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// Well, Things Went Downhill... But It's A-OK, Cause' We Have A Cannon! And MUFFINS! 
// Story: Badlands 
// by bass-and-the-siren8976 
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Sparkler's eyes fluttered open. Coughing, she stood up. The garden was covered with rubble, the beautiful stature of Celestia lay in half. Sparkler gasped, such a beautiful piece of art- if their was anything she enjoyed other than being a scholar, it was art. She bit her lip to stop from screaming right then and there over this statue. She froze. "Princess Celestia..." She ran into the castle "Princess!!" She ran through the shards of the broken stained glass windows. If it weren't for the urgent matter of the princess, she would have cried over the thoughtless destruction of such great art and history. "Princess-" she stopped. The sun roof, and also the roof of most of the castle, had caved in. A large area in the center of the room was covered in glass. She saw two areas without glass, perhaps where the princess' had stood, she thought. Sparkler froze and muttered "Emphasis on had stood." she noticed with rising fear the lack of any princess'. The thrones were gone completely as well. 

Sobbing brought her back to the real world. Her ears shot up, flicking back and forth trying to find where it was coming from. She turned to the doorway, the double doors lying broken on the ground. A blue mare sat solemnly, a wizard hat over her eyes. "Vixie Pulamoon."

The blue mare looked up with shock before responding, the mare making her forget her woes "Sparkler. It's... Trixie Lulamoon by the way-."

Sparkler growled. Yes, Vixie Pulamoon... how could she ever forget. It was back in magic kindergarten... the class had visited Celestia. And Vixie... Sparkler shouted "You practically destroyed the Canterlot Art and History Museum!!"

Trixie stood and roared "You dared to insult me!!"

Trixie had misfired a spell and Sparkler had chewed her out so badly- a responsible adult would've apologized now, seeing their overreaction. Sparkler was not one though- she was a history and art loving college student, and the museum was the thing of gods to her.

"DIE!" Sparkler ran out to Trixie, who ran back. The two tumbled to the ground, the flailing of hooves making it hard to see. Sparkler punched Trixie's eye, Trixie kicking her off. The two grabbed street lights from out of the ground, twirling them in their magical grasps. "Do not mess with me Vixie Pulamoon!" her streetlight slashing out to Trixie.

"IT'S TRIXIE LULAMOON!!!" Trixie pushed the opposing light post away and smashed hers into the ground, sending Sparkler flying. Sparkler dropped the rod, using her magic to launch a blast at Trixie. Trixie shot a greater blast out at the mare, the size of two Celestia's. Sparkler shot a beam through the middle, splitting the blast into two sections. Trixie's shot flew either too high or low to hit Sparkler while hers shot through the middle to Trixie.

Trixie launched back into a wall "You- you..." the haughty mare was unable to think up a comeback, instead bawling. Sparkler froze and dropped everything. "Vi- Trixie...?"

"She-" Trixie sobbed "She's dead! My only friend! Dead! And you- you dare to attack the Great... you dare to attack Trixie now!"

Sparkler winced. She had allowed her own personal fury to blind her to other woes. She sat down slowly next to Trixie the two staring into the former throne room. They suddenly saw a patch of yellow, bobbing up and down randomly. Eventually Derpy shot up from behind a wall. She saw the two and flew towards them "R-run!!" the two mares looked to each other, before a manticore ran out of the castle from nowhere.

"ACK!" Sparkler got to her feet galloping, Trixie following from behind. Derpy flew a little above them, pulling something out. "Hey, is that-" Sparkler's eyes widened.

Derpy turned to face the manticore, flying backwards. The green box in her hand extended, one section coming down like a handle and the horizontal edge expanding, opening at the front in a whirling pattern. She stuffed a tan-brown object in one end and pulled something down, making a click noise "Muffin Cannon!"

With a flash, a muffin flew out the cannon, spinning wildly as it moved forward. Smacking the manticore dead in the face, causing it to yelp. "What is that?!" Sparkler stared wildly as the manticore scratched at the muffin on it's face falling to the ground. 

Trixie gasped "Wait, aren't you Derpy- the muffin girl!?"

Derpy did a mock salute "Ditzy Hooves at your service! Mail-mare, Muffin-baker, and former guards-pony!"

"Wait-" Trixie and Sparkler froze "Guards-pony?"

Derpy nodded, her blonde mane bouncing around "For a whole year! I even got my own weapon!"

"Well..." Trixie poked the manticore with a twig "It's... effective...?"

"What is it?!" Sparkler restated her question.

"A muffin cannon! It can shoot muffins! Well... other stuff too since it's just a cannon... But I like Muffins!"

"And the manticore?" Sparkler nodded towards the now unconscious manticore.

"Raspberry Muffin!" Derpy laughed "Manticore's are allergic."

Derpy pulled the trigger again yet it made the cannon collapse back into a cube this time. Trixie and Sparkler blinked "How does that even-" they were interrupted by the grumbling of their stomachs.

"Eh... I suppose the Great and Powerful Trixie could... use a snack." Trixie looked around for food.

"Anymore muffins, by any chance?" Sparkler asked nervously.

"Sure! But we should get shelter first! It's always what they do in the movies I watched with Din-" Derpy's smile faded.

Sparkler caught on and cleared her throat "Yeah shelter. We should try to get some shelter."

Derpy flew lazily trying to spot a building that looked... safe. Trixie took the rear, holding two lamp-posts in her magic in case things got hairy. Sparkler studied a map of Canterlot "If we keep going straight, we'll reach the Royal Theater... It could be intact..."

Just as Sparkler had said, the three came across a theater, crumbled and ruined. "Wow, how amazingly intact." Trixie sighed.

Derpy laughed "But that's just the main floor!"

Trixie tilted her head "The Great and Powerful Trixie is confused..."

Derpy pointed to a few crates "There! Move those crates!"

Sparkler and Trixie used their horns and revealed- a trap door.

Sparkler gasped "Wha- but? Theater! Why would they need-"

Derpy laughed "To store things!"

Trixie looked around and whispered "Well what are we waiting for? More monsters? Let's go!"

Sparkler hesitantly placed her hoof on the handle.