//------------------------------// // Finding the Clues // Story: A World in Chaos // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// The palace doors opened to the main road into the city for some reason and the landscape was familiar and yet alien to them all. The buildings were normal however the streets were made of what looked like red licorice and rodents were standing outside buildings juggling bowling balls between each other. Carriages were pulling ponies that hovered in the air behind them and as the group looked around it began to become strange. The clouds were pink and rained chocolate that foals were happily lapping up from the air and the ground, much to their parents' protests. Before the girls could take in the scene the moon rose to its apex in the sky casting night across the land as windows opened and odd calamaties of nature looked out and spewed forth soapy bubbles from their beak tipped muzzles which emitted dozens of animal noises when they popped; frogs croaking and crickets chirping to a tiger roaring. "Are, are those dogs mixed with birds?" Rainbow asked in awe, "What the hay?" Looking left and right the sights made less and less sense as they each focused on a different area from birds flying backwards to paper chasing a scribe writing across his back. "Everything's gone all crazy, Night? This' what you wanted, a world in complete chaos?" Applejack asked as Night stared in front of them. Fish swam through the air and upon closer look several objects were hovering and spinning randomly in the sky in the distance. As they looked up the mountain they saw a small dot on the peak that contrasted everything else. As they all followed each others stare at the object it grew in size until they could swear it was flying at them. The rush of air told them they were flying to it and suddenly they stopped. Or rather, the castle stopped? The throne was a gaudy throne made of simple wood but curved in a way that no creature except maybe a snake could sit upright in. "That must be his throne. This place is crazy!" Twilight shouted as she let the images of her hometown finally creep into her rational mind. Suddenly they noticed the base of the throne was made from hide; still moving pony hide. Piles of fruit were scattered around the base of the throne, each bearing a cutie mark. Gasping they reeled back in horror and Night fell to the floor covering her eyes. "That cutie mark, it's my friends'... The throne is made from his worshipers. Oh Celestia this is beyond chaos, it's horror." "Oh, certainly a little chaos is good for the soul." Discords voice rang out from behind them. As they all spun around to look at him only a green gummy wall that oozed grape jelly as a mortar graced their view; they all huffed in frustration. Turning back around they looked down the hall from where they had left Celestias room, rubble slightly powdering them as it settled again as they looked behind them and sighed. "Back to her room again, but why?" Night asked. "Okay girls. We know our clues and that it might be in a library. What's that tell us?" Twilight asked focusing on the task at hand. "That you're an egghead and think too much about reading?" Rainbow snorted. "Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy said scoldingly eliciting a trademark roll of the eyes from Rainbow. "You had the idea to look under the castle, what other ideas do you have?" "Well, I guess if I was him I'd put them in the farthest parts away from each other so we couldn't get them but since Night and Scoots can't go apart I guess we'd have to be in pairs of twos to find the answers cuz he's getting impatient." The others turned to Rainbow and forced smiles. "And, what makes you come to that conclusion Rainbow Dash," Night asked mockingly. "It's written on the wall back there." The others turned and looked at the clearing rubble and a yellow banner was hanging midair with letters of every color alternating between them sparkled above them. "Well I'll be... Looks like Rainbows is our lucky charm," Applejack smirked and looked closely at the banner, "Ain't no denyin' it. Let's pair off and find our clues and beat this guy." "Yeah, but all we know is my and Night are together, what about you four? If we mix it up then we have to figure out what went wrong." "Well, I think me and Applejack should be together." "You're already in a relationship Twilight and I hear it's pretty good." Night quipped. "And AJ's pregnant!" Rainbow interjected trying to get into the conversation. "Oh, please stop it girls. The sooner we figure this out the sooner we can get home and I can relax again," Fluttershy said as she lowered herself to the floor slowly and spoke softly. "Fluttershy, I haven't seen you like this before. Is it your anxiety?" "Yeah, she's awesome and all but when she gets like this we usually have to take pills and drink lots of milk and water then sometimes have a biiig lunch and go take a hot bath outside with a couple birds but I like to lay in the glass when she does it-" "Okay Rainbow! Sheesh, you really talk too much," Scootaloo groaned, "lets think about our clues again. Who remembers them all?" Twilight sighed. "I do." "Egg head," Rainbow whispered to Scootaloo and they shared a laugh as Twilight recited: I had: "Turn your eye to the light and be blinded by true sight." Rainbow had: "Open the book and find the path." Night had: "Turn the key and the path will open." Scootaloo had: "Down the hall and to the right be ready for a fright." Fluttershy had: "The secret lies in the lies." and Applejack had: "Back to the beginning of the end." So, taking Night and Scoots out that leaves us four," she motioned to the others unpaired, "so... Secrets and lies, true sight? Me and Fluttershy?" "Well, books have a beginning and an end. I think it adds up so we'll pair off like that. Now we have to find out where each of us needs to go." They all looked at Rainbow then around the hallways for another clue but all they got was a shrug from Rainbow as she sat on her flank and inspected a hoof. "I'm getting bored too, can't we do something more fun? Wanna race 'Shy?" "N-no. Not really, I'm sorry but I need a minute. Just give me a minute to collect myself." "Uh, do we think it's a good idea to separate those two? Maybe she'll get worse," Night said looking at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, and what if she's perfectly fine and just needs to get home? Let's get this bucking done and get me back to my life! I," Applejack stopped shouting and calmed herself with several breaths in quick succession. "Sorry gals, sorry. I'm half way there in my pregnancy and I'm gettin' moody, it's not y'all. Just, just give me a minute too." Applejack went to Fluttershy and laid next to her on the floor and sighed. "Now we're both having issues," she chuckled. Fluttershy sighed and turned her head, moving a foreleg across her mane she brought her bangs across her face and lowered her head into her hooves. "I'm having more than a couple issues right now." "Doncha worry none, I've got your back." "Actually I do, she's my partner and, shut up Night, I'll help her just like she'll help me." Night snorted lightly trying to keep her jokes to herself as she nodded in agreement before walking to Scootaloo and opening her wing into a bridge so Scootaloo could run up it onto her back. "So where do we go, Scoots?" "Me? You want me to guess?" "You take the lead captain," Night said smiling and giving a salute to the filly who grinned as wide as she could while flaring her tiny wings in pride. "Well, where can we get keys in a castle?" "And a door to open? Hehe, that narrows us to every door in Equestria when we find it. Well gals, let's just split up now and get this over with." Rainbow jumped up excited and flew to Twilight and hugged her tight. "Take care of Fluttershy, okay?" Breaking her hug she flew above and landed between Applejack and Fluttershy with an 'oof' from both mares as she squeezed herself in. "We'll be fine and you all stay safe and if anything happens just do what I'd do." "Hide in a tree for ten years?" Night blurted loudly then chuckled. Under the weight of four sets of eyes glaring at her Night felt her confidence shatter and the weight of her quip landed on her heart. "I'm, I'm sorry; I didn't think before I said that." She hung her head and sighed. Nice one funny mare. Always gotta dive before you look down. "Rainbow, it's okay. Look at me," Fluttershy asked as she turned her attention to Rainbow who was poking a small pile of debris under her with her hoof, "she didn't mean it. No pony is going to do that and you'll never have to again." "Yeah, I know. It's just that I remember it all and everyday was the same. All those years and all I did was cry, sleep and eat. It was so lonely, you know I can't be alone anymore, 'Shy. If I had to go back," she stamped her hoof on the floor crumbling a piece of rubble, "I'd go crazy," she growled as she shot Night a look of anger. "Woah Nellie. Just let it go, no pony's gonna go crazy as long as we're together. Let's get our clues and meet back here, I'm getting a hunger pain and need a bite so I think I'll start in the kitchen." "We'll come too, I know Scoots here hasn't eaten for almost a day, however long that is with the day and night flipping every so often." "Well let's mosey, I wanna see A.B. when this' over and I can't do that if we're stuck in a castle playin' some monsters game." Carefully walking to not step on the 2D guards stuck in the floor they followed one of them who was "walking" ahead. "Hey Night, I guess even like that they still do their job. I hope he's taking us to the kitchen and not someplace else." The guard stopped and looked up at Scootaloo, at least it seemed he did, then thrust his spear forward and continued sliding across the floor. With a shrug the four mares followed. Several minutes later Rainbow groaned in frustration. "What the hay, why does this keep happening to us? I mean sure, we're super famous and I know I'm getting better with Fluttershy but still." "I know what you mean Rainbow. I actually liked my life a soldier and now I'm a deserter from the guard and a traitor to ponykind not to mention the only survivor of a cult that followed the god of chaos. I don't think it can get any weirder or worse for me." "Well, ya got me beat. I'm just pregnant with a baby that could be from any of a half dozen stallions." "Wow, I'm only a filly and I know that's a busy night." "Not all at once, Scoots. She's a classy mare and probably had a tough month in the movie business." "Night, for once you're right. I'll tell ya later though, might be a bit mature for filly ears." "Hey, I'm bigger and tougher than I look! I'd totally take on Dishworm and beat him in one hit." The others giggled and even the guard seemed to laugh as his wings flared quickly. "It's Discord, Sugar cube." "Whatever." "So, where do you think we should go Fluttershy?" Twilight asked as they wandered the halls randomly. "Um, well I don't really know. I'm sorry," Fluttershy said as she lowered her head and faced the floor. "It's okay and it's no problem," she replied sighing, "so, I guess we just wander around until we find a clue about our clues? Maybe if we look everywhere," she chuckled lightly. "Well, if you insist," Fluttershy said looking around the walls. "I wasn't serious, sheesh. Maybe a locator spell would help," Twilight said squinting her eyes and focusing on the spell Trixie taught her. Her horn lit up with a purple aura and shot a ball of light ahead of her that spun in circles before popping. "Well, that was a bust. Nothing for it to find, or maybe I was distracted." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Not by you Fluttershy, relax," Twilight said with frustration seething out of her entire being. "Eep, I'm really sorry. I mean I'm sorry that I'm sorry." "'Shy, it's fine. I'm not upset with you. Let's just keep looking, maybe one of these guards can help us. Gentlecolts, or ladies, do you know where Discord his the elements of harmony so we can kick his flank and get back to our lives, lovers and whatever you do when you're not a flat thing in the floor?" A guard moved below them and looked up, his flat face and body almost like a photo as he moved his mouth Fluttershy looked closely and sighed. "He said none of them know and would tell us if they did. However one of them did say he saw Discord trying to break into the vault with some kind of light sword that went whoosh or something like that. I can't make out sounds but I can read his lips well enough. Sir, mister guard sir. Thank you very much." The guard nodded which was an odd sight to see before returning to his post by a door. "We have to go to the vault, um, if that's okay with you." "Okay Fluttershy, it's worth a start." "All right! The kitchen and it's huge! Thanks mister guard, when we kick this Discords flank I'll make you a sandwich, 'kay?" The guard looked up to them and smiled before turning and leaving. "Too bad, I think he's kinda cute. I bet in three dimensions he'd be a real catch," the guard obviously paused for a moment before continuing out of the kitchen, "I think her heard me," she whispered to Rainbow. "Yuppers. Let's get some food in you and get looking for a clue, I wanna go home and see bunny. I didn't really say bye right. Oh, Jackie. Remember when I thought you really were hiding a foal in your tummy and asked you to let her come out to play before I went home?" Applejack laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty funny. So, a full royal kitchen at our disposal, who wants what?" "I want a pizza!" "Sugar cube, that sounds great but I don't know how to make one and I don't know if we have the time." "Oh pshaw! There's a cook book right there. I'll get it," Rainbow said as she hopped into the air and flew to a massive book shelf full of cook books from ancient times all the way to the modern age, "Pizza for beginners. Got it!" Rainbow called as she lowered herself to the others. "It was under 'P' for Pizza." Handing the book to Applejack she beamed. "Thanks Dashie. Now let's see what we need here," she said as she flipped through the book. "There's so many options! Even some for carnivores and omnivores. I'm not even gonna look at those, yuck. Let's see, here we go," Applejack exclaimed and pointed to a drawing of a pizza with mushrooms and onions topped with cold spinach. "Ooo, yummy. Can we put olives on, I like those," Scootaloo said. "Okay, now I gotta find the recipe." The book had pictures in the first hundred pages and recipes listed on the faded drawings. "The corners ripped, I guess I'll find the index." Flipping to the back of the book a bright light flashed before their eyes and the element of Generosity. "Oh Celestia, that's it! That's what it meant? I can't believe it, it can't be that simple." Grasping the necklace she raised it and smiled. "It's the real deal gals," she slid it over her neck and the tag vanished in a flash of light. "Now to find yours Dashie." "Well, mines open the book," she took the book and closed it then opened it, "Well that was a bust. Maybe another book." Flying to the 'R' section she began opening books and flipping through them quickly and tossing them to the ground quickly moving onto the 'S.'" "Well, I'm actually gonna make the pizza. C'mon gals, she can look by herself just fine." Reopening the cook book she flipped to the back and found the recipe page and moved the book to a counter. "We're gonna need a few ingredients but it looks pretty easy. Let's just get it done and find your elements. It was pretty easy to find mine so you're should be right around here somewhere." "Maybe it'll pop up in the pizza," Scootaloo said enthusiastically. "Yeah, this guys kinda nuts." Rainbow shouted as she threw another book to the floor. She looked down and giggled as she saw what appeared to be a chef running around crazily around her growing pile of books. She was starting to make a game of trying to drop books on him as she was looking oblivious to the valuable nature of the tomes she was discarding like common magazines.