Howdy, partner!
What you see here began as a series of comedy-centric stories with the concept of an alicorn-ascended Princess Applejack trying to change a mismanaged Equestria for the better by humorously interacting with the other, quite lazy, princesses. Plus late night pink antics.
Not to mention a whole bunch of Changelings with nothing better to do but cause mischief.
The whole thing was set in motion by this gem:
~~~~~
>So, wait, why am Ah' a princess again?
>Because you seem to be the only goddamn one of those ponies who gets that a Princess need to do actual work regarding maintenance of the kingdom. You know how much city planning or trade negotiations Twilight or Luna have done? Fucking nothing. Everyone is obsessed with the world ending threats they think I should fight, but the minute I point out the free health care I have to work to maintain everyone goes quiet. And don't even get me started on Cadence, who can't even manage a basic meeting with the Equestrian Games representative. Fucking annoying. Go do actual princess stuff, because apparently everyone else got the pamphlets mixed up or something and thinks "Princess" means "Beat cop."
~~~~~
Are you feeling creative? Try your hand at writing a story! No contribution is too small and we love having new folks around.
If you're more artistically inclined give a drawing or sketch a shot. Don't fret too much; it doesn't have to be fancy and we appreciate artwork a lot.
If that isn't your style either, writers always need feedback. So tell us what you liked - and what you didn't - to help us improve.
If you are unsure about anything, do not be afraid to ask. We will gladly bring you up-to-date or explain anything you feel is unclear.
Thread 381! Our last battle awaits, and then... we can only look to the future, and see where it all ended up. The last thread to tie up any loose ends, and then we celebrate with our epilogue!
YEEHAW!
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Here is full archive of the stories in condensed, easy-to-read form with all chatter in-between removed.
Check out the pastebin here:
http://pastebin.com/u/PrincessApplejack
Curious what happened last time?
Check out the previous thread here:
>>42145311You are completely new and have no idea what is going on? There is a wikia with an overview of all characters, a complete timeline, previous thread recaps and stuff used in these stories!
Check it out here:
http://princess-aj.wikia.com/wiki/Princess_Applejack_Wiki
Confused about when a character first showed up? Want to know when an arc started? Check out character notes and details here :
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PsMAwLcIdC3IYxezAV9Ko4neEguNvc3eQqQqiTCxdDs/edit#gid=2119378650
Check out the 'Princess Applejack: Re-Cut Edition' here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15cv3kqExr_vOM0JkUh4dqnvVKxJ5Z-P1KHwE8Z7aG0k/edit?usp=sharing
Are you interested in the dark side of these threads?
Check out our collection of NSFW stories here:
http://pastebin.com/u/NSFT_NotSafeForTwo_
And above all else, don't you know you're the very best friends, of /pa/.
First for
THE END APPROACHES
>>42271964FIRST FOR ENNNDS
>Applebloom
"Applejack"
~~~
>Hey, Applejack? Got a question.
"This feels like a big change Ah' don't know iffin' Ah'm ready for, but sure, ya' know Ah'm always happy ta' answer any and all questions ya' got."
>Good, cause there's something worrying me.
"Well, shucks, can't be havin' that! Go on now, tell me what'cha got on yer' mind."
>You've got plans in place in case, dunno, a rogue alicorn from Celestia and Luna's past decides to create harmonic strife among the populace, right?
"Ah' reckon so?"
>You're sure.
"Magic laser beams Ah' guess."
>Harmonic disruption, we're worried about that in general.
"Well in that case Ah'd be worried about the windigos more."
>Assume for a moment the windigos can't come back for whatever reason, like ya' hit them with the Elements or something.
"But thats the same magic that blasted them a thousand years ago, they came back from that just fine."
>Assuming it works now!
"Why?"
>Reasons!
"Fine, iffin' that happened, Ah' guess we'd, uh, huh. Well Ah' suppose Ah' don't have a direct "Make everyone more harmonious" plan in place, but mostly because that there just sounds like they're bein' jerks. But really, so what? We've had fights that got fixed like, a dozen times now, why would this one work?"
>Dunno, just really seems like this time it would work!
"That sounds half baked without much thought to it and easily collapses under scrutiny."
>That there's our whole world!
"W-uh, huh. Ya' know ya' got me on that one. What'cha want me to do about it? Open a friendship school?"
>For some reason Ah'm pretty sure that won't work and make things worse!
"Admittedly sounds like a last minute idea. Alright then, yer' the next generation, what's yer' idea?"
>Can ya' just please go tell everyone that mass disharmony affects the very real super magic tree that they've relied on multiple times to save their lives?
"Huh. Ya' know that does at the very least sound like it would work on most of them."
>We could'a been all destroyed by one jerk telling others to be jerks and ITS ALL YER' FAULT!
"Would be. Would've been all my fault, ya' mean."
>Yeah!
"But now we should avoid it."
>Y-huh.
"Thanks for yer' common sense."
>This feels weird.
"Yeah Ah' dunno how to deal with us fixing a problem before it's a problem."
>Ain't that why yer' a princess, again?
"Well, tarnation..."
>>42271983The new generation…
2427154
md5: 9b5136266e819bcf8697d698a4c8502e
🔍
Pinkie Preview Prophecies
>Applejack is being gaslighted into thinking she's orange.
>Applebloom has a number of questions.
>Pink is eternal and there will always be a Pink.
>Flurry was only using 1% of her power.
>Rarity asks someone why they're white.
>DT wasn't asking how big the room is, she uses explosion.
>The Crusaders remembered something about Bisongard.
>A Lesson In fanservice!
>>42271998A whole new way to fuck up
>Two
"Flurry"
~~~~~
It was as if with the rising sun, the very world had come alive in color.
And, in song.
>Weeellll, sissy don'tcha know~ Its time we gotta go! Come come come and hurry yer' tail cause we ain't no time and we ain't gonna fail!
With music playing from forces unseen and her voice sweet as sugar, the changeling scooped the alicorn up and buzzed her way down the halls.
>Cause today is a day~ and it ain't gonna stay~ only gots one time~ so lets cook sublime!
They burst into the kitchen, and the staff knew what to do. The ingredients were there, ready and waiting. All that was left, was the action.
>Well first get gotta take the dough, roll it up and go go go! Give it a pat!
"Bwah!"
>Not like that!
"Bwa bwa..."
>It's okay sissy don'tcha know~ today is a day where get ta' show~ we're gonna bop and pap!
"BWA!"
>Maybe a tap! But then sissy we gotta roll the dough!
"Whoooaaaa."
>Pop it in the over, get it nice and warm! Now don't forget to mix the frosting so it can adorn! Get out all the sprinkles, but now we gotta wait!
"WUH!?
>Sorry little sissy some things you can't abate!
"Awwww..."
>Today is a day Ah'm never gonna forget. Today is a day, ya' had ta' hear of it! Cause today is a day that makes me smile, today is a day we're not gonna see again... for a while! Ha ha!
"Wah!"
>Today is a day when Ah' get to remember when everything changed. Today is a day where mah' life got rearranged! Cause once upon a time, and yer' gonna have ta' trust~ Once upon a time, mah' whole world began to bust! Once upon a time, Ah' didn't smile a lot. Once upon a time, what Ah' had was all Ah' got. Once upon a time Ah' wasn't AJ Two! Once upon a time I was just... a little blue...
"Bwa..."
>...but today is the day when Ah' remember how much better it became! Today is the day that makes me know nothin' is the same! Cause today is the day we both get to cheer. Today is the day Ah'm happy yer' here.
DING!
"Bwaba!"
>Cause today is a special day for me and you. Today is a special day for one guy too! He's the best in the world and Ah'll love him all mah' life! He's the best in the world who took away all that strife! He gave me mah' smile every mornin' that Ah' wake-
DING!
>Oh look, now we gots the cake!
"YAH!"
>Put on the pretty frosting, white cause his pearly coat. Put on blue right there so he can see what we wrote! Add the little sparkles, shining like his stars, and then mah' gosh my sissy I think we're goin' far!
"YAY!"
With that, they flew down the halls.
>Today is the day that's just so special to me! Today is the day and Ah'm glad that you can see! Today is the day when Ah' didn't have to feel so bad. Cause today is the day...
The door opened.
>I got to call him... dad.
He waited there, with a smile, for his wonderful children to share what they had made.
>Happy daddy's day, Shiny.
If it was just one of a thousand, or the last that would ever come...
>We love you.
It was special.
>Nightlight
~
Sip
>Yeah, I raised two royals and the coolest dragon in the world. Nothing big.
Sip.
>They got me a nice couple gifts for the day.
Siiiiiip.
>But you got macaroni
>JJ
"Gregarious"
~~~~
>DADDY!
"Sonny!"
HUG!
"I'm so proud of my mister mayor! Really coming up in the world, eh?"
>I'm trying!
"And what a pretty parade!"
>They really like Rainbow Dash, I think.
"Oh, this is the best fathers day ever!"
>...so is mom done drinking?
"Honey-blossom is working things out, Acty, dealing with you technically being wildly successful and a huge help in saving the world while not being a guard is a lot to process."
>...
"It's the best fathers day gift ever!"
>29
"55"
~~
>Mine cousin! Thou did not have to get me a gift this day!
"Eh, I wanted to get it in while it was still manageable and I'm not trying to up anyone."
>...eh?
"I know what you are, cuz."
>...
"I know what the future holds."
>...
"...plots to snuggle."
>WHAT
>>42272892>Twilight“Nightlight”
~~~
>Happy Father’s Day! I got you a present!“Is it a dukeship?”
>… we don’t… have.. dukes?“Or, do we?”
>…“…”
>I’ll see what I can do.“Wooo!”
>Fluttershy
"Zephyr Breeze"
'Domshy'
~Mr Shy~
~~~~~
>It feels weird that we all got the same gift. Why? Why did we all get the same gift?
"I just thought it fit!"
>I want to know why, I really do, because I bought an aloe plant for him because he said his old hibiscus died and he wanted to replace it with something a little more straight to sit on the windowsill.
"I got it because this stuff is amazing for his hair! It gives it such a slick look, he needs it for his swoosh, Flutters! He has a pink swoosh!"
>Okay, so, that's okay... but why you?
'...Well...'
>Oh no.
'It is what it's used for.'
>NO NO NO NO!
'I didn't want to draw attention to his acne, I wish you hadn't.'
>HE DOES NOT NEED LU-what.
"What?"
'What?'
>...
"..."
'...this is actually not great for that-'
>NEVERMIND! Dad we got you plants!
~I love plants!... did you co-ordinate this?~
>You would think!
"Fluttershy thought it was lube."
>What!?
~Oh, honey... it's terrible for that-~
>WHAT!?
"Happy fathers day!"
'Glad to be here!'
~I love my kids.~
>...I'm gonna time travel just for this.
>Rarity
"Sweetie Doll"
~Hondo~
~
>...uh-
"Sweetie says he's not even gonna notice."
>That's rather rude-
"Happy fathers day!"
~Aw, shucks, thanks kids! Boy its times like these that I'm happy to have my two little girls here to spend time with, ain't it just the best?~
>..
"Told you so."
>His hearts in the right place.
>Cadence
"Chrysalis"
~Celestia~
(18)
{42}
*Spitfire*
~~~
>Awwww, it's so nice to finally see them together again. In the same universe. And not some event that happened or will happen.
"Eh?"
>I saw some things beyond time, Chrysalis.
"...neat."
~It's just so sweet! Just a father and his two daughters, isn't it wonderful?~
(You know, there is only one thing I could think of that would be even better.)
"HAH! Nahhh."
{Hrm. I don't know, I rather think he'd enjoy it.}
>You say that now, you might not be saying it when there's a lot less sleep...
(Oh please, there's six of us, we can trade sleep schedules.)
{I seldom rest anyway, for my vigilance must remain...}
*You literally cuddled against me last night and snored like a bobcat.*
{... the word seldom allows some leeway.}
*Well all the same I figure I'll just think about that one later, Eighteen can handle first dibs if that's alright with all of you.*
(It is me! Heeee!)
~I very much doubt I'm even capable of it honestly, I'm a thousand years old.~
"Oh, I know I'm capable of it, but ehhhh... nahhhh. No thanks."
*Law of comedy dictates you'll be first now.*
"HAH! Like that would ever happen-"
Gurgle
>Oooh! Pardon me.
~Yeah my stomach is a bit messed up, dibs on the second bathroom.~
(We have, like, six!... and I call number three!)
{I hope to make it to five...}
*Ooof you can share four with me girl, I'll hold your hair if you'll hold mine.*
{Appreciated.}
As one, they leave. Quickly.
"Seriously! What did you all eat!"
She said, shoving another spoonful of cocobombs in her mouth.
"You folksh need to eaa behher."
They never even heard the distant laughter beyond it all...
>AJ
"???"
~~~
>Another year, another Father's Day without mah Pa... At least Grand Pear's around to kinda make up for it.
"Well, Ah hope ya want be upset iffin' Ah take his spot for a few hours."
>PA!
She rushed to Bright Mac, his forehooves spread wide to receive her in a hug.
"Hey there, sprout! It's, uh, been a while, hasn't it?"
>Yeah... Ya know Ah was worried Faust might've skipped out on lettin' ya visit.
"Eh. Ah guess it just took a little bit of time to get things right for me."
>Well, Ah know Mom's probably told ya plenty about what Ah had to show an' tell, but now ya get to see it for yerself!
"And Ah'm lookin' forward to enjoyin' every second of it. Maybe ya can even show me that fella you went out with, too. Heheh."
>Well... He's probably busy with his own Dad, but if we got time Ah could... Pa?
"Hmm?"
>What's with shotgun ya got there?
"Shotgun- oh! This? Haha. It's just a little ol' thing Ah got a while back. Nothin' to worry about."
>...
"...Ah just wanna talk to 'im-"
>DAD!
"A father's got to be prepared!"
>Dash
"Bow Hothoof"
~~~
>...thanks for helping me save the world.
"Thanks for the "Best dad" mug! I love it!"
>Yeah, I figured. So, uh... wanna...
"..."
>Wanna go fly or something?
"DO I!?"
>Please don't cheer for me the whole way...
"BEST! DAY! EVER!"
I wrote this yesterday so don't think it's clashing with the previous one.
>Applejack
"???"
~~~~
It was raining, in her little corner of the world.
Right on schedule, down to the inch and not a bit besides to keep from interrupting any plans of families on this day. Her fliers were the best they'd ever been, and as efficient as every turn of a well oiled cog. As such it wasn't as if such an event had taken her by surprise in a bout of silly misunderstanding, not at all. She knew what would greet her when she stepped out onto her balcony. She just felt like letting it hit her today, a little bit. Maybe that was why she'd let it go when she saw it on the schedule. Wouldn't have taken more than a moment to change the date, the flowers wouldn't wilt anytime soon. But she'd let it go all the same, staying on schedule just to keep everything neat and clean across the week. And maybe, some part of her wanted it to fall.
>Ah' made it, pa.
Just enough to let them think there was nothing there, besides her smile.
>Yer' little girls grown up and runnin' the place, bet'cha never expected when ya' held that little filly, that someday she was gonna be on top of the world. Heh, maybe ya' did see it comin', never know how things are gonna end up, do we? Nah, we don't.
Her throat grew tight as she looked to the sky.
>Ah'm sorry Ah' didn't talk to you when Ah' was there. Got caught up in things, Ah' reckon. Had ta' go save the world... yer' little girl has gotten pretty good at that. Dunno if the whole dang thing would fall apart without me, or if after all this time... they'd continue on with smiles. Worked hard for it, either way.
The sun was shining all around her, yet she couldn't see a single bit of it through the sky.
>Ah'm bout to head down to Sweet Apple Acres, gonna spend time with Mac, Bloom and Granny. Ya' know, Ah' reckon Granny did a real good job when you two weren't here, even if ya' would've done...
She couldn't bring herself to finish it, and it was a moment later before she could even keep her words steady enough to speak again.
>Ah' know ya'll can see me now. Ah' know it for sure, saw it mah'self. Ah' know yer' proud and Ah' know yer' listenin' in, so ya'll ain't got no excuse when Ah' tell ya', and Ah'm sayin' it true.
She said it as loud as she could, for all the world to hear.
>Ah' love you!
For everyone beyond to hear, as well.
>And yer' the best in all the world!
One final cry above the rain and the wind, and it was over.
>Ah' love you.
Time to move on, go to her true home, and spend some time with her loved ones thinking of days long past.
"I love you too, sugar cube."
But not before those last words reached her, and lingered on long after the wind had passed.
"I love you all."
They would hear it, all three of them. Kin who were miles apart from each other, but as close as could be when they heard that voice one last time.
>...happy father's day.
One last tear, before happier times await.
>Delight
"Meter"
~~~
"Deli!"
>Hey, Dad. You ready to go out for Father's Day?
"From the moment the clock struck midnight! I can't wait to hear about all the things I've been missing snce the last time we got together!"
>And I'm looking forward to telling them.
"...Does that include anything about your date?"
>I mean... I wasn't exactly planning to, especially if you don't really wanna hear it...
"No, no! I was just... You know... Wondering."
>Mmm.
"...Soooooo... How'd it go?"
>Good. It turned out good. Thanks for the advice.
"Good. You're welcome..."
>...
"...You two didn't-"
>No, we did not have sex.
"OH THANK GOODNESS! You're still too young to be doing that!"
>Just how many years do I have to wait before I CAN be doing 'that', exactly?
"...Twenty..."
>I don't think Mom will approve-
"Thousand. Twenty thousand years."
>That's way too many!
>Pinkie
"Igneous"
~~~~`
>Daddy you really shouldn't put them in the shame hole because they forgot fathers day.
"Nay mine child, I want naught on these days."
>Oh... then why are they in the shame hole?
"They have had shameful thoughts."
>Dadddyyyy, we're not like that anymore with the judgey thing! We're all open around here, no reason to-
"They said making a cake is pointless and they wished to give me gift cards instead."
>SHAME! SHAME! SHAAME!
>>42274102So cute but so sad
>>42274230Gonna need a horn to pull that off
>Dadling
"Batmom"
~~
>...Hm? Oh no, she didn't forget, we just uh... we couldn't put this in the thread. Like even the leadin would've been, in a bin. Trust me on this one, it got weird.
"Ablababa..."
>Happy post daddy's day to meeeeee
>>42274805NC
>Delight"AJ"
~~~~
>Did you really make me an alicorn just so I could follow my dad's orders?"He was very insistent!"
>>42275271>SA~~~
>THE>FUCK"HE WAS INSISTENT"
>>42275544Look he has 2 alicorns on retainer including the one who made her one
This is really on him
>>42275749>C-COMBO POWERNggZ
>MOM!"He's not staying here forever give me a limit here!"
>Grand Pear
"Applejack"
~~~
>...
"Sorry it's a little late. Got caught up in, uh... rainy weather."
>...
"It's a pie."
>...
"Pear pie. Momma apparently had a recipe, she didn't use it much but she liked it."
>...
"Figured you'd like it too."
>...Yer' about to see an old stallion cry like a filly.
"That's fair."
>>42276024She’s just worried she won’t get a turn
>>42276640Well, we get out that, everybody gets a ride
>>42276640Or what he will do in heaven
>>42275544I’m still wondering why we didn’t give it to him when he returned
>>42277377Faust explained it was hard enough to bring him back as he was, altering him in some way might've gone wrong when she literally ripped him out of the threads of reality itself.
>>42277377>SA"Twilight"
~~
"Wait, you got to go in the glowy picture room and DIDN'T come out an alicorn!? Ripoff! That's a ripoff!"
>Well it was either that or be dead."...still gonna call it a ripoff."
>That's why you're lsbff
>Spike
"DT"
~~~
This was not a discussion a certain dragon was eager to have, though he knew it was his duty as a leader, and more importantly as a friend, to give. Even so, it was with a great bit of trepidation that he opened up the doors to the workshop of a certain pink filly. Well, one of multiple workshops, allegedly. There were rumors she was a part of a secret cabal of pink ponies who caused events unseen by the rest of the world, unconfirmed though they were. As such he was relieved when he saw her working on what seemed to be a seat cushion, much like one would find inside of a merry go round, he doubted anything of note could come from that.
It pained him to do this, as she had been smiling when he walked it. But when she looked up, alas, that smile turned upside down, and she understood right away why he was here. She looked back to her project, and all but screamed with her body language for him to go away.
>So, uh... did you wanna talk about it?
It wasn't the first time he'd done something wildly stupid.
"No."
>Look, DT? We know that despite her many... many... maaahhaannyyyy very egregious, terrible, cruel, sometimes petty and oftentimes very harmful to ponykind crimes, you kinda were sort of maybe... you know, acquaintances with her.
"Hm."
>And it does seem like she may have, you know... exploded.
She went tense, but said nothing more because of it.
>You wanna talk about it?
"No."
>Are you sure? Because as someone who bottled stuff up, I uh, I know a thing or two about that being a bad idea. Personally. When it blew up in my face. I'm just trying to, you know, give you a time to vent a bit.
"I already talked about it with Silver Spoon."
>Oh. Oh! Well, I mean that's your best friend, if anyone could make you feel better that'd be the choice, right? I guess I can let it drop, I just really didn't want you... you know?
The creaking of a tightening bolt was her only response.
>Yeah... guess I shouldn't push it. Look, if you want to talk about it, maybe just to talk about the good stuff if nothing else, I'm here for you. I'm a great listener, five star reviews from a bunch of mares. You can check my credentials, heh. Just uh... just, you know. Tell me if...
Awkwardly, blushing like scarlet in embarrassment over how foolish he looked, he shuffled his way back to the door.
"You know..."
He had never been more thankful he was so stiff and slow sometimes.
"Back when Applejack was constantly all "You're too young for this, what am I gonna tell your dad if you die, blah blah blah blah", all that crap."
He didn't say it. Wouldn't or she would've just shot him right there and ended the conversation for life.
"She's the only one who was like "Wow, you sure are a pretty smart filly, why don't I help you out and make the world better by us being smart together! Ooo, sure looks like you got yourself in a dangerous situation, better help you make better weapons so that its less dangerous!" HA!"
1/2
>>42277736Her tool made a very unfortunate CLANK sound that he hoped would be fixable.
"It's not like I looked for it, Spike! At least not half the time!"
He was not a mathematician, and even he knew that didn't add up.
"Those things came to us! Of course I was going to fight! What was I gonna do? Oh please misses giant monster Queen, I hope my feelings of love can make you not squish me! PFFFF!"
How that all ended escaped her, it seemed.
"But that's who Applejack wanted me to be, and who Pennydrop knew I didn't have to be."
>Diamond Tiara, she-"I'm not stupid."
She was rather reserved for that, not much of an outburst at all despite how tense she sounded.
"I know she did bad stuff, and she did it a lot. I get that, totally understand she wasn't a good pony, okay? I'm not some beaten filly who's trying to make you think she was really a good pony who accidentally fell into political espionage here. But..."
The creak of the bolt grew quiet.
"...she was still my friend, and I'll never forget how sad she looked when she found out I was hurt. She wasn't angry at me, or disgusted that I ended up like that, or cared if it was a flaw in the Fillyboom she would fix like I was a prototype. She was a pony who saw someone get hurt, and had that kept from them because of shame, and she felt bad. We talked, we had fun discussing blueprints and possibilities and-"
The claw on her shoulder made her stop, if only to catch her breath.
"I just wish I could've saved her, you know? All this technology, all this possibility..."
>Yeah... I do.He did, better than most, he understood.
>She might've survived, you know."Luna mentioned that."
>If she did, we're gonna have to bring her in."She mentioned that too."
>You're not going to fight or something, right?"...Maybe."
He sighed, took a breath, and finally he smiled.
>Just give me a heads up, you know I can make a throw look good."...I'll keep that in mind."
She didn't say anything after that, and he knew she wouldn't say anything more.
>I'll leave you to your work for now, I'm sure you've got plenty more to make for the future. But don't forget to stop by the gunclub at seven, Forty Two's finally attending again and we are going to make so many honeymoon jokes!She didn't answer, not when he got up, not when he made it to the door.
"I'll be there."
Only when he was leaving, at last feeling at ease.
"...Sorry, Penny..."
Alone, she finished up her work, and sat back with a frown.
"I wish I could've saved you too."
>>42277737So is Pennydrop just gonna slink away into obscurity? Not like there's cameras to spot her... or a lack of clones
>>42277954>Someday, Applejack is gonna see an old mare tending a lemonade stand, do a double take...>And walk on by
>>42277954I wonder if she'll just try to blame it all on Chittymama and try to scrape back into the leadership of her company, or if she realizes it's so fucked she's gonna try and pull an Antlers and take over another up and comer from the shadows.
It would be ironic to have her become the thing that destroyed all her work.
>>42278401I dunno, I like to imagine she sort of accepted her loss at the end of it. She got to see her own company get wrecked to oblivion and in the end, it was a footnote in everything that went on. All she built, all she did, and the world was just doing something more important when it all went down. She survived because they saved the world, her business is gone by her own smashy, she'll never be trusted to deliver a product again. There's really nothing left.
>>42278288Don't... don't drink that lemonade.
>>42278843Roll the dice and support a small business coward
>>42278843Look all lemonade has the slightest chance someone drugged it, that’s just the gamble you take with children
>>42279447Sure
Drugs are the worry....
>>42278288>...HEY WAIT A MINUTE!"WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!"
>YER' STILL UNDER ARREST!
>>42280102>The law don’t care if yer’ eighty! Only if Ah like you or not!
>>42280343“I’m sorry!”
>CURSES! The flaw in our legal system!
>>42280618NC
>AJ"Twilight"
~~~
>Why did we end up doin' this for all our villains anyway?"I mean... not all of them."
Elsewhere, Tirek is assured by his lawyer once again that its not racism if he tries to kill them.
>>42280807>But seriously."Were a kids show, we can't kill them, so..."
>...oorrrrrrr
>>42281047Look it’s either that or phantom zone
>>42280807It is probably sexism tho
>>42278401NC
>Pennydrop"AJ"
~
>But I did get possessed! I did I did I did! It was a big changeling Queen in my mecha!"How'd she get in there?"
>I-"And do be aware using someone elses bones for machinery is WILDLY illegal."
>...How illegal like, on a scale of "Attacked a village" to "Clean up?"
>>42282106Also, were they bones or exoskeleton?
>>42282106NC
>AJ"Pennydrop"
~~~~~
>So ya' know the mecha-chitty thing is, like... one very small line in yer' list of charges."Oh no accountability!"
>Applejack
"Celestia"
~~~~~
Bzzzt Bzttt...
>Howdy howdy, who's callin'?
"Applejack, I need advice on something."
>Ya' push the buttons on the remote and crazy stuff happens.
"Not that!... wait, what are you talking about?"
>Twi invented a thing that controls the projector, guess it's ahead of yer' time.
"Like, for film?...oh no I am old."
>Yep.
"Gah! Quit distracting me! I just need your advice on plantcare!"
>Embodiment of all three races, everyone.
"I was not this sassy to you when you had questions."
>Ehhh.
"Early game!"
>EHHHHHH-
"Ughggh just tell me if the little brown tips mean I'm overwatering it or underwatering it."
>Brown tips on what? Leaves?
"No, the... bud things."
>What plant are ya'll talkin' about, exactly?
"I don't know, the one that's all tall and has like, spikey tentacles coming down."
>...What!?
"You know, it's like... you ever see one of those cactus plants that are like, long, but also have spikes on the side? It's that but a tree."
>Ah' have no earthly idea what that is. Where'd ya' get it?
"Some island."
>YOU DID NOT-
"Where it was legally sold to me by a licensed vendor, I didn't rip the thing out of the ground. Come on."
>...well what did the label say?
"I dunno, couldn't read it."
>And ya' bought it anyway?
"I really like the pink spikey fruit it makes, it's delicious."
>...TWILIGHT!
~It's a dragonfruit plant and she's underwatering it!~
>Ah' thank you... really? Dragonfruit?
"This does not live up to the name-wait has she heard our conversation?"
>Yeah.
"...did that mean she could hear all of them?"
>Yeah.
"Oh, oh no. I am so sorry, I genuinely did not want to traumatize her talking about when me and Cadence-"
~EW EW EW-wait, Cadence? I don't care about that. I'm not related to her except by marriage.~
"Oh, I thought it would be weird because she babysat you-"
~EWEWEWWWWWWW!~
"..."
>Yer' the one who didn't take the exit.
"I'm old, yet I've learned so little."
CLICK!
>...thanks for pretending to be disgusted so she hangs up.
~No problem. "Uhhh she's your babysitter" and? I wasn't an infant now come on~
>>42282820Those colors absolutely fit dragons in this verse
>>42283056And they’re fruity
>>42283384I mean 2-1 in this universe that gives you dragon powers, or is a living dragon
>>42283832Or feed them specifically
>>42283832>Spike ruins it by pointing out they look like his dick.
>>42284538>...Bites
"THE ACTUAL FUCK
>Applejack
"Pommel"
~~~~~
>No, we're not draggin' other Shining out of the cell just so he can give a public speech about how harems are bad.
"I have broken up THREE FIGHTS in the last day across TEN PONIES. DO THE MATH, PRINCESS."
>Ah' understand yer' point, Ah' just wanna remind you iffin' he gets into it then it's just gonna get worse. He's deeeep in that hole about lovin' all of them and gettin' his flanked kicked has not fixed that. Sorry.
"...alright. Plan B. Do you think he'd be willing to do a couples seminar?"
>No.
"Come on, I don't have to let him out of the cage!'
>Oh no, Ah'm not worried about him escapin', Ah'm worried he'd make things worse.
".."
>Ah' saw some shit in his brain, Pommel.
"I'm sorry, you did what now?"
>Did Ah' never mention the memory dive?
"The WHAT?"
>He had kids, Pommel, and they were all little shits.
"...I hate this job."
>Ah' know.
>>42285060This honestly comes across as incredibly forced. And Alt-Shining honestly shouldn't even still be in the Regverse.
>>42285087>This honestly comes across as incredibly forced.Well shoot, didn't mean for it to come off like that. Consider it NC then, it's just a gag I wanted to do regarding the Altverse situation, not a huge loss.
> And Alt-Shining honestly shouldn't even still be in the Regverse.They said him and AU2 leaving happens right before the epilogue so he's still there.
>>42285141>They said him and AU2 leaving happens right before the epilogue so he's still thereIndeed, we’re gonna send them off right before the end mostly as a closing of that last lingering page of the book. With mayyyybe a surprise guest?
No spoilers
>>42285141To be more constructive, this harem thing shouldn't be that big of a problem. At this point it's just hypocritical after 10+ years of CE stories and the first finale being the harem marriage to try to frame it as such, especially to the point of trying to get someone like Alt-Shining involved. The "problem" should be that Pommel has no idea what to say to people to get them to consider the fact that some people just aren't good fits for each other, and that gets worse the more your bring in. Then he could just ask Shining for advice, rather than his more annoying counterpart. Or, you know, he can ask Cadence. The Princess of Love. Because it's supposedly supposed to be her harem, too.
>right before the epilogueI know he's still there and she is, too technically, but they both probably shouldn't be here at all. We'll see where it goes, but I'll say that I hope whatever is coming out of this
>>42285242 considers that time traveling is still a factor in all of this, to put it lightly.
>>42285490>hope whatever is coming out of this >>42285242 # considers that time traveling is still a factor in all of this, to put it lightly.Oh absolutely, I had to re-write it a bit but it should work regardless of how things play out and for how long, just made sure there’s a certain vagueness to when it happens in case it wouldn’t fit specifically in one place, and of course a reason why
Don’t fret on my account, we’re prepared!
>>42285490Hey, thanks for the concrit. Gave me an idea for another angle, like it a lot better!
>AJ"Pommel"
~~~~
>So, lemme get this straight. Ya'll would like me ta' have other Shining Armor give a speech... about why harems are bad."That would be the best course of action dealing with the new situation, yes."
>...Pommel."I mean the number of altercations has gone up. Well, mostly non-physical because we are ponies, but the amount of physical is enough to make the three calls and totaling ten ponies enough I think this calls for attention, don't you? I'm glad we're on the same page."
>...Captain Bronze Pommel, Ah' know you, and Ah' respect ya', so as a result Ah' know this situation is bad."Exactly, same page, so lets just-"
>So if ya'll will allow me, quick question. Questions. Plural."I live to serve."
>One, how do ya' know he's still here?"Guard clearance says there wasn't an official departure, so."
>Right. Well, for the record, we're keepin' that off the record."Ah."
>Second, lets put aside his opinions on harems being bad, which ya' know... he's not for."Really? I only saw the Glimmer thing, I assumed this had a domino effect."
>Nope."So... mayyybe-"
>Third, there's obviously someone more qualified on this who is in a very happy harem right now, public wedding in all that."I think the new term is-"
>Ah' don't rightly follow it cause nobody's gonna remember it in a year."Fair."
>Just sayin' iffin' ya' wanted A Shining to have a seminar on this, why that one?"I just felt he was best suited for this particular task."
>Ah' assure ya', he ain't. Both because of the fact that he would be spoutin' nonsense about love doin' everything and anything and also his partner jugglin' skills bein' so lackluster that half of them hate him and his maybe future kids are a bunch'a wads."...I feel like there's a bigger discussion about how you know all this."
>Evil gods made me go through his memories ta' find his weakness and it turns out its Glimmer."Several questions. Several long distracting questions."
>Ah' got one mah'self-"Don't you brush past that! What?! WHAT!?"
>-knowin' how dang sour everyone is at him in general, the reason ya'll would go to either version of him instead of, checkin' her credentials here, oh yeah, the "Princess of Love" who has firsthoof experience of this, is?He shuffled. She stared. He shuffled harder, she stared harder. When the first sweat bead appeared, she broke.
>... One final question. What did ya' do?"...sooooo, technically, and only technically, just a technicality really... there was an elective."
>Eh?1/2
>>42286566"Well, back when I took the captain job, there were certain certifications I had to get. And I got them all, no backsies or missed checkmarks, I assure you princess. But, uh. There was an elective offshoot to a class."
>And that was?"Well, the class was dealing with relationship fallouts with tests on infidelity being found out and how to diffuse a situation regarding it so no one gets hurt."
>Reasonable."But there was also an elective on, uh... multiple relationships and how to navigate that in the event of a domestic incident. Offered for free."
>...Oh..."By Cadence."
>Ohhhh."I um... I didn't go."
>Oh."I uh... I didn't think this would come up on this scale, I'm going to be honest."
>So, yer' plan was essentially to use a guy ponies already hated as a figure and scapegoat for this, because if Cadence finds out ya' skipped out on her for this and it came back to bite ya' in the flanks..."I'm not saying she'll be mad, but I am saying she'll give me that look, you know. That look. I'm just imagining it and I can feel it in my soul, you know?"
>Ah' do. She'll also laugh in yer' face really really hard. Just humiliation on a whole other level. Ya'll ain't never heard smugness like this, Ah' can hear it from the future."That too. And honestly that's not as bad as the guard are going to be when I declare this class now has to be mandatory."
>That don't sound so bad."I want you to imagine any boring public relations seminar and now it's one dedicated entirely to how they deal with ponies who are having way more fun than them most of the time, and they have to listen to it because it's important."
>Ohhhh ho, hooo, that's gonna spur some heels."Yeah, I'm not going to lie, I know my suggestion was stupid. I'm well aware how it would look. Do you think I even have a problem with harems? I'm pretty sure at least one of my soldiers is in one. Shining is a cool guy and I'm glad Celestia found love, but I needed a head on a pike here. These are the desperate splashes of a drowning stallion, Princess."
>Hoo. Well, Ah' got good news, and bad news."Good news first."
>Ah'll tell the guard the training came from me so ya' don't gotta take the heat from them, and Ah'll offer free Palzones for everyone who's gotta attend. All on us.""...get the crazy bread."
>Ah'll get the lava cakes."You know, I think that'll do it. Thank you oh gracious princess-wait then what's the bad news?"
>Cadence heard everything.SLAM
~HMMM HMMM HMMM. OH, YOU WANNA MESS AROUND, HUH!? DON'T NEED THAT, HUHHHHH!~
"My shame is eternal."
~HMMMM HMMM HMMM. WELL. WELL LOOK AT THAT>~
>Ah'm sorry, Ah' was talkin' to her before ya' came in and didn't hang up in time."Hang up what!?"
>Horntalkin'"Since when!?"
>That is bout to be the least of yer' worries.He could feel her gaze on his SOUL.
~HMMM. HMMMM. HMMM.~
"...Applejack I wish to put in for assisted euthanasia."
>Denied."I hate this job."
~HHHHMMMHMMMMMMHMMMMMMMM!~
>>42286566Oh yeah that’s much better. Both in how he handled it and why he tried it in general.
Honestly what I love most is AJ never freaking out or getting mad, instead respecting him enough to find out the why instead, and her solution is a glorified pizza party with extra bits, and paperwork. Pure AJ.
>>42286573Dead boy walkin
>>42286945By his own metaphorical hand
>>42287294Purely metaphor
>>42286573Princess of told you so
>>42287878>Cadence~~~
>I’m gonna remember this when I’m nine hundred and ninety
>>42286573>Lucky Strikes"Haymaker"
~~
>... weren't Palzones the mob guys?"That was the other guys."
>Ohhhh, these guys aren't mob related?"They are Neightalian.."
>>42286573>Cadence~~~
>Alright class, today we're going to learn how to resolve a four way fight between jealous couples who didn't realize what they were signing up for when they saw the ACTUAL PRINCESS OF LOVE pull off something and thought it wouldn't be too hard! Because that's my job, and somehow ponies are like "It's just kissing can't be that complicated!"A hoof in the back goes up.
>...yes? You in the back?He opens his mouth.
>Before you say your question, if it involves "Why isn't Shining Armor teaching this class", just know I will put the dunce cap on your head.Slowly, the hoof goes back down.
>Is this because you thought he was in charge of the harem?Silence, but not awkward silence.
>...is it because you and him were buddies back when he was a guard and you thought he'd let you off easy even if you failed?Shuffle shuffle.
>Okay, you don't get the dunce cap, but that's a terrible class ethic. I understand it's intimidating but you can't rely on your friends to solve every problem.Most hooves shoot up
>Not EVERY problem I said! Just... like, ninety percent of them!They all go down.
>Alright, first lesson, which one of the four should you try to talk down first? Easy answer! Who has the most dangerous weapon and or spell? Save them for last, the ones you don't expect will do the stabbing.
>>42288904>Chrysalis~
SLAM
>I've arrived, bitches! Caddy has asked me to give you guys a brief seminar on the offshoot of the current topic of discussion, and we'll be discussing-TAK
>Can you fix her with your dick? The answer is no. I assure you, the dick did not fix me, I shot people in the face after getting the dick. I know, I know, I was super evil so obviously I got swung back to the side of goof via hard lovings. But no! He denied me until we were married! DENIED! He didn't come crawling back to me, I was sent on a side mission to mess with him in order to help give Celly time to catch up fixing her problems, HAH! Yeah that's not easily replicated with other evil chicks, or just jerks alone. And nobody tells you about the time they're gonna go crazy and you still have to save them, why? Because then they'd mention the time you have to chuck them out via magic shield bubble because SOMEONE made a joke that fucked with their brain. And yes, it was funny. Yes, the look on his face was worth it. Yes it hurt immensely and no snow did not soften the blow. Dick doesn't mean dick with fixing evil chick! If you wanna fix her I advise you get a detailed play by play to FIX HER first, and then worry about the dickening. Start with the basics, idiots! Now, before we go on to "She is obviously using you and here's why no it's not worth it", any questions?Hooves go up.
>Any questions not related to the dickening I did get.Most hooves go down.
>Or about me being married.More hooves go down.
>Or if I'm looking to add to the married.Rest of the go down.
>...I like you guys.
>>42289111>18~~~
>I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea why I'm here. Apparently I'm here to inform you that stalking folks doesn't make you love them?... This feels disingenuous coming from me. I mean I didn't WANT to stalk them, it was a mission, but it happened. That's what I was ordered to do! You can't go in there wanting to stalk them or they're just gonna be like "Oh, a stalker, I don't like that!" Of course they do! Even if you offer blowjobs!... I did that. I'm not ashamed to admit I did that. Didn't work. Do you get that? Didn't work!Hooves go up.
>No.They go down.
>Glad we're on the same page. How you deal with stalkers is "If they bother them get rid of them", Cadence just needed me to do stuff for her and her husband wouldn't sleep with me so she let me stay. They let them stay and they're not being coerced? Go nuts, who knows what'll happen. Other than that just, like, remove the stalker. It's not complicated. Make stalker go bye bye, especially if they're from a hostile nation. We good? We clear?Hooves go up.
>...fiiiiiiine, yes, eventually he said yes when we got married.Hooves go down.
>I'm just as confused as all of you.
>>42289345>42~~~~~~
>Alright, maggots.SMACK
>We're going to learn two-to-three pony grappling, and I don't want a damn one of you trying to do any more than that. It's going to be a miracle if I can teach you how to successfully keep three bodies from hurting each other at all, if we go above that your weak spines will snap from the pressure of my expectations alone. We're going to be fast, precise, and-*whisper whisper.*
>What's that?*Whisper.*
>Already taught that?... and they passed? You know this did all feel familiar. Wait, then what am I doing here?*whisper*
>Spotting and dealing with a what?*Whisper*
>...the fuck is a tsun?
>>42289598That weeb absolutely knows, don't believe her lies
>>42289598>Delight"???"
~~~
>Why am I here? And why was my invitation labeled as mandatory attendance?"Soooooo..."
He feels a hoof firmly grasp his shoulder.
"I heard you were looking for me..."
And turns to see the Princess of Love smiling at him.
"For some dating advice."
>...Why do I feel like I'm in grave danger?
>>42290404Alright Ralph buckle up
>Spitfire
~~~
>...wait, why am I here? I feel like anything I'd say would be entirely hypocritical. Uh... okay, listen, do not, and I repeat this, do not start a fistfight with the person who may or may not marry you in the future and expect it to work out. I feel like my situation is so incredibly rare it's once in a generation and I'm very sorry for those hoping to use it, it's used up. I rang that bell. And no, do not expect to be given a high powered job by getting into a dustup with a royalty, you will probably just get arrested. The means by which my thing worked out are so incredibly specific that if it could possibly be replicated, it would almost break reality I'm pretty sure. Am I happy that it all worked out? Yes. Best life? Best life. Got all that. But if I for some reason had to talk to my younger self I would not tell her to do it because the domino effect of a single change is so massive that there is no faustdamn way it works twice with the most smidgen of changes. Okay? I'm married, I'm happy, but don't try to do what I did and I know that's not fair but I just don't want you to be arrested-
*Whisperwhisper*
>What's that?
*whisper*
>You just wanted me to talk about how to manage fliers safely when you yourself are not of the winged variety?
*Whisper*
>That makes way more sense. Uh... any questions before I start?
Hooves go up.
>Non-sexual questions.
Most go down.
>...yes I cuddle.
The rest go down.
>Alright! Well, lets get started on how to avoid stuff dropping!
>Celestia
~~~~
POOF
>Hello, class!
Cheers
>Oh yes, oh yes, I'm happy to see you all too. Good luck with the Nightmare things. Anywhoooo, I'm here for a very special class just for you guards, nobody else! It's called-
TAK
>"How inappropriate are we allowed to be with the princesses!" Now, I'm sure you heard many tales about me and a certain former captain of the guard. Most of them true. Pretty much if they didn't say we had sex, they were probably true. Yes the bondage thing happened. No, it wasn't supposed to be sexual. But I'm sure that means you're probably wondering! What are the limits as far as crude jokes are we allowed to make with our princesses? And the answer may surprise you!
Hoof goes up.
>I wouldn't risk it, Delight.
Hoof goes down.
>...maybe one or two jokes, but be careful, she's a country girl first and foremost.
Hoof goes up.
>No, it does not mean she has delicate sensibilities, it means she is a right proper mare ninety percent of the time but when she goes into country mode she may well be one of the most crude comedians on the planet. You do not know the limit of jokes until you've heard them country. But if you get to that point, good job! You'll know when you're there. Don't know? Not there!
Hoof goes up.
>Yes, Twilight is single. Good luck.
Hoof goes down.
>Alright! First order of business, any direct questions?
Hooves go up.
>Yes and it was AMAZING.
Hooves, sadly, go down.
>I love my life.
>>42291288>SA"Two"
'Flurry'
~~~
>Wheeee!"Wheeee!"
'WHEEEEE!'
>I'm glad they handled those classes, that sounds boring. Alright, girls, hold on! We're gonna do a hamster ball loop-de-loop!"THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"
'WHEEE-BLEHHH!'
>..."..."
'Wheeee!'
"Shiny yer'-"
>Not gonna stop me now!>"'WHEEEE!"'
>>42291572I think he wins
>>42291572>He's learned to live with the vomit
OOCO Before
>>42290404>Delight"???"
~~~
Delight was a simple stallion, mostly. He wasn't enough of a renegade, despite his claims, that he would ignore a magical letter appearing in his face claiming mandatory attendance for some sort of meeting. That it was presented as an invitation, while also insisting it was mandatory, was merely another facet in life he was content to ignore in this strange reality he now lived. Still, he had been sure to warn others of his potential peril in hopes that should anything happen to him, someone with a horn and wing combination would swoop in to rescue him. With his delusions of such a thing occurring properly set, he'd made his way on down the hallway of the royal Canterlot Palace.
He would've made it on time, too. Had he not heard the sound of particularly heavy hoofsteps.
>Wait a minute.Recognizable hoofsteps with a distinct cling and clank in between the whine that he knew quite well at this point.
>Buddy!He would recognize that armor squeak anywhere, no matter how absurd it sounded. Defying the logic that would make him sound insane, he proved reality itself wrong when he rounded a corner and came face to book edge with the one and only Morlock he called friend, Sebjek.
That last part was a little odd even for him.
"Friend Delight?"
That voice round the corner of massive stacks of books confirmed his suspicions, even if visually he couldn't manage over the high wall being pushed atop a cart that looked ready to ask for retirement, on its first day.
"It is good to see you, it has been too long."
>Whoa ho, buddy, what's all this?With a lock in place to keep it from rolling back and no doubt causing at least an injury, if not something requiring a mop and an undertaker, the armored soul finally made his way around the massive stack to see his friend face to sun-protecting glass covered face.
"Princess Twilight has assigned me a task."
>Oh. That's, uh, that's great, Sebby. Can she do that, though? Legally? I don't know how your citizenship works."Rekulk agreed with the assignment, muchly."
>Ah. I get you. Still, princess herself signing you up for something, that's pretty exciting isn't it?The noise within the mask was many things. Excited, it was not.
>That bad?"Princess Twilight has assigned Sebjek to be the Morlokc's official chronicler."
>Eh?"Sebjek must write down all known Morlock history and knowledge."
>Oh, wow! Way to go, buddy! That's like... wow. My hoof hurts thinking about it"Hm."
That noise, despite his effort, likewise did not come off very excited.
>What's wrong? I figured you'd be all for this. If anyone could tell it as it is without all the fudging of a faulty memory, it's you."Princess Twilight thought that as well."
>You don't?"Sebjek has proven... frustrating."
That was the tone he knew. When he was merely repeating words, exactly as they'd been spoken, rather than speaking them from himself.
A mimic.
1/3
>>42292659>That's a little hard to believe, you're the most agreeable guy I know."It is not Sebjek's unwillingness to do it. Sebjek frustrates Princess Twilight because of the writing."
>Hoofwriting need work? I feel you on that one, mine sometimes looks like a cypher nobody wants to decode."The writing is fine, it's just I can't do it."
It took him several long, long moments to process what he just heard.
>Sebby, I know you can write, I've seen you do it dozens of times."Yes, but also no."
>Alright, gonna need to help me help you. I'm gonna help my buddy, but first I need him to help me here. What's the difference?"Sebjek can write down what he sees, what he remembers in order and looking like it should be."
>Right?"Morlocks did not write anything down."
>Right, and?He waited, and waited.
>Oh.He couldn't see them, but he could feel those eyes light up from behind the helmet's blockade.
>Ohhhh, I get you. Princess Twilight sees you writing down all this stuff in perfect ponish and thinks you can write perfectly well."Correct."
>But that's not how it works, is it, Sebby?Slowly, he shook his head.
"...Sebjek has tried to explain to Princess Twilight that Sebjek just... remembers things very well. Sebjek can see it all perfect, follow it. But, Sebjek..."
>Doesn't understand it.Ironic, that it would seem so easy.
"So I can write down things I've seen, but the words don't actually mean anything to me. They're just.... things, things I can copy. Morlock words have no shape for me to trace and follow. I can't replicate words onto a page. So, Princess Twilight gave me books."
>Books to read and understand better, right?Sadly, he nodded.
>I follow you, big guy. I get where she's coming from, she thinks if she gives you words with different perspectives then it will just kind of click, right? She's coming at you from the angle of a teacher of grammar, really. Don't be too hard on her, she's dong what she thinks is missing in your understanding."Sebjek is not angry, just..."
>Frustrated? I understand how frustrating it is when you're just used to repeating stuff and someone asks you to just, wing it. Just make up something new on the spot, when it's not really something you're ready for. Right?"... Friend Delight was the first time I'd ever done that."
A smile came to his face as he remembered that day. That stressful, terrible, yet wonderful day.
>Mix it uppppp.That day when he broke Sebjek's brain.
"Heh."
>Listen, you know I'm on your side with all this, right?"I... don't doubt it."
>But, she's not exactly wrong, is she? I wanna help you understand this stuff you're seeing too. Its one thing to just see it, and remember it perfectly, and boy am I jealous of you for that. That would be so freaking cool. But...He placed a hoof on the armored shoulder.
>But I also want you to know why it's so amazing, you know? Seeing it's one thing, but knowing why..."...I have wondered."
2/3
>>42292663>And that right there? Perfect first step. Now, if I can have a suggestion, and you can tell Twilight that it came from me word for word, maybe you take all these back.He laid his hoof on the heavy stack of storybooks and technical manuals.
>And tell her that maybe instead you should start with something more like... kindergarten?"Hm?"
>I know, I know, but Sebby, you come off like a guy who should be giving seminars in college, she's coming at it from the angle of you knowing a lot of stuff but not clicking in some fashion. What you need her to understand is you know a lot of stuff, but you haven't learned a lot of stuff, you get me?"...I think I do."
>Good. And it's not your fault, so you know! Where's a Morlock supposed to have gotten an education back then? That you're as smart and amazing as you are is proof this is just the start of what you're capable of.It was with that slap on shoulder, and the laugh that followed, that it clicked.
"I see."
The Morlock understood.
"Thank you."
>Hey, anytime you need my help, you know the SaD boys are back in business."...You know it."
The hoofbump may have been snappy, and obviously a mimicry, but there was something special about it. Something that came more from him, than a mere memory.
>Glad to have met you, buddy. "I think-... I feel, the same."
With the unclasping of the lock, the Morlock began to push his books to return them from whence they came, and instead seek out something a little more colorful within the lines.
"So, Rekulk heard of a date."
>You sure he did? Might be misremembering."I do not forget."
>First time for everything."Such as you pulling off a successful date?"
>Hey!... I did those before too, just not super often is all!"Warn me next time, I will play the violin when the moon hits it right."
>It scares me that's totally something you could do, just by looking at it."If the cloud covers it, you are screwed, that didn't happen in the movie."
>Well then, buddy, you know what you'll have to do.Even though they couldn't see each other's face...
>"MIX IT UPPPPPPPP!"They felt the smile.
>>42292666I like the implication that Twilight was sure BOOKS were the fix here.
>>42292989But is she wrong or did she mainly use the wrong ones?
>>42293370We shall see we solve everything
>>42292666Such an unlikely pair but so fun
>>42292666>Creature from beneath the earth seeks knowledge>666We're onto you
>>42292666>Peacetrotter"Sebjek"
~~
>BROTHER"Wait what
>>42294585… you know we might be onto something
>>42295171"What makes you think I'm a robot?"
>Recording stuff with our cameras and perfectly recalling it, and an inability to create new things."....wait hold up"
>Maud
"Pinkie'
~~~~
>...hm?
From the sky came a boulder, landing with a thunderous crash.
>Hm.
Attached, was a note.
"Hey, Maudy! How ya' doin'?"
With a content nod the mare wrote her own message upon a parchment she always carried, stuck it to a rock, and with one fluid motion hurled the boulder bigger than herself into the distance. She couldn't see, nor hear, nor feel the landing, but she knew it had done so across the earth.
>I'm fine, what's up?
A moment passed, and another boulder smashed landing next to her.
"Oh, nothing big, just wanted to say hi to my big sister!"
Another note, another rock thrown into the horizon.
>Pinkie, this seems personal.
CRASH came the response.
"Whatever do you mean?"
THOOM went her words.
>It just seems like you're doing this for a specific reason.
BOOM
"Nahhh."
SHOOM
>Pinkie..
A pause this time, before the reply came.
"Okay, okay, Applejack's doing funny things with her horn and I wanted to have my own thing!"
The mare gave a content and understanding nod before she gave her reply to the air.
>Pinkie, you don't have to do that.
A longer wait came this time, and the crashing was less booming.
"I know, I know I'm special in my own way, but sometimes I want my own thing-"
She stopped reading the very long run on sentence there and was content to throw back her reply atop a boulder the size of a large cart freehand backwards.
>Pinkie, I mean you do that dreamworld talkshow thing, don't you.
A pause.
"OH MY GOSH YOU'RE RIGHT!"
It hit her.
Maud would probably wake up before too long.
>>42295627>that punchline
>>42295889More like headshot
>>42296202Better than a back shot
>Chrysalis
"Twilight"
~~
>...
"..."
>Sooo, uh...
"..."
>Doooo I call you... sis?
"Please don't."
>Oh thank fuck
>>42297081>18"Twilight"
~~~
>SISTERRRRRRRRRR"I'm glad someone's happy about this."
>AHAHHAHAA
>>42297260She’s destined to be loved
>Shatterhoof
"Crumbles"
~~
>...I'm just gonna say it, it's weird how little sex they have.
"THANK YOU!"
>It's just, not super often?
"THANK! YOU!"
>I mean I get he could only do so much, but like, there's combinations there.
"EXACTLY!"
>But mostly they go on fun little side adventures?
"Or just play with the kids!"
>I mean I understand that... Two's cute.
"I want a Flurry plushy."
>But like, at night I don't really see any indication.
"They mostly sleep!"
>Like actually sleep!
"WHO WOULD SLEEP WHILE THAT'S RIGHT THERE?!"
>It makes no sense.
"It can't even be performance issues!"
>Again, combos.
"They can't all be tired!
>So, uh... what do you think causes it?
"..."
>...you think... you think they genuinely like being together more than sex?
"Huh.... huhhhhh..."
>...what is our world?
>>42297588They live in the Empire this should be normal
>>42297867Right? Land o love
>Derpy
"Cloudchaser"
~~~
>So, uh... you still mayor? I haven't seen you do mayor stuff in a while.
"I got locked out."
>...legally?
"Nah, I just threw my keys at a duck and now they're gone, but I locked the door before I did it."
>...why?
"He stole my bread."
>I guess that's a duck move.
"Right? I totally called dibs, and that lady's opinion doesn't matter when she threw it away!"
>...If you say so. Why not go in through the window?
"I had that reinforced."
>Why!?
"Ponies kept breaking in."
>That was you!
"And it was way too easy. If I can break in, any idiot can!"
>Th-... actually, you have a point.
"So now it's pretty much a fortress, but it's locked."
>I guess you could go ask Fluttershy for help with the duck?
"Really? You think she could find the tiger?"
>...Probably?
"Oh, good, he was headed in that direction and I don't think he was even supposed to be here."
>Did he eat the duck?
"I think they were lovers, actually. Angry lovers with weird kinks."
>...so, couples counseling?
"Hey, that's a really great idea! You know, you should be mayor!"
>Done.
"...wha?"
>No takebacks.
"Ooooo that's a good one. Alright, sorry miss mayor, the doors locked."
>Dang it, I need an assistant.
"Oh hey, I'm in need of a job so I don't get kicked out!"
>Great! First job if you don't mind, can you talk to Fluttershy about getting keys from a duck? She might need romantic help.
"You're a weird mayor."
>It's a weird world, Cloudchaser...
>>42298179Well, that was easy
>>42299123She is not a complex mare
>>42298179>Time Turner"Derpy"
~~
>I think we have to have like... an election for that."Sure! Who wants to be in charge of Ponyville besides me? Raise your hoof!"
>..."Go ahead, call it."
>..."I want friends too."
>>42297588>Spitfire"18"
~~~
>Do you find the amount of sex we're having to be more or less than expected?"I fucking love being here and being a part of this and my life is perfect."
>...gonna put that down for "Yes"...
>>42300036I mean if anyone's dream come true
>>42300036You'd think she'd be the horniest of them all
>>42300624She is, she just is horny for love
>>42300973>Chrysalis"Celestia'
~~~
>..."Does that anniversary card say "I'm horny, for love!"?"
>Yeah."...that's weird."
>That's my FOOD, how do you think I feel?"I mean horny and food being related is pretty normal comparatively."
>>42300624>Spitfire"18"
~~~
>...so-"I lived my life in a desert and danced in the sea, I am content."
>...you know you're not supposed to drink salt water."I fucking LOVE IT SALTY"
>We should hang out more.
>>42301706She likes what she likes
>>42302001Hey, no judging, but be careful, there are kids around
>>42302319She just means taffy
>>42302516Right. Salty thick creamy… taffy
>>42301441They’re married how much more can they hang out
>>42302926Always more time!
>>42302926>Cadence"SA"
~~~~
>Just in case anyone was wondering, I will say that there's always more hang out time you will miss when it's gone."...I feel called out."
>>42303811Get erased from existence SLIGHTLY LESS THEN
>>42303942>If I had a nickle for every time I technically didn't exist in any universe, I would have two nickles.>Which is two more than anyone else would have
>>42304213Hey Celly got one
>>42304612Technically everyone who fought Glimglam in the shimsham did so, so it's the one time Shiny can't say he was a part of it.
>>42304838Finally something he doesn’t get
>>42271954 (OP)Why do you want Applejack to be the sole ruler of Equestria?
>>42305318She’s not
Celly questions are our bread and butter
>>42305318I mean… she’s gonna get stuff done
>>42305318>Sole rulerWe have if anything entirely too many rulers
>>42306328>Celestia retires and it does not make a dent in their problem
>>42306537Wait till Shining's little excursions cause a goddamn nightmare of lineage royals
>>42306644Not really; not a lot of stuff to fight over
>>42306909>I demand this chunk of land, I shall call it, the Brightest Empire!“That’s the chunk with the school.”
>We’re big on education in my county.
>>42306909NC
>Two"Future Kid"
'Future Kid"
~~
>Alright, callin' ta' order, sissy, and sissy, what's gotcha fussin'?"I want the west half!"
'That's where the crops are!'
"Exactly why I want it! You can have the sewage side, because you stink like sh-"
>LANGUAGE"Poo!"
'If I have the sewage side, I could stop accepting it from your side, idiot, then YOU would be the one smelling like sh-'
>HMMM'Dung because it has nowhere to go!'
"Yeah, well... you stink!"
>Alright, alright, Ah' know how ta' deal with this."You do!?"
'How!?'
>Ah'm just gonna say ya' both have ta' read the rulebook for Risk, this ain't how you play.'"NEVER!"'
>>42307309Wait till they find monopony
>>42307696They are not ready. They’ll never be ready.
>>42308087That’s what makes it fun for everyone else
>>42308426The world will never know peace
>>42307696FUTUUUREEE
>CE Kid"Ce Kid"
'Ce Kid'
~Ce Kid~
~~~~
>...this game is actually pretty fun."Yeah I mean it's a little competitive, but we're mature enough not to hate each other over it."
'I'm not gonna argue because you dice rolled something and it landed on something I wanted.'
~It would be really weird and petty!~
>Yeah, if anything it's fun! You gotta play mind games and stuff!"Or just good old luck, who's against that?"
'Yep! This is awesome.'
~So, who's turn is... oh hey! There's a rulebook in here.~
>So? Everyone knows the rules to monopony."Oh, take a look anyway, just in case we got something wrong."
~Hmmm... huh, I did not know this was how bidding works. I'm sure this changes nothing-~
Ten minutes later the place was on fire.
>>42308617>Future Two“Future Flurry”
~~~~
>Fires unrelated to the game, Flurry just tried makin eggs.“Who are you talking to!?”
>Ah’m more surprised ya’ don’t know, yer the pink.“Help me put out the fire already!”
>Pinkies gonna be sad
>>42308830She doesn’t have the spark… yet
>>42309060She needs her whitey side surpressed
>>42309271FUTURE
>Pinkie"Flurry"
~~
>Flurry! You must hold back your stable and more boring whitey side, and embrace the Pink!"STOP SAYING THAT! Seriously! It sounds so weird! Why is everyone okay with this blatant colorism!? Colors of fur do not define us!"
>Oh no she's become too whitey."STOP!"
>>42309502>Pinkie"Cadence'
~~~~
>It's terrible! Now none of your kids will inherit the Pink!"No... there is another..."
>..."..."
>Congrats?"Wait shit no
>>42310209A whole baseball team awaits
>>42309857When your love of quotes beats your need to keep a secret
>>42309857“Do not tell them Shining already doesn’t sleep”
>>42311263This implies there is a contest whenever one of them gets knocked up and I'm just gonna say it, we all know it's 18.
>>42311444Twist
It's Celly
>>42311444NC
>Spitfire"18"
~~
>Damn it all."WHO'S PREGNANCY TEST IS THIS!?"
>Eighteen you can't keep doing this."I WILL NOT BE OUTDONE!"
>Eighteen you don't even have time for them now."I WILL MAKE TIME AND I WILL MAKE BABIES."
>Shining says he's going to get snipped if you do this again."I CAN MAKE IT WORK!"
>Damn it all... Shiny! You need to run-~I heard her! And for your information that one's negative! I just wanted to try it out.~
"Huh? It's positive."
~...Twilight I need you to punch me in the balls.~
>>42312007She'd do that anyway
>>42312296You’re gonna have to be more specific as to “she”
>>42312563No, he does not
Punch
>>42312007>Spitfire“SA”
~~~~
>If that’s your kink I can handle it better.“It’s for the cancer!”
>… what?“Cancer punch!”
>Like… you want cancer?“No, magic cancer-removing-punch!”
>…“It’s canon!”
>>42313386Yep, first thread
>>42313386>Twilight“Sa”
~~|
>For the record, I marketed it, Cancer-Punching is a practiced medical field.“… weird for cute ponies.”
>It was either this or laser beams
>SA
"Chrysalis"
~Changelings~
~~~~
>Alright we might need to re-establish titles here
"You knew what you were marrying into!"
>I absolutely did not expect this. I expected many thing. A life of adventure and love. A new outlook between races that hopefully lasts into long and fruitful companionship. A cuddle bug that is as large as the cuddlesuns. This? I expected all of this. I did not expect that.
~ALL HAIL KING DADDY!~
>Why am I both king AND daddy when you're Queen not-mom!
"I haven't actually figured that one out yet."
~ALL HAIL QUEEN AND KING NOT-MOM AND DADDY!~
>See!?
"To be fair if they started making sense, it would be the first time."
>>42314157~WHEN ARE YOU GONNA MARRY MOM!?~
>I... I thought I-wait, mom? Not not-mom?~YEAH!~
>...who exactly is-Everyone points at Citrine, who is busy unloading her next arts and crafts project.
>...~WHY NOT AT THIS POINT!?~
He looks back, Citrine shurgs
>We need to have a talk.
>>42314340>SA"Changeling"
~~~~
>Wait, so what do you call Cadence?"Princess-Queen-Not-Mom."
>..."..."
>...And Forty Two?"Punch-not-mom!"
>Eighteen?"Not-our-Queen-not-Mom!"
>Spitfire"HOT AS FUCK!"
>..."...I said it"
>>42314607He knows what he likes
>>42314781Also, who knows, maybe he could’ve used it
>>42314607We know who that was
>>42314607>What do you call Celestia?"MOMMY"
>I thought that was Citrine?"No no... no that kind of mommy."
>>42315660>...I call her that too
>>42315660I think that’s just 29
>>42316419He got character development!
>>42316419>29"SA
"~~~
>INDEED! No more shalt I say such uncouth things to thine face!"Oh... cool, I guess."
>Now, when I am alone..."Well yeah everyone does that."
>>42317045Seriously that's normal
>>42315660That was a thread…
>>42317490I think it still is on occasion
>Blueblood
"Arana"
~~~~
>I have gotten so many marriage proposals in the last week that I can make it through the winter on that kindling alone.
"...issat bad?"
>Honestly? Return to form for me. Once they heard anyone I married would become a princess the ladies just decided to shoot their shot.
"Kinda shallow."
>For every nine non-shallow lady, there's at least one... and we have a lot of bodies.
"Huh. So what'cha gonna do?"
>Probably look into paper recycling.
"I got an acid for that!"
>Wonderful! I knew hanging around you would pay off.
"Like... forever?"
>Well just this once but...
"..."
>...I'll consider it.
"Ya' afraid my mom's gonna haunt you?"
>Deeply.
"That's fair. That's fair..
>>42317973SHE WAS ONLY TWO YEARS OLDER THAN YOU, YOU SICK FUCK
>>42318513We give no fucks about time!
>>42318207>Arana might be a hag and we'd never know
>>42319141She’s young at heart
>>42319383Quite literally
>>42317973She would be the time to come back from the dead for that
>>42320022Literally happened, came back from the dead to murder who touched her kid
>SA
"Celestia"
~~~~
SLAM
>Those marks in my wall tell a story...
"SHINING!"
>Celestia!
"You're not going to believe it!"
>Is it that you can see the future? I don't believe it!... waiiiiitt.
"First off, I can see the future sometimes."
>Huh.
"Second, you're never going to believe the other thing!"
>Sale on cakes?
"..."
>...Did I guess it?
"Yeah..."
>Oh wow, that was me just throwing out a joke there.
"Yeahhhhh."
>Cakes on sale, you said?
"Cakes on sale."
>Would it help if I said I don't believe it?
"Would it help if you lied to me, you mean?"
>Yeah.
"...a little."
>Tia, with those cakes, nothing about you is going to be little.
"HA HAA! There it is! You brought it back!"
>I got it?
"You got it!"
>Awesome!
"WOOO!"
>...did you think this stuff was gonna be different when we got married?
"I really hoped not."
>>42320720She's consistent!
>>42320720>Applejack"Twilight"
~~~
>Ah' kinda thought things would wildly change with her retired."Ehhhhhh"
>>42320720They have way less sex than I thought they would
>>42321438It's simple, they do.
Offscreen.
>>42321438>Celestia"SA"
~~~~
>...so should we do sexy things, or go try the Neightallian place nearby."Hrm... I have been craving spagetti."
>I really want a giant garlic roll I could dump a bunch of cheese on."..."
>Which is a normal thing to want to eat."Legit."
>>42322436She’ll be good at it
>>42322436
>>42322259It begins
M amacelly
>Applejack
“Pinkie”
~~~~
>Whos setting off fireworks!?
“It’s my last chance!”
>WHY IN THE CASTLE!?
“Last chaaanncceeee!”
Boom!
>Twilight
“Pinkie”
~~~~~
>Uh, Pinkie? I know that holiday from the human realm sounded fun, but I think you’re missing some important context…
“…”
>Put the tea down.
“One or the other, Twi! One or the other!”
>Celestia
"SA"
~~~~
>Would it be in poor taste if I set off my own fireworks?
"I mean... you're retired, so I guess its on brand?"
>Hooray! Happy peasant subjugation day!
"Wait what."
>What?
"That's not what this holiday is about."
>Depends entirely on which side is celebrating, no?
>>42323251>Luna~~~~
>We are in danger
>Spike
“DT”
~~~~
A symphony of explosions rock the place, all manner of colors and shapes dancing in the sky as soon as the dragon steps out. In seconds, he sees the source and understands.
>Huh. I’m surprised you have any rockets left for the holiday, DT.
The pink pony pauses, and turns around with a frown.
“Holiday?”
Undeterred, TBDRLIATU fires off again
>>42323932>For you it was the greatest display of explosives you’d ever seen.>For me, it was Friday
>29
"Sombra"
'MM'
~Zecora~
(Trixie)
{56}
~~~~
>Mine praise for thine attempt, at least?
"I don't know why I thought I could grill."
'I kind of thought you were trying to do a theme. You know, because smoke monster past.'
"If it weren't too late to try that, I would."
>Tis not like the hayburgers were that expensive, and Princess Twilight's legislation to have any who burned a hayburger imprisoned never made it past review.
"...was that really on the docket?"
'Applejack was all for it, but Luna insisted it was discriminatory against ponies who had been imprisoned for a thousand years and hadn't mastered fire on hay, TWILIGHT.'
"..."
'On the official ledger.'
"Huh."
>At least we have thine corn!
POPOPOP
>...I like pop corn as well.
"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better in a way that doesn't involve hooves around my neck."
'Sombra! There are kids present!'
"I meant him killing me."
'How is that better!?'
"I don't know but for some reason everyone's weirdly more okay with him strangling me with intent to kill than intent to thrill."
>Tis true, the censors are a pain in the rear.
"I agree, and I know much more about that then him."
'Zecora? Help.'
~While wish I could bring you aid, unfortunately another attention needs paid. Trixie has gotten into the spirit and brought fireworks that burst-~
"That doesn't seem so bad."
~Then Fifty Six added in an idea that's the worst.~
(Trixie loves this idea, for the record!)
>COUSIN! Art thous strapping thyself to a rocket again!?
{No, cuz!}
>... clarify.
{I'm not strapping myself, that wouldn't work, we established this! Trixie's strapping me.}
>FIFTY SIX NO!
{Fifty Six, yes! Light it, blue-bird! I'm gonna see Faust's flanks!}
(AHAHAHAHAHHAH!)
Tsssss
"Well, I guess I'm not the one who's going to have an ashen face and be surrounded by smoke for once."
SHOOOO
'Is he still indestructible?'
~With that loud shout, we'll soon find out.~
>TRIXIEEEE!
(AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHH!)
BOOOOOOOM
>"'~..~'"
(...he died as he lived, exploding and thinking of plots.)
>TRIXIE!
THUMP
{Ow.}
(Oh good, he was going to strangle me.)
>Still might.
{AGAIN!}
>NOOOOO!
"Happy freedom day, everyone..."
>>42324424Live your dream bro
>Applejack
"Twilight"
'Dash'
~Pinkie~
(Rarity)
{Fluttershy}
~~~~~~~
>Ah'm gonna be hones with ya'll, havin' this many explosives around is just askin' for problems.
"Who's fault is this!? Who is responsible for a massive amount of explosives being stored in a single warehouse!? WHO!?"
'Not mine, I didn't handle shipping.'
~Not mine! I would've blown it up by now.~
(Darling, I've no need for such uncouth things!)
{Do I... do, anything related to this, governance wise?}
>Well its someone's fault, and Ah'm all out of Celestia's.
"Maybe she did it on her way out?"
>Don't seem like her. Or does seem like her. She's a bit inconsistent.
'Oh, hey! What about Luna?'
>Why would Luna do this?
~Because she doesn't think about some things like this? Does she even know what a Megaton is?~
>Ah'll have ya'll know that she's actually very well versed in that!
"How!?"
>Diamond Tiara.
"...Wait. You don't suppose?"
(Spike and Diamond Tiara are using the friendship they built while we were in the other verse to convince Luna to get them inordinate amounts of heavy munitions for the Highwind and or that rocket launcher?)
>...Huh.
{Well, we caught it, so now what?}
>Ah' reckon we should dispose of it.
'On it!'
Without a thought, she flicked a match into the pile.
>...
".."
~...~
(...)
{...}
'It wasn't lit.'
>"'~({Ohhhhhhhhhh!})!'"
~Phew! I was worried it would randomly just-~
For no reason at all the match lit.
~Oh.~
She regretted nothing, yet everything.
{I'm sorry.}
>Happy fireworks day, everyone...
BOOM
>Delight
"Sebjek"
~~~
>So, what we have here is a perfectly done up pile of dough, ready to be rolled up, chopped, and plopped into the oven for some quick and easy baking. But first we gotta add some herbs and spices to kick the flavor up a notch. Now, how much cinnamon should we add to it?
"Mmmmm... I do not know..."
>And that's fine! The answer is 'just a little', at least when you're starting out. You see, you don't want to add too much of a spice because it has a chance of overpowering the other flavors or worse, basically making a dish inedible due to being too strong on the taste buds for regular folks. So, when you're experimenting away from an established recipe, you can start off with something small like a teaspoon and add more until you feel it tastes right.
"How will I know if the taste is right?"
>You won't know for sure until you actually cook it and taste it. You may have put in too little, or you may have put in too much, but that's just part of the process when you're mixing things up: making mistakes and learning from them.
"Ah. But I would feel bad making poor bread for the others and wasting their time."
>Eh. Don't worry about that. The other bread we whipped up is for the celebration. This one's for teaching you, so we can cut it up and you can add whatever you want and experiment.
"I see! Mmmm... What if I add these slices of pineapple?"
>Uhhh... let's just stick with the spices.
"Because it would taste bad in the making of bread?"
>No, because it's going on a pizza later.
>>42325259This is a crime somewhere
>>42325259He will
NEVER
FORGET
>Two
"Flurry"
~~~~~
BOMP POP
>Woooowww.
PWOP POOMM
>OOooooo
PAPAPBOOOMM
>Ahhhhh
APAPAPAPAP
>Ah' didn't even know explosions made those sounds! Ya' know, sissy, Ah'm gonna say, Ah' never thought Ah'd be like this with ya'. Just you, me, Shiny, Mommy, Momma, Mom, Mother, Not-mom, and Ma! Ah'd never think Ah'd ever get a normal family like this! But here we are, celebratin' how we don't gotta obey no rulers, cept for bedtime, and poppin' off fireworks! This here... this is a beautiful day.
"Bwa."
>Wassat?
"Bwaaa."
>Oh, ya' need more fuel?
"Yabba."
>Can do!
She hands over the pop rocks, and soda. Watching as she downs both, and belches another blast into the sky.
>They probably thought'cha were doin' that wit'cher horn.
"Baww."
>Happy fireworks day, sissy!
BWAP
>>42325997Dear god if she pukes a little
>>42325245Well it’s not like they didn’t know, Luna hit it back in the chitty arc
>>42327116Penny drop needs to offload stock too
>SA
"Cadence'
~~~~~
>Honey?
"Ughgghghghghhhh."
>Honey, did you drink last night?
"Nuuuuu."
>Are you lying?
"Nuuuuu."
>...did you eat so many haydogs that you got a tummyache and didn't get any sleep?
"Yeahhhhhhhh."
>I'll get you the fizzle bubble drink.
"Thankoooooo."
>...is that Chrysalis on the ceiling?
"Yeeeee."
>She drank herself stupid?
"...yehhhhh."
>I'll get two fizzy drinks.
"Yaaaayyyy."
>Delight
"Ember"
~~~
"Whelp! That was fun! And absolutely nothing went wrong!"
>...
"C'mon, you're not still mad about what happened earlier, are you?"
~~~ Flashback ~~~
>Hey, Ember. Do you wanna eat some free food and see fireworks?
"Of course it does! Watch!"
>Wait, NO-
...
"...Pffft! Did you really think I was gonna light those things up by accident?"
>I mean...
"Really, Rochi? Fire works? I told you, I'm not like those boulder heads that- ACHOO!"
FWOOSH goes a box of fireworks positioned near Delight.
"Uh."
>EMB-
BOOM!
~~~ Flashreturn ~~~
>I'm still a little sore bout it, yeah.
"The singe adds character!"
>>42327729>SA"42"
~~~~
>...Turns out you can't punch away a hangover, eh?"Ah' dinuh punsh har nuf"
>>42328453The trick is to punch someone else.
Someone weaker
>>42329038It won’t cure anything, but it will make you feel better
>SA
"Celestia"
~~
>I'm surprised you didn't just use your immense and destructive firepower for fireworks, why spend so much money?
"Why would I do that? I can shoot massive magic balls whenever I feel like. It's not special at all. Someone worked hard to make those fireworks go plolpolpolp, that's worth appreciating before it fizzles out into a mere memory."
>I guess so!
"..."
>...why are you looking at me like that?
"Wanna go ski down a mountain?"
>You know, I do!
"Yeahhhh, let's enjoy it... sniff"
>Something wrong?
"I got something in my nose. It was the smell of MY DUST!"
ZOOM
>...mountain's that way.
>>42330054Such is life and not that
>>42329881Best pair forever
>>42329881>Celestia"Chrysalis"
'SA'
~
>I'm just saying that being fleeting in an of itself doesn't make it important, if it were true than every rainstorm would bring me to tears when the sun came out."Totally get that perspective, but there is a certain value added on top of base value by having it be of a limited time, no?"
>I believe that's referred to Fomo."HEY! I want some too!"
>Fear of missing out."That's why I said I want some too! Even if the stable stuff is more valuable."
>How so?"Chasing things that are fleeting at the expense of stability has ruined mannnnyyy relationships, I should know."
>That's actually a good point, a single high that risks something you will have tomorrow in exchange for something you fear missing out on does sound like it could blow up in your face, and then the stable thing becomes the temporary thing."And those hurt a lot more to lose, eventually."
>I see the logic in here, but I insist a balancing act is needed. If it's all the same stuff forever, then it's not special, but if it's all new and special than none of it is."You've made an interesting point, but sadly we're not machines and can't just do a set number this way or that. We've got to wing it, I'm afraid."
>True, and it's a pity so many will fail... Shining? Your opinions on this?'I can't feel my spine.'
>Ohhhhh right right right, we started talking about this because we were worried you'd die from that ski jump, right right right."We should probably get him to a hospital."
>I mean either of us can heal him with super magic."But is that special? He might meet a cute nurse in there."
>But on the flip side, if Cadence finds out about this she will kill us."...hrm..."
'At least turn me so my face is out of the snow while you deliberate!'
>>42330893He's asking for it
>>42331265He’s just using it as an excuse to be doted on. He has bubbles!
>>42331572Seriously, best shieldcaster my ass
>>42331822Pain for snuggles!
>>42331572>SA“Celestia”
‘Chrysalis’
~~~
>To clarify this is not an act so you’ll take care of me, that actually hurt.“Oh, we know. Nurse cosplay is less fun with the actual pain.”
‘And we’d dote on you anyway if you asked.’
“This does bring up the question though why no bubbles?”
>I learned about CTE and hesitated.‘Learned about what?’
>… have a seat
>>42332244It's not like they need more brain damage
>>42330893>I'm really hoping we figure out this immortality thing for him because he's a HELL of an act to follow."I'm thinking robots."
>>42332676They've been in so many fights that they're going to forget how to eat spaghetti by the end of the week.
>>42332244… feel like spinal injuries are worse
>>42334567You never know, being brain dead is crippled but worse
>>42334567>SA"Celestia"
~~~
>Look, I just want you to know that if my lower half doesn't work for some reason, Two can still wheel me around and have a blast with it. But if my brain doesn't work? How am I gonna daw, Celestia? HOW WILL I DAW!?"Your logic is flawless.
>>42335064>Daw"SA"
~~
>You called?"The noise daw, Daw."
>Well be more clear next time!
>>42335303This is why you call her Jackie
>Applejack
"Twilight'
~~~
>WHERE IS THIS GUY!?
"He might've gotten abducted on the road."
>...
"I mean, why not? Clearly he knows something."
>Well, did Jetset say someone was following him?
"...hm?"
>Jetset.
"Yah."
>Secret agent we got who tracks ponies.
"Among other things, yeah."
>Well, what did he say? It was a letter, someone could tell ya' what they look like. It originated from someone, Jet didn't backtrack this guy? It should be easy!
"....ahhhh, buh buh buhhhh, dunnoooooo, you know I uh-"
>Ya' didn't tell him.
"Wellllll this was supposed to be a... us... thing?"
>...
"Sooooooo."
>Twilight, yer' now the highest authority in the land.
"I'm getting used to it okay!?"
>Celestia kinda overhyped you.
>>42335795Jetset waiting by the phone….
>>42335795~Did we invent those yet?~
>>42336933Or a flower like she had for AB
>>42337151>Pegasi now communicate by long range buzzing
>>42337386BZZZTBZZZZZ
>… that motherfucker
>>42337692Never say that word! That’s a griffon word!
>>42337909>Dash"Applejack"
~~~
>HEY! Why didn't you fudge the world enough that we got some long range wind based communication or something?"Ah' did a test run and the wind was full of insults, slurs and sex jokes so quickly Ah' was pretty sure air itself was about to file a restraining order and kill us all."
>...Yeah but was it funny?
>>42338178Clearly cloudsdale is the detroit of the world
>>42338178>Well, what was plan B?"Owls."
>...so-"They unionized in seconds and refused to deliver most of this."
>LAZY FU
>>42338178You know Lightning Dust accounted for half that
>>42338874No way she's over 1/3rd when Dash has no job
>>42339193No life neetmaxx
>>42339193But flip it around and?
>>42339778Lightning dust invents new slurs by the end of the day
>>42340125>Lightning Dust~~~~
>Am I living my best life since quitting? No.>Am I living a life I could be proud of? No.>Am I doing one that makes me smile?… for a little bit.
>SA
"Two"
~~~~
SLAM
>I'm just gonna put a little springy thing on that door, honestly its a sign of poor planning I don't.
"Shiny? Ah' gotta question."
>Well, as the only whitey that doesn't twitch when an Applejack says that, I suppose I could give my opinion.
"So, what does princess actually mean?"
>Hm?
"Well, Auntie Twi was Princess for a while."
>Yep.
"But it wasn't till way later she did anythin', like, governin' thingamjigger."
>Celestia did have some very vocal opinions on that, yes.
"And Auntie Luna didn't even show up fer' like, a year!"
>She was guarding the dream world.
"But that's just it! What does that have ta' do with governance? Even iffin' its related to healthcare, it would mean she was an employee of the state, not head of it!"
>Logical.
"And mommy was princess forever and she never did no rulin' till a whole dang country showed up!"
>Empire.
"And apparently iffin' someone marries Blueblood, they're a princess!? Like, same as Mommytia was!?"
>That was never confirmed I think.
"POINT IS! What does Princess actually mean!?"
>Fancy title.
"...that's it?"
>Well yeah? Flurry's a Princess and she's only the princess of dirty diapers about this point, not a lot of road planning in her near future. You can be a princess but not do anything, apparently.
"But, wait! Then doesn't it mean you're in charge of something?"
>I guess you're in charge of whatever they let you be in charge of, there's obviously no penalty for, I dunno, denying a princess a cab. Or beating one in a race.
"Soooo... ya' ain't a monarchy?"
>No, we are.
"But!"
>But apparently there's extra bits to it.
"...that don't make no sense!"
>Yeaahhh things got real screwy when Caddy showed up and Celestia decided alicorn means royalty. Really it all stopped making sense when she arrived, everything up till then made sense as far as lineage and rulership.
"Cept Blueblood."
>Well if SOMEONE didn't hate the title of Duke, we wouldn't be in that mess!
"...eh?"
>Long story.
"So, wait, am Ah' still a princess?"
>Yep.
"But what does that mean!?"
>That's for you to decide. You can be mostly secluded to yourself and deal with your own little corner of the world, public facing and solving problems, or head of an army apparently.
"...think Flurry called dibs."
>She might've called dibs on that last one. But that aside... what are you a princess of, Two?
"...Malleys"
>I did imply that was an option...
>>42340854She will make it happen!
>>42340854>Future Flurry~~~
>Princess of the army? Pssshhh that's stupid.>I'm the princess of personal financial loans."SHE'S TOO DANGEROUS TO BE KEPT ALIVE!"
>SA
"Chrysalis"
~~~~
>Not that I don't appreciate the boundless expanse of science, but this grant to find out how big hayburgers can get before they break apart sounds like a waste of... oh no.
SLAMMA
>That's the angry slamma.
"SHINY!"
>Chryssy!
"My honor has been impugned!"
>Oooo, hate getting that in there, stains everywhere, hard to scrub out.
"The only stain is to my reputation!"
>And as a Queen of a Hive where everyone is terrified to make you mad, this is a huge issue naturally.
"Exactly!"
>Alright, lets do the married thing and talk through this. Who's all impugning in here?
"The tabloid!"
>...Chrysalis I hate to tell you this, but the very definition of Tabloid-
"I know! But they're insulting me!"
>You've said that. You haven't said how, which is worrying me. Is this where I find out yet another pony has posited you have a positor?
"Do not even start that shit again! No! They wrote... THIS!"
>...
"I know! I was shocked too!"
>This is just a ranking? I mean yeah, kind of mean, but ponies not married to you are not bound by my inability to rank you all on a layer of attractiveness-
"It's not about that! I know you'd think I was the hottest."
>And I know you know I know what traps look like.
"No! This is the ranking on who's best at sex, according to an expert!"
>...an expert on WHAT?
"Sexpert! She does sex, professionally! She can tell how good you are at sexing by looking!"
>Wow, if they weren't a really totally real thing in this universe, I'd say that's as believable as ponies seeing the future with a crystal ball... wait, seriously? They put you on the bottom?
"RIGHT!? Only you can do that!"
>Huh...
"I know you've got opinions on the rankings!"
>I'mma keep them to myself so I don't cut off future measurements.
"Smart!"
>So, here's the problem. That's just here opinion she made by looking at you. What exactly did you want me to do about it? I can't tell her she can't say who she thinks is good at sexing by just, looking at them. It's just an opinion. I can't do anything to help you.
"..."
>I'm not going to have sex with you in public to prove it.
"DO ONE THING FOR ME HERE!"
>Also that wouldn't prove anything, wouldn't the whole group have to show off for her to rate each one?
"..."
>Chrysalis no.
"ONE! THIIIING!"
I remember first seeing this thread for the very first time back in 2014. I thought it was very retarded, but now it seems enjoyable.
>>42342003>I thought it was very retarded, but now it seems enjoyable.Both of those can be true.
>>42341996So where does everyone rank
>>42342292All I know is if Caddy isn’t on top he’s getting divorced
>>42342505Is in too deep for that
>>42342884He’ll never escape now
>>42342292>Cadence(if she’s not put at the top the rest will riot)>18(absolutely into it on a level nobody will ever match)>Celestia(She has years of buildup to burn off)>Spitfire(Is sane enough to actually know how this works)>42(Very reserved but she’s got the spirit)>Chrysalis(she’s bad at sex) Shining (nobody has the heart to tell him he’s the only non demigod)
>>42343568We both know 42 is hiding her demons
>>42342505NC
>Cadence"SA"
~~
SLAM
>What idiot implied I'd divorce you if I wasn't on the top of the sex list? Who cares about the sex-list! I accept I might not be the best of it, I barely do it! I'm not the princess of Sex! I'm the princess of LOVE! DAMN IT! LOVE! AND FURTHERMORE-"They implied it on the "Who cuddles best" ranking."
>Oh yeah no yeah if you didn't put me at the top you're hoofing it to the dragonlands because that's the only place that might be out of range of my shame-gaze
>>42344126Props to the sexpert for her additional analysis
>>42343878You know as well as I do she’s pure cuddlebug in the sheets
>SA
"Applejack"
~~~~
Bzzzt... bzzzzt... CLICK
>If you're with the HOA or the government, I'm probably in some way related to you so beware my rudeness.
"Ya' ain't hitched ta' me yet, don't get cocky."
>Turned down the royal niece title that Cadence got?
"I got lots of uncles and aunts, don't wanna make her look bad when she's compared to them."
>Touche. So, what can I help you in my brain with, oh unrelated Princess of Equestria.
"Ah' wanted ta' see iffin' a mysterious benefactor ended up in yer' place. He was supposed to be coming here."
>And you think he missed?
"Considerin' how ya' were a couple years ago, Ah'm worried he got the whole "Shining beacon of Equestria" title all screwy."
>I take your compliment with a smile but assure you, he has not
"Yer' sure?"
>Forty Two's on the lookout.
"Ah. That there does make it a lot more clear."
>She's effective at her job.
"And other things, Ah' reckon."
>Thought you didn't want to talk about that?
"Dependin' on what ya' mean, Ah' didn't. Meant her standup."
>I'm going to pass along you enjoy it and think she's good at it, it's going to make her day.
"Glad ta' know Ah' hold such sway up yonder in the great north."
>What can I say? Not every day you get a divine message of compliment.
"Don'tcha even start."
>Right, ego placement, I get you. I do deal with those enough on the regular.
"Reckon Chrysalis ain't exactly more humble now that she finally snagged ya'."
>I dunno about that, she's more willing to take a bow.
"Ah' knew ya'll were gonna make this about yer' dang sex life!"
>...
"...ya' weren't, were you?"
>I was doing a setup for her recently being in a play with Two, yes.
"Ah. But instead..."
>You made it about the fact she went face down, hind end up and quite enjoyed it, yes.
"...Ah'm tryin' so hard to avoid it, but Ah' keep doin' it to myself."
>I don't do that so much anymore.
"AH' KNEW IT! And Ah'm leavin' while it's ALL YER' FAULT!"
CLICK!
>....I meant not hurting myself anymore.
...
>She really needs a spa day.
>>42344972Little tightly wound she is
>>42345260I guess she needs to relaxation
>>42344972I like how buddy they are
>>42344972>AJ saw her standupDaw
>>42346216>Applejack"Spitfire"
~42~
~~~~~~
>Buggin' out, really?"She's running out of puns, I'm afraid. Last special was named "Bug out bag"."
>Ah'm surprised they're not more punch related."Early days was all punch related. "Knockout laughter", "One shot one thrill", "Lights out laughs out."
>..."She's improved since then, very rough early days. Bombed a ton."
>Ah' respect she kept trying."She's never been a quitter."
>Oh hey, she's comin' out!"Heh."
BOOM
~Gooday, Empire, thank you, thank you.~
>Does she always make stuff explode when she arrives?"Nah, that's new. She used to hobble onto the stage."
>Typical, gets famous and forgets where she came from.~Well folks, it's my first standup since the big event and I'm sure you're all asking the same thing, so here goes... yes I did add an explosion to my entrance, I needed to distract from that one guy with the bad haircut. I got you, friend.~
>Heh."Eesh, it does look like a bad bit of straw, doesn't it?"
~Now I'm sure you're really wondering, does this mean I've forgotten my roots? Of course not, but I am judging you for thinking less of me for not hobbling out here this time. Look at this girl! When she says break a leg, it's a reminder to start the show!~
>HAW!~What else, what else. Feels like something big happened, but I lost it.~
(YOU GOT MARRIED!)
~I did!? First I've heard of it, probably was a private affair. Ooo I knew that las pegasus trip was going to bite me in the flank.~
"Ohhh we need to go there sometime."
~Oh! Right! Other wedding! Cannot believe they invited me, personally. I never do weddings. Last one I went to I started a fight and ended up punching the groom's sister in the face, and this one I got so confused I ended up onstage somehow! I never know what to do at weddings!~
>... dang have we really had none since then?"None she was invited to."
~Now I'm sure you're wanting to hear the steamy details, ehhhh?~
(OOOOOOOO!)
~Well, me to, and when they tell me about it I'm pretty sure it'll be hot. I was busy getting the tea at the time, but I'm sure it kicked off.~
"She lies beautifully."
~Got a great show for you tonight!~
>So does she make money off this, or?"I hope so. We can retire in a week if so."
>>42346546>Not "Bugging you" for the post wedding nightITS
RIGHT
THERE
>>42346712Would Buggering be too on the nose?
>>42346546>Bughorsing aroundThis is harder than it looks
>>42347196We have used too many bug puns over the years.
The well had a bottom, and its big!
>>42346546>Ya'll ever think of going up there?"No, but I have wondered if Flurry's ever going to want to, due to being half Pink."
>...wait a gaddang minute...
>>42347767You think she'll be like Patton and make jokes in war?
>>42347767>Future Flurry"Future 42"
~~~~~
>...you never said in what way our battle would be held.She said, holding up a "Best joke" trophy
"I'm so proud."
She said with a stern nod, and a tear rolling down her cheek
>>42348368A teacher until the end
>>42348776She’s just passing it on
>>42348368>She makes you explode… with laughter!>Also death
>AJ
"Twilight"
~~~~
>So what exactly should we do when this guy gets here?
"Hopefully find some information in this giant wall of books that makes it super easy to figure out the answer before he get here."
>And when it doesn't?
"Wing it and giant explosions."
>...we're predictable.
"It does seem to be a routine with us, doesn't it? But no Celestia to help us out this time..."
>...er...
"I know, I know."
>Should one of us get kidnapped to keep up the tradition?
"Dibs. She makes it look easy."
>She's practiced though.
"Well only one way to get experience."
>Ah' can do a test run with ya' real quick, stuff ya' in the hamper to test how it feels.
"Nah, I want my reaction to be authentic."
>Ah' knew ya' couldn't fake it.
"All real with you, baby."
>Heh.
"Heh..."
>...so ya' think it's just gonna be us soon enough, when Luna gets tired of it?
"I hope it'll be at least us..."
>>42349624I’m sure Rar isn’t going anywhere
>>42349992>Rarity"AJ"
~~~~~
>Applejaaaacckkk, everyone says you're the Celestia replacement, but I'm clearly the whitey!"Ah' got the sun in mah' hair."
>...DAMN IT
>>42350307>Rarity"Applejack"
~~~~
>Wait, then what am I!?"Rarity."
>No but like, correlation wise."Still Rarity."
>... I wanna be the captain of the guard."Taken."
>I'm getting something out of this deal and I doubt we're getting a second city out of nowhere!"Never knowwww."
>>42350566I mean spike is close to pink
>>42350566>A city arises from nowhere> its gen 1s pony town
>>42351215>Hey girls, I'm Applejack!"THE FUCK YA'LL ARE!"
>>42351580She should be proud, it could be worse
>>42351976More like thankful
>>42351580“Wheres yer hat!?”
>>42352874How is she supposed to be recognized without her hat and catchphrase!?
>>42350566>Dash"AJ"
~~~
>Wait, then what am I correlation wise?"Dead in like ten years."
>...That's about nine years longer than my doctor gave me, so I'm proud of you for believing in me.
>Luna
"Mourning Star"
~~~
>Our captain, report!
"I punched a representation of divorce in the face and I don't know if this helps me with my childhood trauma not or yet."
>Wonderful on both accounts likely!
"Any breakthroughs on the whole Nightmares are walking around thing yet?"
>NAY!
"Aw."
>But we've never been one to quit, even when we really should have!
"Please don't retire, I don't know where any of the paperwork is. You just take it and walk off."
>We know exactly where it is!
"I don't is the problem! I don't!"
>Hrm.. but there is one thing we can try. What if we did retire and see if that spurred them into a pre-emptive attack?
"That sounds like they'd just try to kill you when there's no security detail."
>BRILLIANT!
"Disagree, highness."
>Very well then, plan Q!
"How many have we gone through!?"
>Do what we were doing before!
"That doesn't line up with Q!"
>Back to work!
"...I wonder if I get to punch a fear of unemployment today..."
>>42354134What does that even look like!?
>>42354576>Twoheaded creature that seems to grow more distant from you while pulling you in different directions>It constantly chants how much of it is your fault
>SA
"18"
~~~~
SLAM
>Chrysalis you need to... you are not slamming bug, why are you slamming, not slamming bug?
"Shining! You're never going to believe this!"
>I've been an alicorn this whole time and you gaslit me into not seeing the wings.
"Better!"
>Psychologically, sure.
"It turns out that I qualify as a Crystal Princess!"
>Neat, I'll send for the parade.
"I mean it!"
>It wounds me you think I wouldn't give you a parade.
"...Making a note of that. But no! It's amazing for another reason!"
>I'm sure there's a ton of reasons why being a legit royal of a sparkling city would be great, but narrow it down for me.
"Now I don't have to apologize for all the mixups with Cadence back in the day, it was just preparation!"
>...brilliant.
"Isn't it!?"
>It is. Never faked, always prepping.
"Exactly! This calls for a celebration!"
>Parade time?
"..."
CLICK
>I guess that works too.
>>42355453Well, at least one of them is more happy
>>4235597218 is living the dream here
>>42355120>Theres too many damn princesses in an EMPIREdoes no one want to be an empress?
>>42356722Look that just makes you sound tacky
>>42357223>Dash“AJ
~~~~~
>I’m just saying if nobody else will take the title, I will!“We ain’t calling you Empress Dash.”
>Well duh… it would be Empress Rainbow Dash, who goes halfsies on a royal title? That’s dumb. You’re dumb.
>>42357425“Want me to throw Divine in there? Divine Empress?”
>… well not NOW
>>42357703Kinda soured that one yeah
>>42357703NC
>Salt"SA"
~~
>I called them Divine to represent their elevation to me. What do you call them?"Wife."
>...shit that's good.
>>42358230His has a better ring
>>42358511Effortless pun, pinkie approved
>>42358816She knows her stuff
>>42358230To be fair do half of them even have a concept of marriage?
Never seen a dragon wife
>>42359611>Delight"Ember"
~~~~~
>Do you even know what Marriage is?"Of course, I've heard it's delicious."
>It's not a food."I know."
>..."...need to get some pineapples."
>>42359960… so she’s tested it
>>42359960>The joke is, it isn't a food.>It's a banquet. >The pineapple is for YOU
>>42360592Don’t be absurd, dragons eat rocks.
Now, their guests…
>SA
"42"
'Chrysalis'
~~~~~
>My army has... complaints.
"I knew that bitch Sparky would turn on me. "Oh no, I can take it, I want to be strong!" and then he calls the Maren on me. I knew it in my soul!"
>This is unrelated to what his mother said to me behind closed doors, or the various positions with my mother she described would finally make her happy in her son.
'HAH! So, wait, this about our Changeling Army? Because if those idiots set something else on fire, I'm going to be slightly irate depending on the level of fire and how cool it was.'
>This also has nothing to do with the box of matches and poor choices that is our now legally married binding armed forces.
"Ahhh, I see... someone's talking about Spitfire. It's fine. No worries. Give me the names I can be an infiltrator if I feel like it."
>Also no, and we don't do assassinations.
"They would live."
'You've grown soft. Unlike him, HAH!'
>No, the complaints stem from the fact that apparently, you two informed them that you have your own rations.
"...yeah, love?'
'I mean obviously.'
>They would like a share.
"HOW!?"
>...
"Oh Hivemind damn it."
'HAH!'
>>42361584Does that mean you need to put love in a sandwich?
>>42362526Oh, we have a love sandwich
>>42363140I think that’s also called an Oreo
>>42363485Depends on which one is where. It’s called cake topping if they mix and match and cakebrownie if he’s not there
Get the terminology right!
>>42363930As long as cream is involved we good
>>42364282Just gotta be careful bout that oven…
Don’t suddenly find yourself not ready for a cinnamon roll if you’re gonna put the batter in there
>>42364601>SA“Pinkie”
~~~
>Wait, then what do sprinkles mean?“You are nowhere near ready for the sprinkles.”
>… ew.“Told you so! Mom and dad are into some freaky stuff!”
>>42364837It’s the imagination that gets you
>007
"Buttercup"
~~
>Boy I wish they'd left us with some kind of armament here to deal with this instead of leaving, because as it turns out the things that scare giant predators in their mind are pretty fucking terrifying.
"Me am almost out of bullets."
>Buttercup, we both know that's not true. You have a giant case back there.
"That am good for like two minutes!"
>How many minutes of sustained firing do you need!?
"How many minutes till it dead so bad it never come back? Add minute to that."
>What!?
"Me make sure."
>...I'll ask PJ to talk with Spike again.
"Good, because Craig took nap and Cragodiles have scary dreams."
>HE DID WHAT!?
~GRRAAAHHHHHH!~
>ONE FUCKING JOB CRAIG!
WHRRRRR
>>42365410This game is not for the poor
>>42365410>Spike"PJ
~~~~~
>She's gonna notice all the missing munitions."It's not like we're using them to invade, it's for a town defense! Does she want them protected or not?"
>Well usually she'd say move, but considering it's coming out of their heads..."Exactly! She'd be okay with it."
>Or putting them down."What?"
>What?"..."
>Bullets coming up!
>>42366004Are they smuggling them or buying them.
>>42366210I’m sure funds were provided, maybe a little bit less than expected
>>42367001Gonna have to make it up some…
Other way
>>42367217>Spike"PJ"
~~~
>Well maybe we can come to some... other kind of agreement."I'm not gonna sleep with you."
>What!? No! I meant-hold up, wait what? I mean obviously I'm gonna say no, I have a date with Rarity later, but not even like, a consideration?"Nahhhh."
>...I have to know why."Because if I do then I'm gonna compare you to Seven at some point, and after that, someone gets shot. It might be him again, might be you, but you two cannot be trusted with the firsthoof knowledge of who's better at boning. Better boner. Bonebetttterr. That."
>That's fair, very fair."So what did you actually mean?"
>Watch this show with me"Nope."
>It's better than it looks I swear I just need one pony to prove it!"How many upskirt shots does it have?"
>None! We're naked all the time!"..."
>Okay, ONE but it's a gag-"Pass."
>TRUST ME ON THIS!
>>42367726I know that paij
>>42367726>So if Seventy Seven asked-"No because Cheerilee would feed me to demons."
>Daw?"I don't wanna hurt Pommel, he's a cool guy."
>Silver Spoon?"Diamond Tiara would explode me."
>Diamond Tiara?"Silver Spoon would explode me."
>...Forty Two?"Fuck yeah I would and I'd let everyone know where she ranks."
>That's fair.
>>42368240Bragging rights
>>42368240>"Silver Spoon would explode me."Bullshit she knows her buddy needs to get laid
>>42368856Yeah but like, not with PJ.
Dt does not make good enough life choices to go down that rabbit hole
OOCO
>Celestia
"AJ"
~Delight~
~~~
>Ah! There you two are. I'm glad you could make it.
The alicorn and pegasus looked about the dimly lit room, the only things of note within it being the former Canterlot Princess and the clothed table she stood before.
"What's this all about, Tia?"
>Well, since I was here for that little presentation Cadence got to put on, I figured I'd close things out with something... special...
At that, she moved out of the way, revealing that a single unlit candle, flanked by a ring of roses, stood upon the table. With a flick of her magic, she lit the candle's wick.
>Just for you.
And activated a stereo just out of view, unleashing a river of the smoothest, most sensual music one could have ever heard. Delight and Applejack shared wide-eyed glances with each other.
~Uhhhhh~
"Tia, what-"
>Shh shh shh shhhhh...
She gently placed her hooves against their snouts, silencing them.
>Don't talk. Just enjoy.
Before she sauntered over to the table and pulled two plates into view, both loaded with minicakes about 6 inches tall and wide.
>Mmmmm...
Angling her head back, she gave the two ponies a wink and wiggled her flanks.
~Whoa...~
"..."
~Uhh! I mean-~
"Oh, don't go lookin' away on my account. Those things take up half the room."
~Aheh...~
The Princess continued to wiggle and jive as she danced around the table, giving the two of them a better view of it...
Specifically, the fact that only one chair was there.
~...Uh, Princess?~
"Yeah?"
~Is this really happening?~
Celestia circled the table several more times, dancing and giggling to herself as her magic gently caressed the cake loaded plates.
"...Eeeyup..."
Before she finally took a seat.
>So.
And took a bite out of one of the cakes.
>Mmm! Mmm... You want to be a secret agent, huh?
For a moment, replacing the flat stare he shot the Princess for eating that cake, Delight looked confused. Just for a moment, though.
"Really, Tia? Y'all did all this just ta bring up old news?"
The Princess took a bit out of the other cake.
>Mmmhmm! We never got around to talking about the proper protocol regarding you little mishap, so now seems as good a time as any.
Applejack ducked her head, her cheeks going a bit red.
"Y'all don' even know if he even wants to be an actual agent-agent!"
~Well-~
"Shh!"
>Then he gets to learn some protocol with you. Which will be helpful if he has to put in for agents himself.
"Why would he???"
>You know, in case he, in the futures, gets the, ahem... proper authority to do so. Through you... And by that, I mean some paperwork you have him do.
It was clear that that wasn't what she meant, doubly so when she shot Applejack a wink. But the younger Princess just let out an exasperated sigh. It's better not to bite the bait.
>Come! Come! Take a seat...
With her magic, she brought out two more seats and pulled them up to the table. Making sure to pull her cakes closer to herself, as well.
>And let's have a little chat.
Good news everyone! I bring art!
Behold! My Gypsy Pie commission.
I'm going to see if I can squeeze in one more art request before the thread is gone.
>>42369510Her fortunes shall always come true!
>>42369510I’ve always wondered what she would charge for her future reading since she canonically has it in the form of twitches
Her stock game must be fire
>>42369510Beautiful
Pinkies always worth more tax bits
>>42369510That’d be kickass in the time we’ve got left
>>42369510>The fate of her friends in her cards Ominous
>>42369510>>42369584How do you think she affords her parties? Baker salary ain’t cutting it
>>42369510>>42370580She had Party Pony Productions!
>>42369510The mystery of what remains is killing me…
>>42369510>Igenous"Pinkie"
~~~
>Mine daughter, I told you, we are not of Gypsy blood. We are of Pawnish descent."Wait... GYPSIES ARE REAL!? I am so offensive!
>Does that mean thou will stop?"Absolutely not I already made the cards."
>>42371117>"Absolutely not I already made the cards."Waiiiittt
>>42371371Just because she’s cheap doesn’t mean-
Wait
>>42371562I wondered why she was the only pink one! I knew it was screwy!
>Sebjek
"AJ"
~~~~
>...
"..."
>...
"Can Ah'... help... you?"
>My memory says I'm supposed to do this.
"Do what, exactly?"
>Examine if you are good enough for my friend.
"...seriously?"
>All the media says to do it. All of it. Books, film, little comic strips I find on the back of the newspapers...
"...Ah' like them little comics too."
>I don't understand them but I remember them.
"Really? Not even the ones without words?"
>Those I comprehend, but don't understand. Why does the rock not fall when the creature cuts it, and it only falls when he walks under it?
"Pinkie could give ya' a seminar on the logistics."
>...I would like to learn that.
"I'll see what I can do."
>...
"Soooo, do Ah'... pass?"
>I don't know, most media doesn't actually give any examples of a healthy relationship and technically this is where you have cut to black.
"Tricky one, that. Just wing it, Ah' guess?"
>...
He holds out his hoof.
"..."
Eventually she gives it a bump.
>You are cool.
"Ah' thank ya' kindly."
>No need.
"So uh, what'cha gonna do next?"
>Fade to black.
"We just established that don't work-"
Everything fades out.
"PINKIE! PINKIEEEEE! SOMEONE ELSE CAN DO IT! HELP!"
>>42372265Taptaptap
CLICK
~Alright, who turned out the... hold up a second.~
~~~~
>Applejack"Sebjek"
~Pinkie~
~~~~
~There we go.~
>What did ya'll do?... why does mah' voice feel funny?~You deserve to be on top, big girl.~
>Aw.~And you!~
"Yes."
~Don't be tapping into powers you don't understand!~
"I don't understand most things, I just see them and replicate them."
~Exactly! You can't just do that sort of thing without understanding why it's funny!~
"But I did find it funny. I don't know why, but it was funny."
~...hrm.~
>Pinkie! Tell him no!~We're in uncharted waters here, Applejack. The mindless one who causes chaos is a breed that seldom I know, usually its reserved for little kids who prank adults and always seem to defy logic, physics, and seemingly teleport. He's got the knowledge and the empty head!~
"I feel insulted."
~He must learn to use it, mold it, summon it to his command! Become a power that may one day... rival my own.~
"...no thank you. This is silly."
Without a second thought, he walked off to the side.
>...did he leave? Ah' didn't hear a door open or close. Either he didn't leave or he's rude.~He walked offstage.~
>Offwhatnow?~I'm so proud.~
>>42372802>Sebjek mimics Pink PowersDoes that explain his reality breaking?
>>42373299It explains everything
>>42373299> I learned it by watching you!
>>42373299He can see the screen!
>>42372802>He doesn't want the power because he just sees them as comedy routines, not anything serious.>He doesn't understand how useful that is in this sort of world.Poetic that he would know so much but understand so little.
>>42373299>AJ"Pinkie"
~~~
>So like... could he mimic a Wonderbolt if he had wings?"I'm surprised he can't without them."
>WHAT!?"No but seriously, he'd still need like... muscles. You can follow a flightpath but you can't look and suddenly have all the muscles you've got"
>Oh, makes sense."...that does mean his magic would be cracked though."
>Don't make him an Alilock, gotcha.
>>42375514>Alicorn morlockThat sounds… kind of wicked
Horn would look like a demented narwhal and the wings would be fleshy
>>42375776>… expected more bat wings than hairy hands.“We morlocks do not do things cuddly.”
>Is that an eyeball!?“it wasn’t supposed to be…”
>>42376037Little too sasuke
>>42376391>Bone sticks with hair instead of feathers
>>42376037>What kinda spells can ya'll do?"Mostly make pretty flowers."
>...huh."If you had to live a life of constant worry of death, would YOU make more scary things?"
>Now that ya' mention it...
>>42375327It's not funny if he tries to use it.
>>42377160Of course. It can never be a weapon because the moment he speaks to use it for good, it becomes unavailable to evil.
>>42376856Rekulk would love that shit
>>42377955He made a dwarf fortress he’d be all for it
I've come to a decision.
The first half of the final outing, about 20 posts worth of content, is done. The second half, which includes the final fight and part of the lead up to the cliffhanger, is still being worked on. In total, this should all be about 40 posts worth of content.
Looking at the workload, it's possible the second half won't be done before the thread ends, and it honestly might be a bit too much to drop all at once, at least at this point of the thread, even if I could do it right now.
So, the first half will drop when we hit post 450 and the second half will, hopefully, be done by then and ready to drop near the start of the next thread. I might drop both halves if I can get it done by 430, but I want some breathing room for any other followup stories. Besides, I did some writing for the Wonderbolts, which may need to be corrected for in-character canonicity.
I'll also need some characters to be available by then: The Mane 6, Spike and the A-Team (mostly Spike and DT), Luna and the Ghostbusters, Pommel, the Wonderbolts and Lightning Dust (I'd also ask that anyone hold off on writing her interacting with them outside of OOCO for now), Delight, Jetset, and Raven. Not everyone will have a major role, but they're still needed.
All that is to say, the final outing is almost over.
>>42378820Shame but if its what we need to send it out on a high note, I'm all for it.
>SA
"Cadence"
'Chrysalis'
~Celestia~
~~
>Now you've done it.
"Done did it I suppose."
'But I wannnaaaa.'
SLAM!
~Hark, why is there a wail of despair? From whence does the woes beget?~
>Ooo, you called herrrrr.
"She felt it in the air."
~...Now I'm intrigued.~
'I wanted to do sexy roleplay!'
~Reasonable and you two really should-~
>Tell her who.
"Yes dear, tell her who."
'...'
~...Me? You can pretend to be me. I have absolutely no problems with you pretending to be me. You can be me while I'm there too, I'm that into myself as well. Loving yourself is an important part of life!~
'...'
~...absolutely not.~
'Come onnnnnn.'
~Chrysalis? Trust me, I understand. I know its pretend. I know it would't actually involve her. I know it wouldn't even really be her spiritually. I understand fantasy and acting out, truly I do! I understand the boundaries of make believe and reality. Anyone else, truly, I do not mind.~
'...buuuut?'
~But if I see you fwooshed up as Luna getting railed by my Shiny, not A Shiny, MY Shiny, I would set the world on fire.~
>Told you so.
"Gotta respect boundaries."
'Awwww.'
~ON FIRE CHRYSALIS.~
>She'll do it, I've seen it.
'Wait wha
>>42379456She will kill you don't try it
>>42379456Elsewhere, Luna vomits.
VIOLENTLY
>>42379456Someone saw that art pack...
>>42378820Guess we’ll see what happens
>>42380111Well yeah, she’s still preg
>>42381252>So many single mothers because we didn’t put him back…
>>42381807>Ah’ knew Ah’ forgot something!… whatever happened to that one janitor fella?She shrugs, and elsewhere Shining Altmor wonders who’s going to finally feed him
>>42382198He’s an Alicorn he can survive off nothing
>>42369510INTO THE WIKI IT GOES!
Man I gotta check back in more often
>>42379456>AJ"Luna"
~~
Bzzzzt... bzzzttt...
>Howdy howdy, ya'll have reached a-"WE WISH TO LODGE A COMPLAINT!"
>...Luna, Ah'm right down the hall, ya' ain't gotta call me like this."We fear in our anger, we might strike thee down!"
>Thought'cha stopped doin' that?"Tis always time for a relapse!"
>So long as yer' honest. What's the problem?"We have divined that someone hath suggested using our likeness, in an uncouth manner!"
>Define uncouth."Copulation roleplay!"
>Ah. Well, sorry ta' say Lulu, but we ain't got a lot of jurisdiction in the privacy of their own homes."But we rule the night!"
>What if they do it during the day?"Then they're doing it wrong!"
>Says the expert apparently."The sexpert, indeed!"
>That ain't yer' title."We can have whatever title we wish, we're royalty!"
>Then name yer'self best Princess."...weren't we already?"
>Are ya' being attacked?'"Not at the moment."
>Then no, it ain't official."...ALL THE SAME-"
>Ah'm not bannin' some folks from putting on a wig and actin' out a fantasy."But what about a changeling!?"
>Then iffin' the other partner don't know, it's rape. Iffin' they try to profit off it, it's fraud. If they claim to be you, it's identity theft. There's legal protections here."But not for the Empire!"
>..."..."
>...Did Chrysalis suggest turnin' into you and lettin' Shiny clap the moons?"YES!"
>Well, that's more a friendship thing. Ya'll can just... tell her ya' don't like that and iffin' she makes a fuss about it, it's an issue we can deal with. Trust is important with friends here."...tis not nearly as fun."
>Most of this ain't, ya'll made it look way different when Ah' was a filly."Can we at least threaten to shove something down her throat?"
>Just ask Shining how big it needs ta' be or yer' only giving her practice."...you ruined it. You ruined everything."
SLAMCLICK
>OW!.... how'd she even do that!?
>>42382854>>Just ask Shining how big it needs ta' be or yer' only giving her practice.
I wrote this while drunk a few nights ago. Seems coharent though.
Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Cadence"
'DT'
{Spike}
~~~~
>Welcome to Late Night /pa/ with your hosts the Pink Pony Club! It's during this time that content doesn't matter and we need to get in our time!
"I'm the pretty one <3"
'I'm the grumpy one…'
>And I'm the crazy one!
>"'Now for our main segment...CHAINSAW MARE!'"
DT pulling a cord on TBDRLIATU.
'HRRRNG!'
Yanks and nothing happens.
'Oh come on!'
"What are you doing?"
'Ah, TBDRLIATU has a chainsaw feature, but he's having some performance issues right now. Can't seem to rev him up.'
>Well if you need a chainsaw...SPIKE!
{Oh hey, Pinkie. Did you need me to be a guest?}
Pinkie yanks on Spike's tail and his green scales starts to vibrate rapidly.
>There you go. A chainsaw.
Pan to Cadence who has red horns and sharp teeth.
"HAHA! Now this is power!"
Camera pans back to Pinkie who now has red hair and spiral yellow eyes while wearing a dress shirt and tie.
>...Cadence are you modifying our memories?
Camera pans back to Cadence who now wears an untucked dress shirt and sneakers.
"What?! NO! Why would I do that?"
Camera pans to DT who now has a topknot hair and smoking a cigarette.
'Hmm...I don't know. Something feels off. I don't remember TDRLIATU being a katana.'
DT says raising a katana where TDRLIATU was.
"What? No he was always a katana. Sometimes he's a giant wolf."
{I feel weird}
Camera pans to Spike who has a chainsaw head and arms.
"Well yeah you're being used as a chainsaw. Of course you should feel weird about that."
{...Fair point.}
>I...still feel like you're altering our memories or realities somehow and gaslighting us. Like even though you're unaware of it, I'm pretty sure your pink powers are-
"Say what!? Guuuurl you cray cray."
'Sheeit fo real real. You being cray cray right now, gurl.'
Pinkie drapes a big coat on herself
>Well I am the cray cray one, so that tracks. My drip is on point though, so we Gucci, nah ai' mean?
'Valid. Your outfit slaps. Dead ass.'
"Mmmhm. No cap there. Let's take the dub and bounce."
>'ight. That's all the time we have, but there'll be more pinki ponies down the line. Trust.
>"'Byyyyye~'"
{Girls, can a drigga get his head back?}
My art friend pulled through. With taxpayer money, I bring art one last time.
This one is based on a story I wrote way back when AJ and Rarity had their own late night show.
>>42383274Fun dun nug fuhnanaahhhh
>>42383274The fireside! I remember that, Flutters had a show too
>>42383274It’s beautiful
So many memories…
>>42383274We had so many non canon spinoffs and they were all so wonderful.
Where does the time go?
>>42383274>The odds of encountering Pinksharks is low>But never zero
>>42383274INTO THE WIKI IT GOES!
See told you I’d check back in more
>>42383274Flurry down below hoping someone realizes she can’t swim
>>42383274>>42383593>LNPP>Fireside>Fantastically Fixing Friendships, Featuring Fluttershy>Movie Night>Breakfast Chronicles>Princess meetings>OnOWe had a LOT of long running side things...
>>42385236Don't forget the Round Table where they answered questions from the normies!
>>42385513>AJ"Twilight"
'Dash'
~Pinkie~
(Rarity)
{FS}
*Various*
~~~~
>NEXT!*So, are we just gonna gloss over that heaven exists?*
"Process it however you want, hopefully by being a better pony. NEXT!"
*Does this mean we're cool with everyone except the Amai... Asmiami... The cyclops things?*
'We need to make friends with them still. NEXT!'
*But wait, does this mean you didn't wipe out all evil in the universe? WHY!?*
>Nope and would'a broken everything. NEXT!*Can we throw a party?*
~You can always throw a party, it's the law.~
>Pinkie, stop slippin' in laws!~NEXT!~
*How many royals are there now!?*
(Enough. Next, darlings!)
*WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE!?*
{Drink your water, have some fun and get some steps in when you can. Next, please!}
*Can I marry my cousin now?*
>...why... why would ya' ask us that?*Don't you guys make the law on that?*
"She means like, why now, personally?"
*Well I don't want to ask if it's not an option.*
'Don't marry your cousin.'
*Why? Applejack gets it.*
>OH FER' FUCKS SAKE-*After all she's all about being honest with yourself!*
>...~He's got you there, AJ.~
>...is there a law on the books, Twi?"Nope."
>Laziness done saved yer' chances, good luck.*YAY!*
*Followup to his question-*
"No, there's no law against marrying your siblings either."
>..."Well I was obviously gonna check after that."
*Ew, no, my sister's ugly. What I meant was if I needed like, an officiator. Can I be an officiator? Who will stop me from being one?*
'Are none of you guys worried about the Nightmare Creatures?'
******THE WHAT!?*****
>Word don't travel like it used to...{We're old now..}
>>42385236This is not even including the actual side stuff like... you know, politics
>>42386461The real kind for once
>>42387067Look the racism is more just a consequence.
We don’t need to plan it
>Applebloom
“Sweetie Belle”
~Scootaloo~
~~~|
>Hey girls? Remember when we went to Bisongard?
“… did we actually make it there?”
~You can’t be serious.~
“We did a lot, I can’t remember all of it! I have limited brain space!”
>For something that big!?
“It wasn’t as memorable as the giant thing we killed!”
~… she has a point.~
>Look ignore that for a second, Ah’m just wondering something about it.
“If it actually exists or did you two just have a bad trip and I gaslit you into thinking it did?”
~… well I wasn’t before. We did take some stuff.~
>No, Ah’m just wondering. Who made the train tracks that got so close to it. You know? We seemingly have train tracks that just stop in the middle of nowhere. What’s up a with that! If nothings out there, why is there a train stop!? It’s miles from anywhere else! And Bisongard had one but nobody seems to know it exists! What’s the deal!?
“Celestia can see the future.”
>… that’s it?
“Yep. Big ol white horse can see future, whole reason for seemingly stupid stuff that works out for specific events.”
~That’s… kind of dumb.~
“Is what it is.”
>… is that really the note we’re going out on? All of this was for a pretty dumb reason?
“Yea, but it was the most fun of our lives.”
~… gaddang right it is.~
>”~Cutie Mark Crusaders accepting the dumb stuff, now and forever!~”
Cutiebump!
>Applejack
"Twilight"
~~~~
SLAM
>AH' KNEW IT!
"...is this what Shiny deals with all the time? Wow I am way too harsh on him, that he can hear at all is probably a miracle."
>Ya'll have been gaslighting me this whole time!
"Applejack, I told you, the wings are real."
>Not about that! Ya'll been callin' me orange this whole time!
"... is this where I find out you're colorblind? It would be a big twist."
>Ah' knew it didn't make no sense, Ah'm an apple through and through! But this whole time ya'll were like, "Why are ya' orange if yer' an apple!" "An Apple who's orange? That don't make no sense!" And on and on! And Ah' believed you!
"I can see why, what with it being... factual. But uh, what, ah, what exactly has brought about this revelation that we've filled your world with deceit?"
>BECAUSE THERE'S TOTALLY A DANG ORANGE APPLE!
"...we know, you've told us this many, many, many, mannnnyyyy times. This has been a running gag since-"
POP
~THREAD NUMBER TWO!~
"Thank you Pinkie, for whatever that means."
~I'm old!~
POP
"That sound was reversed, in case you didn't hear right for whatever reason."
>Ah' know, but now Ah' realize! Ah'm a Princess!
"...and?"
>And now we're only gonna call the fruit Orange! And we're changin' the color to the Apples name!
"...m'kay, sure. First of many mental breakdowns now that you're on top, I'm sure. What exactly is it's name?"
>Cox! Now when they look at me they gotta accept Ah'm Cox colored!
"..."
>Ah' just heard it.
"..."
>...gonna rescind the thing Ah' just said and pretend like all this didn't happen.
"..."
>Bye.
SLAM
"...Ahem. Dear Citizens of Equestria, my fellow Princess, Applejack, has made a proclamation she would like to share with you all..."
>>42388102Had to look it up.
It’s real
>>42388437You should know Better than to doubt the cox
>>42388740THE COX COAT IS REAL
>Rarity
"???"
~Pinkie~
~~~
>Darling? Just poking my head in real quick, I need to be home in Canterlot for whenever this big event finally happens, but I really need you to-WHY ARE YOU WHITE!?
"What?"
~Rarity! You can't just ask someone-~
>I absolutely can! This is paleface! You can't do paleface! It's not allowed!
"What are you talking about? It's not just my face."
>GOOD GRACIOUS THE FULL SPREAD!?
~I feel like you're gonna get fired.~
"HA."
~Well that spoils a possibility for everyone else...~
>WHY! TELL ME WHY!
"You really wanna know?"
>YES!
"Really really wanna know?"
>Madame if you do not tell me why you're white RIGHT NOW I will absolutely be livid!
"Fine. Two wanted me to hide in the snow with her so we used the powder stuff. Think it was baby powder?"
>...that's it?
"I don't have magic bullshit like you or my wives, thank you."
~See that clears it up.~
>Er, I see... my apologies, Spitfire.
"You should be, I cleared it with my whitey."
>You cannot call him that!
"He gave me the pass."
>That is decided by council!
"Not if we're maaarrieeeddd."
>...You win this round.
SHOOM
"What was that about?"
~Probably asking something about the Wonderbolts, but now we'll never know what or in what context, for reasons!~
"Oh, okay."
~Uh oh.~
"What's up?"
~Well my ear just twitched, my booper snooted, and I may or may not have had a hinny wiggle.~
"And that means?"
She scoots back.
"...I'm worried."
~You should be.
SHOOOM
(I didn't ask how big the room was, I said I'll get it done, and I said I use explosions!)
>DIAMOND TIARA NO!
"I regret nothing."
BOOM
>>42389351Jesus Rarity it ain't that deep
>>42389632It’s a matter of whitey pride
>>42390029You must defend it
>>42389632You wouldn’t understand, she’s got her tighty whitey
So is the finale dropping today or float for a bit ore time?
>>42391451Fingers crossed he had enough time for the full thing.
>>42391451At this point, float the thread.
I'll definitely have the first half posted this evening, but I'm also very close to finishing the final fight. So, give me five hours and I should have 7/10ths of the finale done and posted this thread. The next thread will be the denouement stuff and the cliffhanger ending, since all of that might not be done by then and that way the most exciting stuff is already out of the way for more epilogue and wrap up stuff.
>Two
"SA"
~~
>Ya' think iffin' Ah suddenly turned into a colored bug instead'a me, Ah'd be a pink one?
"You are a colored bug, regardless."
>Ah' know, that's why Ah' said instead o' me! Like iffin' mah' love boomed up so much Ah' changed from bein' all spooky ta' bein' more...
"Marketable?"
>Yeah!
"Two, you're fine as you are."
>Ah' know, that's why Ah'm supposin'!
"What makes you think you'd be a Pink? Not a whitey?"
>Well, Ah' do silly stuff mostly and Ah' always seem ta' be doin' stuff that don't make no sense, so iffin' it was any color Ah' think it'd be a pink.
"Logical, and Pinks are notoriously good at friends. I could see you being a pink one with a white shell thing."
>Oooo that'd be a good color, Ah'd like that color.
"Either that or orange."
>Nahhh, Applejack wouldn't want me ta' be orange, she'd be like "Ah' know ya' gots mah' name, but ya' ain't gotta be me!"
"I can never tell if your impressions are because of your changeling ability or you can just do that."
>Exactly why Ah'd be a Pink! Sure, Ah'm a honest mare through and through, ain't never gonna tell a lie! And Ah' gots the common sense ta' know when someone's bein' a dummy. But Ah'm AJ Two, and Ah' wanna have fun with you!
"...Thinking on it, Blue would also fit."
>Ooooohohoooo that's a goodun, ya' dun did a good one right there. Yeah that makes sense. Ah'm AJ Two, and Ah' might just be Blue!
"Perfect."
>Ah' wouldn't be a real Pink through and through though.
"What makes you say that?"
>Ah'm not that powerful.
"I dunno about that, for your age you're shockingly strong. You're nearly at Flurry's level sometimes."
>Pffft, nah. Ya' think Flurry was goin' all out?
"She's a baby, she's not known for her control."
>Shiny don't be silly.
RUMBLE
>She's only using one percent of her power.
"...is that an accurate measurement, or do you not get percentages yet."
CRASH
~BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!~
>It was the first thing.
"I'm so proud."
BOOOOOM
>>42392600>We never did the skittlebugsAnd nothing of value was lost
![UrwGKCm[1]](/thumb/mlp/1753403932286586.jpg)
>Pommel
~~~
>Alright, everyone, settle down and listen up! As you know, we've been dealing with a particularly annoying infestation over the last few days: shadow creatures, apparently born from nightmares, have been harassing and attacking folks all over Equestria. I don't know how they managed to make themselves real, and the fact that that's a thing that can happen opens up some, uh, conversations that should probably stay closed, but we've been following what leads we can to determine the source of all this trouble. And thanks to some info from Princess Luna and work put in by Princess Twilight, we may finally have a pretty solid one. Out to the north of Canterlot, there's an old, abandoned school that Princess Luna has designated as a point of interest that could lead us to who or whatever is causing these shadow creatures to go wild. Unfortunately, there've been a lot of schools built up and left to rot out in the northern forest over the past thousand+ years that Canterlot's been around, leaving us with a lot of ground to cover. Miles of it.
He takes a breath and flashes the audience of guards and fliers a smile, the sort you put on for a bit of exaggerated levity.
>And that's where you lot come in. Headed by your Team Leaders at the front of the room here, you'll be searching the northern forest in your own designated quadrants. To make things more efficient, each team will have at least one flier to provide a bird's eye view of the area. The Royal Guard's still short staffed due to all the vacation time hat's being cashed out. so the Wonderbolts, courtesy of their Captain, are providing support for this mission.
A hoof goes up, belonging to Fleetfoot.
"Wait, you're talking about Lightning Dust, right? That Captain of the Wonderbolts?"
Pommel fixes her with a perplexed stare.
>Yes? There's only the one Captain... and the other positions that are technically higher, but-
Another hoof goes up, this time from Soarin'.
"When'd you talk to her?"
>This morning?
Then another hoof goes up-
>Wait, wait, wait! I can tell this is gonna be a whole deal, so let's save the questions for AFTER the briefing's done, alright?
The hooves go down and the Captain lets out a sigh as he moves closer to the table at the front of the room. Sheets of paper are stacked across its length.
>Now, you've already been sorted into your groups, so all that's left to do is to give you your maps and the quadrant's you'll be searching. First up...
His horn alight with magic, he takes hold of one of the stacks and gives its first page a once-over.
>Spike and the A-Team.
Before floating it over to the purple dragon.
>You'll be searching Quadrant...
And so it went for the rest of the Team Leaders - distribution of maps, assignment of quadrant - until only one stack remained. Or rather, two pieces of paper.
1/2
>>42392991>Then last, but not least, Delight! You get to search two quadrants!The pegasus looks around and notices that everyone in the room seems to already be a part of some other team.
"By myself???"
>Yep. I know, I know. This work's a little too easy for the Hero of the Frontline, but the next world ending threat isn't due for another month or two, so you'll have to bear with me.At that, the room fills with laughter and Delight feels his body being rocked, side to side, by light-hearted slaps against his shoulders.
>But seriously. You'll have a group ready to back you up in about six hours. And in the meantime, you'll have another flier with you, so you won't actually be searching alone. I'm sure it'll all make sense when they show up, so don't worry about it too much. Just pick a quadrant and scope it out as best you can."Yes, sir."
>Now, we're looking at a start time of 9am and will close today's search around...From then on, the briefing focused more on the finer details of the operation and the questions anyone had for the Captain. In total, the briefing didn't take too long - a little less than an hour or so - until it was finally time to draw it to a close.
>Alright, then. You've got twenty minutes kill before you need to be at the starting point. Don't be late. And don't forget...He looks over the audience, his gaze growing sterner.
>We don't know what's causing these shadow creatures to pop up. It could be some freak occurrence - a natural phenomena gone haywire. Or someone stirring up trouble. In either case, you might have a fight on your hooves, so keep your guard up, keep your eyes peeled and watch each other's backs. Understood?"""""Sir!""""""
>Good. Dismissed!~~~~~
Out in the northern forest, miles away from Canterlot proper, sits a grouping of structures: buildings that have aged over hundreds of years, taken over by the slow and creeping hoof of nature.
At the center of it all, sits a circular stage of stone, bathing in what budding light managed to peak over the wall of trees surrounding the area.
Beneath the aged stone, between the gaps of its form, as the sun rose higher and higher over the horizon...
{Ahh... Hahahah...}
The shadows within began to stir.
>Delight
~~~
He flew high, miles above the expanse of trees covering the ground below. Off in the distance, his gaze was fixed on a landmark - a spot to better orient himself when it came to actually finding the quadrant(s) he's supposed to search. It was only one step on his way to actually getting there, though, and the next landmark wouldn't be as easy to spot. But for now, he could just fly straight on and let the wind carry him forward.
It was nice, actually. He couldn't remember the last time he just went for a fly and let his mind relax - no need to worry or think. Just him and the wind.
Until he heard the tell tale beating of another pair of wings coming up from behind him.
He slowed his pace, just enough to get a comfortable look at whoever was approaching.
"Hey."
It was a mare. A Wonderbolt, to be exact.
"Got room for one more?"
>Uh. Yeah. Fleetfoot, right?
"Oh? I didn't know the Hero of the Frontline was a fan of mine."
He let out a laugh, feeling a little self-conscious. It was clearly some light ribbing on her part, but he really only knew her because the Wonberbolts were famous. They did meet before, though, but not in any circumstance he'd expect her to remember.
>Heh. I'm guessing you drew the short straw?
"Nah. Volunteered. You looked so sad and lonely by yourself."
His gaze went flat.
>How kind of you...
"And I needed some space, so... here I am."
>Hmm.
Chances are that 'need' had something to do with her Captain.
"Sorry if I'm not up to your 'Princessly' standards, but... feel free to treat me like one, anyways."
>In that case, I've got a couple stacks of paperwork I need you to look at later-
"Nevermind!"
He laughed and the mare let out an exaggerated huff, her lips thinning into a flat frown. Silence followed eventually, seconds ticking by with nothing but the rustle of air and the beating of wings between them.
>So... What's up with your Captain?
It took a moment for her to respond - a moment before she let out a light laugh.
"Why? You looking to get with her too?"
>Just looking to make some light conversation. We could always discuss the spiritual implications of what 'Don't Fear Your Own Existence' means or any of the other poetic titles Kite Turbo uses throughout his magnum opus, instead.
"...WHO and WHAT???"
That kinda hurt, but he honestly expected as much of a response.
>Or we could talk about the missions. Or whatever. No pressure.
"Hmm..."
More seconds ticked by in silence. He chanced a glance at the mare. Her lips shifted, done up in a frown that suggested she was nibbling on them, and beneath her goggles... Well, it was hard to see beneath them, but he assumed she must be frowning, all the same - weighing her thoughts.
"...She's in a mood. Honestly, she's been in one for a while now... A long while... And it seems like it's coming to a head."
1/4
>>42393001>What kind of mood?"Flighty. Skittish. Erratic. The sort of mood that makes its seem like she's about fed up with being our Captain. Like she's ready to quit. Can't say I blame her, though."
>Do you want her to quit?Again, seconds tick by in silence. A longer silence than the ones before.
>Seems like you're leaning towards 'no'?"It's complicated. Really complicated. Honestly, she isn't a terrible Captain. It's just..."
>Yeah?She sighed.
"Look, it'd take a year to get through how messy things have been with the Wonderbolts - and that's just the summary. Long story short? Things are complicated, ok?"
>Ok."But, if she wanted to stay... I wouldn't be opposed or anything. Her leaving now would feel, I dunno..."
>Half-baked?"Mmm."
>Why not tell her that?She let out a dry laugh.
"You mean like in some sort of heart-to-heart thing, yeah? Seems a little too sappy for me."
>We're ponies. Being sappy is the source of, like, half our power.At that, she laughed. It was genuine enough, but there was also a hint of uncertainty to it - a quiet dismissal of going through with a heartfelt talk.
>Look, all I'm saying is, if you don't want her to quit, why not say so before she goes through with it?"Like I said, it's complicated. And even if I did, it's not like we're on particularly great terms. At best, she'll probably just think I'm trying to trick her or something."
>If it's that bad, I guess there's not much you can do about it besides just come out and say your piece anyways and let her judge for herself. Whether she believes you or not is her choice at the end of the day, and so is whether she actually wants to keep working as your Captain. Even if asking her to stay doesn't change her mind, maybe this way she won't feel like she's making that choice by herself, if that makes sense. I mean, I don't know her personally or much about this whole situation, but it sounds like she's really stressed out?"That's a nice way to put it, yeah."
>Well, then it might feel nice to hear her crewmate say she should stay on. Especially if you really mean it."Maybe..."
Her response was quiet. Uncertain.
"Thanks, Hero."
But she sounded a little more at ease than before. maybe she just needed to talk to someone who's pretty detached from the situation.
>Aheh. No problem.Neither of them really spoke for the rest of the flight - at least beyond checking the map to make sure they were still on course. There wasn't a need to fill the dead air when they could just enjoy the freedom of flying.
"Is that it?"
Until they caught site of the final landmark.
>Looks like it.With one last check of the map, it only took a few more minutes before they arrived at the first quadrant he was assigned to. They didn't stay long, though - doing only a cursory bird's eye view sweep of the area. He'd double-back later once his backup arrived. For now, they pushed past toward the second quadrant further ahead.
2/4
>>42393006Much like the first, it wasn't too difficult to make out the buildings that dotted the area. The tallest of the buildings, about three stories high, managed to clear the canopy just enough that it was usable as a landmark. But all of them were pretty much overgrown - their perimeter crowded by trees and flooded with wild flowers and grass. From where they flew, the pegasi could hardly make out any clear patches of dirt - not helped by the shadows cast as the canopy blocked the sun's light. Despite that, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to navigate it all.
>It'll probably be best if we split up the search. One of us sticks to the ground and the other above the tree line. "I'll go high; you go low?"
>Fine by me.With that, the two flew low and Delight dipped beneath the canopy.
{####}
>...?For a moment, for the briefest of moments as he touched down on the earth beneath the shade, he thought he heard a voice - a whisper.
He looked around, his gaze narrow as it swept across the area. But nothing caught his eye, save for the passing of a shadow overhead.
"You see anything down there?"
It was Fleetfoot's.
>Just trees, buildings, grass, and more trees-{###}
His ears perked up and his gaze drifted lower, from his skyward partner to the canopy separating the two of them.
Were the trees always so tall? Had they always been so angled and bent, leaning over him like weathered guardians ready to strike?
Was it always so... dark beneath the canopy?
{####}
>...!His body shifted with a jolt as he pulled his left hindleg forward. Something had grabbed at it.
>...But it was only a branch, broken and old - left to rot and wither back into the earth. Yet, even though he could blame the sensation on a casual brush against nature's debris, he couldn't quite convince himself that that was all it was. Like a chill in the dead of night, the sensation lingered and he swore he could feel a similar cold seep in through the soles of his shoes.
*rustle rustle*
Again, his ears perked up. With a jolt, his eyes turned skyward as Fleetfoot dipped below the canopy.
>Wait!She stopped, hovering in mid-air just a few feet from her breaching point. Her eyes - wide and alert - were focused on him. He felt a sense of relief that she'd listened, but the awkward uncertainty which came with having to justify a wholly reflexive gut feeling soon overtook it.
>Uh. You might wanna stay airborne. Or perch if you have to.Her gaze narrowed, turning into a thoughtful frown.
"Why? You think something's down there?"
>Maybe. It's honestly just a gut feeling, but... He looked back to the forest, to the buildings beyond the trees.
3/4
>>42393012>Does this place look different to you? Like it's changed from how it looked overhead? I know it could just be that we're closer now, but something about this place feels a little off."I mean, it's an old, abandoned place hidden by a bunch'a trees in the middle of nowhere. 'Off' kinda comes with the territory... But it does seem a little darker here than it should be. I could just be seeing things, though."
>Hmm."Think we should pull back?"
He shook his head.
>Nah. We can handle a little weirdness. Let's do a sweep of the area and move on to checking the buildings. We'll go in together, watch each other's backs."Right. And I'll keep airborne, just in case. You'll have to carry me if I get too tired, though."
She gave him a wink and a smirk. He gave her a light, somewhat embarrassed, smile before she flew back above the trees.
>...Deep breath, then a sigh.
>Pick a direction. Start the sweep. Keep an eye out for anything and anyone suspicious... And be ready for a fight...Another deep breath. Another sigh.
>...Ok...He stood taller, his mind now focused on the task ahead, and took his first steps toward the abandoned campus.
{#########}
All the while watched by the weathered trees and the shadows they cast.
>Lightning Dust
~~~
*Knock knock knock*
"Captain? Are you in there?"
*Knock knock knock*
"Captain? I was looking to talk to you?"
"Lightning Dust? Hello?"
*Knock knock knock*
"Hey, uh, Captain Lightning Dust?"
"Is she even here today?"
"Captain? Hello?"
"Lightning Dust?"
"Captain?"
"Might be out-
"Hello-"
"Uh-"
"Captain-"
"Captain-"
"Captain-"
*knock knock knock*
*knock knock knock*
*knock knock knock*
*knock knock knock...*
*knock knock...*
"...alone..."
*...*
>...Haaaa...
An hour had passed since the last person had knocked. At least, that's what it felt like.
She cast a glance to the nearest clock. By what time it showed, she figured that her active fliers should all be out of the building by now. At least, the ones who cared to drop by earlier. They'd all be on that search Pommel asked her to spare them for by now.
>...
'The ones who cared.' It was funny to think of it like that. To think of them like that. She knew there had to be some catch to the commotion - to the knocking and the soliciting of her attention.
Obviously.
She was still their Captain, after all. They 'needed' her so they could do their job and get paid. That's all it was. Just business. What else could she expect when she never managed to build their relationship beyond that.
>Mrrmmm...
Yet, as distrustful of their intentions as she was - as much as she wanted to wallow in her own misery, the thought that they 'care' about her even that much felt nice. Even if they only needed her as their Captain. As a Captain.
>...
Upon her desk, next to work she'd yet to start, lied a sheet of paper. It was an official form of resignation - a standard document used for all the Wonderbolt ranks. The language was boring and not particularly specific, written just well enough to serve its intended function. Several lines appeared throughout it, blank spaces ready to be filled in by her so as to make the document complete.
>...
She took hold of the sheet, eyed her pen just out of reach...
>...
And slid the form into her desk.
>Haaaaa...
Before turning her sights to the paper work that needed to be done. And soon the lingering echoes of knocks and voices in her mind were replaced with the shuffle of papers and the scribbling of pen.
>AJ
"Twilight"
~~~
>Ready?
Her fellow Princess frowned.
"I was ready when you showed up, first thing in the morning."
>Ya mean when you were lookin' dead tired from stayin' up all night quadruple checkin' those maps?
"When I was ready and, as you would say, rarin' to go, yes."
>Twi, all it took was Spike tossin' that blanket on ya for ya to hit the floor snoozin' like a sack'a potatoes.
"...Well, it was a really nice blanket..."
>More like ya really needed some Zs.
"Still, you didn't have to wait for me to wake up. You could've gone out with the search parties that were sent ahead."
>And deny ya the chance to poke around some old ruins with us? Nah. Besides, it ain't been that long since Pommel sent them out, so it ain't like we lost a lotta time or nothin'. It also gave us a chance to see if your guest'll finally show up.
"Which, I presume, they haven't."
>Nnnope. But there's always a chance they'll be here when we get back.
"Hopefully..."
>Something the matter?
"Well, I did what you suggested I do. That is, I looked into our mysterious guest."
>What'd ya find?
Twilight looked away for a moment, the gears of her mind turning as she tried to figure how best to phrase her findings.
"Our census data for Hollow Shades might be a teensy bit out of date."
>Tia let a village slip by without an update in a long while? Say it ain't so.
"Unfortunately. But it hasn't been... too long since the last one?"
She smiled, almost pleadingly, as if hoping to alleviate any blame upon her former mentor.
>Still her fault.
"Unfortunately... You know, we'll eventually run out of those and have to start worrying about our own slip ups more often."
>Ah know. That's what makes it precious.
At that, Twilight smiled and shook her head.
"If you say so."
>But Ah'm guessin' this all means our guest ain't listed there.
"No. No one by the name that's signed on the letter is recorded as living there."
>Ya think it's fake?
"The letter definitely came from Hollow Shades. I'm working under the assumption that our guest is a preferred name instead of their legal one. So, I doubt there's any deception going on."
>Well, we'll figure this all out once they show up. For now, let's get movin' with the search.
"Which section did you have in mind?"
>One of the older ones. Somethin' about three of somethin'...
"The School of the Three Houses?"
>Sounds like it, yeah. Ah told Pommel we'd be checkin' it out since ya seemed keen on it in yer notes, but he sent a scout ahead first, so we'll be meetin' some backup there."
"Spike?"
>Nah. He and the others got their own spot picked out. We might end up crossin' over, though. Ah think they ain't too far from us.
Twilight nodded, before turning to the saddle bag she still had on the floor. After tucking a few more things into it, she slung it over her back.
"Ready?"
Applejack raised an eyebrow; Twilight let out a laugh; and the two of them headed out of the mare's lab, ready for the long day ahead of them.
>Raven
"???"
~~~
>...and so you missed them by a couple of hours.
The pony before her, a unicorn stallion dressed in a dark cloak that cast an even darker shadow over his face, stared at her
"Darn!"
She blinked.
>...Darn?
"I knew I should have gotten up sooner... When are they expected to be back?"
>Uhh. By moon rise this evening. But they were expecting you, so...
Her horn alight with magic, she floated a sheet of paper over to him.
>You can either wait for them to get back - in the castle, if you want - or head here. It's the starting checkpoint of a search that's being conducted. Captain Pommel should be there and he'll most likely be able to get you in touch with them.
He took the paper from her, his magic's red glow replacing the glow of hers, and looked it over.
"...Thank you..."
Before he slipped it into his saddle bag.
With a bow, he took his leave. Where he was heading, she didn't know.
>...?
But someone would, if the glimpse she caught of her brother was anything to go by.
>You know, this would be resolved a lot faster if we had some sort of standardized, long-range form of communication that wasn't resigned to a big, modernized city.
She scratched her horn.
>Oh, well.
And continued with the work on her desk.
>...Darn...?
~~~~~
Outside the castle of Canterlot, the hooded unicorn stood. With a sigh, he unlatched the flap of his saddlebag and fished through it with his magic before he pulled out a book - its cover a hardened, black piece of work. Popping it open to the first of its pages, he stared at the image penned into the sturdy parchment: that of a creature 'inked' in black - the black of the shadows lurking beneath the village he called home.
Were one to look closely, they would see the image move, pulsing with a subtle jolt of 'life'. It wasn't just a subdued creature, nor a contained piece of evidence.
It was power. And a reminder of a longstanding duty.
"Things should be fine back home... As fine as they can be, at least."
He was finally here, so close to meeting Princess Twilight and figuring out how to-
{######}
He flinched. Within the core of his being, he felt a presence stir as he gazed upon the image.
"Is that...?"
Tucking the book away, he focused his magic on the familiar sensation.
"...Is there really another one? Here of all places?"
He had felt the presence of shadows within Canterlot - faint whispers of darkness too quiet to be worried over.
But this was different.
"It's just like back home..."
Guided by his magic, his gaze shifted toward the deep, dark whisper of this presence - to the north of Canterlot. The fact that the secretary's map pointed him there wasn't lost on him. It was possible that the Princess herself was looking to find the dark source.
He couldn't just leave her to it.
"I need to do it myself. It has to be done... the right way..."
And so he moved, down the mountain of Canterlot and towards the deeper shadow.
~Hrm.~
Unknowingly shadowed himself.
>AJ
~~~
Having gathered at the entrance of Canterlot Castle, Applejack, Twilight, and the other Elements of Harmony were ready to join the search effort for whatever was causing these strange nightmare creatures to manifest.
"What the heck is this?!"
Well, almost ready.
"This?"
Rarity smiled, brushing off Rainbow Dash's incredulous stare as she gently patted the super pony-sized, wheeled suitcase behind her.
"My provisions, of course! If we're going to be out and about all day, searching miles upon miles of untamed nature in this dreadful weather, then we need to be prepared with some mobile rest and relaxation tools."
"What did you stuff in that thing?! A whole damn spa?"
"Of course not! I just brought some food and drink and a tent we can all enjoy them in - protected from the weather."
Rainbow Dash cocked her head, her gaze telegraphing a sense of distrust in the mare's words.
"Probably 'cause AJ had to fight you on it."
"Rude! I'll have you know that the thought only briefly crossed my mind, so we didn't fight over it at all."
>She's right, Dash. Far as Ah know, Rarity wasn't gonna bring one in the first place.
"Hrrrmmm..."
>It's the makeup Ah had to fight her on.
"AHA!"
"Tattletale!"
It was just a small distraction, a laughable little hiccup that everyone took a moment to enjoy.
But the laughter soon faded and it was time for the group to get going.
~~~~~~
Some time had passed since they'd left Canterlot proper.
Down the mountain they went, past the checkpoint Pommel oversaw, and eventually the girls were well on their way to reaching their destination.
>Hey, Twi? How much longer do we got from here?
"Fortunately, not too long. This is the second to last landmark, with the last one being a campus building. So, we're pretty much almost there."
"In that case, how about we take a short break? All this walking and hauling is murder on my poor hooves!"
>Rarity, y'all've been makin' us take a 'short' break every other step of the way. We can take a break after we've done some actual searchin'.
"Besides, Pinkie's the one doin' all the hauling!"
"Well, Dash, it's only fair, considering what I've done for her. Besides, we alternate!"
"Ooh! Wanna switch now?"
"Hmm? What was that, Pinkie? I couldn't hear you over this dreadful heat."
"If it's so dreadful, how 'bout we swing on over to that pond we passed, so I can kick you into it?"
"Oh, you wouldn't dare-"
"Um, girls?"
The group looked to Fluttershy. As they'd been focusing on Rainbow Dash and Rarity, they hadn't noticed Fluttershy peaking above the treeline...
With her front-half completely elongated and wrapped around a nearby tree like she was some sort of stretchydough snake pony.
"I see someone flying around. I think they're heading our way."
1/5
>>42393040In a blink, Dash flew up and joined her. Eyes narrowed to a squint, she followed her friend's gaze. Sure enough, someone was flying around. They didn't seem to be heading towards them specifically, so much as they seemed to be searching in a close. general direction. What or who they may be looking for was anyone's guess, but as the flier drew closer, the two of them could better see the blue of their outfit.
And the person wearing it.
"...Fleetfoot?"
Dash flew higher, pressed her hoof to her lips, and let out a sharp whistle. Immediately, Fleetfoot took note of her. She and Fluttershy (having joined her in the sky) gave her former subordinate a wave.
Of course, the Wonderbolt was more than a little shocked to see the elongated mare, but got over it quickly.
"Huh?"
Or not, as she took off in the opposite direction and dipped beneath the trees.
"What's up with her?"
"Oh my. Do you think she saw something strange?"
Rainbow Dash gave the mare the briefest of once-overs.
"Can't imagine what. I'mma go catch up to her. See what's going on."
But before she could move, she spotted something off in the distance. From around where Fleetfoot had disappeared, a glint of gold broke through the treeline.
~~~~~
Down below, the rest of the Elements of Harmony stood, their necks craned as they kept an eye on their airborne friends, until Dash flew back down
>What'd y'all see up there?The rainbow-maned mare rolled her eyes.
"Just wait and see."
They didn't have to wait long, maybe a few seconds at most, before a glint of gold dove through the treeline. The sudden breach put the mares on alert, and their attention immediately snapped to the sudden intruder: a speedy form of gold that bolted through the trees like lightning from heaven.
"Oh, brother..."
Only Rainbow Dash was unphased, or rather unimpressed. by the display of speed the intruder showed.
Though, she did give props for how they came to a stop - the way their wings fanned out at just the right angle to slow them into a smooth and easy glide. It was almost Wonderbolt worthy.
But the mystery of the intruder was finally lifted as he came to a stop and settled before Applejack.
"Hey, Princess."
A barely contained smile on his face (despite how casual he tried to appear).
>Howdy, Sergeant.And a warm smile on hers.
Some seconds ticked by as the two just smiled at each other, and Fleetfoot and Fluttershy descended upon the group.
"...AHEM!"
That snapped them out of it. With a bashful laugh, Delight gave Rarity a light bow as several of the mares rolled their eyes.
"Good afternoon, Princess Rarity. Princess Twilight. Ladies."
"Hey, Tiny D."
"How's it going, Dashhole?"
At that, Fleetfoot and Pinkie Pie could hardly hold back a snicker.
"Yeah, yeah. Ya get one."
"Doesn't everybody? They're like opinions."
2/5
>>42393045Rainbow Dash shot the stallion a crooked smirk, but before she could fire back, Applejack cut in.
>Alright, alright. Save the bickerin' for later. I'm guessing y'all are the backup we're supposed to meet."I think it's the other way around, but yeah. You're here to look at 3H 1 and 2, right? Fleetfoot and I did a cursory glance over the 'main' campus before taking a closer look at the second."
"Did you find anything?"
He looked to Twilight, his brows furrowing in thought.
"Yes, but... You can only see it from the ground."
The way he said that, a mixture of uncertainty and hesitation, caused Twilight to raise a brow.
"What do you mean?"
Fleetfoot drew closer to the group, dropping out of flight to stand next to Delight.
"Everything looks different up close. When you're looking down from the clouds, you'll see a busted up building. But if you get below the treeline, the parts that looked all busted up look... a little less busted. To me, at least. Apparently, some things look way less busted in his eyes."
"The biggest kick here is, well... The 'new' material has this strange, black, glossy look to it. Like it's made of shadow. But it still felt solid."
"Hmm..."
>What are you thinkin', Twi?"I think we've found a good lead. The same sort of magic. or phenomena, that brought these nightmare creatures into reality could also be what's making the environment appear so different to them. Though, I'm not sure why Delight, apparently, sees these 'better' than you."
"Could be because I was on foot the whole time. I got a bad feeling about the place when I first touched down, so I told her to stay airborne as much as she can."
"A reasonable precaution. The magic's effect could be stronger the closer you get to its source. But you could also just be more sensitive to it. After all, it does affect the Dreamscape and you have been Dreamwalking, so a connection is likely."
"Huh... That does makes sense, yeah."
>Still, you feelin' alright, Sarge?"Yeah. At least, I don't feel any different than when we started out."
>How 'bout you, Fleetfoot?The mare looked a little surprised.
"Me? I'm good. I'm not the one who touched any of that stuff. Honestly, the place had me feeling more creeped out than anything."
"Just to be clear, neither of you saw anyone there, did you?"
Delight shook his head.
"No. We weren't as thorough as we were quick, but there didn't seem to be any sign that anyone's been around the place for... however the hel long it's been out of commission."
Twilight frowned.
"Hmmm..."
>What's on your mind?"The source. I won't rule out that someone's casting this magic, but the description they've given suggests a rather random application. Why would someone use this power to present an illusion of parts of a centuries old campus?"
"Maybe they're a big ol' egghead like you and just using it to study."
"As always, your input is highly appreciated, Rainbow Dash..."
3/5
>>42393049>To be fair, she's got a point. Though, that's got me wonderin' why they're creating nightmares if that's all they wanna do."Right. That's why I'm leaning towards this being a natural phenomena. We could even be walking into the source of these strange attacks. A wild, natural, magical hotspot..."
>And a dangerous one at that. Best to keep our guard up so we don't get burned. Is there anything else y'all got for us?Again, Delight shook his head.
"No, Princess."
He really shouldn't have said that. At least, not as deeply as he did.
"""Oooohhh~."""
Above the giggles of her friends, kicked off by Rarity, Dash let out a laugh.
"Really layin' it on thick for her, huh, Dee?"
"I was not!"
>Alright, y'all cut it out with the gossip girlin'!"""Yes, Princess~."""
>Haaaaaaaa... Well, if that's all, it's high time we get movin'. Lead the way, Sergeant."Yes, Princess."
"""Ooooo-"""
>Hush!"Whelp!"
Unfurling her wings, Fleetfoot did a light stretch.
"That's my cue to leave."
>Ain't you supposed to be stickin' with us?"Nah. I was just keeping the Hero company until his backup showed up. Per Captain Pommel's orders, by the way. I've gotta get going to my own team, now. And don't worry, Princess. He was a perfect gentlecolt."
Delight looked a little embarrassed. Applejack just shot the mare a flat stare.
>Mmhmm. In that case, y'all are dismissed.With a light smirk, Fleetfoot gave the mare a salute.
"Ma'am."
And looked over to her former Captain. Her smirk fell. She looked like she wanted to say something.
"...Dash..."
But took off into the sky instead.
... ... ...
She didn't get far, though, before Rainbow Dash appeared in front of her.
"Hey."
"Hey..."
"..."
They shuffled about, hovering awkwardly as their eyes refused to meet. It was rare to see the rainbow-maned mare so awkward and quiet.
"So."
But, of course, she would be the first to break the silence.
"How are things with Lightning Dust?"
"Not great. She still hasn't shown up for work. I mean, she basically hasn't. But, apparently, Pommel got her to sign off on using us for this search mission he's got going on. Dunno if she's just cooped up in her office or if she's on vacation somewhere, but we haven't seen her ourselves."
"...So, she didn't say anything to you guys?"
"She didn't answer the door, if that's what you're getting at."
"I mean, she didn't say whether she wanted to quit or anything?"
Fleetfoot frowned. The question came as a surprise. At least, coming from Dash of all ponies. But her look quickly softened as she remembered hearing that Dash was sent to try to talk Lightning Dust out of her... recent episode.
"Is that what she told you she was planning on doing?"
"Uhh. Not exactly."
Clearly, the conversation was something Dash wanted to keep close to her chest. Respecting that, for now, was the least Fleetfoot could do.
"Mmm... Do you want her to quit?"
And the least that Dash could do was answer her question.
4/5
>>42393053"I mean, if she did, you'd have an easy in to be Captain again."
Dash laughed, a slightly strained one.
"What? None of you want the job?"
"Nah. Too much work."
Fleetfoot gave her an equally strained smirk, trying to provide a little levity. Dash let out a sigh, her gaze drifting away for just a moment before she shrugged.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want it. I'd be lying if I said I don't think Lightning Dust deserves to feel as wired and stressed as she does..."
"Really? You? But you're always so happy-go-lucky and kind."
"Aw, shut up... But seriously. Even if I'd be happy to be Captain again, getting it back now because Lightning Dust basically loses her mind and just quits... I dunno, I guess it'd feel kinda shitty."
"It'd still be a win for you, wouldn't it?"
"Sure, but winning's the best when you earn it. When you actually beat the competition. This is like winning by default: not the worst, but all I proved is that I'm willing to show up, you know?"
"Yeah... I guess I kinda feel the same way. It'd kinda suck if she just quit now when we were coming around to actually wanting to listen to her.."
At that, Dash perked up, as though Fleetfoot touched on something she'd been eager to tell her about.
"Did you tell her that? It might actually convince her to stay..."
She seemed to recognize that she was a bit more animated than before, as she quickly settled back into a more casual tone.
"Or at least she might like to hear it. Or something. You know?"
"...Aha... Hahahaha..."
"Oh, c'mon, it's not THAT dumb of an idea."
"No, no... Haha... It's not. Really. It's just..."
For a moment, Fleetfoot glanced back to the forest below, a light smile on her muzzle. It never registered to Rainbow Dash that she was looking at anything, or anyone, in particular.
"It's just funny to hear it from you. After all that's happened."
"With Lightning Dust? Eh... I gotta let it go someday, right? Piece by piece..."
"Yeah... Someday..."
They shared a smile, light and uncertain. It wouldn't be an easy road to walk, or a gentle current to glide on - they knew that much. But Dash wasn't one to give up on a challenge.
"See ya later, Dash."
She gave her former subordinate a nod and watched as the mare flew off, toward where she could only assume the other Wonderbolts were.
For a time, Rainbow Dash watched her go, her mind drifting to thoughts of her old career and her old rival. To thoughts of how she treated Spitfire, to thoughts of how she found herself betrayed and ousted, to thoughts of how angry she was (and, honestly, still kinda is). But there was no undoing her mistakes, her bad behavior - there was no undoing the betrayal and humiliation she suffered.
It was all in the past, written in stone - blanketed by a shadow of negativity.
But the future? The future seemed brighter - an untold story waiting to be experienced.
"Piece by piece..."
>AJ
"Dash"
~Twilight~
#Rarity#
=Pinkie=
^Fluttershy^
~~~
"Sooooo... Delight, huh?"
>Huh, what?
"I was just thinking that it's a little curious how your new boyfriend-"
>He ain't my boyfriend.
"Coltfriend."
>Haaaaaaaa...
"I was just thinking that it's a coincidence he just so happens to be the scout we had to group up with."
>If y'all are implyin' what I think y'all are, Ah'm not the one that decided who's goin' out and where. Pommel did all that.
#Oh? You're saying Pommel decided to, how you say, help a brother out?#
>Ah didn't say that at all.
=Wow! What a bro!=
>Ah seriously don't think he intended it to come across that way.
^Why?^
>...'Cause Ah just do.
^Mmmm... I'm not convinced.^
>Y'all don't need to be!
"What do you think, Twilight?"
~I think the more likely scenario is that Pommel crunched the number of guards he had to divide between areas to effectively cover the search and came up a bit short. So, rather than stretch the groups out a bit more, he assigned Delight to our group and had him scout ahead of us with a temporary assistant in case he ran into trouble. Basically, it was a numbers game that just happened to lead to a coincidence.~
>Exactly! Thank you, Twi.
~Or he's just being bro.~
>Twilight!
"Or AJ told him to."
>Ah told ya, he handled all this!
"Hey, AJ. How's that old saying go? Don't bring any eyecandy if there's not enough for the class?"
#Why, Rainbow Dash, I never knew you fancied the Sergeant.#
"Don't you dare turn this thing on me!"
>HAW!
=Wait, we could bring eyecandy?! If I'd known that, I would've asked Cheese to come!=
#Maybe Spike could have joined us."
^Hmmm... Well, Discord will show up when he wants to, anyways.^
>No one's bringing any 'eyecandy'!
#Right, we don't want to make Dash any more jealous than she already is.#
"Hey! Twilight and I are not jealous that we're still single!"
~Why are you making me part of that conversation!?~
+Uh... You ladies know I can hear you, right?+
"~=^#SHHH! We're having girl talk!#^=~"
"Rude."
~Boys.~
#Hmph.#
=Silly stallion.=
^Baka.^
+Wha- hey!+
>Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
>Twilight
~~~
>Good form, Applejack. If I didn't know better, I'd say you've actually been practicing.
Following at Delight's side, her horn glowing with magic that controlled and pushed aside the brush along path, Applejack gave her friend a side-eye.
"Haw haw... So, what exactly do ya know about that school, Twi?"
The mare's eyes lit up and her muzzle broke into a wide smile.
>Ohhh! It's such a fascinating piece of history! The campus we're heading to, known as the School of the Three Houses, was one of Equestria's first large-scale attempts at a multi-tribal education center during its early years! It was a school where earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns could all be taught the fundamental building blocks for a life in service of Equestria.
"Sounds more like the military than a regular ol' school."
>Actually, Rainbow Dash, it technically was. While the Tribes did learn a lesson from the former threat of the Windigos, there was still contention over proper integration. But one thing they did agree on was the danger some of the local wildlife posed, alongside possible threats from other nations. And so, the leaders at the time pushed for joint military practice, which morphed into the idea of a central school which would prepare the younger generation for life and, if needed, active service. After all, unicorns and earth ponies weren't as keen on the military life as pegasi were.
"Whoa. Celestia had all that setup?"
>No. This was put in place years before she and Luna became the proper rulers of Equestria. Though, I've read that she did try to keep the school going before it was abandoned.
"Oh dear. It sounds like something awful happened there."
Twilight gave Rarity a melancholic look.
>The fact that it was left to rot IS the awful thing. But I guess it was bound to happen. As the nation developed, the Tribes spread out further from where it was and petty politics kept causing trouble for it. Things all came to a head when one of the 'Houses' caught fire during a mock battle.
Rainbow Dash perked up.
"Battle?"
>Mock battle, yes. The Houses would compete against each other to claim the central stage of the campus. It was a training and bonding exercise. I read that even Starswirl himself oversaw a couple of them!
"Ooh! Maybe they should've done a cook off, instead! The quickest way to a pony's heart is through the arteries, after all!"
"I'm pretty sure it's through the chest, Pinkie."
"Sure, Dash. If ya wanna kill 'em. But Ah'm thinkin' that kinda goes against the whole 'integration' thing"
"Yeah, yeah. But you know, this place sounded kinda cool."
>Mmm... It's a shame we couldn't see it in its prime.
"Well, what's left isn't too shabby. It's just up ahead."
True to Delight's word, they could see a structure beyond the thicket of trees in their way. Some odd minutes later, the group arrived at their destination: a campus, long since abandoned by all.
{...#####...}
Save for the shadows it now played host to.
>Luna
"29"
~MM~
+Trixie+
^Zecora^
#Sombra#
~~~
>We are pleased that thou hath answered our summons.
The group before her responded to her wide smile with frowns.
"Mine teacher, twas less an answer and more an exclamation of surprise."
~Yeah, you didn't exactly give us any time to do anything else before you roped us into... whatever it is you want.~
+Literally! Trixie has rope burns all over her flanks!+
^Though I do not see any stand out burn, I agree this is... somewhat out of turn.^
#I think you shaved off some of my crystals.#
>Yes, yes. We apologize for any discomfort Our haste may have brought thee, but it was necessary! For We have made a great stride toward squashing this nightmare menace that plagues Our citizens!
"Truly? Tis wonderful news!"
>We know. We are the one announcing it, after all.
~What do you need us to do?~
At that, the Princess of Dreams smiled, a determined edge to her look.
>Walk with Us to the land of Dreams, and We shall show you.
>Twilight
~~~
Before the group lied a victim to the ravages of time: a once famous campus known as the School of the Three Houses. It was a grand environment, veiled in the strangely dark shadow of the trees which stood guard over the several buildings dotted throughout the campus grounds. All of them were in rather lackluster states: their colors were faded, their bricks broken and overtaken by the growth trees and bushes within the cracks. Yet, there was still a hint of the majesty of the olden days in which these structures stood proud - a hint which is evident by how they have remained in such a complete, if decrepit state, even after centuries of disrepair.
Though the sun has long since set of the use of the grounds, the shadow of what they used to be still remains.
>Ooh!
And one mare was quite eager to explore it.
>Oooh! Oooooh! Oooh oooh oooooh!
"Oh great. She's egging out..."
Unlike her fellow travelers. With a shudder, Rainbow Dash looked to a particularly crooked tree 'reaching' toward one of the buildings.
"Yeesh. Fleetfoot was right. This place is creepy."
"Feeling a little scared, Dashie?"
The mare at her pink friend and she puffed out her chest a little more dramatically than she meant to.
"Pfft! No! I said it's creepy, not that I'm scared. What's there to be scared of? Especially when there's nothing here?"
*SQWAAAAHH*
She flinched and looked skyward, her eyes drawn to the brief image of a hawk as it flew overhead.
"...See? Nothing to be scared of."
"Except that dreadful black mold growing all over the place. Ugh!"
Following Rarity's gaze, Twilight to a closer look at the 'mold' on the building near them. There certainly was an abundance of mildew and moss on the buildings, but upon finding a spot of the black 'mold', the Princess of Magic frowned.
>I don't think that's mold.
She drew closer to the building and focused on a spot of the black substance upon one of its walls. Situated some feet from the ground, the substance was spread out in such a way that it looked like it had crawled up from the earth.
>...!
And she swore she could see it move.
"It isn't mold."
Walking to her side, Delight pointed to the substance. Or rather, he pointed to a spot were it had overlapped with a crack in the wall.
"It's that weird shadowy stuff I mentioned. See how it 'fixed' the crack?"
Sure enough, the spot it covered was 'fixed' - there was no fracture to be seen within the veil of its shadowy coat. Though beyond its edges, the crack continued on as it logically would. In a sense, it was as though one had given a glimpse through time - back to the structure's glory days.
>I do...
As she stepped away from the wall, her magic took hold of a fallen branch. With a gentle wave, she brushed it through the substance. None of it clung to the branch as the object moved through it, parting the veil of shadow as though it was mist before it reformed into its prior shape.
>Hmmmm...
1/21
>>42393077"Well, mold or not, I'd still rather not touch or be near it. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be as widespread as you'd made it sound."
"Oh don't worry, Princess Rarity. There's plenty more on the inside for you."
"Don't joke about that!"
As Rarity shivered and shuddered, Applejack looked about the area and frowned. Her gaze drifted to the earth below. She couldn't quite describe the sensation she felt, the way the earth's magic felt against her hooves. The closest she could get was that it was 'cold'. Or maybe 'unwelcoming'.
"Is something wrong, Princess?"
"The magic doesn't feel right here."
"I think the animals agree..."
All eyes turned to Fluttershy, her head titled as though focusing on a distant sound. Or trying to.
"I noticed some squirrels avoiding the area, and it doesn't sound like any birds are nesting here."
"Mmmhmm. Somethin' feels weird about the earth... Dunno if that shadowy stuff has somethin' to do with it, but I'd bet it does."
>Judging by the spread of this... shadow substance here, it does seem to be coming up from the ground. I can't tell how long it's been here to have become so attached to the building, but any 'adhesive' properties it has"Gasp! So, we really shouldn't be walking here?! Well, it's a good thing I also packed my pumps!"
"Or you could just fly."
"And get all sweaty and tired? No, Dash, I think I will not!"
"Hey, can I get a pair of those, too?"
"Of course, Pinkie Pie. As an earth pony, I'm sure you don't want to accidentally touch this strange magic either."
"Actually, I just want to be able to reach those really high shelfs back at Sugarcube Corner."
"Wha- then use a stool!"
"Alright, girls. And guy. Let's take a quick looksee around - get a lay'a the land - before we start with a proper investigation."
Following Applejack's lead, and Twilight's map, the group walked about the campus. Through the passing of some odd minutes, they took note of the surrounding structures and kept an eye out for any signs of life that shouldn't be there. But as they passed through the campus, nothing in particular stood out as worthy of immediate inverstation.
>...?Until they reached the overgrown clearing which served as the (approximated) half-way point betwen the 'main' and second campus. Specifically, the stone stage at its center caught the eye of the Princess of Magic.
>Is that...!She took off toward it, her eyes wide with giddy excitement.
The area surrounding it was mostly clear of trees, with the majority of its overgrowth being wild grass. It made it so that the stage itself, a massive work of weathered stone in a circular pattern, was illumiated by afternoon sun - its rays shining down on it like a spotlight within the overall darkness which plagued the campus.
>Applejack, I think this may be the structure Luna saw! The stone stage!"Looks like got ourselves a gold mine, then."
2/21
>>42393082Rainbow Dash flew over to stone structures, her brows knit in a frown as she looked it over. Besides its faded engravings, nothing stood out to her. It didn't even look to be afflicted with the same shadowy gunk as some of the structures they passed. All she could really say it about it, at least on a subconscious level, is that there was a strangely relaxing aura to it.
"What's the big deal?"
>During a meeting we had, Luna us told us of a vision she had related to these shadow creatures. In the vision, she saw a structure like this on what appeared to be a school's grounds."Oh, so she's why we're out here looking around a buncha old schools, huh... Wait, if this is the thing she was looking at, how come everybody's spread out all over the place?"
>This structure isn't exactly unique, for one. Back then, several schools would construct stone stages for outdoor use, such as for plays and the like. Without any photos for comparison and with Luna's own vision being rather vague, the only way to find the 'right' one is actually seeing it in-person. Of course, this could lead to a deadend, but I'm feeling confident we have a strong lead here."More importantly, you three had a Princess Meeting and I wasn't invited?!"
Twilight and Applejack shot their fellow Princess a withering stare.
"Rarity. We did invite ya. When we got back home from all that train ridin' we did, we asked if ya wanted to see what Luna might've found, but y'all were complaining about gettin' yer beauty sleep in."
"Oh. Right... Well, a brief summary the next day would have been nice."
>I just gave you the brief summary."You know what I mean!"
Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs, kicking back into a relaxed hover over the stage.
"So, we found the stone thing at a school. Is that mission accomplished, or what?"
>Not yet. We still need to check whether or not someone's been here. Even if these shadow creature have spawned from a natural phenomena, we can't rule out that someone is manipulating it for their own use and may be using this as a base of operations. Let's take a quick look around and then focus our search.Some minutes later, their checking of the perimeter was. From outisde the structures which dotted the main and seondary campus, there appeared to be no sign that anyone save the group of ponies still there had ever been there. So, they returned to the stone stage.
"Ah'm thinkin' we've covered pretty much any place someone could hide out here. Let's get started on searchin' the inside."
>Right. I think we should start with 'Houses' first. Let's see... There's the House of the Golden Flame, the building where unicorn students resided-Rarity's hoof shot up.
"Ooh! Dibs!"
Twilight shot her a flat stare.
>...Then there's the House of the Blue Lightning, the building where pegasi students-Rainbow Dash's hoof shot up.
"Double dibs!"
And Twilight's stare grew flatter.
>...She tried not to stare at Applejack.
3/21
>>42393088>Then... there's the House of the Red Earth, where-"Ah'll go ahead and take that one."
>Girls. I said 'we' under the assumption that we'd all be going together.Rainbow Dash looked a little puzzled.
"ALL of us? Why?"
>Strength in numbers in a strange new area we've never been to?"Pfft! Is that all? We'll just pair off and search. We'll have over backs watched, and we'll get done searching even faster. Win-win!"
"Umm. I think Twilight has a point. It might be better to stay as a group.
"Fluttershy, you can turn ponies into marshmalows with a thought; Rarity, Twilight, and Applejack can nuke a city with a sneeze; Pinkie Pie can turn boulders into pebbles in five seconds, flat; and I'm ME! Whatever trouble you're worried we can run into, we've got each other covered, easy peasy!"
"Ahem..."
Ears perking up at the noise, Rainbow Dash looked to Delight, who stared at her expectantly.
"Huh? Oh, don't worry, Lil' D. We'll keep you safe."
"That's NOT what I was getting at!"
>Well, when you put it that way... I guess splitting up isn't too bad of an idea."Exactly! Me and Fluttershy'll take the lightning school."
"Pinkie and I will search the House of the Golden Flame."
"That just leaves one school left for me, Dee, and Twilight to look through."
>Actually, I'll stay here for a bit. The engravings on the stage appear to be magical runes and, considering how it was a focal point in Luna's vision, I feel there might be something worth studying here beyond just historical purposes. I'll catch up to you later."Hold on a sec, that means..."
Prompted by Rainbow Dash's trailing thought, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy joined her gaze as it turned to Applejack and Delight.
"...What're y'all starin at us for?"
"You two kids gonna be alright by yourselves? Not gonna get up to stuff that only mommies and daddies should be doing?"
"Oh, shaddup, Dash!"
With their destinations set, the girls and Delight soon split off to explore the campus, leaving Twilight to herself.
~~~~~~
Some minutes had passed as Twilight familiarized herself with the stage. With her personal notebook and pencil, held aloft within the grip of her magic, she wrote down and drew her observations.
>Circular in form, the gaps between the stones suggest the stage was constructed in parts rather than carved from a greater whole. Years under the ravages of time and nature have led to the formation of cracks throughout the structure. It was quite a sight to see - a shadow of the past still lingering onto the present day.
>Faded runes run along the inner curves of the structure, seemingly grouped into three main parts as suggested by the placement of three distinct symbols beneath each grouping. These are the respective symbols of the three Houses. The runes don't appear to be common spells... I wonder what their significance is in relation to their placement beneath the symbols.4/21
>>42393092Her mind began to wander - to conjure up thoughts of what may have gone through the minds of those who engraved the stones.
>Why use these symbols...?Such curiosity was expected.
{#######}
Yet her mind began to drift further - to thoughts of the stage and the plays it bore witness to.
{(...Were they happy...?)}
She imagined the 'battles' that occured, the laughs that must've been had even in the face of losing.
{(Were things better back then...?)}
She smiled at the thought, at the subtle whisper in her ear as the warmth of the sunlight grew even warmer, more comforting.
{(Yes...)}
And the shadows it cast grew darker.
{Yes...}
Closer.
[...light... up...!]
Creeping at the edge of her vision.
[WAKEUP!]
>Huh?She blinked. The warmth of sun had disappeared.
>...!Replaced by the chill of the shadowy tendrils that surrounded her.
>GIRLS!They lunged toward her, but in a flash of magic, she was gone and they became entangled with each other.
{Miss ed...}
In another flash, she appeared some distance away from the stone stage. From there, she could see clearly how the shadows bled from its edges.
{Un fortun ate...}
A strange voice danced around her, echoing out as though the shadows themselves were speaking.
>Who... WHAT are you?The tendrils shifted and melted together, turning into a writhing mass of darkness as a deep laugh filled her ears. A figure emerged from the mass: a dripping, drooping shadowy mockery in the form what she assumed to be a unicorn.
{SALVATION!}
A surge of magic followed, the creature's horn darkening to a midnight pitch, as Twilight's own magic flared to meet it.
~~~~~~~~~~~
>???~~~
>...!Off in the distance, within the hold of Canterlot's northern forest, the hooded unicorn felt it: a surge of shadow.
>How could things have gotten so bad, so soon?!There was no time to waste. He bolted forward.
~~~~~~~~~~~
>Fluttershy~~~~
The quiet resilience of nature never ceased to amaze the the young alicorn of chaos. Despite the craftsmanship which had gone into constructing the House of the Blue Lightning, it has understandably fallen into disrepair with over these odd centuries, unable to maintain itself. And though it does still stand, an impressive feat of architectural skill, it was a sorry, faded sight in the face of the lush greenery that managed to grow within its walls.
"Whelp! I didn't see anyone on my sweep."
Rainbow Dash, coming down out of flight next to Fluttershy, stretched her stretched her wings with a yawn.
"Guess we can take our time being thorough."
>Isn't it beautiful, Dash?"Looks like a dump. But that's how the building crumbles, I guess."
>No, I mean the trees. The flowers. The nature. It's all so fascinating to see, isn't it?"We just walked through hours of nature, so I'm not seeing the big dewal."
Fluttershy frowned.
5/21
>>42393095>It's just... Everything's been abandoned. Left to just fade away. And yet, nature keeps going and growing and... It makes this. It makes something beautiful out of the shadows of the past. I just find all so amazing.Dash clicked her tongue, her head tilted in thought.
"Mmm... When ya put it that way, it is kinda cool. It also feels like we're exploring a buncha ruins."
>I mean, we are, aren't we? Abandoned for years, old and...At the edge of her vision, she caught glimpse of another 'shadow splotch' spreading along a wall.
>...A little creepy..."What's up with this stuff, anyways? Like, I get the nightmare shadow things are probably just bad thoughts people have, but this stuff makes things look new?"
>If it's similar to those nightmares... Maybe it's a dream someone had of this place?"You mean a nightmare, right? It is a school, after all."
>Oh. Maybe?"But who'd even be around to have this kinda dream? Luna and Celestia are the only ones old enough, and I doubt they're having nightmares."
>...Maybe the trees?Dash looked incredulous.
"Seriously? I know AJ likes to talk to hers, but trees having dreaming? They can't even talk back!"
>What about the Tree of Harmony-"Exception to the rule!"
>Well, hopefully we'll be able to find out who or what's causing all this, soon."Speaking of, how do you wanna do this whole search thing?"
>Oh. I was thinking we could look at the east wing first.Walking over to a nearby wall, she tapped a panel of glass fixed to it. Within it was a map: a faded image of the House's layout.
>The Botany Storage looks like a good place to start.Dash didn't look particularly impressed.
>...It's also near the Flight Course room."Now we're talkin'!"
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the storage. The room was rather spacious, fitted with desks and cabinets caked over by dust and cobwebs. At a glance, all of them appeared to be empty, and the most noteworthy things were the plants which had overgrown and crept through the windows.
"This is a school for pegasi, right? I wonder what this place is doing here."
>Well, it's also part of a school for all ponies, so I'm guessing the earth ponies were sharing knowledge on how to best grow food. After all, I did a garden was listed on the map.They passed through the room, nothing else standing out to either of them, and made their way to the Flight Course.
Or rather, 'back to it' for Rainbow Dash. She'd only managed to get a brief look at the room during her initial sweep, but what she sw was interesting enough.
The 'room' was, more or less, a small gym. Light filtered in through the windows and vines that covered, illuminating it just enough that they could comfortably see everything it had to offer.
6/21
>>42393099All around them were remnants of what might have once been an impressive indoor course: flight loops hung sturdily from the rafters or stood bolted to floor, target points and stands were drawn and placed around the room. All showed their age, weathered by time and nature, but at least appeared to be in usable condition.
"Whoo!"
And so, use them, Dash did. In a blink, she was took to ceiling and started going through the course a few times.
>It's so cramped in here..."Probably so they can work on tight turns!"
Fluttershy watched from below, her gaze soon driting to the walls of the room. Images were plastered about the structures, faded and peeled over the years. From what she could make of them, they appeared to be images of pegasi. Perhaps tributes to the most noteworthy of their time.
{#######}
>...?But something else soon caught her eye. Each one was afflicted by the same shadowy substance she and her friends had spied throughout the campus. A substance that seemed to have spread up from a 'pool' of it at the enter of the room.
>Hrm.What exactly is causing all this?
*CRTASH*
Snapped from her thoughts, she looked to source of that sudden noise: a broken target that soon clattered to the ground, its pieces falling into the 'pool' of shadow.
"Whoops. Came in a little too fast for that one."
A slightly bashful smile on her muzzle, Rainbow Dash dropped out of flight next to Fluttershy.
"Aw, well. It was fun while it lasted. Where to next?"
Fluttershy thought on it a moment. Nothing stood out as being an urgent spot to check-
"GIRLS!"
But a decision was made for her.
>Was that-"Twilight! Let's go!"
Drawn by their friend's shout, Rainbow Dash flew out the room like a bolt of lightning. Fluttershy soon followed-
*SLAM*
>...!Or tried too, before the doors slammed shut.
{#########}
And the shadows upon the wall began to writhe.
>Oh dear...~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Delight~~~
The House of the Red Earth was quiet.
Almost deathly so.
Yet it never quite fell to the point of being unnerving, even with the 'shadows' that crawled along some of the walls.
Maybe it was because of the gentle breeze which fluttered through the hallways, or the warmth of the sunlight as it filtered through the cracked and dusty windows.
Or maybe it was because of the mare walking at his side, a comforting and lovely presence to have by.
The thought was a little embarrassing, though. But he was definitely more at ease with her than he would have been by himself.
{#e###he###}
>...?Not completely at ease, but still.
"-just up ahead."
>Huh?He looked to the mare, pulled away from the strange noise he thought he heard.
"That 'Star Room' the map mentioned."
>Right..."Is somethin' botherin' ya? Ya seem a little distracted."
>Eh... It's nothing. I'm probably just hearing creaks and groans. "From the buildin'?"
7/21
>>42393105>Yeah. It's probably just age.She tilted her head, grows knit together in a thoughtful frown as though she were listening for something.
"Could be... But it might be best to keep an ear out, all the same. We still don't know for sure if someone ain't usin' this place to cause trouble."
>Fair enough.He still couldn't help feeling that it was just a bit of paranoia on his part, but the validation was appreciated.
Some steps later, they arrived before a set of double doors. Delight took point and pushed them open, the creaking of their hinges screaming out as they fought against centures of rus and the vines that had crept in. But open they did, and beyond the wooden structures, he beheld a large, circular room with several windows situated at one end of it. Several large panels appeared along the walls, their faces blank despite seemingly being designed in such a way that suggested a design should be present. Aside from that, nothing seemed to be particularly amiss. The only concern worthy things were the splotches of 'shadow' within, but their presence was expected, considering all they'd already seen.
>Seems clear...He turned to Applejack.
>After you, Princess.And with a deep boy and a stretch of his wing toward the room, he stood aside for his Princess. She rolled her eyes, but walked in with a light smile on her face.
"So, this is the Star Room..."
>Is there something special about this place?She clicked her tongue, her gaze drifting to the ceiling. He followed it and noticed a shimmer of material up there, dotting several parts of it.
"Maybe. I was mostly just curious about the name. This here place is supposed to be for earth ponies, but this sounds more like a unicorn kinda room."
>Maybe it was for star gazing? It seems big enough for a telescope, and I think that board up there might be covering up the... whatever technical term is used for a telescope skyhole."Hmm."
Applejack moved to the windows. Up close, it was clear to see that they all had blinds. She pulled them down, one by one, and the room grew darker.
>...Ooh....And the shimmering material began to shine brightly, revealing patterns in the shapes of constellations all across the ceiling.
"Well, would you look at that..."
Even the panels began to shine, revealing more symbolic artwork rather than constellations. Beneath each one was a phrase, but the one that caught Delight's attention was the one situated straight on from the doorway, at the center of the room. It displayed what appeared to be an earth pony 'flying' within the center of a star.
>...'For even if you cannot move the stars, it is within us all that our thoughts may shine brighter and reach planes higher than they ever could'..."Sounds like somethin' a unicorn might write."
>In a good way?"Depends on how patronizin' whoever wrote it was fellin' that day."
>It's not exactly a subtle message, yeah. But maybe that's just honestly how they felt."8/21
>>42393107"Yeah. Maybe. Even if ya can't sling spells or fly, ya still got a mind ya can put to good use."
>Exactly. Just look at what Diamond Tiara managed to pull off. Barely comes up past the knees, but she made some super rocket launcher out of a box of scraps.At that, she laughed.
"Don't let her hear those pokes ya got. The little mare's as smart as she is ruthless in a verbal rodeo."
>Haha. Yeah, I've seen it myself during all that training we had to go through with her...It really was amazing what the mare had managed to accomplish. Even if she only managed to do it through her father's deep pockets, she was a prime example of what an earth pony can do when they're driven to greatness.
"..."
Her and... well, a certain mare whose drive lead her to criminality and creulty. It was a shame, really, to think about what Pennydrop could have been if she wasn't so entrenched in the cesspool that Fawntaine had created.
>...Hey, Applejack?She blinked, then smiled lightly. The stallion looked a litte bashful over using her name.
"Yeeeah?"
>I was just wondering... You ever think about opening your own school?""Can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind, but it ain't somethin' Ah see workin' out too well for me. Ah'll be busy enough bein' a Princess, after all."
>Well, it's not like you have to work it 9 to 5. Princess Celestia has her own school, and I'm pretty sure she only oversaw an actual class maybe once every other week."Pretty sure it was less than that, but fair enough. The whole thing was more symbolical, after... Still, Ah'm not really the typical teachin' type. Iffin' ya need some advice or practical fixin', Ah can probably get ya sorted. But if ya need some book learnin', well, Twilight's the mare ya call on."
>So, Applejack's School for Practical Ponies?She let out a laugh, a quiet little chuckle.
{#eh###heh###eh}
A chuckle that sounded more than a little off.
>...?"...What's wrong? Ya look a little on edge."
>I... I think I heard a laugh.She offered a dry smile, something to provide a little levity.
"Yeah. That's what I do when I hear a decent voice."
>Ha. No. Not yours. Yours is more of a 'Har hu haw'."No it ain'!"
>This one was... deeper, but lighter?He couldn't find the right words for it-
"GIRLS!"
But there far more pressing issues at hoof.
"Twilight!"
It sounded like she was in trouble. The guard and the Princess rushed to the open doors.
*SLAM*
Only for them to close right in their faces.
With a growl, Applejack hunched low, her posture prepped to bull rush the doors.
{#eh#hehe###heh}
Until wall of shadow crept up from beneath the floorboards and overtook them, forming a shadowy wall in their path.
{##He##heHE##HEHEEHE}
From which a shadowy creature emerged, its form vaguely remininescent of a pony's.
"Is that what you were hearin'?"
>Sounds like it.Applejack let a snort, her eyes narrowed upon the creature.
"Well, it's high time Ah shut it up."
9/21
>>42393108She fired upon it, a bolt of red magic tearing through the creature like an arrow through flour. It managed to even blow a chunk of the doors off.
{Heheh...}
But it simply reformed, it and its wall of shadow.
{St ay... h ere...}
"Nah."
Here horn flared with magic. her eyes snapping to the vines clinging to the door.
"Grow!"
She felt a pulse of magic, her power seeping into the vines-
{H E HEH HE H}
Yet a tendril shot forth instead, a shadowy appendage that lashed out toward her. She jumped out of the way, her magic still surging as she attempted to wrest control of the vines. For a moment, she saw the vines pulse and writhe, her magic settling in as their forms began to bulk up-
"GAH!"
But more tendrils shot forth, barely missing her.
>Damn it!For his part, Delight had to duck her shadowy assailant: a figure that had peeled out from one of the images the panels bore. Lashing out with its own tendrils, the creature let out a laugh. From what he could see at a glance, the shadows upon the walls were beginning to grow and writhe. At this point, the two of them ran the risk of being overwhelmed and trapped.
>Gotta get out...The doors were still an option, if the Princess could get off one solid shot, but there was a chance that going back through the school was a trap. The windows were a little too small-
*KRACHAK*
>AGH!Whipped by a tendril with the thickness of a young tree, the stallion found himself slammed into a nearby wall.
>Ugh... Faust above..."You OK?!"
>Yeah... It was just a love tap...?A lovetap strong enough to crack the wall, letting in a light breeze.
>...If we can't go through the exit, why not just make our own?He hopped back onto his feet, his wings flaring out, and launched into a flight path around the room. Circling back on the cracked wall with his momentum, he kicked into it once- twice- three times-
*CRUMBLE!*
And it broke down on the forth, creating a hole to the outside that was more than big enough for the both of them.
>Princess! Let's go!Seeing their chance, the young alicorn disengaged and bolted toward the makeshift exit.
"Consarnit!"
All the while ducking and jumping over the tendrils that tried to stop her-
"AH!"
One of which managed to actually make contact, sending her tumbling forward at top speed toward Delight.
>Oh shoot-He hunkered down, his body low and ready to catch her as the tendrils converged on their exit.
>GOTCHABu he easily caught her and they made a clean escape!
>AAAAAAAAAAAAIf you consider being launched through the exit by the sheer force of her weight crashing into him as 'clean'...
~~~~~~~~~~
10/21
>>42393112>Twilight~~~
Tendrils of shadow burst forth from the ground. Her wings flared out, and the Princess took flight, avoiding their grasp as her horn fired bolt after bolt of magic toward the shadowy figure. To her chagrin, they were blocked by more tendrils, which seemed to 'eat' the light of her magic despite how they turned into wisps of shadow upon coming into contact with it.
>I need a clear shot...[...Twi...cus...]
Her brows furrowed even deeper than they already were. She swore she heard something, or someone, talking.
"COMIN' IN HOT!"
A gust of wind blew past her, a streak of rainbow left in its wake as a blew blur cut through the air and slammed into the shadowy figure with a solid kick to the chest.
"What the-?!"
Or rather, she tried to. The kick seemed to make contact, as the figure had burst into a cloud of shadow. Emphasis on 'had'. The cloud simply reformed, and the figure reappeared unharmed.
{Poin tless...}
>Hrrrmm..."Hey! Is this dude one'a those freaky shadow creatures?!"
>More than that, I think it, or he, might be the source of this phenomenon! Or at least controlling it."So, he's the big boss? Awesome! Let's pack 'im up and put this nightmare business to bed!
Rainbow Dash squared up from her hover in the sky, her wings stretching out in preparation for a Rainboom Tackle-
>Wait! Hold off on attacking him for now!"What for?"
>You saw how you basically just phased through him, right? For all we know, that's just another nightmare creature - a decoy to wear us out while the caster watches from afar."So what's the plan?"
>I'll deal with the 'boss' and try to trace any magical leakage to a source we can actually stop. You go get Fluttershy and the others so we can regroup and tackle this together.Though the mare didn't seem keen on just leaving her friend behind, there wasn't much point in arguing.
"Got it."
With that said, Rainbow Dash bolted off, back toward the House of the Blue Lightning.
>As for you, let's see what makes you tick...Leaving Twlight to face this pony of shadows alone-
"AAAAAAAAAAAA"
>{...?!}For about a minute...
~~~~~~~~~~~
>Pinkie~~~
>Oh, hey! I get one, too!"Get one of what, Pinkie Pie?"
>Nothing, my dear, beautiful sidekick.Rarity shot the mare a flat stare.
"I'm going to let that second half slide, if only because of the first."
Before going back to admiring herself in the giant ornate mirror that served as the room's centerpiece.
>You know, I expected this place to be a teensy bit more rundown, but it almost kinda feels like it just needs some sweeping, some cleaning, maybe a few new walls, some new flooring, some new windows, some new wallpaper, some- well, the place is pretty darn rundown. But it still looks a lot better than I expected.11/21
>>42393118"Well, it does seem to have been funded, personally, by Princess Platinum. Considering the prestige of being the first of its kind, I imagine she didn't spare any expense when it came to the building's construction."
>Wow! Do you think she did the same for the other schools? Or were they Houses..."I'm sure she provided some funding."
>So, no?"Her priorities might have been a bit biased, yes, but it's not like we've been to the other Houses to compare, have we?"
>Nope!"So, let's just assume the best. And focus on looking our best."
She turned back to the mirror and giggled to herself as she fluffed her mane.
By now, they'd explored a decent chunk of the school, particularly its lower half. To Rarity's dismay, several parts of it were afflicted by the shadowy material they'd seen earlier, but nothing else seemed to be out of the ordinary. And, if Pinkie Pie was being honest, she knew they wouldn't find anything of import even if they did keep exploring. So, there was only one thing left to do.
>Hmmmm.... Hmmmmm... Mmmhmmm!Rarity looked to her through the mirror, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Did you... find something interesting?"
>Nope! I'm just making noise while I wait!"Oh. Well, if you're bored, you really don't have to wait for me. I'll catch up to you in a bit."
>Not you, silly! I'm waiting for our turn to help Twilight!"Our turn...? To help her with what?"
"girls"
>With that!"...With what?"
>Shoot, the walls might be a little thicker here...Rarity's look of befuddlement only grew more befuddled.
>Twilight's in trouble!"Was THAT whose voice I heard???"
Her friend's head bobbed with a thousand nods, and the alicorn quickly rose from her seat.
"Let's go check on her!"
*SLAM*
But the doors of the room slammed close.
{#e#he##eh#}
And a strange laughter filled their ears.
>Now we're in trouble, too!Out of the corner of her eye, Rarity saw something creep into her vision. She looked back to the mirror-
"WAH!"
And nearly leapt skin upon seeing the visage of a shadowy creature bleeding out of its edge.
{{{eh####ehe###h}}}
Joined by several more who bled out of the walls.
"Goodness! What ARE these horrid, goopy creatures?!"
>Nightmare shadows! Or ghosts! Disturbed from the early slumber they were forced into when they lost their lives on that tragic day 1000 years ago!"First of all, I don't think anyone actually died in that fire. Second of all, keep away from me, you awful things!"
Of course, they didn't listen and instead opted to try to grab her.
"EEEEEEEEE"
*KRABOOM*
With a thunderous noise, the doors flew open and a blue blur circled the room.
*POW POW POW*
Shadow by shadow, it plowed through the creatures, turning them into wisps of darkness, before it stopped in front of Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, thank you, Rainbow Dash! Those things almost touched me!"
"Ya know ya have lasers, right? Pew pew magic?"
"Do you want the thanks or not?"
12/21
>>42393120"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get out before-"
*SLAM*
Again, the doors pulled closed, reinforced now by a wall of shadow as the creatures began to reform.
"-that happens..."
>Don't worry, Dash! I've got this.Before the mare could respond or even register what was happening, a sky blue cannon suddenly appeared before the pink mare.
*BOOM BOOM BOOM*
Within moments, confetti bombs and streamer grenades blew the shadows apart.
*BOOM*
And reopened their exit, as the wall of shadow never stood a chance against the light of her Party Cannon. Flabbergasted, Dash stared at the mare.
"Seriously, where the heck did you even keep that thing?"
>In Rarity's case, duh! Why else did you think it was so heavy?"That... is NOT what I meant-"
"Argue later! Let's go go GOOOOOO!"
Dragged along by Rarity's magic, the girls (and cannon) bolted through the doors and headed toward the eye of this shadow storm.
~~~~~~~~~~~
>AJ~~~
>"AAAAAAAAAAAA"It all went by so fast.
One moment, she was rushing toward Delight, barreling forwad after get swatted upside her head. The next, she felt a rush of air as a pair hooves held onto her tighter than stripes on a yellow jacket.
>"OOF!"Then came touchdown.
She hit the earth with a thud and roll, eventually coming to a stop on top of something hard and cold.
>Ugh...?It was armor. Specifically, she'd landed on top of Delight, who was more out of sorts than she was. If she had to guess, judging by how far they were from the Houseof the Red Earth, he must've managed to glide them away from the shadows.
>Nice save, Sarge. You alright?"Agh... I think I clipped my wing on the way out..."
He sat up and gingerly stretched his left wig with a light hiss.
"So, about 80% alright."
>Poor baby. Want me to kiss it better?She chuckled lightly, meaning it as a joke.
"...Would you?"
So, of course he smiled back, the sort of bashful kind that suggested he was being just a bit more serious than not.
"Applejack!"
He never got his answer, as their attention was immediately drawn to Twilight Sparkle.
>Consarnit...And the torrent of shadowy tendrils she was fighting off.
>'Course there'd be more out here...?Looking closely, within the mass of tendrils at the ground-level, she spotted a pony.
{In ter uptions... o h well...}
Or something in the shape of one.
{Sho w me h ow br ight you a re...}
Now targeted by the shadow pony's tendrils, Applejack and Delight took flight and narrowly avoided an attack that buckled and broke the ground they once stood on. Though they weren't completely safe from assault, taking to the air allowed the three ponies to regroup and stay at a far more comfortable distance away from the pony's tendrils.
>Gimme a sitrep, Twi."I think we've found the source of these nightmares."
>That fella down there? Any idea what he's aimin' for?"None. He doesn't respond to any questions I ask. But I think part of it relies on capturing me."
13/20
>>42393124>Well, shucks. Don't let anyone ever tell ya you ain't Celestia's successor."Ha. Ha."
>Guess we gotta slap 'im down for a bit before he feels like talkin'."Unfortunately, I don't think he can be slapped down like a regular person. He seems to be the same sort of living shadow these nightmare creatures are, meaning we might be dealing with some sort of avatar, rather than the person controlling it. But it's likely that constant repairs to its form will eventually deplete the magic that's being fed to it."
>Then what's the plan for gettin' to the caster?"I'm still trying to figure out where the magic's fed from, but it's a bit difficult with the constant stream of attacks."
>So, keep 'im off yer back for a bit. Got it. Ready, Sarge?She looked to the stallion, but his gaze suggested his mind was far from their conversation.
>Delight? What's up?"Uh. This might be my concussion talking, but do either of you hear that voice?"
"A voice?"
>Assumin' you ain't talkin' about the creep down there, Ah ain't hearin' any other voice."No, it sounds like Princess Luna's. And I think she's shouting at you, Princess Twilight."
For a moment, Twilight looks confused. Then eyes widen, growing bigger than a sunhat.
"Is that who I heard before... What is she saying?"
"Uhhh... It's hard to make out, but-"
A bolt of magic, pitch black in color, whizzes by the group. Looking back to the shadow pony, they watched as several tendrils reared back, then whipped forward, launching part ofd themselves at the airborne group.
>The damm thing's getting smarter!They dodged the bolts, with Twilight being the one to fire back on the pony the most. But one managed slipped by, heading straight for Applejack-
*POOF*
Befoe it burst into a small, colorful display of fireworks, alongside a dozen other bolts of black magic flung their way.
>What the..."Sorry I'm late."
The question on Applejack's mind was immediately answered by the appearance of Flutershy, who had taken to popping up as a flower on her hat. She leaned over, growing out like a vine, and from the stalk, her full body slipped out.
"I was a little tied up."
>Just glad you're here now...?{S o br ight... ha h a ha...}
But as the sparks of the fireworks touched down on the earth below, the shadows she transmuted reformed again.
"Oh my. That's not good..."
It certainly wasn't.
*SHOOM SHOOM SHOOM!*
But the diamond colored bolts of magic that struck the shadow pony certainly were.
"Are you girls alright?"
Calling from below, her horn alight with magic as she sprinted over to her friends with Rainbow Dash and the Cannon (and Pinkie) in tow, the group spotted Rarity.
>We're doin' a heck of a lot better now.Released from Rarity's magic, Rainbow Dash took to the sky.
"Alright, Twi. Gang's all here. So what's the plan?"
"Protect Delight."
"Uhhh. What? I know he's a frail, delicate stallion-"
"I am NOT!"
"But why him specifically?"
14/21
>>42393126"I think Luna's trying to contact us from the Dreamscape. And he's the only one here that seems in tune enough with it to hear her. Whatever she has to say may be important, so he needs to focus on relaying it to us. And that means he needs to be kept safe, so keep that pony creature distracted. Got it?"
Dash shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright. Just don't mess it up, Dee."
"I won't."
>Y'all heard that right?Down below, Pinkie and Rarity nodded.
>Then, let's get to it!~~~~~~~~~~
>Luna~~~
It was torturous, watching the battle before her unfold. She was so close to the action, so close putting her plan into motion, and yet she was unable to do anything save watch from the Dreamscape.
But there was a hope, a whisper of a chance that she caught wind of from gazing through the tears before her and her students. Through her attempts to reach out to Twilight, to any of the ponies near this fount of dream magic adjacent phenomenon...
[Pri n cess Lu na ?]
The stallion known as Miles Delight reached back.
>Delight! Can thou hear me?[K in da . You r vo i ce is dist ant... echo ey.]
An irony to be sure, as the same was true of his own. But she would work with what she has.
>Listen well, and relay my words to Twilight Sparkle! The creature before you is drawing power from the Dreamscape to influence reality. We are working in tandem with Our chosen Students to stifle the flow of its influence.[W ait... me an tha t Twen ty Ni ne... th ere?]
"Verily, I am here, Mine student!"
[H ey Twen ty Ni ne-]
>Cease thy prattle and relay Our words![Er ri ght! Prin cess Lu na s ays... st op thi s gu y draw ing power... Drea mscape.]
>Tis not merely a guy, but a shadow creature! And unlike the nightmares plauging Our citizens, this creature is 'real' and so far more dangerous.[... says shad ow gu y is real...]
>Haaaa. Tis not a very effective method of communication... If only there were a way to strengthen this link.That way we could speka and use our powers through the Dreamscape to better fight this creature.~~~~~~~~~~
>Delight~~~
>And now she's saying she wishes she could make this communication link stronger. That way she'd be able to talk and fight from the Dreamscape.Twilight clicked her tongues, brows furrowing in thought.
"That certainly would be useful... Oh! Why not just use you as a medium? If she can communicate with you now, maybe she can use her powers through you somehow?"
[T is a bri lliant id ea... ut thou m ust be as leep fo r... re sults... She m ust str ike thy nogg in pos tha ste!]
>...[RELAY!]
>She said that's probably not gonna work.[We s aid no s uch th ing!]
"Really? I'd think you'd be the perfect candidate for it, though you'd likely have to be sleeping for the best results."
[TH WACK H IM!]
>Yeeeeah. You'd think, but I guess dream stuff is a little more complicated than that."..."
>..."She's telling me to knock you out, isn't she?
[YES!]
15/21
>>42393130>I won't say yes or no, but I will ask how you figure that."Luna isn't exactly the type to pull punches in a crisis."
Swinging over after casually dodging another tendril, Rainbow Dash jumped in to the conversation.
"What's all this about knocking Delight out?"
And the commotion also drew Applejack over.
"Luna thinks she can help us out, but she'll need Delight to be asleep to do so."
>Emphasis on 'thinks'. This is not a certainty."Whelp, you heard the mare!"
Despite his words, or maybe even because of them, Rainbow Dash wound up for a punch.
"Pucker up, Hero boy! This is gonna hurt a little."
"Now, hold on there, Dash. Twilight, ain't ya got a spell that can put 'im to sleep?"
"Unfortunately, I don't have a catalyst for it on me."
"Well, shoot..."
Again, Dash wound up for a punch.
>Seriously?!Applejack shot him a sympathetic look.
"I'll make it up to ya later, Sarge."
"Um! I actually might have something that can help."
All eyes turned to Fluttershy, her mane casually strangling a bundle of shadow tendrils in its snake-like grip. Within the blink of an eye, the mare was suddenlt decked out in an outfit benefititing and carrying a tray with a simmering little cup filled with tea.
"You can just drink this."
>Why, thank you, Fluttershy! Now this is the kind of solution you ladies need to take note of: considerate and compassionate. As expected of the Element of Kindness.Fluttersy smiled, a little embarrassed.
"You're welcome. Would you like one lump or two."
>Uhhh. Maybe one- oh ho ho! I'm not gonna fall for that one! I'll take it as is."Of course. Just be careful."
>It's hot, I know."No..."
He took a sip.
*wham*
And found himself struck by the hindlegs the cup suddenly sprouted.
"It just packs a bit of a kick."
~~~
The stallion's eyes shot open, and before him lied the familiar void of the Dreamscape.
>...Packs a kick, huh?"AHEM."
He turned over, coming face to face with a familiar blue Alicorn.
>Good afternoon, Princess Luna!An alicorn who looked a little less than amused.
>So... about the 'not wanting to get punched out' thing-"Nevermind that! We must focus on the task at hoof."
>Right. What can I do to help?"Turn thy gaze towards the tears of the Dreamscape, and focus."
She guided his visio, leading him past Twentty Nine and the others, towards strange fractures in Dreamscape. Beyond them he could see Applejack and the others, and that pony of shadows.
>Focus, how?"These tears provide a link between the waking world and that of slumber. This shadow creature is further blurring this line with his strange powers. As such, We wish for thee to focus as one would when fighting within the Dreamscape."
>Ok...He closed his eyes.
"Settle thy mind. Pull from the depths of thy soul."
16/21
>>42393134Took a deep breath.
"And make thy will reality."
~~~~~~~~~~
>AJ~~~
Delight tumbled backwards in the air, his wings managing to keep him aloft as though he were merely floating through water, before Applejack caught him in her hooves.
"...mimimimimi..."
>Sleep tight, Dee,"Now what?"
Rainbow Dash's question hung in the air for just a moment before a bolt of black magic struck it down.
>We take care of ol' slim, dark an' gruesome down there while Luna does whatever she needs to. Fluttershy, can you keep an eye on Delight?"I can do seven, actually."
>Uh, just two is fine.Gently, she passed the stallion over to her.
>Now let's show 'im what we've got!Before she, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight rejoined Rarity and Pinkie on their assault against the pony of shadows.
>Ah'm done flyin' around playin' laser tag with ya! She dropped out of the air, her hooves breaking through the earth as her horn surged with magic.
>It's time to get back to mah roots!The earth trembled, the trees bent and bowed.
>GROW!And a massive vine slithered forth from the ground, lashing out at the shadow creature with the speed of a bullwhip. Tendrils of shadow rose to block it, only managing to divert it just enough that it barely passed over the shadow pony.
{A ha ha... Y es... Sh ow me!}
She felt a pull, a tug on her magic as more tendrils appeared and tried to take hold of the vine.
>Oh no ya don't!Her magic surged once more, another vines sprouting forth to swat at the tendrils and as her friend slung magic and cannonfire at it. They were holding their ground, whittling the creature's magic reserves down bit by bit.
{A ha ha... ha HA ha}
Yet, it seemed unphased.
{...?!}
Until a sudden chill cut through the air. In a blink, the tendrils seemed to stiffen as if the very winds of Hel had blown over them, leaving them slow.
*KRACHASH*
And brittle enough to be easily shattered the vines and magic slung against them.
{What...?}
"[Good show, Sergeant...]"
A voice called out. Applejack looked to the sky, to where Fluttershy was looking over Delight. From the way she stared at him, it was clear that the words did indeed come from him, despite the fact that he still appeared to be asleep. The voice was his, and yet the inflection and tone was different. Familiar.
>Luna??? Is that you?"[In a sense, yes... We can best communicate to you all this way...]"
"Oh, wow! So you're the one who iced these baddies?"
"[Not quite, Pinkie Pie... Twas Delight's idea... We merely helped provide the means to amplify it...]"
"Well, then! Please blow this horrid creature up so that we can go home and enjoy a nice, warm, bubbly bath!"
"[Would that I could, Rarity... But We can only stiffle the flow of this creature's power from the Dreamscape... The source of its existence lies in reality...]"
17/21
>>42393136At that, Twilight's brows furrowed in thought. Taking all she had heard and all she had witness, the mare thought over every possible connection between this creature and the magic it used. Throughout the process, she found one constant: the stone stage. It was a fixture in Luna's vision, and no matter what memory she looked at, Twilight never once saw the shadow pony move outside of its radius. In fact, it seemed to always try to stay at the very center.
"It's the stage..."
>What's that, Twi?"I think the stage may be the source of its magic."
Or rather, it may be containing the source. After all, the shadow magic seems to come out most noticeably at the edge of the structure...
>So, all we gotta do is bust it up, huh?But if it's only coming out there, then that might also mean-
>GROW!"WAIT!"
The spell was cast and another vine grew to massive scope as the earth trembled with power. Yet, it did it not lash out at the stage, as the purple Princess feared it would. Instead, her friend held strong and looked to her with a curious, expectant stare.
"The stage might not be the source, but it could be covering it, which means-"
*crachack*
Unfortunately, the trembling of the earth had shaken just enough create a split. It wasn't grand or massive, but it was certainly noticeable. And wide enough to allow more shadows to spill forth.
*CRACHACK*
Which in turn widened the crack more and more, until-
*FWOOOW*
The stage burst open with torrent of shadow.
{Foo lish lit tle g irls...}
>AW SHOOT! GROW!Her magic going into overdrive, Applejack summoned forth as many vines as she could the stiffle the flow.
{Tru ly foo lish...}
But it harder to do so as she felt her magic being wrest away from her by the shadows washing over it, contaminating the vines like ink in a milk jug.
"[Focus, all of you...! We must hold back its power...]"
The cold winds of Hel grew stronger, aiding the Princess and her friends in their struggle to beat back the shadows. But it was growing more and more difficult to do so.
*BLAM BLAM BLAM*
*BOOM BOOM BOOM*
Until a dance of munitions rang out, blasing chunks of the shadowy mass away.
Deep in her heart, she knew who had fired those shots before she even looked to see the dragon and filly high above them, one carried on wings and other on the red hot engines of technologically advanced boots.
"Need a hand?"
"Pfft! They need like twenty! Luckily, me and Sexy count for sixty!"
The orange Princess but smile as Spike and Diamond Tiara got to work unloading on the creature and his monster.
{Y ou rui ned it...}
"Blah blah bad guy talk blah! Eat thermal payload, creep!"
But even with their help, things were still dire.
>TWI! You got somethin' we can work with here?!18/21
![UrwGKCm[1]](/images/mlp/1753403932286586.jpg)