Thread 96: Stories 31-45

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Later ruled NC
>Spike
'Shiny'

Spike stood in the chamber of the crystal heart staring at the ancient artifact as though trying to appraise it.

‘Heyyyyy little brother!’

>…

‘…what brings you here? To the most secure and important room in my empire completely unannounced?

>…

‘<Ahem>Hint-hint. Explanation please, hint.’

Spike smirked

>Oh nothing much. Just some research.

‘Research? What research could possibly bring you here? I mean, I’d heard you were taking some time for yourself, but…why are you looking at the heart?’

>Oh, I was just wondering what it would taste like. Rare mineral and all that, has to have a unique flavor. Probably a delicacy of some kind.

‘…’

>…

‘hahaha yoursofunnyjokingaboutplungingmyempireintoeternalwinterSTOP. I’ll get the newspaper roll, I swear I will.’

>OH NO! Newspaper! My only weakness. If only paper were susceptible to FIRE which I literally BREATH. Whatever will I do?

‘<cough>Timberwolves<cough>’

Spike was less than amused.

>Nasty cold there.

‘oh, just the worst’

Shining armor was highly amused.

This was about to change.

He moved up alongside the drake and regarded the crystal with him.

‘Seriously though, all joking aside I was under the impression that you were doing all this to ‘get stronger’ or some such nonsense. Preeeeeeeeeeety sure you aren’t actually interested in the heart’s flav-‘

He was cut off by the dragon’s tongue licking through the air to take a long, luxurious lick of the most important artifact to the safety and security of his kingdom before whipping back inside the serpentine maw.

‘…’

>Hmmm.

‘….’

>Chocolate…Happy…and something…

‘…wh…’

>Ah! Got it! So that’s what you are…

‘WHAT THE HELL SPIKE!?’

>Hm? Oh, don’t worry, not like I really damaged it, barely even any erosion I bet. In any case, if you ever lose this one I think I can get you another, or at least, get you the base FOR another. There may be some particular enchantments on it that make it so special. Isn’t that cool? You could have like a dozen of them! …maybe.

‘…ok yes that is kind of cool but SONOTTHEISSUEHERE!’

>Dude relax

‘HELL NO. Now Tell Me Why You Are ‘Researching’ The Heart! For Real!’

>oh, y’know, idle curiosity..

‘SPIKE!’

>…

‘The Truth if you would be so kind!?’

Spike’s face went from jovial to stoic instantly.

>Know thy enemy.

‘Th…the crystal heart is your enemy? What?’

>No. IT is not. But it does supercharge her.

And then it dawned on shining armor

‘Your training…to fight Chrysalis?…are you Insane!?’

>Are you? She’s the greatest threat to Equestria and the Empire right now and you continuously supercharge her with your love. You are in effect supplying a repeated invader of our lands with food, weapons, and armor.

‘SHE’S FOUGHT TO DEFEND US LIKE 5 TIMES!’

>Always with an ulterior motive. How many of those times was her own hive NOT in danger?

‘WHY WOULD THAT EVEN MATTER!? OH NO SHE FOUGHT FOR HER PEOPLE AND OURS AT THE SAME TIME! HOW AWFUL!’

>I’m merely pointing out that there is a good chance that if it were only ponies she would have let them die. She fights for herself.

‘CORDYCEPS! MOTHERFU**ING CORDYCEPS! SACRIFICED THE ADVANTAGE TO SAVE EVERYONE’

>ok. Let’s say I give her one point for that. How many times did she try to conquer us again? 3? Hm...still feels like she has a way to go there shiny, but thanks for playing!

Spike turned to leave only to find the room sealed off by a bubble.

‘No Spike.’

>Excuse me?

‘We aren’t doing this dance anymore. No more dammit. I’m not going to watch people I care about hurt each other and nearly plunge us all into open war again! The only way you’re leaving is if you give up this foolishness, or you grind me into the pavement, and let’s be honest, you aren’t cold enough to do that to someone you call ‘brother’. Give it up.’

>Honest. Yes honest is good. So let’s be honest shiny. How can you forgive her? She raped you, body and mind! Imprisoned your fiancé without food or water for days on end or possibly longer. And how many times do you think she abused 2, 18, and 42 when they were nothing but nameless interchangeable drones to her?

Under the dragon’s questions, shiny faltered and the shield wavered.

But only for a moment.

‘Oh please this again!? Yes, She raped me! She screwed with my head and raped me! I was there! I remember! I remember again every time one of you brings it up! Thanks for that by the way, real fun time for me! Memories aren’t traumatic at all! But, you know what? I’ve moved on! I forgave her and moved on!’

>That wasn’t what I asked. I asked How. You just up and decided to forgive her and ‘poof’ gone just like that?

‘Yes Spike, just like that. That’s how forgiveness works! I was the one who got hurt, and I’ve moved on So Why Can’t Any Of You!?’

>BECAUSE SHE RAPED YOU!

The dragon’s roar echoed through the chamber and a deafening silence followed broken only by the continuation, now barely a whisper.

>she raped you. Not me. You. She’s insulted me, Belittled me, Degraded me, Made me miserable and even punted me like a hoofball…which honestly bruised my pride more than my body. But I can let go of that. All of that.

>But not going after my family. I can’t let go of what she’s done to you and to the others. Hurting me is one thing. Hurting my family? Unforgiveable.

‘…Spike…look. Buddy, I get it, believe me I do, but it’s not yours to forgive or not forgive. It’s mine.’

The dragon’s eyes hardened and he raised his head to stare down the much larger stallion.

>And what if 2 forgave Chitania? Would that be the end of it for you?

Like a bucket of ice water to the back of the head and a 2x4 to the face.

Shining armor gaped like a fish; stunned for a moment

‘I…I already dismissed her crime-

>Not. What. I. Asked.

>If 2, innocent, kind, loving, naïve little 2 forgave Chitania, would that be the end of it for you? Would you just forgive her?

‘…’

>Lie to me Shining Armor. Look me in the eye and tell me how you’d just let it all go. Look me in the eye and lie to me.

Shining Armor raised his head and looked his younger brother straight in the eye.

‘I…<sigh>…no. no it would not be that easy.’

>Then let me do what I have to. I’m not trying to start a war, just…just find some way of preventing her, or anyone else, from hurting the people I care about. Please…I need this.

‘…’

‘…Spike…I can’t just…I….dammit.’

>Please.

Shining Armor sighed and hung his head.

‘Promise me you’re only doing this for defense. Promise me you won’t start a fight with her.’

>…

The stallion looked up

‘Promise me, or I won’t let you go. I trust her. I think, in time, you might too. But you need to give her a chance for that to work.’

>…fine. I promise I won’t start the fight.

Shining Armor dropped his gaze, and with it, the shield dissipated.

>Thank you.

Spike nodded once, and headed to the door. He stopped just before going through.

>Give my regards to the missus, and two, and 18, and 42….and shiny? Take care of yourself bro. Whatever happens…I love you.

And he was gone, leaving a worried prince in his wake.

‘Even if he doesn’t start it…doesn’t mean there won’t be one…dang it. One more headache to the pile I guess.’

Shining armor sighed and looked back to the heart where it gently floated in place casting light throughout the chamber.

‘…wait. She can’t use the heart anymore…why would he be interested in it now?’

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Applejack
"Memory"
'???'
~~~~

>Well, ah'll be darned.

It just didn't seem to sum it up, she the more she thought about it. When she had first gotten it in her thick old head to give this a go, it seemed about as likely to pass as her giving up fruit in exchange for an all leather diet. Still, she had taken precautions, and she supposed that had something to do with success.

It hadn't been a coincidence that she had grabbed Fifty Six before her trip, course not. She wasn't dumb, she realized that most every time she tried a 'serious' discussion with Chrysalis, it ended up with her getting thrown or magical blades being summoned or just power being thrown around in general.

But at long last, she was finally opening her eyes, for more than one thing. In this case, she came to realize for all her faults Chrysalis was no monster who would harm the childlings. From what she saw, she seemed to have a soft spot for them. Something she could understand pretty easy and relate with, she reckoned. So when it came time to have themselves a talk, she decided it might be best if she had a reason for Chrysalis to keep her cool on her back. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't going to toss Fifty Six across the room to prove a point...

And the fact she probably would have thought different of her not too long ago, that she would be putting Fifty Six in danger, told her just how set in her ways she had been.

In truth, she would have preferred Two, as Chrysalis wouldn't displace a hair on her head if it killed her most likely, but she worried the easily excitable thing would hate it when they argued, and she wouldn't have been able to get through to her before Two distracted her. Fifty Six at least understood conflict like this, and that she and Chrysalis weren't 'best buddies forever'.

A part of her wondered if they could'a been, if they hadn't been so stupid by now.

For while Chrysalis continued to endlessly unease her, set her on edge, lie to her, slipped stuff under her nose, and just be a general nuisance, a revelation she hadn't had much time to dwell on still even now resounded with her.

"Because I always have to be one step ahead of my enemies, out-planning their plans!”

"We’re not yer’ damn enemies, you hunk o’ moldy swiss cheese!"

“YOU SURE AS FUCK DON’T ACT LIKE IT!”

It hadn't even occurred to her, hadn't thought much of it.

"I have to be one step ahead of my enemies."

And the changeling was right. Since early on, they had been enemies, at each others throats, wanting this to go one way or another and actually coming to blows over the matter.

Chrysalis was simply treating her in the only way she knew of for how to survive. This is what kept her alive, back in the wilderness, and that the Queen lacked the self awareness to see how self destructive this was to all involved was painfully obvious. For while Chrysalis wasn't stupid, she had to admit that, she had gaps, blank spaces she filled in with planning and lack of caring. This was different. She merely did not understand that, for all her fighting, she did not wish her or her changelings harm.

...and she hadn't done much to dissuade that, she was mare enough to admit. She even... proved her right, once or twice.

She was Chrysalis's enemy.

She was the mare Chrysalis had to battle to keep her last hive alive.

As bitter as it was to swallow, when she had broken Chrysalis's arm and sent her running to the Empire, she had won. She beat out the Queen, and she had won. Chrysalis had stayed till the last moment, then she blinked. But she hadn't blinked for her, oh no, she was fully ready to take her own and break her down. No... She had backed down for them.

When they arrived, she backed down. The Queen felled, for her subjects.

And that she hadn't even realized it would never stop stinging, not as long as she lived.

But as her mama once said, you can't water a plant with yer' tears, ya' gotta dry those puppies and get up and try again! Iffin' ya' fall down, well, don't you worry, cause ya' got three more legs ta' pick ya' up. Iffin' ya' take care of 'em, they'll carry ya' all the way home, but iffin' ya' don't treat 'em right, then yer' just gonna get stuck in the mud forever.

She didn't know how many legs she was running on right now with Chrysalis. It might be her last one.

But like daddy said...

Iffin' ya' got one good hoof, ya' can change the world.

Well, iffin' it's her last one, she better make it count.

A part of her wished she could blame just Chrysalis or just herself for the matter, it's true. It's so much easier if you can just tally up the score side by side and say "You did more bad stuff, it's your fault".

But that ain't how it works, and it ain't how it's supposed to work. This whole dance has been nothing but two enemies in a feud that never ended, and still hasn't.

Until now.

She was tired of feudin', and she was tired of fightin'. Because deep down...

'Six, AJ! We did six now!'

Deep down, even if she never admitted it, she was going to be thankful for this.

That's six times she's perfectly lifted her little sister, the last three times twice in a row even.

Now, if Twilight had been here, she'd say "Oh you've got to learn it so you can learn advanced telekinesis or and mega advanced and then geometrical advanced and if you're a real good girl, physics!"

And Celestia would say "You must learn this technique, because it is in your power to control this, and above all else controlling your magic means using it in these ways!"

Luna would say "Thou must learn the arts of spells in order to think properly! To truly understand what it means to be a princess! Thou have been chosen, thou can learn, thou MUST learn! It is thine duty!"

But this?

...She was just having a ball tossing gal up and down.

'WOOO!'

It hadn't been intentional, it hadn't been on purpose, she doesn't even know if Chrysalis would've done it if she knew.

But she did it.

She made it fun.

And thinking about it, more than anything, that's what made her understand. She wouldn't admit it, not to bugbutt herself, or Spike, or Applebloom or even Celestia, this was staying mum till the day she died, and that's counting her immortality.

But, she would admit, maybe if only to herself...

There was one part she understood about Chrysalis. One part her and the Queen were exactly the same.

Family was important.

'WOOO!'

She didn't know if her plan for the changelings had any chance of success at all. Shoot, with Lavan roaming around, she didn't even know if she should.

But she felt like there had been a family she had been neglecting this whole time. A family living right under her nose, feeling like they didn't belong and nobody wanted them. A family she let in, and then forgot about, and it was wrong. She was going to change this, if it took everything she had.

Family was important.

...And it was worth changing the whole world for, if that's what it took.

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>MM
"Luna"
'29'
[Zecora]
~~~~

>....H-h-helllpp...

"...zzz..."

[Why do you think I can give you aide? Do you not see where he has laid?]

'...zzz...'

>W-why did she have to do dream training here.... her horn is right next to my face, and I can't move...

"Zzzz..."

[The training for the young ones is to see them off-]

FLASH!

[At it's effectiveness, you cannot scoff.]

>It's so weird my eyes don't even hurt anymorEEEEEE

"ZZzzhnik!.... hhnnn..."

[What is wrong, my friend? Why are you trying to make your spine bend?]

>S-sshheeeess shoving her hoof into my LEEEEEEeeeegggggGGGGG! NO BLOOD FLOW!

[Oh, that is quite a pain. If only over here she had lain.]

'ZZzzHHnN-'

[Shhh...]

'...zzz...'

[There you go, little ling. Back to dreamworld where clouds sing.]

'...z....'

>W-why do you get to gently cuddle Niney while I get the giant assed painful princess!?

[She chose you, there is nothing more to be said. Now shhhhh, they are helping the dead.]

>...

[...Hmmm...]

>...Are you softly rocking him?

[...he smells nice... like a cake slice...]

>Yeah, think that's his... shampoo...

[...]

>...uhhhHHEEEEEEEEEE

"SNK! FOUL THEENennenenn....ngngggnnngggggg...zzzzzzzz.."

>THIS SUCKS!

[Mmmmmhmmm... terrible.]

'Mmm...zebbybuh...zzzzz...'

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>Dash
"???"
~~~~~

>....

....

>...

.....

>....

"....................................ee.................eee...eeeeeee..........eeeeeeeee........"

>...

".....eeee.e....e........eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-"

>....

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP"

*SQUEAK!*

>...Did... did you just make a little squeaky noise when you bounced off the shed?

"Oh, I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash, I know you wanted to teach me how to wreck it like you do... but I just don't think I'm strong enough."

>...Did you come in from the upper atmosphere!?

"I tried to get as high up as I could..."

>Well, I guess there's nothing to it, if you can't wreck it you can't-

"AH-CHOO!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

>...

"...'

*AH-HYUK!*

>...that may be the single most horrifying thing I've ever seen...

"S-so, uh... so no more-"

>No, Fluttershy, no more smashing sheds.

"..."

>....is that thing alive.

"I hope not."

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>Lavan
"Bullshevik"

>It's cold here.

"Дa."

>So very cold.

"Дa."

>You talk funny.

"Дa."

>...this place smells like murder and sadness.

"Дa."

>...is...is there anything fun here?

"Join the glorious revolution, comrade. Crush the rebel scum."

>...ohhhhh, I remember what that is, that's a war, right?

"Police action."

>...

"...which means war."

>Oh, war! Very interesting!

"Join us."

>...nah, in my experience, wars don't last long if I get involved.

"..."

>And if I make any trouble, I might get thrown in my rock again, and I don't want that. It's boring in there.

"..."

>So is there any other fun thing I can do here?

"I can teach you Stalliongrad National Anthem."

>...this pleases me.

"Ahem, repeat after me...Stalliongraaaad greatest country in the world, all other country are run by little girls..."

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Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Cadence"
'DT'
~~~~
>Welcome to Late Night /pa/, but I'm not your host this time! I still want the greentext though. It's during this time that content doesn't matter and we do special things. Now for our main segment...Pink's Kitchen!

"I'm the pretty one <3"

'I'm the grumpy one and hosting.'

>And I'm the crazy one.

'Pinkie, where are the nuts for the trail mix!?'

>You mean deez nuts?

'...I'm going to *CENSORED*-ing murder you.'

"I did it!"

'You taste tested it this time right?'

"Yeah, it tastes just like apple cake!"

'Except I said PINEAPPLE! Pay attention you *CENSORED* ditz! You expect to keep your husband with this sh-*CENSORED* cooking?! Pinkie, where are the Twinkies?'

>Right here.

'What is this? What the *CENSORED* is this? They're so dry, you'd think it came from a Manechestish comedy sketch. Aren't you a baker?'

>I am, but I'm a party pony first.

'How did you even keep your *CENSORED* job!? If you're not going to take this seriously, get the *CENSORED* out of my kitchen!'

>...But this is my dream kitchen.

"The risotto is done. <3"

'Oh *CENSORED* me. It's done alright. It's so burnt black that I swear it's going try and sleep with your husband.'

Cadence throws it out the window and blasts it with magic.
*PEWSH BOOM*
"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE HIM! REEEEEEEE!"

'...'

>...I like it when you girls visit.

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>Dash
"Rarity"
~~~~~

"...three... two... one."

ROOFSMASH!

"Right on time!"

>Okay! Where are they!? Lemme at 'em! Come on, Kicks Megee and her sister ain't got nothing on, THE THUNDERBRINGERS! BOOM BOOM! Come on, what's the emergency!?

"Oh no no no, it's not a physical emergency, darling, it's a fashion emergency!"

>...eh?

"BEHOLD! My good Rainbow Dash, I have created... LIGHTNING PROOF WONDERBOLT UNIFORMS!"

>...wut.

"Ohhh, it took a bit of enchanting, for sure! But with the right mix of silken spiderthreads, some crushed sapphire dust for some coloration and texture-don't tell Spike- and a bit of perhaps a touch painful experimentation into what exactly conducts and does not conduct electricity that I abandoned halfway through and just asked Twilight for advice for, WALLAH! Wonderbolt uniforms that don't conduct electricity, at all!"

>...Huh.

"Watch! Catch!"

>Hey! I-

LIGHTNINGBOLT!

>GAH!.... heeyyyyy! This worked! I didn't feel it at all!

"Isn't it marvelous!? Now the Wonderbolts can manage any storm without a care!"

>This is... pretty cool, actually! Yeah! It's like... super armor!

"Super FASHION darling!"

>Sure, whatever... huh! This worked out great! Good job! How much does one of these costs?

"...henh?"

>Cost, you know... how much money?

"...Uhhhh..."

>Why are you uhing. Stop that. You... this is happy times. This is happy times!

"...Well, perhaps I wasn't as... stringent with the costs as I should have been... but you can afford at least four!"

>Well, sure, I guess-

"For most of the Wonderbolt's outfit budget."

>...

"It wouldn't reach five."

>...

"..."

>...

"...So, I was thinking, CHARITY DRIIIIVE! For our mares and stallions in blue! That might cover the costs!"

>You just came up with that right now, didn't you?

"I am running on "Punch the asshole in the face" Level of sleep."

>...am... am I the asshole?

"..."

>...Charity drive!

"Yayyyyy!"

THUMP!

"ZZZzzzzzz..."

>...This really is pretty awesome.

"MMMmmmmm..."

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>Chrysalis
~~~~~

>...Interesting.

Following her soldier was not a difficult task. She, in her wisdom, had ways of ensuring that at all times she could be located in case of an emergency.

She supposed it was worth pointing out that the 'her' in 'her wisdom' was in fact, Forty Two. The Queen herself had not thought of such measures for her most loyal ling, and mused that it probably would have cleared up a lot of issues had she implemented it before the Twelve fiasco.

Still, live and learn, as it were. It served it's purposes.

Which is why it took a double, if not triple take when she realized she was already outside of the Empire, and still going.

>....interesting.

There were exactly two known ways she could be pulling it off. One of them was some sort of airship, but she saw no trails of smoke, magic from a hoverbike or zepplin parting the clouds.

Which meant the only other option would have very unfortunate ramifications in three... two....

>....iiiinteresting.

So, she was not using the burnout technique either. If she had, she would've burned through her entire reserves at this point, several times over in fact.

Which meant the two knowns were not possible. That left only the unknown.

>You've been hiding something, little Forty Two... many somethings, it seems.

She wondered why she wasn't bothered from that, if only for a moment. It came to her soon enough that even with all these revelations, she still found it hard to imagine her as disloyal, or secretly plotting. How hypocritical of her, she knew, to grant Forty Two such lenience despite all her actions to others. But if ever there was a thing Chrysalis gave not a care to, it was hypocrisy.

Still, this was an issue that needed addressing, even if for once she would take a softer hoof to the matters.

>Come now, Forty Two... did you really think you could outrun me?

She smiled as the fires consumed her.

The chase is on.

...And Forty Two was but a solider.

She was Queen

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Dash
"Lightning Dust"
'Bulk'
~~~~

>DOWN!? How did our popularity go DOWN!?

"Well, a lot of the elite are mad you cancelled our appearances for the parties-"

>NOT! VIPS!

'NO!'

>Thank you!

"Well, okay, sure. But we also made a lot of promises to appear at a lot of parties, and now... are not. There's no easy way to put this, we're not. That is not a thing happening."

'NO!'

>He's got it. So, I mean, tell them to get over it!

"...I could do that, sure, I could tell the richest and most wealthy ponies on the planet that, hey, they should get over it. Oooorrrr, we could, I dunno, give a better reason? Or just... send a few over to the commitments we've already got, and just not make any more on top of those?'

>But... but new age! New Wonderbolts!

"I get that, I'm on board with that, and hey! You even showed up for your first practice in weeks, so... big steps! Big, big steps! Buuuut, okay, here's the issue, do we want "New age" to start off with "Everyone is mad", or do we just want "finish the mistakes of the past and work towards the future"."

>...I don't know, this seems... stupid. Like, we're sliding backwards, not forwards! I want to go forwards! But backwards!?

"NO"

>He gets it!

"..."

>...I guess.. hrmm... I guess we have to...

"...orrrrr..."

>Or?

"Your friend is the princess who works a lot with charities, right?"

>Who, Rarity?... Yeah, sometimes, on and off with her, not very consistent.

"Sooooo.... why don't we have her setup some charity events on the same day of the parties! Then it's not "We're blowing you off", it's princesses orders! And what douchebag is going to call out a princess for picking a day for a charity event? Win win! Going forwards, raising our popularity and actually helping ponies!"

>...Lightning Dust... you... are... BRILLIANT! I COULD KISS YOU!

"...eee-"

>I've gotta go tell Rarity! BRILLIANT!

ZOOM!

"...I'm satisfied yet disappointed."

'YEAH!'

'You get it.'

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>scientist mare
"???"
~~~~~

Just another day.

Just anothe day of endlessly slogging though work, looking over her bioscans, trying to get it done as soon as possible so she can go out.

>Please, Celestia, let it end!

Her boss was in even a worse mood than normal today too. She swore she was acting like she owed a loanshark money and he was closing in on her. So, naturally, she was taking it out on them, the poor saps who just did their jobs.

>Figures. Take it out on the poor guys who don't make eight figures.

But it would all be worth it, it would all be worth it when-

Ding!

There it was. There it was. Her salvation, her call to freedom! That sing sound was like a heavens bell.

Yeah, they gave her the same old 'be in early when the weekend was over, we've got extra work', but she couldn't bring herself to care. Freedom, glorious freedom.

Freedom... To head down to the bar and drink in sadness because all her coworkers were assholes who she couldn't stand and she had no time for outside friends.

And things were supposed to get better after college...

>Barkeep! I need a-

He didn't even wait for her to ask, just put down two drinks in front of her.

>...wait, this isn't my usual. This is...

What she had the other day.

With...

"Being too presumptuous? You looked like you needed a stiff one."

She would not giggle at that, she would not.

>You... Came back?

He gave little more than a look before he took the normally eternally empty seat beside her.

"You look like you've had a rough day."

>Same to you.

It's true, the changeling looked a little, well, rough. And drained. Putting it mildly.

"Oh? Well, tell you what. Tell me your problems, and if they're worse than mine, I'll buy next two rounds."

Venting, free drinks and someone different talking to her for once?

Damn... The nights barely over, and she can already taste the bait in her mouth...

She wondered if he remembered where she lived...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Lavan
"Pilot"
~~~~

"Annnnd passengers, to your left you'll see- OH SWEET MERCIFUL CELESTIA!"

With a THUMP the zepplin came to a grinding halt, suspended in the air by ice.

"...Well, my passengers are no doubt shitting themselves and panicking."

>Hello.

"GAH!"

>My name is Lavan.

"...I'm Wiggle Wings."

>Hello.

"..."

>....

"...Did you freeze my ship, eyeball and mouth fire thing?"

>I'm Lavan... and yes.

"Ah. Fantastic... did you want something?"

>This looks very interesting.

"Right, yeah, sure, but I'm worried about-"

>How does it work?

"Wha?... You just inflate the balloon and it carries you."

>Interesting... and the things on the back?

"They're propulsion. You know, propulsion? Moves us forwards? The little fans push us forwards."

>Interesting... and the faster the fans go, the faster you go?

"That's how it works."

>...I wish to ride it.

"Look buddy, you'll have to pay for a ticket if you want to ride in the coach."

>I don't.

"Oh... then what are you-"

Before he could get another word out, the flame floated into the air, out of sight. Though, the sound of cloth being rustled told him where, exactly, the thing had landed.

"...a-ah..."

>SPIN!

"OH DEAR FUCK NOOOOoooo....."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC
Part 6 of 20
>Spike

Spike sat in the main room of his lair grinding down a crystal, collecting the shards and dust into a container at the base.

>Hmmm…that oughta be enough for now. So, what next?

Standing up he looked around the cavern surveying half dozen semi-finished projects. Eventually settling on the aquarium with a large pile of roasted fish nearby.
Moving over to it he grabs a net by the aquarium and pulls out a live fish which he deposits onto a nearby table.

>Ok spike old boy, you know what they say ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.’and beside 329th times the charm right? …Right.

He turned his full attention to the gasping, flopping piscine form.

>You who are most likely about to die, I salute you.

He then closed his eyes, inhaled, opened them, and spat a ball of blue flame.

The azure fire enveloped the fish and while it surrounded it, did not touch it, but rather consumed the space around it.

This had happened before, many times. Usually resulting in roasted fishy goodness. This time however, was different. This time, the flame rose up from the table moved through the air hovered in place over the water tank and dissipated.

This also was not uncommon and more often than not left him with a wet, burnt, dead, fish.

But not today, today when the flames dissipated and the fish flopped into the tank it Lived!

>HAHA! YES! NOW I CAN REVOLUTIONIZE THE NIGH NONEXISTANT EQUESTRIAN MEAT PACKING INDUSTRY! FOR I AM SPIKE! SHIPPER OF THINGS! ALL SHALL KNOW ME AND PAY A HANDLING FEE!!

>Whew, finally got that right! …Probably need more practice but still!
Smiling he moved to the pile of burnt fish.

>Well little surviving buddy, now I need to dispose of what I sincerely hope are not dozens of your nearest and dearest. Supper time, supper time, good eatin’ tonight!

He muttered wandering over to the table he had near his bed where he normally took meals.
---
It was in that moment, forced to watch all those it had known and loved torn to pieces by the dragons fangs that swimmy the fish swore a blood oath of vengeance against all this purple monster loved and held dear! He would become their bane! He would become their end! He would…oh hey fish food.

For lo, swimmy was a fish. And a forgetful one at that. Five minutes later he was convinced his name was FINLORD, DESTROYER OF SEAS! And then 5 minutes after that bubbly the wonder fish, for fish are silly creatures, and poorly suited to blood oaths of vengeance.
---
>Huh. Could use some lemon.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>42
"???"
~~~~

Panic was a soldier's worst enemy.

It was, to be sure, the most dangerous thing on any battlefield, and that included the enemy trying to stab you. Because at least the enemy could be killed, or otherwise stopped in some fashion. To panic was to succumb to something that could last long after any battle has ended, and long into the days following it. The panic was something in your mind, a worm that burrowed in and cored out everything that made you strong and replaced it with flailing, noodly limbs, and may as well take the eyes right from your skull.

Panic was the worst thing that could ever happen to any solider, and Forty Two knew this, and had spent all her life making sure that it never, ever, sunk it's damned claws into her impenetrable mind. For if it did, her mind would be compromised, and she would make poor choices.

For example...

>OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK

This was fairly high on the scale of 'poor choices'. Somewhere between juggling chainsaws with your tongue and trying on a pair of underwear you found in the middle of the street next to a red puddle.

She had, in her flurry, cleared Equestria. That was not an understatement, she had quite literally used her newfound powers to transport herself leaps and bounds at a time, coupled with frantic and panicked flying as fast as she could to coincide it, and had cleared a distance in a speed that would put a train to shame. She had cleared towns, landscapes and mountains, all while giving those down below only a half a second to notice the green flicker before it was long gone, and they could do nothing but shrug and move on with their lives.

So embroiled in her fear, she did not even realize which direction she was heading, instead defaulting to those most basic of instincts, and letting her now fried brain take her where it pleased.

As such, she supposed she shouldn't have been so surprised when a familiar white, stunning city was in her sight.

She had every intention of simply passing it by, of avoiding any familiar faces in her wake, and continuing on until she found the edge of the world and simply sailing off, perhaps into space where she could find the celestial being penning her terrible reality and beat them within an inch of their life, for punches solved all life's problems.

This was a good plan with no holes in it what so ever, and so long as she continued on as she was, nothing at all should stop her from achieving this totally realistic and capable goal-

"Annnnnnd, GOTHCA!"

The instant she left her green flame of teleportation, she found herself traversing through time and space again, though this time not of her own accord. This light that grabbed hold of her and seemed to warp reality around her form was bright indeed, but there was not a flick of green to be had. Nothing but white all around.

White, very much like the playful, almost childlike face looking above her when she entered back into reality.

"Ha ha! I totally caught you mid teleport! You said it couldn't be done, but who's...."

A playful look that lasted only half a second before she realized she was staring into nothing but blank air, and that her new arrival was several heads shorter than where it should be.

"W-...what? Forty Two? How... how were you-"

Panic, her old foe, could sometimes be a friend. For on this occasion, she found herself acting without thinking, already buzzing with her wings and taking off like a dragonfly.

Gold shoe encased hooves snapped around her midsection even faster than her own panicked mind, preventing her from taking her leave as expected, with panicked buzzing all to show for her effort..

"Whoa whoa whoa! No no, you are not zipping out on me, little bug! How did you do that? I have spoken with great lengths on the matter with Chrysalis, and she told me point blank that it simply wasn't possible for anyone besides a Queen to do that-"

>LET ME GO!

There are three things you should never do in the presence of a princess of Equestria.

One, make demands.
Two, scream in their faces.
Three... uppercut them under the chin.

Perhaps there was a multiunlock bonus for that one.

And yet, her brief release from taking the princess off guard was very short lived indeed. Before she had even started to conjure her flames, the tall white face had looked back to her already, fixated her with a glare, and put that to rest beneath golden, lateral magic.

It also put Forty Two at least a couple inches into the floor, but that one she had seen coming.

>I... SAID... LET ME GO!

Green magic fired directly at her face, blocked by a shield covering a blank, unyielding stare that fixated on the bug struggling against her unseen bonds.

"I will not, you are clearly acting irrationally and something is wrong. I'm not going to risk you wandering my halls in such a state-"

>MEGA LIGHTPUNCH!

Power. Every single drop of power she had exploded from her horn, every single scrap of love in her reserves, all of it.

It was enough, to get her to let go at least. It did not move the monarch of Equestria, it did not wound her, it did not even knock her down, but it was enough. The spell was broken, her vision was blurred for a moment, and she could not fight back.

"Oh, when I can see again you are going to get so bopped in the head! And did you really give that a name!? Are you twelve!?"

Her frantic rubbing of her hooves into her eyes to clear the bright green afterimage that remained was not quick enough. She heard the first sparks of fires... then nothing.

>SHIT!

Again, before the blob of discoloration could fully go away, she heard the jiggling of a locked doorknob. The tapping of something hitting a window but unable to break it. Frantic pattering of hooves against the floor as her captured foe ran to and fro.

Then, there was silence.

A minute later, her vision at last cleared, but there was not a single speck of chitin to be seen.

Door was still locked.

Window, unbroken.

All airvents and other such entries closed off.

Even the walls, pristine and undamaged.

And yet, no Forty Two.

"...Forty Two?"

She had to listen closely to hear it. So closely, she swore he own heartbeat was making it near impossible to follow, but there it was.

Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick.

Not on the left of the bed, not on the right, no...

Tentatively, she grabbed hold of the edge of her sheets, and lifted.

Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick.

If Celestia had been a child, perhaps the sight of a tiny green flame sparking into and out of life as it was revealing the edges of a pitch black, shadowed face with a fanged maw would have likely resulted in nightmares so fierce even Luna would be sleeping with a security blanket.

But to her, one who had seen many a fear ridden form hidden under the bed, this seized her heart in another way besides fear.

"Oh... oh Forty Two, what's the matter? Come now, I'm not mad, just come out and tell me."

Flickflickflickflickflick.

Trying to teleport, no doubt. But, the one great weakness all changelings hold. Steal their love, steal their power. Steal their power, they have nothing. A unicorn or Alicorn or Pegasi could, even in times of weakness, receive a surge of adrenaline that would allow for at least something.

But poor little Forty Two, out of power, out of options, hiding under the bed in the only advantageous spot she could find, sparking a light in the darkness to carry her away. A soldier, already picking the most heavily fortified and easily defensible position. And yet, she looked as a child, hiding away from the scary thing that threatened her.

"Forty Two..."

>...I wish to make... a formal request to... to vacate the immediate area, and Canterlot in it's entirety, if that is admissible. This action has proven regrettable, and indefensible, and unforgivable. My continued presence is not required, and I will tell none of you, and you will not ever have to deal with me again.

"Tell none of me? What? Forty Two, what are... oh."

It must have been something she memorized, Celestia realized. Something for just this occasion when a tall, shadowed face was looking down on her.

"Forty Two, cease this. I am not your Queen, I am your friend. We have been through so much together, haven't we? We've shared rides on a roller coaster, I've stolen popcorn from your bowl as we watched a romantic comedy... for lords sake I gave you an Eye of the Serpent in our last OnO campaign! Come now... I know you did not mean it, you are panicking because I grabbed you from the sky and forced you in here, this was my fault, not yours. Come... come please?"

But she did not. She remained.

"Then at least tell me what is wrong."

>...B-brain help...

"Your own mind will not help you on this matter, you need to talk about it."

>Help... please?

The white alicorn waited, mind already racing to think of the quickest path to the Empire's portal. All that kept her in place is where the changeling may go if left alone.

>...I didn't want it...

Instantly, all thoughts of leaving were long, long gone.

"What didn't you want? The teleportation? I swear, I will not speak of it to Chrysalis, but I can say with assurance that she will not in any way harm you-"

>I didn't want it...

"Is it something else? Has someone forced something on you?"

>...I didn't want to feel like this for her... I just wanted to be her friend...

Flick... flick... flick....

In the darkness, she could see them. Tiny little droplets reflecting off her chitin, tiny water drops in the dark.

They, more than her words ever could, told her.

"Oh... oh dear... oh, dear..."

All four slender white legs lowered, bringing her stomach to the floor.

"Oh Forty Two, her too? It's not just... him?"

Her teeth looked as if they would shatter, and the sparking resumed in a fever.

"Forty Two, it's alright, it's perfectly-"

>It's not fair... I didn't want to... I didn't want it... why can't it just go away...

She heard thumps as a chitinous hoof once more attempted to punch out all of the unwanted thoughts that would not leave her be. Again and again, without pause. Again and again, failed.

"That's not how it works. You can't just... punch the feelings out of your head! Come now, this is silly, even for you."

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"...I don't suppose you developed an adequate number of social skills, I take it?"

>I begged her to forget about it and teleported from the Empire.

"Noted... wait, in one go?"

>...

"Just checking."

>...it's not fair... I just want to be loyal to her, to be her friend that she needs... now she's going to question everything I did for her. Wonder... wonder if it was some sick twisted way to impress her and get her to sleep with me.

"...and it wasn't, correct-ow! A simple no would have sufficed."

Even though it stung, she found she couldn't keep the eye that had been struck in a glare for too long.

>I just wanted to be her friend, and his friend, and it just kept growing, and it wouldn't stop no matter what I did, and then she wouldn't take it away when I asked but it was okay with him and now she knows it's not just him and-

"Calm yourself, no need to get riled up."

>...I just want her to know she can trust me. She... she has nobody she can trust now... it's not fair.

A little hurt that somehow, she herself didn't factor into this, nonetheless the princess pushed forwards, and reached out.

"Forty Two... come now, we can't help how we feel."

>...why not?

That, she supposed, was a very good question.

"...Let me rephrase that, you can decide how you feel... but it's all or nothing."

It troubled her so much how she perked up, seemed almost excited at the prospect.

>N-nothing! Nothing then! That sounds perfect!

"Oh? Does it?'

>Yes! Yes all of that! I can go back to being their soldier!

"Really, because this means that you will not care about them in any capacity, is that what you want?"

She went to war once more, though this one clearly took place behind her eyes, rather than before it as the others had.

"To be without love for any. Your friendships with Spike and the others. Your kinship with Eighteen. Your admiration of your Queen and the feeling for your brothers and sisters in the Hive... all gone away. Are you willing to give away everything, any joy you have ever felt, any sadness at those who would pass, for this? For... them?"

>...if it means they can trust me, and not worry that I'm... I'm like that, or them, or any of that... if it means they can have just one friend they can trust and believe in... they've given me so much, I just... I want to give them something....

"But why would they trust you? You have no love in your heart for them."

>...I was never supposed to anyway...

"I'm afraid your old methods within the changeling society just do not cut it if you wish to be seen as anything more than a monster. You were supposed to be an emotionless, expendable soldier, it's true. But you have become something more, and must deal with that. Not to sound cruel, but it's what the rest of us have to put up with anyway, welcome to the club."

>...Just... just tell me, is it possible?

She sighed, adjusting her head so her horn would stop scraping the edge of the bed.

"...It is true that there are ways of... that. But they aren't worth it, Forty Two. Tell me... why are you under my bed right now?"

>Your door was locked.

"Besides that, I mean."

>I couldn't break your window.

"Please just cut to what I actually mean. I don't feel like backtracking through your whole life, if you please."

>...I had to get away.

"Why?"

>She... she's going to think-

"That you were lying to her, and that you secretly only cared and defended her because you admired her and lusted for her. That you only cared for her body, not her. You ran away begging her to forget so that you wouldn't hurt her... didn't you?"

She hissed, curling deeper into the shadows.

"You are here, because..."

A single, long, long leg stretched inside, just barely unable to touch the chitinous hoof within.

"Because you are trustworthy, Forty Two. I know this, I believe in this. None who would seriously consider tearing all joy from their heart for another could be anything else to them... but they don't want you to, you know this."

She shuddered, shifting away from the touch.

"And you know if you did this, if you removed the love from your heart... it would hurt her more than anything you could ever do with what is within right now. To see her friend lose what she cherishes the most... it would be like a knife to her back, more than this could ever be."

A more violent, almost sickened shake rocked the bed.

And a hoof touched hers.

>W-what am I supposed to do?

"...Why must you do anything?"

>Because... because I have such feelings in my head, and my... and I can't stop them.

With just a bit of levity finally creeping into her, that same white hoof reached up and poked her, right in the nose.

"So don't stop them, you silly little bug. Those feelings are natural, they're perfectly fine!

>They... they can't be. Nothing about this can be natural. She loves him, and he loves her, and that should be it. I shouldn't... this shouldn't be like this, because-

"Because why, you fear it will change things? Oh... Forty Two... come now. Do you really think Shining and Cadence will look at you with side glances if they know? Do you really think they'll look to the mare who was literally willing to beat any feelings out of her head just so that they might rest easier with a changeling, and think to themselves you would be someone they needed to be weary of? Come now... Shining Armor and Cadence, of all ponies, knows that sometimes, the heart just... is what it is. There is no reasoning or stopping it. It's not what you have in your heart, Forty Two, it's what you do with it... for many, many have lights in their heart that burn for those already taken..."

A twitch, so subtle that if she had been any other but one trained to see every such sign in her opponent, she would have missed it.

"...But what you do with it, that is what defines you. Burn, if it must, but tell yourself it shall never change what is, and what should be. Love, as powerful as it is, and indeed it is powerful... is not all there is to life."

A single gentle, motherly touch on her chest was enough. She let her guard down, and let herself be pulled free.

>...She's... she's worth so much, Celestia. She doesn't even know it, and I know it's not just... this, blinding me to it. She does so much that all others pass over. She's so much... more. She deserves at least one she can trust, no matter what.

Into the light, she emerged. Under the gaze of a smile as radiant as the sun, she remained.

"Then be that one, and never let the idea your body could sway you from it take hold. Your heart will burn as it will, Forty Two, for them if it must. To fight it is to fight the sun itself. Let it burn, remain their friend if it brings them the most joy, look out for them, and their happiness, as long as you can... and love them. Love will not make you untrustworthy, it will not make you a monster. Love them, let them know you love them... and let it change nothing. We live in a strange world, we live in stranger times. Perhaps, against all odds, it is yet meant to be... but if it is not, if this is to be a singular road that leads away from you to never return, accept it, do not long for it, do not cling to it, and... let it change nothing. You, regardless of whom holds the piece of your heart, are Forty Two. It is your choice that matters... and nothing else. Not even for whom your heart beats.."

She sat there, beneath her, beneath that radiant light, that radiant sun. Tears in her eyes as she looked to ones that held such understanding for what she was. Such a connection, something she could never describe. Something... linked, between her and the princess, she would perhaps never understand.

>I... I'm sorry...

"There is nothing to apologize to me for, little punchbug. I have nothing against you, and... I understand you, more than you know, more than you ever could. But..."

Tellingly, those understanding, so familiar eyes cut to the side, and her whole alabaster body stilled.

"...I fear there is one whom you may yet need to save those apologies for."

>W...what?

"Be strong, Forty Two... and remember what I said."

Brightness, brighter than anything she had ever seen before, consumed her vision. Before she could think, or blink the light, the sun, was gone.

And the dark had taken it's place.

~Forty Two, my most loyal subject... we need to have a talk.~

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >29
"Luna"
'MM'
[Zecora]
{Trixie}
~~~

>Are thou... sure about this?

"NOT AT ALL!"

>Ah. Well, just wanted to be sure.

'I'm not so sure anymore.'

"Thou wished to finally view the ghost children, did thee not? Well, thine wishes have been granted!"

[And we appreciate your generosity and being so kind. But... we're having some worries, we hope you do not mind.]

"We do not!"

'Oh, good-'

"Because it matters little! THOU SHALT DO IT ANYWAY!"

>Or-

BOOM!

>Thine message received, 'or' is not on the table.

{LETS GET TO IT ALREADY! Trixie has been chomping at the bit for this for so long!}

'Only you would be all for this.'

"ENOUGH! Lay upon the bed, all of you!"

>...It's a little small.

'Yeah, shouldn't we get, like... a really big bed for this?'

[Well, and I do not mean to brag for my home... I have quite the sizable one beneath my hayroof dome.]

"THEN AWAY!"

ZAP!

~~~

>...
"..."
'...'
[...Ahem...]
{...Why do you have a giant bed in the shape of a heart?}

[.......ahem.......]

"IT MATTERS NOT! ON THE BED!"

'I am suddenly very-'

{NO DELAYS!}

>'[GAH!]'
POMF!

{Now... I know EXACTLY what we're going to do on the bed.}

"Oh, thou has no idea... mwhaha... ahahaha... MWAHAHAH!"

'...I'm out-'

ZAP!
THUMP!

>'[{Zzzzzz...}]'

"...Mwhahaahahahh...."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >Sombra
"Guard"
~~~~~

>... Well?

"Huh.. It's a letter from the prince."

>And?

"He just kinda haphazardly scribbled ~let him out I'll make him pay later can't come over wife freaked out punchbug~..."

>... Whelp! Better let me out!

"..."

>No go?

"Gonna need something more official than this, yeah."

>I suppose i deserve this... Three million bottles of beer-

"Please don't."

>... Sigh

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