Thread 110: Stories 46-60

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>AJ
~~
She flew, as quickly as she possibly could from the crowd. The one place they would never follow her, a place she could finally get some peace and quiet.

The Everfree Forest.

She crashed into a clearing, splattering mud and grass everywhere, her hat falling off in the process.

>Stupid giant bug-monster

She scooped up her hat by hoof and set it back on her head, slumping down into the mud.

>Stupid Rarity

Plip, plip

>Stupid changelings

plip, plip, plip

>Stupid 18

plip plip plip

>Stupid, stupid everypony

The tears continued to fall quietly, as a mud caked orange alicorn sat in the middle of the Everfree Forest.

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>???
“???”
~~~~

A hoof punched up through the packed earth.

For a moment, it was still… then it was waving about, frantically searching for something to cling to, which it found in the form of a thick tree root.

Magic ignited almost instantly, staticky and tired, lacing up the clenching hoof to form a nigh unbreakable bond with what it held.

It took the better portion of an hour for the upper torso of a horned stallion to emerge, caked in dirt and panting furiously.

Another quarter of an hour passed before the stallion finally had enough strength to continue pulling, to continue yanking, grasping, tugging, doing all within his trembling form to drag himself free.

And when he was, he collapsed onto his side.

A ways ahead, having patiently waited during that entire ordeal, an older mare cleared her throat, the noise impatient.

“Well, still breathing? …You are? Okay, good. I honestly thought you’d given up the ghost this time around, boy. I always knew you were tenacious but this just exceeds expectations. Although, truthfully, I have to deduct points for your utterly unprofessional attire.”

By attire, she obviously meant the grime and filth that coated the reborn stallion like a second skin.

But his ‘give a fuck’ meter was practically nonexistent at this point.

Along with the desire to keep breathing as every inhale pierced his chest like shards of glass.

“You’ve been lying there on your side for the past three minutes now. Tick tock, tick tock, what, do you seek to take up settlement there?”

In the past, her chides would have flared up some type of response be it a grunt, a shrug, a glare—something.

All she got this time was silence. A silence not just from him but from the surrounding forest. Not even the trees or birds bothered to entertain her usual routine.

“Get up.”

He didn’t.

“Deaf now? I said: Get. Up.”

Only the grass swayed, mockingly. Only the grass was willing to obey.

Not at all used to being ignored by anyone for anything, the older mare took a powerful step forward.

Still, no response.

She took another.

Nothing.

“If there's one thing I can promise you right here and now, boy, it's this. If I reach you and you've yet to cease this pet rock imitation… you won't be much help to your precious queens in the future.”

The stallion finally twitched, and not because of his mentors words.

But because he had felt it.

Deep down in the pit of his stomach he felt it explode like a nuke.

That overwhelming sense of uselessness and anxiety… of confusion… of loss… and a frustration so dark it almost made him nauseous…

The vision of a bright red apple falling into a pit of black sludge flitted across his weary mind, and a hard snort of air escaped his flared nostrils.

Just as the stomping came dangerously close to reaching him, he pushed himself up on unsteady hooves.

Hooves that seemed to be… glitching, phasing in and out like bad reception. And it was because of that little side-effect to his training that he had earlier found himself buried alive after glitching through the ground. Again.

He wasn’t sure if this constant phasing could be considered the fruits of his training as so far all he’d succeeded in doing was glitching into trees, into rivers, three-feet underground—he couldn’t control when it happened or what part of him did it.

Returning home in such a shabby state, having learned nothing and gained a verifiable curse, was a negative in his book. The shame sure to adorn both his queens faces when they saw him, as nothing but a twitching mess of instability….

He gave a legitimate twitch of surprise when a gentle hoof met the underside of his chin, forcing his bleary gaze skywards.

“You know what, boy? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a soul so fearlessly devoted... yet so staggeringly dumb at at the same time.”

This time, he would have responded vocally if his forelegs hadn’t suddenly turned to static and slipped through the grass. In the same instant, his mentor strengthened her hold under his chin which only caused him to feel as though being choked when he dipped.

>UNGH!

“Sshhh… come on.”

Her voice was almost unnervingly soft.

“I’ve got you, and you’ve got this. Pull yourself up.”

And pull he did, using her hold as a balance until his legs took form again.

“Now… you seem to be under the misconception that when you fail you need to effect some immediate form of banishment on yourself from those you feel you’ve let down. That, boy, is one of your many, many faults. And perhaps your most annoying. You can’t expect to defend the ones you’ve pledged to when you’re not around. Who knows what might be happening to your sun, to your apple, at this very moment. And I know damn well I did not waste those years of my life training some kind of coward who can’t even handle a simple failure.”

He had flinched a grand total of six times during her speech despite the fact her voice never rose above normal conversational levels.

Mostly because everything she said was true.

He had no idea what was going on right now in Canterlot, but that soul-crushing sensation of dread a few moments ago gave him an inkling that at least one of his queens was suffering.

Terribly.

“So. What will you do, eh, boy? You’ve done your training, and failed. I can look at you and tell you’ve gained nothing but a higher tolerance for pain. You pushed yourself so hard you somehow managed to downgrade your ability to teleport into this… this glitching nonsense. To be honest, you’re the very epitome of unprofessional. I’ve never seen you so low….”

He glanced up into her face, and when their eyes met, the thinnest of grins spread across her lips.

“…and yet, I’ve never seen you so determined.”

>…I’m going.

“Even if you wind up as nothing more than a burden?”

>I’m going…

“And you’re willing to be seen like this? You don’t even have your shades, boy.”

>I’m going.

Every strangled repeat saw him a little bit closer to standing upright, his tail phasing in-between the realm of physical and static.

>And besides…

His horn lit up again, and a pair of damaged sunglasses came whizzing through the trees, affixing themselves to his face.

>My shades are right here.

“Ah, so they are. Let’s hope your face doesn’t glitch and they fall off again.”

Jetset was never one to entertain the notion of ‘hoping’. That gave the impression that he was waiting, waiting for someone or something to make the situation right.

And if that were the case, then what good was he? He liked to think he WAS that hope.

Without a backwards glance, Jetset took off, his gallop hampered and jagged, but he pushed on, sidestepping trees and leaping over bushes.

Occasionally, his glitching would work in his favor, moving him through tree trunks and over ravines without so much as a splash.

Due to his crooked yet undeniably gallant sprint, Ms Harshwhinny was able to keep pace just behind him, her voice carrying well over the internal throb of his heart.

“For Celestia’s sake, boy! Do you even care about getting back to your queens? You’re running full speed and I’m still right behind you! Get the dirt out of your ass and MOVE!”

Bzzt.

Ms Harshwhinny would later recall a great ripple tearing through Jetset’s form at her urging, one that caused him to howl out with agony.

Then she blinked.

And he was gone. Nothing remained except a dying whirlwind of leaves and twigs.

"Huh..."

Her sprint turned into a trot, that turned into a canter, that turned into stillness.

"Alright then, boy. Let’s see what this training has really taught you.”

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>Celestia
"Canterlot citizens"
~~~~~

She knew something was off very shortly into it.

"Princess Celestia, we have a list of grievances we wish to have addressed!"

For, while they were of the upper crust to be sure, when things grew frightening the citizens of her lovely city panicked like wild animals with the best of them.

"We demand an investigation! An outside investigation!"

However, for a seemingly random mob, she noticed something a touch off about the whole matter.

"An investigation that will publish all findings to the public, as well!"

For starters, it seems a new sensation swept her nation without her knowing, and her subjects have all decided to join together and form a seamless hivemind. How rude of them, not to invite her.

Or they had found the secrets to telepathy that even changelings would go green in the face with jealousy over, either or.

"And we demand that until this investigation is finished, all changelings are to be banned from this city and the castle!"

"And any representatives of the Crystal Empire as well!"

"Perhaps even those who associate with them should be held back, just until we know!"

"Quite! We have the safety of our nation to think of!"

"It's not like we're being unreasonable!"

They quite were to order a species essentially tossed away due to one of them being helpful more than they had imagined, but she found it prudent not to poke the bees nest as it were. No, especially not when this hive followed a Queen hidden in their midst, but finding it would be a challenge...

>Well! I must say, you are all certainly acting a lot calmer than you were before.

"Calmer? My dear princess, you must have been mistaken!"

"Quite right, we're nothing like those ruffians scurrying about down below, we are of the very peak!"

"You must have seen your disjointed guards running about and confused them for us, the silly things!"

Oh yes, someone was definitely at the helm of this, and they were quite good. However...

>Oh, how silly of me. Well! These certainly seem to be rather hurried complaints nonetheless, but I would love to hear them further and discuss anything that might reach a mutual agreement! Now, who would like to sit down for tea and talk with me on the matter in the castle?

She was no slouch herself.

"Go... with you?"

There it is, that bit of worry in them. Most already had shuffled back, leaving only the thirty or so of the most daring who had moved their way to the front. Whoever it was had put the fear in them that their royals might be enthralled, but fear was a very unwieldy weapon, not made for precision.

>Oh? Come, someone would like to discuss this more in depth, and we certainly can't do it out on my lawn! How... uncivilized.

More shuffled back, looking to the others to take the helm and be the leader, and narrowing down her pool of possibilities even further. A mere twenty now.

"But... ahem, but we are worried that you might be..."

>Oh? Do you think me controlled of the mind? Do you think I might be influenced?

"Well, yes! How would you know?"

>Oh, come now Silver Saddle, don't be silly. If I were influenced in such a manner, what good would taking someone in to speak on the matter do me? If the end result is not satisfactory, you'd just try again, and I'm certainly no more willing to hurt you now than I would be in the morning. What good would it do me, or any unseen puppetmasters, to open my doors to you?

"I... suppose that's true."

He shuffled back, his hoof in his chin to appear in thought to save face. Not him.

>Upper Crust? Perhaps you'd like to join in?

"Erm... well..."

She backed down, and with her a few more on either side who feared being picked. Oh, they put on the show of looking like they were disgusted with her cowardice and following her retreat, of course, but they made no moves themselves.

"But if you were influenced, you could take over any of our minds as well! I say we all go in together!"

Agreement, from those who feared being picked, quite loud and quite far.

>While I certainly have nothing against any of you coming in, you'd be more than welcome, I believe the issue is that you want to make sure that those I speak to are not taken over or magically shiften? Well it would be easy to tell that with just one, wouldn't it? After all, if you send a single pony to speak with me on your all behalf, then you only have to look for influence in a single one of them, no? Much easier than all of you coming in, where it would be easy to influence some without ever knowing. Why, a crowd is so easy to lose ones self into and subtly lay influence, no? But not the mind of a single strong, determined pony! That would be impossible to cover up.

The tide shifted in her favor, rolling back like the waves on a beach. And with its ebb, it took many a pony with it. So few more.

>Now, who would like to come?

There were only a few, the one at the helm had to be among them.

>Certainly someone who is quite the leader, yes? Who speaks for the ponies?

This was too important to leave to mere influence, and she knew it, and whoever was behind it knew it. This was too well put together, even for something done in the span of an hour, for whoever was in this not to be intelligent enough to know.

>Who has the best grasp on your grievances, I'd like to speak of this with them.

There was a King on the board hiding behind all of these pawns, and she needed to clear them all to see them clearly. She knew fully well that this opened her, made her exposed, but it was the only way. She had to put herself on the line to stare down what might bring her end. She just had to move the right pieces...

>Is there anyone you all would... recommend? I would love to hear your opinions!

Check.

"Oh! Of course!"

At last, she knew who her opponent in this game was.

The answers came, both in their own bright need to have their voices heard, and the last few at the front moving away. They pointed to their 'leader', long after it ceased to make a difference, shoving them subtly in an attempt to push off all the burden as they themselves backed away. She didn't need their words, for there was only one pony left standing at the front, only one who looked ready to stand before her, only one pony who did not back down or back away when she had advanced her last few steps. Only one, with the courage or just damned pride who would not move when the most powerful royal in Equestria stepped forth.

Only one, who knew this game could no longer be left up to the will of the crowd, and had taken the reigns when they could do the most damage.

There was only one pony left.

>Would you like to come in for tea and have a discussion, Miss Pennydrop?

Only one pony, who's eyes were like her own.

~I would be delighted.~

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OOCO
>Haymaker
“PJ”
‘Blueblood’
____

>…

‘Something wrong, Maker?’

>Hm...? Not really, just….

“Mmpgh?”

>No, no, not that—I mean, yeah, I’d love that, your thigh potatoes are the best but no, I’m just… I can’t shake the feeling that I’m the only guard that, whenever he gets a break, spends it peeling potatoes.

“…prrrnm fgh mmph.”

‘I agree. Are you looking for a problem in there? If so, I don’t see it.’

>No, I mean… it’s not a problem, I just think it’s weird. It’s weird, isn’t it? I’m weird!

“…”

‘…’

>…What?

‘Maker? You’re in the company of a stallion who tried to assassinate the princess and a changeling who relies on a flying device, not her wings, and has a borderline fetish for spuds.’

“Mffh.”

‘Right. So, excuse my French but… what in the fuck are you even talking about?’

>You know what? I thought I knew, but now I’m not so sure.

“Gnngh mrrmph gffffrgle.”

‘Well put, PJ. Maker? Shut up and peel or no thigh potatoes for you.’

>Annnnd peeling with a white hot intensity.

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>Blueblood
"Canterlot ponies"
'???'
~~~~~

>I suppose I knew this day would come.

The banging on his tiny door had been loud before, and to his dismay ignoring it had not solved the problem.

"AHEM! MISTER TRAITOR! WE WOULD HAVE WORDS WITH YOU!"

They were in a literal witchhunt he could tell, so the ex-traitor who was commonly seen with changelings was a natural target.

"WE WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THIS OUTSIDE!"

And he didn't even have Haymaker here to protect him, as he had before.

>I suppose... I knew it was going to come back on me someday.

It was at the hooves of those scared and afraid, it would be justice in some sense he guessed.

>Time... to face the music. I hope I can at least draw some attention-

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT"

'SCREECA SCREE!'

"...WHAT!?"

'I DON'T KNOW WHAT SOUNDS SPIDERS MAKE BUT ABOOGABOOOGABOOGA!'

He heard running, he heard screaming, he heard someone being stepped on and more running still, and then he heard the doorknob turn, and watched as it swung outwards.

'...Huh. Even I know you're not supposed to push a pull door.'

He couldn't believe his eyes, no matter how long he stared.

>A... Arana?

'Uh... hi!'

She waved with no less than four of her legs, plastering a fake smile on all the while.

>What... what on earth are you doing up here, you were supposed to be with the princess!

'Oh, I know, and it was fun, but... but I thought you might get in trouble, so...'

>How on earth...

'I ran.'

He needed no more explanation than that.

'Hey, Bluey? You um... you need someone to look out for you? I can scare them off really easy!'

He tried not to laugh at the thought of her fighting anything, he really didn't. Instead, he just smiled.

>...I would love the company.

'Great! Because... hold up... BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA SPIDER NOISES!'

It was going to be a long night.

He doubted he would notice.

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>Lavan
"32"
'88'
-JJ-
~Acty~

"You want to know the damndest thing about this situation?"

'The fact I'm beating all of you oh soooo bad?'

"You are literally three yards away from us, trying to move your piece up the stairs."

'WHAT!?'

-You just haaaaad to say something, didn't you?-

"What? With the ravening mob outside, I don't see how this could get worse."

'I demand a redo!'

-You are THE worst ling.-

"I am no-"

-Worst. Ling.-

"...as I was saying, the worst thing about this."

>My inability to claim this Park Place as my own? I would own it responsibly, I swear, no fires.

"...no. The worst thing is I distinctly remember answering questions about my species for most of the ponies out there around Hearthswarming, but they were all too drunk to probably remember it."

>Oh, this is a place of learning? I did not know this.

~Kinda surprised me too.~

>It occurs to me, I know very little of these so-called changelings. Tell me, are they interesting?

'Hell yeah we are!'

"Sometimes too interesting for our own good."

-On a scale of one to ten? Mob-inducing.-

~I'd say they're something special.~

>Oh hooooo, I am intrigued now. Please, speak to me of these changelings, speak all that can be known!

-What about Monopony?-

FWOOSH

"'-~...~-'"

>I transported it where it can never hurt anyone again.

"-~Woohoo!~-"

'Aw come onnnnn!'

"-~...~-"

'Fine, I like Scrabble better anyway.'

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Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Applejack"
~~~~
>Welcome to Late Night /pa/ with your host Pinkie Pie! It's during this time that content doesn't matter, and it's nice to have breathers! Now for our main guest...APPLEJACK!!!

"We've got to stop meeting like this."

>Have you ever come across anything odd while traveling?

"Well this one time, me and mah cousin Peach were-"

>Is there anything you didn't do with your Cousin Peach?

".....so we were walking on the road, when we notice there was an old stick of dynamite on the side."

>What was with that pause? Wait dynamite? What happened?

"It was old, so it was too risky to pick up and move it, so we decided to try and blow it up in a controlled matter before something else does. We came back with sandbags to smother the explosion and used a long pole to light it from behind cover. It went well."

>...that's it?

"Yup, no one got hurt. You'd think cousin Peach would get hurt fer sure in that one, but we did it just fine. Sometimes you have to blow up the problem. Now what happened afterward is a different story 'cause-"

>And that's all the time we have right now! Thanks for joining us and have a good night!

"But this one cousin Peach managed to break-"
AJ wakes up.

"-all her legs...aw. Ah thought it was a story worth telling anyway"

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OOCO
>AJ
"Celestia"
'SA'
~~~~

>Wellllll? Do ya' like it?

"What have you done..."

'This is... this is horrible!'

>Ah' knew you'd like it!

"I can feel it trying to eat my soul."

>Top tier, that's what it is.

'I want to go hug my daughter.'

>Ah'm the greatest, go ahead and say it.

"I'm pretty sure the only reason this isn't illegal is that I couldn't fathom someone actually doing it before now."

>Just start with yer' greatest praise and move down, that ought to cover it.

'...Applejack, why?'

>Shiny, when yer' sister came ta' me and said 'can you pick a material for my golem experiment', Ah' didn't ask why. Ah' gave her the apples, and Ah' said... why not?

"...That thing needs to be put out of it's misery."

>YA' AIN'T TAKIN' HIM FROM ME!

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NC
 >AJ
"???"
'???'
~~
'What wrong with orange pony?'

Applejack leaped from her revere, literally, wings unconsciously throwing her into the air.

>WHOWHATHUH?!

'hehe! orange pony silly'

>Where are ya? ah can't see ya

'Here! Down!'

The orange alicorn looked down at the mud she had been lying in, then noticed the hulking figure at the edge of the clearing. It's black hood covered it's face, but Applejack could tell it wasn't a pony. Ponies didn't get this big.

>what are ya? ya'll ain't a pony

'me can't say'

>why not? Ya know, honesty is the best way ta... ta gain trust, right?

a few more quiet tears dripped off of her mud stained cheeks, but she paid them no mind

'me not safe if tell you'

>wha? ya think ah'm gonna hurt ya?

'no, you send me back to cage... me no wanna go back to cage'

>Why would I put you in a cage? ya'll a criminal or something?

'because me not 'right', yellow horse say so'

>Can ah' talk with the yellow horse then?

'no, yellow horse leave before sun go down'

>sun...

She looked up, and indeed, the moon was rising

>oh no, oh no no no, the changelings!

She started to fly off, but a cry from below stopped her

"What? what about the changelings? what in the name of the hivemind did I miss this time?"

She knew that voice, and turned

>7?! what in the hay are ya'll doin' in the everfree?

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 >Sunset
~~~~~~

Of all the things that could have happened, it's hard to imagine one that could have gone worse.

>She... left....

Perhaps not in the grander sense, it was entirely likely if not certain that a war breaking out would have been worse in the larger scale of things, but as far as herself... it was hard to think of something worse.

>She just... left.

She was not used to this at all, to be honest. Normally, it was herself who ran off, who raced away at top speeds with a scream of anger and hate being all she left behind. She was the one who escaped.

Not this time.

This time, she was left all alone with a monster, a mob, and a bunch of frightened laser spitting pony-bugs. There were no alicorns no princesses, no heroes here to take the reigns, it was just her.

Her, and the lingering memories of what that pony had screamed into her ear. Before she left.

>She... left...

For the first time, a teacher had left her, and not the other way around. And she did not like it one little bit.

She was alone, with a situation threatening to explode any second, and she had no help.

>...You know what? Highschool was less complicated than this bullshit. If I wasn't a zombie I would totally go back to sleeping in the gym illegally.

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>SA
"42"
~~~~

>You know, honestly? I'm glad we got the worst of it.

"..."

>I'm serious! We're where all the worst stuff is focused, since the whole scandal was here. Yep. Glad Celly probably doesn't have to deal with nearly that much fallout.

"..."

>You think she'll be up for snowboarding?

"..."

>I could use some snowboarding.

"..."

>...Forty Two? Aren't you happy that we're the worse off, and not over in Equestria?

"Get out of my training room."

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>SA
"Cadence"
~~~~

>Sooo... this ignite any realizations?

"..."

>Any... areas you might be negelcting?

"..."

>Maybe convince you to celebrate a bit? You know, bit of 'We aren't getting kicked out' fun? Celebrate like only the land of love can?

"..."

>Like, now?

"..."

>On the desk maybe?

"..."

>I'm more than happy to let you keep staring at that paper during.

".."

>Ehhh?

"Get out of my office."

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NC
>SA

>...

>...I wish Celestia was here...

>...

>....It just doesn't feel the same without her....

>...

>....BLUB

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Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Applejack"
~~~~
>Welcome to Not Late Night /pa/ with your host Pinkie Pie! It's during this time that content does matter, but some people need to get stories out of their heads! Now for our main guest...APPLEJACK!!!

"Howdy hey."

>We're going to be playing a game called Crossing! I'm playing as an illegal Mexicolt trying to cross the border. Applejack is going to be the border patrol agent guarding this picket fence!

"...Ah feel uncomfortable with this...and that Ah'm only the border patrol agent on account of mah hat."

Pinkie puts on a moustache, sombrero, and a poncho.
>Shut up and play! Game on!

AJ puts on sunglasses.
"You're not getting pass mah border, ya hear?"

>Oh I'm getting pass, but first listen to the song of my people!
Pinkie takes out instruments and starts playing La Chona.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQHNfA10QoQ

"......this is kinda catchy."
Pinkie winks and does a little dance.
"..."
AJ starts bobbing her head to the music. Pinkie smiles and swings her hip to the beat.
"More cowbell!"

>I'm over!

AJ turns around and sees Pinkie on her side of the fence.
"Wait what?"
Looks back and sees a balloon pinkie deflate.
"How in the hay-"

>I WIN! That's all the time we have right now, so I'll catch you all next time!

"But how did you even-"

>Earth pony magic!
AJ wakes up
"...but that doesn't...Ah don't even...Ah don't know why Ah should even try with her."

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NC
>Chrysalis
"Mane-Iac"
~~~

>...I feel like... I'm missing something...

"IS IT THE FINAL BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EEEEEVVIIIILLLLLLL!?"

>No, that can't be it.

"The call to BATTTLLEEEEE!?"

>No, not it at all.

"THE CREATION OF YOUR GREATEST WEAAAPPOOON!?"

>Nah, that's on lock.

"THE SIGNAL IN THE SKY TO CALL THOSE WRETCHED POWER PONIES!?"

>Nope, sunny and clear.

"HMMMMM!... OH!... Is it the honeybuns?"

>FRICKER FRACK we forgot the honeybuns!

"Oh, so silly!"

>Meh, at least it wasn't anything important.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

>See? She knows.

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