Thread 41: Stories 1-15

Thread 41 archive: http://archive.moe/mlp/thread/19662234
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 >Pinkie
~~~~~

She looked out over the crowd, nervous, uneasy, very... uncertain. Her friends had reassured her, the princesses had said they'd back her up, she had every reason to start speaking.

They had all been evacuated, completely off the now barren island theme park when rested comfortably behind them. Many had done this just because obviously they couldn't stand to be near it. Most just wanted out. It was fine, they were right to want that. Now she just had to start speaking.

But it was hard.

>Well... in case you were all wondering, and I'm sure you were, Partyland had a little... problem. It wasn't supposed to get out of hand like that, obviously, nothing like that is ever planned, but it happened, and we're going to try to make sure it never happens again. Okay? So... you all can go home now, we'll refund your money but clearly we can't give you back your time, I hope you found something at least a little worthwhile there.

Strangely... most agreed.

>I hope this isn't the last we see of partyland, really I do. It was made to be fun, and there was fun to be had there, I'm sure. Maybe someday, when things are settled, you can pop back in for a... BRIEF... visit. But for now, pick up any baggage, get your things in order... and go on home. It's been fun, but it's gotta end sometime. Now seems like a good as time as any.

They started filing out. All walking away, some grumbling... some still smiling. There was bad, yeah, but some good in there.

There was good in there.

>...And if nothing else, you can't say it wasn't one hell of a party.
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 >Chrysalis
"Celestia"
'???'
~~~~~

>HAH! Really? She's seriously doing this because she 'feels old'?

"I know, right?"

>Pfft, how's she going to feel in two decades or so?

"Or mother forbid, a hundred years?"

>Probably just lock herself away.

"Such a shame she doesn't have your confidence in yourself."

>Damn straight, trends bend to ME, not the other way around. Isn't that right Spiko?

How she had known he was there, he could not say. But it annoyed him.

'Oh goody, can't wait for everyone to start being a random bi-'

"I will get the soap-...what on earth are you wearing?"

>PFTT! HAH!

'Don't ask, long story.'

"..."

'... Is something wrong?'

"I... I keep waiting for her to go off on so many tangents."

>Hm? Oh, I got all of those out of my system already.

"Oh?"

>Oh yeah, we already talked, I made a great many barbs at his lack of masculinity, we had fun. We have fun, don't we Short-Spike? Or Shike, as I am considering redubbing him?

"..."

>Because he's short.

'Oh yeah, me and her are just best buddies.'

"You... literally spat fire."

>Gag reflex finally kicking in?... Oh, what, that one was new.

"Wait, if you saw him already, why did you laugh?"

>Oh, you know, some jokes never grow old. Like...

"...Like?"

>Lost my train of thought.

'Shocking you had one at all.'

>Well, someone lost his cosplay contest. Did you not...

"...Again?"

>Totally again, I am off my game. Must be low on love. Hey, you think Shiny's willing to give a quick refuel? I've got the perfect place he can put it!

"And I'm sure he'll be more than happy to oblige... in another life."

>So pessimistic.

"Come along, Spike, we're going after Shiny to make sure Two's alright."

'I uh...'

>....

'Sure, I guess.'

>...HAH! That's great, me and you never get to hang out anymore Scaleameo, what happened to that?

'Allergies, I guess.'

Though her face didn't reveal a touch of it, Celestia's mind was currently spinning away.

It looked normal, but something was... off.

Something...
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 >42
"SA"
'Cadence'
-2-
[PD]
{M-I}
~18~
(???)
~~~~~

She found them all gathered next to some rock structure, surprisingly not hard to find in the crowd. They were all waiting for the trains to arrive so they could all, at last, go home.

Silently, she took a seat next to them, schooching into the tight huddle.

>So... that was not fun.

"Saw the sign."

>Was not my idea.

"Didn't think it was."

>...So... was that the real Chitania?

"Yep."

>Huh... where'd she come from?

"...You remember that one mare with us?"

Slowly, very slowly, her mouth dropped.

'Yeah, that's where we were at.'

>I-IMPOSSIBLE! SHE... SHE WAS RIGHT THERE! SHE COULDN'T HAVE...

-I tired ta' push her...-

'I hugged her...'

>...I... I just...

[Yeah, that's pretty much where we're all at.]

>...I have never felt so ashamed for leaving you all with her.

"A, you were abducted, and then you destroyed the thing trying to kill us. B, she fooled all of us too. C, no offense, you wouldn't be able to fistfight her. Trust me."

{AHAHAH! INDDEEEEED! EVEN I! THE MANIACAL MAAAAANE-IAC! DID NOT ATTEMPT TO FACE HER IN BAAAAAATLLLEE!}

>...How'd the island stop falling?

[Remember those toys that came to life? Yeah. Went out like heroes.]

>So... I was useless after all...

~Save the pity party for later, after I go home, dive fast first into the hot tub and just wait for the bubbles to stop-~

"HOLY FAUST ABOVE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?"

He shot to his hooves, running past all the shocked looks and towards where two paramedic ponies where wheeling someone on a stretcher.

Someone very familiar.

>MY QUEEN!

'OH MY GOSH! CHRYSALIS!'

-NOT-MOM!-

[Uh-]

{INSECTORICITIA NOOOOOOOOOO!}

~...Huh.~

They all gathered around her, despite the annoyance on the paramedics faces, and gently started prodding her.

"Are you okay!?"

(...Ow...)

'What happened!? Speak to us!'

(...ow...)

-SOMEONE GET BAND AID AND HUGS!-

(...ow...)

~No, but seriously, what happened?~

(...cover her ears...)

They did so, every pair of hooves and at least two ropes of hair..

(....*gaaaassssspppp!*...)

>..
"..."
'...'
[...]
{...}
~...~

(FUCK! CHAOS! MAGIC!)

With that, she collapsed.

"...Whelp, she's okay."

>Had me worried for a second.

'...She looks like she stuck her tongue in an electrical outlet.'

[Huh. Looks like she needs a vacation.]

Altogether, everyone took their hooves off Two's ears.

And smacked him right upside his head.
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 >???
"???"
~~~

Completely abandoned.

She supposed she was tempting fate coming back here, but she supposed it was the last possible place anyone would look for her. They had all seen her fly away, and none saw her stop the descent or saw her make her escape. As far as they knew, she was miles away. Good. Just as she wanted it.

Still, it was a bit unsettling to be walking though this place. Every ride, attraction and tent had been fixed to perfection, but the utter barren nature of it all made it seem haunted, almost.

But it was necessary, if she could hope to find...

>Damn...

Perhaps it was a little unreasonable to think that it would be repaired as well, but she had to look, just to see.

Alas, Mister Popcorn remained crushed, burned and destroyed.

She sighed, idly shifting it's darkened shape and rolling it in her hoof, just to see if any parts of it were still salvageable.

While she stared at it, her mind began to wander... just a bit...

~~~~~~

>What is that?

"This? Oh, uh... it's a... cookie, I think they called it?"

>Oh. Pony food, I see.

"Yeah, I found it on the ground."

>DON'T EAT THAT!

"EEP! Sorry!"

>YOU SHOULD BE!

"Sorry... sorry... Have you ever had a pony food? Like, when you were like me?"

>Hmm… once, yes. It was… I don’t even remember the name. It was a tiny little thing that had no set shape, and it was this odd mix of soft and crunchy.

"Soft and crunchy at the same time?"

>Oh yes. Was made from corn, I think. But it was light and fluffy. And it tasted like… oh, what is that stuff they put on the bread?

"Butter?"

>That was it. It tasted like butter… it was quite delicious, actually.

"Can you make me some?"

>Mmm, I’m afraid not. It required a great big machine, and a couple unicorns for magic. I would have to carry it around personally, possibly in my Titan form.

"Oh… M-…Queen Chitania?"

>Yes?

"Do you ever think… that machine will get smaller? That someday, it’ll be so small, you can carry it around, even in disguise? That you can have it all the time, whenever you want?"

>…I suppose so. Someday.

"And… and you’ll have a whole bunch of stuff you can put on it! And you don’t even need a unicorn, cause it’ll do all the stuff on its own. And it’ll have a little light, and clean itself so you never have to, and… and…"

>…And? What else?

"I don’t know. There’s just… so much stuff I want to see."

>Hmm… it’s a wondrous thing, isn’t it? I remember wondering what the future would hold for me too. So many things I wondered would be… huh, most of them never did, though. Well, someday, you’re going to see it. Someday the future will come, and you will see it all.

"Are you going to see it with me?"

>…Well, if I did, then I wouldn’t have done a very good job, would I?

"But mama, I want you to be there with me-"

>ENOUGH!

"AHH!"

>... We have had this discussion before. You will take my place when the time is right, and that is the end of the matter.

"But they need you-"

>Then you will just have to do a better job than me, won’t you!?

"…Yes, my Queen."

>Good.

"…"

>…If we come across a fair or carnival, I will get you some. You will enjoy it.

"…Thank you, Queen Chitania."

>Get some rest, we move in the morning…

"Yes, Majesty…"

>...The future is going to be wonderful, I know it. Hopefully, when you see it… it’ll all be worth it.

"..."
~~~~~~~

>...Huh....

Distractedly, she picked up the remains.

>...Maybe there's still something to salvage here. It wasn't your fault.

He still fit on her back, even like this.

>The future has to have a way to fix something like you. Of course it does...

She just kept talking to herself. Trying not to think about it.

>The future has so many things...

About how she never got to show her what it tasted like.

>...Just wish it had you.
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 >Fizzle
"Flash"
'Penndrop' (over comms)
~~~
"Huh, not a bad day's work. Got Fawntine some good publicity, beat up a bunch of freaks, got a chance to cut loose. Heh, get it? Cut loose?"

'I must admit, I am impressed. You two can expect a bonus in the future.'

>Uhh... Wait. Does anyone know we're with Fawntine? I mean we're not wearing uniforms.

"..."

'... No bonus.'

"... Mother fucker..."
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>Celestia
"SA"
'Chrysalis'
~~~
'Hey, wait, where's sunbutt?'

>I'm here! Wait up!

'That's... A lot of cakes!'

>I know, I looted them from Partyland's bakeries since the place was so trashed! No one was looking!

"So wait, lemme get this straight, when no one was looking, you stole cakes?"

>Forty cakes!

"Forty cakes?! That's as many as four tens!"

'And that's terrible!'

>Yes, but I saved soooo much on the cake budget for this month!
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>Celestia
"Chrysalis"
'Cheesy'
~~~
"Would forty cakes even DENT your budget?"

'Yeah, I mean no offense Princess, but in the few times we've met I've seen you unhinge your jaw and swallow entire bakeries whole. Do you even breath? Or taste them?'

>Fuck you both! I taste them plenty!

Celestia begins wolfing down the cakes five at a time

>Mmm... soooo yummy...

'Princess?'

>What is it, weirdo?

'Most of those were plastic. You know that right?'
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>29
"MM"
'Trixie'
[Zecora]
~~~

>...So....

"...sooooo..."

'We all... said some things. Things that I feel should remain on that floating deathtrap, and nowhere else."

[...]

>...

"..."

[...I did not think it was that bad. I liked our little moment, there was much learning to be had.]

'Yeah, about how long 29 lasts.'

>SHE HAD AN APPOINTMENT!

"I did. He didn't even get to..."

'...'

"...Probably... probably shouldn't keep going with that."

[...A great many flashes went off. Far too many to dismiss with a scoff.]

>Ah, yes. It appears that several of those so young wished to be on a falling island.

"..."

>Weirdly specific, I know, I am sure a great many of them switched to that just so they did not have to see me go splat.

"Reasonable... yeah..."

>...
'...'
[...Soooooo... when we all get back and have our affairs in order... do you all want to come hang out in my house outside of the ponyville border?]

>...Mn, yeah, sure, that sounds nice.

"Sounds like a plan! Oh, we totally need to get out a boardgame or something."

'Or play poker!'

>...

'I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM SHUT UP!'

>Well, first we must swing by Canterlot on the way, so that I may see my brethren so imprisoned to ensure his good health, but after that, let us just.... go home. Let's go home.... together.

"Yeah... together..."

They all just smiled at each other, waiting for the right moment.

'We are not doing another hug.'

Which was sadly, killed in it's cradle.

>...Damned addict.

'TRIXIE DOES NOT HAVE A PROBLEM!'
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>???
“Chitania”
[???]
{???}
~~~

Finding her room was easy enough. Not that she had very many possessions, but most of her bits were here, and you can only rob ponies so often. And sadly, many of them refused her requests for custom builds in exchange for 'I don't hurt you.'

Still, it was simple enough, and now she could escape-

THUMP!

...Well, glad no one saw that. Even in disguise, her tripping over something in the middle of the floor was not something the pride of a Queen could take lightly.

>Oh my gosh, are you okay!?

“...Fuck you too, universe.”

Before she could wave her off, a slightly off white foreleg wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her back up.

“I'm fine, I just tripped.”

>Just making sure.

She was aged, but not terribly so.

>I'm Velvet, by the way.

“Sprike.”

>...

“...I like my name.”

>No no! Didn't mean anything by it, really.

Awkwardly, she stepped back, allowing the Queen to see she was carrying some sort of parcel with her.

>Soooo... what're you doing up here? It was supposed to be sealed off.

“Hn.”

Grunting, she hefted up her wallet.

>Oh, you don't have to worry about that, the staff wouldn't steal a single bit.

“Call me paranoid.”

>I thought you said your name was Sprike?

“...”

>Sorry, old pony humor.

“You're not that old.”

>Oh stooop, I'm married! No point in flattering me.

“So, what are you doing up here if it's so dangerous?”

>Ahhh...

She gained a very fierce, bright blush.

>I uh... didn't want someone to open this. It's... embarrassing.

“Pfft.”

>Oh, and you have room to talk? Come on, nobody would possibly go through what happened earlier again for some bits. Either you have something sentimental or embarrassing, and you don't seem like the sentimental type.

“Or I could be stealing stuff.”

>Naahh, you seem trustworthy. Besides, you don't have any of the good stuff. If you were a looter, you're not very good at it.

Okay that made her want to smirk, but just a bit.

>What did you trip on anyway?

Doing her best to look bored, her eyes trailed down to the case she hadn't even noticed. Bringing it up to inspect, she was shocked to find a violin of all things in there.

>Oh hey, is that yours?

Idly, she traced her hoof along the violin's strings. Nice wood, well tuned, very top shelf.

“No. Someone must have left it here in the panic.”

>Oh... can you play it?

Smirking, she gently raised up the bow, and curled the instrument under her chin.

A soft, easy melody filled the air. Occasionally, she would skip, mess up a note, some irritating little thing, but it was strangely soothing to have such a thing against her again.

>Wow... when did you learn to play like that?

Slowly, her mind began to drift with the melody. Back to another time... another...

“ANOTHER!”

The panicked drone just barely dodged the twisted and broken violin that missed his head, and shakily handed her another.

[M-my Queen, perhaps you should go back to the cello, you were making far better progress with that one-]

A feral roar escaped her lips, and wood splinted into shards. She did not miss this time.

“ANOTHER!”

A second drone flew past his unconscious brother, carrying another violin.

{Eqeustria is going to run out at this rate! Majesty, please, calm down!}

“I have to do this while I'm angry, you little wad of spit! I need to be able to do this no matter what!”

{But why!? Why are we doing thi-}

A stringed instrument shattered against his head.

“I have to be ready you moron!”

She shifted uncomfortably, eyes flickering once again to her stomach.

“I have to prepare first, before they arrive! I need to learn to control this fast!”

She picked up another one, and concentrated, trying to hold in her power even while her enchantment made her see red.

“I'm going to hold every one of them.”

Softly, she glided the bow along the strings, and closed her eyes.

>Miss?

Haze filled eyes snapped open, the world slowly becoming less of a blur around her.

>Are you alright?

“...It was for my daughter.”

>Oh, that's so sweet! Did she...

Thus far, the mare had been nearly impossible to get a read on, no matter how hard Velvet tried. That look, however hidden she tried to make it, was unmistakeable.

Her eyes, and her heart, felt heavy.

>I'm so sorry.

“Mmm.”

>...What was she like?

“You don't have to try to salvage it..”

>Don't be like that. Come on, what was she like?”

“...She was...”

Just one...
Just one changeling.
Just one little face staring up at her.
One... one little changeling, is all she could make.

“...she was...”

A body so small and frail.
Chitin so soft and malleable.
Breath so short and weakened.
One little thing so sickly and pale is all she was capable of.
Weak.
Pathetic.
Tiny.

“...she...”

And yet... all she could see was one little pair of eyes that looked up to her, and two little hooves that touched her nose.

“...She was perfect.”
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>Actarius
"JJ"
~~~

>...
"..."
>...
"..."
>...
"...So, where are you going to live now?"

>Hm? What do you mean? I live at the barracks, same as I always did.

"That's only for the Equestrian Guard."

>W-well, I mean, I am a...

"..."

>...Ah. Figured it out?

"You let it slip when that fire guy saved us."

>It could have meant something else!

"..."

>...It didn't mean something else.

"So, what're you going to do?"

>Ahhh, move back in with my parents, probably? Just until I get another job.

"Are they going to be okay with that?"

>...Mmhmm! Yep! Sure, rents love me. Darling child, after all!

"That... did not sound reassuring."

>Ahhh, I'm just a bit frazzled from the fight is all.

"You did a good job, kept anyone from getting hurt."

>Heh, well, something to put on my application!

"...Not that they thanked you."

>Pfft, Equestrian guards don't get thanks. We do it for the ponies, not the applause!... Or I guess they do, I don't.

"..."

>Hey now, this had nothing to do with-

"Come on."

>...Point. Pfft, it'll be okay. Nothing to worry about.

"...Any chance she'll give you your job back?"

>You know what? I think that ship has sailed, as it were. Heh, ships, maybe I should go for working on an airboat? That'd be neat.

"..."

>...It'll be fine.

"Hey, don't have to assure me, I've got a place. And food. I mean, I don't LIKE it in there, but at least I'm not under a rock."

>See? Everything's fine. Yep... yep yep yep... yeeeeppp...

"...Do you want a quick juggle?"

>Oh dear Celestia yes.

"You just have to ask! DADA DADADADA-"

>HEE HEE HEE!

"DADADADDADADADAD-..."

>...Go on.

"FUCKING HOLES!"

>Theeere it is.
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NC
>Chitania
"Drone"
~~

>WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WE'RE OUT OF PIANOS!?

"...What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? You crushed them all! They're dead! Not that they were alive, but they have shuffled off this mortal coil! YOU SMASHED EVERY PIANO IN EQUESTRIA!"

>...huh. Whelp, onto the tubas.

"...You're going to be playing a tuba?"

>Yeah, lots of those left. Heck, I might last all week with it.

"All... all week?"

>Maybe longer if I get control of it.

"Longer... than a week... of you playing tuba..."

>Yeah. Hand me one, would yo-

*BLAM!*

>...now why do you suppose he did that?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Cheese Sandwhich
"Igneous Rock"

>Excuse me, sir? May I speak with you a moment before you leave. I hope the chaos incident didn't sour the experience by the way.

Igneous paused a moment before turning to the party pony.

"A moment."

>I've been talking with Pinkie and, well this is a little embarrassing but, it kinda came up, that you didn't really like me.

"This is true."

>Oh, good. Got that out of the way quick. Well, it's bothers Pinkie so I gotta ask, why? Was it something I said?

Igneous stared directly into the other pony's eye. His brow surreptitious furrowed.

"You don't take anything seriously, are too silly, have no business sense, I can't trust you to protect my daughter, and you insulted the sauerkraut."

>Sure I do, Pinkie Pie enjoys the silly, Partyland is in the black despite the damages, I would do anything for her and, I'm sorry, you lost me there?

"You demonstrate it poorly, she needs a counterbalance, due in large part to the patronage of Fawntaine Futuristics, I do not doubt this, only your ability to succeed. And the sauerkraut is a an old Pie family tradition dating back to the days before the farm was established. It was a long and dangerous trek to it's current location in which the kraut was the only food that didn't spoil."

>Oh and I set it on fire, blew it up and kicked the charred remains into orbit. Yeah, that didn't come across

"Yes, and I am somewhat irked by that. I held my peace for my daughters sake. And for the continuation of the competition."

>Well, I do apologize for that; sauerkraut and I have a less conscientious history. I had no idea it was so important.

"It is tradition. That should sufficiently imply it's importance. Did your family not have any traditions?"

*****15 years earlier*****

>Why are we at the park dad? And why are we wearing these heavy boots? Why is there mayonnaise on the grass?

-Why it's Weasel Stomping Day! The most festive day of the year!

>That doesn't sound very fun.

-Come on, where's your holiday spirit? Go ahead, try stepping on a stoat. You'll feel better

*****Present*****

>Nothing to be spoken of in polite company. Or any company for that matter.

>In any case, is there any way I can make it up to you? Surely there is some way to make this right?

"Well, I am a stallion that respects the desire of another to pay his penance. I've got some chores around the the farm needs doing. Finish those, and I'll consider the matter forgotten.

>Thank you so much sir. I'll get these done right quick. So, what's the first task?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>DT
"77"
'SS'
[Cheerilee]
~~~~

"Poppet, you need to calm down-"

>SHUT UP!

He had faced creatures from hell, watched his fellow comrades die. He had thought he was dead to most horror.

And yet, that screech still made him flinch.

'It's not that ba-'

>DID YOU GET KICKED ACROSS A THEME PARK BY A FUCKING MONSTER!? HUH!? DID YOU!? I DIDN'T THINK SO!

Her small pink hooves just clutched tighter to the bent, cracked form of her oh so beloved one.

[Really, Diamond Tiara, it's just a-]

>DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!

Demons? She could handle those.

That look in the filly's eye?... best to err on the side of caution.

>I-it's gonna take forever to fix him! He's gotta get a whole new barrel, I'm going to have to replace his back launcher, going to have to reinforce his plating, going to have to realign his trigger...

"Poppet... are you crying?"

>NO! NO I AM NOT! BECAUSE THERE'S NO REASON TO CRY! HE'LL BE FIXED! HE'LL BE TOTALLY FINE!

"Right, of course, but maybe this isn't as bad as you think-"

>NOT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO IF I GOT SOME REAL BACKUP BACK THERE! What, did I have to do EVERYTHING!? Did I have to hold your hoof too!? OF COURSE I DID BECAUSE WHEN I DON'T STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS!

'DT? You're getting worked up, you need to stop now-'

>DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I tell YOU what to do! That's how this works! THAT'S HOW THIS WORKS!

[Now that is just uncalled for-]

>YOU STUFF IT! When I want a lecture, I'll march my pink ass up to Canterlot, whip out alllll that money I have, and give someone who deserves it A REAL PAYCHECK! SO IF YOU DON'T MIND I... I NEED TO GO DO SOMETHING!

She raced off, pointedly looking away from them as she did so, running... somewhere. There was nothing over there, but she wanted to be over there it seemed.

"...Hooooo..."

[Really, really need to get her to a psychiatrist.]

"If you know anyone who could possibly handle that, you are welcome to it my sweet."

The gray filly between them just sighed.

'So glad we went on vacation...'
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Fluttershy
"Twilight"
'Dash'
[Pinkie]
{Rarity}
~AJ~
(???)
~~~~

Gathered together in the 'secret bubble', also known as 'that giant Twilight bubble Twilight made that is soundproof', the air was a bit uneasy.

>So.... what are we going to do now?

But hopeful.

"Simple. We get you back home, I give you a full once over, we figure out what's going on, what we can change, what we can't, what we can fix right away and what we will take time to fix. It's going to take all of us."

'But hey, like that's a problem, right?'

Even after expending as much as she had, she still felt something welling up in her eyes.

>I'm sorry, Pinkie...

[Aww, don't be like that! Partyland will bounce back. After all, if crazy invasions by otherworldly forces was enough to drive ponies away, we'd all be living in the mountains by now! We put up with this stuff at least once a year!]

{She has a point, dear. I doubt anyone will blame her for having the misfortune of chaos magic attack. At least not for very long.}

~Ain't like anyone is gonna call ya' on it when Chitania herself showed up fer' a brawl.~

>...

"Fluttershy, stop. You should have told us before this got out of hoof, yes. You should have been open with us, especially me, when you started experiencing problems. You should have done a whole lot of things, but you didn't, and it doesn't matter anymore. We're going to deal with what happened, together, not what we should have done."

>I suppose...

~So with that in mind... what're we gonna do bout those clones now?~

Before any could answer, a barber's pole popped into existence, right in the middle of the group. From within the middle, a fairly familiar face began to spin inside of the red lines.

(Why, I'll be handling those of course!)

Was nice to see her smile again.

(While I am oh so sure that my dear little Fluttershy has a perfect hold on the matter, I think just waiting until the brilliant Twilight gives her a once over is pertinent before we resume our tea parties.)

And there it goes.

>Discord no! You don't have to avoid me, really! I can handle it!

(Avoid you? Perish the thought! Why, I doubt even the threat of a world consumed in chaos could make me do that.)

'Reassuring...'

(However, I have a great many I need to be taking out, after all! And little old you needs a bit more time with the old guard, wouldn't you say? It will be so brief you won't even realized it happened, I swear!)

>Discord...

(Still, I'm a terrible teacher at controlling chaos magic, it seems. So in the meantime, let's have your friends all give you a hoof! Can't hurt, can it? Or maybe it could, but there wouldn't be any fun if there wasn't at least a chance!)

The barbers pole exploded, tiny chalk candies going everywhere... and a bouquet of flowers shooting out and into Fluttershy's hooves. Flowers that talked, of course.

(Take care, Fluttershy! We'll be hanging out again before you know it! But while we wait, I have so many tricks I need to get to doing! Oh, where did I leave that chainsaw...)

With that, they neatly folded up into an envelope, and tucked away.

>...Oh, Discord. You didn't have to run like that.

"Aaaactually... I was going to suggest that anyway."

>...

A gentle hoof was placed on her shoulder.

[You'll see him soon, okay? And then I'll throw you a biiiiiig 'welcome back' party, with all the fixings!]

>Yeah...

{Well, that matter aside, I suppose we should go make sure everyone is okay, gather together and leave this ghastly place.}

[...]

{...I meant the desert, darling, not... not that.}

[Got it.]

{...}

[...You're thinking about setting fire to it, aren't you?]

{ONLY A LITTLE!}
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Rekulk
"Vekir"
'Grehm'

In the aftermath of the great chaos invasion, there was much to mourn, yes, a titan mourned her popcorn machine, a Pink Mare and her paramour mourned their park's good name, and a certain trio of Morlocks...

>"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

'Loud.'

They were mourning the gift shop.

>Howfor will we get the Blood of Blue his deserved reward now!?

"Dig, my brothers, dig! Surely a tome of knowledge has survived this madness!"

>Yes, if we can find it, we can give it to the Blood of Blue and we can say that today was good!

"Yes! Good! Not bad! Noooooot horrible!"

>I am not selfish!

"I am not slow!"

'...'

>"...Grehm?"

'...'

>Brother-by-mate? What troubles you?

'...I talked much but said little. It was wrong.'

"Yes, that was a thing."

'It reminded me of...father.'

The smaller Morlock and the smaller still Morlock looked at each other.

>Uhm...uh...

'I am not like him.'

"Yes! Yes this is true! These are facts!"

'He talked much and said little.'

>Yes, yes muchly.

'And stood tall.'

The other Morlocks gulped.

'He devoured the brothers of Zhetri Tuuhl, and he paid for his evil.'

>...yes...

'And I am not like him.'

"Yes!"

'...I have found a book.'

>"YOU DID!?"

The Pink Armored creature held up a slightly scorched but still whole book.

'We shall trade?'

>...we trade what happened today for this book. It is very VERY fair trade.

"Agreement."

'Very well. Hurrah?'

>"HURRAH!"

The trio trotted off.
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