Chapter 2: The Adventure Begins
Rainbow Dash flew back to Ponyville as quickly as she could. After all, the faster she got to Ponyville, the faster she could get all her friends and save more innocent ponies from dying.
She decided to pick up Applejack, first.
So the speedy pegasus raced across the lush fields of green outside Ponyville towards the apple orchards of her friend’s farm.
Rainbow landed on the dirt path outside Sweet Apple Acres, and ran up the farmhouse’s front door; where she proceeded to pound on it with her all might.
“APPLEJACK! GET OUT HERE, NOW!”
She stopped hitting the door a few moments before Applejack opened it.
“For crying out loud, Rainbow! You don’t have to break down my door or scream at the top of your lungs to get my attention!”
“Sorry, Applejack! But this is urgent! Princess Celestia asked me to get all of the Elements of Harmony together; we have a mission!”
Applejack didn’t even respond. She closed the door, then opened it again a few minutes later. She had gotten her saddlebags and lucky stetson hat.
“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
Since Applejack was an earth pony and couldn't’ fly, the duo had to run back to Ponyville to fetch the others.
When they arrived, they split up. Applejack ran to Sugarcube Corner to get Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow dashed to the Golden Oaks Library to get Twilight.
“Hey! Egghead! Open your door!” Said Rainbow, as she pounded on the already-feeble wooden door.
“C’mon, Rainbow! Why do you always do this to everypony's door?” Said Spike as he opened the door for Rainbow Dash.
“Where’s Twilight? We have to go on a mission for Princess Celestia!”
Spike’s ears perked up.
“A mission for the Princess? I’m coming, too!”
“Sure! The more the merrier!”
Spike ran upstairs to wake up Twilight. She had been doing some research into the Devil Fruits, and slept in.
“Twilight! Get up! Rainbow Dash is here!”
The pile of blankets began to rapidly stir, until Twilight’s head poked out of them.
“Huh? What’s going on, Spike?”
“Hurry up, Twilight! Get your saddlebags, and whatever else you may need! We’re going on a mission that came from the Princess herself!”
“What?! Why didn’t you wake me sooner?!” Said Twilight as she jumped out of bed and began to gather her belongings.
“Well, maybe because Rainbow Dash just got here a few moments ago? Honestly, Twilight, you need to stop working so hard; these crashes are-”
“No time to criticize me now, Spike! It’s time to go!”
Twilight grabbed the baby in her teeth and threw him on her back. She ran downstairs, then out the door with Rainbow Dash.
“Alright, so where’s everypony else?”
“Applejack went to get Pinkie Pie. So we’ll wait here for them, then go get Rarity, and Fluttershy on our way out of Ponyville.”
It wasn’t long before Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all came running towards them.
“Oh, you got Rarity already, too!” Said Twilight.
“Yeah, she was at Sugarcube Corner already; she just had to get her stuff.” Said Applejack.
“Great! Not we just have to get Fluttershy!” Said Rainbow Dash.
The group hurried to the outskirts of Ponyville; where the secluded Fluttershy made her home.
They arrived outside her house in no time, and Rainbow Dash knocked on her door.
“Hey, Fluttershy! Get your saddlebags, and get out here!”
The timid yellow mare poked her head out the door a few minutes after Rainbow stopped knocking.
“Um, hey, guys. What’s going on?”
“Princess Celestia has given us an important mission, and she asked me to get all you guys together to do it!”
“Oh, that IS important!”
Fluttershy emerged from her house, and the group, now fully assembled, walked to the road outside her house.
“OK, so this is what Princess Celestia told me. Basically, there are these things called Devil Fruits which appeared in Equestria not too long ago. If you eat one, you gain a power of the Sea Devil. But if you do, you lose the ability to swim, forever.”
“Oh, that’s what that was! I remember the town crier was announcing little Silver Spoon drowned, the poor dear.” Said Rarity.
“Did he mention Diamond Tiara?”
“Yes, but he wasn’t specific about how she died.”
“Well, she ate two Devil Fruits. When you eat a Devil Fruit, one of the Sea Demons, servants of the Sea Devil, enters your body. The demon grants you it’s power in exchange for living in your body. However, no two Sea Demons get along, so if you eat a second one, the two demons will fight inside your body; tearing you apart to get at each other’s throats.”
“Now I see; so that’s how Diamond Tiara died.”
Rainbow Dash nodded.
“Yeah, so the Princess wants us to find all of the Devil Fruits in Equestria so she can get rid of them. This way, nopony else has to die.”
“Wait, Rainbow, how are we supposed to find them if we don't’ know what they look like?” Asked Twilight.
“The Princess thought of that, and gave me this.”
Rainbow pulled the chart out of her saddlebag and spread it across the ground.
“These are all the Devil Fruits in existence. Each with an image, name, and description of their powers.”
“Hey, Rainbow, why does this one have an ‘X’ over it?” Said Applejack, pointing at the Sickle-Sickle Fruit.
“Uh, well, I kind of ate that one.....”
“What?! Ya’ll ate one of these Devil Fruits?! What were you thinking?!”
“Calm down! The merchant who sold it to me said it gave you eternal youth! I didn’t know what it really was until Princess Celestia told me!”
“Fine, but we gotta swear, as a group, that we won’t eat Devil Fruits, too.” Said Applejack, putting her hoof over the chart.
“I swear.” Said the other 4, putting their hooves together with Applejack’s.
“That was fun! We should go looking for these Devil Fruit thingies now!” Said Pinkie Pie.
“Yeah, we should. Question is, where do we start? We don’t have a good starting point, and it’s possible other ponies have eaten these fruits, and that would make us have to find THEM instead of the fruit!” Said Twilight.
Everypony’s eyes grew big, and they looked at Rainbow Dash.
“Well, sugarcube? What are we supposed to do if that happens? We don’t have the authority to arrest anypony!”
“Princess Celestia didn’t tell me what to do if somepony ate one. I don’t know what to do....”
The ponies sat down to think of an idea, but Spike came up with the most obvious one.
“Twilight, write a message to Princess Celestia and I’ll send it to her. She’ll tell us what she wants us to do.”
“Of course! I can’t believe we didn’t think of it sooner!”
Twilight whipped a quill and parchment from her saddlebags, and began to write the message.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Rainbow Dash has told the rest of us about the situation regarding the Devil Fruits.
We understand we are to bring all of them back to you for whatever purpose you have in mind for them. However, we had one question: what if we find somepony who ate one? Do you want us to drag him or her back with us?
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle
She rolled up the letter and gave it to Spike. Who, in turn, sent it to Celestia using his green fire breath.
“Now, all we have to do is wait.”
Wait they did: for a few seconds! A response was returned just 5 seconds after Spike sent the message!
“That was fast.” Said Fluttershy.
“She must have been expecting us to ask questions, so she wrote several messages answering our questions!” Said Twilight as she unrolled the letter.
Dear Twilight,
I knew this may be a problem, and since it’s possible that EVERY Devil Fruit has been consumed by somepony, I had a plan for this.
When someone or somepony eats a Devil Fruit, the the powers are yours until the day you die. At which point, the fruit is reincarnated in the world, somewhere.
Since it would be impossible for you girls to take many prisoners with you, you have no other choice: you have to slay any pony who possesses a Devil Fruit ability, then find the fruit in the world. This includes children, I’m afraid. The authorities are aware of the situation, and anypony with a Devil Fruit ability you are not authorized to kill without intervention from any settlement’s police force.
I have already sent warnings to all other settlements in Equestria; warning ponies not to eat the fruits. There will also be a Royal Guard squad stationed in each town, with a large box.
Every time you stop by in one of the settlements, drop your fruits into the box, to lighten your load.
I know this is hard for you to do, but I have confidence in my star pupil and her friends. Good luck, Twilight.
Princess Celestia
Twilight laid the letter down, stood up, and walked a short distance away from her friends.
“Well? What’d she say, Twilight?” Asked Rainbow Dash.
“She....she wants us.... to....”
“To what? What does she want us to do?”
Twilight turned to face her friends again; tears in her eyes.
“She wants us to kill anypony who has a Devil Fruit ability, because that will make the fruit reappear in the world somewhere!”
Her friends all gasped.
“What?....She....she.... wants us....to kill....children?” Asked Rarity.
“I’m afraid, so. When a pony who has Devil Fruit powers dies, the fruit reincarnates itself somewhere in the world. She said she needs the fruits, not the ponies who ate them.”
“This is grim, to say the least. But we have to understand that Princess Celestia wouldn’t ask us to commit murder if it wasn’t important to Equestria as a whole!” Said Applejack.
“I know, it makes sense, but to kill kids....” Said Rainbow Dash.
“The longer we wait, the bigger chance somepony eats a Devil Fruit and we have to kill them. So let’s figure out where we want to start walking from, then just go.”
Her friends nodded, and Twilight rolled out a map from her saddlebag.
“We need to make sure we cover EVERY LAST INCH of Equestria to find these fruits. They could be literally anywhere, that’s why I think we should start from the NW entrance to Ponyville, then follow the path to Tall Tale and Vanhoover; searching everywhere along the way.” Said Twilight.
“I agree. If we go that way, then we can loop north, and go through the Frozen North and the Crystal Kingdom, as well. Then go back South towards Neighagra Falls and Manehattan.” Said Rarity.
“Well, then it’s settled. Let’s get going, gang.” Said Applejack.
Twilight rolled the map up and put it back in her saddlebag
The group went back into town, then out the NW entrance as planned.
“This is it, guys! The start of our adventure!” Said Spike.
“It sure is, Spike.” Said Applejack.
“Hey, I got an idea! Let’s sing to pass the time!” Said Pinkie.
The girls and Spike agreed, and they started to sing one of Pinkie’s favorite songs, “The Night of Dancing Hooves.”
- - - - -
“....and then he took hold of her hoof, and they danced the night away!” The ponies and Spike sang.
Twilight had decided not to sing, and paid attention to where they were walking instead. If she had chose to sing, she wouldn't’ have seen the strange object.
“Girls! Stop!”
Everyone stopped singing and looked at Twilight.
“What’s wrong? Is there mud?” Said Rarity.
“No, look at this.”
Twilight bent down and showed them a very light engraving in the dirt: a small round object with swirl patterns!
“A Devil Fruit!” Said Rainbow Dash.
Twilight nodded.
“Somepony must’ve picked it up. This isn’t good; we'll have to keep an eye open for a pony with Devil Fruit powers just in case they ate it.”
The group continued on it’s way; only this time, they weren’t singing.
They passed a sign that pointed along the path. It said: ‘Unicorn Range’
“Hey! My father used to take me here when I was younger!” Said Rarity.
“Mine too!” Said Twilight.
The others looked confused.
“Um, what is the Unicorn Range?” Asked Fluttershy.
“It’s a place full of unicorns! There’s settlements, only with unicorns! Even the grass and hay you eat here has been magically enchanted by the unicorns! It’s fantastic, darling!” Said Rarity.
“Sounds....great...” Said Rainbow Dash.
“It’s better than great, I can assure you!” Said Rarity.
“I think it’s possible the Devil Fruit that was taken from the ground could’ve been eaten by a unicorn; that might also still be here.” Said Twilight.
“Well, while we’re here, can we visit some old friends of my family? They live in a small village just up the path from here.” Asked Rarity.
“I guess so. While you’re visiting your friends, the rest of us can search for the Devil Fruit; or it’s user.” Said Twilight.
“Sounds good to me.” Said Rainbow Dash.
The group started walking towards the small village, which Rarity informed them was called ‘Shining Hope’; named for the torches used in the city.
“You see girls, this small village was once involved in a brutal war with one of the other villages. With war, comes battles, and with battles, comes death. So there finally came a battle one day that resulted in the deaths of 90 unicorns on both sides. Both cities had been ravaged in the fighting, and when night came, the villages had no lighting at all. The candles had been melted down and the wax used to make molds for weapons.
“So a brave young foal ventured into the night and gathered the horns from the dead unicorns. Using his own magic, he found a way to turn them into ‘candles’ that permanently generate light!”
“Wow, that sounds....gross.” Said Fluttershy.
“Yeah, why would a foal think of something like that? That’s sick!” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, calm down, you two! It’s just as story, I doubt it’s true.” Said Twilight.
Rarity snickered, and the others looked at her strangely.
“Hey, AJ, I think she might be telling the truth.” Whispered Rainbow Dash.
“Pay her no mind. No foal in their right mind would do something so nasty.”
Rainbow nodded and leaned away.
They walked in silence for another hour, until night descended on the ponies.
“Hurry, girls!” Said Twilight.
The group ran down the path as quick as they could.
Even so, it took half an hour before the ponies reached the outskirts of what they thought was the town. They could see two lights on either side of the path ahead, and they dashed for it.
Pinkie was running so fast, she tripped on her own hooves and started to roll. When she stopped, she was looking straight at a glowing unicorn horn in a glass box.
“EEEEK!” She screamed, backing away.
“What is it, Pinkie?” Asked Twilight.
“It’s a horn! Not on a pony’s head!”
They all looked at the horn, and dropped their mouths; all except Rarity.
“Told you it was true.” She said, swaggering into town.
The others shook their heads in disbelief and followed her into town.
“The inn is right over here, if I remember correctly.”
“You’ve been here before?” Asked Fluttershy.
“Oh, yes. My father took me here every summer and every other winter.”
Rarity looked up at a sign hanging on a building she stopped in front of. It had two hooves holding glasses of strong cider, clinking them together.
“This is it.” She said, and walked inside.
Her friends followed her, and Applejack closed the door behind them.
“Woah.” They all said when they saw the interior.
The whole room was like that of an old tavern. Wooden walls built from whole logs, and small paintings were scattered here and there.
There were tables built from a single tree stump, and the chairs were made similarly: half of a stump.
There was a bar with a keeper at the end of the room, and Rarity was walking towards him.
“Hello, Horace! It’s been far too long!”
The keeper looked up from the glass he was cleaning.
“Rarity? Is that you?”
“It is!”
Rarity walked around the bar, and hugged the barkeep.
“Wow! I haven’t seen you around these parts for.....”
“7 years, Horace.” She said, breaking the hug.
“Right! Speaking of which, how’s your dad? That was the last time I saw him, too.”
“He’s fine. He’s living in Manehattan with my mother, now.”
“Well, it’s a shame he couldn’t tag along, but seeing you again is good, too!”
“Likewise! But, Horace, my friends and I need a room. We’ve been walking and running to get here all day, and we’re exhausted!”
“Of course! You’re all welcome to stay here as long as you like! Free of charge, too!”
“Really? Thank you so much, Horace!”
Rarity hugged the barkeeper again.
“Alright, now! One hug wasn’t enough for you?”
Rarity broke the hug, and Horace gave her a set of keys.
“Right, so this one opens the first door, upstairs on your left. This one opens the room directly across from that one. Both rooms have only one double bed, I’m afraid. So two of you are going to have to sleep on the floor, or in the bathtub.”
“Why can’t you just give us a third room?”
“I would if I could, but I only have three rooms, and the third is occupied right now.”
“Well, thank you, anyway!” Said Rarity as she took the keys from him.
She walked towards the stairs, and her friends followed her up.
“Well, girls, we’re going to have to split up. Who’s going to bunk with who?”
“I’ll bunk with you, Rarity.” Said Applejack.
“Me, too.” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Me three!” Said Spike.
“Very well; that’s settled then. Here’s your key, Twilight. Sleep well.”
Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked into their room and gazed at the bed.
“One of us is going to sleeping in the tub, and that’s not me.” Said Rarity.
“Why not? That’s not fair to count yourself out of sleeping the tub!” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Ah, but you see, I got the rooms for us, for FREE. I will be sleeping in the bed.”
Rarity didn’t even wait for their response. She changed into her nightgown, and jumped in the bed.
“Good night, girls!”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash just looked at each other.
“Well, I reckon I’ll take the tub. I’m tired, and I don’t feel like arguing over this.”
Applejack grabbed a throw pillow on an armchair in the corner, and walked into the bathroom; closing the door behind her.
Spike shrugged, and curled up at the end of the bed beside Rarity.
“Good night, Dash!” Said Applejack from inside the bathroom.
Rainbow Dash was stunned that Applejack didn’t take the bed, but shrugged it off as nothing.
She crawled into bed beside Rarity.
“Good night, AJ.”
- - - - -
In the other room, however, the situation hadn’t been resolved yet.
“I can’t sleep in the tub! My horn will break rubbing against the cold, hard porcelain!”
“Well I can’t sleep in the tub, my hair will get frizzy!”
“Pinkie, your hair already IS frizzy!”
“No, it’s not! It’s natural!”
“No, it’s frizzy!”
Fluttershy watched the back and forth argument in torment. Finally, she couldn't’ take anymore.
“GIRLS! Enough! I’ll take the bathtub!”
Fluttershy grabbed the throw pillow that was in their room’s armchair, and stormed off to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her; not even telling the others ‘good night’.
Pinkie and Twilight looked at each other in utter disbelief.
“I’ve only seen Fluttershy act like that when she was dealing with the dragon.” Said Twilight.
“I know. Well, I’m just gonna go to bed not...”
“Right behind you.”
The two mares crawled into the bed and, eventually, fell asleep.
- - - - -
Twilight awoke the next morning to the sound of clinking glasses, shouts, and laughter downstairs.
“Oh, that’s right, we decided to get a room in TAVERN.”
Twilight groaned, then rolled out of bed. She groggily walked to the bathroom and started knocking.
“Fluttershy? I need to use the bathroom.”
No response.
Twilight started knocking again.
“Fluttershy, get up!”
Finally, Twilight opened the door, and saw the empty tub. She looked over to the bed, and saw Pinkie had gotten up already as well.
Twilight used the facilities, washed her hooves, and walked downstairs. Everyone was already up and helping themselves to a delicious-looking breakfast.
“Good morning, egghead!” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Yeah, good morning, Twilight!” Said Spike, as he downed a whole glass of apple juice.
“Good morning, girls, Spike. Was that you guys making all that noise earlier?”
“Yeah! That Horace knows some great jokes!”
Twilight took a seat at the table where an empty plate and silverware was already waiting for her.
“So, did he cook all of this?”
“Sure did! Didn’t even charge us for it, and said that he would open the tavern an hour later to give us time to eat!” Said Applejack.
Twilight put some food on her plate and started to eat. She wanted to discuss the Devil Fruit, but she was so hungry.
“Where are we going to search first?” Asked Fluttershy.
“Well, I’m going to stay here and catch up with Horace. But you girls will need some directions.” Said Rarity, getting up from the table.
She walked over to the wall where a map was nailed to it.
“Horace? Is it fine with you if I take this map down for a better look?”
“Sure! Just put it back on the wall when you’re done!”
“Thank you, Horace darling!”
Rarity pulled the nail out, and took the map to a table next to theirs. Everyone except Twilight stood up and walked over.
“This village is quite small,and you shouldn’t get lost, but you need to know what everything is.”
Rarity pointed at a series of buildings on the map.
“These are the homes, the businesses are down this lane to the left of that, and the third road is the one we’re on. This is where the historic things are, such as this tavern.”
Everyone nodded, and Rarity took the map back to the wall, and nailed it up, again, then she walked into the kitchen.
“Just in case you get any leads, I thought that might be useful to you.” Said Rarity, sitting down at the table with Twilight.
“Um, do you think it would be a good idea to split up?” Asked Fluttershy.
“I’m game!” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Alright, then, I’ll be a team captain, and Fluttershy will be the other. Go ahead Fluttershy, pick first.” Said Applejack.
“OK, I’ll take Rainbow Dash, I mean, if that’s OK with you.”
“Not a problem at all, Fluttershy; I got Twilight.”
“I want Pinkie Pie.”
“YAY!” Said Pinkie, hugging Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
“I get you then, Spike.” Said Applejack.
Spike shook his head.
“I’m going to stay here with Rarity.”
Applejack rolled her eyes.
“Suit yourself, lover boy.”
Applejack looked at Fluttershy and her group.
“Alright, you girls should go on ahead and get started without us. I'll wait here for Twilight to finish eating.”
“Shouldn’t we, um, check areas that only we check?”
“Oh, yeah! Didn’t think about that! Fluttershy, you gals go check the the businesses. Twilight and I will hit the historic area here.”
“OK, where do you want to meet up? If you want to do that....”
“Hmm, let’s come back here in 2 hours and go over what we found.”
“OK then, we’ll be going now.”
Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash walked out the door; closing it behind them.
Applejack sat down at the table with Twilight.
“I hope this pans out and we find the fruit, Twilight. I...don’t want...to...”
“I know Applejack. It’s going to be OK. We’ll find the fruit, not a user.”
Twilight wiped her mouth, and stood up.
“Coming?”
“Of course!”
Twilight started walking then stopped.
“Horace? Rarity? Do you want us to help you clean the dishes?”
Horace poked his head out from the kitchen.
“Nah, you girls have something important to do from the Princess. Rarity told me, it’s fine. Besides, Spike here will do just that.”
“OK, then! Bye Horace! Tell Rarity we said bye, too!”
“See ya, girls!”
Twilight and Applejack walked outside; closing the door behind them.
“Alright, let’s see.” Said Applejack, scanning the buildings on the lane.
She spotted a small building with a rounded, blue roof. The doors were blue with black lines running from the top to the bottom, and the door knob was a hoof.
“That place looks like a good a place to start as any! Let’s go!”
Twilight followed Applejack inside the building.
The inside was just as wacky as the outside. The walls were colored pink, with red zig-zag stripes running along them.
Statues of unicorns with plaques on them were scattered all over the room.
There was a counter with various figurines and other memorabilia on it at the end of the room. Was this supposed to be a gift shop?
“Hey, Twilight, are we in a gift shop?”
“Yes, but also a museum, I think.”
“Right you are, my young unicorn!”
Twilight and Applejack turned to see a unicorn stallion cleaning one of the statues behind the door.
“Excuse me, sir?” Said Twilight.
“You are in a museum. This is the museum of our village’s proud military history.”
He stopped cleaning the statue and approached AJ and Twilight.
“So, how can you help you two, today?”
“We’ve been sent here by Princess Celestia to look for Devil Fruits. Do you happen to know anything about them?”
“Oh! Do you mean that fruit Bright Horn found the other day? The weird one with swirl marks on it?”
“Yes! There are a lot of them, but we have to get them all! Where does this ‘Bright Horn’ live?” Asked Twilight.
“He lives with his family in two house.”
“He lives in two house? Can you be a bit more specific, sir?”
“You’re new here, so let me explain how the address system works, here. There are three roads with buildings on them. The first building is called one, then the one across the street is called two, then you go back across and you get three. See? It’s just a simple numbering system.”
“OK, thank you, sir!” Said Twilight as they rushed out of the building.
“We have to find the others! If this unicorn ate the fruit, we’ll need Rainbow Dash if we want to beat him, or her!” Said Applejack.
“I agree! Let’s go find them!”
Twilight and Applejack ran down the street and turned the corner onto the business lane.
They saw a mare cleaning the front stoop of her business and stopped to ask her where their friends were.
“Oh, the newcomers? They’re over at Oliver’s. That’s the building to the right, three buildings down.”
“Thank ya kindly, ma’am!”
The two towards Oliver’s. They stopped outside to catch their breaths, then walked in.
True to the mare’s word, their friends were inside talking to the owner
“So let me get this straight, you walk every morning and night, but you didn’t see anypony pick up a strange fruit with swirl patterns on it?”
The store owner shook his head.
“Sorry, miss. Haven’t seen anypony with a fruit like that.”
Rainbow groaned, and turned to walk away.
“Oh, Twilight, Applejack! What are you guys doing here?”
“We found out who has the fruit! We got their address and name!” Said Twilight.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew big.
“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go!”
The ponies all ran out of the store, and down the road. They turned into the neighborhood, and started scanning for two house.
“There it is!” Squealed Pinkie.
Twilight led the way up the stairs, and started knocking on the door. After a few knocks, a blue mare opened the door.
“Hello! How can I help you?” She said in a cheery voice.
“Do you have a child named ‘Bright Horn’?” Asked Twilight.
“Yes, do you need to speak to him?”
“Yes, urgently.”
“Come on in, then.”
The ponies followed the blue mare into the house.
“Please, sit down. I’ll call him down.”
They sat down in the living room while the blue mare, presumably Bright Horn’s mother,called him down from upstairs.
“Bright Horn! There are some ponies here to see you!”
Within moment, the blue stallion came running down the stairs.
“Who is it, ma?”
“I don’t know, they’re waiting for you in the den.”
Bright Horn walked into the den where Twilight and her friends were waiting.
“Hello, Bright Horn. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. We’ve been sent here by Princess Celestia to look for something called ‘Devil Fruits’. We’ve heard you may have one?”
“Are you talking about that fruit I found the other day? The one with swirls on it?”
“Yes! Do you still have it?”
“Umm....sort of....”
Twilight gasped. Was he about to say what she thought he was going to say?
“What do you mean by ‘sort of’?”
“Well, I ate it.”
Twilight and her friends all hung their heads. Bright Horn noticed, and interjected.
“What’s wrong?”
Twilight looked at him with a somber look.
“The fruit you ate is a Devil Fruit. The Princess asked us to bring ALL of the fruits to her. When somepony who consumed a fruit dies, the fruit reappears in the world. I’m sorry Bright Horn, but by order of Princess Celestia herself, I condemn you to death.”
Bright Horn looked confused, and started to back up.
Twilight and her friends stood up and started walking towards him.
“Please! What’d I do wrong?!”
Twilight gazed at the stallion. He must have been 15 or 16 at the most. He was so young, but she knew what had to be done.
“You ate the fruit, and we need it, I’m afraid. I don’t want to kill you, but we have to. Now please, follow us outside so we don’t make a mess of your mother’s home.”
The stallion didn’t move, so Applejack and Rainbow Dash grabbed him, covering his mouth, and dragged him outside.
Muffled cries for help could be heard as Twilight and her friends took the young stallion to his front lawn.
“Rainbow Dash? I think you're best suited to do this. Having a Devil Fruit power of your own, and all.”
Rainbow nodded.
“I can take him on. Applejack, let him go.”
Applejack let go of the stallion, and melded in with the rest of her friends.
The stallion gazed helplessly up at Rainbow Dash.
“Please...I don’t want to die....”
“I’m sorry....”
Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves, then swung them outward.
Two wind scythes appeared and struck the ground. But that’s it! They struck the ground! The stallion was gone!
“What the...” Said Rainbow Dash.
“You’re not going to kill me!” Said the young stallion.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash was knocked over.
“Ow! How did that happen?”
Twilight took out the chart again, and looked it over.
“Rainbow Dash! He’s eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit! It lets him turn invisible at will!”
Rainbow stood up, rubbing her rump.
“Invisible, huh? I may not be able to see him, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be hurt!”
Rainbow flew up in the air about 5 feet, and started chucking wind scythes everywhere. The lawn was gravely injured because of her efforts, but the stallion remained unharmed.
“You can’t see me! How are you supposed to fight me?”
The stallion’s mother appeared on the front stoop, her mouth agape.
“What’s going on? Where’s Bright Horn?”
“Ma’am, we’re on official business from Princess Celestia herself. Just go back inside your house!”
The mare looked upset, but she obeyed Twilight and ran back inside her house, closing the door behind her.
Rainbow was still creating and throwing wind scythes; all in vain. The stallion was still avoiding her attacks, and now, he was laughing.
“Are you kidding me? You still haven’t even grazed me yet! I would never question the Princess, but I think you guys were the wrong ponies to send!”
Rainbow Dash grew angry at his remark.
“Enough!”
Rainbow Dash started creating and throwing wind scythes at double the rate she was doing before! All the grass on the front lawn was eviscerated, and the dirt underneath was coming up in huge chunks the size of a hoof!
Rainbow Dash grew tired after a couple minutes, and gently flew back down. She laid her head on the dirt, and passed out.
“Rainbow Dash? Are you OK?” Said Fluttershy running to her friend's’ side.
The others stood by, at the ready. With Rainbow Dash no longer capable of fighting, they would be the young stallion’s next target.
“Look sharp, everypony!” said Twilight, “He’s sure to come after us, now!”
They huddled together, but it wasn’t necessary. The stallion appeared to them; covered in cuts.
Rainbow Dash’s rage-filled attacks had gotten him!
The stallion tried to utter something, but instead, fell over on his side.
Fluttershy rushed over to him and put her hoof on his neck.
“He’s dead. Rainbow severed his carotid artery.”
Normally what would have been a joyous occasion, victory over your opponent in battle, was not warranted. They had killed a young stallion, a boy, really. But they had to, even if they didn’t like want to.
“Come on girls. Let’s get back to the tavern and get Rarity and Spike. we need to leave town before somepony calls for the authorities.” Said Twilight.
Her friends nodded, and Applejack and Fluttershy picked up Rainbow Dash. They trudged back to the tavern, and somberly walked through the door.
Spike and Rarity had prepared a lunch for them, and were standing by the food; smiling.
“Hey, Twilight! Look what Rarity and I cooked up for you guys! With a little help from the old guy, of course!”
That’s when they noticed Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, no! What happened to her?” Asked Rarity.
“Don’t worry, she just wore herself out. Look Rarity, I know this meal looks good an’ all, but we gotta skip town, now.” Said Applejack.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“We killed the first Devil Fruit user. We need to leave in case the guard come after us.” Said Twilight.
Rarity understood immediately. Her and Spike went upstairs to gather their things, then came back down as quick as they left.
“Very well, then. We should be going.”
The girls quietly left the tavern and started walking down the road. They had come into town from the SE, so they took the NW road into town, out.
They walked until light turned to dark; at which point they laid down inside some bushes to get some rest.
“This is all we get, girls. I’m sorry we don’t get to sleep in the nice beds of the tavern, but...” Said Twilight.
“It’s alright. We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we first started this journey. Now, let’s get some shuteye, Twilight.” Said Applejack.
“Yeah, it’s no biggie.” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Honestly, I’ve slept like this outside with my newborn chicks, before.” Said Fluttershy.
Twilight smiled knowing her friends understand their dilemma, and she gradually closed her eyes and went to sleep, too.
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....okay what the fuck? Celestia ordering them killed? That's just...no.
2870315 That's just...yes.
Remember, even in the world of One Piece, Devil Fruits are feared by most humans because of the problems they cause.
A more gentle race like the ponies would consider them a large threat, as well. Celestia understands as well that all of her subjects, including her, are susceptible to greed.
With great power, (such as that from a Devil Fruit) enables greed to be acted upon more violently.
Ex. You wouldn't rob a bank with a knife, but with a gun, it's much more likely you'll succeed.
Same thing here. So Celestia has decided, as a ruler of her people, that's it's better to save the many, by sacrificing the few.
Dude! At least add a Dark Tag! Even if it's for "good reason"... she making them kill ponies! I mean when you just have Crossover/Adventure, everyone's going to think it's a light hearted adventure like Canon!
2870385 I would, but it's not dark. Dark would be more like vampires, werewolves, that kinda stuff.
This IS an adventure. Think about it: it's no different from the LOTR; they killed shit on their journey, too. But that's not dark.
Sorry, I can't label it that way.
2870391
"Dark would be more like vampires, werewolves, that kinda stuff."
Do you even know how the Dark Tag works? Here's the descption on the FAQ about the Dark Tag (Or Grimdark as they call it, it needs to be updated)
"Grimdark is for when you want to write a story that’s a few shades darker than the feel of the show. In these fics, there is gore and violence and swearing – well, not always. You’ll see variations like Dark and Grimlight around a lot, because no-one can agree on exactly what this tag is actually supposed to mean."
In other words, being forced to murder ponies is under the dark tag.
2870408 Not forced, she asked them to do it. Obviously, the Mane 6 could have denied the mission, and she would've given to someone else.
Nothing was forced. Plus, I would only use dark if the killings are gone into EXTREME detail. I didn't even mention blood in my killing!
2870430
They're still killing ponies! Even if they were asked to and not forced they're still doing it!
I'm leaving this on favs just because I want to see where this is going... but at least warn in the description that there's going to be murders if you refuse to add the dark tag!
Wonder how long the promise of not eating the fruit will last. Also, if fluttershy gets anything other than the whisper-whisper fruit, I will be disappointed.
2870462 Fair enough. I will put it in the long desc. that ponies will be murdered.
2870463 Eating the Whisper Whisper Fruit is meaningless. It would take away her ability to swim, and give her nothing. Why should she eat it?
2870536
Fair enough.
Oh and I have a question: Is the last chapter going to be about them killing Rainbow Dash?
2870546 fimfiction-static.net/images/avatars/7313_256.jpg
2870546 Yeah, that's kinda a major pothole I thought of in 5 seconds. My response if I was RD would have been "wait, that means Celestia might have me killed too. Screw this."
2870325 Dude, that's just Dark. You need to add that tag. Also, your logic is flawed. I own three guns, but I have zero criminal inclinations, because I'm moral. And if a human can be that moral, imagine the morality of the pastel ponies! Hell, in real life such killings would be met with outrage, especially if the victims weren't doing anything wrong.
This is a dark story and you so did not warn us.
2870899
He sent me a PM about certain spoilers... I won't say what they are... only I unfaved it and switched to a thumbs down.
2870922 I never said that owning a gun would make you want to rob a bank! I was saying that if you had a knife, it would be harder to threaten for money, since the security guards would have guns. So if you had a gun, it would be easier for you to rob a bank.
It was just an analogy, and had NOTHING to do with guns, literally.
Also, I questioned a moderator about my story, and he SPECIFICALLY told me the story WAS NOT dark. Killing isn't dark, it's a natural part of life that happens everyday, everywhere. With cartoon ponies, it's no different. But even so, I have placed a warning in the long desc. People will know BEFORE they read the story and get butt-hurt about it.
Will any Devil Fruit users be able to join the group, like in One Piece?
2871807 Unlike my last story, I'm not going to unleash any spoilers, even if asked. I've already answered someone's question regarding that, and they disliked and unfaved my story because of it.
Let the story unfold, and see what you think of it.
But I will tell you this: in the anime, it's said there are 'over 100 Devil Fruits'; implying there aren't more than 199 (otherwise, they would just say 200).
So, I'm going to put 150 Devil Fruits in the story; the original 108 mentioned so far, plus my own creations.
That's all i'm willing to give up, I'm sorry.
Cool.
2870540 it would improve her natural talents. It's the same thing as a human eating the human-human fruit that chopper ate. If I remember correctly from something I read about it, it would still affect a human, just not as much as it would an animal.
2873668 No, it wouldn't affect her natural talents. What you're thinking of, is when a human eats the Human-Human Fruit, they become enlightened. Whatever that means, I don't know; it's never specified.
If Fluttershy ate the Horse-Horse Fruit, the same thing would happen - she would become enlightened. However, you're talking about the Whisper-Whisper Fruit. In that case, nothing would happen because she ALREADY can speak to animals and understand what they say.
She would get nothing out of it except losing the ability to swim.
2874357 remember a bird in the hoof? She didn't understand what angel was trying to tell her at first. Meaning she doesn't always understand animals. The whisper whisper fruit would fix that.
2875093 It's not that she didn't understand what he was trying to tell her; it's just that she forgot about the brunch she was supposed to have with her friends.
Plus, he wasn't really 'telling' her anything. He just kept pointing at a watch; that's very childish, and would have been hard for anyone to understand.
2875293 but he was telling her. The fact he needed a watch to do it also confirms she's not perfect at it. There was also dragonshy, where angel actually had to turn fluttershy's head to get his point across.
2875416 He wasn't, though. When rabbits speak to eachother, they chitter. Angel was NOT chittering.
2875442 odd. Seeing as how none of the other animals make noise when communicating with fluttershy. The only ones I remember every making noise at fluttershy were bigger than the average pony.
2875487 The ferrets when she fed them a fish, her chickens, the pets she's showing to RD. They all made noises.
Why didnt they start in ponyvile? There were definitely 3 devil fruit users at least. And does Rainbow have to be killed too?