology,” the young woman murmured to herself, watching as Kamen Rider Karasu initiated a finisher with the Tempo Reaper. “I wonder what that suit uses as a power source.” Stepping up beside the stranger, Nebula crossed her arms, basket hooked in one elbow. “Probably whatever is in those bottles on her belt,” she observed, making commentary as though she wasn’t the person on-screen striking down the Burn Smash. “Did you notice how she slotted one into that weapon of hers before it became supercharged?” If she was put off by a stranger approaching and engaging her in conversation, she didn’t make it apparent. At most, she gave Nebula a questioning look, as if her appearance confused her, before returning her attention to the screen. “If there was such a compact energy source, you would think there would be countless research papers published on it,” she scoffed, “rather than it being used by some superheroine to fight monsters. That kind of compact energy would revolutionise the world.” Nebula nodded in agreement, but pointed her finger at the screen, where the Kamen Rider had retrieved an empty Fullbottle from a strap hanging at her belt and pointed it at the fallen Smash. “Maybe that is why. A compact power source is all well and good, but if improper containment could turn someone into a literal monster, I could understand them hushing it up.” The girl watched in horror as the monster was replaced with a girl no older than her; she may even have recognised her from school. “For what it is worth, I believe her to be a force for good.” Onscreen, the blue and yellow-clad heroine carried the unconscious girl towards the oncoming police with extreme care. When the camera got a good look at the police officer who received the victim, the crystal prep student beside Nebula looked a bit more excited. “Shining Armour didn’t say anything about this.” From behind them came a voice, “That’s because I was ordered not to.” Out of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of the same man who was currently on screen coming to stand behind the girl, touseling her hair. “You have everything you need, Twily?” He seemed to suddenly notice the presence of the other girl, and did a double take. “Nebula?” Grinning, she gave a slight bow. “Good evening, Shining-kun,” she greeted, trying not to show amusement at the confused expression visible on the face of his on-screen double. “It is good to see you again.” This was probably the worst possible thing. Intellectually, Sunset Shimmer knew that this was not the Twilight Sparkle that had bested her at the Fall Formal; that mare was definitely back in Equestria for the next three years. Yet standing next to her newest friend was unmistakably a Twilight Sparkle. When she first arrived in this world, one of the first people she ever met was Principal Celestia. It was at that point that she knew this world held counterparts to ponies or people back home. Since then, she’d run into several familiar faces. Ever since the princess returned to Equestria, she’d feared this day would come—that she might run into the human Twilight. It was an emotional subject for the Equestrian runaway. Despite all of the positive progress she’d made in turning her life around over the past month, deep down she felt that she wasn’t nearly ready to face her. Sunset hadn’t done nearly enough to prove that she was worthy of this third chance she’d been given, or so she believed. Bitterness over both how she’d been defeated and just how awful she’d been lingered in her heart. The only bright side was that this Twilight was significantly different from the transformed pony she’d met. It was unmistakable that the girl she was seeing was shorter than the princess, who matched Sunset Shimmer in height; if anything, she seemed closer in stature to Nebula. There was also the matter of glasses, which the pony didn’t seem to need. That last bit might actually make a difference in keeping the two separate emotionally. Nonetheless, it made the former unicorn uneasy to see Nebula interacting with the human Twilight and the police officer who just happened to be her brother. If the two of them became friends, she’d eventually want to introduce Twilight to the rest of her friends. That would be an absolute disaster, especially if they went anywhere near CHS. Pretending not to eavesdrop and trying to distract herself, Sunset continued testing out different headphones for noise cancellation abilities. Even if she’d be unable to participate in the musical showcase herself—on top of all the detention she’d been serving over the Fall Formal, she’d been forbidden from participating in clubs and school functions for the remainder of the year—she wanted to practise her electric guitar; her last pair didn’t work the best when plugged into her amp. Deciding on a pair, Sunset headed to the check-out and made her purchase. Leaving the store towards the mall’s food court, she decided that it would be best if she shot her friend a text message to let her know where she was. She had, after all, given Nebula a ride to the mall. Hey, I’m gonna wait out in the food court for you. :ShimmerCode Sorry for ditching you. It’s hard to explain over text, though. :ShimmerCode girlGenius: No problem. girlGenius: I wasn’t expecting to meet Shining Armour-san here. girlGenius: He’s the officer who found me. Nice guy. girlGenius: Wanted to touch base and see how I was doing. Invited me to dinner next weekend. girlGenius: HIs sister’s a bit odd, though. Kept staring at me. For some reason, Sunset wasn’t at all surprised by that last bit. If she was the human counterpart to the pony that Princess Celestia replaced her with, she would likely be highly intelligent and observant. She wouldn’t put it past the human to grow suspicious of Nebula based on the video. There were just far too many hints toward her being Karasu. It certainly didn’t help that Nebula Moonlight was just that much of a suspicious person to begin with. Her manner of speaking was overly formal, whilst her writing was surprisingly casual. The haircut she wore was closer to a punk style than anything she’d normally associate with the science nerd stereotype. Personality-wise, she seemed to fluctuate between incredibly chill, hyper-fixated, and having just the right degree of insanity required to deal with Pinkie Pie or accept magic so readily. At that thought, her hand slipped into her jacket pocket to caress the golden Fullbottle held within. At first, Sunset had been wary of Nebula’s suggestion that the bottle contained magic, but after spending time around it, she was definitely getting the sense that it was resonating with her own dormant Equestrian magic. Now, having carried it around on her person for a week, it felt like her magic was buzzing just beneath her skin, ready for use, but having no outlet. So on top of studying the manifestations the others have been exhibiting, I’ve got to figure this out as well. Rather than lining up and getting a drink from one of the restaurants, Sunset merely took out some change and made her way over to a vending machine. As she did so, she considered her next move. Whilst they might get away with studying some of their magic at the school, Nebula’s Build System stuff, and the Fire Fullbottle weren’t things they should deal with in such a public setting. Not even the Apple family’s farm would make for a good place to test it. Perhaps it’s best if we use that place, she mused as a pepper soda was dispensed from the machine. I haven’t been there since the formal, but... Her thought was interrupted by a piercing scream. She looked to one of the upper levels that overlooked the food court. Sunset’s blood went cold as she took in the sight of an armoured figure leaning over the railing, a child clutched in one outstretched hand. Worse, they were laughing as they did so. “Kamen Rider Karasu, I know you’re here!” came a distorted, but clearly masculine voice. Covered in a blood-red bodysuit, the figure’s armour seemed constructed of burnished bronze piping and plates. The only thing that hinted what his armour might have been designed after was a respirator pipe that hung down to his waist, and two exhaust pipes jutting out of the helmet like a pair of tusks. “Give back the Fullbottles and Driver that unicorn bitch stole, and the kid doesn’t have to die!” Unicorn...? There was no sign of Nebula yet, and Sunset had a really bad feeling in her stomach. With the way the child was thrashing around in the man’s grip, it was only a matter of time until the kid fell. “Come on, Karasu!” the man snarled. “There’s no point in hiding! I detected you the moment you stepped into the food court!” Except he didn’t... He detected me. Her eyes locked on the boy who was moments from being dropped. The kid couldn’t have been more than seven years old. He’s going to die because of me! Clutched in her hand, the Fire Fullbottle throbbed, filling her with a soothing warmth. It was a feeling that she knew well; it used to be a part of her life for so long—the feeling of magic building up just beneath her horn as a spell took shape. Except, instead of her horn, it was in her hand. “Fine! This is on you!” the elephant-armoured freak bellowed, releasing the boy. Much like Sunset, everyone else in the food court had been watching the horror play out; when the little boy began to fall, there was a collective scream from the crowd. As the child fell from the fourth floor, Sunset unconsciously gave the Fullbottle a few good shakes in her pocket and then thrust her free hand forward. Come on, just my telekinesis would be enough! The comforting sight of an opal light sheathing her hand greeted her the moment before a spectral hand caught the boy. It wasn’t easy. Her personal magic had gone untouched for almost a decade, and going from complete disuse to catching a child somewhere between thirty and forty-five kilograms was no small thing. The strain was immense, and the only thing keeping her from buckling was the willpower to not let the child fall to his death. I won’t be the reason someone loses their son! She screamed internally, tears misting her eyes. In response to her desire, the bottle thrummed against her touch, causing the magic within her own body to flare in response. The spectral energy slowly shifted from the bright opal she grew up with to a fiery amaranth. All at once, the burden eased, and she was able to lower the child to the floor. All the while the armoured psychopath was glaring around, trying to find Karasu in the crowd. Sunset could only hope that he couldn’t see the magical corona wrapped around her hand. There were too many people around her for her to make a clean getaway, and she wasn’t about to start teleporting just yet. If he tried attacking, she’d have no choice but to throw up a shield around her and as many people as possible... A murmur began to fill the crowd as the boy safely reached the ground. It took sunset more than a moment for her to recognise why. Everybody was parting, giving space to an approaching figure on the food-court’s level. At first, she thought it was Nebula already transformed into Karasu. Instead, she saw a young woman in a tracksuit that Sunset was certain she’d seen the amnesiac wearing after gym, wearing nitrile gloves and a paper bag over her head. At her waist was the Build Driver. There came a message on her phone a moment later. It’d clearly been sent on a timer, because this was absolutely Nebula standing there. Nobody else wore mismatched converse sneakers like that. girlGenius: Can you grab my bag? It’s in the planter by Picante Subject. Nebula turned when she reached the centre of the food-court, she saw at least a hundred people part to give her space. It was a pretty awful disguise as it stood, but she didn’t exactly have much of a choice. This was too public a place to just transform willy-nilly. Especially since there were people who knew her around. As she looked up at the armoured figure, a pang of pain lanced through the side of her head that had been shaved down even before she’d been found. For a split second, she was no longer standing in the middle of the mall’s food court. Instead, she lay in a liquid, trapped in a glass box with various sensors taped to her body. Even as a gas was pumped into the box, she pounded on the side, glaring at the armoured figure. Then, just like that, she was back in the mall. Gritting her teeth, she pointed directly up at him. “Edgelord-kun, I wish I could say it’s nice to see you again!” she barked in a more adult-sounding voice, letting the words bubble up from within her. He, whoever he really was, took a step back. “It’d still be a lie. I see you’re still abusing science to torture people.” She slotted the Raven and Scythe Fullbottles into the Build Driver. «Raven!» «Scythe!» «Best Match!» «Are you ready?» “Science, even mad science, should only ever be used for the betterment of society!” She bellowed, lowering her hand to the crank and turned it several times. “All you’ve done by using Satonaka’s research to create Smash is make people suffer!” Armour appeared in the now-familiar armature around her. “If you want to play mad scientist, I’ll show you how it’s done!” She ducked into a sprinter’s crouch, one hand behind her while the other fist met the floor, and then rose to catch the armour as she shouted, “HENSHIN!” «The Grim Harbinger! Yabei!» The armour crashed into place around her. As the steam and feathers dissipated, Karasu held out her left arm and concentrated on conjuring up the rider weapon stored within her Driver. In moments, the long shaft was clutched in her hand. With a smirk behind her visor, she gave the segmented blade a flourish before draping it across her shoulders. «Tempo Reaper!» “You’re supposed to be dead, you turncoat bitch!” the Edgelord screamed. From his waist, he withdrew a familiar pistol-shaped device, alongside some sort of bayonet attachment that served to lengthen the barrel. “I knew I should have shot you myself after you didn’t turn into a Smash after five months of nonstop experimentation!” As he slotted the bayonet onto the pistol device, there came an announcement in a male voice. «Rifle Mode!» The elephant-armoured enemy immediately took aim, not at her, but into the crowd. “This time, I won’t make the same mistake!” he exclaimed with manic laughter. “I’ll just have to take all that off your corpse!” «Devil Steam!» It took Karasu a moment too late to realise that the steam bullets being fired weren’t aimed directly at her. Even as she jumped into the air, twirling the Tempo Reaper in order to intercept the shots, the first two fired struck two random civilians. All at once, they were shrouded in the gaseous substance. “Bah, ruin my fun,” he snarled as the rest of the shots dispersed harmlessly against her blade. Just like with the unicorn-themed individual, he was wreathed in smoke before disappearing. “Don’t think I’ll go easy on you next time.” As the mist around the two struck civilians dissipated, there were two Smash dazedly looking around. Both were of the Strong Smash body-type, although differing greatly in appearance from the original. One looked like it bore a dark, rocky exterior, rather than any sort of metal plating. The other seemed to suck up all light that touched it, with only the slightest motes of light shining like stars. Just like that, it was pandemonium. People were screaming, running every which way, and the Kamen Rider was convinced that she was about to witness several individuals getting killed by the Smash before she could act. Off to the entrance of the food court, she could see Shining Armour staring in horror, even as his sister stood behind him, caught up in a moment of fascinated terror. His hand hovered over a holster at his hip. Before the rocky and dark Strong Smash could lash out, however, a pair of shimmering amaranthine barriers trapped them both. Over by one of the vending machines, she could see Sunset Shimmer crouched down, one glowing hand extended. Upon her forehead stood the phantom image of a horn, and phantom ears glowing in amaranth atop her head. Gotta keep attention off Sunset, she thought, glancing back towards the part of the food court leading out into the mall, where Shining Armour still stood. “EVERYBODY!” she shouted in an amplified, distorted voice. “I need you all to evacuate the food court in an orderly fashion.” She pointed over toward the blue-haired man. “There is an off-duty police officer over there. He’s going to help you all evacuate safely. Follow whatever instructions he gives you.” Unsurprisingly, the cop looked unenthused to be having orders handed to him by a vigilante. He was smart enough to recognise, however, that it was necessary; it probably beat out fighting the two transformed civilians. He held his badge in the air, and began giving orders as people migrated in his direction. Good man. “Whoever it is that has the smash locked down, can you release just the rocky one once the civilians are clear?” she asked Sunset while trying to respect her friend’s anonymity. As if to answer her, a spectral hand appeared in the air before her and gave her a thumbs up. “Great. Warn me if you can’t hold them.” Rather than stride forward immediately, in order to engage the Smash, she fetched the red Fullbottle bearing the image of a shrimp-like creature. It was a bottle she’d not yet tested, but she got the feeling it might be useful—especially now. With that in mind, she twisted the cap and swapped it in for the Raven Fullbottle. Scythe was similarly replaced with Magnum. «Shako!» «Magnum!» «Are you ready?» “Cross change!” A grin crept across her face as the red armour snapped into place where once the raven-black had been. Shako was the Neighponese name for the mantis shrimp. They were creatures known for their powerful, fast strikes and hunting prey far larger than them. Off the glass of a nearby information booth, she caught sight of herself and nodded. It was as she thought; she now bore the antennae the first Strong Smash had. [Insert Start: Burning My Soul] The last of the civilians save for Sunset, who’d pulled her jacket over her head to hide her features, finally evacuated the food court. Shining Armour still stood at the route into the other parts of the mall. He no longer had his badge held up, and instead had a smart-phone clutched to his ear. “You have until Canterlogic’s Guardians and SWAT show up to do what you need to do, Karasu,” he called out. “Try to keep the property damage to a minimum!” He remained behind, his weapon drawn as he watched the spectacle. Without any need for instruction, Sunset released the barrier around the first Strong Smash. At the same time, the hemisphere barrier around the other slowly rose out of the ground, transitioning into a sphere floating high above. Lumbering forward, the stony Smash raised its arms as if ready to strike. Karasu never gave it the chance. With a burst of speed, she darted forward, Tempo Reaper trailing behind her. Much like the first smash she ever fought, she weaved under a heavy blow that would likely have decapitated any normal human and darted past. The scythe blade caught the Smash’s ankles and tripped it up in a shower of sparks, sending it toppling into a nearby table. Dropping the weapon, she rushed in and started hammering it with punches. Her blows came with startling frequency, as if her entire body was moving as fast as it possibly could. Repeated cracks of the arm-cannon discharged vivid carmine blasts into the toppled Smash’s face. Bits of stone broke off with every punch. When the Strong Smash had enough sense about it to try and knock her away with a backhand, she retreated away. This gave it enough room to stand back up. In the time it took it to rise back to its feet, however, Karasu had cranked the handle on the Build Driver several times. «Vortex Attack!» Drawing back her magnum arm, she felt a large amount of energy building in the cannon. Thrusting the arm forward let out a loud bang as a red sphere the size of the Smash formed in front of her. A lightning-fast follow-up jab from her other arm slammed the energy sphere forward. Engulfed in the energy, the Smash could do nothing but collapse to the ground. EMTs showed up at the spot where Shining Armour stood just as Karasu drained away the Smash essence. The woman that emerged was in just as bad a state as the others had been, but she looked like she’d live if she got immediate attention. Without prompting, a red barrier formed underneath the victim and ferried her over to the gurney being pushed by the paramedics. ‘This one’s different. I feel magic in it. Be careful.’ The words rapidly formed and disappeared in front of the Kamen Rider. A fair warning, since she had almost no experience with the subject matter. It meant that she couldn’t expect it to behave like the other two Strong Smash she’d faced. The moment Sunset released the Smash, it dropped to the ground with a thud. To be honest, she was somewhat surprised by how passive it’d been up until being released. If not for the fact that there was a human being trapped inside, the scientist in her would have been interested to study its behaviour. Alas, it was neither the time or the place. Without warning, the Smash melted into the floor, becoming an indistinct black shape. It reminded her almost of a shadow. Rather than going for Sunset or the Kamen Rider, however, it was heading straight for the police officer and paramedics. It’s like it can sense easier prey... Thinking quickly, Karasu grabbed the shaft of the Tempo Reaper and threw it like a throwing axe. The weapon spun through the air before finally lodging into the ground blade first, pinning the shadow to the floor a few metres away from the police officer. “Hey!” she shouted, darting after it. “Your fight is with me!” It was making an attempt to rise up out of its shadow form, but the Smash could only partially manifest, lunging uselessly at Shining armour. He seemed to consider actually firing his handgun at it, but thought better of it as Karasu approached. She kicked off from the ground, snagging the shaft of the scythe in her right hand as she leapt past. In that same movement, she drew her left hand back. Touching down in front of the off-duty officer, she pirouetted to face the monster. The moment it fully manifested, she threw her punch. Red energy slammed into the smash’s midsection, sending it tumbling backwards, but not harming it in the least. Karasu was not finished, however; her punch transitioned into a slap of the button on the Tempo Reaper. «Smash Hit!» She darted forward as the blade glowed white. Catching up with the tumbling Smash, she swept the blade up underneath it, kicking it into the air as white flame erupted across its chest. Another two taps were followed by her readying another vertical slash. «Million Hit!» An arrow of white energy lanced out from the blade as she made her follow-up attack. It seemed to punch right through the Smash, but it didn’t seem to have any other effect. The Smash, on the other hand, seemed ready to go on the offensive, managing to stabilise its fall, and drawing its arm back. Gritting her teeth, Nebula hit the button three times. «Mega Hit!» Before she could line up her attack, however, the vantablack Smash rocketed down towards her with sudden intensity. Its stubby arm snared her by the face and slammed her into the ground. The resulting impact created a deep crater in the food court’s floor and her weapon dismissed itself. Pain became her entire world. Everything began to spin as a series of blows hammered her further into the earth. Karasu could taste blood in her mouth, and she desperately hoped that she couldn’t vomit into her helmet or else she might drown. At first, she thought it was simply throwing her around, but that made no sense given that she could still feel the earth against her back. I must have a concussion. The Smash raised its arms to bring them down on her head. Silently, Nebula prepared herself for whatever came next. The killing blow never came, however. “NO!” Accompanied by an almost inhuman scream, amaranthine flames swept into the crater taking the Smash with it. It was carried out of Karasu’s field of view. “Get her out of there! I can’t hold it forever!” A man dressed like a paramedic climbed down into the crater, and the moment he looked at her, he paled. “Be a gentleman and help me up?” Karasu offered, thrusting her hand in the air. “Pretty sure the suit cushioned the worst of it, but damned if I’m not gonna be bruised tomorrow.” Against his better judgement, the paramedic grabbed her hand and hauled her upright. Her vision swam, and it took her a moment to realise that she’d nearly collapsed until the paramedic propped her up. It took a bit for her to hobble up to the edge of the crater, and a helping hand from Shining Armour for her to get out. “She needs medical attention,” the medic warned as the Kamen Rider staggered around the rim of the crater. “Somehow, though, I doubt she’ll let us help her.” She didn’t pay the two any mind. She was too busy focused on the walking pillar of flame in the vague shape of a teenage girl. Both hands were thrust in the air, and it took the heroine a moment to realise that she was containing the smash in a fiery sphere at the highest point in the mall above the food court. Flames flickered about her form, occasionally taking the shape of demonic or angelic wings, and there was the flickering shape of a single horn coming from her forehead. “I can’t hold this form anymore!” a voice completely unlike Sunset’s cried out. “Any longer and I’ll become something I’m not. I can’t let myself become that again...” Her hands dropped to her sides, and she rushed over to the rider. The only reason she was sure it was Sunset was because of the Fire Fullbottle that was subsequently thrust into her hand. Leaning in close, the flame-cloaked young woman whispered, “Only magic can hurt it... I’ll be where we came in... and I’ll grab your bag.” Without warning, Sunset took off into the mall along the evacuation route. A trail of fiery footprints followed behind her, even as the flames around her extinguished. Nebula paid her friend no further mind. Instead, she glanced from the bottle to the still suspended Smash up in the air. I hope this works, Sunset-chan. She swapped out the Shako Fullbottle for the Raven, and replaced the Magnum with the Fire. There was a momentary spark from her Build Driver, and for a moment she was worried she fried something. Instead, she watched the silver accents turning gold. An additional moment was spent ensuring no other changes occurred before she cranked it. «Raven!» «Fire!» «Magic Match?» «Are you ready?» “Cross change!” The Raven part of the armour formed as usual; instead of a secondary armature to slam into place, though, a gout of flame shot out from the side of the driver to wrap the portions not covered by armour. Power surged through her, and the ache of some of her injuries lessened. A stray reflection showed her to be covered in raven-black armour and patches of living flame, a pair of fiery equine ears atop her head, with a similarly constructed horn jutting out of her forehead. «Of Blackened Wings and Fiery Desire!» She wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab that Smash out of the sky, and the magic responded. At the top of her vision, she saw the flaming horn brighten, and suddenly, a fiery hand the size of a Smash rushed forward from the space in front of her, snatching the deadly Smash out of its magical prison. It seemed to respond to her every thought, as though it were an extension of her soul, and moving it closer felt like the most natural thing in the world. Oh, she could feel the Smash struggle against her magical grasp. It just didn’t have anything near the amount of willpower to break her hold. In fact, it had almost no willpower or mind to speak of. Strange... how do I know what it needs to break my hold? How is it that I can touch its mind? She shook her head to put aside the thought. No, this would definitely be the time to finish them off. She turned the crank on the Driver several times and then thrust her hand in the air. “Let’s finish this.” «Magitech Finish!» Dozens of spears of flame and steely feathers manifested in the air around the Smash. One by one, the projectiles lanced through the air to skewer her target. It began to look less like a walking void and more like a fiery, quilled pincushion. Once the last feather and fire-lance struck, there was an explosion, and the Smash dropped to the ground. [Insert End] Kamen Rider Karasu reached for one of the remaining empty Fullbottles at her hip, only to find one manifesting in her hand. She knelt down beside the fallen smash and twisted the cap, even as Shining Armour and the paramedics rushed over. As the dark essence was sucked up into the Fullbottle, revealing an old man who looked to be on death’s door even before his transformation, there came laughter from above them. Immediately, she knelt down and propped the elderly man up with her Raven half. “Hazard Level 1,” came the distorted voice of the one she’d called Edgelord. There was no other sign of the armoured figure, however. “Subjects in sub-optimal health cannot survive being transformed into a Smash and back.” The man on the ground was glowing a bright yellow light. “The only thing keeping him alive was the transformation, so congratulations, turncoat. You’re a murderess.” Panic filled her core as the unconscious man began to break up into motes of light. “No, no, no-no-no,” she whimpered. When the paramedics knelt down beside her, she reached out and grabbed one with her flaming hand. The man flinched, but when he found he wasn’t getting burned, he looked at the heroine with wary eyes. “Please, tell me you can do something,” she pleaded. “I... I didn’t know. I never meant to...” The man’s partner shook her head. “I’m sorry,” the woman said in a soft voice, putting her hand gingerly on Karasu’s shoulder. “I don’t think there’s anything any of us can do.” Unable to restrain herself, she began to sob and clutched the elderly man against her chest. Over and over again, she chanted, “I’m sorry!” to the man. The other paramedic and Shining Armour tentatively put a hand on the Kamen Rider’s back in support as she grieved her failure. When the last motes of light vanished, and the man was gone, she let out a distorted cry of anguish and slammed her fist into the tile floor, shattering every tile in a several metre radius. Turning her face to the sky, she cried out, 「When I find you, Edgelord, I’m going to kill you, and then kill you again!」The others recoiled at her sudden shout, especially as she forced herself to her feet. 「I may have been the tool that killed this man, but make no mistake; you were the executioner!」 She staggered away, the energy rush from the Fire Fullbottle fading. The dizziness returned with a vengeance, and she wanted to get out of there. No, I need to get out of here! In her mind’s eye, she pictured the spot she needed to be in her mind, but for the life of her, she couldn’t picture how to get there. If only the magic could— A pillar of flame enshrouded her body, and when she next blinked, she found herself in the parking garage attached to the mall, right in front of Sunset’s motorbike. It was dark, and in the corner she could see a smashed security camera. More importantly, though, she saw Sunset on the ground against the wall, her face buried in her forearms and knees. Disengaging the transformation, she staggered over to where Sunset sat, and slowly slid down the wall beside her. “Sunset-chan,” she murmured in a shaky voice. “I... I do not know what happened with your transformation, but between what happened to you, that bastard making me into a killer, and the concussion I have, I do not think either of us should be alone tonight.” Her friend sat up and looked at her in horror. When the silence made it clear that she was not joking, Sunset put her arm across Nebula’s shoulder and hugged her close. It was only then that they both broke down. Shining Armour drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to a beat heard only in his heart. He’d have loved to have just turned on the radio to fill the silence as he drove himself and Twily back to their parents’ home. Unfortunately, ever since they’d gotten into the car, his younger sister had that look on her face that told him that she needed absolute silence while she puzzled something out. He couldn’t exactly blame her. The evening had given them both an awful lot to think about. There had been a lot of useful information gained from observing the interaction between the Kamen Rider and the one that created the two Smash. None of it exactly alleviated his oncoming headache, but it was something. Firstly, he’d determined that there was indeed someone creating the Smash. The vigilante had referred to the man as Edgelord, although it was likely a nickname created as an insult. Worse, this man could apparently appear or disappear at will and create a Smash at any time. That made the situation leagues more complex, because there would be no establishing a pattern in appearances. Next, Karasu had a link to this group responsible for the monsters. Given that she’d been straight up accused of having stolen the technology she now used to fight those monsters, alongside someone who’d been referred to as ‘that unicorn bitch’, he suspected that the Kamen Rider was a conscientious objector. It was likely that she’d destroyed all data related to her gear; it’d certainly explain why they were so desperate to get it back. Most importantly, however, he’d been given a sobering update on the situation with the Smash. Shining had done some checking up on the previous victim, the one that Karasu had personally placed in his hands, and she was suffering from acute amnesia, and couldn’t remember anything after the day preceding her disappearance. Similarly, the hospital had received an escaped convict into their care in a similar state the week before that. Now, not only did they have to worry about trying to pump victims for useful information, but now there was a straight-up risk of killing a victim if the Smash was created from an infirm person. Is that going to put a hamper on our little heroine’s efforts to save people? He glanced sideways at his sister, who seemed just as deep in thought. Or is this going to push her to try harder? Though Shining Armour was lucky to have never needed to kill in the line of duty, he’d seen a number of people that he went to the academy with who weren’t so lucky. More than a few of them didn’t take it well at all. It was one thing to witness death, but to cause it was an entirely different thing. It destroyed some people, and just two months ago he’d attended the funeral of a peer who couldn’t handle the guilt. “Twily, about what happened at the mall,” he began, taking care not to take the accusatory tone with her. Shining knew damn well that Twilight Sparkle was too curious for her own damn good and had likely witnessed the entire fight and recorded it with her phone, even after he’d advised her to evacuate. “If you ever need to talk about what you—” Twilight shook her head, maybe too quickly. “I know, Shiny,” she responded in a tone just barely audible over the engine. “I’m fine, though... Really. It’s just a lot to take in.” Much to his surprise, she managed a soft laugh. “Do you want to know what gets me, though? Even though I should have all that occupying my mind, all I can think is how I swear I’ve seen that Nebula girl somewhere at Crystal Prep before.” He raised his eyebrow and motioned for her to continue as he changed lanes and readied to turn onto a residential street. “I know it wasn’t in person, or anything,” she continued, fretting with the bottom of her uniform skirt. “But I could swear I’ve seen her face in a picture somewhere at the school.” When she turned to look at her brother, he could see a genuine interest in helping in her eyes—even if it was more out of a desire to solve a mystery. “You said that girl doesn’t remember anything until about a month ago, so maybe Crystal Prep would be a good place to find some clues. Principal Cinch is incredibly old-fashioned and has a hardcopy of almost everything.”
Seven Fates
562641
6
Main 7 (EqG),Original Character,Other,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Science Fiction,Kamen Rider,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity,Violence
Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu
In the wake of the Fall Formal, a lot has changed. The Demon Queen has been dethroned, the student body is healing, and the city has a new guardian angel—a masked heroine who calls herself a Kamen Rider?
incomplete
17
4
<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>An Equestria Girls x Kamen Rider <span style="color:#BE4343">Bu</span>i<span style="color:#265DAF">ld</span> fic</p></div><hr/><p>It's been three weeks since the CHS Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer, the most notorious queen bee in the school's history, has been dethroned and the once-divided student body has begun to heal. No longer are students broken into cliques; old and new friendships alike have risen from the ashes of Sunset's reign of terror.</p><p>Not all is well in the Canterlot metropolis, however. Since the formal, mysterious creatures known only as the Smash have been showing up, going on rampages throughout the city. But for the presence of Canterlogic Securities' <i>Guardian</i> combat robots, there would be no repelling these monsters. Questions remain in the wake of these attacks—where did the Smash come from, and where did they go when defeated?</p><p>Tangled up in it all is Nebula Moonlight, a late transfer to CHS. Much like the Smash, her life seemingly began the night of the Fall Formal, and she was left grasping for answers about who she really was. The only clues she has are the words of her mysterious benefactor, and a strange device that allows her to transform. &quot;If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source.&quot;</p><p>Science and magic collide, and Canterlot is on a collision course for disaster unless Nebula and her new allies can solve the mystery and stop the threat once and for all.</p><hr/><p>If you enjoy the story, be sure to leave a comment.</p><p>Notes: </p><ul><li>G5 tag present due to the implementation of several characters and/or organisations inspired by G5 making appearances.</li><li>Watching Kamen Rider Build is not required to understand this story; any concepts and/or references will be explained throughout the story and through Author Notes. You may notice familiar story beats if you have seen the series.</li><li>The Project Build logo and Kamen Rider Build are the property of Toei and Ishinomori Productions. I claim no ownership.</li><li>The logo on the cover is mash-up of the Project Build logo and the horseshoe iconography present in a lot of the CHS memorabilia seen in the various Equestria Girls. Cover is done in CHS Wondercolts colouring for extra fun.</li></ul>
teen
2024-08-16T23:17:53+00:00
2024-08-17T01:37:05+00:00
73
October 31st, 2013 It struck her as a rather bizarre sight. In her time pretending to date Flash Sentry, things had never progressed to the point that involved physical intimacy or shared nudity that often showed up in the various media available in this world. She’d been perfectly content in the knowledge that she’d likely never be in the position to see someone in a state of prolonged undress in the comfort of her own home... and yet here she was—or rather, here Nebula was. After their encounter at the mall yesterday, especially after they’d both cried it out, she’d come to the decision that Nebula's assessment had been correct. Neither of them should have been alone, but it was especially true of the girl that had been slammed head first into the ground so hard that it created a crater. She’d seemed particularly punch-drunk after being helped out of the crater, but when Sunset heard the broken tone in her friend’s voice when she spoke of having taken a life, that had settled it. Sunset’s apartment was something she financed with bits she brought through when she first came into the world, so she had no issues of parental permission for having friends over. The group home for Nebula seemed kind of hands-off, and didn’t even press the amnesiac when she called to let them know she was crashing at a friend’s place for a few days. Did they even care so long as they got money from the State to care for her? The result had been the Kamen Rider crashing on her couch, passing out in the middle of changing out of the track suit. Shorts and a sports bra weren’t exactly what she’d call appropriate guest attire; with the nasty bruising around her abdomen where the Smash had repeatedly struck her, Sunset couldn’t exactly blame her friend for not trying to put on another shirt. Especially when she was so out of it after the fact. She’d spent most of the night watching over her friend. Strangely enough, however, her friend wasn’t exhibiting many of the symptoms of concussion. Between the fever, full-body ache, dehydration, and increased appetite, she’d have said that Nebula was suffering from magical exhaustion. In the days immediately following her purge by the Rainbow of Light, she’d found herself in a similar state. The idea wouldn’t have even occurred to her if she hadn’t seen the footage someone had posted online that very night. It’d been taken from one floor up, but it’d captured the transformation involving the Raven and Fire Fullbottles. The presence of the fiery horn and ears reminded the former unicorn of the way that Rarity and Princess Twilight both had transformed when imbued with the power of the Element of Magic. She wondered idly if there’d have been an extended ponytail if the Build System had allowed it. Still, that wasn’t all that the footage revealed. It wasn’t just that Nebula had been imbued with the power of the Fire Fullbottle’s magic; she’d actively wielded magic in its most basic form—the incredibly wasteful, intent-based ‘brute force’ magic most often used instinctively by foals during surges. And she teleported with it, too! No wonder she’s tired. If she had any remaining symptoms of concussion, they’d been so mild that the magical exhaustion masked them. It’d been enough to convince Sunset that she was safe to let rest overnight on the couch. That was, of course, after leaving a bottle of water and the acetaminophen atop the coffee table within easy reach. For her part, the former unicorn did not sleep at all that night. Every time she began to drift off, she found herself back in the mall, reliving the moment her magic surged and she almost lost control. It was enough to jolt her wide awake every single time. For the first time in years, Sunset Shimmer was beginning to feel like her old self. There was a reason that she had been the personal apprentice to the Princess of the Sun; her magic was at a level seldom seen in unicorns for centuries at a time. Even as a foal, her mentor had been hammering in just the sort of damage she could do without proper control. Not only was she strong, though; she’d been one of the most learned magi of her era. She possessed archmagus-level certifications in both transmutation and evocation magic at just fourteen, and was able to teach it as well. She’d been in the process of earning one in artifice before the appearance of Mi Amore Cadenza drove her focus entirely into the realm of Ascension. With the Fire Fullbottle clutched in her hand, she felt as though she could access every ounce of that long-dormant power. It was invigorating, but the more sense she got of her own power, the more she realised just how much she’d taken for granted, and how much more aware of the control she had to keep. The strength of her magic coupled with knowledge gained during her time in the human world created the potential for great destruction; strictly speaking, she could likely level three city blocks in a single casting. Much to her surprise, though, her magic seemed to be causing the black Smash harm. It was sparking occasionally from the prolonged contact with the barrier spell she was using to contain the creature. More than that, though, she could feel magic within it, trying to fight against her grip. The moment Karasu drained the essence from the Smash she was fighting, Sunset used a modified barrier spell to escort the poor woman that’d been forcibly transformed over to the police. She even took the time to cast a quick sending to warn the Kamen Rider to keep on her hooves toes. The moment she let down the containment spell, she paused to get her bearings and see how her friend handled the creature. At first, the Rider seemed to be handling the monster with the same level of ease she’d conquered the first one with, but she quickly noticed something important. In every video that Sunset saw of the fights involving Smash, the body would give off sparks when hit with a damaging blow. Although Karasu was hitting it hard and fast, knocking it around like it didn’t weigh enough to crack the floor tiles when it moved, it seemed to be taking the blows like mosquito bites—annoying but mostly harmless. With a sudden flare of magical power, the midnight-black monster hurled itself down toward the ground, driving her friend head first into the ground. She waited with bated breath to see her friend knock the creature off of her, but that moment never came. Instead the Smash lived up to the moniker, beginning to rain heavy blows down upon her new friend... and she wasn’t fighting back. Fear of loss and rage at the creature daring to harm something that belonged to her flared in her chest, and the Fire Fullbottle pulsed violently in response. The sudden, violent emotion loosened her control over her magical power enough that she could feel a surge coming on. Once a surge starts, My Little Sun, Princess Celestia’s words echoed in her head, there are but two options: suppress the magic at the source, or direct it so that the magic acts with purpose. Magical flames began to leap from her body as she rose to her feet. The power was too much for her to contain or suppress at this point, so she let it form a protective flame-cloak around her body as she formulated the spell needed to save her friend. A moment later, she channelled all of that rage and fear into a wall of flame that surged forward from her hands. The mass of flames swept into the crater throwing sparks high into the air. When she then redirected the flames upward, the Smash was carried with it. The moment she had it high in the air, she reshaped the spell to create a prison of solid flames around the monster. All the while, her magic sparked and surged around her. Faintly, at the border of her consciousness, she could feel the familiar sensation of wings beginning to take form. It began as a tingle in her back, but a glance over her shoulder showed them trying to manifest in the flames. One moment, she was there containing a Smash, and the next she saw herself in the air in front of Canterlot High, throwing a massive ball of flame at the pony princess who ruine— She tamped down on the thought and directed as much energy as she could manage into the barrier. “Get her out of there!” Sunset cried out in that same voice she possessed as a demon. “I can’t hold this forever!” Sometimes, however, she would transition into that half-asleep state and it was different. In those moments, it always turned into a nightmare where she regained that demonic form, and instead of merely saving Karasu, she turned on her, and then the police officer and paramedics that’d been there to help her friend. As a result, she was ready to call in sick by the time the sun rose. Of course, she understood why she had that surge and those waking nightmares. It was the same reason she knew she wasn’t ready to face the princess; there hadn’t been enough time for her to really begin getting over what happened, never mind making it up to everyone for what she’d done. The mere thought of power or great responsibility terrified her. What caught Sunset off guard the most was after she’d showered and gotten a cup of coffee. She’d come out into the living room to check on Nebula, only to find her friend wide awake and upright, looking at her phone. In the morning sunlight, the bruises around the girl’s still exposed midsection had turned a greenish colour, almost seeming luminescent atop her jet-coloured skin. But that’s five days worth of healing in a single night... “Good morning, Sunset-chan,” came Nebula’s tired greeting. It came out more like a groan, but there was a self-assured smirk on her face—the same way Rainbow got when she tried to challenge Pinkie to an eating contest that time, and called it ‘Worth it,’ despite the loss and stomach ache. “Did you get any rest?” The former unicorn shook her head. “I was going to call in sick, and suggest you do the same,” she admitted. “There’s kind of a lot about yesterday to unpack, and school isn’t the place to do so.” Nebula nodded and pushed herself to one side of the couch so that Sunset could take a seat as well. “No kidding,” came Nebula’s agreement. “I... don’t remember much, but seeing him stirred some things loose, and I feel... I dunno, more like myself. More comfortable?” Silently, she wondered if her friend realised that her manner of speaking had changed. Just yesterday before that whole mess started, she’d been noting how stiff and overly formal and clinical it made her sound. Now she almost sounded like any of the other girls. “Speaking of,” she tapped something on her phone and then passed it over to Sunset, making sure to point out a sensor on the back. On the screen, there looked to be three graphs labelled Type-I, Type-II, and Type-M. “Can you press this against my forearm and tell me what you see?” The moment the sensor touched Nebula’s skin, the Type-II and Type-M graphs began to fluctuate wildly for a second. It eventually settled into two similar waveforms, the later of which she recognised to be magic. “You register on the Type-II and Type-M charts.” The longer she held it there, numbers began to appear. “One reads 3.2154, whilst the latter reads 2.3565. What are these numbers?” Nebula gently took back the phone, pressed a button and looked at it. “Huh, Type-II is up zero point zero one from when I measured it last week.” Her brow furrowed as she looked at the second measurement. “I didn’t even measure on the Type-M last week, so I’m rather impressed to go up two whole points... I have magic... and whatever it was the Nebula Gas did to me.” Glancing down at her bruises, her eyebrow shot up. “And apparently it’s helping me heal faster than I should.” Turning back to Sunset, she fixed her friend with an even look. “I take it there were videos of what happened last night circulating online?” When she nodded, Nebula continued. “I dunno if anyone caught it, but the Edgelord mentioned something. Hazard Levels.” Sighing, Nebula brought her knees up to her chest and set the phone down to hug her legs. “In its most basic breakdown, a Hazard Level determines how likely a lifeform is to withstand the effects of Nebula Gas.” She held up her pinky finger, and explained. “At Hazard Level 1—which encompasses the sick, weak, elderly, or infirm—an entity effectively dies the moment it transforms them into Smash, and when purged of Nebula Gas, the strain is too much and their body breaks down into energy.” The girl then put her pinkie down and extended her ring finger. “At Hazard Level 2—which is most average people—exposure to Nebula Gas immediately transforms a person into a Smash, and can be transformed back without too much risk.” She stared at her friend with a worried look in her eyes.“The strain puts them in a feverish state, and they typically cannot recall anything immediately leading up to it.” Sunset thought she was starting to get the picture, although not entirely. The device read zero on the value labelled Type-I, and yet that wasn’t at all touched upon. Does that mean that exposure to that type would kill her? Or is it an immunity? “Hazard Level 2.1 and higher is where things get interesting, at least from a detached point of view,” Nebula explained. “It’s at this level that people exposed resist transforming into a Smash and suffer no physiological effects of Nebula Gas.” Finally, she put the pinky finger back up. “At Hazard Level 3, a person can utilise the Build Driver Rev. A or Transteam System and transform.” She glanced at the bag leaned up against the coffee table holding all her stuff. “What I find interesting is that I have a Hazard Level above 2.1 where magic is concerned when I was at zero last week.” Sunset considered that as she took the phone and took a reading of herself. If magic at all behaved like the mutagenic gas derived from it, would it have transformed her friend into another Smash like the weird one yesterday? Or would it have been closer to that of a demon like Sunset had become when exposed? For that matter, had using the Fire Fullbottle really been enough to grant Nebula magic, and would she transform like Rainbow Dash if she got really into something? The only chart that showed an energy waveform was Type-M, but as she held it against her arm, she saw two Hazard Levels. Under Type-I, it read 2.1001, while Type-M measured out at 2.9062. I wonder how it measures up in comparison to a Standard Equestrian Thaum. What she wouldn’t give for access to a thaumometer, right then. She passed the phone back to her friend so that she could look. “So what you’re saying is that if my magic was zero point one higher in this ‘Hazard Level’, I could theoretically use your Driver to transform?” Nebula stood and walked around the coffee table, where she began to pace. “Hard to say. With two magic bottles?” She tapped the side of her chin a few times. “Maybe. It seemed like you were having problems regulating power with just one and it’s possible two would be too much to start out with. I certainly started getting overwhelmed.” She turned to her friend, chewing on her lip as she considered something. “I honestly don’t know what would happen if you tried with either of the other Fullbottles, and I’m not keen to run a risky test on you like that.” The two followed through with their plan to skive off class for the day. Instead of staying at Sunset’s place, however, the two ended up going for a walk in Sunset’s neighbourhood. It was a chill October morning, and long past the time most people went to school or work, so it was pretty empty save for the occasional passing car. The relative peace made it pretty easy to converse as they went. “So, there was something I wanted to mention earlier, before we got distracted,” Sunset started. “I think I mentioned before that ponies in Equestria tend to have counterparts in this world.” Taking advantage of the absence of people on the sidewalk to walk backwards as she spoke to her friend. Nebula thought she understood where this was going. Her friend had been watching her interaction with Shining Armour’s younger sister with a degree of what seemed to be fear. “Is this about Twilight-san?” Sunset nodded, managing to look quite guilty as she looked away. “Twilight Sparkle, at least in my world, is the pony that replaced me as Princess Celestia’s personal student.” She crossed her arms and sighed. “Twilight’s also the princess whose crown I stole—the princess who defeated me.” Of all the things the amnesiac thought she might hear, this wasn’t anywhere close. She’d expected bad history of course, such as someone she used to bully, but that? No wonder the former unicorn had been spooked. It had to bring up so many different emotions, and not being prepared for that, it would certainly risk emotional overload. “Ah,” was all she could say. “I haven’t actually accepted Shining Armour-san’s invitation yet; should I turn them down or say something’s come up?” When her friend stopped and grabbed her by her shoulders, Nebula nearly tripped. “No! Nothing like that.” Sunset looked uncomfortable, but resigned. “Just... Princess Twilight blundered into this world and still managed to systematically destroy everything I built for myself here in just two days. What could the human Twilight do if she stumbled across the existence of magic?” The image of the detonation of a hydrogen bomb detonating played out before Nebula’s eyes. “Just... be careful around her.” “Alright,” she responded. The two returned to silence for the remainder of the trip. Maybe a few blocks down from the duplex unit Sunset rented, there was what looked to be an abandoned indoor hockey rink. The building itself seemed in good shape, although the land around it was fenced in and in disrepair. Nebula followed close behind her friend as the redhead led her around the back, where there was a gap in the fence. From there, Sunset picked her way along a worn path until they reached a fire exit alongside a garage style door. Opening the door without any sort of resistance, the young woman reached just inside and grabbed a lantern. At first glance, it was an antique oil lantern, but instead of opening it and igniting a wick, she pressed a button, and the lamp began to brightly glow. Once Nebula blinked away the spots of the LED array, she looked around. Every inch of the polycarbonate rink barriers was covered in street art, even the barrier that would normally open to admit a zamboni. At the centre of the rink sat a tarp-covered sofa, some patio furniture, and a few easels atop tarps. Though Nebula thought each piece was from a different artist, it slowly occurred to her that it was actually a progression of a singular style. “Welcome to my home away from home,” she explained, moving over to where an easel sat, a sheet over whatever painting had been left there. “It’s where I come to unwind, or practise my art—” Removing the sheet, the former unicorn’s face flushed. “—and apparently stroke my ego when I was a megalomaniac.” On the canvas was a vaguely equine creature in Sunset’s colour palette. Nebula assumed it to be a self portrait, not of what she’d been, but what she’d desired to become. The painting depicted a winged unicorn—an alicorn, the scientist’s memory so helpfully supplied—posing regally with her wings spread, clad in a silver peytral, crown, and some sort of extended hoof covering. There was a haughty expression on the mare’s face that screamed, ‘I’m your better!’ “It’s how I imagined I’d look after achieving Ascension,” Sunset explained upon noticing her curious expression. “It’s pretty accurate to how Equestrian ponies look, though.” She let out a disgusted snort before shaking her head in an almost equine fashion. “I didn’t bring you here just to show off my art, though.” She moved back over to the sofa, pulled the Fire Fullbottle from her jacket pocket and gave it a shake. After a moment, a phantom pair of equine ears appeared atop her head, accompanied by the horn shape. Holding out her hand, a mote of light appeared, rapidly growing before she finally threw it into the air to illuminate the whole arena with amaranth light. “This is probably the best place we can work on any of this Rider stuff.” She grinned and then threw the bottle over to Nebula. The pseudo-transformation gave out a moment later. “Nobody but me ever comes here, and you don’t have to worry about trespassing. Believe it or not, I own this lot.” That got a look of surprise from Nebula. “So why the show of coming through the fence?” she asked. Against her better judgement, she gave the bottle a few shakes. Electric blue light coalesced atop her head to form ears and a horn. She glanced around for a moment before reaching towards a can of spray paint that lay forgotten near a large depiction of the two-toned sun her friend often wore. “Why not go in the front?” Sunset shrugged as she watched a flickering blue glow encompass the can. “Nostalgia, maybe?” she remarked, smiling as the human girl intuited her way through telekinesis. The can shakily lifted a foot off the floor, only to tumble when Nebula tried to bring it to her. “I spent my first winter here, before I got my finances all set up with the gold bits I brought with me from Equestria. Despite how bad things seemed, I never failed to feel safe here. Since then, I’ve gone through a lot of effort to make sure people keep away.” The former unicorn paused, as though she’d only just realised something. “With access to my magic, I could probably create a deterrent field, but I’d have to find something to anchor the spell to.” A thoughtful expression on her face, she turned and looked around the rink. “All said, though, we could have worse places for a hideout.” After making and failing a few more attempts at levitating the bottle over, Nebula sent the Fire Fullbottle back Sunset’s way. Why was it so much easier when I was in my rider form? Hmm. She pulled her phone out and saw a few messages in the group chat she’d been pulled into with the others, giving her well-wishes. PieMaster: OMG, sorry ur missing Halloween Day @ school! PieMaster: I’ll throw make-up party 4 u 2 l8r. DiamondDarling: My goodness, I hope you’re both doing alright. DiamondDarling: That business yesterday looked particularly nasty. 2Fast4U: That was so awesome! Appletini: Jus’ give the word an’ I’ll bring some vittles by after school. FluffyBunni: Feel better soon. Thanks girls. Will do. :girlGenius ShimmerCode: At least we have something productive to do on our off day. Her eye drifted from the screen to the bottle slot, she felt something stirring inside of her. Resonating with the sense of scientific curiosity, she felt an unfamiliar tingle building in her chest. From her lab coat pocket, she withdrew the Pony Fullbottle, and started walking away from the furniture and easels. Something deep inside her wanted out. Why not let it? «Build Change!» She slotted the bottle into the phone, which let out a startling jingle, and when it started trembling in her hands, she threw it into the air. Not a moment too soon, as it turned out; impossibly, the phone began to unfold to a larger size than made sense. In response to her mounting excitement, the nascent magic burst free of its restraints. As the phone slowly grew into the form of an off-road motorcycle, her ears migrated to the top of her head and a jet-grey spike of a horn jutted out from her forehead. Lacking a long enough mane of hair, a shock of platinum hairs pushed out the back of her track pants instead. 「Oh, I love this!」 she squealed, not really cognisant of the fact of something swishing beneath her lab coat as she darted over to the bike. 「An XR 230? How did they ever compact this baby down?」 It was definitely a custom, and the touch-screen of the phone sat between the handlebars. The body was the white and charcoal of the Raven and Scythe Fullbottles, and over top of the headlight, there was a decorative gear. In lieu of the rear fender, was a giant version of the Pony Fullbottle. Running her hands down the length of the chassis, she gave her friend a beaming grin. “Ne, Sunset-chan. Get a look at this.” The moment Nebula turned to face her, she heard the click a smartphone made upon taking a picture. Seemingly content at having documented her friend’s transformation, Sunset came over, just in time for her friend to press a button on the display, causing a helmet to appear atop the seat. “So you’ve got a bike now. The question becomes, can you drive it? “Research Log: Project Unity. Audio Log #3. Timestamp: 31 October, 2013, 5:30pm. Location: Sunset’s Rink Hideout.” “Wait, you’re calling this Project unity? Why?” “I mean, the Build System is a unification of both technology and magic. Plus, I’m still planning on helping you study this whole Equestrian magic thing, especially now that I’m wrapped up in it. Besides, it made sense at the time.” [The sound of plastic being sat upon can be heard on the recording.] “Anyway, where was I? Oh! Right. I’m joined by my friend, Sunset Shimmer-san. There’s a lot of things gathered over the last twenty-four hours. Where do you think we should start?” “Well, for one we ran into an old enemy of yours. I know you called him Edgelord, but I refuse to believe that’s his name. He let a lot of information slip. He seemed involved in Smash research, and indicated that he had been experimenting on you for months before trying to have you disposed of. He also mentioned ‘that unicorn bitch’ having stolen the Build Driver and the Fullbottles now in your possession.” [A chuckle can be heard, followed by the sound of someone cracking open two soda cans.] “Yeah, he’s definitely talking about the person that gave me the stuff and then recorded that first fight. Their armour looked vaguely unicorn inspired.” [Someone slurps loudly from their beverage.] “They were the one that took that first Strong Smash victim—an escaped convict—to the hospital. After the fight with the Burn Smash, they got me away from the police. Based on the suit designs and the gear they’re both equipped with, I think it’s safe to say that’s the Transteam System they are using, and they are just as capable of creating Smash as Edgelord-kun. May have even engineered that entire situation and not just taken advantage...” “Speaking of Smash, I feel like I should point out that there seems to be a subvariety not mentioned in that document you translated for me this afternoon. Some Smash seem to be infused with more Equestrian magic than Nebula Gas, and it makes them far tougher than the previous ones you’ve defeated. That dark infused one was kicking your ass until you used the Fire Fullbottle. Fighting magic with magic may become the rule, although you didn’t seem to have as much issue with the Burn Smash. It’s a shame we only have one magic bottle right now.” “That Fullbottle... I can only theorise what happened with it, but in my body I now hold both the Type-II energy, as well as Type-M energy, or Equestrian magic. I assume that the bottle acted as an infusion to allow me to wield the fire magic granted by using it with the Build Driver. Regardless, it has had a few interesting effects. Firstly, most of my injuries from yesterday have healed at an accelerated rate.” “Actually, can we stop to check on that right now? Your bruises looked like they were already days old this morning.” [On the recording comes the sound of the phone being set down alongside an empty soda can. Soon after, the rustling of cloth can be heard.] “It’s like I thought. Your bruises are almost completely gone... and you have a tail.” “Why do I have a tail, Sunset-chan? Rainbow just got longer hair!” “I don’t know! How could I? Maybe it’s an incompatible hairstyle? Anyway! How could you not notice this yourself sooner? You’ve been transformed for hours! Not even Rainbow transformed that long.” “Hmm, maybe it’s because I never came down from the rush I get from my passion for research? Lemme try something.” [Nebula can be heard breathing slow, deep breaths for over a minute on the recording. At the end of her breathing exercise, a slight static tinkle registers.] “Fascinating. We can mark down passion as a potential cause... Wait. Transformation... that released a lot of Type-M energy when it happened with Rainbow, and the Smash essence bottles reacted... Quick, bring over my bag.” [The sound of a zipper can be heard, followed by a click and a gasp.] [Manic laughter can be heard, followed by another static tinkle.] “I don’t believe it. Why did you transform again?” “Does it matter? This makes things so much easier! Now we both have a magic bottle on us... But is this... Void or Darkness, I wonder? The other is definitely Meteor, though. What do you think, Sunset-chan. Should I test it with the Shako Fullbottle now, or wait for the Edgelord to make his next move?” “I... I need to go lie down. Let’s go back to my apartment.” [Both parties can be heard letting out a yawn.] “You’re probably right.This is Nebula Moonlight, Project Unity Lead, signing off.”
Seven Fates
562641
7
Main 7 (EqG),Original Character,Other,Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Science Fiction,Kamen Rider,My Little Pony: A New Generation,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Profanity,Violence
Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu
In the wake of the Fall Formal, a lot has changed. The Demon Queen has been dethroned, the student body is healing, and the city has a new guardian angel—a masked heroine who calls herself a Kamen Rider?
incomplete
17
4
<div class="bbcode-center" style="text-align:center"><p>An Equestria Girls x Kamen Rider <span style="color:#BE4343">Bu</span>i<span style="color:#265DAF">ld</span> fic</p></div><hr/><p>It's been three weeks since the CHS Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer, the most notorious queen bee in the school's history, has been dethroned and the once-divided student body has begun to heal. No longer are students broken into cliques; old and new friendships alike have risen from the ashes of Sunset's reign of terror.</p><p>Not all is well in the Canterlot metropolis, however. Since the formal, mysterious creatures known only as the Smash have been showing up, going on rampages throughout the city. But for the presence of Canterlogic Securities' <i>Guardian</i> combat robots, there would be no repelling these monsters. Questions remain in the wake of these attacks—where did the Smash come from, and where did they go when defeated?</p><p>Tangled up in it all is Nebula Moonlight, a late transfer to CHS. Much like the Smash, her life seemingly began the night of the Fall Formal, and she was left grasping for answers about who she really was. The only clues she has are the words of her mysterious benefactor, and a strange device that allows her to transform. &quot;If you want to know who you really are, take up the mantle of the Kamen Rider, solve the mystery of Project Re:Build, and stop the Smash at the source.&quot;</p><p>Science and magic collide, and Canterlot is on a collision course for disaster unless Nebula and her new allies can solve the mystery and stop the threat once and for all.</p><hr/><p>If you enjoy the story, be sure to leave a comment.</p><p>Notes: </p><ul><li>G5 tag present due to the implementation of several characters and/or organisations inspired by G5 making appearances.</li><li>Watching Kamen Rider Build is not required to understand this story; any concepts and/or references will be explained throughout the story and through Author Notes. You may notice familiar story beats if you have seen the series.</li><li>The Project Build logo and Kamen Rider Build are the property of Toei and Ishinomori Productions. I claim no ownership.</li><li>The logo on the cover is mash-up of the Project Build logo and the horseshoe iconography present in a lot of the CHS memorabilia seen in the various Equestria Girls. Cover is done in CHS Wondercolts colouring for extra fun.</li></ul>
teen
2024-08-19T14:19:55+00:00
2024-08-21T18:17:09+00:00
59
November 1st, 2013, 3:33pm The four-stroke engine roared in her ears, only slightly muffled by her helmet. Her heart pounded with excitement as the speedometer ticked past 100 km/h. Weaving through traffic like this should have been terrifying, but to Nebula it felt as natural as breathing. This is what really makes a Kamen Rider live up to the name. Thanks to the shock absorption from the armour granted to her by the Build System, she felt almost none of the normal drag from riding in a more relaxed posture. Plus, it was hard to give her a speeding ticket or fine her for driving without a licence if she was armoured up. They’d probably have to use Guardians just to force me to pull me over. She couldn’t let her internal dialogue distract her too much from her mission, though. It was an early dismissal day, and the idea had been to meet up with everyone at the Brighthouse Café to actually catch up on things, and finally meet Argyle to thank him for the laptop, bag, and the gift card that funded her school supplies. In fact, not even five minutes earlier, she’d been in the back of Fluttershy’s van. Funny how things like Smash get in the way of things, though. “Get back here, you coward!” she cried out as she ducked a bundle of steel bars on the back of a truck that had been turning left just ahead of her. In her Kamen Rider identity, she’d been chasing after a strange smash for a while now, and she was already caught up. After all, she had to get out of the van, find a place to transform, and turn her phone into a motorcycle, which in turn gave the creature a huge head start. “The rest of your ilk have all been fixated on destruction! So why are you running!?” It was times like this that she wished she had a ranged option other than the Magnum Fullbottle or her Tempo Reaper’s Million Hit attack. The former’s arm cannon would be too awkward to fire safely from a bike, and the latter was too dangerous to wield in the afternoon traffic. Given the type of Smash she was chasing, she could use all the help she could get. It was bad enough that it could fly, but it also seemed to be another Magic Smash, turning only long enough to try and launch cars at her. The creature that was keeping ahead of her, just above the traffic line was very similar to the sketch of what had been labelled the Flying Smash in the Re:Build documents, possessing broad hands that resembled the feathers of a bird’s wings, and atop its avian-looking head, a wide-brimmed headpiece that could be compared to a stealth bomber sat atop its head. Unlike the one on file, however it was green, currents of green energy occasionally wrapping around it. “Come on!” she whined as she whipped past a crowd of civilians with their phones out, taking pictures or recording as she passed. “You’re making me look desperate!” Finally, the Smash paid Karasu more than just a token bit of attention, slowing to a stop just long enough to wave one arm at her in a back-handing motion. It emitted wind with such force that the vehicles ahead of her were picked up and overturned. A sedan ended up flying straight at her, and she had to throw herself into a slide that almost completely knocked her from the bike. “I’ve had it!” she growled, grabbing a golden Fullbottle with the black half of a taijitu etched upon it from her strap. She hadn’t had any chance to test this one since discovering its accidental purification yesterday, but if she could grab the Smash with magic, it’d be child’s play. Not trusting she could safely transform on her motorcycle, she pulled over and dismounted. She replaced the Scythe bottle with the new bottle, and began cranking the Build Driver. «Raven!» «Darkness!» «Magic Match?» «Are you ready?» An inky-black darkness surged out the side of the driver, looking to cover every inch not covered by the Raven armour. Her entire body felt energised, and somehow more flexible. Flexing the fingers on her left hand, she could just out make out bone white spurs at her fingertips as the shadows shifted. A similar spur emerged at her right knee and left elbow. «Quoth the Raven, Nevermore!» Instinctively, she slammed her left fist down into the shadow of a car. To her amazement, her fist rocketed out from the side of a building’s shadow, as though her arm were elastic, and slammed into the Flying Smash. Sparks showered down on the street and the cars below. As her extended arm began to contract, Karasu grabbed the Smash by its wrist, digging her bony claws in despite the metallic texture. When her arm disappeared back into the shadow of the building, so too did the monster, emerging from the ground in front of her like a radish. She heaved it up over her head and slammed it into the concrete, quickly following up with a rain of blows. The Flying Smash counterattacked by buffeting her with yet more wind, knocking her back and away. It took advantage of her disorientation to start flying upward, deciding to rain down violent winds upon the city. She could only watch as it flew higher and higher, far beyond the reach of even the deepest shadows... Unless. «Magitech Finish!» Kamen Rider Karasu threw a skyward punch into the air. The shadow enshrouding half her body rocketed off of her, leaving parts of her clad only in the black bodysuit and helmet of the armour. The mass shadow temporarily stole all the darkness from around her before taking the form of a massive black bird covered in spurs of white bone. It let out a loud caw before chasing after the Smash. She watched the shadowy bird intently as it caught the monster in its talons. When the giant raven began diving directly down toward her, the rider prepared to jump. The bird and smash grew closer and closer, but as it cleared the roof-line, it turned into clouds, returning to encompass her body. When she jumped and caught the now-falling Smash with an axe kick, it was like a fireworks factory had exploded around her, showering her and the rest of the street with sparks. When she touched down on the ground, an empty Fullbottle had already manifested in her darkness-enshrouded hand. There were police and EMTs with gurneys already rushing down in between cars from both sides. They must have been following the chase on the roads to either side. The woman in a hospital gown revealed when the unpurified Nebula Gas had been drained thankfully did not begin to break down into pure energy. Still, she looked every bit as feverish as the other survivors had been. The moment a paramedic-led gurney came to a stop by the victim, Karasu made her way over to her bike. Not too long after she picked it back up, some of the boys in blue surrounded her, firearms drawn. Several conflicting orders were thrown her way as she mounted her motorcycle, and she couldn’t help but snort. “Get down on the ground.” “Don’t move!” “Put your hands in the air!” “Turn around, slowly!” “Dismount the motorcycle and surrender!” What a fine mess this is, she thought to herself. “Okay, I’m gonna follow exactly one of those orders,” she remarked in a sarcastic tone that likely did not carry over thanks to the distortion effect. “I’ll get down on the ground... very low on the ground... like a shadow.” Carefully, she allowed herself—and her bike by proxy—to sink into the shadow of the nearby building, focusing on coming up in an alley a few blocks from the café. For a moment, she was convinced they were actually going to start shooting. “Instead of wasting time trying to arrest me, how about you go be useful and help the people who are trapped in overturned vehicles.” Once she was submerged in the shadow, she felt completely disoriented. It was kind of like swimming, except that she was the water and the world moved around her. When she finally came back up, she was in a dark alley nowhere near the combat site. What a detour! Before she disengaged her transformation, she returned her bike to its normal phone state. She then removed the belt and stuck it in the messenger bag slung across her back, beneath her lab coat. She’d been in such a rush that she hadn’t even thought about it, but thankfully, her stuff was all safe, although she and Sunset would no doubt have a headache trying to figure out where the hell it went in the interim. As she walked out of the alley, Nebula couldn’t help but wonder why there was another Smash so soon after the two at the mall. Admittedly, that incident was more of an attack of opportunity rather than anything that seemed legitimately planned. Could today have simply been the actual monster of the week, or was this looking to be an upward trend? If it is, she thought as she strolled down the sidewalk, then I’m going to need to step up getting a new weapon built... There wasn’t much point in building a driver for Sunset while her Hazard Level was below 3, but it might be worth looking into creating either some sort of adapter, or a single-Fullbottle driver for her. Until then, she’d have to hope that the Beat Closer and Fire Fullbottle would be enough... Nebula took her phone back out of her coat pocket, and began typing out a message to all her friends. At the very least, she wanted them to know she was okay, even if she was beginning to feel a bit run-down. Plus, they needed to know not to wait up for her, and that she’d meet them there. All done, guys. :girlGenius Roads should be clear soon, but you might wanna detour around. :girlGenius I’ll meet you guys there. :girlGenius ShimmerCode: Moon and stars, girl, that didn’t take long at all. ShimmerCode: I’m stuck between two road closures, though. 2Fast4U: At this rate, you’re gonna make me look bad. As she got to the café, she began feeling a bit light-headed. She didn’t feel nearly as bad as she had the night of the thirtieth, after using the other Magic Match. Still, it was a bit of a pain that she felt so drained after a relatively short stint using the Darkness Fullbottle. Then again, it may simply have been that she was still recovering from the other day. “I’ll have to ask Sunset-san about that, since it’s her field of expertise.” Upon opening the building’s door, she was greeted by a rather unusual sight: maids. They were coming and going from tables with trays of beverages and snacks, or heading to the counter with trays of empty dishes. A majority of the patronage appeared to be male, but the maid-waitresses gave everyone a smile nonetheless. It wasn’t just one style, either. One wore a black Victorian dress and a simple white apron, her curly hair tied back beneath a cap. Another wore a pink qipao-style dress with a flared skirt and a frillier apron. Yet another wore a camouflage pattern dress, fingerless gloves, and combat boots. One wore a maid outfit with knee-high boots, an apron, and gloves that looked better suited to a steampunk machine shop. The maid that came and greeted her, however, seemed to be wearing the most iconic black miniskirt style with a ruffled apron and thigh-highs. “Welcome to the Brighthouse Café, My Lady!” she greeted with a smile, dipping into a bow with her tray clutched against her front. As she stood, she brushed some rainbow-streaked orchid locks out of her face, tucking them behind her ear. “I’m Sunny Starscout, and I’ll be your maid for today.” She gave Nebula a questioning look, before asking, “Table for one, My Lady?” Nebula shook her head. “I’m... meeting a few friends here,” she admitted, realising that it might have been a good idea to call ahead and make a reservation, rather than assuming they’d have space. “Do you have space for a total party of seven?” Sunny turned and looked to a particular part of the cafe, and then to an older man in a waistcoat and slacks working the counter. The maid flashed him seven fingers before gesturing back to what was almost assuredly her section. “We can certainly get some tables put together for you.” While the waitress led her over to a cluster of tables, she considered whether it was worth warning her friends just what kind of café this was. It certainly wasn’t the sort of environment everyone would enjoy, and she had no idea how any of them would react—except for maybe Rarity. Rarity-san would likely enjoy examining their outfit designs. Fluttershy-san might be overwhelmed... Wait... is bringing the Pink Demon here really a good idea? Soon enough, she was seated, and the maid was ready to take her order. “While you wait for the rest of your friends, can I get you anything?” asked Sunny, who watched as the older man made his way over. “I can start My Lady off with just a beverage, or something light to eat.” At first, she was going to ask for water, but the fatigue from her transformation and misadventure suggested something a bit more. “How about a large black coffee with as much sugar as you are legally allowed to give me?” she asked. “I’m exhausted and have a serious sugar craving.” Nebula opened the messenger bag still hanging from her body and retrieved the laptop that had been donated by one of the café’s own employees. “There was one of those monster attacks not too far from here, and though I was able to get ahead of it, my friends might be delayed.” As she fetched a USB Mouse from the bag, she added, “I’m just going to get some work on a little side project of mine done.” Although Sunny looked worried by that revelation, she side-eyed the laptop and then nodded. “Understandable,” said Sunny, accompanied by another bow. “I’ll have your drink right to you.” The moment the maid waitress left to fetch her over-sugared beverage, Nebula opened up an open-source computer-aided-design software and pulled up the schematics for the Beat Closer, as well as one titled the Rotary Sword-Gun Drill Crusher—courtesy of one Sento Kiryu. As much as she wanted to make the weapon from the encrypted documents, it occurred to her that despite the Million Hit and the Fullbottle empowered Million Smash, their arsenal needed a much more versatile tool than a sword or scythe. We need something that can hit hard up close, or from afar. It surprised her just how easily she began cannibalising the designs. The most important bits were the mechanisms for empowering the edges of the weapon, as well as converting NG energy into a viable projectile. Once she had those isolated, she quickly opened a sketch-pad app and designed a weapon with three forms. It’d be one large blade, although one edge could be separated from the hilt to act as a second single-edged sword. Working in a gun would be the hard part, though. As she worked, she noticed the man from the counter looking at her bag and then the laptop. He sat down across from her when Sunny returned with her coffee. “You must be Nebula Moonlight,” he said with some interest. Adjusting his glasses with pale blue fingers, he fixed her with a kind smile. “I was wondering when we’d be seeing you.” Not wanting to be rude, Nebula saved her work and shut the laptop, instead granting him her complete attention. “I apologise for not coming sooner, Argyle Starshine-san,” she responded, taking a sip of her too-sweet beverage. “Things have been very hectic these last few weeks... between catch-up work, making some friends, and Smash showing up seemingly everywhere I go, I’ve had to reschedule several times.” Near one of the other tables, the maid in the Victorian style maid uniform stumbled, dropping her empty serving tray. Sunny was over in a heartbeat to help her blue friend back to her feet. The girl seemed slightly panic-stricken at the mention of the monsters that had plagued the city for several weeks, and Nebula could just barely hear the girl asking her friend, “Those things aren’t going to come here, right?” “It’s understandable.” He turned to watch the two girls. “I know Shining Armour has been talking about the incidents lately.” Running a hand through his dark-blue hair, he sighed. “Just like you, Misty over there was found missing her memory, though she was found in the wake of a Smash attack.” That caught Nebula’s attention. It had only been publicised just this morning that the victims of the transformation had been suffering lapses in memory around the time of their transformation, although the Crystal Prep student that became the Burn Smash was missing the day she went missing, too. “That attack was never reported, because the creature that went on the rampage simply vanished before Guardians could engage. This was back in August.” Did Nebula dare voice her mounting theory that this Misty girl of his might have been the Smash in question? For that matter, if she was, who defeated the Smash? The Edgelord seems more interested in creating Smash than defeating or containing them, and the unicorn-armoured one seemed more interested in getting me to do it. “I’m sorry she had to go through that,” she chose to say instead. “I’ve been receiving flashes here or there with the right stimuli, but it doesn’t paint a great picture of my life before. Remembering isn’t always better...” The fire department and tow companies were taking their time clearing the road. If not for the fact that Sunset Shimmer desired to avoid police scrutiny, she’d have just weaved through the parked cars and gone around one of the roadblocks to change streets. Instead all she could do was walk her bike over to the nearest alley and hope that it connected to the next street over. If she were being particularly honest with herself, she was worried. It was bad enough when it was just Smash she had to worry about, but then her friends started manifesting the magic that should have left with Princess Twilight Sparkle. Then thrown into the mix was the Kamen Rider, Nebula Moonlight, who seemed to be a bigger danger magnet than the infamous Ponyville back in Equestria. Things became complicated enough when it was revealed that Smash were being created using a gas created with Equestrian magic bleeding through some unstable portal elsewhere in the city. The girls having magic makes some degree of sense, at least; I could feel the Harmonic magic at work when Rainbow showed it off. Now Nebula was exhibiting that same magic manifestation as the girls, and the only thing Sunset could think was that the Fire Fullbottle was the catalyst. It was purified by Rainbow’s transformation, so maybe it acted as a sort of magical infusion. But when Nebula manifested at the rink, I didn’t feel any of that Harmonic magic... She kicked a can out of her way and then brushed aside some broken glass with her boot as she turned a corner. I can’t imagine she would have had a particularly large magic reservoir if it only manifested after using Fire... yet she manifested for hours without even really noticing it. Admittedly, when she attempted telekinesis by shaking the Fullbottle as a focus, it was too weak, so maybe... No. I need another certified archmage’s opinion before I start making theories; her health could be at risk. I think I might need to reach out to— “So, here you are, Red,” came a distorted voice from somewhere above her. Unlike the elephant-armoured freak from the other day, this voice was just barely noticeable as having a feminine quality to it. More than that, though, there was something familiar about it. “I was wondering when I might catch you away from her.” Above her, Sunset saw a figure clad in a red bodysuit, metal plates and pipes affixed to create a sort of armour not unlike the elephant man. What really caught her attention, however, was the helmet. It was vaguely equine, with two gleaming amber eyes making up the visor, and an exhaust pipe jutting from its forehead at the exact angle an Equestrian unicorn’s horn would. ‘Give back the Fullbottles and Driver that unicorn bitch stole, and the kid doesn’t have to die!’ The figure, rendered androgynous by the armour, dropped down right in front of Sunset and her bike. “You and I need to have a little ‘talk’,” she said, placing a hand on both Sunset and her motorcycle. Smoke erupted from the unicorn figure’s horn and pipes on her shoulders, wrapping around the pair. “Let’s go.” Fumes choked Sunset’s lungs and made her eyes itch. She had to wrench off her helmet as she coughed and spat, trying to clear her lungs, even as the smoke cleared around her. It was faint, but that felt almost like Equestrian magic... but perverted. When she could once more breathe, she stood up and sat her helmet upon her motorcycle’s seat, looking around in confusion. Instead of the seedy alley behind a pharmacy, she found herself standing in the courtyard of a mansion. It was of a modern styling, but it had clearly not seen any care or maintenance for a few years at least. The metal-punk unicorn crossed her arms in front of her and slowly strode over to the steps leading into the entrance. Rather than going up and into the building, however, she turned and relaxed against the stone baluster. Her head was angled in such a way that the vaguely pony-shaped face of the helmet was glaring at Sunset. “I could hardly believe my eyes when I first saw you, and do you know what I found when I went digging?” she asked after staring for several moments. “Nothing. Even my worm wasn’t that perfect in wiping her from existence, and yet here you stand—an impossible person...” There was bitter laughter that sent a chill down the former unicorn’s spine. “Not a trace of you existed until six years ago—only dead-end records belonging to a girl who may as well be dead... So what are you, really? A clone? A demon?” Sunset crossed her own arms and glared right back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It was an absolute lie, but she knew how to sell that sort of denial, even if she didn’t like falling back into old tricks. “How about you tell me who you are, why you have that equipment, and why you made Nebula a Kamen Rider.” For a quick moment, that bitter laughter became genuine—almost wistful. “Stars, you lie and redirect just like she did, Red,” the armoured figure whispered softly. “My name... Project Re:Build took it from me long ago, but you can call me Lady Amalthea.” Sunset thought that might be a popular culture reference, rather than just the Hippolytan myth, but she couldn’t be sure. “Someone very important entrusted the Transteam System and Unicorn Fullbottle to me, as well as what remained of Project Re:Build. I made her a Kamen Rider in order to right the wrongs of Dr. Daisuke Satonaka.” A frown creased Sunset’s face as she took in what this person was saying. So many things stood out to her, and she couldn’t just focus on one... Especially if the presumption that Nebula was in fact Dr. Satonaka’s daughter was true. Why would she put the sins of the father on the child, especially if she lost her memory. Amalthea began cracking her knuckles before pointing at Sunset. “Now how about you answer a question of mine,” she snarled. “How is it that you just so happened to end up in her inner circle, using that name, and that face? Why should I let you parade around at her side like you’re even a person?” Her other hand darted down to the Transteam Gun at her waist, and brandished it at Sunset. “And don’t you dare lie about being Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset’s hand slipped into her pocket and gripped the Fire Fullbottle. “I can’t tell you, and even if I could, you’d think I’m crazy,” she answered, slowly stepping away from her bike. “I am Sunset Shimmer, and I don’t need your approval to be Nebula Moonlight’s friend!” [Insert Start: Tainted] The unicorn armoured Amalthea let out a disgusted scoff before squeezing off several shots. An amaranth barrier shot up at the last moment, and the steam shots exploded harmlessly against it. Rather than staying still, Sunset performed a quick blink spell, placing her at the top of the steps, behind her attacker. She almost wished she could have seen the expression on the fake unicorn’s actual face when the mist cleared and she was gone. Instead, she cast a fireball spell into Amalthea’s back. Much like the wall of flame she’d cast on Wednesday, this spell was empowered and felt inherently easier to cast. The explosion caused by the spell sent Amalthea pinwheeling across the ground, only to smash into a decorative fountain that had run dry long ago. Stonework erupted everywhere from the impact, and Sunset reflexively cast a barrier around her bike. She didn’t wait for the dust to settle, instead blinking forward to slowly approach. Seemingly unperturbed by having been turned into a wrecking ball, her opponent charged out of the dust cloud. A solid punch slammed into Sunset’s stomach, knocking the breath out of her and sending her tumbling. Nothing felt broken, but the armoured figure could hit like a truck. “Is that all you’ve got?” Amalthea spat, holstering the Transteam Gun. From across her lower back, she withdrew the same bayonet-like device the elephant armoured combined with his pistol to make a rifle. It was brandished at Sunset like a short sword. “You’ve already seen the lengths Blood Hunter will go to. Do you think he’s going to stop now that he knows she lives?” Her hand came up to twist the valve on it. «Elec Steam!» A horizontal slash shot several arcs of electricity Sunset’s way. The pseudo-horn granted by agitating the Fire Fullbottle blazed brightly as she conjured a burning barrier before her. Even as the energy crashed harmlessly into the amaranth flames, Sunset readied another quartet of spells. Although fire magic was her forté, and was inherently empowered by the bottle, Sunset didn’t have archmagus certification in transmutation spells for nothing. A barrier no larger than a pizza box formed high above her, outside Amalthea’s point of view. The moment the barrier was in place, she cast a gravity reversal spell upon herself and blinked into the air beneath it. When the firewall disappeared, Amalthea could only look around in search of Sunset. Unlike any unicorn worth her salt, who would have lived alongside those who could move on all three axes, this metal faker didn’t look up. That meant she had plenty of time to overcharge the last spell. “I might not be the Sunset of this reality,” she admitted, drawing her opponent’s attention. “But maybe that’s a good thing! I’ve witnessed what humans mucking with magic that doesn’t belong to them has wrought, and I’ve seen first-hand how stolen power can distort your very being.” Over a hundred spears of fire shimmered into the air around Sunset’s form. “Nebula doesn’t need whatever Sunset you think I’m imitating; if she’s to solve this mess you’ve stuck her with, she needs a real unicorn archmage at her side, plying her with expertise!” Even without seeing Amalthea’s face, she could practically feel the hate radiating off her opponent as she began raining fire down upon her. The first several bolts she was able to dodge, but eventually, as the rate of fire began to increase, the armoured figure had to begin intercepting the spears with either her Steam Blade or shots from the Transteam Gun. Not every attack could be intercepted, though; more than once, Sunset saw sparks erupting from the armour, and she thought she might have seen one flame lance strike her opponent in the face. As the last shots converged on her opponent all at once, creating a large dust cloud, she cancelled the gravity reversal and blinked down to the ground. Conjuring elemental weapons was a bit more complicated, as she was only at apprentice-certification with conjuration. Much of the field was restricted due to heavy ties to necromancy and demon summoning, and she had always been more keen on overwhelming firepower than exerting her physical prowess. Still, she managed to conjure a simple greatsword of fire. Keeping low to the ground, she rushed toward where she remembered Amalthea standing. The moment she saw the shadow up ahead, she brought the flaming edge down in a diagonal slash. The strike, empowered by the Fullbottle and Sunset’s own magic, created a shockwave that blew away all the dust lingering in the air, just in time for her to discover her blade came down on nothing. «Ice Steam!» Freezing gas washed over her legs and up body. Ice formed around her limbs, trapping her in the slashing movement, blade-tip down toward the ground. The only part of her not covered was her face, which she assumed was intentional, and the blade, which was burning. [Insert End] Amalthea slowly walked around the front of the frozen Sunset. Many parts of the bodysuit were burned black, and some of the metal plating on her back was melted and warped. What surprised Sunset most, however, was the broken visor piece, revealing a hateful blue-green eye. With a huff that expelled steam through the exhaust-port horn, Amalthea leaned close in and glared. “You’ve got spunk, Red; I’ll admit that much,” she growled, pressing the tip of the Steam Blade against the underside of Sunset’s throat. “You might even be able to help her, just like you said... but I’m not satisfied yet.” She stood back up and looked away from Sunset Shimmer. “I have no idea if anything you said is true,” the armoured figure admitted with a sigh. “But before I let you fight alongside her, you’re going to show me what kind of monster hides in the depths of your soul.” She twisted the valve on the weapon three times. «Devil Steam!» Dark, energised mist wrapped around the edge of the blade. She turned in a quick slash towards Sunset Shimmer, far too close for her to react in time. Tears streamed down the former unicorn’s cheeks as she felt it trying to claw its way into her every pore. No, no, please no! If it came down to it, Nebula decided as she spoke with Argyle, she could probably find worse places to work. As she conversed with him, she kept an eye on the goings on. At least one police officer seemed to be a regular, it was clear that all of the young women were close friends, interacting with the same friendly dynamic as her own newly acquired friends did. In fact, after just a few minutes, she could draw direct parallels to each of them. Misty was shy like Fluttershy and klutzy, which seemed to go over surprisingly well with mellow patient customers. The slightly pudgy violet-haired girl in the qipao maid dress, Pipp, on the other hand, was outgoing like Rarity and had a pretty singing voice. Zipp the army-themed maid, on the other hand, was a bit of a tomboy like Dash, but managed to move with grace even in combat boots. Izzy was an eccentric to rival Pinkie Pie, entertaining her patrons with silly rambles. Then you had down-to-earth Sunny, friendly and straight-forward like Applejack. After maybe twenty minutes, during which time Nebula got a second coffee and had a tray of cookies brought out, her discussion with Argyle ended, and she returned to her design work, she watched five of her confused friends step in the doorway. The moment they saw her, she waved at them, and then not long after, they were led over by Sunny. As they all took a seat, a blushing Rainbow Dash, glanced over at the army-maid. “This is, uh, quite the place, Neb,” she muttered. “You come here often?” She merely shrugged and sipped her coffee, looking around. “First time, actually,” she admitted, gesturing at the bag and laptop. “Argyle-san and the staff heard about me, probably from a police officer I know, and had a care package shipped to me because they know how it can be difficult starting from nothing with amnesia.” She let the implication hang in the air before adding, “Been meaning to come by and thank them ever since. It’s a nice place though. Pleasant atmosphere, good coffee.” Pinkie Pie stuffed one of the cookies in her mouth, watching as Sunny started approaching with some menus. “It’s no Sugarcube Corner, but I can see why you’d like it here, Nebby,” she babbled, getting crumbs everywhere. “You get to know one Sunny more than the rest of the school, and it must remind you of Neighpon!” They all fixed her with a variety of stares. “Dangit, Pinkie, ain’t that a mite insensitive?” Applejack finally asked when nobody else worked up the energy to respond. “Just ‘cause she speaks the language don’t mean she ever lived there.” As they waited for their last friend, they all fell into various discussions. Rainbow Dash was curious about what Nebula was working on, so she quietly explained how she was looking to expand her arsenal to account for the whole range issue she had. Admittedly a lot seemed to go over the athlete’s head, but she seemed to think that a sword that could turn into two swords or a gun was a pretty cool concept. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy seemed to be in a discussion about the idea of maid cafés. From partially eavesdropping while she spoke with Rainbow, it seemed that Fluttershy had actually been to Neighpon and visited a maid cafe there. AJ was mostly just listening in as the pair started discussing the dresses, but admitted that nothing short of a lost bet would get her dressed up in such an outfit. An interesting bit of gossip was that Rarity recognised two of the waitresses as Mayor Haven’s daughters. Note to self. See about setting Dash and AJ against one another so that the loser ends up in a maid outfit. I bet Rarity would love to help. Pinkie, however, had gone over to where one of the staff was taking a break. It sounded like they were animatedly discussing arts and crafts. Nebula wasn’t as crazy as to assume that’s all they were discussing though. Then again, it might just be that people like them were drawn to each other. It’d been maybe fifteen more minutes before Sunset finally showed up. The others looked like they were about to lay into her when she stepped in through the door. That idea quickly evaporated when she stumbled and caught herself on a nearby chair. It looked as though her friend lost a fight with a truck. Or had been a Smash, whispered a voice in the back of her mind. The way she’s sweating, it almost reminds me of those I’ve turned back. Nebula watched as her friend gave them all a tired smile. No, she knows who we are. “Sorry I’m late, you guys,” she greeted in a weary tone as she took a seat beside Rainbow. Sunset’s eyes locked with hers. “I... ran into an... acquaintance of yours. They were not happy with me... Something about me existing really cheesed her off.” The message was clear: she’d gotten into a fight. “Lady Amalthea says ‘Hi,’ by the way.” Rarity let out a little titter upon hearing that, while Pinkie was a little less decorous. Rainbow was even less polite, letting out a bark of laughter. Nebula, though, wasn’t sure what was so humorous about it, and apparently neither did Sunset. If anything, it sounded familiar, although she couldn’t place how or why it seemed important. “Someone must have a sense of humour, darling,” remarked the fashionista, smiling knowingly at Sunset. “That name they gave you was from a book and a movie called ‘the Last Unicorn.’” That got a flat look from Sunset, who looked even less enthused than she had before. “And it was an alias used by the eponymous unicorn upon turning into a human.” Sunset sighed as she buried her head in her hands. “Sweet sunfire,” she groaned, utilising one of those odd expressions Nebula sometimes heard from the Equestrian. “So on top of getting my ass kicked, they had to heap several layers of situational irony on top of it.” While Sunny took Sunset’s order, Nebula found herself getting lost in thought. Once that film had been mentioned, she found herself humming along a melody that came to her unbidden. When she closed her eyes, she could almost see a younger version of herself seated on a couch, holding the remote to an old VHS player. “Come on Taiyo-rin,” she remembered herself having said, turning to look at an indistinct figure. Although she couldn’t see their face, they were dressed in sweats and an oversized hoodie, huddled on the side of the couch opposite her. “This movie always cheers me up.” “No offence, Mahiro,” the other girl responded in her mind’s eye, wrapping her arms around her knees. “I don’t think a sappy kid’s movie is gonna make me feel better about my Mom and Dad.” Although she couldn’t remember her childhood friend’s face, she could remember the tears that came when her friend finally broke down at the end of the movie and was able to express all that built up grief. When she opened her eyes, she realised she was smiling, tears in her eyes. Everyone around her was staring. Even Argyle was watching with concern from the counter. “I remember... I remember my name.” She looked at every one of her friends and let out a sobbing laugh. “My name was Mahiro...” The feeling of the nebula gas seeping into her pores bled away slowly. Sunset didn’t feel any different than before, and her body was still encased in ice, post-strike; the conjured blade warmed her hands, and she could already feel her magic pushing against whatever ice was binding her. Sunset slowly opened her eyes, and found Amalthea crouched down in front of her, her elbow resting on her knee and propping up her chin with her fist. The metal unicorn seemed to be watching in interest, almost as Nebula might. “Interesting.” The eye visible through the broken armour looked Sunset up and down, searching for any sign of mutation. “I was sure that you would have become a Smash.” With a bit of a whine, she added, “So not fair.” Nebula’s lecture on Hazard levels echoed in her mind. “Hazard Level 2.1 and higher is where things get interesting, at least from a detached point of view,” she’d explained. “It’s at this level that people exposed resist transforming into a Smash and suffer no physiological effects of Nebula Gas.” Relief filled the former unicorn, even as she smirked at Amalthea. “Where Nebula Gas is concerned, I’m Hazard Level 2.1001,” she jeered, her phantom horn flaring and displacing her five feet backwards. The ice that had encased her body remained where it was, but her conjured weapon vanished. The explanation seemed to startle Amalthea, because she could just make out the widening of the eye behind that broken bit of visor. “That’s right, she told me about Hazard Levels, and even checked mine...” Giving the Fire Fullbottle, still clutched in her off hand, a few more good shakes, she conjured several more spears of fire around her. “I also know something you don’t,” Sunset continued, holding up two fingers on her main hand, electricity arcing between them. “Those of us with magic have a second Hazard Level, and though I’m only 2.9 and you’re clearly somewhere above 3, I can hurt you... and even if I can’t beat you, I will make it costly for you.” Lady Amalthea rose from her crouch and slowly brushed dust off herself. Resting her hands at her hips, she stared down Sunset, whose jacket was billowing in the energy rolling off of her. “Alright, I’m satisfied,” the Transteam System user yielded, sheathing her Steam Blade behind her back. She made her way over to Sunset’s bike, and placed a hand on it, before extending the other. “Go, fight alongside her, and keep her safe. She’s a genius and hardy, but she’s also an absolute idiot without anyone to reign her in.” Tentatively, Sunset Shimmer dismissed her magic and slowly approached, trying to gauge whether this was any sort of trap. The hate that was roiling off Amalthea had turned to a low simmer, and she could no longer feel any desire for a fight from her. Taking her foe’s hand, she was unsurprised when smoke encompassed her and the bike, and had just enough wisdom to hold her breath and shut her eyes. When she opened them once more, she was back in the alley she’d been plucked from. Of the armoured figure, there was no sign. “Tell Nebula that Lady Amalthea says ‘Hi,’” came the distorted voice from seemingly all around her. “If she has any chance of regaining her memory, that name should jog something loose. If you want more answers, I think you can figure out where to look.” The empowerment from the Fullbottle left her system, and she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Although she put up a good fight, she still wasn’t used to using so much magic in this human body of hers, and if she hadn’t bought her bluff, the fake unicorn probably would have killed her. If she was going to recover quickly, she needed to get to that cafe and get something incredibly calorie-dense in her. As she walked her bike out of the alley, though, she found herself thinking about the interaction. Amalthea wasn’t being very subtle that she cared about the person Nebula used to be; she was genuine when she called that someone very important to her... and if she didn’t still care, she wouldn’t have bothered coming after me. Getting onto the roadway, she put her helmet back on and began making her way to the café. What I don’t get is why she cares whether or not I am involved. What was this world’s Sunset Shimmer to Amalthea, and to the person Nebula used to be? There was something else about what she said, too. Only dead-end records belonging to a girl who may as well be dead. I had no luck finding the human Sunset. Were there sealed records out there? Am I at risk of meeting my other self? It was bad enough knowing that if Princess Twilight came through the portal the next time it was open she had a non-zero chance of meeting her human counterpart, but now Sunset had to worry about her own counterpart, and what—if any—ties she had to Project Re:Build.
Fashionably Late
562648
1
DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Original Character,Rarity (EqG),Sweetie Belle,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
Indestructible Diamond's tea party
A transfer student holds a tea party for her new classmates.
complete
-1
-1
<p>A transfer student holds a tea party for her new classmates, a pair of musicians and a pair of sisters.</p>
everyone
2024-08-01T02:47:21+00:00
2024-08-01T02:47:20+00:00
58
It was a fine day for a tea party. Then again, in Indestructible Diamond’s very considered and wise opinion, there was no such thing as a day that wasn't a fine day for a tea party. Were you depressed? Tea would perk you right up! Were you excited? Tea would calm you down. If you were cold, it'd warm you up, and if you were hot, it'd cool you down. Ah, such wise words to live by. Indestructible wished she met a man who shared the same wisdom. Anyone possessing such insight on tea surely had to be a wonderful person. It was too bad she had yet to find such a boy at Canterlot High. It had taken quite a bit of wheedling, but she'd managed to persuade her older cousins, the Invincible sisters, and their half sister Indefatigable to approve all of her supply requests, and now she could finally give a proper tea party. That Pinkie girl, her heart was in the right place, but confetti and streamers did not make for a proper tea party. Humming, she laid out the teacups, teapot, and snacks on the table which she'd set up under the shade of a large tree in her cousins’ back garden. The weather was nice enough out here, with a nice breeze, clear blue skies and a bright shining sun. Now, the only thing remaining for the perfect tea party was, of course, her guests. There was just enough time to double check her appearance, it wouldn’t do well to be under or over dressed. A glance at the hallway mirror revealed a pretty face with pale skin, brown eyes and equally brown long hair in a simple, straight style. Her ensemble consisted of a thin light pink jacket over a white blouse and blue jeans with brown heels. Despite her casual look, Indestructible looked absolutely stunning at the moment. Any thought of changing outfits was thrown out the window with the chime of the doorbell. Her guests were here and on time. Octavia Melody was the first one to show up along with Vinyl Scratch, the latter strolling in nonchalantly with a hand raised in greeting. And then finally Rarity and her sister Sweetie Bell, both giving Indestructible small, ladylike bows, and then gracefully taking their seats at the table. With everyone present, Indestructible stood at the front of the table. "Welcome! Don't be shy, everybody! We're all here to enjoy the marvelous beverage that is tea! Now, come on, everyone, drink up! There's plenty of tea, scones and crumpets for everyone!" "Don't mind if I do! Cheerio!" Vinyl Scratch was already munching away on a butter-slathered crumpet by then, even as Sweetie Belle took a small sip of her tea, followed by a bigger one as her eyes widened. “I apologize for Vinyl’s lack of decorum.” Octavia took a sip herself, then turned to Indestructible. "This is excellent tea, Miss Indestructible." "Of course! I brewed it with every ounce of passion I had, after all!" "Well, it certainly seems to have done the trick." Octavia said with a smile. "Now, is that strawberry jam and honey I see over there?" As Vinyl polished off her fourth scone, Sweetie Belle was still eyeing her plate nervously. "Now then! Why aren't you eating? These scones are delicious, I promise! After all, they were baked with the fires of my burning love!" Sweetie Belle let out a nervous little giggle. "Sorry. The last time I had scones was when I tried making them for Rarity and I served them in a bowl." "Don't worry! Just give it a try!" Sweetie Belle nodded hastily, even as she each cut a small piece off her scone and spread some jam on it, before popping it into her mouth. As her eyes lit up, Vinyl didn't bother holding back her laughter, and neither did Indestructible. "Try 'em with cream and jam next! You'll never want to eat them without either again!" Vinyl called out laughingly. As Sweetie Belle started in on the rest of her scones in earnest, Indestructible leaned back in her chair, a steaming cup of tea held in front of her. Octavia was now chatting idly with Vinyl Scratch. Rarity sighed as she used a napkin to clean Sweetie Belle’s face of crumbs. Turning towards the older sister, Indestructible gave Rarity a small smile. “And how are you today?" "Quite well, thank you." Rarity answered after cleaning Sweetie Belle’s face of crumbs. "It's always nice to see people take an interest in the better things in life. Good weather, good food and good company.” “This is so much fun!” Sweetie Belle said as she started bouncing in her seat. "It is rather enjoyable, but a lady never bounces around in their seat. A lady keeps her excitement evident only in her speech, and she is always calm and poised." Rarity grabbed her teacup and politely sipped it. Sweetie Belle wiggled in her seat as she copied Rarity's posture. She then grabbed her teacup and sipped it. Loudly. "More tea, Rarity?" Indestructible asked as she picked up the tea pot. “Yes, thank you.” She held out her teacup and watched as Indestructible filled it up. "Honestly, it's been a long week for me. I'm glad I have this chance to unwind." Rarity said before taking a sip of tea. "A long week? Aren't all weeks just seven days?" Sweetie Belle asked after helping herself to more tea. "No Sweetie. What I mean is that I've had a stressful week." Rarity answered. "Oh! That makes sense." Sweetie Bell sipped at her tea. "Why was it so stressful?" Watching the peaceful scene, Indestructible smiled. Now this was the proper way to spend a day. Yes, she still had her regrets and worries, as well as homework to finish for her math class, but here and now, she was going to enjoy her school days to the fullest in this new school, and one day with her sisters as well.
Aether Spark
562650
1
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-01T03:25:36+00:00
2024-08-18T21:26:56+00:00
196
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Thomas Edison Life… is suffering… That is all Spike knows… he has gone through a lot in his life. But let’s recap. He grew up in an orphanage, never knowing who his family was, where he was singled out and hurt multiple times. He ran away at twelve. He can’t hold down a job due to lack of funds to buy a car or gas and the fact that his background makes it harder for him to get one in the first place. He’s been in and out of places to stay, having to sleep on the sidewalk or alleys sometimes. He remembers sleeping in a dumpster once. And who’d want to be with someone with nothing to their name?... so loves an issue as well… And now here he is… sitting in a cardboard box, in an alleyway, taking shelter from the rain…. It isn’t comfy but it’s better than sitting in the rain all night. He has his trusty knife, the very thing that’s kept him alive… and it’ll be the thing that finally ends his misery. Now he just has to do it… “....There’s nothing left for me here… so why can’t I do it?!” Spike asked himself as he held the knife at his wrist he cursed himself for what he cannot do. He cursed his life… if only he had the money, he could turn everything around. But what? Is a pile of cash going to fall out of the sky and save him from himself?... Spike held the knife in his hand and tried so hard to make a cut, but he relented and sat back in his soggy box. “Why was I even born!?” Spike asked before he sobbed, he wondered what he’ll do, maybe he’ll finish tomorrow… for now… NO, he’s suffered enough, the world won’t help him, so why bother? “Ok… here we go…” Spike said as he raised the knife… annnd- STEP STEP STEP SPLASH STEP STEP STEP… “Huh?...” Spike noticed some footsteps echoing about the alleyway… great… a passerby… well if it isn’t someone who will try to mug a broke man again they’ll probably walk past without dropping a penny for him. He’d still rather they not witness a suicide, so he’ll wait… The figure's footsteps got closer and closer and… stopped. “Hmm?” Spike looked to see a pair of feet standing outside his box the person didn’t move for a whole minute. “Take a picture and move on, it’ll last longer,” Spike bitterly said. “Hmm… how unfortunate, a person at the end of their rope, I can help you sir,” The voice of an elderly man said. “I don’t need pity or your charity, I plan on ending it tonight, so you’ll be wasting your money,” Spike said. “I can help you get your life back on track sir, please just come out,” The voice said. “I said go away,” the young man said. “I am afraid I cannot in good conscience leave until I have helped you,” He said. “I have a knife, is that incentive enough to leave?” Spike said poking his head out of the box. “Why are you so resistant to receiving my help?” He asked, now that Spike got a good look at him he saw the man had grey skin and a white mustache, he looked fancy, and he was carrying a suitcase. “Will you leave if I come out and hear your sales pitch?” Spike asked. “I am not selling anything, come out,” He said. “Fine…” Spike sighed and he stepped out into the pouring rain, showing his ratty clothes and dirt. “My my, a poor soul indeed,” He said. “DId you call me out of my box to insult me?” Spike asked. “Nono, just an observation, but more importantly, I have an offer for you-” He said and as he talked Spike rolled his eyes, looks like was trying to sell something… Until he said…. “And to this end, I will give you all the money in this briefcase,” He said. “...Wha?” Spike said sounding surprised. “Yes, you see, I run a money lending job, helping the weary recover from their troubles, and all it takes is you shaking my hand,” He said extending his hand. “....What?” Spike said. “Shake my hand,” He repeated. “I heard that but… you're just giving me free money?... how much is in that suitcase?...” Spike said expecting only a hundred or less as some kind of sick- “See for yourself,” He opened the suitcase…. And Spike was in shock… Money, so much, there had to be a lottery’s worth in there! “....What’s the catch?... There has to be one,” Spike said. “No catch… except…” He trailed off “I will return in ten or so years expecting it back, with interest,” He said. “...Interest?” Spike asked warily. “Yes, part of my job is receiving back the money I loan you, not the exact same bills but I do expect full restitution and then some in ten years, given that this is enough money to help you get back on track, I’d say you should be able to meet the price,” He said with a grin. “What’s the final price?” Spike asked. “That is to be revealed on the day of collection, this offer only comes once, if you say no and I leave, you’ll never see it again,” He said. “...Who are you?” Spike asked. “Just call me V, now do we have a deal?” V said. “I-I…I…” Spike was in shock, here he was about to end his life and some stranger came out of nowhere and is handing him the cash he needed… This has to be a dream… “Yeees? No?” He asked. “I don’t know…” Spike was stuttering at this, it was almost too suspicious. “You are free to turn down my offer, just as I am to leave and find another unfortunate, good day,” V said closing the case and walking away. “...Wait… WAIT!” Spike ran after him and the man turned around with a smile. “Oh? Changed our mind have we?” V asked. “I need that money… it’ll save me, but… why? Why hand me all this just out of the blue?” Spike asked. “It’s just business, now, do we have a deal or do I keep walking?” V asked extending his hand. “...” Spike could think of a million ways this is a trap… but… there was something inside, something he’d long lost… a glimmer of hope, that he could turn his life around with this money… “I-I…. I accept,” Spike said shaking his hand. “Good choice young chap, here you go,” V said handing him the money case “Pleasure doing business with you, see you in ten years, give or take,” V said tilting his hat before he walked off and vanished around the corner. Spike stood there, processing this all, he waited to wake up in his soaked cardboard box, penniless and without hope…. But he didn’t… he looked down into the case and saw money in at least the millions. It really happened… it really did… he got his wish for a new start, and now that he had this money he had to get moving before a mugger or a criminal came for it. “Thank you…” Spike sobbed gratefully and he ran off with it, as he left the alleyway a foot stepped down in a puddle in the shadows nearby. “Heheh… you're welcome…” V said as he pulled up a list and crossed off a name. Ten years later Life used to be utter turmoil for him, but now, things are all better. Spike drove home in his new car, things had finally looked up for him. Once more let’s recap After getting the money he ran around for awhile and decided on a hot meal for the first time in so long. Then, he got to work. He managed to recover his life, bought a house, got a car, and managed to fix all his legal needs, and he still had plenty left over! He got a job at an office firm, made his money woes vanish, recovered his health, and best yet. At the office, he met the woman of his dreams, her name was Rarity. They were married with kids in five years. Two sons, Lance and a newborn named Blue Scout, but they all just called him Scout for short. Spike had never been happier, and his life was finally his. But it’s always when we’re on top of the world… that we fall off… Spike exited his car and carried several presents, ready for Scout's first birthday. “Daddy!” Lance ran over to him and hugged him. “Hey there little guy!” Spike hugged him while trying to not drop the presents. “Daddy daddy! I lost a tooth today!” He said. “Oh, you weren’t jumping off of the water heater again were you?” Spike said as he carried the stuff inside. “Noooo,” Lance said obviously lying. “Lance I told you not to, you could get hurt,” Spike said. “Hi honey,” Rarity said as she walked in, carrying Scout. “Hey there sweetie, and hey there little man,” Spike kissed them both. “How are the presents coming along?” Rarity asked rocking Scout. “Wonderful sweetie, I imagine this will be the best birthday ever, isn’t that right little man,” Spike tickled the belly of the baby and he giggled. “I wanna help make the cake!” Lance exclaimed. “Ok sweetie, let’s get on that,” Rarity said as she headed back into the living room to set the baby down for his nap. “And meanwhile I’ll go fetch us some coffees, we’ll need them for this coming party prep,” Spike said. “Don’t be long!” Rarity said as he made his way to the door and went out into the neighborhood. Spike made this way down into the nearby shop areas and picked up a couple of coffees, as he made his way out of the shop he bumped into someone. “Oh, sorry sir, I-” Spike froze when he saw who it was… “Oh! Fancy meeting you here young man, I do apologize for being late, but it’s ten years on the dot,” V said with a smile. “Y-you,” Spike said taking a step back. “What? Did you forget our deal?” V asked. “N-no, I just didn’t think we’d meet again today… um, hey, can we do this tomorrow? It’s my son's birthday today and-” “I’m afraid not, the time is up, where is my money?” V asked. “L-look, you gave me alot of money, it’s going to take a little longer to-” “That wasn’t the deal, I said I would return in ten years for the money you owe me, so hand it over,” V said. “O-ok! Let me just check my bank account,” Spike said as he pulled out his phone and went to his account. He had a couple thousand thanks to his job and some of the money from the loan V gave him. “Ok, how much is it?” Spike asked just wanting this interaction to be over with. “Let’s see,” V said pulling out a clipboard out of nowhere and checking some things. “Huh?” Spike said noticing this. “Hmmm…. It says here you owe me… one quadrillion dollars,” V said. “.......What?” Spike said stepping back in shock at the number he just heard. “One quadrillion dollars,” V repeated. “N-no, I-I can’t possibly repay that much! How did it get that high?!” Spike said in horror. “Your amount raised every now and then since the agreement, I did say there would be interest, but I am willing to let there be a couple more days to get me the money,” V said with a chuckle. “You- you snake you tricked me!” Spike said. “Technically I said no lies, sure I omitted a little but I said everything that was said truthfully,” V said. “I don’t have that money!” Spike said. “Figure it out, you have two days,” V said as he walked away and vanished into the crowd. “No…” Spike said looking like his world was crashing down. As the party was going on Spike continued looking like he was wracking his brain trying to figure out how he can amass such money in two days. “Honey? Is everything alright?” Rarity asked him. “Y-yeah, I um… need some time,” Spike said as he left for his room. “What is going on with him?” Rarity asked herself. “I have to find another way, and I can’t let Rarity be burdened with this,” Spike said as he sat down on the bed. As he continued thinking he decided the only way forward was taking out another loan from someone else. How else was he going to get this loan shark off his back… for now, the birthday… Two days later Spike made his way down to the coffee shop from the other day and he looked around, he was carrying a briefcase full of the loan money he got from a friend at work, he’ll have to work himself to the bone for the rest of his life to pay it all off, but at least his family’ll be safe. It’s not all of it, but it’s close enough that he hopes he can weasel out of the last hundred thousand or two. “V? I’m here!” Spike called and immediately his eyes landed on the businessman standing near an alleyway, gesturing him to follow him. Spike gulped, knowing this could be bad news but he had no choice, he followed him in and he paused in the middle of the alley… but V wasn’t there? “Huh?” Spike said before it was revealed he was behind him. “Hello again,” V said and Spike spun. “H-how did-” “Never mind that, where’s my money?” V asked. “R-right here,” Spike said handing it over and partially hoping he doesn’t count it. “Alright,” V opened it up and began doing just that. Spike shifted uncomfortably as he counted and when he reached the end he looked up at Spike with a frown. “You're short,” V said. “L-look that was all I could get! If I have more time I can give you more-” ‘Ten years, that was the deal, and you’ve failed to keep your end,” V said with a growl chucking the money at his feet. “W-what are you going to do?” Spike asked nervously as he reached into his jacket, expecting him to shoot him. Instead, he pulled out a pen and read off a part of it. “Spike, failed to keep his promise despite my generous donation,” V drew another line on his name forming an X. “Please! I need more time!” Spike said. “You should have saved up,” V said. “I didn’t know it would be that expensive!” Spike cried. “That is the lesson here, always, expect the worst,” V said before snapping his finger and the list burnt before suddenly the alleyways were blanketed in darkness. “H-Huh?! What’s going on?!” Spike asked. “Your penalty, you made a deal with a demon and now, hell awaits,” V said. “Wh-what? A demon?” Spike asked sounding scared. “That’s right, now that we’re not playing nice anymore I may as well tell you my whole name, Verak, at your service,” Verak said with a mock bow. “N-no way, demons are real?!” Spike backed away fearfully. “Afraid so boy, now how do you want to die?” Verak asked. “N-no please! I have a family now!” Spike begged. “Why should I care?” Verak asked with a sickening smile. “I’ll do anything! Just let me go!” Spike begged. Suddenly he paused. “Huh?” Spike said. “Anything, you say?” Verak asked. “Yes,” Spike said. “Hmmm maybe… it could take some of the workload off of me, mortal, I am willing to grant you a reprieve,” Verak said. “Y-you are?” Spike asked. “On the grounds that you perform, a favor for me,” V said. “Anything,” Spike said. “Heheh, follow me,” Verak approached a wall and drew a symbol on it, opening a portal and when Spike hesitated he waved him in. “Ok ok,” Spike said as he entered. Suddenly the alleyway returned to normal and the symbol vanished. Spike stumbled into what looked like a dusty but big office and looked around. He saw a doghouse in the corner and a desk where Verak was sitting in. “Welcome to my office,” Verak said. “...Where the hell am I?” Spike asked. “As you just said, hell, a very specific part of it too, now, here’s the deal mortal,” Verak pointed to a chair and Spike sat down. “I have quite the workload lately and haven’t had a chance to pursue more of my human deals or relax, therefore I am sending you on some errands for me,” Verak said. “Like?” Spike asked. “Retrieving my contracts from the demons who owe me as you do,” Verak said. “Demons?” Spike repeated. “Yes, I deal not only with humans but demons as well, but where as humans will rely on dirty tactics to avoid having to pay up when the time arrives, demons seem to think they're above it and will refuse outright to pay me back, I was going to go and tear them limb from limb but I find this prospect more entertaining, I want you to go fetch the contracts I made with these other demons, do so, and I’ll call your debt settled,” Verak said. “Contracts? But I didn’t get a contract,” Spike said. “Yes, but that is because you mortals aren’t troublesome enough to require it, these particular demons are, if it isn’t written on paper it’s not valid, that’s the law here,” Verak said. “Alright… how do I find these-” “Let me worry about that, for now just get me those contracts, if you fail I’ll raise the stakes on your punishment for wasting my time,” Verak said. “How?” Spike asked nervously. “You’ll give me your children,” Verak said. “What?...” Spike said looking horrified. “My hounds are in need of new chew toys anyways,” Verak gestured to the doghouse holding a pair of bloodthirsty-looking dogs who were growling hungrily. “N-no! You can’t that’s horrible!” Spike exclaimed. “Then don’t fail me,” Verak said “I’m setting my watch for two days, clocks ticking,” Verak said. “You sadistic-” Spike said wanting to hit him but Verak grinned. “If you want to fight me, you’ll find that’s a lose-only situation, think carefully,” Verak said. Spike sighed and stood up “Fine… where do I start?” Spike asked.
Aether Spark
562650
2
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-02T05:18:05+00:00
2024-08-18T21:40:26+00:00
138
Spike stood there, nervously, he’d never been particularly religious but to learn that it was real… it’s a shame he found out this way… “Alright, I will aid you in some ways to make sure this goes off without a hitch,” Verak said. “You will?” Spike asked. “Don’t mistake anything, I expect you to die quickly, so I simply want to see how far you can get with extra tries and various abilities, watching this will be the most fun I’ve had in eons,” Verak chuckled before lighting a cigar in preparation for the coming events. “Why am I not surprised,” Spike sighed knowing there was no kindness in this man/demon. “Now look, you’ll be given the power to teleport out of various situations in which you're about to die, but not every time,” He said. “Why not every time!?” Spike asked. “Where is the motivation without a little danger?” Verak chuckled “And if you die in the process it's no skin off my nose, I’ll just pick up where you left off, I’ll call this situation a mini vacation, the first one I’ve had in ages,” He snorted. “...Ok,” Spike sighed knowing he risks lowering his chances by picking a fight with this guy. “One more thing, don’t expect them to just hand it over, they will undoubtedly try to kill you to buy themselves more time, if they don’t hand it over then take it by force, how you do it, I don’t care, just collect soul shards until its location reveals itself,” Verak said. “Soul-” “Fragmented human souls, I won’t give anymore explanation, the time is ticking as we speak,” Verak said. “Ok, ok, where do I go first?” Spike asked. “Out the door, I have a portal set up to send you to the first location, a place called the Smiling Burger, a quaint restaurant in the circle of gluttony,” Verak said. “Hell has restaurants?” Spike asked. “The things you don’t know about hell could fill several oceans, go,” Verak waved him off. “Ok,” Spike said as he entered the portal. “Heheheh… he’s gonna be torn to shreds, I better put on popcorn,” Verak laughed. -------------------------------------------------------------- Nice to eat you -------------------------------------------------------------- Spike exited and found himself in a small hallway that led towards an area full of chairs and tables and a counter with a figure working on something, he couldn’t quite see what he looked like. “Uuuuhh…” Spike was too scared to move, not knowing where he was. “Move along mortal,” Verak’s voice said in his head. “HUH?!” Spike looked around. “Don’t look so surprised, I’m watching you,” Verak said. “O-ok,” Spike said knowing he had to get moving or the two days would be up, so he made his way up to a greeter counter where another figure hidden by a wall was working on something. “H-hello?” Spike asked hesitantly. “Hm?...” The being paused and turned to see Spike. And Spike screamed… This thing wasn’t human at all! It had skin as yellow as a lemon, a giant head, arms longer than normal, a hairless head, bloodshot eyes, and a huge perpetual grin. A grin that somehow got wider as it looked at him. “Hello! Nice to see a human here, how may we serve you?” He said joyfully as he wiped a little drool off his mouth. “U-uh…” Spike didn’t know what to say. “Ugh, you humans always freeze up when you see a demon, they are called Chipper Rippers, be careful, they possess the souls of cannibals,” Verak said sounding annoyed. “Thanks for the encouragement,” Spike said quietly before returning to the creature. “I-I want to speak to a manager, I… have a message from a certain somebody,” Spike meekly asked. “Sure thing! Follow me,” He said as he turned and walked away and Spike hesitantly followed. As he walked he found the interior of the building was bigger than a normal fast food place. He felt eyes on him everywhere… he looked around and saw multiple Chipper Rippers cleaning off tables now staring at him… one even licked his lips. “Ulp…” Spike said. “Hey, Phil! We got fresh meat- ah I mean a fresh face,” The ripper said to the figure, as the figure turned Spike took a step back, he was taller than the other Chipper Rippers, and bigger too, he was quite fat. “Huh? A human? Goodie, what can we get ya?” Phil asked with a narrowing of his eyes. “I-I came here on the behalf of Verak, and-” Spike didn’t get any further as the being slammed his hand down on the counter. “For the love of hellfire, I’ll get that contract to him when I get it to him!” Phil growled. “L-look, I’m just the messenger, but Verak said it's time,” Spike said. “Well, screw him, I run a successful burger joint, and I don’t want to lose it just because a level four demon got greedy,” Phil spat. “Heheh, he has no idea how outmatched he is,” Varek said in Spike's head. “Varek insists,” Spike nervously said not hearing footsteps behind him. “I said no! What are you going to do about it human?” Phil asked. “I-I-I…” Spike gulped again but he said “I’ll have to take it then,” Spike said. “HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Phil laughed with the other Chipper Rippers and leaned in closely. “You're not doing anything…. Besides dying,” Phil said. “W-what?” Spike said. “First rule of the Smiling Burger, we don’t get to eat… unless our food comes to us…” Phil said. Spike suddenly felt surrounded and turned to see a Ripper with a butcher knife raised behind him. “AAAH!” Spike dodged the swing and ran. “GET HIM!” A Chipper Ripper yelled as he tried to tackle Spike who vaulted over a table and avoided him. “WE’RE EATIN TONIGHT BOYS!” Phil yelled. “He’s pretty skinny, we outta fatten him up first!” Another Ripper laughed maniacally. “I call the eyes!” Another said as they pursued Spike around the tables. “Where do I go!?” Spike asked struggling to avoid them. “There’s doors to the rest of the restaurant you idiot,” Verak said and Spike saw the doors next to the counters and ran for them. “Stop him!” Phil yelled as he came out from behind the counter and tried to grab Spike but he avoided and ran through the back door. After getting through he barricaded it with a mop. Spike was panting heavily and turned to see the rest of the restaurant, it was bigger than any restaurant he knew, and built like a maze! “Better move, that’s not going to hold them forever,” Varek said while audibly eating popcorn. “Ok ok!” Spike ran through the dining area and he looked around, he saw purple crystals floating around. “Are those-” Spike paused when he heard crashing noises and he turned a corner and saw the Rippers pouring in. “Yes, better start collecting before you’re eaten,” Verak said. Suddenly an intercom beeped and Spike looked up at one. “Attention all Rippers, the one who catches him get’s first bite! If I see more than one you all get a beating! So get to it!” Phil ordered and the Chipper Rippers started swarming the area. “Crap crap crap!” Spike said as he ran further in and started collecting shards. As he ran around several tables and down a pathway deeper in a Ripper turned a corner and began chasing him. “NO!” Spike turned and ran. “GET BACK HERE YOU DELICIOUS MORSEL!” He yelled as he threw his knife at him and Spike ducked it. “Not a chance!” Spike rounded the corner and collected more shards before spotting another one standing in his way. Spike managed to skid to a stop and he ran down another path to his right as that one swung its knife at him. Spike pulled a few chairs down and they tripped up on them. Spike turned a corner and collected more shards before another Ripper suddenly tackled him down from around a corner. Spike looked up in terror as he opened his mouth widely and chomped him. 3 lives left “At least you died delicious, hahaha!” Varek taunted “I’m dead… I’m dead…. I’m… huh?” Spike looked around and saw he was back at the beginning “How did-” “I saved you, you're welcome, now continue on, it’s too early for you to die, my vacation just started,” Varek said sounding annoyed. “Gee thanks,” Spike sighed as he got up and resumed running into the restaurant. He ran around the tables and saw blood on some. “Their last meals no doubt,” Varek said. “I have to hurry!” Spike said before a Chipper Ripper threw a knife at Spike and it clipped his cheek. “Agh!” Spike grunted and he looked to see the Ripper. “Dang I missed!” He growled. “The sight of blood just makes me hungrier!” Spike turned and saw a Ripper blindside him with a chair sending him into a wall and he cast the chair aside and brandished his butcher knife before swinging it at him, Spike twisted his body avoiding the swing which was planted in the wall. Spike ran but the creature grabbed him with his longer arm and threw him and Spike tumbled through a table and onto the ground. Spike saw a Ripper leap at him but he picked up a chair and held it in front of him preventing the Ripper from biting him. He snapped his jaws like a wild animal and grabbed at Spike while the other was rounding the corner. “GET. OFF!” Spike shouted as he kicked the Ripper's leg and he fell over and Spike got up and ran into the restaurant as the other threw a chair at him but missed. “DANG IT!” The Ripper growled and he chased Spike but Spike lost him quickly. “These things are crazy!” Spike said. “Well they are cannibals, they lived their lives feasting and torturing their own kind, and now, they are starved slaves to a business,” Verak said. “Great to know!” Spike said as he heard more shouts behind him and saw several Rippers behind him, swishing their butcher knives at him. “AAAAHH!” Spike ran around the edge of the restaurant and dove over a table avoiding several thrown knives. He got up and hid as the Rippers ran past his spot, he was shaking in fear the whole time. As he peeked around the corner to see if there were any more… before a slash from a knife got him in the eye. “AAAH!” Spike cried as the slash blinded him in one eye. “Gotcha!” A Chipper Ripper laughed before he lunged forward and swung his knife, Spike reacted fast enough to pull a table over and the creature tripped and landed neck first on his own knife. Spike looked shocked that he had just unintentionally killed one… but no, he had no choice… He turned to leave the Ripper on the floor, bleeding, when suddenly he was grabbed and turned around. “Did I say you could leave mortal?” The Same Chipper Ripper asked with an evil smile as his neck regenerated before he raised his knife and swung down into Spike’s face. 2 Lives left “Dining in are we? Maybe they’ll at least season you first,” Varek said boredly. Spike got up in shock at the entrance and looked around, in shock he felt his eye and inexplicably found it healed. “You gotta stop getting caught, or do you not want me to spare your kids after all?” Varek asked. “NO! I-I just need time,” Spike said as he got up “How did he survive?” Spike asked. “Demons can't die in hell by a mortals hand, it's a fact, and not just because humans are weak, but because you literally can’t kill them, now move!” Varek ordered. “Ok ok!” Spike said as he ran into the dining area again. He ran through the dining area and found more shards on the side that he hadn’t visited yet, as he made his way through the winding corridors he rounded a corner and a knife narrowly missed him and he turned to see three Rippers. “There he is!” One said. “Get back I saw him first!” Another said. “Mine mine mine!” Another said as they all approached him, with knives in hand and the other reaching out for him. Spike was about to run the other way but saw another two and he saw he was surrounded. “I want first bite!” One said. “No, me!” Another said. “Don’t make me bite you!” Another one threatened. …Ding! “Alright, you got me,” Spike said raising his hands. “What?” Varek said. “Huh?” The Rippers said. “But why do you have to wait until Phil says so, why doesn’t at least one of you get to enjoy yourselves?” Spike said praying this works. “Whaddya mean?” The Ripper up front asked. “He said first come first serve right? Whose gonna be the one?” Spike asked. “....” They glanced at eachother. “I say you all get to enjoy yourselves… after you figure out who gets to eat me first, you're all hungry aren’t you?” Spike asked. “You sly dog,” Varek chuckled. “....MINE!” One Ripper lunged but another pulled him back and tried to lunge, another tackled him down. “HE’S MINE!” He said. “Eff off!” Another said but a Ripper punched him and tried to grab Spike and pretty soon they were all fighting over who got Spike. “Alright, good luck,” Spike said as he stepped away from their scuffle. Spike managed to sneak away and fled into the evil restaurant and he collected more shards. Hearing shouts in the distance Spike knew they’d figured out they’d been tricked and he hurried along. Spike made his way around a corner and into an area with drink fountains and two Rippers leaped over a windowless hole in the wall and swung at him. Spike was adapting, however, and he slid on the ground under the swing and between them. As he got up he collected more shards while avoiding his pursuers and he ran into a kitchen area containing more shards, the two Rippers blocked him on either side. “I’m so hungry!” One said. “I want to eat!” the other said and they climbed onto the counters and jumped at him, Spike ducked and rolled as the two tumbled over eachother. “You're getting better at this, I may have more fun watching this than expected,” Verak laughed. “Yeah yeah,” Spike sighed as he ran out of the kitchen and into another dining area where the last shards are. “Is there anymore?” Spike asked as he collected. “No, but that’s probably the least of your worries in a minute,” Verak said. “What? What do you-” Shard count 0 Screams filled the restaurant before suddenly everything went silent. “Huh?” Spike became worried. “Heeheehee… eat… must… eeeeaaat…” A warped voice said as a Ripper came out, only he was darkened in color and his eyes were glowing red. He was salivating rivers out of his mouth and he looked completely deranged. “Wh-What the heck?” Spike said. “Frenzy mode, when demons are really mad they enter this state and become even more dangerous, you should run,” Varek casually said. “SKRREEEEE!” The Ripper roared as he ran at Spike chomping at the air like a starved animal. “AAAHH!” Spike ran around the other side and made it back into the main dining area, as he looked around he saw more Chipper Rippers gathering, looking much the same. “SKREEEE!” They all shrieked as Spike bolted to his left. “WHERE IS THE WAY OUT!?” Spike screamed. “First the contract is located in a safe near the exit to the dining area,” Varek said. “Ok!” Spike said as he ran frantically through the area as a dozen Rippers tore through the area, knocking tables and chairs down and even jumping up on the countertops and chasing him. “GIVE US YOUR FLESH!” They howled. “NOT A CHANCE!” Spike cried as he made it to the exit, but before he could make it to the door a Ripper jumped out and took a swing, Spike ducked it and ran to the right where he saw the safe. “What’s the combination?!” Spike frantically asked. “Allow me,” Suddenly the safe glowed and was ripped open. “You could’ve done that sooner!?” Spike cried. “Shut up, I didn’t know where it was until the soul shards powering its barrier were collected,” Varek said. “Ok!” Spike turned and saw the Rippers rounding the corner and they glowered at him. Spike ran forward and grabbed the contract before trying to make a break for the other doors when he ran full-on into a big sturdy figure and fell down. Phil… “You’ve caused enough problems at my restaurant! Forget eating you, I just want you dead!” Phil said brandishing two butcher knives. Spike got up and backed away, turning he saw the other Chipper Rippers were afraid as well. “Heheheheheh, got you all to myself now,” Phil said before he jumped forward with surprising speed and swung both knives down. Spike yelped and dodged around the swings before running around him, only to find two Rippers blocking the exit. “No fair!” Spike turned and ran back into the dining area and Phil was in close pursuit. Spike ran into an area full of chairs, expecting the lead Ripper would trip but to Spike’s horror he just plowed through them and swung for his head. Spike ducked and fled down the pathway back towards the doors. “GET BACK HERE!” Phil yelled as he was gaining on Spike. “I gotta lose him!” Spike cried. “Figure it out,” Varek said. “Hmm,” Spike looked ahead and saw the Rippers blocking the exit… let’s hope this works, he stopped and turned. Phil closed in. “YOU'RE MINE!” Phile lunged. Spike dodged to the side and he wound up plowing right into the Chipper Ripper guarding the door. “OOOOFFFF!” They both crashed through the door and onto the ground. “See ya!” Spike jumped over them and ran away. “STOP HIM!” Phil cried and Spike made his way back out into the entrance area. Five Rippers were guarding the exit, and with Phil getting up in the back, Spike had to get moving. So he ran forward and dodged the first one's stab. He avoids the next two swings. One leaped at him but Spike managed to stop in time and the Ripper wound up crashing over a table. And the last one threw his knife at Spike who ducked and the knife sailed overhead and hit Phil in the face. “OUCH!” Phil cried as he fell over. “Crap!” The Chipper Ripper exclaimed and he ran at Spike who dodged around a table and the Chipper Ripper foolishly chased him around it instead of standing in front of the path to the portal. And Spike ran towards the portal. “NOOOOOO!” Phil screamed as Spike vanished into the portal. YOU ESCAPED! Spike stumbled through the portal and crashed into thin air. “Ooof!” Spike grunted as he fell down. “Good thing I put up that barrier, or you would have damaged my desk,” Verak chuckled. “I… I did it!” Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes you did, I will admit, I figured you’d have been torn limb for limb by now, maybe there’s more to you than meets the eye,” Varek said. “Alright, I got your contract,” Spike said as he handed it over. “Good,” He said. “Can I leave now?” Spike asked and Varek just laughed. “Did you seriously think that was the only one boy? We just started,” Varek said. “...What?” Spike said looking upset to hear that. “There are eleven more to go, and things may only get tougher as you go,” Varek said. “....No way… I barely made it out of there alive!” Spike exclaimed. “If you are so intimidated by it, just give me your children,” Varek said. “....Ok fine, what’s next?...” Spike curses the fact that he is using his children as bargaining chips. “Heheh, how are you on the concept of the occult?” Varek asked. “Huh?” Spike said. Next time: Amidst a red background a shadowy hooded figure with what looks like a fin sticking out of their back is heard muttering something, and echoes of wet footsteps can be heard. Coming soon.
Aether Spark
562650
3
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-03T04:09:30+00:00
2024-08-18T21:49:07+00:00
110
Spike shifted around uncomfortably. “Not well, I've kinda been busy raising kids to study that,” Spike said. “Well, then you'll be ill-prepared for this next one, you most likely haven't heard of the cult of the Red Fin have you?” Verak said. “Of course I haven't,” Spike said. Verak gave a puff of his cigar before continuing “They're this stupid cult known for blood sacrifice, eating the flesh of their enemies, and praising a giant fish. Their group got their start making a deal with me but now they're late on their payments go and take their contract,” Verak ordered. “You're asking me to take on a bloodthirsty cult?” Spike said fearfully but Varek just gave him a look “ok ok,” Spike said. “One more thing, seeing as the stakes are raised and your survival against the Chipper Rippers has me interested I will grant you an ability,” Verak said. “An ability?” Spike said in shock. “Yes,” Verak waved his hand and a magic glow occurred “You now possess temporary invisibility,” he said. “Wow, how do I -” Spike asked. “Just say vanish,” Verak said “Now get moving I'm getting impatient,” Verak said eating some more popcorn. “Hmmm…” Spike grumbled as he turned and walked through the doorway into the next portal. -------------------------------------------------------------- Sink or swim -------------------------------------------------------------- Spike exited the portal and found himself in what seemed to be a dark partially flooded tunnel “Ugh,” Spike looked down at the calf-level water and he sloshed through the tunnel. “This place gives me the creeps,” Spike said. “So does everything you humans don’t understand,” Verak said. “Where do I go?” Spike asked as he came to a fork in the path. “Right,” Verak said. Spike moved on down that way and eventually, the water got deeper, making it tougher to move around quickly. Spike moved on down the tunnel and eventually as he was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to find the exit he suddenly heard something. “Huh?” Spike got up against the wall to take cover and he looked down the tunnel and saw figures walking around a corner. There were three of them and they had something sticking out of their backs. “What the?” Spike whispered. Suddenly the one in the back paused and turned around. “Eep!” Spike hid by crouching in the dark. The hooded figure looked around before leaving. “Whew,” Spike said before he followed them they made their way down a path until Spike could see a light at the end of the tunnel. As Spike saw them go down a set of stairs and vanish he decided to follow and as he reached the edge of the tunnel he saw what looked like a stereotypical cult room, he saw a bunch of hooded figures all praying and muttering. And the one at an altar reading from a book seemed like the leader. “Harken! We see into the eyes of our leader! But when he looks back! He looks into your soul!” the apparent bishop declared. “Odd,” Spike said. “And now we raise our heads, and growl so that our-... someone's here,” The bishop said as he looked around before pulling his hood back. And Spike's eyes widened upon seeing a hammerhead shark head on the bishop. “H-huh?” Spike said. “What is it Dalso?” Another pulled their hood down, revealing a mako shark. “We have an intruder….. THERE!” The one called Dalso pointed at Spike and the other shark cultists turned around. “Ulp,” Spike gulped. “What business does an unmarked human have to interrupt our sacred ceremony?” Dalso demanded as the other sharks growled. “I-I-I come in peace! I have a message,” Spike said as he hesitantly made his way down the path to Dalso. “Hnngh, no bowing? Filthy human,” Dalso said. “S-sorry,” Spike bowed a little and continued walking up to him as he stopped in front of him he stared into Dalso’s eyes. “Well? What is this important message?” Dalso asked with a suspicious glare. “Th-the time is up on the contract, Varek wants it now,” Spike asked. “.....You interrupt our sacred ceremony to kick us out of our church?! I have half a mind to-” “I’m just the messenger, tell Varek your issues,” Spike said hands up. “You then go on to order the bishop of the Red Fin around?! You simple ape, give me one good reason not to make chum out of you,” Dalso growled. “....I have a family?” Spike meeped. “Then they’ll miss you- hold on…” Dalso paused and sniffed him. “Huh?” Spike said. “Your time isn’t up yet…. Did Verak bring you here directly from the mortal world?” Dalso asked. “Yes?” Spike said. “Shouldn’t have told him that…” Verak audibly facepalmed. “....Hahahahaha! What a fool, does he not know the rules here?” Dalso laughed. “Huh?” Spike said. “Let me make this clear to you, did he not tell you the dangers of a living mortal dying in hell?” Dalso said. “No,” Spike said. “You die here, your soul fades to oblivion, simple as that,” Dalso said. “....What?” Spike said in shock. “Indeed, you’ve been played,” Dalso said. “Varek is this true?” Spike asked. “Yeah, so what?” Varek asked. “....This just got worse,” Spike said. “Indeed,” Dalso grinned showing his sharp teeth. “J-just, please give me the contract and I’ll leave you to you-” Spike was suddenly grabbed by the neck by Dalso. “You think I’ll let you leave after the disrespect you have shown us?! On the contrary, oblivion might be the best teacher for you,” Dalso said before throwing Spike to the ground and the other shark cultists began surrounding him. “It's against schedule but I’ll allow it, feeding time,” Dalso said with a laugh. “Crap!” Spike said as he got up and saw the mako sharks surrounding him, looking hungry. “I’m gonna die,” Spike said. “Vanish, remember?” Varek boredly said. “...Oh yeah!” Spike said before he suddenly shouted, “VANISH!” Spike said before he disappeared before their eyes. “Huh!?” A shark gasped. “Where did he go?” Another said. “Spread out and find him!” Dalso ordered and the sharks did so. Spike hurriedly ran down a chamber and saw he was on a catwalk over a giant pool of water. “Huh?” Spike said before he saw a massive shape moving around in the water. “Nope!” Spike ran on before his invisibility wore off. As Spike made his way into the next room he found himself in a damp series of corridors with soul shards around the area. And all the areas were flooded to waist level. “Oh great,” Spike said before he made his way in and he stepped into the waist-deep cold water and began sloshing his way around, collecting shards gradually. Spike seemed to have a headstart but it wasn’t long until he heard splashing around nearby. “Huh?” Spike said as he turned and saw a shape moving in the water. “Not good,” Spike hurriedly made his way down the path as the shape moved after him. He made his way into another chamber and ran around collecting shards, as he made his way into the next hallway with more shards he heard splashing and turned to see a mako moving towards him, diving in and out of the water like a champion swimmer. “DINNER TIME!” The mako laughed. “I’m not going to be fish food!” Spike yelled as he hurriedly pressed through the water as the creature swam after him. Spike saw some floating boxes up ahead and he jumped onto one and leaped to the next one as the shark jumped out of the water and chomped at his feet. “Yikes!” Spike cried as he jumped back into the water and made his way through the flooded hallways collecting more shards, thankfully he saw unflooded floors in the distance. “Thank goodness!” Spike said as he made his way to the land and he turned to see the shark peeking out of the water. Spike thought he was safe when he suddenly was turned around by another mako grabbing him and roaring in his face before biting him. 3 lives left “So long 'old chum', hahahaha,” Verak taunted. Spike woke up floating in the water and he quickly got up. “Ugh, dangit,” Spike said. “Not very careful are you?” Verak taunted. “Shut up,” Spike said before he went on splashing down the pathway he didn’t take and he made it to semi-dry land soon and was running at normal speed. As he ran he encountered a mako turning a corner. “There he is!” he said. “Vanish!” Spike said as he disappeared as the shark lunged and tried to bite him. “Huh?!” He looked around and saw splashes going away in the puddles. “There he is!” The mako said as another one that was with him aided in pursuit. “Not good not good!” Spike said as he ran up some stairs and into another chamber full of books. He didn’t sightsee as he made his way onto a bridge and ran across it collecting more soul shards. As Spike collected another few in the hallways on the other side of the bridge he glanced back and saw that he lost the sharks. “Whew,” Spike ran around a corner and found more water and he climbed in carefully. As he made his way through the water he kept an eye out for anything moving. And he saw that more were sneaking around. Two makos coming from different hallways began splashing in the water as they came after him. “Why me!?” Spike said as he ran as fast as the water would allow him “Vanish!” Spike said disappearing to lose them but the sharks were still on him. “What? How-” Spike looked down and saw he was moving around the water and it was giving him away. “This power is terrible for here!” Spike complained. “Be thankful I gave it mortal,” Verak said back. Spike went into another solid ground area and ran from the sharks who followed him out of the water and chased him. “We’ll string you up and eat your innards!” A mako growled. “And feed what’s left to the master!” The other said. As they chased him Spike noticed another coming around a corner and baring his teeth. “One chance,” Spike said as he slid on the ground and avoided the sharkmans grab. “Dang it!” The shark spun and tried to go after Spike who got up and ran into the room to his left. As he went in there he saw it was a dead end. “Crap!” Spike turned and saw the sharks blocking the only exit. “Snack time boys,” One mako said. “Not today!” Spike said and in desperation, he ran and jumped through a window. “No!” The three ran to the window. “Hah! I-” Spike taunted before hitting the ground hard. “You really don’t like thinking things through, do you?” Varek asked Spike. “Ugh,” Spike got up and found he was on another bridge and he got up and ran into the next set of hallways as he collected more shards he heard the makos in the distance and used vanish to hide against a wall as they walked past. Afterward, he made his way into a stairwell and collected more shards going down it. As he made his way to the bottom he found himself in the same giant pool room containing the giant fish. Spike was terrified, what if it was waiting to get him? “Hey! He’s down there!” Spike looked up and saw more makos on the catwalk and they jumped off and into the water and they began swimming towards him. “Not good!” Spike said as he ran across the platform over the dark murky water the makos climbing on and chasing him as well. As he made it halfway across he heard an echo go through the room. Spike turned and saw the water parting as something big was rushing towards him! “AAAHHH!” Spike screamed as he ran faster and he jumped just in time avoiding a colossal shark's jaws as they snapped for him, he panted fearfully as he saw the titan of a shark look at him with cold eyes as it slid back into the water, he saw the makos bowing as this happened, is this their ‘revered’ one?. “I gotta leave,” Spike said honestly at the edge of his fear and he ran up another set of stairs. As he ran up the stairs he was kicked by a mako going down the stairs. “Got you!” He said before he closed in and attacked with a claw. 2 lives left “Hook line and sinker,” Verak said. Spike got up and he was in the chamber he started in. “You're running out of tries,” Verak said. “Ok,” Spike said knowing he had to be more careful. He made his way across the catwalk and over to the sacrificial chamber, using vanish to sneak past Dalso who was still there for some reason. As he made his way to the other hall on the other side he found himself in a series of rooms with bookshelves and desks, but most importantly, there were shards. Spike made his way through the library of sorts and began collecting shards. As he ran down several rooms he heard clamoring and turned to see several sharks headed for him. “Vanish!” Spike called and he disappeared as one lunged at him. “Huh?” The shark looked around while he was picking himself off of the ground. Spike hurried along the way, collecting more shards along the back of the library. As he made his way across a bookshelf he heard growls and paused, hiding from the mako on the other side looking for him. When the shark looked away Spike made his way forward, avoiding him. “Whew,” Spike said as he finished collecting shards in this area “Did I find the last one?” Spike asked. “Yes, the contract is in the sacrificial room, but there's a trap there,” Verak said. “Good to know,” Spike said as he snuck back through the library area again and made it back to the hallway that leads back to the sacrificial room. As Spike looked in. Dalso was gone… not a good sign oddly enough… As Spike used vanish to sneak through the area and get over to the altar, and behind it was a safe. “Are they all in safes?” Spike asked. “Yes,” Verak opened the safe for Spike and he leaned down and grabbed the contract before putting it in his pocket. “Ok, now RUN!” Varek said. “Ok ok!” Spike said as he turned to do just that… before the floor fell out from beneath him. “That’s why,” Verak sighed. “AAAAHHH!” Spike fell all the way down the slide and into freezing water. “Agh!” Spike came up out of the water and looked around… where- “RROOOOOAAAAR” A familiar echo sounded and Spike felt his blood freeze. “No…. NOOO!” Spike hurriedly tried to swim away but he knew he’d never outswim the monster. But then he saw his saving grace, a platform in the middle of the water and he swam with all his strength. He could tell it was closing in. He managed to climb onto the platform in the center and scurry away from the edge as the massive shark lunged over the side and tried to eat him. Spike made it to the middle and shivered fearfully as he saw it circling. “Hahahaha! The master feeds tonight!” Dalso laughed from the catwalk with his followers all of them looked frenzied with red eyes. “Please! Let me go!” Spike cried. “No,” Dalso laughed again “How long can you survive?” “Verak! Help me!” Spike pleaded. “Hmm… such a bother,” Verak sighed. “Help me please!” Spike begged as the shark fin breached the water. “What’s in it for me?” Verak asked. “Name it!” Spike cried as the shark leaped at him from the platform's edge, causing it to lean. “Hmm… ok,” Verak said before audibly snapping his fingers and making the platform move, making the shark fall off. “HUH?!” Dalso exclaimed. “Survive until we get to safety,” Verak said. “Thanks!” Spike said as he stood he looked around waiting for it to jump again and it did, leaping right at him. “AH!” Spike hit the floor as the massive shark sailed overhead and splashed down. “Nononoo! Varek you're not allowed to interfere with the masters feeding!” Dalso growled. “AAAH!” Spike grabbed onto a divet in the platform as the shark bit the platform's edge and tilted it towards him. “Fall fall!” The makos demanded. Eventually, the shark let go and swam beneath the platform and rammed it from below to make Spike fall off. “Crap!” Spike fell over but managed to stay on the platform. “We’ve made it,” Verak said as the platform made it to the edge of the walkway next to the pool. “Finally!” Spike jumped on and ran for it as the shark lunged out of the water again and missed. “STOP HIM!” Dalso ordered as Spike made it back up into the entry to the catacombs and ran across the walkway. “Vanish!” Spike disappeared and managed to slip by each of the mako’s who tried to grab him, making it to Dalso. “You're going nowhere!” Dalso said. Spike reared a kick and struck him between the legs. “AAGH!” Dalso fell over and Spike ran past him “STOP HIM!” Dalso screeched. Spike made it back into the sacrificial chamber and made it back into the tunnel and he pressed through the water while a dozen sharks pursued him. He made his way to the fork in the tunnels and saw the portal. “They're gonna get you,” Varek chuckled. “No they aren’t Spike said as he managed to get to the lower water and he ran as the frenzied sharks poured from the other side of the fork after him. “ALMOST THERE!” Spike said as he made it to the portal and a Shark lunged and bit down on his shoulder and at the same time Spike jumped through the portal. YOU ESCAPED! Spike tumbled through the portal with the shark and they tumbled to the ground. “AAAGH!” Spike cried as the shark rolled him over and opened its mouth to eat him. “Halt,” A voice said and the shark froze before looking up and seeing Verak. “That is mine,” He said pointing at Spike. “Y-you…grrrr….” The shark growled and got up before lunging at him “You won’t take our contract! DIE-” Verak reached his hand out quickly, grabbed the shark by the snout, and broke his neck and he dropped dead. “Pest,” Verak sighed before picking up the shark and chucking it to his dogs who eagerly dug into it. “Wow…” Spike realized Verak was clearly stronger than a normal demon. Suddenly he felt his shoulder get healed and he was surprised. “Get up, we have more work to do,” Verak said. “C-can I have a moment,” Spike begged. “Sure, while the clock ticks away towards your children ending up like that,” Verak gestured to the dogs eating the shark. “Ok fine,” Spike got up and stood before him. “Alright, let’s prep you, for the next one stands to be quite entertaining,” Verak said. “Why?” Spike asked. “...Do you have Coulrophobia?” Verak asked. Next time: Amidst a red background a shadowy being with curly hair, spherical body segments, and long bendy almost rubber-like limbs with gloved hands at the end. The music of a carnival is heard playing in the background as well as a strange ticking noise, giggling… and then suddenly, maniacal laughter. Coming soon.
Aether Spark
562650
4
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-03T19:28:41+00:00
2024-08-18T21:53:44+00:00
81
“I’ve never been particularly afraid of clowns, I don't care for them but I'm not really scared,” Spike said. “This one may change your opinion, I have a clown who wanted to start his own circus, but he’s been dodging me as of late, I want you to put a stop to it and get me the contract he’s withholding,” Varek said. “Fine,” Spike sighed. “And as for what you can do for me,” Varek said. “Huh?” Spike said. “Since I so generously saved you from the shark, you can get me the clowns nose, that will show him to try and stiff me,” Varek said. “....Is it attached?” Spike asked. “Yes,” Varek said. “...How-” “You ask alot of questions,” Varek waved him off. “Do I still get invisibility?” Spike asked. “Yes,” Varek sounded annoyed now. “Ok,” Spike moved on and opened the door, seeing a new image on the portal. Instead of a Chipper Ripper or a shark it was of a clown. “Here goes nothing,” Spike entered. -------------------------------------------------------------------- A killer joke -------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike made it to what seemed like a normal carnival, it had an entrance that looked like a clowns mouth, and the park was apparently called- “Topsy Turvey Land?” Spike said as he entered and he heard the gates squeak as they swung open. As he wandered in he looked around, there were rides, food booths, and the works. Spike made his way down the center path amidst the booth and immediately saw shards, so he began collecting them. As he made his way to the other side of the booth path Spike found himself in the presence of a big realistic statue of what looked like the weirdest clown ever. Its long limbs looked like blue rubber, he had gloves on the hands and comically big shoes, his body was segmented like a snowman, spherical body segments decorated in clown fashion leading up to his head which was covered in white make-up orange curly hair on both sides of his head but not on top, big eyes and a red nose above a wide grin. “Ugh,” Spike didn’t like the look of this guy, and so he resumed collecting shards around the statue. “Heeheehee,” Spike paused and turned towards the statue when he heard it giggle. “A-are you alive?” Spike asked. “......BOO!” The clown spun and lunged at Spike. “AAAHHH!” Spike braced himself… but he didn’t die, when he looked he saw the clown had paused inches from his face and then gave a loud squeaky and frankly annoying laugh. “Gah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!” He finished and he began walking towards Spike with long steps and he towered over him. “HIYA FRIEND! Wanna hear a joke?” He asked. “Whatever you do, don’t laugh,” Varek warned. “Why?” Spike asked. “Just don’t,” Varek said. “O-ok?” Spike said. “Why’d they burn the bone at the stake?............because he was a blas-femur! HAHAHAHAHA!” The clown laughed. “Heheheh, that was kinda-” Spike made the mistake of chuckling and suddenly he felt a tightness in his chest. “I said not to laugh!” Varek said exasperatedly. “Ok ok,” Spike said as he backed away. “WELL?! Ain’t ya goin to laugh some more? Laughter is the best medicine! I need some now as a matter-of-fact!” The clown pulled out a pill bottle labeled ‘laughter’ and he ate it, bottle and all before laughing some more, Spike admittedly chuckled again and the tightness in his chest worsened he grunted holding his chest wondering what the strange pain was. “Why does my chest hurt when I laugh?” Spike asked him. “Oh don’t worry bout it, probably just hunger, where are mah manners? Hello! I’m Topsy, Topsy the clown!” He introduced himself. “H-hi?” Spike said grunting as his chest hurt some more. “Wanna hear another joke?” Topsy asked. “No, I came here to ask for Vareks contract, he said times up,” Spike said. “.....” The clown suddenly quieted and just stared at him with a flat look. “Huh?” Spike said. “Of course, you are… why else would somebody come here…” Topsy looked sad now. “Hey are you-” Suddenly Spike was scooped off the ground and thrown “AAAH!” Spike hit a wall. “Heeheehee… I don’t like that Varek guy, a real downer, who wants to take my circus and expand his real estate… well I won’t letcha! What do you call a three-humped camel?” He asked. “Why would I-” Spike said before the clowns voice warped. “WHY?!” Topsy demanded. “Um… I dunno,” Spike said. “Really pregnant! HAHAHAHA, GET IT?!” The clown stomped up to him. “L-look please just hand it-” Spike pleaded. “LAUGH AT MY JOKE!” Topsy growled. “Fine! Ha ha ha, there are you-” Spike cried out as it felt like a mini heart attack. “Doesn’t the joke just make you wanna laugh…. Till you croak…” Topsy asked. “Wha-what’s happening?” Spike asked. “It’s my curse… You laugh at me, you die,” Topsy said with a wave before Spike’s vision went dark. 3 lives left “That joke was killer wasn’t it?” Varek taunted. Spike reappeared at the gate to Topsy Turvy land gasping for air and he got up. “Realise why you can’t laugh now?” Varek said like he was talking down to him. “Yes,” Spike sighed and he made his way down the path again and saw Topsy back in the same spot as before, but the clown looked at him in surprise. “How are you still here?” Topsy asked. “Varek pulled me out and healed me, now give me the contract,” Spike said. “....Hahaha….. NO!” Topsy stretched on of his arms forward and Spike ducked the grab and ran for it down the path to his right. He resumed collecting shards as the clown pursued him on all fours with his stretchy limbs. “AAAH!” Spike cried as he rounded a corner and the clown followed him. “HAHAHA! What do you call an athlete on coffee!?” Topsy asked. “Shut up!” Spike said. “A person with the RUNS, HAHAHA!” Topsy grabbed a crate and threw it at Spike who avoided it. Spike collected a shard and tried to run around another corner but the clown swatted him with a hand and sent him flying down the path to the opposite side. As Spike landed he looked up at the clown climbing over the top of the tents. “Laugh already!” Topsy demanded. “NOT A CHANCE!” Spike got up and ran before stopping when he saw what looked like an RC car toy. “Huh?” Spike said before it drove at him and it was ticking…. “I don’t like this!” Spike said and he kicked it away, as it landed it exploded “HUH?!” Spike said seeing it detonate. “Heheheheheheheh, if you don’t wanna laugh, then you’ll go out with a bang instead!” Topsy said before he stretched an arm upwards and grabbed a skyline and he climbed onto a tightrope, as he walked across it balancing he was juggling more cars and he threw more explosives that landed and drove at Spike. “AAAH!” Spike ran from the bombs and he fled down another path as the bombs exploded behind him. Spike ran up a stairwell to get away from the cars and he jumped onto a swinging ship ride, but before he could get off it started swinging. “CRAP!” Spike tumbled and held onto a chair as it swung back at forth. As he was wondering what to do next Topsy jumped on and grabbed Spike by the arm… and Spike was electrocuted. “AAAAAAAHHHH!” Spike cried as he was shocked. “What? Don’t like my joybuzzer?” Topsy laughed as he chucked Spike into another tent and several cars drove in after him and blew up. 2 lives left “I’d say stop clowning around, but then this circus would be out of good clowns,” Varek said. “Spike!” Verak said to get Spike's attention as he got up. “What?” Spike asked. “Oh good, I thought you gave up, not as fun for me,” Verak said. “Ugh,” Spike got up and hurried back into the carnival where the monster was likely waiting for him. Spike ran into the deeper part of the carnival and searched around, finding more shards in the deeper part of the park. As Spike made his way in he heard a familiar laugh and he hid behind a cotton candy machine as Topsy walked past. “Hmm….” Topsy walked over to the cotton candy machine and began scooping himself some cotton candy before moving on. “Whew,” Spike said before he ran on and collected more shards. As Spike made his way into the park some more he saw he was in a food court of sorts, as Spike made his way around and collected the shards before making his way to the edge of the circus as he ran around collecting shards on the other side he saw more RC cars rounding a curve and driving towards him. “Yikes!” Spike ran as they drove after him and blew up around him. One explosion sent him flying and he rolled on the ground before getting up and continuing running. As Spike ran he saw Topsy swinging on a trapeze rope overhead. “FOUND YA!” Topsy yelled as he descended onto Spike and Spike dodged down into a hall of mirrors attraction. “Heehee!” Topsy followed him in. Spike ran around feeling his way through the mirror hallways while avoiding the demon clown. As Spike made his way around he turned and saw the clown staring him in the eye. “Boogedyboo!” He said. “AGH!” Spike instinctively threw a punch and broke the mirror, cutting his hand. “Gotcha!” The clown was behind him and he slammed him against the mirror before slamming him against another and chucking him through another. “AGH!” Spike grunted, he looked up and Topsy was gone. Spike went on to get up and for self-defense he grabbed a glass shard and he made his way around. “Vanish,” Spike said and he disappeared. “Huh? Whew did ya go?” Topsy asked appearing from the ceiling. Spike collected all the shards and got out of the mirror house before his vanish wore off. As he made his way to the rest of the carnival he collected the shards he ran across. Spike saw the next batch of shards ahead and he used vanish again just in case more of those exploding cars were there. As Spike made it he saw there were more of the cars, so he snuck around them while they couldn’t see him. "I-I need a break, I'm out of breath," Spike panted as he made his way into an area with more rides. Afterwards he made it to a Ferris wheel and he got in to hide and catch his breath, as it went up. “Whew…” Spike said taking this chance to calm down and catch his breath. “Really poor choice,” Varek said as Spike suddenly stumbled as the ride suddenly staggered and Spike looked out and saw Topsy at the bottom. “Wheel wheel, the Ferris eh?” Topsy joked “I can always fix it later,” Topsy then planted several cars at them bottom. “NONONONONONO-” Spike cried as the cars blew up. “I was hoping to get a break!” Spike cried as he fell with the ride as the ferris wheel fell over and hit the ground. As the dust was kicked up Spike crawled out having miraculously survived. As he did however Topsy climbed across the wheel and grabbed Spike before holding him up. “Guess your time is up,” Topsy said before squeezing a flower on his chest and it sprayed Spike with acid and he screamed in pain before Topsy dropped Spike into the Ferris car before dropping a bomb in after him. “Bombs away!” Topsy laughed before the car blew up. 1 life left “You're making it hard not to root for the clown,” Verak said. Spike got up panting heavily. “Get back to work,” Verak said. “Can I have a moment?” Spike asked honestly shaking from the acid experience. “No,” Verak said and Spike forced himself to move on as he heard more RC car toys in the distance. Spike ran down another path avoiding them and this time he ran to a merry-go-round and he ran on it collecting shards before making his way to the other food court, and he found more there. When he collected the last little bit there he heard the intercom go off. “Attention all parkgoers, the park is closing in ten minutes,” Topsy’s voice said. “No...” Spike said. “Anyone still here… heehee, will become locked in and won’t ever leave again…. HAHAHAHAHA!” Topsy laughed. “I gotta hurry!” Spike ran deeper into the park and he collected more shards. As he did… “HIYA!” Topsy said as he appeared in front of Spike. “No!” Spike cut through an alleyway as a stretchy arm raced after him. “Imma getcha!” Topsy laughed. “Not a chance!” Spike said as he appeared on the other side and he ran over to the bumper carts area Spike ran around and collected the shards but as he tried to leave Topsy climbed in after him and sent more RC cars at Spike by producing them from his mouth. Spike panicked and jumped over the railing of the bumper carts area and he made his way towards the center of the carnival. “Almost there!” Spike said as he collected the last few shards. “Finally, the contract is in the platform Topsy was on when you first met him.” Varek said. “It is?” Spike asked. “Yes,” Varek said as Spike ran towards the platform and Spike wondered how he was going to get it when he noticed the cars were still chasing him and he got an idea. “Come on!” Spike said as he ran up to the platform and he stood there as the car toys drove towards him. “Risky,” Varek said. “Gotta time it right,” Spike said and when Topsy came around he saw this and his eyes widened. “NOOOO!” Topsy cried as the cars exploded and at the same time Spike dodged back and the explosions broke open the platform. Revealing the safe that Varek opened. Spike grabbed the contract but Topsy grabbed him. “WHY YOU LITTLE-” Topsy said but Spike though quickly and pulled out the glass shard and slashed Topsy’s nose off. “AAAAAAAAAGH!” Topsy cried as he fell down. Spike grabbed the nose and got up but Topsy grabbed him by the leg and swung him around hitting him against walls. “THAT WAS A MISTAKE YOU LITTLE WRETCH!” a frenzied Topsy said. “NGH!” Spike stabbed Topsy in the hand and Topsy let him go and Spike gunned it for the exit while the psycho clown pursued him. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” Topsy screeched as he chased after him reaching a stretchy arm out to snag him. “AAAHH!” Spike ran towards the gate and saw it starting to close. “Better run faster,” Varek said. “Ngh!” Spike pushed himself and he jumped as the gate was closing. And the gap was just wide enough to get through while it closed on Topsy's arm. Spike tumbled on the ground and Topsy was closed behind the gates. “NOOOOOOOO!” Topsy cried as Spike fled into the portal. YOU ESCAPED! Spike tumbled onto the ground and panted heavily before getting up. “How was the carnival?” Varek asked sarcastically. “Ugh…” Spike sighed as he slapped the contract down on the desk. “Hmm, and the nose?” Varek asked. Spike put that on the table as well. “Good good,” Varek tossed the nose to his dogs, “You're doing better than I expected,” Varek said. “Thanks…” Spike said. “Hey less for me to do, now you have ten more, and still a day and a half,” Varek said with a grin. “What?” Spike asked wondering why he was smiling. “Oh nothing, next I want you to play with someone,” Varek said. “Oook?” Spike asked not knowing what he meant. “Did you ever play with dolls?” Varek asked. Next time: Amidst a red background a shadowy being with long curly hair a dress and a bow. She seemed to have strings coming out of her fingers and she was giggling as she continued to play around. And suddenly…. She turned towards you and asks… “Wanna play with me?...” Coming soon.
Aether Spark
562650
5
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-07T04:13:56+00:00
2024-08-18T21:56:59+00:00
78
“Dolls?” Spike asked. “Yeah, this next one is about a girl who is so obsessed with dolls that she became one, and now anyone who enters her domain becomes her dollies,” Varek said. “....Can we skip this one?” Spike asked not wanting to deal with that. “No,” Varek said. “Alright,” Spike sighed as he turned to the door but Varek spoke. “Don’t you want your second power?” Varek asked. “Second?” Spike turned back to him. Vareks's hand glowed again, and Spike felt power enter him. “You now also have the power to teleport, use this wisely,” Varek said. “Ok,” Spike said not wanting to ask him why anymore and he entered the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Play with me… forever… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike exited the portal and found himself in what seemed to be a void. “Huh?” Spike said looking around before spotting a big pink dollhouse, big enough for him to enter. There were fake bushes and toys everywhere around the void like a messy room. “What fresh hell is this?” Spike asked. “Ha,” Varek chuckled, Spike ignored him as he approached the house and knocked on it. The door slid open slowly and Spike hesitantly entered, keeping his guard up. As he entered expecting a cramped space he suddenly found himself in a much bigger mansion-like space. “Whoa,” Spike said as he walked through and saw all sorts of strange things, like dolls everywhere, small and big, some even as big as he was. As Spike walked through the house lobby he suddenly heard child-like giggling and he turned, not seeing anything off. “Huh?” Spike said as he looked around, and suddenly he began hearing child laughter everywhere, behind him sometimes and when he turned it would briefly stop. “Is someone there?” Spike said ready for anything, he wasn't as ready as he thought he was when a little girl's voice came to him suddenly. “Hiya mister! Are you here to play with me?” Spike turned but only saw a stitched doll the size of a human child sitting on the ground. “Where are you?” Spike looked around again. “In front of you silly billy!” She giggled and he turned again to be face to face with the dolls button eyes and stitched smile. “AAAAH!” Spike yelped jumping back, honestly tired of it at this point. “Heeheeheehee! I got you!” She giggled and hopped back so Spike could see her full appearance. She had beige skin made of fabric and a dress that was purple, orange string hair, and a blue bow in her fake hair. She also had blue button eyes and a stitched smile. “Um… hello?” Spike said. "Hi! It's been a long time since I've had a new playmate! I was hoping they'd send a girl, but I can play with boys too!" She giggled. "Um, actually I'm not here for-" Spike attempted before she cut him off. “Oh oh let’s play house first!” She giggled as she ran over to a corner opened a toy box and dug through it. “Um, actually I am here for-” Spike attempted again but it was like she wasn't listening. “Here! You be the daddy and I’ll be a mommy!” She said bringing a smaller dollhouse over. “I’m not here to play I’m-” “You don’t wanna play house? Ok! Let’s plaaaaaaaay…. Tag!” She squealed and she tagged him before running. “Hey! I need to talk to you!” Spike said chasing her trying to get her to listen. “Yay! Play play!” She said as she ran with seemingly limitless energy. Spike slowed eventually and she danced where she stopped. “Nyah! Your slow!” She giggled. “Look! I’m low on time, I need-” “Let’s play something else!” How about dolls! I love dollies! I have a huuuuuge collection, and-” “SHUT UP!” Spike said at his wits end with her cutting him off and she quieted. “Sorry… I’m sorry, but I’m stressed as is with my family in danger, I’m here to collect Vareks contract,” Spike said hoping she'd listen this time. “.....Oh…. well of course you're here for that…” She said with a frown. “Yeah, so if you could just hand it over I-” But Spike was cut off as the doll girl walked up to him somehow with a bitter expression. “Of course, you're not here to play with me! They NEVER are!” She growled. “Hey, sorry, but I-” Spike attempted but she stomped with surprising force. “No! NONONO! I wanna play! And like it or not, we’ll be friends forever! Play forever! AND YOU WILL BE MY DOLLIE!” She said as she suddenly began rising into the air, Spike backed away seeing she was doing so with strings coming out of her feet, lifting her into the air like tendrils. “It’ll take some work… but I can make a dollie out of you just like the others, your good friend Darla the Dollmaker is here to help…” She said as the buttons turned red. “Uh oh!” Spike ran as she extended her hands and hooks came out of her fingertips and they shot out on strings to snare Spike who managed to avoid them up until he was halfway up the stairs before several hooked strings snared him and dug into his flesh. “Ow!” Spike grunted as she pulled him back towards her. “Needle in the eyes, listen not to ask why’s, I’ll leave him in stitches, playtime is my riches!” She sang as she dragged him back to her. “No! What do I do?!” Spike said. “Try the teleport, just think about teleportation,” Varek said. “O-ok!” Spike thought about the teleport power and suddenly he teleported out of the hooks and at the top of the stairs where he stumbled but looked surprised. “HUH?! Hey! That’s cheating!” Darla growled and she lashed her strings out again. But Spike ran away through a door and escaped. “No no no!” This isn’t how it's supposed to go!” She yelled from the other side of the door. “Screw that!” Spike said as he ran into another part of the house and saw shards. “Get collecting, unless you fancy being her doll for the rest of time,” Varek said. “No way!” Spike said as he ran into the next hallways and collected shards, he noticed these were scattered instead of grouped up “Are there less here?” Spike asked. “Yep, she likes to preserve her dollies,” Varek said. “Ugh,” Spike said uncomfortably, as he ran past some of her other dolls, some of which were bleeding, now understanding he ran on hoping to avoid their fate. Spike collected a few more shards and ran into a dining room before Darla came into the room and saw him. “There you are!” She said as she whipped her hooked tendrils at him and Spike ducked them and fled into a room with a TV in it with a giant sticker on the screen. “This place is all fake!” Spike said as he had to step over some more corpse dolls. “Shut up! Fake isn’t a word here!” Darla shouted as she chased him using her tendrils like tentacles to carry her. Spike jumped over a railing and landed on the ground before fleeing deeper into the mansion. “WHERE ARE YOU?!” Darla shouted as she lost track of him. Spike ignored her and collected more shards and ran into a room that looks like it was designed for tea parties. With her dollies lined up in their chairs. “Eugh!” Spike said not liking the sight before he fled into another hallway, where he ran into Darla who took the chance to wrap him in her strings. “You're mine now Dollie!” Darla laughed before she opened her mouth revealing sharp teeth behind the strings and she swung her hook claws at him. 3 Lives left: “Darla wants to play…. And she’ll never let you go…” Varek taunted. Spike wasted no time and made his way out of the lobby as soon as he woke up. He saw the entrance to the other side of the mansion and he took it. As he made his way through several hallways he heard an exclamation behind him and he continued running as he heard her behind him. “GET BACK HERE NEW FRIEND!” Darla screeched as she swung her hooks at Spike’s back but Spike stayed ahead of her. Just as Spike thought he was going to get away he suddenly felt a hand grip his head and his eyes widened as he glanced back to see she had detached her arm, connected by strings, and she was grabbing his head. “HAHAHAHA! Tag! You're it!” She said as she dug her claws in. “AGH!” Spike grunted and he decided to jump through a window to get away from her and he ended up pulling her with him. “Whoa!” She exclaimed and they landed in a pool. Spike swam to the surface and pulled out the hooks with cries of pain as he made his way out of the pool with Darla swam after him. “You're being mean!” She yelled in a whining tone. Spike ran as soon as he was on dry land and he booked it down a corridor leading into a dining room. With corpse dolls in each seat. “Get out! I haven’t set the tea yet!” Darla demanded as she chased him on her strings. “You're insane!” Spike said as he avoided her hooks by teleporting out of the way and she accidentally smashed a table against the wall. “NO! Look what you made me do!” She growled as she chased him into the kitchen and he ran around collecting shards as she tried to grab him. Spike ran into the next room but his wet shoes made him slip and he fell over a railing. “I GOTCHA!” Darla said as she lashed a string around Spike's neck. “NO-” SNAP 2 lives left: “Guess she plays a little too rough for you,” Spike sighed as he sat up in the lobby and he stood up, he just had his neck snapped... how much more will he have to endure before this is over... “I’m really tempted to give up…” Spike said feeling the weight of this whole situation on his shoulders… he’s literally going through hell! Spike fell to his knees. “Maybe it’d be better if I just-” “No… Don’t give up!” A woman's voice called to him. “Huh?” Varek? Was that you?” Spike asked. “What was me? Stop wasting my time and get moving,” Varek said impatiently. “O-ok…” Spike sighed, must have been his nerves… Spike made his way to the right this time and he peeked around a corner, looking for Darla. He saw the creepy doll girl skipping by. “Lalalala! Happiness to me happiness to you, when I catch you your existence is through!” She sang. “She still scares me….” Spike muttered before he ran on once she vanished. As Spike made his way down the west hallway and collected the spaced-out shards he ran by a room with dollhouses in it. Spike moved on and found another set of shards in another hallway, but heard a screech and turned to see Darla swinging across the gap between them using her hooks. “Wheee!” She exclaimed. “Crap!” Spike ran on as she landed behind him and she opened her stitched mouth and sent strings to snare Spike's legs. “Ah!” Spike fell down. “Heeheehee! Now you are mine!” She said as she brandished her hook-like claws. “No. I’m. NOT!” Spike grabbed the strings and yanked hard sending her stumbling to the floor. “You meanie!” She lunged at him and landed on him and began stabbing him with her claws. “GET OFF!” Spike yelled as he wrestled with her, she was stronger than she looked! As she raised a hand Spike caught it. “I’m gonna get you, I’m gonna get you!” She sang. Spike’s family flashed to mind and he yelled before reaching up and grabbing one of her button eyes and tore it out. “GYAAAAH!” She screamed falling back. Spike got up and backed away as she stood back. “You….. GIVE IT BACK!” She looked at him and he was shocked to see an actual eyeball underneath where her button eye was. “What are you?...” Spike asked. “A dollie… THE BEST DOLLIE EVER!” Darla said as he limbs detached and extended on strings before bigger hooks came out of her fingers. “Huh?” Spike backed away. “Hope you're happy… I’m so mad I’m just unraveling at the seams now!” Darla laughed maniacally and she chased him on all fours. “AAAAH!” Spike teleported out of her strings still holding him, turned, and fled from her. Spike ran into another room and collected shards as she came after him like a mass of strings and hooks. “I’M GONNA MAKE YOU MINCE MEAT!” She bellowed. Spike ran into another room with dolls dangling from strings from the ceiling and he made it into the lobby again through a side entrance. As he looked around Varek spoke. “The safe is located, check that room full of dollhouses you ran past earlier,” Varek mentioned. “Ok!” Spike said and he hurried back into the hallways as Darla pursued him. “DOOOLLLYYYY!” She screamed at him as she pursued. Spike made it down the hallway, his good sense of direction leading him to the room with the dollhouses and he shut the door behind him. “OPEN THE DOOR!” Darla shouted as she bashed on the door. “Which one?!” Spike asked. “Just start smashing!” Varek said. “Ok!” Spike began breaking dollhouses. “W-what are you doing in there? STOP!” Darla cried. Spike eventually found the safe in a pink one and he pulled it out, Varek broke it open and he claimed the contract. At the same time, the door came down and Darla saw the destruction. “No…YOU FILTHY HUMAN! I’LL TEAR YOUR LIMBS OFF!” Darla screamed as she lunged and Spike dodged it by teleporting and fled for the exit as she chased him with a feral scream. “NOT GOOD NOT GOOD!” Spike said as he ran from her as she swung her hooked claws at him. Spike rounded the corner and entered the lobby and bolted for the exit. As he broke through the door and bolted through the void for the portal Darla pursued him through the void as well. “FRIENDS DON’T DESTROY OTHER FRIENDS STUFF! I’LL KILL YOU!” She bellowed. “Almost there!” Spike cried and he saw the portal and he jumped for it as Darla reached for him. And her hooks narrowly missed him as he went into the portal. “NOOOO!” Darla exclaimed. YOU ESCAPED! Spike tumbled into the office panting heavily. “Could you stop landing on my floor like that? You're starting to make dents,” Varek sighed. “Varek… I don’t know how much more I can handle… please, can’t I just do half?” Spike asked. “I’m afraid not, I have a quota and image to uphold,” Varek said. “LISTEN-” Spike was about to yell but a voice came to him again. “Calm yourself… I know you can do it,” The woman's voice said. “I’m listening,” Varek asked smugly. “...Nevermind…” Spike said with a sigh and he handed Varek the contract. “Good choice,” Varek said before taking out another cigar and lighting it “Now listen, next up we have a trip to a more… relaxing environment,” Varek said. “Relaxing?... In hell?” Spike asked. “Maybe not the way you know it… how are you with gardening?” Varek asked. Next time: Amidst a red background a short shadowy being with a pointy hat and a pickax was standing there, completely still as the sounds of a forest echoed in the background, and then as it looked like nothing was going to happen… he looked at you. “Heheheheheheheee!” a mischievous voice giggled.
Aether Spark
562650
6
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-07T22:49:02+00:00
2024-08-18T22:02:45+00:00
56
“I have a rather mischievous group that’s been ducking me for quite a while, deal with them,” Varek said. “What are they?” Spike asked knowing at this point to expect anything. “You’ll know them when you see them, I should remove one of your powers and give you another second power,” Varek said. “Wait, remove a power?” Spike asked. “Yeah, do you think a mere human is capable of holding more than two bits of a supernatural power like this in their body? No,” Varek said. “Great…” Spike sighed “I’ll trade teleportation then,” “Ok,” Varek swapped his powers with a glowing hand and Spike felt the new power entering him. “Your new power is to sense demonic auras,” Varek said. “Sense them?” Spike asked. “Yes, detect the hidden monsters, it may prove invaluable here,” Varek clarified. “Ok,” Spike nodded and he turned to leave. “Good luck, you’ll need it,” Varek laughed as Spike ignored him and went into the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A grievous garden ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike exited the portal and found himself in a long tunnel and he looked ahead and saw what looked like a forest ahead. “Oook, what could be waiting for me in there?” Spike asked as he walked hesitantly down the long tunnel, as he made his way out he saw something on both sides of the tunnel. “Wait a minute… are those garden gnomes?” Spike asked as he saw the jolly four-foot tall pointy hat-wearing dwarfs staring out into the distance blankly but with happy expressions. They were holding signs too, Spike decided to read them. “Enter these forests if ye dare, not everything is as it seems… odd,” Spike said after reading it. “Don’t tell me I’m honestly dealing with demon gnomes am I?” Spike chuckled wondering how this place could be so serene despite it literally being a part of hell. “You’ll find they're deadlier than they look,” Verak said as Spike walked on. “What are they gonna do? Kick me in the shin?” Spike asked as he entered the forests and made his way through without any major problems. As he exited the forests he saw what looked like a garden entrance. “Hard to believe this place is a part of hell,” Spike said. “Just keep moving,” Varek said with a sigh and probably an eyeroll. “Ok,” Spike made his way into the garden… ignoring any of the signs warning him not to enter. As Spike made his way into the garden he heard a growl and he turned to see a shape dart behind a tree. “Huh?” Spike said as he saw this, hesitantly he approached and peeked around the tree… and saw a fake gnome. “Heh, alright,” Spike could see where this was going and so he made his way into the garden area, seeing flowers and statues. “If I do end up in hell this particular place seems relaxing enough,” Spike said. “You idiot… you should know…” Varek sighed. “Know wha-” Spike suddenly grunted in pain as he felt something cut his leg and he saw a shape dart into the tall grass. Looking at his leg he saw a minor wound on his leg that looked like it came from a knife. “What the-” Spike grunted again as something struck him in the back and he turned to see it was a rock. “Heeheeheehee,” The small voices cackled. “Starting to regret my words,” Spike said as he felt many eyes on him, he hurried on to an area that had shards, but also many gnomes planted around the place. “A-alright, no problem,” Spike began stepping around them carefully, collecting shards and watching for any of them moving around… but it was odd, none of them looked like living gnomes… wouldn’t they- “AAAGH!” Spike yelled and he turned to see what looked like a pick ax lodged in his leg “W-what the-” Spike looked up and saw a gnome looking at him with a sickening grin full of ugly sharp teeth. It immediately sprung off the ground and tackled him down and raised its pick to kill Spike but Spike caught it and threw the small man off. “What the heck!?” Spike got up and saw the gomes around him were still inanimate but the one he tossed ran off. “Still think this is a walk in the park?” Varek said smugly. “Ok fine!” Spike began hobbling away, looking for a place to dress his wound when he heard more cackling and he looked to see more gnomes looking his way than before. “Wha- ACK!” Spike cried out and looked down and saw a thrown pick had landed in his chest, he fell to his knees as the pain was too much. Then he heard rustling behind him and saw several gnomes rushing out of the tall grass pickaxes and skinning knives raised. “No…” Spike croaked as they tackled him down as a group and began stabbing him. 3 Lives left: “You should have paid more attention, fool,” Spike got up at the garden entrance looking shocked and feeling his chest, seeing no stab wounds. “You're welcome,” Varek said. “...Thanks…” Spike said as he got up and made his way to the garden again. He began to look like he was losing it a little… so much dying… the pain… how much more can he handle? “I’d start using that aura sense,” Varek suggested. “Right, you did say I had that,” Spike said wishing he remembered that sooner, doing what he did with the teleportation he focused on the sense and he saw multiple gnomes light up with a red aura. Others didn’t. “So they were hiding among fakes,” Spike said. “Yep, keeps you guessing,” Varek said. Spike made his way around and this time he made sure to use his sense power more. As he made his way through the garden area, collecting shards he stepped around several gnomes that were not so subtly watching him. “I didn’t even get a chance to ask if I could have their contract,” Spike said as he avoided getting too close to another one. “Would they have been likely to listen?” Varek asked. “Doubt it,” Spike said as he made his way onto a rocky path and he made his way down it collecting shards and making sure to walk around every gnome he saw on the road while keeping an eye on them.. “Heehee!” a voice laughed and Spike turned to see a couple of gnomes abandoned post and ran for him. “Crap!” Spike ran for it as the two chased him down the rocky path. Spike ran over another arching path and made his way onto a rocky bridge where he tripped. Spike got up but turned and saw the gnomes gaining on him with their pickaxes raised. “Tch!” Spike saw a chance and dodged a swing from one and he kicked him back. The other jumped at Spike but he ducked it grabbed the other gnomes pickaxe and swung it into the head of the other gnome. And his head shattered. “Huh? Their not even flesh!” Spike said before turning and smashing the other gnome. Spike stood back as he saw the pieces of the gnomes on the ground. “Alright, two less to worry about,” Spike said. “Not quite…” Varek said. “What?” Spike said… before they gnomes rebuilt themselves “WHAT THE?” Spike exclaimed. “Their demons, in hell, mortals cannot kill demons in hell, remember?” Varek said. “Crap your right,” Spike dropped the pickaxe and fled as the gnomes angrily ran after him gibbering and growling. Spike fled into a forested area where there were more gnomes and he continued running until he found a tree to hide behind. He hid until he saw the gnomes run past. “Whew…” Spike used his aura sense to see if there anymore live gnomes near him. And there weren’t where he could see. So he got ready to move- Drip drip… Spike froze when he felt saliva drip on him and he looked up, seeing at least five gnomes in the trees. “Of course, they can climb…” Spike said before running for it. Spike ran as fast as he could from his smaller foes but the chase through the forest led him towards the two that passed by earlier who turned and saw him. “OH-” Spike didn’t get a chance to curse as another gnome leaped out of the bushes and tackled him knocking him down. They then ganged up on him and swung their pick axes into his body as a group. 2 lives left: “Oh come on, it can’t be that hard to outrun someone two and a half feet shorter than you!” Varek said. Spike got up and sighed as he saw he was fine… physically at least… “Spike, you may want to get moving, I think they’ve figured out where I deposited you,” Varek said. “O-ok,” Spike said as he ran on, and he made his way around the multiple gnomes stashed all over the place and collecting more shards. “I take it back, this place really is hell,” Spike said as he ran. Suddenly three gnomes broke off from where they were standing and they chased him. Spike fled into an area with a gazebo and he ran onto it and past it, as the three gnomes chased him into the next area, grabbing shards as he ran. Spike fled into some treelines and hid again, this time using his sense to see if any gnomes were waiting to ambush him. There weren’t. Spike saw the gnomes had lost track of him and they left. Spike made his way through the treeline, hiding occasionally, and keeping track of his environment and he saw more shards in a tall grass area. He ran over and started collecting them. When he felt another scrape against his leg and he cried out before looking to see his bleeding leg and he looked around and saw the tall grass rustling in several areas, and movements closing in on him. “Not good!” Spike said as he frantically ran for it from the shapes moving in the tall grass and he made it to the grassline before bolting away. “Those shards were the last ones, I know where the safe is but your not going to like it,” Varek said. “I don’t like anywhere here! Where?” Spike asked. “Head back into the treeline you were in and head down it,” Varek said and Spike did so, upon making it to the area Spike ran into the treeline and past it, as he ran through the tree area he eventually came to a giant statue. A huge statue of a giant gnome, surrounded by tall grass. “Great, more tall grass, can this get any worse-” Spike said before the statue's eyes glowed and it looked down at him “....Those words are cursed…” Spike said as he took a step back as the giant statue raised his giant pickaxe and swung it down. Spike yelled as he jumped out of the way and the pick rammed deep into the ground. “The safe is at the base of the statue,” Verak confirmed. Spike got up and hurriedly ran into the grass as the statue tried to grab him with its other hand and missed. Spike ran on but heard movement around him and he saw several more gnomes darting in the grass and Spike knew he was being surrounded. Spike ran up to the statue who raised a foot to step on him and Spike jumped out of the way as the massive foot smashed down and Spike ran up to the safe which Varek broke open and Spike claimed the contract. BBBRRRROOOOOMMMM came a loud rumble from the statue as its eyes turned red and it swung its hand and struck Spike sending the man flying over the grass and into a wall. “OW!” Spike grunted as he hit the ground, looking up he saw the gnomes exiting the grass with glowing red eyes, purplish hats and skin, and they were foaming at the mouth. “I’m guessing I made them mad…” Spike said. “Yeah,” Varek said as they swarmed after Spike who struggled to get up as they were closing in. But he managed to stand and run away. Meanwhile the statue broke away from its pedestal and began chasing him as well. “COME ON!” Spike said as he ran back out into the garden, he saw what looked like an army of gnomes leaving their posts and running at him. “Tch!” Spike ran to the left and went around the group as they chased him as a horde. Meanwhile the statue swung its giant pickaxe down and missed Spike a few times. Spike ran back up the entry pathway and saw the gnome from behind the tree run out and throw its pickaxe which landed in Spike’s shoulder. “AAAAGH!” Spike grunted but he pressed on and ran back through the forest, the giant gnome chasing after him and tearing through the trees while a horde of smaller gnomes swarmed past the gate. Spike limped on and made it to the tunnel, but when he thought he was home free the gnomes stationed at the tunnel entrance suddenly rushed at him. Spike managed to dodge one but the other latched onto his back and wrapped its smaller arms around his neck and began squeezing. “ACK! Agh!” Spike choked but he still pressed on even as the statue gnome plunged its pickaxe through the ceiling of the tunnel multiple times. As Spike was starting to lose consciousness he was almost at the portal and a wall broke down as the statue broke open a hole in the ceiling and reached through to grab him. Spike's sheer willpower helped him avoid it and at the moment he lost consciousness he fell forward into the portal. YOU ESCAPED! Spike woke up in the office area and sat up. “Oh no! How long have I been out?!” Spike asked. “A few hours,” Varek said. “WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME!?” Spike demanded. “Do not take that tone with me, or else, I’m not your babysitter,” Varek warned. “What about-” Spike heard gnawing noises and he turned to see the gnome he brought with him being gnawed on by Varek’s dogs. “Well, you should get moving, time has passed,” Verak said. “...Ok,” Spike growled a little, knowing that he had no choice and he approached Varek’s desk. “Alright, next you're going to the zoo,” Varek said. “What’s there?” Spike asked. “Heheh, you're in for a treat this time,” Varek said. Next time: Amidst a red background a tall and large shadowy figure was standing there, his form was hard to discern but he seemed to have tusks and flipper-like arms and legs and he was holding what looked like a large chainsaw. And he was mumbling a song something over and over. “Tralalala, make more animals make more friends…Heheheh…”
Aether Spark
562650
7
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-08T23:57:13+00:00
2024-08-18T22:15:17+00:00
60
“I visited a zoo or two awhile back, why?” Spike asked. “Get ready to visit a zoo with a… unique assortment,” Varek said with a smile as he wrote something down and handed it to Spike “Don’t read that, take it to the one known as Kruger, he’ll know what to do with it,” Varek said. “Ooook?” Spike still didn’t fully or really at all trust Varek but he had no choice. “I will assure you things are getting more complicated as time goes on, speaking of which time is running out, I’d say you only have a day and an hour left,” Varek said taking a puff of his cigar. “Alright,” Spike said as he turned and left the office, he couldn’t help but take note of the picture on the portal. It looked like a walrus… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be silent… he is listening… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike made his way out of the portal and saw what looked like a trashy place. It looked like a mix between a junkyard and a zoo, with cages and piles of garbage strewn about the place. “Ugh, whoever owns this place doesn’t take very good care of it,” Spike said as he walked in. “Turn back…” A weak voice croaked and Spike jumped and turned to one of the cages and saw what looked like a fake gorilla-headed person cowering in a cage. “Oh my gosh, are you ok?” Spike ran over and he saw the thin-looking man in a cage. “Forget me… this is my punishment, but you need to hide,” He whispered. “Why?” Spike asked a little too loudly. “Not so loud! He’s got really good ears!” The prisoner whispered harshly. “Who?” Spike asked quieter. “Kru-” Suddenly a yell overcame the area and they glanced to see a huge figure running for them. “Too late!” The man crawled to cover. Spike stood there frightened as the huge man barreled towards him, but when he thought he was going to attack he changed direction and ran up to the cage and bellowed something that sounded like… “BAD GORILLA! BAD! YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO TALK LIKE A MONKEY!” The man bellowed while throwing a soda can at him. “Eeep! Oook ook!” The man cowered under the gaze of the man. “Not good enough! No dinner tonight!” He barked at him before standing up and turning to Spike, Spike actually had to look up at this guy he was so tall. “Heehee! A new guest! Sorry you had to see that, this dumb monkey won’t do it again, RIGHT?!” He shot a glare at him and the man nodded numbly. “Good! My name is Kruger by the way, Kruger the walrus,” The man stepped into the light and Spike took note that he looked like a man wearing a burlap outfit modeled after a bipeadal walrus wearing overalls. His tusks looked real though… “U-uh hi?... Why is that man in a cage?” Spike asked. “What man? I only see my idiot pet gorilla,” Kruger said with a head tilt. “Huh?” Spike said. “This guy isn’t super bright, and he’s super obsessive about animals,” Varek said. “Ah…” Spike said. “Well? Come on! Let’s get you fixed up newcomer!” Kruger said as he turned and walked off and Spike hesitantly followed. “Um… actually I’m just here to-” Spike said but Kruger spoke first. “Take my contract, I know,” Kruger said. “How do you-” Spike asked but Kruger cut him off again. “My buddies Topsy and Darla warned me you’d come, but no need to worry, I’m handing it over,” Kruger said as he went over to a cage with two people with lion masks on. Looking closer Spike could see the full-head masks were sown on… he wanted to puke at this place, a place where humans are debased and treated worse than animals. But it wouldn’t be hell if people were happy, would it?... Spike made his way to the cage with the lions along with Kruger. “Hello my little lions, I’m coming for the safe,” Kruger said as he opened the cage and the two people dressed as lions cowered in the back of their cages as he walked in and picked the safe up. “What do you say?...” Kruger asked. “R-rawr…” One said. “Meow…” The other said. “Good!” Kruger left the cage and closed it behind him. “Alrighty! Here ya go!” Kruger said handing Spike a piece of paper after opening the safe. “Thanks,” Spike said as he took the contract thankful at least one demon was being reasonable. “Give him the paper,” Varek said. “Huh?” Spike asked. “The one I gave you,” Varek reminded him. “Oh, ok,” Spike said getting the paper out of his pocket and handing it to Kruger. “Oh! A message for me? Okay!” Kruger said as he read it… and his expression suddenly looked happy. “Is everything okay?” Spike asked. “Yeah, yeah, just go,” Kruger said as he waved Spike off. “Ooook?” Spike said as he turned to leave… and a sudden jolt of electricity shocked him and he cried out and fell to the ground. As he laid there Kruger stood over him chuckling. “Did you really think I was going to give it to you?” Kruger said as he tossed his cattle prod aside, picked the paper up and put it into the safe again. “No…” Spike grunted as he was hoping this guy would be the one to just give it to him but guess not. Kruger walked around him and showed him Varek's letter. ‘You can have him,’ “What?...” Spike said in shock. “I was going to take you anyways, but I guess he wanted you to know how expendable you are to him, heheheh, don’t worry, you're in good hands now…” Kruger chuckled as he picked up Spike and carried him away. “.....VAREK!” Spike cried as he was dragged off. “Heheheheh, thought it might make things more interesting if I gave him an incentive,” Varek said with a laugh. Spike woke up on a surgical table and he looked around before noticing he was tied up, he struggled but he couldn’t escape. “Now that you're in the thick of it-” Varek said before Spike shouted. “Shut up! You sold me out!” Spike said. “I simply issued a challenge to have you try harder, you’ve been getting a little more cocky as of late,” Varek chuckled. “You sadistic-” “Who are you talking to?” A voice said and Spike turned to see a guy wearing a cheetah mask asked quietly. “A jerk who I owe a debt to…” Spike sighed. “I-” Suddenly the door was kicked open and Kruger walked in and glowed at the cheetah guy. “What did I say about TALKING?!” Kruger growled. “S-sorry!” The guy whimpered. “You're still talking…” Kruger growled again. “M-meow…” He cowered under Kruger's wrathful gaze. “You’ll get a beating later, for now, I have a new animal friend to make,” Kruger said before turning to Spike with none of the menace from before “Alrighty! Now what to make you… hmm,” Kruger hummed in thought. “I am NOT your animal!” Spike cried. “Yes you are!” Kruger slammed his fist down on the table denting it. “Tch!” Spike tried to struggle some more. “Hmm… a goat?.... No, a panda?.... No… a doggy?” Kruger walked around before getting an epiphany “Topsy said you were a slippery one… know what else is slippery?... Ferrets! I love ferrets!” Kruger said eagerly and he went over to a closet and opened it before digging through several animal masks and pulling out one of a ferret. “I-I don’t even know what sound ferrets make!” Spike cried. “Just go squeak from now one little ferret! I’m going to make you my newest little pet!” Kruger said setting the ferret's head on a struggling Spike and standing back. “Hmm.. now how to do this…? Staples? Nails?... Eh, I’ll just sow it in,” Kruger approached a table and picked up a needle and a string. “No! Don’t!” Spike cried. “Don’t worry little ferret! I’ll be quick,” Kruger said as he leaned in with the needle and… Suddenly the cage door flew open and Spike saw the cheetah guy book it through the door. “HUH?! HEY! Get back here cheetah! I haven’t neutered you yet!” Kruger yelled chasing after him. “Huh? What just-” “I just bought you five minutes,” Varek said. “Why-” “Because I want to see if you can escape Kruger,” Varek said. “Ok…” Spike said before he thrashed around trying to get free and the table fell over, on the ground Spike saw a surgical saw and he shook his head to get the mask off before he reached his head forward and grabbed the saw with his teeth and used it to cut himself free. Spike managed to get free and he hurried out the door. Only to run into a figure as he turned a corner and he saw it was Kruger carrying an unconscious prisoner. “Hey! What are you doing out of bed? Bad ferret!” Kruger said dropping the cheetah-masked guy and reaching down for Spike. “Leave me alone!” Spike got up in time and skidded back avoiding the grab. “Ngh! Get back here Ferret! You're not complete!” Kruger lunged at Spike and he dodged and Kruger hit the ground with a loud thud. “Nope!” Spike ran down the hallways as Kruger got up. “You don’t wanna be my animal friend?... THEN YOU CAN DIE!” Kruger yelled after Spike who shut a door behind him and ran on. He spotted shards and he ran for them. Spike collected shards as he ran through the halls of the building he was in. As Spike made his way down an adjacent hallway the door that it led to busted down and he paused as he saw Kruger wielding a large chainsaw. “Heheheh. There’s still a chance… be my pet, or die,” Kruger said. “Not a chance, you psychopath,” Spike said. “Then die!” Kruger sprinted forward and swung his chainsaw at Spike who jumped out of the way and ran for it before he lost a leg. “GET BACK HERE!” Kruger chased Spike with his chainsaw. “Aaaah!” Spike cried as he ran down some stairs and collected his shards, as he ran down another hallway he was surprised by Kruger just going through the wall. “WHAT THE?!” Spike cried as Kruger pinned him. “Heheheheheh, bad ferret, dead ferret!” Kruger said before running Spike through with the chainsaw. 3 lives left “Looks like you not as slippery as a real ferret,” Spike got up back at the office he escaped from. “Ugh…” Spike said as he got up, before he could question anything he heard a cry of dismay from afar, meaning Kruger might be wondering where he vanished to. “Gotta move,” Spike said as he ran and collected shards from the other side of the building. As Spike went down some stairs he heard Kruger calling out for him. “FERRET! WHERE ARE YOU LITTLE FERRET?!” Kruger yelled as he started bashing walls down. “Not good,” Spike said as he ran on down a corner hallway and he saw a bridge nearby, he decided to take it and cross to the otherside. As he ran he looked and saw more cages with more people contained inside them. As Spike was thinking about how wrong this is he heard a shout and he looked up to see Kruger having jumped out of a window and landing in front of him. “There you are ferret!” Kruger said before he ran after Spike and swung his chainsaw. Spike dodged and fell back against the railing, Kruger turned and raised the chainsaw and swung it down, Spike dodged an attack that would have cleaved him in half and ran around Kruger who ran after him. “RAAAAAH!” Kruger yelled as he chased after Spike, Spike tried to slow him down using a door but Kruger bashed it down and chased him into a hallway leading to a lobby area. Spike collected the shards here but found that he was cornered. Spike turned and saw Kruger closing in. “Vanish!” Spike said and he disappeared and avoided the swing. “Huh? Where did the ferret go?” Kruger asked as he looked around… and then he heard footsteps to his right… “There you are!” Kruger turned and grabbed Spike before raising him into the air and slamming him down, hard. 2 lives left “Looks like you're getting thrown to the vultures, don’t worry, they’re hungry enough to want it,” Varek taunted. Spike wasted no time shaking the dizziness from his head and getting moving. “Where’s the exit?” Spike demanded. “Take the hallway to your left,” Varek said and Spike made a beeline for where Varek directed him. Eventually, he found himself outside the building and he looked around, finding himself in the twisted zoo with more shards. He ran towards the shards and began collecting them as quickly as he could, as he collected them he ran past several cages that had varying people with varying masks in them, seeing someone resisting their oppressor made them speak. “Yeah! Show Kruger!” a guy with a penguin mask cheered. “Go!” A woman wearing a frog mask said. Spike nodded at them and ran on, knowing there was nothing he could do for them. Unfortunately, not all of them were on Spike's side. “Hey! Kruger! He’s over here!” A man wearing a bunny mask called. “Wha?” Spike said as Kruger rounded a corner having heard that. “Sorry, but kissing up gets you better treatment,” The man shrugged. “Thanks a lot!” Spike said as he ran away from Kruger who made a break for Spike. Spike ran around the park as the crazed walrus man chased him and he was gaining on him... “You won’t leave!” Kruger said as he jumped at Spike and Spike cried out as he felt a slash across his back and it knocked him over. As Spike laid there Kruger picked him up aimed his head back and drove his tusks into Spike. 1 life remaining “Maybe the option to be his pet ferret is still open?” Varek taunted. Spike got up and looked around, he was outside the building again, not waiting for Kruger to find him again he ran into an area he hadn’t gone to. As he grabbed some more shards he ran into an area that was mainly just junk piles and he hid when he heard the roar of a chainsaw. Looking around he saw Kruger making his way into the area, Spike watched him until he left and he made his way into the next area. As Spike made it there he saw the last few shards were there. Spike made his way over and collected them. “Whew, where is it?” Spike asked. “In a habitat nearby,” Varek said and Spike nodded and went to the nearest habitat and saw it was a pit with water and a rock in the middle, where a safe lie. “This seems too easy,” Spike said suspiciously. “Never know,” Varek said as Spike slid down the arching wall and he swam over to the rock and claimed the contract. As he turned he saw a walrus head poking out of the water. “...Please tell me you're not Kruger,” Spike pleaded. “Heeheeheeh…” The figure suddenly rose out of the water and raised his saw. “AH!” Spike jumped out of the way of a slash that would have taken his head. “FORGET BEING A FERRET! Food for my other pets is what you can be!” Kruger said before he swung his chainsaw at Spike wildly. “Bad time to let you know this is your last chance?” Varek said. “Seriously?!” Spike said as he tried to scramble up the wall and he managed to grab the ledge and climb out. Kruger climbed out as well and he lunged and swung his tusks down at him. “AGH!” Spike rolled out of the way and he got up and ran for it while Kruger was pulling his tusks out of the ground. Spike ran around the corner and slid on the ground a little. As he got up he ran for it as Kruger rounded a corner and ran after Spike with a frenzied look in his eyes. “I’LL RIP YOU TO PIECES!” Kruger yelled as he chased Spike into the pathways of the zoo. As Spike made his way around he heard Varek chuckling. “What could you be laughing about?!” Spike cried. “This is simply amusing,” Varek said. “SHUT UP!” Spike cried as he could practically hear the swishes of the chainsaw behind him. Spike rounded a corner and ran for the exit to this hellish place amidst the cheers of the other prisoners and Kruger narrowly missed a swing. Seeing Spike running for the exit he growled. “NO! NONONO! YOU BELONG TO MEEEE!” Kruger screamed before throwing his chainsaw like a projectile. “AAAH!” Spike turned and saw the saw flying at him. It was going to impale him, he was doomed! And his family… he could see his children being given to those monster hounds, his wife grieving their vanishing, and the fact that in the end… he’ll cease to exist… “I’m sorry… I did my best,” Spike said preparing for the stab. … …. ….. “No!” A sudden voice cried and suddenly a light emanated in front of Spike and it manifested a figure who struck the chainsaw away. “HUH?!” Kruger exclaimed. “What the?” Spike said as he fell on the ground. “Go, I won’t let him hurt you,” She said. “Your kind can’t be here… it’s the law!” Kruger growled getting up. “I took my chance,” She said before turning to Spike and nodding. Spike was in awe, but he knew what she was telling him and he took this chance to run into the portal. “NOOOO!” Kruger cried trying to run at the being but she vanished before he could grab her. Getting up Kruger looked around and hit the ground in frustration. “She can’t be here…” Kruger said. YOU ESCAPED! Spike tumbled to the ground and before he could get up he was picked up by Verak. “You sly human! You employed one of them?!” Varek said his eyes giving off a grey glow. “Wh-what? What are you-” “DON’T LIE TO ME! That was an angel! How did one get down here?!” Varek demanded. “I-I don’t know!” Spike pleaded. “Hnngh… I sense you are telling the truth… I will investigate this, but this will cost you,” Varek said setting Spike down and walking back to his seat. “How?” Spike said. “You will have one less try, and I’m upping the price to your wife as well,” Varek said. “WHAT?!” Spike said as he looked ready to fight him but Varek’s eyes glowed brighter. “You’d be wise not to raise my blood pressure child…” Varek said. Spike backed off but still looked taken aback by these events, an angel?... who is this angel and why is she helping him?... Next time: Amidst a red background a huge fat creature with multiple legs is staring at the viewer, making loud wheezing noises.
Aether Spark
562650
8
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-12T01:33:45+00:00
2024-08-18T22:24:07+00:00
56
“Let us move on, I have a particularly lazy individual who won’t get me the contract, find him and make him pay, with this new power,” Varek said waving his glowing hand. “What is it?” Spike said. “A barrier in exchange for your sense ability, now move it, I have little patience right now,” Varek said sounding frustrated. “Fine…” Spike said as he made his way to the portal. “And don’t come back without the contract,” Varek said. “I know…” Spike said as he entered through the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slothful business ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike made his way through the portal and saw he was standing in front of an electronic gate in a large building. “Hell has tech-” “Oceans remember?” Varek said. “Oh yeah,” Spike sighed and he continued on, going up to the door and he didn’t notice a laser trap that when he walked through it an alarm went off. “Huh?” Spike said before a camera came out of the wall and looked at him. “Can I help you?...” A slow and tedious voice asked. “Um, yes, can you please get me your boss on the phone,” Spike asked. “.....Nooo…” The voice droned. “What? Why?” Spike asked. “I’m too tired to reach for the intercom button, and frankly he’s never willing to come out of his penthouse, so-” “I’m here on behalf of Varek!” Spike called and the voice paused. “On second thought… I’ll get him,” The voice said and the camera left, two minutes later another one on the opposite side of the gate came out. “Yeah? Whaddya want? I hope this was important enough to interrupt my game for-” A nasally voice sneered over the camera before Spike spoke. “Varek,” Spike said simply and he heard a spit take on the other side. “V-Varek? Where?” The voice demanded. “He’s not here, he sent me, look I just want the contract and-” “Aw come on, he said I had a few weeks left! How long ago was that?” Spike heard the voice ask someone else, then a voice responded and he did another spittake. “A few weeks ago?! Why didn’t anyone tell me!?” He demanded. “Sorry Louie, you didn’t want to be disturbed,” The voice said a little more clearly this time. “You useless-” Spike’s eye twitched as he listened to this banter before he called out. “HEY! My family is in danger I need to get moving! So please just hand it over,” Spike said. “Hmmph… sure, fine whatever… come up and get it, I’m not making the trip down there,” The voice known as Louie said and the gate opened. “Thank goodness, someone, willing to-” Spike said as he walked in before a bullet ricocheted off the ground in front of his foot and he jumped. “Dang it! The sights off!” He heard Louie exclaim. “Aaah!” Spike cried diving behind cover as more shots hit the ground he was standing in before. “When will you learn boy?... Demons don’t play fairly,” Varek said. “Good to know!” Spike said as he noticed something bouncing near him and he saw a grenade. “Tch!” Spike ran away as the bomb blew up, looking up he saw the attackers were turrets on the front door with cameras attached. Spike ran around a corner and saw more turrets looking at him, he hid again as a few more shots nearly got him. “Where’s the shards!?” Spike asked. “There are none,” Varek said. “What?” Spike asked for clarification. “You're in the circle of sloth, Do you think the denizens here are active enough to actually collect soul shards? They mostly just put others to work so they don’t have to,” Varek explained. “...Makes sense,” Spike said before he peeked around the corner and a few more shots missed him. “DARN IT! Why didn’t the sights on these turrets get fixed?!” Louie demanded. “...I’m too tired too…” Another voice said. “Ugh, you're so lucky slapping you requires movement,” Louie growled. “This place almost sounds like it’ll be easier, I mean the monsters are too lazy to come after me,” Spike said. “They have their ways,” Varek said with a chuckle. “How-” Spike heard doors opening. “Suddenly the door the turrets were guarding opened and a floating chair came out. “Huh?” Spike said seeing what looked like a sloth on a chair. “Ugh, I hate work…” The sloth said. “Stop whining and take care of him!” Louie demanded, over the camera intercom. “Ok ok…” The sloth drove the flying chair towards Spike who poked his head out. “This guy doesn’t seem so threatening,” Spike said. “Trust me, I am…” The sloth said before slowly pressing a button and suddenly the arms of the chair opened and guns came out. “Oh no…” Spike got up and ran back around the corner as the sloth opened fire on him. “Please just die so I can go back to reading…” The sloth drove after him. “Aaah!” Spike ran as the sloth rounded the corner and fired at him, Spike took cover around a corner below the cameras guarding the front door. “Just cornered yourself… whatever…” He mumbled as he pressed the joystick forward and drove towards Spike’s position. “What do I do!?” Spike exclaimed as he rounded the corner. “Alright… let’s get this over with…” The sloth pressed another button and the chair aimed a bomb launcher at Spike. “Oh no, what do I do?!” Spike asked. “Ugh, do I need to keep bailing you out boy?... use your barrier!” Varek sighed exasperatedly. “Ok!” Spike used his barrier power just in time as the sloth fired on him and an explosion occurred. “Dealt with…” He said before widening his eyes in shock seeing Spike was still there with a barrier around him, not only that he accidentally blew a hole in the door. “Go on,” Varek said. “Alright!” Spike turned and ran inside. “....Ooops…” The sloth said. Spike ran down a hallway and found himself in what appeared to be a factory, making strange things, like the chair that the sloth was using. And the workers were sloths as well. “I didn’t think the sin sloth meant it literally…” Spike said. “HEY!” Spike turned to see a camera looking at him “How did you get in?! Workers!” Louie ordered and they turned towards the camera “The one who kills him gets to take a break! DO IT!” Louie said and the workers looked at eachother and nodded before climbing in their chairs and driving towards him. “Why is it never easy!?” Spike said as he ran towards a staircase as they all fired on him. Spike took cover at the top of the stairs as bullets riddled the walls. “YOU IDIOTS! HE’S UP THERE!” Louie exclaimed. “Sorry…” They said as they drove their floating chairs up the stairs after Spike. As they made their way up to Spike, Spike took the opportunity in the cease-fire to run across the catwalks. “Where is the safe?” Spike asked. “In the top floor of this place, where Louie is,” Varek responded. “Ok- AAAH!” Spike fell as one sloth shot a rocket and it blew up the catwalk sending Spike falling. 2 lives “Wow, you died to a literal sloth, how embarrassing,” Varek chuckled. Spike came to on the ground where he landed and he got up but when he looked he saw the sloths rounding a corner and taking aim. “Crap!” Spike rolled behind the cover as they opened fire on him. “Better move,” Varek said. “I will!” Spike said as he looked for a way out of this, and saw a path deeper into the production area and he got up and ran when there was a ceasefire. Spike ran for it and made it to a conveyor line, Spike vaulted over it avoiding the path of another rocket and he ran on. “Is there an elevator? Or stairs?” Spike asked. “I’m not holding your hand every time mortal, figure it out,” Varek said as Spike ran on. “Thanks a lot…” Spike said as he paused behind a machine looking around for any threats. When Spike looked at the other side of the factory he saw an elevator. “Alright,” Spike said as he got down low and snuck his way over there. Spike continued sneaking and he hid under a conveyor line when a sloth drove by, using vanish to keep hidden. “Uuugh, work…” The Sloth sighed. “Almost there,” Spike said as he saw a chance and he crawled over to the elevator and opened it. Unfortunately, this drew the attention of the other Sloths and they began driving over. “Get him…” The sloth up from said but in a non-intimidating way. “C’mon c’mon!” Spike frantically pressed the button over and over again until it closed. Spike gave a sigh of relief as the elevator went up and he waited as the elevator arrived on the second floor. As Spike poked his head out and he stepped out and he made his way out towards a hallway that led to a fancy door. Spike carefully made his way to the door and he cautiously opened it. As he opened it bad smells came from within and he winced but he looked in and saw something unsettling. A large fat caterpillar-like monster with folds of skin and he was laying on a sofa… which was also floating… “This is the weirdest hell yet,” Spike said. “Agreed, the safes over by Lazy Louie,” Varek said. “Ok,” Spike snuck over and peeked over the massive caterpillar creature and saw the safe under his armpit. “HEY!” Louie said in his nasally wheezy voice. “Uh… yeah?” Spike asked. “If you're here to… give me my chips, just leave them on the table next to me,” Louie said. Spike knew there was no way to get the safe from around him so he decided to snatch it, he ran out in front of Louie who, despite being a lazy guy, reacted quickly and covered the safe with his fat arm. “HEY! Waitaminute, you're that guy that wants to rob me blind and get me kicked out by that jerk Varek!” Louie wheezed as he spoke. “...Yes, please, I need that contract, my family-” “Don’t care, you take my contract, I’ll need to get a job again! I’m not working at that horrid fast-food restaurant again, those cannibal psychos wanted to eat me every shift!” Louie said. “Varek will feed my children and wife to hellhounds!” Spike exclaimed hoping he was sympathetic. “Cry me a river, look bud, Louie looks out for number one,” Louie said. “GIVE IT!” Spike tried to grab the safe but Louie shoved him back, with his greater size. “Ugh, stop making me move so much, it's tiring,” Louie said. Spike looked up and he ran at Louie again but Louie picked him up and threw him to the ground. “Get lost buddy, I have video games to play,” Louie said. “How do I get it? This tub of lard won’t budge,” Spike complained. “One thing I know about Louie is that he hates movement, he’s that lazy,” Varek said. “I get that but-” Spike paused and got an idea “Hmm, alright,” Spike then used vanish again. “Huh? Where did-” Suddenly Louie was smacked in the face “Ow! Hey!” Louie swung his hand out but he was smacked again and again from different angles and Louie began getting frustrated and he started swinging his arm around trying to hit his invisible opponent. Louie began to yell in anger and when Spike stood in front of him visible again he tried to grab him only to accidentally fall out of his chair exposing the safe. “Ooof!” Louie grunted “Aw man, now I gotta get up!...” Louie complained. “Sorry about this, but I won’t let him hurt my family,” Spike said as he grabbed the contract out of the safe and tried to leave. “NOOO! WAIT!” Louie cried and Spike paused “If you give him that, I’ll lose everything! Please!” Louie pleaded. “....Cry me a river, my family comes first,” Spike said as he ran out of the room. “NONONO!” Louie struggled to his many feet and he began a gradual chase of Spike “That contract is miiiine!” Louie chased Spike down the hall and Spike ran from the giant caterpillar but paused when he saw the elevator open and more sloths entered the hall. “There he is…” The sloth up front said as they all aimed their guns. “Waitwaitwaitwait! Don’t shoot you nimrods, I’m in the line of fire!” Louie said. “Sorry boss,” The sloths said. “....I got one chance,” Spike said glancing out the window and he ran for it. “NOOOO!” Louie lunged and missed Spike and Spike fell to the ground, using a barrier to soften the landing and he got up and ran for it. “That little!” Louie cursed after him and he turned to the sloths “Well?! Stop him!” Louie demanded. “....But that’s so much work,” The Sloths sighed. “.....Note to self, get less lazy employees next time…” Louie slumped over sadly. Spike made it back to the portal without much else to worry about. YOU ESCAPED! Spike stumbled through the portal and panted before slamming the contract on the desk. “Fantastic, you're surviving much longer than I expected,” Varek said picking the contract up and sliding it into his desk drawer. “That one wasn’t hard at all to be honest, I hope the rest are like that,” Spike said. “Do not get cocky boy, the circle of sloth is easy to survive in, compared to the others at least, but this next one should shatter your confidence,” Varek said “What now?” Spike asked. “Do tell, how are you with cold?” Varek asked. Next time: Amidst a red background a huge shadowy being with a bald head and a stocky body, huge arms and he seemed to be wearing an apron. He held out something that looked like an ice cream cone and said in a deep voice. “Ice cream….you scream… we all scream… for ice cream…” He sang in a quiet tone.
Aether Spark
562650
9
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-14T00:55:38+00:00
2024-08-18T22:41:11+00:00
49
“I can handle it, why?” Spike asked. “The next place is an ice cream factory in the circle of gluttony, there’s a weirdo there who owes me a contract, go there and take it,” Varek said. “Do I need a coat?” Spike joked a little but he just looked at him unamused “Ok…” Spike sighed before turning and leaving through the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold Hearted ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike exited the portal and noted the humid environment immediately, he looked around and saw what looked like landscapes of nothing but desert everywhere, and yet in front of him, there was an ice cream cone-shaped building in front of him. “An ice cream parlor?... In hell? Really?” Spike asked. “You’ll see,” Varek chuckled as Spike made his way up to it and saw the neon sign saying ‘Frosty’s frozen yogurt, get it while it’s cold!’ sign. “....This place keeps getting weirder…” Spike sighed. “Get moving, I’m getting bored,” Varek said and Spike went into the building. …Immediately it went from scorching sun to meat locker in a second with the temperature. “Brr!” Spike said feeling cold all of a sudden, as he walked in he felt like needing a coat. “Why is it so cold in here?” Spike asked. “Because it’s where hell froze over,” Varek said. “I’ll get it over with now,” Spike made his way over to the counter and ran a bell. It took a few times but he heard a deep voice from the back. “I’m coming!” He said and Spike nervously stood there before the door opened and he saw a towering mountain of a man with a face reminiscent of a caveman walking out of the doorway, he had to be nine feet tall! “Whoa,” Spike said as he approached. “Aaaahh, new customer, hello little customer, I’m Frosty Franky, what can I get you?” He asked resting his beefy arm on the counter. “Um… h-hi? I um, I’m not here for ice cream,” Spike said. “Not here for ice cream? Why else would you come to my business?” He asked with a raised brow. “...Veraks contract, and before you get mad, I have a time limit so please just hand it over,” Spike pleaded. “.....My contract?.... Oh no, no no no! If you take that, he’ll run me out of business, tell Verak to come here himself and we can negotiate,” He said. “That’s non-negotiable, please save me the effort, please,” Spike said. “Hmm…. oh, I got an idea, you do something for me, and I give you the contract, hmm?” Franky said. “S-sure, whatever gets me somewhere warm sooner,” Spike said. “Hmm? Warm? Warm is bad, makes Franky sweaty, and ruins ice cream,” Franky complained before walking out from behind the counter and leading Spike to an elevator. “Can I trust this guy?” Spike asked. “....What do you think?” Varek asked. “Right…” Spike sighed before he entered with him and the elevator went down. As it went down Spike saw they were passing by a frozen area, and he saw other people, other mortals working on making ice cream, despite the fact they were clearly freezing and miserable. “Wow, this place doesn’t seem to have happy workers,” Spike said. “They have to work, it's their job now that they're in hell, and they get NO breaks, so ice cream is always available,” Franky said with a smile. “This guy is sick,” Spike thought “How come you aren’t cold?” Spike asked. “I don’t get cold, I am cold-proof,” Franky laughed as the elevator arrived and he walked out, Spike following and watching for anything out of the ordinary. As he was walking he noticed something else, small critters that looked like ice cream cones with arms and legs and little faces on them. As cute as they were, he didn’t trust them, why should he given where he is now?... Spike followed Frosty Franky through multiple rooms, and it only got colder as they went in. “D-do you have a sweater or something?” Spike asked. “Nope, I hate warm,” Franky said as he walked. “That isn’t good,” Spike said as they made their way into a hallway to their left and saw a room with a single purple ice cream cone. “Hehehehehe, there it is, our newest flavor, berry boom! Taste it and I’ll give you the contract,” Franky said. “...It’s poisoned isn’t it?” Spike asked. “What? You dare insult my craft!” Franky bellowed angrily. “Sorry sorry!” Spike said as he backed into the room and he picked it up and tasted it to avoid a beating…. It actually taste good? I had a weird texture and second flavor he couldn’t place, but it tasted like berries! He smiled as he tasted it some more. “Wow, not bad actually,” Spike said. “Yay! I made it right, and it only cost me one slave,” Franky said out of the blue. “....What?” Spike said. “Yep, hope you enjoyed my slave puree, it's yummy,” Franky said. “....Slave?... Is that code for something?” Spike hoped. “Nope, threw him in the blender for a few minutes to make sure it wasn’t chunky, and the berry does a good coverup taste so I-” Franky was cut off when Spike gagged and dropped the ice cream. “YOU MADE AN ICE CREAM MADE OF PEOPLE?!” Spike exclaimed. “Yeah, what’s wrong with that? When the sinners die from the cold they don’t serve any other purpose, much more profitable than collecting soul shards, especially in the circle of gluttony,” Franky said with a cackle. “You… sicko! What sane person would eat that?” Spike said. “How dare you?! I’m the best ice cream man ever! And just for that, the deals off!” Franky growled. “N-no! I-” Suddenly he closed a big door trapping Spike in there “NO!” Spike ran up to the door and banged on it as Franky stood on the other side laughing. “Gonna leave you here until you freeze, then I’ll make you ice cream,” Franky chuckled. Let me out!” Spike banged on the door before shivering as the cold was starting to get to him. “Gettin real cold now ain’t it?” Franky said. “I gotta get out of here,” Spike said as he looked around and saw a vent, it was too small though… but an idea came to mind. “Oh look! A vent! I’ll escape through there, vanish!” Spike disappeared and ran over to the vent and opened it. “What?! No!” Franky opened the door and ran over to the vent to stop him, not realizing he’d been had and Spike made his way over to the door and ran out of there. “Thank god this ice cream man isn’t smart,” Spike said as he made his way out of there and back into the hallways. “The shards are further in, not many but there,” Varek said and Spike ran on, shivering. “I gotta get out before I freeze to death,” Spike said as he hurried and found Shards scattered in the big hall and some leading to other hallways. Spike made his way down a hallway to start and proceeded to collect shards as he snagged some more shards he encountered one of the ice cream creatures. “What does it do?” Spike asked. “You might want to run, before he blows up,” Varek said. “Blows u-” Spike questioned before the Ice cream creature suddenly jumped at him and exploded, but not in fire but some kind of icy aura that felt like he was covered in ice cubes. “Brrr!” Spike grunted as it felt like his body temp went down. “They're called frost imps, they lower your temperature by blowing up,” Varek said. “G-g-good to k-know!” Spike got up and ran on collecting shards, as he ran through a hallway that looped around he saw several more imps making their way towards him. “Crud!” Spike tried to turn and run the other way but more came from that side too and they all simultaneously blew up. 2 lives left “Ice scream, you scream, you keep screaming, until you become ice cream,” Varek taunted. Spike woke up outside the halls he was in and he felt warmer now before he was forcibly frozen to death, but still cold. Spike got up and ran for it, not wanting to go through that again. Spike ran on through the area and collected more shards, when he saw more imps exiting a hallway and running at him he changed direction and fled into another hallway and he dodged down the hallway to his right when one imp tried to jump onto him. As Spike made his way down that hallway and encountered an area where more slaves were making ice cream. “Huh? Who are you? Please hug me for warmth!” The sinner begged. “I’m being chased!” Spike exclaimed. “Please! I’m so cold!” He cried as Spike continued fleeing from the ice cream imps into another hallway. Spike ran on into a looping halfway and came to a fork in the halls when he saw more imps coming down that way, he ran down the other way and found more sinners on the other side of the lower pathways. “I NEED WARMTH!” One reached out for Spike but he avoided them. “Just one minute of hugging! Please!” Another reached for him but Spike avoided him too. Spike ran up some steps to his right when he saw them and got back on the pathway above him and he ran from the ice cream creatures. Spike made his way down the pathway and found the remaining shards but a familiar foe got in his way. “YOU TRICKED ME!” Frosty growled as he took a swing at Spike who ducked and ran around him. Frosty grabbed an imp and threw it at Spike and it detonated on him making him colder. “AGH!” Spike grunted, shivering as he tried to ignore it but Franky laughed as he threw another at him and it hit Spike, and made him colder, he began to slow down and then Franky pelted him with more until he felt his body going numb. He reached out and grabbed the last shard before collapsing and Franky walked over. “You’ll make a fine frosty cone… heheheh,” Franky picked up Spike and punched him with his huge arm. 1 life left “Sheesh, I can hear your teeth chatter from here,” Varek said. Spike got up back near the exit. “Out of tries, last chance mortal,” Varek said. “Tell me where it is,” Spike said. “Seems he hid it under his cash register on the surface floor,” Varek said and Spike nodded before heading back to the elevator and opening it, as he went in he saw the elevator closing before suddenly a pair of hands grabbed the doors and forced them open. “YOU'RE NOT LEAVING,” a frenzied Franky said before he tried to get in. “CRAP!” Spike used his barrier and ran up to wedge himself between the elevator door and the exit, Franky roared as he pounded on the barrier but then Spike, who was panicking, did the only thing he thought to do… he ran up as the barrier was dissipating and he drove his finger forward and into Franky’s eye. “AAGH!” Franky stumbled back clutching his bleeding eye as the door closed and went up. “Hah…hah… did we make it?” Spike asked. “You're not out until you get in the portal,” Varek said. “Ok,” Spike said as he ran out of the elevator and he hopped over the counter when he got there, he saw the register, and below it was a safe, Spike waited until Varek opened it and he retrieved the contract… before a door slammed open and Spike turned to see Franky stomping up to him. And his eye was healed too… great… “I’M GOING TO GRIND YOU INTO ICE CREAM FILLER WITH MY HANDS!” Franky said before grabbing Spike and throwing him over the counter and against a wall. Spike got up but Franky vaulted over the counter and picked Spike up before raising him up and slamming him through another table, he then picked up Spike again and slammed him on the counter, and dragged him around it knocking stuff off before throwing him and Spike tumbled on the ground. Spike tried to crawl towards the exit but Franky grabbed him by his leg and dragged him back before picking him up and slamming him against a wall. “Heheheheh, iiiiice cream, yoooou scream,” He spun and tossed Spike to the ground “We allllll scream,” He put a foot on Spike’s chest and raised a fist “For ice cream!” He was ready to swing down with his fist. ….”I’ll protect you,” A voice said before Spike looked up, hearing that familiar voice… and then suddenly a bright light filled the room and he paused and looked up. “Huh? What’s this?” Franky said shielding his eyes and… and then suddenly a glowing figure rammed Franky off of him and sent him flying into a wall. Spike looked up weakly as the glowing figure extended a hand. “Your family needs you Spike, go!” She said. “Who are you-” Spike was cut off as he saw Franky getting up and running at them, the glowing figure tackled him back, somehow overpowering him. “GO!” She said. “O-ok!” Spike said as he managed to get up and he limped his way to the door and he made his way back out into the desert, the dry heat almost a welcome feeling again as he made his way back into the portal. “NOOOOOO!” Franky cried as he tried to chase Spike but the angel teleported in front of him and he paused. “You're breaking the rules!” Franky growled. “So be it,” She said before she disappeared as Spike had escaped and the portal vanished. “NO!” Franky cried. YOU ESCAPED! Spike stumbled back into the room, and saw it was empty. “Huh? Varek?” Spike said looking around. “Oh, your back…” Varek said as he came back with papers in hand and he sat down at his desk and sighed. “What?” Spike asked. “I was busy, the none of your business kind of busy,” Varek said before he held out his hand and Spike gave him the contract. “I am sending you on your next task immediately,” Varek said. “Why immedi-” Spike questioned but Varek slammed his hand down startling him. “Do NOT question me, I am dealing with multiple headaches at once right now, take this power for faster running, it’ll get this over with faster,” Varek said using his magic immediately to replace Spike’s barrier power with speed boost “Now get moving,” Varek said. “Fine…” Spike said not wanting to argue and he made his way into the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An alluring offer… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike made his way out into what looked like an alleyway. As he looked around he saw gates on both sides of the alleyway and the only notable thing in the alley was a glowing neon sign that mentioned a club of sorts. “The Glowing Moon?” Spike read it, as he got closer he saw a big burly man with his face hidden standing there. “Hnngh…” The man growled at him. It almost sounded like a dogs growl…. “U-uh, hello, I am here on behalf of-” Suddenly the man stuck out his hand and Spike flinched a little as he did, he suddenly gestured he was to give him something. “Um… what?” Spike asked. “Hnngh!” The man growled again and pointed at his hand. “I don’t-” Spike paused and saw a sign behind him. “Marked human tickets must be handed in on entry?.... What?” Spike asked. “A marked human is a human who was sent to hell and has been marked for a certain place in hell, You're not one, since your time isn’t up yet,” Varek explained, though he still sounded annoyed for some reason. “Ok,” Spike said before turning back to the guard “Look, I’m not a ‘marked human’ I’m here on behalf of-” “HNNGH!” The man growled shoving Spike back. “Hey!” Spike got back up “I’m trying to say I’m here on behalf of-” but once again the big man picked him up and slammed him against the wall before growling in his face. “Can you speak?” Spike asked a little nervously. The creature growled and raised a fist, getting ready to hit Spike and Spike held up his arms in defense. “Varek! I’m here on his demand!” Spike exclaimed. “....” The man paused… and set him down before walking back to his spot and gesturing for him to go on in. “Ooook,” Spike said carefully walking around him and hurrying along when he got through the doorway. As Spike made his way through a bunch of dangling beads he eventually found his way into a club room. There was a bar, a series of tables and a stage for some reason. Spike carefully made his way across the club wondering where he is. “Is this a-” “No, but trust me, you shouldn’t stick around… there’s a reason this place has new customers everyday, all of them mortal, and don’t sit in the seats,” Varek warned him. “O-ok,” Spike knew that threat was real by now and so he looked around. Eventually, he approached another mortal who was drinking. “Hey… um, do you know who runs this joint?” Spike asked. “Shaddup, I’m drinkin here,” He slurred. “Oook,” Spike went to a couple women who were laughing. “I need to-” Spike didn’t finish as they waved him off. Spike attempted several times to get help but nobody paid him any mind. He began to get frustrated. “Why isn’t anyone helping me?” Spike asked. “Are you forgetting what kind of people end up in hell? They got no reason to help, not to mention what their drinking is making them complacent,” Varek said. “Ugh, luckily I quit drinking when I got the money,” Spike sighed and he looked around some more before he spotted a guy who was laughing by himself. …Spike made his way over to him, getting a feeling, he tapped his shoulder and he turned to see Spike. “Hey! Here to enjoy the show?” He asked. “No I’m here to find the boss,” Spike said. “Eh, good luck, she’s not one to talk to us dregs of existence, she’d rather dance,” He said. “Who’s she?” Spike asked. “Calls herself Mistress Moonlight… Or just Moon for short, she’s quite the babe, too bad all we’re here for is for her to perform for and then there's… the bad part of this place…” He said. “What do you mean?” Spike asked. “Sit down, you're stuck, drink and you're made a complacent little slave, look at and listen to her… and you can’t stop,” He said. “What?” Spike said and suddenly he heard a ringing noise and he turned to see the door at the back of the stage which had two burly guards standing in front of it. And it opened, and out came- “...Rarity?...” Spike gasped. “Who’s Rarity?” The man hiccuped, clearly drunk. “M-my wife,” Spike said as he saw her, she was unmistakable, her flowing bluish purple hair, he whitish skin, her beautiful blue eyes. “Huh… didn’t know you were married to Mrs Moon,” He huffed taking another swig. “Hello my darlings…. Ready for another song before the feeding? Because I’m sure you're all hungry for more of me!” She declared before she started singing to a cheering crowd. Her voice… it was so melodic that Spike could feel himself slipping into a trance- and then he snapped out of it. “Huh?” Spike realized he now had earplugs. “Better to not listen to her siren song,” Varek said. “Varek… why is my wife here?” Spike asked. “Figure that out for yourself,” Varek said. Spike went to go onto the stage where the woman resembling his wife was dancing and singing when two guards got in his way. “Out of my way, that’s my wife!” Spike said. “Hnngh!” The guard grabbed Spike and shoved him to the floor. “Agh! Let me through!” Spike got up and threw a punch but it glanced off the body of the burly figure like a fly against a brick wall. He then picked Spike up and tossed him down again. Spike tried to get up but he felt it grab his head and lift him up. As it was about to punch him he heard through the earplugs her voice. “Easy now boys, I’ll take care of him, you begin the prep,” She said and the two grunted and walked away. Rarity stood over him looking down at him. “My oh my, what have we here?” She asked with a smirk. “Rarity…” Spike stood up and stared at her but he was unsure “Is that you?” Spike asked. “Guilty as charged,” She said playfully. “H-how… why are you down here? What about Lance? And Scout?” Spike said. “They're fine, everything’s fine dear,” She said. “Rares… what’s happening?!” Spike demanded. “Let’s just say, not everything is what it seems, one second,” She said before she got up on the stage again and announced. “Well! Now wasn’t that a wholesome song wasn’t it? Well, boys, feel free to begin, I’ll see you all when you get back!” She waved before she hopped down. “What?” Spike questioned. “Oh it’s just the feeding,” She said dismissively. “What feeding?” Spike asked. “Theirs,” She said with a smirk and suddenly Spike heard a scream and he turned to see a guard was attacking the ladies from before, eating them!? “HUH?!” Spike said before he heard a cry to his right and he turned to see a guard biting into the flesh of the guy he was talking to earlier. All around Spike he saw the guards devouring the people. “RARITY!? What is happening?!” Spike demanded. “Oh don’t worry, they’ll resurrect eventually, and it’ll all happen again, and again, and again, and again…. Hahaha! Isn’t it wonderful?” She chuckled. “You… you're not Rarity! She’d never approve of this!” Spike said angrily. “Oh, you caught me,” She said mockingly “Yes, I am actually a demoness who changes to what a person perceives as their ideal partner, and the fact you see your wife with no edits, you're a rare breed indeed, among humans at least,” She said with a smile. “...I came on the behalf of Varek, times up,” Spike said wanting to leave, now. “....” Suddenly the burly guys paused and looked at Spike. “Huh?” Spike said. “That name isn’t well liked around here, he’s just a debt collector trying to up his rank in hell so that he’ll be second to none, personally though, I’m satisfied where I’m at,” She said as she sat on a table in an alluring way. “Well… I still need that contract, and stop wearing my wife's face,” Spike demanded. “Oh don’t be so mean, here’s another idea…. You give up this errand of yours, and join me?” She asked. “What?” Spike said. “Think of it, you’ll sever you-know-who’s strings and still get someone like your wife… but better in every way, you can be free of this journey of yours and you’ll never have to worry or want for anything ever again,” She said lying on a table. “....You know about-” “Of course I do, word travels fast in hell, a human outdoing demons left and right on behalf of him, it's intriguing,” She said. “....” Spike wanted to accept knowing that his suffering will be over…. But the images of his family being killed by that demon Varek… he couldn’t let it happen! “I refuse,” Spike said “My family needs me! Now give me your contract!” Spike said. “....Truly incorruptible….. Fascinating, I love a challenge,” She giggled before flipping off the table and brandishing something before swinging it at Spike. Spike just noticed that he had a cut on his face and he realized she used a barbed whip of sorts. “Boys, we have some tricky prey here, capture or kill him, preferably capture him,” She smiled. And the guards growled before removing their hats revealing they had the faces of bulldogs. “What the?” Spike backed away. “My loyal dogs, sic him!” Moon ordered and the guards descended on him. “AAAHHH!” Spike ran for it but he wouldn’t make it, but he had asked enough times to remember that he had a new ace. He triggered his speed boost and ran past the guards and over to a trash chute and he jumped down it narrowly avoiding a guard who reached in after him. Spike arrived at the bottom of a dumpster. He quickly climbed out and looked around. “Ugh… great, now I smell,” Spike said. “Clever boy, better get moving, Mistress Moonlight will be after you,” Varek said and Spike nodded before running up a hallway and making his way into a series of corridors. He found the shards quickly and began collecting them. As he ran around collecting shards he found there were more bunched up than the other places. Spike ran around a corner and grabbed another before he saw something coming at him from the other side of the hallway. A guard! Spike ran the other way and narrowly avoided another guard as he ran past a fork in the hallways. Spike made his way out into the back hallways as the guards barreled after him, just as he thought he was getting away suddenly a wall came down and another guard came through. “WHOA!” Spike evaded a grab from this dog guard and fled on through the building. He knew it had recharged by now so he used his speed boost and ran away faster, losing the guards in the process and collecting more shards. “Whew! I think I’m going to like this pow-” Spike ran full-on into another guard who grabbed him by his neck while he was trying to get up and snapping it. 2 lives left: “Next time watch where you're going maybe,” Varek said. Spike woke up by the dumpster and sighed as he got up and cracked his neck. Spike then made his way through the halls and made his way down the other side, using his speed boost to collect more shards and he kept his eyes peeled for any sudden guards. Spike ran on but as soon as a guard broke through a wall and went after him he skidded to a stop and ran the other way, he turned a corner and fled down that way before vanishing to disappear from sight. “Hnngh?!” The guard looked around for him. “Spiiiiike, you wouldn’t rob me would you?” Moon's voice echoed over the intercom. “Stop using Rarity's voice!” Spike thought angrily as he continued collecting shards around the lower floors. Eventually, Varek contacted him as he used this strategy to hide and run. “Seems like you're getting the hang of this boy, you’ve cleared the lower floor, now for the upper,” Varek said. “Ok!” Spike found a staircase and he saw a guard going down it so he used invisibility to sneak under him between his legs and get behind him without him seeing. Spike made his way to the upper floor and found himself in a secondary club. With more people just chatting around. Spike ignored them and ran on collecting shards. As Spike entered a place with what looked like machines people were playing on Spike ran around them and collected shards, knocking one guy out of his chair. “HEY! WATCH IT!” He yelled after Spike. “Sorry!” Spike called as he ran on. Spike ran into another area and saw more guards rounding the corner and spotting him. “Vanish!” Spike disappeared and made his way around them. Spike made his way down some stairs and ran into a bar, he ran into that area and collected the shards. When he turned around he saw guards blocking the exit. Spike got an idea and used vanish again. The guards got ready for him to sneak past but instead, Spike grabbed the lemon wedge out of a guys drink and squeezed it over his hands and he then snuck up to the guard and flung lemon juice in his eyes. “GRR!” The guard rubbed his eyes as that happened and Spike took the chance to sneak past and run away. Spike made his way through an area with poles for dancing when he saw some guards searching for him, he got down low in the crowd there and snuck past them as they walked past. Using the crowd Spike managed to get out of that area. Spike made his way through another bar area and collected the last few shards. “Good work, I sense the safe is located in the surface floor, you better move too,” Varek said. Spike looked around and saw guards coming out of rooms left and right. Their eyes red and their mouths foaming. “Tch!” Spike ran down the only way they weren’t and fled from them as they chased. They weren’t being careful here either… They began smashing aside people and walls they ran across trying to get him. Spike ran out into the area with poles as the guards came after him. “Where do I go?!” Spike asked. “Head straight,” Varek said. Spike made his way through and ran on ahead and spotted a staircase. Spike ran up the stairs while the guards barreled after him up the stairs and he made it through some strung-up beads and he saw the main showroom. He spotted the safe sitting meticulously on the stage and he ran over and collected the safe and removed the contract. Spike made for the exit but then a whip grabbed him by the neck and yanked him to the floor. Spike got up and saw Moon standing there. “Here I was hoping we’d be friends,” She pouted before she swung the whip and Spike ducked it, but the whip snared a chair and she tugged back and the chair hit Spike sending him stumbling. “Tch!” Spike said. “What do you think awaits you at the end of all this?” Mistress Moonlight said. “My family is safe,” Spike said. “Hahahahahahaa! Varek won’t keep his promise, he stands to lose alot of credibility if he lets you off the hook,” Moon said. “No, he promised!” Spike said. “Grow up, a promise, is just words,” Moon said before she lashed Spike again sending him into a table, she grabbed him with her whip and flung Spike into the arms of a guard who shoved him back in. Spike stumbled around her and threw a punch but it didn’t affect Moon who just smirked. “Hitting a lady? And I thought you were a gentleman,” She chuckled before she grabbed him and threw him onto the stage. She hopped up on there with him. “Care to dance before you die?” She asked. “Just… don’t wear my wife’s face while killing me,” Spike said. “Oooh, alright,” She said mockingly before she turned into him “I find you dying like this more ironic anyways,” She said as she raised the whip. “Thanks… now I can do this!” Spike suddenly activated his speed boost and he suddenly rammed her and took her off her feet and rammed her through the exit. “AAAGH!” She grunted as he slammed her against the alley wall. Spike struggled to his feet but she had returned to Rarity’s form and chuckled. “So, this is how it ends for my club, just know, Varek will never keep his end of the deal,” Moon chuckled. “....” Spike got up. “Deep down, you know as long as he has you under his thumb, your screwed,” She said before laughing. “...” Spike turned and ran down the alleyway as guards were exiting the club to chase him, but with a speed boost, he was out of there. YOU ESCAPED! Spike stumbled through and panted. “Not bad boy, I am beginning to wonder if you have potential as a debt collector,” Varek chuckled. “I plan to return to my family after we’re done,” Spike said. “Yes… indeed, so moving on, we are low on time, so let us begin another,” Varek said. “Fine, what?” Spike asked. Did you ever get involved with the police? Next time: Amidst a red background a giant shadowy being wielding what looks like a massive baton stood there, he had a chain around his chest and a police cap and you can hear his deep breathing. Also in the background you can hear police sirens
Aether Spark
562650
10
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-14T20:52:41+00:00
2024-08-18T22:49:54+00:00
50
“You're going after the police,” Varek said. “...There’s-” “YES! If theirs something in the human world, likely hell has a version of it, enough with that question!” Varek sighed. “Ok ok! Sorry,” Spike said. “In any case I gave a larger than yours amount to a group of demons who had this hair-brained idea that they could emulate human world cops, to torment those who were incarcerated before death, but they seem to think they above paying, show them their wrong,” Varek said. “Ok,” Spike said as he turned and left through the portal. “...Heheheh, too bad he doesn’t know this group has a really big enforcer,” Varek chuckled. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Police brutality ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike exited the portal and found himself outside of a police station. “Ok, what’s waiting for me in there?” Spike asked as he walked up to the place. …Not noticing he’s being watched… “Code red… he’s here, alert Zeke,” The being in the bush said into a walkie-talkie. “Affirmative,” The voice said back. Spike made his way up to the building and peeked through the window. He saw a normal lobby with someone sitting at a desk. “Good so far,” Spike said before turning around… and getting a nightstick to the face knocking him to the ground. “Hah! Got you myself, guess Zeke doesn’t need to get his hands dirty after all,” the police uniform-dressed person said, his skin was grey like Varek’s but his eyes were red. “Van-” Spike didn’t finish as he beat him some more with the nightstick. “You're under arrest! For trespassing!” He kicked Spike onto his back and climbed on top of him. “Don’t worry buddy, you’ll be going away for the rest of your life!” He laughed before hitting Spike in the face and knocking him into a daze. Spike’s vision was bleary as he was being dragged by his shirt into the station. “Hey Ricky! I got him!” He said. “Not my fault if Zeke beats you up for stealing his prey, Brad,” The cop stationed at the counter said getting up and walking over. “Why hello there, we’re your new friends for life, get used to it,” He then kicked Spike in the face and Spike hit the ground. “If you got a million dollars we can let you off the hook!” The two laughed as they dragged him through a jail area and then Spike heard rumbling noises and a huge blurry figure entered his view. “He a new prisoner?” A dull sounding voice said. “Uh, yeah, but he…. Tripped on his way in, sorry Zeke,” Brad said. “Aww…” Zeke sighed. “Hey cheer up big guy, we can put him in interrogations later and you can wail on him to your heart's content,” Ricky said. “Sounds good!” Zeke said sounding content with that as he left. “Heheh, thank goodness he’s stupid,” Ricky said as they dragged Spike and tossed him into a jail cell and tossed him in. “Wake up…” A familiar female voice said and Spike opened his eyes and sat up. “Huh? You're up earlier than I expected,” Brad said as he stood by the cell “Go on, eat, you’ll need your energy when Zeke beats the hell outta you, heh,” He laughed as he set the food down outside of Spike’s cell. Bread and a potato… “Thanks…” Spike reached out for the food… before a pee stream hit the food. Spike winced in disgust as he saw a dog he hadn’t seen before peeing on his food. “Hah! Good boy Rover!” Brad laughed as he and his hellhound left. “...” Spike silently cursed them with every curse word he knew and he sat back in his cell. “Well? Aren’t you going to leave?” Varek boredly said. “How? I’m trapped,” Spike said. “Giving up? After all this? Pathetic,” Varek said. “I’m so tired… so much death, so much pain… I don’t know how much more I can handle…” Spike droned, feeling the weight of this whole situation on his soul. “If you wish to give up, simply say so and I’ll save you and return you home… in exchange for your wife and children,” Varek said, sounding eager to hear a yes. “.....I-” Spike was about to say it… but suddenly a vision came to him… one that erased his doubt. Varek breaking into his home, kidnapping his family, and feeding them to his dogs…. He couldn’t bear the thought… and it sent new strength through him. “No… NO!” Spike stood up and smacked his face to snap out of it “I’M NOT GIVING UP!” Spike said before shaking the bars. “...Hmmph,” Varek huffed. “Hey! Quite down there!” The guard nearby yelled. “NOT ON YOUR LIFE! My family needs me!” Spike said. “I don’t care, shut up!” The guard said walking over. “Then I’m getting through!” Spike backed up, knowing this’ll hurt he got ready… and he speed boost shoulder rammed the door open and busted the jail cell open and sent the guard tumbling. “OW!” Spike grunted feeling his shoulder was dislocated, he managed to reset it and quickly get moving. “Prison break! CODE RED CODE RED!” The guard shouted on his walkie talkie and several guards burst into the area and began chasing Spike. “Vanish!” Spike disappeared and they paused. “Dangit! Where is he?!” They said. Spike snuck through a door and panted heavily… he couldn’t give up, not when his family needed him, he’d been to rock bottom, and he wasn’t about to let them hit it as well! Spike ran from there and made it into another hallway, seeing soul shards he made to collect them while running, as he collected them a camera saw him and an alarm went off. “He’s over there!” A guard rounded a corner and pursued Spike down the pathway. Spike continued running even as several guards got in his way and they blocked him. “Speed boost!” Spike said and he sped up. “Uhm… he’s not slowing down!” The guards readied themselves and Spike wound up blowing past them. “CRAP!” One grunted as he hit a wall. “Heh, why the sudden fire?” Varek asked. “I’m not in the mood,” Spike said as he went on to dodge around a corner and into another hallway. As Spike made his way to the other side of the hall a wall came down and he paused as a hulking monster of a cop came out and stared down at him. He was massive, had a baton as big as he was and a chain around his chest. “Oh crap,” Spike said as he raised his baton. “YOUR UNDER ARREST!” He slammed it down and Spike dodged as the slam broke the concrete. “Yeah! Get’em Zeke!” The guards cheered from afar. “I will break you!” He grabbed at Spike who jumped away and used vanish to disappear. “Huh? Where you go?” Zeke looked around and Spike fled into another hallway where he saw more shards and collected them. Spike made his way down that hall and into another prison area full of cells, as he ran past he noticed other sinners were locked up in cells. He was determined to not end up like them! Spike ran around the area collecting shards, he accidentally triggered another camera, and as he finished collecting all in this area Zeke plowed through another wall and chased after him. “Found you!” Zeke said swinging his baton at Spike who ducked it and fled into another hallway but Zeke was on him. As Spike was making his way out of there he heard barking and saw a few hellhounds closing in on him, he panicked and tried to run past them but they pounced on him and tore into him. 2 Lives left: “I hope they throw away the key when they're done with you,” Varek laughed. Spike woke in his original cell and he wasted no time getting out of there and running back through the area and making his way back through the doors into the lobby. Spike ran past a surprised cop in the lobby. “HEY! Stop right there!” he pulled out a taser and ran after him but Spike rounded the corner and knocked over a potted plant which tripped him up. Spike ran on before a wall behind him busted down and Zeke ran into the hall and chased after Spike. “RAAAAGH!” Zeke swung his giant police baton and smashed another wall in. “Easy Zeke! You trying to bring the whole place down?!” Another guard said. “He evade! I pursue!” Zeke ignored and he plowed through a wall instead of going around it. Zeke chased Spike into a solitary confinement area and Spike dodged down another hallway to his right and evaded Zeke who came around the corner. Spike had been collecting shards the whole time but when Zeke saw a chance he tore a bench out of the ground and chucked it at Spike, hitting him and knocking him down. Spike got up but Zeke did a jumping drop kick that smashed Spike against a wall. 1 Life left: “It’s the stony lonesome for you, amidst an empty graveyard,” Varek said. Spike got up and staggered out of the cell, he forced himself to go on and make his way down to the other side of the jail cells and he heard barking, meaning one thing… “Hellhounds,” Spike turned and saw several running for him, he dove behind a door and blocked it, preventing the dogs from getting through. Spike hurried on through the corrupt police station and made his way into an office area, and he collected the last several shards. “That’s all of them, go to the lobby, the safe is there,” Varek said. “Ok,” Spike made his way down the office area and into the hallway that leads to the lobby. As he entered suddenly a door smashed down and Zeke appeared. “Why you not quit!?” Zeke demanded as he chased Spike. “Speed boost!” Spike said as he sped away from the giant and went around the corner as another officer tried to stop him. Spike ran towards the lobby where two guards were standing and Spike paused. “Nowhere to run now little man, Zeke will find you soon,” They said. “I didn’t come this far for nothing!” Spike said as he ran up to them and one tried to jab him with a taser but Spike caught his arm and managed to wrench the taser out of his hand before tasing the other guy who tried to strike him with a police baton. “Aaagh!” The other guy fell over and Spike dodged a punch by the other demon and tased him too. Afterwards Spike ran over to the desk and went behind it and found the safe in a drawer, he pulled out the contract and ran for the exit. “STOP HIM!” the guards on the ground yelled. And a camera caught Spike leaving the area and an alarm went off. Spike made his way onto the outside of the police station and he was almost to the portal when something leaped out from behind it and punched Spike sending him tumbling. As Spike got up he saw Zeke approaching and Spike hobbled back. “Zeke smash you now, lethal force authorized!” Zeke growled before turning his baton on and it turned out to be a giant taser. “Tch! Vanish!” Spike disappeared and Zeke looked around but stayed close to the portal, he looked around and saw footprints in the dirt. “RAAH!” Zeke swung his arm and struck Spike sending him flying against a nearby police car denting it and knocking him out. “Spike,” Spike woke up quickly and he looked up to see Zeke picking him up and throwing him. Spike tumbled on the ground and Zeke laughed as he walked towards him. “I…can’t lose here, I need to save my family… I need to win!” Spike said before getting up and turning to see Zeke approaching. “You no win this…” Zeke said in his simple tone. “Watch me,” Spike said before he used speed boost to run for the portal and Zeke jumped in front of the portal and swatted Spike aside. Despite the pain Spike rolled to his feet and ran for the portal. “You annoying little-” Zeke raised his baton and swung it down at Spike. “Vanish!” Spike said before dodging and running around him and Zeke swung his baton wildly. Spike got some distance and saw Zeke in front of the portal, turning he saw a dozen cops exiting the building to aid Zeke. “You no get through!” Zeke said. “I will!” Spike said before speed-boosting and running at Zeke who raised his fist and slammed it down but Spike slid under him and jumped into the portal. “NO!” Zeke cried as he tried to jump in after him but the portal closed and he hit the ground. “Aw crap…” The guards said realizing the implications. YOU ESCAPED! Spike handed the contract to Varek who took it with a grin. “Nice work, very nice,” Verak said. “How close are we to being done?” Spike asked. “Two more and you're done,” Varek said. “Alright… How much time do I have?” Spike asked hesitantly. “Five hours, clocks ticking,” Varek said. “...Better than I thought,” Spike said knowing he couldn’t afford anymore passing out, times almost up. “I have a special mission for you, before you leave,” Varek said. “What?” Spike said eager to move on. “That angel that’s been following you around, she’s not supposed to be here, I want your aid in capturing her,” Varek said. “What?!” Spike said. “Yes, bringing an angel down will significantly boost my standing,” Varek said. “No, I can’t in good conscience do that,” Spike said. “Even with your family on the line?” Varek asked with a raised brow. “...No, she’s helped me more than you, give me a chance, I’ll convince her to leave,” Spike said. “Meh, whatever gets her out of my hair,” Varek waved Spike off and he waved him off. “Alright,” Spike left the area and went into the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new friend is made ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike made his way into the hallways of what looked like an old factory, looking up Spike saw a sign. “Joy .co?” Spike said out loud. “I remember this crackpot,” Varek said. “Great,” Spike said as he hurried down the hallway, when he got there he saw this cardboard cutout of a pale-skinned woman with orange hair and a blue dress pointing down a hallway. “Great,” Spike said as he made his way down multiple hallways, encountering a cutout each time. He eventually made his way past a window and even though he was on a time crunch he couldn’t help but notice the weirdest thing on the other side of the window. Bunnies, giant plush bunnies were walking around. “....No comment,” Spike said as he walked up to a double door and opened it. Spike saw the woman from the cutout, standing over amidst a series of pathways stationed over machinery. She was talking with one of the rabbits. Suddenly it pointed at Spike and she turned and smiled wide. “HEEEEEY!” She cried in a joyful tone that was like nails on a chalkboard. “Look, I don’t have time for this, give me the contract and I’ll leave,” Spike said. “....HAHAHAHA! Why would you leave? I haven’t given you your own cuddle buddy yet,” She said as she skipped up to Spike. “Look lady, I don’t have time for this, please give it to me,” Spike said. “Nope! Not till you get a cuddle buddy!” She said before curtseying “I’m Joy by the way, and I own this humble little toy factory,” Joy said. “If I get a cuddle buddy will you give me the contract without fuss?” Spike asked. “Sure thiiing!” She sang and she then skipped off towards a doorway and gestured for Spike to go through. “Alright,” Spike said knowing by now this was going to be difficult. Butt Spike followed her and she ran down the hallways while holding her arms out and making airplane noises much to Spike's confusion. “She's like a kid in an adult body,” Spike said. “Yeah it's kind of her shtick,” Varek said. He continued to follow her until they made it to a window where a plain white cuddle buddy was standing. “All righty mister first let's picture your favorite color mine is pink but also blue,” she giggled. “Yeah yeah,” Spike just clicked the color orange. “Aww you sour puss you didn't even check,” she pouted. “Like I said I'm on time crunch,” Spike said. “Okie come along my friend,” Joy said as she continued running down the hallway like she was flying Spike sighed and followed her down there. After making some distance they arrived and Spike saw his orange cuddle buddy through a window. “Next mister, pick a patch for their stomach, I personally like the flower!” She giggled. Spike rolled his eyes and picked the one that looked like a dragon, because it looked cool. “Hmmm, not what I would have gone with,” She said before ‘flying’ off again. Once they got to the next step she showed it to Spike. “Lastly do you want him to have a decal? I was thinking a necklace or earrings or-” Spike pressed a button that had a symbol for a flower. She drew a prolonged gasp “That’s my favorite too!” She cheered. As she ran over to a doorway and opened it. “Come! Meet your new and last best friend!” She said. “Ok, fine,” Spike said as he walked into the room “Just give me the contract after- CLANG, LOCK “I hate this place…” Spike sighed turning around to see Joy waving at him. “Hiiiii, soooo, problem, I can’t give the contract to you, but I can still give you a cuddle buddy, he’s really excited to meet you,” She giggled. Spike heard a noise and turned… before being slashed across the face by a claw and he stumbled back clutching his bleeding face. “HAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the best part, I just made you design your own killer!” She laughed hysterically as the orange rabbit hopped off the belt having sprouted metal claws. “Tch!...” Spike avoided two more swings from the Rabbit and dodged around it using vanish. “Noooope, no powers will save you here,” She giggled. “Shut up you nutcase!” Spike said as he looked around for an escape and he saw a vent up higher in the room. He became visible again and the rabbit lunged at him but he evaded and jumped onto the conveyor belt before climbing on the machinery. “What are you doing?! NO, stay and get butchered!” She shouted after Spike as Spike pulled the vent from the wall and climbed in. “NOOO! NO NO NO NO! This is not how it goes!” She shouted after Spike as the cuddle buddy couldn’t follow. Spike crawled through the vent as fast as he could but when he got to the other side he found himself in another room and he hopped down. Suddenly a p.a system came on and Spike looked up. “Attention cuddle buddies, we have a big meanie refusing to play with his cuddle buddy, go get him!” Joy ordered. Spike sighed and he ran into a hallway and made his way past several machineries developing more of those killer rabbits. Spike ran down a hallway but didn’t notice what was on the ceiling… a green cuddle buddy, and it descended onto him pinning him. “Agh!” Spike yelped as it moved in to stab. 2 lives left “They wanna cuddle, forever, until you die,” Varek taunted. Spike woke up back in the room and found several rabbits already in the room, he used a speed boost to escape them but they were on his tail and they were surprisingly fast. Spike continued to run until he was sure he evaded them. As he saw his chance to collect more shards he did so this time he paid attention to the ceiling so that nothing could the drop on him again. As Spike ran through the toy factory a door opened and he paused to see Joy standing there. “Heehee! Not letting you leave… ALIVE!” She said before pulling out a knife and running at Spike. Spike used vanish and disappear avoiding a swing for his neck. “Where did you go?!” She looked around while Spike made his way out the door she entered through. When vanish wore out Spike made his way to the other side of the business area. There were more of those demented rabbits on production lines being moved throughout the factory. Spike saw more shards hovering over the conveyors and he decided to climb onto them and he hopped from one to the next, collecting shards, when he suddenly heard noises and he turned to see more buddies jumping down from upper catwalks to pursue him. Spike hurried across the multiple conveyor belts as the rabbits chased him. “There he is! Get him!” Spike looked up and saw Joy on a catwalk above him and several rabbits jumped down to swarm him. Spike hurried to avoid them dropping down on him and he got to the other side of the production line and ran into a doorway as two bunnies tried to charge him from both sides of the catwalk. “You're getting quite used to fighting monsters, eh Spike,” Varek asked. “Yeah,” Spike said as he ran up some stairs while the bunnies clung to the walls with their claws and climbed across them to keep up with him. Spike made his way out onto a catwalk and saw Joy leap from hers and onto his catwalk. “Stop being so persistent! You think you can escape my bunnies?” Joy said as she ran forward and swung her knife and cut Spike on the arm but Spike used this opportunity to grab her arm. What he didn’t expect is for her to lunge forward and bite his arm, drawing blood. “AAAGH!” Spike shoved the psycho off and she got up with blood on her mouth. “Heeheehee! You taste bad!” She giggled as she flipped to her feet. “You're a lunatic!” Spike said getting up as he saw the rabbits approaching from the other side. “Is it that I’m insane? Or the only sane one here?” She snarked before she lunged with her knife in hand and Spike saw the rabbits charging from the other side. Knowing he had only one chance Spike jumped up on the railing and leaped towards a lower catwalk. “Huh?!” Joy exclaimed as she watched him land there and he got up and ran. She snorted angrily and turned to her rabbits “Stop him!” She said as she jumped down after him and the rabbits ran into the doorway to cut him off. Meanwhile Spike ran on through the area, he ran into a series of hallways and ran down a hallway to his right and collected the remaining shards. As Spike rounded a corner and collected the last shard he saw two of Joy’s cuddle rabbits walking by and they spotted Spike so one picked the other up and threw it at him. “Yikes!” Spike dodged avoiding being skewered by the rabbit and he turned to flee… SHULK And ran into another rabbit that shanked him with its claws. 1 life left: “Guess you should have gotten your cuddle buddy in the mail instead,” Varek chuckled. Spike looked up and found himself in the room he was in when he started collecting shards, suddenly Vareks voice came. “That was the last of the shards, but good luck getting the contract,” Varek said. “Why?” Spike asked. “Joy has it,” Varek said. “Great…” Spike said before he climbed back into the vent he used to get in hoping Joy forgot about this room and he crawled back into the room he was trapped in, and he was right, it was empty and the door was open. Spike hopped down and ran out of the room and back into the hallway. As he went back down the hallways that led to where he entered he heard familiar noises and he paused when he saw a dozen frenzied Rabbits cutting him off. “Vanish!” Spike used his trusty invisibility and he ran past the rabbits who were swinging their arms around trying to hit him, nicking him once or twice. Spike made it to the entrance room where once he became visible he looked around. “Heeheehee! I knew you’d come here,” Joy’s voice said echoing around him. “Come out!” Spike said before she suddenly dropped from the ceiling and he turned in time to be pinned down by her. “You're a dummy if you think Varek will revoke your deal!” She said as she swung her knife down to stab Spike in the face but he dodged his head around the stabs and he punched her, she didn’t seem to care as she grabbed Spike by his neck and began strangling him. “Look me in the eye, and feel my JOY!” She giggled manically as she tried to throttle him. Spike was panicking but he spotted that she had cast her knife aside to strangle him, he reached over and grabbed her knife before stabbing it upwards and into her head. She gasped as the knife punctured her brain and she flopped onto Spike dead. Spike rolled her off of him and panted heavily. He then got onto her and searched her, before finding the contract, outside a safe this time on her person. He got up and left when he heard her giggling and he turned to see her standing, knife still punctured through her skull, but she simply pulled it out. “Heeheehee…. That stung a little…” She giggled before she licked the blood off. “Nope!” Spike turned and ran through the doorways as she chased him. Spike ran like heck while Joy ran after him, swishing her knife at the air. Spike ran until his heart felt like it was going to burst, and when he rounded the last corner he saw the portal up ahead. Spike hurried down that way as Joy rounded the corner as well she threw the knife at Spike. “DIE!” She screeched as the knife sailed through the air and landed in Spike’s back. “AGH!” Spike grunted as he staggered. “Ha! I win,” She said. “No… you don’t,” Spike said before he continued limping towards the portal. “No… NO! Stay dead!” She ran after Spike but Spike made it to the portal first. YOU ESCAPED! Spike fell through the portal onto the ground, gasping for air as Varek approached him. “Hmm, seems you have a little something in your back boy, heheh, I’ll get it,” Varek said as he carelessly pulled it out and walked away. Spike was healed but it still hurt alot, and Spike stood up shaking. “Quit your shivering, you made it,” Varek said as he sat back in his chair and put the knife in his drawer. “How many… How many more?” Spike asked. “One, you have one left and only an hour and a half left, better move it,” Varek said. “Ok,” Spike forced himself to stand tall, this was it, he was almost done… “Oh, and you still haven’t talked to that angel,” Varek said. “...She didn’t appear,” Spike said as he turned to leave. “She better,” Varek warned.
Aether Spark
562650
11
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-15T23:15:29+00:00
2024-08-18T22:55:32+00:00
40
Spike marched towards the door, not willing to waste any more time, this was it, the last one, if he failed here, his family was screwed. He would not spend the rest of his life in regret, he had to win! Spike entered the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rotten Rapacity ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike exited the portal and had to shield his eyes, the glare was so great. When his eyes adjusted, he turned to see something that shocked him. Gold… everywhere! Stacked in mountains, molten gold being poured into holes in the floor, statues of gold. “Wow… just a handful of this stuff could give me enough money to retire early…” Spike said in awe. “You're not here to gawk at Aurum’s gold, you're here to get his contract, remember?” Varek said. “Yeah, you're right,” Spike said as he ran on through the stacks of gold. As Spike made his way down the path of what looked like a temple of gold Spike came to a hallway that showed him the torture of this place. Decaying corpses, still moving, chained to the wall, reaching fruitlessly for piles of gold laid just out of their reach. “Please… one gold coin is all I want,” The carcass begged. “Mine…. It will be mine…” Another croaked. “Gold… gold… gold…” Another one muttered. “Truly a sight, but this is what happens to greedy fools, their greed rotted them and now they are chained for eternity forever having their obsession dangled in front of them, just out of reach…. It's quite amusing,” Varek said with a chuckle. “It’s sickening,” Spike said as he ran past and into a giant room full of more gold and statues, as he looked around he saw more skeletal people struggling against their chains to slake their avarice. To no avail. “Where is-” Spike heard laughter and went around a giant statue to see someone sitting on a golden throne, counting gold coins. “Two million eight thousand four hundred and nine gold coins, Two million eight thousand four hundred and ten gold coins, Two million eight thousand four hundred and eleven gold coins, not enough, not nearly enough!” The being growled in a dark raspy voice. He looked like a mostly decayed being, with exposed golden bones, wearing lots of gold and jewelry, and spikes coming out of his head. “Two million eight thousand four hundred and-” He counted and Spike called out to him. “Hello!” Spike said and he paused and looked at him. “An unmarked human?” He sniffed the air “And no scent of death…. Your living, what are you doing in MY temple, disturbing MY counting of MY money!?” He growled standing up. “I’ll be quick,” Spike held no hope he’d give it over but tried anyways “I need the contract between you and Verak, times up,” Spike said. “......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” He broke down laughing and leaped out and landed in front of Spike, now that he was there, he saw how tall this guy was, he was twice Spike’s size. “So… Varek lost his nerve and sent a puny mortal to steal from me?... I won’t, If I give him the contract he'll rescind exactly eighty-nine quadrillion from me!” He said. “Th-that’s more than mine!?” Spike said. “Because I asked for more!” He said “More is better! More is EVERYTHING! I’ll forever add to my gold pile” He said. “Aurum’s gold… your Aurum aren’t you?” Spike said. “Yesss, the personification of human greed, I own everything! Everything is mine! Including the contract, and soon, YOU!” Aurum then tried to grab Spike but he dodged and ran and Aurum chased him. “I WON’T LET YOU TAKE MY GOLD!” Aurum screeched as he swung his claws at Spike who ducked and he wound up breaking a wall. Spike ran into another part of the temple where holes in the walls were pouring an endless stream of gold into a pile, he ran around the pouring gold to avoid being knocked down, he ran into another part of the hallway filled with more people being denied their gold as they were chained to a wall. Spike ran past them and thought he had gotten away when Aurum burst out of a gold pile and grabbed Spike by his neck. “Huh?!” Spike exclaimed. “Where there’s gold, I am too,” Aurum said with a grin showing his rotten teeth, he then slammed Spike on the ground and raised his foot before stomping on his head. 2 lives left “Dead already? Wow, you must be a glutton for suffering,” Varek chuckled. Spike got up at the entrance to Aurum's lair and he sighed. He got up and ran through a doorway to his right, collecting shards and after running down a hallway he saw more slaves being forced to push a giant wheel in circles, churning more gold out. “This is horrible,” Spike said as he left the scene. “It’s hell, what do you mortals expect?” Varek asked as Spike made his way past more chained victims. As Spike made it to a room pouring molten gold into slides to pour down another slide. “This guy is obsessed with gold,” Spike said. “He’s the living embodiment of greed,” Varek said. Spike was about to reply when suddenly gold burst all over the room as Aurum came out. “Get your filth away from my money!” Aurum growled before he lunged at Spike and swung his claws at him. Spike dodged and ran out of the room, collecting shards as he fled, looking back he saw Aurum wasn’t chasing him. Spike knew he was going to ambush him again, so he paused and ran down a hallway with less gold piles. As Spike ran past one Aurum’s arm reached out of it and grabbed his leg tripping him up. Spike kicked his hand until he let go and he got up and saw the rotted being leaving the gold pile. “I’ll gouge out your eyes, they leer at my gold!” Aurum sneered. “I just want to save my family!” Spike said running away. “LIAR! You want to take my stuff, but I won’t part with any of it, not even a single gold coin!” Aurum roared as he chased Spike. Spike rounded a corner and fled down another hallway collecting shards while Aurum burst out of a gold pile, missing him, and diving into another one. Spike ran out into the lower floor of the room with the molten gold slides and he made his way around the molten gold pool. Aurum came out of the gold pool and was swimming after him, Spike exclaimed in surprise and fled faster but Aurum was a surprisingly fast swimmer. “Hah!” Aurum jumped out of the gold and flung some molten gold at him. “AAAGH!” Spike cried as it burned but he ran on and Aurum continued chasing him. “Spike collected more shards and fled into another room with another gold pool, as Spike ran he slipped a little and stumbled, and Aurum capitalized on this by swatting him into the molten pool. 1 life left: “On the bright side, you’ll make a great gold statue,” Varek laughed. “Spike…” A voice said and Spike opened his eyes seeing the angel standing above him. “You…” Spike said but she vanished before he could say anything else. Spike sighed and got up. “How much time do I have left?” Spike asked. “Twenty minutes,” Varek said. “Tch!” Spike knew he had to hurry so he ran for it and collected more shards in the left corridors again. But Aurum was already on his trail. “FOUND YOU!” Aurum said as he jumped out of a gold bucket and swung his claws at Spike. Spike dodged and used his speed boost to run faster around a room and collect shards, leaving just as Aurum entered, and he saw Spike stepping on his gold. “Tch! LEAVE MY GOLD ALONE!” Aurum said as he ran after Spike who slowed down. “No!” Spike said before he got an idea and he scooped up some gold coins off the ground as he entered another room and he turned and saw a pit where slaves were working in. Perfect… “Hey!” Spike turned and showed that he had the coins. “What?! Put those down! THEIR MINE!” Aurum screeched. “Then go get them!” Spike said pitching them over the edge and Aurum jumped in after them. “Had a feeling he was too greedy to ignore that,” Spike said as he ran up some stairs as Aurum climbed out. “You little!” Aurum chased him up the stairs and Spike made it up to the top and he collected the shards up there. Aurum chased him around up there but Spike saw a chain dangling over the pit and he saw a chance and jumped onto the chain and slid down it before swinging onto the ground. “CURSE YOU!” Aurum screamed as he jumped off the ledge and landed on the ground, somehow staying intact. Spike ran out of the room and found the last set of shards in a room full of coins, even the floor was made of them. Spike ran around collecting when suddenly Aurum busted out of a pile and slashed Spike in the arm. “AAH!” Spike cried as he fell down and Aurum stomped at him but Spike rolled out of the way and ran away using a combo of vanish and speed boost. “Tch!” Aurum looked down and saw the blood trail and knew where he was going. He had to stop him! Spike ran back towards the throne room, as Varek told him that’s where it is. Spike made his way to the throne room and saw Aurum standing there. “I WON’T LET YOU STEAL FROM ME!” Aurum said. “Five minute’s just letting you know,” Varek said. “No!” Spike said before he knew he had to go for broke, he activated his speed boost and he ran towards Aurum. “RAH!” Aurum lunged at Spike. Time seemed to slow… and Spike slid under him… and Aurum hit the ground behind him as Spike ran over to the throne where the safe was and he opened it. Collecting the contract. “NOOO!” Aurum screamed going into frenzy and chasing Spike who ran down the halls towards the portal. As the chase went on Spike could see the portal ahead… and Aurum burst out of the gold in front of the portal and he punched Spike back. Spike hit the ground and got up with a bloody nose. “Hahahaha! You’ll never get past me!” Aurum said. “Move it!” Spike demanded and he used vanish but Aurum saw where he was based on the moving gold piece on the ground. He punched Spike back again and Spike became visible. “Give back my contract!” Aurum said. “Please… get out of the way, Varek will kill my family!” Spike pleaded. “No! I want my contract!” Aurum sneered. “Thirty seconds remaining,” Varek casually said. “No!” Spike needed to get past Aurum but how?!.... Then he remembered something on his hand… it’s been the thing that’s kept him going… he’s had it ever since he and Rarity got married. …He had no choice… he removed his wedding ring. “Look! I have something you don’t!” Spike said. “...A ring?...” Aurum’s eyes were locked onto it. “It’s yours, go get it!” Spike turned and threw it. “....” Aurum knew he was being played… he needed to stay… To go get the ring… to stay… to get the ring… he needed to stay… To go get the ring… to stay… to get the ring… he needed to stay… To go get the ring… to stay… to get the ring… he needed to stay!… To go get the ring!… to stay!… to get the ring! HE NEEDED TO- “MIIIINE!” Aurum abandoned his post and ran for the ring as Spike used speed boost to run for the portal. “3, 2, 1” Varek counted down. “NOOO!” Spike leaped into the portal. YOU ESCAPED! Spike made it into the office, crashed into the barrier, and fell. Spike got up and slammed the contract on the desk. “I HAVE IT! I made it, now please let me-... Varek?” Spike looked around and didn’t see the demon anywhere. “Where is he?” Spike asked. “....Oh your back,” Varek reentered the office and looked at Spike with an odd expression, Spike looked at him firmly. “I completed our deal Varek, we’re done… please, let me off the hook no-” “No,” Varek simply said. “...What?” Spike said. “I’m afraid boy… you failed,” Varek said before he shot forward and struck Spike in the stomach hard. “UGH!....b-but-” Spike fell to the ground. “Now, to deal with those other pests, I’ll be back Spike, you two, watch him,” Varek ordered his hounds before he walked away. As Spike's vision faded he croaked out “No…”
Aether Spark
562650
12
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-16T01:18:30+00:00
2024-08-18T23:05:06+00:00
44
……………………………………….Wake up…………………………….wake up Spike…..... Spike opened his eyes and saw the angel holding him in her arms, he was in a place of light and he winced as it was bright. “Where…” Spike asked. “Safe, for now, but you need to wake up, they need you more than ever,” She said. “What happened?” Spike asked. “You failed to enter the portal in time, Varek is counting it even though you fell short one single second…” She said. “No…. It was all for nothing…” Spike sobbed openly. “...No… not yet,” She said with determination “There’s still a way, but I need to take some risks to aid you in this regard, I believe in you, Spike,” She said before his vision went white. “How do-” Spike woke up “-You know my name?... Huh?” Spike looked around and saw he was still in Varek’s office and he turned to see the two dogs growling at him, looking hungry, but he remembered they were ordered to stay put and not eat him… most likely, yet… Spike got up looked around and tried to leave the room but one of the dogs snapped at him making him back up. “Tch, I need to find Varek,” Spike said. “No need boy, I am here,” Spike turned and saw Varek walking around a corner hallway towards the room… and he was covered in blood… “No…” Spike said in horror as Verak reentered the room. “...What did you do to my family…” Spike asked. “...” Verak simply looked at him dismissively. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Spike grabbed him by his shirt. And promptly got thrown against the wall with a mere shove from Varek. “AGH!” Spike grunted as he slid to the ground. “I would ill advise you to touch me like that boy… nevertheless I will say I have not harmed them… yet, I was merely dealing with some miscreants who tried to break in and take back their contracts,” Varek said. “....I don’t understand… I was only a second late… can’t you look the other way this once? I did so much for you!” Spike said as he got up. “I’m afraid not boy, the deal was made and you failed… again, I was generous enough to give you the chance to win, you surprised me though, you managed to steal back all my contracts that the other demons refused to return, so look at the bright side, you made me smile,” Varek chuckled as he made the blood vanish off of his suit with a snap of the fingers and he gestured for Spike to follow him. Spike stood in defiance and Varek looked back at him. “Shall I leave you with my hounds to feast on instead?” Varek asked. “....fine,” Spike said despondently as he followed Varek. For the first time he left the office and went into the area outside and he saw multiple shadowy beings working on computers. They seemed to be working endlessly and seemed exhausted. Spike ignored them however and he walked on with Varek further into the building. Looking behind Spike saw both hounds following him… likely in case he runs away. “Where are you taking me?” Spike demanded. “You're angry with me aren’t you boy? You wish to kill me now so that I cannot harm your family is that it?” Varek asked out of the blue. “Of course I’m angry with you! I did all that only for you to-” “I know, but as I said before, it is merely business, you see, in hell, your position in the hierarchy is everything, there are even levels to determine ones influence in this realm of torment, I am a greater level four demon, one of notable influence,” Varek said. “And the other demons I faced?” Spike asked. “Two, lesser three at best,” Varek chuckled and Spike felt nervous, this guy must be quite strong then if levels also mean power “So I would refrain from trying to be the hero, it’ll save the cleaning crew some time,” Varek said with a sickening grin. “....I still don’t know where we’re going…” Spike said. “No need to worry, We’re here,” Varek opened the door and gestured Spike in. Knowing he didn’t have a choice Spike walked in and smelled something horrible as Verak walked in as well. “I simply wanted to show you an example of why I am feared among my brethren,” Varek chuckled as he snapped his fingers and the lights in the room flickered on. Spike noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked…. He wished he hadn’t… he REALLY wished he hadn’t… Corpses… of all his previous enemies were strewn about in a lobby area… From Chipper Rippers to Aurum, they were all… dead. “I think I’ll keep the room like this, it’ll serve as a decent warning for any who attempt to stiff me from now on,” Varek chuckled. Spike wanted to look away but he couldn’t… he looked to each one and saw how they died. There were several dead Chipper Rippers and Phil was laying against a wall, his lower jaw ripped off and a chunk of his head missing. Several cultists were ripped apart and Dalso’s head was split down the middle. Topsy was lying against another wall with the side of his face smashed in and his right arm was ripped out. Darla is just a pile of strings and buttons with her bow on top. There were several gnomes in several areas… their pickaxes stabbed into their heads. Kruger had been split wide open with his own chainsaw. Louie was hidden by his chair but there was blood all over it. Frosty Franky laid on the ground with his head ripped open. Moon was decapitated with her own whip. Zeke laid against a wall covered in scratches and his own nightstick shoved down his throat. Joy was laying on the ground with her own knife stabbed into her neck. And Aurum was simply torn to pieces. Spike stared at the individual gory scenes with horror… and vomited on the floor. “Thanks for that, now I’ll have to clean that up…” Varek sighed. “Y-you….t-they all…” Spike said. “They thought if they teamed up and attacked me as a group they could get their contracts back, how naive,” Varek said. “I-I-” Spike suddenly heard chuckling and he turned to see Moon’s head chuckling. “Hee…heh…heh…” A voice croaked and Spike saw she was grinning at him. “I told you… this would happen…” She chuckled. “Still not dead yet? Hurry and die, you’re souls will be repurposed later, but they won’t take a living demon,” Varek said looking annoyed at her clutching onto life. “You're… a monster… a genuine monster,” Spike said. “A demon,” Varek said checking his watch “So tell me boy, are you as confident now?” Varek asked. “...Take me instead…” Spike pleaded. “Hm?” Varek said. “I got you their contracts, let me make one request, take me instead of my family,” Spike said tearfully. “.....No,” Varek said. “Why?” Spike asked. “Because we made a deal, deals are law here, I gave you an out and you still didn’t make it, I’ve given you a chance too many, especially with an angel getting involved, you never did find her again didn’t you,” Varek said. “I-I” Spike attempted. “Not that it matters, I’ll find and deal with her soon, first, I will end you for wasting my time,” Varek said as he held up his hand and it sharpened into claws. “.....Forgive me… Rarity… Lance…. Scout… I did my best…” Spike said looking down as Varek raised his claw. “Heheheh, take this to heart boy, never… deal with a devil,” Varek said before swinging his claw down to decapitate Spike… And a glowing hand caught his. “Hm?” Varek looked up and saw the angel standing there “There you are, I was waiting for you to show up, I nearly had to kill him to get you to show yourself,” Varek said. “I was preoccupied,” She said before she raised a hand and blasted Varek with a beam of light sending him flying into a wall. His hounds growled and lunged but she blasted them away as well and then grabbed Spike who looked at her in shock and they disappeared. “....Heheheh, so we’re playing this game now… alright,” Varek said as he walked out of the hole in the wall he had created and he dusted off his shoulder “Then let’s play,” Spike was plopped down in an alleyway and he stood up and looked at her. “You… who are you? Why are you helping me?” Spike demanded. “...I-” She didn’t get to say when they heard a noise and she narrowly teleported avoiding a stabbing hand that aimed for her heart, she stood by Spike and looked to see Varek. “Yes, do tell me, why do you intrude in a realm that’s not yours and interfere with MY business?” Varek asked as he looked thoughtful “Could it be that you know him? But how I wonder,” Varek said. “...I caused his suffering in the first place before I ascended to heaven, and I am righting my wrong, even if it breaks the rules,” She said. “Caused my suffering?... What do you-” Spike questioned but she stood in front of him “I won’t let you take his happiness away! He has a family now and a happy life ahead of him,” She declared. “You bore me with your defending of a mortal, all I care about, is completing my transaction,” Varek said. “Transaction?” Spike said. “It’s how my business is really run, I give mortals money, take juuuust long enough that the amount increases to the point that they cannot pay it back, and I claim their soul, it has been that way since ancient times,” Varek said. “...You never had any intention of letting me go free did you?” Spike asked with growing anger. “Heheheheh, look at it this way, you had a good ten years at least,” Varek said with a grin and a shrug. “YOU MONSTER!” Spike yelled and he tried to run at Varek but the angel stopped him. “Stop! You cannot beat him directly,” She said. “...Then It really was all for nothing…” Spike said looking distressed. “Well, if we’re done, I’ll kill you now and claim his soul,” Varek began to move towards them. “Wait! I have an offer,” She said. “Oh?” Varek raised a brow. “Yes, a deal, in writing,” She said. “A deal?” Spike asked. “And why should I make a deal with you? Why shouldn’t I just take what I need now?” Varek asked. “Because I know what kind of demon you are Varek, you love challenges, deals that benefit you, and toying with mortals hopes,” She said. “....I admit you have me pegged, and my curiosity is piqued, go on,” Varek said. “One last game, winner take all, Spike wins, you let him go and never bother him or his family again, you win… you can take me instead,” She said. “What?!” Spike said in shock. “And why pray tell would I have any concern regarding this challenge? I could claim you now,” Varek said. “I can also take my own life and fade to oblivion here in this realm, then you won’t have an angel's soul, think of it Varek, the bragging rights and possible promotion from delivering the soul of an angel to darkness?” She said. “.....You're right,” Varek said with chagrin but also interest… she was right, he could gain a lot from obtaining an angel if he claimed Spike it was just another mortal soul, but her soul… yes… “You don-” Spike said but she smiled at him. “Worry not, this is my atonement,” She said. “Atonement for what?” Spike asked but Varek spoke first. “I accept, your bargain benefits me greatly if I win, and in return I’ll cut Spike loose from my deal, but now it’s your soul in the balance, you are aware right?” Varek asked. “I’m aware,” She said. “Then let us not waste any time,” Varek said snapping his fingers and they teleported into a dark room with a table in the center, Spike and the angel on one side and Verak on the other. “Let’s play…” Varek said with a grin.
Aether Spark
562650
13
Original Character,Rarity,Spike,Alternate Universe,Human,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore,Suicide / Self Harm,Violence
Dark Deception: The Malign Deal
A troubled young man accepts help from an evil source, and now he must fight his way to freedom
complete
12
3
<p>Life... is suffering.</p><p>That's the cold truth Spike learned throughout his life, failed jobs, failed relationships, failed existence. But when he gets a visit from a mysterious stranger his life turns around.</p><p>But when the repayment time comes and he can't afford it, he'll have to fight tooth and nail to save himself and those he loves.</p><p>[Welcome to my second DD story, I thought of this a while ago, with unique monsters too, I will warn that unlike DD FIM, this story contains the following.</p><p>Horror, Dark humor, the first chapter mentions suicide, and all that stuff.</p><p>Viewer discretion advised.]</p>
mature
2024-08-17T04:22:05+00:00
2024-08-18T23:14:26+00:00
47
“What are we doing?” Spike asked. “One more game and the winner gets quite the prize,” Varek said grinning at the angel who glared defiantly back. “Alright, how shall we approach this?” Varek asked. “He’s collecting contracts,” She said. “Hm?” Varek said. “What do you mean?” Spike asked. “He will collect all twelve contracts at once and you will try to stop him, he gets five lives and all his powers you granted him before,” The angel stated the rules. “You’ve had time to think of this, I will barter for four,” Varek said. “Very well,” She said. “And all of his powers? Quite the problem,” Varek said. “He gets the powers unless a demon of your power cannot handle it,” She said. “You're quite clever, but your provoking is obvious, nevertheless, I accept,” Varek said. “I will be his guiding voice as well, and help him locate the safes in a fair manner, but I will not directly aid him,” She said with some hesitance. “Heh, alright,” Varek said. “And lastly, if you are caught cheating by any means, he wins by forfeit, so written on this contract,” She said producing the contract and setting it in front of him. “Hmm,” He picked it up and read it carefully before setting it down “A rather well-made contract, I admire your cleverness, very well, I will only use my natural powers, call upon no helpers, and I won’t alter the environment,” Varek said signing the contract and sliding it over to them. “Sign there Spike,” She said. “Why are you risking your own soul for me?” Spike asked. “All will be explained, but first, we must win here,” She said. “What’s your name at least?” Spike asked. “...My name is Meadow,” She said looking away. “Ok,” Spike nodded before he read the contract as well and he then signed it and set the pen down. “Alright, Then let us begin,” Varek grinned with his eyes lighting up with grey lights before he vanished. And then a portal opened behind Spike with Varek’s face on it. “...Good luck Spike,” Meadow said. “...I will, and… thank you for everything,” Spike said before he ran into the portal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The deal has changed ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike entered what looked like Varek’s office area. But it was now empty, Spike chose not to waste any time and he ran on. As he got out of the computers area he saw what looked like a faint contrail leading out towards a hallway. “What is-” “It’s her guiding you mortal,” Varek said and Spike spun to see him and he was grinning widely with his glowing eyes before he kicked him. Spike coughed up blood as he was sent flying down the hallway, when he landed he looked up and saw Varek approaching but he suddenly zoomed forward taking ten steps in a second. “You have no idea what you're in for boy,” Varek chuckled. “Flee Spike!” Meadow cried. “Tch!” Spike grit through the pain and ran down the hallway, following the contrail and making it down the hallway towards the door they walked towards that had the corpses in it, he opened the door and closed it before tipping a shelf over to block it before he ran down the stairs and into the massacre hall. He saw the contrail leading him to Topsy and he ran over and saw that his broken jaw was mysteriously closed. He ran over and opened it, and his contract fell out, Spike claimed it and it vanished. “Yes!” Spike said before the door and shelf were kicked into the air by a foot and Spike turned to see a figure running super fast towards him. “Yikes!” Spike jumped out of the way in time and Varek demolished a wall with his fist. “Hmmph, you're sharp,” Varek said before he spun and kicked Spike sending him flying and Spike tumbled on the ground, he coughed blood, a broken rib or two most likely. “SPIKE!” Meadow cried. “But still slow,” Varek said before grabbing a pillar and ripping a chunk out of it and throwing it at Spike who rolled out of the way. His broken ribs crunched in the process. “AAAAGH!” Spike cried. “You are quite pain tolerant boy, too bad death is another story,” Varek said before he zipped up to Spike and picked him up by the shirt. “Looks like the first win is mine,” Varek chuckled. “Not… YET!” Spike bit down on his hand hard. “OW!” Varek dropped Spike and Spike struggled to his feet and hobbled away. “Honestly…” Varek sighed as he ran after Spike. Spike rounded a corner and saw the contrail leading him in another direction, down another hall. Sharp pains lanced through Spike but he continued and Spike found the contrail leading him to a bathroom. “Odd,” Spike ran over to it. Before a wall busted down behind him and Varek walked out. “Maybe I’ll force her to fix all the damage with her own hands when I win,” Varek laughed before he zoomed at Spike. “Crap!” Spike said as he tried to run faster but Varek was easily gaining on him. “How do I escape this guy?!” Spike asked. “Use your powers!” Meadow said. “Oh!” Spike said before he used his barrier as Varek was about to reach him and Varek delivered what would have been a fatal punch but the barrier came up and blocked it, though Spike was sent skidding. “Ngh!” Spike grunted. “Tch,” Varek snorted angrily before he ran forward and jumped into the air before slamming his foot onto the barrier cracking it. “I gotta move!” Spike said as he ran to his left as the kick finally broke through the barrier and Spike dove into the restroom and saw a trashcan in a corner, he knocked it over and dug through it. “Nice attempt boy!” Varek tore the door off its handles and walked towards him. “I lose this time, but I have three more,” Spike said before finding the contract in the trash and it vanished. He smiled even as Varek brought his leg down on his head. 3 lives left: “You're doing well Spike, keep going!” Meadow said. Spike woke back up at the office, healed and ready. He got up and ran the other way, seeing a contrail leading him down a hallway and to the left. “Think it's that easy!?” Varek growled as he rounded the corner and held his hand out and some kind of red energy formed in his palm. “DUCK!” Meadow cried and Spike hit the floor as a burst of energy obliterated a wall behind him. “Oh-” Spike didn’t get a chance to curse when Varek ran up to him and raised a foot to stomp on his head. Spike quickly used a barrier and blocked it and then used vanish. “Tch! Nice try boy, I have my methods to countering that,” Varek said as his eyes lit up and he looked around his vision now sensing heat signatures, and he saw Spike running around a corner. “Get back here!” Varek said as he gave chase. Spike made it to what looked like a series of office rooms with glass walls and he saw three contrails in this area. “Here’s hoping,” Spike said as he followed the first one in the one labeled conference room B. He looked through there but couldn’t find it and that’s when Varek smashed through the window glass and marched after Spike. “I will break EVERY bone in your body,” Varek said and Spike ran around the table Varek angrily shoved the table aside and threw a punch at Spike who ducked it. Spike responded by grabbing him and speed boosting into a wall. “Ooof!” Varek grunted and fell over and Spike took this opportunity to look around and he saw the contract had been hidden under the table’s leg before. He dove down and grabbed it and it vanished. He got up but Varek turned Spike around and shoved him down. Spike landed and saw shards of glass and he quickly got an idea and grabbed them, even though it hurt as they cut his hand before Varek picked him up by his throat. “Shall I squeeze slowly? Or just snap it?” Varek grinned. “Hah!” Spike shoved the glass filled hand into Varek’s face, getting glass in his eyes. “AAAGH!” Varek threw Spike aside and clutched his face in pain. Spike flew through a glass wall and onto his back. Spike got up and hurriedly limped over to the next contrail which led him to conference room D. He entered and found multiple papers strewn on the desk, he hurriedly sifted through them looking for the contract. Meanwhile he heard an angry yell and he turned seeing Varek rounding the corner and walking towards him. And he was mad. Spike started tossing papers off the desk and eventually found the paper he was looking for and he made it vanish Spike turned and saw Varek tear the door off and carry it with him, “Catch!” Varek threw the door like a discus and Spike ducked being decapitated by it and it lodged in the wall. As Spike looked up Varek grabbed him by his face and lifted him to his regenerated eyes. “I’m going to make you suffer for that…” Varek said. “Barrier!” Spike made the barrier come out which forced Varek back and then Spike speed boosted away. “YOU PEST!” Varek sped after him. Spike was shocked to see him keeping up and he ran to the other end of the hall, conference room Z. Spike stopped and jumped through the doorway as Varek stopped and turned to him. “I am growing weary of this game,” Varek growled as he moved towards Spike who frantically tipped over a filing cabinet to block him and he ran through the room looking while evading Varek. “I’ll be honest for once, I could kill you anytime, and trust me, you're pushing me to that,” Varek said as his eyes began to turn red and his hands sharpened into claws and he dragged them on the table, leaving deep grooves. “Spike! Hurry!” Meadow said as Spike ran over to a filing cabinet where the contrail seemed to stop and he opened it. He then pulled out all the papers and threw them at Varek who swung his claws cutting all the papers to shreds. But Spike found the one piece of paper among them he didn’t shred and grabbed it making it vanish. Before Varek kicked Spike in the gut sending him through a wall. Spike coughed blood but gritted through the pain like always and he got up. Varek exited the room with a sinister grin. “Hear this!” Varek said as he began taking a deep breath. “Cover your ears!” Meadow cried. Spike did so and just in time as Varek screamed with the force of a jet engine and all the glass in the conference area shattered and Spike was flung off his feet and sent flying onto the glass. “Agh!” Spike grunted as the screech continued and his ears started to bleed. When it stopped Spike struggled to his feet and looked up in time to see Varek grinning at him. “You're not seeing me at my worst boy, I can be much more powerful,” Varek said as he walked forward. “Vanish!” Spike said and he disappeared and he ran away as Varek ran after him. “Haven’t you learned that doesn’t work boy?!” Varek said as he ran forward to stab Spike. “Speed boost!” Spike cried and he ran faster until he was evenly paced with Varek and the two ran through the office, but Spike began to slow eventually. “NO!” Spike said as he saw the contrail leading into another hall and he turned a corner narrowly avoiding Varek’s stabbing hand. “Spike look out!” Meadow cried and Spike looked to see Varek swinging his claw and Spike ducked it avoiding another decapitation before he ran on. “You're elusive, that’s for sure boy, clearly I underestimated you,” Varek grinned as his eyes lit up and he created another dark aura attack and fired. “Spike!” Meadow cried and Spike dodged into another hallway as the blast blew a hole into the wall. Spike looked up and saw the contrail leading into a closet. He ran forward and opened the closet before spotting the contract under a bucket and he grabbed it. And then he was kicked through the door with rib breaking power and Spike tumbled and coughed blood. “You are quickly becoming a nuisance boy!” Varek said before he tried to punch Spike and he used a barrier to block but the force sent him through the floor and Spike grunted as he landed on the ground. Getting up Spike looked around and saw contrails leading away, there must be more on this floor. But the room was so dark as Spike got up Varek was standing there and Spike jumped back. He gave a heavy sigh “It seems I have been left with little choice, you wish to see the wrath of a level four demon? Then you shall witness it first hand!” Varek said before he backed away into the darkness. Immediately Spike heard the squelching of flesh and a transformation was happening. “Wh-what’s happening?” Spike asked before Varek lunged at him. Spike jumped out of the way but paused when he saw it was just an empty body with a hole in its back. “H-huh?” Spike said. “Heheheheheheeeh… you have no idea what you’ve done boy…” Varek’s voice came, it was all warped and deeper, Spike heard clawed feet running amidst the darkness. “Search!” Spike said and he was able to locate his presence… and he had no idea what it was… “I used this form to butcher those fools who owed me money, and it will be the body that ends your pathetic existence!” Varek laughed, and then Spike heard footsteps approaching his position and he spun in time to see a goat headed monster lunging from the shadows and then….. He lost his life in one swing of a claw. 2 lives left: “The demon shows his true colors, things will get tougher Spike, be careful,” Meadow warned. Spike got up on the floor he’d done most of his collecting in, not wanting to go back in the hole he turned and ran and just in time as a large figure broke through the floor. “And where do you think you're going?!” Varek demanded as he got out, showing his true form. He looked like a large humanoid goat headed monster with wings, four arms, cloven feet, a tail with a sharp barb at the end, and a second face on his stomach. “HOLY-” Spike ran with speed boost and the demon ran on all sixs after him. “I’ll tear you limb from limb!” Varek opened his mouth and screeched but Spike used barrier to block it. “Spike! Get to the elevator!” Meadow said and Spike saw the one she was talking about through a shattered window and he opened the elevator and it closed as the demon rounded the corner and lunged but the door closed in time. Spike panted heavily, this guy was truly the most dangerous demon he’s faced yet! Suddenly he heard a loud thud overhead and he looked up seeing a large hand break through the ceiling and swipe around for him. Spike hit the floor and when the door opened he booked it out of there. Spike looked back and saw Varek break through the ceiling and crawl out after him. Spike speed boosted out of there and followed a contrail that split down two ways and he went left, as he ran down the hall the goat monster rounded the corner and crashed into a wall before pursuing him Spike followed the contrail until he found a mess hall, he ran into there and fled down a middle aisle as Varek tore through the lanes and flung tables aside. Spike ran until he spotted a board on the wall with multiple papers on it. One was the contract. Spike nearly slipped as he paused and ran to collect it, after it vanished he noticed the contrail heading into the employee-only area and he ran in after it. Meanwhile Varek just smashed through the doors after him. “YOUR GETTING ON MY NERVES!” Varek screeched as he lunged at Spike and swatted him into a wall. Spike hit the wall and fell down, but he instinctively puts up a barrier and it's a good thing he did because Varek tried to smash him with his fists immediately after. Spike got up and ran before the barrier broke. “YOU ANNOYING PEST!” Varek turned and the second face on his stomach opened its mouth and dark energy built up before firing at Spike. “SPIKE!” Meadow called and Spike saw this and he used speed boost and managed to dodge a massive blast. A blast that totally demolished several walls. “Is he trying to bring the place down?!” Spike exclaimed as he continued following the contrail into the chef's area and he put a mop he found through the handles. “That won’t stop him,” Meadow said. “Anything to buy time,” Spike said as he ran around and searched in cabinets and drawers. Until he saw the contrail lead him to a bunch of papers hung up on and order list and the contract was on it. Spike collected it and then heard a crash as Varek broke into the room and began knocking things aside to reach Spike. “AAAH!” Spike ran away as he jumped onto a counter using his wings and he roared at him. “I thought demons were bad, but you son, you showed me there are humans more grating on the nerves than defiant demons! Forget the angel, I just want you DEAD!” Varek screeched and he hopped down and charged at Spike who jumped out of the was and he wound up plowing through the wall. Spike speed boosted through the hole in the wall and ran out of the room, while Varek was picking himself up. Spike ran down the halls panting heavily, he ultimately hid in a closet and sat to catch his breath. “Don’t relax Spike, you have to continue!” Meadow said. “I’m out of breath… I just need a-” Spike was surprised by a large furry hand smashing through the door, grabbing him and raised him up. “HAHAHAHA! Looks like you only got one left boy!” Varek laughed before he raised his barbed tail and stabbed Spike through the chest. 1 Life left: “This is it Spike, live or die, I believe in you,” Meadow said. Spike woke up back near the elevators. All the times he had only one try left… it’s never been easy… “I got this…” Spike said as he ran down the pathway and hitched a right, he got into a lobby area with a contrail leading him behind a desk. He found the next one easy. Three more… Spike followed the next contrail and used vanish if just to catch Varek off guard in case he’s close. As Spike rounded a corner he saw Varek walking nearby and he paused and sniffed the air. “He’s close…” Varek sneered and he turned to where Spike was. Spike was hiding around the corner and he quickly ran off using speed boost. Spike turned another corner as Varek rounded that corner and sniffed around for him, Spike got out of there. Spike ran until he saw a contrail form and he followed it until he saw it lead to an office, he entered and found it located under the desk. “NOO!” Spike heard Varek roar from elsewhere and he turned to see the monster on the other side of the hall and he turned to see the beast running towards him. “AHH!” Spike ran for it out of the office and back out into the big hallway. With Varek bursting out of the office area moments later. “I WON’T LOSE TO A HUMAN!” Varek screeched as he raised his upper half up, aimed his second mouth, and fired another powerful blast at him. “Spike! Barrier!” Meadow cried and Spike didn’t look back he put up the barrier and the blast collided with him and sent Spike flying off of his feet. Spike tumbled on the ground and looked up to see the goat monster fly into the air and try to slam down on him. “Crap!” Spike rolled out of the way and he struck the ground with enough force to crack it. Spike got up but the monster struck him aside and Spike rolled onto the ground. He struggled to his feet and saw the monster get up and stare down at him. “You are the most elusive and aggravating human I’ve ever met!” Varek snarled. “And you're the worst kind of monster…” Spike said. “Hmmph, I look forward to ripping your flesh from your bones!” Varek said before raising his upper arms and slamming them down, Spike dodged to the left as the slam shattered the ground and Spike ran down another hallway where the contrail was leading him. Spike could hear the monster behind him but he continued running, refusing to die, not after everything! Spike ran out into an open area and saw that it was raining, he looked around and saw the contrail leading him to an open window. He ran forward and dove through the window as Varek entered and he growled before running back in. Meanwhile Spike found himself in another office and saw the contract in a trash bin. He grabbed it and it vanished. “One more!” Spike said getting up and running out of the room just in time to see Varek trying to cut him off down a hallway. “I WON’T LET YOU WIN! YOU HEAR ME!” Varek roared and Spike ran with all his might to escape the rampaging monster. “You're almost there Spike!” Meadow said. “Alright!” Spike rounded the corner and went down the only hall he hasn’t. And he ran out into a big open area near the lobby and saw the very thing he was hoping. The last contract, in what looks like a case of trophies. Spike used a speed boost to run for it. But a certain demon wasn’t prepared to lose. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Varek roared before spreading his wings and taking to the air and flying over Spike, landing in front of him and ramming his head forward. And impaling Spike through the abdomen with a horn. “GUH!” Spike gagged. “SPIKE!” Meadow cried. “I… win…” Varek panted before laughing and hoisting Spike into the air and with a toss of his head he flung the prone human to the ground. “Agh!...” Spike groaned and coughed blood. “What? How are you still alive?! How hard is it to kill a simple human?!” Varek cursed before standing back and leaning up “Out of respect for the first human to put me though so much effort, I will grant you the death you’ve been fighting against,” Varek said with a laugh. “NO!” Meadow cried appearing. “Ah ah, no interference, remember?” Varek taunted and Meadow was forced to stay back. “Spike! Get up!” She begged. “Ugh…” Spike coughed up lots of blood. “You can still stand? Even after being stabbed? I’ve met tenacious humans before, but you,” Varek laughed before charging up the blast from his stomach mouth. “SPIKE!” Meadow cried. “I…” Spike staggered towards Varek. “SAY GOODBYE!” Varek laughed before he fired. “...” Spike remembered Rarity, Scout, and Lance as the blast approached him. “I…am coming home…” Spike said……..”BARRIER!” Spike cried and suddenly the barrier came up and blocked the attack. “WHAT THE?!” Varek said in surprise. “You think you can just play with our lives and hopes don’t you Verak… you're about to see, a father's rage!” Spike yelled and he ran forward. “IMPOSSIBLE!” Varek screeched and he used his sonic scream to try and debilitate Spike further but Spike powered through and used speed boost. “Why doesn’t he die?! HOW?!” Varek exclaimed in his head before he lunged “DROP DEAD HUMAN!” Varek roared while Spike saw what he was hoping to happen, happen… The screech had broken open the trophy cabinet and Spike ran forward despite feeling like he was dying. “DIE!” Varek slammed down where Spike was creating a dust cloud. "Spike!" Meadow exclaimed. ...As Varek got up he didn’t see him. “What the?! Where did he-” “Hey Verak!” Spike called and Varek turned to see him standing by the trophy case with the contract in hand. “What?! NO!” Varek lunged at Spike but he was too late… The contract vanished and a light consumed the place. Spike opened his eyes and saw he was back in the dark room with the table, and across from him was Varek and beside him was Meadow. “No….i-impossible! I can’t lose! NOT TO A MERE HUMAN!” Varek yelled angrily tossing the table aside and running at Spike “I REFUSE IT!” Varek shrieked and he tried to grab Spike but suddenly a contract flew up and repelled him. “WHAT?!” Varek staggered back. “The contract you signed forbids attacking him or me, in the event we win, speaking of which, you lose Varek,” Meadow said with a smile. “I-it can’t be… I’m a level-four demon! I can’t lose to-” “Quit your whining,” Spike said and Varek looked down at him “Isn’t that what you told me every time I complained about your treatment of me?” Spike simply said. “You arrogant little wretch!” Varek tried to hit him with his four fists but they just glanced off the contract. “Accept it Varek, you don’t get either of us, now if you’ll excuse us, he has a family to return to,” Meadow said. “RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” Varek roared angrily and slammed his fist on the ground leaving big cracks before he shrank down into his more human form and he stood straightening his tie. “.....Very well… but know this Spike, if you EVER end up in hell again, be ready, because then your mine, and I assure you, your suffering will be eternal,” Varek growled before turning and leaving “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more deals to make and a now thoroughly damaged reputation to attend to, I hope we meet again Spike… I really do,” Varek growled at Spike one last time before opening a door in the darkness and leaving, closing the door behind him. “....” Spike turned to Meadow and extended his hand and she took it. “I am proud of you Spike, defeating a level four demon is no easy task,” Meadow said. “Guess I got lucky, thanks for everything Meadow, you saved me and my family,” Spike said. “...Listen Spike, I wanted to say that…I’m sorry,” She said. “Sorry for what? I should be thanking you,” Spike said. “But… it’s my fault you ended up in this situation to begin with…” Meadow said. “What?” Spike asked for more clarification. “...The truth is Spike, I do know you… because…I’m your-” She looked conflicted and Spike just held up a hand, understanding. “I understand,” Spike said. “I’m so sorry, I never should have left you in that orphanage… I thought you’d be happier there, than with a penniless single mother,” She said. “...” Spike looked down. “You went through so much suffering, and fell into Varek’s trap because of me… I’m sorry…” Meadow said sniffling a little. “....I indeed went through alot… but then… I wouldn’t have met Rarity, I wouldn’t have helped give birth to Lance and Scout, and if it weren’t for you… I wouldn’t have been able to save them, so… thank you, Mom,” Spike said as he hugged her and she hugged back. “Thank you for understanding… it’s time to head home now, but please, give Scout and Lance a good life, what I could never have given you,” Meadow said. “I will,” Spike said and she flapped her wings and carried Spike into the light above. Spike woke up on the ground in the alleyway he and Verak were in before Spike followed him into hell. Looking around he saw the briefcase with the money he had taken a loan on and it looked untouched… Spike looked around and saw people going about their business and looking up he saw blue skies and he took a deep breath. He was home… “Thank you,” Spike repeated before he got up and walked away with the money he was going to give back to his friend, seeing as it wasn't needed now. Spike arrived home and saw it was untouched, it looked like it was truly over. He was victorious over hell he still has plenty of emotional scars that will take awhile to heal, but he was ready to continue his life knowing that it was fixed. Spike opened the door and called out “Rarity? I’m home!” “Spike? SPIKE!” Rarity’s voice cried and she ran over to him with Scout in her arm and she hugged him with her other arm “I was so worried! You vanished for more than two whole days and nobody could find you-” Spike hushed her with a kiss. “It’s alright now, let’s go inside,” Spike said and he and Rarity went inside and Lance ran up to him. “Daddy!” Lance cried running over to him and hugging his leg. “Hey there little man,” Spike said with a chuckle. “Where were you daddy?” Lance asked. “Yes, where were you?” Rarity asked. “....Let’s just say, I’ve been through hell,” Spike joked. “Oh you,” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well, enough of that, let’s go out to eat, my treat,” Spike said wanting nothing more than to head out with his family after his ordeal. “Sounds lovely dear, I have to… make a few calls first,” Rarity said before walking away with Scout. “Boy does daddy have a story for you guys,” Spike said as he picked up Lance and walked after Rarity with him. There are some who would say that going to work, arguing with your family, even getting hit by a car is hell. But I learned there is a real hell, and it carries more suffering than the world is ready for, but if hell exists, so does heaven. What I’ve been through throughout my life was horrible, but everything worked out in the end and now, I’ve found my heaven, in the end, life is hard, but it's what you make of it that matters. And I pray, when I meet my mother in heaven, we can catch up a little more. -Spike
ImNotBatman1602
562672
1
DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Making Wonderful Music Together
Having switched bodies, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody realize that they have to perform as each other for a night.
complete
-1
-1
<p>When a rogue potions cart caused Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody to switch places, they realize that they have to go to each other's performances in order to keep up appearances. Hijinks ensue as both of them struggle in their respective environments.</p><p>Written for <a href="/group/215333/beans-writing-group" rel="nofollow">Bean's Writing Group's</a> <a href="/blog/1043016/the-new-blood-contest-second-edition" rel="nofollow">The &quot;New Blood&quot; contest: Second Edition</a> in the running for:</p><p>Bonus 1: &quot;Two PoVs that run concurrently.&quot;<br/>Bonus 3: &quot;No dialogue.&quot;</p>
everyone
2024-08-06T06:51:03+00:00
2024-08-07T02:56:13+00:00
110
Vinyl Scratch screamed. Octavia Melody screamed. The dust had settled and the ever-present pink fog had cleared over a lone street in Ponyville, leaving behind a trail of wisps that had disappeared into the evening sky. The two mares caught in the thick of it were staring at each other, their faces frozen in shock and horror when they had realized what had just happened to them, and they screamed, or at least they tried to. The unicorn with the messy blue mane and white coat, Octavia Melody, could barely produce a whimper from her broken vocal cords while the earth pony with the neat dark brown mane and grey coat, Vinyl Scratch, was surprised that she even COULD make sounds from her mouth, and so she did, constantly. This went on for a while until they had to catch their breath, panting and wheezing as they tried to calm themselves down and took stock of their situation. Obviously, they weren't themselves, that was for certain. Octavia would rather entertain Parasprites in their shared home than let any hair on her head go out of place and Vinyl had never let a brush attempt to tame her wild mane in her entire life. So, the only logical conclusion they could possibly have made was that they were somehow in each other’s bodies, and whatever that had caused the pink mist was the culprit. Unfortunately, the potions cart that had produced the offending smoke was gone before they could even recognize the pony who pulled it, much less inquire if they had a way to reverse it. They would have started their search immediately, if there wasn't a much more pressing matter on both of their minds at the present moment. Octavia buried her head in her hooves, her mind reeling with all the possibilities of how everything could go wrong tonight. She was running late to attend the Equestrian Summit taking place at the Ponyville Town Hall, in which she and her colleagues of the Canterlot Orchestra would be performing, and she couldn't go there now looking like an unkempt partygoer. In her panicked state, tears began to well up in Octavia's eyes and she let out a whimpering cry at her current misfortune. Vinyl sighed as she watched the display before her. It was uncomfortable seeing her friend in her body break down emotionally, but she had her own problems to deal with. Losing the use of her horn was bad enough, but she was also running late to her own performance at Ponyville's local nightclub and Neon was definitely not going to let her in backstage while she had her friend's image. And so, after a few moments of desperate thought, she managed to come up with an idea of how they could solve both of their problems, but she had to calm Octavia down first. Octavia felt a comforting hoof on her shoulder before looking up to see her friend, who was wearing her own visage, give a comforting smile before pointing towards her cello case lying on the floor and then to herself. Then, Vinyl pointed towards her own scattered headphones and dark pink shades, before pointing to Octavia who, in turn, couldn't believe what she was witnessing. If what she assumed Vinyl was suggesting was true, then ... No, it would not work. The disc jockey doesn't know her way around a ukulele, much less a cello, and the thought of having to navigate around Vinyl's turntables scared Octavia. But what other choice did she have? There was no time to find the rogue potions cart and get to both of their performances on time now, so they would both have to make it through the night as each other. Sighing, Octavia took Vinyl's hoof, agreeing to the crazy idea she had proposed, and hoping that they wouldn't mess each other's jobs up too badly in the process. ***** Upon entering Ponyville's small nightclub, Octavia Melody winced as if she had heard the howls of the many Timberwolves that populated the Everfree Forest. Noisy places like this have never really suited her and though she had Vinyl’s ears, she wasn’t used to the constant barrage of loud beats emanating from the speakers scattered all around the discotheque, and the increased volume of the ponies within struggling to be heard over the music. Although every instinct in Octavia told her to run home, lock the door and hide under the covers of her bed, anything to get away from this never-ending assault of sound, something inside told her to stay, to at least do this for Vinyl as she was willing to help her out with her own situation. And so, with a deep breath, she put on her companion's headphones, thankful for their noise-cancelling properties, and made her way backstage, trying to ignore the loud ever-present music and chatter of ponies all around her as she went. A pale blue unicorn with messy brown hair, round shades and a black vest greeted Octavia cheerfully as she entered the door leading to the backstage area, ecstatically raising his right hoof as she passed him. It took the musician moments to process what he was doing before she understood and returned the hoof bump with a sheepish grin. Octavia had seen Neon Lights only a couple of times on the rare occasions that Vinyl managed to convince her to go for a night on the town and from what she can discern, he seems pleasant to talk to, though she didn't appreciate his wild mannerisms the same way Vinyl did. Despite the minor social hiccup, Neon was all too pleased to lead her up to the turntables to 'work her magic' as he said while behind her shades, Octavia could only roll her eyes at the comment as she wasn't used to levitating objects with Vinyl's horn yet, much less excel at what Vinyl did. She could only stare, intimidated, at all the various buttons, sliders and knobs that littered the various instruments on the table before her. A degree in rocket science would be far easier to obtain than operating this thing and she was expected to 'work her magic' on the first try? She gulped. Neon, upon seeing her hesitation, asked her if she was feeling alright, to which she nodded her head vigorously, due to the lack of a voice to tell him so. With a kind smile, he offered to at least help put the records on the turntables, a gesture that she had sorely appreciated. Soon, the music shifted, and the crowd cheered, continuing to move their bodies to the rhythm as Octavia found herself sighing with relief at the realization of the ease of her task. All she had to do was put the records where they needed to be and switch them out whenever the music needed changing. It seems simple enough to do, at least for now, and she hoped that the whole night would go just as smoothly as this. ***** Vinyl Scratch, in the meantime, was bored out of her mind as she sat listening to the representatives of the various cities in Equestria attending the summit at the Town Hall drone on and on for what seemed like hours. The other members of the Canterlot Orchestra that sat backstage with her, waiting patiently for their cue to perform, weren’t much for conversation either, not that she wanted to say much as she was still trying to get used to finally having a voice in her mouth. It was too quiet, too formal, too dignified, and Vinyl felt as if one hoof-step out of place could get her roommate kicked out of the orchestra for good. She couldn’t believe that Octavia seemed to prefer this stiffness over the wild and exciting atmosphere of her favorite nighttime haunts. Soon, the time came for the orchestra to do a last-minute rehearsal and as the performers got their instruments ready, Vinyl was nothing but confident. She had seen Octavia practice her cello dozens, if not hundreds, of times in their shared home. How hard could it be? As it turns out, it was much more challenging than she had expected it to be. Firstly, she had to get the heavy instrument, which she almost dropped a few times, into place while she stood next to it. Next, with the cello in position, she had to hold the accompanying bow with one hoof while holding the weighted instrument in the other, a task that was just as tricky to do and made her wish that she still had her unicorn’s telekinesis to make this step so much easier. Once she had managed both of these things, Vinyl went towards the stand that held the sheet music that Octavia was to play, her eager expression turning to utter confusion as she couldn’t make heads or tails of whatever was written inside as her musical knowledge only came from following her fellow disc jockeys’ hoof-steps in the ways of dubstep and hip hop. Sensing her nervousness, Octavia’s band mates inquired as to whether she was feeling alright, but she brushed them off with a smile and merely pointed to her mouth while faking a cough, suggesting a sore throat but nothing more. With a hint of determination to make this work somehow, she turned to the sheet music, picked up the bow and began attempting to ‘work her magic’ on the cello as the conductor raised his baton. A loud screech could be heard throughout the room as all eyes looked around in confusion before slowly turning to Vinyl, who was grinning sheepishly with a blush on her borrowed face. Undeterred, the orchestra tried starting up again but another loud screech from Vinyl’s attempt to use the bow on the cello brought her more uncomfortable looks from those involved. No matter how many times she tried, Vinyl was not able to play the cello the way Octavia did until finally, with a frustrated sigh, the conductor suggested that she take a break from playing the cello, only miming the action and hoping that the loss of one instrument wouldn’t affect the whole piece. Begrudgingly, Vinyl agreed, with her own hopes that she didn’t mess up her friend’s musical career too much by doing this. ***** Octavia was panicking. She had been dreading this moment all night, hoping that it wouldn't occur during her entire shift as she dutifully switched the records on the turntable. But as soon as one of the ponies on the dance floor cheered for DJ Pon-3 to 'work her magic' and 'spin some tunes', seemingly every-pony began to chip in and in a few moments, the whole nightclub's attention was all on her. Her hooves froze in the air, her lips felt dry, and she began to sweat as her mind raced a thousand miles a minute, looking for a way out of this situation. Despite being in Vinyl's body, she didn't know how to use Vinyl's synthesizer and soundboard just as skillfully as the disc jockey had and she felt that if she made any mistakes in doing this, her dear friend might have to kiss her stable job at the nightclub goodbye. Though Octavia had performed in front of a crowd many times before, it was with an instrument that she had been practicing for months at least. Now, she was feeling the pressure as all eyes were on her, bringing her back to a nightmare she occasionally had when she slept. She was back at high school, and it was her first time playing an instrument for a genuine audience in the school's talent show, and though she prepared a lot for this moment, she was a nervous wreck when she saw the sea of ponies in front of her. And she froze, her bow touching the strings but barely being able to produce a sound. Without the calming tones of music to distract her, the condescending voices of her audience began to appear in her head, judging her, criticizing her, saying that she wasn't ready, that she wasn't good enough, that it was a mistake for her to get into music at all, and she broke down crying. Neon found her a few moments later curled up below the turntables, rocking back and forth, mumbling incoherently, and though she had Vinyl's shades on, he could tell she was tearing up within. He didn't know what had happened to his colleague to cause a sudden nervous breakdown like this, but he knew he had to do something, or the night would go poorly for the both of them. Octavia once again felt the calming touch of a hoof on her shoulder, and she looked up to see a friendly face staring back at her with a smile, reminding her of her long-time companion's reassuring grin. From their first days at school, Vinyl had been a good friend to her and their shared love of music had brought the two together. Sure, they didn't manage to convince each other to give their genre of choice a chance, but they had grown to accept and support each other despite that. And it was that incident on stage that had cemented their friendship towards each other, as Vinyl started beatboxing on stage, thus giving her the rhythm that she needed to start her performance, and she remembered the applause they both received when she managed to complete her piece with Vinyl by her side. With concern, Neon asked once more whether she was alright and needed some help. With renewed vigor, she nodded and wiped her tears before getting up and returning to complete her task. The crowd looked on as both Octavia and Neon emerged from the turntables and after reassuring every-pony that everything was alright, Neon added another record to the players and the music started up once more, eliciting the excited cheers from the various ravers on the dance floor. As the loud music blared through the speakers, Octavia felt a prod from Vinyl's colleague as he pointed to the soundboard and once more, she was gripped by panic and confusion as to what she had to do. But seeing Neon's reassuring grin reminded of her of young Vinyl at the school talent show and so, she took a deep breath, steeled her soul, held her eyes shut and proceeded to press one of the various buttons on the soundboard at random. The sound of a loud air horn could be heard throughout the nightclub, producing cheers from the audience, who raised their hooves in joy as the rhythm of the music in the records played out. Upon hearing the surprisingly positive outcome of her risky maneuver, Octavia opened her eyes and began to smile with relief at the roaring crowd before her. Seeing confidence return to his colleague, Neon directed Octavia to press another button again and this time, the sound of a siren blared from the speakers and once more the crowd was ecstatic. No matter which button she pressed on the soundboard, there were no criticisms from the audience, no scorning cries that she was doing it wrong, and that made her relax and enjoy the music more and more. And so, under Neon’s direction, Octavia was able to let the beat drop with various noises that made the music unique and fun for the crowd and she could feel the excitement rise within her as the night went on. ***** Vinyl was definitely not enjoying things on her end. It wasn't because she was failing in her role spectacularly. In fact, the performance seemed to go off without a hitch and no-pony noticed the absence of the low notes of the cello accompanying the orchestra and her mimicking the movements topped off the illusion that she was contributing to the music as well. Everything was going smoothly, and yet Vinyl could sense something was amiss in the atmosphere of the Ponyville Town Hall foyer. The audience of dignitaries and state representatives were listening to the music and enjoying it, or at least they appeared to be. But Vinyl could tell that some of them were nodding off, some were rushing to use the washroom, and others were gathering as many sandwiches from the refreshments table as they could. It was as if they were looking for an excuse to leave their seats so that they wouldn’t have to face the boredom for a minute longer, which caught her off guard. Vinyl had her own reasons why she wouldn’t enjoy this type of music, but if the intended audience wasn’t having fun listening to it either, there was definitely a problem with the whole arrangement. And then there were Octavia's band mates. While they were focused on playing their part in the orchestra, Vinyl could tell they were not enjoying the experience. Some of them were sweating, some of them looked like they were about to pass out and some of them whose parts have not come up yet resigned to looking bored staring at their colleagues, wishing that their parts would come sooner, so that they had something to do once more. Even the conductor was looking uncomfortable as he noticed the disinterested audience behind him. They were taking their performance so seriously, that they didn't stop to consider that no-pony was enjoying the experience of getting to play music, and that seriousness was mirrored in Octavia every time she did her rehearsals at home, so much so that Vinyl was beginning to worry about her wellbeing as well. Something had to be done to help lighten the mood before some-pony in the orchestra or in the audience would break down, either due to stress or to boredom. Upon realizing that both the audience and the orchestra were not paying attention to her, Vinyl began to slowly lower her bow and idly pluck the strings of the cello to pass the time. Octavia was going to be mad at her later, but honestly, it was far more preferable than doing absolutely nothing but fake playing the cello for any longer. Being a disc jockey, Vinyl was used to playing with rhythm and so, began to strum soft slow beats on the classical instrument, mimicking the loud ones she produced in her shifts at the nightclub. It didn’t take long for the orchestra to notice the off-key rhythm as one by one; the instruments were following a different beat from what the conductor was playing, which was quicker and catchier than the slow harmonies of the original piece. When even the conductor detected the change in rhythm, he was about to turn to Vinyl to scold her for interrupting the harmony of the music, only to realize that the members of the audience behind him were nodding their heads and tapping their hooves to this new beat that was more energetic than what was currently playing. And so, after a few moments of thought, the conductor tapped his baton on his stand to stop the orchestra for a moment before pointing to Vinyl with a smile, encouraging her to do what she was doing moments before. Returning with a sly grin, the disc jockey turned cellist began plucking the strings of the cello in earnest sending out a catchy rhythm that the orchestra followed when they began the piece once more, playing a jazzy number that aroused the interest of the delegation, who watched in earnest as the energy of the atmosphere in the town hall began to rise. Soon, the members of the audience were even getting up from their seats and dancing to the rhythm and Vinyl smiled as she remembered the familiar atmosphere at one of her sets at the nightclub. And so, the orchestral party went on for the rest of the night and Vinyl even got to take a bow alongside Octavia's band mates for her contribution into making the performance at the summit much livelier than what was expected. ***** The sweet sound of birdsong was all Octavia could hear as she left her bedroom the next morning to freshen herself up in the washroom. After splashing her tired face with cold water from the tap, she took a good long look at herself in the mirror and thought back to the events of last night after her performance had concluded. Though Vinyl and Octavia had spent the better part of the night searching, they never did find the pony responsible for their predicament and so, returned to their shared home, hoping that the spell contained within that pink mist would wear off in the morning. Judging by the gray-coated earth pony reflected back at her, their suspicions had proven to be correct, but why didn't she feel like herself today? It was as if the familiarity of being her own self seemed strange now due to having experienced an entire night in a different body, and her curiosity of what life was like being her closest friend had never subsided despite already doing her job in her form for just one night. Octavia then walked down the stairs into the kitchen for some breakfast and as she passed the music room where she and Vinyl kept all of their instruments and equipment, she stopped upon hearing music coming from within, but it wasn’t the loud wubs of the speakers which she got used to hearing her friend play, and that could only mean one thing. Cracking open the door a little, she peered in to see the unusual sight of her roommate standing before a music sheet and holding up her cello and bow, attempting to make heads or tails of what was written within and producing the worst sounds imaginable from her favorite instrument. Normally, Octavia would have scolded Vinyl for touching her things but having experienced life as the disc jockey the previous night, she could only feel sympathy towards her friend as to what it must be like trying her best to perform with an unfamiliar instrument. Vinyl turned and froze when she saw Octavia, her hooves holding the bow mid-stroke on her friend's cello and her expression mirroring that of a filly being caught with a smashed vase beside her. She watched nervously as her roommate slowly walked towards her with a serious look on her face, and she clenched her jaw and closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the telling-off that was to come. However, to her slight surprise, Octavia merely placed her hooves on her back and right fore-hoof, straightening them into the proper posture so that Vinyl could hold both the cello and bow comfortably. Next, she put Vinyl's other hoof on the correct strings, and then proceeded to move her arms, indirectly playing the piece on the music sheet with her cello and producing the lovely tones that she usually played when she practiced. No words were said. There wasn't a need to. As the impromptu performance went on, Vinyl closed her eyes and let Octavia continue to manipulate her hooves into playing her instrument and showing her what she had passionately been doing ever since their school days, smiling in appreciation as she mimicked her friend's movements. Someday, she would show Octavia how to use her disc jockey equipment to produce some awesome tunes that even she would like, but in the moment, she let go of all of her concerns and allowed her closest companion to 'work her own magic' and let them make, if not perfect, but wonderful music together.
Dr Sharaz Jek
562674
1
Limestone Pie,Marble Pie,Maud Pie,Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Alternate Universe,Porn,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Death,Non-consensual,Profanity,Sex
Vampire Kisses
The Pie sisters encounter vampires and werewolves, oh my!
complete
-1
-1
<p>A city veiled in mist and overrun with undead, who stalk the shadows to seek prey, unaware that a pair of vampires turned vigilante huntresses also hunt them. Caught in the middle of this are the Pie sisters, who dance at a burlesque theater at night, trapped in the crossfire when vampires and werewolves come to blows...</p><p>Notes: All characters are 18 or older. Kinks include werewolf on women gangbang, incestuous lesbian gangbang, knotting, lots of cum, and more! Don't worry, none of your waifus are killed here.</p>
mature
2024-08-04T15:16:30+00:00
2024-08-05T02:12:20+00:00
1,266
Vampires. Once believed to be a myth reserved for pulpy melodramas, or the delusions of those shuffled off to asylums. A number of killers and wannabes even styled themselves as such. In a city that ran on clockwork tech, covered in miasma and shadows, the bizarre often proved true. The masses never realized they were protected from the dark, by those born from it. A pair of women sat at a dinner table in the late afternoon, and waited for darkness to fall, where they could truly come alive. Esmeralda Van Helsing Faustus, keeper of her family's legacy, raised a teacup to her delicate pink lips with a wry smirk, her eyes and hair done up in a pair of braids that fell down her milky shoulders of a similar rosy hue. A white, frilled dress adorned her slim physique. “Very nice~,” she intoned with a musical lilt to one of their servants, a clockwork marionette shaped to resemble beautiful women dressed in sensuous, yet tasteful maid costumes. “It's...adequate,” voiced her lover more dismissively with a haughty, deeper, yet still very feminine voice. More voluptuous than her partner, she adorned herself with a thin black gown, which like her thick black mane came to her bare feet. So pale that her veins were visible on her incredibly heavy breasts when they heaved with each breath, most curious of all was the porcelain mask she always wore, where crimson eyes stared out, the ivory white cheeks adorned by bloody teardrop markings. Esmeralda shook her head. “It's this place. You've started to feel stuffy, haven't you? After-” “Don't,” replied Camellia Karnstein Faustus, who eased her posture. “Yes, I suppose you're correct. I'm still troubled after our former sire returned.” Aided by a witch that had stumbled on their world, they had beaten back the alchemist turned vampire that sired them, Dhullex Faustus. They had chosen to keep his name, for they knew it carried power...and his haunted mansion. Renamed the 'Womb of Conception', they decorated it with symbols of feminine beauty, which included statues, busts, paintings, and idols of comely women in states of undress. The couple all but worshiped this ideal, protected the fair folk outside these walls...in return for a snack of blood. “What you need, my sweet, is a pick me up!” Esmeralda's slimmer breasts quivered when she shot up. Coquettishly, she traced a nail over a half-bared, small handful of a milky tit. “You shouldn't mark your perfect skin like that,” chided Camellia. “Why? The skin is unbroken and the wound will heal,” she replied with a titter, drawing a thin mark over the supple flesh of her perky tit, which flopped out of her dress. “Go on! Suck!” Camellia's full lips salivated. She swallowed hard, tempted by the flesh. “You know it isn't the same. One vampire cannot subsist on another. We should save ourselves for the hunt...” Nonetheless, she crossed in strides and appeared to float in a flutter of black silk, cupped the offered titty. Gently, she kneaded her lover's soft, pliable melon, rolled it and took her perky pink nipples into her maw. “Oh, yes~!” She cast her head back with a low moan. Cupping one of Camellia's wide, pallid buttocks, while she helped her other palm to one of her lover's udders, her shapeliness failed to be concealed by the transparent black silk. “Please, don't tease me, love! Lower~.” “As you wish,” murmured Camellia, who slid down and continued to pepper her lover in kisses while Esmeralda lifted her dress with both hands. Esmeralda's more nubile form was adorned by lacy pink panties, which the masked vampire peeled down to bear her love's milky, taut twat. Juices already stained the soft, delicate rosy shade of pubic hair above a slit with puffy pussylips. Camellia kissed her womanly lips, tenderly suckled and pulled on them, teased out Esmeralda's clitoris which pulsed with moist arousal. “Eat me,” she commanded her lover, panties kicked aside. Esmeralda pulled her white dress over her head, tossed it to the marionette maid, who caught it without reaction. Camellia, too, paused the worship of her lover's pussy for a moment, as she slid off her attire, the tall and voluptuous vampire still adorned by a mask she rarely removed. “You could devour me better without that mask,” reminded Esmeralda. “But then you would have to endure my horrific scars,” she replied, and resumed her pussy worship. Esmeralda ran a hand into her love's raven locks. “B-but...oh~...they harbor such character! Our..our bastard sire marked us,” she wheezed between moans. “But we've reclaimed ourselves!” She shuddered, felt Camellia enter her, trace the moist folds that made up her warm, pink inner walls. Her tongue, like all vampires, could extend a little longer than average, which allowed the masked vamp to really burrow deep, to the point her tip tenderly flicked Esmeralda's cervix. “A-ah~!” The more petite vampire whined whenever her flicks hit and traced her spongy g-spot, making her squirm and grip her slender but firm thighs around Camellia's face while more of her wet lust dripped into the masked vamp's mouth. “Attend us,” she yelled to their automaton maids. The army of dolls marched in and curtsied to await their next orders. So many of them had been lost in that all-out battle with their sire, after his return...but they had been able to mend a couple dozen that weren't ruined beyond repair, a talent to tinker Esmeralda learned from her late uncle. Camellia had completed the work with her superior skill in alchemy and the arcane, breathed life into the clockwork machines, which one could hear the faintest clicks from were they to press their ear to a doll's surface. Each of them were molded to perfection by thei couple's shared hands. “Disrobe,” commanded Esmeralda, and the maids started to do so. “No. More sensually! There's an art to seduction,” she playfully chided the machines, who nonetheless obeyed. Grace, balletic and perfected, followed its movements, as the clockwork servants put on a slow, coy striptease. Each maid proved anatomically correct, with a refined, supple physique. In answer to more commands, they put on an old record with a scratch to set the mood, the lights dimmed with the ever closer approach of the evening, when the next hunt could begin. Until then, they were free to indulge their whims, and the maids started to dance for them while the couple slid to the floor. “Let me service you too,” murmured Esmeralda, who threaded her love's mane. Camellia drew back her lips, threaded to the vamp's pussylips by love honey and saliva. “So be it. I appreciate such an intimate position.” She turned and shifted, settled her pale, wide asscheeks over her partner's face. “But don't you usually prefer to top? I know how you seek the rush of thrills...” “I'm a lady of many talents! And appetites. Which means I love to switch it up. Now, shut up and eat me.” With that playful order and a couple small pats on her love's pale ass, she dived into her feast. With care, she attacked her lover's exposed loveholes, licked, kissed, and lapped at them. Voraciously, they savored each other's wet pussy and puckered asshole, toyed and teased. The maids weaved around them. For them. Gyrated exposed hips, breasts, and buttocks in bounces. Esmeralda tasted her love honey, when it squirted into her mouth, baptized a face stained by a warm blush. She, too, found a similar release into the vamp's mouth. She nibbled, pulled, and sucked on Camellia's own meaty cuntlips, drew them open to expose the carnal pink flower within. Ambivalence settled over them when the first hint of darkness pierced the mansion. “Time to hunt,” reminded Camellia. “Our hours are limited...” “Yes,” she replied with a small pout, not quite satisfied even after they'd been at this for well over an hour. But awareness that they'd soon drink deep of rich, sweet blood perked her back up. Swiftly, the pair of them rose, and shared a drawn out kiss. Tasted each other and themselves on their moist lips. Then, they redressed for the hunt ahead, Camellia's black dress less showy on the tall woman's voluminous curves, Esmeralda in white, form-fitted leather adorned by a short coat. She adorned herself in a variety of her family's weapons, well-trained in various forms of combat, while the masked sorceress preferred to shroud herself in advanced arcane arts. “You really should carry a weapon,” reminded Esmeralda. “Just in case.” “These are my weapons.” Camellia raised a hand, and her nails extended into claw-like extensions at her command. With speed and ferocity, she'd carved into metal in a blur of speed. “Still...nevermind. Were you not stubborn like me, I may not have taken so much to you!” She embraced her waist, while the pair of them started to stride from the dinner room. “I prefer iron-willed,” countered Camellia, with a subdued snicker nonetheless. “Ladies of steel behind silk. Any man, so foolish as to cross our paths, will breathe his last.” With the mansion left in the care of the clockwork maids that bowed when they passed, they stepped out into the misty city, under a pale moon framed by an expanse of dark clouds. ***** Pinkamena Diane Pie, better known by her stage name 'Pinkie Pie', needed to help her family make a living. So against the wishes of their more traditional parents, she and her sisters turned to the seedier parts of town, not quite prostitutes, which had recently been targeted in a series of attacks, but burlesque dancers, all but stripped completely nude by the end of each shared performance. The sisters would sing and dance their hearts out, worked up into a sweaty mess before the crowds, before they retired for the night backstage. A number of props filled the changing room, mirrors set in front of the tables, where Pinkie's twin sister had already stripped nude and started to remove her makeup. Like Pinkie, they were the shapeliest of the four sisters, but Marble outdid even her! Pinkie, still in her black lingerie, garters, and stockings, took a moment to admire her twin's ample physique with a whistle. “Wowie-zowie~! No wonder the boys all line up to see those knockers!” Marble blushed and partially hid her face behind a thick mane. “Uh, th-thanks, I think?” When she shifted, her sizable udders shifted in a pendulous manner, topped by wide, inverted nipples. “Ooh, let me squeeze 'em! Squee!” Pinkie's palms encircled and kneaded her heavy titties. “S-sis...!” Marble's blush deepened, and she failed to fully stifle as moan as Pinkie took her time, rolled her tits in circles, used her thumbs to press into inverted nipples until they peeked out, the erect pink numbs flicked and prodded. Her wide hips and pert ass quivered atop her stool. “Typical Pinkie,” said Limestone with a roll of her eyes. The thinnest and most athletic of the four, she was nonetheless well-shaped where it counted, and tossed off her own costume. “Why don't you slip out of those sweaty clothes, Pinks? That can't be remotely comfortable!” “Pinkie marches to her own drumbeat,” came the flat voice of Maud Pie, somewhere between the voluptuous twins and the leanest sister, as she too discarded her costume, her breasts flopped out and her bare snatch and ass bared. “We must head home before our parents miss us.” “Bah,” snapped Limestone, while one of the twins continued to openly fondle the other. “We take home most of the bacon! Their farm would've gone to the crapper in these leaner seasons! Ah-!” She yelped and snarled back at Maud, who landed an audible, sharp spank on her bare ass. “We all support each other,” reminded Maud coolly. “Yeah, yeah.” Limestone rubbed both her buttocks, with a red hand print on one smooth cheek. Instead, she bumped Pinkie aside with a hip check and said, “Let me have a piece of that!” “L-Limey~!” Marble moaned when another sister helped Pinkie molest her supple udders, as the sisters distended them far as they could, yanked on her now pointy nipple tips. “Nakey party!” Pinkie paused to join her sisters in naked bliss, her garments tossed into a pile. They would often play around like this to wind down after their shows finished, but before the theater closed down. She moved to pepper Marble's titties in kisses as she and Lime double-teamed her. “Soon it will be a lesbian party,” saud Maud in her monotone voice while she approached. “S-soon? Aren't we already-?” Marble's voice was lost by another drawn out moan, as Pinkie had swallowed one of her nipples and suckled on it, while Limestone bounced another heavy tit on her palm. In a swivel of shapely hips Maud came last, knelt at the stool, and kissed Marble's tummy. Maud slid lower. Peppered her inner thighs in more kisses, ever closer to her pussy, already moist and pussy before she made contact with her enflamed slit and ran her tongue across it. Marble moaned as her pink clitoris was teased out, tenderly flicked and noisily sucked on. “A-ah!” Sensitive as always, Marble clenched and came on Maud's face, masked in messy squirts. It's why the shy woman was often the centerpiece of these sessions, teased and wracked by ecstasy. Their parents didn't allow boys around the farm, so they'd found other ways to meet their needs! Maud allowed her a moment to cool down, before she dove in more directly, used her mouth muscle to party and spread her slimy pink walls. Marble rocked on her stool, her back arced and her sizable titties hefted skyward, latched on by the mouths of Pinkie and Lime to suck on them. Worked over by her sisters, Marble panted and trembled, wracked by bliss, coaxed, teased, molested all over by their hands and mouths. Eventually, she tumbled off the stool amidst another climax, and sat her wide ass on Maud's face, who contunually to devour her clenched sexholes. Pinkie said, “I wanna try some new positions!” “We don't have time for that,” reminded Limestone, who followed her to the floor. “L-let's do it,” whimpered Marble. “Hurry! We have less than an hour!” Shifted at Pinkie's directions, they formed a daisy chain on all fours, with Marble at the front, Pinkie behind her, followed by Maud, and last came Limestone, shifted so they met in a circle. Pinkie squealed, “Human centipede!” “I don't want to know,” said Lime, most of her references over their heads. “I read it in a penny dreadful,” said Pinkie with a wink, before she blew a raspberry on one of Marble's voluminous asscheeks. Then, the four sisters dived in and started to eat each other out. None of their lower holes were left untouched, pussies and assholes kissed, licked, and parted. Lewd smacks filled the air. Buttcheeks were spread, snatches and rectums dived into, savored, devoured like a scrumptious feast. Faces that burned with blushes were masked in messy squirts that also puddled the floor, another reason why they would have to finish up to clean the mess. Wet smacks sounded from their lewd meal, Maud reminded of how pink that Pinkie really was inside when she ravished her wet pussy. Behind her, Lime pushed her slick face between her firm yet shapely asscheeks, motorboated them, harsly sucked on both of Mau'ds presented fuckholes. Much as they adored these sessions, all of them wanted to try out a cock, once in their lives! But they couldn't take a boy home, and didn't want to hook up with a fan or employee! Pinkie had vetted the idea of a casual hook up, even prostitution, but the sisters quickly shot her down, reminded of what a risky business that would be after the recent serial killer attacks! So, this was their best best for the sake of safety.Occasionally, one of the sisters would plant a playful spank on a buttcheek, Maud's turn as the supple flesh ripple. “Oh,” she moaned in her monotone voice. “Do that more. Harder.” Limestone's palms crashed down on her buttocks. Pinkie tittered and did the same with Marble, only not so harshly, but patted her butt like a drum. Marble took a different approach, tenderly rolled Lime's buttcheeks in circles while she ate her. “I'm not a sissy bitch,” reminded Lime. “So don't hold back on my account! Smack my ass!” The foul-mouthed woman moaned in appreciation, when Marble reared up a palm and spanked her with a sharp cry, a furious print left on the wobbly asscheek. “Yeah, like that! Harder, bitch!” They contrasted each other perfectly, sweet and sour, but not overly saccharine like the loud and erratic Pinkie, while Maud proved a slow, methodical, but attentive lover. At first, they sisters had been insecure, unsure they could please her, but Maud reassured them she loved to make love. By the time it was over, they collapsed into a perspiration and feminine lubrication soaked huddle of flesh, breasts left to heave with each huff, perky nipples pointed skyward. They took a moment to breathe, then scrambled to clean up, redress, and leave the theater before it closed down. Then, they headed out onto the pea-soup misted cobblestone roads, blissfully unaware... ***** Rooftop-to-rooftop, Esmeralda and Camellia hopped with such balletic deftness they appeared to fly, and their silhouettes framed the moon with each pass. They were on watch, for any troublemakers in the city. But their standards were set above pickpockets and rabble-rousers. Mundane crime was the domain of the local authorities. No, the lovers focused on the supernatural. They came to a rest not far from the burlesque theater the Pie sisters left. Esmeralda surveyed the area with a pair of binoculars, crouched by the edge. “Now, we wait.” Impatiently, she flicked the hilt of her rapier, one of many weapons on her person. “We cannot do this forever,” noted Camellia. “Hunt in circles-” “Why not my love?” She kissed her love's masked cheek. “We're free to pursue our desires!” “Because it's a terrible risk. And don't you feel unfilled? No, much as I'm loath to admit it, vampires are meant to have a master. Without one, we'll always feel...empty...” “Dhullex wasn't worthy,” she replied. “So why not become the masters ourselves?” “We can't. We've reached our limitations, as artificial vampires born from alchemy and the black arts. No, there must be a Goddess of Vampires out there, like the myths claim. If not in this world...then some other one.” Camellia looked to the stars, the huntresses made aware there were other dimensions out there ever since they had a run in with a witch skilled in the use of portals. “How would we find her? Should we have traveled with that witch?” “I...don't know,” said a forlorn Camellia. “But there's a chance she'll make a return visit here...” “Can't wait around for that. Hmm, but a 'Goddess of Vampires'? Are you sure that isn't a fairy tale?” Yet the more she rolled the idea around in her head, the more Esmeralda's heart ached. To find this supposed ideal vampire woman. To worship her, the lovers united in their cause. “We'll find this woman,” reassured Esmeralda, who tenderly rubbed her partner's wide hip. “Thank you my sweet,” whispered Camellia, who shivered in the cool air, her wide nipples already erect when they poked into the heavier dress she wore that nonetheless showed much of her milky expanse of a bosom, lined with veins she thirsted to fill with fresh, sweet blood. They surveyed the landscape below. Eventually spotted the movement of silhouettes. First, they spotted the four Pie sisters, who cut through a series of back alleys to take a shortcut home after they were already late for their curfew at the farm. Then, the huntresses heard the first wolf-like howl, which could've made one's blood run cold and hairs stand up on the back of one's neck. “Werewolves? But it isn't even quite a full moon,” observed Esmeralda, thankful that her epee was made from silver, as were the bullets that currently chambered her pistol. “Monsters like us rarely play by the 'rules' dear,” reminded Camellia, who floated to follow her lover, as she already started to descend a staircase that rattled under Esmeralda's white boots. However, by the time the pair of them reached the streets, the pack of werewolves had split apart. A small number of them skidded to a stop, hunched over on all fours, tall and muscular beneath rust-colored fur. Odder still, each one of them bore a couple of heads as their snouts salivated. “Fresh...meat...,” snarled one of the two-headed wolf men. “You can talk in that form? Color me surprised,” taunted Esmeralda, pistol snapped into hand. Camellia's fists burned cold with blackish-purple flames. “I've seen creatures like these covered in one of Dhullex's tomes! These are some sort of hellhound, werewolf hybrids! Possible experiments of the late Professor Kilroy? Think fast!” She launched pillars of fire at the hellbeasts. One monster screamed, immolated, reduced to ashes in seconds by a direct hit. Esmeralda, too, perforated another adversary with a hail of silver bullets, as despite his blur of movement, her crack shot aimed compensated well, and one bullet demolished his heart. The beast doubled over with a whimper, choked up blood and landed in a puddle of his filth. “Ha!” She narrowedly ducked a swipe of claws. Unsheathed her silver epee, rammed the blade into his crotch. “Looks like that isn't the only thing these beasties have two of,” she noted with a snicker, as she spotted two sheathes that housed the penises of these furred monstrosities. “No doubt while they vermin assailed us,” sneered Camellia, who encircled more of the pack with a phantasmal inferno. “Hurry! Those sisters need us, and the bedlam will summon the authorities!” The huntresses worked to dispatch the portion of the pack left behind, but several minutes passed, while the rest of the werewolves had been in tireless pursuit of the Pie sisters... ***** With their enhanced senses, the werewolves were easily able to sniff out the Pie sisters, and their nostrils flared with the amorous scent of their recently aroused cunts. Some of their number had broken away, unaware that those left behind encountered the vamp huntresses. Instead, these hellbeasts had purposefully led their prey into a dead end, the filthy alley dark and dank. Worse still, no one would hear them in this closed off space. Marble Pie screamed her heart out when a wolf's claws dank into the bosom of her dress, ripped it and her bra open, and her pendulous udders flopped out and wildly bounced before they settled.with an audible smack. His snout snapped onto a titty with a smack, his maw hot and wet when he suckled hard on her nipple. “Leave her be-ack!” Limestone, seized from behind by a muscled and furred arm, found herself forcibly bent over a trash bin. Tooth and claw ripped her attire into tatters, peeled it from a supple body soon denuded save for heels, and she felt the swell of two cocks prod her lower holes. Nor were the other sisters spared, the sole exit blocked by a hellhound hybrid. “Those dresses are expensive,” came the monotone voice of Maud Pie, who, aware there was no way out of this, removed and tossed aside her garments before they too could be destroyed. Unfortunately, one of the werewolves chose to hike a leg and piss on the clothes pile to mark his territory, while another of his brothers shoved Maud's back into a wall and kissed her. “N-nice moon out, huh? Heehee.” Pinkie forced a nervous smile and titter, before she was also beset by a number of werewolves, who also tore all the clothes from her voluptuous physique. Lifted up between firm arms, she found herself pinned by a couple of wolves, two red, vein-lined, knotted cocks shoved into her still wet pussy, another pair driven up her puckered asshole. Taking her first real cocks, Pinkie blushed and instantly came, the crotches of her attackers soaked in her lust. They batted into her, bucked her soon sweaty form between them, her eyes crossed from pleasure overload while they relentlessly worked to ruin her spread wide fuckholes. Her twin proved even more sensitive, as Marble came before even the first penetration, but soon found herself pushed to mount a wolf on the floor, while another set to claim her ass, her plush cheeks spread, and another dick lined up with her lips. The three wolves thrust at once, skewered her holes with such violence she came anew, twin cocks in her pussy, two more in her sphincter, one shoved down her throat which she choked on while the second shaft rubbed between her eyes, her face smeared in the runny precum that oozed down her rosey face while they bred her raw. Groans and curses arose from Lime, bent over and railed like a cheap hooker by the chiseled stud behind her, his claws sunk into her hips and buttcheeks, which wildly, loudly clapped under his furious humps, and likewise her smaller breasts bounced from the impact. Her face burned, lips twisted in fury, but eventually she clenched up, eyes rolled up when she came on him, too. “Damn...mutt!” She nearly slipped unconscious from bliss, used and abused. She was the first to fully take the knot, and feel the hot, sticky spray of feral spunk rush deep into her loveholes. Maud found herself accosted by a more 'romantic' rapist, who took his time to kiss and tenderly stroke her curves, her blank face nonetheless ablaze and her pussy wetter than it had ever been with anticipation when she saw his cocks throb and spit precum in preparation to be inside her. Her mind went blank when the words tumbled out, “H-hurry up and put it in,” she mumbled. Grinning at his prey, the wolf lifted Maud's legs, which wrapped around his waist when he impaled her lower orifices on his cocks. He began to fuck her into the wall, clapped her ass on the stones she so loved, her hands encircled behind his neck and her boobs bounced into his firm, fuzzy chest. Her lips met his snouts when she wetly came on the hellish stud. Much as she loved sex with her sisters, she'd always wanted a sturdy, forceful lover to ravish her utterly senseless! A pop sounded when the werewolf's thick knots popped from Limestone. Gaped holes oozed out his spunk, more of his hot seed sloshed in her slippery womb. He traded places with the wolf on sentry duty, who immediately shoved his hard cocks into her well-fucked funholes. Pinkie, Maud, and Marble also soon found themselves filled with cum, more of it sprayed across Marble's heated face, filling her mouth, throat, belly, snatch, and rectum. But the hellhound hybrids showed their bitches no mercy, with little in the way of a refractory period as they continued to brutally breed them into submission, thei bellies of the sisters swelled with virile mutt spunk. Pinkie had been titled between the two werwolves that fucked her, so that the claw of a third around her skull and bunched in her curls could force her lips to swallow one of his cocks, while the second rubbed across her face like her twin's and drenched it in slimy, hot precum. “Glk-!” Her forced her to take his entire, vein-lined shaft, then his knot, her throat spread impossibly wide. A harsh smack sounded when a hellhound spanked Lime's buttcheek. The supple yet toned flesh rippled, a red mark left on the momentarily indented skin as he ravenously skewered her. Growls from his throat turned to harsh speech when he hissed, “Take it, bitch! Bend over and take my cocks! I'll knock you up with a fat litter of puppies!” He planted another spank on her ass. The usually sadistic, dominant sister discovered she also had a masochistic streak like the rest of the Pies, so pent up all their lives, as the cocks that brutishly hammered her holes and the palms that viciously smacked her bouncy buttcheeks made her shrily scream and squirt all over him. “Good bitch,” came his raspy voice when her holes clenched around his forced in twin knots and milked out his seed, which fired into and rushed down her demolished fuckholes. Maud found herself in a mating press, claws around her ankles which were pulled back to the sides of her head, while another wolf yanked her head back by her hair, as another werewolf shoved his knotted red cock all the way down her throat, his furry balls left to rest on her messy face which was soon slathered in runny mascara and precum when he too started to ruthlessly facefuck his bitch. The Pie sisters lost count of how many times they were taken, traded between the werewolves, no hole left unused as more spunk rocketed into their silky depths. The pack also came all over them, tossed their cum-soaked, sweaty bodies into a mountain of flesh after they were tired of them for now. Grunts escaped the assembled hounds. One asked, “Should we take 'em to our lair?” He picked up Maud and tossed her over his shoulder, her beautiful bare ass next to one of his snouts. “Why not? The sun'll be up in several hours and she'll be full of my puppies soon.” “They'll be the pack bitches.” Another hound played with one of Pinkie's ample tits. She weakly moaned, saturated in the mixed seed of the wolves, which sluiced down her wrecked sisters too. “Take us home,” whispered a defeated Maud with a small blush, her head filled with the idea of a future where the Pie sisters serviced dozens of werewolves, bore their pups, constantly knocked up and forced to take them, trapped in a cycle of ecstasy where they were safe and sound. Where they didn't have to work or worry, away from the confines of their cold parents, who stifled them. “My pack bitch,” said the one that carried her protectively as he rubbed circles around her buttcheek, made her moan, shiver, and clench her cunt in the hope he'd breed her more. “You'll have to share,” a wolf reminded. “But you can always claim her first-” One of his heads erupted like a split watermelon. He howled, struck by an unseen silver bullet. More bullets felled the first wolf, Maud dropped onto her bare butt with a thunk. Blackish-purple flames chilled the air, torched another wolf that tried to escape, as his muscular silhouette shrank in the supernatural inferno. One-by-one, they were picked off by the unseen. Their disembodied howls echoed, within mere moments the rest of the unprepared pack thinned by outsiders. Maud weakly reached for the last werewolf, who crumpled and died. “No,” came the weak, monotone murmur, as her dreams of escape from this mundane life died before her eyes. Soon, the alley fell silent, the sisters at least relieved they were all safe and sound. Marble stumbled up and whispered, “Wh-who saved us...?” “Dunno,” spat Limestone, who also bumbled to her heeled feet. “But my cunt and arse are sore!” She rubbed her well-beaten buttcheeks with a snarl. “And we have to walk home naked!” “At-at least we're almost at the city's limits,” replied Marble. Pinkie rubbed her own distended belly. “Hmm, but what if they put a bun in our ovens? How are we supposed to explain this to mom and pops? Think we can find a blackmarket doctor and-” “No need,” said Maud. “I have a mixture to deal with that, back home.” Part of her was almost tempted to keep the pups...but she'd never be able to explain this to their parents. “We'll stick to the shadows, sisters! Be discreet,” beamed Pinkie. Limestone asked, “Is that even in your vocabulary?” Nevertheless, with limited options and the theater closed, they were forced to move swiftly and safely, aware that four women in the nude would be assumed prostitutes by the local constables, and they'd be thrown into a prison cell at least until the dawn and fined, were they captured. Thus, they stuck to practiced stealth. Fortunately, it wasn't their first time since they sometimes snuck away to the barn under the noses of their parents to make love, aware Marble in particular was a screamer in the bedroom. Limestone would peek around a corner, wave. Then, they would dash in a bounce of breasts and buttocks, from one shadowy area to the next, avoiding the street lamps that lit the mostly emptied roads. Supple flesh covered in perspiration and coated in dried wolf cum wobbled, as they hadn't dared wash themselves in the muddy street waters. Their nipples stiffly poked into the cool air. Pinkie snickered to herself, and occasionally copped a feel of her sisters or would tweak their nipples. Lime slapped her hand away. “No time,” she sharply reminded her. They carried their heels so as not to impede their movements, the impatient woman tempted to toss her expensive shoes aside. “Almost there,” murmured Marble, whose heavy, bare breasts rose-and-fell in rhythm. She whimpered when Pinkie seized on this opportunity to molest her malleable udders. “The city limits are ahead,” said Maud. “But we still have quite a walk home.” “Think of it as an adventure!” Pinkie squeezed her twin's bust more firmly, traced her areola with her thumbs, the most upbeat of the sisters never able to keep her hands to herself! “Wait! Is that...?” They followed her eyes, to a silhouette that materialized in the miasma, like a phantom. A clop of hooves sounded on the cobblestone. The vehicle drew to a stop, and someone stepped off. ***** A carriage arrived from the mists, drawn by a pair of clockwork automaton mares. The coach driver was a maid, who curtsied to the Pie sisters and in a monotone voice welcomed them aboard. Since it was quite a walk back, especially in these heels, the Pie sisters debated it for a moment before they finally accepted the offer and stepped into the doors, before the drawn cart sped off. The wheels rattled when they raced down the dusty road, surrounded by the woods. Left in the privacy of the cart, the sisters still worked up after their recent session, Limestone blushed as she stared at the scenery pass, and yelped with a muted moan when Maud started to finger her squish, pliable snatch, coaxed its moist walls open and rubbed her clitoris with her thumb. Inspired by the lewd display, Marble sank before Pinkie, who dipped her fingers into Marble's mane when she started to feast on her pussy, the messy foursome still caked in dried hound cum. All of them were blissfully unaware of their saviors. After the cart had taken off, Esmeralda and Camellia had deftly landed atop it, almost silent, their hunt finished. They would wait until the Pie sisters were safely at the farm...and then drink some of their blood, in payment for services rendered. Left weak for a day but otherwise unharmed, the sisters wouldn't know what happened. “Quite a show,” whispered Esmeralda, as they could partially observe the sisters fool around unseen from their perch. “Mmm~. I feel a tad worked up myself, my love.” With a coquettish caress, she brushed aside Camellia's dress top, her already half-bared, pallid titties fully flopped free. “We should wait until-” The masked woman's moan resounded when she nursed a tit. Lesbian lust pushed the five women into risky, salacious scenarios, albeit Esmeralda never told her lover that she too wanted to sample the occasional cock, since Camellia despised all men after how their sire had scarred her. Clothes were slid aside, but not completely removed, in case they would be lost. By the time the roosters crowed, and the sun started to rise over the horizon, the Pie sisters would sleepily come to. Their breasts rose and fell with each slow, deep breath, their titties adorned by a pair of bite marks, where the vampires had suckeled deeply from them and left them paralyzed by unspeakable ecstasy, beyond what even they endured by the werewolves before they were knocked out. Their blissful, muted screams had filled the air as they squirted out their crazed bliss. The vamps had removed their own clothes, aware how wet it would be. Especially when the sisters, trapped in a loop of euphoria, dreamed of complete submission to the feral werewolves. Where a pack would endlessly mate them, fill and bloat them with a steady stream of pups, while Esmeralda and Camellia suckled on and distended their titties to a chorus of feminine moans... Once lucid, the Pie sisters scrambled back to their rooms to wash and redress before they were discovered, reminded that their parents usually wanted them ready at the crack of dawn to help out. Meanwhile, Esmeralda and Camellia returned by the cart and retired to their mansion, immune to the sun's rays since the vampires were a product of alchemy. Nonetheless, the two of them preferred the dark. The clockwork maids stripped the couple, drew them a steamy and perfumed bath, and they settled into the waters that filled the tub. Flower petals floated across the water's surface. The couple bathed each other, in a squish of soft curves, lathered in soap suds and tenderly caressed. Afterward, they dried off and brushed their lover's hair. Then, in a private chamber under protection from their automatons and closed off to keep it pitch black, they retired until noon. Rather than sleep in coffins like tradition, as their former sire had, but instead out in the open. Due to their unique physiology, they were able to sleep safely and comfortably upside-down, and suspended themselves by straps that restrained their ankles, hands crossed over breasts which like the rest of their forms they hadn't bothered to redress. They exchanged a final kiss before they closed their eyes and emptied their minds, their breasts sloped from their bat-like position. Each of them dreamed of the fabled 'Goddess of Vampires'. Tried to picture perfection, the ideal woman beautiful, wise, self-assured. And after a deep sleep, the usual hunt would repeat...
Collared pet
562680
1
Fluttershy (EqG),Sunset Shimmer,Alternate Universe,Drama,Sad,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,Narcotics,Profanity
Hitting Below the Belt
After a picture of Rarity’s horrible designs got leaked by a new gossiper, called Anon-A-Miss, Tensions fly and personal secrets are exposed.
complete
18
6
<p>Sunset Shimmer is pretty confused on why posts about her friend applejack came up and who might have told that personal secret of hers and is now hoping that the secret that she told them as a way to show her trust isn’t revealed.</p>
teen
2024-08-01T18:12:02+00:00
2024-08-01T18:12:01+00:00
804
Sunset Shimmer walked through the hall with textbooks, of different subjects and topics, in a tight grip to her chest. The stares of her Highschool and junior highschoolers made her feel scared as the hard cover of one the textbooks dug into Sunsets breast which made her wince a bit, but thankfully the other books were easy to carry, as she finally made it to her locker and open it up before hearing a group of people approaching her. Putting the books into her locker and resting it against her personal journal, a gift from Celestia, before starting at it for a good minute. The many times to go back home and stay there were very tempting but having friends that care for her and see her as family always made her stay in the human world. ”Sunset! We need a word with you!” The familiar call of Rarity brought sunset out of her head, causing her to close her locker door, if she was to have kept the locker open she would’ve seen the book glow a light pink before the light pulled from the book, draining it of magic. “What’s up Rarity?” Sunset asked, looking at her with a smile that slowly turned into a frown at seeing the angry expressions of her friends which made her ask in confusion, “Something wrong…?” ”Did you happen to lose your phone this morning?” Applejack asked Sunset, hoping that this wasn’t the answer was what they want to hear. Which got a response that made them all glare daggers at Sunset. “No….? Although now that you mention it I had to charge it before third period since it died on me…” ”Enough of your lies Anon-A-Miss!” Rainbow dash said loudly, drawing a crowd on the situation as Sunset backed up in surprise as Rarity spoke up. ”Don’t act innocent you uncouth delinquent b… Bitch!!” before sunset could respond a very usually cheerful Pinkie Pie gave her a mouthful of her mind. ”Why would you do this!? I thought you changed… You.. Secret Stealer!!! I can’t believe that I believed your lies again you soulless liar!” “Pinkie.. Rarity.. Rainbow.. what are you talking about…? I’m not that internet troll…” ”i don’t believe that. I bet what you told was fake for some fake sympathy from us..” Sunset looked at Applejack with a surprised look, getting a mixed reaction from the crowd, some were surprised while other’s smiling at hearing that she had a secret, making Sunset panic. “Look please think about this rationally…-“ ”How about you go get drunk under the bleachers you drunken whore..! Everyone’s eyes widen as Fluttershy, the normally kind and timid person shared a very dark secret about Sunset. Sunsets eyes watered as she looked at Fluttershy, “W… why… why would..-?” “Oh save it you Alcohol chugging prostitute! If you’re willing to share our secrets then you should get some retribution!” Fluttershy said, making the others look at Fluttershy with a surprised look, so Applejack was the first to speak up. “Fluttershy y.. you can’t…-“ unfortunately Fluttershy cut her off, “Can’t!? Oh so now you’re defending this bitch after sharing your secret and Rarity’s! What if Applebloom or Sweetiebells secrets are next!? Or any of our family and friends!? We can’t be doormats about this!” Applejack looked at Fluttershy before looking at Sunset who was on the verge of tears before responding, “stop crying you two faced booze guzzler…” Sunset was appalled, looking at the two before putting her hands to her face before crying loudly. After the girls would see her crying they would walk away, leaving sunset to be humiliated by the rest of the students. After getting home from school, dealing with all the harassment, bullying and threats of violence, Sunset opened her door to a half empty apartment room. Entering the room before closing the door, Sunset flicked the locks before flickering the lights on to reveal the state of her house. There were empty beer bottles, bottles of Asprin, several paper cups of used ramen bowls all next to her mattress . A unplugged box tv sat near the en on the bed, it was broken after accidentally hitting the thing too hard, and few gifts of her former friends lay beside the mattress. With a growl, Sunset leand down and scooped them up before heading to the trash can. With a loud thunk, the gifts were in the garbage can, making it a reminder that her friends never cared for her and she should’ve gone home. Fluttershy entered her house, her animal friends, including Angel bunny flocked over to her. They nuzzle her with love as Fluttershy looked at them. ”Ill feed you all in a bit… I need to do some homework first.” Fluttershy entered her small and cozy room, loving the bedroom door ajar for any animal to come in. Walking over to her small desk table, Fluttershy booted it up and waited a solid minute or two for it to fully power on, once it was done, Fluttershy would start working on her homework. After a hour of work and taking a break to feed the animals, Fluttershy booted up the internet, with a sad face on how she felt when Applejack and Rarity’s secrets were exposed it brought a smile to her face when seeing Sunset Shimmer crying like a bitch. Looking up into the ceiling, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel sorry for the damages this blogger has done but felt glad that it did happen. Looking at the screen and bring up the Mystable webpage and seeing her profile on it. “It must continue… for our sake…” Fluttershy said as she logged out of her account. Once the page reloaded, Fluttershy used the mouse to hit the log in button to see the two boxes that asked for identification. Fluttershy began to type in the boxes…. Username: [email protected] Password: Spreadthelie UserName: Anon-A-Miss I hope you all enjoy giving me a load of grief in this…. lol! Have a great day!
benjovi2004
562683
1
Applejack,Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Mystery,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
The Fresno Nightcrawlers
The squad ventures into the woods to track down the Fresno Nightcrawlers
complete
-1
-1
<p>Rumors of cryptids called the Fresno Nightcrawlers have been spreading around Ponyville like wildfire, and it's up to the detective team of Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight to venture into the woods and investigate. However, along the way, they discover that the cryptids aren't as one-dimensional as they seem.</p>
everyone
2024-08-13T19:05:33+00:00
2024-08-13T19:14:19+00:00
136
The stars were shining, and the lifeless glow of the moon cast its light over Ponyville. Hoofsteps echoed through the streets, and puddles splashed beneath their hooves as rain continued to pour from the dark sky. Dressed in their raincoats and holding umbrellas, the squad of Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight found themselves in the middle of Ponyville with a mission in mind. Recently, strange sightings of creatures called the Nightcrawlers had become rampant in Ponyville. The creatures were said to have a tall, slender body in a white coat, with black, piercing eyes that frightened even the most seasoned ponies. Strangest of all, the creature looked like something out of this world, a stick figure creature without any hooves. The creatures roamed the woods at night, and with Pinkie Pie holding her trusty camcorder, swaying in the air without a care in the world, she was ready to get a first-hoof sighting of these creatures. “Everypony! I’m so excited! Tonight's gonna be such a wild adventure. Hopefully, we’ll bump into those things in the forest. They kinda look like candy floss smeared with milk,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Pinkie Pie, those creatures actually have a name. The ponies here have decided to call them the Fresno Nightcrawlers, and they hunt in packs,” Twilight clarified “The Fresno Nightcrawlers?” Rainbow asked. “What are they, some kind of ghosts? Because if they are, they don’t scare me!” “You sure, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because if we find these critters, ah bet they’ll scare the living daylights out of you,” she teased, throwing a hoof around Rainbow’s shoulder. Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes. “Pfft, as if! Like I’m gonna be scared of some measly ghosts. What are they going to do, haunt me? Ha, I bet these Fresno Nightcrawlers are just some made-up lingo to scare ponies.” “I guess we’ll find out, Dash, when we go into the forest and begin our search,” Twilight said. Before stepping hoof outside the entrance to the woods, she turned to the rest of the group. “Are you ponies ready?” “Born ready!” Rainbow exclaimed, flapping her wings. “Yep! Me too! This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!” “Ah’m ready for some good old ghost huntin’. Let’s mosey into the woods and find these Nightcrawlers.” With a nod, Twilight entered the woods with the rest of the squad following behind. The walk through the woods was mostly silent with occasional coughs and small talk here and there. Their attention was more focused on trying to spot any sign of a Nightcrawler in the distance. Applejack had brought her trusty lasso, just in case anything popped out at them. In the back of her mind, she wasn’t sure if the Nightcrawlers were hostile or benign. There had been no reports or incidents of them attacking townsfolk, but she brought the lasso just for extra protection. Being in the woods at night, a place where you could get lost or attacked at any moment, she needed all the protection she could get. Pinkie turned on her camera, a quick red flash emitting from it as she turned on the infrared camera setting. Peering through it, she pointed the camera at her friends and shuddered, seeing the bones that lay inside her friends’ bodies. She quickly turned it off. “Okay! I’m never using this thing ever again! Here, Applejack, you take it!” Pinkie exclaimed, tossing the camera to Applejack who barely caught it, almost dropping it in the process. “Christ almighty, sugarcube, what’s got ya freaking out so badly?” Applejack asked as she fidgeted with the camera. “Turn it on and point it towards my body and you’ll find out,” Pinkie vaguely explained. Applejack rolled her eyes and began messing with the camera, trying to turn the dastardly thing on. A red spark flashed from the camera, signaling that it was turned on. Rainbow Dash and Twilight stopped in place and watched Applejack point the device at Pinkie. Rainbow frowned as the rain turned into a heavy downpour. Worse yet, she had forgotten to bring an umbrella, so she huddled up against Twilight, feeling the warmth of her skin press against her. Her face turned a deep shade of crimson. Twilight simply smiled at Rainbow Dash as she nuzzled against her, using her mane and creating a force field around them, blocking the rain and anything else from touching them. "Feel better, Dash? You don’t have to nuzzle against me anymore." Rainbow Dash tightened her grip and leaned her head against her. "Aww, but I like nuzzling against you. You’re so warm and soft." "So I’m like a personal pillow then?" Twilight teased mischievously with a grin. "I guess you could say that," Rainbow Dash replied before loosening her grip and pulling away from her. "However, let’s keep the cuddling to a minimum and get back to trying to find these nightcrawlers. We can’t let my mushiness distract us." "You’ve already been beaten since Pinkie Pie is screaming and running around in circles while Applejack is trying to calm her down," Twilight pointed out, gesturing to the scene where Applejack was attempting to catch Pinkie Pie with her lasso. Applejack successfully caught her, Pinkie’s body leaving the ground as she was flung towards Applejack, rope wrapped around her hooves as she tried to break free. “Pinkie Pie, stop squirming and calm down,” Applejack said, gripping the lasso as tightly as she could, struggling as Pinkie proved to be surprisingly strong. “No, I'll never be able to unsee what I saw through that camera! Never!” Pinkie exclaimed, one of her hooves managing to break free. “Sugarcube, we’re all made up of bones, for Pete's sake!” Applejack's tone became more aggressive as her grip began to loosen. “It’s the glue that holds us together and lets our bodies function.” “I know, but it’s so weird seeing it through a lens!” Pinkie’s bottom two hooves broke free, and she immediately kicked Applejack in the forehoof, causing her to wince from the impact and fall to the ground. Twilight sighed as she covered the two with a purple essence, telekinetically enclosing them both inside the force field. “There, now nopony can escape,” she said, her voice tired from all the fighting. Her gaze focused on the pink mare. “Pinkie Pie, give me the camera.” “Applejack has it,” Pinkie replied, pointing to Applejack, who was holding her forehoof. Applejack let out a yelp as she tried to walk but staggered. “Pinkie Pie, ya really done me in here. Ah can’t even walk, thanks to ya.” Pinkie Pie felt her heart sink, realizing what she’d done. She immediately rushed over to her and hugged her. “I’m sorry! Please forgive me, Jacky! I promise I won't freak out like that ever again!” Applejack’s eyes widened, caught off guard by the sudden contact and apology. However, the frustration she felt a moment ago disappeared as a smile formed on her face. “Don’t worry your little head, sugarcube. Ah’ve suffered worse workin’ on the farm than some measly kick to my forehoof. I’ll be fine, ah promise,” she reassured her, ruffling Pinkie’s hair. With Pinkie Pie still hugging Applejack, the orange mare shifted her gaze to the detective duo, who watched their embrace with warm smiles. With a flick of her mane the force field disappeared, twilight noticed the camcorder lay on the ground in the corner of her eye and levitated it towards her, turning it on as she looked into it, wondering what caused pinkie pie to freak out so much When the red light flashed and the screen showed green tinted vision and the bones of her friends, it did weird her out a bit, but it wasn’t something she’d freak out over She tightened her grip onto the camera “Alright everypony, listen up, let’s get back to business and hunt for these cryptids together” She said, letting out a yawn as she suddenly felt a wave of tiredness washed over her, to speed up there process of finding the cryptids she used her magic to create a light source around them “We’ve wasted a lot of time and feeling pretty tied, so no fooling around, got it?” Everypony nodded as they ventured deeper into the woods, following Twilight’s lead. They huddled together as blotches of rain fell from the sky, soaking into their raincoats and dripping along their skin. The coldness of the night didn’t help, and the gusts of wind strengthened, making the sound of rustling leaves echo throughout the forest, creating an eerie backdrop as they walked in silence. After 30 minutes of searching through the forest, their attempts to find the nightcrawlers were futile. Wanting to take a break from all the wandering, the four ponies found a dark spot in the forest, sheltered by trees and shrouded in darkness. The ground was dry against their hooves—a welcome change of pace. Applejack was the first of the group to sit down. She rested her head against a tree, her hoof still in agonizing pain from Pinkie’s sneak attack. Pinkie watched Applejack wince as she gently rested her injured hoof on a pile of leaves. Pinkie trotted over and sat beside her. “I can perform first aid if you want.” “First aid? Pinkie Pie, when did you learn first aid?” “Applejack, I work in a bakery. Mistakes are bound to happen. The other day, I burned my hooves because I forgot to wear mittens while pulling a tray of cupcakes out of the oven,” she explained casually, laughing at her own story. “So, if you trust me to wrap a bandage around your hoof, I can make it feel as good as new!” Applejack shook her head in disbelief at Pinkie’s story. “Pinkie Pie, you’re one crazy rascal, you know that?” she teased, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Just promise me you won’t accidentally apply too much pressure on my hoof, and we’ll be all good.” “So, are we good?” Pinkie asked, still unsure. Applejack nodded. “Water under the bridge, Sugarcube,” she said, placing a reassuring hoof around Pinkie’s shoulder. “Now fix my hoof and we’ll be ready to hunt for those nightcrawlers as fast as I make my apple pies.” Pinkie vigorously nodded with a smile as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a first aid kit, gently holding the bandage. As the pink mare carefully wrapped the bandage around Applejack’s hoof, Applejack let out a sigh of relief. The pain dulled slightly as the bandage was snugly secured, and a faint smile crossed her face. “Thanks, Pinkie, that feels a lot better.” Pinkie beamed, happy to help. “Thanks, AJ! I’m glad I could make up for kicking you earlier.” Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, alright, let’s not make that a habit, okay?” As the two shared a lighthearted moment, just a few feet away, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were sitting on the ground. Twilight’s head rested against Rainbow’s lap, impressed by Pinkie’s ability to perform first aid without breaking a sweat. Her face held a contented smile, her eyelids half-open. She yawned, feeling the tiredness in her body slowly but surely overpower her. It didn’t help that Rainbow was stroking her mane, the softness of her hooves reminding Twilight of the pillows she craved on her bed at home. Rainbow wasn’t lying—the softness and tenderness of her hooves were like pillows in a way. Twilight felt safe and at ease in Rainbow’s presence, more of a curse than a blessing at the moment since they had an investigation underway. Pouting, Twilight just stared blankly at Pinkie Pie and Applejack, who were now poking their heads over a bush, presumably trying to spot any sign of the nightcrawlers. “Tired?” Rainbow’s voice broke the silence. One hoof continued stroking Twilight's mane while the other held a Daring Do book. “We can drop this ghost-hunting thing and go back home if you want. I don’t wanna see sleep-deprived Twilight causing mayhem in the middle of the night,” she joked, closing the book and placing it back in her saddlebag. Twilight sighed. “Thanks for the offer, Dash, but I’m not going to give up,” she replied. “We have a mission to complete, and that’s to uncover where these nightcrawlers came from and why they’re here.” Rainbow nodded, respecting Twilight’s commitment to get the job done. “That’s fine by me,” she said, before a goofy smile formed on her face. “Admittedly, I wished you said no, so you’d come over to mine.” Twilight lifted her head and stared into Rainbow’s eyes with a smile, raising an eyebrow. “And why’s that, Rainbow Dash?” “Because we could snuggle up together in my bed and read Daring Do all night! The coolest thing in the world is reading Daring Do with the most awesome and coolest pony in Equestria,” she said with a smug grin. “How about we drop this investigation and go home and snuggle?” “What’s up with you and snuggling? Can’t get enough of my body?” Twilight replied in a suggestive tone, winking at her. “But to answer your question, it’s tempting, Dash, it really is. But Equestria’s safety is in our hooves, so I respectfully decline.” She was disappointed, but she knew she couldn’t jeopardize Ponyville’s safety over reading with Rainbow Dash, no matter how tempting the thought was. Rainbow hung her head low. She knew Twilight’s reasoning was rational and responsible, but she couldn’t lie to herself—in her own selfish way, she was a little disappointed by the answer. Their conversation was interrupted as the sound of Pinkie Pie’s shouting echoed in their ears. “Oooooh! Applejack, I think I see them! The Fresno Nightcrawlers!” “Wait, really?” Twilight got up from Rainbow’s lap and dusted herself off. “Yup, ya lovebirds need to get over here lickety-split,” Applejack commanded, gesturing for them to stand beside her. Rainbow and Twilight rushed toward the duo, hiding behind the bushes with them, their eyes widening. “It really is them,” Twilight muttered in awe. “Wow, they look really weird,” Rainbow added. In Front of them was a slanted hill, where the nightcrawlers walked slowly. There were two of them, one drastically smaller than the other, however, the rumors about their appearance were spot on. Tall, skinny white cryptids. Hearing about their existence was one thing, but watching them in their own element was something else entirely. The creatures continued to walk, unfazed by the downpour or the wind blasting against them, it was like they were intangible, seen but couldn't be touched, unaffected by the weather as the four watched on in awe. The unicorn shook her head as she reached into her saddle bag and pulled out the comorder before turning it on, gazing through it, surprised to see that beneath the skinny exterior were no signs of blood, or bones, nothing. Twilight lowered the camera with a worried expression, rainbow huddled against her, noticed her expression and put a hoof around her shoulder “Twi are you alright? You seem pretty shuck up” Twilight hoofed over the camera without uttering a word, Rainbow looked at her conference and she looked into the camera and was equally shocked by the site “Geez, what are these things made out of, thin air?” She said aloud, watching the nightcrawlers intently Applejack turned to her right and was about to ask pinkie about her thoughts, but to her surprise, pinkie was gone, panicked filled her body as she frantically snatched the camera off rainbow dash Rainbow groaned and eyed applejack “What was that for?” “Pinkie pie is missing!” She blurted out Rainbow eyes widened “What?” She asked, flipping her head around, pinkie pie nowhere in sight “Where could’ve she gone?” A sudden sound of giggling echoed from a distance, their heads snapped from where the sound generated from and saw the wild sight of pinkie pie standing in front of the nightcrawlers with cupcakes held beneath her umbrella. Applejack jumped over the bush and rushed toward her, fearing for her life, wondering what could happen next. “Hello, spooky crawlers! Wanna cupcake?” Pinkie Pie asked with a smile on her face, waving her hoof in the air. The nightcrawlers towered above her, staring intently with their soulless eyes as silence filled the air. Pinkie shrugged and took a bite out of the cupcake. “Welp, if you don’t want it, that means more for me!” She munched on the cupcake, letting out a soft moan of satisfaction. “Mmph! Are you sure you don't want one? Any of you? They’re free!” Pinkie offered and then focused on the smaller one of the duo, who, in her mind, looked far less threatening. “What about you? I’ll add some extra spice for good measure.” “Pinkie Pie, stop yapping and run!” Applejack called, rushing toward her at breakneck speed, her hooves and raincoat drenched from the downpour as she stood beside Pinkie Pie. “Ya critters ain’t gonna lay a hoof on Pinkie Pie, ya hear me?” She threatened, pulling out her lasso and tossing it toward the smaller humanoid figure. Her lasso phased right through him, startling Applejack. Her confusion morphed into panic as she stepped back, staring at them with a horrified expression. “What in tarnation just happened? Why didn’t my lasso work on him?” “Because it’s a ghost, Jackie!” Pinkie told her, snatching Applejack's hat and putting it onto her own head. “Ghosts can’t be touched, and they’re not gonna play nice if you’re going to treat them like monsters!” “But, Pinkie Pie! They are monsters!” Applejack shifted her gaze to the nightcrawlers and pointed her hoof at them. “Look at them—they look like somethin’ straight outta a horror movie. At any moment, they’re gonna attack us.” “But that’s where you’re wrong, Jackie! These crawly things haven’t laid a single hoof on me. Applejack, I don’t wanna hurt your feelings, but you’re overreacting.” Applejack narrowed her eyes, her mouth agape. “B-But come on, s-sugarcube, they’re—” “Nope, I don’t wanna hear it,” Pinkie interrupted with a dismissive tone, waggling her hoof at her. Applejack stared, completely dumbfounded, unable to believe Pinkie would side with what, in her eyes, were some random creatures that could’ve come from Celestia knows where and could be planning to attack Ponyville right beneath their noses “Pinkie, ya gone off your rocker.” "Me? Applejack, out of both of us, you’re the one who’s gone crazy!" "How am I the one who’s gone crazy? Pinkie Pie, I’m only looking out for you because you’re my friend, and I don’t want you to get hurt," Applejack explained. "These things just showed up out of thin air and already caused a ruckus through Ponyville because of how unnatural and weird they look." "But that’s the problem, Applejack! You’re not giving them a chance! You’re judging them before even knowing them. These creatures haven’t harmed me, yet you’re treating them like they’re the second coming of Nightmare Moon!" Pinkie’s voice was firm, a rare display of seriousness that caught Applejack off guard. "Maybe they look weird and spooky because we don’t understand them, but that doesn't mean they’re bad." Applejack opened her mouth to argue, but the words caught in her throat. She glanced at the nightcrawlers, who were standing perfectly still, watching the exchange with their eerie dark eyes. There was no sign of aggression in their posture, no sign of an attack—just unnerving stillness. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash, who had been watching from the bushes, exchanged glances with Twilight. "Do you think Pinkie’s right?" Rainbow asked, her confidence from earlier replaced with nervousness. "They haven’t done anything... hostile or questionable. What are your thoughts, Twi?" Twilight furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "I don’t know, Dash. They’re definitely strange, and the way they appeared in Ponyville is suspicious. But Pinkie’s instincts are usually good when it comes to reading others. Maybe they’re not a threat after all." "Only one way to find out," Rainbow said, stepping out of the bush. "I’m gonna check. You coming?" Twilight nodded, hesitating at first as she stepped out of the bush and trotted slowly to Pinkie and Applejack, still unsure of the nightcrawlers' intentions. "Pinkie Pie, how do you know if these cryptids are friendly?" she asked in a cautious tone. The nightcrawlers' heads and eyes snapped onto her, scaring her half to death. Pinkie placed a hoof on her chin with a thoughtful expression. "Because, Twilight, I believe in them. If they were bad guys, they would have attacked us by now," she explained, staring into their eyes. "Plus, they don’t give off any evil vibes. Actually, it’s the exact opposite! They seem lost and scared." Before Twilight could respond, the smaller nightcrawler of the two nodded slowly, startling the four of them as they exchanged bewildered glances. "Wait a darn minute. All this time, they’ve been hearing us chattering like a bunch of magpies?" Applejack said in an annoyed tone as she turned around, crossed her hooves, and stared off into the distance. "Yep, with how little they talk or move, they’d make a good therapist!" Pinkie joked, bouncing in circles around the creatures. "Maybe after we’re done with this, I might need to see a therapist because this is confusing the heck out of me," Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her head with an exhausted expression. Twilight, the leader of the group and wanting to get to the bottom of things, clasped her hooves, bringing everyone's attention onto her. "Okay, okay, enough with the jokes," she told them and turned her attention to the nightcrawlers. "Since you can hear and understand us, can you tell us where you came from?" "They don’t have mouths, sugarcube," Applejack pointed out where the mouth would be. "Oh, I didn’t notice that," Twilight said, hanging her head low with a frown. "Then how are we supposed to help these nightcrawlers find their way back home?" "Maybe we might have to ask a bunch of random questions before one lands?" Rainbow suggested, fluttering her wings and hovering over the creatures. Pinkie frantically raised her hoof in the air. "Ooooh! I’m the best at asking questions, Rainbow Dash! Can I be the one to ask them questions? Can I?" "Knock yourself out." Pinkie clasped her hooves together. "Okay! I’ve got this! Since my theory about them being lost is correct, and with these spooky ghost thingies looking like something from a completely different world to ours," Pinkie paused, checking if her friends were paying attention, "I think—I might be wrong on this—that they’re trapped inside our world and are trying to find a way to get back to theirs." The taller nightcrawler nodded, causing Pinkie to cheer. "Yay! I’m so smart! Maybe even a genius! I should start my own detective company. How about ‘Detective Pinkie Pie: Solving Crime’? It has a ring to it!" “You’d make a good detective, sugarcube,” Applejack complimented. “However, detectives can’t start a proper business if they don’t own their gear.” She pulled her hat off Pinkie’s hair and placed it back on her own head. “Alright, nightcrawlers, if y’all need help finding your way home, we’re glad to help.” The two creatures nodded and began to walk again, ever so slowly down the hill. Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash felt like they were losing their minds at the creatures' pitiful walking speed. Luckily for them, the downpour had calmed, and the wind had softened. The trees were no longer swaying, and silence filled the air. The only sound was the soft crunch of their hooves against the soaked ground and Pinkie’s occasional questions to the nightcrawlers, which were only answered with simple nods or head shakes. The group was led to a cave which was shrouded in darkness. Twilight used her magic to light up her horn. A purple glow smothered the cave as they eventually found a portal shaded in white color palate, energy spiraling in circles until it closed on itself, repeating the same motion over and over again. To Twilight this was odd, usually portals were clear as blank canvas, yet this one was closed off and looked distorted, then it hit her “I understand why the nightcrawlers need our help” “You do?” Pinkie excitedly asked, right up in twilight’s face as her eyes looked light they could pop out her head at any second “Please tell us!” Twilight took a deep breath before lightly pushing pinky away from her face “Well pinkie, the reason why they have brought us here is because their back home is closed” “Closed?” Pinkie exclaimed, throwing her hooves above her head “But that’s impossible!” Twilight nodded, her expression serious as she continued to examine the portal “Yes pinkie, this portal is malfunctioning. Normally portals act as a gateway between places, but this one seems… broken. It’s not letting them back to there home dimension, that’s why they need our help” Applejack stepped closer, squinting at the swirling white energy “So what do we do? We ain’t exactly portal fixin’ experts Twilight” Rainbow hovered beside her, her wings flapping lazily “Yeah, and how do we know this isn’t some kind of trick? These night crawlers haven’t been exactly chatty” Twilight turned back to the group with a determined look. “Look, girls, I know we’re not portal experts, and we don’t fully understand these nightcrawlers’ intentions, but we shouldn't let that stop us from sending these creatures back home,” she told them. “Rainbow Dash, Applejack, guide the nightcrawlers away from the portal. I don’t want them to be scared by what’s about to happen.” They both nodded. “Got it,” they said in unison before leading the creatures away from the portal. Twilight then turned her attention to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, this portal needs energy—energy that’ll allow it to reopen.” “But how do I play a role in this? I don’t have any superpowers or magic,” Pinkie replied. “That’s where you come in, Pinkie. This spell I’m about to perform will take a lot of energy out of me, but with your support, you can give me enough strength to reopen the portal.” Twilight took a deep breath before closing her eyes and powering up her mane. Pinkie watched the magic sparkle from her mane, goosebumps running down her spine. This was it—the moment of truth. If Twilight succeeded, the nightcrawlers would be free, allowing them to return home. But if she didn’t, well, that would be it; the poor souls would be trapped in Equestria forever. “Portal, please work with us!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Please open up, these spooky creatures just want to go home!” The light from Twilight's mane only grew stronger, with flickers and sparks of energy traveling through the air. The ground began to rumble as the portal started to open slightly. The spell was working. Pinkie clasped her hooves together. “It’s working! Twilight, show the portal who’s boss!” The portal continued to open more and more, but to Pinkie’s surprise, it began to change color. The once white palette morphed into an ethereal blue texture, and the spiraling motion quickened. The gateway opened up as sparks of blue energy—what looked like thunder strikes to Pinkie—shot through the air. As all of this was happening, Twilight's body began to drain rapidly. She clattered her teeth together, her consciousness fading by the second as her hooves trembled and buckled under her. Pinkie’s encouraging words began to fade from Twilight’s hearing as her energy depleted. She was about to give up, but the memory of Pinkie believing in the nightcrawlers and refusing to give up on them gave Twilight the strength for one final push. A loud bang echoed through the cave, the ground rumbled as the unicorn lost her balance, her hooves buckling as she tripped forward, her eyes closing from exhaustion, however, instead of hitting the ground face first, she was caught She fluttered her eyes open to see Pinkie Pie holding onto her with a huge smile. “Twilight, you did it! You’ve opened the portal!” The mare exhaled, her eyes wide as she panted. “Wait, I really did it?” “Yep!” Twilight let out a sigh of relief as she regained her balance. “Thank Celestia,” she muttered, panting as she turned around to see Rainbow and Applejack approaching, with the Nightcrawlers slowly following behind. “Darn, sugarcube, color me impressed. That looked mighty difficult to perform,” Applejack said. “Yeah, I agree with Applejack. What you did there was so awesome!” Rainbow added. “Thanks, girls. I appreciate the compliments, but can we save them until after the Nightcrawlers leave? I don’t want these cryptids waiting any longer to return home,” She told them The Nightcrawlers silently walked past them, their presence still making the trio's hearts pound faster than normal. Their walk to the portal was slow but cathartic, allowing Twilight to reflect on everything that had transpired tonight—the ups, the downs, and everything in between. From the corner of her eye, Twilight spotted Pinkie Pie weakly waving at the creatures, her lips trembling and her eyes brimming with tears. The sight broke the unicorn's heart. Before the Nightcrawlers entered the portal, they turned around and waved at the ponies before disappearing into the unknown. The portal swayed for a few more seconds before collapsing in on itself, fading away into nothingness. However, when it became nothing but a speck of dust, a piece of paper appeared in its place, trickling through the air and swaying back and forth like autumn leaves before landing on the ground without a sound. Twilight raised a brow as she bent forward to pick it up. To her surprise, the contents of the paper seemed to be a letter from the nightcrawlers, expressing their gratitude for their support. Twilight was touched by the letter, a small smile forming on her face as she quietly tucked it inside her saddlebag. She thought it would be best to share the secret letter with her friends once they exited the cave. Pinkie Pie, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet, spoke up “I’m gonna miss those spooky crawlers,” Pinkie said, her head hung low and an upset expression on her face as a tear trickled down her cheek. Applejack’s expression softened as she placed a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “There, there, sugarcube. Don’t be upset. Who knows, maybe those folks might visit us again sometime.” Pinkie's head perked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “Really?” Rainbow Dash landed next to her and cupped her chin. “Of course, Pinkie Pie. They’ll return in the future, and who knows, maybe they’ll even try one of your awesome cupcakes,” Rainbow reassured her, wiping away the tear before letting out a yawn. “Now, let’s get out of this cave and go back to Ponyville. I feel completely exhausted from this unexpected rollercoaster ride.” The group nodded in agreement, leaving the cave as the night sky shone upon them once more. The rain had cleared, and the strong winds from earlier had vanished. The walk home was a quiet one, with no pony uttering a word, too tired from the vast journey they’d just been on. As they reached the entrance of the forest, Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and faced her friends. “I just want to say tonight’s been fun, even with the little hiccups we had along the way.” “Yeah, tonight’s been awesome, guys. I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime,” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “You're darn right, sugarcube. And let’s hope I don’t need first aid performed on me by a certain little rascal,” Applejack teased with a mischievous grin, ruffling the pink mare’s hair. Pinkie Pie giggled from the touch. “Yep! Tonight’s been a blast! Just like Rainbow said, we should totally do this again sometime!” “Agreed,” Twilight nodded, before her eyes widened as she remembered the letter she found earlier. “Pinkie Pie, there’s something I found earlier.” Twilight reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the note. “Actually, it’s for you too, Applejack.” “Really? Darn, Ah’m mighty intrigued. Ah reckon Ah’ll give it a quick read.” As Applejack and Pinkie Pie played guessing games, wondering what the letter was about, Rainbow Dash, like a ghost, snuck up on Twilight and threw a hoof around her shoulder. “So, since there’s no longer a mystery to be solved, is the offer of coming to my place and reading Daring Do still on the table?” Twilight smiled, her eyes brightening at Rainbow’s suggestion. “Of course, Rainbow Dash. After everything we’ve been through, relaxing with a good Daring Do book sounds like the perfect way to wind down.” Applejack and Pinkie Pie paused their guessing game and looked over. “Y'all go ahead,” Applejack said with a warm smile. “Ah think Pinkie and Ah will stay here and read this letter. We’ll see ya tomorrow.” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! You guys have fun while we try to figure out what this letter says! Also, goodnight!” Pinkie waved The two waved back at Pinkie and Applejack before Rainbow gestured for Twilight to sit on her back, which she did. Without a moment's notice, Rainbow flapped her wings and zoomed into the clouds, illuminating a rainbow glow in the sky. "Now with them gone, let’s read this letter," Applejack broke the silence as she huddled next to Pinkie. Pinkie’s eyes widened at the reminder. "Ooh! Yeah! The letter, I almost forgot," she said, huddling closer to Applejack as she began to read the letter. “We greatly appreciate your kindness and support in helping us travel back to our home world. Without you ponies, we’d probably be stranded here forever, alone and forgotten. But one thing that won’t be forgotten is your support. One day, we might return and pay a visit, maybe even try out a cupcake or two. Actually, Pinkie Pie, we’d like to thank you the most. You believed in us when nopony else would, even standing up to Applejack, who, we might add, had every right to be afraid of our presence. So thanks for giving us the chance to prove ourselves, even if we didn’t speak or, in fact, do anything that earned your trust. Sincerely, The Fresno Nightcrawlers.” As they finished reading the letter, Pinkie took it and pressed it against her chest with a faint smile, a single tear tracing down her face as she stared at the twinkling stars above, remembering the two friends she’d made along the way. They might have looked different—heck, they didn’t even have hooves, mouths, or anything remotely similar. But that didn’t matter. At the end of the day, it was the bond that counted. Pinkie felt warmth spreading through her chest as she clutched the letter close, her thoughts drifting to the Nightcrawlers and the unexpected friendship they’d forged. Though their encounter had been brief, it was something she would treasure forever. With Applejack resting a hoof on her shoulder and wiping the tear that had traced down her cheek, Pinkie knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she’d treasure this night for the rest of her life.
Nova Star Sparkle
562684
1
Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Human,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Just a small one
I bet for sure you've always fancied knowing what the earth actually tastes like, haven't you? No? Oh, that's rather interesting…! Anyway, well, a certain lavender alicorn mare might see that differently...
complete
4
22
<p>The Earth, a small green-blue sphere in the vast, silent and empty void of space. A truly tiny object compared to many others in the vastness of the Universe, but due to its atmosphere and favorable position at a perfect distance from its Sun, a sphere on which life actually thrives. Native and sole home to an industrially advanced and (mostly) intelligent species of bipedal, furless and communicative creatures. Better known to us all as humans. After all, we are talking about ourselves here. Coming in two sexes and countless shapes, colors, sizes, characteristics and so, so much more to name.</p><p>The Earth, a tiny but not insignificant planet in our solar system, especially as it is our home. With all its crisp mountain ranges; vast salty oceans; countless sweet and savory lakes of all sizes; slightly sourer but still nourishing forests; and bitter, sandy deserts.</p><p>WAIT WHAT?!?!! - Damn Twi, what did you just tell me?</p><hr/><p>Cover and a chat with a friend of mine were the inspiration for the whole silly story idea. Thanks, had a great amount of fun writing the spark of thought out xD</p><p>While link to the cover on derpibooru is the picture itself as usual. For the ones not willing to click onto it the AI generated Art was created by the promter: neuralfire.</p>
everyone
2024-08-01T19:22:40+00:00
2024-08-01T19:22:40+00:00
252
Written, translated, edited and post corrected by me: Nova Star Sparkle “But it's just a…”, a very polite and feminine voice started for what probably was like the twentieth time today in less than an hour with the exact same words. Even if it began starting to sound mildly annoyed of having to repeat itself yet again by now. “Pardon, but the answer is still clearly no! It’s simply a no-go!” “But whyyyy?,” the lavender alicorn let her words fade at the end and whined with her eyes wide open, starring down and right into the very soul of the speaker as her shoulders slumped in a display of defeat with a ‘hrmpf’. “It wouldn't even be a big one, just a small bite. It’s simply unfathomable for me. What I present to you is nothing but clear, calculated and logical facts.” “You know why we can't agree to your terms on any imaginable occasion, your esteemed highness. What you want from us humans – or more specific the planet earth itself – is something we simply can't allow to happen under any circumstances. Despite the fact that we are all very aware how truly friendly and forthcoming you were so far in your request and offerings to humanity.” Twilight’s ears perked back up and she picked up her statue to its full royal height while rotating her head quickly around to face the tall and muscular old human that had just raised himself from his chair and responded to her with his deep and gruff voice. She looked him up and down in the split of a second with her sharp eyes and incredible alicorn perception, from his brown, slightly grayish and short hair gelled to the right; over his almost entirely black uniform with two red strips running slanted across his chest; down to his equally colored leggings with golden accents diagonal down and finally the high, black leather jackboots with their silver buckles he wore. As Twilight´s sparkling, intelligent eyes went back up to his face she looked straight and without any hesitation but with burning, determined confidence into his, meeting his piercing and surveying gaze with an equally powerful look. “But I don't even want all of earth-“, the alicorn mare began her reasoning anew, “- not even a great amount of it. Just a teeny weeny nibble of it right from its probably juicy edges as a taste to sample its flavor.” “By our distinct honesty of humanity” – another male human began as Twilight’s head instantly snapped so fast around to him any common mortals neck would have shattered mercilessly with a nasty crack. The alicorn’s nostrils flaring substantial in displease of being so rudely interrupted as she glared daggers from her piercing eyes. The middle-aged man, however, continued unhindered, fully unaware of the potentially godly wrath in lavender alicorn princess form that was just seven foots before him – “and of course to honor you being of esteemed royalty, referred Lady Twiglight Sparkle.” “Twilight, Twilight Sparkle!”, Twilight swiftly corrected with another small frustrated huff from her nostrils. Yet still not because she was truly angry to any of the humans or their apparent incompetence in some cases, just meanwhile less than pleased than she would have wished for her first meeting with humanity. It was just an annoying basic fact, that by now had been the sixth time something like that had happened since she had arrived on earth and called a meeting with all its bipedal leaders. Was her first name really that difficult to correctly remember and pronounce? They even had an entire terrible and creepy fantasy book series named just like her to remember. The humans should really know better…” “Pardon, Lady Twilight –,” the same man corrected itself with a small apologetic tilt of his head to her, “ –but your definition of ´small´…well how do I put it.” He fidgeted around with his indexes for some seconds while searching in clear vain for the right words to express himself to the awaiting alicorn princess. “It’s simply not like any of ours. I hope you understand, majesty?” Considering the words in her head, the solar system-sized alicorn mare stretched her muzzle widely open to free the planet that her sharp incisor-laden maw had almost completely encircled. Also withdrawing her abnormally long tongue back into the back of her mouth the same instance, which had likewise looped carefully around the green-blue orb like a serpent. Twilight floated back a few hundred thousand miles to put some reasonable distance between herself and Earth, crossing her forelegs tightly in front of her chest in mild annoyance. The brightly sparkling astral projection she utilized down on Earth to converse to all the military and government guys similarly made the same disgruntled scowl and gesture as she dropped back onto her hindquarters. "'Tis simply not fair," Twilight huffed in clear vexation as she continued to roll her eyes to the assembled crowd of humans. "I've kindly offered you the privilege of subsequently fully studying our home world Equus and our magnificent, magical kingdom of Equestria itself down to the very last detail if you consent to my requests. Even consenting to allow any method the humanoid race possibly has to be utilized as long as it doesn’t harm our harmonic and pure environments or individuals in the slightest. My fellow princesses were a little bit more cautious than I am to offer that much, but they have as much faith in my dedication and decisions than I have in them. I might be the youngest of us four yet they know we alicorn’s don’t just lazily promise or grant stuff just it is within our power without having calculated any possibility and outcome no matter how ridiculous.” Wordlessly the humans all nodded in understanding, for there was nothing they could really say to disprove of what the gigantic princess high up in space had just told them off. They simply had to believe it to be the truth, regardless the feeling everyone deep down had it was nothing but truth spoken by Princess Twilight. Every single human with Twilight in the room just simply could feel an aura of something fully indescribable but nevertheless undeniable sinking into their very beings radiating strongly out from Twilight’s astral form like a constant heartbeat. The lavender alicorn's hoof silently rolled around before her in space for nine full seconds, though those felt like hours to the humans, many of whom were anxiously holding their breath or looking around nervously throughout the room for what the royal mare was about to say, then Twilight finally spoke. “You know, this is like a once-in-a-lifetime historical opportunity for your entire race, and with a very high potency of 86,492%, will advance your common civilization by several of decades. Maybe even a full century. You could possibly even become a race that – unlike now based upon my flawless calculations – actually has a distinct significance in the wider universe if you work with what is offered well enough." Princess Twilight again rolled her eyes and cleared her throat as her hoof slowly circled the earth hintingly yet again, stirring it’s exosphere slightly. "I just don't see how this is such a big issue for you humans? After all, it's just a tiny nibble to fathom the flavor of your world from the edge – or surface…you know what I mean – and that's all there is to it I request. You wouldn't even really see any difference from what I've devoured cos it's that marginal." At least half of the people in the room with Princess Twilight simultaneously cocked their brows skeptically, and after a few exchanging glances between them, it was one of the younger woman’s who turned around to answer the astral-projected princess deity, awaiting an answer, sitting right in front of them on a red cushion with white stitched edges. For whatever reason a far smaller incorporeal replica of Princess Twilight needed softening under her rear. "To repeat, Your honored Grace, for even with your immense intellect and wide reaching wisdom it appears you do not seem to perceive it, but the 'small' chunk –," she indicated with quotes in the air, " – you intend to take from our planet is as large as the entire surface of the United States!" "Besides, wouldn't it be completely impossible for us to enter your world – I believed you called it Equus, Princess – realistically anyway?" The unnamed woman had paused and looked questioningly over at Princess Twilight for a moment to make sure she hadn't misunderstood the royal alicorn’s home planets name. Princess Twilight nodded wordlessly in confirmation with a kind smile on her lips and her friendly eyes resting on the speaker. "Well, not only to travel to your world but also sufficiently and successfully explore Equus if the size differences appear to be so vast compared to our Earth.” The woman resumed her talk. “Although I don't know the exact dimensions, your size, Majesty, is roughly seven figures larger than ours.” The woman tried in vain to indicate the size difference with her hands and fingers to the lavender alicorn by lifting them up and extending them as far as her arms could reach, but couldn’t quite get it right. Still Twilight friendly nodded to confirm she knew of what was trying to be achieved with the motion. “Well, you see. We would simply be far too tiny. Even smaller – by contrast – than the tiniest bacteria we've studied with our microscopes so far. It simply can't turn out successfully, no matter how your highness might spin it." "You're big meanies, just so you know –," Twilight remarked kindly, but still audibly dissatisfied at first before continuing. " – kind of ungrateful, actually. Any other races we alicorn’s have contacted so far didn't make nearly as much of a tantrum as you currently do when I – or my fellow princesses – asked them for a morsel from their world. Besides…," Twilight added after a second, "…have you ever considered the potentially existing fact that I may wield some very powerful magical spells that easily and effectively allow me to adjust my height to fit in with any given circumstances when necessary in the blink of an eye? We alicorns may be a very unique and rare breed – even amongst our own kingdom with a total of not more than four prime examples – and therefore by far taller and significantly stronger than the rest of our subjects could ever become. Also not least cos we also unite gigantic amounts of all three prime powers of equestrian pony magic within us to move our respective celestial bodies. Like I do with my stars, for example, or my former mentor Celestia with the sun, or her younger sister Luna with the moon. But even then, we are only about twice and a little extra the average size of our beloved subjects physically." "Maybe they just weren't as bright and foresighted as us humans?," another person once again interjected into the ongoing debate between the alicorn mare and various assembled humanity. Meanwhile, the majority of the remaining humans present began to put their heads together deeply in thought and quietly discuss whether the alicorn princess had not perhaps actually made a significant point with her size-altering wizardry but still kept an open ear for everything around them. That middle aged woman who had just spoken up to Twilight and which the lavender alicorn astral projection now began to face fully as her snout turned around wore a large brown jacket adorned with at least thirty medals and other marks of honor, indicating that she held a rather high position in her country. However, none of that made even the least bit of impression to the sparkling alicorn-shaped astral projection that stared back at her impassively. Yes, with friendly eyes and a kind smile on her lips but Twilight totally unimpressed nonetheless. For she was Princess Twilight Amicitia Aurora Sparkle the First, one of the four primordial and almost omnipotent divinities of this reality who peacefully ruled Equestria and, for some decades now, many parts of the neighboring galaxy. It certainly would have to be someone of a completely different caliber to even begin to make a lasting impression on her. Twilight laughed inwardly: Pah, an alicorn wasn't that easily fazed you know. Within a few more seconds now, the corners of Twilight's muzzle had begun to quirk upwards and the lavender-colored alicorn mare far up in space burst into a loud, mocking laugh, almost kicking the Earth's moon out of its orbit with the sheer might of her voice. Yet fortunately, only almost, for the moon was carefully seized by Twilight’s supreme arcane power and pushed back into its natural orbit by the alicorn without a further thought. Regaining her composure some seconds later Twilight turned back to the woman that had voiced this absolutely crazy idea. "I don’t want to come off as rude, but you're joking my dear, aren't you?" Twilight cocked up her left eyebrow to further express her skepticism not only to the woman who had been speaking until recently. Perplexed by the alicorn's surprising reaction, the woman, who had still been quite confident a moment ago, slowly began to sink back into her chair and intertwine her fingers nervously. Also, most of the humans in counselling quickly returned their gazes and attention to Twilight and the ones who didn't fell silent. There suddenly was a strong aura of immense authority and power in the air emanating from Twilight herself, one that simply commanded not to be ignored or interrupted. Slowly, the astral projection of Twilight arose from where she had been sitting and with deliberate, graceful strides of a seasoned leader, the alicorn princess began to trot along the outer edge of the room. The gazes of all the humans followed Princess Twilight in awe and fascination for how majestic she moved. Some of them even rubbing their eyes and starring wordlessly to the front, as they simply couldn’t believe that a single being would ever be able to move in such a graceful manner. Twilight's voice was measured and noticeably lower than usual as she spoke, her eyes scanning the room but not for a moment focusing on any of those present. "Do not think that just because I arrived here less than two hours ago that I know nothing of what humanity has already attempted in the meagre two millennia of its flourishing existence." Twilight stopped trotting around the room and the alicorn's astral projection sat back down on her hindquarters, where she was now, with another mischievous grin. "You all seem to be conveniently forgetting that we alicorns are primordial elder goddesses with virtually limitless power at our disposal. Gifted not only with high intelligence, but with a universal perception and overview of truly everything that is beneficial to us in our task of ruling and protecting each of the galaxies we have promised to uphold." Twilight quickly hovered her gigantic form back into close proximity to Earth, her very slender yet muscular body curving back in a wide arc around the globe. Her millions of miles of swaying, striped tail and mane floated behind her in the silent vacuum of space, their sheer bulk blocking out almost half of all the sunlight that should be falling on Earth at this late hour of the day. The two tips of her gigantic, densely feathered lavender alicorn wings stretched from the searing heat of Mercury's outer atmosphere to the freezing cold of Neptune. The minimal - to her at least - movements of Twilight's individual feathers, covering hundreds of thousands of miles, caused the surface of Neptune to swirl and its various gases to billow impressively all around her. Slowly, Twilight's immense snout drew suspiciously close to Earth, and her narrow muzzle slowly opened uncomfortably wide around the ridiculously small green-blue orb in the middle of space, again compared to her imposing physical size. Further and further over the Earth until her gigantic, fierce white incisors began to dig lightly into the Earth's crust. Her left eye - which alone was twice as massive as the entire Earth itself - looked down sternly at the billions of microscopic humans scattered around beneath her. Even at her almost incomprehensible size to a human, Twilight's supernatural alicorn senses allowed her to see every single tiny detail in front of her snout clearly and without hindrance. "And I can attest with undeniable certainty that many, many of these things are not exactly things to be proud of. "The gigantic alicorn mare had raised her right front hoof as she spoke to point out the point, but now she levelled it at the earth's surface. "I will not go into specifics now, as I feel it is unnecessary, as you are clearly aware of all these things, but spare a thought for yourselves over the last decade or three of your endeavors." It seemed as if the alicorn mare had nothing more to add, but seven seconds later she added another important detail to her statement. "Just think about what day you are 'celebrating' today. It's the first of August, and one of your environmental institutions has declared that today is your annual 'Earth Overshoot Day'. Almost your worst record yet, which you've been putting off for decades. Personally, I wouldn't take much pride in the fact that you need such a reminder. Twilight's hoof moved up to her chin again. "Hmmm, if my quick, rough calculations are correct, you're currently living as if you had 1.7 Earths at your disposal. Which, I don't think I need to mention, is clearly a hoax. Twilight watched as the people down on Earth began to sweat in their uniforms and suits, some nervously tugging at their sleeves or looking away from her astral projection, and with a cheeky grin from her true physical form in space, mirrored by her astral form below, she added a flourish. "Please don't take this as a threatening statement. Just remember that the future existence of your adorable little world depends entirely on my mood, kind and proper treatment -" Twilight's grin grew wider and more predatory, and if anyone wasn't already sweating, they certainly were now, "and ultimately on my appetite. "Ehhhhh..." several of the gathered humans tried to interject again, but Twilight just raised her eyebrows once more in skepticism. The look in her eyes was more than a little effective, immediately nipping any nascent arguments or thoughts in the bud. “"'Got that?" Twilight inquired kindly but firmly, a second later clearly audible to all. Little by little, the lavender alicorn mare was greeted with nods of approval from all the assembled representatives of humanity at her figure far up in space. "There you are," Princess Twilight grinned happily as she clapped her hooves together in front of her. Explicitly taking great care not to inadvertently flatten the Earth to subatomic levels between the hard soles of her hooves. "Perhaps we should start from scratch and revisit the whole issue, forgetting what happened before. In my opinion, with a second shot at the whole thing, we could come to an agreement that both sides would be more than happy with. What do you think?" Twilight's wide grin as she said these words showed that there was a much deeper meaning behind them than just a 'simple' conversation. And down on the surface of Earth, the eyes of almost every representative of humanity widened in realization after a few seconds. Slowly they all swallowed nervously. Now they had finally realized that the young alicorn Goddess would get EXACTLY what she asked for. It was only a question of time how long it would take for humanity to give in to her demands, and unfortunately, an eternal alicorn had literally an infinite amount of time... *End of the Story*
Atleis
562700
1
Discord,Starswirl the Bearded,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Time-space breakthrough
The portal linking Equestria to Earth displays images of an unknown and fascinating world. Ponies and humans alike seek to interpret these new events. After all, images aren't dangerous, are they?
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>The war between Rushu's shushu and Suffoquia's armies on the World of Twelve disrupted the portal linking Earth to Equestria. <br/>Battles between dragons, gods and demons could be seen among ponies and humans alike.</p><p>And while our favorite ponies and high-school girls try to understand the cause of this unexpected phenomenon... Newcomers from the alien conflict have landed on both sides of the portal.</p><p>Faced with this improbable situation full of unknowns, how will our heroines manage to put everything back in order?</p><p>To understand this story, we recommend viewing the &quot;Wakfu&quot; series and the FIM and EG media.</p><p>Translated with DeepL.com (free version)</p>
everyone
2024-08-01T19:54:16+00:00
2024-08-01T19:54:16+00:00
115
Thanks to Princess Twilight, the portal was now kept constantly open. This had a few advantages: Sunset could return to Equestria when she needed advice, and the Princess of Friendship could visit the human alter-egos of her pony friends. There were also a few drawbacks: like the disturbances that began to be felt. These anomalies took the form of visions of landscapes of Equestria or Earth reflected by the portal. These anomalies went largely unnoticed. It was only during lunchtime on Friday, when they were eating near the portal, that the seven friends - Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Sunset and Rainbow Dash - witnessed one of these dimensional disturbances and saw the images that the portal brought them. The portal showed them an island in the middle of the ocean, devastated by a battle between war submarines and an army of demons streaming in from a gigantic red portal in the sky. There were also two dragons, white and green, flying and spitting flames at each other. On the other side of the island, a 50-metre-high devil wielded a hammer to match. He was fighting a red-haired human with a rather muscular afro, wearing faded beige trousers adorned with a red cross and carrying a broken sword held in place by an iron chain. And the hardest thing to believe was that the red-haired man had the giant in check. While the giant had the advantage in power, the warrior avoided his attacks thanks to his small size. The devil saw that his gigantism was defeating him and disappeared in a cloud of dust. He reappeared a few moments later, having grown to human size. The battle was fierce between the submarines, the dragons and the two combatants, and to say that the island would soon disappear beneath the waters would have been a prediction. The image forked to show the fight between the afro cutter and the devil. They were so powerful that their blows created shockwaves that transformed the landscape. The portal that brought the demons to the beach began to shrink. And the smaller it got, the less clear and precise the image became.The warrior noticed this and began to hammer his opponent, landing blow after blow without stopping.The speed of his fists was so great you'd have thought he had several arms instead of two. The demon didn't seem to have taken as much damage as he should have.When the warrior saw that his opponent was sufficiently stunned to fight back, he grabbed him firmly by the waist and leapt skywards to reach the portal. The devil and his adversary passed through the red portal before it closed for good.Then the image blurred, revealing only the usual white surface of the portal. For a few moments, the girls stood dazed by their reflections on the marble surface of the portal. "Did I see what I think I saw?" Fluttershy asked the others timidly. "Darling," replied Rarity, "I think we all saw the same thing. "It was huge," shouted Rainbow Dash. "You saw this man fighting like a lion against this monster. He was doing it with a smile on his face, as if it was all just a game. And the fight between the two dragons? Phenomenal". She tried to imitate the red-haired warrior but only succeeded in gesticulating in all directions, attracting stares from the other students. Realising what was happening around her, Rainbow Dash immediately stopped making a spectacle of herself, blushing in embarrassment. "What I don't understand," began Sunset Shimmer, "is how this is possible, even though the portal is connected only to Equestria. This shouldn't be happening, I'm sending a message to Princess Twilight immediately." "You can do that later," Twilight cut her off, pointing to the clock above the door. "The funny thing is that this isn't the first time the portal has shown this particular world." Pinkie Pie stretched out on the pedestal, savouring his vanilla and raspberry cupcake. Not wanting to be late for the next lessons of second period, and above all not to get bogged down with this story about parallel worlds and Pinkie using the gate as a cinema when the opportunity arose, the girls went off to throw their rubbish in the bin, gathered their things and joined their classmates. Only Sunset dared to take one last look at the gate to make sure nothing else happened while they were away, but all she saw was the plinth that once housed the horse statue. Even though it had been destroyed several months ago during the Friendship Games, the fact that she could no longer see it left a feeling of emptiness and sadness in Sunset's heart.Her friends beckoned her to follow them with big smiles, and for a few moments Sunset's sadness disappeared as she ran to join her friends. *** After several hours of lessons, an English test and a group rehearsal, the seven girls left for Sugar Cub Corner to spend some quiet time. It was Pinkie who went to collect the others' orders. While she waited at the counter, the others talked incessantly about the events that had taken place earlier.The subject that kept coming up was the portal and the images it showed. Pinkie pie returned from the counter with the orders and sat down at their usual table between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "So you've seen this world before ?" Sunset Shimmer asked Pinkie. "Yes, I have. I recognised some of the people who were here during the battle this morning. Except that last time, they were fighting against a giant Spider Clock and a knight who was manipulating a strange magic cube that shone and flew through the air". "And when was that ?" Twilight asked as she sipped her hot chocolate. "About two months ago... I think". "And you didn't think to tell us about it ?" Applejack asked incredulously. "You didn't ask me," cried Pinkie Pie in exasperation. She was getting fed up with the questions and decided to calm down by drinking her strawberry milkshake with whipped cream. "What's curious," Twilight continued, "is why this particular world. I mean, there must be an infinite number of universes, so why this particular world?" "I've sent a message to the Princess," replied Sunset.Perhaps she'll have an answer. "I wonder what could have happened to the red-haired man," shouted Applejack. "He did give his all to fend off the big horned man". "He's probably kicking that demon's arse," chuckled Rainbow. "He looked like he was having the time of his life on the beach, giving him blow after blow". You've got to have some guts to give up your world to save it," concluded Applejack. I don't know anyone with that much courage". "Yes, I do," boasted Rainbow. "His courage doesn't excuse his style of dress," said Rarity indignantly, sipping her vanilla-chocolate frappé. "Wearing nothing but a pair of trousers that's worn to the hilt isn't really a decent style. Even our caretakers wear cuter uniforms". "The way he fights reminds me a bit of a warrior," commented Sunset. You know, like the Spartans of ancient Greece. Apart from the broken sword, he was the perfect fighter. And for them, style of dress took second place. "I'm glad everyone was saved," said Pinkie Pie, sipping her Coke. But I'm sad for him. He had to leave friends behind to save his world. Pinkie's statement was so cold (especially coming from the happiest person in school). It completely froze the conversation. You worry too much, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash comforted her. It's not going to happen to us. "Rainbow Dash is right, darling," said Rarity. "We can handle ourselves against evil beings". "After mermaids, friends who turn into monsters and grown-ups corrupted by magic..." declared Applejack. "You really can cope with anything and everything". She realised her words a little too late and looked at Twilight and Sunset, who had a heavy past behind them linked to magic they couldn't control. "Sorry girls," Applejack apologised. "I shouldn't have..." "It's all right," Twilight reassured her. "It's all behind us now". Suddenly, Sunset's book began to glow. The owner quickly noticed: "Girls," warned Sunset, "the princess has just replied to me. "Better late than never," quipped Applejack."So what does she say?" asked Fluttershy. She opened the book and began to read the answer.
Atleis
562700
2
Discord,Starswirl the Bearded,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Time-space breakthrough
The portal linking Equestria to Earth displays images of an unknown and fascinating world. Ponies and humans alike seek to interpret these new events. After all, images aren't dangerous, are they?
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>The war between Rushu's shushu and Suffoquia's armies on the World of Twelve disrupted the portal linking Earth to Equestria. <br/>Battles between dragons, gods and demons could be seen among ponies and humans alike.</p><p>And while our favorite ponies and high-school girls try to understand the cause of this unexpected phenomenon... Newcomers from the alien conflict have landed on both sides of the portal.</p><p>Faced with this improbable situation full of unknowns, how will our heroines manage to put everything back in order?</p><p>To understand this story, we recommend viewing the &quot;Wakfu&quot; series and the FIM and EG media.</p><p>Translated with DeepL.com (free version)</p>
everyone
2024-08-06T10:17:03+00:00
2024-08-06T10:17:03+00:00
77
Dear Princess Twilight, for some time now the portal has been showing us images of another world. And it’s always the same. I wonder if you’re experiencing the same thing in Equestria. We are starting to have questions about how the portal works. And if you have any idea what’s happening, I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Your friend Sunset Shimmer» This was the message that Princess Twilight had received from Sunset, which only confirmed her doubts. The gate did not derailleÂ. It was perfectly stable (she checked twice) and yet it showed another world. To deal with this situation, she had called the most important ponies and magicians of the kingdom. The other people that Twilight had gathered were Starlight Glimmer (her friendship student), her friends, princesses Cadences, Luna and Célistia. Shining armor and Fleury heart had come with Cadence, accompanied by Sunburst and Tourbillon star the bearded. Everyone was gathered around the map in the castle of friendship at Ponyville. "Well," Twilight, "I’ve gathered you all together today to talk about a rather... new problem. Not to say worrying." "What is it Twilight ?" Princess Celestia asks. "The easiest thing would be to show you the scenes that Starlight witnessed. Are you ready ?" "Yes," her student replied. "You can go, Twilight." The first memory showed Starlight in the library reading a letter from Thorax inviting him to spend a few days in the changelings kingdom to deepen the knowledge of friendship among them. As she was writing her answer, she saw a light emanating from the portal. Preparing to see something coming out of the mirror (thinking it was Sunset), she was surprised that the portal projected a vision of a landscape she did not know. On the images, there was a huge mechanical installation, like a giant half-destroyed clock that stood in front of a mountain. In the center of the clock, a humanoid being dressed in armor handled a funny object, a small blue and green cube that shined and levitated swirling in all directions. Under the command of the human in armor, the cube released an immeasurable amount of energy. Starlight saw that time was going backwards. She understood that man himself was going back in time. It didn’t last very long and when the cube completely lost its energy, the image on the mirror went out. Starlight wanted to warn Twilight but she was in the Crystal Empire for an important meeting. She decided to write down everything she had seen in a blank journal and wait for her teacher to return. The second memory was the scene that appeared this morning in front of the Canterlot high school with the dragons, the red warrior and the 50m demon. When the map went out, everyone was silent for a few moments. The tension in the room became heavy. "Well," began Sunburst by breaking the silence while adjusting his glasses. "Here’s something really... unprecedented." "I wanted to get your opinion on the matter. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, would you like to start ?" "I don’t know what to say," Celestia began hesitantly. "This is the first time we’ve faced such an event." "If I may," replied Luna. "I want to point out that this world is completely different from the world behind the portal. You’ve seen it before, Twilight, and you know what I mean." Twilight understood Luna’s words perfectly, remembering the Canterlot high school and the friends she made there. "And you Starswirl, what’s your point of view ?" asked Twilight. "I’m impressed, Starswirl replied with a happy face to Twilight. "I am well placed to say that it is possible to travel in time but there are too great risks to undertake such experiments, as paradoxes or loops. But the being in armor managed to reverse its course, completely rewind it. He solved all the problems related to time travel." "For my part," added Sunburst with enthusiasm, "it is the prowess of combining science and magic that leaves me speechless. Have you seen their underwater ships ? Next to them, our aircraft really look like toys." Seeing the mines rejoiced of these two magicians made the atmosphere more calm and serene considering the subject. "I’m glad everyone is taking this topic with enthusiasm," Twilight concludes. "I would like to talk about a project that I think will be beneficial for Equestria." She began to produce a painting on which there were diagrams presenting the theory of dimensional travel with Equestria and this new world. "I’ve been thinking about it since Starlight told me about this phenomenon. If there is a way to see through the portal, then we could try to communicate with them. It would be like using a phone." "Sorry, Twilight," asked appljack. "What’s a phone ?" Twilight often forgot that most of them didn’t know how the world of Sunset worked. "Ehm... Twilight," timidly slid Cadence. "It’s not such a good idea." "I agree with Cadence on this point Twilight," replied Shinning Armor as he gave the bottle to Flurry. "They may be dangerous." "You described to me what the world of Sunset Shimmer was like," Sunburst started. "It’s just a parallel universe, there’s a human counterpart for every pony in Equestria and the rules are pretty much the same as here, except that their science has replaced our magic. I say this from our point of view at least." "This new world, on the other hand, is a complete different reality," concludes Starswirl with his silky white beard. "We don’t know what laws they have and how they will react if we come in contact with them." "Also when we see the damage that their machines can cause," tried Celestia. "It’s just a matter of seeing the state of the island after their confrontation. It makes you want to leave them rather than start the conversation." Twilight understood the intentions of her guests. But the princess of friendship didn’t want to ignore anyone, either from her world or another. "I have one last proposal to make." Twilight proposed before telling the rest of the assembly about her plan. Twilight’s horn began to shine and she could probe the mind of her student. With surgical precision, she extracted the desired memories from Starlight’s memory and passed them to the map so that everyone could view them.
Atleis
562700
3
Discord,Starswirl the Bearded,Sunset Shimmer,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Time-space breakthrough
The portal linking Equestria to Earth displays images of an unknown and fascinating world. Ponies and humans alike seek to interpret these new events. After all, images aren't dangerous, are they?
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>The war between Rushu's shushu and Suffoquia's armies on the World of Twelve disrupted the portal linking Earth to Equestria. <br/>Battles between dragons, gods and demons could be seen among ponies and humans alike.</p><p>And while our favorite ponies and high-school girls try to understand the cause of this unexpected phenomenon... Newcomers from the alien conflict have landed on both sides of the portal.</p><p>Faced with this improbable situation full of unknowns, how will our heroines manage to put everything back in order?</p><p>To understand this story, we recommend viewing the &quot;Wakfu&quot; series and the FIM and EG media.</p><p>Translated with DeepL.com (free version)</p>
everyone
2024-08-08T18:06:02+00:00
2024-08-08T18:06:01+00:00
65
"Dear Sunset Chimmer, after a long meeting and much deliberation, it was agreed that we will try to get in touch with this new world. But on the only condition that you and your friends also participate in the project. As the portal has also involved you, we will need all possible help. This first contact is essential, it is necessary that this new world knows that we want to make acquaintance. I will contact you later to give you more details on the progress of the project. Your friend, princess Twilight" Sunset read the answer to others. The fact that they wanted to try to communicate with this new universe was already great news in itself. But that in addition to asking them to help prepare the event was enough to galvanize them "Great, shouted Pinkie Pie, who says new world says: lots of new friends. And who says new friends says: great party in sight." "Pinkie, moans Applejack, there are not only parties in life. We’re talking about a serious subject here." "I agree with Pinkie," said Rarity. "This is an opportunity for us to understand the ways of life in this world. In addition I could always improve their dress styles." "Let’s put the rags aside, we have a party to prepare for." "Stop talking about party," repeated the exasperated farmer Everyone started talking at the same time and nobody could get along. "We should wait," Twilight proposed. "There’s no point in making plans about the comet. Especially since we’ve just received an answer." "She’s right," Sunset said. "But I can still send a message to the princess if you want. Also, it is better to warn Principal Celestia and Deputy Principal Luna of all this. After all, the portal is right in front of their school, they must be notified as soon as possible." "I imagine their heads if they saw a warrior come out of the gate breaking everything with his broken sword," puffa Rainbow Dash. "And if this warrior ever comes by," Rarity announced, "I’ll sew him a new combat uniform. He’ll be the most classy, trust me." The reaction was general hilarity. Everyone had the image of the well-dressed red warrior coming out of the gate smashing everything in his path. This hilarity has had the effect of reducing the pressure accumulated during the day. "I went to our blog," Sunset began after she had calmed down. "We received an invitation from the Everfree camp. Our last charity party brought a lot of people and Gloriosa offers us to do another concert. She offers to do it in two weeks." "It’s cool," shouted Pinkie while throwing confetti. "I’ll be able to write new songs for the occasion," Fluttershy proposed. "You think there will be Timber ?" asked Twilight, blushing. "I suppose," Sunset replied. "But I promise nothing." She knew of Twilight’s feelings for the Everfree employee and apparently they were mutual. She was happy for her. The seven girls finished their drinks, took their things and left the store. The sun was slowly beginning to decline in the late afternoon sky tinged with red and orange. The air had cooled a little and we could start thinking about summer holidays that were coming in just three months. They started to separate to go home "Okay, we’ll meet tomorrow at the mall as agreed ?" Applejack asked. "I’ll be there," Pinkie Pie said. "There’s a new cake shop that just opened and they’re famous, apparently." "As for me, chained Rainbow," I need new sneakers. "The last ones didn’t live up to my last competition." "Don’t want me to make you a custom pair ?" proposed Rarity. "They could stand your super speed." "You really need to manage your speed," Twilight said. "This is the second time it’s happened." "I just want to know how far I can push my magic. But I never find anyone who can compete with me." "You’ll find," Sunset said. "You just have to aim higher than the local competitions. You should try to register for the Olympics, she proposed in an ironic tone." As soon as she had time to finish her sentence, a shrill sound of crumpled sheet metal and a huge horn-clap drew the attention of the seven friends and when they saw what caused this racket, they did not believe their eyes.
AbrichuInk
562716
1
Discord,Main 6,Princess Celestia,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Suicide / Self Harm
Just thinking...
Twilight is not okay; in fact, she hasn't been for a long time. The good thing is that she has someone as an anchor, even if it turns out to be her own enemy.
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>Twilight is not okay; in fact, she hasn't been for a long time. When her thoughts go further, just like her actions, ending her life no longer sounds so pathetic. Not having goals in life can result in her own downfall, which is quite crazy, but what's even crazier is knowing that she's still alive thanks to her own enemy.</p><p><i>A crazy fact is knowing that Twilight was just...thinking.</i></p><hr/><p>English is not my native lenguage, be patient.</p>
teen
2024-08-01T22:29:32+00:00
2024-08-01T22:29:32+00:00
315
CHAPTER ONE - BENEATH THE SURFACE "Technically, she wasn't alone, but she felt lonely." Twilight was sometimes a quiet pony, something her friends knew very well. They knew she didn't enjoy socializing much, that she was an exemplary student, loved her books as much as she loved her friends and her younger brother, Spike. She didn't hesitate to help others, being loyal and someone who would stick by you until the end, even in your worst moments—exemplary, studious, among other adjectives that could make the list longer. To them, she was real. It was a shame they couldn't see beyond the surface. For Twilight Sparkle, it was just another day. A day where, if she distracted herself enough, it could turn out to be a good day. For the lavender unicorn, those monotonous days under the great sun provided by the Ruler of Equestria, Celestia, were entirely normal. Celestia was Twilight's mentor; she had known her since the lavender pony was a filly, aware of her qualities and weaknesses, and knew of her big heart. She loved seeing Twilight's actions when she looked at the stars as the moon reached its highest point during the night. Those small memories kept Twilight from ending everything she had once fought for, but in a real battle, one fights until death, but it can't be forever. Twilight was...patient, but not enough to last into old age. She had dreams, or at least she once did. And when everything became routine, she simply didn't know what else to do. When she met her friends, it was like a ray of hope, but by the end of the day, it was still the same. Another day, another week, another month, and another year. It continued like a cycle, repetitive. This was her life; studying, eating, hanging out with friends, reading...and occasionally fighting villains, reforming them if necessary, like with Nightmare Moon, or turning them to stone, like Discord. When she did it, it seemed extraordinary and exceptional. It was a plus in her life, but not everything lasts forever. Beneath all that was sadness. It's a negative feeling caused by events that bring melancholy or suffering to someone, but in her case, it came from those thoughts. When she remained silent in the middle of a conversation, it was because of that. Thinking is okay; it helps you examine, opine, be...you. But excessive and negative thinking regularly is wrong. It may happen occasionally; we can't be happy all the time. But there was always something wrong. Twilight knew it. She knew those intrusive thoughts weren't okay, like "I wish I had died when I almost fell off the cliff" or "Why am I like this? Was it my fault? Why can't I end my suffering?", and they continued. She tried not to let it be her focus during the day, which is why she was productive, but lying to herself with an "I'm fine" didn't lighten things; it seemed to aggravate them, make them worse than they already were. She hated the days when she had nothing to do, without a friendship problem. She hated when her heart tightened and her nose got stuffed from crying, that salty water running down her cheek like drops, but could turn into a waterfall. She hated having to pretend everything was fine. Deep down, she wished someone would notice, see that she wasn't okay. But no matter how many hints she dropped, no one picked up on them. She was sure no one would understand, but she was also sure there were people in worse situations. For that reason, she thought she was just someone who complained about something so insignificant. She had a decent life, had been the best student, the best daughter, the best sister, the best friend. She had graduated, had a home, was recognized for what she had done. And yet, she felt empty. She thought she was being exaggerated. She let it go. And then she realized that the feeling just wouldn't go away. There were ponies in poverty, who didn't even have bread to eat, who didn't even have a miserable penny to support their needs, like health. Many of them died daily for that same reason, and yet they were happy, or the opposite. When she saw those street children playing, she wondered, "What's wrong with me?" Those children played, smiled, were happy and at peace with their lives. And she, she wanted to end hers, wished her existence, her miserable and pathetic existence, would disappear. She wasn't a child; children sometimes don't see the real world, but they were happy. She felt bad for being jealous of children, children who didn't even have, or have the chance to go to school or be welcomed home by their parents, because they didn't even have a home. Some were orphans, had no place to hang their hats, had nothing they could call home. So, in a way, she was similar. The difference was that she had a home, had everything someone could wish for, yet she wasn't satisfied enough or happy enough. She didn't have a place to call home. Technically, she wasn't alone. But she felt lonely. These were feelings she didn't understand but had learned to live with because they were routine, all of them. She had no goals or aspirations in life because she knew it would end at some point. She did nothing for her monotonous schedule, just like her life, because she had gotten used to it. She did nothing with her thoughts or her true attitude because, at the end of the day, who cared? No one would care enough to help her out, which is why she was in that place. There was no one around to stop her because it was desolate. Heavily, she walked to the edge; her last thought was, "Life is so troublesome," and it was, but it was also a pity that despite her attempt, she hadn't died. On the contrary, she was as alive as when she was a filly. But for somepony to have saved her from death was strange, especially when they told her, "Life is very valuable to mortals; I'm surprised that you, of all ponies, don't value it. But I understand, it's the same for an immortal being like me."
AbrichuInk
562716
2
Discord,Main 6,Princess Celestia,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Sad,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Suicide / Self Harm
Just thinking...
Twilight is not okay; in fact, she hasn't been for a long time. The good thing is that she has someone as an anchor, even if it turns out to be her own enemy.
incomplete
-1
-1
<p>Twilight is not okay; in fact, she hasn't been for a long time. When her thoughts go further, just like her actions, ending her life no longer sounds so pathetic. Not having goals in life can result in her own downfall, which is quite crazy, but what's even crazier is knowing that she's still alive thanks to her own enemy.</p><p><i>A crazy fact is knowing that Twilight was just...thinking.</i></p><hr/><p>English is not my native lenguage, be patient.</p>
teen
2024-08-08T04:41:15+00:00
2024-08-08T04:41:15+00:00
108
CHAPTER TWO- A GLIMPSE OF DESPAIR "it’s great to see them suffer."—"Is that why you’re happy?" The blood dripped, and the crack of a branch echoed in the eerie silence of the forest. There she was, staring at him. The creature before her had the head of a horse, with a deer antler on the right side, a blue goat horn on the left, a long fang, and mismatched pupils. Its tongue was serpentine, its beard goat-like, and its eyebrows white and bushy. Its body combined limbs of a lion, eagle, lizard, and goat, with wings that blended those of a bat and a Pegasus. It was someone she knew all too well, not just because she had seen him before, but because she had defeated him. "Discord..." Twilight murmured, her voice shaky and breathless. The blood dripping from her mouth made it hard for her to speak. Her strength was waning, and the sight of the draconequus seemed to swirl before her eyes. "Y-you? H-how?!" she exclaimed, before coughing up blood and feeling dizziness envelop her. "Me?" the draconequus scoffed, his voice resonating with a mocking and disdainful tone. "I saved you, and this is how you thank me?" He took a step closer, observing the lavender pony with a mix of amusement and contempt. "You look terrible," he sneered. It wasn’t the first time he had seen her in such a sorry state, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. He still remembered how she had been a gray pony, literally, though not morally. Or so it seemed. "I-I was supposed to be—!" She coughed again, interrupting her protest as he placed his hand on her forehead, and a black glow emerged from her. "I don’t know what you’re doing, but they will defeat you. You should be like a statue... you shouldn’t even be free! Did they release you or...?" She tried to speak, but the draconequus silenced her. "You’re ruining my beautiful work of art, so don’t talk," Discord said, directing his gaze toward the smaller pony. "Not unless you want me to possess you. Though I could do that. It would be a piece of cake to take your body, destroy those you love... or just let you die and watch the world you cherish turn to ashes." Upon hearing that, the unicorn fell silent. There was nothing she could do, especially in her current state. She wouldn’t fight against the god of chaos—not alone. She sighed, feeling her bones settle, perhaps due to the movement or the effort of speaking, but that wasn’t the case. She felt better, physically better. She no longer felt as if a couple of library shelves had fallen on her, or that she had received a heavy blow from a royal guard. Soon, the black aura emanating from the draconequus’s hand faded. Am I just a pawn, someone to be used as a toy for his amusement? "You should be grateful... I stained my freshly washed hands because of you," he said dramatically. Seeing that she didn’t flinch, his frown deepened. "I saved you; it’s not because I like you. You wouldn’t, however, it’s necessary. After all, I am and will be connected to you like a damn dog." "W-what?" was all she could murmur. She was supposed to be dead, heartless, with wounds that would be found, and then they would hold her funeral—and here she was, alive and kicking. It wasn’t what she desired; it wasn’t what she wanted, and— "I don’t want to be here either, believe me. Those damn artifacts failed miserably; I was supposed to be locked away, my entire soul. Now it’s fragmented, broken... and split in two. I’m like a lost soul, and you were supposed to be the one... but you’re the only one who can see me, hear me—and probably tolerate me," the god of chaos said, waiting for the imminent silence. "I’m not hallucinating... no way!" She crouched down and saw her reflection in the puddle created by the rain. "T-tied with you?! No, this must be a joke! Is it because I wanted to end my life?!" she shouted in anger, fed up. It shouldn’t have ended this way. "Yes, yes, save your tears. I also hoped it was a cruel joke from some other god or the earth itself, but no," he mocked in her face. He didn’t like the situation, but he had to get used to it. Of all creatures, ponies, zebras... he was the one who found her. It wasn’t his explanation—if it could be called that—that caused her mental collapse; it was everything. And she didn’t understand anything. Why did he choose her? How? Tied together?! Why?! "My soul split in two the moment they used those things against me. The elements are not infinite; they take a long time to recover energy, especially when purifying dark magic. That’s why I helped in their creation," Discord said. Twilight's pupils dilated. Had he created those very elements? "You’re the god of chaos, you among all beings, created the elements?!" she spat, almost choking on her own words. The being frowned. "Wrong!" he mocked. "That title is nothing but a sham. They might have something to do with it, the way you all see it, but my purpose and reason for being here is not that. I am the god of everything you love, most of it... at least." He gave her a twisted smile before taking Twilight and teleporting her to an unknown place. A wasteland, where everything was almost chaos, yet harmonious at the same time. It captivated Twilight’s astonished gaze, and by this point, she had accepted her fate. There would be no turning back; was this how it would be? "I have the power to control everything I please; chaos is my delight," he commented while showing her the surroundings. "I was a god, creator of the elements too, or at least I helped with their making," he said disdainfully, catching Twilight’s attention. "How?!" Twilight exclaimed, stunned by the recent revelation. "Well, it was thanks to those very stones; they were called Hikari. They have a special power, and it’s their vast amount of magic, almost infinite; when Starswirl found them, he used them to extract dark magic, but they exploded when exposed to large amounts." He threw her a glowing orange stone. "Wow," she said, the glow illuminating the entire place. "Starswirl is one of the greatest wizards, if not the best of all time! I knew he had something to do with the creation of the elements, but I couldn’t verify its truth... and what did you do?" "And that’s where I came in... I granted them unparalleled power, making them almost unbreakable unless someone with great power uses them. They automatically bond with the bearer, as if it were... I’m too lazy to explain!" He made a dramatic gesture, sitting in what Twilight could perceive as a throne. "Are you serious?" she murmured, disheartened. "You fell for it; you should have seen your face when I told you!" He transported Twilight in front of him to continue the conversation. "They simply connect; the bearer must reflect what the element is. Starswirl and I created a magical spell to purify dark magic and transform it into life-giving and healing energy, like a boomerang." "So, when we defeated Nightmare Moon, it was due to the clash of both magics? The element channeled it and returned it? Just like that?" the unicorn asked uncertainly. When Discord nodded, she continued, "But... how did we turn you to stone? Shouldn’t it have 'reformed' you or something like that?" "Not necessarily; like magic itself, it has different uses. You and your friends only know the basics: countering dark magic, reforming or turning ponies and creatures back to their original forms, changing them. But there’s petrification, where magic accumulates and creates a field of forces to prevent the other from using magic, moving, or whatever. It can also expel, like a shockwave; there are so many things that drain my mental energy." He leaned back in his seat. "And... you didn’t explain why I’m still here; there must be a trick, some trap by which you saved me. I know you’re not entirely vile and cruel; however, you never give anything for free without getting something in return. Why did you save me? What do I have to do with this?" she asked. Discord approached and set up a chessboard. "Don’t ignore me—" "As I told you before, the elements are connected to me; it’s thanks to me that they continue to function so well—I should have gotten rid of them—and the elements are connected to you. You are like the king; the other elements follow you like soldiers... and together they form an army." He moved a piece on the chessboard. "Are we playing chess and—?" She directed her gaze at the God. "Alright, we’re connected; is that why I can see you? Hear you?" She paused briefly. "I just want you to disappear and continue what I was doing before you saved me." "It’s impossible; my soul, being divided, found refuge in your element, and little by little, you and the element become one. That’s why I’m now physically present for you; I found a way to keep living, thanks to you." He formed a twisted smile. "You are my vessel." "Vessel? Mentally or something? I know you said we were tied, and that was my first conclusion; I don’t know what else to think, and I don’t even want to." She looked at him with a furrowed brow. "Let’s say you are my bearer; you have the ability to use my magic and all that. Damn, I never thought I’d be trapped in you, mentally, even my damn powers. That’s why I saved you." At this, Twilight merely looked at him skeptically. "You must be joking..." she murmured, letting her chess piece fall to the ground without gravity. "No, I mocked you; I told you everything." He let out a laugh. "You’re a demigod now, Little Demon," he joked in her face. "There’s no way to... I don’t know, break this spell or reverse it?" she exclaimed, frightened, planning to leave as soon as possible. "Death is not an option; it probably wouldn’t even work. You likely have my regeneration ability. Besides, if you die, I could take your body, but the problem is I would die in an instant. I need a truly physical body. Another option would be for you to let me be free, but that wouldn’t break the bond; you’d have a replica of my powers, and I don’t want a damn copy!" He pointed at her dramatically. "Isn’t there an option?" she asked, downcast. "There isn’t, so you’ll keep living. Look on the bright side! You’ll learn to use chaos magic, and maybe you’ll give some sense to your miserable life," he spat with a smile before snapping his fingers and returning to the place they were before arriving at the wasteland. She could hear the rain dripping... had too much time passed? "No," he replied, alarming the lavender pony. "We’re connected; everything you think, I’ll hear. I’m in your mind—technically—and you’ll be able to see me; just speak... by thinking." "Better that way; I already have one more problem to solve. Somehow, I’ll find a way to separate myself from you and fulfill my wish; don’t mess up my plans," she said, pulling out the note she had left in her pocket. This... wasn’t supposed to happen. "Do you have chocolate milk? I really crave it, or maybe marshmallows, cotton candy," the god kept chattering. "Are you ever going to shut up?" The mare was fed up; she could handle it in smaller doses, like Pinkie Pie. "No! And you better act normal when I talk to you; we don’t want Celestia to send you to a mental hospital for talking to yourself or seeing things that don’t exist for others," the God pointed out before turning around and stealing an apple that was on the ground. "Do you think I’d want that?" "Absolutely not." He walked alongside her. "I could train you; I don’t want you to destroy yourself or the entire world. I planned that when I’m freed, I’d go for that cotton candy recipe. It’s not the same when I create it myself as when others do; plus, it’s great to see them suffer." "Is that why you’re happy?" she asked disdainfully, turning to look at him, and there he was again. Damn miserable. "Yes, I’m happy because you’re suffering right now. It doesn’t matter if you’re burned alive, have your heart ripped out, your bones broken, or you commit suicide; you’ll never die. You’ll just find yourself in a deplorable state before regenerating. And you won’t be able to use your magic properly due to the excess; you could explode Ponyville." He joked with her while eating another piece of his apple. "Maybe many would consider it a blessing; who wouldn’t want that? But it’s a complete curse... and on top of that, I’ll have to refrain from using magic. Great," she murmured angrily. She continued walking until she reached the library. Some glances were directed at her, probably due to her wet hair or the dark circles under her eyes. 'Oh god... how much time has passed? she thought, noticing it was a rainy day in the afternoon. She assumed it had been two hours or less, although the drastic climate change didn’t fit her speculations. "Maybe a day or more," she said without thinking, a shriek escaped Twilight’s mouth before she ran toward her 'home.' "And the fun?" he said before teleporting to where Twilight was, who was gasping for air. "Wow, you look terrible; you definitely need an upgrade in your physical appearance," he said. She ignored him, quickly opening the door. "Spike!" she shouted loudly. When she entered and searched the room, there he was, sobbing, throwing himself onto Twilight. Alongside him were her other friends, who looked equally worried. "What happened?" "Where were you, Twilight?!" Spike asked, holding onto her tightly. She lowered her gaze and hugged him back even tighter. "Sorry for not letting you know about my... unexpected escape," was all she could manage to say. How would she explain it to them? What would she do? She could see Discord’s mocking gaze as if to say, *I told you so.* She didn’t want to see them suffer, but she would do it anyway. "I thought you were kidnapped, dear!" "Yes, and no one knew anything. We know you’re capable and all that, egghead. But still, you should have let us know. You disappeared for a day without a word," exclaimed the rainbow-maned Pegasus. Twilight felt a knot in her stomach as she looked at her friends and Spike, who surrounded her with worried expressions. The warmth of their embrace was comforting, but the shadow of the chaos she had experienced with Discord lingered in her mind. "I was practicing! Plus, I found something interesting about the—ow!" She received a hit on the head from Pinkie Pie. "Sorry... I know it’s nothing; I practically left without saying anything for a day..." she whispered, rubbing her sore head. "The problem isn’t that; poor Spikey, I had to lend him some of my chocolate rations!" Pinkie exclaimed. Discord’s eyes widened, and he snorted. "Chocolate is precious... I think the one I like the most here is Fluttershy. Can’t you all be like her?" he asked, receiving no response or comment. "Blah, blah, blah; at least a bird would respond," he said before disappearing. Fluttershy sneezed and then approached Twilight. "Y-you scared us a lot; Spike was worried," she said in a voice as strong as what they could hear from Discord. Twilight huffed and then wiped Spike's tears. "I won't do it again!" she exclaimed. "The only good thing is that I have information and—" Noticing the looks from her friends, again, she decided to keep it to herself for later. Applejack wrinkled her nose and turned to Twilight. "Mmm... I smell lies," she murmured, just before being pulled into a group hug. "How the hell did the problem get resolved so quickly?!" said the god of chaos as he munched on his popcorn, setting his sunglasses aside and tossing his snack. "Too much mushiness; what is this, a tragic friendship or romance novel?" Ignored once again, he exploded his popcorn in frustration. "I guess I know what to write for my report," the lavender pony commented. "How to stop being a paranoid idiot and stop worrying your friends?" Rainbow joked, stepping away from the hug. "Yeah... but I'm not an idiot, and I'm not paranoid," the unicorn replied. "Sugarcube... sometimes you're a bit overdramatic and paranoid," she commented, only to be met with a not-so-pleasant look from Twilight. 'Not today, not today, maybe another day.'
lyrabetes3939
562717
1
Fluttershy,Octavia,Adventure,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Violence
Rikki-Tikki-Tavia
One wet and stormy afternoon, Octavia gains a new furry friend who has a big surprise in store.
complete
10
0
<p>At first glance, the mongoose is a rather unassuming little creature, but looks can be deceiving. When Octavia Melody rescues one from a raging river on a wet and stormy afternoon, she soon finds herself with a small furry companion that follows her wherever she goes. The grey mare isn't entirely sure what to think of her new little friend, but she soon learns that there's a lot more to a mongoose than just a cute face.</p>
teen
2024-08-08T19:05:28+00:00
2024-08-08T19:05:27+00:00
117
As the Friendship Express train made its final descent into Ponyville, Octavia Melody looked out the carriage window and sighed. It had been dark and rainy all afternoon, and the ground was very muddy. Octavia was not looking forward to walking all the way across town to get home. The train came to a stop, and the gray mare reluctantly got off with her cello case in tow. The cold, hard rain hit her mane instantly, weighing it down as she stepped off the station platform and onto the wet, muddy grass. The walk home was every bit as uncomfortable as Octavia expected. Very few ponies were out and about, and it was easy to see why. The rain pounded down, soaking the straw roofs of houses, and the wind blew fiercely. That morning, Octavia had performed at a classical concert in Canterlot. It had been meant to take place in an outdoor garden, but was moved indoors due to the inclement weather. Octavia wished it had been rescheduled to a different day entirely. She had put in extra care to look her best, and now she was getting wet and dirty regardless. Octavia’s route home ran alongside the river. The heavy rain had caused the water to rise, and it looked dangerously close to flooding. Struggling to see what was in front of her, Octavia stepped on a spot that had absorbed too much water, and that part of the riverbank fell away completely. Octavia jumped back in alarm, and decided to give the river a wide berth for the rest of the journey. Further upstream, the river was swelling even more. Realizing she was nearly home, Octavia let out a sigh of relief, only to catch sight of something splashing around in the river. Looking closely, she realized that it was a small animal, battling for its life against the rapid current. As much as she wanted to get out of the storm, Octavia couldn’t leave the animal to drown. Without hesitation, she ran down to the riverbank, her cello weighing heavily upon her back. She miraculously made it without slipping, then grabbed onto the animal and pulled it free of the water. With the animal in her front hooves, Octavia was able to get a closer look at it. It was a brown mongoose, with little claws and ears, and a long furry tail. Octavia didn’t know much else about mongooses, but this one was pretty cute. “Come on, love,” she said to it. “Let’s get you to someplace dry.” She allowed the mongoose to climb onto her back, and continued on her way home. After what felt like quite a while, Octavia arrived back at the house she shared with her friend Vinyl Scratch. Though their musical tastes were complete opposites, and Vinyl never actually said a word, Octavia felt that her housemate always understood her. Vinyl was relaxing on the couch on her side of the main room when Octavia came in and set her cello against the wall. The mongoose climbed down from her back and shook itself dry. When Vinyl noticed Octavia’s little companion, she tilted her head and lowered her shades. “I found this little one fighting for its life in the river, and I just had to rescue it,” Octavia explained. “I hope you don’t mind.” Vinyl gave a smile and a nod. She didn’t mind having extra company. Octavia figured that the mongoose could stay for a while, at least until the rainstorm passed. She then looked down and saw that her hooves and her belly were covered in wet, gooey mud. “Oh, bother…” she muttered. “I must take a shower.” Octavia hurried upstairs to the bathroom, but as she went up the steps, she noticed that the mongoose was following behind her. “I’m only going to the bath. I’m not leaving you!” Nonetheless, the mongoose had made up its mind. When Octavia entered her bathroom, the mongoose ran in with her before she could close the door. “Well, I do value my alone time in the bath, but if you must accompany me, then be my guest.” Octavia climbed into the bathtub, closed the curtain, and turned on the shower. As the water began to wash away the mud and grass from her underside, she felt most relieved. Octavia was just starting to shampoo her mane when the mongoose hopped into the bathtub with her. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “I’m perfectly happy to have you as a guest, but can a mare not bathe in peace?” She tugged on the shower curtain to signal for the mongoose to get out, but it just got up on two legs and tilted its head. Octavia sighed. “Very well then. It’s a good thing you’re so cute.” She began rinsing the suds out of her mane. I never thought I’d be one to converse with animals, she thought to herself. Anyone would think I was copying Fluttershy. Still, I did save that mongoose’s life today. Can’t simply ignore it, can I? Octavia thoroughly washed her entire body as the mongoose watched intently. When she was finished, she turned off the shower and pulled open the curtain to grab her towel. She stepped out to dry herself off, and the mongoose tried to follow her, but struggled to climb over the wall of the wet tub. “Do you need some help?” Octavia asked. She reached out to allow the mongoose to grab onto her hoof, and gently lifted it over the edge of the tub. “Here you go, love.” The mongoose smiled and gently rubbed itself against Octavia’s front legs. “Oh, you…” Octavia giggled. She was taking quite a liking to her new furry friend. Octavia dried off her body with her lavender towel, then used her air dryer to blow-dry her mane. Now nice and clean, she headed to her bedroom, with the mongoose following diligently behind her. “I’m going to take a nap after the day I’ve had. You may stay here if you wish, but Vinyl is downstairs as well.” Octavia crawled into her bed and laid down under the covers. The mongoose promptly climbed onto the bed with her. Octavia was soon asleep, but the mongoose stayed awake, watching its surroundings vigilantly. The next day, the sun was shining once again. Octavia had agreed to meet up with her friend Lyra for lunch at the Ponyville Cafe. As she was about to leave, the mongoose stood by her side, just as it had done for the entire morning. “Yes, you may join me for lunch!” she chuckled. “Although to say you’ve become attached to me would be quite the understatement.” The mongoose hopped up onto her back, and Octavia left the house. She trotted along the stone path and was soon in the town center. When she arrived at the Ponyville Cafe, she found Lyra Heartstrings waiting at one of the outdoor tables. “Hey, Octavia!” Lyra called with a grin. “Hello, Lyra!” Octavia replied as she sat down. The mongoose hopped off her back and onto another stool nearby. “It’s a lovely day, isn’t it? Much better than yesterday.” “Oh, tell me about it!” agreed Lyra. “Yesterday I just stayed inside and read the new Shadow Spade book.” She then noticed the mongoose sitting next to Octavia. “Who’s this little guy?” Octavia smiled. “Oh, the mongoose? I saved it from drowning in the river yesterday, on my way home from the concert. It’s been following me around ever since, even when I took a shower.” “Awww…” Lyra giggled. “Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t mind that. It’s so adorable!” “Yes, it is quite cute. Still, I’m curious to know why it’s become so attached to me.” “Well, you saved its life yesterday, so it probably just wants to be your friend!” Lyra turned to the mongoose. “Isn’t that right?” The mongoose stood up on two legs and seemed to nod before sitting back down. “Yep, that’s it!” said Lyra. “You’ve got a new little buddy!” Octavia was happy about that, but she hoped that the mongoose’s following her around would eventually stop. She needed her alone time too, after all. Just then, Fluttershy trotted past, and Lyra waved to her. “Hi, Fluttershy!” “Hi, Lyra!” replied Fluttershy. She then spotted the mongoose, and her eyes went wide. “Ricky!” she exclaimed. “Oh, I’ve been looking all over for you!” “Ricky?” Octavia remarked. “Is that the mongoose’s name?” “Yes, it is!” said Fluttershy. “He lives in a burrow near my cottage, but he went out to hunt yesterday and didn’t come back. I was so worried about him! I’m glad to see he’s safe.” “Well, he’s been in good hooves with me,” said Octavia. “Oh?” Fluttershy asked. “How did you two meet?” Before Octavia could reply, Ricky leaned into Fluttershy’s ear and began chattering quietly. “You fell in the river? And Octavia rescued you? Oh, of course! I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful guardian for her!” “What did he say?” asked Octavia. “Ricky says that since you saved him yesterday, he’ll be your personal guardian until he has the chance to save you,” Fluttershy explained. “Mongooses are very courageous creatures, and loyal to a fault.” “Ah, so that’s why he’s been following me!” remarked Octavia. Fluttershy nodded. “That’s right! He just wants to make sure you’re safe.” “That’s good to know. But does that mean he’ll be accompanying me in the shower for the foreseeable future?” Ricky chattered something to Fluttershy. “Only if it’s okay with you.” “I see,” said Octavia. “I’ll have to think about that.” “That’s okay,” said Fluttershy. “But I really should tell you about his diet. Mongooses are carnivores, so they normally eat insects and lizards. Ricky was hunting for lizards when he fell in the river yesterday. Do you have any of those near your house?” “Well, I’m not sure about lizards, but I’m sure Vinyl and I have plenty of insects in our vicinity.” “That’s good. I know he likes to follow you, but he also needs to eat, so be sure to let him go outside to hunt throughout the day.” “I will do that. Thank you, Fluttershy!” “Any time, Octavia,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Anyway, I have to go now. I’m needed at Twilight’s castle. I’m sure you’ll take great care of Ricky.” With that, the yellow pegasus departed. “Looks like somepony’s got a new pet!” chuckled Lyra. Octavia nodded. “It seems so! I’m glad I know his name now, and what he eats. Trying to feed him pony food this morning was a bit of a struggle.” “Well, I don’t think you’d like being fed bugs or lizards either!” teased Lyra. Suddenly, Lyra and Octavia heard a rustling noise coming from the shrubs surrounding the cafe. They turned to see Ricky eating a dragonfly that had landed on one of the leaves. “Well, there you go!” said Octavia. “Quite the skilled little hunter he is.” A waiter soon arrived, and Octavia and Lyra ordered their food. They continued chatting over hay burgers and milkshakes, while Ricky feasted on whatever insects he could find. For the next two weeks, Octavia kept the back door of her house open throughout the day, so Ricky could go outside and hunt for insects. Ricky spent much of his time in the backyard, but always came back inside after dusk. He spent each night on the rug in Octavia’s room, guarding her bed vigilantly until they were both asleep. Octavia liked having him around, but didn’t think he would ever be able to save her in the way that she saved him. Soon, it was time for Octavia to prepare for another concert performance. About a month earlier, she had received a special invitation to play her cello at that year’s Brushwood Light Music Concert. The village of Brushwood, located on the other side of the Everfree Forest, had long been famous as a fine arts haven. Octavia had visited it several times before, but this would be her first time playing music there. On the night before the concert, Octavia went to bed early so that she would be well-rested before her performance. That night, another rainstorm passed through Ponyville. While Octavia and Ricky had no trouble sleeping through the rain, the storm’s effects were evident when Octavia opened her curtains the next morning. The grass was very wet, and many small branches were scattered on the ground. “Well, at least it won’t be raining during the concert this time,” Octavia remarked. After having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, Octavia put her cello in its case and slung it over her back. “I’m off to Brushwood for the day,” she said. “Would you like to come with me, Ricky?” Ricky stood up on two legs and nodded. Vinyl waved goodbye to her housemate, and Octavia headed out the door with Ricky following close behind. Leaving Ponyville, the Friendship Express’s South Line curved around the Everfree Forest before crossing over Ghastly Gorge. The first stop on the other side was for Brushwood. This was normally a quick and easy ride, but when Octavia arrived at the Ponyville train station, she found the stationmaster standing alone on the platform next to a large red sign. “What’s the matter?” Octavia asked the stationmaster. “Last night’s storm brought down a big tree two miles south of here, and it’s blocking the tracks,” the stationmaster explained. “All trains from Canterlot have to terminate here today.” He pointed to the sign, which confirmed that no southbound trains could go past Ponyville. “Oh, bother!” groaned Octavia. “Is there any other way to reach Brushwood from here?” “There’s a path through the Everfree that will get you there,” said the stationmaster. “Though you’ll probably come across more fallen trees.” “Well, it’s worth a try. Thank you!” Soon after leaving the train station, Octavia and Ricky entered the Everfree Forest, which looked as foreboding as ever. Dark trees towered over them on either side, leaves dripping wet from the storm. Nonetheless, everything was quiet. Ricky climbed onto Octavia’s back to keep a lookout. “At least I have you for company,” said Octavia. A few miles further south, the main path split at a fork. A faded and mossy wooden sign stood in the center. Octavia tried to read the carved lettering. According to the sign, the path to the right led to Brushwood. “This way!” Octavia said to Ricky. “Not long now, I’m sure.” Unfortunately, this path did not turn out how Octavia had hoped. The forest soon gave way to a bog, full of mangroves and bubbling swamp water, with one narrow strip of land leading over it. Octavia carefully made her way, balancing both Ricky and her cello on her back. “Oh dear, I don’t like this place at all…” she whimpered. She was about halfway across when she heard a strange slithering noise. She began to walk faster, but stopped as Ricky let out a loud screech. A gigantic cobra emerged from the water, glaring down at Octavia and hissing loudly. Octavia screamed and tried to run away, but there was a limit to how fast she could run while carrying a cello on her back. The cobra slithered after her, its shadow looming larger and larger. Octavia then tripped over a mangrove root and was sent sprawling. She landed with her cello on top of her, pinning her down. As the cobra came up behind her, she was certain that she was a goner. But Ricky had jumped off Octavia’s back as soon as she fell. He let out a shrill battle cry, and charged at the cobra as fast as his little paws would carry him. The cobra lunged and hissed in return, and just as Octavia realized what was happening, Ricky leaped through the air and sunk his teeth into the cobra’s throat. The cobra thrashed violently, trying to free itself, but Ricky had it pinned. With one final bite, Ricky brought the cobra to its death. He then let go of the hood, and the cobra’s dead body rolled into the swampy water and sank like a stone. Octavia was amazed by what she’d seen. “You… you saved my life!” Ricky simply nodded, then walked over to Octavia and rubbed himself against her face. Octavia gave a warm smile, and put a gentle hoof on Ricky’s back to pet him. “I can’t thank you enough…” Ricky smiled and tilted his head, as if to say it was just a knack. Octavia got back up, and she and Ricky set off once more. The rest of the journey went smoothly, and they arrived in Brushwood without a hitch. “Hello, Octavia!” said Beauty Brass, a mare who played the sousaphone and often performed alongside Octavia. “It’s good to see you again! I heard the train from Ponyville couldn’t run today.” “Yes, that is correct,” chuckled Octavia. “I had to walk through the Everfree Forest to get here, and I was nearly attacked by a giant cobra in the bog. But Ricky saved me by taking the cobra down himself!” She pointed to her mongoose friend, who was standing alongside her. “That little fellow saved you?” Beauty asked incredulously. “But the cobras in the bog are at least forty feet long! My cousin once had a near-miss with one.” “That they are,” replied Octavia, “but they’re still no match for a brave mongoose. He charged it and brought it down with his teeth!” “Well then, he’s quite the noble creature!” remarked Beauty. “He’s welcome to watch us perform any time.” Ricky nodded and smiled. Octavia, meanwhile, was thinking back to what Fluttershy had said. Ricky had been able to save her life after all. It was soon time for the light music concert to begin. Unlike the concert in Canterlot two weeks ago, this one was held outdoors as intended, and everypony had a wonderful time. When the event was over, Octavia headed down to the Brushwood train station. The big tree had been cleared away from the tracks, so the Friendship Express was able to resume normal services. Octavia and Ricky got on the next train together, and rode it back home to Ponyville. Near the river, Octavia ran into Fluttershy again. “Good evening, Fluttershy!” Octavia said with a smile. “You’ll never guess what happened to me and Ricky today!” “Oh, what happened?” asked Fluttershy. “Ricky saved my life!” replied Octavia, and she recounted that morning’s events. “Well done, Ricky!” exclaimed Fluttershy. “I’m so proud of you!” Ricky chattered something to Fluttershy. “You do?” Fluttershy asked. “Okay then, if that’s what you’d like!” Fluttershy turned back to Octavia. “Ricky says that even though he’s fulfilled his duty, he still wants to continue living with you. He promises that he’ll dig a new burrow for himself in your backyard.” Octavia beamed. “He is more than welcome to! And I am honored to have him as my pet.” Ricky now lives in Octavia and Vinyl’s backyard, with his burrow below Octavia’s bedroom window. He guards the house from pests, devouring any insects that try to come in. If there are any snakes in Ponyville, they certainly won’t be going after Octavia ever again.
Zlaggi
562723
1
Anon,Rarity,Human,Second Person,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
Rarity For YOU
You got sick, and your girlfriend Rarity wants to help you get better again.
complete
11
3
<p>After getting home from work, you feel like you might have gotten sick while at work. Noticing this your girlfriend decides to take this matter to her own hands and help you recover.</p>
everyone
2024-08-09T16:11:17+00:00
2024-08-09T16:11:16+00:00
443
Your day hasn't been great. You didn't get much sleep last night, you had a terrible day at work, that one coworker that you dislike had to come to work today, you had to work overtime and after all that, it just had to rain on your way home. On the only day that you didn't bring a umbrella with you. Oh, and you think you might have caught a cold. You find yourself running past other pedestrians who of course had taken umbrellas with them. You can feel that the insides of your shoes are absolutely soaked. It really wasn't your day. Luckily you live relatively close to your job so it didn't take long for you to find your apartment building. You quickly enter and sigh as you close the door behind you. Your steps leave wet splotches on to the floor as you ascend to the second floor where a familiar door greets your eyes. You fish your keys from your pocket and quickly insert them into the keyhole. The door opens, letting you see the orderly apartment within, you can hear the sound of your girlfriend humming, a sign that she's hard at work. You quickly take your shoes off and take a beeline towards the shower. As you pass by a few pictures of you and your girlfriend that had been framed and hanged up on the wall, you barely hear her sweet voice call out to you from the living room. "Darling? Is that you? I hope you didn't get wet out there." "I didn't." Is the only thing you can reply with, before you make your way to the bathroom and you enter the shower. Usually when she was humming that meant she was deeply in the process of making something, so you didn't want to ruin the moment for her. As the water cascades around you, your mind lingers on your girlfriend. The question of how did you ever get so lucky rings in your head. She's so out of your league that sometimes it seems almost like a dream to wake up next to her. You chuckle at a particular memory, of you waking up next to her on the first morning you moved together. Her hair was an absolute mess when you both woke up, she of course had to fix it the moment she awoke but you thought it looked absolutely adorable. Soon you were done showering, you dried yourself off with a towel and put on some fresh clean clothes. You decide to check up on your girlfriend, to see how she's doing. It's totally not like you want her attention or anything. Plus she's not humming anymore, which means this is the perfect time for a sneak attack. You enter her workspace and slowly creep up behind her, your arms spread wide, ready for your glomp attack. As soon as you get close your arms wrap around her waist and you hug her from behind. You smirk as an audible squeak escapes Rarity's lips. "Anon! You scared me!" She lightly slaps the back of your hand. "It's worth it to hear that adorable sound." You give her a quick squeeze before she turns to face you. The soft smile quickly turns to that of surprise at seeing your face. "Oh darling! You look-" "Like a zombie who just awoke from a grave?" "I was going to say not your best. Is everything okay?" She raises the back of her hand to your forehead. "Darling, you feel like you're on fire." "The ladies do say that I'm pretty hot." You flash her a quick smile. "What ladies?" Rarity raises an eyebrow in a questioning manner. "You of course." You boop your girlfriend on the nose and she gives you a simple smile in return. "Go to bed and relax. I'll make you some soup and get you a few glasses of water." As she leaves the room you get comfortable in bed. As you wait for your soup, your mind focuses on a particular memory. It was of the last time that Rarity got sick. You remember coming home late from working overtime and you saw her overworking herself on one of her dresses. She was quite the mess, and you ended up having to talk her out of overworking so she might get some much needed rest. You did your very best to get her back in health again. Your personal remedy included soup, medicine, water and lots of affection. Your thoughts were broken by the sound of humming coming from the kitchen. It seemed that Rarity was in a good mood today, you do recall that she had just finished a big order yesterday and that she sent them to her client earlier today. The humming grew closer and soon Rarity entered the shared bedroom with a serving tray of soup, water and a few small vitamin tablets. "Now eat up, I don't want to see you sick for tomorrow. It'll be the weekend after all, and we have some plans tomorrow." She gave you the tray and sat down next to you in bed, she placed her hand on your shoulders and embraced you in a sideways hug. "As much as I like the attention I don't want you to get sick. I don't mind if you go back to your work." To be honest you'd feel terrible if you got her sick. "I won't get sick, but if I somehow would, then we'd just have to spend tomorrow here. Alone, just the two of us. Looking out for each other while we were sick. Besides, I was just making that dress for fun. I don't have any responsibilities for today." She leaned in a bit closer and gave you a peck on the cheek. "But what about the plans for tomorrow?" "Darling, spending time with you is all I need. Besides we can always push them back a bit. It's not going to be the end of the world if we do." You felt Rarity rest her head on your shoulder as you turned on the TV that rested on a small cupboard opposite to the bed. You and Rarity both spent the rest of the night watching trash TV programs and enjoying each others company.
David Silver
562727
1
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T16:23:37+00:00
2024-08-02T17:54:03+00:00
1,165
Today is sure to be a grand day. You feel sure of it from your ears to your tail. There is something in the air, something new and different. The bustle of the town around you feels livelier than normal, but what could it mean? Ponyville's town square is lively as ever. Two ponies are wandering past, each holding up one part of a mirror. You ignore them a moment to take a breath of the fresh air and marvel at the square itself. The Friendship Express chugs into place in the distance. Sugarcube Corner's delicious aromas tickles the air. You can see a pony emerging from Carousel Boutique. The ponies hauling the mirror get in your way, allowing you to get a look at yourself as the mirror doesn't let you see much other than yourself and what was behind you. You decide to take the chance to make sure everything was in order. Looking back at you is: A: An Earth Pony B: A Pegasus C: A Unicorn
David Silver
562727
2
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T15:19:46+00:00
2024-08-08T19:19:22+00:00
642
An earth pony, with bright yellow fur and a soft orange mane. Yep, it is all in order. You are looking as good as usual. With a chuckle, you move past the mirror and the ponies holding it up. They can't be bothered with acknowledging you. "Strange. This town is always busy but not this busy." You flick your tail as you advance. You shake your head, shrug your shoulders, and make for Sugar Cube Corner on instinct alone. The thought of something sweet to snack on was too much to resist. Maybe one of those fancy cupcakes! You lick your lips with the imagined flavor. On speedy hooves, you trot with purpose through the town. On your way to the store, you spot more ponies than ever before gathering in clusters, mumbling to each other excitedly. As you pass by them, you overhear them discussing a party? It couldn't be anything special today, could it? There was the local party specialist, Pinkie, eagerly explaining things. With an "Aha!" you approach her to see if she can clue you in on what's happening. She turned away from the group she was chatting with and toward you. She smiled widely at the sight of you. "Just the pony I was hoping to see." She threw a leg over your withers and drew you closer. "My plan won't work without you." You smile at Pinkie's overly-friendly demeanor, but shake your head to get her hoof off your back. "Wait, what do you mean?" You look up and see that she had erected an enormous banner, bold letters reading, "PONYVILLE PARTY CONFERENCE." "This is super duper, extra important!" Pinkie leans in far too close. "I realized we forgot a pony's birthday! This cannot be allowed! Can I count on you?!" She thrust a hoof at you expectantly. You have a few choices: A: Help her out! B: You have your own work to do. C: This is actually your day off.
David Silver
562727
3
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T15:46:13+00:00
2024-08-03T14:54:57+00:00
607
A pegasus pony, with bright yellow fur and a soft orange mane. Yep, it is all in order. You are looking as good as usual. With a chuckle, you move past the mirror and the ponies holding it up. They can't be bothered with acknowledging you. You flutter your wings and take off, launching over the mirror and launching higher into the air above the town. A midday sun hovers in a cloudless sky, shedding light upon the ever-growing community below. Ponyville seems to be positively bubbling with activity! It was only a moment before a streak of rainbows flashed before you. "What are you flying around like you're lost for? Let's go, let's go!" Rainbow Dash flies in loops around you. "Alright alright!" You swerve after her as she leads you to a group of other pegasi. "What do we have to do today?" Rainbow pointed down at the crowded town. "The schedule for today's a clear sunny sky. So far, so good, but—" She fixes every pegasus there a look as she thrusts a hoof away at the distant forest. "We have wild weather coming in hot, or wet in this case. We let that wander in, and everypony down there gets soaked and miserable." "Right. Let's take care of this." The group of you start flying into formation. Are you: A: At the front B: Covering the rear C: Getting lost in the middle of the swarm.
David Silver
562727
4
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T16:05:45+00:00
2024-08-05T16:23:47+00:00
678
A unicorn pony, with bright yellow fur and a soft orange mane. Yep, it is all in order. You are looking as good as usual. With a chuckle, you move past the mirror and the ponies holding it up. They can't be bothered with acknowledging you. With a glowing horn, you help the mirror move along and end up following the ponies to where a new shop is being assembled. A new crystal store called "Cutie Mark's Collectibles." "Oh look," the first mare says. "Here comes the special guest now." She lifts her head and gestures over your shoulder with her hoof. "Perfect! I hope you have everything ready. I have an idea that will really set this place apart from any other," the new arrival says as she approached. You have a look at the new manager, a slender earth pony. Like most ponies of Ponyville, he had neither wings nor horn. You are one of the rarest around those parts, with a magical horn atop your head. "Do tell," you invite. "I like the look of it already." The building has large picture windows with two display dummies inside. One held a tiara. The other displayed a parasol. It looks elegant and refined already. The manager walks up to you, the one that spoke. "I'm glad you asked. These crystals come from none other than the Crystal Empire itself. Each and every shard if authorized by Cadance, their princess. The quality just can't be beat! Look at them, touch them." You feel the texture of the walls. It is very smooth. It reminds you of something else, like marble. "I have to make this stand out from other shops." He moves in front of his door as his workers busily labor behind him. "So you can all enjoy its splendors. I do hope you all like glittering things. For your mane, or hanging on a leg, or even around your house. A little crystal can brighten your day!" The first mare holding up the mirror thinks about it. "This sounds great. Do you think we could have a first pick of some things?" "Oh, not only will you get first picks of the prettiest and most unique crystals." He leans in with a smile. Was there a crystal embedded in some of his teeth? You feel certain you spotted a few. "For being here today, you all get a special coupon for when we open!" Mares in the crowd began to twitter with excitement. Even the one holding the mirror looked especially happy. "That's right," he continued. "We'll be giving everypony a chance to purchase the newest and nicest crystal wear before anypony else gets their hooves on it." He curls on himself and pulls out a wad of coupons. "I have enough for all of you who gathered here nice and early today. One at a time." You lean forward, eager to receive your coupon. You could: A: Wait your Turn patiently. B: Strike up a chat with that manager as one of his workers hands out the coupons. C: You have other things to do.
David Silver
562727
5
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T17:37:19+00:00
2024-08-12T11:23:41+00:00
382
You nod eagerly at Pinkie. "I'd love to lend a hoof." You offer one just to make that extra clear. "How can I help somepony have the best day ever." "Thank you so much!" She jumps into your side and pulls you close. "I knew I could count on you. Now what do you say we start with getting the supplies. And I need some special ponies for that." She mashes her face against your own. "Like you! You have lucky hooves and a good sniffer. It's an earth pony thing, but I got different gifts, and I'll be busy doing other stuff. Ready to join the awesome special pony squad?" She pointed over at a few other earth ponies apparently selected for the task. You chuckle and wiggle your ears. "Yes, but what—" You don't get to finish the question, already being shoved over to join the others. One of the other earth ponies, a smirking Bon Bon, laughs. "So, she got you too, huh? I'm not that kind of insane, so here." She pulls out a paper and puts it on the ground. "Here's a full list of what we need." You peer at the paper. It listed a few simple things, stuff you're pretty sure you could get around town. But there were a few more exotic items too. Things you would never have thought about for a party. Some of them you just wouldn't have tried for at all! Really, the nose hairs of a tazlworm? Who would be mad enough to go for one of those? Bon Bon tapped at the paper. "I call dibs on the candy. I obviously have a source of that. What are you going for?" You scan the list again and decide: A: That nose hair can't be that hard. B: A single scale from a blue dragon? Maybe they just dropped one? C: Quick, run off and get the drinks. That looks less dangerous.
David Silver
562727
6
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T18:06:12+00:00
2024-08-14T10:14:26+00:00
414
You slide over to the store's manager. "Nice place. What made you think about putting it here instead of some big city?" The manager stands a bit taller. "This little town caught my eye years ago. It's just so close to Canterlot, yet its own entity, right? So many different kinds of ponies all gathered together." He waves at you. "You're a perfect example! In Canterlot, it'd be nothing but unicorns, but here you are, one unicorn among so many others, and my crystals should be enjoyed by all ponies of every tribe." "Ahh." You grin as the idea was explained. "So, there must be something you were especially hoping to see your customers do with their crystal wares. Anything special?" He tilts his head in thought. "That depends on which one. Some are to be worn, to glitter and make their wearer shine all the brighter, while others adorn households or even public places." He sat to clap once. "Where were you imagining having some?" You blink and open your mouth. "Well, I haven't had any yet. How about we try one out? Like that one you're wearing." You point at a pendant hanging from a ribbon around his neck. He raises a hoof over it sharply. "N-no, not that one." He laughs nervously. "But, since you ask, wait here just one moment." He spins and gallops away. You tilt your head. "Hmm." Something about his attitude seemed suspicious. The pegasus who just got her coupon let out a cheer and jumped for joy. Her wings flapped wildly as she hugged the ticket. "I can't even wait!" She smooched the worker and darted off, giggling. The manager returns with a tiara balanced on his back. "For you, my curious unicorn. Doesn't it glitter? Wouldn't it suit you? Be a queen for a day!" You sit on your haunches and gape at the shining adornment. You couldn't even imagine having enough bits to buy it! Do you: A: Let him put it on. B: Politely decline. C: Flee! Run! This is too good to be true!
David Silver
562727
7
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T18:22:35+00:00
2024-08-03T19:20:31+00:00
298
You lower your head to put it in easier reach. "If you're sure." He chuckles and pushes it over your head, allowing the shiny crystalline fronds to hang around your ears. "See? I knew it would be just your size. It looks so stunning!" Your horn flashes and a strange rush of energy courses through your veins. The sound of rushing wind fills your ears. You look around and see that everypony there has been thrown away from you, right down the road. At first, you feel some amount of concern for them, but that feeling fades away quickly. Your vision is filled with dancing lights as your attention shifts. "A most impressive display, master." The store manager grins widely at you, his expression filled with an inordinate amount of awe. "I knew I picked the right pony." He reaches up to that pendant he's still wearing. "Time for a real test run." He holds the pendant up towards your dazzled form. "You are mine! Bow to me, oh mighty unicorn!" He looks more manic than before. "But of course," you find yourself saying, bowing deeply. "What do you wish of me?" "It is time we took over this little—" He doesn't get to finish, his pendant swatted right out his hand by your magic. You bring it over, crushing it to dust along the way. "You were saying?" He bares his teeth in a panic. "Why would you—" He backs up. "Get away from me!" He turns tail and gallops away. You grab his tail before he gets far, giving it an arcane pull that has him sliding on his belly. "Bad pony. You tried to command me. Me! A god!" Were you a god this morning? You feel like one right now! Every part of you is screaming about how wonderful and powerful you are. You drag him back and sit atop his belly. "Ponyville is not yours. It is mine. Everything here belongs to me." "Please, no," he squeals. "I don't want to—" You give him a cold stare, freezing him in place. You look to the others with a sudden smile. "Fellow Ponyvillians! Today marks a new and wondrous day! I will rule over you all with a kind, but iron, hoof." You let out a wicked laugh as dark storms drift in from the Everfree Forest. You could: A: Depose Twilight Sparkle. No room for two royal figures in one town. B: Knock over Mayor Mare to assume full and proper control of the government. C: Get defeated. Wait, why is this an option!?
David Silver
562727
8
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T18:41:06+00:00
2024-08-15T11:49:20+00:00
290
You fly at the center of the wing, eyes on the stormy weather headed out of the Everfree Forest. "Nopony's getting wet that didn't sign up for weather patrol!" One of your fellows, a stallion, laughs. "You said it! Let's take care of this so we can enjoy the sunny day with the rest of us." The wing spread out, different groups approaching different clouds. You stay towards the center, coming up on a big fluffy cloud that looks so very ready to let down way too much rain where it wasn't needed. "Here we go!" You lift your wings high and— Lightning flashes. You pull away in time, but the stallion next to you isn't as lucky. He cries out and is thrown away, wings spasming. A few others have the same reaction. You come veering back in, crashing against the rain cloud that had turned into a thunderstorm so very quickly. "Oh no you don't!" You charge along the cloud, trying to press it away from Ponyville. "Go. Rain. Somewhere. Else!" A spark of electricity bursts right from the cloud, racing towards you with surprising speed. It crashes into your wing, shocking you and throwing you off course. You smack into another pegasus who wasn't even in your area. They catch you with a startled squeak and press you back onto your own wings. "This is a riot, huh?" They nudge you back towards your own cloud. "You got this." "Yeah," you say and lift your wings high again. This time you take a little longer, flying at just the right angle, and slice through the rain cloud like a knife through butter. "Gotcha!" Rainbow flashes just over your head, cutting it perpendicular to your own path. "Not a chance! C'mon, let's teach this fluffbutt who's really in charge around here!" You smile as she guides you and the other pegasi. It feels great, swooping along and corralling the errant clouds away from town. You pull more and more until they are all moving in the same direction, safely away from Ponyville and the rest of your friends. Victorious, you could: A: Why did that rain come so suddenly, and storm like that? B: You're wet and miserable, time for a break! Oh, maybe a spa day? C: Rainbow Dash wants to chillax by the pond. Great idea!
David Silver
562727
9
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T19:08:30+00:00
2024-08-02T19:08:30+00:00
171
One of the stallions dares to pout. A lightning bolt sends him scurrying away. "You must be confused. I'll help." With a cruel smirk, you head towards the great crystal tower. "Only room for one of us in this town." You see others trying to stop you. They seem hesitant, no doubt awed by your power and magnificence. You knock them away, teleporting them all far out of town. "Not worthy of serving me." As if conjured, two colts rush in at either of your sides. "How can we help you, our stormy and magnificent one." Snips dipped his little head low. "Yea, what he said." Snails pulled off a similar bow, though with less grace. "We'll do anything!" "Hmm." You smirk at them. "How about you go get me a proper chariot or something. A queen shouldn't have to walk around. Snap snap." "Yes ma'am!" The two dashed away again. Queen? Yes, that felt right. How did you not notice before? If there was one unicorn here worthy of that title, it was you. Speaking of that, you storm up the steps towards the tower. "Little princess, your queen has come to throw you out!" You kick open the door, only to see her sitting at her desk. "So, you know who you are now?" Twilight's horn glows as she stands up properly. "You're not the first powerthirsty, relic-raddled, unicorn I ever saw." "Oh really?" You blink at her. "Well, the first was Trixie, but let's not get into that." She rolls her eyes and flares her wings wide. "You don't have to do this. It's your choice. Whatever relic you've attached yourself to, you can let go now." You're baffled by her words. "What are you talking about?" "Really?" Spike peeks out from the kitchen. "This again?" His eyes go up to your head and past. "The tiara. Take it off." You reach up with a hoof and feel the delicate tiara still resting on your head. How could you forget? It's quite pretty, as fits a wonderful queen like you. "I see you have one as well, though yours is far less eye-catching. You must feel ashamed." "Please, pony." Twilight tenses up. "You don't have to do this. Whatever dark power it has over you, I can help you get free." "Why would I want that?" Using magic you didn't know just the day before, you produce a great flowerpot from nowhere. "I think it's time we settled down, little pony." Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, refuses to stand down. She lowers her stance and even stomps her hoof. "What is your name, unicorn? I can't call you pony all the time." It only hits you then that you're a little new in town. "Have we not met? How rude of me." You put a hoof at your chest. "I am─" The door behind you smashes open, catching your bottom along the way and sending you sprawl across the floor. Your crown skids away. Snips and Snails come charging in with a giant chariot pulled along behind them. Spike casually claims the dropped tiara. "I didn't expect it to end that quickly." You're left with a blazing headache, but at least Twilight is ready and able to assist. The End.
David Silver
562727
10
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T19:15:53+00:00
2024-08-15T18:10:54+00:00
281
You take up the rear of the wing of weather pegasi, soaring towards those troubling clouds. Rainbow Dash's "woohoo" of joy carried on the wind towards you. You smile, nodding at her eagerness to get out there. You'd be lying if you said you didn't share it. But something catches your eye. Behind you and below, you see some unicorn cackling with glee. The clouds are coming on faster, and they're laughing up a fit as ponies cower and flee. You just know something is up with this. You dive away from the others and flap towards the villainous unicorn. You bring a little cloud over to them and use it for cover as you flap in closer and closer. "Did you ever think about how you're affecting other ponies? How would you feel if your fun got a cloud like that to rain on somepony else's parade?" They turn their way at you with a gasp. Then the rain comes, drenching the bad unicorn on the spot as you laugh at their misery. "When I get my hooves on you!" thunders the unicorn, raising a hoof that glowed with dark magic. "I'll—" But the rain you brought down on her makes her mane slick. With that, the tiara on her head flops off. She suddenly looks dizzy instead of evil. She slumps back, appearing normal again. "Oooh. What just happened? I remember feeling like I could take on the world, but... where did that cloud come from?" She looks up at you, leaning away as if expecting an attack. You shake your head with a smile. "Glad to see you're back to your usual self." You kick the cloud into vapor. "You were feeling a little, uh, crazy. But we're past that now, right?" Before it could cause more trouble, you snatch the tiara back. "Where'd you get this from?" "Oh that? A pony by the name of Crystal Check. He was selling crystals and I figured why not." She raises her head. "No harm done, right?" "Yes. Just don't buy anything else from him." You flutter up into the sky with the tiara. "Now where is that guy?" You could: A: Go find that Crystal Check! B: Turn in this tiara to Princess Twilight Sparkle.
David Silver
562727
11
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T19:31:08+00:00
2024-08-02T19:31:08+00:00
197
Just as he starts to lower the tiara on your head, you back up skittishly. "Thanks, but no, really. It's too rich for my blood. I've never had bits to spend on trinkets like that." You glance around. "But thanks for showing it off. That was pretty nice of you." He still seems somewhat confused as you walk away. "Yes, quite." With him distracted, you trot away into the crowd. Now you just need to find something for you to get. Maybe some food. That seems a good idea. You spot a fastfood place offering hay fries and burgers of an assortment. Just the thing to calm you down! You trot over with a smile, a bell ringing as you push open the door. A strange scent hits you right away. You hear somepony else as well. "Oh hello there! Are you here to partake in some wonderful fast food?" You smile at the unusually chipper cashier. "Well, hello to you too." You head up to the counter. "Am I the only one here today? That's never happened before!" "It's because everypony else is working or playing elsewhere." She flips a few of her lime green bangs away from her eyes. "Just us lazy ponies here today. Just don't tell anypony, ok?" She makes a dramatic shooshing sound. "But since it's only us cool ponies, what can I get or you?" She waves up at the menu above and its many options. You're impressed by the sheer number of choices and look over each carefully. There's quite a lot that looks tasty. But where to begin? You click your thick tongue. "I think I want some of those classic hayfries, extra crispy. And a big salmon patty to go with it." The cashier fires two hoof-guns at you. "You got it." She punches at her register. "Go have a seat and we'll bring it over there since it's so calm, uh, after you pay." You enjoy a pleasant afternoon and manage to avoid all manner of shenanigans. What a lovely day to be in Ponyville. The end.
David Silver
562727
12
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T21:06:11+00:00
2024-08-04T23:33:35+00:00
308
You turn the tiara about in your hooves. It's pretty enough in a sort of 'could be really evil' kinda way. You decide that getting it to somepony who knows how to deal with it would be the best thing to do with it. Twilight Sparkle always had the answers! You take off for her tower with haste. Landing at the base of the tower, you nod to yourself and tap on the door. Spike opens it with a smile. "Oh, hey there!" He notices the tiara you're holding up. "What's that?" "Not sure. This pony was causing trouble with it." You pass it over to him. "You know I'm not one for magical things." He studies it carefully. "Totally! Magic is definitely Twilight's thing. We should bring this up to her." He holds it in both hands as he twirls around. "Let's go find her. I left her reading some books." He rolls his eyes. "A normal day." He trots into the library as you follow. "Hey Twilight, I found something!" She closes her book and looks up at him. "Something worth reading? It's nice to have a break from that strange weather." She slides down from her chair and peeks out of her library to see Spike and you coming closer. Her eyes dart to the circlet. "What's that?" "This pony brought it in." Spike holds it up to her. "He says it made somepony act evil. Could it be enchanted?" Twilight looks at it with a furrowed brow. Her horn glows as she lifts it up carefully. "Made somepony act evil? That's awful." She brings it over to put it on a desk. "Perhaps we shouldn't touch it." Spike and you watch her pace around it, but keeping distance. She pulls a magnifying glass out from behind her. You had no idea she kept one there. "There are markings along the edge here." She leans in carefully. "GPT?" She flops back on her haunches. "GPT." Her brows fall in a scowl. "G. a. P. T." She huffs with obvious irritation. "Trixie!" "Trixie?" Spike shakes his head. "Why do you have such bad luck with her? And how do we fix this thing? It might be fun to keep, but I don't want it hurting somepony again." Twilight's eyes narrow at the tiara. "It won't, not if I have anything to say about it." She floats it in her magic. "Melting it while nopony is wearing it is likely the best course of action." She turns to you. "Thank you. You've saved all of Ponyville, perhaps Equestria, today. Equestria thanks you." You: A: Request recompensating. B: Celebrate your victory.
David Silver
562727
13
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-02T22:18:46+00:00
2024-08-02T22:18:45+00:00
175
You smiled at Twilight. "So, all of Equestria, huh? I don't suppose, you know, Equestria could spare me a few bits? I think my work deserves something extra." You clear your throat and glance up at the library's tall shelves. "What are you saying?" She frowned, brows pinching together. "Are you asking for a reward for turning in some dangerous magic?" You rub one leg with the opposing hoof. "I'd do it anyway, a good citizen and all that. But I sure would like a few bits for flying with some dangerous relic, you know?" "Oh. I suppose that is reasonable." She moved back to her desk. "Let me just write a check here." You stand around, looking at the other books she had on her desk. One catches your eye and you pluck it with a wing. "How to Rainboom? This is in a book?!" She turned back, hovering a slip of paper over to you. "Hmm? Yes. Some things you can learn from a book. Most things, I would argue." Twilight looked quite certain of that. "But that book is classified as dangerous. It cannot leave here, nor can I permit you to read it." You let the paper float in the air, eyes more on that book. "What if that's the payment? I have one little book. I'll even bring it back! Once I read it. That is." You beam with excitement. You've always wanted to perform an actual rainboom! You can't imagine something more thrilling! Twilight crosses her forelegs with a scowl. "I didn't make it this far by being gullible, no matter how harmless you look." "Please?" You bat your eyelashes at her. She sinks miserably. "Fine, but it's your fault if you get—" You snatch the book long before she can finish. "Just—" And you're out the door not long after that. The town is amazed when a pegasus slams into the ground at a speed they thought impossible to reach, at least going straight down. You got what you wanted, and will live on in stories for generations. The end.
David Silver
562727
14
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-03T14:55:01+00:00
2024-08-05T14:29:59+00:00
184
You soar ahead at the front of the weather team. Rainbow Dash it right at your side. "Let's bust this thing! Move!" The cloud you target is starting to rumble with thunder. A charge of electricity bursts out from it. You maneuver out of the way just in time. Others aren't so lucky. They are shocked by the errant bolt, but you leave ponies behind you to treat them as you head in. "Hey ugly!" Rainbow Dash points her wings forward, dropping straight for the cloud. You follow close behind. "This is for everypony you hurt!" Lightning shoots up at you both. You shove against Rainbow, sending you both spiraling away from one another, but neither charred by the bolt of sizzling electricity. She laughs as she regains control and whirls around to kick into the stormy cloud. "Take that!" It feels like a tidal wave smashes into you. A chill pours over you as you plummet through the clouds, sky rushing by. Gritting your teeth, you refuse to let up the fight. You were made to be a weather pony, able to handle just about anything nature can throw at you! You spread your wings out wide and catch the air. You force yourself into the lightning cloud, pushing it back inch by inch. "Get out of here, stupid cloud!" "Don't you know? Every cloud has a silver lining." You hear from behind you. It startles you enough that you lose control again. A quick glance shows Rainbow Dash at your side. She has her hooves crossed and head tilted. "Hey, have you ever tried a Rainboom?" You flail wildly. "A what? Is now the, woah!" You narrowly avoid a fresh bolt. "Now the right time?" "When is there a 'good' time?" Rainbow rolls her eyes. "Go on, try it, or not." You: A: Go for a rainboom! B: Let's stick to just handling these angry clouds, no special moves.
David Silver
562727
15
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-03T15:47:59+00:00
2024-08-07T19:09:47+00:00
201
Flush with power, you march towards Town Hall. "I have a little civic objection to file." You shove your way in through the doors and up to the front desk. "It's about somepony not calling me queen. I'm thinking something like mandatory loyalty classes." Mayor Mare looks up at you with wide eyes. "What? Ponies don't have—" You grab Mayor Mare in your magic and force her up and over her desk, hovering in your grip. "The old ways are done. Say hello to the new ways. Starting with some retraining!" She wiggles around helplessly. "What is wrong with you? How can you do this?" "Magic, baby." You smile at her and give her a shake. "Now, let's start. Call me queen. Now." She bites her lip, scowling at you as she grinds her teeth together. You click your tongue at her. "Now now, don't make me get rough. That wouldn't be good for anypony, you included." You lean in closer. "The ponies like the job you do, and I don't want to have a new mayor. You do want to continue that little post, don't you? Even a queen could use a good mayor." Mayor Mare starts to say something, but groans and buries her face. "Queen. Whatever. Just let me go." You laugh with glee as you set her down and take her chair for yourself. "Very good! I am now ruler of this little town. Tell me, how many soldiers do we have at the ready?" Mayor Mare runs a hoof back through her mane. "The town has no 'soldiers'. We have a few guards, but they are in the employ of Princess Celestia, not me." "Fah!" You wave off that notion. "Princesses? Pssh! Nopony needs those." You open a drawer, trying to find something interesting. "Besides, she'll have nothing left once I'm done here. For now, post a 'soldiers wanted' sign out front for ponies to enlist in my new army. Chop chop." You clap your hooves for emphasis and return to your hunt. Next: A: You prepare a motion of your new army on that princess next door. B: Forget her, go for Sunbutt and Moonwench!
David Silver
562727
16
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-03T16:21:03+00:00
2024-08-04T14:26:14+00:00
230
With the weather under control, and you feeling wet and miserable, you bank towards town. "I'm taking a spa break, who's with me?" The other pegasi cheer as they land in a neat line. You all keep your noses down and turn up the wind speed, sending yourself like a rocket across the sky. But there's one pony that isn't with you. When you all land, you realize her presence, or lack thereof. "Where's Rainbow? She's not coming too?" "Rainbow Dash isn't much of a spa pony." One of the pegasi explains. "She likes being outside more than just about anything. A warm bubble bath once a month is pretty much it." The others shrug with noises of agreement. You shake your wet pelt out. "Well, fine. I plan to enjoy this. We earned it!" The rest of you get pampered and cleaned to within an inch of your lives. You feel rejuvenated as you spread your wings. "That was great! Thanks everypony. Now let's head back!" But that's when you notice that Rainbow still isn't up in the sky. "It's not like her." You lift into the air, twirling back to the others. "Let's go check if she's still sleeping. That does sound like her." A few laughs bubble up among the pegasi. One of them volunteers to join you in checking. You stop at her house first. But there's no Rainbow in front, nor inside any of the windows. The two of you swoop past. "Hey." Your partner flies in. "What about the lake? She loves 'chillaxing' there." "Hmm. Fair point." You look off into the distance, where the pond lies hidden from sight. "Let's check there first." You bank that way and begin to see ponies congregated together, looking scared about something. Rainbow wasn't with them, but you touched down anyway. "What's wrong?" A unicorn from the crowd gasps. "You're a weather pony, right? Rainbow Dash was with us on the lake. Something happened. I think she fell in!" Your gut tightens. You: A: Rush in after her! B: Ask your buddy to help get the water in the lake out.
David Silver
562727
17
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-03T19:20:34+00:00
2024-08-03T19:20:33+00:00
129
You let out a wild peal of dark laughter, power coursing through you. Yes, it is a fine day for a new Ponyville. "As my first act as queen, I need everypony to have their loyalties adjusted." You float above them, head high. "From now on, everypony will refer to me as your queen!" You feel something get knocked off your head. You flop to the ground, power fleeing you. You don't get a good look at them, but some earth pony scurries away with your tiara. You grumble and get back to your hooves, panting as if you've been running all day long. The crowd mumbles among themselves. Some seem irritated. Others have shocked expressions. It's as if they'd never seen somepony go nuts before! You aren't exactly sure how to respond, with your old personality sifting back and with it, shame. "I... Uh... I..." You blush hotly. Twilight Sparkle approaches you carefully. "It's alright, um." She raises a brow. "What is your name?" "Uh. Well." You shrug your shoulders. "I'm still dizzy, Princess Twilight, ma'am. I don't really remember right now." She holds her book up in her magic. It opens. She nods. "Ah. In that case, this should help." Her horn glows, hitting you with some strange magic. "The tiara scrambled some things. We're fortunate we got it off you when we did. Who did knock it off?" Ponies mumble and nod at one another. It seemed nopony knew which pony had been the one to knock the tiara free. Twilight leads you away for recovery, and the day is allowed to continue with just one more mystery for Ponyville. The End.
David Silver
562727
18
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-03T19:47:48+00:00
2024-08-15T20:45:10+00:00
229
A single blue scale from a dragon? How hard could that be? You take off towards the mountains. If there's one place to find a dragon, that'd be it. Besides, rumors of them frequenting Ponyville came from the mountains. "If I was a dragon, where would I hang out?" You trot up along the steep path, your eyes on the cliffside for any hints of appropriate caverns. You look over your shoulder at the pleasant town. Such a quaint place, and hardly anything bad happened in all the time you've been here. It made the most sense for dragons to make their home elsewhere, and avoid your new friends down there. There was one time a red dragon was chased off, but that was for making too much smoke. That was before Princess Twilight started a school. You were pretty sure they even had a dragon attending it! They weren't blue though. That would have made this so much easier. You keep along, but with all the openings, it's hard to be sure just which one is worth investigating. You peek into the dark opening of one, blinking as your eyes adjust. Nothing of note is within, just rocks and pebbles. With a sigh, you move on to the next, and the next after that. Much of the afternoon goes by before you find anything worth going over. You climb up on some rocks to peer into a higher cavern. A strange rattling sound from within makes you pause. It sounded like some sort of bug? That was an appropriate dragon noise, right? Entirely unsure, you creep forward as quietly as you can, barely scraping your belly on the rocks beneath you. You pause, holding your breath, but there is no further sound from within. You have to do this! The best present for Pinkie Pie is one of those scaly hides, at least one scale. You just hope that one dropped somewhere and you can grab it and run. You poke your head in first, careful to move as quietly as possible. Your eyes dart about, trying to see something. Your ears twist this way and that, hoping to hear something. That rattle sounds again. It comes from inside a rocky den. Some kind of red object is splayed across the entrance. It seems out of place. You come closer, stepping on all four hooves carefully. "I'm still not interested," came a bored female voice. "I don't like big angry dragons. I retired next to the ponies for a reason. Buzz off." Do you: A: Approach the female dragon with your best smile and charm. B: Stay quiet!
David Silver
562727
19
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-04T02:46:43+00:00
2024-08-04T02:46:43+00:00
123
With a panicked cry, you and the other pegasus scatter to assemble the others. The only way to get the water out of that lake requires way more than either of you can provide alone. You might need the whole weather team for this. You gather them all in front of the lake. "Guys, we've got a problem. Rainbow Dash is in trouble!" Surprised gasps spread through the gathered ponies. "Is she hurt?" asked a concerned mare. "Is she—" began a male pony, only to be interrupted by another. "What happened?" demanded a deep male voice. You shake your head and stomp one hoof. "We have to act fast or she will be hurt." You point the way. "We last saw her getting pulled into the lake. We need to make that lake stop existing. Fast! Go, go!" The weather team splits into smaller teams, each assigned with different aspects of this problem. With luck, it will be just enough to save Rainbow Dash from drowning, or worse. They all gather around the lake as another pony shouts out orders. The trick with moving that much water is the amount of teamwork and precision needed to get that much water going at the same time. A cloud forms above you, tinted purple by the setting sun. A gentle rain begins to fall over the lake. You yourself swoop in to use your wing power to help keep the water flowing out of the lake and into that increasing shower that spilled out all around it. The mud begins to churn and rise with the displaced water, but you press on. "Keep at it!" cries a pegasus. "We're making progress." You shake out your wet mane, wings flapping powerfully. You can see the water line receding beneath you, revealing the bedrock that was hidden below. "C'mon everypony, we have to save Rainbow Dash! Every second counts!" One pegasus pushes too hard, losing control of himself and dropping into the wet muck at the bottom of the lake. He groans as he pulls himself up. "Is that... Are those Rainbow's goggles?" You hover in place, shocked. It becomes pandemonium as pegasi drop their flight and swoop in, desperately searching for any other clues of Rainbow Dash's whereabouts. A rainbow-maned tail comes out of the ground. Another finds a few flaps of her wings. All of her is there, but with more than a little mud to go along with it. It's a wild panic as they scoop her out of the thick mud and roll her onto her back. You can't see her chest moving. Not thinking it through, you come in straight, crashing into her stomach and giving her a firm kick. Her body jolts with the force, eyes going wide as she coughs up mud. You let out an almost delirious laugh. That actually worked! "Dash! You okay?" She gurgles more mud, her eyes on yours. "Gah...What happened?" She didn't seem to realize just how covered she was in filth. The other pegasi haul her out and you all carry her towards town. The crowd cheers wildly with joyful relief, their weather captain safe and whole. The one who had found her goggles takes them off and brings them back to her. "Your goggles." She looked at them oddly, too confused to understand why they would be there. Despite that, she slaps them on, muddy or not. "Thanks, all of you. I thought, never mind. We made it, together." The crowd roars with booming joy. You would keep it a secret who gave her that bruise on her chest. But you'd know who saved Rainbow that day. The End.
David Silver
562727
20
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-04T13:19:09+00:00
2024-08-04T13:19:09+00:00
125
Wasting no time, or thinking beyond that moment, you dive into the water with a splash. You kick furiously as you descend deeper into the lake. Bubbles dance up past you, popping out and rising to the surface. At first you see nothing. Just muddy darkness. But then, movement. The slightest shimmering in the murky water. A single pale red eye pops open, hovering near the bottom. A muffled roar echoes from the depths, but you don't slow down. The eye twists to look at you, an eel-like tail flickering below it. It seems quite content with its place in the muck. You make a flurry of bubbles as you circle around it. You try to grab onto the tail and pull it out, but it doesn't budge. You want to scream at it, but you need what little air you have. You bump into its scaly body, bouncing off as your tail twists and kicks furiously. That eye gazes at you, studying you carefully. Its mouth is set in a frown that only deepens when you push off it to return to the surface. You hit the surface with a great gasp for air. Your legs kick up water, your heart pounding with fear and adrenaline. You tilt your head back to see the gathered crowd staring at you. "She's down there! There's a monster! Help!" You dive right back down. The monster watches you approach again, still frowning. It shakes its head, hair whipping in the water as you grab hold of its tail again. You attempt to wrestle it out of the lake, but its suction cups help it stay where it wants to be. "You are stubborn," it speaks with surprising clarity. "Let go, before you drown." Its tail shimmies, breaking your grip. "I don't wish to harm anypony." It rises up from the mud, coming closer to you. You can see scales shimmering all across its body. You clench your jaw, frustrated and determined. You swim forward again, grabbing onto its neck. With one hoof, you point at the bottom of the lake, trying to shout about Rainbow, but that's hard to do while keeping your snout shut. The red eye narrows. "Stupid pony." It turns its head towards the surface. "Very well, let's get this over with." It takes off with surprising speed, moving like an eel through the water. Its tail pushes it up faster than your kicking could ever hope to match. You gasp for air, startled by the sudden rush to the surface. While happy to have some air, you're too focused on your mission. "Rainbow is down there!" You point downwards. "A rainbow-colored pegasus. She's in the water! If you don't want to see any ponies hurt, help us get her." The beast of a serpent stares down at you, frowning deeply. "I see no pony. Only mud." "Well, check the mud. We know she's in there." You dive beneath the surface, kicking with all you have towards the bottom. The monster follows along behind you, barely moving its body as it keeps pace. You think you can see the bottom, or some dark shape lurking there. You look up, unsure how far you have left to go. With a rush of water, the eel-thing rushes past you and lashes up the mud with the ease that you'd roll out of bed. The water becomes cloudy with it, but that also makes objects hiding in the muck visible, including one desperately thrashing pony. You are relieved to see Rainbow Dash struggling against something around her legs. You swim faster, propelling yourself towards her and trying to break through whatever was holding her. Her wings flap, the clumps of mud flying off as she beats them against you. You close your eyes, thankful she was still moving. You're running out of air though, and your limbs begin to tire from all this work. Whatever it was, it finally snaps free of Rainbow Dash, just as things start to fade. You wake moments, or hours? You're not sure. But you wake up on the lake's shore with Rainbow Dash over you with her usual cocky smile. "You okay? Wow, that was intense. What were you thinking, diving in like that? Not that I'm not grateful, because that was great, but uh." She shrugs and helps you sit up. You shake your head, trying to clear away the cobwebs. Rainbow explains how some old junk got tangled up in her and pulled her down. "What a way to end a little dip." She doesn't seem at all that worried about it, but you've gained a friend, or at least a few special points. You've had far worse days in Ponyville. The End.
David Silver
562727
21
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-04T15:20:27+00:00
2024-08-04T15:20:27+00:00
129
You march. Well, okay, you don't march at all. Snips and Snails are loyally pulling you along in a cart. Your soldiers march ahead of you as you ascend the mountain towards Canterlot. At the very front, is a peculiar pony. One who talks to herself. She looks like a scribe. The unfortunate, unlucky one who would document your new kingdom. "In the year that has passed since the queen claimed power over the Equestrian Kingdoms, there have—" You stop paying attention to them. You had just gotten there, but some embellishments were just natural. Besides, you had another pressing concern. At the top of the hill sat a heavily decorated fortress. From here, it looks more like an opera house than a castle. There's no mistaking what this was. Canterlot and its gates. If you couldn't get past them, your conquest would be ended. With a firm glare, you demand the best efforts from your army. They push onward with a rising chorus of battle cries and horns blaring. The thick oak doors opened for you to walk right in. Had they realized how superior your forces are compared to them? Probably. You came into Canterlot with great fanfare. The crowds cheer at your approach. You put on a winning smile and trot into town with your head held high. Approaching you is Celestia, her wings spread and a smile on her face. You smile in return, wondering if she had come to personally surrender. That was the best-case scenario, but you know there were many alternatives. You just hoped they didn't involve your head being on a spike somewhere. "Welcome to Canterlot," Celestia says as she opens her arms wide. "It is not often that we have a new princess, especially one that manages to uplift themselves, and come to me without aid. What a truly special pony you are." You nod eagerly, excited by her compliments. "I appreciate that, Princess Celestia. I really do." You did feel more than a little relieved to have gotten this far. "My sister had some words about you." She inclined her head at the castle. "You'll speak with her later, no doubt. But there is one thing missing." Celestia casts a spell over you. It's warm and inviting. It touches your heart. And then the rest of you. Magic, raw and powerful, pours through you. Your magic wells up inside of you. You feel dizzy from the powerful rush. "What are you doing? This is incredible!" She smirks down at you. "Go on, dear pony. Show us what you're made of." She flares her wings wide and steps aside. You blink, then cease to exist, simply vanishing. Celestia turns to the rest of your army. "I have sent her to the last and final test. If she passes, she will be a princess, accepted by all. If not, well, you have served your queen well." The army cheers for her words. But then one says what they're all thinking. "Wait, what's that mean?" Meanwhile, you look around in surprise. You're in a field of countless stars glittering all around you in every direction. A ghostly figure forms before you. Luna becomes more visible as she steps towards you with no sound to her hoofsteps. She smiles softly. "Greetings, young unicorn. It is not often that a pony such as yourself is chosen to be a princess. A task not given, but one earned through great feats of valor and bravery." You reach up, feeling something missing. The tiara, it's gone. You're alone, with only your own thoughts. "How did I get here? Great feats? What did I do?!" "It is rare, but some have proven worthy. Others do not wish the burden of the crown, nor the demands of leadership. For some, it is a title, not a burden. The choice is yours." Luna leans in, touching her horn to yours. "But you are here. Be proud, for you are the first pony I have had the privilege of walking down this path." "Where does it lead?" You look at all the stars and shimmering darkness. Luna steps away from you, standing tall with her wings spread. "It leads to a future of limitless potential, and a place among the elite." She brushes your side with a stretched wing. "Do you feel lost? I have felt this. Perhaps this is why my sister chose me for this task. We will walk side by side. Tell me, how does this feel?" "I don't know," you admit. You rub your front hooves together. "This all happened so fast. I remember, being just another pony. There was a tiara, and I thought I could, um, had to take control. I'm so sorry! I know I wasn't supposed to do that." She moves around you, still smiling softly. "Perhaps. But you are here now. Perhaps it was destiny, perhaps the plan of some higher power, or the result of choice. Does it matter? What is done is done. Now you must make a choice." She put a hoof on your shoulder. "You are here, and regret the ills, and look forward, I hope, to better days. They are days you can help bring closer." You nod. "What do I have to do?" Luna begins the slow walk towards destiny, with you at her side. Equestria would cheer for you. The End.
David Silver
562727
22
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-04T19:06:44+00:00
2024-08-05T00:28:31+00:00
182
Against your better judgment, you approach on uncertain hooves. "Just a pony, not a dragon, and not even angry at that." You laugh nervously. "Can we talk? Or do you want to stay here?" The female dragon stands up slowly, arching her back. She shakes herself out with a huff of irritation. "What? What do you want from me?" She comes into sight as you press into her den. She has shimmering blue scales and light grey horns. "Well, I wasn't expecting a dragon, let alone a girl dragon." You flush a little. "But, I was wondering if you had any shiny things I could use." The dragon raises a brow at you. "Just because we like nibbling on gems, doesn't mean we have spares for any pony that wanders past. Why don't you look elsewhere? There are plenty of other mountain tops." She narrows her eyes at you. "Not enough room here." "No no no, wait!" You grab hold of her tail, holding onto it so she can't just wander off. "You're the shiniest thing here." She freezes at your words, looking confused, then angry. "What are you implying?!" "I, uh." You have not thought this through entirely. "I'm saying you're a pretty dragon! Very shiny! Please don't eat me." She snorts out a laugh, her tail twisting away from you. "It's not my nature to eat ponies, and not even tempting." She sinks to a seated position. "Curious thing. Most ponies would have run away long ago." You stand up with a slight shudder. "So, um, I was really impressed by how lovely your scales are." You clear your throat and wave a hoof at her. "I would love to be able to make something from your shed scales. If you don't mind." "Oh?" She smirks, a curl of flames emerging from her nostrils. "You are bold, or stupid, or just crazy." She laughs at the possible option. "Maybe all three? Which is it, little pony? You try not to laugh at the fact that she seems amused by you. "A bit of all three. But I would still like to make something beautiful from your scales. They look very nice. No dragon's got scales quite as pretty as yours. They shimmer and shine like jewels, but feel like silk." "Hmm." She crosses her arms over her chest. "How do you know what they feel like?" She sees you tense and her smirk grows. "As if you're brave enough to come find out." You gulp hard, trying to push down the terror. She doesn't look at all like she wants to eat you, and is offering, rather than making demands. That's promising, right? It sure feels promising! You dare to take that first step, tail flicking. You swallow your fear and trot up to her side. "May I?" "Knock yourself out." She still has that sly smile on her muzzle as you tentatively touch a hoof to her side. She is still at first, but leans against your timidly exploring hoof. "Harder, and a little higher. There. Hmm. That does feel good. Perhaps it is an honor that such a soft little pony would treat me like this." You stop to stare up at her face. She looks... pleased? That was more than a little relieving. Though you had just made it up, she actually is nice to the touch. That she seems uninterested in eating you is making you relax. "May I? Um, make that jewelry?" "Why should you?" She turns to face you entirely. "You just want to behold my splendor, and I'm right here." She puts a hand over your head, holding you firmly. "So I'll keep you, little pony. You'll get to see me whenever you want. And be groomed, and whatever else I get in the mood for." Do you: A: Become the dragon's pet. B: Wait, no, Pinkie's counting on us!
David Silver
562727
23
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-04T20:38:31+00:00
2024-08-04T20:38:30+00:00
112
The dragon seems nice enough, and perhaps you can convince her to let you go, or share one of her shiny scales with you. Besides, it is getting late. Surely your friends won't miss you for too long. You return to your gentle rubs, hoping a scale or two will just flake off while you do it. She sure does seem to enjoy the attention. "It is quite pleasant to have some company," she admits softly. "Dragons are known to be solitary creatures, but there are times when they crave companionship." You tilt your head. "Glad I could help." You press a bit more firmly, leaning into the areas that seem to make her happiest with her growls and sighs. "Your scales really are something else. They're softer than most others, and they shimmer like rubies in the sunlight." "I'm glad you think so highly of me," she murmurs. "Even if I am certain you have no idea what other dragon scales feel like." She casually rolls over, pinning you with a chuckle. "That would take some doing." She holds you under her tail, still chuckling at you. You gasp and wiggle, but her heavy weight keeps you still. "What's your name?" "For you?" She leans in, snout to snout. "Mistress, and don't forget it." Her eyes close as she rumbles with pleasure. "Mistress? But I'm not—" Your heart is racing. "Shh, I didn't say you could talk." She keeps you beneath her, her hands holding you quite possessively. "You're mine now. Be happy, I take good care of my toys. I'll groom you, feed you, and in time, we'll become closer. You'll come to love me as I love you." It sounds a little like an imprisonment, but at least she's taking care of you. You aren't entirely sure how to take this, but you won't be getting that scale back to Pinkie. The End.
David Silver
562727
24
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-04T23:33:37+00:00
2024-08-04T23:33:37+00:00
152
You pump a hoof in the air. "Glad to help!" You share a high-hoof with Spike before landing. "Need any help getting rid of that?" You gesture to the tiara floating in Twilight's magic. She raises a brow at you. "Actually, I was wondering if you could take it to the lake and get rid of it. I would prefer it not be in the library where somepony could just put it on." Spike grins. "I've seen enough bad stuff from them, but I don't want to remember this tiara either." You accept the tiara with some confusion. "I thought you wanted to melt it?" "Tempting." Twilight turns away. "But it's not my magic. It may react oddly to my trying. Just toss it in and forget about it." The day is not too warm or cold as you wander away. You can't help but admire the skyline as you walk down the streets of Ponyville. The air is still, even as a gentle breeze rustles your mane. It is a fine day to visit the lake! Which is exactly what you plan to do. You approach the lake, relieved that there weren't any more lightning clouds. With a hop, you go for a short swim before tossing the tiara into the water. As it sinks beneath the surface, a sudden surge of movement rushes up through it. A great river drake curls to look at you, the tiara tiny upon its head. It has bright purple scales and black eyes. Most peculiar of all are its legs. It does not have legs, rather just the tail. It does have arms, and expressive hands. "Well, thank you for the gift! I'd show you more, but we're playing hide and seek with Discord." "Oh," you say as it dives back beneath the surface. "Bye, I guess." Ponyville has had far worse days than that one. You feel like you touched all aspects of an interesting day in Ponyville.
David Silver
562727
25
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T00:28:26+00:00
2024-08-16T18:57:38+00:00
135
You back away from the dragon, coiling as you back up towards the cave's entrance. "Actually, never mind. I don't need anything." You turn to leave, but hear a snort of flame from behind you. Your fur stands on end at the thought of it breathing fire. You break into a full gallop, a glint catching your eye. One of her scales, there, at the entrance. You dive down to scoop it up, only to skid along the ground outside as the female dragon emerges from the cavern. Her nostrils puff out smoke. "What's this about?" She stops as she notices what you had picked up. "I will cook you! How dare you steal from me!" "Steal?" You hide it under an arm. "Um, bye!" Arguing about it feels like a bad idea, and you scurry away with all the speed you can muster. You know you're still in danger as you head for Ponyville, but if you're lucky, you'll outrun her. The trees become denser as you draw closer to town. You don't hear her flying overhead. You escaped! Victorious, you emerge onto the dirt roads of Ponyville. "Pinkie, I got the scale! But it was kind of dangerous. Still, that doesn't matter now! Here it is!" You proudly display your prize to her, expecting to be showered with praise and party favors. But Pinkie is quiet. She takes the scale from you and adds it to a few other things on a sheet. "Almost." She paces back and forth. "Almost! We need one more thing, and it's a doozy. You've already done a lot, so I understand if you're tired." She pulls out a list. "But this is the most important ingredient." "What is it? We've come this far. We're not giving up now!" You slap your hooves together to prove your point. She sighs, rubbing her forehead. "Fine, fine. We're going to have to try to get a magical crown." She pointed at her head. "And I don't even know where to find one of those!" She squints with thought. "I guess a tiara would also work, but it's gotta be magic." You: A: March off to find a magical tiara! B: You're done with that. Time to let somepony else handle this part.
David Silver
562727
26
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T00:43:03+00:00
2024-08-16T21:50:03+00:00
140
That tiara had to be around here, somewhere. You wander into the crowd of other ponies. There sure seems to be a lot of ponies gathered for some reason or another. You come across that reason as you spot a unicorn laughing wickedly. "Don't you understand? I am the Queen now!" The unicorn wears a crystal tira over her mane. She hovers high above the town, leering at everypony else. "I've earned this, so all of you must serve me." You shrink down lower in the crowd as she goes on and on about being the true ruler of Ponyville. She seems crazy, but everypony is keeping quiet. You glance around for the closest cover you can find, slipping into some nearby bushes. You press yourself up against a tree, unsure what to do next. You have to act. Besides terrorizing the town and your friends, she has a magical tiara right on her head. With that, Pinkie's party would be ready! Leaping into action: A: You rush out, knock it off her head, and run! B: Convince her to give you the tiara.
David Silver
562727
27
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T11:57:41+00:00
2024-08-06T00:51:21+00:00
112
You soar against the angry clouds. "No theatrics! Let's do this by the number, and get things back in order." Rainbow Dash is at your side, snorting with irritation. "Now let's fix this mess!" You split up to surround the lightning cloud from above and below. With one careful pull of your wings, you spin around in a tight corkscrew with your hooves stretched forward. With the two of you working together, the irritable weather system begins to yield ground. Lightning cracks across the sky in an impressive display. You twist and dive through the clouds, fighting against their stubborn resistance. With a few choice breaths, the cloud's thickness starts to thin out. With a last flap, you defeat the cloud, just to dart to the next most dangerous looking one. "C'mon, everypony, we got this! These storms are nothing to us!" Rainbow Dash calls out over the crackling skies. You've got another angry cloud to corral. You soar around it, and you're not alone. All of you batter and twirl the cloud away from the town, raining out its inner turmoil as you disperse it with precise effort. Clouds drift out in all directions as you push your limits. The sun emerges, bathing Ponyville in a soft golden light. All the weather pegasi fly in a wedge formation, gently pushing the last clouds away. You circle around with Rainbow Dash and wave a hoof at the retreating storms. "We did it!" You both exchange high-hooves, smiling wide. "What a way to start the day." Rainbow shakes herself free of some of the water on her. "You said it. Alright, everypony! Emergency officially taken care of. Don't know about the rest of you, but I'm up for some chillaxin' time!" She loops around once, then darts off towards the pond. "I'll see ya later, huh?" You touch down near the road leading back towards town, considering your options. A: Go Relax with Rainbow. B: You're kind of sore after all those heroics. Maybe the hospital's worth a stop on the way home.
David Silver
562727
28
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T13:56:11+00:00
2024-08-06T17:48:49+00:00
109
You march out towards that hovering unicorn. "Ma'am, could we talk a little? There seems to be some kind of misunderstanding." She leers down at you with a huff. "How dare you question me? I'm Queen now!" "Yes, but..." You think quickly. "I need an audience with the queen. You do have to take care of royal obligations, right?" She frowns deeply. "Hmm. Well, perhaps a small break would be acceptable. What do you want to talk about?" "Let's talk about this." You wave a hoof over the crowd. You relax as she comes down to land on the ground. "As royalty, your people's morale is suffering. Um, we could make that better, I think." The mare gazes at you, making it clear she has no intention of stepping aside. "Could we?" She arches a brow at you. "I suppose I've been awfully busy lately. What with my rightful ascension to power and all. How do you propose, loyal subject, this be addressed?" You chuckle nervously. "Uh, well, what if we give them an exciting, yet friendly challenge? They could compete for some sort of prize." "Hmm." She leers at you. "But where would we get a prize?" Ah, perfect! You wave nonchalantly at her tiara. "Getting to wear that, even for a moment, would surely motivate your people. Such stunning jewelry and the brow it already rested on? They'd gallop for miles, ma'am." The mare looks unconvinced, but doesn't disagree. She raises a hoof to her head. "I suppose I could part with it. For a little while. But why would I want to motivate my loyal subjects?" "So they work harder for you, of course." You turn to the others. "Wouldn't you all like a chance to wear that tiara for yourself?" The crowd perks up at that. You don't have to tell them twice. Everypony comes forward to chant their support. With just a little urging from the unicorn, they're all more than willing to compete. Perfect, now all you have to do is: A: Win the contest. B: Get it from whoever wins the contest.
David Silver
562727
29
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T14:30:25+00:00
2024-08-05T14:30:25+00:00
117
You push against the wind and rain. The weather has to be defeated, and Rainbow Dash is trusting you to try for a rainboom! "Alright!" You rise above the town, brushing against the worst of the weather. The storm stretches high above, filled with all sorts of terrible things. It's as if a fire inside you has been stoked to a blazing inferno. You find as clear a path as you can in the angry gales and take it. Lightning flashes past you, and for a moment, you catch sight of a rainbow-maned pegasus struggling against the storm. You know you have little time to get it right, so you put your everything into pure speed. You tear through the skies as you build up momentum. Your wings ache, as do your sides and back. Your body protests, trying to get you to slow down as the strain grows, but the rainboom feels so very close. With one last flap, you push yourself up as far as you can manage. Lightning and thunder clash around you as you flail wildly, throwing out any notions of elegance or style. Rainbow Dash would be so disappointed, but if you don't do this, Ponyville is doomed. One of your wings suddenly flaps in a way it was never supposed to go. Dislocated, you yelp in pain and your speed just as quickly flees you. Gravity takes over. You plummet out of control towards the ground. You have no control as you impact with a startlingly wet and soft patch of mud. Warmth spreads across your back. Everything feels so warm, too warm. It all goes dark. You wake up some time later to Nurse Readheart's caring, if a little disappointed, smile. The End.
David Silver
562727
30
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T16:18:19+00:00
2024-08-05T19:03:33+00:00
202
You wait your turn in line, dancing with excitement. "Do you think it's a good coupon? Maybe 75% off your first purchase?" You try to get a peek at the coupons fleeing with their ponies, but they were going far too quickly. "Maybe there's a special promotion just for opening day if you have one!" Your friend rolls her eyes at you. "Are you excited or nervous? I know you like shopping, but this seems like a lot of fuss for one store." She leans closer, trying to figure out what was so special about it. "I guess I can't complain too much, I'm right here with you." You both chuckle and chatter, trying to figure out what sorts of jewelry might be revealed when the store actually opened. As more ponies gather behind you, extending that line, the buzz in the air increases. What kind of deals will this new place offer? At last, you get to the front, vibrating with excitement. The assistant stallion nods. "Here you go." He holds out a single ticket in his mouth. "Your coupon." You blink a few times, accepting it. "Oh, thank you!" You take it and walk away, staring at the piece of paper. Your friend slinks up beside you, just as confused. "I was expecting more fanfare." "Yeah, so was I." You shrug. "At least we got one." You both look at it. It was a simple 25% off, though it was off all purchases made that day. "Not awful." You float the ticket away into your pocket. "I still want to see what they have, when they open." Movement catches your eyes. "Is that a Pinkie party?" Your friend tilts her head to one side. "Looks like it. Want to join the fun?" She nudges against you. "Looks more interesting than waiting for a silly coupon." You: A: Join the party! B: Head to work.
David Silver
562727
31
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T16:23:55+00:00
2024-08-18T14:15:21+00:00
209
You decide it's time to get to work and to stop being distracted. You excuse yourself from the crowd and head towards the front doors of the hospital. You'd worked here for years. As it turned out, having a unicorn on the payroll has worked out for them, and you liked helping sick or hurt ponies feel a little better. Sure, you don't have a cross for a cutie mark, but that doesn't stop you from caring. Even if you are often underappreciated. As you open the doors to the building, your nose twitches. There's something different in the air today. The usual scents of healing herbs, sterilization solutions, and sanitizers still filled the halls, but there was a sweet wisp of something new. You follow it past the Nurse Redheart, sharing a nod as you go. Past her, down a hallway, you end up in a room with a mare cradling an infant colt. You pause with sudden worry. Were you about to charge in on a new mother? You: A: Leave her to peace. B: Congratulate her.
David Silver
562727
32
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T19:03:31+00:00
2024-08-05T19:03:30+00:00
105
You and your friend head towards the lively sights of the party occupying the full width of the street. It is filled with ponies having a great time. As you get closer, you can see there are a few different activities taking place all at once. There are a number of ponies that have gathered for a friendly game of frispie. The other section is filled with pony couples dancing in a small circle. And in the very center of the action, Pinkie is doing standup comedy. She appears to be speaking into a blue scale, but she looks right at you as she does. "This one time, there was a pie and a yak..." You chuckle as you listen, content to do nothing more than enjoy the party. How Pinkie always ran such amazing parties was beyond you, but you're having a good time just soaking up those vibes. The wind picks up, bringing the scent of a large sweet roll on its tail. Your mouth begins to water. A quick glance around shows a stallion carrying a tray full of freshly baked pastries. Mister Cake! "Well isn't he on time?" You and your friend start off by talking about them as you head over to the table becoming burdened with delicious snacks. "They sure have great timing. I never noticed how tasty those things were until you got me one." You glance around, looking for some other treats, but mostly eyeing the jeweler's store. "When do they open again?" Your friend checks the watch she isn't wearing. "I think a week or so?" You sigh. "Another wait? But there are so many cool pieces in there." Pinkie zooms up to you. "Oooh, I heard that! You like shiny things?" "Uh, yeah." You chuckle. "Don't you?" She shrugs, pointing at her mane. "Sometimes, but I kinda collect whatever catches my eye in the moment, ya know?" She throws an arm over your neck. "Now, Rarity? That mare, she loves herself some shinies!" You raise a brow at that. "Oh yeah? Does she make jewelry too?" "No no no." Pinkie waves a hoof in front of her face. "She loves the flashy stuff, but she does fancy dresses and clothes and hats. She's all about style and being pretty." "Darling!" Rarity presses against your other side, smooshing you between the two. "Are you talking about me? How criminal!" She titters with laughter. "What is this I hear about jewelry?" Pinkie shoves the scale she was speaking into in your face. "This pony wants to go shopping!" "Shopping?" Rarity reaches around you to get at that scale. "Now this is a gorgeous piece. In fact, I think it'd go perfectly with a dress I was working on. Pinkie! However do you do it?" Pinkie buffs her chest with a hoof. "A nice pony fetched that for me. I had a feeling you'd want it. Keep it, and show me what you make when you're done!" The two kiss, sort of. You get to be the pony in the middle, and each kisses one of your cheeks as if somehow that made their lips meet. You're left burning hot, but you get to enjoy a lovely party with so many friendly ponies. It was a fine day to be in Ponyville. The end.
David Silver
562727
33
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T19:27:51+00:00
2024-08-06T17:41:30+00:00
180
You stiffly turn away from the new mother. "Wrong room," you barely mutter out, closing the door to prevent others from wandering in. You couldn't imagine that mother needed anyone else in there. She needed peace and quiet, so that her son could rest. That was more important than you. You smile, wandering away and thinking about what you just saw. How she looked so very happy to have him, despite it all. There were sure to be plenty of ponies eager to celebrate the birth of their newest little citizen. Nurse Redheart hurries towards you, motioning with her hoof. "Come on, you're needed." She turns back around to head to a specific room. You hurry along behind her as you come into an operating room with a doctor already at work, but he's an earth pony. You fall right into step, acting as his set of hands with a glowing horn. He glances at you, sweat dotting his brow. "Thank you for joining us." You nod your head slightly, not wishing to disturb his delicate procedures. It takes time and concentration, but soon enough, the patient is breathing normally. You put your magic away, proud of the help you gave. "Is that it? Did you need anything else?" "That's it, but if you're free, we could always use some help cleaning up." He lets out a tired sigh. "Something keep you?" "All kinds of things." You don't bother the doctor with the details, just cleaning quietly. "But I'm here now, and ready to help. I do hope my tardiness didn't get in the way." He wipes his hoof on a towel. "Oh no, I just have the utmost respect for what you unicorns can do. There was a time where that magic would just not be around this town. Thank you for being here. The time to change is now, not tomorrow." "Agreed, Doctor. Now, let's clean up so we can tell the family the good news." You pick up a few dirty towels, careful not to touch anything you don't need to touch. "Did they come with a family?" "They did." With things cleaned up, he leads you out to the waiting room where a mare and a two foals are waiting. "We're all done. He'll pull through without a problem." You head over to stand by Nurse Redheart as the doctor and the mare hug. It was a satisfying moment to be a part of. Their foals start jumping around happily at the good news. You lean in towards Redheart. "Any other patients waiting for me?" She reports: A: Discord Discorded! B: Nothing too serious.
David Silver
562727
34
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-05T21:09:34+00:00
2024-08-05T21:09:33+00:00
101
The mad queen's contest turns out to be an egg race. With some trepidation, you select a rather large one and carefully begin the race. There are some occasional chuckles from the crowd as your teammates slowly bumble their way around the track. You almost balance it with the spoon in your mouth, determination with every step. But some others in the contest were determined as well. The heavy egg almost tumbles from your grasp as somepony shoves against you. You wobble but keep things steady. "That was so unfair!" you hear some other pony commenting, but there's no time for that. Your prize is ahead. You just need to make it past the finish line before anypony else. It's not a far distance, but it feels like miles away as the wind picks up around you. You persevere though, and with a shove of your hooves, you cross the line with your heavy cargo and flop to your belly, egg still upright. You lie there on the ground, catching your breath as the unicorn approaches. "I had a good feeling about you. Not everypony has the gumption to stand up to me. For that, you will be rewarded. Come, take the spoils from my head." You lift a hoof weakly, unsure if you want to claim your prize. But she takes off the tiara. It falls from her magic, suddenly stunned, and lands right in your waiting hoof. You realize in that instant that you have what you came for and give out a laugh of victory. You abandon the egg and scramble to your hooves. "Thanks! I'll see you around!" You rush away, holding the tiara between your hooves. "Whew, Pinkie's gonna love this!" You turn down the street to where Pinkie has set up her party and rush towards her with the tiara outstretched. "Pinkie!" She accepts it, then plonks it right down on your head. "Silly billy, did you forget? Today's your birthday!" All the ponies around cheered for you. You tilt your head up, utterly confused. "What?" Pinkie giggles as she bounces around you. "Happy birthday! You've been so busy lately, you forgot all about it. I figured we'd give you a day to remember, and a nice party." The crowd cheers louder at that. Pinkie lifts a hoof high in the air. "Now, who's ready to part-ay?!" So ends a special day in Ponyville. The End.
David Silver
562727
35
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-06T00:32:53+00:00
2024-08-06T00:32:52+00:00
121
Chilling with Rainbow sounds like a fantastic idea. "Lead the way." You get right up beside her as you fly out over the calm waters of the pond. You glide over its surface, taking in the serenity of it all. It feels good to just relax and enjoy yourself. You both touch down on the beach. She pulls out a cot and ties it up between two trees. "You got one?" You did not, and admitted as such. "No biggie." She proves she has a second that she ties up right next to the first. "There. Now we've got somewhere to lounge." You shake your head, glad she has it all taken care of. Rainbow is quite a lot more prepared than you gave her credit for. "You really thought this through." Rainbow hops onto her cot with a satisfied sigh. "When it comes to chillaxing, you can never be too prepared." She glances at you. "Gonna lie down, or what?" You come closer, testing the waters. It's soft, yet firm. You let out a satisfied sound and plop down on the cot with a deep sigh. Part of you is excited. It's not often you get to chill out with the leader of the weather team. You know this kind of experience was rare. She pulls out some peanut butter crackers, offering you one. You happily accept. You stay like that for a while, basking in the warm sun and cool breeze. A shadow passes over the both of you. "Is that you?" A serpant is coiled up and over you both, smiling at Rainbow. "I was about to get irate, but then I saw who it was. Rainbow Danger Dash!" Rainbow bursts into laughter. "Steven Magnet! What are you doing in a little pond like this?" "Oh, I came across it and figured it'd be a lovely place for a midday nap." He adjusts his position, lying on his side. "What do you say? Shall we nap together?" You shake your head, amused at what had become your chilling buddies. "Sounds good to me." Rainbow pulls down some dark goggles over her eyes. "Already ahead of you. Have fun." You snuggle up against Steven, enjoying the feeling of his scales against your coat. They're soft and smooth, and quite warm in the sunlight. You feel an ache in your muscles as you lie down, then quickly forget about it as your eyelids grow heavy. With the cot under you, Rainbow to one side, and a rather snuggly river serpent on the other, you enjoy a nice nap. That was a fine day in Ponyville. The end.
David Silver
562727
36
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-06T00:51:07+00:00
2024-08-06T00:51:07+00:00
97
Sore from all that weather fighting, you land in front of the hospital and slowly walk inside. Nurse Redheart smiles as she notices you. "Hello, did you get into some trouble out there?" She stands beside you as you come inside. You don't think it's too bad. "Just some storms." You wince as you lift a wing. "It was a bit rough, but we pulled through. I was hoping for a quick checkup." Redheart looks you over. "Well, you've been in here enough to know the drill." She guides you down the hallways, stopping in front of an examination room. "Go ahead and change into a gown, then I'll have a look." You pull on a gown. Why a pony had to get dressed to be examined, you had no idea. Properly garbed, you climb up onto the table. "Oh, you're in the paper." Nurse Redheart gestures to a newspaper discarded nearby. "Sounds like things were rougher than you said. Good work out there. I'll be sure to make sure your personal effects are locked away while you're here." She starts patting you down carefully. "Let's have a look. Anything hurting?" You hesitate before telling her where it hurts, as it feels silly. But she asks again and you give her the whole list. "Wings ache a little, some muscles are sore, and my face hurts from frowning at clouds all day." You squeak as she finds an especially sore part near where your wings meet your torso. She seems quite concerned with that spot. "Alright, let's get to work on this." She brings in a second nurse who assists her with some kind of pressure points treatment. She has you lie down on your belly so she can reach the areas without causing more pain. "And just try to relax. Let me know if I'm pushing too hard." The two of them prod and pull and push. You expect a lot more pain than you do get. There's some, but they're good at what they're doing. The two of them actually seem to enjoy working together to help you. After what feels like hours, you feel much better. Redheart nods approvingly. "There, that should take care of most of it." She sits back on her haunches. "The rest can only get better with time, and you relaxing. No weather fighting until the pain is entirely gone, you hear me? It wouldn't do to have you injured out there because we didn't do a thorough enough job." You sigh, contentedly happy with the care you've received. "I don't mind getting in here again for another one of those." Redheart taps your nose. "No. You only come here if you get hurt doing the right thing. We will kick you right back out if we think you're coming on purpose." The other nurse nods in agreement. "So, keep an eye on yourself and come back if something gets worse, alright?" "Sounds like a plan." You hold out a hoof, exchanging a friendly shake with the nurses. You shake off the examination clothes and hop down to the floor. "Thank you." You head home with a smile. It was a good day of weather patrol.
David Silver
562727
37
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-06T02:55:18+00:00
2024-08-06T02:55:18+00:00
126
You follow Nurse Redheart to a room. It was a room you normally saw patients recovering in. Today, it had Discord, watching you sternly. "Come here." You tilt your head. "Are you really the Discord? Here?" He rolls his eyes. "Do I need to prove myself to you? Fine, just for that, I'm gonna steal your magic." He snaps his fingers and suddenly you're completely empty. Your horn feels like it's not even there, even if you can see it when you look up. A sudden shock of realization comes over you as you look down at your body. There's no cross upon your flank. "That's not funny!" You can't help yourself from feeling irritated. "Give my magic back!" "In good time." He casually brushed Redheart from the room and shut the door behind her. "My little pony, you've been a lot of fun today." You squint at him. "How so?" "I've been watching you, here and there." Discord moves around the room in an instant, snapping his fingers. The world shifts and changes into a bizarre upside-down reality for a moment. You spot yourself, but it's not you. This you has wings, and is battling a storm of some kind. It's gone a moment later. "You've been in so many places and possibilities." "Okay? I'm not sure I understand." You take a step away from him, and find yourself pressed up against the wall. "You want me to do something? Or just spying on me for your own amusement?" He grins, clearly pleased with himself. "Watching has been fun enough. You've been bringing me all the chaos I could ask for all on your own." He ruffles you between the ears. "Good little pony. Sometimes you were good, and sometimes you were naughty." A new vision, you insisting on bits for a good deed from Twilight. "So very naughty." "But, I mean..." You shrug helplessly. "If you wanted to help instead of spying on me, what would you have done?" "I like watching you work." He leans back with a laugh. "Why would I help you? You're doing everything right. Why, look. You even found a reality where you get to meet me! Hm, does that make this the best possible day? If you ask me, I'd say yes." You cringe as you realize that you probably shouldn't be speaking to Discord in this reality. The more you talk to him, the more you're putting it at risk. "Okay, fine. We met. Yay." You turn from him. "I'm going to walk away, and you'll give my magic back." "I never said that." Discord floats up behind you. "After all, if you go around telling everypony that you talked to me, I wouldn't be able to watch anymore." He taps your inert horn. "On the plus side, I don't like getting violent these days. So this is fun for me." You huff with annoyance. "What are you talking about?" He waves a paw. "Oh, in some realities, I blow up your horn for daring to speak with me. In others, I give you a wish. You have such a lovely mind, coming up with so many different wishes. Some of them are very interesting." "I just want my magic." You sag in place. "I want to finish my work and my day. Please?" "Fine, fine." He vanishes from sight. "If you want it so badly." It all returns at once. The horn upon your forehead returns to full vibrance, and so does the magic inside you. Discord is gone, and you return to work. You finish your stressful, but productive, day in Ponyville.
David Silver
562727
38
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-06T17:29:51+00:00
2024-08-07T20:31:38+00:00
128
You gently push Pinkie back. "This is my day off. I want to relax. I'm going to go see my friend Applejack." You break away from her, determined to avoid any more of her ideas. "I'll talk to you later, Pinkie." You speed along the road out of town. As you do, you slow down as you notice something a bit odd. Smoke is raising from the Apple homestead! You rush forward to investigate to discover the Apples out front, enjoying a barbeque, though they seem to be roasting various fruits and veggies, with a clear apple theme to it all. Applejack catches sight of you, waving. "Come on over! It's nice enough out fer some grub." She tosses a watermelon off into a basket. "Takin' a break from chores to eat. Feel free to join in." You meet Applejack with a firm clop of hooves. "Thought I'd come see how a fellow farmer was doing." "Doin' mighty good!" Applejack waves at the sizzling grill. "Your timin' couldn't be better! Want some fruit kabobs?" "Why not?" You accept one, eager to share their day. It seems as if the whole family is around, munching on all sorts of treats. You take a bite of the sweet treat, smiling. "Mmm, delicious." Granny Smith eyes you as you eat. "Never thought you'd want to hang around with a bunch of Apples, but we'll have ya." She offers you another. "It's a good year fer us. It goin' well over at yer farm?" You nod slowly. "So far, so good. I hope it stays that way. I'm thinking about looking into other ways to grow things." "Well, let us know if ya need any help with anything. Apple family always looks out for each other." Applejack pulls you into a tight hug. "Good to have you with us." That's the Apple family for you. Every time you see them, they're having some kind of get together or something. It's nice to feel like part of a family sometimes. At least until the sudden shrill scream. Applejack looks around in a panic. "Wait a sec'! Where'd Apple Bloom get off to?!" You peer into the chaos. Apple Bloom is not around, which is unusual. You didn't even notice she was missing. The rest of the family doesn't have any idea where she went either. It turns out she disappeared in the commotion. You: A: Take off towards that scream. B: Trust in Applejack to handle this. She's a pro!
David Silver
562727
39
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-06T17:41:33+00:00
2024-08-07T20:40:02+00:00
133
You are busy through the day, helping patients and doctors alike with whatever they need. You're soon approached by Redheart with an odd request. "Do you know how to hold things still?" "What do you mean?" You tilt your head. "I use my magic all the time." You follow her to a tall clock that's tilted a bit. "Oh." You grab it in your magic and use your hooves too to prop it upright. Redheart moves in and does a quick adjustment. "There. That's perfect. Thank you so much for your help today. It's been such a busy day here." "Anytime." You watch as she walks off to get back to work. You trot off in another direction, smiling. Sure, it's busy, but it's a good kind of busy. You emerge from the hospital late in the evening, yawning with fatigue. Your muscles are sore, but that doesn't matter as you watch the first few stars appear in the darkening sky. You consider your options for the evening. You: A: Go straight home. B: The tavern looks lively.
David Silver
562727
40
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-06T17:48:52+00:00
2024-08-06T17:48:51+00:00
84
Actually winning the contest feels like way too much of a gamble. Instead, you watch the other ponies trying to balance eggs on spoons and you keep your eyes on that tiara, waiting for the perfect moment. You don't have to wait long, it turns out. The winner catches a loose egg as it slips off her spoon, then tosses it into the basket as she loses balance. As all eyes are on the basket, you leap up to grab the tiara right off the pony's head. You scramble away with your prize, grinning. "That was easy!" The last thing you see before you rush away is the irritated face of the queen as you flee into the crowd. A moment later, you're encompassed by an angry red aura of magic. You're dragged back towards the front. "Caught you!" The unicorn, still hovering, plucks the tiara from your grasp. "I will not tolerate this treasonous behavior." She gets it back on her head. "Better. Now, for you." She gives you a little shake. "Time for punishments!" You struggle and writhe in place, but you can't escape her powerful hold. It doesn't help that all the other ponies in town are watching and doing nothing. Not even a few hoots of support. Her horn glows with malignant red energy, but you don't see much of it, at least with eyes that can comprehend it. A few moments later, she's hovering a helpless pet kitten in the air. "Nopony expects a cat to be loyal. At least you're not lying now, hm?" You open your mouth to protest, but only a plaintive meow emerges. She drops you on the ground. The Queen grins wickedly as she rises above you. "There. Be happy in your new life." She waves her hoof. "This commoner is free to go." This is not how you want your day in Ponyville to end. The End.
David Silver
562727
41
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-06T21:27:31+00:00
2024-08-20T00:51:17+00:00
108
You rush off without even thinking about it. There's a pony at your side, Applejack galloping just as quickly. "Now I know you're here fer real. This sounds like Apple Bloom alright." She pushes her hat up and leans forward, speeding past you. You chase after her as you follow the sound of that scream to the very edge of town. Applejack seems to know exactly where she's going, even if you have no idea. But you trust in her judgement, rushing towards the screams. It turns out to be an older house in the middle of nowhere. It looks rundown and maybe haunted. Applejack skids to a halt in front of it, waving a hoof for you to stop too. "Hold up! Apple Bloom! What're you doin' all the way out here?" The filly bursts from the doors of the building. "Applejack! Thank goodness! You gotta help!" She gestures wildly behind her. "You gotta get in there and stop her!" "Stop who? Who are we dealin' with?" Applejack glances at you, then back at her sister. You march up to the filly and past her, putting yourself between her and the building. "What scared you?" She trembles, looking away. "There's a mean mare in there." She wipes at her eyes. "An awful, horrible mare who did bad things! She wanted me to give her your map, but I said no, so she started yellin' at me and callin' me all sorts of terrible names. I ran out as soon as I could. But she might be comin' after me any second now!" Applejack keeps an eye on the building. "Don't know which map they're talkin' 'bout, but they scared mah kin, so ah can't let that stand. You let me handle this." She stomps a hoof, snorting angrily. "Ah got this." You: A: Let Applejack advance and stay with Apple Bloom. B: Stay at Applejack's side.
David Silver
562727
42
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-07T00:19:36+00:00
2024-08-07T21:31:49+00:00
85
Applejack charges into the house and you stay behind at Apple Bloom's side. "Everything's going to be safe. She'll take care of it." You gently guide her away from the house. "For now, we should get somewhere safe." She shakes her head, clinging to your neck. "No! I wanna see what's goin' on!" You chuckle at her energy. "Sure you're not scared?" "No!" Her little form trembles against yours. "Ah'm just..." The sound of Applejack's screams interrupts everything. It's all you can do to keep Apple Bloom from rushing into the house, even as a white light emanates from it. You keep a firm grip on Apple Bloom as the light fades, and the sound with it. A pony walks leisurely around from behind the building. "And now." She pauses, seeing you and Apple Bloom. "What? There should only be a filly here right now. Trixie planned this perfectly!" Apple Bloom launches to the ground. "Trixie! What did you do to mah sister?!" She huffs with annoyance. "I'll figure that out later." She leers at you, frowning. "You're not supposed to be here!" You raise your brow at her. "I'm not leaving without two safe Apples." "Oh, why didn't you say so." Trixie's horn glows as she smirks. "You can have those." A shower of apples rains on your head. "Argh!" You try to fend them off, but there's just too many of them. "You fool! I am Trixie! The most powerful unicorn ever! The map was mine by rights and you had no business taking it from me!" She laughs evily, only to turn into a yelp of pain. "Did you just bite Trixie?!" She kicks Apple Bloom away. "Trixie was going to be nice, but no more!" You glare at her, just your head poking free of the pile of apples. "Don't you dare touch her." With a surge of strength, you send apples flying in every direction. You see Apple Bloom go sliding along the ground away from you, but that means Trixie has to face you alone. "Stupid ponies! You don't understand how great Trixie is!" You: A: Counter her with strength. B: Get clever about this.
David Silver
562727
43
Main 6,Original Character,Second Person,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
CYOA: A Day in Ponyville
You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.
complete
45
4
<p>You are a resident of Ponyville. It's time to start your day. How will it go? Well, you tell me. It's your day. I can't wait to hear all about it.</p><p>This is a CYOA tale, meaning you get to pick which path you take at the end of each chapter. This is done entirely on a whim.</p><p>If you run into a chapter that's not written yet, go ahead and comment that you want to go down it, which is fuel for me to get it written, knowing somepony's waiting on it.</p><p>Endings so far: 30</p>
teen
2024-08-07T00:50:45+00:00
2024-08-07T00:50:44+00:00
104
It's been a long day. Working at the hospital's taken it out of you. Deciding against being distracted, you walk towards home. It's an even longer walk home as you've already been on your hooves for hours and hours today. The only thing getting you through the last leg of your journey is a determination to get into your bed. You pause, spotting some mail in your mailbox. With a hopeful little smile, you stop in front of it and lift the mail in your magic for a peek. One, two, three letters! They're from friends back home. At least the first two. You grin with delight and trot into your home. You drop the letters onto your table and gather some snacks to enjoy with them. With those safely nearby, you use your magic to slice through the top of the first envelope. They wish you well and gush about how things are going with them even as they prod into how your life's going. "Aw, I should write back." You're already jotting out that reply even as you say it. It takes a while, but you manage to craft a lovely letter telling them all about what you've been up to. Your life has been busy since you came to Ponyville, but it's good to hear from home. The second is from your mom, asking is you've found that special somepony yet. That gets you laughing. She knows full well how unlikely that would be, given that she was the one who sent you away for exactly that reason. You let her know that you're still waiting for a miracle of love. That left you with one letter. You slice it open with a sweep of your hoof and a twinkle of magic. It seems somepony who had been in the hospital went and bought you a day at the spa! "How lovely!" Being a hospital staff was often thankless work, but you appreciate even a little attention like this. "Maybe I'll take Redheart with me." You shake your head, staring at the page. There's a brief note from the pony thanking you for your assistance, but it's scribbled off to the side. They didn't include their name. "Shy, or they just don't want credit." You flop from the chair with a yawn. "Either way, bed time." You curl up with a smile. This was a satisfying day in Ponyville. The End.