//------------------------------// // Chapter 24. Explosive Reunions // Story: Resuscitatio Artium Magicarum // by Xomniac //------------------------------// “Is it ready?” Pinkie squealed, bouncing up and down around the Changeling that was crouched in front of a crystal tube that was pointing skywards. “Is it? Is it? Is it?” “Hold on...” Chitter mused, fiddling with the chemicals and substances in the shell located at the  bottom of the tube. “Just a bit more...” He slowly slid a wick into the bottom of the launcher and proceeded to light it with a spark of magic. “DUCK AND COVER!” He chortled, wheeling around and covering his head with his hooves, a motion that Pinkie imitated immediately. The fire burned down the fiber, coming closer and closer to the tube until it went inside. Then... Chitter blinked  in confusion before standing up and peering down into the tube. “What the heck...?” “Hmm...” Pinkie rubbed her chin as she sidled up next to him and mirrored the motion. “Did you use enough explosive powder? That always happens to m-!” BOOM! Chitter and Pinkie Pie blinked slowly as they cleared the spots from their eyes. “I think we had enough gunpowder...” Chitter wheezed, a puff of smoke escaping his mouth. “Yeah...” Pinkie agreed as she wiped the soot from her fur. BA-BOOM! The pair’s heads snapped up as the firework exploded high up in the sky, unleashing a wave of colors for all to enjoy. “Wooooow...” Pinkie breathe in awe. “How do you think that kinda stuff works?” “A mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate is ignited, causing it to combust with enough force to launch a shell containing more gunpowder into the atmosphere. The gunpowder in the shell is set on a timed fuse so that it’ll detonate at an appropriate altitude, which in turn ignites gunpowder that is mixed with such ingredients as lithium, calcium, copper, cesium and other elements in order to produce a variety of colored flames.” Chitter recited in an academic tone before blinking and shrugging. “Or at least, that’s the technical explanation. Personally, I think that it’s easier to just say that fire plus black powder equals boom.” Pinkie’s jaw hung open as she stared at the brown-eyed changeling before speaking. “Ya know... I really don’t get ya.” “Hm?” Chitter twisted his head around and raised an eyebrow at the party pony. “I mean!” Pinkie waved her hoof around helplessly. “One second you’re acting all loopy-loopy like me!” “You mean like when I comment on how yellow bananas smell like purple elephants?” “Yeah, like that!” Pinkie jabbed her hoof at him before turning her eyes upwards and tapping her chin. “But then you say really, really smart egg-heady stuff that I’d expect from Twilight, and she’s the egg-headiest person that I know! So how come you’re like that?” Chitter bit his bottom-lip and tilted his head side to side before shrugging. “Weeeell...” He clopped his hooves together as he grinned eagerly. “It’s like this! I was always a smart little larva, growing up. Top of the classes, Neophyte when I was two, Magister by four. Impressive, even with my kind’s growth rates. But, ah...” He tapped his hoof against the side of his head a bit harder than had to be comfortable. “Rules were always a bit loosey-goosey for me. I kept takin’ explosions and booms to the head, but I always felt fiiiine afterwards! Sometimes, even more than fine! So, I just kept goin’ and goin’ and here I am!” Chitter turned around completely and leered at her with a somewhat madness-tinged grin. “Nowadays... the madness comes!” He inhaled and hastily drew his hooves up his chest. “And then it goes...” He exhaled, slowly pushing his hooves away. “And then it comes...” He slowly brought his hooves together. “And then it goes!” His hooves leapt apart from one another. “And then it comes and goes!” He tapped his hooves against his forehead and threw them apart. “And then...” Suddenly, without warning, Chitter leapt at Pinkie Pie and bowled her over, pinning her to the ground as he leered over her menacingly. “It’s there, right there!” He roared, spittle flying from his mouth. “Baying for blood and fire and rampage, howling and clawing at my skull for days on end with no rest! No tolerance! No end! Just fire, fire, FIRE!!!” He whipped one of his hooves to his side and returned it holding a large, green fruit. “Would you care for some watermelon?” Pinkie blinked before slowly shaking her head. “No thanks.” Chitter blinked in turn before stepping off her and falling on his rear, tilting his head in confusion. “Where the heck did I get a watermelon?” He asked. Pinkie scrambled back to her hooves and beamed at the deranged changeling. “Oh, that’s easy! You brought your hooves to your side, where this weird swirly thing of colors showed up before you put your hoof in and took out the watermelon! It’s really neato, I’ve been seeing people use it all over town! Even me!” “Psh!” Chitter scoffed and rolled his eyes. “That’s just my personal pocket dimension, everyone can use those, either instinctively or with training. No, I mean this watermelon specifically!” He leaned in and sniffed the green skin. “I don’t remember picking it up...” Pinkie shrugged helplessly. “Weeell... in that case, I dunno!” “Huh...” Chitter stared at it for a moment before shrugging. “Ah well! Bye bye!” And with that, he heaved his leg and tossed the watermelon over the edge of the street. Pinkie chuckled at the antics... before freezing as her entire body started to vibrate. “Doozy! Doozy!” Chitter blinked in surprise. “Wow, you’ve got precognition too? You’re really, really lucky! What’dya think’ll happ-?” BOOM! The two jumped in surprise when an explosion rang out from below the street. Slowly, the pair peered out over the edge and took in the array of juicy, fruity destruction below. “Oh yeeeaaah...” Chitter breathed as he pounded one hoof into the other. “Nooow I remember where I got that watermelon. I was checking the auxiliary lab I had set up here in Vitrum and saw that my nitroglycerin-hydroponics project was still active.” Pinkie tilted her head to the side as she watched pink juice drip down from... everywhere. “Looks like it worked to me.” “Ha!” Chitter barked. “Boy did it! I had two right then and there and saved a third for the road!” The pair continued to observe the scene for a moment before Pinkie blinked and slowly looked at the pyrotechnic insectoid. “Waaait... you ate two explosive watermelons?” Chitter shrugged indifferently. “Yeah? So wha-?” He was cut off by a very loud roar erupting from his gut. The pair slowly looked down at his stomach before looking back up. “On second thought, I get your point.” Chitter whispered. Acting fast, he rammed his hoof into the road, causing a large rectangular construct of crystal to rise up behind them. He ripped the door open and wheeled around to stand in the entrance. “In case I don’t make it out of this, the code to stop my lab’s self destruct is Alpha-Tango-79-Papa...” He trailed off before shrugging. “Bah, I forget.” He then proceeded to grimace as another louder roar rang out. “This is gonna suck!” He stepped back and shut the door. Suddenly, a very loud, very gastric sound erupted from the stall, shaking Pinkie and the street in general. “OH GOD, IT BURNS! WHY!? WHY DOES IT BURN!? WHYYY-Hey, wait!” The sound and shaking suddenly stopped. “Huh, on second thought, it’s a bit uncomfortable, but it’s not like it’s that bad! I think that I’m gonna be oka-AHH!” The sound redoubled in force. “I WAS WRONG! I WAS HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY WRONG!” Pinkie stared at the stall in confusion before a look of understanding came across her face. “Ooooh! ‘Explosive diarrhea’! Nooow I get it!” She frowned and tilted her head to the side. “Wow, that kind of humor is a lot more mature than usual. I thought we were rated-?” She was frozen in place by parts of her body jerking about. “Quakey front hooves!” Pinkie listed as her forelegs trembled from the knees down. “Rapid blinking!” Her eyelids fluttered rapidly. “And talking really really reallyreallyreallyreallyreaaaally fast! But that means-!” Her eyes shot wide in shock as she jumped into the air and let out a huuuuge gasp. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Pinkie hastily knocked on the stall door. “Hey-Chitter-sorry-I-gotta-go-something-really-important-came-up-I’ll-try-and-find-you-later-but-I-gotta-go-bye!” And with that she shot off. “Hey, wait!” Chitter opened the door and made to follow her. “I’ll come too!” His stomach rumbled and roared. “Or-maybe-not!” He bit out before jumping back and ramming the door shut... which caused the stall to tilt and fall over. “... well this is going to stain.” Pinkie bounced down the road, weaving through the crowd of partygoers as she followed the tingly feeling she had in her muzzle. The pink mare frowned as she recognized the distance between she and her target, and as such made a hasty decision in her head. She glanced around for a moment before grinning as she found what she was looking for. Pinkie bounced off the back of a low-flying changeling, up to the top of a booth that was selling crystal donuts, and into the flare of light that was hanging right inside the barrel of pastries the booth was selling. She popped out of an empty staircase a block away, slid under the hooves of a conga-line that was about a dozen ponies and changelings long and dropped into the light that was just over the edge of the square. And so it went, from street to street, block to block, from bush to crate to dress to a large replica clam being carried by two crystal ponies to the hingeless mouth of a griffin statue. On and on, across the city, closer and closer to her destination until finally... Pinkie leapt out of a discarded mug of... something, sprang at her target and wrapped her hooves around the neck of- “MAUDIE!” She squealed eagerly, picking up her eldest sister and swinging her around gleefully. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh, it’s been so loooong, Maudie! How’ve you been? Have you had fun? When was the last time you had a cupcake!?” Maud Pie smiled exuberantly, the corners of her lips tilting up a full five degrees. “Hello, Pinkie Pie. I’ve been fine. I have had fun, and it has been about a month since my last cup-” She was cut off by pink hoof ramming a pastry into her mouth. “It's sooo good to see you again, Maud!” Pinkie smiled eagerly. “Things have been really crazy for awhile! I still can’t believe that I managed to set all this up, especially after-!” She cut herself off by gasping deeply. “Oh my gosh, were you here when the fighting was happening, are you hurt?!” The purple mare swallowed and wiped her mouth with the heavy cloak she was wearing. She visibly frowned at her sister. “No, I’m fine. I got into Vitrum after everything was over and done with. I was pleasantly surprised to find one of your party’s going on. But what about you? Are you fine?” Pinkie smiled and nodded happily. “Yuppers! I’m a-okay! I wasn’t anywhere the fighting! Well...” She frowned and shrugged as she corrected herself. “Actually, I was close to it for a bit, buuut I wasn’t in any danger. But anyways!” She beamed at her sister. “What are you doing here, Maudie? How’d ya get here? How’d you know where to find this place?” “Yeah...” The Pie sisters looked up in surprise at the voice that sounded above them. Hovering above them were Nix and Null, both of their eyes narrowed in the closest expressions they had to a frown. “That’s what we wanna know too.” Null stated firmly. “Hello, Miss Pie,” Nix greeted in a faux-saccharine voice. “Welcome to Vitrum, a city whose name you somehow already know. The degree to which your stay here will be a pleasant one depends entirely on how you answer our questions.” Pinkie smiled nervously as she waved at the twin golems. “H-hello, Nix and Null! This is my sister, Maud! Are you two enjoying the party? Can I try and getcha anything, or... uh...” Her cheer deflated under the cold demeanor of the normally wacky and jovial constructs. “So... Maud, was it?” Nix continued, clapping her hands together. “We’re a tad confused here. How did you know where we were, much less what the name of this city was?” “Uhh...” Pinkie blinked in confusion. “Why... does that matter? I mean, it doesn’t sound that important, so-?” “It matters,” Null cut her off frigidly. “Because this city hasn’t really been... anything for the past two thousand years. It hasn’t existed. Period. So the fact that someone was able to find out it’s location and name within the week it’s come back into being, not to mention making their way past the defenses to reach here? Yeah, it’s important. Important enough to concern the both of us.” “Yeeeaaah, that’s another thing.” Nix tilted her head at her brother. “Defenses around Vitrum? They’re reeeal tight. Making it through the mountains and tundra is one thing. Making it past the Windigoes? We have very real reason to be concerned.” “The Windigo let me in.” The Twins snapped their heads towards Maud. “I’m sorry?” Null questioned flatly. “The Windigo who stopped me.” Maud shrugged minutely. “It went away and let me keep coming towards Vitrum.” “Yeeeaaah...” Nix droned again as she tilted her head side to side. “That’s the thing... impressive as the Windigoes might be, they’re not infallible. See, if Princess Bleach-Butt and Ink-Blot choose to play hardball with us-” “Which they will,” Null interjected. “Which they will,” His sister nodded in agreement. “Then it would be child's play for them to, say,  implant artificial emotions in any agent they chose to send north so that the Windigoes might read them as friendly or inoffensive, and choose to let them pass by unharmed.” “Plus...” Null drifted closer to the dark purple mare. “You still haven’t answered how you know so much about where we are. And that’s an answer we really want to hear.” He began to casually flex his fingers. “And we’d be ever so disappointed if we didn’t get those answers.” Pinkie swallowed and smiled nervously as she took a step back, while Maud remained impassive as she stared up at the golem. “Boulder told me.” She responded evenly. “And who is this... ‘Boulder’?” Null air-quoted. “He’s my pet rock.” Nix and Null stared at Maud flatly for a minute before slowly turning to stare at one another. They then slowly looked back. “Excuse me?” Null asked flatly. “Boulder is my pet rock.” Maud repeated. The twins looked at each other again before Null gave Pinkie Pie a flat stare. “Is she serious?” He deadpanned. “Because you’re related to one another, so tell me, is she bullshitting us or just flat out crazy?” “Nope!” Pinkie chirped gleefully. “She’s had Boulder for years!” “Here...” Maud dug through her cloak before holding out her hoof, a medium-sized rock balanced on the end of the limb. Nix and Null stared at the rock. Null’s look was flat, with one of his eyes twitching slightly, whereas Nix was staring intently at the stone, analyzing it intently. “Right!” The red golem clapped his hands together, his voice all too sweet. “What say we go on a quick little date? You, me, Boulder, a dark room about a mile below the-” “Actually!” Nix interjected, hastily interposing herself between her brother and the mare. “Would you terribly mind if I had a little... chat with Boulder for a moment?” “Sure.” Maud held up the rock, which Nix gingerly took into her hand. “What!?” Null squawked in disbelief. “Nix, what’re you-?” “Continue the line of questioning.” The green golem said quietly without looking up from the rock she was holding. “Oh come on!” He scoffed in disbelief. “You can’t actually believe-!” “Null!” Nix snapped her head around and glared at her brother. “Continue. The line. Of questioning.” She ordered firmly. Null spread his hands in disbelief before slapping one to his face. “Son of a... fine!” He threw his hands up in frustration. “Fine! Fine.” He lowered himself down to Maud’s level while his sister continued to examine the stone, a few bits of energy sparking from her fingers on occasion. “So... Maud... ‘Pie’, was it?” He droned dully, bringing a notepad out of his hand and making a show of looking it over. “Let’s just skip ahead a bit. What are your intentions here in our fair city of Vitrum, blah blah blah...” Maud was unfazed. “I would like to become a Neophyte of the Academia Arcana.” “Excuse me?” Null demanded sharply, snapping his head up as he dismissed the pad. “WHAT?!” Pinkie yelped, jumping in front of her sister and clutching her shoulders. “B-b-but Maud! What about your rocktorate in rock studies!? I thought you wanted to be a-a-a rock-sciencey-person or-or-!” “A geologist, Pinkie.” Maud answered softly, placing her own hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “And I still do. But the fact is, the Academia Arcana can offer me a far more thorough education and more opportunities than the Stalliongrad College of Geology could ever hope. I’m just looking for the best option I can get.” “But...” Pinkie bit her lip miserably. “Y-you’ll have to fight Princess Celestia and Equestria and-and-!” “No.” Maud cut her off hastily. “I wouldn’t.” “She’s right...” Null added slowly. “She wouldn’t have to. The Academia Arcana has five ranks of members: Neophyte, Alumnus, Magister, Arch Magus and Professor Magnus. Technically four, seeing how Scholar permanently holds the sole rank of Professor Magnus. The Neophytes are entry-level members, students and apprentices in the truest form. They are never required to take part in any conflicts the Academia becomes a part of, and no members of the Academia are discriminated against, regardless of race or nationality.” “However...” Null began to raise into the air, his voice taking on a dangerous undertone. “During times of conflicts, we take recruitment very seriously. We scrutinize our latest Neophytes for security purposes.” He slowly wandered forwards to loom over Maud. “Even if we were to ignore the fact that you know a lot of stuff that you shouldn’t know, it’d take a lot more than you just asking to get into the Academia. And if we even considered you for admission, you’d need to prove your worth, someway, somehow. And frankly?” He brought himself within inches of Maud’s impassive face. “I seriously doubt you have what it takes to make the cut.” “Hey!” Pinkie shot up between the two of them, jabbing her hoof at the golem. “Maud is a great geolo-whatsit! She can totally prove how incredibly super-tacularly awesome she is, no-!” “Alright, you know what!” Null snarled, tapping his face against Pinkie Pie’s. “I’m enjoying the party, and frankly, I find your antics to be hilarious, but right now? I’m on the clock! So either you back up or I will demonstrate to you how we here in Concordia define the term acceptable for-!” THWACK! “GYAH!” Null cried, his head literally spinning as he was snapped away from the pink pony by a purple hoof. Maud snorted and stepped in front of her sibling as she glared at the golem. “Don’t threaten my sister.” She warned. Null clamped his hands on his head, ceasing his spin-out as he returned the glare ten-fold. “Okay... I’ve been trying to be polite... I’ve been having nice, non-violent fun, because frankly, I try not to enjoy violence... but if it walks like a troll, talks like a troll and smells like a troll, then you can be sure as hellfire that I’m gonna treat it like I would a damn tro-OAGH!” He squawked when, the moment he released his head, it began to spin just as fast as before. “WHY CAN’T I STO-O-OP!?” “Hang on...” Nix interjected, grabbing her brother’s head with one hand, while the other held on to Boulder. She leaned in and inspected Null’s skull. “It looks like the portion of your stabilizer array that controls your x-axis has been cracked clean through.” Null’s eye twitched before he stared at Maud in disbelief. “Ignoring the sheer brute strength needed to do that, how the hell would she hit me there apart from pure luck?” “Your body told me where to hit you.” Maud replied flatly. Null’s eye twitched again before slowly cracking his knuckles. “I take back what I said earlier...” He droned. “I am going to very much enjoy this.” “Null.” Nix interjected, bringing up another hand. “I want you to look at Boulder.” “Nix, what the heck are you-?” Null looked at his sister like she was crazy. “Null!” Nix hissed, emphasizing her every word. “I told you. To look. At the damn rock!” And with that, she rammed Boulder into Null’s hand, green energy wrapping around both her and her brother’s hands. In an instant, Null’s eyes shot wide in shock as he stared at his hand. After a minute, Nix let the magic dissipate and drew her hand away. Finally, Null looked back up at his sister. “You... don’t honestly think...?” “It’s the only explanation!” Nix spread her arms helplessly. “How she knows so much, how she knew where to hit!” “But the chances of her being able to-!” Null was cut off by Nix jabbing her finger at Pinkie. Null stared at her for a moment before nodding in Nix’s grip. “Point taken, but still, the chances of her getting that are-!” “Pinkie, Maud!” Nix spoke up. “Where did you grow up and how did you get Boulder?” “Oh!” Pinkie waved her hoof in the air eagerly. “Me and Maud grew up on a rock farm!” “I got Boulder when I shattered a rock that Pinkie Pie gave me for my Cute-cenera.” Maud stated. Nix jabbed her hand at the sisters, her entire body seeming to scream ‘told you so’. Null stared at her wide-eyed for a second before looking back at Maud. “Alright...” He said slowly, bringing out a clipboard and pen from his hands and holding them before Maud. “Congratulations, you’re in. Me and Nix will vouch for you. Just sign on the lines with Xs...” He waited as Maud took the pen in her mouth and proceeded to do so before bringing the board and implement up, allowing Nix and himself to sign it before putting it away. “Okay, today’s obviously a festival day, so feel free to enjoy yourself. When you get tired, ask around and someone will direct you to the Neophyte Dorms, orientation will be at noon tomorrow. Until then... have fun, I guess.” He looked at Nix. “Now, can we go to the golemancy labs and get my head fixed? I’d like to be able to move of my own volition, thank you very much.” Nix gave a lax salute to the Pies. “See you around, Neophyte.” And with that, the Twins flew off, weaving around Vitrum’s cityscape. Pinkie watched as the pair left before pouting at her sister. “I wanna be happy for you, but now we won’t be able to see each other again for a really long time!” She whined. Maud’s mouth tilted up a whopping fifteen degrees as she beamed at her sister. “Then we’ll just have to enjoy this party to it’s fullest. After all...” She looked around at the festivities going on around them. “It is one of the best you’ve ever thrown. Though I don’t know how you threw a party for an entire city.” Pinkie’s smile returned full force, albeit a bit shakily. “Outside influences, but still! You’re right, it is a party! Let’s have some FUN!” And with that, she lifted onto her back-hooves and spread her forelegs wide. “HEY EVERYBODY!” She bellowed. “THERE’S A CONGA-LINE FIFTEEN PONIES LONG ON DIAMOND BOULEVARD! WHO WANTS TO SHOW THEM HOW IT’S REALLY DONE!?” “I’M IN!” A voice called from a rectangular stall made of crystal that hopped its way on to the street. “LET’S DO THIS! WOO!” Nearly fifty other resounding cheers and one modest “Alright” answered her, causing her smile to widen even more.