Thread 79: Stories 76-88

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CD
~~~~~

Within her reinforced office, Pennydrop watched the slow fall of her remote research station with gritted teeth. So absorbed she was, she didn't notice the neatly folded paper airplane fly through the room until it hit the side of her head.

Momentarily distracted from the screen, she looked around. No window was open, the door was locked. Curious.

With a small frown, she pressed the button to summon her assistant, then smoothed out the paper with her hooves.

There, written in neatest calligraphy was a riddle.

„With my body harder than bone, you are protected within me. Many arms I have always bared and I am cherished, called by an endearing love's name. Yet you lost me tonight. Who am I? - C.D.

It was a strange message, creepy even. But not the first of this kind.

“Oh, I know who you are. You always leave messages.”

Pennydrop scrunched up her muzzle. She didn't have time for this. There were too many things happening at once right now.

“Harder than bone? Mmmh. Stone? Maybe... metal? Protected within? Some... kind of armor, maybe? Many arms, many arms. An armory? Tsk.”

Pennydrop didn't even look up when her assistant entered and waited respectfully for her to finish. Her eyes only flicked sideways tot he screen now and then so she could tabs on the destruction happening at this very moment.

“Cherished, endearing... Sweetheart? Love? Honey?”

Her assistant blushed, just a little, a private little fantasy of his tough as nails boss saying such cutey nicknames finally fulfilled. She jumped when her boss got loud all of the sudden.

“Wait. Endearing. Dear.... DEER! Nonononono!”

With hasty hooves, she called up the viewing screen of the research station's hangar.

Just in time to see her newest, experimental Metal Deer Ray prototype rear back, screech and slam open the outer wall with its smooth, fin-like arm.

~~~~~

The complex, both over- and underground shook from the impact as one of its supporting walls crumbled, causing debris to rain down and the power to flicker, then shut down.

Moments later, the diffuse emergency lights bathed everyone within in eerie hues of carmine.

~~~


An image of a smarmy, well-groomed mare with a wide-rimmed red hat, overcoat and blackest mane came onto the screen within Pennydrop's office. Now and then it shook in perfect synchronicity of Metal Deer Ray moving.

“I am sorry, but this is needed elsewhere, PeeDee. I promise to return it after it has done its service. Until then, Taa taa!”

The image cut off a second later.

“You! Tell them to trace Metal Deer by whatever means! Pegasi, the in-built locator, whatever! Find out where it is heading and BRING. IT. BACK! If she tries to dive, blow up the charge we placed in the chest to breach the hull and drown her! DO NOT. LET HER GET AWAY!”

“Y-yes, Ma'am.”

The assistant left the office hurriedly while Pennyrop folded her forelegs and glared at the screen.

“You stole from me the last time, Caramel Sandiego. You can't just disappear with with a ninety feet tall bipedal tank. I will find out where you hide and who you work with... and then... I will make sure nobody will EVER find you again!”

The slam of her hoof to her table caused her cup to tip over and spill its contents.

Right over her uncovered lap.

"YEEK!"

Luckily for her, no one was there to hear CEO Pennyrop of Fawntain Futuristics squeal like a little filly.

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>Pinkie
"Twilight"
'Security'
~~~

"NO PINKIE NO!"

>It's too late, Twilight! I've taken all I can take and I can't take no more! I'm at my limit and I'm done!

The literal wall of security soldiers, each one armed with no less than an Anti-Tank rifle at the least, a giant ass laser cannon at the most, shifted ever so slightly while never looking away from the box the pink mare was threateningly shoving towards them.

'Uh... what... what's in the box?'

"Pinkie, please! Think of the families! They have families!"

>Then I'll throw them one hootinany of a funeral!

"GASP! You won't even throw them a hoedown!?"

>I'm at my limit, Twilight!

'What's in the box?'

Pleadingly, the princess grabbed hold of the other's hooves.

"Pinkie... pinkie, it's your friend talking, we're friends right? Come on, you don't want to do this!"

>I've been pushed shoved and shot at, Twilight, and I'm not taking any more! We saved Equestria from Nightmares, Chaos and all sorts of crazy stuff, and this is the thanks we get!? I'M NOT TAKING IT ANYMORE!

'What's in the box.'

"Pinkie please! They don't deserve this! Nobody deserves that! Discord doesn't deserve that! The CORDYCEPS didn't deserve that!"

>It's not about deserving it anymore, Twi! It's about what Pinkie wants, and what Pinkie wants is to see them SUFFER!

Her grin grew menacing, terrifying as she took one step forwards.

'WHAT'S IN THE BOX!?'

>...Let's find out.

"PINKIE NOOOOOOOOO!"

The princess dove away in fear. Slowly, deliberately, she reached over, and pried it open just a bit.

'FUCK THIS!'

They didn't even waste a moment before they tore off like wild animals.

In a moment, only their weapons remained.

"...phew! Nice bluffing, Pinkie!'

>...Who said I was bluffing.

Curiously, Twilight opened the box.

"...wait... is that... OH FUCK! PINKIE PIE! YOU BROUGHT THAT!? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

>What!? It's not like you were using it.

Inside, the strange Box given by the Tree of Harmony shined away.

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Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Twilight"
'AJ'
[Rarity]
{RD}
(Fluttershy)
~~~~
Pinkie does the Gendo pose.
>It's done. Everything is in place. All the prophecies have come true. The Friendshiptality project can begin.
Pinkie and Twilight's cutie mark glows.

"Pinkie...what's going on?"

AJ's cutie mark glows.
'What in tarnation?'

Rarity's cutie mark glows.
[How odd.]

Dash and Fluttershy's cutie marks glow.
{Hey!}

(Oh my...)
A light from all their cutie marks shoots out and make their way to the box. Keys materialize in their respective keyholes and turn simultaneously.
"What's happening!?"

>IT'S HAPPENING!
The box opens and a rush of rainbow magic engulfs the 6 of them.

>I FEEL THE FRIENDSHIP OVERTAKING ME! IT'S A GOOD FEELING!!!

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>Pommel
"Guard"
~~~~

>Okay, soldiers! I know there's only four of us, but that's the most we can get through the portal! Even with the generous backups provided by the princess, this thing is still MASSIVELY energy inefficient, apparently!

"...Isn't it crossing hundreds of miles-"

>AS SUCH! We don't know what's on the other side, what we're up against or if they've already got the situation well under control, since obviously hopping over there and back would take up precious magic we could be using. Thanks to this, only you and I, the elite few, will be going. I know this seems dangerous, but-

"Sir!"

>...Yes, corporal? Interrupting your superior officer is-

"This is stupid!"

>...explain.

"Okay, so, where are the princesses or elements right now?"

>That is classified, to the point where they did not tell me before they left.

"So we don't know where they are."

>Or even the direction, since apparently they have a freaking cloaking device!

"And the other princess? The tall one?"

>Princess Celestia fled after Queen Chitania, and is presumably dealing with that. I would tell you where, but at the speed they were going no pegasi could possibly keep up. We don't even know if they're going to the Empire as well, since they were just a liiiiittttllle off kilter. So either Chitania has a shitty sense of direction, or they're going somewhere else entirely.

"And Luna?"

>Not a clue! Just up and vanished, apparently, and nobody has any freakin' idea where she went! She might be helping, she might not, who knows!?

"So, let me get this straight. Something takes out our guys, no problem, and is now doing something in the Crystal Empire, four of our princesses are off on a mysterious mission and might be in danger, our strongest princess is chasing down the supermonster who punched her out a window and we don't know where they are, and the moon princess is MISSING, and despite alllllll this, you, the captain of the guard, wish to abandon Canterlot, leaving it with literally nothing, not even it's captain, to go through a portal YOU CAN'T COME BACK THROUGH, and leave all of us, your soliders, to fend for ourselves if the red not-a-god YOU DEFEATED comes back. You want to do this.

>...

"Because I get public image and them helping us before, so I'm just double checking, what's the mission here, again?"

>....

"...."

>....

"....


>...

"..."

>... WHY THE FUCK IS THIS ALL HAPPENING AT ONCE I JUST STARTED YESTERDAYYYYYYYYY

"You wanna why we all laughed when the Princess offered up the job?"

>WHYYYYYY!?

"It's exactly that."

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>13
„32“
~~~

Cornered.

It had to happen eventually. Those constructs may not be the most resourceful bunch, but their lack of skills and variety were made up by their pure tenacity. And they seemed to have it out for them since they fled the castle, tailing them like vultures.

32 knew he could take them. He could take plenty of them. He was in the prime of his life. But he was also low on love. As his brethren swarmed around the city, searching for stragglers together with the crystal guard, they had skirted the outer perimeter of Variolus' radius of destruction, never managing to fulyl band up with any others of the Hive.

They hadn't left fast enough. There were almost two dozen of them now. It was like they had waited or gathered just to get them.

32 could take them. But protecting 13 from any harm, frail and susceptible to accidents as she was...

He swung his head in a wide circle and sent a blast of pure green energy into the sky behind Variolus. If they were lucky, they brothers and sisters would see it and come to their aid. He then pressed himself close to the female Changeling, covering her as good as possible with his body.

“Just stay close to me. If they attack, try to duck and run, I will keep them off your back. If our brothers and sisters arrive, go with them. Find our Queen, stay with her and you will be safe.”

>No.

It was just a small, two-letter word. But the usually reserved Changeling said it with the kind of forcefulness he would expect from 42.

“There is no 'No' to be had, Thirteen! This isn't the time to argue. We need to move as one, and if necessary, fight as one. Don't be reckless.”

He tried pushing himself towards her, and she was easily pushed. But her fierce glare leveled at the creatures remained only for a moment. That angry gaze was leveled at him next.


>I don't WANT to be safe! Running, hiding, masking, pretending and even betraying who or what I really am. I am sick of it. I don't want to be someone else anymore. You said we were different, we were connected. And that we are more than our progenitors carved into history.

13 had been different since he had stripped her disguise, like a whole new 'ling had hidden beneath. Her words were spoken more slowly, more deliberately, her stance was more ready... and well, she wasn't ripping over her own hooves all the time.

>Mother always said I am strong, and that I would be strongest of them all one day. Even stronger than her. Over, and over, she kept putting her faith and invested her time into me. And I tried, struggled, trained, so I would just earn and deserve one little bit of her precious love.

“Yes, you are strong, you are special! But you are no fighter! She tried to push her own life onto you, wanted to mold you like a copy of herself!”

Could it all have been an act, he wondered, as she gently nudged past him, staring the golems down. They twitched, and then moved towards her in an erratic, lurching way.

>Yes. In that regard, you and Mother are right. I am no fighter. I never was, and never will be.

He had no time to cry out in alarm or yank her back.

They descended upon them in a synchronized manner only a swarm mentality could pull off, covering every hole, every venue of escape. 32's front hooves smashed into one, slamming it into another behind it and sending them as a rain of splintered shards across the ground.

“Thirteen!”

A burst of light flared up upon the delicate-looking Changeling's horn, blinding him as its brighness shone through the mass of crystal bodies around them.

>BUT I AM STRONG!

With a high-pitched screech, they golems around them stopped their attack and began twitching in place. They had no mouths to scream, but their rapidly vibrating limbs created an ear-deafening keening sound that sounded like a wail to 32's ears.

>STRONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE!

Amidst the confusion, he noticed that the warbled, static-like background babbling that had sparked up since his former Queen and mother Variolus had risen became utterly silent. No longer he heard her whisper on his mind.

When he dared look around, he saw the crystal Changelings had stopped moving, the eerie green glow in their cores dimmed as if about to be snuffed out.

“What.... Did-diid you do this? Thirteen! They are under the direct control of a Queen. No one but another should be able to wrest it from her. How...”

His words died on his lips as the crystal on the chests of the golems deformed, the clear-cut symbol Queen Chrysalis had demanded for all of their Hive to bear now visible.

Thirteen glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, giving him a patient but timid smile.

>There are more forms of true strength than just the bodily kind, Thirty-Two. My mother was right. I am the greatest at what I do.

As the golems shone in a different, gentle blue light and as one, kneeled before Thirteen like drones would before their Queen, Thirty-Two felt genuine hope and but also trepidation well up in his chest.

>I just know that it isn't a kind of strength she would love me for.

As 13's pride evaporated, her voice became a sad murmur that made 32 see the Changeling he knew and, in the past, had only felt pity for.

Then the light atop 13's horn died, and as one, the dozen or so golems crumbled to dust.

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NCOmake

>77
"DT"
'42'
-Spike-
[007]

>Alright, an action arc, time for me to shine, have at you, robo-

KABOOM!

"Haaaaa! Explosions everywhere!"

>Right, well, I'll just handle that thug there-

THWACKTHWACKTHWACKTHWACK!

'ATATATATATATATATA!'

>...well, I could certainly hit that turret's systems with my kni-

BANG!

-Bang.-

>Oh now you're not even trying! OKAY! SECURITY SYSTEM! This is my forte-

Bwoop!

[Hi guys, I already did the thing.]

>...

BANG!

[OH GOD WHY!]

-Hey, my gun!-

>FUCK ALL OF YOU!

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NC Idea

>Chitania
"Speed Queen"

>I swear, if I get to the empire and it was all a big joke, I'll raze that place to the ground.

*FLASH*

>What the hell?

"Who? What? Where? When?"

>The fuck are you?

"Oh, if it isn't wee bit Chitty, I haven't seen you in a long time."

>WHO?

"You don't recognize your own Grandma? shame on you."

>What are you doing here? Aren't you dead?

"That's what they say, but apparently when Changelings hit 88 miles per hour, they see some shit"

"And as for what I'm doing here, well I'm preparing you."

>For what?

"Anything and Everything. It's been going well for quite some time now, admittedly with a few hiccups."

>Wait, how long have you been doing this?

"How old are you?"

>...

"What if every bad thing that happened to you was orchestrated by one changeling?"

>WHAT.

"Your shitty childhood, It was me, Chitty! ME!!"

"You becoming infertile, It was me, I was the reason! ME!!"

"Your only child escaping, It was me, I was that child! ME!!"

>I'm going to kill you.

"Gotta catch me first, MEEP MEEP"

*ZOOM*

>Aaaand she's gone. Wow, my entire family is full of assholes

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NCOmake

>Vekir
"Watchdog"

Vekir sits on the train with every character around her in something resembling suspended animation.

>...hmm...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ [Embed]

>Doo doo doo doo doo doodoodoodoo~

Watchdog pops up under her, lifting the small Morlock onto his head.

"Mahna mahna."

>Doo doo doodoodoo

"Mahna mahna."

>Doo doo doodoodoo!

"Mahna mahna."

>Doo doo doodooodoo doodoodoo doodoodoo doo da doodoodoo da doo~

OK, YOUR STORY POSTS NEXT THREAD, JUST KNOCK IT OFF!

>Vekir is satsified.

"Told ya it'd work."

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NCOMAKE!
>SL
"7"
~~~~

>Really? You're not bothered at all?

"Nope."

>Not even if I... slowly trailed up your thigh like this?

"It's fine."

>What if I... gently started to rub you?

"Not bothering me."

>Oh yeah? What about.... this?

"Not excited."

>Seriously!? This?

"Nope."

>MMMAH! That?

"Kissing me on the cheek does nothing."

>MMAAAAH!

"Neither does actually kissing me."

>I will find what gets you going and makes you beg! This?

"Nope."

>This!?

"Nu-uh."

~~~~

>Thifh?

"Ngh... nope."

~~~~

>T-thiiiis?

"Hgn... hgn... I'm not bothered."

~~~~~

>A-AH! A-A-AHHHHH!

"NOT! GNH! B-BOOOTHERED!"

>ARF ARF!

~~~~~~~

>AROOOOOOO!

"HNNGGGGG!"

>...

"... nope. Still not bothered."

>S-seriously!? After all we just did, you're not excited by me!?

"Nope. Was fun, but eh."

>Well, fine! Fuck this!

"Yeah, that's accurate."

>Oh shut up-

"EEE!"

>...

"...P-... pat me on the head again."

>...

"...P-ppplleeeeease?"

>....nope.

"YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE A LING HANGING LIKE THAT YOU MONSTER!"

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'12'
~~~

'THIS IS NOT MY FETISH, NONE OF THIS IS MY FETISH!'

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omakuh
>Variolus
"Sunset"
~~~~

"So... you HAVE a plan, right? This isn't just you indiscriminately smashing?"

>Y-... yes.

"You uh, you hesitated for a minute there."

>Uh... u-uh...

"..."

>....WHEEEEEEEE!

"GODDAMN IT VARIOLUS!"

>THIS IS SO FUN WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

"FUCK YOU! JUST FUCK YOU!"

>WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

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OMAKKEEEE!
>SA
"Cadence"
'Chrysalis'
[???]
{???}
~~~

>Well, I guess it was our turn eventually...

"I was kind of hoping the 'gets wrecked by a giant monster' thing would skip us over..."

>Guess not.

'I just wish ONE fucking plan would work! JUST ONE!'

"Destined to fail, you obviously can't win before Chitania arrives."

'But still...'

>I don't think I'm going to win this time either.

"Well, yeah. Two's not getting sapped."

>Don't even fucking joke about that.

'Seriously.'

>...So... juggernaut?

"We'll talk to Twilight when she gets back."

'How do you think she's doing?'

~~~~~

[WOOOO!]

{THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!}

[AH DON'T EVER WANNA STOP!]

{BLAM BLAM BLAM! NOTHING BUT SILLY ACTION!}

[WOOOOOO!]

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Non-Canon Pinkie Preview
>Pinkie
~~~~~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5weu3HBJakw [Embed]
>Predictions came true! Which I knew they would. Madame Pinkie knows all. The Crystal Empire is being thrashed and Penny Drop wants to trap us underground.
>The A-team fights a mooing robot. Applejack gets hit by a jack fruit as Rarity fights a treeguard. Fluttershy runs into a pokemon and Rainbow Dash gets uncomfortably licked by a licker. Twilight has to put down a robot that was designed to feel pain while I give it a farewell party. Find out what happens next time in thread 80: Tumbling Down...and of course smooth fanservice.

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