Advertisement
Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up,
it unlocks many cool features!
- >Dawn breaks over Ponyville, the sun rising at Celestia’s whim like innumerable mornings before it.
- >The morning sun stires one of Ponyville’s many denizens; Fluttershy, from her sleep, but it’s the incessant thumping of a bunny's paw that finally pulls her from her sleep.
- >”Good morning Angel. Are you hungry.”
- >The rabbit gives Fluttershy a condescending look and continues to thump his foot.
- >”Just give mommy a-”
- >Fluttershy interrupts herself with a yawn as gentle as her personality, and she slides off her bed, placing a hoof on her dresser to stabilize herself.
- >”Just give me a moment and I’ll fix you up a nice salad.”
- >All of a sudden Fluttershy is rudely pushed to the ground as her dresser explosively expands, growing large enough to punch a hole in the side of her cottage before she can react.
- >Any animal not already awaken by the sound of splintering wood finds themselves drawn out of their sleep by Fluttershy’s startled scream as the dresser slowly topples and deposits itself beside her house.
- https://youtu.be/RLJUsZYC0Uk
- Chapter 8: Chasing the 「WHITE RABBIT」
- >Despite walking this path before (even if it was once, and at a pace closer to frantic running than anything else) you can’t help but feel a little bit on edge.
- >You suppose you were never one for nature, but the foliage to your side seems even more wild than the usual ponyville fare.
- >”That’s just how the Everfree Forest is. Pony magic has next to no effect there so everything just...grows.”
- “Great, I feel more at home every minute.”
- >The two of you round the corner and Dash gasps as you spot Fluttershy’s cottage, now sporting a massive hole in the top floor and a dresser the size of a truck sitting on its side in the front yard.
- “That’s new.”
- >Rainbow Dash lives up to her name and takes off in a spectral coloured blur, with you hot on her heels.
- >”FLUTTERSHY? FLUTTERSHY!”
- >”Rainbow Dash please, use your inside voice for once.”
- >In a flash of light a horned, snake like figure that looks like a mix bag of a half a dozen different animals appears in the room, and on instinct you put yourself between Dash and it.
- “An enemy stand!”
- >”A stand? Please, do I look like some second rate persona?”
- >The figure snaps his fingers and reappears wearing a fancy orange suit.
- >”I’m Discord, my dear boy.”
- >Discord doffs his hat, letting it roll down his arm and land in front of you, whereupon it rises back up, carried by his head as he comes up from the ground in front of you.
- >”God of Chaos, reformed villain, staunch friend of the elements of harmony. You may have heard of me.”
- >Your blank expression obviously isn’t the reaction he was looking for, judging by the pout he puts on before he turns to Rainbow Dash.
- >”Oh I understand, you felt that you couldn’t do me justice and decided that I could introduce myself, yes?”
- >Dash opens her mouth to reply, only to be stopped as Discord places a finger on her lips.
- >”No no! It’s quite alright, really.”
- >Discord’s finger removes itself from Dash’s lips before zooming across the room to rejoin the rest of his hand.
- >”Enough stalling Discord, what did you do to Fluttershy’s dresser?”
- >”Oh, you think that was moi?”
- >”Well who else could it have been?”
- >”ANGEL!”
- >Both yours and Dash’s heads turn towards Fluttershy’s voice, and a with a quick relocation to the window you spot her standing at the edge of the Everfree forest, yelling with surprising force considering how soft spoke she usually is.
- >”Fluttershy! What happened?”
- >Fluttershy goes on to explain how, after her dresser grew five sizes and promptly exited her cottage, she spent most of the morning rounding up her startled animals.
- >Or most of them at least. One, an ‘adorable white bunny’ by the name of Angel whom Fluttershy, having exhausted all other possibilities, thinks has run off into the Everfree Forest.
- >”Can’t Discord just teleport him back here?”
- >”Under normal circumstances yes, but.”
- >Discord snaps his fingers, resulting in a fizzing sound and a small number of sparks that float down to the ground and do little else.
- >”As much as I hate to admit it, it seems that the Everfree is interfering with my powers.
- >At Rainbow Dash’s insistence you find yourself roped into helping find the rabbit.
- >Which involves a trek into the Everfree forest.
- >Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy take the lead, and you find yourself falling into step with Discord, who Fluttershy also convinced to help.
- “So wait, how can you see me if you’re not a stand. Or a stand user, for that matter?”
- >In a flash of light an oversized pin appears on Discord’s chest, bearing his name and the words; ‘Chaos, God Of’
- “So...magic, basically?”
- >”Well why not? You stands and stand users running around, causing so much delectable chaos whenever you get in a tiff with each other-”
- >Discord brings his thumb and middle finger together and with an exaggerated kiss flicks the two digits in the air.
- >”Delectable.”
- >Your motley crew continues its trek through the forest, Fluttershy’s (and two a lesser degree, yours and Rainbow Dash’s) cries of ‘Angel’ the only words passing between you all.
- >Eventually, the forest starts to thin out and you find yourselves before the decrepit structure of a castle, looming out of the greenery around you.
- >Now that you’re finally out of the thicker part of the forest you see that the sun has started to set, throwing long shadows stretching away from the castle’s crumbling parapets and walls.
- “Seriously, we’ve been out here all day?!”
- >”Look Fluttershy, maybe we shoul-”
- >Dash is cut off as Fluttershy shushes her and looks around.
- >”Listen.”
- >At Fluttershy’s suggestion you do just that, and after a few moments you and Dash come to the same conclusion.
- >”It’s quiet.”
- >”Too quiet.”
- >You turn to give Discord marred look of disbelief and annoyance just as the decaying wall in front of you explodes into broken shards of masonry.
- >”And now suddenly it’s too loud. I prefered it when it was quiet.”
- >You move to cover the girls as a monstrous bear emerges from the dark recess of the castle, and you almost sigh in relief despite the fact that it’s covered in armour as ancient as the bricks around you.
- “Don’t worry about it, I got this.”
- >You step forward, remembering Celestia’s words that only stand users can see stands, and wind back your first to strike the bear.
- >You punch forward, aiming right at its nose to scare it when suddenly you feel you first stop, striking flesh sooner than you thought.
- >You inch your gaze downwards and see your fist contained in the bears massive meaty paw.
- “W-what?!”
- >”The bear’s a stand user?!”
- >The bear roars and with a flick of its wrist throws you off to the side.
- >You pick yourself as the bear advances on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and, breaking into a charge, throw yourself at it’s side at the last moment.
- >While you intend to stagger the bear, you practically bounce right off it’s fuzzy side and do little other than get it’s attention.
- “DISCORD! Lil’ help?”
- >He sighs, and with a snap of his fingers produces a round binder that he proceeds to start flicking through.
- >”「ANONYMOUS」!”
- >Rainbow Dash takes off and dives at the bear as it raises its paw, distracting him and causing him to take out the brickwork behind you as opposed to your head.
- “Seriously?”
- >”Well this is a stand battle isn’t it, it’s only fair I use a stand.”
- >Discord turns his gaze back to the binder and mutters to himself as he goes through the contents.
- >The bear rears up, and you take the opportunity to punch him in his gut only for it to bring itself back down, knocking you on your ass.
- >Your view of ‘very pissed off bear’ is suddenly overwhelmed by pink and yellow as Fluttershy swoops in, putting herself between you and the bear and looking it in the eyes.
- >”Now wait just a moment mister. Just because you’re angry doesn't mean you can go hurting othe-”
- >The bear swipes, and Fluttershy yelps as the paw touches her face…
- >And stops.
- >”「BENZIN」.”
- >You turn to see Discord finish pushing a disc into his head and see the shadow’s around you become much sharper.
- >The shadow between the bear’s paw and Fluttershy’s face grows, forming a fist encapsulating the bear’s own and pushing it’s paw away.
- >It let’s out another growl, and tries to retreat only for more shadows to lash out and grab the rest of its limbs.
- >”Now now, that’s quite enough of that.”
- >The shadow’s pull the bear to the ground, and form into the image of a pair of guard’s ponies, pointing spears at the downed beast.
- >”T-thanks Discord.”
- >Fluttershy gingerly rubs her cheek, only to stop when a slow clap rings our over the courtyard.
- >”Very good. Very good. I’m halfway impressed. Especially with shadow manipulation at the end there. Discord you’re truly a draconequus after my own heart.”
- >The shadow soldiers turn, pointing their spears outwards at you all as the bear’s restraints dissipate.
- “Discord what the hel-”
- >Your anger turns to confusion as you turn to see him clutching his face, blood marring his features as he tries desperately to push a disk back into his head.
- >”Discord!”
- >”Nothing to worry about Fluttershy, probably just a scratch on the di-”
- >The offending object shoots out of Discord’s head, breaking into a million glittering shards as it impacts with the brickwork.
- >”Sorry, but it’s only fair I level the playing field a little bit.”
- >From the hole left by the bear, a small white rabbit emerges.
- >”Angel?”
- >The rabbit looks up, and smiles eerily as the shadows around him twist and contort.
- >”Angel? Hardly my dear. I’m more of a-”
- “「NIGHTMARE」 .”
- >”Oh, heard of me have you? Luna was always the mare to kiss and tell.”
- >The shadows break off, becoming tangible as they swim through the air and twist around you.
- >You swat at the inky smoke and though your hand goes straight through it you succeed in driving it back towards Angel.
- >”What do you want?”
- >”What do you think I want? I want the one thing you ponies took away from me!”
- >”Princess Luna?”
- >”Exactly!”
- >The shifting shadows collapse into a maelstrom, and unceremoniously Angel is released. The rabbit looks around, confused, for a moment before hopping over to Fluttershy and hugging her leg.
- >”And as much as I loathe to share, you and your stand will be the ones to help me do it, Rainbow Dash!”
- >The shadow consolidated, and dives like a spear at Rainbow Dash.
- >”「WHITE RABBIT」.”
- >One of the pieces of shattered stonework leaps in size, growing in leaps and bounds under the touch of a squat, hunched figure with it’s back to you, leaving the only noticeable features visible it’s massive ‘ears’ come back of it’s head at an angle.
- >”Discord, now!”
- >As Nightmare breaks across the oversized rubble like a wave, Discord grabs you all, pulling you into an uncomfortably tight group hug.
- >Before you can voice your objection the world shifts, and you find yourself deposited back at Fluttershy’s cottage as Discord releases you.
- >For a moment the only thing that passes between the four of you is heavy breathing as your minds catch up with events, and eventually you speak up.
- “Fluttershy...you have a stand?”
- >She nods, and you run a hand over your head.
- “So you could see me this entire time and you didn’t say anything?”
- >”Yea, what they hay Flutters?”
- >She shies away at yours and Dash’s questions and shrugs.
- >”I just didn’t want to cause a fuss is all.”
- >”And did you know about this?”
- >Dash wheels around to Discord, who puts his arms up in mock defence.
- >”Not at all. Cross my heart, hope to fly, ecetera ecetera.”
- >Wordlessly, Angel hops over clutching a carrot, which he deposits at Fluttershy’s hooves.
- >Unbeknownst to the bunny her stand manifests and places its paw on the carrot, causing it to grow, though nowhere near as dramatically as the rubble before.
- “So, you can grow things huh?”
- >”And shrink them.”
- >Fluttershy’s stand bounds over to the dresser and touches it with it’s opposite paw.
- >True to her word the oversized furniture slowly shrinks, going past normal sized until it’s small enough for her stand to pick up and carry back to her.
- >”Wow. How could you hide such an awesome stand from us.”
- >Rainbow Dash nudges Fluttershy with her elbow, and both mares share a smile.
- >”Far be it from me to be the sensible one, but aren’t you forgetting something?”
- >The girls’ smiles disappear as they remember the threat now lurking in the forest.
- >”We need to tell the princesses.”
- >With a snap of his fingers Discord conjures an ornate wooden door and raps on it with his knuckles.
- >”Yes? Come in.”
- >Princess Luna’s voice spurs you to push open the door, and you find yourself entering what you assume to be her chambers.
- >”Rainbow Dash? I didn’t know you were in Canter-oh.”
- >Luna’s gaze narrows as Discord slithers through the door, which shows the front of Fluttershy’s house rather than the hallway, after you and Dash.
- >”To what do I owe this visit?”
- <=To=Be=Continued==
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNEk5Yf-MYY
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement