//------------------------------// // Moving // Story: Land of Friendship and Magic // by Archmage Ansrit //------------------------------// The following day Keep moving and don't dare to stop. Or he'll end you. Forward, backward, in circles, it didn't matter. A claw to the head was ducked under with the barest of margins, returning to a stance quickly in order to throw a punch that was swatted aside by a wing, causing him to follow his own momentum to dive away from the follow-up kick. Faster, fluidly. 'Silver Shine' lamented not being there to meet the new human, but work could not wait forever. And now? She had left for some other world. Twist. Stomp. Twilight was absorbed by the delicate but oh-so-deadly dance happening in front of her. The pulses of energy invisible to the untrained eye but so very noticeable to the discerning one. Fluid. Smooth. Beautiful from a mechanical standpoint, an aesthetic one, or even a philosophical one. Typhon was like his name implied, a whirling storm against whom trying to strike was like trying to claw the air. Prosperity was like a raging fire, constantly surging forward, or in circles, and the onlookers were sure that, were she not so nice, they would have been in danger even at their distance. She gave a slight hop over a sweeping kick, answering with a downwards claw swipe he rolled away from, making her use the claw on the ground to push herself up and away from a rising kick, landing just in time to swipe her tail to prevent him from closing in. He moved, being everywhere and nowhere. Like the wind. The slightest hint of resistance sent him on an alternate approach, gracefully leaning away from the patch of a kick, or gently nudging away a wing or her tail, then simply moving elsewhere to exploit the slightest gap in concentration. She was solid, like a mighty oak, but also swaying like a candle flame - flickering as she weathered the many blows thrown her way as she answered with a few of her own. He, too, was solid. Acrobatics, fun as they were, were not the point of the sparring session, and would not work very well against an opponent such as his adoptive daughter. Hence, he kept his body ready to react at the slightest provocation. The mood changed. He became wrapped in the blue aura so familiar to Twilight, and Prosperity was wreathed in a ghostly dragonfire. Not quite actual fire, like Spike did when he was too angry, but more like the sensation of the power residing within her. Understandable. She had had centuries to master herself. Typhon gained aggressiveness, becoming a furious tornado, while Prosperity started moving faster still. It came to a close as he apparently took a hit to the shoulder, rolling much faster than the dragon would have anticipated. There was a hand resting against the side of her head. "Sheesh dad, did that hurt?" Prosperity asked, looking at her fist. "A little." The now-human Typhon said, rubbing his shoulder where he had taken the blow. "If you had actually thrown your energy through it, I'd have taken damage." He turned to the spectators - the girls, Spike, 'Silver Shine', and assorted ponies - and clapped. "That was the sampler." He said. "I can go faster still, but that gets kind of hard to follow." "That's kind of the whole point, dad." Prospit jabbed him with a claw. "You wanted to see if you could get as fast as people from the source material, and you can." "In any case, that was an application of 'Ki', as I promised Twilight I would show... it's just that my body allows me to be unnaturally fast." "The psychic powers again?" Twilight pipped in, scrawling some notes now that her attention was not being taken by the display. "Kind of - normal people cannot physically react to something that is faster than point-fifteen seconds, give or take a hundredth." Typhon nodded, floating a rock the size of his palm in front of him. "Needless to say: I'm faster." The rock exploded into dust without much discernible movement. Rainbow caught his fist moving, but then again, her own magic was centered on speed. It was the very core of her essence. "Much faster." Rarity nodded with wariness. "Which leaves us with the next order of business: Black King Nware." Prosperity extended a poster of the white-furred creature - a note said 'Actual size' at the side. "Compared to the others, he's not much bigger than a pony." Dash scowled at the image of the white-furred creature wearing a deep blue robe and a wide-brimmed pointed yellow hat, with large ears shaped like a cat's - if much, much larger. "With that red pom-pom antenna and those whiskers, he doesn't fit with the human, the two rabbit girls with the eyes sharp like a Gryphon's, and that dog-like creature with the obvious 'old wizard' vibe." "He's got the Reflex ability, allowing him to sense any 'regular' attack and dodge; in the workings of this world, his heightened awareness is going to be really painful to get around. He uses two shields and a robe that allow him to turn the elemental energies he wields into life-force, and thus he's not afraid of catching himself within the blasts of his own magic. He can turn you into a frog and likely has a lot of other very inconvenient abilities, not to mention his other equipment." "I still don't get it." Pinkie said with a pout. "Why can't they just play nice?" "Well, there is something special about a fight - you learn about your opponent's heart in a minute, and how serious they are about their intentions. He's that kind of guy, loving a good fight and winning it." Typhon nodded. "But some people... some people aren't happy unless they are hurting others; sometimes, it's because they were hurt so badly they want everyone else feel the same, but sometimes... some people just want to watch the world burn." Pinkie was downtrodden, and she simply walked away. "I... I guess we could talk about it later - I mean, they agreed to not come in uninvited." ***** (Later) Prince Blueblood knocked on the door to Carousel Boutique. "I am here to collect the Royal Commission." He announced, deepening his voice to buy himself a few more seconds of anonymity. "Oh! But of course!" Came the reply, still in the same refined tone that sent unpleasant tingles across his spine. "I- You!" The sheer rage in her glare made the back of his neck start sweating, and it took all he had to clear his throat and start speaking before she could slam the door on his face. "I came here personally to apologize for my behavior - it was most unbecoming." He said as she angrily turned around and pointed towards a set of boxes ready at the back of the store. "While my friend already... informed me of the reasoning behind you atrocious behavior, I feel I must reiterate the fact that it is a most despicable conduct for somepony of your supposed stature." She angrily tore open the top of the box and (curiously enough) levitated the first winter exploration uniform with the gentleness of a mother holding her foal. "I grew bored of subtlety; it tends to be ignored by... particularly determined ponies, or those... not as gifted on the uptake." He was mildly pleased when all Rarity did was shake her head in lamentation. The articles of clothing themselves were thick, and the inner lining was delightfully comfortable, and the exterior tough and water-proofed. He could feel the slight trickle of magic from the point of contact towards whatever enchantments had been woven into the cloth. "I am willing to let bygones be bygones." She announced with - to his chagrin - formality and a sense of cold detachment. "However, I would be remiss to forget another important moment of your reprehensible conduct." He avoided swallowing merely because his mouth was bone-dry. Rarity had taken to levitate a surprising - and thus, worrisome - amount of needles and pins as she pretended to work on one of the many half-finished dresses she had on display. "I recall with particular clarity the affront against a rather good friend of mine merely because of her choice of stock." She spoke calmly even as the pointed implements surrounded a bare dummy like a hurricane. "While I have never hidden my lamentations over her refusal of my ministrations, she nonetheless holds respect over my choices whenever they do not interfere with the task at hoof - likewise, I respect her way of life, and admit that the edibles her family produces are marvelously-crafted and simply exquisite, disregarding the origin of the recipe." 'Oh, manure.' The prince trembled slightly as he recalled his attempt to get rid of Rarity by making her pay for the food; then, upon discovering that she was acquainted with the pony who was silly enough to attempt to sell food to the guests of an event with a free buffet, decided to increase the pain by insulting her and her food. Clearly, not one of his better-thought plans. "I am prepared to withstand all manner of scathing comments and vicious rumors, but I am displeased when the same are directed at ponies that have been so supportive of me and my choices." All of the needles and pins were driven into the dummy in what looked like purposely-chosen spots. He knew of acupuncture. He knew what magically-charged needles could do to a pony. He knew he did not want to be on the other side of that. "I assure you, I have no intention of following the same path I have been threading so far." He replied, unable to hide the small shaking of his voice. "I am turning a new leaf, and I am going to be more considerate and direct in the future." "Hmph, I will keep my attention on you, then." She replied as she passed along the boxes. For some reason, he was even more nervous about announcing his love for Twilight Sparkle ***** "Oh, you." Spike said. Just what was with him and getting confronted as soon as a door opened? "Spike! What are you- oh! Blueblood!" Twilight appeared from the door to the kitchen, and all of his rehearsed lines and gathered courage evaporated and drifted like smoke. "What brings you here?" "I am pleased to inform you that I have made peace with Miss Rarity." He announced with pride, then muttered. "For a given value of peace." "That's wonderful!" Twilight clapped her hooves in happiness, making his heart flutter at her adorable innocence. 'Now! Do it now you fool! Waiting too long never ends well!' His brain yelled at him, prompting him to clear his throat and ignored the scowl from the baby drake. "There is something I have been meaning to ask you." He managed to speak without breaking his voice, which already counted as a small victory. "I... well, my aunt and I have been planning to get some of the less considerate nobles to turn a more... harmonious leaf, and I would be honored to have your help." 'While that was nice and all, that was not what I wanted to say.' Blueblood chastised himself. "I also wanted you to have these." He produced a heart-shaped box of chocolates with a flash of light. "I think you're pretty, and I'd like to take you to dinner once I get back from my expedition - maybe we could study the meteor together." "I- but- dinner sounds- an extra-Tellurian object!" Twilight stammered as her mind tried to process all of its requests at once; Spike was doing similar, if only because his adoptive sister-figure going on a date was an image too bizarre to compute, doubly so with the clashing of what he thought of as a romantic date with a geeky mad-science study session happening both at once. "I shan't occupy your time further; please, if you would decide to grace me with your presence, send word to my aunts." He bowed and, holding one of her hooves on his own, politely kissed it. "It would fill my heart with joy for you to accept." Twilight stood there, unresponsive (as did Spike), as Blueblood's panic built up enough for him to simply close the door and hurriedly trot back to the train station where the supplied clothes were waiting for him. ***** (Elsewhere) North Star couldn't help but feel over-dressed. The most she had seen was Octavia (who knew she lived in this town?) wearing her bow-tie and a rich-looking stallion wearing a necktie. She did not have the slightest idea of where to find Pinkamena Diane Pie, however. She spotted somepony who could be able to help her - her friend, Ditzianna, was sitting in front of a little home with her daughters and a bubble in the shape of a muffin in between them. It was odd, seeing her without her pearl necklace, but she was glad she had found a friendly face. She even remembered the story behind the muffins! A local bakery had a sale, then, during one of the cravings due to her pregnancy, she bought a whole bunch of them... then, her husband's brother, Written Script, joked that her bun would turn into a muffin. A joke about loving 'her little muffin' forever, the nickname for the filly stuck. With tender love having replaced anxiety, North approached the ponies. "Don't push it too hard - bubbles like to take the shape with the most surface, so you have to convince them..." Ditzianna gently encouraged her filly, who was closing her eyes in concentration, horn glowing gold. "Oh! Hello, Miss North!" Sparkler waved at her, making Ditzianna turn around and Dinky accidentally popped her bubble. "Oops." "North!" Ditzianna swooped through the air and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy you decided to visit!" "Ah! Well, hello to you as well, but, I came for something else, actually..." She sheepishly replied - not that she wasn't happy to see her friend, no! But it was just incidental to the exploration of Ponyville. "I was looking for a mare called 'Pinkamena Diane Pie', actually, and was wondering if you knew where I could find her." "Of course! She's at the bakery called 'Sugar Cube Corner' - the giant gingerbread house - and lives and works there!" She cheerfully pointed her in the right direction, and released her. "Thank you, Ditzianna." North Star nodded. "I might stop for a prolonged visit later, girls - there is just so much I would like to talk about with your mother." "Bye!" "I hope she makes you happy!" Bright Eyes called out at the retreating unicorn, making her pause for a moment before simply shaking her head in dismissal. "Mom, did you use your bubbles this morning?" Sparkler asked. "Nah! Mamma Bright has been seeing that a lot these days!" Dinky replied, preparing her bubble wand again. ***** (Sugar Cube Corner) The smell was heavenly, and the stallion working behind the counter had a honest smile despite his apparent tiredness. "Welcome! My name is Carrot Cake; what can I get you?" The stallion, Carrot Cake, spoke with infectious cheer. "I was told I could find a... 'Pinkie Pie' in here." She asked, using the name most would refer to her as. "Oh." His smile faded into a look of... worry? compassion? "She's been feeling a little down, and the missus and I don't know how to get her back up... If you'd like to wait, or if you have any idea..." "Ah, well, I just wanted to talk to her. I-" "Is there a new pony?" Came a voice from up the stairs. "I heard a new pony." The pony descending the stairs did have a resemblance to the mare she remembered from the Gala - but her coat was darker, and her mane was completely straight. "Yes, Pinkie, Miss...-" Mister Cake answered, pausing to turn at her. "North Star." She supplied, standing tall yet oddly worried. "Miss Star was asking for you." "Goodie!" Pinkie smiled softly, and whatever weighted on her seemed to become lesser already. "I'm not really feeling well right now, but we can have a small party now to tide you over to when we can get your big, official 'Welcome to Ponyville' party." "That... sounds..." Weird? Unnecessary? "Delightful." She smiled and followed the pink pony upstairs. "This is my room; that is Gummy." The room was very, very pink, full of balloons and stuffed animals. 'Gummy' was a small alligator with a vacant expression and no teeth. "Greetings... Gummy." North forced a polite smile, while the tiny reptile blinked one eye then the other. "He likes you already." Pinkie announced, cantering to a small table with a teapot. "Tea?" "I would be delighted." She replied, sitting on a stool that would be more at home in a filly's room than a mare's. "I doubt you remember me, but we met-" "During the Grand Galloping Gala; you were talking about your father's renovations to the Observatory of the Academy of Canterlot." Pinkie recited with a soft smile, making North gawk inelegantly at her. "Bu- how can you remember all that?!" She kept her tone of surprise polite, but it was a near-thing. Pinkie giggled. "I remember all sorts of things about my friends, silly! Because something might just make them happy, and I love making my friends smile!" She answered, serving North a cup of tea and passing her some cookies. "Friends? But I did not even know your name!" North said, incredulous. "But we are friends forever, and forever goes both ways, therefore, we have always been friends!" Pinkie retorted, giggling still. North tried to respond that things did not work like that - relationships end, ponies grow distant, her views were unrealistic... Yet, she couldn't say it. It was said that a relationship was only successful if one of the involved died... but princess Luna, despite having a fight with her sister, not only did not die, but returned. Sometimes... sometimes things really did last forever. More so with magic involved. "How can we be friends if we know nothing of each other?" She managed to spit out. "That's why we're having this party right now!" "Can't argue with a logic like that." North mumbled, whether cynically or honestly, she wasn't sure. She tried one of the cookies... and it was really good! It complimented her tea very well! "So, Pinkie, tell me about yourself." She felt slightly-emboldened by the other pony's words. "Well, I grew up on a rock farm; my dad, Clyde Pie-" "Wait a second, Clyde Pie?!" She interrupted, glad she had not been taking a sip of tea at that moment. "But then why are you working here?! In this small-town bakery?! You could have a huge chain of bakeries all over Equestria!" "Teehee! Don't be silly - my friends are all here!" Pinkie smiled. "I've heard this a lot: Why stay in Ponyville, when I could be surrounded with ponies like me!" North Star nodded dumbly. "Well, what is being like me? What separates us? Are you sure it isn't an illusion?" Pinkie continued, pausing for a moment to see North trying to come up with an answer. "Why do you have to think 'unicorns' or 'earth ponies',or even just 'ponies'?" Pinkie smiled as she sipped her tea, lowering another cup for Gummy. "I just see us as 'Us'. We all can smile, and feel happy, no?" That... that wasn't too different from what Cloud Bank had said - granted, she was wasted at the time, but... "Just 'us', huh?" She whispered at her reflection inside her cup. "What else have you found in other ponies?" ***** (Elsewhere) He felt it before he could truly see it. She appeared in a swirl of red and black, walking through without a care in the world. Kat smiled at her boyfriend quite nicely. “Welcome back, Kat,” he said with a returned smile. Though he could feel something was wrong; Kat was not alright, despite how she appeared. “Are you alright?” Before she could even move, Kat’s eyes went wide as she began to heave on to the ground. But it was not bile that she spat out, but blood. Kat fell to the side, unconscious before she even hit the ground. The last thing she heard, was a frantic shout. “KAT!!”