Thread 111: Stories 31-45

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>Chitania
"Pommel"
~~~

>...

"...Soooo..."

>...

"...You, uh, you worried about your friend?"

>Who?

"That mare that you hang out with."

>She's my food.

"Wow, okay, that got creepy."

>It's what she is. I eat her love. That is a thing I do.

"...So then is your food source in trouble?"

>No.

"Oh?"

>I am well aware a large population would see me starve. I've decided to take steps to ensure that does not happen.

"Oh. So she's... safe?"

>Very.

"That's sort of sweet, I guess, that you're looking out for her."

>Not really.

"...Is this one of those things where you only say you don't really care about her because you secretly do, but don't want her used as leverage?"

>No.

"Uh huuhhh... well not to be accusing, but-

>What do you suppose your marefriend is up to right now?

"..."

>Do you think she's doing something stupid?

"..."

>She's doing something stupid, in case there was some confusion.

"...Noted."

>Good little vomit.

"ONE TIME!"

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >Chitania
"Lyra"
'Bonbon'
~~

>...

"...You're staring at me. Why... why is she staring at me?"

'Did you do something to make her mad?

"How is this possibly my fault?"

'I didn't say it was, she kind of looks like she's always mad anyway.'

"Do you have a laser or something? She keeps staring."

'Yes, I totally have a laser just hidden away in my hair that is strong enough to kill the thing that can punch a castle to death.'

"Phew."

'...'

"Wait, shit, were you kidding?"

'...'

"Not the time!"

>...

"Seriously, why are you staring at me!?"

>You have popcorn.

"And!? Is popcorn against your religion or something?"

>Where did you get it from?

"I... actually, that's a very good question, where did I get this from?"

'That guy over there is selling it.'

"...who sells popcorn in a mob?"

'Apparently someone smart, as he's raking in the bits.'

>...HEY!

"GAH!"

'EEP!"

>BRING SOME OF THAT OVER HERE!... No, don't throw it! I-

Plop!

>Damn it, now it's everywhere.

"..."
'...'

>...That was his last one.

"Well, no offense, but he would probably have actually gotten within a dozen steps of you if you weren't... you know."

'Please don't call the supermonster a bitch.'

"Just telling it like it is."

>...

"This is so sad."

'...So are you going to share or something in the hopes she won't attack you?'

"..."

*munch*

"Nope."

>...I miss Mister Popcorn.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NON CANON
>Chitania
"???"

>The time has finally come, I have found a ritual which will bind Faust to this mortal plane long enough for me to defeat her and achieve my goals! I have dispatched anyone that would have a hope of stopping me from proving once and for all that I can defeat a god! Just have to light this candle aaaand...

[Angelic Choir]

>Yes! There you are at last, now have at you!

"Boop."

>Hngh! ...o...ow...okay, well what do you say about thi-

"Boop."

>GLK! ...Okay...okay you got me there, but BEHOLD! MY TITAN FOR-

"Boop."

>GAH! You gotta be kidd-

"Boop."

>OOF!

"Boop."

>AGH!

"Boop."

>Ungh...

"...boop."

Thwump!

"...kay, bye."

[Angelic Choir in reverse]

>...owwww...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NON CANON
>Chitania
~~~

>Well, that sucked. I probably should have thought that one through better. Meh, I'm still alive, I guess I could just try again later. Isn't that right?

Nothing answers her, for there was naught outside of the room she had scrounged together from blasted stone but an arid wasteland of nothing. The remains of those who had once been foe or sometimes ally could not respond to her in their skinless state, for nothing remained on their bones but the dust that was once the bodies of Equestria's greatest.

The planet was dead, all was void, and nothing remained.

>...Oh, right, world ended. You guys should really have put a warning up that him having sex would cause the end of the world. That seemed like important information.

~I'll say!~

>...How did you survive? The top of the world was scorched clean.

~BECAUSE I'M PINKIE PIE!~

>This is strangely an answer I accept.

~Want to play cards?~

>...Meh, I've got nothing better to do.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC
+PD+
>Celly
‘??’
“??”
+Go on! Shoot me! Use your big bad powers to shoot me! Right here! Do it! SHOOT ME!+

<BLAM>

>SPIKE!

‘What? She was asking for it!’

>But it’s murder!

“Is it? Or is it assisted suicide? She WAS asking for it…”

‘See? Chrysalis agrees with me. And she is surprisingly well versed in our legal system. Besides which, since you basically drown yourself regularly for fun and to take a vacation I can just plead that I’m a juvenile and my upbringing hasn’t prepared me for how serious suicide is. I just wanted to help and I don’t understand this big scary world…wibble, wible, waterworks, and boom: I can get off with mareslaughter. Tops.’

>It depresses me that that might work. Next question HOW ARE YOU HERE!?

“I heard things were going south so I thought to myself ‘hm, you know what makes no sense? Leaving my hive exposed and my gfreatest allies scoobie doo’d when shits popping off’ So I grabbed everyone and brought them here. Because changeling.”

>…


“...what?”

>just…waiting for this to go more wrong somehow


>But what are we going to do about those outside!?

-Just use the device.-

>Shiny…please no? You know I hate the device.

-Sorry Celly. It’s the only way.-

<Outside>

-PONIES OF EQUESTRIA! BEHOLD!-

With a flourish he holds forth in pristine alabaster hoof…his keys.

<Jingle Jingle Jingle>

~(AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA)~

~Hey are we mad about something?~

(I’m not mad about anything!)

~Me either! Go back to normal?~

(Sounds like a plan!)

-Annnnnnd done. …You ok Celly?-

A single tear rolled down the muzzle of the solar princess.

>…minds like gophers…

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Luna"
~~~~
>Welcome to Not Late Night /pa/ with your host Pinkie Pie! It's during this time that content does matter, but it's time for a lesson! Now for our main guest...PRINCESS LUNA!!!

"We are pleased to be here."

>Good because we're going to give an emergency lesson in comedy! See how princess Luna has a frown on her face? Clearly she's been having a rough day! Let's put a smile on that!

"We don't need to smile, we just need to-"

>Shhh baby it's okay...I got this. First you need to do something silly that could make them forget about their problems!
Pinkie slips on a banana.

"No bananas please."

>But bananas are delicious!

"We said no bananas!"

>Okay bananas are off the table! How about a joke then? What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? ...A stick!

"...we don't get it."

>...the point is don't take yourself seriously and be silly. But if all else fails...please try out this Brownie, Princess Luna. It'll make things better!

Eats it.
"...I don't feel any better."

~Later~
"HAHAHA WE GET IT! A STICK! HAHAHAHA"

>Some times you may need some extra substance. Thank you for joining us for an unexpected episode, and I'll see you next time!
Canned applause.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Chitania
"13"
'41'
[Suckerpunch]
{Pommel}
~~~

>How long has it been?

"About ten minutes."

>How many are in an hour.

"Mom stop."

'...Can I go hang out with-'

>No.

'Please? I'll stay near the edge. Thirteen tell her.'

"No."

[Can I go over there?]

{No.}

[Aww, come on Captain!]

{No.}

'...Can I-'

>No.

'You don't even know what I was going to say!'

>Don't care, no.

"Mom, let her say what she wants."

'Can I go over there and-'

"No."

'NNNGH!'

[This wouldn't be a problem if I could-]

{No.}

[I'm filing a complaint with you!]

{Go ahead.}

'I'm also doing that!'

>...To who?

'I will find someone!'

[You tell them!]

>...
"..."
{...}

>{"Sigh."}

'I'm missing luchador night over you!'

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>SA
"Gwendolyn"
'???'
[Idris]
~~~

>I am not going to enjoy this.

Very little else could sum up his feelings as the airship landed. He watched from his meeting room up high in his castle, awkwardly adjusting his noble regalia as he followed his pristine and efficient guard as they took their place and quickly led the two dignitaries from the Gryphon Kingdom into his castle.

To his dismay, he could see from his vantage point it was indeed the King and Queen of said land.

>I am not going to enjoy this at all.

He tried to put on a warm, inviting, understanding face, already rummaging through all the pleasantries and greetings his wife had perfected in the past. He wasn't quite to her level, he admitted that, but surely he, as the prince of the Empire, could handle a simple meeting. Surely.

SLAM!

All thoughts of hope or any semblance of belief in a being of higher love in the world died at that point. When the Queen stomped into his meeting room and looked to him with a face that could only be described as Chitania being told to sit down and shut up on a bad day, he knew any pleasantries could rest in solemn peace, for they were never to be.

"A changeling."

No greetings no acknowledgements, no nothing. Simply straight to the point like a crossbow to the heart. She was not holding back a bit. The only relief to this situation came in the form of none other than the normally battle hungry king, who held his own emotions back quite well.

"You let a changeling..."

[Dearest? No need to be so forwards, I'm sure-]

"Idris."

Her voice was as cold to him as it had been mere seconds ago, and he felt that little relief and hope that he would force a little restraint slip through his hooves like a greased up Two hopped up on sugar.

"Are you going to go into your whole 'trade partner' thing?"

He stepped back, oddly offset by her tone.

[Well, that is what we're supposed to do.]

"Then please go outside until I am done, and you can talk about it then."


[Did... did you just tell me to-]

She turned on him, jabbing a deathly talon towards the double doors they had entered from.

"Go outside, Idris! Please! I need to do this, now!"

The look on his face was nothing short of a war, an endless battle of duty and a certain other emotion. Soon however, much like it was so known for doing, love won out in the end it seemed.

[...Alright.]

The prince knew that look. The look of knowing when a spouse just needs to do something, as crazy as it was. The look of not a King, but of a very tired husband who just couldn't fight anymore. He had pride, sure. But his wife needed something else, and he was too tired to fight against it anymore.

[Tell me when you're done so I can come in here and act like an actual royal should.]

He turned his back on them and strode out, his beak clenched tightly and his claws scraping the crystal on the ground with every step. The moment he departed, the doors swung shut once more, and those eyes were upon the stallion again.

"...A changeling."

The brief delay, or rather the brief time where it was stretched out, was over. It was time to put away the unsettled captain trying to avoid a fight.

She was hungry for battle, and he had to give it to her.

>Yes, Gwendolyn, a changeling. She has been assisting in various aspects of our Empire's going on for quite some time. Is this an issue?

Enraged talons slammed hard against his pristine, and quite expensive, crystal table, nearly cracking it beneath her weight as her voice rose to an enraged screech.

"Of all the moronic, short sighted, ill thought out, stupid ideas I've ever seen in my long life as Queen you are by far the grandest of them all you idiotic pony!"

He remained steadfast, unfazed by her rambling save a subtle twitch in his frowning face.

>That's quite a rude disposition you brought with you. Perhaps we should talk about this at a better time?

His suggestion, sadly, did not take.

"I cannot believe you would actually be so brainless as to let a changeling, of all thing a changeling, see all of your workings! All of it! By Tartarus she probably wrote most of it!"

>Little under half, actually. I liked handling the laws myself-

"Oh, and not to mention all of my own workings that now have to be reexamined with a fine tooth comb and restructured simply because your stillborn mind managed to squeeze the thought that letting a changeling of all things see that information was a good idea! A changeling! Did you drop on your head and somehow forget what changelings do!?"

>Didn't you find a bit of friendship with Ten? This is a bit of an over reaction considering-

"I used a changeling to sleuth, to find scumbags who were a drain on my system! That's what they do! They get in to where nobody else can and they find information, and they give that information to those who use it as weapons! You daft thing, this is exactly what would do the most damage! Are you that slow in your mind!? Are you that stupid!?"

He had been very strong in the conversation thus far, he felt. Had not raised his voice, he had not gotten angry, and he had taken every insult in stride. He had a lot to him to hold all of it back.

He was running out of that. All of that.

"Did you actually, for one hawk-damned second, think I would ever be okay with trading with a changeling!?"

'Would you?'

He did not know whether to curse his luck, or thank the gods that something broke that spiel up.

When he saw the telltale flames of green, he knew it was most certainly the former.

"LEAVE, INSECT!"

She had not even hesitated, had not paused for a second before she had pulled out an impressive looking mace that, to her credit, Shining had not even noticed in her robes before now. She hid it well.

It didn't surprise him that Chrysalis was not bothered by such a threat, he was instead far more focused on thoughts of war spilling out into his mind.

War seemed important.

>Chrysalis, this is Empire business. I understand you want to help, but I think you should leave.

To his horror, this was the one time she decided not to listen to him.

'Normally, I would. This most certainly is about you two after, all. Normally, I wouldn't be here. But... this whole event, as much as it was awful, does actually present a situation I have needed to bring up for a long, long time now.'

The Queen spat at her, edging her mace closer to the unmoving Changeling.

"And what is that, you blasted timberwolf in sheeps clothing!?"

'Would you really be that opposed to trading with a changeling?'

In all their time together, in all his working with her and seeing her in mentalities and positions no other had ever been graced, he could honestly say he had only seen Chrysalis like this one single time.

Serious, focused, no smirks, no laughter, no threats.

Regal.

"What is that supposed to mean!?"

'It means what I said. Would you be that opposed to trading and interacting politically, if a changeling was involved?'

She began to move, causing every feather and hair on the Gryphon's hide to stand up on end.

'You do realize this whole... situation, this whole current status with our living, it's not meant to be permanent, no? We're going to one day have our own society, our own living status and such, the only reason we do not now is our low numbers. We're going to grow, we're going to become much, much more than just a tiny little fraction in a stadium some day. When that happens, are you really that opposed to ever working with me?'

The mix of bird and beast hissed as her fellow Queen neared, nonthreatening.

'Well? You have seen that we can be effective, quite amazingly so. Look around out there! Look to the efficiency and ease one changeling brought, look to what my species are capable of. If we grew, if we became a force unto our own, wouldn't you wish to trade with us? Wouldn't you want us as your allies, as we are to the Empire?'

He had dared to hope that she might see the reason in this, the logic, and this could all be turned around.

"I... would never, ever, ever work with you!"

He didn't know why he bothered anymore.

Her mace came down, leaving deep cracks in the table.

"I don't care that your minions are by far witless and unfocused, I don't care if there are some like Ten that I find admirable, no. I don't care about any of them, because I know that at the helm of this all is you!"

Her claw very nearly touched the chitinous nose of the face that was struggling to stay still, struggling not to let any of the obvious feelings beneath it show.

"At the very top of all those supposedly benign things are you! You are just like her, no different from that monster! You are the lying, sneaking thing that lives on your deception of others, who only knows power and what you can use to hold over others! You are the one who thinks yourself untouchable because you have the right of birth and might, and nothing else! You're just as bad as her! You're just as bad as that monster! I would never, ever, ever share with you a single thing from my home you foul creature! And as long as my line is on the throne, you shall never have a thing from it, and I will see you all wiped out before I call you of all creature my ally!"

'...Get your claw out of my face.'

It was gone.

All of the almost professional stature, all of the placating air, all of her attempts to hold it in, it was all gone. Her eyes had narrowed, the tip of her fang showed through her lip, and she held nothing back from her gaze any longer.

"Or what-"

The moment she tried to lift up the mace, she found it lighter than before. Much, much lighter than before.

The fact it was bereft of it's more dangerous parts and was now little more than a stick might've had something to do with it.

"...I see."

It dawned on her quickly. She remained strong, she remained unafraid, but it was quite obvious that although she had little fear, she also had very little in the way of defense, should the insect Queen try anything.

She never let it show, she would be a poor Queen if she did, but she felt it.

'Just so you know, I actually did want to work with you. Your Kingdom seemed on amicable terms with the Empire and Equestria, you seemed to have a lot to offer, and I liked that you were on such nice terms with my favored little reporter. I didn't come in here for this... but if that's how you feel, so be it.'

She stepped back, as smoothly and as coldly as a winter wind. It was clear to all, she was not backing down. No, instead, she was stepping aside. For what, Gwendolyn had not a single idea.

Until, of course, she looked back to the prince for the answers, and found them in the way his head was ever so slightly downturned, and the odd manner in which his wild hair fell over his eyes.

>...Gwendolyn? What, exactly, did you hope to accomplish today?

She brushed it off, as best she could and once more regarded him fully, and with as much rage as she had held before.

"It's simple, really. So simple, anyone could understand it. Either you send every last changeling from this castle, or your Empire and my kingdom are finished."

She had expected much from the prince of the land of love. Rage, anger, arguments, she expected all of that.

>...Get the fuck out of my castle.

That had somehow surpassed it all.

>I'm sorry, did you not hear me? Was I not clear?

He rose, a dangerous look on his face she had never seen upon him before, a look in his irises that felt so very familiar to her.

>I said, get the fuck out of my castle.

"...So, that's it, then?"

>That's it... that's it?

His hooves slammed down, inexplicably cracking his table even worse than her mace had done until it split the thing in two.

>That's it!? You come here, to my home, to my land, and you demand that of me!? You have the gal to look to me and actually threaten your support over my allies!?

His horn was starting to spark, dangerous lights dancing atop them.

>You have the nerve!? Where were you when my land was besieged by machines!? Where were you when I faced a monster even worse than the disgusting thing that rampaged through your land! Where were you!? Where was your support!? No, I got nothing from you. No help, no aide, no protection for a supposed ally! But them!

He pointed, with all the power he could, to the Changeling Queen.

>They aided me, they have lived here peacefully, they have sought to help me in making my kingdom a better place. You want to know the irony of it all, Gwendolyn!? Eighteen has not touched a single paper with your name or country on it! She loved this Empire, loves it so deeply you could never understand, and as such she buries herself in making it better! I, alone, handle the foreign affairs! I handle every single order and taxation and shipment, I do it all! No 'filthy' changeling hooves have touched your precious lands. But fine, you want to leave? Then turn your ass around right now and you get out of my castle before I have you thrown into the streets! You do not demand that of me! You do not try to force that! I am the Prince of the Crystal Empire, and either you show me some respect or you run back to your damned kingdom!

Nothing, not a word, came from the Queen after that. Seconds passed, then minutes, the clock ticking away while she looked down the prince who had seemingly been eternally passive and kind, no matter the situation.

Even now, her mind struggled to comprehend it.

"So that's it, then? You'll turn away your trading partners, your Empire's prosperity, for them?"

>Can your threats and shove them right up where they came from, Gwendolyn. My Empire lived for hundreds of years eternally isolated. It thrived, despite it being in the middle of a hellish tundra. The trade has made life improve, it has helped, fine. But if you think we couldn't do just fine without it, you're sorely underestimating the resilience of ponies who look like living rock. My Empire will live, it will flourish. Now, are you going to take back your request, are you going to take away that demand, or will we just have to flourish without you?

She didn't even think about it.

"...Without me it is."

She turned around, dropping the remains of her mace to the ground, and made her way to the door.

>That's a shame...

It was only some strange emotion she heard in his voice that made her pause, just for a little while.

>Two was looking forwards to helping you stop being scared of her someday.

That pause remained only long enough for a single thought to cross her mind, before she continued on. Swinging open the doors, sharing a single look with her husband, and continuing down the crystal halls, guards at her side.

The king gave a weary look to her before switching back to the prince, and letting a breath of resentment pass his beak.

[I take it we're leaving?]

He didn't even bother to wait for the confirmation, before he followed after his wife, and left the two royals behind in their empty silence, while the red from the white prince's eyes at last began to fade away.

>...See, this is why I normally let Cadence handle this stuff.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >Pommel
"Chitania"
'13'
-LS-

>You know what's always bugged me?

"Your insignificance?"

>Ok! Can we get past the insignificance? I get it, you could kill me without batting an eyelash, you could probably kill me BY batting an eyelash-

"I don't have those."

>...you could kill by changing forms and batting your eyelashes-

"Self-deprecation doesn't make you any less of a speck, you realize. If anything it just makes me hold you in even more contempt."

>...

"..."

>...can I finish a setence now?

"Yes."

>I-

"Your helmet needs to be shined."

>Ugh!

'Mom.'

"Fine, finish your thought."

>You remember that tapeworm in your belly?

"Yes."

'What? You had a tapeworm in you? How?'

"Long story."

>Well did that thing get bigger as you titan'd it up?

"I would assume so...also that is not a verb and you should feel bad."

>Yeah, but it grew bigger in you, right?

"Considering it was properly sized for me to stomp it to death, yes. Is there a point to this?"

>...I've been wondering if being in your stomach made me taller.

"'...'"

>What?

"You are an idiot."

>Excuse me but after all my other attempts at conversation were responded to with death threats to myself or my loved ones, I'm reaching here.

"Then how about you actually be quiet?"

>Fine then! ...

"..."

'...'

-...y'know, you do look a good bit taller than when I assigned you to dungeon duty.-

>HA!

"..."

>Shutting up.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NON CANON
>Pinkie
"AJ"
'Pennydrop'
[Ponies]
~~~~~
*POP*
>Hey AJ!

"Oh uh hey Pinkie. This isn't really the-"

>Can you throw this mallet as hard as you can towards Canterlot?

"Um...Ah don't think Ah can th-"

>Do it! Do it DO IT! You can do it! JUST DO IT! You just gotta believe in your strength! Don't believe in yourself! Believe in me who believes in you!

"...this is one of those Pinkie moments isn't it?"

>Yup yup! So pleeeease?

"...okay."
Picks up the mallet and throws it.
"Hngh!"
*WOOSH*

>Whooooa.

"Huh...guess Ah don't know mah own strength."

~Canterlot~
'The pieces are falling into place. Things are going to go my way or the heavens can strike me down.'
Walks outside.
'My fellow ponies, I've ta-'
A mallet smashes into her head.

[Holy moley that mallet came out of no where!]

[Oh my gosh, is she dead?]

[She will be if we don't get her to the hospital!]

~Everfree~
>Comas can be bad for business.

"...what?"

>Oh nothing. DOTHERIGHTTHINGAJ!
Runs.

"..."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Cadence"
'DT'
[Luna]
~~~~
>Welcome to Late Night /pa/ with your host Pinkie Pie! It's during this time that content doesn't matter, and it's story time! Now for our main segment...Three Billy Goats Gruff!!!

Luna stands on a bridge dressed as a troll.
DT wears curly goat horns and walks across the bridge.
[Who is trip trapping on our bridge! Thou appears quite delicious...delicious enough to eat right up.]

'You want to eat me? I'm just a little kid. Practically skin and bones. You don't want me. Wait until you see my friend who's crossing the bridge soon. She's bigger than I am, so plenty of meat on that. Eat her.'

[...hmmm thou is scrawny. Very well, thou may pass. We will wait for thy friend.]

'Tell her that DT sends her regards.'
DT walks away. After a bit, Pinkie shows up.

[So thou has decided to trip trap on our bridge? Thou looks delicious enough to eat right up. Oh and thy little friend DT sends her regards]

>Wait, why didn't you eat her?

"She was too young and scrawny to eat. She also promised that you'd be bigger than her, so you'd have more meat."

>Oh then you'll want to meet my friend who's coming up behind me. She's waaay bigger than me. I bet she can fill you up better than I ever can. Trust me.

[Hmm...that is true. You're not much bigger either. We will wait for thy bigger friend.]

>Okay. Tell her that Pinkie sends her regards.
Pinkie walks away. After a bit, Cadence shows up.

[So thou has decided to trip trap on our bridge? Thou looks delicious enough to eat right up. Oh and thy little friend Pinkie sends her regards.]

"*gasp* Backstabber!"

[Dost thou have any more friends coming?]

"I'm sure they'll come back to check on me...Right girls!? ...GIRLS?!"

[Let's eat while we wait.]

"No no no NOOOOOOOOO!!!"

~Somewhere way past the bridge~
>Do you think Cadence will figure out that the troll is gullible?

'She can handle herself. She's a big mare.'

SPONSORED BY CARROT TOP'S CARROT SCHNAPPS. YOU'LL LIKE IT WHEN IT POPS.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC
>Chitania
"Pommel"

>...

"..."

>...

"..."

>I could destroy you without-

"I GET IT!"

>...

"..."

>...I could destroy you withou-

"I KNOW!"

>...

"..."

>...Knock knock.

"..."

>...Knock knock.

"Who's there?"

>I could destroy you without even thinking about it.

"Ugh!"

>Ha.

"..."

>...

"...'I could destroy you without thinking about it' who?"

>...

"..."

>Fuck you.

"Ohhh small victories, me, small victories."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC
>Lavan
"32"

"And THAT, finally, is all there is to know about Changelings."

>Fantastic, this pleases me.

"Well it pleased me to finally tell someone without them being drunk or wanting to hit me."

>I would like to reward you for telling me this story with telling you mine.

"Really? Well go right ahead, I'd love to hear it."

>Oh no, silly, we'd be here for years if that happened. I'll just beam it all into your head, like this-

Fifteen threads later...

"OH GREAT HYD! SOME SAY HYDIA! GRANT US EYES! GRANT US EYYYYEEEESSSS~!!"

>...I think this backfired juuuust a tad.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>AB
"SB"
'SL'
~Winona~
{??}
~~~

>Alright, so, that plan didn't work.

~Of course it didn't work, that plan was dumb!~

"It looked so sure, too!"

~No it didn't! It looked like it would get you all killed!~

'I guess we don't understand glowy runes as good as we thought.'

~You tried to stick some bombs into it, while you were on top of it, and had nowhere to run but a sheer drop down, so... maybe! Yeah! Guess you don't! You don't understand that, or explosives! Or gravity! Or a lot of things! I'm a dog and I understand that!~

>Well, what are we gonna do now? He's almost done making his cannon!

~Try the opposite of whatever it was you were going to do, that might help!~

"He's gonna shoot things with it!"

~...Factually correct? Why... I'm a dog, and even I know what a cannon does! Why did you say that?~

'Shoot, Sweetie Belle is right!'

~Oh, I see.~

>Winona, stop barkin' yer' head off and help us think!

~Oh sure, now you want my opinion.~

{AHHHHH!}

CRASH!

>...

"..."

'...The heck was that?'

~...*Sniff sniff*... noooo...~

{Ah hah! Free! Finally... AHHHHHHHHHHH!}

>That voice sounds so familiar.

~....Nooooooooo....~

'...Your dog is foaming at the mouth.'

>She does that sometimes.

'...Wha-'

~NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!~

"Drama queen."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>AJ
~~~~~

>There has to be an answer....

There were memories in these castle walls. Memories of a time long ago, a time less tamed, a time more wild and free and chaotic.

A time when all that stood between the eternal night and a life that Equestria lived now were a bunch of magical shapes.

The bringer of that magic, the light in Equestria's darkest hours, had been there time and time again. No matter what needed stopped, be they sisters twisted by rage or beings with powers beyond comprehension, it had been there to defeat it all.

She knew this. She had used it. She had felt that power, felt that magic, felt that wonder pull through her as every single cell in her body became one with a power unlike any other in the universe. She had held this power in her before, she had answered the call when it was needed, and it had answered when called by her.

Now, it was time to call upon it again.

She didn't know what, exactly, she hopped to find in there. What exactly she sought, or would gain.

All that she knew was that when that glorious light entered into her eyes, when she looked upon that which she had given up her greatest power to, she felt something.

She felt hope.

>...You've gotta have the answers.

The Tree of Harmony, tall and glorious as could ever be a beacon of magic in all of Equestria, shined on.

>Help me fix Eqeustria.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________