Thread 35: Stories 76-80

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>OO7
"???"
~~~~~

Well, that wasn't hard.

Not that finding someone like Two would be exceedingly difficult if you knew exactly how to look, which he did, being a Changeling who's entire life was based around finding a specific target. She was tiny, easily disappearing beneath the crowd, yes, but she was also notable by the reactions of those around her. So, thankfully, this mission would be wrapped up in less than five minutes. Just had to zip down there as fast as lightning and-

>OOF!

Something slammed into him at top speed just a few inches before he could touch her, diverting him off course and sending him, and whatever hit him, in between the tents and out of sight before the confused little one could spot either.

Instinctively he lashed out, honed instincts already trying to slip one of his blades in between the neck of whoever assaulted him. A hoof caught him, flipping him over a solid shoulder and disarming him with a single move.

But he was not down yet. Twisting his foreleg, quite painfully, he was able to right himself just enough to land upright, and poised to strike back. He poured enough love to level a stone wall into his retaliation, striking out with a punch that should have reduced any foe to the consistency of butter.

But instead only found air, and his elbow being bent achingly opposite the way it was meant to go.

Something hard slammed into his head, and his vision swam as he stumbled backwards, falling to the ground and soon feeling a tight pressure against his neck.

"Why are you trying to abduct her?"

Her voice was hard, furious, cold as ice.

Also, very, very familiar.

>F-forty Two! It-GLK!-It's me!

The pressure on his neck intensified.

"I know who you are, that's not what I asked!"

>S-same team! SAME TEAM! Let me explain!

Suspiciously, she looked him over, but eventually relented, allowing him to sit up and rub his sore throat.

>Gah! For fucks sake, 42! What, I do you a favor with that whole airship business and this is how you repay me?

"I do not care who you are, I am sworn to protect her at any cost."

>That's fine! Really! Look, Shining Armor doesn't know she's with you, and thinks she's running around unsupervised, so her Majesty just called me to find her and-

"HE KNOWS!?"

>...Beg pardon?

"Damn you! I almost had her! I was right on top of her, but I had to divert course to grab you!"

>Wow, okay, so now you're mad at me for following orders... orders that it is sounding like was justified.

"Do I have to kick your ass again?"

>NO NO! No, noooo thank you... I mean, damn. I have most of your combat memories, but you still showed me what for.

"Hrpmh, I've only improved steadily since the invasion, more and more foes reforging my already sharp skills to new heights."

>Yeah, well, some of us don't have time to hang around the Gun Club and train to be even more powerful, some of us are traveling all over Equestria all the time.

"...You can come back, you know.'

>What, really?

"Oh, sure. The others agree anyone who is willing to do that for me would be welcome to spend some time with the Gun Club, even if you're not an 'official' member."

>Oh... well, thanks, I guess. But you know, Chitania.

"Another time, then."

>Maybe. Come on, let's find the little one and pretend you always-

"OH FUCK!"

>...Uh...

Wide eyed, he looked around the crowd.

>...Where... where did she go?

His punchbug companion only had one response for him as she looked into the wide crowd and saw nothing at all.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
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>SA
“???”
'???'
[???]
{???}
~~~~~

Oh dear.

It finally happened.

All of his confidence, all of his successes, at last it all falls away.

He finally has to admit it... He might not be the best at this dad thing.

It was a pretty good run, he supposed. Most dads don't make it to the “Fight a giant monster in a bare-hoof brawl” stage of parenting before they realize they're terrible at being parents, so on the whole he supposed he could be worse.

Not MUCH worse, but a little bit.

This was not comforting.

>What was I thinking!?

There was a tiny rational part of his brain telling him all of the very valid and quite reasonable reasons he had for leaving his daughter not to see her mother figure being bailed out of prison or putting out fires she caused, but of course there was a far louder part saying “You weren't, you gigantic idiot! You were being stupid because you are a bad, bad pony! You are a bad stupidponywhoisabaddadandwhatthehellwereyouthinkingyobadpony!?”

And a bad pony he was.

Because here he was, in the middle of Partyland, freaking out beyond all measure because he couldn't do something as basic as get a babysitter for five minutes to prevent the little thing he had brought into his life from potentially being kidnapped and held for ransom. It's not like he didn't have a ton of ponies and or changelings totally willing to do it! He had them by the bushel! But noooo, just had to fuck this up so hard-

“OH FUDGECAKES!”

There were few times in his life he felt anger, to be honest. Very, very few times when he felt an outright need to yell, or scream, or be mean. The times he could count the need to do this towards the owner of that voice? He could count them on his front hooves.

So thus, this feeling was a unique experience.

“Why are we here?! We were supposed to be going to the hotel! WE WENT THE WRONG WAY!”

'Huh. Why didn't you tell me?'

“I THOUGHT YOU KNEW!”

'My sense of direction isn't the best, and I figured you'd point out if we were getting closer to the giant flaming letters in the sky.'

“I've been tailing you for over and hour and you DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHICH WAY YOU WERE GOING!?”

'You say that like I wanted you to follow me in any sense, and that is making me angry.'

“We've got to get out of here! Shiny or Celestia have got to be nearby, they can't see me for my story to stick!”

'I keep trying to think of when exactly I gave the impression I cared about your problems, and I am only getting more angry.'

“Well, come on, we've got to get sneaking before-”

>YOU.

The two mares froze at his cold, dark voice. Slowly, they both turned their heads back, one set of eyes wide with freight, the other narrowed in an unreadable expression.

>Yoooooouuuuuuu...

Both of them tensed up as the stallion approached them, his steps hard and methodical. Eventually, he came to a stop before them and his horn ignited. Instinctively, the mare next to Cadence bent slightly, almost as if she was preparing to jump.

She didn't need to bother.

SMACK!

“OW!”

>WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?

“I-I-I-”

Awkwardly, the mare beside them slipped out of her fighting stance, and schooched away subtly as she could as the stallion narrowed in on the stammering mare.

>No, you know what, doesn't matter! Running off in the middle of the night, that's one thing! Staying out all night, fine, whatever, you're an adult! That's your call! It's bad, but you know what? It's fine. Not calling us in the morning to let us know you're okay? Also bad! Really bad! Super duper bad when you are a being of power that a lot of ponies would like to abduct or otherwise injure, but you know what? Whatever! We're freaked out, but it's your vacation, do what you want...

He was so close she could actualy see the twitching begin in his eyes.

>But to do all that, ALL THAT and then HIDE FROM ME!? AFTER MAKING IT LOOK LIKE YOU DISAPPEARED?! I JUST... I... I JUST-WHAT?! WHY!?

She couldn't respond, of course, too taken aback by Shining Armor, her Shiny of all ponies, yelling at her. She expected him to be a little upset, of course, maybe just a touch, but she didn't expect this.

>WELL!?

“I... I...”

And that's when the tears started coming. She couldn't stop them. Of course she couldn't stop them. There was no chance she could. The mixture of shame, remorse, regret and embarrassment was just too much. She had no excuses, no explanations, no nothing. Just the feelings.

“I'm...”

Through the blur in her eyes, she could just barely make out as the twisted frown on his face slowly ebbed away, and his tense, hostile stance relaxed just a bit.

She tried not to make too much noise as he pulled her to his chest, crushing her tightly to muffle all the sounds she made.

“I'm s-sorry...”

He didn't say anything back, just held her and waited.

“I'm so, so sorry... just...”

She couldn't even force out an excuse.

“I'm sorry... I messed up so bad...”

His heart, more than anything in the world wanted to say something to comfort her. “I understand”, “It wasn't that bad”, “I've probably done worse”, something like that.

But just this once, and likely only this once, his head won out.

>We did.

“N-no! Shiny, you didn't-”

He separated them, looking her dead in the eye.

>We are going to talk about this later, we are going to have a long, hard talk about this, believe me, but right now we need to deal with my mess up first, then get to yours.

“What... what do you mean?”

>I... left Two at the hotel when I started looking for you this morning and told her to stay put.

Slowly, it began to dawn on her.

>...She didn't stay put.

“WHAT!?”

Two pink hooves grabbed hold of both sides of his head.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN!? She always stays put! ALWAYS! Why would she leave!?”

>Not important right now! We just have to find her and-

“Why didn't you use the Partyland PA system!? WHY ISN'T SECURITY ON THIS!?”

>Because she's legally our daughter, in the middle of an area that would be very, VERY easy for someone to snatch her from... get the point?

Shakes began to overtake the pink princess.

“O-oh...”

>Which is why we need to calm down, do NOT panic, and if we have to scour the entirety of this place under every blade of grass, we, WILL, FIND HE-

[WATCHOUT!]

A booming sound akin to a steamroller crashing headfirst into a gigantic stone wall cut him off. Confused, the two heads turned to the mare who had been sitting away from them this entire conversation.

This confusion was also shared by the mare in question as she slowly turned herself around.

[OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW! Jus... OW! OWCHIE! OWOWOWOWOW!]

Directly behind her, rolling on her back with her eyes closed and kicking aimlessly at the air as she cradled her head in her forelegs, was the source of this immense worry.

[I thought ponies were soft, but ya' ain't soft! I'S LIKE I HIT A WALL MADE O' ANTI-MARCHMALLEYS!]

She rolled upright, poking the mare in the side.

[What are ya' made of?!]

'Uh...'

>”TWO!”

Before she could further question the properties of the seemingly anti-matter mare, the tiny changeling was scooped up in the tightest double hug she had ever experienced in her life.

>YOU'RE OKAY!
“YOU'RE HERE!”
>WHATWEREYOUTHINKING-
“-YOUKNOWBETTERSOMANY-”
>-STRANGERSYOUCOULDHAVEGOTTENLO-
“-STANDTHENWEMIGHTNOTFINDYOUAND-”
>”-WHATDOYOUHAVETOSAYFORYOURSELF!?”

Suddenly, as she looked up at two very, very worried faces, the thoughts about ponies riding out of a giant hole in the sky to abduct them and carry them into another universe seemed... more remote than they had a bit ago.

[I-I... uh... Ah'...]

{LOOKOUT!}

A loud CLANG reverberated through the air, and had any of them been paying attention they would have watched a black shape bounce off the third wheel who had been attempting to subtly leave while the family reunited.

{OW! IT'S LIKE HITTING A WALL MADE OF FU...}

The soldier-ling leapt to her hooves, dusting herself off furiously and plastering on a wide, only slightly fake looking smile.

{There you guys are! Me and Two have been looking all over for you two! Why, we've run around this place what has to be a bunch of times! ISN'T THAT RIGHT, TWO!?}

Two just openly stared in confusion, not reading her subtle signals. Subtle signals such as 'Wildly flicking her hooves in some vague, indiscernible fashion.'

>...
“...”

{...totally with me the whole time. You weren't worried, were you? Oh, how unprofessional of me! I forgot to leave a note! That was a failure on my part, I do apologize and I hope you will not think less of my performance in future endeavors based on this one event.}

>...
“...”

{...Who is this, by the way?}

The mare who had, again, been trying to sneak off froze.

“Oh! Sorry, uh, this is...”

'…'

“...um...”

>Seriously? You said you've been following her for hours now.

“...”
'…It's Sunshyne Bryght.'

“Seriously?”

'...'

{...How did you stop me?}

'I once scaled the Kibi-Dachi mountain and met Master Mabu.'

“Really?”

'Oh yeah, he even showed me his nerve-strike attacks. Fun guy.'

{That's interesting! So, you learned his iron stance move-}

>Stop trying to change the subject.

Ignoring her none-too-well-hidden flinch, he looked down to the small bundle he was still hugging.

>42 wasn't watching you, was she? You ran off on your own and got lost, right?

{N-NO! I Uh.... totally...}

That lie fell apart rather quickly when Two's head lowered in sadness.

[I'm sorry, Shiny, I jus'... thought you were in trouble and-and I didn't-]
>Two?

She froze, waiting for the hammer to drop.

>I'm not mad, and I'm not disappointed. I was scared, yes, and you were wrong to do that, but I know you didn't mean to do that, and it was a mistake. Just make sure you learn from this, and never scare me like that again, okay? It was wrong of me to leave you alone for so long, but it was worse for you to run off and possibly get lost out there. Understand?

Numbly, she nodded.

>You aren't in trouble, and you aren't grounded. But this is your one warning, next time I'll punish you harder. But for now...

Both of them may have been more durable than he was, but there was no denying that hug was crushing.

>I'm just glad you're okay... BOTH of you.

He shared a look with Cadence, and without a single other word she knew that discussion from earlier was far, far from over. In fact... it had not even yet begun.

A bolt of his magic went up into the air, magically forming a giant smiley face in the sky. To any of the patrons of the park, it would look just like another attraction going off. Anyone who knew him, however, would know they could stop being so worried.

Gradually, he let them fall out of his embrace. Magically, Two was lifted onto his back.

>Come on, let's go hang out with everyone, okay? We're on vacation! Let's have some fun while it lasts.

She wrapper her forelegs around his neck, snuggling into his hair.

[Okay, Shiny...]

>Hey, none of that now. I said I'm not angry, so don't be a downer. We're here to have fun, right?

[...Right!]

>So lets have some fun!

[YEAH! Let's have some fun!]

>Come on!...

He slowed his walk, confusedly looking back at the fidgeting Changeling.

{Uh... go on ahead. Have fun with your family, I think I should go talk to my Queen and see if she ne-EEEE}

A magical telekinesis grabbed her, and pulled her next to them.

>I plan to have fun with my family, thank you. All of them. ALL, of them.

For once, her brain had nothing cute to say about that, and just let her gape stupidly at the comment.

“Oh! Thanks for letting me follow you, by the... oh, she left.”

Sure enough, no sign of the garishly colored mare who had once been there.

>We were probably freaking her out with the family drama.

"You know, I think she was mad at me too, don't know why..."

[She's hard, Shiny. Like a rock.]

>Two! Don't say stuff about ponies like that!

{...She kind of is....}

>Well, if we see her again feel free to ask her about it, but for now I'm happy we're just...

Slowly, he looked at every one of them, idly rolling his head back to push Two further into his mane.

>...here. All here. We're all here...

For reasons he would never be able to explain, he felt his cutie mark start to itch.

>...And we're safe.
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>Rekulk
"Vekir"

>...

"..."

>I am muchly stumped.

"I am more than stumped! I am fully treed!"

>What oh what could the Blood of Blue find desirable?

"The Shinestones?"

>No no, he is prisoner, what use has he for the...what's it? The word for monies that are not monies?

"Current Seas?"

>Yes, he has no use for seas current or past! No, we must find him a special present of apologization!

"But where, brother, where!?"

The armored Morlock puts a hoof to his chin.

>Perhaps the key is to find one who would know the interests of the Blood of Blue, yeeees, that is the key to this lock!

"Very much, brother, very...ooooooh!"

>Hm?

"Brother! In the sky! Burning like the Sky Demon, fire words!"

>Oh ho! I recognize this fire! It is the fire of the Spike of Scales! Of course! How foolish not to think so before, certainly he who traveled with the Blood of Blue will know his hobbies and enjoyments!

"Of course! If anyone would know an 'Of's ways, it is another 'Of'!"

>Quickly sister! We must follow the magical sky message! Our journey will be shortened! Hurrah!

"Hurrah!"

The two Morlocks hurry off.
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>Chrysalis
"???"
'???'
[???]
~~~~~~

>Oh... that's adorable. Well, good for him, I suppose. Saves me time.

She smiled wide, rolling her head back at the figure who had just snuck in behind her.

>Good job, barely even seven minutes.

"I didn't need to have bothered, your other soldier was on her tail the whole time. I only managed to get in her way."

>Hm, well, that's just to be expected, no? She is my most loyal soldier. I do so wish I had a dozen of her, but alas.

'Please do not joke about having a dozen 42's.'

>Well, shoot. Do you know how many jokes I have that have '502' as the punchline? You just ruined my standup.

Celestia simply started to roll her eyes, but froze.

'Huh.'

>Math checked out?

'That was actually rather clever.'

>Indeed. Hello, Jetset, how are you today?

From the shadow he had been hiding in, a growl was just barely audible.

>He tries, I'll give him that.

'Why not OO7? He's just out there in the open. I'm almost insulted.'

>He knows better than to try with you without my orders. Aren't you happy about that? They won't spy on any of you unless I command it.

'How very thoughtful! I of course extend the same courtesy, but it is so nice to hear you share my views.'

>A simple concession for another culture.

'Admirable! Well, would you mind sending your little friend off? If you could, I would like help in finding Cadence-'

"Cadenza Mi Amore has been found and is with Shining Armor already."

'Splendid! Two birds, one stone. Quite lucky.'

>Luck has nothing to do with it. But I agree, these two should be off, should they not?

'I agree. Would you two mind? Jetset, I am ordering you to go have a bit of fun.'

[Of course, Majesty.]

"..."

>...Oh, I suppose you can go on ONE ride.

"Your mercy is appreciated, highness."

>Can't be shown up in front of her, can I? Off with you.

Both of them vanished in a burst of speed, going off to parts unknown.

>...They gone?

"...Yep."

>Good. HAH! You should have seen the look on Jetset's face!

'Him? I think I scared that poor thing to death with my 'i'm insulted' line!'

>Heh, we need to have them fight sometime.

'Mmm... was Shiny okay?'

>Scared half to death, but I calmed him down and got him going.

'Thank you, when I heard that scream I had honestly thought he had found Cadence in some sort of compromising position... Not in that way. '

>I can dream, can I not? Revenge sex is amazing sex.

'Any sex you received would be amazing enough to be of note.'

>Offering? Thanks, but I like my tongue attached and not a chunk of charcoal, thank you.

'There is a surprisingly low amount of ponies who agree with you.'

>Yes, but are you one of them?

Celestia's eyes grew hard, stone cold and serious. Stiffly, she trotted right up to Chrysalis, putting her face mere centimeters away from the Changeling Queen's.

'Actually...'

And then she poked her in the nose.

'Yes. You may have quite the venom, but I cannot say I would rather you eternally silent. You are something else.'

The Changeling Queen smirked, and poked her right back.

>Flattering me to prevent an eventual invasion? My, you ponies have odd tactics.

'Effective, though?'

>Pfft, after hearing of the disarray Equestria is in? What makes you think I would want to take that place over anyway? At some point, I expect you to try to trick me into taking it over so you can retire.

'...Please?'

>No.

'There is so much paperwork! PLEASE!'

Chrysalis just let out an easy laugh, and bumped the Princess to turn her around.

>Come on, I want to watch Shiny chew Cadence out for being an idiot.

'How rude!'

>...

'...I didn't say I didn't!'

>HAH!

'...Chrysalis?'

The softer, warmer voice stopped her in her tracks.

'Thanks for being there for him.'

>...Hey, I owed him one.

Celestia rolled her eyes at the attempted deflection, and joined her as she left the room.

For the first time in what felt like forever, they were both smiling.
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Non-canon preview

>Pinkie
~~~~~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CoWplXbeUw

Folks are finally meeting up thanks to Spike's message and are making their way to the amphitheater. Applejack's group is going to meet up with the Gun club and celebrate the anniversary. Lewd things are said to Spike causing the Praetorians to suddenly appear. Partyland is interrupted when some convicts who can use elemental magic crash the fun. Will we ever see the night? Find out next time in thread 36: One Way or Another...and of course, fantastic fan service!
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