//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: The Punchline // Story: Lights, Camera... // by Smoking Gun //------------------------------// Chapter 12: The Punchline Dear Princess Celstia, I'm writing this letter to you in shame. I've failed as a servant. I've failed as a leader. I've failed as a friend. "Let me at her! Let me at her!" Fluttershy struggled to hold back Pinkie as she threw her hooves towards Trixie, who was sitting in front of them, smiling. "Go ahead Ms Pinkie 'Element of Laughter' Pie. Wipe this smile of The Great and Powerful Trixie's face." Remembering that violence wasn't exactly her thing, Pinkie lowered her hooves. Fluttershy releasing her. "Honestly, if Trixie knew that it would have been this easy to tear you morons apart, she would have done it sooner." Applejack stepped forward so that she and Trixie were mere inches away from each other. Trixie still did not grant her the courtesy of standing up. "Even if we can't save 'em. Soarin' will have no problem handlin' this." Trixie didn't bat an eye. "Do you honestly believe The Great and Powerful Trixie would forget about that detail?" "Mares and gentlecolts, I'd like to propose a toast." Celestia levitate a glass of champagne front of the members of the press that had joined them for the conference. "To Soarin' and to the Stallion of Steel!" The guests all raised their glasses and took their sips. Soarin' turned to Celestia with great humility. "Your highness-" "Celestia is fine." ... "Celestia, I really should-" KABOOM! The crystals that had been planted around the base of the Celestia/Luna statue suddenly exploded, causing the statue to topple. "Soarin' that's your cue!" With that, Soarin' flew as fast as he could to the statue, catching and holding it over his head. The audience applauded wildly while the press took the opportunity to take the iconic photo first. "Well done, Soarin'! You truly are a credit to the name of-" "HMMMPH!" Soarin' started to grunt in pain, his muscles straining as sweat ran down his body. He couldn't even remember the last time he had to sweat. "Sorain'? What's wrong?" "This statue... grr... it's... too... heavy!" The statue slid off Soarin's hooves, landing on the ground beneath him, cracking the floor as well as shattering the statue. Soarin' crashed to the ground, grunting in pain. Celestia ran to his aid. "Soarin'? What happened?" "I think... your gift just expired." I found the gift of friends. I found ponies to care about and take care of. And I failed. I let them down. No matter how hard I tried. "All those powers and Celestia failed to give him common sense." Trixie's grin was no less irritating then it was moments ago. "Between the movie and showing off to Rainbow Crash, he really should have been watching his fuel gauge." Rarity stood tall. "It doesn't matter! We'll be here to save our friends. And we'll handel you when we're done." "Sounds excellent... Except the part about you stopping your friends." "Hows so?" THUMPBOOM! The girls turned towards out the window of Trixie's trailer to see a bright blue, purple and golden comet land on the opposite side of the studio lot. "Look at that. Right on time." "Come at me, sis!" Rainbow hovered over Twilight, spreading her hooves wide apart. "If you insist!" Twilight teleported to Rainbow's level in the sky, blasting her in the face with a bolt of magical enegery, sending her flying into a cardboard building that had been built for the city set. "By the way, meme jokes are the lowest form of humor." Rainbow, still lying in the debris, rubbed her head, smiling the whole time. "You never could take a joke, could you?" Rainbow looked up to see Twilight, mid air, with her right hoof wound back for the punch. "But I can deliver a punchline!" "We have to get there now!" Rarity led the girls out of Trixie's trailer, looking around for the quickest route around the set. "We'll need to take the long way around. Onward, ladies!" Applejack stared at the back of a set wall that was near the trailer. "That won't be necessary, sugar cube." "How so?" At top speed, Applejack plowed through the set wall, head first, plowing through the other props and set ups. The girls followed in amazement and confusion. "Ah've got a shortcut." "Celestia... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to waste your gift." Celestia helped him to his feet. "You did no such thing. I'm sorry I couldn't make it last longer. And that I could do it twice." Suddenly, a group of guards charged into the room, heading straight for the Princess. "Your highness! There's a situation in Ponyville!" Soarin' and Celestia's eyes shot open in horror. "What do you mean a 'situation'?" asked the Princess. "Reports have come in that two of your element wielders are destroying the town, fighting each other. They say it's Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash." Soarin' looked through the Super-Stallion glass, where Ponyville was visible in the far distance. Celestia turned back to her gaurds. "We have to leave now. Assemble to men." Soarin' turned back to Celestia, reeking of desperation. "We don't need an army. We just need to get their as fast as we can!" "Soarin' without your powers, this is as fast as we can go. I'm sorry." Soarin' looked back out the stain glass window, being able to barely make out the energy emanating from it. "Buck it." Soarin' charged for the window. "Soarin'! You won't make it in-" "Then stop me!" Soarin' shattered the window as he flew it, heading to Ponyville as fast as he could. No matter how fast I ran. No matter how hard I thought. I couldn't keep them safe. It was my duty to keep them happy. I was their leader and I let them down. Friendship is a wonderful thing. But nothing is more hurtful when you realize that you've let your friends down. "You could never take a punch, either," said Rainbow as she hovered over Twilight, having just socked her in the jaw. The unicorn found her way to her feet. "That was just a warm up. Let's go!" "You two do hear yourselves right now, right?" The two golden eyed ponies found their friends, bursting through the last of the set walls. "I think we all just need to calm down and talk. Tea anypony?" suggest Rarity. "Sure, just let me pumple this nerd into dust!" The saner members of the mane six stood dumbfounded by the sloppy quip. Normally Rainbow was known for her trash talking. "Oh shut up!" Twilight magically generated purple chains that generated out of thin air, wrapping around Rainbow. Her wings, however, were able to escape the snare of the chains. "Chains? Heh... you're funny, egghead." BOOM! With a single flap of her wings, Rainbow took off at an astonishing speed. Shattering the chains, sending them back into the ether. "What? When could she reach that speed so quickly?" Fluttershy approached Twilight. "Umm, I... I think it's because she's angry..." Twilight stared down Fluttershy, her eyes and even darker shade of gold. "So am I!" Fluttershy withdrew. "I can see..." "Hey ladies, I don't mean to interrupt, but... RAINBOW MISSILE AT 12 O'CLOCK!" Pinkie's warning drew attention to Rainbow, who was flying straight at the mares. Twilight quickly formed a bubble around her and the girl. When Rainbow collided with the bubble, she sent it and the mares inside crashing out of the studio lot and into the streets of Ponyville. "You know that club house of yours?" asked Final Cut to the Crusaders, he was standing over. "Umm... yeah?" Scootaloo was fearing for Final Cut, who was in obvious pain. "You run there as fast as you can. Stay there, get Big Mac and wait until we give you the all clear." "Why?" "Because Ponyville is the worst possible place you can be right now. Get out of here." Final Cut ran off towards the lights and loud sounds, leaving the Crusaders standing in front of the broken tree. Applebloom turned to her friends. "Yall saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash going at it. You know what that means..." "Yeah... CUTIE MARK SUPERHEROES!" I was supposed to protect the little ones. I failed. "And there goes the spa! This has gone too far!" Rarity was not pleased that Rainbow's latest attack had knocked the bubble, with all of them in it, straight through the down spa, bringing the roof down. "WEE! Pinkie didn't seem to mind, enjoying her ride in the purple bubble, even if it was being used for a fight between her two closest friends. CRASH! "And there goes half of Sugar Cube Corner," Rarity added. "Aww." Twilight, doing her best to keep the bubble from cracking, turned to Applejack. "A.J. I need you to get out there and stop her." "Me? You do see her, right?" Twilight shot around, eyes pulsating. "That wasn't a request!" Knowing the only way to get her friends back to normal would be to stop them, A.J. looked around for anything that could be used to help. After Rainbow's next attack knocked them to a construction site, A.J. spotted a free length of rope. "Fine. Let me off here." Twilight opened a gap in the bubble for A.J. to slip out. She ran to the rope, tied a lasso and using her world renowned rope skills, she was able to get the rope around Rainbow, trapping her wings. "Let me give yall some breathin' room." A.J. pulled the rope as hard as she could, sending Rainbow into a spin, disorienting her. With all her might, A.J. ran up to the spinning pegasus and bucked her into the construction site, sending her through some beams that had yet to be used. The bubble came to a stop. Twilight degenerated the bubble, freeing her friends. She was nearly drained after using the shield for so long. Fluttershy ran up to Applejack. 'Applejack! Don't you think that was a bit too hard?" "Sugar cube..." Rainbow flew out of the debris, now looking straight at her. "Ah don't think Ah kicked hard enough." "You want to dance, country girl? Let's dance." It is our responsibility as decent ponies to protect our friends. But when I arrived, I realized that I was too late to save them. I used 'breathing room' as an excuse in my head to not deal with their problems at first. And by the time I stepped in, the damage was done, with only more to come. "Coming through!" The panicking ponies ducked as Soarin' flew past them, straight to Final Cut, who was running through the streets. "Final!" Cut couldn't believe what he saw. "Soarin'? What happened?" "I lost my powers and apparently Twilight and Rainbow are brawling in the streets." ... "Yep, that sounds about right." "I'll help the girls soon, but right now I need to go talk to the mare who did this to them." "You... you know who did this?" Talking hurt. The blast from the tree had taken too much out of Cut. It was hard enough standing up straight. "I can't say for certain, but I can't help but think Trixie had something to do with it." ... "Yep, that sounds about right." "I'm tired and my wings are soar-" "Aww, poor you, I just took an exploding tree to the back!" ... "- but I can still make it to Trixie faster then you. Leave her to me for now." "What should I do?" "You should be brave." Soarin' pointed towards the families of ponies cowering in the street. Looking on in fear at the lights in the distance. Flinching at the sound of explosions and building crumbling. "You need to keep them safe. Get them somewhere safe. Tell them they're going to be alright." "I... I can't. I'm too weak." "No, you're not. You're a director. Direct them. Lead them." Cut swallowed his fear as he looked back up at Soarin'. "Okay. Don't be late again." Soarin' smiled at Cut before taking off. "Who? Me? Never." There was a threat that I failed to stop. It was threatening their friendship from the very start and I ignored it. "Nice lights." Trixie watched out the window of her trailer as she saw the battle slowly break the structures around Ponyville. CRASH! Trixie flinched as Soarin' punched through the window. Trixie regained her wits and grinned up at Soarin'. "Ms Trixie, would you care to step outside?" "The Great and Powerful Trixie is quite comfterble right were she is." "Very well." Soarin' touched down in the trailer. "I'm going to give you a chance to save yourself. Tell me what you did." "All Trixie did was put a magnifying glass over what was already there. It isn't her fault if the element wielders are less then they claim to be." "What are you talking about? They've never said they were better then anypony." "Yes they have! They say it every time they save Equestria. Every time they help out another pony in need. Every time I see them look into one of Cut's cameras and smile. Every day, one way or another, they say they're better than the rest of us." "Trixie-" "Trixie used a charming spell to enhance their negative emotions. It fed on their true natures; as self-absorbed, self-rightious, envious back stabbers. If only you still had your super hearing. You'd be able to hear them shouting bad comic book dialogue at each other as they pound each other into a pulp, over a little rumor that a couple of worthless nerds on the internet said." "Trixie, you clearly aren't well. Please, let me help you." "Trixie does not need help. Look! Everything Trixie could want is happening. Those over-glorified simpletons are finally exposed to Ponyville and the rest of Equestria for what they truly are; flawed, angry little fillies." "But you know that they wouldn't be doing this if you hadn't gotten involved." "Yes, but only because they've learned to hide their true feelings from the world." "What they've learned is how to ignore what makes them angry ponies and learned to embrace what makes them strong, caring friends. They're not better then anyone Trixie. They're just trying to be the best ponies they could be. And I plan on making sure things are back to being that way." "How so?" "First, you're going to tell me how to fix it." "Certainly. Get them to talk." ... "What?" "It feeds on their negative emotions, get them to talk it out. Although..." CRASH! Looking out the window, Trixie and Soarin' saw Rainbow Dash throw Twilight through the roof of town hall. "I don't foresee it being an easy task." "Trixie, please. You can help me." "She knows, but she won't." "Trixie, you are better than this. You can be a great force for good. But I need you to make the effort. Don't take the hateful way out." "But where's the fun in that?" Soarin' began to understand that he couldn't save everypony, some ponies needed help from ponies better then he was. "I can't let you get away with this." Soarin' wound his hoof back... "We both know you would never hit a lady. Would you, Super-Stallion?" Soarin' closed his eyes and lowered his hoof. "You're right." Soarin' turned towards the door... and bucked Trixie into the trailer wall, knocking her out cold. "Too bad you don't act like one." "Everypony, please stop!" Fluttershy ran into the town hall. The inside of hit had been torn apart from Twilight and Rainbow's fight. As the two ponies stared down each other, the yellow pegasus flew between them."Please. You're scaring everypony in town. They're afraid of you. And so are we." The other mane six members ran into the hall. Fluttershy began to cry. "Please... stop. For them. For me, stop!" Fluttershy had to be brave in many-a-situation, but this was different. Rainbow looked deep into Fluttershy's watering eyes. For a brief moment, her eyes returned to their natrual magenta. "Flutter-" ZAPP! Twilight blasted Rainbow, sending her flying away. "Thanks for the distra- what are you doing?" Using the whip component of her whip, Rarity rapped the length of the whip around Twilight's horn, pulling it towards her. "Sorry darling, but that gold looks tacky on you anyway. We're going to do whatever we have to do to get you and Rainbow back to normal." Twilight pulled on the whip, throwing Rarity into a desk. "You couldn't go two seconds without a fashion joke, could you?" Twilight slowly approached Rarity. "You have to be the most vapid, insecure little-" "STOP!" Twilight turned at the sound of Fluttershy's shout. "I used to sound like that. I tried to be assertive and I ended up yelling at everypony. I said horrible things like you are right now. Please stop, Twilight. My friends saved me from going to far. We can help you and Rainbow." Twilight's eyes flickered back to their original color for a moment. "Flutter-" WHOOSH-CRASH! Rainbow flew from outside, tackling Twilight outside. "Everypony run!" Final Cut ran towards a crowd of ponies that had gathered together on the other side of town. "If you follow me, I can get you to safety." "Why should we trust you?" Mr Cake stepped forward, holding his infant son in his hooves. "You did this somehow! Didn't you?!" "I can't explain right now. You just have to trust me." "How can we? The girls were fine before you showed up. Ponyville was fine. But then you showed up and everything just so happened to go south at the same time." Cut took a few steps back from the angry father. "Stay away from us. Deal with this yourself." "Sir, I-" WHOOSH-CRASH! Twilight and Rainbow flew past Final Cut, clipping the side of his head as they passed by, knocking him senseless and into a nearby fruit cart. "Sparkle... stop..." Twilight blasted Rainbow away from her, putting her on the other side of the street. The two stared each other down for moment. If Cut didn't make some kind of joke, he knew he would lose his mind. "Things are about to get worse in 3... 2.. 1..." "CUT! THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ARE HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!" Cut looked up to find the C.M.C charging down the middle of the street, putting them right between the two fighting ponies. "No!" Cut saw that Twilight and Rainbow were winding up for their next attacks. They were so far gone, that they hadn't noticed the fillies. Cut ran to the girls, grabbing hold of them as tight as he could. The four other mares ran out to the street. Applejack and Rarity were horrified when they saw their sisters. "Sweetie Bell! Get out of there!" "Cut, what do ya think ya doing'?" Twilight and Rainbow started their charge. Cut couldn't move the fillies, his wounds had taken hold and were too painful for him to save them. He leaned into them, whispering in their ears. "Shut your eyes and stay close. As long as I'm with you, you'll be safe. I promise. I'll never let anything happen to you..." Twilight and Rainbow were only a meter away from the fillies and Cut... "I'm so sorry." "ENOUGH!" Out of nowhere, Soarin' flew between Twilight and Rainbow Dash, knocking both of them down the street. He touched ground in front of Cut and the girls. Cut looked up at his savior, who was smiling down at him. "I knew you could be brave." He helped Cut to his feet, the C.M.C also got up, running to Applejack and Rarity. Twilight and Rainbow shook off their daze, finding Soarin' staring them down. "Soarin'? asked Rainbow. "What are you doing?" "Saving you. You're welcome, by the way." "Pfft! The only one who needs saving is this egghead." "Oh don't worry. I'm saving her too. As well as the rest of Ponyville." Twilight stood her ground. "You can't save anypony. You're not Super-Stallion." "I don't need to be. Look at yourself, Twilight. You're Celestia's greatest pupil. The element of magic. You're supposed to be a leader. And Rainbow, you're the element of loyalty. What exactly is loyal about attacking your friend?" "She-" "I'm not done yet! You're the wielders of the elements of harmony. Now, I'm not the brightest stallion, but I can tell you for a fact that this is not harmony." Soarin' drew their attention to all the destruction they caused, buildings turned to rubble, roads torn up, ponies left homeless. "You two, talk, now! It's the only way to get any of this out of your systems. Be better then this. Be the ponies that Celestia knew you could be." Twilight and Rainbow turned to each other. Twilight struggled to open her mouth. "You... you made me feel like I was nothing." "Me? You're the one who came all the way from Canterlot. Big hot shot pupil of the Princess." "Me? You're calling me the hotshot? You were the big shot around here. You took the spot light, everypony looked up to you. No pony looked up to me." "You didn't need anypony to. You were happy. Happier then I was." The two started to cry. "Why are we talking like this? When have we ever thought this way?" "Because you've been poisoned. It's making you less then you can be. Less then you are. Please, look back whatever you burred and see each other for the ponies that you are." Soarin' slowly stepped towards them. "Rainbow... I love you. You have no idea how much it hurts to see you like this. And Twilight, do you know what it's like for Cut to see you this angry?" Twilight looked past Soarin' to Cut. He looked more distraught then ever. "Sparkle... please talk to her." Soarin' continued his approach. "And your friends! Look at them! All six of you came together to be something greater then the sum of your parts. You made each other stronger. You saved the world together. You can't let a sassy blue mare who talks in the third person to tear you apart." Soarin' started to stagger. "Be... better then this... do... the right thing." The fatigue set in as Soarin' collapsed in the street. Twilight and Rainbow approached each other. Each time they blinked, they shed a golden tear, slowly draining the gold from their own eyes. Twilight spoke first. "Rainbow, I never hated you. I never tried to steal your spotlight or Soarin'. You're... my best friend... I'm-" "Shut up. I never meant for us to be like this. Ever!" The two openly cried in front of each other. Rainbow started to chuckle. "You do have to admit... it was a cool looking fight. Hehe." Twilight pulled her close. "I'm so sorry!" The two tearfully embraced, creating a golden pool beneath them. The citizen of Ponyville couldn't help but shed tears at the site. Cut on the other hand, just stared straight ahead. "I... I shouldn't have let this happen..." When the two had rid themselves of the golden light in their eyes, the gave into the exhaustion and collapsed in the golden puddle. All eyes were suddenly on Cut. "That's... a wrap." Cut closed his eyes as his landed on the hard concriet. I should have saved them. It was my responsibility to protect them and somepony else had to do it for me. Consider this letter my resignation from the Super-Stallion film. Your subject, Final Cut. Next: Interlude: Bad Press!