//------------------------------// // Oh the pun at the end... // Story: A World in Chaos // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// Night leveled to the ground and released Scootaloo to the earth, letting her stumble and fall on her own before landing herself. Fluttershy and Rainbow landed beside Night and they all looked at Scootaloo; the human. (So, now what? Do we tie it up and march it around?) (That’s cruel! You can not be serious; taking a creature and treating it like a dog.) (How’s it cruel? Maybe it is a dog, just different. I see Diamond Dog in its movements.) (Girls, why’re you talking about Scoots like that? Can’t you see her?) The others looked to Rainbow again. (Rainbow,) Fluttershy started, (that isn’t Scootaloo, we saw her running with Twilight and AppleJack, remember?) (Well then there’s two of them, remarbleless, this one is our Scoots.) “Hey!” Scootaloo shouted getting their attention. Her hands were on her hips and she wore an angry frown that spoke between species at her displeasure. “I don’t know what’s going on but this isn’t funny. Talk normal and tell me what’s going on and where we are and when you learned that language and what it is.” (S-she’s talking again,) Rainbow whispered, (hey Scoots. I like your new look but it’s really weird, can you change back to normal?) Night rolled her eyes and looked to Fluttershy and nodded her head in Scootaloo’s direction. Fluttershy took a step back and forced a smile. (H-hello, um, thing that isn’t a Diamond Dog,) Night reached up and pressed a hoof to her forehead, (m-my name is Fluttershy. Can you speak slower so I can try to understand you?) Scootaloo huffed and crossed her arms. “Fluttershy, what the hay are you saying?” (Hey! She said your name ‘Shy. Told ya,) Rainbow beamed. Fluttershy pointed a hoof to herself then the others. (Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Midnight Strike.) Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know who you are… Ohhhh, but you don’t know who I am,” she pointed to herself and spoke slowly. “I. Am. Scootaloo.” The others gasped and took a step back. (S-she must have heard you say that name Rainbow, right?) “You are my,” she gestured to her friends with her arms and clapped her hands together, “friends. We fought Nightmare. Moon. Big rainbow boom,” she made an explosion noise and expanded her hands. “You fixed your wing and eye,” she pointed to Fluttershy’s wing followed by covering her eye, then pointing to Fluttershy’s healed eye. Fluttershy gulped heavily as Scootaloo pointed to Rainbow and pressed her hand to her throat and spoke hoarsely. “I live in tree, now I live in cottage. Boom,” she spoke normally, “now I am everypony’s friend.” She looked to Night and scowled. “I can’t really do anything about you.” Rainbow laughed. (She nailed you perfectly,) she pointed to Night as she giggled. Night tittered and looked to Fluttershy. (Any luck? What language is it?) (I-I don’t know. She’s not an animal, I can’t communica- owww,) she groaned holding her head and falling to her chest. (FLUTTERSHY!) Rainbow screamed leaping to her friend and placing a hoof to her back. Scootaloo gasped and took two steps before Night turned and bore her teeth, opened her wings and took a fighting stance. (Try it and we’ll see what color your blood is,) she growled through a sneer. “B-but I might be able to help Fluttershy,” she said backing up slowly, moving her arms out, palms open, to show she meant no harm. (Stay the buck back, creature. You may know something about us but we know nothing of you,) Night growled. Fluttershy held her head whimpering as her necklace made a whirring noise getting Rainbow’s attention. Before she could ask Fluttershy screamed in agony and rolled over clutching her head, then she stopped and lay still, her head held high, her breath steady as she looked around. (“Oh my. What was that?”) “Fluttershy! I understood you, thank Celestia you’re alright. What happened?” (“Scootaloo? I-is that really you?”) (Hey, what’s going on? You can understand her now?) Night asked maintaining her stance. (“Yes, I can, I think. Scootaloo?”) “Yeah! I’m me alright. What’s with the weird language you’re speaking?” (“Oh my. Can you tell me what happened to you?”) Fluttershy got up and Rainbow returned to her side, draping a wing over Fluttershy and pulling her in for a close hug before moving a pace away. “Discord.” The others looked at her. The name they understood. Night relaxed and ruffled her wings before closing them to her sides and sighing. (So, this’ Scootaloo? Did he do this to her as another joke?) (“It seems so,”) Fluttershy said walking closer and standing taller, (“Can you prove you’re Scootaloo?”) “I-I don’t know how else? I told you about our fight with Nightmare Moon and you getting healed,” she said taking a knee and looking into Fluttershy’s eyes. On her knees she was slightly shorter than Fluttershy so it gave them a chance to look each other over closely. “‘Shy, you look different too. Like, more fluffy. It must be these human eyes, they see different than my pony eyes.” (“H-human? Like from those shows and books and that one mare-”) (Lyra!) Rainbow shouted in. (“Yeah, Lyra… aren’t h-human… c-carnivores?”) she said stopping and leaning back slightly. “Nah, Amber said we can eat anything ponies do… and meat too, without getting sick. and I have no intention of trying it out.” Night hopped forward and opened her wings slightly. (Is she threatening you?) (“No, she’s just telling me she… mean us no harm in this form. Her body is very different and she sees things differently than we do, she says.”) “Well, thats kinda what I said. So, where’s the other me? Amber I mean? Discord swapped our bodies,” she said reaching out to touch Fluttershy. Fluttershy took a hesitant step forward and lowered her head into Scootaloo’s hands. Her fingers pressed lightly through Fluttershy’s soft coat and to her mane, pulling her into a soft hug. “I missed you. I was in there for, like, hours.” (“How… wait, hours? Rainbow,”) she asked pulling back and looking at the cyan mare who was poking at a bug on the ground. Looking up she smiled. (Yup?) (“How long were you in the… where you found your element?”) she asked, cautious to avoid a trigger word that might upset Rainbow. Rainbow sat and tapped a hoof to her chin. (About a day or so, why?) (“Night?”) (An hour, maybe, after everypony separated, why?) (“Well, I was gone maybe, half an hour. It seems as though, while we’re all here now, we were gone for different times, so-) (GIRLS! I’m so glad you’re alright,) Twilight shouted as she hopped into view, Amber on Applejack’s back. (You’ll never believe, oh! You found Scootaloo, the real one, but in this one’s body.) Everypony looked to the Scootaloo on Applejack’s back. “Heh, heya. I’m Amber, from earth.” (Hey, why can we understand her and not the real Scoots that isn’t the real Scoots but is--) Rainbow began mumbling to herself, trying to understand how to say the obvious. “It was a ‘joke’ by Discord,” Amber said sliding off Applejack, “I was in that forsaken house for about a year, but it felt like forever, to be honest. And by the way, who the hell are you all?” (“I’m Fluttershy, that’s Rainbow Dash,”) who smiled before turning away to find another bug to follow, (“she’s in therapy and I’m her-) (She’s my best friend ever!) (Wouldn’t be surprised if she was more sometimes,) Night said softly. (Shut. Up. Night,) Twilight hissed. “Woah, so you’re a lesbian? Are you like, the only one or something?” Rainbow turned around. (Nah, most mares are sometimes. I’m not but Fluttershy said-) (“Nothing! Nothing about that is what I said,”) she interjected starting to blush. Twilight blushed slightly. (I had no idea ‘Shy, I’m sorry.) (What the hay, Night!? You apologize to her but you tease me all the time!?) Twilight said loudly. (Girls, lets discuss this later. First we have to get to Zecora’s, there’s still a Manticore on the loose and it’s probably hungry enough to track us. We have to move,) Night urged as her ears began to swivel before locking behind her. A tremble shuddered through her body as her eyes widened. (Shit.) A low growl loudly rumbled through the air filling all their chests with terror, their hind brains first instinct kicked in; whinnying loudly they all began galloping blindly ahead, turning and swerving through trees. Scootaloo stood behind, frozen in place. Why aren’t I running? C’mon body, move. Get away, don’t stay here... She felt a hot breath on her back and turned her head slowly to see the beast looking at her. Her heart pounded in her chest, then she did something she never expected. “Heh, heheh. Hahahahahe,” her laugh grew. The manticore’s face turned puzzled. Never had a meal laughed at him before. Cocking his head to the side he watched as she faced him and, still standing, laughed harder. “Y-y-you, hahahahehe, you smell like candy to me,” she giggled as she sniffed at the beast. “Mmm, carrot cupcakes? What did you eat last, mister monster?” “Hrrghmnm?” it responded, confused at the reaction. It sniffed Scootaloo and took a step back and sat on it’s rear, looking at her, puzzled. As if it were deciding if this was a meal or, something else. “Hey, you’re kinda fuzzy too. Can I, can I touch you before you eat me?” she asked slowly raising a hand and holding it in place. Looking at her hand he sniffed closer to her, standing slowly, then took a step forward and inhaled deeply. Her blood was metalic, her skin was soft and sweet, her hair was short and wouldn’t make a hairball. A perfect meal, but he didn’t desire her flesh. He leaned in and pressed his head lightly to the palm of her hand and felt awash in calm. “Aww, you’re not so bad. I kinda wonder what you taste like though, since you’re about to eat me and all,” she sighed as she raised her other hand and placed it to his face and pulled him into a warm hug. His head was as large as her whole preteenage human body was, but she didn’t care. She felt compelled to hold him by a sense she didn’t entirely understand. With a heavy, hot huff that blew her dress around and warmed her legs the manticore fell to its belly and let a soft purr vibrate its body and its tongue slowly slid from its mouth. A light brush against her feet made her giggle as the manticore sighed and looked at her. Their eyes met and for a time they regarded each other. A twitch of its ears got her attention, she looked where they were pointed and let him go, turning to face her friends. All deeply blushing and embarrassed they stood a ways back looking at the duo holding each other. (How the hay did she tame a flocking manticore?) Night asked, mouth agape. (Wel-Ah-I-uh, hmm.) Applejack stammered before looking to Twilight. (Don’t look at me? I was running faster than all of you. Fluttershy, can you-) (I know! She’s totally all warm, can’t you feel it?) Rainbow said excitedly. (...Warm?) Twilight asked. (Yeah,) Rainbow said sitting and smiling at Scootaloo, (her body is warming my heart, don’t you feel it? It must be human magic, right Antler?) “My name’s Amber and I don’t know,” she looked cautiously at the creature her tiny body was standing next to, “I mean there are some legends of my people befriending beasts, but those are under weird circumstances.” (“This counts as weird, I think,”) Fluttershy said softly, (“Also, I was wondering how you’re able to speak both our languages and Scootaloo can’t.”) “Oh, why that would be thanks to me,” Discord’s voice chimed in. Everyone looked around to find him to no avail until Scootaloo reached back to touch the manticore. “Oh my, please, not there until we’ve been properly introduced,” he said softly. With a scream she hopped back and took a fighting stance, surprised she was able to so well and quickly in her new body. (Discord, I swear if you don’t fix this I’m gonna do to you what I did to Nightmare Moon.) “Oh?” he smirked as he stood tall and waved a claw, conjuring a small rainbow in the air, “you’ll try to stab me then throw gems at me? Honestly Night, I expected at least a little more from the soldier who sold our her friends, comrades, and entire species just to save little old me.” He extended his fingers and the rainbow exploded like a rainboom filling several square feet in radius. “A rainboom isn’t quite enough to do more than offer a light show and those silly elements of yours,” he held his paw up. Twilight’s, Fluttershy’s, and Night’s gems were dangling from his fingers. With a sneer he glared at the group then glanced at Scootaloo who was inching her way back to the others. “You think that any of you have a chance to defeat me? Return me to stone? Stop my chaos from making this place far more interesting and fun?! The audacity, the gall, the… oh the chaotic thought process that takes! I can almost taste it,” he laughed jovially. “Oh my, what is this I see? A dragon, pony, and other things all in one. You also laugh like a creature that loves to have fun.” “Oh my, a Zebra? Is she your secret weapon?” he raised his claw slowly and a chair rose from the earth that he fell upon and rested his chin on his knee, then raised his head, leaving his mouth. “So, Zebra, do you rhyme all the time or is it only when you feel like slime on a dime?” Zecora smiled and exhaled a puff of smoke then stumbled to the side catching herself just barely. “I can see that you look funny and you rhyme in type the way a child plays in the wa~ves in the sea… where I once peed,” she burst into laughter and fell to her chest laughing. “Oh my, that is rich indeed. The Zebra is smoking some herbs?” “Funny dragon that I do not know, would you care to take a blow?” she asked pulling a small pipe from her mane that blended in so well even Discord didn’t see it. “Oh my, making peace with the god of chaos? I can certainly accept the offer but do not agree to peace on these terms alone.” He grabbed the arm of the chair, ripping it like paper from its place, and stood tall, his mouth replacing itself on his face as he walked to Zecora. “Zecora, don’t let him get too-” with a glance all the mares, and Scootaloo, were encased in bubbles that held their voices at bay. “Wait your turn, never pass on the peace pipe,” he scolded. He raised the arm of the chair, what was once a tree root was now a bull horn. “I ACCEPT YOUR OFFER,” he whispered into the amplifier. Zecora giggle madly and rolled to her side. “That thing you use vibrates the air, now I will not be able to hear.” She reached into the back of her mane and pulled a small leather pouch and placed it on the ground before her. Fumbling to open it she couldn’t grasp the drawstring grunting in frustration. Looking to him with pleading eyes as she lain in a bowing position he smiled at her before leaning down and picking the pouch up. Turning the bullhorn speaker up he pulled the string and poured the whole contents into it. Holding the handle he pulled his extra tooth off and it burst into flames. Dropping it into the speaker bowl he pulled a heavy breath in from the handle. Holding it for six seconds he sighed exhaling a blue mist. Zecora stood tall and looked at him proudly. “I heard you speak of your way out of prison like it was a yolk. I offer to you; the poison joke,” she bowed slightly. He coughed heavily and his eyes widened. “Oh, clever girl.” He grunted and looked to his feet as they became encased in stone. Then laughed as it crept up his body. As it reached his chest and his arms froze he looked to Zecora. “Oh dear, I think I’m… Stoned.” Before he could let a laugh go the bubbles surrounding the mares and girl popped and his body was encased in stone; A laugh filled his expression. “Wait, that was it? Ya got him to smoke a silly herb and he’s gone?” “No, it was poison joke, the same flower that gave your friend a manly yoke.” Twilight blushed and covered her mouth with a hoof while Scootaloo hopped in place. “So, am I gonna get my body back?” she gasped. “I understood you! AJ, say something else.” She jogged a few paces to Rainbow and gave her a tight hug. “Finally, I can hold the coolest pony… Oh my, you’re so fluffy I could die, Dash.” “We must go and time we must not waste; the spell will not last, let’s move post haste,” Zecora said as she turned and walked back to her home, carrying the bull horn in her tail. Everyone looked to her then each other. Finally to Discord. “If he’s not in prison then we should go,” Fluttershy said in resignation. She was the first to follow Zecora and the others followed. Rainbow Dash to her side talking about the weather. Amber had climbed to Applejack’s back again while the others stood guard while Scootaloo relieved herself in the bushes. With a light blush Scootaloo left with her friends leaving the stoned Draconequus in the forest. A low growl rumbled the air around Discord after they had left.