//------------------------------// // ...Is only the start of a different game // Story: A World in Chaos // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// Zecora led them quickly to her home and opened the door, ushering them in. Taking the bull horn she dropped it on the floor and stomped on it several times until there were broken pieces littering the floor around her hooves. She picked up the handle and quickly dropped it in her cauldron then looked to the other mares and girl. “Quickly, we must get the right stuff. This concoction will be tough. You three go and get some green roots from flowers with blue shoots and buds of two, as high as your knee. Twelve minutes run to the east, be quick and move fast like you ran from a beast.” She looked to Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy. They looked to each other then turned to gallop out the door. “From you I need bark from a tree that is minutes by two. Run northwest to a tree that is the size of thee,” she pointed to Amber and Night, “the bark is tasty but bring it to me. Do not eat it and do not waste, we need this right away. Post haste.” “Um, what can we do?” Scootaloo asked as she rocked between her feet keeping balance with uncertainty. She squatted and fell back onto her butt with a light thud. “Ow, it never hurt when I was a pony.” “Scoots, why are you not a pony now? I mean, you’re still you but, not… It’s weird to see you like this. OH! Ahouizotl, you look like him kinda.” “Rainbow Dash, what?” Scootaloo asked looking confused. “The arch meninenisis of Daring Doo,” she said scrunching her face, “my most favorite hero in the books I readed, uh, read.” Rainbow trotted to the other side of Scootaloo and sniffed her hair and poked her soft skin lightly. Scootaloo pulled back reflexively. “Ow, your hooves are scratchy, Rainbow Dash. Why did you do that?” Rainbow poked her again, this time in the chest. With a light gasp Scootaloo blushed as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned away. “Dash, those are really sensitive. Don’t touch there, okay?” Rainbow and Zecora looked to her with concern. “A-are you hurt? Scoots, you shoulda told us,” Rainbow said taking a step back and looking at the dress closer. “I don’t see, erhm, blood. Is it a bruises?” “What? No, Rainbow Dash. This body is different than my pony body,” she said feeling her face heat up in embarrassment. “Well no duh, you’re like, all weird. I’ve never seen a creature like you in my whole life,” Rainbow said rearing and waving her forelegs in the air for effect. “Not only like that… these here,” she moved her hands to her chest and cupped her budding breasts, “are where they have their teats, and it’s really weird,” she said crossing her legs and hugging herself tightly. “Why am I still like this, Zecora? Your name’s Zecora, right?” Zecora nodded. “That is indeed my name, if you forgot do not speak with shame.” “Heh, she rhymes too, Scoots.” Rainbow observed. “Yeah, I can see that. Zecora, why am I like this? Can you make some magic like they said on the way back that could fix me?” Scootaloo sniffled a little and did her best to make a sad face that would entice Zecora to do what she could; but without her pony features it didn’t work too well. “Little pony is a human body your attempt to sway me is most naughty. I will not do what I cannot so until then away I shall trot.” Scootaloo harumphed and looked to Rainbow. “I miss my tail too.” “It’s okay Scoots, Zecora will fix you, right Z?” “Hm, I have never had such a short name, I like it and thank you,” she giggled softly, “it is like my mane.” “Wow, you really do rhyme a lot. Do you ever, ya know, stop rhyming and talk normal?” Zecora smiled and turned to face Scootaloo. “First of all I can not change you back, it is in the power of the dragon; heart of black. Second is easy too, I rhyme now and always shall. I have now answered you. You must answer me a question true, what does it feel like to be this new you?” “Hmm,” Scootaloo looked to Rainbow then back to Zecora, “well, it’s weird. I see different, smell things different, I bet I taste things different too. Amber said I was an um, un-knee-thor?” Zecora slowly opened her mouth as she looked at Scootaloo, trying to form the rhyme. “Uh, um,” she scratched the back of her head and looked to the floor, “you see the problem to beat is you have to eat meat,” she finally said. Scootaloo and Rainbow gasped. “I-I know, she told me. But, I don’t have to live off it only, right?” Zecora forced a smile. “This is true, but you cannot eat what used to please you. Your diet now must be vegetation and meat or you will not be able to stand on your own two feet.” “That’s what those things are called! I knew I remembered the word from the Daring Doo book! Ahouizotl has three of them and… um,” Rainbow looked up quickly, “clams!” Zecora laughed. “Hands are what you think, clams are what some eat.” “Oh. Well, I was close,” she said smiling wide and standing tall, proud of her attempt. “Dash, you’re so silly,” Scootaloo said giggling. She covered her mouth with the back of her left hand while she moved her legs and leaned back onto her right. “Ya know, this new body does have it’s ups too.” “Really, Scoots? Like what, you can eat whatever you want, so I know that’s a thing that could be helpful since sometimes monsters are scary and if you try to eat them they’ll run away!” The others giggled. “No, I mean like I can smell things better and the colors are so much more, I dunno, brighter. I tamed that manticore with my feelings so maybe there’s a lot more than I know about being a human and Amber can tell me later.” “Well, I bet that manticore was just Discord in disguise. He’s tricky like that, so we better be careful of other manticores that show up.” Zecora turned to a shelf and began gathering ingredients, walking to the pot and adding them one at a time while Scootaloo and Rainbow talked. “I don’t think so, that manticore started chasing us from the second we stumbled into it’s den trying to figure out where we were. It was totally gonna eat us, but I know I’d have beat it before I coulda chomped me,” she said waving a hand. Rainbow watched Scootaloo’s hand with reverent awe. She raised her hoof and waved it. “Rainbow, what’re you doing?” “It’s so neat how bendy that cla-hand is. Can you do other stuff with it? And what were you talking about your teats moving up there? And why did you have to pee the way you did? And why is your mane only on top of your head?” Scootaloo laid back and looked at the ceiling as Rainbow pelted her with questions. Several questions later Rainbow took to the air and hovered over Scootaloo. “And most important, where’s your wings? How can I learn you to fly if you don’t got your wings, ya know?” Scootaloo scrunched her face and rolled to her side using her hands as a pillow. “They’re on my old body with her. I might never fly, but I heard humans fly around to mate and stuff so maybe there’s a way.” Zecora snickered but the others didn’t pay her attention. “So, you’re saying you have to mate to fly? That’s crazy! You’re still a filly and you haven’t even gone into that thing growed up have, you know,” she raised her tail slightly and pointed back, “back there when you have to really wanna do stuff but you can’t cuz it only feels good when you put stuff-” “Oh my Dash, the words you speak are not for her ears. You must take care before you tell about the birds and the bears.” “Hey, I know about that stuff,” Scootaloo said sitting up and rolling to her knees, “mostly.” Scootaloo winced as her knees stung from the floor. She rocked back to her feet and fell back to her butt again. “Darn, I can’t get up. This human thing is so weird.” “Hey, you didn’t answer my questions, Scoots.” Scootaloo sighed and looked to her dress and the tears across it, the slight trickle of blood that had stained a spot by her calf, and the dirt across the bottom. “I think I should get new clothes,” she said sitting up and trying to pull the dress off. She stopped when she heard it rip slightly. “Ya know, Scoots, ya can’t take it off sitting on it.” Scootaloo blushed slightly then rolled to her hands and knees. Pushing herself up carefully she stood, finally, and looked down at Rainbow. “You’re pretty small.” “Awe, I know I’m pretty. Fluttershy tells me every time we take a bath together.” Zecora stumbled and dropped a bottle of flowers onto the floor as she snickered before composing herself and going back to mixing ingredients. Scootaloo and Rainbow looked at each other again and shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll get outta this thing.” Scootaloo pulled the dress up and off, dropping it in front of her feet. “Holy Celestia, Scoots, where’s your fur and… wow, everything’s all different.” Rainbow looked at Scootaloo and hovered around her looking at the quickly blushing peach skinned human before her. “No tail, wings, fur, little bitty mane, your teats are all the way up there and lookit your place, it’s all weird,” Rainbow said as Scootaloo watched her friend size her up. She felt very, naked. She leaned down and picked up her dress and began to put it back on. “Hey, I was looking! Why’re you covering up again, I have so many questions now!” Rainbow said jovially. Scootaloo’s blush grew deeper as she pulled her arms into the dress and stumbled a step back, keeping her balance barely. “How are you changing colors? You were kinda pinkish but now you’re reddish. Are you getting human sickness?” “Silly pony of colors so many, she is shy and you are not helping by looking so close. Leave her be and help me get those,” Zecora pointed to a staff leaning against the wall. Rainbow smiled wide again before landing and trotting happily to it. Grasping it in her mouth she walked it to Zecora. “Rainbow Dash, can you give her the staff?” Rainbow looked to Zecora and raised an eyebrow before nodding and turning to Scootaloo. Leaning forward when she was close enough she waited for Scootaloo to take it in her mouth. Instead she reached with her hands and grasped the staff to Rainbow’s surprise. Zecora smiled and reared up and held out her hooves. Scootaloo looked to Rainbow then Zecora and carefully tossed the staff to her. Grasping the staff, Zecora spun it expertly and moved faster than it seemed she should. The staff whooshed in the air and Zecora spun around, kicking the air, landing on her rear legs with the staff leaning against her back she balanced and nodded to Scootaloo. “I can see you are meant to stand to fight, if you wish I will teach you to do it right.” Scootaloo and Rainbow were awestruck and slowly looked to each other before launching to a question barrage against Zecora. She held a hoof up and fell forward to all fours. “Answers will come in time. For now just listen to me rhyme. We will wait the next few moments for the others to return, then we will cast a spell to keep the beast from being a burden.” “That didn’t totally rhyme,” Rainbow chimed in sitting by Scootaloo. Zecora shrugged and sat by the cauldron in silence. Discord began to chip out of the stoned state he was in. As he freed his head first he looked around and frowned to see the world moving sideways and a huffing noise behind him. He rolled his eyes and waited for the rest of himself to become free while he was being carried by the manticore, possibly back to its den. Discord groaned, stopping the beast in its tracks. It dropped him and shattered the rest of the stone holding him. Standing up Discord bent backwards and twisted his body. A series of cracking sounds emanated from his body before he looked to the manticore. “Oh, how rude of me. Care for some nuts?” he asked untwisting himself and freeing a small flood of shelled nuts around him. The manticore growled and sneared at his prey. “Oh, don’t jest me silly child. I’ve been through more than you can offer,” he snapped his fingers and was dressed as a carnie; chair and bullwhip in his paw/claws. The manticore backed up and roared loudly. “Down Simba, back!” Discord shouted, transforming the manticore into a small lion cub with a red mane, “there, much less a bother. Shoo kitty,” he said cracking the whip near the tiny cub who yelped and turned to run away. “Now, where was I? Oh, that’s right.” A small flash of light and he was outside Zecora’s home, the size of a small bug, watching as Scootaloo put her dress back on. “Well, glad I missed that. I’m many things, that is not one of them. Different species or not, I leave them their dignity. Oh my, what’s this? The Zebra is a fighter? “This is too rich,” he grinned and closed his eyes, sensing the location of the others, “time to have some more fun,” he chuffed. With a flash he was far above the everfree and took a look around to scout the landscape grinning widely. He raised his hands above his head and began to focus a spell of randomness, delving deeply into his chaotic magic. “This’ gonna be good, or bad. We’ll see together, my little ponies,” he said with a wry smile. Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy reached the bushes, a small clearing nearby with a spring running through it filled the area with lapping water creating a peaceful quiet. Looking to the bush Twilight began picking flowers while Applejack turned to the clearing. “‘Shy, wanna come with me ta drink quick? I’m getting a bit parched from that run and we still have to get back,” Applejack asked. Fluttershy nodded and looked to the sound, then up to the trees. “I don’t hear any animals, it’s unnerving. Twilight,” she spoke softly, “hurry, I don’t like this. There are always animals in a forest.” The others looked to each other with growing concern and nodded. “Drinkin’ can wait, let’s get the flowers and get back.” Amber and Night looked at the tree they were sent to and then to each other, then back to the tree with caution. “She didn’t say anything about it being glowing blue with thorns guarding it.” “Well, back on my world we’d call this a trap. We’d better just get back,” Amber said as she turned and began trotting back. “Woah… whatever you are. We have to get this bark so help out.” “Did you even get a reason why? I sure as fuck didn’t.” Night’s eyes widened, ears pressed to her head, she took a step back in surprise. “Y-you just used a bad word.” “Yeah, aren’t you like, an adult? You swear all the time.” “W-well, we say things related to our races mostly. ‘Buck’, ‘flock’, ‘spell’. Like that, never a heavy one,” Night said sheepishly. “Great, I’m surrounded by kids. I’m going back, you get poked by a poison thorn if you want.” Night watched Amber walk away with her head held high in pride, then back to the thorn covered tree and sighed. She turned and cautiously followed the tiny pony back to Zecora’s.