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Prince Colgate

366

Pinkie Pie,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Trixie,Twilight Sparkle,Adventure,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

To Lead a Better Life

incomplete

<p>Feeling useless, and unwanted, Luna leaves Canterlot. With the help of a cocky, yet very magical unicorn, she manages to disguise herself as a normal Unicorn. However, when she winds up in a town that's all too familiar with her, she finds that just hiding your wings doesn't hide who you really are.</p><p>Update: So I posted a new chapter. It's rather short, but it's more of just a small update to show that I've decided to finish this fic, as well as all my other cancelled fics. So yeah.</p>

everyone

2011-08-02T02:37:18+00:00

2011-08-02T02:37:18+00:00

Princess Luna sat in her chamber, cold and alone. She had no responsibilities any more aside from raising the moon at night. When it came down to it, all she wanted was a little bit of recognition, and now, she’s even less recognized than before. Invisible, hated, like a slave raising the moon every night because her master’s too lazy to do it herself. Though Luna realized that the reason Celestia allowed Luna to raise the moon still was so she could feel like she was contributing something to society? Either way, Luna knew all to well how useless she was to everypony. For Luna, life consisted of routine, and then more routine. She woke up, lived her days in lonesome solitude, then rose the moon at night. Then she lived through the night the same way. Nothing changed. It was the same thing everyday. The same, dull, lifeless routine. It was no better than being on the moon. One night, Luna finally got tired of the lifelessness. She wrote a letter and laid it gently on her bed. It read: Dear sister, I am sorry; I really appreciate you trying to include me in leadership of Equestria. However, I simply do not feel like I belong here any longer. I am leaving to find a place where I will belong. I am truly sorry it’s come to this, but I feel it’s for the best. Your loving sister, Princess Luna P.S. Please don’t try to look for me. I am sure we will all be much happier this way. She packed a suitcase with some normal pony clothes, including clothes to cover her wings to prevent ponies from being suspicious of a random Alicorn roaming about. She’d yet to discover a spell that would make her appear to be a normal Unicorn or Pegasus. She’d searched for long hours with no success. She spread her wings and took flight off of her balcony and into her clear, beautiful night. She flew over Canterlot. Not to her surprise, everypony was inside sleeping. She looked up and saw the stars and the moon, in all their intricate beauty, and truly wondered why no one else saw what she did in the night sky. She no longer saw the point of eternal night either. Why force the ponies to be in the dark? They won't enjoy it like she wants them too anyway. At this point, she knew that starting a new life was the absolute best option. She flew out of Canterlot. Now along with the feeling of being unappreciated, she was feeling lonely as well. Just a lonely Goddess, flying off into the night. It was less than an hour later that she was flying over Fillydelphia. It seemed similar to Canterlot in so many ways. Everypony was inside, sleeping, rather than enjoying the beautiful night sky. As Luna continued her flight over Fillydelphia, something unusual caught her eye. A pony! A little, blue unicorn, sitting on a street corner, with nothing but a single saddlebag, crying in the moonlight. Luna wasn't able to just ignore this. The pony looked as lonely as she was. She felt she had no choice but to at least try to comfort her. She landed in a nearby alley-way, and pulled a purple, star-embroidered shawl out of her suitcase. She threw it over her back to cover her wings, and stepped out into the open. She quietly stepped over and kneeled down beside the unicorn. The blue unicorn looked up, tears in her eyes. Luna smiled at her. "What do you want?" The unicorn asked. "You were crying", Luna said in a comforting voice, "You looked lonely." "I..." The blue pony averted her eyes from Luna's gaze. "I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie! I'm the most magical unicorn in Equestria! Show pony... Extraordinaire!” She paused for a few seconds. “.. Nopony appreciates me! They HATE me! They call me a fraud and chase me out of town!” With that, Trixie began to bawl. "Oh. That is really unfortunate... If it's any comfort, I understand what it's like to be un-appreciated." "Really? What do you do?" Luna looked up at the sky. "That." Trixie looked up as well, then back to Luna. "Wait a minute... You're..." "Shh" Luna smiled, holding a hoof to her lips. "I'm hiding." "What do you mean?" Trixie sniffled. "Nopony appreciated me back in Canterlot. They didn't let me do anything aside from raising the moon every night. I could have been doing so much more! So I left. Now I'm hiding as a normal unicorn, looking for some place new, and a new life, where I may be more appreciated." Trixie sniffed the tears out of her eyes and looked up at the sky. "... It's beautiful." "... Thank you. Miss Great and Powerful Trixie." Trixie smiled, for the first time all night. "So where do you sleep?" Luna asked Trixie as they walked down the streets of Fillydelphia together. "Um... Well, wherever I happen to be when I'm tired usually." "You don't have a home?" "No. I had a cart I took with me that worked as a stage too... But I sort of left it in Ponyville when I was... Chased out of town. I went back for it and couldn't find it." "Well, that's no good. How do you perform now?" "I usually just do little magic in parks and stuff. It's not nearly as marvelous. All I have left is my hat. I had a cape too, but it was stolen from me in Manehattan... I loved that cape." Luna turned her head to the blue unicorn, whose head was facing the ground solemnly. "Hm..." Luna magicked her shawl off and placed it on Trixie's back. "It doesn't QUITE match the hat, but it's close." Trixie stopped walking and looked at the beautiful shawl that was now over her back. "I... It's beautiful. It's perfect!" Luna stopped too and looked back at her. That's when Trixie noticed her exposed wings. "If you're searching for a new life, shouldn't you not have wings? They're sort of a dead giveaway as to who you are." "That's a really good point, but I just couldn't find a spell to get rid of them." Trixie smiled. "That's weird. Because I happen to know a spell that's perfect for this. I used it on some pegasi back in Manehattan as a shock-trick. Here, spread your wings." Luna gave an unsure look, and then spread her wings to full length. Trixie closed her eyes and focused, and a large concentration of magic formed around her horn. "Eep!" Luna squeaked since the spell stung a little. When she looked back, her wings were completely gone. "Wow! Perfect." She turned back and smiled at Trixie, slightly embarrassed that a unicorn knew a spell an Alicorn didn’t. "You really are the most magical unicorn in Equestria." Luna used some of the bits she'd packed to pay for a two-bed room at the Phillydelphia Inn for her and Trixie. They were both exhausted, and went to bed immediately. They lay in bed silently for several minutes, before Trixie broke the silence. "Luna, are you asleep yet?" "No, not yet." Her bed was aligned well with the window, so she had a good view of the night sky from where she was laying. "You're a Goddess and what not. And I'm the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria. Think about it, together we could be so great!" "Honestly, no matter how good you are, it's hard to be impressive as a street magician in a society built around magic." "No! I don't mean performance. We could do so much more. We could rob a bank SO easily. We could bring Phillydelphia to its knees! I think, we could eventually take over all of Equestria!" "You wouldn’t. Trust me, it’s easy to say things like that... But actually doing them is another story entirely.” Trixie sighed. "... I... I know... I just... I want ponies to notice me. I want ponies to know the name Trixie!” “Well, if you keep doing magic shows around Equestria, ponies are bound to remember you someway another.” Luna chuckled. Trixie shared the chuckle. The next morning, the two went their separate ways. Trixie, who was allowed to keep Luna's shawl, set out for a new city, hopefully one more appreciative of her magnificent showponyship. Luna, on the other hand, caught a train bound for Celestia knows where. Where she was going didn't matter to her. She no longer had wings to worry about, so she could now do whatever she wanted and not be noticed as an alicorn. The train came to a stop and Luna stepped off, ready for a new life. She set out down the streets of the little town, not knowing entirely where she was. The train conductor had probably announced it, but she wasn't really paying attention. She caught the attention of a yellow Earth Pony stallion. "Excuse me, this may sound weird but... What town is this?" "Why, this is Ponyville!" He smiled, though also gave her somewhat of a strange look. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped slightly. She hurried back to the train station. "When's the next train out of here!?" She asked frantically. "Tomorrow." The attendant answered, stone-faced. Luna sighed. Of all places, why Ponyville? Ah well, she just had to make the best of it. Maybe nopony would recognize her without her wings? "Princess Luna?" She turned and saw a familiar, purple unicorn. She sighed, more heavily than the first sigh. Whelp, so much for that idea.

Prince Colgate

366

Pinkie Pie,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Trixie,Twilight Sparkle,Adventure,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

To Lead a Better Life

incomplete

<p>Feeling useless, and unwanted, Luna leaves Canterlot. With the help of a cocky, yet very magical unicorn, she manages to disguise herself as a normal Unicorn. However, when she winds up in a town that's all too familiar with her, she finds that just hiding your wings doesn't hide who you really are.</p><p>Update: So I posted a new chapter. It's rather short, but it's more of just a small update to show that I've decided to finish this fic, as well as all my other cancelled fics. So yeah.</p>

everyone

2011-08-02T02:39:19+00:00

2011-08-02T02:39:19+00:00

"Um, no, I think you have me confused with somepony else." Princess Luna attempted to avoid suspicion. It was a very weak attempt. "No, of course it's you! I wouldn't forget you... Even without wings... What happened there?" "Oh, it's a disguise..." "It's not a very good one. Anypony who knows you will recognize you." "I was hoping nopony would know me." "What brings you to Ponyville." "Um... Princess Celestia sent me.... Yes. To um... Learn... Um..." She tried to think of some pointless, stupid thing that Celestia would be likely to send somepony to learn. "Friendship!" "Really? That's wonderful! That's what I'm here for too!" "So I've heard." "Oh! I can help you! I can introduce you to my friends!" "Hm... Maybe later, after I check into the Inn, alright?" Luna racked her brain to think of a way to escape. "Alright! I'll wait for you at the library!" The unicorn Luna recognized as Twilight Sparkle smiled and walked off. Luna hurried to the Inn, being very careful not be noticed by any other ponies from her past. She arrived at the Inn and went to the reception desk. "Hello", she started, "I would like a room please." "Hmmm." The rather large, grey stallion though. "Nope, sorry, all out of rooms." "What!?" "Well, there is one pony staying in a two-bed room. I could put you in there if you're alright with having a roommate." "Okay, I can live with that. Can I ask who it is?" "Nope. Customer Confedfidentiality." "But I am going to meet them in a few minutes anyway!" "Sorry, I don't make the rules." "Don't you own this place?" "Yep." "Then who makes the rules." "..." There was a long pause. "Just take your key." The Inn keeper slid Luna her key and she grabbed it with her magic. She nodded and started up the stairs. The Inn was a relatively nice looking place. The walls were finished wood, and nothing more. The floor had a simple, blue carpet. This is how the entire Inn was. Not even an occasional painting on the wall. Just wood. Luna unlocked her room's door and stepped inside. She didn't see anypony, but she did see a large lump under the covers of the far bed. The lump wriggled a little bit, and a fluffy pink tail popped out of the bottom. "Oh no... Please, no..." Luna whispered, as an entire pink, curly maned pony sprung out of the bed and landed in front of Princess Luna. "HI THERE!" She shouted. "You're my roommate! Oh, it's so cool that I have a roommate! I always had a room to myself at Sugar Cube Corner. That's where I stayed before here. I liked it there, but I thought it would be fun to stay somewhere else for a while! You must be new in town, that's why you're at the Inn, hi! My name's Pinkie Pie, what's your..." Pinkie Pie cut herself off with a massive gasp. "It's you!!! You’re that moon pony who was really good at guessing games! And the one who tried to be all evil and do the eternal night thing but you didn’t because we made you happier and your sister and you were happy again! Luna sighed once more, not entirely sure what this pony just said. She was starting to think that leaving the castle may have been terrible idea in the first place. "Oh my gosh! This calls for a party!" Luna watched as the pink pony bounced hyperly. She quickly closed the door behind her. "Whew... Finally, some peace and quiet." Luna laid her suitcase on her bed. Luna pulled out another of her many identical shawls and put it on, thinking maybe it would make her less noticeable. Suddenly, the door burst open. "I forgot my..." Pinkie Pie started. "WHOAH! Who are you? Where’d Luna go!? ... Ahahahaha, just kidding! Nice shawl though!" She reached into the closet and pulled out a Bassoon, then left again. Luna unpacked her suitcase and sat on her bed, thinking. She really wished she had a book to read, but she was afraid if she went outside at all she would be instantly assaulted by another insane pony. She ran over and looked out the window. The sun was setting soon, so most of the ponies were heading in side. Luna formulated a plan to sneak to the library and get some books to read. Odds were the purple unicorn would be there, but she could brush her off pretty easily. Luna put on another shawl, this one was just solid black. She snuck down the stairs and out the door of the Inn. She tried to blend in with crowds as she made her way to the library. Finally, she arrived. Before entering, she took a few moments to examine the library. It was built in a tree, which was rather odd. However, something else caught her eyes. On the very top, there was a telescope. This was the first telescope Luna had noticed since she left Canterlot. A device invented for the sole purpose of appreciating her work. It was hard for this to not bring a smile to her face. She opened the door slowly and crept inside. To her surprise, the lights were off. She felt around for a light switch, when suddenly the lights all came on. "SURPRISE!" Six ponies shouted. "I threw you a party! Just like I said! But since you're a princess and stuff I only invited your good friends!" Pinkie said happily. Luna wasn't sure how to react to this. These six ponies had single hoofedly stopped Nightmare Moon, for better or for worst. Luna wasn't sure if these six saved her or destroyed her. “We wanted to make sure you felt nice and welcome here in Ponyville, so Pinkie threw you a little party.” Twilight explained, smiling. “An’ don’t sorry, sugercube, yer secrets safe with us.” Applejack added. “LET’S PARTY!” Pinkie shouted as she put on a record. The music began to play, and Luna stood completely still in the middle of the library. She wasn’t one for parties. Even before her banishment, she had usually let Celestia handle most of the social gatherings. Pinkie Pie jumped in front of her, startling her. “Come on!” She shouted encouragingly. “Dance!” “I... I don’t dance, sorry.” “Oh come on, it’s easy! Like this!” Pinkie Pie raised her left hooves and pointed out to the left with them. Luna stared at her for several moments before realizing that she was supposed to do the same. She sighed and raised her right hooves, as to mirror Pinkie Pie. “Okay, then you do this!” She brought her hooves down, and as soon as they made contact with her right hooves, she raised her right hooves. Luna had seen this before somewhere. It was like those clacker balls where you lifted one ball and dropped it, and every time the ball came down the ball on the other side would go up. It simple physics converted into a dance. Luna followed, bringing her right hooves down and her left hooves up. The two continued mirroring each other, and before long, despite all odds, Luna was dancing. “Hey, you’re good at this!” Pinkie complimented. Pinkie went to get some punch, but Luna continued to dance for a short while longer. After a while, Luna decided she needed to take a break from the festivities, and snuck up to the perch she’d noticed at the top of the library. She peaked through the telescope. It was pointed at Orion. Luna smiled, she remembered making Orion like it was yesterday. "Orion's one of my favorites." Twilight Sparkle had snuck up the stairs behind her. Luna turned to face Twilight, something resembling a smile still plastered across her face. "I... Mine too. I remember when I first made Orion. I was young, a little filly. Celestia still raised the moon at night. But back then, the night was nothing more than the moon, and a black sky... I decided to decorate the sky... Orion was my first creation." "You did a beautiful job." Twilight complimented. "The night sky, it's so beautiful. It's one of my favorite things to study." Twilight looked up at the star painted night sky. "Other than friendship. I'm glad Celestia sent you here. I'm sure you'll love it." "Yeah... I'm sure I will..." Luna was quite clearly unsure. Twilight turned to Luna. "Don't worry, I was skeptical at first too, but in the end I'm so glad I have the friends I do today." Luna didn't respond after that. She just smiled, and Twilight smiled back. They sat on the perch and watched the night sky for several hours in silence. Finally, as the party started to die out down below, Luna said goodbye to Twilight and left the Library, heading back to the Inn. When Luna got back, she found that Pinkie Pie was already sound asleep. What a relief. She quietly snuck into her bed, pulling the covers over her head. She smiled, realizing that maybe this is where she belonged. Here in Ponyville, with Twilight Sparkle. “Hey!” Pinkie Pie whispered loudly. “Did you have fun?” Luna was slightly impressed by the Pink Earth Pony’s ability to fake being asleep. She pulled the cover down from her face. “... Yes, I did.” “Good!” The Pink Pony shouted, not even trying to whisper. She gave Luna an ear to ear smile. “Goodnight!” “Goodnight.” She pulled the covers back over her head and slowly drifted to sleep. That night, an excited Twilight Sparkle wrote a message to Princess Celestia herself. It read: Dear Princess Celestia, It's so amazing that you sent your sister Luna here to learn about friendship too! She's shy right now, but I'm sure she'll open up pretty quickly, just like me. Oh, this will be so much fun! I'm considering asking her if she wants to sleep in the spare bedroom at the library. The Inn is a bit crowded for her I think, and I'm sure she would be more comfortable in a quieter place like the library. I'm honored that you would trust me with a task such as teaching your sister! Her secret is safe with us, since us six are the only ponies in Ponyville who would really be able to recognize her. Always your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle She had Spike send the letter the next morning. She didn’t tell him what it said, and he figured it was better not to ask. Princess Celestia was understandably confused when she got the letter from her star pupil. She had recently found her sister's note saying she was leaving, and now she's received a letter from Twilight saying that she was there in Ponyville studying friendship with her. Celestia wasn't sure what to do. Of course she wanted her sister back, of course she felt bad about driving her away like she did. Though, at the same time, she felt that a good lesson in friendship may be exactly what Princess Luna needed. Finally, she wrote back to Twilight. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am so glad you and Luna are getting along. I was worried she would try to alienate herself, like you did. I'm convinced that you and your friends are exactly what Luna needs right now. She hasn't really been herself since she's returned from the moon. She's been isolating herself from everypony, and has overall just seemed depressed. I'm counting on you to help her, since you're the only one who can. - Princess Celestia Celestia now wished that she'd thought to send Luna to study friendship in the first place. Now that she thought about it, she realized it would have done her a lot of good. However, Luna leading herself to this revelation worked just as well. Back at the library, Twilight was sitting at her telescope, studying Orion once more. It seemed more beautiful more now than ever before. Orion, the very first consolation. Twilight liked Luna, and she felt like she could learn a lot from her as well. Also Luna, whether she would admit it or not, felt the same way about Twilight...

Prince Colgate

366

Pinkie Pie,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Trixie,Twilight Sparkle,Adventure,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

To Lead a Better Life

incomplete

<p>Feeling useless, and unwanted, Luna leaves Canterlot. With the help of a cocky, yet very magical unicorn, she manages to disguise herself as a normal Unicorn. However, when she winds up in a town that's all too familiar with her, she finds that just hiding your wings doesn't hide who you really are.</p><p>Update: So I posted a new chapter. It's rather short, but it's more of just a small update to show that I've decided to finish this fic, as well as all my other cancelled fics. So yeah.</p>

everyone

2012-01-02T08:07:06+00:00

2012-01-02T08:07:06+00:00

The morning sun shone through the window and covered Luna’s face as she opened her eyes. She got out of bed and walked over to the window. She looked out, up at the sun, squinting due to the brightness. Celestia had done a great job on the morning sky as well, she had to admit… It was just so much harder to appreciate because it was so bright. Luna stepped out of her room and headed downstairs. She figured she would head back to the library, and actually get some books to read this time. Hopefully the other ponies wouldn’t be there. She grabbed a small, purple saddlebag and threw it over her back, then headed out the door. Busy ponies filled the streets of Ponyville. Luna had slept in, and most of the town had already gotten started on their daily routines. The Apple Family had their apple cart set up in front of the post office, and hungry ponies flocked to the stand for some cold apple juice. Something about the idea of cool, refreshing apple juice on a hot day appealed even to Luna herself. “Hello miss Luna.” Applebloom stood at the stall, trying her darndest to sound respectful. “Would ya care ta buy some apple juice?” Luna smiled at the little filly. “I would, actually.” She magicked a few bits out of her saddlebag and laid them on the stand in front of her. The filly gleefully snatched them up and fetched her a glass of apple juice. Applejack, who had been supervising the transaction (making sure Applebloom didn’t scare anypony off again) stepped up to the counter. “Howdy there!” She greeted Luna. “Ya’ll enjoying yer stay here in Ponyville?” “Why, yes actually. It’s rather nice here. A lot quieter than Canterlot.” At that moment, as if on cue, Rainbow Dash came crashing into the stand, knocking over Applejack, as well as all the filled glasses. Luna took a few steps back, shocked by this uncanny occurrence. “Watch where yer goin’!” Applejack shouted as she tried to recover the apples that were buried by the wreckage. “Heheh… Sorry. Got going a little to fast, sorta lost control.” Rainbow Dash apologized, sort of embarrassed by her accident. “Well next time try tah crash inta a bail of hay or somethin’!” Luna crept away from the wreckage while the two ponies argued. A glass of apple juice wasn’t really worth the hassle at this point. Finally, she arrived at the library. She knocked on the door. “Come in!” She heard Twilight yell from somewhere within the library. The library seemed much bigger when it was empty. The size reminded Luna of her own personal library back in Canterlot. That was one thing she did miss about Canterlot, her library. It had rows and rows of two story tall bookcases filled with biographies, works of fiction, non-fiction, old newspaper archives, the works. Luna was browsing the fiction section when Twilight came down from upstairs. “Oh, hello Ms. Luna!” “Hello Twilight.” Luna turned to the purple unicorn. “This is a very nice library you have here.” “Why thank you. It was old and dusty when Spike and I came here. We spent a lot of time making it what it is now.” “You did a wonderful job.” Luna pulled a book from a shelf and examined it. It was dust free, though the binding seemed to be damaged a little, as though the book had been thrown around a lot. She pulled out another book and made the same observations. She gave Twilight a concerned look. “Oh, well…” Twilight realized what the Princess was noticing. “The library gets messed up from time to time. It’s usually Rainbow Dash. It’s really interesting how one Pegasus can mess up an entire library in one crash.” Luna’s expression changed into one that almost seemed like fear. She had seen first hand how destructive Rainbow Dash could be. It was really quite frightening. “Yes, she really is a… Peculiar pony.” “Yeah, but she’s a great friend… Well, usually. She’s probably the most loyal pony you’ll ever meet.” “Hm…” Luna tried, but she just couldn’t imagine Rainbow Dash being anything other than an absolute disaster. Twilight noticed Luna’s disbelief. “It really is hard to believe, I know.” Luna placed the book back in the bookshelf. She stepped away from the fiction section and headed across the room to the non-fiction side. “When I came back from my banishment, my library was over twice the size as it was when I’d left.” She paused, collecting her thoughts. “Celestia made sure everything was perfect for my return... I think part of her actually felt guilty for driving me to that point in the first place...” Luna seemed to zone off a little when she spoke of Celestia. Twilight thought it was best to change the subject. “Oh, um, Miss Luna, if you wanted to, there’s a spare room here at the library. You could stay there... Since I’m sure the Inn is probably a little crowded for your tastes...” Luna looked at the purple unicorn, contemplating the offer. In fairness, Twilight Sparkle WAS the most bearable pony she’d met yet, and staying with her would definitely be easier than Pinkie Pie... “Well...” She started, “I wouldn’t want to impose...” “Oh, it’s no problem, really, the room is being wasted right now.” “Oh... Well... If you really insist....” “I do.” Twilight smiled back at her.

benger

368

Angel,Big Macintosh,Cutie Mark Crusaders,Gummy,Main 6,Mayor Mare,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Spike,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Creeper

Fluttershy attempts to befriend a new creature, with disastrous results.

incomplete

<p>Caught while grieving the loss of Fluttershy, Ponyville is wiped out by an unending horde and the few remaining survivors must find their way to Canterlot, the last refuge for pony kind. As they face their eminent annihilation, the wrath of an ancient foe, and even the rage of a misguided princess, Twilight Sparkle finds that once again the future is in her hooves. But sometimes even the greatest of friends aren't enough, especially when their bonds have been strained by grief.</p><p>Note from the author: this story is still in progress, but due to my classes, my time is quite limited. i'm sorry for the slow updates, especially (at least in my opinion) when the fic is getting good.</p>

everyone

2011-10-31T07:34:34+00:00

2011-10-31T07:34:34+00:00

My Little Creeper By Benger This was supposed to be a one shot, but then I got a great idea, what if it wasn’t? This is an updated version of chapter one, meant to bring the quality of writing up to par with the rest fo the fic Chapter 1: The Tragedy As far as Fluttershy was concerned, today was a perfect day. She woke up early, fed all the animals that lived alongside her and then ate a bowl of oats. Even angel hadn’t been too hard to appease. She was now out on her morning walk. She was near the edge of the Everfree forest, enjoying the calm, looking for any animals that might need her attention. As she was lazily walking along a slightly overgrown path a sound caught her attention. “Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss” It startled Fluttershy, making her jump. The hissing didn’t sound like it was made by an animal, it sounded more like the hissing coming from a tea pot right before it is ready. After getting over her fear, and a few minutes of franticly searching for the source of the odd noise, Fluttershy gave up and continued on her walk. The rest of the walk was uneventful. She spent a little of her time tending to porcupines that hurt each other while hugging, and helped a bird get untangled from some vines. She even saw a loris that was really slow. Fluttershy had almost forgotten about the weird noise as she was walking back to her cabin until she heard it again “Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss” The hissing was just as before. It sounded slightly metallic and like something that couldn’t be made by any animal she had ever seen. Fluttershy jumped back from the noise and began searching for the source. Unlike her first encounter, she found the culprit. There was a square green head peaking our from behind a tree that she did not recognize. “Hello little guy, there is no reason to be scared” Fluttershy said, while walking slowly toward the animal. The hissing got louder. “I’m not going to hurt you; my name is Fluttershy, what is yours?” The animal came into view and Fluttershy finally got a good look at the whole creature. It was about 2 ponies tall, but very skinny and covered in different blotches of green, it had four hooves ponies but they were very close together sprouting out of its square body. The creature looked at Fluttershy with its two black beady eyes but even though it was hissing, did not seem to be making noise out of its frowning mouth. “Twilight told me what you are, you a creeper!” Fluttersy said aloud. “She told me that you are mean and I should never approach you” The creature did not respond “But I think you just need a friend.” She continued Fluttershy slowly walked toward the creeper and as its hissing got louder and she thought to herself I tamed a manticore and told off a dragon, I bet I can handle a creeper Fluttershy then said to the creeper “You are kind of cute, I know, I will name you squishy!” She finally got close enough to touch it and the creeper didn’t seem to respond, although it’s hissing was deafening. Fluttershy, trying to be brave like her friends, wrapped her forehooves around the angled body in a hug. The creature’s body really was squishy. The creeper exploded in a blast that could be heard throughout Ponyville. Angel bunny found bits and pieces of Fluttershy’s body later that day Author's Notes The "My Little Creeper" image is by sonderjen (sonderjen.deviantart.com) and is used with his permission

benger

368

Angel,Big Macintosh,Cutie Mark Crusaders,Gummy,Main 6,Mayor Mare,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Spike,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Creeper

Fluttershy attempts to befriend a new creature, with disastrous results.

incomplete

<p>Caught while grieving the loss of Fluttershy, Ponyville is wiped out by an unending horde and the few remaining survivors must find their way to Canterlot, the last refuge for pony kind. As they face their eminent annihilation, the wrath of an ancient foe, and even the rage of a misguided princess, Twilight Sparkle finds that once again the future is in her hooves. But sometimes even the greatest of friends aren't enough, especially when their bonds have been strained by grief.</p><p>Note from the author: this story is still in progress, but due to my classes, my time is quite limited. i'm sorry for the slow updates, especially (at least in my opinion) when the fic is getting good.</p>

everyone

2011-10-31T07:35:24+00:00

2011-10-31T07:35:24+00:00

My Little Creeper By Benger This was supposed to be a one shot, but then I got a great idea, what if it wasn’t? This fic is essentially a dark comedy, but this chapter is to a certain extent an exception. The events are necessary for the overall plot, but I could not find a way to make them humorous. How can the reality of a dead Fluttershy be funny? Also, please comment, I would like to improve my writing, and comments are very useful Chapter 1: The Funeral Dear Princess Celestia Yesterday a terrible sadness befell all of Ponyville. One of the Creepers that you warned me about came out of the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy, believing in the kindness of everything tried to befriend the horrible beast. It promptly exploded. Angel came running into town, dragging what was left of Fluttershy’s mane. He was covered in blood, it was horrific. First we thought he did it, Applejack actually tied him up. It took a really long time to figure out that he was trying to tell us, bunnies can’t really pantomime with their arms strapped to their sides. I just can’t believe that she’s gone. How can Fluttershy be gone? They kept expecting me to know what to do, Sweetie Belle actually asked me to bring her back! I CAN’T DO THAT! How can I know what to do? How can anypony know what to do what to do! How could this happen to Fluttershy? Tears were streaming down Twilight Sparkle’s face. “I guess the one advantage I had in Canterlot was that I didn’t have to watch my friends die” she muttered, then burst into another fit of sobbing. Twilight wanted to write this must be the downside of friendship, but she knew she shouldn’t. Twilight couldn't continue writing, at least not like this. Twilight downed the last of her whisky then looked up at the clock and realized the funeral started in 10 minutes. Twilight hastily finished and signed the letter. “Spike, we need to leave now” she yelled “the funeral’s in 10 minutes!” The baby dragon came running down the stairs and went straight for the door, trying to hide his face. “Wait, can you send this first?” Twilight said. The letter disappeared in a cloud of green smoke as the two ran out the door. ~~~~ The Ponyville Cemetery was packed. The sounds of crying permeated the air. Just about everypony who lived in Ponyville was in attendance. As Twilight and Spike approached the cemetery and passed through the gate, the crowds made a path for them. After walking though the unfamiliar cemetery and seeing the pain that Ponyville was in, Twilight arrived at the place that would soon be Fluttershy’s grave. Twilight’s four remaining friends were there, all obviously in states of shock. Pinkie, who would not let go of Dash, had reverted back to Pinkamina, while Dash’s mane seemed to have dulled; Applejack as trying to console Apple Bloom, while most surprisingly of all, Rarity looked like she needed a bath. Twilight couldn’t stand the sight. Soon a large group of animals could be seen over the hill. The group was led by Angel bunny, and while mostly woodland animals such as bunnies and birds, the group also consisted of some more dangerous beasts. Fluttershy’s coffin, which was quite small because she was mostly vaporized in the blast, was carried by a pair of manticores. A dragon was flying overhead; at the rear of the procession was an Ursa Minor. Normally the presence of dangerous animals such as full grown dragons would not be tolerated with Ponyville, but this was a special occasion. The path that had been created for Twilight grew as Fluttersy’s critter friends brought her casket to the hole that had been dug. As the manticores lowered the remains, Angel got up on a podium and began pantomiming. After a few seconds everypony realized that they had no clue what Angel bunny was trying to say. Seeing this, the bunny stomped off in anger. Nopony had really planned the funeral; they were all in shock. After a few minutes of nothing, Mayor Mare took to podium. She droned on about sacrifice, perseverance and other gibberish, but nopony really paid attention. Afterwards many different ponies spoke, each one ending by bursting into tears. Rainbow Dash described their time in flight school; Rarity sobbed over their spa days. Applejack simply burst out crying. Pinkie just mumbled over and over again “it’s worse than cupcakes”. Finally it was Twilight's turn. As she approached the podium she had no clue what to say, but suddenly she saw something weird on the horizon. After staring off in the distance for a few second she finally knew what it was. Hundreds or maybe thousands of the green monstrosities were amassing just at the peak of the ridge just outside of the cemetery. As she looked around, Twilight realized that they had surrounded the whole cemetery. Fluttershy’s death wasn’t a freak accident; it was the first in a pony genocide. The gravity of the situation finally hit Twilight. And then they charged. Author's Notes The "My Little Creeper" image is by sonderjen (sonderjen.deviantart.com) and is used with his permission

benger

368

Angel,Big Macintosh,Cutie Mark Crusaders,Gummy,Main 6,Mayor Mare,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Spike,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Creeper

Fluttershy attempts to befriend a new creature, with disastrous results.

incomplete

<p>Caught while grieving the loss of Fluttershy, Ponyville is wiped out by an unending horde and the few remaining survivors must find their way to Canterlot, the last refuge for pony kind. As they face their eminent annihilation, the wrath of an ancient foe, and even the rage of a misguided princess, Twilight Sparkle finds that once again the future is in her hooves. But sometimes even the greatest of friends aren't enough, especially when their bonds have been strained by grief.</p><p>Note from the author: this story is still in progress, but due to my classes, my time is quite limited. i'm sorry for the slow updates, especially (at least in my opinion) when the fic is getting good.</p>

everyone

2011-10-31T07:36:04+00:00

2011-10-31T07:36:04+00:00

My Little Creeper By Benger This was supposed to be a one shot, but then I got a great idea, what if it wasn’t? This fic is essentially a dark comedy, so take it lightly! It doesn’t take itself seriously, so why should you? Chapter 2: The Massacre Twilight Sparkle could not process what she was seeing. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of creepers streaming towards the cemetery, and just about all of Ponyville was in it. As she stared at the horde, it had anything but a calming effect. Twilight stood their looking at it, realizing she had no clue what to do until suddenly she heard Fluttershy’s voice in the back of her head. For a fleeting second Twilight wondered if she was going insane. But regardless, Fluttershy’s voice told her to do one thing: panic, and that’s exactly what she did. “EVERYPONY FOR THEMSELVES!” Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs. Considering the situation, that was probably the single worst thing Twilight could have done. At the split second before her outburst, she was at the podium and all eyes were on her; nopony had noticed the impending doom coming their way. If Twilight had taken a second to analyze the situation she would have realized the cemetery is surrounded by a gate. If she had thought about the gate Twilight would have remembered that the letter Celestia sent about the creepers said they only explode when they are close to something they can kill. This would have brought Twilight to the realization that if all the entrances and exits were closed, and if everypony gathered in the center of the cemetery, they would be safe. By the time this thought occurred to her, it was too far late. At first the ponies of Ponyville were confused, what were they running from? What’s the danger? Eventually a few caught on and shouted: “CREEPERS!” Finally understanding the danger, mass panic ensued. The situation became complete chaos. After running around like caged animals for far longer than necessary, the ponies headed for the gates and ran out of the cemetery; basically meeting the creepers head on. There was a loud hissing which was then drowned out by sickening screams and booms as the explosions commenced. Limbs were ripped off some ponies while others were entirely disintegrated in the creeper’s suicidal detonations. The force of the explosions set hooves and tails rocketing across the cemetery. Not knowing what to do in the carnage, all those who were near the podium huddled together in fear. At first everypony was silent; not knowing what to say. Nopony wanted to watch the slaughter of their friends. Eventually Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Twilight, can you get us out?” Dazed, and distraught from her mistake, Twilight did not understand what Dash wanted. “How?” she responded. “Uh, with your teleporting magic maybe?” Dash said. “Um, no, well I have only ever teleported Spike along with me.” Twilight took a breath then continued. “I, I don’t, I can’t teleport this many ponies, maybe I might be able to take two, I just don’t know” “Then save ‘urself and Spike” Applejack interjected “Friends don’t leave friends to die!” Twilight shot back Dash looked at Twilight sternly “So all of us should die when we could save a few!? ” Twilight was shocked; this was a facet of friendship her research hadn’t covered yet. She didn’t now know how to respond. Twilight didn’t want to lose her friends and didn’t feel like it was right to leave them to die either, but after some thought she eventually relented. “Fine, but who do I take! How can I choose? “ This brought back memories of the fiasco with the Grand Galloping Gala tickets. The ponies all stopped talking, stunned yet again. “Well, ya take the fillies” Big Mac said, finally adding his two cents to the conversation. “They are small, you can probably take all three” Rarity added Twilight looked over at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo; the three were pale and shaking from fear. Twilight knew Big Mac and Rarity were right. She began to say her goodbyes, knowing that she would never see any of her friends again. Suddenly Pinke interrupted Twilight. “Stop saying goodbye! We don’t need to say goodbye!” “What?” the dumbfounded group said in unison “The booms and the screaming, it stopped!” Pinkie exclaimed The whole group had been so involved in their debate that nopony realized that the sounds of death and destruction had ended. They slowly looked out across the landscape to see what had happened. The cemetery looked like the moon. The whole area was pitted with craters where the creepers had ignited. While there were no physical remnants of the green invaders other than a course dark gray dust, the ground as soaked in pony blood and unrecognizable parts of ponies were strewn everywhere. Even worse, the explosions had uprooted coffins and now long dead ponies covered the ground. Finally Apple Boom spoke up. “Ah don’t get it, are we dead?” Scootaloo poked Apple Bloom. “You don’t feel dead” she responded “I don’t feel dead nether” Sweetie Bell added “Ah’m pretty sure were not dead, but ah don’t exactly understand why.” Applejack told her sister. After a long pause Rarity finally chimed in “Well isn’t it obvious?” A short “Huh?” came from the ponies “Fluttershy’s fame saved us” Rarity continued “Did nopony else notice all the different models and designers and celebrities and paparazzi here? If it wasn’t so sad, it would have been glamorous!” Rarity smiled as she spoke “This is actually such a great turn of events; I would have absolutely hated to see pictures of me looking like this in the tabloids. I couldn’t even put on makeup; every time I even though about beauty supplies it reminded me of poor Fluttershy and I would burst into tears.” “But Rarity, what does that have to do with us not being dead?” Twilight asked “Oh yes, well, you see there must have been sooooooo many ponies that all the creepers exploded before they could get to us” Rarity responded “as I said, it’s all quite obvious”. “I get it!” Pinkie announced “so it like if you took some matter, and then antimatter and then made them go boom and then there would be none left! But there was a teensy weensy bit more matter, it would be left over, and that’s us!” Tired and confused, nopony was able to comprehend Pinkie’s randomness in their current emotional state. The lack of a response irked Pinkie. They’re just standing there, Pinkie thought. Staring at me. It’s like their brains broke. Hay! I remember when my brain broke; I got all mean and grouchy and I had a party with Madam le flour and Mr Turnip and Rocky! I wonder if the creepers got them, probably not, Mr. Turnip is a smart Turnip. That’s it! They just need a party. I wonder if they want vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, or ooooo, strawberry, I love strawberry cupcakes! And what kind of streamers? And Balloons! I wonder if Fl… Pinkies inner monologue was cut short by a loud belching. A puff of green fire escaped from Spike’s mouth and materialized into a scroll. Twilight quickly grabbed it with her telekinesis. She unrolled the scroll and read it allowed: Dear My Most Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle, I pray that this letter gets to you. As you have probably already seen, Equestria is under attack. These creepers who were first seen last week in the Everfree forest have increased in numbers exponentially. This morning the creepers began attacking everything. Other than Canterlot and Cloudsdale, just about every city and town is destroyed. I received word a few hours ago that both Manehattan and Fillydelphia have been reduced to rubble. I have been unable to receive any response from Hoofington and Fort Stalliongrad will probably fall within the hour. I fear that not many ponies are left. Because of the high cliffs and walls, Canterlot is reasonably safe from the onslaught, so all ponies should come here. It is where pony kind will be making its last stand. Please hurry and get here as soon as possible. Even without kindness; the remaining Elements of Harmony will be an invaluable asset. And don’t despair, if we can defeat the creepers I may be able to reclaim what is lost. Just remember to be strong; it’s what Fluttershy would have wanted. Hopefully I will see you soon. Your Loving Mentor, Princess Celestia Author’s Notes I’m sure some of you are wondering why just about every named pony in the series survived the massacre. I agree with you, it’s unlikely, but there is a good reason: emotion. It will be very difficult for the remaining mane cast to get over Fluttershy’s death. I wanted to lessen the impact on them as much as possible so that they can actually come out of their shells a little. This will be a very long and boring fic if they spend the whole time mourning dead ponies. Also, comments help me improve my writing, so please, comment away! The "My Little Creeper" image is by sonderjen (sonderjen.deviantart.com/) and is used with his permission

benger

368

Angel,Big Macintosh,Cutie Mark Crusaders,Gummy,Main 6,Mayor Mare,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Spike,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Creeper

Fluttershy attempts to befriend a new creature, with disastrous results.

incomplete

<p>Caught while grieving the loss of Fluttershy, Ponyville is wiped out by an unending horde and the few remaining survivors must find their way to Canterlot, the last refuge for pony kind. As they face their eminent annihilation, the wrath of an ancient foe, and even the rage of a misguided princess, Twilight Sparkle finds that once again the future is in her hooves. But sometimes even the greatest of friends aren't enough, especially when their bonds have been strained by grief.</p><p>Note from the author: this story is still in progress, but due to my classes, my time is quite limited. i'm sorry for the slow updates, especially (at least in my opinion) when the fic is getting good.</p>

everyone

2011-10-31T07:36:45+00:00

2011-10-31T07:36:45+00:00

My Little Creeper By Benger This was supposed to be a one shot, but then I got a great idea, what if it wasn’t? This fic is essentially a dark comedy, so take it lightly! It doesn’t take itself seriously, so why should you? Chapter 3: The Road to Canterlot Per the Princess’s request, the twelve remaining residents of Ponyville began their journey to Canterlot. Rainbow Dash lead the pack, flying overhead to scout the path for creepers. She was followed by the remaining Elements of Harmony, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Big Mac who were all walking silently. At the rear of the group there was a lone manticore with a sleeping bunny on its back. After a few hours of walking, the group’s nerves began to settle and they became more talkative. “Ah’ rekin we won’t make it to Canterlot by nightfall” Applejack said aloud While the capitol city could be seen off in the distance, it was already late in the day. “We may make it to the cliffs by nightfall, but we’ll need to leave scaling them until morning” Twilight said with authority “Can’t you just get the princess to send us a chariot? I can’t wait that long to take a bath, I’m absolutely filthy” Rarity complained “Twilight already tried” Spike interjected, obviously unhappy to be upsetting the object of his affections. “It wouldn’t go through, it came right back up. I’ve never had that happen before” It was apparent to everypony that Spike was embarrassed at his inability to perform “It’s all right Spike” Twilight said, trying to reassure her number one assistant, “There is probably some magic blocking the transmission. Extra spells cast by Celestia and Luna to protect Canterlot” Twilight’s words seemed to calm the young dragon. The conversation continued, moving from topic to topic, and it eventually came back to their journey. “Ah’ normally don’t have a problem with sleeping outdoors and such, but I don’t fell comfortable out in the open with these creepers on the loose” Applejack announced. A general consensus came from the group “I was thinking about that” Twilight began “There are many caves in the cliff face; I would suggest that we find a suitable one and spend the night in it.” This peaked the three filly’s interests “So we get to explore a cave?” Scootaloo asked anxiously “Yell I guess, but were going to choose a small one an-” Twilights response was cut off by synchronized screaming “CUITE MARK CRUSADERS CAVE EXPLORERS! YAY!” “Sweetie belle, the correct term is spelunkers” Rarity instructed her sister “CUITE MARK CRUSADERS CAVE SPELUNKERS! YAY!” Rarity immediately regretted her comment “Can I join you?” Pinkie asked the three crusaders “Exploring is so much fun. I especially like when you’re exploring and searching, like a search party! Can it be a search party? Except we don’t have anything to search for. You can’t search without anything to search for, can you? We could search for rocks. Or dirt. Or moss. But that would be too easy. Maybe we can just have a normal party!” Eventually everypony tuned Pinkie Pie out. ~~~~ The group arrived at the cliffs just as sundown began. They found a suitable cave. It was large, but not very deep and it didn’t leave much room for spelunking, to the chagrin of the crusaders. After the ponies ate their fill of grass, the entrance was covered up and the group settled down for the night. “So somepony will need to be constantly keeping watch. I know that we all are tired, but were so close together, it would only take a single creeper to, well, you know.” Twilight said to the group “Well I think that we need to be far more worried of the monsters inside this cave” Rarity said while gesturing toward the manicore. “Ah’ have to agree” Applejack added Angel looked angry; he didn’t seem to like the prospect of kicking out his friend “Fluffy is not a monster!” Sweetie belle said defiantly to her elder sister “He is cuddly and nice” “Fluffy? When did you name him?” Rarity responded “When we were walking, he likes it!” Sweetie retorted. The manticore nodded in agreement “Awww, it’s a cute name. I like it” Pinkie said. “Although it’s a little clique. I know! we should –“ ”Pinkie, we are all way too tired for a party” Dash cut her off Pinky laid down, defeated. After a moment of silence, Twilight revived the conversation. “He seems nice enough; I think we can trust him. Fluffy is the manticore Fluttershy befriended on our way to defeat nightmare moon” Nopony else knew of the past history with Fluffy, but the mention of Fluttershy’s name and the pain it brought up overwhelmed any concern. Eventually Twilight put out the fire and everypony went off to sleep. Finally having a moment to themselves, everypony in the group began thinking of everything they lost during the day. Faint sounds of crying echoed across the cavern. ~~~~ Big Mac was the only member of the group who was awake. He had recently been woken up by his younger sister Applejack for watch and sat at the entrance to the cave, peering through the bush that covered it. Watch was a boring job and it was generally uneventful. Big Mac just hoped it would be over soon. A little more than half way through his shift, Big Mac saw something that defied belief. Suddenly a Creeper just appear, as if it popped into existence. The creeper seemed unfazed and began searching for prey. Seeing another one of the monster brought traumatizing memories of the day earlier. In his surprise, Big Mac made a slight gasp. It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to get the Creepers attention. Seeing the creeper approach the cave, Big Mac froze. Luckily, the gasp also awoke the resident beast. Fluffy’s sensitive hearing easily caught Big Mac’s gasp. First he just twitched a little, annoyed at the rude awakening, and then he sensed something was not right. He stood up, accidentally waking up Angel who was snuggling against him. The manticore roared wakening everypony up. Before any member of the group could complain, Fluffy then jumped straight over the confused ponies and bounded out of the cave’s entrance, tackling the creeper head on. The living explosive was sent flying backwards and crashed into a tree, flashing red, but then recovering. It wasn’t ready to give in. The creeper charged Fluffy, hissing almost as loud as the manticore could roar, but Fluffy nimbly moved out of the way. The creeper, unable to stop, ran straight into the cliff face and exploded. Adrenalin pumping from the ordeal they just witnessed, the group was unable to go back to sleep. The sun was going to rise in just a couple of hours, so the group prepared to climb their way to Canterlot. Author’s Notes In comparison to the previous chapters, this one is lighter on comedy, lighter on dark / grim imagery, and a lot heaver on dialogue. I actually dreaded writing it, but am extremely impressed with the outcome. It might actually be the best thing I have ever written. If you have played Minecraft, you may have some issues with the creeper battle mostly that the creeper acted very un-creeper-like. It’s just that some green thing slowly hopping toward you is not very fun to read about in a fight, so I made the creeper faster and more aggressive. The "My Little Creeper" image is by sonderjen (sonderjen.deviantart.com/) and is used with his permission I do not own My little Pony, any of the characters, or Minecraft. please support the official release.

benger

368

Angel,Big Macintosh,Cutie Mark Crusaders,Gummy,Main 6,Mayor Mare,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Spike,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Creeper

Fluttershy attempts to befriend a new creature, with disastrous results.

incomplete

<p>Caught while grieving the loss of Fluttershy, Ponyville is wiped out by an unending horde and the few remaining survivors must find their way to Canterlot, the last refuge for pony kind. As they face their eminent annihilation, the wrath of an ancient foe, and even the rage of a misguided princess, Twilight Sparkle finds that once again the future is in her hooves. But sometimes even the greatest of friends aren't enough, especially when their bonds have been strained by grief.</p><p>Note from the author: this story is still in progress, but due to my classes, my time is quite limited. i'm sorry for the slow updates, especially (at least in my opinion) when the fic is getting good.</p>

everyone

2011-10-31T07:37:43+00:00

2011-10-31T07:37:43+00:00

My Little Creeper By Benger This was supposed to be a one shot, but then I got a great idea, what if it wasn’t? This fic is essentially a dark comedy, so take it lightly! It doesn’t take itself seriously, so why should you? Chapter 4: Its Only a Model The sun was cresting over the far hills as the group approached the carved path. They stood there in awe, their eyes tracing the back and forth winding of the staircase up the cliff. It mostly followed a natural fault line in the rock, and had obviously seen better times. One by one they began climbing the steep stairs, immediately finding them worn down and slippery from overuse while simultaneously cracked and loose from disrepair. It only took minutes for the first pony the slip; luckily Twilight’s fall backwards was interrupted by Applejack. “Woh Twilight, if you had fallen the other way, well, I don’t need to say it” Applejack grunted under the weight of two ponies Once back on her hooves, Twilight looked over the cliff’s edge, imagining the possible result of her fall “Thanks Applejack, I guess I need to be more careful. Maybe we should slow down” Applejack gave Twilight a critical look. “We’re behind as it is, Ah’ don’t think we can slow down” Rarity, who was behind Applejack took this time to add her opinion “I for one agree with Twilight, somepony is going to actually fall and break something, and of course it doesn’t really help that these stairs are so slippery, or that they seem to be built like somepony made them too tall” Twilight’s face immediately brightened and her heavy breathing stopped “That’s because they’re made for Alicorns” she said. “Legend says that ages ago Celestia and Luna made their home where Canterlot stands today. Before the ponies of Equestria knew them as princesses, they lived at the top of this cliff, secluded from the world. They carved this very staircase for themselves. Over the years ponies began to notice our Princess’s control of Equestria, and for generations they climbed these steps to make pilgrimages, asking for favors and giving gifts to the sisters. Eventually the ponies built a castle in tribute of their Princesses, and city a city sprang up around it. By then this staircase could no longer support Canterlot, so under a royal mandate, hundreds of thousands of carts full of dirt were dumped on the other side of the mountain, creating a gentle sloping path, wide enough that carts could travel it and this staircase fell into disuse.” Twilight exhaled, dizzy from her monologue “So let me get this straight Twi, there’s an easier way up?” Applejack questioned Twilight was surprised by the question and it took her a second to respond “well, the other path is on the other side of the mountain, it would take us a day to get there, and it takes twice as long to climb” Evreypony seemed to deflate from the response. After a little more grumbling, Rainbow Dash flew back around and heckled the group to get a move on. Not wanting to spend another night outdoors, they agreed to continue on. ~~~~ Twilight found an unexpected site when they climbed over the lip of the cliff around mid-morning. Instead of just the gleaming castle city surrounded by pristine walls that she remembered, there was a massive tent city engulfing Canterlot. Eager to find the princess, Twilight urged the group forward, through the tent city. The ponies in residence had recently become refugees. They lived in tents made from any material they could get their hands on; sticks, blankets anything that could provide even a minimal degree of shelter. While some basic necessities seemed to be provided, the ponies generally looked miserable. Food was evidently scarce; many ponies were begging for a slice of bread or just a blade of grass. From the conversations going about they gleaned the reason for the horrid conditions, Canterlot couldn’t support nearly this many ponies “Please” a light green mare pleaded “My children are starving, there must be something left in the stores” “I’m sorry, but the rations for today have all been allocated” the guard stated, seemingly pained at his response Rarity, overhearing the exchange, pulled a scarf out of her saddlebags. “Take this, it should sell for a nice amount, it is a Rarity Original. Hopefully you can feed you foals with the money. The mare graciously said thanked Rarity, and ran off to buy some food ~~~~ As they approached the city gates, a tri of guards blocked their path. The middle guard began speaking in an authoritative voice “By the order of royal princess’s court, refugees must remain outside of the city until proper housing and care can be arranged. Make your way towards the tents and find a suitable spot to build a shel-“ Getting a look at the whole party, the guard halted speaking and his jaw dropped After a few seconds of silence, Dash furrowed her brow in annoyance “Well, Get on with it!” All three guards were shaking, dumbstruck with fear. Finally one managed to eek a few words out. “Mam,” He squeaked to Twilight “There seems to be a maticore behind you” Even before Fluffy saved the group’s lives they had grown accustom to his presence, and Twilight didn’t immediately understand the concern. “Yes, we also have five mares, one stallion, three fillies, and one bunny in our party” “Ahem” coughed Spike Twilights faced reddened “and one baby dragon“ “But you have a manticore” the guard repeated before Twilight’s last statement could sink in. “And a dragon?!” Twilight, skeptical of the guard’s repeated questioning, gave him a curious look before responding. “Well, I wouldn’t say we have him, he kind of just followed us, and Spike, he’s my assistant” The guard looked up at the beast, making eye contact before quickly looking back down at the ground. “Two of the deadliest beasts in Equestria, one responsible for at least the deaths of 25 ponies a year and the other capable of destroying whole cities and you brought them both to Canterlot” Finally understanding the issue, Twilight was unable to hide her opinions on the situation. “Well, Fluffy is a friendly manticore, and Spike is a baby dragon” she said trying to suppress a giggle. “And I’m quite friendly too” Spike added Suddenly, the heads of three fillies popped out of the manticore’s mane. “Ya, Fluffy is a nice Manticore” Apple bloom announced “He even let us ride him up when he flew up the cliff” Scootaloo added “I didn’t even know he could fly!” Sweetie belle said, not wanting to be left out of the conversation The manticore nodded in approval while the guards looked back and forth at the fillies in disbelief. “And he protected us from the green meanies!” Pinke yelled while jumping impossibly high in the air. “He was all RAWR and then jump and SLAM and then the Greene when wosh and then turned around and went zoom but Fluffy went all dodge and then the Greene when SMACK and exploded!” Still skeptical of the group’s story, and thoroughly confused by Pinkie’s “pinkieness” the guards slowly reached for their swords and - FWOMP!!! Fluffy shrugged off Angel and the crusaders. He then leaped over the rest of the group head on into the three guards, pinning them down and knocking the swords out of their mouths. He proceeded to open his mouth in an impressive roar while they were screaming in terror. After a few seconds of squirming, the guards seemed to accept their fate. The rest of the group started walking by when Rainbow dash tapped Fluffy on the shoulder while trying to stifle a chuckle. “Ok, that’s enough, I’m sure they get the idea big guy” The Manticore reluctantly relinquished his prey. ~~~~ Considering that Fluffy had just assaulted three of Celestia’s finest, walking into the city that acted as her majesty’s guard’s garrison town was probably not the brightest plan. Twilight was leading the group through the winding, but familiar streets an dallies of the market district before the guards sprung their trap Twilight was buying a new book that she absolutely needed when Applejack tapped her on the shoulder. “Twi, Ah’ think there are some guards who wanna to speak to us” Twilight spun around, only to be greeted by the single largest group of guards she had ever seen. Unicorn guards surrounded the group in a semicircle with the survivors of Ponyville’s back to a wall while at least a dozen Pegasi were flying overhead. The Unicorns had already cast a containment spell, making it impossible for the group to escape “Hello officers” Twilight said meekly “what seems to be the problem?” The group huddled together, waiting for a response A guard with stripes on his armor stepped into the semicircle and telekinetically pulled out a scroll “Stop right their criminal scum! Nopony breaks the law on my watch! You are all charged with two counts of bringing deadly animals into a populated area, two counts of public endangerment, one count of disturbing the peace, three counts of assault and battery with a deadly animal, three counts of assaulting officers of the law, one count of evading arrest, one count of disregarding a direct order from law enforcement, and the pink one is charged with one count of first degree insanity. Will you surrender or pay with your blood?” Author’s Notes This fic is shaping up to be longer then i intended, this chapter, and the next one was originally supposed to be included in the events of chapter three. Also, please remember to comment! The "My Little Creeper" image is by sonderjen (sonderjen.deviantart.com/) and is used with his permission I do not own My little Pony, any of the characters, or Minecraft. Please support the official releases.

benger

368

Angel,Big Macintosh,Cutie Mark Crusaders,Gummy,Main 6,Mayor Mare,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Spike,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Creeper

Fluttershy attempts to befriend a new creature, with disastrous results.

incomplete

<p>Caught while grieving the loss of Fluttershy, Ponyville is wiped out by an unending horde and the few remaining survivors must find their way to Canterlot, the last refuge for pony kind. As they face their eminent annihilation, the wrath of an ancient foe, and even the rage of a misguided princess, Twilight Sparkle finds that once again the future is in her hooves. But sometimes even the greatest of friends aren't enough, especially when their bonds have been strained by grief.</p><p>Note from the author: this story is still in progress, but due to my classes, my time is quite limited. i'm sorry for the slow updates, especially (at least in my opinion) when the fic is getting good.</p>

everyone

2011-10-31T07:38:24+00:00

2011-10-31T07:38:24+00:00

My Little Creeper By Benger This was supposed to be a one shot, but then I got a great idea, what if it wasn’t? This fic is essentially a dark comedy, so take it lightly! It doesn’t take itself seriously, so why should you? Chapter 5: Reunion A light blue aura enveloped a diamond encrusted hair bush, slowly guiding it through a flowing motley pastel mane. The polished surface, reflected by the vanity mirror, caused Celestia to grimace as she was reminded of how garish it truly was. Her eyes only lingered on the implement for a second before she returned to her sorry appearance. While the princess tended to be a prime example of livelihood and health, her current state could be better described as weak and sickly. Celestia’s abnormally pail cheeks contrasted against the blue tinged puffiness surrounding her eyes and the dark streaks extending down from them. She found momentary enjoyment from the uselessness of the creams and lotions her staff provided, but soon was overtaken again with anguish. Over the past four days Celestia watched her dear Equestria crumble to just a handful of fortified bunkers in a sea of destruction. The wave of death reduced the large population centers such as Manehattan and Fillydelphia to nothing before she was aware of the enemy. The creepers then focused on smaller towns; Trottingham, Hoofington, and Ponyville were obliterated not long after. “Ponyville” she whispered to herself. Celestia drew on all of her strength to keep from crying again. Twilight had been in Ponyville. I could have warned her, she could have escaped Celestia thought to herself. No, I will not go down this path again. Ponyville was destroyed 3 days earlier; and Twilight was still missing. The trek to Canterlot took less than a day; considering Twilight had not surfaced yet, she was almost surely dead. “I must be strong, so my ponies can be strong” Celestia chanted quietly, banishing the thoughts of Twilight Sparkle’s demise. Back in control, she began to weave magic together. Extending from her horn, a shining white film covered her body, only to evaporate seconds later; leaving behind a physically rejuvenated princess. ~~~~ Celestia quickly exited her private chambers; she was already running late. Apparently somepony brought both a dragon and manticore into Canterlot; and the Head Constable wanted to use them as an example to the ever more unruly refugees. Celestia preferred using her power as an angel of mercy, but she understood that at times, justice is required to keep ponies in line. The offenders had been convicted and sentenced earlier that day by the military court that used to reside in Stalliongrad; Celestia was only necessary for the royal appeal that was held as a sacred right. A crier announced her arrival as Celestia entered the throne room, where the sentencing would be held. She noted how the throne room was mostly unchanged; the majority of her royal advisors and multiple lawyers were present. Celestia’s eyes were drawn to six ponies, standing a ways from the throne. Chained together in just about every way possible, they didn’t look nearly as menacing as the guards that flanked them. Their faces and cutie marks were covered, as was tradition; felons had to request permission to see the Princess. Celestia sat in her throne and grasped her gavel grasped firmly in telekinesis. She looked over at the Head Constable. He was one of those ponies that didn’t seem to age; he had looked old and worn before he took the post decades ago. He wore dull gray armor that complemented his bluish gray coat and his white mane. He’s a rigid stallion Celestia thought but dependable none the less. Celestia’s thoughts were banished as the charges were read aloud. “These six ponies have come to beseech Princess Celestia” the crier began. “Each once has been convicted of at least fourteen separate counts in the court of law. They have each been sentenced to the front line in the impending battle” The prosecuting lawyer smirked in pride over the conviction and sentencing. The Princess leaned over to speak to the Head Constable. “That sentence is quite harsh; it’s practically certain death.” The gruff guards pony was tired of this back and forth and simply did not respond Celestia brought her attention back to the crier just as he finished reading the crimes “And the pink one has also been convicted of one count of first degree criminal insanity and two counts of escaping legal incarceration.” The crier took a breath before he continued. “Princess Celestia, do you wish to hear these felons’ bid for clemency?” The crier asked with grace. Celestia did not want to see the faces or know the names of those she was surly going to send to certain death. It only makes my job harder she said to herself; even so, Celestia found herself unable to reject seeing the case. I’m never able to deny an appeal, am i? She thought . Reluctantly, Celestia put on the most convincing poker face she could muster. “I will hear the appeal”. A guards pony stood behind each of the offenders; the burlap sacks covering their faces and cutie marks were removed in unison. Celestia stood up as her eyes widened, her pupils dilated, and her jaw fell. The one pony Celestia never expected to be seeing now, or ever again for that matter, was standing right before her. Celestia stood frozen as thousands of thoughts vied for her attention until one finally bubbled to the surface. “My Twilight is alive” she said in a hushed whisper as drops began falling from her eyes. The magical facade hiding Celestia’s appearance fractured; all the emotions she had worked so hard to keep bottled in the pit of her stomach exploded outwards. The Sun Princess’s face contorted from countless sensations, shedding the last of her illusion as she galloped full speed towards her lost pupil. ~~~~ Seconds after seeing light for the first time in days, Twilight found herself in an embrace that shared many qualities with a tackle. Twilight blinked a few more times trying to get used to the light, but the pony hugging her began bawling before Twilight could see. “Twilight, Twilight” The Princess said in-between sobs “You, you’re alive! I can’t believe-” Celestia was cut off by a labored sob followed by a deep breath. “I was so scared, I thought I lost you!” Celestia took another breath, trying to regain some semblance of composure, before bursting out with another round of sobs “Don’t ever do that again! Twilight, promise me you will never scare me like that again!” Twilight couldn’t help but reciprocate her mentor’s embrace, burying her now teary face in Celestia’s mane. “I promise” she said softly. Celestia and Twilight tightened their embrace. ~~~~ Intermission ~~~~ The two ponies sat crying in the throne room for many minutes. Once their sobs subsided and they release their hug, they found the room mostly empty. “Where did everypony go?” Twilight asked aloud while wiping tears from her face. “They left, said somethin’ about givn royalty privacy or sumthin” AJ responded “we kinda couldn’t leave with the whole bein chained to Twilight an’ all.” Celestia looked over the plethora of chains that connected the six ponies. “I know it is a little overkill; they did it because Pinkie kept escaping. I told them that if Pinkie wanted to get out, she would get out; they didn’t listen.” Twilight said. Without a word a light glow emanated from Celestia’s horn; the chains took on the same hue the princess’ horn before exploding into millions of glittery pieces that dissolved before they hit the floor. “I hope that is better” The princess said with a smile. Rainbow Dash immediately launched off the floor, doing flips and summersaults in the air. “Awwww Ya! You do not know how much I missed flying!” she yelled “Do a barrel roll Dashie!” Pinkie Pie shouted; stomping her hooves as Rainbow complied. After watching the impromptu performance, Celestia turned back to her student. “I’m deeply sorry for how you have been treated, you must me tired.” Celestia then turned to the rest of the group “you must all be tired” she said so they could hear. Rarity was the first to respond. “Well yes, this is by far the longest I have ever gone without a bath, but I am far more worried about my darling sister Sweetie Bell. When we were arrested she was separated from me.” “Same with Applebloom” Applejack added “And I think they took that orange one too” Rainbow Dash yelled mid corkscrew. Celestia didn’t respond verbally, instead her horn lit up with a faint white glow. The Head Constable returned no more than 10 second later. “You called m’lady” “Yes, I have been told that my student and her party-” Rainbow quickly covered Pinkie’s mouth in an attempt to avoid an outburst “-had three fillies with them, where are they now?” The old pony rolled his eyes and started speaking in a monotone voice. “As is procedure, the fillies were taken to foal services and have been placed in foster care. It will take two-” The Head Constable’s explanation was cut off by an infuriated Applejack “You placed ma’h lil sister in what?! Me and Big Mac here are all she has left and you put her in FOSTER CARE!” Big Mac quickly stomped on Applejacks tail in an attempt to contain her. “I think what Applejack is trying is say is you should bring the three fillies here as quickly as possible” Twilight said to the Constable “Oh, and also can you bring Spike, the baby dragon?” Instead of responding to Twilight, the Head Constable turned to the Princess “Are you pardoning them? I can’t release the fillies, or the” he gulped “dragon into their custody otherwise”. “Yes, they are pardoned of all crimes” Celestia responded dismissively “Bring the fillies and Spike here as soon as possible” The Head constable bowed and began to head out as Pinkie escaped Rainbow’s grasp. “Don’t forget Fluffy!” she yelled to the Constable. “or Angel!” she added Celestia turned to the pink party pony. “Who are Angel and Fluffy?” “Oh, well Angel was Fluttershy’s bunny, and Fluffy is the Manticore.” Pinkie Pie said “Twilight” Celestia said sternly “You actually brought a manticore into the city! What were you thinking? I assumed this was a case of mistaken identity, but Twilight your guilty?” Twilight was taken aback by her mentor’s candor “But Fluffy is tame, he saved us! He wouldn’t hurt a parasite, let alone a pony.” The rest of the group nodded in agreement “That thing is a threat to everypony!” The Head Constable interjected “It took 20 guards to subdue him and five of them are now in the hospital” “That’s because you attacked him” Twilight shot back “If the guards hadn’t drawn swords in the first place, he wouldn’t have hurt anypony!” Celestia felt the shouting match was getting them nowhere. “Twilight are you absolutely certain Fluffy can be trusted?” she asked calmly “Yes” Twilight responded “OK I trust you, but he will be released under your care” Celestia told her student. Twilight responded with a nervous look. Understanding his orders, the Head Constable left. Once he was gone Celestia addressed Twilight and her group. “Hopefully, the rest will arrive shortly.” Celestia said. “As for me, I need to be in a meeting about tactics and strategy about ten minutes ago.” The second she mentioned the ongoing massacre, Twilight could see Celestia’s demeanor harden. “I’m going to leave you in the trusty hand of the palace staff, they will find you accommodations. After you have all rested up you, I would like to invite you to dinner in my private dining hall. Is that acceptable?” They all nodded in unison. “I will see you then” Celestia said as she exited the throne room, reapplying her illusion spell. ~~~~ “I still cannot believe they put me in a zoo, do you know how boring lizards are?” Spike questioned Twilight for what must have been the eleventy billionth time. Twilight shook her head; what’s wrong with you Twilight, eleventy billion isn’t a number, Pinkie must be rubbing off. The last few hours were supposed to be relaxing; Twilight was supposed to take a warm, soothing bath, and then a long nap. She should feel rejuvenated; Celesta did tell her to pamper herself. But instead, she spent the time listening to her loving, adoring, admiring and absolutely aggravating baby dragon. “I’ll tell you how boring lizards are” Spike said louder than was necessary. “Very! They do nothing, I would know, I tried talking to them. No response. They just blink!” Spike stopped talking. His face emptied of emotion, his eyes widened, blinking every few seconds in emulator of his recent cage-mates. “Do you know what it is like to get blinked at?” Spike asked Twilight, ending his impression. Twilight rolled her eyes. She was not surprised with Spike’s unhappiness with his recent imprisonment at the royal zoo. “And don’t think that being locked up with Gummy made it any easier! Pinkie’s alligator is no better that the rest of those scaily dimwits.” Don’t remind me Twilight thought. Somehow when the Head Constable returned with Spike, Fluffy, Angel and the three crusaders, he brought Gummy clamped on his tail. Pinkie was unable to add any insight to Gummy’s presence. “Umm... Wasn’t he always with us?” she responded to Twilights questioning. Under Rainbow Dash’s advice, Twilight abandoned the inquiry. “It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie” Twilgiht said to herself. Twilights thoughts wandered back to recent time off. Even with Spike’s constant complaining and Pinkie’s inconsistencies, Twilight did manage feel better. The room was most defiantly nicer than the cold chains and dark dungeons. And the bed, Twilight loved that bed. The pillows are probably filled with Pegasus down she reminisced. Twilight could almost hear the bed calling to her; it was nice to sleep in her old room again. As if on cue, Spike broke the daydream. “And I don’t even get it, how could they mistake me for a lizard!” Maybe he’ll stop this once Rarity arrives. Twilight sighed as the two entered Celestia’s private dining hall. ~~~~ In comparison to the scale of the palace’s other rooms, the dining hall was absolutely claustrophobic. It didn’t have the gargantuan heights, the wide open spaces, nor the flashy decorations that were commonplace throughout the castle. Instead the walls were bear, lined with a dark oak trim that matched the long table inhabiting the majority of the room. Even with the more down to earth appearance, the room still came off a regal. Twilight reminisced on many nights spent studying in the room with her mentor, bringing a warm smile to her face. Fluffy and Angel were already seated, deep in a pantomimic conversation when Spike and Twilight arrived, but it wasn’t long before everypony else began filling in. First Applejack and Big Mac arrived with Applebloom trailing close behind. The trio was followed by Sweetie Belle and Rarity, who had managed to return her mane and coat to their former sheen. A positively ecstatic orange filly hopped in, followed by an amused Rainbow Dash. It seems she is taking good care of Scootaloo Twilight smiled. The last members of the group to arrive were Pinkie Pie and Gummy. By the time Princess Celestia walked in, everypony was already seated, talking and laughing. Ponies dressed in Tuxedos brought food out only moments after the princess took her seat. “I hope you don’t mind” The head chef said “We won’t be having the normal six course meal that the palace normally serves”. The main course was placed in front of everypony, a delectable salad for the ponies, steamed carrots for Angel, hay fries and gems for Spike, and imitation meat for both Gummy and Fluffy. “Because of the food shortages Canterlot is facing, unnecessary food has been donated. I hope the meal is satisfactory” “yesh, ish is delishishs” Rainbow Dash said before swallowing her first bite. The chef bowed and walked out. ~~~~ While entertaining, the meal was uneventful. The spotlight was passed around as everypony helped tell the story of their recent adventures. After a filling meal and a healthy round of desserts, the table was cleared and Spike was sent to put the three fillies to sleep. “There is no reason those four should have to hear this.” Celestia pulled out a worn map and spread it over the table. “This is a map of Canterlot and the surrounding area.” The Princess began. “As you are all aware, we are situated on a cliff. There is only one way for the creepers to come up here en-mass, and the trader’s ramp is being demolished as we speak.” Celestia paused so that her words could sink in. “As a fortress, Canterlot is impenetrable.” The Princesses brave face turned sour. “But we will not last a week.” “Canterlot can only store enough food for 6 days; and that is with proper rationing” Celestia continued. “Quite simply, the spells keeping the creeper horde at bay will fail in another 36 hours. If they cannot be destroyed, our fortifications will not matter. With them populating the lands on the valley floor, we will be completely cut off from food.” Celestia took a breath before continuing. “This task looks slightly easier now that Fluffy has shown they can be killed, although the story of their spontaneous spawning is worrisome.” Celestia surveyed her audience; they were hanging on her every word. “You have all done more than I could possibly ask for Equestria and suffered so much more than is right. But I beseech you, and ask you to do more.” Celestia looked at the six ponies; each one different and special. No pony hesitated. Just as I thought. Celestia smiled. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia cut her off. “No Twilight, I am not asking you to use the Elements of Harmony” Celestia said with a chuckle. “Besides, it would be useless. No, you are all very special in your own right; I am asking you to use your talents to aid us.” Celestia addressed the Mantocore before questions could be asked. “Fluffy, you have already shown you can best a Creeper, I assign you to the palace guard.” At the mention of his name, the manticore’s ears perked up. “You will be our last line of defense, guarding the foals, fillies, and colts unable to fight for themselves” Fluffy nodded in acceptance of his role. “Applejack” Celestia said, catching the farm pony by surprise. “I assign you to the Bucking Brigade” “The what?” Applejack stammered Celestia smiled and said “Just trust me, it is right up your alley” before turning to face Applejack’s brother “Big Mac, we have been looking for some good stallions to be lieutenants to guide the maneuvers on the valley floor, are you up to the job?” The red stallion responded with an exaggerated nod of his head and a concise “Eeyup” Celestia paused and took a second to look at the four remaining mares. “Rainbow Dash, I am sure you will be happy. The Wonderbolts have been put in charge of a small areal strike force, and are looking for fast, capable flyers.” Celestia said with a sly look. “Interested?” Dash’s eyes bulged as she strained to suppress a fan-filly squeal. “Rarity” The fashionesta’s poise and posture visibly straightened as she was addressed. “How would you like to lend your expertise with gems to the light cannon teams?” Rarity’s eyes sparkled with delight. It was well known that many of Equestria’s largest gems were used in the weapons, channeling the magic from a unicorn’s horn into a blinding light. “Pinkie Pie” Celestia seemed to tense up as she said the name. “Your… unique way of looking at the world leads you to many… creative innovation. I think you could be useful at R&D. Just don’t blow anything up.” Surprisingly, the pink pony just nodded. Celestia turned to face her student “And Twilight Sparkle, did you know that nopony alive today is suitably versed in the art of war? It’s not surprising considering there hasn’t been a proper one in far longer then I care to remember. In fact, when I reviewed the Canterlot University records, I was surprised to find that the only pony to even minor in large scale combat tactics in the last two millennia was a one Miss. Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight want to defend her decision. She wanted to tell Celestia that it was a minor interest; one of 27 minors and 14 majors she graduated with. But the princess never gave her a chance. “Twilight, this actually makes you the single most qualified pony in all of Equestria to lead us into battle. Effective immediately, I am promoting you to General of the Equestrian army.” Twilight felt like a little filly again, she just managed to stammer out a “wha, what?” as a response. Princess Celestia just smiled at her student’s confusing before changing her tone, addressing the whole table. “Your assignments have already been notified that you will join them. I suggest you all get to bed; wakeup in the equestrian army is 6:00 AM.” Celestia frowned as the group began leaving. How can I send these ponies to war? She asked herself ~~~~ As her friends were leaving, the Princess motioned to Twilight to stay. Twilight immediately broke down. “I, I don’t know if I can do this, General? I don’t know how to be a General! And…” The Princess quieted Twilight, “Don’t worry” The Princess began, “I will be with you every step of the way.” Celestia nuzzled Twilight. Twilight nodded, not very sure of herself, but feeling better. “I would not chose you if I didn’t have the utmost confidence” Celestia said softly. “But there is more I need to tell you.” Twilight responded by looking up at Celestia, A look that the Princess recognized from the pony’s entrance exam. “Have you heard of battle Magic?” Celestia asked. Twilight nodded “I have come across a few references, but as far as I could ever tell, it was lost long ago.” Celestia smirked. “Not completely lost” ~~~~ Twilight looked out over the balcony. She was honestly impressed with the work they had accomplished in one day. She watched the Pegasi flying overhead and the archers scurrying across the ramparts. “I just hope we are ready” She said aloud “I think we are” Celestia responded. Twilight tried to smile. She was standing with her beloved mentor on the highest point in Canter. She could see across the plains where ponies were working, each a gear or cog in Equestria’s war machine. My war machine she thought. She was not sure how she felt about that. Twilight was wearing silver armor that looked as if it reflected the moon; Celestia had given it to her the night of their dinner. “I want you to wear this” Celestia told her. “Long ago, when Luna and I were fillies, she wore this into battle. It’s not normal armor. See the etching?” Twilight nodded “Those markings will help you tap into your own powers; you can use the whole piece as an implement of your magic. No longer will you be restricted to just your horn.” At first the explanation was unnerving, but there was no question, the armor really did work. Twilight focused her gaze out on the horizon. She could just barely make out a rainbow barreling toward Canterlot. She knew what I meant. It was the areal force signaling the approach of the enemy. “Now is the time, in the lull before battle, when the general customarily speaks to her troops.” Celestia said in Twilights ear. “Do I have too?” Twilight pleaded Celestia gave her a stern but loving look. Twilight gulped. She ignited her horn, amplifying her voice, as she began to speak. “Um, hi” She giggled nervously. Her voice boomed across the city. “I’m uh, General Twilight Sparkle and uh” Twilight looked around. She needed something to say, something that would inspire them. “Tell them how you got here” Celestia whispered “I had a friend” Twilight began. “A best friend” she looked over at Celestia, who smiled back. “One of the best friends a pony could have ever had.” Twilight took a difficult breath. “Six days ago something happened. She approached a creature did not know, tried to befriend it in an act of kindness and became a victim, the first victim.” Twilight’s confidence was returning. “She died because she was kind to something that can never understand kindness.” As she paused, Twilight realized that the only sound for miles was her voice. “Fluttershy may be gone, but she is not forgotten. She is not forgotten because we are still here. These monsters have taken so much; friends families, livelihoods. They destroyed whole towns and cities in their wake. Young or old, Mare or stallion, filly or colt; the things don’t care, they live to destroy and honestly, they have taken more then we I can bare. If they are stopped now, if we are able to stop them now, maybe our great-grandchildren will see an Equestria not obviously ravaged by war. Twilight took a breath, her speech was becoming depressing. If we don’t fight, if we don’t win, not even our great grandchildren will get that chance. We are standing our ground for our future; because we have something to live for. Because without us to remember, nopony will know that we ever existed.” Twilight paused to dry her watering eyes. “We are here for Equestria, for Canterlot, for those who have fallen and cannot stand beside us, and for those who have not yet had the chance“ Twilight could hear cheering welling up all around her. “We are here for hope!” “For the past!” “For the future!” At this point Twilight did not know what to say, so she said the first thing that came to her mind. “For Fluttershy!” Suddenly a wall of sound hit her, a single thought of thousands of voices all repeating her words back at her; coming in every pitch from every direction. Yet the words were perfectly clear. “FOR FLUTTERSHY!” As the cacophony subsided, cheering could be heard throughout the capital city Twilight’s horn relinquished its glow. “For Fluttershy” Twilight whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. Author’s Notes Sorry this took a while, writing this chapter was hard. I originally planed on having pinkie break the group out of jail (that did not work well). It took a while to figure out how I wanted to continue it. Also, I know then ending is kinda cheesy, don’t complain. The "My Little Creeper" image is by sonderjen (sonderjen.deviantart.com/) and is used with his permission I do not own My little Pony, any of the characters, or Minecraft. Please support the official releases.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2011-12-18T17:54:28+00:00

2016-12-12T04:09:26+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. If you’re not familiar with either series, check them out on Youtube; you’ll be pleasantly surprised with both. Thoughts are in italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 1: The Night Humanity Died Rejection-she knew that feeling all too well; starting with the lonely nights tending to the moon and stars. She worked so hard to adorn her beautiful ebony sky. She was the seamstress. The sky was her dress, the moon was a pendant, and the stars were diamond studs that bestowed upon her garments a dignified radiance. It was that subtle elegance that she always strive for. But for all the good it did her, nopony would bother to admire her masterpiece. They wouldn't even bothered to strain their necks to look up let alone stay awake and enjoy her night. It was her sister that they loved and adored. It was her sister that brought out the sun. Her elder sister always outshine everpony. Her sister was the center of attention. It was the sister that they loved and not her. One night she refused to lower her moon to make way for that gaudy sun. The elder sister demanded that she'd step aside and let her shine, but she stood her ground. In that instant, she felt stronger than she ever had. She grew in statute and grace and towered over the vain, elder sister. The little coward fled from her greatness. For days, there was no sun, only her beautiful night, but then her sister came back. Rather than face the younger sister she slighted with her own strength, the craven elder sister came armed with ancient magics stronger than either of them and banished her to her moon. There, she slept for ten centuries with only nightmares as her only source of companionship, but the stars, her stars, could not bear to be without their master. They freed her from her prison, and she turned the tables on the elder sister trapping her inside her own sun. May she burn there for all of eternity! Unfortunately, she wouldn't even have the satisfaction of keeping her imprisoned for even a full day. The elder sister had a millennium to scheme her way out of her well-deserved punishment. She arranged to have six of her subjects find and use the very same ancient magic that trapped her in the first place, but the magic wounded her far worse than before. And that wound was the ultimate rejection she ever faced. No, I don’t want you anymore. I want to be good. Don’t be a foal! What has, as you call it, being ‘good’ has gotten you? Nothing but thousands of years of loneliness, and you want to go back to that? I don’t want to be you anymore. Leave me alone. I miss my big sister. You can’t leave me. You and I are one in the same. I am you. I’M NOT YOU! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE! She was ripped in half. One part of her remained in her elder sister’s kingdom. The other part was flung through the "space" between the various realms of existence. How pathetic! She is rejected once again, but this time by the better part of her. No! That scared little foal isn’t the better half. She was! She was her strength. She was the fire of her wants and passions. Her other half was just like them: ungrateful; snubbing her after all she has done. As always, she was rejected: by her elder sister out of jealousy of her superior magic, by the other ponies bewitched by her sister’s shallow, superficial beauty, and, finally, by the timid little foal that used to be a part of her. For days she wandered the realms of existence aimlessly until she came across a world inhabited by strange creatures, the likes of which she'd never seen before. They were misshapen, ape-like but uglier than the primates that lived in her elder sister’s royal garden. They had no fur except for a patch on their heads. The hairless apes covered up most their body in clothing. How can they stand to wear so much of it all the time? They walked on their hind legs and used their forelegs to manipulate objects and fashioned devices of all sorts with them. It was painful just to watch them move about, but they didn’t seem to mind at all. Or perhaps they do. The hairless apes rode in carriages that could move about on their own. There was a group of these carriages zooming along a track in single file like a giant metal snake. She then heard a roar above her. It wasn’t thunder, but rather, a massive bird flying overhead. She floated up till she was close enough to see that it too was made of metal and carried within it more hairless apes. It was then that she decided to stay in this realm and watch these creatures from the shadows and see what they were really like. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hovering just above the horizon, the full moon dominated the cloudless skyline and illuminated the land in a glowing haze. The Sea of Japan was like liquid obsidian, pitch black but with a luster that made it as reflective as any polished mirror. Towering metal giants rolled along the water’s edge. They were roughly humanoid in shape, but instead of the organic flow of the human form, their body parts were angular. The limbs were a pair of prisms held together by joints and latched onto a torso that was also composed of a series of prisms, one overlapping the other. The head of each of the machines was elongated, and they carried metal shapes with tubes sticking out of them in their hands. However, one of them did stand out from the others. It was red in color which was a contrast from the other dark gray machines and was more organic in design, save for the right arm. It was silver in color and was longer than the left. This machine was second in the lead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ While exploring the harbor, she came across what appeared to be giant-sized versions of the hairless apes. While in mist form, she concealed herself within the shadows and watched the metal figures go by. She focused her senses on them. Amazing, she thought. What odd magic these hairless apes possess! They are able to breathe life into metal statues! She could sense the life force of a hairless ape within each of the living iron sculptures, but there was something else inside of them. It must be the magic itself, contained within the heart of these metal statues. Just observing the magic at work from a distance caused her mist form to ripple from the intensity. She began to wonder what the hairless apes were up to. They intrigued her enough that she followed them just far enough to keep them in her sights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zero, the mysterious leader of the terrorist organization known as the Black Knights, glanced over a topographical map in a reduced window on the cockpit monitor. Though known to the world as Zero, he was, in actually, Lelouch Lamperouge, Britannian high school student; and even this was an alias to hide his true identity-Lelouch vi Britannia, exiled prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. Lelouch divided his attention between piloting his Burai Knightmare Frame and finalizing his attack strategy. “Zero,” a voice called over the radio, “are you sure this is a good idea?” “Why so nervous, Ohgi?” Lelouch said slyly. “It’s just that this part of the shoreline has some pretty steep cliffs.” “And the passage between those cliffs and the water would be the perfect location for an ambush, right?” “That’s what I was thinking.” “That’s very astute, Ohgi. You must be aware of my plans.” “What plans?” Lelouch changed channels. “Kallen, take lead, and, when the Britannians attack, fire your radiant wave surger into the water.” “Understood,” a woman’s voice said on the comm. link. The red Knightmare Frame, known as the Guren Mark II, pulled ahead. “Zero, what’s going on?” “I gave an anonymous tip to the Viceroy telling her we were coming.” “YOU WHAT!” “Just be ready to follow my lead, and we’ll turn the Viceroy’s own ambush against her.” In another Burai, Kaname Ohgi slammed a fist against the cockpit wall. Damn Zero, he did it again. Sometimes Ohgi would ponder whether Zero was some sort of egomaniac that got his kicks from rescuing the Black Knights from certain death or that he was so brilliant it just seemed that way, and he just wasn’t bright enough to pick up on it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As she tagged behind the living statues, she could sense the same magic as before, but on steep cliffs along the shoreline. She rose up and saw more of the animated statues. They had a similar blocky appearance, but their skin was a purple tone. They didn’t have the elongated head like the others. They adorned dark grey capes and carried oversize lances along with those odd-looking tubes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cornelia Le Britannia, Viceroy of Area 11, couldn’t contain her glee and cracked a smile. At the foot of the cliffs were the Black Knights riding their Burais along the strip of land between the cliffs and the sea. She narrowed in on the lead Frame but frowned upon seeing that it was the custom Knightmare that killed Jeremiah and almost ended her life as well. She wanted payback, but that Knightmare Frame wasn’t her primary objective. She zoomed out and examined the formation. “Not leading your troops into battle? That’s so unlike you,” she whispered. “Are you losing your nerve, Zero?” She turned on her comm. link. “Your sources proved to be accurate.” “I’m afraid you give me undue credit, mi lady,” a deep male voice replied. “Nonsense, I’ll see to it that you're rewarded handsomely for Zero’s capture, Darlton.” “Thank you, mi lady.” “When I give the order, open fire at both sides of the formation and herd them together. They’ll be too tightly packed to use all their firepower. The only option for them is either to drown in the ocean or to be mowed down by our Gloucesters.” “Yes my lord,” said numerous voices on the comm. link. Cornelia adjusted her video camera at a wide angle. The Burai formation was coming up to a narrow point on the beach. When the center of the formation was about to cross the narrow point, she cried out, “Fire!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The rumble of thunder came out of nowhere and startled her. Smoke and fire was coming from the top of the cliff and striking down on the metal statues along the beach. Savages! That’s what they are! Savages! They’re like foals playing with fire, and just like foals playing with fire, they destroy everything around them. Look at them fighting amongst themselves. Even at their worst, her subjects never acted in such a deplorable manner. Even when they had conflicts with herds from different species, they scarcely shed blood, but these hairless apes can’t even live in peace with each other. The red statue on the beach lowered its right paw into the bay. The water along the coast boiled like the iron cauldron in the castle's main hearth. Steam spread along the shoreline obscuring everything. One of the other gray statues waded into the water till it was knee deep, but then it stepped on something just below the water line. The others followed it and also found the high point under the water. Then wheels on the statue’s feet came to life, and the metal monstrosity zipped across leading a trail of sea spray behind them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Cornelia, you fool!” Lelouch gloated to himself. “You’ve only been in Area 11 but for a few months, while I have lived here for half of my life. And because of that, I know about the remains of the old Edo-period cobblestone dock and you don’t. It won’t show up on any of your maps because it’s submerged under water, but during low tides, the water level drops so much that a person can barely get their ankles wet. It’s the perfect escape route out of your ambush.” “Black Knights,” Lelouch called out, “follow my lead. When we reach the shore, go into a V-formation. We’ll smash through Viceroy Cornelia’s flank.” The Black Knights, when they reached the shore, did as Zero commanded and formed a V-formation with Zero’s Burai taking lead. They followed Zero to a point in the cliffs with a shallow slope. When reaching the top, the Burais doubled back and headed straight for the Viceroy’s forces. “Now, Black Knights, open fire. Make sure not to kill the Viceroy. I want her alive." The Gloucesters were being barraged by a hailstorm of armor-piecing rounds. The projectiles slammed into the outermost Britannian Knightmare Frame ripping holes through the armored vehicles. One of them exploded when a round penetrated its energy filler. The explosion knocked over the Gloucester that had the misfortune of standing beside it at that moment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As the fighting intensified, the energy emulating from their metal statues seem to grow in intensity. She felt an even stronger connection to it. The power was at its strongest when the red statue grabbed one of the others with its right arm. The other statue’s skin bumbled up as though it was inflicted with boils and burst from within. At that point, she felt as though she could steal it away from these barbarians and make it her own. She reached out and touched the power within the statues; and in reaching out, she felt the magic all around: inside the poniless carriages, inside the giant flying birds, inside the metal serpent slivering along the tracks. That wasn’t all. There was a vast supply underneath the ground, far more than what was on the surface. She marshaled the energy permeating the land and gathered it into herself. Yes, she could take it from them. She would make better use of it and claim this planet for herself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ She was within his sights. Viceroy Cornelia, his half-sister, was right in front him, inside her custom Gloucester in a hand-to-hand fight against one of the Black Knights’ Burai. Once Cornelia is captured, he will force her to reveal who was responsible for killing his mother, Empress Marianne vi Britannia, and crippling his sister, Nunnally. Once he’s done with Cornelia, Lelouch will avenge them both. He aimed for the legs in order to assure Cornelia lives long enough to answer his questions. Lelouch locked on the Gloucester’s knees and...then the Knightmare Frame's power system went offline. The monitor shut off. The hum of the energy filler died down. The emergency lights were the only illumination inside the cockpit. “What the hell!” Lelouch shouted. He squeezed the trigger on the stick control repeatedly. “Dammit! Not now! Not when she’s within arm’s reach!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No! She didn’t want to rule a land with these vile creatures. She wanted ponies to rule, not ugly, bloodthirsty apes. She could never imagine herself tolerating such a cantankerous species, or maybe she wouldn’t have to. There was so much magical energy available to her. It would be a shame not to use it and rid this land of ugly, hairless primates. She then concentrated on the apes that were, a moment ago, fighting each other. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Lelouch fiddled with the controls in an attempt to get the power running, a sharp pain traveled through his whole body. It was as though his Burai caught on fire and he was burning alive. Lelouch was having a seizure. He could feel his limbs being compressed. His face was being pulled outward, especially around his mouth. The helmet and faceplate that concealed his identity felt like a medieval torture device. Something inside the mask was pressing against his forehead and was threatening to punch through his skull. The pressure was like a migraine magnified tenfold. Lelouch fought to regain control over his body and against the convulsions. He mustered just enough motor control to reach behind and slip off the helmet but, for some unknown reason, couldn’t open his hands to press the release mechanism. Lelouch panicked and kept hitting the back of the helmet until the release was triggered. The mask slipped off and tumbled into the floorboard. Then Lelouch caught sight of a transparent figure on his monitor. It had an elongated face covered in dark purple fur and had a solitary horn running from its forehead. He would have screamed in terror if he wasn’t already screaming in agony. Were the legends about one-horned ogres true? Was his Knightmare Frame possessed by an oni? After, what seemed like eternity, the pain subsided. Lelouch slumped over against the cockpit and panted heavily. The ordeal took a lot out of Lelouch. He wanted just to lay them and rest, but he couldn’t, not with his troops still engaged with the enemy. He forced himself up. It was then that he noticed that his clothes no longer fit. His suit was bulging out and his sleeves and pant legs hung lose as though he was a quadruple amputee. Lelouch struggled against his clothes. Did he lose his arms? His legs? What happened to his body? Those questions ran through Lelouch’s mind as he struggled to take off his clothes. When he was finally freed from the Zero costume, Lelouch stared in horror at his arms. They were only half as long, covered in purple fur, and ended, not with hands and fingers, but with hooves. It was then he realized the figure in the monitor wasn’t some supernatural apparition; it was his own reflection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ She was rather pleased with her workmanship. Her test subjects have worked out splendidly. She had taken away their malformed ape bodies and gave them beautiful pony bodies. She then directed her magic at the primates in the city. It didn’t take long to turn the millions of inhabitants into ponies, and there was still some magic left to spare. Then she had an epiphany. She flew up into the outer edge of the atmosphere. From the new vantage point, she could sense the same magic throughout the entire planet. Yes! She will turn all the ugly apes into beautiful ponies. And she will rule them all. As ponies, they will no longer need to fight. They will be as one herd under her control...And they will learn to love her for it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch stared in horror at the image reflected off the dark, glistening monitor and frantically shook his head in disbelief. He was no longer human. Instead, his mind and soul was now trapped inside some sort of horse-like beast. “Why, God, why! Why is this happening to me?” Lelouch screamed as he repeatedly hit the control panel. Suddenly, the realization that he was still in a battle crossed his mind. Lelouch's only option was to evacuate his Burai. He hit the emergency release button. In case of a power outage, all Knightmare Frames have an auxiliary power source for secondary systems. Once the cockpit opened, Lelouch examined the battlefield. It was completely silent except for the sound of waves crashing into the cliffs. There was no light except for the full moon, which had risen to a 30 degree angle in the sky. Then he heard other cockpits opening around him. What came out wasn’t human. The pilots of both the Gloucesters and Burais were also turned into ponies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One moment, Cornelia was in hand-to-hand combat with an enemy Knightmare. The next, her power supply died out, and she was being tortured by some unseen force, and now her body has been twisted into this pathetic form. Cornelia was completely naked. Just like Lelouch, her clothes no longer fit her new body. When her cockpit opened, Cornelia's first instinct was to cover her bare chest out of a need for modesty, but then it occurred to her it was unnecessary. Mares don't have breasts-their mammary glands were on the lower portion of their body. “Viceroy!” It was Guilford, Cornelia’s personal knight and champion. “Are you alright?” She heard the voice underneath her Knightmare Frame. Cornelia awkwardly placed a hind hoof into the foot restraint for the pilot tow line used to lift the pilot from the ground to the cockpit. Like the cockpit, it was designed to be operated without power from the Yggdrasil Drive. She stood up on her hind legs as best as she could and bit into the tow line. It was difficult to hold that pose as her back muscles and spine’s natural posture was horizontal. She was lowered gently to the ground. When she made it down, Cornelia could see that Guilford had a light blue coat of fur and a solid black mane tied in a ponytail. He also has some sort of blotch on his hind quarter, but Cornelia couldn’t quite make out what it was in the dark. Guilford bowed before Cornelia. “Mi lady, please forgive me for allowing this travesty to happen to you.” Cornelia was bombarded with thoughts all focused on a very bleak future. How can we go back to the homeland looking like this? What if they send us to a lab and dissected us? Father would never allow...no, don’t kid yourself, the Emperor would show us no mercy, and in this form, I would be an embarrassment to the royal family...unless I capture Zero. If I can bring Zero to justice, I might garner enough sympathy that they’ll spare our lives or even try to find a way to turn us back to normal. “Quit groveling, Guilford. We have a battle to finish.” “But your majesty, in this form...” “You’re a soldier of Britannia. Use your bare hands if you have to. Your orders haven’t change. Eliminate the Black Knights and capture Zero.” “Yes, my lord.” Guilford called out to the other Britannia soldiers. “You heard the Viceroy. Continue pressing the enemy.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch manage to lower himself safely to the ground. He wore the only articles of clothing that still fits: his Zero cape and the black mask worn underneath the Zero helmet that covered his face from the nose down. He watched the other Knightmare pilots repel down from their cockpits when he heard Cornelia give the order to attack. It was tempting to finish this battle once and for all, but if reinforcements came, they would be powerless to defend themselves. Lelouch imaged the horror of his Black Knights trying in vain to outrun Britannian Knightmare Frames. He could see, in his mind’s eye, his comrades-in-arms being mowed down by anti-personnel fire. “Black Knights, retreat!” He ordered. The Black Knights knew their fallback position. The old underground subway system that fell out of use after the invasion branched out across Japan in an underground web and had hidden entrances dotting all of Tokyo. The nearest one was ten-minutes away...in a Knightmare. Going there on foot was another matter, but it was the only option left opened to them. Lelouch’s forces hastened back towards the Tokyo settlements, all except for one. Though his appearance changed, Lelouch knew who was assigned to that particular Burai. “Miharu, it’s too late to come down,” Lelouch screamed. “Stay where you are until we can come back for you?” Miharu was a new recruit from Okinawa who left home to fight against Britannia. This was his first time in combat. Unlike his battle hardened compatriots, Miharu let fear get the better of him. He hesitated before evacuating his cockpit. Miharu further compounded his mistake and lowered himself down as a group of Britannian soldiers rushed him. In a panic, Miharu tried to flee. A pair of wings unfolded from his sides as he ran. Whether he could fly or not, Lelouch would never know. Before Miharu had a chance to use them, the Britannians tackled him. Lelouch couldn’t think clearly. He knew Miharu didn’t stand a chance. He started to activate his Geass when he realized that there were too many of them to make use of his power. He didn’t even know if his powers still worked. It was then something yanked on Lelouch’s cape. A pony with a thick, puffy mane bit the end his cape and was tugging on it. “Zero, we can’t help Miharu. We have to escape.” Lelouch recognized the voice. It was Ohgi. “They’re coming for us next.” Some of the Britannian soldiers were galloping towards them. Zero and Ohgi fled and left Miharu to his fate. The Britannians were kicking Miharu to death. Their hooves were covered in blood. Finally, the mob stepped aside for a Britannian with a horn and watched as she drove it between the new recruit’s ribs. Miharu screamed out in pain. Blood spewed from his mouth, and, after drawing one last breath, he expired. The Britannian that delivered the killing blow was Cornelia herself. Her white coat and hot pink hair was stained in blood till her face and horn were dark red. “Quit wasting your time on this cannon fodder,” Cornelia sneered. “Concentrate on capturing Zero.” “Yes, my lord,” the Britannian soldiers said in unison. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was amazing. For all of his life, Lelouch was physically underwhelming. He was dead last in sports and couldn’t even power walk a 200-meter dash without getting short-winded. But here he was running faster and with greater endurance than he ever had in his life. Even Suzaku would be hard pressed to keep up with him, at least went it came to stamina. Because he and the other Black Knights were more familiar with the terrain than Cornelia’s special regiment, they were almost guaranteed an escape, but then he noticed that he was lagging behind the others. Lelouch pressed forward and sped up, but it wasn't enough. The gap between him and the other Black Knights was widening. Lungs burned; muscles ached. Lelouch’s staying power was still sub par; in as much as everyone else’s physical attributes were multiplied as well, which meant he was still, physically, the weakest member of the Black Knights. Lelouch yanked off his mask and gasped for air. But how was he able to pull it off his face? He didn’t stop and use his hands...no, his fore hooves...to pull it down. Yet, Lelouch could feel himself taking hold of the mask. This wasn't the time to dwell on these little details. Lelouch had to reach the fallback position or forfeit his life. Not far behind were the Britannians. They were gaining on Lelouch and would soon do to him what they did to Miharu. Lelouch knew he had no other choice but to face his pursuers. Fortunately, for him, these particularly fleet footed Britannians were running ahead of the main group, and because their attentions were focused solely on him, Lelouch knew he could make eye contact with all of them at one time. “There he is,” yelled one of the Britannians. “You’ll pay for turning us into horses, you bastard,” another one cursed. Lelouch, as melodramatic as always, covered his left eye with his right fore hoof and jerked it back revealing the bird-like symbol of Geass glowing to life in his left eye. “Lelouch vi Britannia, commands you,” said Lelouch, “to die.” Lelouch’s pursuers stopped in their tracks and stared with glassy, emotionless expressions. “Yes my lord,” they said in unison. With the power of Geass, no one is able to resist Lelouch’s will, which was evidence as the Britannians ran toward the edge of a cliff and leaped to their death. “At least that still works,” Lelouch said. The outcast Britannian prince could hear more hooves running in his direction. This wasn't the time to bask in the glow of his minor victory. Lelouch forced himself to run despite his growing fatigue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My mother! I have to get back to her! It was all Kallen could think about. Her mother was being cared for in a Britannian prison hospital after falling into a drug-induced coma. Kallen tried not to think about her enduring the same torment, but the mental images of her body twisting out of shape, screaming in agony and still at the mercy of the Britannians would not leave her in peace. “Stop dragging your feet and hurry!” She snapped at the others. The rest of the Black Knights were on the verge of passing out from exhaustion while Kallen was still going strong. In fact, she wasn’t even breathing hard. Kallen was holding back to for the other Black Knights to keep up with her. “Slow down Kallen,” A pale blue horned pony with a red spiky mane and a bit of a stubble on his chin cried out in Tamaki’s voice. “Oh now what!” Kallen yelled. “Where’s Zero?” Tamaki asked. "I don’t see him anywhere.” Kallen came to a complete stop and did a 180 turn with the others stopping as well. “He’s right behind me," Ohgi said as turned and pointed but only to find Zero missing. “What the hell happened to Zero, man?” Tamaki panicked. “I can’t believe you left him behind.” “I thought he was right behind me!” “Never mind that! We have to save Zero.” Kallen then unfolded a pair of wings from her sides. The feathers were the same shade of green as Kallen’s coat of fur. “Can those thing...” Ohgi stuttered. “I’m about to find out.” Kallen ran at top speed and flapped her new pair of wings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “There he is,” Cornelia said to her soldiers. They shifted a few degrees to the left heading straight for the fleeing Zero. The most wanted man in Area 11 was just within eyesight. He was running, but unlike the others, his movements were sluggish. His gasps for air were loud enough to be heard by the pursuing Britannians. “Don’t tell me you’re tired already? I’d never imagined the great Zero was so feeble.” Cornelia chuckled when she heard Zero grunting at her. “Must have touched a nerve,” she gloated. Cornelia’s heart raced in anticipation of capturing Britannia’s most wanted terrorist. She sped up. Her subordinates followed suit and were rapidly closing the distance between them. They were only seconds away from capturing Zero once and for all when something buzzed overhead and caused them to stop in their tracks and ducked for cover. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen flew through the air at speeds that could rival any mass-produced Knightmare Frame as she backtracked along the escape route, but she flew too fast and shot pass Zero. Kallen made a hard 180 degree turn and barnstormed over the Britannians almost grazing them. She then landed or, should it be said, made a pathetic attempt at landing. Her legs couldn’t keep up with her flight speed. Kallen lost her footing and tumbled right into Zero. It sounded like a running back getting sacked while going wide open by a tackle at full speed. Fortunately, the Black Knights’ leader veered his head just enough to avoid skewering Kallen with his horn. Lelouch was in a daze. A sharp throbbing pain went off in his skull. It was only when Lelouch shook off the effects did he notice that Kallen was on his back. Her forelegs were wrapped around his neck and hind legs around his midsection. What Lelouch didn’t feel was the ground underneath his hooves. They were suspended in mid-air, just out of reach of the Britannians. They leaped up trying to knock Lelouch out of Kallen’s grip. The Britannians with wings came the closest. They got a few extra feet by flapping but always missing by just inches. Kallen was trying in vain to fly away but the added weight was too much. The mob below shadowed them, waiting for Kallen and Zero to land. “The cliffs,” Lelouch yelled, “head for the cliffs!” “My wings are about to give out. I can’t risk flying off the cliffs.” “Don’t trying flying. All we need is a controlled fall.” “I get it.” Kallen struggled to fly pass the edge of the cliff. She slowly lost altitude and floated to the beach below. The Britannians watched in frustration as their prize escaped them yet again. A Britannian stallion with light brown hair, an apricot coat, and a deep scar across his face backed away from the others. “Step aside,” he said, “I’m going after them.” He took a deep breath and tried to steady his trembling legs. He then stretched out his wings. Cornelia stepped in front of him. “Don’t risk it Darlton,” She ordered. “It’s too dangerous. Even if you made it, Zero’s forces could be nearby. You’d be outnumbered, and we wouldn’t be able to come to your aid.” Darlton relaxed, tucked away his wings, and let the tension in his muscle ease up. Guilford peered along the side of the cliff and saw something on the far left. He hastened along the edge until he was close enough to see it. “Viceroy,” Guilford called out. “It’s Jefferies and the others who ran ahead of us.” The Britannians ran to Guilford and looked down and saw a pile of ponies at the foot of the cliff. The ground where their broken bodies laid was stained in blood. A fifth one was seen floating in the water. From the trail of blood, it appeared he survived the fall just long enough to drag himself into the water where he drowned. “Are you sure it was them?” Cornelia asked. “Yes, mi lady,” Guilford answered, “Jefferies’ group consisted of three...normal...ponies, four winged ponies, and two horned ponies, mi lady. But why would they leap to their deaths? Didn’t the winged ones at least tried to fly?” “I can’t believe men from my unit would commit suicide in the middle of a battle,” Darlton said in disgust. “They should know soldiers fight when ordered, no matter the condition of their bodies.” “No Darlton,” said Cornelia, “the suicide pacts started awhile back, about the time Zero showed up. There’s something about that bastard that induces insanity in our men.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen and Lelouch made it to the hidden entrance to the subway station. The passageway was concealed under fake shrubbery attached to an automatic door. Lelouch nudged a rock out of the way. Beneath it was a security keypad. Lelouch punched the numbers with his horn. 1, 0, 2, 5, 0, 3, 1, 1, 2, 2, 8, and finally 0, but nothing happened. “Nothing seems to be going out way tonight,” Kallen sighed. It was then the door was forced open from the inside. They were greeted by the rest of the Black Knights. One of the regular ponies, a male with a dark brown mane and beige fur spoke up. “Kallen, Zero, are you okay,” Zero could tell it was Yoshida by the voice. Also, they all kept the same hair color and style or a close proximity to it. “Aside from being turned into a hoofed-mammal, about as well as expected,” Zero said. Yoshida’s frown was an indication that Lelouch’s dry wit wasn’t welcomed at this time. Ohgi crept out of the entrance. “Um...Zero...look I’m sorry about leaving you behind.” “No need to apologize, I’m not exactly the model of physical fitness. Besides, we have more pressing manners. Let’s get out of the open before we’re spotted.” The last Black Knight to enter the passageway shut the door behind him. The tunnel went completely dark. “Don’t tell me-the generators are out,” Zero huffed. “Afraid so,” Ohgi replied, “but we have another source of light. Tamaki?” “Why me?” Tamaki griped. “Because you’re the only one who can?” “But Minami has a horn too?” “But yours is the only one that works?” “Oh alright,” Tamaki whined. It was then Tamaki’s horn glowed bright white and illuminated the murky tunnel. “But you better not get used to this." “Yeah, whatever Tamaki,” Kallen said. “Just hurry up. We have to get back to Tokyo ASAP.” “What are you in such a hurry, Kallen?” Tamaki asked. “Quit being so damn nosy.” “I was just asking.” “And now I’m telling. So quit wasting time.” “That’s enough out of both you!” Zero yelled. Tamaki and Kallen stopped bickering and turned their attention at their leader. “This back and forth isn’t helping. And Kallen, don’t be so impatient. We’re defenseless against the Britannians in our current form as well as easily identifiable. We can’t blend back into the population looking like...” “What if everyone else has been transformed as well? We have to think of that possibility.” “I thought about that, but we also have to make contingencies for other possible outcomes. For all we know, those at the battle were the only ones transformed. We may even have to go into quarantine if it turns out that the metamorphosis was caused by a contagion.” Zero could tell that Kallen was troubled, most likely she was worried about her mother. Lelouch felt the same way. His sister may have been changed as well. The thought of the same agony being inflicted on his younger sister was driving him mad, but he had to keep his trepidation under control. Lelouch knew he could do more harm than good if he wasn’t careful, especially if the transformation was caused by an infectious disease. Even if it wasn’t, Lelouch could still be endangering his sister if the only ones transformed were the ones at the battle. It was be proof that he was a member of the Black Knights. “When we make it back to Tokyo, we’ll still have a few hours before sunrise. You may scout the area from above. I’ll have a special route for you to follow.” That route would include a pass over his school, Ashford Academy. “Thank you, Zero,” said Kallen. This made her feel a bit more at ease. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Black Knights was nearing the end of the subway tunnel. It was only a quarter-mile before they surface in the heart of the Shinjuku Ghetto. There wasn’t much in the way of conversation since they started their long journey back to Tokyo. The mood was somber, and for Tamaki, it was too somber. “Hey Inoue,” Tamaki teased. “What do you want?” A winged mare with a blue mane and yellow coat spoke up. “Well, since we’ve all been turned into horse people, I was wondering if, you know, if you’re inter...” “I’m not going on a date with you, Shinichirō.” “You don’t need to be so formal, it’s Tamaki.” Inoue didn’t say anything else. “Why you have to be so cold towards me?” About a minute later, Inoue responded. “Shinichirō,” she said. Tamaki looked over his shoulder. “Yeeeah, you have to something to say to me,” Tamaki smirked. He expected something on the lines of an apology or a kind word to make up for brushing him off. “Could you *please* stop flapping your tail around? I can see your...,” Inoue looked to the side in embarrassment, “testicles.” Tamaki rolled his eyes, but he did as Inoue requested. A few minutes later, the silence was getting to Tamaki again. “Hey Zero, you got a horn too; how about switching it on? That way we’ll have twice as much light.” “You do have a point Tamaki,” Lelouch replied. “How were you able to get yours to glow?” “I got pissed off that the power went out and then the next thing I knew, it was glowing.” “I’ll give it a try.” Lelouch concentrated. His horn began to glow, but it wasn’t the bright luminescence of Tamaki’s, but rather, a low hue. But then, that same hue formed around Ohgi, who was hovering in mid-air. “What the hell!” Ohgi yelled out. The others stopped in their tracks and watched him levitating four or five feet off the ground. Lelouch lost his concentration, and Ohgi fell face first into the hard gravel lining the subway floor. “What happened?” Ohgi said while rubbing the front of his muzzle. “I don’t know,” said Lelouch, “I was trying to make my horn glow, and then you started floating." “Wait, Zero has telepathy?” Tamaki frowned. “You mean telekinesis. Telepathy is mind reading.” Lelouch corrected Tamaki. “Oh that is so lame! Zero gets superpowers, and I’m stuck being the human glow stick. That is so unfair!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ About another twenty minutes later, the Black Knights made it to the Shinjuku entrance. It was a metal sliding door camouflaged on the outside to appear to be bricks walling up the entrance. The door would be difficult to open, which it was designed to be in order to deter intruders. It was opened by a rack and pinion system. The gear was connected to a circular spring. As the door opened, tension on the spring increases. Even a man in peak physical condition would find it difficult to slide the door open even by an inch or two. The only way to gain access is by typing in the code on the hidden keypad, which would activate the electric motor built into the rack and pinion system. “You want to give a try, Zero,” Ohgi offered. Lelouch knew what he meant. “Everyone, stand back, I don’t want you to get hurt if this goes wrong.” Lelouch concentrated on the door. As before, a soft hue surrounded his horn and, in turn, the door. Lelouch gritted his teeth and grunted. The door slid open by a few inches. Lelouch and the door stalemated in their tug-of-war. Kallen ran pass Lelouch and braced her shoulder against the edge of the door forcing it open by a few more inches. Ohgi, Tamaki, Yoshida, and Kento Sugiyama came to Kallen and Lelouch’s aid, each one bracing their shoulder into the other’s hind quarter. “Come on,” Ohgi strained, “just a few more centimeters and it’ll catch the latch and stay open.” It was then, Yoshida lost his footing. He slipped causing Tamaki to do the same as well. Ohgi, Kallen, and Kento couldn’t hold the door open for much longer. It forced the remaining Black Knights backwards. Their hooves left skid marks on the concrete floor. Then Lelouch took his concentration off the door and onto a 55-gallon drum setting inside the passageway. The remaining three press against the door as it slid back even further. It was about to close on them when the metal drum floated through the doorway. “Now let it go,” Lelouch ordered. Kallen and the others pulled back at the same time. The door slammed into the drum denting it in but still leaving them with plenty of room for them to walk through. The other side of the door led to the inside of a rundown warehouse. The metal siding and roof was bent out of place. There were puddles of water all over the concrete floor. Kallen rubbed the line cut into her shoulder by the rim of the door with her front left hoof. “Are you alright, Kallen?” Ohgi asked. “I’ll live.” She walked over to Lelouch. “Zero, you said I could scout out the area for you. “Not without checking for Britannian air patrol you won’t,” Zero warned. Just then, Lelouch sniffed the air. “Is that smoke?” “Guy!” Tamaki yelled. He was peering out a door. “Oh man, it’s like the invasion of Japan all over again.” The others ran to the doorway. Lelouch was the last one there. “Step aside,” he ordered. The Black Knights cleared the way for him. It was as Tamaki said. Not far from their position, the burning wreckage of a plane lit up the night sky. The flames towered over most of the buildings in the vicinity. The broken tail and wings were the only parts of the plane still recognizable. They also saw the silhouette of a crowd gathered around the massive inferno. It was then Lelouch saw something that made his blood run cold. Ponies-ponies by the hundreds vacating the rundown ghetto apartments and heading towards the blaze. Many of them were carrying buckets in their mouths. Some of them ran by and stopped in front of the warehouse for a moment. “Don’t just stand there,” a regular female pony ordered, “grab a bucket. Everything stopped working, and this is the only way we can keep the fire from spreading.” “So much for the quarantine,” Ohgi mumbled. “I’m sorry Zero,” Kallen panicked, “but I can’t wait any longer.” The others called out to her, but Kallen paid them no mind as she ran in the opposite direction of the fire and flew away. “What’s the hell is wrong with Kallen!” Tamaki yelled. “Zero, what do we do now?” But Zero didn’t answer. “Zero?” Tamaki called out, but Zero was nowhere to be found as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For the first time since its construction, the Tokyo Settlement is in the dark. Once, it obscured all the lights in the sky except the moon. Now, all that is left of this luminescent gem was the faint glow of candle lights. One such light was at the entrance of the Viceroy Palace. A lone horned type stood vigilant staring at the gate leading into the palace grounds. The candle she held in her mouth highlighted her gray fur and pink hair. The horned mare felt a hoof nudging her on the shoulder. It was a mundane pony with a gold-colored coat and a brown mane. “Your majesty,” the mundane pony said in Suzaku’s voice, “you should come inside for now.” The horned mare set the candle holder on the ground. “Suzaku,” the mare said, “I told you to call me 'Euphie'.” “Right, Euphie,” Suzaku said hesitantly. Even though Princess Euphemia le Britannia permitted, even ordered, Suzaku to call her by her nickname, the young honorary Britannian felt apprehensive being so familiar with royalty. “Are you still worried about the Viceroy, your ma...Euphie,” Suzaku corrected himself. Euphemia nodded. “She told me that she was given an anonymous tip on Zero. What if this thing happened to her during a fight?” “Don’t worry Euphie, the Viceroy is an outstanding soldier. She wouldn’t let Zero get the best of her.” Euphemia didn’t respond. She was certain that Zero was her half-brother Lelouch. She knew, from the time she spent with him at Marianne's villa and from the reports of Zero’s resourcefulness, that it would take a miracle ordained from Heaven for her sister to make it out alive, if Euphemia’s theory on the identity of Zero was proven true. Just then, a bell from the top floor rang out. “We have intruders,” the look-out stationed on the top floors called out, “heading towards the palace gates by air.” The sound of hoofsteps echoed along the palace's reinforced concrete walls. The palace guards raced towards a shadow in the night sky until they were close enough to discern what invaded their air space. It was a horned mare with a face covered in blood being carried by a pair of winged stallions on a canvas tied to their bodies. “Identify yourselves!” One of the palace guards ordered. “Where’s the Sub-Viceroy?” It was Cornelia. The palace guards stood at attention, or at close it as possible given the limitation of their new forms. “A thousand pardons, your majesty,” a palace guard apologized. “We were unable to recognize you with your...change in appearance.” “Never mind that!” Cornelia barked. “Where’s Princess Euphemia.” “I’m right here,” Euphemia shouted with joy. She galloped outside the palace gates to greet her elder sister.. “Oh, Big Sister, I was so scared that I’d never see you again.” Euphemia nuzzled up to Cornelia. “Oh Euphie,” Cornelia gladly accepted her younger sibling’s affection. She was so caught up in the moment, it took a few seconds for her to remember proper decorum. She pulled away from Euphemia. “I’m glad to see you are unharmed, Sub-Viceroy.” “Right,” Euphemia said with a tinge of disappointment in her voice. Euphemia back away and gasped. “Cornelia! Are you hurt?” She inspected her sister’s head. “I’m unharmed, Sub-Viceroy. The blood isn’t mine. I had to...,” Cornelia paused for a moment, “improvise during battle.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cornelia sat in the royal bath with her younger sister and shivered. The luxurious bedroom-size tub was completely dry. Their bath water was in two buckets: one to wash, the other to rinse. They were lucky the mains still had pressure for the time being. Cornelia stood still for her younger sibling to wash the blood off her face. Euphemia gently rubbed a scrub brush over the blotches of dried out blood. Some of the water mixed with blood and soap ran down the brush handle and into Euphemia’s mouth. When she was done, Euphemia stuck her head into the rinse bucket, took a swig of water, and gargled. She walked over to the washbasin, revved up on her hind legs, and spat. Cornelia hung her head down in shame. “I’m so sorry to make you do this, Euphie.” To ask her own younger sister to bathe her was deplorable enough, but to make her use her own mouth made it all the more unbearable. Euphemia’s only response was to take hold of a dry towel and bring it to her sister. “No, you’ve done enough for me already.” Euphemia laid the towel to the side. “Nonsense, you’ll freeze if you're still wet. Now go ahead and rinse." Cornelia stuck her head in the bucket, and, once she was done rinsing off, Euphemia patted her dry. “Euphie, it’s going to be tough for the time being, but if we hold our ground long enough for reinforcements from the homeland, we can make it out alive.” Euphemia laid the towel down again. “What if they don’t come? What if what happened to us happen to...” “Don’t talk like that!” Cornelia snapped. “They’re on the other side of the globe. Whatever the Black Knights did couldn’t have had any effect outside of Area 11, let alone touch the homeland.” Euphemia wanted to challenge her sister’s conjecture but didn’t have the courage to contradict her, not after what happened. She had her reservations about blaming Zero for this evil. She knew Zero didn’t have that sort of power, and if he did, he would have used it only on Britannian soldiers, not innocent civilians, and certainly not on himself and his Black Knights. It wasn’t like her sister to make such baseless assumptions, but then again, her sister wasn’t transformed into a pony before. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pendragon City Schneizel el Britannia stared at the giant flat screen monitor that stretched from one side of the command center conference hall to the other. The room itself was large enough for a modest two-story home to fit inside. On the screen was a map of the world. All land from Area 11 to halfway to the EU was colored in deep red. Schneizel stared intently at the monitor, but for all the good it would do him, he thought. Satellite feeds died hours ago, and the phenomenon was moving so fast, it rendered the map outdated. He laid his elbow on the arm rest of his chair and leaned his cheek up against his knuckles. “So, my son,” a voice bellowed above Schneizel, “any thoughts on the situation.” The figure towered over everyone else in the room at a whopping over six and a half feet tall, but he didn't have the normal lanky built associated with those of above average height. His broad shoulders and barrel chest were those normally found on a power-lifter or a body builder despite his age, which was betrayed by his long, white hair styled in the manner of a British judge and wrinkled, yet angular, face that have seen many a day. He was Charles zi Britannia, 98th Emperor to the Holy Britannian Empire and the enemy of Lelouch. “I would if I had more information,” said Schneizel. “Make do with what you have,” Charles admonished his son. Schneizel resisted the urge to tell the old man off. He could have done without the added insult of being lectured in public by this father. “I have ordered a radar plane and two squadrons of Knightmares with FLOAT units on standby. Hopefully, the phenomenon is man-made and can be stopped before it has a chance to cripple the empire. “Your majesty,” a voice called on the comm. link, “we have made visual confirmation of power outages in Scottsdale and Mesa.” “Can you detect the cause of the blackout?” “No, you majesty, we do not detect enemy aircraft. Radiation detection instruments haven’t pick...” Suddenly, the transmission went dead. The prince changed channels on the comm. link. “General Vinge, how much longer before the emergency generators are ready?” “It’ll be another seven hours before we’re done. It’s a difficult task to jury-rig systems that don’t have sakuradite components.” “Do you really believe this is being caused by a Gefjun Disturber?” Charles criticized. “I know the briefings said the weapon is limited in range, but we can’t assume our adversary hasn’t perfected the technology.” Just then, the power failed. Some of the soldiers switched on their flashlights. “I’d never imagine it would end like this for Britannia,” Charles grunted. Then, suddenly, a sharp pain fell over the Emperor. It was so unbearable that Charles fell to his knees, but he wasn’t along. Schneizel and the soldiers were forced to kneel to the agony ravaging their bodies. That night, darkness and screams of torment took possession of Pendragon City. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The night had been a most tiresome one for her. The magical power she stole from those quarrelsome primates didn’t rejuvenate her as much as granted her the necessary catalysis that would make their transformation possible. This was accompanied by the exhaustion that had overtaken her. She was now in the same location where it all begun. She shook her head looking at the bloodied and bruised corpse of one of her beautiful little ponies. Such damnable creatures-they don’t seem to learn. She would have to set her new subjects straight, but the night spent transforming the ugly apes into a more presentable form and the wounds from her banishment from her old kingdom has taken their toll on her. Instead, she willed the earth to open and swallow up the lifeless body of this poor little pegasus. It was the least she could do for him. For now, she will let these ponies get accustomed to the new life she had given them. Maybe, by the time she recovered, they would finally give up their murderous ways and accept her as their queen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I hope you enjoy Rebel Against The Night. Next chapter will cover the consequences of Nightmare Moon's actions on humanity and how the ex-human race will cope with the change.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2012-07-23T04:45:02+00:00

2016-09-06T05:31:08+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 2: The Terrible Aftermath Newly-transformed ponies packed the Ashford Academy gymnasium. Most of them were at that awkward time saddled between filly and mare or colt and stallion. Those that were fully-grown were outfitted in military attire hastily cut and hemmed to fit their new bodies. The teenage ponies whispered to each other, careful not to be heard by the soldiers. “I thought they cancelled classes.” A winged colt griped. He had pear-colored fur, a blue mane, and the image of a motorcycle on his hind quarter. “You’d think school would be out after we got turned into horses.” “How am I supposed to know?” A horned filly asked rhetorically. Her dark green mane was arranged in a pair of pigtails, and her coat of fur was vanilla white. Her flank mark was an atomic nucleus surrounded by four orbiting electrons. She sat on her rear and cuddled up in order to conceal her naked body. “I don’t have all the answers, Rivalz.” “You don’t have to be so rude, Nina.” Rivalz frowned. “Hey Chief, what’s gotten into her?” Rivalz spoke to another horned filly with a short blonde mane, sky blue fur, and a smiling sun on her flank. Unlike the others, she stared listlessly out into space-detached from the world around her. “Yoo hoo, Milly?” “You know why she’s upset, Rivalz,” Milly deadpanned. “Oh right,” said Rivalz who just realized the obvious. Just then, the room became silent as a stallion trotted on the stage. A lapel pin in the shape of a family crest fastened a blue cape around his neck, which ran the length of his back and was draped over his flank symbol. His clothes were also poorly hemmed together. He had a white mane and maroon fur. “Good morning, loyal citizens of Britannia,” said the stallion. “My name is Baron Alexander Franklin. If you studied your history as good students should, you should know of the patriotism that my ancestors embodied.” He held his chin up and smiled proudly. “I am a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin, the man who warned the Duke of Britannia of Washington’s Rebellion and stopped the evils of democracy from infecting our homeland.” “Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin turned on Washington because he was promised nobility.” A winged colt whispered to one of his friends. “Who said that!” The baron leaped off staged. “It was you, wasn’t it!” The other students backed away from the winged colt. “Guards, escort this slanderer off the premises. My ancestor was motivated by patriotism, not by his own personal gain.” “Yes my lord,” said two of the soldiers who took hold of the winged colt and dragged him outside.” Baron Franklin climbed back on stage. “Now, as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, my family knows the meaning of service to the empire. And I hope you young Britannians do as well.” The baron pontificated for another hour on the virtues of patriotism. It was only when he noticed his own men dozing off did the baron cut to the chase. “Now everyone listen up!” He yelled loud enough to stir the sleeping ponies. “The Viceroy has issued orders establishing this campus as an emergency shelter should the Numbers invade the Tokyo Settlement. All able-bodied students will make themselves available for conscription.” “We’re being drafted?!?’ Rivalz blurted out. “Yes, but as the emergency magistrate for this sector, I can choose how to allocate our forces. Since none of you are trained soldiers, you will serve as support personnel, but don’t think you won’t be targets. If those savages somehow manage to breach our defenses, they will consider you to be enemy combatants. So be ready to fight if worse comes to worse.” The baron then went on about food rations and warnings to not eat meat from the very recent cases of food poisoning that resulted from herbivores trying to live off an omnivore’s diet. While the baron was speaking, a tiny foal who, unlike the others, had no symbol on her flank, wandered around the gymnasium carrying a medicine bottle in her mouth. “Hey little girl, whacha doing here?” Rivalz asked. “Don’t you know this is a school for big boys and big girls?” The filly spat out the medicine bottle. “I know that, sir,” said the foal. Judging by her voice, she couldn’t be older than seven. “But my daddy is a teacher and I have to give him his medicine. Mommy says Daddy has to take his medicine or his blood will be high.” “If you tell me your daddy’s name, I can help you find him.” “Daddy’s name is ‘Daddy’.” Rivalz frowned. He tried a different approach. “Then tell me your last name.” “My name is Abigail Wilhelm,” the foal answered. “Oh, your father is the history teacher. I’ll take you to him.” The two cut through the crowd and made their way back into the school. “Where are we going, mister?” “Inside the school. I think your dad is in his homeroom.” They trotted down the hall and stopped in front of room S-122. Rivalz stuck his head through the door. “Professor Wilhelm? Are you here?” He caught sight of several ponies in the classroom. Two of them, a stallion and mare, were fully grown. The other two were foals even younger than Abigail and, like Abigail, had no symbols on their flanks. The mare was sitting down nestling the youngest foal in her forelegs and rocking back and forth. The middle child was in the corner playing with a pile of toy Knightmare frames. The stallion was trying to write something down, but his lips seemed to lack the dexterity that he used to have when he had fingers. None of the paper thrown haphazardly around the garbage can were legible. “I can’t even write a goodbye letter.” “Hey Professor Wilhelm,” Rivalz waved a hoof, “I found your daughter. She was looking for you.” “Abigail, I told you to stay with us,” the professor admonished his daughter firmly. Abigail galloped to the desk and dropped off the medicine. “But Daddy, Mommy said you have to take your medicine to feel better. Mommy, you said Daddy has to take his medicine.” “Your Daddy doesn’t have to take his medicine,” the mother said with a blank expression as she rocked her foal. “It doesn't matter anymore.” “I have to speak with my wife in private.” Wilhelm said while eyeing Rivalz with a cold glare. “Could you give us some privacy, Mr. Cardemonde?” Rivalz back away and gulped. “Umm...sure thing, professor,” said Rivalz as he exited the room hesitantly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch trotted along the bleak alleys beneath the Tokyo Settlement superstructure. The Zero cape and mask were discarded. For now, he was Lelouch Lamperouge, a Britannian student who had the ‘bad timing’ of being caught outside the Settlement in the middle of a disaster. Lelouch groped around in the dark trying to find his way around the ground level area. The sun came up a few hours ago but only indirect sunlight made it to the ground level and even that diminished as one went deeper. Something caught Lelouch’s hoof, and the Britannian prince-in-exile tripped and fell. Lelouch brushed his leg against something cold, hard, and covered in mud. "Dammit!" Lelouch cursed. He gave whatever it was a hard buck causing the object to clang. "Soddy workmanship! Leaving a pipe exposed!" Lelouch knew he wouldn’t get anywhere like this. After picking himself up, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Come on, glow just like Tamaki's." Instead of glowing with the radiance of Tamaki's horn, random items, one by one, floated off the ground until Lelouch was encircled by levitated objects that were enveloped in a ghostly aura. “If you only knew how creepy that looks,” a voice called out from the shadows. Lelouch lost his concentration sending the pieces of refuge falling back to earth. He turned and saw a figure with a long mane and what looked like a dark stain all over her face. “C.C., where’s Nunnally!” Lelouch demanded. “And why aren’t you with her?” “I had no other choice. It’s not like I wanted to take a header from the top level and crack my skull open.” C.C. pointed to the dark blotch on her face. Though, she didn't want to admit it, some part of her wished that she never got up from her plunge. C.C. still retained her Immortality Code even after being transformed and, thus, cursed with the unending loneliness of immortality. “The Viceroy declared martial law and took control of Ashford Academy. It was either leave or be captured by Britannia again.” “How is Nunnally?” “She’s safe, Lelouch. Scared, but safe.” “I’d feel better if I could be there for her.” “That won’t be easy to do. Your half-sister placed the Tokyo Settlement on lockdown. They won’t let you in.” “You know how persuasive I can be,” Lelouch activated his Geass. “You can persuade people, not barricades. Last time I checked, Cornelia conscripted the student body and order them to pile all the junk they could carry on top of the emergency exits.” Lelouch stomped his hoof. “Why does everything have to be so difficult?” He then fell to his knees. “My little sister is up there alone and fate throws one road block after another.” “Oh, quit your whining.” Lelouch looked up at C.C. and glared angrily at her. “Don’t you dare mock me!” “Why shouldn’t I? You’re Zero, the one that swore to destroy Britannia. If you’re able to topple an empire, then rescuing your little sister should be a menial task in comparison.” The scowl that Lelouch wore fell off and was replaced by first a smirk and then by a chuckle. Lelouch took a deep breath and exhaled. “You’re right C.C. Thanks for the swift kick in the rear. I needed it. Come on, we have some errands to run before meeting up with the others.” The two set off in the direction of Shinjuku. As they were trotting towards the edge of the settlement, the darkness faded. C.C., who was at the rear, stared at Lelouch’s flank, which had the image of a black king chess piece on it. The light also showed the full extent of C.C.'s own transformation. The immortal mare had bright green mane and white coat of fur. “By the way, nice tattoo,” C.C. joked. Lelouch growled. “That’s not funny. The last thing I need are distinguishing marks. The Viceroy already knows what my fur and hair color are.” Lelouch then looked at C.C.’s flank. “So, should I call you Infinity Girl for now on?” C.C. instinctively glanced at the infinity symbol on her own flank and replied, “only if you like being called Chess Boy.” Lelouch chuckled at the return jab. “So, you can laugh without sounding evil,” C.C. grinned. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The bucket brigade branched out in all directions and snaked around the dilapidated buildings from the ever-growing perimeter of the fire. The desperate citizens of the Shinjuku ghetto formed a line from the bathrooms with working plumbing to the edge of the fire filling buckets with water and passing off to each other as best as they could. There was a learning curve to holding a bucket handle between their teeth and passing it on to the next pony, which was evident from the puddles of water along the bucket brigade. At the end of the line, the pony at the end of the fire brigade tipped the bucket over since tossing a bucket full of water with their mouths was too awkward. Other ponies were beating smaller fire with articles of clothing they could no longer wear. Suddenly, a piece of the wing sticking through the blazing building fell when the inferno consumed too much of the building’s structure to support it. The wing broke apart into numerous red hot aluminum fragments. A portion of the bucket brigade was plummeted by the burning wreckage. The ponies that survived the initial pummeling shrieked in agony. Some of ponies in the bucket brigade broke rank and raced to aid their fallen comrades. They did all they could to smother the flames and free their fellow Japanese from the debris. Tamaki directed all of his concentration on the wreckage. His horn lit up, but the debris wouldn’t budge. He kicked ground and snorted just like a horse. “What are you standing around for!” Ohgi yelled. “Grab a bucket.” He ran over to the segment of the bucket brigade and pointed to the airliner wreckage. “Concentrate on that area! We have people on the other side burning to death!” A pony in the bucket brigade was momentarily distracted by the compass on Ohgi’s hind quarter. “Pay attention!” Ohgi yelled at the daydreaming pony. The bucket brigade shifted their attention on the wreckage. Some of the Japanese began back-kicking the buckets. While some of the buckets found its way into the fire and out of reach, at least now the water was dousing the flames. Slowly, the fire died down enough to attempt a rescue. Fragments of wreckage were kicked away until a clear path formed. The rescue team examined the bodies one by one looking for survivors. Out of the nine, only one was still among the living. She was screaming in pain. Most of her skin was charred, and a chunk of her horn had broken off. “Somebody, get a wheel barrel, a cot, anything!” Ohgi ordered. “We have to move this body!” Minami galloped to Ohgi’s side. “Let me try that telekinesis stuff.” Oghi nodded. “Go ahead. We don’t have much of a choice.” Minami concentrated on the badly injured mare. The horn glowed with a light hue like Lelouch’s, but the burn victim didn’t levitate off the ground. Rather, she stopped screaming and became at ease. Minami, seeing that he wasn’t making any progress in moving the victim, stopped using his powers. The mare gritted her teeth and then cried out. “Please,” she pleaded, “don’t stop! It hurts a lot worse if you do!” Minami focused on the mare and activated his powers. Again, the pain subsided and the mare stopped screaming. Her heavy panting quelled. “I think I can move on my own now. Just keep using that power of yours.” The mare struggled back up and slowly walked out of the pile of debris with Minami close by. Minami stayed with the inflicted mare for about thirty minutes and tended to her wounds. In that time, the severity of the burns lessened. “Ma’am,” said Minami, “I have to go back and help. Please bear with it until I come back.” The aura around his horn dissipated. “It’s alright,” said the mare, “I’m feeling better now. It still hurts, but no where near as bad as before. Thank you.” Minami was about to go back to the bucket brigade when the mare called out to him. “That tattoo on your hip-it suits you.” Minami glanced at the pattern on his flank. It looked like a stethoscope and band-aid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “I can’t believe Shirley is still playing that silly stranger game with Lelouch,” sail Rivalz who was accompanying Milly and Nina through the chapel looking for candles for the soldiers assigned to night watch before it turned dark. “You said something, Rivalz?” Milly said in a detached tone of voice. “Milly! Pay attention!” Rivalz scolded. “I said Shirley is still playing strangers with Lelouch. I asked her if she visited Nunnally and that she needed cheering up since Lelouch went missing. And then she had the nerve to ask me if they were related. Couldn’t you set her straight? I mean, it’s practically the apocalypse, and she’s acting like some bratty little kid.” Unbeknown to Rivalz and Milly, Shirley uncovered Lelouch's dark secret, and Lelouch used his Geass to erase all of Shirley's memories of him as a way of keeping Shirley at a distance and protecting her from the consequences of the actions he took as Zero. Rivalz looked around the chapel. “Now, where did they keep the rest of the candles?” “Don’t make a big deal of it.” Milly kept staring into empty space and didn’t even bother to face Rivalz. “We all have our ways of coping.” “How can you be so calm about this? Lelouch is missing and everyone's acting like it’s no big deal, even Shirley.” “Will you shut up Rivalz!” Nina yelled. Rivalz was in shock by his friend’s outburst. “Nina! What’s gotten into you?” “Have you gone blind?” Nina held up a foreleg. “We’re been turned into freaks, and all you can do is gripe about Lelouch and Shirley’s love life!” “Heh,” Rivalz grunted, “I can’t believe it, a mouse that roars.” “Do I look like a mouse to you? I’m a farm animal!” “Calm down Nina,” Milly said in her same disinterested voice, “you too Rivalz. Bickering isn’t going to make us human again.” “Well you’re not the only one, Nina,” Rivalz yelled back at her. “How about caring about someone other than yourself?” “I’m not being selfish!” “Like hell you’re not! Lelouch could be dead for all we know and you’re worried about your looks, which you didn’t have much of to begin with.” Nina slapped Rivalz across the face and stormed off. The blow sent Rivalz crashing into the floor. As she stormed away, Nina caught a glimpse of her reflection. The dressing room where the minister changed into his priestly garbs was left open. On the door was a full-size mirror. Nina struck the door repeatedly reducing the mirror into shards of broken glass. “What a stupid place to put a mirror!” Nina shrieked as she galloped out of the chapel. Rivalz rubbed his head. “Oh man, someone needs to tell Nina that open-hand slaps can be fatal nowadays.” Milly just stared indifferently at Rivalz. Suddenly, there was screaming outside. Rivalz shook off the concussion and raced towards its source. Rivalz galloped out the chapel, looked up, and saw Abigail on the top floor of the bell tower. “Daddy’s throwing us! Daddy’s throwing us!” She cried out. Rivalz ascended the stairway. On the way up, he could hear the child pleading. “Please Daddy, I don’t mind being a pony. Please don’t throw me, Daddy.” “Don’t be afraid, Abigail, Daddy promises it won’t hurt.” Rivalz recognized the voice as Professor Wilhelm’s. Rivalz made it to the top floor and saw his teacher pinning Abigail down. In front of them was the guard rail that separated them from a six-story fall. Rivalz was shaking uncontrollably. “Professor Wilhelm, please don’t. Can’t we talk this over?” He stuttered. “Come on professor, you don’t want to do this, right?” “I don’t,” Wilhelm choked, “but I can’t let my children suffer.” Professor Wilhelm bit into his daughter’s mane and threw her off. Rivalz screamed in terror. “Oh God, why did you, professor?” he said in disbelief. The shock of watching his history teacher murdering his own daughter froze Rivalz in place. Professor Wilhelm then climbed over the guard rail and dived out head first. Rivalz then remembered, his professor also had a wife and two more young children, one was just an infant. Rivalz ran to the window. At the base of the bell tower was the lifeless bodies of the Wilhelm family. Rivalz looked to this right and saw Milly staring down with eyes bulging. “Milly, are you okay?” Rivalz asked. “I’ll be okay,” Milly said softly while still looking at the horror below with eyes wide open. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch and C.C. traveled along was left of the illustrious Koshu-Kaido Avenue. Much like any other location in Shinjuku, it was a wasteland: cracked roads and crumbling buildings. It was easy to imagine Lelouch walking on the bottom of a dried river bed nestled between chalky canyon walls. Just then, a winged pony stumbled and fell in front of them. “Excuse me, sir,” she said a cordial tone, “could you help me up? I seemed to have tripped on something.” C.C. tried to reach down and help her up with her mouth, but the winged mare backed away. “Why are you trying to bite me?” “I’m trying to help you up the best way I know how.” “You could have offered me a hand,” the winged mare said as she got on all four. “I’ll get up myself,” and then she got up on her hind legs. “I have to hurry up and get ready. Mr. Kobayashi invited me to dine out, and I’m certain he'll offer me the job over dinner.” The winged mare then fell back on the ground. “Why can't I keep my balance?” “You’ve been changed that why...” Lelouch said before he was stopped in mid-sentence by a terrible realization. “That girl,” C.C. asked, “is on Refrain, isn’t she?” Lelouch and C.C. galloped down the alley where the winged mare came from. On the other end of the alley were hundreds of Japanese ponies caught up in their own little world. Many of them were trying in vain to force their bodies to take up bipedal motion again only to fall back down on the ground. A few were badly bruised up from the repeated falls. Some of them were speaking to lost relatives and lovers who weren’t there. Others imaged days when they lived better lives. One of them was picking food from garbage cans while commenting on the selection from the afternoon buffet. Another one was sorting through random trash as though they were legal documents. Lelouch looked around for one of the more coherent addicts. He overheard one singing pop songs. “I will be your bullet train lover. We’ll embrace while riding on the Toei Oedo Line.” His singing voice was rather impressive. He might have done vocals for a J-pop band before the occupation, Lelouch thought. “Hey you,” said Lelouch, “can you understand what I’m saying.” “Oh don’t mess up my good time,” said the junkie, “I’m back on the nightclub circuit with my band mates.” Some of the heavy Refrain addicts have been under the influence enough to tell the difference between reality and their drug-induced fantasy. “I’ll leave you alone, but first tell me where can I score some Refrain?” The junkie stallion pointed to a building one-half block away. “Go to the store with the ‘Fresh Sushi For Sale’ sign, knock on the door, and ask for a walk down memory lane. The dealer’s a Britannian named Roy Wellington, but don’t let that put you off. He’s got the best Refrain in Shinjuku.” “Thank,” said Lelouch. “Wellington, isn’t he the earl dealing in Refrain that got away?” C.C. asked. Lelouch nodded. “The bastard gave us the slip in that raid on the docks last month. He won’t slip past me twice. I’ll at least clear up that loose end.” C.C. looked back at the mob of junkies. “I’ve never seen so many Refrain addicts in one place.” “Judging by the severity of the hallucination, it must be their first time taking it. Otherwise, their bodies would have built up a tolerance to it.” “You’re not saying that they’re taking Refrain because they were turned into horses?” “Why not? If Refrain makes one relive the past, why wouldn’t people want to go back to the time when they were human?” When they got to the door, Lelouch put his hoof in front of C.C.’s mouth. “Keep quiet. I don’t want to tip him off.” Lelouch knocked on the door. “I want to take a walk down memory lane.” “Go away!” A voice on the other side of the door called out. “I’m dancing with a lovely young lady and wish not to be disturbed.” Lelouch turned to his compatriot. “C.C., do you mind?” “Not at all,” said C.C. She turned around and kicked the door down with her hind legs. They barged into the building only to find a stallion with a ruffled mane and greased-up goatee dancing with a chair.” “Lady Straus, I didn’t know you moved so gracefully.” Empty Refrain vials littered the floor. “Get the hell out of here, Elevens.” He then turned to the chair and said, “oh don’t you believe those nasty rumors that I sell drugs to those dirty Elevens.” “I didn’t know Earl Wellington sampled his own merchandise,” C.C. commented. “He didn’t,” said Lelouch, “at least he used to. According to my informants, the man was afraid to even handle an empty syringe.” Lelouch and C.C. watched as the Refrain dealer was caught up in the delusion of his own narcotic; a futile attempt to keep the very thing he had so little of to begin with: his humanity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rivalz was issued the morbid chore of pulling the cart carrying the bodies of the Wilhelm family. Because virtually all automation has come to a halt, the Viceroy had declared martial law in the Tokyo Settlement, he was constricted into service by the baron assigned as magistrate over Ashford Academy. Rivalz didn’t mind taking the bodies of the children to their final resting place. He did, however, hate taking their murderous parents as well. As far as Rivalz was concerned, they should be tossed a landfill with the rest of the refuge. He placed the candleholder he was carrying in his mouth on the ground, opened his saddlebag, and took out a piece of paper. Written on it was an address on the lower levels of the Tokyo Settlement, where the only light source was candles. “This can’t be the right place” he said to himself as he checked the paper again. In front of him was a chain link fence topped with razor wire. It was the settlement waste cycling plant where biodegradable refuge was processed. Rivalz had a sour look on his face from the stench of burning refuge. He tried to fan away the odor, but the vile smell stayed in the air. Rivalz decided the best course of action was to trot in and ask around for the city morgue. After looking around, he caught sight of two stallions standing in front of row upon row of burning piles: one was a mundane type and the other one was horned. The mundane stallion was reading from a book placed on the ground while the horned one was tapping his hoof impatiently. The stallion reading from the book was an elderly pony with a white mane and a book and cross on his flank. The horned stallion had a stout build and covered in muscles with a trashcan on his. “Can’t you say one prayer over all of them?” The burly pony griped. “It’ll take forever the way you’re doing it.” “Show some respect, please,” the elderly pony said. “Excuse me, but I’m looking for the city morgue.” Rivalz caught their attention. The elderly pony stopped reading and walked up to Rivalz. “I’m afraid this is the city morgue for now, young man. I’m Reverent Lancaster. The actual morgue is filled to capacity, and because of the lockdown, we can’t bury anyone. We have to cremate the bodies, instead.” “Don’t tell me this whole family committed suicide? How pathetic,” the burly one bellowed. “Only the parents did!” Rivalz snapped. “The children were murdered.” “Oh well,” the burly horned stallion said dismissively, “we have to go sometime.” “Don’t worry young man,” Reverent Lancaster reassured Rivalz, “I’ll see to it they’ll receive a proper burial.” The burly pony rolled his eyes. “You know how long that’ll take? We got a hundred dumped here in the first hour alone, and you want to give all these losers ‘proper burial’?!? If I wasn't scared shitless of the Viceroy, I’d walk off the job.” Rivalz was stunned. “A hundred, in just an hour?” “And about a few thousand by the end of the day-what did you think we were burning down here.” Rivalz’s blood ran cold. Each pile was once a living person and they stretched as far as Rivalz’ eyes could see. “They offed themselves like those two,” the burly stallion continued, “though most of them didn’t take anyone else with them. Me personally, I’d rather be a severed head on life support than dead.” “Yeah sure,” Rivalz half-heartedly concurred. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was a long day for Tamaki. He has been up since yesterday morning, and now it was almost sunset. He reclined on the hard concrete turf exhausted. The fire was on its last leg. It was scraping the skeletal remains of the airliner and the ashes of the apartments underneath the wreckage for what little combustible material that was left. Kento Sugiyama, Ohgi, Inoue, and Yoshitaka Minami kept him company. “Hey Shinichirō,” said Inoue. “I’m not flapping my tail if that’s what you’re...” Tamaki snapped. “No, that’s not it, Shinichirō,” she said pointing to her hind quarter, “don’t take this the wrong way, but I want you to look at this.” Inoue gestured at the thorny rose on her flank. “You have any idea why we have tattoos, or brands, or whatever the hell these symbols are? Diseases don’t cause this, right?” “You’re asking the wrong guy.” Inoue buried her head between her forelegs and glanced over to Tamaki. “I hate it. It’s like having someone write bad things on you after beating you up.” Inoue could tell that Tamaki was puzzled by the comparison when he raised an eyebrow. “Some Britannian girls jumped me and then wrote all over me with a marker after they ripped my clothes off. Being marked feels the same.” “Well, at least yours isn’t a megaphone. It’s like whoever did this to us is implying I talk too much. At least your tattoo is sort of sexy.” Inoue glared at Tamaki. “Don’t make me it sound like it’s some sort of consolation prize.” Inoue stormed off. Tamaki followed Inoue. “Hey, wait up! I didn’t mean anything by it.” Inoue stopped and turned around. Tamaki shamefully averted his eyes from Inoue’s. “Look, I’m sorry about what I said. I guess I do talk too much.” Inoue huffed. “Look, it isn’t so much you talk too much; it’s that you talk before thinking.” Suddenly, Inoue did a double-take. What she saw caused her temper to flare up again. “Look who came crawling back after we did all the work.” Tamaki and the others fixed their gaze in Inoue’s direction and then at what she was looking at. It was Lelouch and C.C.; the latter was carrying an object on her back. “What the hell are you doing here?” She ran over and stared Lelouch in the eyes. “Inoue!” Tamaki called out. “And she says I talk before thinking,” he whispered. “Are you not happy to see me, Inoue?” Lelouch taunted Inoue with the same distinctive echo that he had when wearing his old mask. Lelouch had removed the voice synthesizer from the first Zero mask and sewed it on the new one. “Like hell I am; not after bolting in the middle of a disaster. We could have used that telekinesis of yours.” “Come on, Inoue,” Tamaki said in Zero’s defense, “I’m sure Zero has a good reason.” “Bullshit! There’s nothing he can say that would make me want to follow him.” “I want to hear Zero’s explanation,” Ohgi spoke up. “Tell us, I really want to know.” He said in a gruff voice. “I was checking on a hunch. I spoke with my collaborators within the Tokyo Settlement, and they confirmed my suspicions.” “Which was?” “The Tokyo Settlement is ripe for the taking.” Those words sparked uproar among the Black Knights. “Take the Tokyo Settlement like this!” Inoue yelled. “I don’t believe he said that,” Ohgi sighed. “Zero, I support you and all but that’s a tall order,” Tamaki mustered as much tact as he could. “Now when the balance of power had shifted. The Britannians’ only real advantage against Japan was their technology. Without it, their armies are undermanned and isolated from the homeland while we have all of Japan to pool our resources and manpower from.” The Black Knights were not enthused. Lelouch then decided to lay down some facts on the table. “The Britannians aren’t going away. They'll have to be dealt sooner or later, preferably sooner less they have time to make adjustments to their defenses.” That caught the Black Knights’ attention. Ohgi held up his foreleg until Lelouch looked his direction. “Why not wait them out? They only have a limited food supply.” “Are you willing to wait at least two years, Ohgi? Britannian settlements are required to carry enough food and drinking water for an extended two-year long siege.” Inoue interjected. “What about the Britannians in the homeland? What if they send reinforcements? We can’t assume they were changed like we were.” “That is correct, Inoue.” Lelouch flipped a switch on the cumbersome box. “We can’t make that assumption without evidence, now can we?” Static and crackling emanated from the box. Lelouch adjusted some knobs on it until voices could be discerned from the static. One of the Black Knights could make out the foreign tongue playing over the radio “The Chinese Federation too,” Ohgi blurted out. “You understand that?” Tamaki asked. Ohgi nodded. “They say everyone in the Chinese Federation has been transformed, and they’re asking if others were affected as well.” Lelouch flipped a switched labeled "HAM I" and adjusted the tuner. This time, the cry for help was in English, a language that most Elevens understood. This is John Hoffman, mayor of Fort Worth. We're calling from the Henry IX Memorial Museum as this is the only place in the city that still has a working transmitter. We are in need of immediate assistance. We have been attacked by an enemy using exotic weapons. All Sakuradite-based technology no longer functions. Also, every human in the Fort Worth area has been infected by a pathogen that caused extreme deformities in the victim. Please come as soon as possible, and use Haz-Mat equipment to avoid any possible contamination. “There are other channels as well. Fortunately, the phenomenon spared technology that wasn’t based on sakuradite. This old shortwave radio uses vacuum tubes, so we can confirm Japan wasn’t alone. Do you wish to listen to the other broadcasts?” “No, that won’t be necessary,” said Inoue. “Now you understand. It is time to make the best of a terrible situation.” Lelouch pointed to the Tokyo Settlement. “Let’s take care of this problem, and we can worry about our transformation afterwards. We can either wallow in self-pity or rise up against Britannia and free Japan from its tyranny. Will you join me?” Tamaki came to Zero’s side. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m following Zero.” Ohgi, along with Sugiyama and Minami, stood at Lelouch’s side as well. “You haven’t let us down yet,” said Ohgi. “What about you, Inoue?” Lelouch asked the winged mare. “Will you remain a member of the Black Knights?” Inoue paused for a minute to collect her thoughts. “It’s going to take more than us to take over the Tokyo Settlement.” “I’ll help,” said a horned mare who was listening on the conversation. “Me too,” an orange mundane stallion interjected, “and I have friends who want to be Black Knights as well.” “We manage to get at least two new volunteers before we even start our new recruitment drive, Inoue,” said Lelouch. “I doubt manpower will be an issue. Now will you consider joining?” Inoue huffed. “I guess I could give you another chance.” Lelouch smiled beneath his mask. “Get a good night’s sleep because tomorrow we’ll have our work cut out for us as we prepare to take back Tokyo from Viceroy Cornelia.” Lelouch led the way for the Black Knights, their two new recruits, and C.C. to their nearest safe houses within the Shinjuku ghetto. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rivalz made it back to Ashford Academy just before the sunset. There was a longing inside his heart from the blissful optimism before that fateful night that laid waste to everything he knew. One of his best friends may have been killed, another one he driven away in a heated argument, and now a man he thought he could respect committed a terrible atrocity. It was a Friday and he should be getting ready for a night hanging out at the mall with his schoolmates. Rivalz walked across the chemistry lab when he caught sight of Milly. She was ransacking the shelves and knocking over beakers and test tubes. Broken glass crunched beneath Milly’s hooves. She then stopped and took out a sealed flask. The words “POTASSIUM CYANIDE” and the hazard chemical symbol were printed on the flask. Milly uncorked it and was about to drink the contents when Rivalz barged in knocked it out of her mouth before she had a chance to ingest the chemical. “What the hell has gotten into you?” Rivalz fumed. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” Milly screamed as tears ran down her cheeks. “WHY WON’T YOU LET ME DIE!” She shoved Rivalz to the side and went back looking for another vial of poison. Rivalz stepped in front of Milly. “You know I won’t let you go through with it.” “I can’t live like this, Rivalz! I’m hideous! I’m a freak! Professor Wilhelm was right! This is the only way!” “Don’t you dare say that! That man murdered his own children. You think that’s right? WELL DO YOU?” Rivalz’s words snapped Milly back to her senses. She rested her head on the back of Rivalz’s neck and wept bitterly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After a half-hour trot, the Black Knights made it to the safe house, an abandoned garage near the Arakawa River. Lelouch stepped aside and said to the others, “I’ll meet you inside in a few minutes. I have something to take care of.” The Black Knights complied and, one by one, piled into the enclosure until the only one left outside was Lelouch. “You can come out now, Kallen.” Kallen flew down from the roof and landed next to Lelouch. Her head hung low; her eyes obscured by her bangs. Her fetlocks were wrapped and taped up in blood-stained medical gauze. “You had explicit instructions to stay put until I gave you permission to scout the area. As a senior officer of the Black Knight, you know better than to disobey orders.” Kallen didn’t respond. “Are you listening?” “She’s dead.” Kallen tilted her head up. A river of tears streamed down the sides of her face. “My mother is dead,” Kallen cried. Lelouch ran to Kallen’s side as she fell to the ground weeping. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flashback It was the crack of dawn when Kallen finally eluded the Tokyo Settlement's night guard and reach her destiny-the prison hospital where her mother was being held. She was perched on the roof where she observed the orderlies at work. The eight-story building was lightly guarded even before the disaster, but getting in wasn’t really an option for her. The third shift staff hasn’t abandoned post. So, she couldn’t just simply walk through the doors. But that was okay, Kallen now had a pair of wings and her mother was in a room on the fourth floor with a window. So far, she has been getting the hang of flying and even landing; so she might be able to hover near the window long enough to see if she wasn’t harmed. Kallen trotted to the east side of the building where her mother was and took a leap of fate off the roof. As she fell, Kallen flapped her wings until she came to a stop between the second and third floor. Her wings beat a little faster, and the slight increase in lift took Kallen up to the forth floor where her mother was. It was too dark inside to tell if the figure lying in the bed was her mother let alone if she was okay. All Kallen could see were silhouettes of various shapes. “Mom, it’s me, Kallen,” she called out. “I came to check on you.” Kallen knocked through the gap between the bars and on the window. The glass cracked. “Damn hooves,” she cursed. “Mom, I know you probably don’t hear me, but if you do, please, for God’s sake, tell me you’re alright.” But Kallen couldn’t get an answer. “MOM! PLEASE ANSWER ME!” But the scream didn’t garner a response either. Kallen shifted position hoping to get a better view at a different angle. When she did, sunlight poured into the room and illuminated the sight that would rip Kallen’s heart apart. Her mother lay in bed; her body contorted. The look of horror froze on a face bordering between human and equine. Her mother’s mouth was stretched out like the snout of a pony, but there was no fur; eyes, lifeless and wide open, stared out into empty space. Her hands were frozen in mid-transformation as well. Her fingers partially receded; her palms took on the texture and shape of a pony’s hoof. Kallen panicked and beat on the window. “MOTHER! WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!” She paid no mind to the window shattering, the shards of glass cutting into her forelegs, or the orderlies on the ground yelling at her. Then a mundane pony rushed through the door. “What the hell is going on!” He yelled at the winged pony dripping blood from her hooves. “My mother! She’s my mother! What’s wrong with her? Please tell me you can help her?” The pony orderly looked down and shook his head. “I can’t. Kozuki Mitzuki passed away last night.” Kallen profusely shook her head. “No, it isn’t true!” Kallen cried out in a voice cracking under the strain of losing the only real family she had left. Her whole face was moist from the stream of tears. “You people said she would recover! You said she would be okay once she got the Refrain out of her system.” “I’m afraid the strain of the transformation was too much for Miss Kozuki's heart to take. We lost so many of our patients. If you weren't good health, you weren't guaranteed to survive.” “This can be happening!” Kallen said in denial. “She can’t be dead. I promised her I would make things better for her. She can’t die now!” Kallen regained her composure when she noticed a group of ponies heading in her direction carrying knives in their mouths, some of whom were winged ponies who have learned how to fly just like her. Realizing that she may be facing Britannian soldiers, Kallen flew back to the Shinjuku Ghetto. End of Flashback ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “That’s how it happened.” Kallen and Lelouch sat outside staring at the moon. The blotches on the surface reminded Kallen of the bedtime story her mother told her-about the dancing rabbit princess on the moon. When she was older, those fairy tales seemed so stupid, so pointless, but now that her mother has passed away, Kallen longed for those innocent days again and the silly little stories that came with it. “Does it look like a dancing rabbit to you, Zero?” “What does?” Lelouch asked. “Nothing, it was nothing.” “If you wish, I can have Minami tend to your wounds.” Kallen held up a hoof. “You mean these scratches? Forget it. I sanitized and dressed them myself, and I didn’t use my hands either.” Kallen half-heartedly laughed. “I’m a big girl, Zero. I’ll be fine.” “Are you sure...” “Hey,” Kallen interrupted, “I said I’ll be okay, didn’t I? I just needed to get that off my chest.” She rose up and stretched one leg each. “It’s getting late and we have a busy day ahead of us, remember?” Lelouch shook his head. “Sorry, but I’m afraid my work day hasn’t come to an end just yet.” Lelouch turned around and began to trot away. “Where are you going?” Kallen called out. “I’m getting us more recruits. I’ll be back in two hours.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tragedy has a way of bringing the best out of some people, while breaking the will of others. And this one, in particular, has been the ruin of many. Yet, some persevere and continue fighting the good fight. Lelouch is one of them, but so is his enemy, his half-sister Princess Cornelia, Viceroy of Area 11 and leader of the Britannian occupation army. The next chapter will be a test of fortitude and strategy between the viceroy and the exiled prince. Which one will decide the future of the Japanese people? Find out in the next chapter of Rebel Against the Night.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2012-04-24T23:48:48+00:00

2016-12-12T04:16:56+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. The thoughts of the characters are in italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 3: The Battle for Tokyo Part I: Harbinger of Things to Come Darlton accompanied a pony with a lavender mane and lemon-colored fur to Cornelia’s throne room while a third pony followed behind them carrying a bronze candleholder in his mouth. The lemon-colored pony wore a white lab coat that was hastily cut to fit his new body. The tattered coat was riddled with imperfections: the left sleeve was longer than the right, the tail end of the coat hacked into jagged edges to shorten it. Occasionally, the lemon-colored pony adjusted his lab coat with a pair of wings hidden underneath. When he tugged on his coat, a set of gears could be seen adorning his hind quarter. When they reached the entrance to the throne room, the guard bit the door handle letting them in. Darlton stepped aside and opened his right wing pointing inside. “Right this way, Earl Asplund.” “No need to be so formal, general,” the winged pony spoke, “just call me ‘Lloyd’.” “Earl Asplund,” Cornelia le Britannia called out from the other end of the massive throne room. “It’s good to hear from you.” Euphemia was at her sister's side. Lloyd followed the red carpet till he was at the foot of the stairs that lead up to Cornelia’s throne, or more specifically, where it used to be. In its place was a red cushion that Cornelia sat on. “Why Viceroy, you seem unusually courteous…” Lloyd tried to bow on his right rear knee while holding his right front hoof against his chest, but his pony body lacked the dexterity of his original human form. He lost his balance and fell over. “Those formalities won’t be necessary, Earl Asplund.” “Oh thank goodness,” Lloyd said. “I might have broken my neck the next time I try that.” Lloyd picked himself off the floor. “How might I be of service to you, Viceroy?” “I hate to admit, but I have a grudging respect for your work.” “Well, you should,” Lloyd bragged. “My Lancelot saved you from defeat on more than one occasion.” Euphemia cracked a gleeful smile as she thought about the Lancelot's pilot, Kururugi Suzaku. Cornelia’s eye twitched at the reminder that she had to be rescued by Earl Asplund’s handiwork and an Eleven pilot. “And don’t think for a moment the crown isn’t graceful for your aid, Earl Asplund,” Cornelia strained to admit her shortcomings. “But that’s beside the point. I brought you here for a more strategic purpose.” Lloyd raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Strategic?” “I need Knightmare Frames that can operate without sakuradite. It appears that whatever attacked us actually caused our Knightmare’s Yggdrasil Drives to, for a lack of a better term, evaporate. They’re not a drop of sakuradite anywhere.” “You only need to go to Ashford Academy for that. They have a Ganymede...” “I don’t need a museum piece!” Cornelia stomped. “I need something that has the capabilities of a 5th Generation model but runs on an alternate power source. I’ll remind you, that without modern armaments, we are at the mercy of the Elevens. Those savages will rip you apart for being a Britannian noble. Think about that before being so dismissive of my request, Earl Asplund.” “Well since you put it that way, there may be a way to power your Knightmares. There’s a student from Ashford Academy...” “A...student,” Cornelia interrupted. Her displeasure with Lloyd’s answer was obvious from her curled up lip and glaring eyes. “Don’t let that put you off; she’s quite the little genius. She figured out a way to extract energy from uranium.” Cornelia sighed. “Bring her here tomorrow and whatever notes and material she’ll need. Also, see about redesigning the cockpit and pilot interface to compensate for our...handicap,” Cornelia said as she turned her head to the side with a gloomy look on her face. “All of that and with no hands,” the earl joked. “I’ll send as many technicians as I can spare. The added manpower should make up for the lack of hands.” “That depends on how dexterous they are with their mouths.” “Just make do with what you have, Earl Asplund,” Cornelia huffed as she rubbed the throbbing migraine Lloyd was giving her. “Oh, I’ll also need Warren Officer Kururugi’s help with the Lancelot.” “My Knightmares have priority over your experimental model.” “But this is an experimental power source, and to work the kinks out of it, I need the machine that I’m most familiar with.” Cornelia rubbed her forehead, closed her eyes, and sighed. “Just don’t drag your feet doing it.” “Don’t you mean ‘hooves’? I don’t know anyone with feet, at least not anymore.” That was the last straw. Cornelia leaped off her pillow and was about teach the eccentric earl a lesson if not for her sister jumping between them. “Viceroy,” Euphemia said in the sweetest, most submissive voice she could muster, “you’ve had a busy day. How about you get some sleep and let Earl Asplund do his work, right Earl?” Euphemia turned her head around and looked scornfully at Lloyd. “Well I won’t keep you good people waiting,” Lloyd didn’t waste a second and immediately galloped out of the throne room. “I suppose you’re right, Sub-Viceroy,” Cornelia conceded. “Darlton,” she called out. “Yes, mi lady?” Darlton replied. “Go to Ashford Academy and fetch that Ganymede. A museum piece is better than nothing. And order my technicians to have it rigged so it can be piloted in my current state.” “It’ll be done immediately, mi lady.” “And speaking of museum pieces, order your men to gather up spears, lances, and shields. And don’t stop with the museums-confiscate them from private collections if you have to.” “I’ll afraid there are more soldiers than there are antique weapons for them, mi lady.” “In that case,” said Cornelia, “save the actual weapons for our best troops and let the rank and file use whatever they find lying around.” “Is there anything else, mi lady?” “Yes, one more thing-are you familiar with military history?” “As a matter of fact, I am,” Darlton smiled. “Good,” Cornelia smiled back, “that means you won’t have any problems schooling our soldiers. Darlton, in order to keep the Elevens from taking advantage of the situation, we have to shake them up a bit. Tomorrow, I’ll have my strategy ready for you. Then train your men accordingly. Once they’re ready for battle, we’re paying the Elevens a little visit.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The makeshift town square was little more than a spot where rumble was cleared away. Flames danced on the end of torches creating rhythmic, flickering lights. A multitude of ponies, divided evenly between the mundane, horned, and winged types, crowded together. The commotion cut through the serenity brought forth by the night. An elderly mundane stallion with gray mane and white coat trotted to the center of the town square. “The time is right,” he said, “to finally prove that Elevens can make peace with Britannia.” “Don’t use that racist language here, Yamato,” a younger mundane pony scorned, “we’re Japanese, and if the time is right for anything, it’s to send those Britannian bastards to hell.” “I’ve had it with the violence,” a middle aged, horned mare cried, “why can’t we live in peace? Why must you drag the rest of us into your fight? My son ran off and joined that terrorist group, and I haven’t spoken with him since. Don’t make me lose any more of my children.” Just then, the horned female pony was suspended off the ground by an unseen force. “What’s going on? Help!” She cried out. Silence fell on the dumbstruck crowd. The ponies back off to make way for Japan’s most famous or, to some, most infamous pony. Lelouch trotted along the path cutting through the mob to the center of the town square. He gently placed the middle-aged mare on the ground. “Now that I have your attention,” said Lelouch, “I would like to make a request.” Yamato emerged from the crowd. He positioned himself between Lelouch and the crowd. “We want nothing to do with terrorists, Zero,” he said. “You don’t speak for all of Shinjuku. Hear me out, Japanese. The Tokyo Settlement can be ours for the taking. We can cast off Britannian rule once and for all.” Lelouch’s claim was met with much skepticism. “Are you insane?” A pony yelled. “We can’t take on Britannia like this?” The pony next to her scoffed at Lelouch as well. “It’s not like we have weapons or...” Lelouch levitated him as he did Ohgi and the middle-aged mare. “Yes, we’re not exactly in top condition, but,” Lelouch countered, “the Britannians are worse off than we are.” Lelouch eased the pony back on the ground. “Their war machine has been rendered impotent. We have superior numbers. They’re hidden away inside the Settlement while we have the resources of Japan at our disposal.” “Or we can take the opportunity to make peace with the Britannians,” said Yamato. “Quiet you Britannian lapdog,” said a horned stallion. “Let him speak.” A winged mare pony said. “Why should we? He sounds like an honorary Britannian.” “Don’t you dare disrespect Yamato! He’s one of the Shinjuku elders, a pillar of our community. He has to be heard.” “Fine,” say the young stallion, “we’ll listen, but then let Zero finish talking.” “If you insist,” Yamato grudgingly conceded, “we’ll hear Zero out." He turned his back on Lelouch and spoke to the crowd. "But first, consider this. It’s not an overstatement when I say civilization has fallen. Centuries of progress erased in one night. And Zero would have us continue as though nothing has changed. It’s time for us to adapt to the situation. We shouldn’t be antagonizing Britannia, but rather, endearing ourselves to them; extending the olive branch of friendship.” “Now that Britannia is on its knee, you’d have us put our faces to the ground just to show how submissive we can be?” Lelouch then addressed the others. “Do you not wish to live free of Britannia’s yoke or offer a better tomorrow for your children? You Japanese can take what is rightfully yours.” “YOU PONIES ARE IDIOTS!” The entire square diverted their attention to a lone winged stallion. He had a light blue coat, a dark blue mane, and the image of a lightning bolt with a pair of wings attached to it on his hind quarter. He pushed his way through the crowd. “There are no Japanese here. There are no Japanese anywhere. Nor are there any Britannians, not since last night. You ponies go on as though you’re still human. Would you even know if a pony used to be Britannian without him telling you? And you call yourselves Japanese? Japanese are humans, which none of you are.” “Being Japanese is a state of mind,” said Lelouch. “Pretty words to keep these ponies living in their fantasy world. There are no more people in this world-only ponies. Let those old prejudices died with the human race. There’s nothing left to fight for.” “The Viceroy will be all too happy to prove you wrong,” Lelouch said mockingly. “Being Britannian is also a state mind. For Britannians, weakness is the unpardonable sin, and those with power are obligated to abuse those without,” he looked at Yamato, “which is why Viceroy Cornelia will neither acknowledge the Japanese as allies,” and then he turned his attention back to the belligerent stallion, “or accept this new social order of yours. In the next few days, expect her to make an appearance. And when she does, she will enforce the status quo. Just stay out of the way of the Black Knights if you choose not to fight alongside us less you find yourselves in the crossfire.” Lelouch started to walk away but then stopped and looked back. “But those of you that side with us, come with me.” One by one, members of the crowd, mostly young adult ponies, came forth and followed Lelouch as he made his way back to the safe house. And on that night, the ranks of the Black Knights grew by a hundred. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “What the hell is that?” Kallen groaned. She rubbed her crust-covered eyes. The sun had yet to rise and banish the night for another day. She squinted to make out whatever it was that woke her from her much needed rest. “My ears,” she complained as an irritating buzz filled the room. Out of habit, she covered the side of her head, but then moved her hoofs further up after remembering her ears have shifted position. “It’s a wind-up alarm clock," said Lelouch. "I never saw one before until yesterday. Have you? I found it while searching for our radio.” “It’s still dark outside.” Tamaki griped. He lit up his horn and saw the alarm clock on the table next to Lelouch. “It’s 0500! Did you have to wake us up this early?” “I warned you last night to get a good night’s rest.” “But it’s not even morning yet. I barely got any sleep over the racket your new recruits were making last night.” There were ponies lying all over the floor that were also awakened by the commotion. “So, what do you have planned for us?” Ohgi yawned. “As you know, our main goal is to take back the Tokyo Settlement. Before we can do that, we have to grow our forces. However, the Viceroy will be aware of that fact as well.” “You told her what you were planning?” Ohgi asked. “That last time was to set a trap. Cornelia knows about our current plans because it’s the logical choice to make, and she didn’t get to be viceroy by being naïve when it comes to military matters.” Some of the new recruits looked at each other nervously and started to have second thoughts about following their new leader. “The most obvious step for her to take is to bully the population into submission with an overt show of force; a shock-and-awe campaign, but we’ll counter Cornelia with a shock-and-awe campaign of our own. If we’re going to defeat Cornelia’s forces, we’ll have to win over the Japanese people and show them that the Viceroy can be defeated. Even though the occupation force is a toothless tiger, much of the population still fears them, and Cornelia knows it and will do everything in her power to bluff her way to victory.” “What do you have in mind?” Minami asked. “Our old equipment, it may be of some use to us, but only if we act fast. Cornelia won’t waste time.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A row of horned ponies stood shoulder to shoulder conversing among themselves as they waited for their leader. “Why did they make us line up?” One yellow mare turned and asked the blue-gray stallion next to her. “Don’t know,” he replied. “Maybe Zero’s giving a speech.” “I just hope we’re not going to spend all day marching,” a stallion with a white mane, green coat, and a frowning face on his hind quarter griped. “I am so out of here if he thinks we’re going to march.” “That’s not his style,” said a familiar voice next to the disgruntled horned stallion, “and even if he does, you should trust Zero. The Black Knights never went wrong following him.” “Oh and how would you know?” The mare nudged the disgruntled horned stallion. “Hush Akito, here he comes.” The horned ponies all ceased talking as Lelouch and C.C. trotted around the corner. “Welcome new recruits. As much as I would like to be more formally introduced, we’re running on a tight schedule.” Lelouch gestured with his hoof. “Look down at your feet.” The ground was covered with broken bits of concrete and asphalt. “Now look up at me.” The horned ponies watched Lelouch levitate some of the rocks off the ground. “From what I gather, those with the spiral horn on their forehead have special powers. Now concentrate on the rocks at your feet and try moving them with your mind.” The recruits glanced down and focused on the rocks. Akito nudged one with his hoof. “No cheating,” said Lelouch. “What is this? Grade school?” Akito snorted. At first, nothing happened. It was quiet enough to hear a breeze gently shifting around bits of dry paper. But then one of the recruits got his horn to glow. Then another followed suit and then another. It wasn't long before a third of the new recruits were tapping their innate power. The pebbles at Akito’s feet stirred around in a circular pattern. “Hey, mine's working!” He said enthusiastically, but then his horn dimmed and the pebbles ceased moving. “Keep your mind on the task at hand,” Lelouch ordered. “Oh right.” Akito went back to stirring the pebbles again. One mare managed to throw hers and hit the side of a building while others could barely slide a pebble along the ground. Several of them emitted beams of light not unlike Tamaki’s horn. But then something unexpected happened. Some tattered cloth and shards of broken glass floated around one mare, whirled around her, and then turned into a pink, gossamer silk gown lined with glass jewelry. Broken pieces of rebar were banging against old storm drains and rocks against trashcans with a distinctive beat. Lelouch thought he heard someone playing a string instrument. He looked around and caught sight of old wire stretched out and plucked like a guitar . Even the wind itself was playing a saxophone-like melody as it blew through old plumbing exposed by the gaping holes in the building. The spotlights emanating from the horns reflected downward and changed color at random. Pieces of trash flew upwards and were shredded. The recruits and Lelouch were showered in confetti. “Stop it!” Lelouch growled. “Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!!!” The street went silence save for the clatter of falling rebar . The wind died out, and the techno-colored spotlights faded. “Is this your idea of a joke?!?” Lelouch fumed. The electronic voice modulator stitched into his mask picked up the heavy breathing, which sounded like the rumbling of a distant storm closing in. “We didn’t mean to do it. It just happened,” a horned stallion apologized. “You expect me to believe this was all an accident?” “Yes it was,” a horned mare said defensively. “I tried moving the rocks, but then...” “That’s enough of your excuses! Those of you involved in this foolishness,” Lelouch pointed to the ponies that took part in the 'party', “you can leave. If you can’t take the liberation of your own homeland seriously...” “But we do take it seriously,” the horned mare in the gown cried. Her fur was damp with streams of tears pouring from her eyes. “Your party dress says otherwise.” “Please, Lord Zero, don’t send us away.” The horned mare felled at Zero’s hooves. “I was trying to move the rocks like you asked, but then my mind wandered and the dress just came out of nowhere.” Those that Zero pointed to crowded around him pleading to stay. “I said ‘no’! Now leave!” The horned types that were singled out complied with Lelouch’s command and went off in all directions. Lelouch took a deep breath to calm down. “Now for the rest who weren’t able to use their powers, I’ll assign you to a Black Knight with a horn. Minami,” Lelouch called out. Minami, who was standing beside Akito, stepped out of the crowd. “You’re a Black Knight!” Akito said in shock. Minami nodded. “I wasn’t just talking nonsense when I told you the Black Knights never went wrong following Zero. I was trying to learn telekinesis myself.” Tamaki, who was sulking at the other end of the line, huffed when Minami mentioned telekinesis. Lelouch spoke up. “You were gathered here to find those able to tap their powers and to train them. Telekinesis isn’t the only ability that could prove useful. Minami has the ability to accelerate the healing process. If we can find even one additional healer, it would mean fewer Black Knights dying on the battlefield.” Lelouch then turned his attention to Tamaki. “Go to Ohgi and help him with the new recruits in the subway tunnels.” Tamaki sighed and headed for the tunnel entrance dragging his hooves. “Those able to perform telekinesis,” said Lelouch, “will stay with me for further training. We’ll hone your powers as a weapon against Britannia.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A caravan of mundane-types made its way to the tunnel entrance that lead back to the Black Knights’ safe house pulling an assortment of cars and pick-up trucks-each one was packed full with a variety of metallic items. Illuminating the path for them was Ohgi, who was holding an antique lantern in his mouth, and Tamaki. They were greeted at the entrance of the subway tunnel by Lelouch. “Did you get the items I requested?” Ohgi set down the lantern and nodded. “Everything you asked for. The explosive ordnance from our stockpile and whatever sharp objects, bladed weapons, and poles we could find.” “Yo Zero,” Tamaki called out, “I made Ohgi bring body armor.” Ohgi glared at Tamaki. “That old aluminum siding you had us lugging around isn’t body armor.” “We’ll put body armor on the back burner for right now. But it isn’t something to dismiss offhand either. Good thinking, Tamaki.” “I can’t believe Zero said ‘good thinking’ and ‘Tamaki’ in the same sentence,” Ohgi said under his breath. Just then, Kallen, Minami, and one of the new recruit, a mature horned mare, who was in her late 30’s to early 40’s, trotted through the entrance. “So Kallen, how did the training go?” Kallen took a deep breath and sighed. “Terrible. Our recruits are too scared to even hover off the ground, let alone fly.” Kallen fluffed her wings. “They’re supposed to be risking life and limb to free Japan, and they’re too cowardly to use these.” “At least yours didn’t turn their orientation into a rave.” Lelouch then noticed Kallen’s bandages were gone and that her cuts have healed. “Did Minami do that?” Kallen lifted one foreleg at a time. “Oh you mean these? It was Minami’s student.” The mature mare stepped forward. “I’m Karamorita Saika. Before the invasion, I was a pharmacist and, after, a midwife.” Tamaki stared at Ms. Karamorita’s flank. “Hey, what’s that stick thing beside the thermometer?” “Tamaki!” Kallen yelled. “That’s rude.” “Oh, he isn’t bothering me,” said Saika. “It’s a tongue depressor.” “Minami,” Tamaki asked, “don’t you have a stethoscope and band-aid on your hip?” “Yeah,” Minami replied, “and now that I think about it, the first person I healed said the marks match up with my healing abilities. I remembered wanting to be a doctor when I was a kid, but when the Britannians came, I had to shelf that dream.” It was then Zero remembered the recruit in the dress had a sewing needle and spindle on her flank. “If you don’t mind,” Minami asked, “I’ll take Karamorita around the ghettos for some practice.” “I don’t have a problem with it,” said Lelouch. “And they’ll appreciate your help.” As Minami and his student were leaving, a winged stallion barged through the subway entrance. The others couldn’t place the lavender coat, blonde mane with one long bang hanging off the forehead, and a video camera hind quarter symbol. He was panting for breath. Instinctively, Ohgi, Kallen, and Tamaki stepped between this new pony and Lelouch. “Zero, I finally found you.” The new pony wheezed. The three Black Knights relaxed and stepped aside. “Took you long enough to come back, you damn Britannian,” Tamaki scoffed. The new pony was Diethard Reid-a Britannian reporter who joined the Black Knights to cover Zero’s rise to power. “He’s a Britannian?” A feminine voiced asked from the other side of the entrance. It was the horned mare that created the dress during the orientation. She peered through the doorway. “Please forgive me Lord Zero for bringing a Britannian. He told me he was a Black Knight.” “And he is,” Lelouch replied. “Welcome back, Diethard. I thought you would have come sooner.” “If you only knew how much trouble I had getting back to Tokyo and then finding you,” Diethard bellyached. Lelouch then turned his attention to the horned mare. “It’s rude to peak in. Come inside.” The horned mare cautiously crept in “Lord Zero,” she bowed at Lelouch’s feet. “Please give me one more chance. I promise I won't let you down.” “What’s your name?” “My name is Kamio Misuzu, Lord Zero.” “You will have to prove it to me, Kamio Misuzu,” Lelouch said without looking down, “go find the other recruits I sent away. Find as many of them as you can and bring them to the safe house if they choose to come back.” Misuzu’s face lit up. “I’ll track every one of them down for you, Lord Zero.” She galloped out of the subway. “And stop calling me Lord Zero,” Lelouch shouted. “Titles are the indulgences of Britannian nobility.” “Now that’s out of the way,” said Diethard, “I have some information that you might be interested in.” “Do tell,” said Lelouch. “As you know, the Britannians set up military installations throughout Area 11, and most of them have fallen to local resistant fighters. The surviving soldiers are heading for the Tokyo Settlement and seeking refuge...” “...and thereby, strengthening the Viceroy’s forces,” Lelouch completed Diethard’s sentence. “We should set up a blockade around the settlement immediately.” Lelouch turned away from Diethard and mused over the news. “Let them through,” Lelouch ordered as he turned around in dramatic fashion. “Allow those displaced Britannian soldiers into the settlement.” “But Zero, you can’t be serious,” Diethard objected. “I am. They will be more useful to us if we allow them passage through the ghettos. I have plans for them, Diethard.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The clouds smothered the already minuscule light of the stars above and draped the ghetto in a murky darkness. A pair of ponies were treading cautiously through old Tokyo and stepping softly keeping the tapping of hooves against concrete down to a minimum as they traveled along Koshu-Kaido Avenue. “Just the two of us on a scouting mission with no weapons?” One pony asked rhetorically. “Finney must really hate us.” The other pony shushed his partner. “Keep it down”. “Don’t you have a flashlight, Grant?” “No, and we shouldn’t, Collins.” The other one whispered. “And try to be quiet. We don’t want to wind up like the 4th.” “The 4th?” Collins asked. “They had the bright idea of sneaking into Tokyo in broad daylight. They didn’t even make it into the city limits. I heard a lynch mob of Elevens hung them all.” “Oh that’s just a rumor,” Collin said in order to ease his troubled mind. “I’m not taking any chances,” said Grant, “and neither should you.” Collins nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll definitely keep my mouth shut.” “I’m afraid it's a bit too late for that.” The electronically distorted voice that echoed all around them was all too familiar to the Britannian military. Just then, a flashlight came on behind them. They turned to see who it was only to find the flashlight floating in mid-air. “I’m behind you, Britannians.” Collins and Grant turned around and saw Lelouch in costume. “Hear me, soldiers of Britannia,” said Lelouch as he activated his Geass, “I have an important task for you.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hundreds of ponies were on the bottom level of the Tokyo Settlement piling debris into the access corridors running between the settlement and the ruins of old Tokyo. Those pulling wagons had their legs bound in chains. One of them was a mundane with Turquoise fur and a brown mane. He had a mark on his hind quarter, a castle tower, like other ponies, but there were also pair of lines burned into his flesh. In fact, all of the ponies in chains had those two lines branded into their flanks. One of the guards on watch looked him over. “You’re a lucky Eleven aren’t you?” He mocked. The pony in chains said nothing. “They were going to execute you, Tohdoh, but thanks to this disaster, the Viceroy is in need of dumb animals to haul off garbage, and you were a perfect fit for the job.” The pony in chains was stoic. He showed no anger at his jailer nor did he lash out. Instead, he calmly said, “if you’re searching for dumb animals, look in a mirror.” The jailer turned around and kicked Tohdoh in the head. “Watch your mouth or else, eleven pig!” Tohdoh shook off the blow and continued on his way when a commotion on the far end of the access corridor caught the guards’ attention. They ran over to see what was going on. On the other side of the barrier were pleading voices. “Let us in,” went some of the cries. “We’re Britannians,” said others. A pony stuck a muzzle through a tiny opening in the barrier. “Help, we’re survivors stationed on the bases outside of Tokyo. I’m from the 118th Artillery division stationed in Kyoto. We need your help.” “Inform the Viceroy,” a guard ordered. “Please hurry,” the pony on the other end of the barrier begged, “before the Elevens finds out we’re here.” “You there with the wings,” the officer in charge ordered a winged pony who was a moment ago picking up debris, “Fly over to the Viceroy’s palace and tell her what you saw.” “I can’t fly. I only did it once, and I crashed.” The winged pony in question was Rivalz. “Do you want to be court-martial on your first day, private?” “N...n...n...no sir,” Rivalz stammered. He heeded the guard’s commands and took off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Slow down!” Guilford cried out as he sidestepped a speeding Knightmare Frame. The humanoid mecha ran into a fountain and smashed the cherub statues into pieces before it finally came to a shrieking halt. The frame had a blue and white color scheme and elongated arms. It had neither a head nor a specialized cockpit in the back. Because the Ganymede is a third-generation Frame, the cockpit was at the top of the frame and integrated into the torso unlike the modular cockpit in the back of the later generation Frames. The pony piloting the Ganymede was Cornelia. “Guilford,” Cornelia called out, “you said the technicians made adjustments to the controls.” The Ganymede cockpit was redesigned with four foot pedals. Cornelia was positioned on a saddle bolted into the floorboard that divided the right and left pedals. “They did, mi lady,” said Guilford. “They said that you have to get used to the new control scheme.” “It’s never easy, is it,” Cornelia snorted. “Give it time, mi lady. I’m sure we’ll...” Guilford was tackled by Rivalz. The young winged stallion landed on top of the mundane pony. “Get off of me,” Guilford yelled. “I am so, so sorry, my lordship,” Rivalz apologized profusely. “Go practice elsewhere, private.” “I wasn’t practicing, sir.” “You should if you insist on flying.” “Lt. Schultz ordered me to, your lordship.” Guilford looked at Rivalz cockeyed. “What for?!?” “He has a message for the Viceroy. Britannian soldiers from the other bases in Area 11 are asking for sanctuary.” “Viceroy, survivors from...” “I heard Guilford,” Cornelia interrupted. She lowered herself from the Ganymede’s cockpit. “Lead the way, private.” “Yes, your highness,” said Rivalz. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rivalz led Cornelia and Guilford to the one entrance to the settlement where the work crew was clearing away debris, instead of piling it on, and dumping it on the left and right side of the entrance. The set-up had a special failsafe. The debris was being piled around it and held in place by netting. Rope tied to the support beams provided tension. Should one or both of the ropes become undone, the debris would bury anyone that dares to invade the settlement. The only thing besides the booby trap keeping the hundreds of Britannian refugees from entering were platoon upon platoon of soldiers armed with whatever sharp objects they could wield. The pony closest to the front, a mundane stallion with red fur and a purple mane, bowed to Cornelia. “Viceroy, oh thank God you came,” he said. “I’m Warrant Officer Greg Finney. I’m the de facto commanding officer of the 118th Artillery Division stationed in Shizuoka.” “And you, a mere warrant officer, are the highest ranking soldier left in your division?” Cornelia asked. Warrant Officer Finney nodded. “The day after we were transformed, Elevens overran our base and murdered most of the NCOs and all the officers. We had to wait till late last night to sneak into the city under the cover of darkness. We were lucky it was cloudy that night. Please, your highness, do not leave us to die at the hands of the Numbers. My men and I can be of use to you.” “Hold on for just a moment." Cornelia said to Warrant Officer Finney. She gestured to Guilford to follow her. When they were out of earshot, "I'm not sure about letting them in," Cornelai whispered. “Your highness, will you not grant them sanctuary?” Guilford asked. "They’re our own.” “Are they, Guilford? We can’t tell the difference between an Eleven and a Britannian by looking anymore. We even branded the Eleven inmates just to keep tabs of them.” Cornelia could tell that Guilford wasn’t too happy about leaving soldiers outside the protection of the Settlement by the unwavering look of dread on his equine face. “I’ll interrogate them myself and make certain that they’re really...” “No, your majesty! It’s a trap!” One of the soldiers barged through the entrance. “I was the only one that made it out. The rest are Eleven terrorists! They forced me to go along with their ruse.” The guards tackled the pony. “No your majesty, Sergeant Grant is lying!” The other soldiers from the 118th were yelling out similar declarations as well. Suddenly, one of the 118th barged into the settlement and stabbed a guard with a combat knife held firmly between his teeth. It was Collins. “For the liberation of Japan!” Collins called out after thrusting the blade into the guard’s neck and then, after completing Lelouch's order, looked stunned at the guard he murdered. “What’s going on...” he blurted out before being ran through with a butcher’s knife tied to a mop handle. Before Cornelia's men had the chance to trigger the booby trap, the Britannians on the outside poured through the entrance. In a matter of seconds, soldiers on both sides of the access corridor were attacking each other. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On the roof of a building just outside the perimeter of the Tokyo Settlement, Lelouch watched the Britannians soldiers turn on one another though a pair of binoculars. He cracked a mischievous grin underneath the Zero mask. C.C. stood beside Lelouch squinting at the entrance of the settlement ground floor. “What are you up to this time, Lelouch?” Lelouch levitated the binoculars in front of C.C. “Is this your doing, Lelouch?” Lelouch chuckled impishly at the accusation. “So, you got your evil laugh back?” “I knew it would be worth my while to permit those stragglers back into the Tokyo Settlement. I had my special collaborators sow the seeds of chaos among the Britannians and now those seeds are yielding fruit. And I owe it all to you.” Lelouch said to the pony that just flew right in front of him and C.C. He folded his forelegs around his chest and stared in disapproval of Lelouch. “What do you mean you owe it all to me?” “What was it you said to me the night before last...oh yes...‘Would you even know if a pony used to be Britannian without him telling you’.” “So rather than take my advice, you twist it around and make things even worse.” “Only worse for Britannia, but it’s a small victory for the Black Knights. It’ll bide my forces time to prepare for the battle to come. At the very least, Cornelia will think twice about taking in strays and thereby keeping her forces from growing.” “You’re hopeless.” The winged stallion snorted. “This fighting will end sooner or later on its own but not if you...” Lelouch pointed at the winged stallion and said loudly, “if there was any validity to your words, my trap wouldn’t have worked, and the Viceroy would accept anyone from outside the settlement with open arms! The fact that the Britannians are at each other’s throats and fighting among themselves is testimony against your philosophy.” “Only because Cornelia’s just like you.” The winged stallion flew away disappointed that he wasn't able to sway these prodigal ponies. “Lelouch, who is he?” C.C. asked. “Just some idealistic fool that crossed my path while I was getting our first batch of recruits,” said Lelouch. "Forget about him. We have more urgent matters to tend to.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was a long day for Rivalz. First, he was dragged out of his dorm before the sun even rose and ordered to help clear debris, and then he got caught in that fight with the Eleven terrorists that broke out. His strides were uneven from pushing himself too hard. When he was sure the dorm leader wasn’t watching, Rivalz hobbled through the hallways until he came to room 2010 and knocked. “It’s me, Rivalz. Can I come in?” He asked. The door shook for a moment and then cracked open. A female mundane pony with a strawberry blonde mane and chartreuse coat answered the door. “You shouldn’t have come. If Mrs. Gottfried catches you ing the girl’s dorm...” “Don’t worry Shirley,” said Rivalz, “I checked for her before sneaking in.” Rivalz stood up on his hind legs and looked over Shirley. “Is Milly okay?” “I am,” Milly called out from inside the room. “Shirley, let Rivalz in. I wouldn’t want him getting caught out in the hallway.” Shirley did as Milly requested. Rivalz was a bit relieved to see Milly lying on the couch despite the look of melancholy on her face. Milly may have been depressed, but at least she was still alive. “How are you feeling, Chief?” Rivalz asked Milly. “A little better,” she said. “And how was your day?” “Nothing happened really. It was boring in fact,” Rivalz lied. “So, you weren’t there when the terrorists tried sneaking into the settlement?” Shirley asked. “Terrorists!” Milly gasped. “You didn’t hear-terrorists were posing as soldiers and trying get inside. There was a huge fight that broke out when they were caught.” “Maybe I can get my grandfather to pull some strings and get you a safer assignment.” “No way!” Rivalz objected. “I’m seriously considering a career in the military. It would look bad if I...” Rivalz stopped to glance around when he realized something was out of place. “Hey, where’s Nina? I can’t believe she’s so self-centered to run out on you.” “Don’t be so hard on her,” Shirley said defensively. “The Viceroy ordered her to the palace.” “Did you said the Viceroy wanted to see Nina? This isn’t about the table and those pictures of Princess Euphemia, is it?” Shirley shook her head. “I hope that isn’t the reason...for her sake.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was the tenth day after the night of the transformation and late in the afternoon. Yoshida was on a rooftop watching the Tokyo Settlement for any sign of Britannian forces while Tamaki held the pair of binoculars in his mouth. Tamaki dropped the binoculars. “Hey,” said Yoshida, “what did you do that for?” “I’m tired of holding those binoculars,” Tamaki replied. “It’s only fair to take turns.” “No way! It’s got your slobber all over it.” “Man this sucks. I’ve been on this roof with you and Sugiyama for the last two days holding your stupid binoculars.” “Shut up and do your job,” Yoshida ordered. “Zero said Cornelia could come out at any moment and in full force.” “I’ll do it today, but you’re holding the damn binoculars tomorrow. And I’m cleaning them so you won’t have an excuse not to.” Tamaki huffed, retrieved the binoculars, and held them for Yoshida. For Kento Sugiyama, this wasn’t a problem. As an airborne winged type, his forelegs were free to take hold of the binoculars pressed between his fetlocks. He was watching from the air, but only about thirty feet above the rooftop as he was a bit nervous about flying, even after the days of training under Kallen. Then he saw something that caused him to drop his binoculars. “Hey watch it up there,” Yoshida yelled. Sugiyama pointed to the side. “Look over there.” “Tamaki! Keep the binoculars flushed to my eyes! Move it as my head move!” “Oooh dot eed do ell (You don’t need to yell),” Tamaki mumbled. He adjusted the binoculars as Yoshida scanned the area. “No way!” Yoshida jumped back a bit. “That can’t be happening.” “Uut? Uut ant ee appantind? (What? What can’t be happening?)” Tamaki pleaded for answers. “You know the plan, Tamaki. Now turn around.” Once Tamaki was facing in the opposite direction, Yoshida tossed a small blanket over his horn and pulled back until only the front could be seen. Tamaki spat the binoculars out of his mouth. “You guys gotta tell me what’s going on so I know what to tell Zero.” “A Knightmare,” Sugiyama said as he landed. “The Britannians have a working Knightmare.” “You got to be kidding me!” “Relax, it’s just one Knightmare Frame.” “That’s one working Knighmare more than we got.” Tamaki’s horn lit up and went back dim in quick flashes and in one to two second blinks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch translated the Morse code message Tamaki sent him and jotted down the results on paper. He still hasn’t quite mastered his telekinesis. It took his full attention just to make the words legible. Lelouch read over the message and shook his head. “You must be feeling the heat to overplay your hand, Cornelia,” Lelouch gloated. C.C. peered over Lelouch’s shoulder. “A Knightmare Frame?!?” She said in a bewildered tone. “I thought those stopped working.” “Only the ones with sakuradite components,” Lelouch answered. “I’m betting it’s the Ganymede model from Ashford Academy. It uses a chemical battery for a power source. It won’t have the range and mobility of one powered by sakuradite.” “But still, she does have a huge advantage over you.” “She would have if she kept the Ganymede inside the settlement. This is actually to *my* advantage.” “I see,” said C.C. “No, actually I don’t,” she corrected herself. “You'll understand soon enough,” Lelouch replied with a devilish grin on his face. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Japanese living in the Shinjuku Ghetto gathered on the decrepit, cracked sidewalks and watched with trepidation as a 25-foot tall Ganymede Knightmare Frame led the way for hundreds of ponies marching in a column of five. The soldiers on the perimeter of the formation each had a shield tied to their backs. The ones in the center of the formation carried spears in their mouths. The center of the formation did not form perfect rows but, rather, the second and fourth column was one-half a pony’s body length ahead of the first, third, and fifth columns. Two ponies in the adjacent columns rested the one end of their spears on the pony in the middle one and the other end on a pony in the outer columns The ponies in the third column, in kind, rested the ends of their spears on the ponies in the second and forth columns. The overlap kept the ponies from impaling each other. In the very middle of the formation were winged ponies. They were armed with knives carried in their mouths instead of spears and shields. All of the Britannian ponies wore armbands that bore the crest of the lion and the serpent, the symbol of the Holy Britannian Empire, torn from their uniforms and taped to the armbands. The bystanders whispered among themselves. "How did the Britannians get their technology working?" "Are they going to re-establish rule?" "The Black Knights are going to get it now." "And after the Britannians are done with them, we’re next." The elder ponies from the meeting waited in the middle of the street for the battalion, which were two blocks away. Yamato, the unofficial leader of Shinjuku, stepped forward and called out to the Britannians. “Welcome to Shinjuku,” Yamato yelled out. “We wish to speak with whoever is in charge.” The Ganymede held out its hand with its palm facing the battalion. The soldiers came to a halt. Cornelia dismounted her Knightmare Frame and descended to the street below. “I am Viceroy Cornelia le Britannia, second princess of the Britannian Imperial Family. Who might you be?” “You sound exactly the same as on television, your highness,” said Yamato who was making a subtle hint that he acknowledged the identity of the horned mare. “I am Yamato Masayoshi. I’m the elder of this ghetto. How may I be of service to you, your highness?” “Heh,” Cornelia grunted, “if you were only half as accommodating as you are now, Tokyo wouldn’t have a problem with terrorism. “That’s not fair,” an elderly horned mare spoke out. “Yamato has done everything in his power to keep...” “Please Tochigi,” Yamato interrupted his colleague, “let’s not fight each ourselves." He turned his attention back to Cornelia. "As I was saying in a meeting a few days ago, it’s not an overstatement to say that civilization has fallen. Centuries of progress erased in one night. We should be working together, not fighting.” Cornelia looked away from Yamato. “Work together?” She scowled. “Why yes, our people can work together. This can be the start of a new era of cooperation between the Holy Britannian Empire and our people. Together we can...,” Cornelia charged Yamato head first. Her horn pressed against the elderly stallion’s neck. “How dare you speak as though we’re equals!” Cornelia sneered. Yamato tilted his head back. The muscles in his legs tensed up and trembled as he tried to keep from pressing against the melee weapon attached to Cornelia’s forehead. “Please, your highness, reconsider.” Yamato pleaded. “The Britannian Empire doesn’t make alliances with beaten dogs. You understand, Eleven?” “Yes, your highness, I understand.” “Don’t ever forget your place, Eleven.” Cornelia brushed her horn across Yamato’s neck. The elderly Japanese ponies rushed to Yamato’s side. He had a shallow cut along this left jaw, which sprinkled the ground with drops of blood. “Leave him alone.” It was the winged stallion who comforted Lelouch and Yamato at the meeting. He stepped between them and stared down the viceroy. “Another Eleven that doesn’t know his place,” “I’m not an Eleven, and you’re no Britannian. You stopped being one when you were turned into a pony.” “I don’t have time for this.” She looked behind her at the front row of soldiers. “You three, beat some sense into this buffoon,” Cornelia ordered. “Yes, my lord,” the soldiers said in unison. One flew over head and swooped down on the blue stallion while two others rushed him. He sidestepped the attack from above and slapped the soldier on the back of his neck with his wing. The blow momentarily stunned the soldier. He lost control and crashed. The winged stallion spun around kick on one soldier as he was turning and back kicked the other. More soldiers broke formation and charged the winged stallion. Realizing the odds were against him, he leaped into the air and took flight, but two winged Britannians grabbed hold, weighed him down, and forced him to land. Once the winged stallion was on the ground, the Britannians huddled around and pummeled the knave that dared to disrespect the crown. Droplets of blood flew with each blow. Suddenly, a rock flew just over their heads. They halted their brutal attack and scanned the area. Then, out of nowhere, another rock flew and made its mark catching one Britannian between the eyes. Then another rock was thrown from the opposite direction of the first, and another Britannian soldier was struck down in the back of the head. An omni-directional salvo of rocks battered the soldiers forcing them away from the winged stallion. “Viceroy Cornelia,” Lelouch called out further down the street, “so this is the true colors of the Britannian crown-common street thuggery.” “Zero,” Cornelia growled, “so you finally came out of hiding, coward.” “So says the woman that needs an army to rough up a solitary man,” Lelouch retorted. A rock then zipped within inches of Cornelia. Darlton immediately came to his majesty’s aid and flew her back to the cockpit. When they made it to the top of the Ganymede, Cornelia caught site of Zero ducking into an alley “Squads 11 and 15,” Cornelia ordered, “encircle Zero. Platoons 2 and 4, ransack the buildings. Kill whoever is inside.” Meanwhile, the winged stallion staggered away with one of the ghetto elders helping him to vacate the battlefield. “Mi lady,” Darlton said with a caution tone in his voice, “this could be a trap.” “I know, but I’m counting on the Ganymede as my trump card. Even Zero couldn’t have known that we had a working Knightmare Frame.” “Permit me to stay by your side, mi lady. These old Frames don’t have an ejection system.” Cornelia nodded. “It’s a tight fit. Just be careful to not get in the way.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen and a contingency of horned recruits were on the fourth floor waiting for Zero to make his move. She wore an armband around her left foreleg, which held in place the knife she kept hidden in her handbag when attending Ashford Academy. The recruits also wore armbands with the symbol of the Black Knights, the Geass symbol with a sword pointing downward in the middle, on it. “What the hell is going on out there?” Akito asked with an impatient tone in his voice. “Can I look?” “No,” said Kallen, "we can’t risk being discovered.” About a minute later, Kallen caught sight of Lelouch saving the life of some winged pony the Britannians were brutally beating. “Okay now,” she ordered. The recruits followed Zero’s instructions. They concentrated on moving some rocks piled on the first floor window ledges of the building on the other side of the street. A minute later, some of the Britannians split off from the main formation. “Okay, everyone, back away from the wall and get ready to set off the fragmentation devices on my mark,” Kallen ordered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sound of stampeding ponies was heading towards Lelouch from the front and the back. Not quite what he had planned, but nothing that he couldn’t compensate for. Lelouch galloped beneath a fire escape. Just above him was a retractable ladder. Lelouch pulled a latch holding the bottom fire escape ladder and slowly eased the ladder down with telekinesis. The ladder was slanted at an angle which allowed Lelouch to climb up the fire escape even in pony form. He then levitated it back into place before ducking into the building to wait for the Britannians to “surround” him. When the Britannians piled into the alley from both sides in an attempt to corner him, Lelouch galloped into one of the bathrooms. Inside the dilapidated room was old plumping exposed from the deterioration of the interior wall. Lelouch levitated a corroded pipe lying on the floor and struck the plumbing repeatedly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the depths of the subway system, Ohgi and two horned Black Knights stood in wait for Zero’s plan to be set into motion. One of the recruits acted as a light source. The other recruit was Kamio Misuzu, the horned mare who sewed the dress during orientation. The subterranean passageway was completely silence except for the pounding of two hearts from two nerve-wrecked recruits. They kept a vigil over the stockpile of unexploded ordnance. A mound of missile war heads, explosive artillery rounds, blocks of C-4, and a few tanks of welding gas were wired to a trigger mechanism. Suddenly, the calm was broken by a metallic noise traveling along exposed pipes leading to the surface. “Everyone, get to the curve in the tunnel,” Ohgi ordered. He and the recruits galloped hastily to the turn in the subway tunnel. “Now, concentrate on the trigger mechanism-just like we trained you to.” Misuzu peered around the curve. She pointed her horn at the detonator. “Don’t forget, once it’s triggered, you have ten seconds to get back to safety.” Misuzu snorted at Ohgi. “Let me concentrate, will you,” she snapped. She directed her focus back to the detonator. A second later, the detonator had the same aura as Misuzu’s horn. The trigger mechanism was pressed, and a red light on the detonator activated. Misuzu hastened around the corner. “Ten, nine, eight,” she counted as she was turning the corner, “seven, si...”. Before Misuzu could finish counting, the explosives went off. The concussion wave was just enough to jar her off her hooves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Britannian ponies ransacked the abandoned buildings in search for the phantom assailants. A young horned mare saluted an older mundane stallion with a peach-colored beard that matched his mane. “Have you find anything yet, corporal?” The older pony asked. “Not yet, sir,” the younger horned mare replied. “What do you mean ‘not yet’?” The older stallion said in a scornful, gruff voice. “There had to been an entire platoon hurling rocks at us. Keep look...” The old officer never had a chance to finish his command. The floor under their hooves erupted. The force shattered every bone in every pony’s body and buried their broken corpses under the ruins of the collapsing building. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch darted left and right dodging falling debris. The alley where he lead the two squads of Britannians and the building that they ransacked were demolished from beneath by well-placed, improvised explosive devices in the subway tunnels. It wasn’t much of a loss for the Black Knights. There were plenty of tunnels left over and now that Old Tokyo is under their control, they weren't so reliant on them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The room trembled from the force of the blast and from the toppling building on the other side of the street. A fog of pulverized concrete billowed from the ruins and expanded in all directions. “Now everyone,” Kallen ordered, “get under cover.” The recruits cowered behind flipped over desks lining the back wall. Kallen watched anxiously for their next targets. Just out the window were the Britannians with wings. From her narrow view, Kallen could see about six of them in the hazy mist. She made a rough estimate of about one hundred to one hundred and fifty airborne Britannians. She hesitated wondering if she should wait for more of them to fly up when a Britannian beside the window glanced over and caught sight of the Black Knights hiding in the upper floors. “The enemy’s in this building,” the Britannian who spotted them called out. “Team one, go!” Kallen yelled. Half of the horned Black Knights levitated glass jars lining the floor through the windows-glass jars filled with nails and with a wire running to detonators on top of the lids. “Now team two, do your part.” The other horned Black Knights activated their powers and push the detonators. Once again, the Shinjuku Ghetto was rocked by explosions, but this time, the blast came from above, and, in its wake, was a hailstorm of nails flying in all directions. They embedded themselves into flesh and bone. All of the winged Britannians that were in the blast radius fell to the earth; their bodies torn apart before they even hit the ground. The nail bombs caused casualties in the ranks of the Britannian ground forces as well, either by being fragged by the explosives or by falling Britannian winged-types. The ground was oily and black from the spilled blood. Kallen ran into the hallway. There, waiting for her, were dozens of winged Black Knights. Various knives lay next to their hooves. “Team three, follow my lead,” Kallen ordered. She pulled out her knife and flew into battle. The other Black Knights picked up their blades and followed her out the window. Kallen flew up over the rooftops of the buildings and scrutinized the battlefield. To her left were Princess Cornelia and her Ganymede Knightmare. To her right was the bulk of the remaining winged Britannians. Kallen pointed to the right. “Finish off the remaining air forces.” “What about you?” One of the recruits asked. “I have something important I have to take care of,” she answered. The recruits un-enthusiastically flew straight at the aloft Britannians as Kallen went in the opposite direction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This can’t be happening! How could I be so naïve as to not expect this to happen! Cornelia expected Zero to show up with additional forces taken from the populace, but she never expected him to set up this booby trap for her. How could I be such a fool! No matter, I still have a working Knightmare, and he doesn’t. Cornelia then saw a group of mundane and horned-types with spears tied to their bodies coming at the right and left flanks of their formation. The Black Knights were attempting a pincer move. “Get in formation,” Cornelia’s voice boomed from the Ganymede’s loudspeaker, “and draw your weapons.” The panic that overshadowed Cornelia’s forces faded away with the sound of her voice. Once they got their bearings, Britannian ground forces arranged their formation into a crude phalanx. The Britannians in front untied the shields that were strapped on the backs of their neighbor and took hold of them. The hodgepodge of shields, from modern police riot shields to those from ancient Greece, overlapped into a barrier protecting the formation. The ponies in the center of the formation threaded their spears, which were as anachronistic and varied as the shields, through bindings wrapped around the bodies of the ponies in front of them and tightened the ropes around them. The Britannians lining the perimeter of the phalanx halted the advancing Black Knights. Only one Black Knight on the right of the Britannians’ formation navigated around the wall of shields and impaled the target. The rest had their spears lodged out of place or broken. The Britannians’ shield bearers stood aside for the spear bearers to strike at the Black Knights before disappearing back into the formation. The perimeter of the phalanx was littered with dead Black Knights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Don’t just stand there!” Inoue screamed at a scared recruit that was frozen in mid-air in front of an unarmed winged Britannian while holding her knife between her hooves. “Stab him!” The Britannian kicked the recruit and snatched up her blade in mid-air and then flew up and ran it across the recruit’s abdomen. She fainted from the loss of blood and plummeted to the ground. Dammit! Where the hell did Kallen go! Inoue was fuming that Kallen abdicated her duties and left her to lead the recruits in the ensuring air battle, one that they were losing. Inoue rushed the Britannian before he could turn around and stabbed him in the back. Even though the fragmentation bombs killed most of the winged Britannians, the few that were left were holding their own. The recruits have never been in combat before. Even the ones not afraid to die were afraid to kill. Inoue caught sight of another catatonic recruit and a Britannian closing in on him. Before the Britannian could land a killing blow, Kento Sugiyama sideswiped the Britannian. The collision knocked the knife out of the Britannian’s mouth. “Pay attention, dumbass!” He yelled. The Britannian who Sugiyama tackled came from below and rammed the Black Knight in the stomach with his fore hooves. Sugiyama gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him. Seeing the Britannian coming in for another pass out of the corner of his eye, Sugiyama pushed the pain aside and dodged before the enemy could strike another blow. The Britannian looped around only this time, attacking Sugiyama from above grabbing him by the waist and letting gravity do the rest. The weight was too much for Sugiyama's wings to support. They were both losing altitude. Inoue rushed to help Sugiyama, but another Britannian soldier rammed her and knocked Inoue’s knife out of her mouth. The Britannian was about to stab Inoue when an aura enveloped his knife and yanked it around. The Britannian and the unseen force fought for control over the knife. In the confusion, Inoue kicked the Britannian in the head and knocked him unconscious. The stunned Britannian fell to his death. Inoue looked down and saw horned recruits on the rooftops providing support for their fellow Black Knights. Meanwhile, Sugiyama was still struggling with his opponent. “Don’t just stand there!” Sugiyama cried out to the dumbstruck recruit. “Help me!” The recruit snapped out of his daze and out of reflex, plugged his knife into the Britannian’s throat. The Britannian let go and plummeted to the ground. A fire ignited into the recruit’s eyes. He had tasted blood, both figuratively and literally, and now that society’s psychological conditioning against taking life was broken, the recruit rushed into combat and attacked the nearest Britannian. It wasn’t long before the remaining winged recruits gained their killer instinct. They, along with the horned Black Knights who have mastered their telekinetic abilities, were shifting the tide of the air battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A steel girder swung by the Ganymede’s enormous metallic arms struck a Black Knight. Her broken body tumbled through the air and skipped along the ground. The Ganymede sped pass four fleeing recruits and doubled back. This time, the steel girder mashed them into the ground. A sickening squishing noise and the snapping of bones accompanied the sound of the beam reverberating. What was left of the unfortunate recruits laid in a pool of blood. Cornelia caught sight of two more Black Knight fleeing into a building. The Ganymede pulled over beside it. Granite and steel reinforcement flew as Cornelia kicked the side of the building until it collapsed and buried the Black Knights hiding inside. The Ganymede was covered in dust from the crumbled remains. Suddenly, Cornelia and her wing man Darlton was buzzed by a red and green streak. The pony at almost clipped Cornelia was Kallen. Cornelia recognized her from the night of the transformation. “It’s the one that kept us from capturing Zero. If you haven’t interfered,” Cornelia spat, “we wouldn’t be in this mess.” “I’ll take that as a compliment, you pampered princess,” Kallen taunted Cornelia. She put her knife back into her mouth and made another pass at Cornelia, but the Ganymede blocked the attack. Kallen couldn’t get a clear shot at Cornelia and had to pull out of her dive or else risk slamming into the Ganymede’s colossal forearms. “Darlton, take care of this pest” the Viceroy commanded. “But mi lady,” Darlton objected, “you don’t have an ejection system.” “I’ll be fine, now do as you’re told.” “Yes, your majesty,” Darlton said reluctantly. He flew straight up at Kallen. She dodged Darlton’s attack and grazed him on the shoulder. Kallen made another pass to finish him off, but then Darlton launched off the Ganymede’s shoulder. The added boost caused Kallen to miscalculate her strike and overshoot her target. The near miss was enough for Darlton to capitalize on. He bit Kallen’s tail and shifted his weight in mid-flight. Kallen’s momentum was redirected causing her to crash into the Ganymede’s torso. The collision was disorienting for Kallen. She fought to regain control and stop her death spiral, but it was only enough to make a controlled crash. “Once I’m finished dealing with you, your master Zero is next,” Cornelia gloated. She lifted the bloodstained girder when Kallen levitated off the ground and into an alley. “What the hell happened? How did she recover that fast? And how was she able to fly without moving her wings?” “It could be another trap,” Darlton warned as he landed in the cockpit. “My thoughts exactly,” said Cornelia. The Ganymede drove further up the street away from Kallen’s last whereabouts. “We’ll just sidestep Zero’s trap,” she said as the Ganymede hung a right on the intersection and made another right turn, “and cut him and his bodyguard off at the pass.” As they made the second right, Lelouch was a half-block away with Kallen, battered from her crash landing but otherwise okay. Lelouch’s horn glowed with the same hue as the pair of improvised explosives hovered in front of them. “What the hell!” Cornelia blurted out in the shock of seeing Lelouch's telekinesis in action. Before she has a chance to stop, the pair of explosives went off right next to the Ganymede’s knees. The force bent the Ganymede’s legs outward. The joints held up for a fraction of a second before breaking from the force of the shockwave. Darlton wrapped his forelegs around Cornelia’s shoulders and flew her away from the collapsing Knightmare. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darlton flew Cornelia back to the formation. To Cornelia’s dismay, the phalanx was coming apart. The Black Knights had complete air dominance. There were almost no Britannian wing-types left to defend Cornelia's ground troops. The winged Black Knights periodically swoop down and grabbed whatever heavy object that was at hand and dropped them on the Britannians' position. She caught sight of Zero in the distance directing the mundane and horned ponies with spears. They formed a V-formation and charged at the break in the formation. The phalanx was proving to be a death sentence. The Britannians facing the charging Black Knights struggled to move out of the way, but they were pressing against row upon row of ponies who were also being accosted by Black Knights holding them in check. The Black Knights’ spear bearers hit their mark and impaling over a dozen Britannian soldiers in the initial strike. Another wave of spear bearers drove a wedge through the phalanx. The attacking Black Knights skewered all the Britannians in their way as they made a path through the phalanx dividing the Britannian formation in half. The remaining spear bearers charged the Britannians, who were now in a state of panic. In a few minutes, half of the Britannian ground forces and almost all of their flyers that survived the explosions were dead. Cornelia ran through the battlefield dodging the dead bodies covering the ground while Darlton flew alongside her to a fallen standard. They hoisted the flagpole and waved it around-three flaps to the left and three to the right. The bruised, bloodied, and beaten Britannians knew it was the signal to fall back and make a strategic retreat. The Black Knights cheered at the sight of the Britannians running back to the Settlements. For them, it was a message to Cornelia-the Britannian Empire’s rule was over and that the Japanese would no longer cower before them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I hope you enjoyed chapter 3 of Rebel Against the Night. Some notes for the story 1). If you notice, the pony races are not called by their proper name. The myth of the unicorn and Pegasus doesn’t exist in the Code Geass world for this story. Someone will probably find a reference to either unicorns or Pegasus in Code Geass or mention that Greek mythology exists in the Code Geass Earth. For this fan fic, they don’t. I wanted the characters to be completely unfamiliar with what they have become. 2). If anyone wants to know what a ponified Cornelia looks like. Take a picture of Rarity, change Rarity’s hair color to match Cornelia’s, and replace the three diamond cutie marks with a dagger. 3). It may be a while before I can get back this story. I have a few other fan fics that I’ve been putting off that have to be taken care of. Also, I have to plan out the next battle that will take place.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2011-10-21T03:24:40+00:00

2016-12-12T04:17:29+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. All thoughts are in italics. Japanese names will be in the traditional order-surnames first and personal names behind it. Pardon me for any mistakes in the name order that I made in previous chapters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 4: The Battle for Tokyo Part II-The Calm Before the Storm “Just what the hell were you thinking!” Cornelia never heard such language coming out of the lips of her gentle sister. Euphemia paced back and forth. The echoes of hooves stomping reverberated along the walls of the throne room. “Did you really think the Japanese would be submissive after we lost our technology? It never occurred to you that we might be better off having peace talks with them. Hundreds of lives were lost. And after your little stunt, it’ll be even harder to convince the Japanese to make a truce.” “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to? I’m viceroy of this domain, Sub-Viceroy, and you’re not to question my judgment!” “Then act like a viceroy instead of some gung-ho Pureblood!” “How dare you take that tone with me!” Euphemia got in her sister’s face. “Someone has to before your foolish pride kill us all!” Cornelia, on sheer reflex, slapped Euphemia, who staggered back. Blood dribbled down from Euphemia’s lips. Cornelia shook her head in disbelief. She had struck her little sister. Euphemia was in a state of shock as well. As far back and she could remember, Cornelia never once hit her. Euphemia could even remember, as a child, Cornelia accepting the blame for any misdeeds she perpetrated and taking the beatings that she deserved. Cornelia said as she inched way and shook her head, “Euphie, I’m...I’m...” Cornelia then ran off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Ohgi, why you have to be a buzzkill?” Tamaki was sitting on the ground with his hind legs folded together pouting. It was the night after their first major victory since their transformation and about a block away, the majority of the new Black Knight was conversing about their experience in the battlefield under the light of thousands of twinkling stars; the waning crescent moon still hours away before rising. Tamaki was speaking to Ohgi in private. “We earned ourselves a victory party, and we got recruits that can throw a really awesome one for us.” Ohgi sighed at the suggestion. “You remember the last time the new recruits threw a 'really awesome' party. Zero blew his top. I don’t want that happening again” “Oh come on, Ohgi. I promised the new guys that we’d have a celebration.” “If you want it so badly,” said Ohgi, “ask Zero yourself.” “But you’d do a better job of convincing him to go along with it.” “I said ‘no’!” Tamaki’s sigh sounded like a horse snorting. “Do you know how long it took to scrap up just three bottles of sake? There was a run on the stores after everyone got turned into horses and all left was the cheap stuff. And it’s not they’ll restock anytime soon.” “So instead of learning telekinesis, you wasted your time looking for booze? For someone who complains so much about being left behind by the other horned Black Knights, you don’t put much effort in catching up.” Tamaki struck the ground with his front hoof. “It’s not like I’m some robot that goes 24/7, non-stop. I gotta have my let-loose time, man.” Tamaki studied Ohgi’s face. “You sorta down in the dumps, aren’t you? You okay?” Ohgi turned away from Tamaki. “No, nothing’s wrong with me. Why should I be sad? We’re just convinced all of Tokyo that the Britannians can be beaten and now we’re getting more support than ever before.” “Is it a woman problem?” Tamaki asked. “No! It’s not that at all.” Just then, a Black Knight and another pony, a mare with lavender hair, red mane, and a tattered coat dragging along the ground came from the crowd of Black Knights. “Excuse me Deputy Commander Ohgi,” said the rank and file Black Knight, “but this woman claims to know you...” Ohgi leaped and ran over to the mare. “Chigusa! Is that you?” When he realized Chigusa knew about his involvement with the Black Knights, Ohgi slink away. “Can we talk in private?” The mare asked “Yeah, let’s talk in private, Chigusa,” Ohgi said with a bit of apprehension. “I knew it was a woman. That’s why you’ve been acting all emo.” “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to find you,” Ohgi said as the two were heading around the corner. When he was certain no one could hear, Ohgi asked, “Where have you been these last two weeks? I was worried sick about you. Why weren’t you at our apartment?” “I didn’t have a choice,” said Chigusa. “They broke in and tried to kill me, but I fought them off. When I came back, they were waiting for me, and there were more of them, and you were nowhere to be found.” “Don’t worry Chigusa. You’re safe now.” Ohgi nuzzled up against Chigusa. “I won’t allow anyone else to harm you.” Chigusa backed away. “Look, I’m sorry I hid being a Black Knight from you. But everything I’m doing is for the sake of peace. If Zero succeeds in freeing Japan from Britannia, then we can finally be together.” “Oh stop before I puke.” Chigusa reached down and pulled the blade that Ohgi kept in his leg band. She aimed for Ohgi’s ribs, but Ohgi shifted position fast enough that the knife only went through his shoulder muscles. Ohgi lost control of his foreleg causing him to fall over. “Me? Together with an Eleven like you?!?” Chigusa pinned Ohgi down. “What a horrible thought, no matter what form we’ve taken! My name is Villetta Nu, and I am a Knight of Honor of Britannia.” “So Chigusa, you’ve gotten your memory back.” Since the night Ohgi found her after a battle near death from a gunshot wound, he and Chigusa were practically a newly-wed couple. Ohgi could smell the salty air as his mind drifted to the time they walked on the beach, far away from reminders of Britannian occupation; the time he tried to prepare dinner for her only to burn the homemade potpie and Chigusa laughing at his ineptitude at cooking. But now the dream has came crashing down on him and crushed under the weight of his worst nightmare; his Chigusa remembering who she really was-the enemy. So, this is what they mean when they say your life flashes before your eyes before dying, thought Ohgi. “Now thanks to you and Zero, I can’t even return to the settlement!” Chigusa/Villetta Nu yanked the knife from Ohgi’s shoulder. Ohgi screamed out in pain. Villetta was about to stab Ohgi again but the echoes of hoof steps warned her that reinforcements were coming. She galloped down the alley before the other Black Knights could capture her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ohgi awoke and saw Minami standing over him. “What happened?” Ohgi asked. “Your lady friend stabbed you with your own knife,” said Minami. Ohgi was on a futon in the Black Knight’s makeshift base of operations. Medical bandages wrapped around his shoulder. Beside the futon were piles of bloodied rags. “Ohgi? Who was that woman?” On the other side of Minami were Zero and Kallen. Ohgi was afraid that this would happen. Now that Zero knew about Chigusa and was asking questions, he would have to come up with a plausible lie or be forced to tell the truth-prior to falling in love with Chigusa, he planned to question her about Zero’s identity. “She was...an amnesiac I picked up off the street,” said Ohgi. It wasn’t a complete lie. “You’re too kind, and I mean it literally,” said Lelouch. “Was she pretty, Ohgi?” Kallen asked mockingly. “Is that why you took a complete stranger in?” “Since I’m getting the third degree, I’m probably going to live.” “Barely," Minami replied, "it would have gone through your heart if your lady friend’s aim wasn’t off by a few centimeters.” “Kallen, I need to speak to you to private,” said Lelouch. “What for?” Kallen asked. “Just come with me.” Kallen and Lelouch stepped into another room. Lelouch closed the door behind them and lead Kallen to the far end. “Kallen, you are never to desert your post, especially in the middle of a battle.” “Desertion!” Kallen said in shock. “But I never left the battlefield.” “Staying in a battle isn’t the same as staying at your post. Your place was to lead the airborne forces into battle. They were inexperienced and in need of your guidance. Instead, you left them without a leader.” “But you were facing that Knightmare Frame alone. It was an emergency.” “This wasn’t something that came up in the heat of battle. If you didn’t notice, I made the first move against the Britannians. That should have been a cue that I wasn’t caught off guard.” “But Inoue...” “Lacks your leadership skills. We lost a sizable portion of our winged Black Knights in the early portion of the battle.” “Are you saying it’s my fault they died!” Kallen said defensively. “I can’t say for certain if your decisions cost the lives of our new recruits, but mine has.” Kallen shook her head. “No, don’t...” “...say such a thing. Being a commanding officer means you will eventually make a decision that will lead to someone’s death. I already told you that innocent blood will be spilled, and that includes subordinates. It’s an inevitability of war. You’re no longer fighting as an individual in the Gurren. You’re leading entire squads...no...platoons of soldiers in hand-to-hand combats, and you must adapt.” “I don’t know if I want that responsibility.” “Even not making a decision is making one. My point is that a leader’s responsibility is to complete the mission with a minimum loss of life. And as the leader of the Black Knights, my solution to minimizing our casualties *and* completing the mission is to make you commander of the Black Knight’s airborne division, Kozuki Kallen. Take that into consideration if you’re worried about leading men to their deaths. In the long run, they will be better off under your command...provided you fully accept your role.” Zero turned around and headed back to Ohgi’s room. “Unless I hear otherwise, I’ll expect to see you tomorrow at 0700 hours to train the winged recruits,” he said without looking back to face Kallen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Viceroy, please come out.” Euphemia was outside her sister room’s pleading to her. Darlton and Guilford were with Euphemia as well. “You’ve been in there for three days now,” said Guilford. “We’re worried about you, mi lady.” Then Cornelia spoke up. “Darlton, Guilford,” Cornelia said in a weak, solemn voice from behind the door. “I wish to speak to the Sub-Viceroy alone.” “Very well, mi lady,” said Guilford, who tapped Darlton on the shoulder. The two gave Cornelia and Euphemia their privacy. “Come in, Euphie,” said Cornelia. Euphemia crept inside and saw her sister lying on a king-size bed. Her face was buried between her forelegs; only her puffy, bloodshot eyes could be seen. Her pillow had a pair wet spots on opposite sides of the indent made by Cornelia’s head. “Viceroy, I beg your...” “It’s okay Euphie, you don’t have to be so formal. We can speak to each other as sisters.” Cornelia moved to the edge of the bed and examined her sister’s swollen lip. She stroked it as gently with her hoof. “Cornelia, I am sincerely sorry for saying those terrible things to you.” Cornelia sat up in bed and shook her head. “You’re sorry?!? I was the one who hit you.” “Only because I egged you on,” said Euphemia. “It’s not your fault, Euphie. It’s mine. I took my anger out over my own inadequacies on you.” “But sis, I don’t know anyone more capable than you.” “If I was half the leader you believe me to be, we wouldn’t be teetering on the edge like we are now. I can’t save us, not without support from the homeland. I swore Guilford and Darlton to secrecy because you needed to hear this coming from me. I’ve been in contact with Pendragon on shortwave radio. And they say it would be years, if not decades, before they could ever come in full force to Area 11.” “Are you sure that was Pendragon?” Euphemia asked. “There’s no way to confirm the source of the message.” “It was Father himself, the Emperor, which spoke to me. They’ve been changed as we have, and the military forces in the homeland have been crippled, as well. This is why I made the decision to bluff the Elevens into thinking that we weren’t completely helpless.” Cornelia slowly climbed out of bed and laid a hoof on Euphemia’s shoulder. “You were right,” she said still speaking in her somber voice. “We’re in no position to offer resistance to the Elevens. However, I can’t negotiate with them. After what happened, our case wouldn’t sound very convincing coming from me, which is why I’m relinquishing my position...” “No sis, don't,” said Euphemia shaking her head. “...and appointing you as Viceroy of Area 11.” “Sis, I...” “Euphie, I can’t make peace with the Elevens, but you can. You’re the only chance the Britannians in the Tokyo Settlement have.” Euphemia hung her head down. She came to comfort her sister after provoking her into a physical altercation, not to usurp her position. “Don’t worry sis, I’ll only keep power long enough to come up with a peaceful set...” “No! You can’t! Zero and his Black Knights won’t accept me in any position of authority. Besides, why should any Britannian follow a ruler who gave up? We’ll make the change formal tomorrow afternoon at 1400 hours.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The cold running waters from the stream was ecstasy for Villetta Nu. The mundane mare greedily gulped from the brook quenching her dry, parched throat. The sun set behind the mountains an hour ago and now the residual glow of dusk was giving way to the freckled face night smiling down on her with a crescent grin. After she had her fill, Villetta Nu stared out into the stars. It was an activity that the busy knight of honor did not have the time to indulge in. The thousands of flickering candles magically floating in a sea of ebony traced secret patterns and messages for her, not the one of hunters, scorpions, or fish, but ones that only she could see; well, that’s what she thought when she was but a child-Scratches, the stray cat that she used to share her food with until it was ran over by a careless teenager in a sports car, and April, the little girl down the street that used to play with her until she got sick and went away never to return. Then, the bushes started shaking. All around Villetta were the crackling of dried leavings being crushed under hoof. She admonished herself for being so careless and not being mindful of her surroundings. Ponies, both horned and mundane, came out of the foliage forming a semicircle around Villetta. Both ends of the formation connected with the stream. Hovering over the waters were winged ponies. All of Villetta’s possible escapes routes were cut off. A mundane stallion took a few steps out of the encirclement. All Villetta could tell was that his coat and mane were lightly colored as both contrasted with the darker background. “Are you a Britannian?” The stallion asked in perfect English. “Or are you native born?” The stallion asked, this time in flawless Japanese. It was a test. It was a test to discern if a pony was Britannian or an Eleven. Villetta silently assessed the situation. This man, whoever he is, can impersonate accents, or at least one accent. The question spoken in Japanese was worded carefully. Asking if the person was an Eleven would shift suspicion towards this mob being Britannians. Asking if the person was Japanese would shift suspicious towards them being Elevens. Villetta could at least tell that the stallion was around Lord Jeremiah’s age, and there didn’t appear to be anyone who would be too old or too young to be stationed in Area 11. Then again, a mob of deceitful Elevens... The stallion spoke up, but more forcefully. “Are you a Britannian...or are you native born?” Again, he switched languages and accents in the middle of the question as before. Villetta went back to analyzing the situation. Deceitful Elevens could have thought of this and anticipated the age range and carefully chose who would be in their scouting party. There was no getting around it. Villetta knew Japanese, but she could never pull off the accent. So, it would pointless to even consider pretending to be an Eleven. “My name is Villetta Nu, and I am an honorary knight of Britannia.” Villetta decided if these were Elevens, then she would proclaim her status with pride before dying. The colt grinned maliciously. “Kill this Britannian bitch,” he said in Japanese. The other ponies revealed their murderous intent, as well. “Make her suffer!” One horned mare yelled in Japanese. “Let my friends and I have some fun with her, first,” a lecherous stallion said as he licked his lips. “I haven’t had any since we were turned.” Villetta backed away until she was knee deep in water when she felt something hard kicking her in the back of the neck. The winged Elevens glared at her with cruel, spiteful eyes. They kicked at Villetta-herding her back on land. Mud flew from their filthy hooves and splattering in Villetta’s mane and face. Suddenly, a white blur shoved the winged Elevens out of the way and knocking them into the stream. It swooped down and took hold of Villetta and hoisted her into the air. The honorary knight tilted her head up and saw the face of a winged stallion. He had wrapped his front and back legs around Villetta’s front and hind shoulders. Behind them was the angry mob screaming obscenities at them. Then, out of nowhere, a mist came straight at them. It has hundreds of glistering specks. It was as though the night sky itself has come to life. Villetta and her newly christened champion flew through the mist. Villetta glanced back. The winged Elevens shook themselves dry and were taking off when the mist floated past them and then yanked them inside until they disappeared into the blackness. A few seconds later, one of the winged Elevens was tossed into a tree trunk. The cracking of the winged Eleven’s skull could be heard even from a distance. Then dozens of screams emanated from the mist. A chill ran up Villetta’s spine. “Please hurry. I beg of you,” Villetta said as she trembled in the stallion’s grip. “It could come after us at any moment.” “Don’t worry,” said the winged stallion. “We’ll be long gone by then.” “Are you saying that thing won’t follow us; whatever it is hiding in that cloud?” The winged stallion nodded. “I told you not to be afraid,” the stallion spoke in a calm and soothing voice. As they flew away, the shrieks of Eleven ponies was heard throughout the woods as they fled in all directions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was Inoue’s day to lead patrols of the ghettos. She and three other winged Black Knights made their rounds from above flying above the streets just above the rooftops. Suddenly, a small winged foal buzzed Inoue’s patrol and was followed by an older winged stallion. “Come back here!” The stallion yelled out to the smaller pony. “I said no flying, Aya.” “But Daddy,” the female foal said in whining voice, “I won’t get hurt. I can even fly all the way to the clouds.” “Aya! You mind your father, you hear!” The winged stallion fell behind as the female foal rendezvous with a flock of other winged foals, an approximately even mixed of male and female, and flew straight up into the stratus. “Please honey! Come back!” The stallion glanced back and forth between her child with the flock of foals and the ground below. The stallion noticed Inoue’s patrol watching him. “Please,” he said to the Black Knights, “if any of you are good at flying, could you please bring my daughter back.” “You want us to get your daughter?” Inoue said repeating the stallion’s request. The stallion looked away in shame. “I’m deathly afraid of heights. I’m only flying at all because of my daughter. Inoue flew forward. “I’ll go this time, but you need to get over your fear of heights so that you can tend to your own children.” “Thank you so much, young lady. I promise I will.” Inoue flew as fast as she could. She had almost caught up with the children when they disappeared into a thick, low-altitude cloud. “Little girl,” said Inoue. “Where are you? Your daddy’s worried about you.” Inoue waited about a minute for an answer. She folded her forelegs over her chest. Inoue waited a bit before calling out. "I said your daddy's worried about you!" When she got tired of waiting, she flew into the cloud. Inoue could hardly believe what she was seeing. The children were walking on the clouds. They weren’t flapping their wings. The clouds themselves kept them aloft. “Hey!” One little male foal said. “You can’t come up here. This is our Cloud Club, and no adults are allowed.” Inoue realized it wouldn’t be possible to force all these children to come back down, so she decided to use a little psychology. “But how can you have a club without a club house,” she said playfully. “If I show you a really cool place for a club house, will you let me join?” “No way!” The colt pointed to the side. “We already have a club house.” Inoue pushed pass the foals. “Hey we said ‘no adults’.” Inoue was in awe of the clouds shaped like a house, or like one designed by children. The house had spirally stairways wrapping around the four-story ‘structure’. The club house also had a giant slide leading from a balcony, curved around the front, and ended on the club house cloud foundation. Inoue touched it. It felt fluffy, yet firm, and had a bit of a bounce to it. Inoue closed her eyes and braced herself. Her wings stopped flapping. Inoue flinched when she landed on the cloud half expecting to fall through. “You big baby!” The boy said. “You weren’t going to fall.” “Yeah,” said the female foal from earlier, “I told Daddy, and he didn’t believe me.” “Aya!” The boy yelled. “It’s supposed to be a secret.” “But I only told Daddy.” Inoue was trying to take all of this in as the children bickered amongst themselves. The cloud brought back memories of the time, before the invasion, when she was a child. She daydreamed about walking on the clouds. She imagined the clouds were made of snow, only warm, never wet, and never melted. No, it was actually better. The clouds were really like soft cotton, with just enough heft to hold her up but not so much as to feel hard like the ground. She batted around pieces of cloud like a cat batting a ball of yarn. Suddenly, a loud boom went off beside her. She flew up expecting to be attacked by Britannians. But the only ones in the clouds were the children. “You scared too easy, lady,” another female foal said. She kicked a cloud, which shot out a small bolt of lightning. “That’s not funny!” Inoue yelled. The children laughed. Inoue charged the girl who kicked the cloud and pinned her down. “You think that shit is funny! You wouldn’t think it’s funny if it was you who were getting shot at by Brit...” Inoue then noticed the other children shivering in terror; some of them on the verge of crying. Battle after battle had taken their toll and had made Inoue a bit shell-shocked. She had to pause for a moment and calm down. They were children and didn’t know better. The foal Inoue held down started weeping. “Hey, don’t cry. I’m not going to hurt you. Okay?” Inoue said mustering up the sweetest voice that she could. “Be a big girl and dry those tears.” The girl wiped her eyes and sniffled. “I was only playing,” the girl said. “I know sweetie,” said Inoue gently. “Hey could you do me a favor? Could you show me that thunder trick?” The little foal nodded. “Okay lady.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Villetta woke up as the noonday sun hovered overhead. She was lying on a mat laid out underneath a tree. Not far from Villetta was the winged stallion. He was floating a few inches off the ground. An opened canteen was nestled between his fetlocks. On the ground was a cup, which the winged stallion poured water into. The winged stallion had a light yellow coat, black mane, and was wearing what was left of a long-sleeve shirt with holes torn in the middle for his wings. “Ah, you’re awake,” said the winged stallion. “I thought you were going to sleep a bit longer, after that rough night you had.” Judging by his voice, Villetta could tell her rescuer was a mere boy, about 18 or 19 in age. “I couldn’t possibly sleep with the sun in my face,” said Villetta as she rubbed her eyes against her fetlocks. “What’s your name? I didn’t have a chance to ask you last night. You insisted that we kept running even after I told you that we weren’t in any danger. You ran yourself so ragged that you passed out from exhaustion.” “It’s Villetta Nu, and thanks for watching over me.” He noticed Villetta’s eyes were glued to the cup of water he just poured. “Oh I’m sorry. I would have poured you some had I known.” “Go ahead and drink some first. It would be rude of me to deprive the man that rescued me of his rations.” “I wouldn’t consider myself a man exactly. And...,” the winged stallion reached into a saddle bag on the ground and gently held, between his teeth, another tin cup by the handle. He set it beside the first cup and poured some water into it. “...I came prepared.” Then the winged stallion smiled warmly at Villetta. “And even if I didn’t, I would give my last drop to you.” Villetta felt unnerved by the special attention the winged stallion was giving her; his bedroom eyes undressing her. “So, what’s your name?” Villetta asked in the hopes of shifting the winged stallion’s thoughts on something other than her. “You can call me, Nathan...Nathan Ramirez.” “Are you a Britannian soldier?” “Was a Britannian soldier.” Nathan’s voice went from sickeningly-sweet to bitter rage seething beneath the surface on the verge of breaking out. “I was an MP stationed on Shikine Island when the changed happened. The few of us that could fly to Tokyo were disappointed to find out that the Viceroy wouldn’t provide the soldiers from the other bases in Japan sanctuary.” The canteen dented inward under Nathan’s grip. “They barricaded the ground floor entrances and her air patrols kept any of us from landing. One of my best friends was stabbed to death by Princess Cornelia’s soldiers. So, I guess that means the Empire doesn’t want us anymore.” “Don’t talk like that. Viceroy Cornelia would only do such a thing because of Zero’s treachery. He tried sneaking his terrorists into the Settlement by mixing them in with the surviving Britannian soldiers.” Nathan closed his eyes and calmed down. His welcoming smile came back to him. “How sweet of you, but you don’t need to defend her. Viceroy Cornelia could have taken the time to sort out the few terrorists in our ranks, but she wouldn’t even bother to do that for us. We’re nothing but trash to be discarded.” “You’re a hair-width away from a court-martial for your insubordination, soldier. I’m an honorary knight and am duty-bound to report this to my superior.” Nathan laughed uproariously. He rolled around hugging his chest as though to keep his lungs from forcing its way out of his rib cage. Villetta was fuming at the winged stallion’s tomfoolery. “Because of extenuating circumstances, I may keep this between you and me, but only if you...WILL YOU STOP LAUGHING!” The laughter slowly down until the only thing that could be heard was Nathan catching his breath. “I meant no disrespect, ma’am. It’s just that I already have a death sentence placed on me by the Viceroy by being exiled into enemy territory. That’s why I can’t take that threat seriously. Besides, I hate to think of someone as beautiful as you driving around the ghettos in a Knightmare Frame.” Villetta turned away from the winged stallion and huffed. “You call this hideous body ‘beautiful’? I hope this is a recently acquired taste.” Nathan held back a chuckled. “It is, ma’am. I never saw a mare as lovely as you before.” “Maybe you don’t pay any mind to military protocol, but I do. Going by your age, you’re obviously a private. Making sexual advances on a superior officer is something I frown upon even if it wasn’t against regs.” Nathan hung his head down. “I’m actually not so bad if you only give me a chance.” Villetta rolled her eyes. “Are there any other survivors?” Nathan nodded his head enthusiastically. “I thought you’d never ask. We’re hiding in some caves. It’s a long journey on foot. We’ll probably be late at night getting there.” Villetta sighed. “That far away, though I don’t blame you with that ‘thing’ from last night on the loose. Do you know what it is?” Nathan shook his head. “It’s a complete mystery to me.” “Do you think it’ll follow us back?” “Doubt it. From our previous experiences, so long as our group stays out of the way, we’re not in any danger.” “If our journey back is as long as you say it is, there should be plenty distance between us and that ‘thing’. At least my swollen ankles and I can take solace in that.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Britannian nobility gathered in the throne room as requested by Princess Cornelia. All of them sported the best clothes tailors with only their mouths could hastily put together. If they were humans, their attire would be considered too ragged to be worn in public, even by the standard set by homeless vagrants. However, their jewelry remained as radiant as before the transformation. As they waited for the two princesses, they gossiped amongst one another. “I heard the Viceroy is having the Sub-Viceroy executed,” said Alexander Franklin to a slightly obese mundane stallion. “But they’re sisters,” said the obese stallion. “So what? From what I heard, the Viceroy broke the Sub-Viceroy’s jaw,” Franklin snickered. “The Sub-Viceroy called the Viceroy an incompetent moron.” “Well, no wonder why she gave her a sound thrashing.” “Oh be quiet! I heard the exact opposite,” she was a horned pony with a white coat, blonde hair, and three gold bars on her hind quarter peeking out of her gown. “The Sub-Viceroy locked the Viceroy in her room for a week and is only letting her out so that she can formally turn over control of Area 11 to her.” “You have quite the sense of humor, Lady Stadtfeld. Princess Euphemia, the Emperor’s pacifist daughter?!? Seizing power?!? I almost want it to happen just for a good laugh. By the way, have they found your husband’s daughter?” “No,” Lady Stadtfeld said condescendingly, “and good riddance. I hope his half-breed bastard daughter stays missing. At least her mother had the good graces of dying.” Lady Stadtfeld was speaking of Kōzuki Kallen who is the love child of her husband and his recently deceased Eleven maid. “Now hush up, the viceroy and sub-viceroy are about to make their announcement.” Cornelia and Euphemia cut through the audience which was divided by the red carpet leading to the throne. They were accompanied by Darlton and Guilford. Cornelia held her head down as they made their way, which ‘confirmed’ Mrs. Stadtfeld’s suspicions. The cold-heart horned mare had a self-satisfying grin. She winked at the two stallions she was gossiping with. “Looks like I was right all along,” Mrs. Stadtfeld gloated. Cornelia took a deep breath and sighed. “Members of the noble houses, I summoned you here for a very important announcement.” Suddenly, Lloyd pushed his way through the audience and ran up to the throne. “Don’t worry, Viceroy, I can take it from here.” “Oh no,” Euphemia said softly, just low enough to be heard only by her own ears. “Please don’t let it be what I think it is.” Euphemia’s plan to find a peace resolution was going up in flames before her very eyes. “Hello,” said Lloyd jovially, “for those that don’t know me, I’m Lloyd Asplund, earl of the House of Asplund.” “What the hell are you doing!” Cornelia grumbled. “I don’t have time for you foolishness, Earl Asplund.” “But I thought you were announcing our progress with the Knightmare refits.” Cornelia’s mood completely changed. Her face seemed to glow. “You were...successful?” Lloyd smiled slyly. “You had three of the most brilliant minds in all of the Settlement working on it. Was there any doubt?” “Take me to it,” Cornelia demanded. “Let me see with my own eyes.” “Well in that case,” said Lloyd. He looked over his shoulder and addressed the audience. “All you nobles follow us to the courtyard. We have quite the site for you to witness.” Everyone in the room appeared to be upbeat about the news except for one-Princess Euphemia. She hung her head down and moaned as the others piled outside. “Oh Lloyd, you couldn’t have come at a worse time,” said Euphemia. Euphemia scuffled to the courtyard where the nobles gathered. They, along with Cornelia, Darlton, Guilford, Lloyd, and two other horned mares watched, from a distance, the Lancelot Knightmare Frame weave around oversize traffic cones in a show of agility. However, it wasn’t quite as swift-footed as it used to be. Euphemia also noticed the Lancelot had a pair of fins sticking outward from its back. “As you can see, the initial results from the Lancelot’s new uranium fission power plant are quite positive. The power plant is one of three that will be installed on the Lancelot. The extra nacelles are part of the cooling system. Because extracting power from uranium lacks the efficiency of the old Yggdrasil system, the waste heat must be exhausted into the...” Euphemia lost track of Lloyd’s presentation when one of horned mares who was working on the alternative power source spoke to her. “Excuse me, your majesty.” The horned mare bowed to Euphemia. “It’s a privilege to serve you, your highness.” “Your voice; it sounds familiar,” said Euphemia. “May I ask who are you?’ “My name is Nina Einstein. I was one of the hostages at the hotel-jacking. You save me and my friends from those Eleven terrorists.” “Me?!? Save you?!?” said Euphemia. She wondered why this girl credited her for rescuing the hostages when it was, in fact, Zero and Suzaku who saved her. “I didn’t really do that much.” “Oh but you did, Princess,” said Nina, “more than you can imagine.” Nina then noticed Euphemia staring at the Lancelot. “Are you happy with our work?” Nina asked as she stared at Euphemia with puppy dog eyes-eyes pleading with Euphemia to be pleased with her. Euphemia looked away from Nina and sighed. “I don’t know.” Nina frowned. “B...b...but why not your majesty? If you give us time, we can make the Lancelot run as well as it did before...that night.” Nina felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. It was Lloyd and Cecile smiling at Nina. “Nina, come on up. They want to meet the genius who invented the new Knightmare power plant.” “But you and Cecile...” “...wouldn’t know where to begin if it wasn’t for you.” Cecile nudged Nina from behind leading her to the front of the crowd. Lloyd said with his right front leg on Nina’s back. “This is the young genius from Ashford Academy that I told you about. Nina Einstein is the one who came up with the concept and perform the preliminary work.” Lloyd flew up and waved at Suzaku. “You too, Suzaku. You helped design the control schematics for the Lancelot. You made it possible for four hooves and a mouth to do what two hands used to be able to.” After lowering himself down from the cockpit, Suzaku took his place with Lloyd, Cecile, and Nina, much to the chagrin of the Britannian nobles. Most of them gave him dirty stares. Baron Franklin whispered into Lady Stadtfeld’s ear. “I hope they omit that Number from the record.” “You’re not the only one.” Suzaku, not wanting to make a scene, pretended not to hear the nobles’ vindictive gossip. However, someone in the crowd showed their appreciation for Suzaku’s work. A pair of hooves clopped together. The audience looked around and saw Darlton balancing on his hind legs clapping. He flapped his wings a bit to assist in standing upright. Then Guilford followed suit and clapped as well. Then some of the other nobles joined in. It didn’t take long for the rest of the nobles went along, even if it was just to maintain appearance. Nina glanced at Euphemia hoping she would join in. Once again, the Britannian teenager looked at Euphemia with that same pleading puppy dog expression. Euphemia unenthusiastically clapped along with the nobles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After an emotionally exhausting day, Euphemia was turning in early. She was about to go to bed when Cornelia, who was waiting in front of Euphemia's bedroom door, greeted her. “Viceroy, is there anything I can do for you before I go to bed?” “We don’t have to be formal here,” said Cornelia who was staring down and scraping the floor with her hoof in a circular pattern. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened this afternoon, or more specially, what didn’t happen.” “‘What didn’t happen’? What do you mean?” Cornelia looked up at Euphemia with eyes pleading for forgiveness. “I upstaged you. You, my own sister. I was supposed to step down and hand the office of viceroy over to you.” “Is that what you’re so upset over? I’m not mad at you. Let’s put that behind us. We need to discuss our plans to negotiate a peace with the Japanese.” Cornelia raised an eyebrow. “Why? The whole point of me staying on as viceroy was because we now have a working Knightmare. We don’t have to make peace with the Elevens. That’s the only reason why I didn’t hand control of Area 11 over to you.” “Sis, please reconsider. The Knightmare gives us a position of strength to negotiate from. We don’t have to...” “The only peace that I’ll accept is Zero’s unconditional surrender.” “Cornelia, you can’t be serious? You can’t take over Japan...” “It’s Area 11. It never stopped being Area 11.” “Whatever you wish to call it, you can’t take it over with only one Frame.” “It’s not just one Frame. Earl Asplund projected that we could have five fully-functional Gloucesters by the end of the year; twenty by the end of next year. The Lancelot alone is enough to sure up our forces and keep Zero at bay. Once the Lancelot’s refits are done, we only need to hold the Elevens off until our forces are built back up.” “Earl Asplund’s new technology isn’t some cure all.” “Weren’t you paying attention? Nuclear fission could match, if not succeed, sakuradite as a power source. He even said it could, theoretically be made into a bomb with yields a thousand times greater than its own mass in chemical explosives.” “Is that why you want to continue fighting with the Elevens? Knightmares aren’t enough. Now the Empire needs doomsday weapons!” “Don’t you raise your voice at me, Sub-Viceroy!” “Oh now we’re being formal!” “That’s enough, Sub-Viceroy!” “Oh, so when I said something you don’t like hearing, you pull rank on me!” “This conversation is over. Good night!” Cornelia stomped back to her room. Euphemia disappeared into her bedroom slamming the door behind her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “So, you wanted to be a knight of honor?” Villetta asked. She and Nathan trotted up the rocky incline. The light from the waxing crescent moon was their guide as they made their way up the mountain. The young winged stallion nodded his head. “It was my dream to fly fighter jets since my stepfather took me to my first air show. While most of my classmates were drooling over their model Knightmares, I was reading everything about flying that I could find in the library. But to my disappointment, I found out that only those with nobility could be pilots, whether it’s a Knightmare or a jet fighter. If you only knew how many times I dropped in unannounced at some nobleman’s house in the hopes of getting a sponsor for honorary knighthood. But what nobleman would stick their neck out for a kid from a dirt poor family?” Villetta knew exactly how Nathan felt. She could have been just like Nathan, an enlisted foot soldier with no real future, had she not had the good fortunate of meeting her deadly departed Lord Jeremiah. “You know, Private Ramirez, if I’m successful in completing my mission, you will be rewarded handsomely for your assistance. I have no doubt that you would be given the status of honorary knight. Even a true title of nobility isn’t out of the question. My mission is that important to the future of the Britannian Empire.” “Thanks, but no thanks. And please, stop being so formal.” Villetta’s lip curled up. “You think I’m lying to you?” Nathan gave Villetta his warm and loving or, from Villetta’s perspective, creepy smile. “Oh no, you’re too honest to be a convincing liar, and I doubt you’d even try to deceive me with a false promise. I just don’t care about it anymore.” “Oh that again! Princess Cornelia had no other choice, and as a soldier of Britannia, you swore to sacrifice your life protecting it. Stop your self pity.” “But it’s not self pity, Villetta.” Nathan opened his wings. “Noble titles are meaningless to me since I’ve gotten these. All I cared about was flying. The title of knight was just a means to an end. In fact,” Nathan chuckled, “I pity the poor pilots who thought they felt the freedom of flight and never really experienced it with real wings of their own.” “You’re out of your mind to turn down a title of nobility. And don’t call me ‘Villetta’. Just because you’ve given up being a soldier of Britannia doesn’t mean you may speak to me in that familiar tone.” As Villetta was admonishing Nathan, two stallions trotted out from behind some rocks. They pointed their horns at Villetta and Nathan. Beams of light emanating from their horns shined on them. “It’s okay, fellows. She’s with me.” The two sentries looked at each other and then back at Villetta and Nathan. “Come this way,” one of them said. Villetta and Nathan followed them back behind the rocks to the mouth of a cave. “Amazing! I didn’t know their horns could glow.” “To a certain extent, the power varies between each individual.” Ten minutes later, the two horned guards, Villetta, and Nathan entered into a large cavity in the cave system that was being illuminated by numerous lanterns suspended on poles. Dozens of ponies were relaxing around the makeshift streetlamps. Much to Villetta's dismay, there weren’t so much as a stitch of clothing in the camp. Though what she had on didn’t leave much to the imagination, at least she was trying to be modest. An angry snort escaped her nostrils. The thought of Britannian soldiers losing their self-respect irritated her. They passed by some ponies who were fanning the entrance with their wings. As Nathan and Villetta passed by, a winged mare called out of Nathan. “It’s your turn tomorrow to ventilate the cave, so get a good night’s sleep, Barnstormer.” “Hey! Not when the lady’s around!” Villetta had a confused look on her face, which Nathan took note of. “It’s a nickname the guys from Shikine Island gave me when they found out that I wanted to be a pilot. Though you should be flattered, they only tease me when I’m around a beautiful mare.” Villetta rolled her eyes at the awkward pick up line. One of the ponies left his spot beneath the lantern post and trotted to meet Villetta and Nathan. The mundane stallion had a red coat and purple mane, but what set him apart from the others was the jagged scar running along from the base of his neck to his lower jaw. “Nathan, it’s good to see you,” he said. “It’s good to see you too, sir.” “‘Sir’? Are you the highest ranking officer here?” “I *was* Warrant Officer Greg Finney of the 118th Artillery Division.” “And since this insubordinate disgrace calls you ‘sir’,” Villetta said while pointing to Nathan, “I take it you’re their leader.” The other ponies laughed and pointed at Nathan who had a sheepish grin on his face. “Not quite,” said Finney, “but you’re close.” “I see-no formal command structure. In any case, you will offer your assistance so that I may successfully complete my mission.” Finney rolled his eyes. “You’re not even here for one minute, and you’re already nagging us to follow orders.” “Well, unless you have a general or a noble around, I have the highest rank and that means I’m in charge.” Laughter broke out amongst the crowd. Finney was on his back rolling on the cave floor snickering at Villetta. One horned mare was laughing so hard, she tripped over her own hooves and knocked over a lantern post. Fortunately, a horned stallion caught it with telekinesis before it could hit the ground. “Another power,” Villetta whispered. She couldn’t help but to think she got the short end of the stick when it came to the transformation. “You see what your silly little joke almost did. That could have burned down our home.” “I wasn’t joking Warrant Officer! I’m taking command of this group of irregulars!” “Irregulars? I will let you know that I have a bowel movement every morning at exactly 0700 hours.” The other ponies laughed even harder at Greg Finney’s joke. “I know Zero’s true identity!” Villetta’s temper was wearing thin as it was buffeted by the waves of insults and jeers. “You think it’s a joke, now!” “Who cares about Zero’s secret identity!” A mundane stallion heckled. “I already know who Zero is-he’s a pony,” said a winged mare. “DON’T YOU BRITANNIANS CARE ABOUT ANYTHING! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR PRIDE!” Villetta screamed to the top of her lungs. Greg Finney smirked at the enraged Villetta. “No one here cares about Zero and his stupid little war. He’s a silly pony who thinks he’s still a naked ape, and the same goes for his Black Knights and Viceroy Cornelia and her army of silly ponies.” “I’m telling you one last time,” Villetta said with all the restraint she could muster, “you will acknowledge my status as an honorary knight and you will assist me in passing this vital information to Viceroy Cornelia!” “Hey Cinnamon Delight,” Greg Finney called out to a mundane pony with a light brown coat with dark brown spots all over her, “come on over here.” “You know not to call us by our true names when the wild ponies are around.” Villetta’s eyes were bulging out upon hearing the mare’s voice. She had a Japanese accent. “Now wait just one second. Please someone tell me that Eleven is an honorary Britannian. Don’t tell me you allow their kind to run around here unchecked.” Greg Finney gave Villetta a dirty look. “Do you mind, I’m talking to Cinnamon Delight.” Then he said to the Eleven pony, “Oh that’s not an issue. It’s okay to use our real names around this one because we’re giving her *The Choice*.” Villetta could feel her hairs standing up. There was a nauseous feeling in her stomach. Her mood had changed from anger to trepidation. What was this ‘choice’ they were planning on giving her? Did Nathan save her life so that she could be a toy in their sick game? “Now Cinnamon,” Greg Finney said in a coy voice, “you used to be an Eleven or Japanese or whatever our sad-excuse-for-a-princess Cornelia ordered us to call you. Tell me: do you care about Zero’s true identity.” Cinnamon Delight shook her head. “I don’t care about Zero anymore. I used to when I was an ugly, bloodthirsty ape. I idolized him. He was my hero but not anymore; not after our princess gave us our new bodies.” She rubbed her flank seductively along Finney’s side. “You know I have eyes for you and our princess alone.” Villetta’s legs were shaking. She was surrounded by lunatics. They sounded more like escapees from an insane asylum than Britannian soldiers. “You see, Cinnamon Delight couldn’t care less about Zero’s true identity, and Zero used to be her hero. And my name is no longer ‘Greg Finney’, and I’m no longer Cornelia’s little tin soldier. My new name is Night Fire, and I’m the high priest for our true princess.” Villetta Nu screamed in utter terror at the cloud that was flowing into the caverns. It was the same black smoke with points of light that attacked the mob of Elevens from the night before. Villetta tried to run, but something held fast to her hooves. She fell over, but rather than a hard crash face first into the cavern floor, Villetta was set upright by the same force holding her hooves together. She looked down and saw an aura surrounding her fetlocks, which was being held together. She looked around and saw the same aura around the horns of some of the ponies, all of them were pointing their horns at her. “Oh don’t be afraid, ma’am,” said Nathan with that same overly friendly, unsettling smile. “I told you last night, she won’t hurt you. In fact, she wants to help us.” Then Nathan, Greg Finney/Night Fire, Cinnamon, and all of the other ponies bowed to the mist, which was forming the shape of a ghostly, transparent apparition. It was twice as tall as a pony. In fact, apart from the horn and wings, it was more like a horse than a pony. “Behold, a real princess-Nightmare Moon,” said Night Fire. “Hello,” the apparition greeted Villetta. “Have you come to join our herd, my little pony?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inoue, Sugiyama, and a dozen winged Black Knights followed Kallen through the clouds in formation. They grazed the cloud tops in a zig-zag flight path. Some of the Black Knights galloped along as they flew and tested the vapors to see if they really could land on clouds. Kallen veered to the left with the others following her lead not unlike a flock of birds flying in formation. The Black Knights landed next to a small bump in the clouds. “Wait one second,” said Kallen. She dived through the clouds and carved out a tunnel. The landscape could be seen from the opening. When she came back up, Kallen landed on the edge and pointed to the bump. “All of you gather around this little hill. Space yourselves out evenly.” “Could you tell us why we flew all the way to Toshima Island?” Sugiyama asked Kallen rolled her eyes. “I thought I told you already. We can’t take a chance on the Britannians finding out about our weather control powers. Toshima Island is far enough away for that. We can’t take chances on the Britannians finding out what we’re up to and ruining Zero’s plans.” Around Kallen’s neck was a pair of binoculars. She flapped her wings and hovered just above the cloud tops freeing her fetlocks to hold the binoculars up to her face. “Okay, all of you, kick at the same time.” The recruits did as ordered. “I’m not seeing anything.” “It shouldn’t take much. Those kids could make it spark,” said Inoue. Sugiyama inspected the cloud by sticking his head under the bump. “It’s only rain,” he said. “We can’t beat the Britannians with rain; not without flooding all of the Tokyo Settlement.” “Flooding them is an option,” one Black Knight said spitefully. “Black Knights don’t target the innocent,” said Kallen. “We’re going to make lightning strike, and we’re going to get it right.” In reality, Kallen still cared for her classmates as Ashford Academy and wouldn’t want the Black Knights to haphazardly target Britannians and kill innocent civilians needlessly, especially if those civilians were her friends. “Try giving it a swift kick.” “The last time we did, the cloud disintegrated,” said another winged recruited. “That’s because you kicked it the wrong way.” Kallen flew to a smaller bump. “Here, watch me do it.” Kallen kicked the cloud causing it to spark. The others jumped back when they were startled by the thunderclap. “Aim your kicks at the center of mass. Some of you were kicking above or below it and dissipating the cloud. Take turns aiming for the center of the hump. The rest of you have to keep your distance. I don’t want any of you struck by a stray bolt.” One by one, the Black Knights practiced making the cloud spark as the others stood off at a distance. Bolts lit up the clouds as the boom of thunder rattled the clouds. When the last one in the group finish his practice, Kallen flew over and said, “Gather around and make sure you’re evenly spaced. We’re seeing if we can hit the ground by combining our kicks.” Kallen, once again, took her position over the hole in the clouds. Her binoculars were between her fetlocks and against her face. In her sight several columns of red X’s in a clearing surrounded by dense forest at the foot of Mt. Miyatsuka. Nearby, there were some blue X’s. “On my mark, all of you kick. We have to hit the red targets without hitting the blue ones. Got it?” “Got it,” the Black Knights said in unison. “Get ready.” The Black Knights turned their back to the hump. They bent their legs a bit in preparation. “Now,” said Kallen. The Black Knights kicked the clouds simultaneously. A massive thunderbolt shot out of the cloud. “Did it hit?” Inoue asked. Kallen shook her head. “Not even close. It’s three kilometers offshore. We gotta do better than that.” Kallen flew over to the right side of the bump and land. “You, on this side, lighten up on your kick. You on the other side, kick a bit harder. I think if we vary the kick, the lightning will come from the side with the stronger kicks.” She flew back to the hole. “Get ready...go.” Another lightning bolt shot out of the cloud. “It’s off by two kilometers and on the other side of the target.” Sugiyama sighed. “This is going to be a long day.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “But why can’t I help?” The blue winged stallion said pleading with Yamato. It was past midnight and both he and Yamato, the Shinjuku elder, gathered around the candlelight inside Yamato’s living room, which was decorated in a traditional Japanese-style home decorum. Yamato closed his eyes and exhaled. “Look at you-all bruised up.” The winged stallion was covered in wounds from the time he stood up for the Shinjuku Elders against the Britannians and paid the price. “If you went out in public, Zero would parade you all over Tokyo and use our setback on the road to peace as evidence that ending hostilities with the Britannians is impossible.” “I don’t want my injuries to be used as an excuse to fight by warmongers like Zero, but you’re asking me to sit on my flank and do nothing. You have to let me help.” “Unless you can get an audience with Princess Euphemia le Britannia herself, I can’t see how you could be any help to us.” “And do you know what Euphemia looks like?” Yamato gasped at the realization that the young stallion had taken his jest seriously. “Now wait a minute. I never intended for you to attempt such a foolhardy gesture. If you were caught, the Viceroy would have you killed.” That’s a big ‘if’ right there. These rookie flyers couldn’t catch a cold let alone yours truly.” “You arrogant fool! You'll jeopardize the peace if you try breaking into the Tokyo Settlement. We didn’t go through the trouble of treating your wounds and popping your wing back into place just so that you can get yourself killed.” “There is no peace to jeopardize. You said it yourself-Zero is planning on raiding the Settlement. We don’t have anything to lose from trying.” “I forbid it. There are other ways you can help. We can always use an extra pair of hands at my office.” The blue winged stallion stood on all fours and said, “I don’t have hands. I have hooves.” With his peace said, the stallion walked out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Several squadrons of winged-types bearing the familiar crest of the Britannian Empire flew around the perimeter of the Tokyo Settlement. They watched for any potential invaders to either try to sneak into the ground levels or to infiltrate the Settlement by air. Apart from the occasional winged-type claiming to be a Britannian soldier from the other bases, there hasn’t be any activity on the border, until now. They didn’t see it as first. The intruder’s coat of fur blended so well with the background, the patrols didn’t see him until he was on top of them. Out of nowhere, a blue streak cut across their path. “What the hell was that!” A gold-colored mare with a blue mane said. “Over there,” a green stallion with a brown mane said. He pointed at the winged blue stallion rapidly disappearing. “That’s not possible. Can winged-types move that fast, Sir Kolm?” “Worry about that later, Newman,” said the green stallion. He pointed at some of the Britannians. “Snow, Bowen, Newman, Shettler, help me capture that Eleven.” “Yes my lord,” the four ponies said in unison before accompanying Sir Kolm in their pursuit of the blue stallion. The five Britannians flew faster than they ever flew before. Sir Kolm felt his lungs burning, and going by the strained breaths taken by his subordinates, their stamina was being pushed to the limit. Yet, they were falling so far behind that they might as well be flying backwards. The intruder showed no signs of fatigue or slowing down. Fortunately, some of the inner perimeter patrols spotted the chase and joined in. They headed off the intruder before he had a chance to advance further. The intruder made a hard 180 degree bank and flew towards Sir Kolm and his men. “This is...our chance...to re...redeem ourselves,” Sir Kolm said between breaths. The intruder suddenly turned at a right angle and made a downward plunge. Sir Kolm and his men dived after him. The intruder’s wings worked in conjunction with the force of gravity to out accelerate his pursuers. “Halt!” The outer perimeter guards complied with Sir Kolm’s command and slowed their descent. “That fool's signed his own death warrant,” he assured his men. “I’ve seen it before in training accidents. He won’t pull...” Sir Kolm was stunned into silence when the intruder made a hard 90 degree turn just a few feet off the ground. “...out...of...that...dive?” The intruder glided just above the surface along the street. Out of nowhere, a Britannian attempted to sideswipe the intruder. Some of the inner perimeter patrols, who witnessed the chase, joined in on the pursuit. The intruder pitched up at the last movement and narrowly dodged the Britannians. The other members of the inner perimeter patrols never could get as close as the first one. The intruder was only caught off guard. He maneuvered around the other Britannians coming at him from the intersecting streets with the grace and agility of a humming bird. Sir Kolm shook his head to snap himself out of the shock of seeing the intruder fly circles around Darlton’s best airborne troops. “Well, what are you waiting for,” he said to his men. Sir Kolm shot upward and then towards a roof with a makeshift radio tower as fast as his wings would carry him. Next to the radio tower was a shack that housed the radio and operator. From a window, Sir Kolm could see a horned stallion inside manning a cumbersome radio set from the vacuum tube era. He barged in and said between breaths. “Settlement security has been breached. An intruder with blue fur flew pass our border patrol and is heading towards the Viceroy Palace. Contact General Darlton. Inform him the threat could be there at any second.” “Any second? Just how fast do you think this intruder is g...” “Just do as I say, soldier!” The horned stallion tensed up and saluted. “Yes, my lord.” His horned glowed with a light hue; the same light hue surrounding the tuning dial of the shortwave radio. The dials were adjusted telekinetically as the receiver sparked and crackled. The horned stallion used his telekinesis to tap the Morse code straight key wired to the shortwave radio. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darlton was staring at a picture on his desk in a melancholy gaze. He took a break from piling scribbled sheets of paper with illegible words printed on them, products from his failed attempts to relearn how to write, around the overflowing trash bin. The picture Darlton starred at so intently was an image of himself when he was still human. The only indication it was even him in that picture was the gaping scar running from the right side of his forehead, through the bridge of his nose, and ending on his left cheek and his light brown hair. He was in the center of the picture with his rather large family consisting entirely of adopted sons. Thoughts of them back in the homeland dogged him, among those thoughts were the fear that he would never see them again. Even if he could make it back home, how would he recognize them? Darlton laughed at himself for forgetting about his prominent facial scar. Maybe it was a blessing that he got the hideous thing. Darlton was ripped from his introspection by hooves frantically pounding on his door. He opened the door to a young private. The horned stallion was in a panic. “General Dalton, sir,” he said in a panicky voice, “an intruder broke through our perimeter and is heading straight for the palace.” “How many of them,” asked Darlton. “Just one, sir,” said the private. “Run to the motor pool as fast as you can and track down Warrant Officer Kururugi. Tell him about the intruder and that the Viceroy and Sub-Viceroy are in the rooftop villa.” The private saluted. “Right away, sir,” he said before galloping to the motor pool. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Euphemia and Cornelia were lying down on a picnic blanket together. Euphemia was grazing on the dew-drenched lawn while Cornelia watched apprehensively. Euphemia stopped feeding for a moment and gave her sister a concerned look. “Sis,” Euphemia asked, “why aren’t you eating breakfast?” “That’s the villa lawn, Euphie,” said Cornelia. “When you said don’t bother to bring food and that there was some already here, this wasn’t what I had in mind.” “You said we should do what we can to conserve food and now that we’re ponies...” “But that’s our villa lawn. Couldn’t you eat some vegetables?” “The royal physicians said grazing is perfectly normal.” “It’s *grass* Euphie.” Cornelia went stiff and began looking around. “You don’t hear that?” “Here what, sis?” “Someone else is here.” Cornelia got up and scanned the villa for trespassers. “Hey there,” the voice from above called out. Cornelia jump back and focused her gaze on the source: the blue winged stallion floating above them. “Which one of you is Euphemia?” Cornelia gritted her teeth and snorted like horse. “You again! My men didn’t beat enough sense into you the last time.” The intruder chuckled. “Well, my teacher always said I was hard-headed.” “Viceroy, Sub-Viceroy” said a voice from above, “you must go back inside the palace, immediately. An intruder broke through the perimeter.” Darlton landed next to Cornelia. “We’re already aware of it, Darlton,” said Cornelia staring at the blue stallion. Darlton, upon seeing the blue stallion, launched himself into the air, pulled out his knife, and lunged at the intruder. Darlton tried to graze him at such an angle as to cut the intruder as he passed by. The intruder shifted position and kicked Darlton in the ribs. The blow knocked the knife out of Darlton’s mouth and forced him to make a crash landing on the villa lawn. “Will you ponies please stop trying to kill me!” The blue stallion yelled. “As I was saying, I need to speak with Princess Euphemia.” The blue stallion looked straight at Euphemia. “Are you her?” Euphemia nodded her head. “I am. How can I help you?” The blue stallion landed and bowed to her. “I’m sorry for barging in your highnesses, but this is of the utmost importance.” The blue stallion’s ears pointed towards the back. He looked over his shoulder and saw a mundane stallion with a gold coat, brown mane, and a shield on his hind quarter. “Step away from the viceroy and sub-viceroy and lay down on the ground or else I’ll have to use force.” The winged stallion took to the air and hovered twenty feet above them. “I know this looks bad and all, but I’m only here to talk to Princess Euphemia. Besides, you can’t reach me from up here. You’ll only embarrass yourself if you...” Before the winged stallion could react, the mundane stallion sprinted across the villa, leaped in the air, spun around in mid-air like a top and kicked the winged stallion in the gut. The intruder fell and tumbled along the ground before coming to a stop at Euphemia’s hooves. “Oh man,” said the winged stallion, “Never saw an earth pony jump that high before.” The winged stallion yelled in pain as the mundane stallion stood on his wings and front legs. “You’re under arrest,” said the mundane stallion. “Excellent work, Warrant Officer Kururugi,” said Darlton who was struggling to get back on his four feet. Euphemia ran to the side of the winged stallion. “Suzaku, I order you to release him at once.” “Disregard that order, Warrant Officer,” said Cornelia. “Viceroy, this man may be here on behalf of the Elevens to negotiate a peace settlement. We should at least here him out.” “Tell me, Eleven, on whose behalf do you come for?” Cornelia asked in a voice dripping with derision. “I already told you-I’m not an Eleven and you’re no longer a Britannian.” Cornelia rolled her eyes. “That stupidity again. Quit wasting my time and just answer the question.” “I come on behalf of the Tokyo Elders.” “Heh, those nobodies,” said Cornelia disdainfully. “The Tokyo Elders have no authority worth mentioning. Warrant Officer, take this knave and toss him in a cell with the rest of the Elevens after he’s been branded.” “Suzaku, don’t you dare do that to him.” “But, the viceroy said...” Suzaku was conflicted over whose order to follow. “Are you reprimanding my orders...right in front of me, Sub-Viceroy!” “Viceroy, I mean no disrespect,” Euphemia said in a submissive voice. “All I’m asking for a show of good will to the Elevens and Honorary Britannian still loyal to the Empire. Obviously, they’re determined to find a peace resolution, and this young man’s desperate action is proof. I only ask that you do not dismiss them so easily.” Cornelia silently contemplated Euphemia’s request. “I suppose we can use a messenger to relay our demands. Suzaku, take him to the palace holding cell. You can speak with him between iron bars, sub-viceroy.” “What about letting him go?” “I will, eventually, but for the time being, he can wait in his cell.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen looked through her binoculars at yet another lightning strike; this one landed in the center of the blue X’s. “Did we hit?” Inoue asked. “Yeah, we hit something,” Kallen nodded, “our own formation.” The Black Knights let out a collective groan. “We’re been at this for two days now,” said Sugiyama, “and we’re still not making accurate hits.” “I don’t we can,” said Kallen. “I’ll tell Zero that the lightning strikes will have to be made before any advancement. It’ll be no different than what the armies in the old European nation-states used to do. Both sides would shell each other before sending in infantry. We’re just going to have to do the same.” “Kallen,” said Sugiyama with a worried tone in his voice, “we have company.” Kallen looked in the same direction as Sugiyama. There were hundreds of winged ponies heading in their direction. Kallen’s whole body tensed up; her wings opened up in preparation that she may have to use them to flee if this mob of ponies were Britannians. But upon closer inspection, they wore clothes with the Geass symbol and the sword through the center of the birdlike shape-the emblem of the Black Knights. The flock of winged ponies stopped and hovered just above the clouds. One by one, they cautiously landed; many of them poked and inspected the clouds. One of the winged Black Knights stepped forward. He had the wind-up alarm clock that Zero found tied around his neck. “Which one of you is the Airborne Division Commander Kozuki Kallen?” Kallen spoke up. “I’m Kozuki Kallen. What do you need?” “I have instructions from Zero,” he said as he pulled out a rolled up sheet of paper. “U iuys mide,” he said with his mouth full. Two of the winged Black Knights unrolled and held both ends of the paper. Kallen silently read over the instructions. “He wants me to do what?!?” Kallen looked at the messenger. “I have to train *all* of them?!?” The stallion nodded. “Do we need that many Black Knights kicking clouds?” Sugiyama asked. Kallen shook her head. “The training isn’t for making lightning; it’s for moving clouds. Not only do we have to train the recruits, but also to gather up enough clouds to block the skies over Tokyo by sunset five days from now.” “We’re taking back the Settlement already?” “Zero said specifically it’s for a separate mission.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Okay, you may leave now.” Euphemia ordered Suzaku. The princess and honorary Britannian were in the murky depths of the palace sub-basement where the holding cells were. Apart from the pair of candles Euphemia and Suzaku brought, there was no light in the prison. Behind iron bars was the blue winged stallion. Suzaku glanced at the detainee and back at Euphemia. “But my lord...” “It’s Euphie, remember,” Euphemia interrupted Suzaku. “But, Euphie, the Viceroy might not approve of me leaving you alone with the prisoner.” “I’ll be okay, Suzaku. He can’t possible do me any harm.” “Just don’t get any ideas about letting him go.” Euphemia raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I’d go against my sister’s orders?” “It’s not that; it’s just that we don’t know anything about this person.” “I said I wasn’t going to hurt your princess,” the blue stallion said defensively. Suzaku ignored the prisoner. “Just watch yourself and don’t do anything that might get you hurt.” Suzaku slowly climbed up the stairway. “They didn’t provide any light for you?” Euphemia asked the prisoner. He shook his head. “Not so much as a used up candle.” “I’ll order the guards to provide you with illumination.” “Thank you, your highness.” “What is your name?” The blue winged stallion laughed loudly. “Except for Yamato, you’re the only pony as of late that’s bothered to ask me that. Name’s Kumo Sorato, but you can call me ‘Sorato’.” “Please to make your acquaintance, Sorato. I apologize for your rough treatment.” “It’s no problem, your majesty. What’s important is that we stop the fighting.” Euphemia gazed at the dirty prison floor. “I wish I knew how, but my sister has no intents of calling a truce.” “But why not? You’re all ponies now. Maybe I’m wrong, but when you stopped being Britannians and Japanese and became part of the same herd, you lost your reason to fight. Even those old squabbles weren’t worth killing over.” “I’m afraid it isn’t that simple, Mr. Kumo. We’re not in the same herd, as you put it. My sister, the Viceroy, thinks she can retake Japan.” “But she can’t. The ponies in this settlement are outnumbered.” “I know that, but the Viceroy sees things differently. But mostly, she’s terrified. She’s terrified that if she did surrender, the Japanese would overrun the Settlement and slaughter us. We Britannians have treated the Japanese badly and some of it is projecting our behavior and way of thinking on the Japanese, but some of it is also the knowledge that we hurt them badly enough that revenge isn’t out of the question.” Sorato held his head down. “It wouldn’t the first time a pony got revenge on another pony.” Sorata picked his head up and forced himself to smile for the downhearted princess. “If I can’t stop this war, then maybe I can do what I can to reduce casualties on your side. I’ll talk with Yamato and convince Zero to keep his ponies from going too far.” A smile crept on Euphemia’s face. “Thank you, Sorato.” Euphemia came back upstairs where Suzaku was waiting on her. “So,” Suzaku asked, “how did your peace talks go.” Euphemia sighed. “Not well, I’m afraid. We weren’t smart enough to come up with a solution.” “This may be a situation that doesn’t have an easy solution. We could have one, but that would expecting too much from someone like Zero.” “Suzaku?” “Yes, Euphie?” “Doesn’t the Ashford family run a boarding school in the Settlements?” “Yes, they do. Why did you ask?” “I was wondering, if you could obtain hard copies of the student records for me.” Suzaku tensed up. “Why would you want those for?” He asked. “Why would you want to know?” Suzaku averted his eyes from Euphemia’s. “It’s just that getting a hold of those at a time like this would be difficult.” “As sub-viceroy, they can make find the time for me.” Euphemia began to eye Suzaku suspiciously. “You look nervous. Are you hiding something from me, Kururugi Suzaku?” Euphemia circled around Suzaku and looked him in the eyes. Suzaku turned away from Euphemia and avert his gaze from hers. “Well?” Euphemia pouted. “Actually...” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen landed on the roof of the Black Knight’s headquarters. The previous four days have taken their toll on Kallen. Her mornings started with the head-splitting sound of the wind-up alarm clock that Zero sent; the wind-up alarm clock she had to keep tied to her neck as she slept in the clouds; the wind-up alarm clock that woke her up at four in the morning as per Zero’s instructions. Three eighteen-hour days explaining to dull-witted recruits the same set of instructions on how to move clouds over and over again; another eighteen hour day yesterday and most of today directing traffic for those same dimwits. These last few days left her with bags under her eyes and a massive migraine. Just off the coast of Tokyo was the massive cloud formation waiting for Zero’s orders. Kallen went through the rooftop entrance and headed to the main office. When she entered, she was greeted by Zero and four other ponies: three stallions and one mare. The stallions consisted of one rather old horned-type with a thin, receding white mane and iris colored coat. The horned stallion was also chubby around the waist. The second stallion was a tall, lanky mundane-type with a blue, spikey mane and a raspberry-colored coat. The one single mare in the group was also a mundane-type. She had a short brown mane and a fuchsia coat. The last stallion was a winged pony with a short green mane and majorette blue coat. This winged pony wore a pair of glasses and had a vertical scar running from his right cheek to his forehead with his right eye bisecting the scar. “Kallen, is that you?” Zero asked. He was, for some unknown reason, wearing a blindfold. “Yeah it’s me,” Kallen replied. “Why are you wearing that thing for?” “Never mind the blindfold; what is your progress so far?” “On schedule, but barely. If you only knew half of the crap I went through training these rookies...” Kallen intently studied the new ponies. “So, who are these guys and why do they get a private audience with you?” “I’m Ryōga Senba,” said the elderly horned stallion. “This is Kōsetsu Urabe, Nagisa Chiba, and Shōgo Asahina.” As he was calling out their names, Ryōga pointed to the mundane stallion and mare and the winged stallion, respectively. “You’re The Four Holy Swords?” They gave a silent nod to Kallen’s question. “They’ve requested our assistance,” said Zero, “in freeing Tohdoh Kyoshiro from his confinement inside the Settlement penitentiary. And with Tohdoh the Miracle Worker, the only officer in the Japanese Defense Force to defeat the Britannians in battle, on our side, our victory against Cornelia will be assured.” Ryōga Senba, the elderly horned stallion, stepped forward. “Are you the Kozuki Kallen that Zero spoke of?” “I am,” said Kallen. Ryōga bowed to her. “We’re grateful to you for literally moving the heavens to rescue Tohdoh.” “Zero, can we talk in private?” “One moment, please,” said Zero. His horn started glowing, but nothing moved. However, Kallen did feel something bush against her. Then, the doorknob glowed and turned on its own. Zero was walking around his desk when Kallen spoke up. “Shouldn’t you take off your blindfold before you hurt yourself?” “No, I’ll be okay. Follow me, and we’ll talk in private.” Kallen did as Zero requested and followed him out of the room and to the opposite end of the hall. “So, what did you want to talk about?” “Zero, I’m not downplaying Tohdoh’s abilities, but we’re risking a lot for one man.” “The rescue party will only consist of you, me, Inoue, Sugiyama, Shōgo Asahina, and four other winged Knights.” “But what about the Britannians finding out about the weather control powers?” “They won’t. The cloud is large enough so that no one will see our winged troops moving them and we won’t begin operations until sunset.” “But even so, we’re risking more people than rescuing.” “Remember what I told you about making decisions that will accomplish the mission with minimum loss of life? This rescue is one example of such a decision. We don’t need Tohdoh to take the Settlement. We have more than enough manpower for that. But having Tohdoh on our side means the difference between a war of attrition in which we win only because we have troops left alive and a carefully orchestrated campaign where we take far fewer casualties to accomplish the same goal.” “But we have you to lead us.” “Thanks to the loss of sakuradite-based tech, real time communication during battle is almost impossible and I can’t be in more than one place at a time. Tohdoh’s military skills are comparable to my own. He’ll be able to act independently during battle. This’ll be important for attacking on multiple fronts.” Kallen sighed. “I’ll do it, but it’s still asking a lot. And I don’t like the idea of you coming with us. You’re the last person that I want to risk on a rescue mission.” “For you to succeed, I must come.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen, Inoue, Sugiyama, Asahina Shōgo and four other winged Black Knights were waiting on a street running straight towards the Settlement and standing side by side in two columns. They were bound together by rope tied to the makeshift harnesses around their necks. Rope leading from the four corners of a canvas was tied around the waist of the four winged recruits in the back of the team of ponies. The sun has set, and the recruits were moving the cloud as Zero instructed. As the cloud moved across the night sky, even the meager light from the stars and first quarter moon was blotted out. Sugiyama held his hoof in front of his face and couldn’t see it. “I hope this is dark enough for him,” he said. “How the hell are we going to rescue Tohdoh when we’re practically blind?” Inoue asked. “Hey Asahina,” said Kallen, “why was Zero wearing a blind fold?” “Don’t know,” Asahina answered. “When we first came, his eyes were okay, but the next day, he was wearing that blind fold. He also seemed rather prideful. We offered to help him around, but he refused.” “We’ll talk about it later,” said Kallen, “I think I hear him coming.” A pony was trotting down the street, and his hoofsteps were growing louder until they stopped right behind them. “I hope the tarp is secured,” said Zero. “I made damn sure it was,” said Kallen. “No way am I taking a chance in losing our leader.” “Good,” said Zero. “I’ll take the lead. Any tug on your harness would be me using telekinesis to point you in the right direction.” “You four in the back; I’m kicking your asses if Zero falls. Got it?” “Yes ma’am,” the recruits said in unison. Lelouch tugged on the reigns with his telekinesis. The team slowly lifted off. The lack of visibility and fear that they may drop Zero caused them to creep at a snail’s pace. Zero pulled on the reigns at an angle. “Tilt a few degrees and climb until I let off the ropes.” They followed Zero’s command and made a low angle climb. “Okay, this is high enough for now.” “How can he tell our height in the da...” “Please be quiet Aki, before you get us killed.” Lelouch said to the recruit. “Sorry,” said Aki. After a drawn out fifteen-minute long flight, the team of winged ponies landed in the prison yard. It was still completely dark save from candles and torches. The prison spotlights had their bulbs replaced by a flame holder, which gave the spotlight beams a pulsating glow. “Make sure to stay out of those spotlights,” Zero commanded, “but don’t stray too far.” “Don’t you need our help?” Kallen asked. “I have collaborators counted among the prison guards. They will be the ones to assist me.” In reality, Lelouch was planning on using his Geass on the guards and having them lead him to Tohdoh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tohdoh Kyoshiro was stirred from his sleep by a hoof nudging his shoulder. It was the guard that kicked him in the side awhile back. He had a kerosene lantern in his mouth. “What’s the matter? Not enough hours in the day to be a pest?” He didn’t respond. Tohdoh huffed before lying back down on his prison bunk. “Whatever you plan on doing, hurry it up so I can get my sleep. Better yet, go ahead and finish me off? My life is worthless.” “In that case, I’ll claim your life for myself.” It wasn’t the guard that spoke, but rather another person who was standing just outside of the cell; someone whose voice was electronically distorted. “Zero?” Tohdoh climbed out of his bunk and peered into the darkness where he caught the outline of a horned pony. The figure stepped into the lantern light. “Tohdoh Kyoshiro -the only Japanese, who seven years ago, brought the mighty Britannian forces to their knees in defeat.” “You mean Itsukushima? You want me to perform a miracle for you as well. “That was no miracle. It ended in victory because it was based on excellent intelligence work. That’s why I want you.” “I pledged my loyalty to General Katase. Now that he is dead, I wish to die too.” “Don’t be a coward!” What!” “Your loyalty is not to General Katase, but to all of Japan.” “And what use am I to Japan when I am like this?” Tohdoh held out a hoof. “Since the Night of the Transformation, the balance of power has shifted in our favor.” “Are you planning on stampeding the Britannians, Zero?” Tohdoh asked mockingly. “In the land of the blind, the man with one good eye is king. Though both sides have been diminished, the Britannians have bore the brunt of it. And without technology for the Empire to project its powers beyond its borders, the liberation of Japan is assured.” “Then what do you need me for?” “Even without technology, a drawn-out siege would cost the lives of many Japanese. Cornelia’s soldiers are highly trained and, more importantly, experienced as opposed to our forces of new recruits. However, with you in my corner, our odds of having a clean, decisive victory greatly improve. In short, if you join me, I won’t have to win by burying the Britannian under a mound of Japanese corpses.” “And victory against Britannia is guaranteed...because of the loss of technology?” “A good strategist makes use of the situation, and ours is not an exception to that rule.” Tohdoh, impressed by Zero’s words, dropped his stoic demeanor and cracked a smile. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tohdoh was greeted to a hero’s welcome, at least by his four closest compatriots. Ryōga Senba, Kōsetsu Urabe, and Nagisa Chiba waited on the road where they took off. When the team of winged Black Knights landed, they hastened to Tohdoh’s side and greeted him. “It’s good to see you again, sir,” said Urabe. Nagisa was staring at two vertical marks burned into Tohdoh’s hindquarter. “Did they do this to you?” “Yes,” Tohdoh answered, “and they call us ‘barbarians’.” “I swear they’ll pay for what they did, sir!” She swore. “There’s no need to get upset,” said Tohdoh. “Save your anger for the battle ahead.” “So, we’re helping Zero, sir?” Asahina asked as he was being unhitched from the team. Tohdoh nodded. “We have a common cause. I see no reason why not.” “That’s all I need to hear sir,” said Asahina. “My place is at your side.” The other Four Holy Swords nodded in agreement. Asahina then said to Kallen, “that Zero of yours is a clever man.” Kallen had a puzzled look on her face. “What brought that on?” “You didn’t notice. He used his telekinesis like a bat using sonar.” “Oh, is that why Zero was wearing the blindfold? So he can practice seeing with his telekinesis?” One of the rank and file Knights spoke up. “Just like how a dolphin uses echolocation, right?” I’ve managed to obtain one of the two chess pieces I’ve been looking for, thought Lelouch as he watched the Black Knights conversing with Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords. And since the pilot of the Lancelot is a virtual non-entity without his Frame, the only one left is Suzaku. He’ll be Nunnally’s protector, and Nunnally will give him a reason to live. Even since his encounter with Mao, Lelouch has known about Suzaku’s death wish, his desire to obtain absolution for murdering his father at the cost of his own life. Seven years ago, when Suzaku was ten, the Britannians invaded Japan. His father, the late Japanese prime minister Kururugi Genbo, called for do-or-die resistance. When Suzaku could not dissuade him from declaring all out war, he stabbed Genbo under the childish notion that his death would prevent the war. Since that terrible day, Suzaku sought a hero’s death that would wash the stain of that terrible sin from his soul, albeit with his own blood. However, if Suzaku became Nunnally’s protector, Lelouch reasoned, then his sister would be kept from harm’s way and Suzaku would be saved from his path of self-destruction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Euphemia galloped at as fast as her four legs could take her through the Knightmare motor pool beneath the Asplund compound. In the center of the compound were Cornelia, Lloyd, Cecile, and Nina, who were gathered around the Lancelot. “You can’t be serious, viceroy,” Lloyd complained. “Without the third power plant, the Lancelot...” “Will still be more than adequate for our needs. I don’t like putting our eggs in one basket. The next two power plants will be placed inside my spare Gloucester. Having two Knightmares at fifth generation level capacity is better than counting on one seventh-level Knightmare as our primary defense. And see about training another pilot for the Lancelot.” “Your majesty,” Cecile pleaded, “I can’t think of anyone more loyal to the Empire than Suzaku.” “Not to mention piloting a Knightmare with only foot pedals and a mouthpiece is even harder than it sounds,” said Lloyd. “Warrant Officer Kururugi is the only one I know of that could pull it off.” “Fine,” said Cornelia grudgingly, “I’ll hold off replacing Kururugi for the time being.” Cornelia noticed her sister running towards them. “We’ll discuss this later. Now leave us.” Lloyd, Nina, and Cecile complied with Cornelia’s orders. Euphemia was panting for air after her exhausting run. “Where’s Sorato? She spoke between breaths. “What did you do with him?” “You mean that so-called messenger of peace sent by the Elevens? He’s taking Tohdoh’s place in prison.” Euphemia’s eyes opened wide. “Tohdoh’s place?” “Didn’t you hear? Zero broke him out of prison last night; right out from under our noses under the cover of darkness.” “You can’t believe Sorato had anything to do with it?” “Why shouldn’t I? Just because the guard that helped Zero kept tight-lipped and denied everything even to the moment he was executed? While he was tugging on your heart string, their 'emissary' was feeding information to Zero’s informants hiding within our ranks.” “And you’re convicting him without so much as a trial?” “Why not? We’re in the middle of a war, and I have that right, but I’m giving him one chance. If he survives having his wings amputated, I’ll let him live as prison labor.” Euphemia shook her head in disbelief. “No, you can’t. None of the prisoners ever survived the procedure.” “Only because the surgeons were using their mouths, but now that some of them have learned telekinesis, they need test subjects to regain their skills.” “Please Viceroy I beg of...” “Quiet! I’ve made my decision!” Cornelia turned her back on here sister. “There will be no more discussion on the matter. Now leave. I’m preoccupied at the moment.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sun just set and the world was once again drowning in darkness. A portion of the massive cloud that blotted out the moon and stars last night still lingered. The Settlement prison, this time, was illuminated more brilliantly than before as a precaution against another prison break. One of the various lights moved across the prison block. Princess Euphemia and a winged prison guard trotted through the halls. The guard held a kerosene lantern in his mouth while Euphemia held a picnic basket handle in hers. The guard stopped and set the lantern down. “I’m not getting in trouble for this, am I, your majesty?” The prison guard asked Euphemia. “Not at all,” Euphemia reassured the guard who was, with some considerable trepidation, following her orders. “I don’t mean to sound as though I am questioning your commands...” “But you don’t wish to place your princess in danger by escorting her around a prison in the middle of the night,” Euphemia finished the rest of the guard’s sentence. The guard nodded. “That’s correct.” “I’m sorry to ask such a favor from you, but that Eleven betrayed our trust, and I wish to personally teach him a lesson.” “Yes your majesty,” said the guard before picking up his lantern. At the end of the hall was Kumo Sorato. Because the electronic locking mechanism no longer functions, his cell doors were held shut by chains and lock. He was lying on his belly with a chain running from the wall to a collar around his neck. His face was partially concealed behind trembling fore limbs. All that was visible was bloodshot eyes staring through the iron bars. He moaned in agony. When the guard came close enough that the cell was fully illuminated, Euphemia then noticed a pair of vertical marks seared over his hindquarter symbol. Euphemia closed her eyes so as to calm herself after seeing what happened. “Corporal,” she addressed the guard, “I was wondering if you would like to have the rest of my dinner? I had plans to finish it, but I don’t feel particularly hungry right now, and it would be a shame to let perfectly good food go to waste.” “Your majesty, I couldn’t...” “Are you refusing a gift from royalty?” “No, your majesty, I would never.” Euphemia nudged the picnic basket. “Then help yourself.” The guard cautiously opened the basket flap and slowly stuck his muzzle inside. Suddenly, Euphemia leaped up and fell on his head. The guard struggled to free himself but in a matter of seconds, he became weak, sluggish. He eventually went limp and collapsed. Sorato lifted his head to get a closer look through the bars. “What did you do to him?” “The basket’s stuffed with rags I soaked in Chloroform,” said Euphemia. “He’s only unconscious.” Euphemia rolled the guard over and removed his keys from his saddlebag. Euphemia unlocked the chain and then the collar around Sorato’s neck. “Can you get up?” “You shouldn’t be doing this,” Sorato pleaded. “If you get in trouble...” “I’m already in trouble. I assaulted the guard while breaking you out. So, don’t let my efforts go in vain. Now, please try standing up.” Sorato gritted his teeth struggling to keep from screaming out in pain. “I should have brought some medical supplies. I didn’t know what I was thinking.” “If you were thinking, you wouldn’t be doing this.” Euphemia began undressing the guard. “If we go out a different route, the other guards might not notice the difference. Now hold still.” Euphemia helped Sorato get dressed in the guard’s tattered uniform. “You must hate us for we’ve done to you.” “What do you mean by ‘us’?” “I mean Britannians.” “I hate those ponies that burned me, and I’m not exactly fond of your sister. I’ll admit to that. But why would I hate ponies that never did any harm to me?” “You’re a better man than most.” “Even though I hate your sister?” “After what she did to you, I can’t blame you.” Euphemia then gave Sorato an envelope. “If you make it out alive, give this to Zero. It probably won’t stop the war, but we may be able to prevent a massacre.” “I’ll do what I can.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sir Guilford had the sorrowful duty of escorting Euphemia into the throne room to answer for her crimes against the crown. The former sub-viceroy had ankle chains on her fore and hind legs. Standing on the other side of Euphemia was Darlton. Both men kept their eyes glued forward. They could not bear to witness how far the younger Britannian princess has fallen from grace. The three stop in front of the throne where Cornelia was waiting. The viceroy’s hair was in an upheaval, uncombed and tangled. Her head hung down. The only moment she made was her heavy breathing. An occasion snort escaped her nostrils. “Why Euphie? Why did you?” Euphemia had butterflies in her stomach. The much older sister, who was sometimes like an aunt to her, was demanding an explanation for the most blatant acts of disobedience she had ever committed. The young princess felt sick to her stomach and was afraid of vomiting if she tried to speak. Cornelia tilted her head up and glared at her sister with the eyes of a wounded and enraged animal. “I asked you ‘why did you betray me’.” “I didn't betray you. I was trying to make peace with the Japanese and to save as many Britannian lives as possible.” Cornelia rushed across the room and struck her sister in the face. “NO ONE ASKED YOU TO!” Cornelia struck Euphemia again and again. “THAT’S YOUR EXCUSE FOR STABBING YOUR OWN SISTER IN THE BACK!” Euphemia tucked her head underneath her forelimbs trying to shield herself from the onslaught of hooves beating down on her. Guilford grabbed hold of Cornelia. “Mi lady, please calm down!” He and Darlton piled on top of the viceroy. Then, Cornelia’s horn started glowing. An invisible force shoved Euphemia and knocked her on her back. “IT WASN’T YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! IT WAS MINE!!! YOU HEAR ME! MINE!!!” Cornelia stopped struggling against the two stallions. “It was my burden to bear; not yours.” She said in a calmer voice. When they were certain the viceroy’s rage had subsided, Guilford and Darlton stopped pressing their weight against her. Cornelia took deep breaths to calm her nerves, and when she was finally at ease, she got back on all fours with her head tilted down. “Get her out of my sight!” Cornelia ordered still looking down. “Lock her in her room and don’t let her out!” “Yes, mi lady,” said Dalton. They hurried Euphemia out of the room who had cuts and bruises all over her. Once they left the room, Cornelia collapsed on all four knees and sobbed over her sister’s betrayal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One month later Rain clouds had upstaged the rising sun and draped the sky in dreary grays and the ground in millions of frigid droplets. Cornelia and thousands of Britannian troops, mostly winged-types, stood on the top level. Along the perimeter of the Settlement, on every level, were barricades of junk and refuge topped with sharpened sticks and poles as the first line of defense against the invaders surrounding the Settlement. The Eleven "barbarian" horde stretched halfway across Tokyo. With exception to the side of the Settlement facing the river, siege towers constructed from left over cars and timber were evenly placed around the perimeter. Darlton landed next to Cornelia. “So, you decided to let Kururugi pilot the Lancelot?” “I had no other choice. There wasn’t time to undo the modifications and train a horned-type to pilot it, and Kururugi is the only person who’s prolific with those foot pedals. I had trouble just steering that antique Frame with those damn things.” “What about your Gloucester?” “Earl Asplund needs three more days before it can be ready. Plan A is to keep them at bay until the refits are finished and then Warrant Officer Kururugi and I can lead the assault against Zero and drives those savages back to the slums.” “What about Euphemia?” “You may not like what I’m about to tell you, but your mission is to take the first opening presented to you and get Euphie as far as away from here as possible. Tie her up. Gag her. Drug her if you have to, but get her to safety. I’ll send for you if we are successful.” “But mi lady!” “I don’t want to hear any objections from you.” “But what about my men?” “Guilford will take your command.” “But...” “He can’t fly. You can. Your number one priority is to save my sister. Take as many men as you need to carry her. And Darlton?” “Yes mi lady.” “Don’t let anyone know what Euphie did. And make sure she keeps her mouth shut. Father won’t be as forgiving as I am. If word gets out she help free a prisoner, she’ll be executed.” “I understand, mi lady.” “Viceroy! General Darlton!” Sir Guilford cried out as he ran at a full gallop towards Cornelia and Darlton. “We may already be under attack.” “What are you talking about, Guilford?” Cornelia asked. “Our intelligence managed to eavesdrop on two-way radio transmission from the Chinese Federation. According to the broadcasts, the winged-types are able to walk on the clouds and even control weather. They claim that they moved clouds from one location to another and brought rain to desert land.” “Are you that gullible? What you’re saying is impossible. It must be some sort of prank.” When Darlton finished berating Guilford for his ‘naiveté’, the rain ceased. It was then a terrifying epiphany overcame Cornelia. She tensed up; her eyes opened wide. “Fall back to the lower levels!” She screamed at her troops, but it was too late. Dozens of lightning bolts came crashing down on them. Hundreds of Britannian ponies lay dead-electrocuted in the first volley. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I hope you enjoyed Rebel Against the Night-“Battle for Tokyo Part II The Calm Before the Storm”. What happened to Villetta Nu and what happened to Sorato and Euphemia’s message to Zero? Find out in Chapter 5 of Rebel Against the Night-“The Battle for Tokyo” Part III-The Birth of a Nation.” I want to thank Lord Xaos and the other posters at fimfiction.net for their suggestions. I would also like to think a friend of mine from the anime club that I frequent. He knows more about military history than I do and he helped me considerably.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2012-02-08T17:52:42+00:00

2016-12-12T04:12:43+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 5: The Battle for Tokyo Part III-The Birth of a Nation Villetta Nu trotted to the tent in the center of the cavern and made her way inside. “You wanted to see me, sir?” Villetta asked as she went in and saw, much to her disgust, Night Fire holding Cinnamon Delight in an embrace and nibbling on her mane. “Oops! Sorry about that,” Night Fire apologized. “I completely forgot.” He then spoke to Cinnamon. “Can you take a rain check? I have business to attend to.” Cinnamon Delight nuzzled up to Night Fire. “Do I have to? I’ve been looking forward to this all day.” Cinnamon Delight gave Night Fire deep open mouth kisses. “It’s been lonesome this whole week without you.” “This won’t take long. I promise.” Cinnamon pouted. “Oh alright,” she said with a disapproving frown. Night Fire led Villetta to the edge of the underground cavern away from the others. “You’ve been giving some of your fellow ponies the brush-off.” Villetta looked confused. “What do you mean I’ve been brushing them off? Who told you that?” “I saw it myself. You go out of your way to avoid Sunset Forever, Nightingale Blue, Moon Lotus, Silver Lake, and even poor Cinnamon who only wants to be your friend. Funny you keep your distance away from those particular ponies. Is it the Japanese accent?” Villetta inched away as Night Fire invaded her personal space. “Well?” “It...it takes some getting used to. You know what I used to do before I joined the herd. I was trained as an honorary knight to put down Eleven uprisings...” Night Fire bit into Villetta’s ear and yanked. She yelped out in pain. “Keep in mind one of the ponies you’d disrespected just happens to be my lover.” Night Fire took a deep breath and calmed down. “You should know better. The princess commands us to forget about our past life and that includes those silly ape grudges. Now be a good pony and do what you are told, Moonlight Blossom.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flashback “Oh don’t be afraid, ma’am,” said Nathan with that same overly friendly, unsettling smile. “I told you last night, she won’t hurt you. In fact, she wants to help us.” Then Nathan, Greg Finney/Night Fire, Cinnamon, and all of the other ponies bowed to the mist, which formed the shape of a ghostly, transparent apparition. It was twice as tall as a pony. In fact, apart from the horn and wings, it was more horse than pony. “Behold, a real princess-Nightmare Moon,” said Night Fire. “Hello,” the apparition greeted Villetta. “Have you come to join our herd, my little pony?” “Your herd?!?” Villetta stuttered. “I don’t understand.” “Why dear,” said the apparition while it seductively wrapped its tail around Villetta, “I’m the one who blessed you with your pony body.” Had fear not frozen her in place, Villetta would have killed this phantom with her bare hooves. This ‘thing’ had admitted to being the culprit, the one who had robbed them of their human form. Worse, it considered this act of mutilation to be a ‘blessing’. “And now you have a choice, Honorary Knight of Britannia,” said Night Fire, “you can either join us; be a member of the herd...” “Or?” Villetta asked. “...leave. We won’t hurt you if you say ‘no’.” Villetta didn’t like the look on Night Fire’s face nor the tone if his voice. The malevolence beamed out from his crocodile smile, and she had seen what their ‘princess’ was capable of when she attacked that mob of Elevens. She then realized they wouldn’t have to do anything to her. Even if Night Fire kept his word and let her go, it would be a death sentence in and of itself. The Elevens would do his dirty work for him. 'A choice’?!? What a joke! The only choice is to bow down to this monstrosity or die. Death before dishonor was a code that all Britannian soldiers, knights especially, swore to uphold. Villetta was no exception-she was duty bound to take her chances and...or maybe not. Not only does she know Zero’s identity but also the existence of this new menace to the Empire. She had a duty to live long enough to pass on this vital information even if it meant pretending to be one of these traitors. “Villetta, you don’t really want to be a Britannian knight, right, not after what they’ve done to us?” Nathan said. “Become one of us, instead.” Nightmare Moon said, “Night Fire has experienced, first hand, how far your royalty has failed you.” She nudged Night Fire on the hind leg. Night Fire pointed to the scar running up and down his neck. “You see this?” Villetta nodded her head in response to Night Fire’s question. “My fellow Britannians and I spent days fighting for our lives as we fled the base at Shizuoka while being picked off by the ponies that we used to victimized before our transformation.” Night Fire solemnly lowered his head down. Cinnamon Delight nuzzled up to him as her way of saying she bore no ill-will towards him for his part in the occupation. “When we made it to the Tokyo Settlement, I thought we were finally safe. I was wrong. For whatever reason, one of my men claimed he was the only one in our group who was Britannian and told the Viceroy that the rest of us were terrorists. Maybe he didn’t lie as much as overstated a fact. One of the terrors revealed himself and stabbed a soldier. The next thing I knew, Cornelia gave me this.” Night Fire pointed again to the scar on his neck. “Our ‘beloved’ princess didn’t even bother to sort through the wheat and the chaff. Only a hoofful of our division made it out alive. I, myself, was wasting away from a blood infection.” Then Night Fire’s face lit up. He smiled warmly at Nightmare Moon. “But then, this noble being, far more regal than our piss-poor-excuse-for-a-princess Cornelia, healed me and even granted me the privilege of being her high priest.” Night Fire then turned his attention back at Villetta. “Tell me, honorary knight of Britannia, will you serve Viceroy Cornelia even though she has abandoned you?” “No, I won’t,” said Villetta as she lowered her head in an act of false humility, “Britannia has forsaken us. Why should I serve the very nation that left me to die?” The ponies stamped their feet all at once causing Villetta to back away and cringed. “Oh don’t be afraid,” Night Fire said with a hit of amusement in his voice. “They were giving you a standing ovation. That’s how ponies clap. Consider this your first lesson.” “A lesson in what?” Villetta asked. “The Equestrian way, of course” said Nightmare Moon. “I have brought you into a culture that has lived in peace for thousands of years...that hasn’t known the terrible conflicts that inflicted your world.” Her starry mane caressed Villetta’s head. “But you couldn’t help yourselves. You are the product of your violent ape nature and a violent ape culture. And who was it that led your kind...who was responsible for teaching you right and wrong? Other apes...even more violent than those they ruled over. They encouraged you to quarrel amongst yourselves. But I am here to take care of you.” Villetta fought off the urge to tell Nightmare Moon off. The nerve! How dare she talk down to us! Doesn’t she know humans are not created equal? How dare she make no distinction between those inferior people and Britannians? “But first,” said Nightmare Moon, “you must discard your old way of life. My subjects are forbidden to speak of their past lives. I wish for them to only look forward to our glorious future. You must rid yourself of all past attachments, including your name, which you may only use when the wild ponies walk amongst us until,” Nightmare Moon spread out her wings and revved up on her hind legs, “the time comes for me to take control of this world and bring about a glorious reign, and I will be loved and adored by all my subjects.” Night Fire looked over Villetta. “Take off your clothes.” Villetta looked indignantly at Night Fire and shied away. “I can’t do that!” “You shouldn’t be ashamed of the gift Nightmare Moon has blessed you with,” said Cinnamon Delight. “You have a beautiful pony body now,” said Nightmare Moon, “you shouldn’t hide it behind those rags.” Villetta gave in and pulled off what little she had on. Night Fire looked her over and shook his head. “Daggers for a cutie mark?” He said disdainfully. “I suppose it should be expected from a knight of Britannia.” Villetta glanced back at the image of two daggers crossing each other on her flank. “Is that what you call that? ‘A cutie mark’?” Villetta asked in a disgusted tone of voice. “The term takes some getting use to, I know. Well anyway, a cutie mark is an indication of a pony’s calling in life. It signifies what makes them special.” Night Fire pointed to the chain on his flank. “This cutie mark is a symbol of the ties that bind me to my princess. Going by your cutie mark, I suppose your special talent is,” and then he frowned, “murder.” “...or she could be a guard,” said Nathan/Barnstormer. “Come on Night Fire, give her a chance.” Night Fire sighed. “I guess so. Now that we found your place in our herd, it’s time to give you a proper pony name.” Villetta could barely hide her disgust. Not this again, she thought. It was bad enough being called ‘Chigusa’ by that Eleven pervert. “Is that really necessary?” “It is!” Nightmare Moon shouted. For a cloud of mist, she was solid enough to crack the cave floor with one stomp of her ethereal hoof. “I don’t want anything from your past ape lives polluting my herd!” Not wishing to upset Nightmare Moon further, Villetta capitulated. “Forgive me, your majesty. I will change my name as requested.” Barnstormer jumped up and down. “Night Fire! Night Fire! I have a good pony name for Villetta.” Night Fire smiled at his comrade. “Let’s hear it.” “Moonlight Blossom because she’s as pretty as a flower blooming in the moonlight.” Villetta looked as though she just got through sucking on a lemon. It didn’t help that the other ponies thought this spectacle was adorable, either. There were ‘ooh’s’ heard all over the camp. Nightfire raised a hoof for his proclamation. “And so it shall be,” he proclaimed. “Dead, dead is the ape Villetta Nu.” “Dead, dead is the ape Villetta Nu,” the ponies repeated. “In its place is the earth pony, Moonlight Blossom.” “In its place is the earth pony, Moonlight Blossom.” “Welcome to the herd my dear,” Nightfire grinned. End of Flashback --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Night Fire was finished scolding Villetta and went back to his tent to finish some important ‘business’, Barnstormer came out from behind a tent where he was hiding and looked at Villetta with sympathy in his eyes. Villetta noticed and scowled at the indignity of being pitied. “Did anyone tell you it’s impolite to eavesdrop?” Villetta asked with derision in her voice. “I’m sorry, but I was worried about you. Night Fire can get carried away some times. He takes being Nightmare Moon’s high priest very seriously. I hope you don’t stay mad at him.” Villetta, without so much as a ‘goodbye’, trotted passed Barnstormer. “Hey wait up! Why are you in such a hurry?” “Guard duty, remember? Night Fire assigned me to security because of some stupid symbol stamped on my ass.” “You mustn’t say such things. If Nightmare Moon or Night Fire heard that, they’d...they’d,” Barnstormer stuttered, “...it wouldn’t be very pleasant!” “Speaking of Nightmare Moon, where is she? I haven’t seen her since day before yesterday.” Barnstormer then said in an excited voice. “Oh, she’s gathering sakuradite for her plans to remake the world.” Villetta looked perplexed. “I thought she gathered all of the sakuradite already.” “Only on this planet. Nightmare Moon is retrieving sakuradite throughout the solar system.” “And what is this ‘plan’ she has in mind?” “She’s turning Earth into another Equestria. It will be just like the kingdom she once ruled.” “If Equestria was such a wonderful place, then why did she come here?” “I don’t really like the way you worded that question,” said Barnstormer with a concerned look on his face, “but I’ll tell you. Nightmare Moon had a jealous older sister named Celestia. She bewitched the other ponies into hating Nightmare Moon, who only wanted to live in peace with her elder sister.” “And this ‘Celestia’ pony drove Nightmare Moon out of Equestria?” Barnstormer shook his head. “Nightmare Moon was powerful enough to defeat her sister, but the battle would have devastated her kingdom. Rather than sacrifice the lives of her subjects, Nightmare Moon left Equestria of her own accord,” Barnstormer said with considerable admiration in his voice. However, Villetta was a bit skeptical, which was apparent when she rolled her eyes while Barnstormer relayed the story told to him by his princess. “I don’t know of any Britannian nobleman who would even spit on a commoner if he was on fire let alone surrender power for their sake.” And I seriously doubt your Nightmare Moon is any different. God, you’re gullible. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Villetta was stirred from her sleep by a pair of familiar voicing chanting. She climbed out of her pile of hay and walked toward the source of the racket. It was Ohgi, in pony form, and Barnstormer shaking their hoof at each other. “Rock, paper, scissors,” the two stallions repeated in unison over and over again. “What the hell are you two doing?” Villetta said demanding an explanation for disturbing her much needed rest. “I’m here to save you from this Britannian, Chigusa,” said Ohgi before going back to repeating the mantra. “Her name is Moonlight Blossom,” Barnstormer objected, “Chigusa is an ape name, and I’m a pony, not a Britannian...rock, paper, scissors...rock, paper, scissors.” “Don’t you dare disrespect the Japanese by calling our names ‘ape names’...rock, paper, scissors... rock, paper, scissors...” “My name is Villetta Nu.” The two stallions pay no mind to Villetta’s pleads. “I’m an honorary knight of the Holy Britannian Empire. Stop making me something that I’m not...AND YOU IDIOTS NEED HANDS TO PLAY ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS!” “Chigusa, don’t be negative. Otherwise, the miracle won’t happen.” Ohgi and Barnstormer continued their rock-paper-scissors battle. “Miracle?!?” “The miracle that will let me win you back, Chigusa.” “No way,” said Barnstormer, “if anyone’s getting a miracle, it’ll be me and Moonlight Blossom.” It was then an apparition, glowing hot white, manifested itself between Ohgi and Barnstormer. “You see,” said Barnstormer proudly, “I told you my future bride and I was destined for the miracle.” Ohgi waved his hoof at Barnstormer. “You pretentious jerk! Who said the miracle was for you, anyway?” The ghost-like figure molded into a human form and dimmed until the visage of Jeremiah Gottwald was unveiled. He was exactly the way Villetta remembered-a trim, fit man with tan skin and short blue-green hair parted to the left. The regal purple coat with gold trim and gray shoulder pads, trousers, gray knee-high boots, and white gloves that Jeremiah sported was the uniform of a margrave, the rank Jeremiah held before his public disgrace and humiliation at the hands of Zero. Jeremiah grimaced at Villetta and folded his arms over his chest. “I haven’t been dead for six months, and you’ve already turned traitor,” Jeremiah said shaking his head. Villetta galloped to Jeremiah’s feet and bowed to him. “Lord Jeremiah, you don’t understand.” “Oh I understand alright. You’re a coward. Dishonor before death in your book, I suppose.” Villetta shook her head vigorously. “I’m only staying alive in order to deliver vital intelligence to the crown on the identity of Zero and on Nightmare Moon and her cult.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Lord Jeremiah, please believe me. I would never do anything to sully your good name.” “Nothing but excuses,” Jeremiah said before turning his back on Villetta and walking away. “It was a mistake sponsoring you for knighthood. You four-legged bastards can have her.” “You heard him.” Ohgi then bit Villetta by the tail and said with her tail between her teeth. “He said I can habe Chioousa.” “He said Moonlight Blossom’s mine!” Barnstormer raged. He bit her mane. Villetta felt as those she was being pulled apart by the two jealous stallions. “I don’t want to be with either of you,” Villetta cried out. “I hate you both! I despise you!” Suddenly, she was back in her hay pile. One of the unicorn guards was standing over her. “It’s time to wake up, ma’am,” he said. “We have a busy day ahead of us.” The unicorn guard moved on to the next sleeping pony. “What a horrible nightmare,” Villetta said before she noticed the angry glares directed at her. “I meant I had a bad dream. I wasn’t talking about the princess.” The other ponies went back to their daily routine, though some still had a sour look on their face. Villetta climbed out of the hay sack and brushed off the strands tangled in her fur. She just realized it’s been a month and a half since she ‘joined’ the herd. Her mind wandered back to where she used to live before she was dragged into this insanity by Night Fire and his dear princess. I wonder, how the Britannians in the Settlement are faring since I was last there. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guilford galloped as fast as his four legs could carry him. Princess Cornelia has to be told. We may already be in danger. Guilford changed direction upon seeing his princess and General Darlton surveying the perimeter and maintaining a vigil over the horde of Black Knights that were the verge of launching an attack against the Settlement. “But...”, General Darlton objected. Guilford was close enough now to overhead Darlton and Cornelia’s conversation. “He can’t fly,” said Viceroy Cornelia. “You can. Your number one priority is to save my sister. Take as many men as you need to carry her. And Darlton?” “Yes mi lady.” “Don’t let anyone know what Euphie did. And make sure Euphie keeps her mouth shut. Father won’t be as forgiving as I am. If word gets out she helped free a prisoner, she’ll be executed.” “I understand, mi lady.” “Viceroy! General Darlton!” Sir Guilford cried out as he ran at a full gallop towards Cornelia and Darlton. “We may already be under attack.” “What are you talking about, Guilford?” Cornelia asked. “Our intelligence managed to eavesdrop on two-way radio transmission from the Chinese Federation. According to the broadcasts, the winged ponies are able to walk on the clouds and even control weather. They claim that they moved clouds from one location to another and brought rain to desert land.” “Are you that gullible? What you’re saying is impossible. It must be some sort of prank.” When Darlton finished berating Guilford for his ‘naiveté’, the rain ceased. All of a sudden, Cornelia tensed up; her eyes opened wide. “Fall back to the lower levels!” She screamed at her troops, but it was too late. Dozens of lightning bolts came crashing down on them. Hundreds of Britannian ponies lay dead-electrocuted in the first volley. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just beyond the edge of the Settlement, Lelouch’s malevolent laughter rang through C.C.’s ears. She and the Britannian prince stood on top of one of few relatively intact skyscrapers in the ghettos and observed the carnage that has befallen their adversaries. “Is it really that funny, Lelouch?” C.C. asked. “Why not?” Lelouch asked rhetorically. “It’s a time to rejoice. As the old order of Britannia comes crashing down, the new order, the gentle world that I will create, will come to fruition.” “And must you be so melodramatic?” “You’ve been with me long enough to know the answer to that question,” said Lelouch. White forks of blinding light danced to the rhythm of a thousand thunderclaps. The incandescent glow seared into C.C.’s retina. The immortal mare rubbed her eyes and averted her stare from the visual overload. However, the afterimage still flashed in her field of vision. “I warned you not to stare too long,” Lelouch scolded C.C. “I regenerate, you know,” C.C. said defensively. “Even if I was blinded, it wouldn’t last very long.” An eerie haze slowly materialized around the edge of the top level. As the lightning attack progressed, the haze formed into a halo-like fog. The air became putrid. C.C. snorted and fanned the air away from her face. “What’s that stench? It smells like an electrical fire.” “It's ozone created from the lightning.” A few minutes after the start of the attack, Lelouch telekinetically waved a large red and green checkered flag. A moment later, the lightning barrage ceased. Almost instantly, almost every winged Black Knight on the ground took to the air and swarmed the top of the Tokyo Settlement superstructure. Their stingers were metallic blades bound to their fetlock by rope, belt, or electrical wire. The collective shadow cast by the flying Black Knights cloaked the Tokyo Settlement in a foreboding darkness. At the same time, another flock, even more numerous than the first, descended from the clouds. Lelouch then looked through his binoculars. From his vantage point, he could see bodies littering the ground. Whiffs of smoke floated up from some of them. The winged Britannians still alive did not come out unscathed. Some groped around running into buildings and into each other. The ones that weren’t temporarily blinded by the lightning were in a state of panic darting around the top level in all directions. The Britannians’ airborne troops were no longer a coherent group, which made them easy prey for the Black Knights. The dazed and confused Britannians were being cut down by the invading forces. Blood and bodies rained down on the Settlement. “The first phase of my plan is coming along smoothly,” Lelouch gloated. “It won’t be long before we overwhelm Cornelia’s forces stationed on the High Ground Level. And while Inoue and Sugiyama are taking care of the High Ground Level, Kallen and Shogo Asahina’s forces will work their way down from sectors H and I starting from the top level through the Office, Transport, and Lifeline Levels so that Tohdoh and his ground forces can have safe passage to the Low Ground Level. Once there, they’ll force their way in through the ground level entrances and access tunnels.” He then levitated a blue and yellow checkered flag with green borders, where the two colors mixed together on the fabric, just over the edge of the building. Lelouch then pulled his mask over his muzzle. “Then why did we waste time building those siege towers and trebuchets?” “They’re a diversion from our true plan of attack.” “So, they’re just there for show?” “Not if my initial assault fails. My diversion can double as my plan B, though against a fortress like the Tokyo Settlement, it isn’t much. We’ll talk about it later. Our escort will be here any moment.” A contingency of nine Black Knights consisting of eight recruits ascended from the street level below carrying one mundane pony in the same tarp used in the rescue of Tohdoh from the Settlement penitentiary. When they got close enough, C.C. recognized the mundane pony being airlifted. It was Ohgi. He kept his eyes shut until they landed. Ohgi let out a rather loud sigh of relief when his hooves made contact with the roof. “Where are we going?” C.C. asked as the winged Black Knights landed. “To set up our base of operations,” said Lelouch. But more importantly, I’m going to be with my sister, Nunnally. We have been apart for far too long.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sitting down with his foreleg knees on a table and his hooves under his chin, Sorato watched the Black Knights’ support personnel pulling wagons full of supplies and weapons up and down the street with an occasional wounded soldier being taken to be treated by medical personnel. A unicorn walked in from one of the adjacent rooms. She had a curly mane that was purple with pink highlights and a yellow coat of fur. She took note of Sorato’s downhearted disposition. “It’s sad, isn’t it? After everything you’ve done, they’re still trying to kill each other.” “Don’t remind me, Meadow Prancer.” “Hey! No real names during covet missions, So-ra-to,” Meadow Prancer said. “Give me a break will ya? I’m not a stickler for protocol like you.” “I can’t believe the princess put up with you being so blasé when it comes to following orders,” Meadow Prancer pouted before remembering that her partner needed cheering up. “Look Sorato,” she said as she placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder, “I don’t think anypony could have done a better job than you. Try to take solace in that.” Sorato shook his head. “That’s not good enough for me. I’m not satisfied with shrugging my shoulders and saying ‘I did what I could, oh well’.” “If you insist on assigning blame,” said Meadow Prancer, “then you should look no further than that stupid unicorn working for Zero.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flashback “Okay, Mikami, this have better be important,” Tamaki bellowed. The horned recruit lead Tamaki and several other Black Knights to a room whose windows were boarded up and with only one way out-the heavy solid wood door with a chain and lock running through the hole for the doorknob and through the space between the wall and a metal pipe and back to the lock. The horned recruit turned the combination, and both it and the chain fell to the floor. Inside the holding cell was Sorato, who was lying on the floor still weakened by his ordeal in the Britannian prison. The blue winged stallion kept a hoof on a brownish orange envelope. “Are you the bozo that broke in to see Zero?” Tamaki asked. Sorato forced himself up while keeping a hoof on the envelope and nodded. “I didn’t break in, but to answer your question-yes, I’m here to deliver a letter to your leader. It’s a life-or-death situation.” The recruit pointed at the envelope. “He had that on him when we took him into custody.” Tamaki pressed a hoof against his forehead. “And you let him keep it?!? You rookies are so dense. Take it from him.” “No wait! That letter is for Zero’s eyes only,” Sorato pleaded in vain as the horned guard yanked the letter from beneath his hoof. “Zero’s a busy man,” said Tamaki condescendingly. “He doesn’t have time to waste on you. Open it and let me have a look,” Tamaki said to the recruit. The young pony opened the envelope and then suspended the letter in mid-air for Tamaki to read. “I said that letter was for Zero.” Sorato was about to snatch the letter away if not for the other Black Knights pushing him away. “Platoon Commander Shinichirō said Zero was too busy to deal with you,” said a winged mare. “You tell him Nagisa,” Tamaki said haughtily before turning his attention back to the letter. “It says, ‘Zero, leader of the Black Knights,’. Hand writing’s a lot better what I’ve seen lately. ‘Zero, leader of the Black Knights, this is Princess Euphemia le Britannia. I know, from our past dealings, that you do not trust me.’ Well, no shit we don’t trust you Britannian bastards. ‘As proof of my sincerity, please remember the villa. If you are the man that I think you are, this will hold meaning to you. I would like to make arrangements to begin peace negotiation between the Holy Britannian Empire and the Black Knights. It is my hope that we can avert any undo bloodshed. P.S. I’m writing from the student council club house. I met someone who I haven’t seen in eight years. She’s happy that I stopped by and visited.’ Damn Britannian. She’s got a lotta nerve trying to play mind games with Zero. Burn this trash.” Sorato tried to snatch the letter back, but this time he was physically restrained. “But why? Why won’t you let Zero read it?” “Look here, buddy. We’re one step away from kicking the Britannians out of Japan, and I won’t let any slick-talking Brit noble play on Zero’s sympathy and talk him out of taking the Settlement.” As Tamaki was talking, another horned recruit held a lighter beneath the letter. In seconds, it was consumed by a yellow flame that worked its way up and was reduced to a pile of ash. “Now, throw this bootlicking honorary Britannian out.” End of Flashback --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorato pulled himself away from the window and galloped out the door. Meadow Prancer followed after him. “Hey wait up! You’re not going back out there are you?” Sorato said as he stretched out his wings, “why not? I might be able to get around Zero’s goon squad in all of the confusion.” “But your injuries...” “...are completely healed.” “But you don’t have a message to deliver to Zero.” “I’ll relay the message verbally.” “If you insist on running off and getting yourself killed,” said Meadow Prancer, “I’m coming with you.” Sorato shook his head. “No can do. You’ll slow me down. Meadow Prancer stomped the floor. “Absolutely not. I’ve been letting you go it alone, and it’s almost got you killed...twice.” She then pointed to the vertical scars running across his cutie mark. “Not to mention *that*.” Sorato took a deep breath and exhaled. “Oh all right,” he said, “but make yourself useful.” Meadow Prancer rolled her eyes. “When don’t I?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the safety of the lower levels, Cornelia, Darlton, Guilford, one horned Britannian, and a handful of winged Britannians witnessed the terror of hordes of Eleven barbarians ascended to the top level of the Tokyo Settlement and, as one coherent unit, cut down what was left of her airborne forces. Not even thirty minutes into the battle and Zero already has the upper hand. “There must be thousands of our soldiers dead in this sector alone?” Darlton lamented. Guilford shook his head. “It can’t be much more than ten thousand that made it to the lower levels. There is probably more taking shelter in the structures above, but they won’t last long against Zero’s forces.” Cornelia stomped her hoof on the ground. “We had a quarter of a million stationed on the top level. That was most of our flight capable troops.” “Mi lady,” said Guilford, “it may be prudent for us to go deeper into the lower levels. There’s nothing left that we can do.” Cornelia nodded. “Corporal?” Cornelia asked the one horned Britannian in the group. “Yes, your majesty,” said the horned Britannian. “It’ll be your duty to lead us to the auxiliary command center on the Transport Level.” The horned Britannian nodded. “Yes, your majesty.” Cornelia, her high ranking officers, and a handful soldiers descended into the murky abyss that was once the industrialized hub for the Tokyo Settlement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rivalz never imagined it would be like this. He envisioned the students treating gymnasium full of injured soldiers, dressing gaping wounds and changing blood-soaked bandages. Instead, there was only one stricken soldiers, burned and twitching from the all of his synapses firing at once after being overloaded with a high voltage charge, among the many that sought shelter from the lightning storm. When it came to lightning, it’s hit or miss-most living things struck by lightning dies, especially when said living thing is in contact with a conductor like rain water. About ten Britannian airborne soldiers managed to find shelter inside Ashford Academy gym. Rivalz was tending to the one who managed to survive being hit, probably because he was far enough away from the lightning strike that most of the charge didn’t make it to him. The double doors slung open, and Baron Alexander Franklin stormed in from the hallway. “Just what the hell happened?” The baron yelled. “Why aren’t you at your post?” “Lightning bolts, my lord,” said one of the soldiers, “a thousand lightning bolts struck all at once.” “Don’t lie to me. Go back out there or else I’ll have you executed for dereliction of duty.” “I saw it myself, my lord,” Rivalz said as he bowed before Alexander. “I’m treating this one for electric shock.” Rivalz pointed to the soldier lying on a mat still suffering from muscle spasms. Suddenly a scream broke out. A female mundane backed away from the door and quaked in terror. “They’re here!” She cried out. “The Elevens are here to kill us all.” She fell down on all four knees. “We’re going to die. We’re going to die. We’re going t...” “Shut up, you idiot!” The baron screamed at the young mare. Drops of sweat dripped off Franklin’s brow. His legs trembled, his heart raced, and the hair on both his mane and coat stood on end. “You there!” He said to Rivalz. “Round up the students and defend this position.” Rivalz glanced back and forth between the baron and the wounded soldier he was treating. ‘But what about...” “Who cares! Get those students right now!” “It’s okay,” said one of the winged soldiers, “we’ll take care of him. Just do as Baron Franklin commands.” “Yes, sir,” said Rivalz. As Rivalz exited the gym, Baron Franklin quietly slipped out the door. A moment later, Rivalz and the other students galloped down the hall, but before they reached the gymnasium, a multitude of winged Black Knights smashed through the stained glass windows lining the hallway and through the side doors. They were armed with blades of various lengths and designs bolted to leather buckles wrapped around their fetlocks. “Stop where you are,” Inoue yelled out. She had taken the lead and was the first in the building. Rivalz spread out his wings and launched himself at Inoue, but she shifted her weight to the side. She reached out and waited for Rivalz to fly into the blade. Fortunately for Rivalz, at the last moment, a luminous aura enveloped the Britannian student and yanked him out of the way before Inoue could land the finishing blow. However, the same couldn’t be said of the other students who followed Rivalz’ lead. There was no last second rescue or close brush with death. In seconds, the Black Knights cut them down. Some of the horned students put up more resistance and was able to fend off their attackers with telekinesis. The Black Knights that were facing off against the horned students were in a tug-of-war with auras that was either forcing them down or trying to snatch away their weapon. One student even managed to knock a winged Black Knight into the others and sent them crashing down on each other. “Stop,” Lelouch commanded. “I expressly told you to avoid violence.” His horn glowed with the same aura that surrounded Rivalz. “Easier said than done,” said Inoue, “we’re being attacked.” Zero fought to keep his emotions in check, to keep from giving away any bonds he had with these students. The Black Knights haven’t secured Ashford Academy yet, and the air is already fowl with the stench of freshly spilled blood. In the short time they were here, seventeen of his classmates were cut down in his hallway alone, and there were students still fighting. “Stop fighting!” Milly yelled to the students who were still resisting. “There’re too many of them. I said ‘stop’!” With a considerable about of hesitation on their part, the other students followed Milly’s command. The hallway grew silent. “Zero,” Milly called out from the other side of the hall, “do we have your word that no one else will be harmed?” The melancholy that had Milly in its grip since the day of the transformation has ceased. Her focus was on keeping the students alive. “You can’t trust him,” Rivalz, who was still telekinetically pinned to the ground, cried out. “Zero, you gave the order not to use violence. You could kill us all if you wanted to. Is that correct?” Zero nodded. “I can guarantee your safety as long as you don’t offer resistance and attack my Black Knights.” Zero then addressed the other students and pointed down the hallway. “Drop your weapons and gather into the gymnasium.” “You heard Zero,” said Milly. “Everyone, do as he says. You too Rivalz.” “Okay Chief,” Rivalz huffed. Once he was sure Rivalz would comply, Lelouch loosened his hold on him. “What the hell happened?” Ohgi asked as he limped inside. “Some of the students tried to be heroes,” said Inoue. “We didn’t have any choice but to defend ourselves.” “None the less, I don’t want any more civilian casualties,” said Lelouch. “Ohgi, I’m leaving you in charge. Take care of those bodies and treat them with the upmost respect. I have some important business I must attend to.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nunnally sat in her wheelchair waiting in the living room. The room was pitch dark except for the dim hum of sunlight filtered through heavy clouds beaming through window with the shades partially opened. The darkness didn’t matter to the blind filly. What did matter to her was the well-being of her older brother who went missing since the night of the transformation. Despite the objections of her maid Sayoko, she wouldn’t leave the student council club house where she and Lelouch lived. She had to stay here just in case Lelouch came home. “Hello Nunnally,” a voice called out to her. Tears streamed down Nunnally’s face. “Big Brother! Is it really you?” Lelouch trotted over to her sister and nuzzled against her. “I missed you so much. Where have you been all this time?” “I was visiting the ghettos when everyone was transformed. By the time I made it back, the Settlement entrances were sealed off.” Lelouch pulled away from Nunnally and wiped away the tears. Lelouch took a good look at his sister. Nunnally was a horned pony, as was Lelouch; and, just like Lelouch, her hair color and type remained the same. Her fur was amethyst-colored, a lighter shade of violet than Lelouch’s. Nunnally, as far as Lelouch could tell, was still blind and unable to walk. Lelouch remembered the night his mother was killed eight years ago while shielding Nunnally from an assassin’s bullets with her own body. Though Lady Marianne took the blunt of the damage, some of the bullets managed to go all the way through her body and cripple Nunnally. Bearing witness to her mother’s death traumatized Nunnally and induced psychosomatic blindness. It was not unlike abused children who repressed their memories of being molested. “It’s okay now. All that matters is that you’re safe and that you’ve come back to us.” “‘To us’?!?” Lelouch raised an eyebrow as he repeated the last two words Nunnally uttered. “Lelouch, you won’t believe this, but Euphie came to see me about a month ago. She figured out where we were hiding. We spend the whole day talking about what we’ve been doing since we were sent to Japan, and she told me all about her job as sub-viceroy. Lelouch, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about seeing Euphie again?” “Of course I am,” Lelouch lied. This isn’t good. If Euphemia knows about Nunnally and I and word reaches the Japanese, we might be killed for being members of the royal family. “Umm, Nunnally, did you get hurt during the transformation?” Lelouch changed the subject. It was a bit uncomfortable to think about what could possibly happen to them if word got out about being part of the royal family. Also, he had to make sure Nunnally wasn’t injured during the ordeal. “Well...um...” “Don’t be afraid to tell your big brother the truth. I can handle it.” “It was like my whole body was on fire, but you shouldn’t worry. I’m fine now.” “Nunnally, I have to tell you something that is hard for me to say to you.” “What do you mean, Big Brother?” “When I was in the ghettos, I was captured by the Black Knights. They’re forcing me to stay with them. I was permitted to visit with you but for only a short while.” “But why? What do they want from you?” “He wants to speak to you.” “Who?” “Zero,” said Lelouch as he pulled away from Nunnally. Nunnally’s horn glowed to life. She turned the wheelchair around and rolled forward. “Big Brother, don’t go!” She called out while reaching out to Lelouch. Tears once again poured from Nunnally’s eyes. “Please don’t take Lelouch away from me! Please I beg of you! Why are you taking away my big brother?” Off to the side, Lelouch slipped back on the Zero mask and cape and activated the mask’s built-in voice modulator. “Nunnally Lamperouge, I presume,” said Lelouch. “Zero, is that you?” Nunnally’s voice cracked in absolute terror. She took a deep breath and built back up her nerves. “What do you want with my brother Lelouch?” “He is indebted to me. I found him wandering the ghettos and gave him sanctuary. In exchanged for my protection, he must make himself useful to me. I promise that no harm will befall him.” “Just like no harm came to Shirley’s father,” said Nunnally. “Her father was killed in Narita in the landslide you created.” Lelouch didn’t answer right away. “Well?” It was this tragedy that triggered a chain of events that forced Lelouch to erase Shirley’s memories of him with Geass. “As a show of good faith, I will tell you a secret. I know your real name, Nunnally vi Britannia, as well your brother’s, Lelouch vi Britannia. Both of you are children of the Britannian Emperor and his royal consort, the late Lady Marianne.” Nunnally gasped in shock. “But how? How did you know?” “I have my ways.” “Will you kill us just like you killed my half-brother Clovis?” “I will do no such thing. You were used as political pawns for your father’s imperialistic ambitions. You and your brother are as much of a victim of Britannia as the Japanese people. I hold no grudge against you, but because others may not see it that way, you must continue keeping your identity a secret. I cannot protect you if word got out that you and your brother are part of the royal family. You must also keep silent concerning your brother’s involvement in the Black Knights, as well. Do not even discuss this with your friends or ask the Black Knights about his well-being. Only a handful of my Black Knights knows of his existence and the few that do only knows him as a collaborator. If you ask too many questions, it will rouse suspicion. Your brother’s life is in your hands, Nunnally vi Britannia.” “For my brother’s sake, I’ll keep it a secret.” “Good, and do not worry. He will come back to you. I, Zero, make this contract with you, Nunnally vi Britannia.” “What about Euphemia and Cornelia? Will you spare them? Zero, please tell me.” There was no reply. “Zero?” All Nunnally heard were hoofsteps fading in the distance. As Lelouch exiting the room, C.C., who was waiting outside, tailed him from behind. “You didn’t answer her question. Will you spare Euphemia and Cornelia?” “I had planned to use them as hostages to lure the Emperor here, but without a means of transportation between Japan and the homeland, they’re only a liability now.” “So I take it as a ‘no’.” Lelouch grimly nodded. “The Britannians will be compelled to rally behind them now that they are cut off from the homeland. In the long run, they’re more trouble than they’re...” Suddenly Lelouch winched in pain. “Are you okay?” “I’ll be fine,” said Lelouch while holding his hoof against his left eye. “It’s just a recurring headache that’s been popping up at random for the last couple of days. Now, go back to Ashford Academy and help set up the new command center.” C.C. shook her head. “I’m staying with you. I’m not leaving your side no matter what you say.” “As willful as always,” Lelouch fumed. “You’re like a cat-coming and going as you please.” “Perhaps I should have gotten whiskers and claws instead of hooves.” C.C.’s joke made Lelouch roll his eyes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Microwaves, flatscreen televisions, desktop towers, monitors, laptops, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, printers, and many more devices of modern convenience rained down from the edge of the Settlement levels onto the surrounding army of Black Knights. These items, without a power source, were only useful as dead weight. The perimeter of the Settlement was a junkyard of broken appliances. Shattered glass from TVs, monitors, and microwaves crunched beneath thousands of hooves. An unfortunate horned Black Knight wasn’t watching where she stood and a falling mini-frig landed on her head and cracked her skull. Blood stained the pavement and side of the appliance. Some mundane ponies took hold of her hind legs and dragged her out of range of the Britannians’ attack, but it was too late for her. Another group of Black Knights, who strayed too close to the Settlement, was forced to scatter as a utility truck rolled off the edge of the Service Level and crashed. The broken body of a mundane stallion lay on top of the wreckage. A piece of rope was wrapped around his leg. When the Britannians rolled the truck off the edge, the stallion’s leg was tangled up in the broken piece of rope and was pulled down with it. The top of the heap of metal was stained red. A couple of blocks away, another group of Black Knights, who were armored in a hodgepodge of aluminum siding, skillets, pans, and pieces of plywood bound by an assortment of rope and electrical wire, made their own attempt to penetrate the Settlement defenses. They had, in their possession, a trebuchet constructed from junk salvaged from the Old Tokyo ruins. The trebuchet consisted of a large pole held in a frame that pivoted on an axle running through the frame. The axle was closer to one end of the pole than the other making one side of the pole longer. The short side had a trough filled with dead weight for a counter balance on the end while the longer side ended in a sling, which was being pulled by a team of mundane and horned Black Knights. The team was connected to each other and the trebuchet arm by a chain running through makeshift yokes, constructed by whatever junk they could salvage, around their necks. Two winged Black Knights stood to the side and watched. “Put your legs into it,” Tamaki, who was pulling lead, yelled behind him. “We have to clear those Britannians away from the Lifeline Level before we can move the siege tower.” The siege tower, in question, was about a quarter-block away. The nine-story tall skeletal frame structure rested on top of two flatbed trailers. It was an irregular trapezoidal structure -one side had a 45 degree slope while the other side was at a right angle. On the top was a long flap that acted like a drawbridge so that the siege tower can extend an additional four stories in order to reach the lower level of the Settlement. “Didn’t Zero say to wait before we start the siege?” A rather young horned stallion right behind Tamaki asked. He had a brown mane, tan coat, and wore a pair of spectacles that was held in place by rubber bands tied around the arms. “Zero’s going to give the order to attack soon anyway, Katsuragi,” Tamaki said as he strained against the tension in the chains binding the team to the trebuchet arm. “We’re just getting an early start.” “Technically, we’re disobeying Zero in order to follow your commands.” Tamaki glared angrily at Katsuragi. “Technically, you need to shut the hell up,” he snapped. Tamaki then noticed a thin pillar of smoke spiraling upward from the siege tower. “Why are you two just standing around gawking?” Tamaki yelled at the two winged recruits standing nearby. The shorter winged stallion had a blonde mane and blue coat while the taller winged stallion was the inverse of the shorter one with a blue mane and yellow coat. “Hurry up before our siege tower burns down.” The Settlement defenders, in addition to dropping appliances on the Black Knights, dropped flammable items on the structure. However, the heavy rain from earlier had shielded the tower with a layer of moisture. The rainfall has served the double purpose of not only conducting the charge in the lightning but also offered some level of fireproofing to the siege towers. Nonetheless, some of the winged Black Knights, like the two smothering the small flame on the siege tower with wet blankets, were assigned to fire control. Suddenly, the support beam holding up the trebuchet’s axle broke. The arm crashed into the trebuchet base. The team of ponies lost their balance and fell on top of each other from the back to the front. “Dammit all to hell!” Tamaki yelled. “I thought I ordered you to check that thing yesterday, Katsuragi!” He said to the horned stallion behind him. Katsuragi pressed his glasses against the bridge of his nose and spoke. “I told you that I didn’t have enough time to check both our siege tower *and* trebuchet. You shouldn’t have waited till the last minute to...” “Don’t talk back to me, newbie!” Tamaki tilted his head down and placed a hoof on his forehead. “Why is this happening to me? I’m destined to be the only one not to make it inside.” “May I ask what are you talking about, sir?” Katsuragi asked. “All of the founding members of the Black Knights are already in the Settlement. Kallen’s there. Sugiyama’s there. Inoue’s there. C.C.’s there. Hell, even Ohgi’s there.” “So, where is Zero?” A feminine voice asked. “At some Britannian school called Ashford Academy...wait a sec!” Tamaki stopped and scanned the area. “Who the hell said that?” Tamaki didn’t recognize the voice. “Yoohoo! Over here!" A horned mare with a curly, purple mane with pink highlights and a yellow coat of fur stood on the top of the pile of timber that was a trebuchet and waved to Tamaki. It was Meadow Prancer. “Who are you? Are you a Black Knight, and if so, what...” “I’m not with you dummies. I’m just here to find Zero for a friend of mine.” Tamaki kneeled down, leaned against the yoke around his neck, and, with his forelegs, pushed against it. “Is that so, huh?” Tamaki grunted as he pried the yoke from his neck. “Well, that friend of yours is going to be disappointed when you don’t come back.” Tamaki galloped towards the horned mare. He proved to be quite agile as he hopped over the wreckage without slowing down, but just he was about to pounce Meadow Prancer, the horned mare vanished in a flash of light. The shock of someone disappearing caused Tamaki to lose his balance and trip on a piece of lumber. “Sh...sh...sh...she turned invisible!” Tamaki stuttered. “No, I didn’t, stupid,” said Meadow Prancer, who was now standing next to the other Black Knights. “I winked out.” “‘Winked out’?!? What the hell is that?” “It’s teleportation magic.” “That’s a load of crap. There’s no such thing.” “Just because you’re too stupid to perform magic doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Meadow Prancer teleported just as some of the other Black Knights tried to pounce her from behind. Because they were still hitched together, they toppled back to the ground when they pulled too far on their chain. She was now at the foot of the siege tower. “Thanks for giving me a way inside.” She ran part of the way before teleporting to the edge of the drawbridge. Meadow Prancer took a running head-start, leaped off the siege tower and teleported onto the Lifeline Level of the Settlement with only a few inches between her back hooves and the edge. She waved at the Britannians guarding that level. “Yoohoo! I’m an Eleven, and I’m invading your Settlement.” The Britannians, most of whom were either too focused on the Black Knights on the ground or too busy hauling more junk to rain down on the invading army to notice Meadow Prancer until she was already on the Lifeline Level. They looked at each other and then back at Meadow Prancer who, from their perspective, somehow snuck into the Settlement. Then, one of the mundane Britannians, an older gentleman with a white goatee that clashed with his feminine hot pink coat of fur, jumped in front of the others and pointed at Meadow Prancer. “Throw that Eleven trash back down with the others!” He ordered. “Yes, my lord,” the Britannian perimeter guard said in unison. The mundane and horned Britannians followed her on foot while the few winged Britannians fortunate enough to be assigned to the lower levels took flight. Meadow Prancer held off on teleporting away and looked above. A moment later, a blue streak cut across the Lifeline Level ceiling. “Took him long enough,” Meadow Prancer said between gasps for air before teleporting out of the reach of the pursuing Britannians. Back on the ground, Tamaki laid dumbfounded on the wrecked trebuchet. The recruits whispered amongst themselves. “Maybe one of us should check on him, Tomoya.” The short winged stallion said to the taller one. “You do it, Sunohara” the taller winged stallion replied. “I’m not getting yelled at.” “We can’t leave him like this,” said Sunohara. “Okazaki, Sunohara,” said Tamaki with barely contained rage that seethed beneath the surface, “I need an airlift.” “But don’t we need the tarp for that?” Tomoya asked. “Use your brain, Okazaki! We have plenty of rope. That’ll do.” “You want to go up there...with all of those Britannians?!?” Sunohara squeaked. His knees knocked against each other as his legs quaked in trepidation. “You morons, we don’t have to. She and that friend of hers are looking after Zero. We’ll head them at that Brit school. And when we do, I’M KICKING HER ASS!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cornelia and the others trotted into the foreboding and dimly-lit emergency command center. The atmosphere of the room suited the viceroy’s mood. Waiting for them were the command staff, which consisted of several prominent nobles. They studied one of the five maps of each of the Tokyo Settlement levels that, side by side, stretched across the length of the room. A mundane stallion trotted to Cornelia and bowed down to her. “Your majesty, we were terribly worried about you. We thought you might have...” “Where’s the sub-viceroy?” Cornelia interrupted. “Over here, Viceroy.” Euphemia called out from the darkness in the far corner of the room. Her horn illuminated that part of the room. She stared at the floor. Her hair was unkempt and tangled. “They didn’t leave me behind.” Cornelia frowned upon setting eyes on Euphemia and looked away from her. A sigh escaped from her lips. “Darlton, pick four airborne troops and airlift the Sub-Viceroy to one of the islands off the coast after sunset.” “Yes, mi lady,” said Darlton. “No! You can’t!” Euphemia objected. She ran to her sister’s side. “I won’t leave you behind!” “Bind and gag the Sub-Viceroy if you have to!” Cornelia ordered. Euphemia, not wishing to be restrained, kept her mouth shut and laid on the floor. Her head tucked between her front legs. “Sector Q should be a relatively safe launching point. Am I correct?” Cornelia asked the mundane stallion. “Yes, your majesty,” he nodded. “Sector Q is in the center of Port of Yokosuka.” “That means,” Cornelia said to Darlton, “you have a clear path between the Settlement and Oshima Island, though you may have to stop at the Miura Peninsula. And Darlton, don’t forget our discussion.” It was a reminder to Darlton that Euphemia’s involvement in the escape of the Eleven prisoner was to be kept under wraps. “I haven’t forgotten, mi lady.” Darlton said. “Corporal,” Cornelia said to the horned Britannian who lead them through the lower levels, “after you lead Darlton to Sector Q, you are to proceed to the Asplund compound with orders for Warrant Officer Kururugi to bring the Lancelot to the to the auxiliary command center.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ About a quarter of the way around the Settlement, Tohdoh watched and waited for the end of a one-sided battle. He was balanced on his hind legs looking through binoculars held between his fetlocks. The winged Black Knights swarmed the sides of the Settlement. The perimeter defense counted on the winged Britannian troops stationed on the Top Level to provide air support, but the lightning attack deprived them of their protection. They were now at the mercy of the Black Knights. The few winged Britannians were quickly dispatched. Blood poured from the dozens of cuts made by fetlock blades; a deep red mist accompanied each winged Britannian downward. A few lucky Britannians took a Black Knight or two down with them, but for the most part, it was the dead bodies of winged Britannians that lay on the ground. A moment after the Britannian airborne troops were neutralized, the angry swarm of winged-types then fell upon the perimeter defense. They were bulldozed by the sheer number of Black Knights. Most of the Britannians that went off the edge were still very much alive. Tohdoh had to steel his nerves as he watched these ponies flailed their legs in mid-air as they plunged fifty stories down before smashing against the ground below. He then scanned the other floors as well. Here, too, were one-sided massacres of the outnumbered Britannian troops by the flocks of winged Black Knights. Seeing that everything was going according to plan, Tohdoh eased himself back on all four and looked over his shoulder to three of his Four Holy Swords. “Urabe, Senba, Chiba,” Tohdoh yelled. “We have that gap in the enemy's defenses that Zero promised. Order your troops to advance to sectors H and I.” “Yes, sir,” the three said in unison. A moment later, thousands of ponies, who was also donned the same junk armor wore by Tamaki’s platoon, piled through the gap in the Settlement defense and into the Low Ground Level . Some of them pulled broken down pick-up trucks with un-exploded ordinances taken from their malfunctioned Frames. Others pulled pick-up trucks with huge barn fires burning in their beds. The rest of the Black Knights' ground forces had piles of sharpened bamboo sticks tied to their backs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Kozuki thinks we can clear away their perimeter defense in sector G and give the ground forces another opening,” said Inoue as she, Lelouch, and C.C. exited the school grounds through the front gate. “She shouldn’t be so impatient,” said Lelouch. “I won’t risk losing the opening we have already to gain more ground. We’ll see how many of our air troops it’ll take to hold our position before committing them to another engage...” Lelouch was interrupted when a brilliant light flared up in their path. C.C. jumped on top of Lelouch and braced herself for a possible attack. However, nothing happened. C.C. was still quite intact. She climbed off of Lelouch and saw, in the exact spot where the flash came from, Meadow Prancer. “You two lovebirds should go somewhere private for that.” “Wha?!?” C.C. said before she realized the horned mare was making an off-colored remark about her being on top of Lelouch. “Didn’t anyone tell you not to jump to conclusions?” If C.C. didn’t have fur, her face would have been beet red. Inoue positioned herself between Lelouch and Meadow Prancer. “Who are you people and what the hell was that flash of light?” Meadow Prancer shook her head. “You ponies don’t know anything do you?” She gloated. Inoue raised a hoof that ended in a fetlock blade at Meadow Prancer. “I said tell us who you are.” All of a sudden, a shadow cast from above passed over them. Inoue turned his attention to the blue pegasus landing next to Lelouch. Inoue was about to take off and attack the intruder; but before she could strike, Lelouch forced Inoue to the ground. Her fetlock blades stuck into the dirt. “What was that for?” Inoue asked. “That won’t be necessary,” said Lelouch. “He’s an annoying pest, but otherwise harmless.” Inoue cautiously folded back her wings. “Still being a nuisance as always!” Lelouch sneered. “What about her?” Inoue asked as she pointed to Meadow Prancer. “I’m with the annoying but harmless pest,” said Meadow Prancer. “As much as you enjoy scolding me for not following your pacifistic philosophy, I don’t have time for it now.” “I’m here to deliver a message from Princess Euphemia le Britannia.” Lelouch looked over Sorato and noticed the two vertical stripes branded over his cutie mark. Lelouch raised an eyebrow and said mockingly, “A message you say? You mean the brand seared into your flesh?” Sorato averted his eyes from Lelouch. “You’ve been in their prisons, haven’t you? And even after suffering under their brutality, you still speak on their behalf?” “I’m not just here for them. I’m trying to make peace for everypony.” “Are you some sort of masochist? How many wounds...” “It was Princess Cornelia’s idea to brand me, not Euphemia’s.” “How many wounds must Britannia inflict upon you before you realized it’s a worthless dominion unfit to be saved?” Lelouch turned his back on Sorato. “Inoue, C.C., we don’t have time to waste on these fools.” “She said she wants to negotiate a peace settlement with you.” “And if Euphemia was viceroy, that would mean something,” Lelouch replied as he continued to trot away. Sorato then yelled out, “and she told me to ask you about the villa.” Lelouch stopped in his tracks. “She said if that meant anything to you, then you're the pony she thinks you are.” The villa? Did she mean Ares Villa? Ares Villa was where Lelouch and Nunnally lived with their mother Lady Marianne before they were exiled to Japan to serve as political hostages eight years ago. “Did she say anything else?” “She said something about being at the student council club house and that she was visiting someone there she haven’t seen in eight years.” Sorato noticed that Lelouch was tensed up. “Does any of this hold any meaning for you?” “You’ve said enough already. Now leave.” C.C. took Lelouch to the side, just out of earshot of Inoue, and whispered into Lelouch’s ear. “She knew about you and Nunnally being alive and figured out that you were Zero, but she still kept it a secret. Do you still have plans to kill Euphemia?” “I don’t know,” Lelouch said just high enough for C.C. to hear. Meadow Prancer watched Lelouch, Inoue, and C.C. trot off. “Well, you delivered your message. Let’s call it a day and get the hay out of here.” Sorato didn’t reply. “Hey Sorato, aren’t you paying attention?” Sorato was staring off at a distant tower centered on the High Ground Level. “Yoo hoo! Sorato!” Sorato unfurled his wings. “We can’t leave yet. We can’t leave until I check on Euphemia.” Meadow Prancer’s eyes bulged out. “Are you crazy?!?” “She risked everything to save me!” “And it’ll be for nothing if you get yourself killed.” “And what’s the point of saving my life if I do anything useful with it?” “You can’t be serious?” Sorato looked sternly at Meadow Prancer. “Do I look like I’m kidding around? Well?” Sorato paused for a moment for Meadow Prancer to answer, but the unicorn mare was at a loss for words. “Stay here and wait for me. I’m going to the palace to check on her,” Sorato said as he turned his back on Meadow Prancer. “I wouldn’t look for Euphemia there,” Meadow Prancer said as she scraped the concrete sidewalk with a hoof. “Huh?” “It’s overrun by Zero’s ponies. That means either she’s somewhere else or they captured her, and since Zero didn’t say anything to you about it...” “...Zero doesn’t have her and she’s probably in hiding.” “There’re two places where she can be: with the viceroy and under heavy guard or, if the viceroy wants out of harm’s way, or the eastside of the settlement facing the bay. They’ll probably wait until sunset to move her under cover of darkness.” Meadow Prancer looked up at Sorato and smiled. “It would help if I come with you.” Sorato chuckled. “I take back almost everything I said about you being useless.” “Hey!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deep inside the Asplund compound’s Knightmare motor pool, Suzaku waited patiently for his orders to go into battle. It had been well over an hour since the attack began, or at least according to Suzaku’s best guess. He paced back and forth in front of the Lancelot stirred into restlessness by the fear that Euphie may have been captured by the Black Knights or that Cornelia was killed in that bizarre, unnatural lightning storm. Lloyd was behind the Lancelot hovering just behind its back and was making adjustments to the nuclear reactors. He was turning a wrench with his mouth while holding a panel between his front hooves. “Ms. Cecile,” Lloyd said as he dropped the wrench, “could you float me a flathead screwdriver?” The wrench fell within a foot of Cecile. “Lloyd!” Cecile yelled behind. “You almost hit me.” “Sorry, Ms. Cecile” said Lloyd. Cecile grunted before levitating the wrench. Cecile was at the Lancelot’s heels levitating tools for Lloyd. Off to the side were four horned Britannian guards. Each one wore a belt with a sword and sheave hanging from it. Cowering behind them was Nina. “How much longer will this take?” One of the guards called out to Lloyd. “The Knightmare has to be ready to deploy when we receive orders from the Viceroy.” “I’m almost done replacing the valve on the coolant bypass,” Lloyd replied. Cecile studied the four guards intensely. As she did, one of them grinned devilishly at her and winked. A tingle ran up her spine. “Nina,” said Cecile, “could you come over here and help me?” “Yes ma’am,” Nina came out from behind the guards to be at Cecile’s side. “What do you need help with?” “Just stay here just in case I need you,” Cecile replied. As Lloyd finished screwing the panel back into place, hoofsteps echoed through the lower level garage. The light from a horn came out of the darkest part of the motor pool from where the exits leading down to the lower levels were. It was the horned Britannian that led Cornelia through the lower levels. Suzaku got into a fighting stance, and the four guards drew their swords. “State your name, rank, and serial number,” one of the guards ordered. “Corporal Cal Ledford, 46LS-32J,” said the horned pony. “State your business.” “I’m here to relay orders from the Viceroy to Warrant Officer Kururugi. You are to take the Lancelot to the auxiliary command center and receive further instructions from the Viceroy herself.” “Do you know if the Sub-Viceroy made it out of the palace?” Suzaku asked. “I saw it being overrun by the Black Knights just before we took cover.” “That’s none of your business, you nosy Eleven.” “Just tell me if she made it out alive or not.” “Fine,” Corporal Ledford said while rolling his eyes, “she made it out of the palace alive. I saw her at the auxiliary command center myself. Now, carry out your orders.” Suzaku nodded. “Look, I can’t just leave you here. I can carry you to safety in a containment module. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but I think I can fit you all in.” The guard that winked at Cecile shook his head. “Not to worry. Once we kill these three,” he said pointing to Lloyd, Cecile, and Nina, “there’ll be plenty of room for us.” Nina hid behind Cecile quivering in fear. “What do you mean ‘kill these three’?!?” Suzaku said in disbelief. “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Suzaku?” Lloyd asked rhetorically. “They’re not our guards; they’re our executioners.” “We have orders from the Viceroy herself to kill these three just in case the Settlement defenses are breeched,” the guard gloated. “We were just waiting for the earl to finish working on the Knightmare.” “But I can get you all to safety.” Suzaku objected. “It’s unnecessary.” “And let the Viceroy find out that we didn’t carry her orders out right away? Now step aside and let us do our job.” “But we won’t be able to get the Knightmares working if you kill them.” “And if the Elevens get their hands on them, they could destroy the empire with that new power source of theirs...unless that’s what you want them to do, Eleven.” “I’m a loyal soldier of Britannia. I would never...” “Then let us do our duty. We can’t waste time arguing over three Britannians. Think of the millions that will die because you insisted on letting them live.” The guard took a perverse gratification from the mind game he was playing on Suzaku. “If their deaths upset a soft-hearted Number like you, then imagine how you’d feel if the terrorists got their hands on this top secret technology.” Suzaku was at a crossroads-friends or duty; protect innocent life at the risk of the safety of the Empire. He looked back and forth between the closest thing he had to family and the soldiers. His eyes finally rested on Lloyd. “Well, Suzaku,” said Lloyd solemnly, “will you follow orders and leave us to die?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The hum of the Lancelot’s landspeeder motor was a welcomed relief for Cornelia and Guilford. The white Knightmare emerged from the shadows and slid to a stop beside Cornelia and Guilford. “Warrant Officer Kururugi Suzaku, reporting for duty, your majesty,” said Suzaku over the Lancelot’s loudspeaker. The Lancelot genuflected in front of Cornelia. “What the hell took you so long?” Cornelia asked in an impatient tone. “A thousand pardons, you majesty, but Earl Asplund insisted on tweaking the heat exchangers. He never imaged the Black Knights would have already broken our...” “Never mind that! The flying Elevens created a gap on our perimeter defense and now their forces are pouring into the Low Ground Level.” Cornelia levitated some paper just behind the cockpit. “I jotted down your mission profile. Follow it as close as circumstance will allow you.” The cockpit slid open, and Suzaku grabbed the instructions between his teeth. “I can be ready to counterattack in thirty-four minutes, your majesty,” Suzaku said after reading over the instructions. “By the way, did the sub-viceroy made it out of the palace? Is she here?” “The Sub-Viceroy is in an undisclosed location, but if it eases your mind, she’s hasn’t been harmed. Now follow your orders, Warrant Officer.” “Yes my lord,” said Suzaku. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shogo Asahina plunged down and skewered a mundane Britannian as he was fending off a pair of winged Black Knights. The fetlock blade penetrated the back of the ribcage and through the heart. As Asahina pulled the knife out, a crimson geyser erupted from the Britannian’s back. It only took seconds for the Britannian to bleed to death. This same process of overwhelming the unprepared and poorly armed perimeter defense repeated itself thousands of times until the Transport Level floor was painted dark red by the blood of dead Britannians that stretched as far as the eye could see. Asahina flew in front of some winged Black Knights off on the side resting. “Don’t slack off just yet just because we have an opening!” Asahina ordered. “We need the gap in the Brits’ defenses to be as wide as possible for our ground forces.” One of the recruits, a winged mare, spoke up. “But we were just catching our...” “I said rest later!” Asahina snapped at her. “Yes sir,” the others said in unison. Then, out of nowhere, the interlocking plates of the Office Level rattled from a series of explosion from above. “What the hell was that?” Another recruit asked. “Kami-sama!” Asahina shouted out. The lifeless bodies of dozens of winged Black Knights dropped from the level above. “Did the Brits planted bombs?” The recruit asked. “I didn’t think they’d use explosives in the Settle...” Suddenly, the winged ponies back away when a large humanoid shadow descended from the Office Level. A pair of Slash Harkens, harpoon-like weapons used on Knightmares, was fired from the shadow and embedded themselves into the ceiling. The shadow swung from the tether and, in seconds, closed the distance between it and the winged Black Knights. It then threw a cylindrical object from its free hand. “DUCK FOR COVER!” Asahina yelled. “IT’S A CHAOS MINE!” But it was too late. A cascade of metal fragments rained down on the winged Black Knights including Asahina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kallen was on the Lifeline Level, the second lowest level of the Tokyo Settlement when she heard the explosions from above. She flew up to the Transport Level and saw the winged Black Knights pulling out of the Settlement in mass. Kallen sped ahead of the flock and hovered between them and the ghettos. “Where the hell are you going?” She yelled. “You can’t just leave in the middle of a battle.” “It’s not a battle,” a male Black Knight spoke up. “It’s a massacre. Zero lied to us.” There were murmurs of agreement in the crowd. “What do you mean Zero lied?” “The Britannians have working Knightmare Frames.” “That’s impossible! Technology doesn’t work anymore.” “Then what’s that,” the stallion pointed to the smoke coming from the Transport Level. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” Kallen swooped down and was about to glide in the level when she veered off-course and behind one of the Settlement’s numerous support pillar. Despite the large fins and modified energy filler, Kallen recognized it as the white custom Frame she fought against in several battles. The Lancelot carried a stockpile of Chaos Grenades inside the containment modules that were attached to Knightmare Frames for hauling additional supplies. She watched from behind as the Lancelot leaped off the Transport Level and fired a Slash Harken at the Lifeline Level ceiling and swung inside. The explosions beneath her were a sign that the soldiers Zero placed under her command were being slaughtered. Kallen went against her better judgment and tagged behind the Lancelot. The winged Black Knights who were fighting so bravely before were in a state of panic. Kallen nearly collided with some trying to reach the open skies. Others fled deeper into the settlement. “Retreat!” Kallen cried out. “Fall back!” The order was being repeated as Kallen darted back and forth warning the other Black Knights. Those who heard the command followed Kallen. Some of the others who fled further into the Settlement doubled back and tagged behind the others. “Okay,” said Kallen, “we can stop. I think we’re far enough away.” However, most of them disregarded the order and continued flying away. Kallen pulled ahead and hovered in front of them. “Where the hell are you going?” “You didn’t notice the Knightmare Frame,” said a winged stallion. “We can’t fight that.” The others murmured amongst themselves in agreement. Kallen gritted her teeth. “Just fall back to the clouds. It can’t reach you there.” “You talk as if that’s the only piece of tech they have. What if they have planes? Then what?” “Then you’re no better off than in the ghettos!” “That’s a laugh,” the stallion scoffed. “At least in the ghettos we’ll still be alive.” Kallen slapped him on the cheek. “You won’t be if you abandon your posts. If you desert the Black Knights in the middle of a fight, you’d better hope the Britannians do kill you because what I’ll do to you will be a helluva worse. Understand?” The others averted their eyes from Kallen. “I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND OR NOT!” “Yes ma’am,” said the stallion who was rubbing the spot where Kallen slapped him “That’s more like it. Now go the fallout position in the clouds and wait for my signal.” “What about you?” A mare asked. “Someone has to stay and warn Zero.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Are you sure the Sub-Viceroy is secure?” Darlton asked a horned Britannian guard. Princess Euphemia was cuddled up in nylon netting, and her hooves were bound together by straps. The four corners if the net was tied to rope, which in turn, was tied around the waist of four flight-capable Britannians. They were in the Transport Level about a block away from the edge of the Settlement. It was close enough that ambient light from outside provided sufficient illumination. “Yes my lord,” the horned Britannian replied. “We can do a test flight and her majesty’s escorts can hover just a few inches off the ground to see if it holds.” “Take your time, but not too much,” said Darlton. “Please, General Darlton,” Euphemia begged, “don’t do this.” “I’m sorry, mi lady, but the Viceroy has orders for you to be taken to safety.” “You can’t expect me to abandon my own people at a time like this.” “I have my orders.” “You don’t understand.” Darlton’s lips trembled. “With all due respect, your majesty,” Darlton said in a strained voice, “I do. You have no faith in your sister. For once in your life, trust the Viceroy’s judgment and do as she says, *please*.” “It’s not like I have any choice.” “Good thing you don’t,” Darlton mumbled at a volume too low for Euphemia to clearly hear what he was saying. Then, all of a sudden, the net untied itself and deposited Princess Euphemia on the ground. The four winged Britannian guards and Darlton was scooped up in the net and tangled in its tough nylon strands. A blue streak appeared out of nowhere, and a pair of hind legs kicked the horned Britannian under the ribcage and knocked the breath out of him. Darlton and the other winged Britannians, in a state of panic, struggled against the net only to be further entangled in it. “How dare you come back after dishonoring our princess!” Darlton yelled at Sorato. Meadow Prancer glared at her partner. “You and her? How could you?” “Get your mind out of the gutter, will ya?” Sorato said defensively. “He’s talking about the princess breaking me out of prison and getting in trouble for it.” “Oh! Sorry, I thought you meant Sorato had sex with your princess.” “You’re only making them madder,” Sorato grumbled. Sure enough, Darlton yanked against the netting even harder, much to the dismay of the other Britannians trapped inside. They were struggling to breath as the interwoven threaded pressed them together. “Um...sorry about that.” Meadow Prancer said with a sheepish grin. “A little help, if you don’t mind,” said Sorato. “Oh, okay.” Meadow Prancer tugged on the straps. “Ouch, ouch, ouch, please not so rough,” Euphemia cried out. “Stop pulling on it,” Sorato yelled. “You’re hurting her.” The straps were cutting into Euphemia’s legs. Sorato looked over the winged Britannians in the net and grabbed a knife, which was within reach and not tangled in the net, off of one of them. “Hold still,” Sorato told Euphemia. He gripped the night in his teeth and sliced the bindings in half. “Please mi lady,” said Darlton, “it’s too dangerous for you. The Settlement is still under attack.” “Darlton, I promise I’ll come back for you.” “Think about your sister, Cornelia.” “I am thinking about her. That’s why I’m going back.” Euphemia, Meadow Prancer, and Sorato galloped off to the service entrance. “I didn’t catch your name,” Euphemia said to Meadow Prancer. “I’m Aida Akeno,” said Meadow Prancer. “That’s funny?” “What is your majesty?” “You’re Japanese but you don’t sound like it.” Meadow Prancer took a few seconds to answer. “I learned to speak English without an accent in order to fit in better as an honorary Britannian.” “Oh, that makes sense.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “As far as I can tell, it’s only one Knightmare,” said Kallen. “But one was enough decimate our airborne division, and the majority of the survivors has fled. I got some of them to stay in the fallback position in the clouds, but I wouldn’t count on them waiting for long.” To Kallen’s dismay, Zero was staring at C.C. the whole time. “Haven’t you been paying attention, Zero? We have to retreat and...” “That’s the exact opposite of what we must do,” Lelouch proclaimed with the familiar dramatic and theatrical bluster of his Zero persona. “If we retreat, Cornelia will modify the other Knightmares as she did with the white custom model.” “But Zero, this isn’t like fighting that old Ganymede. The only thing we had that could take on the white Knightmare is my Knightmare, the Gurren Mark II, and it’s out of commission.” Lelouch glanced at C.C. “No, there is one other way. Kallen, prep an airlift for C.C. and myself. We’ll be heading down the elevator shaft to the water circulation system beneath the school.” “But why?!? Shouldn’t you be airlifted out of here? What if the white Knightmare comes topside?” “It won’t. Cornelia cleared away out airborne forces in order to re-establish her perimeter defense. And now that Tohdoh and his troops beneath the Settlement are cut off from the rest of the ground forces, Cornelia will finish them off with the Lancelot and ever how many soldiers from the Settlement defense she can spare. Now hurry, Tohdoh’s forces will be obliterated if we don’t make haste.” Kallen was about to leave when Lelouch called out to her. “One more thing before you go.” “Yes Zero?” Kallen asked. “When you’re done prepping our escort, get as many airborne troops as possible and bring them to the Low Ground Level through the same elevator shaft.” “That’s an awfully small passageway to bring troops through.” “Don’t worry. You won’t have that many willing to take on a Knightmare.” “I don’t think I’ll have any at all.” “Tell them I’ll do to the Knightmare what I did to the Ganymede. The only thing you’ll be lying about is the method.” “And how are you going to stop it?” “You doubt me, Kozuki, even though you’ve witnessed my deeds firsthand? Have I ever let you down?” “No, you haven’t.” “Then hurry.” As Kallen hurried off, Lelouch said to C.C., “now I need a miracle from you.” “You mean the one from the Battle of Narita?” Flashback --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the day when the Black Knights first attempted to capture Viceroy Cornelia. The Britannians discovered that the remnants of the Japanese Defense Force were hiding in the Narita Mountains and Lelouch sent the Black Knights ahead to set up an ambush for Cornelia. In the fight, Lelouch’s Knightmare was destroyed but not before he ejected. The cockpit skipped along the ground like a rock across the surface of a pond. When the cockpit finally came to a stop, the Lancelot was waiting for him. When he opened his hatch, Lelouch found himself staring down the barrel of a VARIS rifle, and for a Knightmare, the term ‘rifle’ is, in actuality, referring to the cannons designed to be wielded by fifteen-foot tall humanoid robots. “Stop right now,” said C.C., “don’t even think about hurting him.” She walked along the trench carved into the earth by Lelouch’s cockpit when it slid to a stop and placed her hand on the Lancelot’s leg. “Wait!” Lelouch yelled out. “What are you doing? You’re challenging a Knightmare?” “It’s a problem if you die. It’ll be indirect contact, but it’s worth a try.” The Geass symbol on C.C.’s forehead glowed to life. One moment, Suzaku was in his Knightmare in shock that the girl that he watched die in Shinjuku, and the next visions were flashing before his eyes. First he saw two large, metallic spheres one suspended in space above the other. The scene then changed to a crowd consisting of young girls with dark tan skin, all of them dressed in white and had bird symbols, glowing red, etched on their skin. The vision finally changed to a world bathed in white and was face-to-face with a vision of a middle-aged man staring disapprovingly back at him. “Father,” Suzaku said in disbelief, “you’re dead. That’s impossible!” In the background were old-style clocks with the sound of clock gears clicking in sequence with pendulums swinging back and forth. “No, I didn’t mean to,” Suzaku said apologetically. “No, I just...” “Hey, are you using Geass on him?” Lelouch came to C.C.’s side. “I’m just feeding him some shock images. I can’t tell what he’s seeing, though. Anyway, you got time to get away, now.” “What about you?” “I can’t move yet. You go first.” “Don’t be foolish. I can’t keep owing you favors.” Lelouch placed his hand on her shoulder. C.C. arched back. “No, not now!” Lelouch was caught inside the illusion with Suzaku. An angry mob was assaulting a gothic cathedral. Rocks were hurled at the top of the building arch, but in place of the cross was the Geass symbol. As with Suzaku, the vision shifted sporadically-a nun with the Geass symbol on her forehead kneeling down to pray, C.C. sitting in the water naked and with a Geass symbol scar under her left breast, soldiers in WWI-era uniform fighting in the trenches. The final vision was the most disturbing. Lelouch was in the pure white world with Suzaku surrounded by phantoms wandering aimlessly. The image ended abruptly, and Lelouch was snapped back into reality. The Lancelot began firing at random. One of the rounds striking Narita's granite terrain creating a hailstorm of rocks. “What’s happening to him?” “Idiot! Get away now!” Suddenly, a rock fragment pierced C.C.’s sternum. Realizing the danger Lelouch was in; C.C. held out her arms and acted as a human shield. More rock fragments punctured her body. The last thing C.C. remembered from that encounter was Lelouch catching her as she fell back. End of Flashback --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Just remember-don’t touch me while I’m feeding the shock imagines to the pilot,” C.C. warned. “I’ll make sure that you’re protected. Just keep the Knightmare immobilized,” said Lelouch. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tens of thousands of horned and mundane Black Knights amassed at the Low Ground Level. The only source of light were barn fires set inside the bed of beat-up utility vehicles and rusty pick-up trucks whose tireless rims cut grooves into the concrete floor. The center of the formation was lit up in a bright yellow glow. The barn fires on the outer edge cast long shadowy daggers along the floor that faded in and out with the passing of carts full of the refuge that the Britannians piled into the ground level passageways. A team of horned Black Knights levitated pieces of junks just long enough to plant unexploded VARIS rounds underneath. “Don’t bother with the small pieces,” Tohdoh admonished a horned stallion. “Concentrate on the large ones, instead.” “Just watch me and follow my lead,” said Senba Ryoga. He levitated a partially dented microwave. “But I’m trying to dig her out.” The horned stallion pointed to the bloodied body of a mundane-type buried from the sternum down in the pile of junk. “It’s too late for her,” Senba replied. “But if we blow up the junk pile now, their bodies would be desecrated.” “I don’t like it either, but it’s better than losing the battle and getting more Japanese killed.” The horned stallion nodded in agreement. “I understand, sir.” He disregarded the body of his deceased comrade and went back to planting explosives. “Colonel Tohdoh!” A mundane mare called out. “Where are you?” “Over here!” Tohdoh waved to her. “What’s the problem?” The mundane mare raised an eyebrow and pointed to the partially buried Black Knight. “What happened to her?” “A trap rigged up by the Britannians. I warned them about it, but some of our soldiers were too stubborn for their own good. Now what is it that you want?” “We’re been cut off, sir.” “‘Cut off’?!? Did the Britannians re-establish their defense perimeter?” The mare nodded. “We heard explosions on the upper levels. Right after that, the airborne forces flew off, and the Brits were raining their junk down on us again.” “They must have booby-trapped the perimeter with IEDs.” As Tohdoh was speaking, one of the Black Knights screamed in terror. “Something poked out of the barricade!” A horned mare yelled. Tohdoh pointed to the mound. “I need lights on that junkpile.” Senba and some of the other horned Black Knights lit up their horns and pointed to the mound. Giant metallic fingers poked through and pulled a handful of junk on the other side of the debris pile. Then the metallic hand pushed its way through and took another handful of junk with it. “It’s a Knightmare!” One mare screamed. “We’re going to die!” A stallion cried out. The Black Knights were in a panic. The teams of mundane Black Knights wrestled with their yokes desperately trying to free themselves. The lower level was filled with desperate neighs. Some of the horned Black Knights helped to free their comrades but others retreated back to the ghettos without the mundanes. “Get those men loose, Senba,” said Tohdoh as he shot off running. “Chiba, Urabe,” Tohdoh called out to the two remaining Holy Swords, “get these people under control.” While they were busy calming their panic-stricken recruits, Tohdoh was running down the deserters. He showed great physical prowess and circled around a group of horned Black Knights and cut them off at the pass. “Stop!” He yelled. Fearing that he would be stomped to death by the wall of terrorized horned ponies, Tohdoh backed away. “I SAID ‘STOP’! THAT’S AN ORDER!” The more disciplined recruits heeded the command, but the rest kept running. Tohdoh sidestepped the stampeding deserters and narrowly avoided being impelled with a horn in a head-on collision. After losing sight of the deserters, Tohdoh admonished the ones that were left. “We’re not leaving our comrades behind. I won’t accept cowardice from you.” Some of the horned Black Knights that remained behind couldn’t bear to look Tohdoh in the eyes without feeling shame for letting fear get the better of them and abandoning their fellow Black Knights. “We don’t have much time to help free them.” The horned Black Knights, swayed by the scolding they received from Tohdoh, double-backed. By now, the Knightmare had enough of the debris cleared away that its head was visible. The horned Black Knights worked frantically to free the thousands of mundane Black Knights from their harnesses. The teams of mundane Black Knights hitched together by rope were the first to be freed as the horned Black Knights cut the restraints. The problem was the teams who were hitched with chains. None of the bladed weapons wielded by the horned Black Knights would cut through. The harnesses had to be unhitched manually. “Don’t you bastards dare run off!” Tohdoh yelled at the mundane Black Knights who were fleeing the battlefield. He ran beside the mundane Black Knight in the lead and sideswiped him. The mundane stallion was taken off his hoofs and tumbled on the ground. Some of the other mundane Black Knights stopped when Tohdoh cut in front of them. “You’re not leaving your comrades behind either! Now go back there and help them!” The mundane Black Knights glanced back and forth between the Black Knights still hitched to their vehicles and the white Knightmare still digging through the junk pile. “No way man! I didn’t sign up to fight a Knightmare!” He picked himself up and sped off with more mundane ponies not far behind. Tohdoh eyed the few that stayed behind. “Well? Are you standing by your fellow Black Knights or are you leaving them to die?” They headed back and began unhitching the Black Knights still trapped in their harnesses. Tohdoh had to repeat this process with each new group of deserters. As disgusted as he was with their cowardice, Tohdoh knew, deep down inside, that he couldn’t completely blame them. Facing down even one Knightmare was a hard thing to ask of anyone, especially these new recruits. While Tohdoh was busy convincing the others not to abandon their comrades, the mundane ponies were doing the best they could to help their horned brethren. They didn’t have hands or telekinesis. Everything had to be done by mouth. Not only that, but the debris pile was whittled down to the Knightmare’s waist, and it wouldn’t take long before it broke through. Realizing time was running out, Tohdoh put the deserters aside and ran over to some mundane ponies still hitched to their wagons. “Pull the explosives next to the entrance! We’ll unhitch you when you move the wagon into position.” The Black Knights followed his orders and pulled the wagon beside the entrance before they were unchained. “Senba,” Tohdoh called out the elder Holy Sword, “grab a detonator and get ready to set it off on my signal.” Senba already had a detonator and was busy rigging it up to a stick of C-4. “Already on it, sir-I hope you don’t mind me jumping the gun.” “Not at all,” said Tohdoh. He ran over to some horned Black Knights who were unhitching some mundane Black Knights from a barn fire truck and pointed to another pick-up loaded down with munitions. “Push those explosives next to the entrance after you’ve freed them from their harness.” After the horned Black Knights freed their mundane pony comrades, they both galloped to the nearest dilapidated pick-up filled with unexploded ordnances and pushed it towards the entrance. As they were being set loose from their restraints, the remaining Black Knights strained and toiled against the weight of the explosives and pushed the broken down trucks and deposited them around. With each load of explosives dropped off near the entrance, the Knightmare took off another couple of inches off the top of the mound of junk. By the time the Knightmare had the junk pile whittled down to his knees, all of the Black Knights were set free and most of the IED’s were in place. “Everyone, fall back! Now!” Tohdoh called out. As he was issuing his order, the Knightmare began to crawl through. “Now Senba,” Tohdoh yelled. Senba levitated the bomb over to the pick-up in the center and dropped in the truck bed. The Knightmare pilot noticed the object Senba dropped into one of the pick-ups, and backed away just as the bomb detonated and set off a chain of explosions. The pathway between the two levels collapsed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ohgi was limping down the hallway and was accompanied by Inoue when Tamaki, Sunohara, and Tomoya galloped around the corner. Tamaki had rope burns running just behind his shoulders and waist. “Oghi!” Tamaki called out. “Where the hell is Zero? I though he said our command center would be in the student council building.” “Tamaki, what are you doing here?” Tamaki rubbed the rope burn. “Nevermind that. I have to warn Zero.” “He already knows about the Knightmare, Tamaki.” “Wait a second! The Britannians got another museum piece?” “I don’t know about that, but it was enough to scare off our air forces.” “I bet that girl had something to do with it.” “What girl?” “The one that broke in here. She’s probably an assassin. Now where’s Zero?” “The Low Ground Level with Colonel Tohdoh-there’s an elevator shaft leading to the bottom level on the school grounds.” “Okay, airlift me to the Low Ground Level.” Sunohara shook his head. “I’m not going down there with a Knightmare Frame.” Tamaki bared his teeth with all of the ferocity of a rabid wolf. His eyes were daggers bearing down the cowardly winged stallion. “Keep two things in mind, Sunohara. One-that Knightmare pilot doesn’t know where you live, but I do. Two-you can’t fly in your sleep. Now, who is it you should afraid of pissing off more?” “You,” Sunohara yelped. “You what?” “You, Platoon Commander Shinichirō, sir.” “And what about you?” Tamaki said while glaring at Tomoya. Tomoya closed his eyes and said with a happy-go smile, “feel free to murder Sunohara in his sleep.” “Don’t encourage him, Tomoya!” Sunohara cried. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tohdoh and Senba managed to duck behind a supply wagon which shielded them from the torrent of shrapnel and debris. It was situated far enough away from the blast to not be pulverized by the shockwave. However, the two stallions had a throbbing pain and a ringing in their ears. Senba rubbed his ears while Tohdoh looked around. There was still enough lighting to see movement coming from one of the sealed off service entrances. The white Knightmare had survived the explosion and was busy clearing away rubbish. “This isn’t good,” said Tohdoh. “The Brits still have their Knightmare. “Did you say the Knightmare is still around? Tell me that’s just my ears ringing, sir.” Tohdoh shook his head. “We should be so lucky. Come on, we have to tend to the troops.” He and Senba hastened back to the sector where the ground troops first penetrated the Settlement perimeter. Only a half-mile away, Tohdoh and Senba were reunited with their troops. It was a shameful reunion for some-to come face-to-face with their fellow Black Knights that they left to die. The Settlement boundary was etched out in discarded junk and Black Knights killed by falling debris. Some of the foolish ones attempted to make a break for the ghettos, but once they crossed the perimeter, they became easy prey for Cornelia’s forces on the upper levels. An avalanche of junk rained down upon them. A box full of kitchen knives skewered several fleeing ponies. A falling flat screen television snapped the back of a horned stallion. “Help!” He cried out. “I can’t move. I can’t feel my legs.” His screams were forever silenced when a brick amongst many split his skull open. Only a handful escaped with their lives intact. The perimeter defense cut off all the possible escape routes. Their last ditch effort to save their own lives, which was purchased with their own honor and respect, was for nothing, and now they would have to face their old commander. “So, you cowards couldn’t get away, huh?” Tohdoh asked. “Please forgive us, Colonel Tohdoh.” “I don’t need groveling! If you’re worth anything, you’ll fight with me till the bitter end. Is that understood?” “I’m not apologizing for anything.” It was the mundane stallion Tohdoh pushed down earlier. “It’s a death sentence to fight against a Knightmare.” Tohdoh pointed to the ghettos. “Then leave,” he bellowed. The mundane stallion didn’t reply. “Well?” The mundane stallion was still silent. “I thought so. For those of you that haven’t lost your nerve, we fight to the death and make the Britannians pay for their victory in their own blood. Our best chance is to get up close and personal to Cornelia’s forces. The Britannians won’t be able to use their Knightmare against us without attacking their own.” The Black Knights readied themselves for a final stand. The horned Black Knights mounted makeshift spears, sharpened bamboo sticks, on their mundane compatriots. They then drew their own weapons. The hodgepodge of clubs, knives, and improvised melee weapons hovered in mid-air and were covered in a ghostly aura. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When the white Knightmare finished digging debris out of the entrance, Cornelia climbed over what was left of the junk pile and surveyed the area. From a distance away, what was left of the last service entrance was still smothering from the explosion. There was still dilapidated trucks left standing. Some of them still had their barn fires burning. “Coming to battle with worthless junk?!?” Cornelia scoffed. “How low you Elevens have sunk?” Cornelia looked over her shoulder. “Warrant Officer Kururugi,” she said. “Take down as many terrorists as you can. Once they’re numbers have been depleted, we’ll finish off the rest.” “Yes, your majesty,” said Suzaku over the Knightmare loudspeakers. The Lancelot stepped over the remaining debris. In his hand was a scythe-the ‘blade’ was a steel plate cut off from a larger piece and was welded to the end of a bent girder and the handles were smaller girders welded on the sides of the main girder. “Why are we waiting here on standby, your majesty?” Guilford asked Cornelia. “Because if we go out there, the Elevens will engage our forces in close quarter combat making it impossible for the Lancelot to attack them. We'll whittle down their numbers with the Lancelot before finishing them off.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tohdoh watched for the Britannian forces to pour through the entrance and come after them, but all that he could see coming was the Lancelot. It was going too fast to be accompanied by Cornelia’s ground forces. It was rapidly closing in and would be on top of them in a minute. It became apparent to Tohdoh that Cornelia anticipated his strategy and sent the white Knightmare alone. “Change in plan. On my mark, get out of formation. Find a sturdy structure for shelter and make Cornelia’s forces come after us. Now, break formation!” The Black Knights scattered in all directions. The Lancelot set his sights on the largest grouping of Black Knights and attacked. When the scythe was held at an angle, the blade was parallel to the ground, which was perfect for killing earthbound mundane and horned ponies. Suzaku took a swing at some fleeing Black Knights. Though the blade edge wasn’t sharpened, the momentum was enough to kill. The blow killed instantly and tossed a partially cleaved-in-half pony body in the air. Another swing took off a pony’s head and knocked a chuck of the other pony’s spine. The Lancelot then held out the scythe and sped across the battlefield. The scythe mowed down any pony that the Lancelot passed by. A line of mangled and dismembered pony corpses snaked out for hundreds of yards. Then, without warning, the Lancelot skidded to a stop. “Warrant Officer Kururugi,” Cornelia’s voice crackled over the comm. system, “what the hell are you doing? Why did you stop attacking?” “I’m assessing the situation, your majesty,” Suzaku apologized. “What’s there to assess? Just kill as many as you can, Warrant Officer.” “Yes, your majesty.” Suzaku, from inside his cockpit, closed his eyes and took a deep breath to settle his trembling legs. “This isn’t a battle.” Suzaku hung head down and took another deep breath. “This is nothing but a massacre.” Suzaku activated the Factspheres, a pair of sensors placed in the Frame’s chest. “I’ll find Zero and make him surrender.” He surveyed the section for any Black Knight that resembled Zero. It was hard to make out anything in the chaos of fleeing ponies screaming for dear life. But one voice, despite being obscured by the multitudes, stood out. Suzaku adjusted the Factspheres and singled out the mundane stallion commanding the Black Knights. It was a voice he hadn’t heard since Japan was an independent nation when he was being trained in the martial arts. It was his old master, Tohdoh Kyoshiro. “Don’t stand around because the Knightmare stopped!” Tohdoh yelled. “Don’t go in there! That structure won’t stop a Knightmare. It’ll collapse on top of you. Head for the maintenance access tunnels.” Then Tohdoh noticed the Lancelot looking directly at him. The scythe was discarded and struck the ground with a loud metallic clang. The Lancelot’s landspeeders came to life, and the Knightmare Frame was heading straight for Tohdoh. He closed his eyes and readied himself for death, but rather than kill him, the Lancelot scooped Tohdoh up and carried him off. The other Black Knights were disillusioned by the sight of their commander being carried away effortlessly by the enemy. “If we surrender,” said the mundane stallion that deserted his post, “do you think they’ll let us live?” “Are you giving up so easily?” The Black Knights knew that that voice all too well. It was Zero. Their faces lit up in joy. “I assure you, you’d have a better odd surviving if you fight than to appeal to Viceroy Cornelia’s sympathy.” “We’re better off on our own,” the deserter said disparagingly. “Oh are you? All your escape routes have been cut off. Will you wager your life on the compassion of Britannia-the same Britannia that thought nothing of slaughtering innocent civilians in the Shinjuku massacre? Well?” The recruits hanged their head low. Given the Britannians’ cruelty and lack of mercy, surrender was almost a guaranteed death sentence. “You expect us to beat a Knightmare Frame too?” The deserter scoffed. “No, I’ll bring the Knightmare Frame to its knees as I did before. All that’s required of you is to follow my instructions.” Lelouch had a charisma that Tohdoh lacked, which was evident in the confident, hope-filled smiles of the majority of the rank-and-file Black Knights. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lancelot pulled up beside the entrance and extended its hand out with Tohdoh in his palm, almost as an offering to the viceroy. Cornelia gritted her teeth and blew steam from her nostrils. “What the hell are you doing with him, Warrant Officer Kururugi? Do you dare defy my orders?” “Suzaku, is that you inside?” Tohdoh asked. “Your majesty, we have the upper hand. There’s no need to continue fighting.” Cornelia tapped herself on the chest. “Your viceroy decide what’s necessary, not you.” “Tohdoh-sensei, surrender to her majesty. Do it for the sake of the Japanese people; for those Japanese Zero coaxed into fighting for him.” “I refuse.” “Please, Tohdoh-sensei,” Suzaku pleaded. “We weren’t tricked into fighting.” “You’ve wasted enough time on him already. Kill him, Warrant Officer.” “But your majesty, I beseech you.” “That’s an order, Warrant Officer!” “Do as your Britannian master commands, Suzaku.” Tohdoh said in his usual stoic tone. “It’s not difficult at all.” “Please, Tohdoh-sensei, you can save their lives.” “All you have to do is make a fist, Suzaku.” “You selfish bastard!” Suzaku yelled. Tohdoh felt the Lancelot tightening its grip. “I should kill you right now!” Cornelia stamped her hoof. “You damn Eleven! What are you waiting for?” “Do a...do as...do as she says,” said Tohdoh as he strained to breath. “Do as...your...Britannian mas...masters...command. “Finish him off already!” Cornelia yelled. “We don’t have time to waste on that beaten dog!” “Then what of myself.” Lelouch called out in the familiar electronically distorted voice. “Do you have time to waste on me?” The Lancelot eased off of Tohdoh, who greedily gasped for air, and faced Zero’s general direction. “So you finally crawled out the rock you were hiding under, Zero,” Cornelia sneered. “Come now, white knight,” Zero mocked. “Surely you can grant your majesty a far greater prize.” “Zero!” Suzaku yelled out. “This is your fault. All this blood is on your hands.” “Suzaku?!? No it can’t be...” Lelouch stepped back. His legs trembled. “No, it can’t be you.” “Do you really think I can forget the lives you destroyed and the Japanese you lead astray because you confessed to a crime that I took the blame for-a crime that you committed?” The Lancelot was poised to attack. “What gratitude I felt towards you has worn out. I’ll end this once and for all.” “No! Stop!” Cornelia called out. “I won’t be fooled twice by the same trick. Scan the area for any improvised explosives. “Yes, your majesty.” Suzaku pulled up the Factsphere readouts. On his monitors were only two thermo-signatures: Zero and a mundane pony. “I’m only detecting two life readings. They’re both unarmed.” “Widen your search. Zero wouldn’t come out in the open without something up his sleeve.” “Multiple readings approximately 600 meters from Zero,” said Suzaku. “No weapons detected, but there’s an entrance to an access tunnel 60 meters from Zero.” “He’s luring you out to save Tohdoh.” Cornelia looked her shoulder. “You with the wings-fly to that access tunnel and block it off.” “Yes, my lord!” Carrying torches in their mouths, a squad of winged Britannians flew over Cornelia and veered to the right towards the access tunnel. “Warrant Officer, once they’re in position, bring Zero back alive. Eliminate the other.” “Yes, you majesty,” said Suzaku. He gently lowered Tohdoh and waited for the winged Britannians to cover Zero’s ‘escape route’. When they were in position, the Lancelot sped off. Even though he was powerless against a Knightmare, Tohdoh followed. He had come this far. Why not go down fighting alongside his ally for their noble cause? “Did you really think you’d escape so easily?” Cornelia yelled out to the fleeing stallion. She looked over her shoulder and said to some of her guards. “I have no use for Tohdoh. You three,” she pointed to three horned Britannians, “kill him.” “Yes my lord,” the horned Britannians said before departing on their mission. Meanwhile, Lelouch was still in the middle of a personal crisis. You were supposed to be Nunnally’s champion, not Cornelia’s. Why, Suzaku, why are fighting for them? No, the answer is obvious. It was since the night I rescued him from the gallows. Suzaku surrendered himself to the Britannians even though he knew he wouldn’t get a fair trial. He told me himself-to change Britannia from within, to work inside the system. How could I have missed it? “Zero.” What an arrogant fool I was! “Zero” How presumptuous of me to think Suzaku would stand by my side! “Zero!” The sound C.C.’s voice snapped Lelouch back into reality. When he stopped gazing at the ground and held his head back up, Lelouch jumped back and gasped in fright. He was so taken aback by the revelation that Suzaku was the pilot of the Lancelot that he didn’t notice that he was in arm’s reach of his "friend's" Knightmare Frame. The Lancelot hovered over Lelouch with its hand out to him. However, it was frozen in place. C.C., who was standing between the white Knightmare and Lelouch, kept a hoof on the Lancelot’s foot. Cornelia climbed over the remaining pile of garbage to get a closer look. The Lancelot was stooped over with its arm extending outward as though to pick up Zero. “What the hell is going on? Did that high school student’s power source conk out on us?” She galloped about twenty yards from the entrance and could now see C.C. touching the Lancelot. “Hurry up with your plan. I can’t keep this up for...” Suddenly, the Geass symbol on C.C.’s forehead lit up. She and Lelouch both fell back and neighed in pain. Lelouch’s left eye was a hot coal in his eye socket burning into his skull. “Why now?” C.C. cried out in agony. The Lancelot rolled backwards some and toppled over. Tohdoh ran to Zero, who lying on the ground covering his left eye, and examined him for wounds. “Are you alright, Zero?” He then galloped to C.C. who was also lying on the ground. “What happened?” He then saw the glowing Geass symbol on her forehead and was about to touch it when C.C. inched away. “Don’t touch me!” C.C. yelled. “What’s wrong with you two and what’s that thing on your forehead?” “Behind you,” C.C. cried out. Three horned Britannians were closing in them. Each one was accompanied by a medieval sword that levitated along side them. “Don’t let them kill Zero!” “Don’t worry about him,” one of the horned Britannians taunted. “We’re here to kill Tohdoh.” His sword made a luminous streak across the black background as it flew with the speed of an arrow... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So, you have another trick up your sleeve, Zero?” Cornelia sneered, who witnessed C.C.’s telepathic hold over Suzaku broken. It didn’t take long for Cornelia to figure out why the Lancelot stopped in the middle of capturing Zero. She called out to her troops in waiting. “Kill Zero and the white mare accompanying him,” she ordered. “She has the power to immobilize Knightmares.” The stream of Britannian ponies poured out from the entrance and trailed behind Cornelia who was leading the charge. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While Cornelia’s forces were heading towards Zero and C.C., the three horned Britannians were finding out the hard way why the mundane stallion who Cornelia ordered them to assassinate was so revered amongst the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Tohdoh grabbed the sword between his front hooves, bit into the hilt, and charged at them. The other two swords were thrown at Tohdoh, but the fleet-footed warrior flipped over one and knocked the other away from him. The Britannians frantically jerked their heads around trying to concentrate their powers on Tohdoh, but it was all in vain. All the Britannians could see was the glint of light reflected off the sword mere fractions of a second before the blade passed right through the Britannian on the far right. His head tumbled through the air as his headless corpse twisted and convoluted; a geyser of blood shot out of the stump that used to be a neck for a now severed head painted the remaining horned Britannians dark red. The remaining Britannians tried to draw the two other swords back to them, but it was too late. Tohdoh ran the blade though the side of one Britannian and, at the same time, tackled his victim with enough momentum to push him and the blade into the second Britannian. Both Britannians were skewered on the same blade. “Those heroics won’t do you any good, Tohdoh,” Cornelia yelled out as she and the Britannians stampeded in their direction. The rumble of their hooves could be felt in Lelouch’s stomach. But as they closed in on Zero, C.C., and Tohdoh, the glow of thousands of horns burst forth from the darkness. Out of the shadows came the three remaining Holy Swords leading the ground forces to battle. The stampeding Black Knights ran past Zero and C.C. and intercepted the Britannian forces. Soon, the Black Knights and Britannians were intermingled together in melee combat. Lelouch let out a groan as he sat upright. The explosion that went off inside Lelouch’s head left an excruciating migraine. Hundreds of yells came in all directions hammering into his skull. He cautiously stood up on all fours and slowly opened his eyes. There, before him, were the Britannians and Black Knights in close quarter combat. The battlefield was bathed in the surreal glow of tens of thousands of horned Britannians and Black Knights wielding their weapons. From Lelouch’s vantage point, the crowd inched back and forth. The Black Knights were holding their own, but for how long? They may have the numerical advantage, but Cornelia’s troops are better trained. It may take them awhile, but Cornelia’s forces will eventually erode theirs. Also, the entrance to the Lowline Level was wide open. Even if the Black Knights held their own, Cornelia could call for reinforcements. She hadn’t done so yet because the bulk of her manpower was devoted to perimeter defense and she had the Lancelot. Much to chagrin of Lelouch, the some of his men were fleeing the battle. Lelouch ran as fast as his weak constitution would permit and intercepted some of the deserters. “You cowards...,” Lelouch said while gasping for air, “...you'd abandon your countrymen...in the middle of ba...battle?” “We were planning on doing that anyway,” said one of the deserters before he and others ran off. “Come back here!” “No, we have to abandon our countrymen in the middle of battle like you told us to,” another deserter yelled out as they were fleeing. “Smartass!” Lelouch spat. There were some more deserters running by. Lelouch managed to get them to stop long enough to talk. “And where do you think you’re going?” “I’m not sure,” a horned mare spoke for the group. “Just as long as we get away from here.” The others nodded in agreement. “You’ll do no such thing,” said Lelouch. “Now push the barn fire wagons up to the entrance. I don’t want any more of Cornelia’s men coming to this level.” “Yes sir, we’ll make sure the entrance is blocked off.” “And you, don’t stop fighting the Britannians for anything.” Lelouch said to a Black Knights who stopped in the middle of their desertion to see what was going on. “I’ll keep fighting no matter what,” said the cowardly deserter, and his first target was Lelouch. The deserter charged at Lelouch who narrowed dodged being impaled by the bamboo stick that was tied around the deserter. “What the hell is wrong with you!” “You told me to fight the Britannians no matter what, and I heard rumors that you’re one of them.” The deserter was about to charge when Tohdoh back kicked him. “Have you gone mad!” “I have to fight the Britannians no matter what.” “Get out of here, Zero,” said Tohdoh. “You have a battle to lead.” Lelouch nodded and ran to be at C.C.’s side. Meanwhile, Suzaku awoke inside the Lancelot cockpit. Once again, he was assailed by visions before losing consciousness, but this time they were different. The visions were of cities in the clouds, a castle spiraling out of the side of a mountain, and what looked like two large ponies that were a hybrid of the winged and horned species encircled by six gems with the sun above their heads and the moon beneath their feet. The visions ended with Suzaku, in pony form, being stampeded by pony-like shadows in a background of pure white. When Suzaku awoke, he noticed the cockpit saddle was upright and that he was being held in place by his safety harness. The Factspheres monitor displayed the image of the Low Ground Level ceiling. The Lancelot was on its back. Suzaku toggled a foot pedal, and the cockpit tilted down 90 degrees to the upright position. “C.C.!” Lelouch yelled out to the white mare who was laying in a daze at the foot of the Lancelot. Adrenaline kept his fail body from collapsing from exertion. Lelouch was in a race with the Lancelot, which was getting up. Lelouch managed to reach to C.C. about the same time the Lancelot stood up. “C.C.,” Lelouch yelled while shaking her, “get up. The white Knightmare, it’s...” Lelouch looked up and saw the Lancelot reaching out for him. Lelouch flinched just enough for Suzaku to spot C.C. The Lancelot then pulled its hand away and back off. Just then, C.C. regained consciousness. “Are you able to stand?” Lelouch asked. C.C. nodded. “Where’s the Knightmare?” Lelouch pointed a hoof at the Lancelot. C.C. started galloping towards it when the Lancelot fired the Slash Harken on its wrist at one of Settlement support pillars and hoisted itself up. The Lancelot was about forty feet off the ground; its feet planted on the pillar while being suspended in the Slash Harken embedded into the structure. Suzaku and the Lancelot were out of C.C.’s reach. “Looks like the pilot wised up to our plans.” As C.C. was speaking with Lelouch, Kallen and about fifty winged Black Knights descended in front of her and Lelouch. Three of them carried flashlights in their mouths. “Sorry we took so long, but we had trouble scrapping up flashlights,” Kallen said apologetically. “Kallen, there’s a change in plan.” “You weren’t able to stop the Knightmare?” She asked. “Not yet, but we forced it to a fall back position.” He then addressed the other winged Black Knights. “Swarm the white Knightmare, and knock out the pilot’s Factspheres and auxiliary cameras. Blind the Knightmare and the pilot to open his cockpit. He only has one free arm and no weapons.” “What if he comes back down?” “Then he’ll be right where we want...Hey!” The winged Black Knights had already took off and were about to go on the offensive against the Lancelot. “I didn’t say for you to attack right now.” Kallen grunted in frustration over the lack of discipline in her troops. “Damn rookies. Don’t run off without getting the go-ahead from us!” She yelled at the winged Black Knights who were now encircling the Lancelot. “And tell them not to harm the pilot!” Lelouch called out to Kallen. “You mustn’t issue anymore orders!” C.C. said in a panicked voice. “I don’t have time for your games C.C.” “Your Geass,” said C.C., “it’s permanently activated.” “What makes you think that...” “Your headaches, you and I collapsing at the same time-those are the signs of a Geass gone out of control.” Lelouch hung his head for a moment to let the bad news sink in and then looked back at C.C. “You mean...I’m like Mao? I can’t turn off my Geass?” C.C. nodded. “How long was I out?” “Only a few minutes.” “Do you remember what you said in that timeframe?” “I was reprimanding some of our own for running out on us during battle.” “Anything else? Any order in...” “I don’t have time for this C.C.” Lelouch ran behind a support pillar just out of sight. C.C. galloped alongside Lelouch. “Wait up! Where are you going?” “Stand beside me. I can’t let anyone see what I’m about to do.” Lelouch levitated his knife just above his Geass eye and took a deep breath. “Wait! What are you...?” “Quiet! I have to concentrate.” Lelouch took another deep breath and steadied his nerves. The knife tip slowly pressed his fur-covered skin until the tip penetrated his flesh. An anguished grunt escaped from his mouth as the knife made an incision just above the eye brow. Streams of blood ran down his left side. Lelouch then tore a strip from his cape and wrapped it around the cut covering his left eye. Blood soaked through the fabric. “What’s that for?” “I have to explain why I’m keeping my eye covered. We’ll deal with the unintended commands later. Now keep as close to the white knightmare as possible, just in case it comes down from the rafters. I’ll help Tohdoh with leading the ground troops.” Lelouch trotted off into battle. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cornelia fumed over how badly the battle was going for them. Thanks to Zero’s companion, the Lancelot was out of the fight. He had turned what should have been an easy victim into a drawn-out battle. While she was contemplating her next move, Cornelia saw, in the distance, a group of Black Knights pulling one of the remaining barn fire trucks towards the entrance. “Trying to block the entrance off, are you?” Cornelia sneered. She charged towards the Black Knights and, when she was in range of her telekinesis, levitated them by their necks. The invisible force constricted around their windpipe depriving them of breath. The Black Knights flailed their legs wildly trying in vain to break free. The thrashing slowly died down, and, eventually, their bodies went limp. Cornelia tossed them to the side and galloped away. “Now it’s your turn, Zero.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suzaku was scanning the ground for a safe place to land when he caught a glance of a flock of Black Knights “What the hell!” He blurted out just before both eye cameras went offline. Suzaku heard hooves beating down on metal. Just outside the Lancelot, the Geass-controlled Black Knights were fulfilling Lelouch’s command to blind the Lancelot. The glass over its eyes was shattered. Embers sparked from the busted cameras mounted inside. Some of the recruits were kicking the two Factspheres, which were mounted below the shoulders, with their rear legs. The Factspheres were sturdier than the cameras. Cracks were branching out with each kick, but otherwise they were still functioning. Kallen and a few other Black Knights were taking out the rear-mounted cameras. Kallen smashed one with her front hoof. “The shoulder blade camera is on your left, Koga,” said Kallen. The recruit looked to his left and saw the baseball-size spheroid with a lens protruding from it. He struck it repeatedly with his front hoof until it fell off and then floated over the camera on the other shoulder blade and knocked it out as well. Suzaku, realizing what was going on, immediately retracted the Factspheres and switched to the secondary cameras. Only half of them were still working. The Lancelot swatted at the Black Knights with one hand while the other one was hanging by the Slash Harken embedded into the support column. The Lancelot caught one Black Knight off-guard. The impact with the Knightmare’s metallic arm killed the ill-fated Black Knight instantly. Suzaka managed to hit a winged mare with a glancing blow. She spiraled down in a controlled crash-injured but still alive. Unfortunately, for Suzaku, the rest of the Black Knights were too relentless, too agile to simply bat away. They manage to weave around the Lancelot’s free arm. The onslaught was getting to be too much for Suzaku. He reeled out more line from the Slash Harken in order to put some distance between him and the swarm of Black Knights. The Lancelot propelled down the support column, but just before it reached the floor, Suzaku spotted C.C. waiting for him at the base of the pillar. Suzaku aimed the Slash Harken at C.C. when a green and red streak flashed across his monitor just before a hoof struck the arm camera. Static flashed on the screen for a second before it went black. Suzaku reeled in the line back in pulling the Lancelot back up again. Suzaku then aimed the waist Slash Harken at the roof and fired. The Lancelot swung across the Low Ground Level placing some distance between him and the airborne Black Knights and C.C. As it sped away on its Landspeeders, the Lancelot reached back. The other arm camera was still working. Suzaku watched the Black Knights following him. The Lancelot slowed down just enough to for his pursuers to keep up as he led them away from the main forces. “This is should be far enough away from the Viceroy’s forces,” he said to himself. The Lancelot made a hard 180 degree turn and reached into the containment module. Kallen spotted the Lancelot taking out a chaos mine. “Take cover! He’s throwing a grenade.” Kallen banked and changed course heading for a support column. “No,” said Koga, “we have to blind the white knightmare!” The other winged Black Knights, still under Lelouch’s unintended Geass command, flew into the hailstorm of shrapnel. Kallen watched her troops, the bravest ones under her command, cut to pieces effortlessly by the white Knightmare as she took cover behind the support pillar. The promise she made to them that everything would be okay was broken. She struck the pillar and made a small crack on the surface. The white Knightmare, having taken out this nuisance, sped back to the battlefield. Kallen trailed behind it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite going against better-trained soldiers, the Black Knights were holding their own, at least for now. But it was a race against time. The service entrance to the Lowline Level was still open; the recruits sent to close it off were dead. At any moment, Cornelia could send for reinforcement and overwhelm the Black Knights. And Lelouch knew it but felt powerless to stop their impending doom. All around him was the chaos of close-quarter, hand-to-hand combat. His life was in the hands of the recruits...or was it? He was no longer limited physically by his frail health. The power of mind over matter was his to wield. And for whatever reason, his was heads-and-shoulders above the other horned Black Knights. Lelouch hoisted a Britannian into the air and slammed him into the lead to a V-shaped formation of Britannians that was, up until a moment ago, backing a squad of Black Knights into a support column. The momentary disruption was enough for the Black Knights to charge in and break the formation. The Britannians last but a minute before they were all cut down. “You there!” Lelouch called out to the Black Knights he saved. “Block the service entrance with the barn fire trucks before Cornelia can get reinforcements.” A concerned horned mare looked intensely at the bloodied wrapping over Lelouch’s left eye. “What happened to your eye?” She asked. “I’ll go into details later. Now hurry!” Lelouch ordered. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? “Yes, I’ll be okay. Now stop wasting time!” “Yes sir,” they said in unison. The squad pulled out of battle and headed for the wagon. Lelouch kept watch over them just to make sure they followed instructions. Then, all of a sudden, there was something constricting around Lelouch’s throat. He gasped, in vain, for air but only a whiff made it through. He was being hoisted above the ground. Lelouch then felt his head being forcefully tilted downward until he was staring Cornelia herself in the eyes. Her horn glowed with the same aura as the one wrapped around Lelouch throat. “How do you like it?” Cornelia grinned sadistically. “I learned about the power from watching you destroy that Ganymede. I have you where I want you, you weakling. Clovis will be aven...” Something jabbed into Cornelia’s side. It went through the gaps between the ribs. Cornelia lost her hold over Lelouch and dropped him. The tables had been turned. It was Cornelia who struggled for each shallow breath. But it wasn’t some unseen force smothering her. It was inside of her; suffocating her from within. Cornelia forced the air into her lungs only to convulse into a coughing fit forcing it to split out of her mouth. It was blood that she coughed out. Cornelia was bleeding internally and drowning in her own blood. She looked to her side and saw a horned stallion with a spikey crimson mane and blue coat stained red. His horn impaled into her side. Cornelia could feel her body going cold as she struggled just to stay conscious. “The only one’s going to die is you, you Britannian bitch,” said the horned stallion. He ran to Lelouch’s side. “Zero, you okay, man? What happened to your eye?” “I’m okay Tamaki,” said Lelouch. “Now go help Tohdoh with the troops.” “I can’t leave you like...” “Just go! Now!” Tamaki backed away from Zero. “Alright already,” said Tamaki as he went off to help the other Black Knights to seal off the service entrance. “I was only trying to help.” Lelouch pulled down his mask and trotted to Cornelia’s side. “Cornelia, can you hear me? It’s your younger half-brother, Lelouch.” “I see,” Cornelia whispered. “So, you were Zero the entire time. Darlton was right. He said it was someone who bore a grudge against...against...aga...” Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped over. Lelouch shook her violently. “Cornelia! Cornelia!” But there was no response; no breath, no beating heart, no life. “No,” Lelouch shook his head. “Not now. Not without my answers!” “Zero!” Lelouch recognize the booming voice overhead. It was Suzaku. Lelouch slipped back on his mask and galloped into the battlefield and away the white Knightmare chasing after him. “You’ll pay for all the lives you destroyed!” Suzaku yelled. Lelouch yanked a Britannian soldier into the white Knightmare’s path. The Lancelot swerved out of the way and barely avoided hitting the Britannian. Suzaku activated the Factspheres and scanned the battlefield for Zero. Suddenly, the green and red streak, from before, slammed into the right Factsphere knocking it offline. The green and red streak, Kozuki Kallen to be exact, began kicking the left Factsphere until it too went offline. Immediately, the other cameras began to go out. The right arm camera cut off, followed by the two kidney cameras on the sides just above the waist. The loss in visibility made it even harder for Suzaku to swat at the red and green mare, which made destroying the camera that much easier for the winged Black Knight. The last ones to go were the knee cameras. The Lancelot was now blind. Suzaku slammed a hoof on the control panel. “Damn you, Zero!” He cursed. “No, I’m not going out that easily.” Suzaku descended from the cockpit with the tow cable, when, halfway down, the green and red streak rammed Suzaku in the side and knocked him off. Kallen landed at Suzaku’s side “Surrender, you’re a prisoner of the Black Knights.” She said. It can’t be her, thought Suzaku. "Kallen? Kallen Stadtfeld,” Suzaku asked, “is that you?” “Suzaku? But why?” “That’s what I should be asking you. You’re Britannian.” “I’m Japanese, and my real name is Kozuki Kallen. My Britannian heritage means nothing to me.” “It’s not too late for you. If you surrender now...” Kallen opened her wings. “Like hell I am!” “Then you leave me no choice,” said Suzaku. The two charged into each other. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guilford impaled yet another Black Knight with the tribal Zulu spear tied around his waist. The Black Knight let out a deafening scream before he drew his last. Guilford pressed his front legs against the lifeless corpse and deposited him on the ground with the other Black Knights. “I believe that’s the last of them,” said Guilford as he surveyed the area near the service entrance. “Sir Madison,” he said a horned Britannian knight, “go to the Lifeline Level and fetch the reserves. We’ll finish off these Elevens once and for all.” With his horn lit up, Sir Madison galloped up on the onramp to the level above them. “Hold the service entrance. Reinforcement will be here soon,” said Guilford as he galloped away with a flashlight held firmly between his teeth that scanned the area for his lady. The battle was a maelstrom of ponies fighting for dear life; a jigsaw puzzle of a hundred smaller clashes. It was difficult to distinguish Black Knight from Britannian in the dimly lit level without getting up close and personal. Guilford paused and spat out the flashlight. “Viceroy! Viceroy!” He called out. Guilford resumed his search along the perimeter of the battlefield until he came across a horned mare with a hot pink mane and white coat lying on the ground. Guilford took a second to build up his nerves to confirm his worst fears. Cornelia was lying in a pool of her blood that poured from a gaping wound on her left side. Guilford’s world came crashing down. He had failed his duty as Cornelia’s personal champion. The one person in the world he swore to protect above all others was dead. Guilford fell to knees beside his lady; eyes staring at the lifeless body of his princess in disbelief. Cornelia’s blood stained Guilford’s forelegs. Slowly, as the reality of Cornelia’s murder sunk in, despair gave way to rage. Guilford revved on his hind legs and let a blood-curling neigh that caught the attention of a group of several Black Knights nearby. “Hey, are you okay?” One of them asked in Japanese. Guilford’s only response was to cut them down in a matter of seconds. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “This isn’t looking good, Zero,” said Tohdoh shaking his head. The Britannians had gotten their second wind. In the background, they could hear Sir Guilford directing the battle with the drive and vigor of a fanatic. “Our forces are stalemated, but it can all change in an instance once the Britannians call for reinforcements, and we can’t block off the entrance to stop them.” “Then we have no other choice but get as many of our forces out of here as possible. Order the troops back to Old Tokyo.” “But what about the perimeter defenses?” “Escaping with half of our forces is better than losing them all.” “Coward!” Lelouch and Tohdoh turned their head and saw at the distance Suzaku. At his feet, beaten and bruised, was Kallen. “After coaxing these innocent Japanese into fighting your battle, you’re running away!” “Don’t talk as though we’re naïve children,” Tohdoh rebuffed. “The Japanese won’t make excuses fighting for what believe in.” “I won’t let you escape.” Suzaku galloped at full speed at Tohdoh and Zero, leaped into the air, and performed a spinning round kick. Tohdoh shoved Lelouch out of the way and took the full blunt of the strike. Rips cracked from the force of Suzaku’s hoof. Suzaku was caught off balance. The strike was intended for Lelouch, not Tohdoh. Suzaku hesitated for a split second from the shock of assaulting his old mentor. Lelouch did not allow Tohdoh to sacrifice himself in vain. The full power of his telekinesis was directed at Suzaku. The sudden release of power sent Suzaku flying into the side of a support column. The wind was knocked out of Suzaku’s lungs. As Suzaku struggled to regain his breath, Lelouch levitated Tohdoh and Kallen on the back of two Black Knights and together, they made a strategic retreat. After an exhaustive gallop through the Low Ground level, Lelouch, Kallen, Tohdoh, and the two Black Knights carrying them made it to the Settlement perimeter. “When I give the order, make a run across the perimeter.” “Sir, we can’t,” a winged Black Knight spoke up. It was Tomoya. Beside him was his friend Sunohara. “None of the ones that tried made it out.” It was as Tomoya had said-the number of dead Black Knights lining the perimeter had tripled. It was then that Lelouch realized that either Cornelia or Guilford ordered the perimeter defense to concentrate on the H and I sectors. He should have known this was coming. In the distance were the Britannian forces, whose numbers were being multiplied by the thousands that poured through the service entrance. A flurry of thoughts ran through Lelouch’s mind. Should we stay and fight? No, that would be suicide! I could order these two to fly back up and get reinforcements. There isn’t time for that! Use Geass against the... There’s too many of them to use the power! What if I surrender? Then, I can use Geass to escape later. It would be foolhardy if it wasn’t for the fact that the other alternatives are worse. Surrender is the only option left open for us. “I need a white cloth-a handkerchief or article of clothing will do.” “No! Please Zero don’t!” Kallen, who was still suffering from the injuries inflicted on her by Suzaku and still on the back of that Black Knight, pleaded in a sickly, weak voice. “We can beat them. Don’t surrender.” Lelouch ignored her and took hold of a white undershirt that was, up until a moment ago, worn by a rather shy, self-conscious mundane stallion that was cuddled up trying to conceal the exposed portion of his body. Lelouch walked ahead of the Black Knights and waved the undershirt as their ‘flag’ of surrender. The Britannians stopped in their tracks. Are they trying to decide whether or not to accept my surrender? Suddenly, a spear tore through the white shirt. Ahead of the advancing Britannian forces was Guilford. His eyes burned with hatred. “You think I’ll accept your surrender after murdering the Viceroy?!?” Guilford growled. He then looked over his shoulder. “Take revenge for our fallen princess. Don’t leave a single Eleven alive,” he ordered. “Yes, my lord,” the Britannians said in unison. The stampede of Britannians was heading for the cornered Black Knights. “STOP!” The sound of that familiar voice was enough to cause the Britannian forces to halt their attack. The Black Knights were utterly confused. They could offer no resistance to the overwhelming forces set against them. Yet, the Britannians were ordered to cease their attack. Lelouch knew what was going on-as a Britannian, it was no shock to him that they stopped in their tracks. A dutiful Britannian worth his salt, especially one in the military, would follow orders given to him by a noble, especially a princess. The Britannians were stepping aside to make way for their new viceroy. Euphemia and the two ponies that broke into Ashford Academy, Sorato and Meadow Prancer, trotted along the path cutting across the Britannian army and came halfway between them and the Black Knights. “Zero, I, acting Viceroy of Area 11 Princess Euphemia le Britannia...” Euphemia became choked up at the thought of her elder sister’s passing and wiped away the tears running down her muzzle, “...wish to speak to you on behalf of the Britannians stationed here.” Euphemia took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She pushed her emotions to the side. The luxury of mourning for Cornelia was not hers, yet. Euphemia reminded herself that, if she didn’t act with composure, more Britannians and Elevens...no...Japanese...will die. Lelouch trotted over to the Princess. “And what is it that you wish to say on their behalf, acting viceroy?” Euphemia tilted her head down in humility. “As Viceroy of Area 11, I hereby surrender our forces and the Settlement to you.” There was a commotion amongst the soldiers on both sides. “Please Sub-Viceroy...I meant Viceroy..., do not surrender,” Guilford begged. “What of your sister, the former Viceroy? Permit us to avenge her death.” Euphemia gave Guilford a fowl look. “Cease this talk of revenge, this instant, Sir Guilford. No one else should have to lose their sister.” Euphemia turned away to hide the tears rolling down her muzzle. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The inhabitants of the Tokyo ghettos gathered by the millions in front of the Tokyo Settlements. Lelouch stood over the edge of the Low Ground Level behind a podium. He wore, in addition to his Zero costume, an eyepatch, which had the symbol of the Black Knights etched on it, over his left eye. On Lelouch’s left was the defunct viceroy of Area 11 Princess Euphemia, Suzaku, Sir Guilford, and General Darlton. On his right were his commanding officers, Kallen, Tohdoh, the Four Holy Swords minus their fallen comrade Shogo Asahina, Ohgi, and Tamaki, and two new faces. One was an elderly winged stallion with no mane, a light brown coat, and a mine car filled with ore on his hind quarter. The other was a mundane filly with a solid black mane, light pink coat, and a red and purple paper fan on her hind quarter. The mundane filly stared affectionately at Lelouch. The Lancelot stood behind them. A wire ran from a microphone on the podium into the Lancelot’s cockpit. “I hereby declare our independence from Britannia,” Zero’s voice boomed through the Lancelot’s loudspeaker, “but don’t take this to mean the resurrection of your fallen nation. We will not turn back the hands of time. The new Japan that we will go on to build shall be one broad enough to accept all people, histories, and ideology, where the strong shall not reign over the weak and it will be called the United States of Japan.” A million cheers rang out through the ghettos. The Japanese people were finally free. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Across the Pacific Ocean, on the Coast of Alaska modern-day ships of iron and steel were being refitted with sails of old. Teams of winged Britannians were draping haphazardly stitched canvases along rudimentary mast that were installed on the smaller oceangoing vessels in ports. The beefier ships were ignored by the refit and left out to rust. Teams of mundane and horned Britannians pulled loads back and forth between the refitted vessels. Standing on an adjacent hill and observing the shipbuilders working tirelessly was a rather large, muscular horned stallion. He had white mane styled like the wigs donned by British judges and a red coat of fur. On his back was a blue cape held fast by a gold cord around his thick neck. Beside him was a small horned colt with an orange coat of fur and a platinum blonde mane so long that it dragged along the ground. “I received word over shortwave that the Order of Geass has secured the Thought Elevator in Africa,” said the colt. “That should just leave one Thought Elevator left,” the large horned pony spoke in a deep voice. “That is correct-the one in Japan on Kamine Island. I’ve sent Rolo ahead to secure C.C. for us. By the way, how are the refits coming along?” “Ahead of schedule. We’re able to compensate for our lack of technology with the abilities given to us by these new forms. Also, another twenty thousand workers will be sent here from Seattle by the end of the month. It won’t be long before our fleet will be ready.” “Excellent. Your daughters Cornelia and Euphemia will be eager to see you, little brother.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope you enjoyed Chapter Five of Rebel Against the Night. Now that Lelouch has won the war, will be lose the peace as he struggles to rebuild the world devastated by their overnight transformation as well as keeping the peace between, not only Britannians and Japanese, but also amongst the different kinds of pony? And what plans do Nighmare Moon and Lelouch’s father, the Emperor, have for the Japanese? Find out in the next chapter of Rebel Against the Night. This fic will be on hiatus while I deal with in real life business and some other stories that I’ve been neglecting. How long? Not really sure, but I promise to have another chapter out as soon as possible.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2012-04-24T23:49:21+00:00

2016-11-25T05:43:24+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 6: In Search of a Gentle World The day of the Battle of the Settlement A horned stallion was slumped over his desk scrutinizing a stack of mouth-written reports. He had copper-colored fur and wore a white regal coat adorned with gold shoulder pads that matched his blonde mane. The tapping of hooves outside was growing louder each second and was accompanied by the rattling of chains. The collective noise halted just outside his office and was followed by a knock at the door. “Prince Schneizel, we brought the prisoner as requested,” said a voice on the other side of the door. The regal horned stallion put away the paper work. “Bring him in.” A guard trotted in ahead of a wild-eyed stallion with jumbled red hair and shackles around his front and back legs. The yellow fur coat he sported was pockmarked with sores and slashes. Despite the grueling torture, he could still smile, albeit with a grin that was a cross between sinister and oblivious. Following behind him were two other guards and a portly bald stallion with moss green fur, a tiny brown mustache, and wings dwarfed by his considerable girth. He wore an oversize blue coat and a monocle over his right eye. “As you requested, your majesty,” said the fat winged stallion, “the cult member that was apprehended during yesterday’s raid.” “Bartley,” Schneizel said with a frown, “I gave specific instructions for the prisoner to not be interrogated.” The fat winged stallion quivered. “By the time I reached the prison, the royal interrogators already started. Please forgive me, your majesty.” “It’s all water under the bridge, Bartley,” said Schneizel. “Thank you, your majesty.” “Now wait outside with the guards.” “Please excuse me, your majesty, but I fear for your safety while left alone with this prisoner? Couldn’t at least one guard stay in the room?” “I appreciate your concern, but our guest is in no position to cause me bodily harm.” “Oh, I’m your guest now?” The prisoner spoke up. “I bet you happen to give that order right after they finished torturing me. Let me guess-good cop/bad cop, right?” Bartley galloped around the prisoner and stared him down. “Are you implying his majesty is putting on an act?” “And what if I did? So what?” “You insolent little...” Bartley yelled. “That’s enough Bartley,” said Schneizel. “Take a moment to calm down.” “Right away, your majesty,” Bartley nodded ardently and went out the door. “Now we can speak in private.” “And what was so important that you have to run your guards and fat flank go-for colt off?” “You’re Jonathan Anderson, am I correct?” “No, my name *was* Jonathan Anderson. It’s now Screwloose Grove.” It took every ounce of disciple that Schneizel had to keep from chuckling. “My how...unique. Is it a part of your religion to change your name?” Screwloose nodded his head in response. “It doesn’t sound like they have much respect for you.” “Actually, I picked it myself,” said Screwloose. “Well, Mr. Grove,” said Schneizel, “I was wondering if you could validate or dispel a rumor that started almost immediately after the night of the transformation.” And that rumor is?” “Our more emotionally delicate citizens have, in their search for meaning in this happenstance, has fallen prey to the lure of a charismatic cult leader. According to the rumors, this cult leader is a female and a hybrid of the winged and horned ponies.” “I believe the term you’re looking for is ‘alicorn’,” Screwloose corrected Schneizel. “Our princess is an alicorn.” “Mr. Screwloose, if you provide accurate information on your *alicorn* princess, you will receive a full pardon for your sedition against the Holy Britannian Empire.” “Why do you need me?” Screwloose yawned. “The Great and Powerful Britannian Empire can’t find one little alicorn.” “To be honest, we’re not so sure if she even exists. There has been reported sighting throughout the Empire, even in the capital city. I find that rather difficult to believe given the current state of technology. Tell us, how much truth is there to the existence of this cult leader? There wouldn’t, by any change, be more than one of these ‘alicorns’?” “You wild ponies are so dense.” “Care to explain.” “It never occurred to you why our princess is able to travel around the globe or...turn hairless apes into ponies.” “You believe your leader changed you.” “I don’t believe. I know she did.” “Give me the location of your princess and not only you’ll be a free man, but you will be a national hero.” Screwloose chuckled. “And what would you do if I brought you to her? You can’t hurt a living goddess, Schneizel el Britannia. Your titles are worthless when compared to a deity.” “Then I have no further need of you. Guards!” A few seconds later, the palace guards heeded Schneizel’s call and entered the room. “Have this man sent to the Pendragon Mental Hospital. There’s nothing more to be gain from interrogating this mentally disturbed individual.” “I’M NOT CRAZY, DAMN YOU!” Screwloose screamed as he was being dragged off. “I’D GIVE MY RIGHT HOOF TO SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE WHEN OUR PRINCESS REVEALS HERSELF TO THE WORLD! YOU WON’T BE SO SMUG THEN!” Screwloose’s frantic laughter slowly died down as the guards carried him off. Moments after the guards left with their prisoner, Bartley crept inside. “Good, I’m glad you’re here, Bartley. Have that prisoner under observation at all times. And send a memo to our intelligence agency to send covert agents into the Pendragon Mental Hospital posing as both staffs and patients.” “I mean no disrespect, your majesty, but isn’t he insane? You said so yourself.” “I have my reasons.” Schneizel reflected on the interrogation. “I understand, your majesty.” No, you don’t understand, Bartley. He maybe insane or he may have had contact with a being powerful enough to alter the physical form of billions and to render our technology useless. Real or not, if this rumor spreads, it will create panic in the Empire, and if real, then we must hunt down and capture their leader or kill her, if such a thing is possible. In either case, it is better to discredit him as a bedlam than to label him as a traitor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The night after the Battle of the Settlement Inoue beamed with pride. The winged mare trotted with her muzzle held up as she, Sugiyama, Yoshida, Minami, and Kallen made their way through the vast expanse of streets covering the High Ground Level. The Settlement, the monolithic structure that towered over all of Tokyo, the ever present reminder that the Japanese were a downtrodden people, was now under their control. The Viceroy’s Palace was slated to be the Black Knights’ new headquarters. Tomorrow morning, the rising sun would greet a Japan free from the yoke of its foreign oppressors. And tonight would be a night to celebrate, or at least that’s what Tamaki claimed. Inoue had no idea what the brash horned stallion had in store for them except that it would take place in front of the palace gates. The founding members of the Black Knights were greeted by a group of horned and mundane recruits gathered around banquet tables with lit candles set at their four corners. In the center were bottles of wine. Most of the wine was the libations usually consumed by the commoners. However, the table at the very front had the best vintages that money could buy. There wasn’t a bottle that wasn’t worth less than twenty thousand yen, or at least back when a yen was worth anything. The night dazzled from the neon light show beaming from some of the horned ponies in the crowd. One of the spotlights, rather than pointing up into the night sky, was directed at Inoue and the others. “Yo!” Tamaki called out as he pushed his way through the crowd. Shadows passed in and out of the beam as ponies walked through the light emitted from Tamaki’s horn. “Over here, guys.” “Is this what you were planning?” Inoue asked. “Damn straight it was. I’ll finally get to throw that shindig for the recruits I’ve been planning. You like what you see?” Tamaki smiled mischievously. “I reserved this table especially for you guys.” Tamaki pointed to the wine bottles. “I found this in the Viceroy’s cellar. Best wine Britannia has to offer.” Tamaki shined his light on the others again and frowned. “I thought I told you to bring the guys from the airborne divisions.” “We would have,” said Sugiyama, “but we didn’t know what we were bringing them to. You kept it a secret from us.” Tamaki rolled his eyes. “Oh whatever. And how come Ohgi’s a no-show? And where’s Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords?” “Ohgi’s already in the bed asleep,” Minami scoffed. “You know he’s still in recovery.” “And what about Tohdoh...and the Four Holy Swords?” “They’re making funeral arrangements for Asahina,” said Sugiyama. “He was killed in the attack against the White Knightmare.” Kallen scraped the ground and snorted in angry directed at her “treasonous” classmate Suzaku. “Something wrong, Kōzuki?” Tamaki asked. “No, nothing’s wrong,” Kallen lied. “Then in that case,” said Tamaki. He took hold of a champagne bottle by his teeth and nudged it against Kallen. “I’m underage, Tamaki.” Tamaki put the bottle down. “Oh live a little, Kōzuki. I won’t tell if you won’t,” Tamaki smiled. “I think I’ll turn in early.” Kallen spread her wings and flew off. “Don’t be a stick in the mud!” Tamaki yelled at the sky. “Oh well, more for us.” Tamaki bit the bottle by the top, tilted it up, and gulped down the vintage wine. The others did not share Kallen’s temperance against alcohol consumption and helped themselves to the wine set out before them. Two months as ponies had given them enough time to adjust to handling objects without hands. Though they appear to be out of place amongst the libations, the teacups were a practical necessity. The mundane and winged Black Knights could open their mouths wide enough to hold the teacups between their teeth. They needed only to tilt their muzzle upward and let the wine trickle down their throats. Sugiyama was on his third drink when a mundane stallion with a dark green mane and orange coat said over his shoulder, “nice wings you got there.” Sugiyama was feeling a little self-conscious. He didn’t swing that way, after all. “Yeah, thanks,” he said with as much indifference as he could feign. “I bet you put’em to use flying off to safety while leaving us ground troops to die.” Now Sugiyama was pissed. “Excuse me.” “No, I won’t excuse you. While you were hiding in the clouds, that white Knightmare was mowing us down. My kid brother was cut in two by that Knightmare’s oversize scythe.” “I’m sorry to hear that, but we weren’t responsible...” “Go to hell, flyboy!” “Hey guys, save it for the Brits,” said Tamaki. “We took care of the Brits, no thanks to you winged ponies.” There were a few nods of agreement in the crowd. “Don’t you dare talk to him that way,” said Yoshida. The irate mundane stallion directed his anger at Yoshida too. “Just who side are you on, anyway?” “Sugiyama and I fought against the Britannians long before you came around. A recruit has no right to talk to his sempai that way.” “You can both go to hell for all I care.” “Say one more word against any of us and I’ll...” “Let me handle this, Yoshida,” said Sugiyama. Against his better judgment, Yoshida cautiously backed away to let his friend ‘handle’ it himself. “Yeah, I wanna see you handle it without any help from your babysitter, flyboy,” the mundane stallion said mockingly. “You better think this through because the last thing you should want is a piece of me.” Tamaki jumped between the mundane stallion and Sugiyama. “Hold your horses, will ya? We’re all Black Knights.” “Those good-for-nothing flyboys don’t deserve to be called Black Knights,” said the mundane stallion. “I’m no deserter.” Come on, guy, don’t be that way. Let’s just put all that behind us and have some drinks.” The mundane stallion sidestepped Tamaki and slammed a hoof against Sugiyama. Then Yoshida mule kicked the mundane stallion. Then some of the other recruits jumped in the fight. They pounced on Yoshida and Sugiyama. It was about to break out in the full blown street fight when Tohdoh and three remaining Holy Swords pulled the pile of recruits off Yoshida and Sugiyama. “Just what the hell has gotten into you?” Tohdoh yelled. His authoritative tone, homed by nearly two decades in the military, was intimidating enough to take the fight out of the recruits. “We came here looking for Kōzuki and, instead, found you having a street brawl. A day hasn’t gone by since the Britannians were defeated, and we’re already fighting each other. You’re all a disgrace to your nation.” “But those flyb...” “You’ve said enough already soldier. Now go back to your barracks.” With that order, Tamaki’s little get together ended in shambles. “And you two,” Tohdoh scolded Yoshida and Sugiyama, “I expected more from Zero’s top lieutenants.” “They kinda got jumped,” said Inoue. “They can speak for themselves.” “It’s true,” said Yoshida. “That guy had something against the air divisions and took it out on Sugiyama,” he said pointing the mundane stallion that started the fight. The mundane stallion was at the banquet table and about to get another drink when Tamaki crushed the teacup under hoof. “Lips off my booze!” Tamaki yelled. “This is why we can’t have a nice little get together. If you held your liquor, this won’t have happened.” “I’m not drunk.” “Yes you are. You’re an angry drunk, and you got all pissed and picked a fight with my friends.” “You there!” Tohdoh stared down the mundane stallion. “You’re coming with me before you pick another fight.” The mundane stallion shook his head emphatically. “You’re not locking me up are you?” “Yes, we’re locking you up. Now do you want to make it harder than they already are?” Tohdoh looked at Tamaki. “And what do you have to say for yourself?” Tamaki backed away. “Don’t look at me like that. I tried to keep a fight from breaking out.” Tohdoh looked back at Inoue. “Is that true?” Inoue nodded. “Clean this mess up and go back to the barracks.” Tohdoh and his Holy Swords escorted the mundane stallion to a holding cell. Tamaki sighed and took some few more gulps from the champagne bottle. “Man, I’m depressed.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four days after the Battle of the Settlement Lelouch was in his office going over the casualty reports with Diethard and Ohgi when there was a knock at the door. “Yes, who is it?” Ohgi asked. “It’s me-Kōzuki,” Kallen replied. “We’re kind of busy right now. What do you need?” “Our Britannian liaison is demanding to speak with Zero and being a royal pain in the ass about it too.” “Let her in,” said Zero. Kallen trotted into the room with Princess Euphemia. The former sub-viceroy of the former territory of Britannia bowed her head as an offering of respect to Lelouch. “Princess Euphemia,” said Lelouch. “Are you here about the Britannians’ food rations?” Princess Euphemia shook her head. “You’ve been more than generous with the food rations. I wish to have a private conference with you, Zero.” “Whatever you have to say to Zero, you can say it in front of us,” Kallen said forcefully. “Kōzuki,” said Lelouch, “I will grant Euphemia’s request for a private audience.” “But why...” Kallen gasped. “You’re can’t trust...” “You worry too much.” Lelouch said reassuringly. “The princess wouldn’t be so foolish as to harm me in our own headquarters.” “Zero said he’ll be okay,” said Ohgi as he placed a comforting hoof on Kallen’s shoulder. “Come on, we have to do inventory checks on the equipment we confiscated from the Settlement.” “Yeah, I guess,” Kallen sighed. Lelouch peeked out the door and watched Kallen, Ohgi, and Diethard disappear around the corner of the hallway. “Have they left?” Lelouch nodded. “We’re alone now." Lelouch locked the door. "What was it that you wanted to speak to me about?” “Lelouch, it’s you, isn’t it?” Lelouch pulled down his face mask. “I had a feeling that was the reason why you came, Euphie.” Euphemia ran over to Lelouch and nuzzled against him. “Oh Lelouch, I’m so glad to finally see you face to face.” Euphemia ran her hoof over Lelouch’s mane. “Your hair hasn’t changed.” “Nor has yours, dear sister. Tell me, do you feel any ill-will towards me?” Euphemia lowered her head. “That’s why I waited so long to speak to you as your sister. Lelouch, tell me the truth-how did my sister die?” Euphemia was trembling. Her eyes were tearing up. “What do you mean?” “Did you...kill her in cold blood?” Lelouch shook his head. “Cornelia died in the heat of battle.” Lelouch shivered as Euphemia rested her cold, tear-drenched cheeks on his back. “Oh thank God,” Euphemia cried. “I don’t think I could bear the thought that you’d...” “...maliciously take her life? As I did Clovis’s?” Euphemia nodded. “I know this sounds selfish, but you, Nunnally, and Suzaku are all the family I have left in Japan. I don’t know if I could confide in you if you did.” Euphemia wiped her face and sniffed. “Oh dear, I got your back all wet.” “It’s nothing to worry about, Euphie.” Lelouch levitated some tissue paper off his desk and wiped off. “Have you been to see Nunnally, Lelouch?” “Not as much as I wish. Every now and then, I manage to slip away from my men long enough to speak with her briefly. I’ve been seen partially unmasked. If I go back as Lelouch, I risk my true identity being discovered.” Euphemia then turned her attention to Lelouch’s eyepatch. “Your eye? How bad is it?” Lelouch immediately pulled away from Euphemia and shielded his left eye. “You can’t look at it. The doctors told me to keep it covered at all times.” “I wasn’t going to pull it off, Lelouch,” said Euphemia. Lelouch eased his front leg away from his eye. “Is it permanent?” Lelouch nodded. “The doctors said there was a small chance my eye would return to normal but not to count on it.” Lelouch looked to the side for a moment to collect his thoughts. “Euphie, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.” “Yes, Lelouch?” “Since Japan lost all of its sakuradite, we’ve been without power and...” Euphemia sighed as she listened to Lelouch. “If this is about the alternative power source we used in the Lancelot, the answer is ‘no’. I can’t give you that information.” “It would make life easier for both the Japanese and Britannians.” “...or it can be used as weapon. I’m sorry Lelouch, but I can’t risk you having that technology.” “I understand.” “I know people are suffering with the loss of technology, but the new power source is too easily abused to permit either you or father to have it.” Then the oddest thing happened. Out of the corner of Euphemia’s eye, the minute hand on the wind up clock setting on Lelouch’s desk shifted angles instantly. She could have sworn it was twenty minutes after two, but instead, now it was twenty-five minutes till three. Euphemia rubbed her eyes. "Did you get something in your eyes?" Lelouch asked. "No, but I could have sworn it was twenty after two." “Time seems to fly doesn’t it, Euphie?” Euphemia giggled. “I guess that means we had fun right?” “Oh one more thing, Euphie,” said Lelouch. “My classmates from Ashford Academy will probably be under your care. Please, do your best to keep them safe.” “I’ll do my best to keep an eye on them.” Lelouch smiled. “Thank you, my dear sister. You are my only link between them and me.” Euphemia embraced her half-brother one last time before departing. About a minute later, Diethard, Ohgi, and Kallen walked back inside Lelouch’s office. “Has Euphemia left?” “We saw her passing by,” said Ohgi. “Why did you ask?” “I have discovered the identity of the Britannian scientists that created the white Knightmare’s alternative power source.” All three of Lelouch’s subordinates were in shock. “How did you find out?” Diethard asked. “I have an informant working inside the viceroy’s palace. It is of the utmost importance that we find them and do so without Euphemia’s knowledge. Their names are Earl Lloyd Asplund, Cecile Croomy, and Nina Einstein. Kallen was aghast. “Did you just say, ‘Nina Einstein’?!?” “Do you know her?” Kallen had to sit down just to take the shock that her timid classmate was one of the technical geniuses that nearly gave Britannia victory in the battle for the Tokyo Settlement. “Nina’s a classmate of mine. She’s on the student council with me.” “Excellent. We can use that to our advantage. Get in touch with the other members of the student council and see if they know of Miss Einstein’s whereabouts.” Beneath his mask, Lelouch had a smile a mile wide. I never would have imagined that our little Nina Einstein was capable of such brilliance. Thank you, Euphie, for not only giving me the keys to a new energy source but also a weapon of unprecedented power. With this ‘atomic bomb’ in my hands, crushing Britannia will be child’s play. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Three weeks after the Battle for the Settlement Sorato was emotional drained. Princess Euphemia assured him that they have accomplished much but the mass graves that he kept visiting out of some need for self-mortification said otherwise. There were more bodies in those shallow pits than there were ponies in the hometown he grew up in. The last few nights have been one staring at the ceiling contemplating on what he could have done differently to save those lost ponies. Sorato was glad Meadow Prancer didn’t get wind of his little incursion. She would have pitched a fit and accused him of being morbid and trying to guilt himself into a suicidal depression. Since the Black Rebellion, it was Meadow Prancer’s sworn duty to get him out of his funk. “Quit dragging your hooves, Sorato,” said Meadow Prancer as she shoved Sorato from behind. “Ouch!” Sorato jolted forward. “Watch the horn will ya?” Meadow Prancer grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.” “Don’t be sorry. Just stop poking me.” “I can’t help it. You’re dragging your hooves. The local watering hole will be closed before I get a chance to wow all the stallions with my fancy new outfit.” Meadow Prancer’s komodo had roses of various colored etched on the white fabric. “Yeah, nice robe...ouch!” Sorato yelped again, but this time Meadow Prancer bit his tail and yanked on it. “What did you do that for?” Meadow Prancer pointed a hoof at a bar with a hastily put up sign written in kanji. “We’re here.” The two trotted in and was greeted by the stench of alcohol. Japanese ponies sat around elegantly carved oak wood tables sipping their drinks while conversing among each others. Meadow Prancer and Sorato were greeted by an earth pony stallion that was tending to the bar. “Welcome to the Tenshi Lounge,” said the bartender. “Is there anything you’d like to drink?” “Got any salt lick?” Meadow Prancer asked. The bartender had a confused look on his face. “If you mean a Lick Sip and Suck, I can’t help you. We don’t have Tequila. All we have is homebrewed sake.” Sorato leaned over and whispered into Meadow Prancer’s ear. “These ponies still think like apes, remember.” “I guess I can try that.” “And what about your boyfriend?” The bartender asked. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Meadow Prancer objected. “He’s a just a friend, that’s all” “The same as her,” Sorato grumbled. The bartender poured the sake into two saucers. “That’ll be 900 yen.” Meadow Prancer placed a 1000-yen bill on the counter. “Keep the change.” She then turned her attention to Sorato who was staring into his cup. “Having fun watching your drink?” “I’m not in the mood right now.” “Well, you need to get into it. You’ve been a real buzz kill since the Black Knights took over.” “Well, excuse me for letting a little thing like a half-million dead ponies get me down!” Meadow Prancer averted her eyes away from Sorato and sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that I’m worried about you.” She then leaned over and whispered into Sorato’s ear, “I can ask the princess to assign some other pony...” “No, I have to see this all the way through. I can’t just trot away from this mission, and you know it.” Meadow Prancer tapped Sorato on the shoulder and pointed to a corner of the bar where everypony was gravitating towards. “Wanna see what’s going on over there?” “I guess,” Sorato shrugged. He downed his sake in one gulp before he and Meadow Prancer left the bar. In the center of the crowd was a voice that was somewhat familiar. “...when I finally found Zero, that Britannian bitch Cornelia was choking him to death,” said Tamaki. He made choking noses while pressing his fore hooves up to his neck. “So, I was like ‘let go of Zero you Britannian bitch’. Cornelia was practically throwing everything but the kitchen sink. Knives were flying at me from all directions, but yours truly was too quick for her. I weaved around her attack, closed the distance, and,” Tamaki then tapped on his horn, “ran her right through the heart.” The young mares nuzzled up to the big war hero who had a lecherous smile on his face. “Don’t be shy, ladies. There’s plenty of Tamaki to go around.” “His ego’s as inflated as that unicorn from...” Meadow Prancer whispered into Sorato’s ear before noticing the death glare he was giving Tamaki. “Umm...Sorato?” “He’s quite the character isn’t he?” The earth pony bartender was standing beside Meadow Prancer and with an amused expression on his face. “Is he the guy that killed the viceroy?” The bartender nodded. “He’s kind of a celebrity-been here everyday since we opened and never had to buy his own drink.” “Can we leave, Meadow Prancer?” Sorato fumed. Normally, Sorato’s partner would have rebuked him for blurting out her pony name, but in his state of mind, Meadow Prancer decided to let it slide and get him out of there before... “What’s with your friend?” An indignant mare asked. All eyes were focused on Sorato, including Tamaki’s. “I remember you.” Tamaki said pointing to Meadow Prancer. “You’re the bimbo that was looking for Zero.” Tamaki pulled away from the table and got in Sorato’s face. “And you? You’re Euphemia’s messenger boy.” Meadow Prancer nudged Sorato to the side. “Yeah, and we got our message to Zero despite your best efforts to stop us, genius.” “Well, it didn’t matter because the Black Knights took over the Settlement anyway.” “Didn’t Zero surrender to Euphemia, and you only won because she didn’t let the Britannians finish you off.” Tamaki gritted his teeth. “Who asked you, punk?” He then turned his attention on Sorato. “And you, I don’t like the way you’re looking at me. You got a problem or something?” “I got a problem with anypony that brags about hurting others ponies.” “‘Hurting other ponies’?!? What the hell are you talking about?” “He means Viceroy Cornelia,” one of the other Japanese ponies spat. “You people-how can you celebrate another pony’s death?” Then Sorato said to Tamaki, “and you-was the free booze worth killing for?” “My wife is dead because of the Britannians,” said another Japanese pony. “How dare you get holier-than-thou with us? Who the hell do you think you are? “I’m sorry that your wife was murdered but celebrating somepony’s death only makes finding peace harder.” “I don’t get a damn about them!” The angry stallion had to be held back by his drinking buddies. “I’m hope Cornelia is burning in hell.” Meadow Prancer tapped on Sorato’s shoulder. “How about we call it a night?” “How about you don’t?” Tamaki sneered as he shoved Sorato. “Are you a Britannian or some honorary race-traitor?” “For the last time,” Sorato said as he spun around and mule-kick Tamaki across the room. “I AM A PONY!” Meadow Prancer teleported to a safe distance away just before the room broke out in an all out brawl. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sorato was alone with his thoughts in his holding cell. The future for these ponies looked so bleak-so much death, so much bloodshed. Worst of all, the ponies here revel in it, though these feelings did not come about in a vacuum but, instead, fostered under a decade of brutal oppression. He knew why the Japanese hated the Britannians, but the hatred begets more hatred. In the end, the Japanese ponies were being harmed by their own cold, unforgiving hearts. He yearned for the princess to sail through the globe on her alicorn wings and put a stop to this insanity once and for all. Sorato’s meditation was broken by the sound of keys jingling as a prison guard attempted to fit one key through the lock after another until coming across the right one. “Your Britannian master wants you?” The jailer said in a disparaging tone. Sorato followed his jailer through the cellblock and through a pair of double-doors where they greeted by Lelouch, Meadow Prancer, Euphemia, and Suzaku. “Sorato!” Euphemia yelled out. She and Meadow Prancer gave Sorato a group hug. “When I heard you were in jail, I came here as soon as I could.” “You’re certainly a sight for sore eyes.” “Sorato,” said Lelouch, “is it customary for pacifists to pick fights?” “I’m sorry I kicked your Black Knight.” “Only my Black Knight?!? For one who has such a disdain for conflict, you are quite the fighter. You were the only one left standing despite being outnumbered eight-to-one. Tell me, how did learn to handle yourself in a scuffle?” “I just do.” Lelouch then addressed Meadow Prancer. “And you-Aida Akeno, isn’t it?” “Yep, that’s my name- Aida Akeno,” said Meadow Prancer. “Don’t wear it out.” “Your ability to teleport is impressive. Perhaps you should consider serving the USJ as a Black Knight.” Meadow Prancer titled her muzzle as though the very offer was an insult. “Not interested in joining you bozos. Besides, I think we did more than enough for you anyway. If it wasn’t for Sorato and me freeing Euphemia from that General Darlton guy, the Britannian army would have slaughtered you.” Meadow Prancer smirked as she watched Lelouch focus on her with a hateful glare. “And don’t think I am ungrateful for your help. In fact, it’s the only reason why I don’t leave your friend here to rot. Just don’t push your luck and get into any more barroom brawls.” Lelouch brooded as he trotted pass Meadow Prancer. “I have other business to attend to.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch telekinetically opened the lock to Tamaki’s cell, which stirred the Black Knight from his peaceful slumber on the dirty mattress scrawled across the floor. Tamaki immediately stood up on all fours and galloped to Lelouch’s side. “Oh man,” said Tamaki with admiration for Zero in his eyes, “you don’t know how happy I am to see you.” “I have a feeling you won’t happy with me for very long. What’s this I’m hearing about you reading messages meant for me and then destroying them?” Tamaki looked like the proverbial child caught with his hand in the cookie jaw. “I was worried the Brits would make you change your mind about taking over the Settlement...” “I don’t need you making decisions for me!” Lelouch yelled. “Furthermore, since I formed the Black Knights, have I ever given any indication that my resolve for liberating Japan was wavering? Well Tamaki?” “No,” Tamaki mumbled. “Yet you thought I might if had I read the letter from Euphemia. Since I can’t trust you to hand over vital information to me, I’m demoting you to platoon sergeant.” “Aw come on! How about cutting me some slack?” “I am ‘cutting you some slack’ in light of the fact that you did save me from Cornelia. Otherwise, I would have booted you out of the Black Knights for that little stunt. Instead, you can spend some time learning how a platoon commander is supposed to act.” Tamaki held his head down. “Oh, alright. You win. So, who’s taking my place?” “Katsuragi Keima.” Tamaki’s ears went limp. “Not that snob Katsuragi.” “Yes that snob Katsuragi...unless you want to quit the Black Knights.” Tamaki sighed. “No, I don’t.” “Then it’s settled. You’ll report to Katsuragi tomorrow morning as his chief NCO. If you ever hope to regain your old position, then you’ll give Katsuragi your full cooperation.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Six weeks after the Battle of the Settlement The Black Knights comb the streets looking for Britannian flags, pictures of the Emperor and of other members of the royal family An hour later, Britannian citizens filled the streets of the High Ground Level of the Tokyo Settlement with the Black Knights were performing crowd control. Unfortunately, for the students of Ashford Academy, the gymnasium was made into one of the processing centers which placed them first in line for being on the receiving end of Zero’s plans. The students were mixed in teachers and their families members. And just outside the gate were thousands of Britannians full of trepidation of what the future will hold for them. Lelouch trotted up to the podium with a megaphone floating beside him. As he took the stage, the Black Knights pulled a trough full of mud to Lelouch’s left. One Black Knight carried a paint stand. Another one trailed behind with a picture of the Emperor Charles zi Britannia in human form. Two more carried a map of Japan tacked to a board, and the remaining Black Knight carried a rolled-up flag in his mouth, which he unfurled and placed on the stage. Lelouch levitated the megaphone up to his mouth. “Citizens of the Holy Britannian Empire, I, Zero, have come here to make you an offer.” Lelouch pointed to a small island between the two lower main islands on the map. “A refugee camp has been set aside for you on Shikoku Island until transportation back to your homeland can be arranged. Because you have oppressed the Japanese, it is only fair that you’ll receive a taste of the hardship you forced them to endure. However, if you wish not to be confined to the refugee camps and remain in Tokyo, albeit in the ghettos, you must denounce your Britannian citizenship and become a citizen of the United States of Japan. To show that you are no longer loyal to Britannia,” said Lelouch as he pointed to the mud trough, “you must soil your hooves, walk on the Britannian flag, and spit on this portrait of the Britannian’s tyrannical emperor.” There were gasps throughout the room. “I’ll die before disrespecting the crown,” said a mundane mare. A horned stallion in the front row screamed out, “Go to hell, Zero!” Tamaki leaped off stage and got in the winged stallion’s face. “You better watch your mouth.” Tamaki said as he revved up on his hind legs and shoved the stallion with his front hooves. “That’s enough!” Lelouch ordered. The tension between the Britannians and Black Knights gradually simmered down. “You are free to choose, but my advice to you is to swallow your pride and embrace this new brotherhood of man that I am offering to you. And if you should change your minds later, we will have a facility set up on Shikoku Island where you can take your loyalty test to the USJ, but if you wish to avoid being sent to the refugee camp, you will denounce your Britannian citizenship right away. You won’t have another chance to take the loyalty test in Tokyo.” Slowly some of the Britannian ponies began making their way out of the crowd. “Gretchen, please don’t do it.” A young mundane stallion cried out to the winged mare who was heading on stage. “Give it a rest, Alex,” said the winged mare, “no one from the homeland is coming for us.” “Wait a moment,” Zero ordered the Britannian mare. His hooves clattered as he jumped off stage and landed on the floor; the noise reverberated unimpeded through the dead silence of the room. In the far back, Nunnally raised a hoof. “Yes, young lady, you have something to say.” Nunnally nodded. “I want to be a part of the gentle world that you’re creating in Japan.” Suddenly, Milly busted into the gym and hastily galloped over to Nunnally. “Wait!” Shirley and Rivalz followed Milly inside. Dammit! What the hell are they doing here? “May I help you, young lady?” Lelouch asked while pretending to be a mature adult talking down to a teenager. Milly completely ignored Lelouch and focused her attention on Nunnally. “You don’t want to do this. Are you doing this because you think Lelouch is still somewhere in Tokyo?” “Milly,” said Nunnally, “I’ve made up my mind, and you can’t stop me.” “Were you not with the first group that was given the choice between being a part of the USJ or staying loyal to Britannia?” Lelouch reminded Milly. “As I recalled, you chose to remain with that worthless dominion.” “I’m not leaving my friend alone to fend for herself in the ghettos. That’s where you’ll send her isn’t it?” “Milly,” said Nunnally, “I’ll be staying with Sayoko.” “But she’s an Ele...Japanese. What makes you think she’d want to...” “Kallen?” Kallen stepped forward. “Yes, Zero?” “You will be staying at the compound we’ve set up in the Viceroy’s palace. Is that correct?” “Yes sir, it is.” Lelouch then pointed to Nunnally. “Are you familiar with this young lady? Were you not were a former student of this school?” “Yeah,” Kallen said nervously. “I know her.” “Would you mind sharing a room with Sayoko and this young lady?” “Sure, why not?” There were whispers among the Britannians and Black Knights, much of it was distain over Zero making an exception for this crippled Britannian and allowing her to stay in the Settlement. “If that is your only concern,” Lelouch said to Milly, “then you need to make preparations to go to the refugee camps.” “Then I changed my mind.” “Is that so?” “You said it yourself, Zero-we can change our minds at anytime and join the USJ.” “I also said that choice only goes one-way. Once you denounce your country, you would never be accepted as a Britannian. Also, I believe it is this young lady’s choice whether or not to associate with you.” Lelouch leaned over Nunnally’s wheelchair and turned it around until his back was turned from the audience. “Do you want anything to do with these so-called friends of yours?” Lelouch then tapped Nunnally. Nunnally tilted her head down and away from Milly and the others and frowned. “No, I don’t. In fact, I’m never speaking to you again. So don’t renounce your citizenship on my account.” “If your friend was the only reason why you’re choosing to become part of the USJ, then you might as well remain a Britannian. And because she doesn’t wish any contact with you, I would not permit you to go near her.” Milly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re right. Rivalz, Shirley, we’re leaving.” “Without Nunnally?” Rivalz objected. “I know why Nunnally is going with Zero,” Milly whispered just loud enough by her two classmates, but I have to tell you and Shirley in private.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Both the Britannians that remained loyal to the homeland and those that chose to throw their lot in with the newly christened United States of Japan, were required to vacate the Settlement and to make room for the Japanese who would be moving in. Rivalz and Milly were in Shirley’s room helping her pack. A string of suitcases were tied together by single cord threading the handles. Milly telekinetically wrapped the remaining length of cord around Shirley’s waist and tried in vain to tie the cord in a knot only to have it come apart on her. “Dammit!” Milly snapped. “Whoever said telekinesis is better than using hands was an idiot.” “Let me try,” said Rivalz who somehow managed to finish the knot Milly started with just his lips and teeth. “How did you...” Milly asked in utter bewilderment. Rivalz held his muzzle up. “It’s because I’m awesome.” “Beginners luck,” Milly retorted. “Don’t you think it’s kinda weird that Zero is letting Nunnally stay with him?” Shirley asked. “No, it isn’t,” said Milly in a solemn voice. “It makes perfect sense.” “So, you know about Lelouch, too?” Shirley asked. Rivalz looked back and forth between Shirley and Milly. “What are you two talking about?” Milly took a deep breath and said, “I think Zero pressured Nunnally into denouncing her citizenship. Zero has Princess Euphemia under his thumb and I think he’s also keeping Lelouch as a prisoner in order to force Nunnally to stay in Tokyo.” “Hold it!” Shirley interrupted. “Let me get this straight: Zero is keeping Lelouch imprisoned?” Milly nodded. “The truth is-Lelouch and Nunnally’s last name isn’t Lamperouge. It’s Britannia. Lelouch and Nunnally are the children of the Emperor and the late Lady Marianne, and Zero’s keeping them as hostages.” Rivalz shook his head in disbelief. “You gotta be kidding?!?” “That’s not possible!” Shirley objected. “Hush!” Milly hissed. “I waited for your roommate to pack up and leave before I told you for a reason. Please, I know it’s hard to believe Lulu is royalty but it’s true. After the invasion, Lelouch and Nunnally came to my family and we took them in the hopes that someday they’ll be reinstated back into the royal family and, as a result, the Ashford family would regain its noble status.” “No, you don’t understand Milly.” Shirley trotted over to her nightstand while dragging her luggage along with her. She took out a piece of paper and laid it in front of Milly and Rivalz. “What’s this?” Milly asked. “I found it behind the dresser. I think I wrote it.” Rivalz raised an eyebrow. “‘You think you wrote it’?!? How did you manage to write a letter and not remember it?” “I don’t know, but it’s in my handwriting.” “You couldn’t have written this,” Milly objected. “I did write that.” “Without hands?!?” “What’s in the letter?” “Read it yourself, Rivalz.” “LELOUCH IS ZERO!” Milly press a hoof against Rivalz’ muzzle. “I told you to keep it down.” “Now, what’s this about Lelouch being Zero?” Rivalz asked. “The royalty thing is hard enough to swallow.” “All I know is that I have a note in my handwriting telling me that Lelouch is Zero and that,” Shirley then held her head down, “he’s responsible for my father’s death.” “Shirley, you’ve known Lelouch for years. He wouldn’t get involved with the Black Knights.” “Just like Kallen?” Shirley retorted. “Kallen is half-Japanese,” said Rivalz. “That sort of makes sense that she would be a Black Knight, but not Lelouch, and it makes even less sense that Lelouch is their leader.” “And another thing-I don’t remember Lelouch. You were asking me why I was playing strangers with him. Well, I wasn’t. I really don’t remember anything about him. Even my memories of Nunnally don’t have Lelouch in it, and he lives with her. I think he did something to me to make me forget and I wrote that note before it happened.” “And how would Lelouch do that?” Milly asked. “It would have make more sense if he erased your memories *after* the transformation when he became a horned-type. Plus, you still haven’t learned how to write with your mouth, Shirley.” “So, this has to be written before the transformation.” “Which begs the question-how Lelouch erased your memories of him?” “Oh none of this makes sense,” Rivalz grumbled. “Actually, now that I think about it, Lelouch being Zero does. The few times we spoke about his father, he never had a kind word to say about him. No, that’s an understatement. Lelouch always hated his father. At least his motives make sense.” Just then, there was a knock on the door. “It’s me, Kallen. Can I come in?” “Why not,” said Milly with a disgusted look on her face. “It’s not like we have any choice.” As Kallen was opening the door, Shirley realized the note was left out in the open. She snatched it up and disposed of it in the waste basket. Kallen, as far as Shirley could tell, didn’t take interest in the discharged paper, which was a relief for her. Kallen glared at Milly and said in a spiteful voice, “so that’s how it’s going to be-treating me like the bad guy?!? Well, I won’t apologize for being a Black Knight.” “Don’t mind Milly. She’s just upset over Nunnally, that’s all. We’re glad you came over to check on us,” said Shirley trying to reassure their former classmate. She then winked at Rivalz. “Oh absolutely; glad you drop by.” “You need help packing?” Kallen asked. “I packed everything I’m taking with me to Shikoku. Maybe Milly and Rivalz could use some help.” “So, where’s Nina?” Kallen said while scanning the room. “So, that’s why you’re here,” said Milly. “What’s that suppose to mean?” Kallen asked. “We heard the rumors about the Knightmare Frame that you Black Knights fought against and that it used some new power source that a high school student came up with. I doubt it’s a coincidence that our little Nina was ordered to the Viceroy’s palace about that time.” “Are you saying I’m only here because...” “As a matter of fact, yes, I am. You only care about your friends when they’re of use to Zero?” “I knew it was a mistake coming back here,” Kallen grumbled as she stormed out of Shirley’s room. “Good riddance! We don’t want you around anyway!” “Milly, why?” Shirley asked in a confused tone of voice. “Why would you say such a thing?” Tears rolled down Milly’s eyes. “Lelouch, he doesn’t care about us. He was using us for cover until he took over and now he’s tossing us to the side.” “I hope you’re happy, Shirley.” “Me?!?” Shirley objected. “What did I do?” “That note can’t be for real. You fell for someone’s prank and now you got Milly...” “It’s not a prank. I know for a fact I don’t remember Lelouch. He had to have done something to me.” “Rivalz, don’t be stupid.” Milly said while wiping away her tears. “Shirley has to be telling the truth, just like I was when I told you Lelouch is a part of the royal family. It doesn’t matter one way or another who Zero really is and if Lulu has anything to do with him or is Zero. Let’s just put it behind us now and move on.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seven weeks after the Battle of the Settlement Two caravans of ponies stretched as far as the eyes could see. Each caravan walked parallel to the old Shinkansen rail line but in opposite directions-one heading to Tokyo, the other away from it. Between them were a smaller group of ponies donning leg bands with the emblem of the Black Knights imprinted on them. Ponies from both groups carried their belongings on their backs or hitched to makeshift wagons, grocery carts, and wheel barrels. A little foal on the edge of the caravan heading to Tokyo rubbed his nose on her mother’s leg. “Mommy,” he said in Japanese, “why can’t we go back home? Modoka said we were never going back home.” “Tatsuya, you don’t want to go live in the Settlement?” The little foal shook his head. “Tatsuya, the Settlement will be so much nicer than that shack we lived in. Our new home won’t have holes in the roof and we won’t be cold during the winter and...” “Hold it one damn minute!” A young Britannian stallion yelled. “Don’t think I don’t understand your Eleven gibberish.” He ran across the divide between the Japanese and Britannian ponies. “We built the Settlement. Your worthless mud race wouldn’t have anything if it wasn’t for us.” The mare snatched up her foal and pushed her way deeper into the caravan. As the mare was fleeing, a mob of Japanese ponies split off from the caravan. A mundane stallion ran ahead of the mob. “You built your Settlement on land stolen from the Japanese,” he said. “Every brick in that settlement came from Japanese soil. We’re only taking back what’s rightfully ours.” Suddenly a flock of winged Black Knights descended upon the rioting ponies and began to push them back toward their respective caravans. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two months after the Battle for the Settlement The exodus of Britannian ponies stopped to rest near the shore of the Japanese city of Kobe. About a mile away from the encampment was the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. Once they crossed the two-kilometer long suspension bridge, they would go on to Awaji Island, which was linked by a bridge to the larger Shikoku Island. Suzaku combed through the crowd of sleeping ponies forced to lie on the wet grass. The journey wore the Britannian refugees enough that even the discomfort of the cold, moist dew-covered grass couldn’t keep them awake. However, there were a few early bird that awoke to greet the rising sun. Suzaku couldn’t help but to notice that the Britannians no longer eyed him with suspicion. As a pony, so long as he didn’t speak and reveal his Japanese heritage with his accent, he could blend in with the Britannians. Suzaku walked for about an hour until he was on the outskirts of the encampment where he caught sight of a horned mare standing on a rocky hill staring eastward. As the first rays of morning illuminated the coast, the silhouette faded away and, in its place, was Princess Euphemia. Her long flowing pink mane danced in the wind. “Euphie,” said Suzaku called out as he galloped to her side, “what are you doing out here?” “Watching the sun rise out of the ocean or at least that I was planning on doing, but the sun is coming up over land.” “That’s because the Seto Inland Sea is south of us. We would have to be on the eastside of Japan to see the sun rising over the ocean.” “I know that now, Kururugi Suzaku,” Euphemia pouted. Suzaku couldn’t help to giggle at the princess. “I can’t help it. I’m not familiar with this part of Japan.” Euphemia turned her muzzle away from Suzaku and brooded for a few second before getting over her initial embarrassment. “So, what are you doing up so early?” “Lord Guilford was worried. He woke me up and asked me to look for you.” “Forgive me,” Euphemia apologized, “but I needed some quiet time to think things over.” Euphemia gazed at the top of the sun peeking just above the horizon. Euphemia gazed “It’s still a pretty sky even the sun isn’t rising over the ocean.” “It is nice to look at. Euphie, I know this isn’t the best time to bring this up, but I...probably shouldn’t be your knight.” “But why? This isn’t because you’re Japanese, is it?” Suzaku shook his head. “Not all. It’s because I assaulted Cornelia’s soliders. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flashback The guard that winked at Cecile shook his head. “Not to worry. Once we kill these three,” he said pointing to Lloyd, Cecile, and Nina, “there’ll be plenty of room for us.” Nina hid behind Cecile quivering in fear. “What do you mean ‘kill these three’?!?” Suzaku said in disbelief. “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Suzaku?” Lloyd asked rhetorically. “They’re not our guards; they’re our executioners.” “We have orders from the Viceroy herself to kill these three just in case the Settlement defenses are breech,” the guard gloated. “We were just waiting for the earl to finish working on the Knightmare.” “But I can get you all to safety.” Suzaku objected. “It’s unnecessary.” “And let the Viceroy find out that we didn’t carry her orders out right away? Now step aside and let us do our job.” “But we won’t be able to get the Knightmares working if you kill them.” “And if the Elevens get their hands on them, they could destroy the empire with that new power source of theirs...unless that’s what you want them to do, Eleven.” “I’m a loyal soldier of Britannia. I would never...” “Then let us do our duty. We can’t waste time arguing over three Britannians. Think of the millions that will die because you insisted on letting them live.” The guard took a perverse gratification from the mind game he was playing on Suzaku. “If their deaths upset a soft-hearted Number like you, then imagine how you’d feel if the terrorists got their hands on this top secret technology.” Suzaku was at a crossroads-friends or duty; protect innocent life at the risk of the safety of the Empire. He looked back and forth between the closest thing he had to family and the soldiers. His eyes finally rested on Lloyd. “Well, Suzaku,” said Lloyd solemnly, “will you follow orders and leave us to die?” Nina gripped Cecile around the waist and quaked with fear while Cecile stroked Nina’s cheek in order to comfort her. Lloyd seemed more stoic as he knew this day was coming. He closed his eyes expecting the worse. “Okay, Eleven, step aside so we can hurry up and get out of here,” the guard ordered. Suzaku did not respond. “Don’t tell you lost your ner...” The sadist horned guard’s command was cut short by a spinning round kick. Suzaku then grabbed the horned guard by the mane and slung him at the other horned guards. They were taken off their hooves and left dazed. Cecile, then pushed Nina to the side, and used her telekinesis to tie two of the guards to an adjacent Knightmare. Suzaku made short work of the remaining guards. Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. “Remind me to never make fun of you for saving lives in a middle of a battle again.” “Help me get them inside the containment module,” said Suzaku who were too busy to respond to Lloyd’s banter. “We’re not leaving anyone behind.” “But they’ll try to kill us if we do,” Nina cried. “Not if you tie them up,” said Suzaku. “I...I...don’t know...” Suzaku stamped his foot. “Nina, I can’t just leave them here. Look, I put you out in separate locations. Now help me get them to safety.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ End of Flashback “So, now you know why I shouldn’t be your knight. Not only did I disobey orders, but I assaulted Cornelia’s guards and helped scientists working on a top secret project escape and potentially fall into Zero’s hands.” “You thought I wouldn’t accept you as my knight because of that?” “But I disobeyed orders.” “And I’m glad you did,” Euphemia smiled. “One of the scientists was a classmate of yours and Lelouch’s. I don’t want to even think about you doing otherwise. Suzaku, this may not be a part of Britannian military protocol, but don’t ever take part in any order that causes harm to innocent people. In fact, I insist that my personal champion be willing to disobey orders to protect the innocent. I, Princess Euphemia le Britannia, command you to protect the innocent even when it goes against any futures orders you may receive.” Then Euphemia chuckled. “That was a bit over the top wasn’t it? I almost sound like Zero that time.” “Oh please,” Suzaku snickered, “don’t make the comparison. Zero’s such a ham. He’d be a laughing stock if he wasn’t a threat.” “Suzaku, I hereby command you to love me.” “Yes, you maj...wut!” Suzaku was caught off guard by the abrupt change in subject. “I love everything about you, Suzaku. I love your stubbornness, your kindness, your strength, your sad eyes, your way with cats. I’m commanding you to love me, and in return, I will love you forever.” “You don’t have to command me to love you. I already do.” Suzaku stroked Euphemia’s mane. “You’re all I care about.” Then, out of the blue, Euphemia reached over and kissed Suzaku on the lips. “Euphie!” “But you said you would love me, didn’t you?” Suzaku rubbed his hoof against his lips, which still tingled and had the taste of Euphemia’s lips on it. “It was just that you caught me off guard.” “Oh,” said Euphemia looking down. “I didn’t mean to impose on...” Euphemia’s apology was interrupted by Suzaku’s lips pressed against hers. “There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Sunlight flowed around Suzaku and Euphemia as they nuzzled against each. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ohgi thought being an arbitrator for the civilians would be an easy task compared to fighting for dear life against the Britannian occupation forces, but that’s like saying Chinese water torture isn’t torture. The short terrifying moments of dodging enemy fire was replaced with the mind-numbing drudgery of bureaucracy and dealing with a frustrated public. It wasn't life-threatening, but the job was tedious and frustrating. Ohgi’s task for today included settling a discrimination case. A complaint was made against Sakura Trail Apartments in one of the Old Tokyo ghettos. The woman who was filed the complaint was supposed to meet him in front of the twelve-story apartment complex. There, standing beside a billboard with the words “BRITANNIANS WELCOMED INSIDE” was a mundane mare with a bright orange coat. She wore her long brown mane in a beehive and sported oversize glasses with a red frame and round lenses. “Excuse me, ma’am, are you Sakurai Ryoko?” Ohgi asked. The mare nodded. “I’m so glad you’re finally here. I thought bigotry was behind us in the new Japan.” “Well don’t worry, ma’am. The USJ has no tolerance for prejudice. By the way, my name is Ohgi Kaname, Black Knight civilian liaison.” Ryoko smiled. “Please to meet you, Mr. Ohgi.” “Just lead the way.” Ohgi followed Ryoko through the lobby and then stopped at the administrator office. A gray, portly horned stallion with a brown mane and mustache slung the door open and stared down Ryoko. The mundane mare backed against the lobby wall; her legs trembled. “Just what the hell are you doing back here?” The portly horned stallion pointed at Ohgi and then back at her. "Did you bring your boyfriend too?” Ohgi was impressed by how fluent this Britannian was in Japanese. “My name is Ohgi Kaname, and I’m the Black Knight civilian liaison. I’m here on behalf of Sakurai Ryoko. She claims that you discriminated against her because she’s Japanese. You Britannians never learn, do you?” Both the horned stallion and Sakurai Ryoko looked cockeyed at Ohgi. “Did I say anything wrong?” “I don’t take kindly to false allegations.” “I’m sure Ms. Sakurai has something to say to the contrary.” “But I’m not being discriminated for being Japanese.” “Mr. Ohgi,” said the horned stallion, “I’m Japanese.” He then pointed to an office desk plate with the name ‘DEMEGAWA HITOSHI’ written in kanji. “Your complaint said you were being discriminated against over your race,” Ohgi said to Ryoko. “I am. Mr. Demegawa only wants to hire horned-types.” “It’s not racial discrimination. I need someone who can write.” Ohgi then looked to Ryoko who said, “I can write. Let me show you.” She first took a notepad out of her backpack and then a pin that she held between her teeth. She then wrote her name down, first in kanji, then in hiragana, and the finally in romanji. Her penmanship was superb. “I don’t see a problem with how she writes. Most people are still re-learning.” “She’s using her mouth! It's disgusting!” “Mr. Demegawa, most people have to use their mouths.” “Well not here they don’t.” “That’s not your decision to make. When the USJ was started, we vowed to stamp out all prejudices.” Demegawa stamped his hoof. “It’s not prejudice not to hire someone for their disgusting habits.” “I’m sorry sir, but you’ll have to get used to it. If you don’t hire this woman, the provisional government will have no choice but to levy fines against your business. Is that understood?” “Fine, I’ll hire the nasty woman,” Demegawa said as he stormed out of the apartment complex. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check up on her,” Ohgi called out. Demegawa was in an alley sulking. “I wasn’t picking on her because she didn’t have a horn. I just don’t want to work with someone slobbering on everything.” “Oh you poor dear, I know what you’re going through,” said a mysterious feminine voice. Demegawa looked around the alley. “Who said that? I don’t take kindly to people mocking me, especially Britannians. Don’t think that I give a damn about your kind just because I let you people rent.” “Why would you think I was mocking you?” She said in a sultry voice. It was then a horned mare with a white coat, blonde hair, and three gold bars on her hindquarter slink her way into the alley. “And I’m no Britannian either.” “Oh right, the loyalty tests, I almost forgot.” “You and I have a lot in common,” said the horned mare. She tapped her horn and then ran her hoof down Demegawa’s. For someone so hung up on drool, Demegawa had it running down his chin as he was captivated by the special attention the horned mare gave him. “We have powers that the other two races don’t. Why should we have to hold ourselves back? To spare their feelings? To shelter them from facing the fact that not all ponies are created equal? They shouldn’t be barking orders to their betters, just like that mundane from the Black Knight. And you know the only reason why he made you hire that nasty woman was because he’s just like her.” “Who are you?” Demegawa asked. “I'm Odessa Stadtfeld.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four months after the Battle for the Settlement “Diethard,” said Lelouch as he flipped through the stack of reports, “I would like to go over a few things with you.” “I thought you would,” Diethard replied. “That’s why I’ve been loitering around HQ.” “I noticed some discrepancies. For one, the projected crop yields are rather optimistic. In fact, they’re actually slightly higher than what would be expected with modern farming techniques.” “I was skeptical as well, but then I investigated it myself. Crops are actually growing at an accelerated rate. But interesting enough, this phenomenon only occurs on land farmed by the mundane-types. Crops yields from land cultivated by winged and horned-types are those expected from subsistence, pre-industrial age farming. We should seriously consider assigning all agricultural duties to the mundanes.” Lelouch frowned underneath his mask and huffed. “Mundane-types grow the crops, winged-types control the weather, and I suppose us horned-types are the artisans of the three. I wonder if we’ve been turned into ponies or members of an insect hive. Do we still have free will or are we just merely cogs in the machine?” “The latter,” said Diethard, “though it’s been that way long before our transformation. Human society has always had specialized roles.” “But not on a biological level; not like this,” Lelouch countered. "Not to mention the hindquarter symbols. It typifies our social status.” Lelouch said in a frustrated tone. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. We have more important matters to deal with, specifically, returning power back to the Tokyo Settlement.” “The horned Japanese are working around the clock to replace the sakuradite high capacity grid with copper wiring. We’ll lose much of the power from the solar collectors in waste heat now that we don’t have electricity distributed through a superconducting grid, so only a fraction of the Settlement’s power will be restored until extra capacity can be built into the system.” “That’ll be sufficient so long as we have power available to vital functions like the water reclamation system for the *Japanese* moving into the Settlement.” Lelouch placed emphasis on ‘Japanese’. “The Britannian population won’t be too happy about it.” “They’ll have to make due with the ghettos.” “They’re already opposition against your plan to only allow Japanese to live in the Settlement.” “Let them whine. It’s not like they can do anything about it.” “We should give an explanation why a nation founded on ending discrimination is discriminating against former Britannians.” “The Settlement is on land stolen from the Japanese, and they have first priority over the available living space. Tell them it’s penance for their past transgressions.” “And speaking of Britannians, how did your talks over shortwave with the Empire go?” “All I’ve gotten from them is saber-rattling. They don’t recognize the USJ and that I and the rest of the treasonous Numbers will be executed for our sedition against the Empire. We should make plans to create a naval defense force just in case Britannia go through with its threats. Also, our air divisions should scour the clouds just in case the Empire attempts an aerial sneak attack.” “I’ll get right on it.” “Oh, by the way, there is one other thing I wish to discuss with you. Diethard took a deep breath and readied himself for a tongue lashing. “Is it about the population initiative?” “Give the people time to adjust before pushing them to resume marital relations. They’ve spent only a few months in their current form. It’s too soon to ask people to give up their physical revulsion to...that sort of union.” “The morality of *that* sort of union has changed when our forms were altered.” “I know that Diethard, but knowing it as a fact and accepting it on an emotional level are two different things.” “I’m not a sexual deviant. I don't revel in the concept, but there are societal ramifications to take into consideration. There’s also been a 50% increase in the divorce rates among Britannian and Japanese couples. Societies can not survive a breakdown of the family unit.” “You can start an initiative encouraging couples to stay together, but nothing more. Let’s wait and see if there is a long-term drop in the birth rate before we go further. The end of next year should be enough time.” “Yes sir, I understand.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The dilapidated buildings of Shikoku Island were packed with refugees huddled together for warmth in the chilly autumn nights. Hundreds of shivering Britannian ponies laying side by side. Some of the piles of dried leaves were empty of a pony body. The bleak prospect of being abandoned by the homeland drove the ponies back to the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge from which they walked into the waiting arms of the Japanese sentries. There, all they need to do is disrespect the crowd, trample on the Britannian flag and swear their allegiance to the United States of Japan. The desertions were met with both outrage over their treason and relief that there were less Britannians to feed and shelter. A hoof nudged Rivalz and stirred him from his sleep. “What gives, Chief?” Rivalz yawned. “It’s not morning yet.” “I have to use the restroom.” Rivalz waved his hoof dismissively at Milly. “You have my permission to go.” “I’m not going by myself, not after what happened to that girl last night.” “Something happened last night?” Rivalz asked. “A girl was raped and murdered. Her parents said she went out in the woods to use the restroom. They found her body the next day.” “Man, you need to do this stuff before going to bed.” Rivalz got up and brushed off the strands of grass caught in his fur. “I can’t help it Rivalz.” Milly said in a flustered voice. “I have to go when I have to go.” "One or two?" "One." "Oh good, it's only number one. Let's go." The two crept out outside and stopped in front of a back alley. “I think I see a storm drain in there. Stand guard for me *and* no peeking.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever-just hurry up, will ya?” Milly disappeared into the alley while Rivalz waited in the front. While Milly relieved herself, several stallions came out of hiding. Rivalz partially opened his wings before he remembered Milly was still in the alley. Also, there were a few winged ponies with them. “Whatcha doing out so late, kid,” a mundane stallion said mockingly. They were close enough that Rivalz could see the predatory expression his face. “Oh it was getting stuffy so I came out here to get some fresh air.” “All by yourself?” The mundane stallion asked. Rivalz nodded. “Yeah, sure I did.” “Don’t lie to us. We saw your little girlfriend go into that alley.” The mundane stallion called out to Milly. “Come on out or else your little boyfriend’ll get hurt.” Milly slinked out of the shadows one hoof at a time. “Good,” the mundane stallion sneered, “we won’t have to come after you.” As the other stallions seized Milly, the mundane stallion kicked Rivalz in the head. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen flew through the Black Knight headquarters with a piece of paper clutched between her front hooves. A look of desperation was on her face as she darted from doorway to doorway calling for Zero. While she was looking in a supply room, a familiar voice called out from behind. “Where’s the emergency?” Kallen looked behind and saw Sugiyama flying behind her. “I need to talk to Zero, immediately.” “What for? Is it that serious?” “It is for me.” “What is it?” “It’s personal, Sugiyama.” “I saw Zero going into your room.” “What is he doing in there? Does he know?” “Know what?” “I can’t explain. Gotta go.” Kallen flew out a window and headed for what used to be the servant quarters for the Viceroy’s Palace but was now the barracks for the high-ranking members of the Black Knights. She landed on the steps and ran the rest of the way since the barracks didn’t have the high ceilings of the Viceroy’s Palace/Black Knights headquarters. In the front of the door was her roommate Sayoko. She was a mundane pony with cyan fur, brown mane, and three kunai, Japanese throwing knives, on her hindquarter. “Sayoko, where’s Zero? I need to speak to him.” “One moment, please,” Sayoko peeked in the door for a second. “He’ll be out in a minute.” “What the hell is Zero doing in our room?” “I’m sworn to secrecy.” “That’s our room, Sayoko. What goes on in there is my business.” “I’m sorry, Miss Kōzuki, I will not tell nor will I permit you to enter.” Kallen hoof-palmed. “Of all the insufferable...either tell me why Zero is in our room or...” Kallen paused for a second when she remembered that she had a second roommate. “Is Zero talking to Nunnally?” “I already told you that I’m sworn to secrecy. Please do not ask me again.” As Sayoko was speaking, Lelouch walked out of the room. “This has better be important, Kōzuki.” Kallen was shocked to hear that tone of voice coming from Zero. “Why were you in my room?” “That’s none of your concern. Now tell me why you’re bothering me.” Had it been some other stallion snooping in her sleeping quarters, Kallen would have taught them not to invade her privacy the hard way, especially if he acted as though he was the offended party. Then again, Zero was not just any stallion. “I would like to ask for emergency leave.” “What for? Was there a death in your family?” “Not my family, but two friends of mine.” When Kallen said that, Lelouch tensed up for a moment before he steadied his nerves. “Two of my classmates were attacked last night.” “What were their names?” “Rivalz Cardemonde and Milly Ashford.” Lelouch felt his heart jumping out of his chest. He turned his back on Kallen long enough to regain his composure. No, they were supposed to be safe at Shikoku Island. Euphemia promised me that she would keep them safe. No, don’t blame her. This is my fault. I pressured them to go into exile until the tension between the Britannians and Japanese simmered down. Had I only kept them from leaving Tokyo... “Zero,” Kallen asked, “are you okay?” Yes, I am. Now tell me what happened to your classmates?” Tears began rolling down Kallen’s muzzle. “Milly was raped and Rivalz is in a coma.” “They’re Britannians. Are they in the Tokyo ghettos or Shikoku Island?” “Shikoku Island. Another classmate of mine sent the message.” “Emergency leave won’t be necessary. I have business that I have to attend to on Shikoku Island, and you can accompany me there. Arrange to have three of your squads to be mine and C.C.’s escort. Also, have the airlift equipment ready. Sayoko, bring Diethard here, immediately. I don’t care what he’s doing.” “We’re flying you all the way to Shikoku?” Kallen asked. “Do you not wish to be by your friends’ side as soon as possible, Kōzuki?” Kallen nodded in earnest. “Absolutely.” She galloped off heading for the barracks. A minute later, Sayoko was back and was accompanied by Diethard. “Diethard, I’m making a last minute change in my schedule. Tohdoh is meeting with the northern resistance factions in Hokkaido. So, I’m leaving Ohgi in charge. You will assist him in all civilian matters.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “The answer is ‘no’.” Ohgi gave Diethard a crossed look. It was the first morning that Zero was gone since the Night of the Transformation, and Ohgi was feeling loss without him. He had forgotten what it used to be like during the old days when Zero would abruptly appear and disappear. That lost feeling was worse because now Diethard wanted him to act on his own without orders from Zero. “It isn’t discrimination,” Diethard objected. “Well, what am I suppose to call an order replacing the horned and winged farmers with mundanes?” “It’s called playing to the strengths of your subordinates.” “They’re not subordinates. They’re civilians.” “They’re civilians clamoring for jobs, and now they’ll have it.” “What about the horned and winged farmers?” “They can live off of rations, which will have in surplus if the farm work is taken care of by the mundane-types. Look, we have to make up for the loss in crop yields caused the loss of technology and we’re late in the growing season. Mundane-types have a synergistic effect on crops that rival 21st century agricultural technology.” “But Zero said we’ll have enough for everyone, both Britannians and Japanese.” “Barely enough”, Diethard replied. “What if people panic and horde food? Or there’s another disruption? A high margin for error insures that no one will go hungry, and you want that don’t you, Ohgi?” Ohgi was full of contradictions. Diethard was right. Rice production has just reached the pre-transformation night levels after months of dismal yields. If more mundane ponies could increase yields, then a famine could be adverted. But it would also mean setting up a caste system based on their pony form. It wasn’t fair to the Japanese who didn’t ask to be transformed into ponies let alone their particular form. But would it be right for them to starve? No, it wouldn’t. Millions wasting away in the cold of winter with bare cupboards was the worse of the two evils. They would just have to put up with it for now. “I suppose this one season wouldn’t hurt. Once we get enough food, then things can go back to normal.” “Yes, I suppose,” said Diethard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matsuyama was the largest city on Shikoku Island and was the capital city of the Ehime Prefecture which covered the southern most portion of the island. Since the relocation, it has become the home for the Britannian Self-Governance Administration, the ruling body and bureaucratic entity that presides over the refugee camp on Shikoku Island. Zero, C.C. and their escort of winged Black Knights glided above Matsuyama and observing how time and neglect had left the city in shambles despite being relatively unscathed by the invasion. As they were flying over head, they passed by a castle that dated back to the feudal era. The Black Knights began to make their descent when Zero pulled on the reigns. “Don’t land yet,” said Lelouch. “We’re taking a bit of a detour.” “But why?” Kallen, who was flying next to Lelouch, asked. “That’s where the Britannian princess isn’t it?” “It is, but we were making better time than I thought. We’re a few hours early, so we’ll stop and check on your friends.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen peeked inside the room where Milly was staying during her recovery. Milly was lying in bed and was staring at the ceiling. Her face was swollen. Stitched up cuts pockmarked her body. There were bald patches in her mane where her attackers grabbed her and yanked too hard. At her side were Shirley and Suzaku. “May I come in?” Kallen asked. “Of course you can, Kallen,” said Shirley. “That's why I sent the message.” “Milly, it’s me-Kallen. I came to check on you.” Milly did not reply. In fact, she did not respond at all. “Who did this to you? Tell me so I can...I can…” “She won’t respond. The doctors say Milly is in a catatonic state. She doesn’t speak or move...except at night.” Shirley choked back the urge to break down in front of Kallen. “She’s screams at night. Milly is screaming for them to stop.” “What about Rivalz?” “Rivalz passed away while you were on your way,” said Shirley. Kallen rested her head on the back of Shirley’s neck while Shirley stroked Kallen’s mane. “Is this the gentle world you and Zero were fighting for, Kōzuki Kallen?” “Not now, Suzaku,” Shirley mumbled to herself. Kallen lifted her head up and focused her eyes on Suzaku. “That’s a cheap shot.” “Well, tell me. Where is that gentle world Zero killed all those people for?” “Don’t blame us. There’s no one here but Britannians and their honorary lapdogs. This world is Britannia’s.” “You don’t know, do you?” “Know what!” “They were attacked by Black Knights-the very Black Knights guarding the bridge to Shikoku Island.” “That’s a lie!” “We caught them in the very act. They already beat Rivalz into a coma and were in the middle of gang-raping Milly. We even have one in holding and we’re not letting him go without...” “WILL YOU TWO PLEASE STOP IT!” Shirley screamed. “Stop your bickering, both of you! Just because Milly isn’t responding doesn’t mean she can’t hear you. She has to know we still care for her.” Shirley began to weep. “But she won’t if you two are too busy tearing each other apart over politics. Please, please just stop already. Milly needs you both.” Unbeknown to Shirley and the others, Lelouch was outside their door listening in on them. He ducked into an empty room to mourn for his lost classmates, but it wasn’t long before grief gave in to rage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch and C.C. were escorted to the holding cell by Guilford, Darlton, and a guard. “...while I am more than willing to hand down a harsh punishment for these terrible deed,” said Lelouch, “there must first be due process.” “There are more than a dozen eyewitnesses, the ones that saved Ms. Ashford, who saw your Black Knights sexually assaulting the young lady,” Guilford pointed out. “It’s not much of a trial.” “It is in the world I created. I’m negotiating with the princess to have this alleged Black Knight released into my custody and to be put on trial in Tokyo.” They stopped at the holding cell on the far end of the building. “Like hell you will!” Darlton swore. “You think we’ll trust any court ran by the likes of you?” “You have the gall to question my integrity after the war crimes committed in the name of Britannia? You forfeited your right to judge us with your mistreatment of the Japanese. And despite this, we have given you rations to live off of until you can become self-sufficient.” Darlton and Guilford was silenced. “As I thought...now open the celldoor.” In the center of the room was a mundane Black Knight tied to a chair that was in front of a table that had a notepad and a cup of cold coffee left there by the last interrogator. After C.C. and the guard entered the interrogation room, Lelouch closed the door behind them and spoke to the guard as he peeled the eyepatch away from his Geass eye. “Guard,” Lelouch ordered, “you will stand in place and not react in anyway to what happens in this room for the duration of this interrogation. You will forget what you saw. If anyone asks, the only answer you will give is one that collaborates with my testimony. Is that understood?” “Yes, of course,” the guard replied. The mundane stallion looked at Zero and the guard in bewilderment, not knowing how to make sense of their conversation. He then felt tingles running along his four legs. The ropes that bound him to the chair were telekinetically being undone. “What is your name soldier?” Lelouch asked. “Corporal Sawanaga Taisuke,” the mundane stallion replied. “Corporal Taisuke, the Britannians claim you are a rapist and murderer. Is that true?” “Absolute not, sir!” Taisuke said forcefully. “These Britannians will say anything to smear our reputations.” Lelouch then let out a malevolent chuckle. “Cut the act, Corporal. You’re amongst allies. There’s no need to carry on this façade.” Taisuke twiddled his hooves nervously and looked around the room. “But I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t do those horrible things they’re accusing...” He then focused on the guard and C.C. “What about them?” “The girl is with me.” “And the guard?” “People can’t tell the difference between Japanese and Britannians anymore. He won’t talk because he’s one of my spies. I have to keep tabs on the Brits somehow.” It was then the veil of innocence was dropped revealing the sadistic beast hiding within Corporal Taisuke. “That Brit bitch and her boyfriend got what was coming to them,” Taisuke boasted as grinned with self-satisfaction. “My buddy Makoto remembered them from the loyalty tests we gave at that school. When he saw them on one of his aerial patrols, he told me and I knew we had to teach her and her boyfriend a lesson for talking back to you. So, when it was my turn to guard the bridge, me, Makoto, and my buds trotted into town and put that Brit couple in their place. Though, to be honest, those two weren’t my first.” Then Taisuke chuckled and said with a sense of pride, “most of the Brits we killed took the loyalty test thinking we would let them roam around Japan. Boy, were they in for a surprise.” It was at that moment the table and chair began to shake. Taisuke looked at Zero and saw a hateful stare burning through him. No you bastard! They weren’t supposed to be harmed. Then the shaking stopped as abruptly as it started. “Just joshing you, Corporal,” Lelouch said jovially. Taisuke took a deep breath and let his tensed up body relax. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” “You thought I was going to kill you, didn’t you?” Taisuke nodded and laughed at himself for being scared by Zero’s ‘joke’. “You had me going for a second. I can’t believe I fell for it. I always knew that talk about being knights for justice was a crock. I mean, why you would care if we had fun with the Brits?” “It’s not like those two Britannians you assaulted were my closest friends or anything, right?” Taisuke stared at Zero with a perplexed look for a moment and then broke out laughing. “That’s a good one, sir.” Taisuke’s laughter came to an abrupt end when Lelouch ripped his cape and splashed himself with the cold coffee. “Actually,” Lelouch said with a voice quivering with rage, “they were my friends, you bastard.” Taisuke jumped out of his seat and backed away, but that would do him no good. Lelouch peeled away his eyepatch and said, “Lelouch vi Britannia has for you the following command.” “What are your orders, sir?” Taisuke said under the sway of Geass. “You will write a signed confession to the rapes and murders you committed as well as the names of your cohorts. You will also write down the name of the commanding officers, if any, who had knowledge of your criminal activities. When you are done writing, bust out of this interrogation room and run behind the building. There, a jug filled with kerosene and a butane candle lighter will be waiting for you. Douse yourself with the kerosene and ignite it, and then your task will be completed.” “Yes, I understand.” As Taisuke was writing down the confession, Lelouch shattered the cup and levitated a shard up to his forehead. The shard cut a gash just below Lelouch’s horn. Lelouch backed up to the wall and as Taisuke finished writing his confession and made his dash out the door, Lelouch levitated the table and smashed it against the wall. A few seconds later, Darlton ran into the interrogation room. “What the hell is going on!” Darlton yelled. “I...I...was attacked...by Taisuke,” Lelouch said in a sickly voice that he faked as a part of the ruse of being physically assaulted by his Black Knight. “How did he get loose?” Darlton demanded an answer from the guard. “I...I...don’t...” “I let Taisuke loose,” Lelouch interrupted. “What were you thinking?” “I wanted to gain his trust. I managed to get him to confess to his crime and to name his accomplices. But then he turned on me and attacked. Must have been a last second change of heart.” As Lelouch was speaking, another guard stuck his head through the doorway. “General Darlton, we found the prisoner.” “Where is he?” “He ran to the back of the building and...set him on fire.” “I’ll deal with you later, Zero,” said Darlton before he galloped off with the two guards. “Lelouch,” said C.C., “by telling that man his Geass command ended the moment he set himself on fire, he’ll be fully conscious while being burned alive.” “That’s exactly what I wanted.” “An execution wasn’t good enough, Lelouch?” Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the outrage from the otherwise stoic girl. “No, it wasn’t. It’s my insurance policy.” “Your ‘insurance policy’?!?” C.C. repeated Zero’s cryptic answer. “In case there is no god to condemn him to Hell. I was making sure he’ll at least burn in this life.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch was exiting Milly’s room when a mundane mare with strawberry blonde mane and an apple-green coat stepped in his path. “Zero, what were you doing in that room?” Lelouch recognized the mare’s voice as Shirley’s. A bit of happiness crept inside Lelouch’s heart. He was glad that at least Shirley didn’t fall victim to those thugs. “This young lady was harmed by rogue elements within the Black Knights. I came to check on her.” “Is this what it takes for you to check on your closest friends?” Shirley’s rhetorical question dripped with venom. No, it’s not possible. I used Geass on Shirley. She shouldn’t remember me or that I’m Zero. “Wait!” Lelouch cried out as Shirley went down the hall. Shirley stopped and glanced back. “I know it’s you Lelouch.” She then went her way down the hall before an unseen force shoved her into an adjacent room. Lelouch shut the door behind him and locked it. “How? How did you...” “...remember who you really are? I don’t remember, but I did write a note to myself before you brainwashed me. I found it while packing my belongings.” Lelouch slipped off his mask and took a deep breath. “Shirley, I can explain...” “You don’t have to.” Shirley pointed a hoof at Lelouch. “Milly told me everything about your past-that you and your sister are members of the royal family. Tell me, is all of this to get back at your father, the Emperor, or is this some plot to take over Britannia for yourself?” “I’m doing this to avenge my mother and to make a gentle world for Nunnally.” “You call this a ‘gentle world’! What was so gentle about Rivalz being kicked to death? Where was your gentle world when Milly was being raped? Well?” Lelouch hung his head down. “I thought they would safe here with the other Britannians.” “And yet you let Nunnally stay with you in the Settlement? If it was so dangerous for us, why didn’t you leave Nunnally here?” “I...I...” “...‘don’t care what happens to my friends so long as my precious little sister is safe’, right Lelouch?” “That’s not true, Shirley.” “As if I’d believe your lies.” “Are you going to tell?” “That was the first thing I did. I went to Princess Euphemia, but she’s covering for you. She warned me that if the Japanese found out who you were they would turn on you and then we would have no one protecting us from them. So, your little secret is safe. I’m done talking with you, Lelouch.” As Shirley was leaving, she looked back at Lelouch who was still wallowing in shame over his failure to keep his closest friends safe. “Milly also told me I was in love with you. Thanks for erasing that from my memories. I don’t know how I could have fallen in love with a selfish bastard like you.” She slammed the door behind her. Having said her peace, Shirley went back to check on her friend, but just as she turned the corner, Milly had gotten out of bed and had taken a few unsteady steps out in the hallway on wobbly legs. “Shirley, what I am doing here?” Milly asked. Her strives were becoming more steady with each step. Her body was becoming accustomed to standing on four legs again. Shirley ran to Milly’s side just in case she fell over. “Why is it daytime now?” Milly asked while looking outside the window at the afternoon sky. “You don’t remember, Milly?” Milly shook her head. “Rivalz was escorting me outside to find a place to use the bathroom and then...I was here. Wait, where’s Rivalz? Is he here, too? Shirley?!? Why are you crying? Shirley???” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Things are falling apart for Lelouch. One by one, he had lost his best friends from high school as consequences for his actions. And as Lelouch is struggling with his personal ordeals, there are forces at work both within and from outside seeking to destroy the world he’s creating for his sister Nunnally. Does Lelouch have the fortitude to endure his dream becoming a nightmare? Will he be able to stand on his own without his life long friends? And what of the bigotry festering in the souls of ponies? Will humanity’s old prejudices give way to new ones birthed by the transformation? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Rebel Against The Night. Author’s note: I know I keep saying this fic will be on hiatus only to go back and to publish another chapter. And who knows, it may happen again. Nonetheless, I am *planning* on putting Rebel Against The Night on the back burner and work on my other Code Geass crossover Zero vs. Kira. Hopefully, I can get enough of Zero vs. Kira done that I feel like I can go back working on this fic without being neglectful toward my other stories.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2012-09-03T19:17:37+00:00

2016-11-18T06:36:57+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are in italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 7: Inside The Lair of The Dark Goddess The air was fresh with the scent of dew-drenched grass and sap bleeding from tree trunks on this humid morning. At the entrance of the cave, Villetta stood watch with the two unicorn guards that she met when Barnstormer first brought her to the cult. “I think we have company.” One of the unicorns nudged Villetta on the shoulder and pointed to the rustling bushes. Villetta tensed up in anticipation for the worst: the Elevens finding their subterranean refuge. For once, she wished Nightmare Moon was still around. It pained her to admit she was probably the only thing keeping them safe from the hordes of uncivilized natives. However, gratitude was not owed to Nightmare Moon. She was responsible for their ordeal, after all. Villetta took hold of her spear as best as she could with her teeth. A frustrated grunt bellowed out of her mouth over how her pony form diminished her ability to handle even a weapon as simple as a stick with a sharpened stone tied on the end. Two unicorns, two earth ponies, and a pegasus emerged from the foliage. One of the unicorns, a stallion with a curly white mane and mulberry-colored coat of fur, took lead. He was dressed in what was left of an officer’s uniform. “Stay where you are and identify yourselves,” the unicorn guard commanded while levitating a spear in their path “Oh thank God, you’re Britannians,” the unicorn cried out, “I’m Second Lieutenant Aiden Middleton of the Fifth Infantry Division stationed at Osaka. My men and I are seeking safe haven.” Villetta galloped down the hill and stood between them and the cave entrance. “I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here,” said Villetta after she plunged her spear into the dirt. “How dare you deny your fellow soldiers safe haven?” Middleton said in an indignant tone. “There’s too many ponie...people here already,” Villetta corrected herself. “Don’t you have a heart, woman! Do you have any clue what those savages will do to us?” “Not our problem.” “I’m ordering you to let us inside!” “No!” “I’m a lieutenant, damn you.” “Your rank means nothing here. Now leave!” “Is that so?” “Excuse us, sir,” said one of the unicorn guards as he nudged Villetta and led her away from the others. “What are you doing?” He whispered. “That’s not your decision to make.” “What about the princess?” Villetta asked. “Shouldn’t we wait until she comes back before letting new ponies in?” “That won’t be necessary.” Villetta felt Night Fire’s hot breath blowing down her neck. He whispered in Villetta’s ear. “She left me in charge.” Then Night Fire said out loud to the newcomers. “Welcome to our humble hideaway. Is there anything we can do for you fine officers of the crown?” “Are you the commanding officer?” “Second in command actually-Major Greg Finney at your service.” Villetta rolled her eyes at Night Fire’s “promotion”. The officer saluted Night Fire. “I’m Second Lieutenant Aiden Middleton of the Fifth Infantry Division. Would you be so kind as to provide shelter for my men? I know it’s too much to ask, but you are our only hope.” Night Fire placed a reassuring hoof on Middleton’s shoulder. “It’s not too much to ask at all. Our home is your home. Come inside where it’s safe from those awful Elevens.” “If it’s all the same to you, I would like to bring over the rest of my men before the Elevens discover our location.” “You two,” Night Fire said to the unicorn guards, “go with Lieutenant Middleton and make sure he doesn’t get lost along the way.” Night Fire waited for the Britannians to leave. “So, you’re a major now,” Villetta spat. “You diehard military types respect nothing but rank,” said Night Fire. “It’s a façade I’ll put up with until the princess returns. Now, come with me.” “But shouldn’t I stay and guard the entrance?” “Not by yourself you won’t, my little pony,” Night Fire said with a hint of suspicion in his voice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Night Fire took Lieutenant Middleton on a guided tour of their underground lair. He pointed to piles of hay in a sub-chamber. “...and here’s our food supply. We go out every night to harvest grass.” “You have quite the operation going for you, sir,” said Middleton in a troubled voice as his gaze dwelled on the naked ponies tending to their daily routine without an iota of modesty or shame. “I hate to bring this up, but aren’t your men...a tad under-dressed?” “We had no choice but to discard our uniforms. We wouldn’t have made it here alive if we didn’t.” Lieutenant Middleton glanced down and frowned. “Some people would consider that to be desertion, sir.” “Those ‘people’ as you call them are probably dead,” Night Fire smirked. “If you want to get anywhere in life, learn to set aside protocol during extraordinary times, lieutenant.” “Is this how your commander feels, sir? Is she this lax with you?” “Apart from our lack of attire, she’s actually quite demanding, not that I’m complaining. She is more than deserving of our loyalty.” As Night Fire was speaking, Middleton caught sight of a rather unusual rock formation. He wasn’t quite sure, but one of the conspicuous stones has an eerily familiar profile. He nudged it into the torch light. Middleton jerked away from the stone. It was a life-size stone-carving of a pony’s head. From the jagged edges on the base of the neck, it appeared to have broken off from a complete sculpture. “Aw, you noticed my lord’s handiwork.” “Your lord indulges in sculpturing? In a time like this?!?” “Who are you to sit in judgment over what a noble chooses to do in her free time, lieutenant?” “Forgive me, sir. ” “I’ll let this slip this time, lieutenant.” “Thank you, sir.” “Private Ramirez,” Night Fire called out to Barnstormer who was in a huddle with some of the other Nightmare Moon cultists. The young pegasus stallion trotted over and saluted Night Fire and Middleton. “Sir, may I be of assistance to you?” Barnstormer said with all of the discipline and cadence of a trained soldier. “Private Ramirez, our most honored noble was unsatisfied with her latest works and made a bit of a mess. Could you put the pieces to good use and have it mixed with our next batch of concrete?” “Right away, sir,” Barnstormer replied. Middleton watched Barnstormer disappear in the shadows momentarily before his eyes readjusted. There was an entire section of the cave devoted to sculptures. Middleton took a few steps to get a better look. The expressions of sheer terror frozen on the statues that were left intact were disconcerting. Middleton jumped back and yelped when he felt something brushed up against him. A Britannian soldier trotted to his side and tapped Middleton on the shoulder. “Don’t ever do that again, Private!” Middleton yelled. “You wait until I’m finished talking and then ask for my attention! Understood?” “Ye..ye…yes sir.” Middleton then noticed Night Fire snickering at him. “Could you excuse us, sir?” Middleton asked. The two stepped to the side. Whatever it was, it had Middleton casting a hateful glare at Night Fire’s general direction. “Would you mind if I asked you a question, sir?” “You have my permission, lieutenant.” “I was told you have Elevens in your group.” “Do you mean the honorary Britannians? Believe me when I said they were the only reason why the Elevens haven’t slaughtered us. They concealed our identities while leading us through Japan to the mountains where we found this cave.” “I suppose if survival is the first priority, using the honorary Britannians as cover would be the prudent thing to do, sir.” Night Fire raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I know an underhanded insult when I hear it. If you really were so gung ho about keeping your honor as a Britannian soldier, you wouldn’t be hiding underground with the rest of us cowards.” Lieutenant Middleton snorted and pawed the ground. Night Fire was gleeful that he got under the lieutenant’s fur coat. “You dare make a threatening gesture at a superior, lieutenant,” Night Fire teased. Middleton relaxed and held his head down. “I apologize, sir. Please, pardon me for my insubordination.” “That’s better. Just remember whose home you’re in, lieutenant. I can be forgiving, but not to a fault. I won’t suffer another acts of insubordination from you.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “That’s out of the question.” Middleton said sternly to the rather heavily built earth pony. Both Britannians were huddled under the light cast by an adjacent lantern post. There’s no way in hell a noble would tolerate these worthless ne’er-do-wells, sir,” said the earth pony. “You haven’t met a lot of nobles have you, Dux? Some of them can be quite...eccentric.” “Sir, you can’t explain their behavior away by the peculiarity of their alleged noble. This anonymous noble woman that Major Finney claims to follow doesn’t exist. I bet they’re convicts who escaped from prison, and they’re playing us for fools.” “Sergeant Dux, plotting a coup against the second-in-command of a noble is treason,” Middleton huffed. “As much as I despise Major Finney, it would mean our necks if he’s telling the truth.” Middleton’s ears, on reflex, twisted in the direction of a rustling noise coming from the shadows. Middleton leaped into the darkness and dragged the intruder by her mane. He recognized the interloper in the dim goal of the lantern as Villetta. “What do we have here? A spy?!?” Middleton said as he spat out strands of hairs he pulled from Villetta’s mane. “I remember you. How could I forget the woman that tried to deny us sanctuary? Looking for an excuse to be rid of us? Is that it?” Villetta massaged the sore spot on the back of her neck where Middleton’s soldiers yanked on her mane. “That’s not true. I was trying to help you.” “You called leaving us at the mercy of the Elevens ‘helping’?” Sergeant Dux asked rhetorically. “Believe me when I say you’re in greater danger in here than out there?” “Is that so?” Middleton said in a cynical tone. “I swear by my title of Knight of Honor.” “Why is a knight of honor taking orders from a lowly major? You really expect us to beli...” Middleton held out his hoof and silenced his subordinate. “Yes, please enlighten us.” Middleton asked. “I’m under deep cover,” Villetta replied. “What’s your name, knight of honor?” “Villetta Nu.” “Margrave Jeremiah’s second-in-command?” Villetta nodded. “Now that you mention it,” Middleton said as he rubbed his chin, “I thought I recognized your voice from somewhere. Now I remember. You gave a speech on the adverse effect recruiting honorary Britannians would have on soldier morale.” “That was Lord Jeremiah. I only gave the introductory speech.” Villetta raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You were testing me, weren’t you?” “Pardon me for doubting you, Sir Villetta, but...” “I’m not offended. Our physical appearances have changed, and you have to confirm my claim, somehow. I won’t hold it against you, Lieutenant.” Middleton breathed a sigh of relief. “Your pardon is appreciated, Sir Villetta. Now, permit me to ask for clarity on the matter concerning our relative safety.” “Major Finney isn’t who he claims to be. He’s the high priest of a doomsday cult that formed after the transformation.” The sergeant spoke up. “See, I was right, sir. Finney isn’t one of us. We should take over and execute the lot of them.” “No, you can’t,” Villetta objected. “But why not?” “It’s too dangerous. Finney isn’t the one in charge. The ‘noble’ he told you about is the cult’s true leader. The bulk of their forces are with her, and she could come back any day now.” Villetta’s warning had some air of truth to it. Nightmare Moon was the single most powerful member of the cult, if not the single most powerful being on the planet. Middleton’s forces wouldn’t stand a chance against her. The sergeant scratched his head. “Pardon me, Sir Villetta, but this cave can barely fit all of us, and you’re saying most of the cult isn’t here?” “I believe her.” Middleton said. “Now that I think about it, Major Finney’s mannerism makes more sense. Would you like to come with us? It would be wrong to leave a knight in the hands of the enemy.” Villetta shook her head. “If I leave, Finney will become suspicious. Don’t worry about me. Leave at sunset tomorrow. It should give you enough time to find a new hiding place. If they ask, tell them you’re with the Pure Blood faction, and that you won’t mix ranks with honorary Britannians. It’s a convincing enough lie.” “It’s no lie at all. I’ve had my fill of the mud races to last me a lifetime.” Villetta then handed Middleton a letter. “Once you memorize this, burn it. It’s top secret information.” Middleton stepped to the side and read the letter. “Well,” he said with a surprised look, “I wouldn’t have imagined that.” "It’s your responsible to pass this information to the Viceroy in case I don’t make it out of here, lieutenant.” “I’ll see to it that the Viceroy receives your message, Sir Villetta.” He then whispered in her ear, “it’ll be my pleasure to see that treasonous high school student hung by his own intestines for leading a rebellion against Britannia.” Villetta grinned gleefully at Lieutenant Middleton’s enthusiasm. Unbeknown by Villetta, Middleton, and Dux, somepony was eavesdropping on them as they planned out their escape. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There was a clamor in the front of the main chamber. Middleton’s soldiers were in the process of packing up their gear and leaving. Earth ponies, pegasi, and a few unicorns still getting the hang of their magic broke up into small groups, each member taking turns helping the others secure their gear. The more magically adept unicorns packed their belongings solo using their magic. The last-second exodus did not go unnoticed by the other ponies who were eyeing the Britannians with suspicion. Night Fire circled around them until he came across Sergeant Dux. “Aren’t you Lieutenant Middleton’s chief NCO?” Sergeant Dux nodded. “Yes sir, I am.” “Where is your commanding officer? Does he know you’re leaving?” “Lieutenant Middleton gave us the order to deploy. He didn’t tell us why. You can ask him when he comes back.” Villetta kept watch over the Britannian soldiers from an elevated spot near the center of the cave. Her heart raced while she watched Night Fire scrutinizing the crowd. She did all she could for them. It was up to Middleton to get his men out of this death trap without rousing suspicion. Just inside the mouth of the cave, Middleton watched the sky going black. The sun had already set behind the mountains and has now just dipped below the horizon. If they were going to leave their so-called safe haven and find a new hiding place, the time to leave would be now. Middleton made his way through the narrow corridor to the main chamber. “Aw Lieutenant,” Night Fire called out as he galloped to Middleton’s side. “Could you explain why you ordered your men to leave? I distinctly remember you pleading for sanctuary just days ago. Why the sudden change of heart?” Villetta circled around and positioned herself behind Night Fire while still inside Middleton's field of view. Middleton saw, out the corner of his eye, Villetta nodding to him. “I have no desire to stay under the same roof as Numbers. I am a Pure Blood.” “Oh one of those,” Night Fire rolled his eyes. “I should have known. To each his own I suppose.” Night Fire smiled. “Well, I won’t keep you waiting. You have a long journey ahead of you.” Both Villetta and Middleton breathed a sigh of relief. Night Fire was letting the Britannian soldiers go without incident. Villetta’s advice paid off, and now they can leave before the rest of their forces returned. “Oh by the way,” said Night Fire, “my lord had returned from her journey.” Middleton felt his joints lock in place at the thought of him and his men being overwhelmed by an army of deranged cultists. They were too late. But wait! He didn’t see anyone outside, let alone the army that Villetta warned of. They couldn’t have gotten in here without anyone noticing. Was it a trick? Or perhaps Major Finney’s mysterious noblewoman/cult leader went ahead of their main force. “May I have a short audience with her?” Middleton asked in order to maintain the ruse. “It would be rude to leave without at least a formal farewell.” Middleton was too preoccupied with Night Fire to notice the chamber ceiling being illuminated by a thousand points of light that turn the cave ceiling from a solid black to a gentle dark blue. “I was hoping you’d stay and chat.” The voice was not Finney’s, but rather a female voice beamed down from the ceiling. “I was too late.” Villetta whispered. The ‘skyline’ that adored the cave ceiling flowed and coalesced into a tear drop shape. The cave wall echoed with a mixture of screams of terror and cheers of joy. The Britannians were in a state of panic while the Nightmare worshippers were drunk with the ecstasy of beholding their goddess in all her magnificence. The soldiers who had the misfortune of standing between the exit and the rest of their comrades were trampled under hoof. As they were about to reach the passageway to the surface, Nightmare Moon circled around them and cut them off at the path. The cultists bowed to their princess of the night as she molded herself into pony form. “Behold soldiers of Britannia,” Night Fire exclaimed in a regal tone of voice, “a princess far more majestic and stately than any that your sore eyes have seen! I present our princess-Nightmare Moon!” Nightmare Moon trotted around the Britannian soldiers, who were huddled together shaking in terror. “Welcome to our herd, my little ponies.” Nightmare Moon pouted her lips in displeasure and rolled her eyes. “This again?!? A trifling of my power seems to be all it takes to frighten you wild ponies.” “Did you call us...‘wild ponies’?” Middleton asked. “It’s what you are-ponies without any true princesses to guide you. I’ve seen what passes for royalty - your Princess Euphemia, your Emperor Charles Britannia, and they have fallen short of their royal duties. You fight one meaningless war after another only to be cast aside when you become an inconvenience for them. I know they locked you out of their castle, the Tokyo Settlement as you call it. You have done so much for them only to be left for dead by the very royals you serve. Perhaps you should reconsider who you swear your allegiance to.” Middleton flinched as Nightmare Moon’s wraithlike mane brushed beneath his muzzle. “Am I not regal enough for you?” She trotted back and forth in front of the cowering Britannians. “You shouldn’t fear me. Your new princess desires above all else the love of her subjects.” Middleton gritted his teeth and growled. “Your...subjects.” Each syllable dripped with derision. “Don’t tell me you still swear loyalty to a little unicorn foal so pathetically inept, her kingdom is taken over by a mangy outlaw.” Nightmare Moon covered her mouth and chuckled. “You didn’t know your precious Tokyo Settlement had fallen, did you?” The news of the Settlement’s fall, rather than dishearten Middleton as it did the other Britannians, fueled his anger. “Your emperor, your princesses are powerless in comparison to true royalty. It was I who graced you with the beautiful new bodies you have. I rescued you from your miserable existence as a bloodthirsty ape. Now, will you swear loyalty to me? It’s your choice to make, my little pony.” Middleton gave Nightmare Moon a less than tactful rejection-a glob of spit planted between Nightmare Moon’s eyes. Middleton looked Nightmare Moon eye-to-eye with unwavering determination. “All...Hail...Britannia.” Middleton sounded out each word defiantly making sure that Nightmare Moon got the point. “You bastard!” Night Fire broke rank and charged Middleton, but Nightmare Moon held him back. It took merely a glance from his princess to let Night Fire know that she would take care of this disrespectful nave herself. “So be it, you foal. Now crumble to dust with your ape empire!” Nightmare Moon fumed. Her horn glowed bright white and then shot a beam at Middleton. Middleton didn’t feel anything from it except that his hooves went numb. He glanced down and saw that his feet were turning to stone, and that the effect was moving up his leg. “What you did is unforgivable, foal!” “I never asked for your forgiveness,” Middleton said while the petrifaction spell worked its way up his legs to his shoulders. “I’d rather die a thousand deaths than turn my back on Britannia. But don’t think I’m going alone.” By now, the only part of Middleton that was flesh was the back, head, and neck. “THE HOLY BRITANNIAN EMPIRE WILL CRUSH YOU UNDER FOOT! EVERY ONE OF YOU AND THAT INCLUDES YOU PRINCESS! I’LL BE WAITING IN HELL FOR YO...” Before he could finish his idle threat, Middleton was fully petrified, frozen in place. With a wave of her hoof, Nightmare Moon shattered Middleton’s stone body. “Serves you right for spitting on our princess,” Cinnamon Delight gloated. The other cultists voiced their indignation as well. Nightmare Moon wiped her face and said with eyes glowing like white hot embers, “who will you swear allegiance to-me or your precious little Britannia?” One by one, the Britannians bowed to Nightmare Moon. “A wise decision, my little ponies,” Nightmare Moon chuckled. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Villetta stared down at the stone that used to be one of Middleton’s eyes unceremoniously dumped in a pile of gravel. The first ray of hope that she had since coming here was literally smashed into dust and now these Britannian soldiers would be absorbed into the cult. Soon they’ll go through the same training Villetta received when she was brought into the herd. Night Fire called it ‘foal class’. Day after day of lectures on the evils of the human race, how it made no difference if the human was Britannian or a Number-they were all corrupted by their violent ape nature. The lessons only stopped for periodic restroom breaks as granted by their foal teacher, twice a day for their miserly-portioned meals of dry hay, and two hours for sleep each night. This would be the routine until they graduated and became full-fledge members of the herd. They must feel so powerless-just like me, thought Villetta. While Villetta was lost in contemplation, hoofsteps, accompanied by a rattling wagon, were heading her way. Villetta backed away from the stone pile out of fear someone might notice her feeling pity for the fiend that committed sacrilege against their goddess. She stepped aside for Night Fire and another earth pony that was pulling a cart. “Moonlight, be a dear and help Midnight Breeze,” said Night Fire. "Stone Shadow is running low on gravel.” “But I have to go on guard duty in a few min...” “I insist, Moonlight Blossom.” Night Fire said more forcefully. “Follow me.” Just as they were leaving, Midnight Breeze gave Villetta a devilish grin and chuckled. On the way to pick up the gravel, Villetta caught sight of Nightmare Moon, in cloud form, heading in the opposite direction. The only thing more unsettling about that wraith wandering around the eerily lit, claustrophobia-inducing cavern was the unnaturally cheerful smiles and reverence they showered on that abomination. Villetta bowed to the passing apparition as the others did, but, unlike her, they did so with a twinkle of delight in their eyes. Night Fire stopped and pointed. “It’s right over there.” Villetta pressed her foreleg against her lips to keep from vomiting up her rations. The rocks, which were shaped like pony body parts, were piled in the middle of the foal class. Middleton’s troops, minus nine, were staring at the rock pile with distant stares caught between despair and meaninglessness-stares that were the silent screams of their broken spirits. “Oh I’m so sorry,” said Night Fire, “I forgot to mention those rocks used to be wild ponies. They were plotting to run away, but as luck would have it, we had a true pony of the night among this treacherous lot. He warned us of their evil plans and well...you know the rest.” Villetta then realized Sergeant Dux wasn’t with the other Britannians. “What happened to the informant?” “I would hardly call Brawny Hooves an informant,” Night Fire frowned. “He’s proven himself to be a true member of the herd. I saw no reason why to keep him in the foal class.” Then Night Fire leaned over and whispered into Villetta’s ear, “by the way, don’t you find it strange that Pure Blood blowhard decided, out of the blue, to haul flank after begging us to take his bunch of wild ponies in. I wonder if somepony say something *she* shouldn’t have said.” Night Fire straightened up and said out loud, “oh and be a dear and finish breaking up the big pieces for Stone Shadow.” Villetta spent the rest of the night going through the rock pile looking for the remains of Sergeant Dux only to find that he wasn’t one of the Britannians turned to stone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The situation looks dire for Villetta. Will Dux rat Villetta out? Is Night Fire on to her? And what plans does Nightmare Moon have for the world? Stay tune for the next installment of Rebel Against The Night. I hope you enjoyed my fan fic version of the Code Geass picture drama. If general consensus is positive, then I’ll make more of these. If not, then I’ll just splice this into chapter 6.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2012-10-14T21:20:36+00:00

2017-03-10T07:54:42+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 8: Dusk in The Land of The Rising Sun ‘REMEMBER RIVALZ’ became the rallying cry for the Britannian refugees confined to Shikoku Island. The epithet to the victim of Eleven violence was spray painted on buildings far and wide. For a people grounded in the hierarchy of nobility, this was an open act of defiance against the design of their princess and the peace she had forged with their worst enemy. But was she a princess? Could she call herself a ruler when she so willingly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory? Could she even be called a citizen of Britannia or was she a traitor who exchanged her loyalty from Britannia to Japan for the sake of her Eleven lover? For if Zero was a secular messiah and Rivalz the martyr, then Princess Euphemia’s role was both Judas and Jezebel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The gray ominous sky over Matsuyama was a reflection of the mood of the Britannian people-a simmering rage blanketed in grief. Murky clouds bellowed and groaned while spewing the occasional lightning flash. Mourners by the thousands gathered around the base of Matsuyama Castle, which almost blended seamlessly with the drab sky, to pay homage to the young man whose life was tragically cut short by the enemy that has imprisoned them. Rivalz’ body lay peacefully inside a coffin. His forelegs folded over his chest. Princess Euphemia took her place beside the body and addressed the mourners. “Rivalz Cardemonde is someone who I share an indirect acquaintance,” Euphemia said to the crowds. “Though I never had the opportunity to meet him in person, I shared in a life-or-death situation with three of his classmates, Shirley Fenette, Milly Ashford, and Nina Einstein. We were taken hostage by the Japanese Liberation Front when they took control of the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel. Recently, another act of violence has brought us together, the one that took this young man from our community. We spoke at length with Ms. Fenette and Ms. Ashford about our dearly departed Rivalz. It was my privilege to hear stories about the time they spent with him as members of the Ashford Academy student council. It wasn’t just Rivalz that died, but a piece of their life is missing. We are all diminished at the loss of one who touched the hearts of so many.” Suddenly, a winged mare sailed over the crowd and landed beside the princess. She had a lavender coat and a white mane that hasn’t been groomed in quite some time. “I’ve heard enough from you!” The glare from her bloodshot eyes silently screamed in hatred of Euphemia. “You think those pretty words make up for letting those animals beat my son to death?” Euphemia held Suzaku back. “Mrs. Cardemonde, I’m sorry that you’re upset.” “Upset?!? You don’t know what upset is. Rivalz would still be alive if you didn’t surrender to the Elevens. We were better off with Cornelia.” “I’ve already explained my decision to surrender.” “Nothing but excuses. Cornelia wasn’t afraid of those bastards. She would have finished Zero off.” “Her majesty doesn’t need to offer excuses,” said Suzaku circled around Euphemia and stood between her and Mrs. Cardemonde. “She’s your princess, and she owes you no explanation. Now please calm down or else I’ll be forced to arrest you for sedition against the crowd.” “It was him wasn’t it?” Mrs. Cardemonde pointed to Suzaku. “You betrayed us to become that Eleven’s whore.” Mrs. Cardemonde tried to cut around Suzaku to get to the princess. Whether it was to harm the princess or just talk down to her face-to-face, Euphemia never found it. Before she had a chance to get close to Euphemia, Suzaku leg-swept Mrs. Cardemonde and forced her off her hooves. “I tried warning you! I’m now placing you under arrest!” Suzaku screamed. Then, something slammed into Suzaku’s temple, then his left side, then the back of his neck. The mourners have turned into an angry mob, and the horned-types in the crowd were hurling rocks. The security detail pulled Suzaku and Euphemia out of harm’s way just before the riot erupted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shirley pushed Milly, who was confined to a wheelchair, into her private room in the hospital. Milly’s wounds were healing but not without leaving deep scars-gashes across her muzzle and neck and patches of fur still missing. The setting sun cast outstretched shadows as it shined through the window. Shirley left Milly at the side of her bed and pulled the curtains. “Thank you for taking me to the funeral, Shirley” said Milly. “It wasn’t any problem at all,” Shirley smiled back at her friend. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you until you...hey!” Shirley raced to Milly’s side. Her friend was getting out of the wheelchair on her own and staggered to reach the bed. “You shouldn’t try to get up on your own.” “Don’t worry about it. I’m feeling a lot stronger now.” “But the doctor said for you to stay off your feet for one more week.” “I’m not that helpless.” Milly tried to climb into bed but her hooves only manage to pull off the sheets. “Maybe, I could use a little help.” Shirley placed the back of her neck underneath Milly’s haunches and pushed up with her legs. Milly was elevated high enough to crawl up on the bed. “I hate that the funeral was ruined,” said Shirley. “I didn’t know Mrs. Cardemonte was so upset.” “Don’t blame her. Blame the hotheads looking for an excuse to go back to fighting the Japanese. You’d think they’d have the decency to start a riot after the funeral.” “Milly, do you remember being...you know what I mean?” “You can say ‘raped’ Shirley, and the answer is no, I don’t remember, and I have no problem keeping it that way.” “It doesn’t bother you that bastard stole your memories.” “Shirley, I don’t want hear you say anything negative about Lelouch.” Shirley snorted angrily at Milly. “Even though he got my father and Rivalz killed and you...raped.” Shirley said the last part in a hush tone. “I’m sure Lelouch never intended for this to happen.” “No, of course he didn’t intend for this to happen. That would imply he cared at all.” “I said I don’t want here you badmouthing Lelouch. Please stop or I’ll end this conversation right now.” “Okay, I’ll quit,” Shirley said as she looked down and huffed. Milly reached out to Shirley and stroked her mane. “You used to be in love with him, you know.” “And I’m glad he erased that part of my memory.” “You know Lelouch cares about us. If he really was callous as you make him out to be, we would have been killed instead of having our memories erased.” “Then why didn’t Lelouch erase my memories again when I confronted him? Tell me why?” Shirley then started crying. “Maybe we should change the subject. You’re getting upset, Shirley.” “No, that’s not it. Oh Milly, I did something terrible. I betrayed you. Please, forgive me.” “Forgive you for what?” “It was so painful to watch you suffer that I wanted Lelouch to make me forget again. When I confronted Lelouch, some part of me wanted him to erase my memories like he did after my father died. That shouldn’t have ever crossed my mind. I betrayed you and Rivalz because I’m weak.” “It’s okay. I don’t hold it against you.” Milly said as she embraced her broken and weeping friend. “Shirley, you’re stronger than you think. You know that, if it wasn’t for Rivalz, I would have committed suicide.” Shirley shook her head. “No, that can’t be.” “But it is.” Milly completed the sentence. “I was the one that ransacked the chemistry lab looking for anything that would give me a quick death. Rivalz caught me at the last second and kept me from drinking. That’s why we need each other. Together we’re stronger than on our own.” Milly leaned back and wiped the tears off Shirley. “Ask the nurse for an extra bed and stay with me tonight.” “You know, I came here to comfort you, but it’s the other way around.” “No, you did make me feel better, Shirley. Like I told you-we’ll help each other, and we’ll make it through together.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Princess Euphemia was in her personal office reflecting on the riot that broke out one week ago. Fifteen Britannians died that day. Mostly the elderly and young who were either trampled to death by the angry mobs or trapped in that burning building set ablaze by a Molotov cocktail. For once, she was thankful the Black Knights’ air guard was around to bring order to the refugee camp. She also reminisced about the drawn out debate she had with Darlton and Guilford over the pardon she granted to Mrs. Cardemonde. She was a grieving mother lashing out in angry, not some dangerous anarchist, and it wouldn’t be right to imprison her for a lapse of judgment. “A penny for your thoughts, Euphie?” Suzaku asked. Being the duty-bound personal champion to the princess, he stood poised between Euphemia and the doorway should any of the rioters attempt to harm his princess. “We’re safe inside the castle. Suzaku, you’re overdoing it.” “How can you say that after what happened at the funeral?” “You worry too much. “Your majesty, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s an officer from the Office of Secret Intelligence here to see you.” The voice coming from the hallway was Guilford’s. “Let him in,” said Euphemia while she rolled her eyes. She wasn’t really annoyed. It was just that having ‘secret intelligence’ in the title was gratuitous since nations generally kept their military intelligence a secret anyway. Euphemia wondered if the person who named the agency was trying too hard to emphasize its importance. Darlton, Guilford, and a third, a mundane colt, made their way inside. The stranger was short in statute with a straggly, dirty blonde mane and grayish-blue fur. Euphemia could hardly believe someone so young and unimposing could belong to a clandestine organization that answered only to the Emperor himself. But maybe the ideal spy was someone who had an underwhelming presence and who wouldn’t be perceived as a threat. The new pony reached into his saddlebag and bit into some papers which he laid out on Euphemia’s desk. “Your majesty, my name is Rolo, and I am of need of your services. These papers validate my status as a member of the Office of Secret Intelligence.” Euphemia examined Rolo’s papers. Each page had her father’s official seal. She levitated a magnifying glass over the seal looking for the subtle nuances built into the royal seal as a safeguard against forgery. “Is Rolo your first or last name?” “Yes,” said Rolo. “Yes your first name or yes your last name.” “I’d rather not say.” “You can’t even tell me your name?” Euphemia asked. Rolo shook his head. “Very well, I won’t press you for it.” Euphemia went back to examining the seals. “This does looks genuine.” “Now that you confirmed my status, I would like to make a request: I need someone familiar with the Tokyo region to accompany me. His familiarity of the area should be with both Old Tokyo and the Settlement. Make a list of your best soldiers, and give me their complete profile. I will choose the one that will assist in my mission.” “I’m afraid we don’t have personnel files. The Black Knights confiscated them.” “I have a suggestion,” said General Darlton. “The man you’re looking for is Sir Kururugi Suzaku.” “General Darlton, what are you doing?” Euphemia blurted out. “Rolo asked for our best man,” said Darlton. “Sir Kururugi is an Honorary Britannian, so he’s familiar with both the Settlement and Old Tokyo, and his service record was rated in the 99 percentile. And he’s trustworthy enough to be selected as the princess’s personal champion.” “You must order Sir Kururugi to accompany me on my mission, your majesty.” “But he’s my personal knight.” “And I have orders from the Emperor that you are duty-bound to follow and that includes making your knight available to me.” Suzaku noticed how stressed out Euphemia was and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll be fine. Find a temporary replacement to fill in while I’m gone.” He then addressed Rolo. “I’m ready to leave when you are.” “Good, and it won’t be long either. We'll leave tonight and be at the Seto-Ōhashi Bridge before sunrise. Sir Kururugi, could we go somewhere private so we can made preparation.” “Yes sir, I know just the place.” When Suzaku and Rolo left, Euphemia slammed the door behind them. She stormed over to Darlton. “I demand an explanation!” “Your majesty, I know I overstepped my bounds, but it was for your sake.” “My sake?!? I’m perfectly capable of deciding that for myself.” “Your majesty, the citizens are questioning your loyalty to Britannia.” “What are you talking about?” “It’s not any one thing. It’s everything. It’s the murders the Black Knights committed and the fact that you surrendered when we had the upper hand in the battle.” “Darlton, my sister was grasping at straws thinking she could take back Japan with just a few Knightmares. Had we been taken over by another faction beside Zero’s, our people might have been slaughtered.” “I know that, your majesty, but not all the commoners believe it. And there’s the issue of Sir Kururugi. Our people believe you sold out to the Elevens and having an Honorary Britannian as your personnel knights furthers their doubts.” “They’re Japanese, Darlton, Japanese.” “There are even rumors the Emperor disowned you for treason.” “I don’t care what a few bigots say about me.” “As our princess, you should,” said Guilford. “If they lose faith in you, we’ll lose control over the refugee camp. For the sake of stability, please show some concern about your public image. It’ll mean the difference between life and death.” “But it’s not fair,” said Euphemia. “Suzaku risked his life to save the Settlement.” “No, this is a good thing,” Darlton said reassuringly. “Once the Empire retakes Area 11...” “That’s assuming a lot, Darlton.” “I believe the Empire will, and when they do, Suzaku’s bravery will be proclaimed through all of Britannia. Then there can be no disputing either Suzaku’s or your loyalty to the Empire.” Euphemia looked away from Darlton and Guilford. “I tended to his wounds after the battle. He suffered a concussion after Zero threw him into a pillar. I was so terrified the head trauma would kill him. I stayed up all night keeping watch over him as he drifted in and out of consciousness.” Euphemia turned around and glared at Darlton with eyes filled with hurt and anger. “How much does Suzaku has to suffer before our people will trust him? How many times does he have to get hurt before we believe in him?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen came back to the broken home where she grew up. Plans were being made to convert the luxurious, three-story Stadtfeld mansion into a housing office for the Japanese moving into the Settlement. The air was filled with the scent of sawdust and the noise of banging hammers. Carpenters, all horned types, were taking down the old partition walls and building up new ones for the new floor designs. One of the workers caught sight of Kallen and greeted her. “Are you Kōzuki Kallen?” The carpenter asked. Kallen nodded. “I got a message saying that I left some of my stuff behind?” “It’s just a photo album and some keepsakes.” “That’s funny? I thought I took everything with me.” “We kind of stumbled across it during renovations. It was stuffed away in a hollow spot in the walls of the study room. “Where is it?” “We put in your bedroom. It’s that last bedroom on the third, right? They’ve been waiting for you for the last two weeks.” “Yeah, sorry about that, but I just got back from the refugee camp.” “Ma’am, I was wondering...” Kallen waited for him to finish his sentence, at first, but was growing more impatient with the carpenter who couldn't decide what to say next. “Just spit it out.” “I was just wondering why a Britannian would join the Black Knights. I thought you just worked here, but then I heard your name was Stadtfeld and...” “I’m only half-Britannian. My mother is Japanese, and I go by her surname.” “I’m sorry for bringing it up, ma’am.” “You didn’t hurt my feelings.” Just as Kallen was going upstairs, the carpenter called out to her. “You don’t mind us turning your house into an office, don you? I feel bad about taking your home.” He asked. “Well don't. This place has nothing but bad memories,” Kallen said without turning to face the carpenter. “In fact, I wish you'd tear it down.” Kallen’s bedroom was stripped bare of its contents. The room was an empty chasm. The only item inside was a bag at the center. Kallen put her head inside and bit into a brown envelope. The other items Kallen removed were a plaque and red-ribbon medal. Kallen scratched her mane wondering why her father hid away these items in his study. It then came to her attention that the inscription on the plaque was in kanji. It was a second place medal for her older brother Naoto, who died as a resistance fighter against the Britannian Empire. It was at that moment the memories of a long-forgotten childhood flooded her thoughts. Before the Britannians took over, Naoto won second place in the high school track and field competition. Her mother took her out of class early to watch Naoto compete. After the tournaments were finished, they had a little picnic at the park eating homemade riceballs. Kallen then looked over the plaque. The inscription read: Congratulation Kōzuki Naoto for three years of perfect attendance in Toho Academy. It was from Naoto’s old middle school. It then occurred to Kallen what might be in the envelope. Kallen emptied the envelope of the old photos of Naoto that went as far back as his infancy. Her father had kept the pictures of his first-born child. I was wondering where these went. Oh father, I thought you disowned Naoto for joining the resistance against Britannia. If I only knew you still cared... “I can’t believe you gave up your father’s house!” Kallen turned and faced a white unicorn with a blonde mane and a hindquarter symbol composed of three gold bars. “I thought you’d hightail it out of here after we took back Tokyo,” Kallen said to her step-mother, Lady Odessa Stadtfeld. “What happen to your loyalty to Britannia?” “Don’t question my decisions. Have you forgotten who it was keeping a roof over your head?” “It wasn’t you, step-mother. And what the hell are you doing here anyway? Britannians can’t live in the Settlements.” Lady Stadtfeld closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ve been trying to track you down.” “You didn’t do a good job of it. How many months has it been since the Black Knights took over? All you had to do is ask arou...” “Your mother is dead,” Lady Stadtfeld interrupted. “I’m sorry to tell you, but I thought it would be best if you heard it from me. I know we didn’t get along, but...” Lady Stadtfeld looked off to the side. “I’m sorry I took so long finding you. But the Black Knights I spoke with wouldn’t tell me because I used to be a Britannian. When I heard you might be coming back here, I knew this would be my only chance to reach you with the news.” Kallen was taken a bit off-guard by the uncharacteristically kind gesture coming from her estranged step-mother. Her gaze softened. “I already knew she was dead. I went to check on her myself, but thank you for going through the trouble to tell me.” Lady Stadtfeld grinned. Her smile was not the appreciative smile that Kallen showed. It was as though she was trying to hide the distaste of having to suck on a bitter lemon and failing at it. “Since I did go through the trouble of tracking you down, I was wondering if you could return the favor and talk Zero into giving me a few minutes of his time.” Kallen frowned at the request. “I should have known. You never did anything for me without expecting something in return.” “I gave you a home even though you’re not my child! And I never asked anything from you, you ingrate! How dare you say I never did anything for you!” “Father gave me a home, not you! He gave me a home even though you wanted to send me away! Don’t you dare take credit for someone else’s kindness! Zero’s too busy to listen to you beg for your house back and I’m not going to bother him with it! So cut the loving mother act!” “I see this was a waste of time,” said Lady Stadtfeld who then smirked at Kallen. “Oh, as for your mother, she was quite the sight to look at. She’d make the perfect carnival sideshow exhibit and since she’s used to selling her body anyway...” Lady Stadtfeld’s head jolted from a slap across the cheek. “SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT MY MOTHER AGAIN! I DARE YOU, YOU BITCH!” Then Kallen was knocked back by a flash of light. Lady Stadtfeld landed a blow with her telekinesis. It was strong enough to knock Kallen on her flank. Stadtfeld felt something running along her lip and wiped it with a white handkerchief she kept in her saddle bag. There was now a red streak staining the white cloth. “I don’t care if your father divorces me. I’m done babysitting his bastard daughter. If he cares so much, he can swim across the Pacific and tend to you himself.” Lady Stadtfeld stomped out of the room. Kallen stuck her head out of the doorway. “I never asked you to take care of me!” She yelled out to Lady Stadtfeld, who was heading downstairs. “Hey, what happened to you,” one of the construction workers, who dropped what they were doing to check on Kallen, asked Lady Stadtfeld. The former Britannian noblewoman shoved the worker to the side and made her way outside. There, she was greeted by Demegawa and a few other horned types. “What happened to you, Odessa?” Demegawa rushed to Lady Stadtfeld's side. He tried to examine the cut lip but was pushed away. “Don’t try babying me,” said Stadtfeld. "But you're bleeding." “I’ll live.” “Was it those construction workers?” Stadtfeld shook her head. “My step-daughter, actually. Don’t worry-she’ll get what’s coming to her soon enough.” “So, meeting with Zero is out of the question?” Lady Stadtfeld shook her head. “He’ll meet with us, eventually. We’ll just have to shake things up first.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suzaku and Rolo trotted along the tracks leading to the Seto-Ōhashi Bridge. It was an hour before dawn. They didn’t have long before daybreak would deny them the cover of darkness. “Maybe we should wait until tonight,” Suzaku suggested. “I don’t think we can sneak pass the guards and get the cross the bridge in time.” “That would take too much time,” said Rolo. “The window of opportunity will open in 48 days from now and close soon after. The mission will fail if we’re not in Tokyo on that exact day.” “That’s plenty of time to walk to Tokyo. It’s better to take our time than risk getting caught.” Suzaku then noticed they were coming up to the checkpoint. It was well-guarded with two squadrons of Black Knights. “Hold on Rolo,” said Suzaku. “They’ll see us.” “It won’t be a problem, Sir Kururugi,” said Rolo. “I am in charge of this mission. You have no other choice but to defer to my judgment.” “Yes, sir,” said Suzuki, who was feeling more apprehensive as they closed in on the checkpoint. In the back of his mind, Suzaku hoped Rolo had a double agent stationed at the checkpoint. Just then, two spotlights beamed directly on them. “Halt!” One of the Black Knights guarding the checkpoint ordered. He was a horned type armed with a bow and arrow that was suspended in mid-air by his telekinesis. “Identify yourself or else I’ll open fire.” He strung the bow back and took aim. The other soldiers drew their spears and stood poised to attack. The winged types hovered about ten feet off the ground. Suddenly, Rolo disappeared from Suzuka’s side and reappeared beside the horned type with the bow and arrow. Rolo plunged a knife through the Black Knight’s throat. The winged Black Knights for some unknown reason, also teleported from their position. They were now lying on the ground as though they stopped flapping their wings and let gravity take over. Rolo then disappeared and reappeared again, but this time he left a row of dead Black Knights in his path. A third ‘teleportation’ wiped out the rest. “How did you do that!” Suzaku asked as he galloped to the checkpoint. “You don’t have a horn. How were you...” “That is top secret, Sir Kururugi,” said Rolo. “You are not to reveal nor discuss my power with anyone.” “Yes sir.” While Rolo was in the glow of the spotlights, Suzaku couldn’t help but to notice the red strip on Rolo’s right eye that resembled a bird. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alexander Franklin, once a baron whose lineage went back to the very Benjamin Franklin that saved the crown from Washington’s Rebellion, was relegated to pulling an antique harvester. Rice patty terraces ran along the contours of the mountain. Each one was an artificial stream created to grow semi-aquatic crops, and like any other marsh, it was a struggle just to take a step as the mud-covered ground held fast to the farm ponies’ hooves. It was hell for someone used to being waited on hand and foot by his servants, especially when that same person was pulling an antique combine harvester. Franklin stopped in his tracks and sat on his haunches. He was too exhausted to care that he was sitting in mud. “Hey you!” A voice called out from above. “Break time isn’t for another hour and a half.” A winged Black Knight was keeping an eye on the laboring mundane ponies from above. She floated down and settled just an inch above the marsh. “Deputy Commander Ohgi wants this field harvested by the end of the week. So, no goofing off or else I’ll dock your pay.” It was then a mundane stallion with a dark green mane and orange coat wedged himself between Franklin and the Black Knight’s work foreman. “Cut him some slack, will you?” The orange stallion said. “Can’t you see he’s exhausted?” “If you don’t move your ass, I’ll dock your pay as well.” “Go to hell.” The winged Black Knight just shook her head. “I’m docking you both an entire day’s wages. But you two better still work if you don’t want to be arrest for dereliction of duty,” she said before flying off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sun was setting on the work camp. Most of the mundane types had already turned in for the night. However, one of them was in an argument with his stomach. Franklin stared at the flicking flame of the camp fire as hunger pains rumbled in protest deep within his bowels. He had consumed the last few tablespoons of rice yesterday. The surrounding land had been nibbled to the roots by the other mundane ponies, and without today’s wages, he couldn’t purchase the very rice that he had a hand in harvesting. It was then another pony, the very orange stallion that stood up to their flying foreman, placed a riceball wrapped in a paper towel beside him. “I thought you could use a little charity.” Franklin devoured the riceball in a matter of seconds and greedily licked the leftover kernels. “Oh dear, are you sure you can afford to share your food with me? I should have asked.” Franklin wasn’t really concerned about depriving his benefactor of food, but it was necessary to maintain the appearance that he cared. “It’s no problem at all,” said the orange stallion. “My friends all chipped in to help.” He slid a bag of rice to Franklin. “Why thank you, Mr...” “The name’s Ebisawa Taro. And yours?” “It’s Alexander Franklin. I’m indebted to you, Mr. Ebisawa. You are a generous man to give aid to a Britannian noble.” “Don’t sweat it, Franklin? You mind me asking why a Britannian noble took the loyalty oath.” “I don’t mind at all. To tell the truth, I didn’t have much a choice. Someone falsely accused me of deserting my post during the siege, and I would most certainly faced reprisal because of that terrible lie.” “You’re learning about how the new world works.” “The new world works?!?” “It’s all about the wings and the horns. You’re a nobody without them.” Franklin leaped up. “But I’m a baron!” “Keep it down before you get us arrested.” “Oh, sorry.” “I know how you feel. I used to be a Black Knight. My brother and I were members of the ground forces. It was our job to take the lower parts of the Settlement. Everything was going fine until the Brits got one of their Knightmares working again. It was mowing down every mundane type that crossed its path. It even killed my brother. And you know what our air troops were doing? They tucked tail and flew away leaving the ground forces without any air support. After the battle, I let one of those birdbrains have it. They kicked me out, but it was worth it after what they did to us.” “I see why you hate people with wings, but what about horns?” “You used to be a baron. Well, I used to be an engineer, and I thought after we defeated the Brits that I would go back being an engineer. Turns out, the guys with the horns were getting all the work. I can still draw blueprints. I can write with my mouth just as well as they can write with their mental powers, but they won’t give me a chance. Not that it matters, the Black Knights made us into slaves...oh I’m sorry...I meant to say civil service draftees.” “I heard it was a mundane that gave the order.” “Then you didn’t hear the whole story. He’s some pushover and the guy who really gave the order is a flyboy. I’m telling you-everyone here without wings or a horn is a second-class citizen.” “Maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.” “Whadda mean?” Alexander Franklin leaned over and whispered in Ebisawa's ear. “We mundane-type have all the food," he grinned devilishly. “From what I understand, there was talk about rationing food for the winter. They would only do that in the face of a food shortage. We would only have to take over a small percentage of the food supply to make life difficult for the horned and winged-types. We’ll threaten to destroy the crops if Zero doesn’t give in to our demands.” “I like the way you think,” Ebisawa smiled. “We’ll show that horned bastard Zero he can’t make us his slave labor.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “You did what!” Tohdoh yelled. He, Ohgi, and Diethard were slumped over a conference tables; its legs were cut in half in order to compensate for the loss in statute. “We had to. The food supply’s running low.” Ohgi said defensively. “It’s only temporary.” “Forced labor for even a day is morally abhorrent." “What do you mean ‘forced labor’?” Ohgi looked to Diethard. “Did you enslave Japanese?” “The USJ Articles of Governance gives us the right to draft citizens in a time of national emergency. They were fairly compensated for their...” “That doesn’t matter. The draft was set up to provide manpower for time of wars, not for slave labor.” Tohdoh slammed his hoof on the table. “And it wasn’t necessary. Had you told the Japanese the situation, you would have had more than enough volunteers.” “Tohdoh,” said Diethard, “as members of the Black Knights’ command structure, we don’t need to explain ourselves.” “Spoke like a true Britannian. Our people didn’t wait seven long years just to switch task masters. They don’t serve us. We serve them.” “Diethard,” said Ohgi, “I’m ordering you to discharge the Japanese that were conscripted.” “That’ll be easier said than done,” Tohdoh sighed. “There are reported uprising in the agricultural prefectures. The grain store houses were taken over and now our distribution has been cut by a third. We have no choice to ration food, starting tomorrow.” “What if we explain everything to them?” Tohdoh shook his head. “They’re not listening to reason. They want Zero to step down and for us to elect a new leader-one that has neither horn nor wings.” “You mean a mundane-type? But they can’t expect us to divide Japan into three races.” “Why not? We already have.” Tohdoh was looking squarely at Diethard. “Zero, what do you suggest doing?” All eyes turned to Zero who was at the head of the conference table staring down at the floor. “You’ve been quiet this whole time. Care to share your input with us?” Zero looked around the room but avoided making eye contact with the others. “Well? What do you have to say?” “I’m not sure.” “Not sure?!?” Diethard yelled. “There’s only one course of action to take. This uprising has to be put down immediately.” “And cause more needless bloodshed in the process? Acting without thinking is what got us in this mess in the first place! We should continue negotiations.” “Zero, they’re not negotiating,” said Tohdoh. “They made it perfectly clear that they won’t settle for anything less than having all their demands met.” “I said ‘continue negotiation’ and that’s final!” Zero then started to leave the room. “Now, you will excuse me. I have other matters to attend to.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Don’t you think this is a bit out of the way, Barnstormer?” Villetta asked. They were trotting along the side of a steep hill. It was tasking for Villetta to walk on the rocky, uneven ground. “Sorry,” Barnstormer apologized, “I’ve been flying so long that I keep forgetting how hard it is to get around on hoof.” Villetta was weighing her options. Barnstormer still had a creepy obsession for me and this little incursion could be the finale to a fatal attraction. We’re far enough away from the camp that he could rape or kill me and get away with it, but it also means I can kill him and make a run for it myself. But he’s a pegasus. I’d only have one shot to kill him and if I make a mistake, he could fly out of reach and warn the others. And then I have to find my way back to the Settlement without getting caught by the Elevens, and it didn’t go well for me the last time I tried it. And that’s assuming the Viceroy is still alive. If Nightmare Moon was telling the truth, the Elevens may have killed them all. Barnstormer then stopped by a pile of rocks. “Okay, we’re here.” “Oh thank heavens. My hooves are killing me.” Night Fire’s cruel brand of re-education had its effect and broke Villetta from using human colloquial. “Do you trust me, MB?” Barnstormer asked. “Of course I trust you.” Villetta lied. Barnstormer pawed a pile of rocks. As he dug deeper, patches of fur surfaced. Villetta was horrified to see what was buried under that pile of rocks. “Sergeant Dux,” Villetta gasped. “Did you do this Barnstormer?” “Yes, and I did it for us, Moonlight Blossom.” Villetta backed away from Barnstormer as he walked towards her. “I saw you talking with him and that other wild pony.” Villetta lost her hoofing and stumbled. “I know you were only trying to help, but you shouldn’t scheme against Nightmare Moon. Don’t you understand-she’ll kill you, and then I’d die too because I can’t bear to be without you.” Barnstormer scooped Villetta up and flew far above the mountain tops until the pine wood trees looked like twigs. “You have to learn to trust me, Moonlight Blossom. You have to forget Britannia, forget about Lord Jeremiah. That’s all in our past.” “Please, Barnstormer, can’t we talk about this on the ground?” “You’re not trusting me, Moonlight Blossom! You know I love you too much to let you fall, but you still won’t trust me!” Barnstormer was hysterical. Villetta could feel his front and rear legs trembling as he held her aloft. In his frenzied state, Barnstormer could inadvertently drop her at any moment. Calm down, Villetta. If you panic, then Barnstormer will panic too and drop you. Villetta closed her eyes and let her racing heart settle down. “Okay, I trust you, Barnstormer. I know you won’t drop me.” Barnstormer glided back down and dropped Villetta off right next to Sergeant Dux’s body. He nuzzled against her and whispered in her ear between breaths, “you see...you’re safe...safe with me...Moonlight Blossom.” Barnstormer took a deep breath and let his racing heart settled. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I’ll take care of you. I promise.” Barnstormer said as he planted kisses on Villetta’s forehead and cheeks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “General Darlton, Sir Guilford, must I choose a replacement for Sir Kururugi?” Euphemia pouted. Her elder sister’s former confidants led Euphemia to the Matsuyama castle courtyard much to her objections. “It’s necessary to keep up appearance, mi lady,” said Guilford. “Having a Britannian as a personal champion will reassure the people that you are still loyal to the homeland.” “So, how many potential knights will I choose from?” Euphemia asked. Darlton and Guilford glanced at each other and then looked off to the side. “Is there something wrong?” Darlton stomped his hoof and created a loud clop that echoed through the castle hallway. “It’s the fault of these craven nobles,” he grumbled. “They’re like rats leaving a sinking ship.” “And what is it that’s their fault, Darlton.” When they reached the courtyard, Darlton shamefully pointed to one solitary mundane-type waiting on a park bench. He was a young stallion, approximately Euphemia’s age, had a bright red mane, blue eyes, and a forest green coat with red spots that bore a striking resemblance to freckles. Perhaps he was a ginger before the transformation. Upon seeing the three going into the courtyard, the stallion smiled for a moment before he remembered what his place was and jumped up at attention.” “Only one candidate?” “Please pardon Guilford and I, mi lady, but the nobles have abandoned you. They actually believe you were disowned by the Emperor and that they’ll be stripped of their noble status if they associate themselves with you.” “If you wish your majesty,” Guilford volunteered, “I can be your champion.” Out of the corner of Euphemia’s eye, the candidate stared down at the floor with a glower look on his face. “I like you where you’re at now, Sir Guilford. You’ve done an excellent job organizing the refugee camp. It would be an arduous task to find someone who could fill your shoes.” The candidate’s mood perked up. “Are you sure, your majesty? A knight’s first duty is to protect the crown.” I can’t choose Guilford as my personal knight. He’ll insist on permanently replacing Suzaku. I have to dissuade Guilford without hurting his feelings. He’s still blames himself for Cornelia dying. I’ll have to word this carefully. “You’re already by my side most of the time. I could count on my fingers the number of times we’ve been away...if I still had them. Having an extra protector won’t hurt.” “In that case,” said Darlton, “allow me to introduce Reginald Franklin, son of the former baron Alexander Franklin.” “Former Baron?!?” “May I explain?” The candidate hung his head down and spoke up in a sheepish tone. “My father abandoned his post when the Black Knights took over the High Ground Level.” “Don’t let that dissuade you, mi lady,” Darlton spoke up. “This young man fought bravely alongside the former viceroy and has four confirmed kills. The apple fell far from the tree with this one, mi lady.” “Darlton! That’s rude,” Euphemia rebuked. “No, it’s quite alright,” said Reginald. “I’ve accepted the fact that my father isn’t exactly a brave man.” “Don’t you worry, Sir Franklin,” said Darlton. “Your service to the crown should overshadow the indiscretions of your father and preserve your social status.” “In that case,” said Euphemia, “I choose you, Sir Franklin, to be my champion in Sir Kururugi’s absence. Come with us so that we may plan out the formal ceremony.” Reginald Franklin could barely contain his joy as he fought against the smile creeping across his face. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the Battle for the Settlement, when it was discovered the Britannians found an alternative power source to sakuradite, the Black Knights took on the difficult task of towing the Knightmares from the oceans cliff when they were left on the Night of the Transformation to the Yokohama dock warehouses for safe keeping for the day when they unlock the secret of this new source of power. Kallen, who was flying over, spiraled down and glided through the warehouse bay doors. One of the new recruits reported a group of ponies performing unauthorized maintenance on the Knightmares, and Kallen took a short flight to Yokohama to see for herself. Sure enough, there were ponies dismantling the Gurren Mark II, Kallen’s Knightmare Frame. “Just what the hell are you doing!” Kallen yelled at the ponies fondling her machine. She galloped full speed and shoved a horned worker out of the way. “Who gave you permission to put your hands on my Gurren?” “That would be me.” Kallen turned her attention to a rather annoyed-looking mundane mare. She had a blonde mane and orange crème coat, but what stood out about her the most was the purple diamond mark on her forehead and a long red pipe hanging off her lips at an angle. “Is there a problem?” Kallen marched over to the mare. “You’re damn right there’s a problem. No one’s allowed to touch our Knightmares without authorization from Zero. Just who the hell are you anyway?” “I am the Gurren’s mother.” Kallen tilted her head and frown in bewilderment. “It’s mother?” The confusion was short-lived when Kallen made the connection between the mare’s claim to motherhood and the Gurren. “You’re Rakshata?!?” “Well who else would I be?” “But your flight to Japan? It was on the night of the transformation. You should have...” “...crashed? We almost did, but when I heard Japan was blacking out, I talked the pilot into making an emergency landing. The plane lost power just after touching down in the Gobi Desert. We traveled on foot to Shanghai and paid a hefty fee for smugglers to bring us to Japan.” Then Rakshata did something that caught Kallen by surprise. The pipe stuck to the Indian scientist’s hoof as a stream of smoke passed between her lips. “How you’re doing that?” Rakshata looked down at the pipe. “You mean this? Take a look for yourself.” Rakshata tilted her hoof showing Kallen a horseshoe with brown tabs lining its perimeter. “Magnets?” Kallen guessed. The magnetic tabs were in contact with hose clamps fastened around the pipe’s shank. “Not just magnets,” Rakshata said. Kallen examined the hoof more closely. There was a black strip running along the hoof’s central groove. “Is that Velcro?” “It’s crude, I know, but it’s quite effective. Between the two, I’ve regained 25% of my dexterity. The long walk got me thinking of other ideas to get around our lack of fingers. Interested in hearing about them.” “Never mind that. I want to know what you’re doing to the Gurren?” “If you must know, my team is removing the modification *that man* made on the white Knightmare Frame and placing it on my child,” Rakshata said as though she just happen to spat something vile on the tip of her tongue at the same time she said ‘that man’. “I have no idea how the internal mechanism for the power generation packs work, but they’re self-contained so they can be installed on the Gurren once the upgrades are completed. After the power plants are installed and the modifications to the cockpit interface are made, we’ll begin work on the anti-personnel gun turrets. Since there isn’t any sakuradite to propel electromagnetic rounds, we have to resort to compressed air. We’re also looking into chemical combustion but that may take awhile to come up with a mechanism to discharge chemically-propelled rounds at high rates of fire...” “Hey wait a second!” “Is there something wrong?” Kallen motioned to Rakshata to distant herself from the others. “You were talking as though you knew the identity of the scientists who made the nuclear reactors,” Kallen said in a hushed tone. “If you got your hands on top secret information...” “Oh please, I didn’t need to peek in your secret files. The Pudding Earl wouldn’t let anyone touch his machine without his supervision.” Rakshata took a drag from her pipe and exhale another cloud of smoke. “Pudding Earl” “My nickname for Lloyd Asplund.” Kallen had a feeling that they may have been something between them but decided it was best not to press Rakshata for details. “Before I get further off subject, some of your people haven’t been checked out yet.” A winged mare stopped the work she was doing on the Gurren’s Radiant Wave Surger and looked down upon Rakshata and Kallen “Resistant fighters with red tape. Now I’ve seen it all.” “We’re not resistant fighters anymore. The Black Knights is the USJ’s official military defense force. The red tape is really for the sensitive material like the Knightmares.” The winged mare eased herself down just enough to pry without being noticed. “I only came here with two other scientists. The rest are your men.” The winged mare causally and quietly flew off. “Hey you,” Rakshata called out to the mare. “We’re on a tight schedule. Where you’re sneaking off to.” Suddenly, the winged mare picked up speed and hastened to the exit. Kallen, realizing that the mare might have been flying away to avoid being questioned, took off after her. The fleeing mare, hearing wings flapping behind her, sped up, but it wasn’t enough. Kallen was about to overtake her, when the winged mare kicked her in the nose and flew away. The winged mare was about to exit the warehouse when one of the rank-and-file Black Knights flew in her path. They would have collided had it not been for the winged mare making a steep dive and then pulling up just in time with only a scraped up chest to show for it. She almost made it to the exit adjacent to the first one when Kallen landed on her back. The added weight too much for the winged mare, and both she and Kallen make a rough landing. “Let go of me, you damn Eleven!” The mare yelled. “She’s...a Britannian,” Kallen said dumbfounded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch was about to make another incursion to Nunnally’s room when he was cut off by Kallen, who was sitting on her haunches with a crossed look on her face. Just behind Lelouch was C.C. “Excuse me, Kallen, but do you mind stepping aside.” “As a matter of fact, I do mind. You’ve been shucking your duties and spending all of your time here.” “I can have you transferred if this is a...” “That’s not the issue. Did you know we caught a Britannian spy? She gain access to the Gurren and was sabotaging the Radiant Wave Surger before we found her out. Zero, you were the one in charge of vetting recruits for top-secret work, remember?” “Yes, I remember.” “Then why aren’t you?” “We found her out. What else do you want?” “You know better than that, Zero. There could be more Britannians than just her. And why are you always going to see Nunnally? Is there something going on between you...” “Don’t you dare accuse us of perversion!” Zero yelled. “Then what else could you possibly be doing with her?” “I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!” Lelouch yelled to the top of his lungs. “I won’t hear another word on the subject! Accuse either Nunnally or I of acting inappropriately again and I’ll have expelled from the Black Knights. Is that understood?” “Yes sir, I understand.” “I’ll take care of these spies. It’s no longer your concern.” Kallen nodded her head and flew away. Good going, Kallen. You almost got booted out of the Black Knights. Well, hopefully, this will snap him out of his depression. C.C. tapped Lelouch on the shoulder. “With your Geass, finding the identities of her accomplices wouldn’t be problem.” “Oh that’s right,” said Lelouch. “Thanks for reminding me.” “I shouldn’t have to. That normally would be the first thing to come to mind. Did the assault on your classmates shake you up that badly?” Lelouch wouldn’t answer. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Lelouch grunted and disappeared into Nunnally’s room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The early bird shoppers were greeted not by store clerks and cashiers, but by Black Knights guarding the entrance. Just after sunrise, Ohgi, carrying a megaphone in his mouth, emerged from the store. “Could one you help me with this thing?” Ohgi asked. One of the Black Knights left his post and bit into the megaphone handle awkwardly held it to Ohgi’s face. “Could you raise it a bit...one that’s too high...point it to the right,” Ohgi and the guard wrestled with the megaphone a bit until a helpful horned-type telekinetically positioned the megaphone for Ohgi. “Oh, thank you,” said Ohgi. “You’re welcome,” said a sultry, feminine voice. “My name is Ohgi Kaname, Deputy Commander of the Black Knights. Now, I know some of you are concerned that the numbers of peacekeepers in the Settlement and Old Tokyo has increased. Rest assured. Everything will be fine, but we still need your complete cooperation. As you know, Zero made contingency plans in case of food shortages. Well, there’s been a slight set back in food production and we’re enacting our contingency plan.” Then, without warning, megaphone floated away. It happened so suddenly, Ohgi didn’t have time to react. “I wouldn’t call greedy mundane types hogging the food a ‘set back’.” It was the same sultry voice from earlier. Odessa Stadtfeld stepped out of the crowd and faced them. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know the mundane types in the farming prefectures took over the food supply.” Ohgi galloped over to Lady Stadtfeld. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” “I’m telling them the truth about what your kind is doing.” ‘My kind’?!? Going by your accent, you’re the only one here who isn’t Japanese.” “That’s not what I’m talking about.” Mrs. Stadtfeld motioned to her horn. Realizing what she was up to, Ohgi tried to take back the megaphone, but before he could, Lady Stadtfeld snatched it away. Ohgi leaped for the megaphone repeatedly, but each time it was levitated out of reach. Some of the Japanese in the crowd chuckled at the undignified display. “Give it back or else I’ll have you arrested!” Ohgi yelled. Just then, some of the other horned ponies stepped out of the crowd and between him and Lady Stadtfeld. Ohgi recognized one of them as Demegawa Hitoshi, the guy who was discriminating against that mare for not having a horn. “You’ll get it back,” said Lady Stadtfeld. “I’m only borrowing it to say one more thing.” She then addressed the crowds again. “It was the mundane types that are withholding food. And yet, I bet this mundane type here,” she said pointing to Ohgi, “will insist that we all have the same amount. Just think about it when they give you your paltry share.” Lady Stadtfeld smirked as she levitated the megaphone right in front of Ohgi. “Didn’t you have something to say?” “I know this sound bad, but don’t listen to...” Ohgi said when Lady Stadtfeld released her power over the megaphone and letting gravity take its course. There were more snickers from the crowd, but mostly from the horned Japanese. Ohgi shot a dirty glare at the other Black Knights. One of them, a winged stallion, held the megaphone up for Ohgi, who, this time, took the initiative and position it for the recruit. “Don’t listen to this Britannian. She’s only trying to turn the Japanese people against each other.” “I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Lady Stadtfeld said. “I took the loyalty oath.” Ohgi pulled away from the megaphone and said, “you just nullified it by that stunt you pulled.” He then spoke into the megaphone and said, “every household will be permitted one bag of rice, two bags of hay, and one bag of nori. Everyone must give their home address to the store clerks before checking out their merchandise. After today, we’ll have set days of the week for people to purchase food by the alphabetical order of your surname as written in romanji. The store clerk will provide you with the schedule. They’re opening the doors in one minute. Please, come into the store in an orderly fashion and only twenty can go into the store at a time and only one person per household. Lady Stadtfeld and the other horned ponies that accompanied her stepped out of line. Demegawa, who was about to move up in line took noticed. “Hey, aren’t we getting our food?” Demegawa asked. “I wouldn’t go in there if I was you. If everything goes as planned, it might not be safe in there.” Demegawa perked up as Lady Stadtfeld whispered in his ear. Lady Stadtfeld’s little gang of horned ponies watched the tension build. Everyone was on their toes. The crowd seemed to eye each other with suspicion that the person next to them may be against them for not being the right race. One mundane stallion was shoved in the rear by a winged mare. He then murmured something about not hitting women. For a moment, chivalry trumped the racial divide. But that would only go so far. Just as a mundane stallion was about to get his turn to pick up his household’s share of the rations, a horned stallion shoved him out of the way and bullied his way inside. “No skipping!” A mundane Black Knight yelled out. He stepped in front of the horned stallion. “Or else what? I’ll starve?” “No, we have plenty for you to eat in the stockades, and they’ll have to carry to there in a stretcher if you don’t get the hell out of here!” “It’s okay,” said the mundane stallion that was showing civility than the Black Knight guard. “He can go ahead of me.” “I didn’t ask for your permission,” the horned stallion sneered. “You ought of,” said the mundane Black Knight. “It’s our kind that keeps you fed.” “Slaves should be working in a field, not mouthing off to their superiors.” “What the hell did you just say?” “Well what else can you kind do? It’s not like you’re good for anything else but pulling carts and plows?” The mundane Black Knight pawned the grown and snorted. The horned stallion did likewise. “Hey look, we don’t need to get violent.” The mundane stallion, who was trying desperately to defuse the situation, inadvertently ignited a powder keg. Just outside the grocery store, a winged stallion, that was halfway paying attention, saw the mundane stallion step inside the store without any other person exiting it. “That bastard is jumping the line!” The winged stallion yelled out not realizing the pony ‘jumping’ the line was trying to keep a fight from breaking out. The winged stallion flew over the group only to be slammed back to the ground by a horned stallion that then bolted for the door only to be kicked in the side by the mundane stallion that was shoved from behind by the winged mare. And it was that very same winged mare that leaped on the mundane stallion’s back and was pulling out his mane with her teeth. And then it went downhill from there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alexander Franklin feasted like a king. As one of the leaders of mundane pony faction, he had free reign of the store houses, and that privilege was abused shamelessly. Franklin was on his back reclining on a pile of rice; his stomach bulging out from overindulging. Ebisawa Taro, the other leader, was on his haunches with a hoof under his chin. “I told you this would work,” Franklin gloated. “We have the food to ourselves and Zero better abdicate his position or else those hungry mouths might force him to resign the hard way.” “I don’t know,” said Ebisawa. “It seemed like the right idea at first, but now I’m worried. We could wind up hurting a lot of our own kind in the process, and even I don’t hate the other types to starve them to death.” “How many times do I have to tell you it won’t go that far? Do you really think they’d let Zero stay in power for long if it means starving? No, they won’t. They’re looking out for themselves just as we’re looking out for all of the mundane-types in Japan. We’ll be heroes-the saviors who rescued the mundane-types from the oppression of the winged and horned races.” “And that’s another thing-we took this place with barely a fight. It was like the Black Knights didn’t try to take it back.” “That’s because we have the power to grow food. Didn’t you feel it, Ebisawa? The connection we have with the earth? The other two races lack that power. They’d starve if they killed us off.” “Wouldn’t they just get more mundane types to take our place? There’s plenty still left in just Tokyo alone” “That’s why the timing of our revolt is so perfect. The growing season will be over soon. By the time they get rid of us and dispatch our replacement, it’ll be too late for them to grow anymore crops, and they know it.” It was then one of the mundane guards rushed into the store house. “I’m sorry to disturb you, sirs, but there’s a problem with the clouds.” “Well of course there is,” said Alexander with a tint of annoyance in his voice, “it hasn’t rained in a while. Tell us something we don’t know.” “But we found out why. Come with me, I have to show you.” “Come on, Franklin,” said Ebisawa, “this may be important.” “If you insist,” said Franklin. He strained just to get back on his hooves. When they went outside, the guard pointed at a single cloud racing across the sky. Alexander pressed a hoof over his forehead. “You brought us outside to see a cloud?” Franklin mumbled. “Sir, the cloud’s moving against the wind.” “Do anyone have binoculars?” Ebisawa asked in a panicked voice. Another guard held out a pair of binoculars and pointed them at the cloud. “Franklin, you have to see this?” Ebisawa stepped aside for his co-conspirator to get a look through the binoculars. “Oh sure, right away.” Franklin said in a voice that betrayed his feelings of trepidation. He looked through the binocular and saw a swarm of winged ponies pushing the cloud away. “They’re stealing our clouds.” Then, piece of the cloud broke away and were being strung out and crisscrossed together. The winged types were skywriting a message to the mundane faction below in kanji. “What the hell are they saying?” Franklin said. “I can only read some of it.” “It says ‘you may have the land, but we have the skies’.” Ebisawa stomped the ground until his hoof dug about six inches into muddy ground. They’re cutting us off at the knees. That’s it! If they want to go all out on us, then so can we. We’ll burn the grain before we let them have it.” “Weren’t you the one worried about them starving?” “That’s before they tried to kill us with a drought!” “Look Ebisawa, we still have the food and we’re the ones with the green thumb. They need us more than we need them. That means we still have a stronger position to negotiate. The mundane-types can still come out on top if we play our cards right.” “Yeah,” said Ebisawa, “that’s a good idea. We’ll wait them out.” “And since we have the underground aquifers, we still have drinking water,” said Franklin. “All these idiots are doing is hurting themselves.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “What the hell happened to you?” Kallen asked the bruised and beaten Ohgi. Though the wounds weren’t life-threatening, Ohgi was still worse for wear. Bits of his mane were missing. There was also a swollen lip and a bump on the top of his head that almost looks as though Ohgi was about to spout a horn. Yoshitaka was tending to his comrade-at-arms. “There was a riot at the grocery store on Asahina Street,” said Oghi. “I never heard of Asahina Street?” “It used to be Clovis Street, but we renamed it in honor of the Holy Sword that died in the Battle of the Settlement.” “I told you to stay still,” Yoshitaka scolded Ohgi. “How can I keep the ice pack on you when you keep moving around.” “Oh sorry,” said Ohgi who then pressed a plastic bag full of ice on the bump on his head. “But like I was saying, there was a food riot on Asahina Street.” “How could the Japanese fall so far?” Kallen asked. “Foot riots breaking on the first day of rationing? Don’t these Japanese have any pride in themselves?” “It’s my fault. The riot wouldn’t have happen if I didn’t issue the order for mundane-types to farm our food. Had I explained the situation, the Japanese would have gladly volunteered.” “Don’t sit there and take all of the blame for yourself,” Yoshitaka protested. “We know who really started the food riots.” “Yoshitaka, please don’t,” Ohgi pleaded. “Kallen needs to hear it,” Yoshitaka said. All Ohgi could do is hold his head down and accept what would come next. “Hear what?” Kallen asked. “There was a gang of horned-types getting the people riled up. We didn’t know who the leader was except *she* was a former Britannian. But Ohgi recognized one of them and made him tell us who it was. Kallen, is your stepmother’s first name Odessa?” “Yes, it is, but why you’re ask...you mean my stepmother caused this?!?” Yoshitaka nodded. “She has a small following of horned-types. Hey wait!” Yoshitaka manage to catch up with Kallen before he had a chance to fly out the window. “Listen, that’s exactly what your step-mother wants. If you attack her, you’ll be playing into her hands. Tohdoh will be here any minute now and then we can decide how best to confront your step-mother.” “Alright, I’ll wait!” Kallen grumbled. About a few minutes later, Tohdoh showed up with the three remaining Holy Swords: Senba Ryoga, Chiba Nagisa, and Urabe Kosetsu. “I’m glad you could come,” said Ohgi. “We could use your help with the racial tension that’s been building up here lately.” “I’m afraid there’s a more pressing issue at hand,” said Tohdoh. “More pressing than infighting among the Japanese?” Yoshitaka asked. Tohdoh nodded. “Come with us.” Tohdoh and the Holy Swords lead Kallen, Ohgi, and Yoshitaka to the medical ward where Minami was waiting. Next to him were two stallions, both were winged types. One had a bright yellow coat and brown mane and wore a pair of glasses. He was all stitched up after being in the losing end of a fight. The other looked somewhat familiar to Kallen. Zero had argued with some holier-than-thou pacifist with a dark blue mane and light blue coat. He was also a nudist. Going bare-naked was not an option when your body can no longer fit your clothes, but that was before the horned types learned to use their powers to tailor clothing for their new forms. Even the more impoverished of the Japanese would keep something over their bodies even if it was nothing more than an old shirt or jacket. The laws against public nudity were temporarily suspended but still he could have at least tried. “Do you mind?” Kallen hinted to Minami’s patient to practice a little modesty. “Mind what?” The blue winged stallion asked. Minami wasn’t so clueless. He tossed a sheet over the blue winged stallion. “So, what happened to you?” Kallen asked the injured stallion. “I’ll let him tell you,” said Minami, who then tapped the patient on the shoulder. “Urashima, they want to know what happened to you.” Urashima nodded. “My name is Urashima Keitaro. I was out in the Pacific with Sorato. We heard about the winged-types stealing clouds from the mundane-types in the farming prefectures. We wanted to show the mundane-types that not all winged types were their enemy. So, I got some of my friends to come with us. We were having trouble finding clouds since the Chinese Federation kept snatching them up. We had to split up to cover more area. After looking for days, I saw this huge cloud and thought if we brought it back, we could make peace with the mundane-types. But there were Britannians hiding inside-must have been thousands. Also, they had all these ships...dozens of them. They looked like ocean liners and freighters but with these huge sails. And the wing types were using their powers to make wind for the ships. They chased me down and knocked me out of the sky. I was treading waters for what seemed like forever. I would have gotten tired and drowned if that fog didn’t show up and gave me something to stand on. Sorato found me the next day and patched me up enough to fly back.” “Do you remember how fast they were going or how far off they are?” Ohgi said. Keitaro nodded. “It took us two days to get back and those ships were moving really slow. “I’d give them about one week if they’re working in shifts,” said the blue winged stallion. “And you must be Sorato?” Tohdoh asked. “I am,” Sorato nodded. “I remember you,” said Kallen spitefully. “You’re the pacifist that kept bugging Zero about making peace with Britannia. Does it sound like Britannia wants to make peace with us? Does it?” “No, it doesn’t.” Sorato’s ears drooped as he stared down at the floor with a frown on his face. “But there’s still time left to talk to them.” “And go back to being their lapdops?!?” Kallen sneered. “I never said that! All I’m asking that you tried to talk to them.” “I’ll let this do all of the talking for me.” Kallen tapped the knife holstered to her left foreleg. “Keitaro, Sorato, you are to stay here until we release knowledge of the Britannian armada to the public,” Tohdoh ordered. “But my roommate will worry if I don’t come back,” said Sorato. “Minami, inform this man’s roommate that’s he being detained for security reasons. What about you, Keitaro?” “I’m living with my aunt, right now.” “Tell Keitaro’s aunt as well, but only that’s being detained. If they ask why, tell them it’s classified.” “Yes sir,” said Minami. “Come with me. We need to speak in private.” Tohdoh motioned to Ohgi and Kallen to follow him out in the hallway. “Ohgi, Zero hasn’t been much of a leader for the past month. Will you turn over control to the Black Knights to me?” “I don’t know,” said Ohgi. “I wouldn’t want to go over Zero’s head.” “Wait!” Kallen cried out. “Let me talk to him. Give me one more chance to reach him.” “Very well,” said Tohdoh, “I have no desire to usurp Zero, but you don’t have much time left. I’ll give you until tomorrow night, and then I’ll assume command.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Zero’s in my room again, isn’t he?” Kallen interrogated Sayoko, who was, once again, guarding the door. “Ms. Kōzuki, you know I’m not at liberty to dis...” “I’m tired of hearing that excuse.” “Ms. Kōzuki, I know this is an inconvenience to you. I’m sure Master Zero won’t mind transferring you to a different room.” “I don’t care about the room. A race war is breaking out and Zero’s been indecisive since we came back from the refugee camp, and now an armada of Britannian ships is heading our way. What’s wrong with him, Sayoko? Did those rogue Black Knights shake him up that badly?” “It would be a betrayal of my duties to discuss this matter.” “Sayoko, the Japanese are turning on each other. They’ll be nothing left of Japan unless Zero acts now. If you care about being a good servant, you’d help me snap Zero out of whatever the hell is wrong with him?” “Do you not have faith in Master Zero?” “Not now, not when he’s like this.” “I always have faith in Master Zero.” “Sayoko, Zero’s only human. Something got him upset and now he’s lost the will to lead.” “Ms. Kōzuki, I have faith in you as well,” Sayoko said without averting her glance. “I believe you will find the answers for yourself.” “Damn you, Sayoko. I came here for answers, and you give me riddles.” “I gave you nothing, Ms. Kōzuki. You have all the pieces you need for your answer.” Just then, the door flew up. “Sayoko! What the hell was that racket?” Zero then noticed Kallen off to the size. “Sayoko, see to that Kallen is transferred to a new room. And you-pack your belonging and move to your new quarters by the end of the day.” Zero then stormed off. “I’m sorry to end our conversation so abruptly, but I have my orders,” said Sayoko, who then whispered into Kallen’s ear, “and you must speak with Nunnally to put those pieces together.” “Wait Sayoko!” Kallen called out. “What does Nunnally have...” Sayoko paid Kallen no heed and disappeared around the corner. Nunnally is the key?!? But how? Think, Kallen. It would make perfect sense. Zero’s always in there with her. But why? And what does this have to do with the murders committed by the Black Knights. He’s been going in my room before Rivalz was murd...before *Rivalz* was murdered. But after it happened, Zero lost his nerve. And Sayoko said to talk to Nunnally about putting together the pieces. NO! It can’t be him. It couldn’t be. It can’t possibly be him. Kallen took a deep breath to steady her nerves before going back to her room. “Kallen,” said Nunnally. “I heard a commotion outside. Is everything okay?” “It’s nothing. I was having a friendly quarrel with Sayoko that got out of hand.” Kallen then said in the sweetest voice she could muster. “Have you seen Lelouch? He’s been missing since the transformation. Has he tried to get in contact with...” “No he hasn’t!” Nunnally said sternly. “Please don’t talk about him anymore.” “So, that wasn’t him talking to you? Please tell me the truth, Nunnally. You know you can trust me. Lelouch and I are classmates.” The weight of Lelouch’s secret was getting to be too much for Nunnally to bear, and since Kallen seems to know anyway. “You can’t tell anyone.” “Tell them what?” “Zero has my brother hostage.” Kallen closed her eyes and took a deep breath to brace herself for the worst. “Was that Lelouch you were talking to?” Nunnally nodded. It’s confirmed-Lelouch is Zero. Kallen fell to her knees and trembled. How? Lelouch never cared. I confronted Lelouch and ask him about the occupation, and he showed nothing less than perfect indifference. He’d rather play the critic and judge the world from the sidelines. How could he be the very same man I idolize? “Nunnally, I need you to tell me everything.” “I don’t understand what you’re talking about?” “Nunnally, tell me everything about Lelouch. Don’t hold anything back.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Are you sure you don’t have any tomato sauce?” C.C asked the store clerk. “We’re in the middle of a food shortage, and you’re worried about tomato sauce? And no, the Britannians who used to run this store before they got evicted ran out before the Black Knights gave it to us. In fact, I doubt any place would have luxury items.” “Very well, thank you for your time.” C.C. exited the store with nothing but the saddle bag on her back. “Calling tomato sauce a ‘luxury item’? The word’s really is going to hell. No, I’m not addicted to pizza. It’s just that I haven’t had any since the transformation.” While C.C. trotted along the sidewalk, a young filly galloped alongside her. “Lady? Lady? Lady!” The young filly called out to get C.C.’s attention. “Yes, can I help you?” “Are you talking to your invisible friend? I have an invisible friend too. His name is Hajime. What’s your invisible friend’s name?” “Her name is Marianne.” In reality, Marianne was no imaginary friend. She was, in fact, Marianne vi Britannia, the mother of Lelouch and Nunnally. V.V., Charles zi Britannia’s twin brother, grew jealous of Marianne and made an assassination attempt on her. Marianne, bleeding to death from multiple gunshot wounds, used her Geass to transfer her mind into the body of a girl named Anya Alstreim who was staying at the Ares Villa as an etiquette student at the time and who had witnessed the attack. When she made the transfer, Marianne formed a telepathic bond with C.C., the one who gave her the Geass. “That’s a pretty name. My mommy said I was too old to have an invisible friend. But you’re an old lady, and you have an invisible friend.” C. C. frowned. “Did anyone tell you it’s rude to call a woman ‘an old lady’?” “Oh, I’m sorry.” “What do you mean look to my right and left? What are you talking about?” C.C. then noticed the stallion hiding in the adjacent alley. It was the same stallion that piloted the white Knightmare. In his mouth was an electric cattle prod. On the other side of the street, was another mundane stallion with dirty blonde mane and grayish-blue fur. C.C. then noticed the Geass in his right eye. “Hey lady, are you talking to Marianne?” Then, from the point of view of the young filly, C.C. disappeared. “Lady?” The filly looked around. “Lady!” She called out again. “Wow! She turned invisible. I’m going to tell mommy.” Unnoticed by the filly was the partially open storm drain grating near the front of the alley. Just after she left, a pony inside slid the grating back into place. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen busted into Lelouch’s private office. “We need...to talk...” she said between breaths heavy from exhaustion. “May I ask why you barged into my private office?” Lelouch said in a crossed voice. “Japan is coming apart at the seams without you. You have to take responsibility and be our leader again.” “Go pester Ohgi or Tohdoh if you believe I’m negligent in my duties.” “I know you’re upset over what happened to Milly and Rivalz, but you have to put that to the side.” “You know nothing about me! Keep your conjecture to yourself!” “You can drop the act, Lelouch. I know it’s you.” “Do you really think you uncovered out my true ide...” “Nunnally told me everything.” Lelouch was stunned into silence. “Well, everything she knew. She told me that Zero was keeping her brother hostage and that you went to visit her, but the only person that went in and out of our room was you. I didn’t want to believe it myself. Of all the people in the world, it had to be you, Lelouch.” Lelouch shook his head emphatically. “She wouldn’t. Nunnally would never betray...” “No, she wouldn’t, but I backed her into a corner. She had no choice but to tell the truth.” “What else do you know?” “Nunnally also told me you’re both royalty, the son and daughter of the Britannian Emperor. I found that one a little hard to swallow until I looked it for myself. I never knew Britannia sent two royals as hostages to Japan until today. I’m surprised no one figured it out sooner with you both keeping your first name and all.” Lelouch slipped off the mask. “And now what will you do with that knowledge? Will you tell the Japanese that their leader is the son of their worst enemy?” “I ought to. I should tell all of Japan who you really are and how you deceived us, but we need you.” Lelouch laughed bitterly. “You’re the second girl to that told me that.” “The second?” “Shirley was the first to tell me how much she wanted to expose me but couldn’t because I was the only one standing between them and the Japanese who wanted revenge for the occupation.” “But Shirley has a crush on you? Why would she...” “It’s because I left them in the refugee camp. Shirley blames me for Rivalz’ death and Milly being raped...and she’s right.” Lelouch collapsed on the floor in despair. “It’s all fault. Everyone I hold dear suffers because of my decisions.” “Get over your self-pity! You owe it to your friends. Their suffering would be for nothing if you let Japan fall. Right now, at this moment, an armada of 70 ships and a giant cloud full of winged types is heading straight for Japan.” Lelouch suddenly stood back on his hooves and gazed at Kallen with eyes wide open. “From where?” “Britannia.” “But why? They can’t maintain control over Japan without modern technology...and there’s no more sakuradite to fight over. It’s worthless to Britannia. Why fight for it?” “Who cares why they still want Japan. All that matters is stopping them.” “Yes,” said Lelouch as he slipped back on his mask, “all that matters is stopping Britannia.” “Oh, and one more thing Lelouch.” Kallen fixed her cold, pitiless glare on Lelouch. “If this all a plot to become emperor of Britannia, I’ll kill you.” “And I’ll expect you to keep your promise, Kozuki Kallen.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tohdoh studied the map of the West Pacific that was bathed in the glow of a horned-type’s light. The candlelight did little to illuminate the newly christened war room. “That’s odd. Are you sure intel calculated the coordinates where the armada was initially sighted?” Diethard looked over the map and then back at Tohdoh. “Why wouldn’t it be?” Tohdoh bit into a red marker and drew a line from the coordinates of the first sighting to the coordinates of the last. “With only wind power, even if they have some level of control over it, the ocean currents will deflect the Britannian fleet too far north to make landfall at Shikoku Island.” He then drew up and left to Japan. “They’ll overshoot the refugee camps and land right at Tokyo.” “Is that’s an issue because?” “Tohdoh,” said a familiar electronically distorted voice, “Diethard lacks your knowledge of military strategy. You may have to go into detail.” “Welcome back Zero,” Tohdoh greeted Lelouch and was relieved that he wouldn’t have stage a coup. “Did you speak with Kōzuki?” Lelouch nodded. “And I’m feeling more like my old self again.” Lelouch ran a hoof along the line made by Tohdoh. “And am I to assume this is the trajectory of the Britannian armada?” “It is,” said Tohdoh. “But it’s a foolhardy gesture.” “But isn’t taking back the Settlement their first priority?” “But the best way to do that is to land on Shikoku Island and beef up their manpower with as many Britannian refugees as possible and set up a defense perimeter around the island. From there, they can work their way up the Japanese archipelago all the way to Tokyo. By going the direct route, the Britannians are throwing away a chance to build up their manpower and set up a fortified position. It’s bad strategy to say the least.” “And how long before they make it Tokyo?” Lelouch asked. “Approximately six to eight days,” said Tohdoh. “Then I only have four days to prepare.” “And it’ll be harder to do this time thanks to those exacerbating the racial tension between the three pony types.” Tohdoh was staring at Diethard the whole time. “Don’t look at me, Tohdoh. I was only trying to deal with food shortages.” “Drop it, both of you. Keep your mind on the task at hand.” “Yes sir,” Tohdoh and Diethard said in unison. “Tohdoh, dispatch messengers to the leaders of the three factors. It’s about time I have a word with them.” “And if they won’t come?” “Tell them I’ll proceed with negotiations with the other two races. Tell them they may bring as many men with them as they like. Diethard, Rakshata should be completed with the Gurren’s refits by now. Tell her to have it ready for Kallen by the day after tomorrow.” “Tamaki,” Lelouch said the horned type lighting the room, “hand these instructions to Kallen.” Lelouch levitated papers into Tamaki’s saddlebag. “Ugh!” Tamaki grunted. “Great, I go from being a lamp and to a messenger boy.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A sailing boat beached itself on the soft and sandy beach aft end first. Two horned-types first dropped anchor and then lowered the loading ramp for their two passengers, Suzaku and Rolo. The two pulled a cart carrying a large metal drum off the boat. “Excuse me, sir,” asked Suzaku as the two horned-types hitched him to the wagon, “but what’s the name of this island?” “This is Kamine Island,” one of the horned-types replied. “You said enough already!” Rolo snapped. “Pardon me, sir,” the horned-type apologized. “You’re completed your mission. Head back to Tokyo and wait for further instructions.” “Yes, my lord,” the horned-types saluted Rolo and began to make preparations to set sail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Franklin shivered in the cold, thin air of Mt. Fuji. He and Ebisawa were greeted by Lady Stadtfeld, her champion Demegawa, and five winged types. “When they told me the second-in-command of the mundane types was a Britannian, I didn’t think it would be Baron Franklin,” Stadtfeld said in a condescending tone of voice. “Well, actually Ebisawa and I are sort of co-leaders.” Lady Stadtfeld laughed uproariously. “That’s quite ambitious for a deserter.” “Franklin isn’t a deserter,” Ebisawa objected. “He was framed by his political enemies.” Lady Stadtfeld laughed even harder. “What a gullible mundane-type." She then said to Baron Franklin. "I *almost* feel sorry that circumstance left you in the inferior race.” Ebisawa got in Stadtfeld’s face. “Take that back, bitch!” He yelled. Stadtfeld telekinetically shoved Ebisawa right into Franklin. “Your breath stinks, mundane.” “You horned-types should be the ones to talk about,” one of the winged types spoke up. “We control the weather and unless either of you want to see the rain again, you’ll follow orders from us, especially if the horned and mundane types insist on following Britannians.” “Don’t try to pit us horned types against each other,” said Demegawa. “Hey,” a third winged type spoke up, “we’ll talk about this later. I see Zero coming up this way and he’s with a mundane and winged type.” Lelouch, Tohdoh, and, Kallen emerged from a large rock formation. Lady Stadtfeld curled her lip while staring daggers at her former step-daughter, who smirked delightfully at the thought of getting under the skin of her former step-mother. “I’m glad you could make it, all of you.” Then Lelouch addressed each of the representatives. “You must be Ebisawa and Baron Franklin. Is that correct?” Both of them nodded. “And Ebisawa, were you once a member the Black Knights?” “Yeah, but then I learned the hard way you horned and winged-types made the rest of us second class citizens. So excuse me for not feeling any loyalty to you.” “And you must be Odessa Stadtfeld and this is Demegawa Hitoshi.” Lady Stadtfeld regained her composure, put her best face forward, and smiled at Zero. “Yes,” she said, “and as a fellow...” “Not now, I haven’t spoken with the winged types’ representatives yet.” Lelouch then asked “which one of you is the leader?” “Well actually, we don’t have a leader right now. The rest sent us here because we kinda volunteered for the job.” “Yes we know,” said Lady Stadtfeld. “You’re unorganized rabble. Zero, you can’t negotiate with them, especially when they don’t have leaders, and as a fellow horned-type, I trust that you will make a fair judgment that will not disadvantage our kind.” “Oh no you don’t!” A winged-type objected. “I knew the horned-types couldn’t be trusted.” Ebisawa shook a hoof at Lelouch. “As if you guys are any better. You mundane-types were hogging the food.” “You mean the food *we* grew.” “With the water that came from our clouds.” “You don’t own the clouds.” Ebisawa got into the winged type’s face. “We do if we can move them.” “So I take it you don’t wish to negotiate!” Lelouch said loudly without sounding angry. “Or have you forgotten that I still have the support of the Black Knights? If you wish to convince me to side with you, then put your bickering aside and come with me to the meeting place.” Ebisawa and the winged type huffed and backed away from each other. “Now that we put the petty squabbling to the side, we can negotiate a mutually beneficial agreement.” The leaders of the three races followed Lelouch, Tohdoh, and Kallen along a path at the top of Mount Fuji until they were on the edge of a steep precipice facing the ocean. When they cleared the corner, Lelouch pointed at the skeletal structure with a large cylinder set in the center. Demegawa squinted trying to study the object at a distance. “That looks like a telescope.” “The negotiations are on hold until you take a look, all of you. Then you are free to accept or reject my offer.” “This had better be good Zero,” said Lady Stadtfeld. “And don’t think we’re backing down that easily,” said Ebisawa. “We won’t settle for anything less that what is due to our race,” Franklin interjected. As they trotted towards the edge of Mount Fuji, it became apparent that the telescope was pointed downward towards the sea. Also, there was a line cut through the cloud cover. A patch of cloud in the line of sight was cleared away. Kallen followed beside Lady Stadtfeld and both eyed each other with nothing but contempt. “I expected you to be the last Britannian to give up her citizenship after calling the Japanese sub-human and degenerate monkeys.” Kallen then said to Demegawa. “She never told you what she really feels about us, did she?” Demegawa was beginning to look unsure of the woman he’s been following and even had a slight infatuation with. “Pay her no mind. She’s just trying to turn our kind against each other.” Lady Stadtfeld reassured Demegawa. “There’s no one you won’t throw under the bus for your benefit,” said Kallen. “Not my father, not Britannia, not even Japan.” “How dare you stand in judgment of me!” “That’s enough, both of you,” Lelouch snapped. “Put your family squabble to the side. We have more pressing matters to attend to.” Lelouch pointed to the telescope. “Lady Stadtfeld, care to be the first to take a peek?” “How come she’s going first?” A winged-type whined. “Fine,” said Stadtfeld, “go ahead of me. I’m not in a hurry.” The winged-types got in line with the one objecting to Lady Stadtfeld getting first dibs. “Oh my God!” The first winged-type blurted out. “It’s Britannia!” Lady Stadtfeld shoved the first winged-type over. “What the hell are you…” Lady Stadtfeld would have turned white had that not already been her coat color. Ocean-going vessels, as far as the eyes could see, were being propelled by makeshift sail and all of them were flying Britannian flags. Lady Stadtfeld stepped away from the telescope in a state of shock while Franklin jumped ahead. “According our reports,” said Lelouch, “there are a total of seventy ships and an estimated two hundred thousand winged troops stationed in a giant cloud following the fleet from above. And they’ll be within striking range of Tokyo by tomorrow evening.” Alexander Franklin was sitting on his haunches with a hoof over his chest trying not to hyperventilate while Lady Stadtfeld did a better job keeping her composure. “There isn’t a Britannian in Tokyo that didn’t take the loyalty oath.” Lady Stadtfeld could make out the smirk beneath Lelouch’s cloth mask which only made keeping the tempest of rage seeping between the cracks that much harder to suppress. “If I recalled correctly, the loyalty oath consisted of disrespecting the flag and crown. I imagine the prison sentences would be a long one, especially when traitors are as low on the pecking order as child molesters in Britannian prisons. And that’s assuming they even bother taking ex-Britannians as prisoners.” “We’re doomed! There’s no hope for us!” Alexander Franklin collapsed and rolled up in the fetal position. “I should have never turned my back on Britannia. They’ll execute me for sure.” “You coward!” Ebisawa raged. “You’re suppose to be on my side.” “Against the full might of Britannia?!?” Alexander cried. “You’re better off groveling like me. They’ll go easy on you. You didn’t profane the crown like I did.” “I can’t believe I sided with a craven coward,” Ebisawa face-hoofed. “And what do you want from us, Zero?” Lady Stadtfeld grudgingly asked. “Quit playing your games of sowing derision among the Japanese. The Britannians have united against us. Their three races are too busy preparing to wage war on us to be bothered with physical differences. Our enemies have put their differences aside. If we are to survive, we must do the same. Alexander Franklin, Odessa Stadtfeld, you will fare far better under the United States of Japan than with Britannia.” “No thanks to your loyalty tests.” “As if I would take the chance of Britannians turning on me in a situation like this,” said Zero. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Knight of One,” Schneizel el Britannia said with a tinge of frustration in his otherwise calm demeanor, “would you care to shed light on the actions of my father.” Schneizel’s inquiry was directed at the winged stallion with a grey coat of fur, a purple mane and matching purple beard, and his left eye stapled shut standing before him. They were on the bridge of the armada’s flagship. Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One, the elite knight among elite knights bowed to the son of his beloved Emperor. “And what about your father’s action that has you so perplexed my lord?” “First he insisted on pulling resources away from rebuilding the nation as well as troops badly needed to re-establish order to the homeland in order to invade land that has lost its primary resource. Then, against the advice of his generals and his sons, he directed the fleet away from the refugee camp on Shikoku Island and vied instead for a direct assault against Tokyo, which, according to our intelligence, has been heavily fortified since it was occupied by the Black Knights.” Schneizel then pointed to the approaching shoreline with Tokyo in its center. Above Tokyo was the Black Knight airborne division that appeared as dark thin clouds from the perspective of the Britannian fleet. “And even though the enemy is poised to attack at any moment, he’s no where to be found. As a ruler, he has neglected his royal duties and treated the very invasion he concocted as trivial.” “And you wish to know why your father abandoned his grand armada?” “Does it have anything to do with the ruins on Kamine Island?” “Why, as a matter fact, yes,” Bismarck said with a self-satisfying smirk. “This invasion was merely a distraction to divert attention from the prize stolen from his enemy Zero and the means to bring him to Kamine Island.” “And does his majesty expect his subjects to follow him after leading his armada into a faux battle?” “Actually, he doesn’t. I have a message from your father, Prince Schneizel. He says whatever is left of the world is yours to govern, as per his royal decree, although the nature of politics would have changed greatly.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kallen and Lelouch both returned to the very precipice where they revealed the Britannian armada to the three factions. Behind them was a newly erected radio tower. “Have they found C.C. yet, Lelouch?” Kallen asked. “Still no sign of her, I’m afraid,” Lelouch answered. “But I wouldn’t worry too much about her. She’s better at taking care of herself than either than us. Besides, we have more pressing matters at hand.” “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?” Kallen asked Lelouch. “Your place is with the airborne division, Kōzuki,” said Lelouch. “But what about the Gurren Mark II? Rakshata said everything but the new anti-personnel gun is ready.” “If we have to use the Gurren, then it means the armada made landfall. I don’t want the fleet to get that close. The plan is to gain air superiority and then bomb the armada with our remaining IEDs. The ground troops are moving the trebuchets from the Settlement siege to the shore to provide an additional layer of defense. Also, expect the Britannian forces to arm their ship with anti-air defense systems.” Kallen nodded. “And it’s my job to lead the troops.” “But you’ll do so with my direction. I am unable to go with you on your aerial battle, but I’ll be here watching everything from the high ground. We’ll be in constant contact with each other.” “We should consider ourselves lucky the Britannians were late getting here.” “They weren’t late. I lied to the leaders of the faction. It was my way of making sure they wouldn’t stall under the short time restraint.” “You’re too good of a liar for your own good, you know.” “You shouldn’t complain. Lying is what gotten us this far.” “You’re still too good at it.” Kallen said as she flew away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suzaku and Rolo were waiting at the entrance of a cavern when the Emperor’s chariot landed nearby. It was designed with the same esthetics as the Greco-Roman chariots except it was extended lengthwise. It was held aloft by a team of no less than twenty winged types-half in the front and half in the back. Suzaku studied the chariot’s occupants. One was a horned type with brick red fur. This mountain of a stallion was the biggest horned type Suzaku ever saw. The only other ponies that had a similar physique were the larger mundane types. Two things about him bore a strong resemblance to the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire-the white mane styled as the wigs worn by judges over two centuries ago and his blue coat with yellow trim and purple cape. Both the hair style and uniform matched the ones worn by Charles zi Britannia when he was still a human. The second one was a dainty filly that was absolutely dwarfed by the large horned stallion. This mundane type had a long pink mane in pig tails and long bangs in the front and dark pink fur. Suzaku bowed to the Emperor. “Sir Kururugi Suzaku, personal champion Princess Euphemia le Britannia, at your service, your majesty.” It was then Suzaku caught sight of the third occupant. A small horned colt with melon orange fur and a platinum blonde mane so long that it dragged along the ground. “So, I take it your mission was a success,” said the Emperor. “C.C. awaits you inside the ruins, your majesty,” said Rolo was also bowing to Charles. “You have both done well.” “Your majesty, are these members of the royal family?” Suzaku asked. “Excuse my ignorance, but we weren’t notify to their change in appearance.” “The girl is Anya Alstreim, Knight of Six, and as for the little one, I don’t have time to go into details right now.” “It’s an honor to meet a Knight of the Round,” said Suzaku. “No big deal,” said Anya Alstreim in an emotionless voice. She trotted closer to Suzaku. “I haven’t been much of a knight at all without the Mordred working. It must have been nice to have your Knightmare running, Sir Kururugi, even for the little while you had it.” “Yeah, it was an interesting experience.” Suzaku mumbled. The vivid memories of cutting down Black Knights armed with only melee weapons in his Lancelot still haunted him. “How did you manage to operate it?” “Foot pedals, Sir Alstreim. I helped work out the kinks in the design.” “What about the operating system? How hard was it to program to accept input from your foot pedals?” “It wasn't as hard as you'd think,” Suzaku said. He flicked his fetlock as to mimic using the pedals. “We just...” Both Suzaku and Anya were frozen in place. Rolo activated his Geass extending the range just enough to encompass Suzaku and Anya inside. “Your majesty, shall I eliminate Sir Kururugi? He knows of the existence of Geass.” “That would be unnecessary bloodshed. We are too close to victory for such ruthlessness. Let Sir Kururugi bear witness to the gentle world he helped create.” “Yes your majesty.” Rolo deactivated his Geass and allowed Suzaku and Anya to perceive time once again. “...made a patch to interpret the commands from the pedals into commands from the original control schematics.” Suzaku finished his conversation unaware of the time skip. “Sir Alstreim, put your conversation with Sir Kururugi on hold. We have a schedule to keep.” “Yes, your majesty,” said Anya. The cave came to life with the echoes of hooves as the Emperor, V.V., and Anya made their way to the ruins inside. The path inside were lined with Roman-styled stone pillars leading to steps. What appeared to be a huge double doorway with lines radiating from the center was at the very end of the cave. “Soon,” Anya said to V.V, “the collective human unconsciousness will be destroyed, and then everyone will understand what is in each other’s hearts. Isn’t it exciting?” Anya’s mood completely changed. Her voice was livelier. She then addressed the Emperor. “It’s the world we always wanted, Charles. I can’t wait to share it with you.” “You’re a Knight of the Round,” V.V. snapped. “Never speak to the Emperor in that familiar tone unless you wished to be stripped of your title.” Anya just snickered at V.V. “I don’t need you to speak on my behalf,” said the Emperor to V.V as he opened the metal drum that C.C. was kept inside. “Let her express her joy freely. The destruction of the world of lies is cause for celebration. It was why our vow never to lie to one another was so important. You still believe that vow, right Big Brother?” V.V. would not reply to Charles’ question. Charles flipped the metal drum and C.C. spilled out with the thick, clear fluid. She coughed until the fluid that made its way into her lungs was vomited up. “Is this Kamine Island, Charles?” “It is, and I’ve brought a familiar acquaintance with me.” “Directorate V.V.?” “And we brought you here to activate the Sword of Akasha,” said V.V. “You went through a lot of trouble for that,” she said. “It wasn’t that difficult,” Charles replied. “From Rolo’s report, you were picked up in plain sight.” “I suppose I was becoming too complacent.” “Had I knew a free Japan would have brought you out in the open, I would have allowed my son to take over sooner.” “You know Lelouch is Zero?” Charles nodded. “I knew the moment you gave him Geass.” During the conversion with Charles and V.V., C.C. was fixated on Anya. The Knight of Six, who was a few steps behind the Emperor, waved and then winked at C.C. “Why continue to humor my foolish son?” Charles asked. “He will not fulfill his side of the contract that you made with him for his Geass. Only I will grant you the death you so long for, C.C.” “Yes, deep down inside, your son Lelouch would be too soft-hearted to grant my wish.” “What are we waiting for?” Anya said enthusiastically. “Stop dragging your feet.” “Little Brother,” V.V. bellowed, “what’s the Knight of Six doing here?” “She’s earned the right by her contribution for the cause.” “When has any of the Knights of the Round served the Geass Order?” Charles, rather than answer V.V.’s question, tapped the stone door. The lines etched on its surface glowed red. Charles was teleported out of the cave. “Charles! Dammit!” V.V. then glared at C.C. “Well?” He pointed to the doorway. “You don’t have to be so pushy.” C.C. also tapped the door and was teleported out of the cave as well. The next to go was V.V. who followed Charles and C.C’s lead. The last one to make contract with the door was Anya. But she wasn’t teleported. Instead, a spirit, an essence that possessed Anya for many years without her knowledge passed through the door. When the spirit left her body, Anya fainted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “You’re watching this, Zero?” Kallen’s voice crackled through the loudspeakers? Lelouch performed a visual check on Kallen. She was speaking through a shortwave transceiver carried on the back of one Black Knight. A long wire, acting as the antenna, dangled from the box. Lelouch widen the view of the telescope. The enemy airborne division formed a wide field aerial formation. “Stretch the left wing and take the half moon spear formation.” “Yes, sir.” The left side of the Black Knight airborne division drifted away from the rest of the formation. The Britannian air division moved in to check the battalion on the far left. “Kōzuki, reverse the direction of our left wing.” About a minute later, the left side of the Black Knight formation began falling back from the rest of the airborne division. “Not falling for it are you?” “What was that?” Kallen asked. “Nothing. Keep your mind on the task at hand. Now take the Pisces formation.” Lelouch watched the Britannian formation for the appropriate counter move. “It looks as though they’re positioning themselves for a concentrated assault on our right wing.” “Counter with the Cancer formation.” “Yes sir.” Lelouch kept an eye on the Britannian air division. Let’s see if I anticipate your next move correctly. “Zero, the Britannians have taken...” “...formation Orion. Yes, I know. Back away eight hundred meters and take formation Delta-Omega.” Now, I’m more convinced it’s you leading the armada, Schneizel. But why would make this invasion harder on yourself and take Tokyo in a direct assault with only your naval forces rather than liberate the refugee camp and strengthen your forces in the process? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Big Sister, did I do good? Did I? Did I?” Princess Luna pestered her elder sister. They were looking out the balcony of their watch tower at the gray cloud beneath them. Princess Celestia gave the rain cloud over Canterlot a good looking over and then smiled at her younger sibling. “That looks very nice.” She leaned over and whispered into her ear. “Though you should tone it down a little or else the pegasi in Cloudsdale might lose their job.” Princess Luna covered her mouth in shock. “Oh no! I’m so sorry Big Sister. I promise I won’t make another rain cloud again. Why are you laughing?” Celestia was busting a gut at how serious Luna was taking herself. She lovingly rubbed the back of her younger sister’s mane. “I was just kidding.” Princess Luna puffed up her cheeks and pouted. “Pardon my intrusion, Princess Celestia,” a voice called out from inside the tower, “but I must have a word with you.” “Wait for me at the throne room, Luna.” “Yes, Big Sister.” Luna glided off the balcony giving Princess Celestia her privacy. “I hope this is important, Fancy Pants. I don’t like sending my sister away to listen to some noble’s frivolous complaints.” “Actually, this is about the Princess, your highness.” “Oh is it now?” “The historians brought to our attention that Princess Luna is much younger than she was at the time she...took on her alter ego.” It was true. Princess Luna was about the equivalent age of Rarity and Applejack’s younger sisters. Her mane did not flow as hers nor did it sparkle with twinkling stars and glowed with the soft hue of the midnight hour during a full moon. Luna’s coat was the light blue of her fillyhood and not the dark blue she sported in her mature form. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And you thought I wouldn’t notice? Maybe I didn’t bring it to your attention because I didn’t care for you to know.” Celestia barely raised her voice by a few decibels, and it was still enough to make Fancy Pants quiver on the inside. “I apologize for this intrusion on Princess Luna’s privacy.” “Don’t be,” said Celestia. “I shouldn’t be so hard on you, Fancy Pants. You don’t need to apologize on some other pony’s behalf. Was it the Bluebloods that put you up to this?” Fancy Pants nodded “I expected better from them. Tell them to wait a few centuries, and Luna will be exactly as she was before becoming Nightmare Moon. They can congratulate my sister upon making a full recovery assuming they’re still alive.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ V.V. couldn’t believe his eyes. She had remained unchanged after eight years. She looked exactly the same as she did when he ‘killed’ her. The whore that seduced his younger brother stood before him exactly as she was on the night he riddled her body full of bullet holes. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, brother-in-law.” As a human, Marianne vi Britannia towered over V.V. She was clothed in the same brown dress that she wore on the night of her assassination. “How?!? How did you...” V.V. muttered. “...survive? C.C. granted me the Geass to live in the hearts of others. Anya Alstreim, who was staying at our villa to be schooled in etiquette, just happened to witness my assassination. As my body was dying, the power that lay dormant inside of me awoke for the first time. I was able to transfer my mind into her body. Also, I found I could communicate with C.C on a telepathic level. That’s why she abandoned the Geass Order. I told C.C. your dirty little secret. And now I stand before you, given a form of my own by C’s World.” V.V. shivered as his sin was being uncovered before his eyes. “You can’t believe her,” V.V. pleaded with Charles. “Marianne would say anything to drive a wedge between us.” “Big Brother!” Charles bellowed. “You lied to me even though we swore to create a world without deceit.” “Little Brother, why would you believe Marianne over me?” “Your lies fool no one! I’ve always knew you were the one that tried to murder Marianne! I waited patiently for you to confess for years, but you never came to me and told the truth!” “You temptress!” V.V. yelled at Marianne. “You turned my Little Brother against me!” “Don’t blame your deceitfulness on Marianne. It is your doing, not hers. We’ll talk about this later, Big Brother. Now is the time to activate the Sword of Akasha and destroy the collective unconscious.” V.V. did not move or say anything from the shock of having his precious younger brother turn against him. “V.V!” Charles snapped at his elder brother. “Yeah...right.” V.V. stuttered. As V.V was trotting over to C.C., Marianne kicked V.V. He bounced along the ground like a stone skipping across the surface of a lake and came to rest at C.C.’s feet. “Stop assing around, V.V,” said Marianne with a mischievous smile. “You don’t have to be rough on him,” said Charles. “Your brother tried to kill me, remember.” V.V. took a deep breath and exhale before acting his Code. The symbol of Geass appeared on his forehead. The Geass symbol also appeared on C.C.’s forehead as well. The image of the yellow murky clouds and Greek temple floating in mid-air literally shattered like a pane glass window. In its place, was a massive dome with a single pillar spiraling upward to the sky roof in the center with the image of the planet Jupiter hanging above them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A red aura poured out of the mouth of the cave as the island trembled. Suzaku peeked inside. The only one there was Anya, and she appeared to be unconscious. Suzaku was about to go inside to save Anya when Rolo blocked the entrance. “The Emperor didn’t give you permission to go inside.” “But the Knight of Six is in there,” Suzaku said as he tried to weave around Rolo. “What if it collapses with her still inside?” “I am under orders from the Emperor to stop all unauthorized persons from entering the ruins. You know what will happen if you try.” Suzaku backed down. Rolo gave the not-so-subtle hint that he would use his Geass if it came down to it. “Please, I beg you, please let me help her.” Just then, Anya screamed out and then ran out of the cave for dear life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Then, without warning, the blue afternoon sky turned neon colors. Mt. Fuji grumbled and shook beneath’s Lelouch’s hooves. “Zero, something weird is going on,” Kallen panicked. “Should we fall back?” “Ignore it! Keep your mind on the battle! That’s the only thing that should matter!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Night Fire directed the last of the cult members out of the cave. The tremors forced them to the surface. A few broken stalactites that broke off the ceiling darted the ground. The sky, to Night Fire’s shock, had turned neon-colors. “The Northern Lights, at this altitude,” said Night Fire. “This isn’t natural,” Nightmare Moon said to Night Fire. “Then what’s causing it, your majesty?” Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and concentrated. “Of all the audacity!” “You know the cause?” “Some foal is trying to destroy the collective unconscious.” “‘The collective unconscious?’,” Night Fire repeated. “I don’t have time to explain,” said Nightmare Moon. “Night Fire, we’re moving up the timetable. I’m taking over today before these wild ponies become the ruin of us all.” Cheers of joy and the tapping of hooves rang out among the cult members. Their princess, their goddess would take her rightful place as the ruler of their world and bring upon it the peace of eternal night as she promised. “Now you will excuse me. I must save my future kingdom.” The cultists were thrown back by the shockwave created when Nightmare Moon took off and broke the sound barrier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The world was being thrown into cataclysm as the thought elevators scattered throughout the world came to life. The skies lit up in a brilliant neon aura. But the chaos was not limited to only this world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Celestia was finished admonishing the Blueblood family for their meddling, the sky burned bright neon. A slight tremor ran under Celestia and Fancy Pants’ hooves. “Big Sister!” Princess Luna cried out as she landed on the balcony. “Big Sister! Some wield light is coming from Canterlot Tower.” “It’s not the main vault, is it?” Celestia panicked. “It’s the one at the end of the hallway.” “The Elements of Harmony!” Princess Celestia blurted out. “Could you please excuse me, Fancy Pants? Luna stay here until I come back.” “But Big Sister...” “I said ‘stay’!” Celestia took to the air and dashed over to Canterlot Tower. Luna was telling the truth. A red glow seeped through the seams of the main vault storing the Elements of Harmony. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Charles, something isn’t right.” C.C. cried out. “Now what?” Charles bellowed. “There another thought elevator. One that we haven’t accounted for.” “No,” V.V. objected. “It’s not just one. There’s four...no...make it six. There’s six thought elevators that weren’t unaccounted for. They’re in close proximity to each other, and their energy signatures are overlapping. That’s why it just seems like only one.” “Just incorporate the new thought elevators into the Ragnarok Connection.” “Understood,” said V.V. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Celestia removed the box containing the Elements of Harmony from the vault. It was teeming with energy. She cast the lid to the side and to her shock, all Six of the Elements was bathed in the red glow. A red bird-like symbol appeared on the gems embedded in each of the Elements. “No,” Celestia frantically shook her head, “it can’t be.” Celestia shook away her self-doubt and gritted her teeth. “I won’t allow it. I’ll never allow it to happen.” She concentrated all of her magic on the Elements. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A sudden jolt knocked C.C. and V.V. on their haunches. “What the hell happened?” Marianne asked. “It must have been feedback from the new thought elevators,” said V.V. “Can you compensate?” V.V. nodded. “We’ll have to give it a bit more ump.” “Are you three sure about this?” C.C. asked. “You want your wish fulfilled, right C.C.?” Charles asked. C.C. nodded. “I suppose I don’t have a choice.” Once again, the Geass symbols on V.V. and C.C.’s head came to life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before Celestia had a chance to put the Elements back under lock and key, the red aura returned but with a greater intensity than before. The backwash was powerful enough to push Celestia back. She braced herself but was unable to hold her ground. As Celestia was being repelled back, her hooves dug a trench into the floor. Once again, Celestia concentrated her magic on the Elements, but the aura only dimmed slightly. Whatever this force was, it was overpowering her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “And you don’t remember going into the cave?” Suzaku asked. “My mind went blank just as I step inside. The next thing I knew I was lying down in the ruins.” “I’m sorry that I couldn’t go after you but I was ordered not to.” Suzaku said as he was staring right at Rolo. “I will not apologize for following orders, Sir Kururugi,” said Rolo. “There are such things as mitigating circumstances, Rolo. A field operative should know that.” “WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS THAT!” All eyes turned to the team of winged types. One of them was pointing at a dark blur heading right for them. The blur came to a sudden stop in front of the cave entrance. Standing before them was Nightmare Moon. “Who is it among you foals that dare destroy the collective unconscious?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Suzaku. “Don’t play me for a foal!” Nightmare Moon tossed Suzaku against the mountainside knocking the breath out of him. “You know what I speak of! Now tell me or else suffer the consequences, foal!” Rolo jumped in front of Suzaku. Instantly the scene changed. Rolo was on the ground clutching his chest and riving in pain. There were crescent bruises on his upper body. Rolo used his power but somehow this hybrid of a winged and horned type was not affected and had trampled him under hoof. Nightmare Moon stood over Rolo and looked him over. “Fascinating-an earth pony able to cast spells. Not that your feeble magic had any effect on me.” Nightmare Moon laughed. “Awe, that’s what you were protecting.” The entrance to the thought elevator beckoned to her. “I’ll deal with you foals later.” Nightmare Moon flew into the cave, and upon touching the door, vanished. Nightmare Moon found herself inside the thought elevator. It was as bizarre and alien as anyplace she’s ever been. And there, beside two spiraling pillars shaped like the ugly bloodthirsty apes clustered together were an earth pony mare and a unicorn colt. Both of them had a strange red bird-like marking on their forehead. “So this is your doing!” Nightmare Moon shouted. “I forbid this abomination!” Nightmare Moon’s magic took hold of C.C. and V.V. by the head and wrenched their necks. Both of the immortals collapsed. Their heads flopped in an unnatural posture. Charles stooped down and checked on C.C. and V.V. “C.C., Big Brother!” “You were in on this as well, foal.” Nightmare Moon said to Charles. “You can forget about your plans.” Charles was levitated and pulled towards Nightmare Moon. “I’ll tear down this abomination so that it’s never used again.” “Put my husband down, now!” Nightmare Moon was confronted by one of the very naked ape she so detested. Marianne was standing face to face with Nightmare Moon. “I thought I rid the world of your kind.” Nightmare Moon closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated. “You’re not really flesh and blood. You’re some sort of apparition.” “So, turning the world into farm animals was your doing?” Marianne asked with a condescending sneer on her face. Nightmare Moon’s eyes blazed bright white. “Did you call my precious little ponies FARM ANIMALS! Away with this eye sore!” Marianne’s form disintegrated right before Charles’ eyes. “Marianne! No!” Charles cried out. “I’m glad I took care of that loose end. My empire of the night is truly free of ugly bloodthirsty apes. Now, then little pony, what is your name, and why would commit such a terrible misdeed?” Charles knew this may be his only chance to complete the Ragnarok Connection and be reunited with Marianne. “You know who I am. We’re worked together as allies to destroy the collective unconscious. “What the hay are you babbling about!” Charles activated his Geass. “I, Charles zi Britannia, give you new memories.” “Another foal trying to cast his feeble magic on me!” Charles backed away from Nightmare Moon who was advancing towards him. “This must be some hold over from your existence as apes. I’ll gouge out your eyes for your insolence!” Charles saw, out of the corner of his eye, C.C. and V.V. coming back to life. If Nightmare Moon could be lured away, they’ll have enough time to recover and finish the Ragnarok Connection. Charles bowed down to her. “That’s much better,” Nightmare Moon smirked. “But did you not say your name was Charles Britannia, the Emperor of the Britannian Empire.” “Yes, I am the one you speak of.” “I could never imagine an emperor bowing down to another pony so easily.” “Britannia is a nation that respects power. And one who can mold the form of humanity and resist my Geass wields more power than any being on this planet.” “Ge-ass,” Nightmare Moon sounded out the world. “Is that what you call your magic?” “It is.” “And because this Geass of yours holds no power over me, you will surrender your kingdom without any resistance?” “All the lands under my control is now yours to reign over, my empress?” Nightmare Moon laughed uproariously. “Empress, I love that title. Call me ‘Empress of the Night’.” “Would you like to see your new realm, Empress of the Night?” “I would be deligh...” Nightmare Moon’s eyes glowed bright white once again. Her face was distorted with anger. V.V. and C.C.’s recovery did not go unnoticed. “You conniving, deceitful foal! You were trying to lure me away! I’ll put a stop to this foalishness once and for all!” Nightmare Moon cast her magic on C.C. and V.V. turning them to stone. “And for good measure, I’ll send you to my sister and let her deal with you.” A vortex formed behind the two petrified immortals. Everything in the thought elevator not bolted down was being drawn inside the vortex. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suzaku nudged Rolo who had gone silent after spitting up blood. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?” When Rolo didn’t respond, Suzaku pressed his head against Rolo’s chest. “Sir Kururugi,” Rolo moaned. “Forget about me. Save the Emperor. Something happened to the Ragnarok Connection.” “What’s a ‘ragnarok connection’?” “The light from the cave. It’s gone out. Something must have gone wrong.” Suzaku then noticed the glowing aura from the cave had died down. “What that light the Emperor’s doing?” Rolo nodded weakly and pointed at the ruins. “Go to him, Sir Kururugi.” Suzaku then remembered the hybrid touched the stone slab at the very end of the cave before disappearing. Suzaku galloped inside the cave and touched the doorway to the thought elevator. The background shifted and Suzaku was enveloped in a powerful gush of wind. It was as though he teleported inside a typhoon. “Your majesty! Where are you?” Suzaku called out. A barely audible cry, which was almost drown out by the gusting wind, caught Suzaku’s ear. There, at the far end of the complex was the Emperor being dragged towards the vortex. The Emperor frantically tried to keep his footing but his hooves slid along the smooth surface. Suzaku gritted his teeth and ran in an arching semi-circle. The momentum he picked up from the running head start kept him from being drawn into the whirlwind. Suzaku tackled Charles and sent him flying out of the vortex’s jet stream. Unfortunately, for Suzaku, he came to a dead stop. All his momentum went into pushing the Emperor out of the way. Suzaku was sucked inside the vortex before it collapsed in on itself. “Looks like your lucky day, Charles zi Britannia,” said Nightmare Moon. “I decided to give you a time out instead! Right after I make sure you’ll never use your Geass again.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another barrage of missiles launched off the deck of the converted sailing ships and exploded in mid-air. Hundreds of winged Black Knights spiraled lifelessly into the waters of Tokyo Bay. From the shoreline, it looked like raindrops splashing against the surface of a pond. “Zero, this is Trebuchet Command,” Ohgi spoke into the microphone. “Request air cover. ETA of enemy airborne division-ten minutes.” “Trebuchet command, this is Zero. Your air support will be coming in shortly. Lelouch switched frequencies. “Kōzuki, divert QB3 and KB4 regiments to ground support.” “What about that storm cloud? We can’t defend them from lightning strikes.” “Each trebuchet team has a wheeled vehicle to take cover in.” “What good will those do?” “Do I have to explain the principal of the Faraday Cage to you? “No sir.” “Good, and after you’re done, order QK5 and 6 to prepare for a cloud-to-cloud lightning barrage.” “I’m having trouble with those regiments. They’re in a panic over the Brits’ rocket attacks.” “Tell them to break formation momentarily and drop a few hundred feet when the Britannians fire. They’re just old-style gunpowder rockets with no guidance.” “Yes sir.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nightmare Moon emerged from the cave with her prize-the petrified body of Charles zi Britannia. The cave was engulfed in the alicorn’s magic and collapsed in on itself. Nightmare Moon made a mental note to track any remaining ‘thought elevators’ and make sure this never happened again. Rolo, Anya, and the winged Britannians were horrified at the ‘statue’ that Nightmare Moon had in tow. The streams of ‘tears’ flowing from empty eyesockets heightened the sense of dread that beamed from the agonized expression etched in stone. “What is that?” Nightmare Moon pointed to the flashing lights just over the horizon. “Tell me if you ever wish to see your emperor restored to his original form.” Nightmare Moon partially undid her spell. Few Britannians ever heard such excruciating screams, and none of them imagined they would escape the lips of their beloved emperor. The ‘tears’, which were the darkest of reds, once again flowed freely from the empty eye sockets before being turned back to stone. “Our fleet is engaged in battle with the Black Knights.” “You wild ponies never learn! I should have kept you on a short leash from the very beginning.” Once again, Nightmare Moon flew off leaving a supersonic shockwave in her wake. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lightning bolts darted back and forth between the various smaller clouds over the Port Yokohama docks and the one large cloud off the shore. The bodies of dead winged types rained down on Tokyo. The mundane and horned-types weren’t fairing much better. The ones on the ships were in an uphill battle with the fire bombs dropped by the Black Knights’ air troops and from the trebuchets on the shore. The Black Knights ground troops, in turn were dodging whatever heavy object the Britannian air troops could scoop off the ground and drop on their heads. Sorato watched the bloodshed from an apartment on the Tokyo Settlement’s High Ground Level. He had failed to save these lost ponies from themselves. Even an end to the infighting between the three pony tribes was no solace to Sorato. It was only because their common foe was a threat once again. It was as though they were doomed to fight. If the enemy from without was vanquished, they would find enemies within. Meadow Prancer placed a confronting hoof on Sorato’s shoulder. “It’s time for us to leave.” “We can’t!” Sorato cried out. “But why?” “Nightmare Moon is putting her plans in motion. I got the message that she’s coming this way.” “I just need more time! Let me talk to the princess, please!” “Drop it, Soarin’!” Meadow Prancer yelled. “If Nightmare Moon catches us here, we risk all of Equestria. Princess Celestia doesn’t want Nightmare Moon finding out we tracked her to this dimension.” Meadow Prancer brushed the bangs away from Soarin’s forehead. “You’re a Wonderbolt. You’re first duty is to Equestria. “My duty to help everypony, not just the ones living in Equestria.” “And maybe they’re better off with Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia thinks so.” “I should have never wrote those reports. It’s given her the wrong impression.” “Soarin’, don’t kid yourself. Even dragons and diamond dogs aren’t as violent as these ponies. What if Nightmare Moon stops the fighting? Isn’t worth it to have her in control? She may these ponies’ only chance at peace.” “And what about eternal night?” “Nightmare Moon won’t let this world die. She turned these humans into ponies so she can have subjects to call hers. Her magic should be strong enough to keep this world alive while it’s in darkness and that’s assuming she’s able to control the sun in this dimension. And I doubt she can. Please trust the princess. If Nightmare Moon goes too far, we still have the Elements of Harmony. So, when the portal back to Equestria opens, I won’t have to drag you through, right Soarin’?” “No, you won’t,” said Soarin’. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Bismarck, from your downtrodden expression, I take it my father’s plan has failed.” Schneizel’s patience for the Knight of One was growing thin. “Well?” Bismarck stared down at the desk. His ears flopped down. “Yes, your highness. I’m afraid Ragnarok has been averted.” “I wish I could say it wasn’t a total loss. But the eventual defeat of the Black Knights will be a Pyrrhic victory. Do you know what that means, Bismarck?” “It means our forces will be too diminished to maintain our hold over the Tokyo Settlement.” “And once the Elevens regroup, they’ll finish us off. I have no choice but to sacrifice a portion of our fleet so that the rest of our remaining forces can make a strategic withdraw. Worse, the Elevens may retaliate by harming the Britannian refugees on Shikoku Island. For your part in this needless bloodshed, I order you, Knight of One, to lead the forces that I have no other choice but to sacrifice for the sake of our fleet.” “Yes, your majesty.” It was at that moment, the flagship was rocked by a concussion force. Schneizel, Bismarck, and the bridge crew galloped outside. What looked like a glowing ember passed by at supersonic speed and then came to a sudden stop at the far end of the fleet. It then darted from ship to ship dragging the catapults and rockets off their decks and dumping it in the ocean. When it passed by the Britannian flagship and disarmed it, Schneizel could see that its coat was black as ink and it had both wings and a horn. “Is that ‘thing’ my father’s doing, Bismarck?” “No, your majesty, it isn’t.” “Then what is it, Bismarck?” “I don’t know.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch couldn’t believe his eyes. Something was single-handedly decimating both the Britannian armada and the Black Knights. Just after it was finished crippling the Britannians’ naval forces, the unidentified object turned its attention towards the shore line. As it flew by, a telekinetic aura collided with the siege engines and torn them to pieces. All that was left were the scraps of junk they were constructed from. “Kōzuki! What the hell is going on out there!” “I don’t know. We won’t have anything left to fight with if this keeps up.” It then emitted a wave of energy that dissipated the clouds leaving only the air troops in its wake. Now, neither side had the means of launching lightning attacks. No! Not now! Not when I was about to turn the battle around in our favor! Why must this world throw one roadblock after another in my path? No, I have to keep focused. I can’t give up. Nunnally is waiting for me back at headquarters. I have to be strong for her sake. “Kōzuki, order the airborne troops to fall back at the Settlement and to go into the lower levels. That should cut down on its maneuverability. We can attempt to overwhelm it with superior numbers.” But there was no response. “Kōzuki! Kōzuki! Response now, dammit!” Kallen was unable to response, for she was paralyzed with fear. The very monstrosity that had effortlessly brought the Britannian armada and the Black Knights to their knees hovered just a few feet away from her. “Your talking box has quite the fowl mouth,” said Nightmare Moon. She flew by Kallen and examined the shortwave radio strapped to the back of Kallen’s radio operator, who was also too terror-stricken to act. “I can’t sense anything alive inside of it. What is it?” “It’s a radio,” Kallen’s radio operator stuttered. “It’s a way to talk across long distances.” “Amazing! Yes, I can feel the magic flowing through this wire and it’s coming from..” Nightmare Moon paused and waved her hoof around until it was pointed at Mt. Fuji. “…there.” Then, Nightmare Moon flew toward Lelouch’s position. Kallen grabbed the microphone between her two front hooves. “Zero! Get out of there. It’s heading for your position! Run!” She then cast the mike aside and chased after Nightmare Moon. Before Lelouch had a chance to clear out, he was intercepted by Nightmare Moon. “So, it was the mangy outlaw leading this pointless battle. Zero isn’t it? That’s what these wild ponies call you. A fitting title if you ask me.” Nightmare Moon chuckled. “These ponies no longer need your leadership, you worthless zero! I’ll be ruling these ponies for now on.” “I’ll show you what this mangy outlaw is capable of.” Lelouch telekinetically peeled away the eye patch covering his Geass eye. “Now die!” Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “Not another one. You’re the third foal today that tried that trick! I’ve only known about this Geass for one day, and it’s already getting old.” Nightmare Moon levitated Lelouch off the ground. “Your silly little power is nothing to one such as myself.” No, it’s not possible! It’s not fair! She bested Britannia and the Black Knights *and* she’s immune to Geass! “What are you?” Lelouch cried out. His legs trembled and the hairs on his coat and mane stood up, not out of fear, but out of rage. Once again, he was cheated out of victory by one single opponent whose only virtue was being so powerful that it could bulldoze its way through all of Lelouch’s grand designs. Worst of all, it was gloating. It talked down to Lelouch. Her nonchalant manner screamed to Lelouch that he wasn’t a threat. He wasn’t even a nuisance. “I am Nightmare Moon, your new empress. It was I who gave you your beautiful new body, and you will learn to love me for my act of kindness.” “Was all this...your doing?” Lelouch raised his front hooves before Nightmare Moon. “Why yes, my little pony. You may freely express your gratitude for the gift that has been bestowed upon your kind.” “You think we’ll ever show you gratitude for mutilating our bodies?!?” “You ingrate! How dare you profane my hoofiwork!” “You force your vanity on us and expected the world to bow to you?!? We’ll never accept you as our ruler!” “Oh you wild ponies will. And your first lesson will be NOT TRYING TO MURDER YOUR EMPRESS! And I’ll start by plucking out your Geass eye!” Lelouch tried to free himself with his own telekinesis but Nightmare Moon’s hold was too strong. “What futility!” Nightmare Moon chuckled in amusement. “It was I that gave you magic, and yours is but a smidgen of my power.” Lelouch, instead of pushing away from Nightmare Moon, pulled himself towards her. It was enough to catch Nightmare Moon offguard. He then concentrated all of his power on making his horn glow and focused his power on Nightmare Moon’s eyes. The sudden flash of light overwhelmed her senses, and, in the process, she lost her concentration. Her magic slacked off enough that Lelouch pried himself free, and in a last act of desperation, leaped off the precipice. “You dare assault your empress, foal!” Nightmare Moon regained her vision and was searching for Lelouch. When she couldn’t find him on the precipice, Nightmare Moon looked downward and saw Lelouch falling. “So you choose death rather than surrender your Geass? So be it, foal!” Lelouch had no intention to die. He concentrated his telekinesis on himself, but it did little to slow down his fall. It wouldn’t enough. Lelouch then directed his telekinesis at the air itself. The magic aura formed a wall blocking the air acting as a telekinetic parachute. This time, the magic worked. Lelouch was slowing down, but it was taxing for him to use his power in this manner. It would give out before he could makeit safely on terra firma. As his power was about to give out, the ground was closing in faster and faster until... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kallen pressed forward even as her lungs burned and her wings were about to give out from exhaustion. Nightmare Moon had long passed her by and would have swatted Kallen like a gnat even if she could keep up, but it didn’t matter. Lelouch was too important to the Japanese people. Even though he was the son of the Britannian emperor, his life was more precious to Japan than all of the national treasure looted by the occupation forces combined. She had to save Lelouch even at the cost of her life. Kallen was almost at the precipice when Nightmare Moon zipped by. What appeared to be Lelouch’s mask and cape flew alongside her, held aloft by Nightmare Moon’s magic. Both items were stained with blood. Kallen’s heart skipped a beat. What if those really were Lelouch’s? Did Nightmare Moon...No! It can’t be. No it just can’t! How will we survive without him? Kallen traced backed Nightmare Moon’s flight path to the base of Mt. Fuji. When she landed, Kallen’s worst fears were verified. There on the ground was a broken body. Legs fractured and twisted out of place. Horn snapped in half. Blood was pouring from every gash and cut. Lelouch was sprawled on the ground beaten and bloodied hanging on for dear life. And at that moment, the sky went dark. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two weeks later A sleepy yarn escaped from Applejack’s lips as the worn out cowfilly was on her way back to the Sweet Apple Acre farms. It was a rather exhausting week. Just as she and her friends were returning from Appleloosa, Applejack had to stay on the train and head over to her cousin Peach Melba. Melba, while distracted by that weird light show, stepped in a hole in the road while hauling peaches and twisted her ankle. Applejack had to finish the peach harvest for her. The itinerary for the rest of the day was to hit the sack and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for a day of apple bucking. But as she was going through the gate, she noticed a strange earth pony she never seen before, bucking apples from their family orchid. “What ta hay ya think ya doin’?” Applejack cried out to the stallion she was fast approaching. “Um...may I help you?” The stallion asked while backing away from the agitated cowfilly. “I dun need no help. Looks like u dun gone and help yerself to our apples.” “I don’t understand.” “If ya don’t git off our farm, yer git plenty o’ understandin’ when I buck yer but good.” It was at that moment Big Macintosh raced across the farm to Applejack. “Hold yer horses, sis!” Big Macintosh yelled out. “Big Macintosh, ain’t yer suppose ta be mindin’ the farm? How come yer haven’t stop that there apple thief.” “Sis, that’s not an apple thief.” “Well, he’in takin’ our apples. Wad else would yer call it?” “I’d call it doin’ his job. That’s our new farm hoof.” Applejack stared half surprised and half revolted at the stallion that was extending a friendly hoof to the cowfilly. “Hello,” said the stallion, “my name is Suzaku.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I hope you enjoyed Chapter 8 of Rebel Against the Night. Yes, this is Chapter 8. The idea of doing sub-chapters isn’t going to work out. So, Chapter 6.25 is now Chapter 7. If I do subchapters, they’ll be added at the end of the existing chapter, and notify you through my fimfiction.net blog. Also, I have another Code Geass crossover that I have been neglecting. That one is long overdue to be finished. So, I have to put this one on hiatus, though I don’t have a good track record with putting Rebel Against the Night on hiatus. I made that claim before, and this story is eight chapters and 110,000 words long. Hopefully, the next time I post the next chapter, Zero vs. Kira will be finished

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2013-01-07T13:58:08+00:00

2016-11-30T04:01:49+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 10: Pax Nocturna The pillars, towering monoliths of smoke and dust simmering with power beneath, burned bright pinkish-white within its charred surface. Its tip climbed beyond the clouds impaling the blue sky with a poisonous barb that inflicted the very heavens itself. Noxious gray clouds spread across the sky like gangrene and blotted out the sun itself. Japan became indistinguishable from the bleakest of underworlds dreamt of by tortured poets of old. Then the pillars spouted luminescent roots that radiated outward creeping below the surface. Kallen traversed the winding foot trail heading away from Mt. Fuji as she carried Lelouch on her back. For her, the bleeding, broken stallion was her only hope, however tenuous it was. Strips of cloth torn from her uniform dressed Lelouch’s wounds. Kallen stepped into a hole obscured by the shadows and stumbled. She arched her back just in time to keep Lelouch’s limp body from falling. Kallen took a moment to rest up and take a few deep breaths. “It has to be here,” she cried. As she groped through the darkness, her legs were growing weaker from fatigue. The aches screamed out that her knees would buckle again if she didn’t stop to recover her strength. Kallen disregarded the pain and pressed forward. As they went around a curve in the path, the almost inconspicuous outline of black against the dark purple sky that seemed to slowly grow brighter. Kallen gained her second wind and sped towards the silhouette. It was a visitor center abandoned after the occupation. Kallen tried opening the door, but it was locked shut. She turned around and back kicked the door repeatedly with one leg while using the other three to keep her balance until it was torn off its hinges. Kallen gave her eyes time to adjust. Inside was a front desk and what looked like a bench. Kallen backed into the couch, pressed her hind quarter against it, and, as gently as she could, rolled Lelouch off her back by partially squatting her hind legs. Kallen could feel Lelouch rolling off the bench, so she pressed her hind quarter against him until he was no longer on the edge. Heeding the protests of her sore back and legs, Kallen dropped on her belly and took a breather beside the couch. “Lelouch,” Kallen said between pants, “I’ll only be gone...for a little while...You’ll be okay once I bring Minami to heal you...Everything will be alright I swear...Just hang in there.” The last two sentences were just as much for her as it was for Lelouch. Kallen’s only hope was teetering between life and death and hers was the only reassuring voice within earshot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All of Tokyo fixed their gaze upward as the sun was cloaked behind thick smog until the sky grew almost pitch black for a few seconds. Then a purple hue emanated from the black canopy until the skies were brighter than a clear night during the full moon. It was calm for a city that was the site of a large-scale amphibious assault just minutes ago. The ponies along the shoreline were stunned into silence. There was a deafening silence save for waves crashing into the shore. The giant pony hybrid, which had rendered both the USJ and Britannia’s war machines impotent with ease, glided down with a horned-type and a winged-type, both stallions, enveloped in a telekinesis aura, next to an awe-struck Ohgi. The hybrid had a ghostly flowing mane that sparkled like a field of stars on a clear moonless night and an ebony coat that had the luster of polished obsidian. Her two captives were dressed in the regal garbs of the Britannian aristocracy. The horned-type was dressed in a white coat with gold shoulder pads and a purple vest and pants while the winged-type sported the uniform of a Knight of the Round. “You there,” she said to Ohgi. “You look like somepony in charge, though I use that term loosely. Am I correct?” “I’m Ohgi Kaname, the Deputy Commander of the Black Knights. Who are you?” “You may address me as Nightmare Moon.” “And who are they?” Ohgi pointed a hoof at the two Britannian stallions. Nightmare Moon unceremoniously dropped her captives. “This pony here,” she said pointing to the horned-type, “was leading the invasion force that you were fighting. Tell him your name.” The horned stallion picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off. Despite the humiliating entrance, he kept a strong posture; his shoulders straight and level, and his head held up. The regal look was natural for him. “My name is Schneizel el Britannia, second prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, though, given the situation, I’m not sure what my title would be.” “If you behave yourself, I might let you stay a prince,” Nightmare Moon said to Schneizel. “Then until the situation further develops, I shall remain the second prince of the Holy Britannian Empire.” Then Schneizel pointed a hoof at the winged-type that accompanied him. His mane and beard were in an upheaval. His eyes fixed forward, listless and despondently oblivious to the monumental events unfolding before him. “And this is Bismarck Walstein, a member of the Knights of the Round-the Knight of One to be precise.” “Don’t get too attached to the ‘Holy Britannian Empire’ part, Prince Schneizel” said Nightmare Moon. “It won’t be around for long. It’ll become part of *my* empire. And now that I have everypony in one place, we’ll discuss the transfer of power over to me or would you rather be left in total darkness?” The sky became darker than before. The hue died out. There was no light except from the faint glow of pony horns and the smoldering fires from the battle that ended so abruptly. “Okay, you win,” said Ohgi. “We’ll transfer power over to you.” The purple hue appeared once again. “Good,” Nightmare Moon chuckled. “You wild ponies aren’t so unreasonable after all.” “Look, what you’re asking for is above my level of authority. Zero is our leader. Why would you want to talk to me? Why not ask him?” It was then Nightmare Moon tossed Zero’s mask and cape at Ohgi’s hooves. “The foal leaped to his death rather than surrender.” Ohgi examined the mask and cape. They were both covered in blood and the mask had the built-in synthesizer Zero used to disguise his voice. “You...killed him. You killed Zero.” Ohgi stuttered. “I said he leaped to his death. Enough about that mangy outlaw-we have important matters to discuss.” “Zero isn’t a mangy outlaw!” Ohgi said defensively. “You’re right. He isn’t a mangy outlaw. He’s a dead mangy outlaw, which you’ll be as well if you don’t watch your mouth.” Ohgi felt a strangle tingle in his hooves. He looked down, and, to his shock, his legs were turning to stone. “Now do I have your cooperation?” Ohgi nodded. “Yes, you do.” “Much better,” Nightmare Moon chuckled while reversing her spell on Ohgi. “First off, you must agree to surrender to me and then tell your ponies that they are now my new subjects.” “I suppose I don’t have a choice.” Ohgi turned to his fellow Black Knights who was watching the situation unfold. Even in the dark, it was still unbearable to look them in the eyes and tell them all their sacrifice and shed blood was for nothing. Ohgi looked down and sighed. “We have no choice but to surrender to Nightmare Moon.” “Say it like you mean it, foal.” “As acting CEO of the Black Knights, I hereby surrender to Nightmare Moon!” Nightmare Moon then cast a spell on Ohgi. “Speak up. I don’t think they can hear you.” “AS ACTING CEO...” Ohgi couldn’t believe the ringing in his ears. It was like he was talking through a pair of stage speakers and that he had the misfortune of pressing his ears against them at the same time. “It’s a voice amplification spell. Now tell them.” "AS ACTING CEO OF THE BLACK KNIGHTS, I HEREBY SURRENDER TO NIGHTMARE MOON! SHE'S NOW IN CHARGE!” Ohgi’s voice reached across the waters of Tokyo Bay to the Britannian mundane and horned-types still on-board their warships and to the Britannian winged-types hovering over the bay. More importantly, Ohgi’s voice was heard all over Tokyo. His words echoed along its ruined skyscrapers and through levels of the massive Tokyo Settlement. “That should do.” Nightmare Moon deactivated the spell and floated overhead. “WILD, UNCIVILIZED PONIES OF THE NATION YOU CALL JAPAN,” she said in a booming voice as loud as Ohgi’s, “I AM NIGHTMARE MOON, YOUR NEW EMPRESS. YOUR FORMER LEADER, ZERO, HAS FALLEN. HE COWARDLY TOOK HIS LIFE RATHER THAN SURRENDER TO ME. HIS SECOND IN COMMAND, OHGI KAMANE, HAS ACKNOWLEDGED ME AS THE RIGHTFUL RULER OF YOUR LAND. YOU HAVE NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE BRITANNIAN EMPIRE. THEY TOO ARE UNDER MY CONTROL. IN FACT, YOUR NATION AND THEIRS ARE ONE HERD UNDER MY BENEVOLENT RULE ALONG WITH THE OTHER NATIONS OF WILD PONIES. AND IN RETURN FOR THE NEW GLORIOUS AGE I WILL BRING TO YOUR WORLD, YOU WILL SHOW THE GRATITUDE I AM DUE AND SHOW LOVE FOR YOUR NEW EMPRESS AND APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF THE ETERNAL NIGHT SHE HAS GRACED UPON YOUR WORLD! AND THIS CITY YOU CALL TOKYO SHALL BECOME THE CAPITAL OF THE NATION THAT I HAVE CREATED AND, HENCEFORTH, BE KNOWN AS NEW CANTERLOT! THE FORTRESS YOU CALL THE TOKYO SETTLEMENT IS NOW NEW CANTERLOT CASTLE. LET THEIR FORMER TITLES NEVER ESCAPE THE LIPS OF ANYPONY EVER AGAIN!” Nightmare Moon then called out to the Britannian armada. “YOU BRITANNIAN PONIES NO LONGER FIGHT FOR BRITANNIA! AS MY NEW SUBJECTS, YOU WILL LEARN TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH THE PONIES OF JAPAN! IF YOU DO NOT, YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES! YOU HAVE SEEN MY POWER! DO NOT DEFY MY COMMANDS, PONIES OF BRITANNIA!” “Prince Schneizel,” said Nightmare Moon when she landed, “your duty is to maintain order in Britannia and to carry out my commands. I’ll escort you there myself. Your men will be staying behind.” “Did you say an eternal night?” Ohgi asked. “We’re doing as you ask. Why won’t you stop blocking off the sun?” “That gaudy eyesore has no place in my new world!” Nightmare Moon yelled. “My night is more beautiful, more graceful than that obnoxious sun. My night will be eternal, and you’ll learn to appreciate its magnificence.” “But we’ll die without the sun.” “I’m afraid Deputy Commander Ohgi is correct.” Schneizel, who had held his tongue for most part, spoke up. “Our food supply will wither, and that is assuming the masses won’t freeze to death before dying of starvation.” Nightmare Moon rolled her slanted eyes. “Quit your bellyaching foals. I’ll maintain the temperature and keep your crops from dying...provided of course you are loyal subjects. Otherwise, you will freeze to death with nothing but your rumbling bellies to confront you. It is in my power to do so.” Neither Ohgi nor Schneizel looked convinced. “Don’t worry your precious little pony heads.” Nightmare Moon’s mane flowed under their muzzle tilting their heads upward. “I want only the best for my new subjects.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Euphemia had finished indulging herself with the luxury of Matsuyama Castle’s indoor toiletries when somepony, out of the shadows of the dimly-lit hallway, galloped frantically from the corner of her eye. Euphemia jumped back and was about to shut the restroom door when her assailant emerged from the dark. Euphemia panted while holding her heart back in her chest. “Sir Reginald, you startled me.” “I’m sorry...mi lady...,” Reginald panted, “...I wasn’t back by...the time you...finished.” “That’s what I’ve been meaning to ask you. What that you running back and forth while I was in the restroom.” Reginald nodded. “I was checking...outside in case someone tried...breaching the fortifications.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Then why were you running back here?” “I had to keep the door guarded just in case they might have gotten in already.” “And who are ‘they’?” “Whoever it is that erected those...columns after everything went dark...mi lady.” “You worry too much, Sir Franklin.” Princess Euphemia placed a reassuring hoof on Sir Reginald’s shoulder. Reginald shied away from Euphemia for a brief moment before regaining his composure and giving her a warm smile. Euphemia then began acting bashful towards her knight. Reginald’s smile faded to a frown. “Well, let’s not waste anymore of General Darlton’s time,” Euphemia said awkwardly. “I’m sure he wouldn’t want us late.” “Of course, mi lady.” Reginald headed into the field of darkness that was the main hallway in the center of Matsuyama Castle. Euphemia’s horn began to glow. “Maybe I should take lead.” “But mi lady, it’s my responsible to insure the path is safe for...” Euphemia winced from the torrent of banging noises. Euphemia galloped down the hall and shined her light on Sir Reginald who was buried under a stone column and a shattered bust of Prince Odysseus ru Britannia in his original form. “Are you alright?” “As I feared, mi lady. The path has...oh who am I kidding...I tripped over my own feet.” “It’s nothing to worry about.” “But it’s a marble bust of the first prince of Britannia. It must be worth a fortunate.” “It’s nothing to be concerned about. Now let me go ahead of you so this doesn’t happen again.” After Euphemia helped her champion back on his hooves, Reginald followed her to General Darlton’s office. There, waiting for them both, was General Darlton and Sir Guilford. “You wish to see me, General?” Euphemia asked. “As a matter of fact, yes. Perhaps you should sit down before I tell you the news.” “What’s wrong? Is it Suzaku? Isn’t today the deadline for his mission?” “It may be related to Sir Kururugi’s mission. We have word over shortwave that the Empire amassed a fleet to take back Area 11 lead by the Emperor himself.” Euphemia placed a hoof over her mouth and gasped. “Was my father...killed? How many casualties? What about Zero?” “It’s hard to explain, but there seems to have been an intervention by a third party.” “A third party?!? The Chinese Federation?” “No, according the reports, a being that appears to be a hybrid of the winged and horned-types single-handedly decimated both the Empire and the rebel forces.” “Just one person...by himself.” “He is actually a ‘she’, and she goes by the name Nightmare Moon. And the reports claim that this Nightmare Moon entity caused the sky to go dark.” This time, it was Euphemia’s turn to be short of breath. “This is too much to take in at once. Did the reports say anything about the Emperor and Zero?” “It said Nightmare Moon has the Emperor in her custody.” “And what about Zero?” “The reports say he committed suicide.” Euphemia deactivated horn causing the room to go dark. “Could you please...step out?” “But mi lady,” Reginald objected, “you should have a knight accompanying you at all time during this time of em...” “I said step out!” The princess said in a sterner voice. When the three stallions left Euphemia alone, the young princess broke down in tears, shed for a lost father and brother. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since he was free from prison by Schneizel, Bartley devoted his remaining years on this earth serving his prince. It was the least he could to do, which was why it pained him to watch his lord playing second-fiddle to this Nightmare Moon creature. Bartley escorted Britannia’s new empress through the hallways of broken and delirious ponies piled into overcrowded cells. The mental hospitals in Pendragon City were swamped with tens of thousands of ponies unable to mentally cope with their transformation. They descended down a flight of stares to the basement level. “Careful,” Bartley warned, “this is the ward for the more violent inmates.” Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes and huffed. “You’re kidding right?!? There’s no pony in this world let alone this prison that can harm me. However,” Nightmare spoke as Bartley was levitated to eye-level, “I’ll make you an example of why your kind should fear me if anything happened to Screwloose.” Nightmare Moon released her hold over Bartley, and letting him fall with a thud on his bloated flank. The cells at this level, unlike the others, were smaller and only had one occupant. Some of the ponies they walked passed were muzzled. Others were chained to the wall. Bartley stopped at the end of the hall and tapped on a door. “I believe this is Mr. Anderson’s cell.” Bartley backed away when Nightmare Moon stared him down with glowing white eyes. “I meant Screwloose Grove’s cell,” he corrected himself. Nightmare Moon peered inside and saw Screwloose asleep on a pile of hay and under heavy restrained with not only muzzle and chain but also a straight jacket. “Uncivilized wild ponies! How dare you mistreat my servant!” Bartley stepped back trembling in fright. The door flung open with such force the lock was broken off with a chunk of the door with it. Upon being freed from his restraints by his goddess, Screwloose dashed out of his cell and bow down at Nightmare Moon’s hooves. “Your majesty! I am so happy to see you, my princess.” “It’s Empress Nightmare Moon. It’s the only title fit for the new ruler of this world.” She tilted Screwloose’s chin up. “I have a gift for you. Now close your eyes.” Nightmare Moon touched Screwloose on the forehead. When he opened his eyes, a pair of slits set in cyan orbs stared back at Schneizel and Bartley. Nightmare Moon materialized an oval-shaped mirror with a gold frame before Screwloose. “This is the special mark that all my faithful servants will bear. Do you like it?” Screwloose was enraptured at seeing his new eyes, which matched Nightmare Moon’s, in the floating mirror for the first time. “They’re beautiful, your majesty. Oh thank you, my empress.” “Prince Schneizel, Screwloose Grove will be my proxy in this land and will act on my behalf. Whatever commands I have for you will be relayed through him. Also, inform my new subjects that any attack on those whose eyes matches my own is an attack on me and will be dealt with accordingly.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “I brought the supplies like you asked.” Princess Euphemia was stooped over a partially open grate while levitating a backpack bulging at the seams into the crevice. “Your majesty?!?” The voice frightened Euphemia and caused her to stumble over when she tried to leap back up. “Your majesty, I am so sorry for startling you.” Euphemia looked up and sighed at Sir Reginald Franklin standing over her. It was even more pathetic when Euphemia’s substitute champion offered a hoof to help her up despite not having fingers to grab hold. “Sir Franklin, I gave strict orders for you stay at the castle.” “But your majesty, my duty is to protect...” “Are you questioning the judgment of your princess, Sir Franklin? I will not suffer a knight that refuses to follow orders. Sir Franklin? Are you listening to me?” The tapping of hoofs against a metal surface captured the attention of the young knight. “Your majesty, I think they’re people inside.” Reginald pulled out his specially sword with the bit replacing the sword hilt and then kicked the metal grate out of his way. Rather than a storm drain, it was an entrance to an underground passage. “No wait! Sir Franklin, I am ordering you to stay with me!” Unfortunately, Euphemia’s command went unheeded by the zealous knight. Reginald leaped hooves first onto the gentle sloping floor of an underground passage. There, bathed in a faint glow of a barely lit horn were two unicorn mares and a pegasus stallion. One of the mares cowered behind the one illuminating the passageway quivering. “Haut n te ame of Prince Uemia e Bitannya!” Reginald mumbled with the sword still between his molars. “Put away your sword this instant!” Euphemia commanded. “But oor maesti...” Reginald sheaved his sword and said, “but your majesty, these three were hiding in this...place next to the castle. They must be up to no good.” “Are you accusing me of having sinister motives, Sir Franklin,” Euphemia sneered, “because I was the one who hid them?” Reginald hit the ground bowing. “I beg your forgiveness, your majesty. I didn’t know.” “That’s why you come to me first before you go off half-cocked!” Euphemia cupped her mouth realizing she was yelling. “Now look what you made me do. These individuals came to me seeking sanctuary. I didn’t want Darlton or Guilford involved.” “Who are they, your majesty?” “That’s none of your business.” Euphemia whispered in a harsh tone. Princess Euphemia closed her eyes and took a deep breath to let the heat of the moment die down. “So princess,” said the pegasus stallion, “is this your new knight? You see to have trouble breaking him in.” “Don’t take that mocking tone with her majesty.” “Sir Franklin,” said Euphemia in that half calm/half agitated voice of someone trying to keep their temper from exploding like the ground holding back the Earth from giving birth to a new-born volcano, “settle down. Take no offense from him, please.” “Your majesty, don’t forget what we talked about on your last visit,” said the unicorn mare illuminating the underground passage. “I’ll consider it. Until then, stay here. I’ll try to make it as bearable as possible.” Euphemia levitated a crate above the opening that was just high enough for her and Reginald to climb out of. Euphemia took a step on the crate and paused. “Sir Franklin, you’re not to speak of this to anyone, not even General Darlton and Sir Guilford.” "Yes, your majesty," said Sir Reginald in a hesitant, unsure tone of voice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch awoke to find himself buried in what felt like straw. He was on his back lying on a hard wooden surface that rattled and shook beneath him. Lelouch tried to roll over but his body felt heavy and depleted of vigor. “Whe...whe...where...where am I,” he barely whispered. “Zero, don’t say another word.” The voice sounded like Sugiyama but it was hard to tell since all outside noise was muffled by the thick pile of hay Lelouch was buried under. “What’s going...” “Please, don’t talk. You’re in hiding. We’re talking you somewhere safe.” Lelouch settled down and drifted back into unconsciousness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Euphemia braced herself for her first visit with the infamous Nightmare Moon. The rumors about her had cast a shadow over the Shikoku refugee camp deeper than the canopy that cast the world into darkness two weeks ago ranging from her being the devil himself to some ancient alien to her being an outright god. However, what concerned the kind-hearted princess the most was her intentions for the Britannians still stranded in Japan. Euphemia requested an audience with the Empress to make some sort of equitable arrangement for her subjects, but so far, their elusive new ruler has only sent her bizarre cultists to be her proxies. The princess was escorted to the Matsuyama City Hall by Guilford, Darlton, and Suzaku’s stand-in, Sir Reginald Franklin. The young knight gave Euphemia a warm smile before fixing a stern gaze forward. Euphemia looked away bashfully. “Sir Franklin, could you secure the perimeter?” Reginald bowed to his princess. “Yes, mi lady.” Euphemia watched for her substitute champion to wander out of earshot. “Are you sure we can’t find someone else?” “Are you displeased by Sir Franklin’s performance, you majesty?” Guilford asked. “He...,” Euphemia paused to contemplate how to word her complaint, “...takes his job too seriously.” “Beg your pardon, your majesty,” said Darlton, “but that isn’t exactly a terrible trait.” “It is when you...try too hard. He overdoes everything. I feel like I’m the champion having to protect Sir Franklin from himself. Also, he’s sort of...clingy.” “He isn’t being inappropriate around you, is he?” “No...yes...I meant...It’s hard to explain. He’s been a perfect gentleman, but I can tell he has a crush by the way he looks at me.” Sir Guilford let out an irritated sigh. “I’ll have a word with Sir Franklin about proper decorum for a personal knight.” Euphemia shook her head. “Let me do it. I want to let him down gently. I’ve been too hard on him,” Euphemia said with a brief tinge of regret in her voice, “and he doesn’t deserve a scolding for his feelings.” “Yes, mi lady.” “We’ll talk about it later. He’s coming back.” Reginald greeted Euphemia with a bow and a smile despite being out of breath. “The...perimeter is...clear...mi...mi...mi lady,” he said between gasps for air. “I hope...I didn’t keep...you waiting, mi...lady.” Euphemia softened her expression. “Not at all, Sir Franklin. In fact, you made good time.” “Thank you...mi lady.” The four Britannian ponies eventually made it to Matsuyama City Hall or, more specifically, what was left of it. Only the east wing wasn’t reduce to piles of concrete and rebar. Before them, standing in a chariot that had a pair of ponies with batwings hitched to it with iron chains, was Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon dismounted from her chariot. “I hope it’s not too much to ask you foals to bow to your empress.” Sir Reginald leaped between Nightmare Moon and Euphemia. “Her majesty is a princess of Britannia! She doesn’t bo...” Euphemia telekinetically forced Reginald to bow and gave a stern glance at Guilford and Darlton before bowing herself. The knight and the general swallowed their pride and followed Euphemia’s example. “Your majesty,” said Princess Euphemia, “I am thankful that you graced us with your presence.” “Funny, it looks to me like you’re the only one that’s happy to see me. These three don’t share you sentiment. Perhaps you would be better served with new advisors...” Nightmare Moon then directed her attention at Reginald, “...and a new champion. I can have them...disposed of.” “Oh no, that won’ be necessary, your majesty. I’ll take full responsibility for their actions.” Nightmare Moon’s mane then wrapped itself around Euphemia’s neck. Its grip was just tight enough to permit her to still breathe. “You three now have motivation to pay me the respect I am due.” Reginald shot up and was about to reach for his blade when Euphemia, once again, held him back with her telekinesis. “So, what is it that you want, Princess Euphemia?” Nightmare Moon asked as she loosened her grip. “It’s about your order to release us from the refugee camp. You see, though I’m glad that we are no longer confined to Shikoku Island, some of the Britannians feel more secure staying with their own kind.” “This world is full of their kind. You no longer belong to those rival ape tribes. You are now my ponies, and you belong to one, single herd. I’m putting a stop to this “Japanese vs. Britannian” manure. That’s why I’m giving you the task of moving a quarter of these ponies to New Canterlot.” “But there may not be enough room in Tok...New Canterlot.” “That’s another thing.” Nightmare Moon pointed to the clouds floating just below the canopy. “In Equestria, pegasi made their homes in the cloud.” She then pointed to Darlton. “You can be in charge of moving pegasi to the sky.” “You can’t be serious!” Darlton objected. Nightmare Moon smirked as she lowered her head to eye-level with Darlton and came within an inch of touching nose-to-nose. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid to fly.” “I can fly quite well, but living in clouds?!? That’s...” “...the natural order. See to it that there are no pegasi in your camp that are still living on the ground. Do I make myself clear?” Euphemia gave Darlton another nasty glare; her silent cue for her advisor to fall in line. “I’ll make arrangements to have the pegasi moved to the clouds,” said Darlton, “though some of the younger ones with wings can’t fly.” “Then you’d better carry them there yourself. If that’s all you have to talk about, I’ll be on my way.” “There’s one more matter that I wish to discuss,” said Euphemia. “Oh, and that is?” “Is it true you turned my father, the Emperor of Britannian, into...stone?” “I did. He tried to cast a spell on me but failed, and I made him paid dearly for it.” “I wish to negotiate the release of my father.” “You can forget it. I’ll restore him when I feel like it. Don’t bother asking again less you tempt me into breaking him to pieces. Now, if you excuse me,” said Nightmare Moon as she was boarding the chariot. “Wait!” Nightmare Moon huffed; her shoulders slumped down. “Oh now what.” “It’s about my previous champion, Sir Kururugi Suzaku. He was sent on a mission by my father to Kamine Island, which is near Tokyo.” “Get to the point.” “I was wondering if you’ve seen him. I received a report over shortwave that he was on the island where you turned my father...to stone. He has...” “Is that what you’re wasted my valuable time for?!?” “Suzaku has gold-colored fur and a brown mane.” “Oh now I remember that foal.” Nightmare Moon made no effort to hide the disdain in her voice. “He was as stubborn as a mule and got in my way. And don’t you already have a knight? Just find another some other pony if his replacement isn’t up to the task. Why bother me?” Nightmare Moon backed away as Euphemia invaded her personal space. “Can you tell me where he is?” Euphemia asked in an excited voice. “Is it safe? Please, tell me. I have to...” “HE’S DEAD! The beasts of the forest are probably feasting on his flesh by now.” Euphemia shook her head emphatically. “No, it can’t be.” “Yes, it can, now shut up and leave! I have better things to do than find your knight’s chewed up bones!.” Euphemia collapsed to the ground and broke down in tears. Reginald, Guilford, and Darlton rushed to her side. “My, you certainly liked your knight,” Nightmare Moon chuckled. “I’ll give you some time to grieve.” The Empress of the Night left the Britannian ponies to tend to their grief-stricken princess. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch awoke once again. This time it was on a matt inside a stationary structure or at least that's what it felt like. Lelouch was in total darkness and could only discern that he wasn't being moved around. He tried to use his telekinesis to feel his surroundings but all he could muster was a sharp pain shooting from the tip of his horn, through his skull, and all the way down his spine. Lelouch would have screamed out in pain but he was so weak all he could manage was a moan. He lifted a foreleg and rubbed his head. His fetlock scraped against his horn, which was now half of its original length and ending with a jagged edge. Two muffled voices that sounded like Minami and Tamaki’s were going back and forth on the other side of the wall. “How many time do I have to tell you-Zero is blind in that eye.” “And I keep telling you that red blotch is the only thing wrong with it.” “I never saw this red blotch you keep talking about. The iris is milky white. That means he’s blind in that eye.” Once again, Lelouch succumbed to the lingering effects of his near-fatal fall and slipped back into unconscious. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ An elderly unicorn stallion hastened to the tapping of a hoof against his apartment door as fast as his swollen joints would permit. Standing at the door was Ohgi Kaname and two unicorns with slanted eyes wearing dark purple armor. Ohgi fixed his gaze just to the left of the old stallion. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but we’re performing contraband searches of this area.” The elderly unicorn turned to his side and blocked off the doorway. “But I’m not hiding anything, I swear.” One of the armored cultists focused his telekinesis on the elderly pony and pushed him back. “Out of the way, old mule!” The two unicorns in armor barged in. Cushions flew across the room as the apartment was filled with the banging noise of furniture being haphazardly tossed about. Ohgi rushed to the elderly stallion’s side. “You didn’t have to be so rough.” The unicorns in armor paid Ohgi no mind and began systematically checking the other rooms in the apartment. However, one pony, a pegasus wearing a dark grey and purple tight suit with lightning bolts patterns dividing the two colors and goggles pulled just above his slanted cyan eyes, did take notice. “Well he shouldn’t have stood in our way. We have orders from Nightmare Moon not to leave any stone unturned.” “Show a little compassion, Barnstormer,” Ohgi pleaded. “Do I know you from somewhere?” The elderly stallion scrutinized Ohgi’s features. “Now I remember. You were the one in charge of moving us to the Tokyo Settlement. You’re one of the Black Kni...” Barnstormer backhoofed the elderly stallion. “It’s called New Canterlot by royal decree from our empress, and don’t you dare forget it.” Ohgi jumped between Barnstormer and the old stallion. “That’s going too far.” Ohgi tried to examine the elderly stallion for any sign of injury but was shoved away. The elderly stallion pointed at Ohgi, his foreleg trembled uncontrollably. “Why are you helping them? You’re a Black Knight. Why are you on their side?” “He knows better than to cross our empress, that’s why,” Barnstormer interjected. He then looked down the hallway. “But apparently, you don’t.” Various objected floated ahead of the armored unicorns as their made their way to the living room. The old stallion limped to Barnstormer with streams running down his muzzle. “Please...don’t! It’s all I have left of them!” The items floated into a sack. Barnstormer pointed first to the elderly stallion and then at the door. “Take him outside. The two armored unicorns poked their prisoner with their horns and herded him out of the apartment complex. Barnstormer bit into the sack and tossed it at Ohgi. “Now make yourself useful and come with me.” When they were outside, Barnstormer let out an ear-piercing whistle. A group of armored cultists, a mix of the three pony races, poured out of the other apartments. They gathered beside Barnstormer and stood in a four-by-five formation with one pony standing in front of the others and saluted Barnstormer. “What are your orders, sir?” Barnstormer returned the salute. “Sergeant Evening Shade, round up everypony in the apartment complex and bring them outside.” A few minute later, the last of the occupants were marched to a spot on the street in front of the apartment. They were in the residential district of what was once called the Tokyo Settlement. The silhouette of the Settlement’s solar towers, its once primary power source, bore an eerie resemblance to grasping fingers. This gave the ominous impression that the High Ground Level was the palm of a massive hand threatening to close in on them and crushed them in its tightened fist. Barnstormer stood in front of the crowd. The elder stallion was sandwiched between his two unicorn guards. At the edge of the crowd, still carrying the sack in his mouth, was Ohgi. “Do any of you wild ponies have a clue of what gratitude is?” Barnstormer admonished the crowd. “Well?” He snorted and raked his foot across the asphalt in response to the silence. “Look at the bodies you have. Some of us were blessed with the power of magic, some with great strength and a connection to nature, and some,” Barnstormer said as he flapped his wings, “the freedom of the open skies. And who was it that blessed us? It was our empress Nightmare Moon. She gave us the peace we now enjoy. She ended war, not just for Japanese and Britannians, but for the whole world. A world at peace-it was thought to be only a dream, but it was made reality by our empress.” Barnstormer motioned to the elderly stallion. “You see this selfish pony? Our empress wishes, for our sake, to give future generation of ponies a brand new start. They can live their lives never having to live through the shame of once being human. They should be free from that burden. But ponies like him cling to the ugly past. Ponies like him, if permitted, would deny future generations the chance to start with a clean slate. They deserve what’s coming to them.” Barnstormer leaped in the air and swooped by the elderly unicorn scooping him up. The crowd watched as the two faded into the background of dark purple skies. Then, the elderly stallion plunged head first into the asphalt. The stomach-churning crackle of his shattered cranium reached to the other side of the crowd. The older mare and young children began crying. One pony stooped over and spewed the content of his stomach. Barnstormer glided back down and landed in the exact same spot where he flew. You have one hour to turn over all contraband. Gather the items in a pile to be burned. Starting here. Ohgi?” Ohgi brought the bag to the spot Barnstormer pointed out to him and flipped it. Old photos, some in broken picture frames, and a large black book were sprawled over the cold asphalt. Ohgi could not resist the temptation to look. The largest of the photos were taken on the beach during a radiant summer day with the rays of the sun glistering off the ocean. A man, not much older than Ohgi, knees behind a strikingly angelic young woman sitting on a beach towel while holding a little girl not much older than six. Ohgi watched the girl grow up as his eyes darted back and forth between the scattered photos. He also caught glimpses of the man and woman grower old. Ohgi flipped the large black book that landed on its back cover. His sight was fixated on the words “FAMILY ALBUM” until he felt a tap, really more like a shove, on his shoulder. “Stand back,” a unicorn in armor ordered. A small flame danced on the tip of his horn. When Ohgi stepped aside, the unicorn focused a bright blue and purple beam on the photo album lighting it on fire. “What about the old pony?” Ohgi ask as he looked back and forth between the burning photos and the corpse of the elderly stallion who just wanted to honor the memory of his love ones. “We can’t just leave him here to rot.” Barnstormer said coldly, “we’ll just toss him on the barn fire with the rest of the trash.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch awoke, once again, and was still on the matt inside the closet. He concentrated with his horn. The pain once again shot along his backside, but not with the intensity as before. He rubbed his fetlock along his horn. The rough edges had smoothed out, and it was longer than when he first noticed it being broken. It was now coming back to him. Some creature, a hybrid of the winged and horned-type, attacked him. It was immune to his Geass and the only way he could escape was to leap off the top of Mt. Fuji. He tried using telekinesis to slow his descent but it was only a nominal success. In fact, judging by the broken horn, Lelouch surmised he came close to being killed. He also remembered being hidden under a pile of hay, and since he was being kept hidden by the Black Knights, it must mean that it won. Just then, the door to Lelouch’s hiding place slid open. “Lelouch, are you awake?” It was Kallen speaking in a whispered tone, just enough to be heard if he was conscious but not high enough to wake him. “I am,” said Lelouch. “Can you make your horn light up?” Lelouch concentrated. There was a momentary sting that quickly died down. Lelouch’s powers had returned to him. His horn illuminated the closet space. For the first time, Lelouch was looking at the very crawlspace he was kept hidden inside. It was barely large enough for Lelouch to lie down inside. Apart from Lelouch and his futon, there was nothing inside. “Zero, thank God you’ve recovered,” Kallen breathed a sigh of relief. She was wearing an oversized hooded sweatshirt that covered most of her body. “Where’s Nunnally? Is she with you?” Kallen shook her head. “She’s with Sayoko.” “Where are they?” “Sayoko mentioned something about a ‘Shinozaki School’. I’m not sure what she meant by it.” “They’re probably at one of her family’s dojos. When Britannia was defeated, I restored the lands stolen from them during the occupation. It was my way of thanking Sayoko for being Nunnally’s protector.” “That explains why she was good at throwing knives even without hands or a horn. It was scary watching her skewer the practice dummies in the training room.” “Is anyone else with you?” “Minami, he’s been treating you since you were in that coma.” “I was...in a coma?” Lelouch said slowly to let it sink in. Kallen nodded. “You’re been in and out of consciousness for two months.” “That long? Did we defeat that thing...what did it call itself...Nightmare Moon! Were you able to defeat Nightmare Moon?” Kallen took a deep breath and sighed. “No, we weren’t. She’s taken Japan and the Britannian homeland. Last I heard the EU forces are making a last stand against her at Geneva, Switzerland.” “It took over both the USJ and Britannia in two months?!? How many of those hybrids are there?” “Just her but that’s all she needed to take over.” “That’s can’t be possible. Even if she’s that powerful, she can’t be in more than one place at the same time. How is she keeping her conquered territory under control?” “She has a cult that worships her. It was formed while we were rebuilding.” “How many cult members are there in Japan?” “Ohgi says they’re thousands, and they’re growing in number. We even loss some of our Black Knights to her. They’re convinced she’s an actual goddess, and sometimes,” Kallen said hesitantly, “I even wonder if it’s true myself.” “Have the entire world gone mad?” Lelouch slapped a hoof on his forehead. “I can’t believe you of all people would fall for silly superstition.” Lelouch grunted as he pushed himself up. “It’s gifted at using telekinesis and can fly, and somehow, that’s enough to convince you it might be divine?” “It’s more complicated than that,” Kallen said defensively. “I don’t feel like discussing this matter further. We’ll talk about in the morning.” “There is no morning!” Kallen shouted. “There hasn’t been a morning since Nightmare Moon took over.” “What the hell are you talking about?” “No one’s seen the sun since Nightmare Moon took over.” “That’s impossible.” Lelouch struggled to get back on his hooves. “The sun has to be shining somewhere on this planet.” “What’s all this commotion?” Minami pushed his way through. “Zero, you haven’t made a full recovery yet.” “Kallen said the sun hasn’t risen since Nightmare Moon took over. Is it true, Minami?” Minami nodded. “Why hasn’t the temperature changed?” Lelouch asked. “The world should have frozen over by now.” “I don’t understand it myself, but somehow there’s no sun, and, yet, the world isn’t freezing.” “Get out of my way. I have to see for myself.” “Zero, there’s nothing to look at.” “I said out of my way!” Lelouch’s horn glowed to life, but he was only able to summon enough magic to make Minami and Kallen float just an inch or two off the ground. Using his magic in this weaken state was exhausting. Lelouch released his hold over his two lieutenants letting them down with only a slight thud when their hooves hit the floor. “I’m commanding you to step aside.” “But Zero, you need to...” “I’ll rest later. Now, let me go outside. Am I still leader of the Black Knights or not?” Minami sighed and moved out of the way. “Minami, don’t let him go in his condition.” “Kallen, do as Zero commands,” said Minami. “He’s right. As long as we’re Black Knights, we have to obey his orders.” “Then in that case, I’ll come with you.” “Do as you like.” Lelouch said as him limped by. His atrophied muscles ached with each step forward after two months of disuse. Lelouch focused his magic on the door and barely managed to turn the knob and force it open. It wasn’t exactly the night as he remembered it. Not only were there numerous pillars illuminated by the energy flowing through the cracks in its charcoal surface, but the night sky seem unusually bright. It was as bright as a hazy night over the Tokyo Settlement when the city lights reflect off the clouds making it bright enough to drive without headlights if there were still working cars to drive. The canopy was adorned with points of lights more brilliant than natural stars and were arranged in constellations unknown to man. Lelouch pointed up. “How far does that thing extend? And why is it so warm? If I’ve been in a coma for two months, shouldn’t Japan be a frozen wasteland by now?” Kallen spoke up. “It covers every square kilometer of Japan. I flew all over Honshu looking for the edge. The pillars were holding up the fake sky everywhere I flew. And to answer your second question, Nightmare Moon extended the growing season to make up for the crop shortages.” “But why blot out the sun? What does Nightmare Moon hope to accomplish?” “Ohgi said she hates it.” “Why? Is it her weakness?” Lelouch closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, she attacked us in broad daylight. Did Nightmare Moon say why? And how did Ohgi find this out?” “Ohgi was the one that negotiated the surrender,” said Minami. “Nightmare Moon brought your cloak and mask and claimed you were dead. That was before Kallen told us you survived.” “You haven’t answered why Nightmare Moon is obscuring the sun.” “According to Ohgi, Nightmare Moon hates the sun and loves the night.” “That bitch is disrupting our entire society for her warped sense of esthetics?!?” “It’s also a great way to keep people in line,” said Kallen. “What’s that suppose to mean?” “Some of the earth ponies in the farming districts revolted and Nightmare Moon froze everything.” “Excuse me,” said Lelouch, “did you say ‘earth’ ponies?” “That’s what Nightmare Moon calls the mundane-types.” “So, the pony races have proper names?” “Winged-types are called pegasi or pegasus in the singular, and horn types are called unicorns.” “So, how did Nightmare Moon create this blizzard?” “I don’t know. The place got so cold, the ground froze up. It was like being in the arctic tundra.” “Zero, it’s not safe for you outside,” said Minami. “No! I have to know more. How much area was affected? What was the temperature? How long did it take for the temperature to low...” The world spun around Lelouch, and he collapsed. Kallen and Minami ran to his side. “Zero, please come back inside,” Kallen begged. “But I can’t lie down and accept Nightmare Moon’s control over us.” “You think I like being under the thumb of the bitch that killed my mother? Do you think you’re the only one that doesn’t want to be ruled? I feel the same as you, which is why we can’t risk letting you hurt yourself. Zero, when you’re regained your strength, we’ll take you anywhere you want to go, but please wait until you've made a full recovery.” “You’re right,” Lelouch apologized. “I’ll go back inside.” Kallen slid a wing beneath Lelouch’s chest while Minami used telekinesis and helped Lelouch on his hooves and led him back to his hiding place. “Look, I have to run to the market and pick up some hay,” said Kallen. “Zero hasn’t eaten anything that didn’t run through an IV for a while.” Kallen slipped out of her cloak and letting it hit the ground. Lelouch hastily averted his gaze. “Kallen, why are you...undressing?” “Nightmare Moon doesn’t want her subjects hiding their beautiful new bodies.” Kallen sounded out each syllable with all of the contempt that was inhumanly possible. “Her night guard arrests anypony...UGH...anyone,” she corrected herself, “wearing clothes.” “And what other changes did Nightmare Moon make in my absence?” Lelouch asked. “Well?” He grew impatient waiting for Minami and Kallen. “She renamed Tokyo New Canterlot and made it the capital of the Empire of the Night as she called it.” “I heard enough,” said Lelouch. “I’ll see it for myself, and the first place we’re going is a hair salon.” “A what?!?” Both Kallen and Minami said while staring slack-jawed at Lelouch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Three months after the last sunrise A unicorn mare finished straightening up her mane and coat salon and was ready to call it a night. Her horn lit up as the lights in her shop dimmed. She was about to lock the door when it flew opened and a wagon covered with hay backed into the doorway. “Hey!” The mare protested. “I’m not staying open just because you blocked the way out.” She turned around and was about to mule-kick the wagon when she was levitated off the ground and was turned back around facing the wagon. A pony, partially obscured by the darkness, rose from the hay pile. “Minase Mutsuki, it’s been a long time.” Lelouch addressed the unicorn mare in the same electronically-distorted voice she knew so well. “Zero! But you can’t be...you’re just somepony pretending to be him!” Minase panicked. “You were assigned to Katsuragi’s platoon just after I demoted the previous platoon commander for insubordination. You were such an exemplary Black Knight,” said Lelouch, “I made you Katsuragi’s second-in-command a week before Nightmare Moon took over.” “That wasn’t the real me,” Mutsuki cried as she pointed to her cutie mark, a pair of scissors and a bottle of hair dye. “This is. This means I belong here. Go bother somepony else!” “So you’d surrender your free will to Nightmare Moon because of some brand? Don’t tell me the Minase Mutsuki I know would be so submissive that...” “Go away! Please, just go away! I just want to get on with my life!” Mutsuki pleaded. “Why did you have to come back?” “It should be obvious. The Japanese people are being oppressed. I stood against Britannia, and this new enemy is no different.” “You’re insane! Of course it’s different. Nightmare Moon is a goddess. This isn’t like fighting Britannia. They never made the sun disappear. And they never turned humans into ponies. Nightmare Moon has. To go against her is suicide. Now leave before they find you.” “You coward!” Kallen climbed over the wagon and into the salon. “Zero nearly died trying to save the Japanese, and you turned against him to save your sorry, good-for-nothing ass.” “Kōzuki! That’s enough!” Lelouch said sternly. “I’ll deal with Mutsuki. Wait outside.” Lelouch then said to the unicorn mane stylist, “she does have a point. The Black Knights and I made sacrifices on the behalf of all Japanese.” Lelouch pointed to his eye patch. “I’m sorry you lost your eye, but that doesn’t mean we should throw our lives away fighting a goddess.” “Mutsuki, look at me. Please, fulfill your leader’s final command.” Lelouch peeled away the eye patch. It only took a slight glance for Mutsuki to be under the sway of Geass. “Teach me how to change my mane and coat color as well as my hind quarter symbol. Then you can forget that we were ever here.” “I’ll teach you as much as you want to know.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lelouch’s once regalia coat was now smoky gray. His cutie mark changed from the black king chess piece to a fluffy white pillow. It was Kallen’s idea since Lelouch had a habit of sleeping in class back in the old days. It wasn’t how Lelouch liked to be remembered, but it was preferable to the alternative. Lelouch, kept his original mane color but styled the bangs over his Geass eye. He and Kallen trotted along the streets of the Tokyo Settlement. They were pulling the hay cart back to their safe house. Lelouch noticed out of the corner of his eye a shopkeeper arguing with some of his customers. Behind him was a sign that read “Sorry, we’re closed” in Japanese. “There seems to be a lot of upset people around lately,” said Lelouch. “There’s no day or night cycle,” Kallen replied. “No one’s on a set schedule anymore. Shops open and close whenever the owner feels like it. Employees come in when they need money. I heard the new thing now is to pay workers by the amount they produce or the customers they serve, though I don’t see why. Wind-up clocks still work.” “But they wind down eventually. Without the sun to give a definite noontime, there is no reference point to set the clock by. It’s as if time has loss all meaning. And you say the winged-types...pegasi...couldn’t penetrate the canopy?” “I tried but it felt like I hit a wall face first.” “At least she’s rebuilding Tokyo,” said Lelouch as they passed by a construction site. The unicorn construction workers were piling rumbling into carts pulled by earth ponies. “If that’s what you want to call it,” Kallen said spitefully. “And what does that mean?” “I have to show you.” Kallen veered to the right with Lelouch following suit unto an adjacent street. They went about five blocks when the scenery changed from modern buildings in disrepair to what looked like something out of a medieval fairy tale. The new buildings were white marble and topped with pointed domes. The doors and windows were all arched. “I think that’s why she picked Tokyo as her capital-the Britannians did most of the work demolishing the old buildings. All she has to do is rebuild everything to her liking, and this is going on all over Tokyo.” “Let’s go,” said Lelouch. “I grow weary at looking these eyesores.” About halfway back to where they started, Lelouch began questioning Kallen again. “So, what happened to the rest of my lieutenants?” “Ohgi’s been reduced to Nightmare Moon’s gopher boy, but he hasn’t done anything to rat us out. Diethard’s a different story altogether. He turned on us at the drop of a hat,” Kallen said with more contempt in her voice. “He took one of those stupid pony names for himself-Newsie News or something like that. Last I heard Diethard was getting his old television station back running for his ‘empress’. That’s why we’re been hiding out in the old safe houses we used back when my brother was leader. Only the founding members of the Black Knights can be trusted these days.” “And what about Tohdoh and the remaining Holy Swords?” “Somewhere in hiding. Where? We don’t know-probably in one of the old Japanese Liberation Front hidden compounds.” Lelouch looked around for anypony that was looking. Young colts and fillies were parading along the intersecting street in a single-file while singing. Whatever it was, Lelouch couldn’t quite make out the lyrics. He quickly dismissed it and continued keeping watch for prying eyes. When the children passed by, Lelouch and Kallen ducked into a dilapidated building. Lelouch telekinetically slid a fake wall opened and deposit the cart behind it. “And Rakshata?” “Living in the Tokyo Settlement near Ashford Academy. She’s more or less neutral.” “There’s been a change in today’s schedule. We’re seeing her before going to the pillars.” Lelouch and Kallen snuck out of the building into a back alley and headed for the Tokyo Settlement. They got about two blocks when they ran into the same group of foals that were traveling in single file early. This time, they were close enough to hear them singing. Napu gebay Napu gebay Mo’ree adara abo Napu gebay Napu gebay Mo’ree adara abo Lelouch then caught sight of an adult pegasus mare leading the parade of children. She glanced in their general direction with slanted, cyan orbs. “Kallen, what’s wrong with her eyes?” Lelouch asked. “Why do they look like those of a cat?” “She’s a full-fledge member of the Nightmare Moon cult,” said Kallen. “I heard they have perfect night vision.” “But what is she doing with those children? “Brainwashing no doubt.” “Wait right here.” Lelouch began heading in the same direction as the children. “What are you doing?” Kallen started to come along, but Lelouch held out his hoof. “I said wait right here,” said Lelouch before he disappeared around the corner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “That was a fun little trip wasn’t it, my little ponies.” The pegasus mare with the slanted eyes smiled at her classroom full of young fillies and colts, not a single one with a cutie mark on their blank flanks. “Yes, Ms. Chalkboard.” The students said in unison. Just then, Lelouch stepped inside. “Excuse me for a moment, students.” Ms. Chalkboard then addressed Lelouch. “Young colt, visitors are not permitted in class under orders from the Empress. If you have a sibling...” Lelouch brushed away the hair from his left eye. “You don’t see or hear me.” Fortunately, Lelouch had the uninvited attention of the classroom. “Yes sir,” said the students and Ms. Chalkboard. “So class, what was the name of the song I taught you?” “Ms. Chalkboard...” “You know better than to speak out of term, Fukao Hiroshi. Now raise your hoof.” Hiroshi followed his teacher’s instructions. “Yes, Fukao.” “It’s Napu Gebay, Ms. Chalkboard.” “Now, what does ‘Napu Gebay’ means in Japanese.” Hiroshi took a moment to think. “It means ‘winter wrap-up’, Ms. Chalkboard.” “Very good, Fukao. You see, my little ponies, in Equestria, the land where our Empress Nightmare Moon came from, the ponies were responsible for taking care of nature. They made it snow or rain or made the sky clear or cloudy, and they changed the seasons.” Lelouch wanted to scream out how ridiculous of an idea it was when it occurred to him that, after being transformed into a pony and living in an eternal night, all thanks to Nightmare Moon, Ms. Chalkboard’s claim may have some validity. “And now Empress Moon wants us to do the same here. It’ll be our job to take of our Empress’ planet. Today class, we’re learning what the rest of the words to Napu Gebay means. But before we do that, I want to give one of your classmates a special reward for being a good subject for our Empress. Oinuma Eksuko, come to the front of the class.” A young pegasus filly galloped eagerly to the front of the class. Ms. Chalkboard gave the little filly a blue ribbon with a crescent moon dangling on the end that she slipped over the child’s neck and three stuffed pony dolls each representing the three pony races. “Little Eksuko’s parents were being bad. They were hiding history books. Eksuko did the right thing and told her teacher, and for being a loyal subject, we’re taking her to Empress Moon to give her special eyes like mine and a brand new pony name.” “You turned in your parents for keeping books,” Lelouch said in utter shock. “And you,” Lelouch said to the teacher even though she was oblivious to his presence, “you were the ones who made her. Bastards! You brainwashed children and turned them against their parents?!?” “What’s all that noise? “I thought I heard cursing.” A unicorn stallion, also with slanted eyes, ducked his head in the room. “Hey! Who are...” “Go drown yourself in the ocean.” “I’ll do so right away.” The next day, the body of Assistant Principal Alphabet Soup was found washed up on a beach near the town of Kimitsu. “That’s odd,” Ms. Chalkboard whispered to herself. “Well, as I was saying children, when you see Eksuko will have special eyes and a new pony name *and* she’ll be living in the dormitories next to the Empress’ palace in New Canterlot Castle. It’s very important that we make our world just like Equestria. All of the old things must go. There can’t be books or pictures or statues from the bad old days, and those grown-ups who want things to go back to the bad old ways must be stopped. You remember how bad things were. Back when we were humans, Britannians bullied Japanese, and Japanese got back at Britannians. You don’t want to go back to being human and living the way we used to live, right my little ponies.” “No ma’am.” “If you have little brothers and sisters too young to remember being human, it’ll be your job to make sure they never find out about the bad old days. And when you have children, it’ll be your responsibility to make sure your children don’t find out about the bad old days either.” “Stop trying to turn them against their own identity!” Lelouch cried out in vain. “Don’t speak as if humans are only capable of violence! There’s more to our existence than our misdeeds.” “What the hell are you doing?” Kallen barged into the classroom. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” “I thought I told you to stay put.” “You don’t use that sort of language in my classroom, young mare,” said Ms. Chalkboard. “And you certainly won’t disrespect me in my own classroom. Now please leave or else I’ll be forced to report you to the royal guard.” “I wasn’t talking to you,” said Kallen pointing to Lelouch. “I was talking to him.” “Aren’t you too old for imaginary friends, young mare?” “What are you talking about?” Kallen was yanked out of the room by Lelouch before she got an answer from Ms. Chalkboard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A tired, dreary-eyed Rakshata came home to her apartment in the Tokyo Settlement. Her hoofsteps were heavy and forced as though she’d trotted a thousand miles. She aimlessly slung her saddlebag off her back and unto the floor. As she crept to her bedroom, a familiar electronic voice called out to her. “It’s been too long, Rakshata.” “Zero, is that you?” Lelouch and Kallen stepped out of the shadows. “Who else would it be?” “You’ve gotten yourself a new look, Zero.” Rakshata looked over Lelouch’s new mask. All of the exposed areas were sewed up with additional fabric that completely covered his head. Even his horn was hidden from view. His tail was tucked in his trousers, which covered his legs all the way down to his hooves. His coat also kept his front legs covered as well. “I liked the previous outfit better. This one looks more like a hazmat suit.” “Save the fashion tips for later,” said Kallen. “We’re here on business.” “And what would that be?” “The pillars that appeared the day Nightmare Moon took over-have you examined them?” Lelouch asked. “Yes, and it wasn’t easy either. If you only knew how hard it was to jury rig an electric generator to turn on hoof power,” Rakshata grumbled as she sat her haunches on a pillow lying at the head of her coffee table. “I just completed my observations last month.” She then pointed to the other pillowed lining the coffee table. “You can sit down if you like.” “No, that won’t be necessary.” “Suit yourself.” You didn’t, by any chance, use your jury rigged generator to run a spectrometer?” “Are you kidding me? The first measure that I took was a spectral reading.” “Was the spectral line at 32.59 gigahertz?” “As a matter of fact, yes.” “And was the percentages?” “The pillars averaged 24.8% composition by mole fraction, plus or minus 0.3%.” “What are you two talking about?” Kallen said with a confused look on her face. “A quarter of the matter composing the pillars is sakuradite,” Lelouch answered. “You mean to tell me that those things holding up the canopy are made of sakuradite.” “Along with inert material, probably extracted from the local strata,” said Rakshata. “And what of the canopy itself?” “I wasn’t able to perform spectral analysis on it since the cloud cover was too thick for light to penetrate. However, I talked a lab assistant into flying up to the canopy with a metal detector. Its magnetic properties were consistent with sakuradite.” “And did you get any readings from the ground surrounding the pillars.” “Once again, you guess right. There are veins of sakuradite radiating outward from the pillars and intertwined with the other pillars in a web formation.” “As I thought, the canopy funnels solar energy from the sun into the plants via the sakuradite network.” “Rakshata, could we bring down the canopy with a Gefjun Disturber?” Kallen asked. Rakshata shook her head. “A Gefjun Disturber is powered by sakuradite, which is in short supply unless you happen to be Nightmare Moon. And I wouldn’t recommend just grabbing a chunk from the pillars, not if you want to be incinerated by the power flow.” “What about the underground veins? It should be pretty diffused by the time it reaches the plants.” “If you want to sift through cubic meters of dirt for a few milligrams of partially refined sakuradite, be my guest, and in a few years, you might have enough to power a Gefjin Disturber strong enough to bring down one pillar.” “Then find another way to extract sakuradite from Nightmare Moon’s solar power network.” Rakshata closed her eyes and glowered. “Are you serious?” “Does it sound like I’m joking?” “Do you know how many terawatts of raw power is flowing through those monstrosities?” “That’s for you to figure it. It’s why I made you head of R & D.” Rakshata massaged the migraine pulsating just beneath her forehead. “Could you be any more demanding?” She groaned. “Yes I can. There is one task you can do for us.” “And that is?” “Diethard is trying to get Hi-TV back on the air. Help him get his old station running again.” “Oh I see,” Rakshata smirked. “You think they’ll tap the solar network to get things back running again and that I can grab a few handfuls of sakuradite in the process.” “That and...I want Hi-TV back on the airwaves.” “But Zero,” Kallen asked, “but won’t they just run Nightmare Moon propaganda. If anything, Rakshata should be sabotaging it.” “Hold on a second!” Rakshata objected. “I don’t do espionage.” “And you won’t,” said Lelouch. “A mass media outlet is crucial to my plans. Diethard may intent on using Hi-TV to spread Nightmare Moon’s lies, but the Black Knights will use it to our advantage instead.” “And what do you have in mind?” Rakshata asked. “Yeah, what are you planning?” Kallen asked. “You’ll find out when the time comes.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special thanks to Pen Stroke for permitting me to use his idea of giving Nightmare Moon eyes to the members of the Nightmare Moon cult. Next chapter, we'll be checking on Suzaku and what he's been doing.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2013-01-08T05:46:40+00:00

2018-12-20T06:14:35+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are in italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 10: Applejack and the Unwanted Farmhoof Two weeks ago Everything happened so fast. One moment, Suzaku was pushing the Emperor out of the tempest that threatened to suck him into the vortex only to be drawn into it himself, and in the next, he was inside the ruins of what was once a castle. The stone pillars were being eaten away by time. Its teeth left huge cracks along the surface and chucks torn off by an eon of neglect. Spider webs blanketed much of the chamber. Suzaku turned around and saw a stage and a window that stretched to the top of the four-story tall ceiling behind it. Between him and the stage were fragments of two shattered statues. He could tell from the two piles of rumble that the statues were once a mare and a colt. “Is anyone here?” Suzaku called out. The only reply was a faint echo. “Your majesty! Rolo! Sir Anya! Anyone!” Still, the only answer was the echo of his voice. A stairway lining the exterior wall of the castle zigzagged downward to the ground below where other dilapidated buildings were left to crumble. A path leading to a suspension bridge ran across a gorge with a trail on the other side. Immediately, Suzaku knew this couldn’t be a part of the ruins of Kamine Island. In fact, this wasn’t Kamine Island at all. There was no way he could have overlooked that massive chasm. The species of flora belonged in a woodland forest, not a tropical island. Suzaku stared at the trail for a moment and then back at his surroundings. His only hope to find civilization was to travel down the path laid before him. Unbeknownst to Suzaku, the stone fragments of the mare and colt were changing form from hard granite to flesh and fur. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Hello,” said the stallion, “my name is Suzaku.” “Cover ya mouth before ya git somepony sick,” Applejack said while cuffing her face. “He warnt sneezin’ sis,” said Big McIntosh. “That’s his name.” He then said to Suzaku, “this here is mah other younger sister.” “So you’re Applejack,” Suzaku said as he extended a hoof to her. “Big McIntosh told me all about you.” Applejack glared at Suzaku with a raised brow. “Oh he did, did he?” She then glared at her brother who then took a step back. “Well, I don’t appreciate’em talkin’ ta strange ponies ‘bout me.” “He didn’t tell any intimate details, if that’s what you’re concerned about.” “But ya said he told ya ever’thing.” Suzaku looked away and scratched his head nervously. “Maybe I exaggerat...” “And wut sorta high-falootin pony name is Sooh-zah-koo?!?” “Sis, quit bein rude ta the farm hoof. He came here ta work not ta git the third degree.” “And why do we have a farm hoof anyhows?!?” Applejack stared down her elder brother. “That was Granny Smith’s idea.” “You mean our Granny Smith-the very Granny Smith that taught us ta stand on our own four hooves?” “Eeyup.” “We’ll see ‘bout that!” Applejack galloped back to the house. Granny Smith, who was taking an afternoon nap on the couch, was stirred from her sleep when Applejack slammed the door. “Applebloom, how many times do I hafta tell ya not ta make a ruckus inside,” Granny Smith yelled. To her shock, the pony causing the racket wasn’t her youngest granddaughter, but rather, her older sister. “Applejack! Ya too old for that nonsense!” “Granny Smith, Imma sorry for wakin’ ya, but I needa talk ta ya about that there farm hoof.” “He ain’t goofin off on the job he is?” Granny Smith crept to the window as fast as her worn legs could move and took a peep outside. At the far corner of Sweet Apple Acres was Suzaku bucking apples. “How come yer lyin’ bout Suzaku goofin’ off?” “I didn’t say he was, Granny Smith.” “Then don’t wake me up from mah nap!” Granny Smith slowly crept back to the couch. “Granny Smith, ya taught us the Apple family didn’t need no help from anypony.” “Did ya learn that from me, Applejack?” “Yes ma’am, I did.” “Well unlearn it!” With that, Granny Smith laid back on the couch. Applejack was about to tap Granny Smith on the shoulder when her elder brother walked in. “There’s no need ta be disturbin’ Granny Smith again. I can explain ever’thing, sis.” “Well, please do, Big McIntosh,” Applejack said condescendingly. “Not here. I don’t wanna git Granny all riled up.” Big McIntosh gestured to Applejack to follow him outside. “Yer darn tootin’ y’all don’t,” said Granny Smith in a groggy voice. The two Apple siblings took that as a not-so-subtle hint to hold their conversation outside. The two siblings went to the barn to finish their discussion concerning the hired help. “Now, how ‘bout that there explanation.” Applejack demanded. “Bout two weeks ago, there were these weird lights in the sky o’er Canterlot. Our cows got all spooked and ran off. I tried talkin’em into comin’ back, but they just plume refused. Said they wanted ta move south where they’d feel safer. We had all that there grazin’ land but no cows wanted ta eat our grass. And no cows means no milk ta sell on the market. So, Granny Smith decided ta plant more apples trees and ta double up on the apple cider next year to make up for the loss income.” “And what does all that has to do with him?” Applejack pointed to Suzaku who then waved back at them. “I hafta plant the new trees and that won’t leave me any time ta help ya apple buck.” “Ya mean for me ta work with that sneezy pony.” “Eeyup.” “Nope!” Applejack mocked. “I’ll do it mahself.” “Like ya did teh last time.” Big McIntosh reminded Applejack of her disastrous attempt to do all of the farm work all by herself. “Tat’s different. I was caught unprepared.” “Well Suzaku’s here ta make sure that don’t happen anymore.” “Well what makes ya so sure Sneezy can do the work?” “I’ve seen’em with my own eyes and he’s a good worker, and his name’s Suzaku.” “We’ll see ‘bout that.” Applejack galloped over to Suzaku. Big McIntosh just shook his head and followed. “Whadda ya up ta now?” “Hey!” Applejack called out to Suzaku. “I wanna talk ta ya.” Suzaku stopped in the middle of his apple bucking. “Sure, what is it?” “Before anypony works at Sweet Apple Acres, he’s gotta know his stuff. We have a little test that ever’pony dat ever worked on our farm has ta go thru to prove if they’re ready ta go apple buckin’.” “Where are we going, Applejack?” “Imma takin’ ya ta meet Big Bertha.” “Sis, not that.” Big McIntosh objected. “Anypony workin’ our farm has ta be up to the task.” Applejack led Suzaku to a twisted old apple tree. Its truck was as least three times as thick as any of the other trees in the orchid and was covered in hard knots. “This here’s Big Bertha. She’s the first apple tree that our family planted, and as ya kin see, she didn’t quite come out so well. I figure a grown pony like yerself oughta be able ta knock the apples offa Big Berta in three bucks. Me ‘n Big McIntosh can buck Big Bertha in two bucks, but Idda lit ya do it in three. I ain’t askin’ anymore from ya than I would ask from any of mah kin. Now, if ya ain’t feelin’ up to it,” Applejack grinned, “I’d understand.” “I think I can handle it,” said Suzaku. He turned around and bucked Big Bertha, but the only thing to fall from the tree was a few leaves that gently floated down. Suzaku bucked the tree again but with the same disappointing results as before. “That’s two bucks,” Applejack said with glee. “Ya git one more.” “That ain’t fair and ya know it!” Big McIntosh said in a raised voice. “I told’em he had ta give Big Bertha three good licks.” “Suzaku didn’t know how hard it is to buck apples offa Big Bertha.” “Well, he oughta know if he’s a fixin’ work here as a farm hoof.” “It’s alright, Big McIntosh,” said Suzaku. “If that’s what it takes to gain Applejack’s trust...” Suzaku trotted off and gave himself a running head start. “Ya gonna needa go furthur than that if yer tryin’ to buck Big Bertha in one shot,” Applejack gloated. “Tho’ it’s only fair to warn ya even Big McIntosh...” All Applejack could see was a blur as Suzaku zipped past her. He then leaped to the very top of Big Bertha’s trunk, spun around in mid-air, and landed a rear hoof at the top of Big Bertha’s trunk. The momentum catapulted Suzaku another ten feet into the air. He did several backflips on the way down before landing gracefully on all four legs. The whiplash from Suzaku’s kick jolted the branches violently causing all of Big Bertha’s apples to fall to the ground. Both Big McIntosh and Applejack stared slack-jawed. “I hope this settles any doubts you may have concerning my abilities to...” Suzaku was saying before Applejack stormed off in the other direction. “Is there something wrong?” “Not at t’all,” Applejack grunted. “Ya wun fair ‘n square. Now if ya excuse me, I got mah own chores that needs tendin’ to.” “I...won?!? What is she talking about?” Suzaku asked. “Don’t pay her no mind,” said Big McIntosh. “She just got herself a batcha sour apples.” “Should I work overtime before the rest of the harvest goes bad?” “I warnt bein’ literal, Suzaku.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “...and then Sneezy did sum fancy smancy city slicker apple buckin’ that even I haven’t laid eyes on.” Applejack spent part of the afternoon at the Ponyville Library voicing her frustration at the attentive ears of Twilight Sparkle. “I didn’t know ‘city slickers’ bucked apples let alone had some fancy way of doing it,” said a skeptical Twilight Sparkle. “Very funny, Twi. All I knows is dat there new pony put the grasshoppers ta shame and nailed Big Bertha in teh right spot and showed me up.” “Didn’t you learned your lesson about being too proud to ask for help?” “Twi, it ain’t the same. I’d come ta ya in a heartbeat for help, but that’s ‘cause I consider ya part of our family. But Sneezy- he ain’t no kin ta me either by blood or by friendship. I couldn’t believe mah ears when Big McIntosh told me we’d let a strange pony on our farm doin’ our work for us.” “I’m shocked you’d feel that way about the pony that saved your little sister’s life.” “What in tarnation are ya talkin’ about, Twilight Sparkle?” “Big McIntosh didn’t tell you?!? Suzaku saved Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.” “Are ya sayin’ Applebloom and her lit’friends were doin’ sum’thum cutie mark crusader related and got themselves in trouble and Sneezy had ta save’em?” “I don’t know the whole story. You have to ask Applebloom about that and don’t you think it’s a little rude to call the pony that saved your little sister ‘Sneezy’?” Applejack looked down and sighed. “Yeah, I know it’s kinda rude of me, but this smell fishier than a barrel fulla Fluttershy’s ferret treats. Why wont’cha trush mah judgment.” “Because you won’t give Suzaku a chance,” Twilight argued. Applejack rolled her eyes and moaned. “Before you write Suzaku off, just wait here until Cheerilee dismisses class and talk to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I’m sure Suzaku won’t seem so suspicious if you heard their side of the story.” “Well don’t have yer heart set on that happenin’. It’ll take alotta convincin’ before I trust sum strange pony.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Class dismissed. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow,” said Cheerilee. The room was alive with the sounds of hooves clopping against the wooden floor as little colts and fillies rushed out the door except for three blank flank fillies. Cheerilee bit into three folders and began placing them on their desk when there was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” Cheerilee asked. “It’s jist me, Ms. Cheerilee,” said Applejack. “Oh hi, sis,” said Applebloom said nervously while looking away. “Ya back from yer trip ta Peach Melba’s already?” “Yeah,” said Applejack. “Mind me talkin’ ta mah little sis for a bit,” she said to Cheerilee. “Is it about their detention?” Cheerilee asked. “I gave them two weeks for wandering into the Everfree Forest.” Applejack face-hoofed. “Let me guess: y’all were lookin’ ta git yer cutie mark.” Applebloom looked down. “Yes Big Sis, but Granny Smith gave me a hoofin on my flank for it already,” said Applebloom. “So please don’t punish me no more.” “Don’t fret o’er it, Applebloom. Tat’s all water under the bridge. I was just wonderin’ ‘bout that new farm hoof Granny Smith hired.” “Oh you mean Suzaku?” “Yeah, I mean him. Twi was just tellin' me that y’all were in a whole mess of trouble and he hadda rescue y’all.” “We done got our punishment for bein’ out in the Everfree Forest, Sis. Please don’t go addin’ to it.” “I done told ya it’s all in the past. I just wanna know the whole story about how y’all met Soo-sah-koo. That’s all.” “Well, it started when Cheerilee let us outta class earlier on account of it bein’ a teacher work day, though I was reckonin’ ever’day we had school was a teacher’s work day.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flashback “Why do we have to go to the Everfree Forest to be Cutie Mark Trailblazers?” Sweetie Belle cried. She, Applebloom, and Scootaloo trekked through the dense, heavily shaded Everfree Forest. “Rarity will kill me if she finds out.” “I already told ya why,” said Applebloom. “We can’t be trailblazers if we jist go where sumpony else has already been.” “This is so boring,” said Scootaloo. “If we did like I suggested, we would have our cutie marks by now.” “Quit talkin’ like Rainbow Dash is the Cutie Mark Fairy.” “I didn’t say she was, stupid.” Scootaloo got in Applebloom’s face. Appleboom wouldn’t back down and pressed her face against Scootaloo’s. “Then don’t talk like she is.” “Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle said while tapping her on the side. “Butt out, Sweetie Belle.” “Timber wolves!” “Wha?!?” “Shhh! Just listen.” Applebloom and Scootaloo kept an ear open. The once faint howling was growing in intensity. “You told us timber wolves don’t come this close to Ponyville except during Zap Apple Season,” said Scootaloo. Then something with a light-brown, almost gold-colored fur covered in rags flashed out of the corner of Sweetie Belle’s eye. “I saw something, but I think it’s somepony.” Sweetie Belle pointed to the spot where the thing crossed the trail. Then, one by one, a pack of timber wolves ran by. All three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped in terror. “Maybe we oughta skedaddle back ta Ponyville,” said Applebloom. It was then the last timber wolf in the pack stopped and glanced back at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Its eyes glowed red as its tongue scraped across its wooden fangs. It then tilted its head and howled. The rustling of foliage was growing louder as the rest of the timber wolf pack doubled back. “Get the hay out of here!” Scootaloo yelled. She began running back to Ponyville. “What are you waiting for? RUN!” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle snapped out of their shock-induced haze and ran for dear life with Scootaloo taking the lead and Sweetie Belle trailing behind the others. The timber wolf that spotted the three fillies got into a sprinting stance and waited until the rest of the pack to arrive. All it took was a silent cue to signal the others that easier prey was in the direction that he had fixed his gaze upon. The pack began their pursuit. The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran as fast as their short, stubby legs could move, but it was only delaying the inevitable. The timber wolves were closing the distance and would soon overtake the three. “We’re goin’ die! We’re goin’ die! We’re goin’ die!” Applebloom cried. Just the lead timber wolf was about take a bite out of Sweetie Belle, something tackled it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stopped and saw a stallion with a gold coat of fur, a messy brown mane, and a scraggly old cloak. He was staring down the lead timber wolf, which was the biggest wolf in the pack. The lead timber wolf growled and snapped at the stallion, but this pony wouldn’t back down even though his opponent was twice his size. Then the timber wolf lunged at the stallion who, in one fluid motion, did an about face and back-kicked the timber wolf. The crunching sound of wood was from the crack that ran from the top of its head down to the base of its skull. Two of the braver timber wolves jumped in to save their pack leader. The stallion leaped out of the way and, while still in mid-air, stomped the two timber wolves snapping their spines. Another one leaped from a nearby rock attempting to pounce on the stallion. However, the stallion fell on his back and catapulted the timber wolf into a tree smashing it into pieces. The remaining two timber wolves inched away. It was then the stallion, much to his shock, witnessed the shattered pieces of wood coming back together. While the rest of the pack waited for their fallen comrades to pull themselves back together, the stallion tossed Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo on his back. The Cutie Mark Crusaders held onto the fleet-hoofed stallion. He was running rather fast for a pony carrying three fillies on his back but was heading in the wrong direction. Applebloom hastily tapped the stallion on the neck. He glanced back just long enough to see Applebloom pointing towards Ponyville before changing course. About fifteen minutes later, the four ponies found their way back to Ponyville’s one-room schoolhouse. There, waiting for the Cutie Mark Crusaders were Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. “You see, Ms. Cheerilee,” said Diamond Tiara with a malicious smirk across her lips, “I told you the blank flanks sneaked off to the Everfree Forest.” “I can handle this from here, Ms. Tiara.” Ms. Cheerilee said sternly. “You and Silver Spoon can go back home now.” The two bully fillies deliberately walked away slowly while looking back and forth hoping to catch a glimpse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting the third degree from their teacher. “Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, do you know just how worried we were?” Applebloom was about to say something when Cheerilee interrupted. “Not another word-I was about to go to Mayor Mare and ask for a search party. You’re lucky the timber wolves didn’t track you down and gobble you up.” “But they did track us down, Ms. Cheerilee,” Sweetie Belle blurted when Applebloom and Scootaloo held their hooves over her mouth. Cheerilee facehoofed. “Dear Celestia, I can’t believe it. How did you three manage to *not* get eaten?” “It was this nice stallion that saved us,” said Sweetie Belle pointing to the stallion that rescued them. Applebloom leaped up and down as she told her teacher about their adventure in the Everfree Forest. “It was awesome Ms. Cheerilee! That there new pony kicked a timber wolf’s head slap off! And then he whupped two more of them timber wolves into toothpicks and then...” “Applebloom! I heard enough of your tall tales!” Cheerilee trotted over to the stallion and smiled. “Thank you kind sir for saving my students. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if something happened to them.” The stallion stared at Cheerilee with a bewildered look on his face. “Is there something wrong?” “Ha moushiwake ari mase n ga, nani o it te iru o rikai shi te i nai desu ka?” The stallion said. “Oh dear,” said Cheerilee. The stallion then said something else. Though she couldn’t understand the words, Cheerilee could tell it was a second foreign language just as alien to her ear as the first. “The blank flank’s hero is talking jibberish,” Diamond Tiara laughed. Silver Spoon joined in on the teasing. “Blah be be wah be be boo.” The two of them laughed at each other's taunts. “If you two aren't at home in five seconds, you’ll be in detention keeping the Cutie Mark Crusaders company!” Cheerilee yelled. The two bullies made a hasty retreat. Cheerilee then looked back at the stallion and sighed. “I hope that was zebra.” Cheerilee took a deep breath. “How did Zecora say ‘hello’ in her language? Oh, now I remember. Jambo! Unasema punda?” “Whacha doin’ Ms. Cheerilee?” Applebloom asked. “If he can speak zebra, we can get Zecora to translate for us.” “Watashi ha mada nani o it te iru rikai shi te i mase n,” said the stallion. “Is that zebra talk, Ms. Cheerilee?” “I should be so lucky, Sweetie Belle. Could one of you go the library and ask Twilight if she knows a translation spell?” “I’ll go, Ms. Cheerilee,” said Scootaloo. “Look,” Ms. Cheerilee said to the stallion, “I know you don’t understand me, but please wait here.” She then pointed back and forth between the stallion and her mouth. “We’re getting somepony that can help you understand us.” The stallion gasped and looked away. “Anata ha watashi anata ni kisu o shi tai? Hotondo shit te, watashi no jinsei de tokubetsu na dare ka desu.” There was a bashful look on the stallion’s face. “Oh dear, I think that came out all wrong.” Five minutes later, Scootaloo returned to the school house with Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn mare wore a saddle bag stuffed with a rather large book that barely fit inside. “Ms. Cheerilee, Scootaloo said there was some new pony who didn’t speak Ponglish. Can you tell me what the hay is going on?” Applebloom energetically trotted up to Twilight. “That pony yonder,” she said pointing to the gold-colored stallion, “save us from a pack of timber wolves. He was karate choppin’ em and splittin’ heads right in half.” “Applebloom!” Cheerilee snapped. “That’s enough out of you. You’re in enough trouble as it is. You three wouldn’t need saving if you weren’t in the Everfree Forest.” “In the Everfree Forest!” Rarity was tagging behind Twilight and Scootaloo when Applebloom was regaling everypony with her adventure. “Sweetie Belle, you’ll be in such trouble when mother and father hear of this.” “But Sis,” Sweetie Belle whined. “We were just going in there for a little while.” “Don’t you dare make excuses, young mare. And what’s this talk about a pack of timber wolves. I’m afraid I was a bit too far away to hear everything Applebloom said.” Cheerilee pointed to the new pony. “He saved the Cutie Mark Crusaders from a pack of timber wolves.” “A pack of timber wolves!” Rarity then turned to Sweetie Belle. “You are most *definitely* in trouble.” She then trotted to the new pony. “I would like to thank you for my saving my bothersome little sister.” Rarity glanced back at Sweetie Belle when she said ‘bothersome little sister’. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I know the perfect spring wear that would suit your coat, though you could use a mane cut.” “Um...Ms. Rarity,” said Cheerilee, “he doesn’t understand a word you’re saying.” “What do you mean?” “Konnichiha , watashi no namae ha kururu ki suzaku desu . Nihongo o hanasu koto o oshie te kudasai . Watashi ha watashi no ibasho o shit te i masu. Kono basho ha kanou na koto ga deki nai nippon de.” “Oh dear,” said Rarity. “He doesn’t speak Ponglish does he?” Cheerilee shook her head. “That could be a problem. Twilight darling, you wouldn’t by any chance know a translation spell.” “Way ahead of you Rarity,” said Twilight. She had already taken out the book and flipped through its dusty pages until she came across the translation spell. “According to this, my knowledge of Ponglish will pass over from me to him, and we can understand each other. Though there is one catch-the spell is...debilitating.” “In what way?” “It doesn’t specify, but it recommends 1 to 3 days of bed rest for both the caster and the receiver.” “It’s not dangerous is it?” Rarity asked. “The spells in this book are benign. It wouldn’t be on the shelves if there were dangerous spells. Give me a moment to study it just to be on the safe side.” “What’s so strange is that, even though ponies do have different local languages, all ponies speak the language of the realm,” said Cheerilee. “Why he wasn’t taught Ponglish is beyond me.” “It is odd, isn’t it,” said Rarity. “You can ask him yourself,” said Twilight as she closed the book. “Here goes nothing.” She pointed her horn at the stallion and emitted a ray of purple energy from it. Then both of them collapsed. The world spun around Twilight like a top while a migraine drilled into her head. The side effects of the spell also affected the stallion. Twilight spewed out the undigested hay sandwich she had for lunch that day. The stallion followed suit and vomited as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The stallion was stirred from his sleep by several ponies congregating together in a dimly lit room. He rose up and then noticed that he was in some pony’s bedroom. In fact, he was in some pony else's bed. “Oh, you’re awake.” It was the unicorn with the purple mane and pink highlights that had shot the beam of light at him. She held her forehead and moaned. “Twilight dear, I knew you were overexerting yourself,” said the white unicorn mare. “No, I’ll be okay. Just give the headache relief spell a little more time to kick in.” Also in the room were the three young fillies that he saved, the adult earth pony mare and two unicorn mares from earlier, and a few others. The others were all mares except for one rather large, muscularly built earth pony stallion with a red coat and dingy orange mane and what looked like a miniature purple dinosaur. There were two pegasi mares, one with a pink mane and yellow coat of fur and the other with a rainbow-striped mane and cyan coat. The last two were earth ponies-one with a bright pink mane and light pink coat and the other had a gray-white mane and a beige coat. Wait! How did he know the proper names for the three pony races? How did he know that the actual term for the mundane, horned, and winged-types were earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi? Never mind that! He could now understand their language! “Anata no debaisu o ima rikai suru koto ga deki masu . Shikashi , naze desu ka?” “Uh oh!” The pink earth pony said. “I think your spell conked out.” “It’s okay,” said the purple unicorn. “The book warned about this.” She then spoke to the stallion. “Don’t speak your language. Try to speak ours. The knowledge should be in your head.” She was right. There was a cascade of strange words that matched up with his native Japanese and the English he picked up during the occupation, and he could somehow understand them. “Oooh...bean...like...this,” he said slowly. “You mean like this?” “Oh yes, it worked.” The purple unicorn leaped up to clap her front hooves together, but the migraine forced her back down again. “What happened to me? How is it I can speak your language? And where am I?” The stallion asked. “I cast a translation spell on you. The headache is just a side effect, which probably explains why everypony is taught Ponglish in school instead of just casting translation spells.” Twilight rubbed her forehead. Just being reminded of the spell was enough to cause another migraine. “And you’re in Ponyville.” The purple unicorn held her forehead on her hoof. “Ponyville?!?” “It’s a farming town that’s about a few hours away from Canterlot by train.” “And where is Canterlot? Is it a part of the Chinese Federation?” “I don’t know anything about a ‘Chinese Federation’. This is Equestria, and Canterlot is the capital city. Everypony knows that.” “Ponglish, that’s the name of your language, right?” Twilight nodded. “It is, but I have no idea why nopony taught it to you. Could you tell us why? Where did you come from?” “Japan.” “Is Japan a country or city?” “A country.” “And they don’t teach ponies how to speak Ponglish in Japan?” “Twilight! There’s no need to interrogate the poor thing,” said the white unicorn. “My name is Rarity, and what is yours?” “It’s Kururugi Suzaku.” “My, that is a mouth full. I think I’ll shorten it to Suzaku.” “But I don’t know you that well,” said Suzaku with a bit of panic in his voice. “Nonsense, of course you do. The little unicorn filly you rescued from those horrible timber wolves happens to be my younger sister Sweetie Belle. Now thank Suzaku for saving you,” Rarity told Sweetie Belle. “Thank you Mr. Suzaku,” said Sweetie Belle. “You’re welcome. Timber wolves-is that what you call those things that attacked your sister.” Rarity nodded. “They usually don’t venture so close to town.” “Were there any other animals affected by the transformation?” “What are you talking about?” “Wolves are made of flesh, not wood,” said Suzaku. “Some wolves are,” said Twilight, “at least the ones here. If you think they were altered by some transformation spell, you would be mistaken. They’ve been in the Everfree Forest since Ponyville was founded.” “How long ago was that?” “Centuries ago by earth ponies,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Wait! Did you say this town was founded...by ponies.” “Well, yeah, I mean, it’s called Ponyville for a reason.” The reality of the situation was coming to an unsettling conclusion. The portal opened by the hybrid pony, a.k.a. alicorn, took him to an alien world. He was no longer on Earth. These beings were born ponies, not human. Suzaku didn’t want to believe it. It could possibly mean not going back home to his friends and Euphie. “Suzaku, could you take a look at this?” Rarity levitated a sketch of a polo shirt and matching vest. “A purple pullover and white vest would go so nicely with your coat, don’t you think?” “What do you mean?” “It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ for saving my sister.” “You don’t owe me anything, Miss Rarity.” “Of course I do.” “What I’m wearing will suffice...” Suzaku stopped to look under the sheets and pulled them up to his neck when he realized that he was completely naked. “What happened to my clothes?” “Oh those raggedy things-I threw them away.” “But you shouldn’t have left me with nothing to wear.” “But why?” Suzaku wanted to scold them for throwing away his clothes, but, for whatever reason, these ponies did not appear to have any sort of modesty. In fact, none of the clothes in the pictures Rarity show him covered anything from the waist down, which missed the point wearing clothes in the first place. Apparently, public nudity isn’t taboo in their culture. “Kururugi Suzaku,” said the mare with the beige coat and gray mane, “I’m Mayor Mare, and, on behalf of the citizens of Ponyville, I wish to commend you for placing your life in jeopardy to protect these three young fillies.” “You’re welcome.” “I’m sure the rest of Ponyville feels the same. You averted a tragedy at a considerable risk to your own life, I might add.” Upon hearing the part about Suzaku risking his life, Big McIntosh and Rarity gave Applebloom and Sweetie Belle a sour glance. “Suzaku, I might be able to help you get back to your home country,” Twilight offered. “I just happen to be the student of Celestia, our country’s princess and I have access to the Canterlot Royal Library. If you’re trying to find your way back to Japan, there should be maps that can lead you back to your homeland, that is, if you want to go back?” There was no question in Suzaku’s mind-he wanted to go back to Japan and be at the side of the woman that was both his princess and his beloved. The safety and well-being of Euphemia was always in his thoughts. The thing that sent him to this world was still on the loose, though he didn’t have any idea how he would stop it. But should he tell them the truth? Maybe this isn’t an alien world. Maybe it’s some country he’s never heard of. He had to be absolutely sure. “So, how long have you’ve been ponies?” The reaction to Suzaku’s question was one of befuddlement and confusion. “Is that a trick question?” Twilight asked. “I’ve been a pony since the day I was born. This wouldn’t be some underhoofed way of asking what my age is?” Twilight pouted her lip. “I’m sorry for prying into your personal business. I won’t ask about your age again?” Suzaku lied. This confirmed his fears. He was stranded in an alien planet of some kind-most likely the same world that the alicorn came from. “I know where my home country is. I left because...I wanted to see the rest of the world.” Suzaku wasn’t sure if he wanted to divulge the fact that he, unlike the others, wasn’t born a pony. “Oh, that’s good to hear,” Twilight smiled at Suzaku. “Well, you’re welcome to stay in Ponyville and here in the library with Spike and me until you recover.” “Oh awesome!” Upon hearing the pet dinosaur talk, Suzaku scooted backwards until his back was against the headboard. “It’ll be nice to have another guy around the library.” “You can talk?!?” “You ponies from Japan don’t see many dragons do you.” Suzaku answered Spike by shaking his head ‘no’. “You can teach Suzaku all about dragons later,” said Twilight. “He needs his rest, and so do I.” Twilight rubbed her aching head. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ End of Flashback “Ms. Cheerilee, Applebloom, I do appreciate the heads-up, but y’all haven’t explained why Granny Smith hired a complete stranger ta work at Sweet Apple Acres.” “I can explain that,” said Twilight Sparkle. “He said he didn’t want to be a burden on me, and he picked up one of the flyers Big McIntosh posted all over Ponyville.” “And I bet he put a mighty strong guilt trip on Big McIntosh ta make’em hire him too.” “That ain’t true Big Sis,” Applebloom spoke up. “Quiet Applebloom, grown ponies talkin’. You’re in a heap of trouble already for wandering around the Everfree Forest.” “But she’s right,” said Twilight. “You said so yourself-Suzaku passed your apple bucking test. He’s has the job because he earned it.” “You can’t tell me Big McIntosh let some strange pony that popped out of the Everfree Forest work on the farm unless he was feelin’ obligated ta do so.” Applejack stared down at Applebloom. “Well?” Applebloom backed away from Applejack. “Well, he did tell Suzaku he wanted ta help him in return for savin’ me.” “Ya see. Sneezy done guilted Big McIntosh inta hiring'em.” Twilight Sparkle stomped her hoof. “Applebloom said no such thing. In fact, Suzaku wouldn’t accept anything in return for saving the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Look, I know the Apple family prides themselves on being self-reliant, but it’s no excuse to make false accusations against a pony that’s done nothing but help.” “Well...he...um...dontcha think it’s mighty odd he came out of the Everfree Forest and how come nopony ever heard of Jah-pan.” “I thought after what happened with Zecora, you’d learn not to judge ponies different from you.” Applejack was silenced by Twilight’s rebuttal. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” “I got chores that need tendin’ ta,” Applejack said before leaving abruptly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Applejack dropped by Sugar Cube Corner to deliver some apple cobbler she baked for Pinkie Pie who wanted to offer samples of Applejack’s cooking to her customers. Pinkie Pie took a sniff of one of the apple pastries and wolfed it all down. “The Cakes will love this, Applejack,” said Pinkie Pie. “Well, I’m sho’ glad to hear that, Pinkie Pie. Just don’t eat all the merchandise.” Just then, Applejack noticed some white balls with a dark rectangular shape on the surface. “Now what in the hay is this fancy-lookin’ food?” She asked while pointing to the white balls. “Oh that?!? That’s onigiri. It’s what the ponies in Suzaku’s country eat. It’s made with sticky rice rolled up in a ball. That black strip is supposed to be seaweed but we didn’t have any, but then Suzaku said you can substitute the seaweed with cabbage. And there’s a surprise inside. Guess what it is?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “What is it, Pinkie Pie?” “You’re suppose to guess, silly.” “Ah donna feel like guessin’.” “Fine, Miss Grumpy Pants, I’ll tell you. It’s jam.” “I don’t know Pinkie. I would reckon rice and jam wouldn’t mix well in a pony’s mouth.” “Well, Suzaku thought it did. Wanna try one?” “Well, I don’t know...” “Oh please!” The pink pony begged. “No.” “Don’t be a party pooper.” “I said ‘no’.” “Please.” Now Pinkie Pie had her helpless, crying puppy dog eyes out. “Oh all right,” Applejack took a bite. “Whadda think?” “‘cept for the jam, it’s bland. Now I see why Sneezy like’em. It goes with his personality.” “That’s mean, Applejack,” Pinkie Pie frown. “I can’t help it if Sneezy ain’t got no personality.” “His name is Suzaku,” Pinkie cried out to Applejack who was trotting off to her next errand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Why did Granny Smith hafta lit Sneezy sleep in there? Applejack asked herself that each time she passed by her parents’ old bedroom. It wasn’t fair to them to have that weird pony from the Everfree Forest bunking there every single night. She just finished taking Winona for a late night walk when she trotted by her parents’ room. Despite pleads from her left brain not to reopen old wounds, Applejack answered the call of her right brain and peer through the doorway. There, covered up in a thin sheet and moonlight shining through the window, was Suzaku shivering. Rainbow Dash warned her it would be an especially cold night even though there were still green leaves on the trees. It ain’t even winter and ya already shiverin'. I knew ya weren’t cut out for farm work. Applejack walked halfway down the hall before turning back around. On a second glance, even though Suzaku was an unwanted guest and a tenderhoof trying to do farm pony work, it didn’t feel right leaving him to freeze. Applejack ducked into the hall closet and emerged with a thick blanket in her mouth. She trotted gently in the room and spread the blanket over the sleeping stallion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suzaku was stirred from his peaceful slumber by a knock at the door. “Ya done slept long ‘nuff. Time for breakfast.” “Yes, ma’am,” said Suzaku. “And don’t call me ‘ma’am’. I ain’t much older than ya.” “Sorry, Applejack.” Suzaku was about to hop out of bed when the extra blanket caught his attention. “I don’t remember...” Suzaku mumbled as he tried to figure out where the blanket came from. “Yer breakfast is gettin’ cold!” “Coming!” Suzaku hastened to the dinner table and took a seat in front of a waiting plate of eggs over easy and alfalfa. However, other than his own, there was just one other plate. Applejack flipped the skillet over a plate and dumped out the remaining eggs before sitting down to eat. “Is there sumthing wrong?” Applejack asked. “How come ya hasn’t touched yer plate?” “I was waiting for the others.” “Oh them? Granny Smith and Big McIntosh are visitin’ Cousin Apple Rose and Applebloom is havin’ a sleepover at Rarity’s with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.” “Oh, then can I ask you a question?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ya just did.” “Somepony put an extra blanket on my bed last night.” “That’d be me.” “Oh. Well, thank you for going through the trouble.” “Ya know, if yer that cold-natured, ya should’ve just asked for another blanket.” “But I didn’t want to impose.” Applejack slammed her hoof against the table so hard half her scrabbled eggs was flung off the plate. “Dagnammit Sneezy! Jist ‘cause we’re farm ponies don’t mean we can’t afford blankets.” “Wait! Applejack, I didn’t mean like...no, you’re right. I’m sorry that offended you.” Applejack’s angry glare softened. “No, don’t go apologizin’ ta me," she sighed. "I shoulda known ya didn’t meant no disrespect. I was bein’ a sour apple, Snee...Soo-zak-coo.” “Applejack?” “Yes?” “Thank you for the extra blanket.” “Jist don’t make a big spectacle of it.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Applejack was pulling their apple cart back from market when she heard a familiar voice coming from the Carousel Boutique, but it wasn’t Rarity’s. In fact, it was a certain stallion that had recently upset the natural order of Applejack’s life. The farm filly unhitched herself and crept up to the window until she could hear more clearly. “Hold still, Suzaku. I want to get this right the first time.” Rarity was inside with Suzaku. “It doesn’t match your coat color, but it was all I could come up with on short notice.” “I don’t think the color really matters,” said Suzaku. Applejack frowned and snorted steam from her nostrils. I knew it. Sum stallions ain’t above holdin’ a favor over a pony’s head. Well, Imma goin’ ta give Suzaku a piece of mah mind. Applejack pushed open the door and saw Rarity wrapping medical bandages around Suzaku’s right foreleg. Flowing around their heads was a first aid kit and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. The bandages partially covered three claw marks. Opalescence, Rarity’s ornery cat, lay beside her hooves. She stared at Suzaku with an annoyed look on her face. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” Rarity called out to whomever it was that entered her store while keeping her eyes on the task at hoof. “Suzaku, why do you keep trying to pet Opalescence? This is the third time she scratched you.” “I’m sorry, Ms. Rarity, but cats are my weakness.” “I’m afraid she made a rather deep cut this time.” Rarity then scolded Opalescence. “You should be glad Suzaku is so forgiving.” The white cat looked away bored and rolled on her back. “It’s not a big deal.” “But she drew blood this time.” “It looks worse than it really is.” Rarity levitated some tape out of the first aid kit and taped the bandages to the wounded leg and then slid the items into Suzaku’s saddlebag. “Just remember to keep clean wrapping on your cuts.” Just then, Rarity caught sight of Applejack standing beside the door. “Oh I’m sorry for not noticing you sooner, Applejack. How can I help you?” “Nothin’ really. Jist here checkin’ on our farmhoof.” “You need me for anything, Applejack,” Suzaku asked. “Break time ‘bout over. We still got sum more apples to buck before we can call it a day.” As Applejack and Suzaku were leaving, a pony Applejack never seen before slipped in. The last thing she heard as the door to the boutique close was Rarity yelling something about sapphires. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suzaku was pulling a cart full of apples back to the storehouse when Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash galloped pass him with stern looks on their faces. Twilight Sparkle, who was trailing behind the others, came to a stop and called out. “Hold it!” The others stopped in their tracks. “Twilight! Stop! No! Rarity! Save! Diamond Dogs!” Spike blurted out while breathing in and out of a paper bag. “Hold your horses, Spike,” Twilight said. “Don’t be silly, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie joked. “Spike’s too little to hold a horse.” “Suzaku, do you know where Applejack is?” Twilight asked. “She’s bucking apples in the south field,” he said pointing to the left. “Thanks.” Twilight and the others galloped off. It was a little disserting for Suzaku to see such grave expressions on their faces. The months of carefree living had almost made Suzaku forget what dread and worry was like. The feeling that some terrible misfortune had befallen Rarity nagged Suzaku causing his mind to drift away from his chores. He was shuffling back from the storehouse at a snail’s pace. A few moments later, Spike and the others were running back the way they came with Applejack following them. “Applejack, is there something wrong?” Suzaku asked as he ran behind them. “Not now Suzaku,” Applejack said without turning to look back. “But maybe I can.” “We got this covered. Jist keep doin’ yer chores.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suzaku followed the set of hoofprints left by Applejack and her friends. It only took about five minutes of nagging from his conscious to get Suzaku to skip work. From what he could gather, something happened to Rarity and Spike was with her at the time. The tracks lead to an empty field that was spotted with mounds of dirt. The sets of hoofprints split off and weaved around the mounds. “Noooooooo!” The faint echo of Spike screaming caught Suzaku’s ear. There was a solitary hole in the general direction of the sound. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “We’re getting close. I can feel it.” said Twilight. She, Spike, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash galloped toward the sound of Rarity’s cries. They stopped at the entrance of a chamber inside of the mine. “She must be in there,” said Rainbow Dash pointing to a cell door. The cries of their seamstress friend were on the other side. “Let’s go.” Before they had a chance to reach her, five diamond dogs in armor took them by surprised and leaped on their backs. Each diamond dog held strands of rope in both paws that looped around their muzzles. “More work horses,” one of them bellowed. “Oh doggies, if ya can take this bull by the horns,” said Applejack, “ya better be readin’ for a ride.” But before Applejack had a chance to make good on her threat, she felt a slight jolt followed by the diamond dog being knocked to the ground. The diamond dog on Pinkie Pie’s back was also knocked off as well. The diamond dogs dismounted Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash and helped their compatriots back up. Applejack looked around and saw the five diamond dog guards ganging up on the new pony intruder. “Suzaku?!? What teh hay are ya doing here?” “Get Rarity out of here while I hold them off!” Suzaku shouted. “But we can’t just leave you...” “Forget about me! Just go and save Rarity!” “Don’t bother. They won’t get jewel finder when we done with you!” A diamond dog guard bragged in broken Ponglish. He was correct. The confrontation wouldn’t last long, but not the way he thought. Suzaku leaped up and caught the middle diamond dog in a head scissors and flipped him over hard enough to knock the wind out of him. He kicked the second one in the chest hard enough to dent his armor inward. He fell to his knees gasping for air while clutching his chest. A third diamond dog fell when Suzaku hit him with a spinning round kick so hard his helmet went flying off his sloped-brow. The last two diamond dogs jumped him at the same and attempted to pile on top of him, but Suzaku sidestepped them. The two diamond dogs collided with each other, and in that instant, Suzaku back-kicked both of them at the same time with a blow powerful enough to knock them unconscious. Just then, a loud crash was heard coming from the room behind the cell door. Spike, who was sitting on Twilight Sparkle’s back, broke a low-hanging stalactite from the cave ceiling and pointed. “I’m coming for you, mi lady,” he said. Suddenly, Suzaku galloped at top speed and hit the door with a spinning round kick. “Hey! I said I’m rescuing Rarity.” Spike leaned forward and said to Twilight, “whacha waiting for? Suzaku’ll rescue Rarity before I get a chance.” “I’m not your horse,” Twilight deadpanned. “Come on Twilight. Just give me this.” “Fine,” Twilight huffed. She and Spike charged in just in time to see Suzaku standing on top of a diamond dog that was dressed in a red vest. Two other diamond dogs, one larger and the other smaller than the one Suzaku pinned down, were sprawled out on the ground in a daze. “Where’s Rarity?” Suzaku asked the diamond dog pinned down on the ground. The diamond dog pointed further back into the cave. “She back there,” he said in broken Ponglish. “We give her back, yes.” “Suzaku, you’re being far too rough on them.” Rarity emerged from the far end of the cavern pulling a cart full of precious gems. “Rarity, you’re safe.” Spike ran up to Rarity and hugged her. “Why yes,” she replied. “Why hello girls and Suzaku-you’re just in time to assist me. “With wut?” Applejack asked. “Why with those.” Rarity motioned to the carts filled with gems. “Suzaku, do you mind not standing on him? We’ve come to an understanding, haven’t we?” “Understanding?” Suzaku asked. “Yes, we have understanding. Take the gems and her with you, and get off me.” The diamond dog begged. “Yes, take gems and leave us in peace.” The smaller diamond dog, who was recovering from his beating, pleaded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Now, care to explain yerself, Suzaku,” Applejack said with a crossed look on her face. She tapped a hoof on the wooden floor waiting for an answer. “I know you told me to keep working,” said Suzaku, “but I was worried about you and the others.” “I don’t care ‘bout the work. It’s what ya did in the diamond dog mine that got me worried. We had ever’thing under control. There were five o’ us and five o’ dem, but you busted in and tried to take on them diamond dogs all by yer lonesome. Worse, ya told us ta leave ya by yerself without any help wut so ever.” “But there could have been more of those things in those caves, and you could have gotten captured if you stayed too long.” “And ya wanna us ta leave yer thinkin’ that?!? Suzaku, I don’t like leavin’ anypony behind. So, don’t go askin’ us ta do that again ‘cause I aims to ignore ya.” “But Applejack...” “Don’t “but Applejack’ ta me.” Applejack put her hoof on Suzaku’s shoulder. “Imma glad yer watchin’ out for us but lit us watch out for ya too.” A tingle ran through Applejack when Suzaku gave her a warm smile. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The edge of Manehattan was home to the most affluent of ponies. The breathtaking view of the Statue of Lipizzaner overlooking the great city across the bay made the land prime real estate too tempting to the rich and powerful and...insufferably arrogant. “Show us what you got, carny,” Prince Blueblood gloated with unabashed bravado. “You know, it’s not too late to apologize.” “Not to the likes of you.” Trixie readied herself for the coming onslaught. True, Prince Blueblood was pampered royalty even though he was no real prince at all. Once upon a time, Blueblood was only a duke but Celestia, as a favor to his influential family, recently granted him the title of prince and his already inflated ego threatened to eclipse even Luna’s moon. However, he was also a descendant of the unicorn bloodline that spawned the alicorn princesses. Even a second rate royal was still a relative to the pony goddesses and would carry, in his very genetic makeup, tremendous magical potential, and, worst of all, he knew it. “I’ll let you make the first move, carnival magician.” Trixie wished she could knock the smirk off his face, but she was too afraid of Blueblood to do anything else than to take a defensive stand and focus her magic into a protective barrier. “The great and powerful Trixie was going to do the same for you.” Trixie tried to sound as confident as possible, but the ominous presence of defeat that used to be reserved for ponies beneath Trixie was now looming beside her. “Nopony can say I wasn’t courteous to the plebeian.” Blueblood fired a beam of light at Trixie, but it didn’t hit the shield. Halfway between Blueblood and Trixie, the beam split into multiple beams that traveled just a few feet before stopping and becoming points of light. A ghost-like figure formed around the pattern into a burly, muscular griffon with outstretched wings holding a club. “This is the spirit of Grorion, the greatest of all of griffon hunters. Let’s pit his greatness against yours.” The magical barrier protecting Trixie grew brighter and more oblique. Blueblood just smirked and shook his head. A dust storm was stirred by the powerful beating of Grorion’s wings. Hovering over Trixie, the apparition raised its club and took a swing. The barrier rippled against the blow. It was a mistake letting Blueblood make the first move. A counter attack was out of the question. It took all of Trixie’s power just to maintain the barrier. Trixie veered off to the right to get enough distance between her and the summoned spirit that she could go on the offensive. Grorion swooped by and took a swing at Trixie as he passed by. The unicorn magician focused her powers and reinforced the barrier just in time, but even that wasn’t enough to keep Trixie from being buffeted. The attack took her off her hooves. Grorion circled around for another pass and came at her at full speed holding the club in both talons. The impact was too much for her. Trixie left a trail of glitter, the magical energy that composed her shield, as she was thrown through the air. “Had enough.” The aches and pains of Trixie’s bruised and battered body was drowned out by indignation at the taunts escaping Blueblood’s conceited smile. The white unicorn stallion stood over Trixie. Behind him was Grorion. “You look like pig manure, carny.” “Go to Tartarus!” Trixie summoned all of her magic and cast a final spell, but Grorion shielded Blueblood with his club, which he then raised in anticipation of Blueblood's order to finish off Trixie for good. “I think that’ll be enough, Grorion.” Prince Blueblood levitated the weakened Trixie to eye level. “I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but you’re a commoner, and I,” Blueblood said as he took a cigar out of the saddlebag of one of his stallion servants and lit it with a flash of light from his horn, “am Celestia’s nephew.” Blueblood took a drag and blew a puff of smoke in Trixie’s face causing her to cough violently. “Silver Platter!” An older unicorn stallion wearing the top half of a butler’s uniform and sporting a walrus mustache galloped to Blueblood’s side. “Yes, your majesty.” Blueblood let Trixie fall to the ground. “Dump this vagabond in the nearest doctor’s office. I wouldn’t want her wounds unattended to.” “I don’t need,” Trixie said in a strained voice as she struggled back on her hooves, “any help from the likes of you.” “Suit yourself,” Blueblood said with the cigar nestled between his lips. Just then, two waif mares, one an earth pony and the other a pegasi, nuzzled on both sides of Blueblood. Blueblood took the cigar from his mouth. “You two are ready for a night with a real prince?” “We would be delighted, Bluey.” “Can you believe they’re both sisters, Silver,” Blueblood leaned into Silver Platter’s ear and whispered, “and they’re into sharing.” “That’s quite kind of them, sir,” Silver Platter deadpanned. Between being humiliated in a fight and Blueblood’s lecherousness, it was a struggle for Trixie to keep her temper in check and not to strangle the arrogant flankhole. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rarity raced to the front of the Carousel Boutique when she heard the door chime rang. There waiting were Suzaku and Applejack. Each of them had a basket full of apples. Suzaku placed the basket at Rarity’s front hooves. “Where do you want these, Miss Rarity?” “Oh, I’ll take care of those.” Rarity levitated the baskets to her work bench. “Now, I have one more chore for you to do.” Rarity glanced at Applejack who mischievously winked back at her. “Sure, what is it?” “Just follow me.” Rarity led Suzaku to the back of the town hall. There was a large gathering of ponies on the other side. Suzaku pointed to the crowd. “Is there something going on?” He asked. “There’s a lot of ponies here.” “You could say that?” Rarity and Applejack winked at each other. Suzaku followed Rarity from the back entrance to a doorway on the other side. “You first, Suzaku.” Suzaku looked a bit apprehensive. “Well, okay.” He stepped through and was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of ponies. “Surprised!” Pinkie Pie cried out. A flurry of confetti erupted from Pinkie Pie’s party cannon and sprinkled everypony with bits of paper in all of the colors of the rainbow littering the ground. The ponies gathered at the town square began chanting. “Suzaku! Suzaku! Suzaku!” Suzaku tried to back away but Rarity and Applejack were blocking the way out. “Whacha yer in hurry for?” Applejack said slyly. “I don’t understand.” “This is for you,” said Mayor Mare who was at her podium. Standing beside the mayor with warm, gracious smiles were Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. Applebloom waved at Suzaku. “Suzaku, they’re given ya a medal.” “Huh?” It was the only word the dumbfounded Suzaku could utter. “Everypony,” the mayor addressed the crowd, “can I have you attention please? We’re here to honor a pony who offered a helping hoof to three young foals at considerable risk to his own life. He made an impact on our town for the better before we even had the chance to know him.” The mayor trotted up to Suzaku and placed a medallion around his neck. “Please accept this token of our appreciation.” Suzaku held the medal in his forehoof and stared. He then turned his eyes on the mayor, then on the Cutie Mark Crusaders, then on the townsfolk, and finally to Applejack and Rarity. “It was Applejack’s idea,” Rarity whispered. Applejack nudged Rarity in the side “What was that for?” Rarity asked while rubbing the sore spot Applejack bumped a tad too hard. “That was both ours idea, Rarity,” said Applejack who was looking a bit embarrassed. “No,” whispered Suzaku. “This isn’t right.” He then said out loud, “I can’t accept this.” Everypony was stunned into silence. “I appreciate the thought,” said Suzaku, “but I don’t deserve this because...it was my fault.” “Suzaku, whacha talkin’ bout?” Applejack asked. “The timber wolf pack followed me from the Everfree Forest. It was my carelessness that put these children in danger. Saving them was the least I could do after leading the timber wolves to them in the first place. Mayor Mare, please take back the medal...” Applejack then shoved Rarity out of the way and trotted up the podium. “Suzaku done helped save Rarity from dem diamond dogs, right Rarity.” Rarity gave Applejack a scornful glance as her way of letting her know she didn’t like being shoved before smiling at the crowd while patting Suzaku on the back. “Absolutely, he singlehoofedly took down five diamond dogs just to save yours truly.” “But I didn’t save Rarity alone. You girls...” “That’s our Suzaku,” said Mayor Mare while covering Suzaku’s mouth with her hoof, “humble to a fault.” She then whispered in a stern voice, “Just smile and accept the medal. Don’t make me look bad!” She turned to the crowd and waved. Suzaku followed the mayor’s lead. The crowd of ponies slowly warmed back up to their guest of honor and gave a standing ovation of hooves clopping the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suzaku, Applejack, Big McIntosh, Applebloom, and Granny Smith were heading back to Sweet Apple Acres. The awards ceremony was the liveliest formal event Suzaku ever frequented. He never would have imagined a game of musical stools would be so tiring let alone one of the planned activities in an official public ceremony. “Oh Suzaku, I don’t care if them timber wolves were a followin’ ya,” said Applebloom, “yer still mah hero for savin’ me and mah friends.” “Yeah sure,” Suzaku said listlessly with his eyes pointed to the ground. The medal felt heavier than the neck restraints Suzaku wore when he was falsely accused of assassinating Prince Clovis. Applebloom tapped her sister on the shoulder. “What’s wrong with Suzaku?” “Well, sum ponies are kinda modest and don’t like braggin’.” “Like when Fluttershy quit being a model?” “Kinda like that.” “Only ‘kinda’?” Granny Smith griped. “I thought it was a funeral the way Suzaku was a-mopin’.” “Granny Smith, quit bein’ so hard on him,” Big McIntosh spoke up. “No, it’s okay,” said Suzaku. “Granny Smith is right. I ruined the occasion for everypony.” “Then it’s mah fault for draggin’ ya out there without tellin’ ya,” said Applejack. “But I’m the one that spoiled the award ceremony, Applejack. I shouldn’t have turned down the medal. It was rude of...” “How was that bein’ rude? Ya were just bein’ honest, that’s all.” “Will y’all two quit fightin’ over who gettin’ the blame!” Granny Smith yelled. “Yes Granny Smith,” Suzaku and Applejack said in unison. Though Applejack didn’t like the way Granny Smith worded it, Suzaku was the least enthused about the ceremony. He forced a smile on his face when he thought somepony was looking but otherwise he was a gloomy Gus and she had a feeling why. When the Cutie Mark Crusaders asked Applejack about how she got her cutie mark, Applejack told them about her stay in Manehattan with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. What she didn’t tell them was why she left. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flashback “You’re late for class little blank flank.” Applejack had her share of bullies, but the one that got the best of her was her own teacher. Mr. Crabgrass, the new unicorn teacher from Fillydelphia, was bowlegged, balding, and bitter. There was a wide gape between his knees that gave the teacher a striking resemblance to a crab when he stepped sideways while scribbling the lessons on the board. There was morning haze that was thicker than the few strands of hair left on his head. Worst of all, he had a chip on his shoulder. Rumor had it he got the pink slip from Fillydelphia University after hinting at a pretty, barely legal mare that she could improve her grades if she let him ride her, though Applejack wondered why that was such a bad thing. Her father let her ride on his back all the time. “Sorry, Mr. Crabgrass,” Applejack apologized. “Sorry don’t cut it here, little blank flank,” he sneered. “You should have gotten your cutie mark by now. How long does it take for stupid hick ponies to figure that their special talent is being a farmhoof? I heard your brother was the last one in his class to get his cutie mark. Does being slow run in your family or you just can’t accept your inevitable fate as dirt farmers?” The entire class was laughing at her. Everypony thought it was funny. Had Mr. Crabgrass been a student and not a teacher, Applejack would have given him a good hoofing already. Instead, Applejack had to take his abuse. If she fought him, then it would mean being expelled from school and shaming her family. “Do you feeling like crying, little blank flank?” Mr. Crabgrass mocked. “Please do. Show everypony how pathetic you are.” “Yeah, cry for us, little blank flank,” said one earth pony filly. “She’s going to do it,” said another earth pony filly. “She’s going to cry like a little baby.” “I bet the little baby blank flank needs a diaper,” said a pegasus colt. “And she needs a diaper for her ugly face too,” said a unicorn filly. Applejack couldn’t take the abuse anymore. She bolted out the door with tears running down her face. “Don’t think you can play sick again, little blank flank,” Mr. Crabgrass called out. “You’re not getting away from me even if I have to drag you back.” Applejack knew Ma Brown Betty wouldn’t be fooled twice. The first time was going along well until Mr. Crabgrass dropped by Sweet Apple Acres and “cured” her from her pony pox with soap and water. No, this time, Applejack would make sure to get sick for real. She ran to the new candy store, Sugar Cube Corner, slipped inside, and hid in their deep freezer for a few hours in the hope of catching a cold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Applejack’s plan worked...too well. She was bed-stricken with a bad case of pneumonia. Ma Brown Betty and Pa Apple Turnover were gone out of town on a business trip. So, Granny Smith was left doing double-duty taking care of Applejack while foalsitting Applebloom. “Granny Smith,” Applejack coughed, “when will Ma and Pa get back?” “I sent’em a letter, and they should be back soon, though they wouldn’t hafta cut their trip short if sumpony weren’t hidin’ in a freezer all day. What gotten into ya? Well?” Granny Smith tapped her hoof impatiently for an answer. “I don’t wanna be a snitch.” “Yer bein’ bullied ain’t ya? Must be a real tough one ta scare ya away from school. Imma goin’ ta find out who it is whether ya tell me or not. So ya might as well save me the trouble of findin’ out on mah own.” Applejack just looked away. “Ya usually just hoof the colt or filly that teased ya. What’s different ‘bout this one?” “What if it.. ain’t a colt or filly?” Applejack hesitantly asked. The stern look on Granny Smith’s face melted away. “It ain’t sum adult pony, is it?” “Well, Granny...” Just then, Big McIntosh busted in, though, ‘big’ was a relative term. Though he was rather large for his age, Big McIntosh was no bigger than Granny Smith at this time. “Can it wait, McIntosh? I’m having a private filly-to-filly talk with Applejack.” “It’s Ma and Pa.” Big McIntosh was weeping. The tears running down his eyes mixed with the snot dripping from his nose. “They’re not comin’ back.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Years later, as Applejack matured, she realized the letter sent by Granny Smith never reached her parents. They were on the train heading back to Ponyville because of a disagreement over the price of their apples, not because they ended their business trip early to tend to their sick daughter. But Applejack was just a filly. In her mind, she murdered her Ma and Pa. They were dead because she was too afraid to stand up to her abusive teacher. Mr. Crabgrass was fired once word got out he was bullying a student when a certain white unicorn filly felt pity for Applejack and told her parents who then told the mayor. However, it was little solace for the orphaned farm pony. Applejack was out in the fields in the middle of the night bucking apples when Granny Smith, who had a robe draped over her, placed a hoof between Applejack and the tree she was bucking. “What the hay are you doing out here in the middle of the night, Applejack?” Applejack had bags under her eyes from the late nights apple-bucking. “I haffa do Ma and Pa’s share of the work.” “Ya ain’t supposed to be buckin’ apples in the dark. Not git to bed now.” “But I haffa make up for killin’ Ma and Pa.” “YA DIDN’T KILL YER MA AND PA NOW STOP TALKIN’ NONSENSE!” Granny Smith’s sudden outburst startled Applejack. She held her granddaughter in her forelegs. “I don’t wanna hear that talk comin’ from yer lips no more. Ya had nothin’ to do with that train wreck.” Applejack felt Granny Smith’s cold, wet cheeks pressed against her face. “Yer Ma and Pa, they wouldn’t want ya frettin’ over something ya had no control o’er.” As much as the young filly wanted to believe, Granny Smith’s words gave her no solace. Eventually, the guilt was too much for Applejack to bear. Watching Big McIntosh bucking apples reminded Applejack of Pa Apple Turnover. The smell of apple cobbler invoked the memory Ma Brown Betty making desserts for the Ponyville Fair. Applejack went days without sleep. She lied awake thinking of all of the should-haves and could-haves that might have saved her parents. When Applejack finally fell asleep from exhaustion, she was tortured by a recurring dream of her at the train station watching her parents lying in coffins leaning against the back of the caboose waving goodbye. Finally, she had enough. Applejack had to get away from Sweet Apple Acres. Manehattan was far enough away as far as she was concerned, and she had relatives there who would welcome her with open hooves. End of Flashback ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Applejack was beginning to see some of herself in Suzaku. Something from his past was eating Suzaku up from the inside. She had to confront him about it. Suzaku was heading to bed when he was greeted by Applejack who was waiting beside the door to Suzaku’s room. “Ya got a moment before ya go to bed?” “Sure, what do you need?” “Ya did something yer ashamed of didn’t ya?” Suzaku looked apprehensively at Applejack. “What makes you say that?” “It’s never feels like it’s enough, does it? No matter how much ya work to make up fur yer mistakes, the guilt ain’t goin’ away. I know ‘cause I went thru the same thing yer did.” “Applejack,” Suzaku said in a strained voice, “I think it’s time I go to bed.” “Suzaku, ya saved my sister’s life and my friend’s...” “I don’t want to talk about it.” “Whatever it was yer did, I think yer made up for...” “I said I don’t want to talk!” Suzaku snapped. Realizing what he did, Suzaku looked down shamefully at the floor. “I’m sorry, Applejack. I shouldn’t have...” “T’ain’t nuthin’ to be sorry ‘bout, Suzaku. I shouldn’t have been pesterin’ yer. I’ll let’cha git yer rest.” Not since the passing of her parents had Applejack felt so helpless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “You’re back for a rematch, carny?” Prince Blueblood couldn’t help but to be entertained by the tenacity of his ‘rival’. “I would feel sorry for you if you weren’t bringing this on yourself, you sad little filly.” Blueblood causally strolled around Trixie with a haughty look on his face. “Save your pity for yourself,” Trixie boasted. She stared back at Blueblood with a haughty look on her face, as well. “You’ll need it when I send you back to his aunties with your tail tucked between your legs.” “After the beating I gave you two weeks ago,” Blueblood chucked. “Your insignificant victory with that old hoof-me-down summoning spell will pale with the stunning defeat you’ll suffer at my hooves.” “Quit horsin’ around, will ya!” One of the onlookers, who had grown weary of Blueblood and Trixie trying to out-smug each other, yelled out. The sentiment was also voiced by others in the crowd. “You heard the crowds, let’s finish this,” said Trixie. “Indeed I will,” said Blueblood. It was then the unicorn prince noticed a red flash coming from Trixie’s eye. Suddenly, Trixie shot a beam of light from her horn. Prince Blueblood put up a magical barrier, but the beam didn't hit but, rather, split into smaller beams that stopped at a point. Prince Blueblood shook his head in disbelief. “No! It’s...it’s...it’s not possible. Grorion’s mine, you thief!” Blueblood was staring face-to-face with his Grorion spirit. “What’s wrong, little hayseed?” Trixie gloated “That spell belongs to my family. How did you...” “That simple little spell? It was so easyyyyy to pick up. I only had to see you use it once.” “That spell takes years to master.” “For a dimwit like you, yes, it would take that long.” Blueblood gritted his teeth. The veins in his bulging eyes thickened and grew deep red. “You dare call me 'dimwitted'! I’ll teach you some manners.” Blueblood summoned his Grorion, but it was dwarfed by the one summoned by his opponent. Blueblood’s Grorion only came up to Trixie's Gronion's chest, which was broader and more muscular than Blueblood’s. One swing from his club was all that it took for Trixie’s Grorion to destroy the one summoned by Blueblood. Then the Grorion left standing scooped Blueblood off the ground. “Look, I’m sorry about last time,” Blueblood cowered. “I was just playing around, I swear.” Grorion stooped down and lowered Blueblood to eye level with Trixie. “Well, I guess that makes me see my humiliation in a different light.” Trixie levitated a cigar out of Blueblood’s shirt pocket and lit it. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has a sense of humor as well.” She took a drag and blew smoke in Blueblood’s face. “Then...*cough*...you’ll let...*cough*...me go?” “Not exactly.” Grorion pressed Blueblood against an overhanging streetlamp. The overhang wailed as Grorion twisted it around Blueblood’s waist. “Put me down this instant,” Blueblood demanded. “Sorry, I can’t hear you from way up there!” “You’d better put me down or else you’ll face the wrath of the crown.” “Oh, are you’re going to run back to Canterlot crying for your Aunty Celestia?” Trixie taunted. “Are you going to tell her how you got your flank kicked in a magic duel with a carnival pony?” “Well...I...I” “And that you were the one who made the challenge in the first place? You’ll win so much respect from the other nobles in Canterlot-the prince who ran home crying to his aunty after being humiliated in a fight he picked with a carnival pony.” Prince Blueblood slumped against the metal overhang suspending him in mid-air. “Please, let me down.” “And who are you asking to let you down?” “You.” “Could you be more specific?” Trixie smirked. “Please Trixie, let me down.” Trixie took another drag from the cigar and blew. “Say the whole thing.” “Please, Great and Powerful Trixie, let me down.” “You heard the stallion.” Grorion un-wrapped the metal overhang from around Blueblood’s waist and set him down at Trixie’s hooves. “Hearing you plead for mercy was sweet music to my ears. Oh and I tasted month-old hay better than your cheap cigar.” Trixie threw the cigar at Blueblood’s hooves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trixie was heading back to her motel room beaming with satisfaction. I made that pampered prince pay for looking down on me, the Great and Powerful Trixie! And now that I made that phony prince look like a pathetic foal, it won’t be long before news of my victory reaches the far ends of Equestria, and then everypony, even that tart Twilight Sparkle will have to acknowledge my abilities. Trixie opened the door to her room and found, to her surprise, a familiar but unwelcome guest. “Oh, it’s you again.” Inside the motel room was a white earth pony mare with a long green mane and an infinity symbol cutie mark. “So, did you like it? Did you like the power I gave you?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I hope you enjoyed Chapters 9 and 10 of Rebel Against The Night. If God willing, I plan to post my chapters in two parts-one chapter set on Earth focusing on Lelouch and his battle against Nightmare Moon and the other chapter set in Equestria focusing on the ponies there. Also, I will try to keep each pair of chapters more or less chronologically in synch with each other. Tune in next time and find out what Lelouch has planned for Nightmare Moon and what Trixie will do with her new-founded power as well as the development of Suzaku’s friendship with the Mane 6. Please pardon any mistakes I made in the Japanese dialogue as well as my crude attempt at writing a southern accent. I used Babel Fish and an online kanji-to-romanji translation program for Suzaku's Japanese dialogue so the Japanese won't exactly be accurate.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2013-07-09T04:27:21+00:00

2013-07-09T04:27:21+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 11: A Shot Across the Bow Lieutenant Cottonmane, the unicorn with a puffy white mane dressed in the dark Byzantium armor of Nightmare Moon’s imperial guard, beamed with pride at their latest victory over the nefarious wild ponies- ingrates that spur the graces of their empress and dared to harbor relics of their ape past. These affronts to ponykind were stowed away in a room built underneath the foundation of a bathhouse ran by the Yakuza, the Japanese equivalent to the EU’s Italian Mafia. This was evident by the tattoos, the most prominent being the crimson-scaled, eastern-style dragon, etched on the patches of bare skin on the slain wild ponies. Their cutie marks obscured by their vulgar body art. One of the lifeless bodies, however, was out of place-a clean cut and, despite his empress’ edict against covering the bodies she had blessed them with, well-dressed earth pony. He was probably a museum curator before the occupation. How sad that these wild ponies clung to the past to the bitter end. The more patriotic members of the Yakuza concealed historical artifacts from Britannia in hidden rooms within their ‘legitimate’ businesses. Back in his days as a customs agent, he was well aware of the practice, but it was a distant priority behind stopping the flow of Refrain and investigating government contractors for evading import taxes. But times have changed. He has changed. Now his detective skills were better served rooting out the malcontents jeopardizing the new world Nightmare Moon was building for them. Lieutenant Cottonmane was greeted by a treasure trove that represented the zeitgeist of the age in which they were wrought-scroll paintings that dated back to the Era of the Warring States, wood carvings from the Heian Period, a painting of Oda Nobunaga, the man who initiated of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the 16th century, Edo Period samurai armor, and so on. All of dumped contemptuously in a pile waiting to be burned. Another unicorn, a mare with a purple mane and blue coat of fur, saluted Cottonmane. “Sir, we’ve finished emptying out that smuggler’s den.” “Excellent! Corporal Glitter Cheeks, see to it that the wild ponies on this block have a front row seat when we incinerate this trash. They’re overdue for a reminder of who’s in charge.” “Yes my lord,” Glitter Cheeks saluted. The corporal flagged down a pair of stallions, one earth pony and one pegasus. “Gather all of the wild ponies on this block!” “I’m sorry, but we can’t do that,” said the pegasus. “Excuse me?!?” “We have to move to the artifacts to a safe location.” “I’m not in the mood for jokes.” Corporal Cheeks was incensed by the defiant guards. “You’ll be a world of hurt if you do.” “What’s the problem, Corporal?” The lieutenant asked. Corporal Glitter Cheeks pointed to the two guards snatching up artifacts. “They said they moving them to a *safe* location.” “I hope, for your sake, you’re taking this outside to be burned.” The lieutenant threatened. “No sir,” the pegasus and earth pony guard said while looking at their commanding officer with vacant stares. “Corporal, get these stallions under control or else I’m find somepony else that can.” Out the corner of Cottonmane’s eye, the samurai armor, piece by piece, floated off the pile and into the waiting hooves of Corporal Glitter Cheeks. “Didn’t I order you to discipline those stallions?!?” “You did, but I have to save these historical artifacts.” “You too, Corporal?!?” Cottonmane was in a telekinetic tug-a-war with Glitter Mane. They dug their hooves in and tried backing away from the other. “Let go!” Glitter Cheeks strained. The samurai face mask dented inward and buckled under the stress. “Unless you want a court-marital, you’ll put those back on the pile where they belong.” “I can’t, sir,” said Glitter Cheeks as she broke free from Cottonmane’s grip. “I’m under orders to deliver them to a safe location.” “And who the hay gave you that orders?!?” “That would be me.” A unicorn in bronze armor spoke up. This stallion had a smoky gray coat and dark brown hair and kept his gazed fixed on the ground. “A buck private that thinks he’s running thing,” Cottonmane sneered as he sprinted around the pile to the unicorn and pressed his face against his. His horn scraped against the guard’s. They would be eye-to-eye except the guard kept looking down. “Just give me a damn good reason why I shouldn’t have you executed on the spot for insubordination?” The lieutenant demanded. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, dammit!” “If you insist,” said the guard has he glanced up. “Your eyes?!? You’re not one of us!” “Lelouch vi Britannia commands you gather up these national treasures and follow me to the location that I’ve set aside for their safe keeping. After you’ve done, I’ll hand you directions to a second location where you will commit suicide.” “Just lead the way, my lord,” said Cottonmane. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi-TV’s broadcast tower extended from the studio office like a chimney. During the invasion of what was once known as the Tokyo Settlement, the tower was hit by stray lightning bolts and still bore the scorch marks from that battle except for the top three meters. There, the Nightmare Moon cultists were busy repairing the damage. Partially rebuilt satellite dishes lined the edge of the circular balcony at the top of the building. The pegasi work crew swarmed the upper floors of the Hi-TV broadcast tower. Their slanted eyes burned bright white as the ambient light reflected from their cat-like orbs. Park alongside the building, suspended in mid-air was a cart filled with supplies hitched to a team of pegasi. It remained perfectly leveled even though nopony was the other end holding it up. The workers glided back and forth between the supply cart and the satellite dishes. Another team of pegasi held aloft a chariot manned by a single occupant, an earth pony mare, who intently studied the hoofiwork of the work crews as the chariot circled the top of the tower. She scanned the work area with a flashlight. It was held aloft by a metal strip fastened around it, which, in turned, was stuck to magnetic tabs built into the mare’s horseshoes. With each pass, Rakshata was greeted by collective groans of distain as well as whispered curses. The pegasi shielded their eyes whenever she shined her flashlight anywhere near them. “Stop right here,” Rakshata ordered. Her attention was directed at a stallion screwing on a U-bolt. “You there,” she yelled. “They used *that* wire for the transmitter?!?” “Yes ma’am?” “I gave specific instruction to go up in size. The diameter of that wire is smaller than the wire that was installed before.” “But we did as you told us.” “You didn’t. I can tell just by looking at it.” “But it’s 4-gage wire. It even says so on the label.” Rakshata nudged the flashlight off the horseshoes and facehoofed. “That’s one size smaller. I said one larger.” “But it is a size larger.” “Gage number goes down as the wire diameter increases. Now replace that 4-gage wire with 2-gage.” “Yes ma’am,” the worker pouted. “Having trouble with the laborers?” A voice that was all too familiar to Rakshata jested. “Not now. I’m not in the mood today Dieth...Newsie News.” “Come now, you can make time for our Empress.” “The Empress?!?” Rakshata looked behind and saw Nightmare Moon hovering in mid-air next to Diethard, who had the same cat-like eyes as the workers. All around her, the work crews dropped what they were doing and to show their respect for the crown. The ponies on solid ground bowed to the Empress while the ones that were in mid-air tilted their head down. “My apologies, your majesty,” Rakshata bowed. “Are you the one called Rakshata?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Yes, your majesty.” Nightmare Moon weaved through the spaces between the modified satellite dishes inspecting the workmanship before looping back. “And you will make it possible for all my subjects to hear my proclamations in my own voice no matter the distance? Even farther than with the royal Canterlot voice?” “Once we get the relay stations up and running.” “That’s what I was meaning to ask. Newsie News tells me you wish to construct these *relay stations* at the very top of the canopy and that they would feed off the energy it’s gathering.” “Without relay stations, the signal range would be limited to the horizon, your majesty.” “And how would you know there was any energy to be had? I’ve shared this knowledge with my most loyal subjects. Though I don’t care if you know that the pillars holding up the canopy feed sunlight to the plants and warmth to your kind, I am still curious about which of my subjects told you.” “Your majesty, I am a scientist. I came to that conclusion through observation.” “Then Newsie News made a wise choice. However, I don’t like the idea of siphoning energy from the canopy into your machines. Could you not use unicorns? Is their magic not enough? Newsie News’s technicians...that the correct term, is it not?” Nightmare Moon asked Diethard. “It is, your majesty,” Diethard replied. “Newsie News’s technicians built...what was the term...ah yes...an electric generator for his equipment, and it’s powered by unicorn magic.” “I’m afraid not, your majesty. It would take hundreds just to power one relay station.” “Rakshata is correct,” said Diethard. “My video equipment requires only a fraction of the power needed to get Hi-TV back on the air.” “The relay stations must be as high of an altitude as possible,” said Rakshata, “which means suspending them from the bottom of the canopy and since they’ll already in physical contact, they might as well use the canopy as a power source.” “And deprive my subjects of the warmth they need to live?” “The relay stations only need 50 kilowatts each.” “And what, pray tell, is a ‘kilowatt’?” “A unit of power. The canopy gathers trillions of kilowatts of solar energy. It wouldn’t be missed.” “I’ll take your word on it, Rakshata. Just don’t make me regret it. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret it.” “Yes, your majesty.” Rakshata wanted to roll her eyes at Nightmare Moon for actually believing a relay station would use up her supply of solar power but her desire to live overruled her indignation over Nightmare Moon’s scientific illiteracy. “Newsie News also tells me you need additional power for this building. Is that true?” “It is, your majesty,” Rakshata nodded. “We’ll need at least 250 kilowatts for the broadcast station.” “Fine, I’ll permit you to tap into the canopy for power, but I’m holding you accountable for every crumb of sakuradite. Use it sparsely.” “Yes your majesty.” Diethard and Nightmare Moon glided down and landed on a marble balcony on the side of the Hi-TV building. The recent addition to the studio clashed against the maroon-colored building but Nightmare Moon insisted on a landing pad for easy access to the offices and newsroom. The hallway was illuminated by kerosene lanterns evenly spaced along the wall. On occasion, they passed by unicorns pulling wire from the ceiling and laying down new wire in its place. The floor was spotted with wet marks made by the downpour of sweat dripping off their drenched fur. After turning a corner, they slipped into a room halfway down the hallway. A sign that read “CONTROL ROOM” hung on the door frame. Diethard closed his eyes and let the cool breeze from the industrial fan flow around him. The smell of burning solder tingled in his nostrils. In the front of the room, beside a giant window that stretched the length of the wall and half of the height were instrument panels. Some of the unicorns were focused on repairing the electronics that had been neglected since the night of the transformation. Every electronic device drew their power from a makeshift generator. Three unicorns took turns rotating the alternator. Unicorn magic converted into mechanical energy, which is then converted into an AC current by the alternator. The power died down momentarily when everypony stopped what they were doing to pay homage to their empress. Nightmare Moon’s horn illuminated the room with a soft blue light when the power died down. “You may continue your work, my subjects...except you,” the alicorn empress pointed to an earth pony that was etching on a rather cumbersome piece of paper. “Circuit Breaker, isn’t it?” “That’s correct, your majesty.” “And you’re the one repairing the...what was it called?” “Computers, your majesty.” “Yes computers. How are the repairs on the computers coming along?” Circuit Breaker’s face lit up. “Quite well, your majesty. We’ve made much progress since your last visit.” Circuit Breaker bit into his pencil and began pressing buttons on the one of the control panel that wasn’t being worked on. A monitor built into the instrumentation activated. The image of Nightmare Moon speaking to the crowds came on. Suddenly, the building began to shake. Nightmare Moon’s mane snaked around the room in a spiral pattern. Forks of electricity danced around pricking everything it touched with painful shocks. Circuits and transistors exploded in a cloud of sparks and the pungent aroma of ozone. Nightmare Moon’s eyes glowed pure white as she stood on her hind legs. “YOU DARE POSE AS ME! YOU’LL RUE THE DAY! CIRCUIT BREAKER! WHERE IS THIS IMPOSTOR?” “Your majesty,” Circuit Breaker pleaded, “you misunder...” “TAKE ME TO HER NOW!” “I can’t your majesty...” “YOU DARE DEFY ME!” “Please, your majesty!” Circuit Breaker shook his head as magical energy flowed along his body leaving stone in its wake. “This is all a terrible mistake.” “That much is correct. You made a terrible mistake by disobeying my commands!” By now, Circuit Breaker was completely transformed to stone. Nightmare Moon raised her hoof preparing to strike when Diethard flew between them. “It’s you, your majesty! It was you on the monitor!” “How could it be me? You saw us both at the same time. That charlatan is using magic intended for my exclusive use to deceive my subjects.” “Your majesty that was a recording of one of your previous speeches.” “A...recording?!?” The tempest swirling around the room dissipated. The foundation of the Hi-TV building settled down. Nightmare Moon lowered her hoof and gazed curiously at Diethard-her silent cue for him to explain yet another oddity that existed in this world but not the one she was forced to leave. “Yes your majesty-a moment in time captured on video. The cameras doesn’t just project your imagine but can store it for later viewing, for posterity, for future generations. Of course, it will be the history of your design, your majesty.” “Can you...take me back to the time just before I came to your world? I wish to relive my victory over my *evil* sister.” “I wish it was possible, but cameras are unable to record events that have already taken place.” “Oh,” Nightmare Moon said in a disappointed tone. “That’s too bad. No matter. It’s still fresh in my mind. I suppose I can be content with reminiscing.” “Your majesty?” Diethard cleared his throat and glanced at Circuit Breaker who was still petrified. “Oh right,” said Nightmare Moon causally touched the stone figure transforming it back into flesh and blood. Circuit Breaker took several deep breaths to steady his nerves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nightmare Moon and Diethard came in for a landing at what was once the villa at the top of the viceroy’s palace. Dried blades of grass crumbled beneath their hooves. The villa’s once lush green garden was now dull brown with dead vegetation. Rose and azalea bushes and cherry trees lay bare having long ago lost the alluring flowers and plentiful coat of emerald leaves. Waiting for them, under the gazebo, was Nightfire, Ohgi, Barnstormer, Yamato, and Kirihari. “Welcome back, your majesty,” Nightfire bowed. Barnstormer and Ohgi also greeted Nightmare Moon with a bow, though the latter did so with a glower face which contrasted against Nightfire and Barnstormer’s enthused expressions. “Report on your progress in ridding this world of its ape past?” “Barnstormer has successfully cleared the top two levels of New Canterlot Castle. The finally three levels should be foal’s play since the naked apes used them mostly for public works, your majesty. Isn’t that right?” Nightfire glanced at Barnstormer. “As Nightfire has said, your majesty, my Shadowbolts and I have purified the upper levels of your royal dwellings. We will not rest until New Canterlot Castle has been liberated from its ape past, your majesty.” “Well don’t stop with just my castle. Keep pressing the wild ponies. Only when they have nothing from the past to cling to will their rebellious spirits break. Then they’ll have only me to turn to,” Nightmare chucked. She then pointed to Ohgi. “And has this one been cooperating?” “He’s done an excellent job convincing the wild ponies that it is useless to defy your edicts, your majesty.” “Keep up the good work, Ohgi, and you may earn your place as one of my chosen followers.” Ohgi looked down and slumped his shoulders while his ears flattered. “Yes, your majesty,” he sighed “I take it back,” Nightmare Moon growled. “I don’t like your nasty attitude. You look like somepony that sucked on a bag of lemons. Yes, that would be a good name for you-Lemon Muzzle. It goes so well with your sour disposition. Now Nightfire,” said Nightmare Moon as she turned to her high priest, “do you have anything else to report?” “Your majesty,” said Nightfire,” Ten thousand ape graves have been unearthed and their bodies thoroughly cremated.” “Are they being burned completely to ash? I don’t want so much as a paw left.” “Whatever remains is pulverized to dust and discarded in the ocean, your majesty.” “And what of the preparations being made for my subjects to hear my declarations?” “Every ghetto in New Canterlot has a working television set, your majesty,” said Yamato. “And the rest of this island?” “By our projections, 35% of Japan will have television access by the end of the month.” “Only 35%? Screwloose Grove, has informed that the Britannian are already at 50%. Even the wild ponies at the EU are making more progress than you. Speed things up, Kirihari. You’re skating on thin ice as it is.” “Yes, your majesty,” Kirihari bowed. “Pardon me for intruding,” Diethard smirked, “but Nightfire has forgotten to include the progress made in tracking down historical artifacts in the wild pony ghettos.” “Yes, Nightfire, tell me how is that coming along?” “Well...uh...the palace guards have successfully uncovered stashes of ape artifacts in four Yakuza safehouses beyond the castle grounds.” “Ya-ku-za...these are the bandits that dare protect the vulgar ape relics, in spite of my royal decree?” Nightmare Moon asked. Diethard nodded proudly. “My former employer offered them assistance moving relics from safehouse to safehouse when Britannian customs was closing in.” Diethard then cocked his head at an angle, just enough for Nightfire to see the arrogant smirk on his face. “It was only a matter of passing the intel to your palace guards.” “Well Nightfire,” Nightmare Moon said while looking down at her high priest. “Yes,” Nightfire scowled, “we did make use of Newsie News’ shady underworld connections to track down the ape artifacts that he and his leader Zero helped to conceal.” “Nightfire! Stay on your hooves and don’t leave important information out of your reports.” Nightfire gritted his teeth while glaring at Diethard. “Yes your majesty.” “And Newsie News, keep up the good work. I may yet forget that you were acquainted with the mangy outlaw.” “Yes, your majesty,” said Diethard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The suspicious glances and stares from the Nightmare Moon cultists were needles pricking Ohgi from every direction. As the go-between for Nightmare Moon and the ‘wild’ ponies, as she called them, Ohgi was quartered with the cult members in the apartments surrounding the old viceroy’s palace, which was renamed Nightmare Palace by its new occupant. Ohgi would have chuckled at the poor choice of names if he wasn’t living in a nightmare himself. The cultists were too disciplined to be a threat. Their empress had given him a place at her side. That was enough for them. They knew better than to lay hooves on him. Indeed they even pretended to ignore Ohgi. They went about their nightly work schedule renovating the palace to fit Nightmare Moon’s esthetics, but then, when they think Ohgi wasn’t listening, they would talk amongst themselves about the undomesticated beast living their midst. As Ohgi was heading to his room, a familiar mare trotted past him. No, it can’t be...not here...she wouldn’t. Ohgi shook his head. Why would she be one of them? He did an about-face and galloped downstairs and through the second floor hallway. “Chigusa!” Ohgi called out to the mare. “Chigusa! It’s me, Ohgi!” She stopped in her tracks and glanced back. Some part of Ohgi didn’t want to believe that the mare with the cat eyes was his Chigusa, but she looked exactly like her. The mare trotted to Ohgi and circled around him pausing only to scrutinize the scar on his side. “Oh, it’s you.” The mare said in an indignant tone. “Oh thank God you’re alright. I was worried that you got hurt, Chigusa.” “Oh please, spare me your concern,” Villetta spat. “Chigusa, I know we left on bad terms...” “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. I stabbed you, remember.” Ohgi raised his hoof and placed it on Villetta’s shoulder. “You were scared. You just got back your memories, and you were confused…” Villetta slapped Ohgi’s away. “Don’t make excuses for me. Between your coddling and calling me Chigusa and them calling me Moonlight Blossom, I feel like some plaything with no control over my life.” “I didn’t know your real name, Chigu...Villetta. It was never my intentions to manipulate you.” “It’s Moonlight Blossom now. The last thing I need is you getting me in trouble with Nightmare Moon.” Suddenly, Barnstormer landed between them. His wings spread out as he stooped down like a cat poised to strike. The hairs on his back were standing straight up. “Just what in Tartarus are you doing?” He then looked over his shoulder at Villetta. “Is he bothering you, Moonlight?” “It’s not like that at all. The liaison had me confused with somepony else,” said Villetta while glaring at Ohgi. “I thought she was with the Black Knights.” Barnstormer’s wings were still partially spread out. He stayed in his defensive stance and focused on Ohgi. “Barnstormer, please calm down,” said Villetta. “He wasn’t hurting me.” Barnstormer slowly relaxed and tucked his wings against his sides. “I’m sorry, Moonlight. I shouldn’t have overreacted.” Villetta shook her head. “No, I was the one who overreacted. I’m...still trying to forget the past, and Mr. Kaname used to be...you know.” Barnstormer stroked Villetta’s mane. “I understand. These things take time. Let’s go back to our room. You’ll feel better after a nice long rest.” Villetta’s lips crinkled as Barnstormer rubbed the back of her neck. “Don’t you have work to do?” Barnstormer snapped at Ohgi. “Yes sir,” said Ohgi before sulking away. Did he say *our room* as in his and Chigusa’s?!? Ohgi watched as Barnstormer nuzzled up against Villetta as they trotted away until they were swallowed up by the shadows cast in the light of the Empress’ fake moon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What used to be the storage room for repair tools was converted into an office for Ohgi. The words MAINTENACE, which read on the sign above the doorway, was scratched out. Above it was writing in Nightmare Moon’s language. Ohgi didn’t understand the words but he knew it wasn’t very flattering by the snickers of the cultists as they trotted back and forth across the palace court. Ohgi fished for his keys, which was kept in his saddlebag. As he pulled his muzzle out of the bag, the buckle snagged the key chain snatching it out from between Ohgi’s teeth. “Let me get that up for you.” Startled, Ohgi jumped back when an unseen voice called out from above. He scanned the room until his eyes fell on Diethard, who was hovering just overhead. “Oh, it’s you,” Ohgi said as Diethard landed in front of him and picked up his keys. The former Britannian turned pegasus opened the door and held his foreleg up to his chest while pointing to the way inside. “After you, Ohgi.” “I’m not Ohgi anymore, remember?” He said without facing Diethard. “Your goddess changed my name to Lemon Muzzle, Newsie News.” Diethard followed Ohgi inside and shut the door behind him. “Ohgi, there’s no need for formalities. Now that we’re in private, we can be frank with each other.” “What do you want?” “To talk.” “About what?” “Nothing in particular. This is a friendly visit, that’s all.” “That’s all you want? Just to chitchat?!?” “That’s it.” “Why? We weren’t exactly friends even back when you were a Black Knight.” “Perhaps this wouldn’t be a bad time to start.” “I was right about you, all along. You couldn’t be trusted.” “Don’t be stubborn. We’re on the same side.” “Looked in a mirror lately, Newsie News?” “To gain Nightmare Moon’s trust, I had no other choice. This is no different from Zero’s loyalty tests.” “So, you sold out the human race...” “What human race? And you of all ponies have the gall to criticize me? You’re working for Nightmare Moon, too.” “Only because I’m afraid of what they would do if I wasn’t around!” Ohgi raised his voice. “I’m terrified that maniac Barnstormer would kill more innocent people just because they kept a family album. I sure as hell don’t worship your night goddess.” “I hope nopony heard that.” Diethard closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I suggest you keep the volume down...for your sake.” Ohgi turned his back to Diethard and huffed. “Be reasonable, Ohgi” Diethard pleaded. “Even if Zero was still alive, Nightmare Moon is too powerful to be defeated. She’s an army unto herself.” “I don’t need a reminder from you.” Ohgi remembered how Nightmare Moon tore giant trebuchets apart with the ease of knocking down a house of cards. Hundreds of tons of lumber and metal strolled across the beach of Tokyo Bay along with his hope for a free Japan. “I was there, remember.” “As was I. And like you, I’m acting on the behalf of the ponies of Neighpan Island.” “She renamed Japan too?” Ohgi huffed. “She hasn’t settled on one yet. Put Japan’s new name to the side, more can be accomplished working within the system than waging a one-sided war. I serve the greater good as her advisor.” “Nightfire doesn’t seem to think so.” “You mean the high priest of inadequacy? Before he was turned, Nightfire was a mere warrant officer on an insignificant military outpost. He has nothing to offer other than being a glorified cheerleader. Nightmare Moon requires somepony with more political and media savvy. She’s ill-served if left with only Nightfire managing her affairs.” “So much for omniscience if she needs your help. And who’s interests are you really looking out for-us or hers?” “I’ve already told you whose side I’m on.” “By the sound of it, we take a distant second to Nightmare Moon.” “Nightmare Moon, for all of her power, is childish. Her ultimate goal is to win the adoration of the masses.” “She has a funny way of doing it,” Ohgi sneered. “She requires guidance, Ohgi. Somepony has to take on the responsibility of swaying her in the right direction.” “So that’s why you switched side. You think you can manipulate your goddess and be the real ruler of the world.” Diethard facehoofed and headed to the door. “I should have known this was a mistake. See you after the next wake-up bell.” “Maybe the mistake was mine to make.” Ohgi rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling wondering if he was really doing any good as Nightmare Moon’s lapdog. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rakshata scraped a hoof against a piece of flint strategically attached to a candleholder just above the wick. Sparks flew as fragments of flint ignited after rubbing against Rakshata’s horseshoe. The room was bathed in a light glow except for a dark spot sitting on the couch. The shadow leaped up on all fours. Rakshata pressed a hoof up to her chest and let out a long exhale. “Will you please warn me ahead of time, Zero?” Rakshata griped. “Have you delayed the Hi-TV refurbishment as I requested?” Zero asked with nary a concern for the startled mare. “Ha!” Rakshata let out a sardonic laugh. “I didn’t need to. The work crews wouldn’t know the difference between a screwdriver and a wrench if their lives depended on it. They’re doing all my work for me.” “How far behind schedule?” “I can’t put a number on it.” “I need to know if I have enough time to prepare.” “If you don’t, I’ll throw a monkey wrench or two in the works just for you.” “How much sakuradite did you acquire?” “Nightmare Moon keeps an iron hoof on every speck. I was only able to squeeze a few ounces of...” “That won’t do Rakshata. The Gefjun Disturber...” “I know how much we need.” Rakshata stomped. “I designed the damn thing. The only other source of sakuradite is the relay stations.” “And where are these relay stations?” “The plan is to suspend them from the canopy.” “And will it be constructed by pegasi.” “Pegasi and ever how many unicorns they can carry.” “Thank you, Rakshata. That’s all the information that...ACHOO!” Lelouch sneeze. “Bless you.” “Thank you. As I was saying, I have enough info. Keep them busy until further notice.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inoue and Kallen pulled a cart full of components upwards to a rectangular object just below the canopy. As they closed in, the scale of the structure became apparent as other teams of pegasi ferried back and forth between it and the ground. The structure was the size of a mansion and was tethered to the canopy by cables that were evenly spaced along its perimeter. These wires ran down to the bottom of the structure and connected at a central hub. There were several satellite dishes threading the space between the wires. The smaller dish pointed in various directions with two larger dishes pointing northeasterly and southwesterly. “I can’t believe he wants us to help the enemy?” Inoue complained. “Have faith in Zero,” said Kallen. “He wouldn’t have us running errands for Nightmare Moon if he didn’t have something up his sleeve.” “And what the hell is that?” “It’s the relay station between Tokyo and Yamaguchi. Rakshata said the one over Yamaguchi is for transmitting signals into Korea and mainland China.” “And what is Zero’s big plan?” “He said something about bribing the workers into helping us.” “You mean those weirdo cultists?!?” “Shhhh!” Kallen hushed. “They might hear us.” Just then, another cart, being pulled by pair of cat-eyed pegasi, sideswiped them. It jostled Kallen and Inoue’s cart hard enough that some of the parts were bumped off the cart. “Watch where you’re going, foal!” One of the pegasi yelled. “You’re the ones who bumped into us, assho...” Kallen cuffed Inoue’s muzzle. “You better keep your friend quiet, wild pony,” another pegasus bellowed. “Yes sir.” Kallen could barely force herself to spit out the undeserved apology. By now, they were close enough to see that the wires suspending the structure were strands of steel cable over an inch in diameter. There was also one insulated cable that wasn’t bearing any load. It ended at a circuit breaker box on the side of the structure.. Kallen came to a stop near the satellite dish facing Tokyo. One of the pegasi guards, who was decked out in the same Byzantine blue armor as the palace guards, swooped around pointing a spear nestled between his fetlocks, but what made this pegasus stand out from the others were her wings. They were featherless, folds of skin running between vein-like digits, which made them more bat-like. Kallen also noticed puffs of fur at the end of their double-pointed ears. “What are you gawking at, wild pony?” “Your wings, they’re...” “They came with the armor. Now drop your load off and deliver the scraps to the landfill. And be quick about it.” Kallen cleared her throat and took a deep, nervous breath. “I’m here for the flowers.” Inoue looked at Kallen as though her comrade-at-arms had lost her mind. “The red or the white,” all of the guards and workers said in unison. “Kallen, this is getting weird. Maybe we should...” Once again, Kallen cupped her hoof over Inoue’s muzzle. “Both in a perfect mix,” she replied. Suddenly, the pegasi dropped what they were doing and began unloading the cart until there were only enough to cover the bottom. One of them flew beside Kallen holding out a small pail. The inside of the bucket glowed neon pink. “This is all we could spare without Nightmare Moon becoming suspicious.” The bucket was filled with refined sakuradite. “This’ll be fine. Thank you.” The pegasus dumped the sakuradite inside the cart and began raking the remaining components over it until its glow was completely shrouded. “Now hurry before somepony catches you,” said the pegasus guard. Kallen and Inoue set course for Tokyo, but as they were leaving, the guard with the batwings circled around and hovered in their path. Kallen and Inoue were inching their mouths to their saddlebag where each one kept a knife. “I was ordered to escort you to Shinjuku. That way, you won’t be stopped by patrols. Care to follow me?” “Go right ahead,” said Kallen and she extended her foreleg inviting the guard to go first. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inoue, Kallen, and their chaperone landed on the outskirts of the Shinjuku Ghetto, near one of the old subway tunnels that managed to survive their first battle as ponies where they made heavy use of improvised explosives planted beneath the Britannians’ ground formation. The tunnel was camouflaged behind a carpet of fake foliage and vines. “Thank you for the escort, sir,” said Kallen. “Don’t mention it,” said the guard. “I have to be on my way. Goodbye.” “All that about flowers? Was that a secret code?” Inoue asked. Kallen nodded. “That means they’re collaborators.” “Not according to Zero,” Kallen answered. “He warned me that they’d only help us just this once. From here on out, they’re our enemy.” “That’s...kinda weird.” “Didn’t I say Zero bribed them? They’re doing it for the money. Now let’s stash this in the tunnels before someone comes by and sees us.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reginald cautiously pried opened the metal grate covering the entrance to the underground compartment where Euphemia harbored the three ponies that she granted asylum. On his back was a saddlebag stuffed full until the seams were on the verge of bursting. “Sir Reginald, it’s good to see you again,” said one of the three ponies, a unicorn mare in her late 20’s. Cecile was her name the other two called her, Reginald recalled. “Thank you so much for bringing our...what happened to you?” “What you mean these?” Reginald gestured to the cuts and bruises on his right side and face. “I was in a little tussle with an officer.” “You won’t get in trouble over it?” Cecile asked. Reginald shook his head. “I doubt they’ll do anything to me.” “Is that why you brought the extra supplies and was gone for so long?” “I’d rather not discuss the matter further.” “Oh sorry.” “That’s okay. It’s nothing to be sorry for, Miss Cecile.” “Did you bring my pudding?” Lloyd, the lone stallion and pegasus in the group of unicorn mares, asked. “I’m sorry but milk is hard to come by nowadays. So unless you’re willing to compromise and let the chefs use soy milk in the recipe...” Lloyd put on a serious face. “Out of the question. It’s not real pudding unless it’s made with real milk.” “Then you’ll do without,” Sir Reginald said sternly. Lloyd groaned and slumped over their only table. “I just wanted a taste of the good old days. Is that too much to ask?” “It is when everyone is sacrificing just to survive,” Reginald scolded Lloyd in a hush tone. “Even the princess herself is suffering. So having milk for your pudding is the least of my concerns.” Reginald was about to storm away if not for a tug on his sword sheaf. His head turned in all directions fearful that someone may have found them out. But the only unicorn he could see using magic was Nina Einstein, the youngest of the three ‘fugitives’. “Ex...ex...excuse me, sir,” the young unicorn stumbled over her own words. “But is Princess Euphemia still sick?” “I’m afraid so.” “C...c...can I see her, please?” “You know it’s not permitted.” “Please, you must! I’ll be careful! No one will catch me! I promise!” This time, she asked more forcefully and without stumbling through the conversation. “Absolutely not.” “I’m begging you! Please let me see her!” “Our princess gave strict instructions for you to stay here.” Nina hung her head down. “Yes sir.” Sir Reginald slid the metal grate back into place and shuffled back to his lady’s side. Since the day Nightmare Moon informed Princess Euphemia of Suzaku’s demise, Reginald had taken on the task of providing supplies to the ponies that the princess granted sanctuary. In fact, he and Sir Guilford had shouldered all of the princess’s responsibilities. Sir Reginald thanked the chef for dinner and carried it to Euphemia’s bedchamber. He sat the tray on a small table just outside her door and knocked. “Mi lady,” said Reginald, “your supper is ready. The chef made your favorite-roasted zucchini casserole.” Reginald waited but there was no response. “Princess, your food will be cold if you don’t hurry. Please, have a bite to eat.” Still there was no response. “Your majesty, are you well?” Reginald took a deep breath and, with much trepidation, crept in as cautiously as possible. Euphemia was a shadow of her former self. By now, the outline of her ribs was prominent despite the matt of dirty, unkempt fur which was now a shade darker from the filth accumulating on her body. Her mane hadn’t been groomed since Suzaku was reported dead. Huge bags hung over her blood-shot eyes. Her legs looked like someone draped an old fur coat over a broomstick. Reginald set the tray on the floor. “Your majesty, I’m sorry for entering your room uninvited but I was worried.” Euphemia glanced at Reginald for a second before looking away. “Would you prefer to eat in bed, your majesty?” “Just put it with the rest,” Euphemia whispered in a broken, haggard voice as she pointed to a stack of trays swarming with flies. Each serving was a hill covered in green and white moss. Reginald took a whiff and swallowed to restrain himself from emptying the contents of his stomach. No, I won’t sit by and do nothing, not anymore. He thought while shaking his head. “Your majesty, I am deeply sorry for the lost of your champion, but you can’t neglect your health. Sir Kururugi wouldn’t want you to suffer over his death.” Euphemia stood up in bed. Eyes blazed with the fury of hell. “And I suppose he would want me to move on. Maybe pick a creepy little stalker as my knight. You’d love that wouldn’t you?” She leaped off the bed and stormed across the bedchamber. “You must be so happy Suzaku is dead.” “Mi lady, I would never wish ill-will on Sir Kururugi.” With one burst of unicorn telekinesis, the moldy food flew off their trays and splattered on the wall. “LIAR!” Euphemia trembled. “I know why you volunteered to be my knight. You’re some lecherous bastard looking to have a fling with a princess! Well, you got another thing coming. You’re not even a tenth of the man Suzaku was. He was selfless and kind. He’d never stoop to taking advantage of another person’s death.” Sir Guilford slammed the door open. “Mi lady, I heard a commotion. Were you harmed, mi...” “SHUT THE HELL UP!” Euphemia screamed at her sister’s former champion. “Mi lady, what has aroused your anger?” “You have a lot of nerve to ask,” Euphemia chuckled bitterly. “You and Darlton just had to volunteer Suzaku for a suicide mission?” “Your majesty, I would never...” “You couldn’t stand being around him because he was Japanese. Isn’t that right, Sir Guilford? That agent my father sent. If you didn’t tell him about Suzaku, he wouldn’t have ordered him on that mission. SUZAKU WOULD STILL BE ALIVE IF YOU KEPT YOUR MOUTH SHUT!” “And you,” Euphemia sneered at Reginald, “I wouldn’t be with you if you were the last man on earth. Get the hell o...” Legs wobbling, head spinning, Euphemia stumbled backwards. “Get the hell out of my life you little shi...” Guilford and Reginald rushed to their princess’s side as she lay on the floor unconscious. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There was one group of people unaffected by Nightmare Moon’s power, who kept their human form-the dead. The millions laid to rest, whose bodies survived the ravages of time, testified to the form that the inhabitants of this world once had. But Earth’s new ruler would have none of that, not when the truth imperiled her kingdom’s bright future. They, along with the other voices of the past, must be silenced. Shirley Fenette felt her heart going into her throat. Her mother, an older mare with the same color mane as her daughter, but cut shorter, and with a peach-colored coat of fur, knew Shirley was feeling uneasy and rubbed her shoulder. It was the first time since they were transformed she’d visited her father’s grave. It wasn’t just the feeling of loss for a love one. She was, according to Milly, in love with the very bastard that murdered her father and that abandoned his friends in a refugee camp for one to be raped and the other killed. Had circumstances been different, Shirley would be too overwhelmed with shame to come so soon after her feelings for Lelouch were revealed, but she owed it to her father to preserve his memory. The pony work crews worked tirelessly breaking apart grave markers. Earth ponies and pegasi slung steel mallets with their teeth while unicorns picked up one marker telekinetically and slammed them against one another. Another work crew was issued the gruesome task of exhuming the bodies. Unicorns, broken off into pairs, deposited the corpses, in their various states of decay, onto carts. The wagon train running from the cemetery dipped behind a hilltop. On the other side were a pillar of smoke and the red hue of a barn fire. Shirley and her mother weaved through the workers while paying close attention to their eyes. So far, nopony had the glowing slanted orbs indicatives of the cultists. Shirley could, however, tell that she wasn’t welcomed. A few of the workers were staring daggers at the two mares. “May I help you,” said an earth pony mare sporting an orange vest, or at least it looked orange in the light of the burning torches. “I was looking for the person in charge,” Mrs. Fenette answered hesitantly. “That would be me...sort of.” “I thought Nightmare Moon’s followers would be in charge.” “They are. We get a visit from them every now and again just to make to sure we’re doing our job, but managing the workers is my responsibility.” “Oh thank heavens,” Shirley’s mother smiled. “Then you’d understand how important...” “No!” “But I didn’t finishing sp...” “I know why you’re here, Brit. Your kind comes by all the time with the same request, and the answer is no, not just no but hell no. Nightmare Moon ordered those bodies cremated and what’s left deposed of and no Japanese I know is willing to die for even living Brits, let alone dead ones.” “But why are you making such a big deal over it?” Shirley pleaded. “You’re crazy if you think I’m sticking my neck out for you Brits. Your people shouldn’t have been here in the first place. Whoever it was would still be alive if he wasn’t oppressing the Japanese.” Mrs. Fenette was in tears. “Please, don’t treat my husband’s remains like trash. He was never in the military. He didn’t participate in the occup...” “Like hell he wasn’t!” The work foreman stomped her hooves. “Just because he was some low-level salary man doesn’t mean he didn’t help grease the wheels of the Britannian war machine-the very war machine that trampled my people underfoot! He’s still Brit scum just like you! It’s bad enough I have to kiss Nightmare Moon’s ass without some uppity Brits spouting orders too!” “Please, we’ll cremate the body ourselves,” Shirley begged. “Just let us have...” “I know what happened to the last bunch that crossed Nightmare Moon. I’m not freezing to death for your dead husband. Now get the hell out of here before I throw you out myself!” “Please, don’t hold what my government did to your people against my husband, he was...” Mrs. Fenette was interrupted this time by a gently placed hoof on her lips by her daughter. “Mom,” Shirley said compassionately, “Dad wouldn’t want you getting in trouble to save his remains. You and Milly are all I have left. Please, let’s just go home.” Shirley led her sorrowful woman away. “Oh how touching!” The foreman mocked. “Now how about shedding some of those tears for the Japanese you Brits slaughters! That’s right, Brits, keep walking away before you hear the truth from an *Eleven*.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “That’ll be nine bits.” After the customer dropped nine coins, each with Nightmare Moon’s profile stamped on it, on the counter, Alexander Franklin marked off the bag of hay and rice she bought from list of inventory. The former baron worked the counter at the very storehouse that he and Ebisawa staged their revolt against the USJ for the racist policy that drove mundane types/earth ponies into forced labor. His was the face of a haughty stallion whose spirit was broken. So many mundane types idolized him and his co-conspirator and saw the two as their saviors-it was nice while it lasted. Did Zero feel the same when the Japanese cheered his name? It was too bad it went to their heads. It was too bad they pushed their luck. It was too bad that... “Hey! Planet Earth’s calling! Yoohoo!” A blank flank pegasus colt, barely out of elementary school, was knocking on the counter. “Whadda you want?” “Got any soy sauce in the back? There’s none on the shelves.” “Oh, sorry.” Alexander slid off his chair and limped to the back of the storehouse. “I’ll get the kid’s soy sauce.” Ebisawa galloped out from one of the aisles. “You didn’t have to get up.” “I can handle this myself,” said Alexander. “You’re doing plenty by manning the counter. Let me...” “I said I can do this by myself!” When Alexander hobbled from behind the counter, the young colt gasped when he noticed Alexander’s left hind leg was cut off at the knee. Suddenly somepony jabbed the young colt in the ribs. “It’s rude to stare,” said Ebisawa. Alexander Franklin limped out of the back room with a case of soy sauce in his teeth and set it down in front of the colt. “That’ll be two-bits.” “Oh right.” The colt tossed his two coins on the counter and took his bottle with him. However, curiosity got the better of him and he lingered just outside the storehouse. A few minutes later, an earth pony mare came outside with a giant bag lying on her back. “Are you Britannian?” The young colt asked. The mare nodded. “That I am. Why you asked?” “I wasn’t sure if a Japanese would talk to me. I just want to ask a question.” “Go ahead.” “What happen to that guy’s leg?” “You mean the man behind the counter?” The colt answered the mare’s question with a nod. “How long have you been here?” “Since Nightmare Moon kicked us off Shikoku Island and made us live in the clouds.” “Frostbite took his leg.” “Did it really get that cold here?” The mare nodded. “Yes it did. It got very, very cold here,” she said regretfully. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “ACHOO!” Lelouch sneezed. The layer of fine dust covering the abandoned sub station was stirred into a cloud by Lelouch and Kallen’s hoofsteps. The column of dust diffused the light beaming from Lelouch’s horn. “You know whenever you sneeze,” said Kallen, “someone is talking behind your back.” “That’s just superstition,” Lelouch retorted. “So, how much sakuradite were you able to procure?” “According to Rakshata’s specs, we have only enough for two.” “Good, we have a spare.” “There’s nothing good about it, Lelouch. Weren’t you paying attention-it’ll be...” “Did Rakshata finish the mask?” “It’s waiting for you at the safehouse, though she wanted to know why the mask has a sliding eyepiece.” “How about the clothes?” “I looked over the outfit. It’ll completely cover your body. No one will notice that you dyed your fur and cutie mark. Oh God! I can’t believe I said ‘cutie mark’.” “And the rest of the founding members of the Black Knights?” “I tracked down Yoshida and Sugiyama. They’re waiting at our safehouse in the Saitama Ghetto.” “And Ohgi?” “I told him before coming down here. He looked like a kid that got a puppy for Christmas when I told him you were still alive. He has to be discrete about coming back or else the cult will get suspicious.” “And what the Tohdoh and the Holy Swords?” “Still can’t find them, but I doubt they’d sit on their hands for very long once word got out you were still around.” “What about the alternative power source?” Kallen nodded. “Katsuragi and Tamaki dropped them off at the safehouse? Are we installing them on the Gurren?” “I have a better use for them.” “What else can we use them for? And just how much money do you have to bribe these cultists? For fanatics, they sure do look out of their own self-interest.” “Keep your mind on the task at hand. What about the unexploded ordinances?” “Most of them were destroyed when Diethard sold us out to Nightmare Moon, but we scrapped up a few.” “And the phosphorous? Did you find any in the industrial district?” “Every drop they had. I even went through the Ashford Academy science lab with a fine tooth comb and scrounged up an extra kilo.” “It’ll have to do for now. Perhaps, Rakshata could build an apparatus for extracting sodium from sea water.” “I wouldn’t ask Rakshata to do anymore for us if I was you. She’s been high-strung since Nightmare Moon banned smoking.” “That is the one saving grace of her reign.” “You’d sing a different tune if you had to be around Rakshata,” Kallen mumbled. “What was that?” “Um...nothing.” “Anything else to report?” Kallen twiddled her hooves and looked around the sub station. “Come on. Say what’s on your mind?” “What’s really wrong with your left eye?” “What about it?” “Minami swears you’re completely blind in that eye. He even said the iris is milky white, but he’s the only one that sees it. And now that I think about it, are you really bribing these cultists? Did you discover some new unicorn power? Are you making Minami see something that isn’t there?” “The repairs to Hi-TV are almost completed. We don’t have much time to argue over these frivolities.” “It’s true isn’t it? That’s why you’re changing the subject.” “And if it’s true, what would do? Force me to step down as leader? Kill me for concealing the truth? Or do move forward and pretend that everything makes sense.” “Pretending everything is normal is all I’ve been doing.” Kallen kicked straight through the back of a bench splitting it in half. “I’m not budging an inch until you tell me everything up front.” “And what will you do with that information? Tell the Black Knights? Abort our rebellion against Nightmare Moon before it can get started?” “No, that’s not it all.” Kallen shook her head profusely. “You can’t ask those questions without accepting the consequences for the answers.” “I just need to know! That’s all! I have to know why I’m doing this!” “Very well, I will tell you. I think we’ll start with how I met C.C.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Six weeks later All across Neighpan Island (Japan), Bridlannia (Britannia) and its remaining territories, the Equine Universe (EU/Euro Universe), the Clydesnese Federation (Chinese Federation), the subjects of Nightmare Moon gathered the wild ponies and herded them to designated viewing centers within their respective municipality. It would be the first global broadcast since the transformation and nopony would be permitted to miss itunder penalty of law. In New Canterlot, the wild ponies in the ghettos crowded around the town square watching the hodgepodge of televisions of different sizes and brands arranged in a half-circle. Behind the televisions were unicorns telekinetically turned the cranks for the electric generators while a Nightmare Moon cultist pegasus hovered overhead wielding a spear in his fetlocks. “Can we rest? We’re been turning this thing for two hours now and they haven’t even started.” The pegasus made a stabbing gesture with the spear. “You’ll stop when I tell you and not a second sooner.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nightmare Moon waited impatiently in the Hi-TV sound room for New Equestria’s first global proclamation. A massive window took up half of the wall separating the sound room from the control room. From here, Nightmare Moon could watch everypony working on her television debut. An earth pony mare slipped in the room with Nightmare Moon unnoticed holding a case full of cosmetics. She opened it and dabbed a brush in make-up. “Sorry to bother you, your majesty,” said the mare, “but I sent to prep you for the broadcast.” “Don’t you dare smear that on me!” Nightmare Moon snapped. “But it’s my job,” the make-up mare cried, “I have to make sure you look good for...” “Are you saying my appearance isn’t regal enough for my subjects?” “No, your majesty, it’s just that the lighting and shadows can distort anypony’s profile and the cameras will pick it up without a little make-up to correct it.” “The Empress does not require your services,” said Cinnamon Delight, who was standing beside her lover, Nightfire, in the control room speaking through the intercom. “Her highness is a goddess. Her beauty is divine and can’t be diminished.” “Yes ma’am,” said the make-up mare. “And Newsie News,” Nightmare pointed at Diethard, “the cosmetics was your idea. You should know better.” “I was merely being thorough,” said Diethard. “If Empress Moon needs your services, she’ll tell you.” “You two, quit your bickering,” Nightmare Moon scolded, “and keep your minds on the task at hoof. How much longer must I wait for your news crew?” She asked Diethard. “Circuit Breaker,” asked Diethard, “has the video feed to Bridlannia been re-established?” “It has,” Circuit Breaker answered. “We just have to finish double-checking our connection.” “And Austablia?” “Austrablia’s ready.” Circuit Breaker adjusted some of the dials and looked over the control panel gages. “Video feed to Bridlannia checks out. You’re good to go.” “Is it ready, Newsie News? Will all my subjects be able to see me?” “It’s as ready as it’ll ever be. Everypony, take your positions.” Camera ponies fixed their sights on the Empress. Broadcast engineers monitored the video feed from Hi-TV. Nightmare Moon straightened her posture and paid close attention to Diethard who was on the other end of the glass facing her and with his foreleg raised over his shoulder. “We’re on the air in 5...4...3...2...1.” When he finished counting down, Diethard dropped his foreleg. “Oh my beloved subjects, I am so delighted that we can meet face-to-face, in a manner of speaking.” “Sorry to interrupt, your highness,” said Circuit Breaker, “but there seem to be some inter...” Then, to the shock of everypony in the Hi-TV broadcast studio, an equine version of a familiar mask materialized on the wall monitor used to observe the outgoing signal. Zero was wearing a modified version of his original mask. It was stretched out to accommodate a pony’s muzzle and had a cone extrusion for his horn. Diethard galloped to the monitor and scrutinized every pixel. “No...it can’t be…it can’t be him, not now. Kill the connection!” Diethard ordered in a panicked voice. “Is there a problem, Newsie News?” Nightmare Moon asked in a menacing tone. “It’s just a minor glitch, your highness.” “You told me that they were already taken care of?” “No, he’s dead. It can’t possibly be him.” “Who are you talking about?” “I am...Zero.” Those three words uttered by the stallion on the television monitor captured Nightmare Moon’s undivided attention. Nightmare Moon’s eyes burned pure white. “That foal! He’s still alive!” She teleported into the control room. “Undoubtedly it’s an impostor,” said Diethard. “It’s not, foal. I recognize the mangy outlaw’s voice.” “People of the world, I have returned.” “What’s going on? Newsie News, answer me!” “Tell her Newsie News, or I will.” Nightfire threatened. “Tell me what?” “Circuit Breaker, killed the video?” Diethard yelled. Circuit Breaker and the rest of the television crew were working frantically to get everything under control. “We can’t. It won’t take my access code,” Circuit Breaker was busy typing the keyboard with a pencil clinched between his front teeth. “The Omega Line!” Diethard bellowed under his breath. He rushed across the room and pushed Circuit Breaker away from the control panel. “I can fix this. Give me a moment to...” Diethard typed his password into the control panel. “No! It’s not possible! He’s locked me out of the system.” “Hear me,” said Lelouch, “Nightmare Moon, all of you who have power, heed my words carefully.” “YOU DARE TALK DOWN TO ME!!!” Once again, the Hi-TV broadcast station shuttered under Nightmare Moon’s rage. “Your words mean nothing to me, mangy outlaw!” “I am burden with sorrow. The dreams of the Japanese people for a brighter tomorrow were snuffed out along with those of the rest of the world under the tyranny of Nightmare Moon. History, culture, self-governance, and even the light of the sun were stolen from the people to indulge the egotism of a solitary alien interloper. That is why the resurrection of Zero was necessary. As long as the strong prey upon the weak, my rebellion will continue.” “Your Highness,” said Nightfire, “Zero’s taken over the broadcast signal. The wild ponies are hearing him speak instead of you.” “Newsie News,” said Nightmare Moon, “you have better fix this, NOW!” “Regiments of 235 strong will divide and conquer and burn you to a cinder less you return to your own world,” said Lelouch. “They wait where it all started for a leader to guide them. ” “STEP ASIDE, FOALS!” Everypony manning the control panel was flung to all sizes of the control room. Nightmare Moon ripped the control panel from the floor and crushed it with her powerful magic. “That should silence that mangy outlaw.” But it didn’t. Zero’s image and voice still appeared on the wall monitor. “But I destroyed Newsie News’s equipment.” “He must be using one of the relay stations to broadcast his signal,” said Circuit Breaker. “And one final warning, Nightmare Moon-if you attempt to retaliate by denying warmth to the people or causing a famine, I will bring down your canopy.” “He’s joking, right?” Nightmare Moon asked rhetorically. “And as a demonstration of my power,” Lelouch levitated a detonator in front of the camera, “I will destroy the pillar near Mt. Fuji.” Suddenly the monitor flared up. Everyone except Nightmare Moon covered their eyes. “You expect me to believe a mere unicorn could undo my magic.” “I do not wish to take such extreme measures for its destruction will cost many lives, but it is the lesser of two evils. Do not make this a war of attrition and stay your hoof against the innocent. Your battle is with me, Nightmare Moon.” The moment Lelouch finished, the sound of thunder rumbled through the loudspeakers. Thirty seconds later, a gentle, low frequency hum surrounded them. Everypony rushed out of the control room heading to the nearest balcony only to be greeted by a blinding light, a light that had not been seen by pony eyes since Nightmare Moon revealed herself to the world-the light of the sun. Everypony except Nightmare Moon, who only had to avert her eyes for a moment before adjusting to the brightness, was struck blind. She went outside to check on the damage. To her dismay, Zero’s boast of having destroyed the pillar was true. The metal shell overlapping half of Mt. Fuji, which was built by the Britannians as part of their sakuradite mining operation, was in shambles and reduced to scrap metal. Nightmare Moon concentrated on the canopy, which thinned out as it spread over the hole left in the aftermath of the pillar’s destruction. “Newsie News!” Diethard, having recovered his sight, galloped to his empress’ side. “Yes, your highness.” “What just happened?” “Well, I...” “If you won’t say it, I will. Your Empress was upstaged by a mangy outlaw. I was humiliated. Do you know how I feel right now?” Diethard took a couple of steps back in dread that Nightmare Moon’s calm voice was the eye of a monster typhoon. “How did you let that mangy outlaw upstage me? Can’t you see I’m having a private conversation with Newsie News!” Nightmare Moon yelled at Cinnamon Delight who was peering through the balcony door. “Forgive your majesty, but I heard Newsie News say something about an ‘omega line’.” Cinnamon Delight grinned malevolently at Diethard. “Please enlighten me to this *omega line*.” Diethard gave a quick murderous glance at Cinnamon Delight before regaining his composure. “When I worked for the Black Knights, I installed a special backdoor program for Zero to take over the Hi-TV broadcasts.” “YOU WERE THE ONE THAT DID THIS TO ME!” Diethard flapped his wings with all of his strength just to keep from being blown off the balcony by the tempest conjured by Nightmare Moon’s rage. “WHY DID YOU NOT RID MY TELEVISION STATION OF THIS OMEGA LINE?” Nightmare Moon’s Canterlot voice ranged in Diethard’s ears. “I thought Zero was dead.” “AND DID IT NOT OCCUR TO YOU THAT SOMEPONY ELSE COULD HAVE USED IT AGAINST ME!” “Zero was very secretive. He’d never tell anypony else about the omega line. He wouldn’t even show us his real face.” The wind then died down. “I was made a laughingstock, Newsie News, and somepony must *pay*.” Diethard looked down at his hooves and noticed the wave of magical energy moving along his legs turning him to stone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When Zero finished his speech, the unicorns manning the generator took a badly needed rest. Beside them was the pegasus assigned to watch them, lying on the ground, battered and bruised. When Zero took over the broadcast, he tried to shut down the generator and, needless to say, failed. With an exception to the Nightmare Moon cultists, everyone at the Shinjuku Ghetto was in good cheer...save for one otherwise normal mare. “I can’t believe I’m rooting for Zero,” said Mrs. Fenette. “But if he can bring back the sun...” “Mother, he can’t,” Shirley pouted. “But you saw what he did to the pillar. If Zero defeats Nightmare Moon, I’ll never stay inside on a sunny day again.” “He’s not your savior. Zero’s just a selfish glory hound. And haven’t you forgotten what he did to my father? Your husband?” “Don’t you think I’ve forgotten about your father!” Mrs. Fenette yelled. “But the whole world’s at stake. Your future’s at state. Put your hatred for Zero aside.” “Don’t let him fool you. If Zero really cared about us, he’d bring back the sun right now. “Zero has a good reason to...Shirley! Where are you going?” “Zero won’t accomplish anything except getting more people killed unless he’s stopped.” Shirley said before disappearing in the crowd. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Just when things were getting boring, Zero pops up out of nowhere,” Lloyd said in an amused tone. Sir Reginald was relaying Zero’s message to the three scientists in hiding. “I’m no fan of that rebel,” said Reginald, “but if his regiments can defeat Nightmare Moon, I would petition the Emperor himself to pardon him.” “Tell me about these regiments.” “He didn’t go into details except that they were 235 men each.” “That’s odd. Usually a regiment is around 700.” “Did you say 235?” Nina, who was sitting quite at the other end of the hidden room, had rushed to the other side of the shelter where Reginald and Lloyd were conversing. “Yes,” Reginald answered, “that was the exact number.” “What else did he say about those regiments?” Intimidated by Nina’s serious demeanor, Reginald backed away from her. “Nothing of importance. He was just being overly dramatic.” “You have to tell me!” “Keep it down before someone up there hears you.” “Just tell me already!” “Fine, if it gets you to settle down. He said his regiments would divide and conquer and burn Nightmare Moon to a cinder and that they were waiting for a leader where it all began.” Suddenly, Nina shoved Reginald out of her way and bolted for the exit. “Where the hell are you going?” “Zero needs me!” Nina cried out. “You two, stay put!” Reginald ordered Cecile and Lloyd before running after Nina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “...and how are Barnstormer’s troops coming along?” Nightfire was in the Nightmare Palace war room speaking to an overly muscular earth pony stallion in armor. Maps of Japan and the Tokyo Settlement covered the walls and were dotted by thumbtacks representing friendly forces and foe. “Sir, the Shadowbolts have successfully quelled all rioting in New Canterlot Castle but resistance in the wild pony ghettos is still strong.” Nightfire placed a hoof on his forehead and huffed. “Don’t you have any good news to tell me, Brawny Hooves? I’ve had a bad day, today.” “Don’t you mean night sir?” “I meant what I said, which is why it was a bad *day*. The wild ponies think the old order is coming back, all thanks to Zero’s little stunt.” Just then, the door cracked open and a bat-winged pegasus peered inside. “Permission to enter.” “We’re rather busy right now, Winged Eclipse? Can it wait?” “Sir, somepony has come forward claiming to have information vital to the capture of Zero.” Nightfire and Brawny Hooves looked at each other and then at Winged Eclipse. “Bring him in.” “Actually, it’s a mare, sir.” Winged Eclipse replied. He then looked over his shoulder and called out. “You can come in.” “So, wild pony,” Nightfire said the mare that just trotted in, “what information do you have, Miss...” “Fenette...Shirley Fenette. I know who Zero really is.” “Oh you do, do you?” Nightfire raised an eyebrow. “And why would you tell us that?” “Because I want Zero dead.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The gauntlet has been thrown. Lelouch shook his hoof in defiance against Nightmare Moon and all hell has broken loose. Will Kallen remain loyal now that she knows the truth of Geass? And will Leouch survive his betrayal by Shirley? And how much blood will be shed in Lelouch’s rebellion? Find out in upcoming chapters of Rebel Against the Night.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2013-07-09T04:27:36+00:00

2017-03-16T00:19:06+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 12: Anything You Can Do... Meadow Prancer was sore from the long uphill trot from the palace to one of the mountains bordering Canterlot. The trip seemed to drag on forever because the path, a cobblestone road, made five loops around the mountain spiraling upwards. This would appear, at first glance, to be a pointless exercise in exercise except for the fact that the mountain peak was too steep to climb if not for the gentle slope of the cobblestone path. Meadow Prancer stopped and sat on a patch of grass growing in the spot where a stone dislodged from the road to rest her aching hooves. At the end of her journey was the entrance through an iron gate twenty feet high. Within its perimeter was the Wonderbolts’ headquarters. Like most pegasi-centric architecture, balconies covered the main building from all sides, but it only had a single door for its front entrance for the occasional earth or unicorn pony. Floating beside Meadow Prancer was a fresh batch of zap apple pie. Because it was out of season, it took a city-wide scavenger hunt and a bit of endurance to track down a store with a can of zap apple preserves. Back on Earth, Soarin’ mentioned having a craving during a conversation about the lack of variety of fruit in that world. It was only fair to grant him a small luxury. Meadow Prancer then noticed dozens of winged shadows soaring along the ground. The young unicorn glanced up and saw a flock of Wonderbolts flying between her and the sun in the direction of their headquarters. Meadow Prancer galloped from behind, occasionally teleporting to keep up. “Hey Soarin’! Over here!” Meadow Prancer called out. “Soarin’! It’s me! Come on down.” Some of the Wonderbolts glanced back at the mare for a moment before dismissing her. Then the one taking lead in the formation performed a vertical loop and glided down. To Meadow Prancer’s disappointment, it wasn’t Soarin’ but, rather, a mare with a spiky yellow and orange mane landing just a few feet away. “You must be Captain Spitfire.” Meadow Prancer extended a hoof, but the friendly gesture wasn’t accepted. “I’m Meadow Prancer. We met last summer.” “Whadda you want.” Spitfire grumbled. Meadow Prancer frowned at Spitfire’s rudeness. “To see Soarin’. I made him a zap apple pie.” “Just hoof it to me and I’ll pass it along.” “If you don’t mind, I’d rather give it to him myself.” “Actually, I do mind.” Spitfire spat. “You’ve done more than enough *to* Soarin’ already.” “What are you talking about...is this about the mission *Princess Celestia* assigned to us?” “Don’t hide behind the princess! I never liked you cloak and dagger ponies at the Ministry of Intelligence, and now I know my gut feeling was right, all along. Soarin’ was one of the most cheerful ponies that I ever flew with. But after you got through with him, Soarin’ become an emotional wreck. He doesn’t talk to anypony, not like he used to. He shut himself from his teammates. And those scars on his cutie mark, it looks like somepony branded him. If this wasn’t a secret mission, I’d pry apart those tight lips of yours and make you tell me what happened. You snuffed out the joy in Soarin’s heart. That zap apple pie is an insulting gesture after what he’s been through.” “Look, Captain Spitfire. I tried to watch out for Soarin’.” “Not from where I’m standing.” “It was just a recon mission, but he got emotionally involved and took unnecessary risks.” “That’s a load of dragon droppings!” Spitfire snapped. “Soarin’s been my wingpony for years. He’s too laid back to take the initiative.” “Not this mission, he wasn’t.” “Then tell me what happened.” “You know damn well I can’t,” Meadow Prancer stomped. “Can’t or won’t.” Meadow Prancer was less than inch from Spitfire, both in each other’s angry glare. “You’re in the military,” said Meadow Prancer. “You know full well not to question orders from Princess Celestia.” “There you go again-hiding behind the princess.” Meadow Prancer’s horn started glowing. “I don’t hide behind anypony, certainly from the likes of you.” “You’re in the Ministry of Information. You should know better than to threaten a commissioned officer.” Meadow Prancer stepped back, still fuming at Spitfire. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you tell me. I’ve given Soarin’ a few assignments away from the capital and, more importantly, away from you.” “On whose authority?!?” “My own! I’m captain of the Wonderbolts!” “Soarin’ is still reassigned as an operative for the Ministry of Intelligence.” “Then go run about to the princess and complain to her. It’s all you’re good for.” Spitfire was satisfied that she shamed the unicorn into silence. Meadow Prancer left the zap apple pie on the ground as she trotted away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “So, did you like it? Did you like the power I gave you?” Trixie let out a long sigh. “Look...um...what was your name again?” “C.C,” said the white earth pony mare. “Look, C.C., I know I said I’d grant your wish, and at the time, I thought I meant it, but...” “Did you like your power or not?” “I will admit that it was...useful. A mere glance was all it took to make Blueblood’s summoning spell mine. It was as if I knew it my whole life.” “So, you’re satisfied with the results.” “I am, but it’s unfair to offer special powers without telling me the conditions.” “If that was a problem, you shouldn’t have accepted the contract!” “Well, I was emotionally vulnerable at the time.” C.C. responded to Trixie’s excuse with a groan. “It’s not my fault that good-for-nothing prince was ruining my reputation.” “You’re not talking your way out of our deal.” “You thug! What are you?!? A loan shark?!? Taking advantage of poor ponies at their most vulnerable! By the way, what was my end of the contract?” “You don’t even know what I want and you’re already trying to worm your way out on our agreement.” “Very well, the Great and Powerful Trixie will grant your wish. Just give her time to earn enough money...” “My wish can’t be bought.” “Then what is it?” C.C. gestured to Trixie to come inside. “Not out here.” Trixie stepped back wearing a disgusted look on her face. “The barn door of the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t swing that way.” “It’s not that either.” Trixie followed C.C. inside and closed the door behind her. “Now me what is your heart’s desire so I may fulfill my end of the bargain.” “My wish is to die.” “Are you out of your little pony mind?!?” Trixie shook her head. “Get somepony else to kill you or better yet, do it yourself.” “Could you at least let me explain why I wish to die?” “I normally don’t listen to sob stories, but I’ll make an exception in your case.” C.C. inched up to Trixie and leaned forward. “We’re alone. You don’t have to whisper.” Trixie was caught off guard when C.C., in one movement, stood on her hind legs and forced Trixie’s head down. The unicorn magician didn’t have time to react when C.C. impaled herself on Trixie’s own horn. One moment, she was leaning over to hear C.C.’s story. The next, warm blood was running down her cheeks. “HELP!” Trixie cried out. “Somepony help!” She then clasped her mouth closed. I have blood all over me! They’ll think I did it on purpose! Trixie raced to the tub praying that the motel staff left some clean water. Fortunately, room service was on its hooves that day. Trixie squirted half a bottle of liquid soap over a scrub brush and dipped her face into the tub. While she was washing off the remaining traces of blood, somepony was pounding on the door. “What the hay is going on in there?” A stallion called out from the other side of the door. “Are you hurt?” Sweet Celestia and Luna, don’t let them lock me away! “No, no one’s hurt.” Trixie dropped her scrub bush in the tub upon hearing C.C. talking to the stallion. No, it couldn’t be her. It just couldn’t be. But it’s her voice. Trixie wiped the soap suds around her eyes and galloped to the front room. Her ears did not deceive her. C.C., whose underside was bathed in crimson, was speaking to the concerned citizen standing outside. “What was all that yelling? And who was that? It didn’t sound like you.” “My roommate fell asleep waiting for me, and I startled her when I walked in.” “Then you won’t mind somepony checking on her.” “He’s suspicious,” C.C. said quietly to Trixie. “Let him know you’re not hurt.” “I’m perfectly fine. Uhhh...It was dark in my motel room, and I couldn’t tell it was her.” “Oh sweet Celestia! I woke up for this manure!” The stallion stomped off back to his room and slammed the door to his motel room behind him. “How?!?” Trixie mumbled. “How are you still alive?” “The same way I gave you powers. Now you understand the nature of my wish.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “So, let me guest this straight-I use this *Geass*, as you call it, until it’s powerful enough to accept your code, and I become an immortal?” Trixie and C.C. trotted side-by-side pulling Trixie’s show cart behind them. “In the final stage of Geass, the user attains the position of the one who granted them the power. Right now, your Geass isn’t strong enough, but, over time, it will be the more it’s used, and when it’s strong enough, you will gain the power to take my life. Of course, you’ll lose your Geass in the process.” Trixie shuttered at the mention of killing, but she pushed her moral trepidations aside. She would be immortal after all, and it wasn’t like C.C. didn’t want this. In fact, this was the reason why she granted her Geass. It would be less like murder and more like euthanasia. “Trixie, you’re not getting squeamish on me?” Trixie held her nose up. “Me? Squeamish? Ha! The Great and Powerful Trixie is all too happy to take immortality off your hooves. By the way, how would I know if my Geass is strong enough?” “I’ll let you know when the time comes.” “And why do you want to die anyway? Do you know how many ponies would give their right legs to be like you?” “It’s the natural order of existence. Life only has meaning if it’s finite. Without death, all we have are random events. You can’t call that being alive.” “In other words, you can’t hack it.” C.C. frowned at Trixie. “Try being that cocky after living a few centuries. Can you stand in judgment of me because I’m seeking to end an unnatural existence?” “You want me to take your immortality or not? The way you talk, I’m beginning to think you’ll chicken out.” “The way I talk?!?” Trixie nearly tripped when C.C. came to a sudden stop. “I’m the one getting scolded for giving up immortality. If anyone’s dedication to the contract that should be questioned, it’s yours.” “C.C., I’ll take immortality over dying an old mare any day. In fact, I’m looking forward to eternity,” Trixie said with a smug grin. “Though, I do wonder-how is it that an earth pony like you can use magic?” “It’s a long story. Maybe I tell you later.” “And how it is that you’re immortal? You seem more like an alicorn to me.” “I don’t know what an alicorn is.” “Did you say you never heard of an alicorn?” C.C. shook her head. “What backwater town of Equestria did you come from?” Trixie said contemptuously. “Alicorns are the most powerful of all ponies and have the traits of the three pony tribes. They’re connected to the land like an earth pony, fly like a pegasus, and can perform magic like unicorns.” Once again, Trixie almost tripped over when C.C. came to an unexpected stop. “Wait! Does that mean they have wings *and* a horn?” “Will you please warn me the next time you stop? Have you ever been in a wagon team before?” “Not exactly.” “Were you born into wealth? Is that why you never learned to pull a cart?” “Actually, I was born into poverty.” Trixie placed a hoof over her forehead. “I can’t believe I need to school a grown mare on something so sophomoric. But to answer your question-yes, they have both wings and a horn. I said they have the traits of all three pony tribes didn’t I? Why are you acting so surprised?” “It’s nothing.” “And why must you be so secretive?” “I’m C.C. That’s why.” “That’s a terrible answer.” “The one who I last made a contract with would say the same thing.” “And what happened to him.” “Long story.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie will permit you to keep your secrets. She didn’t feel like listening to your boring life story anyway.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The townsponies of Trottingham placed their daily routine to the side and indulge their curiosity for a two-pony circus act setting up shop in their town square. A stage burst forth from the wagon as a fireworks display burned just above. Trixie emerged from a puff of smoke and stood on her back legs. “Gather everypony, one and all, and witness the Great and Powerful *and* Versatile Trixie. And accompanying the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie is the mysterious mare from the mysterious lands beyond the Everfree Forest, the enigmatic C.C.” The immortal pony stood on the edge of the stage wearing a purple headdress with sapphire feathers radiating outward and a purple skirt and bloused adorned with cheap glass jewelry. “How kitsch,” C.C. deadpanned. However, the crowds didn’t share Trixie’s enthusiasm. Their groans and boos were louder than the firework show. “You’re that wanker that made a laughingstock of herself in Ponyville,” said an earth pony mare with a sandy yellow coat, a blue mane with bright yellow highlights, and a tightrope cutie mark. “You’re right, Sunny Beach,” a pegasus mare with a mane and coat of fur of white with red blotches and a pencil and paper cutie mark said in agreement. “It’s the same one that almost got a whole town eaten by an Ursa Minor.” “When that happened I was a mere shadow of my current self, but now the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie will have you so awestruck, her minor snafu will never cross your minds again.” Trixie activated her Geass and scanned Sunny. Sunny Beach’s very inner nature was laid bare before her. The muscles throughout Trixie’s body twitched as though the mare’s special talent came natural to her. “Now, what’s your special talent, little hayseed? It wouldn’t by any chance be...a feat of balance.” “Oh great wonders! You guessed my special talent by looking at cutie mark,” Sunny said sarcastically. The rest of the crowd laughed alongside her. “Care to pit your special skills against a jack-of-all-trades like me?” “Let me get my beach ball, and I’ll make you regret ever coming to Trottingham.” Sunny pointed to a house one-half block away.” “Just make it quick. I have other neighhhhsayers to put in their place.” About a minute later, Sunny came out with a beach ball nearly as big as her. “Betcha you can’t do this.” Sunny leaped on the beach ball and stood on her front legs. The beach ball moved as she walked along the top while doing a foreleg stand. Sunny finished her trick with a back flip. “Now show us what you can do.” Trixie slid off her cloak and magic hat. “I won’t even need my horn.” “Speaking of horns,” Sunny called out, “you better have some bits on you if you pop my beach ball.” Trixie jumped on the beach ball and flawlessly matched Sunny’s feat of balance and dexterity. “This one’s for you, C.C.,” she said. While doing a foreleg stand, Trixie rolled the beach ball in a figure-eight pattern with Sunny at the center of the one of the loops. Sunny gritted her teeth harder with each lap Trixie made until the other ponies could hear her molars grinding. Trixie arched her back and switched from standing on her forelegs to her hind legs before doing a double back flip off the beach ball. “Didn’t I tell you, little hayseed-anything you can do I can do better.” Sandy glared at Trixie who responded with a smug grin. “Beginner’s luck,” she spat. “Anypony else?” “How about me?” The pegasus mare who was talking to Sunny stepped forward. “Name’s Ruby Patches and I can outdraw you any day of the week.” Ruby already had a sketchbook and pencil laid out before her. The pencil between Ruby’s lips raced across the paper. Some of the audience looked worried as Ruby’s head moved across the sketchbook so fast it left a blur in its wake. Their concerns vanished when Ruby held up a grayscale drawing of her jumping on a rain cloud. A bolt of lightning shot out of the cloud striking Trixie, who was drawn with buck teeth and a dull expression, on her rear end. “Your turn, wanker.” After scanning Ruby with her Geass, Trixie levitated the sketchbook and paper from her. “I’ll beat you at your own game just like I did with your little friend, and I’ll do so without my horn.” Trixie held the pencil between her teeth and sketched as fast as Ruby Patches. Her head moved faster than Ruby Patches’. She then flipped over the next page and began sketching as well. A moment later, she flipped to the next page. “The Not-so-great and Pathetic Twit is really knobbing it up, huh Ruby?” A unicorn stallion said mockingly. “You’re made a complete arse of yourself,” said Ruby. “Now stop scribbling chicken scratch all over my perfectly good sketchbook.” Trixie tore out the four pages that she drew on and held them together-two on top, two on the bottom. The four pages formed one single drawing-Ruby Patches surrounded by ponies holding their noses and flies hovering around. Her patches were particularly darker than the ones on her body. Everypony was shocked that the picture flowed seamlessly even though they were drawn in one page at a time. Even the sketch of Ruby, which was drawn in segments at each corner of the four pages that met together, had no overlap errors. “So what if you could sketch one drawing over four pages,” Ruby stammered in a vain attempt to save face. “My spots are lighter,” she said while pointing to Trixie’s sketch. “That’s because I haven’t put the finishing touches yet. And now it’s time for life to imitate art.” Trixie fired a beam of magic at Ruby Patches. The pegasus mare looked herself over. Her spots turned from bright red to dark brown. “You think turning my spots a different color makes up from botching that sketch? Well think...” Ruby’s nose caught a whiff of something fowl in the air. The others began taking sniffs as well. Suddenly, they all backed away from Ruby leaving a circular space twenty feet across all around her. “I told you life would imitate art. They’ll call you Manure Patches for now on.” Trixie laughed. “You tart! You trollop!” Ruby fumed. Then, a buzzing noise surrounded her. The flies were gathering around her like a freshly-laid pile of dung. Ruby swatted at the flies with her tail and wings but they were overwhelming the poor mare. She had no choice but to fly off. Trixie was rolling on the floor busting a gut. “How about Flying Meadow Muffin? That’s a good one for you! Ouch!” Trixie leaped up after a well-placed lightning bolt caught on the flank. While rubbing the sore spot, Trixie looked up and saw Ruby on a small cloud. “Life imitating art, you say?” Ruby gave the low-lying cloud a good back kick sending another lightning bolt to Trixie, but this time the unicorn magician wasn’t caught off-guard. She redirected the lightning back into the cloud shocking Ruby in the rear. C.C. was sitting on the pavement and watching Trixie performing her ‘act’ with a disapproving stare. I miss Lelouch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trixie and C.C. were in a forest clearing bathing in the warmth of a roaring campfire. The trees were stripped bare of their leaves by the changing seasons and could no longer conceal the glorious spender of the night sky from ponies traveling through the forest. “I love Geass! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I loveeeeee it!!!” Trixie said exuberantly. “Did I awe you with my greatness or what?” “Actually, you’re a terrible disappointment.” “What?!?” Trixie blurted out as she scratched her sides. “The last pony I made a contract with used his Geass more constructively. He did great things with his power.” “And who is this stallion you speak of?” “His name is Lelouch.” “If this Lelouch is so great, how come I never heard of him?” Trixie glanced back and forth between her two sides and resumed scratching the two spots. “He’s from the same place I am-beyond the Everfree Forest, as you coined it.” “Wait? You’re not serious about that hokey carnival routine are you?” C.C. gave Trixie a straight face. “You are serious. Well, if the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie is ever in your neck of the woods, she’ll look this Lelouch up and prove that she’s the better pony.” “You don’t get it.” “Get what?” Trixie caressed the spots on her sides that she rubbed raw. “It wasn’t that Lelouch is more powerful than you but that he had something worth living for. The power was only a tool to make his ideas reality. If you weren’t so full of yourself...” “Can it, will ya? I don’t need the high and mighty lecture from somepony that wants to take the coward’s way out.” “I’ve lived long enough!” C.C. raised her voice. “I don’t need someone that hasn’t even lived a third of a lifetime telling me I’ve given up!” “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. You were right,” Trixie said solemnly. “That was a terrible thing to say.” I better not argue too much with C.C. She might change her mind and decide to keep her immortality. “I hope you find it your heart to forgive me.” “Sure, whatever. Hey, why are scratching?” “I wasn’t scratching.” “Yes you were. You’re scratching the same two spots.” “Well, now that you mention it. I’ve had this sensation since I scanned that pegasus back in Trottingham. It feels like I’m supposed to have wings.” “You must have gained her knowledge of flying.” Trixie instantly perked up. “Do you think I’m able to...” “No, you can’t fly. Geass has limits. It’s like stealing the talents of a trained athlete. You may have his skills but if you’re not as physically fit as...” “Hey! I don’t steal talents. I just learn them.” “Steal or learn-the point is that you may gain a particular skill set, but you can’t use the talent if you’re not physically able to, and that includes flying.” “There may be a way around that.” “There is?!?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The massive gray cloud spat out bolts of lightning by the thousands until the sky burned with a blinding white light. As the ringing of ear-slitting thunder faded, a multitude of ponies screamed out in terror. Pegasi, singed and lifeless, spiraled downward crashing into buildings and ponies on the ground that survived the onslaught of lightning. “NO! STOP IT PLEASE!” Soarin’ leaped from the top of the hill and flew upwards. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT! DON’T LISTEN TO ZERO! THERE’S ANOTHER WAY! I SWEAR!” The wake of teardrops blowing off Soarin’s cheeks froze into ice crystals. “WE’RE ALL PONIES! WE DON’T HAVE TO KILL EACH OTHER!” Soarin was heading for a vein of lightning lingering for a moment as though it knew its victim would fly into its clutches when he was caught in the clutches of somepony and yanked away. Instantly, his surrounding shifted from Tokyo to a cloud overlooking a valley. “Let go of me, dammit! I have to stop Zero before he gets more ponies killed!” Soarin’ flailed his hooves in an attempt to break the hold of his captor. “Please I have to go back before more ponies die!” “It’s okay,” the other pony reassured Soarin’. “You were just having a bad dream.” Soarin’ pulled away from his captor. “I think I’ve seen you before,” Soarin’ said while studying the other pony’s face. “You were in Equestria.” “Well duh! Of course we’re in Equestria. This is where the Cloudsdale Weather Team practices weather management. You doze off in the middle of their training exercises, not that there was anything worth seeing.” Below Soarin’ and Dash were pegasi haphazardly herding storm clouds together and doing a terrible job at it. They were frantically trying to put their storm back together. “You were the one that won the Young Flyer’s Competition?” “Yep, that was me.” Rainbow Dash was a bit bewildered. “We hung out with your friend Rapid Fire after the awards ceremony.” Soarin’ now remembered. It was Spitfire’s idea-reduced duties. It was be easy enough not to be stressful but kept him busy enough that he didn’t have time to think about his previous assignment, though some part of him wondered if it was more to keep Meadow Prancer away. He was supposed to help the Cloudsdale Weather Team with creating storms as well as keeping them confined to the practice grounds. Or that was least what Spitfire intended, but the best laid plans of mice and ponies… Fatigue was getting the better of Soarin’ and he dozed off. Well, it wasn’t just fatigue but the recurring nightmares from the horrors he experienced on Earth that denied him rest. Last night, he relived being branded by the Britannians. This time, it was the memory of the lightning bombardment at the start of Zero’s assault of the Tokyo Settlement. Viceroy Cornelia, apparently, wasn’t aware that pegasi could control the weather and had ordered her flight-capable troops in the air despite the obvious hoof-made monster cloud lingering above their heads. There must have been tens of thousands of pegasi struck dead in the first volley alone. Scorched marks all over their lifeless bodies. Oh Celestia the smell! The smell of ozone and burnt flesh! No Soarin’! Stop it before you freak out again! “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash gently stroked Soarin’s mane. “I’m okay. I’m still getting my...What are you doing?” The rainbow-maned pony nuzzled up to Soarin’ and rubbed his back. “You must be freezing.” “But I’m not...” “Then how come you’re shivering?” “Well, I...” Rainbow Dash looked Soarin in the eyes while rubbing his mane. “Call it a day. You look like you’ve been through Tartarus.” “I can’t go back to the motel, not without finishing my job.” “You’re no good to anypony in your condition.” Rainbow Dash gazed into Soarin’s distraught eyes. “The Cloudsdale Weather Team will still be here tomorrow. A one day holdover isn’t that big of a deal.” “I don’t know...” “Look if you don’t, I...well...I’ll drag you back myself...and in ten seconds flat.” Soarin’ couldn’t stop himself from smirking at the mare threatening him with forced bed rest. Soarin took a deep breath and exhaled. “I suppose I don’t have a choice,” he said half-kidding, “you’re too much for me to handle.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.C. and Trixie trotted along the busy streets of Canterlot. The clock just struck twelve, and the workers were taking their afternoon lunch break. The air was inundated by the aroma of delicacies prepared by the local bistros lining the streets. C.C. intently scrutinized the towers of ivory and indigo stone that defied the knowledge of architecture that C.C. accrued over the centuries. “Impressive, isn’t it?” Trixie said beaming with pride. “And this is just the portion excavated from the cliff facings. The rest of Canterlot is on a plateau in the Foal Mountains, and it has three times as ponies. Tell me, does that country of yours have a city as glorious as this.” “The closest thing we have is the Tokyo Settlement. It’s not as picturesque, but it’s much larger.” “Tokyo *Settlement*?!?” Trixie emphasized the word ‘settlement’ with a tinge of contempt. “When I think of ‘settlement’, I think of those three-house frontier towns in the middle of that Celestia-forsaken desert. How large could it possibly be?” Trixie rubbed the same two spots from before. “You could fit this place in just the top level four times over.” “And just how many levels are there?” “Five.” “You’re yanking my tail. There’s no way a place like that could exist and no pony ever heard of it.” “Believe what you want. Any chance we can get something to eat? I’m hungry.” “I’m short on bits, so we have to make due here.” The luster of the chrome building Trixie pointed to contrasted with the medieval design of the other shops on the block. The streamline contours made it more like a vehicle built for speed than an eatery. Overhead was a sign that read- JOE’S DONUTS From sunrise till late The two mares were greeted by a brawny, gruff-looking unicorn stallion wearing a white vest and hat. His scruffy blonde hair was only two shades darker than his coat. “Trixie!” The unicorn stallion greeted the magician pony. “It’s been ages. Where’ve you been?” “More like where haven’t I been, Joe?” Trixie replied. “How’s life treating you?” “Pretty good, actually. Things are finally looking up for me.” “And who’s your pretty lady friend?” Joe asked with his gaze fixed on Trixie’s companion. “I’m C.C.,” she deadpanned, “the mysterious mare from the mysterious lands beyond the Everfree Forest.” “Save it for the show,” Trixie grumbled. Joe let out an uproarious laugh. “Having trouble with your assistant?” “She can be *difficult* sometimes...no...more like all the time.” Joe laughed uproariously. “I’m sure you’ll have her bowling over the crowds in no time flat.” Joe levitated a pen and notepad from his pocket. “So, what will it be, ladies?” “The usual,” said Trixie. “And what about you? What do the ponies eat in the ‘mysterious lands beyond the Everfree Forest’?” Joe joshed. “My favorite dish is pizza, though most of them eat rice and nori.” “What’s nori?” “It’s a type of seaweed.” “Hey!” An angry customer yelled. “Some ponies are eating here!” Joe let out a half-hearted laugh. “Maybe your friend should ease up on the food humor,” he said as tactfully as he could. “Don’t tell gross jokes when other ponies are eating,” Trixie admonished. “I’m not joking.” “Then keep it to yourself.” “It’s not my fault they’re so squeamish.” “Just tell me what you want,” Joe huffed. C.C. read the menu. She wasn’t in the mood for sweets. “I’ll take the bran muffin.” “Anything to drink.” “Water.” “Coming right up.” Joe trotted back behind the counter. “I really wish you’d cut out the gross-out jokes.” “I’m not joking. Believe whatever you like.” “Next, you’ll be telling me they eat fish.” “Are you from Canterlot?” “What makes you think that?” “The baker-he knew you. He even knew what your ‘usual’ was.” “If you must know, yes, the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie had her humble beginnings on the outskirts of Canterlot. I was the only one in my family that had a talent for magic. The rest could barely hold a broom, but someone of my caliber,” Trixie pressed a hoof to her chest, “couldn’t settle for working in the family business-street sweeping. When my magic teachers wouldn’t accelerate my training, I dropped out of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and struck out on my own. I traveled from one end of Equestria to the other taking on all challengers and leaving them in the dust.” A bottle of honey levitated over the donut Joe set in front of her. “Is that why you bully others? To prove yourself?” C.C. took a bite from her bran muffin and a swig of water. “You shouldn’t be so hung up on what others think of you.” “And you don’t care enough.” Lemon filling squirted out of the honey-covered donut Trixie sunk her teeth into and unto C.C.’s foreleg. “Do as you wish, Trixie,” C.C. huffed. She licked off the lemon filling. “You’re welcome to spend your eternal life however you see...” The half-eaten bran muffin stuffed itself into C.C.’s mouth. Trixie leaned over the table and whispered. “Keep the immortality stuff on the down low. I don’t want anypony else knowing about you.” C.C. bit off the portion that was in her mouth and gulped it down. “Next time you want to keep something confidential, tell me instead of ramming food down my throat. I’m not breaking our contract if that’s what you’re thinking.” “I’m not thinking that at all.” Trixie patted C.C. on the shoulder. “But who’s to say somepony wouldn’t force you to give it to them?” “I’d say it.” “Let’s not take any chances, shall we?” “Like I said, I won’t say a word about our contract.” “Now that’s settled, we can take care of business.” Trixie levitated some bits on the counter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Canterlot Tower cast its shadow over the city streets. The back alleys that were denied the rays of Celestia’s sun dulled until it was a microcosm of Luna’s night. Anypony that stepped in the alley was concealed in the overcast and couldn’t be seen at a distance. Only a block away was the entrance to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns still basking the sun. In front of the gate was a gray unicorn stallion in gold armor. Trixie and C.C. stuck their heads out of the back alley watching the mansion for the intended target. “I don’t see how this will help you fly,” said C.C. “You will in a moment, if our target keeps to schedule. Ah, there she is.” She was a unicorn, mane was a bright maroon with hot pink highlights, and her coat was pure white except for her crescent moon cutie mark. What made her stand out for C.C. was the pair of gossamer thin butterfly wings. The unicorn flapped them and took to the air, but her movements were more like an exotic tropical fish floating inside a gentle underwater current. She then tipped-toed on her hind hooves in mid-air as though she stepped on an invisible stage. “Is she an alicorn?!?” C.C. asked. “Oh please! That’s just Moondancer. She’s just an ordinary unicorn who just happens to come from a family of ballet dancers. Those are just artificial wings,” Trixie scoffed. “They last only three days and anything stronger than a breeze will pull them apart.” “Then why bother copying her?” “You’ll find out.” “Go ahead and use your Geass.” “Done it already. Well, here goes nothing.” A ribbon of light that started at the tip of Trixie’s horn coiled around her until... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trixie awoke in her cramp carnival wagon with C.C. sitting beside her reading one of the many travel guides Trixie collected beneath the glow of a kerosene lantern. Trixie tried getting out of bed, but the world began spinning the moment she sat up. “Oh Celestia! My head!” “Oh, you’re awake,” C.C. said in a reassured voice. “I was planning on getting a doctor for you in the morning.” “A doctor...,” the barely coherent Trixie mumbled groggily. “...morning.” “The sun set hours ago, Trixie. You fainted right after casting that spell.” Trixie sat up in bed for a moment before dizziness forced her down again. “The spell-did it work?” “That’s what I wanted to talk to your about. Your wings, they look like...stars.” “Of course they do.” Trixie rolled over on her stomach. The blankets slid off the bed as a pair of dark blue silhouettes stretched forth. Constellation of stars floated within these ethereal wings. “I combined Prince Blowhard’s summoning spell with the one copied from Moondancer. If the spell works as it suppose to, these will be more durable and last longer.” “You know, thanks to those wings, I had to pull your cart across town and then carry you two whole blocks...” “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I get it. The spell was harder than I thought, but the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie isn’t so easily deterred.” Trixie shot up only to flounder as the room spin. C.C. nudged Trixie away from the edge of the bed and kept her from falling off. “Could the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie take a moment to rest?” Trixie reclined back and held her hooves against her horn. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a little break.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The knife between Suzaku’s teeth was a silver blur sweeping over the peeled apple leaving behind eight evenly-sized slices that was raked into a waiting incline hanging off the edge of the table that ended at the open maw of a masonry jaw, all in one seamless motion. The process was repeated with each new apple Suzaku rolled off the cutting board. “That is so awesome!” Applebloom squealed. “I sho’ wish I could cut apples that fast.” “It’s not something you’re born with. It takes practice.” Suzaku sliced up another apple but then stopped at the last slice leaving six slices with of them twice the size of the others. “That jar’s full. Could you put it with the others and get an empty one for me? There should be some underneath the table.” “Sho’ thing.” Applebloom gleefully complied with Suzaku’s request and placed the jar on the other end of the table next to the other jars full of apple slices. “Now where the rest of them jars?” She asked Suzaku. “There’s no more under the table?” Applebloom shook her head. “I don’t see any.” Suzaku pushed his chair back and headed for the pantry. “There’s some more in here.” “Want me to fetch’em?” “That’s okay. They’re too high up for you to reach.” The only empty jars were on the top shelf. Suzaku stood on his hind legs and tried nudging an empty jar close enough to grab it. Then a shiver went up Suzaku’s back. It was the eerie presence of somepony hovering over him. Suzaku made a half-circle movement with his left front leg hooking the shoulder of the intruder while at the same time pivoting on his back hoof until he was behind the intruder and with the intruder’s front leg twisted behind his back. “Suzaku, what in tarnation are ya doin’?” “Big McIntosh?” Suzaku released the big farm from his hold. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” Big McIntosh rubbed the pulled shoulder joint. “I was only gettin’ the jars off the top shelf for ya. I’m the only one in the family tall ‘nough to reach’em.” Suzaku inspected Big McIntosh’s leg for damage. “I’m sorry for overreacting.” “Taint nothin’ to fret over. I shoulda warned ya I was reaching over yer shoulder.” Big McIntosh cradled the masonry jar in his front foreleg and placed it on the stool at the end of the incline. “Well, I gotta go. I have chores to finish up.” “Don’t go runnin’ off so quick, Big McIntosh,” Applebloom pleaded. “Wut for?” “Suzaku, could you do the knife trick?” “I didn’t do a knife trick, Applebloom.” “But ya did. You sliced up dem apples lickety split and I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout the Lickety Split that lives on Puddinghead Lane. If ya blink Big McIntosh, yer miss it.” “Well, go on Suzaku? I can’t fool around fo’ too long.” “I don’t know why Applebloom thinks it’s a trick, but...” Suzaku, once again, in one clean motion, sliced another apple into eight slices and raked them off the cutting board into the waiting incline. “Ain’t that just the coolest thing yer ever seen in a kitchen?” “Suzaku sure knows how to handle a knife.” A little too well but I oughta keep that part to mahself. As Suzaku was finishing filling up another jar, Applejack trotted through the kitchen. “Big Sis! Big Sis!” Applebloom said while jumping up and down. “Have yer seen Suzaku’s knife trick yet? He’s the world's most awesomeest preserves maker in the whole wide world!” “Applebloom,” Applejack scolded. “You know better than being a nuisance to the help.” “The help?!?” Applebloom repeated. “Don’t you have a class project due by the end of next week?” “But Applej...” “Don’t back talk your elder sister. Your teacher won’t be pleased to hear that you wasted valuable study time watching the farmhooves work.” “Yes Big Sis,” Applebloom shuffled back to her room to study. “Mr. Kururugi,” said Applejack in a cold, unfriendly voice, “after you’ve finished making preserves, tend to the leaves before it snows less you want on a blemish on your work record.” “Now what the hay’s gotten into ya!” Big McIntosh said in a cross tone. “What’s with the hoity toity talk? Ya sound like Auntie Orange bad mouthing a butler.” “I’ve merely taken the liberty of establishing a professional work environment.” She then glared at Suzaku. “I’m acting on behest of Mr. Kururugi.” Applejack tilted her head up and strutted out the kitchen. “I thought y’all two settled yer difference,” said Big McIntosh. Suzaku closed his eyes and sighed. “You know that rivalry between Applejack and Rainbow Dash.” “Eeyup.” Suddenly, Big McIntosh got wide-eyed. “Don’t go tellin’ me ya were rootin’ for Rainbow Dash.” “It’s not that. Applejack’s mad because I missed the Running of the Leaves. I was too busy repairing the fence to watch. And she’s been...more formal ever since.” “Formal?!? More like bein’ ornery. I don’t understand what gottin’ into that mare. First she gits mad that yer around and then she’s mad when yer not. Applejack ain’t normally like this. But I do wanna say that The Runnin’ of the Leaves is mighty important. Yer could have taken off to watch.” “I thought I could watch the leaves fall another day. No one told me we’re supposed to run through the woods and make them fall.” “Of course sumpony hafta make the leaves fall. It wouldn’t git done if there weren’t ponies applyin’ a lit’ knee grease to it.” “The leaves don’t fall by themselves?!? You’re telling me nothing occurs naturally?!?” “Of course it does. Ponies are a part of nature.” “I mean without anypony making it.” “Yer mean using magic like they do in Canterlot?” Big McIntosh asked under the assumption Suzaku might have misspoke. “No, I mean without any pony at all “Nope.” “The rain?” “Pegasi take care of that.” “The seasons?” “It’s our town tradition to change all of the seasons with our own four hooves. When it’s time for spring, we’in gonna have Winter-Wrap. The whole town gits together plowin’ snow, wakin’ up hibratin’ critters, and guidin’ the migratin’ birds. “What about the sun and the moon? Don’t tell me ponies are responsible for raising the sun and moon.” “Just ‘cause I don’t tell yer don’t make it not true.” “You mean ponies...” Suzaku stuttered while pointing up. “Eeyup. Princess Celestia raises the sun while Princess Luna raises the moon.” Suzaku sat on his haunches staring into space dumbfounded. His mouth left half-opened. “But it doesn’t make any sense. I know ponies have the power to alter nature but nature not functioning without ponies?” “The only place that I know that don’t have any need for ponies is the Everfree Forest, and not too many ponyfolk like goin’ there. Clouds move by themselves, animals take care of themselves, and the plants grow on their own. It’s mighty creepy for us. Sum times Suzaku, you make me think there’s a mess of ponies hidin’ out in the Everfree Forest and ain’t never seen ‘nother pony tendin’ to nature. Tell yer wut-if Applejack gives ya anymore trouble, lit me know and I’ll straighten her out.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I never knew pegasi had it this good. Almost makes me wish I was born one instead of a unicorn...almost. Trixie’s hair ruffled as the cold wind flowed through it as she banked around the mountain side. The g-forces permeated her whole body down to the bone. Trixie shot straight up like a rocket punching a hole in the clouds. In her wake was a trail of white smoke as thick as the clouds she wounded. Trixie then made a 180 degree turn and began a speedy descent into a meadow nestled between the hills. A cone of white blazed the trail of Trixie’s death plunge. A fraction of a second before impact, Trixie made a sharp 90-degree turn. Her tail brushed against the ground for a moment before descending just above the white-coated hilltops. Her hooves made a slight crunch sound as Trixie landed. There waiting for her was C.C. “I see why you made me go through the trouble of tracking down this Spitfire,” said C.C. “She’s certainly a skilled flyer.” “They didn’t make her captain of the Wonderbolts for nothing.” “Are you planning on adding flying tricks to your act?” “You’re damn right I am, but first, I have a score to settle in a town not far from here. Somepony humiliated me. It was because of her my act went south. If you didn’t give my routine a makeover, I would have taken that job at the rock farm.” “Your people farm...rocks.” “What? You don’t have rock farmers in Japan.” “I heard of rock gardens but never a rock farm.” “Rock gardens?!? You Japanese ponies are weird.” “Well, technically, I’m not Japanese. I was just staying there.” “Whatever. Just memorize the lines for the ‘beyond the Everfree Forest’ opening.” “Should we be worried about an act when you’re plotting to murder somepony?” Trixie’s jaw dropped wide open. “Murder?!? I’m not murdering anypony.” “But she’s your rival, isn’t she?” “I just want to one-up her in magic, not kill her. What kind of pony do you think I am? Just remember-you’re job isn’t done after the opening act.” Trixie unrolled a map suspended in mid-air. “Follow these directions. It’s vital for my grand finale and, most importantly, putting Twilight Sparkle in her place.” “And what am I suppose to do when I get there?” Trixie levitated an air horn and pressed the valve. The air horn made a loud BURRRR sound. Despite the sudden loud noise, C.C. didn’t flitch or react. “Just blow on this and head straight for Ponyville once it runs out of air.” Trixie stuffed the air horn in C.C.’s saddlebag. “Why? What’s supposed to happen?” “It’s a little something to scare the ponies of Ponyville.” “Will it be loud enough to be heard?” “Oh it will, you can count on it being loud enough.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rainbow Dash was taking a siesta on a cushy white cloud while the noonday sun made the nippy winter air slightly more bearable when she was stirred from her nap by a familiar voice. “Long time, no see, Rainbow Dash.” There was no mistaken that voice, that accent. Rainbow Dash rolled over and looked over the edge of the cloud. “AJ, is that you?” “Sho’ is, and I brought company with me.” “Dashie, we’re been so worried about you,” said Fluttershy. “We haven’t seen you in such a long time.” “AJ, FS, mind letting a pony have her forty winks, will ya?” Rainbow Dash yawned. “Sorry ‘bout that, Rainbow Dash, but I haven’t seen hide or hair of ya since ya took that trip ta Cloudsdale.” “Sorry to be gone so long, AJ,” Rainbow Dash yawned again as she glided down beside Applejack. “But Cloudsdale Weather Control couldn’t push a cloud if their lives depended on it without me holding their hoof the whole time.” “And ain’t none of it have anything ta do with that there Wonderbolt,” Applejack grinned mischievously. “AJ!” Fluttershy cried out. “You can’t ask Dashie something so personal...unless you want to answer.” Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a big smile. “You don’t mind do you, Dashie?” Fluttershy made her trademark squeak. “Aw come on! Cut out the good cop/bad cop routine.” “So you’re fixin’ tell us how your date went?” Applejack grinned. “We didn’t go on a date. Soarin’ was on official Wonderbolt business.” “Ya ain’t sweet on’em but y’all on a first name basis?” Applejack smirked. “Look, Soarin’ was there for the same reason I was-Cloudsdale was having trouble with their weather, and we were there to help out.” “Sure you were, Dashie,” Fluttershy giggled. “Come on’ Rainbow Dash, be honest.” “Well, he is sorta cute,” Rainbow Dash grudgingly admitted. “Oh I get it: nothin’ goin’ on but ya wouldn’t put up a fuss if there was.” “I guess so.” Out of the corner of Rainbow Dash’s eye, a fireworks display burst into multi-colored sparks. A stage sprung up from a covered wagon. “Not this manure again!” “What’s wrong, Dashie?” Rainbow Dash answered Fluttershy’s question by pointing to the wagon. “I don’t understand.” “It’s the Fake and Powerless Trixie,” Rainbow Dash said derisively. “Um...isn’t that...kind of mean.” “This is Trixie we’re talkin’ ‘bout here, Fluttershy,” Applejack answered. “And Rainbow Dash got good reason ta get all riled up.” “Yeah, she hogtied AJ and had me in a tail spin.” “Come on girls, I reckonin’ we better git over there before Trixie stirs up a mess of trouble.” Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash didn’t have any trouble finding a spot to watch the show. The only other ponies were a few of the other fillies and colts from Miss Cheerilee’s class, Snips and Snails included. “Mares and gentlecolts,” said Trixie from behind the curtain of her portable stage, “gather, one and all, and prepare to be awestruck by the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie!” “This is sooooo awesome!” Snips said gleefully. “Woohoo! Go Trixie!” Snails cheered. “Could you two grow a brain?” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Trixie is a boaster and a liar.” “She’s still totally awesome,” said Snips. In a puff of smoke, Trixie appeared on stage. “And assisting the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie is the mysterious mare from the mysterious lands beyond the Everfree Forest, C.C.” Trixie let C.C.’s name drag out for dramatic effect. The immortal mare once again donned the purple headdress as before. “What’s that C.C.? You have something to say to the audience?” “Wha...wha...what?” C.C. said snapping out of her daze. “Didn’t you have something to say to the audience?” Trixie said with teeth tightly clinched. “Oh right. I am C.C., duchess of the land beyond what you Equestrians call the Everfree Forest…um...uh…” “The miracle that is the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie,” Trixie said just high enough for C.C. to hear. “Oh right... The miracle that is the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie...” “...has spread far and wide...” “...has spread far and wide, even to my own land. I have traveled many moons to witness Trixie’s greatness with my own eyes.” “Could you say that with any less emotion?” Trixie whispered harshly. “Yer a low-down liar,” shouted a rather young filly. “She ain’t from no Everfree Forest.” “I said, ‘from beyond the Everfree Forest’.” “Well, she ain’t from there either.” The young filly, Applebloom, shoved her way through the crowds. “Oh, it’s just a little blank flank,” Trixie mocked. Some of the younger ponies snickered. “You know better than to call a grown pony a liar.” “It ain’t wrong to if it’s true.” “What do you know, little blank flank.” “I know a pony from beyond the Everfree Forest. I’m goin’ ta fetch him and prove yer C.C. is a phony pony.” “‘Phony pony’?!?” Trixie chuckled. “How clichéd and unoriginal! Go ahead and bring your little imaginary friend, little hayseed.” “Applebloom!” Applejack called out to her sister just as she was about to leave. “Didn’t I tell you not to bother the farmhoof?” “But Big Sis,” Applebloom said while pointing to Trixie and C.C., “she’s a-fibbin’ ‘bout her coming from the Everfree Forest.” “A farmhoof!” Trixie chuckled. “Oh isn’t that cute? Your little sister thinks the farmhoof is from beyond the Everfree Forest.” “Oh second thought, Applebloom, go fetch Suzaku.” “Suzaku?!?” C.C. gasped. “What’s a-matter? ‘fraid of meeting the gen-u-rine article.” Applejack smirked. “You just made that Sneeze-Achoo name up.” “Trixie!” Rainbow Dash jumped into the conversation. “You got some nerve showing your face in Ponyville, after what happened last time.” “If anypony should be ashamed to show their face, it’s you. If I recall, I was performing circles around you, though perhaps I should say you were going around in circles courtesy of my magic.” Rainbow Dash leaped on the stage with a wing-assisted jump. “Wanna go for round two.” Rainbow Dash was on her hind legs while her front legs were posed to strike. “All in good time. The Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie is patiently waiting for more eye witnesses to your second defeat. And as for you, little hayseed,” Trixie said to Applejack, “I can’t wait for your little sister to bring that farmhoof of yours here so I can put him to shame as well.” The crowd has doubled in size but it was still a far cry from Trixie’s first visit, though she did get more hecklers than last time. “Get out of town!” “We still haven’t forgot your last visit!” “You and your stupid assistant sucks!” “Oh keep showering the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie with your ignorant taunts. It’ll only make my victory that much sweeter. Oh and Rainbow mare...” “The name is Rainbow *Dash*!” “Whatever. Just be a dear and fetch your friend Twilight Sparkle.” “Gladly. Twi’s going to so kick your flank...or what’s left of it after I’m done with you.” Rainbow Dash flew off to the Ponyville Library. “And what about you, little pegasus?” Trixie menaced Fluttershy. “Will you challenge the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie?” Fluttershy slinked away and shook her head. “Um...no...I...I...rather not.” “You, undoubtedly, are the brains of your little group. You’re the only one who figured out that I can’t be outdone by anypony. My, you didn’t take very long.” Rainbow Dash returned with Twilight Sparkle following beside her. “Of all of the ponies in Ponyville, it’s you I’m looking forward to beating the most. It’ll be my grand finale.” “Trixie, I don’t want to duel you,” said Twilight. “You think you can take the easy way out like your yellow pegasus friend.” Trixie pointed to Fluttershy. “Well think again. It was because of you I was homeless and my reputation was destroyed.” “Trixie, if anypony is to blame for your misfortune, it’s you. It was your bragging about vanishing an Ursa Major that started this.” “Hey!” Snails cried out. “Don’t forget us. We brought the Ursa Minor, remember.” “It’s also both your fans' fault too.” “The Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie has more than just two fans.” C.C. tapped Trixie on the shoulder. “If you don’t mind, I need to prep for the next act.” “And miss the opportunity to watch the farm pony eat her words?!? Just be patient.” “I rather not be here when...” “I said ‘be patient’.” “Well that ain’t no way to be talkin’ to royalty, Trixie.” Applejack mocked. “I can be frank with her because she has only the utmost respect for me and practically worships the ground I walk on, despite being royalty.” C.C. rolled her eyes at Trixie’s falsehood. Applejack caught a glimpse of Applebloom and Suzaku galloping towards them. “Well Duchess C.C., I reckoned you’d like to talk to Suzaku ‘bout the land beyond the Everfree Forest on account yer homesick.” “Big Sis,” said Applebloom, “I brought Suzaku like ya asked.” “Mr. Kururugi,” Applejack slipped back in her stuck-up, high society act, “this is Duchess C.C. She comes from your nation and she’s here as a guess of Trixie. Care to educate us on the proper decorum for your nation’s nobility.” Applejack looked over her hunches and grinned mischievously at C.C. “I can’t believe it,” said Suzaku. “I thought I was the only one here.” The smirk on Applejack’s face faded. “Wait...wut?!?” “I thought you were still on Kamine Island. Is there anyone else with you?” C.C. shook her head. “Not that I know of.” “So, you’re from the land beyond the Everfree Forest too?” Trixie asked Suzaku. “I am, though the part that I come from is called Japan.” Trixie opened her eyes wide. “I think C.C. mentioned being from Japan as well. I guess we’re both right, hayseed. Now that’s been settle, prepare for the grand finale, C.C.” “Um...sure.” C.C. went through Trixie’s wagon and retrieved the saddlebag with air horn and map. “Excuse me,” said Suzaku, “but I have to go.” “And just where are you going, Mr. Kururugi?” Applejack asked in a snobbish tone. “No time to explain.” Suzaku was in such a rush, he didn’t bother to stop for a second to talk. The haughty aura surrounding Applejack disappeared as she watched Suzaku chased after C.C. “Oh gee, it’s one-thirty already?” Applejack said looking at the town clock while feigning concern. “Time sho’ do fly when yer havin’ fun. I reckon it’s time fer me to skedaddle outta here.” Suddenly, Applejack was taken off her hooves and planted back in her original spot. “Where do you think you’re going, hayseed?” “Well...I...have sum family business that needs tendin’ to.” Trixie tossed some rope beside Applejack. “It won’t take long.” “Wut won’t take long.” “Why, a roping competition, of course.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Are you planning on capturing me again?” C.C. asked Suzaku. She was on her way to prepare for Trixie’s grand finale when she was cut off at the pass. “Well?” Suzaku shook his head. “What would I do with you if I did? It’ll be pointless to even try.” “Then why did you pursue me?” “To ask you what you know?” “Make it quick.” “Did anyone else come out of the portal?” “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t conscious when it happened. The only person I know is here is V.V.” “Who’s V.V.?” “The colt with the long blonde mane accompanying the emperor?” “Where is he? You didn’t leave him alone did you?” “You’ve seen me ‘die’ before, but I always come back.” “I have.” Suzaku reminisced about his first encounter with C.C. back in Shinjuku when they were still human. He was one of the honorary Britannian recruits assigned to retrieve a canister filled with what was thought to be poison gas from Japanese terrorists. What was inside was really C.C., kept in stasis, not unlike what he and Rolo placed C.C. in when they captured her. His commanding officer shot her and tried to shoot him to keep her existence a secret. Months later, she turned up again at the Battle of Narita as though that day at Shinjuku never happened. “Well, V.V. is just like me. So I wouldn’t worry too much about him. Now, if you don’t have anymore questions, I’ll be on my way.” “There is one more question-did you see *that* thing?” “If you mean the horse with wings, a horn, and a mane made of stars, I have.” “That’s the thing that attacked us on Kamine Island.” “Trixie called it an ‘alicorn’. They’re the ruling class in this country.” “So, are they invading Earth?” “That’s the strange part. These ponies know nothing of our world. It may be some covet operation or a different group of alicorns.” “Look, I know it’s probably wrong for me to ask, given our history, but if you find anything out, let me know.” “I’ll think about it, but even if I agree, don’t expect me to go out of the way just to pass on information.” “Well, thanks anyway.” Unbeknown to Suzaku and C.C., a little filly was eavesdropping on their conversation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trixie leaped through the rope loop with each pass. Then, with a flick of her tail, the rope noose wrapped itself around an apple off the stand that Applejack was working, which found its way in Trixie’s mouth. “I believe this should cover it.” Trixie levitated two one-bit coins out of her coin purse and tossed them at Applejack’s hooves, who was struck dumbfounded by Trixie’s performance. Trixie then tossed Applejack the rope. “A little souvenir to remember me by.” “Bu...bu...” “No ‘buts’ to it, little hayseed. The Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie can outdo anypony at their own game, and if I recall, the rainbow pegasus is next.” “My special talent is flying,” said Rainbow Dash. “You don’t even have wings.” “Oh is that so?” Trixie slipped off her cape. The audience was in awe of the wraith wings. Trixie took her time savoring the fanfare, the mesmerized crowd growing more numerous by the second. “How did you become a princess?” Twilight scrutinized the new ‘alicorn. “Trixie’s no princess. This is just a variation of the flutter spell I cast on Rarity.” “Nonetheless, thanks to these, I’ll fly rings around your friend.” Trixie took off and circled Rainbow Dash three times and shot straight up. Trixie climbed until the ponies, from her perspective, shrunk to the size of gnats. How diminutive, how insignificant they are! Maybe C.C. was right. Maybe I cared too much about what they thought of me. Nopony ever lost sleep over an ant having a poor opinion of them. After this show, I might have to reconsider my act. It has been all too easy to outdo every challenger that dared match talents with me. Before the Geass, she had to work at it. Whenever a pony had a special talent that Trixie couldn’t match, she used her powers to make a fool out of them hoping everypony would be too busy laughing at Trixie’s poor victim to remember the original boast. But now, it’s was getting boring. Trixie pushed those thoughts to the back of her subconscious from which they came. This was her big chance to wipe the slate clean, to redeem her reputation. She wouldn’t let a moment of complacency deter her. Besides, she had to strengthen her Geass, so why not have some fun while working towards the goal of eternal life. Trixie nosedived. As she accelerated, the passing air first whistled and then screamed until it could no longer tolerate this creature cutting a trail of partial vacuum through it. As Trixie neared the ground, the air thickened into a cone obstructing her path through the atmosphere. However, the unicorn mage would not be stopped. Trixie devoted all her energy into forcing her wings to open and flap against the growing pressure of the Mach cone. The air, in turn, pushed against Trixie harder. But in the end, Trixie’s magic was too much and the Mach cone was shattered in a ring of red, yellow, and blue. That same rainbow pattern marked Trixie’s flight path. “But the Sonic Rainboom?!? That’s my special talent!” Rainbow Dash said in disbelief. Trixie glided back on stage. “Didn’t I tell you whatever you can do, the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie can do better.” The magician cloak floated back on Trixie just as her wings dimmed momentarily. “Now anypony else?” Applebloom wormed her way through the crowd until she reached her sister. “I listened in on Suzaku conversation like yer asked.” She said while tapping Applejack on the shoulder “Oh good...not that I want’cha makin’ a habit of spyin’ on grown folks. What did ya hear?” “They say sumthing ‘bout alicorns.” “And???” “That’s all I could understand on account they were speakin’ Suzaku’s language.” “Then Trixie’s stagehoof really is from beyond the Everfree Forest. And I think they knew each other from before. Do ya know where Suzaku is now?” “Headin’ back over here.” Applejack scanned the audience for Suzaku. He was on the far edge watching Trixie embarrass another pony. “Suzaku, ya don’t mind me asking...” “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in time to finish my chores.” “But Suzaku...” “Can it wait?” “I reckon so.” Applejack hung her head and shuffled off. Suzaku took a deep breath and trotted on stage. “Well, if it isn’t the little hayseed’s farmhoof. Care to try your luck.” Trixie scanned Suzaku as she did the other, but Suzaku was a harsh reminder that even she had limitations. By now, Trixie had a sense of what was physically possible for her. For Applejack, it was a matter of dexterity and tail-to-eye coordination. For Rainbow Dash, the artificial wings did all of the work. But it wasn’t as clear cut for Suzaku. He was fighter and Trixie had his fighting technique, but he was physically stronger and could pull off moves that Trixie didn’t have the strength for. She had to come up with a way out or be one-upped at her own show. Fortunately, Suzaku inadvertently gave her a break. “Is this necessary?” Suzaku asked. “Excuse me.” “Is it necessary to humiliate these ponies for your act? This is all pointless and cruel.” Suzaku then turned to the audience. “And you? She wouldn’t do this if there weren’t ponies watching.” “I would challenge you, but I don’t feel like competing over who can be the bigger nag.” Some of the audience chuckled. “Now don’t you have something better to do than being a wet blanket?” Trixie levitated Suzaku and dropped him off just outside the crowd. “Hey Suzaku!” Rainbow Dash called out as she flew over the audience. “Why didn’t you show Trixie up? You totally kicked those diamond dogs’ flanks.” “I’m not fighting Trixie.” “Who said anything about a fight-just a little sparring match to put Trixie in her place.” “That’s precisely why Trixie’s here. As long as you give her attention, she won’t stop.” “But Trixie’s so obnoxious.” “I said ‘no’.” “Fine,” Rainbow Dash pouted. “Have it your way.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.C. studied the map a second time. Sure enough, the cave fit the description Trixie wrote on the back of the map. The entrance was a gaping chasm wide enough to even accommodate a Britannian land cruiser, a mobile military base equipped to house dozens of Knightmare frames. “I don’t know what Trixie was thinking sending me all the way out here.” C.C. laid the air horn on the ground and stepped on it, but instead of blowing, it just simply fell over. “I hope this prank is worth the trouble.” C.C. tried to blow the air horn again, and, as before, it tipped over. “Why isn’t it working?” C.C. looked it over and noticed a pin holding the valve in place. “How did I miss this?” After pulling the pin, C.C. stepped on the air horn, which played its ear-splitting wail. “I knew this thing wasn’t loud enough. None of those ponies will hear it from here. Besides who would be so childish to think a monster lives in this cave.” RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! C.C. could feel her internal organs vibrate. A giant paw, composed of the same ethereal matter as Trixie’s wings, reached out, followed by another paw, and finally, the head of a bear with teeth as long as C.C.’s legs, snarling and growling. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trixie strutted on stage in a hot-red gown lined with encrusted diamonds and emeralds. Her mane done in a Prench braid with a single blue forget-me-not clipped just above her ear. “You colts will leer at any filly that stumbles into town. I mean, I just threw this plain little outfit together on the spur of the moment,” Trixie said with false modesty. Some of the Ponyville mares gave Trixie the evil eye for stealing the attention of their stallions. Trixie earned the ire of one mare in particular. “How does it feel to know I’m the superior fashionista.” Rarity turned up her noise and humph. “Beginner’s luck.” “Quit foolin’ around and so something cool,” Snips griped. “Yeah, something awesome!” Snails restated Snips’ demands. “Be patient, you two!” Trixie snapped. “The Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie will perform her greatest feat of magic when she sees fit.” RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! “What the hay was that?” “Is that a hydra growling?” “Or, worse, a dragon?” RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! It was getting closer. All of Ponyville was in a state of panic over the roar coming from the Everfree Forest. Ponies fled to their homes. Mares and stallions grabbed their young foals or younger siblings. “Piña Colada! Get inside!” A mulberry-colored mare cried out to a light pink filly. “But Berry Punch!” “I said get inside, NOW!” Berry Punch slammed the door shut once Piña Colada was inside. Everypony was in the grips of absolute terror except Trixie who was beaming with smug self-satisfaction. “Fear now, townponies of Ponyville for the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie will deal with this menace.” Trixie flapped her wings and flew just above the rooftops. “Why do I have a feeling Trixie is behind this?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “Cause she probably is,” Applejack answered. “Come on girls, we better follow her just in case that stunt of hers goes awry.” Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity followed Trixie. Fluttershy took a deep breath to gather up her courage before following her friends. “Hey! Wait for us!” Snips cried out as he and Snails followed the Element Bearers. “Applebloom, skedaddle back to Sweet Apple Acres.” “But Big Sis, I wanna go too!” Applebloom whined. “I says ‘go back home’ or else ya wanna a hoofin’ on yer toosh!” Applebloom sighed. “Yes Big Sis.” The two sisters then parted ways. Trixie landed just outside the Ponyville city limits on the side of town facing the Everfree Forest. The first thing to come out of the cursed woods was C.C. running for dear life. Not far off was the Ursa Minor, snapping trees that had the misfortune of being in its path. C.C. came to a screeching halt in front of Trixie. “What the...hell is...that!” C.C. panted. “That’s an Ursa Minor, and I’m guessing you woke it up from its hibernation!” Twilight scolded. She then said to Trixie, “and I bet you ordered her to do it.” Trixie patted Twilight. “Oh don’t worry your pretty little head! The Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie will take care of this monstrosity. Watch and be amazed!” Trixie flew up to eye level with the Ursa Minor and hovered in place. Trixie’s horn powered up. Her magic created a gentle wind that flowed across the waters of Froggy Bottom Bog. The breeze blew through broken cattails, which played a soothing melody that could be heard all the way from Ponyville. The Ursa Minor’s rage was quickly subsiding. Its eyelids were growing heavy. “Twi,” Rainbow Dash asked, “is she casting your spell on the Ursa Minor?” “It looks like it.” “Can she pull it off?” Ask Rarity. “I don’t know.” “And now that I’ve soothed the savage beast, the Great and Powerful and Versatile Trixie put it to rest. Would you like your bottle? I bet you do. I bet you do.” Trixie said in baby talk. She directed her attention to the Ponyville water tower. The glow from Trixie’s horn doubled in intensity, but the water tank would not budge. “Just give me a second.” Trixie strained harder, but the tank still wouldn’t move. Instead, Trixie’s wings faded. The unicorn magician plummet and landed on her bottom. “My wings! Why did they...” When the lullaby stopped, rage possessed the once docile beast sending him back on the rampage. “No!” Trixie said in denial. “It was supposed to work!” Trixie then remembered C.C.’s warning. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flashback “Hey, why are scratching?” “I wasn’t scratching.” “Yes you were. You’re scratching the same two spots.” “Well, now that you mention it. I’ve had this sensation since I scanned that pegasus back in Trottingham. It feels like I’m supposed to have wings.” “You must have gained her knowledge of flying.” Trixie instantly perked up. “Do you think I’m able to...” “No, you can’t fly. Geass has limits. It’s like stealing the talents of a trained athlete. You may have his skills but if you’re not as physically fit as...” “Hey! I don’t steal talents. I just learn them.” “Steal or learn-the point is that you may gain a particular skill set, but you can’t use the talent if you’re not physically able to, and that includes flying.” End of Flashback ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Twilight Sparkle? Perform magic that I can’t? Even if I know how the spell works? That means her magic is stronger than mine? No! It can’t be! It’s not fair! The Ursa Minor’s roar snapped Trixie out of her sobering epiphany and sent her fleeing for her life. “Twi, now would be a good time fer ya to do that trick you did the last time,” said Applejack. “Way ahead of you AJ.” Twilight resumed playing the lullaby and once again, the Ursa Minor calmed down. It struggled to keep its eyes open. “The next thing to do was to give the Ursa Minor some milk to drink.” Twilight strained to tip the water tank over emptying it of water. She levitated it across town to Sweet Apple Acres and through a barn door. “Oh dear Celestia! We’re in trouble!” Applejack cried out. “What are you talking...hey! Where are the cows?” “They all left Ponyville while I was out of town helping out Peach Melba.” “But I can’t keep the Ursa Minor docile while moving him back to his cave without the milk.” “Yes you can,” Fluttershy said with determination in her voice. “But we need the milk to keep the Ursa Minor calm. I can barely levitate something that big when it’s cooperating. It’s out of the question to move the Ursa Minor if it’s fighting to break free.” Fluttershy placed a reassuring hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Let me take care of that part.” Fluttershy flew up to the Ursa Minor and stroked its forehead. “You poor thing. Did somepony wake up?” The Ursa Minor yawned, licked its lip, and bellowed. “Oh that would make anyone cranky. Don’t you worry about the bad old pony that woke you up. Auntie Fluttershy will give her a good scolding.” Fluttershy looked her shoulder and said, “he’s ready to go back to his momma.” “Wait!” C.C. said horrified. “Did she say that thing was going back to its mother?!?” “She sure did,” said Pinkie Pie. “That’s just the Ursa Minor.” “And its mother?” “You don’t want to know.” Twilight’s horn was a sword of incandescent white. Her powerful magic levitated both Fluttershy and the massive Ursa Minor and carried them across the Everfree Forest. Once the massive cub was back its den, the exhausted Twilight powered down and fell on her haunches. “Okay, Duchess, care to explain how you got chased by a cranky Ursa Minor, an Ursa Minor that’s suppose to be hibernating” Rainbow Dash admonished C.C. “Well?” Twilight then noticed C.C. glaring at Trixie. “Oh don’t think we didn’t know this was Trixie’s idea, but you went along with it, so you’re just as much at fault as her.” “She isn’t,” said Trixie. “It’s completely my fault. I tricked C.C. into it. I sent her to the Ursa Minor’s cave without telling her what was in it and told her to blow an air horn.” C.C. and Twilight did a double take. “You’re accepting all the blame?!?” Twilight asked. Trixie nodded. “I thought I could vanquish the Ursa Minor by using your spell. Perhaps, I should have...practice more.” “No, you shouldn’t have summoned that monster in the first place.” “Twilight Sparkle!” Mayor Mare cried out. She was accompanied by her secretary, Bit Coin, and the stallions from Ponyville’s volunteer police department. “What the hay happen? Was that Ursa Minor back in town again?” “Trixie, care to tell the mayor what you told us?” Everypony waited to hear from the Great and Powerful and Versatile and Drenched in a Nervous Sweat Trixie. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The knocking of hooves against metal jolted Trixie from her slumber. She rubbed her encrusted eyes. The fuzzy vertical lines came into focus. They were bars of iron. Trixie fell off her cart. “Wha...wha...what am I doing in...oh, now I remember.” On the other side of the cell was Caramel. “Rise and shine, Great Pain in the Flank Trixie,” Caramel berated. “You got 500 hours of community service.” “Did you say 500 hours? I thought the mayor said I had a thousand.” “Would you rather have a thousand hours?” “No, 500 hours is perfectly fine.” Caramel escorted Trixie across town to a rundown building. The interior was stripped bare. Partitioning walls knocked down. Shelves were torn off the wall. “Remove the nails from the scraps of wood and take it to the beaver farm. The sheetrock goes to the landfill. The bricks go to the quarry strap pile. I suggest working 10 hours at least. It’ll make your community service an even fifty days. And you and your friend better not slack off or else we’ll add more hours.” “My friends?!? What’s he talking about?” Just then, C.C. stepped from behind the building. She was hitched to a cart. “C.C., that’s my job.” “I’m your accomplice, so it’s both our jobs.” “We’ll both get into trouble if...” “I talked to Mayor Mare, and she agreed to cut your sentence in half if I helped.” “Why would you help...me?” “I told you already-I’m your accomplice. We’re in this together until our contract has been fulfilled.” About an hour into their work day, Caramel stepped away to talk to somepony outside. Trixie took the opportunity to speak with C.C. “I bet Lelouch never caused you this much trouble.” “HA!” C.C. laughed sardonically. “This was a cakewalk compared to what Lelouch would put me through.” “I’ll assume by ‘cakewalk’ you mean I’m not as demanding as Lelouch.” “You’re demanding in your own way, but what you ask is no where near as much of an inconvenience.” “I thought he wasn’t wasting his power like me. Wasn’t he the one doing *great things* with his Geass.” “Accomplishing great things and doing something easy are often mutually exclusive. My contract with Lelouch was high maintenance compared to yours." C.C. patted Trixie on the shoulder. "I’m sorry that you couldn’t beat Twilight Sparkle.” “C.C., it isn’t over yet. In fact, this defeat makes me want immortality more than ever. Twilight’s just a one-trick pony whereas I’m the Jack-of-all-trades. That much I have over her. Your code may be the edge I need to defeat Twilight Sparkle.” “I don’t know about that, but I hope you find fulfillment with my code.” “Shhh, he’s back.” Trixie, upon seeing Caramel returning to the work site, went back to pulling nails out of the scrap wood and dumping it in their cart. “Are you C.C.?” Caramel asked. C.C. nodded. “I am.” “There’s some pony who wants a word with you in private. She’s waiting for you out front.” “I won’t take long,” said C.C. as she stepped out. To C.C.’s surprise, it wasn’t Suzaku who was waiting for her, but Applejack. “Aren’t you the one Suzaku works for?” “Well, technically Suzaku works fer our family farm, Sweet Apple Acres. Name’s Applejack, Duchess.” “I’m not a duchess. That’s just part of our show.” “Wut ‘bout comin’ from beyond the Everfree Forest?” “That much Trixie was being honest about. So what did you want to talk about?” “I need ta know wut’s yer relationship with Suzaku.” “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” “Look, I consider Suzaku as part of the Apple family.” “Sorry, I couldn’t tell by the way you spoke to him last night.” Applejack nervously slid her hoof along the ground and averted her eyes from C.C.’s. “Well, that was on account of a fallin’ out we were havin’. Please, I hafta know. I don’t mean any harm by it, I swear on Celestia’s mane.” “If you must know, I supposed if I was pressed into it, I would say Suzaku was my foalnapper.” “Now ya wait one second, missy! Suzaku ain’t the type of pony to go foalnapping mares.” “You asked and I gave an answer.” “And just why would Suzaku foalnap anypony?” C.C. took a deep breath and exhaled. “The ruler of our nation wanted me to do something for him. When I wouldn’t cooperate, he sent Suzaku to bring me to him.” “Why of all ponies would he send Suzaku?” “Probably because he’s a knight.” “Our Suzaku?!? A knight?!?” “And why do you care? Are you his lover?” If fur could blush, Applejack would be beat red. “No...no...now don’t be jumpin’ to no conclusions. I was just watchin’ out for our farmhoof, that’s all.” “Could have fooled me. You sound like a jealous girlfriend.” “The...the...the...then you need yer ears checked.” Applejack made a hasty retreat back to Sweet Apple Acres. “My, what a shy girl,” said C.C. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Suzaku, sorry to catch ya headin’ off to bed, but I hafta have a word with ya?” “What can I do for you, Miss Apple?” Suzaku yawned. “Can we stop the fancy talk? Look, I was wrong to be all strict on ya. Can ya find it in yer heart to forgive me?” “Only if you find it your heart to forgive me for missing the Running of the Leaves?” “Well shoot, Suzaku. You ain’t from ‘round these parts. I shoulda explained how important it was.” Suzaku smiled at Applejack. “I’m glad we can be on speaking terms again.” Applejack wiped a tear running down Suzaku’s cheek. “Don’t git all weepy on me. I can’t believe I said that after tellin’ off Spike for hatin’ on sentimentality.” Suzaku wiped his eyes. “I can’t help it. I’m just so happy that we’re friends again. What’s wrong?” “Whadda mean ‘what’s wrong’.” “You frowned.” “Oh, I did. I was...just thinking how stupid this fight was.” “It was kind of silly, wasn’t it?” “Well, good night, Suzaku.” “Good night, Applejack.” Suzaku shut the door to his bedroom. Applejack let her head hang under her shoulders and sighed. “Yeah...friends.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flim and Flam, two identical unicorn brothers who both had the same yellow coat, candy cane mane, and blue and white striped suit and could only be differentiated by their cutie marks and Flam’s walrus mustache which contrasted against Flim clean-shaven muzzle, trotted gleefully back to their lodging with money bags stuffed with bits. “I say, Flim, the apple cidar business was never this profitable,” said Flam “I do agree dear brother,” said Flim. “The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 never brought in this many bits.” “Whoever would have imagined ponies would fall hook, line, and sinker for those mini-record players.” “What was those frittin’ young colts calling it again, Flim?” “I believe they called them ‘Trot-Ponies’, Flam.” “We should make a beeline to the copyright office and trademark that. It’s the sort of brand name that tingles on the tongue, dear brother.” “Now that we can call upon the muses of ingenuity at will, the world is our personal gold mine.” “Perhaps we should find that little colt who gave us the super invention-making power and give him his fair cut, Flam.” The two brothers snickered and then broke out in laughter. “I’m afraid that young fellow will just have to learn that contracts, like any other promise, are meant to be broken. Now, enough talk about that bratty little foal. What’s this surprise you were going on about, Flim?” “You know those two exquisite, upper crust mares that graced our humble exposition of the Flim-Flam Brother’s Trot-Ponies, the ones from Vanhoover?” “How could I forget mares of such fine pedigree?” “Well, Flam, they were so enthralled by our salesponyship, I gave them the key to our room. We’ll have all night to get acquainted with them.” “I’m looking forward to cherishing these mares’ virtues by having them give it to us.” The two brothers laugh. Flam slid his room key into the lock and turned, only to find the door was left unlocked. “Looks like they’re already here. Put on your best face, brother. Always make a good second impression with the mares.” Flim opened the door to a darkened room. “Yoohoo! Is anypony home?” Flam tapped Flim and pointed the silhouettes of two ponies sitting on a couch leaning against each other. “Sorry to keep you waiting but our promotional tour was running longer than expected,” said Flam. The two brothers trotted inside the room. “Oh don’t be shy, my dears. You don’t need to hide in the dark. If you were doing something risqué, we won’t tell.” “Provided we’re allowed to join in,” Flim winked. However there was no reply from the two silhouettes. “Don’t be so coy.” When Flam lit his horn, his heart nearly stopped. The two mares Flim invited were dead. Their heads were flopped over at odd angles. Their swollen tongues stuck out. Around each of their necks was a garrote. Each one wrapped around a common baton that was used to tighten both garrotes simultaneously until their necks snapped. Suddenly, the door shut behind them. Somepony cast a flame spell and lit the kerosene lantern. Standing between the Flim-Flam brothers and their murdered dates was V.V. “Do you have any idea how much of a bother it was to track you down? Why if I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to welsh on our contract.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just when it looked like Trixie would finally be humbled, the allure of power is too much for this mare and now Trixie’s desire for C.C.’s code is more powerful than ever. Will Trixie obtain immortality? What plans V.V. has in store for the Flim-Flam Brothers? Can Soarin’ learn to cope with the horrors he faced on Earth and can Rainbow Dash be the rainbow at the end of his dark tunnel of despair? And what twist and turn will Applejack and Suzaku’s relationship take? Find out in future installments of Rebel Against the Night.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2017-12-19T06:47:46+00:00

2018-01-09T13:10:10+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 13: The Rebellion Against the Night “I was made a laughingstock, Newsie News, and somepony must *pay*.” Diethard looked down at his hooves and noticed the wave of magical energy moving along his legs turning him to stone. “I can remove the Omega Line!” Diethard pleaded for dear life. By now, the magical aura has worked its way up his legs petrifying flesh and fur in its wake. “Do you really think you’re so indispensable?” Nightmare Moon sneered. “Circuit Breaker is more than capable of removing your accursed Omega Line.” “CIRCUIT BREAKER!” By now, the aura had moved up to Diethard’s chest. “TELL HER YOU NEED ME!” The magical aura paused. “Circuit Breaker!” The earth pony computer programmer heeded his Empress’ call and galloped to her side. “Is it true? Will you need Newsie News’ help?” Out of the corner of Circuit Breaker’s eye, Night Fire peered through the doorway, looked him straight in the eye, and shook his head. Circuit Breaker was no fool. Night Fire had always hated Newsie News, and he couldn’t completely blame him. Nopony really thought Newsie News was a true follower of the Empress and was dismayed why their goddess would elevate him to a position of prominence, but it was not their place to question her will...not to question her will...That's right. My loyalty is to my Empress. It's her best interest I must look after. Circuit Breaker swallowed his fears and pushed them down the depths of his stomach. “It could take months to get the system back online without Newsie News’ help.” The magic aura stopped moving over Dietard. “And how long will it take with Newsie News' help?” “Two weeks, tops.” Night Fire’s reaction was as Circuit Breaker expected: rage simmering just beneath the surface. His ire was fueled even more so by the magic aura reversing Diethard’s petrification. Nightmare Moon’s mane twisted around Diethard’s neck. “It looks like you’ve received a last minute reprieve, Newsie News. You have two weeks. Make the best of it and don’t disappoint me...again,” she said before loosening her grip. “You and Circuit Breaker get to work NOW!” Nightmare Moon called out to the ponies outside the studio. “Night Fire, I have a job for you.” Nightmare Moon’s high priest trotted into the control room with a scowl on his face while glaring at Circuit Breaker from the corner of his eye. “Yes, your majesty.” “Your number one priority is to capture Zero so he may answer for his crime. Place all other concerns to the side. This is your first priority, Night Fire.” “It shall be done, my empress. If Zero brings 235, we'll come with 235,000, your majesty.” “You're a fool, Night Fire.” All eyes turned on Diethard. Everypony, even Night Fire, was aghast that Diethard would still have the gall to speak. “You were in the military, Night Fire. Would a resistance movement really broadcast their numbers to the en...” “You're not fooling anypony,” Night Fire interrupted. “You're just trying to save face after humiliating our empress with you Ome...” “Silence!” Nightmare Moon snapped. Night Fire tucked his tail between his legs and backed away. “But he does have a point.” She then turned to Diethard. “You're the last pony to talk. But you have peaked my curiosity. Explain yourself...and it better be good.” “As I was saying before Night Fire shouted me down, the enemy wouldn't broadcast intel on their own forces? And why that exact number? This is obviously a coded message. I know the bastard and he's the type to slip a hidden message.” “Then tell us, Newsie News, what is the meaning of Zero’s hidden message?” “He say his regiments would be waiting where it all started and I know where because I was there when Zero made his first public appearance. That would be the most likely location.” “And what about that particular number 235?” Diethard cleared his throat and said nervously, “it shouldn’t take too long to decode.” “You don’t know, do you?” Nightmare Moon frowned. “These things take time, my empress.” “Don’t bother. The mangy outlaw won’t have time to put his scheme into play. Night Fire will see to it. And you have a mess to cleanup-yours!” Night Fire smirked at Diethard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Euphemia opened her eyes to a void of pure darkness. Where am I? Her mind was in the mental state of fleeting amnesia just as awaking from a long rest. Her horn glowed brightly dispelling the darkness that once enveloped her private quarters. Euphemia was in her bed. The trays of rotting food were gone. Why is my room clean? I told the staff not to disturb me. Euphemia rolled over and strained to get on all fours. After a brief struggle untangling herself from the blankets, Euphemia slid off the bed and trotted through the bedroom door. “Sir Guilford? General Darlton?” Euphemia called out as she crept through the hallway. She turned the corner and called out their names. This time, a beam of light shone from a room on the other end of the hall. Euphemia squinted as the light source turned and shined a beam in her eyes for a moment before it pointed down. The source of light was an antiquated kerosene lantern. It dangled from the handle held firm in Sir Guilford’s teeth. The knight set the lantern on the ground and bowed to Euphemia. “Pardon me for blinding you, your majesty,” Guilford apologized. “Don’t worry, Sir Guilford, I’ll live.” Euphemia rubbed her eyes. “Where is everyone? The castle seems...empty.” “About a third of the royal staff was relocated as per Nightmare Moon’s edict. Even General Darlton was compelled to leave.” “Where is Darlton?” Sir Guilford pointed up. “All the winged ty...pegasi were relocated in settlements...in the clouds.” “Who’s left besides you?” At this point Sir Guilford frowned and his eyebrow lowered. “Your personal champion-Sir Reginald. You remember Sir Reginald, your majesty.” It was then the veil of forgetfulness common among those awakening from a long slumber faded and Euphemia remembered the last time she laid eyes on Sir Reginald and the verbal tongue lashing she gave him. Euphemia also remembered the vile accusations she hurled at Darlton and Guilford-that they purposely sent Suzaku on a suicide mission. “Of course I remember Sir Reginald. I was going to mention him, too,” Euphemia halfheartedly lied. “May I be forthcoming with you, your majesty?” “Are you asking to speak freely...” “Do you remember the bruises on Sir Reginald?” “I don’t recall seeing...” “He had gashes from a scuffle with one of the agents sent by the Office of Secret Intelligence, specifically the one that delivered Sir Kururugi to an island off the coast of Japan. He literally beat the man into submission just to find which island-Kamine Island to be exact.” Euphemia galloped across the hall as fast as her feeble constitution would permit and stopped within a few inches of Guilford’s face. She took a moment to steady herself less she collapsed. “Did you find Suzaku? Please tell me he’s alive.” Guilford grimaced and looked away. “Unfortunately, the caverns where your father and Sir Kururugi encountered Nightmare Moon collapsed. General Darlton flew to Kamine Island and confirmed the agent’s story.” Guilford said remorsefully. He regretted bringing up the subject as Euphemia choked back the tears. “I’d hoped Nightmare Moon was mistaken or lying but that’s not true, is it?” Euphemia said remorsefully. Guilford shook his head. “I’m afraid not, your majesty.” “I want a funeral for Suzaku. He deserves a state funeral but a private ceremony for his...” Guilford rushed to Euphemia’s side when she collapsed on the floor weeping. “Why does life take all the ones I love from me?” Euphemia threw her front leg over Guilford’s shoulder and pulled him into a tearful embrace. All Guilford could do was to stroke Euphemia’s tangled, knotted mane as his neck became moist with tears and snot. “Clovis, Cornelia, Lelouch, Father, and now Suzaku. They’re all gone. After the long embrace, Euphemia pulled away from Guilford and wiped her face. “I’m sorry for not showing proper decorum, Sir Guilford. I was...caught in the movement.” “To be blunt, I’m not the one you owe an apology to. May I speak freely again, your majesty?” “That won’t be necessary, Sir Guilford. I already know you’re about to say. I should ask Sir Reginald for his forgiveness for being an ungrateful bitch.” “I...uh...wouldn’t have put it so...strongly as that, your majesty,” Guilford stuttered. “I know you wouldn’t, but it needed to be said. Where is Sir Reginald?” “He’s tracking down one of the fugitives you were harboring.” “How did you...” “The ones that stayed behind told us.” “I didn’t believe even Earl Asplund would be some brash.” “Actually, it was the young girl-the one who invented the alternative power source.” “Why?” “According to them, she fled after Sir Reginald relayed a televised message from Zero.” “From...Zero?” Guilford nodded. “He resurfaced after taking control of a broadcast intended for Nightmare Moon.” “Oh thank God he’s still alive.” Guilford backed away with a look of utter shock and confusion at Euphemia's enthusiasm over the well being of Britannia's second worst enemy after Nightmare Moon. “Your majesty...Zero maybe the lesser of two evils, but he is no ally of Britannia. He murdered both your brother Clovis and your sister, the former viceroy.” “Well...uh...it's that...our priority is freeing Britannia from Nightmare Moon,” said Euphemia trying to justify her outburst, “and we have to...have to make the situation work to our advantage. Justice for Clovis and Cornelia must wait till then.” “Yes, your majesty,” Guilford grunted in disapproval. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Night Fire was not having a good night. What should have been a monumental occasion was turned into an utter farce. The wild ponies should have seen the Nightmare Moon he loved and worshiped with their own eyes. Instead, that bastard Zero stole the spotlight and humiliated his goddess by bringing down a portion of the great canopy. And the pony responsible for letting Zero hijack the broadcast, Newsie News, came out unscathed because Circuit Breaker opened his big muzzle. And now, all of Neighpan Island was in an uproar. Night Fire was in the Nightmare Palace war room speaking to an overly muscular earth pony stallion in armor. Maps of Neighpan Island and New Canterlot covered the walls and were dotted by thumbtacks representing skirmishes with rebellious wild ponies. “Sir, the Shadowbolts have successfully quelled all rioting in New Canterlot Castle but resistance in the wild pony ghettos is still strong.” Night Fire placed a hoof on his forehead and huffed. “Don’t you have any good news to tell me, Brawny Hooves? I’ve had a bad day, today.” “Don’t you mean night sir?” “I meant what I said, which is why it was a bad *day*. The wild ponies think the old order is coming back, all thanks to Zero’s little stunt.” Just then, the door cracked open and a bat-winged pegasus peered inside. “Permission to enter.” “We’re rather busy right now, Winged Eclipse? Can it wait?” “Sir, somepony has come forward claiming to have information vital to the capture of Zero.” Night Fire and Brawny Hooves looked at each other and then at Winged Eclipse. “Bring him in.” “Actually, it’s a mare, sir.” Winged Eclipse replied. He then looked over his shoulder and called out. “You can come in.” “So, wild pony,” Night Fire said the mare that just trotted in, “what information do you have, Miss...” “Fenette...Shirley Fenette. I know who Zero really is.” “Oh you do, do you?” Night Fire raised an eyebrow. “And why would you tell us that?” “Because I want Zero dead.” The loathing dripping from those words convinced Night Fire that, at the very least, her hatred was sincere. “Miss Fenette...or Shirley if you don’t mind. May I call you Shirley?” Night Fire paced around Shirley. “I’d prefer Miss Fenette,” Shirley said. She tensed up, part of her wanting to curl up in a ball. Night Fire circled around Shirley not unlike a shark. “Excuse my skepticism, but you’re a wild pony-a wild pony that was once a Britannian but a wild pony, nonetheless.” “This isn’t a trick! I know Zero’s true...” It only took a glance from Night Fire to silence Shirley, “...identity.” Shirley whispered the last part. “You have to admit, somepony coming out of the blue claiming to know Zero’s true identity is hard to believe. First, why would a wild pony, who chooses not to fully embrace the Empress’ kindness,” Night Fire pointed at his own cat-like eyes, “betray their leader?” “I never betrayed Lelouch! He betrayed us!” Shirley, realizing what she blurted out, cupped her mouth. “Lelouch betrayed you?!?” Night Fire frowned. “Is ‘Lelouch’ Zero or your boyfriend?” “I don’t know.” “How can you not know? Are you that ditsy?” “No. He did something to me.” “I bet he did plenty of things to a pretty little mare like you.” “That’s not what I meant. He did something to my memories. You can ask Princess Euphemia if you don’t believe me. She’s Lelouch’s sister.” “Euphemia is Zero’s sis...sis...” Night Fire snickered. “Yes, he’s a prince.” “She has quite the imagination, doesn’t she?” Night Fire nudged a guard. “More like a few apples short of a cart,” the guard chuckled. “I'm sure your boyfriend told you lots of things to get you in bed,” Brawny Hooves joined in. “I heard enough. Guards!” Two palace guards came forth. “Escort this wild pony out of the palace.” “I’m not lying!” Shirley galloped to Night Fire’s side. “You have to believe me. Zero will get more peop...ponies killed if you don’t stop him.” Shirley said with pleading eyes. “You know how to put on a good show, Shirley, but you sound more like a vengeful little filly crossed by her coltfriend. I don’t need another frantic mare claiming to know...” Night Fire paused to reconsider his initial impression of Shirley. Moonlight Blossom kicked up a fuss about knowing Zero's true identity before the Empress put that blowhard honorary knight in her place. Can it really be an coincidence? It wouldn’t hurt to question Moonlight. Know what?!?” Shirley asked. “Now that I think about it, there was somepony else that said she knew Zero's true identity.” Night Fire turned his gaze to the batwing pegasus that brought Shirley. “Winged Eclipse, Miss Fenette will be accompanying us to the servant quarters.” Then Night Fire gave Shirley a menacing glare. “I just hope for your sake both of your stories match.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The servant quarters was the stuff of nightmares. Not the ones that were the product of childish fears of monsters giving chase or coming to school naked, but those of dread and foreboding of a murky gray world populated only by menacing shadows and whatever hapless dreamer that stumbled into their hellish existence. That was the state of the servant quarters as word spread among the faithful that Night Fire was bringing a wild pony for a visit to a dwelling that was reserved only those who earned their place with the one true goddess. It was then everypony had to sneak a peek. Shirley quivered under the glow of ten thousand pairs of white burning orbs encompassing her; staring into her very soul. Some of them peered through open windows and doorways. A multitude hovered above and was accompanied by the beating of wings that synchronized with each other until they filled the murky landscape with a low bellow. Her chaperons, who surrounded Shirley, weren't much comfort either as their eyes burned with the same eerie glow. “Are you sure this Moonlight woman...” “That's mare to you!” Night Fire snapped at Shirley “I'm sorry. Are you sure she also knows Lelouch is Zero?” “Assuming you're not lying to us, then yes. She was making a big fuss about it before the Empress put her in her place.” Night Fire turned the corner of a multi-story complex. Shirley stopped just at the entrance. “What the hay are you waiting for?” One of the guards barked. “Move it, wild pony.” Night Fire twisted his neck and turned his head almost at a 180° angle. Shirley thought she was used to the extraordinary flexibility of their equine bodies but she yelped as Night Fire stared back at her with his glowing, cat-like eyes reminding her of the horror movie she watched as a child with her older cousin who was babysitting her while her parents were away that gave her nightmares for months. “Is there a problem, Miss Fenette?” “I...I...can't see. It's too dark.” Night Fire faced forward and then scanned the room. “You there,” he said to a horned shadow in the lobby, “we're escorting this sun-loving wild pony to the thirty-fifth floor and she needs a light to keep from tripping over her own hooves.” “Anything for the Empress' high priest.” The lobby brightened to a hazy glow from the light shining from a unicorn mare's horn. The mare trotted beside Shirley illuminating the way leading to the apartment complex stairwell. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barnstormer answered the knock at his door. “Oh hey Nighty. What brings you here?” Barnstormer said informally. “Global security. Where's Moonlight Blossom?” “You just came in the nick of time. MB was about leave for guard duty.” Barnstormer pointed at Shirley. “Is she a new acolyte and how come she hasn't been fully initiated?” “She isn't one of us...yet.” Night Fire said as he glanced back at Shirley with a devilish grin, which sent a cold shiver down her spine. “What do you want with Moonlight and how is it a matter of global security?!?” “It's about Zero.” “Oh, that scumbag! Moonlight and I will do everything in our power to help bring Zero to justice,” Barnstormer held a hoof against his heart. Just then, Villetta Nu peered out the doorway beside Barnstormer. “You called for me, sir?” Villetta asked. A smirk briefly appeared before Villetta took a more causal demeanor. She knew it wouldn't be long before Night Fire came knocking on her door for Zero's true identity. The thought of lying to Night Fire and keeping that brat alive on the off chance he could defeat Nightmare Moon crossed her mind. She even concocted an alternate persona for Zero: that Eleven pilot Kururugi Suzaku. It was at least more believable than a Britannian high school student, but then hope gave way to caution. No, the brat would be caught for sure and she would have answer for covering up his true identity. “I'm sorry to take up your time, but we have a pressing matter.” Night Fire presented Shirley to Villetta. “Moonlight, this mare claims to know Zero's true identity.” “She does?!?” Villetta stepped outside. The new mare quivered under Villetta's scrutinizing gaze. “Her name is Shirley Fenette.” Villetta Nu jumped back. “Not you!” “Something wrong, Miss Blossom?” “Why would you turn on him now!” Villetta pointed at Shirley. “What are you talking about?” Shirley asked. “Yes, please elaborate,” said Night Fire. “She shot me! She shot me to protect Zero.” “Wait! I shot you?!?” Shirley shook her head. “No! I would never! I don't remember.” “Is that true, Moonlight? She did...” Barnstormer traced the edge of the scar that graze the right side of Villetta's head before she backed away. “It's nothing to worry about Barn...” “YOU BITCH!” Barnstormer lunged at Shirley and was within inches off getting his hooves on her if not for Night Fire's guards restraining him. They piled on top Barnstormer “YOU HURT HER! YOU HURT MY MOONLIGHT BLOSSOM!” Barnstormer managed to get back on his hooves and were dragging the others with him. “LET ME GO!” “Barnstormer! Calm down!” Night Fire ordered. “I'LL KILL HER! I'LL KILL HER!” “I don't remember shooting her I swear,” Shirley cried. Villetta rushed to Barnstormer's side and embraced him. “Please Barnstormer, calm down. It's okay. It's okay,” she said while nuzzling up against Barnstormer. “Miss Blossom, I take it that this mare does know Zero's true identity,” said Night Fire. “Yes sir, she does.” “I want to hear it from your lips. What is Zero's real name?” “It's Lelouch Lamperouge,” said Villetta. “At least you two are in agreement over his first name. Tell her what Lelouch's surname is, Shirley.” “Lamperouge is an alias. His real name is Lelouch vi Britannia. “It is?” Villetta asked. Night Fire nodded. “According to Shirley, Lelouch is not only Zero but also a prince of Britannia.” “You mean that high school boy is a Britannian prince.” Villette gasped. Her eyes then opened wide. “Now that I think about it, the emperor did sent two of his children to Japan as a 'peace' offering just before the invasion.” “Two Britannian princes,” Night Fire raised an eyebrow. Villetta shook her head. “No, the other one was a princess.” “Nunnally,” Shirley blurted out. “You said something, miss?” “No, I...” “That's the other one's name isn't it-Nunnally. Thank you, Shirley.” “But Nunnally,” Shirley whispered, “she couldn't...she'd never...” Night Fire stooped down and looked at Barnstormer, who was still trying to break free, in the eyes. “You still haven't calmed down yet?” “You promise to punish her for what she did to my Moonlight!” Barnstormer demanded as he struggled against the guards. “Are you forgetting who's in charge, Barnstormer!” Night Fire said sternly. “No sir, I haven't,” Barnstormer settled down. “Moonlight Blossom put that little incident behind her. Right Moonlight?” Night Fire said while staring intensely at Villetta. “Yeah sure. All in the past.” “And she's the one that got shot. Now, if they let you go, will you behave yourself? You are the captain of the Shadowbolts, and I expect better from you.” “Yes sir.” “Let him go,” Night Fire ordered. The guards followed the command and piled off Barnstormer. As he got back on all fours, Shirley nervously braced herself out of fear the enraged stallion was only pretending to calm down. Instead, Viletta escorted Barnstormer back inside their apartment. “Why so nervous, Miss Finette?” Night Fire asked “I was afraid he'd...” “Go after you again,” Night Fire finished Shirley's sentence. “Oh don't worry about him...unless of course you don't cooperate then I'd have no choice but to let you two...settle things on your own,” he smirked. “But I told you the truth.” “Did you really think you'd just name drop Zero and crawl back to the ghettos with the other wild ponies? When Zero is captured and executed, we *might* be done with you. Till then, you're in it for the long haul, my little pony.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nina Einstein looked up at the partially-restored Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel. Nina could only glance at the top of the 80-story complex before flashbacks of the hotel-jacking where she, Shirley, and Milly was taken hostage by the Elevens. Nina laid a hoof on her pounding chest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flashback Nina gripped Milly's hand for dear life She always felt uneasy around them, even the honorary Britannians. But now she's being held at gunpoint by those people. Seeing Nina quivering in fear, Milly placed a comforting hand on her back. “E...El...Eleven,” Nina blurted out. “What did you say!” One of the terrorists yelled while giving Nina a nasty glare. He then pointed the sub-machine gun hanging from a sling over his shoulder at Nina “We're not Elevens! We're Japanese dammit!” Milly held Nina against her bosom trying to comfort her. “Yes, we're aware of that. Just lay off her.” “Then correct her! We're not called Elevens!” “Fine, we're correct her.” This time, Shirley was speaking on Nina's behalf. “How dare you speak like that to me!” The terrorist barked. “You three! Come with me to the next room and I'll teach you a real lesson!” All Nina could do is cry out 'no' over and over again. “I said get up NOW!” The terrorist grabbed Nina by the wrist and yanked her off the floor. “Let me go,” Nina cried out. Nina tried to pull away but the terrorist was too strong. She shrieked and cried out for mercy. “Stop it!” The voice came from a girl not much older than Nina but, unlike her, with a firm resolve as though being a leader was natural to her. “Who the hell are you!” The terrorist then shoved Nina to the floor. “I demand you take me to your leader right now. Understand.” Underneath the garbs of a commoner and cheap pair of glasses, she had the grace and beauty of an angel and the regal bearing of a noble woman. “What!” “You are addressing Euphemia le Britannia. The third princess of the Britannian Empire.” Everyone in the room, even the Eleven terrorists, were in shock, especially Nina who never would have imagined a noble woman, let alone a full-blown princess sticking her neck out for a mere plebeian like herself. “Are you alright, young lady?” She asked with a calm, soothing voice. “You haven't been hurt?” End of Flashback ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Euphemia-I have to be strong for the princess' sake. Nina, renewed in her resolve by the woman she idolized...no...loved, pressed forward to make her Faustian deal with the devil in order to defeat an even worse demon. The newly (and heavily) refurbished Kawaguchi Lake Convention Center towered overhead. It was a obsidian dagger looming beneath Nightmare Moon's dark violet canopy. Nina steadied her hoofs and averted her gaze from the dizzying heights of the top of the massive skyscraper. Though she knew better, the feeling that massive structure would lunge upward stabbing the canopy wouldn't subside. Suppressing her agoraphobia, Nina pressed forward. Nina crept inside with her horn lit up. Unlike other unicorns, Nina knew how to focus her light into a beam not unlike a flashlight. Scaffolding lined the walls of the hotel lobby. “Nina Einstein, I presume.” Nina frantically scanned the lobby for the source of the voice that called out her name. “Zero!” Nina called out. “Show yourself.” “Look towards the reception desk,” said Lelouch. The spotlight glided across the lobby until it came to rest at a 12-foot long mahogany desk tucked into the corner of the room. Zero trotted into the light beam. He wore in the same full-body suit and mask as the night he openly challenged Nightmare Moon. “Miss Einstein, I am most pleased you understood the hidden meaning in my message” “Of course I did. 'Where it all begun'-it was here at the hoteljacking.” “Excellent deduction, Nina,” Lelouch congratulated the young mare. Though he made his first appearance at Suzaku's near-execution, it would the Kawaguchi Lake Convention Center that would hold the emotional connection for Nina that Zero's first public appearance didn't. “Now do you understand the rest of my message?” 'Regiments of 235 strong'-235 is the atomic mass of fissile uranium. And they're waiting for a leader, and that would be me.” Nina pointed to her chest. “You were the one to unlock the energy within the very atoms themselves and breathed life back into a Knightmare Frame. And that's not all uranium-235 is capable of.” “You don't want it as a power source.” Nina said in a strained voice. “I'm afraid a Knightmare Frame is no match for Nightmare Moon. If it could, we would have done away with that false god by now.” “I should have known,” said Nina. The apprehensive mare nervously rocked back and forth. Nina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Your plan is to release all of its energy in one destructive blow.” “An enemy the likes of which this world has never seen must be defeated by a weapon the likes of which this world has never seen.” “I...d...d...don't know...” “Do you not wish to free your fellow Britannians from Nightmare Moon? And what of your princess-the one being held hostage here in Japan?” “Euphemia,” Nina said with a hoof pressed against her chest just underneath her heart. “If you're not interested, I have no choice but to find some other means of defeating Nigh...” “NO!” Nina galloped across the lobby and skid to a stop next to Lelouch. “You need me.” Just as I have hoped, I can use Nina's infatuation with Euphie to bring her over to my side. I might not have to use Geass after all. “So you made up your mind?” Nina nodded her head. “Yes, I'll build an atomic bomb for you.” “I'm glad you put aside any doubts you had.” “Thank you, now give it to me.” “Give you what?” “The uranium.” “I didn't bring it.” “But you said it would be waiting for me where it all started.” “That's something I wouldn't just carry around. Just come with me. The Black Knights have a safe house set up with all of the equipment you'll need.” Nina shook her head. “No, I'll help but on my own terms.” “But why?” “'But why' you asked?!? You're the enemy of Britannia. I'm no fool, Zero. The moment Nightmare Moon is gone, you'll turn those weapons on Britannia. I came to you only because Nightmare Moon is a greater threat.” “I assure you, Nina Einstein, I have only the best interests of the world at heart and that includes Britannia.” “What sort of gullible fool you take me for! Now I know it was a mistake to come here.” “Nina, listen to me.” It was at that moment, the left side of Zero's mask slid open. “You must believe that I am acting in Britannia's best interest and that you must put total trust in me.” “You're right,” Nina said under the influence of Geass. “I must have complete faith in you. Take me to your safe house.” “I'm glad you reconsidered.” I should have gave little Nina more credit. A mind as brilliant as hers could not be so easily beguiled even with her infatuation with Euphemia as leverage. Fortunately, I still have my Geass and now I have the ultimate weapon - one capable of destroying both Nightmare Moon and Britannia. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cinnamon Delight galloped to Night Fire's side and nuzzled her lover's neck as he trotted in Cornelia's old war room where the deceased viceroy conducted meetings with her general and personal champion. Night Fire nudged Cinnamon's chin with his hoof and French kissed her.” “Where have you been? I haven't seen you since quarter pass the Little Dipper.” Just then, Cinnamon Delight caught a glimpse of Shirley as she and some of Night Fire's guards coming through the door. “Who's the wild pony?” She asked. “Is she a new acolyte?” “No, at least not yet. Believe it or not, she's Zero ex-girlfriend.” “But I never said that I was.” “I hope for your sake you're not,” Cinnamon sneered. “Our goddess doesn't take kindly to wild ponies causing trouble nor the slutty mares that won't keep their tails down for riffraff like Zero.” “I told you I'm not Zero's girlfriend.” “Now now settle down, fillies,” said Night Fire. “Shirley's questionable association with Zero is all in the past. She's had a change of heart and is now willing to help bring Zero to justice. Right Shirley.” Night Fire stared daggers at Shirley. “Yeah...right.” Shirley averted her gaze from Night Fire. “Unfortunately, the Shadowbolts haven't found any pony fitting your description of what's his name...uh...Lelouch...yeah that's it...we haven't found this Lelouch.” “Lelouch?!?” A bewildered Cinnamon Delight uttered. “I thought you were looking Zero...wait...is that Zero's real name?” Night Fire nodded. “So the rumors about Zero being a Britannian was true.” “But not all is lost. Lelouch may be in hiding, but his younger sister Nunnally...” “No she won't. Nunnally wouldn't get involved.” “And why not?” “She's a cripple and she's blind.” “Uh huh. Keep going.” “When Lelouch abandoned us at the refugee camps, he let Nunnally stay at the Tokyo Settlement and kept her safe.” “An overprotective Big Brother.” Shirley frenetically nodded. “Yeah, that's it. Lelouch would never let Nunnally get involved.” “This changes everything.” Night Fire then placed a hoof on Shirley's shoulder. “I was going to hunt her down and tortured her until she fessed up and ratted out her brother. But we can toss that plan into the trash bin of bad ideas.” “You really mean it,” Shirley said with a smile that only someone freed from a terrible burden could muster. “Of course I do. In fact, you've been such as a help to us, I'll honor your request and give your father a proper cremation and hoof the ashes over to you. All you have to do is help ID Nunnally for us.” Suddenly, the relieved smile disappeared from Shirley's lips. “But you said I convinced you not to go after her.” “No, you convinced me not to interrogate her. Instead, you've made the case for using her as bait for a doting brother,” Night Fire grinned. “What have I done!” “Why you help bring Zero to justice, of course.” “No!” Shirley shook her head. “I only agreed to...to...” “...betray Zero,” Night Fire completed Shirley's sentence, though Shirley wished he'd use a word other than 'betray'- one that didn't leave such a bitter taste in her mouth. “I thought I told you that you were in this till the bitter end. There is no going back.” “Please don't. I'll do anything just keep Nunnally out of...” Suddenly, Night Fire backhoofed Shirley. “I've heard enough of your whining.” A stream of blood ran from Shirley's bottom lip and along her chin and down her neck. “Whether you like it or not, you're helping us capture Zero. And if you don't, well, you've already lost your father. I'd hate it if you to lose your mother, too. Cooperate or suffer the consequences.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sayoko sighed over the choice of produce laid out before her at the numerous stands of the farmer's market. While objects in the sparse lighting appeared to have a different color than in the bountiful light of day, Sayoko could, through her years of training, discern an object's true appearance from the hue of a kerosene lantern or the light of the artificial night sky of the Nightmare Moon's canopy, and what she saw was not to her liking. Leafy vegetables were brown and withered from atrophy. Fruit, while nourished from the energy flowing from the canopy to the ground, were sickly and pale and lacked their usual vibrant colors. “I know how you feel lass,” Sayoko turned to a plump earth pony mare with a curly red mane and an amber coat. She was hitched to a two-wheeled cart. Inside was an assortment of the less-than-appetizing produce. “But trust me, it taste better than it looks.” “Oh hello Yamaguchi-san,” Sayoko politely greeted the mare. “I told you it's just Bridget. You needn't be so formal, lass.” Yamaguchi Bridget's husband was an old friend of the family who met his wife while working as a branch manager for a multinational corporation in Dublin. He had the misfortune of retiring in Uenohara near Mount Takao just before the invasion and she had the misfortune of being mistaken for a Britannian. Life has been hard for the Yamaguchi family as one was an outsider and often mistaken for one of the invaders and the other mistaken for a traitor literally sleeping with the enemy. Sayoko was surprised the two didn't take up the old practice of emperor worship and join Nightmare Moon's cult if for no other reason than to find a place to belong. “I'm glad I bumped into you-saves me the walk to Mount Takao. I heard you're taking care of a wee lass who can't walk or see. Is that true?” “I am. Her name is Nunnally Ashford, and she's Milly's cousin,” Sayoko lied. Yamaguchi Bridget patted Sayoko on the shoulder. “I'm terribly sorry I haven't been there to help even though your family was there for Hiroki.” Sayoko could tell by her apologetic tone that Bridget genuinely felt guilty even though she had her hands full taking care of her husband after his debilitating stroke caused by the strain of being transformed. He was already in bad health and the transformation pushed his body over the edge and almost killed him. “My primary concern is that Miss Nunnally will fall behind academically. I've been tending to Miss Nunnally since she was a full-time student at Ashford Academy, which has a very rigorous program for all the students. Though I was initially pleased she could take a short break in this laid back environment, I fear she'll become too lackadaisical.” “I know that's just your roundabout way of saying 'I don't need any help'. Well, it's too late. I went ahead and sign you up for a special program.” “A 'special program'?” “Tokiha Mai told me all about it. They give her a stipend to help with her sick little brother, Takumi. She even helped me fill out the paperwork." "And who are 'they'?" "The Nightmare Moon clan. It's suppose to be an assistance program for anyone takin' care of special needs children. Yeah, it's all just some PR malarkey but if we're stuck with Nightmare Moon, we might as well make the best of it. You should see a letter in the mail about it. Just put yer signature on it and get it notarized.” “Thank you for your help Mrs. Yamaguichi,” Sayoko bowed before sprinting down the road back towards the mountains. “Don't be in such a hurry. It won't be comin' for awhile.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A wrinkled-up piece of paper was being folded as it floated a foot above the table. After being folded several times, the paper drifted into waiting hooves. Nunnally inspected her latest attempt to relearn the art of origami, which was proving more difficult than when she had fingers to feel the folded segments. She tried to 'feel' the paper with her unicorn magic just like Lelouch taught her, but it lacked the nuance of the sense of touch of human fingers. Also her origami teacher, Sayoko, was even worse off than Nunnally. Unicorn magic was no substitute for hands when there is no sight to guide the power, but it was better than using hooves. Nunnally heard hooves clopping just outside. The origami fell on the table after Nunnally turned her attention to the door. "Sayoko, welcome back," Nunnally greeted her caretaker. Sayoko barged into Nunnally's room and threw open the closet door. "Sayoko, what are you doing?" There was banging and rustling inside the closet. Nunnally rolled into the bedroom. Sayoko was tossing throwing knives into a dufflebag on one of the two twin futons. "What's all that noise, Sayoko? What's wrong?" "I sincerely apologize, Miss Nunnally, but we must leave immediately." "But why?" "It's not safe here anymore." "Why not?" "Please trust me, Miss Nunnally." Sayoko zipped up the dufflebag while sliding a few of the smaller throwing knives into the dufflebag's side pockets. She took hold of another dufflebag and laid it on Nunnally's lap. "Please pack as much food as possible." "Yes Sayoko," Nunnally telekinetically rolled her wheelchair to the kitchen when she stopped. "There's a bunch of people outside. I can hear them." Sayoko looked through the window. She moved her head side-to-side and squinted. Then, suddenly, Sayoko grabbed a throwing knife with her teeth and tossed it through the window. A blood-curling scream followed the sound of shattering glass. Sayoko threw the dufflebag full of knives on Nunnally's lap, unzipped the bag, and hastened to the back of the wheelchair pushing it from behind. Sayoko and Nunnully wasn't even halfway to the exit when cat-eyed ponies burst through every door and window. Sayoko fluidly swiped three knives and tossing them at the intruders. All three knives hit their mark dropping three of the intruders. She then swiped two throwing knives with diamond-shaped on the end of the handle that stood out of place with the knives with a circular ring on the end of the handles and then threw them at two unicorns standing in the doorway. One of the unicorn chuckled as her magic caught the knives to midair, but the self-satisfaction was short-lived when the blades exploded in a brilliant white light. The screeching of blinded imperial cultists rang though the house. "MY EYES!" "SWEET EMPRESS! I CAN'T SEE!" Sayoko plowed through the unicorns blocking the entrance trampling them under hoof and wheel. When she felt they were far enough away, Sayoko galloped around the front of the wheelchair. She hastily tightened the safety belt around Nunnally's waist. "Miss Nunnally, I didn't have time to bring the harness. You have to hang on to me while I pull us to saf..." Sayoko suddenly pushed Nunnally and wheelchair away a split second before a pegasus came crashing down hooves first where they were. Sayoko spun around and kicked the pegasus in the windpipe killing him instantly. Sayoko rushed to Nunnally. "Grab hold of me before we're attacking aga...AHHHHHHHHH!!!" Before Nunnally had a chance to take hold of Sayoko, a well-placed lightning bolt struck Sayoko down. The remaining imperial cultists flocked around Sayoko stomping her underhoof. "Sayoko! Where are you? Please call out to me." "Okay everypony," said a voice overhead, "fun's over." Barnstormer, who was dressed in his Shadowbolt uniform, landed beside Nunnally. "We got what we came here for." "Where's Sayoko? What have you done to her?" "You really are blind," Barnstormer responded. "Please don't hurt her. I beg you, please." Nunnally was now in tears. "You better worry more about yourself, little filly." "Hey Barnstormer, what about her?" Asked one cultist. "Kill her," another cultist replied. "After the hell she put us through." "One earth pony mare gave you that much trouble," Barnstormer scoffed. "Sounds like you should be mad at yourselves." "You make it sound like we're wimps." Barnstormer snorted. "And maybe you are," he said. Groans could be heard among the cultists. "Is the wild pony mare still alive?" An imperial cultist lean over her bruised and bloodied body. "Yeah, but barely." "Leave her be. If she survives, she can tell Zero we have his baby sister." "What are..." Nunnally stuttered, "...no! I'm not Zero's sister. What are you talking about?" "Save your questions for Night Fire. He wants to have a word with you, princess." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will Nina be able to construct Lelouch's ultimate weapon? What plans do Night Fire have for Nunnally? Find out in the next installment of Rebel Against the Night, which I hope won't take five years like the last time. Hopefully, the muses will be kinder to me as a part of their 2018 New Year's resolution.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2017-12-19T07:40:12+00:00

2017-12-19T07:39:26+00:00

Rebel Against the Night By CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 14: The Most Awkward Night Ever Sugar Cube Corner was packed full of patrons and pastries. While it wasn't uncommon for the bakery to host birthday parties for foals, what was out of the ordinary was the guest of honor-Princess Celestia herself. “I understand from Twilight's letters you enjoy tending to the needs of woodland creatures,” said Celestia. As the princess was speaking with Fluttershy, Applejack paced back and forth nervously. “Yes,” Fluttershy replied, “I love to take care of animals.” Applejack took a deep breath and trotted beside Princess Celestia. “As do I. As princess I care about all creature great and small.” Just as Applejack was about to speak, a hacking cough startled the farm filly. “Nothing means more to me than the well-being of all of my subjects.” Just then, the source of the coughing floated from the bottom of the bird cage next to the princess...somehow. It was a bird, but one that lost most of its feathers. Its wings were reduced to stubs not unlike one pegasus being checked into the Manehatten Memorial Hospital back when she lived with her Auntie and Uncle Orange. The poor thing had a bad case of the mange and loss all her wing feathers. Her wings, once majesty and regal, looked more like fleshy nubs sticking from her sides, and this bird was no different. “Ah Philomena, my pet! You're awake.” Celestia said the sickly bird. “Do say hello to our gracious hosts.” The bird said 'hello' in its own special way-with another hacking fit. “Oh...my,” Fluttershy said with a look of concern for the poor animal. “She is quite a sight isn't she,” Celestia said in a rather disturbingly prideful tone of voice given the condition of her pet. “I've...I've... I've never seen anything quite like it.” One of the two pegasi that was guarding the entrance was now leaning over the princess whispering in her ear. “Really,” said Celestia, “well, if I must. I'm sorry everypony. I'm afraid I have to cut the party short. The mayor has requested an audience with me. Royal duty calls. Thank you for a wonderful time. It's been a joy getting to know you better.” The princess and her royal entourage trotted out of the Sugar Cube Corner. Applejack galloped out the door as well. For a while, Celestia seemed oblivious to Applejack shadowing her from behind. Just when she was about to enter Mayor Mare's office, Celestia stopped and looked over her shoulder at Applejack. “Why are you following me, young mare?” The princess asked. “Well...uh...,” Applejack stuttered, “ya see yer majesty...I...uh...” “I believe I made it clear that I had urgent business with the Mayor.” “I was a goin' ta wait till you were dun with yer business.” “You have my attention now. Just make it quick.” “I was wunderin' if yer had anuther Grand Galloping Gala tickets. It's fur a friend of mine.” Celestia sighed. “If this friend of yours wanted a ticket so badly, she could have paid for one herself.” “It ain't like that at all, yer majesty. I tried to buy a ticket for 'em but they were all out, and he doesn't even know imma gettin' it fur'em.” “Did you say 'he'?” A smirk crept up on the princess' face. “Ohhhhh! Now I see.” Celestia held a hoof to her mouth and playfully chuckled. “Oh my, you've grown up so quickly.” “No, yer mi..mi...misunderstood,” Applejack stuttered. “He's...uh...Sweet Apple Acre's farmhoof and I need help with our apple stand.” “Of all the nerves, Applejack.” Celestia scolded but a hint of playfulness in her voice. “Asking for a ticket to the most prestigious gathering in all of Equestria for hired help?!?” Applejack's cheeks turning beet red did not escape the divine eyes of the princess. “I can't give another ticket for a mere business acquaintance.” “Well...you...see...um...sort of part of the Apple family...an honorary Apple...” “And...” “Sorta muh friend.” I think I teased Applejack enough. A gold-colored ticket materialized before Applejack. “I hope the next time you ask for another ticket, it'll be for somepony you share a more...intimate relationship,” Celestia said to Applejack while giving her a sultry gaze. “Yes, yer majesty,” said Applejack. She snatched the floating ticket and galloped away. Well, that was amusing. Celestia chuckled. I'm looking forward to seeing Applejack's coltfriend. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flim and Flam was frozen in place by the shock of seeing the little colt they stiffed standing between the lifeless bodies of the two voluptuous mares they seduced. “Do you have any idea how much of a bother it was to track you down? Why if I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to welsh on our contract.” Flam's eyes darted back and forth between to the two dead mares. “Cherry Tart! Luscious Red!” He then fixed an angry glare at V.V. “How could you?” V.V. pointed to him. “Me?!? I'm just a little colt. Who would anypony believe a pair of shady stallions that just rolled into town...not after the trail of dead mares they left behind.” “What are talking about?” Flim asked. Flam gasped at the realization. “Brother dear, he means he's killed other mares we...” “...had sex with.” V.V. completed Flam's sentence. “So many dead mares. I can't imagine you'd ever see the light of day if they ever caught you.” Flim rushed across the room. His hoof came down on V.V.'s head pinning him to the ground. “Now you listen here. Fess up to *your* crimes, kid. If you turn on the water works and beg for forgiveness, they'll go easy on you.” “Oh yeah!” V.V. levitated the garrote wire and twisted around Flim's neck and tightened. Flim struggled against the wire wrapped around his neck, but this child, somehow, had stronger magic. All he could do was free his windpipe for a fraction of a second to gulp down a wisp of air. What was worse was that V.V. didn't seem to struggle at all. He was toying with Flim and could tighten his grip any time he felt like ending his life. Flam, in a panicked, galloped across the room and trampled over V.V. “Release my brother now, damn you!” Flam's hooves landed one blow after another on V.V.'s head. Flam halted his brutal beating and glanced back at his brother. Flim was growing sluggish. He was on the verge of passing out and then it would be over. “For the love of Celestia, please let him go.” “Eat shit!” V. V. cursed. He glared at Flam with a crazed look on his face as blood ran from his brow and down his cheeks. Flam flew into a panic and no longer held back. Blood sprayed all over Flam's legs and hooves with each time his hooves smashed into V.V.'s skull with the occasion crackling of broken bones. As the beating continued, Flim could feel V.V.'s grip loosening. He unwound the garrote wire from around his neck. Flim's knees buckled as he fell to the floor. The room tilted and rotated around him. Flim took one heavy breath after another trying to stay conscious. As he was gaining his composure back, Flim noticed, to his shock, his brother Flam was still brutally beating the little colt. “Flam! Stop!” Flim cried out. The shout took every bit of breath the stallion could muster. He broke out into a coughing fit trying to catch his breath again. Flam stopped beating on V.V. and hastened to his brother's side. “Oh thank Celestia and Luna you haven't went to the Great Pastern.” “Is the young col...*cough* colt still among the *cough*...living?” Flam rolled V.V.'s motionless body around and examined him for life. “He's...dead.” “You killed a little *cough* colt?!?” Flim said scornfully. “I...I...I had no other choice. He would have strangled you if I hadn't taken drastic measures.” “But now thanks to your rash actions, we have two dead mares and one dead colt. How do we explain that?” “You don't.” Neither Flim and Flam could believe their ears. The little colt with the platinum blonde mane that Flam brutally beaten to death, was speaking. His head flopped around when he got back on all four. V.V. nudged his head back in place waiting for his Immortality Code to kick in and heal his broken neck. “Who would believe you're innocent?” “But...but...you're dead.” “Haven't you idiots realized the same power that granted you new abilities also grants me immortality. You can kill me a hundred times, a thousand times. On the other hoof, I only need to kill you once. Or I could leave you on your own and you can explain to everypony why there's a trail of dead mares leading to your doorstep.” Blood traced the outline of V.V.'s malevolent grin. “But if you cooperate, no one other than the ponies in this room has to know.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What can I do for you, Twilight?” Rarity said politely. “Your little sister Sweetie Belle said you had some leftover gems for Spike,” Twilight replied. “So, she tore herself away from that obnoxious Trot-Pony to interact with the rest of ponydom.” “Trot-Pony?!?” Twilight asked. Rarity pointed to her ears. “Oh you mean those weird-looking earmuffs.” “I wouldn't insult earmuffs by confusing them with those abominations!” “You didn't give it to her?” “Heavens no!” Rarity was indignant. “Mother bought them for her. They're supposed to play music...and I use the term 'music' loosely.” “So that's where that creepy mumbling came from.” “I thought I told Sweetie Belle not to play her Trot-Pony so loudly. I'll have a tongue-lashing waiting for that young mare when I see her. Oh drats!” Rarity facehoofed. “I can't believe we got sidetracked by Sweetie Belle's little toy.” Five gems levitated from her basket. “That's an unusual emerald?” Twilight asked as she pointed to a light green oblique gem. “That's actually jadeite.” Rarity dropped the gem inside Twilight's saddlebag. “And this is nephrite, zoisite, kunzite, and beryl.” Rarity dropped a bright green gem, an amber gem, a light pink gem, and an aquamarine quartz-like crystal as she sounded off each one. “Princess Celestia gave them to me. She said they were Princess Luna's but Celestia said her sister had a bad experience with them.” Twilight was perplexed. “How the hay does anypony have a bad experience with gems and why those particular ones?” “I'm sure Princess Luna has a good reason. Besides, you can't hold my little Spiky-Wiky up. His lit' tummy is probably rumbling.” And I bet the baby talk would upset Spike's stomach's even more. Twilight rolled her eyes. “And I believe I spotted a certain stallion we both know with a rumbling heart,” Rarity winked at Twilight. “What are you talking about?” Rarity pointed right behind Twilight who turned around spotted Big McIntosh peaking from around the corner of Daisy's cottage. Twilight was flabbergasted. “You don't mean me?!?” She pointed to herself. “I promise not to tell Applejack,” Rarity winked at Twilight. “There isn't anything going on between Big McIntosh and me.” “I don't see why not. You two would make a cute couple.” “But that sort of relationship would cut into my study time, not to mention my friendship lessons.” “Why am not I surprised,” Rarity whispered. “I'll tell Big McIntosh I'm not interested.” “Not so fast Twilight,” said Rarity. “What do you mean 'not so fast'? I'm not looking for a coltfriend right now.” “And I'm not saying you must but don’t be so blunt. An outright rejection could devastate him. You have to be...tactful and let him down gently.” Twilight pressed her hoof against her chin. “You do have a point. I'll be right back.” Twilight teleported out of Carousel Boutique. A minute later, Twilight teleported back while flipping through a book with a pink and white cover. The title A Mare's Guide to Coltfriends was printed on the front cover and spine in cursive fonts. “Twilight, are you sure that book can be...trusted.” “Are you kidding? It has a 9 ½ star rating from the Canterlot Book Review, and they don't hoof out scores like that willy nilly. By the way, where's Big McIntosh?” Twilight peered through the boutique's front window. “I'm afraid he trotted off after you winked out.” “Where did he go?” Twilight asked in a panicked voice. “I'm sure he's heading back to Sweet Apple Acres.” Twilight galloped out of the door with her book in tow. Fortunately, for her, Big McIntosh wasn't too far ahead. As Rarity said, Big McIntosh was heading out of town to Sweet Apple Acres. “Big...Mc...Intosh,” Twilight said between gulps of air. “I'm glad I found you. Rarity said you were heading this way.” “What can I do fer ya, Twilight?” Just then, Big McIntosh caught sight of the book floating in midair and looked away apprehensively. “Rarity said you wanted to talk.” Twilight said nervously. “It's gotta be in private?” Twilight took a deep breath to calm the swarm of butterflies in her stomach. “That can be arranged.” Twilight teleported both her and Big McIntosh in the library. “Wut the hay!” Big McIntosh looked around with a dazed-and-confused demeanor. “You said you wanted to talk in private. The library won't open for another hour. Feel free to share your feelings.” Twilight forced an awkward smile on her face. “It's hard fer me ta ask yer this, but you're the smartest pony I know.” Twilight Sparkle looked away and cracked a sheepish grin. “Why thank you, Big McIntosh.” “Well, I dunna feel comfortable 'bout asking ya this but, Imma bit concerned 'bout Suzaku.” “Wait what?!?” “Well, remember ta Runnin' of Ta Leaves?” “Ugh! Oh do I,” Twilight grunted. “Your sister and Rainbow Dash were way too competitive...no offense.” “None taken. But anyhow. Suzaku missed it and Applejack got all hot and flustered over it and was actin' all snooty to'em.” “That is rather odd Applejack would get that upset.” “No, that ain't da problem...well it was...but tat ain't wut I came here ta talk 'bout. You see, when I asked Suzaku 'bout missing the Running of Ta Leaves, he didn't know ponies were suppose ta shake ta leaves off ta trees. And tat ain't all. He didn't know ponies changed the seasons or made the plants grow or tat Celestia moved ta sun and ta moon. The way Suzaku talks, it's as though there's a mess o' ponies hidin' in da Everfree Forest who don't know ponies are responsible for making nature work.” “That is wield.” “Tat aint all. I heard 'bout how Suzaku fought off timberwolves and them Diamond Dog that foalnapped Miss Rarity but I thought ponies were exaggeratin' 'bout it 'til I saw whut Suzaku could do with mah own eyes.” “When did you see Suzaku fighting and with whom?” “It wasn't exactly fightin'. Suzaku was reachin' for sum jars on ta top shelf in the pantry. Well, on account that I'm ta only pony in the Apple family that can reach ta top shelf, I got on mah tippy-hooves and reached over'em. I musta startled Suzaku 'cause he somehow got behind me and pinned me to ta floor before I could blink.” “I can't believe Suzaku would attack anypony out of the blue.” “I did say I startled'em. He apologized when he found out it was me.” “Oh that's good to hear.” “Tat's whut I reckoned until I saw'em slicing apples for our preserves. He was cuttin'em so fast I couldn't keep up. His head looked like a blur. And then I remembered them stories Applebloom told about Suzaku whuppin' those timberwolves and Miss Rarity's getting' rescued from them Diamond Dogs.” “I'm not sure where you're going with this,” said a bewildered Twilight. “Before I go any further, ya gotta promise ya keep it a secret. Mah sisters and Granny Smith wouldn't want just anypony hearin' 'bout this and I dunna think they'd want ye knowin' 'bout it.” “Cross my heart, hope to fly, and stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight covered her eye while swearing her oath. Big McIntosh took a deep breath. “I don't know anypony that can fight like this except for mah cousin Rotten Apple. Rotten's a scary pony serving time in San Quarter Horse Prison for...” Big McIntosh took another deep breath and said in a regretful tone, “for murderin' ponies.” “Oh dear Celestia.” “Celestia ain't got nuthin' to do with Rotten. Well, I saw'em fight back in the days when he was only hoofin' ponies and not killin'em. He could clear out a whole saloon full of ponies all on his lonesome. He was the one pony I was afraid of. 'Fore he went ta jail, we'd make'em a whole barrel of apple cider before anypony else just ta keep'em from wanderin' into Ponyville. If you think Rotten was bad before, you should see'em when he's tipsy or better yet don't.” “I can't imagine Suzaku acting like that.” “And tat's what so strange. I can't either. I can accept a mean rascal like Rotten being able to fight like a bagged-up badger but Suzaku ain't got a mean streak like Rotten. He seems too kind-hearted ta be ta type of pony tat knows how ta fight.” “You have a good point.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “I guess I could start by doing research on the lands on the other side of the Everfree Forest.” “Why thank ya very much Miss Twilight.” “Anything for Applejack's big brother.” “Oh and Miss Twilight,” Big McIntosh placed his hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “Imma really flattered ya think of me tat way, but yer a tad too young fer me. I prefer mares ‘round my age. I hope you're not too upset Miss Twilight,” Big McIntosh said before trotting off. “What did he mean by th...” It was then Twilight realized that she was levitating her dating advice book the entire time. “Oh meadow muffins,” Twilight facehoofed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Tat sho' is a fancy coat,” Applejack looking Suzaku in his new outfit. Suzaku was at the Carousel Boutique trying on his outfit for the Grand Galloping Gala along with Rarity, Applejack, and the rest of the Element Bearers who also dressed for the prestigious event. “And it matches your dress Applejack.” Pinkie Pie said gleefully while nudging Applejack until she was side-by-side with Suzaku. Both Suzaku's coat and Applejack's dress were the same shade of green. Suzaku's vest was the same shade of red as the apple clip on Applejack's bolo tie. “That was uh...mighty thoughtful of ya Rarity to make matchin' outfits,” Applejack laughed nervously. “It looks very nice on you Suzaku,” said Fluttershy. The other nodded in agreement. “Do you like it, Suzaku?” Rarity asked as she pointed to the three full-length mirrors-one in the center facing Suzaku and two on the side tilted at angle to give the ponies trying on their new suit a panoramic view. “It looks nice,” Suzaku answered. “Thank you, Miss Rarity. So where's the pants?” “Pardon?” Rarity's eye began twitching. “Did you say...pants?!?” Suzaku nodded. “Uh oh,” said Pinkie Pie. “Here we go again.” “You want pants...and on the day of the Grand Galloping Gala.” Rarity's eye twitched again. “Well yes, I could go out of public without pa...oh never mind,” Suzaku chuckled. “I keep forgetting I'm in a different country. Just forget about the pants. What I'm wearing is just fine.” “Oh thank Celestia,” Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Did I say something wrong?” “Long story,” said Rainbow Dash. “We'll have to tell you on the way to Canterlot.” “Let's not darling. I don't want to even think about it.” “It's getting late, girls,” said Twilight looking at the clock. “We better head on out.” Twilight lead the way outside. As they were leaving, Rarity tapped Suzaku on the shoulder. “And what's this about pants? They'd just clash with your coat?” “Pants are kinda...mandatory where I come from,” said Suzaku. “Ugh! Why would anypony with an inkling of fashion sense would make stallions wear pants with their coat?” “Well, it's because public nudity is sort of frown upon in my country.” “Nudity!” Pinkie Pie blurted out. “What's that?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Are you sure you don't need help setting up the food stand?” Suzaku asked Applejack. He was tagging behind Applejack who was pushing a cart amid a group of gala attendees socializing in the Canterlot Castle courtyard. “Naw Suzaku, these things set themselves up.” Applejack gave the cart a swift back kick. The cart unfolded reveling an assortment of apples and apple-based pastries and a pair of small yellow flags each with an apple on them. “Did Twilight make that from an apple like the carriage...” “Now Suzaku, not e'vrything in Equestria was made with magic. This here is Apple family ingenuity.” Just a few yards away, a stallion in a blue skintight outfit with bright yellow lightning patterns on the underbelly and fetlock was dragging his hooves along the courtyard. He was a pegasus with a blue coat and wing feathers a few shades lighter and a blue mane a few shades darker than his form-fitting uniform. Accompanying him was another pegasus in the same uniform-a mare with a golden yellow coat and a fiery orange mane with bright orange-red highlights. “...just put all that behind you. Just relax and enjoy the gala,” said the mare. “I don’t know if I can. I don’t want to be a downer. Maybe I should go back to my room,” said the downtrodden stallion. “Hiding in your room is an even bigger downer. Cheer up. That’s an order, solider. “Okay, you win Spitfire.” The stallion said with a bit more pep in his voice. “Check it out. It's your favorite, Soarin'-apple pie. Who knows. It might even be a zap apple pie. It'll be my treat.” “Thanks.” The two trotted over to Applejack's food stand. “Howdy partner! Ye hungry?” Applejack asked. “As a horse,” said Spitfire, “well, he is.” She patted Soarin' on the shoulder. “Whatchan hankering fer? Caramel apple, apple pie, apple fritters, apple fries.” “That big o’ apple pie looks good,” said Soarin' but with a more energetic but still reserved tone. Spitfire smiled at her old wingpony. She was glad Soarin' mood picked up a bit. Suddenly, Suzaku stepped from behind Applejack and was in Soarin's line of sight. “Kumi! Kumi Sorato! Kumi, anata wa nani o Equestria de yatte iru ka. Dō yatte koko de Nippon kara desu ka.” “What sort of language is that?” Asked one partygoer. “Is that Griffonese?” Another asked. “Whatever it is. It's grating to the ears,” a third partygoer snobbishly remarked. Soarin' backed away from the apple stand. His legs trembled. Eyes fixed in place by sheer terror like a deer caught in the headlights. “You got me confused me with somepony else.” Soarin' flew away in a panic. “Soarin' wait!” Spitfire cried out. She shot a nasty glare at Suzaku and Applejack before flying after him. “Suzaku! Now wut the hay did ye do tat fer?” Applejack scolded. “I thought I recognized his voice.” “Tat ain't possible. Tat there's a Wonderbolt. He ain't frum yer neck of the woods.” “But he...” “No buts! Awe shoot! If ya keep this up, we'in never earn 'nough money fer the farm now,” Applejack huffed. “But how did he know what I was saying,” Suzaku whispered to himself. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Princess,” said Twilight Sparkle, “I've been so excited to spend time with you...” “Yes, me too Twi...oh good evening,” Princess Celestia shifted her focus from her star pupil to the line of gala attendees leading all the way to the front entrance. Suddenly, Soarin' landed between the princess and the next pony in line. “Hey!” Said the next pony in line. “No skipping!” Other partygoers aired as their objections as well. “Sorry, this is official business,” Soarin' turned around and apologized. “Is there something wrong?” Twilight asked. “Did Princess Luna become Nightmare Moon again?!? Are there more parasprites?!? Did Pinkie Pie make a scene?!?” “This is for the princess' ears only,” said Soarin'. “Oh no problem.” Twilight levitated everypony off the stairway and to the other side of the ball room. “There, now we can talk in private.” “I said 'this is for the princess' ears *only*'.” “That's not possible,” Twilight chuckled. “I'm her star pupil. She wouldn't leave me out o...” “Twilight,” Celestia said sternly, “stay put while I speak with Soarin',” “But Princess, I...” “I said stay put.” Both Soarin' and Celestia flew through an open window wide enough to accommodate them both. Celestia led Soarin' to one of the towers overlooking Canterlot and landed on the balcony. Celestia's horn lit up to a soft blue glow. “Follow me,” she said. The princess led Soarin' through the tower. They trotted passed a spacious king-size bed and stop just short of the door leading to the spiral staircase. “Now tell me what's so important that I had to brush off my star pupil.” “Your majesty,” Soarin' said in a downtrodden tone, “I saw somepony from the other world here at the Gala.” “No, it can't be.” Celestia panicked. “I'm afraid that it is.” “Are you sure? How do you know this?” “Because I met him twice. The first time was when I was captured by Princess Cornelia. He's the earth pony that jumped kicked me in midair. I'll never forget that...no matter how much I want to.” Soarin' whispered the last part to himself. “The second time was when Princess Euphemia got me out of prison after an...altercation with one of the ponies from the other world,” Soarin’ mumbled the last part out of shame of having gotten into a barroom brawl during a mission. “His name is Kururugi Suzaku and he's an honorary knight of Britannia and Princess Euphemia's personal knight.” “But how did he get here? Meadow Prancer and Sunset Shimmer's reports said the unicorns of that dimension could barely cast a levitation spell. How could any of them send somepony from their world to ours? Was there anypony else from his world with him?” “None that I'd recognize.” The princess breathed a sigh of relief. “If it's just one pony from that world, I may be able to keep word from getting out. Where did you last see him?” “He was with some farm filly selling apples.” Celestia facehoofed. “Why in all Equestria did he have to meet up with one of the Bearers.” “The Bearers as in the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.” “Yes, those Bearers. That's who Applejack wanted an extra ticket for. Soarin', is this Kururugi Suzaku the type to disobey orders?” Soarin' shook his head. “Not from what I've seen of him. He could outdo even Spitfire in the 'stickler for following protocol' department.” “I might be able to use that to our advantage. What does he look like?” “Gold coat of fur, brown mane, and wearing a green coat and red vest.” “Come with me. When you see him, without saying a word, point him out.” Princess Celestia led the way back to the ballroom with Soarin' not far behind. As the princess flew back through the window, Twilight's horn lit up as she hastily shoved the ponies waiting on the stairway back making a space for the princess. But instead of landing, Celestia and Soarin' hovered overhead. In one corner of the gala, Pinkie Pie was ponying a D.J. station. “Come on everypony,” she said before leaping over it. “You wanted to par-tay! Well let's parrrr-tayyyyy!” She then darted from pony to pony shoving them in a vain attempt to get them into a 'festive' spirit and even going so far as tossing ponies up in the air. While Pinkie Pie was being the 'life' of the par-tay, one of the double doors leading into the main ballroom flew open. Applejack was pushing a cart with an eight-tier stacked cake with an apple on top. “Okay ya high-class ponies,” said Applejack, “here's your high-falutin' apple cake for all yer hoity-toity taste buds.” Behind her was an earth pony stallion with a brown mane, a gold-colored coat of fur, and a suit matching Applejack's dress. Celestia tapped Soarin' and pointed to the stallion behind Applejack. Soarin' silently nodded. Celestia kept an eye on the stallion waiting for the perfect time to swoop in and collect him and if the Bearers were as eccentric as Twilight tactfully hinted, it wouldn't take long. Celestia's patience paid off, though it she only had seconds to wait until Pinkie Pie stage-dived into Applejack's cart, sending the stacked apple cake flying on a ballistic trajectory into her flankhole nephew Blueblood or would have if Blueblood didn't, at the last second, push Rarity in the way. Damn! Pinkie missed! Crossed Celestia's mind. Rarity was covered in apple cake and to say she was furious was an understatement. She growled at Blueblood. “You, sir, are the most uncharming prince that I ever met. In fact, the only thing royal about you is that you are a royal pain.” Cake fragments haphazardly slung off Rarity each time she yelled at Blueblood. “Ugggh!” Blueblood quivered. “Stay back. I just had myself groomed.” “Afraid to get dirty!” Rarity shook off the bits of cake like a wet dog shaking water of its fur coat. Blueblood, now wearing some of Applejack's cake, back into one of the alicorn statues tilting it over. But just in the nick of time, Rainbow Dash flew underneath it and caught it. She seemed rather happy, though, her spine, if it could talk, might have a few crossed words for the rainbow-mane pegasus. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash loss her balance and, while trying to keep the statue on her back, nudged a column causing it to fall on another column knocking it over, which then fell into yet another column so on and so forth in a chain reaction until there was nothing left but smashed marble. And then, as though the universe wanted to have some ironic humor at Rainbow Dash's expense, the alicorn statue broke in half. But despite the mayhem, there were ponies still staring up at the princess. In fact, they were looking at her even more intently either expecting her to blow her top like some wrathful god or magically repair everything. But then, a tremor shook the ballroom. Another pair of double doors flew open. This time, a stampede of various animals from the royal garden piled inside and, when the cloud of dust behind them cleared, one very upset yellow pegasus could be seen standing in the doorway. Ironically, she was, supposedly, the most timid and gentle of the Bearers of the Elements. “YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!” Fluttershy yelled. This was the opportunity that Celestia was looking for. The stampeding animals had even the most stalwart of ponies in a panic. She immediately swooped in and landed beside Suzaku and telelported both herself and him to another part of the castle. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One moment, Suzaku was in the tempest created by the only friends he had in this world and, at all places, a royal celebration and the next inside a deathly silent, dimly lit room illuminated only by faint starlight pouring through a few windows. He could see a rather long table and a few chairs. “Where am I? How did I...” A bewildered Suzaku stuttered. “Is this better?” Tiny flames seemingly came out of nowhere lighting every candle bathing the room in their warm glow. “My name is Celestia, Princess of the Diarchy of Equestia and I am co-ruler along with my younger sister Princess Luna.” Suzaku immediately bowed to Celestia. “Pardon my rudeness your majesty.” “You didn't recognize me?” “No, your majesty. I should have educated myself on the royal family of Equestria.” “Why would you need to when every foal is taught so in grade school? Who are you?” “My name is Kururugi Suzaku.” “Honorary Knight of the Holy Britannian Empire and personal champion of Princess Euphemia le Britannia,” said Princess Celestia. “Is that correct?” “B...b..but how did you know?” “I need to speak candid with you, though it would easier if you were on all fours.” “What?” “You can stop bowing now.” “Oh right.” “Now that we're both at eye level...sort of...I have a few questions for you. First, who sent you to Equestria and did they send anypony else?” “I don’t know her name but the one who sent me was like you-she had a horn and wings, but her coat was black.” Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head. “I was afraid that would be your answer.” “Do you know this person, your majesty?” “Yes, but please finish answering my questions. Was anypony else sent back?” Suzaku nodded. “A mare and a colt.” “And where are they now?” “I don't know what happened to the colt, but the mare is with somepony from your country named Trixie in some sort of traveling stage show.” “And this mare? What about her?” “Her name is C.C. She's what your people would call an earth pony and she had a white coat of fur and a green mane.” “And her cutie mark?” “It's a figure 8.” “And the colt.” “I only met him once and then I lost track of him, though C.C. seemed to know more about him. They're not in any trouble, are they? If so, I'll accept full responsibility for their...” “That won't be necessary Sir Kururugi Suzaku. Now, what did you tell the other ponies when they asked where you're from.” “I told them that I was from Japan and that it was beyond the Everfree Forest.” “Do they know how you got here? Did you tell them about Nightmare Moon?” “Nightmare...Moon?” “The one who sent you. Do you tell them? Did you tell Twilight or Applejack?” “No, I didn't tell them how I got here.” Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. “You said you'd speak candidly with me. Does that include telling me how you know of Britannia or Euphemia or that was I'm knight and was it Sorato that told you these things? “His real name is Soarin'. I sent him to your world to keep watch on Nightmare Moon-the pony that sent you here. It was her magic that transformed you into ponies.” Suzaku bowed to Celestia again. “If it is within your power to send others between worlds, then permit me passage back to Japan.” “Sir Kururugi, stand up,” Celestia said sternly. “Yes, your majesty.” Suzaku followed Celestia's command and got back on all fours. “Listen to me. This situation is...complicated. Nightmare Moon is...in a sense...my sister. My younger sister Luna had a split personality. For beings like my sister and I, this is extremely serious as, though our powerful magic, our form can change through the power of our will. My sister Luna was transformed into Nightmare Moon by her split personality. She was strong enough to bind even my power. The only force that could stop her was something we call the Elements of Harmony. Six mares were chosen to wield this power and to defeat my sister's alternate personality...or so we thought.” “Your sister escaped to our world.” “No, the split personality escaped. The Elements split the little filly I knew and loved dearly from that...thing that threw your world into chaos. Nightmare Moon wasn't destroyed even with our most powerful artifact. Until a permanent solution is found, we must tread carefully. I'm afraid sending you back will only alert Nightmare Moon. She'll know that I tracked her down to your world putting both our worlds in danger. So, I'm afraid I can't send you back.” “But your majesty...” “Sir Kururugi, you should understand the importance of following orders. My decree is as much for the sake of your world as it is mine.” Suzaku's ears drooped as his head drooped down momentary before he straightened up to a steadfast, rigid posture not unlike the royal guard. “Yes, your majesty,” said Suzaku in a forced stolid tone. “And you must never speak of Nightmare Moon or how you got here or of your prior form. The vague explanation of coming for lands beyond the Everfree will suffice for any curious ponies. And most of all, you mustn’t tell Applejack or her friends Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, or Rainbow Dash. They were the ones chosen to wield Elements of Harmony. They were the ones that used its power on Nightmare Moon.” “You mean, the Applejack I know!” Suzaku gasped. Celestia nodded in response. “It would break their hearts knowing the harm Nightmare Moon inflicted upon your world.” “No!” Suzaku shook his head. “It wasn't their fault. They couldn't have known...” “I didn't say it was, but they may not see it that way. As far as they know, Princess Luna was restored, and Nightmare Moon is just a distant memory. Please, keep it that way for their sake.” “I'll make sure they never discover the truth, your majesty,” said Suzaku. This time, the determination in his voice wasn't forced. If he couldn't go back home to Euphemia, then at least he could keep them to from finding out the terrible truth of Nightmare Moon's 'defeat'. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The trip back to Ponyville seemed...longer...at least for Suzaku. He tried taking solace in the well-being of his Equestrian family but what of Euphie or Nunnally or Japan? He tried reassuring himself that one lone pony could only cause so much trouble before being dealt by Zero or the forces of the Holy Britannian Empire, but he knew, from an objective standpoint, it was presumptuous. If Nightmare Moon could move between worlds and transform all of humanity into ponies, then who knows what limits were to her powers or what damage she could...no! Don’t think about it. Just keep your mind on what can be done-keeping Applejack and the others from finding out about Nightmare Moon. “A bit for yer thoughts, Suzaku,” Applejack asked. She stuck her head out of the carriage to check on their escort. “‘A bit for my thoughts’?!? I don’t understand.” Suzaku asked “It’s just an expression. I just wonderin’ whacha thinkin’ ‘bout?” “Umm...nothing. I’m just a tired that’s all.” “Are yer sure tat’s all it is?” “How can you ask after what happened at the gala?” Twilight scolded. “Don’t get bent out of shape over it,” said Rainbow Dash, “the princess was cool about it.” “You smashed up the ballroom.” “And the princess said it was no problemo,” Rainbow Dash leaned back with her forelimbs behind her head, “case closed.” Suddenly, the carriage came to a stop. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all peering outside. “Wha...wha...what’s going on?!?” Rainbow Dash tumbled out of her reclined position. She darted back and forth between the windows trying to squeeze in and peep outside. Applejack, who was on the right side, climbed out of the carriage followed by Twilight who went out the other side. Standing in front of Suzaku was the same fiery mane Wonderbolt from the Grand Galloping Gala. “Captain Spitfire!” Rainbow Dash squealed in excitement. She galloped to her side, but one stern glance was all it took to get the rainbow-maned mare to back off. “I want a word with your escort,” said Spitfire. “With Suzaku?” Rainbow Dash blurted. “Is that his name?” Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “Quite the exotic name you got there? So, where’re you from, Suzaku?” “I come for a land from beyond the Everfree Forest called Japan,” Suzaku replied. “Is that so? That weird language I heard you speak at the gala-is that how they talk in Japan?” “What are you talking about?” “I was with my wingpony when I heard you speaking in a foreign language I never heard before, and I’ve been all over Equestria and heard everything from Griffonese to Minotaurdin. I don’t know what you said but whatever it was, it got my wingpony in a panic. Now, what did you say to him?” Suzaku looked away while sliding his hooves along the ground. “I mistook your friend for somepony else. I apologize for...” “Don’t give me that manure!” Spitfire stomped her hoof. “Soarin’ understood your language. He’s been beyond the Everfree Forest...to Japan...hasn’t he? Well?” “Now listen here,” Applejack spoke up as she took a few steps towards Spitfire, “don’t go givin’ our friend the third degree. He don’t hafta answer any questions.” “Nopony’s talking to you,” Spitfire snapped at Applejack. “Now tell me what happened to my wingpony.” “I told you already,” said Suzaku, “I mistook him f...” “You’re lying. Soarin’ was in your country. What happened to Soarin’? Tell me, Celestia damn you, tell me!” Applejack rushed Spitfire and was up in her face with only an inch separating them. “Now tat’s ‘nough outta yer. Yer don’t talk ta mah friends tat way.” “No pony’s leaving here without giving me some answers.” “If yer wanna know what happened to yer wingpony, ask him yerself.” “No, I’m asking your foreign coltfriend over there.” “Whoa...whoa...I didn’t say he was muh coltfriend.” “Applejack,” said Suzaku, “let me talk to her.” “But Suzaku, she...” Applejack objected. “I can handle this myself.” “Yeah, I understand,” Applejack frowned and tilted her head down. “I’ll butt out.” At the same time, Spitfire smirked at the farm pony getting told off. “I didn’t mean it like that,” said Suzaku. “I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I have to handle this myself.” Applejack perked up a bit after Suzaku reassured her. “Spitfire,” “Yeah, go ahead and spit it out,” said Spitfire. “Answer Applejack’s question-why won’t you ask Soarin’?” “What?” Spitfire sneered. “Applejack asked a legitimate question. Why are asking me about your wingpony and not asking him yourself?” “You’re just stalling. Now tell me what you know?” “So, I’m suppose to know more about your wingpony than he does?” “It’s not that simple.” This time, Spitfire was on the defensive. “So, I have to explain his whereabouts to you?” “Soarin’s was sworn to secrecy okay! There I said it! Are you happy?” “Who made him swear to secrecy?” “None of your business.” “You made it my business with your accusations. “Fine, he went on a secret mission. Now tell me what happened to Soarin’.” “Are you a soldier?” “I’m a Wonderbolt. We’re a hay of a lot more than soldiers.” “Are the Wolderbolts part of the Equestrian military?” “Equestria doesn’t really have a military,” Spitfire said nervously, “it’s not like we have a standing army...” “Is the Wonderbolts a military organization?” “Yes,” Spitfire sighed. “And if your wingpony was ordered to keep his mission a secret, are you not violating orders by trying to uncover this secret? Well?” “Soarin’ is more than a wingpony. He’s my friend. Everypony that I fly with-we’re like family. Soarin’ was the most easy-going pony to come out of the Wonderbolt Academy, but after he got back from that secret mission, he’s been an emotional wreck. He has two straight lines burned into his flank where his cutie mark is. Soarin’ tries to hide it but everypony knows about it. At night, in the barracks, I hear him-we all hear him thrashing around in his bed screaming. Whatever happened to him on that secret mission to *your* country broke him, destroy him on the inside and left him scarred, and I know it’s *your* country. I can tell when a pony lying to me.” “If Suzaku’s lyin’ then yer got nothin’ left ta say to’em,” Applejack said as she trotted towards Spitfire before Suzaku held his foreleg out to stop her from coming any closer. “I think it would be more constructive if you seek help for your friend through official channels than interrogating...” “DON’T YOU THINK I TRIED!” This time, Spitfire was in tears. “I tried talking to everypony that mattered and it got me nowhere.” Spitfire said while stomping the ground. “Everypony, even Celestia, was tight-lipped about that damn mission, and you’re no different from all of them. You’re keeping quiet about it just like them even if it’s killing Soarin’.” It was then, Spitfire looked past Suzaku and straight at Rainbow Dash. “You’re the pony from the Ponyville Weather Team that’s working with Soarin’ aren’t you?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “He writes about you. He always mentions you in his letters. Be there for him. I can’t. I gotta keep him away from the pony that put him through Tartarus. That’s why I sent him away. You’re the one he has left. Please, be there for him. And never leave him alone with a pony named Meadow Prancer. She’s a mare with a purple and pink mane and a yellow coat with a padlock cutie mark. She’s the one that picked Soarin’ for the secret mission. That one is always loitering around the Academy waiting for him to come back. I don’t think she’ll bother you and Soarin’ in Cloudsdale but just in case. I’ll leave for now, but if ever change your mind, you can find me at the Wonderbolt Academy.” After making her final plea, Spitfire flew away and faded into the background of the night sky. “Of all ta nerve of tat mare ta bully Suzaku over sum secret mission that he knows nothin’ ‘bout,” Applejack griped. “Why wouldn’t he?” Rainbow Dash looked sternly at Applejack. “Are you sayin’ Suzaku and tat there Wonderbolt know each other?” “Spitfire said Soarin’ understood Suzaku’s language.” “Naw, tat was a lucky guess.” “‘A luck guess’?!? Are you saying Soarin’ didn't understand Suzaku?” Everypony shook a bit when Suzaku began pulling the carriage. “He coulda jist guess that Suzaku was saying ‘hi’ to’em.” “Or he understood Suzaku’s language,” Rainbow Dash disputed Applejack’s claim. “And even if he did, what makes ya think they met. As far as we know, Suzaku’s homeland is so big they could miss each other. Do *ya* know e’vrypony in Equestria? Well?” “Girls, can’t we stop fighting?” Fluttershy pleaded. “I’m sure if that Wonderbolt’s friend was in trouble, I’m sure Suzaku would help.” “After that talk about following orders, I doubt it,” Rainbow Dash pouted. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flim and Flam was putting the finishing touches on a massive machine. It stood eight stories tall and was enclosed in scaffolding. The center was a sphere with a pair of curved plates covering the front, a nacelle sticking out of the top, and five long spikes running along its circumference. Flim and Flam combined their unicorn magic to levitate a rather large piece from the ground to an open spot on the machine. “Can’t we take after we install this piece?” Flim asked while straining. “And risk angering V.V.?” Flam replied. One by one, the brothers plugged one wire after another into the component’s interfaces. “It’s not like he can enact his big plan of his without that mare he’s been trying to track down.” When the last piece was plugged in, Flim and Flam slid the component into place. Just then, V.V. trotted in. “How’s it coming along?” V.V. asked. “We just finished installing the last Factsphere into the Siegfried?” “Which was supposed to finished last week?” “Do you have any idea how hard it is to manufacture alloys to your specifications?” “And they have better be up to specs. I don’t want my Knightmare Frame to tear itself apart because of your primitive technology. I didn’t give you your Geass for nothing. Without it, you’d still be peddling that antiquated farm equipment.” What the hay he’s going on about ‘primitive technology’? Both Flim and Flam thought. Equestria is the height of technological progress, even without V.V.’s special gift. We have steam engines dammit! “And my brother and I are most grateful for your Geass you flakehole!” Said Flam, though he kept the insult to himself. “The ability to unite our minds and to draw up blueprints in very minds has advanced Equestrian technology a thousand years all thanks to you and I’d trade it all just to be rid of you,” said Flim, who, like his brother, wouldn’t dare air his true feelings for V.V., at least to his face. “Now about that power source.” “We made it perfectly clear that no boiler could possible power your machine,” said Flam. “Believe us, we use our Geass to its fullest extend and could come up with no solution, barring magic, of course, but magic with that sort of power doesn’t just fall into your hooves every day.” “Don’t worry about the power source. I already have one lined up and a pony to retrieve it for us.” “You have?” Both Flim and Flam asked in unison. V.V. looked to his side. “You can show yourself to them.” Just then, a little grey filly with a white mane done up in a ponytail and a spoon cutie mark materialized before Flim and Flam. “Go on. Don’t be shy. Introduce yourself.” “Uh, hi. I’m Silver Spoon.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will the Mane 6 find out the deep dark secret Celestia is keeping from them and will it cause a rift between them and Suzaku? What are V.V.’s plans for Flim, Flam, and Silver Spoon, and what of C.C. and Trixie? Tune in next time for another chapter of Rebel Against the Night. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Rebel Against the Night. To anyone still reading my stories, I am sincerely sorry I took so long to write this chapter but between a crippling addiction to first-person shooters (my fault, I admit) and getting bitchslapped by writer’s block (that one I couldn’t help), it took me a while to get Chapters 13 and 14 finished. Hopefully, I won’t have as much trouble with the remaining chapters. Rebel Against the Night is ¾ of the way finished, so there aren’t that many chapters left.

CrossoverManiac

369

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Original Character,Other,Trixie,Crossover,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rebel Against The Night

Nightmare Moon transforms the human race into ponies. Crossovered with Code Geass

incomplete

<p>The Elements of Harmony, rather than destroying Nightmare Moon, separated Princess Luna from her evil side. Free from her 'weaker' half, Nightmare Moon sets her sights on a world ravaged by bigotry and war to establish a kingdom of her own-Earth, but not the Earth that we know.</p><p>A crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Code Geass.</p><p>Artwork by gavalanche.</p>

teen

2018-12-22T18:27:02+00:00

2019-03-05T15:06:55+00:00

Rebel Against the Night by CrossoverManiac Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are italics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 15 Hostage to the Night Night Fire strolled around the crippled filly that was dropped off by the palace guards after being carried into the grungy interrogation room. Without a wheelchair, Nunnally had only her forelegs supporting her upper body as her back legs, shriveled from nearly a decade of atrophy, was sprawled across the floor. Night Fire looked over Nunnally’s paralyzed legs before walking back around. “You’re a pitiful sight,” said Night Fire. “Where’s Sayoko?” Nunnally asked. “Sayoko?” Night Fire gave his lieutenant Barnstormer, the captain of the Shadowbolts, a bewildered look. “She hasn’t stopped asking for her since we picked her up at Mount Takao.” “And who is Sayoko?” “She’s been taking care of me while my brother is gone,” said Nunnally. “She makes it sound so innocent,” Barnstormer scoffed. “Her so-called babysitter killed four of my best ponies before I lit her up.” Barnstormer did a back-kick hinting at the lightning strike that stopped her. “The princess’s bodyguard was barely alive when we left her.” Nunnally’s front legs gave way and she felt to the floor crying. “No! Why? Why would do such a terrible thing!” Nunnally cried out. Sayoko was like a surrogate mother to Nunnally. Sayoko was always there to take care of her needs when Lelouch wasn’t around, give her a shoulder to cry on whenever she felt homesick for Ares Villa. It was like Nunnally lost her mother all over again. “Barnstormer, you’re upsetting her.” Night Fire said in an annoyed tone. “Who cares?” “I’m the one that has to interrogate her. Besides, why in Tartarus did you leave somepony who killed four of your own without finishing the job or taking her into custody.” “I left her to pass on the message to Zero if she survived.” “And now you can haul flank back AND SEE IF SHE DID!” “I’ll get right on it,” Barnstormer said in a panicked voice before galloping away. “Of all the sloppy, amateurish moves...” Night Fire griped. He then turned his attention to Nunnally and patted her gently on top of her head. “Did you hear what I said? I sent Barnstormer to check on your Sayoko. There’s no need to cry.” Night Fire stroked her mane. Nunnally wiped away her tears. “Okay,” she sniffed. “Would you like something to drink?” Nunnally nodded her head. “Brawny Hooves,” Night Fire called out, “get a glass of water.” As Brawny Hooves trotted out of the interrogation room, Diethard stepped in and stood beside Night Fire. “I passed Barnstormer along the way. He said you had a message for Zero.” “Don’t you have other pressing matters to tend to, Newsie News?” “That’s what I came here to tell you-the Omega Line has been purged from the system.” Night Fire glared suspiciously at Diethard. “Are you sure? Shouldn’t you double check and make sure?” “Circuit Breaker ran four complete diagnostic checks.” Diethard then turned his attention to Night Fire’s prisoner. “So, is this Nunnally vi Britannia?” Immediately, Nunnally turned her head in Diethard’s direction. “Going by that reaction,” said Night Fire, “I’m going to say ‘yes’. Now be a good filly and tell the truth.” Nunnally nodded her head. “It is.” Just then, Brawny Hooves came back with a cup of water. Its handle was clutched between his teeth. “Your water’s here,” said Night Fire. “Do you need any help drinking?” “No sir. Just put it close enough that I can reach it.” Night Fire nodded to Brawny Hooves who set the cup next to the blind filly. Nunnally’s horn produced a faint glow. The cup vibrated slightly causing a few drops to slush out of the cup and spill on the floor. Nunnally then bent down took a sip. “That trick,” Diethard whispered. “Young lady,” he said to Nunnally, “what that your idea?” “What was?” “Feeling your surroundings with telekinesis,” said Diethard. Nunnally shook her head. “My big brother Lelouch taught me.” Diethard gestured to Night Fire pointing at the door. “Can’t it wait? I’m in the middle of something important.” “It’s related.” “It better be.” Night Fire and Diethard stepped out of the interrogation room and into the hallway. “Whadda want?” “I’ve seen this before.” “Seen what?” “Under cover of darkness, Zero used telekine...unicorn magic as a form of echolocation to break Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh Kyoshiro out of prison under cover of darkness.” Night Fire placed a hoof under his chin. “Both Moonlight Blossom and that Fenette filly said Zero’s real name is Lelouch and now not only have our prisoner admits being a Britannian princess, she’s using a trick that Zero invented.” “Yes, too many coincidences.” The two stallions went back into the interrogation room. The cup Nunnally drunk from was gone and so was Brawny Hooves. “Where’s your cup of water?” Night Fire asked. “I drunk it all, but that nice man is going to bring me some more.” “That’s not a man. That’s a stallion,” Night Fire said in an annoyed tone. “Oh, I’m sorry.” “Just don’t make the same mistake twice. Now, back to the subject at hoof. Your brother taught you how to feel around with your magic. And your brother is...” “His name is Lelouch but someone...” “...somepony...” “...somepony said my brother was Zero, but that’s not true.” “And how would you know?” “Zero killed Clovis and Cornelia. Lelouch would never kill his own brother and sister.” Just then, Brawny Hooves trotted in with another cup of water. He placed it next to Nunnally who, as before, used unicorn magic to feel the location of the cup before gulping it down. “And what makes you think your brother is so saintly.” “He’s taken care of me ever since Father abandoned us in Japan even though I’m blind and crippled.” “But he wasn’t there when we picked you up.” “Sayoko said Lelouch got hurt really bad when Nightmare Moon took over and that she would tell him where we were hiding once he recovered.” “And just who were you hiding from?” “Sayoko said we were hiding from you and after what you did to her, I see why,” Nunnally said in a more somber tone. “But you didn’t know why before?” “No,” Nunnally paused, “she wouldn’t tell me.” “I think I’ve heard enough. Thank you. Guards,” Night Fire called out. “Take her back to the holding cell for now.” A pair of earth pony guards hastened inside the cell. One of them was pulling a miniscule hay cart small enough to fit inside the dungeon corridors. The earth pony that wasn’t hitched to the cart pointed to the back of the hay cart with its gate lowered. “Climb inside.” The guard ordered sternly. “Yes sir,” Nunnally nodded. She dragged her hind legs along the ground. The guard stared down at Nunnally tapping his front right hoof impatiently. His nostrils widened; teeth clenched tighter and tighter with each tap. Suddenly, he yanked Nunnally by the mane and slung her in the cart. The unicorn filly yelped in pain and fright as tuffs her hair ripped from her scalp. “I don’t have time to waste on a crippled wild pony that should have been put down,” the guard yelled as he closed the gate. “I liked the way the interrogation went,” Night Fire said as the guards carted Nunnally off. “You call that an interrogation. Let somepony who’s a professional take over.” “Nonsense. I have enough to precede with the plan.” “What plan?” “Zero’s little sister is bait. We’ll broadcast an ultimatum: surrender or your sister will be executed.” “That’s your plan-threatening a crippled blind filly on national television. Are you trying to incite hatred against the Empress?” “It won’t come to that. From everything I’ve seen and heard so far, this Lelouch reeks of doting brother. He’ll coming galloping to the rescue for sure.” “You haven’t a clue what Zero is like. Zero used the JLF as bait to capture Viceroy Cornelia. When the Black Knights were supposed to be helping them escape, Zero sabotaged their ship and rigged it to explode taking out most of the Viceroy’s forces with them. Zero’s a ruthless bastard. He won’t think twice about leaving her to die. And when you do execute her, the Empress and the Imperial Church will look like complete monsters in the eyes of the public.” “Then what would you suggest?” “Continue interrogating her. I know some highly skilled detectives from the Britannian occupation.” “Ha!” Night Fire scornfully laughed. “The same ones that failed to capture Zero in the first place?!? Don’t make me laugh.” “But there’s a lead that wasn’t there before. And now that Zero’s identity is known, it’s only a matter of tracking him down.” “And give Zero more time to wreak havoc? No way in Tartarus I’d let that happen. We have the means to end him right now.” “And if he doesn’t show?” Just then, a dark cloud speckled by points of light descended from the ceiling. “Aren’t you two overstepping your bounds by not consulting me?” The cloud spoke. Both Diethard and Night Fire nearly tripped over their own hooves bowing to their goddess. “Our apologies, your majesty,” said Diethard. “I meant no disrespect,” said Night Fire. The cloud descended from the ceiling and took the form of Nightmare Moon. “I’ve been watching the interrogation. The filly certainly places much faith in *her precious big brother*,” Nightmare Moon said placing emphasis on ‘her precious big brother’ in a voice dripping with contempt. “And it will be Zero’s downfall, my empress,” said Night Fire. “Though Newsie News has a point- I do not wish to appear heartless to my subjects.” “If Zero doesn’t show, you can come in with a last-minute reprieve and tell the world that it was my idea to put the filly to death.” “Still, it would be better to avoid this ugliness altogether.” “So, the prisoner should be properly interrogated by professionals,” Diethard blurted out. The nerve of that bastard! Night Fire fumed. Even now, he’s trying to upstage me. “Before we go through with your plan Night Fire, I wish to interrogate the filly myself and the wild pony that ratted out the mangy outlaw too. Move those two to our nicest rooms, under guard of course, and make sure they have a comfortable bed.” Diethard looked perplexed. “Are you trying to win them over?” “You don’t have a clue, do you,” Night Fire gloated. He was glad the Empress didn’t grace Newsie News with the special gift of her nightly presence guiding them in their dreams offering them a pleasant night’s sleep. Many of her first worshipers were drawn to the Empress when she chased away their...nightmar...bad dreams and quieted their anxieties and filled their dreams with hope, peace, and most of all, her love. Night Fire could take solace that Nightmare Moon wouldn’t offer such grace to this opportunistic, fair-weather servant. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “No, no,” cried out a little girl dressed in a pink pair of girl’s pajamas. She had shoulder length, dirty blonde hair, and her eyes were violet and full of life. She was being chased around the bedroom by an older child, a boy a bit older than her with black hair, dressed in blue pajamas. “Nunnally stop!” The little boy cried out “If you don’t go to sleep now, you won’t be able to wake up in the morning.” “I’m not sleepy!” Nunnally protested. “I never get to stay in Euphie’s room. It’s so fun here. I want to play more.” She laughed mischievously. “I don’t mind if she stays up a while longer,” said another girl that was lying on the bed reading a book. She had long, waist-length pink hair and wore a pair of yellow pajamas. “I promised mother I’d take care of you. You hear me.” The boy cried out. He then grasped little girl he was chasing in his arms and picked her up. The scene suddenly changed from the bedroom to a field of dark indigo fog. There was no floor, ceiling, sky yet the toddler Nunnally was walking on something solid. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I require your undivided attention.” A feminine voice, mature and with the tone of someone familiar with authority, came from the surrounding darkness. “Tell me, child. What that a dream of your past?” A black horse with a long spiral horn coming out of its forehead and a pair of wings along its sides stepped out of fog. Its mane was the very night itself. “A horse.” “A horse?!?” The creature repeated with a scowl on its face. “Have you seen a horse as regal as I? Do you even recognize my voice?” Toddler Nunnally shook her head. “Of course, you wouldn’t. You would have had it not be for that mangy outlaw!” Nunnally backed away quaking in fear. “Be still your anxious heart, child. I am not here to harm you.” Toddler Nunnally inched back to the creature. “I am Nightmare Moon, your empress.” “You’re not quite how I would have imagined you,” said Nunnally. “Child, tell me-am I correct to assume the one you called Euphie is Princess Euphemia.” Toddler Nunnally nodded her head. “It is.” “And it is the one with the pink man...hair...the one with the pink hair.” “Yes, ma’am.” “That’s empress to you.” Nightmare Moon said sternly. “Yes, my empress.” “And the one who was chasing you? Who was that?” “That was my big brother Lelouch.” “Oh, so that’s Lelouch. And you claim that Lelouch and Zero are not one in the same.” Toddler Nunnally vigorously shook her head. “No, my empress. Lelouch isn’t Zero at all.” “And what proof do you have.” “Your majesty, Zero killed my brother Clovis and my sister Cornelia. Lelouch would never hurt them.” “You don’t have anything better than that.” “Well...” “A memory that would exonerate your big brother.” Two figures materialized before Nightmare Moon and Nunnally. The first figure was identical to the Toddler Nunnally but now in a wheelchair. Her hair was longer, and her eyes closed. She wore a dress resembling the Ashford Academy uniform for junior high-school girls except everything was white-white tie, white vest, white shirt, white blouse. Beside her was the young Lelouch dressed in the Ashford Academy uniform for the male high school students except it was completely white. “Hello Nunnally,” said the preteen Lelouch, but in a much deeper, more mature voice. Just then, both the young Lelouch and the wheelchair-bound Dream Nunnally froze in place. “I take it you lost your sight at a young age,” said Nightmare Moon. “I was four when it happened, your majesty,” said the Nunnally that wasn’t in the vision of that past memory. “And the clothes? You seem to know what they look like.” “I could feel the clothes in my hands...when I had hands, your majesty.” Now that Nightmare Moon thought about, it would explain why they were plain white in appearance. She could only touch them but never actually see them. Time moved forward once again. The Nunnally in the dream began crying. “Big Brother! Is it really you?” The young Dream Lelouch ran to his younger sister and embraced her. “I missed you so much. Where have you been all this time?” “I was visiting the ghettos when everyone was transformed. By the time I made it back, the Settlement entrances were sealed off.” Dream Lelouch pulled away from Dream Nunnally and wiped away the tears. “It’s okay now,” said Dream Nunnally. “All that matters is that you’re safe and that you’ve come back to us.” “‘To us’?!?” The Dream Lelouch repeated the last two words Dream Nunnally uttered. “Lelouch, you won’t believe this, but Euphie came to see me about a month ago. She figured out where we were hiding. We spend the whole day talking about what we’ve been doing since we were sent to Japan, and she told me all about her job as sub-viceroy. Lelouch, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about seeing Euphie again?” “Of course, I am,” Dream Lelouch said with a wide grin across his face. But then, the grin disappeared behind a more somber face. “Umm, Nunnally, did you get hurt during the transformation?” “Well...um...” “Don’t be afraid to tell your big brother the truth. I can handle it.” “It was like my whole body was on fire, but you shouldn’t worry. I’m fine now.” “Nunnally, I have to tell you something that is hard for me to say to you.” “What do you mean, Big Brother?” “When I was in the ghettos, I was captured by the Black Knights. They’re forcing me to stay with them. I was permitted to visit with you but for only a short while.” “But why? What do they want from you?” “He wants to speak to you.” “Who?” “Zero,” said Dream Lelouch as he backed away from Dream Nunnally. “Big Brother, don’t go!” Dream Nunnally’s wheelchair seemed to move on its own. Nightmare Moon could sense a bit of unicorn magic from the memory as though some bit of reality was slipping into what was a product of Nunnally’s limited perspective. Both Dream Nunnally began crying for her big brother, who had now disappeared into dark fog of the dreamscape. “Please don’t take Lelouch away from me! Please I beg of you! Why are you taking away my big brother?” The other Toddler Nunnally who was standing beside Nightmare Moon shed a few discrete tears as well. “Nunnally Lamperouge, I presume,” said all too familiar distorted voice. The voice had no form to go with it and seem to envelop the surrounding area. “Zero, is that you?” Dream Nunnally’s voice cracked in absolute terror. She took a deep breath and built back up her nerves. “What do you want with my brother Lelouch?” “He is indebted to me. I found him wandering the ghettos and gave him sanctuary. In exchanged for my protection, he must make himself useful to me. I promise that no harm will befall him.” “Just like no harm came to Shirley’s father,” said Dream Nunnally. “Her father was killed in Narita in the landslide you created. Well?” “As a show of good faith, I will tell you a secret. I know your real name, Nunnally vi Britannia, as well your brother’s, Lelouch vi Britannia. Both of you are children of the Britannian Emperor and his royal consort, the late Lady Marianne.” Dream Nunnally gasped in shock. “But how? How did you know?” “I have my ways.” “Will you kill us just like you killed my half-brother Clovis?” “I will do no such thing,” said the electronically distorted voice. “You were used as political pawns for your father’s imperialistic ambitions. You and your brother are as much of a victim of Britannia as the Japanese people. I hold no grudge against you, but because others may not see it that way, you must continue keeping your identity a secret. I cannot protect you if word got out that you and your brother are part of the royal family. You must also keep silent concerning your brother’s involvement in the Black Knights, as well. Do not even discuss this with your friends or ask the Black Knights about his well-being. Only a handful of my Black Knights knows of his existence and the few that do only knows him as a collaborator. If you ask too many questions, it will rouse suspicion. Your brother’s life is in your hands, Nunnally vi Britannia.” “For my brother’s sake, I’ll keep it a secret.” “Good, and do not worry. He will come back to you. I, Zero, make this contract with you, Nunnally vi Britannia.” “I’ve seen more than enough of this farce.” Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed bright white. A beam of white shot from the horn and struck Dream Nunnally causing her to dissolve into the dark fog. “What’s wrong, your majesty?” “Have it ever occurred to you your precious big brother is playing you for a foal. That mangy outlaw disguises his voice. This Lelouch of yours could have shut off the device distorting his voice and then switched it back on to speak to you as Zero.” Toddler Nunnally shook her head. “No! Lelouch would never…” “OF COURSE, HE COULD!” Nightmare Moon said in the royal Canterlot voice. Toddler Nunnally flinched at the deafening sound but would not budge or cower before Nightmare Moon. “Please your majesty, please don’t jump to conclusion,” Toddler Nunnally said in a calm, diplomatic voice. “I know I’m not the most reliable of witnesses but believe me, Zero is no friend to the Britannian royal family.” “After that touching speech about how you and your big brother are victims like the Japanese, I can tell there are at least two members of the royal family he likes-and he may be one of them.” “Your majesty, Zero was only saying that so that my brother would keep serving him.” By now, tears were running down Nunnally’s eyes. “You have to believe me. You have to. You can’t hurt my big brother.” Toddler Nunnally fell to her knees weeping. “You are useless to me except as bait to capture the mangy outlaw.” Toddler Nunnally hastened to her feet, ran to Nightmare Moon, and took her shoulder. “No, you can’t.” Nightmare Moon batted her away with her power knocking Toddler Nunnally on her rear. The human child crawled on her knees stopping just a few feet from Nightmare Moon and bowed before the alicorn empress pleading to her. “Please, whatever Zero has done, punish me in his place. But spare my brother.” “Is your faith in your big brother’s innocence shaken?” Nightmare Moon mocked. “No, your big brother will pay for his own crimes, barring the highly unlikely possibility you’re right.” Nightmare Moon turned away and was about to leave before she stopped for a moment. “Oh, here’s a little advice from your empress to you-elder siblings aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. Take it from somepony with experience on that subject. Get a good night’s rest, Nunnally vi Britannia, you and that other wild pony have a *long* night ahead of you.” Nightmare Moon then trotted off into the dark fog of the dreamscape. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shirley was caught in a nightmare of her making. Shirley Fenette, in her true pony form, was surrounded by figures partially obscured by the same mist that was in Nunnally’s dreams. “Betraying Lelouch? How could you?” A pegasus stallion with a pear-colored coat and blue mane asked. “But it’s his fault that you’re dead Rivalz,” Shirley replied to the phantom. “Lulu didn’t mean it,” said a unicorn mare with a sky-blue coat and blonde mane. “He didn’t mean to stop it either,” said Shirley, “And you got raped because he abandoned us, Milly.” “Your friends are right, sweetie.” This ghost was human – an older gentleman, a bit overweight wearing a beige business suit. “Daddy, no.” “You should have listened to your mother.” “No!” Shirley shook her head. “She’s wrong daddy. “She knows what’s best for you.” “No, Lelouch killed you.” Shirley held her head down in shame. Some part of her felt guilt for revealing Zero’s identity. “He buried you alive. You’d still be here if it wasn’t for him-if it wasn’t for that selfish bastard!” “I believe you.” “Who said that.” After wiping the tears from her eyes, Shirley looked up and saw only one other figure in the dreamscape besides her. “Nightmare Moon?” “Finally, somepony recognizes me.” “Of course, I’d recognize Nightmare Moon. Her picture is everywhere. I just never dreamt of her before.” This foal thinks I’m just a part of dream. It may be easier to get her cooperation if she doesn’t know that I’m real. “Who were those ponies and that one...human?” Nightmare Moon cringed upon mentioning the word ‘human’. “The ponies were my classmates, and the human was my father, and Lelouch hurt all of them.” “Explain.” “My father was buried in a landslide Zero caused, and he abandoned his friends in the interment camp on Shikoku Island. It was his fault Milly got raped and Rivalz was beaten to death.” “And you feel guilty for outing the scoundrel?!?” “It’s just that Milly said he didn’t meant it and my mother said he could save the world from Nightmare Moon.” Nightmare clenched her teeth in a moment of anger. “Is there something wrong?” Shirley asked. Nightmare Moon then remembered that she had a charade to keep to up. She regained her composure. “I’m sorry but I’m quite skeptical of your mother’s judgment,” Nightmare Moon said in a calm voice. She lowered her neck till she was eye-to-eye with the earth pony mare. “You don’t really believe your mother, do you? Let’s face it. Nightmare Moon defeated both Britannia and the Black Knights in mere minutes. What could the mangy outlaw do to stop her?” “I guess you’re right.” Shirley chuckled at the thought and feeling a bit relieved. “He’s crazy if he thinks he can win. He’s only going to get more innocent people hurt.” “Would you mind humoring me a bit?” “What do you mean?” Shirley gave Nightmare Moon a perplexed look. “I know I’m only a part of your dream, but I am a tad curious about how you uncovered Zero’s identity.” “It was after Zero took over the Tokyo Settlement.” Suddenly, the scene changed from the dreary haze of the dreamscape to the dorms of Ashford Academy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “It’s...my old room.” “Don’t act so surprised my dear,” said Nightmare Moon. This is just merely a dream.” Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz materialized in the dorm room. It was the day they packed up and left Ashford Academy for the long walk to the camps on Shikoku Island, and Milly and Rivalz was helping her pack up. Dream Milly telekinetically wrapped cord around Dream Shirley’s waist and tried in vain to tie the cord in a knot only to have it come apart on her. “Dammit!” Dream Milly snapped. “Whoever said telekinesis is better than using hands was an idiot.” “Let me try,” said Dream Rivalz who somehow managed to finish the knot Milly started with just his lips and teeth. “How did you...” Dream Milly asked in utter bewilderment. Dream Rivalz held his muzzle up. “It’s because I’m awesome.” “Beginners luck.” “Don’t you think it’s kinda weird that Zero is letting Nunnally stay with him?” Dream Shirley asked. “No, it isn’t,” said Dream Milly in a solemn voice. “It makes perfect sense.” “So, you know about Lelouch, too?” Dream Rivalz looked back and forth between Dream Shirley and Dream Milly. “What are you two talking about?” Dream Milly took a deep breath and said, “I think Zero pressured Nunnally into denouncing her citizenship. Zero has Princess Euphemia under his thumb and I think he’s also keeping Lelouch as a prisoner in order to force Nunnally to stay in Tokyo.” “Hold it!” Dream Shirley interrupted. “Let me get this straight: Zero is keeping Lelouch imprisoned?” Dream Milly nodded. “The truth is-Lelouch and Nunnally’s last name isn’t Lamperouge. It’s Britannia. Lelouch and Nunnally are the children of the Emperor and the late Lady Marianne, and Zero’s keeping them as hostages.” Dream Rivalz shook his head in disbelief. “You gotta be kidding?!?” “That’s not possible!” Dream Shirley objected. “Hush!” Dream Milly hissed. “I waited for your roommate to pack up and leave before I told you for a reason. Please, I know it’s hard to believe Lulu is royalty but it’s true. After the invasion, Lelouch and Nunnally came to my family and we took them in the hopes that someday they’ll be reinstated back into the royal family and, as a result, the Ashford family would regain its noble status.” “No, you don’t understand Milly.” Dream Shirley trotted over to her nightstand while dragging her luggage along with her. She took out a piece of paper and laid it in front of Dream Milly and Dream Rivalz. “What’s this?” Dream Milly asked. “I found it behind the dresser. I think I wrote it.” Dream Rivalz raised an eyebrow. “‘You think you wrote it’?!? How did you manage to write a letter and not remember it?” “I don’t know, but it’s in my handwriting.” “You couldn’t have written this,” Dream Milly objected. “I did write that.” “Without hands?!?” “What’s in the letter?” “Read it yourself, Rivalz.” “LELOUCH IS ZERO!” Dream Milly press a hoof against Dream Rivalz’ muzzle. “I told you to keep it down.” “Now, what’s this about Lelouch being Zero?” Dream Rivalz asked. “The royalty thing is hard enough to swallow.” “All I know is that I have a note in my handwriting telling me that Lelouch is Zero and that,” Dream Shirley then held her head down, “he’s responsible for my father’s death.” “Shirley, you’ve known Lelouch for years. He wouldn’t get involved with the Black Knights.” “Just like Kallen?” Dream Shirley retorted. The vision of the past stopped and the dream versions of Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz froze in place. “Who’s Kallen?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Kallen Stadtfeld was a classmate of ours,” Shirley said remorsefully, “and part of the student council. We found out later she was half Japanese and her actual name was Kozuki Kallen and she was fighting alongside Zero as a Knightmare pilot.” “My, so many ‘interesting’ ponies around somepony as common as you. It seems hard to believe.” Shirley looked away and sighed remorsefully. “Yeah, I wish it wasn’t.” Time resumed in the dream. “Kallen is half-Japanese,” said Dream Rivalz. “That sort of makes sense that she would be a Black Knight, but not Lelouch, and it makes even less sense that Lelouch is their leader.” “And another thing-I don’t remember Lelouch. You were asking me why I was playing strangers with him. Well, I wasn’t. I really don’t remember anything about him. Even my memories of Nunnally don’t have Lelouch in it, and he lives with her. I think he did something to me to make me forget and I wrote that note before it happened.” “And how would Lelouch do that?” Dream Milly asked. “It would have make more sense if he erased your memories *after* the transformation when he became a horned-type. Plus, you still haven’t learned how to write with your mouth, Shirley.” “So, this has to be written before the transformation.” “Which begs the question-how Lelouch erased your memories of him?” “Oh none of this makes sense,” Dream Rivalz grumbled. “Actually, now that I think about it, Lelouch being Zero does. The few times we spoke about his father, he never had a kind word to say about him. No, that’s an understatement. Lelouch always hated his father. At least his motives make sense.” Just then, there was a knock on the door. “It’s me, Kallen. Can I come in?” “Why not,” said Dream Milly with a disgusted look on her face. “It’s not like we have any choice.” Dream Kallen, a pegasus mare with a green coat of fur and spikey red hair, trotted into the room at the same time Dream Shirley hastedly picked up the note and discarded it in the waste basket. Like all of the other Black Knights, she had that tacky leg band with their symbol engraved on it. Dream Kallen glared at Dream Milly and said in a spiteful voice, “so that’s how it’s going to be-treating me like the bad guy?!? Well, I won’t apologize for being a Black Knight.” “Don’t mind Milly. She’s just upset over Nunnally, that’s all. We’re glad you came over to check on us,” said Dream Shirley who then winked at Dream Rivalz. “Oh absolutely; glad you drop by.” “You need help packing?” Dream Kallen asked. “I packed everything I’m taking with me to Shikoku. Maybe Milly and Rivalz could use some help.” “So, where’s Nina?” Dream Kallen said while scanning the room. “So, that’s why you’re here,” said Dream Milly. “What’s that suppose to mean?” Dream Kallen asked. “We heard the rumors about the Knightmare Frame that you Black Knights fought against and that it used some new power source that a high school student came up with. I doubt it’s a coincidence that our little Nina was ordered to the Viceroy’s palace about that time.” “Are you saying I’m only here because...” “As a matter of fact, yes, I am. You only care about your friends when they’re of use to Zero?” “I knew it was a mistake coming back here,” Dream Kallen grumbled as she stormed out of the dorm room. “Good riddance! We don’t want you around anyway!” “Milly, why?” Dream Shirley asked in a confused tone of voice. “Why would you say such a thing?” Tears rolled down Dream Milly’s eyes. “Lelouch, he doesn’t care about us. He was using us for cover until he took over and now he’s tossing us to the side.” “I hope you’re happy, Shirley.” “Me?!? What did I do?” “That note can’t be for real. You fell for someone’s prank and now you got Milly...” “It’s not a prank. I know for a fact I don’t remember Lelouch. He had to have done something to me.” “Rivalz, don’t be stupid.” Dream Milly said while wiping away her tears. “Shirley has to be telling the truth, just like I was when I told you Lelouch is a part of the royal family. It doesn’t matter one way or another who Zero really is and if Lulu has anything to do with him or is Zero. Let’s just put it behind us now and move on.” The vision then faded back into nothingness. “You know, your stallion friend may have a point,” said Nightmare Moon. “Somepony else could have written that note. I need something more...substantial.” “But I can’t,” Shirley said in a stressful tone. “‘I can’t’ what?” “It’s too painful to think about.” Shirley averted her eyes from Nightmare Moon. “No! You can’t stop now. You must finish it. You have to see it all the way through.” “Please don’t,” Shirley begged. “You won’t know any peace until it is finished.” Shirley shook her head. “No, I won’t!” “EVOKE THE MEMORY!” Nightmare Moon ordered in the royal Canterlot voice. The mist of the dreamscape swirled around and changed color. While most of the whirlpools changed to a dull white, one took a on distinct apple-green pattern with orange-red swirls standing out from the rest of the whirlpool. The green and red whirlpool took the form of Shirley. As Dream Shirley trotted through hallways, the much hated and despised insurrectionist Zero stepped through one of the numerous doorways lining the sides of the hall. Nightmare Moon let out something that was a cross between a grunt and a hiss showing her disdain for the doppelganger of the loathsome outlaw. “Zero, what were you doing in that room?” Dream Shirley asked. “This young lady was harmed by rogue elements within the Black Knights,” Dream Zero answered. “I came to check on her.” “Is this what it takes for you to check on your closest friends?” Dream Shirley rhetorical asked in a voice dripping with venom. Dream Shirley contemptuously turned her back to Dream Zero and walked away. “Wait!” Dream Zero cried out. Dream Shirley stopped and glanced back. “I know it’s you Lelouch.” Dream Zero hastened down the hallway and shoved Dream Shirley into a room. He then shut and locked the door behind him. “How? How did you...” “...remember who you really are? I don’t remember, but I did write a note to myself before you brainwashed me. I found it while packing my belongings.” Dream Zero slipped off his mask and took a deep breath. He revealed himself to be a young stallion about the same age as the six mares who so violently torn her from her ‘weaker’ half. “Shirley,” Dream Lelouch pleaded, “I can explain...” You don’t have to.” Dream Shirley pointed a hoof at Dream Lelouch. “Milly told me everything about your past-that you and your sister are members of the royal family. Tell me, is all of this to get back at your father, the Emperor, or is this some plot to take over Britannia for yourself?” “I’m doing this to avenge my mother and to make a gentle world for Nunnally.” “You call this a ‘gentle world’!” Dream Shirley yelled. “What was so gentle about Rivalz being kicked to death? Where was your gentle world when Milly was being raped? Well?” Dream Lelouch hung his head down. “I thought they would safe here with the other Britannians.” “And yet you let Nunnally stay with you in the Settlement? If it was so dangerous for us, why didn’t you leave Nunnally here?” “I...I...” “...‘don’t care what happens to my friends so long as my precious little sister is safe’, right Lelouch?” “That’s not true, Shirley.” “As if I’d believe your lies.” “Are you going to tell?” “That was the first thing I did. I went to Princess Euphemia, but she’s covering for you.” “Oh, so that so-called princess was in on it too,” Nightmare Moon interjected. “She warned me that if the Japanese found out who you were they would turn on you and then we would have no one protecting us from them. So, your little secret is safe. I’m done talking with you, Lelouch.” As Dream Shirley was leaving, she looked back at Dream Lelouch who’s head hung low. “Milly also told me I was in love with you. Thanks for erasing that from my memories. I don’t know how I could have fallen in love with a selfish bastard like you.” Dream Shirley then slammed the door behind her. The image faded back into the dreamscape. “So, not only have I confirmed the mangy outlaw’s identity and that he’ll do anything for his blind, crippled sister,” Nightmare Moon sneered, “but now Euphemia’s treachery has been exposed. Oh, she’ll pay along with her brother.” She then bent her neck down to Shirley’s level. “Oh and by the way, I’m the real Nightmare Moon.” “Uh...what?!?” A puzzled Shirley asked. “You think I’m just a part of your dream. Well, you’ll find out when you and the mangy outlaw’s little sister take a trip to your old school and you better hope he shows up for both your sakes.” Nightmare Moon faded away leaving Shirley alone with her dreams. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shirley felt a hoof roughly nudging her from her comfortable rest. “Wait up!” A guard jabbed her on the shoulder with his hoof. “What’s going...” Shirley yawned, “...on?” Shirley held up her right foreleg over eyes shielding her from the harsh glare of the spotlight shining in her face. “The Empress commands your presence?” The unicorn guard said sternly. Not wishing to anger her jailers, Shirley hastily stumbled out of bed and was on her hooves. “Follow me,” said the guard. As they left Shirley’s luxurious ‘jail cell’, another guard trotted behind the two. After a ten-minute trot through the palace grounds, the unicorn guard stopped beside a carriage that seem to come out of some twisted version of Cinderella. It was painted dark blue with an indigo trim highlighted the jagged edges protruding outward until the carriage appeared as a giant mouth with shark teeth against the dark background of Nightmare Moon’s eternal night. The team of pegasi pulling the carriage wore armor that matched the color scheme of the carriage and their batlike wings also matched the carriage’s menacing profile. The unicorn opened the carriage door and pointed inside. “Well, what you’re waiting for?” The guard asked Shirley. Shirley took a deep breath and stepped inside. When her hoof cleared the threshold, the carriage door slammed shut causing Shirley to leap up and bang her head on the carriage’s top. “Well, my little pony,” Nightmare Moon greeted Shirley. “I am quite please you could join us.” Sitting on the other side of Shirley and Nightmare Moon on a seat facing the back of the carriage was Nunnally and Night Fire. “You have been most useful to us despite being a wild pony.” Shirley stumbled backwards as the carriage was pulled upward by the team of bat-winged pegasi. “Why do you act so surprised? Did I not inform you that we were going to your old school, what was it called again Night Fire?” “Ashford Academy, your highness.” “Ah yes, Ashford Academy.” “Bu...bu...t that can’t be possible?!?” Shirley shook her head. “Oh but it is. I am the Empress of the night and all things of the night are under my jurisdiction and that includes *your* dreams.” “You were there...in my dreams.” “And you were so helpful to us, both in and out of the dream world. Thanks to you, the mangy outlaw’s days are numbered.” Nightmare Moon chuckled. “Night Fire, give this wild pony her reward.” Night Fire batted a clear plastic bag over to Shirley. Shirley bent down and looked over the bag. It contained a gray powdery substance. “As we agreed, your father’s ashes-in exchanged for revealing Zero’s true identity.” “So, what is worth it Shirley?” Nunnally asked in a tone dripped with bitterness. “Was your father’s remains worth telling those lies about my big brother?” “Those weren’t lies!” Shirley yelled. “You really expect me to believe my big brother is Zero.” Shirley leaned over and pointed her hoof at Nunnally. “It’s the truth.” “Lelouch would never do those things. He isn’t Zero. He’d never hurt your father.” “Have it ever occurred to you that maybe you don’t really know your brother.” “I certainly didn’t know the real you. Did you really stop being in love with Lelouch or were you pretending to love him the whole time?” “PIPE DOWN!” Night Fire screamed. “I heard enough manure from both of you.” “Now now, Night Fire,” said Nightmare Moon, “there’s no need to yell. I was enjoying their little drama.” Nightmare Moon then glanced at both Shirley and Nunnally. “You two, please continue your little discourse.” Both Shirley and Nunnally glanced at each other and, nervously, looked away. “Oh now you two stopped bickering just when it was getting interesting. For a moment, you were entertaining.” “I apologize your majesty, had I known, I would have never interrupted. The carriage landed in front of Ashford Academy. An earth pony in royal armor opened the carriage door and bowed. “Your majesty, as you ordered, I hoof-picked my best stallions and stationed them all around the academy. All points of entry have been secured.” “And the Shadowbolts?” “They’re patrolling the area for any suspicious ponies, your majesty.” “General Silver Hoof,” Nightmare Moon said pointing to Nunnally and Shirley, “these are the prisoners I told you about.” “Ah yes, the bait to capture Zero. If he attempts a rescue, he’ll have Tartarus to pay, your majesty. You two,” General Silver Hoof said to Nunnally and Shirley, out of the carriage. You’re coming with me.” Beside General Silver Hoof were more royal guards with one of them pushing a wheelchair. “Your majesty, I’ll check on Circuit Breaker and see if he’s ready for the broadcast.” “Sorry but Circuit Breaker isn’t here,” said a voice all too familiar to Night Fire. That voice! That arrogant flank hole pretending to be one of us. Night Fire looked over his shoulder and saw, much to his chagrin, Newsie News landing beside the royal guards. “Your majesty,” Diethard bowed to his empress, “the Hi-TV news crew is ready to broadcast your ultimatum to Zero.” Night Fire leaped out the carriage and galloped up to Diethard. “What the hay happened to Circuit Breaker, Newsie?” Night Fire’s face almost touched Diethard’s as he stared him down. “Circuit Breaker was being swamped by the added responsibility of handling the broadcasts in addition to being responsible for maintenance. He was falling behind so I had to intervene. As the Empress’ high priest, it’s your responsibility to keep her affairs in order and that including managing our workforce.” “Don’t tell me how to do my job!” “Night Fire!” Nightmare Moon yelled. “That’s enough from you and Newsie News. Keep your attention on Zero.” Nightmare Moon towered over Night Fire and stared him in the eyes. “Newsie News isn’t here just for the broadcast. He was the mangy outlaw’s former third-in-command. I need somepony familiar with his devious ways. Now, if you excuse me, I have an ultimatum to issue.” Nightmare Moon was about to leave when she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Diethard. “Oh and Newsie, come up with a new name for this place. I can’t have my subjects thinking we’re keeping any remnant of this world’s ape past.” “I already have one picked out: Ashfoal Academy. If it’s too much like the original, there’s also Pastern Ac...” “Ashfoal Academy will do. Though I am impressed you already has two names picked on such short notice.” “Actually, I had four. I anticipated your orders, your majesty.” “I like that. Thank you, Newsie.” As Nightmare Moon trotted off to the atoll of cameras and spotlights circling the center of the Ashford Academy courtyard, Night Fire circled around Diethard blocking his path. “Third in command,” he spat. His tone betraying the disgust and suspicion he felt for Deithard. “Funny, I could have sworn Zero gave that position to Tohdoh Kyoshiro.” “The command structure was a bit more...complicated that a simple line of succession,” Diethard lied. “Now if you excuse me, I must attend to her majesty.” “Damn him,” Night Fire whispered a curse at the backstabbing opportunist for upstaging him once again. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The newly christened headquarters was a bomb shelter beneath the Hachioji Middle School. Hachioji was built along the Chuo Expressway that ran across all of Tokyo and beside Komiya Park, which has been so overrun with vegetation that it was hard to distinguish the Park from the rest of the area, which had served the Black Knights well in concealing their one functional Knightmare, the Gurren Mark II. Because Diethard defected to the other side, the usual safehouses set up by the Black Knights were no longer safe. Lelouch, dressed as Zero, Tamaki, and Minami trotted just outside the bomb shelter to a cart and next to it was a pile of hay covered in a tarp protecting it from the elements. Lelouch’s preferred means of travel as his Zero persona was by hay-covered cart. And while he preferred to go in disguise with his dyed-over coat and cutie mark, Lelouch had to routinely visit Nina and check on her progress in making an atomic bomb. Before filling the cart with straw, Zero would lie underneath a blanket laying on the bottom of the cart, which would take the blunt of the straw that would otherwise cover his suit and giveaway his method of travel. Lelouch was about to climb into the wagon when Ohgi galloped across the obstacle maze of rubble so fast it left a dust trail that would have been seen if it wasn’t for the eternal night. He slid to a stop beside Lelouch. “Ohgi, what the hell are you doing!” Lelouch scolded. “Running around like that could draw unwanted attention. Didn’t I tell you to be discrete when leaving or coming to HQ?” “I’m...sor...sorry but...this is...an emergency,” said Ohgi between breaths. Take a moment to catch your breath.” Now Lelouch was a bit worried. Ohgi was usually too cautious to make such a blunder. Whatever it was, it had to be important. When Ohgi’s breathing stopped being so labored, he then said, “Nightmare Moon got Hi-TV back running and they announced she was going to reveal your true identity.” “Everyone, back inside HQ,” Lelouch ordered. The four stallions piled back inside running pass Kallen who was sharpening her knife blade with a whetstone held in place between her forehooves. She spat out her knife handle and followed Lelouch to an old cathode ray tube television. The back of the antiquated set stuck out from behind the screen “Tamaki-the generator,” said Lelouch. “Right,” Tamaki nodded. Tamaki concentrated on the generator crank and turning it with his unicorn telekinesis. “When does the broadcast start Ohgi?” “It may have already started.” Lelouch switched the television on. It was already set to the official channel of the imperial cult, since it was the only one on the air. A chorus of around 100 colts and fillies was singing in a foreign tongue unknown to any of the Black Knights though it did bear a resemblance the song by that group of children Lelouch and Kallen ran across just after he fully recovered from his coma. Not only that, but Lelouch recognize one of the children as the young filly that was brainwashed by the Nightmare Moon cultists running her school into ratting out her parents who were holding illegal contraband. The eyes of the children glowed white as the reflected the light of their goddess’s fake moonlight. When the broadcast switched camera angles, the cat-like eyes of the Nightmare Moon cult were evident. Ohgi felt a shiver down his spine. “I wasn’t planning on going to bed anytime soon,” he mumbled. When the chorus finished, the subject of their hymn floated down, wings extended, and landing just behind a podium. “All ponies, both tamed and untamed, loyalists and wild, welcome, but especially those who still cling to their old ways, and even those who shake their hooves at me in defiance, heed my words. As everypony knows, the mangy outlaw known as Zero insulted the crown by vandalizing a portion of the canopy that I erected myself and even threaten my very life. While you pose no threat to me, Zero, I can not have you sowing the seed of disloyalty among my subjects. And now there’s a price to be paid.” “Don’t tell me she’s going to freeze over another part of Japan again,” said Minami. “Do you not recognize this place, Zero?” The camera panned out showing Ashford Academy in the background. Kallen clutched her mouth with her hoof. “She knows,” Kallen whispered. “This is Ashfoal Academy. But you know it by its old name: Ashford Academy. You used to attend classes here.” “What’s going on? Inoue asked as she, Sugiyama, and Yoshitaka gathered around the television. “Nightmare Moon said she knows Zero’s true identity,” Ohgi answered, “and that he was a student at Kozuki’s old school.” “Ashford Academy?!?” Inoue blurted out. “Brings back memories, doesn’t it Lelouch Lamperouge,” Nightmare Moon mocked. “I knew Zero wasn’t Japanese, but a Britannian student?!? That’s kinda stretching it,” said Yoshitaka. “Oh but ‘Lamperouge’ isn’t your real surname, is it? That would be...‘Britannia’ as in Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, 17th heir to the throne of the former Holy Britannian Empire.” “Zero’s a Brit prince!” Tamaki blurted out. He lost he concentration causing the television to go out. “Keep turning the generator,” the others said in unison. “Oh right.” Tamaki went back to the task of powering the television. Lelouch switched back on the television. Nightmare Moon remained silent glancing back and forth with an arrogant smirk on her face. The microphones caught the murmuring from the crowds. “It can’t be true.” “She’s lying.” “Then why does Zero hide his face from us?” “It has to be true, that’s why he wore the mask even when the Britannians were defeated.” Nightmare Moon tapped on the microphone. “I think everypony had enough time for it to sink in. You can take it from here Night Fire. I’m already late for a very important meeting.” Nightmare Moon unfurled her wings and flew away. Night Fire trotted up to the podium, stood up on his hind legs, and lowered the mic to his height. “As Nightmare Moon’s high priest it is my duty to punish all those that raises a hoof against our goddess. Lelouch vi Britannia, you are a wicked stallion-using the Japanese ponies for your own ambition and with no concern for their well-being. All you ever cared about was becoming Emperor...well, almost. There maybe one or more ponies you *do* care about.” Night Fire nodded to some pony off camera. The royal guards escorted Shirley Fenette across the Ashford Academy courtyard. Behind them was one royal guard pushing Nunnally in a wheelchair. “Lelouch, you know who these two are don’t you?” Night Fire asked rhetorically. “This is your younger sister Nunnally vi Britannia. She’s next in line for the thrown after you.” Night Fire then pointed to Shirley. “And this one, is your ex-lover Shirley Fenette. You have her to thank for revealing your true identity.” Shirley looked away from the camera in shame. “Don’t be so bashful. Tell everypony what you told us.” “Lelouch is Zero.” “Louder, so that everypony can hear it.” “LELOUCH IS ZERO OKAY!!!” Shirley began breaking down in tear. Kallen pressed her hoof against her chest staring in utter horror at the television screen. Kallen’s anguish didn’t go unnoticed. “Kallen,” Ohgi asked, “are those your classmates?” “Shirley and Nunnally’s brother were on the student council with me.” “So, you know this Lelouch guy?” Sugiyama asked. Ohgi made a ‘shhhhh’ sound directing it at Sugiyama. “Listen carefully Lelouch vi Britannia. A timer should be on screen right now.” It was then a “06:00:00.0” appeared on the screen the screen. “You have six hours to turn yourself in. When the clock reaches...” Night Fire chuckled, “...zero, if you’re not here by then your sister will be punished in your place.” The timer began counting down just as Tamaki stopped turning the generator. “Well, Zero, is any of that true?” Ohgi asked the question that on the minds of the Black Knights. “BHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” Lelouch laughed. “Zero, take this seriously.” “How am I supposed to take such a sophomoric effort seriously. Nightmare Moon is trying too hard. She’s trying to pit both Britannians and Japanese against me. As a long lost Britannian prince, I would be considered a threat by the Japanese and a traitor by the Britannians in one, fell swoop, but the claim strains believability so much only those who are totally opposed to us would fall for Nightmare Moon’s lies.” “What about rescuing them?” Kallen asked. “No way!” Tamaki cried out. “I’m not risking my life to save some lying bitch.” Kallen sped cross the room and stared eye-to-eye at Tamaki. “What did you say!” Steam came out of Kallen’s nostrils. “Don’t wanna save them because they’re Britannians. Is that it?” Tamaki took a step back to put some space between him and Kallen only to have the angry mare step forward still staring him down. “Don’t get me wrong, Kozuki. I hate Nightmare Moon is goin’ to kill the cripple girl even if she is a Brit, but we can’t risk the Black Knights to save her and I sure as hell won’t stick my neck out for that other one.” “Tamaki is right,” said Lelouch. “There is too much at stake to risk it all to save two Britannians, especially when one of them is helping them deceive the masses. We have more pressing matters to attend to, and for that we’ll need Tohdoh and the remaining Holy Swords. Ohgi, do we not know of their whereabouts?” Ohgi nodded. “There’s coordinating with resistance cells in Kyoto.” “I need them here right now.” “They’ll be in Tokyo by the end of nex...” “I said NOW!” Lelouch legs were trembling. “This is important.” “So, which one of us is going,” Minami asked. “All of you.” “But who will stay with you.” “Don’t worry about me. I’m capable of taking care of myself.” The others stared dumbfounded at Lelouch. “Am I not the leader of the Black Knights?” “Oh course, you are,” said Ohgi. “You heard Zero. We’re going to Kyoto.” The other Black Knights followed Ohgi’s lead and left except for Kallen. “Whacha waiting for,” Tamaki said to Kallen. “Quit dragging your feet and come with us.” “Oh right,” said Kallen. As the last Black Knight to leave HQ, Kallen heard something that the others missed: the entrance to HQ was locked. Kallen hopped in the wagon along with Ohgi, Inoue, and Yoshitaka. “I don’t know why I have to pull the cart,” said Tamaki. “It’s our turn to pull it,” said Sugiyama. “Oh right.” Tamaki levitated a pair of harnesses and slipped them over his and Sugiyama’s head. Once everything was secured, the Black Knights headed to the Chuo Expressway. “Ohgi,” said Kallen, “I left behind my knife. I need to go back and get it.” “You want us to wait on you?” Kallen shook her head. “I’ll catch back up with you.” “Just hurry up,” said Ohgi. Inoue caught sight of Kallen leaving out of the corner of her eye and saw what looked like Kallen’s blade still in its hoister. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kallen landed in front of the entrance to the base. The door was designed in such a way as to appear as part of a solid wall. Kallen tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge. This doesn’t look good. Lelouch locked the door right after getting us all to leave, and I doubt he’s just be cautious. Kallen tried to slide open a secret panel where the key hole was located but it wouldn’t budge either. Desperate, Kallen jabbed her knife in the seams and mule-kicked the blade using it as a makeshift pry bar. The blade was bent in the process and the handle cracked, but that didn’t matter. Kallen was able to get the panel opened. She unlocked the secret door and made her way inside. She saw Lelouch, with his Zero mask tossed haphazardly on the floor. His head hung low. His face was covered in tears. “How could I have let this happen?” Lelouch cried. “I should have never let her out of my sight.” “Lelouch?” Kallen called out. “What the hell are you doing back here!” Lelouch was trembling even more so than when was yelling at Ohgi. “You were holding it in the whole time weren’t you?” “Don’t you have a mission to do?” “Why did you send us away if Nunnally being captured upset you so mu...You’re turning yourself over, aren’t you?” “It’s none of your damn business what I do.” “It must certainly is. The whole world is counting on you.” “I won’t say anything pertaining to the Black Knight to Nightmare Moon.” “So, you *were* planning on turning yourself over.” “Tohdoh can take my place. He can be Zero.” “No, he can’t. Only you can be Zero.” “I don’t care.” “What did you say?” “Everything I’ve done has been for Nunnally’s sake. If Nunnally is killed, then I have no reason to live or care about this world.” Kallen then slapped Lelouch not unlike that time in the park in the Tokyo Settlement back when they were humans. A gang of Britannian teenagers were bullying an Honorary citizen who was working in the park. Lelouch discretely used his Geass to dissuade the teenagers from assaulting the poor man but Kallen didn’t know it at the time. From her perspective, Lelouch merely shrugged off his suffering as the price he had to pay for being an Honorary Britannian. He also came off as indifferent as he did before only this time, he meant it. “Selfish bastard!” Kallen said with disgust in her voice. “You’d let the whole world burn for her. “And what of it?” “Well, I won’t let you.” “What makes you think you could stop me?” Lelouch used his unicorn powers on Kallen pinning her against the floor. “Even if I die, even if there is no one left to lead the Black Knights, I won’t let them take Nunnally’s life.” “Lelouch, listen to me please,” Kallen said in a strained voice as she struggled against Lelouch’s power. “Nightmare Moon can’t be trusted. That bitch will probably kill Nunnally anyway just to spite you.” “You’re just saying that to keep me from going.” “And you’re lying to yourself for thinking she wouldn’t. You once told me a leader makes decisions based on what would be the best chance of victory and with a minimum cost to life. I’d rather trust your plans than Nightmare Moon’s promises. Please, don’t do this Lelouch...” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashfoal Academy Everypony at Ashfoal Academy went silent as a long unicorn stallion slowly walked across the courtyard. He held his head down low. His demeanor was that of a beaten dog’s after being completely broken by an abusive master. Nightmare Moon didn’t recognize the coat color but she did remember that face. It was the very pony she encountered at Mt. Fuji; the one leading the Black Knights when she revealed herself to the world. It was Zero. “Nightmare Moon,” said Lelouch, “here I am. Now where is my sister?” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Has Lelouch truly given up? Will Nightmare Moon be victorious? Tune in for the next chapter of Rebel Against the Night As a special note, I apologize for not posting the matching Equestria-centric chapter along with the one set in the Code Geass Earth. I had an easier time writing this one and having been a year since I posted the last two chapters, I thought the story was way overdue to wait to post both. But don’t worry, you won’t have to wait another year for the next chapter and I will be wrapping up the story soon. So take care.

Nightbreak

377

Main 6,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

A Night Of Her Own

complete

<p>Just hours after the Grand Galloping Gala, Luna comes to the Mane 6 at night. Written in 8 sets of 100 words each, with intro, 100 words per pony, and the ending.</p>

everyone

2011-12-07T03:49:54+00:00

2011-12-07T03:49:54+00:00

Luna soared up the palace staircase in a few strong wing-beats, her hoof-coverings muffling the sound of her landing on the stone floor. She didn't want to wake any sleeping ponies. She'd missed the Element-bearers during the Gala. And by the time she'd returned from checking her night sky for stray stars, those confounded ponies had already bolted from the devastation they'd caused. She needed to see them, to thank them for freeing her mind and body. And, as if her sister had known, Celestia had corralled the six fillies and coaxed them into staying the night. - - - She pawed softly at a door. Then she nudged the latch up with her nose and sidled inside. “Hello?” “Oh dear. Am I in your room?” A yellow Pegasus moved restlessly in bed. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize.” “Shh,” Luna whispered, moving to extend a calming wing over her. “It's okay. Fluttershy, right? I heard you had a trying day. Can't sleep?” A whimper and a frightened glimmer in her eyes said it all. The Element of Kindness needed some right now. Smiling, Luna brushed her muzzle against Fluttershy's cheek. “Why don't you tell me about it?” - - - Rarity was sleeping the sleep of the emotionally exhausted. It was a state Luna herself knew well. She dipped her muzzle into the bag she had strapped beneath her wing and gingerly picked up a glass hoof-slipper with her teeth. Quietly, she laid it with the other three. The shards had been scattered and she'd had to use her magic to draw them all back together and restore the slipper. Pausing only to affectionately touch horn-tips and muzzles with the slumbering unicorn, Luna slipped out again. It was the very least gift she could offer to the Element of Generosity. - - - “I am sorry about this. Perhaps the kitchens could preserve your apple dishes?” “T'aint your fault, Princess.” Applejack gently butted foreheads with her. “And the cart can keep things fresh on its own. Ah won't lose too much on this trip, just a little pride. And I got enough of that to last me.” Luna smiled and tucked her back into bed. “Most ponies would have been grateful to have the palace pay. There's a reason the Element of Honesty chose you, I guess. Just save me an apple fritter or two for breakfast tomorrow, mmkay?” - - - Luna angled her glowing horn down Pinkie Pie's splayed body, checking that she wasn't hurt. Earth Ponies were often the last to know they'd been injured. But no, it seemed that Pinkie just slept with her limbs all askew. “You're fine, aren't you?” Luna murmured in her ear, nuzzling her and causing Pinkie to giggle-snort in her sleep. She was obviously having pleasant dreams. The night's problems hadn't affected her too adversely. Lowering her head, she picked the ragged party dress up in her teeth and replaced it on its hook. “Sweet dreams, Element of Laughter.” - - - She nuzzled the base of Twilight Sparkle's horn, then licked her softly, coaxing the worried crease out of her forehead. The opposite of Pinkie Pie in sleep, tense and curled tightly, the unicorn seemed to finally relax beneath the grooming, softening and looking much more her own age. Luna tugged a loose feather out of her wing and left it on the pillow to let Twilight know that she'd been there. The young pony needed to know that she was noticed, especially by the one she'd set free. She needed to know she was loved, too, but that would come in time. - - - Rainbow Dash had taken to the clouds instead of her room, her disappointment evident even as she let Luna check her. “I'm fine!” Her hooves pattered down the filly's spine. “You were foolish.” “I was getting noticed! Besides, that statue would have crushed ponies!” "It almost crushed you.” “I'm okay.” Rainbow grumbled. Then her wings flared indignantly. “Ow!” Luna set a patch of thick, cool cloud on her hindquarters. “Keep that there for a bit. You're bruised.” “And you're crazy.” But she sighed and subsided, gently resting her head against Luna's slender neck. - - - By the time Celestia was ready to raise the sun, Luna was quite ready for bed. She was a mare of the night and enjoyed being awake while other ponies were asleep. But she had really talked more in the last eight hours than she had in ages. “Did you get to do what you wanted?” Celestia asked softly, standing side-by-side with her on the Raising dais. Luna nodded, smiling as she faded the moon down, making room for her sister's sun. “It was good to see them all.” Her own Best Night Ever was at an end.

DavidReinold

378

Adventure,Alternate Universe,Dark,Human,Sad,Tragedy

Celestia's Origin: The End of Flutter Valley

incomplete

<p>My world is a mess. The bank is going to take away my home and the government is going to take away my family. The world I&#39;ve lived in all my life is in shambles. But there&#39;s another world. One where miniature horses can talk and fly and do magic. And they&#39;ve offered to help me. They say that I have strength within me that none of them have, and that if I can help defend their world from monsters, they&#39;ll offer my family and I a peaceful home there. What choice do I have but to accept their offer?</p>

teen

2012-06-28T06:01:43+00:00

The halls of Canterlot Castle were dark, faintly lit by torches placed sparsely across the pale stone walls. A musty sort of mildew smell radiated through the passageway, mingling with the thin scent of smoldering candles. The tapestries were faded and frayed, some stained with beige and some hardly tapestries at all anymore. The thread-bare carpet smelled of oak woodwork, tobacco and cat hair. This was Canterlot Castle's infirmary, complemented by the melancholy of the moonlight, accented by an imaginary d-minor triad hanging in the air and punctuated by an ominous coughing noise, a sort of hacking that seemed to come from the room just down the hall. Twilight Sparkle cautiously followed the tall, silent figure of her royal escort down to the room from which the hacking noise came. The shadows cast by the torches seemed to march in time with each other, like a defeated army marching home, like a thousand Celestial Monks carrying frankincense towards an embalming, each mute figure following the two ponies down the still and near-silent corridor. Twilight Sparkle gave a shudder and set her eyes upon the door that emanated the harsh, unhappy hacking noise. "Sir, is she...is she going to be alright?" Twilight asked the escort in a hushed tone. "The doctors say they can't be sure. She's never been sick before, at least not on Canterlot records. We're all hoping she'll fight it off, but there's always that worry. That feeling that whatever's got her bed-ridden must be real bad." The escort bowed his head and kept walking. "The important thing, Twilight, is that you see her before anything serious happens. That you have this opportunity to talk, so that neither of you have any regrets." The door was slightly ajar when Twilight found herself at the room from whence the horrible hacking sound echoed. Her escort stood by the door and nodded for her to enter. She put her left forehoof on the edge of the door and lightly inched it open, trying to avoid making too much noise. In the dim candlelight stood Princess Luna, whose face was plagued with bloodshot eyes and a desolate frown. Her gaze caught Twilight's for a brief moment before returning to the one who lay coughing in the hospital bed, obscured by a white curtain. Blood pulsed in Twilight's temples as she came all the way into the room and approached the bed. Her eyes drooped slightly and her knees gave a tremble, but she managed to keep herself upright. She needed to be here. Comforting the ailing mare was more important than anything else she could have been worrying about, because for all she knew, this might have been the last time the two of them would talk. "Why did you come so late, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Luna asked in a vague monotone. Twilight's heart stopped for a moment. Late? Was she late? The words made sense but the message was all wrong. Had something already happened? Had Twilight already missed her only opportunity? But her answer came from behind the curtain in the form of a painful and shuddering breath, followed by a few more hacking coughs. Of course, thought Twilight, she meant 'late at night'. I didn't come too late. Everything's fine. I'm just being paranoid and scaring myself for nothing. Twilight returned her attention to the bed, and the two mares before her, one of whom proceeded to speak. "Sister," came a weak and trembling voice from behind the curtain, "I will not speak on your behalf, but I for one am simply glad she was able to make it, regardless of the time of night." "As am I," said Princess Luna, "I just thought that she might have had the courtesy to wait until morning when you are well-rested-" "At which point I might very well be gone, sister!" A sharp and piercing silence enveloped the room as the two of them attempted to calm themselves. Twilight found that she had stepped several paces back from the heated argument, her pulse now racing and her breathing suddenly jagged. She accidentally knocked into a tray of medicine as she edged away, and with the clamor of the silver against the floor, Twilight became perfectly still, hoping to avoid further disrupting the suffocating darkness of the airwaves surrounding the three of them. "Do not talk like that, big sister," Luna murmured as tears began to well up in her eyes, "you are going to be fine, you just need rest, that's all-" "Luna," said the ailing mare with a sudden air of strength about her, "the time at hand is not one for denial or tact, it is a time for truth, no matter how upsetting that truth might be. There is a very real possibility that there might not be a tomorrow for me, and there are some things I need to discuss with my young protege." Luna bowed her head and let a few tears trickle off the end of her muzzle before replying softly, "I understand." She left the room, softly closing the door behind her. "Twilight, come closer," said the voice from behind the curtain. Twilight approached the bed slowly, and sat down in the chair facing her old mentor, drawing it close to the hospital bed with a gentle and fleeting magical push. "Twilight Sparkle," said Celestia in almost a whisper, "I think it's time I told you the truth about Nightmare Moon, Discord, and the history of Equestria." Twilight sat upright in her chair, prepared to hang upon Celestia's every word. Though her mane was pale, unkempt and no longer flowed in an imaginary wind, and though her once radiant coat had tinted itself gray and tan in many places, one feature of the wise alicorn remained unchanged - Princess Celestia's lavender eyes remained keen and sharp in the soft glow of the moonlight as they connected with Twilight's. Through this one, short moment of eye contact, Princess Celestia told Twilight how vital it was that she listen to this story. That the story Celestia was about to tell would be the most important story Twilight had ever heard, and that she would do well to listen carefully and intently. Twilight responded by leaning forward on her chair and perking her ears. Noting that Twilight was ready, Celestia began to speak softly. "I think the best place to start," she said, "would be the story of how my sister and I first found Equestria..."

Quinch

380

Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Losing Ground

complete

<p>A short introspective story of how Luna came to be banished to the moon, and the aftermath of her return. </p><p>Fair warning, though, a quick skim or a casual read might leave one confused about what's going on. Conversely, I believe that taking your time to read and connect the details will answer any, or at least most, questions you might otherwise have.</p><p>And finally, any constructive feedback you might have is welcome, whether it's positive or negative. If there are issues that need to be fixed, it's better to know.</p><p>Picture used with kind permission from <a href="http://lifesequencebreak.deviantart.com/" rel="nofollow">LifeSequenceBreak</a>.</p>

everyone

2011-08-08T07:38:29+00:00

2011-08-08T07:38:29+00:00

"Sprinkles?" The coffee shop stood on the outskirts of Canterlot like a lighthouse that never got around to growing upwards, the lanterns cutting a yellow patchwork from the moonlit road outside. The doorbell jingled merrily as a purple pony entered, letting the summer breeze in through the open door. Flurries of dust, the smell of nectar and a lone streamer followed her in like curious foals, danced around in a burst of excitement and settled on the floor in sudden boredom as the door serenely clicked shut behind her. She shook her head tiredly, trying to dislodge the stubborn constellations of brightly colored confetti clinging to her mane and let the smell of cocoa welcome her in. "Not this time, thank you," she teased back at the unseen voice. Sounds of commotion, no, battle came from the back of the shop, cutlery swords clanging against porcelain shields, the stumble of hooves in mortal struggle and finally a smash, a yelp and victorious cheer from the glassy crowds. Luna snickered. Her hooves clicked a muted waltz over the wooden floor as she strolled over to the checkered oasis in the middle of the shop, fruitlessly craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the racket in the back. A pair of mugs squared off against each other in their nightly challenge, a faded moonlit castle and a chipped rainbow fuming their insincere threats at each other across the table. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the hot cocoa's sweet aroma. It felt warm. It was a minute and half a cup later when another pony walked through the kitchen door, a plate of waffles in his mouth, hooves clopping a half of a jaunty two-step as he weaved his way between bare tables and upturned chairs with legs sticking in the air like a forest of confused lightning rods. "You look like you've had a busy day," she said at the haggard-looking colt across the table, who'd barely set the plate down before starting to casually pick out a waffle from the pile. "My parents took me to a few Summer Sun Celebrations when I was younger," he nodded, dipping it into his own mug. His mane wobbled along the perfect split at the top of his head, and Luna sniggered again under her breath. "I didn't expect the chaos of being on the business end of it." "It gets busier every year. At first it was just the ponies in Canterlot. Then they started coming from all over Equestria. Now…" "Now creatures from all over the world come for the celebrations," the pony finished. "If I never see another dragon again, it'll be too soon." "Dragons?" Luna's smile vanished and she put the cup down. "Has one of them been bullying you?" "No," the pony answered quickly, putting a hoof up. "Nothing like that." "Do I need to give someone a talking to?" "Not at all, I mean…" He looked down apologetically, away from the piercing glare. "Most of them were really polite, but…" "But?" "Some –" "Yes?" "A few really –" "Go on." "Kept…" The pony paused, glanced up at the pair of green eyes locked on his, fumbled for words that wouldn't make him feel like a complete fool, and gave up. "Setting the tablecloths on fire." Luna stared, her face a mask of worry and anger. Then a giggle bubbled up from the depths. "Young ones, right?" She forced down a chortle. The pony tilted his head quizzically. "Y-es?" "Yellow scales? Red fins on their heads?" "How did you –" "And you ran out of gemstones, didn't you?" Her face peeled into a crazed grin and she exploded into laughter, leaning into the table, a hoof covering her face as she giggled maniacally. "Well, that's hardly an excuse to -" "They couldn't! Stop! Burping!" Luna squealed between giggles, gasped for breath and broke down again. The colt stared. "See," Luna said once her laughing subsided, wiping away a tear, giggles lurking in the wings eyeing an opportunity for a rematch, "Yellow, yellow dragons, they, when they're growing up, they can't digest anything except gems, right? Except I bet they didn't know that yet! So when you gave them, what, normal pony food, they just scarfed it down, right?" "I still don't understand." "It's not that big a deal in Equestria, but we get a lot of visitors from the Wyrmudas and, see, they think burping is a little…" She grinned wider. "Impolite." The pony mulled that over. "So they waited for me to turn my back -" "Because they didn't want you to see them – " "- held it in and burped when they didn't think anyone was looking –" "And since dragons belch fire –" The colt put a hoof over his face. "They kept burning the tablecloths." "In the middle of a crowded restaurant!" Luna laughed. "I wish I could have seen it!" "That explains why they kept putting their hands over their mouths. I thought they were just laughing at me." He tilted his head. "How do you know so much about dragons?" Luna smirked back. "You have to know these things when you're a princess, you know. And besides," she added, eyeing a pastry hovering straight at her, "It happens almost every year now." Movement outside caught her eye and the pastry almost knocked her crown off before she picked it up in her hoof and took a thoughtful bite. The breeze outside had begun to pick up in earnest and the grass outside rippled in the wind, green waves beating on the shores of an uncharted island. An old oak tree swayed its branches slowly. Leaves on its gnarled branches pulsed their own pale and green rhythm. In the yellow light the flowers in bloom looked like fingers. No, tentacles, glowing in the darkness deep beneath the surface, waving her over. No sound at all, she thought. There should be a rustle of leaves. Creaking of branches. The whistle of wind blowing through the shingles. Hooffalls, she thought, as the light around her faded. Arguments. Breathing. Hammers on wood. Crying foals. Laughter. She could feel the sea outside. She saw it come in every night, a tide she didn't know how to stop anymore. It leaked through good-byes and good-nights, flowed through lullabies and candle smoke, until it poured freely, flooding streets and houses, covering forests and towns and mountains and fields, an ocean of silence covering as far and as deep as she could see, with no place to stand except this tiny island of words. "Yourself at least." "What?" A voice snapped Luna out of her daze and she looked across the table, blinking groggily. "I said, miss Luna, it looks like you've enjoyed…" He tilted his head. "Are you feeling all right? You look a little…" He held his hoof up and wobbled it about. "I'm fine," she smiled back, putting down the empty cup and rubbing her eye. "Just a little tired." A weak smile fought its way to her face. "I'll never understand how anypony can be up so early." "Everypony was raised that way, I suppose." He took another nibble of the pastry. "Work and play in the daytime. Sleep at night." An eyebrow rose. "Not everypony." "Well, somepony needs to stay up and keep you fed," the colt shot back easily. "You're right," Luna smirked back. "I'll have to inform the palace chef he's being replaced by Equestria's foremost purveyor of lukewarm chocolate and undercooked waffles." On the other side of the table, the pony took a mock bow, his indifferent expression not wavering for a moment. "Predictably, your penchant for patisseries past their purchase period is perpetually perfect, miss Luna." Luna took another bite and stared off into the distance. The pony never smiled when he thought she was watching, she noticed early. Or frowned, or raised his voice or laughed for that matter, but there was always an undercurrent of warmth underneath. Even the ridiculous "miss" he never let go of distilled over time into a finely aged, comfortable blanket. She poked the empty mug with a hooftip. "Are you ever going to tell me how you do it?", she asked. "You know my condition, miss Luna," the colt shrugged. "I still suspect you simply wait for me to set the table before swooping in." The princess squinted. "So you think I magically know exactly when you'll end up making all this and just happen to plan everything beforehand around it?" "Yes," the colt said, after a moment's thought, and shrugged. "It's magic." Luna shook her head. "Magic doesn't work that way. Well, actually… no, no, that wouldn't work either." A smirk crept onto her face. "I might as well accuse you of doing the exact same thing." "Indeed," the pony nodded and continued, deadpan. "An earth pony who can not only perform magic but can use it with enough skill to consistently keep surveillance, on a princess no less, while keeping everypony, his target included, from finding out is clearly the only remaining plausible explanation." "Celestia knows," Luna huffed. "I've asked her. Since you won't tell me." She glared across the table. "And you know what I found out?" The pony simply looked back, expressionless. "That she won't tell me either!!", Luna yelled at the ceiling, her ears twitching in irritation. "When I asked her she just gave me that little grin of hers, you know the one when -" "We've never -" "- she knows that you already know and it's going to smack you in the face when you least expect it and you're going to feel like a complete mule just for asking." She groaned and dropped her chin on the table, plastering an exaggerated pout on her face for good measure. The chipped mug, an inch from her nose, pouted right back. Disapproving of its insubordination, she pushed it aside, resting it precariously at the edge of the table. "I love her so much, but sometimes…" Luna tried to growl. Instead, a sound like a chipmunk snoring escaped her throat. "Sometimes I just want to kick her in the flank, you know?" "I can relate," the pony nodded. "In fact, there's this filly that comes in every night or so…" "Oh ha ha." Luna wiped the pout from her face and smiled across the table. "Anyway, it's not like earth ponies can't use magic, you know that. Heck, I could teach you. Even Celestia has her star pupil and I…" Her smile faltered for a moment before, raising its banners and trumpets blaring, making another charge. "I always have time." "I know, and… thank you." The pony hesitated. "You've offered before, but I… I don't think magic would work that well for me. Odds are I'd set fire to half of Canterlot by accident, and I wouldn't even need draconian indigestion to do it." "Well, it would have made the Summer Sun Celebration a little less of a trial, at least." Luna tried to force a laugh. "I'm sorry, that was mean. Every year it gets a little more disheartening." "The celebration? Why so?" the pony quirked his head. "With so many ponies coming to see you –" "See me?" Luna snorted. "They don't come to see me at all. All of them wanted to talk to Celestia. I'm not jealous, really, I'm not, but…" She put a hoof on the table. "Did you know that foals barely even knew who I was? When one asked their mother what I do, and she said I raise the moon every night, you know what they asked back?" Luna opened her eyes wide and slackened her face. "Whad's a damoon?" she drawled, then sighed. "Not one pony even tried to talk to me. Not even to say hi, just…" She looked down at the checkered table. "Just to talk. Ask me something. Thank me for the moonlight, or the stars. Or… anything, really." "That's strange," the pony answered, picking out the last of the waffles. "Then again, with everypony sleeping at night, maybe not that strange." "Why do they do that?" she asked. "Why do they never come out at night? Why do they hide away from me?" The pony shrugged. "I don't think they're hiding. Everypony needs to rest sometime, after all." "But why at night?" Luna asked. "Why always at night?" "Because everypony else does, I suppose. Well, almost everypony," he quirked an eyebrow, as expressive as he ever got, intentionally at least. "I live in Neverflee forest, so it's quiet enough that I can sleep through the mornings, but I imagine it would be hard for anypony to sleep at all with so much noise everywhere. They could just as easily sleep in the daytime, but I assume it was simply a coincidence it turned out the way it did." It wasn't a coincidence, Luna thought. She remembered the nights, the early nights, when Celestia would lower the sun and darkness fell. She remembered seeing that fear, that deep, hidden terror of the dark in the eyes of ponies. Lanterns and torches, candles in windows beating weakly away at the darkness everywhere. Before the moon stopped being a stupid fairy-tale for little foals, when every night ponies would walk with their eyes firmly on the ground rather than look up at the gaping, starless, empty pit above them, opening away into nothing. Some days, she almost missed it. Almost. "And now you and I are just about the only ponies who bother with the night anymore." Luna sighed. "We don't have to be." Luna blinked and looked up, hopeful. "What do you mean?" "It's simple enough. You and I sleep during the day – you could always sleep during the night. It would give you a chance to spend some time with your other subjects." "I can't," Luna said, crestfallen. "Really, I can't. If I do that, I'll be too tired to bring up the moon in the evening, or lower it later." "Maybe you can trade places with Celestia? You can raise the sun and -" "No, we've tried that once." She shuddered under the memory. "She can, and I can, but it's… difficult. We agreed we should both do what we do best. Besides," she managed a weak smile. "It's my special talent. I've got the cutie mark and everything. If I don't make the night as beautiful as it can be, who will?" The wind stopped. "So you only have company from Celestia and, well, your visits here." On the lawn, the waves slowed, then froze. "When she's not away, at least. Royal duty and all. A few hours here or there, when she can make the time." The air thickened, turned to water, glass. "Tricky." A sound, a few more. A hoof tapping on wood, not so much breaking the silence as punctuating it. "I asked Celestia, though." A smile. Relief. "Oh?" Curiosity. Warmth. "She said I should just spend more time with my friends." Outside, the ocean drew back, waves pulling away from the lighthouse shores, as though it were holding its breath. "I wouldn't know," said the pony calmly and swallowed the last of the waffle. "I try not to get attached." The ground lurched. Luna tried to keep her footing as the coffee shop swayed from side to side, gripping the table desperately like a raft in a hurricane. She felt something slam into the coffee house, once, twice, buckling the walls and twisting the rafters, felt it roar, not in frustration, not in anger, but victory, joyous and savage and final. The ocean poured into the tiny building, through windows and doors, crushing the roof above, a tide rising all around her, seizing its moment at last. She felt the ground fall out under her, screamed and clambered to higher ground in desperate panic. Beneath her, somepony stared at her in terror, took a step back, said something, then shouted. "what's wrong" She barely heard the voice over the torrent. She had to leave, she had to escape. "Nothing's wrong!" Another voice. Deeper. Stronger. Angry. No, terrified. She recognized it. It was hers. "You scream, you're huge, you're crying, you're, you're… flowy!" The pony looked up at her, his face a mess of confusion, bewilderment and disbelief. She almost laughed, but it hurt to breathe. "Don't worry about it," she answered, struggling to keep her balance. "I'm fine." "YOU'RE STANDING ON MY TABLE!!", the pony bellowed back in exasperation, then jumped back as a crash reverberated through the shop. Luna looked down. A jumbled mess of colorful shards lay in a heap in the middle of a brown puddle. "Luna," he said. His voice trembling, he took a careful step forward, holding a hoof out. "Come down. You're scaring me." Luna leaned forward. She could feel the tide at her throat now, sense the wave coming at her, as big as the world. "Why are you scared?" she answered, more calmly than she thought she could. "I'd never hurt one of my subjects." The pony froze in mid-step. The fear vanished in an instant, giving way to anger. "I'm not your subject!" he spat. "I'm your - " She felt the wave hit, almost bowling her over. She could barely see anymore and felt the current pull her down, hopelessly trying to get her bearings as the world around her spun like mad. She tried to breathe, and almost choked for her trouble. Up on the ground, the pony put his hoof down slowly. "Look," he pleaded. "It would only take me a minute to lock up. We could go for a walk, maybe. It's a beautiful night out." And she saw it. The way out, right in front of her, shining and warm and blindingly beautiful. She swam toward it desperately, up, take it before it's gone, not tomorrow, not today, but now… "You're right," Luna said, carefully stepping off the table. "It is a beautiful night out. You're the first pony to say so in years." She stepped forward and put a hoof over the pony's neck, relief flooding through her. "Thank you." She stepped back and wrapped her tail around her. Her mane twisted and enveloped her, stars swirling around her like a cloud. "I'm going to miss it." "Why?" The pony looked at the magic, confused, hopeful and afraid all at the same time. "What's there to miss?" "What I do best," the cloud said, peacefully. And with that, it bent, twisted, turned in on itself, and vanished. Twenty minutes later, as the confused pony turned off the lights and locked the doors, the realization stabbed him like a knife through the chest. He turned to the palace just as a rainbow of light flashed from one of the towers. He thought he heard a scream, but he couldn't be sure. Dropping the keys, he galloped madly through the beautiful moonlit night. - - - Luna slowly came to, picking away at the cobwebs that seemed to cover the inside of her skull. She shook her head groggily, trying to dislodge the layer of dust clinging stubbornly to her skin, and looked at the world underneath, a carpet stretching out from one horizon to another. I've never flown this high up before, she thought. I guess I'm still dreaming. She turned around lazily. Equestria rolled slowly under her, and she looked at the night sky. Something was missing. The moon, she realized. Did I forget to raise the moon? No, she thought to herself, that's nonsense. I can feel it's there. But I should really wake up now. It's an important day today. So many ponies to come to see her. Sleep too long, and she might miss it. I can't feel my legs, she realized, and curled up tighter. She could feel the mountains stretching like spires into the sky, great empty seas, old slumbering volcanoes, dust-filled craters and rocks strewn every which way like discarded toys. No wings either, she thought. But it's all right. She had a dream. No, a nightmare. It was a fantasy that followed her like a wolf, hungry and persistent. Luna tried to wake up, to shake it off, outrun it, but the more she woke up, the closer it got, snarling and snapping at her heels. She remembered flying into Celestia's bedroom, happier than she ever remembered being. She remembered words, friendly, hopeful, then disappointed and angry. She remembered shouting things, hateful and ugly and twisted, sharpened like knives and spat like venom. She remembered screaming threats at her sister until she couldn't hear her anymore. Luna shuddered and tried to push the memory aside. She looked so sad, she thought, looking down at her kingdom. She brushed the thin clouds away, sweeping across the land like a beam of light. No light anywhere, not even in the coffee shop, and the pony was nowhere to be seen either, not even on his way to Neverflee Forest. Strange, she thought, and glanced toward the palace, and even stranger to see Celestia on a rampart, looking so light and fragile, as though a single word would blow her away like so many dry leaves, moon reflected in her eyes, looking up right back at Luna screamed. Silence screamed back. - - - "Sprinkles?" Luna glanced up through the cracked bakery door and quickly shushed the bell, sneaking into the shop like a thief. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her as soundlessly as she could and squinted at the blinding light. "Yeah, sprinkles," a huffy, foal-like voice demanded from across the room. "And keep'em coming!" Outside, the smell of donuts filled the late summer air, and with the bustle on the streets Luna couldn't help but notice the shop was strangely empty. Even with so much attention on the gala, she expected to see more customers around, instead of a single baby dragon on a high chair, steadily working his way up to a sugar crash despite the halfhearted arguments of a chubby yellow stallion across the counter. She'd barely made it to a corner table, practically tipclopping across the tile when the unicorn's face lit up with panic. Shoving a trayful of donuts at the sulking dragon with a mumble of okay-fine-help-yourself, he rushed around the counter, smacking the racks of donuts behind him with his flank which wobbled precariously as he almost galloped across the shop. "Good evening, your…" he shrank from the sudden green-eyed glare. "Uh, Luna. How may I, I mean, what can I get you?" "My usual, if you don't mind, Joe," Luna answered quietly, forcing a smile. "Of, of course," the pony stammered taking a few steps back, bowing at her. Bowing. Luna forced back a frustrated scream, looking across the room to the dragon putting away donuts like he was getting ready for three years' worth of winter. Maybe I should go on over, she thought, as the dragon morosely picked up yet another donut. He looks like he could use a friend. He did sound familiar, though, even if she couldn't place the voice. And didn't she see a baby dragon wandering around the palace the other day? It wouldn't hurt to try and strike up a conversation. As she looked on, he sneezed fire over it, then shrugged and shoved the charred mess in his mouth anyway. On second thought, maybe not. She sighed to herself and drooped her eyes, letting the sounds of merrymaking outside wash over her. Waves of laughter, shouts, sarcastic mutterings, squeals and chatter rose and fell, until she felt like it was a river, carrying her along, everywhere and nowhere at all. "Your majesty." Luna flinched as the world snapped back into focus, the river evaporating in an eyeblink, and slowly looked sideways, trying her hardest not to grind her teeth at the nervous-looking unicorn. "No thank you, Joe, that'll be all," she squeezed out between clenched teeth. "Th-thank you, your maj-, er, Luna," he stammered back, his eyes darting around the room like crazed mosquitoes, terrified of looking Luna in the eye for even a second. He looked like he was a hair's breadth away from stampeding out of his own shop. When she asked him not to call her "your majesty", he never obliged her. When she asked him to treat her like any other customer, he didn't humor her either. When she told him that, in his own shop, he didn't need to act like she was royalty, he didn't do her any favors. Like all of her subjects, he obeyed instead. "Just… go," she breathed, defeated. "Just go." She looked over the table as the pony retreated back behind the counter. A plate of waffles and two mugs of cocoa steamed on the opposite ends of the table. It was foolish, and she knew it. The coffee shop had burnt down, then burnt down again, stomped flat, rebuilt underground, then moved back above ground after being flooded and so on and so forth. After a thousand years of tiny disasters, there wasn't a single same brick left anymore, but coming in every night still felt like coming home all over again. It wasn't the same, but it was… same enough. Same enough for ritual. Same enough for comfort. Same enough for memory. "Not this time," Luna said under her breath as she took a sip of cocoa and looking out the open window. "Thank you." The gala was in full swing by now, at least if the music carrying over half of Canterlot was anything to guess by. She remembered the galas being boring, dreadful affairs, filled with sleepy-eyed nobles and noble would-bes that only showed up to trade gossip and be seen with everyone they wanted to be and pretended to look down on at the same time. It was the only time when ponies would stay up through the night and she loathed every moment of it. Celestia must be having the time of her life, she thought, looking out at the moon. "What's it feel like to raise the moon, anyway?" The question floated into her mind like a leaf on a breeze, a stray memory from a lifetime ago. It feels like the smell of stone and moss growing in the cracks between, cool but never cold. It feels like aches in your legs, ascending the palace tower, even though she could easily fly up, savoring the trip one step at a time. It feels promising, looking up at the empty sky as my sister gives it back to me. It feels like spreading your wings and closing your eyes and lifting the moon from under the horizon like something fragile and precious and hanging it from the sky for everyone to see. It feels like awe and comfort and pure, naked joy at the sight of fairy tales come true. It feels like thousands of tiny pinpricks as stars come out, some shy and twinkling, others bold and bright, stepping out from behind the curtain of the sky like actors in the greatest show in the world, there to perform just for you… She probably dodged the question. It would've sounded like she was bragging. And some nights… Some nights you stand on the tower and look across the horizon, and close your eyes and feel the rock that was your home for a thousand years lurking underneath like a shipwreck, as bright and beautiful as it was the first time she reached out to it, shining like a beacon or an angler's light. Some nights it feels like the calm, soothing voice of your sister, whom you trust more than anyone, telling you it's all right, and believing her. Some nights it feels like an anvil, stubborn and heavy, dragged slowly, inch by painful inch, because you're too afraid of yourself to touch it again. "Luna," she'd said. "Please, stop hiding away. You've been banished for a thousand years and you still punish yourself. Come back home." Celestia looked into her sister's eyes, then looked down. "It was too long a punishment. Can you ever forgive me?" Luna stared back at her sister. Celestia was sincere in her regret. She always was. Raising the moon every night took its toll, but she knew it was the love for her sister that tore her up inside. In this moment, asking for forgiveness, she was so weak and vulnerable, Luna could almost see the cracks where her sister's heart would break with nothing more than a word. She felt anger well up inside her, things crawled out from the darkest corners of her mind, and she realized how easy it would be to take her sister apart, to take that guilt and stab her over and over with it, to unleash a stampede of insults to trample her down and stamp out any shred of dignity she had. She could crush her sister so completely, she knew she would never recover, and even then it would still only be a taste of what she deserved. Her chest heaving, Luna reached out and touched her sister's face. "Of course I forgive you, silly," she said, smiling and pulling her into a hug. Celestia looked up at her sister, tears welling up in her eyes. "The gala should be starting soon. Come down with me? You'll make some friends." She wiped her face and smiled mischievously. "Promise." Luna stepped back, as if bitten. "I… I can't. I'm sorry, I can't." "But why, little sister?" Because you weren't wrong, Luna thought. Because a thousand years wasn't too long. It wasn't long enough. Because under every smile and every friendly word, there was an undercurrent of fear beneath. She was Nightmare Moon, come to imprison her sister and bring about eternal night each time she appeared. Not a young pony of a handful of years, but a thing of legends, an old mare's tale to scare naughty foals, here in flesh and blood, so dark and powerful and terrible that only the most powerful magic in Equestria could keep her reined in. Luna shrank and stepped back. "I just can't." Leaping over the wall, she spread her wings and glided through the summer air. Down on the ground, ponies of all colors and sizes milled around, carriages arrived at the palace gates, merchants hawked their wares in their streets. It wasn't just tonight either. Every night, ponies stayed up, not as many, but more than none, stargazing, talking or just playing through the night. She would have given up anything for this. In the end, she didn't even need to. She swooped down towards the familiar island on the outskirts of the city, now joined by several more. Each night she expected, in some hopeful part of her mind, to find a pair of hot mugs, a plate of waffles, and a pony waiting for her by a checkered oasis. The cocoa was stone cold by now. The plate sat untouched in the center of the table. Over by the counter, Joe tried to talk sense into the dragon, casting the occasional nervous glance in her direction. She turned her attention to the pony across the table. Sometimes he was an earth pony. Sometimes a unicorn or a pegasus. Sometimes brown, or gray or yellow or green. Most nights, he was nothing at all, only a half-forgotten apparition mimicking what her memory told her he must have been. Luna tossed a pair of coins on the table and stepped outside. A gaggle of ponies that looked as though they'd wandered out from an explosion staggered past her. The bell jingled merrily as they went in. She fluffed her wings and took off casually, letting the bustle underneath carry her up like an updraft, then slowly taking wider, stronger flaps as Canterlot receded under her. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy, she thought, looking up at the tilted, off-balance moon in the sky, grudgingly framed by a handful of stars. But it'll do. Soaring above a world that was everything she ever wanted it to be, wings beating against the thinning air, Luna flew home.

QuillDipper

381

Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Twilight Sparkle,Zecora,Crossover,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Night-Mare Before Christmas

incomplete

<p>When Jack Skellington is tired of Halloween, of which he is king, he looks to a strange new world for answers. Unfortunately, not all goes according to plan.</p>

everyone

2011-08-02T07:16:44+00:00

2011-08-02T07:16:44+00:00

Chapter One: What’s This? Jack spun in a circle, staring at the doors surrounding him. The symbols surrounding them dumbfounded him. One was a funny looking bird, one was a bright pink heart, and one was an over-decorated egg. There were many more, from strange leaves to explosive devices, but something in particular caught his attention. One of the final doors, one that entranced him, was a tree. A green tree with many branches poking off of it, and covered in small ornament. Jack walked toward it, amazed by how it looked. Could this be it? He thought Could this help me make Halloween Town better? His hand reached for the small red ball by the side of the door, where a doorknob would commonly be placed. But as his hand clasped the ball, something else caught his eye. Behind all the door he was holding was another one, surprisingly. It was worn, and neglected. If he wasn't as close as he was, he probably would have never noticed it. The door seemed... different. It wasn't like the rest. It was a horse, rearing up. But the strange thing about it was that it wasn't like any of the zombie-steeds Jack had seen before. It had a horn, wings, and a strange looking mark on its flank. His hand slipped off of the Tree’s door handle, and he started walking over to this new sight. It confused him, but also attracted him. His hand was on the doorknob , which rested underneath the horse’s front legs. His fingers of bone twisted the knob slowly, as he was scared as to what he may find on the other side of this door. The door opened, and he poked his head in. It was simply, a black crevice inside of the tree. He looked up- Nothing. He looked down- Nothing. He sighed, and, disappointed, turned around. As he closed the door, his ghost-like companion Zero, floated over to his leg. Jack looked down, frowning at the little guy, but then something else caught his eye. A flake of snow. A white flake of snow. It floated in front of him, and then another, and then three, and soon, his vision was obscured by them. He felt himself moving, but made no effort to escape. It was very calm, falling in this vortex of foliage. He closed his eyes for just a moment, when a sudden forth ejected him onto the forest floor. But this wasn't the same forest he started on. The area around him was more... Alive. Full of movement and danger. The ground here wasn’t as well kept as the ground around the circle of trees near Halloween town, as it was covered in snow. He stood up, and brushed the snow off of his pinstripe suit. This was a new place... and whatever was here could help him make Halloween. ----------- “C’mon Dashie!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down as they walked through the lightly dusted ground of the Everfree Forest. Dash trudged behind, covered in snow, and her feet drenched in slush. He face held nothing but contempt for this journey. “Pinkie Pie!” She shouted, pulling a twig out of her wing. “Why the hay are we all the way out here? This better not be some prank!” “No, silly!” Pinkie said, somehow appearing behind Dash, “But I saw these cool doors out here, and they had all sorts of cool designs, and I was like ‘OH MY GOSH!’ and then I thought ‘I should get Dash!’ and so I ran home and almost tripped and then I stopped to eat a cupca-” “Alright!” Dash yelled, very angry now, “I get it. Can we please just hurry?” Pinkie smiled so wide that any normal ponies jaw would have broken, and started bouncing along again. Dash followed, trying to figure out how Pinkie wasn't getting any twigs stuck in her. But, before she could catch up, she heard a shout, and Pinkie Pie shot past her, going back toward Ponyville. Huh. I wonder what she saw Dash thought, and, with a cocky smile, she walked forward to where Pinkie had been. And glanced around. She didn't see anything. “Heh. Must just be Pinkie being Pinkie” She said, smiling normally now, and turning around. But as she did, she came face to face with a white skull, that seemed to be staring at her. She froze, unable to move out of terror. And then it spoke. “What are you?” It asked, bringing a bony hand toward the rainbow-maned ponies head. She didn't let it get close though. She screamed, and shot off into the sky, terrified by the creature. Dash went straight up into the sky, going through a few grey clouds before she stopped and took a deep breath. She needed to figure out what just happened. She flew toward Ponyville, and tried to figure out how to explain what she saw. She landed outside the Ponyville Library (Located in a tree), and burst in, forgetting to knock. “Twilight!” Dash shouted, looking around the library frantically. Her eyes fell upon the baby dragon Spike, who was humming an annoying little ditty. His eyes fell on Dash. “Oh. Hey Rainbow Dash!.” He said, putting an overly-purple book on a bookshelf. “Whats up? Twilight went out to ask Zecora about this weird plant she found. Whats the matter?” She shot over to Spike, and looked him right in the eyes. “Thing. In the forest. Not alive.” Spike looked at her funny, “Of course theres something dead out there. Its a forest full of dangerous animals.” Dash took a deep breath, and calmed down. She then went on to explain the situation. ------------------ “Thanks for taking a look at this plant, Zecora.” Twilight Sparkle said, walking out of the hut in the middle of the forest and getting on the road. Zecora smiled. “A problem it was not, my little pony friend. Just be careful as you go around the bend.” Twilight smiled, and went off on her way. As she did, Zecora shut the door, and quickly pulled out a vial labeled ‘Rhyming Potion’. She took a drink from it. “Close that was, almost gone. My mystic facade, the truth could of dawned.” Twilight walked away smiling, going straight towards Ponyville. As she did, she felt odd though. Like a pair of eyes was on her. But, she merely passed it off as paranoia on her part. She ambled along to the town, humming.. ----- Jack walked through the trees, watching the little lavender pony walk. He was confused... Talking ponies? Unicorns? Flying ones? This was all new to him. Soon the two emerged from the forest, and Jack saw the town. The buildings there were too small for him to enter, being the was. He couldn't see from this far away if all the creatures were as they were here, but he suspected they were. Ducking behind the snow dusted bushes, he approached the town behind the small unicorn. Soon, he was in it. He quickly looked around, and hid behind a building. He peaked out. What’s this? What’s this? There’s ponies everywhere! What’s this? There’s horses in the air! I can’t believe my eyes I must be dreaming wake up Jack this isn’t fair! What’s this? Jack swooped out into the town, and ducked down behind an abandoned apple stand. What’s this? What’s this? There’s something very wrong What’s this? There’s ponies singing songs. What’s this? The streets are lined with little creatures laughing Everybody seems so happy. Have I possibly gone daffy? What is this? What’s this? Jack shot across the ground, over to a bush in front of this fashion salon-like place. There’s children bucking apples, instead of collecting heads. They’re busy making pies and absolutely no ones dead. There’s cakes in every window, oh I cant believe my eyes! And in my bones I feel the warmth that's coming from insiiiiiiide. He dashed behind a tree out by the exit to Ponyville, which faced a large apple farm. Oh look! What’s this? They’re hanging mistlehoof! They kiss? Why that looks so unique Inspired! They’re gathering around to hear a story roasting chestnuts on a fire! What’s this? The large skeleton clambered up onto a roof, and slid down on the snow into the town square, by a rather large pine tree. The sun was going down by this time What’s this? Out here, They’ve got a little tree? How queer! And who would ever think? And why? They’re covering it with tiny little things They’ve got electric lights on strings And there’s a smile on everyone! Now correct me if I’m wrong, This looks like fun, this looks like fun Oh could it be I got my wish? What’s this? Jack ran off, out back towards the apple field, and hopped from tree to tree untill he reached a small clubhouse, with a few little fillies inside, fast asleep. Oh my, what now? The children are asleep? But look! There’s nothing underneath. No ghouls. No witches there to scream and scare them, Or ensnare them, only little cozy things Secure inside their dreamlaaand. What’s this? He dashed off, back to the town, leaving a little white unicorn sitting up and looking around, absolutely confuzzeled. Jack hopped back onto the roofs, finding a secure foothold this time, and hopped from roof to roof. The monsters are all missing, and the nightmares cant be found And in their place seems to be good feeling all around Instead of screams I swear I hear music in the air And the smell of cakes and pies is absolutly everywhere! The sites! The sounds! They’re everywhere and all, around! I’ve never felt this good before! This empty place inside me has been filling up! I simply cannot get enough! I want it! Oh I want it, for my own! I’ve got to know, I’ve got to know what is this place that I have found? What is this?! Jack slid down the side of the building, and right up next to a sign. “Pony-Ville? Hmm....” To be Continued... -------------- Authors Note: This was probably terrible. This is my first MLP Fic, and I dont think I did that swell. But we’ll see.... ------ I do not own any of the characters from My Little Pony Friendship is Magic or Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. The song in this fan fiction is mostly the property of them too.

SaintAbsol

382

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Recurring Nightmare

cancelled

<p>Nightmare Moon may be gone from Princess Luna; but evil like that doesn't just simply disappear.</p>

everyone

2011-10-20T03:14:04+00:00

2011-10-20T03:14:04+00:00

Twilight Sparkle sighed, her eyes barely focused as she tried to read the tome in front of her. The light of Luna’s full moon shone brightly through one of her windows, and the addition of a candle provided just enough extra light for her to see, but not enough to wake Spike with it’s brightness. Despite what he would sometimes protest, she really did have his best interests at heart- and baby dragons needed their sleep as much as an other babies. “Hoo!” “Shh!” The Unicorn quickly hushed Owlowicious, not wanting his nocturnal habits to awaken her friend either. “I can’t afford to have him know about this.” She whispered back, her violet eyes darting to make sure he was still asleep. “I can’t have anyone knowing about this.” “Hoo?” Though it was much quieter this time, Twilight could hear the question in the sound the owl made and sighed. “I know, I know.” She said, knowing that- even if there was evidence that he could understand her- she was mostly using him to talk out her own issues. “I shouldn’t keep secrets from my friends.” She bit her lip, “it’s just... I don’t know if this is right.” “Hoo?” “I’ve gone over all the lore, all the tales, all the legends; I’ve even asked Princess Celestia for history books that were printed centuries ago. It’s not adding up; not even close.” “..hoo.” The owl was outright glaring at her now, his face surprisingly good at displaying some frustration over her vagueness at the moment. The purple unicorn sighed, then yawned; in her tired state, she wasn’t really thinking straight. She’d forgotten that, even if she couldn’t understand him, Owlowicious could understand her- he wanted to know just what she was talking about. Not to mention that he didn’t like being treated like an inanimate object. “I’m sorry.” She said at last, actually addressing him now and not just talking at him. “I’ve just been at this for weeks now and I don’t have an answers.” Her head hit the book she’d been looking through as she felt her mind trying to pull her into sleep- but Owlowicious still needed answers. “Just promise me you’ll keep this from Spike and the others.” The owl simply nodded, no need to ‘hoo’ when he didn’t have to. “I think Nightmare Moon is still out there.” “Hoo?” This time, ironically enough, it was meant exactly as it sounded. “Huh? Oh, right; you weren’t there.” Though she wanted to sigh yet again at having to explain this, Twilight simply couldn’t find the energy to do it. “A thousand years ago, Princesses Celestia and Luna created the Sun and Moon respectively. For a while, things went as you’d expect; but Luna started to get jealous of all the attention that the day was getting; it wasn’t really like now, ponies weren’t all that interested in the night sky or the stars and moon. Which really doesn’t make sense when you see just how much we can learn from studying the night sky; what with the stars and the other planets out there and all the nebulae and-” Another ‘Hoo’ reminded Twilight that she was rambling. “Sorry; where was I? Oh right; Princess Luna was getting jealous since she put some much work into the night sky and no one was interested in appreciating all that hard work. That jealousy twisted her until, at last, she literally refused to let the sun replace the moon one night- so that ponies would be forced to appreciate her work. Princess Celestia confronted her, but she wouldn’t listen anymore; she had been corrupted by her own emotions into something she never should have: Nightmare Moon. “After that, Princess Celestia had no choice but to imprison her in the moon itself with the Elements of Harmony- lest everlasting night reign over Equestria.” The young unicorn had slipped into her ‘storyteller’ mode: using fancier terms and speaking like she was narrating a book to the owl. While there was nothing wrong with this, he would have liked that she get to the point. “One thousand years passed; then Nightmare Moon escaped with the aid of the stars and trapped Princess Celestia away while her night ruled. The others and I were able to use the Elements of Harmony again- learning of our own connection with them- and freed Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon and released Princess Celestia.” Twilight had to pause for breath here, the young mare having not really done all that much during the story. Owlowicious just stared at her, tilting his head as if confused by something, and she was well aware of what. “I know, that seems like Nightmare Moon’s gone. But I saw something; while everypony was busy with admiring their necklaces or welcoming the princesses back, there was some armor where Nightmare Moon had been and it faded away into some blue smoke. That blue smoke was always around Nightmare Moon, she even turned into it at times. That can’t just be a coincidence. “I know that it’s not anything solid- which is why I haven’t told anyone- but I can’t shake the feeling that whatever that was is something that could come back. Even if Princess Luna was jealous, she had to have something that pushed her over the edge and brought about Nightmare Moon. And that’s why I’m looking through every legend, every story and every account I can find of what happened a thousand years ago. But the only things I’ve been able to find are just various versions of the ‘Mare in the Moon’ legend; and I already know that story by heart!” She stamped her hoof down in frustration, then paled as Spike stirred and quickly blew out the candle. She waited, holding her breath as the baby dragon shifted about in his bed. She released it after he stilled and her horn sparked for a moment to re-ignite the tiny flame. “I can’t just go to Princess Celestia with just a hunch; and Princess Luna’s been having so much trouble as is, I can’t make it harder by starting rumors about Nightmare Moon. Ponies’ll just blame her for it without even trying to find the real problem. You have to promise me that you’ll never tell anyone what I’m doing.” Owlowicious blinked his beady eyes at the pleading unicorn mare before him. Though at least as intelligent as any given pony- and perhaps more so than a few- his face was almost always as flat and inexpressive as your average wild animal. Twilight waited anxiously for him to respond, as he theoretically held the entire future of her research in his wings. But the brown owl finally nodded and the purple unicorn sighed in relief. “Thank you, Owlowicious. I know that it’s bad to keep things from your friends, but this is just one of those secrets that needs to be kept.” With a yawn, the tiredness that had been staved off by her tension while talking to her number two assistant suddenly came rushing back. She was tired so very... very.... Twilight Sparkle passed out in mid thought, her head thumping lightly on the pages of the open book in front of her. Owlowicious, with nothing else to do for the night, fluttered up to his usual perch by the window and gazed up at the full moon. For the first time he could remember, the sight of the pearly orb in the sky gave him no comfort.

SaintAbsol

382

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Recurring Nightmare

cancelled

<p>Nightmare Moon may be gone from Princess Luna; but evil like that doesn't just simply disappear.</p>

everyone

2011-10-20T03:53:19+00:00

2011-10-20T03:53:19+00:00

At times, it was easy to forget just how big Ponyville actually was. It was rather large as far as towns went- maybe not as big as a city, but still bigger than you’d expect a town like this to be. At least a third of that was taken up by Sweet Apple Acres’ orchard admittedly, but that fact made the town no less impressive. But what really made a pony forget the size of this not so small town was the fact that eveypony was just so neighborly to one another. People would just come up and talk to you out of the blue, like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. It had been something of a shock to Rarity when she’d first moved here. Coming from the city as she had, she was used to ponies either ignoring people around them or ‘socializing’ in parties were everyone had to put on an air of being far more important than they actually were. For all her complaining about the rural life and the general lack of culture, she enjoyed that lack of- as Applejack put it- ‘Frou-Frou’ attitude. That said, when she found times that she could find a way to relive some of the benefits of city life, she would gladly accept. “Mmm, oh! Ah yes, right there.” The white unicorn moaned as Lotus kneaded her between the shoulders with her hooves. “Oh Lotus, you always know exactly how to work out those hard to get kinks.” “My pleasure.” The teal-colored Earth Pony smiled at one of her more regular customers. “You really should get some of your friends in here more often; I’ve seen them around town, they could use a good massage.” “Don’t I know it.” Rarity sighed out. “But between Twilight being cooped up in that library of hers, Dash and AJ refusing to act even a little like ladies and Pinkie being... well, Pinkie, Fluttershy’s the only pony I can even get to come in here on a semi-regular basis.” She glanced over at her companion; the yellow pegasus was currently sitting in a mineral bath, dozing from the heat and her own tiredness. Rarity had requested that the sisters leave her alone for the moment; since she was always working herself far beyond her limit to care for all the animals in Ponyville, she needed all the rest she could get. Aloe soon came to take over for her twin sister, as they had just received a delivery of some soaps and she needed to sign for it. Though it was only for a short time, as the wall to the spa suddenly shook from an impact. Fluttershy started awake while Rarity merely sighed through her snout. That mare had an incredible ability to crash when she was either wanted, or just mentioned. “Sorry!” The sky-blue pegasus sheepishly poked her head in through one of the windows as Aloe just stared, dumbfounded. “Yeah...” She rubbed at her rainbow-colored mane with her hoof as her eyes made sure not to actually look at anypony. “I was trying a new trick and I sorta... messed up the third barrel roll.” She gave a nervous chuckle and a highly forced smile as the pink spa pony glared at her, joined by Rarity. “Ohhhhhhh-kay then,” she said as she started to slowly hover away. “I guess I’ll just be going now.” “w-wait.” Fluttershy’s voice was barely above a whisper, but her friends had learned to compensate to the point that it was less careful listening than a subconscious habit. The timid pegasus lowered her gaze to the water she still lay in as the eyes of those present turned to her. “Are... are you going by Twilight’s house?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head slightly in confusion, then simply nodded. Her house was mostly on the edge of town, and Twilight’s library was more or less in that direction. “I have to return a book to her; it’s over there in my saddle bags.” Her ears went low as she tried to appear even smaller than she had been trying. “I mean... if it’s not too much trouble.” In a flash, Dash was by the appropriately marked bags and looking through them. Not more than two seconds later, she pulled out a fairly thick book. “‘Pet Care and Pampering by Ceaser Manelan’?” Both the rainbow maned pegasus and the fashionista unicorn looked at their friend with slightly confused expressions as she blushed in embarrassment. “Well, you know; sometimes, it’s nice to get a second opinion.” There was a bit of a silence, coupled with Fluttershy trying to shrink away into nothing to the best of her ability, before Dash finally shrugged. “Whatever, I’m off. Later you two.” There was a streak of rainbow out of the open window and a slight breeze in her wake, and the room suddenly lacked any sign of the pegasus ever having been there. That streak of multicolored light- that only she could pull off- tore through the skies over Ponyville. Clouds that got in her way were either left with holes in their center or outright poofed out of existence, she could multitask with doing her job and running an errand like any good weather team pegasus. Though she made sure none of the water that came from those dissipated clouds soaked into the book she carried; though Twilight Sparkle could give the most boring lectures about stuff that held no interest to her, Dash knew how she was when it came to books and couldn’t do something like that to her friend. The rainbow finally stopped in front of the library, Dash knocking on the door as she hovered in place. “Hey, Twilight!” She called as her hoof tapped. “Got a book for ya from Fluttershy!” After that, she just waited. ...and waited. ...and waited. Never being one who stood still if she had a choice, Rainbow Dash tried the handled then grunted in frustration when she found it locked and shot around to one of the windows. Glaring inside, her violet eyes scanned the room for her unicorn friend, or at least her dragon assistant since the owl was asleep by now. I KNOW you’re in there. She angled herself to try and get as full a view of the library as possible. You’re never anywhere else at this hour. Finally, the pegasus set her eyes on her bookish friend; and- ironically enough- the unicorn was mirroring a pose she’d often had in school: Face flat against a book, passed out. “Twilight! Hey, Twilight!” She tried to get her attention by shouting through the window, but to no avail. Tapping on the glass with her hoof only made her friend stir slightly and she didn’t want to break it by hitting any harder. So she inhaled deeply, and let out her loudest bellow. “HEY, EGGHEAD! WAKE UP!!” The Unicorn jumped to her hooves in a second, flailing wildly and knocking over several books in the process. She looked around with eyes that were glazed from sleep and unfocused in fright. It was only after several moments of incessant tapping on her window that Rainbow finally brought her to her senses. The pegasus pointed toward the door that had impeded her earlier, still outright glaring at Twilight over the incident. As she trotted sleepily over to the door, Rainbow Dash shot around the side in the blink of an eye and was there to greet her before the door opened. The unicorn barely managed to get the ‘w’ out of the ‘what?’ she had been about to say before she found a book stuffed into her mouth. “That’s Fluttershy’s, she asked me to return it on my way home.” If her expression had gone over Twilight’s head before, it was now painfully clear that Dash was exceedingly miffed over having been made to wait. The pegasus turned to leave in a huff, before she was held up in a much more gentle manner than usual. “Wait.” Twilight Sparkle sighed, holding in a yawn from a body that hadn’t been sleeping well for a while. “I’m s-sooooor-ah.” Apparently, that yawn was a particularly persistent one. “Sorry,” she finally managed to say clearly. “I knew Fluttershy was going to return the book today, but I didn’t expect her by until a lot later.” The unicorn looked up to see that her friend still had her back to her and her ears lowered, afraid she might have done something that Dash just wasn’t going to overlook for a while. Only to suddenly find herself swept up in a noogie from her not a moment later. “Okay, Egghead; I forgive you.” She said with a chuckle as she let her go. Twilight joined in with the laugh, levitating a comb over to fix her mane as Fluttershy’s book was placed over in the section of shelves dedicated to animals. “Thanks for returning it, and I’m sorry I didn’t open the door when you knocked.” Waving a hoof, Dash brushed off her friend’s concern. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Just try not to do it again.” She jumped off and was zipping away with one final comment left hanging in the air behind her. “Enjoy your beauty sleep, Egghead.” Chuckling almost the entire way home, the pegasus finally settled down as she alighted on her self-made cloud home. Though she had nothing against Earth Ponies and Unicorns, or even other pegasi like Fluttershy who preferred to live on the ground, she could never have gotten used to having something so utterly unyielding under her hooves as she slept. Clouds bounced with each step, rocked in the breeze and had a life all their own even on the calmest of days. It was why she’d be so adamant about building this thing and even spent much more than a pretty bit on ordering some cloud architecture all the way from Cloudsdale. And it was worth all the time, money and effort she’d put into making it. Sighing as she flopped onto her couch, Dash looked around at the various Wonderbolt posters that she’d stuck to her walls with a proud smile. Her dream of joining them just seemed to grow ever more likely as the days went by; her skills in the sky were getting better, to the point that she hardly crashed on a regular basis. Not to mention that her tricks were getting ever more complex each time; and she’d even recruited some of her Weather Team friends to try some formation work. It wasn’t as awesome as it could have been, but she was reasonably confident in the results she was seeing. Her gaze panned over to her- rather crowded- trophy case and she could almost feel the sensation of her ego growing. Trophies that were even taller than herself dominated the display and at least thirty medals with varying places- nothing less than third- were haphazardly placed around them. But the things that Rainbow considered some of the best pieces on this display case: The various pictures of herself and her friends. It wasn’t that she considered her friends trophies, it was just that she considered them just as important as her own achievements; they were something to be proud of in her mind, and she was very proud to call these crazy ponies her friends. An image of Pinkie Pie and herself posing with an Applejack who had various designs and colored streaks covering her brought a slight laugh from Rainbow, the mere memory of the incident still amusing. Another photo was her and Rarity, the latter wearing the ‘helmet’ of her attempt at trying to make something for the Gala and the former wearing the unicorn’s glasses while gesturing pompously. It still impressed her that Rarity had agreed to this, even had a sense of humor about the whole thing when the creation had been part of her lowest point in fashion. Then there was her and Fluttershy, the picture taken back when they were both fillies. Just the pair of them on the cloud equivalent of a beach, complete with pails and shovels; Ditzy Doo- another old friend of hers- was sticking her head through a tiny cloudcastle and saying ‘Your Princess is in another castle’ if she remembered correctly. She didn’t know what that meant, but it was par for the course with Ditzy. Next came one of the more recent pictures, one of her and Twilight in a bookstore. This one had just been Pinkie messing around and taking one by accident, but she’d decided to keep it anyway. It showed a very bored looking Rainbow Dash leaning against a while while Twilight did a spot on impression of the town party pony, hopping around with glee at all the new books that she was finding even as she held five with her telekinesis. She was about to start laughing at the memory when something clicked. She’d seen how Twilight was around books, been chewed out by her from time to time when the books she’d borrowed came back a bit worse for wear and nearly seen her burst into flames when it looked like she’d lost the unicorns favorite book. If there was one thing you could say about miss Twilight Sparkle, it was that she treated books like Fluttershy treated animals. So why had she been asleep on one when Rainbow Dash had showed up? For that matter, what was she doing asleep anyway? That mare had gotten up with the sun for as long as Dash had known her, even earlier sometimes when she had stuff to do. She kept a tight schedule about everything, sleeping included; there was no reason for her to have suddenly stopped sticking to it. There wasn’t anything planned that she’d heard of, and Twilight would have excitedly told them about any late night events that Princess Luna had set up. Yet the unicorn had been silent about anything that she was doing and hadn’t given much of an explanation when Dash had dropped by. Something was up, that was the only thing that made sense. But Twilight hadn’t seen fit to tell them anything; but what could be so important that she had to keep it a secret? Rainbow Dash couldn’t even begin to guess, so she’d go to the source herself and directly ask her. But when she left her home again, it wasn’t to speed off toward the library again. She had to make a quick stop to visit another friend first. Who better to tell if someone was lying than the Element of Honesty herself?

SaintAbsol

382

Main 6,Nightmare Moon,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Recurring Nightmare

cancelled

<p>Nightmare Moon may be gone from Princess Luna; but evil like that doesn't just simply disappear.</p>

everyone

2011-10-23T19:27:27+00:00

2011-10-23T19:27:27+00:00

While a rainbow streaked through the sky overhead, a rather unique looking unicorn sat looking up in confusion; even though her eyes were hidden by the violet lens of her sunglasses. Vinyl Scratch shook her head, tossing her blue mane about and rubbing around her horn as she felt something of a headache coming on from sitting in the sun for so long. One of her few friends had equated her to the vampires in old ponytales: pale with red eyes and about as comfortable during the day as they were. Somewhere along the line, about the time she’d actually started her DJ career, her sleep schedule had changed so that she was rarely up before six in the afternoon; the sun rising was usually her cue to call it a day and sleep away until either the late afternoon or the sunset. Which begged the question: What was she doing out in Ponyville Park in the middle of the day? It wasn’t really that tough an answer. She was meeting with a mare very dear to her heart- more-so than the mare herself knew really. There were only a hoofful of ponies she would drag herself into the daylight world for, and Octavia was one of them. Even through the tinted lenses, she found herself just staring at the grey Earth Pony; and- for whatever reason- musing that she looked far older than she was. Maybe it was the partially grey mane, maybe it was the air of maturity she projected, maybe it was just the fact that she acted it: but Octavia just looked about 30 years her senior instead of 3. That was, until you looked into her eyes. The mare’s violet eyes held a sparkle of youth and energy that you simply couldn’t fake. They weren’t tired, like the eyes of someone who had lived and seen it all, they were the eyes of a young mare who was still ready to learn and be surprised. A pony could get lost staring into those eyes- just as she was right now- and the lack of sleep didn’t help her focus one bit. “Vinyl!” The musician snapped, bringing her out of her daydream abruptly. “Are you even listening to me?!” The unicorn blinked a few times as she shook her head. “Sorry, Octy; spaced out there for a bit.” It wasn’t far from the truth anyway, and much less embarrassing. “Not used to being up and about now.” The cellist rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Vinyl, you need to sleep more.” “I sleep just fine,” she snapped back, glaring from behind her sunglasses. “I would be asleep right now if you hadn’t insisted I meet you at this insane hour.” Octavia scoffed. “Two o’clock in the afternoon is hardly an unreasonable time. Maybe if you kept decent hours, you’d actually be awake during the day.” “What kinda raves happen in the day?” “Ugh! You’re utterly impossible!” Octavia looked about ready to just give up and walk away from the whole thing, only for Vinyl to suddenly touch one of her own hooves against the musician’s. “Look, I’m sorry okay?” The DJ had decided to use one of her rare apologies for the day, seeing as how it was getting pretty clear Octavia wasn’t having all that good a day herself. “I’m not really a day person, and... you’re kinda right, I haven’t been sleeping all that good lately.” The Earth Pony looked at her friend in confusion. “What’s wrong?” “Not sure.” Vinyl admitted with a shrug. “I mean; I’ve gone to bed about four or five in the morning and woken up about ten feeling even more tired than I was when I went to bed.” Her hooves rubbed at the side her her head, sighing in her frustration. “It’s been on and off for about a week; starting to get on my nerves.” Octavia bit her lower lip in mild concern. “Well... maybe you should go see a doctor or someth-” “I did see a doctor.” She was interrupted by the exasperated unicorn. “Two, actually. One accused me of taking something I shouldn’t be... I’m not allowed within five hundred pony-lengths of him now.” Another sigh from Octavia. “And... the other?” “Couldn’t give me anything outside of some sleeping pills; he said there wasn’t anything physically wrong with me, but he also said I should talk to a shrink.” Vinyl scoffed. “Can you imagine it? Me, on one of those couches while he asks me to talk about my childhood.” “You’re crazy enough that you could do with a visit or ten.” The musician muttered. “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Octy.” “Well; something is obviously wrong.” She shot back. “It’s even more abnormal than everything else about you.” Vinyl held in a retort of her own; as much as she would have liked to disagree- that just being the kind of pony she was- actually arguing with Octavia over a point she partially agreed with was just pointless to her. Plus, there was the simple fact that she was right: Something was wrong. And not just in the ‘I’m not sleeping well’ way; she’d dealt with Insomnia before, she knew what it felt like to just be tired from a lack of sleep. But this, this was something else entirely; and it made her more than a little uneasy. She honestly couldn’t think this was a stress related or psychological thing; she hadn’t been stressed until this entire thing had started, and the biggest dilemma she’d dealt with for a while now was what to have for her next meal. Despite what most ponies said about her, Vinyl did have a method to her madness and this wasn’t a part of it. It honestly scared her more than she was willing to admit. Doing her best to chase such thoughts from her mind, she turned the conversation back toward it’s original purpose. “So... what did you drag me away from my bed to tell me anyway?” Octavia, suddenly unable to even meet her friend’s gaze through the sunglasses, fidgeted slightly in her seat. “Shouldn’t you be a bit more concerned with what’s happening with your sleep? I mean; it can’t be-” “I do enough thinking about myself as is,” Vinyl waved off her friend’s worries with something of a joke. “Just tell me.” The Earth Pony continued to fidget and, right then and there, Vinyl knew she wasn’t going to like what her friend had to say. “I was offered a chance to play in Aerie.” Behind her sunglasses, Vinyl blinked in shock. “That griffon country?” A nod from her friend. “Isn’t that a bit dangerous? I mean... they’re griffons after all....” Octavia’s jaw dropped in shock at what her friend just said. “Vinyl, I’m surprised; you, of all ponies!” “Come on, you saw how much trouble that one caused a few months ago,” the unicorn defended. “And you know how griffons are after all.” “I know how some ponies say they are,” Octavia snapped back, glaring at her friend. “I also know how some ponies say that you’re a sociopath who likes to burn down buildings.” “That was an ACCIDENT!” Vinyl was suddenly standing on her front hooves on the table and shouting so loud that everypony in the vicinity had turned their heads toward her. The unicorn heedlessly stood there, panting angrily as she glared at her rather calm friend. Several moments passed before she sat back down and the rest of the crowd went back to whatever that had been doing previously. “See how it feels?” Octavia asked, the only one who seemed to be taking what had happened in stride. “Getting labeled for something you had no control over?” Vinyl only grumbled, her head hung low. “But, did you have to mention that incident?” Octavia only shrugged. “It’s about the only thing that you seem to be the slightest bit self-conscious about, you have to expect it to come up from time to time. Though- for the record- I’m sorry I had to bring it up; but you get the point, right?” “Yeah, yeah.” The unicorn grumbled. “Still; watch yourself for me, would ya? I really don’t want you to get hurt.” Octavia chuckled, reaching out a hoof to ruffle Vinyl’s already chaotic mane. “Yeah, I know. And I appreciate it, you crazy pony.” The grey mare sighed, dropping her hooves down to the ground as she looked around awkwardly. “Well... that’s pretty much what I wanted to tell you.” “I take it you’re leaving now; since you decided to meet me in a park than a cafe or something.” She winced slightly at Vinyl’s blunt summation of the situation, but nodded anyway. “Well, then I guess I’ll see you when you get back.” And- with that- the unicorn DJ stood back up and set her hooves toward her home. Octavia sighed, watching her friend go as her conscience started to throb in the back of her head. As one of the few ponies who could understand Vinyl’s moods and mannerisms, she could tell the crazy mare wasn’t taking this as well as her current attitude suggested. Plus, it just seemed like a bad thing to leave her alone when there was clearly something wrong with her; but the practical portion of her reminded her of her duty to her ensemble. The chance they had been given was too good to pass up and simply didn’t come along very often in life. As much as she wanted to stay and make sure that her best friend was okay, she still had other responsibilities. With a sigh, the cellist set her hooves to the road that would take her back to Canterlot. Princess Celestia had been kind enough to lend the four of them a flying chariot to make the journey much faster than they would have normally, but it meant that they had to all be in the city tomorrow morning to use it. So wrapped up was Octavia in her own thoughts, she failed to think twice about the golden yellow pegasus that brushed against her as she left town. Nor did she notice several other ponies on the path suddenly questioning where some valuables had disappeared to.

Trace

383

The Creature.

incomplete

<p>Made for my friends because I was told to make one&#8230;</p>

everyone

2011-08-02T07:49:46+00:00

He awoke suddenly from a deep slumber recalling little of the events that had come to pass. "How did I get here this isn't the hospital...?" He thought. He took in that he was in a forest. He got up gingerly but he found that he was no longer in his weak state as before, he had recovered but more then that he was stronger then ever before! He stretched his wings and flapped them with great power and strength. He was better then ever. "But how had this happened...? I was on my death bed..." At that moment he caught a glance of his wing... "What the..." He pulled his wing toward his face to get a better look and what he saw disgusted him. His wing was made up of all kinds of bits and pieces of other ponies wings... "WHAT THE HAY DOES THIS MEAN" He cried to nopony. To his horror he found that not only his wings were made of this sick patch work but his entire body was made up of this quilt of skin... He fell to the ground with defeat and he thought of so many questions that he couldn't answer... He realized he had been sitting there for a while because the the sky turned to twilight and he knew he needed to put his thoughts away for the moment and find a proper place to lay his head. As he looked around him he thought to himself "I know where I am, I have to be in the Everfree Forest." "There's no other forest any where near Still Water Hospital “ He paused momentarily and took in his surroundings and he heard running water near by. “I should follow this steam it should lead me out of here” He thought. As he neared the torrent suddenly he became aware that he was quite thirsty... As he bent down to get water he notice something he didn't before... “What the...” “How did I get this horn?”...  He forgot about his thirst while he became more and more confused...  After sitting for a while pondering what had happened he decided to finally get a drink and carry on. As he finished gulping down some water he decided to move along with the current of the water. The sun finally set and he was still walking not feeling sleepy since he had so much rest and he was a bit of a night owl to start with. He walked on for a while until the moon was a just the right angle for him to see through part of the tree canopy. His thoughts turned to Luna and Celestia. “What if I'm like them” He said “I look just like them... Well almost...”  Slightly disheartened at the remembrance of his appearance but he remember how he had his strength back and that should be enough for now.  He decided that it was time to start considering where he may sleep, then he ventured down stream a little longer looking for some kind of clearing when he saw a dim glowing from the other side of the river. He flew over the river and gently landed back to the ground without a sound. Slowly he crept up toward the light that just peaked out from the little cracks in the dense forest brush. He poked his head slowly through the brush as to make little sound and call no attention to himself. What lay before him was a small wooden shack. The light was cast from a small window that  was at eye level for him. “This hast to be Zeccora's house!” He thought excitedly (She had brought all sorts of medicines and remedies to the hospital.)   “She was always nice to everypony she saw surely she would take me in.” As he pushed his head further out he spread the brush with his wings and walked cautiously to the door hoping not scare her. He sat at the door thinking of what to say and how to make himself look less ghoulish, but nothing seemed right to and it was getting later and he couldn't be sure that she would be awake much longer so he gently knocked on the door with one of his front hooves. At that moment there was the sound of hoovesteps coming to the door and a call …

HiddenBrony

384

Big Macintosh,Braeburn,Caramel,Adventure,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Big MacIntosh's Strange Day

complete

<p>Braeburn asks Big Mac to pay him a visit in Appleoosa to help straighten out a mess he's gotten himself into. Big Mac offers his advice, but soon gets more than he bargained for out of the trip.</p><p>Loosely connected to <i>Hop, Skip, and a Jump</i>. Not required reading.</p>

everyone

2011-08-10T18:05:42+00:00

2011-08-10T18:05:42+00:00

Big Mac wasn't known for his mind. Nor was he known as a stallion who partied or womanized like others. No, to some Big MacIntosh was known for his giant size, simple speech, and hard working ethic. To others, he was simply an enigma, or to most other colts he was simply known as Applejack's big brother and left it at that. However, to some ponies, he was considered a very close friend. Caramel was working hard to recover for his earlier folly that month, where in his haste to beat out a severe storm, he had ended up tripping and spraining his leg. Afterwards, he was brought to the hospital by Applejack and Fluttershy, the latter of which had stayed over the very same night he had sprained his leg, attempting to hold out the storm - and get something to eat, as well. Regardless, it was every day after the storm that his friend Big Mac came to the Hospital. Most of the time it was right after working hard in the orchard. Big MacIntosh was as loyal a friend could be, really, and sometimes he would just sit in the room with him, silent and unassuming, simply helping his friend pass the time while he recovered. He was a very close and loyal friend. However, in the last days of his recovery, Big MacIntosh had to let Caramel know that he was called on to help sort out a bit of trouble in Appleoosa after his cousin Braeburn was caught in what Big MacIntosh called a 'right mess of a sitch-ee-a-tion' with one of the other locals there. Who it was, Caramel couldn't say, but his thoughts went out to Braeburn. He always seemed to have his heart in the right place, so whatever scandal he ended up in could only be something somepony spun to cause a ruckus. As Big Mac left, however, Caramel was suddenly struck with an almost terrifying thought, and called out to his friend - but it was too late. ----- Big MacIntosh strode into Appleoosa next to another very imposing pony. Both stallions were built to last and stood a head taller than any other colt in all of Equestria, it seemed. Despite this, neither knew the other very well outside of a mutual respect for their work. "So what brings you to Appleoosa, Big Mac?" The black stallion grunted as they walked through town. "Well... We got news back at the farm my cousin got himself in a mess out here," Big Mac said simply, gnawing on a piece of grass that hung limply from his mouth. The black stallion nodded slowly. "Ah came to help sort it out." "Well, I hope you help set things straight, ya look like a capable enough colt. I'm gonna head to the Saloon. If ya got time, I'll meet ya there and buy you a drink. Entertainment tonight's gonna be good, I hear," the stallion mentioned idly, grinning as different ideas floated through his head. "Good luck, Mac." "'Luck, Black," Big Mac stated, before looking around slowly. He didn't much know where to go, but he seemed to have a pretty firm grasp on wherever he went, so the big Pony simply moved along. Pausing for a moment, Big Macintosh stopped dead in his tracks, peering down the road at what he thought he saw. It looked to be a caramel colored pony, with a strange yet familiar cutie mark walking down the road. The mane style looked dead on similar, and one of the only things stopping Big Mac from pursuing knowledge in this sight was the simple fact that, "That... ain't no colt," he muttered, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Opening his eyes, the strange caramel coated mare had disappeared, leaving Big MacIntosh befuddled. ----- "Now Braeburn, explain to me slow, what all happened to get you in here?" Big MacIntosh stated, looking about the police station. In front of him sat his cousin, looking fairly sheepish as Big Mac stood over him. "Ah never thought I'd see you like this in a mess like this," he continued, sighing. "What made ya do it, cuz?" Braeburn looked from side to side, feeling a little stressed. "Well, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just there with the Sheriff and suddenly everything went by so quick." He said, looking positively befuddled. "Next thing I know, I'm sitting here with a dumb look on my face," sighing, he looked back at his cousin. "Cousin MacIntosh, I'm in a big mess, ain't I?" "Eeyup." Big Mac surveyed the area, but eventually sat down where he stood. "Guess'n you gotta make the most of what you got, Ah reckon. Seein' as the buffalo aren't a problem for Appleoosa anymore. It ain't so bad, really," he stated, pointing at the silver star that adorned Braeburn's vest. "Ah 'spose SilverStar simply thought it was peaceful enough to leave." "Still though, I can't imagine he'd just up and leave so quickly, Cousin." Braeburn looked at the badge another time, hardly believing it adorned his clothing. "I'm just a simple settler pony, I help watch the orchard. I'm not all that sure what to do at all should trouble start up on my watch." He put a hoof up to his mouth to contemplate, before shaking his head. "It's a right ol' mess." Big Mac spared his cousin his nigh legendary response and instead wished to direct Braeburn as best he could. "Now ah, you watch the orchards here in Appleoosa, right?" Big Mac asked, leading the question. "Well I reckon so. Me and a couple other pon-" "And you know what to do if anypony starts messing with the apples, or if they get infected with some sort of virus." Big Mac reflected on his and Applejack's own work, figuring Appleoosa's orchard farming should be all the different. Especially when it comes to defending their crop. "Well I reckon I do, but I don't see what that has to do with-" "And you take action if anythin's amiss." "A'course I do. It's everypony's livelihood at stake out the-" Big Mac stood up. "Well Ah suppose that answers your question, nah don't it?" Braeburn stared a Big MacIntosh, completely dumbstruck. He took a moment to reflect that he really shouldn't keep talking over other ponies so much anymore. Being on the receiving end, he could see why cousin Applejack always had to yell at him. "But I still don't see what that has to do with me bein' sheriff of this here town." He confessed, giving a confused look. "Ah, it ain't so hard. Just think of your citizens as your apples an' I'm sure you'll do fine." The big pony stood up, heading toward the door. "Now if you excuse me, Braeburn, Ah gotta a free drink over at the Salt Block Ah want to turn in 'fore it's too late." Braeburn's eyes were out of focus, but he soon blinked it away. "Ponies like apples? How in tarnation does that even work?" Scratching a hoof to his head, he tried as hard as he could to figure out just what Big MacIntosh was trying to tell him. ----- Leaving the station, Big MacIntosh realized he didn't remember the lay of the land as well as he'd like to, and was soon looking both ways at every opportunity to find the Saloon. On his way over, however, he swore he caught sight of Caramel, but before he got a good look, the pony in question turned down into an alley. Blinking and shaking his head, the big stallion moved slowly toward the alley, peeking into long enough to catch that same toned hair, the similar styled mane, the same exact cutie mark... but the body of a mare. That, and a very impressive hat. Zipping his head back, Big MacIntosh inhaled deeply and closed his eyes hard. There was no way in Equestria that he was seeing what he was seeing. Taking a deep breath, he looked again... and saw absolutely nopony. Exhaling hard, he entered the alleyway looking about. "My mind must be playin' tricks on me." Licking his teeth, the big pony stood still for awhile. Listening to the sounds of Appleoosa, it was a very different experience than that of Sweet Apple Acres, or Ponyville. It felt more rustic, mysterious. And he hated to admit it, but it was fairly inviting. Breaking from his silent stance, he decided that whomever he saw wasn't coming out to greet him. Coming out of the side street the red stallion looked about, catching the unmistakable sign of the giant salt shaker adorned on the parlor. "Well don't that beat all," he mumbled, making his way toward the establishment. ----- Black nodded slowly, his giant size moving with his head. Big MacIntosh didn't have much to say really, so he just went over today's events for his new friend. "And ya say she's everything your friend is, except the 'she' part," Black grunted, giving a low, gravely chuckle. "An' tha hat," Big Mac corrected, taking another long sip of his sarsaparilla. "An' the hat," Black echoed. "Eeyup." Turning around, Black took a gander at the stage which would become the focal point of tonight's entertainment. His mind mulled around what the out-of-towner said, but didn't put all that much thought into it. Big Mac seemed a respectable pony, but to be fair he'd only known him for the day. "Well, that's quite a conundrum you got on your hands, Mac." Black didn't see much reason to mutter the prefix to his name. More like a Normal Mac to him anyway. He didn't exactly go about calling everypony 'Little Braeburn' or 'Little SilverStar'. "Eeyup," was all the muscular pony muttered, before looking about at the ponies there. They all seemed to fit the town's specific 'western' theme. The most normal among them had hats larger than their heads, which caused Big MacIntosh to raise an eyebrow as the idea of just how these ponies kept their hats from covering their eyes. Still, he wasn't without his own fashion statements, a hoof pushing on the collar that adorned his chest. The two acquaintances sat in silence for awhile, neither really being big talkers. Every so often they related to each other's work - one a work horse on a farm, the other strong and mighty enough to pull a train full of cargo and ponies. MacIntosh barely realized the sun going down, and Black grunted a bit. "Not much longer 'till the show. Then it's last ride out of Appleoosa for me," he mentioned. Big Mac glanced casually over to Black. He supposed it made sense - Black was a pony with only two real shifts of work, so it wasn't too far a stretch to believe he worked at night. "How you make sure not to hit anypony out there on the tracks at night?" Big Mac ventured a couple guessed, thinking of a how Twilight Sparkle's horn had glowed quite bright whenever she cast magic. "Unicorn. We even have a colt strong enough to help lead the charge and light the way." Black's voice had a gravel undertone which suggested more a more incredulous remark than it really was. Unicorns were never known for their physical strength, so Big Mac was fairly interested in seeing this stallion for himself one day. Equestria was full of little oddities everywhere. As he lost himself in his own thoughts like he often did to pass the time on the farm, he didn't notice his own kin take up residence beside him until Braeburn jostled his flank with a hoof almost two hours later. "Go on, Cousin Mac, watch your tail." Braeburn was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to enjoy himself with a salt cube, but Big Mac's attention toward the stage had left his tail hanging right over the table next to his sheriff cousin. Shifting himself to his haunches, Mac stifled a chuckle before nodding in apology. "S'fine." Braeburn shook his hoof dismissively. "Just gotta keep your size in mind." Black looked beyond Big Mac, seeing the disheveled Braeburn talking lowly of his new friend. "Now you got a problem with his size, little pony?" He called. Big Mac's expression melted into befuddlement as Black cautioned his cousin. Turning to look at the counter, a number of saspirilla lined the seat where Black had parked himself, fueling the confrontation. Braeburn, on the other hoof, just looked confused and slightly amiss as he looked between the two. "Well shoot, Big Mac, I never noticed Black here was just as big as you." The colt had completely missed the danger in Black's voice, who now stood up and walked around and stared the beige earth pony down. "Uh... Can I help you?" "I said have you gotta problem with me bein' big?" He growled. Big Mac stared impassively a moment. The sentiment didn't make much sense to him, as usually teasing tended to come from the bigger to the smaller. Whatever was in Black's head made him sensitive to his size, Mac couldn't guess. Braeburn smiled, although this time he seemed a bit more timid about it. "Why a course not. I was just remarking on how you and Big Mac have similar sizes, is al-" "And you seem to have a problem with his size, thas' right?" Black challenged. It was at this point the Big Mac had certainly had enough of the misunderstanding, and stood up rather slowly. "Now, Black, Ah'm gonna have to ask you to back off from my cousin real slow," he mentioned idly. It wasn't a threat, and there wasn't a quantum of malice anywhere on his features. "He's sheriff now, so you gotta show him a lil' respect, hear?" Both Black and Braeburn looked down to the silver star adorning the latter's vest, either taking something different from it. Braeburn felt a feeling of possibility, or pride, and responsibility. Black saw it as a challenge. "So you're Silverstar's replacement after he ran off with one of those buffalo." Big Mac's eyebrows rose slightly, but he kept it mostly to himself. He hadn't expected a pony to have run off with a buffalo, nor had he heard of such a thing happening. But to him, no harm, no foal. "You don't look so tough," Black threatened, sizing up Braeburn. "Well, ya see, it's a new position and all so I'm just trying to keep my saddle on while I get used to it," Braeburn muscled out an excuse that, in Big Mac's opinion, wasn't needed. "But I'm gonna try to keep the peace when I can. I'm sorry if'n I might have offended you, Black, I sure didn't mean anything by it." Black looked Braeburn up and down as Big Mac eyed him coolly. He mentally hoped the big black stallion would just leave it be, but instead he took a step forward, less than a hoof's length from Braeburn's muzzle. "You 'n Me." The stink of fermented juices emanated from his breath as he stuck a hoof toward the door. "Outside. Now." "Now just hold on there, Black. Braeburn didn't mean to offend," Big Mac started, but the large stallion looked over at him, almost dangerously. "Ain't your place, MacIntosh." "Sure as shootin' ain't yours, either," Big Mac stepped forward, his stance solid. "Now you back away from my cousin. You need to time get that drink through your system 'fore you're called to work, and you can't be riskin' hurtin yourself while yer stupid." Big MacIntosh stared the other stallion down. Braeburn gulped a bit, but he held his ground regardless. "Ain't no reason to fight now," he breathed, putting his hooves on the floor. Black looked between the two of them. He hadn't much reason to fight, but his blood was boilin' something fierce for some reason or another, and he wanted it sedated. "Hurmph. You want to defend this little pony? Fine. You take his place." His tone was menacing, but Big Mac continued to look vaguely uninterested. The gentlecolt behind the bar looked feverish, as if he knew something Mac didn't. Looking about the parlor, all eyes were on him, even some mare's from behind the stage were taking a look at the big red Pony. Now how did I get myself in such a mess. It felt more statement in his mind than fact. Then he noticed her in the back, that same giant hat adorning her head. That Caramel look-alike. Turning between her and Black before him, he realized he kept seeing more and more sweat fall from the brows of mostly everypony here. Black must of had a history here, and it was coming to light just what kind of history he had. Some of the furniture looked newer than most, and the older tables had obvious glue lines holding them together. In just over a year, Appleoosa's primary parlor had seen quite a few fights. "Ah reckon 'taint no way I'll be talkin' you outta this peacefully," Big Mac stirred. Black snorted, his breath ragged from drink. Walking past him, Mac looked back at the mare he'd been seeing all day, and then to Black. "Well we ain't gonna fight in here. Hope Ah won't have to miss the entertainment tonight. Come on, Black. You too Braeburn. I'm countin' on you to make sure things stay fair." Smiling with an air of drunken maliciousness, Black confidently and clumsily strode out of the bar, Braeburn and Mac close behind. ----- "Big Mac, you ain't gotta do this. The town an' the Salt Block's seen a lot outta this colt - he ain't gonna go down easy. Silverstar's simply stopped trying after he nearly broke his hip," Braeburn shook his head. "When I came down ta see ya there, I hoped to avoid catchin' his wrath and to keep you from don't the same," sighing, he looked up at Big Mac, who still held his disinterested expression as he looked at Black, who was trying to catch his balance. "Not doin' a good enough job as Sheriff so far, I reckon." Breathing in deep, Big Mac shook his head. "Nah, you're doin' fine." Looking down to his little cousin, he shook his shoulders a bit before craning his neck. "Do me a favor and release this collar. Ah'm a bit rusty at this." Looking over at Black, Braeburn slowly moved his attention back to his cousin and started to undo the harness around Big MacIntosh. As he did, a number of patrons from inside the Salt Block to the outside, intent on watching the fight. From alongside back of the parlor came the Caramel-mare, who strode up to Black. He couldn't hear what the two conversed about, but it didn't take long before the mare looked hurt, and deftly avoided a swinging hoof from Black towards her face, causing her hat to fall off and get caught in his hoof, crushing it into the dirt. This rustled a deep anger from Mac, who stood straighter just as the collar came off. "Now that just ain't right," he grunted. The mare took off running, Black yelling obscenities at the top of his lungs after her. Braeburn looked over toward Black and what was apparently his girl. "Aw, poor Butterscotch. She's such a nice mare, but Black took a shine to her an'... well, that really was it." Slamming his hoof down, Braeburn shook his mane, "Tain't fair! Nopony should have to follow orders from a bigger pony just 'cause he threatens violence." Big Mac nodded slowly, taking in the fact he hadn't been hallucinating about the 'Caramare'. Her name was Butterscotch, apparently. He mused about the similarities to sugary syrups her name and Caramel's had. Still, there was the matter at hand. "Careful, Braeburn. You're startin' to sound like a sheriff." Striding forward, it cued Black to step forward, a bit less clumsy than before. Braeburn paused, thinking about what Big Mac said. As he did, he slowly walked off, and then started to gallop towards who knows where. "Heh, looks like your cousin's a little filly," Black smirked, insulting Big Mac's kin. "I didn't want to fight you, Mac, but it looks like somepony has to put you in your place." "Guess so." Big Mac rolled his neck around, getting used to the fact the lessened weight around his neck could let it move a bit more freely. He waited patiently for Black's move, reading the body language of his opponent. It wasn't more than a second before Black rushed blindly, his hulking body roaring towards Big Mac. He could feel the strength the stallion packed behind his legs from moving that train. However, it was unexpected when Big Mac merely stepped forward, his muscles tensing as Black came into contact with him. Sliding back, Mac took the brunt of the charge, but held his place. His face darkening, he locked his neck around Black and twisted his body quickly, sending the black colt into the ground, his excess momentum carrying him into the ground. Mac trotted around again, spitting out the grass that had hung from his mouth since the start of the day. Scrambling to his feet, Black's eyes were blazing. Angry that his opponent had so deftly redirected him, he charged a second time. This time he kept his head forward, his hooves beating against the ground below him. The red stallion galloped forward, his mane blazing like the sun behind him. As they met, Black shifted his front hooves forward, intent on tackling MacIntosh in a strong clash. Suddenly, the Red pony shifted his route, and ran off to the left the moment Black raised both his hooves up, causing the black colt to again crash into the ground, the red colt rounding about to look down upon his opponent. "I reckon you're not done yet," he taunted, his eye reading the audience. He wasn't one to belittle an opponent, but seeing the tired, hopeful faces of some of the patrons - he had to bring Black down. He felt it... necessary. "Shuddup, farm boy!" Black spat out a mouthful of dirt as he got back to his feet. The adrenaline of the situation had all but negated his clumsy hooves, but the anger, brought on by a bit too much ale, was all that fueled his actions. "I'ma teach you what it means to mess with Black." "I'm sure ya will," Mac said, before snorting a bit. He had to admit - he was taking a little fun out of this. Black snarled and rushed forward again, Mac reading his every move. With speed borne of the loss of the collar, Mac trotted left of Black's rushed, before a sudden, powerful hit caught his flank, causing Mac to lose his footing, sliding his back end down. However, his forehooves stayed grounded, and the pony stood himself up. There was a pause from the crows as Mac struggled to keep his back hooves steady. Black looked pleased with himself, but expression soon changed as Mac stretched his neck around. "Buckin, now, are we?" He couldn't help himself as he chuckled. "Now Ah know Ah told you my job. You addin' buckin into this match... don't quite add up." Kicking his legs out, Big Mac stretched them out for a good while. "But I guess buckin's in now." Smirking, Black lowered his head down as his hoof scraped across the dirt, readying his charge again. He had him. He was making excuses. Black charged forward with a whinny, picking up speed. Mac bent low, before charging solidly ahead. Hoofbeats were thunderous as the two forged their way ahead toward each other. Just as Black started to turn his body, there seemed to be a flash as Big Mac spun in mid-gallop. The train-leading pony could only look on as he couldn't stop his body from spinning so agonizingly slow compared to the farm pony. Mac's face looked almost... apologetic, as suddenly his back legs shot out, the force of the farmhoof's full assault connecting with Black's broadside. Nopony really expected it. One second Black was against Big Mac, and the next the dark stallion was airborne, flying in a brilliant arc from where they collided, the red colt merely dropping his hind hooves down. By the time Big Mac finally decided to spin about to see his opponent did Black have the decency to hit the ground in a heap. Striding up alongside his fallen opponent, MacIntosh merely shook his head. "Well, I'm sorry it had to be like that," he put simply, his flank a little sore but for the most part unscathed. Turning around, Black grunted painfully behind him. Mac started moving back into the Salt Block, intent on finishing his drink, to the chorus of chatter from the ponies that surrounded their battle. Behind him, Black groaned back to his hooves, breathing heavily. Back upright, he scrapped the ground, and the onlookers paused in almost paralyzed fear as the dark stallion just couldn't stay down. With a surprisingly loud whinny, Black charged forward again, taking Big Mac by surprise, who only had time to turn to see Black almost upon him. "Yeeeeeeeeee-haaaaawwww!" Braeburn shouted, a lasso flying through the air and finding it's way around Black's neck. Tightening it's grip, Black found himself detoured around as the smaller colt gripped the rope in his teeth. Bursting through the crowd came Braeburn and a small number of other ponies, both colts and mares, each with lassos in their mouths. Big Mac spun around and was about to take charge until the four companions of his cousin shot out their lassos around Black. One hit his back and slid off, but the others tripped up his feet, causing the large stallion to hit the ground hard, sliding and tumbling and generally finding himself tangled in tough ropes. As he struggled, Braeburn took the lasso from the pony who missed their mark and quickly ran around Black, tying his feet together and knotting it quickly before the brute could do much more than take a breath. Looking over his handiwork, he set to work tying Black's mouth shut. "Now that's how we get things done in Aaahaaaappleoosa!" His expression was met with cheers from everypony, Braeburn staring expectantly toward Big Mac. Big Mac shook his head quickly to remove the shock that filled him when Braeburn and some other ponies took action. Approaching his cousin with a low chuckle, he looked over the disgruntled Black as Braeburn finished tightening a smaller piece of twine around his mouth, keeping it shut. "Well now, Ah suppose Ah'm grateful." Big Mac commented, looking over the knots and testing their resilience. Braeburn looked up at his cousin. "Nah, Big MacIntosh. I think we're all grateful to you. You kept him busy while I gathered a bit of a posse." He informed, gesturing to the four ponies that assisted him. The ponies which assisted Braeburn started to drag Black unto a nearby cart, the dark colt struggling but unable to do anything other than mildly inconvenience them. Big Mac noticed that among them was the mysterious Butterscotch, the same pony Braeburn mentioned was forced to be Black's 'girl' and strange clone of his friend Caramel. Braeburn looked between the two a moment before raising an eyebrow, "You okay, cousin?" Big Mac's eyes tracked about the Appleoosians, giving only a curt nod and a stereotypical, "Eeyup!" As Big Mac answered his cousing, he took a couple steps to make sure the hit he took from Black didn't mess with his legs. Watching the brutish pony struggle as he was put on the cart, Braeburn shook his mane. "I didn't know you could fight like that, Mac." Big MacIntosh breathed out slowly, shaking his head. "I was just a silly little colt back then, but there was a time where I was known as the 'Italian Stallion'. A fightin' pony. Haven't done so in awhile, usually there's a code of honor when stallions fight," Big Mac informed with a shake of his mane. "Black foregone that honor when he bucked me." Stretching his neck, he looked back toward the discarded horse collar. "I didn't know that about you, cousin. You'll have to tell me all about it next time you're in Appleoosa. Maybe next time you won't have to deal with some of our local unsavories." The sheriff mentioned. Looking at his own friends, who had answered his call for help against Black, they all wore crudely fashioned deputy stars. "I guess you were right though, cuz. Bein' Sheriff is a lot like raisin' an orchard. Just need your friends to support you and help you out, and you can sort out just about anything." "Eeyup." MacIntosh nodded his head simply. He tried chewing the piece of grass he had, but remembered he had spat it out. Sighing, he turned to his cousin and then motioned down to his collar. "Mind helping me with that?" ----- Stepping off the train, Big Mac breathed in that sweet Ponyville air. His own trip to Appleoosa had been an interesting one, but he was quite happy to have sorted out the mess for his cousin as best he could. Silently he stepped outside the station, passing by a number of ponies who were meeting with their families and loved ones, some having not seen each other for more than a year. He heard a few hoarse whispers about this and that, some relating to Black, but most of the Appleoosian's spoke about Big Mac, something he wished had been simply left forgotten. Still, some praise wasn't always bad. As he turned to leave, he was suddenly stopped by a familiar sight - this one finally a colt. "Big MacIntosh!" Caramel called, trotting gingerly over to his friend. "I'm out of the hospital!" He stated, as if his presence wasn't obvious enough. "That you are, Caramel," Big Mac mentioned simply, looking at his friend with a content smile on his face. "Good to see you out and about." "Oh yeah, never know what you lose until you lost it, right?" Caramel laughed, before giving Big Mac a once over. He paused briefly, looking toward the side of Big Mac's cutie mark. "You got a pretty big bruise there! What'd you do out there, MacIntosh? I thought the mess was scandal, not fightin'!" "Ah, a little a both, I s'pose. Nothin' the old Italian Stallion couldn't handle." Big Mac chuckled slightly, while Caramel looked incredulous. Last he heard, his friend had given up fighting other ponies. "Eeyup," Mac bleated. Shaking his mane, Caramel was reminded of what he wanted to tell Mac about at the hospital. "Oh, I was meaning to tell you to keep an eye out for my twin sister out there. Last letter she wrote out to me-" "Twin sister?" Big Mac echoed, his mind immediately snapping to the caramel colored mare he kept seeing. Butterscotch. "Caramel!" Before either colt could react, a caramel-colored blur rushed past the large red stallion and almost broadsided Caramel while she was at it. However, just before she hit, she slowed to a friendly hug, taking great care not to harm Caramel's healing hoof. "How're you doing?" "Butterscotch! I didn't know you were comin' to visit!" Caramel shouted. Turning to Big Mac, Caramel pulled his sister off of him long enough to try and introduce them. "Hey, before anythin', I want to introduce ya to my best friend Big MacIntosh!" He said. There was a pause for a moment, as Butterscotch took a moment to take the large stallion in. "Oh... um," She started. She hadn't seen him since in front of the Salt Block, and hadn't said a word. "We've been introduced. I suppose I helped her along, I reckon," Big Mac said simply, a rare sort of smile playing on his features. The mare smiled in return, running a hoof past her hair to clear it from her eyes. "Didn't see her on the train, though. Things are a mess since they lost one of their lead ponies," Mac exposed, causing Butterscotch to actually giggle a moment. Caramel's eyes darted between the two before saying, "Well I'll be, I suppose you recognized her for me. Same cutie mark and everything, ain't that right, sis?" Butterscotch merely nodded, before pushing Caramel playfully along his flank as to not upset his front hoof. "Hey, watch it!" He cried, still paranoid of what might happen to his hoof. "Well, I watched your friend here do some mighty interesting things, I'll tell you. He must be tuckered out a bit. Now I know I'm just jumpin' on ya out of nowhere, but I've been trying to get out here for awhile. Just never had the..." She paused. "The opportunity, no strings attached," she finished carefully. "But when you sent that last letter, I wanted to come here straightaway to help you out, and here I am. A little late, but here all the same, brother." Caramel laughed. "That's quite alright, I missed you sis! Hey Big Mac, listen, I hate to be a bother but I have a couple saddlebags back at the hospital, and I was wondering if'n you could-" "Eeyup. I'll take care of that for ya." He said, striding forward as the others started to follow. "It's gonna be a nice day, today," he sniffed, breathing in the Ponyville air. Clean and friendly. "Oh, MacIntosh, I just heard from that pink Earth pony that there's a party tonight in your sister's honor." He mentioned. "'Parrently it's about you-know-what," he added, wincing slightly as he fell on his hoof wrong. He recovered fully after a second, but Butterscotch moved forward and decided to help bolster her brother slightly as they continued. "Is that so? Well, glad to hear it." As they walked, Big Mac looked down to the twins a moment, wondering what part of their lives warranted a completely similar cutie mark. Staring up at the sky, he saw a certain rainbow pegasi fly across the sky toward Sugar Cube Corner. He supposed he'd leave that question for another day.

HiddenBrony

387

Doctor Whooves,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Eggheads

complete

<p>Following the events of <i>Hop, Skip, and a Jump</i>, which isn't <i>required</i> reading for this story, <i>Eggheads</i> sees Twilight meeting an intellectual equal while out running an errand for Spike in response to a 'little problem.'</p>

everyone

2011-08-02T23:57:22+00:00

2011-08-02T23:57:22+00:00

"I don't see what the big deal is. Why do we have to buy some special blanket? A normal one would be just fine!" Spike complained, riding on the back of Twilight Sparkle. The purple pony trotted along Ponyville's humble business district, her dragon assistant in tow, looking through various windows. She stopped and sighed, growing weary of Spike's constant complaining. "I thought you'd be happy getting a new blanket - we could just wait for Celestia to mail it back, even if she realizes it's yours," Twilight replied briefly, standing out in the middle of the long path between businesses. Other ponies were going about their day, in and out of various homes and businesses. Many of them spoke about the day, while some prattled on about more recent events, such as now legendary party that Pinky held not long ago. Looking about, she felt her cheeks flush red at her own confession during the evening's festivities, and began to wonder if anypony had judged her differently for it - but soon banished such thoughts. The had all accepted the new couple there so openly, she needn't feel so self-conscious. "Twilight?" Startled, Twilight jumped to attention, before matching the voice to the dragon. "Uh, sorry, mind wandered a bit," she laughed nervously, before moving out to one side of the path. "Look Spike, you're a growing dragon and you need a new blanket anyway. On top of that, I need to find one that can withstand your flame when you have... night accidents," she tried to step around the embarrassing subject, but her words fumbled and it came out exactly what it was. "Twiiiiliiiighhht!" Spike whined, causing the purple pony to steal a smirk and look ahead. "I'm sorry Spike, but I can't afford to buy blankets every time this happens, and you can't receive objects that large yet," she debated. She was more than surprised when Celestia had sent a note with six separate tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala almost a year ago, but Spike had handled it admirably. But since then the limits of Spike's magical send and receive system hadn't been tested, and as far as blankets were concerned it was a no go. Looking back toward the baby dragon, she saw he wore a pouting look that made her smile inwardly, but knew she had to wipe it off his face. "Be grateful I'm doing this for you, Spike," she chided. Sighing, the Dragon crossed his arms, and leaned back. Realizing he no longer was up against Twilight's mane, he found himself waving his stubby arms wildly about, trying his hardest not to fall of his friend's back and regain his balance. Just as he was about to take a tumble, however, a small glow erupted from Twilight's horn and Spike stopped falling, his screaming cut short as he was nudged slightly back into a stable position. The glow dissipating, Spike bashfully looked toward the ground. "...Thanks Twi," he mustered. Giggling, Twilight looked straight on again as she approached the last business on the road - a slightly colder looking building, Twilight's eyes shimmered at the displays in the window - lab supplies, and what looked to be components for spells and scientific tests! "Spike!" Twilight called, as if the Dragon didn't already see what was exciting her. "Look! I didn't know a place like this was in Ponyville! Another pony who appreciates the magic of knowledge!" Drumming her feet along the ground in applause for her discovery, Twilight immediately headed for the door. Spike, on the other hand, seemed displeased. "But I thought we were looking for a new blankie..." He grumbled, the mere prospect of abandoning a quest meant for solely for him suddenly made the blanket search of utmost importance in his mind. Looking at the microscopes and small machines, his eyes fell to a half moon as he sighed, dejectedly spouting, "Not school supplies." This caused the pony to shake her mane deprecatingly. "Oh Spike, they're not 'school supplies.' They're instruments and tools to further our understanding of magic - or the world around us!" Tittering at her companion, the pony started to move around a large table which sat a number of interesting items, from certain components lined neatly in a row or a couple of microscopes that lay nearby. In the center of the table was an impressive looking telescope that dwarfed the one she had at home in the Library by a wide margin. Twilight Sparkle ogled just about every item she saw, giving a second look to just about everything. "Manticore's hair, Phoenix down, oh!" She paused, giving a very strange look at a jar that was covered in a black cloth that read simply 'Cockatrice eyes'. Giving a visible shudder, Spike was jostled from his uninterested stupor. "What is it, Twilight?" He yawned, growing tired, but not without sympathy for his friend. "Something wrong?" Looking over the components, he really couldn't see anything that would upset her. Twilight looked back at Spike a moment, before coughing to remove any suspicion of the shudder being related to anything else. "No, it's nothing. It's really not important," she covered, still shuddering at the memory of waking up from a stone coma with snails crawling all over her face. It was not an experience she wished to recall, nor share with Spike. "I wonder what pony cares for this shop," she mused, changing the subject before Spike had a chance to interject. Realizing she hadn't been greeted by anypony, Twilight started looking for signs of life. Even now, she felt strangely alone in the shop. Suddenly her back twitched as she felt Spike leap off, the dragon wishing to continue on foot and have a bit more control of what he was experiencing. "Hey Twilight, look! I didn't know they sold groceries here, too!" Spike commented suddenly, appearing from under a table with a large gemstone. Shaking her head, Twilight lifted the ruby from his hands and kept it just out of his reach. "Hey! Come on, give it back, Twi! I wasn't just gonna eat it without asking!" "Spike! I don't think these are for eating at all! Gemstones are often used in magical research for their strange properties and crystallization." She berated, looking up at the large ruby above her. "They can widen an effect of a spell, or even focus one into a stronger reaction," Twilight informed, sighing briefly as she recalled her days at Canterlot University, studying magic under her various professors. How proud they'd be to see her now, continuing research into all kinds of magic - especially Friendship. "Plus with the right technology they can be used to channel energy differently than most materials!" A voice shot out, scaring Twilight from her thoughts. The large ruby dropped from the air, landing unto Spike's waiting arms. The little dragon hugged the gemstone tightly as he stroked his treasure. Turning quickly, the purple mare found herself gazing upon a brown stallion, his brown hair standing up on it's own. An hourglass adorned his flank upon either side, and a smile floated upon his face. "Well hello there!" He greeted. Twilight could now see where the stallion had come from - a large stack of papers she had seen earlier hid a desk behind them. Taking a moment to collect herself, Twilight returned the smile and greeted the colt herself. "Hello, sir. My name is Twilight Sparkle." Turning to her dragon familiar, she rolled her eyes as Spike seemed completely enamored with the large gemstone. Once again her horn glowed, plucking the ruby straight out of his hands and into the air, bringing the gemstone close to the other pony. "And the dragon is my friend, Spike." She said, happy to have kept herself from adding any other unsavory words to her speech toward her dragon. "The pleasure is all mine. I'm known around here as 'Whoof', Dr. Whoof. PhD in magic and technology," the Earth pony mustered, swelling with pride. Swaying his hoof about, he looked on as Twilight placed his ruby gemstone on a table and out of Spike's current reach, much to the dragon's dismay. "Really? I can understand the technology, but... excuse me for saying, but..." Twilight stammered, trying not to offend the Doctor. "Earth ponies and magic?" The brown colt finished her question with an expected look. Twilight's mouth hung open for a second as she tried to think of a better way to phrase it, before succumbing to the point that there was no reason for it. Closing her mouth, she nodded sheepishly. The stallion chuckled, shaking his mane about. "I hear that all the time. I've not read one story about Earth ponies and magic, and I intended to change that." Twilight paused. "Story?" "The News." The Doctor mused, motioning over to a stack of newspapers in the back. "I'm a fan of knowing where I stand in the world, whenever and wherever I may be," he laughed, before turning back to the purple mare. "Now, what can I help you with?" Twilight smiled as she continued looking around. "Oh, well, I saw all this in the window and just had to come in. I mean, nopony I've met so far in Ponyville has shared my passion for science and research," she said, walking up to the table and looking over all the instruments. "To be honest, if it wasn't for my friends, I'd feel alienated." Suddenly she flushed and lowered her head, "Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to go into my life story." "Quite alright, m'dear. I understand the bit of loneliness of being unappreciated for your hard work and study. Most ponies I see come in thinking this is a good place for school supplies," Dr. Whoof mentioned idly, causing Spike, who had been despairing over the loss of his ruby, had spun around and pointed at Twilight. "Ha!" He cheered, feeling vindicated over his earlier response. What was delivered, however, was a gentle kick to the ribs from a fairly unamused Twilight. Hitting the ground with a soft thud, Spike rubbed his back a moment, glaring at Twilight. "Hey, what was that for?" Rolling her eyes, the mare returned attention to the Doctor, who had seemingly enjoyed their little interaction. "I'm sorry, Doctor, Spike here can be a little obnoxious." She stressed the last word, sending a warning look over to the dragon who was busy picking himself up. "Yeah, yeah... Sorry and stuff," Spike muttered, which earned a second eye-roll from Twilight. Dr. Whoof chuckled, waving a hoof. "Think nothing of it. I certainly won't." Walking toward the spell components, he looked them over a bit, his eyes landing on the covered jar. "I had to place this cover over the Cockatrice eyes because of the mothers who would bring their little fillies and colts in here." He continued to ramble for a minute about a particular harrowing experience involving them as Spike walked over to Twilight, tugging at her mane for her attention. "Hey Twi, aren't we gonna go find a blanket soon? I don't want to be out too long, I told Snips and Snails I'd see them after they get out of school and I don't want to be late." Twilight, now informed of further plans outside of the search for a new blanket, looked outside and watched the shadows of various ponies walk by, figuring out the basic time from where they were positioned to how they stretched in the sunlight. "We still have some time, Spike. Besides, I think the Doctor can help." "Help, you say?" The Doctor echoed suddenly, cutting into his own revelry. Looking between the two, he seemed a bit more attentive than he had been before. "Oh? Oh yes, I wanted to ask you if you had anything for Spike here that would prove effective against... um... Late night expulsions," she worded, attempting to dampen the blow to Spike's ego. It didn't work. "Twilight! That sounded even worse than accidents!" Spike cried, putting a hand over his face to hide his rampant embarrassment. The purple mare looked at the dragon with a quizzical expression written all over her face. The dragon peaked between his fingers, saw the mare and colt were still looking at him, and closed his eyes again, intent on feeling like he wasn't even there. Dr. Whoof coughed, trying to deviate from the awkward situation. "You need something to help shield against... what now?" "Flame breath. Magic flame breath, but flame all the same," Twilight informed, somehow causing Dr. Whoof's expression to relax, which both confused and relieved the mare, even though she wasn't sure what he was on about in the first place. "Spike sends my letters through his flame breath, but lately he's been shooting off flames in his sleep - he just sent his third blanket this morning, and it's starting to get ridiculous. I think we're also missing a few books now." Dr. Whoof studied Twilight a moment before a realization dawned on him. "Ah, I see, you're the pony from Canterlot! Midnight Sprinkle!" He stamped his hoof at the 'epiphany'. The Doctor went behind his desk a moment, and disappeared behind the pile of newspapers. Twilight blinked and turned her head slightly. "Uh, no, Twilight Sparkle. We already went over introductions." Suddenly wary, she averted her gaze to something else for a moment while the Doctor regained his composure. "Oh, right right, my apologies. Won't happen again, Twinkie." "Twilight." "Twilight, right." Putting a hoof to his head, the colt nodded as he did so, before turning to Spike. "And you say you need a flame retardant blanket for your lizard?" He called, returning a moment later with a small bag hanging from his mouth, which he placed on the table. "What do you mean, lizard- Wait, did he just insult me?" Spike said, looking two times of confused and incredulous at once. Twilight raised an eyebrow and simply looked at Spike before turning her attention back to the brown Earth pony. Turning around to face them, the Doctor had a bit of a grin on his face. "Okay, Twilight, I think I've got something for your flame problem, although I've not heard of many salamanders able to breathe flame before." "Salamanders? Now you're just making animals up!" Spike accused, earning another swift kick to the dragon's backside. Shaking her mane, Twilight stared at the colt in front of her. "Dr. Whoof, are you feeling okay?" Looking over the brown Earth pony, she could see he was certainly giddy about something, but a somewhat vacant look was in his eyes. It hadn't occurred to her before, but what was an Earth pony with a degree in magic and technology doing all the way out here in Ponyville, anyway? "You were totally with us one moment, but now you seem kinda crazy." She put bluntly, having little knack for tact. The Doctor hesitated. Looking about his store as if in a daze, his gaze fell upon Twilight a moment before closing his eyes and shaking his head. There seemed to be a dawning moment registering on the stallion's face, and he started to redden in the face. "M-My apologies, Miss Sparkle. I sometimes grow a little too excited and start to lose a few... details." Twilight smiled, some pity flowing up from inside. "No, no, it's fine, Doctor." She wasn't all that sure as to why he did, or why he got excited, but right now she just wanted to go through the rest of this as painless as possible. "I'm not offended at all." "Well I am. He called me flame retarded." Spike kicked at a table leg, but ended up with an unexpected kick to his rump in return, this one a bit sharper than the others. "Spike, that's Flame. Retardant. It means that it resists flames and catching on fire," she informed, putting a hoof to her face and shaking it. "Honestly Spike, I think we need to have a vocabulary lesson when we get home to the Library." The dragon merely huffed and crossed his arms at the accusation against his own vocabulary, but said no more on the subject. Turning back to the brown pony before her, Twilight smiled once again, this time pure. "Now that that's taken care of, what do you have in mind to make a blanket flame retardANT." Twilight stressed the final syllable, much to Spike's displeasure, who waved it off and made his way to the door. Twilight giggled softly and let the Dragon go, knowing she could handle the rest herself. "I think I know a few books that might have the spell, but I want something a bit more permanent." Dr. Whoof looked back up finally, a small smile. "I am sorry, Twilight. I am." Twilight merely waved it off before Whoof turned to the materials he gathered. Twilight waited patiently as the Doctor scrawled a bit and added a few ingredients to the bag he had brought over form his desk. Grunting, he picked the bag up and placed it near the purple mare. "This all should be what you're looking for." Turning back around, the small bag was packed with a few things Twilight didn't recognize, which peaked her curiosity. "What is all of this?" She asked, poking a hoof through it all. She recognized some of it - basic things meant for extending the effectiveness of spells, and others which were actually used to hinder the effect of magic. Among them, however, was the gemstone Spike had been hugging earlier. "Just cast a flame retardant spell as normal - any you find should suffice. If I had a spare blanket I'd do it myself with a couple gemstones I have in the back..." Dr. Whoof trailed, before nodding his head, content with whatever thought had crossed his mind. Twilight found it cute, before turning her attention back to the bag. "Make sure to add what's in the bag to your spell, and it should bond to whatever material you use - I put enough in there to coat the entire area around that rascal's bed with an invisible layer." Twilight nodded as she could see the ingredients start to add up in her mind. Smiling softly, she found herself nodding her own head in agreement. "Thank you, Doctor. How much will it be?" Waving a hoof, the good Doctor waived off the price. "I'm funded fairly well by Canterlot University, and as a fellow student from there, I can't in the right mind," he paused mid-sentence, chuckling to himself. Twilight understood what was funny, and was glad the pony in front of her could laugh at his own shortcomings. "In the right mind, charge you anything. I gather you've already lost enough due to his flames," tittering to himself, he muttered, "Fire breathing dragons living in a library that's inside a tree house. Wonders never cease...!" Twilight gleefully took the bag and raised it with her magic, giving Whoof a small hug. "Thank you, Doctor." Although she had only just met the pony, she felt a small kinship when he revealed he was also from the Canterlot area. "If it means anything, you're welcome by the Library any time. I may live there now, but I still try to do my duty as a Librarian," she related, putting a hoof to her chest. This was an outright lie, as the Library in question was an absolute mess at the moment, but nopony had been in since she lived there, which had caused her to worry some. She guessed maybe they arrived and left without her notice, or when she wasn't around, but it didn't seem very likely. The Doctor, on the other hand, seemed agreeable to the idea. "I haven't brushed up on my studies recently, so I believe I'll take you up on that offer, Twilight." Putting a hoof out, Twilight met it halfway and they shook hooves. "Deal. See you around, Doctor," she waved, and started for the door. As she did, Dr. Whoof watched her go, a certain contentedness playing on his features. Twilight stopped a moment, as if recalling something. "Oh, Doctor..." She started, turning around. "Yes?" "What's the ruby for? It doesn't do any sort of effects for what this spell is supposed to do," the mare asked, coming to the conclusion that the Doctor may have made a small mistake. Laughing to himself, the spiky-haired stallion shook his head. A grin playing on his features, he admitted, "It's for Spike."

Triscy

388

Angel,Applejack,Fluttershy,Gilda,Original Character,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Feathers

complete

<p>With being outcast from Ponyville and only feeling ill staying in Cloudsdale, Gilda has lived in the Everfree forest for over a year ever since she lost her friend Rainbow Dash. More than half her nest lays littered with crumpled and pierced letters she never sent, and the creatures of the forest have given up on comforting her. Gilda has never felt more alone in her life.</p><p>When the wandering Fluttershy happens upon her home, Gilda finds forgiveness in the last place she would ever expect. But will the rest of Ponyville forgive her?</p><p>And will that include a specific rainbow pegasus?</p>

everyone

2012-02-08T16:25:13+00:00

2012-02-08T16:25:13+00:00

A feather. White, pure, and alone, it cradled itself in an abandoned nest, perched deep in the Everfree forest. No matter how much the wind reached for it, the feather remained still in the empty home. It was as if it taunted the wind, laughing at its lame attempts to remove it. The darkened skies began to glimmer by Celestia's rising sun as the hours passed, that one feather standing its ground, only to be jostled out of place by the sudden shake of the nest. Down the feather fell, parachuting itself as much as possible as if begging not to hit the ground right before the wind, which it had mocked so much before, picked it right back up. It seemed as if it were stuck in an eternal limbo, flying up and falling down, when the wind attempted its final assault with a grand gust. Much to the disdain of the moving air, the feather found not the gift of flight but, rather, the quick grasp of sharpened talons. The white barbs seemed to bow repeatedly in the wind, as if in thanks, as the talons held it in place. Its time spent in gratitude was cut short, though, as the claw retracted itself back into the nest, gliding across the air with swift and precise motions into a pool of black ink. The ink dripped itself off of the white quill as the claws brought it over a small piece of parchment. "Why?" The short question froze the claws, and as if in pity for its master, the feather bent. A drop of what felt like rain landed upon the quill, flowing down to its tip and, after a moment of hanging in the frozen air, fell upon the undried ink. The one question that the claw had asked now stained the parchment, incomprehensible. A second claw grasped the parchment, crumpling it up and, with a single motion, wiped the rest of the ink dry off the white quill, now with a dark, stained tip. The feather's head raised itself, as if looking up into the face of its master, before it found its point driven hard into the nest, sticking it in place. The wind, stubborn as always, began its onslaught again at the poor white soul, but cursed as the master curled around it. The nest was spacious, with a simple design built out of sturdy materials. The home's owner, curled in a ball, only occupied a sixth of the open space. The rest of the space found itself housing parchment. Letters covered in many colors of ink, many text sizes, swapping back and forth between a very rough cursive and a careful print. The wind, as it had done to the feather, batted against the letters, hoping to pry them from the nest's grasp, but the edges of the nest were too high for the wind to pry them out, and many of the papers were stuck to the nest by many sticks pierced through them. "Another day." Choked the voice of the teared up homeowner, squeezing herself into a tighter ball. Water fell between the branches in the nest, dropping down the long way to the ground. Not a cloud hung in the sky, leaving the only source to be the drops of the clawed one's sorrow. "Why'd I have to be so stupid?" she muttered, surrounding the quill that pitied her with her claw once again. With a quick grip, the bladed talons diced the feather, leaving it a small pile of white fluff in the nest. Grasping the remains of her feather friend, she relented to the breeze as she tossed the scraps to the wind. Happy that it now finally claimed its prey, the dead white soul flew away. As if content with its prize, the breeze died down, nearly disappearing, letting the depressed sobs of the quill murderer fill the air. Gilda. Her name was Gilda, a griffon now living alone out in the forest way beyond Ponyville, a town settled by ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. Ponyville had outcast her, and looking back she couldn't blame them. She had possibly been the biggest jerk to fly through town, originally planning only to visit one particular pegasus. She had once been a Junior Speedster, spending her days flying in Cloudsdale. The whole time, she always had one good friend; a pegasus named Rainbow Dash. The same pegasus who she visited in ponyville, and the same one who she had called a flip-flop, claiming her to go from cool to dweeb. Her temper had been her strongest point back then, preventing her from accepting Rainbow Dash's new friends. Over a year after her last visit to ponyville, alone in her nest, she had time to think about what she had done. What had started as a feeling of betrayal, anger, and disgust, turned to loneliness, sorrow, and regret. So few people lived in the Everfree Forest, and the only reason Gilda had moved here was due to an unbearable feeling she had when she stayed in Cloudsdale. It felt... wrong there. She couldn't describe it, no matter how hard she tried. It just felt unnatural. From various gathered berries around the forest, Gilda learned how to make a pasty ink to start writing letters. First the letters were mean, nasty, and filled with her bottled up rage, but slowly turned into pleading, cries for help, sorrow, and regret. Not a single one left her nest, though, and every time she tried to gather the courage, her will collapsed, leaving her stranded another night alone in the dark woods. Sobs flew from her mouth, cracked and pained, and descended like bricks to the ground below. The wildlife had learned to accept this as natural, and after various failed attempts to comfort the griffon, left her alone. But this morning, the wildlife wasn't her only audience. "I... is someone crying?" Gilda jumped at the voice, the sound unnatural after living so long in isolation. Her jump shook the nest, causing a few loose sticks to fall off. Gilda ignored them, instead leaning her head briefly over the edge before retracting it near instantly. A yellow pony stood far below the nest, a saddlebag on her back and her pink mane pushed out of the way to let her look straight up. Gilda curled up again, realizing who it was. Fluttershy. It was the same pony she had made cry back when she visited Ponyville, the shy, nature-friendly pegasi she bumped into by Sugarcube Corner. Gilda didn't like this situation; even if she wasn't a great flyer, Fluttershy could still make it up to her nest with no problem. "Are you okay?" The voice was closer, much closer. Gilda turned, looking behind her, and saw Fluttershy slowly making her way up onto the branch leading to her nest. The pegasus seemed to be moving in slow motion, but Gilda had never expected her to climb the tree so quickly. "G..Gilda?" Fluttershy said, fear filling her voice. Gilda backed away, pondering whether to face her or retreat. She might screw up even worse if she talked to the pegasus, but if she left then she couldn't really come back. She wouldn't be able to stay in the forest, as more likely than not Fluttershy would tell Rainbow Dash where she lived and she would come out to find her. Gilda didn't want to move again; it had taken so long to build this nest already, but... Gilda ducked and covered her head, confused with questions of what to do blasting off the sides of her skull.The pegasus pony had somehow found her out of nowhere, and she couldn't decide how to react. In the end, her response came more on instinct. "Wh... what do you want, dweeb?" said the griffon, tears choking her voice. The tone of what she said held no menace, but rather a dull, dry pleading. Fluttershy took a step back. The sorrowful tone was a surprise, but the familiarity of the favored insult kept her cautious. "I..." started the pegasus, turning her head a little bit. Sucking in air and letting out a sigh, she brought together as much courage as she could. "I... I'd like to k...know what's wrong..." Gilda's talons spread out, now revealing her watered eyes staring out at the pink-maned pegasus. She had expected no words in response; she was planning on the sound of flapping wings followed by silence and the return of the forest's lonely grasp, but the pegasus stood her ground. She was trying to comprehend this; only a year ago the shy pony fled at her towering form, but now it seemed like they had swapped positions. "Why do you care...?" Gilda asked, turning away. Her voice, still cracked, started to calm down. Fluttershy looked at Gilda with sorrow. She stood in silence for what seemed like hours, looking at the brokenhearted griffon. The silence grew eerie, but was cut short with a whisper. "S... sorry. I'll leave you alone." Fluttershy turned, her wings unfolding as she prepared to descend, when she felt the cold feeling of desparate claws gripping her hoof. They didn't hold her hard, they didn't cut her flesh, they just wrapped about her like a child desparate for attention. Fluttershy was stunned, but didn't remove her hoof. "Don't go..." whimpered the griffon's voice, "I'm sorry..." With a small tug, the yellow leg was freed from the talons, and a tear slid down Gilda's cheek. That was it. She was alone again. Once again the forest would envelop her; she'd be insignificant. Only the sounds of fleeing wildlife, birds chirping far, far away, her own footsteps, the flapping of only her wings. She was... Being hugged? Gilda opened her eyes, blinking twice to try and get the tears out, and looked up to see pink hair in front of her. She felt warm hooves wrapped around her, and for some odd reason she felt... calm. "I forgive you." Those three words pierced her like the strangest spear. She didn't bleed, she didn't feel any pain, it just... stuck her in place. Like those sticks she had used on her letters, she felt pinned down, and she didn't understand why she... liked the feeling. "It's not fun to be alone." Gilda couldn't see anymore. The tears were too thick; her cheeks were soaked with her streaming emotions. Why? Why had she been forgiven? This didn't make sense; nothing did. Panic sunk into her feathers as she felt the hooves remove themselves. She shrunk herself, coiled herself, and tears streamed faster than before. "The sunrise is pretty, but the trees make it so hard to see." came the pony's voice. Gilda raised her head ever so slightly, rubbing her eyes with her claws, and opened them fully for the first time that morning. "I never watched the sunrise before..." Gilda said, looking up at the glowing colors surrounding the trees. "You can see it so much better back at my cottage." Fluttershy stated, standing up and walking out of the nest and onto the branch. "You could come watch it with me, if you want." Gilda replied in silence, her comprehension thrown off by everything that surrounded her. She couldn't discern the birds waking up from the squirrels lower in the tree. She just couldn't understand anything. "Why?" Fluttershy turned, looking at Gilda, sitting with her head hanging down and her talons clenched on the nest below her. "Why what?" Fluttershy asked in return. "Why can you just forgive me like that? Like nothing happened?" Gilda's sobs could be easily heard through her words. Fluttershy sat on the branch, a small smile on her lips. "I always apologize to everyone else. I don't want to hurt anybody, and if they forgive me like they do, then it isn't right for me to deny somepony who really needs my own forgiveness." The concept seemed so foreign yet... so familiar to her. Her mind attempted to wander into another questioning section, but her attention immediately shifted back to reality as she saw Fluttershy jump down, using her wings to parachute her descent to the ground. "Wait!" Gilda said, stretching her wings and, near instinctively, soaring down to the ground to land beside Fluttershy. Gilda stood at the bottom of the tree and only started walking after Fluttershy had moved a good five meters ahead. For the first time since she came to live here, the creatures of the forest openly greeted Gilda. She just hoped that was a sign that she wouldn't be lonely ever again.

Triscy

388

Angel,Applejack,Fluttershy,Gilda,Original Character,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Feathers

complete

<p>With being outcast from Ponyville and only feeling ill staying in Cloudsdale, Gilda has lived in the Everfree forest for over a year ever since she lost her friend Rainbow Dash. More than half her nest lays littered with crumpled and pierced letters she never sent, and the creatures of the forest have given up on comforting her. Gilda has never felt more alone in her life.</p><p>When the wandering Fluttershy happens upon her home, Gilda finds forgiveness in the last place she would ever expect. But will the rest of Ponyville forgive her?</p><p>And will that include a specific rainbow pegasus?</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T20:57:55+00:00

2011-08-04T20:57:55+00:00

"Rainbow Dash, dear, stand STILL!" urged the voice of the fashionista, Rarity to her somewhat unwilling model. The pegasus wasn't all too excited about standing still in the first place, so Rarity telling her to act even more like a statue wasn't all too welcome. Rainbow had to restrain herself from just bailing, and even that was getting hard after being at the boutique for over an hour. "How long is this gonna take, Rarity? I needa bring in a storm by noon or Carrottop and Applejack'll be all over me about their crops! Hurry up!" protested Rainbow. "If you'd just hold still for ONE MINUTE, I'd be able to get this done! You keep twitching when I most need you not to!" Rarity replied through gritted teeth, holding a pin in her mouth as she used her magic to bring a needle through the chestpiece of a new dress she had been working on all day. In and out the needle went, Rarity concentrating hard as she watched the thread make its way through the fabric. Rainbow Dash groaned, but kept as still as possible in order to avoid postponing the completion. "And I'm just about... DONE! " Rarity stated with glee. Rainbow Dash released a huge sigh as she let her shoulders relax. "Great; now can we get this off?" Dash asked, squinting at her friend. "Hold on a minute; I need to take a photo and then I'll get it off for you!" Rarity said, jogging into another room to grab her camera. Rainbow wasn't too thrilled about the idea of the photo, but she knew Rarity wouldn't display it without her permission. It was primarily for her personal scrapbook, which Rainbow had the 'pleasure' of being shown multiple times already. "Got my cameraaaa!" Rarity called melodically as she trotted back into the room, camera floating beside her. "Now give me a good pose and I'll get you out!" Smiling and rolling her eyes, Rainbow had spent enough time as Rarity's model to know that "cool" poses weren't what she considered "good". Taking as elegant of a pose as she could, Rarity snapped a few photos and placed the camera aside. "Alright; let's get you out of this thing." Rarity said, using her magic to undo a zipper on Dash's back. Rainbow didn't move. She didn't want to ruin another dress like she had done last month; she learned that the hard way. After about half a minute, Rainbow was free from her frilly restraints and, with a final nod to Rarity, left without even waiting for a thank you. She was running really late. The door to the boutique burst open as a rainbow flash ran past two colts about to enter. Dash didn't take any notice of them, rushing skyward with only one goal in mind; clouds. Lots of dark rain clouds. She had 'til noon, which was only two hours away. She could clear the skies in ten seconds flat, but filling them was different. "Oh! Hi Rainbow Dash!" came a calm voice from below. Rainbow Dash looked down to notice Fluttershy waving up to her. Rainbow Dash was about to groan, but immediately retracted it knowing how she'd hurt her friends' feelings. "Fluttershy, I really can't talk right now. I gotta get the clouds filled for today's storm ASAP or Applejack'll kill me!" Rainbow said. "Oh! Sorry to interrupt. Well, if you'd be so kind, stop by my cottage after you're all done, please? It's pretty important." Asked Fluttershy, a pleading smile on her face. "Yea, sure. It'll be about four hours or so. Seeya then!" Fluttershy couldn't get in another word before Rainbow darted off. Smiling to herself, the pegasus began the trek back to her cottage, her feet hurrying along with a single goal in mind. "I'm back, everyone!" Fluttershy said, entering her cottage. Critters of all shapes and sizes around the house greeted her in what was like a choir of high pitched little angels. Fluttershy often spent time singing with them, so it was to be expected that they would have some vocal talent. Upon closing the door, the sound of a tapping foot echoed into Fluttershy's ears, as she turned to see Angel standing by the door with an impatient look on his face. "Oh... uh... Hi Angel. I see it's... past your lunch time. I'm sorry; I had to find Rainbow Dash and I forgot to prepare a meal. Let me go fix it up for you!" Fluttershy's voice held in it a feeling of nervousness, not wanting to upset the rabbit. Passing through the living room, Fluttershy began to make her way to the kitchen when the sound of sobs made her stop. Adjusting her course, the pegasus made her way into an extra room where, on a temporary and makeshift bed, Gilda lay asleep. Her panicked motions made it obvious she wasn't having a very pleasant dream. Fluttershy stepped over and, after a short pause, retreated. Fluttershy wasn't going to be on the receiving end of any premature claw swipes Gilda might react with. She didn't know how Gilda was with waking up in the morning. Still, she didn't want to leave her suffering like that, especially after all she had been through. The Pegasus remained indecisive, now contemplating if and how to wake Gilda up. Idea! Just like Rarity, inspiration struck. Quick to move about, Fluttershy set up three or so bells above Gilda, left over from Winter Wrap Up. Tying a long string on, she stepped over by the door, standing far from Gilda, and pulled the string. The bells went off, with Gilda snapping her eyes open quickly. "Wh... what's that!? Those blasted cicadas again?" Gilda cried, jumping up with tears still rolling down her face. It took a moment for Gilda to realize. "Oh... bells?" "Gilda, if you don't mind, you might want to wake up. That is if you're alright with it..." Fluttershy said quietly, dropping the rope from her mouth with a timid smile. Gilda glanced over at Fluttershy, noticing the elaborate set up made just to wake her up. She felt a little pang of guilt at this, realizing that she hadn't been completely forgiven. Or that's how she saw it. Feeling the tears still sliding down her cheeks, Gilda quickly rubbed at her face and put on a more serious expression. Stretching herself out, the griffon stood up to see Fluttershy walking into the kitchen. Not really well acquainted with the cottage despite its size, she decided to follow her. "So what'd you wake me up for?" Gilda asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Fluttershy, now concentrating on preparing a meal for Angel and the other bunnies, subconsciously ignored Gilda's question as she entered the Kitchen. Gilda stood in the doorway, awaiting a response but, considering Fluttershy's hospitality, deciding not to rush her. As Fluttershy finished up, Angel hopped into the room. "Here, Angel! Take this out to all the other bunnies. And don't take any extra this time!" Fluttershy said, in her best attempt at scolding the bunny. She handed down a tray, small enough for Angel to carry, of steamed carrots. Angel, looking up at her with an irked expression, tossed one carrot into his mouth to chew on as he proceeded outside with the tray. Fluttershy smiled, but quickly remembered that she'd been asked a question. Turning around, Fluttershy smiled as if to give Gilda some great news. "I wanted to make sure you were wide awake when Rainbow Dash gets here." Gilda's heart sank at this, reflected vividly in her expression. Rainbow Dash was coming HERE? She wasn't ready. Oh, why was everything going so fast! Gilda placed a claw on her face, trying to calm herself down. Maybe it'd work out. Maybe everything would go great. Fluttershy forgave her so easily; maybe Dash would too. Oh what was she kidding? She knew Dash more than a lot of people, and if she knew anything she knew that Dash wouldn't be that quick to forgive her for what she did. Fluttershy was a softie, but Dash wasn't that type of pony. "G...gilda, are you feeling okay?" Fluttershy asked, noticing how the griffon wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea. "Did I do something wrong? Oh dear, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have... I didn't mean to..." Gilda took a deep breath and released, trying her best to calm down. It wasn't helping as much as she wanted, but it did have a noticeable effect on the griffon. Looking up at Fluttershy, Gilda had to concentrate hard to repress her desire to yell at her. She had gotten this far and, knowing what she'd wind up going back to, she wasn't going to mess it up now. "I... don't think I'm ready. I mean... I've been out of that forest for not even two hours, and I don't think... Geh..." Gilda's feet couldn't stay still as she paced around the kitchen. A few of Fluttershy's animal friends looked into the room, hearing the scritch-scratching of the talons against the floor, but Fluttershy managed to put on enough of a face to ask them to leave the two alone. "I didn't mean to. I mean... oh dear... I'm sorry. I didn't think it was too early. I wasn't really thinking about it too much, and I thought you'd want to..." Fluttershy's expression started to show more than a little bit of panic. "No..." Gilda said, holding out her claw to tell Fluttershy to stop. "I'll be fine... it'll be fine." Gilda wasn't sure of herself, but she made every effort to reassure Fluttershy. After all, it wasn't like Gilda could hide from Dash forever. "Okay... when is she coming?" Gilda asked, looking at the pink-maned pegasus who had only just managed to calm herself down. "Oh... um... about three and a half hours now. She has to set up a small storm, as she's been falling behind lately. I hope that's alright..." Gilda nodded, taking a breather. She had time; she could prepare herself. She could formulate a strategy... wait, strategy? She wasn't that great at that; she and Dash were always the gung-ho type. Gilda's mind went spinning for a second as she started to think up ideas of how to deal with Dash. Would a direct approach work? Should she go slowly? Wait, what if Dash changed a lot since she'd been gone? It's been a year, and she herself had changed a lot. That had been evidenced quite clearly by the fact that she was right now in Fluttershy's house after she had been found crying of loneliness in the woods. "Okay, okay. I have a good amount of time. I can figure this out. How has she changed? A lot? A little?" Gilda asked, finding it hard to get used to the concept of asking for help. "She's... um... well, not too different. She's still a lot like you remember, but she's... I don't know, calmer? Well, not really, but... it's hard to describe, you see." Fluttershy stuttered out. "Point is she hasn't changed much." Gilda summarized. As Fluttershy nodded, Gilda swapped back to her strategy mindset. "I need to tend to some of the animals, Gilda. Are you going to be okay on your own? Is there anything else I can do to..." "I'll be fine, just... go do whatever. I need to be alone for a bit, anyway..." Gilda said, taking a second to realize how contradictory that statement was. It was still true, though. She didn't want to be truly alone, but she did need a moment to herself to think about the upcoming confrontation. Well, she hoped it wouldn't be a confrontation. As Fluttershy stepped out, Gilda pulled up a seat at a nearby table, presumably where Fluttershy ate her meals every day. Leaning her elbows on the table and cradling her face in her open claws, Gilda poured all her concentration into battle strategies. In her head, she sat across from Rainbow Dash on a warzone. Like a board game, Gilda placed her infantry on the board and, as she waited for Dash, she played a rather odd game of chess in her head. "Mighty grateful, Dash! This here storm'll set us up straight fer Applebuckin' season!" Stated Applejack, thanking her friend for a job well done. Rainbow smiled, nodding her head. "Glad I could help. But I gotta go; Fluttershy wanted to see me for something." The pegasus mentioned, floating up a bit higher. "Well, then ah won't hold ya here. I'll be seeyin ya'll, Dash!" Applejack said, waving farewell to Rainbow Dash. She looked up to watch as she flew off, a rainbow trail following her, before retreating into the barn. The storm wouldn't be all too pleasant for the pony folk. As the barn doors shut, the air went out of its way to move aside for Rainbow Dash, blasting a path to Fluttershy's cottage just outside of the Everfree Forest. Her mind remained occupied throughout the flight, curious of Fluttershy's reasoning. Did she need help with the animals again? Dash made guesses here and there, but in the end just decided to wait and find out. All of five minutes passed as Rainbow landed on her friend's doorstep. Pausing for a second to catch her breath, having flown for the past three hours straight, the pegasus folded her wings in and tapped on the door. The sound of hoofsteps echoed through the cottage, though very lightly, and in less than a minute Fluttershy opened the front door. "Hey, Fluttershy. What'd you need me for?" Dash asked. Dash looked up to see Fluttershy with a very worried expression. Tears streamed down her face, and if Rainbow Dash knew anything, the sound of Fluttershy crying was one of the most depressing things she could ever hear. "Fluttershy what's... what's wrong? Don't cry!" Dash said, trying to comfort her. "G... Gilda's..." Fluttershy stuttered. "Gilda? What'd she do to you!?" Dash asked, anger settling in. She expected the worst. She couldn't really see a trashed cottage, but she could barely see any of it at all. Maybe the animals were hurt? That'd be devastating to Fluttershy! She'd go beat that griffon senseless if she had to. "She left..." Fluttershy stated. Rainbow couldn't help but just stand there and blink. Why was that a problem? She was so confused. "Please... come in... I think you might... might want an explanation." Fluttershy said, retreating back inside. With nothing but a strong curiosity at the top of Dash's mind, she didn't hesitate to follow her friend inside. It was now early afternoon in the Everfree Forest, and the animals were moving every way possible. High above the trees flew a rather clumsy griffon, nearly blinded by her tears. She couldn't stop crying. She'd made an idiotic move; she left. She couldn't take the pressure at all, and she just had to leave. Did her chess game mean nothing? Well, it wasn't like she ever played a full game of chess. Now twenty minutes into her forest venture, Gilda finally approached her self-made solitary confinement. Nothing seemed out of place, which didn't provide her any comfort. It made her feel like nothing had changed or, rather, that they had only gotten worse. Landing in the one empty corner of the nest, Gilda brushed her tears away, trying to calm herself down as much as she could. She had to strategize again, but this time the plan was for how she could avoid two winged horses. If she knew much at all about Fluttershy, she'd never abandon her so easily, and Rainbow Dash would probably try and beat her into a pulp for making Fluttershy sad again. She had to leave. Gilda looked about her nest, trying to find some spare parchment, but was greeted with nothing but the many letters she had, already covered in ink, crumpled, and definitely not reusable. Trying to think fast, Gilda turned to the thick trunk of the tree she chose for her home and, taking in a breath of air, brought out a talon. The scratching noise was almost unbearable. Not because it was loud, or high pitched, but because she knew it meant another long trek to find a place she could even consider anything near being "home". Her message was short, but it would get out as much as she could manage saying at this point. It only took her two minutes to finish the letter in wood. Removing her talon from the trunk, Gilda opened her wings wide. She made one last glance at the pile of letters. She couldn't take them; they'd weigh her down. It would take too long to destroy them, too. She'd just leave them there; it'd be the best apology she could ever leave. The sun remained bright that afternoon as a winged silhouette flew into the horizon. It had taken a while to explain everything to Rainbow Dash, and the pegasus could hardly believe what she had been told. Why didn't Gilda find new friends? Ones that she would consider cooler? Everything she knew about the griffon seemed to feel wrong now. Had she really caused her old friend to break down so completely? "Fluttershy, you mentioned she lived out in the forest?" Dash asked, looking up at the saddened pegasus. "Well... um... yea." Came the timid reply. After everything had been explained, Fluttershy seemed to sink into her own head. She was now acting extremely timid, especially in front of her own friend. "Can you get me to her nest?" Fluttershy simply nodded. Rainbow turned aside, walking over to the cottage door and bringing it open. "Let's go." Dash said. "Wait!" Fluttershy replied, seeming to regain a little of her composure, but not much. "Um... I need to tell all the... all the animals where I'm going..." Dash sighed. "Quickly. Do it quickly." Rainbow stepped outside to wait for Fluttershy. Even though this gave her a few minutes to ask herself questions, she really didn't want to. She wanted answers from Gilda, and waiting around was driving a hole in the soles of her feet. The timid pegasus, making her farewells, stepped outside the cottage beside Dash. Without a word, she started to fly, followed by her impatient friend. She didn't speed up, but she made an effort not to slow down either. Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one who was tired. "This is her nest?" Dash questioned, perched on the edge of the large woven home. "Yes." Fluttershy said. She sat inside the nest in the one empty spot where Gilda had slept for so long. "I never knew she could craft so well." Rainbow said, admiring the handiwork on the nest itself. She'd never really known Gilda as much of a constructive person in the first place, so this came somewhat as a surprise. Fluttershy said nothing, deciding to let Dash make her own observations. They both knew she wasn't going to come back here, as the shakily carved letter on the tree made full note of that. "I'm gone" was all it said, followed by a sloppy signature. It didn't take any time at all for Dash to notice the hundreds of letters lying about the nest, which brought a curious look to the pegasus' face. She didn't know Gilda to be a writer either. "Did she mention anything about these letters?" Rainbow asked, and to this Fluttershy shook her head. "I never noticed them. I was too busy concentrating on her." said the timid pony, a little more courage in her voice. Dash leaned over to remove one letter from a stick it had been pierced on. Uncrumpling it, the pegasus glanced over it. Dear Dweeb Crash, You made a lame-o mistake, Crashie. You know you woulda never gotten anywhere if you hadn't met me. I made you what you are, don't deny it! You would have been nothing if I hadn't hung out with you, and the way you sided with those dweeby ponies just shows how much of an idiot you are. Hope ya feel happy, ya scuzzball. Gilda Dash, with an angry flick, stabbed the paper back onto the stick. Who did Gilda think she was? This letter was a lot more like the Gilda she had known. The pegasus sighed. She had written hundreds of letters; were all of them like this? An embodiment of her hatred? Dash reached out, this time grabbing an unpierced letter lying on the bottom of the nest. Dear Rainbow Dash, I was wrong. Rainbow Dash blinked at this. She was confused; this was clearly Gilda's handwriting, but admitting she was wrong? Curiosity gripped at her as she kept reading. Dear Rainbow Dash, I was wrong. I was an idiot, and it took me this long to realize. Cloudsdale just felt empty ever since I lost you, and for a long while I just thought it was because I couldn't stand all the pegasus ponies. But it wasn't them. Everything just felt empty without you. I tried to make excuses for months, but living in the Everfree Forest showed me how much I deserved that dunce cap back in Junior Speedsters. I made a horrible choice, and just went and made myself into a pain. I ended the only thing that I could ever really grip. Our friendship. I just want it back... I j--- The rest of the letter was blurred into incomrehensibility by blotches of what could only be tears. Not all of them were Gilda's, though.

Triscy

388

Angel,Applejack,Fluttershy,Gilda,Original Character,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Feathers

complete

<p>With being outcast from Ponyville and only feeling ill staying in Cloudsdale, Gilda has lived in the Everfree forest for over a year ever since she lost her friend Rainbow Dash. More than half her nest lays littered with crumpled and pierced letters she never sent, and the creatures of the forest have given up on comforting her. Gilda has never felt more alone in her life.</p><p>When the wandering Fluttershy happens upon her home, Gilda finds forgiveness in the last place she would ever expect. But will the rest of Ponyville forgive her?</p><p>And will that include a specific rainbow pegasus?</p>

everyone

2011-08-08T22:05:59+00:00

2011-08-08T22:05:59+00:00

"Let's see... balloons? No. Streamers? No. Big cake? Ye-" "Pinkie Pie! We don't need a party!" Sugarcube Corner was rather empty, which at this time of night wasn't all too out of the ordinary. Other than Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who were fast asleep in their room, the only active ponies in the house were the Earth pony, Pinkie Pie, and her two pegasus friends who both looking distraught. "Everyone needs a party, silly! Haven't I taught you that already?" Pinkie Pie replied to Rainbow Dash. "We don't have time for..." Dash's reply was cut short as a box of streamers landed on her head. Apparently Pinkie Pie was rethinking her party strategy, but the box of colorful and happy strips of paper didn't really make the pegasus want to smile. "Where did I put that banjo? Oh it must be around here SOMEWHERE!" Pinkie was, at this point, only talking to herself. At another time Rainbow would be chuckling about this, but the pink pony really didn't realize she wasn't in the mood. "PINKIE PIE!" Dash screamed at the top of her lungs, immediately garnering the pony's attention. "Shhhhhhh! The Cakes are asleep! Do you want to..." "Pinkie, listen to me for once!" Dash said, glaring at her friend at a near Fluttershy-level stare. The party pony finally complied, sitting down and looking at her friend. "What is it, Dashie?" Pinkie asked, now a little worried as she tilted her head. "We need your help. No it's not a party, no it's not a gathering, no it's not a meetup." "Is it a parade?" Pinkie interjected, met quickly with another stare. The excited glimmer in Pinkie's eyes finally dulled. "Look, it's gonna sound crazy to you, but just hear me out. It's about Gilda." "Gilda? But she's..." An eerie calm settled over the room as she closed her mouth on her own. The Spirit of Laughter still had trouble realizing when things weren't all fun and games. "Thank you, Pinkie..." Fluttershy intejected quietly before leaving the floor to Rainbow Dash again. "Pinkie, I know you only remember Gilda as a big jerk. I can't really explain here and now, but if you come with us we'll explain on the way. She needs help, and we can't give it to her if we can't find her. Your pinkie sense is the only way we'll be able to follow her." Said the pegasus, taking a minute before to breathe a little. The party pony looked at Dash, confused. She wasn't used to Rainbow asking for favors, which in itself helped her realize how serious the situation was. Gilda was a meany pants. That's what she remembered, but that didn't mean it still applied. It had been well over a year, and even Pinkie had changed over that time. Why couldn't Gilda change, too? "Oki doki. I just need to leave a note, but I'll come. How long are we going to be gone?" Pinkie asked. "We honestly have no clue. Could be a few days to a few weeks." Dash replied, a little bit of worry in her normally confident voice. She hoped this wouldn't make Pinkie change her mind. "Ooh! This is gonna be a big road trip! I better pack party supplies! You guys'll have to help carry some of it~!" Said the party pony, a little bit of pep jumping back into her voice. Rainbow smiled a little. "Sure." At this, Pinkie bounced off into another room to gather her things. It was bound to be quite a trip. They just hoped it would be a successful one. "Hurry up! A mule could pull more'n you, ya feather brain!" The port town of Fillydelphia was bustling with traders running to and fro, like a vastly disorganized swarm of ants with hooves. Ships of builds from Equestria and beyond docked in the port, carrying passengers and packages, reuniting and separating families, and earning some lucky foals a grand load of bits from the profits of running their trade. The dock was filled with all sorts of Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, buffalo, zebra, and... "Hey! You trying to imply something, boss?" Grunted a rather irritated mule, overhearing his employer's derogatory put-down. "Shut up, Mark. You barely do enough work as it is; just be happy I'm not barkin' at you!" Growled the boss, a rather tall and toned dog. "This ain't the dark ages, sir. You're just as vulnerable to a lawsuit as any other business in this port." Mark retorted. "And either way you're barely here. You have no clue how hard I really work." This wasn't new for Merhorse Mailers, a smaller Fillydelphia shipping company trying to grip its hooves into bigger business. The boss wasn't the kind of guy to dish out free coffee, and everyone in the crew knew it. That is, everyone except for the newest crew member, a rather disheartened griffon who wanted to be out of her current situation more than anything. Life in the forest had forced her to gain a work ethic, but she wasn't used to all the heavy lifting her boss expected of her. "I'm sorry, boss. I'll try again." A meager attempt to interrupt the argument as the griffon gripped her talons around two large crates, spreading her wings to help her pull it along. "That's better. Now hurry up; we gotta get twenty more crates moved ASAP!" Mark grunted. He appreciated the fact that the boss wasn't pushing the issue, but he was really looking forward to that lawsuit. If anyone hated his boss more then Mark was a princess. He was always out looking for ways to get back at him for acting like he didn't deserve to exist. The mule eyed Gilda for a minute, scanning her over like a computer trying to get everything it could. She didn't seem right. Everything he knew about griffons didn't seem like it could ever apply to her, and he knew his fair share of griffons from being in the trade business. It was almost like she just didn't care anymore... like she was a broken shell... "Hey Mark! Quit eyein' the new girl and get over hea'!" The angered tone of his co-worker snapped him out of his mild daze as he jogged away. He was on loading duty, after all. "Pinkie Pie, you're holding the map upside down!" "Duh, silly! How else am I supposed to use it?" The trio had been traveling for over a week now, and Futtershy was showing the worst of it. She rarely spent more than one day away from her cottage, and the idea of her beloved animals missing her had almost made her turn back on a few occasions. Sometimes she was too kind for her own good, even as the Element of Kindness, as each time she thought of turning back she couldn't bring herself to abandon Gilda. Her eyes sagged, tired as could be. Two sleepless nights had thrown her out of her loop. Rainbow Dash was getting impatient. She couldn't abandon her old griffon friend either, but seven days of being forced to pace her speed to avoid leaving her friends behind had her itching to try out some tricks. Whenever the conversation had gone dry, Rainbow's head filled with intricate shemes for daring dives and wondrous feats of showmanship. The only pony out of the lot who seemed to be keeping her sanity was, surprisingly, Pinkie Pie. All things considered, though, she was never sane to begin with, but the party pony thought of this whole thing like a game despite having been briefed entirely on the situation. She was happy to know that Gilda wasn't such a grumpy-gills anymore, even though she didn't have gills. What would be an equivalent term for someone with feathers? Grumpy-fluff? It could work, but it was stretching it a bit. Wait, what had Pinkie been thinking about? Pinkie's response to the whole deal had generally followed this same pattern, otherwise known as a lack thereof. "How does that make any sense, Pinkie?" Dash asked, wincing a bit as Fluttershy let out a surprisingly loud yawn. The contagious nature of the act made her let out one of her own, but didn't stop her from returning her eyes to the party pony. Pinkie Pie held the map in front of her as she walked using a strange contraption that she told them she made herself about four days prior. The odd thing was that it had taken Dash all four of those days to finally realize that the map was upside down the whole time. "Dashie, don't you know anything about anything? If I don't hold it upside down then North will actually be pointing North. Duh." If there were a drinking game for how many times Dash had blinked in disbelief at Pinkie Pie over the course of their venture, Fluttershy would have passed out at least twenty times from overconsumption. Then again, Fluttershy didn't drink alcohol. "Pinkie, this means you've been leading us in the complete OPPOSITE direction the whole time!" Yelled Rainbow, angry and frustrated and, for once, stopping. "Uh, no? Dashie you're a pegasus pony; of anyone, I'd expect you to know how to follow a map. I mean for hay's sake, we're almost there now!" Pinkie retorted, stopping as well to point a hoof over the horizon. "What do you mean we're almost..." Dash couldn't finish her sentence before the glittering lights of a night-time Fillydelphia was spread out before them. At this point an alcoholic Fluttershy would have taken another sip. "Pinkie Pie, you are so random." "Alright, show's over folks. Now get outta here." Gilda groaned, walking out of the portside warehouse with a good sized bruise on her eye. Way back when, Gilda would tell everyone she got it in a fight that she won. Now she just didn't want to talk about it. She just didn't want to bring any attention to it, which was hard with how bad it looked. "How'd ya get that shiner, newbie?" "Buzz off!" That's what she wanted to say, that's what she tried to say, but what came out was more of a whimper right before glancing away from the troublecausing mule who followed her out of the warehouse. She hadn't seen him at all since he mixed words with her new boss earlier that day, and she wanted to keep it that way. "Hey, ya gonna answer me?" Mark sped up a bit to get ahead of Gilda, turning his head to look back at her face. "If I say no, can I leave?" Gilda's voice held no malice, just a tired pleading. "What's wrong with you, griffon? You don't honestly think you're gon' survive in a big city like this with an attitude like that?" Gilda scowled at this, his first question bringing back a bit of her tempermental attitude. "Leave me alone, dweeb. I don't wanna talk with someone like you." She retorted, speeding up her pace. Much to her disdain, the Mule seemed to be playing deaf as he sped up to match her. "That's more like it. But seriously, I ain't trying to be a jerk. I'm just trying to give a newbie some fair warning. That boss o' ours is possibly the biggest jerk you've ever seen." "I've seen worse." Gilda groaned, not sure why she even bothered replying to him. "How worse?" Mark smirked. "Wipe that grin off your face." "No need to get snippy. I said you should have an attitude; ya don't have to act like our boss." Mark complied with her request, despite his retort, now frowning a bit. "You griffons really are all temper. Don't any of you know how NOT to be a jerk?" "Shut up." Gilda said. Her feet stood like stone on the sidewalk as Mark turned to look at her. "Why the heck do you care? I'm just here to work, eat, sleep, and pay for my own tiny little apartment. I don't care about anything else anymore, and that certainly doesn't include you." "Oh, seems like we've got a drama queen." Mark poked, chuckling a bit before shifting expressions. "Cry me a river. You think you got it bad? You got nothing." "Nothing. You're right; I've got nothing." Gilda grunted, opening her wings to leave the ground mule below her. The mule stood, a frown on his face. She wasn't all too friendly. Just as he was about to turn, Mark felt a few drops of water on his face. "Weird; there's not a single cloud in the sky." "This place really is a dump." Gilda grumbled, standing in the cramped apartment. Luckily the roof was high enough for her, but that didn't mean it was very spacious otherwise. A pull-out bed that also served as her couch stood nearby a radio. Gilda didn't pay much attention to it as she walked by it to inspect her kitchen, connected directly to the main room. A one room apartment. As far as she was concerned, minus the cramped space, it was much better than her nest. Nest. Gilda frowned at this, shaking her head and trying to think about something else. She came here to forget everything that had happened, and that nest would certainly hinder her goal. Gilda sighed, closing the door to notice a small piece of paper attached. A letter? She couldn't help wondering if Rainbow Dash had read her letters. The griffon groaned to herself. No! Don't think about it. "What's this letter about anyway?" She muttered to herself, breaking the silence in the room as she tore it off the door. Gilda couldn't help rolling her eyes as she realized it was just a generic welcome message. She took no time finding the trash bin as she rolled it up tight and threw it in. "Yea. Home sweet home." "Fillydelphia? Why would Gilda be here?" Fluttershy asked, a bit confused. "She was living in a forest before this. Why the sudden change?" "I dunno, but she's definitely here. No mistaking my Pinkie Sense!" Pinkie confirmed, smiling at her friends. "Don't worry; I grabbed enough bits for a hotel." "Pinkie, how the heck did you know we'd need a hotel room?" Dash inquired. "Um... hoof flex? That always means I'm going to need money, Dashie." Came the simple response. Dash didn't bother blinking, just flying a little ahead. "So where are we gonna stay anyway?" "I. Need. Sleep." Fluttershy stated, sleep deprivation making her a little more blunt than usual. "Don't worry, Fluttershy! Auntie Pinkie Pie's stayed here before way back when she worked on the rock farm!" Pinkie Pie stated reassuringly. "I'm still a year older than you. Just find the hotel room." Fluttershy groaned in response, walking after Pinkie as she hopped along. "You seem like a grumpy-pants, Fluttershy. Are you really that worried about your animals?" Pinkie asked, hopping along. "Spike isn't the best caretaker, from experience." Fluttershy said. "I mean, he's a nice guy, and he's willing to help but... oh I need sleep..." "We all do, Fluttershy. Let's find that hotel already." Dash interjected, looking left and right. "We're already here!" Pinkie said, turning off the sidewalk into an alleyway. The two pegasi followed, wondering why they were going down here. This didn't look like it was leading anywhere. The path continued for a bit, ending in a quick turn to the left before an abrupt stop in front of an oddly shaped door. Pinkie didn't hesitate to knock, but the look of the place sent a shiver down Fluttershy's spine. "Are... are you sure it's safe, Pinkie?" "Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be sure?" Pinkie asked, just as the door shot open and a hoof dragged her inside. "Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy yelped. Upon her cry, Dash turned and flew over, about to charge through the door way, stopped only by the sound of giggling. "Hey, Uncle Punch!" Pinkie said, giggling as her relative gave her a friendly noogie. "Hey, what's my favorite niece doin' all the way out here? Come to visit little 'ol me?" asked the Uncle. Uncle Punch towered over Pinkie, a very fruity red coat with a short, dark-red mane that he didn't seem to spend much time maintaining. The large colt's cutie mark was that of a common pouch used for holding fruit punch. "I came here with my friends. Not to be a party pooper, 'cus you know that's the last thing I want to be, but we're not here to see you sadly." Pinkie said. "I need a favor, Uncle." "Name it and I'll do it if I can." Said Punch. "And dun' worry about the visiting thing, sweetie. You know you threw me a birthday part just last month. How can I repay ya?" "We need to stay here in Fillydelphia for a few days, hopefully no more. We're here to find a friend who's gone missing. I brought some bits, so I can pay if you need me to." Pinkie explained. "I can get you a room, sure. I'd love to be the hospitable and giving Uncle too, but I'll have to accept your bit offering. Hope ya don't mind me being a bummer, but business ain't been all too good lately." Uncle Punch replied. "Oh it's okay, Uncle. We would have had to get an expensive hotel if it weren't for you. Oh! How silly of me! These are my friends, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, stepping aside to point a hoof at her pals. "Hey! A friend of Pinkies is a friend o' mine. Put 'er there!" Said Pinkie's uncle, holding a hoof out to Fluttershy who timidly accepted. The shy pegasus didn't expect how strong a hoofshake he was going to give, shaking her up and down. Fluttershy attempted to recover from a sudden bout of dizziness as Rainbow Dash accepted his hoof next, taking his handshake a little more in stride. "The extra room's upstairs. Head down this hallway and take the third right, then head up the stairs 'til you get to the third floor and it'll be the first room on yer left. Hope it has enough room for all three of ya." The three walked inside, too tired to keep questioning how safe it was. The promise of a bed was stronger than anything else.

Triscy

388

Angel,Applejack,Fluttershy,Gilda,Original Character,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Feathers

complete

<p>With being outcast from Ponyville and only feeling ill staying in Cloudsdale, Gilda has lived in the Everfree forest for over a year ever since she lost her friend Rainbow Dash. More than half her nest lays littered with crumpled and pierced letters she never sent, and the creatures of the forest have given up on comforting her. Gilda has never felt more alone in her life.</p><p>When the wandering Fluttershy happens upon her home, Gilda finds forgiveness in the last place she would ever expect. But will the rest of Ponyville forgive her?</p><p>And will that include a specific rainbow pegasus?</p>

everyone

2011-08-18T17:18:52+00:00

2011-08-18T17:18:52+00:00

"So what does Punch do for a living around here anyway?" Asked the now well-rested Rainbow Dash. "Uncle Punch is a bartender. He loves working with fruity flavors!" The room that the three had spent their night in wasn't the most spacious they had ever slept in, but it worked well enough to offer them the sleep they needed. It hadn't taken more than a minute for the two pegasus ponies to get knocked out on the feathery pillows. Pinkie had stayed up a bit longer, catching up with her Uncle in the living room. The early morning sun had broken through the window, only failing to wake Fluttershy. She lacked the endurance that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had, so the long travels took the most out of her. Her friends agreed to let her sleep in more. "So Pinkie, do you have a more specific idea of where Gilda is?" Asked the pegasus, drinking a glass of water. Considering she still wanted to fly, the water was the only non-alcoholic beverage Uncle Punch had around the house at the time. It had been a few days since he'd gone shopping, on account of a low budget and slow business. "Sorry, Dashie, but even I can't get that close. I know she's in the city, but we're going to have to do some sneaky detective work to find her!" Pinkie said, her excitement becoming obvious as she mentioned detectives later on in her response. "Great. Well do you at least have an idea of where to start?" "Dashie, I barely know Gilda. All I know is that she was a big meany pants who popped my balloons, crashed my hoof-powered minicopter, and acted like a big party-pooper at the party I threw for her in the first place after she managed to fall into all the pranks you had set up with nopony specific in mind. If anypony should have an idea of where to start, it'd be you and, as far as I'm aware, you don't come here often if not never having been here before." Pinkie explained. "So that's a no?" Dash retorted, a little annoyed that she spent that much time explaining a simple answer that could have been stated in one word. "No, that's not a no. I have a perfect idea of where to start!" "Pinkie Pie, I have no time to play a drinking game with you..." Dash started. "Drinking game? Dashie we're here to find Gilda, not drink! Which is a shame since Uncle Punch would love to make us some drinks. I didn't know you drank alcohol, though. Wasn't there something in that Junior Speedsters manual about Flying Under the Influence?" "Nevermind! Just tell me your plan!" Rainbow grunted, placing her hoof to her face. "Well, Gilda would need somewhere to work if she wanted to live in Fillydelphia. We could ask around some employment places and find out if anyone gave a griffon a job." Pinkie stated matter of factly. "Did I hear somethin' 'bout employment offices?" came a voice from the door as Uncle Punch walked in. "You lookin' for a job or somethin? Hey, if you need a job, Pinkie, I could use yer help advertisin." "Sorry, Uncle! No can do! We were talking about employment offices to try and find if anyone hired Gilda recently to see if we could find her!" Pinkie explained, a little less enthusiastic than she usually was. "Ahh, alright. That offer's still open, but I don't mind. Hey, there's an employment office a few blocks away. Want some directions?" Punch offered, only to receive the excited nods of Pinkie Pie and her pegasus friend. "A'ight. When you get out of the alley, head left and turn at the corner. Walk about two blocks down and it'll be on yer left." "Thanks, Uncle! We'll be off now!" Pinkie said, jumping towards the door. "Hey, what 'bout yer other pegasus friend? Ain't you gonna take her with ya?" "She needs sleep pretty bad. Let her rest a little longer." Replied the party pony, already out the door. "A'ight. Be safe; this part of town ain't the nicest!" Punch called, hoping his niece heard him. "Ya know, I envy you griffons. Ya all got 'dem claw things. I ain't a pony, but I still only got hooves. What's it like actually bein' able to grab stuff?" Gilda, by now, had started getting used to the routine at her newfound job. It took her about twenty full hours of being yelled at and a few after-work scuffles, but the repetition and demand of the warehouse had finally started to feel like it could be normal. More importantly, she started to feel like herself again, and could finally start forgetting what she'd left behind. Her attitude had returned and, with the help of a certain mule that refused to give up, she'd found someone to vent on. "You ever used a glass, Mark?" She asked in response. "Yea. Set it on 'da table an' lick it up. Normally contains a nice round of liquor for me." Replied the mule, unsure of where her remark was going. "I don't need a table to drink it." Said the griffon. "Oh 'cus you can lift it... OOOOH! Wow. I really envy you griffons." Mark seemed completely fascinated for a second by this rather simple revelation. "Mark?" "Yea?" "Shut up and get back to work." Ordered the claw-handed one, grabbing another box to move. "'ey, I'm workin'! Sheesh, yer just like da boss. Can't we has a conversation once in a while?" "Conversations imply that I don't mind listening to your voice and want to talk with you." "Don't be like 'dat! Yeesh, ya griffons are such a bummer. 's like you'd be perfectly happy spendin' the rest of yer life alone." Mark retorted, unaware of the button he'd just pressed. Crack! "Hey, whatcha doin'? Ya gone loco?" Gilda stood in front of Mark, crouched against the wall holding a hoof up. "Can't you understand what SHUT UP MEANS!?" The griffon cried, tossing another box at the mule. "Woah, woah, woah! Quit breakin' da crates; we only got so many a 'dose!" "Well maybe if they lose an employee they'll have enough in the budget to buy more!" Gilda's claws reached out to grip another crate, but found the box immobile when she tried to pull it. "Woah, woah! Mark may be an annoying idiot, but that don't mean you gotta break his head in! Calm down, missy!" Gilda turned, glaring at her manager. Her eyes reflected a strong desire to break his head in too, but her desire to keep the only source of income she had forced her to take a breath. "That's better. Get back to work. Those crates are coming out of your next paycheck, and you're gonna be cleaning 'em up afterwards. Just 'cus you don't work at no store doesn't exempt you from 'you break it you buy it', miss griffon." Stated the manager. "Whatever." Grumbled Gilda as she turned and started grabbing crates again, once again empty of malicious intent. Or, rather, no attempts to utilize her malice. The griffon didn't mind paying for the crates in the end, as the whole ordeal had gotten Mark to silence himself as she'd wanted in the first place. The silence allowed her to focus on her work, but it seemed the lack of annoying chatter came as a catch as her thoughts drifted to her reason for being here in the first place. The rest of the work day, the silent griffon couldn't remove a saddened frown from her beak. "Sorry we couldn't find anything out, Dashie. We tried like, ten employment offices! I never would have guessed there'd be so many in such a teeny weeny area!" The trip had been a failure, which didn't surprise Rainbow Dash. Only two employment offices actually told them whether or not they had a griffon come in for a job, while all the others refused on the grounds of privacy. The only thing the two learned from their venture was where NOT to go if they wanted to keep their information private when looking for a job. "It's okay, Pinkie. It was a longshot anyway." Dash said, sighing to herself a little. "But now what do we do? I doubt going to any more employment places'll get us any more info than we've gotten." "We could just ask around, Dashie!" "Pinkie," Dash said, looking down at her friend, "I haven't even been here before and I already know that 'just asking around' will either get us nothing or in a fight before we get what we want. It's the same chance of you stopping a party if somebody just asks you with no reason." "Well if they had no reason then they wouldn't ask!" Pinkie chuckled, finding Dash's comment humorous. "Nevermind." "Dashie, if we don't ask anybody then we have no chance of finding her unless we just happen to see her, and this place is HUGE!" Dash wasn't all too used to Pinkie making so many logical comments, but then again Pinkie was random as could be. Maybe she had logical mood swings? "Oy. Where should we start then?" Asked the pegasus, turning only to see Pinkie already approaching a random stranger who happened to be passing by. "Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie! I was wondering if you could..." "I'm not interested." Came the sharp reply as the older colt kept walking. "But I'm not trying to..." "Go bug some other pony." Pinkie stopped hopping alongside the colt, frowning angrily. "Well that wasn't very nice." "They tend to be like that around here, Pinkie." Dash stated, floating nearby. "Let's go find somepony else!" Pinkie said, bouncing away. "'ey, Gilda! Whadya do after work every day, anyway?" asked a stubborn work mule, unwilling to drop the idea of talking to the griffon even after their earlier ordeal. "Why should I tell you? You can't seem to grasp how NOT to talk!" The griffon stated this half-heartedly, somewhat missing his chatter clogging up her thoughts. "Hey, quit puttin' a mule down, eh? It ain't criminal to talk to a co-worker in the line o' work we got. Just answer the question!" Pestered Mark, shoving a crate into the loading bay. "Why do they always have us on the same job anyway?" Gilda groaned, still refusing the answer. "Come on, just answer 'da question griffy!" "I go home and sleep. Ya happy now?" Stated the griffon through gritted teeth as she pulled a crate out into the loading bay. "That's it? Yer a real borin' lot, Gilda. You don't seem to do nuttin' interestin' other'n try an' kill me with boxes." "If you found it so interesting, would you like me to do it again?" hissed Gilda, once again liking the idea. "Simmer down, missy. I'm just sayin you're missin' out on this here city. Heck, from the sound of it you ain't never had a sip o' wine." "Wine? Pfft, no. I like being able to fly." Gilda retorted. "Ha! You sound like a lightweight, Gildy. Can't take a pint o' beer?" Mark challeneged, chuckling to himself as he pushed along another crate. "Never said I couldn't take it, mule." Growled Gilda, not liking the taunt. "Can ya prove it? You still sound like a lightweight to me!" Sometimes Gilda hated pride. The last two things she wanted to do were to hang out with Mark and to back down from a challenge. Sadly, she couldn't avoid one without the other biting her in the rear. But she had a plan. "Hey, I'll prove it. But let's make it a bet; if I can fly home after, you gotta stop talkin' to me." Posed Gilda. "That bet implies that if ya can't, I can yap all I please. If so, issa bet!" "Sure. You pick the bar, pal." The work shift went on from there, but it only took another hour to finish up. This was the first day that Gilda didn't fly straight home after her shift was done. "Well that didn't work at all." Grumble a rather disheartened pegasus as she flew into an empty bar. She and Pinkie had spent the greater part of four hours trying to ask people for information, but of the small percentage that actually stopped to answer them, none of them had any clue. Pinkie hopped in, smiling at her friend despite their failure. The party pony wasn't going to let their days venture dishearten her, as after all she was quite the optimist. "Dashie, we'll just have to try again tomorrow! Nothing ever said we needed to find her immediately!" Pinkie replied, hopping on a bar stool and sending it spinning. "We can't stay here forever, Pinkie. Your Uncle can only host us so long, and we're gonna run out of money eventually. Besides, our friends back in Ponyville are probably worried sick about us. We've been gone for a long time." "So I gather you've had a bad day, eh?" Dash looked up at Pinkie's uncle, a look of sorrow upon her face. "I'll take that as a yes." Punch said, cleaning out a wine glass with a towel. Being a pony, it was a little harder than it should have been. "We'll find her, Uncle! Anyway, how was business today?" Pinkie asked, trying to get a cheerier conversation going. "Slow. Got a few customers, though. Right before I closed up, a regular of mine walked in with a pal. Apparently they came in for some bet, and the girl didn't seem all too happy 'til she had a few." Punch replied. "Ooh! A bet! Who won? Who won?" Pinkie asked, excited about the idea. She wasn't the betting type, but she always wanted to know who won them. "I'd say the griffon won the whole ordeal, on account of how she could still fly after." Punch said matter-of-factly. "The bet was whether or not she could..." "Griffon!?" Punch barely managed to avoid dropping the glass as Dash flew up to him, looking him square in the eyes. "There was a griffon here? What did she look like?" "She was a griffon; what else is there to tell? Other'n the odd eye shadow that looked like it'd been near wiped clean by the end of the whole ordeal." "That's GILDA! Why didn't you try and keep her here? Why didn't you send Fluttershy to get us?" "Hey, whatcha yellin' at me for? You never told me you were lookin' for a griffon, so I had no reason to keep her around." Punch replied, not liking how the pegasus approached him. "Oy, Pinkie! Why didn't you tell him who we were looking for? If you had we could be done with everything at this point!" "I didn't think I'd need to! I'm sorry, Dashy. It slipped my mind when I was catching up with Punch anyway." Pinkie replied, a hint of regret in her voice. "Oy. Do you know where she lives? Or where she might be now?" Dash asked, turning back to the uncle. "After how much she had she'd better be home asleep. But I don't know where that is. Her companion was one of my few regulars, though. A mule named Mark. He'll probably be back tomorrow" Punch replied, hoping that the information would help get her away from his face. "If he comes again, could you ask him about her for us?" Pinkie questioned, a look of hope on her face. "Of course, Pinkie! Why wouldn't I? After all, you're all out here for her sake anyway." Punch replied, smiling. The smile looked a little more sincere as Rainbow Dash backed away. "Great! Then we'll wait!" Dash said, before remembering a detail she'd forgotten. "Oh, how's Fluttershy?" "Surprisingly still asleep. You weren't kidding when you said she was tired; she hasn't budged at all." Punch replied, finishing up the glass before placing it away. "At least one of us can relax." Dash replied, yawning herself. "If she wakes up sometime soon, would you fill her in?" "If I'm awake, sure." The pegasus smiled. Pinkie's uncle wasn't such a bad guy. Now to wait for the morning.

Triscy

388

Angel,Applejack,Fluttershy,Gilda,Original Character,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Feathers

complete

<p>With being outcast from Ponyville and only feeling ill staying in Cloudsdale, Gilda has lived in the Everfree forest for over a year ever since she lost her friend Rainbow Dash. More than half her nest lays littered with crumpled and pierced letters she never sent, and the creatures of the forest have given up on comforting her. Gilda has never felt more alone in her life.</p><p>When the wandering Fluttershy happens upon her home, Gilda finds forgiveness in the last place she would ever expect. But will the rest of Ponyville forgive her?</p><p>And will that include a specific rainbow pegasus?</p>

everyone

2012-02-28T02:56:25+00:00

2012-02-28T02:56:25+00:00

Today was the day, thought a hopeful rainbow pegasus as she awoke from her slumber. Gilda was a friend, and whether or not she represented the Element of Loyalty, a friend who didn’t help another friend in need couldn’t be anything but a scumball. Besides, she hadn’t seen Gilda for so long; she wanted to know how she changed, hopeful that they could fix things once and for all. The fact that both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were here helping her must have meant something, right? After a long, exaggerated stretch, Rainbow trotted out to the bar, not caring for the cramped space of the bedroom she had slept in. She wasn’t used to sleeping on beds; the clouds she called home were much more comfortable, but she made due. To her surprise, she found a rather shy friend of hers cleaning tables in the bar, with Punch behind the counter. Well, at least Fluttershy was awake; that was good news. Regardless, this brought up more questions that Dash wanted answers to. She was getting tired of everything bringing up questions; asking questions was what Twilight and the Crusaders did; she was used to doing more than asking. “Oh! Hello, Rainbow! You’re awake.” Fluttershy stated, noticing her companion enter the room. A smile held on her face, and from the looks of it Rainbow could only guess that Uncle Punch had told her the news. She seemed like the weight of the world had been lifted on her shoulders. “It’s not surprising that I’m awake; it’s more surprising that you are. You slept like a log all throughout yesterday.” Rainbow replied, walking in a bit more. “Why are you cleaning up this place? Isn’t that Punch’s job?” “Oh. Well, you see, he has been having trouble getting enough time to tidy up. He mentioned it when we were talking earlier, and I wanted to help him a bit. I’m good at cleaning, you know… with all the animals.” Fluttershy explained, continuing her work as she did. “That’s so like you, Fluttershy.” The conversation died off at this point, as Rainbow walked off to let the busy pegasus get to her work. Rainbow wanted ever so badly to go outside and fly around to try and see Gilda early, but she didn’t want to risk ruining the plan they already had; they had a link, and all they had to do was hope it wasn’t going to break the chain of events leading to their reunion. "Hey, Rainbow! Come over 'ere for a minute." called Punch from behind the bar, waving a hoof towards her. The pegasus took no time floating over, hovering by the counter. "What's up, Punch?" the somewhat anxious pegasus asked. "Calm down. You really need it. You got your sleep but you're still as stiff as a board." the colt stated, pouring a cup of clean, cool water. "Take a drink and get your mind off the whole deal. Worrying too much over your little reunion'll probably crash it too soon." "It's not that easy, Punch. We've known each other..." "For a very long time? Yea; I know. Did Pinkie Pie ever tell you 'bout her dad?" Punch interrupted. "Uh... yea she did. What's that got to do with...?" "Her dad, my brother. Heck, I'm Uncle after all. Pinkie Pie's dad was in the rock farmin' business, which was what I did for my childhood 'fore I found out 'bout brewing. When I found my passion in life, he didn't like it. For many years we had such a good bond, true brothers through and through. Of course nopony's going to be extremely supportive of any relative who finds their true passion working professionally as that guy who gets folks drunk. He was no different, but his whole traditional deal made it a bit worse. He wouldn't live with me; he wouldn't talk to me or anything. It was against his beliefs to the very core to even think of alcohol as an honest man's line of work. We pretty much broke up; I moved out of my home and went to live here. He stayed on the farm and married, and we didn't speak for about four years. About a year back I worked a job in the area, catering for a big 'ol party held by my old next-door-neighbor's son who'd inherited the property. I would've never expected my brother'd be attending the party. It was awkward, I'll give you that. Don't expect your reunion to be any different, but he'd changed so much. Pinkie was to blame for a lot of it, but he seemed much happier. He'd actually kept the party trend in the area going after Pinkie moved to live in Ponyville. We felt like we were brothers again, and it was one of the best days in my life. A piece that had been lost got reattached, and another piece got sown on once I met Pinkie. But I know for a fact that the whole thing would'a gone horribly wrong had I known he was there, as I'da sweat up the biggest storm you'd have ever seen. Don't do that to yourself; you're obviously here for someone special, as otherwise you wouldn't be here at all." Punch finished his monologue, proud of his speech, when he noticed a quiet sound which scratched at his eardrums; Rainbow's snoring. "HEY! Wake up!" Punch said, slamming the counter. Fluttershy jumped at the outburst, turning to look in fear at him. Rainbow awoke with a start, immediately trying to act as if she'd been paying attention the whole time. "Geh... whatever. Just do me a favor and don't screw yourself over more'n you have to." Punch said, waving Rainbow off as he went back to work. Rainbow sighed. That was one boring speech. "That Griffon's a real jerk, punch. She ain't even got the decency to thank me when I actually help her with somethin' for a change. I dunno what 'er problem is." Mark sat at the bench in Uncle Punch's bar, already with a few shots downed. He was off his balance, having nearly fallen off the stool twice, but didn't seem ready to stop anytime soon. The mule had wandered in in the later evening, immediately asking for a big shot of Punch's strongest, claiming a need to get his mind off of a pesty pelican. It hadn't taken him longer than five minutes to be stone cold drunk, but luckily Punch had long been used to this side of the business. "What's her name, Mark? She never introduced herself last time she came." Punch questioned, pouring another shot. He knew Mark's drinking tolerance up and down; he could survive about three more shots, then he'd be out. "Her name's... Gildy er somethin'. I dun' care no more. She's such a stale person; ain't got no spirit at all. She should... she should come here more often. Maybe your spirits... could fill that hole." Mark suggested, chuckling a little at his weak joke. "Eh, maybe she could. You got 'er here once before; think you could get her here again?" Punch poked, pretending to just be interested in her business. "No... can do. I made a b... bet, and I lost... it. Can't even talk to her... no more at w... work or else she'll break a box... over my head." Mark replied, shaking his head. "Aww, that's a shame. Well, can you do me a favor, regardless? I'd like to talk to her about a possible position here; I need some help, and she doesn't seem all too happy over there. Could you just hand her this letter?" Punch pulled a letter out from under the counter, setting it in front of the drunk mule. Mark eyed it a bit, then chuckled. "Sure I could, but it'll... cost ya." Mark replied. "If you bring her this letter, your next round of shots is on the house. Sound fair?" Punch proposed. "Heck yea! Sounds just fine by m... me!" Mark replied, downing his last shot before grabbing the letter in his teeth. "Puh ih ahn mah tahhb!" "Sure deal. Seeya!" Punch walked as the mule stumbled out of the bar, and just after the door shut he could hear three excited, happy cries from underneath the counter. Punch couldn't help but grin. "I thought I told you not to talk to me." Gilda glared her eyes towards the one pest she had thought she finally dealt with permanently. Mark had approached her after the end of work, a greeting called through gritted teeth. "I onnt. I aahv a ehher or oo!" The mule said, lifting his head to show her the envelope held between his teeth. He'd made a conscious effort to avoid slobbering over it, having already stained it a bit with alcohol. "Who from? Is this some stupid attempt at an apology or something, 'cus I'm not gonna accept it!" "Just shut up and take it! My work here is done, ya grumpy griffon." Mark said, as the letter floated slowly to the ground in front of her. Without another word, the mule turned and trotted off, headed home. Gilda just blinked for a second, picking up the letter before it blew away in the mild breeze. Mark had tried to honor his bet for the most part, but generally slipped up every now and then. She wasn't used to him just leaving like this after work, though. Her curiosity peaked, the griffon used one talon to open the letter and pulled it out. Dear Gilda, Hello! My name is Punch, the owner and proprieter of Punch and Spirits. You visited my bar a few days prior to today, accompanied by my regular Mark the mule. Mark has told me that you aren't all too fond of your current job, and that you're a good worker. I wanted to formally extend to you an invitation to come in for an interview to possibly work here. I am in need of assistance at the shop, primarily with cleaning and waiting, and would be willing to pay well. If you are interested, stop by the shop at eight PM on this upcoming Saturday. The shop will be closed, but just knock on the front door and I'll let you in for the interview. I hope you consider this offer. Sincerely, Punch. This was sudden, and didn't make much sense. Mark had said good things about her? From the sound of things he wanted to get her out of his hair, now that he lost his bet and couldn't yap at her all he wanted. Why was this Punch guy so interested in her of all people, anyway? Gilda couldn't understand what made her special; anybody else could probably do the job better. There were tons of ponies in this city. "Ya know, I envy you griffons. Ya all got 'dem claw things. I ain't a pony, but I still only got hooves. What's it like actually bein' able to grab stuff?" Claws! That's probably why. Such a simple thing, but that was the only explanation she could come up with. That and the fact that she was probably the only griffon in Fillydelphia. Still, it felt a little weird being targeted for something like that. Gilda debated whether or not to go as she flew home. Taking the job meant losing the job here at the docks. Mark was right on one thing; the boss was a jerk. Regardless, it was a simple job and he payed well enough. On the other hand, this Punch guy could very well pay more from the sound of it. He also seemed to be a lot nicer, and obviously would value her more than her current boss. But a waiter? She didn't want to talk to anypony around here. It was an interview. She didn't have to accept the offer, and he wasn't necessarily going to hire her, right? What did it hurt? It's not like she had plans this Saturday, right? Aww, to heck with it, thought the griffon. She might as well give it a shot. The griffon unlocked her apartment door, walking in slowly before kicking the door shut. A calendar hung on the wall beside her bed. She didn't know why she bought it, other than the fact that it had tons of pictures of griffons all over it. It reminded her of home, she guessed. Home... "She's coming tonight!" Rainbow cried, excitement just as strong as worry in her voice. It had been three more days, and they were finally running out of money to stay at Punch's bar. If things didn't work out tonight, they would be forced to either find work or leave the next day, and Fluttershy couldn't bare staying away from the animals much longer. This was their all-or-nothing. "I know! It's so exciting! We'll get to see her again! Oh! I wonder if she's still such a grumpy griffon. Does she look any different? Does she remember me? I hope she does!" Pinkie Pie was in her usual hoppy mood, bouncing around on top of the empty bar tables. The bar closed at 7:00, currently empty of all life except for the four anxious waiting ponies. "Pinkie, stop jumpin' on the tables! We just had 'dem cleaned!" Punch called. "Sorry, Uncle! I just can't stop bouncing! Hehee!" Pinkie said, jumping off the table and continuing her hops throughout the bar. "Oh! Should we set up a surprise reunion party? I could fix it up real quick!" "No, Pinkie. This is important, remember?" Punch reminded her. "Don't be a party pooper, Punch! That was Gilda's job! Or not job, but she was that! Your job is to make alcohooool~!" Pinkie was lost, which didn't surprise the other three at all. Her excitement and lack of worry helped cheer them up, giving them a bit more hope that things would turn out right. "Pinkie, now's not the time to get way too loud! If we startle her too early, she'll run for it!" Rainbow said, a look of seriousness in her eyes. "Aww, sorry Rainbow. I'll be quiet, but I won't stop being excited! I can't be anything less than overly extremely excited!" Replied the party pony. "Um, sorry to interrupt, but... I think she's coming...!" Fluttershy squeaked, quickly flying over to the door leading to the back hallway of the bar. "Pinkie! We need to hide!" Rainbow called, quickly flying out to grab her tail and drag her back. The bar went silent as Punch worked his best at cleaning a glass on the counter. After a short pause, the four heard a hard knock at the door. "It's unlocked; come on in!" Punch called, pushing the glass aside and offering a smile as the griffon walked in. Gilda had taken the time to comb her feathers, but it seemed like a bit of a rush job and, otherwise, she hadn't prettied up too much. She wasn't incredibly interested in the idea of waiting, but she loved the idea of getting away from her boss. "Oh, hello Gilda! Come in, come in! Seat yourself over at that table right there." Punch said, pointing a hoove over at one table that had been cleaned up. Gilda nodded, her expression not very excited at all as she stepped over and sat down. "I'm so glad you came. I've been in real need of some help around here, and all the other ponies I've interviewed in the past didn't seem to have the coordination to handle it. How are you, by the way?" Punch greeted, sitting down opposite her. "Tired and irritated. Can we just move along?" Gilda retorted, not putting on any form of fake act to make herself seem more likable. "Sure thing. Sorry to hear that, though. So, how long have you lived here in Filly?" "Only about three weeks." Gilda replied, sharpening her talons a bit as she waited. "Oh really? You already seem to have adapted well to city life. Where have you lived beforehand?" Punch asked in return, keeping the conversation as engaging as possible. He wasn't a star actor, but he knew how to keep someone interested. "Cloudsdale, and before that I lived outside of Equestria." Gilda stated bluntly. "What brought you here from Cloudsdale?" Punch asked. A-CHOO! The conversation stopped dead at this point, as Gilda peered over Punch's shoulder to look at the hallway. "What was that?" She asked, trying to spot the source. "Someone else here?" "There's nobody else here. You hear something?" Punch replied, trying to pass the subject. "I know I heard something; that was too loud to be nothing. Who's back there?" Gilda asked again, a little less patient this time. Punch, about to reply, was interrupted by a very light chuckling, followed by a noticeable hush. "Who's back there!?" Gilda called, angered now. He was keeping something from her; was this a trap or something? "Nobody, I swea..." A-CHOO! At this, a familiar pink shape flew across the room, hitting a table. The pink pony immediately burst out laughing. "Pinkie Pie? What are you..." Gilda didn't finish her question, realizing the only thing this could mean. This had been a set up; they'd come after her. The slamming of a chair on the ground was nothing in comparison to Gilda's heart as she charged for the door, only to be tackled by a familiar blue pegasus. "Let go!" Gilda cried, light tears dull in comparison to her frustrated and scared cries as she struggled in Rainbow's grasp. "I don't want to!" Rainbow replied. The deafening scream of Rainbow's cry pierced the night as three talons fell down Rainbow's right front leg, forcing her to release her grip to stop the bleeding. Gilda took this opportunity to push open the front door, fleeing her woes. "My leg!" Rainbow cried out in pain, lying on the floor. It had been so many years since she'd last felt Gilda's claws, but this time it wasn't an accident during Junior Speedsters; she attacked her. "Oh dear! It's bleeding badly!" Fluttershy cried, coming over. "Mr. Punch, do you have any first aid supplies?" "I ain't got enough for that! I normally deal with small cuts 'n bruises during bar fights, not anything this bad! I'll get what I got, though; it'll help at least." Punch replied, running off to find supplies for the gaping leg wound. "Fluttershy, go get Gilda!" Fluttershy stood silently over Rainbow. She was bleeding, pained in more ways than one, and had just been attacked by her old friend, but her thoughts still went to her first? Loyalty was much deeper in Rainbow's veins than Fluttershy had ever thought. "Rainbow, I... I wouldn't be able to catch up with her. Besides, you need medical aid... and..." "I'll go get her~!" Pinkie interrupted, running out the front door. Her hopping, laughing demeanor had been dropped once Rainbow had been hurt. "Don't hurt her! Just stall her, bring her back, whatever!" Rainbow called after her, just as Punch returned with the medical supplies. The cleaning alcohol stung Rainbow, but not as much as the tears in Gilda's eyes did. "Not cool, not cool, not cool!" Muttered Gilda in pained breaths as she landed on a skyscraper. She couldn't believe she had just done that; sure she wanted to get away, but that drew a line she couldn't uncross. Rainbow would never forgive that. Where could she go now? What could she do now? When would she ever be able to just stop thinking about her past, and when could she stop asking herself questions all the time? Gilda couldn't concentrate on anything; her mind was once again in a whirl, and she couldn't take it. Gilda looked down from the skyscraper, watching the city below her. She'd never taken the time to take in Fillydelphia. The scale of the city was glorious; the pony who layed out the plan way back when did a great job, but probably would have gaped at what it had become after so many hundreds of years. Why didn't she slow down more? She loved the speed of life, but couldn't she appreciate this? "I can't appreciate it anymore." she whispered, as the image before her blurred. "Can't appreciate what?" Gilda shook her head, blinked about a million times, then looked down at the voice. Pinkie Pie peered up at her, leaning out the top story window. Her face held a smile, though it was much duller than what she normally had. "Leave me alone!" Gilda cried, bolting off the top of the skyscraper before racing towards the dockyard below. She couldn't let Pinkie just follow her like that. The fleeing griffon landed on top of a coast-side restaurant, closed, dark, and empty. Despite her athleticism, the dash still forced her to catch her breath. "That was close..." She muttered. "What was close?" Pinkie Pie stood next to Gilda, wearing a chef's hat from the restaurant with a slightly bigger grin on her face than last time. Pinkie obviously enjoyed these chases. Gilda didn't bother to scream at Pinkie this time, spinning on her heels and darting off once again. This time she settled herself in an alleyway about three miles away, hiding behind a dumpster. Couldn't that party pony just do her a favor and leave? She'd already made one mistake too many. "Why are you sitting here? It smells in this alleyway!" Gilda looked up to see Pinkie hanging from the fire escape ladder of the building next to the dumpster, waving at her with a huge grin. Her feet shuffled themselves again, but this time went nowhere. "I give up." Gilda said, falling flat on her face. "That's funny! That's exactly what Rainbow said when I chased her around the day before you came, except that was back in Ponyville. What are you two giving up anyway?" Pinkie said, jumping down from the ladder and landing beside Gilda. "The chase. How the heck do you move so fast anyway?" Gilda asked, breathing hard. "That's a secret~!" Pinkie said, giggling as she hopped around Gilda. "Why are you even following me, anyway? I clawed Rainbow Dash, and I acted like a jerk to you back at the party you threw for me." Gilda questioned, looking up with curiosity at the pink pony. "Well, DUH! I wanna bring you back to the bar! Or bring Rainbow here. But bringing Rainbow here would mean that she'd be with me and if she were with me than she'd already be here, so I'm here to bring you back to the bar! You ran away so quickly; you didn't even give us a chance at all!" Pinkie said, still hopping a bit. "I didn't want to stay!" Gilda yelled in response, anger showing in her eyes. "Dash tackled me!" "Why didn't you want to stay?" Pinkie asked, honest confusion covering her face as she sat and tilted her head. Why did she want to leave? Gilda knew the answer, but she would never tell Pinkie. That would just be so uncool. Uncool. Gilda stopped at this. It was uncool? What was uncool? Why should she even care if Pinkie thought she was cool? And what has cool ever done for her? She wouldn't even be in this whole mess if she had just ignored "cool" for once in her life, but no! She just couldn't stand to be uncool. Gilda looked at the blurred Pinkie, a frown on her face and anger faded. Pinkie Pie didn't care about being cool, and look at her! Up until Gilda came along and acted like a party pooper, Pinkie had been smiling and laughing and enjoying her life. She sneezed herself across the room at the bar and hit her head on a table, but just kept laughing. Gilda would never be able to do that. She would have groaned, kicked the table, and walked away as if nothing ever happened; she wouldn't have associated herself with that table, and if anyone brought it up she'd just call them stupid. If anything she wasn't cool; she couldn't be cool. She was a dweeb. "I really don't know why, anymore." Gilda said, tears coating her voice. Her audible sobs and falling tears were absorbed by the junk strewn around the alleyway, but Gilda knew she was crying and, for once, she didn't care. She wanted to cry it out. "Aww, don't cry Gildy! Pinkie Pie's here to cheer you up!" Pinkie said, poking Gilda's shoulder a bit. "Why don't we just get back to the bar?" Gilda shuffled her claw, rubbing her eyes against the fur on her upper leg. Her tears were wiped, but quickly replaced. It took a half minute just for her to dry her eyes enough to see anything, and when she did she slowly raised herself from the ground. "Lead the way." "Rainbow, hold still! We can't do anything if you keep flailing like 'dat!" Punch struggled to hold Rainbow down on the table, her hooves flailing in pain as Fluttershy nervously applied the small bandages Punch had on hand. The pink-haired pegasus had barely managed to get one on after working on the wound for five whole minutes, as the pain of the wound and Fluttershy's hatred for causing her pain made the process even more slow and painful for the three of them. Rainbow attempted to calm herself, her flailing reduced by quite a bit. This was the first time that Rainbow could even hear Punch, having been crying in pain earlier as they cleaned out the wound. She remembered how much pain she'd gone through the last time she got clawed like this, but for some reason this felt much worse. Another painful minute passed before Fluttershy could finally say "They're all on", allowing Rainbow to move herself off the table and onto a stool. Rainbow held her arm to her chest, doing everything she could to avoid touching it to anything. She knew that the claws wouldn't heal anytime soon. "Sorry you had to go through 'dat, Rainbow girl. Must hurt worse'n bein' applebucked." Punch stated, looking at the wound in case any of the bandages were coming off. "We really should get you to the hospital for that." "No!" Rainbow blurted, angered at the idea. "I'm not leaving until Gilda comes back!" "We can't wait here for her! You need medical..." "NO!" Rainbow shook her head and held her leg closer. She wouldn't leave. Punch frowned, and prepared to open his mouth again, but was interrupted by the sound of the door. Pinkie Pie hopped in, smiling and happy, but accompanied by nobody. "Pinkie Pie! Where's Gilda?!" Rainbow asked, darting her head over in fear. "Oh, she's right here silly!" Pinkie said, turning to point at the air. It took Pinkie a second to realize that nobody stood there, and as soon as she noticed she darted outside. Rainbow could hear a minor scuffle of words before seeing Gilda slowly skidding into the bar, pushed from behind by Pinkie. "Get in here, Gildy!" Pinkie said, excited. "Rainbow's still here!" Pinkie stopped pushing Gilda, bringing her to a halt before closing the door behind her. "Here she is!" Pinkie reported, saluting to Rainbow before breaking off into giggles. Gilda wouldn't look up, her gaze straight down and head tilted away. She was waiting for Rainbow to scream at her. She sort of wanted it, too. She couldn't just forgive herself like that. "It's been so long since you last scratched me like this, right? It was way back in junior speedsters. Man, that hurt! But it was so weird to see you apologizing so much." Rainbow said, getting off the stool and trying to stand. The thought was short lived as she winced from placing her wounded hoove on the ground, forcing her to keep it up and stand on her remainder. For once Rainbow didn't feel like using her wings to float around. "Must've been an accident this time too, right? Just pressed a little too hard and forgot to sheathe your claws, right? Whatever; it's not like it was the first time that happened. I'll recover just like I did way back when." "Stop that!" Rainbow looked over at Gilda, head held lower but no longer turned away. Her beak was clamped tightly shut, and her eyes seemed like they were glued. "Stop what?" Rainbow asked calmly. "Stop forgiving me like it's nothing! You know that wasn't an accident, Dash! You know I clawed you on purpose! Why can you just forgive me like that was nothing? I attacked you!" Gilda cried. "Stop telling me what to do!" Rainbow yelled back. Gilda froze. This is what she had been waiting for; she wanted Dash to yell more. A silence fell the room, and Gilda couldn't bear it. Where was the screaming? The anger? She was just about to break and run again, tears welling up in her eyes to blur her sight for about the thousandth time. That's when she felt something soft placed gently against her left eye. Her right eye opened to see the side of Rainbow's wounded leg, wiping the tears with a medical rag. This was her first good look at the scale of the wound she had inflicted, and it was worse than she had imagined. The scars covered just over half of the full length of the leg, and the bandages left so many open gaps. "I want to forgive you, Gilda. Stop trying to act so cool and just let me." Gilda cracked. Her tears surged as she wrapped her arms around Rainbow's waist, wailing as she did. The pegasus held her close, ignoring the pain in her arm to hold Gilda as tightly as possible. The journey had been long, painful, and tiring. It had wound itself over thousands of kilometers, yet it finally brought itself to rest here. "I don't want to be cool anymore. I just want you back." "You're still cool to me."

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-11-18T03:56:27+00:00

2011-11-18T03:56:27+00:00

The Kindness of Strangers Prologue My dearest pupil: Twilight Sparkle- I hope this letter finds you well and I have a favour to ask of you. My sister, Luna is struggling to make friends here at home, just as you were nearly a year ago to the day. I’m sending her to live in Ponyville alongside yourself, where hopefully she too can make friends as you did. Hope this letter finds you well. Princess Celestia Twilight Sparkle set down the letter and looked at the clock in her library. She was nervous; Princess Luna was coming here, to live! Twilight had only seen the younger princess three or four times in her entire life, the first two had been when she was the evil Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon, Twilight was a little worried by that, it really hadn't been that long since she and her friends had defeated the evil within her, and reunited the god-princess sisters together. The other ponies still remembered what she had done. Twilight was sure that her own friends would help in welcoming the Princess; the other ponies however... Twilight looked at the clock again; it was almost time to go. There was a knock at the Library door. “Come in!” Twilight called out to her visitors. It was Fluttershy and Applejack, two of her best friends. Twilight smiled at the duo as they stepped in. “Howdy Twi’ how ya doin’ on this here mighty fine day?” Applejack asked, returning a smile. “Hey girls, I’m all right, just waiting for Princess Luna to arrive,” Twilight said. “‘Bout that. Ya sure this here’s a good idea?” Applejack asked, a concerned look forming on her face. “Ah mean, Ah don’t think too many ponies ‘ave forgotten what she did ‘n all.” Fluttershy looked at her friend, and spoke in her usual quiet voice. “Oh Applejack, I’m sure everything will be just fine. All we have to do is show her a little kindness.” Twilight smiled at her friends. This was exactly what she wanted to hear. “Exactly, A little kindness goes a long way! And the Princess is going to need it. Going to a new place can be overwhelming sometimes. I remember how I felt when I first came here.” “You talkin’ bout before or after ya actually wanted to be ‘ere?” Applejack asked, with a small smile forming on her face. Twilight laughed a little in return. “Before, Well come on girls, let’s go. We don’t want to miss her highness’ arrival!” Her friends nodded and the trio walked out into the open summer air. It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud to be seen, the pegasi in Cloudsdale had wanted to make Ponyville’s weather nice and beautiful for Princess Luna’s arrival. One wanted to make a good first impression. “See Applejack? Everybody is ready and willing to welcome the Princess, otherwise they wouldn’t go to all the trouble to make everything look perfect.” “Ah suppose,” Applejack said as her voice trailed off a bit as their other friends rounded the corner. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash we’re having a conversation about something that Twilight wasn’t able to hear fully, but the other girls quickly stopped talking to each other upon noticing their friends and giving them a good wave while they walked over. Pinkie even tripped over herself trying to wave and step at the same time, incurring a round of giggling from the six ponies. “Hey girls,” Rainbow Dash said, “hope we’re not late?” “Nope!” Twilight said. “Her highness is due to arrive at any moment though, so...” Twilight was unable to finish her sentence before being interrupted by Pinkie, “There she is!” Pinkie Pie raised her hoof and pointed up at the sky, the royal carriage, being pulled by two pegasi guards landed not three metres from where the ponies were standing. Princess Luna exited the carriage, bid the guards farewell, quietly thanking them for the trip. Princess Luna turned around and saw the group of six looking at her and smiling. Twilight and her friends bowed respectfully. “Your highness,” Twilight said greeting the new arrival. Luna gingerly kicked a rock that had been lying on the ground next to her, and spoke softly. “You really don’t have to do that...” Twilight and her friends walked closer to Ponyville’s newest resident. “Hello your highness!” Twilight said with a beaming smile on her face. “Do you remember us? I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash.” “Hello...” Luna said shyly, without being able to look up from the ground. “Um, will you excuse me? I need to...” Luna’s voice trailed off a little, and she walked away quietly. The six ponies continued to look on at the Princess, unsure of what had happened. “Did we do something wrong?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Maybe we overwhelmed her by being here all at once,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, I know, it’s hard to meet someone as cool as me.” Twilight and Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a side long look of annoyance, to which she gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m going to go try and talk to her myself. See if we can’t get her to warm up to us without feeling overwhelmed by everypony,” Twilight said. “Good idea sugar cube. We’ll be ‘round when ya need us,” Applejack said. The other five ponies departed, and Twilight Sparkle gingerly approached the shy god-princess, who was kicking rocks absent-mindedly in the street next to the library. “Your highness?” Twilight asked with a warm smile. Luna shut her eyes tightly and groaned softly, as if in pain. She mumbled something that Twilight was unable to hear properly. Twilight looked at the Princess with confusion. “I’m sorry; I didn’t hear what you said.” Luna shut her eyes again, and spoke somewhat louder. “Why are you, of all ponies, talking to me? You have every reason to ignore me. You should hate me.” Twilight felt a tear form in her eye, to think that any creature could continue to feel such pain for something that wasn’t even entirely her fault. Twilight was normally oblivious to other’s emotions, but she could tell what was troubling the god-princess, guilt, fear, anxiety, Twilight understood these emotions, she’d felt them many times herself. She walked closer to the Princess, who instinctively took a step back, giving a quiet whimper of fear. “It’s okay. I don’t hate you. We don’t hate you! All my friends and I have been looking forward to seeing you! We didn’t get to know you very well and we want to be your friend! If you’ll let us,” Twilight said smiling at the shy mare before her. “You... you don’t really mean that, do you?” Luna asked worriedly. “I DO mean it. I want to be your friend, and I’m sure other ponies do to. So come on! Let’s be friends!” Twilight said. She giggled at the irony in her own statement, a year ago; she’d have never said anything like that. She was far too busy studying to be concerned with making friends. Princess Luna gingerly kicked the last rock she could see. She nodded, and after a moment of silence that seemed to last a year, she finally said the word that Twilight Sparkle wished to hear. “Okay...” Twilight smiled brightly. “Great! Come on; let’s go find my other friends. They’re going to love you! I promise.” The two ponies walked off towards Sugarcube Corner, where the group was likely to gather, it was after all the place to hang out. As they walked, Twilight asked the Princess about herself, while difficult to get speaking at first. She slowly began to open up. It was just enough to start a friendship, the friendship that they needed above all else.

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-08-03T02:42:26+00:00

2011-08-03T02:42:26+00:00

Chapter 1 Three months to the day. Three months had passed since Princess Luna’s arrival in Ponyville, summer’s long days were ending, and the leaves were beginning to turn. Autumn was upon Ponyville, and soon enough, winter and its long nights would grasp the world of Equestria. Twilight Sparkle considered these last three months a success. Luna had become far more open and trusting of her new found friends. She and Twilight however, had bonded the most out of all of them, they were much alike, both introverted, Twilight just got Luna. They spent many nights looking out at Luna’s creation, the beautiful night sky filled with stars and the moon above. Twilight Sparkle, being interested in learning all things about the world and the sky, loved the night more than her friends. Luna had been taken aback by how much Twilight seemed to appreciate her night sky. A thousand years ago, Luna believed that ponies hated the night, and herself by extension, such feelings had driven the god-princess into losing her sanity, transforming her into the evil Nightmare Moon, and causing her imprisonment for the last 1000 years. Many of the other ponies in Ponyville were still uneasy around the Princess, but this was merely because she was a princess, and Twilight reassured her that the more time she spent here. The more the denizens of Ponyville would warm up to her. Luna smiled as she looked up at her night’s creation. She was glad she had come here; glad she had friends, glad that she nevermore had to be alone. … Dawn. Fluttershy loved waking up at Dawn, watching the sun rise was beautiful, and her animal friends would be up not long after. A few hours of doing chores and taking care of sick animals who had sought her out, she was ready to be out and about in Ponyville. It was still rather early; the clock had only just struck 0830. Not many Ponies were out and about at this hour. Fluttershy was however, surprised to see that princess Luna was out at the edge of town, looking up at the morning October Sky. “Hello Princess Luna... Um, I’m not interrupting anything am I?” She asked timidly. Luna looked back at her friend, “Hello Fluttershy, please, you don’t need to keep calling me princess, and no, I’m just admiring the day.” “Force of habit,” Fluttershy said. This had been true, it had taken almost two months to get them to stop calling Luna ‘her highness.’ Fluttershy smiled. “Sounds wonderful, I was just going into town, would you like to walk with me? That is, as long as it wouldn’t be an inconvenience...” Luna’s interactions with Fluttershy always went like this; the two of them were the most shy out of all their friends, it ended with both them taking care to make sure that they didn’t burden each other with unwelcome company. Luna smiled with a hint of embarrassment. “Why thank you... I would love too! I mean, as long as you’re not asking out of obligation....” “Of course not...” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off as she looked out into the distance. “Who is that pony?” Luna looked out into the distance. A single grey coloured pony with an orange mane and tail was walking towards them, a colt, no less. No more than 10 metres out. Neither Fluttershy, nor Luna had seen this pony before. Who was he? The colt walked up to the two mares, gave each a look and smiled. “Ponies! I made it...” he said before passing out on the ground at their hooves. Fluttershy’s jaw dropped, nearly hitting the ground at the shock. “Come on! We need to get him help! Help me carry him!” She said in a frantic tone that was not common for the shy mare. Luna nodded and the two helped each other lift the grey and orange pony off his hooves and carried him into town towards the clinic, Ponyville’s most reasonable facsimile for a hospital. Several long hours of waiting for the colt to recover, having never left his side, Fluttershy began to yawn uncontrollably. She was tired, and it was nearly one in the morning. Luna looked at her tired friend, with a small frown. “Fluttershy, you look tired. You really should go home and rest.” Fluttershy yawned again, “thank you for your concern. But I want to be here when he wakes up.” followed by another yawn. “Angel will have taken care of everything at home. So I can afford to wait.” As if on cue, the colt’s eyes opened and he looked around, seeing the two mares that had helped him. He perked his head up, which got the pair’s attention rather quickly. “Oh, you’re awake. I’m glad to see that you’re okay!” Fluttershy said enthusiastically, as she would have had this been a sick animal in her care. “I’m Fluttershy, and this is my friend, Princess Luna. What’s your name? Can you tell us what happened to you?” The colt seemed wrack his brain, as if searching for words in a language he was unfamiliar with. “My name is... uh... Floppy... Disk, Floppy Disk, That’s my name. Floppy Disk, and well, I’ve been walking for the last two months... I seemed to have, misjudged the distance between here and my last stop, because... Well, I ran out of food eight days ago, and had the last drop of my water two days ago. I barely made it here. When I came across you two I had just reached the point where I couldn’t go any further... If you hadn't been there, I might have collapsed from exhaustion and died with no one knowing I was even out there.” Fluttershy attempted to speak, but was caught by another yawning fit. Luna looked at her friend sternly. “Fluttershy, you’re exhausted, please, go home and rest. I’ll stay with our new friend and make sure he’s ok.” A look of horror formed on the Princess’ face as she realised she’d spoken rather sternly to her friend. “...I’m sorry.” Fluttershy was about to protest, something uncommon for the mare, however another yawn interrupted her, and she decided that Luna was right. She was tired. “No... You’re right. I’ll go home and get some sleep. But I will be back first thing in the morning.” Fluttershy departed from the room, making her way home. Upon reaching her bed, she laid down on it and was out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow. … Floppy Disk, FLOPPY DISK! YOU WALKED HERE FOR TWO MONTHS, AND THE BEST YOU COULD COME UP WITH WAS FLOPPY DISK! Floppy Disk was screaming at himself. He’d chosen the dumbest name he could have used for interacting with these ponies. But they had seemed to accept it; he was stuck with it now. “My lady, you don’t need to wait by my bedside, I would feel bad if you were up the entire night on my account.” Floppy said, a small, charming smile forming on his face. “Don’t worry about me. The night is my job.” Luna said, returning his smile. “I spend most of my nights awake. You’re not inconveniencing me at all.” Floppy wasn’t sure whether she was telling the truth, or merely being polite. In his personal experience, Floppy Disk had never known a pony to be honest with him. He was used to others telling him what he wanted to hear, it had warped his view of reality. He had no way of knowing if this pony was telling him the truth. He chose to give her the benefit of the doubt. Not something he often did, she seemed nice enough. “Okay then. I hope you don’t mind if I sleep though, I need to build up my strength again.” Floppy said awkwardly with an equally awkward smile. “Not at all, please, you need it. I wouldn’t want you to get worse if you felt obligated to stay up and speak with me.” Luna said. Maybe she was sincere. Maybe she was more like him. Floppy couldn’t be sure, he quickly drifted back off to sleep. When the morning came, he’d find out for sure.

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-08-03T02:45:58+00:00

2011-08-03T02:45:58+00:00

Chapter 2 Morning came quickly, Fluttershy returned along with her friends to find the Princess still sitting beside the colt as he lied back. "So, he's the one who wondered into town?" Rarity asked. "I say Fluttershy; you must have had quiet the effect on such a handsome colt for him to faint upon seeing you." Fluttershy turned a bright pink, almost matching Pinkie Pie as her embarrassment filled her face. "Just look at him, what a wonderful orange mane! He looks so peaceful when he's resting," Rarity continued, not noticing how much she was actually embarrassing her friend. Pinkie Pie took a few steps closer to the colt lying on the bed, giving him a quick look over, she smiled at him. "Silly, He's not asleep! He's just pretending!" The colt's eyes popped open, realising he'd been made. He lifted his head up, looking Pinkie Pie in the eyes. Pinkie Pie looked back at him, however her smile seemed to fade the longer she looked, almost as if she was losing awareness of the world around her. Pinkie Pie felt something beginning to overtake her, a feeling she had only felt once before at Gummy's after-birthday party. Pinkie's eyes snapped wide open; she screamed at the top of her lungs and frantically fled the clinic at breakneck speed. The other ponies looked around at each other, then back at the colt, who were mesmerised by what had just happened. He shook his head from side to side, as if to shake off sleepiness. "What just happened?" He asked, looking around at the mares around him. Twilight shrugged as she looked over the colt. "I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie pie," she attempted to reassure the colt with an awkward smile. Princess Luna however was quick to break the silence. "Everyone, this is Floppy Disk," she said with a smile. The group gave the colt a round of greetings, to which he smiled in return. "Thank you, thank you," He said politely, "I don't suppose anypony has something to eat on them? It's been a really long time since I had food." On cue, Applejack produced an apple from under her hat. "One of Sweet Apple Acres best, try one and ya'll never want to eat anythin' else, ever," she said kindly, holding the apple out for the colt to take. Floppy Disk obliged, and took a bite of the apple, the sensation of having food for the first time in a week proved too much for the colt; he promptly vomited on the clinic floor. He guiltily looked up at Applejack. Applejack merely smiled at the colt. "Don't worry, it ain't the apple, it's the lack o' real good food. I ain't offended." The group chuckled with each other. They had bonded instantly. -- A week passed, Floppy Disk was welcomed warmly into Ponyville society, even by Pinkie Pie, who was not able to remember their original misunderstanding. "... So we're good then?" The colt asked the bouncing pink earth pony. "Cross my heart and hope to fly! Stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie pie said. She fell over attempting to walk and swear at the same time. To which the colt smiled and couldn't help give a small chuckle. Pinkie Pie got up to continue walking, but was unable to make even a step before she began to shake uncontrollably, as if she were having a seizure, Floppy sprung into action, attempting to hold the mare down to keep her from hurting herself. After a few seconds the seizure stopped. "Oh dear," Pinkie Pie said looking up at Floppy. Her eyes caught his again, and she found herself unable to look away. Pinkie screamed, tossing the colt off her and running east. -- Twilight Sparkle was trotting along through the High Street of Ponyville, going about her day as she usually did. She smiled as she looked ahead. Pinkie Pie was galloping at full speed towards her, likely having something exciting to tell her. Pinkie Pie did not stop however, instead, she continued onwards. "Run! It's coming! Run!" she screamed as she passed. Twilight turned east, watching her friend as she ran. Twilight was puzzled. Pinkie Pie rarely made sense when speaking, but this was weird ever for her. "Hello Twilight Sparkle," a voice from behind her said. Twilight turned and smiled at the colt that had approached her, "hello Floppy, what's up with Pinkie Pie?" The colt shrugged, "she started shaking uncontrollably, I thought she was seizing, so I held her down to keep her from getting hurt, when she stopped, she looked at me, started screaming, and then took off running, shouting 'run! It's coming! Run!'" Twilight turned back to the east, "that's weird even for Pinkie Pie." The colt frowned and his head drooped, "I think it's my fault." Twilight turned to look at her new friend, trying to reassure him that it wasn't his fault, and that Pinkie Pie was just weird, but she didn't get the chance. The ground began to rumble, the entire town shook as if an earthquake had just hit. "Earthquakes don't happen here! There aren't any faults in a thousand kilometres!" Twilight shouted, "What in Equestria is going on?" She did not need to wait long for an answer. Bursting from the Everfree forest was a dragon. Scales a shimmering green, and eyes that could only belong to a creature with the collective anger of hell itself. Floppy Disk's eyes widened with fear, he looked at Twilight who shared his expression. He blinked. Now was not the time to be afraid. "Get everyone out of town. I'll keep its attention away from you." He said. Twilight's mouth widened, "are you crazy?" "Very," the colt said, "swear to me, swear on something that matters that you will not follow me for any reason." Twilight frowned, but understood, and she wracked her brain for something meaningful. Her frown faded quickly, and a small smile grew in its place. "Cross my heart, and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Floppy was satisfied. She had just sworn on friendship itself. The colt ran towards the dragon, charging the massive creature and hoping to be annoying enough to get its attention. He ran faster than he had ever run before. Lives depended on it. Unfortunately the dragon saw him coming, and despite its large size, it was quick with its response, the giant tail swung, hitting the colt in his flank and sending him flying into the edge of the building with full force. Crack! The colt found himself lying on the ground, he'd felt his own spine break from the force of impact, and now he was barely able to move at all. His hind legs unresponsive, he used his fore legs to crawl upon the ground. The dragon took notice of the colt, and swung its tail again, sending the colt flying into the building again. The sharp spines on the tail caught him this time, and the colt felt flesh tare. He screamed in pain as he hit the ground. His hind legs were gone. -- Twilight Sparkle and her friends had gathered upon a hill with the rest of the townsfolk, they'd gotten everyone they could together in one spot, safe, for now, while the dragon was preoccupied in the destruction of their town. Behind them, Pinkie Pie was lying on the ground, shuttering intensely, repeating "it's here, it's here" over and over again. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were doing their best to calm her, but it wasn't working. Twilight was watching through a pair of Binoculars she'd had in her bag as Floppy hit the building the first time. She cringed; she could tell from here that he was in serious pain. "We have to go help him!" Rainbow Dash cried out. "No," Twilight said, "He made me swear that no matter what, I wouldn't go after him. He said he would hold its attention as long as he could, if we go down there now, it'll be in vain." Rainbow Dash was about to protest Twilight's decision, she looked over at her friend and saw that she was crying. This was the hardest thing Twilight had ever had to do in her life. Instead, Rainbow sat down next to her, and embraced her, the two shed tears for their newfound friends noble sacrifice. He was running on pure adrenaline. By all accounts, Floppy Disk should have been dead. But he couldn't lie down and die, not yet. He had to go on as long as he could. What's the use? What can I do against that? In the back of his mind, a voice belonging to a sweet mare spoke to him. "Why are you doing this?" it asked him. "It's the right thing to do. My entire life is meaningless, always has been. I have to do this because it's the right thing." "You are willing to sacrifice yourself to save others?" "Every moment of my life, I've been willing." "And you would give up your life now, to save everyone in this town?" "Yes. I'm not coming back from this. I'm going to die; I want it to mean something!" "Very well then." Floppy looked up into the sky, he saw a bright orb of light form in the High Street, he looked into it and smiled, it was at this moment, his life ended. -- Twilight and Rainbow Dash's embrace ended, and she found herself immediately looking back into town. It was horrible, she couldn't bear to watch, but was at the same time unable to look away. Pinkie Pie lay on the ground, but she stopped shaking, and she stopped speaking. She sat up and looked out into the carnage before them. "It's free." She collapsed back on the ground, unconscious, but still alive. The ponies on the hill had all turned towards town, as if something had suggested that they should look. Twilight took up her binoculars again, she looked out into the ball of light, at the centre of it there was a pony with a Unicorn horn and Pegasus Wings, and while the light was too bright to get a good look at the pony, Twilight knew for sure who it was. "It's Princess Celestia!" she cried out in excitement. Luna looked up at this comment and smiled, her big sister arrived in the nick of time to save the day. It was just like her. The ball of light focused itself on the dragon, and an intense beam of light pierced the dragon's heart. The dragon roared loudly before being vaporised by the blast, the dragon seemed to explode from the light, and the brightness filled the air, everypony was forced to look away lest they go blind. After a few seconds, things returned to normal. The light persisted, but it was not as intense as it had been. It darted to the ground as Princess Celestia landed on the High Street, but she was no longer visible to Twilight Sparkle from where she and her friends had gathered. "Keep everypony here. I'm going to make sure everything is all right," Twilight said. Her friends nodded, and Twilight raced down the hill towards the high street. Her mentor was here, and this time as her saviour.

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-08-03T02:47:56+00:00

2011-08-03T02:47:56+00:00

Chapter 3 Twilight Sparkle made her way into the high street, the entire town had been heavily damaged by the dragon's rampage, but she found herself unable to focus on the town. 10 metres to her front, the ball of light continued to shine, though it was dimming, reaching the point where it would go out entirely. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight called out. The ball of light faded entirely, and standing there was the pony that had saved the town. It was not however, Princess Celestia. The pony turned and looked at her. The Alicorn was clearly male, grey with an equally grey mane, but what stood out the most where the creature's eyes. They were blood red, and seemed to glow when looking into them. Twilight stopped in her tracks, realising that this was not her mentor. "Oh. Hello!" she said nervously, "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." The Alicorn did not reply, it did however continue to stare at her intensely. "I'm Twilight Sparkle... We have you to thank for saving us, don't we?" No reply. "What's your name?" Twilight asked an awkward smile formed on her face, trying to break the ice between her and the newcomer. No reply. An awkward moment of silence later, Twilight spoke again "well, I really should go find my friends, thank you for helping us." She turned to leave. "Hold." The Alicorn said in a deep, commanding voice. Twilight stopped in her tracks, and turned back around, as if she didn't have any control over it. "The date, what is the date?" the Alicorn asked. Twilight thought for a moment, "It's September 22nd, year 1001 of Celestia's reign." The Alicorn did not reply, instead, he walked towards her, Twilight's first instinct was to run, but she felt as if something was keeping her from doing so. The Alicorn passed her. "Overdrive," he said. Twilight turned and looked at him, "excuse me?" she asked as the Alicorn passed. "You asked for my name. You may call me Overdrive," The Alicorn said. "Oh, well nice to meet you Overdrive." Twilight said with an awkward smile. The Alicorn did not reply, rather it spread its wings and with a leap into the air, took flight, perching himself on a small cloud high above Ponyville. The Alicorn sat down; facing the east looked out into the country side. Twilight watched him for a moment, and then remembered her friends. She rushed back to the hill to make sure everyone was okay. She discovered that the Hill had become far more crowded; stragglers who had fled had found their way here. Twilight walked up to her friends. "It's safe. The town is clear." Twilight said. Rarity walked up to her, "did you speak with the princess?" "It wasn't the princess," Twilight said with a concerned look on her face, "it was an Alicorn, and he said his name was Overdrive. He asked me what the date was and then he took off." Princess Luna looked at Twilight with awe, "an Alicorn? That's impossible, my sister and I are the only two Alicorns in Equestria." Twilight shrugged, "and yet there is a third. I think we should talk to Princess Celestia about this... Has anyone seen Spike?" "I saw him!" cried a voice from behind the ponies. Twilight looked to see that it was Pinkie Pie, a very strange looking Pinkie Pie, even by her standards. Pinkie Pie's hair was straight. Something that Twilight had only seen once before during her last birthday. "He said he was going back to the Library to find parchment for you. He figured that you'd want to send a letter." Pinkie said smiling. Twilight gave a sigh of relief. She hadn't seen her assistant since this morning, and had almost completely forgotten about him. The group of seven set out from the hilltop into the Ponyville Library. Spike was already there, gathering up parchment, ink, and quills lying around the library, which was a complete mess. Not a single book was left on the shelves; they must have all fallen off during the attack. "Spike! You're all right!" Twilight said with another sigh of relief. "Of course I am," the baby dragon said, "I just wanted to get everything ready for you." Twilight smiled, she was glad to have such a dependable assistant and friend, "Take a letter. Dear Princess Celestia, Today Ponyville was attacked by a dragon from the Everfree Forrest, but was defeated upon the arrival of a mysterious pony, an Alicorn, calling himself Overdrive, as I'm sure you know, you and your sister are the only Alicorns known to exist. If you could please reply to this with haste, I would be appreciative, something isn't right about the situation and I think it needs you're direct attention..." Twilight stopped suddenly, her eyes widened, "Oh my gosh! How could I be so crass!" and took off running out the door, her friends were quick to follow. Twilight made her way to the building in which she had seen Floppy Disk beaten against several times. She had watched as he'd been mutilated against it. How could she have let her excitement of the prospect of the Princess being here get the better of her, she was supposed to be a good friend. Floppy's body was gone, however there was significant evidence of what had happened left over. Blood had splattered over the wall and the ground where Floppy spent his last moments alive. Twilight vomited, she had never seen so much blood. Her friends arrived, and a look of horror formed on each of their faces, everyone knew instantly it had been a grim end for the pony who had so gallantly sacrificed himself for them. "Send the letter Spike." Twilight said weekly as she vomited again. Spike nodded, and sent the letter with a breath of green flame. -- Overdrive sat on his cloud looking east. He did not blink, he barely breathed. Instead he just looked to the east; however he felt something coming his way. He turned to look as a wisp of magical smoke floated through the sky towards him. Using a bit of magic of his own, he grabbed the smoke out of the air, and it reformed as a letter, which he carefully opened and read. It was about himself, no less. He rolled the scroll back up and sent it on its way. Several minutes later another one came back; he caught this one as well, opened it up, and read it. Satisfied he knew what it said, he rolled it back up and sent it on its way. These ponies were conspiring against him. So be it. If it was an enemy they wanted, then an enemy they would get. -- The Princess' letter arrived quicker than Twilight Sparkle thought it would, and considering the content of it, she wasn't surprised. Twilight Sparkle: I will arrive within the hour. Princess Celestia. "The Princess is coming here." Twilight said. "So quickly?" Rarity said with surprise, "and look at the dreadful state of everything! We're not ready for a princess to come here!" Applejack rolled her eyes, "in case ya fergot, the town was just attacked by a dragon! Ah course it looks bad! There ain't nuthin' we can do 'bout it now." Pinkie Pie was looking off into the distance, having a quiet conversation with no one in particular about the day's events, nopony was really paying her any mind until she turned to address the group. "Well today's been fun and all, but I got a lot of work that needs doing. I'll see everypony later," Pinkie gave a wide smile, but went unnoticed as her eyes grew very small and began to twitch slightly. She walked off giggling. "Oh Monty, you're so silly!" The group watched as their friend departed. "Ah worry 'bout that pony sometimes." Applejack said. Rainbow Dash nodded, "I think stress has pushed her a little over the edge." "A lil'?" Applejack asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Her hair's gone all straight, an' she's been talkin' ta herself since the dragon showed up." Twilight shrugged, "We'll check up on her later. We've got more pressing matters to worry about right now." -- Princess Celestia sat in the back of her carriage as it made its way towards Ponyville. She was worried to say the least. While dragons were chaotic creatures by nature, it was unheard of for one to attack without provocation. Twilight Sparkle's letter had been rather vague, but the princess surmised that this was because her pupil knew little about the attack all together. The Princess didn't know which prospect was worse, the idea that a dragon attacked without provocation, or that a Ponyville denizen might have provoked it. Worse still, she did not know the identity of the dragon in question. Equestria had treaties with the Green and Purple Dragon flights. If this dragon belonged to either of these races, then it would lead to a major diplomatic incident. Ultimately, the Princess decided to worry about it later, she was more concerned with the well being of her subjects. Particularly, Twilight Sparkle herself. The carriage landed and came to a halt. The Princess was about to step out, when the guard who was pulling it cried out. "Make way for The Princess!" The Princess looked at what was going on, standing in the middle of the road was the Grey Alicorn that Twilight described in her letter, he remained silent, and did not move when commanded. "I said: make way for the Princess!" the guard said again. Silence. The guards unharnessed themselves from the carriage, ready to deal with this pony by force. "Guards, that will be enough," Princess Celestia said. She stepped out of the carriage and approached the Alicorn. "Hello, I am Princess Celestia." she said as she approached the Alicorn standing in the road, it's glowing red eyes staring intensely at her, "I understand that we have you to thank for saving this town. I am very grateful that would take it upon yourself to protect my subjects, and you have my thanks." Silence. The Princess felt rather uneasy by the pony's silence. This was rare, she almost never felt uneasy about anything, but there was something about this Alicorn that was simply unnatural. "May I ask your name?" The Princess asked, trying once again to break the ice with the stone cold pony. Silence. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I really must be on my way." Celestia said she attempted to walk past the Alicorn; however, he extended his wing to block her passage. "Hold," he said. His quick movement caused the guards to leap into action, but the princess quickly called them off. "So you do speak," the Princess said. "My name is Overdrive." the Alicorn said. "I am protecting this village from chaos itself." "And I am grateful that you have taken up such a task, but I must ask that you allow me to pass, I rule this village." The Alicorn was silent for a moment, but folded his wing in, "Indeed." The Princess walked past him, followed by her two guards, Overdrive kept his eyes forward as they passed him. The Princess was unsure of this Alicorn, she had looked into his eyes, and she had seen nothing. This pony knew no fear, no anger, and as far as the Princess could tell, no emotion at all. She turned to her guards. "I do not wish the public to know I am here. Please return to the castle. I shall be quite all right on my own." The guards nodded returning to the carriage and leaving with it. The Princess made her way through the empty streets to the Library, which she entered to find her prized pupil and her friends gathered, speaking solemnly about a pony called "Floppy Disk." Twilight looked as the door to the Library opened, it was Princess Celestia herself standing in the door, and she walked in and closed the door behind her. "Princess Celestia! I am so glad you are here!" she said as she bowed respectfully to her mentor. "Hello Twilight Sparkle," she said, she looked into the corner to find her sister sitting in a chair, looking solemnly at the ground, "Hello little sister." Luna looked up at her, "Hello big sister," she said in return. "Twilight I am sure that you are very anxious to discuss today's events with me, but first, you must no longer send me letters via magic. When I received your letter it had already been opened, and I would suspect, read, by another party. Letters are no longer a safe means of communication." the Princess said. Twilight's jaw dropped. "Opened? By who?" "Let's just say I have my suspicions." The Princess said she thrust her head upwards, attempting to indicate the town's new 'Lord Protector' as the culprit. And I even met Oberlander Cromwell. This new pony puts him to shame. The Princess thought to herself. "How do you know it was Overdrive?" Twilight asked. The princess shrugged a little, as if slightly unsure, "I suppose I don't know for sure, but it takes a powerful magic user to intercept your letters. I know of no one else who has magical ability like that. From now on, you should use the regular post. Less chance of an interception, it will take longer, but the message will stay safe." -- Derpy Hooves, postal worker. That's who she was, the wall eyed Pegasus was in the middle of her rounds. Nothing stopped the post from being delivered. Not rain, snow, or an attack by dragons would stop Derpy Hooves from making her deliveries. She had just finished, and was preparing to return her bag to the post office when she heard someone call out. "Postal worker!" came a booming, yet emotionless voice from the east. Derpy turned to look at where the voice came from, she saw an Alicorn sitting on a cloud, staring at her. Derpy made her way over to him. "Hi! I don't think I've seen you before, I'm Derpy Hooves!" Derpy said with a lopsided smile, the way her eyes were oriented made it difficult to look at someone with anything that even resembled a normal expression. The Alicorn said nothing. "Umm... was there something you needed?" The Alicorn tilted his head slightly, and after a moment, spoke again, "Yes. I have a package to send." The Alicorn produced a small, prepaid shipping box, and handed it over to the mail pony, "be gentile with it, it is delicate." "Uh... okay. I can do that, no problem!" Derpy said happily. The Alicorn nodded at her. "Thank you... Derpy, I am very appreciative." The Pegasus flew off happily back to the post office, where she deposited her bag, and set the package in the processing room. She smiled happily as she walked out of the office. The post office exploded. Derpy did not even hear it. The shockwave sent her flying into the building on the opposite end of the street, blood splattered all along the side of the wall, her wings mangled by the force of impact, Derpy fell to the ground, dripping in blood, she tried to move but found herself unable, her leg was broken, and she felt blood running down her face and into her eyes. She looked up and saw the Alicorn who had given her the package not 10 minutes before walking towards her. "I'm... sorry," she said weakly. The Alicorn said nothing. Derpy succumbed to darkness. -- Twilight Sparkle and her friends rushed out of the Library towards the origin of the explosion. The Post Office was on fire, and if it didn't get under control soon, it would burn down the entire block. "Fluttershy! I need your help," Rainbow Dash said, "We need to get this out!" Fluttershy did not reply she was looking at Derpy lying on the ground. "So much blood..." "Fluttershy! Focus!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Fluttershy recoiled, and then shook her head, now was not the time to get distracted. Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy and Princess Luna, "gather as many clouds as you can, we need to get this fire out now!" The Pegasi and royal Alicorn leaped into the air, and off they went. Twilight looked at the post office as it burned. Why was this happening? Why was this town a magnet for horrible things? Another thought popped into Twilight's head, what if it wasn't the town? What if it was her? "Twi!" Applejack shouted at her. "She's still alive!" Twilight turned around, Applejack was leaning over Derpy, her ear to her chest, "she's breathin' an' her heart's a beatin'!" Princess Celestia stepped forward, "She needs to be taken to the Royal Hospital in Canterlot. I will get her there safely. I'm sorry Twilight, but for now, you're going to have to deal with this on your own." The Princess stepped towards Derpy, and magically teleported the injured Pegasus away. Twilight didn't know what to do. She was the de facto leader of her group of friends, but now she was at a loss, too much was happening at once. She panicked and ran off head long. "Twilight!" Applejack called out, ready to go after her, but was quickly stopped in her tracks. "Let her go," Rarity said, "She'll be Twilight again when she's ready." Applejack didn't quite understand what she meant, but nevertheless stayed put. Twilight burst into her Library and slammed the door behind her. She collapsed on the floor in tears, and let out the loudest scream she possibly could. Spike dashed into the main from one of the adjacent rooms. "Twilight, are you all right?" he asked. "No!" she screamed at him, "no I am not all right!" her head drooped into her hooves, and she cried, cried harder than she had ever cried before. Spike attempted to comfort her, but she quickly pushed him away, "leave me alone Spike." she managed between sobs. Spike did not reply, rather withdrew to another room, allowing Twilight to vent her frustrations. Night had fallen, by this time Twilight had stopped crying, mainly because she had run out of tears to cry out. She sat on her bed, face first in her pillow, the last thing she wanted to do interact with the world. Spike was asleep, Twilight felt guilty about the way she had treated her friend, he cared about her and she had pushed him away. She would be sure to apologise to him in the morning. Twilight heard a knock at the door, she groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to anyone, and she considered not answering it. The knock came again. Twilight sighed, and rose from the bed; she trotted down to the first level, and opened the door. She gasped in surprise, standing before her was the grey Alicorn, Overdrive, his glowing red eyes seemed to pierce her flesh and she recoiled in an imagined pain. The Alicorn said nothing. "Um, hi," Twilight said nervously. "Is there anything I can do for you?" The Alicorn looked at her for a moment, "Yes." "Um, come in? I suppose?" she said nervously, she couldn't imagine what Overdrive could want with her. "What can I do for you?" The Alicorn looked at her. "You have been crying," he said plainly. Twilight was taken aback, in the short time that she had known the Alicorn; he had never given a response that quickly. "How do you know?" She asked him. "I know," he said. "Tell me what ails you." Twilight spilled everything, as if she couldn't control herself, she found herself sharing everything she had felt with Overdrive since yesterday morning. She told him about her guilt, she had watched Floppy Disk die, but didn't care about it. Derpy had been seriously injured, but she didn't care about it. "I am an awful friend," she said, wrapping everything up. The Alicorn was silent. "Twilight Sparkle, tell me, do you know anything about South Island?" he asked finally. Twilight looked up at him, "South Island? Of course, it's a continent in the South Sea, the world's smallest; ponies from Equestria only settled it 300 years ago." The Alicorn nodded, "I am not interested in the Ponies of South Island. What do you know about the natives?" Twilight wracked her brain for information, she knew that Kangaroos and Wallabies were two groups that were native to South Island, but she knew very little about them. "Are you familiar with the Wallaby tradition of the walkabout?" the Alicorn asked. Twilight merely shook her head. "Walkabouts are a spiritual journey undertaken by the Wallaby, the idea is that when you have lost yourself, when you are unsure of who you are or what you are becoming, that one has to go out and find themselves, The Wallaby will wander the desert of South Island with nothing but a knife and their wits, until they find themselves." the Alicorn said. Twilight looked at the Alicorn in confusion. "What are you saying?" "I am saying that you have lost yourself, and that you need to go find yourself," the Alicorn said. His horn lit up, and he produced a 15 centimetre long sheathed knife, he placed it on the table, "you will need that."

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-12-27T15:50:43+00:00

2011-12-27T15:50:43+00:00

Chapter 4 "Yer goin' on a what now?" Applejack asked. It was the following morning, and Twilight was preparing to leave town. "A walkabout!" she said with a smile. "When you lose yourself, or you don't know where your life is headed, you go out into the wilderness with nothing but a knife and your wits, until you find yourself." "Twilight, ya don't honestly think there's another ya wonderin' around out there in the wilderness do ya?" Applejack asked sceptically. "Of course not, it's a metaphor." Twilight said as she strapped the knife that Overdrive had given her to her flank. "Twilight, Ah hate ta be the one ta break this too ya... But ya don' 'xactly have any wits ta use out... where ya goin' 'gain?" Twilight chuckled, "Oh ye of little faith, I'm going to the Mohoofie desert. I was up all night reading about desert survival, I will be perfectly fine." "Ya say that now. But when ya git there an' realise y'all are doin' somethin' stupid, there ain't gonna be nopony out there ta help ya." Applejack said. "At leas' lemme go out there with ya." "I appreciate the officer Applejack, but I need to do this on my own. I will be a couple hours walk from El Paso Fino, and I promise not to let the city skyline out of my sight, if something does go wrong, I will be able to get there no problem," Twilight said. Applejack sighed. "An' everypony says I'm stubborn." "I'll be fine Applejack." Twilight said, she closed her eyes and thought very hard, and disappeared from the Library. "This won't end well." Applejack said as she walked out the Library door. -- Twilight Sparkle reappeared in a desert landscape. It worked; she had to be in the Mohoofie Desert! She'd never tried to teleport such a long distance before, but it had worked perfectly. She looked east, the sun was about to come up. "And Applejack said something was going to go wrong," Twilight said, "Now, basic needs: food, water, shelter." The sun came up and she looked around, there was remarkably little, "don't get discouraged, you'll be fine." Twilight walked through the desert for several hours, by now it was midday, and the harsh sun was right over her head, the temperature had jumped 20 degrees in the last few hours. Twilight was tired, and she was thirsty. "Applejack was right. This was a horrible idea." Twilight said. Twilight turned around, she thought she had heard someone call out. "Help me!" called a soft voice in the distance. Twilight turned and ran towards it, she was both amazed and dumbfounded by what she saw, it was Derpy Hooves, badly injured and covered in blood. "Help me! Please!" she called out. Twilight rushed over. "Derpy? How can you be here? What happened?" "It hurts! Please make it stop hurting!" Derpy pleaded, she was crying, but it wasn't tears that flowed from her eyes, it was blood. "I... I don't know how." Twilight said. Her voice was wracked with guilt. Derpy looked up at her. "Yes, you do." Twilight looked at the knife at her side, and pulled it out with her teeth. Derpy merely nodded. Twilight closed her eyes and plunged the knife into Derpy's heart. Twilight opened her eyes to find her knife was sticking hilt end up in the sand. Derpy was gone. Of course she's gone... she wasn't ever here, don't be silly Twilight Sparkle. "Pathetic," called a voice from above her. Twilight looked up, lying on a rather large rock, was none other than herself. "I expected better than this, from you of all ponies!" the other Twilight said. "You know better than to run away from your problems!" Twilight's jaw dropped, this wasn't happening, she was imagining it. She closed her eyes, and she hoped that when she opened them, the other Twilight would be gone. She opened them. The other Twilight was still there. "Trying to run away again?" the other said. "Pathetic." "I'm not running away... I'm out here to find myself," Twilight said. "Well you found her," the other said. "Now you get to listen to what she has to say." Twilight Sparkle looked at the other her lying on a rock, a small smile formed on her face. "Okay Twilight Sparkle, you've been wandering around in the desert by yourself without any water wayyy too long now. There is nopony there... you're just dying of heat exhaustion. I think I'm just going to lie down and let it happen now." Clearly, Twilight had lost it. "Hey you stupid filly! You're not allowed to die before I get to say what you need to hear!" the other screamed at her. Twilight shut her eyes tight. "I'm not listening to you!" She quickly lost consciousness. -- "Hey? You all right there?" Twilight heard a voice, followed by a gentle nudge. Her eyes popped open, and standing over her was a creature of the likes of which she had never seen before. This creature had hands. Hands! Long feet both of which were covered by an equally long pair of shoes and equally long tail, and was wearing an orange vest and a brown hat that somewhat reminded Twilight of Braeburn, Applejack's cousin from Appleloosa. "You're alive! Amazing! Here, have some water." the creature said. It was holding a canteen in the front of her, and poured some of its water into Twilight's mouth. Twilight found herself drinking the entire thing before she had realised what happened. "Poor Sheila, when did you run out of your own water?" the creature asked. Twilight's vision became clear again, she looked at the creature that was standing over her, and realised that she did know what it was. "... Are you, a wallaby?" she asked. The creature chuckled at her. "A wallaby? Noooo, I'm a kangaroo!" The Kangaroo helped Twilight to her hooves; she was still dizzy from dehydration, which made standing difficult. "Need more water? I got plenty enough to share," the kangaroo asked. "No. No thank you, I should be all right for a while... Thank you so much for helping me, if you hadn't come along..." "No need for thanks Sheila. No trouble at all really." the kangaroo said. "The name is Roy Melbourne. Just Roy to you, what's yours?" "Thank you Roy, I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said. Roy chuckled a bit at hearing Twilight's name. "I love pony names. They're... unique to say the least. Tell me Twilight Spackle, where's your camp?" Twilight chuckled at Roy's mispronunciation of her name; his South Islander accent had butchered it completely. "I don't have a camp actually... I'm on a walkabout," Twilight said with some embarrassment that she was failing at it. "Oh god." Roy said, his hand smacking into his forehead. "Not another one. Shelia, I'm from South Island. I wander around the outback for fun, fun! Do you know how many idiots I see wandering around out there without a clue of what they're doing? I've had to save twelve. So here I am, on holiday in Equestria, what's the first thing I see? Another person on a damn walkabout!" Twilight smiled nervously, but Roy merely smiled back at her, "I was hoping ponies were more sensible." He turned around and waved Twilight to follow him. "C'mon, I ain't leaving you out here without food, water, or shelter." Twilight nodded, and followed Roy Melbourne back to his camp, trotting along at a good pace while he hopped along just ahead. -- The sun was setting. Twilight Sparkle and Roy Melbourne sat around a campfire next in Roy's camp. Twilight looked at her new friend. "Thank you for everything you've done, I really appreciate it!" "No worries Twilight Spackle!" Roy said with a smile. "Please, just call me Twilight!" she said with a smile. She looked at Roy; she had never met a Kangaroo before. Her curious mind had formed so many questions that she wanted to know the answers too, but Twilight just didn't know where to start. "What do you do for a living Twilight?" Roy asked her, he had beaten her to the punch. "Um." Twilight paused; really, she didn't actually do anything that resembled work. Princess Celestia had her in Ponyville studying magic, and friendship. "I'm a Librarian." Twilight said eventually. It wasn't a job in the normal sense of the word, but it wasn't inaccurate either. She DID live in a Library, and took it upon herself of helping anypony who needed a book from it. "I read about walkabout in one of my books, and well, some things happened back home that I'd rather not talk about right now, and I decided I needed to go on one." Roy smiled at her, "Don't worry yourself none. You need not tell me anything you don't want to." "I appreciate that, what do you do Roy?" Twilight asked. "I'm a Bounty Hunter," the kangaroo said. Twilight gave him an odd look, cocking her head slightly; she didn't know what that was. "I hunt bad people. People who commit crimes and flee into the wilderness where local law enforcement don't have the resources to go looking for them, and then I bring them to justice." Roy said. Twilight was impressed with her new friend. "Sounds like a noble profession." "It's got its ups and downs," Roy said with a shrug. "Most important thing on the job is don't hesitate, you go up against some bad people, and sometimes you gotta kill them, otherwise they won't hesitate to kill you." The colour in Twilight's face drained, and she became rather nervous. "You've... killed somepony before?" Roy looked at his new friend uneasily; he could tell that she was uncomfortable. "I haven't killed any ponies as a Bounty Hunter. There are less than two hundred ponies on South Island. So you don't run into them very often. I wasn't always a Bounty Hunter; I was a soldier in the Royal South Islander's regiment during the war." "The... war?" Twilight was confused; she didn't know what Roy was referring to. "THE War, the World War." Roy said. "That was almost 30 years ago." Twilight cocked her head again, she had never heard of this war, it had been long before her birth, but in all the books she had read, there was never once a single mention of "The World War." Roy shrugged again. "The Principality of Equestria wasn't involved." He paused and took a sip from his canteen. "You know, I've got nothing against ponies... But ever since coming here, it seems like everybody doesn't even know that there's a world outside your borders." A stern looked formed on Twilight's muzzle, and she was about to protest the kangaroo's accusation, but the more she thought about it, she thought that he might be on to something. Instead, she changed the subject, looking around to see the moon rising. She was quick to point it out to Roy, who looked at it with a smile. "Yeah, it's a beauty ain't it? I love looking up at the stars, some night's when I'm in the outback, far away from the city lights, and you can look up and see... everything. I love it!" Roy said. And here they had found a common interest. "My friend Luna would be so pleased to hear just how much you love her night." Roy turned around and looked at the pony with confusion. "Sorry? What do you mean by 'her night?'" "Oh come on, you know... Princess Celestia and Princess Luna created day and night respectively, and they alone are responsible for maintaining balance that comes from the day and night cycle." Twilight said. Roy looked confused. Twilight got angry, she felt like Roy was mocking her, pretending not to acknowledge her mentor and her friend for their work. But then it hit her, and she realised just how different Roy and her really were. "I'm not religious... Hell, I don't believe in god at all. But I respect what you believe, even if I don't believe in it." Very different. "Thanks," Twilight said, she forced a yawn and looked sleepily at Roy. "It's been a really long day for me, I think I'm going to try and get some sleep." Roy yawned back at her and nodded in approval. "Sounds great to me, think I'll do the same. Be sure to bundle up. It can get really cold in the desert at night." -- Twilight did not sleep however; she instead lay awake for most of the night, thinking about the things Roy Melbourne had told her. She thought she understood the world around her, but now, after talking with Roy, she wasn't sure. She had always accepted that the princesses had made day and night. She'd never even thought to have questioned the validity of it. She had to wonder, how much did they really do? How much was just story? What she did know is that Princess Celestia had reigned for 1001 years. Alicorns were said to be extremely long lived. She figured that the princesses had to have had parents that ruled before them, but she hadn't the faintest idea what had happened to them. She had never even thought to ask her mentor such personal questions about her life. She had gone on this walkabout to find herself. Now after meeting Roy Melbourne, she was more lost than ever. "Hey! Stupid!" a voice called out in the distance. Twilight looked up. Roy was fast asleep. She looked back over to find a pony standing over her. It was herself, the other Twilight. Twilight was about to scream in surprise, however the other was quick, and stuffed her hoof over the frightened unicorn's mouth. The other looked her in the eyes. "Be quiet!" she screamed at the unicorn at the top of her lungs. Twilight looked over at Roy, he was fast asleep. "He can't hear me," the other Twilight said plainly. "Don't talk until I tell you to. Roy Melbourne is a very light sleeper, a peep from you and he will be awake, looking at you and seeing that you're talking to nopony... from his point of view." Twilight tried to question just what the other was, but found the other's hoof in her mouth again. "Shut up you dumb filly! You can't run away from me this time. You can't run off from your responsibility." Both Twilights looked over at Roy, sleeping peacefully in his bag. "You even had the audacity to even consider running away from your life in Ponyville, and going with Roy Melbourne to South Island." The other had Twilight there; it had been just a thought, a single, casual, stray thought that had popped into her brain for a few seconds. Why not go to South Island? What does Ponyville need me for? "Your friends need you, stupid filly, and you want to abandon them because you feel like everything bad that's happened in Ponyville is your fault," the other's eyes narrowed on Twilight Sparkle. "How dare you to even think that you are so important that the universe revolves around you? Yes, you and your friends were destined to wield the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon at the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. That was your destiny, but that is over. As far as the universe is concerned, you have served your purpose, and you're just a regular pony now. So you need to stop thinking that you are so special that everything bad happens because of you. Do you understand me?! Let. Go." Twilight could only nod. The other's words had rendered her speechless; she couldn't have said anything even if she wanted to. The other removed her hoof from Twilight's mouth, and sat down in front of her on her stomach. "Now, you need to stop running away," the other's voice had changed from its harsh tone to a sweet one, like a mother would use to console a sad child. "I know that you're scared. It's okay to be scared. But it's not okay to let fear control you. When you feel scared, always know that you have six wonderful friends waiting for you to come back to them. Not to mention the new one that you just made." The two Twilights looked over at Roy, sleeping so peacefully in the desert night. "It's not going to be easy," the other said. "It's never been easy. But you and your friends have faced down far more worse. As long as you have them, you can't fail, because you have something your enemy has never known. He doesn't know what friendship is. You do." The two Twilights looked at Roy again. "You can stay with him one more day, and then tomorrow night, you have to go back," the other said. "Do you understand?" Twilight merely nodded. "Good, now go to sleep, you're tired and you need your rest," the other said sweetly. Twilight yawned and laid her head down to sleep, within a minute, she was out like a light. The other merely faded from view. Standing on a sand dune less than a kilometre from Roy Melbourne's camp site, Princess Celestia watched her student as she drifted off to sleep. "Good night Twilight Sparkle." The Princess said, "Sleep well." I love you. -- Twilight Sparkle awoke to the sound of a fire crackling, and a sizzling noise that only eggs could make. She popped her head up to see that Roy was indeed cooking breakfast consisting of two eggs, and a various assortment of desert grasses. He looked over at his new pony friend and smiled. "Morning,'" he said kindly. "Sleep well?" "I did! Thanks for asking," Twilight said returning the smile. "Breakfast is ready if you're hungry," Roy said, prepping two plates of scrambled eggs and several of the grasses. Twilight took the plate in her mouth and set it on her sleeping bag. Roy absentmindedly handed her a fork, however he had realised what he was doing quickly and retracted it, with a look of embarrassment forming on his face. "Sorry... I forgot you don't have hands." Twilight looked at the kangaroo. "Don't worry about it," she said with a grin. "What are you doing today Roy?" The kangaroo shrugged. "Wasn't planning on doing anything actually, I'm here on holiday." "I was wondering... can you tell me what South Island is like?" Roy spent several hours discussing his homeland; the conversation naturally progressed to his experiences in war. He'd been many places Twilight had never even heard of, but found herself wanting to visit each one of them. She wanted to see the beauty of the Rhone-land itself. Sit on the banks of River Rhone and skip stones across the water. She wanted to wander the maple forests of the Hoofson Bay. She wanted to see the port cites in the Low Countries, and watch the ships sail to and from. It reaffirmed in her that she wanted to see the world. She wanted to leave Equestria and Ponyville behind forever and see what else the world had to offer her. But then she remembered what the other Twilight had said, she couldn't abandon her friends. Not when they needed her the most. She wanted to travel the world alongside Roy Melbourne. But she simply couldn't. The pony and kangaroo had spent the entire day talking about what each of them had seen, (Roy's stories were far more numerous), but the sun was beginning to set. Twilight couldn't help but looking at it solemnly. She didn't want to leave behind her new friend, but there wasn't a choice involved. "I have to go back." Twilight said finally. Roy looked at her and smiled, "I know." Twilight looked at the kangaroo and gave him the biggest smile she had ever given. "Thank you, for everything." She gave the kangaroo a hug, and tried to say her goodbyes, but Roy was quick to stop her. "No goodbyes, I don't think this is the last we'll be seeing of each other. You can't get rid of me that easy." Roy said. Twilight giggled. "Of course! You owe me a trip through the South Island outback! Goodbye Roy." "Goodbye Twilight Spackle." Roy said, waving her goodbye, and with that Twilight teleported away back to Ponyville. She never saw Roy Melbourne again.

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-12-27T15:51:37+00:00

2011-12-27T15:51:37+00:00

Chapter 5 Pinkie Pie trotted along through the High Street, things were beginning to go back to normal, construction crews had arrived and everyone began to put the town back together. Pinkie was humming to herself, her straight hair flapping as she walked. Pinkie Pie! A voice shouted at her from nowhere in particular. "Hello Monty! How are you this morning?" Pinkie asked. Several ponies looked at Pinkie Pie strangely, but they dismissed what seemed like an odd behaviour as "just Pinkie Pie." Well thank you, we have a lot of work today. "Ohh... but Monty! I was going to go hang out with my friends today! We worked all day yesterday!" I know. But we must make sacrifices if we are going to deal with IT. "What are you sacrificing?" Pinkie asked. I'm only able to interact with you. That is sacrificing enough. "But I'm the most fun Pony in town! Maybe even all of Equestria!" Pinkie said. Pinkie Pie... "Well, maybe that's pushing it. DJ P0N-3 throws really great parties too..." PINKIE PIE! "What?" Pinkie Pie asked, she looked ahead of her, and discovered that she was standing in front of Rainbow Dash who was giving her an odd look. "OH! Hi Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly. "Hi... Pinkie, who were you talking to?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Monty! He's my friend." Pinkie Pie said, a bright smile forming on her face. Stop talking about me! Pinkie spoke again before Rainbow Dash could get in anymore about who 'Monty' was. "What are you up to Rainbow?" Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortable at the question; she bit her lip and thought for a moment before speaking. "I was looking for you, actually. Can I... talk to you?" "You can always talk to me Dashie!" Pinkie said. "Just as long as you don't mind walking and talking, Got a lot of work to do today." Rainbow Dash looked slightly uncomfortable, but never the less flapped along with Pinkie Pie. "What are you doing Pinkie Pie? With this Monty character?" "Can't tell you! It's a surprise!" Pinkie said. Rainbow Dash sighed a little. "Do you even know what you're doing?" she asked with on a hunch. "Nope! But that's okay! I love surprises!" Pinkie said happily. Rainbow was now even more worried, if Pinkie was blindly taking instructions from somepony, then what she was doing had an equal chance of being totally harmless, or incredibly lethal. "Pinkie... It's just that, I'm worried about you! I was there the last time your hair was all straight like that. You weren't exactly the sanest pony." Pinkie Pie smiled at Rainbow. "Aww Dashie! I'm so glad that you have my best interests at heart. You're a good friend, but not to worry I am totally sane!" Pinkie's eyes became very small, and began twitching slightly. Rainbow smiled uneasily. "You're welcome Pinkie Pie; I just want you to be careful with this Monty pony." "Monty isn't a pony," Pinkie Pie interrupted, increasing how much worrying Rainbow Dash had been doing fivefold. "Do you know what Monty is?" Rainbow asked on another hunch. "Nope! That's okay though, 'cause I love surprises!" Pinkie said. Ten fold. "Uh, well Pinkie, I'm glad we got to talk, but I have to go... move a cloud." Rainbow said nervously. "Okie dokie lokie! Bye Rainbow!" Pinkie said. Dash zoomed off in a hurry, intending to get as far away from Pinkie Pie as possible. -- After the sun had set, Rainbow Dash burst headlong into the Library, where Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Luna were waiting for her. Dash stopped for a moment to catch her breath before speaking to the other ponies. "We have a serious problem. Pinkie Pie has completely lost it." Applejack looked crossly at Rainbow Dash. "Well we already knew tha'! Mah guess is she fell on 'er 'ead when she was a lillun." "No I mean it's worse than normal. She's been blindly taking orders from some... thing called Monty. She has no idea what she's doing for him, and doesn't care to ask." "Oh my, how dreadful, and Twilight goes out of town just as we're about to have a Pinkie crisis!" Rarity said worriedly. "'Bout that, anypony else think that Twi' goin' out on her walkabout thing is a lil' too convenient?" "Applejack, you don't seriously believe that somepony tried to get rid of Twilight do you?" Rarity asked. "Ah can't prove it, I'm jus' sayin' it's a lil' convenient," Applejack said. "You... You don't think something... bad, happened to Twilight? Do you?" Fluttershy asked. Applejack shrugged. "Twi' don't 'xactly have any worldly knowledge 'r survival skills. She's booksmart, sure, but ah dunno if she'll be fine or not." "Hey! This is Twilight we're talking about, our friend?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "As long as egghead read to cut open cactuses for water, she'll be fine." "Cacti." Fluttershy quietly corrected. Rarity looked over at Princess Luna, who seemed lost in her thoughts, staring into space. "My dear, you've been awfully quiet, is there something on your mind?" she asked. Luna looked up and shrugged a little. "I don't know, I've just been thinking that a lot of convenient things happened recently. The dragon's attack, Floppy Disk dying trying to stop it, The Post Office blowing up and injuring that poor postal worker, who my sister took to the royal hospital. Pinkie Pie off doing whatever she is doing, Twilight leaving to go on her walkabout... It's like someone... or something, is trying to keep our attention occupied, and getting key players out of the way." The Library door opened and everypony in the room turned to look at who it was. "... And I think I know how we can find out for sure." Twilight Sparkle said from the doorway. "Twilight! Yer all right!" Applejack called out, leaping and giving her friend a hug. "Glad yer back sugarcube, how long did ya wander around in the desert before realisin' you was bein' stupid." "Actually Applejack, I found what I was looking for." Twilight said with a triumphant smile. "Wait. wha...?" Applejack was dumbfounded. "That isn't important right now. We have far more pressing matters on our hooves. First things first, we need to find why Floppy Disk came here to Ponyville in the first place, second: we need to keep Overdrive distracted while we do. I don't have time to explain, we need to do this right now." -- Princess Luna looked up at Overdrive's cloud. He was sitting there looking east, as he had been the entire day. "Excuse me?" she called out. The Grey Alicorn looked over the edge, and leapt down from the cloud, landing at Luna's feet. He stared at her intensely with his glowing Red eyes for a moment, before finally uttering a single word. "Yes?" he asked. Luna cleared her throat. "My sister, Princess Celestia wishes to speak to you in Canterlot. She is asking that I bring you there myself." The grey Alicorn looked at the night pony with his usual glare. Luna was unable to tell if he was angry, or simply pondering the request. "Not interested," he said finally. "You cannot simply ignore a summon from the ruler of this land!" Luna said frantically, she needed to get him out of Ponyville. "Watch me," The Alicorn said; if this was any other pony, Luna would have been sure he was being smug with her. "It's about the explosion in the Post Office. The mail mare is awake." Luna said, leaving it at that. The Alicorn looked at her intensely. Luna did her best to keep a brave face, but she was faltering, she was afraid of this Alicorn. "Very well, lead the way," Overdrive said, he leaped into the air. The Princess followed him, and the two flew off towards Canterlot. Luna was very afraid; she had just lied to the most powerful creature she had ever seen. -- Twilight Sparkle and her friends opened the door to the flat that Floppy Disk had rented only a week ago. It was sparse to say the least; the colt had brought little with him on his journey. "I don't feel right about this," Fluttershy said. "Going through somepony's things without their permission is wrong, even if they are... dead." Twilight looked at the timid Pegasus and smiled. "Don't worry Fluttershy; you don't have to do anything you don't want to. You can wait outside for us." "I will wait with her; we shall keep a look out in case Princess Luna's plan does not work." Rarity said, she smiled at her pegasi friend, and the two trotted over to a nearby bench and sat down. Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash went inside. "What are we looking for egghead?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Every time I saw Floppy Disk, he was by himself, sitting under a tree scribbling in a journal. We need to find it. Hopefully, he wrote about why he came here." Twilight said. "Found it!" Applejack said, dropping a small book on the bed. Twilight used her magic to open it and flipped through a few pages an entry dated two months prior. "'I can't stand it here any longer, everypony hates me. I thought it would be different this time, moving to another side of town. But it's always the same, everypony is the same. They act friendly and they welcome you, some even try to be your friend, and before you know it, they've turned on you and never want to speak to you again. I thought Shadowstar was different. She was different, she stuck up for me. Told other ponies off when they talked bad about me, but no, I was wrong, Shadowstar was just like them too.'" Twilight read aloud. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other as they listened to Twilight read. "How could anypony treat him like that?! He was the nicest colt I ever met." Rainbow Dash said. "There's more. 'I've had it. I'm not putting up with this anymore, I'm skipping town and heading east, leaving a note saying I'm dead. That'll show them! I'll start a new life, get a new name, and then everyone I left behind will feel terrible, think they've bullied somepony to his death. I guess in a way they have. I'm just glad I don't have to be me anymore. Now that I'm going somewhere else, I can be anypony I want to be.'" Twilight finished. "Tha's awful." Applejack said. "Nices' pony ah ever met. Every time ah passed him on the High Street, he'd say 'ello and ask if there was any'in he could do ta 'elp me with the apples." "You think this Shadowstar pony is important?" Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight flipped through the journal, discovering only one other entry about Shadowstar, along with a sketch of her. "She's a unicorn." Twilight said, "But I don't see anything else important." "What 'bout his real name?" Applejack asked. Twilight did some more flipping. "Nope, it's obvious he wrote it in here, but he's either crossed it out or erased it completely every time it came up. I hate to say it, but I don't think we'll ever know who Floppy Disk really is." "What was the last thing he wrote in there?" Rainbow Dash asked finally, they'd yet to uncover any useful information about Floppy, and Dash was becoming impatient. "It's from three days ago," Twilight said. "'It happened again. One of the mares I met, Pinkie Pie (that was her name right?) and I looked into each other's eyes... for some reason we couldn't look away, she just stared and stared, and then she panicked, started screaming and ran off. Now you've done it...' He crossed out the name." Twilight said before continuing. "'... Oh Celestia, why does this keep happening to me? What's wrong with me that ponies can't even look at me without freaking out? What is so wrong with me? I don't understand... Hopefully I can patch things up with Pinkie Pie. I really like this group, I don't want to run away again, but I'm going to have to if this happens again.'" "UH!" Rainbow Dash grunted in frustration. "That doesn't tell us anything!" Twilight shrugged, "I had been hoping for something a little more useful. We should all go home and get some rest, I'm going to read through the entire thing and see if I can't find anything useful that way." The ponies nodded, and they all departed for their respective homes. Twilight spent the rest of the night reading through three years worth of Floppy's journal, what she discovered astounded her.

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-12-27T15:51:52+00:00

2011-12-27T15:51:52+00:00

Chapter 6 Princess Luna led Overdrive into the Canterlot throne room, where her sister was sitting, looking through various papers, she looked up at the two Alicorns as they entered. Overdrive bowed slightly, a gesture that would have been considered polite had it been coming from any other pony, but the Princess understood it to be mocking her and her authority. "Hello sister," the Princess said. "To what do I owe the visit?" Overdrive looked up at her. "I understand that you wished to speak to me, and that the postal worker was awake." Luna made a distressed face at her sister, indicating that she needed her help. Celestia understood the message clearly. "As a matter of fact I did wish to see you," Celestia said, "I was merely not expecting my sister to come with you... As for the postal worker, Derpy Hooves, she was awake; however the doctors were forced to put her back under a magical coma in order to keep her injuries from worsening." Overdrive looked at the Princess, his glowing red eyes piercing through her, he saw the lie, but decided not to press it. "Pity, she was the only one who saw what happened to the Ponyville post office. I have been investigating the matter on my own, and a statement from her would have been most... useful." Celestia nodded at the Alicorn before her. "Indeed, but there is a matter more important to discuss, you clearly have my subjects in Ponyville's best interests at heart, defeating the dragon and investigating the cause of the post office explosion, and for that I am issuing a royal decree. I am establishing the Barony of Ponyville, of which lands include the town proper, and I am appointing you as the Baron Ponyville." The Alicorn cocked his head slightly, and then bowed even less than before. "Thank you your highness, I shall govern the land to the best of my ability." "I am sure that you will. I expect regular reports from you." Celestia said. "You shall have one at eight o'clock, on the dot, every Monday." The Alicorn said. "Excellent, You are dismissed, Baron Ponyville," Celestia said. Overdrive bowed, and he along with Princess Luna departed from the Castle back towards Ponyville. -- The two Alicorns landed on the outskirts of town. Luna looked at the new Baron of Ponyville, and with a small smile, she bid him goodnight. "Hold." Luna looked back at him; his eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, his eyes were drilling through her in anger. She knew she was about to pay for lying to him. "Give me a reason, why I should not rip you apart, atom by atom, for lying to me," the Baron Ponyville said, his voice was filled with malice when he spoke, quite unlike the soft, emotionless voice he normally used. Luna gulped a little in fear, but she quickly regained her composure. "Because, killing the Co-princess of Equestria would create undue chaos in this land, riots and mass hysteria would become commonplace, something that you, a paragon of order, would rather have your head explode then be the cause of widespread chaos." The Alicorn looked at the Princess, cocking his head to the side and did something that Luna had never seen him do, and she never wanted to see him do it again. He smiled. "I believe I misjudged you. Here I thought you to be weak, but no, clearly I was wrong," The Alicorn said. "Despite the fact that your sister had no want to see me, she has given me what I want." Luna did not understand. "Your sister believed that I did not care about being the Baron Ponyville, she merely installed me in this position so it would be easier to keep an eye on me. I do however want to be in this position, because it gives me legitimate authority. I wanted the Princess to give me this, but you see that's where the beauty of it is, I made her believe that making me Baron Ponyville was her idea." The Alicorn said, grinning. Luna's mind was beginning to falter; his eyes were not looking at her. They were looking through her. She was frightened by this creature. She understood now that he had the power to kill anyone with a single thought, but he didn't need to. His true power was that he could manipulate others into taking their own lives. That was far more power than she had. Luna wanted to die at this point, she was so overcome by fear that she felt that death would be the only way to escape it. She had never been more afraid in her life, Overdrive outclassed even Nightmare Moon. Luna turned and ran as fast as she could, away from the Alicorn and burst into the Library, scrambling to shut the door behind her. She dropped to the floor and placed her hooves over her head, and she shook with fear. Twilight dashed down the stairs to find her friend trembling on the floor alone. "Princess Luna?" Twilight went and attempted to comfort her friend, but the Princess pushed her away. "No! No no no!" she cried out. "Stay away from me!" Twilight didn't understand. "Princess Luna?" she asked. "I want to be alone." Twilight didn't know what to do; she stood over her friend, a concerned look forming on her face. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Luna shouted at her. Twilight backed off, she didn't know what had happened, but she went back upstairs, and hoped that her friend would tell her what had happened in the morning. -- Luna watched Twilight go back upstairs. Her mind had gone, the Alicorn had made his way inside it and ripped it to pieces, she was broken, and she needed to escape. Luna quietly rose from her place and began rummaging though some of the odds and ends Twilight had in her Library. Twilight was well prepared for adventuring, she and her friends had been forced by things beyond their control to go out into the wilderness, and she had at least one of everything that they could possibly need. Luna discovered what she was looking for, a six metre coil of rope. "Perfect!" The Princess had said weakly. She returned to the main room, and quietly pushed the round table into the centre of the room; she gingerly climbed on top of it, and tied a loop into one end of the rope, the other end she fastened to a support beam. She pulled the looped end over her head and fastened it around her neck. There was just enough slack in the rope for it to droop several centimetres. She had to escape. Princess Luna kicked the table out from under her; it fell over and rolled away, leaving the Princess to dangle freely in the air. She had to escape, and she was so very close. -- Twilight heard the crash from down stairs as the table kicked over. She got up and ran down the stairs again, to her horror; her friend was dangling in the air a metre off the ground by her neck. Twilight leaped into action, she used her magic to sever the rope, allowing her friend to fall on the floor. Twilight rushed over to her. The Princess was lying on the floor, shuttering intensely, "Must... escape," she said weakly. Tears formed in her eyes, one of Twilight's best friends had tried to commit suicide. Twilight through her hooves around the Princess, in a full out embrace, she concentrated as hard as she could, and the two of them disappeared from Ponyville. -- Twilight and Luna reappeared in Princess Celestia's throne room, Celestia was still there looking over paperwork. She looked up to see her prized student and her baby sister huddled together, but her smile quickly turned to a look of horror as she saw the rope around Luna's neck. She rose to her hooves and galloped down to where the two were lying. "What happened?" she asked. Twilight looked up at her mentor, but could not manage any words, only tears. Princess Celestia leaned in closer, and spoke more sternly. "What happened?" Twilight shuttered and pulled the night princess closer to her. She gently pulled the noose from around Luna's neck, and gave it Celestia. She looked at it and tears formed in her eyes. Celestia joined her student in the embrace of her sister, and many tears fell between the two that night. Luna had lost all touch with reality at this point, and continued to mutter "must escape" to herself, even as doctors were called and hauled her away to the Royal Hospital Psychiatric ward. -- The following morning, Twilight and Princess Celestia were sitting with each other outside Luna's room in the Psychiatric hospital. They had been there all night, and had not spoken a word the entire time. Twilight was filled with guilt. She remembered what the other had said to her in the Mohoofie desert. That she had to let go, and stop thinking that everything was her fault. This time however, she knew that this was her fault. She had left Luna alone when it was clear that something was wrong. Luna had asked to be alone, but Twilight had never imagined it would have been to kill herself. She felt that in this case, her guilt was justified. Celestia looked at her student, she could see that Twilight was blaming herself, she came close to letting her feel the guilt, but then she realised how counterproductive it was to what she had told her in the Mohoofie desert under the guise of a figment for Twilight's imagination. "It's not your fault Twilight Sparkle. This could have happened to anypony." Twilight jumped a little at the Princess' speaking, they had been silent for the entire night. She looked up at her mentor, her tears had dried up hours ago, otherwise she'd still be crying. Celestia wanted to cry along with her, but she did her best to keep a brave face. She didn't want to show weakness, even though it was with her prized student, and she would likely understand. "What could have done this to her?" Twilight asked. "Let's just say, I have a theory," Celestia said, but did not elaborate further. There was no way she could prove it. "You should go home Twilight, your friends are going to need you now more than ever." Twilight remembered what the other had said to her. She nodded to the Princess. She shut her eyes tight and popped away back towards Ponyville. Celestia looked into her sister's room; she was lying on the floor in the padded room, in a straight jacket, muttering to herself. This isn't what you deserve; this isn't what I wanted for you. I'm so sorry. -- Twilight reappeared in the Library, her friends had gathered there, waiting for her to get back. Even Pinkie Pie was there, even though she too had lost her mind. Twilight wanted to share what she had found with her friends the night prior reading Floppy Disk's journal, but it would have to wait until she was gone. "How is the poor dear?" Rarity asked. "She'd locked in a padded room in a straight jacket, mumbling something about escape." Twilight said with a shrug. "She's gone..." "Oh but she can't be! That's so horrible!" Rarity exclaimed. "The Doctors are going to try to do everything they can... but the prognosis wasn't good." Twilight said. In the corner, Pinkie Pie began twitching slightly. Her eyes grew very small, and she quickly attracted the attention of her friends. "Um... I have to go, I'm sorry. I wish I could spend more time with you girls... lot of work to do." Pinkie Pie walked out of the Library without another word. "Did anyone else notice how sick she looked?" Fluttershy asked. "It's like something is draining the life out of her." "Actually I think that's exactly what happened." Twilight said, "You remember what happened to Pinkie when Floppy Disk looked at her the first time?" "Yeah, she flipped and ran off screaming." Rainbow Dash said. "So what?" "He did it twice. It happened again just before the Dragon appeared, and then Overdrive showed up and defeated it. Not to mention that Overdrive was alone with Luna when she was distracting him. I've read Floppy's journal cover to cover, what happened with Pinkie Pie was a common occurrence. It's why everybody turned on him." Twilight paused, and grabbed the journal with her magic, flipping it open to a page. "I also found Floppy's name, his real name, the one instance of it where it wasn't crossed out." She set the book on the table, and everypony looked at it. "Montana Uhlan? No wonder he changed his name." Rainbow Dash said reading the name, her eyes became small and she realised what Twilight was getting at. "Monty!" Twilight nodded in affirmation. "Whatever happened, it must have left some kind of imprint on Pinkie Pie, whatever is left of Floppy Disk's consciousness is inside her, and it's working her to death." Twilight grabbed another book and set it on the table. "There's more, I found Overdrive in a history book. 20 years before Celestia's reign, an Alicorn called The Paragon of Order was waging a personal war against the Cult of Chaos Undivided, the cult's leader, an earth pony by the name of Adamus Uhlan, and the cult's sorcerer led him into a trap, and sealed his spirit inside Adamus, where he could keep the Paragon in check. It's said that holding the paragon must be passed from father to son. But if Floppy died before the consciousness could be transferred, then it could go free." "Whoa there sugar cube!" Applejack said. "Yer gonna have ta back up a lil' hun, ah ain't heard o' no Paragon of Order or a Cult of Chaos Undivided." "Neither have I," Twilight said with a shrug. "And the book doesn't go into it any more than that, so much history from before the reign of Celestia has been lost to time. The book does say that the Cult of Chaos Undivided eventually disbanded, and its membership eventually made the transition back into society. I can only imagine that the Uhlan Stallions had the same social problems as Floppy Disk had." "All right, so what do we do?" Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight looked at her friends uneasily. "I haven't the faintest idea."

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-12-27T15:52:16+00:00

2011-12-27T15:52:16+00:00

Chapter 7 "Twilight, this is the WORST idea you have ever had!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed at her friend. The two of them were walking, or in Rainbow's case, flying, along the high street, discussing the plan of action Twilight had come up with late last night. "To be honest, I totally agree with you. But I don't think we have any other choice. There's no telling what Monty would to Pinkie Pie if we wait to come up with a plan that isn't likely to get us killed." "What I don't get is this, Floppy was the nicest pony we had ever met, why would what's left of him work Pinkie Pie to death?" Rainbow asked. "I don't think there's much choice involved. It's just an imprint, a fragmented part of his consciousness with a single goal. It doesn't care about anything else but achieving that goal because it can't. It's too simple. It probably doesn't even know that it's working Pinkie Pie to death." Twilight said. The two ponies stopped talking; they had reached the point in town where they needed to be. Rainbow Dash landed, and looked at Twilight nervously. Twilight nodded at her friend, she was just as nervous. She tilted her head up towards the sky and called out. "Overdrive!" The Alicorn looked over the edge of his cloud down at the two mares. He leapt off the cloud and landed gently on the high street. He cocked his head slightly at the duo before looking them over before uttering a single word. "What?" He asked them. "We need a favour," Twilight said. "It involves Montana Ulhan." The Alicorn cocked his head slightly. "Who?" he said, feigning ignorance. "Don't play games with me," Twilight said. "You know exactly what I am talking about." The Alicorn looked at the unicorn before him with his usual cold, blank stare. "You are either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid, for speaking to me in such a manner. It appears I have misjudged you Twilight Sparkle, but very well. Yes, I know who Montana Ulhan is. He is dead; the fact that we are here to have this discussion is proof enough of it." "Not entirely dead. Before he died, he accidentally imprinted himself of Pinkie Pie, and the last bit of his consciousness left in the world is working her to death to achieve some kind of goal. Some dying wish and I want you to take it out." Twilight said she prepped herself for the Alicorn's response; it was not going to be favourable. "And what makes you think I am even remotely interested in helping you?" The Alicorn said, his eyes narrowing on her. "Because, you doing me a favour would make it so that I owe you a favour. Let's face it, I have connections that you could never obtain, you know the pony mind inside and out, and there will come a time when you want something that you can't get by intimidation, and then you'll look at me, and you'll realise that I still owe you a favour." Twilight said. The Alicorn thought about it for a moment, he tilted his head up towards the sky, going over every word of Twilight's reason. Before long, he looked back at the two mares before him. "Very well, lead the way," the Alicorn said. Twilight was a little surprised to hear him say that, and she tried her best to hide it. Clearly he had seen the use in Twilight's offer, which was a good thing; because her connections with the royal family were the only thing she had to offer. She also knew that Princess Celestia would not be happy that she had done this, and was honestly more afraid of what she would do than of anything Overdrive would. She understood Overdrive, he was manipulative, and had his own agenda to advance, Twilight hadn't a clue what it was, but she did know that it did not have anyone but his own best interest at heart. Princess Celestia on the other hand... Twilight had never seen her act out in anger, she didn't know what to expect from her. The two mares led the way to Sugarcube corner, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were standing out in front of the building waiting for them to return. "Are we ready?" Twilight asked. The other ponies nodded in affirmation. "Mister Cake said that Pinkie had gone down into the basement several hours ago, and that she hadn't come up sense." Fluttershy said. "Oh I hope she's okay..." Twilight smiled at her friend trying to make her not worry, but felt the same feeling in the back of her mind. The group of friends, plus the omnipotent Alicorn overlord, went inside, and made their way down the stairs into the Sugarcube Corner basement. What they found astonished them. Situated in the centre of the room, were two large metal coils being tended to by Pinkie Pie. She was kneeling down looking at a control panel with a torch in her mouth for light. The group of mares were dumbstruck by what these were. Even Twilight had no idea what they were for. Overdrive clearly recognised them. The Alicorn turned to Twilight, his red eyes piercing her skull. "You lied to me!" The Alicorn snorted with anger. His eyes grew beady, Twilight felt herself beginning to be overcome by fear. Pinkie Pie looked up at what was happening, and she quickly hit a button on the console. Overdrive was too busy to notice as the coils began to make a small humming noise, a crackle began to fill the air and the other mares noticed as lightning began to arc between the two. Twilight was unable to notice, she was caught in the Alicorn's death stare, fear grew in the mare's heart as her mind was filled with terrifying images, and it was as if the Alicorn was driving a poisoned dagger into her mind. The Metal coils were running at full intensity at this point. Electricity was running through Pinkie Pie and she was clearly struggling with the pain of it. Her hair returned to her normal shape from the electric charge. Her eyes widened, and she quickly lost consciousness. A blue mist seemed to flow from her and it quickly took shape, soon enough, by something that nopony in the room could explain, there was a glowing, translucent pony standing over Pinkie Pie's collapsed body. Overdrive had finally taken notice of what was going on, and looked over. Twilight collapsed on the floor, the link between the two had been broken. "You!" The Alicorn spat at the new comer. "Me." It returned. Montana Ulhan stood before the group, staring down the Alicorn. Overdrive reached out with his mind and attempted to latch onto the ponies mind and rip it to pieces. Montana merely smiled. "You know the rules; you can't manipulate the dead... Fortunately for me, and my friends, I don't have to follow the rules!" Overdrive's eyes widened, and Montana leapt into action, he charged the Alicorn head on and passed right though him. The light the group had seen when Overdrive first appeared had returned the Light was radiating around him. "What? No! You can't! It's against the rules!" The Alicorn shouted. Against the rules? No. it's not. It's me playing your own game. Lightning began arcing between the coils and Overdrive, even the ponies who had no technical minds at all knew that they didn't want to be around here. Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie Pie, and Rarity and Fluttershy picked up Twilight and the group hauled them up the stairs and outside into the high street. "Everypony run!" Rainbow cried out. "Get away from here! As fast as you can!" Several random ponies in the High street took the warning to heart and ran away as fast as they could. Far too late, Sugarcube Corner exploded.

Wheller

389

Original Character,Pinkie Pie,Princess Luna,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Kindness of Strangers

complete

<p>A new pony wanders into town early one morning, and is quickly befriended by all, but when this new pony is quickly and unfairly taken from them, it sends Twilight Sparkle on a downward, gilt ridden slope, and Pinkie Pie completely off the deep end.</p>

teen

2011-12-27T15:52:31+00:00

2011-12-27T15:52:31+00:00

Chapter 8 Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes. She was lying in the High Street. Her head was pounding; it felt like someone had taken a hammer and bashed her over the head with it. She reached up and clutched her forehead, but quickly retracted her hoof when she felt something warm and sticky. She looked at it; her hoof was covered in blood. Twilight attempted to place where she was in town. But for some reason, she could not. It did not take long to figure out why. Twilight was in front of where Sugarcube corner was supposed to be. Supposed to be as in because it was no longer there. Instead, a large blast crater had taken its place. It was coming back to her; she remembered Sugarcube Corner exploding, and being flung into the wall. She must have hit her head. Twilight heard several groans from around her; she perked her head up and looked. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were lying on the ground as well, each of them with various injuries from being thrown in the blast. Applejack's leg was clearly broken. Rainbow Dash's wings were torn; Fluttershy's flank had a number of deep cuts and gashes. Rarity was clutching her head, blood running down from it; both she and Pinkie Pie had several pieces of debris jaunting out of their side at odd angles. In comparison to her friends, Twilight had gotten off easy. Her head was spinning, and she heard ringing in her ears, she probably had a concussion, but there was no way for her to be sure of that herself. She looked over at what was left of Sugarcube Corner. Surprisingly little, but she did see something important, a grey hoof appeared over the edge of the crater. Twilight panicked, Overdrive had survived and was coming to kill them. She looked around for anything she could use to defend herself and her friends. But when the hooves pulled their owner up, Twilight was surprised by what she saw. A grey earth pony with an orange mane pulled himself up from the crater. He grunted in pain as he made his way up. "Floppy?" Twilight called out to him. The earth pony opened his eyes. The irises were blood red instead of Floppy's normal orange ones. Twilight was frightened, they were Overdrive's eyes. "Not quite." He said with a smile. "How about we just stick with Monty?" "What happened?" Twilight asked. Monty merely smiled at her. "I killed it." Twilight's eyes grew heavy, she struggled to keep them open, it was a futile attempt, and she quickly lost consciousness. -- Twilight awoke in a hospital bed. She looked around and saw several unicorn doctors tending to her friends in the other beds beside her, and to the far left end of the room she saw Derpy Hooves lying back with a tube down her throat. They were at the Royal Hospital in Canterlot. Twilight's head had been bandaged, her head was killing her but she no longer heard the ringing in her ears. Princess Celestia was sitting in the room, and she quickly noticed Twilight was awake. The Princess crossed the room in her regal step, approaching the bedside of her prized pupil. Twilight looked into the Princess' eyes, they were the happiest Twilight had ever seen. She smiled at her mentor and tried to speak, but the Princess raised a hoof to shush her. Her smiled communicated everything it needed to. Twilight drifted back off to sleep. -- Montana Ulhan was lying in a hospital bed in a private room, thinking over what had happened to him. This shouldn't have happened, he shouldn't be here. It was unnatural. Worse still, he was remembering things, not only from his own life, but he was remembering things that did not happen to him. He remembered everything his ancestors had experienced as if he had done them himself, but the one thing that was worse, he had Overdrives memories too. There was no worse fate. He remembered destroying the dragon, giving the magical explosive to Derpy Hooves to destroy the post office. He remembered sending Twilight into the Mohoofie Desert alone and unprepared, hoping for her to die. He remembered ripping apart Princess Luna's mind and driving her to attempt suicide, and worst of all, he remembered the horrors that had been planted into Twilight's mind. Unspeakable things that he wanted to forget, but he couldn't. Twilight was lucky; her mind would be able to repress these memories. His could not. It was his punishment. He had destroyed Overdrive, and taken what was left of his body for his own, and he had to deal with the consequences of that. The memories were painful, sure. But what really bothered Montana Ulhan were his eyes. They were not his; they were not the kind, gentile orange eyes that he had been born with. They were Overdrive's harsh, imposing, blood red monstrosities. Every time he looked in the mirror, he would be reminded of what had happened to him. He could never forget. -- Princess Celestia walked down a long, bleak, white hallway through the Royal Hospital's psychiatric ward; an Earth Pony guard was outside her sister's room. He nodded to her and opened the door, allowing the Princess to enter the padded room in which Luna resided in. Luna was lying on the floor, still clad in straight jacket; she looked towards the door and smiled. "Hello big sister!" she said cheerfully. "Hello little sister!" Princess Celestia said with a smile. "You're looking a lot better today!" "I'm feeling a lot better!" Princess Luna said, a bright smile forming on her face. "My sessions with Doctor Nightcaller and the medication have really been helping. He says I can be released at any time!" "I heard!" Princess Luna said cheerfully. "He told me that you didn't want to go yet." "No," Luna said shaking her head. "Not yet. I'm not ready to go out there yet. Doctor Nightcaller and I have been talking about my exile on the moon more than what happened recently... I still have a lot of things to work through before I'm ready to go back home." "Take all the time you need," Celestia said. "I will take care of the moon while you're gone." Luna smiled at her, "I love you big sister." "I love you too." -- Nearly a month had passed. Twilight Sparkle had noted, a month since they were all cleared to go back home. Everyone was recovering well. Applejack's leg had been set in a cast, and she was due to get it off next week. Rainbow's wings had healed, but she was still undergoing physical therapy to get full use of them back. Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie's scars were barely visible anymore. Twilight, ironically being the least injured of all her friends, had recovered the quickest, and was back at one hundred per cent. She was trotting along the High street towards the apartment where Floppy Disk/Montana Ulhan was living, as she normally did. The earth pony had been hit the hardest psychologically, and she made it a point to stop by for a few minutes every day to make sure he was all right. Monty Ulhan was a rare sight in Ponyville these days. He almost never left his flat; he never wanted to talk about what was bothering him. Twilight had been trying to get him to open up to her, but so far to no avail. Maybe today, she thought to herself. She arrived at his flat, and gave the door a polite knock. No answer. "Monty! It's Twilight Sparkle, may I come in?" Twilight added, along with another knock on the door. Still no answer. "Come on Monty, I know you're in there, you don't go outside," still no answer. Twilight was a little worried by this; Monty's flat only had one room in it. There was no way he couldn't hear her. She pressed her head up against the door, complete silence, Twilight gently tried the door handle, it was unlocked, and she gingerly pushed the door open and went inside. "Monty?" She asked as she opened the door, and went inside. She looked into the centre of the room, her eyes became very small and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Dangling from the ceiling in the centre of the room, with a rope wrapped around his neck was Monty Ulhan, he was suspended half a metre off the ground, swinging back and forth ever so slightly. Twilight looked at her friend in horror, and she felt tears forming in her eyes. She dropped to the ground, burying her eyes in her hooves, and she let the tears flow, this was the second pony to hang themselves on her watch. Only this time, she'd been too late to stop it. Twilight looked up at the end table, noticing that there was a slip of paper on it. She used her magic to bring it over to her, and she read it silently to herself. Dear Twilight Sparkle If you are reading this note, than you'll have likely found me. Nopony else comes to visit, so I can't imagine anyone else ever reading this. I know you wanted to help me; you tried to get me to open up to you about what happened. I always said I didn't want to talk about it. This was a lie. I desperately wanted to talk about it. I wanted to trust in you so badly, but I couldn't, I have all of Overdrive's memories. I know what he did to you, and if I talked to you about it, those memories would have come rushing back to you, and it would have driven you to insanity. You're lucky, your mind was able to lock those memories Overdrive tortured you with away. I wasn't so lucky. I've decided that this is the only way. I'm freeing you from the burden of me. You don't have to care about my well being any more. You don't have to take time out of your day to see me. I don't matter. I tried to tell you that you didn't have to visit me so many times, but you insisted on coming anyway. You really did care, and I am so thankful for that. I had to free myself of the guilt of being your burden. This way, I don't need to be anyponies problem any more. Don't be sad. Don't dwell on my choice to die. It's counterproductive, live life and be happy. Have them burn my body and dump the ashes where ever, it doesn't matter to me, and don't worry about feeling the need to tell anypony from back home. They already think I'm dead. Now they're just telling the truth. -Monty Twilight read the letter several times. She dropped the letter on the ground, looking at the dangling body; tears were rolling off her muzzle and falling on the letter. She stood up and exited the flat, closing the door behind her. She was leaving far more than Monty Ulhan's letter behind. Epilogue Derpy Hooves awoke from her deep sleep in the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, she was groggy from the medicine, and her vision blurred more so than usual thanks to the condition of her eyes. She looked up to find that a brown earth pony with a spiky mane, and an hourglass cutie mark looking down at her. "Hello!" The earth pony said cheerfully. "How are you doing this morning?" Derpy tried to talk, but wasn't able to find the words. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. "That's ok," the earth pony said. "You don't have to talk." Derpy smiled at him, and he returned the smile, she looked into his eyes, they were a deep blue, kind, and looked far older than the rest of his face. "You're going to be just fine. Trust me, I'm a Doctor."

CTVulpin

390

Angel,Fluttershy,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Stich & Shy

complete

<p>Part 1 of what may or may not turn out to be a series of short fics where the Mane 6 take turns dealing with Experiment 626, a.k.a. Stitch. round one: Fluttershy.</p>

everyone

2011-08-03T03:12:30+00:00

2011-08-03T03:12:30+00:00

"There we go little one," Fluttershy said, removing a tiny cast from a mouse's tail, "that feels right, doesn't it?" The mouse sniffed and twitched its tail and then looked up and squeaked happily at the pegasus. "Good," Fluttershy said, setting the mouse down on the floor, "Now run along, and be more careful where you sit while eating. You don't want to get caught under another shifting rock." The mouse squeaked thankfully and scampered toward one of the mouse holes in the wall. Fluttershy smiled and walked over to her couch, where Angel was stretched out contemplating the ceiling. "It's almost lunchtime," Fluttershy told the bunny, "What do you want today? A carrot?" Angel cast a sideways glance at the pegasus before returning to his study of the roof beams. "How about some lettuce then? Spinach?" Angel made a gagging noise. "Well, you have to eat something," Fluttershy said, "unless you're getting sick or something…" She put a hoof on Angel's forehead to check his temperature. "You feel OK to me. Oh! I know! How about a cucumber sandwich?" Angel mulled that over and then nodded. He hopped off the couch and walked toward the kitchen. Fluttershy started to follow him when there was a knock at her door. "Oh," the pegasus said, surprised, "Uh… just a minute!" She glanced toward the kitchen as the knocking repeated with more urgency. "Oh dear," Fluttershy said, "Angel, you be careful in there; don't try cutting anything until I get there." Fretting, she turned and walked to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it slightly to see who was outside. It was Twilight Sparkle, horn aglow as she held something Fluttershy couldn't see. "Fluttershy?" the unicorn asked, peering through the small gap in the doorway. "Hello Twilight," Fluttershy said, opening the door the whole way, "What brings you here?" "This," Twilight said, pulling forward the red wagon she'd had behind her. Inside it was a blue… creature of some sort. It was soaking wet and unconscious, a large tongue hanging out of the corner of its wide mouth. "Oh my goodness," Fluttershy gasped, moving closer to the creature. She listened closely and managed to hear a heartbeat and faint breathing. "Oh, the poor thing," she said sadly, "what happened to him?" "I don't know," Twilight said, "Bon Bon found it lying on the banks of the river near the park. I tried to find some mention of it in my books, but I couldn't find anything. The closest thing I could find that looks like it is a koala, but they're grey, not blue, and they don't have such big ears. I figured I should bring it to you so you can nurse it back to health and maybe find out just what it is." "Oh, of course!" Fluttershy exclaimed, "I'll do my very best Twilight; you can count on me." "Careful," Twilight said as Fluttershy took the wagon handle in her mouth, "He's a bit heavier than he looks." Fluttershy nodded and rolled the wagon into her cottage. "Good luck," Twilight said as she turned to leave. Fluttershy waved good-bye and then closed her door. Taking the wagon handle again, she rolled it over to her couch and then grabbed the blue animal under the arms. She huffed in surprise at its weight as she lifted it onto her couch. "You are a heavy fellow," she said to it, "I wonder what you eat to make you so heavy? Maybe you should be on a diet." With a shrug and a smile, she went upstairs to find a towel to dry the creature off. When she came back down, it was moaning and rolling its head slightly, tongue sliding back into its mouth. Moving carefully, she walked over to the couch and began to gently rub it with the towel. As she finished, the animal's eyes slowly opened and Fluttershy swallowed a gasp of surprise when she saw they were solid black. The creature closed its mouth and regarded Fluttershy for a moment. "H-hello," the pegasus said. The creature blinked and then opened its mouth. "He-he-hello," it said in a slightly raspy voice. "Oh my," Fluttershy exclaimed, "You can talk?" The creature sat up suddenly and sniffed her mane and then began to look around the room. It sniffed again and its ears went up as it looked toward the kitchen door, from which Angel was emerging with a cucumber sandwich in his front paws. "Oh, are you hungry?" Fluttershy asked. The creature licked its lips. "Ok, Fluttershy said, turning to look at Angel, who was regarding the blue thing with suspicion. "Angel," she said sweetly, "do you mind if our new friend has that sandwich? I'll make a new one for you." The bunny transferred his suspicious gaze to the pegasus and then, unable to resist the look on her face, sighed, hopped over to the couch, and held out the sandwich. The creature sniffed the sandwich, and then snatched it out of Angel's paws, opened its mouth, and stuffed the entire sandwich in, chewing noisily. "It seems we're going to have to work on your table manners," Fluttershy chided gently. The creature glanced at her, swallowed, and then belched noisily. Fluttershy stepped back in surprise, eliciting a maniacal laugh from the blue koala-thing. Angel rolled his eyes and hopped back to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich. "Well then," the pegasus said, collecting her dignity, "Now that you've eaten, let's have a look at you shall we?" She turned away and went to pick up her bag of medical supplies. As soon as her back was turned, the blue creature turned its gaze back to the kitchen. Deciding that he was still hungry, he slid off the couch and crawled toward the kitchen, veering off at the last second to climb the wall and enter through the top of the door. He crawled across the ceiling, looking down at Angel, who was sitting on a tall stool as he finished layering slices of cucumber on a piece of bread. He put the other piece of bread on, picked up the sandwich, and froze as the blue creature dropped down onto the counter. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, and then the creature snatched the sandwich. Not willing to let another one get away from him, Angel jumped forward to grab the sandwich back. A back-handed slap from the creature sent the bunny flying across the counter into a pile of dirty dishes, sending several crashing to the floor. Regaining his feet, Angel ran and tackled the creature as it tried to take a bit from the sandwich. The two rolled to the end of the counter as the sandwich fell to the floor and was quickly forgotten as the blue creature threw Angel off, teeth bared in an angry growl. Undeterred, Angel blew a raspberry as he dodged the creature's flying tackle and then kicked it in the head when it face-planted onto the floor. The bunny winced as his foot throbbed from the blow- the thing's head was like a rock! Moaning, the creature picked itself up and gave Angel another swat that sent him flying upward to crash into a cupboard, destroying the door. He fell to the counter, briefly dazed. The blue koala-thing kept an eye on him, waiting for the bunny to try again. "What is going on here?" Fluttershy demanded from the kitchen doorway. The creature turned to look at her, and the reached up and snagged Angel by the foot as the bunny came at him with a flying kick. "Angel," Fluttershy said, "I'm very disappointed in you. Why are you fighting with Mr. Blue Koala?" "Stitch." "What?" Fluttershy asked, surprised that the creature had spoken again. "My name Stitch," the creature said, ignoring the fuming bunny in his grip. "Ok, why are you fighting with Stitch?" Fluttershy asked Angel. The bunny curled up so he could pull his foot out of Stitch's hand, dropped to the floor, and hopped over to the fallen and ruined cucumber sandwich. To the best of his ability he mimed out making the sandwich and preparing to eat it, and the pointed to Stitch and pretended to steal the invisible sandwich. He looked at Fluttershy hopefully, willing her to understand. "He… stole your sandwich?" the pegasus guessed. Angel nodded vigorously. "I see. Well, it's still not nice to fight you know. You could have just made another sandwich; we've got plenty of cucumbers." Angel face-palmed and gave Fluttershy a disgruntled look. "And as for you," Fluttershy said, turning toward where Stitch had been, only to find he had vanished again. "Stitch? Where are you?" She looked around and found him digging around in her refrigerator, tossing out apples, celery, and a bottle of milk that Angel barely managed to catch before it smashed onto the floor. Fluttershy walked over and tapped Stitch on the shoulder. "Excuse me," she said as Stitch paused to look at her, "Please don't make a mess. If you were still hungry you should have told me. It's not nice to steal. Now," she turned her gaze to the interior of the fridge, "What do you want? I've got some fresh spinach in here. Or maybe a salad? Angel makes wonderful salads, and I'm sure he'd love to make you one to apologize for fighting." Angel rolled his eyes and face-palmed again. Stitch had started it! Stitch looked at the rest of the fridge's contents. "Bleh," he said, tongue rolling out. He turned and walked away, going on all fours for speed as he headed for the main room. "Wait," Fluttershy said, "I can't help you if you don't-" she was interrupted by a crashing sound followed by the upset cries of many of her birds. She ran to the doorway to see Stitch in the process of destroying the little hutches and houses that had been built into a corner of the room. The floor was covered in birdseed and the remains of several water bowls. Stitch punched his fist into a squirrel's hutch and gulped down the nuts he extracted, ignoring the incensed occupant's protests. "Please, stop," Fluttershy said, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. Angel decided that enough was enough. He stuck a paw in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle, getting the attention of the animals running around the cottage in a panic. The bunny cracked his knuckles and pointed firmly at Stitch with a dark expression on his face. The animals blinked, and then several stepped and flew forward, equally determined looks coming into their eyes. Stitch paused in his raiding to look down at the gathered animals, unsure of what was happening. Angel signaled the animals with a stomp of his foot, and the tiny army charged the blue koala-esque thing that was destroying their home and their peace of mind. Growling, Stitch dropped down to the floor to meet the charge, arms spread wide as he flexed his claws threateningly. "STOOOP!" Fluttershy was suddenly standing between the animals and Stitch, her eyes hard and intense as the dreaded Stare kicked into high gear. She turned it on Angel and his group first, and they backed away quickly in fear. "You know better," Fluttershy said, "We do not fight in this house. If you have a problem with somebody else, you try and settle it peacefully, right?" Several nods answered her, and the animals hung their heads in collective shame, even Angel. "And as for you," the pegasus said, whirling on Stitch, "how dare you attack these poor little animals? I took you in when you were cold, wet, and half-drowned. I've done everything I can to make you feel better, and how do you repay me? You steal food, fight with Angel, and break houses! You should be ashamed of yourself." Stitch tried to snarl, but the force of Fluttershy's gaze triggered a response he wasn't even aware he was capable of: guilt. His ears drooped as low as they could go and he felt like his eyes were actually shrinking as he stumbled backward, trying to escape but unable to look away. "Well?" Fluttershy asked expectantly, leaning in closer, "What do you have to say for yourself mister?" Stitch's mouth hung open for several seconds before he could get his voice to work. "S-suh-sorry… Flutter… shy," he stammered. "Anything else?" Fluttershy asked, backing up a few steps. Stitch's gaze was freed enough to wander around until he spotted Angel, who was tapping his foot as he glared at Stitch. Stitch started to growl at the bunny, but swallowed it with an audible gulp as the pegasus caught is eyes again. With a sigh, Stitch looked at Angel and said, "Sorry bunny. Sorry… everyone. Stitch will be good." "That's better," Fluttershy said, all sweetness again as she patted Stitch's head, "now, be a good… Stitch and go help gather the wood we'll need to fix everything, and then we'll go find something for you to eat. What do you like to eat anyway?" Stitch thought for a second before smiling and saying, "Coffee. Stitch like coffee." "You'll need something more solid than coffee," Fluttershy said, "but, I guess I can get you some if you eat a good supper. Come on everyone." She walked toward her front door with Angel and the other animals in her wake. Stitch watched them for a moment before crawling off after them. Angel caught his eye, and the two shared a small, knowing smile. Things weren't fully settled between them, and they were both looking forward to their next, more private encounter.

CTVulpin

391

Applejack,Winona,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Apple Stitch

complete

<p>Round 2 of the Stitch and Ponies experiment. This time Applejack takes charge to try and teach the blue-furred trog a little work ethic.</p>

everyone

2011-08-03T03:18:06+00:00

2011-08-03T03:18:06+00:00

Fluttershy’s cottage was a scene of chaos. Squirrels, mice, and a ferret with an eye-patch scampered to and fro, looking for an exit that wasn’t already jammed with bodies or blocked by debris while small birds flew in wild circles. The sounds of falling objects, breaking wood, and maniacal laughter came from upstairs. Fluttershy, mane thoroughly disheveled and tangled, walked from the foot of the stairs to a table with a look of forced calm on her face. Blatantly ignoring the noise from upstairs, she sat down next to the table and searched through the pile of folders on it. Finding the one she wanted, she opened the folder to the first, and thus far only, page in it. It was titled “Patient Record for: Stitch.” Taking a pencil in her mouth, Fluttershy quickly read through the file, which contained everything she’d learned about her latest… acquaintance in the two days since he’d taken him in, adding notes as she went. Patient Record for: Stitch Species: unknown (possibly a rare breed of koala)(Probably not…) Distinguishing features: Fluffy blue fur, solid black eyes, wide mouth full of sharp-looking teeth (eats almost anything though), big expressive ears, able to climb walls like a lizard, capable of both two-legged and four-legged movement. Surprisingly heavy for his size; sinks like a stone (explaining his dislike for water). Has a second set of arms he can pull into his body along with retractable antennae and spines on his back. Known Likes: cucumbers, nuts, cakes, ice cream, coffee. Do not give him coffee! A resounding crash from upstairs made her glance up, frowning as she saw part of the ceiling start to sag and splinter. She really hoped Angel was going to be ok. The bunny was trying to subdue the caffeine-charged ball of destruction Stitch had become, which wasn’t an easy task because Stitch was rather resistant to pain and strong to boot. He’d managed to get Stitch contained in the one upstairs room without a window, but it looked like the blue juggernaut wasn’t going to stay held for long… Her notes completed and put away, Fluttershy finally allowed herself to feel some normal emotions: fear, worry, and a bit of despair at the prospect of ever being able to truly tame Stitch. Noticing the animals, who had gathered around her with pleading expressions, she began making reassuring noises as she ran around opening windows to speed their exit. She started to head toward her front door, only for it to be thrown open as Applejack ran inside. “Fluttershy!” the earth pony exclaimed, prancing a little as animals swarmed around her legs to get out, “Are you ok? What’s happenin’ here?” “Oh,” Fluttershy said, not wanting to inconvenience her friend despite the obvious need for help, “I’m fine. Everything’s under control.” “Phooey,” Applejack said, “This don’t like ‘under control’ ta me!” As if to prove her point, the ceiling gave way at that moment, depositing Stitch on the floor in the middle of a mess of broken wood. Angel’s head appeared in the hole, followed a second later by a metal bucket that he dropped onto Stitch’s head, knocking the blue creature out. “What in tarnation?” Applejack said, walking over to the pile for a closer look, “Say, ain’t that the blue critter they found in the river a couple days back?” Fluttershy nodded dumbly, too overwhelmed to speak. Applejack looked at Stitch critically, and then up at Angel, who was looking smugly down at the group. “I hate ta say it Fluttershy,” the earth pony said, “but it looks like you’ve bitten off more’n you can chew with this thing.” “Stitch isn’t that bad,” Fluttershy said, finding her voice, “he just… has a lot of energy.” “That all?” AJ said, looking askance at the pegasus, and then smiled and said, “Tell ya what then. I’ll take him off your hooves fer awhile and put him ta work on the farm. Maybe learnin’ a little work ethic’ll make him manageable.” “Oh, no,” Fluttershy said, “I couldn’t ask you to do that.” “I insist,” Applejack said, digging Stitch out of the rubble, “Besides, you’ll need some peace and quiet if ya hope ta fix up your house.” Ignoring Fluttershy’s protests, she dug her head under Stitch’s body and rolled him onto her back, grunting in surprise at his weight. “Hoo-wee, he’s a heavy feller,” she said, “What’s he eat?” “A-anything really,” Fluttershy said, resigning herself to the inevitable. “All right then,” AJ said, turning to leave, “I’ll be off then. Oh, I left a small wagon of apples fer you down the road a bit. Bye.” “Bye,” Fluttershy said quietly. She watched Applejack walk away, and then realized something. Running to her door she called out, “Don’t let him drink any coffee!” “Well, here we are Stitch,” Applejack announced as she passed through the gate at the edge of her property, “Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!” Stitch looked around grumpily, arms crossed. He’d come to as Applejack was walking through town, and had been confused at first, and then angry. Making his feelings known about being kidnapped by a pony had resulted in AJ bucking him into a nearby tree and pinning him to the ground with a hoof as she lectured him about behaving. Cowed by Applejack’s no-nonsense attitude, he’d allowed himself to be led to the apple farm. He wasn’t planning to be a good sport about it though. “Let’s see here,” Applejack said, ignoring Stitch’s glower as she walked down the path toward the house, “Yer a strong little guy, so I guess I’ll start you out with some good-ol’ apple-bucking.” She turned from the path and entered the nearest group of trees. Stitch followed her as she looked up at the branches until she found a couple trees that looked like they were ready to be harvested. “Here’s how we do it,” she said to the blue koala-thing. She turned around, raised her back hooves, and gave one of the trees a firm kick. The tree shook and several apples fell off. Stitch’s ears went up in surprise. “Now you give it a try,” AJ said, motioning to the second tree. Stitch approached the tree, looked up at the apples, and then went down on all fours to emulate Applejack’s approach. “Ha!” he shouted as he kicked the tree. It shook slightly, but no apples came loose. Squinting, Stitch tried another kick, with the same results. Angered, Stitch turned around, stood up, and threw his arms around the tree. With a guttural cry, he shook the tree violently until all the apples fell off, along with most of the leaves and several branches. Brushing himself off, Stitch walked out of the mess and snorted at the tree. “Well, I guess that works too,” Applejack said, trying not to get upset over the damage, “Just… try ta be a bit more gentle next time, ok?” “Ok,” Stitch said, rolling his eyes. At least, AJ thought he was rolling his eyes; his posture and tone of voice were sending that kind of message anyway. This wasn’t going to be easy, but Applejack had experience with stubborn- both bein’ it and dealin’ with it on a regular basis. “Awright,” she said, “I’m gonna go fetch some baskets and an apple cart to put these in. I want you to sort through that pile and find all the apples that ain’t too banged up.” She galloped off as Stitch regarded the pile of leaves, sticks, and apples, scratching his chin in thought. He briefly considered actually doing what he was told, but rejected it as a boring idea. His stomach chose that time to rumble, informing him of a need for lunch. He looked at his pile, and then at the neater pile of just apples at the foot of the tree AJ had bucked. Nodding to himself, Stitch walked over to the second pile and began digging through it, looking for the best apples. A few minutes and three apples later, he was interrupted by a sniffing sound near his feet. He pulled his head out of the pile and looked back to see a brown and white collie dog looking at him curiously. Stitch and Winona stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Stitch grumbled and pulled a random apple off the pile. “Fetch,” he said, throwing the apple as far as he could. Winona watched it fly through the air and then turned her gaze back to Stitch, giving him a bemused look. “Ok…” Stitch said, keeping an eye on the dog as he turned back to the apples. He found one that looked ripe enough and lacked any bruising and raised it toward his mouth, stopping when Winona started to growl. He glanced toward the collie and moved the apple closer to his mouth. Winona’s growling increased in intensity. Stitch’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. He considered going through with the bite, but then thought better of it. It would be stupid to get into a fight over a bite of apple, even if he could win. He closed his mouth and set the apple aside, giving Winona his most charming smile. Winona glared at him until he released the apple and stood up, then she sat back and wagged her tail. Smile fading, Stitch started to turn around, only to whirl right back and point dramatically over the dog’s shoulder. “Wazzat?” he exclaimed, and then snagged the apple and jumped up onto the tree trunk when Winona turned to look. Confused, Winona turned back toward the tree, looked around wildly until she spotted Stitch on the trunk, and started growling again. Stitch laughed and took a big bite out of the apple. He climbed up into the branches as Winona charged, mounting the pile of apples, putting her front paws on the trunk, and barking angrily at Stitch as he made faces at her from his perch and finished the apple. After a minute, Stitch got bored of taunting Winona and crawled along the branch toward another tasty-looking apple. He plucked it off and looked it over, only to freeze when he heard the sound of hooves approaching. “Winona,” Applejack said, dropping the baskets she was carrying, “What are you doin’ making all that racket?” The dog stopped yapping and glanced toward her owner. “Where’s Stitch?” AJ asked, “Blue feller, looks like teddy bear gone wrong?” Winona barked twice and pointed her nose up toward the tree. Applejack walked over and looked up, spotting Stitch easily against the foliage. “What are ya doin’ up there?” she asked him. “Uh,” Stitch said slowly, looking at the apple in his hand. He tossed it lightly a few times to test the weight and then threw it expertly into one of the apple baskets as he smiled at the earth pony. “Pickin’ apples, eh?” Applejack said, “That’s nice an’ all, but it ain’t what I asked ya ta do. Y’all need to learn to follow basic directions. Now, Winona,” she looked down at the collie, “you be nice ta Stitch. He’s here ta learn how ta be useful.” Winona blinked, and then got down from the apple pile and walked over to one of the apple cores Stitch had thrown aside earlier. Picking it up in her mouth, she brought it over to AJ and dropped it at her feet. “What’s this?” Applejack said, looking. She turned an angry look up at Stitch and asked, “Where’d this come from?” “Um,” Stitch said, sweating, “D-doggy ate it?” “You think I’m stupid, don’tcha?” Applejack deadpanned, “Dogs don’t eat apples. And this don’t look like the work of rabbits neither.” She walked up to the tree and glared up at Stitch. “Git down here,” she said. “Nuh-uh,” Stitch said, shaking his head. “I said, git down here ya varmint!” Applejack spun around and began drumming the tree furiously with her hooves. Stitch latched on to his branch like his life depended on it, which, for all he knew, it did. Eventually the shaking and jostling became too much and the branch broke off, sending Stitch tumbling down to land firmly in the downed apples, rendering many of them into applesauce. He flinched as Applejack’s shadow fell over him and the earth pony mare glared down at him. “Awright then,” she said, “I gave you the benefit of the doubt Stitch, and you done broke my trust. I ain’t givin’ up on you yet, but obviously I’m gonna have keep a closer eye on you. Let’s see how you like muckin’ out the cow barn fer a few days. And if you try anythin’ Winona here’ll let me know faster’n you can say ‘horse apples.’ Now, git up and git movin’.” Stitch groaned as he stood up and followed the angry pony, with Winona dogging his steps with a smug look on her face. Stitch wanted to go back to Fluttershy’s cottage. Even fighting with Angel was more fun than this…

CarlG

392

Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Evaporation

incomplete

<p>&quot;Fluttershy! When I say now, flip that switch!&quot; Commanded Twilight. Trixie was standing in the corner, bored. Twilight had some wires attached to her horn. Fluttershy was standing next to a large lever. 'high voltage' it said.</p><p>Twilight was concentrating crazily. Fluttershy was whimpering. Trixie, still bored, neighed &quot;Hurry up already...&quot;. Chanting, Twilight's eyes glowed...</p><p>--AN--</p><p>Lazy me is lazy. School doesn't allow much free time.</p>

everyone

2012-02-27T02:29:55+00:00

2012-02-27T02:29:55+00:00

"Fluttershy! When I say now, flip that switch!" Commanded Twilight. Trixie was standing in the corner, bored. Twilight had some wires attached to her horn. Fluttershy was standing next to a large lever. 'HIGH VOLTAGE' it said. Twilight was concentrating crazily. Fluttershy was whimpering. Trixie, still bored, neighed "Hurry up already...". Chanting, Twilight's eyes glowed white. She was sweating profusely. Her mane was on end. She seemed more powerful than Celestia. "NOW!" Fluttershy kicked the switch (lightly, but hard enough). Fluttershy noticed at the last instant, an exposed wire was touching her as she flipped the switch. === Earlier in the day, Twilight was asking her friends if they could help her with an experiment. Rainbow claimed she was practicing for the WonderBolts. AJ made an excuse about applebucking, Rarity, (Oh, I'm too elegant to be bothered to do that) went "Uhhh I have... Things to do. Yes, stuff." Twilight did NOT want Pinkie to help, she was too hyper for this. So, she went to Fluttershy. "Umm... Sure I'll help" === The room was dark. Below Twilight's tree, was the basement. There were many machines. The basement was dark red, with creepy shadows being thrown strangely around the room. There was a photo of Pinkieus Pieacus, imploring where her special knowledge of problems arising came from. There was a poster of Zecora, wondering what strange land she came from. An "obey" poster, with princess Celestia on it (Twilight planned to burn the treasonous thing, she found it on the street). A bottle of strong whiskey was on the shelf, for Twilight to explore the mysteries of alcohol (Not by drinking, she hated the taste), among many other gadgets, photos, and trinkets. === "Did it work?" asked Twilight. Trixie answered "Nope". But where was Fluttershy?! 'Where am I?' She thought. She was looking at Trixie, but something was wrong. She looked down at her hooves. Fluttershy screamed. (Although it was very soft, it shook the room) Her hooves were purple. Then she heard 'Why am I still in my own body? Me and Trixie should have exchanged bodies'. Fluttershy was shocked. She thought 'Twilight, is that you?' This time, Twilight shrieked, with the loudness of a dozen ponies combined. "WHAT HAPPENED!!" How is it possible?" She then thought 'Instead of switching with Trixie, I have absorbed Fluttershy...' Trixie was gaping. === Earlier that week, Twilight asked Trixie if she would help her with a magical experiment. Trixie asked in a rude tone, "Why should The Great and Powerful Trixie help you?" "Well," replied Twilight "What do you want?" Trixie's eyes became distant, star-filled. "I want an audience with Princess Celestia, to become a student of her." Twilight responded, "NO! You don't deserve her attention! You do cheap tricks and boast, brag, and are absolutely insufferable!" "In that case, The Great and Powerful Trixie will not help you with whatever stupid experiment you have!" "Fine..." Twilight grumbled "I'll get you an audience with the princess" "Ha!" Laughed Trixie "I win! What is the experiment?" "A body switching spell" answered Twilight, grimly. Trixie gasped. "That's insane! It's dangerous and I could-err, We could get hurt!" "I understand" Twilight replied. "It is to see if the strength of magic is changed when the body is different. Meaning, unicorns that get sick as young fillies may be disadvantaged, as their bodies may become weaker. However, it may just be the unicorn's mind that matters." "I understand." Chimed Trixie. === "Umm girls, I think I know what happened.." whispered Fluttershy "WHAT!?" Fired Trixie and Twilight simultaneously. "There was a wire touching me without coating as I flipped the switch... It probably used me as a conductor to carry the direct current into your horn, thereby transforming me into electrons and having me absorbed into your horn, and then because of my chemical properties the spell could not continue." "..." came from Twilight. "Ok, so you have a freaky knowledge of sewing, AND you know a lot about electricity??" 'Yes, I know more than the average pony' thought Fluttershy to Twilight. 'Well, do you know about magic too?' Asked Twilight in her mind. 'Umm sorry, No..' "Well, This is GREAT! Everypony will wonder where Fluttershy is and I'll say 'Oh, I accidentally absorbed her in an experiment and she is in my mind. Say hi Fluttershy' Everypony will think We are crazy!" Twilight took a swig of whiskey, then replaced it on the shelf. "That's terrible!" Exclaimed Twilight. "That made me feel horrible..." sighed Futtershy, who was still talking from Twilight's mouth, in her own voice. "I never want that again..." Fluttershy took control of Twilight's body and kicked the bottle off of the shelf, having it break on the floor. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!? It was for important scientific research!" 'But,' thought Fluttershy, 'You said.. It was terrible..' Trixie, was edging her way out the door. "Trixie! Get back here!" shouted Twilight. "You girls are freaking The Great and Power Trixie out!" "Well to bad! If you want to talk with the princess, you will help!" Fired back Twilight. "Fine.." Sulked Trixie. "This is a simple case" Twilight rattled (Insanely) "All I have to do is make a materialization spell, along with an possession charm. Then we are home free!" Twilight began to cackle. 'Twilight, are you OK?' Asked Fluttershy. "Am I alright? Of course I'm alright! Teeheehee!" 'Umm, you could have just thought... Twilight, you need to rest, you don't seem well' "A rest? I don't need a rest." 'Don't make me walk to a mirror and use the stare on you!' "All right Fluttershy... Trixie! You will stay here if you EVER want audience with the princess." "Alright, Alright." === Twilight was heading upstairs, to her room. Trixie was following her. "Trixie: you will sit down here (Twilight was pointing next to a bookshelf) and not move. Understand?" "Yes, mother" sarcastically cooed Trixie, as though she were a rude teenage pony. As Twilight attempted to nap, Fluttershy's thoughts were constantly distracting her, and vice versa. === Trixie was thinking 'Oh great, what in the HAY did I get myself into.’ Even an audience with princess Celestia wasn’t worth helping this idiot. On the bright side, she wasn’t stuck in the fool’s purple body. Unfortunately, she had to now help both the purple jerk, and the shy blithering one who was afraid of her own shadow. She wanted to shove a toad down Twilight’s throat for showing her up earlier that year. So what if she never defeated an ursa major. Neither had the purple-tastic pony. Twilight had only defeated an ursa MINOR. Although Trixie hadn’t defeated even an ursa minor, psychotic purple was so stuck up about it. === Twilight currently thought ‘Well this is great, I have Fluttershy stuck in my body. Sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings’ ‘Oh, that’s all right, you can act like I’m not here…’ Twilight was a tad stressed. It had something to do with Trixie. Trixie was usually SO rude and mean. Gladly, she was being a bit nicer this time. She wasn’t calling Twilight or Fluttershy derogatory names. Not trying to show anyone up. Lastly (and best of all), she was being a help. . The first time they had met, Twilight really hated Trixie. Such a show-off, jerky. Lied about defeating an ursa major, and continued to try and say that she had. Nopony has ever defeated an ursa major single handedly. As far as anypony knows, only Twilight has ever defeated even an ursa minor single handedly. Trixie could at LEAST be humble. Probably, Trixie would finish helping, and run right off to Princess Celestia. === Fluttershy was a tad depressed. She had tried to help her friend, and messed everything up for everypony, including herself. She felt so stupid. Everytime she tried to help, something went wrong. Always wrong. She felt so angered. she wanted to break something. she almost wanted to lock herself in a dark room. The only issue with that, is Twilight would suffer as well. Twilight was her host, Fluttershy had no body. Fluttershy was just a 2nd mind inside of a body. A secondary hardrive. Unimportant. Fluttershy let her mind drift... === She awoke with a loud thought. 'Fluttershy! Time to attempt to get you out of my body.' 'Umm, okay...' "Girls I have researching to do. Trixie, you will help. Fluttershy, you should try and think of ideas." === "Trixie: have you found anything about 2 minds in the same body?" "No ma'am" Said Trixie in a surly tone. They continued looking for hours. Finally, Spike woke up from his nap. "What's going on? Why are you searching frantically? Why is SHE here?" "Spike, you cant remember anything can you. Tee-hee. Trixie was here helping me with an experiment. Fluttershy was helping," Then, Fluttershy's voice came in. "And there was a mistake." Spike was at loss for words. "Wha- How- Whe- WHAT!?!?!?" "Well, something went wrong. Time to fix it" === Twilight was about to begin the long and difficult spell for materialisation, and possession. Twilight started chanting. Her eyes began to glow. This time however, they were red. Twilight was about to release the energy for the spell. "RAWRG!" She released it. -Author's notes- I Got the idea of writing this when I thought that I was like a combo of Twilight and Fluttershy, I'm an introvert, and I love books. More to come soon.

CarlG

392

Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Evaporation

incomplete

<p>&quot;Fluttershy! When I say now, flip that switch!&quot; Commanded Twilight. Trixie was standing in the corner, bored. Twilight had some wires attached to her horn. Fluttershy was standing next to a large lever. 'high voltage' it said.</p><p>Twilight was concentrating crazily. Fluttershy was whimpering. Trixie, still bored, neighed &quot;Hurry up already...&quot;. Chanting, Twilight's eyes glowed...</p><p>--AN--</p><p>Lazy me is lazy. School doesn't allow much free time.</p>

everyone

2011-10-30T06:59:19+00:00

2011-10-30T06:59:19+00:00

The effect was immediate, and the room was bathed in a eerie green light. Twilight was passed out on the floor, Spike rushed to her aid. Trixie, squeaked and ran. Spike yelled, "You are going NOWHERE Trixie." Trixie, white with fear, nodded. Spike attempted to drag Twilight to the nearest chair. "Trixie! Help!" Trixie went over to Twilight and helped drag her into the chair. === Twilight woke up with a jolt. "Where is Fluttershy?" Twilight could no longer hear Fluttershy's thoughts, but Fluttershy was not in the room. Trixie and Spike shrugged. "Well, the where the heck could she be?" "We don't know Twilight! After the spell, nothing appeared to happen, but you got knocked out." Explained Spike. "Well we should start looking shouldn't we?" === Fluttershy woke with a headache. All she saw was a gray blur. Then she heard a familliar voice. *Gasp* "Oh hi Fluttershy!" "Umm, Pinkie? Where am I? "Oh, you shifted in the fourth spatial dimension! Learning to move in Behta, and Zehta I see! Due to the fact that we are moving in the fourth dimension, we are no longer on Equestria! "What?" "Oh silly! There are four dimensions! Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, and now, in the fourth dimension, Partæitude as I call it! OHHH! I JUST REMEMBERED! I have a PARTY in a few days! Wanna come!?!? "Pinkie, I'd like to get back to my usual spot in the fourth spacial dimension! On Equestria! If it's ok with you..." "Oh silly, we are stuck here! There is no way back until you understand how to move in Behta and Zehta!" Fluttershy's mouth was agape. Never before had she felt so scared. Her lips trembling, she asked "C-c-could you teach me?" "This is going to be so much fun don't you think 'Shy!? "Umm sure.." Pinkie's hoof suddenly jerked and dissapeared. Her hoof reappeared, with a box of markers. She started drawing three dimensional shapes in mid-air. Okay, first you nedd to understand the basic theory. A: When there is teleportation, the performer ALWAYS moves in the fourth spacial dimension, whether they are aware, or not, in order to minimize movement in the first three spacial dimensions. B: You can easily end up in a multitude of alternate universi if you forget wher in Behta and Zehta you are. Those alternates may be disturbing. How do you think Twilight ended up on 'Earth' at one point? Earth and our world are in the same coordinates for the first three dimensions, but on the fourth dimension, that is where we differ. ANYWAYS, LETS PARTY! This sciency stuff is making me bored! Now follow your big sister Pinkie to my house out here!" "But we are not sisters... How do you know all of this? Could you tell me? If that's all right with you." "Well let me TELL you! Well, when I first got my mark, I was so happy and super that I managed to move elsewhere in the fourth spacial dimension, letting me discover this place! I found you passed out, so I moved you to my house." Fluttershy began to see different colors, including colors that were impossible. The gray around her was giving way to to a brilliant mansion. Fluttershy's jaw hit the floor. "So how do you like it?" Fluttershy could not speak. She was in awe of the amazing structure unfolding in front of her. Fluttershy attempted to look in 4 dimensions, she saw nothing, which meant either nothing was there, or she couldn't see anything still. Fluttershy finally responded "It's nice..." "Oh that's great! I'm glad you like it!! I should give you a tour!" === "... And that's the astronomy tower!" "Pinkie, how did you build all of this?" "Just my little friends! Come over here Ra'maic*!" Tiny, sprightly beings came over to Pinkie. Fluttershy had never seen anything like them. Fluttershy made a mental note to be cautious, she had learned with parasprites that cute things could be evil. She reached out to touch the things then they withdrew, made a deep hissing sound, and scattered. Pinkie started calling out "Come back! Fluttershy would never hurt you! She is the kindest pony there is! Well except for the time Discord possessed her but that's not the point!!!" Pinkie was near sobbing. She had worked so hard for so long to gather all of these little creatures up. She felt a sudden anger towards Fluttershy. "How could you! You ruined A HUGE amount of time I spent trying to find these Ra'maic. I hope you're happy. Goodbye!" And she disappeared. Fluttershy had never felt this alone. She was trapped in a strange place she didn't understand, and had upset the only pony that could help her. What could she possible do? She slumped onto the chair inside the closest room. Sobbing convulsively, She thought in broken bursts. But---I didn't mean---Pinkie--- Her sobs continued, and filled the room, louder then anything else could have possibly been in Fluttershy's mind. She wandered around the huge dwelling, half awake, eyes glazed over, still only thinking in short phrases and words. She was barely aware that she had almost fallen down huge pits several times. Eventually she managed to come to the astronomy tower. How quick it would be. She took a step forward, and expected to fall, then be killed instantly on impact. Instead, she hit the ground and bounced up, as if it were a trampoline What was wrong with is place? What cruel world was this? She was trapped here. unable to end it. She wanted it done. Over. Gone. Dark. She started looking around for anything possible. She started looking for a kitchen. She would have preferred a quick and painless end, This would be long, drawn out, horrible, and bloody. She finally found a kitchen. There was a lone knife. Perfect for steak. Just waiting for use. She made her way over. Picked up the knife with her forehooves, and proceeded to make a long cut along her back leg. The pain hit her like a bucket of ice water. It shook some sense into her. Why was she doing this? With a new found determination, she left the room, and tryed to find a way to contact Pinkie. === Pinkie was running around different parts of the 4th spacial dimension, trying to gather up the Ra'maic. She was so mad at Fluttershy, but she knew that it was pointless in nurturing a grudge. She would still leave Fluttershy to her own devices for a while. Just because she was not holding a grudge didn't mean she couldn't be mad right? Fluttershy would be perfectly fine at her residence. Nothing could possibly hurt her. Pinkie continued to search for her little friends. They were ever so useful in building. always had what you needed when you needed it. Come to think of it, how? they were tiny little sprites, barely the size of her hoof, yet they could still erect huge structures such as what she had designed? Is it possible that these little creatures could be a menace, or helpful? Pinkie preferred to think of them as helpful. Just treat them right and you'll be fine. But... What if ponies on Equestria were to NOT treat them right? what if they were mean to them? what if---? A million different questions ran through her mind. She decided it would be a terrible idea to reveal the existence the tiny sprites to Equestria. The ponies wouldn't be able to handle the power. Chaos would ensue. Is it.. Could it be? Were these Ra'maic Discord? Pinkie had never seen one before discord had shown himself. She had just used her own hooves to build a small house at first. Pinkie had to go back and find Fluttershy. That instant. What if the Ra'maic had gotten a hold of her? That would be the sure end of her. === She ran headlong into a blood splattered Fluttershy. "Fluttershy!" She exclaimed with a horrified gasp. "Did the Ra'maic get a hold of you?" "What? No, I did this to myself. I wanted it to end, I was mentally lost, and I felt there was nothing else to do." Fluttershy had never spoken with such conviction. She still had adrenaline pumping through her veins from when she cut herself. "I'm so sorry... I should never have left you alone. I overreacted. Please, forgive me." "Y-yes Pinkie, I forgive you." ---AN--- *Ra'maic is plural AND singular. Also: Ra-mae-ic This chapter was inspired by a fic called "To the Nth dimension" you should find it on EQD Yes, I am a lazy bum. School don't leave me time nuf to do this often. (And no, I have NO idea where this is going, I just let it write itself) Oh my, It went grimdark, I'm awfully sorry, I had NOT intended this :( And yes, I know I take a bit of liberty with Fluttershy and Pinkie's personalities. But hey, It's hard to write such sad fics in character perfectly. I need to stop reading my own fic. I make me sad. what is wrong with me? Oh I know, in10secondsflat/ dean moore/ yoyofoot is the problem... And the last 1200 words I did in one night. when the pen, was VERY hot. I just reread this. I feel terrible for that depressing paragraph :/

frostedWarlock

393

Cutie Mark Crusaders,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Scootaloo's Big Adventure!!!

incomplete

<p>Scootaloo has an adventure of rather big proportions!</p><p>This is a collection of updates for a forum adventure as told by Scootaloo, and is such formatted in a way much different from how fanfics are normally read, due to being set up for reader interaction.<br/><a href="http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?40963" rel="nofollow">http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?40963</a></p>

everyone

2011-09-04T21:02:48+00:00

2011-09-04T21:02:48+00:00

Scootaloo's Big Adventure!!! Extras! All the non-canon updates from the forum will be posted here, since they have no real place to go in the regular acts they were posted during. Basically, any command I see as interesting enough to draw, but not really usable in the story. ========== Chapter 1 >Scootaloo: Fear. > Sweetie Belle: Draw part of the story. > Scootaloo: Do chicken things because you are a chicken. > Box: Inside the box is a crow, the smartest of all birds. Chapter 2 > CMC: Display basic overworld sprites. > Scootaloo: Visit Ponibooru. > Adventure: Get fanart.

frostedWarlock

393

Cutie Mark Crusaders,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Scootaloo's Big Adventure!!!

incomplete

<p>Scootaloo has an adventure of rather big proportions!</p><p>This is a collection of updates for a forum adventure as told by Scootaloo, and is such formatted in a way much different from how fanfics are normally read, due to being set up for reader interaction.<br/><a href="http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?40963" rel="nofollow">http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?40963</a></p>

everyone

2011-08-12T20:18:02+00:00

2011-08-12T20:18:02+00:00

Scootaloo's Big Adventure!!! Chapter 1 - Story Time! ========== You are Scootallloo! Your the best pony!! What do you do!!! > Find Rainbow Dash. > Find your best pals, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle! Oh no!!! You were esposta go crusagin for your cutie mark with your frenns today! but Raindow Bash (who is the bestest pony) maight be doing something radicalnastyawesome!! who should you visit??? > Twilight Sparkle. twilight sparkle is worst pony > RAINBOW DASH. you found rainbow dash!!! you might be best pony but she is bestest pony all the way but how to get her attenshin??? > Scream. yay! randow dash came!! what to do now? > Sloppy makeouts perchance? makeouts are GROSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you will never make out ever forever not even with a pony as awesome as rainbow dash > BUT WHAT IF MAKE OUTS ARE YOUR CUTIE MARK SPECIAL SKILL??? dear celestia no > Make out a little, just to check. noooooooo Rainbow Dash: Uh...kid? Are you alright? Scootaloo: Rainbow Dash, why do I keep thinking about makeouts?! Rainbow Dash: ...oh. Oh boy...uh... > Rainbow Dash: Uh, sorry, I accidentally left my house on fire, gotta go bye. Rainbow Dash: ...well I think I left my house on fi-- Scootaloo: SCOOTALOVE!! The punchline is Scootalove!!! Rainbow Dash: ...oh! It was a joke! That was kinda good, but if you ever wanna get as good as me, you're gonna hafta REALLY work on your delivery. Scootaloo: Of course...hehehehe....anywaymovingon... > Ditzy: Make a "delivery". Scootaloo: Hey, what's a delivery? Ditzy Doo: TIMING! Rainbow Dash: Hey Bugeye. Huh? Who's this pony? > Ask her what's in the bag. Scootaloo: Ooh...what's in the bag? Ditzy Doo: Mail! For Dashie, the latest issue of Playco..... Playco. A toy catalog. Rainbow Dash: Yes. A toy catalog. Thank you for giving this to me in person instead of at my house. Ditzy Doo: Sorry, Dash, but I'm not going into a burning building just to deliver mail. Rainbow Dash: ...WHAT?! Scootaloo: Anything for me? Ditzy Doo: Yeppers! A package from your parents! Scootaloo: Yay! Thanks Mailmare! You're a good pony! Rainbow Dash: Wait...your parents? Scootaloo: Yeah. My parents travel a lot, so they thought it would be better if I just stayed in Ponyville. I don't mind, because if I traveled a lot, I wouldn't get to see you and my other friends! Ditzy Doo: D'aww. you wonder whats in the package...? > Get your friends, so you can all open it together. You thank the mailmare and leaf Raindow Dash to take care of her cloudhouse shomehow being on fire. You went to find her friends! Which friend did you find first, and where were they? > She found Applebloom, at Fluttershy's cottage first. >> Obviously she thought she'd find Applebloom at Fluttershy's cottage, but instead she stumbled upon Rarity. you went to fluttershy's cottage to see if Applebloom would be there to helop open the package! sadly, she was not > Chat Fluttershy up. >> Ask her if she's seen Apple Bloom. you decide to chat up fluttershy! she is the cutest pony ever and no one can even cpmpare i mean look at here she is the cutest foreverandever ands tuff!!! Scootaloo: Hey, Fluttershutter! What's new? Fluttershy: Oh hello, Scootaloo! I was just talking to Rarity about some floral patterns that she might use for some season-themed scarves that Hoity Toity wanted her to design. You see- Scootaloo: Bored now. Any idea where Apple Bloom is? Fluttershy: Oh...well, I know she's not around here. For some reason, she was trying to get a cartography cutie mark by making a map of the Everfree Forest! I managed to get her out before she got hurt. She scampered off to somewhere in town soon afterward. Scootaloo: Huh. Alright, thanks Fluttershy! > Ask Rarity where Sweetie Bell is. Rarity: Y U NO FEMININE yeah no lets just go look for applebloom. where toi check next? > Check Sugarcube Corner! you suppose youll try checking at Sugarcube Corner, though pinkie pie... ...kinda scares you > Better just drag Apple Bloom away from...that thing. Scootaloo: Hey Apple Bloom... Apple Bloom: Well heya, Scootaloo! Ah thought ah might've seen ya around here today! Whassap? Scootaloo: I kinda... got a package from my parents. I wanted to see if you and Sweetie Belle would wanna open it with me. Apple Bloom: Aw shucks, that's mighty sweet, but wouldn'tcha wanna wait until later to open it? Scootaloo: Not really... Apple Bloom: Well alright then. Seeya later, Pinkie Pie! Remember what I tolja! You and Applebloom quicky get out of there thank Celestia... now where to find sweetie delle? > Twilight's house. you head over to twilight sparkle's place! sweeitie belle! hmm...whats she holdin? >The Big Book of Dumb Fabrics. Scootaloo: Hey Sweetie Belle! Whatcha carrying? Sweetie Belle: It's a book! I borrowed it from Twilight's library. Word of advice, don't go inside. Spike made me Pinkie Pie swear to be super quiet because Twilight was... what does "hunover" mean? Apple Bloom: Isn't that a holiday? Sweetie Belle: Really? Huh. I guess Twilight is being all...religulous. Anyway, I managed to get this book out of the library before Spike kicked me out. Apparently my clip-clopping was giving Twilight a headache. Scootaloo: That's even sillier!...what book is it anyway? Apple Bloom: The Bibble... The Bi...The Blible...oh Day...The Big Book of Dumb Fabrics? Man, this author is even worse at spellin' than Scootaloo! Scootaloo: AY. Apple Bloom: 'Ay is for 'orses like mah brother Big Macintosh. And ah don't see a stallion snout on your face. Sweetie Belle: Apple Bloom, that's not nice! ...wait... Sweetie Belle: ...what's with that box? Scootaloo: My parents sent me a package! I wanted us to open it together! Maybe even get cutie marks! Apple Bloom: Cutie Mark Crusader Great Unboxers! Sweetie Belle: Do you really want a cutie mark for an ability to open presents? Apple Bloom: As long as the job keeps givin me free presents to open! Scootaloo: That sounds like the dream job! You get your cutie mark and people keep giving you stuff! It must be how Silver Spoon lives! Apple Bloom: ...on secon' thought, ah think ah'd rather get a cutie mark in another field... Sweetie Belle: ...but we're in a town. Scootaloo: ... Applebloom: ... ... so where did they go next > To the clubhouse! time for all secrets ever to be realvealed !! stunning plot turns and giant freaky side stories all meet at the single point!!! WHAT IS IN TEH BOX?????? >Open box with reckless abandon. A sketch pad and a box of crawyons!!! and a note from your parents!!! Hey Scootaloo! This is Mom and Dad! We're trying really hard to make it to you on your birthday this year, but you know how our schedule is. In case we don't make it, we wanted to make sure we knew what our little girl was up to anyway! We sent you some drawing materials. You should draw a big adventure for us, showing the stuff you do with your friends! That way, even though we don't get to see you, we'll know what our little girl is like. Love, Mom and Dad > You can't draw anything for your parents if you don't have an adventure to draw! ... uh yeah Apple Bloom: Scootaloo? You okay? Scootaloo: ...well...not really. I mean...my parents want to see an adventure from me, but have we ever had an adventure? Sweetie Belle: What about that time we entered the talent show? Scootaloo: That's not an adventure... I want to show my parents something awesome! Something that shows that I'm just as awesome as they think I am! Apple Bloom: Aw shucks, is that all? All we gotta do is have an adventure now, right? Sweetie Belle: Yeah! We've got nothing but time! Scootaloo: ...you guys think we can have a Big Adventure? Applebloom: Of course! Scootaloo: ...yeah! What the heck was I thinking! Of course we'll have an adventure! Now we just have to think of one! All: Cutie Mark Crusader Adventurehavers YAY! ========== ON TO CHAPTER 2

frostedWarlock

393

Cutie Mark Crusaders,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Scootaloo's Big Adventure!!!

incomplete

<p>Scootaloo has an adventure of rather big proportions!</p><p>This is a collection of updates for a forum adventure as told by Scootaloo, and is such formatted in a way much different from how fanfics are normally read, due to being set up for reader interaction.<br/><a href="http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?40963" rel="nofollow">http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?40963</a></p>

everyone

2011-08-21T21:47:57+00:00

2011-08-21T21:47:57+00:00

Scootaloo's Big Adventure!!! Chapter 1 - Quest For The Quest! ========== > Chapter 2 You are now the Cutie Mark Crusaders. You can choose to be each Crusader, but you must wait three commands to switch to another Cutie Mark Crusader. Which Crusader will you be first, and what will you do? > Sweetie Belle: Examine Book. You are now Sweetie Belle. You've been helping Scootaloo with writing dialogue, and now you're thinking about what kind of adventures you three could go on. However, you've been fairly distracted by the weird book. You thought it was just an interesting book to take, even if you couldn't read the cover. It's a little unnerving... ...especially how it seemed to suddenly become readable after Apple Bloom took a good look at it. You're fairly certain it didn't say that before. You'd rather not think about it, but it's hard to ignore. It was a dumb idea to take this book. > Check the author's notes on the inside cover for secret book fun. You bring the book over to you and prop it against the wall. The pages are black with white features instead of the usual, and there are some author notes on the inside cover. "Note To All Future Readers: This book has been enchanted so that even the most complex and intricate wordings would eventually simplify themselves in your eye, making anything in this book readable." A signature follows, but is unreadable. You've never learned cursive. > That note sounds too complicated. Just put the book down, books aren't adventure you silly pony! You're not a genius, but you can understand what "making anything readable" means. It'd be ironic if you didn't. ...and yet that signature is still unreadable. > This book is creepy. Let's go see if Zecora knows anything about it! Well... *munch* While that is a good idea, you might as well wait until later. Apparently Apple Bloom had plans to go into Everfree today anyway. > Find that the book is about fabric. The one of reality, actually. It's a spellbook for growing unicorns, full of training spells. The foreword after the author notes seems to go into detail about magic theory, elaborating on the unicorn's innate ability to warp the fabric of reality. You know that this is incredibly boring, but honestly, you're not going to try magic without actually reading the important stuff first...though you suppose there's no real harm in speed reading, as this might take a while... ==> You are now Scootaloo! You were about to talk to Apple Bloom about her brief trip into the Everfree Forest earlier today, but you don't know exactly WHAT to ask about. What will you ask her? > Begin dialogue tree. Scootaloo: ...Apple Bloom, what are you doing? Apple Bloom: Lookin aht the spahder. Tryin ta figure out how it got there... maybe if we should get rid of it. Ah mean, it's ah creepy crawleh and all, but it does make the ceilin look more excitin than just plain wood. Scootaloo: Yeah I don't really care about that. What I DO care about is... What were you up to with Pinkie Pie before? Apple Bloom: Well, ah was kinda plannin a surprise party for ya, but since we're gonna be adventurin today, it'd be best if ah letcha know beforehand. Scootaloo: Aw, thanks Apple Bloom~! Apple Bloom: Do ah detect a hint of sweetness in your words? Scootaloo: ...Shaddup. So Fluttershy told me that you were in the Everfree Forest earlier today! Apple Bloom: Yeah. Ah was tryin to get a cartography cutie mark bah makin a map of the forest, but Fluttershy shooed me out before ah could get any real work done. Scootaloo: Did you at least draw something up? Apple Bloom: Nothin worth hangin on to. Scootaloo: Darn... Hey, you've been in Everfree a lot because of how much you visit Zecora, right? Any idea what kinds of monsters live in there? Apple Bloom: Well, cockatrices, obviously. There are also ursas, the Blanks, which are what ah like to call the zombie ponies that live in a certain area of Everfree, manticores, parasprites, and at least one sea serpent. Scootaloo: ...hm...hey, ya think that if we fought one of those monsters and won, we'd have an awesome story to tell my folks! Apple Bloom: Yeah! We just gotta choose which monster tah fight so we can be prepared! Scootaloo: Hm... which monster...? > Sea serpent. >> Prepare for monster fight by getting birthday presents. Scootaloo: Hmm... alright! I've decided that we're going to take down a sea serpent! Apple Bloom: Well how're we gonna do that? Scootaloo: Well first...maybe I could go get all my presents from my surprise party so I can be more prepared! Apple Bloom: Scootaloo, no! Pinkie Pie doesn't know that you know about the party! Heck, ah didn't Pinkie Swear just because ah knew ya would've figured it out! Scootaloo: Well... darn. Okay, I guess we can plan without new stuff... what do we have to do first? Apple Bloom: Well, ah suppose the three things we need are how ta find a sea serpent, how ta fight a sea serpent, and how ta defend ourselves against a sea serpent. Scootaloo: ...how would I even go about doing that? Apple Bloom: Why the heck would ah know? ==> Scootaloo: Hm... okay I got an idea! Apple Bloom, you can head to Zecora's place and ask her what we could use to defend ourselves... like, healing potions and stuff... Sweetie Belle can go ask Fluttershy about how we'd fight a sea serpent, since she's taken down a manticore and a dragon, and I...well, I guess I'm stuck going to Twilight's place and figuring out how to find a sea serpent. That cool with everyone? Sweetie Belle: Yeah, that sounds fair. Apple Bloom: ...kay. An objective is in mind! Now which objective to follow through with first? ============ MORE TO COME AS I UPDATE

Macon Mixx

396

Original Character,Other,Prince Blueblood,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Her Illustrious Highness

Star Swirl, an earth pony among unicorns, struggles to find her place in Celestia's court.

complete

<p>Star Swirl is, quite literally, an earth pony among unicorns. One of the youngest members of Celestia's court, she struggles to find her place among the elite of Equestria. For years, she has questioned what it means to be a royal pony and whom she is actually descended from, with little to show for it. But now that Luna has returned to Equestria, Star Swirl will finally get some answers and make some great new friends along the way!</p>

teen

2012-06-26T20:53:34+00:00

2012-06-26T20:53:34+00:00

Star Swirl is a merch pony released in Europe as a bonus with Rarity's Royal Gem Carriage. This is her story. Her Illustrious Highness By Macon Mixx Chapter 1 Being the youngest member of the youngest branch of the royal family came with all of the burdens of royalty… without any of the advantages. Star Swirl's modest stipend as a retainer of the court never lasted the month, and she didn't have any lands or holdings from which to draw funds. As a courtier of the Princess of the Sun, she wasn't permitted to work, and even if she were, she wouldn't have known what to do. She wasn't a unicorn, and so she couldn't wield magic. She wasn't a pegasus, and so she couldn't fly. She was an earth pony, but she simply didn't have the size or strength for manual labor. Besides, as one of the only earth ponies in a court full of unicorns, her standing was so tenuous that she risked being ostracized for as little as talking with the common ponies. She would be a complete outcast if she actually worked alongside them. Star Swirl had her cutie mark, of course, but that was the worst part of it. She had a cutie mark, but no special talent. That's how it was for all of the royals. The astral symbols emblazoned on their flanks indicated that they were descended from the god-queens of the day and night, but nothing more. After so many generations, no one even knew which princess the royals were descended from. Many had asked, but Celestia wasn't telling. Swirl, though, had always believed that she was descended from Luna. Perhaps now that the Princess of the Moon had returned from her exile, the youngest member of Celestia's court would finally get some answers. ----- "Too pink… Too kitsch… Too party…" Swirl mumbled to herself as she browsed the rack of dresses. In truth, Purple Streamer's Party Dress Emporium wasn't really the place to shop for formal attire, but all that was left of her monthly allowance was 27 bits. To find something for that price, she was going to have to stick to the clearance racks, even here at the least expensive dress and saddle shop in Canterlot. "Well, if it ain't my best customer, Her Royal Highness Star Swirl of Equestria! To what do I owe this here honor? They havin' another shindig at the palace?" Star Swirl spun around to see Purple Streamer, a lavender earth pony with a seven-toned mane and an almost impossibly large grin. Despite the scare that Streamer had given her, Swirl found that the party pony's infectious smile was spreading to her face, too. "Aw, Streamer! You shouldn't sneak up on a pony like that!" Swirl giggled as she lightly rebuked her friend. "And please don't style me as royalty! It's so embarrassing when ponies do that!" "Well, you are the only royal I've ever had visit my shop. And what's royalty doin' browsing the clearance rack, anyways? You just come with me." At that, Star Swirl was on her back and being drug by the tail to the other side of the store. Surprised by Streamer's sudden, albeit playful, attack, she had no chance to resist. When the two reached their destination, Swirl stood back up and dusted herself off before looking up to see a dress more beautiful than anything she had ever imagined. "What do ya think, sugarcube?" Swirl stared in awe at the creation. Blues, pinks, and purples, all in perfect coordination with her own coat and mane, danced and around each other like fillies around a maypole. The effect was something like stained glass, or modern art, or the night sky. She struggled to find the words to describe her feelings. "It's… It's… It's… wow." The salesmare blushed. "Aww, shucks. I thought you'd like it. I had it special made just for you by an up-and-comin' designer out of Ponyville. Real sweet mare by the name a' Rarity. Cost a small fortune, even at wholesale, but nothin's too good for royalty, right?" At the word "cost", Star Swirl's trance was broken. She looked sadly from the dress to her friend. "The dress really is amazing Streamer, but there's no way I can afford it. Until I get next month's stipend, I'm down to my last twenty seven bits! And from the way you've described it, I'm not sure even a whole month's stipend would be enough to buy something this nice." Streamer's impossibly wide grin returned. Swirl wondered what in Equestria she could be so happy about. "Now don't you go worryin' yourself about the bits. This dress is already paid for. I took it out of my advertisin' budget. I just need a little help from you in return. I hired Photo Shoppe from down the road to work up these flyers. Just need a picture of you in that lovely dress and we're set!" Swirl glanced at the mock-up flyers that Streamer was holding out to her. PURPLE STREAMER'S PARTY DRESS EMPORIUM: The Dress & Saddle Shop of Choice for Her Royal Highness, Star Swirl of Equestria! Swirl felt herself beginning to swoon. ----- From Star Swirl's mortified expression, it was clear to Purple Streamer that Swirl was going to turn down her offer. She almost began to panic. Should she have told Swirl about her idea before she sunk so much money into it? She already had the designs, the billboards, the dress.... That dress had cost her almost a thousand bits! She'd sunk nearly every remaining bit into this last-ditch effort to save her store, but if Star Swirl said "no," she would be in worse straits than ever! Fortunately, Streamer caught herself just before going into all-out panic mode. This mare is your friend, Streamer thought to herself. Just tell her the truth. Friends help friends, right? She'll want to do everything she can to help a friend in need. With that, Purple Streamer swallowed hard and prepared to be more honest with Swirl than she had been with any other pony in a decade. ----- "... and so, with all of that happenin' at once, I'm mighty close to losing my store. It was a mite harebrained of me to get so far along on this plan without asking you about it, but I'm here now, and so I'm going to ask you one more time. This bit of advertising may be my last chance to save the Emporium. Even if you wouldn't do it for the dress, could you do it for me, sugarcube, as a friend?" When she had first seen the advertisements, all of the blood had rushed away from Star Swirl's head and down to her hooves. Slowly, some small part of it was returning, allowing her to think clearly again for the first time in the ten minutes since she had seen them. As she recovered from the shock, the first voice that spoke up in her reawakening consciousness was one of doubt. Friend? Is she really your friend? You’re just someone she wants something from. Don't you get used enough as a pawn at court? Or do you have to let yourself be used by this common pony, too? As a little more of her consciousness returned, a second voice made itself known. She's our friend! She's our friend! Woohoo! We've got a friend! No time for all those snooty-fruity royal court ponies… We've got a friend! With her composure mostly returned to her, Swirl decided that the first voice was wrong and the second voice was right. With how much of her time was eaten up by the cold, heartless frivolity of the court, she never really had a chance to make good friends. In fact, this salesmare, who she really knew only casually, might be her best friend in the world. It was time to further that friendship. "Well… friends help friends, right?" Swirl smiled weakly at Streamer, who herself was nearly in tears. Streamer's usual, impossibly large grin returned as she wrapped Swirl in a hug. "Oh, thank you! Thanks so much! Ya' don't know what all this means to me!" When she had escaped her friend's embrace and was once again able to draw breath, Swirl asked her friend the only thing left to ask. "When is the photo session?" ----- On arriving at Photo Shoppe's studio later that day, Star Swirl had taken on an air of command and confidence. She was faking the confidence, really, but she knew she had to do it if this were to go over well. It was embarrassing enough that her face was going to be plastered all over Canterlot. She was at least going to make sure that they got her style right! "Nonononono! It's 'Her Illustrious Highness', not 'Her Royal Highness'. I'm six generations removed from the last member of my family who carried the style HRH! And there's no 'of Equestria'. Only Celestia and Luna get that!" Photo Shoppe just rolled his eyes. He was used to being corrected by the divas he worked with. But Purple Streamer looked genuinely surprised. "You mean to tell me that all this time I've been callin' you 'Your Royal Highness' I've been sayin' it wrong? Why didn't you correct me years ago?" Swirl blushed, momentarily dropping her façade of poise and control. "I really didn't want you to style me at all. I was afraid if I corrected you, I'd only encourage it." "Well, if that don't beat all. Then again, I suppose that 'Illustrious Highness' really does sound better than 'Royal Highness' anyway! Everypony already knows you folks is royal. The title tell's 'em you're illustrious, too!" "It's not really something to brag about, Streamer. 'Her Illustrious Highness' is the lowest style in the court. It's so low, it doesn't even the get initials HIH. That was taken by a style higher up." "All that court mumbo-jumbo doesn't mean nothin' to us common ponies. 'Illustrious', 'Royal', whatever. It all sounds the same to me, and it will all sound the same to the pony on the street, too. You just wait and see. You and that dress are going to save the Emporium!"

Macon Mixx

396

Original Character,Other,Prince Blueblood,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Her Illustrious Highness

Star Swirl, an earth pony among unicorns, struggles to find her place in Celestia's court.

complete

<p>Star Swirl is, quite literally, an earth pony among unicorns. One of the youngest members of Celestia's court, she struggles to find her place among the elite of Equestria. For years, she has questioned what it means to be a royal pony and whom she is actually descended from, with little to show for it. But now that Luna has returned to Equestria, Star Swirl will finally get some answers and make some great new friends along the way!</p>

teen

2012-06-26T22:06:58+00:00

2012-06-26T22:06:58+00:00

Her Illustrious Highness By Macon Mixx Chapter 2 Although the Great Hall of the Royal Palace was not as airy as the throne room, its sheer size was enough to make anypony feel small. Windows eight ponies high ran the length of the hall on both sides, allowing a beautiful view of Celestia's setting sun in the west and admitting the first argent rays of Luna's rising moon in the east. Marble columns bore the weight of the roof, which was itself decorated with purple tapestries. Intricate marble veins, carved in relief on each of the pillars, lent the hall a sylvan aura. A single chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the Great Hall without subduing the beauty of the rising moon and setting sun. Finally, the pièce de résistance, masterful works of stained glass at the beginning and end of the hall depicted the creation of Equestria. Star Swirl had lived in the palace her entire life, and this room still awed her. Just stepping hoof through the doors made her feel small. Normally, Star Swirl fought against that tiny sort of feeling. Today, however, tiny was just what she was hoping for. In fact, she would have been happy to have been insignificant. Anything, anything at all would have been worth it to avoid being noticed. She was wearing a 27 bit dress to a formal event in the royal palace. Swirl had gratefully accepted Purple Streamer's gift of the dress she had worn for the photo shoot earlier that day. After all, she had agreed to do the advertisements for her friend. Why not claim the reward? Streamer had the advertisements to help save her dress shop, and Swirl had a beautiful new dress that she could never have afforded on her own. The dress, however, was too special to wear to just any event at the palace. Most weeks had one or two formal occasions. Some even had three! No, this dress was perfect, and Swirl knew just what she was saving it for. Luna's birthday was in only two more days, and Swirl wanted to look her best for the celebration. This meant, however, that she had been forced to go back to the clearance racks after the photo session and find something for tonight's reception. Thankful for Star Swirl's help and feeling sorry for the impoverished scion, Streamer had offered to give her a dress for tonight's event as well. Swirl, though, had refused. She hadn't agreed to do the advertisements for the dress, she told herself, but for a friend. She was royalty, and as well-meaning as Streamer was, Star Swirl couldn't accept her charity. An affected Ox-ford accent cut through Swirl's thoughts. "Lady Star Swirl! Do join us!" Star Swirl cringed. Noticed already? she thought to herself. Normally, she could attend an event like this without a single pony talking to her all night long. She was afraid that her orange-and-lime-green clearance rack dress was working against her in that regard. Perhaps she should have accepted Purple Streamer's charity after all. This was going to be a long night. ----- "Lady Star Swirl! So lovely to see you this evening at the reception for the Wyrmish ambassador!" So that’s what this is all about! Swirl thought. With so many feasts, dances, and receptions held at the palace, it was hard to keep track of exactly which was for whom. Another of the finely dressed unicorn royals spoke up. "Now Dear, you simply must tell us where you found that charming selle!" Selle? Swirl thought. Is that Fence? Swirl wished that she had taken her foreign language classes more seriously. Oh, everypony was staring at her! Or were they staring at… her dress? Selle must mean saddle! Star Swirl was going to curse this dress until the day she died. "Oh, my… selle! Yes! It's from… Neighpon!" Star Swirl held her breath. She had never been to Neighpon in her life, but the country was famous for its over-the-top fashion and garish styles. With any luck, the wealthy unicorns she was speaking with would be far enough removed from everyday life in Equestria not to realize that she had in fact bought her dress off the clearance rack. "Neighpon? How exotic! How full of life! I must say, if one of we older mares had dared to wear something so… vivacious… we would have been laughed right out of Canterlot. But on you, dear, it looks absolutely stunning!" Star Swirl looked at the faces all around her, and dared to breathe again. They were smiling. Everypony had bought her story! Words could not describe Star Swirl's relief, but she was sincerely hoping not to have to lie to any pony again. And so, after graciously thinking the older royal for the complement, she quickly changed the subject. ----- Star Swirl had been making the rounds of the Great Hall. Much to her surprise, she was actually beginning to enjoy the attention that her brightly-colored dress was attracting. Never in her life had Swirl been so in-demand among her royal peers. Unfortunately, her brief moment of fame was enough to garner the attentions—and the jealousies—of the pettiest unicorn in the court, Her Illustrious Highness Lady Violet. Lady Violet was, technically speaking, an amicus of Star Swirl. By virtue of being of the same royal standing and because they were clients of the same patron, the two were, by definition, "friends". The truth, though, was that Lady Violet didn't make friends of her amici. She made stepping stones of them. "Lady Star Swirl! It's simply lovely to see you my dear!" Lady Violet's smile was that of a manticore happily eyeing its next meal. "Y… y… you too, Lady Violet." Star Swirl bit her lip. She knew from experience that attention from Lady Violet could only mean trouble. The other royal ponies knew this, too, and those within earshot of the exchange stopped to watch the show. They're vultures, thought Star Swirl. Vultures, every one of them! Swirl knew that if Lady Violet were to tear her to bits, the royal buzzards now circling around them would be more than happy to clean up the scraps. The weak were always a prime target in the court, and one could expect her allies to abandon her at a moment's notice if she showed even the faintest signs of weakness. Swirl knew that she couldn't give an inch to Lady Violet or she would be set on by the entire mob. "I have a question for you, Lady Swirl. A question that I feel could be best answered by an… earth... pony." Lady Violet's voice dropped as she whispered the penultimate word, as though it were a vulgarity. "Well, you've come to the right mare! I'm one of the only earth ponies in the court!" Star Swirl cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. She seemed to be making a career out of saying the wrong things at the wrong time. Lady Violet, on the other hoof, was now grinning more eagerly than ever. "Tell me, then, what do you think of the legislation Lord Blowhard recently put before Their Majesties? As you know, many of the Equestrian provinces still forbid mixed marriage. A pegasus and a unicorn, for example, could be married in Manehattan. But across the bay in Hoofington, their union would not be recognized. Lord Blowhard's proposal would afford recognition to mixed couples across Equestria, as long as the marriage was legal in the province where it was officiated." The confusion was evident on Star Swirl's face. "I don't understand why you would ask me about Lord Blowhard's proposal, especially here and now. Surely you would rather discuss this in court. I believe it is on the agenda for tomorrow morning?" "I do intend to discuss the issue tomorrow in court, but I thought that, given the… indiscretions… so evident in your family tree, you might have a particularly well-formed opinion on the matter." "Indiscretions?" Lady Violet nickered, as did several of the royal unicorns who had surrounded them. She moved in for the kill. "As you said, you are one of the only earth ponies in Their Majesties' court. Nearly all of the rest of the courtiers are unicorns, and we know that the Princesses Minor, matrons of the royal family and our links to the Princesses Regent Celestia and Luna, were all unicorns as well. Why, it's as plain as the horn on your face that some grandmare of yours must have enjoyed a little bit of workhorse when nopony was watching." Lady Violet nickered again. "Or rather, I suppose it's as plain as the horn that isn't on your face, isn't it darling?" Star Swirl's mind spun with all that Lady Violet was implying. If her ancestors had "mixed the race," then their children wouldn't have been legitimate. If their children were illegitimate, then they weren't truly royal. And if they weren't royals, then neither was she. Like Lady Violet had said, it was as plain as the horn on her face. Suddenly, Star Swirl wasn't feeling well at all. Ignoring all the decorum and manners that her years in the palace had taught her, Swirl reared up and galloped out of the Great Hall. Lady Violet, however, smiled smugly to herself as she settled back into the spotlight which she had just chased Star Swirl out of. ----- Cajun Dish had only recently joined the palace staff, but the pegasus was seriously thinking about resigning. Despite the fact that he had moved up through the ranks of his art to become one of the most notable Creole chefs in Equestria, he had only been accepted into the palace's kitchen staff due to the overlap between Creole and Fence dishes. As saucier, he was the first line cook in the palace kitchen, but that really meant next to nothing. He was about as involved in the planning menus as the first private in the royal guard was involved in planning attack strategies. That is to say, he was not involved in the executive function of the kitchens whatsoever. Dish longed to let his talent shine. To prepare an étouffée fit for a queen. To dazzle the royal household with his chayotes. To show them what onions and peppers and celery could truly be! But instead, night after night, he prepared sauces in the style of the old world. Though many were bold, and several were spicy, none had the magic of a good cajun dish. Tonight, though, something else was putting the Princesses' saucier on edge. He had become a prisoner in his own kitchen, trapped by the little bundle of sorrow that was guarding the door. There, between Dish and the kitchen proper, was a young mare, barely more than a filly, crying her eyes out on the floor. Cajun Dish had never had a way with the mares. Most of the time, he often found himself seizing up in fear just trying to say hello. But he knew that, if he ever intended to make an escape, he was going to have to talk the distraught young lady down. When I leave this place, Cajun Dish thought to himself, I am never again going to work in a kitchen that doesn't have a back way out! ----- Star Swirl had tried to escape the palace all together, but instead had found herself trapped in a small room off the main kitchen. Seeing that there was nowhere for her to go but back out the way she had come in, she simply lay down on the ground and began to cry. It started small at first—little sniffles, a few tears—but quickly escalated to heart-rending sobs that wracked her entire frame. Before long, she had forgotten exactly why she was crying, and was reduced to bawling simply because she was bawling. Through the thick curtain of shame and self-doubt that covered her, Star Swirl was unable to confront her fears. It was at just that moment that Swirl felt the gentle brush of a hoof on her shoulder, as somepony's foreleg enveloped her in a modest hug. Her tears were unrelenting, but the compassionate touch softened her loud sobbing to a gentle murmur, all but drowned out by the hubbub of the kitchen that carried through the walls. It was then that Star Swirl looked up to see the apprehensive young stallion whose leg was draped awkwardly over her shoulder. She almost felt like laughing at how nervous he appeared in comforting her, and the sight of him did almost as much for her spirits as the hug. "Um… Your Highness?" The chef pony stated, guessing at Star Swirl's style. Swirl simply shook her head "no". She was still too raddled to be able to say anything. "Your… Grace?" Swirl shook her head no again. "Your Royal Highness?" No. "Your Serene Highness?" No. "Your Excellency?" No. "Your Honor?" No. This stallion really wasn't very good at guessing games. "Your… Illustrious Highness?" Star swirl nodded her head "yes", and dug deep within herself to find the words she needed for a bit of clarification: "But you can just call me Swirl." "Oh, okay. Swirl, then. Um… you okay sweetheart?" Knowing without a doubt that he was talking to royalty made Cajun Dish even more nervous. He had been uncertain, due to the fact that Star Swirl was an earth pony. But her style left no doubt. When the only answer to his question was continued sniffles from the royal mare, Dish gathered his courage to ask another question. "You wanna talk about what's wrong?" "You won't want to hear about it," the mare said through her tears. "Yes, yes I will. I will if it helps you to talk about it." "Are you sure?" The young mare sounded hopeful, but reserved. As if she was trying to protect herself in case her new acquaintance let her down. In truth, Dish wasn't really sure. He was trying to impress the executive chef, and going missing in action to hear some filly's story wasn't going to help his case. But he knew the feelings of loss, betrayal, and confusion that showed through the other pony's eyes, and he didn't want to disappoint her. He lay on the kitchen floor near his accidental captor. "Of course I'm sure. You tell Cajun Dish whatever's on your mind." The invitation set off one of the longest monologues Cajun Dish had ever heard. Swirl told the stallion about her position in court, the intrigues she had been a part of, and of the most recent attack by her amicus, Lady Violet. With each revelation, Cajun Dish would smile and nod sagely, but didn't say a thing. Finally, when Swirl had finished her narrative through the present day, Cajun spoke up. "You know little filly, I think I've figured out what your problem is." "My… my problem? I'm unimportant and unloved and possibly even illegitimate! You think I just have one problem?" "Only one that matters. No pony appreciates your special talent!" "Oh, but that's the worst part of it! Royal ponies don't have special talents. None of us do! Our cutie marks are just for decoration." "You seem awfully sure of that, sugarcube. But when was the last time you knew a royal pony to have a heart-to-heart with a commoner like me?" "Well, I spent some time in town with Purple Streamer yesterday, but…" Dish interrupted her, "I meant any royal pony besides you." Swirl thought for a moment before she replied. "I can't say that I've ever heard of another royal pony being friends with a commoner, unless you count Celestia mentoring her personal students." "Well then, it's settled! I think we just found your special talent!" "But how could that be my special talent? Talking a lot doesn't make any sense as a special talent! Besides, what does it have to do with my cutie mark? And how would you even know what my 'one big problem' is in the first place?" Swirl questioned. "Sugarcube, I don't know how it could be, but I know that it is! And I knew what your problem was, because I've been struggling with that same problem myself! Think about it. I'm a pony named Cajun Dish working for the Princesses. How many times do you think Celestia has called the kitchen and asked us to make gumbo?" Star Swirl suppressed a giggle as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Um… never?" "Never. I admit I've only been working here for about four months, but I don't expect that to change anytime soon. Whenever a new pony starts on in the kitchen, we have to read a 748 page tome on Celestia's favorite foods. Among the thousands of recipes in the book, there was not one gumbo, not one jambalaya, not one creole dish of any kind. In fact, the princess doesn't like anything spicy! It's frustrating to not be able to do what I'm good at. It leaves me feeling hurt and confused. And those are the same things I see when I look at you. You really have somethin' to be able to talk with a common pony like me, and it's hurting you to be constantly discouraged from usin' that gift." The princesses' chef had only a split second to prepare for the half-hug, half-tackle he received from the earth pony. She didn't quite knock him over, but it wasn't for any lack of trying. "Thanks Cajun. I really owe you for this." "You'll find a way to make it up to me in your own time." With a mile, Star Swirl released her new friend and started for the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she smiled. "I will. I promise."

Macon Mixx

396

Original Character,Other,Prince Blueblood,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Her Illustrious Highness

Star Swirl, an earth pony among unicorns, struggles to find her place in Celestia's court.

complete

<p>Star Swirl is, quite literally, an earth pony among unicorns. One of the youngest members of Celestia's court, she struggles to find her place among the elite of Equestria. For years, she has questioned what it means to be a royal pony and whom she is actually descended from, with little to show for it. But now that Luna has returned to Equestria, Star Swirl will finally get some answers and make some great new friends along the way!</p>

teen

2012-06-28T20:39:33+00:00

2012-06-28T20:39:33+00:00

Her Illustrious Highness By Macon Mixx Chapter 3 The workings of the Equestrian autocracy were complex. Small amounts of power were dispersed among the masses at the bottom, while ultimate authority rested with Princess Celestia at the top. On the local level, the common ponies had a large degree of self-determination, particularly in the chartered cities and towns. At the regional level, governance was split between the royal descendants of the princesses and the wealthy and powerful tribunes who were elected to represent the commons. Finally, on the national level, decisions were debated and bills drafted by the courtiers, but all bills required the signature of Celestia to become law. In theory, Luna's power was to equal that of Celestia, but since her return and defeat as Nightmare Moon, Luna had yet to claim her rightful place in the political sphere. Being a landless noble of the lowest standing, Star Swirl was devoid of any influence in the Equestrian provinces. Instead, Swirl threw all her energy into serving the royal court at Canterlot. She could count on her hooves the number of times she had been absent when court was in session, which was quite a feat considering the fact that ponies have only four hooves. She was always among the first courtiers to arrive and the last to retire. When there was an agenda, she memorized it beforehand. When there was none, she made it her business to find out what matters had come up that might be presented to the court. She had even gone to court in the dark on the fateful day of the Summer Sun Celebration when Nightmare Moon attacked! Of course, she was the only pony there, but Swirl wasn't going to let eternal night spoil her near-perfect record of attendance. In short, there was nopony among the entire royal family who took court as seriously as Star Swirl. On this particular morning, however, Swirl was skipping court. She hadn't meant to do so. Not consciously, at any rate. Unlike most of the royals, who used unicorn magic to power their alarm clocks, Swirl had to wind hers by hoof every night. But it had been such a late night, and one filled with so many emotions, that when she finally arrived back at her room in the palace she had forgotten to wind it. It hadn't gone off, and Swirl hadn't gotten up. When she finally did get out of bed, court had already been in session for over an hour. The doors to the court were barred as soon as Celestia took her throne, and no one could come in unless summoned. Normally, Swirl would have been distraught to have missed it--She could no longer say that bit about counting her missed days on her hooves!--But after the abuse she had suffered last night at the reception for the Wyrmish ambassador, she had no desire to see her amicus, Lady Violet, any time soon. Swirl was going to see a real friend. She was going into town to visit Purple Streamer. ----- Having her entire day free, on account of missing court, Star Swirl decided to enjoy the city and take an alternate route to Purple Streamer's Party Dress Emporium. It wasn't long before she found herself walking, nose to the sky, in the style of a Manehattan tourist. The spires, archways, and elevated gardens of Canterlot were truly beautiful, and Star Swirl took them in much the same way that a newborn foal would gaze upon her mother's face. Despite having grown up there, Swirl knew little about the city of Canterlot other than what could be seen over the palace walls. As a filly, she had almost never been allowed outside, and even as an adult mare, such trips were discouraged. Generally, if the royals had business to do in the city proper, they sent a servant to do it for them. Star Swirl, not having any servants, was one of the few who ever visited town at all. But those trips were as infrequent and as business-like as possible. Everything she was seeing today was new. The shops, the ponies, the thirty foot billboard with her face on it.... The thirty foot billboard with my face on it?! Swirl thought with a start. How in Equestria did Purple Streamer get those up there so quickly? Our photo shoot was just yesterday! Star Swirl felt herself starting to wilt. Her perfect, sunny day, was suddenly hit with a thunderhead's worth of embarrassment. Fear and surprise rained down, illuminated by flashes of self-doubt and punctuated by the rolling cry of insecurity. She wanted to run back to the palace and hide. Court no longer sounded like such a dreadful place to be. At least she wouldn't have to look at herself! But knowing that the doors were closed, and remembering the way the guards reacted the last time she tried to sneak in late by digging a tunnel under the moat, Star Swirl decided she would just have to pony-up and face her fears. It was now or never. Just focus on the other ponies, Swirl thought to herself. You can do this. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. No one here knows you. Just relax and enjoy yourself. "POPCORN! GET YOUR POPCORN HERE! POPCORN! MAKE IT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST, OR A LATE MORNING SNACK! POPCORN! GET YOUR POPCORN!" The street vendor was standing not more than two ponies-length away, and Star Swirl felt like he was yelling specifically at her. Still, a snack would be the perfect way to distract herself. "One bag please. Your smallest popcorn," Swirl said. "SURE THING MISS! THAT'LL BE FOUR BITS!" the middle-aged unicorn shouted. "Of course, just one..." Swirl's cheeks turned red as she realized that she hadn't bothered to bring her coin purse with her. After all, it doesn't do much good to carry a perfectly empty coin purse. "Oh! I seem to um... I think I left my... Oh, I'm so sorry!" Swirl gushed, backing away from the popcorn stand. "ALRIGHT, WELL COME BY AGAIN ON PAYDAY. I'LL HAVE A FRESH BAG FOR YA'!" Swirl blushed even more as the old loudmouth announced to everyone within a hundred feet that she didn't have any money. She looked behind her. Half a dozen ponies were sitting outside a small restaurant, staring at her and whispering to their friends. She felt the return of her temptation to bolt for the palace. But this turn of events made her want to see Purple Streamer even more than before, and the week she had spent in the anti-terrorism unit's containment cell after trying to sneak into court late really had been one of the worst weeks in her life--at least the fourth worst, maybe the third--and she didn't want to re-live it any time soon. Star Swirl decided to forget all about what just happened and continue exploring the city. Unbeknownst to her, several of the ponies who had noticed her conversation with the street vendor left their tables at the open-air cafe to follow her. ----- The street that Star Swirl was following opened up into a large plaza with a garden in the center. As beautiful as it was, it couldn't hold a candle to the gardens within the walls of the palace, but to Swirl, it was gorgeous. In her entire life, the only gardens she had ever seen up close were the gardens of the palace. Though they were among the finest in Equestria, they had lost any novelty many, many years ago. A pony can only see the same gardens so many times before even the most beautiful plants in the world start to seem dull. This garden in the plaza, though, was something totally new. On seeing the garden, Swirl broke out into a gallop. She nearly trampled an older mare while closing the gap between herself and the green oasis, and in her haste, completely missed the weathered tin sign that read "Please Do Not Graze on the Topiaries". She splashed through the edge of the koi pond in the heart of the garden. She felt the soft mulch beneath her hooves as she trotted along the garden path. She danced like a foal around the bush that had been trimmed and trained into the image of Princess Celestia. And then, she saw it. The most perfect daisy that had ever been or ever would be, its sunny yellow head crowned with white rays of peace and innocence. She paused in her revelry to contemplate its beauty, and then, she ate it. It was just as delicious as it had been beautiful. "Mommy! That lady is eating the flowers! Why can't I have one?!" said a young colt. Only now did Swirl realize that a dozen or so bystanders had been watching her romp through the garden, and most of them were now laughing and talking among themselves. "Come now dear, you'll spoil your supper. No flowers until you finish your hay." the colt's mother replyed. "But I want it now!" the boy cried. "Press Tonne, am I going to have to take you home? You're making a scene. Everypony is staring at us!" In truth, though, the only pony staring at the mother and son was Star Swirl. Everypony else was busy staring at her and talking openly between one and another. She quickly gulped down the half-chewed daisy she was holding in her mouth and smiled, out of instinct rather than any sense of happiness, as she tried to slink away and get lost in the crowd. She did a fine job of getting herself lost, but she failed to lose the ponies who had followed her from the open-air cafe. In fact, several new ponies from the plaza were now following her as well. ----- As soon as Star Swirl escaped from the crowds milling around the plaza, it became evident that a good portion of that crowd had left behind their other pursuits and were now following her. There were at least two dozen of them now, trailing behind her and growing louder and more boisterous with every step. Swirl wasn't quite certain why so many ponies were following her, but she knew it couldn't be good. At best, they were all following her to mock her antics. At worst... Well, that wasn't really something she wanted to think about. As she found the way back to Purple Streamer's store, Swirl sped up to a brisk trot. The ponies following her began to trot, too. Trying not to lose her cool, Swirl began to canter. The ponies following her began to canter, too. Completely losing her composure, Swirl broke into a gallop. The herd behind her, suddenly swelling to thirty or forty ponies, were galloping too, right down one of the busiest streets in Canterlot. Swirl reached the door to Streamer's shop just as another pony stepped out of it. Running to fast to stop, she crashed head-long into her friend's customer. For the second time in as many days, Star Swirl felt her world going black. ----- "I told you that was her!" "Yes darling, you most certainly did!" "Lemme see! Lemme see!" "Hey! Don't everybody crowd the gal! Let 'er have some space!" "Um, Miss Star Swirl? Are you gunna be okay?" Star Swirl awoke to see a large crowd pressing in around her, held off from trampling her alive only by the valiant efforts of a purple earth pony with a striped mane. "Streamer?" Swirl asked, weakly. "Oh, thank Celestia! Yer awake! I've been tryin' to keep all these here ponies from crushin' ya', but I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to if this herd got much larger!" Star Swirl, still dazed from her collision, started to sniffle, and then to cry. "Whyyyyyyy?!" Swirl exclaimed, her cries punctuated by sniffles. "Whyyy does everypony haaaaate meeeee?" Star Swirl could barely anunciate her words through her sobbing. Purple Streamer looked on in amazement. "Hate ya? Why, these ponies here love ya so much they're about ready to start killin' one anther just to get close to ya!" The crying stopped. "Why" *sniff* "would anyone" *sniff* "want to be close to me?" *sniffle* "'Cause yer royalty, sugarcube! These ponies have all been hoping and praying for someone who can make a difference in their lives, and now they have you. Yer their guardian alicorn!" Star Swirl looked up at her friend. It was her turn to be amazed. "But Streamer! I'm a nopony in the court. How could I possibly be somepony's guardian alicorn?" The party pony winked. "You were mine. I trust you can find a way to be helpin' them, too." "You mean, the billboards, the ads... They're helping already?" "Sure as sugar! I haven't had a day of sales this strong since the last Winter Moon celebration!" "Well, I guess I can try, but I don't know how I can help them all at once!" With that, the purple earth pony turned to face the crowd. "YA'LL HEARD HER ILLUSTRIOUSNESS! SINGLE FILE LINE! NO CUTTIN', NO CHEATIN'! YA'LL ARE GUNNA GET YER TURN, NOW, YA HEAR?" Swirl couldn't help but smile as her friend Streamer once again botched her style. The real matter at hand, though, was trying to find a way to help so many ponies. A single file line wasn't exactly what she had had in mind, but now that Purple Streamer had told everypony that she was going to help, Swirl didn't want to be the one to disappoint them. She just hoped she had enough time left in the day to talk with everyone in line. While she had been out, the herd surrounding her had grown to more than fifty ponies. ----- Star Swirl made for quite a sight. She was sitting beneath a giant sign featuring her likeness, flanked by her friend-turned-bodyguard, in front of a line consisting of dozens of pony petitioners. After speaking with the first petitioner, she realized why she had been followed by such a large crowed. Being an earth pony, she had gone largely unnoticed by the native unicorns of Canterlot until Purple Streamer had plastered her face on billboards across the city. The advertisements, however, had made her into a celebrity over night. And not just any celebrity, but the kind who likes to help out the common pony. After all, she had helped out Purple Streamer by endorsing her shop. Perhaps, they hoped, she would be willing to help them, too. After all, there weren't many royals out and about in Canterlot. If there was any chance of receiving royal favor, it would have to be from her. By the time she had spoken with her first three petitioners, she knew that there would be no way for her to help most of these ponies except to bring their petitions to the court. By the time she had spoken with the fifth petitioner, she was already beginning to forget what the first four had been petitioning for. "Streamer, can I trouble you for some paper? There is simply no way I can remember all of these petitions unless I start writing them down!" The young unicorn stallion who was next in line spoke up. "I have some paper right here, Your Majesty!" Star Swirl laughed. She was beginning to get used to her constantly-changing style. Perhaps she could use a different style for every day of the week! "Actually, it's 'Your Illustrious Highness', but just 'Swirl' is fine!" "Um, alright Miss Swirl. But I would be happy to take notes for you tonight!" Swirl raised an eyebrow. It didn't take her years of experience in court to know what was happening. "And in return, I suppose you want me to give extra consideration to your petition?" The colt looked at his hooves and barely whispered his reply. "Yes." Purple Streamer broke into her trademark impossibly-wide grin on seeing that her friend was able to play the political field so smoothly. Swirl began to smile, too, though not quite as widely as her friend. "It's alright," Star Swirl reassured the unicorn. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. We all have things we want and dream of! Unfortunately, I can't promise to give your request special consideration, but I will promise to do my very best to get your petition and the petition of everypony here tonight before the princesses. Is that good enough for you?" "Yeah, I suppose it is. Thanks Miss Swirl." "Now, would you like to help me address everypony's request like I said I would?" "Yes! Of course! How can I help?" the stallion asked, eagerly. Swirl smiled again. "Get out that paper you just offered me and start taking notes!" ----- After she had repeated to the young stallion the requests of the first five petitioners to be written down, he shared his own petition: The new paper tax was outrageous, and it was driving small-time scribes like him out of business. Was there anywhere else to find that revenue? Could the law be modified so that it didn't come down so hard on small businessponies? A dozen petitioners later, her head was starting to spin with all the requests, but Swirl shook it off and continued. If she didn't do something to help these ponies, then who would? It's not like the other royals ever spoke with them. No, Star Swirl would stick it out till the end. Or at least, until she could no longer hear the petitioners over the ever-increasing growls coming from her stomach. She was wishing with all her heart that she hadn't slept through breakfast! In fact, the only thing she had eaten all day was that daisy in the park. By the time Swirl had finished speaking with the thirty-fifth petitioner, her stomach was complaining more loudly than a river serpent who had lost his mustache. Just then, petitioner number thirty six levitated a large chocolate cake topped with dollops of whipped cream, cherries, and a single candle on the ground in front of the young royal. Swirl sighed. "Ah got this one for you, sugarcube," said Streamer. Turning towards the unicorn petitioner, she intoned, "Her Illustrious Highness, Star Swirl, regrets to inform you that she cannot accept gifts or favors in return for consideration of your petition." "Petition? Oh, I'm not here to petition. I was just so moved by seeing you out here among the common pony that I wanted to give you this! It's not much, really, but it was the nicest thing in my bakery when I saw you go by. I closed shop as quickly as I could and followed, though I have to say, it really hasn't done too well in this early afternoon sun." Star Swirl wasn't sure which surprised her more, how delicious the cake still looked after being outside for the last two hours, or the fact that the unicorn had waited in line for that entire time to give it to her. She was so shocked, she was barely able to stammer a thank you. "Oh, it's nothing Your Highness. Just my way of saying thanks!" And with that, the unicorn trotted back to her bakery, leaving the royal mare and her small entourage to enjoy some cake and satisfy their rumbling tummies before continuing to hear petitions. Several hours of petitioners later, the line had finally vanished and everypony besides Swirl, Streamer, and the unicorn scribe had gone home. "Well Ms. Swirl, it looks like that was all of them! We have petitions here from seventy six different ponies. I guess a few must have joined the line after it formed!" "I have to say, you really did a great job," Swirl said as she looked through the notes the unicorn had taken for her. She paused in her review and looked up at the scribe. "You know, I don't think I ever caught your name." The unicorn smiled. "If you're going to treat everypony's petition equally, does it really help you to know my name?" "Well, I suppose I could give you a little extra consideration. You did take down notes for me for almost five hours!" "Nah, Miss Swirl. If I've learned anything from you, it's that helping ponies out is its own reward. I really don't need you to do anything special for me. Just help everypony the best that you can, alright?" "I'll do that. Thanks. Have a nice night!" "You too!" the unicorn called as he trotted away. "We're all counting on you!" Star Swirl smiled. Ponies were relying on her. She was going to help everypony. It was a good feeling.

Macon Mixx

396

Original Character,Other,Prince Blueblood,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Her Illustrious Highness

Star Swirl, an earth pony among unicorns, struggles to find her place in Celestia's court.

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<p>Star Swirl is, quite literally, an earth pony among unicorns. One of the youngest members of Celestia's court, she struggles to find her place among the elite of Equestria. For years, she has questioned what it means to be a royal pony and whom she is actually descended from, with little to show for it. But now that Luna has returned to Equestria, Star Swirl will finally get some answers and make some great new friends along the way!</p>

teen

2012-06-26T22:27:59+00:00

2012-06-26T22:27:59+00:00

Her Illustrious Highness By Macon Mixx Chapter 4 Star Swirl awoke the next morning rested and refreshed. A hard day's work leads to a good night's rest. Swirl had never understood that proverb better than right now. After spending the better part of her day listening to petitioners, she and her friend Purple Streamer had retreated to Streamer's office to review the petitions. A few were set aside as impractical, at least for the moment. One unicorn's demand that flying should be off-limits for pegasi while in the city particularly made Star Swirl chuckle. Not only would that be a regional law, outside of the court's jurisdiction, but it was just silly to think that pegasi should be banned from using their particular brand of magic just because the dominant race in the city didn't share it. Some ponies could be so short-sighted! What if she demanded instead that he stop using his unicorn magic because she didn't posses any such skill? No, ponies should celebrate their differences, not try to iron them out. Among the pile of inquiries, several definite themes were repeated. Star Swirl decided she would focus on these in particular when she brought them before the court. Though, there was really no reason to wait until court reconvened to put the suggestions forward. Most of the real politics were done behind the scenes, anyway. Swirl had never been too heavily involved in that part of the court, but she had been involved enough that several of the other courtiers owed her small favors. Perhaps she could trade them in for help in fulfilling these common ponies' requests. After that revelation, the work had gone quickly, and she and her friend were able to spend an hour or so just talking before the royal earth pony decided it was time to head back to the palace and to bed. With Luna's birthday the very next night, she was going to want to be well rested. And well rested she now was, and ready to face the day. Getting ready for Luna's birthday celebration was going to take most of the day, but had learned from her mistake the day before, and wasn't going to miss breakfast twice. She headed down to the dining room in hopes of a good meal and maybe of seeing her new friend Cajun. ----- Swirl wasn't able to see Cajun Dish in the dining room. In fact, she wasn't able to see much of anything. As soon as she walked in, she was greeted by the sight of her amicus, Lady Violet, insulting one of the servants. "Oatmeal! Are you CRAZY?! Her Illustrious Highness, Lady Violet, comes to the ROYAL DINING ROOM for breakfast and is served OATMEAL?!" The servant mumbled some apology about how busy everyone was preparing for the celebration that night, but Star Swirl was too far away to hear exactly what was said. Lady Violet stormed off from the table where she had been sitting with a loud "Hmphf!" Her path took her right by Star Swirl, whom she glared at. "Perhaps that simply plebeian fare will be to your tastes, Lady Star Swirl, but I cannot let such common food touch my royal tongue!" Star Swirl would have replied, but Lady Violet had already made her way out of the room before she could answer. Swirl, still standing, was greeted by the same servant who had just been berated by Lady Violet. "I suppose you heard all that? Well, if you're still here, does that mean you actually want the oatmeal?" "Oatmeal would be nice, but I think after all of that, I would rather take it in my room. Would you have it sent to me?" The servant looked around nervously before speaking. "Well, I could m'lady, but as I just informed Lady Violet, we're awfully busy down here at the moment. Would you be willing to carry it yourself?" "Of course! I'd be happy to. Anything to help you all make Luna's birthday special." "Thank you m'lady." In a moment, the servant was gone and back with a bowl of oatmeal, topped with tiny slices of apples and a dusting of cinnamon. Star Swirl had never seen more delicious-looking oatmeal in her life. Lady Violet really didn't know what she was missing! ----- The rest of the day went by uneventfully, and Luna's birthday celebration drew near. By evening, the castle was practically buzzing with activity as last-minute details were put into place. Star Swirl, in particular, was extra busy because she was preparing on two fronts. She had to be ready to look great and have a great time at Luna's party, but also be ready to subtly influence the other royals into helping her fulfill the common ponies' requests. Her makeup kit and mane styling accessories were laid out across one side of her bed, while her notes were strewn across the other. Swirl was actually doing quite a good job of applying her makeup, considering the fact that she was studying while she was putting it on! Star waited to put on the custom-designed dress that Purple Streamer had given her until nearly the last minute. She didn't want to risk ruining it with mane product or makeup! Once she had donned the dress, she reached into her jewelry box for a pair of star-shaped earrings. One had a minor flaw where a tine had been broken and later repaired, but in the low light of the Great Hall, it would be completely unnoticeable. Besides, had it not been for that imperfection, she could never have gotten them from the pawn pony for so few bits. Even with the flaw, they were clearly the nicest jewelry that Star Swirl had, and they were a lovely complement to her cutie mark. When the ensemble was finally complete, Star Swirl stopped to admire herself in the mirror. She was truly breathless at what she saw. The young, almost flippant appearance that she usually cut in her party story dresses was transformed by her new selle into the image of a refined young mare, alive with the magic of the night. Swirl could hardly wait for the party to begin. This was going to be the best night ever! ----- A soothing nocturne flowed from the orchestral stand and washed over the Great Hall as Star Swirl entered. She was surprised to see that Luna's birthday was being staged as a much more formal event than the reception from two nights earlier. As she reached the door, the court herald took her name and style and formally announced her as she entered. "Her Illustrious Highness, Star Swirl!" A few heads turned, but not altogether too many. However, those few who had happened to notice her stood transfixed as Star Swirl walked towards the center of the room. The normally red and gold carpet of the Great Hall had been replaced with one of blue and silver in honor of Her Majesty, Princess Luna. The celebration had been begun half an hour after sunset to afford the best possible view of Luna's moon out the east windows. The pillars supporting the roof, normally left bare, had been hung with tapestries mapping the stars through the seasons. Everything possible had been done to make the evening perfect for the guest of honor. A hush fell over the room as two black unicorns in golden armor stepped through the doors to the Great Hall and played the royal fanfare on their trumpets. The herald cried, "Their Royal Majesties, Princesses Celestia and Luna of Equestria!" Every pony bowed as the two alicorns entered the hall. Common ponies, royal ponies, and members of all other races who happened to be present payed homage to the deified rulers of the night and day. The silence was broken by the strong, melodious voice of Her Majesty, Princess Celestia. "My little ponies, I know that many of you think it an honor to have been invited to this celebration. Allow me to say that the honor is mine. I am honored that you have consented to be ruled by my hoof. I am honored that you have seen fit to be guided by my horn. I am honored that you choose to take shelter beneath my wings. Nopony can be happier than the mare whose foal returns her love. You are my foals. You are my little ponies. I have loved you, with a deep and lasting love, from generation to generation and from age to age. Though centuries have come and gone, you continue to return the love I have shown you as well as the love that I showed to your foremares and foresires. Truly, love is not lost when it is shared. When one gives one's love to her friend, she can always know where to find it." At this, many fervent murmurs ran through the crowd. Generally, Celestia discouraged ponies from actually worshipping her, but at the moments when she allowed her deity to shine through, they often had a hard time resisting. Celestia continued, "Tonight, I ask you to take this lesson and apply it. I ask you to share your love with another pony, one whom you have not known except as a shadow, that she may in turn share her love with you. The bonds of friendship thus formed will drown all lingering doubt and fear. Animosity will vanish. Memories of anger and pain will be no more. Instead, my joy and my peace will flow through you. My little ponies, will you accept Luna's friendship?" The response was subtle at first. A few ponies brayed their affirmation, while several others whinnied in approval. When a small group started clopping their feet to the marble floor in applause of Celestia's speech and acceptance of Luna's friendship, more and more joined in until the entire room shook with hoof beats. Celestia thanked her adoring children for their praise, and wished them a wonderful evening before she and Luna were seated on their daises. As the servants appeared from every quarter to begin serving the banquet prepared in Luna's honor, Celestia felt a strange presence in her mind, like a whisp of a dream that lies just outside of one's memory. Suddenly, the whisp began to speak. It shared Luna's voice. "Did you really need to use that much of your divinity to make them like me? Surely I'm not that unpleasant to be around," the whisp joked. Celestia smiled. Though she hadn't felt it in over a thousand years, she still recognized the magic. She and Luna had developed it eons ago, when they had yet to discover the full extent of their strength. It had allowed them to communicate telepathically at a time when they had been threatened by ancient beasts even more powerful than themselves. She used her magic to reply to her sister in kind. "You thought I was doing that for you? No, I just love to be worshiped. Did you know that the ponies in Hoofington recently built me a temple? Fillydelphia is always trying to keep up with the Joneses. I imagine it wouldn't take much in the way of suggestion to get them to build a temple for you, too! Of course, it couldn't possibly be as beautiful as mine, but it's the thought that counts." Celestia nickered when she saw the grimace that crossed Luna's face as the message arrived in her mind. Celestia was truly indifferent to her subjects' worship as long as they didn't hurt themselves or their families in the process, but Luna found the whole idea absolutely abhorrent. Still, even Luna had to chuckle at Celestia's gentle jab in comparing temples. Forgoing their telepathic connection, Luna leaned over and reached up, putting her muzzle right next to Celestia's ear. "I've missed you big sister." Celestia looked lovingly down at Luna. "I've missed you, too." ----- Star Swirl was rounding the Great Hall, attempting to make conversation with her traditional allies in court, those royal ponies who owed her favors, and those whom she had spoken with during her moment in the spotlight during the reception two nights ago. Her trouble wasn't so much in convincing ponies that the ideas shared with her by her petitioners the previous day were good ideas, her trouble was getting anypony to talk to her at all. "Lady Blue Belle! How pleasant to see you this evening!" "Oh, Lady Star Swirl! It's... uh... pleasant to see you, too! Oh, my. I seem to be needed on the other side of the hall. Well, take care!" "Lord Amaranth, how are you this evening?" "Um, well, quite poorly, actually. Yes, quite bad. Um... It's these... chest pains, you see. Yes! Chest pains! I really ought to leave right now to go see a physician! Do have a good night!" And so it went for the next half hour, until Star Swirl had exhausted all of her possible resources. She had spoken to everypony she could hope to receive favor from, except for one. The patron-client relationship was an ancient tradition in the court of the Regent of the Sun. Members of powerful families would take on members of weaker families as clientes, becoming in turn their patronus. The client pledged their support in court to the patron, and in return, the patron looked out for the interests of each client. Barring a major upset in the power structure of the court, the relationship was usually hereditary, with each royal becoming the client of the foal of their mother's patron. In that way, Star Swirl, although not an important noble in her own right, had inherited a position of clientela with the most powerful patron in Celestia's court: His Royal Highness the Prince Minor, Prince Blueblood. The patron-client relationship was rarely invoked explicitly by either party. Rather, it was assumed that each would work silently towards the other's interests and no words needed to be exchanged. However, on the very rare occasion that a client were to directly ask their patron for a favor, the patron was honor-bound to comply. If they failed one client, it would then be known to their other clients that they were unreliable and the power of alliances cultivated over generations could crumble in a day. Star Swirl had never in her time in court invoked her relationship with the prince. She hoped that, since she asked for nothing more than that somepony would hear her out, he would have no reason to decline her request. She walked over to the prince and worked up the courage to start the conversation. "M'lord Blueblood, might I speak with you a moment?" Star Swirl curtsied to the prince minor. It had been quite some time since she had attempted such a delicate curtsy, and she hoped that it looked less awkward than it felt. Blueblood's eyes became wide as he looked at his cliens. Perhaps she did need more work on that curtsy after all. "Lady Ss..s..sstar Swirl..." Blueblood stuttered. "What a surprise to see you here... tonight." Blueblood continued eyeing her suspiciously. "At Luna's birthday celebration? I wouldn't have missed it for the world!" Swirl exclaimed. After considering her patron for a moment, she added, "You look quite uncomfortable. Would you like to step outside?" Blueblood's expression changed from one of suspicion to one of disgust and horror. He replied more than loudly enough for all of the surrounding unicorns to hear him. "Step outside? With YOU? What sort of a proposition is this?!" "Oh, of course! You want to know the gist of what I'm proposing before we talk about it in more detail! That's just fine! Well, I was walking through the streets of Canterlot yesterday..." "Walking? Through the streets?!" "...and I met all of these common ponies from outside the palace, who just wanted someone from the inside to listen to them..." "You met common ponies? You listened to them?!" "...and they had some really great ideas! They told me about their families and their businesses and their lives, how they get jobs and earn their own way, what they enjoy doing when they're not at work, how they raise their foals, and how we can make it all better! Why..." "ENOUGH! I have heard ENOUGH FROM YOU! If you deign to get your hooves filthy walking through the streets, and decide to waste your life talking with the common rabble, that is quite your own decision. But I will not let you tell me how to rule Equestria based on the input of a herd of uneducated, unsophisticated HOOLIGANS!" Star Swirl stared, frozen in place by the shock of what had just happened. "But... but you're my patronus. You're my guardian alicorn! You can't turn me down in a specific request. It would damage your honor!" "No, no, this will not damage my honor. Your conduct is no longer a reflection on me. Star Swirl, I regret that I have to say this, but your foalish behavior leaves me no choice. You are no longer my client, and I am no longer your patron!" Just then, through her anger, pain, and confusion, Star Swirl heard a familiar nicker behind her. Lady Violet and two of her followers, Lady Crimson and Lady Evergreen were enjoying the show. "Finding it harder than normal to make friends today, Lady Star Swirl?" Lady Violet questioned. "Yeah! And what's with the potato sack you have tied over your flank?" mocked Lady Crimson. She and Lady Evergreen laughed riotously, while Lady Violet maintained her composure. "Yeah!" added Evergreen through her laughter. "You should leave everything out there. Your flank really is your best feature! If you want to move forward in life, you have to use what your mare gave you!" Star Swirl was astonished at the trio's remarks. She knew that Lady Violet was not above even the basest of insults, but this represented a new low for her followers. "Lady Violet! I must insist that you and your friends addressed me in a manner suitable for one lady to speak to another!" Lady Violet just grinned. "So you think that you're a lady again that easily? We heard what you just proposed to our beloved Prince Blueblood! Offering to 'take' him outside? Hmm?" Violet was twisting Star Swirl's words. Both ponies knew it, but few others seemed to care. Once again, those around were all enjoying the show. "Not everyone is as willing to 'mix the race' as you are, Lady Swirl." Suddenly, Swirl realized why ponies had been avoiding her all evening. "What did you say about me in court yesterday!" "About you, dear? Not a thing! Now, when we were debating Lord Blowhard's proposal, the one on mixed marriages, it might have been mentioned that a certain earth pony courtier was seen leaving the Great Hall the night before with an unknown pegasus." Lady Evergreen spoke up, "And it might have happened that someone noticed that this certain courtier wasn't in court the next morning." Lady Crimson took her turn, "And it just could be that several of the more... upstanding individuals in the court found the suggestion of what those two had been doing more than a little repulsive." "In short," said Lady Violet, "it was a wonderful illustration. Lord Blowhard's bill was shot down, the provinces will remain free to ban mixed marriage as they see fit, and everypony is happy. Everypony but the example, of course." "No! It's not like that at all!" Star Swirl objected. "I've been meeting common ponies, trying to help them any..." "Oh, did you hear that everypony?!" interjected Lady Crimson. "Not only is she mixing the races, she's renting out her services to common ponies now!" "Work that thing, you crazy filly!" Lady Evergreen added. The small crowd that had gathered were all laughing now. Even Star Swirl's former patron, Prince Blueblood, was chuckling coldly. Lady Violet came in for the kill. She smiled with hollow amusement, knowing the pun she was about to spin. "I must say, Lady Swirl missed her calling when she became a courtier like us. Clearly, she was meant to get ahead by using her flanks, not her brains. Really, she shouldn't be a courtier. She should be a courtesan!" What had been modest laughter broke out into uproarious fits. Prince Blueblood, the picture of reservation among the courtiers, was rolling on the floor, laughing! Across the room, however, somepony wasn't laughing. She had just gotten a sinking feeling in her stomach, the feeling a mother gets when she knows her foal is in danger. In the blink of an eye, the princess had teleported off her dais and to the location she perceived to be the source of the problem, right across the Great Hall. ----- Normally, Luna eschewed her divine form. Not only did it echo her alter-ego Nightmare Moon, viewing her in her glory caused ponies to feel a deep-seated desire to worship, and being worshiped was something Luna truly hated. But as the she-bear rears up to her full stature to protect her cubs, so did Luna assume her divine form when she felt that her foal was endangered. In the instant between her disappearance on the dais and her reappearance on the other side of the room, she clothed herself in all her glory. Whatever was threatening her child wasn't going to know what hit them. ----- Blueblood's laughter was cut short by the sight of an angry goddess towering over him. The same was true for Ladies Violet, Evergreen, and Crimson, as well as all the bystanders. When she spoke, her voice seemed to roll like thunder, emanating from some mysterious place outside of space and time. "YOU FOALS! HOW DARE YOU HARASS OUR CHILD?!" "Aa... uh... Auntie Luna?" asked the terrified prince. "WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS US THAT WAY!" In the brief moment that her wrath was focused on the prince alone, Blueblood fainted. In fact, this was all his own doing. He simply swooned from fright like a little filly. But the others in the crowd immediately assumed that Luna had slain him, and were all the more terrified. She looked to the trio now huddling the corner, who previously had been mocking Star Swirl. "HAVE YOU NO ANSWERS FOR YOURSELVES?" Not a word was spoken by the terrified unicorns still huddling in the corner. Silently, they prayed to Celestia, but she wasn't moving to help them. In fact, her eyes were full of laughter, as if this were the entertainment for the evening. "FINE THEN. WE COMMAND YOU TO REMAIN IN THAT CORNER AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" At that, she turned towards Star Swirl. As she spoke, her voice became calm. Though it was still loud and sonorous, it took on a quality less like the booming of thunder and more like the roar of incoming waves. "My child," she called to the awestruck young royal, "follow me." Star Swirl, although very frightened, began to take a step towards her savior. But before her hoof even hit the ground, the world changed in a flash of magical energy. Swirl realized that the goddess had teleported her away, though she did not yet know where. She couldn't see her hoof in front of her face. Moments later, a magical aura illuminated the room, sprouting from Luna's form. The princess had shed her divinity during the teleport and was once again only just barely taller than Star Swirl, not counting her horn or wings. "I'm sorry for my outburst back in the Great Hall," Luna said. "Instincts, I suppose." Star Swirl just stared, struck dumb by the goddess' presence. Luna closed her eyes, as did Star Swirl. Swirl could feel the princess gazing into her mind. "Mmm... You know, I had just about given up hope. Star Swirl, you really are a remarkable pony!" Swirl allowed one eye to pop open to watch the moon goddess. "What do you mean, m'lady?" "I mean your connection with the common pony! You're the first royal I've seen with the appropriate connections since I returned from my exile. At first, I thought that it must have been bred out of the bloodline, but you're proof that it's still there. We just need to teach the others to use it." "What is 'it'? I'm afraid I still don't understand!" "Hmm..." Luna groaned as she looked further into Star Swirl's mind. Swirl had to admit, it was quite frightening to feel a second being inside her skull, cohabitating with her own spirit. She could only hope that Luna found what she wanted quickly and left. Luna opened her eyes and the presence inside of Star Swirl's head disappeared. "Maybe I can explain it best if I start off like this. Lady Violet was wrong." "About what?" "About you having some illegitimate foals in your family tree causing you to be born an earth pony. I suppose you've heard of the six Princesses Minor?" "Of course! They're the link between you and your sister and the modern royal family! I trace my ancestry back to Princess Royal Blue," Swirl stated proudly. "Ah, I can believe it. You really do look just like her. That said, there's something I think you need to know. The Princesses Minor weren't all unicorns. In fact, five of them were earth ponies. Many of the families intermarried with the local unicorns in Canterlot, and that is how so many of today's royal family are unicorns. But the fact that you're still an earth pony: that means that your blood line is probably one of the most pure in the entire court!" Once again, Swirl was too lost in the moment to speak. "That's really not the important part though, Swirl. Here's the real question: Do you feel like you've discovered anything lately? Anything you might like to share with me?" Star Swirl quickly ran over a checklist in her mind. She hadn't visited any uncharted continents lately or unearthed any new scientific principles. She had recently discovered that clopfics could be... nice, but she wasn't going to tell that to Princess Luna! Was there something else? Oh, there was! "I feel like I have a real talent for connecting with the common pony. I'm not always sure what I can do for them, but I know that if they need help, I am going to want to try and do something!" Luna smiled. "That's it. I created the Princesses Minor at the time when Equestria had just begun to really grow. Celestia and I could no longer keep up with everypony all by ourselves, and we needed some assistance. We tried to draft all sorts of ponies to help us, but, for some reason or another, no existing family was right. Some were good with fire or clouds, others with metalworking or arcane magic, many were farmers or ranchers, but none were politicians. And so I made the royal family. When we couldn't find what we needed, I created something new." "You and Celestia created the Princesses Minor? You brought the royal family into existence out of nothing? But I thought you were their parents somehow!" Star Swirl's entire cosmology was being disrupted. It was starting to make her stomach hurt, or perhaps that was just an after-effect from the teleportation. "Actually, it was just me. And I didn't really make them out of nothing, per se. Instead, I used grass and water and dirt and whatever I could find. But they didn't have birth parents if that is what you are asking." "But isn't that... unnatural? To have created them without birth parents?" At this, Luna laughed. "Where do you think ponies came from in the first place?" she asked. "Well, Celestia isn't telling, but scientists suggest that they probably evolved from simpler lifeforms. We just don't have any good links yet." "And that's where your research steers you wrong! We made ponies in the first place the very same way that I made the royal family later. Celestia made the unicorns and the pegasi, and I made the earth ponies. 'Tia always was a show-off!" Luna stated, with a dramatic flourish of a front hoof. Star Swirl was obviously stunned by the massive onslaught of information. Luna decided to back off just a little. "Don't worry about all of that right now. The most important part is that you understand that your talent is connecting Celestia and I to the common pony. You know everything that is truly important." With that, Luna magicked a box out of the air. "Care for a cupcake?" She opened the box towards Star Swirl, revealing a dozen perfect cupcakes with rainbow-colored icing. Swirl selected one, and took a dainty bite, trying to impress the princess with her manners. She was glad that she had taken such a small bite, too, as it turned out that the cupcakes were unbelievably spicy. Apparently, the frosting had been made with real rainbows. Swirl watched in awe as Luna consumed the other eleven cupcakes in mere seconds. Then, Swirl had an idea. "Your Majesty, am I to assume you enjoy spicy foods?" "Oh, absolutely!" "So you really would like something that isn't, quite so bland as the normal fare at the palace?" "Of course! I love 'Tia to death, but her taste in foods is terrible!" "Could you teleport us to the kitchens? There's a chef there who I think you need to meet." ----- Princess Celestia had to put back on her divinity to calm the crowd in the Great Hall. It was worth the trouble, though, to see Luna so worked up. And maybe, just maybe, now that Luna was back, the two of them would be able to restore the royal family to its intended purpose, rather than leaving it to feast off the fat of Equestria. Once Celestia had everypony sitting down and behaving rationally again, she gave Luna a telepathic "all clear" signal, and Luna teleported back into the Great Hall with Star Swirl. On her arrival, Luna, though still in her non-divine form, stood tall on the dais. "Fillies and gentlecolts! You have heard this night from my sister, your beloved Princess Celestia, about the joy and magic of letting another into your heart. At this time, I would like to introduce you to a pony who has made herself the embodiment of this spirit. She has not ceased to sacrifice herself, nor stopped to give heed to criticism heaped on her by the likes of her fellow courtiers. Instead, she has reached out unabashedly to the common pony, lending a helping hoof to all in need." As she began the traditional, formulaic part of the speech, Luna reverted to the personal "we": "We commend this filly, Her Illustrious Highness Star Swirl, for her noble service to the land of Equestria. We salute her bravery, we commend her courage, and we recognize her wisdom. Lady Star Swirl, please kneel." As Star Swirl knelt before her princess, she felt the alicorn's horn lightly tap her shoulder, and then the other shoulder, and then her head. "Arise, Lady Star Swirl. We grant you the royal style 'Her Serene Highness', and the title 'Knight of Equestria'." Her speech finished, the princess of the night raised an eyebrow as she looked first over towards Ladies Violet, Crimson, and Evergreen, who had been the antagonists most directly involved in tormenting Star Swirl, and then over to Prince Blueblood, who had abandoned Swirl in her time of greatest need. "Surely the four of you, out of the generosity of your hearts, have some small estate that you would each like to give to the mare of the hour?" Luna asked, in a way that was more commanding than asking. "Oh, of course!" "Mmhmm!" "Absolutely!" "Anything for you, Auntie Luna!" It seemed as though Star Swirl would not be a landless royal for much longer. ----- When it was all said and done, Star Swirl found it was considerably more difficult to calm herself than it was for Celestia to calm the crowds stirred up by Luna's outburst. Eventually, Swirl found herself wandering the streets of Canterlot, finally knocking on the door of Party Streamer's apartment at 2 in the morning. Mumbles came from behind the door. "Wh... don't know... why any... would a be up now..." Shortly after, it clicked and then opened. On seeing Swirl, Streamer's eyes lit up. "Swirl! You still look amazing in that dress after an entire night at the party! You have to come in and tell me all about it!" ----- "'Her Serene Highness', huh? I s'pose I'm gunna have to change all those signs now." "Oh, well, I think it would be fine to leave them the way they are. You were right all along. 'Her Illustrious Highness' really does sound more impressive!" "So, now that you've got land an' bits, am I still going to be seeing you 'round these parts?" "Of course! I may have a higher title now, and a few more bits, but we're friends. It would be silly to let this change anything. There was never any 'Her Illustrious Highness this' or 'Her Illustrious Highness that' in our friendship. Between you and me, I never want to be anypony but plain, simple, Star Swirl." ----- ----- AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm super stoked that you enjoyed my story! It really made my day when Sethisto said that this was going to go up on Eqestria Daily! Anyone catch the Portal reference? It's subtle! How about the earrings... Any guess who those came from? There are lots of references to other fan fics scattered throughout, as well. Have fun finding them! If you can tell me what the Morena Baccarin reference was, I will give you a digital cookie! This story went up on EqD was ages ago. In fact, it was almost a year ago when I wrote this. It was well before Luna Eclipsed, but I feel it actually matches her cannon personality quite well. This was my first story on EqD, and I'm proud to say it earned the 5-Star tag. I used the same image for this story that EqD did. Unfortunately, I don't know who they got it from. If you let me know, I will add the credit. When writing this story, I fell tragically in love with Star Swirl. In love, because I really, really wanted one, and tragically, because they weren't for sale in the United States! Eventually, I was able to pull together some cash, and bought one from a company in France, who shipped it from their warehouse in Germany, by way of Holland and the UK. My Star Swirl doll is more of a world traveler than I am! It's okay, though. My jealously was all but forgotten when she arrived safely at my door. Thanks for reading! If you liked anything in particular, let me know. I love reading your comments. Macon Mixx

SIaanme

397

Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tabluna Rasa

complete

<p>After a thousand years in the moon, and even longer of not being yourself, how do you remember what you were truly like? Princess Luna isn't sure who she is anymore, and tries to rediscover herself through how others see her.</p><p>Some shipping in Chapters 2 &amp; 4.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T23:06:31+00:00

2011-08-04T23:06:31+00:00

As was her custom of late, Princess Luna sat on the balcony staring at her sky. It was a new moon, and freed from its light, the stars fought for attention, each trying to outshine the others. As they squabbled for attention, Luna sighed. It had been almost a year since she was part of that sky, locked inside the moon. She could remember the arguments of the heavens, although not clearly, each star and celestial body wanting to be paid attention, appreciated. It was a reflection of her, always wanting attention and praise, but never getting it. She remembered becoming Nightmare Moon, trying to make the night last forever, just so ponies would see her artwork. But before that, she remembered nothing. No memory of what she was like before she was twisted by the jealousy in her heart. For a thousand years, that jealousy had kept her alive, consuming her, becoming her. And then a year ago, it was all stripped away by the Elements of Harmony. With her jealousy gone, Luna was forgiven by her sister and allowed to move back to Canterlot. She was even allowed to resume her duties over the night sky. Inside however, she was confused. Who was she now? No longer the attention-seeking Mare in the Moon, what was left of her? She hid behind her work using the hours she kept as a way of avoiding contact with anypony. Celestia was the only one she saw regularly, though not for lack of effort on Celestia's part. She'd even arranged the Grand Galloping Gala start later in an effort to get her younger sister to attend, but she'd had no luck. Luna spent most of her waking moments simply staring at the sky, thinking. Sometime her inner turmoil would be reflected in the sky, with meteor showers swirling and falling, bringing wonder only to the few who saw them. To Luna, they were reminders of her doubts. "Who am I now?" she asked of the sky. She received no reply of course, not that she expected to. The sky was too far away to hear her, but it was a question she had been asking for a while now, so at this point it was purely habitual. But tonight, for the first time, Luna had a new thought. Why am I asking the sky? It's others I need to ask, ponies who can actually answer. Maybe, just maybe, if she found out how others thought of her, she could get a better picture of the sort of pony she was. Of course, there was a flaw in this plan. But who can I actually ask? Celestia was the obvious choice, but Luna dismissed the idea quickly. She didn't want her sister to worry about her, and besides, Celestia would remember Luna as she was before she became Nightmare Moon. And if Luna was certain of one thing, it was that she didn't want a repeat of those events. But no-one else had really seen Luna in the time she had been back, so it seemed this idea was a dead end. Unless.... "Of course! The Elements of Harmony!" They were the only other ponies who had really met Luna, even if mostly when she was Nightmare Moon. And there had been that party afterwards, where she had given a quick apology to them. Sure it wasn't much, but Luna never doubted the ability of ponies to deduce a great many things even in the space of about a minute. They must have some ideas about who she was, even if it was all guesswork. "Right then, it's settled! I'll ask the Elements of Harmony who they think I am!" Luna beamed at the sky, but a frown shortly found its way to her face. "Oh... but that's not exactly a question you can ask of people is it? 'Hello, I'm Princess Luna, do you know who I am?' 'Yes, I know who you are.' 'Oh great, will you tell me?' 'You're Princess Luna.' No, that's no good at all..." So then, how to approach this problem. A disguise maybe? Luna decided against this. Disguises were prone to being seen through, especially since Luna was taller than almost all other ponies. A truth potion maybe? This too was rejected, on the basis that truth potions had been banned for use outside of law enforcement, and even then they were rarely used due to the unfortunate side effects that sometimes happened. Truth spells were out for the same reason. But spells... that definitely sounded like the right approach. Luna headed back inside, and returned a short while later, levitating a spell book in front of her. She flicked through the pages, skim reading to find something that would be helpful. She was hoping to find something she could do from here. If she went out during the day, Celestia would insist on either coming with her, or assigning her personal guards, and Luna didn't want to intimidate anypony. But then, if she snuck out during the night, everypony would be asleep, and that would be equally unhelpful. Just when she was about to give up hope, she found the spell she needed. "Oh! Of course, why didn't I think of this sooner?" Luna read the page a few times, to make sure she understood everything involved with the spell. It was perfect! She didn't even have to leave the palace. Luna closed her eyes to focus better, and her horn began to gather magic. As she concentrated, the glow around her horn became steadily brighter, until finally she unleashed the spell. The night sky briefly glowed the colour of Luna's magic, and then it faded. Luna smiled, tired, but confident in the knowledge that her first spell had worked. Now all the ponies in Ponyville would be dreaming of her. That was maybe the hardest part of the plan done, and it would have been impossible for anyone without an alicorn's natural proficiency for magic. The second part would be easier, but still impossible for a lesser unicorn. Luna glanced up at her sky once more. "Well then, wish me luck!" And with that her horn started to glow again. She felt herself become lighter, so light that gravity seemed to lose interest in her, and she began to drift upwards. Luna looked down, and saw her body was still there, lying down as if asleep. It had worked! She permitted herself another smile. "Now then, who do I visit first?"

SIaanme

397

Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tabluna Rasa

complete

<p>After a thousand years in the moon, and even longer of not being yourself, how do you remember what you were truly like? Princess Luna isn't sure who she is anymore, and tries to rediscover herself through how others see her.</p><p>Some shipping in Chapters 2 &amp; 4.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T23:06:43+00:00

2011-08-04T23:06:43+00:00

Luna flew above the slumbering town of Ponyville. Well, not her as much as her dream-projection. It was old magic, and it came naturally to Luna as part of her domain over the night. As she was now, she would be able to enter the dreams of other ponies. Her real body was safe back at Canterlot. And thanks to the other spell she cast, every pony in Ponyville was dreaming about her, or rather, who they though she was. But there were only six ponies Luna was interested in. But where did they live? All she knew for sure was that her sister's protégé lived in the town's library, but Luna didn't really want to start there. Going from the stories Celestia had told her, this Twilight Sparkle was a powerful magician. Possibly on the level of an Alicorn. With that much magic, there was a chance that she might counter Luna's spells before the night had really begun. No, Twilight would be left for last. "What even were their names?" Luna pondered as she began another circuit of the town. Celestia had tried many times to get Luna to take an interest in them, so she really should have remembered. "Oh bother, why can't I remember?" Lost in her thoughts, Luna didn't notice the cloud wall until she had already flown through it. "Whoops. Guess I should really pay attention to where I'm going." Luna looked around. It wasn't a natural cloud, that was for sure. Natural clouds didn't have rainbow-falls. Furthermore, they didn't have furniture. Such a grand cloud castle! I wonder who lives here? Her quest forgotten, at least for now, Luna floated to the next level. She found a cyan-coated pegasus here, with a mane the colours of the rainbow. Luna suddenly realised who it was. "Rainbow Dash!" Yes, she's one of the Elements of Harmony isn't she? Loyalty wasn't it? Guess I'll start here then. Closing her eyes, Luna tried to focus on the dreams of the sleeping mare. In her mind she saw blue skies and green fields. That must be it. Now, what did the Element of Loyalty think of her? §§§§ Once again, it was another AWESOME day for flying. Even better, it was Rainbow Dash's day off from the weather squad. For the pegasus, this meant only one thing. "Sonic Rainboom time! Oh yeah!" Dash zoomed of the cloud she had been resting on towards the ground, hooves extended. She felt the air around her stretch, as if she had run into an elastic sheet. She kept pushing though, and the sheet became tighter, and tighter, until finally it burst, and the familiar explosion of noise and colour echoed throughout the land. Trailing her familiar rainbow, Dash did a few loops and corkscrews before coming to rest on another cloud. She was exhausted, but happy. "So. AWESOME!" After resting for a while Rainbow decided she'd head back home for a nap. She hopped off the cloud and began her descent downwards, gliding rather than flapping, to try and conserve what little energy she had left. About a minute later she had arrived home. She went inside headed up to her room. Before she could settle into bed though, there was a knock at her door. Groaning inwardly at the interruption, Dash head down to see who it was. The door opened to reveal Fluttershy. "Oh, hey Fluttershy? What brings you here?" "Oh, Rainbow Dash, it's just awful it's... oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" "What? No, don't be ridiculous. I've always got time for my friends." Rainbow Dash knew that Fluttershy rarely came to visit her, being a bit too high up for the yellow pegasus' liking. It was worth hearing her out. "Oh... that's a relief... but no, there isn't time. I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but Twilight needs your help." "My help?" Dash was genuinely surprised. "Why would an egghead like her need my help? Did I forget to help clean up after the last time I crashed into the library again?" Fluttershy looked more nervous than usual. "No, it's not that. It's... oh, I can't even say it... Please, Twilight asked me to fetch you specifically. She can explain better than I can." Dash gave a shrug. "Okay then. Lead the way!" And without waiting, Dash was winging her way towards the library. Fluttershy watched her leave. "Um... I'll see you there then?" She walked to the edge of the cloud, and made the mistake of looking down. "Eep! In.. In just a bit..." Meanwhile Dash had already crashed through the library's window for the umpteenth time. Twilight seemed to be waiting for her. "One day Rainbow Dash, I'll show you where the door to this place is." "Hehe... sorry Twilight..." "Anyway, I'm glad you managed to make it here so quickly. We have a problem." Twilight ushered Dash to the main foyer. "A problem? Well, I'll do what I can, but what sort of problem are we talking abouOH MY GOSH IT'S THE WONDERBOLTS!" It was indeed. The famous flying fleet was in the library's foyer. "OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMY..." Dash finally managed to regain control of her voice. "I mean... uh.... hey. What's up?" Play it cool Dash, play it cool... Tactfully, Twilight ignored Dash's outburst. "Just before, I received word from Canterlot. Princess Celestia... has been ponynapped!" "WHAT?" Dash forgot her earlier reminder to stay cool. "But how could something like that happen? She's the Princess! Who could possibly ponynap the Princess?" "The answer isn't one I wanted to hear," Twilight admitted, "but all evidence points towards it being Princess Luna." "That's awful! I knew she hadn't really changed! But I still don't see how I can help." Twilight nodded at Spitfire, who took over the filling in. "We've discovered that in the time she was stuck on the moon, Princess Luna somehow managed to construct a moon base. We suspect that's where she's keeping Princess Celestia." "But there's a problem," Twilight resumed exposition. "No pony's ever been able to fly to the moon. But it's been theorised that if there was a pony who could pull off a Sonic Rainboom, then she might manage to get there safely." Everything fell into place for Dash. "Wait, you're saying you want me to fly to the moon and get Princess Celestia back? But why me? Why can't the Wonderbolts do it instead?" "None of us have ever managed to pull off a Sonic Rainboom," Spitfire explained. "As far as we know, you're the only pegasus in Equestria who can do this." Dash was shocked. She was honestly the only one in Equestria who could pull off a Sonic Rainboom? "Okay, but even so, it's not like it's easy to pull off a Sonic Rainboom even with gravity to help accelerate. How will I manage to pull it off going AGAINST gravity? It's never going to work." Twilight gave a grin. "Oh don't worry, we've thought of that." --- "This is never going to work." Dash was standing on the end of the seesaw she used sometimes in her tricks. "Of course it is." Twilight was effortlessly levitating a huge bolder above the other end. Dash was still skeptical. Twilight sighed. "I'll explain it again. Spitfire, Soaren and.... the other one.... are hovering up there at set intervals. We drop the boulder on the end of the seesaw, launching you straight up. As you pass each of the Wonderbolts, they'll give you a hoof-up, launching you to greater heights at greater speeds!" "Uh huh. Hey Twi, I don't exactly know much about science, but are you sure this will work? It seems kinda... wrong." "Oh don't worry, I read about it in a book." "And what book was that?" "Umm..." Twilight couldn't look Rainbow Dash in the eyes. "I think it was called.... Filly Fantasy..." "Wait, what?" Before she could voice any more reservations about the plan, Twilight dropped the boulder, launching Rainbow Dash high into the sky. Within seconds she was passing by Spitfire, who grabbed her, and tossed her up again even higher, keeping the speed going. "Thanks Spitfire!" Dash was rocketing upwards still, and next up encountered Soaren, who provided the same boost. "Thanks Soaren!" Only one more to go. It wasn't long until she was boosted by the third Wonderbolt. "Thanks the other one!" "I have a name too you know!" This was it. The Critical moment. Rainbow pushed as hard as she could, surprised that gravity was less of an obstacle here than she thought. Come on... just a little more... Back on the ground, Twilight was peering up at the sky anxiously, when a rainbow disc appeared before her eyes. "Alright! she made it!" It was only a short while after that that Rainbow Dash touched down on the moon. "Alright Luna, come out with your hooves up! And release Princess Celestia!" "Hah! You foal! You think you can demand things of me?" Dash spun around, and there she was. Princess Luna. "You! You'd better give up, or you're in for it!" "Oh I think not my dear. I've come too far now to give up!" Oh no, Dash thought. Please tell me she's not... "You see, I've been planning this day for a long while now!" Yup. She is. She's monologuing. Why do ponies do this? "Of course, I had to play my part well. Everyone had to believe that I was truly repentant. A bit of sniveling here, and a bit of crying there, and soon everyone had fallen for it! My sister was the easiest to fool, always looking for the best in ponies. Of course she'd trust me. And it was exactly that trust I needed." "So you betrayed her. You betrayed all of Equestria. AGAIN." Dash knew she should do something, but she couldn't. The monologue was almost hypnotic in it's elegance. "Betrayed? Oh no, that implies I had some sort of allegiance to it in the first place. But I've known it for a long time now. The moon is my true home! Those who don't want to suffer shall bow to me!" "And what of your sister?" "Oh, she'll have to be imprisoned of course. I think a thousand years in the sun should be enough don't you? Yes, send her to the sun! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Okay, that's it!" Rainbow Dash had finally had enough. "TASTE THE RAINBOW!" She sprang towards Luna and-- §§§§ Luna emerged back into the real world. She shook her head a few time to get the image of how Rainbow Dash saw her out of her head. A monster. An evil stuck up princess who dreams only of power. Is that who I am? Luna shook her head a few more times. "No, that can't be me. Thank you Rainbow Dash, but I'm afraid you can't help me. But one day I'll show you I'm not somepony to hate." She spread her wings once more, and took off towards the sky. "Darn, now I want a moon base..."

SIaanme

397

Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tabluna Rasa

complete

<p>After a thousand years in the moon, and even longer of not being yourself, how do you remember what you were truly like? Princess Luna isn't sure who she is anymore, and tries to rediscover herself through how others see her.</p><p>Some shipping in Chapters 2 &amp; 4.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T23:06:54+00:00

2011-08-04T23:06:54+00:00

Luna left Rainbow Dash's castle behind, and began a sweep of Ponyville again. That was one done, even if it was a rather negative experience on the whole. Still, she was sure that not everypony would think of her like that. At least, she hoped she wouldn't. Now, who would she find next? Luna tried to remember another name. There was..... hmm.... who was that one Celly had told her about? The one who had tried to help her pet phoenix? Oh well, the name would come to her eventually. She knew enough to go on. If she was the sort of pony who loved and cared for animals, then she'd most likely be found on the edge of town. It was about five minutes before Luna found the most likely house. Well, more like a cottage. But then a cottage is a type of house, right? There was evidence of a lot of wild animals frequenting the area, most noticeably rabbits and chickens. "This is likely the right place then." Luna commented as she entered through the wall. Inside the cottage there were numerous bird houses, and little beds clearly designed for the smaller creatures to sleep in when the nights were too cold. Upstairs lay the pink-haired pegasus. She lay mostly peaceful, but she tossed every now and then, and let out a murmur. "Well I'm glad to know that however she sees me, it at least isn't anything too upsetting." Luna closed her eyes once more, and concentrated on entering Fluttershy's dream. §§§§ Nopony could remember a time when it had rained so hard. At least, Fluttershy certainly couldn't. She galloped as fast as her legs would carry her. How could she lose track of time like that? She knew the weather ponies had planned this storm for a while now, she’d even reminded herself not to stay out too long today so she'd be home before the storm begun. The only reason she was even out was to make sure she had enough food to provide for her woodland friends, who she knew would be frightened of all the rain and lightning. A bright flash illuminated the path. Fluttershy tried to shrink into the ground as it was followed by a loud boom. "Eek! Oh my, why are storms always so loud and scary?" Of course, her woodland friends weren't the only ones frightened. She continued her way down the path, hoping to get the shelter of her home before she got any more drenched. She turned the corner, and finally she caught sight of her house. Fluttershy picked up the pace as she ran towards it, glad to be almost out of the rain. She made it just as another bolt of lightning flashed, and she dived under her rug as the thunder followed it. "Meep!" Peeking out, she saw her woodland friends cowering in similar fashions. Oh no, I can't let this lightning scare me. I've got to let my friends know there's nothing to be afraid of. Slowly she emerged from beneath the rug. "It's okay little critters. There's nothing to be afraid of. We're all safe inside this house." The lightning chose that moment to come back, and Fluttershy found herself under the rug again before she knew it. "Noo!" It was another minute before she tried emerging again. "I've got to be brave, for the sake of my friends," she said. "After all, I've faced down a dragon before. How much worse can a storm possibly be?" BANG! Under the rug again. When Fluttershy peeked out this time, she couldn't see very much. One of the windows had clattered open from the wind, and the wind had blown out the lamps, leaving the room in total darkness. All the animals decided that this was the final straw, and they erupted into cacophony. This was too much for Fluttershy, and she snapped. "QUIIIIEEETTT!!!" The noise died down. "There is NOTHING to be frightened of! We're safe in here!" Lightning struck again, but Fluttershy stood her ground. "Now everyone just be quiet and let me try and restore some order!" The animals were all frozen. It was safest not to move when Fluttershy got like this, lest she use the stare on you. Fluttershy closed the window and secured it more firmly. That problem solved, she began to calm down a bit. She turned around and saw through the dimness that her friends were all still afraid to move. "Oh my. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice like that. It's alright now, see? Nothing to be scared of..." Desperate to prove her wrong, there was another flash of lightning. Fluttershy didn't hide, but in that brief flash of light she saw something. A set of muddy hoofprints leading upstairs. "But I haven't been upstairs yet..." A horrible realisation crept across Fluttershy's mind. "Oh no! What if a burglar is using the storm as cover? What if he tries to... demand certain things of me? No! I'm too young, this can't be happening to me!" A second thought finally managed to make it's way through. "But if there's a burglar, he'll have already heard me from my shouting before. But since he hasn't come down yet, maybe he's asleep. Maybe I've got this completely wrong, and it's just one of my friends come to check on me during the storm. But then why haven't they come down to see me yet?" Finally Fluttershy made up her mind. "Ok, I'll just have a peek upstairs, and see who it is... there's no harm in that is there?" she said "Oh Celestia give me strength..." Mustering her courage, Fluttershy climbed the stairs to her room slowly and as quietly as she could. She climbed just high enough to see her bed, and tried to see if there was anyone in her bed. Unfortunately, it was just too dark to see. The pegasus decided to try an different tactic. "He-he-hello? Is there someone there?" The question was answered by a pair of green eyes flashing in the darkness. "Eep! I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone now. I'm sorry for waking you..." Fluttershy turned tail and prepared to flee. "Wait, please wait!" A hesitant voice issued through the darkness. "I didn't realise there was anyone here, I just needed shelter from the storm." Fluttershy was given pause by the gentleness in the voice. "Oh. Um.. well, I- I'm happy to have you here..." she said, trying to get a better view of her mysterious guest. "I'm sorry I woke you then." "You didn't wake me. To be honest, I've always been afraid of storms, ever since I was a filly," the voice said. "Me too!" Fluttershy proclaimed, glad there was someone else here to commiserate with. "To be honest, I think a lot of ponies are. There's nothing wrong with it." There was a soft laugh. "Maybe not, but most ponies aren't half the royal family..." "Half the royal...." Fluttershy gasped. "Oh my! You mean you-you-you're Princess Luna?" As her eyes adjusted, Fluttershy could tell this was the case. "I'm so sorry I didn't recognise you your highness!" Belatedly remembering her manners, Fluttershy managed a bow as best she could. Luna shook her head. "No, it's okay. I did drop in unannounced after all." She shifted on the bed, then seemed to realise something. "Oh my! This is your bed then. I'm so sorry, I'll get off it right away! You must have come up here expecting a nap, and found me hogging your bed! I'm so sorry, I just need somewhere to lie down for a bit, I'm sorry, I'll get out of your way now..." "Oh no Princess! I'm honoured that you would deem my bed worthy to lie down in. I'll just go down stairs and sleep on the sofa." "I couldn't let you do that. I'm the guest here, so I should be the one on the sofa." "No as, my guest, not to mention royalty, you should have my bed!" The thunder decided it had been quiet for too long, and decided to contribute to the discussion with a loud rumble. "MEEP!" Both ponies look at each other, both having just made the same noise. Finally Luna spoke up. "Well, I suppose this bed is big enough for two ponies... maybe we could share it?" Fluttershy looked slightly shocked by the suggestion. "Share? Oh my, no, I couldn't do that, I wouldn't want to make you uncomfort..." The sound of thunder. "Ohalrightifyouinsisthideme!" Fluttershy made a dive for the covers. Both ponies were silent for a while, waiting for the other to break the awkward silence that was forming over top the noise of the storm. It was Luna who finally broke it. "Umm... so Fluttershy wasn't it? You have a nice house." "Umm... tha-thank you Princess. I'm sure it's nothing compared to your palace though.." "My palace is beautiful, yes, but at the same time it's so... lonely..." Another silence. Fluttershy broke first this time. "So um... Princess? Why were you out in the storm anyway.?" No response. Fluttershy rolled over to see Luna's usual blue complexion turn purple. "Umm, well, this might sound odd, but I was.... I was.... stalking you." "I'm sorry princess. I didn't quite catch that." "I said I was.... stalking you." "I'm sorry, one more time?" "I was... oh you know what? Actions speak louder than words don't they?" And before Fluttershy knew it, princess Luna had her enclosed within an embrace, and was nuzzling her mane. "Ahh.... Princess, wh-what are you doing?" Fluttershy was struggling to form coherent sentences, being distracted by Luna attentions. "I was stalking you Fluttershy. You caught my eye when you and your friends freed me from being Nightmare Moon, and well... I fell in love with you. I've been watching you every moment ever since, wanting so much to just talk to you, but I was always afraid..." Luna's ministrations gradually became more intimate. "P-p-princess, I, I...." Fluttershy let out a moan of ecstasy. "Oh Princess, I- I- I think I love you too, but this... isn't th-this a bit much?" Luna pulled Fluttershy closer. "We're in love, nothing else can be too much." "O-ok, but please be gentle..." Fluttershy blushed, almost luminescent in the dark. "It's my first time..." "Mine too." Luna locked eyes with Fluttershy and... §§§§ Fluttershy woke with a start. "Oh my. Another one of those dreams? That's the third one this week... Maybe I should ask Twilight about what it means...." Outside, Princess Luna pulled her head out of the lake she had plunged it into. "Wha-what was THAT?" Luna was certain of one thing coming out of that dream: that wasn't her. She might not know who she was, but she knew she was no filly-fooler. That Fluttershy on the other hand.... Wait, three times this week? But it's only Monday! The images from the dream returned, and Luna once more plunged her head into the lake.

SIaanme

397

Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tabluna Rasa

complete

<p>After a thousand years in the moon, and even longer of not being yourself, how do you remember what you were truly like? Princess Luna isn't sure who she is anymore, and tries to rediscover herself through how others see her.</p><p>Some shipping in Chapters 2 &amp; 4.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T23:07:02+00:00

2011-08-04T23:07:02+00:00

After successfully repressing the memories of Fluttershy's dream, Luna was once more on her way. She stuck to the outskirts though, because she was sure there was at least one more of the Elements of Harmony living out here. But which one? Oh, if I only I remembered their names. Come on brain, I know you were paying attention SOMEWHERE in there when Celly talked about them... Luna tried to marshal her thoughts. There had been Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy... who else? Magic, Loyalty, Kindness.... What was the Element of Honesty's name? That would probably be her best bet if she wanted to find somepony with a good impression of her. If she could just remember her name... Something Jack, wasn't it? Luna tried a few. "Umm... High Jack, Captain Jack, Sparrow Jack, Black Jack, Jack Russell... no, those are colt's names. I'm sure all the Elements of Harmony were fillies." As Luna continued her flight, she noticed that she was headed into farmland. She was sure she vaguely remembered something about the Element of Honesty being a farmer. That seemed promising. Eventually Luna came to a farm house. She could sense four sleeping ponies inside. The sign above the gate read "Apple". One day I need to remember to ask Celestia why we started using pictures for signs instead of writing. But the picture sparked Luna's memory. Applejack! That was the name. She knew there was a Jack in there somewhere. Entering the house, Luna managed to find the right pony after only four tries. She slept in a rather bare room, containing not much more than a bed and hat-stand. And on that bed was the orange work-horse, not so much under the covers as lying amongst them. Clearly a restless sleeper. Hoping she wasn't the source of Applejack's restlessness, Luna entered the dream. §§§§ It was another fine summer's day, with light cloud providing some shelter from the sweltering sun. Applejack was glad for this small mercy, as she had a long day of applebucking ahead of her. Big Macintosh was off in Appleloosa for a week, helping with the applebucking there, as the settlement had had a recent outbreak of the flu, limiting workers for the orchards. Applejack had assured him it was fine, and she'd make sure to get help BEFORE she was in over her head this time. But she didn't see the harm in working alone for one day. Applebloom was still too little to help, and was out with her friends shenaniganing anyway. And while Granny Smith had the spirit of a younger mare, she didn't have the body of one anymore. No, one day of working alone would be fine. She'd get help from Twilight and the others tomorrow. She'd start with the western orchard today, and would work her way eastward as the day went on. As Applejack approached the orchard, she noticed that there were some trees that were bare. "Huh. Ah coulda sworn that they were ready for harvestin'." Upon closer inspection, Applejack found a trail of apple cores leading into one of the bushes. "Aha! Looks like Ah've found me an apple poacher." She followed the trail, slightly impressed at how many the thief had managed to eat. Of course, it could always be more than one thief. The cores eventually lead to one of the trees. Faint snoring could be heard from the branches. Aha. There's the varmint. Well, whoever it is, they're about to get a rude awakenin'. Applejack gave the tree a powerful kick, cause the tree to shake violently. "Ah know you're up there! Come out with your hooves up!" This was a small shriek, followed by a thud. Applejack headed round the tree to truss up the offender. "Okay then, Ah hope you've got a good reason to be robbin' mah family and me of our livelihood." "Oww... I forgot falling hurts more here...." The poacher staggered to her feet. Applejack let out a gasp. "Princess Luna?" Applejack was too flabbergasted to bow. "Wh- what the hay were you doin' in mah apple tree?" Luna dusted herself off with her wings. "Oh, were those your apple trees? Oh, I'm sorry, I thought they were wild." She gave a sheepish grin. "I guess I shouldn't have eaten all those apples then..." "Yeah, you shouldn't." Applejack quickly remembered who she was talking to. "Ah mean, uh.. it's no problem. You're a royal, not like Ah can do much about what you choose to do. Your highness." "Well, no I suppose not. But I feel terrible after eating those apples." "What? Are you tryin' to say there were some bad apples in mah orchard? And uh... if you're gonna throw up, can you face the other direction please?" Luna was confused, until she realised the farmer had misunderstood. "Oh! Oh no, I didn't mean terrible sick, I mean terribly guilty. I simply must make it up to you for this." Applejack shook her head. "That's mighty generous of you, your majesty, but if you'll pardon me, Ah'm not sure there much to do around her suitable for royalty." "Oh no, but I insist! I don't mind really, and it'll be interesting to see the kind of work ponies do in this age." Applejack still didn't look convinced, so Luna continued. "I mean, I can at least help pull your barrows for you, right?" "Well..." Applejack couldn't think of a reason to turn the princess away. "Oh, alright then your majesty. You've twisted mah leg, so to speak. But if you've got other things to do, Ah understand if you need leave." Luna was already busy magicking the barrow pull over herself. "Oh no, don't worry. My sister has everything taken care of today. My only job is to raise the moon really, and that's not until the evening." She started heading off. "Shall we?" "Uh, Princess Luna? The orchard's this way..." "Oh, right. Sorry." It wasn't much further before they reached the western-most orchard. Luna maneuvered the barrows into position under the trees, and Applejack kicking them so the apples fell off. The workhorse kept a running commentary while she worked. "So Princess, how'd you find yourself in this neck of the woods anyways? Ah woulda thought you'd be in Canterlot, livin' the easy life." Luna looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well yes. Most of the court really still hasn't come to terms with the idea that I've reformed yet, so most of the time I'm in my room anyway." "Oh. Well, that still don't explain why you're out here instead of there." "That's easy enough to answer. After I raise the moon, I usually fly for a bit, to stretch my wings. Last night I'd been too busy reading to get dinner, so when I saw the orchard below, I thought, What the hay. I didn't know it was anypony's. Anyway, I guess I fell asleep after my snack. And then you found me, so I guess that explains it." "Ah reckon it does." Applejack gave the tree she was at another solid kick. Apples rained down into the barrow. "Okay, let's try the trees over there. They usually produce a good crop." "Um.. do you think I could have a try at getting the apples this time?" Luna almost looked embarrassed. "It looks like fun..." Applejack thought for a bit. "Well... okay. Ah mean, if you want to do it, it's not like Ah can really say no." "Oh thank you!" Luna removed the harness and headed over to the first tree. "So, are you gonna magic the apples down?" Applejack remembered the efficiency Twilight's magic brought to the last harvest. Luna shook her head. "Oh no. I mean, I could, but when in Roam, right?" Luna looked over her back, taking careful aim at the tree. She focused, and the lashed at out the tree with her hind legs. "Okay. That wasn't so hard. How'd I do? She turned to look at Applejack, who was just standing there with a look of shock on her face. "What? Did I do something wrong?" Applejack still didn't speak, and raised a hoof, pointing behind Luna. Luna turned around just in time to see the tree fly beyond the horizon. "Oh. Um... whoops?" Meanwhile, in Ponyville central, a pink pony was busy going about her daily deliveries when she had a funny feeling. Her tail was twitching. She dropped her basket and galloped as fast as she could towards the library. "TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT! Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail! Something's gonna fall on the library!" Twilight stuck her head out the window. "Oh come on Pinkie. How could something fall ON the library? Don't you mean-" The rest of the sentence was lost to time, as out of nowhere, an apple tree crashed into the library. The impact knocked Twilight off her feet, and half the books fell off their shelves. "TWILIGHT!" Twilight managed to stand up and look out the window again. "Yes Pinkie?" "That was it!" Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Luna was once more pulling the barrows, and still apologising. "I'm so, so sorry about that! I guess I don't know my own strength. I'll do better on the next one, I promise!" "Uh, no that's okay Princess." Applejack was back to bucking. "Ah think maybe you should just stick with pulling the barrows for now, okay?" "But I know I can do better, please give me another chance? Please? I won't send anymore trees into orbit." Applejack considered. Applebucking was hard work after all, and she could do with a break. "Tell you what. How about you use your magic to get them apples? Ah'm sure that way will be quicker, and less risk of flying trees as well." Luna perked up at the idea. "Ooh yes! I can do that, I'm good at magic." "Great! You do that for a while then, and Ah'll go get us some cool apple juice from the house." "Thank you! I'll make up for that tree, I promise!" To demonstrate, Luna magicked the apples off the next tree all at once, and levitated them safely into the barrows. Applejack nodded, and headed back to the house. She returned about ten minutes later with two ice-cold apple juices. "Okay Princess Luna, Ah've got us some- WHAT THE HAY HAPPENED HERE?" Luna was standing in the middle of the orchard, or what was left of it. Half the trees were on a distinct lean, and the other half were somehow upside down. "Oh, um, hi Applejack!" Luna followed her stare to the orchard. "Um... would you believe a really strong wind? No?" "Wha-what happened to mah orchard?" "Umm..." Luna pawed the ground. "Well, I was using my magic, and it was going fine, but I thought, if I increase the range of the spell, I can get all of the trees harvested much quicker. And so I did, but... um... it sort of interpreted the planted apple seeds as apples as well, and ripped the trees out..." Luna couldn't look Applejack in the eyes. "But I replanted them all, see? And I only got about half of them upside down..." Applejack could feel her eye twitching. Now, don't be mad Applejack. It was just a mistake, and besides, she's a Princess... no, just stay calm... "That's okay Princess..." Applejack managed through clenched teeth. "But what happened to all the apples?" "The apples? Oh... um... I sort of panicked, and accidentally flung them all into the lake.... hehe.... sorry?" Deep breaths AJ, deep breaths. "Oh, but I can make it up to you! Here, I'll just cast a multiplication spell on the apples we already harvested!" "Nononono, no more magic please!" But it was too late, Luna's horn was already glowing, and so were the apples With a *POP*, there were suddenly twice as many apples. "See? No problem at all." *POP* Luna turned to find the source of the noise. The apples had doubled again. *POP* And again. "Uh oh...." *POP POP POP POP POP* The apples were now the height of a mountain, and swaying. It didn't take long for gravity to realise it had a job to do, and there was a sudden cascade of apples headed straight for the two ponies. "APPLELANCHE! RUN!" Applejack was already sprinting as fast as she could, but the tide of apples washed over her. For about thirty seconds all she could see were apples, then the flow stopped. Applejack poked her head out of the ocean of apples to see Luna flying just above. "Oops... I'm really, really sorry about that Applejack! I can make it up to you I promise, let me just-" "No, no NO!" Applejack snapped. "Everytime you've tried to help today it's been a DISASTER! First you kick one of mah prize trees townward, THEN you uproot over half of an orchard, AND NOW THIS!" Applejack gestured to the sea of apples she was in. "Ah don't need your help! Just leave me alone!" Tears welled up in Luna's eyes, and she flew away, sobbing. Applejack just sat there, huffing and puffing after yelling at Luna. Yelling at Luna. Yelling... at.... Princess.... "Oh horseapples, what have Ah done?" It took Applejack about ten minutes to finally get out of the all the apples, during which her mind had already gone through all the worst possible scenarios. What if Luna told Princess Celestia? Or maybe she was even allowed to make judgments herself Applejack could see it all too clearly. "Oh please your majesty, Ah'm sorry!" "I'm afraid sorry is not good enough. Straight to the moon with you!" "Ah've got to find her and apologise!" It took Applejack another half hour before she heard a gentle sobbing coming from one of the apple trees. "Uh, Princess Luna? Is that you?" No response, but the sobbing seemed to get quieter. "Uh, listen... Ah'm sorry that Ah yelled at you before... Ah was wrong to do that, you were only tryin' to help." The sobbing had completely stopped now. Luna poked her head out of the tree. "So uh... can you please forgive me? And can you please not tell your sister and have her banish me and then throw me in prison where Ah was banished to?" Luna flew down from the tree branches, keeping her head low. "No, you had every right to be angry with me. I'm the one who should be sorry. It's just... I've spent so long not being able to help anypony, I wanted a chance to be able to make up for all the years of lost time..." Applejack lay a comforting hoof on Luna's shoulder. "Aw shewt, it ain't your fault. Ah mean, if you can forgive me for the way Ah acted, Ah can forgive you for your... over-enthusiasm." Luna gave a sniff. "You mean it?" "Ah do. And Ah'd be honoured if you helped me with the rest of today's harvest too." Luna smiled. "Oh yes, I'd be happy to help! And I have the perfect spell to clean up that applelanche..." "NO! Uh.. Ah mean, no thank you, your majesty. Ah think we should avoid anymore spells today, okay?" "Okay..." §§§§ Luna slipped out of the dream unnoticed. Applejack's dream had given her a lot to think about. Was she the kind of pony who would try her best to help? She wasn't sure still, but at least it wasn't something she was sure she wasn't. That was progress. "Well, that's half of them done." Before she headed off to the next place, Luna made a quick visit to the apple orchards nearby. Satisfied that there hadn't been an applelanche, she magicked some apples of the tress and arranged them in words on the ground before she flew off. The apples read: "Sorry about your dream."

SIaanme

397

Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tabluna Rasa

complete

<p>After a thousand years in the moon, and even longer of not being yourself, how do you remember what you were truly like? Princess Luna isn't sure who she is anymore, and tries to rediscover herself through how others see her.</p><p>Some shipping in Chapters 2 &amp; 4.</p>

everyone

2011-11-02T12:06:59+00:00

2011-11-02T12:06:59+00:00

Luna hovered through the centre of town. She could feel the presence of the last elements, but where they were, she still didn't know. Time to try fishing for another name. What about the other unicorn, what was her name? Or her element? Cutie mark? Job? Just about any clue would have been nice. "Well, if nothing else, I've learnt I need to pay more attention to Celly." Luna let out a sigh. If she couldn't remember the last elements, maybe she should just start trying random houses. That way she had a what, one in fifty chance of finding the right house? Hmm, perhaps not. Oh, if only there was some other clue! And suddenly inspiration struck: maybe there were fewer houses to check after all. After all, the other Elements all had grand and spectacular houses; it stood to reason that the others would as well. So, all Luna had to do was find a house that was over the top. And as luck would have it, there was one right behind her. Luna entered the house to find it cluttered with dresses and fabric. A fashion store maybe? The second floor was even more cluttered, half completed dresses lay here and there, there was at least two different streams of ribbons unrolled upon the ground. Luna found the unicorn amongst the mess, asleep at her sewing machine. It must have been a late night. For the fourth time that night, Luna peered into the slumbering unicorn's dreams. §§§§ "What do you mean you can only let me have ten percent?" Rarity was in Canterlot, negotiating with an outlet. Deciding it was time she get her name spread further than Ponyville, she went seeking out the most well-known fashion shop in Equestria: Bridle Wear. The owner had liked Rarity's designs well enough, and agreed to stock her designs. Now they were just arguing about how much of the profit Rarity would receive. "Darling, it hurts me to do this, really, but it's simple not feasible to give you much more than that. You're still not exactly a household name here, if we're going to turn a profit here, we'll need the lions share." The manger was stretching the truth a bit, but then, that was her job. She was surprised how often it worked. Not this time though. "Do you WANT to ruin me? Ten percent simply isn't worth my time!" In truth, Rarity knew she probably wouldn't end up with much more than that, but there were things expected of a designer. "No, I won't settle for anything less than, say, thirty percent." "Thirty percent? Darling, are you trying to ruin us? Now look, I can go maybe to fifteen percent, but frankly, you need us more than we need you." "That may be so, but are you going to begrudge me my hard work? I'll accept twenty-five percent. Yes, that should do quite nicely I think." "Twenty-one percent. That's my final offer. Take it or find some other shop." It was certainly better than Rarity had expected. "Very well then. I suppose I can stoop to such a low share as twenty-one percent." "Perfect! I'll get my people to draw up the contracts and send them over to you as soon as we can." The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. "Oh for crying out - We're closed for lunch!" The manager was frustrated, she still hadn't had her lunch break. "Oh of course. I should have realised that when I saw the sign. Clearly I must be a simpleton to miss such an obvious hint." The voice made the manager turn around, ready to give the visitor a peace of her mind, but the words vanished when she saw who it was. "P-princess Luna! I am so sorry, I wasn't expecting a visit from royalty today!" "Really. It hardly shows at all. Now then, I require a new dress, my sister is throwing another ball for me." Rarity wisely kept back. The princess seemed to be unhappy with the service on offer, and she had no plans to be associated with any royal dissatisfaction. The manager, meanwhile, was having a panic attack. "I- I beg your pardon Princess, but our seamstress has the day off. Perhaps if you could come back tomorrow we could..." "Ah, a pity." Luna cut her off. "It seems I'll have to find somewhere else to accept my patronage. Farewell." "No, wait!" The words were out before the manager could stop them. "A-ha. It just so happens that we have a top designer here today, and I'm sure she'll be happy to take your request." "Very well then. But this had better not be a waste of my time." The Princess headed into the backroom to await her fitting. The manager quickly rounded on Rarity. "Oh please oh please oh please, you have to do this for me!" Rarity allowed herself a smile. "And if I don't, what do I have to lose?" The manager blinked. "Your contract with us! Yes, that's right, we won't stock your designs!" A disconcerting grin spread across her face. Rarity recognised it as the kind one might have while having a breakdown. "Ah yes, but here's the thing, would I really WANT my designs to be associated with somewhere that was shunned by one of the royal Princesses?" Rarity pressed her advantage. "I suppose I could help... if my share of the profits is increased to forty percent." "What?!" The manager was shocked. "That's unheard of! Forty percent?" "Oh, well if it's too much I suppose I can just leave. Good luck with your reputation though, I know how difficult they are to fix." Rarity turned as if to leave. She counted in her head as she walked. One, two three, four... "Wait." Rarity turned, carefully keeping her expression blank. The manager struggled with the words. "For-forty percent? And you'll make this dress for the Princess?" She swallowed. "Okay. You have a deal. Now please, get in there before she decides to leave!" "Oh very well then. I suppose you've twisted my leg enough." Rarity could barely keep the glee of her face. Forty percent of the profit, AND she got to make a dress for the Princess! Granted it was the less popular Princess of the two, but royalty was royalty. As she walked towards the backroom though, she had no trouble not smiling. She was too busy fretting. What if the Princess hated her dress? What if she still held a grudge for the whole Nightmare Moon thing? A hundred scenarios ran through her mind as she passed through the door. "Well then. I take it you're the replacement. You seem very familiar..." Rarity tried not to shudder at the condescension in Luna's voice. "Yes your majesty. My name is Rarity, I was one of the ponies who helped with... um... Nightmare Moon last year." "Oh yes. I knew I recognised you from somewhere." Luna turned her head away from Rarity and sighed. "If it helps you be more at ease, I bear you no ill-will for what you did." "Oh really? The thought hadn't even crossed my mind," Rarity lied. "Right then, did you have any particular design in mind for your dress?" "No, not really. Do what you think looks best, and pray I like it." Rarity narrowly avoided gulping. "O-of course! Let me just get your measurements first..." As Rarity took measurements, she tried to engage Luna in conversation. "So, a ball? How wonderful! You must be so excited!" "Not really. I don't know what happened in the thousand years I was absent, but somehow balls have become even duller than before." "Dull your majesty?" Rarity was now levitating various fabric colours in front of Luna. "But I've heard that a Canterlot ball is not one to be missed! The glamour, the sophistication, the elegance..." "The dullness, the sycophancy, the silent judging... no thank you. But my sister insists that I make appearances like this so that the public start to accept I'm back for good." Rarity levitated a sketchpad and pencil over from the bench and started working on designs. "Oh I'm sure it can't be all that bad..." "Oh? You would contradict a Princess?" Rarity dropped the pencil and sketchbook at the sound of Princess Luna's voice. She'd overstepped her place! This was the end for her. All her dreams of fame and fortune, lost! Luna's stern look was replaced by a smirk. "Very bold. There need to be more like you willing to speak their mind. I'll see to it that you receive an invitation to the ball as well." "Oh please please please don't punish me for.... what?" Rarity paused in the middle of her eloquently and well thought out defense, shocked by the Princess' decision. "Me? You're inviting me to the ball?" "Of course. I'm a Princess, I may invite whomever I please. Besides which, this is the fastest way to convince you that these balls are boring. The ball is in a week's time, I'll see you get an invitation before then. I also expect my dress to be ready by either tomorrow or the day after, send a message by way of dragon to my sister, she'll be sure to pass the message along. Now, if I'm no longer required?" The princess titled her head towards the door. Rarity snapped out of her shock. "What? Oh, yes of course. I'll be sure to have it done by then." "Good. I look forward to seeing your craftsmaresship then." Rarity barely acknowledged her as she left. She, Rarity, was going to a royal ball! --- The following week Rarity felt like she was in a dream. She finished the Princess' dress in almost record time, and sent a message to her via Spike to let her know it was done. Not even a day later she'd received a visit from some VERY dashing royal guards, but unfortunately they were only there to pick up the dress. And then Rarity began to feel nervous again. What if the princess didn't like the dress? Would she still give Rarity the invitation to the ball? What if she wasn't serious about inviting her in the first place? Rarity was such a bundle of nerves that she almost couldn't focus on making her own gown. Finally, it was the day before the ball, and the invitation still hadn't arrived. Rarity was ready to give up hope, when Spike burst into the room. "Spike! How many times do I have to tell you, you should always KNOCK before entering a room, especially the room of a lady! Go out and try again." "But Rarity-" "Ah-ah-ah! No buts Spike! For one from Canterlot, one would think your manners would be better." Spike sighed and closed the door. A few seconds later there was a knock. "Just a moment, I'm getting changed!" "But you... you're.... oh forget it." Rarity magicked on her ball gown, and opened the door. "Why Spike, how lovely to see you today. What brings you here? Do you like my new gown? I think it's simply GORGEOUS, oh I'm sure to be the envy of the ball. If I'm still going that is. It's been almost a week and Princess Luna still hasn't sent me an invitation. I'm beginning to think she never was going to invite me after all? I bet it's because she didn't like my dress, oh what am I going to do? This was my one shot at the high life and I blew it! I... I think I need to be alone now..." She began to close the door when spike stuck his foot in the way. "Rarity, will you let me get a word in edgeways?" He pulled out a scroll. "This came for you just before. It's sealed with Princess Luna's insignia." "What? Spike, I thought I told you to let me know the VERY SECOND the Princess sent me something. How could you just leave me in suspense like that?" "Well if you'd let me actually speak-" "No excuses Spike! This simply isn't good enough. Now then, the letter?" Still grumbling slightly, Spike offered Rarity the letter. She unrolled it with glee and began to read it. "Well Rarity, what's it say? Good news?" Rarity read the letter again. And then again. A fourth time, just to be sure. She let it drop to the ground. "Princess Luna wants to talk to me about becoming her own personal dressmaker! Oh Spike, do you know what this means? It means I'm destined for the high life! Goodbye Ponyville, hello Canterlot!" "But won't that mean leaving all your friends here in Ponyville behind? Like me?" "Oh well yes, but that doesn't mean I won't keep in touch. Now shoo Spike, I need to pack a bag in case I'm asked to stay." --- Rarity arrived at the palace about an hour before the ball was to start, as per Princess Luna's request. She was escorted to the Princess' Royal chamber by the guards. Timidly, Rarity knocked. "Enter." It was one of the biggest room's Rarity had ever laid eyes on. The floor was covered by an off white carpet, and the walls were painted in a mix of deep blues and purples, with patches of silver here and there. It felt like Rarity had suddenly been transported to the moon. "Ah, Miss Rarity, so glad you could make it." The Princess was in the middle of the room, lying on a four-poster bed. Rarity was shocked to see she wasn't dressed yet. "Princess Luna, so good to see you again..." Rarity bowed deeply. "You mentioned in your letter that you had a job offer for me?" "Yes that's correct. Please, you don't need to bow. Now then, about the position. I've found your work on my dress to be... more than adequate. In fact, it is one of the finest dresses I have laid eyes upon. As such, I would like to you to consider the position of Royal Dressmaker. Should you take the job, you will be accommodated here in the palace, and you're duties would primarily include making me stunning gowns when I need them, as well as to accompany me to any social functions I may attend." Rarity was ready to say yes then and there, but managed to keep her composure. "Well your majesty, first let me say that this is very generous, and I-" Luna cut her off. "Please just wait. I don't want to hear your answer yet. I'll let you attend your first regal ball, and if you manage to find it less tedious than I, you are welcome to the job. If not, I wouldn't want to be forcing you into unfavorable circumstances." "Oh Princess, I'm sure it can't be that bad..." "Nevertheless, I want you to know what you'd be getting yourself into before you accept. Now, we have some time before the ball starts, and anyway, I'd sooner be fashionably late. What shall we talk about?" Rarity was shocked. "You mean, you're not going to start getting ready?" Luna looked puzzled. "Get ready now? It's a dress, it's not like it'll take me more than 5 minutes to put on." "Oh but there's so much more to preparing for a ball than to just put on a dress! I simply insist that you let me help you get ready." Luna stood up, bringing her full height to bear. "And you think you can order around a member of the royal family?" Rarity shrank into the ground, waiting for the yelling, but instead the princess chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. I'm just teasing. If I am going to make you Royal Dressmaker, I suppose I should expect to be told how to wear your creations as well." Luna exited into the adjacent room, leaving Rarity alone. Rarity took several breaths to try and calm her nerves. Here she was in the presence of Royalty, and she was ARGUING? Was she trying to get banished? Once she'd calmed down a bit more, she took another look at the room. It really was stunning. Rarity had never been one for astronomy, but if this was even close to what one could see through a telescope, she could certainly see the appeal. But why would Princess Luna have her room like this? Hadn't she spent a thousand years on the moon? "In case you were wondering, yes this is what it was like for me on the moon. Except it was colder, and I didn't have any furniture." Rarity turned around to see Luna standing there in her dress. She had to suppress a gasp. The dress had turned out even better than she had thought, the colours contrasted perfectly with Luna's natural complexion, and the silver trim around the bottom made it look as if she was walking on a moonbeam. Rarity's heart fluttered a little just to look at her. Wait, that can't be right. My heart can't be fluttering for Princess Luna. She's a mare, like me! Trying to cover the emotion, Rarity asked "But why would you decorate your room to remind you of the moon? Surely you've seen enough of it to last a lifetime?" Luna was blissfully unaware of her guest's flustered nature. "While that may be true, there is a certain serenity to be found on the moon that I attempted to capture here. It wasn't so much where I was banished to that was so bad, but rather the fact that I WAS banished." Luna paused briefly, and sighed. "But all that is in the past now. So, what else am I supposed to do to get ready?" Rarity managed a smile, glad to be back to familiar topics. "Why, make up, of course!" The princess was confused. "Make-up? Why would I need make-up? I've been told on a number of occasions that my beauty was second only to my sister's. Of course, they were trying to butter me up, but still...." "Ah, yes your majesty. But WITH make-up you could be - dare I say it - MORE beautiful than your sister!" Luna's ears perked up. "Oh really? well, not that it matters but..." She grinned. "Ok then. Oh, but I don't have any make-up here." "Not to worry! A lady always brings some make-up with her to every occasion. Oh, not to say that you aren't a lady your majesty..." Luna gave an exasperated sigh. "Lady Rarity, please feel free to relax. I invited you here, I'm not going to banish you." She smiled. "Now please, allow me to find out what all this fuss about make-up is about." --- It was about forty minutes afterwards that Rarity and Princess Luna finally headed off to the ball. The doorguard announced them. "Princess Luna of Equestria, and her guest, Lady Rarity of Ponyville." All eyes were on them instantly. Well, mostly they were on Luna, but a few slid off and found their way to Rarity. She felt like she was going to faint. Her first Canterlot ball! Not counting the absolute disaster that was the Grand Galloping Gala, of course. It wasn't long before a small herd of ponies had surrounded Luna and Rarity. Rarity felt smaller than she had ever felt before. This must be what Fluttershy feels like all the time! Luna noticed her guest's distress. "Go on. Mingle with the crowd; you don't have to stay with me. Besides, I'm sure you'll have more fun wandering the hall then here with me, trying to manage all these ponies and their requests." Rarity didn't need to be told twice, and managed to squeeze her way out of the herd. Freed from the stress of so many ponies around her, she managed to calm down. Here she was at last, in the heart of sophistication and class. Time to shamelessly self-promote! --- Hours later Rarity was still enjoying herself. She had got a number of compliments about her gown, and on the occasion that the topic turned to Princess Luna, Rarity managed to slip in the fact that it was her design as well. Oh yes, business was going to be booming. Soon the whole world would know the name of the most fashionable unicorn in all Equestria, Rarity! Entranced by the scenes of fame that played before her, Rarity forgot to pay attention to where she was walking, and stumbled into one of the other guests. "Oh, I'm so dreadfully sorry, I was.... YOU!" "You!" replied Prince Blueblood. "You're that unicorn with the horrid manners from the Grand Galloping Gala! How did you manage to get in here? Guards, guards!" Before she could react, Rarity found herself being restrained by two guards. "Unhand me you ruffians! Why the nerve! I'm an invited guest!" "Oh? I don't remember seeing your name on the list," sneered Blueblood. "That's because she was a late addition by me." Blueblood turned to find Princess Luna bearing down upon him. "Is there a problem, oh esteemed nephew?" The prince gulped, but managed to speak without a hint of fear in his voice. "Oh, aunt Luna..." "Don't you call me aunt! It's Princess Luna to you." This time Blueblood couldn't hide the tremble in his voice. "P-Princess Luna, this unicorn simple has no manners. Why, at the Grand Galloping Gala, she got cake all over my perfectly groomed mane, and showed absolutely no respect for my position." "As I understand it Blueblood, your position as prince is only justified because your mother married into the royal family. After you were born. And I don't think she'd been married before that either. Now, if you're done questioning my choice of companions, I think we'll take our leave." Rarity found herself released, and she hurried to the Princess' side. "Oh thank you so much for helping me out Princess!" She felt a stirring in her chest again, and once more tried to push it down. "It was no problem. And please, just call me Luna." The princess turned to the disgraced Blueblood. "Oh, and I had meant to mention, a wonderful outfit you're wearing. It must take you and five servants at least half an hour to get into it." The prince's chest swelled with pride. "Forty five minutes actually," as if an outfit was better the longer it took to put on. "Ah I see. But from what I hear it only takes one filly 10 seconds to get you out. Come along Rarity, we're leaving." They left the unicorn stallion fuming. "Well, I think I've had enough of this for one night. Shall we retire for the night?" Rarity nodded. "Once again, thank you for saving me there your majes... Luna. I'm sorry to have caused any trouble for you." "Trouble? Oh not at all. That was the most fun I've ever had at one of these balls. Besides, he had it coming, strutting around like he was important." They made their way back to Luna's chambers, Rarity barely stifling a yawn. "Oh my, I'm more tired than I thought. Those balls really do take a lot out of you." "Tired? Oh, well in that case we should leave the discussion about if you want to take the job or not until tomorrow. Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?" Rarity shook her head. "Right then. You may stay here for tonight then. The bathroom's through there if you need to take your makeup off." "I thank you for the offer your.... Luna, but to be honest, I think I just need to get some rest. So, where am I to sleep?" Luna motioned towards the bed. "Well, you have one option if you want a bed." "Oh no, I couldn't possibly, that's your bed! Where will you sleep?" "Well for one thing, it's big enough that we could both sleep in it together, but that won't be a problem either because I don't need to sleep. One of the benefits to being an immortal goddess. Oh, are you feeling okay? You look slightly off-colour..." Rarity couldn't hide the blush that had spread over her face when the princess mentioned sleeping together. No, she didn't mean it like that! Really Rarity, what has come over you? "I'm fine Luna, really. I'm just tired." Besides, she's an immortal princess, it would never work out. Oh what am I thinking, even entertaining the idea of a crush on another mare... "Well, if you insist. Have a good sleep, I'll see you in the morning then." Luna walked out to the balcony, magicking her dress off as she went. Upon reaching the edge, she spread her wings and flew away. Rarity watched in awe. Oh it's no use. I DO have a crush on her. She climbed onto the bed and lay down. I'll worry about this in the morning. Right now I just need to sleep.... no, I must at least change out of this gown.... after I've lain down for a few seconds.... --- Rarity opened her blurry eyes. Rubbing them a few times, she eventually managed a clear view. The second thing she noticed was that she was no longer in her dress. The first thing she noticed though, was she was in bed, and snuggled against Princess Luna. This took a few seconds to properly process, and when it did, Rarity had to clasp her hooves over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. Calm down Rarity. I'm sure there's a good explanation for this... Her musings were cut off as Luna rolled over and opened her eyes. "Ah, you're awake. I don't usually say this, but good morning." She climbed out of bed and stretched. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of undressing you and tucking you in last night. By the time I came back from my flight you were already out, and just lying on the covers instead of under them. You must have been tired." Well, that answered one question. "But why were you in bed as well?" Rarity was trying her best not to blush just thinking about it. "I thought you didn't need sleep?" "Oh, I don't. But that doesn't mean I can't. After all, why else would I have a bed at all if I couldn't sleep? I find a quick nap every couple of days is usually sufficient." There was a knock on the door. "Ah, that'll be breakfast. Punctual as always. It's good to know at least that hasn't changed in the years I've been away." As Luna and Rarity sat down to breakfast, Rarity tried to order her thoughts. She knew she had a crush on Luna, but how to tell her? Should she even tell her? Luna noticed her guest's puzzled expression. "Something on your mind dear?" "What? Oh no, it's fine, it's just..." "Ah, it's about the job isn't it. Have you come to a decision then?" Rarity nodded. "Yes. I would be very honoured to be your personal dressmaker." She swallowed. May as well get it over with. "And there's another matter." "Oh?" It was Luna's turn to look puzzled. Another swallow. "I think... I think I'm in love with you Luna." There was a silence. Nervous, Rarity tried to fill it. "I mean, I don't normally feel this way about other mares, but for some reason when I look at you I just feel all..." "Rarity." Luna cut her off with a word. "I'm afraid I can't let you be my dressmaker any more." "What?" The words shattered Rarity. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and tried to hold them back. "Please, try to understand. If you took the job as you are now, you'd be chasing after something you won't ever be able to get. I simply can't reciprocate your feelings. Not now, not ever." "Is it just because I'm a mare as well?" Rarity managed to spit out through the tears, flowing freely now. "No, that's not it at all. My answer would be the same if you were a stallion." "Then why? Why can't you love me?" "My dear, I do love you, just not in the way you're thinking. I just can't form a deep relationship with anypony. Please, understand. I'm immortal, or at least very long-lived. If I was to enter into a relationship with any pony, I would be entering into it knowing that at the end, I would have to bid them a teary farewell as they passed on. If I allow myself to feel that sort of attachment, I would end up being torn apart." Luna got up from her side of the table and went round to Rarity. She embraced the weeping unicorn. "So I'm sorry, but I have to let you go. There's somepony else out there for you, be they filly or colt. But not me." --- It was a week later. Rarity was back in Ponyville, mostly recovered from the ball. There was still an ache in her heart, but with everyday the pain grew less. Soon it would only be a dull memory. There was a knock at the door. Rarity answered it, and had a packaged thrust upon her. "Special muffin!" The mailmare saluted, and then flew on her way. Odd, Rarity wasn't expecting any packages. She inspected it, but was unable to find any return address. It was addressed to her though. Curious as what it could be, Rarity ripped open the package with her teeth. Upon getting to the interior Rarity let out a gasp. It was a roll of fabric, but it was unlike any fabric Rarity had seen in her life. It seemed to shimmer with the colour of the night sky itself. There was a note attached. Rarity had a feeling she knew who it was from, but she read it anyway. "Dear Rarity. I once again apologise for having to crush your feelings the way I did. You deserve better. While I can't provide love for you, I can provide this. I wove this fabric myself from the night sky. The fabric is one of a kind, so use it well. Make yourself something that will be the envy of everypony in Equestria. With love, Luna." Rarity finished reading the note, and smiled. "Thank you." §§§§ Luna was back in the real world again. She didn't spare a glance for the sleeping unicorn, and flew out into the streets again. "Aloof. Distant, yet caring. That's certainly how I've been acting recently, but is that how I want to continue?" With more to think about, Luna continued on her way.

SIaanme

397

Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tabluna Rasa

complete

<p>After a thousand years in the moon, and even longer of not being yourself, how do you remember what you were truly like? Princess Luna isn't sure who she is anymore, and tries to rediscover herself through how others see her.</p><p>Some shipping in Chapters 2 &amp; 4.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T23:07:34+00:00

2011-08-04T23:07:34+00:00

Once more Luna was drifting through Ponyville. So, the Element of Laughter next, right? Now what was her job? Um... butcher? No, I don't think that was it... Baker? Candlestick maker? No, I'm pretty sure it was baker, we'll stick with that. So a baker would live... Luna halted in her tracks as she looked up at the building before her. It looked like a gingerbread house had had an affair with a cupcake. Is that place even waterproof? And what about the rats, wouldn't they just eat it? Trying not to think about it too hard, Luna entered the bakery. The ground level was your standard bakery, front room with display cases and a large open space for events, and a kitchen out the back. Also on the ground floor Luna could sense two sleeping ponies. Presumably the owners of the house. There was also someone on the upper floor. Investigating, Luna found a pink earth pony laying asleep. This was the Element of Laughter alright, although Luna was confused as to why the mare had gone to sleep cuddling a... was that a sack of flour? Ah yes. Luna remember a bit more about the pony before her. This was the one who was... how had Celly put it? A few cupcakes short of a batch? This would be interesting. Bracing herself, Luna peered into the dreamscape. §§§§ Pinkie bounded downstairs at the sound of the first knock. "Oh this is so exciting! What will we do tonight? Ooh, maybe we can go to Cloudsdale again!" She reached the bottom of the stairs in just two bounds, a new best! She flung open the door and began talking at once. "Hi Dashie! It's so nice to see you today, what can I... wait a minute, you're not Rainbow Dash!" Standing at the door was Princess Luna! The twist left Pinkie momentarily speechless. Luna spoke up "Hi, I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Did you have something planned for today?" Pinkie got her voice back. "Oh no, not really. I mean, I was expecting Rainbow Dash, but that's only because it's Monday and Monday is the day I always hang out with her! Fluttershy I see on Tuesdays, Applejack gets Wednesdays, Thursdays go to Rarity, then it's Friday, Friday can be anyone depending on what happened that day, and that leaves Twilight for Saturdays!" "Then what about Sundays?" "Oh, Sundays. That's reserved for things that don't make any sense. Anyway, since it's you at the door and not Dashie I guess I get to hang out with you today! So, what's on your mind? Any reason for this unexpected but still super awesome visit?" "Oh, well yes actually! I need your help with something." "Help? Well that's silly, most ponies would go to Twilight for help. Unless they need help with a party, and even then for some reason they try to stop me finding out about it. Jeeze, you spike the punch one time.... Ooh, is that why you're here? Do you need my help with a party?" "Well, it's like this. Since returning from my vacation as it were, I've discovered I don't really know any pony other than my sister." "You know what would fix that right up? A party! Oh, sorry, am I going on about that too much? Rarity keeps trying to tell me that I'm a one track pony or something like that, but I think that's silly because Dashie's the racing pony around here, not me, so why would I be on a track unless I was cheering for Dash?" "Are you sure you're not thinking of one trick pony?" "No, I know tons of tricks as well. Ooh, if you'd like I can show you some of my best pranks! Oh, but we were talking about a party weren't we? No wait, that's just me skipping ahead. How can I help you Luna?" "Well since I'm talking to Equestria's top party planner, there must be only one thing I'm after. Fashion advice. Should I try wearing socks?" Luna's tone was deadpan, but after a few seconds her face betrayed her. Stifling a giggle, she resumed. "No, actually, I do need your help planning a party. It needs to be big!" "Ooh, I can totally do that! I'm the best at parties, all the ponies do agree. Well, not counting those grumps at the Grand Galloping Gala. They wouldn't know a party if it jumped out of a cake wearing nothing but another cake yelling 'PARTY!' Wait, am I getting ahead of myself again? Did we do the part where you ask for my help with a party?" "Yes." Luna was doing her best to follow the party pony's ramblings, a good way to get a headache. "A 'Get to know Luna' sort of party." "That's a great idea! I wish I'd thought of that!" Pinkie grinned and jumped out the door, snaring Luna in her bushy tail. "Come on then, we're heading to Twilight's!" The pair was about halfway across Ponyville before Luna managed to untangle herself from Pinkie's tail. "Wait, so why are we going to the library? Do we need Twilight's help after all?" "What? No, don't be silly! But we do need a super awesome place to host the party, and library is the second best place for parties!" "What's the best place then?" "Sugar Cube Corner of course!" "So why are we going to the library?" "The payoff of course!" --- As the two ponies approached the tree that served as Ponyville's library and Twilight's residence they noticed it was strangely busy. There were several pegasi hovering around the upper window, all tugging on what appeared to be an apple tree lodged in the side of the library. "How on Equestria does an apple tree wind up in another tree?" Luna asked. "I dunno, you tell me." They entered the library where they found Twilight in conversation with Applejack. "Well shewt Twilight, That's one of my apple trees alright, but how they hay did it get up there?" "I'm not really sure, it was just there when I got up this morning." Twilight spotted Pinkie and Luna across the room. "Oh hey Pinkie Pie. And Princess Luna, what brings you here?" Both ponies answered as one. "A party!" Pinkie took over the explaining. "See Luna here wants to get to know the ponies around her better. So what better way to do that than a party!" "And all the ones in Canterlot are so boring, so I came here to have a proper one!" "And we'd like you to come if you're not busy!" Twilight was busy looking between Pinkie and Luna, waiting to see if either of them would start speaking again. "Well, I am a bit behind in my studies, so I don't know..." "Oh please Twilight!" Luna implored. "You're one of the few ponies around here who I almost know!" "Yeah," Pinkie joined in. "And we were kinda hoping to have it here as well." "Well...." Twilight gave in. "Oh sure, why not. My studies can wait one more day. It's not like it's every night I get a visit from royalty." "Yes!" Pinkie pumped her hoof into the air in celebration. She then turned to Applejack. "What about you AJ? You in?" The farmer gave a nod. "For a Pinkie Pie party? You know I am. When will it be?" "Tonight, duh! It's Luna's party, and she practically is the night, so we can't have it in the day!" "Besides, we'd have no time to decorate if we held it any sooner." Applejack smiled. "Heh, I guess that makes sense. Anything I can help with?" "Actually, can I count on you to do the catering? You're totally the best cook in all of Equestria!" Pinkie gave Applejack her best smile. "Gotcha, I'll go do that right now." "Great!" Pinkie next turned to Twilight. "Twilight, can you send Spike to tell Rarity that she's in charge of decoration, and then find Rainbow Dash to spread the word?" "Well sure, I can do that. What are you going to be doing then Pinkie?" "Luna and I have to get some supplies for tonight! So we'll leave you to it! Assume everypony’s invited!" Pinkie turned to Luna. "Come on Luna, let's go!" She was out of the library before anyone had a chance to respond. Luna smiled at Twilight before following suit. "So Pinkie, what sort of supplies are we getting? Cupcakes? Pin the tail on the Pony? That game's still played right?" "Of course it's still played! It's my favourite party game! But no we're getting a different kind of supplies." Pinkie lead Luna to a shop that looked more like a circus tent than a building. "Come on, let's see what they've got." As they entered the shop Luna looked around. Pinkie smiled as she saw recognition dawn on the Alicorn's face. "This is a prank shop!" "Yup! What kind of a party would it be if there weren't any pranks? Not one I'd want to be at!" The shop's owner, a unicorn with a jester hat for a cutie mark, emerged from the back room. "Why hello there Pinkie! Planning another party?" Pinkie giggled. "You know me too well Bozo! Let's see... I'll take my usual order number one, and whatever else my friend Princess Luna picks out!" Luna had wandered away ad was looking at some of the merchandise on display. There was a wide variety of course, fake blood, sneezing powder, invisible ink, the usual prankster's repertoire. There was also other, less common things like smoke bombs, hollow cakes, explosive candles and a piñata filled with slime instead of candy. Pinkie looked at Luna. "Well Luna, anything that looks like it could be fun? You need only ask and we can get it!" Luna smiled. "Actually, I think I've got a good idea for a prank. I'll need the fake blood and smoke bombs for it though." "Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie turned to the owner and nodded. "We'll take some fake blood and smoke bombs as well. Put it on my tab!" "Right-o Pinkie. I'll go grab the stuff for you now then." Bozo headed into the back room to get Pinkie's things. "So then Luna, what's this prank idea? Can I get in on it?" Luna gave a mischievous grin. "Oh, I was planning on it. Here's the plan..." --- The party was going swimmingly. They'd had to start a bit sooner so that the fillies and colts could attend for a while. The slime piñata had entertained them all right, and Pinkie had already had to apologise to Twilight for the ensuing slime fight. It was beginning to get late now, and the foals and their parents and siblings had headed home. It was getting to be that way for the rest of the ponies as well, most of them still not used to being awake at late hours. Pinkie was glad to see Luna was enjoying herself, and more of the Ponyvillians had worked up the courage to talk to her. But they still hadn't enacted Luna's prank, waiting for the perfect moment. Pinkie made her way over to Luna, who was momentarily without somepony talking to her. "Luna, can you come to the kitchen with me? There's a batch of cupcakes in there that need to go on the table." This was of course a coded hint that it was time for the finalé. "Hmm? Oh! Yes, right. Of course." The two went into the kitchen. Luna closed the door, checking to see that there were no eavesdroppers. "Okay, coast clear. Ooh, this is going to be good!" "I know! I wish I'd thought of this prank! They're going to love it, I'm sure!" "Well, that depends. It could go horribly wrong of course. Anyway, you know your part?" "Well it's not like there's much I have to do for it. You get to have all the real fun Luna." Luna smiled. "Yes, but it wouldn't be possible without you." she paused and wiped the smile from her face. "Okay, let's begin." --- It had been about half an hour since anypony had last seen Pinkie Pie. Most ponies took that as a sign that the party was over, and were on their way to the door. Before anypony could leave however, the door slammed shut and issued a click. It was locked! And if that wasn't enough, the lights chose that moment to go out. Panic began to set in, but it was just beginning. Smoke began to flood the room, creeping up the walls and across the floor. But this wasn't normal smoke. It glimmered with a dark blue sheen to it, almost like the night sky mirror in the floor. The last time any smoke like that had been seen had been last summer sun celebration! But did that mean... "Mwahahahaha! You little foals! You've fallen right into my trap!" As one, the ponies turned to find the source of that voice. It was as they'd feared, the queen of darkness, Nightmare Moon had returned! "Did you really think I'd reformed? Bah! I was just biding my time, waiting, plotting, scheming... and now my plans of come to fruition! The night will last forever!" "Big deal!" Rainbow Dash was already in the air. "We've stopped you before, we can stop you again so long as we still have the Elements of Harmony!" "Oh? But it was my understanding you needed all the elements to stop me, and that just isn't possible! Behold!" The lights flickered just a bit, and formed a spotlight of sorts. And what they lit up caused a shriek of horror from the assembled crowd. Lying there in a pool of red was Pinkie Pie, still as a stone. "This foalish girl though she could stop me, but see now what has become of her! The same fate awaits each of you unless you bow to me and accept me as your Queen! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" It was too much. There wasn't a single pony that wasn't screaming now. The noise mingled with the booming laugh of Nightmare Moon, filling the library. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" But as the laughter continued, her voice started to boom less, becoming... softer? Gentler? "Hahahahahahaha!" That voice was now nothing like Nightmare Moon's. Most of the ponies had stopped running now, and looked at Nightmare Moon in confusion. Before there very eyes, her form began to waver as the illusion spell dropped, and now there was only Princess Luna standing there laughing. The corpse of Pinkie Pie beside her started to giggle as well, and before long broke out into full laughter, betraying her attempts at playing possum. "Hahahaha, oh wow, you were so right Luna! That was awesome!" The party pony was rolling around in the pool of fake blood, busy laughing. "Hahahahaha! Oh, you guys should have seen the look on your faces! Priceless!" Luna wiped away a tear from her eye and looked up at the assembled ponies. Over the last few minutes their faces had undergone a change, from terror, to confusion, until finally, anger. "Uh.. you guys aren't mad about that prank thing are you?" As one, all the unicorns at the party lit up their horns. "Uh oh," Pinkie gulped, nervous for once. "Lynch mob. Run. Run!" Both of the pranksters were out the door in a flash. There was a delay of a few seconds before the mob could follow. A few of the faster Unicorns were already casting stun bolts at the fleeing pair. Despite the situation, Luna was still laughing. "Hehehe, well at least we had fun with that!" Pinkie was giggling as well. "Yup! Luna, you'd better fly away! No need to be stuck here with me." "You sure? It seems wrong to abandon you like that." Pinkie smiled. " Oh no, I have my ways of escaping. No one can capture Pinkie Pie!" Luna hesitated, then eventually flew up. The pegasi in the mob followed her, leaving only the earth ponies and unicorns following Pinkie. She smiled. This was going to be a piece of cake. She jumped behind some crates in an alleyway, and emerged on the other side of town. She looked around, satisfied that there was no-one following her. "Well, that was easy. Now, where will I next meet up with Luna? Ooh, I know! The stargazing hill!" A few seconds later Pinkie was at the top of the hill, waiting for Luna to show up. And another few second later, she did. "Pinkie! I'm glad I found you again? How'd you manage to escape?" "Oh, I have my ways." Pinkie gave Luna a wink. "Anyway, wasn't that party fantastic? Oh, they'll be talking about that one for years! Oh, at least they would be if..." Pinkie shook her head. "Nonono, that's not important right now! Anyway Luna I think it's probably time we say goodbye. It's been super-amazing having you here, and I hope you can visit some other time as well!" "Of course I'll visit again! This has been the most fun I've had for like, millenia! Of course, the last party I tried to host was on the moon, and the moon rocks were dreadful company." Pinkie gave Luna a hug. "You take care of yourself! Come back whenever you like! I'd be happy to throw you another party." Luna nodded. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of taking some of your pranking supplies for myself. Is that okay?" "Of course it's okay silly! You go prank your sister for me! Now bye!" Luna spread her wings and took off. As she flew away though, something strange could be seen happening to the landscape. The sky, as if snagged on her wings, was pulled along with her, leaving a white void where the sky was meant to be. The ground beneath Pinkie faded away as well, until all that could be seen was white in all directions. Pinkie spoke up again. "Real Luna? I know you're watching. I just wanted to let you know, I meant it when I said I'd be happy to throw you another party. A real one this time, with real cake and real friends! I won't even pull any pranks if you don't want. Now, I hate to do this to you, but I still have the better part of a night left, and I'm sure Dashie will be so disappointed if I don't have a dream of her tonight, and I can't have you seeing that, so bye bye! See you soon!" Everything faded to black. §§§§ Luna was flung backwards through the wall. She shook her head a few times. "She could really sense me? She can control her dreams? She's one to watch, that Pinkie Pie." She hovered in though for a while. "But her version of me, what was that like? Fun-loving on the whole I'd say, and she seemed to indicate that I should be happy.... maybe that's who I should be?" Luna let out a sigh as she flew towards the library. "Well, one last stop for tonight then. Let's find out what my sister's prized pupil thinks of me."

SIaanme

397

Princess Luna,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Tabluna Rasa

complete

<p>After a thousand years in the moon, and even longer of not being yourself, how do you remember what you were truly like? Princess Luna isn't sure who she is anymore, and tries to rediscover herself through how others see her.</p><p>Some shipping in Chapters 2 &amp; 4.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T23:07:45+00:00

2011-08-04T23:07:45+00:00

In contrast to her previous hunts, Luna knew exactly where she was going this time. Ponyville's library, home to Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's protégé and bearer of the Element of Magic. But this time, Luna dawdled. She felt a certain apprehension about looking into Twilight's dreams. Yes, originally she had been left until last because she might counteract Luna's dreamwalking spell, but there was another reason as well. Magical feedback. It was an well documented fact in the etheric sciences that if the magic of two different unicorns came into direct contact with each other, the results could range from anywhere to a minor headache to a magical explosion roughly the size of Stalliongrad. Of course the last one had only happened once, and that was right before Luna had been banished to the moon. It seemed that the more powerful the magicks that collided were, the greater the repercussions. And Luna's magic had grown since then, and scientists had estimated that if she were to go head to head with any other unicorn with her level of magic, or even just very close, the worst that could happen would be all life stopping instantaneously and every molecule in existence exploding at the speed of light. Personally Luna suspected that the team's intern had proposed that one, and everyone else had just gone along with it because it sounded cool. But the point still stood, the results could be very bad. Luna looked at the tree looming before her. After a quick inspection of the sides, just to confirm a lack of embedded apple trees, she made her way inside, cautiously. Knowing that Twilight had a habit of keeping late hours, Luna first checking the writing desk on the second floor of the library. It was entirely possible that the unicorn had been making some late night notes when Luna's spell had been cast. Possible, but not the case. There was, however, an owl keeping watch over the room. Its head followed Luna as she floated through the room, owls possessing the ability to see things hidden to others. Luna next checked the bedroom, but the bed too was empty. She finally found Twilight outside on the balcony, curled up beside a telescope, wrapped in a blanket. The find made Luna smile. If she was out here she must have been stargazing. It gave Luna a good feeling to discover any pony enjoying her night. After a minute of watching the sleeping mare, the moon princess steeled herself. "Well, here's hoping no explosions occur then." With that, she began gazing into Twilight's dream. §§§§ "Spike! Hurry up, we don't have much more time before the Princess arrives!" Twilight was in her usual pre-royalty worry mode. She was dusting the library for about the third time that day, and had already cleaned the kitchen twice. Spike meanwhile had the job of putting all the books that were scattered around the place away. Again. "Just put the last one away," said Spike, coming down the stairs. "Although I don't know why you had me clean the upper study as well. It's not like she's going to go up there." "You never know with princesses Spike, they like to surprise you." Twilight remembered her last trip home to Canterlot, where a bucket of icy water greeted her as she entered her old room in the palace. "In more ways than one. Now, let's see what else we need to do." She levitated a clipboard and quill over and started going through the items. "Okay, make beds, check. Make checklist, check. Put away study material, check. Put away recreational reading, check. Dust the house-" "Three times no less." "Hush Spike. Check." Twilight gave her list another quick scan, making sure she hadn't missed anything. "Oh no, I forgot to pick up the treats from Sugar Cube Corner! The princess could be here any minute! Spike could you-" "Already on it Twi. But I expect overtime pay for this." "Don't worry, I'll make sure to get a nice emerald for my number one assistant." With Spike off to collect the snacks, Twilight ticked that item off her list. "Right, that's everything then." "Oh? I think you missed out 'Welcome Princess Luna as she arrives.'" Twilight gave her list a puzzled scan. "But that one isn't on my..." Realisation dawned. She turned around to find that Princess Luna had indeed already arrived. "Princess! How lovely to see you! Uh... have you been here long?" "Long enough the confirm my sister's fears. You really do get engrossed in your work far too easily don't you?" Luna gave a light chuckle at the unicorn's expression. "Oh, don't worry. I'm the same way. Give me a good constellation and I can be up for hours trying to get the stars just so. But listen to me ramble, and I'm still only at the front door. May I come in?" "Yes of course princess!" Twilight was already flustered by this visit, not a good sign. She tried to calm herself. "Can I get you a drink princess? Or maybe a snack. No, wait Spike's just gone out to get those, never mind that. So, A drink?" "A coffee would be wonderful thank you. All these late mornings and early evenings are starting to get to me." Twilight had to pause to figure out that last statement. Right. Princess Luna is usually asleep in the day and awake during the night. She headed into the kitchen to get Luna her coffee. She poured a cup for Luna, and made tea for herself. As she returned she tried to pick up the conversation again. "So, you've been having to keep a diurnal sleep pattern? Why?" Just seconds after asking Twilight realised that the question might be a bit personal. "Oh, I'm sorry princess, I hope you're not offended by my asking." Luna gave a light laugh. "You really are just like my sister said. Relax Twilight Sparkle, I'm no more offended than my sister would be. If it helps put you at ease, just try to think of me as my sister. We're more than a little alike after all." Twilight smiled. "Okay, I guess I can do that..." "No. No, no, no, no. I've seen many things this night, many possibilities, but this is where I draw the line. I am NOT my sister." Twilight looked around confused. That was definitely Princess Luna's voice, but she was looking just as confused as to the source of the voice. "Who's there? Is there someone spying on us? I warn you, I have magic and I'm not afraid to use it!" "No, please no magic! It could lead to catastrophic... it would be very bad!" The voice seemed to echo, yet at the same time had a quietness to it, almost like a whisper. Twilight was till looking around the room, trying to figure out where the voice was emanating from. "Well then show yourself, or I can't be responsible for what happens!" A sigh. "And I was hoping to avoid this... very well. Just give me a second, I'm not sure I quite remember how I get this to work..." A ball of indigo light began to shimmer in the centre of the library. Twilight looked on with curiosity as the ball became bigger. Suddenly spears of light shot out from the sphere, piercing the the libraries walls. A bright flash momentarily blinded Twilight, and when she got her sight back, there in the centre of the library was... "Princess Luna?" Twilight was astounded she was able to articulate, feeling like her jaw must have fallen on the floor. She looked behind her, and saw princess Luna sitting at her table, sipping coffee like nothing was wrong. And then she looked back and saw princess Luna standing in the middle of the floor, albeit a bit shakily. Twilight rubbed her eyes and looked at her drink. "Did I brew the cactus juice tea by accident again?" The Princess Luna in the middle of the floor shook her head a few times. "Okay, right. Note to self, next time try and do that with a bit more finesse." She looked around the room. "Oops. Um, sorry about your wall. Don't worry, it should be back to normal soonish." Twilight looked to see what she was talking about. Where the beams of light had touched the walls, they had indeed gone right through, leaving holes scattered through out the library. Almost as soon as she noticed this, some of the holes seemed to close up, as if there was never any hole in the first place. "But- how...? Okay, now I know I've brewed the wrong tea. First twin princesses, now self fixing walls?" "I know it may be hard to realise from in here, but this isn't because of any ill-brewed tea. This is your dream Twilight Sparkle, and I'm trespassing." "My dream? How is something like that even possible? And why would you come into my dreams in the first place." "It's a long story, and I don't want to trouble you with the details. As to how, dreams are part of my domain as the Moon Princess, so I have the ability to view or enter other's dreams." "So you've been spying on my dreams? Why would you do that?" "It's not just you, I've been spying on lots of ponies..." Luna trailed off. "This isn't helping my case here is it?" "Not really, no." Luna sighed. "Well, I'm not asking you to forgive me, I had no right to view or enter your dreams. It' just that, well, when I saw that you thought of me like THAT," Luna gestured to the other Luna, still sitting at the table, seemingly oblivious to the goings on around her. "I am not like my sister. If I had been, maybe I wouldn't have become Nightmare Moon in the first place..." Luna gave a faint smile. "Ah, I'm rambling a bit. I apologise. I'll leave you alone now, and let you get back to your own dreams." She spread her wings and ignited her horn, ready to depart. "No, wait, you don't have to leave." Twilight was still confused by the scenario, but she didn't think Luna had done anything wrong. "I'm not angry with you or anything. I'm just confused as to why you were doing this in the first place." "I already said, I don't want to burden you with it." "It wouldn't be a burden. This is the sort of things friends are for, right?" Luna paused. "You... you think of me as a friend?" Twilight could hear the emotion barely contained in her voice. "But we've scarcely spoken two words to each other. And you know hardly anything about me!" "Well..." Twilight started sheepishly. "That's not exactly true. In our correspondence, Princess Celestia has been telling me a bit about you, as I'm sure she's been mentioning me to you. I think she was planning on setting up a meeting of sorts between us." "She's been...?" Luna could imagine her sister's face all to well, curved into that gentle smile she had whenever she was planning something. "That meddling..." Luna couldn't help smiling as she said this though, despite her frustration. "When will she learn I'm not a filly anymore? I can take care of myself." "I think she knows that," Twilight said. "I'm sure she's just trying to help. And I'd like to be able to help you as well. So please, tell me why you're going into dreams?" "Well..." Luna considered. "Okay, if you insist. But first, can we get rid of her?" She pointed a wing at Twilight's dream version of her. "She's beginning to creep me out..." "Oh, right. Sorry." Twilight concentrated, and the doppelganger faded away. The real Luna took her spot at the table. "Okay, well I guess I'll start at the beginning. Or, as far back as I can remember. Which admittedly, is only about as far back as last year's Summer Sun celebration. You know, the one where I..." Luna paused, unable to say it. "Anyway. I can remember that time, the time I spent as Nightmare Moon, but I can't remember anything before then. I can't remember the time before my banishment at all, not a thing. And so, I haven't been able to remember what I was like before then, I mean, the kind of pony I was. Was I kind, was I aloof, regal? Did I have the makings of a tyrant, a trickster, a hard worker? I just don't know. "So I decided to see how other ponies saw me, and the easiest way was to find out how their subconscious viewed me. And of all ponies alive right now, you and your friends would have the best ideas about who I might be, seeing as you stopped me." "But how did you know we'd be dreaming about you." "Magic, specifically a spell to force you to dream about me. Once again, I apologise for the violation of privacy." "Well I wouldn't have noticed if you didn't mention it, so I guess it's okay. Did any of my friends dreams' help?" Luna considered this. "They haven't answered my question, but they've helped a bit I guess. Rainbow Dash saw me as a villain, biding my time to overthrow my sister. Fluttershy saw me as a..." Twilight could have sworn she saw Luna's checks flush slightly at this point. "She saw me as a shy, mostly well-mannered individual. Applejack saw me as eager, if slightly clumsy, and wanting to do right by the citizens of Equestria. Rarity saw me as an aloof and regal, but caring individual, and Pinkie Pie saw me as a fun loving prankster of sorts. But that might not be how she actually sees me, it was hard to tell by the end." "And I was think of you as basically another version of your sister." Twilight smiled. “And I'm sorry if that offended you." "If you can forgive me for my crimes, then how can I not forgive you of yours?" "Right. So, none of those were helpful?" "Well, I suppose I could have been like any of them, but at the same time, I just don't know if any of them are who I want to be, or who I will end up being!" "Hmmm." Twilight mulled the problem over before responding. "Well princess, it seems to me that you shouldn't have to feel constrained to be like any of them. You should be able to be who you want to be, and I'm sure you will be. If anyone else has preconceived ideas about who you are, they're going to have to accept that they'll end up disappointed." "So, you're saying that I should just be who I want to be?" "Something like that, yes. None of us can actually pin down who you are, I mean, we just proved that I can't get you right, so what's to say others can? They might come close, some might even be spot on. But it's not because of them that you should be who you are." Luna smiled. "That is probably the most helpful advice I've heard all night. Of course, I haven't exactly been asking for advice... still, thank you Twilight Sparkle." "Oh, it was my pleasure to be of assistance princess. I mean, I would have been happy to help even before you decided to enter my dreams." "And I still can't apologise enough for that. I'll leave you to your dreams now then." Luna spread her wings again, and began to channel her magic through her horn. "Oh, just before you go, there's one more thing that might help you. It's a quote from a famous philosopher-where'd I put that book?" Twilight walked over to a shelf and pulled down a book. "Ah, here it is. Didn't think I'd be able to find it the first try." "Well, this is a dream. Your subconscious is reacting to your wishes." "Oh right." Twilight flicked through the pages, talking as she looked. "It's a quote from one of the less well known philosophers, a pony named Sebastian, and he-" "That's an odd name for a pony." "Well, yes it is a bit. But he was an odd pony. His special talent was making noodles of all things, but he managed a bit of philosophy on the side it seems. Ah, here we go. He often remarked to those who had lost their way, or were looking for a purpose in life that 'The future is a clean slate, and you're the chalk.'" Twilight looked from the book. "Of course, this is a translation, and some think that it would be better translated as blank slate, but the point stands. Whatever the future may hold for you, it's your choice." "Thank you for all you've done Twilight. I shall bear your words in mind. And..." Luna hesitated for a moment. "Do you think that we could meet up some time this week? In the real world that is, not in your dreams." "Of course we can," Twilight giggled. "I'll be happy to see you. Just send word to me by way of Spike, I'll even see if I can't get Pinkie Pie to throw you a party." "I doubt that'll be a challenge, she's already told me she expects me to come visit for a real party." Luna saw the look of confusion on Twilight's face and suppressed a laugh. "I'll explain some other time. Well then, goodbye." And for the third time, her horn began to glow, and this time after a shot while, she was enveloped in it's light, fading out from Twilight's dream, and into the real world. §§§§ Twilight had given Luna a lot to think about, and she was beginning to feel the drain on her energy that maintaining the dreamwalk required, on top of what other magic she had performed that night. She began her flight back to Canterlot, where her body awaited her. The night was nearly over, so soon she would need to lower the moon shortly. Hopefully she had enough magic left in her to do that before she went to bed. If not she'd have to ask Celestia to help her with it, and Luna hated having to do that. Luna arrived back at her balcony with about an hour before moonset. Her body was where she'd left it, always a good sign. She didn't remember having a blanket draped over her when she started though. Especially since her bed didn't have blankets. It wasn't hard to figure out where they'd come from though. As she settled back into her body, she could sense a presence behind her. She headed back into her room. As she suspected, Celestia was there, lying asleep on the bed. At some point she must have come to check on Luna, and finding her lying outside, pulled a blanket over her to keep her warm. Part of Luna found herself irritated at being treated like a little filly, unable to look after herself, but at the same time she appreciated her sister's act. She nuzzled Celestia awake. "Wake up big sister. The night's almost over, and the servants will be expecting you to be in your chambers, not mine." Celestia rolled over and yawned, blinking sleepily as her eyes adjusted to the dark. She smiled at Luna. "Welcome back little sister. I trust you had a good evening of dream walking?" "Yes, I did." Luna motioned to the blanket still draped over her. "You didn't have to do this for me. I survived a thousand years on the moon with less, I can survive one night back here much more easily." "I know you could, but I worry about you Luna. You've been distant ever since you've returned, and you never tell me what's on your mind. I know adjusting to a thousand year's of changes is hard, and I just want to help you. But how can I if you don't talk to me? This is quite literally the least I can do for you." A pang of guilt shot through Luna. It was true, she had been neglecting her sister. She had been so concerned with trying not to worry her that she hadn't considered that her sister might be concerned anyway. "Oh... I'm sorry Celly, I hadn't thought of that." "It's okay. It would be nice if you could open up a bit more for me though? I feel like I scarcely know you anymore." "You're not alone in that." A pause. "Celly? How do you think of me?" The bluntness of the question caught Celestia off guard. "How do I think of you? Well, you're my little sister, my only and most beloved family member. There's nothing I wouldn't do for your happiness. Why do you ask?" Luna gave her sister a hug. "Because I can't remember what I was like before Nightmare Moon." Luna proceeded to tell her sister about her trip, about how she was searching for herself. "Oh Luna... I had no idea you were feeling this way. Why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't want to worry you. I see now that it was a needless concern. You worry about me anyway." Celestia smiled. "Always have and always will. Still, did you find an answer?" "I think I did. It was your student who gave me the answer I was looking for. I may not know who or what I'm going to be like, but that isn't what matters. What matters is, the future is a blank slate. And I'm the chalk."

remsaman

398

Original Character,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Pony Force Gemini

incomplete

<p>A long time in the future, the galaxy is at risk of Mizar and his minions, Pony Force Gemini, the only team in the galaxy with enough firepower and forethought to combat his armies, hurtles through space while keeping a lookout for distress signals.<br/>The team consists of Juno, Vela, and Lupus, the twin's beloved pet dog.</p><br/><br/><p>Chapter 1 isnt large because its pretty much just a prolouge</p>

everyone

2011-08-03T13:02:00+00:00

2011-08-03T13:02:00+00:00

What is this based off? The fanfiction is based off of Jet Force Gemini, one of my favourite games as a child. Why is this under Original Content ponies? Well Juno and Vela were human in the game, and are obviously not featured in the show. So i labelled them OC ponies. Will the storyline be the same as the game? As far as i can tell, it will be slightly based on the storyline. It will contain its own twists and turns, but retain the basic lovable storyline of a classic game. Lupus is not a pony, Why? hes already a dog. changing their species is difficult(lupus cant speak, so one non speaking pony amongst lots is strange) when humans are already replaced by ponies.

remsaman

398

Original Character,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Pony Force Gemini

incomplete

<p>A long time in the future, the galaxy is at risk of Mizar and his minions, Pony Force Gemini, the only team in the galaxy with enough firepower and forethought to combat his armies, hurtles through space while keeping a lookout for distress signals.<br/>The team consists of Juno, Vela, and Lupus, the twin's beloved pet dog.</p><br/><br/><p>Chapter 1 isnt large because its pretty much just a prolouge</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T04:26:43+00:00

2011-08-04T04:26:43+00:00

Thousands of years into the future, Equestria has become overpopulated, using their advanced technology, the scientists send out cruisers to colonize other planets. Several crews were trained to upkeep these ships, and some to pilot smaller defenders in crews of three. Pony force Gemini was one of these defending crews. Now, hundreds of years after the first colonization, a threat emerges. Mizar, an insect-like king, is building up mass armies of his people to capture planets, while enslaving all remaining occupants. And there is only one team left to fight Mizar and his minions. Pony force Gemini "Hey Vela, could you please review the co-ordinates for the next area?" "Sure Juno, just give me a moment to calibrate the systems. Something has been wrong with them lately, it's almost like..." "Like what?" "Nevermind" Suddenly Lupus comes bursting into the room, barking wildly "What is it boy?" EXPLOSION NOISES The sound of an alarm fills the room, the twins are confused for a moment but realize whats going on. Running to the armory, the pair exchange glances. They both know that Mizar's minions have found their way on board. Juno grabs his trusty machine gun, while Vela loads up her plasma shotgun. Once they fit a pistol into Lupus's back mount, they fit each-others side mounts with their respective weapons. The sound of bullets can be heard, as the pair turn around, they see Lupus standing over a dead ant. Rushing out the door of the armory, Juno clears the the passageway ahead, with blood covering the walls. "This will take forever to clean up" Juno chuckles to himself. The waves of ants seem to never stop, they just keep coming, no matter how many bullets the trio use. "We have to get out of here!" "No shit! Got any better ideas Lupus?" Lupus barks at the two and motions towards the vents. The pair look at the dog, and once the waves start slowing down, Vela shot open the vent and they all crawl inside. "Remind me to clean this more often, it smells like Mizar's armpit. haha" Juno just couldn't resist making a joke every now and then. "Alright boy, where are we going now?" Lupus barks and leads the two through the vents, into the main reactor's control room. Juno, being the tech whiz that he is(and also having common sense) speaks up "Well i know why the automatic defence system isn't working!" "Why not?" "someones shoved a cleaver into the control panel." "Oh." "Shouldn't take too long to fix, just gotta rewire it.. red to blue... yellow to brown.. aaannd... there!" Panels in the roof open up revealing machine guns with a roof-fed ammo system and a laser guide and sensor. The trio hear large amounts of gunfire, before silence. Upon exiting the room, the hallways were filled with dead ants, some even decapitated. "Hope you got a mop." _________________________________________________________________________________________ The trio return to the control room, Juno repaired the sensors so there shouldn't be any surprise attacks. Vela pulls out a mop from a side cupboard "You know we really need to get automatic cleaning, you know, to clean up the automatic defence" "Nah i think our current system works out fine." Vela shoots Juno a scowl as she walks off to clean up the mess. Juno makes himself a cup of coffee, and sits down on the captains chair. He starts to take a sip when... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH "Ah Celestia damn it now I got coffee all over me. Oh well it can wait." Juno and Lupus sprint to the source of the scream, hoping Vela is ok. The site before them made Juno almost throw up. Vela was lying on the ground, in fetal position, with a huge brownish-greenish ant lumbering towards her with a huge gun surgically attached to his hand. The ant had the left half of his face blown off, and Vela's mop blocking the barrel of his gun. "Vela! Get up! Your gunna be like the rest of the ants if you don't move!" Vela, relieved to hear her brothers voice, quickly gets up, and runs behind the two. The ant throws an object in his left hand at the trio, but luckily he misses(hes got one eye and half a brain, what do you expect). Juno looks at the object, immediently recognizing it as the auto defence control panel. "OH COME ON! Now i have to repair the entire thing?" The ant removes the broom with his now free hand, breaks it in half and aims his gun towards the trio. Lupus tackles Juno, which also topples Vela, as the shot passes over their heads, just missing them. They scramble out of the corridor, heading towards the armory, realizing this thing probably isn't on board for cheese and crackers, they mount their weapons and head towards the escape deck. The escape deck is a room with three tubes, each elevating its respective pony(or dog) into their ship to escape. Once in their ships, the trio set course for the first planet on their navigational screen, and just in time too. The ship explodes seconds later, with the ant onboard. Juno looks out the side window, and sees containers of weapons fly away, towards different planets. Each has a lock on it that can only be opened by a Pony Force standard issue pistol. Vela looks out her window, but instead only sees her two partners drifting away in their own ships. Wondering if she'll ever see Juno or Lupus again, she slumps in her chair. Lupus gives a howl, he usually isn't this far away from Juno, but he is a smart dog, and knows he will see him once again. Juno cracks one last joke. "At least ill get some peace and quiet."

Miyajima

399

Rarity,Sweetie Belle,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Rarity on a Ball: The FanFic

complete

<p>Written off-the-cuff in response to <a href="http://dreatos.deviantart.com/" rel="nofollow">Draetos</a>' <a href="http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/210/5/2/having_a_ball__by_dreatos-d421ivd.png" rel="nofollow"><i>&quot;Having a Ball&quot;</i></a> being posted on Equestria Daily, with the bonus comic <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Valcron/Rarityonaballcomic.png" rel="nofollow"><i>&quot;Rarity on a Ball Comic&quot;</i></a>. So... here. <b>Rarity on a Ball: The FanFic</b>.</p>

everyone

2011-10-25T21:39:54+00:00

2011-10-25T21:39:54+00:00

This won't make much sense unless you read this first. It won't make much sense either way, but still. Rarity watched Sweetie Belle bounce and roll around the room, giggling happily and crashing into any piece of furniture still left standing. She couldn't help but smile herself, remembering how much fun she'd got out of the same simple toy when she was Sweetie Belle's age. As her little sister went careening into the shop front atop the sphere, Rarity winced in anticipation of the noise of all her display models being knocked over. For the third time that morning. Sweetie Belle didn't disappoint. Once the dust had settled, Rarity heard a plaintive "... Sorry..." drift through the door. Rarity rolled her eyes, and found she was still smiling despite the mess that awaited her. Her eyes widened as an idea struck her, and the smile became a grin. Yelling to Sweetie Belle that she wouldn't be long, she ran out of the shop and into Ponyville, heading directly for the spa. Bursting through the door, she stopped for a moment to adjust her mane, then calmly approached a somewhat surprised Aloe. "Do you still have that catalogue for health and fitness equipment?" Rarity asked. ~~~ CRASH. "Gah!" BANG. "Whoa!" THUMP. "Eech!" Rarity slumped off the wall she'd impacted against, shaking her head and waiting for her eyes to re-adjust. Sweetie Belle was rolling around the floor, legs flailing in helpless fits of laughter. Rarity fixed her glare on the large blue exercise ball that rolled to a stop against one of the few sets of shelves in the store that had so far remained upright. She grinned. "Oh, it. Is. On." ~~~

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T09:48:05+00:00

2013-02-07T20:54:36+00:00

It had been a slow day at Sugarcube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were away on business in Fillydelphia, and had (reluctantly), left the shop in the competent hooves of their lodger and employee, Pinkie Pie. She had been up since the crack of dawn, baking and decorating the day’s stock, and now stood to attention behind the counter, staring at the door and willing it to open, letting in a flood of hungry and soon-to-be satisfied customers. Pinkie’s attention span was not perfect at the best of times, but she did possess a remarkable amount of patience. However, it was now past lunch, and not a single pony had walked through the door. Even for her this was getting a bit much. Her stomach growled, drowning out the slow tick of the clock. Pinkie glanced up at it, and it suddenly struck her how hungry she was. She had been so intent on running the shop perfectly that she’d neglected to eat anything since she’d woken up. Torn between her hunger and her duty, she finally succumbed to temptation and headed into the back room, where the Cakes kept the stock from the previous day that had gone a little stale, though still edible. As she tucked in to the cupcakes and confectionery, she heard the ringing of the bell above the shop’s door. Gulping down one last mouthful, she skidded through the kitchen and back to the shop-front. There, facing away from her, was a pony browsing the shop’s wares. She saw that the pony was wearing a hooded cloak, that hid it. Knowing of only one pony that regularly wore a hooded cloak in Ponyville, she jumped to the logical conclusion. “Hey, Zecora! Need any help? You’re the first customer I’ve had all-” Pinkie was cut off as the hooded pony turned to face her. It wasn’t Zecora. In fact, Pinkie certainly didn’t recognize him. His coat was a brilliant, almost polished white, with a short-cropped mane and brilliant blue eyes. “Oh, sorry! I thought you were Zecora, she normally wears a cloak in town. Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! I haven’t seen you in Ponyville before, what’s your name? Can I help you with anything?” she asked, brushing off her mistake. The pony paused for a moment, before answering: Door. Bill Door. The words seemed to enter Pinkie’s brain without first going through her ears, and had a strange atonal quality, like the grinding of one rock against another. She took a longer look at the cloaked pony, and noticed that he seemed thin. Very thin. Gaunt. “You look like you must be hungry. Here, I’ll get some free samples!” She ran behind the counter and appeared mere moments later with a tray of cupcakes balanced on her head. She set them down on the counter and beckoned Bill Door over. “Come on, try some! They’re free! New customers always get a free sample, and so do new ponies! You’re both, so you get twice as much!” She nudged the tray towards Bill Door, helping herself to one as well. She noticed Bill Door take a cupcake, and she noticed a few seconds later that it had gone, but she couldn’t remember him picking it up or eating it. Pinkie had always been very perceptive of what was going on around her, even if sometimes it seemed like she had no idea. She could tell there was something... off about this customer. The way he stood, still as a statue. His eyes, a deep and blazing blue that looked like the depths of the ocean. His coat was unnaturally white. His voice was... Almost unreal. She felt like she was in the presence of somepony powerful, like Princess Celestia, or Luna, or even Nightmare Moon. She thrust the thoughts into the back of her head and kept smiling, determined to treat this customer properly, whoever or whatever he was. “So what brings you to Ponyville? Where do you come from?” she asked, looking at Bill Door. I am just visiting. I come from a place far away. Bill Door answered, again in that strange non-speech. Pinkie was sure that his jaw didn’t move. Conversation sat at a lull for a few seconds. “Who are you visiting? I know everypony in Ponyville. I can help you find them!” Pinkie ventured, trying to stir her customer’s interest a little. That won't be necessary. Bill Door replied, again cutting the conversation dead. Pinkie felt him regarding her for a few moments, even though it seemed that his head didn’t move. Tell me, he said suddenly, Do you remember your grandfather? Pinkie cast her mind back, thinking back to her days before moving into Sugarcube Corner, when she lived with her parents and sisters outside Ponyville. She had never met her grandparents on her mother’s side, they had died before she was born, but she remembered her Granny Pie fondly. “I remember meeting him a few times when I used to visit Granny Pie, he was always busy. He was big and tall, and never looked old. He was white, like you! Very white, that I remember. Like Princess Celestia, shining. Granny Pie used to tell me stories about him, how he went on long journeys and fought monsters, but was always there to help everypony. He died when I was still a young filly, though. Dad never talked about him much. Did you know him?” she answered, bringing herself back from her memories and looking at Bill Door. Yes. Very well. We went on many journeys together, he and I. I did not know he had passed away. For a brief moment, Pinkie saw a flash of sorrow in the emotionless pony’s eyes. Then his words sunk in. “But you don’t look that old! Then again, Princess Celestia is over a thousand years old and looks younger than Mrs. Cake, and Princess Luna is nearly the same age but looks barely older than me. Are you related to them, Bill Door? A prince?” she asked. No. I am just the one who gathers the Harvest. Though I do not age. Pinkie suddenly felt uneasy. It seemed that the room had grown colder. She looked again at Bill Door, and gasped. There, before her, stood not the thin, white pony from before, but a hooded skeleton of a pony, polished gleaming white, with tiny blue pinpricks in its eye sockets that burnt like stars. She didn’t feel scared. She never felt scared. She just felt strangely calm, and time seemed to slow, all around. She suddenly realised she couldn’t hear the ticking of the clock. … You can see me. ‘Bill Door’ stated, without surprise. You have more of your grandfather in you than I thought. Pinkie looked long and hard at the skeletal pony’s eyes, those blue dots shining from a vast and unnatural blackness in the sockets. “Who are you?” she said at last. Death. “Then, am I...?” No. I am Death, but I am not your Death. Your grandfather taught you something, once, when you were young. Do you remember? Death looked at Pinkie with those cold eyes and she cast her mind back once more. Pinkie Pie looked out from behind her father’s legs, up at her grandfather. He was tall, far taller than any pony she had met, and his coat was a brilliant white, as was his mane and tail. He looked down at her and smiled. “So this is your youngest? Come on out, little one. Don’t be scared of your Granny and Grandpa. What’s your name?” he said, in a deep, rich voice. “P-Pinkie,” she stammered, hiding behind her father again. Her grandfather chuckled, while her father just scowled a little, nudging Pinkie out and in front of her grandparents. Her two sisters just stood silently looking at their hooves. “Well, Pinkie, around here they always called me Binky. Binky Pie. Your Granny and I are happy to finally meet you.” He smiled and nuzzled the little filly’s straight-combed mane, frizzing it up a little. She and her family stayed a few days with her grandparents, their home being much more vibrant and colourful than the drab existence she lived out on her parent’s own farm. One sunny afternoon, her grandfather found her sitting out in the garden, enjoying all the colours and sights and sounds. They talked for a while, him telling her nonsense stories about the world, and listening to her talk about her life back home. Eventually he stood up and turned to her. “Pinkamina- Pinkie. How would you like to see a little magic trick?” he said, winking at her. She nodded, vigorously. Her parents never allowed anything like that. All work had to be done by hoof and mouth, ‘the Ponyville way’, as her father always said. Pinkie watched her grandfather walk up to a large rock sitting off to one side of the garden. He stepped behind it, his head and neck still visible from where Pinkie sat. “Now you see me...” he said, and knelt down behind the rock. “... and now you don’t!” he finished, hidden behind the rock. Pinkie frowned. “That’s not magic! You’re just sitting behind the rock!” She got up and trotted over to the rock, and looked behind it. Her grandfather had vanished. “Am I?” he said, suddenly appearing from behind a tree at the other end of the garden. Pinkie blinked in disbelief. “How’d you do that? You’re an earth pony like dad, how did you do that?” she asked, not sure what to make of her grandfather’s display of power. “You don’t need to be a unicorn to perform magic, Pinkie. There are some types of magic not even they can do. I tried to teach your father, when he was your age, but he could never do it. Your sisters never showed any interest in the wonders of the world, so I never tried with them, but you, Pinkie, you’re like your Granny. Full of joy and wonder, even if your father does like to keep a lid on it. Shall I teach you how to do this trick?” he said, walking over to Pinkie and smiling at her. Pinkie nodded, slowly at first, but then with enthusiasm. His smile breaking into a grin, her grandfather sat her down and taught her how to perform the ‘trick’. Coming back to the present day, Pinkie looked back at Death and nodded. “He taught me how to move around without being seen. It was scary at first, but Granny Pie and Grandpa Binky said there was never anything to be afraid of. He told me not to use it unless I really had to, though. … I got into trouble a few times when I didn’t listen to that piece of advice. But how did you know that? And what do you mean, not ‘my’ death?” Pinkie Pie said, her normally cheerful and care-free demeanour replaced with concern. I am not the Death of this world. That is not my role. I come from another place, where the world is... different. Your grandfather, Binky, was my companion for countless aeons in that place, though as he grew old, he wished to leave my service and live a mortal life. He chose this world, and settled here. Death replied, his unfailing gaze never leaving Pinkie. “S-Service? He was... Death?” Pinkie stammered. No. In that world I am not as you see me here. There I walk upright and stand on two feet. Your grandfather was my steed, and indeed, a great friend to me. Death looked away, finally, casting his gaze around the shop. He chose an interesting world in which to live out his days. “So you came to... visit him?” Pinkie asked. No. I came to visit you. Death replied, looking back at her. “Why me?” You bear the same gift as he. He learnt to walk the paths between spaces when in my service. He taught it to you. Why, I do not know. Perhaps he expected that I would return some day, or wished to train a successor. But I come to you with a proposal, Pinkie Pie. Will you return to that world, your grandfather's world, and serve me in his stead? Death’s eyes seemed to bore right into her as he stood there awaiting a response. She was acutely aware that all noise outside had ceased. She could hear nothing except her own breathing. She thought of her grandfather, trying to imagine him as Death had described him, but couldn’t. Her smiling grandfather, always ready with a helping hoof, the steed and companion of Death himself? She thought of her father, and realised why he’d never spoken about ‘Grandpa Binky’, and why he was so insistent on doing things without magic. She realised that he had known, all those years, and had been trying to protect her and shield her. She thought of her friends, and all the joy and laughter they had shared with each other in Ponyville. The thought of giving all that up... … It wasn’t her. “No. I won’t. I can’t. I couldn’t live like that. I understand why Grandpa Binky came here. He wanted some joy and laughter in his life after all those long years. … I’m sorry, but I won’t come back with you,” she said, for once completely sombre. Death held her gaze for a little longer, then his shoulders moved a fraction, as if he was shrugging, or trying to shrug. As you wish. Your grandfather was dear to me, and I would never force his granddaughter to do something she did not freely choose to do. You have nothing to fear from me. He turned, and headed towards the exit, the clop of his hooves on the tiled floor ringing out like the ticking of the clock. Indeed, Pinkie noticed she could hear it ticking once again, and the noise and chatter of Ponyville outside the shop’s windows washed over her. Death opened the door with one hoof, and turned his head back. The cupcakes were delicious. With that, he closed the door behind him, and was gone. Pinkie looked down at the counter, and saw a shining gold bit sitting there. She picked it up in her teeth and placed it in the register, grinning to herself. Death liked her baking. Sometimes, however... Fate has other ideas...

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T18:31:28+00:00

2013-02-07T21:05:04+00:00

It had been a slow day for Gustav Gutsworth, proprietor of ‘Gutsworth Pies & Pie Accessories’. His humble shop in the backstreets of Ankh-Morpork had its fair share of customers, and he had never been left wanting. He even spent money on such luxuries as importing real meat for some of his fare, instead of the State-Recognized ‘Meat Product’ that made up much of an Ankh-Morporkian’s diet.* And well, while it had been a slow day, he couldn’t help but feel it could have done with being a tad slower. He stared in mild bemusement at his corpse, slumped over the counter, an assassin’s dagger sticking out of his back. He noted, with the eye of a trained merchant, that it was one of those single-use disposable models that the Assassin’s Guild favoured for... less-important clients. Still, he was forced to admit he felt a sense of pride that he had been taken out by an assassin of the Guild, instead of a common thug. He supposed it might’ve been related to that recent incident in which he had, accidentally, mistaken the rat poison for the jar of Klatchian Curry Spices he kept on the same shelf when preparing a ‘Gutsworth Kurried Kidney Pie’. To be fair, the two were interchangeable when it came to killing rats. “Well... Now what?” he said to himself. “SURPRISE!” Suddenly, all around him were colours. Vibrant colours, impossible colours, fantastic colours that one certainly didn’t see (legally) in Ankh-Morpork. He spun on a ghostly heel to see two figures standing before him. One he had been expecting. The other he definitely hadn’t. I am terribly sorry about this. She insisted. The tall, slim, hooded fellow, Gustav supposed, was Death. He seemed to fit all the necessary criteria: scythe, dark robes, malnutrition, voice that entered one’s brain without stopping by the ears first. The other... … Well... It. It was pink. Very pink. And suddenly it seemed to be standing right in front of him. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” And apparently it could talk. If Gustav had still been fully functioning, he probably would’ve fainted by now. The colours flying around him solidified into streamers and confetti, that somehow managed to land on his ghostly form. “I- … Juh-... Wha-” he stammered. “Aww, he’s speechless! Oh, wait! I have some cake and punch here, and your complimentary balloon!” The pink thing, which Gustav realized was vaguely horse-like in shape, ran behind Death and reappeared a split-second later carrying on its head a tray, containing a slice of cake and a cup of fruit punch. Held in its mouth was a balloon suspended from a string. Death looked on with what could be called mild embarrassment. Gustav found the tray shoved into one hand and the balloon in the other. The pink thing grinned happily. “Y'see,” it began, “I heard about what was going to happen to you today and I thought that, well, you might be sad about it, and that made me sad, and when I want to cheer up I throw a party! So this party is just for you, to help cheer you up, too!” Gustav heard a rasping whistle and felt something touch his ear. He looked sharply to his right to see the pink thing standing there, now sporting a conical hat and blowing a party whistle. He looked up at his balloon. It read: Happy Deathday! He looked at Death in utter confusion. Death shrugged. He finally managed to say a flat “... What.” The pink thing was now suddenly next to Death again, head leant against the skeletal figure in a somewhat affectionate matter. “I'm doing part-time work!” It said. It is a long story. * No one asked what "meat product" was made from. After witnessing the process of its manufacture, its inventor buried himself in the River Ankh.** ** Strictly speaking, you can't drown in a colloid. Albert stood in front of Death's desk. The sound of a billion hourglasses surrounded him, and was somehow drowned out by his sheer frustration. “Master, gods know I've put up with a lot over the years, but I cannot abide this... This... Invasion of my personal space!” But it is not your personal space. It is the kitchen. “Exactly! The kitchen! My kitchen! Do you know what she did?” The question is rhetorical, you will tell me anyway. “She cleaned the pan! Cleaned it! Took me near a year to get the grease to just the right consistency and it's gone! What's more, she's been making... cakes! Muffins! Baked goods!” Do the baked goods offend you? “And outside! Have you seen outside?” Often. “It's... Colourful! I don't know how she did it, but it's alive! Vibrant! Real!” … She said it needed lightening up a bit. “That's right! All that black was just creepy! Now it looks much better! I left the fields though, like you asked.” Pinkie Pie was standing right there, next to Albert, tray balanced on her mane. Three bite-size pies rested on it. ”Oh! Here, try this! New recipe! I got it from that chef we met yesterday, the one who drank too much coffee!” “And she keeps doing that!” Albert finished, exasperatedly waving a hand at Pinkie Pie as she scoffed her own sample. He sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned to leave, slamming the door behind him like a coffin lid. “Aww, he didn't try the curried vegetable pot pie!” Pinkie said, looking at the door sadly. It is rather good. Death intoned, his sample having mysteriously vanished. Klatchian? “Yes indeedy!” she beamed in reply. The smile fell into a sad frown shortly after. “I'm not... Upsetting him, am I?” Albert? “Yeah. He seemed angry when I used the kitchen. I suppose I should've asked first, but I didn't think it'd be a problem...” I would not worry. He disliked my daughter, and my son-in-law, and my granddaughter when he first met them. In fact, I believe he dislikes everyone. It comes of his profession, I suppose. They can be a disagreeable sort. Pinkie's ears pricked up and her eyes sparkled. “Maybe I should throw him a party!” … I do not think that would be wise. She deflated just as quickly. “Well... If you say so. Is there anyone else today?” There is always 'someone else', but your work today is sufficient. “Right. I'll see you next week, then.” There was the slightest suggestion of movement that indicated Death had nodded. Pinkie turned and stepped out of Death's study, re-emerging at the empty stable adjoining his house. She looked up at the walls (black), at the roof (black), and at the hay (black). Death could not grasp the concept of colour, and despite Albert's complaints, Pinkie had actually done nothing to change that. It was merely that she was so alive that it brought even Death's imagined images to a kind of life. Every hoofstep was a splash of colour that spread out and turned a lawn a lush green, or made the fountain of white marble flow with cold and clear blue water. Even now the walls of the stable had imperceptibly become whitewashed. The hay was a golden-yellow, and the roof timbers a rich oak, varnished and topped with red slates. Yet, even as colours swirled and changed all around her, her own seemed to become dull. She slumped onto the hay and heaved a great sigh. Squeak. “Oh. Hi, you,” she said to the little robed figure that had appeared from the hay. Squeak? “No, no, I'm fine.” Squeak? “Yes, really.” Squeak...? “... Well, alright, no, I'm not.” she sighed again. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the roof, while the Death of Rats jumped onto her belly, looking at her intently with two tiny, blue pinpricks of light. “I dunno, it's just... This place is so different from Equestria...” Squeak? “What made me change my mind? … Y'know, it's funny, he never actually asked me that.” Squeak. “Yeah. I suppose. Well... After he visited me, I got to thinking, and then I thought about my cutie mark, and the promise I made to myself when I got it, and – Wait, did I tell you the story of how I got my cutie mark?” Squeak. “I really should sometime. It's a gem! But anyways, I was so happy when I discovered parties that I wanted to spread that happiness and make everyone as happy as I was!” She gestured with a hoof as a section of the wall suddenly bore the image of a rainbow. “So I thought and thought and thought and thought and thought about it, and then realised, 'why can't I be in two places at once?' He never said I had to stay here to help.” Squeak. “So I came over and asked him about it, and he offered me a part-time job!” She grinned to herself as she thought about it. She had almost forgotten the Death of Rats was even there, and was talking more to herself than to anyone else. “It was pretty gloomy at first... People seemed so... Sad about it all. Back home we just... Well, we don't really think about it. Mom and Dad said that after it's all over we go to join everyone else in a new life, where everyone's always happy...” She rolled over again, toppling the Death of Rats into the hay. There was a muffled and disgruntled Squeak as he dug back out. “I asked him about it, but he said he didn't know. He's never been there. But it's gotta be something similar, right? It's nothing to worry about, at least. So I try to make things happier. I talk to them, I throw them a party, it's all in good fun! And I do love to have fun...” Squeak. “... You're right, I'm rambling. I should just get back home. See you next week!” Her perky demeanour seemed to re-assert itself as she got up and turned to face the wall. She readied herself for a leap, gave her rump a wiggle, and jumped through reality. All that was left behind was the imprint of two back hooves, burning with a bright pink flame. The Death of Rats watched her leave, and shook his head. Squeak. “... And that's the lot. My, Pinkie, I didn't really put you down as such an avid reader!” Twilight Sparkle smiled as she levitated a rubber stamp over every piece of paper, slipping them back into their respective book jackets. A large stack of textbooks and reference books sat atop Twilight's study table, currently doubling as the library's front desk. An exhausted Spike was panting heavily for breath on the floor. “But... I must say...” the unicorn continued, looking at the spines of the books. “... That's an odd selection y'got there. 'Burial Practices & Rites in Ancient Equestria', 'Ghosts, Goblins & Ghoulish Figures'... And what was this one again? 'Necroponicon'? Hay, I didn't even know I had half of these. Whatever do you need them for?” “Research!” Pinkie beamed. When no further information appeared forthcoming, Twilight pushed for more. “... About...?” “Oh, it's... Something for... uh, Nightmare Night!” She grinned disarmingly. Twilight seemed to accept this, to Pinkie's relief. She stacked the books on her back with the skill of a waitress balancing plates and turned to go. “Wait!” She stopped just short of the door. “It's the middle of spring!” “OhwellIliketoplanaheadyouknow?AnywayIthinkit'sharvestinuhStalliongradorsomethingheyIthinkIhearmymuffinsburningseeya!” A pink streak shot down Ponyville's main street, leaving a baffled purple unicorn in its wake. It had been a busy day in Ankh-Morpork's newest temple. Well, perhaps 'temple' is a little generous; it was really a front room hired from a kindly old woman who lived near the Temple of Small Gods, which had refused the application for a shrine. The High Priestess, and currently only devotee, was the (Late) Aminata Odham, who, due to a slight quirk of Fate and a misplaced slice of cake, had found herself back in her body shortly after relieving herself of it, but with a firm resolve to make the most of unlife and preach what she had seen on The Other Side. She had just put the finishing touches to the altar (a table covered in cheap gingham cloth, also on hire from a kindly old woman) and a statuette of the object of worship. It could, charitably, be described as equine in shape. It could also be described as very pink. High Priestess Aminata Odham hammered the last nail into the lintel of the door, pinning up the new sign. She stepped down from the stool and looked, proudly, upon her handiwork. “ THE FURsT TEMpEL OF THE pINK pONY OF DEAf ” * * "TREsspAssERs WILL bE HuGGED"

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T18:34:53+00:00

2013-02-07T21:32:32+00:00

The sun was shining down on Ponyville for another beautiful spring morning. Foals ran through the streets, enjoying their mid-season holiday, while ponies finished setting up their market stalls in Ponyville’s town centre. Pinkie watched the town’s busy life unfold from the window of her room atop Sugarcube Corner. Below her, she could hear the sounds of Mrs. Cake in the kitchen, making the stock for the afternoon’s sales, while Mr. Cake served hungry customers at the front of the shop. Part of her would rather have been out in the sun, enjoying the weather, or downstairs helping in the kitchens, but there was one task she felt compelled to complete before her shift began. She drew back the curtain, shrouding the room in darkness. Filtered pink light barely illuminated her way as she plodded back across to the centre of her room. The table had been pushed aside, and in its place sat a small pile of sticks, a pot of jam, and a large, black book. The gold letters of the title glistened in the low light: Necroponicon. … Or was it Neighcronomicon? They shifted whenever Pinkie tried to look at it. She didn’t like the feel of the book, but it was a necessity for what she planned to do. She flipped open the book with her muzzle, stopping on a seemingly random page and tracing down it with her hoof. She nodded to herself, satisfied, and began to lay out the sticks in a pattern corresponding to a diagram in the book. Flicking the lid off the jam jar, she dropped a spoonful of it in the centre of the sticks, nodding once again. “That should do it... Now then...” she muttered, going back to the book and skim-reading. “Ah-ha! There we go.” She stood in front of the book and stick-diagram, and spared a glance at the curtained window. She had no idea if this would work or not. After all, she was an Earth Pony, not a unicorn, and this was magic she was dealing with. At the same time, hadn’t Twilight told her that pegasi, and even Earth Ponies had a little magic in them, deep inside? Maybe they couldn’t focus it without a horn, but it was still there. It was worth a go. She read the words of the book. They were in a strange and ancient tongue that, surprisingly, she found she had little difficulty actually pronouncing. Each word seemed to hang in the air, like a physical echo one could feel and see as well as hear. The room began to blur. Pinkie could hear a dull rumbling noise in her ears. In the centre of the sticks, a dark form began to coalesce into the rough shape of a pony - featureless, nebulous, like a cloud. Pinkie’s head span and thumped like it was being put through a taffy puller. She felt herself slipping, not on the floor, but rather through it. The room dissolved into nothingness as she felt a sharp tug pulling her away... In that same instant, the sticks were scattered as a skeletal pony materialized and solidified. It stood still for a moment, taking stock of its surroundings, pale blue pinpricks of light scanning every facet and surface. Its gaze fell on the black book, the sticks, and the small puddle of jam smeared over its hooves. … Oh bugger. A similar room. A different place. People shuffled about in the dim light, handing out plates and cutlery. From the centre of the room, a cracked voice spoke up. “Guest Jenson, did you bring the punch?” “Yes, Grand Hostess. It’s the ‘Spring Has Sprung’ recipe. I made sure to remove the springs this time.” Jenson shuffled forward and deposited the sloshing bowl onto the table. “Well done, Jenson. And Guest Bonhomie, you were in charge of the cake.” “Triple-layer-vanilla-cream-jam-sponge, Grand Hostess. With butterscotch icing.” Bonhomie placed the cake in the centre of the table, striking a match and lighting the five black candles arranged in a circle on top of it. “Excellent! Let us all join together in the chant.” The congregation, dressed in their solemn pink robes and conical paper mitres, gathered around the cake. Grand Hostess Aminata Odham (she decided High Priestess was a little cliché) drew a knife from the sleeve of her robe. It glinted in the light of the black candles as she checked its edge. She stepped forward, and raised the knife in the air. With one accord, the congregation drew a breath, and shouted: “SURPRISE!” The knife whistled as it plunged into the heart of the cake. The ceremony complete, Aminata proceeded to calmly slice and serve the sponge onto waiting plates, and they all sat and quietly chewed while discussing local news. As they debated the rising price of onions and why it was affecting the stock cube market, Aminata checked over her order of service, making sure nothing had been left out. Since its inception, the Church of the Pink Pony of Death had risen from height to height. It was now well-known throughout Ankh-Morpork for the friendly atmosphere, free baked goods, and promise of a better, pinker life waiting for them on The Other Side. The congregation (referred to as ‘Guests’) had swelled, and donations had been so generous that Aminata had been able to afford to move into proper quarters. They now had an entire Community Hall to themselves, which amounted to the entire ground floor of what used to be a pub. This was the Second Temple of the Pink Pony of Death. The First was kept maintained for religious reasons, and had recently started being honoured as the site of Aminata’s glorious revelation. Of course, this wasn’t the case, but she wasn’t going to spoil their fun by pointing it out. Besides, Hostess Beauregard, keeper of the First Temple, made excellent cupcakes. There had been some brief altercations with the leaders of the major religions of the Disc, and Aminata had been forced to invite Hughnon Ridcully, High Priest of Blind Io, over for a cuppa and a slice of cake to explain matters. Once it was made perfectly clear that this religion was in no way infringing on the rights, intellectual property or commandments of the other gods, they were accepted with open arms into the wider ecclesiastical community. It didn’t hurt that being undead gave one certain... advantages when it came to making the proper connections. Meetings usually went along the lines of “Oh gods please don’t eat me take anything everything arrgh faint”. The Grand Hostess put aside the little booklet and adjusted her mitre, decorated in the finest colours the Alchemist’s Guild could supply. She slipped through a curtain into the back room while the congregation finished off the sacrificial cake. Through here it was, if possible, even darker. Not only were the curtains drawn, the shutters were closed for good measure. In the centre of this room was another table, on which sat the effigy of a horse, almost fluorescently pink in the darkness. A second figure stepped out of the shadows, pink robes obscuring a second robe underneath, and a paper hat fitted neatly over a wide-brimmed, conical piece of headwear. “Guest of Honour Terrak Keksy. I trust you’ve acquired the items I requested?” Aminata said, smiling at the young wizard. Given that her jaw was beginning to slough off the bone, this was more than a little unnerving. “I took advantage of the fact that today is the Semi-Annual-Once-Centennial Hunt for the Megapode and made myself suitably scarce. They won’t miss me until Pre-Dinner.” Terrak Keksy replied as he retrieved a bag of reagents from somewhere within his robes. He tipped the contents of the bag over the table, revealing some assorted candles, incense sticks, a skull (fine condition, only one previous owner), some bits of wood, and 4cc of mouse blood. Aminata’s eyes glistened in the dark. She watched intently as Keksy arranged the magical paraphernalia around the pony statue, quickly making a sigil-like shape from the wood. He lit the candles and incense with a mumbled word and complex gesture, bathing a small area around the table in light. He nodded at the Grand Hostess, preparations complete. “It’s all ready, Grand Hostess. Just say the word.” “Summon her, Keksy.” The wizard smiled, pulling a roll of parchment from his sleeve and unfurling it. He squinted at the words on the scroll. “... I don’t suppose you could...” he said, sheepishly, nodding at the windows. Aminata sighed deeply as she drew back the curtain and opened the shutters, letting the light into the room. Keksy blinked as his eyes adjusted. “Ah, much better. Now then...” He began to read, the ancient words of the Rite of Ashk’Ente filling the air as it took on a distinctly oily texture. A dark and formless shape began to appear in the centre of the sigil. It held for a few seconds before unexpectedly vanishing, putting out the candles as it did so. Keksy frowned in confusion. “... Is that meant to happen?” Aminata asked, equally as confused. “Well... … No, I don’t think so. Should I try again?” “May as well.” Keksy relit the candles and once more assumed the dramatic pose as he reread the spell. There was a short delay as nothing happened, but slowly a pink, fluffy mist began to form within the circle. It grew, coalescing as it did so, into a vaguely horse-like shape. With an audible snap, like an elastic band giving up the fight, the mist took on the form of Pinkie Pie, who fell onto the table, and subsequently onto the floor, with a loud thump. Holy Moley, I wasn't expecting that! Three grey figures floated in the nothingness of oblivion. One said, There has been a change. One said, He has been meddling again. One said, He has gone. She has taken His place. One said, She has even more of a personality than He did. The three paused their conversation. Three said, This will not be tolerated. Death was... Confused. He wasn’t often confused, but this was one of the few times he felt it was justified. He was standing amid the remains of what had clearly been an attempt to summon him with the Rite of Ashk’Ente, but no one was present. The room was very pink. The curtains were drawn. Through the window, Death could hear the sound of voices and laughter. Below him he could hear voices talking amiably. Oh yes, and he had hooves. This was unusual. Clearly, someone had attempted to summon him, but whoever they were, they had since vanished. Secondly, he was clearly no longer on Discworld, judging by the sudden morphic change. He trotted, unsteadily, over to the window, and pulled back the curtain. … Oh bugger. he repeated. He stepped back and took stock of the situation. Clearly he was back in Equestria. The realm was somewhat unmistakable. The view from the window of the streets below had been enough to confirm that the building in which he stood was Sugarcube Corner, where he knew Pinkie Pie lived. It was, therefore, a logical assumption that this was her room, and she had summoned him here. That... was a problem. Not many people knew how to perform the Rite of Ashk’Ente. Fewer knew exactly why Death was summoned by the rite (a slightly embarrassing secret he preferred to keep to himself*). Fewer still knew exactly how the spell worked. The rite would summon and ‘bind’ Death. Most of its practitioners assumed that Death was bound to the circle he was summoned to, but this wasn’t the case. Death was free to move wheresoever he willed, but was bound to the plane of his summoning, until released by the summoner. Pinkie Pie wasn’t here. And until he found her, he was stuck in Equestria. * It involved a marmoset, a grinning monk, and an ill-advised wager. Pinkie Pie blinked, looking up to find two people dressed in bright pink robes and wearing paper hats, bowing at her. Hey! What're you doing? Did you drop something? I’ll help you look for it! she said as she jumped to her hooves, quickly dropping her head and staring intently at the floor. Her brain slowly made the connections, and she shot back up again. Hey! My voice sounds funny! “O Bringer of Joy and Laughter, we are honoured by your presence!” Aminata began, smiling broadly. Pinkie looked at her and squinted for a few moments, before recognition dawned. I remember you! You slipped and fell back into your body! I never got to give you your present! she said, bounding in place. But you're new! Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! she continued, turning to a stunned Keksy. He had heard the older wizards talk of Death as a hooded skeleton with eyes that bore into your soul and knew exactly how much time was left until it expired. The decription was nothing like the creature that stood before him. Instead of feeling terror and a sense of impending doom, he felt happiness, and the desire to go out and seize every minute of life while he still could. “... I’m Terrak Keksy. Wizard,” he said, after a few moments of silence. Ooh! Like my friend Twilight? She's a unicorn! She's super good at magic, but sometimes she spends too much time in her books and not enough time having fun with her friends! But we love her anyway! Aminata cut in before Pinkie had time to go into more elaborate detail. “Honoured Hostess, I seek your great wisdom on a matter of grave importance,” she began, bowing again. Oh yeah! I was meant to be helping you look for something! Pinkie fell to her knees and stuck her head under the table, searching for anything. “No, no! A different matter! It’s... Said that when the Rite of Ashk’Ente has been performed, you can ask Death anything. That you know everything?” I’m not Death, silly! I’m Pinkie Pie! And I don't know about knowing everything, but then if I did know about knowing everything then I guess I would know everything wouldn't I? “Your pardon, Great One, if calling you such offended you,” Aminata said. “I wish to ask... What awaits us when we’re gone?” I don't know! But I bet it's great! After all... There was a twinkle in her eye. Everyone's dying to get in! Keksy choked back a laugh, taken off-guard by the pun. Pinkie giggled and snorted, an odd sound with her current tone of voice. Aminata stayed smiling, the sort of smile that showed quiet acceptance of what was being said, rather than any mirth or joviality. Oh, hey! I have something to ask you, actually! Pinkie said, leaning forward towards Aminata. “I will endeavour to answer to your satisfaction, Great One.” Where am I? “Why, you’re in the temple, of course,” Aminata answered, gesturing towards the effigy of Pinkie Pie that had toppled to the floor with Pinkie’s arrival. Pinkie’s eyes widened. You mean you threw a party for me? Aww! Thank you! She threw her forehooves around Aminata, embracing her in a tight hug. By this point Keksy had given up all pretence of seriousness and was laughing loudly. Aminata shot him a glare over Pinkie’s shoulder, a look that reminded him he was in the presence of a greater power, and should show more respect. He coughed and tried to look solemn. I’d love to stay, but I have to help the Cakes in the bakery today, so maybe another time? Pinkie said, letting go of Aminata and looking genuinely sad at having to leave. The Grand Hostess nodded, still smiling. “Of course, Great One. Do not let us keep you. You are more than welcome in these hallowed halls.” Okie dokie lokie! Pinkie beamed, and with a hop, skip and jump, she was gone. The room, though filled with the light of the midday sun, seemed darker and more drab in her absence. Keksy and Aminata stood in reverent silence for a few moments, before the younger wizard turned to the undead priestess. “... Bakery?” “We are not privy to the thoughts and manners of the great powers, Keksy.” “Of course, of course...” Pinkie landed her jump outside a whitewashed stone stable, looking out over a neat garden and connected to an imposing black house. The scent of lilies filled the air. Huh. That's funny. Pinkie said to herself. I was supposed to go back to Sugarcube Corner. Why am I here? She turned and faced the wall, jumping into the air and vanishing. She reappeared no less than a second later in the exact same spot. She frowned. Maybe my hooves are broken. Can you get that? I remember Applejack got a stone in her hoof once... Hrm. Oh, wait! I know! I’ll ask Death! He's bound to know what's going on! She bounced through the lawn, coming up to the great door that lead into Death’s abode. She knocked three times with her hoof, for politeness’ sake, then pushed it open with her muzzle. Death didn’t keep the door locked. After all, whatever for? Hello? Death? It's me, Pinkie Pie! I was wondering- Oh, hey! Albert! Hey! she cried, spotting Albert peeking his head around the kitchen door. He cringed. “You’re not meant to be back ‘til next week! What’re you doing here?” he yelled down the hall. I dunno! I was trying to get back to Sugarcube Corner and ended up here! “You di- … Wait. Your voice, it sounds...” Yeah, sounds funny, doesn't it? It's been like this since I tried casting that spell I learnt from one of the wizards! The implications of ‘That spell I learnt from one of the wizards’ sank in to Albert’s brain, stopping briefly at the centres for panic and worry. “... Oh bugger.”

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T10:16:56+00:00

2013-02-07T21:38:25+00:00

Albert sat hunched over the kitchen table, head in his hands, muttering and cursing to himself, stopping only to take a long drag from what was once possibly a cigarette, followed by half a minute of coughing. Cupcake? “No.” … Sure? “Yes.” … … Completely super-duper-ultra-wultra sure? “Yes!” More for me! Another tray of freshly baked confectioneries disappeared into the apparently bottomless stomach of Pinkie Pie. It was the third she’d baked since she’d returned. Barely an hour ago. But then, time isn’t so much a law in Death’s Domain as it is a suggestion. Despite this, Death’s home contained possibly more timepieces than actually existed on the Discworld, constantly emptying, measuring, and meting out precious seconds of life. There were two timepieces in particular that afforded special interest out of the billions that occupied its halls. The first was the great grandfather clock in the hallway. Looking upon it, an observer would get the distinct impression that they were gazing upon a very large object that was very far away, yet also right in front of them. It had no hands. Its scythe-bladed pendulum swung back and forth, killing Time. The second was an egg-timer. One of many. What was unusual about it was its fundamental lack of use as a timepiece. After all, it had no sand in it. It was forged from solid black... black, decorated in the ever-present skulls-and-bones motif that permeated the rest of the house, and like all the others, had the owner’s name emblazoned on its base in gothic block capitals; “Death”. Albert had, by now, given up trying to find it. In its usual place on Death’s desk he’d found something far more interesting. A balloon. With “Pinkie Pie” written on it. Albert stared intently at an old grease stain on the table while his thoughts filtered, like cake crumbs, through the plughole of reason. Or, indeed, like sand falling in a timer. The door of the oven slammed shut and Pinkie Pie was suddenly sitting next to Albert, gazing at him with deep blue, innocent eyes. Albert’s brain briefly protested at the thought of a horse sitting upright in a high-backed chair, but was silenced by what remained of his sanity. “... This is serious, you know,” he muttered, at last. Really? Super-serious or just serious like when Twilight says something is serious and usually that just means she's over-reacting about something like that time when Fluttershy stole the Princess' bi- “Super-serious.” … Oh. “It’s not like it’s the first time. Gods know I’ve dealt with this before. Happens every time he messes with mortals, whatever breed they are.” He gave Pinkie a cursory glance up and down as he spoke. “He gets an idea in his head and off he goes, and who’s left to pick up the pieces? Old Albert, that’s who. Sometimes I don’t know why I just don’t take the damn job myself.” What do you mean? “I mean, he’s vanished like this before. First time was with his ‘apprentice’, right bl- … right old mess that was. Then there was the time he got fired... And that business with his granddaughter... and the Hogfather, gods, the Hogfather. One Backspindlewinter I’d rather forget.” Oh, so he's missing? I just thought he was out. “I don’t know. What I do know is that you performed the Ritual of Ashk’Ente, gods only know how, now you’re stuck here, his life-timer’s gone, and in its place is one with your name on it! Offler’s sandals, this isn’t supposed to happen! There’s fail-safes for this sort of thing! Like... Susan!” That's his granddaughter, right? “Mmrh. The last time he properly shirked in his Duty she... ‘inherited’. Like it was in the blood, but I always thought it was just that she was the most convenient person available. ... I guess, under the circumstances, that’s you now.” Huh. So... I’m Death now? “It would explain the voice.” Albert grimaced. Death’s voice entered the brain without bothering to go past the ears, and had the same intonation as two tombstones slamming together. Pinkie Pie’s new voice, on the other hand, reminded the listener of two balloons rubbing together. Pinkie frowned, allowing a moment for this new revelation to sink in. … Do I have to wear the robe? “Well... It’s traditional. Folk put great store in tradition.” But it's black! “I’m sure we could find you a pink one somewhere oh gods what am I saying?” Albert pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling. “… No, we’re going to find out what happened when you performed the Ritual of Ashk’Ente, and bring the Master back. You’ll have to fill in for him in the mean time. He’s explained the Duty to you, hasn’t he?” Pinkie grinned sheepishly. “... Right. Well. Off to a good start, aren’t we.” “Pinkie Pie? Are you alright up there, dearie?” Death panicked as he heard Mrs. Cake’s voice float up the stairs towards him. He attempted to click his fingers, before the realisation that he was currently somewhat lacking in digits sunk in. He briefly contemplated leaping from the window, but wisely decided against it, as this would likely cause a greater commotion than he currently felt equipped to deal with. Mrs. Cake rounded the curve of the building’s spiral staircase and stopped on the last few stairs, looking directly at Death with a mix of curiosity and confusion. From Mrs. Cake’s perspective, she could see a tall, skinny, white-coated pony in a black cloak standing in the middle of a small puddle of jam on Pinkie’s floor, and the pink filly herself was nowhere to be seen. “... I didn’t know Pinkie had guests,” she managed, after a few moments of audible silence. Yes. Guests. I am Bill Door. A friend from... far away, Death said, grinning. He was good at grinning. He could perform the entire gamut of human emotion with a grin. Pony emotion, too, apparently. Mrs. Cake looked at him intently, eyes narrowing. Perhaps at this point in the narrative, it is worth explaining the concept of convergent evolution. The phrase defines the set of circumstances that causes two unrelated lifeforms to independently acquire the same, or similar, biological traits. One well known application of this is the 'parallel universe counterpart', which has, by necessity, independently acquired a near-perfect copy of whomever it is acting as the counterpart of. Less known, however, is that the same can also be true of non-parallel universes, and even universes with no real relation whatsoever. The multiverse is a strange place, and such things happen with shocking regularity. You see, there lives, on the Discworld, a medium (really more of a small), known only as Mrs. Evadne Cake. Naturally clairvoyant, Mrs. Cake makes a living talking to the dead, which she finds an entirely natural thing to do. Everyone dies sooner or later, but that shouldn’t stop you having a good natter with them. This puts her at odds with most major religions, which is often seen as a blessing to the collective priesthoods of said major religions, as Mrs. Cake ranks up high on the list of divine punishments, alongside such old favourites as famine, pestilence, and loss of all left socks. The Mrs. Cake of Ponyville was also clairvoyant. This was not widely known, as the question of the afterlife was one that most citizens of Equestria did not often contemplate. On the other hoof, being able to see roughly ten seconds into the future was an invaluable skill when your lodger was Pinkie Pie. It had saved Mrs. Cake’s well-being (and Sugarcube Corner’s fire insurance) more than once over the years. I only pause to explain all this because the following conversation never actually took place. As both Mrs. Cake and Death possessed the ability to see into the future, both knew what the other was going to say before they said it, and indeed, even when they never did. In fact, after taking a good long look at Bill Door, Mrs. Cake turned around and returned to the shop front without uttering a single word more. If she had, it would have gone something like this. “Bill Door? I remember Pinkie mentioning a Bill Door had come to see her some weeks ago. That’s you, is it?” she would have said, arching an eyebrow at Death. Yes, he would have replied. “Been in Ponyville long, Mr. Door?” Just arrived. “Might I inquire as to what you are doing in the middle of that puddle of jam?” You may. “What are you doing in the middle of that puddle of jam?” Death would have looked down at his hooves. Standing in it. “I see. … Do you know where Pinkie Pie is?” I would endeavour to say that she left shortly before I arrived. “Right, right... I’m not going to ask exactly who you are, or what you’re doing in Pinkie’s room, or how you managed to get up here without passing by the shop front when you obviously lack wings, because I feel I’m not going to like the answers.” The two would have locked stares for a brief moment. … I’ll clean up the jam. “Thank you,” she would have said, and, as she would have turned to leave, adding as an afterthought: “Dearie.” Pinkie sat at Death’s desk, neatly fitting into the groove in what was supposed to be a high-backed leather chair. In reality, it was more like rock. Death could create anything, but he tended to misunderstand the principles at work behind an object. He could create a perfect copy of the appearance, down to the woodworm damage or rust on the nails, yet somehow entirely miss the point, like creating a chest of drawers that cannot be opened, or an inflexible towel. She stared at the small group of life-timers before her. Each one had a name. Each one was subtly different. From her time with Death, she was beginning to recognize the basic styles of each race. There were plain, no-nonsense human timers, wood and brass, with simple, clear glass bulbs. There were stocky and ornate dwarven timers, gold and steel, stained glass and rocky salt. Set apart from the others was a troll’s life-timer. It was larger than the others, and consisted of two mossy stones enclosing a pair of smoky quartz bulbs, through which passed gravel, hitting the base of the bulb with a regular tok-tok-tok. But even they differed within certain limits, much like their owners. Some taller, some shorter. Some more ornate, some plainer. The lives of kings decked in gold and red felt. The lives of paupers, cobbled together from broken wood and tied with string. She glanced over at her own. Anywhere else, the pink balloon would have appeared cheery, but here it seemed out-of-place. She supposed that, over time, it would deflate, echoing the fall of sand, salt, rock, grain, eggshell and marble. There was a movement in the air in front of the desk. Or rather, there wasn’t, but the universe was re-adjusted so that there had been. A grey, hooded figure hung in the air. It said, We have promoted you. Oh, hey. Time for exposition, Pinkie said, without looking up. Her voice seemed to lack its usual note of glee. It said, Your predecessor has been retired. We expect you to pick up the slack. Any questions will be directed to a board of committee. I do have one question. Pinkie raised her head and locked gazes with the shadowy form of the Auditor. Although it had no eyes, she was looking directly at where they would have been, and her own blue eyes had taken on an icy glow. Strangely, she wasn’t smiling. I... remember you. From his past. You've fired him, You've tried to have him assassinated, and now you come up again like a Baked Bad when he's missing. Where is he? It said, That is not your concern. You will perform his Duty as his replacement. We are preventing travel between your world and this. Do not try to leave. Is that a threat or a suggestion? It said, Both. Pinkie slumped back into the chair. Slumping is not something that comes naturally to ponies, especially in chairs designed for two-legged anthropomorphic personifications, but Pinkie had always had a knack of ignoring such petty issues as this. It said, He always yearned to understand what it is to be alive. It brought his work into question. The living show great aptitude in the Duty, despite the apparent weakness of personality. We will monitor your progress with great interest. Don't you have personalities? Pinkie asked, feigning ignorance. It said, I’m a personification of physical forces and processes, why would I need a- Oh, blast. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. Pinkie smirked, and returned her gaze to the life-timers on the desk. Pulling one forward with her hoof, she read the name across the bottom carefully. Terrak Keksy. Frowning a little, she turned to the great jewelled globe that took up a good chunk of Death’s desk. It was a perfect reproduction of the Discworld, set in gemstones, as it rested on the back of four elephants and the shell of Great A’Tuin. She peered through the spyglass affixed to the celestial arch, at the intricate model of the city of Ankh-Morpork. She gasped, knocking over the timer she still held under her hoof. Oh no.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T10:27:46+00:00

2013-02-07T21:47:23+00:00

Death felt very out of his depth. Of course, that’s not to say he was physically out of his depth, even though he was currently up to his neck in warm, soapy water, in the baths of the Ponyville Spa. It had happened rather suddenly. He remembered cleaning up the jam from the floor of Pinkie Pie’s room, then carefully making his way down and out of Sugarcube Corner, the innate sense of all living beings to ignore what their eyes are telling them when they don’t wish to see it enabling him to sneak past the busy shop front and out of the door, leaving no evidence of his presence beyond jammy hoofsteps, a trail of flour and sodden, torn party streamers. The next thing he knew, he was swept along by a white unicorn with a purple mane and an affected accent, into the spa to clean himself up. There are few things as unstoppable and irresistible as Death. Rarity is one of them. “I must say, you look so much better without that cloak, although it certainly does add an air of intrigue and mystery about you! What’s the material?” Absolute Darkness. The Fabric of Reality before the Universe began. Before the first ray of light began its journey from the- “Yes, I can see it’s black, but is it silk? Cotton? It’s very unusual.” Death was a little taken aback. … Silk. he lied. Rarity glanced over at the cloak as it hung on the rails beside the tub. It certainly didn’t shimmer like silk. In fact, it didn’t shimmer at all. There were no reflections, and neither was there any sense of depth. It was like a cloak-shaped hole cut in reality, revealing the darkness underneath. However, it was quite stylish. A touch macabre, perhaps, but it had a certain something. Death himself was looking around at the spa, curious. The concept of bathing was barely understood on the Discworld as a form of necessary torture. The idea of taking that and making it into an act of leisure had yet to occur to even the most godlike and brilliant of minds. The water was pleasantly warm. Somewhere beneath the surface was a jet that gently churned the contents of the tub, creating bubbles from the various herbal soaps and mixtures that had been thrown in. He had a bathroom at home, of course, because he understood that most wealthy, upper-class homes have one. Or at least an iron tub hanging above the fire in the living room. It was just that he’d never had cause to use it. Albert did, occasionally, and he recalled his ‘daughter’, Ysabell, having spent much time in there during her formative years. All thirty-five of them. He observed carefully how Rarity acted, but had decided against attempting to emulate her behaviour. Despite her insistence, he could not quite understand the purpose in wrapping yourself in seaweed, placing sliced vegetables over your eyes, and then jumping into a pit of mud, in an attempt to get clean. Rarity was busy observing him. He had such a beautiful, bleached white coat, and she simply couldn’t bear the thought of it being covered in jam, flour, bits of party streamer, and goodness knows what else. Besides, he was rather handsome, in a tall, mysterious stranger way. She was more than happy to pay for his bath. He didn’t seem to be much of a conversationalist, on the other hoof. “So, where are you from, Mr. Door?” she asked, running a hoof along Death’s cloak as she peered over the railing at him. Far away. he answered, after a slight pause. The conversation once again sat a lull. Rarity tried her luck with another. “And... What brings you to Ponyville?” A summons. “... Ah, I see...” Rarity replied, the gears of her mind whirring and trying hopelessly to fill in the blanks of the dialogue. “A legal matter, is it? Well, I won’t pry.” Like all things, the conversation died. Rarity scraped her hoof on the wooden boards. “... I’m afraid that as much as I would love to stay here, I really must get on... Drop by the Carousel Boutique when you’re ready, would you? I have something in mind for you. You’ll love it, I’m sure! And I so rarely get to make clothing for stallions these days... Well, I’ll see you there! Au revoir!” And with that, she was gone. Death briefly wondered if he was meant to have interjected at some point. Mortals seemed to be such incomprehensible creatures, no matter what realm they hailed from. Yet he had to admit... The bath was soothing. He could feel the warmth of the water soak into his coat, and the pleasurable shiver of the nerves that accompanied it. He blinked. Oh. … Bugger. The Third Temple of the Pink Pony of Death* was in the process of emptying after a particularly successful high tea. The Reader of Etiquette said the final liturgy as the congregation filed out of the revolving door, each solemnly given, in turn, their little bag of leftovers. As the Junior Hosts and Hostesses stacked the chairs on the tables and swept the floor of the hall, Grand Hostess Aminata Odham watched them with a practised gaze, the sort that long-suffering mothers give to their wayward children as they attempt to ‘help’ with the housework. You could have painted that smile on her face. Beside her stood Guest of Honour Terrak Keksy, finishing his third helping of cake. It was a simple sponge with jam and cream filling, topped with a plain white icing and no extra frills. Remembering the reading from The Book of Proper Nourishment, 2:24 (‘thou shalt not talk with thy mouth full’), he swallowed before looking to the Grand Hostess. “I must say, this cake is absolutely delicious. To die for, even. So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Aminata turned to him, a slow and steady movement that seemed to affect only her neck and head, leaving the rest of her body rigidly still. “Oh, I just wanted to thank you for your continual service to our cause. Your magic has been of great use in spreading the word, and I know you’ve received some persecution from the University because of your beliefs.” Terrak paused. “Well... I wouldn’t call it ‘persecution’, it’s perfectly ordinary to wake up in the halls and find your slippers gained sentience overnight. And a taste for flesh.” “Regardless, I feel I ought to reward you. If you would follow me...” she cut off any further reply and swept through the curtain that separated the main hall from the Blessed Sanctuary. Or the broom cupboard, as it was more widely known. Terrak shrugged, gulped down another mouthful of cake, and followed. As he stepped into the enclosed space, Aminata drew the curtain shut and, turning, took a flask from the shelf. “Punch,” she explained, at Terrak’s clueless expression. “A special mix, using some of the rarest ingredients on the Disc. I’d value your opinion on it.” She poured out a glass of the stuff and handed it to the young wizard, who put his bowl on the shelf behind him and took it gratefully. He swirled it around in the glass, taking a sniff of the bouquet. Advanced Wine & Alcoholic Beverage Techniques was one course of the university’s vast and eldritch curriculum that he excelled in. “Definite hints of Howondaland Swamp Boil... A pinch of Djelibeybi Sherbet? Ephebian Wine... Yes, quite the mix you’ve got here.” Terrak knocked back the contents of the glass in one, a habit that all students of the Unseen University pick up eventually. If you linger with a glass of wine at the university’s dining hall, you’ll find there’s none left by the time you’ve finished. He smacked his lips. “Odd taste. Almost a bit like...” He paused when he realised Aminata wasn’t looking at him, but at a point behind him. He watched as she smiled. She was always smiling, but unlike the usual grimace, this smile seemed to show some actual emotion. Somehow, he didn’t like the look of it. Without a word, she turned on her heel and walked away. Terrak made to follow, only to find himself brought up short after a few steps. He looked over his shoulder, his gaze following a thin, blue line tethering him to... to himself, lying on the floor, a smashed glass by his side and a very shocked expression on his face. “... Ah,” he managed, as his mind, (or at least, whatever part of his now incorporeal self did the mental calculating,) joined the dots. Before realization fully sunk in, there was a faint shimmer in the air to his left which soon resolved itself into the unmistakable shape of a bright pink, and profoundly worried, pony. She looked around frantically, trying to take in the whole room in a single glance, and spotted the corpse. NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo... she repeated, running over to the prone body and kneeling beside it. “... Pinkie Pie?” the ghost of Terrak said, moving towards her. As she heard him, she whirled around to face him, halfway between relieved and deeply upset. Terrak! You died! “Clearly.” That wasn't supposed to happen! This took him a little by surprise. “... Whyever not? I mean, not that I wanted to die, but...” B-but, I knew you! You brought me here! You were nice! Why did you have to die? Why do I have to do it? “... Well, isn’t it your... job?” Terrak replied, thoroughly confused. He knew, as all wizards did, that Death came to guide them personally for their first steps into the afterlife, but he didn’t expect the reaction to be quite so... emotional. “Don’t you do this all the time?” Yes! … No! … I... I don't know! I just help! I don't know what to do! I remember things, but... Pinkie seemed close to breaking down in tears. She hadn’t known Terrak particularly well, but even that made the difference. She’d met him. All the times she’d helped Death, she was meeting these people for the first time, and giving them a nice surprise to what was, normally, a fairly unpleasant event. But this was different. This struck a chord, deep in Pinkie’s heart. She’d never done The Duty solo, and the first time she had to, it was the pointless murder of a perfectly friendly and good-natured man who hadn’t seen it coming. She couldn’t send him back. She didn’t know how. But she knew... she remembered, what would happen if she did. She couldn’t even share her own time, not now. She was Death, for all intents and purposes, and that balloon floating ominously in the Room of Hourglasses served as a constant reminder. The ghostly mage laid an ethereal hand on her shoulder, breaking her train of thought. “It’s alright. Truth be told, I was finding university life pretty boring, anyway. Spend the rest of my days cooped up in that dusty old mansion, nothing but fat tomes and mouldering old men to keep me company? I’d rather see what’s out there waiting for me. And personally, I’m glad you’re the one to send me off.” Pinkie sniffed. Really? Terrak nodded. I’m... sorry I didn't bring you any cake... “It’s alright, I’ve had plenty. … Could go for a quiche, right about now. I wonder if you can eat in the afterlife?” He shook his head. “Anyway, first I think you have to do something about this...” he said, pulling the blue thread with his finger so that it went ‘twang’. Oh. Yeah. Right. … Uh. Pinkie concentrated, trying to will the scythe to appear. It seemed reluctant to answer her summons. “... Maybe there’s a pair of scissors... Or a knife?” Terrak said, helpfully. Pinkie found one in the pile of dirty crockery and brought it back, holding it in her mouth. She carefully angled the blade above the lifeline, and cut it gently. ‘Ere. she mumbled through the handle, as the thin stream receded into Terrak. The ghost took a last look at his former residence. “... Pity, that robe was new on six weeks ago. Could’ve saved myself thirty dollars. All those sequins going to waste. Eh well, I s’pose it’ll go to the freshers for fire spell practise.” He walked around his body, examining it carefully, while Pinkie put the knife back. Despite the various Junior Hosts milling around the place, no one seemed to be able to see her, since, even in the Temple of the Pink Pony of Death, no one honestly expected to see the eponymous mare walking around with a cake-encrusted knife in her mouth. She returned to find Terrak amusing himself by waving his hand through the shelves, an activity he immediately ceased when he saw her returning, thrusting his arms behind his back, and taking on what he hoped was a dignified stance. “What now?” he asked. Pinkie hesitated. She honestly wasn’t sure. I... guess you go on to whatever's next. You don't believe in reincarnation, do you? That can get a little tricky. “Nope, quite happy the way I am. Or was. … Is there a tense for referring to oneself after you’ve passed on?” Present perfect. Pinkie replied, automatically. She blinked. … How did I know that? she said, half to herself, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “Ah. ‘I am quite happy with the way I have been’. … Yes, that works.” Silence descended as the conversation followed suit in passing on. Somewhere in the greater building, somebody coughed. Much like the little wisps of smoke from the boots of a man tragically struck by lightning, or the flaming wheel that rolls from the wreckage of a vehicle crash, the well-timed cough in a conversational lull is a fundamental law of the universe.** “... If it’s too much trouble, I’m sure I can find my own way out,” the wizard said, at length. Pinkie just nodded, smiling at him gratefully. The ghost of Terrak Keksy smiled, bowed, and exited stage left, through a wall. The Pink Pony of Death was left feeling drained by the experience, emotionally and physically. She knew just enough to do The Duty, but not enough to really be Death. Although, judging by the new ‘memories’ that flooded through her mind, that wouldn’t be a problem for much longer. The thought would have scared her. But Death was never scared. Instead, she thought about the young wizard who had been murdered, here, in a sanctuary built (or at least, cheaply decorated), in her name. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right. This calls for extreme measures. She turned, the glow of her sky-blue eyes piercing through the curtain that separated the cupboard from the rest of the building beyond. Somewhere out there, she knew, was the person responsible for Terrak’s untimely demise. Pinkie Pie style. * "NO LONGUR BLIT’ZS FIREWURKS! UNDER NOO MANAJMANT!! TRY OWR CHEEZ STRORS!!!” ** Of course, in some cases where coughs aren’t available due to the general lack of respiratory passages present, Tumbleweed fills much the same role. In fact, Natural Selection being what it is, a species of Tumbleweed has arisen on the Discworld that possesses specific powers of teleportation. It lives its life in waiting and breaks from its stem at precisely the most effective moment, before briefly popping into existence, just out of sight, to roll across the foreground before disintegrating from reality.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T10:39:37+00:00

2013-02-07T21:52:56+00:00

Albert sat in the kitchen of Death’s Humble Abode, leaning back in his chair, feet on the table. The comforting sound of sizzling oil filled the air, as another defenceless lunch was mercilessly drowned in congealed cholesterol. Despite setbacks, Albert was already well on his way to reproducing that unique blend of fats and lipids that made every meal a heart attack waiting to happen. Licking his thumb, he slowly and deliberately turned the page of the Farmer’s Almanack. He’d read it so many times over the years that he could have reproduced it, woodcut for woodcut, whilst blindfolded, but decades-old habits are hard to break. In precisely fifteen seconds, he would put the yellowing journal down on the table, get up, and turn over the sausage, adding another egg to the pan. At least, that was the plan. Albert! The aged manservant fell to floor with a thump as his chair slid from under him. Quickly picking himself up and dusting himself off, he found Pinkie already standing there, glowering. “You rang, mas- Miss?” Albert. Bring a lantern. Pinkie’s eyes shone fiercely in the dim light of Death’s home. We're going into the library. Thud. Ow. Thud. Ow. Thu- “My dear, what are you doing?” Rarity asked, pulling open the door and giving Bill Door a slightly worried glance. He was still dripping wet, with a visible trail of soap suds leading away from him, back towards the spa. He had, it seemed, been trying to walk through the walls of Carousel Boutique. I was... Uh. Death didn’t think it would reflect well on this pony’s view of his sanity if he told the complete truth at this particular juncture. … Testing the structural integrity of your wall, he finished, lamely. “... I... See.” Rarity said, raising an eyebrow. “... Do you want a towel...?” Death looked down at the pool of water at his hooves. Towel. Yes. It seems in my haste to make the appointment I neglected to dry myself. I do apologise. “Oh, it’s nothing, darling. You needn’t rush on my account. Here...” Rarity led him inside, and drifted a towel over, giving him a vigorous scrubbing. Satisfied, she whisked the dripping cloth away into the laundry room, bringing her attention back to the bone dry stallion standing in her shop front. “So, Mr. Door, I hope you won’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a little something for you...” Rarity’s horn lit up as the screen separating shop floor from podium slid aside, revealing a mannequin (pony-quin? clotheshorse?) modelling a dapper pinstripe suit, with tails, a black top hat, white shirt and black cravat. “I know it may look a little... Macabre, at first glance, but when I saw you I just knew it would be perfect!” she smiled, a genuine, slightly nervous smile of someone who hopes their work is appreciated but isn’t quite sure of the outcome. Death looked at her. No one ever really smiled at Death. He smiled all the time. As has been noted, he didn’t have much choice. He looked at the suit. He paced around the mannequin, examining it from every angle. I like it. He declared. Rarity let out a not-particularly-ladylike squeal and pulled the screen back across, obscuring her and her client from view. What followed was unlike anything Death had ever had the misfortune to experience. All he could recall was the room growing dark, a rustle of clothing, a sudden force, and then he was standing there fully clothed. His admirable mental faculties wisely decided to ignore the problem of how Rarity had managed to dress him without him moving or lifting a hoof, and instead moved to admiring the seamstress’ hoofwork. Considering she hadn’t been anywhere near him with a tape measure, it fit remarkably well. … A little too well. It took Death a few seconds to fully realize why. He was flesh and bone. “... Is it too tight?” Rarity asked, a little concerned that the stallion seemed to have blanked out, staring, pupils shrunken, at some point in the middle distance. Death pulled himself together. “No, no, it-” I mean, no, it fits perfectly, thank you. He coughed, deliberately. How much do I owe you? “Oh, no, no, darling, there’s no charge! I’m happy to provide for a stallion of means such as yourself! We couldn’t have such a gentlecolt walking around town without looking his very best, now could we?” Death glanced at his reflection in the mirror. “No, I-” I suppose not. Rarity gave him another look of concern, sidling up to him. “Are you sure you’re alright, darling? You sound a little... hoarse.” “I’m fin-” Fine. Really. “And you look awfully pale.” “That-” That's normal. “And you’re sweating.” “It’s- It’s the heat.” Death coughed, again, this time less deliberately. Now she came to mention it, he did feel a little weak. And there was a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. It made him feel vaguely nauseous. “... I’m fine.” “Now you’re swaying! Oh, darling, you must be coming down with something!” Rarity fussed, placing a hoof on Death’s forehead to feel his temperature. This was a completely futile task as the insulating effect of the hoof meant she couldn’t exactly feel anything, but it somehow felt like the right thing to do in the circumstances. “We should go see my friend, Fluttershy, she’ll have just the thing, I’m sure. She takes care of all the animals around Ponyville, and more than a few ponies, when it’s nothing too serious. Or there’s the hospital...” Death winced. “No hospitals.” “If you insist, darling. Now, it’s not far to walk, but-” A thud made Rarity turn back around, to see Death lying splayed out on the floor. “... You know what, you just stay right there and I’ll be back tout de suite.” Death’s Library was, perhaps, the largest collection of books in the Discworld. I say perhaps, because the dimensions of the library of the Unseen University have never been fully measured, and indeed, several cartographers have been lost to insanity, delirium, and malevolent tomes in the attempt. Death’s Library, however, contained the autobiography of every living thing on the Discworld, or at least, every sapient thing. Unlike the library of the Unseen University, it did have a finite beginning and end, but no mortal had ever traversed the full length of those dark, unlit halls. The books wrote and organized themselves. When their owner’s story had ended, they shifted down the corridors to the shelves and shelves of books that had long since ceased to record their tales. It was eerie, walking down the stacks, and hearing the hushed scratching of thousands upon thousands of lives being lived. Unlike the soothing noise of the falling sand of the Room of Lifetimers, the sound of the Library made the listener anxious. It was as if at any moment you might hear one book among many suddenly cease, and you would know another tale had drawn to its close. Pinkie was making such speed along the stone flooring that she was nearly galloping, but, Albert noticed, in that strange, stalking gait the Master used. Indeed, the clip-clop of her horseshoes was even beginning to sound, to Albert’s old ears, like the click-click of bone on tile. Hurrying to keep up with her, Albert lurched along by the smoky light of an oil lantern, fearfully glancing up at the looming shelves. The last time he’d been in here, he remembered, that Boy and the Master’s Daughter had presented him with his own life. Forcefully. To the cranium. From a great height. It was an experience he was not anxious to relive. As the scratching became quieter, and finally ceased altogether, Pinkie suddenly stopped short in the middle of the floor, and Albert had to stop himself from running into her. It's here. She said, the words falling into place in the silence like lead slabs. “What is? Who are you looking for?” Albert asked, perplexed. She hadn’t spoken a word since dragging him away from lunch, and given his prior experience with the pink pony, this was worrisome enough. She didn’t reply, but stared up at the shelves, her eyes blazing blue in the dark. Finally, she spoke again. Normally I suppose I would click my fingers, but given the circumstances... She raised her hoof, and brought it down on the stone tiles so hard that they crumbled into dust, the thunderclap echoing through the library and shaking the shelves. One single, solitary book slipped from its place, high above, and fell to the ground with a second loud thump. Pinkie momentarily eyed the thin lettering on the leather cover. ‘Terrak Keksy’. She flipped it over with her hooves, nosing it open at the last page. “... What’s so special about this one?” Albert asked, leaning over her shoulder and peering at the text. He died, she answered, continuing to read. “... Everyone in here is dead! All these books are is records of the dead! Why’s this one any different?” He died. Because of me. Her eyes burned brighter than any torch. And now I know who did it. No less than fifteen minutes later, the door burst open, threatening the continued health of its hinges, framing the heroic figure of Rarity, flanked by Nurse Redheart and Fluttershy. “Have no fear, darling, I return with medical help!” she cried, while the other two mares made their way around her and into the building. Death was still lying where Rarity had left him, although with the addition of Opal resting on his head, curled up and quite content. He was doing a remarkable impression of a corpse, which wasn’t too surprising, considering. Redheart frowned and immediately went to check for a pulse, nodding to Rarity and Fluttershy some seconds later in confirmation that he was, despite all appearances, still alive. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank heavens! I thought he might have... Well, it doesn’t bear thinking about. Will he be alright? Oh, Fluttershy, be a dear and fetch a blanket for him, would you? Are you sure he’ll be alright, Nurse- Oh, Opal! Don’t get in the way! Tsk. Now, are-” “Rarity, he’s fine,” the Nurse interrupted, smiling. “I can’t see anything immediately wrong with him, but he’s certainly still conscious, aren’t you, sir?” “... Yes?” Death answered, weakly. He wasn’t too certain what she meant by ‘conscious’, given he’d never really been anything else and had nothing with which to compare it. “And your ears are still working! Ah, thank you, Fluttershy...” Redheart continued as the pegasus gently draped the blanket over Death. “Now, I’ll just perform a few simple tests, and we’ll have you back on your hooves in no time, hmm?” She set to work while Rarity hovered nervously, eventually glancing up at the fashionista with a meaningful glance. Rarity took the hint and scuttled aside, dragging Fluttershy (and Opal, resting on the pegasus’ wings) with her. Once safely out of earshot, she gave another worried glance over at Death, then turned back to Fluttershy, grinning broadly.* “What luck! Handsome, unattached stallion, and he’s ill in my boutique!” she said, making darting glances back and forth. Fluttershy blinked. “... P-pardon?” “Oh, Fluttershy, it’s wonderful! I mean, not that he’s ill, that’s terrible, and I wish him the best of health, but now he’ll definitely remember his visit here, and more importantly, me!” “... I... see?” The yellow pegasus replied, perplexed. “And he’s a lawyer! Oh, after that awful affair at the Gala, I was fearing I’d never find the stallion of my dreams, but there he is! In my boutique! Being nursed by another mare-” Rarity stopped, and frowned. “... Well, anyway, what do you think of him, Fluttershy? Be honest with me now, darling.” Fluttershy looked over at where Death was being helped up by Nurse Redheart. “... He’s... Nice.” “Darling.” “W-well, he’s... J-just not my type, Rarity. I’m sure he’s lovely, though!” Fluttershy said, trying to dig her way out of the conversation. “Hmph. Oh, he’s back on his hooves!” Rarity observed, rushing back over. She was about to open her mouth when Redheart stopped her. “He’s fine, before you ask, Rarity. And he’s not ill, either! He collapsed because he hasn’t eaten anything in days!” the medic said, smiling. “Stallion of your size, too, can’t think how.” “... I had a lot on my mind,” Death replied. “Oh, you poor dear! Let me whip something up for you! Fluttershy, Nurse, would you care to stay for a late lunch?” Rarity asked, zipping over to the kitchen door. “Oh, that would be lovely, Rarity, if it... If it isn’t too much trouble, I mean,” Fluttershy replied. “No trouble at all, dear! Three can feast as easily as two! And you, Nurse?” “Thank you, Rarity, but I should probably get back to the hospital. Drop by later if there’s any other problems, though!” They waved Nurse Redheart off, and Rarity began preparing a meal. Death and Fluttershy stood in awkward silence in the shop front. “Oh, I nearly forgot! Have you any requests, Mr. Door?” Rarity called across from the kitchen. He thought for a moment. “I could murder a curry.” * Indeed, like a Cheshire cat. However, Cheshire cats are not particularly well known in Equestria, due to the general lack of Cheshire, so the phrase has here been substituted for a more suitable adjective.** ** Opal, on the other hoof, regularly demonstrates a grin that would make even the eponymous Cestrian jealous.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-11-24T14:57:18+00:00

2013-02-07T22:01:03+00:00

“But Mas- Master! Listen to me! Thousands die every day, it’s fate! You can’t change that! Not even you can do that! Gods know you’ve tried!” Albert entreated, hurrying after the Pony of Death as she made her way out of the library. The tiles cracked under every beat of her hooves, the stacks shook as Death’s creation responded to the anger of its new Mistress. No! I can change it! He doesn't have to die! “You’ve got his memories! Think back to Mort! He tried it, too!” I can change it! It's not fair! It's not just! “ ‘There is no justice!’ ” Pinkie stopped, and turned her burning eyes on Albert. “ ‘There is no justice’. That’s what you said. What HE said. ‘There is no justice, it’s just me.’ ” Albert’s old, waxy features entreated her, nearly desperate. It's just me. Pinkie’s eyes dimmed, and her head drooped. Just me. Albert stepped forward, but she held up a hoof. I... need to think. “Yes’m. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” Minutes, hours, or perhaps days later, she was sitting, curled up, in the great leather chair that stood in Death’s Office, deep in thought. She wasn’t feeling herself. … She wasn’t feeling anything. Resting between her hooves was a lifetimer, the wooden frame painted pink, and inscribed with the name ‘Aminata Odham’. She turned it over and over, the sand constantly flowing from one bulb into another, no matter which way up it was. She remembered once, when she had been Him, that she had turned a life timer over and granted someone their life all over again. That wasn’t happening now, though. Perhaps the gods reserved such things for their own amusement. She exhaled the sound of air escaping the hooded cloak more like a death rattle than a heartfelt sigh. I could do with some amusement, she thought, out loud, the tone of her ‘voice’ vanishing into the all-encompassing hiss of sand falling through glass. How long had she been here, in this world? Two days? Two weeks? Time stood still in Death’s Country, and Pinkie had been too busy with The Duty to keep track. It was all becoming a blur, swallowed up in the vast recesses of her memory. His memory. Their memory. She remembered being in Ponyville, but she also remembered having never been there. She remembered Sugarcube Corner and her job, but she also remembered the slow aeons of watching the Disc turn, and The Duty. She didn’t feel sad, or lonely. She just felt... Empty. She’d noticed, when she stopped to look, that even the colours of the garden had faded away. Everything was black. Her coat stood out in the darkness like a light from a candle. Her eyes burned brighter than any flame, but that was all the colour in the world. She looked at the hourglass again, with the creeping realization that even what she had thought of as pink paint was really just a pink shade of black. Suddenly, there always had been three grey, hooded robes floating in front of her desk. The first time you showed up, I couldn't feel you doing that. One said, Doing what? Adjusting things. That's what you are, really, isn't it? Adjusters. You tweak and calibrate and clean up. One said, That is one way of putting it. Then we're not that different, are we? One said, No. One said, We are not. Death, the Reaper. I clean up after everyone's gone. No time for the party. The staff don't get invited. One said, This is what you chose. One said, Do you regret it? Pinkie glared at them. I didn't choose this. You chose it. You adjusted. She looked back down at her hooves. It's not fair. One said, The universe isn’t fair. One said, But it continues. One said, As do we all. And then they had never been. Death realised she hadn’t breathed back in. Meanwhile, Bill Door was living through another strange new experience. It was not one he was entirely unfamiliar with, but he couldn’t truly say he’d ever lived through it before. He scuffed his hoof on the carpet, aware of the overbearing silence weighing down on him, broken only by Rarity’s humming as she cooked. He glanced up, occasionally, to see the yellow pegasus standing there, hiding behind her hair and similarly scuffing her hoof. Curiosity forced him to look up again, and their eyes met as she did the same. There was a spark there, something he had never felt before. He felt flushed, exposed, and far out of his depth. In short, he felt acutely embarrassed. Despite himself, his rational mind was intrigued by this new sensation and immediately went to work studying it. The rest of him decided its time was far better spent by ignoring it entirely and focusing on something else. The cat, for example. Opal had sidled up to him and was now rubbing herself against his legs, in that affectionate, I’m-hungry-and-you’re-not-doing-anything-important manner of felines. He reached down with the intent to pick her up, but realised half way there that his current, four-legged frame was not conducive to the picking up and cradling of small mammals. He settled for rubbing Opal awkwardly, yet gently, with his hoof. “O-oh, you like cats?” came a timid voice to his side, breaking the silence. He turned his head to see Fluttershy staring at him, wide-eyed with enthusiasm. “Um. Yes. I like cats,” he replied, feeling more at ease with this level of conversation. “Me too! They’re just so huggable and soft and friendly and...” Fluttershy trailed off when she realised the stallion was staring at her. “... uhm. Nice.” “Do you have a cat?” he asked, trying to prevent another long, awkward silence. “Oh, n-no. Well, kind of... I look after animals, you see, it’s my special talent. I have a few cats I take care of but they’re not mine, a-as such.” She watched as the stallion contined to stroke Opal, the normally violent little beast as tame as a manticore with a freshly de-thorned paw. “I’m surprised, Opal’s usually so shy around strangers,” she said, at last (there followed a little hysterical giggle from the kitchen). “You must have a way with animals yourself, Mister... Uhm, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” “Door. Bill Door.” “I’m... Fluttershy.” The two stood and stared at each other, while Bill Door idly continued to stroke Opal. He felt that flushing feeling from before, and slowly realised that he was feeling a burning sensation in his cheeks. His brain’s initial panic of ‘why are my cheeks on fire’ soon melted into a sense of mild euphoria as he continued to stare, silently, at the yellow pegasus. Internally, his mind was racing, facing the unfamiliar assault of sensory information, a plethora of commands and demands from his own body, and, perhaps most unfamiliar of all, hormones. Her delicate figure, her long mane, her lush coat, her eyes... “Lunch is served!” Rarity called from the kitchen, interrupting Death’s train of thought. He realised he hadn’t been breathing, and took a sharp gulp of air. As Fluttershy trotted past him to the kitchen, he found his gaze wandering, taking in her, fine, shapely... Death shook himself. This was not him. He was not ‘Bill Door’. He reasoned that he was just still... feeling a little ill. Nothing to do whatsoever with the apparent reversal of his natural anthropomorphogenic field and sudden loss of reality by means of his assistant taking over his job. … Again. The Pink Pony of Death swung the knife, cutting another cord and releasing another soul to their afterlife. The scythe still refused to obey her, so she was making do with one of the knives from Albert’s cutlery drawer. The spectre said something to her, but she didn’t hear it. She watched the last glimmer of their soul fade as it flew away, and felt no emotion. She hadn’t asked who they were. She hadn’t listened to their questions. She took another life timer from her robes, watching the last few minutes of sand ebb away. She realised she no longer cared where she would find this soul, or why they had to die. They were just grains of wheat, a part of the great harvest, and she was merely separating them from their chaff. She turned, and the world melted beneath her hooves into a swirling, seething mass of nothing. This was The Duty. She had performed it for a thousand years, and a thousand again, since the Disc had been turning. She would dance the danse macabre until the last spark of life was snuffed from the universe, until Great A’Tuin itself came to journey’s end. Swing. Cut. Bind. Swing. Cut. Bind. Swing. Cut. Bind. Swing. Cut. Swing. The strong scent of tomato, coriander, cream and paprika rose from the dish. Bill Door just sat there a moment, savouring every sensation. The delicate hint of the spices, the stewed vegetables, the rice... It smelt real, vibrant. He was quite a fan of curry, of course, and often stopped in the famed Curry Gardens of Ankh-Morpork after work. He realised now that perhaps the reason he’d taken to it was the rich explosion of flavour it contained, no matter which sauce or stock it used. Back then, even his poor imitation of sense was given a treat, but now that his senses were really working, (indeed, now that he had senses), they were nearly overwhelmed. He caught himself almost drooling at just the sight and scent of the meal alone. Rarity, too, was happy to show off her skills in cooking. Sweetie Belle, like all foals her age, just wanted crispy carrot nuggets and chips, or other such simple staples of childhood. Her palate certainly couldn’t stand the rich and refined foodstuffs that Rarity preferred to eat, but she never enjoyed cooking such elaborate meals for just herself, and barely had the time to entertain guests. She wouldn’t dare admit it, but the moment Bill Door had asked for curry, she’d made a hasty exit through the laundry room and galloped to the market for the right ingredients. The dish was nearly unknown in Ponyville, but was quickly becoming a fad among the upper crust of society, and like always Rarity kept her hoof on the nub of fashion. Fluttershy had never seen the dish before, and was not entirely sure how to react to it. Or indeed, how to eat it. Given the large amount of sauce present, diving in muzzle first didn’t seem entirely sensible, but the pegasus was largely lacking in means of operating cutlery.* Bill Door had encountered the same problem. His instinct had been to reach out his hoof and grab for the provided fork, but this had run into difficulties at the second step of the plan. He’d then thought of attempting to eat it out of his hoof. After all, that was the traditional way of eating a curry back in Klatch. He hesitated, and looked around at the kitchen. Despite having just been used, it was as pristine as if it had been freshly installed. The table cloth was embroidered silk. Bill Door just knew that if he attempted to eat with his hoof, he’d drop something on the cloth. Similarly, he understood, at the very core of his being, that this would be the worst. Possible. Thing. Instead he settled for occasionally glancing at Fluttershy, hoping she would begin eating and give him a cue as to what he was supposed to be doing. Unfortunately, she was glancing at Bill Door with the same intentions. Both plates remained untouched. After a few minutes of observing this in polite silence, Rarity gave in. “... Is there something wrong, darlings? You’ve not even touched your curry!” They looked at each other. They looked back at her, and opened their mouths to reply. “I-” “Uhm-” They looked at each other again, and finally Fluttershy took the initiative. “Uhm, I’m sure it’s lovely, but... I don’t want to make a mess,” she whispered, hiding sheepishly behind her fringe. Rarity blinked. “Oh! My poor darlings, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think! Let me get you some napkins... In fact, you’re right, I’m being far too formal, aren’t I? I’ll just take away that cloth...” before Fluttershy could protest, their plates were hoisted into the air as the cloth was whisked away, folded mid-air, and neatly placed into a waiting open draw. As that one slammed shut, another slid open, and a stream of white linen cloths danced out, arranging themselves in a pile on the table. It was Bill Door’s turn to blink. Why didn’t the Wizards ever use their magic for tasks like that? Rarity returned the plates to their proper places, and lifted her fork to begin. Half-way to the plate, she realised that this would be a little rude, given the circumstances, and slowly placed it back on the table. Smiling at Fluttershy and Bill Door, she gulped, summoned up her courage, and dove face-first into the plate, ignoring her brain screaming at her that she’d never get those oils stains out of her coat. Satisfied, Fluttershy began taking tiny mouthfuls and chewing demurely. Bill Door remained looking perplexed, unaccustomed to the idea of eating a meal with one’s face without an intervening step involving the limbs in some way. Fortunately, he was spared further thought on the matter when Fluttershy leapt up from her chair and began flying around the kitchen, fanning her mouth and repeating ‘Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness’. Rarity sighed. This wasn’t going to plan. * In fact, a Pegasus and Earth Pony line of cutlery had been developed in the past, but after several cases of petrification, accidental gelding, and an outbreak of Cutie Pox, they were recalled by Royal Edict and summarily destroyed.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T11:40:21+00:00

2013-02-07T22:05:22+00:00

Swing. Cut. Bind. The Pink Pony of Death reaped the harvest, never looking up from her work. All around her were the golden fields of wheat, each ear waiting to be cut and bound. Some ears were young, some old, some were trampled and some wilted, but each ear had to be brought in. The reaper’s job was to take in the harvest, no matter the state of the crop. Then she saw herself at a party. The guests were all laughing, enjoying themselves as music filled the air and bright colours lifted the mood. She watched through a pane of glass as she worked in another room, preparing the food, pouring drinks, making the decorations. The images clashed. How could she be the caretaker of the living and the gatherer of the dead? The Auditors demanded cold efficiency, but her mind and her heart said something different. What pieces of Pinkie Pie still remained made her feel sympathy and empathy for the Harvest, accentuated still by Death’s memories of aeons of loneliness. Her mind raced. Wasn’t a party just a gathering of the living? Wasn’t ‘The Duty’ being the caretaker of the dead? Could she be both? A petulant little voice echoed in her head. It said: Is there a difference? The Pink Pony of Death stopped, and looked up at the emptiness that surrounded her. But it was not quite empty. There, on the edge of sight, hung three grey robes. Her head dropped, and she looked at the knife in the cup of her hoof. No. The knife fell from her grip, vanishing into the darkness. No, she repeated. The world writhed beneath her hooves. NO! she screamed, the full, blazing fury of her gaze banishing the nothingness as it was directed at those three grey robes. The sky tore apart and was replaced by the starry dome of the Discworld. The void below took shape, quickly forming the great twin city of Ankh-Morpork. The lights of the city’s nightlife shone as bright and numerous as the stars above, and in the darkness, one could be forgiven for wondering which way was up. Her cloak billowed in the night winds, as she stood with her hooves firmly planted in the air. The three grey figures descended and hovered before her. One said, You renounce The Duty? I renounce your version of it. One said, Death is impersonal. One said, You cannot play favourites. One said, You cannot have personality. She grinned. How did he put it? ‘What hope does the Harvest have, if not for the care of the Reaper Man?’ Well, Reaper Mare. You would have me apathetic to their plights, their cares, their loves and their losses. What kind of ‘Duty’ is that? One said, This is unacceptable. One said, Your insubordination has been noted. The Pink Pony of Death held out her hoof, silencing them. The air shimmered as the scythe appeared by her side, its blade glowing as it cut the starlight and moonlight that fell upon it. If a part of the crop is sick, should we not tend to it? If a part is trampled, do we not attempt to revive it? If the crop fails, do we not mourn its loss? The Auditors remained silent. And if a guest is unruly, is it not ‘The Duty’ of the host to deal with them? She didn’t move. The universe moved around her. A line of fire arced through the air, and the three robes fell, severed. Oh, there's no justice. But there is me. Mrs. Cake was beginning to grow suspicious. Not worried, however. Pinkie may have been missing for a number of hours, and a mysterious stallion stranger had been in her room (standing in a puddle of jam, no less), but Mrs. Cake wasn’t worried. One didn’t worry about Pinkie Pie, at least not when the young mare had been your employee for goodness knows how long. Pinkie Pie had a knack of looking after herself that allayed all such fears for her continued welfare. It was, in fact, your own continued welfare that you worried about. However, she was suspicious. It was not like the girl to remain this quiet for this long. “Dear, you haven’t seen Pinkie Pie today, have you?” she asked her husband, a tall, thin colt with a yellow coat and mop of orange hair. “Nhhro dhearh,” he replied around a mouthful of pipe-bag. “She’s been awfully quiet.” “Yhres dhearh.” “I think I’ll go check on her.” “Jhusht ash yhou shay dhearh.” Mrs. Cake made her way slowly up the stairs of Sugarcube Corner, towards the loft apartment that her young employee ‘rented’. Strictly speaking she was more a live-in guest, as she paid through her work in the shop, but it made her father happy to know she was making something of herself and being independent. Nudging open the door, she found the room to be absolutely spotless - Bill Door had done a fine job of cleaning. It looked far cleaner than Pinkie herself usually left it, for a start. No leftover bits of cake, or errant streamer, deflating balloons and the like. Mrs. Cake shifted her hoof the moment before a little green alligator leapt for it, and instead found himself sucking on the floor. As will be noted, Mrs. Cake possesses a rare gift, temporal hyperopia*. It has (and will) come in handy a great deal in living with Miss Pie. Pushing Gummy gently aside, Mrs. Cake made a quick sweep of the room, looking for any indicator of Pinkie’s current whereabouts. Nothing seemed out of order (other than being in order), and she could find no notes or letters. Frowning, she crossed the bedroom again, making a more thorough search. Something caught her eye as she passed by the bed. She reached down and pulled it out with her teeth, revealing a glossy leather-backed grimoire, with golden lettering on the front that shifted when she tried to read it. She felt a chill from the thing, but instinctively knew that his was nothing to do with Pinkie Pie. She barely read books at all, let alone large leather-bound tomes of questionable origins. Clearly then, she deduced, this must have been something left behind by Mr. Door. Picking it up and balancing it on her back she headed back downstairs, after giving Gummy an affectionate pat. Placing the book in her saddlebags, she slung them over her shoulders and called out to Mr. Cake in the kitchen. “She’s not in her room, and her guest left something behind, so I’m going to go out looking for them. Mind the store, would you, dear?” “Mshh honhey bhun.” * That is to say, the ability to see things that aren’t there yet but very soon will be. In the city of Ankh-Morpork below, as the lanterns and torches were lit and the ‘late afternoon’ trading began, an evening service was about to take place in the city’s newest and most popular place of worship. “Welcome to the First Cathedral of the Pink Pony of Death, please take a complementary canopé and order of service.” The Junior Hosts greeted newcomers off the streets, handing out drinks, entrées and party hats to the faithful. Many of the established followers of the Pink One were decked in their robes of rose and fuschia, conical hats held high as they made their way to the inner sanctum of the cathedral, a newly purchased building that was once a temple of Offler the Crocodile God. Ankh-Morpork was always quick to jump on a new idea, and this new faith had gripped the city in a party fever. Her Generousness, The Grand Hostess Aminata I, looked down from the balconies at the gathered congregation below, and was pleased. From their humble beginning barely weeks before, her little flock had leapt from a mere death-cult to a mainstream belief, rubbing shoulders with such established favourites as Blind Io and The Great God Om. Taking up her place at the stand, she opened Glod Glodsdottir’s Book of Essential Party Songs and waited for silence. A reverent and expectant air swept through the building, bringing with it the smell of fresh cake. “Honoured guests!” she began, voice echoing off the cathedral stone even without the aid of amplification. “Honoured guests! We all are gathered here today in blessed community to share in the warmth and spirit that resides in each of us! We thank the Pink Pony of Death for showing us that the afterlife is worth living, but that there is also no reason to wait! Now join with me, as we sing our opening chant; For She’s A Jolly Good Fellow.” The congregation (at least, those who were still mostly sober) stood, and their voices swelled and croaked with the first strains of song. By the time they’d reached the third verse, it was nearly in tune. “... For she’s a jolly good fellow, and so... say...” The song died in their throats as, suddenly, a figure hung in the air before them. Four legs. Pink. Wearing a black cloak, and carrying a scythe. It couldn’t possibly be anyone else. She stared at Aminata, locking the dull, dead eyes of the Grand Hostess with her own, burning bright as the stars. Surprise. “Fluttershy, dear, you need to come up for air.” The yellow head submerged in the water trough outside Rarity’s laundry room only bubbled in response. Sighing, Rarity gently tugged on the pegasus’ mane until she broke the surface. “Better?” the unicorn asked. “Haaaah... Haaah...” Fluttershy replied, taking deep gulps of air and still ‘fanning’ her mouth with her hoof. “I could put some mango on it to cool it down a little, dear.” Fluttershy nodded gratefully, although truthfully she was understandably nervous about trying the dish again, no matter what Rarity did to it. She dried her face on a towel and followed Rarity back indoors to find Bill Door had already finished his serving, and the plate was remarkably spotless. The stallion was staring at the other two plates with longing. Fluttershy saw her chance to squeeze her way out without upsetting either party, and seized it with both hooves. “O-oh, if you’re s-still hungry...” she mumbled, nudging the plate towards Bill Door. He blinked at it, then at her, then smiled gratefully. “That’s very kind of you, thank you. I hope your tongue isn’t burnt.” “Oh, no, I’ll be fine. I’m just... I wasn’t expecting it to be so spicy.” She caught herself and glanced nervously at Rarity, who seemed oblivious of the conversation. “Not that I don’t like it or anything! I thought it was v-very nice, but I... Uhm...” She was interrupted from digging herself deeper by a sudden knock on the door. Rarity swallowed her mounting frustration and forced herself to smile, walking back through the shopfront and swinging open the door. “Oh! Mrs. Cake, do come in, what can I do for you?” “Rarity, dearie! I wasn’t sure if you were in. I’ve been looking for Pinkie Pie’s guest, a Mister ‘Bill Door’, and Lotus and Aloe told me he might be with you...?” Mrs. Cake asked, stepping inside Carousel Boutique. Rarity blinked. “... P-Pinkie Pie’s guest? I... See.” “You’ve met him then, dearie?” Mrs. Cake replied, raising an eyebrow. “I have, yes. If he knows Pinkie, that might go some way to... Explaining things.” “Like what?” “Well, earlier he kept walking int-” Rarity was cut off by a yelp and a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Rolling her eyes, she ran back across the shopfront, followed by Mrs. Cake, and peeked her head through the kitchen door. Her jaw fell agape. The table had been knocked over, the curry now decorating the kitchen floor, and the chairs were knocked aside. Fluttershy was entwined with Bill Door on the tiles, wings outstretched and mane draped over his chest, pinning him down. Bill Door was lying helpless on his back, his suit unbuttoned and thrown open.. They both looked up at Rarity and Mrs. Cake, faces rapidly going crimson. “... I swear this isn’t what it looks like.” “... I... Uhm... We... Eep!”

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T12:28:40+00:00

2013-02-07T22:13:08+00:00

All eyes looked up at the hovering figure of the Pink Pony of Death as she hung above the crowd in the cathedral. Aminata recovered from the shock first, hastily dropping her book and bowing to the Pink One. Her attendees quickly followed suit, dropping to the floor at near-terminal velocity. The Pink Pony of Death moved forward, planting her hooves on the air as if it were flagstones, descending until she was level with the balcony. Nobody spoke, and it seemed as if even the busy city noise of Ankh-Morpork was muted in the presence of Death herself. Aminata Odham, arise. The voice thundered without sound. To those who heard it, it was as if the very cathedral around them had split asunder with the anger and fury behind the words, but thankfully it remained intact. There was no question of it being a polite request. It was a command, and Aminata hastened to follow it as she scrambled back to her feet. She could feel Death’s gaze boring into her, as her subconscious less-than-helpfully reminded her that she’d already cheated him/her once. Statistically, it was not likely to happen again. Death’s head reached inside her cloak for a moment, and withdrew a book from the impossibly dark folds of the fabric. She threw it at Aminata’s feet, the depressingly thin tome making a barely audible thud against the stone balcony. On the leather cover, in golden lettering, was spelt out the name ‘Terrak Keksy’. Open it. The priestess didn’t hesitate, opening the book to its last page. She read the final paragraphs with shaking hands. Why? The question was one of mixed emotion. There was anger there, there was remorse, and there was pity. With a chill creeping up her undead spine, Aminata realised that there was no room left for forgiveness. “I... I was...” she stammered, searching the blinding light of Death’s star-like eyes for any scrap of sympathy or mercy. “I was... rewarding him. He will get to the party at the end of all things early.” Rewarding him. The pity was gone, replaced with disgust. A life cut short by your hand, for the sake of a ‘reward’. Was his existence so miserable that you felt it your duty to relieve him of it? Aminata’s acolytes had had the good sense to scurry away. So had some of the congregation below. Those who hadn’t were rooted in horror and suspense at the spectacle above. Aminata Odham, Death continued, not wanting to hear her answer, It was through my hooves that you were granted new life, so his blood is as much on my head as yours. In countless aeons I have never purposely taken a life before its time, and now you make me a murderer. She paused. As the congregation below continued to watch her, a strange feeling welled up within her, taking its place beside the raw, burning anger and barely restrained fury. It was a sense of... indescribable being. She was suddenly quite convinced of her own existence, and assured that others were... believing in her. With that conviction came power. With that power came memory, and with memory, confusion. She faltered. There was something else there. Something speaking to her, calling out from deep within the recesses of her mind. What’re you doing? She seized control of her faculties, banishing the momentary distraction from her mind. I never truly believed it, that justice could not exist. But to see you standing here unfettered before a crowd of your peers, ignorant of what you have done, while he remains beyond the veil with no hope of a second chance... She reached her head into her cloak a second time and withdrew a life-timer, simple in design, bearing the chipped and scratched text: ‘Aminata Odham’ . She placed it in the air before her. All the sand in the top bulb had been depleted, replaced by a cloud of glitter and confetti. There is no justice. There is. There it was again. That feeling of confusion. That voice. There is just... Why are you doing this? the voice said, in a familiar tone. She killed him, Death answered. So you're going to kill her? She's already dead. She should be dead. But she isn’t. Our fault. I can fix this. You're just making it worse. She. Killed. Him. I know. But... We’re better than that, aren’t we? We just need to teach her a lesson. It won't bring him back. No, but he’s happy. She isn’t. And that’s what we’re best at. It’s our ‘Duty’. Death had no reply. Now stand aside, I know what I’m doing. There's... No justice. “... there’s just us.” Death shook herself. Beside her was... Her. The real her. Pink and poofy, and smiling despite the tears. “Sure, she’s the worst kind of meanie, but no one’s past all hope. Why do you think the Princess let Nightmare Moon come back? Why did she keep Discord in her garden?” I... I... But... “Let it go.” They searched each other’s eyes. Death’s burning brightly in rage, sadness, and confusion, while Pinkie’s softened in love, pity, and remorse. Death’s footing slipped as she forgot herself, stumbling down onto the balcony where Aminata stood, her own, dead eyes weeping with no tears. The Scythe of Office dropped from the air, the blade tip embedding itself in the stone. The life-timer fell too, bouncing off the stone and rolling some way before stopping, still intact. Pinkie descended with a hop, and drew alongside herself, putting a foreleg across her own shoulders in comfort. The watchers below heard a sound unlike any since the dawn of the universe. Death was sobbing. One said, Why are there two of her? One said, This was not supposed to happen. One had a chart; Well, while Death was in her realm, he became mortal. While she was in his, she became Death. One said, And why is she now both Death and Life? One with the chart said, She was so full of Life that it could not abide within her as Death. The belief of her followers has given it shape. One concluded, She is a goddess. There was a pause, during which a star was born, led a rich and fulfilling life, and dwindled into a dwarf*. One said, But we do not control the gods. One said, The gods are not physical. One said, The gods are not material. One said, The gods... Are. Another pause. Three said, Oh. Bugger. * The dwarf, one Stjärn Glödsson, went on to lead his own rich and fulfilling life and later published his memoirs - From Heights Above to Depths Below; A Dwarf’s Story. Rarity had gone upstairs to have a lie down. There was only so much a mare of her delicate constitution could take in one sitting. Fluttershy had been bombarding her friend with apologies and hasty explanations all the way to the bedroom, when the door had finally been slammed in her face. It should be noted that Rarity had made three previous, if insincere, ‘It’s fine.’’s before resorting to such tactics, however. Now the timid and frightfully embarrassed yellow pegasus was sitting by herself in a corner of the shop front (an admirable feat considering the nature of Carousel Boutique), while Bill Door attempted to assuage Mrs. Cake. “Why, in all my days I have never seen such a blatant disregard for a mare’s hospitality!” Mrs. Cake thundered, quaking with quite unassuaged rage. “I assure you it was-” Bill Door tried to butt in, unsuccessfully. “It was downright despicable is what it was! A fine, upstanding mare such as Miss Rarity takes you into her home, feeds and clothes you, and you... make off with her best friend in her kitchen!” “But it-” “But nothing! And you, Fluttershy, I am most disappointed that you would see fit to fall for this... this unspeakable cad’s wiles and charm!” she continued, turning the full brunt of her admonishment on Fluttershy. “... B-b-but-” she managed to stammer from behind the curtain of her hair, eyes welling up with tears. Mrs. Cake switched her sights back to Bill Door without a moment’s hesitation. “So, ‘Bill Door’, if that IS your real name, were Fluttershy and Rarity the first? Hrm?” “I’m quite sure I no longer know what you’re accusing me of, ma’am.” he replied, sighing. “Where’s Pinkie Pie?” “I don’t know!” “I don’t believe you!” Fluttershy looked up, confused. “Pinkie’s missing...?” “Since earlier this morning, yes. Didn’t you realise how quiet it was?” Mrs. Cake replied, exasperated. “She was gone when I arrived!” Bill Door added, entreatingly. Mrs. Cake swivelled back. “Then how did you get into her bedroom on the second floor?!” Bill Door opened his mouth to calmly explain everything, and found it dry. His stream of thought derailed itself as he was left floundering in the deep waters of social anxiety. He glanced at Fluttershy for support, only to find her staring at him with a mix of betrayal and bewilderment. For some reason he couldn’t quite put his hoof on, that made him feel awful. Before he had time to really gather up his wits for a suitable reply, Mrs. Cake slammed the book she had been carrying down onto the ground before him. He came back into focus as he recognized it for what it was. Perhaps another note of explanation would be useful here. When contemplating the multiverse, besides convergent evolution (shown by the marvellous example of Mrs. Cake herself), there is also the concept of the ‘universal constant’. This is relatively simple. It is an object or idea that seems to be present in any and all universes, no matter how different they are from one another. For example, it is a well-documented fact that every intelligent race that has ever developed alcohol, has later developed a drink they named ‘Gin & Tonic’, or at least something sounding very much like it. Similarly, every universe has frogs. Don’t bother trying to think of one that doesn’t, they all do. Some scholars theorize there’s a deep, spiritual reason for this*. The universal constant that currently commands our attention, however, is the tome before Bill Door’s hooves. Bound in leather black as night, and overflowing with forbidden knowledge, it is known on Discworld as the Necrotelicomnicon, or ‘Book of the Yellow Pages’. On the mythical Roundworld, it is infamously known as the Necronomicon, written by a mentally unhinged magician of Arabic descent. Here, in Equestria, it is variably the Necroponicon or Neighconomicon, and how it came to be in Ponyville’s library is quite another story altogether. With this in mind, it should not be too surprising that Bill Door instantly recognized the book, as indeed, he had seen it one too many times before. It was from the Necrotelicomnicon that the Rite of Ashk’Ente was created, and as the spell had earned Bill Door’s eternal ire, so too had that infernal book, in all its forms. Quite aside from all this, he’d also seen it just a few hours earlier in Pinkie’s bedroom. “Well?” Mrs. Cake interjected into his thoughts, accusingly. “This was in her room, it’s yours, isn’t it?” Bill Door sighed. “No. But I do know about it.” He flicked the cover open with his hoof, revealing a small pouch holding a return slip. “But by the looks of it, someone else may know more than me.” Mrs. Cake swivelled the book back towards her, scrutinizing the little slip of paper. It read ‘Property of Treetop Library, if Lost please Return to Twilight Sparkle, Librarian’. Where normally would be a list of dates from ponies borrowing and returning the book, however, there was only a single date; that of a few days previously when Pinkie had taken it out. “Fine. I’ll go talk to Twilight. And don’t think of running away, mister, you’re coming with me. You too, Fluttershy.” Mrs. Cake said, glaring at the pair in turn. Fluttershy sniffled a bit and fell into line wordlessly, while Bill Door slinked into place behind. He had absolutely no intention of attempting to flee, he somehow knew from the very depths of what could possibly be considered his soul that such an attempt would be futile. “Miss Rarity? We’re going to visit Miss Sparkle and get to the bottom of this mess. This pair thanks you most kindly for your generous hospitality!” Mrs. Cake bellowed up the stairs to Rarity as they were about to leave, accompanied by Fluttershy and Bill Door’s mumbled thanks and apologies. There was no reply from the fashionista’s boudoir, so they quickly slipped out the shop’s front door, Mrs. Cake thoughtfully flipping the sign from ‘OPEN’ to ‘CLOSED’ before drawing it shut behind her. The baker marched determinedly back across the town square, Bill Door and Fluttershy rather less enthusiastically trailing behind, trying to avoid each other’s gaze. The ponies shopping at the market spared them a cursory glance, but then this was Ponyville, ‘Town of One Thousand Surprises’, as its infamous tourist brochure boasted**. They continued in this fashion until they reached the library. Mrs. Cake would have raised her hoof to knock the door, but she already knew what was about to happen. It swung open as they stood there, revealing a slightly dishevelled-looking Twilight Sparkle. “Mrs. Cake! Fluttershy! Mysterious stranger! Quick! I think something’s happened to Pinkie Pie!” * Others just say they’ve been hitting the Gin & Tonic a bit harder than usual. ** One particularly irate visitor noted dryly that the non-mention of ‘Rampaging Ursa Minors’ was a surprising oversight on the part of the publisher.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T14:24:31+00:00

2013-02-07T22:16:34+00:00

Pinkie continued comforting her cloaked double, as the wracking sobs became simple crying, and slowly faded to mere sniffing. Eventually, Death wiped her nose on the back of her hoof and dried her eyes, looking up at Pinkie. I needed that. she said, avoiding Pinkie’s eye. Pinkie smiled sadly and got up, trotting slowly over to Aminata. She had an inner glow about her that contrasted sharply with the dull, black-cloaked pony slumped on the floor, though the two had, moments earlier, been one and the same. All onlookers could tell that this was a figure of deity, a manifestation of life and joy in the form of a little pink pony. Belief is a powerful force on the Disc. It is said that a man with faith as a grain of mustard seed can move mountains. It is also said that a man with a fleet of intergalactic trucks can make a mountain invisible overnight, but that’s a slightly different allegory. It is commonly thought that the gods shape belief, but this view is incorrect. In truth, it is belief that shapes the gods. Even the great Blind Io would be nothing more than a voice on the wind without his followers. So then, when Grand Hostess Aminata Odham created a new religion and shaped a new belief in a new Death, that belief needed somewhere to go. At around the same time, Pinkie Pie was ‘inheriting’ more and more of Death’s own ‘personality’, and it quickly became apparent that there was an incompatibility. After all, Pinkie Pie represents the Element of Laughter, and by extension, all the joys of Life itself. The conflict was playing on her mind, as the ever-present burden of the Duty struggled with her natural fun-loving tendencies. It all came to a head at this moment, when the vast and growing congregation of the Pink Pony of Death finally saw what they had been believing in for some time. The equilibrium, precarious as it was, shattered. Like a violent chemical reaction, Life and Death split, having now the ability to manifest as separate entities: Pinkie Pie, the Goddess of Joy, and Pinkie Pie, the Pink Pony of Death. It has been said that seeing is believing. In the case of a new goddess, seeing was creating. The unfamiliar feeling of raw ability coursed through Pinkie’s veins. She instinctively understood her new position as a goddess, but did not yet understand how to use it. However, she fully understood that she had made a mistake, and it was up to her to rectify it. “Aminata?” she said, quietly. The woman merely nodded, unable to form a reply. “You should go.” No room for argument. The Grand Hostess stammered, but bowed her head in deference, removing her party mitre and turning to walk away. The gathered congregation let out a collective breath they didn’t realise they’d been holding. It would have been nice to say that was the end of it, but life and death are never truly that simple. A faint crunch. A gasp. A stumble. The late-late Aminata Odham tumbled over the railing to the floor below. Pinkie turned, horrified, back to Death. She was standing, quite calm, next to the broken remains of what had once been a life timer. Shards of wood and glass were scattered about as sand filled the cracks between the stones. “W-what have you done?” Pinkie asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer. My Duty, came the reply. Death moved slowly towards Pinkie, each step resounding with the sound of breaking glass as the final shards were ground under hoof. After all, that's all I have left. “What do you mean?” Pinkie replied, backing away, but Death kept coming. Everything is clear now. The Auditors were right. To have a personality is to die. But I don't have one any more, do I? You're my personality. Pinkie backed into a column, trapped. And you know this as well as I. Death sneered, a grim shadow of her former self, merely a skeleton of bone under that cloak of night. Even the gods must die. The scythe screamed as it cut through the very fabric of existence, but did not find its target. Pinkie was gone, and only a pair of burning hoof-prints showed she had ever been there. Mrs. Cake, Bill Door and Fluttershy were pulled inside by Twilight’s magic, a disconcerting experience similar to having one’s body wrapped in a tight blanket and ejected from a catapult. The librarian slammed the door behind them, peeking nervously out at the main street to ensure they were ‘alone’. “... So what exactly do you think has happened to Pinkie, dearie?” Mrs. Cake asked, at length, long-suffering evident in her tone of voice. Twilight took one final final glance out of the window, before consenting that they weren’t being spied on, and drawing them near. “I think...” she paused, for a final, final, final check. “I think Pinkie’s trying to learn forbidden magic!” Mrs. Cake looked unimpressed. Bill Door remained completely impassive. Fluttershy let out a squeak and dashed under the front desk. “... And you believe this why?” Mrs. Cake replied. “Well, last week she came by the library and took out an unusual selection of books, including one I didn’t... even... know...” Twilight trailed off as she finally noticed the ominous tome balancing on Mrs. Cake’s back. She backed away like a skittish cat faced with a spray bottle. “Th-that! That one! It’s evil!” she shrieked, covering her eyes and pointing at the Black Book. Mrs. Cake looked at it, then Twilight, askance. Bill Door merely blinked. Fluttershy suddenly found herself sharing her hiding spot with the somewhat perturbed purple unicorn. “‘Evil’?” the baker replied, with a hint of cynicism. Twilight’s ears drooped as it became readily apparent that the book was not about to summon unspeakable horrors beyond even the greatest nightmares the Everfree Forest could spawn. She sagged a little as she looked back up at Mrs. Cake and tried to clamber out from under the table. “Well... Alright, perhaps I was - oh, sorry Fluttershy, that was your wing - overreacting just a little, but - ow mind your hoof mind your hoof - I’m sure there’s still good reason to - I’m not standing on your hair! - be concerned. Ow.” Twilight quickly realised she’d missed something. It wasn’t so much a conscious realisation as an instinctive one, but she quickly turned to address the matter. The matter, in this case, being Bill Door. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met, Mister...?” she proffered, putting the crisis to one side for a second for the sake of good manners. “Door. Bill Door,” he replied, and was about to add more, before the scathing glare of Mrs. Cake made him think better of it. “A pleasure, Mister Door,” Twilight replied, to which Mrs. Cake snorted derisively, before returning her attention, and the conversation, to the matter at hand. “So, Pinkie Pie...?” Twilight’s eyes lit up with a conspiratory gleam, but thankfully she dispensed with the greater theatrics. “Well, I thought the books she’d taken out were a little... strange, to say the least, and when I cross-referenced them all I found they were all related to... Well, the mysterious and the macabre. She said she wanted to plan her party for Nightmare Night, but I had my suspicions...” Twilight explained by way of exposition as she trotted around the shelves of the library, imitating the actions of her favourite literary detective ponies. “... So I sent a message to the Royal Archives in Canterlot to see if they had another copy of... that one.” She shot the Black Book a suspicious glance as it continued to sit, quite innocently, on the floor. “They told me that the only known copy of the book was burnt over three centuries ago by one of the previous librarians, and likely enough the one in the library here was the last in Equestria.” “So, you’re saying it came from the library, here?” Mrs. Cake replied. Twilight nodded. “Ah. ... Then I suppose I may have misjudged you, Mister Door.” Bill Door looked up in surprise at hearing his name mentioned at a decibel level below yelling. “Your... apology is accepted?” he hazarded. Although Twilight could occasionally be somewhat socially oblivious, the undercurrent of the conversation was like an open book. She tilted her head a little, peering at the two in turn, and then at Fluttershy, who blushed as she caught her eye. “Have I missed something?” Fluttershy was the first to break the heavy silence that followed, and replied in a quiet, small voice; “Well, uhm, you see... Rarity was... Uh. We were having, uhm, dinner, and... Uh... He was ill, but Nurse Redheart said it was just that he hadn’t eaten, so, uhm, we ate, but then I got burnt and... Uh, Rarity helped, but then we came back in and, uhm, I offered him mine because, uhm, he was still hungry, but... Then...” the narrative trailed off as she blushed furiously and hid back behind her long locks of hair. Bill Door was about to continue for her, but Twilight cut him off. “Fluttershy! I’m so happy for you! You could have just told me you had a coltfriend!” One would be forgiven for thinking that Death’s Abode was quiet. It would be expected, really. After all, silence is reverent to the dead, and besides, isn’t noise a sign of life? But such a supposition is incorrect. The careful listener could make out many tiny, almost imperceptible sounds in Death’s great house that betrayed a living spirit deep within the soulless husk. Aside from the obvious ticking, ticking of the clocks, or the noisome rush of the sands of time in their eternal free fall, there were the subtle sounds, the background detail that put the mind at ease. Most of these sounds could be found in Death’s kitchen, a room set apart from the rest of the house as the domain of one eternally prolonged manservant. The creak of the chair as he leant back on two legs. The gentle grunt of protest from the table as he rested his feet on it. The rustle of paper as he turned, for the thousandth time, to the sports page of the Ankh-Morpork Inquirer (dated 32nd Spune, Year of the Incontinent Toad). The comforting sizzle of the grease of ages flowing molten in a pan that had long since ceased to be steel and was now closer to a metal-lipid alloy. It was probably about lunch. As far as Albert was concerned, it was usually about lunch. He made a good lunch. He made an even better breakfast, but was rarely able to fully appreciate the cacophony of flavour that was his fried porridge. Several centuries of constant abuse will do that to taste buds. Part of him was worried. The Master... or well, Mistress, seemed very upset when she left. Perhaps ‘furious’ would be a better description. Most of his faculties reminded him, in a patient tone, that the Mas- Mistress was quite capable of taking care of him- herself. The rest calmly replied that he bally well can’t take care of herself no matter what hir gender. Or species. This train of thought didn’t tend to get much further before being distracted by something else, and today was no disappointment. A little hooded figure scuttled through the door and across the carpet, jumping onto the waiting wicker chair with deft and practised movement. It eyed Albert critically. Squeak. “Well, what in all the hells am I supposed to do about it, hrm?” he snapped back, angrily turning the page of his newspaper (Ankh-Morpork Curry Gardens Celebrate Record Season: Only Five Fatalities*). Squeak? “I can’t run off saving him, her every time they take it into their skulls to do something crazy.” Squeak. “I don’t see you helping.” Squeak! “No, I don’t mind saying it!” Squeak. Squeak squeak squeakity. “What? Just walk up to her and tell her she’s been over-exerting herself and needs a break? Oh, yes, I’m sure that’ll work.” Squeak. “Well, when she-” Albert was cut off by a slam that resounded throughout the entire structure of the house. All six dimensions of it. He wasn’t even aware the front door could slam. It was followed by a series of thundering hoof steps accompanied by the sound of cracking tiles, and then another, slightly quieter slam as the Pink Pony of Death swept angrily into her study. “... I suppose she’ll be wanting her tea,” Albert said, once he was quite sure the structure wasn’t about to collapse about his ears in sympathy with its Mistress. Squeak.**. * "Over five hundred hospitalized. Curry Gardens secures sponsorship deal with Ankh-Morpork Guild of Barbers and Physicians. Talks continue over possible partnership with Guild of Quacks.” ** Oh bugger.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-09-27T12:19:45+00:00

2017-01-08T09:57:05+00:00

Albert crossed the grand hallway with deliberate slowness. He took small, shuffling footsteps with each swing of the scythe-bladed pendulum, in time with each onerous tick of that giant, one-handed clock. His hands shook slightly, rattling the tea on the tray, its clinking providing a percussion to the noise of his feet on the deep pile carpet. He approached the door of Death’s study, and gulped. He extended an arm to push open the door, but before his hand touched the wood, it swung back with a creak that could not possibly have come from the hinges, partially because the hinges weren’t metal. Albert decided to distract himself from the inevitable by pondering this for a moment longer. When Death constructed his home, he built it from the position of an eternal observer. His scope was limited to what he had seen in the houses of others. He copied objects and details without any clue to their true purpose. The dresser that stood against one of the walls of the hallway had no drawers, merely outlines that looked like them. The floorboards were not wood, but would convince a casual onlooker that they were. What gave them away, as it gave the door away, was the sound. The floorboards creaked, but only when you weren’t stepping on them. It was the same problem with the doors. Death knew, on some level, that doors and floorboards should creak and groan. He had heard them do so whilst performing The Duty. The problem was that he didn’t know why they did it. So the hinges creaked not because they were rusty (for, indeed, they were incapable of rusting), or because they were ill-fitting (they were so well-fitting it would make an interior designer blush), but because they were meant to. It’s just that they did it at the wrong time. That always seemed to be the root cause of the Master’s... or Mistress’ problems, Albert mused. He, or she, were always trying to pretend they were something else. I know you're there. The voice would boom, if it were at all audible. Albert steeled himself, tightened his grip on the tea tray, and strode forward as boldly as his age-stiffened limbs and ossified knees would allow. This was something that always amused Death, if indeed he/she was capable of humour beyond a strong grasp of irony and a tenuous understanding of sarcasm. It was part of the reason zhe kept Albert around. The long-suffering manservant approached the desk, noting that Death was facing away from the door, with the high back of the chair towards him. The moment he placed the tea-tray on the ‘wooden’ surface of the desk, the chair spun around, revealing a rather more skeletal visage than he was expecting. Albert. The voice was more chilling than usual. There was an edge to it, one that Albert rarely heard. It was an edge to rival that of the Scythe of Office. We have work to do. Fetch me the Charts, I must tend to the Nodes. Albert nodded, and headed towards the door to the library. Death took up her cup of tea and sipped at it. She frowned. And Albert, after that, bring me the sugar. He froze, his hand on the knob of the door. “Sugar?” Does this trouble you? “N-no, it’s just that... You never have sugar in your tea.” No, he never had sugar in his tea. I do. Albert nodded, a little unsure of himself. He couldn’t handle change. He’d lived the same way for his entire life, and then some. Everything was to be as it always had been. If it wasn’t bad enough that Death had shrunk from a somewhere-between-seven-and-nine-foot-tall-depending-on-the-observer human skeleton to a four-foot-maybe-slightly-less pony skeleton on what appeared to be a permanent basis, now she wanted sugar in her tea. It was the thin end of the wedge, that’s what it was. Sugar in your tea one day, and the next, who knows? Pinkie Pie found herself in a dark, cramped space. She wasn’t sure where she was, she hadn’t been ‘aiming’ as she jumped out of the way of Death’s scythe. The only clue was the faint smell of vanilla and the fact that she appeared to be lying on a mop. Trying to get up from off her back, she tumbled forward into the door, which burst open, allowing her to fall flat on her nose. Dragging herself up from the dusty stone floor, she looked around at her surroundings, blinking in the sudden light. This place seemed... Familiar. She turned around and examined the cupboard she had fallen out of. Her scanning gaze took in the contents of the shelves, the decor, the sequins littering the floor- Sequins? “... Oh,” she uttered, deflated, as the realization dawned on her. This was the Third Temple of the Pink Pony of Death. And this was the cupboard where she had watched Terrak Keksy die. She fought back tears. She hadn’t been able to intervene in time to save him. She hadn’t been able to save Aminata, either, although she had tried with all her heart. That... thing that she had fled from... It was her, but it wasn’t. It was everything she felt as she did THE DUTY, all the impotent rage and sorrow, the crushing loneliness and anger, given form as a new Death. But this Death had no heart, because she was that heart. The building was quiet, empty. Cobwebs stretched between rafters. Since the Cathedral had opened, no one had used the much smaller building for anything. The emptiness seemed fitting for how Pinkie felt, because in some way, Death had taken a part of her. But yet, she felt so alive. More than ever. She felt as if she could bring Terrak Keksy and Aminata Odham back from the dead this very instant... … And somewhere in the back of her mind was a little voice that told her that she wouldn’t. Often, when a mortal receives great power, they are overwhelmed by it, and if they do not go mad they attempt to find a use for their new powers that profits them most. It is not so with the gods, who are imbued with power from the moment of their creation, and instinctively know how to deal with it. There are many things they can do. Perhaps many things they should do. But there’s a little voice, a little voice that they all share, that tells them whether or not they will do it. Some things are beyond the control of even the gods. There must be order. Life must end. That voice is the universal truth. A little shard of Azrael that exists in the mind of all living things. It speaks to them endlessly. “All things must come to an End.” Pinkie sighed, forcing herself to accept it. Terrak and Aminata were beyond her reach now, but perhaps someone else wasn’t. She dried her eyes on the back of her hoof and walked out to the front room of the temple. She stopped in front of the window and gazed out at the bustling streets of Ankh-Morpork, where life, in all its colours and flavours* was continuing, oblivious to the cosmic events that were transpiring around them. The sight lifted her spirits, at least a little. Reaching for the doorknob with her mouth, she opened the door and stepped out onto the cobbles. Citizens of Ankh-Morpork are well adjusted to the weird and the unusual. Tenants of houses near the Unseen University understand that they will not be compensated for loss of property or limb when their bedpan manifests sentience and a desire for flesh. In comparison, a four-foot tall-or-maybe-less pony of bright pink colouration with blue and yellow highlights was nothing to be alarmed about. Pinkie’s gaze drifted along the street, taking in all the activity, until she saw something that caught her eye. It was a towering structure, and one that said very impolite things about physics behind its back. Her divine power manifested itself as a lightbulb hovering above her forehead. “The Wizards! If anyone can get me back to Ponyville, they can!” she said aloud, and rushed up the street, deftly weaving in and out of the crowd, her hooves sparking on the cobblestone. A drunk looked at the empty bottle lying beside him. He couldn’t have just heard a horse talk. And he certainly didn’t see a floating glass orb above her head. A merchant looked at the disappearing figure. He just heard a horse talk. A priest blinked. He had just seen the Pink Pony of Death. The citizens of Ankh-Morpork paused, and looked at one another. As one, they ran after her. * And, according to the brightest minds of the Unseen University**, several million scents***. ** Not that that's saying much. *** The greatest and most pungent of these is that of Ankh-Morpork itself. Merchants have been known to bottle it and sell it to assassins. It should have become clear by this point that the flow of time between universes is not equal. It can be, when it wants to, but the law of narrative causality often shoves its metaphorical oar in and ensures that one universe moves faster than the other, for the sake of drama and intrigue, (or occasionally the ability to rule a fantasy kingdom for fifty years after stumbling into a mothball-filled wardrobe, return the same day you left, and subsequently be labelled insane for the rest of your mortal days). Bill Door was unaccustomed to sticking to just a single timeframe. Normally he leapt back and forth, allowing himself to be present at the deathbeds of two or more people dying simultaneously at either rim of the Disc. As a result, the past week in Ponyville had passed excruciatingly slowly for him, not to mention somewhat awkwardly. He wasn’t sure whether it had become more or less awkward by the infrequent visits of the attractive yellow pegasus. At least, he had... gathered that she was considered attractive. Perhaps it was something about the tail... By this point, the whole town was aware that Pinkie Pie was missing (it first became noted when the Mayor realised it had been three days since someone threw a party), but no one seemed to have any idea of where she’d gone. At the same time, the majority of the town was now aware that there was a new stallion in town who had appeared at the same time as Pinkie left, and had drawn their own conclusions. It was fortunate for Bill Door that he enjoyed reading, because he wasn’t leaving the Golden Oak Library any time soon. Twilight had been spending her time wisely, and to its fullest extent. There was little she enjoyed more than unravelling the secrets of a new discovery, and the notion that Bill Door was from another universe entirely was one that had piqued both her personal and scientific interest. Moreover, his story appeared to check out, as a chance discovery in the library’s stacks had shown. Even though Twilight had been living in Ponyville for well over a year by this point, she still found it a difficult task to take a full inventory of the Golden Oak Library. Every time she completed a list of the books, some titles would go missing and others would appear in their place. Despite her best efforts, she had been unable to discover a reason for this, and strongly suspected that this was how the Neighcronomnicon had ended up in her care. However, for once, this strange phenomenon had worked in her favour. She had come across a journal that she had not seen before. It was ancient, and by all rights ought to have disintegrated long ago, but something had kept it intact. Perhaps it was the effect of the library, or perhaps an effect of the author, for this journal had once belonged to the famed Starswirl the Bearded. Starswirl was responsible for the majority of magical and esoterical theory that was still taught in Equestria’s schools to this day, but even his most dedicated followers agreed that he had some... strange ideas. Up until now, Twilight had been forced to agree. Starswirl’s advanced theorems on multiverse theory were patently ridiculous. Or at least, so Twilight had thought. Now she was beginning to entertain the idea. The journal’s descriptions of a flat world that sailed through the inky void on the back of a turtle was remarkably similar to Bill Door’s own claims. And after all, Twilight thought, how many worlds can there be that lie on the back of a turtle?* Bill Door flicked over the page with his hoof, something he was rapidly getting used to. He was half way through Volume XVII of the Authoritative Biography of Princess Celestia. He enjoyed biographies, although he always found the ends a bit predictable. “Ah-ha!” Twilight exclaimed suddenly, causing Bill to drop his book. “I think I’ve found it! It’s only a rudimentary spell, but I think it might work, with a few experiments!” “... What might work?” Bill asked. He’d become accustomed to Twilight’s company and resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to get back to reading for a while. “This spell in Starswirl’s notes! It looks untested, but judging by the rune patterns and the basic components, this is a modified form of teleporting. It may allow us to transport ourselves to your world and find Pinkie!” “I think it may... be more difficult than that,” he replied. * Astrozoophysicists have attempted to count them, but they kept moving. One said, Death has become separate from the goddess. One said, She is vulnerable. One said, We cannot halt the goddess. One said, But we can guide her.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2012-12-22T17:31:06+00:00

2013-06-02T01:45:24+00:00

Twilight looked down her spectacles at Bill Door, who had fallen silent. “How difficult?” she said, her voice level. He shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Aside from Twilight’s piercing glare, he hadn’t quite got used to sitting down as a quadruped, even with a week’s practise. “You already know why I cannot just... send myself back. Pinkie Pie summoned me here by the Rite of Ashkente, and I am bound here until she releases me. I can not exercise my own power against this rule, for she has taken my place as Death and, in my absence, inherited all my power. I am left mortal, and trapped.” Bill Door replied, occasionally waving a hoof for emphasis. “... Given you knew I already knew all that, why did you bother repeating it?” Twilight asked, head askant. “I have noticed you do it quite often to your friends and assumed this was a customary form of conversation amongst you ponies.” “... Oh.” “Now, I suspect that Pinkie Pie has figured out much of this herself by this point, yet she has not appeared. Therefore, I can conclude that something or someone is preventing her return, and there are only a small number of beings capable of doing such a thing. Of these, only one of them would have reason to.” “And that one person is...?” “Not a person. Never a person. They are the Auditors.” Twilight waited for an explanation that did not appear to be forthcoming. She waited a little longer, so that she didn't seem impatient. The silence stretched awkwardly, and yawned, trying not to be noticed. “... What are Auditors?” she asked at last, relenting. Bill Door was pleased. He was getting the hang of this ‘exposition’ thing. “The Auditors are personifications of impersonal forces. Gravity, friction, magnetism, they are the ones who control it all. While the gods command their own domains, the Auditors are the ones who keep the universe... ‘ticking over’. They neither love nor hate their vocation, it is simply what defines them, and they treat it with the same mechanic obedience as mortals do to breathing,” he paused, shifting his weight. “They despise me, for I do not believe that my task as Death should be so impersonal, and without emotion. They say I am corrupted, and ought to be replaced or removed. They have tried to bring this about at least three times already, to my count, and very nearly succeeded.” “You’re describing them as if they’re people, but you said they’re not ‘persons’. Why is that?” Twilight posed the question, intrigued. “The Auditors are as immortal as the forces they represent, and understand mortality as having a definite end. They believe that only mortals can develop personality, and that the life of a mortal is so short when measured against the age of the universe that it is effectively nothing. Thus, the moment any one of them develops a personality, it ceases to exist.” “Ah. Interesting. So you’re saying they’re what’s preventing Pinkie Pie coming back to Equestria?” “It is a distinct possibility.” “And how are we to go about fixing that?” Twilight said, grinning, as her horn pulsed with energy. Bill Door looked up at the ceiling in thought, rubbing his chin*. “We don’t.” The glow faded and Twilight looked visibly disappointed. “Perhaps more accurately, we can’t,” Bill Door added, correcting himself. “This is something that Pinkie has to do.” “But... But I can’t accept that! We can’t just sit here and hope she makes her own way back!” Twilight replied, a note of distress entering her voice. “She’s one of my closest friends! … My first friend in Ponyville, if it comes to that. I have to try, at least.” Bill Door seemed a little confused. “But it will not help.” “You don’t know that!” Twilight snapped, turning back to Starswirl’s journal and her own notes. Bill Door felt moved to reply, but something stopped him. He noticed the glint of determination in Twilight’s eye, the flash of sorrow at the fleeting prospect that she may never see her friend again, and the anger that she kindled against those who would hold her back. He mused, as he turned back to his book, that all mortals - wherever they’re from - seemed to share similar traits of stubbornness and illogical effort. *Or, rather, awkwardly scraping his hoof against his jaw. Pinkie was in her element. Well. Not her element. She was laughing, that was for certain, but she wasn’t (by any stretch of the imagination) caught in some vortex of laughter that existed solely for the continued existence of laughter itself. … Perhaps it would be best to rephrase the statement. Pinkie was having the time of her Life. Ankh-Morpork, ‘Citie of One Thousand Surprises’, was certainly living up to its falsified reputation for the pink pony. Although she had been purposely heading towards the Unseen University, she just couldn’t help herself: distraction quickly set in. Everywhere she turned was something new, something exciting, and she struggled to take it all in. The citizenry of Ankh-Morpork were similarly struggling to take her in, and there was a growing crowd following the diminutive equine, either out of curiosity or avaricious interest. And if anyone alive or undead on the Disc was born to make a fortune by capitalizing on newfound avaricious interest, it was Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler. With practised, fluid grace, much akin to that of a snake approaching an unwary mouse, CMOT Dibbler sidled up to Pinkie Pie and carefully assessed her. Of course, he knew who she was. Who didn’t, in this city? CMOT Dibbler had been ordained in the Cult of the Pink Pony of Death during its first week. It was his firm belief that it never hurt to keep your options open, especially when you could market cheap knock-off religious charms to your naive and money-carrying brethren. And when he hit on the idea of making them edible, and thus a consumable commodity, well. That was a stroke of genius, and he didn’t mind saying it. Yes indeed, if the Pink Pony of Death had decided to manifest herself as a joyful, carefree, bouncing and very, very pink pony in the middle of Ankh-Morpork, she would need an agent. A representative, if you will. Like a priest, but with less theological burden. His thought process, normally an unstoppable force of capitalism, ground to a halt as he realised that the Pink Pony of Death had stopped, and was looking at him intently. He opened his mouth to say something, but she interjected almost immediately. “Balloons.” “... Pardon?” he responded, a little taken aback. “Balloons. This city needs more balloons.” CMOT Dibbler cast his experienced eye about the streets surrounding him. Whilst it wasn’t something he would have personally noticed, the city was a little lacking in colourful floating paraphernalia. “Balloons,” he repeated, his mouth familiarizing itself with the word while the cogs of his mind, greased by the oil of inspiration, began to spin once more. “That could be arranged. I know a guy. Very cheap, fast worker... Uh. How many were you looking to order, exactly?” Pinkie wasn’t listening. She felt very deeply that Ankh-Morpork was not complete without balloons. Very deeply indeed. And when a deity feels deeply about something, it is best not to get yourself involved. “This city needs more balloons.” And there were balloons. Some gods like to make show of their powers, with great lightning and thunder, meteors, blinding light or booming voices. Some prefer the subtle influence of shape-shifting or encouraging mortals to solve their own problems. Some merely did. Every citizen in Ankh-Morpork suddenly found themselves with a balloon. Balloons were tied to doors, mantles, street stalls, gates, windows and fences. And they were all very, very pink. Pinkie beamed. “Much better!” CMOT Dibbler could only stare, mouth hanging open, as Pinkie trotted away happily. A silence fell over the great hall of the Unseen University. This is an unusual occurrence in the great hall, especially given that, at any time, roughly a third of all university personnel can be found there, either finishing the remains of the previous meal or making an early start on the next one. They were silent because the great hall had, of an instant, transitioned from a state of balloon-lessness to a state that could be described as an abundance of the floating, pink-coloured decorations. Scraping broke the silence as the great and terrifying bulk that represented Archchancellor Ridcully rose from his seat. He glowered at the assorted students and staff present, searching for any indication of who was responsible for the small dirigible now comically attached to the point of his hat. Ridcully’s glower could melt stone. When no guilty party became apparent, the Archchancellor returned to his seat and instead cast his baleful glare over the faculty staff that shared his table. The Bursar remained entirely nonplussed, and was instead happily giggling whilst jabbing at the balloon with his wooden spoon. The youngest member of the faculty’s ‘head table’, Ponder Stibbons, the Head of Inadvisably Applied Magic (and several other equally as superfluous titles), glanced at the small device sitting between the runcible spoon* and the lobster pick**. “I’m not reading any thaumic disturbance, Archchancellor. Everything seems to be normal,” Ponder said, tapping the device. The needle wobbled slightly and there was a muffled grunt from inside. Ponder squinted at the needle for confirmation, and continued, “Nope. Whatever that was, it wasn’t magic.” “And if it wasn’t magic...” The Dean added, trailing off mysteriously. “... If it wasn’t magic what?” The Archchancellor replied, spoiling the moment somewhat. “I don’t know!” The Dean snapped back, “I just wanted to sound mysterious and aloof, I haven’t got the faintest clue.” “Friendship,” The Bursar blurted out, causing everyone to turn. He didn’t seem to notice. “Has he been given his pills today?” The Archchancellor asked, raising an eyebrow. “I think we’ve run out of dried frog, Archchancellor. Doctor Hix was using them all in his experiments yesterday,” Ponder replied. The faculty looked towards the vacant seat of Doctor Hix, Head of Post-Mortem Communications. The Archchancellor sighed. “Someone find that idiot necromancer and see if he’s got any left. And get rid of these blasted balloons!” *An eating utensil which did not exist except under a constant magical field, and is thus impossible to describe, portray, or indeed, define what purpose it actually serves. It is thought (by the Reader of Spoons, a prestigious position amongst faculty kitchen staff) that the runcible is not intended to be used as an eating utensil, but rather exists to facilitate the identification of a wizardly banquet from an otherwise gargantuan and hedonistic mundane one. **A dwarven eating utensil closely resembling a pickaxe, designed to aid in the consumption of a particularly calciferous, cave-dwelling lobster species. One said, How then do we guide her? One said, It may be best to let her guide herself. One said, She is born of a mortal, and has mortal thoughts. One said, But she tries to hide them. One said, She will succumb to them. It is in her nature. Three said, We will wait. Across the Disc, in a small front room of a small house in a small city, Death stood invisible. A child was dying. A sickness, one that had been thought conquered, had re-emerged in the city, and many were falling prey to its grasp. She could see it, now, standing opposite her. Belief in a thing gives it shape, and the people of this unimportant city had reason enough to believe in the plague that now stalked their streets, pale and thin, long and sharp. It stood there, on the other side of the mother nursing her coughing child, looking down with a vile glee. Death glanced at the hourglass in her hoof. She watched, dispassionately, as the last few grains funnelled through the pinch into the lower bulb, in time to the child’s weakening coughs. Silence fell with the last grain, and the plague smiled. The mother held the dead child tight, grieving, while the father tried to hold back tears. The plague stretched out its gaunt arms, beckoning the child’s soul as it sat up from its body, calmed with a serenity that only the innocent could comprehend. It was The Duty. Death knew that. The Duty wasn’t fair, or just. It was no respector of persons. No regard for wealth or status, for a person’s achievements or crimes. She knew that the plague should have its way. She knew she should cut the cord that bound the child to the mortal world. The scythe was in her hoof, it was a simple task. The plague stood there, waiting with growing impatience. Death looked back at the hourglass. She turned it over.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2013-02-02T19:11:07+00:00

2017-01-08T10:00:20+00:00

Pinkie Pie made her way out of the Street of Small Gods, leaving behind the bewildered and be-ballooned crowds, and entered the Plaza of Broken Moons. This was the largest open space on the streets of Ankh-Morpork, and was filled with all the hustle and bustle of busy city life, not to mention a few entrepreneurial balloon salesmen. The pink pony drew about as much attention to herself here as she did in the Street of Small Gods, and before long a second crowd was already following her. She still wasn’t entirely sure where she was going. Death’s preferred method of transportation tended to get the traveller from A to B without the intervening A.a, A.b, etc., which made retracing one’s hoofsteps without the aid of magical teleportation just a little difficult. She vaguely knew that the Unseen University was in the city somewhere, but exactly how to get there remained a bit of a mystery. Instead, she contented herself with taking in all the sights, sounds, and most especially, smells* of the great twin city of Ankh-Morpork. It definitely looked better with balloons. … But maybe it needed just a touch of confetti. Archchancellor Ridcully choked on a little paper horseshoe that had miraculously appeared in his wine goblet the moment before the contents began descending down his trachea. It did little to improve his mood. Decoration having been now fully accomplished, and the populace of Ankh-Morpork distracted by the sudden rain of paper in the shape of various lucky charms, Pinkie continued merrily on her way. Various street-soothsayers and wayside-oracles found themselves being demanded by recent customers for their money back for failing to correctly predict the weather, and they all, as one, calmly pointed to the sign directing ‘no refund for acts of the gods’. She exited the Plaza just as a flock (or gathering, or ruckus) of followers of the Pink Pony of Death entered it, having both heard rumours and seen evidence of miraculous acts being performed by their matron deity. They clutched at their balloons with religious fervor and stooped low to collect the fallen paper pieces that now littered the streets, all the while gathering up the otherwise religiously-indifferent populace of Ankh-Morpork into a whirling frenzy of party spirit, the likes of which the city had not seen since its last riot the previous Tuesday. They were kept so busy with dispensing complimentary party hats and slices of cake that they failed to notice the object of their ardent devotions was now trotting through The Cham and into Sator Square, the public space that sat before the great octiron gates and formidable walls of the Unseen University campus. Pinkie looked upon the square and beheld that it was large, mostly empty, and indeed, vaguely square-shaped. Most of the city’s day-to-day market trade took place in the Plaza, or around the Patrician’s Palace (at least, when he didn’t have a headache, which were becoming increasingly frequent), as setting up a stall in front of the Unseen University was metaphorically begging the universe to surprise you by making your stock of fresh fruit and vegetables burst into song. The ground was covered with confetti, and balloons still hung in the air, yet Pinkie still felt something was missing. She felt it with her very being, a part of her that felt like it would not be satisfied until all was set to rights. She sat down, in the centre of Sator Square, and pondered. Directly opposite her stood the looming gates of the University, but getting there had become a secondary aim to figuring out what, exactly, needed to be done. Then it hit her. The prayers and unspoken hopes of a thousand pink-robed worshippers flooded into her mind. It is a great shame that no bards were present in the coming moments, for what was about to be accomplished deserved to be recorded in song. As it was, even the second-hand accounts (with a little embellishment) went down in the annals of myth and legend. At this moment, Pinkie Pie, Goddess of the Afterparty, completed her great work in her manifestation upon the Disc. Her eyes aglow, she waved a hoof. An object enwrapped in a shining light descended from the heavens accompanied by what could charitably be called an angelic chorus, if flugelhorns and vuvuzelas were the chosen instruments of the celestial choir. It came to rest in Sator Square as crowds turned their heads to catch a glimpse of the strange device. Accounts varied as to its identity. Some said it was a great roaring beast that heralded the new era. Some said it was a machine, like a pipe, that belched fire, smoke, and cake mix. She spoke, and with her spoke the chorus of a thousand voices. “Never leave home without it.” *As has been previously stated, they are many, and without compare or equal. For the third time that day, the wizards of the Unseen University sat in silence, having just been half-deafened by the cataclysmic explosion that, judging from the trail of debris and de-headed hats, had emanated from Sator Square. “...” yelled the Archchancellor in the vague direction of the Dean. “WHAT?” he bellowed in response. “...” the Archchancellor restated, at a slightly increased level of volume. His cheeks began to gain a purple tinge. “HOLD ON, I THINK I HAVE SOMETHING LODGED IN MY EAR,” the Dean replied, digging in with his finger. He successfully managed to dislodge a piece of lobster shell, just in time to hear the full unfortunate tirade of rich and fascinating rural terms for various indescribable and unprintable acts, framed around a question that hung on everyone’s lips: What the hell was going on? This question could, of course, be answered with remarkable ease by any wizard choosing to look over the walls of the university and into Sator Square, but such ‘outside the box’ thinking was frowned upon by the faculty. It was a wizard’s firm belief that anything and everything could be answered within the realms of magic, and, more importantly, no more than fifty metres away from a pantry. “First balloons, then this bloody confetti everywhere, and then an explosion! And it’s not magic! Well if it bloody well isn’t magic then what is it?” the Archchancellor boomed, gesticulating wildly. “We could see if Hex has-” Ponder Stibbons began. “WE ARE NOT ASKING YOUR BLASTED ANT FARM,” The Archchancellor snapped back. As the echoes died away, a student cautiously raised a quivering arm, and nearly leapt under the table when the Archchancellor looked his way. Composing himself, he stuttered his suggestion: “We c-could... s-summon D-D-Death?” The Archchancellor sighed. It was always the same answer from the students. The moment they were taught the Rite of AshkEnte, it was all they could think of. Why bother studying and researching your own answers when Death already knew everything and was only a couple of wooden sticks and four cc of mouse blood away? Slowly, he began to realise why Death always seemed so irate about the issue. The sigh was enough to convince the student that his answer was poorly-timed, unneeded, and, perhaps, an indication to go hide in his dorm room for a few days until the Archchancellor forgot about it. There was a polite cough from somewhere near the back of the hall, where another student had his hand up. The Archchancellor merely glanced at him, this served as invitation enough. “Uh, sir, if it isn’t, well, magic, then it, uh, might possibly be, well, divine, you see, and if that’s, uh, the case, as it were, then perhaps we, uh, should talk to, what you might call, a priest?” The Archchancellor blinked. The faculty looked at him, as one, with rapt attention. “... Good idea, glad I thought of it. Go and get my brother.” In Ponyville, the days seemed to draw out longer and longer to Bill Door. The pile of books around Twilight Sparkle slowly grew into mountains as she attempted to research the spell that might allow her to cross dimensions and bring back Pinkie Pie. The pile around Bill Door was also growing, but directly proportional to the shrinking biography section of the Golden Oak Library. As he turned the final page of The Life and Times of a Pasta Farmer, a sensation that had been nagging him for some time over the past week returned in greater force. It was... He found it difficult to describe. A cloying sense of unease. A frustration with the way things were. A half-felt urge to change routine. Was there a name for this feeling? He was sure there must be. Mortals named everything. It had become blindingly clear from his reading that occasionally they even decided to rename bits of themselves. He ran through the list. It wasn’t love. Love was a confusing and somewhat terrifying mix of emotion, impulse and blind stupidity that he felt he would never fully understand. It wasn’t hunger. It felt similar to hunger, but he’d eaten only an hour ago, so it couldn’t be hunger. Anger? He knew anger quite well, but he certainly didn’t feel angry about anything. He continued in this vein for several minutes, mentally checking each known emotion, but without drawing a conclusion. “... Miss Sparkle!” he called, at last, his own knowledge exhausted. Twilight looked up from her books, looking a little haggard from lack of sleep. This tended to be symptomatic of whenever Twilight decided that a problem needed her attention and had to be solved. “Mm?” she grunted in reply. “I feel frustrated with the tedium of my current existence. Is there a name for this feeling?” Bill Door asked, deadpan. “You’re bored.” “Oh! Boredom. How interesting. Thank you.” Silence drifted in once more, broken only by the rustling of pages and the low hum of telekinetic magic. “... Miss Sparkle?” “Yes?” “What, exactly, does one do when one is... Bored?” Moments later, Bill Door found himself outside the library, with the door being slammed shut behind him. He wasn’t sure what had happened in the intervening seconds. He glanced around him. The Golden Oak Library was near the centre of Ponyville, facing a main street that led to the town hall and its surrounding market area. He could see ponies trotting back and forth across the street, occasionally giving him inscrutable looks before changing direction slightly. He decided to make his way down the grassy street, and see if there was something to dissuade this ‘boredom’ at the market. Ponies here and there seemed to be going out of their way to avoid him. He dimly recalled Twilight explaining (at great length) that certain of the Ponyville population had drawn connections between his appearance and Pinkie’s disappearance, and that rumour travels fast in a small town populated by a naturally skittish race. Apparently, some of the more outlandish rumours included that ‘Bill Door’ was really a creature from another dimension who collected the souls of the dead, and that Pinkie had made a dark and terrible pact to take his place. These were, understandably, laughed off as completely absurd. Shortly, Bill Door approached the edge of the green that encircled the Ponyville town hall. He could see stalls set up around roughly half the circumference, selling all kinds of grown produce, manufactured goods, and imported products. The Ponyville Market was a place where the community of the town came together, to trade, exchange news and haggle over that day’s best deals. It was late morning, so most of the town was out, shopping for their lunch, or merely looking for a pleasant distraction. Bill Door recognized the familiar shape of one pony in particular - a yellow-coated, pink-maned pegasus making her way around the stalls and deftly swerving in and out of the crowds, eyes down and avoiding contact as best as possible. He watched as she approached the stall of one obstinate-looking tomato salespony, and began to negotiate the price. The attempt did not appear to be going very well, as now the salespony was insisting on slightly above the original asking price. Bill Door decided to wander over and examine the tomatoes for himself. The two were so engrossed in the increasingly heated debate that they initially failed to notice his presence. He took the time to scrutinize the red, plump-looking fruits on offer, carefully looking at all angles and perspectives, and even going as far as gently prodding one with a hoof. It was this act that broke the salespony from her increasingly one-sided argument with Fluttershy and drew her attention to the new customer. “How much are you charging for these tomatoes?” he asked, before the salespony had time to open her mouth. “Oh, uh, as I was just explaining to Fluttershy here, being Spring and all, they’re two bits each.” she replied. “But they aren’t even ripe. They are probably only worth one bit each.” The salespony frowned. “Two bits.” “This one is green.” Bill Door continued. “Two. Bits.” “And this one is so hard as to be nearly inedible.” “If you don’t like my tomatoes, you are free to shop elsewhere.” the salespony replied, effectively shutting down all further conversation. But Bill Door continued regardless. “But you are the only pony selling tomatoes in the market.” “That’s right, I am, and they’re two bits, take it or leave it,” the salespony reiterated, jabbing a hoof at the sign. “R-really, it’s fine, I can j-just pay the full-” Fluttershy began, before being cut off. “The product you are selling is of inferior quality and clearly only worth half of what you are asking. I feel that this ought to be reported to a local authority as fraud,” Bill Door said, nodding solemnly. “... Two for three bits,” the salespony interjected, reluctantly. “One bit.” “I’m already making a loss! I’ve gotta eat too, you know. Two for three bits!” she repeated. “At one bit per tomato you are making an adequate profit during the off-season.” “You’re asking me to sell my fine, home-grown product at a loss, and then have the gall to say I’m making a profit? You’ve got some nerve! … And it’s still three bits for two,” she continued, beginning to go as red in the face as her tomatoes. “If you were truly offended by my offer you would not still be bartering. One bit,” Bill Door replied, voice level. The salespony wracked her mind trying to think of a suitably counter-argument, but the stern, icy-blue eyes of her customer froze her train of thought and left her stuttering. Finally, she slammed her hoof on the stall and gave up. “Fine! Customers these days...” As the grumbling salespony picked up her bits and pulled down a banner saying ‘Gone to Lunch’, Fluttershy scooped the tomatoes into her saddlebags and turned to thank Bill Door. If she had been looking directly at him (which she wasn’t), she might’ve noticed that he didn’t seem to be looking directly at her, either. “Uhm, thank you. For the help. I don’t think that mare likes me very much,” she opened, as they began to trot away. “Oh. You are welcome." They trotted together in silence for a few minutes. Both were trying to think of a suitable subject of conversation that neither seemed too intruding or too diffident. “... So, what are you... doing? Today?” Bill Door asked, having finally struck on a winner. “Oh, uhm, I’m going to see Applejack - you know, the apple farmer, my friend - her dog, Winona, is feeling poorly. I’m going to see if there’s anything I can... do.” The conversation laid to rest, once again. They soon reached the edge of Ponyville proper and entered the country roads, lined with cottages, that led to the farmlands outside of the town. Bill Door barely realised the time that had passed, despite normally being aware of every passing second. What he did realise was that the feelings of being ‘bored’ had given way to an altogether even more unfamiliar feeling. In some ways, it resembled fear, but also happiness. He had an inkling of what that meant, but decided to ignore it. In the same sense that one ignores things by locking them in something heavy and then burying it somewhere, or throwing it in a nearby body of water. The two wandered through the country lanes in silence, glancing around at everything except each other. Bill Door noted the particular shade of blue that the sky bore this morning. The notes and songs of at least six different species of bird. The last remnants of dew clinging to the grass. The three overburdened little fillies overtaking them on the path, screaming something about ‘cutie marks’ and ‘wilderness explorers’. Eventually, they reached the white fences and brightly-coloured trellises that marked the start of Sweet Apple Acres. Bill Door was snapped out of his reverie by Fluttershy’s quiet voice; “Uhm, thank you for... Walking with me. It was... nice,” she said, blushing, and moved to turn away. Then she stopped, took a deep breath, and turned back to face him. “Maybe-if-you’re-not-busy-later-this-afternoon-you-would-like-to-get-tea-or-something-if-that’s-alright-with-you-I-mean-oh-Celestia-I’m-sorry-never-mind-I-should-go.” The words streamed from her mouth at top speed, and before Bill Door had had time to properly process them, she was already a retreating yellow and pink blur. Nevertheless, he felt elated. And a little confused. More confused than elated, if he was honest. He wandered around the entrance to the farm for a few minutes, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. It was at this point that an orange earth pony in a brown felt hat spotted him. She trotted over, wearing a friendly expression. “Well, howdy! You must be the new stallion in town Rarity was talking about. Now, I know half the town’s saying you done something horrible to Pinkie and that’s why she’s gone missing around the time you turned up, and then the other half’s saying that you ain’t got nothing to do with that and it’s just pure coincidence, but I don't have any truck with rumour and gossip. I’m sure Pinkie’s fine, wherever she is, she’s just like that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m worried for her and all, she’s a good friend, but she’s the sorta pony that makes a bright day out of a gloomy morning, if you get my meaning." Bill Door didn't. "Well now, where’re my manners? I ain’t even asked your name! I’m Applejack, it's a pleasure. What brings you ‘round ta my farm, now?” He blinked. “... My name is Bill Door. I was walking over here with Fluttershy. Good morning,” he managed to respond, in a deliberately slower pace. “Door? My cousin knows a Door over by Appleloosa way, don’t suppose you're related? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm prying again ain’t I." Bill Door said nothing. The silence stretched for a few seconds. Somewhere**, a cricket chirped. "So, you walked over with Fluttershy? She did seem a little flustered when I ran into her just now. Or rather, she ran into me!” Applejack continued, laughing. She noticed that Bill Door just watched her with an air of curiosity, rather than one of understanding. “... Say now, you busy?” she asked, sizing him up. “Uh... No.” “Well, that’s just swell! How’d you like to help me and my brother - he’s the red one, over there - with planting some of the new apple saplings in our south orchard? You look like you’ve got a strong back about you, and, well, Fluttershy will be here for a couple of hours yet, with Winona.” Bill Door pondered the offer. He was no stranger to farms or farm labour, in fact, he rather enjoyed it, but traditionally he was a Harvester, not a Planter. The notion of giving and nurturing new life rather than taking it away both excited and intrigued him. He smiled at the friendly farmpony. “That sounds delightful.” **That's not to say, somewhere they were currently standing. In fact this particular cricket was chirping merrily to itself somewhere in an unnamed forest on the far western coast of Equestria. It just happened to coincide with the lull in the conversation, as these things always do. The student wasted no time in fulfilling the request made for him, and, dodging the prize rose bushes and the compost heaps of the Unseen University’s campus gardens, he leapt over the broken section of wall that had, traditionally, been used as the main entrance to the university by both students and faculty staff alike since time immemorial***, and ran into Sator Square. He had difficulty continuing, as he found his path blocked by what appeared to be several hundred upstanding**** citizens of Ankh-Morpork holding on to one another and emulating the rhythmic movements of a type of legless reptile. Whilst singing. Badly. In the split-second that he paused, there was suddenly a pink pony-shaped thing standing next to him. “Hey! You’ve already got a pointy hat! Come on, they’re just refilling the punch!” ***Opening the vast octiron gates required at least four wizards of the Third Level. Unfortunately, finding them between meals, or when sober, was more trouble than it was worth. Often the wizards reserved gate-opening for special occasions, so it made a greater impact. ****Well. Some of them were upstanding. Others were nearly horizontal.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2013-06-03T20:50:05+00:00

2013-06-10T12:38:59+00:00

It has been touched upon before that time does not flow equally in all realms. Due to the magical nature of the Disc and some of its otherworldly inhabitants, it could also be said that time does not flow equally within the realm, let alone beyond it. Bill Door had spent just over a week in Ponyville, while Pinkie Pie had been on the Disc for several months. Death, however, felt as though it had been years. Perhaps it had been, for her, for time in Death’s Realm is not a law so much as a suggestion. In that insignificant city, in the small room of the small house, Death had rebelled. She had done that which she was not permitted to do: she had extended life. The hourglass was much more than just a symbol, its sands truly measured the span of a mortal’s life on the Disc. If a mortal were to find their own hourglass in Death’s vast collection, they could attempt to turn it over themselves, but it would be a wasted effort. The sand will continue to flow in the same direction, measuring the seconds from birth to death. Only Death can reverse that flow. Only Death can turn the timer and send the sand back into its bulb. Death had that power for a single reason: to teach him humility, that he was not Master of Life and Death. He was no ruler, no king or god. He was the Reaper, and he merely harvested what was sown. A servant of life, walking the fields and gleaning the fallen grains. Many times, Death had considered turning the timers. He had only done so a handful of occasions, in all the vast span of his existence. The first was to extend the life of his ‘apprentice’, Mort. That act was the first act of ‘defiance’ he had brought against the Auditors, the beings that saw to it that the machine of reality continued to tick over, and they had not forgotten it, nor had they forgiven it. Another Death now stood in that small room, and in her hoof she held the upturned timer. Sand began to flow from the top bulb to the bottom, and with the first fallen grain, the dead child in its mothers’ arms gasped for breath. The Plague looked at the child, watching as a soul was stolen from its grasp, and it screamed, inaudible to all but Death herself. Go, she said, turning to the pale creature. It hissed and spat at her as it faded away, retreating to another bedside in another part of the city. This Death had something her predecessor had never had. She had mortality. And mortals cannot accept The Duty. They cannot see its necessity, or understand its curious equality. No matter how damaged their morality, any mortal would flinch from taking the soul of a dying infant while others grew fat and lived long on the back of its misery. Now the die had been cast. She had rebelled, and there would be consequences. She felt them, deep in her core, the reverberations that echoed across the Nodes as they cried out that the tally had not been met. History had been altered, fate had been cheated. Once, Mort had risked the fate of the Disc to save the life of a princess, but history re-asserted itself. The people of the kingdom refused to acknowledge the princess’ continued existence. History told them she was dead, and they could understand no other version of events. Only the direct intervention of powers higher than even Death had led to her life being properly returned to her, and the altered fate that came with it. There would be no such exception for the child that Death had just spared. They ought to be dead. The rest of the world would consider them dead. Even now, Death looked at the mother and father, and saw the conflicted emotions behind their eyes. They were mourning, but what for they couldn’t remember. They were rejoicing, but once again, the reason why had slipped their grasp. Even the child seemed out-of-place. Wracked with coughing, it seemed just as ill as before. The realisation fell as Death observed the scene, that saving a life was not a relief. She had not cured the child of its plague, nor restored a life that had been taken. She had extended. That was all she could do. Death cannot give life. The parents’ sorrow and gratitude turned to confusion. The child had been left, neglected, as it continued to struggle for breath in a body that could not support the life within it. Death stared at the hourglass in her hoof. Everything within her, every fibre of her endless existence, called out to rectify the ‘mistake’. To take the child’s life, as it was fated. If she had had fingers, she would have clenched them. No, she spoke, and placed the hourglass back into her robe. One said nothing. One merely watched and, if it were possible, would have smiled. Death ignored the entreated cries of Albert, pleading with her to stop, and stormed into the Stacks. She took book after book from the shelves, reading the back page of each, and flinging them aside. Hoofsteps echoing in the walkways, she turned a corner where two stacks met, and stopped. She traced the line of biographies, scratching gently with the sound of lives being lived, and selected one in particular. It was a rich volume, leather bound, with gold-gilt leaves. On the cover was embossed a proud name, one denoting status, a lengthy history, and great wealth. Opening it to a few pages back from the last, she traced the lines with her hoof as she read: “As he supped that evening, his thoughts turned, involuntarily, to the lesser peoples in the poorer districts of the city. He mused on the plague that now ran rampant through the streets, and on the death toll it would likely bring. He deemed this unfortunate, as it would greatly impact his profits in the coming harvest. Workers would have to be drafted in from bordering states to replace the dead. It seemed wasteful, but there it was. He called for more wine.” She closed it, and placed it into the dark, empty recesses of her robe Retracing her last few steps, she stopped again, in front of a smaller shelf filled with thinner, cheaper volumes. Plucking one from the rest, she opened it to the end. “She coughed, and felt fear. She could feel two presences in the room, two that were not her parents. She saw the one as pallid and horrific, watching her with barely contained glee as she gasped for breath. The other, cold, unfeeling, wrapped in the black of the night sky. She fought for another breath, feeling her body succumbing to the illness. It did not come.” The book had fallen silent. Of course it had, the thought came to Death, the child had died. Her life now was not a life she should have, history rejected it and the books would not record it. Death replaced the slim book on its shelf and walked with heavy hoofsteps back into her study. There, resting in the high-backed leather chair that sat before her vast desk, she consulted the great books that marked the Nodes. The Nodes were maps, or patterns. They illustrated where the strings of Fate’s woven tapestry crossed, tangled and knotted. Of course, all threads have to end somewhere; one loose thread is enough to unravel the entire, grand fabric of history. Her actions had caused a thread to extend beyond its final knot. It needed to be fixed, to be cut, before the disorder began to spread through the rest of the strings that passed it, crossed it, or were tied to it. Death scanned the pages, looking at the threads that it was tied to, places where it could be anchored back into the tapestry without changing the Plan. It was futile. She knew that, deep down. It was one of the things that all Deaths knew, buried far under anger and rage at their impotence to change anything. Rebellion had flowered in Death’s mind, and now it took root. It was a futile thing to try, perhaps, but then... Perhaps, this time it would work. She traced a thread she had marked before. It was a rich thread, woven with gold, fat, triple-stranded, and dyed in rich colours. It only met the loose thread once. It crossed it, there, a few days length before the knot that marked her death. A meeting in a street, perhaps. Something as small as eye contact would do it. The child may have been begging, and was spotted by the rich man. It was enough. She reached into her robe and plucked from the void the book she had taken earlier from the shelves. She traced the name with the tip of her hoof once again, and turned to the racks that held the timers. The sound of their rushing sands was all that could be heard, muffling her hoofsteps as she stepped down from her seat and walked alongside them. Halting, she took a rich, mahogany wood and gold gilt hourglass, the sand within made from crushed pearls and mixed with fine gold dust. The name carved so masterfully into the base matched that of the book, and indeed, the two items perfectly complemented one another. The hourglass she placed into her cloak. The book she left in its place on the rack. She turned, and was gone. One said, And so it begins. A rich lord stood on his balcony overlooking the small city below. Moonlight shone through pale wisps of cloud on the cobbled streets, dancing with the shadows cast by burning torches, candles and lanterns. A plague stalked those streets. The lord had locked himself away in his mansion on the hills above the city’s poorer districts. He blocked out the wails of the afflicted with thick curtains drawn closed during the long, dark evenings. Tonight, however, the city was quiet. He stood there, watching for any signs of movement, but saw none. Not a soul stirred in the city that night. It was almost peaceful. How do you sleep? The voice that was not a voice made the lord turn. Behind him, looming tall, stood a spectre he had hoped never to see. When the cries of the victims rise over your balcony and invade your halls at night, how do you sleep? Its mouth never moved. The words were heard, but never spoken. The lord gulped and stammered as he tried to think of a response. You possess this city. Their lives depend on the contents of your coffers. You could save them. Clean the city. Be rid of the plague. He stepped back, coming up against the railings, and clutched at them. Instead you hide. Pretend that it doesn't exist. They die for your cowardice. How do you sleep? Finally, the lord found his voice. “H-how did you get in? Guards! Guards! I am under attack!” His cries faded into silence as they passed the spectre of Death. No one came. She reached into her robe and withdrew an ornate hourglass, holding it up to her eye and watching as the grains fell through the pinched neck. Slightly less than half of the top bulb was still full. The lord was fated to live a long life. There's no justice. She threw the hourglass at the ground. The lord’s eyes followed it as it bounced once, twice... Crack. Pearl sand and gold dust brushed against his feet. He clutched at his heart. The balcony gave way. His body plummeted to the streets below and was dead before it hit the cobbles. There's just me. Albert watched in horror as the threads writhed to accommodate the changes Death was making to the tapestry. Pages smouldered as the arcane diagrams that made up the Nodes shifted and crawled. It had begun as a single loose thread, but had grown to encompass dozens. Tangles of threads cut free from the tapestry were left dangling, hopelessly trying to fill holes left by strands shorn away too soon. For each life Death chose to spare, she took another to make up the difference, but in the eyes of Fate, one life is not equal to another. “She’s gone mad,” Albert muttered to himself, trying to take scope of the damage her actions were doing. The Death of Rats sat poised on his shoulder and Squeaked occasionally, pointing at one emerging tear or another. There didn’t seem to be anything they could do to stop her. The city was now in chaos. Plague victims ran rampant through the streets, infected, dying, but never given release. They stormed the walls and gates of the houses of the rich, but found only corpses, each accompanied by shards of glass and wood, and a little pile of sand. With no leadership, the city was being overrun by confused and angry citizens desperate for help that they couldn’t find. Above it all, Death loomed. She watched rioting crowds burning merchants’ houses and raiding storerooms. She saw groups of infected, huddled together, striking out at any unfortunate individual who came near. Others she saw being chased through the streets by ‘mercy mobs’ of crazed citizens waving flaming brands, knives and clubs. Those they caught they tried to ‘cure’, the only way they knew how, but they would not die. Death contemplated one hourglass in particular. It was that which belonged to one such individual she could see being chased down an alleyway below her. A crossbow bolt flew through the air, fired by one of the mob, and struck the infected victim in the shoulder. The glass of the timer cracked in sympathy, but the sand remained flowing. She looked at another part of the city, where a rich and profiteering merchant was barricading his doors against a crowd of thieves attempting to break them down, using anything they could lay their hands on: axes, upturned tables, bricks and stones. She looked dispassionately at his timer, and then let it fall to the streets below her. The door burst into a cloud of splinters as his body hit the floor. A life taken for each spared. That was ‘fair’. That was ‘just’. A cry caught her ear, and she turned to see a small room in a small house in a poor district of the city. A child, the child, sat and wept in the corner of the room, wracked by pain and unable to sleep. The parents could offer no comfort, as they had none to give. They ignored the child, ignored the cries, and merely stared as the crowds gathered outside their home. A woman in the crowd pointed at the mark painted on the door. Men and women stepped forward and began beating it down. An axe whistled as it sliced through the air and struck the wood, scattering splinters. The parents of the child braced themselves against the door, trying to hold the mob back, but it was of little consequence. They broke through, they took the child, and they cut her throat. Death stared. A thin line spread across the surface of the timer she now held. The sand held. The mob watched. The child lived. A man raised his axe, but before he could bring it down, it fell to the ground, clattering against the cold, stone floor of the small house, followed shortly by his lifeless body. Death stood before the mob, her hooves wreathed in blue fire. Her eyes burned with it. Her scythe was edged with it. She swung the tool in a great arc, back and forth, running through the streets of the city. Her mind retreated to a kinder image, of golden fields and golden grain, and she followed the rows, taking in the harvest. She wept for each stalk. When the sun rose over that small city the next morning, not a soul had been left alive to see it. In the smoking ruins of what had once been a meeting place, Death sat and wept tears of icy blue flame. Her scythe lay discarded beside her, surrounded by broken glass, slashed books, and pearly sand. The morning breeze played with it as it mixed with the smoke, tossing it against torn pages, still recording the lives of men and women now dead. Everything went wrong. It... it was a mercy, she said, to three empty, cloaked shapes that stood beside her. One said, Mercy and justice are mortal concepts. One said, Mortal concepts are inherently flawed. One said, Now you witness where they inevitably lead. I wanted to... To help them. They were dying. One said, You are Death. One said, You cannot help the living. One said, They cannot be helped. She turned to face them, her skull stained with ash as the tears fell from her eye sockets, burning briefly on the stone before being snuffed out. I am not Death. I am a Shadow of Death. A Shadow cast by a Light of Joy and Laughter, a Spirit of Happiness that I used to be. I remember two minds, but I cannot be either. They cannot be reconciled. One said, We can help you. One said, We can guide you. One said, We can reconcile you. How? One said, You exist in three, but must be one. One said, Put out that light that you once were. One said, Take the scythe. Three said, Take Death’s life.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2013-06-03T20:49:06+00:00

2014-05-19T21:15:42+00:00

“Miss Applejack?” Bill Door gestured, eyeing the spade he had been provided with some suspicion. “Yes, hun?” “I am confused as to how, exactly, I am supposed to use this digging implement, given my lack of tangible digits or other means of gripping its handle, and using that grip, exerting force upon its blade.” Applejack laughed. She then slowly began to realise that he was completely serious. “... Well, I’ve met some fancy fru-fru ponies in mah time, but never one that didn’t know how to use a spade! That’s a new one. Uh, well, you grip the handle in your teeth... Lhike thish!” Bill Door watched as Applejack deftly bit the handle, struck the soft meadow soil with the spade, forced it down, and flicked the displaced earth away. He’d been watching Earth Ponies perform similar tasks with just their mouths, tails and hooves all week, but couldn’t even begin to imitate it. “... Maybe I could just... Dig with my hooves?” he ventured, having stared blankly at his spade for a few seconds more. “Whatever makes you feel comfortable, hun. Just remember it’s gotta be deep enough fer the roots.” Bill Door nodded, and gently nudged the spade aside. Somehow, digging with his hooves felt more... right. With a speed that rivalled even Applejack’s skillful shovelling, he had soon excavated a neatly spaced row of holes, just waiting for saplings to fill them. This time it was Applejack’s turn to watch, and she marvelled at the bizarre efficiency Bill Door seemed to be managing without the aid of any tools. She whistled for Big Mac, who came plodding over, pulling the cart containing the year-old apple saplings. They were carefully lifted from the cart and lowered into the holes, with the tender care a mother would show to her children. Applejack packed the dirt back around the root and trunk and patted it down, making sure that each tree was securely planted before moving on to the next. With the unexpected turn of speed, the planting was done in less than half the time Applejack had allotted for it, so Bill Door found himself being invited back to the farmhouse to share in a drink and a chat. In the cosy, suitably untidy Apple family kitchen, Bill Door half-sat, half-stood at the table with a frothy mug of cider before him. Applejack and Big Mac were busy cleaning the dishes left over from breakfast and lunch while Granny Smith snored contentedly in the corner. Apple Bloom had returned from ‘wilderness exploring’ by this point, covered in tree sap and pine needles as usual. She was scoffing down a sandwich stuffed with all manner of wildflowers and grasses, chatting excitedly at Bill Door as she recounted the epic adventures she had just experienced. “... an’ then they made me their chief,”* she continued, with her mouth full. Bill Door smiled politely and nodded, taking another sip of the cider. He was uncertain of the veracity of the little filly’s claims that there lived in the forest nearby a tribe of sapient, tree-dwelling frogs who had duly elected her as their leader after she and her two fellow ‘crusaders’ had relieved their tree-village of a ravaging Timberpuppy**, but he didn’t mind listening to the tale. He’d always had a soft spot for children. “Was there much ceremony?” he asked. Apple Bloom paused for a moment, staring at the ceiling in thought. She gulped down her mouthful and took another bite before continuing. “Nah, nothin’ special. The biggest one made some tiaras out of grass an’ then they gave us bugs ta eat. Scoots an’ me wouldn’ eat ‘em, but Sweetie Belle said they were pretty good. For bugs, anyway.” “I see! Well, I suppose you’ll have to take responsibility for your new people now.” “Nah,” Apple Bloom replied, “we made ‘em a republic.” “Apple Bloom, when you're done, don’t forget t’go feed the pigs,” Applejack said, glancing over her shoulder. “But it’s your turn!” “We have guests! I’ll do it tomorrow, alright?” Apple Bloom finished chewing the last morsel of sandwich with a frown. “Fiiiiine. But I don’t have ta wash up this evenin’.” “Don’t push your luck, missy!” Applejack called after the retreating filly. She smiled as she chucked the dish rag down by the sink and went to join Bill Door. Big Mac nodded at the two and left to carry on with the afternoon’s work. “Sorry about yapping your ear off earlier,” Applejack opened, cradling her own mug of cider, “I’m actually fairly nervous ‘round new folk, so I ramble. You seem a good sort though. What’s your line of work, Mr. Door?” Bill Door thought for a moment. ‘The End of All Things’ didn’t seem a suitable answer. “Harvester,” he replied, with a small nod. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Can’t say I’ve ever met a farm worker who don’t know how to use a spade! But that’s your own business. You planning to stay in Ponyville long? I gather you’ve been at Twilight’s all week.” “I did not really plan to stay at all. It just... Happened. It is a lovely town.” “Yup, sure is. It's good of Twilight to put you up in the library. Might do her some good and all; she’s one of my best friends, but Celestia knows she’s a bit, uh, uptight. Having a guest is the surest way to relax your own routines a little.” Bill Door nodded again, taking another gulp of cider. “This is delicious,” he added, motioning at the cup. “Well thanks! It’s not our best, truth be told, wrong season for it. This is just from the windfalls and the late spring harvest. Why, our summer batch is so popular it usually sells out within the first day!” “Is it just you and your brother on the farm?” Bill Door ventured. “Yup, and Granny Smith and Apple Bloom, of course. We have hired hooves during the Applebucking Season, or get in the family from across Equestria. Sweet Apple Acres is the biggest of the Apple Family orchards, you see. My friends keep telling me I should get more help in, but it just don’t seem right, not after our parents...” she trailed off, looking at a portrait hanging by the door. Bill Door glanced at it and smiled in sympathy. “I am familiar with such feelings. I am sure they would be proud of you all.” “Mm... Still, we get volunteer help from time-to-time, or ponies passing through and looking for some bits. Like yourself. What you did today was very helpful, and saved us a few hours more work, besides!” The sounds of excited barking drew nearer to the house, accompanied by gentle hoofsteps. Applejack looked up at the door. “Ah guess that’s Fluttershy and Winona. Was nice to meet you, Mr. Door. I hope this business about Pinkie Pie’s disappearance blows over soon, I’m sure you had nothing to do with it. I know an honest pony when I see one,” she said, winking at him. Fluttershy looked through the half-door that lead to the kitchen as Winona leapt over it, running around Applejack’s legs and licking her face. “She had an upset stomach, nothing serious. I gave her some soup and talked with her for a little bit and she seems right as rain,” the yellow pony said, smiling at the pair. “I’ll be heading back now, is Mr. Door coming too?” “Yup, he is. Thanks both for your time, drop by again, you hear? Oh, and Fluttershy, I’ll bring round a bushel of apples tomorrow morning.” Fluttershy nodded gratefully and looked to Bill Door, who finished his cider, thanked Applejack for her hospitality, and left with the pegasus. *A shockingly common occurrence when encountering tribes of primitives, statistically speaking. **A timberwolf, but greener. The Party in Sator Square had expanded to half the city* by the time that the juvenile wizard had convinced the chattering pink pony goddess to follow him, keep quiet (at least to the best of her ability to accomplish such a feat) and lie low. The carefully crept out of Sator Square, into The Backs, and on to Peach Pie street. Pinkie Pie found the name endlessly amusing and insisted on stopping to find some of the eponymous produce, much to the irritation of the young wizard. The owner of a nearby bakery had soon added a hyperactive pink pony to his growing list of unusual - and barred - customers. He’d had half a mind to refuse the purchase entirely; he was specifically insured against acts of the University, as this clearly was. How else would a horse talk? And have such abnormally large eyes? And that hair? On the other hand, she had been accompanied by a wizard, junior student or no, and it just did not do to refuse wizards on their business. Especially not when you happened to hold a tab open for a certain wizard who had a keen appetite for banana pie, banana bread, banana cake... He changed his mind mere minutes later, when a pink-robed cultist, following the trail of confetti and streamers that seemed to be left in Pinkie Pie’s wake, came across the bakery and declared it a holy shrine. Within seconds, the baker had been swamped with enough orders to make him a very very rich man. Pinkie Pie had polished off her peachy namesake by the time the wizard had led her to the broken section of wall that marked the main entrance to the University. The wizard was getting increasingly frustrated by the pony’s tendency to be distracted by literally everything. Upon spotting a rockery, she launched into what she clearly thought to be a dialogue, but was, in fact, closer to a monologue, on the subject of her upbringing on a rock farm, the techniques involved in proper gemcutting (which she clarified meant the cutting of gems to plant to produce new gems, not cutting them as a jeweller would), commenting on the fact that the rocks clearly looked overdue for rotation, and the secret to making a great rock cake (don’t actually use rocks). Then she met the gardener. ... And felt justified in beginning the spiel all over again. At least Modo was showing an interest in what the pony had to say, the wizard mused. When the dwarf insisted on showing the pony the university’s floral clock**, the wizard took his chance to excuse himself and rush back to the great hall. He suddenly felt a new appreciation for silence. Returning to the great hall, he found it in much the same state as he had left it, over an hour or so ago. The maids were still busy sweeping up confetti and streamers, the students had moved on to the second helping of the seventh course, and the Archchancellor was still fuming. Currently he appeared to be embroiled in an animated discussion with the Dean over whether or not this entire affair had been predicted that morning by the ache in the Bursar’s right knee***. “... and I’m telling you,” retorted the Dean, “that a knee-ache is only predictive of cosmological disaster when accompanied by eye-twitching and a rash on the left ankle!” “No, no!” cried the Archchancellor, “the catalogue of combinations clearly records that it’s knee-ache, hayfever and a cold sweat for this sort of business!” The Bursar raised a finger in objection. “I’ve not had a fever this morning!” The Dean nodded, smugly, while the Archchancellor turned his smouldering and baleful gaze to the junior wizard who now cowered before the high table. “Oh, it’s you. Ramsbuttock, or some such. Where’s my brother? He’s not with you, clearly.” “It’s, uh, Ramsfleece, Archchancellor, and I, uh, found the cause of the commotion, as it were.” The Archchancellor tutted and turned to the Dean, gesturing at the junior wizard in irritation. “See? Students. Can’t even follow simple commands, always insist they know what’s best. Typical. One of your dorm, isn’t he?” “Never seen him before in my life, Archchancellor,” the Dean replied. “I, uh, take arcane history lectures with you-” “Never. In my life.” “Very well," the Archchancellor continued, turning back to Ramsfleece, "come on then, lad, where’s this cause of yours?” “She’s, uh, outside, Archchancellor. Discussing the finer points of gardening with the, uh, gardener, you see.” “So, you mean to say that not only have you not done as requested, you couldn’t even be bothered to bring it all the way in? And- Wait, did you say ‘she’?” the Archchancellor said as he stood, looming over the younger wizard in an incredibly imposing and vaguely threatening manner. Ramsfleece gulped. “Y-yes, Archchancellor.” “She’s not a witch, is she?” “... Probably, uh, not, Archchancellor.” The Archchancellor’s grip on the table loosened a little. The wood creaked a sigh of relief. “Ah. Well. … What, exactly, is she?” Young Ramsfleece opened his mouth to answer, but his brain thought better of it and blocked all lines of communication immediately. As a result, he merely stammered. The Archchancellor raised an eyebrow in a manner that spoke volumes. Ramsfleece stammered again. The Archchancellor began drumming his fingers on the table top in a slow, deliberate stroke reminiscent of a drum at an execution. Ramsfleece slowly realised that everyone in the room was now watching him with bated breath. “... She’s... a pony.” *Specifically, half of Ankh-Morpork would correctly be Ankh, (or Morpork,) if divided vertically, and An-Mor (or Kh-Pork) if horizontally. Sadly, linguistics have not evolved to facilitate the description of an expanding circular area, but the formula would be something akin to π x Ankh-Morpork^2. **An elaborate thing planted with a variety of flowers that were supposed to open at different times of day. Due to the magical nature of the Unseen University campus, it had stopped at half-past-Carnivorous Lily some thirty years ago when they ate all the others. ***The faculty had, by this point, begun to use the Bursar’s many and half-imagined medical conditions as a form of oracle. They called it psychosomancy, or, among the student body, 'The Bursar Sense'.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2014-05-26T21:08:02+00:00

2014-05-26T21:08:01+00:00

Bill Door watched the door slowly click shut in front of him, the intonations of the last, soft ‘farewell’ that passed the lips of the yellow mare echoing in his ears. He realised he was completely unaware of the time that had passed. It must now be late afternoon, he reasoned, but the afternoon he had spent in such delightful company had seemed like months. It still didn’t seem like enough. He let his mind wander, as he stood there on the doorstep of Fluttershy’s cottage, staring at the painted door that now separated them. He began to reminisce over the day’s events, sifting the memories from the blurred fog that shrouded them. He could not clearly recall, at that moment, anything that had occurred since he had left Applejack’s farm that morning. There had been tea. And delightfully delicate cupcakes cut into the shape of butterflies. He remembered there was a specific name for that, but without Pinkie there to remind him of the infinitely and surprisingly complex minutiae of cakes, the detail slipped from his mental grasp like a leaf on the wind. There had been tea. That, at least, was certain. Bill Door was familiar with tea and well-versed in its own rich world of complexity. … Had it been… green? Green tea. With dandelion and… primroses? He shook his head. Why was it so hard to remember something that had only just happened? He could remember all things, from the time where there was nothing to the time that… That… … He could remember every facet of her being. The subtle change in shade of her flight feathers as they stretched away from her body. The flowing mane, with its bits of hay and petals caught like grains in a sieving pan. The burs caught in the hair of her back. The little imperfections that merely made the whole so much more beautiful. Why could he remember all that, but not the afternoon that had just passed? Whenever he tried to focus on an image, or a memory, there was just her. Her eyes as they glimmered in the light that streamed through the small cottage window. Her smile as she laughed at his misunderstandings. Bill Door looked back at the door, and felt a warmth beating in his chest. “Oh, bugger.” Fluttershy was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen table, and trying in vain to keep Angel away from the remaining carrot cupcakes, when there came a knock on her door. “Just a moment,” she called, and placed the dishes beside the sink. A mouse seized its opportunity and began licking the cake crumbs while Fluttershy’s attention was distracted. She drifted slowly towards the door, and on opening it was greeted to the same pony she had just closed it on. “Oh! Hello again.” “Hello,” Bill Door replied, content to just stare. There was a pause, broken only by the soft wing beats as Fluttershy hovered a few inches above the floorboards. She frowned slightly in concern. “... Are you… are you alright?” Bill Door remembered himself and shook his head, attempting to clear it. When Fluttershy’s look of concern deepened still, he realised and began nodding furiously. Concern was replaced with confusion. “I… Uh,” Bill Door began, stammering. Suddenly his usual eloquence had deserted him. The carefully prepared statements normally ready on the end of his tongue had fled from him like a dream at the waking dawn, leaving only half remembered fragments in their wake. “... Weather’s good,” he finished, softly chastising himself. Fluttershy glanced up and behind him, she smiled a little and nodded. She looked back at him, their eyes crossing. Bill Door felt frozen in that gaze, all reason failing as his mind went completely blank before those beautiful, sky-blue eyes. He mustered up his courage for one more question. “Show me the forest?” The Archchancellor of the Unseen University stood silently staring at young Ramsfleece, Junior Wizard, eighth son of an eighth son, born to a small-time merchanting family who had, in a twist of irony, made their money in selling philtres and tinctures designed to avoid the possibility of eighth sons of eighth sons from occurring. At this precise moment he was half-wishing his own parents had, perhaps, used some of the aforementioned merchandise. “A pony,” the Archchancellor finally said, cutting the silence like the piercing head of a crossbow bolt tearing through thick, whispering velvet and embedding itself in silence’s corpse. The Dean and the Bursar exchanged worried and furtive glances. The Reader of Incomprehensibilities, sat at the end of the table, slowly raised a book to his face and pretended to have been absorbed by its contents this entire time. Students carefully took up positions of safety behind plates, upturned tables and benches, or other students. A quiet statement uttered by the Archchancellor was, in their experience, nothing but the quiet before the oncoming and unstoppable tempest. It didn’t come. For this, Ramsfleece was intensely thankful, and spared but a second’s thought that, perhaps, the very notion of a pony being responsible for the sudden appearance of confetti, streamers, and all manner of festive accoutrements in the middle of the fifth course was, not to put too fine a point on it, so utterly absurd that the Archchancellor was having difficulty taking it all in. The Archchancellor was not a man fond of the absurd at the best of times, which made his choice of career path an odd one, in retrospect. Ridcully merely sat down. The chair creaked beneath him under the sudden weight. With a limp hand, the Archchancellor waved in the 7a’th* course, and dismissed Ramsfleece to go rescue Modo from the presumably still on-going discussion about gardening and the virtues of rocks. As he strolled hurriedly back through the university’s corridors, Bertram Ramsfleece seized the brief time of silence left to him to ponder his future career. Blood or no, he was beginning to think wizardry just wasn’t for him. Something more sedate, he thought, away from ill-tempered faculty members and neon pseudo-divinities. Something like… Cabbage farming. Yes, he could move to Sto Helit. There was a lot to be said about cabbages, at the end of the day. He might meet a nice girl, settle down, raise a family of less than eight children, all while surrounded by the mute leafiness of a decent brassica. Besides, he could always pursue magic as a hobby. Perhaps there were opportunities in magical agriculture; cabbages had many desirable properties, not least of which was their prolificness. One could divine what it is that makes a cabbage... cabbage-y, and transfer that property to a non-cabbage and then it might, theoretically, grow more readily! Then one day, when he, Bertram Ramsfleece, was the disc-renowned expert on botanoturgy (as he would call it), he could become a lecturer at the Unseen University and take his rightful place at the high table. Maybe then he could send some hapless student to go meddle in the affairs of the gods and thus suffer the interminably shrill and unrelentingly chipper consequences. “Hey! You’re back!” Speaking of which, there they are now. “Modo was just telling me all about this place, and what you all do here, and what he does here, and then we talked about rocks, and then he showed me around the gardens, and we were just about to start making friendship bracelets, do you want to join in?” Pinkie Pie asked, fairly buzzing with vitality. She kept making standing jumps, each faint ‘poing’ punctuating her statements as Ramsfleece tried not to think about how a horse’s legs are entirely inappropriate for this sort of thing. That way madness lies. “I’ll, uh, defer on the bracelets.” “Necklaces? Bangles? Rings? Daisy chains?” Ramsfleece sighed. Already he felt he had not appreciated enough his brief moment of quiet, cabbage-filled contemplation. “I am quite, ah, content with my current, uh, accessories. I just came to inform you that the Archchancellor is, ah, ready to see you.” “He sounds important!” Pinkie replied, not missing a beat, “Do you think he’ll want a friendship bracelet? I’ll make him one!” Ramsfleece tried to protest, but it was utterly in vain. Pinkie was already gone, leaving only a cloud of octarine glitter in her wake. *Wizards are a bit superstitious when it comes to the number eight. This does have some merit, given that mentioning the number in the right place at the right time does, apparently, have the power to summon certain unspeakable ‘Things’. Beyond the University’s muffling walls, the city of Ankh-Morpork was embracing its largest street festival since the previous month’s revolution. They were usually rather half-hearted about the ‘revolution’ part, by all accounts, and were more of an excuse to have a drink and shout a lot.. Normally they didn’t even get the guillotine set up before Lord Vetinari made his customary appearance, pointed out the sensible and logical course of action was to let things be, and walked calmly away while the crowd muttered and dispersed into any number of the local taverns to plan next month’s get-together. There were societies dedicated to it, and even an unofficial guild**. The party that gripped the city now, however, was of an entirely different ilk. People were celebrating merely for the sake of celebrating. There was dancing in the streets of the Shades, and only three people were seriously harmed. C.M.O.T. Dibbler had actually sold out of sausages-inna-bun, for the first time in living memory. However, in a small corner of an unnamed square somewhere on the city’s outermost suburbs, there was one individual who did not seem to be joining in with the festivities. In one hoof she held a balloon with the words ’Pinkie Pie’ written in gothic pink. In the other, a scythe with an edge that coruscated blue as the breeze blew past it. Beside her was the body of a middle-aged man for whom this party had been his last. A broken hourglass lay scattered around it, the shards of glass iridescent against the cobbles. As she stood there, contemplating him, a teardrop of blue fire fell from her eye and vanished into the stone beneath her feet. She looked away, and her gaze fell instead on the trail of confetti and streamers that lead onwards, winding through the streets like thread, to the heart of the city. Death strode forward, unseen, unheard. She walked through the crowds, passing between them like a swift wind. Behind her she left little drops of azure flame, that smouldered amongst the littered, brightly coloured paper that lay all around. It’s my Duty, she lied to herself, it must be done. She stopped short as she saw a group of giggling acolytes in their bright pink robes and striped, pointed hats. They handed out freshly baked pastries to the party-goers, baked into the crude shape of a pony with rose-coloured icing. A part of her was pained. A part of her felt nothing. A part of her seethed in anger. No Death, she said to herself, as she continued her march to the University’s gates. Crowds flowed past her like rippling water, their laughter washing over her, their happiness a mockery of her. No Goddess, she breathed, louder. People instinctively parted before her. Her presence was beginning to be felt. Alley cats leapt for the rooftops, noticed by some of the keener citizens. Just Me. **Whilst Lord Vetinari did not give open support to the notion, he had made a habit of passing his most ludicrous acts in the week running up to the revolt, just to give them something to be genuinely annoyed about. The Archchancellor was confused, bored, and frustrated. He had been forced to listen to this diminutive pink thing natter on for almost ten minutes. She didn’t even seem to need to pause for breath. He knew that what she was saying was vaguely important, since Death had been mentioned more than once, but it was difficult to sieve out the relevant information amidst the nigh-endless tide of wittering, inane detail about cakes, the undead, parties and some nonsense about the gods. He was not his brother, he did not feel a real need to be reverent towards figures of questionable deity. He was a wizard. He laughed in the face of deity while pulling golden crowns from its ears and asking it: ‘Is this your card?’ “Alright, alright! That’s quite enough, thank you…” “But I haven’t even told you about the Auditors, or what happened to the Death of Rats, or-” Archchancellor Ridcully scowled. His scowl could melt even the most steadfast of supplicants, and even Pinkie found herself yielding. It reminded her, somewhat, of The Stare. “Ramsherd, you are sure this… Exuberant equine was the source of all the commotion?” the Archchancellor asked, looking towards the junior wizard. “It’s, uh, Ramsfleece, sir, and, ah, yes, yes I’m quite sure.” “More’s the pity. Right, Bursar, you generally pay greater attention to these things, what was all that she said about Death?” “Well, what I said was...” Pinkie began, launching back into her account of the events of the past few ‘unspecified units of time’. “Are you sure we should be riling a goddess, Archchancellor?” the Bursar replied quietly while Pinkie spoke, as he fiddled with his soup, glancing furtively between Ridcully and the pony before them. The Archchancellor muttered something unintelligible and unrepeatable. “I think the Bursar makes a fair point, Archchancellor, we don’t exactly know what she may do to us if we go about disrespecting her. Need I remind you of the incident a few months ago with the badly-timed blasphemy and the resulting loss of the sixth floor lecture theatre to a plague of ferrets?” “You hardly need to remind me, Dean, I kept finding the blasted things in my cupboard for weeks.” “Well, I’m just saying that perhaps we ought to pay greater attention to what she’s telling us,” the Dean suggested, hesitantly. “I’ve been taking notes,” piped up the voice of Ponder Stibbons, one of the youngest members of the faculty staff and head of Inadvisably Applied Magic. “Give them here, Stibbons. You couldn’t explain how to sit down on a chair without reference to at least three hypothetical planes of existence and a half-hour lecture on some new theory of magic.” Ponder Stibbons sighed but surrendered his notes to the Archchancellor, who squinted at the nigh-illegible handwriting and promptly threw them over his shoulder in frustration. “Well, gentlemen, what are we going to do about all this?” he continued while Pinkie spoke excitedly about the proper way to prepare rock cakes, for the third time that day. What relevance, if any, this had to the matter in hand was questionable, but Pinkie’s thought processes do not work as other mere mortals’. “I, uh, don’t suppose we could, ah, ignore it?” suggested Ramfleece, quietly. “Excellent suggestion, Sheepshorn, duly noted.” “Ramsfleece.” “That’s what I said.” “Or we could make a public statement disavowing ourselves of the entire thing,” suggested Dr. Hix of Post-Mortem Communications. “That just looks like an admission of guilt.” “Well, there’s always-” “Wait, wait, I think she’s wrapping up,” the Dean said, cutting off Stibbon’s next suggestion while pointing a finger towards Pinkie. The Wizards turned their rapt and possibly full attention back to her, smiling in that inane fashion reserved only for those who were not listening to a word you just said but are trying to pretend they were. “... and so I think I need to get back to Ponyville so I can free Death from the Rite and send him back here to sort everything out. Do you know how I can do that?” The collected wizards glanced one to another, and back at Pinkie. “... To the library…?” the Bursar said, fishing out a page of Stibbon’s notes from his bowl. All eyes turned to the Archchancellor. He sat, fuming, for a few seconds longer, before even his formidable sense of will was exhausted against Pinkie’s divinely enhanced powers of persuasion. He sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Goatsfoot, go fetch some bananas.”

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2015-03-17T23:27:47+00:00

2015-03-18T07:37:30+00:00

Bill Door had always valued nature. It was Life in its most stubborn, persistent and chaotic form, and his vocation had given him an acute appreciation of those qualities in the world. Life always fought the inevitable. It struggled, bit, scratched, and then fled elsewhere to flourish anew. However, despite the beauty and serenity of Ponyville and its environs, Bill felt that the nature here was not as stubborn, not as persistent, and nowhere near as chaotic as that found on the Disc. There was a sense of order, complacency, even pliability about the flora and fauna he observed around him here, in this quaint little equine existence. As he walked and felt the gentle firmness of the earth beneath his hooves, he reflected on this, and what he’d seen earlier that day at the apple orchards. He had been told a little of this world by Twilight Sparkle and by Pinkie herself during their time together, and he knew that Earth Ponies had a particular affinity with the natural world, as Pegasi did with the skies and Unicorns with the magic powers that underpinned everything. The ponies certainly liked everything to be neatly organized and contained, and Ponyville was almost as different from Ankh-Morpork as Bill could imagine. He wondered, then, whether it was this quality in ponies that led to the ordered nature he could see around him, or if they were a product of it. Pondering these deep, philosophical questions helped him ignore the increasingly captivating feelings being generated by his close proximity to one particular yellow pegasus who had, much to his surprise and mute delight, agreed to show him the forest. At present they were walking through the area known as Whitetail Woods, where in the balmy heat of a late afternoon, some ponies still worked, tapping the surrounding maple trees for syrup. They greeted Fluttershy, often with kind words of thanks for some animal-related favour or other, and Fluttershy thanked them in return. Bill nodded at one or two of them, because he felt this was expected, but in truth he was feeling a little more out-of-place than usual. Few ever thanked him for doing his job, after all, much less spoke to him about it days, weeks or even months after the fact. They walked a while, conversing only in brief snatches as Fluttershy pointed out a particular species of plant, or some animal tracks. Bill showed genuine, if detached interest, but felt he had little to say in comment or response. The only plant he knew a great deal about was wheat, and that was largely for thematic purposes. Before long, they came to the edge of the woods, which opened to a large clearing through which the path continued towards something far, far older than Whitetail Woods. “What is that?” Bill asked Fluttershy, pointing a hoof towards the black-topped trees and creeping shadows that formed a nearly impenetrable wall at the other end of the clearing. “That’s the Everfree Forest,” she replied, “we don’t tend to go in there, unless we really need to, I mean.” Bill Door stared at the trees and brambles at the edge of the forest. Here, he found an answer to his earlier questions. The Everfree Forest represented everything that Whitetail Woods wasn't. It was dark, ancient, and very, very much alive. He was instantly fascinated. “Can we go in?” he asked, having not really heard the second part of Fluttershy’s reply. She looked at him, and was about to make some excuse about needing to get back, as it was getting late and the Everfree was no place to be after dark, but she could see a glint of excitement and determination in his icy-blue eyes. It is difficult to resist Death. Even when he isn't, strictly speaking, currently filling that role. On some level, everyone knows that he’ll win in the end. She sighed and nodded, leading the way across the clearing and glancing behind her at the sun, hovering only a little above the horizon now. She felt a pang of fear, but steeled herself: after all, she had tamed manticores, stared down cockatrices, and even forced an apology from a dragon. Besides, she did find herself taking a shine to Bill, despite her earlier protests to Rarity, and some small part of her didn't really want to show herself up in front of him. Together, they crossed the boundary, and were soon enveloped by the shadows. Death stood in the centre of a whirling festival of colour, staring fixedly at the great Octiron Gates of the Unseen University. The crowds ignored her, although many of the less inebriated felt a distinct sense of unease, and all seemed to subconsciously move around her, leaving a small gap in the middle of Sator Square that no one dared quite look at. Behind her hovered three grey forms. They had not been there a moment before, but simultaneously had always been there, and would always be there, except for when they would not. If nothing else, the Auditors saw the laws of reality as both immutable and also subject to change as the situation required it. One said, She is with the Wizards. One said, Can you bring yourself to do this? One said, Can you kill a goddess? Death said nothing. The Scythe of Office hovered at her side, tiny pin-pricks of blue light emanating from its rim as the air itself was severed in its passing. One said, With her death, one other will remain. One said, That Death is beyond our reach, he is hidden. One said, The task will remain incomplete if he cannot be brought to justice. Death turned, and looked at the last Auditor to ‘speak’. Isn’t Justice a mortal concept? she said. Inherently flawed? One looked at her in return, and from the emptiness of its hooded form it said, That Death became mortal a long time ago. Death did not argue. She had chosen to delude herself into thinking that this was her Duty, and she would carry it through. Perhaps then, she said, aloud, the Duty will no longer be my burden, but simply what I am. She stepped forward, and the Scythe followed. The magical nature of the Octiron Gates were no match for her terrible reality, and yielded to her, folding upon themselves molecule by molecule as she passed through them, leaving them completely untouched, barring the scar left behind by the edge of the Scythe. Sparks of burning octiron swarf trailed in her unseen wake as the party on the other side of the gates spiralled on. The Wizards marched mostly in step across the campus, accompanied by much grumbling, and an annoyingly chipper pink thing with an exasperating spring in her step and unquenchable desire for conversation. At present, the Bursar was currently occupying her attention, and coping surprisingly well. This is most likely because he believed the pink pony to be a hallucination, which he was very used to dealing with. Had he for a moment thought her to be real in any significant way, he probably would've suffered his third nervous breakdown of the week. “So, Archchancellor, do you have any idea of how to proceed?” asked the Dean, struggling to keep up with Ridcully’s swift pace, fuelled predominantly by irritation and rapidly emerging heartburn. It ought to be noted that Archchancellor Ridcully made a habit of clean living and healthy lifestyles, to which he partially owed his lengthy career*, so the heartburn in this instance was more a case of stress than gastric distress, so to speak. “We’ll get her to the Librarian and then, frankly, it’s his problem,” he replied, without slowing. After a couple more steps, he blinked and turned to face the Dean. “What the hell are you wearing, man?” The Dean looked sheepishly at the Archchancellor and slowly took the garish, sequin-covered paper cone off of his head, mumbling something like; ‘I just thought I’d get into the spirit of the thing’. As far as Ridcully was concerned, it was a mercifully short time before they actually got to the Library doors. Ramsfleece went ahead, with the bananas, and pushed open the small inset door on the larger wood and octiron gates that served less to keep people out, but rather to keep the Library in. From behind a lectern somewhere in the dim candlelight, a ginger-haired scalp peered over the top of a large tome, spectacles balanced precariously on a face the gods clearly did not design with the prospect of glasses in mind. This was the famed (and feared) Librarian. He was once a man, before being accidentally transformed into an orang-utan by an unfortunate and unspecified incident, and having found the extra arm-length conducive to getting books down from tall shelves (among other things), had steadfastly refused every attempt to turn him back since. A low and guttural ‘Ook’ resonated through the hall at the approaching group. Ridcully got on rather well with the Librarian, but relationships between the other wizards were perhaps rather more complicated. Ramsfleece bowed low and, swiftly coming up to the lectern, offered the bunch of bananas as a form of peace offering. The Librarian smiled, revealing many gleaming and remarkably sharp-looking teeth. Having, he felt, made his message quite clear with this gesture, he returned to reading. It didn't last very long. “Librarian!” bellowed Ridcully, from nearer the door. The Librarian frowned, put down his book, and swung down to the floor from the high chair behind the lectern. Ridcully continued, “we have a visitor who I think is in need of your services. She’s a…” He faltered. The Dean leant around Ridcully’s side** and interjected: “A miniature equine.” “Yes. Quite,” Ridcully continued, “she’s talking to the Bursar, currently, so we’ll just leave her with you and be on our w-” “OH-MI-GOSH-IT’S-A-MONKEY.” “Gentlemen, I believe that’s our cue.” *And his continued life. Before Ridcully, climbing the career ladder at the Unseen University was generally achieved by means of using the corpses of former wizards as rungs. **Although he didn't precisely ‘emerge’, given he was considerably wider than the Archchancellor to begin with. It is perhaps better said that he made his presence more directly known. Death stalked the grounds of the Unseen University, and this had not gone unnoticed. While ordinary folk can’t see the supernatural, wizards of the Disc are among the few individuals gifted with the ability to see the things that cannot normally be seen. Wizards and cats. And a few miscellaneous others. Some of the students, heading back and forth across the campus in the futile attempt to actually attend a lecture (as might have become obvious by this point, the Unseen University is perhaps the Disc’s least educational institute of education) had sighted her, and rather than stop and wonder why Death was manifesting as a three or four foot skeletal horse, as opposed to the regular seven foot tall skeleton, had begun all manner of panic. Death, you see, was not traditionally sighted at the University unless one of the wizards was about to require his or her presence, and some of the senior faculty were already concerned that the old days of advancement via filling a dead man’s pointy shoes had returned. Barricades were being erected, crossbows and daggers sought. The Lecturer in Extra-Dimensional Biology was already brandishing his broadsword and challenging on-comers. The hippomorphic personification of Death was not interested in this goings-on, and barely paid attention to the rabble struggling to get out of her way. Their time would come, but it was not now. Now, she had a particular target in mind. She paused, and drew from the vast recesses of her cloak of night a balloon, pink and radiant as the sun. On it, emblazoned in what looked suspiciously like Comic Sans were the letters ‘Pinkie Pie’. It glowed with an inner light, and showed no signs of deflating, even to Death’s trained eyes. This was the life of a goddess. This was what Death had come to claim.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2016-05-26T00:15:56+00:00

2017-01-01T20:21:54+00:00

Bill Door and Fluttershy strode through the Everfree Forest. Or at least, Bill Door strode, and Fluttershy hurried behind him, nervously glancing behind her at the retreating, leaf-bordered circle of light that represented the portal to safety. For the first time since his sojourn in Ponyville began, over a week ago, he felt like he belonged. This was odd, he realised, as the Everfree Forest was almost a personification of all the forces and all the chaos of life, and he was just the opposite. He stood for silence, for ending, for order. He was the ash when the fire had gone out, the litter after the autumn’s winds. He mused, as his hooves trod the soft, mulchy earth beneath, that perhaps Life and Death were not as different as he had once believed. They needed each other. He only existed as long as it did. And Life could not exist without him to define it. He turned to Fluttershy, grinning like a lunatic who’s just been told it’s not him that’s mad, it’s everyone else, and deep down he knew it all along. In his eyes, she stood out, a light in the shadows of the forest, yellow against the jade green of the foliage and bright pink against the filtered blue light of the canopy above, as it strained the fading beams of a setting sun. He felt poetic. He didn’t care. He pranced towards her, swept her up in his arms, and gazed deep into her cerulean eyes. They shimmered like the light dancing on the surface of a lake. He closed his eyes and leant in towards her, their lips locked as they embraced one another and- “... M-Mister Door?” He came to, tangled in a low-lying, moss-draped branch of a nearby tree. Fluttershy was looking at him with a mixture of concern and confusion. “... I. Uh. … I slipped?” Spike crossed the kitchen with deliberate slowness. He took small, shuffling footsteps with each swing of the copper-covered pendulum, in time with each onerous tick of the little wooden clock. His claws gripped more tightly onto the teatray, the cups clinking providing a percussion to the noise of his feet on the deep pile carpet. He approached the door to the main library, and gulped. Twilight hadn’t exactly been herself since Pinkie had vanished a week ago. It was perfectly normal for her to throw herself into her books for hours, even days at a time, but the methodical and obsessive way she read and re-read every tome, spellbook and grimoire for a way to bring her back was beginning to concern him. He’d kept largely out of the way while Bill Door was around; dragons are ancient and mysterious creatures, not greatly unlike cats, and there was something about the newcomer to Ponyville that disquieted him. And yes, it was probably the fact that, by his own admission, he was from a different universe where he embodied the End of All Things and and existed since time had not. It was probably that. Still, Spike felt he was Twilight’s faithful assistant (most of the time), and she was clearly upset at losing Pinkie. However, he always felt a bit tentative whenever Twilight was in this sort of mood, and not only because it meant he had to clamber over piles and piles of strewn papers and notes to reach the front door whenever he needed to go out. Woe betide him if he tidied something away while she was still ‘using it’. It was one of her fundamental traits that when she saw a problem, she had to fix it, at almost any cost. That always seemed to be the root cause of Twilight’s own problems, Spike mused. “Come on in, Spike.” The voice carried through the kitchen door. Spike steeled himself, procrastinating a little by adjusting the tilt of the cups on the tray, and strode forward as boldly as his reluctant body would allow. The long-suffering dragon approached the desk that Twilight had set up in one corner of the room, noting that she was facing away from the kitchen, with the high back of her chair towards him. The moment he placed the tea-tray on the surface of the desk, the chair spun around, revealing a rather more haggard and sleep-deprived visage than he was expecting. “Thank you, Spike,” she said, as she leant towards the cup. “While you’re here, could you fetch me down the Third Treatise on Planar Theory? It’s… up there. Somewhere.” She gestured vaguely at a nearby shelf stack. Spike nodded, and went to grab a ladder. “I’m running out of ideas here, Spike. Star Swirl’s journals mention that he once visited another realm very similar to the one Bill Door claims to be from, but he doesn’t say how he got there. I’ve tried everything I know about teleportation, phasing and portals but I just don’t see how you can make a door to another world! I mean, how do you even know what to start looking for?” Spike shrugged, murmuring something like “I’unno” in response. Magic was not really his forté. He preferred ice cream, jewels and theatre. He was good at theatre. He’d just landed a starring role in the Ponyville Dramatic Society’s upcoming production of A Midsummer’s Nightmare. He was taking his preparation for the role of ‘Background Fairy #3’ very seriously. “All I’ve got to go on is this odd, half-finished spell at the end of one of his journals. He talks about the ‘Gateway of Knowledge’ and the ‘Weight of Letters’. I don’t know what that means! Why are these spells always so… opaque!?” Twilight sighed and slumped over on the desk, staring up at the steam escaping off her tea. She looked at her notes, passing them page by page in front of her face, and poked her tongue out at them. Spike clambered back down the ladder with the Third Treatise in hand, lifting it onto the desk with a slight ‘thud’ and accompanying ‘rattle’ of the teacup on its saucer. “Anything else?” he asked, picking up the tray. “No, thanks, Spike. I just… need to work this out.” “Well, call me if you need anything.” The Faculty of the Unseen University never thought, never imagined they’d live to see the day when an irate orangutan, screaming b----- murder in the form of ‘ook’s, possibly meaning something along the lines of “I AM NOT A MONKEY” would be engaged in what might be a fight, might be a chase, with a bright pink pony through the stacks of the Library. But yet, here we are. “D’you think we ought to intervene?” the Dean asked, watching as Pinkie sped, laughing, into the Drama & Egg-Related Spells section, followed swiftly by the powerful orange form of the Librarian. “What, are you mad?” Ridcully responded, “I’d rather keep my limbs intact, thankyouverymuch.” They collectively winced as Pinkie successfully executed a sharp corner that the Librarian failed to copy, sending him barrelling into the shelving and sending potentially priceless books flying. “... I bet five shillings on the pony,” piped up Dr. Hix. “You’re on,” replied the Dean. Death trod carefully, deliberately, ever closer to the great Library. Its inset door was open. She could hear the commotion from within. The Duty tore at her, pulled her away from this place. Souls screamed at her for guidance, for caring, for mothering. She hated it. She hated the constant needing, the mewling. She hated them, their petty and pointless lives, their entitlement, their emotion, shock, anguish, fear, pride, anger, loathing, longing, loving! She hated herself. This existence. She was not meant to be and she knew it. She had to carve herself out of the stuff of reality. Erase the things she used to be. Become as empty and cold as the grave itself. Liquid fire ran pooled in empty sockets and ran down worn streaks in bone while the constant whisper of grey-cloaked spectres hung in her ears. One would say, Do it. One would say, Kill her. One would say, It’s your Duty. Three would say, It’s what you are. She could feel their hunger, such a… mortal feeling. She knew their hypocrisy. And when all this was done, she would come for them, too. She hated them. But even that, even that would fade. And she would become nothing. Bill Door sheepishly brushed himself off. He was letting his emotions get away from him. The two continued their walk through the forest as the sun disappeared below the horizon and the stars began to be visible through the interlocked branches above them. Fluttershy still felt nervous, as she always did in the Everfree Forest, but chose to hide it. Bill Door was a complete stranger here and he didn’t seem scared, so why should she, when she knew this forest better than almost anyone else in Ponyville? She still jumped a little whenever she heard a twig snap under her own hooves, though. As they walked, she told Bill a little of her adventures in the forest with her friends, as a way of calming herself down. She told him of the fashion-conscious sea serpent, the raging manticore with the thorn in its paw, and of the cockatrice and the hydra. Bill Door was impressed. The creatures Fluttershy was describing sounded quite horrific, to his ears, and yet she treated them all with a kindness that he felt was not always entirely deserved. He couldn’t help but feel more and more enamoured with this delightful pony. Suddenly, Fluttershy stopped short. “What’s the matter?” Bill Door said, having walked a few paces further before stopping and turning to face her. “We’re on the path that leads t-to the C-castle,,, It’s late, we really should be getting b-back…” she replied, edging backwards. “A castle?” he replied, utterly oblivious, “What castle?” “The Castle of the Two Pony S-sisters, it used to be where our Princesses l-lived. We all went there, once, to f-find the Elements of Harmony.” “Ah,” Bill Door replied, looking up the path. “I see a lot of castles in my line of work. In most places I just get to see the bedroom, but I am quite familiar with castles.” Fluttershy was going to respond when she noticed that Bill Door was only inches away from a hole in the ground she was fairly certain hid a cockatrice’s nest. He turned back to her, noticed she was staring past him, and followed her line of sight to the little crevice next to his hoof. “Don’t move,” Fluttershy whispered, just audibly enough, her nerves banished and replaced with taut steel. Bill Door was sensible enough to follow the request, although the damage had already been done; a long low hiss came from the nest as two pin-prick red eyes flashed in the darkness. Fluttershy stepped slowly closer to Bill Door and the nest. “Don’t look at its eyes,” she stated as she neared, matter-of-factly, all usual trace of uncertainty or stuttering gone. Bill Door’s heart beat quickened, although he couldn’t tell if it was from fright or infatuation. Possibly both. The hissing grew louder as a white-feathered head emerged from the hole, forked tongue tasting the air, flicking in and out of a sharp, hooked beak. Fluttershy carefully positioned herself between it and Bill Door as it slithered fully from its nest. It was larger than she expected, and bore more than a few scars. This was an old cockatrice, and Fluttershy realised that she and Bill Door were trespassing on its hunting grounds. Inside her, she felt a quiver of fear. The cockatrice she had dealt with before had been young, and a little foolhardy to just attack ponies in the forest. This situation was different, in its eyes, they were the attackers. It would not be so easily swayed. It coiled menacingly and raised its tattered wings, hissing loudly as it stared directly at Fluttershy’s eyes. She avoided its gaze, turning aside a little to Bill Door. “Stay behind me, and whatever happens to me, don’t look at its eyes,” she repeated, calmly and deliberately. They looked at one another, his own eyes flitting back and forth in her gaze, but he found he had nothing to say in response. She smiled at him, took a deep breath, and turned to face the rearing cockatrice. Almost instantly her hooves greyed as they rooted themselves to the earth, and Bill Door watched in horror as the petrifying magic crept up her legs. She held on, staring back in a battle of titanic willpower, but the cockatrice was older and more cunning. It knew how to crawl behind the eyes of its prey, directly boring its burning resolve into the mind. Fluttershy’s hind-quarters began to solidify, and she trembled as she felt the cold travel along her spine. She intensified her Stare, but the cockatrice had the upper hand. Her neck became stiff, her jaw locked in a grimace, her eyelids that she had willed open were now unable to shut. The cockatrice, regarding its prey all but helpless, slid around her and blocked Bill Door from escaping. Bill Door was terrified. He had just watched Fluttershy turn to stone. He felt genuinely afraid for his… for his life, he realised. The novelty of the sensation was fleeting, though, as he fought and failed to keep his eyes away from the hellish red orbs before him. His hooves tensed, and he could feel them no more. There was a crack. Bill Door tore his gaze from the cockatrice and looked down to see that Fluttershy had freed one of her legs from its stone prison. Shards of enchantment fell away as the magic faded in the presence of her sheer strength of will to protect Bill Door from harm. She shook off the spell with a flourish of her wings and, yelling defiance, commanded the cockatrice’s attention. The cockatrice was old, and wise. It knew when to let prey go. With a final, spiteful hiss and a lunge at Fluttershy’s leg, it was struck aside by her wingtip and thrown back into its nest. Fluttershy’s chest rose and fall in quick, ragged breaths. Bill Door freed his own hooves and turned to see if she was alright. She looked up at him, and, swifter than he could react, she had kissed him. Pinkie was thoroughly enjoying herself. She had never thought she’d one day be chased through a library that defied all spatial reasoning by a giant, orange monkey who was really, really friendly and wanted to give her a big hug. At least, that’s what she assumed, because he kept trying to grab her with his big, long, very powerful looking arms. Unfortunately, she recalled that she had a job to do. There would be time for fun later! There usually was, in her experience. Also during, and before. She turned another corner, deftly skirting a pile of musty books and cowering students. She heard another crash behind her, but this time the footsteps did not continue as they had done. She screeched to a halt on the worn stone floor, and turned to see a pile of books covering the corridor. A long arm peeked out from beneath them. She ‘poinged’ over to the pile and began pushing books aside with her hoof until the Librarian’s face was visible. His expression was of mixed furious anger and depressed resignation. Secretly he just hoped that none of the faculty would see him- “Hah! You owe me… … Stibbons! What were the last odds?” boomed the voice of Mustrum Ridcully from down the corridor. The Librarian sighed. “Sorry I messed up your books, Mister Monkey!” Pinkie chirped, only adding to the Librarian’s world-weariness. “You’re really good at chase! We should play again sometime, when I’m less busy. Had I mentioned I’m busy? I’m a goddess now or something! And I need to get back to Ponyville! And Albert and the Death of Rats are probably wondering where I am! I have too many places to be at once. Maybe there should be more of me.” The Librarian heaved himself free of the pile while the wizards behind him counted their coins and the losers sulked. He took the measure of the pink thing before him as she prattled on. She had mentioned she needed to get back somewhere. Logically, he thought, that means she would no longer be here. The prospect was a pleasing one. For one thing, she was unruly and had created a mess. Far more importantly she had called him a monkey. Twice. But most importantly of all. She was loud. That would not do. Not in his Library. He waved a hand in front of her, and started signing out a question. ‘Where is Ponyville?’ It may come as a surprise to some that Pinkie knew sign language. It surprised her, too, but the Librarian, while unable to speak, had a certain way of making himself understood, even to hyperactive pink ponies. “Ponyville’s in Equestria,” she replied, “and Equestria’s a different world! Death brought me here from there. He used to know my grandpa! And then I was able to come and go as I liked but now something’s stopping me leaving! So I thought: ‘Who would know about this sort of thing?’, and I thought: ‘Twilight!’, but then I thought: ‘But wait, she’s in her library in Ponyville, and I’m not!’, and then I thought: ‘But Twilight’s good at magic!’, and then I thought: ‘Who else is good at magic?’, and well, that one was obvious, so I came straight here!” The Librarian nodded, slowly. He tentatively asked, ‘You say there is a library in Ponyville? Is it a large one?’ Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Biggest in the town! I think it’s the only one in town, actually. I’m not much of a reader, I like to see things and do things more than read about other ponies seeing things and doing things! Dashie likes to read, though. Last summer she read and re-read all of the Daring Do books, and there’s a lot of them!” The Librarian smiled. He knew how to get rid of this nuisance to his quiet, sedate, and ordered life. It has been said by many wise men, that ‘Knowledge is Power’*. It has been said by certain other wise men, that ‘Power is Equal to Force over Distance, Divided by Time’. Equally, it is commonly known that knowledge resides, in a permanent, fixed form, in books. If knowledge is power, and power is a force applied over a distance over a set unit of time, then knowledge bound in paper and ink must contain vast amounts of untapped potential energy. That’s just science. And since science is just magic that we can understand, it’s magic, too. And the Unseen University Library is full of magic. You see, the Librarian knew a secret, known only to Librarians; that all that knowledge, yearning to be read, straining against its parchment prison, exerts an undeniable force on the fabric of space and time. It is, after all, merely trying to fulfil its purpose of applying force, over a distance, or a space, in a certain amount of time. This resulted in something known to that select few as ‘L-Space’. A pocketed, quantum dimension both superceding and superceded by the ‘true’ universe, as the common layman knew it. L-Space was present wherever an L-Field was being transmitted, say by a vast and uncountable amount of books in the middle of a University, or even a modest library in the middle of a town populated by pastel-coloured equines. Furthermore, as data (that is; knowledge) cannot be destroyed (for an idea cannot be killed once it has been created), it defies all laws of physics and entropy, and extends beyond the reach of both. Beyond the reach, even, of grey-cloaked beings who delight** in the slow, inexorable thudding of one electron into another, as the great wheel turns. Oh yes, thought the Librarian, this will get rid of her for good. *Such men usually had a lot of knowledge and very little actual power. Men in power tended to follow a different equation; ‘Power is Power’. **At least, inasmuch as they can delight in anything without suddenly disappearing in a puff of logic. “The Gateway of Knowledge…” Twilight murmured to herself, re-reading the passage in Star Swirl the Bearded’s journal. He seemed to be communicating something he didn’t fully understand himself. Twilight’s trained, critical eye could tell there were pieces of information missing from the overall puzzle. The ‘Gateway of Knowledge’ and the ‘Weight of Letters’ were ways of trying to explain concepts too advanced, perhaps, for the greatest magical theorist in Equestria at that time. “If letters had weight then books would be pretty heavy…” Twilight muttered, imagining what that would be like. She supposed that the heavier they got, the more the paper would press down. The books would be denser. “... Denser? But if you had dense books…” she looked up from the desk, at the shelf stacks all around her. She leapt from the desk, pacing around the table as she continued to talk to the only intelligent pony in the room: herself. “A dense enough object will cause other objects to fall towards it. You can see that with an apple on a tarpaulin. Other apples will roll down the stretched fabric towards the central apple. That makes it stretch down even more, and more will roll. The denser the cluster of apples the more apples it attracts and the more weight it exerts on the fabric. It’s positive feedback.” Her horn shimmered as she paced. “And if books were apples… Well, Applejack would be in here more often,” she chuckled to herself, “but they’d weigh down the fabric. They’d change it. And if you had enough of them, the fabric will tear.” “But what if it can’t tear? What if it just keeps stretching? Eventually everything would be crushed down to a point, you’d run out of fabric.” She stopped and stared at the journal again. “Then how is it a ‘gateway’? Unless… You don’t run out of fabric? Maybe the point doesn’t end, maybe it carries on. What if there was something on the other side of the fabric? Like a curtain being pulled back?” Her horn sparked. She stood still, and her eyes widened as inspiration struck her. “Then knowledge is a gateway! Not just metaphorically, but literally!” She had an idea of what to look for. She tried to clear her mind and focus on reading the arcane energies in the room. She spent so much time here that she was very used to the ‘feel’ of it, but now she had to deep down behind that feeling, into the individual strands of magic that made up the fabric of her library. And there! There, hidden deep, she felt it. That aberration, a wrinkle in reality. Letters, books, had weight! The Librarian cleared his mind, and grabbed Pinkie mid-sentence, slinging her over his shoulder. Ponyville, she had said. He didn’t know the place, obviously, but he knew the signs, the subtle indications of what to look for. All libraries were connected by L-Space, and those who understood the theory, really understood it, could walk in it. It had allowed the Librarian to personally save some priceless scrolls from the Great Library at Ephebe when it burned down. To them, it merely resembled a greater library still, the Library of Libraries. Each corridor containing many stacks, each worlds all their own. Fortunately everything was cross-indexed. It made finding what you’re looking for all that simpler. He strode the astral corridors of ‘E’. Then ‘EQ’. ‘EQU’. ‘EQUE’... Twilight focused on that wrinkle. She pushed the weight of her mind against it. She could feel it yield, slowly and first, but then faster, and the Treetop Library around her grew with it. To the uninitiated it would look the same, but she knew that something was very, very different. There! The Librarian saw a light… … something shifted in the endless corridors as Twilight stared down them… … down the stacks, the Librarian made out a new world, a colourful world, bright and saturated with a stranger magic than he had ever known… … Twilight squinted at the figures. “... Pinkie?” “Twilight!?” “Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed, as a large, hulking orangutan strode from behind a bookshelf into the centre of the Treetop Library, with Pinkie Pie slung over its shoulder. Spike poked his head around the kitchen door. “Hey Pinkie. How was your trip?”

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2017-01-08T23:02:43+00:00

2017-01-08T23:11:27+00:00

Death stood at the door of the Great Library of the Unseen University. Behind her, the chaos caused by her presence had subdued to a panicked quiet as wizards of all ages, ranks and colours bravely cowered for their very lives. They were, of course, mistaken. She was not there for them. To her, they represented little more than annoying insects; gnats hovering a particularly annoying distance above the path such that they always happen to fly directly into your mouth when you least expect it. She had not come to claim the lives of insects. Her prey was the divine, and she could sense its passing from the realm. Inside, her broiling emotions wanted to scream, to cry and wail, to strike out in fury at everything and anything around her, but she stayed calm. She tried only to feel nothing, the empty void at the heart of it all. Death was the nothing at the end of life. She would become nothing. Before her the library stretched into the infinite dimensions, weighed down by infinite knowledge on infinite pages in infinite books. The weight of letters tore at the universe as if it was wet paper. Death was not strictly a librarian, but she kept a lot of books. Her own stacks contained all the lives, all the stories, that ever had been or will be, so she was more than familiar with L-Space. She could sense where the goddess had gone. Into the stacks. Between the pages. Down the spine, and hopping the cover onto another chapter of another book entirely. Three figures hovered at her shoulder. One said, She has passed beyond our power. One said, You must follow. One said, You must end this. She heard the words, but paid them no heed. She focused her incredible and undeniable gaze on the tunnel that cut through the fabric beyond her, from one universe to the next. She began to walk toward it; first slowly, then gathering speed, and finally, scythe raised high, leaping through the compressed space of reality, tearing a portal into a pastel-coloured realm a deep part of her was all too familiar with. Stibbons was forced to peek his head above the pile of books he and the other faculty staff were hiding behind by the Dean’s incessant poking. “I… I think it’s gone.” Slowly, Ridcully, the Dean and the Bursar’s hats rose above the barricade, followed by their eyes. Ridcully assessed the situation with a quick, calculated sweep, and stood up to his full height, brushing the dust from his robe. “Right, well, I think that’s rather enough of all that. It was probably just a… a…” he began, his ordinarily rigid mental discipline failing at trying to find a suitable lie. “Thingummywut?” suggested the Bursar. “Yes. One of those. Nothing to be concerned about.” There was a pause.* “... Let’s go back to the dining hall,” he finished, to quiet murmurs of agreement. *Somewhere on campus, a student coughed. He was just as surprised as anyone else, but certain literary conventions must remain in force. Bill Door was shocked. Bill Door was happy. Bill Door was ecstatic. He and Fluttershy were staring one another in the eyes, and both of them wore an expression of mixed exhilaration and relief. Neither could quite find something to say, as they stood there beneath the stars caught in the leaves above. Time felt like it was standing still for Bill Door, but he conceded that some time must have passed, because eventually Fluttershy was the first to break the silence. “We… ought to get back,” she had stated, reluctantly moving away from him. He merely nodded, and stole the opportunity to kiss her again, before they began walking back along the forest path towards Ponyville. They didn’t talk, and Bill Door felt that the need for words between them had diminished. Fluttershy’s contented silence spoke more to his heart than any words could hope to. The forest was soon behind them, and the pair once more joined the path that wound through the fields and hedgerows surrounding Ponyville. Above them, the stars shone bright, stretching out into the endless sky and lighting it like a hundred thousand lanterns. In their glow, Bill Door thought he could see a halo around Fluttershy, beams of light catching in the strands of her mane as it moved to her steps. She was beautiful. She was alive. He could contain his feelings no longer. “Fluttershy, I-” There. In his stomach. He felt it. A tug. An all-too-familiar tug. His voice faltered, and the words died in his throat. Fluttershy turned her head to face him, and her expression shifted to one of puzzled confusion as she saw Bill Door stop short on the path. Bill Door looked up at the stars. They were no longer soft and comforting. They had become cold and distant. The blackness of the sky seemed to swallow them up. The chill of the night crept beneath his skin and wrapped around his bones as his heart began to pound. No... it didn’t pound. It can’t pound. A thought rose unbidden to his mind: ‘I don’t have a heart.’ Fluttershy was becoming concerned. “What is it?” Bill Door didn’t hear her words. As she spoke them, time seemed to slow down. Not like it had earlier that evening, in that pleasant way that time seems to stand still in a moment of pure joy or happiness, but rather according to that most ancient of mechanisms shared by all living things; the stretching out of an awful, terrible realization, empowering the mind to make that potentially fatal decision to face the foe or flee. Danger was approaching. Bill Door couldn’t speak. How could he? He didn’t have any vocal chords. But he could make himself heard. Something’s wrong. Twilight was emotionally torn. A part of her wanted to run circles around this fine, upstanding specimen of pongo abelii, more commonly known as an orangutan, and another part preferred to remain rooted to the spot while it worked out what in Harmony’s name was going on here. She gave way to the second emotion first, and spent some moments in rapid-fire thought. An orangutan had just… appeared, in her library, carrying her missing friend on its shoulder. Also she might have just discovered the secret to interdimensional travel, but that was just mere detail. Firstly she had to figure out where this orangutan had come from. Why was it here? Was it friendly? Did it need a cup of tea? In these situations does etiquette dictate I offer said cup of tea, or do I scream and panic? These questions and a dozen more like them streamed through Twilight’s mind before she settled on her first course of action, one that had served her well over the years. Ignore it, for the time being. Let the inexplicable remain, for now, inexplicable. “Pinkie! Where have you been!?” Pinkie Pie leapt down from the Librarian’s shoulders and, after greeting Spike who then returned to the kitchen, turned to face Twilight. “Twilight! You wouldn’t believe where I’ve been! It’s a world that’s flying through space on the back of a giant turtle! And there’s elephants, and magic, and wizards, and big cities, and gods, and zombies and-” Twilight pressed a hoof to her friend’s mouth, cutting off the stream of description. “I’m sorry, you lost me at turtle. But you’re safe, right?” “Pretty sure! My new friend here was just showing me the way back home! He’s a librarian, like you, Twilight! You should see it, there’s more books there than I think there might be in all of Equestria! You’d love it. I should book us a vacation there. When I’m less busy. Which I suppose I am now because I’m back?” Pinkie furrowed her brow and stroked her chin with her hoof, making ‘hmm’-like noises before a sudden awful and crushing realization hit her. “I’m late for work at the bakery! I’m never late for work at the bakery! Mrs. Cake will be furious!” Twilight smirked. “Actually, about that-” “SorryTwilightnotimetotalkIhavealotofworktocatchupon!” And just like that, she was gone, a small whirlwind of papers left in her wake. Twilight was left alone in the room with the Librarian. They stared at one another for a few seconds. “Ook?” he proffered. “ ‘Ook’ indeed,” Twilight agreed, “I hope she wasn’t too… disruptive?” The Librarian frowned. Twilight winced. “On behalf of Equestria, please accept my apologies. … Can I… get you a cup of tea?” He considered this proposal for a moment, and nodded, gratefully. Crossing the boundaries of dimensions did take it out of you. Twilight smiled and left the Librarian alone in the main room, indicating as she passed into the kitchen that he had free and complete use of all the library had to offer. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had arrived at Sugarcube Corner with such alarming speed* that she hadn’t even paused to notice it was night time. She burst through the door, knocking it clean off its hinges for the third time that year. It was only as she rushed to the kitchen to begin her daily routine of cleaning ovens, preparing doughs and icing pastries that she finally realized both Mr. and Mrs. Cake were probably still soundly asleep. At least, that was probably the case, given their absence both from the shop front and the kitchen. Also the lack of customers. And the ‘CLOSED’ sign Pinkie now had dangling from the end of her nose. She sheepishly tip-toed back into the storefront and carefully replaced the door and sign (Mr. Cake had ensured, after the several such similar incidents, to put the door on a style of hinge that facilitated its replacement), and sneaked upstairs to her top-floor rooms. She was intercepted on the landing by the fierce and mildly disapproving glare of a rudely awoken Mrs. Cake. Or at least, she would have been rudely awoken, but as it was, she had set an alarm that had woken her precisely ten seconds before Pinkie Pie struck the door. She was organized like that. “Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie,” she stated, in a quiet voice so unbearably loud to Pinkie’s reddening** ears that it might have shaken the very foundations of the building, “you’ve got some explaining to do.” *An observer watching from the Golden Oak Library might almost say she pink-shifted. **Well, pink-ening. Bill Death- that is, Death Door- I mean, Bill Door, was distraught. He ran towards Ponyville, Fluttershy flying low beside him. She was equally as concerned, not least because Bill Door’s hurried explanation of his sudden change in demeanour had left her with more questions than she had answers, but also because she had a nagging sense that this blossoming romance between them might be about to come to a premature and all-too-upsetting end. She was not the sort of pony to open herself up to just anyone, and the thought competed for space in her mind with the warning Bill Door had given before they both began their sprint towards the town; Death is here. Bill Door just kept running. He knew his time in Ponyville was drawing to a close. That he would worry about later, for now he merely worried that things seemed to be getting a touch too dramatic for his liking. And in his mind, where there was drama, there were usually the Auditors. At the Library, Twilight was deep in discussion with the Librarian, who despite his usual surly nature, found himself enamoured of this lilac-and-lavender example of equus ferus monocerus. He sensed in her a kindred spirit, a like-minded individual who shared his not only his love for the written word in its myriad forms, but also for order, organization and systematic filing. These were traits rarely encountered in horses, as far as he was aware. He was just about to give his opinion on Twilight’s explanation of the Colter Expansive Classification in the form of a succinct response full of meaning and subtlety* when the two of them were interrupted by an arc of blue-tipped flame cutting through the stacks of the library and setting many of the books within them ablaze. From this inferno stepped a figure shrouded in a cloak as black as night; so black that to look on it was to see a manifestation of nothingness, as no feature or wrinkle was made known to your sight. Beneath its pale, skeletal hoof it clung to the shaft of a harvest scythe, and the bladed edge shone with the ferocity born from the death of photons as they were carved in two by its passing. Its face was that of a grinning skull, in whose empty eyes burned a flame as bright, as radiant, and as blue as a winter’s sky, and down its cheeks ran channels burned by tears of flame that fell and scorched the floor where it stood. This, both the Librarian and Twilight felt instinctively, accessing a portion of their minds in which was stored the most basic of all understanding, was Death. And yet, Twilight felt something else, something familiar. The figure rounded on her, and held the edge of its scythe to her throat, spitting the words: Where is she. *”Ook.” The 'she' in question was busy crafting a very plausible explanation for her past several months of absence to her employer. Or was it a week? She had conflicting memories of both, and it was beginning to give her a headache. “So, to sum up,” Mrs. Cake began, when Pinkie had wound her lengthy and frequently distracted monologue to a close, “you took a part-time job as Mr. Door’s assistant, someone tried to call you across dimensions using a magic spell which accidentally swapped you and him and stranded you both in each other’s places, you then spent some time doing his job full time whilst also starting a cult, which ended up with you being chased by yourself, throwing a party in a big city, meeting some wizards and ending up back here because you got lost in a library.” “That’s about it, yup,” Pinkie replied, her head drooping. “Well, I needn’t say that I’m very disappointed, Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake continued. “It was completely irresponsible of you to disappear like that without a word of warning, and speaking as your employer, you really ought to have told me that you’d taken up another job which might impact on your work here.” If Pinkie Pie could feel any more dejected, she was worried she might just dissolve into a puddle on the floor. But as she had been speaking, Mrs. Cake’s expression had softened, and she embraced Pinkie tightly, crying with relief. “I’m so glad you’re safe. Your parents would have never forgiven me. I was worried half to death, you silly pony!” she said, between sobs. Pinkie hugged her back, tears beginning to well up in her own eyes. Mr. Cake, Pound and Pumpkin tilted their heads around the frame of the door at the noise. The twins rushed Pinkie and grabbed whatever part of her was available for further hugging, while Mr. Cake looked on from the door and smiled in a fatherly way. Then Twilight appeared, sparks falling from her horn that glowed with the latent energy of a teleportation spell. “Pinkie! Quick! You need to hide, there’s some… some thing after you! It’s, it’s like-” Pinkie looked up at Twilight in shock. “A creepy-looking skeletal pony in a cloak blacker than a burnt pastry carrying a ridiculously-sharp farming implement?” “Yes! It’s… It’s burning my library! I left your orang-utan friend to deal with it, but I don’t think he’ll be able to occupy it for long.” Pinkie gently removed herself from the various Cakes, taking particular care to nuzzle the twins on the head. “We need to find Death- Bill Door, he’ll know what to do.” “Last I saw him he… Went to Applejack’s! Come on!” And with a burst of magic, they were both gone. Bill Door could smell the smoke. In only minutes the Golden Oak Library had been engulfed in flames. He kept running while Fluttershy had torn herself away to get Rainbow Dash’s help. Together she hoped they’d be able to put out the blaze before it spread to other buildings in Ponyville. The goings-on in the centre of town weren’t being ignored, of course, and ponies were leaning out of their windows, filing out of doors onto the street, shouting, questioning and beginning to panic. Some amongst them tried to call for order, to arrange a bucket line, but the prevailing mood was one of fear. As Bill Door closed the final distance between himself and the library, he saw two figures, silhouetted in the fire, tumble from the building into the street. He could see the wicked, vicious glint of a scythe. His scythe. He saw it arc through the air and cut into the ground like it was going through fine sand. The figure of the Librarian - for it was the Librarian, one did not easily forget such a man - struggled to regain the upper hand in his fight with Death. And Death was angry. Angry at herself. Angry at the Auditors. Angry at Bill Door, and Pinkie Pie. Angry at wizards and zombies, at cultists and librarians and plague and The Duty. She swung again and again, but each time her stroke fell short by less than a hair’s breadth of prematurely claiming the Librarian’s life. As he saw this, Bill Door recalled another time, another place, when he had been forced to fight a spectre of himself. On golden hills ripe for harvest, facing down a monstrous machine of knives and whirring sickles, piloted by an arrogant, self-obsessed shade of all that he could be, if only he stretched out his hand and took it all for himself. An emotion that he had not felt since then boiled up inside him. Rage. And pity. I never wore a crown! he called out to the spectre. She looked up, momentarily distracted, and the Librarian seized his chance. Unfolding all the power in those deceptively sinuous arms, he knocked her clean on the jaw. She reeled, snarling, but this lesser, mortal prey no longer held her interest. I never wanted to rule! Bill Door cried while forcing himself between Death and the Librarian. For what can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the Reaper Man? he pleaded. The other Death; smaller, somehow lesser, as if a shadow could cast its own shadow, stood defiantly opposite, tears burning down her cheeks, smoke rising from rings of grass where they fell. I don’t want to rule. I don’t want a crown. she replied, in a voice not unlike Bill Door’s, but behind it a trembling of wavering emotion, I want to become nothing, and for that, I have come for you, and for her. She raised the scythe and swept it across the ground at Bill Door’s feet, cutting the blades of grass so cleanly that they stood for a further second before falling and burning up. Bill Door looked down at the grass, then back up at her. Ugh. Drama. “Applejack! Where’s Bill Do-” Twilight was unable to finish her sentence due to having a glass of water reflexively thrown at her from the nearby bedside table by a particularly startled Applejack. “Oh, land’s sakes, it’s you, Twi. What’re you thinkin’ jus’ teleportin’ in on me like that? An- Wait. Pinkie?” “Hi, Applejack!” “Where in the hay have you been all week?” “Long story! It might take years to tell properly so I’ll just be short and say that I’ve been on holiday! Working! As the grim reaper!” Applejack blinked. Twilight also blinked, as the glass finally slid off the end of her horn and rolled across the now wet wooden floor. Applejack turned to face her. “I’m jus’ gonna pretend I didn’t hear most of that. But, right, Bill Door? He walked off with Fluttershy when she came by to check on Winona.” She yawned. “In fact, Big Mac said he saw ‘em walkin’ out near Whitetail Woods this afternoon. Seemed a bit sour about it. Why, is somethin’ up?” “We need to find him, fast! The library’s on fire!" Applejack blinked and leapt from her bed, sweeping her hat down from the hook nearby. "... And there's a hippomorphic personification of Death trying to kill Pinkie Pie!" Applejack paused. “Well, I... Uh. I don't know how to deal with that one. But, uh, you two go on ahead, I’ll head into town and get folk organized for fire-fightin'. Let's tackle things one at a time!” Twilight nodded, and she and Pinkie were gone. They reappeared outside Fluttershy’s cottage to find the lights out and the door locked. “Oh, where could they be…” Twilight said, pacing nervously around the door while Pinkie looked over towards the smoke rising from Ponyville with some concern. She frowned as she felt a pinch in her knee. Something scary happening, indeed. “Twilight, I think we need to get the others,” she said suddenly, in such a serious tone of voice that Twilight stopped pacing immediately. Pinkie turned to her, “this is an Elements of Harmony job.” Twilight looked her in the eyes, and nodded. “We’ll just have to hope Fluttershy’s alright.” Pinkie looked out over the town and squinted, hard. A grin broke out on her face. “I think she’s fine! Look, she and Dashie are gathering clouds to put out the library!” “And if she’s there, then Bill Door ought to be, too!” Twilight smiled. “Come on!” Bill Door dodged again and again, desperately trying to keep Death away from the other ponies. He had no weapon that could stand up against the scythe of office, and whilst this Death embodied The Duty, however badly, it refused to listen to his call. All he could hope for was to buy time. The Librarian was helping Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane that he hadn’t been introduced to yet as they tried to stop the fire spreading. Just! Stand! Still! Death snarled at him, her voice somewhere between an angry shout and a despondent scream. Just a little more time. Just a little more. “Death!” He turned, and in that instant saw Pinkie Pie, followed closely by Twilight Sparkle. Death saw them too, and the rictus grin of her skull turned almost to a smile. We’re all together again. she said, and with a cruel stroke, cut Bill Door across the throat. His eyes opened wide in shock. Pinkie stopped in her tracks. As the body of Bill Door collapsed, lifeless, to the ground, a small gold-rimmed timer fell from a pocket of his jacket, and rolled to a halt on the burning grass. Pinkie stood facing her shadow. Facing Death. All the world seemed to fade away into nothing, and for that moment, all her world consisted of was her and it. Life and Death. She realised then, in that instant, the truth of all the things her grandfather had taught her, and all that she had learned of Death in her time on the Disc. He… She. It, was alone. Sometimes they were content with that. At other times they screamed, they cried, they reached out to connect, to feel a fleeting moment of what Life was, what they could never truly have. Each time it had burned them, but in the process it had left a mark, and Death felt loneliness more acutely than ever before. And now she stood before it, an avatar of Life. But it wasn’t just her. She had her friends. Maybe, just maybe, together they could teach this small fragment of Death something that no other would ever be able to comprehend. Pinkie felt an all too familiar glow envelop her as Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy joined her. Not a word had passed between them, but no words needed to. They each closed their eyes as the magic of friendship lifted them into the air and encircled them in a band of vibrant colours. Death was transfixed. She couldn’t move. As a cascade of coloured light descended on her, surrounded her, enveloped her, she felt something stir within her breast that she had never truly felt before. The memory of it rang out in her mind, a memory of when this Death was Pinkie Pie, when this Death was Alive. Now it was more than mere memory, and the warmth of it embraced her. Pinkie embraced her, and for a second time, the watchers all around them heard a sound unlike any since the dawn of the universe, as the fiery blue tears of Death splashed down Pinkie’s back in great, heaving sobs. When the light had faded, only one figure remained. Death was gone, and Pinkie was herself again. Her whole self. She wiped her eyes and nose on her leg as she sniffed the last of the tears away. There, on the ground before her, lay a balloon in gothic pink, bearing the words ‘Pinkie Pie’. She gently cradled it in her hooves as she sat, while her friends gathered around the body of Bill Door, each trying to resuscitate him. Pinkie took the balloon in one hoof as she turned and moved toward them. She didn’t cry when she looked upon Bill Door’s lifeless form, but instead focused her attention on the small, golden timer that had been ignored by the other five. Deep inside her, the part of her that was Death and the part of her that was Life both knew what could be done. As it has been stated, Death does not end Life, they are merely a servant of the universe, a fragment of Azrael, and they ensure that a life ends when it is supposed to, when the last grain of sand, pearl, eggshell or what have you has run from the top bulb to the bottom bulb. Death’s timer had no sand in it. It had never had sand in it. But now there was an emptiness about it that was something new. Something Pinkie knew that she could fill, if only she dared. The part of her that was, that had been Death came to the forefront of her mind. The loneliness it had felt since time immemorial. The brief glimmers of a life aped, a life imitated, in the small things like listening to Albert’s predictable, shuffling steps, or in watching the wind toy with the ears of grain in a late summer’s field. The joys of eating curry in Ankh-Morpork. The irritations suffered from the whims of wizards and necromancers. Cats. Cupcakes. She looked at the balloon, and with a smile, let a small portion of air depart from it. It didn’t travel anywhere, strictly speaking, but it was gone, and had arrived in another place. Bill Door gasped for breath and opened his eyes. Fluttershy very nearly knocked the breath back out of him. One said, looking through the fabric of the multiverse, Well. We tried. One said, Back to the drawing board. One said, Hold on, how does that even work? He’s Death, he can’t just be revived willy-nilly by some knock-off Death-stand in from a different universe. I mean, this is just shoddy. Things that die stay dead, no matter the ‘power of love’ or the ‘magic of friendship’, it’s just- What? One said, You said… it. One said, Yes, you did, I heard it. One said, Well now you’ve said it too! Are you two trying to get me in troub- Three said, Oh, bugger. And disappeared.

Miyajima

400

Pinkie Pie,Crossover,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Binky Pie

complete

<p>Pinkie Pie is visited by a strange customer whilst working at Sugarcube Corner. Hilarity ensues.</p>

everyone

2017-01-09T16:46:30+00:00

2017-01-09T16:46:30+00:00

One of the advantages of having a town library made mostly out of tree is that it’s relatively easy to reconstruct; at least when you have access to magic. A few days had passed since the most eventful night of Ponyville’s recent history*, and in that time even the Princesses themselves had come to visit (at Twilight’s behest), and had aided in regenerating the Golden Oak Library. Twilight would have to count, of course, but she was almost certain it was exactly the same, down to the last leaf and twig. Many ponies had come and gone, helping to clean out debris and rescue what books they could from the ashes. Still others had donated their own to make up the loss. As for her lost personal effects, Twilight had already been given six toasters by the generous citizens of Ponyville. She hadn’t actually owned a toaster before the fire but she felt it would be rude to refuse. It was as she was sifting through another pile of singed and burnt books, looking for any she could salvage, when she noticed a large, black tome with golden lettering and yellowing pages. “Of course you survived,” she said half to herself, rolling her eyes as she picked up the Necroponicon and buried it behind a pile of books on advanced magical theory on a shelf she hoped no one would ever peruse. Behind her, she could hear increasingly raised voices. “... and that one should go in second- Hey! Spike, are you listening to me? It’s important all these go in the right order, right? Well, I’m the expert on it and I say that Daring Do and the Jade Mask goes after Daring Do and the Cloak of Gems!” “Look, Dash, you just said that Jade Mask went after Prisoner of Griffonstone, and that Cloak of Gems wasn’t canon!” “What? I never said that! I said Jewel of the Sun wasn’t canon and that it went after Cloak of Gems! And besides, you’ve got those four back to front, too.” Twilight turned to see Spike sigh wearily as he began rearranging the Daring Do series on the shelf while Rainbow Dash hovered just over his shoulder, her arms folded. They were currently the only thing on that shelf. Spike had a large pile of novels standing next to him that were also meant to go on there, but he’d spent the last fifteen minutes dealing with the ‘expert’s’ ‘help’**. “Thanks again for donating your collection of Daring Do books, Rainbow. It’s a good thing they’re so popular; so many of them were on loan that we only lost three in the fire!” Twilight said, shuffling diplomatically over to give Spike the time he needed to re-order everything. Again. “You’re welcome, Twilight. I found a guy in Canterlot who’s going to sell me all the first edition copies anyway, so I thought I might as well donate my old ones to a good cause!” “Everything’s coming back together,” Twilight nodded. “I’ve even got a new section: ‘Otherworldly Literature’! That lovely orangutan gave me some of the best novels and reference guides from his world, I’m sure I’ll spend hours reading them all. And it’ll be good to re-open! I can host a book-signing, or a read-a-thon, or even advanced crosswords! It’ll be great!” Rainbow Dash grimaced a little. “Yeah. Great. … Say, what time did Pinkie say she’d be leaving?” “Later this afternoon, she’s said she’s got a lot of special treats to make before she goes back with Bill Door to clear things up over there.” “Wait, it’s afternoon already?” Dash exclaimed, “I was meant to help move a stormfront before lunch! Okay, see you later Twilight, and make sure Spike gets it right this time!” “Don’t worry, I will!” Twilight lied to the rapidly retreating blur that had previously been Rainbow Dash. Spike let out a sigh of relief. *’Recent history’ encompasses at least the last month. Except for that incident three weeks previously with the belligerent geraniums. **Dash was highly insistent that Spike followed her ‘Certified Most Awesome and Official Timeline (Ever)***’ when arranging the books. ***Spike agreed that it wasn’t without its merits, but Dash’s notes explaining her headcanon looked less like a structured, ordered timeline and more like a bowl of spaghetti with novel titles sticking out the ends of each individual noodle, so it was easy to get confused. Especially when she contradicted herself every other minute. Outside Ponyville, Bill Door and Fluttershy were sitting on top of a small hill under the shade of an old oak tree while sharing a last lunch together. Fluttershy had prepared sandwiches and a pitcher of fruit squash, and had made particular effort in buying the best tomatoes she could find for a salad. She had hoped that Bill Door would appreciate it, and although he had said very little to her throughout the meal, she got the impression that he did. However, a feeling of sadness had been hanging low over their time together. She knew he had to go back to his own world today. As he had explained to her, with neither himself nor Pinkie playing the role of ‘Death’, things would… start to get out of hand. He had made a vague reference to an earlier, similar incident that he preferred not to go into. The question she wanted to ask danced on her lips, but she couldn’t find the confidence to say it. She suspected she wouldn’t want to hear the answer. I am sorry, he said at last. I have enjoyed our time together, however brief, more than anything in these last eons of my existence. She smiled, and the question rose in her throat again. She gritted her teeth, blinked welling tears from her eyes, and chose to ask it. “Will I ever see you again?” To her surprise, he seemed genuinely taken aback. His eyes, which she saw now were not eyes at all, but little specks of cold blue light that shone in the darkness of empty sockets, were searching hers with uncertainty. You… want to? Fluttershy looked at him, and the corners of her mouth began to turn up in a smile. She sniffed, wiped her eyes on her leg, and laughed. “Of course I do! I was afraid you were going to say ‘no’. Sorry, I mean… ’No’.” This time, he laughed. That is a good impression. I thought you would not want to see me again, now that you know what I am. “You’re a kind and gentle man who cares about everyone they meet, no matter what.” She moved closer to him and nestled herself into his side, spreading a wing to embrace his shoulders. “And I’ll miss you.” He looked down at her, and although his jaw didn’t move, Fluttershy understood that he was smiling. And I you. Later that afternoon, it seemed as if the whole town were gathered outside the Golden Oak Library, ready to wish ‘Bill Door’ farewell. Admittedly, most of them weren’t really sure what was going on, but they had been informed that there was free cake available, and who could turn that down? Death and Pinkie stood together at the centre of the circle, as he waved goodbye and she au revoir. Once all were satisfied, Death turned to Pinkie. He had packed his pinstripe suit into a bag, and had returned to wearing his traditional cloak, freshly laundered and ironed courtesy of Rarity. The Scythe of Office was by his side once more. Ready to go? Pinkie nodded, and together they stepped between the worlds. On the Disc, life was mostly returning to what passed as normal. The little people, the people that narrative tends not to notice, the ‘background characters’ who provide atmosphere and backdrop to the main plot, they were going about their daily business without a thought for the events that had been unfolding around them for the past few months. At least, most of them. There was still quite a dedicated number of the citizens of Ankh-Morpork who were very much aware of what had been unfolding. They dressed in pink with conical hats of many colours and held services for the blessings of birthdays, graduations, the passing of seasons, or any social gathering. The Congregation of the Pink Pony of Death were Ankh-Morpork’s hottest new religion, although in the absence of their founder (who had been taken into the great after-party, her work completed), they were struggling to remain relevant. So it was that Roderick Wheatby, a lowly baker’s son, received a vision. As he recounted it to his brethren, he had been kneading the dough for the next morning’s bread when out from the floury haze appeared a shining pink figure, and it had given him a new recipe, burned into a slice of toast, to spread to the faithful in reward for their dutiful service. It called for chipped potatoes, lemon juice, sweetened beverages through which air had been alchemically embedded, and earthworms. The vision of the Pink Pony had called them ‘Baked Bads’. The schism in the church that followed this revelation (and the resulting epidemic of minor food poisoning) became known as the First Croissade. It was to spell the death of the Congregation of the Pink Pony of Death as a major religion, and very soon all the altars of the Pink Pony had been taken down and replaced with the traditional favourites; Offler, Blind Io, and Om, amongst others. Pinkie felt a little guilty about the whole affair, but Death had assured her that it was the kindest way. In his experience, most religions tended to only die off when their followers did. En masse. That dealt with, Pinkie and Death returned to his Domain to make amends with Albert and the Death of Rats. Albert was so overjoyed to see his master return to his work that he quite forgot all the hassle, worry and clean dishes Pinkie had put him through, and the Death of Rats summed up his feelings with a simple and forgiving ‘Squeak.’ After the pair of them had returned to their own duties, Pinkie and Death were left alone in his office. Following a moment of quiet contemplation, Death turned to her. Tell me, he said, as he fiddled with a timer, Why did you perform the Ritual of Ash’Kente that day, to summon me to Ponyville? I have been wondering. She seemed slightly subdued as she answered, “I didn’t mean to do it, to pull you into Ponyville, I mean. I was actually trying to… talk to someone.” Death thought a moment longer. Your grandfather? “Yes!” she blurted out, looking back at him. “I just wanted to let him know I was working with you. I’m sure he’d have been happy. I guess I got the wrong spell, or maybe it’s because I’m an Earth Pony.” There was a short pause. Death put down the timer and raised himself from his seat, walking around to the front of his desk. Once he came to where Pinkie sat, he knelt down from his full eight feet in height to bring his face level to hers. I have just remembered. I have one last task for us to perform together. “Don’t cry, my love. There are many worse ways to go than this. I’m grateful and thankful that you’re all here with me, many wouldn’t even have that. Believe me, I know.” Binky struggled to push himself upright in his bed, and took the hoof of his beloved wife in his own, trying to bring her a measure of comfort. Around the bed stood his whole family; his sons and daughters and all of his grandchildren. He had been ill for some time, and the doctor had advised him to call them all here. Of course, Binky knew he was dying. He had a bit of a knack for it. You picked up these things, over the centuries. His time in Equestria had been very short, relative to his unnaturally long life in Death’s service, but he had spent his time here to the fullest. He began coughing again, and Granny Pie nodded for everyone to leave the room. She didn’t want them to see him pass away. They sat together for what felt like hours. As the clock chimed midnight, Binky Pie grinned. “You have impeccable timing,” he said, to no one in particular. Granny Pie had long loved, and later tolerated his eccentricities, but this she knew wasn’t one. Although she couldn’t see what she imagined her husband could, she knew the time had come. She steeled herself and bit back the tears. There would be time for that later. “My old friend,” Binky continued, “I would like you to meet my wife. She has stood by my side for all the long years I’ve spent here. I wish you could have seen our wedding! The cake! It was magnificent!” He chuckled, which set off a fit of coughing. When it had abated, he slumped back into the pillows with a sigh. He turned to face his wife, and breathed his last words. “He says he sends his sincerest condolences.” Pinkie dried her tears as Death cut the cord and raised Binky to his feet. They looked at one another like old colleagues, and firmly shook hand and hoof. I confess, I am not alone. She was quite insistent. Binky looked confused for a moment, and looked around him as the room faded away into darkness. A figure persisted, one his old eyes, now free of mortal frailty, began slowly to recognize. “Why, is that…?” Pinkie smiled as she walked over and threw her arms around him. “Hi, grandpa. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been up to…” THE END

Cereal Velocity

401

Rarity,Sweetie Belle,Twilight Sparkle,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Having a Ball

complete

<p>Sometimes, getting your cutie mark doesn't mean you have all the answers.</p>

everyone

2011-08-03T19:11:18+00:00

2011-08-03T19:11:18+00:00

Having a Ball By Cereal Velocity “You can’t be serious,” Rarity said to the rather determined-looking mare in front of her. “Most definitely,” the earth pony responded. “That’s exactly what I want.” Rarity resisted her eye’s sudden urge to twitch. The two ponies were huddled around samples of fabric and sketched designs for an evening dress on a table in her boutique. This was the first customer Rarity had seen all day, and it was nearly mid-afternoon- playing tabletop games with her sister was fun, but she ran a shop for a reason. Upon seeing the lavender pony, Rarity had almost jumped for joy. Now all she wanted her to do was leave. The white unicorn took a small breath. “Dear, these colors and this design do not go together. They will clash something horrible with your mane. You’ll look like a disaster.” “So move this bit around to here and cover up the mane,” the earth pony said, nudging a section of the drawing with her nose. “You’re missing the point,” Rarity sighed. “The colors don’t match.” “I think they’ll be fine!” “Can I at least suggest-“ “Look, I’ll show you,” the earth pony insisted. Grabbing with her mouth two of the fabric samples in the colors she wanted, she placed them on her body in a rough approximation of the order of the dress’ folds, and stepped in front of a mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, the lavender pony squealed with delight, turning around and around to view her arrangement from every angle. All Rarity could for a moment was watch in horror. The unicorn finally cleared her throat. “It’s… nice,” she said, levitating the fabric pieces off of the overeager pony and back to the desk. “Tell you what- I’ll make two. One in these colors, and one in a different scheme, and then we can see which one you like best,” she halfway pleaded, putting on her best smile. The earth pony frowned. “Will that cost extra?” she asked. “Well, yes, but-“ “Then I don’t want you to do that,” the mare said. “Just make the one.” Rarity stretched her fake smile a little bit wider. “How about half price for the second dress? I think I can change your mind.” “Nothing doing,” the pony said, shaking her head. “I’ve made up my mind.” Rarity swallowed, letting her smile falter a bit. “Of course, madame.” *** After the money had changed hooves and the mare had left the shop, Rarity let her head hit the table with a thud. Her one customer of the day, and, of course, it had to be one of those ponies. Rarity was a mare of infinite patience, but she really wished some ponies could just let the designer be the designer. This wasn’t anything new to her, of course. Far from it. She had even been comforted in this matter before, by ever-pragmatic Twilight, no less. “As long as they pay, who cares?” she had said. Rarity had mumbled under her breath that she cared, but she didn’t think Twilight had heard her. It wouldn’t have been the first time. It was that fine line that all creative minds walked. It was the difference between what you know looks good versus what the customer wants. And the money, of course. Rarity juggled these familiar thoughts as she walked to the back of the store to gather the fabric she would need to construct the outfit. Maybe she would make that second dress free of charge after all. It might be fun, and it might convince that mare that she was just being weird. Rarity levitated the sliding door of her closet open and unconsciously reached out with her magic to grab a roll of the brown fabric, only to grasp empty air. She looked up at the rack to find an empty slot where she had been reaching. Of course, she was out. Of course. Shaking her head, the unicorn ventured deeper into the closet to see if she had an extra roll stashed somewhere. It was a long shot that she had tossed an extra sleeve back here, but that pattern wasn’t produced locally, and certainly wouldn’t arrive within the day if she ordered it. Best to check first than waste the bits and feel silly. Moving aside boxes of pins and a broken mannequin, she sifted through older and older items. The closet really was a mess- she made a mental note to clean it out someday, even though she knew she wouldn’t. An item dropped from an overhead storage bin as Rarity moved several cardboard boxes. She caught the item without thinking before it hit the ground. She glanced at it idly. It was a rubber ball of some- wait a second. It was a ball. It was her ball. Rarity’s jaw dropped ever so slightly as she turned the sphere with her magic, looking at it from all angles, searching for something. Sure enough, she found what she was looking for: a single, faded blue diamond, printed on the side of the scraped and worn rubber surface. All thoughts of the dress were forgotten in a split second as Rarity sat down, bringing the ball closer to her. She set it down between her legs and gazed at it. She had forgotten she had kept this. She must have tossed it back here many years ago, when she had opened up her shop. Forgoing her magic for a moment, she reached out with a hoof and gently rolled the ball into the wall. It bounced off and came rolling back to her… just as it had so often when she was a filly. *** It couldn’t have been more than a week after Rarity had gotten her cutie mark on the edge of that cliff outside the city. Her parents were thrilled, of course. The first chance they got, they had taken their daughter to the carnival two towns over, as a celebration. Rarity had been asking them to go for months. The day they spent there was almost as exciting as the three gems’ appearance on her flank had been. Rarity, however, despite her jubilance, had been doing some soul-searching for that long week. After the school play had ended and her gem-studded costumes had been hung up, the unicorn had stashed away her mannequins and her fabrics and her sewing machine. She wasn’t sure what exactly her cutie mark meant, but she was sure that gem finding and fashion design were not in line with one another. In retrospect, it wasn’t quite an identity crisis she had been having- nothing as dramatic as that- but she was, nevertheless, a bit conflicted between her previous hobby and whatever her newfound purpose in life was. Her parents had told her that she would find what exactly her mark meant in time, and she had believed them. She was just happy to have it. Perhaps as an addendum to that piece of wisdom, her father had handed her a balloon at some point in the day’s festivities. It was a blue balloon, with three diamond shapes on the side: her cutie mark. Rarity was more proud of the balloon than she maybe should have been, but she didn’t care. She hung on to it throughout the day. Unfortunately, tragedy befell the balloon on the way home. Upon a chance collision with a passing bird’s beak, it had popped as balloons are want to do. Just as the small white unicorn had been more proud to have the gift as she should have been, she was more disappointed by its passing than she expected. She tried to hide this childish response from her parents, but even at the time, she knew they noticed. The next day, her father handed her something else- a box. Rarity had opened the box to find a light blue rubber ball. It was almost as big as she was, and smelled of fresh rubber and ozone. Turning the ball over, she found the same pattern of cyan diamond shapes that had been on her balloon. Instantly, she understood the gesture. She had thanked her father profusely, and the ball and her became instantly inseparable. For a long while, the ball never left her side, except when she was in school (the teacher didn’t allow it in the classroom, of course). All of Rarity’s normal hobbies fell by the wayside in favor of finding new and inventive uses of her newfound toy. She would climb to the top of the highest hill in her part of town, grasp the ball with all four legs, and roll down with it. It was unladylike, to be certain- but for the first time in her young life, Rarity didn’t care. She would do it again and again until either her parents called her in or the sun went down. After a few runs of this, she was often covered in dirt, leaves, and small bruises, and she loved every minute of it. Her mannequins and fabrics, already half-forgotten by the time of the carnival, were almost totally put out of her mind. She has been vaguely aware at the time of her parents being slightly concerned about this behavior, but they never interfered. Rarity couldn’t remember the exact moment when she stopped treating the ball as a toy. All she remembered was one day taking the ball out to the hill, and instead of beginning her usual routine, she caught herself staring at the diamond pattern on its surface. She would look at it, and compare it to her own cutie mark. It was a perfect match, of course, which is what her parents had intended. She remembered thinking back to her musings before the carnival about what exactly her mark meant to her. She had never found an answer. She could find gems. She could find them rather well, as it happened. With nary a conscious thought, her horn would guide her towards any gem she cared to name. She could even, sometimes, with a bit of luck, find certain-colored gems. Gems had many uses in Equestria, and she was quite happy with her bestowed ability. It wasn’t her magic that confused her- it was the fact that she had never quite given gems any consideration in her life. Most ponies of her age that she knew got cutie marks that reflected a hobby or an interest that they already had. And, yet, here she was, with a cutie mark and a magical talent that had literally come out of a blue moon, no matter how useful it may be. Rarity had sat on that hill for the better part of the afternoon, thinking, until her parents called her in for dinner. She hadn’t really tasted her food that night. She was too busy thinking. The next day, she came to her parents and told them that she wanted to try to learn to be a jeweler. They had happily agreed, and taken her to the town’s practitioner. Over the course of the next two weeks, Rarity learned everything she wanted to about shaping and polishing the gems that she was able to find in the ground for the jeweler. She took her practice home, learning to shape the gems with her magic and her tools to produce complicated structures and beautiful shapes. Inevitable, though, Rarity grew tired of simply creating these wonderful things for herself. She went to her father and asked him to teach her about trading and business practices. It took more time than Rarity had expected, but she soon learned the complex systems of selling and buying gemstones, among other things, like their byproducts: diamond-tipped tools, ornaments, and focusing lenses. She even managed to bring in a little money with the things she had made out of her own gems, which had pleased her father greatly. It wasn’t long before Rarity grew tired of this, as well. This time, she wasn’t sure why. She tried a number of other odd jobs in the intervening time, like growing her own gemstones in rocks. Nothing held her interest. For every job that she outgrew, the more frustrated she grew with herself. Sometimes, she would berate herself- called herself impatient, and selfish. Sometimes, she would encourage herself- tell herself that she would eventually find what she was looking for. Nothing really seemed to help, except her ball. She would talk to it. Not out loud, but in her head. She would ask, after every job, what it was that she was doing wrong. The ball would sit there, silent, and refuse to answer her. Rarity would stare at the diamond pattern on the ball, and it served as a strange source of comfort for her that she couldn’t explain. One night, Rarity found a deep gash in the rubber of the ball that she hadn’t noticed before. She assumed it had been from one of her downhill treks. More as a distraction to her thoughts than anything else, she had gone in search of something to fix the gash with. Her search led her to her closet. When she opened the sliding doors, she was surprised to find herself face-to-face with the mannequins she had stuffed there many months ago, all sporting a slight film of dust from disuse. Rarity wasn’t sure at first how to react to the imposing model horses. Fashion design had completely left her mind after she had begun her search as to her cutie mark’s meaning. It was as if she were looking at an alien language, or something from a long-forgotten past life. And, yet, unconscious habit drew her in. Almost without thinking, she grabbed a roll of fabric and some scissors. Levitating both items, she brought them to the ball. Cutting out a pattern with the fabric, she started to overlay the pieces on top of the ball, in order to cover up the gash. In the process, she covered up the cutie mark image by accident, so she started cutting away more fabric. Soon, she began to bring out more equipment- her sewing machine, her needles, and her thread. Throughout the night, Rarity worked to dress up the ball in an elaborate outfit that showed off the cutie mark and hid the unsightly damage she had unintentionally inflicted on it. Her parents found her the next morning, fast asleep among piles of discarded fabric and sewing implements, next to her ball, now properly fashionable. *** Rarity rolled her old ball into the wall again, and it came back to her again. When it did, she turned the ball with her hoof, looking for the gash. It was still there, on the underside, opposite the cutie mark picture. It was smaller than she remembered it being. The unicorn looked up and around herself at her surroundings. Her eyes had grown accustomed to the dark, and now she could see the other things she had stashed this far in the closet. She saw complicated gemstone necklaces and pendants. She saw lenses and multi-colored statuettes. She saw her attempts to find herself. And, in the middle of it all, was her and her ball. She swallowed, looking back down at the toy. Like the gash, it was also smaller than she remembered it being. She couldn’t resist, though. She carefully put her front two hooves on the top of the ball, putting her weight on it. Slowly, she rolled herself forwards over the ball, until she was on her belly. She allowed herself to fall sideways off of it, landing on her side with the ball next to her. She gazed at it with a tiny smile. She heard a small sound at the doorway of the closet. Turning her head, she saw Sweetie Belle, watching her with a confused expression. “Sis, what are you doing in the dark?” she asked. Rarity let her smile grow. “I was looking for something,” she said. Sweetie Belle let an eyebrow drop. “Did you find it?” Rarity looked at the ball between her legs, and then back at her sister; more specifically, at her flank, which was still bare. Still waiting for her own chance, her own set of questions and answers. As she looked, Rarity had an idea. She got to her hooves. “I did. Come on- we’re going to the toy shop,” she said, walking out of the closet. The ball remained on the floor as she shut the door.

Ekevoo

402

The Unpine

complete

<p>Owlowiscious, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Angel find an unusual sanctuary in the middle of the Everfree Forest, but they soon discover that even this little pocket of peace has its own rules, just like everything around it.<br /><br />Please note this fic is a chronicle rather than a story. Expect more descriptions than events.<br /><br />This was my submission to MLP-WTG, week 3.<br /><br />Season 1 canon.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T01:27:48+00:00

The sky was painted multiple shades of purple and orange, getting more and more blue. Elsewhere, Celestia and Luna were just done with sunset and moonrise. But here, right here, at this place, and at this height, it was a strange place for a unicorn, a pegasus, a bunny, and an owl to be. Yes, even the owl. "I'm so glad Owlowiscious found the Unpine still at twilight," the namesake unicorn cheered, sitting comfortably on one of the top branches just off the main trunk, the owl on her back. "I saw this tree appear before my own eyes, but… But I still can't believe I can't see this huge tree from my cottage. It's the only one this high. We can see all of Ponyville clear from here. I can even…" Fluttershy whispered, sitting on a different branch and also facing the main trunk, squinted her eyes past her friend. It was getting darker by the second, but she could still see most of what mattered. Was it really him? Yes, "I can even see Hummingway sleeping by the window! I think we're some good ten meters above all the other canopies. I wonder if he could see me?" Angel was just in front of Fluttershy. He squinted his eyes in the same direction the pegasus did, but his sight was by far the worst of the four. He just sat back at the branch, folding his arm, announcing solemnly his unwillingness to be there. Twilight only shook her head to Fluttershy's question. "No, we are also covered by the illusion magic of this tree until we stop seeing it. That's why the bark can be used for illusion potions. It's also a central ingredient of Gossamer Grove Glue, one of the most potent glues in the market, so don't hurt it." She stretched her head a bit closer to Angel, and extended her recommendation. "And don't nibble on it either." The bunny just glared in return. Can we start this already? Fluttershy decided not to push it with her little white friend. "Let's collect the leaves, Twilight. I don't think Angel wants to stay here very long." And he didn't need to be told twice. He jumped to the third branch, that neither the ponies were using, looking at both of them, his eyes were begging for instructions. The unicorn happily obliged. She pointed with her head to the leaves far behind the bunny, and recited the instructions. "I'll put a sparkle where you have to break the leaves. Always break them away from the branch straight, and never wiggle them. Don't shove the leaves in the bag, try to have them as flat as possible, even if they're narrow." Angel ran towards the sparkle and slowly broke the leaf it indicated. He looked back at Twilight as if to ask for confirmation. She nodded with a satisfied smile and the bunny went on to it. The sooner they were done the sooner they'd get down to home sweet home. Owlowiscious had been looking down for a while now. "Hoo," he informed, and then he took off Twilight's back and flew straight down. "How can this single tree grow alone here anyway? Or are there more like this in the Everfree forest?" Fluttershy pondered, as she exchanged a full bag with an empty bag with Angel. "Nobody knows. The book gave a list of known Unpines, and declared this one to be the only one in Tailbes… the city before this became the Everfree Forest. It's said these trees are almost as old as the Princesses, if not older." She looked up at Luna's moon, with a short sigh of frustration. "I'm going to ask Princess Celestia later. It's really annoying to read wild guessing in an academic book… Even if research was a more lighthearted art back then." Twilight was looking at the tree bark in front of her, carefully peeling some more. Her telekinesis was the only safe way to handle it, and her bags were thicker and waterproof. Fluttershy made a soft laugh. "I can see why. So this place was a city?" The pegasus looked towards the spot they defeated the Nightmare Moon… more or less. It wasn't visible from there, due to other trees. "I guess that's why we found a palace in the middle of it." As she mused, she thought she heard a voice down below… or was it a bird? Twilight blinked. "Yes. It was the old capital. Biggest city in Equestria back then, yet… still smaller than Ponyville today. I can't even picture that!" She was still having trouble adapting to Ponyville's small town vibe at times. Her butter yellow friend whispered, more to herself, "I can." It was a soothing image to picture in her mind. Bucolic, sparse homes, much like her cottage, and lots of nature around. Beautiful, starry nights like today. It was already dark, the west horizon had a very narrow light that was quickly fainting. She smiled to herself, into her imagination, until brought back to the real world by Angel's shoving yet another filled bag onto her hoofs. And then she heard that voice again. "Twilight…? Can you hear that?" "Hoo! Hooooo!" Owlowiscious! It was now loud clear to both of them, a screaming call for help. Fluttershy darted down, leaving the bags at the branch. Twilight lit her horn, invoking the same magic that brought her up there. She walked towards the main trunk and started walking on it, defying gravity, only her mane and tail obeying the laws of physics. She wished she could at least trot, but then she'd fall. And Angel, left there, groaned silently and pressed on his assignment — he knew he couldn't help with whatever was happening, but if they were going to be lingering on, at least it wasn't going to be his fault: back to work! — "So you hunted a squirrel, and then you ate it, and when you stepped on the squirrel… uh…" Twilight was having trouble saying the word, as she was seeing the dried dark red spill before her eyes. Sure, she knew Owlowiscious was carnivore, but she didn't usually have to witness that fact. "Hoo!" "Yes, that. And then you got stuck when you stepped on it? I wonder that activated the glue spell?" She looked closer. Owlowiscious, talons didn't seem stuck, but when she just lit up her horn a little, there it was, a light brown aura. "Yes, that's it." Twilight started to think. How to set him free? She lit her horn again and tried a teleportation spell, but the spell was unable to take the owl without the tree, which wasn't the point. Owlowiscious tried to fly off again, in despair, even knowing it would fail. Fluttershy flied closer. "Is that magic glue dry, Twilight?" The unicorn just nodded, thinking of some other spell to try. The pegasus inhaled in preparation for the horrible taste she was about to feel and went on to lick Owlowiscious' paws, in hopes it would slide off when wet. He blinked, took by surprise by this, and felt a little relieved. He could tell, though, it didn't help his actual problem. Twilight stepped closer, looking at the owl's eyes. Can she dream to safely cut open gossamer grove glue without hurting her favorite junior assistant? "Owlowiscious… I can try to cut it. I'll do it very very delicately and slowly, and only if you're ok with that." He nodded, he just wanted out! And so the unicorn lit up her horn… concentrating on the delicate magic she was performing… But no… It wasn't giving way for her cutting spell. It just wasn't. "I give up," she blurted out, panting a bit, "I… I can't try any harder. I could hurt you badly if I go any stronger than this." It was then that Twilight noticed that Fluttershy had left while she was trying her cut spell. She looked up to see the pegasus bringing Angel to join the group. "He was done anyway," she explained, as she perched beside the owl. The bunny hopped down onto the branch, noticing Owlowiscious situation, and inspected closer the dark brown body beside the owl. He smelled the squirrel a bit (Fluttershy was a bit disturbed at the nonchalant way he examined that corpse), and then pushed it off with his large foot, imagining it would be stuck too. But it wasn't. It fell down into the dense canopies beneath them. They could hear the leaves ruffle, and some wings flapping. "You're free!" The ponies said that at the same time, very relieved. Owlowiscious was flapping his wings, unstuck! Finally! Despite his beak, he was noticeably smiling, and flew two quick laps around his companions before stopping right in front of Twilight. He very clearly stated how he missed being at Ponyville. "Hoo!" As if in cue, Angel pointed to the leaves in Fluttershy's saddlebags and then to her cottage. "Looks like you're all eager to leave," Twilight said. She didn't collect as much bark as she wanted for her experiments, but at least there were plenty of leaves. The issue was that the unicorn didn't want to leave without trying to at least probe the magic in the tree itself, so she would have something to compare afterwards. "You go ahead, I'll just try to see the magic in the main trunk." — Angel was fast asleep in a large pillow in one of the cottage's rooms, dreaming the day's events away. Fluttershy and Owlowiscious were both drinking tea, to warm up from the soft chill of the early night, and Futtershy in particular wanted to wash away what she previously licked. It was just a couple minutes shy of the time Twilight promised she'd be back. The owl was curiously looking around him, just now getting acquainted to the cottage, while the pegasus was staring at the beautiful sky Luna brought up every night, right at the spot the tree was supposed to be. To her relief, with impeccable punctuality, Twilight teleported into her cottage. It all worked well. Until Fluttershy looked into her friend's eyes. The unicorn looked confused, surprised, or something in between. "Twilight, are you okay?" "I… I am." She laid on her stomach right there. Fluttershy looked at her worried, it was clear that Twilight wasn't all that ok. The unicorn shook her head, and looked around, now finally in sync with where she was. Were they having tea? "Can I… have some tea too?" Fluttershy served it immediately for her friend. She handed the cup to Twilight, looking into her eyes, and slowly asked, "Twilight, please tell me what happened." She sighed. She was still sorting it all in her head, but decided to start from the beginning of the conversation that happened before. "The tree doesn't like carnivorous animals, basically. It traps dead animals with what killed them. But only this one Unpine, other Unpines may be ok with it." The pegasus was both excited and frightened by this idea. "So trees do have personality." "No," Twilight blurted out. "Well, not like this one. I don't know about actual trees." "The Unpine isn't a tree, then?" Fluttershy was confused. "No, it wasn't always a tree." She sighed. "Remember in that train, that you said you wanted to be a tree? I'm not so sure this is a good wish to have, Fluttershy." The pegasus only blinked in reaction, a blink that had many questions. Before she could formulate them, Twilight kept explaining. "I talked to the tree. It used to be a pony. All of the Unpines did. There was a spell back then that transformed a pony into a tree after he just died, but it could only be done by the Queen, the mother of our Princesses." Twilight sipped on the tea slowly, eyes closed. She was choosing carefully her next words. "It wasn't… consciously alive. The personality of that pony is echoing into that tree and will keep doing so until this tree dies. It can take many more centuries. He told me a bit about what Tailbes was. And I tried to explain how Ponyville is today and he didn't seem to accept it… it didn't match what he knew. I'm not sure." "Twilight…" Fluttershy knew where she was getting at. "It kind of disturbed me, I wouldn't want you to become some permanent shadow of yourself, Fluttershy." She was actually pleading now. "I… I thought about it a lot since that trip, Twilight." She smiled, appreciating the concern of her friend, but some explanation was in order. She started walking towards the window. "I renenber your worried tone when I asked you to actually make me in a tree just before we came back. But when I did finally get back to my cottage… I realized how silly of a fantasy that was. The animals are already more around me." She very softly petted Hummingway, careful to not wake him up. He was still in the same spot she saw during twilight, from the Unpine. "I'm already living the way I really want to live. And I can help these animals much more as a pony." As Fluttershy finished that last point, she went through a bag and took some cat food, as this was the time for them. Suddenly the quiet silence of the living room was filled with three cats and two kittens, all mewing loudly about how hungry they were. She served a few cups into their bowls and watched them eat. Twilight also watched, listening to them mew and purr, and then the crackling noise of their eating. It was clear, Fluttershy meant it.

Hyperion

403

Angel,Gummy,Opalescence,Owlowiscious,Winona,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Pets: Friendship is Magic

complete

<p>My second fic for MLP WTG(writers training grounds). this week theme is a pet stick in a tree, in everfree forest. enjoy, if you want :P</p>

everyone

2011-08-03T19:39:51+00:00

2011-08-03T19:39:51+00:00

My Little Pets: Friendship is Magic It was a very nice day today in Ponyville. The sun was bright and warm, with no clouds in sight. One little cat was enjoying this day. Inside Carousel Boutique, Opalescence was taking a nice nap near the window. “Meow…” smiled Opal as she turned on her side. Suddenly, Opal heard a knock on the door and opened one eye as she watch her owner, Rarity, head to the door and open it. The cat just yawns and returns to her nap. *blink* Opal opened her eyes and was face-to-face with two purple eyes. Acting quickly, Opal jump into the air and had her claws on the ceiling. As she calm down, she realizes who it was. It was Pinkie’s pet, Gummy. *blink* Opal came down and was about to slice the little alligator up but she notices something taped to Gummy neck, as he stood up and started to blink again. It was a note that reads: Dear Opal Mommy is going out with Pinkie. I need you to watch over Gummy, since Pinkie doesn’t like it when he’s all alone. Be a good girl for mommy, okay? Rarity Opal took the note and tosses it a side and walk off, while leaving Gummy all alone. *blink?* Opal entered Rarity’s bedroom and started to claw her little bed before going to sleep. But before she could go to sleep, a very loud crash could be heard from down stairs. Fast as her little feet could carry her, Opal made it down stairs and was horrify to see EVERYTHING scattered across the room, while Gummy was just playing with a ball of yarn. “MEOW!” shouted Opal as she gave chase at Gummy, who was riding on the ball across the room. This chase went on for a few minutes as Opal was able to grab a piece of yarn from the ball and started to pull it. Gummy fell on the ground and was blinking as he notices the ball of yarn was now gone. He went derp as Opal got near him… The back door of Carousel Boutique opened and Gummy went flying as Opal sticks her tongue out and quickly shut the door. As Opal was staring at the huge mess, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo quickly entered the room and started to clean the mess as they shouted something about how they failed again. Realizing who fault this was, Opal quickly ran outside and didn’t found Gummy anywhere. With Sweetie Belle and her friends still cleaning, Opal quickly ran to Twilight’s house. *SLAM!* Opal was hoping to see Twilight or even Spike but only found him… “Who?” said Owlowiscious as he turn his head like an owl will do as he stop reading a book from Twilight’s reading stand “Who?” Opal ran over to the owl and started explaining what she did and how Gummy is now gone! After finishing listen to Opal, Owlowiscious opened his wings and took off outside. “Meow…” whispered Opal as she dash off to find Fluttershy and Applejack. As this was happening, Gummy was just walking along on the dirt path as it head to Everfree forest. Gummy stop and stood up and started to blink. This went on for a few seconds, until he look back and blink. With that, Gummy entered the forest but not after Owlowiscious was able to spot him. After heading back into town, Owlowiscious spotted Opal and she was with two other pets. It was Angel and Winona. As he landed, Angel started to tap his feet as he wanted to find Gummy real quick, since Opal pulled him from his lunch, that Fluttershy made for him before she left somewhere. “Who who who who who who!” explained Owlowiscious to the gang of pets. Winona quickly ran next to the owl and started to bark. Soon everyone nodded and started to follow Owlowiscious to the forest. As they made it there, Winona took point, as she started to smell Gummy scent. Meanwhile, Gummy came to a stop under a tree and look up. There in the tree was a fruit of some kind. Learning from Pinkie, he started to walk up on the tree as he headed to the fruits. Back with the others, Winona soon found Gummy’s scent and was leading the others to the tree, where Gummy just climb on. As they search around of the base of the tree, Angel was hit on the head with a fruit. As they all look up, they could see Gummy and he was trying to get the fruits but couldn’t. “Meow!” shouted Opal to Gummy “MEOW, MEOW, MEOW!” explained Opal as she said sorry but Gummy kept trying to get the fruit. Angel did a face-palm and quickly spoke to Owlowiscious and explained to him to get Gummy. Owlowiscious nodded and took off to get him. “Who!” smiled Owlowiscious as he flew next to Gummy. *blink!* Everyone down below was shock to see Gummy as he tried to bite Owlowiscious. Angel and Opal did a sigh before started to climb the tree. Angel turned back and saw Winona just staring at them. “BARK!” cheered Winona as she wig her tail and watch as Angel waved back. Before the two could reach the top, Owlowiscious started to scream. As they reach the top, Angel and Opal did a sweatdrop as they saw Gummy, chewing on Owlowiscious head. “Meow…” sighed Opal as she did a face-palm. Angel quickly ran up to them and started to pull Gummy off but as soon he got Gummy off, Gummy calm onto Angel’s head. As Angel started to fight, the branch they were on, started to break. Seeing this, Owlowiscious pick up Angel (and Gummy who was still on Angel’s head) by his feet but couldn’t get Opal in time as the branch finally broke. As Opal was screaming, Winona quickly got into place and was able to save her. *** As the pets stood in front of Rarity’s house, Angel, who gave up on getting Gummy off, was tapping his feet as Opal quickly went inside and returned with a ball of string. Seeing this, Gummy let Angel go and started to wig his tail but he was quickly kicked in the rear by Angel, who was covered in spit. *On this day, Opal and the other pets learned to never get in between Gummy and a fruit* Fin

Harmony Spirit

405

Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Return to Memories Past

complete

<p>Princess Luna has return to the land of Equestria, after her living nightmare trapped her. She find her first nights back, to be not much better than those from long ago. Finding the new castle of Canterlot too strange, so she sets off to see the home she and her sister once knew a thousand years ago.</p><p>A little adventure of Past and Present, in the mysterious land of Everfree Forest.</p><p>Cover image is not my own, but upon seeing it originally, I was so inspired, that I wrote this whole story. Thank you to the artist, for creating such a fine piece.</p>

everyone

2011-08-04T01:15:36+00:00

2011-08-04T01:15:36+00:00

This story is based on characters from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cartoon series. Characters which are under ownership of Hasbro and Lauren Faust. I claim no ownership of the original characters, nor is this a licensed work of either. This is a work of fan faction. Story is created by Jimaza Dememder (c) 2011 My Little Pony is a property of Hasbro, originally created by Bonnie Zacherle (c) 1981 Friendship is Magic is created by Lauren Faust (c) 2010 Dedicated to the light of the Night, Princess Luna. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Night was strong, the Moon bathed the land in it's radiance. Stars cloaked the sky, their own glow, faded by the intensity of the lunar body. The land was quiet, as most were at rest, but not all souls slumbered in the night, a fact made true by the Princess so only recently returned to the land. Once, the very emblem of her court, was her prison. In a time when she was in another mind, one that ruled her body and twisted it into an evil image of herself. An alter ego, that would last a thousand years. As the cold night wind blew across the open fields, causing the grass to be pulled with it's breath. The trees stayed fast, but were not completely immune. They groaned in protest, as the winds pushed over their forms. It was a midnight song, as the trees creaked, and the winds howled. As with most nights, the sounds went unnoticed, save for the few creatures nocturnal, and light sleepers. Tonight, one was listened to it's rhythm. For a short time, she allowed her mind to wonder. She stood beyond the nearby Town of Ponyville, current home to her sister's student, and much attention in recent events. A legend near forgotten, had come true none the less, and a nightmare had returned. Bested by the six elements of Harmony, reborn, and all migrated toward this little place. Fate, dumb luck, who knew the reason? It may very well have been Princess Celestia, of the Day. She had a wisdom, that few could begin to grasp, and she could have easily set into place these six souls, to find their home here, so near the land once home to the sisters of Balance, the Sun and Moon, the Rulers of Equestria. It was in this land lost to magick's touch, and now a source of fear for most. Here, was the former capitol of the Royal Sisters, here was once a land so beloved by all. A thousand years past, and the land was it's own. A land of strange creatures not seen often, or at all outside it's borders. Here, is where Princess Luna, of the Night, returns to find memories long lost. To see her home again, with her own eyes, and not those of her demon self, or in the echoes of her memories. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - The Return to Memories Past Everfree, once a name held in high regard. A name that ponies said in fondness, and when thought of, gave hopes and dreams to all ponykind. For the two glorious Royal Sisters ruled from it, blessing all their subjects, with their love and grace. Now, all that is a dream to the past. Reality now holds this land as one of terror, and rumor. Few dare trot these cursed lands, for they do not wish to be risk their fates to a world that has it's own will. Princess Luna, was not one to shrink in spite of these facts. She loved these lands once, and grew up in them. She held no fear here, for after spending a millennium trapped in a form of pure evil, she feared little any more, but the rejection of her sister, and ponies she tries to serve. Such things, were not at risk here, so fear could not grip her. Just outside the entrance, she stood, her coat shining in the brightness of the Moon she had brought forth. Her colour was the deep blue of a midnight sky, it held much of her body, her wings, and horn. Her flank was much darker, a blackness like clouds that rolled in the night sky. It skirted the edges of her hips ending rounded, with dots just beyond. In the center of this curtain over her rear, on each hip, was the mark of her calling, a Crescent Moon of white. Her mane and tail matched in colour, a lighter blue, almost crystal, as it glistened in light. Her mane curved from her head, and flowed down into several points that curled up. It caressed her face and featured, but did not hinder her view or that of her beauty. Her tail, flowed from her, as a crystal blue river. Long and fluent. Her eyes were an icy blue, but held much life and care. She used them to see all before her, with great hope and love. As true with most ponies, she was bare, save simple adornments. Being a Princess of this land, she was more elaborate than most. Each hoof wore a glass shoe, a light blue like her mane, but tinted more, by the hooves under the surface. Each was a design like the top half of a star, three rounded points, not goings far from the base that hardly made it past the first joint going up, in the pony lower leg. She too wore a simple chest piece, ebony like the dead of night, with the only light, a crescent moon in the center. The last bit of royal flair, was her crown, three points, one long, with one shorter on each side. It was a dark as her chest piece. She could easily fly, she knew just where the lost Castle lay, but she wished to claim all the visions, and trotted slowly through. The winds of Equestria, did not seem as brave, for inside the borders, it was a whole other kind of weather. Quiet, and warmer. The distant trees, creaked, from their age. Luna could recall some of these trees, so far from the Castle, being much shorter and younger, now they felt the weight of their own age and size. It gave her thoughts of how her sister and herself, were nearly ageless. It made her wonder, if she would ever feel the ages like these fauna. Like her sister, she was as old if not older than some of these trees. A creature that seemed immortal to most, were almost equals to these great ponies. Moving ever deeper, she could see and feel the creatures around her. Some danced just beyond her sight, others hid, but with her aura feeling out any potential dangers, she could tell they were there. Most were simple animals, no more harmful, than those in Equestria. Some, she could tell, where those that struck fear into hearts. Not so much the monsters that most thought of them, but still dangerous, and had she been a simple pony, they would have made their move. -Many years ago- A young pony with both wings and a horn, galloped along in the bright sun. Her darker blues, of her body and lighter of mane, seem to glow slightly. She wore a little black crown, that too, shined a deep blue in the light. She laughed, as she made her way through the trees. "Luna?" A voice called out, it was not filled with concern, but playfulness. "I will find you, silly. I can feel your magick" "No cheating!" She cried out, taking a stance looking very upset by the news. She quickly realized her folly, and then covered her mouth in her hooves. Worried she was found, the little filly ducked into the trees. She could hear laughter, as her sister was getting closer. So the younger princess darted farther and farther, into the thicker areas of the forest. Here she would blend more in with the magick the bathed this land. Forcing herself to keep her beautiful blues eyes ahead, so lost was she in the joy of the game she was playing. Luna came to the opening of the thick batch of trees, and realized what she had done. She climbed the hill, and now stood over a deep incline. The canopy was open now, and the sun came through, so she saw all before her. It was beautiful here, the trees so full of life, and more coming. The distance, she saw a river snake through the valley, it looked so inviting, she wanted to go to it. Maybe swim a bit, she felt no danger here in her homeland. No pony did from this land that was made just for them. That safety would not last. She was too near the edge, and slipped over. With a quick turn, she gripped, the best she could with hooves to the lip of the cliff. She strained to lift herself up, but could not do much more than hold on and her strength was failing to do that much. Recalling something her sister had said once. "I will love you always, and so long as you have my love, I will watch over you. Should you ever feel scared, or alone. remember that fact. As the Moon glows from the embrace of the Sun, you shale be so by me. Night or Day" Seeing the sun above, she felt like her sister was right there. It’s warm embrace, was like the caresses and nuzzles the sisters shared. It’s light giving her hope, filling her with her own light. She closed her eyes, and focused on her sister. She let go of the edge, knowing it was an eventual outcome, but she would keep control. Despite the uselessness of doing so, she spread her tiny, yet strong enough, wings. They would slow her down some, on their own. She would fall for a short time, but she never let go of her sister's words. Her mind so focused on the words, and love the sisters shared, she did not even feel the rush of air as gravity held her, pulling down on the tiny form. Something took hold of her, her wings burned, not in pain, but warmth that always seem to radiate from her sister’s smile. She opened her eyes, and expected to see the older pony, but it was only light embracing her. The sun seem to shine brighter, as she was bathed in the light, and slowly brought to the ground. When she was safely there, the light faded from her, and she stood there, thinking about how crazy it was to trust her words at a moment like that, but the look of pure honesty in her sister's eyes, she knew she would not lie to her. It was not crazy at all, but honesty of their bond. -Presently- Princess Luna, looking more like an explorer now, as she slid down the side of the cliff. She hopped down on a couple little ledges, till she neared the ground. Once below, she took in the sights around her. The Moon still shined brightly over all she saw. It was nearly like having the sun at night. She had put a lot into it tonight, she wanted to see all she could. During the day, she needed her rest, so she had little choice in time to have this trip. The river was a bit of a ways off, it had seemed closer when she was above. So she started on the path again. It was still a quiet night, and nothing was around. Either they avoided her, or was just a still night. This land, once so familiar, now was a mystery. -In the past- The young Luna looked around, as she went deeper into the forest. She found it odd that she found herself so lost. The Castle should have been much closer, and her Sister was no where to be seen or heard. So long as the warmth of the sun was on her, she felt safe. Her sister was watching her, and so she felt this was an adventure, not a danger. The fire of excitement, burned in the little filly. After a few moments, she was heading back into some more thick gatherings of trees. Something was moving around in the trees, but Luna did not hear it at first. She was too caught up in the moment, and noticing the change in the atmosphere. The area was getting darker, as the canopy grew closer and thicker. It made the young pony princess a bit nervous, as she kept looking up to the sky, hoping to see the sun. Soon though, she could not make it out, and with her eyes fixed on the tree line, she did not see the creature ahead of her. "Ow" She cried out, when she hit into the figure "Oh... I am sorry" She looked up to it, trying not to show the unease she felt by it’s appearance. It looked down at her, she wasn't sure what it was, but looked rather fearsome. A lion face, a build like a bull, and strong bat wings, and a tail like a scorpion. In all, a beast built for power. She would learn much later, that this was a Manticore. "Um..." Luna looked around, as the creature just glared at her. "Are you ok... sir?" She was not sure if it was one or the other, but given the mane, she assumed male. She did not dare glance under it, in fear the beast would have been offended by the innocent peak. After a few moments, the creature walked off. Luna watched him go, then looked toward the path she was on, then back at the beast getting farther a way. She wanted to go on, but something was not right, so she galloped after him. He had an air about him, that seemed longing, or sad. "Hey, you alright... uh sir?" She trotted beside him. "I may not be much now, but I am a princess. It is my duty to help those in Equestria. What my sister always says" She smiled nervously, hoping she could break the barrier between them. They were getting deeper into the woods, no sun was coming through now, but Luna would not give up. She was far off her path now, doing so now, would prove the whole thing a waste of time. When it was clear he would not speak back, she just followed quietly. After a while, that air seem to shift, feeling more like contentment. She did not fully understand why he was seeming to take on a lighter mood, but she was slightly distracted by the area she was in. It was getting very dark, and Luna could hardly see the creature. She looked around, seeing only darkness, she started to get afraid. She was alone, and no sun to watch over her. Luna was not typically afraid of the dark, but with not even her own moon to light her way, and in a strange area of Everfree, she didn't know what would happen. Bits of light started to come through, but they only made things worse, casting shadows, and making shapes appear. Soon the young Princess was surrounded by monstrous shapes. Trees that looked to want to eat her. "Oh no..." She whimpered, and started to panic. She moved around, looking for anything familiar, but nothing was. She called out to her sister, but she didn't answer. She looked up, at the faces in the threes. Wicked faces, and looking dangerous. The whole forest seem to turn on her. She tried to calm herself, by telling herself that she was the night, and how shadows played tricks on minds stressed. After her little pep talk, she was more at ease. So Luna pressed on, trying to find her way, but she was disoriented. The faces where ever watching, but she tried to pay no mind, they were only illusion. She laughed at herself, for being so foalish to worry about them at all. She thought it was silly of her to be afraid of the shapes in the dark, but she was still lost. That was a real threat, and needed attention. She wondered how she became so lost, and remembered the beast she was following. She only wanted to help him, but ended up getting worse off. She was nearly getting mad, at the silent creature, and putting blame on him. In the quiet of the forest she heard a sound, and started to follow it. It was hardly as threatening as the trees, and it seemed to call to her. So given her choices, following this call, was an easy decision. After a short time, the light seem to increase, and the sun started to warm her again. She looked out, and saw the river not far off. She knew she was nearer to her goal. She galloped out of the forest, and skidded to a stop, looking back. "Wait, how... what made that noise?" She wondered. She darted her head around, scanning the area. Her search took a moment, but in the shadows she saw the shape of something. After much studying, just as the figure started to disappear, she realized, it was that creature she followed. Seemed he gave her some kindness, as she tried to give him. Maybe he just wanted some company, not to lure her to her doom. He received company, and for her troubles, Luna found herself just where she sought. She started to laugh at it all, feeling all her worries go a way as she did, moving closer to the river, and feeling the warmth of the Sun return with no faces to ruin it. -Presently- Princess Luna, in that same darkness from so long ago, placed a hoof to the trunk of a tree. She felt the shapes, the trees had grown, but some of those evil faces still lingered. Musing at the idea, that once monstrous trees so young then, must look like old, and haggard creatures now. Out of the forest again, she trotted toward the snaking river, it's name, she felt sorry that she could not recall. It was a place she use to frequent many times in her younger age. After a bit of a trek, she reached the edge, and looked into the waters, seeing her reflection. "Oh my, I've become such a mess" She laughed, seeing the smudging of dirt all over, and bit of this and that she had gathered since her journey into this forest. She started taking off her hoof wear, bits of armor, and resting her crown on it all. The Princess stepped into the waters, feeling the same warmth, that was in the air. It slowly seeped into her body, filling her with such ease, and comfort. Once she was fully in, she positioned herself, and rested her back to the embankment, allowing herself to soak in the waters for a time. Moments past, and she felt a shift in the waters. The royal pony, had her eyes closed, but now opened them slowly, studying the area for potential risk. Her movements were easy, and calm. If there was risk, she did not wish to make it apparent. What ever that she felt, she only wanted to seem curious. The movement slowed, all that was left, were little rippling waves. They moved toward, and past her. Some, displaced by her body, rippled back out. She was about to get out, when something shot out of the waters. It loomed over her, shadow casting from it by the Moon’s light, it nearly eclipsed her. She took some time, judging the situation. Still making off she was not afraid of what was before her. Only trying to make out what it was that now towered out of the water. "I know you?" She asked, when something came to mind. She squinted to look. "Me?" He spoke, moving so he was no longer a shadow. A purple serpent, with a long mustache, though one was a violet colour, the other golden. "I don't believe so, but maybe you knew my father. I get mistaken for him often" He laughed, in a flamboyant way. "Yes, I do know him. So he did have a son!" She smiled wide, old memories of a friend, rushing to her mind. "Did always want one, as he mentioned many times" He looked at her, and studied her. Then it struck him. "Oh my goodness, you are that pony princess!" "One of" She laughed, giving him a warm smile. "This is so wonderful, he spoke of you often. How he missed you, and all the times you spent together" He moved closer, nearly coiling around her, as he rested his exposed half on the ground around where she was propped up. "Is he still around? I don't know how long Serpents can live, would love to see him again" She was a bit excited, she did not have many friends long ago, part of the reason she feel into her sorrow, but she did not think she would ever seen those before the banishment again. The idea thrilled her. He took on a look of forlorn, and then looked away. It seemed Luna’s hopes were lost, as the son spoke. "Sadly, no. Been a few years now" The weight hit her, and she looked down, feeling a pain in her chest. She lost so much because of Nightmare Moon, but to have so much hope, to be claimed, even after the demon was gone, her corruption still lingered and haunted the mare. She would not allow it to ruin her chances for new friendships, especially from one she had before, owns offspring. Luna placed a hoof on him, hoping to strike a new friendship, and show him some of what the passed serpent, had cherished for from the pony. "I am so sorry" She started, “I could say so much about him, and our friendship” He looked at her, and smiled through sorrow filled eyes. “Please tell me?” -In the past- Young Princess Luna stood at the waters edge, looking to the other side. "Hmm" She thought to herself. "Luna?" She heard a voice call out, this time the sound was known to her. "Sister, where are you?" It was filled now, with worry and concern. No longer the joyfulness before, when it was only a game. She made a step toward the voice, but stopped, something caught her eye. With a glance, she saw something laying out on the beach. With out hesitation, she galloped over to the figure. As she neared it, made out the shape of a large serpent, a dragon-like creature, with a long mane of Orange, that went all the way down his deep red body. Least what she could make out, from that which was out of the water. When Luna was close enough, she slowed, and looked at him. "Are you ok sir?" She was fairly sure this time, it was a male. Not many species had mustaches on both genders, less so, a long flowing beard. He did not move, so she nudged him, and act that was fairly pitiful, given the size difference. "Sir, what is wrong?" It was becoming clear to her that, a few creatures were having issues on this day. "Oh leave me little pony..." He finally said, a voice weighted by unspoken troubles. He still made no moves, beyond breathing. "What is wrong? I can help you" Her own tone was flooded with concern, it was in her nature to feel sympathy, and care. Was her position to be just so, and she would not abandon a lonely Manticore, nor a sorrowful serpent. He finally took action, and rolled enough for his eyes to looked at her. With a heavy sighed, defeated by the persistent little Princess. "I doubt that... You could not possibly help me" She took a seat, not about to leave. She could still hear her sister calling, but Celestia had to wait for now. As much as she wanted to go home, and see her sister again, he needed her more. "Can at least tell me, maybe I can?" She tried to give him a smile that would reassure him, hoping it was enough to show that she cared. Some times, she found not long ago, the simplest acts, could do wonders. He lifted up, looking like a giant as he loomed above her. "Very well, could not be worse than just laying here" He cleared his throat, and started on his troubles. A story about a love he has, but she was very upset. The details to her own troubles, he did not go into. He wanted to cheer her up, but the one thing in all the land she loved besides him, was a rare flower. It grew out on one of the high mountains in Everfree. It was impossible for him to go, for he could not be out of the water for so long of a trip as that would be. "I'll go!" She called out, jumping to her hooves, and looking excited to do it. She wore also, the expression of determination. "It's far too dangerous for a little filly, and it is nearing twilight. Should just go home, and worry not for poor old me" He twisted his upper half, throwing his head a way from her sight. He was looking dramatic, but it was not a show. His troubles were deep felt, and his doubt in finding their end, embraced him too tight. She thought about it now, lifting her head straight up, looking to the sky. The Sun was nearing it's dusk, and she was suppose to be home to bring forth the moon. Her sister could do the deed, but it was her job, and not fair to put it off on her. Though this was not some game of hide and seek, or just avoiding her duties. She was out to help another soul in need, something very serious, and she felt was just cause to shirk her duties this one time. The young Princess stomped her hoof, calling attention back to herself. "No, it is my duty as Princess, to aid those in need! And it is my duty, to be a friend in need to any who need me!" He slowly moved himself to studied her, and found such strength in her words and in her eyes. She was so young, at least as he could tell, but her heart was strong. A heart that seemed to be tempered by proper lessons of what it meant to be a true friend. She a aglow with the spirit of friendship, it seem to ease him some, bringing a light smile to his lips. -In the Present- Princess Luna had parted with the serpent, and made her way up the towering mountain. She could recall how hard it was for her as a filly, the grass then was so thick, and terrain seemed much more dangerous. Though she had use of her wings now, she did not call upon them. She still wished to travel as she did so long ago, to relive her adventures. After a short time, she was at the top. Looking out at the vastness of Equestria. She saw Everfree, the quiet little town of Ponyville, the fields where the diamond dogs hunted for their obsession, and so much. It was breath taking, now, as it was then. With the moon high and strong in the sky, and the stars aiding in the illumination, Equestria, her home, her rule, was bathed in her light. She swelled with pride, at the sight of the land, much as she did then, nearly forgetting just why had she came. The first time, since she entered the forest, she felt a chilled breeze. At this height, not even Everfree could prevent the coldness of the land beyond, from touching here. It snapped the Princess back to her reality, as the bitterness that it once was too her, was almost soothing now. -In the Past- It was humbling, seeing the vast rule of the Royal sister's. The Sun was so bright still, as it neared the horizon, the coldness of the nearing night, was so gripping up here. It did not keep her from a lingering gaze, as she could see the whole land. What a sight to the little filly, she was trying to name all the parts she saw. Luna made notice of the little gathering of homes, by a small farm land. It was the Earth pony's town of Ponyville, formed not very long ago. Looking well on it’s way to becoming a fine little town. After admiring the budding lands, she recalled why she had come, and started to look around for the flowers. She would not fail her new friend, not allowing the beauty of what she had a hoof in guarding, to distract her any longer. A beautiful flower, so perfectly named, “Iris of Passion” It’s colours seem to shift, depending on who held them. Given, they would turn into an array of colours, that filled the heart with such joy. They were truly born from the magick of love, and fed off it. She came upon a small batch of them, and smiled wide as she neared them. She started to scrape the ground around them, and dug them carefully out of the whole. It was tricky, but she managed to get a few out, and placed them near one another, so she could grabbed them in her mouth. She could have easily used her magick on this task, but was too afraid. She was good, but at times, she lost focus, or control, and she did not wish to level the area. "Sister?" A voice called, as she was nearly about to take hold of the plants. She turned to see her older sister Princess Celestia decent from above. Her radiance was not just of the sun, but her own very being. Her own, was well aided by the colours of fading light on the horizon. Her appearance did not change much over the ages, but she did get taller, and eyes would fill with the wisdom she would earn. Her coat was purest of white, but also seem to tease with a shade of pink. Her mane now, was not so filled with her magick, as it hung from the side of her head and neck, in the pink much stronger than her body’s illusion. Her eyes were a deep violet. Like Luna, she wore the royal dressings, but of Gold, and much more elaborate. Celestia landed, and gracefully folded her wings, looking down to the filly, covered in dirt, and mud. "What have you been doing?" She looked concerned, but tried not to show it too much. If not for the time apart, and nearing deadline of the ritual of Day and Night, she would have allowed a laugh. "I was... a bit lost" Luna answered, looking a bit nervous, circling her fore hoof on the ground. "I should so say, look at you" she laughed softly, now that the concern had past, she loosened herself to enjoy the sight of her little sister all dirty. She looked no worse for wear, and seemed to have some fun, but it was time for it to end. "Now come to me, we can go home, and get you cleaned up. The Sun is nearly down, and the Moon must come" "I can... not,” She started, looking down to the flowers before finishing. “Not just yet" This struck the older sister by surprise. "Why not? Surely not for those flowers? The royal garden has many, of so much finer glory" She looked past the little filly, and took in the sight of the plants. They were beautiful, a rare flower that took root in few places in the land. For them to thrive, they needed much love. She found it odd, they grew so high. "These are very important, I must get them to the serpent, or else his mate will never be happy!" Luna shoot a look of heavy concern at her sister, and it grew stronger with determination. Celestia was shocked by her reaction, and took a casual looked to the sky, then back to her sister. "There is not time for this, as much as I love you are helping out others, but all of Equestria needs you now" The younger filly made her stance. "I cannot! I promised! I could not break a promise to a friend, you would never ever" Some times, it was easy to forget she was so young, and still growing. Mortality seemed foreign to the two Princesses, but neither were quite grown into their mature bodies. "If the promise was just gathering flowers, against keeping balance, I think my friend would understand, I believe yours would too" Celestia did not see her mission for the importance that Luna knew it had, she just saw her baby sister playing. "No sister, I cannot abandon him! When I nearly fell off a cliff, I recalled you telling me how you would always watch over me. I believed in your honesty, and was saved. I found a strange creature that looked very down, and so I followed him so I could help him, but he said nothing. Did not even seem to notice me, but he did, and took to heart my actions. When I was lost in the woods, he helped me get out. My Kindness to him, was repaid" Celestia watched her sister grow before her, the words she spoke, were deep lessons of what it meant to be in balance and in harmony. She was seeing, that despite the facts, her age, and what seemed like a gardener’s chore, her sister was not being the filly she seemed, but the Princess that Celestia hoped she would become. "I cannot take back my word that I have given, and I will not abandon a friend in need. I cannot be a lair! He trusted me..." Luna finished, looking almost worn out by the speech, and being so worked up over her duties. Her sister smiled, amused by how she was so willing to give everything she had, just for what she believed in. "Oh my dear, sweet, Princess Luna, seems this day, you have grown so much. Seems the Elements of Harmony have guided you this far. I guess it would be wrong for me to deny you the full set, the joy of doing something for another, and the laughter you will feel in your heart, when they see they can count on you. With your honesty, kindness, giving, and loyalty, you prove to be very mature, and wise" She made a motion with her head, turning to her side. "I shale take you to this serpent, so you can finish your journey" Luna shook her head. "I must finish this on my own,” She gave her a bow of respect. “But thank you sister. You must make haste to the Castle, and do what I cannot do this night" She looked to the sky, and saw the fading lights. Their duties, were to fill each of their charges with magick, and guide them through the sky. The latter, was not so active of a role, as the former. Every 24 hours, the Sun and Moon needed their recharge, and this was in sync with their rising in Equestria. Celestia looked now to her sister, who was looking to the sky as well. "Go," She said began, looking a way for a moment. "Having friends is important sister, it's the magick of all life. Not for what they do for each other, or the times they spend together, but for the enrichment they share. A love that fills the heart, and makes even the Earth ponies, soar high as any Pegasus could" She turned back, looking at Luna with such pride. "Go sister, and help him. I will be a friend for you this day, and take on your duties of the Moon. Friends shoulder each others burdens, without judgment, or regret. Only love, pride, and joy in the knowledge, they have somepony they feel so wonderful in doing such tasks for. Knowing too, that the feelings are mutual, and would be returned in a heart beat" Luna nodded, galloping up to her, to give her a hug, with one in return. Then, she went back to her gathered flowers, grabbed them, and galloped off. The Princess of the Day watched as she went, never loosing her smile, and feeling of joy and pride at her sister. "This day, the Moon out shines the Sun" -In the present- Princess Luna trotted slowly along the old path she knew so well, she passed the place the serpent was, and left him a flower. He was puzzled by it, but memories came back to him, as he recalled how his mother loved them. After a brief stay and fair well, she was off again, heading through the land. She came to a foggy area, where a bridge hung over a chasm. She looked down, and then across the way. It seemed this bridge had seen better days, but looked strong enough for her to cross. She actually could recall a time when it was first built to span the break in land to the destination, that once all ponies wished to travel. Safely on the other side, taking care not to move too harshly on the old planks. She made a slow movement toward the looming shadows, something large was ahead, and she knew just what it was. The fog seem to fade, as she neared and the shape became more distinguished. A Beautiful Castle, made one with the land, not making the land it's own. It was beautifully coloured, and adorned, with busts and figures of ponies. With shining gems and depictions of Sun and Moon. It was the home of the Royal Pony Sisters, the glorious castle in Everfree. So inviting, and grand, nestled above the sea below. No matter the time or weather, it was warm and bright. It was a memory. With real eyes, Luna looked upon the ruins. The warmth all over Everfree, was gone, left with coldness that bit the bone. The stones faded, and dirty from ages of being abandoned, and parts reclaimed by nature. Several areas were crumbled, the roof was long gone, and the walls barely holding. The Spires, towers, and battlements, were looking to be ready to fall over. The statues were chipped, broken, or gone completely. The deepness of the night, did not aid in the scenery. Looking almost too grim to bare, for one who knew it so well in a time so long ago, when it was a gemstone in Equestria. Princess Luna, with a heavy heart, put her hoof to a piece resting on the ground, a once glorious image of Celestia and herself, now mostly just dirt and smudged paint. She trotted slowly inside, looking around. The insides were more decorated, but still as lost to time. Echoes of the walls memories, spoke to her. She heard the laughter that once painted the walls, the voices filling the halls, and the liveliness of the home that once was hers to share with the world. With hesitation, she moved into a chamber, that once held the greatest treasure of Equestria. She was here a time not so long ago, but it was not her. She in challenge of one of the ponies who would save her, where the five orbs rested on an ancient shrine. They had be moved, and shattered, the latter being her own action. Now the statue was bare of it’s charge, and looked as pitiable as the rest of this one glorious home. Naked, of it’s meaning, and robbed of it’s purpose. She galloped past herself, Luna watching a ghost moving to stand by her sister, from a time so long ago. "Sister, sister" The little Luna said, nearly bouncing in place. "I did it, and he was so happy. I going to go visit him tomorrow, and see if his mate was happy too" The little filly looked so full of life, even though that form of herself, had been long lost. She felt such pride in herself, and joy, was now dead. Murdered by her own foalishness. "Sounds like you made a true friend this day" A younger Celestia said. Till now, she never noticed that she had aged some in the years. Not by much, but seeing her then, and over a thousand years after, she could tell. She was taller, and held even deeper wisdom in her eyes now. They both looked at the figure between them, a statue that held the Elements of Harmony. It radiated light, nourished by the deeds of the young Princess, and all who acted in the spirit of Harmony. "The Elements were with you this day, and you used them perfectly dear Princess Luna" Celestia seemed to glow brighter, speaking of her sister’s deeds. The pride she felt in her, was so much greater than the magick they both bathed in. Younger Luna smiled, and laughed. She looked a but embraced by the praise, folding her ears back a bit. "I had you watching over me the whole time" She attempted to turn the attention off her somewhat, being too much to bare "But it was your heart, that large, pure heart, that lead you" Her sister was not so willing to take on any of the honours, she knew it was a small role she had, if at all. Older Luna moved to the spot, where the statue still lay, it was not so complete as in her visions. She stood between her self, and her sister in the that time. Her eyes heavy and lost in the era. She almost wished she could open time, and trot back into her old life. All she had done as Nightmare Moon, weighed so heavily on her. Her memories played on, while a part of her beat her self in pity. "Now, do not think you can get out of your nightly duties so easily next time" Celestia jokingly scolded her little sister. "I do not believe, I can make the moon looks so lovely as you do" Luna looked up, at the same time as she did in the past. Together they spoke. Where her younger self, was filled with joy and hope. Her current self, was filled with hurt and shame. "You did great sister, but I don't think I want to give it up. I love the night, and the moon, and all the things that come from the night time... I wish more shared in my nights though" "Do not worry my dear sister, in time, the ponies will love your nights. They appreciate it now, do not forget that. The Night provides them the needed time to rest from such busy lives. You are just as important as the day" The past and present Luna spoke as one still, lowering their gaze together. Their tones were more in sync, but older Luna's held knowledge "I do not feel as important as the day... if the moon did not shine one night, no pony would be upset. If the Sun never came, they would all take notice. Be the only way any would pay attention to the night, when it was unending..." "There are many things in this life, we all neglect to give proper respects too, from time to time. It does not mean they hold no importance, my sister. From the tiniest life, to the brightest lights. All things matter, and are loved, in one form or another. Even if the love is not shown out right" At this point, the scene was gone, Luna was alone, and only heard the echoes of the past. No mirages putting on a play, only a lone figure, caught in the past. The present Luna gave a sigh, as her younger self hugged to her sister, as she recalled it playing out, but had not a vision of it. "Such words soothed me then... but didn't not stop me from turning into a monster, nor do they heal much now" "There are many who love you Princess Luna, they just have not made them selves all known yet" It took a moment to realize it wasn't a memory. She looked up, seeing her sister standing in the entrance way. The older, and matured form of her memories. A mane of four shades, light blue, green, purple, and pink, blowing in a wind that was not there, as it was now imbued with magick. White body, pure as the light her calling washed in the land in the day hours. Eyes holding deep wisdom, and shade of deep violet. She wore much as she did then, only more elegant, golden armor, chest piece, and protectors on each of her hooves. Unlike Luna, her’s did not have the sun, but a purple gem one both the chest, and her tall crown. "Sister!" She called out in surprise, turning to look at her fully, and feeling a bit afraid. The other meant no harm to her, and she knew it, but given the events that she re-lived, she felt so much shame in what she ended up doing some years after that adventure. She nodded, and moved to her. "My poor sister, still haunted by those nightmares. You know, I recalled this night, so long ago. Well," She was before her now, looking nothing like she felt any shame, or disappointment. Only the love she always offered her partner in Equestria’s rule. "Not all that you had under gone, but what you told me, and the pride I was filled with, seeing you act so nobly. That adventure you had, really shaped you, and it still clings to you" Luna gave a nod, resting her head onto her sister. "Was the first time I was on my own" She closed her eyes, finding some comfort in the other mare. She listen for a moment, to the beating of the deeply powerful, and loving heart. "You did much that day, maybe you did not shine as the Moon, but you did as a pony. You focus so much on the Night as being all that you are, but there is much more to you. You are filled with love, and need to share it. The night, just as the day, is what we give to Equestria, for it is who we are. What we do else wise, is up to us, and is who we wish to be. I rule this land, and try to give care to all. I also try to make time to enjoy my own things, you should too" "But what can I do in the night? It is the only time I can do anything!" She looked up at her, with such confusion, pain, and hurt. Lingering feelings of the moments before she fell, the same ones that drew her into the shadows of sorrow. "A thousand years have past, ponies have changed. Long ago, most the types of ponies, stayed to themselves. Now, Pegasus, Unicorns, Earth, and Sea ponies, are intermingling. Day and night, it is no longer such a traditional time as when we were so young. Give this new era a chance, I think you'll find it will welcome you" Luna looked down, and smiled. "I guess, I should try" She was so caught up in the pity she had for herself, the doubt and dread of what had happened. She was gone a thousand years, but now returned, she was still living in that past. She had not given herself the time to see what Equestria was now. "It will be a new adventure" Celestia smiled to her, nuzzling to her mane. She laughed, nuzzling back to her. She was allowing her heart to open again, and see things. "Been some time since I dreamed of adventures" Celestia smiled, covering her with a wing, and heading her back out of the room. "Well, you did have one tonight. Re-lived, but was still an adventure I'm sure" She gave a nod, she did seem so, but around her sister, Luna always seem to feel so much younger. That little filly, looking up to her wise and wonderful sister. "My old friend, his son is still alive, and I think I'll visit him, as I did his father" "See? Even found a friend again, this land is still full of magick, one that is unique" They were nearly back out into the open, though given the state of the Castle, was not much different than being inside. They slowly trotted out of the Castle, leaving behind memories and doubt, but taking with them some of the former, and replacing the latter with new hopes. This Castle, is for the land now, but the memories it holds, are a treasure that maybe one day, more will share in. Princess Luna gave one look back, seeing herself, and her Sister, and their beautiful home, as it was so long ago. The two ponies had a new home, and a future to fill it with new memories. One day, it may become as cherished as this place was... still is. She returned to memories past, leaving with hopes of the future. --Chapter End--

Macon Mixx

406

Fluttershy,Rainbow Dash,Comedy,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Fastest Vegan in All of Equestria!

When Rainbow Dash asks Fluttershy to teach her how to cook vegan, hijinks ensue!

complete

<p>When Rainbow Dash asks Fluttershy to teach her how to cook vegan, hijinks ensue! Rainbow flashes Fluttershy, falls asleep, gets glued to the floor, is doused in scalding water, and nearly drowns in a stream. Going vegan may not be so good for her health after all!</p><p>Rated &quot;PG-13&quot; for some light shipping.</p>

teen

2011-12-06T06:35:00+00:00

2011-12-06T06:35:00+00:00

The Fastest Vegan in All of Equestria By Macon Mixx "Ah just don't see the sense in it, Rainbow. You talk about eatin' hay and oats and carrots... all of the things us ponies already eat! What's the big fuss about?" The farmer's question, although directed to the colorful pegasus, was answered by a bookish unicorn. "Actually, there really is quite a difference between being vegan and the way that ponies in Equestria normally eat! For example, you know all those cows that live just southeast of town? Vegan means no more cows' milk! And remember all the chickens' eggs we get from Fluttershy? Eating vegan means no more of those, either! You might not think that it would be a big difference. I mean, nopony lives on ice cream and omelets. But milk and eggs are ingredients in lots of other foods, too! Pizza, oat smoothies, cupcakes…" "NO MORE CUPCAKES?" A pink earth pony with an unruly mane looked in astonishment at the light blue pegasus who had suddenly become the mare of the hour. "Well, I…" Before she could get any more out, she was interrupted by a stunning white unicorn with a purple mane. "Really, dear, I can't imagine passing my days in Ponyville without Pinkie Pie's delectable deserts! Whatever shall you do?" "I didn't really think about everything that I would be giving up… But I'm still gunna do it! Nothing can stop Rainbow Dash, greatest flier in all of Equestria!" Dash struck a confident pose. "Um… Rainbow? You don't really have to give anything up… If you don't want to..." The demure yellow pegasus practically faded into the background while she was still speaking. Rainbow Dash had to lift up the new speaker's flowing pink mane, which she had hidden behind, in order to respond to her. "Uh, Fluttershy, whatcha mean? Of course I don't have to go vegan. I want to!" "No, um, I mean… I can teach you how to make cupcakes and things without eggs or milk. If that's okay with you." "Aw, sweet! You mean I can be vegan and still have cupcakes?! This is going to be so awesome! ----- Dash and Fluttershy had left their other friends behind and were headed to Fluttershy's cottage, on the border of the Everfree Forest. Dash was flying circles around the yellow pegasus, who, as usual, was trotting along the ground despite her wings. Rainbow slowed down and flew low to the ground in front of her friend to ask her a question. "Hey Fluttershy! I was thinkin'. How do you know how to cook vegan?" "Well... Um... For a while I... For a while I ate that way, I guess." "You guess that's how you were eating? Ha! You're a laugh, Fluttershy!" "Yes, um, well... I didn't want to cause any pain or discomfort to my animal friends, and I was afraid that the milk I was taking or the eggs I was using might be inconveniencing them. But Moolissa and Henrietta assured me that it was really quite alright, so I went back to how I had been eating before." "Psssh... My reason for eating vegan is at least 20% cooler." "Oh? Um... I'm sure it is. Why did you decide to eat vegan, Rainbow Dash?" "Have you ever thought about where that stuff comes from? It's soooo gross! I mean, I can't believe ponies put that in their mouths!" Rainbow made a disgusted face, to emphasize her story. "I mean, think about eggs. Did you know that they come out of a hen's..." Rainbow leaned in close to whisper the final word of her sentence into her friend's ear. Instantly, the yellow mare was blushing. "You know, there really are nicer words for... body parts... than that. You could use them, if you want to." Her flying friend seemed to miss her comment entirely. "And milk is just as bad! It comes from... you know... These!" At this, Rainbow reared up and pointed to her own nethers. Although ponies don't usually wear clothing, their udders are quite small and normally well covered by their bodies. Except when they deliberately flash their friends, as Rainbow was now doing. "Come on... would you really want to put your mouth on that?" Fluttershy's blush, which had previously been restricted to her cheeks, suddenly seemed to engulf her entire body. She wasn't entirely sure if she could honestly answer "No". But Rainbow had made her point. Fluttershy was friends with many of the local bovines, but she found the thought of suckling their teats "udderly" disgusting. Drinking milk, she supposed, wasn't really that different. "Blushing because my reason for being vegan is so much cooler than yours?" Dash gloated. "That's okay. There can only be one coolest pony in Ponyville." Fluttershy, thankful that her friend had not pressed for an answer to the original question, let Rainbow gloat while she continued on towards her cottage in silence. ----- "Alright, well, first, I'm going to show you how to make milk!" Rainbow Dash looked askance at her yellow friend. "I know I was napping through most of health class, but I'm pretty sure that's not something a mare just decides to do. Besides, I didn't volunteer to replace cows' milk with my own! I was just going to stop using the stuff. I don't want to be a flying milk factory!" Fluttershy's blush, which had only just subsided, was already beginning to return. "Um... actually... I was gunna show you how to make milk from plants." "Ooooh! I get it! Like, we're going to make fake milk! That does sound a lot better!" "Yes... um... Yes, it does." "So what do we need?" "Well, you can make it from soybeans, but soy is from Neighpon, and it's pretty hard to get." "Well, what other options do we have?" "You could use rice, but the milk it makes isn't very filling or nutritious." "Uh huh? What else?" "Almonds work great, but they're so expensive..." "Good Celestia! Do you have any ideas that will actually work, or did you just bring me here to drive me crazy!" "Well, we could always use cashews. They're super filling, and there is a big cashew tree on the edge of the forest, not far from my cottage, and..." "CASHEWS!!! Are you crazy? Those are poisonous! Are you trying to kill me?!" Rainbow Dash was suddenly on the opposite side of the cottage as Fluttershy, hurling paranoid accusations at her friend. "They're really good once you get inside them!" Fluttershy protested. This might have been the most she had stuck up for herself in years. She continued explaining, "You just have to roast them first and burn away the poison." "Oh, great," Dash replied, calming down from her outburst. "That's just what I want to do all day. Not practicing flying... Roasting poisonous nuts!" "You can if you want," Fluttershy replied, oblivious to Rainbow's sarcasm. "But I have a whole jar full in my kitchen here that are already roasted." In the blink of an eye, Dash had zoomed from the corner into which she had retreated and over to the jar that Fluttershy had indicated with her hoof. "Mmmm... sheesz ahhre GRAETE!" Rainbow said through a mouthful of nuts. "Show haow ahhre whee ghunna maik shem ehnto mihlk?" "First we have to let them soak in water for an hour." "Ah whowle howur?!" Dash exclaimed, spewing cashew bits everywhere. "Whash ahhre whee ghunna shoe while shey'hre shoaking?" "Well, I could show you some things you can use to replace eggs," Fluttershy offered. "Humfhh... Shy ghuesh." ----- The yellow pegasus stood in front of the chalkboard which was, inexplicably, in the middle of her front room. Dash couldn't help but wonder where it had come from. However, she didn't have long to wonder before her teacher began to speak up. "Welcome to Egg Replacer 101! First things first. To replace an egg, you must know what eggs do! Eggs have all sorts of different roles in cooking. Normally, we don't think about them much because one egg does them all. But there aren't any substitutes that can work just like an egg, so you're going to have to find the right one for each recipe!" Rainbow sighed. This was already reminding her of middle school. "Eggs can act as liquid or leavening, give foods flavor or texture, or just help things stick together! In casseroles, where stickiness is most important, farina is a great substitute for eggs. In chilled desserts, where eggs often help to add moisture and texture, applesauce or smashed bananas can be a good choice. In baked goods, where texture and leavening are most important, you can make your own egg replacer with tapioca flour and baking soda or buy one pre-made at the store. Where eggs are the substance of a dish, try using marinated tofu or tempeh instead. You'll be surprised at how yummy it is!" Lost in her enthusiasm, Fluttershy continued teaching for several minutes before realizing that her pupil was fast asleep. "Oh, you poor thing. You must be so tired! Let me get you a blankie. We can learn all about this when you wake up." ----- Rainbow Dash slowly drifted awake. She had been having the strangest dream about trying to make milk and eggs out of sticks. As she opened her eyes, she saw the inspiration for the dream all around her. "Oh, you're awake! Do you feel all better? I hope you are well rested. It's important to get enough sleep!" Dash wasn't yet quite awake enough to reply, and so her friend continued. "I noticed that you didn't do so well with my lesson, so I thought we should try a demonstration instead! Are you ready?" The words "Are you ready" triggered something deep inside Rainbow's soul. In an instant, she was up and standing beside Fluttershy. "Ready!" she exclaimed. "Oh, that's wonderful! Here now, these are flax seeds. Have you ever seen these before?" Rainbow looked at the tiny brown seeds Fluttershy had poured into her hoof. She had heard of flax. Rarity had asked her to fetch a special shipment of it for her from somewhere out east. Of course, she had been busy that day. Busy napping, that is. So Rainbow hadn't actually seen flax for herself. "No, but I thought you made cloth from the stuff, not food!" "Well, the seeds are a great replacement for eggs, and I'm going to show you how to use them, um, if that's okay with you." Dash perked up. Actually getting to do something would beat listening to Fluttershy's "Egg Replacer 101" lecture any day. "First, hold them over this bowl and grind them between your hooves." "That'll be a snap!" Rainbow exclaimed as she quickly completed her task. "Oh, that's a very good job for your first time! Now, I need you to get some hot water from over on the stove and add it to the flax meal." In an instant, Dash galloped to the stove and back holding the handle of a pot of near-boiling water in her mouth. "Ten. Seconds. Flat. Is that a new record for the Cross-Kitchen Hot Water Trot?" "Well, I never really kept records, so I suppose it would be new." "Yes! I did it! I set a record! I set a record!" "Um, but you still need to add the water to the ground up flax and stir it a bit." "Oh, right. I knew that!" In her haste to cover up her first mistake, Rainbow Dash made a much larger error. After pouring the hot water over the flax seeds, she tried to stir the mixture with her hoof. The heat wasn't much of a bother, hooves being insensitive, but it wasn't long until more of the gooey mixture was on her hoof than in the bowl she was stirring. "Hey! It's sticking to me!" Rainbow exclaimed as she reached up to brush off the offending goo with her other front hoof. "No, wait! Don't!" Fluttershy tried to stop her, but it was too late. Rainbow now had the super-sticky mixture on both of her front hooves. To make matters worse, the mix continued to become even stickier as it cooled. Before long, Rainbow Dash was completely covered in her glue-like concoction. Her right wing was stuck to her left flank. Her left wing was glued securely to her face. Her back hooves were stuck together, one of her front hooves was stuck to the floor, and the other hoof was tangled in her mane. "Get it off of me! Get it off of me!" Dash pleaded. Fluttershy, in the heat of the moment, poured all of the water remaining in the pan over her sticky friend. "AHHHHH!!! IT BURNS!! IT BURNS!!" Dash cried. At this, Fluttershy realized that she had just doused her companion in scalding water. She grabbed Dash by the tail and yanked her off the floor, dragging her as quickly as she could to the stream outside the cottage and submersing her therein. ----- It took some time for Rainbow to regain her senses after being glued, burned, and dumped in a river. But when she did, she noticed a very apologetic Fluttershy hovering over her. "Oh, I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash! I didn't mean to get you stuck, or scalded, or nearly drowned in the stream. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" Dash did her best to regain her cool, despite her injuries. She had a reputation to defend, after all. "If you want to make it up to me," Dash quipped, "Pinkie Pie Promise that you will never, EVER tell anypony about what just happened!" Fluttershy solemnly intoned the oath that Dash requested. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" "Good. Now, let's get lunch. What can we make that is easier than vegan cupcakes?" Author's Note: This short story was written for the speedfic contest at Equestria Daily. I didn't get to start until there were only 40 minutes left in the event, and I only had the first three pages written before I had to submit it. I did finish the whole story in two hours, it just wasn't the two hours everyone else was using. I enjoyed it, though, and I hope you did, too! As for the title of this piece, I wanted to call it "Vegan Cupcakes", to contrast with the Dash fanfic of a similar name, but I decided the current title was catchier even if it lost the neat fanon reference. ~Macon Mixx

Wheller

407

Bon-Bon,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Trixie,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Putting the Pieces Back Together

After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind.

complete

<p>After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind, and her life starts taking turns that she would have never imagined.</p><p>Putting the Pieces Back together is a sequel to The Kindness of Strangers, which can be found here: <a href="/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers" rel="nofollow">http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers</a></p>

teen

2011-09-04T20:48:13+00:00

2011-09-04T20:48:13+00:00

Chronology notes: Stop! You are reading the Second story in the series started by The Kindness of Strangers! Please read The Kindness of Strangers first! http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/ Putting the Pieces Back Together Chapter 1 Derpy Hooves was happy to be coming home. Her time in the confines of the Royal Hospital in Canterlot recovering from the injuries caused by the explosion of the Ponyville Post Office had made her stir crazy. She wanted nothing more than to return home, back to her life, her job, and her happiness. Now it was finally time to do just that. Derpy was clear to leave the Royal Hospital, and while it was nice, and she had been well taken care of. She never wanted to go back. She'd spent three weeks in a magical coma. The doctors had put her under, fearing that her being awake could compromise her recovery. She understood the reasons for the concern, but she felt uneasy knowing that time, even just a small amount, had passed her by. Derpy wasn't much of a reader, her eye condition made it difficult for her to enjoy books, she'd read maybe two or three books in her entire life. But when she did read, it was usually a short magazine article about ponies that had been in comas for years, something that disturbed Derpy to no end. She couldn't imagine going to sleep one night, and not waking up for twenty years, so much would have changed! How could you adapt to that? Derpy stood in the courtyard of the Royal Hospital, now it was time to go home. The Pegasus spread her wings and leapt into the air. Fortunately for her, she could never forget how to fly. She rose to a height of 500 metres, or at least, what looked to be 500 metres. Her eye condition made her depth perception extremely poor. Derpy had to guess at what height to be flying at, which meant she usually tended to fly a lot higher than necessary in order to stay out of the way of buildings and trees. Because from her point of view, they were probably a lot closer than they appeared to be. A half an hour of flying later, Derpy came into view of Ponyville. She slowed down considerably, the last thing she wanted to do was hit the ground, or a building, hard coming in for a landing. Having to go back to the hospital after just getting out would not be good. Derpy was so happy to be back at home. It was morning. Around eight o'clock, everyponies breakfast time! Derpy was excited that she would finally get to have her favourite breakfast again, a muffin from Sugarcube Corner! She trotted along the High Street, smiling brightly and came to where Sugarcube Corner was supposed to be. However Derpy looked on in shock after arriving to find that Sugarcube Corner was no longer there. Instead, it had been replaced by a large, empty, hole in the ground. Derpy was confused, what could have possibly happened in the time she had been gone? She knew that she'd been gone nearly a month, but Derpy had not been expecting any serious changes. She looked around; hoping somepony would walk by and be able to tell her what happened. She was in luck as two ponies walked around the corner and into her view. She recognised these two ponies, the aquamarine unicorn Lyra, and her cream coloured earth pony friend, Bon-Bon. "Excuse me?" Derpy said to the two as they came into range. "Do either of you know what happened to Sugarcube Corner?" Lyra looked at Derpy with shock; she and Bon-Bon had been too absorbed in their conversation to have noticed the pegasus sharing the street with them. "Derpy! When did you get out of the hospital?" "Just this morning," Derpy said. "I didn't think I was gone that long... but clearly I missed something." "Poor dear," Bon-Bon said attempting to comfort the Pegasus. "Sugarcube Corner exploded a couple of weeks ago. The investigation is still on going." Derpy cringed at Bon-Bon's explanation; it brought back memories of the Post Office exploding in her face. "Was anypony hurt?" "Bon-Bon was caught in the shockwave and tossed about, nothing too serious, just a few sprains." Lyra said looking at her companion. "Twilight Sparkle and her friends were much closer to the blast and they got hurt pretty bad. Nopony died though, thank Celestia for that!" Derpy frowned. What else could she have missed? "Thanks. I think I'm going to go home and get some rest." Derpy said depressingly. Lyra placed a hoof on Derpy's shoulder. "Take it easy okay? We all missed our favourite mailmare, so many have gone, and we're glad to have you back." Derpy smiled at Lyra, and she departed from the High Street. No one had ever expressed appreciation for her. Derpy had always been seen as somewhat of a nuisance for the townsfolk, it was very common for her to fly into buildings and trees during her route, and every so often, a package would break on her, much to its recipient's dismay. So far, this had been the one and only change that Derpy was happy for. She arrived outside her flat; she took her key out of her saddlebag and unlocked the door. Or at least she tried. The key fit into the lock, sure, but it didn't turn. Oh no. Derpy must have missed her rent while in the hospital, and the landlord obviously changed the lock. She groaned inwardly, today was not going her way. Just when she felt that things couldn't get any worse, she realised that she didn't have a job to go to either. She hadn't forgotten that the Post Office had exploded, but then the realisation set in that without the post office, she didn't have any money. Her hospital bills had been covered by Princess Celestia herself. Derpy was truly grateful for that. But now her spirit had been dampened completely by no longer having a home, or a job, or the money to at least pay off what she owed so she could get the few possessions that she did have back. What am I going to do? This was a good question. Derpy didn't exactly have any friends in Ponyville. She was friendly with everyone, and everyone was friendly with her to an extent, but that didn't mean they were her friends. She thought about Lyra. The Unicorn had been so nice this morning, and Derpy had half a mind to ask Lyra and Bon-Bon if she could stay with them for a little while. She eventually decided against it. She didn't know them well enough. It wouldn't be right. Derpy sat on the bottom of the stairs that lead up to her flat, looking down at the ground thinking about what she was going to do. She had no idea, nowhere to go, and no way to make money. "Derpy?" Derpy looked up to find that Lyra was standing over her. "Is everything alright?" Lyra asked. "Oh. Hi Lyra... I've been kicked out of my flat; Landlord's had the locks changed." Derpy said. "He doesn't live in town; he owns a bunch of apartments all over Equestria, so when I didn't pay he probably had the locks changed without knowing the circumstances." Lyra frowned upon hearing this. "That's awful! Do you need a place to stay?" Derpy perked her head up upon hearing this, she wasn't even sure she had heard the Unicorn correctly. "I... don't want to impose." "You wouldn't be!" Lyra said. Maybe Derpy had heard her right the first time. "You just got out of the hospital, it wouldn't be right for you to be out alone with no place to sleep." Lyra smiled at the mailmare. "Come on! I insist!" Derpy smiled back and she got up to walk with Lyra. "Can I ask you something?" "Of course." "How come you're being so nice to me?" Derpy asked. Lyra looked at the pegasus and frowned, she looked down towards the ground, a look of guilt slowly forming on her muzzle. "Before you went to the hospital, almost everypony didn't like you that much, you were kind of annoying, and your antics with the mail drove me crazy, but then you got hurt, and the next morning you didn't deliver the mail, and after a few days of not getting the wrong mail, or a beat up package, it just started to feel... wrong. We thought you were annoying, but the days just got bleaker without your antics to brighten our lives." Lyra looked at Derpy; tears were forming in her eyes. "And I am so sorry! We didn't treat you the way you deserved to be treated, and we almost lost you." The two ponies stopped walking, and Lyra threw her hooves around Derpy, giving her the biggest hug she had ever had. "I'm so sorry." Lyra repeated, tears were streaming down her face and landing on Derpy's shoulder. "It's okay." Derpy said, she was crying now too. "So you can stay with me and Bon-Bon for as long as you need to." Lyra said with a smile, tears still forming in her eyes. Derpy smiled back. She and Lyra were friends now.

Wheller

407

Bon-Bon,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Trixie,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Putting the Pieces Back Together

After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind.

complete

<p>After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind, and her life starts taking turns that she would have never imagined.</p><p>Putting the Pieces Back together is a sequel to The Kindness of Strangers, which can be found here: <a href="/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers" rel="nofollow">http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers</a></p>

teen

2011-08-04T01:54:23+00:00

2011-08-04T01:54:23+00:00

Chapter 2 Derpy couldn't help but feel guilty. She'd been living with Lyra and Bon-Bon for a week at this point, and she still couldn't find a job. She needed to find work; she needed to get off Lyra and Bon-Bon's back. It just wasn't fair for her to be mooching of them like this. Lyra and Bon-Bon's home wasn't large enough for three ponies to be living here for long periods of time. Derpy wasn't even sure that it was enough for one. Lyra and Bon-Bon were close, so maybe they didn't mind sharing a small space. Two was company. Derpy was a crowd. Of course, neither of the mares said anything about it. Bon-Bon had made it perfectly clear to her that she was happy to have Derpy living with them, and that she could stay as long as she needed, and while Derpy was extremely thankful for Bon-Bon's generosity, she didn't want to make her new, and really only friends sick of her. Derpy did her best to take up as little space as possible. Somewhat easy her only possessions were what she'd had on her when the Post Office exploded. All her other possessions had been locked away in her flat. When I do get back, my fridge is going to be disgusting. Derpy entered Lyra and Bon-Bon's flat after a long day of Job searching, still no luck. Lyra was sitting on the couch in the main room; she looked over at Derpy and smiled. "How did it go?" Derpy sighed and crossed the room and sat next to Lyra on the couch. "I'm never going to find a job at this point. Nopony wants to hire me because of my STUPID EYES!" Derpy tossed her empty saddlebag on the floor in frustration, she felt tears coming on. Her eyes were betraying her again. She brought her legs into her chest and sank her muzzle into them. She was tired, she was frustrated and worst of all, and she felt useless. "I should have expected this. I was lucky to even get my job at the Post Office," Derpy said defeat ringing in her voice. "There has to be something you can do?" Lyra said trying to comfort her friend. Derpy shrugged. "The jobs that pegasi are known for are all sight intensive, and everything else needs depth perception." "I know how you feel," Lyra said. "I'm a musician, regular work is impossible to find. There are a lot of times where I feel like I'm mooching off Bon-Bon. She makes enough money to cover both of us... But it still feels wrong." Derpy frowned upon hearing this. That settles it; I HAVE to get off their backs. It's not fair. They're just too nice for their own good. -- "Derpy, you don't have to leave!" Bon-Bon called out to her friend. It was the following morning, and Derpy was packing her things. "Yes I do Bon-Bon," Derpy said. "I can't do this; it's not fair for you to have to support me." Bon-Bon frowned. "Derpy... We like having you live here! You don't have to go." Derpy smiled at her friend. "I like living with you and Lyra too, and who knows, maybe when I do find a job, or they rebuild the post office, whichever comes first. We can get a bigger flat and live together... But until then, I don't feel right mooching off you. Now I've made up my mind. I have to go." Derpy threw her saddlebag over her flank and walked up to Bon-Bon and gave her a tight hug. "Thank you for everything. Thank you so much." Bon-Bon had started to cry. Derpy was too. She didn't want to leave her only friends in Ponyville, but she had to. She couldn't be a burden. She waved goodbye to Bon-Bon and trotted out the door. Lyra was sitting at the bottom of the steps waiting for her. "You don't have..." she began, but Derpy was quick to interrupt her. "Yes I do." Lyra smirked at her friend. "You're a stubborn little filly aren't you?" Derpy smiled back, nodding in affirmation. She gave Lyra a hug goodbye. She was going to miss her. "Where are you going to live?" Lyra asked. "I don't know yet," Derpy said with a shrug. "Probably going to sleep outside, I'm a pegasus so at least I can keep it from raining on me." Lyra frowned; a tear was forming in her eye. She really did not want her friend to leave. Derpy didn't want to either, but she had to. "Be safe," Lyra said. "And always know you are welcome here." Derpy started to cry too, she waved Lyra goodbye, and trotted off down the road, turning onto the High Street, and straight out of Ponyville. She walked for a while; she needed to clear her head. The road was long and empty; it didn't matter where she was going. The road would take her some place. Derpy spent much of her walk lost in thought, her head down looking at the ground. So her surprise was easy to imagine when she ran head first into something. Derpy fell onto the ground in surprise, there wasn't supposed to be anything on the road! She looked up at what she had run into, and it was something of the likes of which she had ever seen before. It was a box, perhaps two metres tall, by a metre wide by another metre in length. Derpy was familiar with boxes thanks to her job as a postal worker, but she had never seen anything like this before. The box was a deep blue that had "Police" printed on it. A Police... Box? Derpy thought to herself. At that moment, a door on the adjacent side of the box opened and someone poked their head out from it. It was an earth pony with a spiky brown mane and a lighter brown coat. "Sorry... did you knock?" the earth pony asked her. Derpy looked up at the earth pony the best she could. "Umm... no," she answered truthfully. "Ah, my mistake then." the other pony said, he took his head back inside the box and closed the door behind him. Derpy examined the box again. It occurred to her that there was no way a full grown earth pony could fit in it. That was assuming she had gotten the dimensions right by looking at it. Judging the size of things had never worked well for her. She went around to the front of the box, and decided to knock on the door. The earth pony popped his head out again. "Did you knock?" he asked. Derpy nodded in affirmation, and the earth pony stepped out of the box, closing the door behind him. "Well hello!" the pony said cheerfully. "Is there something I can do for you?" Derpy looked at the pony, he looked familiar, but she couldn't place where from. "Well... Your box is kind of in the middle of the road," Derpy said. The earth pony turned around and looked at the box. "Hmm, I suppose it is. How rude of me, I'll have to move it." Derpy couldn't help but notice that the earth pony had an hourglass cutie mark. Now he looked very familiar. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Derpy asked. The earth pony looked at her, cocking his head slightly and humming a little as he thought. "... Maybe, have you ever been to Raxacoricofallapatorius?" "Where?" Derpy asked, looking horribly confused, meaning she looked twice as confused as she normally did with her eyes being the way they were. "Then no, probably not," the earth pony said. Then, Derpy remembered. "Yes! We do, you visited me when I was in the hospital in Canterlot last week! You said I was going to be fine, and that I should trust you, because you're a Doctor!" The earth pony wracked his brain. "Hmm, I don't remember doing that... maybe I haven't yet?" Derpy was lost. "But... that was last week, what do you mean?" "If I'm going to be visiting you in the hospital... that must mean you're important... and if you're important, and I'm important, and my blue box is important... Say, are you doing anything right now?" the earth pony asked. "Um... no," Derpy said. "Fantastic! Oh there's a phrase I haven't used in a while... I miss doing that. Oh and bananas! I miss bananas," The earth pony said. "Do you want to see the inside of my blue box?" Derpy had to admit, she was a little curious as to how this box had come here, and how it seemed to hold somepony too big for it. "Okay." The earth pony opened the door, and Derpy stepped inside. What she saw astounded her. "It... it's..." "Bigger on the inside, yes, everyone else has said that too," the earth pony said. Derpy looked at the earth pony in amazement. "Who are you?" The pony just smiled. "I'm the Doctor."

Wheller

407

Bon-Bon,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Trixie,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Putting the Pieces Back Together

After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind.

complete

<p>After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind, and her life starts taking turns that she would have never imagined.</p><p>Putting the Pieces Back together is a sequel to The Kindness of Strangers, which can be found here: <a href="/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers" rel="nofollow">http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers</a></p>

teen

2011-08-04T01:55:22+00:00

2011-08-04T01:55:22+00:00

Chapter 3 Derpy was dumbfounded to say the least. She wasn't exactly the smartest pony in Equestria, but she did have enough sense that what she was looking at shouldn't be possible. "It travels through Time and Space too," the Doctor said proudly. Derpy looked at him with as much of an annoyed glare as she could manage. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that load of oatmeal do you?!" "You're standing in a 1963 London Metropolitan Police Box that's bigger on the inside than the outside," the Doctor said frowning at his guest. "Is being able to travel through time and space really any more farfetched than that?" Derpy did not know what London Metropolitan was, but she supposed the pony had a point. "Prove it then." The Doctor smiled and went over the control panel, he started flipping switches, pushing buttons, and pulling pull cords, plus a number of other actions that looked like, and may have been, complete nonsense. The box started making an odd high pitched "whirring" noise that sounded like somepony was having trouble breathing. "Won't go far, just a week in advance." The Doctor said. Derpy heard a bell chime and the Doctor grinned like a madpony. He threw a coat over his shoulders and walked over to the door. "Not to worry, we'll be perfectly fine," the Doctor said nonchalantly. He pushed open the door and walked outside. "Not like the world is going to have ended or... any... thing." The Doctor and Derpy were in the same spot that they had been in before, night had fallen, but more importantly, the entire Everfree forest was on fire. "... Well. That was unexpected," The Doctor said. Derpy's jaw practically hit the ground. How could this happen. From the edge of the Everfree forest, she and the doctor saw several ponies running frantically away from something. "RUN!" one of them, a filly's voice, screamed. "RUN FASTER!" A cloud of thick black smoke poured from the forest, seeming to have a mind of its own, it was chasing after the ponies, and it wouldn't be long before it overtook them. One of the ponies, the filly whose voice they'd heard before turned around on a bit and called back to her companions. "Derpy, Doctor! Get out of here! Trixie will hold it off!" The other two stopped in their tracks and looked back at their companion. "Are you crazy!?" The other filly called; strangely enough Derpy recognised it as her voice! "Trixie will be fine! Just go!" the first filly said. It was this moment that the Doctor had placed his hoof on Derpy's shoulder, "It's time to go. I'm sorry, but we can't interfere inside our own time lines." Derpy had no idea what the Doctor was talking about. But she could tell from the look in his eyes that he wasn't happy to be abandoning that group of ponies to their fate. She followed him back into the box, closing the door behind her. "Okay! Time to leave!" the Doctor called out fiddling with the controls. The box whirred and the two ponies exited the box to find themselves back where they started. "What just happened?"Derpy asked looking at the Doctor in confusion. Her looked at her and frowned. "I don't know." Derpy looked down at the ground. "I don't even know who that other pony was." The Doctor nudged Derpy and she looked up from the ground. Standing in front of them was an azure unicorn with cyan mane. Her mouth was wide open. "Box... appears from nowhere!" The Unicorn said. Derpy recognised the voice as belonging to the filly she had seen go against the black smoke. She eyed the Doctor; there was no way that this could be a coincidence. "Humph," the Unicorn snorted. "Turning an object invisible is amateur magic! Trixie can do better!" Derpy and the Doctor looked at each other and smirked slightly. "You want to be impressed?" The Doctor said. "Take a step inside." Trixie raised an eyebrow at the Doctor. She had clearly come to the conclusion that the box was too small to fit even one pony in it. "Very well, Trixie will humour you, and your pathetic display of magic." Trixie said, walking past Derpy. The Doctor opened the door for her with a smirk as Trixie went inside. "WHAT?" Trixie shouted from inside. "It's...! It's...!" "Bigger on the inside than the outside," Derpy said. "Everypony says that." Trixie grabbed Derpy's shoulders and pulled her close. "You must tell Trixie how this is possible!" Derpy gave her a nervous smile, she hadn't the foggiest idea, nor did she know what to say that would make her happy. "It was grown that way!" The Doctor exclaimed. Trixie was not pleased by this answer. She sighed and released Derpy, and sat down regally on the boxes floor. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not leaving this spot until she learns the truth of this magic box!" She proclaimed majestically. "Fair enough," The Doctor said, a mischievous grin forming on his face. He closed the boxes door and went over to the controls. "Derpy was it? Where exactly are you from?" "It's a little town called Ponyville, why?" Derpy asked. Trixie's eyes popped open, a nervous look formed on her face. "Obviously, were going to go there!" the Doctor proclaimed cheerfully. "What?" Trixie piped from her spot on the floor. The Doctor flipped a switch and the whirring noise again filled the room, the box began to buck about wildly, sending an unprepared Trixie flying from her spot and into the wall. Derpy started cheering as if it were a roller coaster she was riding. "Trixie is going to be sick!" Trixed shouted as she slid down the floor again. The box quickly came to a halt. Derpy giggled slightly at Trixie and opened the door to the outside world. However she was shocked to see what she had found. She was in the high street, and in front of her was Sugarcube Corner. She slammed the door shut in a panic. Yesterday it was gone, and today it's back? Impossible, unless... "Trixie? What's the date today?" Derpy asked. Trixie popped her head up, a hoof clutching it in pain from the small bump she'd gotten. "It's August 9th, Year 1000 of Celestia's reign." Derpy's eyes shrunk. "Doctor! It was November 17th year 1001 when we left!" "Oopsie!" The Doctor said sheepishly. "Not to worry. I have a time machine!" He fiddled with the controls again, and soon enough, the box began bucking about, catching Trixie off guard again. "And there we go!" The Doctor said. "November 17th, 1001!" Derpy poked her head out the door. Sugarcube corner was gone, replaced by the giant crater that currently occupied the lot. Derpy sighed in relief. Trixie took a peek outside the door, discovering that they had indeed moved. "You've kidnapped Trixie!" she exclaimed. The Doctor merely chuckled at her. "You insisted in not moving." Trixie looked bleakly at the other ponies. She barricaded herself in front of the door, blocking the Doctor and Derpy's exit. "Trixie cannot go out there!" "Oh, why is that?" The Doctor asked. Trixie slumped to the floor, a frown forming on her face. "Trixie did not leave Ponyville on the best of terms. Last time Trixie was here, Trixie made a fool of herself and was run out of town." The Doctor smiled at her. "Oh come on now. I'm sure everything will be fine! Come out with us!" Trixie reluctantly rose to her hooves and stepped outside the box. From her point of view, it had only been several days since Trixie was here last... but the town had changed significantly. Everything looked beat up, there was severe damage to many buildings, and some of them destroyed completely. Trixie, Derpy, and the Doctor stood in the middle of the High Street; many ponies were walking by, going about their business, not paying them much of any attention. "I... do not understand," Trixie said dropping her third person speech, fearing that somepony would recognise her. "It travels through time and space!" The Doctor said, whispering into her ear, Trixie ended up believing him; if the box was bigger on the inside than the outside, why should it not be able do something as spectacular as that? The town clinic's two nurses walked into view, they were carrying a stretcher, and something was on it covered in a white sheet. Suddenly the street grew quieter than what seemed possible. Derpy didn't understand. She looked around for someone that she knew to tell her what happened. Trailing a few metres behind the nurses was Twilight Sparkle. She was looking at the ground, not really paying attention as she walked. Trixie began to cringe to herself; Derpy however didn't notice the unicorn's apprehension and called over to her. Twilight looked up at Derpy, the Doctor, and Trixie standing in the High Street and smiled faintly at the trio. "Hi Derpy," she said, forcing as much cheerfulness as she could, but to no avail. "When did you get out of the Hospital?" "A week ago," Derpy said. "Can you tell me what happened?" Twilight looked uncomfortable with the question, Derpy was quick to pick up on it and retract her question, Twilight looked grateful for it and gave the wall-eyed Pegasus as best a smile as she could. Twilight at this moment took more notice of Derpy's companions. She looked at Trixie, staring intently at the azure unicorn, which she gave an odd smile. "Wait right here." Trixie did her best to hide her nervousness at Twilight's command. Clearly the purple unicorn had recognised her, her first instinct was to turn and run for it. But where would she go? The Doctor and Derpy had taken her from her own time and brought her here. It was a year later than she belonged; she had nothing to go to. Twilight Sparkle came back into view. Trixie began to panic; she had no idea what Twilight Sparkle had in mind for her. Twilight smiled at Trixie and opened her saddlebag and gave the contents to her. Trixie gasped, it was her hat and cape! Clean and neatly folded as if it had only been a day since she had seen them, of course from her point of view, that's all it had been, she looked at Twilight Sparkle intensely, expecting some kind of trick. But when Twilight didn't do anything to suggest that it was, Trixie took them and placed the hat on her head and tied the cape around her neck. No magical traps went off, much to Trixie's surprise; she smiled, and looked at Twilight Sparkle and quietly managed a 'thank you.' "You're welcome," Twilight said, smiling the best that she could. She looked at Derpy's other companion, who was not somepony that she recognised. "I'm the Doctor," the earth pony said beating her to the punch. "Just the Doctor!" "Nice to meet you Doctor," Twilight said not bothering to question him about his name. "I'd love to stay and chat... but I have something I need to take care of." She trotted off slowly behind Nurse Redheart and Nurse Tenderheart, who had stopped for a moment to allow her to catch up. "That was a body," the Doctor said. "What? Whose?" Trixie asked. "I don't know... I don't know..."

Wheller

407

Bon-Bon,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Trixie,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Putting the Pieces Back Together

After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind.

complete

<p>After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind, and her life starts taking turns that she would have never imagined.</p><p>Putting the Pieces Back together is a sequel to The Kindness of Strangers, which can be found here: <a href="/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers" rel="nofollow">http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers</a></p>

teen

2011-08-04T02:03:34+00:00

2011-08-04T02:03:34+00:00

Chapter 4 “All righty, I think I’ve got it figured out,” the Doctor said as he entered the box, tossing his coat onto a coat hanger. Trixie was sitting reading a newspaper that she had found in a recycle bin, while Derpy came in behind the Doctor carrying a tray of muffins. “I may have some information as well,” Trixie said. Derpy offered her a muffin, which she gladly took. “Please, relay your information Doctor.” “I ran into three little fillies that were rushing out into the country side and asked them if they could explain what had been going on in town. Seems that the local bakery exploded and a couple ponies got hurt. ” Trixie nodded. “I figured that out by reading this,” she held up the paper into the Doctor’s view. “But it did not say who had been hurt. What else did these fillies say?” “Not much useful,” the Doctor said. “One of them with a red bow on her head said that her sister and her friends were living out of town recovering from their injuries, but then ran off yelling something about getting their cutie marks by being cross country runners before I could get anything else.” Derpy set the box of muffins down on the control console. “It’s Twilight Sparkle and her friends. My friends Lyra and Bon-Bon mentioned that they’d been hurt. We all saw how Twilight Sparkle was, she was broken... I can only imagine that her friends are just as bad.” The Doctor smiled at the mares. “Well then, I think we know what we have to do next. This town’s been broken by the hardship they faced,” be brought his friends close into a huddle. “This means it’s up to us to put the pieces back together.” -- Trixie couldn’t help but feel a knot forming in her throat as she stood in front of the Ponyville Public Library. The Doctor suggested that they could work faster by splitting up, and being more personal with each of the Ponies. Trixie’s first task was Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle had been nice enough to her previously when returning her hat and cape, which were her only possessions. They’d been given to her by her mother when she’d gotten her cutie mark, so many years ago. Trixie was getting distracted, now was not the time to be nostalgic. She had things that needed doing. She swallowed and knocked on the door. Twilight Sparkle opened the door, her mane was a horrible mess and she looked as if she hadn't slept in days. Twilight was surprised to find the azure unicorn at her door, but smiled as best she could. “Hello Trixie, won’t you come in?” Trixie nodded and entered the library; it was in pretty much the same state as Twilight herself. Books were strung all over the floor and every table. Quills and parchment littered every other square centimetre of space, In fact, the only thing in the library that was free and clear of any objects were the bookshelves themselves. “Sorry about the mess!” Twilight exclaimed as she clamoured to pick up books. “I don’t get visitors any more, all my friends don’t live in town anymore...” “It’s quite all right,” Trixie said. She used her magic to help pick up as many books as she could, alphabetising them and placing them back on the shelves where they belong. In only two minutes, the combined resources of the two unicorns had the library back together as it belonged. “Thank you!” Twilight said to Trixie for her help. “You didn’t have to do that...” Trixie gave the lavender unicorn a smile, and the two sat down. Twilight attempted to return the smile, but ultimately failed to make a convincing one. “What happened?” Trixie asked plainly. Twilight looked up at her. She knew what her fellow unicorn was referring to, but the last thing she wanted to do was talk about it. “I am not leaving until you tell me what happened,” Trixie reaffirmed. “I will sit here for the next year. Trust Trixie when she says that bottling one’s emotions can do nothing but harm. Now, speak.” Twilight didn’t have the energy or the will power to argue with her, she broke down into tears, burying her eyes in her hooves. “It’s all my fault! I should have seen the signs! I should have known! It would have been obvious to every other pony, but no, not stupid, naïve Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight told Trixie everything as if she was vomiting up the words; she had no control over it. She recounted the story of Overdrive, the manipulative alicorn who appeared in Ponyville’s time of need as a saviour, but turned out to be its ruin, and Montana Ulhan, the kindly earth pony who had killed himself on her watch. She blamed herself; her inexperience with the feelings of others lead her to not notice that anything was wrong when every sign pointed to it. She blamed herself for her friends getting hurt. The pain was too much for her, and she wanted it gone. She wanted to die, but she was far too afraid of what would be waiting for her if that happened. Trixie moved from her seat next to Twilight and put her hoof around her. “Trixie has a story to tell too. Trixie... I think it relates to how you feel,” she said. “When I was last here, you and your friends ran me out of town, showing me to be a fraud, that I couldn’t even handle myself against an Ursa Minor, despite my earlier boasting. I wandered alone for several hours, angry that I had been embarrassed, but worse still, I wondered what I was going to do next... Trixie’s caravan had been destroyed by the Ursa, everything I had was gone. Trixie’s parents died several years ago, and Trixie had no friends, and no home to go to... And then when Trixie doesn’t want to go on anymore what happens? A magic box appears in front of me! The ponies who were inside the box become my first real friends and I’ve been travelling with them for the last year.” Trixie had fudged the details a bit, but she was getting her point across. “Trixie did not originally want to go with them, but she got caught up in their adventure anyway. She could have asked at any time to be taken back, but taken back to what? These were my only friends. Why would I leave them?” Trixie smiled at Twilight. “I’ve been much happier that I have friends. They’ve taught me that I don’t have to do things alone, just like you don’t have to be alone, because I want to be your friend too... if you will allow it of course.” Twilight looked at Trixie with a smile, a tear was forming in her eye, but Trixie could tell that this tear was different than the others. Twilight was happy; she threw her hooves around Trixie and pulled her in for the biggest hug she had ever gotten. “Of course I would,” Twilight said. Trixie had succeeded. Twilight had been broken from being alone with her guilt. Her friends off recovering in other places had driven her to loneliness. Now she didn’t have to be alone anymore. Now, she was fixed.

Wheller

407

Bon-Bon,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Trixie,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Putting the Pieces Back Together

After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind.

complete

<p>After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind, and her life starts taking turns that she would have never imagined.</p><p>Putting the Pieces Back together is a sequel to The Kindness of Strangers, which can be found here: <a href="/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers" rel="nofollow">http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers</a></p>

teen

2011-10-02T20:49:45+00:00

2011-10-02T20:49:45+00:00

Chapter 5 The Royal Hospital at Canterlot, Recovery and Physical Therapy ward. The Doctor stood outside the hospital, clad in a white medical coat that he’d had lying around. He felt the best approach to this was going to be to go undercover at the hospital. A few manipulations of the hospitals files and here he was. Doctor “Horseshoe” Blacksmith, the intern. He smiled and went inside. He had his work cut out for him today. He’d been given the ward’s ‘problem resident’ to look after because nopony else was willing to put up with her. The staff would have seen it as hazing the new guy, but it was exactly what the Doctor wanted to get. Room 508, here we go. The Doctor entered the room and greeted it’s occupant with a cheerful hello that was returned with a rude gesture. The Doctor merely chuckled. “It’s time to get up Rainbow Dash. We’ve got a long day of work ahead of us.” “Who’s ‘we?’” the pegasus pony said with clear annoyance in her voice. She rolled over on her bed to take a look at the Doctor, eyeing every square centimetre of the earth pony. “And more importantly, who’s ‘you?’” “I’m Doctor Blacksmith, you can call me Horseshoe though,” the Doctor said brightly. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Great, what? Did you get the short straw when they dished out assignments?” “Actually I requested your case... Let’s just say I have a thing about helping those deemed ‘lost causes.’” Rainbow Dash frowned at the earth pony in front of her, followed by a small sigh. “You’re wasting your time. My wings are paralysed. I’ll never fly again,” she rolled over and tucked her wings back into their places when they came loose. “Just leave me alone. Let me be useless to society in peace.” The Doctor frowned, it was worse than he thought. This pegasus pony wasn’t merely depressed. Her will had been shattered. “You know the reason you’re in here is to try and get use of your wings back! There’s always a chance!” “You’re just saying that to make me feel better. Go away,” Rainbow Dash said glumly, she pulled her blankets over herself and went back to sleep. The Doctor frowned again, this was going to be much more difficult than he imagined. He decided to go for a walk and to clear his head and come up with a plan of action. Exiting the room he walked to the end of the hallway and into main lounge area. He went over to the candy machine and placed a bit into the money slot. “Let me guess who you’re in charge of?” said a voice from behind him. The Doctor turned around and looked to find a bright yellow pegasus mare with a mane that reminded the Doctor of a roaring fire. “Is it that obvious?” he asked. “Everypony complains about Rainbow Dash,” The pegasus said. “I’ve been here two days and it’s all the staff does.” “Oh, you’re a patient?” the Doctor asked. “Minor training accident, I’m mostly here as a precaution,” the pegasus said. “I’m Spitfire by the way.” “Doctor Blacksmith. You can call me Horseshoe though,” the Doctor said. “Nice to meet you Horseshoe. I think I can help you with your pegasus problem.” Spitfire said with a smile. “Well I’ll take all the help that I can get.” … The Doctor entered Rainbow Dash’s room knocking on the door. The cyan pegasus turned to look and frowned instantly upon seeing his smiling mug. “Not you again. What do you want?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I don’t want anything. You have a visitor though,” the Doctor said taking a step back. Spitfire trotted into the room, she flashed a bright smile to the cyan pegasus who perked her head up when she entered the room. “Hey there Rainbow Dash, long time no see!” Spitfire said. “Ohmygosh Ohmygosh Ohmygosh Ohmygosh!” Rainbow Dash leapt to her hooves, falling on her face as she instinctively tried to use her wings. Rainbow groaned slightly in pain, slightly in embarrassment for making a fool of herself in front of one of her idols. Spitfire chuckled and helped Rainbow Dash to her hooves. “You all right?” She asked. “Yeah...” Rainbow said, her voice still ringing with embarrassment. “My wings are paralysed, and I forgot when I got excited...” “I’m sorry to hear that. Doctor Blacksmith told me that the chances are slim of you getting use of your wings back, but you know what I think? I think I’ve never met a more talented pony in my entire life, if anyone can bounce back from this, it’d be you.” Spitfire winked, causing Rainbow Dash’s heart to race in excitement. “So keep it up! Because I want to race you when you get better!” “Oh it’s on!” Rainbow Dash grinned competitively. “Come on Doc! We got work to do!” Rainbow Dash was practically prancing in excitement as she left the room towards the gymnasium. Spitfire chuckled. “She’ll be fine; all she needed was a little encouragement. I’ll see you around Doctor.” Spitfire trotted outside, leaving the Doctor beaming. It had worked, they had gotten through to her, as long as Rainbow Dash didn’t get discouraged, the Doctor was sure that she would make a full recovery. “Hey Doc! What’s taking you so long?” Rainbow Dash called from the hallway. The Doctor smiled and trotted along after her. … Derpy Hooves had spent nearly every favour that the Canterlot Post Office owed her to come to this point. The best way to track down a missing pony was to find where their mail was going. The Canterlot wilderness preserve was located in the heart of the city, a semi-private park of nearly a hundred hectares of freely growing forest. Derpy should have guessed that if Fluttershy was going to be found anywhere, the place to be would be a forest. What Derpy didn’t understand was why Fluttershy would be in Canterlot’s wilderness preserve, and not her own home in Ponyville. She supposed that she’d find out when she talked to her. Derpy cursed her eye sight, she’d be lucky to pick out Fluttershy at five metres. Not to mention that she’d have to walk through the forest to find her, flying at such a low (relative) altitude with trees everywhere was not a good idea if Derpy wanted to keep her spine intact. Derpy walked into the trees towards the heart of the forest. But very quickly found where she needed to go. A small sign pointing to the Royal Hospital Wilderness Recovery Centre indicated to Derpy why Fluttershy was here. She was still in psychiatric care. Derpy didn’t know Fluttershy very well, but she did know that she was a fragile creature; whatever happened to her must have sent her over the edge. After a few minutes of walking, she came across a fenced in area in a clearing. Inside the clearing were several house sized buildings and a large common area. This had to have been the place. Derpy followed the sign around to the visitor’s entrance and stepped inside the gate house. An extremely bored looking Unicorn popped her head up, looking at the wall-eyed pegasus with contempt. “Can I help you?” “I’m here to see a patient by the name of Fluttershy,” Derpy said. The Unicorn used her magic to hand Derpy a clipboard and pencil. “Fill out the forms and then you can go on back.” Derpy did her best to fill out the lengthy form, and handed it back to the unicorn at the desk. “It’s recreation time, so you’ll probably find your friend in the common yard,” the unicorn said in a disinterested, monotone voice. “If you have anything shiny, I’d suggest leaving it here. The crazies love shiny things.” Derpy was somewhat offended by the unicorn, but chose not to say anything. Out in the yard, Derpy spotted Fluttershy immediately, and went over to speak to her. “Fluttershy?” Derpy said trying to get her attention. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise and recoiled away from Derpy. “Fluttershy? It’s me! Derpy Hooves!” Fluttershy looked at Derpy in surprise. Her eyes seemed to light up, she did recognise her. “Oh... I’m so sorry,” she said quietly. “I thought you were in the hospital too.” “I was, but I was released a week ago,” Derpy said with a smile. “How have you been?” “Um... okay I guess. Derpy? Why are you here?” “I came to visit you! I got back to Ponyville and you and the rest of your friends were gone...” Fluttershy’s eyes grew very small. “P... Ponyville? No! nononononono, I can’t go back! Don’t make me go back!” Fluttershy backed away from Derpy in fear; she coiled herself into a ball and rocked back and forth on the ground, muttering ‘can’t go back’ over and over. Several guards noticed what was going on, and rushed over to help. “What’s going on here?” a pegasus guard asked. “I don’t know... I don’t know what I did.” “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the guard said angrily. His partner pulled out a syringe of sedatives and stabbed Fluttershy’s flank with it, sending her off to sleep. Derpy knew at this point that bringing Fluttershy back was the toughest thing she’d ever had to do.

Wheller

407

Bon-Bon,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Trixie,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Putting the Pieces Back Together

After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind.

complete

<p>After being terribly injured by an explosion in the post office, Derpy Hooves is released from the Royal Hospital in Canterlot, however Ponyville is not the same, quiet little town that she left behind, and her life starts taking turns that she would have never imagined.</p><p>Putting the Pieces Back together is a sequel to The Kindness of Strangers, which can be found here: <a href="/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers" rel="nofollow">http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/The-Kindness-of-Strangers</a></p>

teen

2011-08-04T02:07:19+00:00

2011-08-04T02:07:19+00:00

Chapter 6 Derpy returned the next day; the same receptionist from the day before eyed her menacingly, judging her silently as she filled out the same forms as yesterday. Okay Derpy, here goes nothing. Derpy spotted Fluttershy immediately; Fluttershy looked up and saw Derpy approaching her. The yellow pegasus thrust her head to her left, telling the wall eyed pegasus to follow her. Derpy followed as instructed, and Fluttershy lead her to the back side of a building close to the fence. “Hello Fluttershy.” Derpy said. “Hi Derpy, how are you?” Fluttershy asked with a smile. “I’m doing good thanks. Listen, about yesterday...” Derpy began, however she was quickly interrupted by Fluttershy, who raised a hoof to silence her. “You don’t have to apologise. I wasn’t really freaking out, I was just pretending...” Fluttershy took a quick look around, making sure the coast was clear. “So that they wouldn’t suspect!” This had to have been a record. Five seconds into a conversation, and Derpy was already lost. “Have to make them think that I don’t want to leave!” Fluttershy leaned in close and whispered into Derpy’s ear. “I secretly do! Now if they think that I don’t want to leave, that casts suspicion away from you, and why you’re really here!” Derpy looked confused. “To break me out?” Fluttershy questioned. “Oh yeah! That. Duh!” Derpy said, feeling that running with it would work better in the long run. “I’m such a feather brain sometimes...” “That’s okay. You’re heart is in the right place, which is most important,” Fluttershy said, she took a quick look around, checking to see if nobody was listening. “You have to get me out of here!” Derpy looked at the yellow pegasus strangely. “I’m... still working on how to do that.” “Take your time, but the sooner the better! They’re trying to poison me!” Fluttershy said. “I haven’t been taking my “medication” for that reason.” You don’t say? It was official. The situation was far worse now than it had been yesterday. Fluttershy was delusional, paranoid, and dangerous. Breaking her out was simply out of the question, not that Derpy had had any intention of doing it in the first place. Fluttershy needed help. Help that could only be given here, and it needed Fluttershy to take her medication. Derpy just needed to figure out a way to get her too. “If you want to escape... why don’t you just fly over the fence?” Derpy asked. Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s not that simple, the fence is for show. It couldn’t keep any of us here if it wanted to. No, what’s really keeping us here is a magical barrier that extends to the height of 10 metres. I tried escaping that way, I tried everything I could think of, and I couldn’t get past it.” Derpy needed to get her to take her meds. It was the only way she was going to get better, but how was she going to do it without Fluttershy figuring out that Derpy wanted her to take them. Fluttershy was ordinarily soft spoken and gentle... but like this she was unpredictable. She had every reason to believe that Fluttershy would try to kill her if she deemed her a threat. Worse still, you can’t reason with a crazy pony. “Fluttershy?! Where are you?” a stallion’s voice called out from around the corner. “Hide!” Fluttershy hissed. Derpy didn’t see a reason why she should, but she ducked behind the other side of the building anyway. She peeked around to see that an all black stallion in a white medical coat come into view. “Oh! Hello Doctor Nightcaller!” Fluttershy said to him. Doctor Nightcaller looked over his patient. “Recreation hour is over Fluttershy, its medication time.” “Oh, I’m so sorry Doctor, I must have lost track of time,” Fluttershy said, she smiled warmly at the earth pony doctor, and disappeared around the corner. Doctor Nightcaller looked right at Derpy, whose head was still peering out at them from behind her cover. “What are you doing?” Doctor Nightcaller asked. Derpy looked terribly embarrassed. “I... uh, Fluttershy told me to hide, and considering her condition, I felt it best not to argue with her.” Nightcaller frowned and shook his head. “That poor filly, we can’t get her to take her medication, she’ll never get better if she doesn’t.” Derpy frowned, but suddenly felt an idea forming. “Doctor Nightcaller? I have an idea. Though it’s probably unethical at the best and illegal at the worst... But if it does work it’ll help everypony.” Nightcaller looked over the wall eyed pegasus. “You have my attention.” … Derpy returned to visit Fluttershy the following day, she had been expecting her this time, and Fluttershy did not jump when Derpy greeted her. “I’m here to get you out Fluttershy,” Derpy said, smiling warmly at the yellow and pink pegasus. “Super!” Fluttershy said happily. “Oh I’m so excited! Tell me, what’s the plan?” “How long have we known each other Fluttershy?” Derpy asked her. Fluttershy stopped and thought about it for a moment. “Gosh, it’s had to have been... three years maybe?” Derpy nodded, she stepped towards the pegasus hoof outstretched. Lying on her hoof was a small pill. Fluttershy looked at Derpy with confusion. “Every day for the last three years, I delivered your mail, even on Sundays, I came by just to say hello. So now I have to ask you, have I ever had any reason to harm you?” “No...” Fluttershy said. “Exactly,” Derpy continued. “Have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?” “No...” Fluttershy said again. “I need you to trust me right now Fluttershy. I am personally delivering this to you. I need you to take this. Take this, and you’ll finally be able to come home,” Derpy said smiling at her. “Do you trust me Fluttershy?” Fluttershy stood silent for a moment. “Yes,” she finally managed. Fluttershy took the pill in Derpy’s hoof and swallowed it, opening her mouth and lifting her tongue to prove that she had indeed taken it. Derpy smiled at her. “I’m going to be back tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, for as many days as it takes for you to get better, just so that you know, that you will be safe. You have nothing to fear when I am with you,” Derpy said reassuringly. Fluttershy smiled back, knowing her friend meant every word. … It had taken nearly twice as long as the Doctor and Trixie put together, but Derpy Hooves had scored her first victory. Fluttershy regularly took the medicine that Derpy ‘delivered’ to her, and a short few days later, Doctor Nightcaller was stamping discharge papers. Fluttershy had become more reasonable, and while it would be much longer before she had fully healed. Doctor Nightcaller deemed that she was healthy enough to return to Ponyville, where she would be most happy. “I have got to hand it to you Miss Hooves. I think you went into the wrong profession,” Nightcaller said. “Noooo... I’m not smart enough to be a doctor. Fluttershy is just my friend and I know how to talk to her,” Derpy said modestly. Fluttershy smiled at Derpy as she stood next to her, Nightcaller rolled up the papers and filed them away. “Thank you for everything Doctor Nightcaller... I’m so sorry that I was bad.” Fluttershy said sadly. “Don’t you worry. It wasn’t you’re fault. You were sick, and now you’re better,” Nightcaller said with a smile. Derpy and Fluttershy stepped out of the office and into the open forest beyond the magical barrier. Now it was time to go home.